A Disney-addicted mom: 2nd annual August trip and Marathon Weekend *Update 10/7*

[DrMomof3]

Tom was surprisingly excited about the fishing excursion and about taking the boys to the Pirate League while Jessica and I do the Boutique. It'll be fun to take 2 Pirates and 1 Princess to Cinderella's Royal Table! Of course Nathaniel was already asking if he can bring a sword to dinner. (Jessica doesn't know about CRT yet. Only Nathaniel knows about CRT and I'm not 100% sure he even remembers.)
JetBlue called/emailed again today with another flight time change for our return flight on 9/3. I swear this is the 4th time they've changed the flight time. This time they moved it 30 minutes earlier (departing Orlando at 5pm). It's no big deal but it's funny because they call Tom each and every time.

Amanda

 

[DrMomof3]

Here are some pics of Jessica's ballet recital:

Pre-recital

She's the first one holding the teacher's hand.

She's in the middle.

Some day her prince will come. And he'll be Strong!

And Tall!

A Star is Born!

Amanda

 

[DrMomof3]

And just so I'm a good mom...

The birthday drums!

One happy boy!

Wearing an appropriate shirt.

My boys!

Mickey Mouse cake.

Little League.

Amanda

 

[Native NYer]

Your kids are adorable!
Love the Snow White costume.

 

[natebenma]

Hope you had a great weekend!

Love the pictures!!! What great costumes for the recital.

Too bad there isn't audio to go with the drum photos.

 

[DrMomof3]

Your kids are adorable!
Love the Snow White costume.

Thank you!

Hope you had a great weekend!

Love the pictures!!! What great costumes for the recital.

Too bad there isn't audio to go with the drum photos.

Ha-ha! The audio is loud. Quite loud. Nathaniel actually shows so ability on the drums but also plays louder than the younger 2 put together. He's showing some musical talent in general (he plays violin quite well especially for a 1st grader). He seems to be conquering his natural shyness so who know?
The costumes were gorgeous! I was happy with Snow White since that is one of the few princess outfits we don't already have! We paid about $150 for the "privilege" of being in the show. That included the costume and I'm sure renting the university theater isn't cheap. Tickets were then $16.50 each!! Honestly it was worth it because I've rarely seen Jessica so blissful.

Amanda

 

[DrMomof3]

I ordered new luggage from LLBean today. One of our rolling duffles actually belongs to my parents and one of our other rolling bags is held together by bright orange duct tape. on my recent trip to DC, I had no decent overnight bag and had to carry this heavy thing all over. I ordered a nice set in red (more of a crimson color). It includes a carry-on bag, a medium sized rolling duffle, and an extra large rolling duffle. Very nice! And it got rave reviews!
I also ordered our Fish Extender for the cruise. The kids helped design it, even though they don't know that we are doing a cruise next year. Tom and I can use it in October. I liked one seller on Etsy and one on EBay but the kids liked the EBay one better. I picked the 2 sellers I liked and let them choose the rest.
I still need to pick shirts for our trip. I found a seller on Etsy who does cute Mickey head shirts for the whole family. Or we could do Mickey tie dye. I'm not sure about putting the names on the shirts. Opinions?
This week coming up is busy! Jessica has her physical tomorrow and then Zachary has a physiatry appointment on Friday. His orthotics are getting too small!!! Once he gets new ones, I'll have to buy new shoes....

Amanda

 

[DrMomof3]

The kids are starting to get excited about going to Disney. One of their favorite games is the "what do you want to ride?" game. It's fun to listen to what they say. I've learned a few things about my children....

NATHANIEL:

If he were only going to ride one ride at Disney, it would probably be:

(Of course Zachary is the child in this photo!)

He's obsessed will all things space. I think before our June, 2012 cruise we'll try to go to the Space Center!

I can't find a picture but his #2 choice for something to do at Disney is:

SAVING THE WORLD!

That's right! KIM POSSIBLE!

I was a little surprised by this one.

Amanda

 

[klacey1]

Misson Space is great! I've heard everyone should take a trip to the Space Center so I hope you guys get to before your cruise!
Wow, it seems like putting in the KP missions was really smart-- so many kids (and adults!) seem to love doing them. Definitely makes the World Showcase a bit more family-friendly!

 

[-Hope-]

My kids love Kim Possible- there's just something about the interactive aspect I think that really draws them in- especially Jace. He loves figuring out a clue and seeing what cool think the prop will do when he finds it.

 

[DrMomof3]

Misson Space is great! I've heard everyone should take a trip to the Space Center so I hope you guys get to before your cruise!
Wow, it seems like putting in the KP missions was really smart-- so many kids (and adults!) seem to love doing them. Definitely makes the World Showcase a bit more family-friendly!

