A new baby, six months off...and Disney? WHY NOT!!!!

[FairyGodmotherJen]

Hello, everyone! I never thought I’d be planning another Disney trip so soon, but here I am! Let me fill you in on the characters here, and then I’ll tell our story…

Me – aka FairyGodmotherJen (I was the Fairy Godmother in my high school production of Rogers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, so I’ve got a soft spot for her) – 34, currently a SAHM (I teach fourth grade, but I’m on maternity leave). I began my love affair with Disney when my parents took us twice as kids. I don’t know the dates, but the first time we went, it was only the MK. I even took a trip to Disney with two friends for spring break my senior year of high school (yeah, I know, I was a geek). This will be my 7th trip to the World (which is about five too many, according to my dad) . I love to scrapbook, read and sing at our church.

DH – aka Mickey (but I don't think I can refer to him that in this PTR - too weird!) - 34, IT guy extraordinaire. He went to the World once as a kid, but stayed off site. First on-site visit was in 2000 with me, DB and my parents for their 30th anniversary trip – yes, my mom opted for a family vacation instead of a trip to Ireland!!! (We were glad, anyway!) He completely enjoyed it, and once we had kids agreed that we would have to take them there while they were still young enough to enjoy the magic. This will be his fifth trip. He loves Star Wars, Star Trek (ok, most things sci-fi), Red Sox baseball, and his kids (he’s an AWESOME Daddy). His favorite character is Sorcerer Mickey, btw.

DD – aka Tink – 7 yrs old and in second grade. Tink fits her personality well – she’s sweet, but very stubborn and cranky at times (just for the record, everyone says she’s a mini-me…hmm…) . She’s been to the World twice before this trip (as has DS1). I will never forget her seeing the Castle for the first time. She was four and, once she stopped staring, insisted that we needed to “go see her” (Cinderella). We did – had breakfast with her at the palace the next morning, in fact. She loves Tink, the princesses and IASW.

DS 1 – aka Goofy – 4 and a half. He could really be just as much as Goofy, but he has such a sweet heart I can’t really call him that ALL the time. He will be starting pre-K in two weeks, and can’t wait. We’re a little worried about how his teachers are going to keep him busy. He’s all boy – plays soccer, is mesmerized by trains and planes, and loves the Wii DH got for his birthday in June. I have to seriously limit the time he spends on it. His favorite Disney things are Cars, Nemo, Wall-E and (currently) Lady and the Tramp (I know, an odd mix, but ??).

DS 2 – aka Pooh – 5 months old for the trip. He’s the reason I’m still home – I’ve been lucky enough to scrape out 6 months at home with each of my kiddos so that I can nurse them easier. He’s a happy baby for the most part, though we’re wondering if he’s starting to cut teeth . He’s also getting really close to sleeping through the night. He’s actually been sitting in his bouncy seat next to me, growling happily (his newest sound) as I type.

 

[FairyGodmotherJen]

Here are a few pictures of the crew...we haven't downloaded pictures from the camera recently, so they're about a month old (I know, we're bad...)

DH (at Tink's birthday party, joining in the fun)

Tink:

Goofy (at VA Beach, chilling out)

Pooh (with Tink - gotta get the good ones of him downloaded!)

How this trip came about:
When we left Disney after our Grand Gathering trip in June of 2007, we were already talking about when we’d be coming back while at the Orlando airport. We decided that we needed a year or two (I was still paying on a few things), and set 2010 as the return date. My sister-in-law and I are both teachers, so (usually) summer is the only time we can go. Well, about two months later we found out that Pooh was on his way. Didn’t change the 2010 thing – he’d still be free, after all! And I did my best to stay off the DIS for a while, since it was making me not want to wait three years!! But I got back on in March of this year, when I was too big and pregnant to really be able to do a whole lot, and saw reminders about Free Dining. I jokingly said to DH that we ought to go this fall, since I’d be home. He just laughed at me. Then, a few days later, the Free Dining offer actually came out. Now it was harder to ignore. But it was crazy – I mean, I was staying home for six months! Now, my paychecks are spread out so that I can get paid over the summer, so I knew I’d be getting paid through August. And I knew we had the other two months saved for (we’d worked hard for that). But there was no way we’d be able to afford to go down to Disney.

