and we're back. [Walt, Wizards, and....Woolungasaurus?]

[bumbershoot]

So after fun and games and relaxation and acclimatization, where do we go?

Do we go over to the coast to visit my family in their natural habitat (at least until they move somewhere else)? Do we go immediately to WDW, no passing go or collecting $200? Ooh hey, if the fam doesn't want to visit Universal, do we go there next?

It's all up in the air! I don't know! Though that Universal thing sounds interesting. We would very likely only go for Harry Potter "land", though knowing how tall Kidlet gets in the next 9 months or so and also finding the height info on their site will help us with that.

I do want to see their city, because I haven't been there in a million years. But...they don't live in Nama's great house on the river anymore. But gosh, wouldn't it be great fun to get some pictures of Eamon on the beach where they took me, when I was 4ish and brother was 2ish, when my uncle got married? Cute little kid beachy pics?

It all sounds good, frankly.

I think maybe I need to win MegaMillions and add about a month to this 3ish week vacation! So after sending all of our positive thoughts towards fairykin (a very giving woman from the disneyland forum, who is very very sick right now), let's give a blip of thought-time to that gosh-that's-not-important matter. 'mmmkayyyy?

 

[Brady's Mom]

I love the memories you are planning on trying to fit in on your trip. It is totally the kind of thing that I would plan if I had that long. And how nice is it that R. can take that much time off at one time!!! That gives you time to get over your jet lag, see some fun things (like the beach) and make some great memories.

We always have funny/weird/silly stuff that happens every trip we take and those are the things we remember the most.

"Remember when we had our first trip to DLR and Nathan was only 2 and he slept in the stroller for 4 hours" kind of memories. Something always seems to *mark* the trip in some way and make it the trip where *that* happened. Or this last trip where Brady and Jeffrey rode Screamin' 5 times in a row one day since Brady was finally tall enough and then I rode it with him twice more the same day. He's pretty proud of his record of riding Screamin' 15 times in the 3 days we were at DCA. So, this last trip will be the "time Brady rode Screamin' 15 times in 3 days" trip.

I hear ya about the planning which day in which park - I think that sort of blows my mind. And what if my fam doesn't like AK and only wants to ride the dinosaur ride and that's it - but we've used our tickets to get in there and now what do we do??? And if we consider park hoppers (which I am sure are called something else) can we justify the extra expense when we might actually like AK more than we thought and want to stay there the whole day???!!!

Okey dokey, back to making some ginger oatmeal cookies that are fabulous and my family loves! New recipe, it's good!

 

[bumbershoot]

Ooh yum, post the recipe!

A 4 hour stroller nap! 15 times on Screamin' in 3 days! I'd still be dizzy.

He is SO lucky to be able to save up his vacation time. And now that he's not in customer service, there's no phone shift, so it's OK to take a big vacation. Let's just hope things remain the same so there's no more scary upheavals (knock on Ikea wooden table).

I was doing some quick calculations about food last night. For now we don't plan on adding the hopping option (you pay a flat fee to hop...to hop on a one day ticket is $52 plus tax...to hop on a 10 day ticket is $52 plus tax...you can add it at any time, but of course you gotta have that $52 plus tax times however many people want to hop!), so let's say we're on a Magic Kingdom day. Start off with an early pre-opening breakfast at Crystal Palace. Then a light-ish lunch at Columbia House (Harbor House? something like that...they have a hummus sandwich that sounds good), then a snack, and maybe a dinner or just a dessert later on... Adding that all up and adding tax, you get...just about what it would cost for the Dining Plan for that day. Or an Animal Kingdom day...have breakfast in the room, then have the "picnic in the park" thing that hopefully they'll still offer...then a dinner at Tusker House...again, adds up to just about what the Dining PLan would cost once you add tax to the out of pocket food costs (with the Dining Plan you don't add tax to anything, you just pay what the price is up front).

