100 (Nope...It's just about time!!!) Days til Our First Family Trip!

[ladybugmom]

Big news here....our final payment has been made!!!!!!!! And I think that deserves a !

Just 45 days to go. Time to get serious about park planning, and I am still trying to make shirts for the boys. Man, that Creative DISigns board is overwhelming!

And in case anyone is wondering, we did NOT get an upgrade to SSR or OKW, unlike every other person staying at a Value during free dining. But that's okay, we are still going to have a blast!

Woo Hoo...45 days to go!

YAY for final payment!!

Yes, there is soooo much to look at on the Creative DIS board!! Sooo many talented DISers!! I'm sorry you didn't get the upgrade. That stinks!

 

[Macduffy]

I'm so glad you put your PTR in your siggy! With 2 little ones (boys at that) we need all the support we can get LOL!

Delta messed with our flights as well but after explaining that the changes weren't going to work for us they changed some stuff and it's going to be much better now (more time at Disney!!!)

Have you picked your t-shirt design yet? I'm addicted to Donatalie stuff on the DISigns boards! Think we'll do a little einsteins and a Jedi shirt. Are you doing some for yourself and DH or just the kids?

 

[mommyof2Pirates]

just signing on now. better late than never. I am fairly new to the dis boards and I am thinking about starting a PTR soon. I am trying to get 10 posts so I can finally post pictures with my reports. I was so excited to read your PTR. I too have a 4 year old son (turning 5 11/9) and a 2 year old son who will be 29 months when we go to disney. Our dates are 9/20-9/26. I was wondering with your airtran tickets did you get to pick your seats ahead of time? We booked through AAA and my TA told me that I can't go on ahead and even pay to pick my seats because we booked through disney as a package. I have no idea what she is talking about but she tells me that worse case scenario is that my DH sits with one child and I sit with another even if we are seperated. This just stresses me out not knowing what to expect. This is the first flight for both of my boys.

 

[jana616]

Oh, yay, new readers! Becky, I was worried you were hanging in there all by your lonesome! Now that I know a few people are reading I'll be sure to get serious again. Plus, with only 36 days to go (yes, 5 weeks from now, I will be running around with a chicken with my head cut off, desperately trying to figure out what I'm forgetting to pack!), lots of exciting things should be happening, like Mickey Mail, crafty things I'm trying to get made, etc.

I'm so glad you put your PTR in your siggy! With 2 little ones (boys at that) we need all the support we can get LOL!

Delta messed with our flights as well but after explaining that the changes weren't going to work for us they changed some stuff and it's going to be much better now (more time at Disney!!!)

Have you picked your t-shirt design yet? I'm addicted to Donatalie stuff on the DISigns boards! Think we'll do a little einsteins and a Jedi shirt. Are you doing some for yourself and DH or just the kids?

WELCOME! I'm enjoying your PTR a lot, and yes, we mommies of boys definitely need all the support we can get! I was SOOO happy that Delta messed us up so badly. Changing to Airtran has been awesome-saving a few $$$, and getting there 4 hours earlier after a non-stop flight will be so great. Airtran moved up our return flight by half an hour the other day. We leave at 12:14 now instead of 12:45. I know I could call and they would move us to a different flight, and there is another non-stop leaving at 6 pm and arriving in Indy at 8:14. It's SO tempting-that gives us a whole extra day at Disney. But I want to send the boys to preschool the next day (mama's got to unpack and do laundry, plus they're missing a few days already) and Chad will work the next day, and I don't want to get home late. So I think we're doing the responsible thing and leaving early. But man, do I want to switch!

I do have most of our disigns picked out. I'm doing a shirt each day for the boys (or so I say now, we'll see once I get started ironing! ). I've got a "My 1st Disney Vacation," an AK one, a Hawaiian Mickey head with Stitch for our Ohana breakfast day, a T-Rex one for that day, a Playhouse Disney one someone made for me, one with their name made from Disney characters, and then I am making 1 set of shirts for all 6 of us for one day. I thought we'd get some super cute pics of us and the grandmas in them at MK. I bought a bunch of shirts, but they're too big for Cooper. Did you have any luck finding shirts for your little guy?