And then, good old Mr. Bush decided to send everyone a tax rebate to stimulate the economy. The advance notice of the refund came in the mail. Now I knew we were getting about the same amount it would take to get us all to Disney, and I was in trouble. Seriously, we’re usually the kind of people that take that money and stuff it into the bank. But there were a few other things on my mind. The biggest one was that I was actually home during Free Dining! Also, since Tink was in second grade, this would be the last time she could really take time out of school without me feeling like a horrible parent (our state-mandated tests start in third grade). Being a teacher, I know that these are big deals (don’t agree with it, but that’s a whole other story). And Goofy would be starting Kindergarten next year, and I was home already, and… ok, I just really wanted to go. DH needed some convincing. It turned out that it was much more about his available days off than anything else. We sat down together to make sure he had the time, and were pleased to see that he did. We decided to go for it!

Right around this time, my O.B. decided that Pooh was most likely going to be a pretty big boy, so she scheduled an induction for the next Tuesday (a week early). I was able to get my fill-in ready to go, and say goodbye to my class officially instead of suddenly just not being there one day, which was nice. And, since my Dr. had asked me to take the day before off to make sure I was relaxed and ready to go, I had time to go to AAA and book our trip!! We had decided on Sept, 4-9, staying at ASMo (the only place my kids have stayed). We got the 4 day park hoppers, preferred rooms at the hotel, and of course Free Dining. My T.A., whom I’d worked with before, just laughed at me when she found out I’d be giving birth the next day. However, she’s a big Disney fan herself, so part of her understood. The next day, I ended up passing some of the time waiting for the Pitocin to work reading the Unofficial Guide!

Next up: Planning!

 

[VBsHustla]

Sounds great! We went during free dining two years ago, and loved it! We couldn't pass it up again this year, either. Also, please tell your DH he's rooting for the wrong team.

 

[FairyGodmotherJen]

Here are two more up-to-date pictures:
Tink and Goofy on Tink's first day of second grade:

And a better one of Pooh:

When I left off, I was reading a Disney guidebook in the labor and delivery room. After about 10 hours in there, Pooh arrived – all 9 lbs, 13 oz. of him (wow, was I glad they’d induced me!). So for a little while, Disney took a back burner. I’d put a hold on the reservations the day before he’d arrived, so we were ok for two weeks without touching it. DH ended up calling our TA once he went back to work, making some adjustments (adding a day to the park hoppers so that we could go to the parks on our arrival day – it was like $8 a piece or something ridiculous like that) and putting the down payment on his Disney Visa. The actual rebate from the government was deposited in our account, and I happily (if sleepily) went back to perusing the DIS for tips. It made for a great way to pass the time when Pooh was cranky – our computer chair rocks back and forth, so it soothed him and gave me something to do!

Next thing on the list: ADRs. We take this fairly seriously. DH and I love to try new things. Our kids, however…not so much. I still remember working with an unbelievably patient CM on our first trip at the desk at ASMo. We didn’t have ADRs for each night (so naïve we were!!), so she patiently scrolled through ALL of the kid’s menus in World Showcase to find a place where my kids would eat! So it’s a matter of finding a place that suits DH and I (though we don’t have to have all gourmet meals, by any means) and still had things our kids would eat. We sat down one evening (when Pooh allowed us) to pour over the menus on the DIS and AllEars. There was one must do – I’d always eaten at Chef Mickey’s as a kid, and DH had decided that it was the best place for us as a family on our first trip in 2005. We’d also enjoyed it during our larger group vacation in ’07. This time, though, DH wanted us to go there on our very first night. He felt it would get us “into the right mood.” Ok, Chef Mickey’s it was! We went back and forth on several things – we really wanted to try some new places this time. We settled on several character meals. This was ok with us, as it’d be loud enough for Pooh if he decided to get fussy, plus it would keep us from having to stand in too many long lines at Toon Town! I called the next morning and got the following ADRs:
Thurs.: Chef Mickey’s for dinner
Fri.: Whispering Canyon Café for dinner (couldn’t get in in 2007, and
wanted to try)
Sat: 8:05 breakfast at Crystal Palace (REALLY excited about this one –
new for us, had heard great things, plus who can beat an empty Main Street???)
Sun 9/7: Garden Grill for lunch (new for us)
Mon 9/8: Restaurant Marrakesh (had done in 05 and enjoyed it – yes, they have spaghetti on the kids menu, which we can order with no sauce for our picky kiddos!)