Tom and I would be perfectly happy to stay on the Green Side of Mission:Space but I think one of us will have to sacrifice ourselves for Nathaniel. And I suspect it'll be me because Tom is more prone to motion sickness (he can't do the Teacups, for example).

Kim Possible is great fun! Unfortunately my kids fight like crazy over the Kimmunicator so I suspect we'll have to split up next tip.

My kids love Kim Possible- there's just something about the interactive aspect I think that really draws them in- especially Jace. He loves figuring out a clue and seeing what cool think the prop will do when he finds it.

Kim Possible is definitely one of those things where you feel like you've been let in on a secret that nobody else knows about!

Amanda

 

[DrMomof3]

We spent Friday and Saturday at Sesame Place. I honestly don't have a ton of pictures because we mostly did the water rides but we had a blast!
Friday morning Zachary had a follow-up with the physiatrist to be re-evaluated for orthotics. He got his orthotics last September and is definitely outgrowing them. The good news is that the physiatrist said while he will recommend that Zachary get new orthotics based on his progress, that he may not even need them anymore. He's doing so well with his therapy that he's outgrowing the need for orthotics! Go Zachary!!!
After the appointment Zachary and I did a few last minute errands before meeting Tom at home. We picked up Nathaniel an hour early from school (11am instead of noon) and then grabbed Jessica. We were on the road by 11:30am. It took about 1 hour 45 minutes to get to Sesame. We decided to take my car (no DVD player) instead of the minivan based on our experience going to Baltimore. This went MUCH better. Granted it was a shorter drive but still. Few fights. No whining over the movie. Zachary took a good nap. Etc. Lesson learned!
We checked into the Courtyard by Marriott and our room was ready. We changed into swim suits and headed over to Sesame. The Marriott was nice. Not fancy at all but nice. The weather was PERFECT! Low 80's and sunny. The park was empty. We literally walked on to anything. Tom thought we could just skip lunch but we ended up with 3 starving kids around 2pm. We shared some counter service food (nothing special - trust me) and did some more rides. We left the park around 4:30 or 5 and went back to the hotel to change for dinner. We had made reservations at the local Macaroni Grill (we don't have one near us so we didn't know what to expect). The food was good and much less expensive than we expected. Our waitress was sweet and they sang Happy Birthday to Zachary.
We had a lot of trouble getting the kids to sleep (this bodes poorly for Disney!) which was very frustrating.

Amanda

 

[DrMomof3]

Before leaving Sesame on Friday night, we decided to book a cabana for Saturday. This is definitely an extravagance but we were glad we did it. I had a killer sinus infection and no pain medicine so I was glad to have a cool place to chill out in the afternoon!
We got to the park for park opening. It definitely made me miss Disney - no opening ceremony or fanfare. And the gate entry is definitely less efficient than Disney! We went straight to the cabana to drop off our stuff. And I mean ALL of our stuff. We left the diaper bag, stroller, valuables (there was a locked drawer). We got 6 beach towels and 12 bottles of cold water with the cabana.
We hit the water rides in the morning. Lazy river, river rapids, water slides, etc. The kids loved it!!!! We used the cabana as a meeting point when we needed to split up (for diaper changes or rides that Zachary couldn't go on).
We had a lunch reservation for the lunch with Elmo. The character interaction was awesome but the food was pretty vile. Even the hot dog were low quality!!! The kids ate some chicken nuggets and mac n cheese. The adult food was pretty yuck. There was decent ceasar salad and potato salad but the rest was really poor. It made me appreciate Disney again!
After lunch we went to the Splash Castle which was right next to the cabana and really nice. We decided to head home around 3-ish.
Zachary fell asleep right away and slept the whole way home. No traffic and an easy drive home. We were home in plenty of time for an early dinner.

A few other observations:
1. My usually shy Nathaniel (the 7 year old) really enjoyed the character interaction for maybe the 1st time ever. I thought he'd feel too old but he actually got into it. It was refreshing to see!
2. We're considering a water park at Disney for August. My kids loved the water rides and it'll be hot, hot, hot in August. Last year we were at BCV with the spectacular pool. I'm trying to plan a more laid back trip this year and maybe a water park day is just the thing. Feel free to share opinions. Which one is better for little kids?
3. I'm considering only bringing one stroller to Disney. Going through airport security with 2 strollers sucks. Big time. It's SO stressful. Zachary definitely still needs a stroller but Nathaniel and Jessica really don't. And we'll have a car this time. And we're staying at BLT so we have the monorail. Again I'm happy to hear opinions...

Amanda

 

[-Hope-]

Sesame Place sounds like a success- good car trip and a good time there.

I love, love, love Macaroni Grill. I can't eat it anymore because I don't eat simple carbs but it is delicious (and something I'll indulge in once in a while). My friends Sicialian grandmother even likes it and that's saying a lot since she doesn't generally like any Americanized Italian food.