My next big thing is doing a Disney family night-you have totally inspired me!

just signing on now. better late than never. I am fairly new to the dis boards and I am thinking about starting a PTR soon. I am trying to get 10 posts so I can finally post pictures with my reports. I was so excited to read your PTR. I too have a 4 year old son (turning 5 11/9) and a 2 year old son who will be 29 months when we go to disney. Our dates are 9/20-9/26. I was wondering with your airtran tickets did you get to pick your seats ahead of time? We booked through AAA and my TA told me that I can't go on ahead and even pay to pick my seats because we booked through disney as a package. I have no idea what she is talking about but she tells me that worse case scenario is that my DH sits with one child and I sit with another even if we are seperated. This just stresses me out not knowing what to expect. This is the first flight for both of my boys.

WELCOME! Wow, our boys are so close in age! Griffin will be 5 on 11/19! We did pick our Airtran seats ahead of time, but we didn't go through Disney. We went through kayak.com, which is an airfare search engine. It normally costs $6 each way to pick, but if you go through kayak, the way it routes you lets you pick for free! I learned that from the disboards, of course! I know you can pick for free 24 hours in advance on airtran's website. I also think that right now they are giving away $25 coupons, and some people are using them to pay for their seat selections. I don't know much about that, but if you go to this thread http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2224613, you might be able to ask for some help. Everyone on there is very willing to help and answer questions!

Becky-question for you...did you make Ally's passport, or buy one? I'm wanting to make one from all the cute pages people designed, but I'm not sure what to put them in to make it sturdy!
OK, I promise more soon! And if I ever get the shirts made, I will of course post pictures

 

[jana616]

Alright, so it's been weeks, and I know all one or two of you have been DYING with anticipation, waiting for the plans for the other 3 parks. Well, I give you...Animal Kingdom!

Must do:
*Festival of the Lion King
*Safari
*Expedition Everest (for Chad and I)
*Flights of Wonder
*Kali River Rapids (not Cooper)
*Boneyard
*Dinosaur (Griffin really wants to do this one...I'm a little nervous, but he watched it on youtube and didn't seem worried, Chad thinks he'll do fine...)
Triceratops Spin

If time:
The two trails (definitely one of them, maybe both)
Finding Nemo (not thinking this is going to happen, and I'm fine with that)
Rafiki's Planet Watch

Definite No:
It's Tough to Be a Bug (I know both kids would be way freaked out!)

Ridemax thinks we can get all of our must dos done, as well as some time on the trails. Hopefully the boys can play in the Boneyard with the grandmas while Chad and I ride EE. We have an 8 am ADR at Tusker House, so I'm excited to get there early and really have the whole day to play. Still undecided on where to eat lunch. I hate BBQ, though others in the group like it. I was thinking Pizzafari maybe, but would love suggestions if someone has a place they love.

Up Next...Epcot (AKA, wow what a mess!)

 

[jana616]

Well, I may be talking to myself after all, but doggone it, I've come this far, might as well keep chatting. At least I know I'll like the responses!

I woke up yesterday morning and realized that one month from then we will be going to Disney! I will also be celebrating my birthday! Although I'll be turning 32 , so maybe we'll just focus on the Disney part...

So, what better way to celebrate hitting the one month mark than by doing our WDW "trial run." I read somewhere to do a long day trip before you hit Disney and see how it goes, as a way to prepare. What makes the kids cranky? What did you forget to bring? How are the strollers working for us?Etc., etc...

Yesterday was the first day of the Indiana State Fair. We go every year (a great thing about living in the city it's in!) and spend all day, so we thought that would work for our test. We went with my parents, so even though Grandma Sue wasn't along like she will be for WDW, my dad filled in as the 2nd grandparent-in other words, we still had a nice 4:2 adult to kid ratio!

We left the house around 9:45 (note, this was 45 minutes later than we planned, so I know to allow more time at WDW than I was thinking!). By the time we parked and got into the fair, it was 11 am. Right away I realized I forgot my camera! (note, I do NOT want to do this at Disney!). We had a great, long day. We left there around 7:30 last night, so it was a full day.