I was so excited to get everything I wanted, especially with free dining. We were now free to schedule our days around our ADRs…oops. As soon as I looked at the list, I knew we had problems. We always end our trip in the MK, even if it’s only for the evening. Late (for us – 7:40) ADRs at World Showcase were not going to work. So, it was back to the menus. I really wanted to try 1900 Park Fare, but DH was concerned that the kids would be a little overwhelmed by Lady Tremain and her daughters. Plus, we’d done CRT in ’05 and Akershus in ’07, so we’d decided no princess meals this time. We went back and forth, trying to find something that would work. Finally, we decided on…Chef Mickey’s. Yes, I know – but we’re doing breakfast now on 9/8, so we’ll have the rest of the day to do whatever. The time is later than I’d like – 9:25 (OUCH!!), but I’m now having free dining issues when I call – I can’t get an earlier time. I’ve tried twice, and I’m going to have to keep trying each week until we go.

 

[FairyGodmotherJen]

So now that ADRs were done, we went about our daily business. Which for me included a lot of time on the DIS boards. One day, I happened across a post about MNSSHP. It turned out we’d be there for the first night of it this year. We were there in late Sept./early October in 2005, but opted not to do this, mainly because of the price. Then we had a reservation at Chef Mickey’s on a night they had the party scheduled. At least half of the people there were in costume, ready for the evening’s festivities. That’s when I started kicking myself. “When will the kids ever have another chance to trick-or-treat in Disney World??” I kept asking myself.

I found myself going back to the post about MNSSHP again and again. So I decided to look into it before I mentioned it to DH. After all, we’d maxed out our little economic incentive already. I went to the main page and read everything I could. That didn’t help – after seeing pictures and the map from the previous year, I REALLY wanted to go now. So, I talked to DH. He was actually all for it, especially when he looked at the information available here. But I still had doubts... I’d read a post in a trip report where someone had tickets on a night that the weather was bad, but she felt like she had to drag her family there anyway, and I really wanted to be sure it was worth it before I purchased what I now knew were non-refundable tickets. Plus, DH was suggesting a bunch of costumes that would be WAY too hot for Orlando in early September. I emailed my TA to get her take on it, since I valued her opinion... It turns out that Halloween is her favorite holiday, and she’d been to it before. In fact, she’d gone dressed as Maleficent (full robes and all), and her husband had gone as Sorcerer Mickey (again, full robes). She admitted that they’d changed within about an hour and a half of getting there, but she went on and on about the fun she’d had. That really tipped the scales in my opinion, and I asked her to get us the tickets. Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, here we come!

I admit, I hadn't planned on dressing up myself when we booked, but DH has convinced me since then to go as the Incredibles, since there are five of us now. We're going to keep it simple - we're trying to find/make red shirts with the design on them, then wear black pants and have black masks for our eyes. Well, maybe we'll have masks. Tink and Goofy aren't really sure about them, and I'm not sure if Pooh is old enough to get freaked out about them or not. So the jury is still out on that part, but at least I know we've got a simple costume that won't make us melt!

 

[FairyGodmotherJen]

When we had booked our trip, we had not told either Tink or Goofy. In the back of my mind, I didn’t want to bank on anything until Pooh had arrived, safe and sound. Then, we decided not to tell them because Goofy has no sense of time yet and would be asking us how many days until we went nuts, countdown calendar or not!! Just for the record, I DID bring Goofy with me when I went to meet with our TA at AAA the day before I had Pooh. He just sat in the back and played his little game, and never figured it out. Have to laugh – he won’t believe it someday. Anyway, we had a big extended family trip planned to VA Beach in June that had been in the works for almost a year, so we didn’t want the excitement about Disney to override that, either. So, all planning was done when the kiddos were in bed (or at least, when the older two were in bed!). Our VA Beach trip came and went. It was AWESOME – a house right across the street from the beach, with its own pool, both sets of grandparents and my brother from CA (so lots of help with the little ones), and lots of time to unwind. We came home looking forward to concentrating on our Disney trip. But when and how to tell the kids? I counted out the days once we cleared Tink’s bday in July. We decided on the date we’d tell them – about 45 days out.