I don't have any advice for any of your Disney questions since we've never been with a stroller or been to a waterpark. But I do know that water makes my kids happy and working it into a trip, even if it's just a pool or a fountain, is a must for us.

 

[natebenma]

Belated Happy Birthday to Zachary!!!

Sounds like a lot of fun at Sesame Place!

I'll put in my two cents for the waterparks- I personally prefer TL (the theming and the wave pool), Shark Reef and Crush-N-Gusher, but I think I am going to recommend BB for your family:

The wave pool at TL is very rough. We love it, but I think it would knock all three of your kids around. The one at BB is more of a bobbing pool.

The family ride at BB is so much better than the one at TL.

The chairlifts are cool, and the Ski Patrol area would be really fun for your kids. Icebergs to walk across and a mini zipline.

I'll post a couple of photos and I'll see if I can dig up some waterpark info from my files for you.

We don't do any of the big slides, so I can't review them for you.

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Sounds like you guys had a great time! As for the waterparks, BB with little ones, for sure. We have been to both, we went in 2008 (when Savannah was 8) to Typhoon Lagoon and that wavepool is hardcore. It's rough on the bottom to make sure people don't slip, but the waves are HUGE and if you get knocked down (which you probably will) it hurts.
We went to Blizzard in 2009 and I much preferred it. First off, the theme is so different, it makes it fun. The little kid area is bigger first and foremost, and the wavepool isn't rough like at TL. There are a few big slides that your older kids can do and they also have the big family raft slide. I think you guys will really enjoy it!

 

[beebeeryan]

Haven't been to BB since 1998 and it was just DH and I. We don't do the big rides, but I remember the family raft ride was great. We went to TL last summer with the kids and I think we should have gone to BB. The wave pool is seriously intense at TL and the kiddie area seems really "little kiddie" for my kids, they weren't into it and wanted to be in the wave pool which was just too much trouble for us to keep hold of them. The kids area at BB looks more suited to slight older kids too so I think they would have liked it.

They did seriously love the water park though and have asked to go back again this summer although I'm not really planning it since we have less days and I just found it a hassle. Getting a locker, renting towels, worried about leaving stuff on a chair, TL was really disorienting, etc...since we can't do most of the rides seems the pool at the hotel is enough for us right now. But depending on how hard they whine, we may hit BB if we do go to one.

 

[DrMomof3]

Sesame Place sounds like a success- good car trip and a good time there.

I love, love, love Macaroni Grill. I can't eat it anymore because I don't eat simple carbs but it is delicious (and something I'll indulge in once in a while). My friends Sicialian grandmother even likes it and that's saying a lot since she doesn't generally like any Americanized Italian food.

I don't have any advice for any of your Disney questions since we've never been with a stroller or been to a waterpark. But I do know that water makes my kids happy and working it into a trip, even if it's just a pool or a fountain, is a must for us.

We really enjoyed Macaroni Grill. I also think that we're so used to NY (or Disney!) prices that anywhere else seems inexpensive to us.

Belated Happy Birthday to Zachary!!!

Sounds like a lot of fun at Sesame Place!

I'll put in my two cents for the waterparks- I personally prefer TL (the theming and the wave pool), Shark Reef and Crush-N-Gusher, but I think I am going to recommend BB for your family:

The wave pool at TL is very rough. We love it, but I think it would knock all three of your kids around. The one at BB is more of a bobbing pool.

The family ride at BB is so much better than the one at TL.

The chairlifts are cool, and the Ski Patrol area would be really fun for your kids. Icebergs to walk across and a mini zipline.

I'll post a couple of photos and I'll see if I can dig up some waterpark info from my files for you.

We don't do any of the big slides, so I can't review them for you.

I knew you'd have lots of info for me!!! Thanks for all the advice, complete with awesome photos. I'm still not sure we'll do a waterpark but I'm convinced that we should choose BB if we go that route.

None of my kids is 48" yet so the biggest water slides are not an option. Nathaniel *might* be close to 48" in August but I doubt it. And even though he's a decent swimmer, I don't think he's really a strong enough swimmer to send him down some of the big slides!

Sounds like you guys had a great time! As for the waterparks, BB with little ones, for sure. We have been to both, we went in 2008 (when Savannah was 8) to Typhoon Lagoon and that wavepool is hardcore. It's rough on the bottom to make sure people don't slip, but the waves are HUGE and if you get knocked down (which you probably will) it hurts.
We went to Blizzard in 2009 and I much preferred it. First off, the theme is so different, it makes it fun. The little kid area is bigger first and foremost, and the wavepool isn't rough like at TL. There are a few big slides that your older kids can do and they also have the big family raft slide. I think you guys will really enjoy it!

Thank you Karen! That's very helpful to read. I knew one of the parks was considered better for littler kids but I couldn't remember which one.