In case anyone else is reading and preparing for their first trip with small kids, here is what I learned from our trial run:

-I am bringing the world's largest bag of dum dums. Seriously.

-My kids got super cranky when they were hungry, which I wasn't expecting since they eat very little (even less than average kids). I am bringing lots of semi-healthy snacks, like crackers, raisins, grapes/bananas if possible.

-Cooper did not conk out and sleep in his stroller. I was shocked. I really thought he would, since he is a stellar napper at home. But he just kept going, and he never really got cranky, which was a nice surprise. I do realize that after a couple days of that he would probably conk out, but it still surprised me.

-We definitely need a leash for Cooper. He hates sitting in the stroller (ironically, Griffin loves it still!), so he wants to walk. This stinks because he's slow and reckless. I wish we'd brought that to try, but I don't have one yet.

-I realized that we are going to need to take a break most days. Seven days, spending all day each day at the parks is a lot of time. I need to keep reminding myself that. We will be tired, hot, and the kids need some downtime to just run and play with no agenda. I sometimes worry that there is no way we'll do "enough" (whatever that is), if we take breaks. But I am starting a mantra for myself to repeat when I think like that, "It's better to do a little with smiles on our faces, than a lot while we're miserable." Feel free to borrow it!

-Chad and I got very snippy with each other when we didn't have a plan. I hate not knowing what we're doing next, and he likes to go with the flow. Once we knew what we were doing, we got along great. This makes me happy we're doing Ridemax!

-But, on the flip side, the most fun we had all day was totally unplanned. We were planning to do three things back to back that sounded cool. But on walking to the first one, we discovered a building with a school bus converted to a play area, a playground, magnet fishing poles...my boys were in heaven. We sat there for an hour and a half while they ran and played. All plans flew out the window, but they had a blast, so we did too!

I also tested 2 pairs of shoes, both our strollers, and realized the things I forgot to bring in our backpack for the day. All in all, a very successful day! Oh, plus we saw goats, sheep, and snakes, acted like farmers, milked a cow, saw a show about raptors, and ate like pigs...fun!!!

 

[mommyof2Pirates]

How ironic! We too took a long day trip yesterday. I never read before about doing a "practice run" but 1/2 way through the day I said to my husband "boy this is a good way to see what it will be like at disney". To our amazement our children were so well behaved despite getting up at 5am and not napping at all. We had such a blast. I am glad you did too. Isnt it such a great feeling and it even adds to the excitement and anxiousness of wanting to get to WDW ASAP! I am going to write about our day and hopefully adding some pics on my PTR so if your interested check it out. I cant beleive you forgot the camera, put that on the top of your list for your vacation. Of all things right!

 

[jana616]

How ironic! We too took a long day trip yesterday. I never read before about doing a "practice run" but 1/2 way through the day I said to my husband "boy this is a good way to see what it will be like at disney". To our amazement our children were so well behaved despite getting up at 5am and not napping at all. We had such a blast. I am glad you did too. Isnt it such a great feeling and it even adds to the excitement and anxiousness of wanting to get to WDW ASAP! I am going to write about our day and hopefully adding some pics on my PTR so if your interested check it out. I cant beleive you forgot the camera, put that on the top of your list for your vacation. Of all things right!

Oh good, I'm glad you guys had a good time and your boys did so well. Mine really did well too, but Cooper just won't sit still or sit in the stroller, so that part was kind of exhausting. Honestly, I'm hopeful that he'll be a little more physically tired after a few days at Disney and that will work to my advantage and he'll want to sit!

I can't believe I forgot the camera. It is usually glued to my neck. But the nice thing was that I was really "free" all day to just watch and enjoy, as opposed to capture every moment. My mom had her camera and I asked her to take some pics when something was cute, so it was okay. But man, I will be double checking each morning there!

 

[Macduffy]

*Dinosaur (Griffin really wants to do this one...I'm a little nervous, but he watched it on youtube and didn't seem worried, Chad thinks he'll do fine...)