DH decided he wanted to make a treasure hunt-type thing for them, since they’re into that right now. It was my job to make the countdown calendar. Well, since I scrapbook, that was easy! I used my Cricut to cut out Mickey ears, found remnants of sheets of Disney stickers from past layouts, and got to work. Of course, Goofy had a massive nosebleed as I was working furiously on it the night before the “big reveal.” I ended up having to keep him in the living room so he couldn’t see where I was working at the kitchen table. But it got done later that night - here it is:


The next afternoon, we were ready to go. Tink and Goofy are too big for naptime, but in order to keep Mommy and Daddy’s sanity, we still have “rest time.” That’s where they play quietly in their rooms for at least an hour. Got me through the summer, I tell you!! Well, we were a little late getting them down for rest time since we were late getting home from church (which put us late having lunch, etc.). Then DH had to run errands that afternoon, and I ended up keeping them upstairs for a while. By the time he got home, he realized that he needed to find a video tape for the camera (I know – it’s old. We’re getting a new one for the trip). Add to this the fact that a pretty decent thunderstorm had decided to hit, and we had two kids who were REALLY done with rest time. I ended up keeping them (and Pooh) upstairs (where the noise from the storm is louder, of course) and occupied while DH set out his treasure hunt, rounded up a tape, and then cleaned our downstairs up enough so that it didn’t look trashed when we watched the tape. He seemed to be taking forever! Finally, he was ready, and we proceeded downstairs. It all went very well, really. Tink was able to read the clues, and Goofy just ran around being…well... goofy. They got to a point where they had to put together a puzzle, and it got to be too hard. DH had to step in and help. All this time, Pooh sat on my shoulder wondering what in the world was going on!

Here's Tink and Goofy working the puzzle:


Pooh, thinking we're all nuts (sorry about the red-eye):



By the time they figured out what it all meant, they really were excited.


We’d been talking a lot about Disney lately, and we’d told them that we weren’t going back until 2010, so they were really surprised. We then sat down to have dinner and watch a Disney video – something that we’re continuing every Sunday night until we leave. The kids love their “Disney movie picnic night!”
And, just to get him ready for his first Disney trip, here's one last shot of Pooh:

 

[FairyGodmotherJen]

When we had booked our trip, we had not told either Tink or Goofy. In the back of my mind, I didn’t want to bank on anything until Pooh had arrived, safe and sound. Then, we decided not to tell them because Goofy has no sense of time yet and would be asking us how many days until we went nuts, countdown calendar or not!! Just for the record, I DID bring Goofy with me when I went to meet with our TA at AAA the day before I had Pooh. He just sat in the back and played his little game, and never figured it out. Have to laugh – he won’t believe it someday. Anyway, we had a big extended family trip planned to VA Beach in June that had been in the works for almost a year, so we didn’t want the excitement about Disney to override that, either. So, all planning was done when the kiddos were in bed (or at least, when the older two were in bed!). Our VA Beach trip came and went. It was AWESOME – a house right across the street from the beach, with its own pool, both sets of grandparents and my brother from CA (so lots of help with the little ones), and lots of time to unwind. We came home looking forward to concentrating on our Disney trip. But when and how to tell the kids? I counted out the days once we cleared Tink’s bday in July. We decided on the date we’d tell them – about 45 days out.