Haven't been to BB since 1998 and it was just DH and I. We don't do the big rides, but I remember the family raft ride was great. We went to TL last summer with the kids and I think we should have gone to BB. The wave pool is seriously intense at TL and the kiddie area seems really "little kiddie" for my kids, they weren't into it and wanted to be in the wave pool which was just too much trouble for us to keep hold of them. The kids area at BB looks more suited to slight older kids too so I think they would have liked it.

They did seriously love the water park though and have asked to go back again this summer although I'm not really planning it since we have less days and I just found it a hassle. Getting a locker, renting towels, worried about leaving stuff on a chair, TL was really disorienting, etc...since we can't do most of the rides seems the pool at the hotel is enough for us right now. But depending on how hard they whine, we may hit BB if we do go to one.

Thank you for your opinion! I always thought the hotel pools were good enough. Especially last summer when we stayed at BC and could use SAB. I've always felt the kids were too young to get the full water park experience but after our recent experience at Sesame, I'm changing my mind. There were a few days last summer that were so brutally hot that we couldn't enjoy the theme parks. If we get that again, maybe we'll just hit the water park instead!

Amanda

 

[DrMomof3]

I've had a few thoughts regarding our upcoming trip!

1. I always feel the need to plan, plan, plan. I've been reading a really great trip report (in the restaurant forum because it's mostly about dining) where the couple made NO ADRs before the trip. They were still able to get decent sit-down meals and they were also much better able to go with the flow. We have dinner ADRs every night which I think we need (especially as a family of 5) but I think I may avoid lunch ADRs until the last minute. We've been able to get lunch at Biergarten as a same-day ADR (we just went to Guest Services at Epcot in the morning) and I know my family would enjoy that again. I don't think the Play N Dine at Hollywood & Vine is *that* difficult to get. And if we miss it this year, I won't cry (we didn't eat there in January and it was our 1st trip EVER without the Play N Dine). I like the character interaction and the food is decent but we haven't been able to experience other lunches at DHS. Liberty Tree Tavern is usually available same-day (that's our go-to lunch at MK) and we've gotten The Plaza on the same-day in the past. Otherwise we like Columbia Harbor House just fine. I have a lunch ADR planned at Via Napoli but if we choose to go elsewhere that day, I'll be ok missing that restaurant. We have the advantage of returning in January for Marathon Weekend so we don't need to eat every single one of our favorite meals!!!

2. Disney is our big summer VACATION. I'm getting killed at work right now. I'm putting in long hours and I'm on call A LOT right now. I'm feeling a little burnt out and stressed. Tom tends to feel stress even more than I do. He also does less well with the kids when we're with them for extended periods of time (even a 3 day weekend can make him a bit cranky if the kids are being difficult). It's easy to come home from a Disney trip feeling exhausted and like you need a vacation from your vacation. We cannot afford to have that experience (I mean emotionally afford!). I want to enjoy Disney but I also want us to have a relaxing and fun vacation. I've already planned a (mostly) non-park day with a fishing excursion at 10am and the BBB and Pirate League at 3pm. That's followed by dinner at CRT. We can do a few MK rides while we're there (either between the kids getting fancied up or after dinner) but it will be a minimal park day. A day at BB where the kids can just relax and enjoy the water may go a long way toward this goal, too. I really want to SLOW DOWN and enjoy. This will NOT be a race from one attraction to the next type of trip. It'll be a "What do we feel like doing today?" trip. Maybe we'll finally explore Tom Sawyer's Island. Or spend some time at Rafiki's Planet Watch enjoy the animal and character interactions. Will this be the trip we finally do some Hidden Mickeys? Or maybe try some pin trading?

Which reminds me: I know some of my DIS friends know about pin trading. Can you tell me a good place to get a starter set of pins for a good price? PM me if you aren't allowed to post that info? Please? I think my kids are getting old enough to enjoy that and it'll be another "slow down the pace" activity.

Amanda

 

[disneydreamingdebby]

haha. As we speak, my girls are on my bedroom floor trading pins...

I bought pins from ebay and they traded them last summer. We ended up buying a couple in the park too. I know I've read about counterfeit pins, but I don't know anything about them. They don't seem different than the parks ones... Disney did have a lanyard and starter set promo in the winter for four or five pins and the lanyard for $16.95.

Disney is an exhausting vacation, and our expectations for the kids are really high. "You're in Disney!!!" I just made more ADR's but I find it so difficult to decide now where to eat, when I am not even sure which park we will want to hit. Since my girls are 9, we are on limited time with the dining plan. It saves us a ton of money because one meal at a buffet is the cost of the plan for the day. I figure once the girls are 10, we will probably make less ADR's.

I have to go back and look at your plans. I think H&V shouldn't be a problem. I tried to get a character buffet for my friend three days before her trip and H&V was the only choice and it offered many times.