So with those quick calculations, as long as we're not sharing every non-buffet meal, it comes out about even, and that's not even mentioning using a snack credit for an apple, or the occasional latte or something....

I was giving Robert an early head's up that even though in the past it hasn't seemed worth it, I might decide that it is (and frankly, I'd want to save up about the same amount of money for food per day as it would cost with the dining plan, just to make sure...and add 20% of that amount to save up for food tips). He got weird about it, as usual. But we kept talking long enough to find out that FOR ONCE he's not stressed about the money (now that he's seen what changes we CAN make, when he never knew we could make changes before), but he just wants to make a decision.

Ha ha , yeah right! I actually asked him, with a sweet smile...have we met? I let him know that when staying on DVC points you can add the Plan up to 48 hours before check in...I think I heard him mumble "oh my Buddha" or something like that as I walked off...I'll just pretend that he's happy about many more conversations about the Plan vs OOP.

 

[Brady's Mom]

Okay - here's the cookie recipe.

Ginger Oatmeal Cookies
3/4 C. butter
1 C. sugar
1 egg
1/4 C. light molasses (I'm not a big fan of "light" things since they add weird things to it, so I just used regular)
1 1/2 C. flour (unsifted) [I ended up adding more flour than this since my dough was really, really soft and my cookies spread toooo much.]
2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
3/4 t. cloves
3/4 t. ginger
2 C. oats (you can use quick oats, but I never buy them, I just put regular oats in my blender for a quick pulse or two and voila - quick oats)

Beat butter, sugar, egg and molasses. Mix dry ingredients. Combine and add oats. Grease pan. Bake at 350 for 8-9 minutes. 8 1/2 minutes worked perfectly. I doubled the recipe, since I have cookie monsters at my house and it's a good thing I did since they are almost gone.

I am sure that R. is delighted about the many more conversations you will have about the dining plan vs. OOP.

Have you decided whether you will add the hopping option? Not that hopping seems to be as big of a deal at WDW. Maybe it has something to do with the transportation.

 

[bumbershoot]

Oh that sounds good. And the cinnamon is good (helps with R's blood sugar SO much!). And I have all the ingredients right here....hmm.


I think I just have to keep my back-and-forths inside. I nearly drove him insane with that sort of thing while planning our (his dream...I wanted Vegas) wedding, and back then I felt 100% justified since I had NO dreams or hopes for the wedding, and had to make it all up from scratch, thought since this was his idea he really really really should have had some ideas. But with this, we know that I do a fairly good job of planning these things. So it'll be fine.


Hopping...I will not add it up front. But hopefully I'll have the funds set aside, just in case! Hopping around a place bigger than my city of Tacoma does NOT sound easy or simple! Though if we have a car, and we might very well rent one, it might be easier than when using their bus system....

 

[bumbershoot]

Wee! Just did a bunch of overdue housework, and am sitting for a few minutes.

Well, no matter if we go to Universal, find some other silly things to do, or visit my family on the coast, at some point, we will all end up at WDW.

In my heart of hearts, I would love to START WDW with my family. Why? Because if we start with them, I can let my cousin be our tourguide, and I can know that anything we didn't get to that long weekend, we can get to later. And she might show us some GREAT things, give us some great tips, etc etc, that we can use when on our own. Starting off with an experienced tourguide will probably be wonderful!

And then once they go back home (cousin and family...aunt might stay, might not, don't know, but just know that she's included if she wants to be) we can do our stuff. If we didn't like cousin's touring style, we'll do it differently. If we thought it was great, we'll continue in her way.

So, because she has 2 kids, and because I don't *think* she's stayed there before, and because it seems they have fun activities, I would like to stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge with them! I figure, if we can, we might could (oh I love that phrase, thank you time in SC for giving me that phrase) get either 3 studios (one for us, one for cousin+, one for auntie), or one studio and one 1-bedroom if auntie would prefer to do that instead of being alone. I really REALLY do not want her to feel like an add-on.

