Oregon to WDW Will Be Quite the Adventure~Going LIVE!!

[DizNee Luver]

I am busy packing as we leave tomorrow for Camp Attitude. Camp Attitude is a camp for special needs kids/young adults (mental/physical & fragile health) and their families. The camp is free for the "camper" and their family and the people that volunteer actually pay to do so. That way, they can keep the camp free for the families. We've attended twice before (2012 & 2013) and really missed not going last year. This camp allows these kids to participate in a camp and do things "regular" kids do. In the past we rode in a tethered hot air balloon, played laser tag, talent show, rode horses & quads, went fishing, rode on jet skis, pontoon boats and pulled on tubes behind the boats. The "camper" is matched up with a high school or college age kid that spends the entire week with their kid. They are together from breakfast to bedtime. This also gives the parents a much needed break.

We leave tomorrow after lunch and will return Friday afternoon. When we get home, we'll be 3 weeks from WDW!!!

PS: Addy had a great birthday and a fun time at the rodeo. They even shot off fireworks at the end.

 

[WDWJonasGirl]

Ooooh!!!! Sounds like fun!! How are the kids paired up?

 

[DizNee Luver]

Ooooh!!!! Sounds like fun!! How are the kids paired up?

Tomorrow, the "buddies" will be wandering around and playing with the kids. Tomorrow night, they will put in a few names of kids they'd like to buddy up with. The coordinator will match them up to make sure certain needs are being met. They will find out early Monday morning who their camper will be.

 

[WDWJonasGirl]

I like that. Imagine if I went and I had a cute guy as my buddy

 

[DizNee Luver]

I like that. Imagine if I went and I had a cute guy as my buddy

Unfortunately, they wouldn't do that....lol They try to put girls with girls and boys with boys, especially if they are 10 and older. But that doesn't mean you wouldn't be spending time around those cute guys......

 

[WDWJonasGirl]

Oh I see. Imagine if I did find some Have fun!!!

 

[DnA2010]

Hi Laurie! Haven't been on disboards much since our cruise on the fantasy, but popped on for a bit, so natural had to pop on to your TR. Can't wait to hear about the camp, I've enjoyed reading about previous years- what a great opportunity. Your trip is coming so fast- I bet the kids are getting soo exciting! How is J feeling about it all?

 

[WDWJonasGirl]

How was Camp? I went to a camp kind of like that when I was younger. Anyway, depending on the airport, you all might not be able to board together. I flew Southwest in December and in LA and Orlando, we didn't have a problem with pre-boarding (did that due to my sister's peanut allergy) but in Phoenix (our layover) we got in the preboarding line and they told us no, only one other person could go with her. On the way there, my mom went with her and my dad and I boarded a few minutes later. On the way home, my dad went with her and my mom and I boarded a few miunutes later.

 

[DizNee Luver]

How was Camp? I went to a camp kind of like that when I was younger. Anyway, depending on the airport, you all might not be able to board together. I flew Southwest in December and in LA and Orlando, we didn't have a problem with pre-boarding (did that due to my sister's peanut allergy) but in Phoenix (our layover) we got in the preboarding line and they told us no, only one other person could go with her. On the way there, my mom went with her and my dad and I boarded a few minutes later. On the way home, my dad went with her and my mom and I boarded a few miunutes later.

We're flying Southwest and getting a TSA support specialist at the door of the airport to walk us through everything. I believe we will all be seated/preboarded together since we have 3 special needs kids & there are only 2 of us. The other 2 kids have to come with us.....can't leave them out waiting.

Camp was fun, will post later.....right now I have a sickly kiddo.

 

[ksromack]

Tweeked our dining a little bit to try and get better times. I was concerned about the 9:35am Ohana breakfast and getting everyone up & going in time since this would be our first morning in Florida. So I switched Ohana's & Kona Cafe and now our first morning we will have a 10:20am breakfast at Kona Cafe. We will do Ohana's on the 13th which is our other "off day". I also bumped our dinner at 1900 Park Fare from 6:50 to 7:20pm to give us a little more time to get to the Grand Floridian from the Animal Kingdom park.

8/8: Kona Cafe breakfast
8/8: Beaches & Cream dinner
8/9: Cinderella's Royal Table dinner
8/10: Garden Grill dinner
8/11: 50's Prime Time lunch
8/11: Sci-Fi Dine-In dinner
8/12: 1900 Park Fare dinner
8/13: Ohana's breakfast
8/13: Boatwright's dinner
8/14: Crystal Palace dinner
8/16: Coral Reef dinner
8/17: Be Our Guest dinner

The only other 2 that I will keep checking for earlier dinner times is our Coral Reef & Be Our Guest reservations. Coral Reef is at 8:15pm & BOG is at 8:50pm.

