Trip Report for our trip May 6-9
I have learned so much from these boards; I want give back with what I learned from our trip.
We stayed at Homewood Suites. It had all the things we needed: a suite, free hot breakfast, full kitchen, shuttle, low price ($109 a night). The room was great. Comfy beds, excellent shower, quiet (we never heard anyone), and a big couch for relaxing. We saved a lot of money by bringing our own food to cook. Really the only thing I didnt like was the shuttle. It was stressful in the morning because it wasnt big enough for everyone so you had to get in line 15-20 minutes prior to its arrival to insure a spot. And since we came back every day for naps, it probably limited our park time somewhat.
Random thoughts!:
Everyone was right, bring your stroller. We brought our double jogger and our girls 5 and almost 3 definitely needed it. We actually broke a wheel on the third night so we didnt have it on day 4. I was exhausted because my youngest wanted to be carried so much that day.
The princess faire is awesome! We used our magic morning time there and we practically had the place to ourselves. The princesses took their time and the pictures turned out great. We also did Ariels Grotto and after having done the princess hall, it was a let down. Though it was nice to see more princesses. We also hit pixie hallow and the wishing well before it got busy.
My carefully thought out touring plans went out the window. We just followed the girls lead. We spent A LOT of time in toontown. They probably could have stayed there all day. They loved exploring every corner of it. That place got busy fast though, so get there when it first opens. They also loved all the carnival like rides. Bugs Land was a big hit and the Mater tractor pull.
Whoever suggested taking pictures of possible souvenirs as your kids see them and then looking at the pics while waiting in line is a genius. We had no meltdowns over which souvenir to get.
Try everything the kids are willing to do; what they like may surprise you. My timid youngest loved the go-gadget rollercoaster and Mickeys wheel (in the swinging seats!).
The parks are amazing at night. Im so glad we did a mid-day break so we could close down the parks. We did single rider with a baby swap for radiator racers at night. If you are only going to do it once, do it at night. Also I you are short like me; try not to sit in the back middle. I would have enjoyed it even more if I could see well :.
Photo-Pass is the best thing ever!! We got about 200 pictures and I love 70 of them. When I get the disc, Ill post some of them. Also, it was great to do the same spot multiple times. The pictures look so different depending on the time of day and some photographers were better than others. Also, having the kids in coordinating or matching outfits turned out really well. I never would have thought to do that before visiting these boards and seeing pictures, so glad I did. Also, we got some of our best pictures (on our camera) on mickeys fun wheel, the tea cups, and while waiting in line.
Unexpected hits. The whole family loved the Aladdin show. It is a must see. The jungle cruise. My husband and I were cracking up at the jokes (could have been the drinks we had prior
) and it was relaxing to just sit for a while.
If you like shopping, send your significant other off with the kids and do DTD by yourself. I loved slowly strolling through the shops alone.
Next time, if we do four days, I want to take a whole day off from the parks in the middle to sleep in and rest. By day four we were all so tired that we didnt enjoy the parks as much.
I think that is everything. Thanks again everyone for helping make our trip magical.
I have learned so much from these boards; I want give back with what I learned from our trip.
We stayed at Homewood Suites. It had all the things we needed: a suite, free hot breakfast, full kitchen, shuttle, low price ($109 a night). The room was great. Comfy beds, excellent shower, quiet (we never heard anyone), and a big couch for relaxing. We saved a lot of money by bringing our own food to cook. Really the only thing I didnt like was the shuttle. It was stressful in the morning because it wasnt big enough for everyone so you had to get in line 15-20 minutes prior to its arrival to insure a spot. And since we came back every day for naps, it probably limited our park time somewhat.
Random thoughts!:
Everyone was right, bring your stroller. We brought our double jogger and our girls 5 and almost 3 definitely needed it. We actually broke a wheel on the third night so we didnt have it on day 4. I was exhausted because my youngest wanted to be carried so much that day.
The princess faire is awesome! We used our magic morning time there and we practically had the place to ourselves. The princesses took their time and the pictures turned out great. We also did Ariels Grotto and after having done the princess hall, it was a let down. Though it was nice to see more princesses. We also hit pixie hallow and the wishing well before it got busy.
My carefully thought out touring plans went out the window. We just followed the girls lead. We spent A LOT of time in toontown. They probably could have stayed there all day. They loved exploring every corner of it. That place got busy fast though, so get there when it first opens. They also loved all the carnival like rides. Bugs Land was a big hit and the Mater tractor pull.
Whoever suggested taking pictures of possible souvenirs as your kids see them and then looking at the pics while waiting in line is a genius. We had no meltdowns over which souvenir to get.
Try everything the kids are willing to do; what they like may surprise you. My timid youngest loved the go-gadget rollercoaster and Mickeys wheel (in the swinging seats!).
The parks are amazing at night. Im so glad we did a mid-day break so we could close down the parks. We did single rider with a baby swap for radiator racers at night. If you are only going to do it once, do it at night. Also I you are short like me; try not to sit in the back middle. I would have enjoyed it even more if I could see well :.
Photo-Pass is the best thing ever!! We got about 200 pictures and I love 70 of them. When I get the disc, Ill post some of them. Also, it was great to do the same spot multiple times. The pictures look so different depending on the time of day and some photographers were better than others. Also, having the kids in coordinating or matching outfits turned out really well. I never would have thought to do that before visiting these boards and seeing pictures, so glad I did. Also, we got some of our best pictures (on our camera) on mickeys fun wheel, the tea cups, and while waiting in line.
Unexpected hits. The whole family loved the Aladdin show. It is a must see. The jungle cruise. My husband and I were cracking up at the jokes (could have been the drinks we had prior
) and it was relaxing to just sit for a while.If you like shopping, send your significant other off with the kids and do DTD by yourself. I loved slowly strolling through the shops alone.
Next time, if we do four days, I want to take a whole day off from the parks in the middle to sleep in and rest. By day four we were all so tired that we didnt enjoy the parks as much.
I think that is everything. Thanks again everyone for helping make our trip magical.
your pictures are adorable, and I am sure your Photopass pictures will be amazing! Did you get the plus or just the regular? 200 pictures is a lot, what am I not doing? We have only gotten them at character greetings, and rides.
our DD is 11, and this trip we are going to be giving her a gift card for each day so she can buy her own souvenirs, but if she can't decide, rather than just buy it, we could take a pic. for her to look at towards the end of the trip so she can remember what she wanted and decide whether or not to get it. Trying to teach that those impulse purchases aren't always the best. And, hopefully with it being her own money, she will be a lot more conscious of her spending. 
I am embarrassed to say how much this ride scares me, but I am so afraid of heights that the first two trips I went on it, I sat on the floor of the cart 
It wasn't until this last trip that on sat on the seat with my hand clenching DD and DH! So, this trip my goal is to do the swinging 
