Bouncing Back to the Bayou --- an August 2013 PTR

[Tink-erin-belle]

OK, I love that your brother dares the panic attack to surface! I am going to try that one, too! I’ll tell that anxiety off and they will know who’s boss! Coy might like that, too! It’s great that Victoria likes therapy. It’s also good that she doesn’t drink caffeine. I let my kids drink more caffeine than I am willing to admit True is good with drinking a lot of water, but Coy hates water. I’m with you that Karen and Hope should just meet us in August. But… If Karen will have us… I’m up for sharing a room! Let’s surprise her at the airport tomorrow! She won’t mind!!! Thanks for your info about Sea World food. LOVE the Merida t-shirt DISign! One last question:

Why AREN’T you buying sweaters for your chickens?!?!?

 

[Tinker326]

Loooove that shirt! Awesome job! Now, did you do that in photoshop? I'd say it's pretty brillant!

And sorry to hear about your princess. My 7 year old struggles with a lot of issues- socially especially- and my heart breaks for her all the time. It's hard to be a parent and not know the 'right' way to help your baby. I worry so much already about her teen years as she already shows signs of anxiety and depression (so young). We have her talking to psychiatrist this past year in hopes to boost self-esteem and face the anxiety. Teenagers have it SO HARD these days (so much harder than we did, I think- with a world gone virtual & the image hollywood portrays of perfection) I hope she finds her balance & mama does too as you guys work through it. Like I said, sometimes it's so hard when all you want to do is love them through it & love isn't enough......... Hugs.

 

[Victoriasmom98]

How the heck did I miss that you started this pre-trip report? Going back to read!

Oh, I don't know, Lisa. Let's see, you work, you have your own TR to keep up, and family life....geez....!!!

Awww, no sweaters for your chickens Ann?!?!?

LOVE the Brave DISign!

No, Karen...No chicken sweaters. I could not believe when I saw that. People just have too much time on their hands, don't they. Yes, I love that Brave DISign. I wish I would have written down the name of the Disigner! I'm hoping to find a minty-green color t-shirt to iron it onto. I think I have plenty of time to find one.

Okie dokie, thanks to your handy dandy chapter links, I'm all caught up. Then I went to the last couple of pages and read the chit-chat. Well, great....I forgot what all I wanted to comment on.

Your mother looks so sweet in all of the New York City pictures. You can tell that she's as pleased as punch to be there. Wonderful memories!

What else was I going to say? Oh yeah, what in the world were you thinking going shopping on Black Friday in New York City? My gosh girl, were you running fever? Seriously, it looks crowded but even the stores were all decorated and pretty.

Moving on...your Christmas dinner looks so good! I could go for anything on your table right now. That Slim Fast that I drank this morning has long gone and my tummy is rumbling something fierce.

I'm sorry to hear about Victoria's struggles. It's so hard for a parent to watch their child go through trials and tribulations. I'll say a little extra prayer for her today.

OH Poo! You just reminded me I haven't been keeping up with my chapter links. Grrrr.....I'll have to work on that! Thank you for your extra prayers for Victoria. This too shall pass, right? That's what I keep hanging onto. And planning my trip to Disney. My quickie weekend trip is coming right up. I'm so excited!

OK, I love that your brother dares the panic attack to surface! I am going to try that one, too! I’ll tell that anxiety off and they will know who’s boss! Coy might like that, too! It’s great that Victoria likes therapy. It’s also good that she doesn’t drink caffeine. I let my kids drink more caffeine than I am willing to admit True is good with drinking a lot of water, but Coy hates water. I’m with you that Karen and Hope should just meet us in August. But… If Karen will have us… I’m up for sharing a room! Let’s surprise her at the airport tomorrow! She won’t mind!!! Thanks for your info about Sea World food. LOVE the Merida t-shirt DISign! One last question:

Why AREN’T you buying sweaters for your chickens?!?!?

Oh darn.....I don't know about you Erin, but I didn't make it to the airport to hitch a ride with Karen and Savannah. And it was too late to ask for time off and, this is the biggie, I'M JUST PLAIN BROKE!!!! I had a $410 electric bill this month (thank you, dear husband, for running the chicken heat lamp and your space heater constantly ---- I really appreciate it! ) Since the bill has been received, my dear husband has shut off the space heater in the addition. Grrrrr...... instead of him paying half (or as it should be -- all of it!!) he will be chipping in with Victoria and buying her a new laptop. She has $150 to spend, so I think he will be adding at least $400. It's only fair! I still haven't done our taxes yet. I think I'm a little afraid of not getting a huge refund. We usually get over $2,000, but the Disney trip is $3590 so that would be an additional $1590 I'd have to come up with between now and July. AND I found out that Best Buy only gives one point per dollar for purchases through the Southwest site. Really?? Grrrr! So, that's only 500 points depending on the price of the computer. Ok, I'm putting the cart before the horse here, but still......

