Half surprise first time trip to the house of mouse! April 2014 PTR

[Jennifer84]

A drive-in would be so cool! We saw Monster's University yesterday but I'm curious to see if your daughter enjoys Lone Ranger (my girls are 12 and 10). I always bring my daughter's to WDW on my own and we have a blast - totally do-able!

I'm subscribing.....

Hi there! The Lone Ranger doesn't start until 11pm, so I'm assuming the girls will be asleep by then If they don't seem into it, we will leave. I have read some pretty bad reviews, though, so I'm not sure if I will even like it!

 

[spiritsim]

Just started following along. New to the dis board and going on our first WDW trip oct14. There all caught up...lol

 

[Jennifer84]

I took my 6 year old DD to a drive-in theater, about an hour from our house, last night. I had never been to one before, and it was such an awesome experience! My only complaint was that they had three bathroom stalls for women. The line was about 20 minutes long the entire night! It was crazy. We ended up only seeing about 45 minutes of the Lone Ranger before my DD got scared and wanted to leave. What I saw of it was good, though. Very typical Johnny Depp (he is so... odd). We did get to see all of Monsters University, which we both LOVED! Here are a few pictures...

The entrance:



The screen (it's HUGE):



We got to see some fireworks off to the right of the screen, but we were so busy watching them that I forgot to grab the camera LOL



The food:











My DD:

 

[Jennifer84]

Tonight, I decided to go ahead and start our Disney movie night countdown! We will do them once a month until the last month, when we will do them once a week! Tonight's movie was going to be The Little Mermaid, but at the last minute the kids wanted to watch The Little Mermaid 2, so that's what we watched.

First up, were the crafts. The kids decorated a tablecloth with fish & other LM themed things.







Next, the kids each colored wooden mermaids (for the girls) and a crab (for my DS)







Then, the best part- the FOOD!

"Ursula" hot dogs



"Mermaid Juice" and Goldfish crackers



We also had Velveta "seashells", but I didn't get a picture of that



Then, we got ready for the movie!



We had blue Jell-O for dessert during the movie, but I didn't get a picture of that, either.

 

[Corjack]

We are headed to the drive in tomorrow night to see Monsters U and Despicable Me 2. Kids are really excited. I LOVE the drive in! We go all the time!

Movie night looks like a FUN time!!

 

[HappyGal]

You're such a fun mom! I wish we had a drive-in near us but I think they are few a far between, such a slice of Americana! Movie night looks like a success. Your movie night schedule reminded me of pregnancy appointments, one per month until the last month then once a week! lol Keep the updates coming!

 

[Jennifer84]

You're such a fun mom! I wish we had a drive-in near us but I think they are few a far between, such a slice of Americana! Movie night looks like a success. Your movie night schedule reminded me of pregnancy appointments, one per month until the last month then once a week! lol Keep the updates coming!

Unfortunately, there are only about 400 of them left in the US It was very fun, though! And you are so right about the pregnancy/ movie schedule!

I try to be a fun mom! I remember growing up, my dad was always so much fun. To this day, I have so many memories of him dancing in public, taking us on spontaneous random trips to the lake or to Washington DC, and just being a big goofball! My kids and I love to sing (really loud) and dance in the car. We get funny looks all the time, but we just laugh. It's the little things like that, that they will remember forever. I am a single mom, so money is always an issue. I love finding inexpensive things to do with them. The movie night cost me a total of $15, including the food! The drive-in was about $25 (also including all that food)- still cheaper than going to a regular theater!

 

[momminnie]

Hey joining in on your PTR. Sounds like you are planning a great trip. Look forward to your next post.

 

[Jennifer84]

Hey joining in on your PTR. Sounds like you are planning a great trip. Look forward to your next post.

Hi!! Thanks for reading! I have more days "planned" out, but I am waiting until after the 10th to post any more, because we MIGHT end up staying on property, depending on prices. I REALLY want the dining plan, since paying OOP will be insane because we want to do a few character meals. And I am also thinking about possibly holding off on our St Augustine trip and just adding those 2 days at Disney so we can break up the trip a little. I'm worried that the kids will get burnt out with 7 straight days of going to the parks I am booking in August, though, so I need to make up my mind.

 

[Jennifer84]

We are headed to the drive in tomorrow night to see Monsters U and Despicable Me 2. Kids are really excited. I LOVE the drive in! We go all the time!

Movie night looks like a FUN time!!

Sorry, I missed this for some reason! I hope you had fun at the drive-in tonight!!

 

[HappyGal]

I'm a single mom too so I completely understand where you are coming from! Childhood is fleeting, gotta make the most of it!