Hopefully the boys can play in the Boneyard with the grandmas while Chad and I ride EE. We have an 8 am ADR at Tusker House, so I'm excited to get there early and really have the whole day to play. Still undecided on where to eat lunch. I hate BBQ, though others in the group like it. I was thinking Pizzafari maybe, but would love suggestions if someone has a place they love.

LOL We've been watching youtube videos too to see if Ben will do certain things He SAYS he wants to do Jedi Training but I know he'll freak out when Darth Vadar shows up. DH is devastated.

What a great idea to use Boneyard and my mom so DH and I can do some rides

It's funny - so many parts of our trip are identical even our Tuskers ADR

Reading your trial run next.... never heard of doing that!

 

[Macduffy]

[COLOR="Magenta"


In case anyone else is reading and preparing for their first trip with small kids, here is what I learned from our trial run:

-I am bringing the world's largest bag of dum dums. Seriously.

-My kids got super cranky when they were hungry, which I wasn't expecting since they eat very little (even less than average kids). I am bringing lots of semi-healthy snacks, like crackers, raisins, grapes/bananas if possible.

-We definitely need a leash for Cooper. He hates sitting in the stroller (ironically, Griffin loves it still!), so he wants to walk. This stinks because he's slow and reckless. I wish we'd brought that to try, but I don't have one yet.

-Chad and I got very snippy with each other when we didn't have a plan. I hate not knowing what we're doing next, and he likes to go with the flow. Once we knew what we were doing, we got along great. This makes me happy we're doing Ridemax!

[/COLOR]

Okay.... first what are Dum Dums? I'm Canadian

Glad to hear about the food - DS3 isn't a big eater at home and often don't feed him unless he asks (that sounds horrible - I hope you KWIM).

I was thinking of getting a "leash" for YDS too but I wanted a nice basic simple one and can't seem to find one. Ideas?

As far as DH getting snippy - I swear if he asks me at WDW "what do we do now" I'm going to freak out LOL! It's like when I leave before a meal time to run errands and he says "well what do I make them for lunch?" - seriously you can't figure that out for yourself? I Love him to death of course

I'm not sure we'll do a trial run - I'm literally saving every penny for the trip so I've really learned from your tips

 

[jana616]

LOL We've been watching youtube videos too to see if Ben will do certain things He SAYS he wants to do Jedi Training but I know he'll freak out when Darth Vadar shows up. DH is devastated.

What a great idea to use Boneyard and my mom so DH and I can do some rides

It's funny - so many parts of our trip are identical even our Tuskers ADR

Reading your trial run next.... never heard of doing that!

I didn't realize your mom was coming too. Wow, we really do have some similarities to our trips! We go before you, right? You'll have to learn from all the mistakes we make so you can have an even better trip than us! I'm torn on the Jedi Training. It sounds fun, and Griffin loves swords, stick fighting etc. But he has never seen Star Wars, and I kind of hate the idea of waiting forever and him not getting picked. Plus, lately he's been kind of shy and probably wouldn't go up even if he did get picked. So we might skip that. I think it's on my "if we have time" list.

Okay.... first what are Dum Dums? I'm Canadian

Glad to hear about the food - DS3 isn't a big eater at home and often don't feed him unless he asks (that sounds horrible - I hope you KWIM).

I was thinking of getting a "leash" for YDS too but I wanted a nice basic simple one and can't seem to find one. Ideas?

As far as DH getting snippy - I swear if he asks me at WDW "what do we do now" I'm going to freak out LOL! It's like when I leave before a meal time to run errands and he says "well what do I make them for lunch?" - seriously you can't figure that out for yourself? I Love him to death of course

I'm not sure we'll do a trial run - I'm literally saving every penny for the trip so I've really learned from your tips

Most important...dum dums are lollipops. They have tons of flavors, they're small, and they're cheap for a big bag. Perfect for keeping kids quiet and happy (and I learned yesterday, for enticing them to sit in the stroller when they'd rather walk!).

