The ultimate budget trip to WDW!! Pre-trip report for May 2010

[stacy347]

Please do! I promise I'll be the only one in the park with those on. I've never run into anyone that has them.

Can't wait to see what else is going on for you girls! I think we are pretty squared away. Still trying to decide on plane tickets on our side. Still have to make sure work doesn't change it's mind at the last minute you know?

Fingers crossed for you that everything holds together!!

 

[RachelNinja]

That is too cute about Weird and the Cars, LOL!


And yes, there is a story behind the entire Stitch obsession. Amanda is autistic (PDD/NOS on paper but we'll likely be getting her official Asperger's diagnosis this year).
Anyway, we knew from the time she was about 6 months old that there was something going on with her ~ she didn't like to be touched, wouldn't mimic like the other girls did early on, no eye contact, etc.
Lilo and Stitch came out when she was about 4 years old and she immediately became obsessed with it. She would sit with a notepad and draw the characters for hours and anything we could get for her with Stitch instantly became a treasured item.
This carried on over the next few Stitch movies and the TV series as well (we still have stacks of books that Amanda made of all the "cousins" and long, long stories she wrote about them).
Anytime she would have a "meltdown" ~ for example if there was a loud noise, someone touched her when she didn't expect it or she was put into a new environment, Stitch became her "familiar". That crazy little alien saved our sanity many times, LOL!
Even when Amanda went for one of her visits out at U of M with the neuropsychologist and therapists, they wrote up a paper on her fixation with Lilo and Stitch. Every time they tried to get her to talk about something else, she would steer the conversation back ~ they were quite fascinated!

So, fast forward several years ~ she is now a very bright 11 year old and mostly mainstreamed in 5th grade. She still can't function the same as all of her peers in several areas but she tries so hard. She still loves Stitch and is quite miffed at Disney that there will be no new movies or shows coming out, LOL.

Wow, that was a lot of rambling, sorry ~ but thank you for asking. I appreciate that you caught something there (you must be a great teacher!).

Thank you for sharing! That was really quite interesting. Isn't it so great that Disney provided something that helped? I think it's so wonderful when I hear all the stories of Disney or WDW helps children come out of their shells or provides a certain level of comfort. That's so cool that they used her in a paper!

I have a student in the 7th grade who has Asperger's so I know a little bit about it. Last year was the first year that he was mainstreamed in my 6th grade class, but he has a para with him so it makes it a little easier. One of his interests is actually Disney, specifically the parks. I remember one day he brought in one of those kid guides (the one you fill in what you thought about the ride and all of that), and we were flipping through it together. It was the day before a vacation so we weren't doing anything as a class. When we talk about Disney, he's actually very calm and he can actually keep a conversation going.

Most of the other times, he accuses other children of things and says he's going to send them to jail. It's such a difference when he's focused on Disney World!

 

[stacy347]

Thank you for sharing! That was really quite interesting. Isn't it so great that Disney provided something that helped? I think it's so wonderful when I hear all the stories of Disney or WDW helps children come out of their shells or provides a certain level of comfort. That's so cool that they used her in a paper!

I have a student in the 7th grade who has Asperger's so I know a little bit about it. Last year was the first year that he was mainstreamed in my 6th grade class, but he has a para with him so it makes it a little easier. One of his interests is actually Disney, specifically the parks. I remember one day he brought in one of those kid guides (the one you fill in what you thought about the ride and all of that), and we were flipping through it together. It was the day before a vacation so we weren't doing anything as a class. When we talk about Disney, he's actually very calm and he can actually keep a conversation going.

Most of the other times, he accuses other children of things and says he's going to send them to jail. It's such a difference when he's focused on Disney World!

So you definitely understand the day to day issues with the ASD kids ~ they really do have quite a struggle in life (as do the people around them certainly). Luckily, they usually also have a lot of passion for certain things and if they can stay focused, that is definitely key.

I should clarify, the paper they wrote up wasn't for a journal or anything ~ it was strictly for the educators, doctors and therapists ~ but it was very interesting and I think it's cool that Lilo and Stitch are now a part of Amanda's permanent medical and school records, LOL. That would be the Disney geek in me.