DH decided he wanted to make a treasure hunt-type thing for them, since they’re into that right now. It was my job to make the countdown calendar. Well, since I scrapbook, that was easy! I used my Cricut to cut out Mickey ears, found remnants of sheets of Disney stickers from past layouts, and got to work. Of course, Goofy had a massive nosebleed as I was working furiously on it the night before the “big reveal.” I ended up having to keep him in the living room so he couldn’t see where I was working at the kitchen table. But it got done later that night - here it is:

The next afternoon, we were ready to go. Tink and Goofy are too big for naptime, but in order to keep Mommy and Daddy’s sanity, we still have “rest time.” That’s where they play quietly in their rooms for at least an hour. Got me through the summer, I tell you!! Well, we were a little late getting them down for rest time since we were late getting home from church (which put us late having lunch, etc.). Then DH had to run errands that afternoon, and I ended up keeping them upstairs for a while. By the time he got home, he realized that he needed to find a video tape for the camera (I know – it’s old. We’re getting a new one for the trip). Add to this the fact that a pretty decent thunderstorm had decided to hit, and we had two kids who were REALLY done with rest time. I ended up keeping them (and Pooh) upstairs (where the noise from the storm is louder, of course) and occupied while DH set out his treasure hunt, rounded up a tape, and then cleaned our downstairs up enough so that it didn’t look trashed when we watched the tape. He seemed to be taking forever! Finally, he was ready, and we proceeded downstairs. It all went very well, really. Tink was able to read the clues, and Goofy just ran around being…well... goofy. They got to a point where they had to put together a puzzle, and it got to be too hard. DH had to step in and help. All this time, Pooh sat on my shoulder wondering what in the world was going on!

Here's Tink and Goofy working the puzzle:

Pooh, thinking we're all nuts (sorry about the red-eye):

By the time they figured out what it all meant, they really were excited.

We’d been talking a lot about Disney lately, and we’d told them that we weren’t going back until 2010, so they were really surprised. We then sat down to have dinner and watch a Disney video – something that we’re continuing every Sunday night until we leave. The kids love their “Disney movie picnic night!”
And, just to get him ready for his first Disney trip, here's one last shot of Pooh:

 

[FairyGodmotherJen]

Sounds great! We went during free dining two years ago, and loved it! We couldn't pass it up again this year, either. Also, please tell your DH he's rooting for the wrong team.

DH just shook his head. He gets a lot of that

We did free dining in 2005 - when we didn't realize we had to make ADRs ahead of time for every table service! I'm glad we know better now. Plus, planning is half the fun. Thanks for reading!

 

[FairyGodmotherJen]

Why is it that we’re completely at the mercy of the airlines these days? We originally scheduled a non-stop flight both ways, leaving at around 8:30 a.m. on Thursday from Indy and getting in to MCO at around 10:30 or so. On our way back, we were supposed to leave around 11:00 a.m. and be back in Indy by 2. Now, we have a direct flight from Indy, but we’re returning to Indy from MCO via Detroit!! It turns out that Northwest no longer has non-stop flights from MCO to Indy (thank goodness they’ve still got them the other way around). I’m really not looking forward to having to change planes in Detroit the first time we fly with three kids. We haul a bunch of stuff around with us, and it takes us forever to get from one place to the other in an airport. Add on three tired, whiny kids after a Disney trip (and possibly some tired, whiny adults ) and only a one-hour layover, and I’m pretty nervous about this. We’re seriously thinking about driving down when we return in the summer of 2010. I know it’s a horribly long drive, but I’m not sure we can justify the cost when there will be five of us to ticket (Pooh is currently a lap baby – which makes me nervous, to be honest, but that’s another story). We survived a 12 hour drive (more like 15 with traffic) to VA beach this summer. I’m tired of the airlines being able to play with our plans! At least our departure from Indy hasn’t changed yet (please, please don’t let me have jinxed us!) Ok, sorry for the rant, but it's got me worried...