You have some great ADRs booked! Last time we went to WDW (Dec 2012) we stayed at PORiverside and had a dinner at Boatwright's. It was very good! I'm curious to see how some of your ADRs go. We're doing Kona for breakfast also. I missed this last time we went (we canceled our ADR because we were so tired from a late night the day before). I know you already enjoyed BOG for dinner before....this trip we are going for breakfast and lunch (it's a super value for a QS credit). Did you guys get in on any free dining programs? I sort of wanted to do SciFi on our DHS night but we're doing the Brown Derby Fantasmic Dinner package that night. Still, I'm so excited to hear what you thought about them all and especially how the kids enjoyed it!

 

[ksromack]

A cruise actually has been a off & on interest for me. Who knows, maybe Mike & I can do a cruise & WDW trip for our 40th. (9 years from now). Most of the kids would be on their way to their own lives by then. I don't know......I know Mike says no more big trips until we can get back to Hawaii. Our goal is to go in 4 years for Anthony's graduation.

Dh will be 50 in Jan 2017 and he gets to pick the vacation for that one. He wants to go to Hawaii but I rather want to do another Rick Steves Village Italy tour. I know it's his birthday so I'll keep my mouth shut! Anyway, I looked at a Disney Hawaiian cruise but golly, that cruise has a million days at sea! Since dh hasn't been on a cruise before, I'm not sure how he'd handle the motion of the ocean. I'm guessing Hawaii is amazing?

WooHoo!! Just got done booking the Wishes Fireworks Dessert Party!!! They have revamped it and reopened reservations today. It's $49/adult & $29/child which is a lot, but with the girls sensory issues (they love fireworks & the big booms), but staking out a spot & then being totally crammed with the crowds wouldn't work well for them or me. We decided that it would be worth the expense to be able to enjoy the fireworks with a much smaller crowd and the desserts will be a bonus.

Awesome! We did this on our last WDW trip and it was wonderful and worth the $$$. I wonder what they did to revamp it? I booked that baby the second the booking window opened and was told back then your table assignment was made in the order of bookings. We lucked out with a table in the very first row, by the rails. I only mention this because tables in the very back don't have a clear view of the fireworks. Maybe this situation is part of the "revamping"?

My son Derek, who is working at WDW, loves Ohana's dinner.....so he was happy with the change!

I personally loved Ohana but dh wasn't too crazy about it. I don't get it because the food is delicious! What time are fireworks that night? You can actually see the fireworks from the restaurant and they turn down the lights pretty low in the evenings.

 

[DizNee Luver]

You have some great ADRs booked! Last time we went to WDW (Dec 2012) we stayed at PORiverside and had a dinner at Boatwright's. It was very good! I'm curious to see how some of your ADRs go. We're doing Kona for breakfast also. I missed this last time we went (we canceled our ADR because we were so tired from a late night the day before). I know you already enjoyed BOG for dinner before....this trip we are going for breakfast and lunch (it's a super value for a QS credit). Did you guys get in on any free dining programs? I sort of wanted to do SciFi on our DHS night but we're doing the Brown Derby Fantasmic Dinner package that night. Still, I'm so excited to hear what you thought about them all and especially how the kids enjoyed it!

Good to hear that Boatwright's was good....looking forward to that one!!

Dh will be 50 in Jan 2017 and he gets to pick the vacation for that one. He wants to go to Hawaii but I rather want to do another Rick Steves Village Italy tour. I know it's his birthday so I'll keep my mouth shut! Anyway, I looked at a Disney Hawaiian cruise but golly, that cruise has a million days at sea! Since dh hasn't been on a cruise before, I'm not sure how he'd handle the motion of the ocean. I'm guessing Hawaii is amazing?


Awesome! We did this on our last WDW trip and it was wonderful and worth the $$$. I wonder what they did to revamp it? I booked that baby the second the booking window opened and was told back then your table assignment was made in the order of bookings. We lucked out with a table in the very first row, by the rails. I only mention this because tables in the very back don't have a clear view of the fireworks. Maybe this situation is part of the "revamping"?


I personally loved Ohana but dh wasn't too crazy about it. I don't get it because the food is delicious! What time are fireworks that night? You can actually see the fireworks from the restaurant and they turn down the lights pretty low in the evenings.

Hawaii IS amazing!! I don't think you'd be sorry on that trip!! I haven't done a cruise before either.....haven't gotten brave enough yet.....lol

Table assignment at the Wishes Dessert Party doesn't really matter, from everything I've read.....you won't be staying at your table to watch the fireworks anyways.....so as long as my kids get to see up by the railing then I'll be a happy mama!!

Fireworks I believe are at 10pm.....so depending on how long it takes to be seated in Ohana's......we will either see from inside the restaurant or hopefully get to go out on the beach to watch them & the lighted boat parade (can't remember the name of that).

 

[ksromack]

Lots more to do prior to vacationing her for sure Michele! If you don't do the pre-trip planning, you will find yourself not enjoying the experience too much. You can wing Disneyland (not advisable during busy times) but I wouldn't suggest doing that for WDW.

Word.

Hi Kelly!!
My notifications for other's threads are off & on too......frustrating! I think everyone does MagicBands.....don't they? They are getting away from cards/tickets....at least that's how I understood it....