 

[Jennifer84]

Today I sat down and did the math for the Dining Plan, just in case. It is definitely cheaper to pay OOP, so that's the final decision on that.

I also decided to change my dates just a little bit. My kids' spring break is April 14-21. I've decided to push the trip back a few days and go to Disney from April 6-14, then St Augustine from April 15-19. We will (hopefully) miss the Easter crowds, and my kids will only miss a week of school!

I also decided that I really don't think I will want to drive straight through, so I am planning a stop each way in Savannah, GA.

Whew, I feel like I am all over the place. I just don't see POP being less than $700 for 8 nights (the total for Baymont Inn & Suites). So, unless it is cheaper, this is my final decision on location as well.

So, to recap, here are my FINAL decisions for this trip:

Baymont Inn & Suites & Disney World April 6-14
Best Western & St Augustine April 15-19
All food & dining will be OOP

My total budget for this trip including gas, souvenirs, photopass +, hotels, food, BBB for my DD, PL for my DS, a day at SeaWorld and all attractions in St Augustine= $4059 (Not bad for a 2 week vacay!)

 

[momminnie]

Oh! A 2 week vacation! That sounds like a dream for me. I would love a 2 week vacation. Sounds like you have a good plan. I love Savannah GA. I am sure you all will have a great time.

 

[OhMari]

It is awesome having your vehicle at WDW. But if your hotel don't provide a shuttle to the parks, parking is $15 a day.

Maybe a discount will come out, but they usually do not appear to about October.

 

[Jennifer84]

Oh! A 2 week vacation! That sounds like a dream for me. I would love a 2 week vacation. Sounds like you have a good plan. I love Savannah GA. I am sure you all will have a great time.

This, unfortunately, is probably going to be a once in a lifetime trip. It was only about $500 extra to add a week at St Augustine, and since that is my absolute favorite place in the world (other than WDW of course), I cannot pass that up! My 6 year old has never even seen the ocean, and neither of them have been more than a few hours from home. I have always dreamed of taking them to Disney World, though, so I felt like I NEED to do it before my son gets too old to really experience the magic.

It is awesome having your vehicle at WDW. But if your hotel don't provide a shuttle to the parks, parking is $15 a day.

Maybe a discount will come out, but they usually do not appear to about October.

I did forget to add that in! Oops! I have a drink budget and a "extras" budget, so that will come out of one of those.

 

[HappyGal]

According to my calculations, I'm better off paying OOP for dining also. Pop is worth a little bit more money, trust me! Poolside activities, great food court, gift shop, transportation to the parks, being able to participate in extended park hours. You'll likely be offered PIN discounts for future stays as well. And the best part of Pop Century? Waking up and knowing you are absolutely without a doubt in Disney! So colorful! So fun!

 

[Jennifer84]

Ok, back to the fun stuff!

Here's the plan for our first Epcot day (there will be 2 of them!):

Wake up around 7am, grab breakfast at the hotel, then drive to Epcot.
Arrive at Epcot around 8:30
Hang out in Future World
Head back to the hotel around 1 for lunch & rest
Go back to Epcot around 6

Our top 5 rides/attractions to hit:

1. Soarin
2. Test Track
3. Nemo
4. Spaceship Earth (the kids HAVE to go in the golf ball )
5. Living with the Land

 

[gonedisneycrazy]

Hello, this may be the wrong place, but I don't know how to subscribe to a particular trip report or anything else for that matter. If I reply most times I can find that, but I need help figuring out how to get back to things I want to reread.
Any help is appreciated.
BTW, I have been "reading" on the Dis for over a yr and finally became tired of starting at the 1st page of everything.
TIA

 

[gonedisneycrazy]

Hello, this may be the wrong place, but I don't know how to subscribe to a particular trip report or anything else for that matter. If I reply most times I can find that, but I need help figuring out how to get back to things I want to reread.
Any help is appreciated.
BTW, I have been "reading" on the Dis for over a yr and finally became tired of starting at the 1st page of everything.
TIA

Oh, I was enjoying this ptr so much I wanted to continue to follow.

 

[Jennifer84]

Hello, this may be the wrong place, but I don't know how to subscribe to a particular trip report or anything else for that matter. If I reply most times I can find that, but I need help figuring out how to get back to things I want to reread.
Any help is appreciated.
BTW, I have been "reading" on the Dis for over a yr and finally became tired of starting at the 1st page of everything.
TIA

Hi! To subscribe to a thread, just go to the top of the thread and click on "Thread Tools" then click on "Subscribe to this thread". Choose your notification option and click on "add subscription". That's it! Thank you for following along