Anyway, I’ve been trying to do some shopping to gather things so that I don’t have to go to Wal Mart and blow $200 all at once the day before the trip. I’ve got ponchos left over from last summer for DH and I, and the two oldest kids have new Disney rain coats (Princess and Cars) that are very lightweight and will be perfect (found them at Target, I think). I figure we’ll throw an adult poncho over Pooh’s stroller. I’ve got cereal for DH and I (and Pop Tarts for the kids) for the three mornings we don’t have breakfast ADRs. I have lots of little toiletries and sunscreen left over from VA beach, so I’m set there. We happened across a sale at the Disney store when DH and I were out for our anniversary, and got everyone a new shirt to wear, plus some other little goodies. I also went to the dollar store to find some goodies for the two older kids to play with in the airports/planes/in the room until they buy their souvenirs. I’ve got the misting fans from our last trip (if I can find them), just bought a PassPorter (wow, I’m really liking that thing!)…am I missing anything??? I have an extensive list that I copied from Timandleslie’s PTR and modified for myself, and I really think it covers most things. I feel weird, though – like I’m not buying enough STUFF – and am afraid I’m going to get there and not have something really important. Then again, maybe it’s just me over-obsessing again! Feel free to chime in if you can think of something I’m missing! Goofy started pre-K today, so it's just Pooh and I most mornings of the week and it will be easier to run errands. I think I'm going to run to the Disney Store tomorrow to get Disney Dollars for them for the trip, plus get a few for DSIL's birthday on Thursday so that she can use them on her October trip (she's my planning buddy for our large-group family trips). I'm off to try and feed Pooh his first bit of cereal. Of course, he had six immunizations today (thankfully, only two shots and an oral vaccine), so he might not take to it very well. We'll have to see! Be back soon with another update...

 

[mickeysmyboy]

Your family is soo cute! And a lot like mine you DD sounds exactly like my 7 year old DD and your DS sound a lot like my 5 year old DS, not to mention the baby! When we went to WDW in March baby DS was 9 months and I was totally freaking out about flying with him and carting the other 2 behind us. It was a lot easier then I thought!

Anyway, can't wait to read more!

 

[FairyGodmotherJen]

Your family is soo cute! And a lot like mine you DD sounds exactly like my 7 year old DD and your DS sound a lot like my 5 year old DS, not to mention the baby! When we went to WDW in March baby DS was 9 months and I was totally freaking out about flying with him and carting the other 2 behind us. It was a lot easier then I thought!

Anyway, can't wait to read more!

Oh, thank you! That's my biggest concern right now (other than the tropical storm/hurricane forcast! ). And I'm glad you're along for the ride!

 

[Jenvenza]

Adorable family!! Waiting for more!

 

[nts4wdw]

Your family is too cute! I told Chuck about your Disney guidebook in the delivery room and he said, "Those are our kind of people!" You are doing some fun stuff. Looking forward to hearing all about it!!

 

[FairyGodmotherJen]

Your family is too cute! I told Chuck about your Disney guidebook in the delivery room and he said, "Those are our kind of people!" You are doing some fun stuff. Looking forward to hearing all about it!!

My husband is very impressed that you guys are reading our report. He's pretty into yours, and that's saying something for him.

Adorable family!! Waiting for more!

Thanks!

Just for the record, it's so odd to be "multi-quoting" people, when I've read so many other peoples' trip reports and wondered how they did that. (I had to play around with it for a little bit, but I got it!)

 

[MainStMandy]

Oh your family is so beautiful...and your dh reminds me of my dbf...just a big kid!!! Our trips our overlapping...here's hoping for nice weather

Oh and your dh is DEFINITELY rooting for the wrong team

 

[FairyGodmotherJen]

Ok, this is the first time I’ve actually sketched out what we want to do in more detail than “This park on day one, this park on day 2...” We HAVE to take breaks this trip because of the potential heat and Pooh. Add to that the fact that the two older ones are perusing our old park maps daily and adding things that they want to do (it’s a pain that DD can read now ), we really need to have a game plan to get as much in as possible.

Actually, the park maps have come in handy. Goofy has an ear infection (of course), but sat happily in the waiting area at CVS while we waited for the “pink medicine” because I had thought to put the park maps in the diaper bag. He actually struck up a conversation with this sweet little elderly lady who listened very patiently to him while he showed her the “Mickey Show” (Fantasmic) in the “Hot Wheels Map” (it’s an old MGM map from 2005, I think, with the LMA show on the front). He doesn’t WANT to go to the Mickey Show, just for the record, because it has Maleficent in it and he might get scared, but he points it out to everyone he sees. It’s not on our schedule, so he doesn’t have to worry. I'll have to get a picture of him and Tink perusing the maps while they eat their afternoon snack once she's off the bus. It's become their daily ritual this week!

