Am I nuts.....Bringing In-Laws for their 1st Time!!! May 2011 PTR

[PirateKate]

Hi! I just found your PTR. We love Disney in May! The Flower and Garden Festival is so beautiful. Congratulations on booking your cruise. I am very eager to take my boys on their first cruise. I'm thinking 2013, since by then Landon would be three.

Your ADRs look great! Glad you were able to book CRT. It would be really sad to have to disappoint your girls. I'm kind of glad my boys will never ask to eat there.

 

[BelleTinkMom]

How exciting about the Disney Cruise!! Sounds like so much fun, especially going with friends.

We are beginning to look for items for our trip. The kids know that we're going and are super excited. We keep a change jar for our Disney fund and the kids are always finding coins and adding them to the jar. They've already saved up a good bit for their souvenirs. As of today, only 145 more days to go!!

Thanks. Shannon and I are excited about the cruise.

I am starting to finalize our daily touring plans. We also have a Disney bank, I will post a picture in my next update.

Hi! I just found your PTR. We love Disney in May! The Flower and Garden Festival is so beautiful. Congratulations on booking your cruise. I am very eager to take my boys on their first cruise. I'm thinking 2013, since by then Landon would be three.

Your ADRs look great! Glad you were able to book CRT. It would be really sad to have to disappoint your girls. I'm kind of glad my boys will never ask to eat there.

We are kinda sad that we will miss the flower and Garden Festival. It will end mid May this year. CRT is not one of my favorite places for food, but the atmosphere is great and of course my girls get to see Cinderella and the princesses.

 

[BelleTinkMom]

Ok, if I have any readers left out there, I promise that I will update at least every week. I have been busy planning some of our touring plans. I have been becoming a little creative lately also.

I made my girls a bank for Disney spending money. I usually give them a few dollars per day to spend however they wish. Usually about $10 per day. This money comes from change they save that they find around the house, or that they steal from Shannon's change can or my purse. HAHAHA!! I wanted to make us a special bank and I found this idea on someone else's report.

I have a couple of large planning binders with tons of information that I have been collecting over the last few years. I have restaurant menus, sample touring plans, resort, flight and dining reservations, tips for each theme park, and so on.

I also started a planning journal. I made it with a simple small size notebook. I write all reservations and any time I call DW to make changes and so on. I decorated it with some Disney stickers I found at Hobby Lobby.

I also found a small notebook to write all my notes for my upcoming trip. I decorated it with Disney stickers from Hobby Lobby. I was excited I found one this sturdy and small. It will fit perfectly in my bag that I will carry around the parks, or my camera bag. My goal for my upcoming trip is to take notes for my whole trip. I usually start off really good, and then by the fourth day, I just forget and am too tired by the time we get back to the room.

I am also working on our countdown. My mom bought a cricut so I borrowed it. Well, I love it. So I have been making all kind of Disney stuff. I will post a picture of our countdown as soon as I am done. I know it may seem kinda early for a countdown, but we won't start until 100 days. We will also be very busy between now and our vacation. Jaden will have 2 competition travel weekends for dancing, we have a weekend planned in Houston, and we have a few camping weekends planned also. So, I am trying to get ahead of myself with planning.

OK, sometimes I start rambling. So, I will post more of our daily plans in a bit.

 

[lledman]

Joining on board

The free dining offer at the value resorts was the quick service plan. We like to have a few table service meals, like character meals. My girls enjoy this. They allowed us to upgrade from the quick service to the regular dining plan for about $150 more.

I didn't know you could do this - awesome - you may have just saved me about $500 on my Feb. 2012 trip if they offer free dining.

 

[BelleTinkMom]

So, I made a promise that I didn't live up to. I think I have a good excuse. A while back, I posted that my dad was real sick, well, he passed away. He had been fighting cancer for almost a year. It's been really hard. I know that he is no longer suffering and he is in a better place, but I'm selfish and wish we would have had more time.