Of course this is all very flexible, because again I don't own points at AKL. And even though it's a low-point time, it's a high-DVC-popularity time. So who knows if this will even be possible.

But if asked the question of "what do you really want", that's it, they join us for the first few days of WDW, we stay at AKL. Now, the one issue is that my cousin and her kids have congenital cataracts. They have all had surgeries and wear glasses, and I don't know the status of vision of the kidlets...but I know my aunt never took my cousin to zoos, because cousin wouldn't be able to see the animals very well. So if that's the case for the kids, then staying at the lodge might not be the absolute best idea. But IF it works for them, that's my fave idea.

 

[kaoden39]

I would love to stay at AKL myself. I think it would be exciting. There is a place up by Colusa, California that is a wild animal park that you can stay at that I have considered for vacation. And Disneyland always wins.

 

[bumbershoot]

Ooh that sounds neat. As long as they have interesting animals.



So I sent my cousin an email, giving her an overview of what I was thinking for their part of the stay, and asking where they might want to stay, and also wondering when they'd be able to come! Her son will be in 2nd grade, and I don't want to cause problems with his schedule.

She's promised a bigger reply, but responded to the part where I joked about how I wish I could go out there to talk in person b/c it would be so much easier. She is all in favor of me doing that. But it was a joke! Though i would love to...but with the time it takes to get over there, I couldn't just fly over for a two day weekend, so Robert would have to take time off to watch E, and then our vacation is shortened. Plus, it's not cheap.

Glad she likes the idea, and she said that they'd take me to see the resorts, but I just don't think it can happen!

 

[kaoden39]

My brother in law and his ex went a few years ago and they really liked it. I do know that they have Giraffes which I truly love.

 

[bumbershoot]

Wow! The biggest fruit stand, Orange World, is really close to WDW! That is most excellent.

And according to the satellite view of it...it's right next to a Waffle House. I've been to a few, but hubby and son have not.


There are books about Florida kitsch...none of them are on the Kindle yet! Dagnabit.

 

[bumbershoot]

In my dream world of cousins agree with my timing, choices, and plans, as well as being able to get all the DVC rooms I want booking 7 months out...what would we want to do after the relatives (unless my aunt stays with us) leave?

Old Key West villas, of course! See, to me, staying at a FL-inspired place would be most excellent, when staying in FL. Plus they are bigger than the other studios.

I didn't think the extended family would want to stay at a FL-inspired place, since they live in FL. But hmm, I know my aunt's place looks nothing like OKW, and maybe cousin's place doesn't either. So maybe it would be enjoyable to them! If they wanted OKW too, I'd be able to provide them with more, for longer, if they wanted that, b/c the point costs are lower and availability is higher. Maybe it's worth a suggestion, when I put it that way.

I'll admit there's an urge to try out Bay Lake Towers for just a day (because that's the resort where we "own" points), or even Saratoga Springs Resort (because that's where we would have bought if we bought the first time we sat through a sales pitch in '07 and we like the looks), but wowie that would be a LOT of resort changes!

 

[bumbershoot]

What the heck am I supposed to plan now? Er, pre-plan.

Crud, this thread is going to be closed for non-activity...someone, ask questions! Tell me what I really should do! People are out there, looking at the thread, I can see the lookie-loo count go up...any ideas?

 

[kaoden39]

Do you plan on concentrating on the parks we don't have in California?

 

[bumbershoot]

I think we'll be focusing on just about everything. Hmm, wait, that's not really "focusing".

 

[kaoden39]

I think we'll be focusing on just about everything. Hmm, wait, that's not really "focusing".

That sounds like the best idea to me. I would do it all.

 

[Brady's Mom]

Okay, how do you do the eating out ALL the time for almost 3 weeks? I have a hard time with it for 5 or 6 days. AND we are not vegie. I just get really bored with the same things all the time and it's hard to get my younger kids to eat anything but nuggets and burgers.