Anyway – back to the planning.

Day 1 – travel day

We have an 8:15 flight out of Indy this day. That should get us in (please, no delays – weather or otherwise!!) to Orlando at 10:30. I figure by the time we get out, wait for the strollers, hit ME and wait for a bus, we’ll be checking in around 12:30 or so. I tend to over-estimate times, since I didn’t the first time we went and was sorely disappointed by how long it took! Of course, having our flight delayed by almost an hour due to transponder issues didn’t help, but ME took longer than I thought, too. Don’t know why, since it’s not exactly like they’re just waiting for US to get on the bus and take off (though that would be sweet…)

Get to ASMo, check in. When we went last summer, DMIL and I honked some people off because we moved to the front of the bus after ASMu so we’d be the first ones in line to check in. I know, it was obnoxious, but DH had plans at Star Wars Weekends, and since it was Sunday it was going to be the only day he could get there, and I was going to get him there ASAP! This time, we’ll just try to sit up front to begin with so we don’t make anyone mad! We’ll probably have lunch there at the hotel.

Then – what to do? DH wants to go to Downtown Disney. I’m worried that (one) the kids will need a break by then with such an early flight time, assuming our room is ready, and (two) the kids will want to spend all of their souvenir money right away, and so won’t have anything left for the rest of the vacation! We could also go to AK, since we’re really only planning on hitting the Nemo musical in that park right now. I know some of you love AK, but it’s so hot, and with kids that complain about being warm in the air conditioning sometimes, it’s not currently one of my favorites. If we had a whole week and could devote a whole day here to wander, I think it’d be different. As it is, we only have five days (including this travel day), and we have to give something up. AK is what gets left out!! DH went to do EE last summer, and while I’d like to do it, I know we’re going back in 2010 and can do it then (maybe with Goofy or Tink). We could also just hit MK, since our ADR is near there.

We have a 5:00 ADR for Chef Mickey’s. This was DH’s request – he loves this place. As I’ve only missed having a meal here one trip out of seven, I didn’t need much persuading! The kids love it, too, and it really will be a great way to kick off the vacation. Depending on how long it takes us to eat there, we might head over to MK for the evening to hit some easy rides like IASW (Tink’s favorite) and browse through the shops if we didn’t make it to DTD. I don’t want to be out too late – MNSSHP is the next day, along with an 8:15 ADR at CP. I am NOT going to have tired kids melting down on me on our first full day in the park!!!! (I know, several of you are rolling your eyes at me right now and saying, “Yeah, right.”)

Gotta go – company coming tonight. My brother and sister-in-law (she's my cohort in Disney planning) are coming down. The guys will go see the new Star Wars movie tomorrow morning, and then we have the Indianapolis DIS meet-up tomorrow afternoon! I'm looking forward to it - it'll be a great way to get us in the mood for our trip (like we need another reason!!

 

[mickeysmyboy]

Sounds like a great plan so far! We love Chef Mickey's too, DH and I are actually planning to dine there on our soul trip in March. It the only character meal we're going to go to. I think it will be fun for just the two of us!

I think you maybe suprised how easily Pooh will go through the vacation. My little was 9 months this past March when we went and he was more the happy to nap in the stroller when he needed too. Other then that he LOVED the whole experience! I hope he's the same in January!

 

[FairyGodmotherJen]

It's been a few days since I've posted - we had a lot of holiday weekend activities planned, and then I was sidelined with a stomach bug. But here we go...

Day 2

Assuming Hanna is not bearing down upon us….

We have an early day that day – an 8:15 ADR at CP. We’ve never done it, so we’re excited – especially since we get into MK early!! My plan is to be at the bus stop as early as possible – 7:15, if that’s a realistic time to expect a bus to come by. If not, we’ll be there as early as it is realistic. I’ll ask at the desk.