Small updates:

I'm 99.99% sure that I have convinced my DSis and BIL to go to Seralago the same week as us!
It will be so much more fun if they go!!

I booked Seralago yesterday and I was so excited when I got the confirmation ~ I printed it right up and put it in my Disney binder!

I was telling the girls about some of the stuff to do over on the Boardwalk and they really seemed to take to that, which made me happy because it is one of the things I am most looking forward to! I wanted to go check it out before but we were always so busy with park days and whatnot, we never got around to it. One of the gals at work has DVC at Boardwalk and she says it is her favorite area in all of WDW ~ can't wait to go check it out!

 

[stacy347]

I just got an email from our resort and they are now offering a free night special, so I just rebooked and saved another $52.xx ~ whoohoo!!

I'm trying to break down the entire budget by category and see exactly what I'm looking at for the week (I know I'm getting good deals but it's always a little unnerving to see it all together, LOL).

So far I'm at:

$270 for the resort
$260 for our tickets (Free park day from GAD and I'm adding on the WPM feature at $52 each)
$400 for food for the week (the $400 is what we will actually be spending ~ doesn't include what we bring with us for meals since that comes out of regular grocery money)
$60 for one of our hotel nights on the road (they raised the amount of HHonors points I needed so I was only able to get one free night)

I still don't have solid numbers for the rental car and there are other incidentals that I will be adding on as well.
The kids are bringing their own souvenir money so that will not be added to my budget.

Wish me luck!

 

[disneylovin24]

Can't wait to read more! So far your budget is looking good! You must be a good saver

 

[TokyoDina]

Wishing you luck~~!

 

[stacy347]

Can't wait to read more! So far your budget is looking good! You must be a good saver

Thank you so much! I actually get quite a kick out of looking for the best deals. I will research something to death to get a good price, LOL.

I'm still actually trying to figure out a way to add another park day on our tix ~ that would be approx. $375 more to the budget. To stay within my self-imposed limits, I'll have to scale back on the dinners out. It would be worth it to me but I need to discuss it with the girls first, since I really want them to have a good time.

Wishing you luck~~!

Thank you!

I have a little over $60 in Amazon GCs to spend right now (from doing surveys) and I'm trying to figure out how to use it for the trip. Since our resort does have a fridge, microwave and coffeepot, I may get a big box of food staples from them and take it down in the car.

 

[TokyoDina]

You should! Or grab a lot of granola bars to take into the park with you for snaking inbetween meals. I always take them it's also a great way to get some sugar into you quick.. I Always go for the peanut better ones cause it's got a lot of protein and sugar. Snaps me back into the real world.

 

[disneylovin24]

Thank you so much! I actually get quite a kick out of looking for the best deals. I will research something to death to get a good price, LOL.

I'm still actually trying to figure out a way to add another park day on our tix ~ that would be approx. $375 more to the budget. To stay within my self-imposed limits, I'll have to scale back on the dinners out. It would be worth it to me but I need to discuss it with the girls first, since I really want them to have a good time.

::

I actually wouldn't worry about another park day if I were you. Don't forget that resort hopping is free and so is the pool at your resort

 

[stacy347]

You should! Or grab a lot of granola bars to take into the park with you for snaking inbetween meals. I always take them it's also a great way to get some sugar into you quick.. I Always go for the peanut better ones cause it's got a lot of protein and sugar. Snaps me back into the real world.

I think that's a great idea, especially since I plan on carrying a bag this time instead of a fanny pack (yes, I wore the dreaded fanny pack on the last few trips, LOL ~ I've got pretty severe Fibromyalgia so it's hard for me to carry any extra weight around but, I found a cute little bag on HSN that I am going to order and it expands to fit lots of little goodies)!
They actually sell them in sets of 2 so I'll try to convince one of the DDs to carry one with snacks and I'll keep the essentials in mine ~ Travel Bag on HSN.com.

