An Infant and the In-laws. This Should Be Fun.....

[Tinker-Belle07]

Meet Our Crazy Crew:

Me: Christina, aka Chris or Mommy (29). Trip Reporter and foodie.
DH: Michael, aka Mike, Dad, and Geek #1 (40). Trip Funder.
DS: Alex the Great, will turn 8 two days before our trip.
DD: Princess Claire, will turn 3 months old while at the World.
I'm going to leave the other adults' ages out for fear of retribution.
DFIL: Hack, aka Poppy.
DMIL: Evelyn, aka Mema.
DSIL: Heather. Trip Planner and fellow foodie.
DBIL: Rob, aka Geek #2.
DN: Christian (the too cool teenager), 14.
DN: Dylan, lover of all things Disney (except Monsters, Inc.), will turn 2 at the World.
DBILM: Judy, aka Mamaw. Rob's mom, Christian and Dylan's Mamaw.

Confused yet? Let me give you a basic rundown. Hack and Evelyn are the parents of Mike and Heather. I'm married to Mike and our kids are Alex and Claire. Rob is married to Heather and their kids are Christian and Dylan. Judy is Rob's mom.

That's our big happy family. I know that the title sounds like I don't like my in-laws, but I do. I just really love to give them a hard time. Hey, they deserve it! You'll see......

Pics from last year:
Mike, Alex and I

Ok, let me stop for a sec and tell you that these pinapple concoctions are the best drinks I've ever had! You'll find them at the Polynesian resort next to Ohana's. Our plans are arranged far in advance to partake of their wonderousness. One of the few things that Poppy knows he's looking forward to!
Heather and Dylan:

Alex, Mema and I in Minnie's House:

Christian Incredible:

Our newest addition:

Pics of others to follow.....when I get them

 

[DWGal210]

I'm the first reader - yeah!

Looking forward to reading more!

 

[Tinker-Belle07]

Welcome! I can promise you entertainment. At our expense. Hopefully not so much mine, but we'll see.

 

[Tinker-Belle07]

As you can see, there are 11 of us going on this trip. Poppy and Claire are the only ones going for the first time. Somehow Poppy's managed to evade the magic until now! Proposterous if you ask me! He's not sure if he's excited or not. He just doesn't know what to expect. Heather doesn't think he'll "get" the magic. I hope to prove her wrong. Obviously it's Claire's first time, but I'm not expecting too much there. Really, I'm just hoping she's not cutting teeth while we're there.

Our plane leaves for sunny Florida at 6am on Friday May 2nd. That's only 24 days away! Wahoo! The 3 parents will return home on the 6th, while us cool folks and the kiddos will remain until the 9th. We would love to stay longer, but we love the last week of April/first week of May at Disney. As long as the two older boys are doing good in school, we allow them to take a week off. This year it's actually 6 days. That time is also good because we get in Alex and Dylan's birthdays. Who wouldn't want to celebrate the Disney way? I'm hitting the big 3-0 in November and trying to convince DH that it will hurt less at WDW.

The majority of the group made their reservations in January. They are staying at the Contemporary. Mike and I didn't decide to go until mid-March, so we are staying at Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort. We were going to sit this year out, with a new baby and all, but I just couldn't stand it. I came up with a plan and somehow managed to talk my wonderful hubby into it. I can't find many TRs with info on taking an infant with you to WDW, so I'll try to be as detailed as possible in that area.

Last year we had limited time and 2 newbies, so we hit the parks from open to close + EMH every day. That was tons of fun, but very exhausting. We also had DDP with ADRs for each day. This year we're taking it slower. Since Mike and I reserved so late, we decided to skip the DDP (especially with the new changes) because we'd have a hard time getting ADRs. We found that we are actually excited about winging it. Everyone else was jealous of our freedom, so they cancelled their DDP and some of their ressies. They just want to be like us.