Since we’re planning on asking for our check as we sit (another tip learned from the DIS!), as soon as we’re all well-fed and watered, and all charactered-out, we’ll head to the park. Since Pooh can’t ride many of the rides anyway, I plan on having taking him and head to BTMRR for fastpasses (it’s the one that I think both Tink and Goofy would ride – Goofy’s into trains) while DH takes the two older kids to the teacups (I don’t do spinning rides well since my pregnancies, unfortunately). Then we’ll meet back up to do most of Fantasyland. We accomplished this in about two and a half hours in June, so I’m guessing it’ll be possible in Sept., as well. Then we’ll ride BTMRR for the first time ever using the babyswap procedure (also first time ever). Somewhere in this day, we also need to fit in Jungle Cruise, Goofy’s Barnstormer and Buzz Lightyear. It will all depend on how long it takes us to do the rest – maybe we’ll get a few of them in this morning. Then we’ll head for the hotel to rest up. We have MNSSHP that night!! (I’ve been told I can get the wristbands at the resort – anyone ever had experience with this? I guess we can just go that evening with our tickets instead of wristbands…)

The plan is to grab a good snack (either on Main St. or back at the hotel), swim and then let everyone rest - lights out this time, not just laying on the beds and watching Mickey cartoons. (Goofy could do that all day.) Then we’ll get up and put on our red Incredibles shirts and black shorts. DH is working on these. It’s the closest he and I could come to agreeing on costumes. He wanted Jedi robes. I originally wanted something like what we’re doing for Goofy, but had planned on Tink wearing either a tutu or Princess dress already in her stash, and I hadn’t really planned on dressing up at all. That didn’t go over well with him. This was a good compromise – not too hot, and easy to pack! Now we just have to make the shirts… and only a few days to go!!

At the party, we mostly plan on mostly, well…partying. I would, however, like to ride Splash Mountain (another never-done-it) with whoever I can get to ride with me. Space Mountain would be fun for DH and I, as well, as the other adult is trick-or-treating with the kids. And we might get to some of the rides we didn’t get to in the morning, but we’ll be coming back here our last afternoon/evening, so can get them in then if we don’ttonight. It will also depend on wait time - I've seen comments that you can walk-on rides, but have also seen where they've been really crowded. We’ll also probably have dinner at Cosmic Ray’s (never been, but they have what the kiddos require – either chicken nuggets/tenders or hot dogs!) when we first get back to the park.

We’ll definitely stay for the parade, and I really want to see Hallowishes as well. We’ll probably pack it in after that, though…three tired kids and EMH at DHS the next day (let’s go, Toy Story Mania!!)

Ok, I’m beat, and need to turn in. I’ve gone through all of the menus on AllEars to find CS places our kids will eat at. I’ve dragged out the suitcases (YEAHHH!!!) and have begun piling things in the guest room to pack. And I’ve bookmarked the National Hurricane Center website. Unfortunately, that seems to be a must for this trip, as well. Say it with me now… GO AWAY, HANNA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (and then Ike…)

 

[FairyGodmotherJen]

Sounds like a great plan so far! We love Chef Mickey's too, DH and I are actually planning to dine there on our soul trip in March. It the only character meal we're going to go to. I think it will be fun for just the two of us!

I think you maybe suprised how easily Pooh will go through the vacation. My little was 9 months this past March when we went and he was more the happy to nap in the stroller when he needed too. Other then that he LOVED the whole experience! I hope he's the same in January!

I sure hope so. My biggest concern right now is how to keep him dry. I don't have any sort of stroller cover except a poncho. And I'm going to have to get the stroller out and mess with it to figure out how to do that! It's looking like rain is just going to have to be something we deal with on this trip. DH is most worried about getting there (with Hanna) and getting back (now that Ike is also an issue). The idea of being stuck with the kids somewhere freaks me out a bit, so I'm trying not to think about it. Thank goodness that I left the trip insurance on this time (first time ever - not quite sure why I did, but am very thankful for it!). It will cover expenses for delays.

 

[mickeysmyboy]

I'm keeping my fingerscrossed for you with the weather activity! Using a poncho as a stoller cover works very well, we've done it before!

Your plan look great! Being in MK with no one else is very cool and MNSSHP is a ton of fun!

Can't wait to read more!