I totally get what you mean about not feeding them until they ask. The problem with my kids is they will NEVER ask. Griffin has seen a nutritionist since he was 18 months old, and I think Cooper watches him and has learned to hate eating as well. It sucks. So I was very surprised to see them get cranky when they were hungry. They must have been really hungry!

I really want to get one of those Mickey backpack leashes, but Toys R Us is out of stock. I need to look around for that, and I also need to investigate pin trading. I'd been thinking we'd skip that, but I think they'd really enjoy doing it.

Totally get what you mean about your DH. For us, it's when he's trying to find something that is literally right in front of his face and he can't see it. Within two seconds after he makes me look, I find it. We call it "man looking." It's a good thing they're cute, right? It was interesting for me to see how it went, because I think he thinks I'm nuts with the Ridemax plan. But none of us had any idea what we were doing yesterday, so we'd just flip through the guide and look at the map while the kids got impatient. I want to hop off one ride and say, "Now we head to ..." I think with 4 adults, we need that.

I don't think the trial run is necessary, but I also don't think you'd have to spend much money. Could you go to a park or something for the day? Basically I wanted to test our stamina, as well as our shoes, strollers, and supplies. You could do that anywhere! And if I think of anything else I learned yesterday, I'll let you know.

Up next (maybe tomorrow): Questions about the trip that are keeping me up at night...

 

[ladybugmom]

Becky-question for you...did you make Ally's passport, or buy one? I'm wanting to make one from all the cute pages people designed, but I'm not sure what to put them in to make it sturdy!
OK, I promise more soon! And if I ever get the shirts made, I will of course post pictures

I ended up just buying Ally's in Epcot. It was only $9.99 and it came with a bunch of stickers for each country and a special Epcot pin. Plus it looked like a real passport--too cute!!

 

[ladybugmom]

Your AK plans look great! Ally rode Dinosaur and loved it (she was 4 1/2 when we were there)!! We also let her watch it in YouTube to prepare her. I was very nervous for her but she did great!! We ate at Pizzafari for lunch and we really enjoyed it!! If you don't see Finding Nemo The Musical on this trip you MUST see it the next time you go! It is fabulous!! But I LOVE FOTLK, too!!

 

[princesspaige]

Your plans look great! Your boys are going to have so much fun....and the rest of you as well.

 

[jana616]

I ended up just buying Ally's in Epcot. It was only $9.99 and it came with a bunch of stickers for each country and a special Epcot pin. Plus it looked like a real passport--too cute!!

I may end up doing that. I have so many things I want to make, but $9.99 sounds pretty reasonable. Did Ally trade pins too? I can't remember from your TR!

Your AK plans look great! Ally rode Dinosaur and loved it (she was 4 1/2 when we were there)!! We also let her watch it in YouTube to prepare her. I was very nervous for her but she did great!! We ate at Pizzafari for lunch and we really enjoyed it!! If you don't see Finding Nemo The Musical on this trip you MUST see it the next time you go! It is fabulous!! But I LOVE FOTLK, too!!

I was totally psyched for Pizzafari to eat the chicken parm sandwich, but I guess they just stopped serving that. So now I need to regroup and look at our options. I know, I really want to see Nemo too! Just not enough time to do it all-I'm going to make a plan with it and one without, just in case we change our minds when we're there. I know the boys would love it!

Your plans look great! Your boys are going to have so much fun....and the rest of you as well.

Thanks! You sound like you're about ready too! Getting excited?

 

[jana616]

But first, the fun stuff! We got postcards from our Fairy Godmailer today! I had kind of forgotten about them. She did such a great job getting exactly the characters I'd asked for on them, and writing a cute message. The boys are napping now, but I can't wait to show them what "Mickey" sent them! For those going soon, you should totally do this if you haven't signed up already. Go to the "Disney for Families" board and look at the "Fairy Godmailer" thread. People go on there and offer to mail your kids postcards from WDW from Mickey, saying how they can't wait to see them. So cute!

Now, onto my current stresses, dilemnas, and worries...because sharing them is one way to feel a little better, right?

1) Where the heck is my Mickey Mail? Now truthfully, I have no idea what comes in Mickey Mail. I'm assuming our Magical Express tags, but I don't know what else. I don't even know that it's very exciting. But still, lots of people going later than us are getting theirs, and I WANT MINE TOO! Whew...