I actually wouldn't worry about another park day if I were you. Don't forget that resort hopping is free and so is the pool at your resort

I really need to keep reminding myself of this! And to be truthful, it is more about me than the girls. They already told me they'd be happy just swimming at the resort and getting out of MI for a week but for some reason, I keep trying to fit more in ~ I need to cut it out, LOL! Thank you!

 

[Colleen456]

Small updates:

I'm 99.99% sure that I have convinced my DSis and BIL to go to Seralago the same week as us!
It will be so much more fun if they go!!

So you think!

 

[stacy347]

So you think!

LOL ~ that is my sister Colleen!


The girls are on a mission to convince Uncle Mike that he really wants to take the kids to WDW in May ~ I think they're breaking him down.
We already know Aunt Colleen will go!!

 

[TokyoDina]

I think that's a great idea, especially since I plan on carrying a bag this time instead of a fanny pack (yes, I wore the dreaded fanny pack on the last few trips, LOL ~ I've got pretty severe Fibromyalgia so it's hard for me to carry any extra weight around but, I found a cute little bag on HSN that I am going to order and it expands to fit lots of little goodies)!
They actually sell them in sets of 2 so I'll try to convince one of the DDs to carry one with snacks and I'll keep the essentials in mine ~ Travel Bag on HSN.com.



I really need to keep reminding myself of this! And to be truthful, it is more about me than the girls. They already told me they'd be happy just swimming at the resort and getting out of MI for a week but for some reason, I keep trying to fit more in ~ I need to cut it out, LOL! Thank you!

Ohh I think all of us did that at one point! I did it when I was younger!

I used to wear them alot but then something happened with backpacks and purses. But I can understand why you'd wear them with Fibromyalgia.

I took granola bars like I said with us last time it worked out great! Keeps DH from being too grumpy. Also pop tarts or something like that would work. I get the ones from Trader Joe's since I'm a vegetarian it's hard to me to digest fat so I try to keep animal fat out of my diet I give into fish every so ofter cause the Omega-3s I can handle.

The cereal bars are good too and popcorn is great! My mom used to do it when we were kids. She'd pop a few bags the day of our trip them put the popcorn in ziplock bags. So we could take them into the park and snack on them that way we were craving the fresh popcorn. It still tastes great!

Geez I have too many ideas! I need to go see Avatar now ha!

Can't wait to read more of what your are planning to do!

 

[princesslily]

Great report! I'm lovin' the budget plan!

 

[stacy347]

Geez I have too many ideas! I need to go see Avatar now ha!

Can't wait to read more of what your are planning to do!

I appreciate all of the ideas, believe me! So, how did you like Avatar?

Great report! I'm lovin' the budget plan!

Thank you! It was very important to me to stay within this budget.


So, I have had a few sit-down sessions with the girls and we switched things up a little bit with the plans. Unless something comes along that adds more $$ to the vacation budget (where, oh where, is my Fairy Godmother?) ~ this is the current plan now.

5/15 ~ we head out, spend the night in GA

5/16 ~ we get to FL, check in at Seralago, do some food shopping and all the kids hang out at the resort with me for the night. This day is my DSis and BIL's anniversary so I'm sending them out to dinner ~ the kids and I will have plenty to do!

5/17 ~ Breakfast at hotel, hang out at the pool for awhile, have lunch in room and then head over to DTD, ride carousel, take some pics, take kids to Lego shop, and also do the fun things listed in the tips we've saved (lots of stuff for FREE!). Take DTD bus over to AKL to look at the animals, take pics and have some zebra domes, grab the bus to Epcot, head over to the Boardwalk for the evening (try to get to Boardwalk by 6:00 pm), grab dinner there from vendors, catch the Boardwalk entertainment, bring list of stuff to do here, see Illuminations (I read here on the Dis that there is a decent spot to see it from the Boardwalk area, we'll give it a shot), take BWI bus back to DTD to get cars.

5/18 ~ Breakfast at hotel, let the kids swim and enjoy our own resort for most of the day (if we feel like heading out, we'll do some more resort hopping at WDW resorts).