Loooove that shirt! Awesome job! Now, did you do that in photoshop? I'd say it's pretty brillant!

And sorry to hear about your princess. My 7 year old struggles with a lot of issues- socially especially- and my heart breaks for her all the time. It's hard to be a parent and not know the 'right' way to help your baby. I worry so much already about her teen years as she already shows signs of anxiety and depression (so young). We have her talking to psychiatrist this past year in hopes to boost self-esteem and face the anxiety. Teenagers have it SO HARD these days (so much harder than we did, I think- with a world gone virtual & the image hollywood portrays of perfection) I hope she finds her balance & mama does too as you guys work through it. Like I said, sometimes it's so hard when all you want to do is love them through it & love isn't enough......... Hugs.

I actually edited the shirt disign in Paint. It was just a simple edit and it's not perfect, but it's good enough. I'm only planning on wearing the shirt in Disney anyways.

Thanks for the concern over Victoria. It's so tough to see one's child going through something like this. I totally agree that teens have it so much harder than we did. (and I'm older than you!!) Sometimes love isn't enough, huh? So much for the fairy tales I believe!!

 

[OregonMomToWDW]

so, my schedule looks like this:
8/18 flying in --- dinner at Planet Hollywood
8/19 EPCOT --- dinner at Cape May
8/20 Animal Kingdom –- Tusker House for breakfast
8/21 Hollywood Studios --- O’Hana’s for breakfast
8/22 Magic Kingdom ---- I have written down lunch at Be Our Guest, but I’m still fuzzy on this one
8/23 break day --- dinner at 1900 Park Fare
8/24 Hollywood Studios --- dinner at Sci-Fi Diner
8/25 EPCOT ---- dinner at Garden Grill
8/26 Sea World
8/27 Magic Kingdom ---breakfast at Crystal Palace
8/28 Choice Day --- undecided
8/29 Flying Home --- breakfast at Chef Mickey’s

We almost had two alike. I know for sure we are hoping for Sci-Fi Diner on the 24th for dinner. We decided to do breakfast at Crystal Palace on the 28th. We could have done it on the 27th, but we are doing Princess Storybook on the 26th and I didn't want to do two character breakfasts in a row.

 

[PracPerfPatricia]

Oh Ann,

I'm sorry to hear about Victoria's depression and anxiety issues... I know how hard it is to watch your baby go through that... It isn't easy... & you can't always totally make it go away... but in time you learn how to manage it... and what kind of situations make you vulnerable... On a positive note, I've found that a lot of people who have these kinds of issues are really bright and sensitive and can really become really insightful about themselves and others around them...

Don't ever feel like you're alone with that kind of stuff... you'd be surprised how many of us have had these kinds of issues...

I saw that Erin talked about her own personal experiences and I can only add that not only have I personally had issues with both depression and anxiety (& panic disorder) but both of my kids have had anxiety issues. Emily spent most of fifth grade in a constant state of anxiety, missed a lot of school and had major separation issues... (she was on meds for a long while and is finally mostly off) David is still struggling...and is on meds as well...

(if you ever have any really specific questions please feel free to ask me or you can pm if you want to as well...)


Good luck with the Snow Storm... I hope it doesn't cause you too much trouble... Nemo... (will always have a different meaning to Dis ers...

Yeah for POR... I really love it there...and recently saw the Princess and the Frog for the first time since it came out... LOVE it, Tiana is now easily in my top three princesses... awesome story... great setting... Either side you stay at... great choices...

 

[Tink-erin-belle]

Hey, Ann! I just wanted to check on you and make sure you weren't hit too hard with the snow storm this weekend.

 

[Victoriasmom98]

DUDE, WHERE’S MY CAR???!!!!