We have a hard time finding the same types of things we eat at home, away from home.

I would LOVE to plan a trip to WDW and some beaches in FL, but it seems overwhelming. And I would want to see everything, too, which might make our trip way too long!

 

[bumbershoot]

Oh gosh yes the eating thing. Gah. Don't want to think about that right now. Maybe tomorrow. Tomorrow is another day!


OK the sheer amount of time we'll be away is starting to make me woozy. I think I need to go work out now.


The thing that prompted that was that I was typing "have a car rented the whole time" and then I thought THREE WEEKS of car rental omg might as well drive the car cross country it might be cheaper! Um, if we slept in the car, that is.

 

[TinkandPooh]

Original title:



Little things like...what are our dates, should we start in Vero or with family in Port Orange, will my aunt stay with my family of 3 the whole time or go home with her daughter+family, can hubby go without a vacation day for 13 whole months to maximize our FL time....

Pesky little things like that.


More later about the plans for our Very First Trip to WDW! In merely 13 months. We think.
____________________

Editing in the below sentences 11/19.

As you can see from my posts on the 19th of Nov, a theme has developed, an interest has been sparked. So along with WDW and visiting family and Vero, it seems we might be looking for fun kitschy stuff along the way.
_____________________
Another title change, 11/22.

Just liked the term "old Florida" better.



@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

let me introduce myself
I wanna start in Vero...
bring on the Dinos!
going from point Vero to point *meeting the family*
would the fam likeses the precious AKVillas?
aaaahhhhh!!!! giant oranges!!!!!!

Molly,
I post over at the DL boards and often see your posts. I just had to say that I realized that you were planning a trip to WDW in Dec 2010 and we will be there as well in Dec 2010
We are staying at the AKL and I am so looking forward to being back at WDW.
What dates in Dec 2010 will your family be there?
How exciting
We are going to be there for 12 days and I am considering seeing if we can split the stay and stay the last 4 or 5 days at the GFH....just don't kow yet...still thinking.
Anyhow just had to tell you that we are going to be there at the same time.

 

[bumbershoot]

Hi TinkandPooh! How cool that you will be there in December!

We haven't firmed up dates yet with my family out in Florida. My cousin's kids have been having some health things going on, and it's SO far ahead of time that it makes sense they don't know. I mean...her son is in 1st grade, and by the time of the trip he'll be in 2nd...and she's supposed to know when his winter break is? I might be asking too much.



All that said, I read something on the Dis today that would have made my blood turn cold, if it were that serious a matter. What was it, you ask? All...1, 2, 3...three of you reading along...are wondering....and here it is. It's something that has opened my empathetic mind and made me realize why people tweak when their favorite ride will be closed. You see, I have no absolute MUSTRIDE favorite sort of ride.

But my son does. Star Tours. I thought it was only closing in Anaheim in October '10. But...I just read that it's closing at the same time in Orlando.

Nooooooooooooooo.

 

[Hedy]

Hi TinkandPooh! How cool that you will be there in December!

We haven't firmed up dates yet with my family out in Florida. My cousin's kids have been having some health things going on, and it's SO far ahead of time that it makes sense they don't know. I mean...her son is in 1st grade, and by the time of the trip he'll be in 2nd...and she's supposed to know when his winter break is? I might be asking too much.



All that said, I read something on the Dis today that would have made my blood turn cold, if it were that serious a matter. What was it, you ask? All...1, 2, 3...three of you reading along...are wondering....and here it is. It's something that has opened my empathetic mind and made me realize why people tweak when their favorite ride will be closed. You see, I have no absolute MUSTRIDE favorite sort of ride.

But my son does. Star Tours. I thought it was only closing in Anaheim in October '10. But...I just read that it's closing at the same time in Orlando.

Nooooooooooooooo.

Eep. Maybe he'll give it up in the next year?