We also took a little road trip to Houston, TX last weekend. The company I work for had a few tickets to see the Hornets play the Rockets on Friday and I ended up with 4 of them. This couldn't have come at a better time. We decided to spend the whole weekend. We brought the girls ice skating and to the Aquarium on Saturday. I need to get those photos uploaded on Photobucket and will post them this afternoon.

So, now that I will be back on track, maybe I can keep my promise and post more updates. I really want to get excited about our WDW vacation. All Shannon and I have been talking about is the cruise and our WDW vacation has been taking a back seat. I really need to get my planninng together because we are going to WDW in 4 months.

I also want to start having Disney family nights. I think there is a discussion on that somewhere. I will have to check that out.

My plans for this afternoon are to finish my countdown, which I will get right on as soon as I finish posting this. I also want to find some ideas on the Disign boards for shirts for our trip and maybe a few door magnets. I also would like to clean out Madi's room. She accumulates sooo many toys. She is not home this afternoon, so that would be the perfect time to clean her room. I can throw away soo much more without her here.

So, I have a lot to do this afternoon. I will jump right on it because I really want to post a photo of my countdown.

 

[BelleTinkMom]

Joining on board



I didn't know you could do this - awesome - you may have just saved me about $500 on my Feb. 2012 trip if they offer free dining.

I didn't know this either. when I called, I told the CM that I really wanted the Regular Dining Plan and they told me that was no problem, I just had to pay the difference between the two plans, which came to $150 for the whole trip. I was so excited that they could do this for me.

 

[BelleTinkMom]

Ok, so the day is over and here's what I accomplished:

My Countdown:

Cleaned Madi's room.

I also started looking for Disigns to make Shirts for our trip. I was concerned that Jaden who is 10 would not want to wear any of the shirts I was looking at. I asked her this afternoon and she immediately siad yes. I showed her this one that I found already made with her name on it:

This one is Pluto. She asked for a Goofy one, because all of a sudden, Goofy is her favorite character.

I am going back and make some requests for our shirts.

 

[CruisingCamper]

Hi, I have been reading your report!! Great reports and pictures! We are also going this year to WDW. We will be going in March, and we are getting very excited!!!

We are in North Louisiana and are huge Tiger fans too!

 

[laashley]

So sorry to hear about your dad.

Love your countdown calendar!

 

[longing2Batdisney]

Hello! Jamie

I am so sorry I have been SO MIA on your PTR....

I am so sorry to hear about your dad and hope you are doing well. Danny's Dad has been in bed since 2001 and stopped communicating around 2005/2006, it is so hard. He had another series of strokes starting around Christmas; we can't figure out why he is just hanging around. He moans and rings his hands like he is in pain, but just sleeps all the time now.

CONGRATS! on booking the cruise...2012 will be here before we know it and this way you won't suffer the Disney blues as bad when you return home this year. You already have your next trip in the works.

Great pictures from Christmas! looks like you guys had a great time!

just reviewed your ADR's looks like you have a great set planned!
and your countdown calendar come out so cute, as well as your binder & notebook. love your savings can too! I started saving dimes just before Christmas...should make a savings container for it....might help to keep fingers out of it...

Oh! and I have not forgotten about trying to set up some time to meet up with fellow LA dissers...guess we should wait until we start getting some pretty weather, shouldn't be long for us know...today was a pretty day as was Saturday.

Have a great week! and stay safe in the wonderful weather we are expecting tomorrow!
Connie

 

[BelleTinkMom]

I uploaded some photos from our weekend trip to Houston. On our way there we stopped at the Texas welcome center:

A pic in the car:

On the Friday night, we went to the Hornets vs. Rockets game:

This is Yao Ming's shoe. It was huge!!

We had a good time and the Hornets won, so at least we didn't drive all that way for them to lose.

On Saturday morning, we brought the girls ice skating at the Galleria mall:

That afternoon, we went to the downtown Aquarium. They had the aquarium, of course, but they also had white tigers, a train ride through a shark tank, and a few rides.