2) What shoes am I going to wear? The boys are set-Disney crocs and sneakers, and they'll be in the stroller a lot. Chad is on his own, but I think he's all set. I bought a pair of Keens, since so many people raved about them on here, and I hate them! They hurt and make my feet sweaty! I want to wear sandals, but I don't want to bring 10 pairs with me, and no one pair is super comfortable. Any great sandal recommendations? I don't do flip flops since I can't stand things between my toes (I know, weird!). At home I wear slide type sandals (the kind with a strap across the top of your foot and nothing on the back), but I don't know if those are good enough for there.

3) Our stroller situation. I want to bring 2 singles, since we'll have 4 adults to push and may split up the kids from time to time for big kid rides. We have an old Graco Metrolite that's super functional, but old enough that I don't care if it survives. So one down! But I bought a Cosco Alvila (or something) and when we did our trial run, it is just not a great stroller. It also wouldn't collapse right, so I'm hopeful I can bring it back as defective. In that case, we are one stroller short. Not sure if I should splurge on a good stroller, or try to find another used Metrolite since we know it and like it. Argh...

4) CARES for the airplane. We aren't bringing Coop's car seat, since we won't need it at WDW at all. But I am worried about if he will sit on the plane (2 hours each way) without a fuss. We could rent one, but it will be $25 to rent it and send it back. Don't know if it's worth the money to do that, although I know it's a safety thing too.

5) To get groceries delivered or not? I have gone back and forth so many times on this. We are in a fridge swap, so I'd like to have milk, OJ, bread, PB&J, GoGurts, and some fruit for the room. I know I can get some of that at POP, but not all. But I hate to spend $17 on a delivery fee for that little amount of groceries. I could, however, also order diapers and wipes and save some luggage space. Which brings me to...

6) How much luggage will we need? We are flying Airtran, so each bag is $15 each way. I am bound and determined to only check one bag. So I don't know how many carry-ons are realistic? We have 4 tickets, so 4 carry-ons plus 4 personal items are allowed (I think the personal item will be a backpack for all of us-Chad's will have the camera in it, mine will be our park bag ready to go, and the boys will each have stuff for the plane). But how many carry-ons are realistic to get through the airport? We'll have 2 strollers (one of which could maybe hold somethings while Griffin walks), 2 kids, etc. I am really unsure of this one.

7) And the one making my head hurt the most worship: if you've made it this far, by the way!)...our arrival day. When we changed flights, we moved our arrival time up a lot. Now we leave Indy at 7:10 and get into MCO at 9:17 am. This is awesome, except that I doubt our rooms will be ready. So I am trying to plan ahead for when it's not. Now, if it is, my plan is that we'll check in, drop our stuff off, swim, eat lunch, and all rest since we'll have been up since 4:30 or so. If it's not, though, I'm torn.

The only chance we have to watch Spectro is this night. But no one will be happy staying until 9 without a nice rest. So do we still swim, eat, etc. and hope the room is ready around 1, to get a rest in? Or do we head to the park, stay through our dinner ADR at 6:30 and then head back to unwind and go to bed early, missing Spectro? I definitely want at least a few solid hours at MK to ride some rides, so I don't want to wait until evening to get there. This is stressing me out in really unnecessary ways. I mean, of course it will be fine either way, but I wish I could know which plan we'll follow (especially because I would move up our ADR if I know we're leaving there early).

Alright, so that's what's on my mind. What things are you stressing about? What plans are still up in the air?

 

[VroomVroomLightning]

We have some similiarities in trips!! We are leaving from Indinanapolis too! But 3 days after you..lol..And we are staying at POP too!!

I think to get a delivery from gardengrocer is only $12. Just an idea!

I don't think sandals are a good idea. Those could cause a lot of blisters from all the walking!

As far as a "personal item" can that be another backpack?