I got my MNSSHP tickets in the mail (they look exactly like your park tickets). I was wondering the same thing......are those attached to our magic bands or will I need them for the party? The last time we were at WDW there was no such thing as magic bands

4 WEEKS FROM TODAY!!

time is a tickin'!

Fireworks I believe are at 10pm.....so depending on how long it takes to be seated in Ohana's......we will either see from inside the restaurant or hopefully get to go out on the beach to watch them & the lighted boat parade (can't remember the name of that).

Electric Water Pageant? It has been years since I've seen that! We have dinner reservations at 9:30pm at California Grill so we'll see the 10pm Wishes from that viewpoint. Will you all get to see Illuminations? I can't recall from your itinerary. We're doing the Illuminations Sparkling Dessert Party our first night and this is a first for us.....no seating, though. I think I would prefer the Wishes Dessert Party and my head may prefer it by the next morning!

 

[DizNee Luver]

Word.


I got my MNSSHP tickets in the mail (they look exactly like your park tickets). I was wondering the same thing......are those attached to our magic bands or will I need them for the party? The last time we were at WDW there was no such thing as magic bands


time is a tickin'!


Electric Water Pageant? It has been years since I've seen that! We have dinner reservations at 9:30pm at California Grill so we'll see the 10pm Wishes from that viewpoint. Will you all get to see Illuminations? I can't recall from your itinerary. We're doing the Illuminations Sparkling Dessert Party our first night and this is a first for us.....no seating, though. I think I would prefer the Wishes Dessert Party and my head may prefer it by the next morning!

You know I'm not sure about the MNSSHP being tied to your MagicBand. MagicBands were still pretty new and being tested when we went to the party and our tickets were separate and not on our bands.....that may have changed at this point.

We're at 17 days.......YAY!!

Yup, Electric Water Pageant! Oh, nice on the California Grill. If Mike & I were alone, we would definitely do this. I debated between the Illuminations and the Wishes Dessert parties but didn't see great reviews of the Illuminations one, so we went with Wishes. We are going to see Illuminations at least once & maybe twice just depending on how the group is doing.

 

[ksromack]

We're at 17 days.......YAY!!

Yup, Electric Water Pageant! Oh, nice on the California Grill. If Mike & I were alone, we would definitely do this. I debated between the Illuminations and the Wishes Dessert parties but didn't see great reviews of the Illuminations one, so we went with Wishes. We are going to see Illuminations at least once & maybe twice just depending on how the group is doing.

I definitely would have chosen Wishes Dessert Party over the Illuminations one. Wishes is much more kid friendly and it's nice to know you COULD sit at the table if you chose to.

I'm getting so excited for you all to go and experience WDW as a family! I know you'll be taking lots of pictures.....make sure some of them are of the kid's faces!

 

[WDWJonasGirl]

QUOTE="ksromack, post: 54083232, member: 413150" Word.


I got my MNSSHP tickets in the mail (they look exactly like your park tickets). I was wondering the same thing......are those attached to our magic bands or will I need them for the party? The last time we were at WDW there was no such thing as magic bands
[ QUOTE]
Hi! I went to MVMCP in December and as far as I can remember, they were on your bands. You do need to get a wristband though

 

[DizNee Luver]

I definitely would have chosen Wishes Dessert Party over the Illuminations one. Wishes is much more kid friendly and it's nice to know you COULD sit at the table if you chose to.

I'm getting so excited for you all to go and experience WDW as a family! I know you'll be taking lots of pictures.....make sure some of them are of the kid's faces!

Oh there will be lots of those kind of pics for sure!!

QUOTE="ksromack, post: 54083232, member: 413150" Word.


I got my MNSSHP tickets in the mail (they look exactly like your park tickets). I was wondering the same thing......are those attached to our magic bands or will I need them for the party? The last time we were at WDW there was no such thing as magic bands
[ QUOTE]
Hi! I went to MVMCP in December and as far as I can remember, they were on your bands. You do need to get a wristband though

Good to know, thanx Kaitlin!!

 

[DizNee Luver]

We leave in 2 weeks, 1st night in Portland so we can go to the airport around 3:30am! Can't believe we're this close to our trip!!

 

[OregonMomToWDW]

Love those nights in Portland before the trip. You know you have to get up early, but noone can sleep. 2 weeks!

 

[DnA2010]

Wow it is coming so fast! I am so jealous! We need a Disney trip in the future, just not sure when..can't plan too long term right now. Our cruise on the Fantasy was amazing, but our 1 day at MK just make me itch for a Disney (either DL or WDW) trip even more.

Hawaii is amazing isn't it! We are fans of the Big Island as we aren't into crowds or shopping or nightlife.

We are actually throwing around the idea of both Hawaii and DL- Hawaii would use aeroplan miles, so no flight costs, and DL we would go out of Bellingham on good old cheapo Allegiant (or Alaska if they were in the ball park) but with our Canadian dollar in the tank compared to the US, it really doesn't make sense right now...