My Disney plans are sort of dragging. There's not much happening as far as planning goes. I have all my park days and dining reservations planned out. I am currently working on making shirts for the girls. I also want to make some little notes with little gifts to leave for them each day. I need to start looking for clipart and photos to make some little notes. I already have a few little trinket items that I've found on sale here and there. I just need to figure out what sort of notes. I've seen some on the boards leave little invitations for each dining reservations, or little notes after the meal from the characters. I really need to get a move on with this.

I found a lot of great Disigners on the boards and they have made me some fabulous disigns to make my girls some t-shirts.

 

[BelleTinkMom]

Hi, I have been reading your report!! Great reports and pictures! We are also going this year to WDW. We will be going in March, and we are getting very excited!!!

We are in North Louisiana and are huge Tiger fans too!

March is just around the corner. I can't wait til our trip. I am amazed how many Louisiana folks are on the Disboards.

Geaux Tigers!!

So sorry to hear about your dad.

Love your countdown calendar!

Thanks. Glad to see you are back posting.

 

[BelleTinkMom]

Hello! Jamie

I am so sorry I have been SO MIA on your PTR....

I am so sorry to hear about your dad and hope you are doing well. Danny's Dad has been in bed since 2001 and stopped communicating around 2005/2006, it is so hard. He had another series of strokes starting around Christmas; we can't figure out why he is just hanging around. He moans and rings his hands like he is in pain, but just sleeps all the time now.

CONGRATS! on booking the cruise...2012 will be here before we know it and this way you won't suffer the Disney blues as bad when you return home this year. You already have your next trip in the works.

Great pictures from Christmas! looks like you guys had a great time!

just reviewed your ADR's looks like you have a great set planned!
and your countdown calendar come out so cute, as well as your binder & notebook. love your savings can too! I started saving dimes just before Christmas...should make a savings container for it....might help to keep fingers out of it...

Oh! and I have not forgotten about trying to set up some time to meet up with fellow LA dissers...guess we should wait until we start getting some pretty weather, shouldn't be long for us know...today was a pretty day as was Saturday.

Have a great week! and stay safe in the wonderful weather we are expecting tomorrow!
Connie

I understand that life gets in the way of the Disboards!! Can't seem to understand why. Isnt' Disney the most important thing!!

It was the hardest thing that I've had to do so far in my life, burying my father. He was battling cancer for the last year and it was hard. I can't imagine having him be in pain any longer.

We are excited about our cruise. I am trying to get back into my planning for DW because the cruise was taking over my excitement. I want to be excitied for DW trip.

We need to setup some sort of Dismeet when the weather starts getting nicer.

Have a great week!

 

[laashley]

Looks like a fun trip to Houston! Love all the pictures!

 

[BelleTinkMom]

We have 95 days til our trip. My kids can start their countdown later this week. They are so excited.

Does this make me crazy? I’ve already started getting things together. Like Equal, Disney does not have Equal sweetner. As I was making my coffee this morning, I remember this, so I put some in a Ziploc bag and started a Disney box. I also threw in instant coffee. Disney coffee is horrible. Being from the South, we drink Community. Shannon loves his Community Coffee and found that they make an instant coffee (just add hot water) and he says that it’s better than the Disney coffee. So I added it to our box.

I’ve also found a few disigns to make my girls some t-shirts for our trip. I will upload the graphics and post them soon. I need to figure out what color shirt to put a few on.

On a good note, our weather this weekend was fabulous. I worked in my yard for two days and now I’m exhausted. But my yard is looking great.

Hope everyone is have good weather.

 

[BelleTinkMom]

Looks like a fun trip to Houston! Love all the pictures!

We had a blast. We had never been to Houston before. I could never live there with all the roads.

 

[jngwright]

What a fun trip!! It will be here before you know it Your countdown calendar is really cute-are you as excited as the girls to start it?

The picture of your husband "not sleeping" made me laugh, and reminded me of this picture I saw on the Dis the other day:
http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=40117613&postcount=1

Too cute!

We have done theme nights and they are so fun! There are tons of great ideas here:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1707141

I am sorry about your dad-it is such a hard thing.

