A Disney-addicted mom: Disney cruise, Family trip, Running trips! *Update 2/18*

[natebenma]

The park tickets that I bought from Undercover Tourist arrived TODAY!!!

Amanda

It's getting closer!!!

Have you used UT before? We almost got our Universal Tickets there, but they were $4 cheaper at AAA, so we did that instead.

 

[DrMomof3]

It's getting closer!!!

Have you used UT before? We almost got our Universal Tickets there, but they were $4 cheaper at AAA, so we did that instead.

No. We've had APs for 2 years so we never needed regular park tickets. It was quick and easy to buy and they arrived faster than expected. We save $100 over Disney prices (so about $25 per ticket). I still need to buy my AP (or renew it).

Amanda

 

[ddluvsdisney]

I know! Super exciting!!!



I've heard that about Celebration Tavern. Thanks for the reminder. I wonder how long it takes to get there....Thank you SO much for the info!

Amanda

It doesn't take very long- I think only like 15 min. I can double check on that for you.

 

[cogero]

That's a pretty good idea!




I almost spit out my drink when I read that!
Zachary is completely IN LOVE with Ariel. When he lists all of his girlfriends (4 or 5 names), he ALWAYS includes Ariel. He sleeps with a plush Ariel doll at night. And he loves seeing Ariel. He always runs up to her and gives her a big hug and kiss and tells her that he loves her. Do you think he's going to grow up and marry a redhead???
Tom may also like Ariel (but preferably in her Mermaid form because she wears less clothing) but, truthfully, he likes smoked fish and pickled herring. He may be the only patron at Akhershus who actually goes there because he likes the food.

Amanda

I like the food at Akerhaus but it definately isn't for everyone.

$$$
We've taken several vacations this year and money is tight. With the changes in Health Care, Tom is taking home significantly less money this year. It's hard to say exactly but we're guessing 25% less than last year. Having a full kitchen will save us money on food. Having more space will decrease the fighting amongst the monsters. I mean children.
In some ways it's good that this is a more last minute decision because now I have lots of fun trip planning things to do!

Amanda

DH's Insurance premium just went up another $115 per check so it is now over $500 per month for his plan for his share so we are switching to the HMO plan that the city will totally cover the payment and all of Js doctors are in the plan so it will work and that was what I was concerned about it. I am also going to file all the papers in order to get his Medicaid application completed. This is actually going to save us a huge chunk of money and we will just declare anything we pay out of pocket on our income tax.

I have heard great things about WBC and I am sure you will love it.

 

[DrMomof3]

It doesn't take very long- I think only like 15 min. I can double check on that for you.

Thanks! I should do some research...

I like the food at Akerhaus but it definately isn't for everyone.



DH's Insurance premium just went up another $115 per check so it is now over $500 per month for his plan for his share so we are switching to the HMO plan that the city will totally cover the payment and all of Js doctors are in the plan so it will work and that was what I was concerned about it. I am also going to file all the papers in order to get his Medicaid application completed. This is actually going to save us a huge chunk of money and we will just declare anything we pay out of pocket on our income tax.

I have heard great things about WBC and I am sure you will love it.

We like fish which I think is the biggest negative to Akhershus. My kids like smoked salmon, too. I think that adds value to the meal.

All of the partners in my husband's practice are taking a big hit. It's interesting because all of our premiums are going up and the insurance companies are paying doctors less. Hmmm.....
I can't cry poverty because I know many, many people here are worse off than we are. We still are paying off the debt from when we were both training so that hurts. I know some people would say that we should pay off all of student loans before taking vacations but my kids will only be young once!

Amanda

 

[cogero]

Amanda I am a believer in family time and memories so I do believe vacation is important.

 

[DrMomof3]

Amanda I am a believer in family time and memories so I do believe vacation is important.