We did make ADRs at Crystal Palace for lunch one day (Mike's favorite), Kona's for a dinner (couldn't get into OHana's with everyone else), and Yak & Yeti for our final evening. The rest of them are still going to Chef Mickey's, Brown Derby, OHana's, and Heather talked Poppy into taking her to Victoria and Albert's. I insist that we're also hitting Fulton's Crab House in Downtown Disney.

Here's our basic plan parkwise:

Day 1: Check in Hotel, Downtown Disney, Epcot for "Illuminations"

Day 2: Disney's Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom for "Wishes"

Day 3: Epcot, Magic Kingdom

Day 4: Animal Kingdom, Typhoon Lagoon, Poly for dinner, DHS

Day 5: Magic Kingdom (parents go home )

Day 6: ? FREE DAY

Day 7: Animal Kingdom

Day 8: Magic Kingdom, home

Obviously we got the park hopper option. It's the only way to go for us. We love the nightly fireworks and this allows us to catch one of the shows every night except day 7 because of EMH at AK. It also gives us the freedom to split as a group and do our own thing if we want. It allows you more flexability with ADRs, too.

Up next.....Baby Stuff

 

[Tinker-Belle07]

It seems a bit appropriate that I sit here with a sleeping baby on my lap. It makes it a bit difficult to type, but we're having one of those "I have to be held to nap" days. We seem to have a few of those. Before you tell me I'm going to spoil her, let me tell you that she's mine to spoil. My 7 y/o son says ma'am and sir, so have no fear that I'm ruining the next generation. She is a princess-in-training, after all.

I'm sort of prepared to take her to WDW. It's only 3 weeks from today!! I have a basic idea of things I need, but I guess we won't really know till we're there. Here's a list of what I have so far:

-Baby sunblock SPF 50. I was told to start putting it on her 5 days in advance because some of it will absorb and build up to give her extra protection. That tells me right there that I need to be careful with which sunblock I select.

-Cute, lightweight clothing. Lots of sundresses and t-shirt/short sets, and the cutest little swimsuit EVER! I don't think she'll actually get in the pool, but we can dip her feet. We're also taking lightweight long sleeves and pants just in case there are chilly nights or skeeters.

-Bug Repellant. Speaking of mosquitos.... just going to spray the stroller if need be, not the baby.

-Travel Diaper Bag. I'm using a large one for a carry on, but in the parks I got an AWESOME one that will hold a lot and is easy to carry on rides even. It's a JJ Cole Logic Bag.

-Stroller. We found a stroller that lays back, has good shade cover, easy to handle, and folds up enough that it'll fit on the buses. We paid a bit for it, but it'll keep us from having to rent one in the parks, we know it fits our needs, and we can gate check it at the airport, so that makes airport travel easier.

-Stroller Fan. I don't have this yet because I saw one last year at WDW that I want to get. It's Mickey hands! A fan is a must, the strollers get awfully hot and stuffy for the kiddos.

-Soft Carrier. Claire thinks this is the greatest thing ever invented. I'm pretty fond of it too, as it allows me to be pretty much hands free while still holding her. It might be useful on the rides that she can go on. I thought about using it on the plane too, just for a little extra control in case of turbulance.

-Diapers. Obviously. I plan to take about 100. That will probably be too many, but I'd rather be prepared. We're there for 9 days.

-Medicine. Better safe than sorry. I'm taking a variety of things we MIGHT need. You can get meds there in case of emergency, but rest assured they're going to cost you.

-Bottles and Cleaning Supplies. We can't forget the bottle cleaner brush or soap! I'm thinking about getting the pre-soaped cloths instead of taking liquid soap. Now we just have to get her to take a bottle.....

-Colorful and Noisy Toys We got some neat things to keep her attention. One of them hangs from the top of the stroller so we don't worry about it falling out.

I'm sure I'll think of a few others...I'll update those as they come to me. Any suggestions? Feel free.

Up next....P&PP?

 

[luvillians]

I'm here!! Long time lurker-first time poster. Seeing as I am mentioned in this report.....can't wait to read more!!

 

[kindakrazy2]

I am so in for this pre-trip report! You've got lots of in-laws and one small baby going! Sounds like it could be a good one!