5/19 ~ Up at 7:00 am, quick breakfast, in the car headed to Epcot (FREE Tickets!) by 8:30 am (Nicole's B-day lunch at Chefs de France ~ fixed price lunch is $20/person and we will either bring a soft-side cooler to put in locker for picnic dinner later or grab "to-go" foods from World Showcase).

5/20 ~ Breakfast at hotel, head to waterpark, have lunch there, back to Seralago for dinner, head over to the Poly around 8:00 pm, grab a snack at Captain Cook's, head down to the water for EWP and fireworks on the beach.

5/21 ~ Breakfast at hotel, head over to DTD about 10:00. Browse shops till DisneyQuest opens. Hang out at DQ for the day (lunch at DQ) then dinner back at hotel.

5/22 ~ Breakfast at Seralago and get on the road by 10:00 am, go to the Disney Character Outlet, lunch at Applebee's (FREE from GCs we saved!), get on the road towards home.


Honestly, I think we are going to have plenty to do on this trip and I don't think we'll feel like we're missing anything. It was a bit disappointing to me at first to decide on Epcot instead of MK, but there is a lot of stuff at Epcot that we still have never done and the two younger ones are really looking forward to doing the Kim Possible mission.
We sat down together yesterday and plotted out our Epcot day and it's going to be a blast.

 

[RachelNinja]

I'm so excited to go to the Character Warehouse outlet! I want to go there BEFORE we go to Downtown Disney because I'm sure I can buy a ton of things there for the price of one thing at DTD.

Despite being on a budget, you have a packed schedule of fun things to do! I know that we usually only do the 2 parks (although I'll probably do 3 since DBF's there), and we end up coming home and thinking, "Hey, we didn't get to use the pool enough!" So it'll be good to have that time scheduled in.

 

[TokyoDina]

Ha! We are going to Epcot on different days.

But I love your plans!! Wow! You guys are for sure going to have sooo much fun!!!!

 

[Melani]

Here are some pictures of DD and all things Stitch!
If anyone knows of other photo ops with Stitch that we could do, please let us know.

I haven't read your whole tr yet, but I noticed we a re going the same time.

Anyway, there is a "Magic Shot" w/Photopass at Hollywood where you point at the ground and Stich will magically appera in your photo popping out of a manhole.
http://www.stitchkingdom.com/disneysphotopass/

 

[disneylovin24]

Great plans I know I've said it before, but you really are good at the budget thing!!

 

[stacy347]

I'm so excited to go to the Character Warehouse outlet! I want to go there BEFORE we go to Downtown Disney because I'm sure I can buy a ton of things there for the price of one thing at DTD.

Despite being on a budget, you have a packed schedule of fun things to do! I know that we usually only do the 2 parks (although I'll probably do 3 since DBF's there), and we end up coming home and thinking, "Hey, we didn't get to use the pool enough!" So it'll be good to have that time scheduled in.

Ah yes, the pool time is a MUST in Florida, for sure ~ the girls always say that's the one thing we didn't do enough of on vacation!

Ha! We are going to Epcot on different days.

But I love your plans!! Wow! You guys are for sure going to have sooo much fun!!!!

Thank you! Maybe we'll still spot your ears somewhere that week.

I haven't read your whole tr yet, but I noticed we a re going the same time.

Anyway, there is a "Magic Shot" w/Photopass at Hollywood where you point at the ground and Stich will magically appera in your photo popping out of a manhole.
http://www.stitchkingdom.com/disneysphotopass/

Those special effects are so cute ~ I do hope we end up being able to do a Stitch one. It doesn't look like we'll be hitting DHS though, so I hope they are able to do it at Epcot ~ thanks for the tip!

Great plans I know I've said it before, but you really are good at the budget thing!!

Thank you so much!!
I'm still crunching numbers and going over things with the girls. We are thinking of skipping TS altogether and just doing CS for the times we don't feel like carrying food with us. That will shave more than $100 off of the budget (which we can maybe apply toward something else). I'll be planning right up until the end, LOL but I'll keep everyone posted!