I think most people here agree with us.
I won't go into more debt to take my family on vacation but I'm willing to delay paying off student loans, etc. to make sure we have special time together. I know that Dave Ramsey would tell me to pay off all debt first but Dave Ramsey doesn't work my job 50-60 hours per week and take care of my children (2 of the 3 have some special needs). Getting a break from reality is really good for all of us!

Amanda

 

[DrMomof3]

It's interesting that over the years DHS has gone from being an after-thought for us to being one of our favorite parks. It helps that 2 of the 3 are now tall enough for RnR and all 3 love Star Tours. TSM remains one of my favorite rides at Disney, despite the fact that I hate the FP and line situation at that ride. I do think that DHS would benefit from a bit of an upgrade.
I'm a big fan of the Lines app so I will enter the names of all the things we want to do and see what order to do them.

Our daily plan:
Wake up, shower, dress, make and eat breakfast. Drive to DHS for Rope Drop.

Must do rides/attractions: (In no particular order)
Disney Junior Live! - One of Zachary's favorite things to do at Disney. He never tires of seeing this show and always asks for it.
Great Movie Ride - We haven't been on this in a while.
Honey I Shrunk the Kids - My kids could spend all day here and never get bored.
Animation Academy - One of Tom and Nathaniel's favorite things to do. I've never done it because I've always been with Zachary.
Rock 'n' Rollercoaster - Love! We'll do babyswap so the big kids can ride twice!
Star Tours - I'm a big fan of the new version.
Toy Story Mania - Duh!
Tower of Terror - Tom and I will try to take turns while kids are at HISTK

Probably:
Disney Channel Rocks! - Jessica loves this. Nathaniel hates it. Or claims to hate it to annoy Jessica. Take your pick.
Jedi Training Academy - Kids all enjoyed it last trip.
One Man's Dream - I took Nathaniel and Jessica here in June and Nathaniel loved it and asked to come back in August.
Voyage of the Little Mermaid - Haven't seen it in a while and Zachary is in love with Ariel.
Muppet Vision - Saw it recently. Kids only thought it was ok so it might be a hard sell.
Beauty and the Beast - Zachary and I saw it in June. I didn't think it was so great. I know other people love it. I'm a big fan of the movie but I thought the stage show was meh.
Backlot Tour - I've never done this but my parents took Nathaniel and Jessica in January and apparently they loved it.
Indiana Jones Stunt Show - Never done it.
Fantasmic! - We've never seen this because we aren't really late night people. I told Tom that I'd like to see one or two fireworks shows this time. We'll see. Having a car and not having morning EMH will both help.

Skip it!
American Idol - I think my kids would be bored and noisy.
Lights Motors Action - Closed?

We'll probably grab counter serve. I'm thinking of eating off-site this night - maybe at Bonefish Grill or Celebration Tavern.

Amanda

 

[ddluvsdisney]

Sounds like great plans Amanda!!
I do like reading TRs but they are starting to depress me a little. We were just there in April and I am dying to go back! We usually only go once (with a couple of exceptions) a year and that is usually fine with me. I asked DH if we could go to Disney to celebrate if I get a job this year and his response sounded promising. So now I want a job more than anything!!! Not that I didn't want one before but even more so now.
I'm waiting to hear from 2 school districts right now. I just want an interview!!!
SORRY Amanda that was way off topic!!!!

My DS11 for some reason loves TGM. I think it's kinda funny! Most kids don't really like it at all.

 

[Native NYer]

Great plans!
I agree DHS needs an upgrade. They need some more attractions in the park. And Muppetvision needs a little revamp. We've done American Idol once and that was enough. My nephews weren't the least bit interested.

 

[natebenma]

It's interesting that over the years DHS has gone from being an after-thought for us to being one of our favorite parks. It helps that 2 of the 3 are now tall enough for RnR and all 3 love Star Tours. TSM remains one of my favorite rides at Disney, despite the fact that I hate the FP and line situation at that ride. I do think that DHS would benefit from a bit of an upgrade.
I'm a big fan of the Lines app so I will enter the names of all the things we want to do and see what order to do them.