Your daughter is just beautiful and don't worry about holding her when she naps! If she likes it and you like it then its all good in my books!

Keep the report coming!

 

[Tinker-Belle07]

I'm here!! Long time lurker-first time poster. Seeing as I am mentioned in this report.....can't wait to read more!!

Hehehehe. Can't wait to write more about you.

 

[Tinker-Belle07]

I am so in for this pre-trip report! You've got lots of in-laws and one small baby going! Sounds like it could be a good one!

Your daughter is just beautiful and don't worry about holding her when she naps! If she likes it and you like it then its all good in my books!

Keep the report coming!

Thank you! Will do!

 

[luvillians]

Loving your report! Hoping we can get in for the Pirate & Princess Party on May 2nd (anyone else out there planning on going that night?). Looking forward to the Pirate Tutorial with Captain Jack Sparrow- that promises to be fun.

 

[GeneralZod]

Why am I geek #2? I assume your rating is either arbitrary or judged on your relationship to the individual you assigned the honored title of #1. I don't really believe that you gave this decision the weight that is so obviously merits. I can show documented proof, provide testimonials, and score better on any valid geek test to the prove that NOT ONLY am I am much more of a geek than this so-called #1, but my geekdom rivals that of DARTH VADER (not the real one..the one that shows anytime a Star Wars movie is playing on your local theater.)

 

[Tinker-Belle07]

Why am I geek #2? I assume your rating is either arbitrary or judged on your relationship to the individual you assigned the honored title of #1. I don't really believe that you gave this decision the weight that is so obviously merits. I can show documented proof, provide testimonials, and score better on any valid geek test to the prove that NOT ONLY am I am much more of a geek than this so-called #1, but my geekdom rivals that of DARTH VADER (not the real one..the one that shows anytime a Star Wars movie is playing on your local theater.)

You crack me up!
Show me your Mickey's Hot Dog Dance to prove it. Mike's got it pretty down.
I'll make you a deal...Promise me we can go to Fulton's for dinner one night and I'll change it...

 

[Tinker-Belle07]

When DH and I decided to go, one of the first things that Heather did as Trip Planner was try to get us reservations for a Grand Gathering Event, since we now had enough people and we REALLY wanted to do the Illuminations GGE. Of course we were too late . We thought a GGE would be a memorable event, and who knows when we'll get the folks to join us again. We were pretty disappointed, but hey, we're going to be at WDW, how upset can you be? We now know that those ressies need to be made WAY in advance.

Next, Heather found that there will be a P&PP on the night that we arrive at WDW. Sweet! That will be a perfect way to celebrate Alex's birthday! He'll love it. When we get there we'll have to deck him out in pirate gear. The only drawback I see to this is that it is from 7pm-midnight. We'll have been up since about 3am. We'll have to make sure to catch a nap on the plane, and I'm sure we won't make it until midnight, but it'll be fun.

This also means that we'll be in MK on the first day! I'm really excited about that. I love all the parks, but I feel the Disney Magic the strongest walking down Main Street with the castle in view. With our original itinerary, we wouldn't have been there until the evening of the 2nd day . I'll blame that on Heather . I am glad that Poppy will get to see MK on his first day.

Heather quickly redeemed herself when I was invited to join her with Poppy to Victoria & Albert's! Well, she made the reservation, anyway. Poppy rocks . I'm stoked about this. The 3 of us will have dinner at V&A's, the grandmas will have the babies, and the 4 big boys will have the run of the parks. Everyone's happy! We'll meet up again later for EMH at MK. Sounds like a good plan to me! So now I have less than 3 weeks to find a new dress, because of course nothing I own fits me right yet! Oh well, babies like soft mommies, right? That's ok, any excuse for a new dress! With shoes, of course.....

Up next.....Are we there yet?