Take care! (Love the mini TR, too!)

 

[BelleTinkMom]

What a fun trip!! It will be here before you know it Your countdown calendar is really cute-are you as excited as the girls to start it?

The picture of your husband "not sleeping" made me laugh, and reminded me of this picture I saw on the Dis the other day:
http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=40117613&postcount=1

Too cute!

We have done theme nights and they are so fun! There are tons of great ideas here:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1707141

I am sorry about your dad-it is such a hard thing.

Take care! (Love the mini TR, too!)

I am getting really excited and we started our countdown calendar this week.

The couple sleeping on the bench is hilarious!!!

We had our first Disney themed night this past Sunday. We did Lilo and Stitch. We had chicken and steak terayaki skewers, brocolli, sweet potato fries and grilled corn on the cob.

 

[longing2Batdisney]

How fun!

on the countdown start, I can't wait until we get that close...

I love theme nights! do you decorate and do crafts with the girls to match the theme or just the movie and dinner themed?

 

[BelleTinkMom]

I know I haven’t been on the boards too much lately, but I have still been planning. I have been looking at all the great Disigners Disigns and requesting a few to make the girls some shirts. I will post the one I made later. This is our plans that I think are pretty much set:

Friday, May 27

Leave house no later than 5:15am to pick up in-laws and be on the road for 5:30, they live less than 5 minutes from my house. We plan on packing the car the night before even with the in-laws suitcases so we can be ready. It takes us about an hour to get to the airport and our flight leaves at 8:35am. We should be there at 6:30 and hopefully it won’t take us to long to pass through security.

Our flight arrives in Orlando at 11:20 am and we are using the Disney’s Magical Express.

Hopefully we will be at the resort for 12:30 and we will check in and have some lunch in the food court at the resort.

We may let the girls swim for a while and then hit Downtown Disney. I really want to eat dinner at Wolfgang Puck Express.

Saturday, May 28

ADR: Ohana’s Best Friends Breakfast at 8 am
Park: Epcot
We will spend the whole day at Epcot at hopefully catch Illuminations. We haven’t seen this since our first trip in 2007. We plan on hitting everything in future world and maybe start on World Showcase.

No set plans for dinner, I guess wherever we are when we are hungry. I really like Sunshine Seasons, but we’ll see.

Sunday, May 29

ADR: Cinderella’s Royal Table Breakfast at 8:15am
Park: Magic Kingdom

We will be in the park before opening and will be able to take a picture of a deserted Main Street. After breakfast we will head straight to Fantasyland and try to do as much as we can before the waits get to long. Then we will most likely go to Frontierland for our first Splash Mountain ride and make our way around to Adventureland and then head out of the park to rest. We plan on staying late in MK for EMH til 2am. Don’t know if we will last till 2, but the crowds are much lighter during this time.
We have a dinner reservation at Ohana’s for 5:30 pm. After dinner we will head back to MK and just wing it.

Monday, May 30

No ADR’s and no park plan. We plan to sleep in and play it by ear. If we want to relax at the resort, or go to a park, it will be whatever.

Tuesday, May 31

ADR: Tusker House Breakfast at 8 am
Hoop De Doo Review at 5pm
Park: Animal Kingdom
We will try to get in as much as we can and leave the park early to make our HDDR ADR. We may also try to head to HS to catch Fantasmic.

Wednesday, June 1

ADR: Whispering Canyon Café at 6pm
Park: HS

We will eat breakfast at the resort and head over to HS for opening. Fantasmic is supposed to also be showing tonight but I don’t know if we will make it being we will leave the park for our ADR.

Thursday, June 2

ADR: Crystal Palace Breakfast at 8:05am

We don’t have a set park for today, we will just wing it with whatever we want to do.

Friday, June 3

ADR: Chef Mickey’s at 8:05am

This is the day we leave. We will have time to visit a park for a little while. Our flight doesn’t leave Orlando until 7:05 pm so I figure we won’t have to be back at the resort to board the Magical Express until about 2 or 3 in the afternoon.