Our daily plan:
Wake up, shower, dress, make and eat breakfast. Drive to DHS for Rope Drop.

Must do rides/attractions: (In no particular order)
Disney Junior Live! - One of Zachary's favorite things to do at Disney. He never tires of seeing this show and always asks for it.
Great Movie Ride - We haven't been on this in a while.
Honey I Shrunk the Kids - My kids could spend all day here and never get bored.
Animation Academy - One of Tom and Nathaniel's favorite things to do. I've never done it because I've always been with Zachary.
Rock 'n' Rollercoaster - Love! We'll do babyswap so the big kids can ride twice!
Star Tours - I'm a big fan of the new version.
Toy Story Mania - Duh!
Tower of Terror - Tom and I will try to take turns while kids are at HISTK

Probably:
Disney Channel Rocks! - Jessica loves this. Nathaniel hates it. Or claims to hate it to annoy Jessica. Take your pick.
Jedi Training Academy - Kids all enjoyed it last trip.
One Man's Dream - I took Nathaniel and Jessica here in June and Nathaniel loved it and asked to come back in August.
Voyage of the Little Mermaid - Haven't seen it in a while and Zachary is in love with Ariel.
Muppet Vision - Saw it recently. Kids only thought it was ok so it might be a hard sell.
Beauty and the Beast - Zachary and I saw it in June. I didn't think it was so great. I know other people love it. I'm a big fan of the movie but I thought the stage show was meh.
Backlot Tour - I've never done this but my parents took Nathaniel and Jessica in January and apparently they loved it.
Indiana Jones Stunt Show - Never done it.
Fantasmic! - We've never seen this because we aren't really late night people. I told Tom that I'd like to see one or two fireworks shows this time. We'll see. Having a car and not having morning EMH will both help.

Skip it!
American Idol - I think my kids would be bored and noisy.
Lights Motors Action - Closed?

We'll probably grab counter serve. I'm thinking of eating off-site this night - maybe at Bonefish Grill or Celebration Tavern.

Amanda

There really is a lot to do at HS for all ages!

Ben enjoys the Great Movie Ride and he loves the Backlot Tour. The Backlot Tour is good, but not as good as ones (like Universal Hollywood), where you go through backlots where things are/were actually filmed.

I've never done the Animation Academy either.

Didn't know that you have never seen the Indiana Jones show. It has been a few years for me. I skipped it in 2009 to watch Beauty and Beast (alone) and in 2010 to go to The Little Mermaid (alone). We just missed seeing it on the class trip, they had just closed the entrances to the theatre.

Hate to bring this up, but where will you get lunch??? You mentioned counter service- that was totally new territory for me on this trip.

 

[DrMomof3]

Sounds like great plans Amanda!!
I do like reading TRs but they are starting to depress me a little. We were just there in April and I am dying to go back! We usually only go once (with a couple of exceptions) a year and that is usually fine with me. I asked DH if we could go to Disney to celebrate if I get a job this year and his response sounded promising. So now I want a job more than anything!!! Not that I didn't want one before but even more so now.
I'm waiting to hear from 2 school districts right now. I just want an interview!!!
SORRY Amanda that was way off topic!!!!

My DS11 for some reason loves TGM. I think it's kinda funny! Most kids don't really like it at all.

Not off-topic at all! Sending lots of positive thoughts for your job search!!!
My kids are mixed on TGM. But we haven't ridden for at least a year so maybe they'll like it better.

Great plans!
I agree DHS needs an upgrade. They need some more attractions in the park. And Muppetvision needs a little revamp. We've done American Idol once and that was enough. My nephews weren't the least bit interested.

I agree. They have some great thrill rides. And Disney Junior is great for the preschoolers. But there aren't a ton of family rides. Something along the lines of Peter Pan or Spaceship Earth or Safari. No height restrictions. Not scary.

There really is a lot to do at HS for all ages!