 

[Tinker-Belle07]

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[Drizzt]

Well I am finally here to join in this PTR. Last year may have been our first trip to WDW as a family but I can say without any hesitation that it will become an annual trip for this now fully assimilated DisFamily . Even now I am typing this while listening to DisRadio. Since this is my first time to post I should let you know that I am Michael, aka DH and geek #1. Sorry Rob. You may have more geek knowledge than I do but my geek actions speak louder than your geek words. Therefore you will remain geek #2.
I like these PTR's because for me the planning and talking that take place in the weeks leading up to WDW is all part of the whole vacation experience. The planning part can make the trip feel longer than the actual 7-8 days we are there. Rob, Heather, Chris and I spend so much time talking about what we did on past trips and what we are looking forward to/going to do next trip that it has become an almost year long event. 8 days there + 342 days talking about it = 350 days of WDW a year!! I took out a few days for the obvious holidays and birthdays. You have to be careful not to overdue a good thing.
I will try to give you a few glimpses of what I am looking forward to on my second trip to WDW and maybe what geeks talk about when preparing to take 11 people to the most magical place on earth

 

[Tinker-Belle07]

How many days are left? Can't we just go now? You know what we'll be doing in (insert # here) days? These are all questions that I hear many times a day. From many different people. I do it, too. 9 days from now, at this moment, we'll have checked into our resorts and will be headed.....to DTD. Heather and I had discussed changing this plan to the Boardwalk instead. We've never been to the Boardwalk, and we keep seeing pictures of the "No Way, Jose" at Beaches and Cream. Yummo! We felt this needed to be accomplished. We'd hit the Boardwalk on the first afternoon, and save DTD for the second evening. That way we could get a margarita from Captain Jack's stand. This plan changed last night, when sitting at Christian's baseball game, Poppy says that he's tired of the fake seafood we have here. He wants some King Crab. Now. Yeah. We live in Oklahoma. In a fairly small town. We don't even have a Red Lobster, much less a good seafood restaurant. Heather tells him about Fulton's Crab House. He gets excited and asks when we're doing that. "Um...well, actually we're doing that after you go home." I'd like a picture of his expression after that. He then informs her that she'd better "fix it". Now we're back to our original plan of DTD on the first afternoon. Fine with me, I get my seafood sooner, and there's one more person who'll appreciate it.

We got our tickets for the Pirate and Princess Party! This will be on the first evening, after DTD. The party is from 7pm-Midnight. We're treating this as Alex's birthday party. He's excited. He's so excited, his birthday is a week from today and I haven't heard a word about the actual day from him. Last year he was very impressed by the pirate gear sold at WDW. He got a sword. This year we'll see about getting more of a costume if he wants to wear it to the P&PP. I'm hoping that Dylan will be into it and be a little pirate too, but Heather doesn't seem to think so. I'm going to get Claire a headband with a tiara on it and put her in a pretty dress. They'll all be so cute!

About a week and a half ago I asked everyone to be thinking of what they were most excited about. Most of them answered me. If they didn't, I'm making their answer up. Can you guess who?

What are you looking forward to the most about our trip?
Mike-that first walk down main street toward the castle and the fireworks.
Me-family, food, and overall Disney magic
Alex-the plane ride (I didn't make that up, that's what he told me.)
Claire-having more people to hold me
Poppy-the food
Mema-walking down main street with the castle in view, the fireworks, and the food
Rob- Ariel's Grotto
Heather-relaxing, having a vacation with my family, the food
Christian-getting out of school, the rides
Dylan-hugging Mickey (aww..I can't wait for this!)
Mamaw Judy-spending time with the kids

We all have very attainable goals, hopefully no one will be disappointed! As we get closer to leaving, it'll be interesting to see how many more times our plans will change. It's time to start packing! Wahoo!

 

[GeneralZod]

Rob- Ariel's Grotto

Oh I see...I didn't reply in a timely fashion so I get stuck with Ariel's grotto. Well the joke is on you! That IS what I am looking forward to most!

 

[GeneralZod]

I looked up the word "grotto". That is no longer what I am looking forward to most. Some words just don't mean what you think they mean.

 

[GeneralZod]

Some of us are more ready than others...

 

[GeneralZod]

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