 

[princesspaige]

I totally understand things keeping you up at night. In fact, I had a dream (nightmare really) the other night in which I forgot to bring our clothes, our tickets for the halloween party, and our confirmation numbers (which we needed b/c everywhere we went to eat said we didn't have reservations). I have never been so happy to wake up!

I hope your room is ready....I know your boys will be ready to crash by the time you get to the hotel.

 

[mommyof2Pirates]

I totally understand your "up at night" problems last night I was up until midnight obsessing over stuff.

As far as shoes goes I would use a good pair of sneakers during the day and a pair of previously warn non-blister causing sandals at night. You may want to try the nike flip flops. Even though you dont like something in between your toes, these sandals are amazing. I could run a marathon in them. My dad will not wear the flip flop style either but I got him to try a pair of the nike's and he said they are the greatest 20$ he's ever spent. Here is a picture.

you can get them in all different colors. I have the pink/grey and the all black. Ive worn them to amusement parks and a day at the zoo. Never had any problems.

I would vote to find a used version of the stroller that you already like and have. We have chosen to spend 85$ and rent a double stroller for the week from orlando stroller rentals. If you cant find what you like and want to go this option for a 2nd single stroller those also rent those as well.

The bags you have chosen as carryons sounds good. Keep in mind you will need extra room on the way home. Dirty clothes always seems to take up more room. And you need room for all those souveniors. I am going to pack our diapers and wipes and utilize that as extra space for the trip home.

Have you picked your seats on airtran? If so I would say you or your dh could sit aisle seat and allow the kids the inner seats. That way they can move around somewhat but wont be able to get down the aisle. This is what we try to do at baseball games since our ds2 cant sit still for more than 5 minutes if that. I sit on one end and my dh sits on the other with the 2 boys in between that way they can stand and move but only in a contained area. I am hoping it works for the plane as well.

and last but no least. Arrival day! I have also thought about this. Our flights are similar too. leave at 7am (getting up super early) and arriving at MK 923am. I too thought about waiting for the room and napping but knowing that my boys are going to be so excited I wasnt sure if it would work out anyway. I planned on checking in, eating lunch at food court, and heading to magic kingdom. Catching the afternoon parade and getting some rides done. We have ADR at 4pm at plaza resturaunt and I plan on heading back after that to resort to swim or just organize the room and baths and bed. I would say try to find another night for spectro or skip it this trip. Or just have plan A if the room is ready and if not do plan B

Hope I helped and didnt just confuse you more .

Ps I am waiting for my mickey mail too. I unfortunately have to wait until AAA calls.

 

[jana616]

We have some similiarities in trips!! We are leaving from Indinanapolis too! But 3 days after you..lol..And we are staying at POP too!!

I think to get a delivery from gardengrocer is only $12. Just an idea!

I don't think sandals are a good idea. Those could cause a lot of blisters from all the walking!

As far as a "personal item" can that be another backpack?

Cool that you're leaving from Indy. It looks like you're from Ohio, right? Do you have kids? Are you feeling pretty ready to go?

You're right, Garden Grocer is only $12, WeGoShop is $17. But GG prices are so inflated, and you can't be real specific on what you want (ie it's a computerized listing, not making a grocery list for a "real" person to look at), so I liked WGS better. But we have quite a bit of Rewards Dollars from our Disney Visa, so I think we might be better off just buying items as we want them from the POP store. IDK, still working on this one!

Still working on the shoes. I sandals, and I think we'll have split days when we take hotel breaks, so I might be able to wear them part of some of the days.

And yes, the backpacks will be our personal items. We're taking rollaboard suitcases and a duffle as our carry-ons. Hope you keep reading!

I totally understand things keeping you up at night. In fact, I had a dream (nightmare really) the other night in which I forgot to bring our clothes, our tickets for the halloween party, and our confirmation numbers (which we needed b/c everywhere we went to eat said we didn't have reservations). I have never been so happy to wake up!

I hope your room is ready....I know your boys will be ready to crash by the time you get to the hotel.

Glad someone else is having nightmares as well! (Well, not glad you're having them, but glad I'm not alone). I'm pretty sure you'll remember the clothes at the very least!

I'm keeping my fingers crossed on the hotel room!