Ben enjoys the Great Movie Ride and he loves the Backlot Tour. The Backlot Tour is good, but not as good as ones (like Universal Hollywood), where you go through backlots where things are/were actually filmed.

I've never done the Animation Academy either.

Didn't know that you have never seen the Indiana Jones show. It has been a few years for me. I skipped it in 2009 to watch Beauty and Beast (alone) and in 2010 to go to The Little Mermaid (alone). We just missed seeing it on the class trip, they had just closed the entrances to the theatre.

Hate to bring this up, but where will you get lunch??? You mentioned counter service- that was totally new territory for me on this trip.

My kids aren't super familiar with the Indiana Jones franchise so I don't think it'll mean anything to them.
We've only seen Little Mermaid once (the DHS version - we've seen the movie a zillion times).
We've had counter service lunch at DHS a few times and we were ok with it. I can't remember the names of any of the places. There's one place next to the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground which is fine. And the place next to Jedi Training Academy was also fine.

Amanda

 

[Chelley00]

I won't go into more debt to take my family on vacation but I'm willing to delay paying off student loans, etc. to make sure we have special time together. I know that Dave Ramsey would tell me to pay off all debt first but Dave Ramsey doesn't work my job 50-60 hours per week and take care of my children (2 of the 3 have some special needs). Getting a break from reality is really good for all of us!

Not only all of that, but speaking as someone who sees multiple doctors , I wouldn't want to be a patient of a doctor who never vacations, relaxes or gets away from it all.

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

I feel like the kids don't always enjoy the park after traveling. I think I'm always so excited to run to the park that I forget how tired we are!

You are so close to downtown disney you can have a great time there and get that disney vibe without all the park hassles We love sitting at the Margarita Bar having a drink and listening to the music while watching the world go by. My kids love guessing which movie the songs are from plus sometimes they have a party thing for younger kids which the 5 yr old loves to enjoy!

I'd love ideas!!! We're very flexible about changing our plans.

Cant believe how much I've missed. Just back from our holiday (had a ball) but love all your new plans I remember passing the turn off for WBC - it's really close to everything and I think you'll enjoy having your own car for the parks Loads of nearby restaurants at both DTD and crossroads and cab fares are cheap if you and Tom both want to share a glass of wine (or 2)

I'm almost totally over the fact that we're staying off-site. I'm super excited to have separate sleeping areas for the children, a washer/dryer, and full kitchen. I'm SO grateful that we're still going to Disney at all!!!

Tom and I are both trying to lose weight and save money. This resort will allow us to continue to do both things. I love having a washer/dryer and packing less. I love having a kitchen to make breakfast. I love that Zachary can sleep separately from the older 2 so we don't have the bedtime screaming matches when he continues to talk until he starts snoring. (We actually counted this past weekend and the longest Zachary went ALL DAY without talking was SIX SECONDS!).

This could be me! I even talk in my sleep! My youngest is the same which means alot of noise

We may end up with MORE park time than usual because of having the car. And I'm totally over the rushing for 8am EMH Rope Drop! 9am Rope Drop will be easy for us. I'm working on our daily plans still but I'm pretty happy with everything!


It's one of many classic Dee lines. We should start keeping track of the classic lines on the first page of the BC/YC thread....

Amanda

Gotta love Dee's classic!

All of the partners in my husband's practice are taking a big hit. It's interesting because all of our premiums are going up and the insurance companies are paying doctors less. Hmmm.....
I can't cry poverty because I know many, many people here are worse off than we are. We still are paying off the debt from when we were both training so that hurts. I know some people would say that we should pay off all of student loans before taking vacations but my kids will only be young once!
Amanda

Totally agree with you! Life really is too short (or as we say here "you're a long time dead") We have "needed" lots of housey type things done for a few years but always opt for the holiday for those very reasons and because my husbands job has long hours and alot of stress. Without those couple of weeks to reconnect and relax I think we'd all suffer. Dont think my kids will ever remember a new sofa fondly but they will always love disney

 

[DrMomof3]

Not only all of that, but speaking as someone who sees multiple doctors , I wouldn't want to be a patient of a doctor who never vacations, relaxes or gets away from it all.

It good to have friends who agree with me!

Gotta love Dee's classic!



Totally agree with you! Life really is too short (or as we say here "you're a long time dead") We have "needed" lots of housey type things done for a few years but always opt for the holiday for those very reasons and because my husbands job has long hours and alot of stress. Without those couple of weeks to reconnect and relax I think we'd all suffer. Dont think my kids will ever remember a new sofa fondly but they will always love disney

Dying to hear about your holiday!
It's so true that we're all a long time dead. I like that! Tom grumbles and grumbles but he really does enjoy it once we're there. At least when the kids aren't being terrible...

Amanda

 

[DrMomof3]

It's been a crazy week at work but I'm here with an update!

I used to say that Epcot was my favorite park. Or almost my favorite park. Now I'm sure that MK is my favorite. Epcot has lost some luster for me. I LOVE World Showcase and Epcot dining. But I really feel that Future World needs some help right now.
Here's the list of Must-do, Maybe, and No go:

Must-do:
Soarin'
Mission:Space (I'll ride Orange with Nathaniel and maybe Jessica. Tom can take Zachary on the Green side)
Nemo
Turtle Talk
Spaceship Earth
Maelstrom
Gran Fiesta Tour (Must drink avocado margarita from La Cava del Tequila!)
Ellen's Energy
Journey to Imagination (Can you believe we've never been on this?)
Living with the Land
Illuminations (I asked Tom if we could please make an effort to see this and he said yes. I think it'll be easier with strollers and a car since the kids will certainly be tired.)

Maybe:
Sum of All Thrills (I really want to do this if there's time and interest)
Any of the World Showcase shows/movies

We'll eat dinner in Epcot a few times - Via Napoli ,Garden Grill, and Akhershus. Plus lunch and any other dinners we decide to do.

Amanda

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Your epcot day sounds very like my epcot day Love it all. We didnt make it to sum of all thrills as the 5yr old was too busy saving for every eventuality in the Piggy Bank Game-think he has sussed out that his parents are irresponsible and have spent all their money on holidays to disney

I love the counter service in epcot Took a leaf out of Dee's book and had lunch at the french bakery on more than 1 occassion (yum). Those bagettes are huge and will definitely feed 2 kids plus the brulee is scrumptious
Also loved the chinese restaurant (both counter and table service) and again found it easy to share meals so it's good if you are keeping down costs.

Wish I was there now instead of sitting here looking out at the miserable rain

 

[DrMomof3]

Your epcot day sounds very like my epcot day Love it all. We didnt make it to sum of all thrills as the 5yr old was too busy saving for every eventuality in the Piggy Bank Game-think he has sussed out that his parents are irresponsible and have spent all their money on holidays to disney

I love the counter service in epcot Took a leaf out of Dee's book and had lunch at the french bakery on more than 1 occassion (yum). Those bagettes are huge and will definitely feed 2 kids plus the brulee is scrumptious
Also loved the chinese restaurant (both counter and table service) and again found it easy to share meals so it's good if you are keeping down costs.

Wish I was there now instead of sitting here looking out at the miserable rain

I'm thinking that we might try Sunshine Seasons or something in World Showcase for lunch. I guess we can see where we are at lunch-time and make a decision.
We have great Chinese food in NY so it's hard to get excited for Disney Chinese food...
Rain, rain, go away!

Amanda

 

[starann]

Our photopass + package arrived today!!!! Our trip is coming!

Amanda

This post just reminded me I purchaced the photopass CD last year before the price went up (the code never expires!!!)....thanks for the reminder!!!!


I have some catching up to do on your post...off to do that now before I get my paperwork in order to see my patients tomorrow

 

[starann]

All caught up!!!!

Glad you are able to make it happen this month!!!!!