Yes, the blizzard of 2013 in now down in the record books. 28 total inches of snow in the Augusta area. YUCK!!! As you can see the snow drifts were incredible and I had to remove the bottom window of the storm door in order to push the snow with a broom so that the dog could get out to go potty. Somehow the storm door had opened a crack so there was snow in between the large door and the storm door. What a mess! That had never happened before. The large (dead) tree on the land next to ours came down during the storm. Fortunately the wind was blowing the right way so the tree didn’t fall on the power lines or our property. Thank you, Lord! We were sent home early on Friday as state government was shut down at 3pm. Officials had let the schools out at 11am. The height of the storm actually came Friday night into Saturday and it snowed until about 8pm Saturday evening. I was just praying for the best for the chickens and rabbits. Fortunately for the chickens the snow made a nice “valley” in between the drifts so we could get to the coop pretty easily and the coop made it just fine. The rabbits were in a snow drift! Fortunately, with the winter insulation that we had put around their cage, the snow didn’t get in other than the little 12” x 12” door. Peter dug them out and they were very happy to see me on Sunday! But everyone seemed well and just as playful as ever! The state of Massachusetts had way more snow than we did and I hear there are still people without power. Fortunately we didn’t lose power at all. That’s amazing! Didn’t even lose my Direct TV! Yeah! Today we are having snow flurries and freezing rain……Did I mention how much I love Maine?? Yeah, not so much this February…..

So, I didn’t file my taxes yet, but I did do them yesterday while Peter was snowblowing up at his old house (his former father-in-law still lives in a mobile home on Peter’s land, so Peter still takes care of the place). He cannot wait to sell it, though, so he doesn’t have to pay property taxes anymore. Anyways, it looks like we will be getting $2641 between federal and state taxes. I was hoping for a bit more, as this is the major vacation funding, but it should be ok. Our balance is $3,390.61, so that’s $749 I have to come up with. Very doable, but I had gotten so upset over finances last night I started crying. Maybe it was the taxes, maybe because I had been snowed in since Friday or maybe there’s just been too darned much on my plate lately! Then, little miss know it all Victoria comes out with the fact that some people have never been to Disney and if we didn’t go this year what’s the big deal?!! THIS IS NOT MY CHILD!! Sure, it’s not a big deal to her because she is getting HER trip to Playlist Live in March!!! But, this is MY TRIP!! MY HAVEN!! MY OASIS!!! I came into work today and set up automatic payments from my paycheck to go to Walt Disney Travel Co. for $100 bi-weekly. I should be all paid up by July which is my payment due date. I just hope that the automatic payments get credited to our vacation accurately. I have set up the checks to list our confirmation number and last name, so it should be fine. The first pay will be on the 21st, so we’ll see then.

Speaking of Miss Victoria….. well, she’s been on her medication since January 28th. The doctor said it would take 6 to 8 weeks to see a change. Maybe it’s all in my head, but I think it has started to take effect. She seems stronger, perhaps a little angry, but not willing to take any crap from anyone. Is that a good sign? We have an appointment on Wednesday with her PCP, so I’ll ask her then. I know she’s been nicer to me, but I don’t know if that’s the medication or not. She did have a major meltdown last Wednesday and begged to come home from school. She was crying and so upset as she hadn’t done well on a couple of quizzes she was making up. I told her no, that she must face this and talk with the teacher to see what she could do to get extra help. I hung up the phone and just cried and cried. But I knew this was the best thing I could do for her. She did make it through the rest of the day and was pretty proud of herself that she had gotten through it. Yeah! A success! It’s just so hard, though. I just want to wrap her in my arms and protect her from the world! Also, since she hasn’t had her period in the last 3 months, she had to start taking her Provera for 10 days. I just wish her body would start on its own.

ADR day is coming up fast!! I can make them on the 19th!!! I still don’t have anything in mind for the 28th dinner…..grrrr. That is a choice park day, so the ADR cannot be in a park, so it would either have to be DTD or one of the resorts. I’ve already scheduled our favorites (Cape May and 1900 Park Fare) so I just don’t know. I would love some suggestions…..remember, we’s just plain folks now…..we don’t like all those fancy pantsy places. Buffets are our favorites and I can’t think of any other buffets. Help!!! I wish Fulton’s Crab House was only 1 TS credit. I would love to eat there but I think it’s such a waste of 2 TS credits.

Well that’s my update for today. Exciting stuff, eh??

 

[Tink-erin-belle]

Oh my goodness, Ann! I am so glad that tree didn’t fall on your house and that you had power! I’m also glad that your rabbits and chickens did well! That’s a nice little chunk of change you’ll be getting back for taxes! I’m sorry you got stressed out about it, but what a great plan to have the remaining payments coming directly from your checking! I hope things go well for Victoria with her meds. I totally understand the feeling of just wanting to protect your kid from everything. Good for her for getting through that tough day at school and feeling good about it! Coy rarely had days like that, so I know what a serious accomplishment it is to turn a bad day into a good day. As far as your ADRs, I can’t think of any other buffets outside of the parks either. What about Whispering Canyon Café? I can’t remember if you all had been there before. I want to go because I have heard really great things. Plus, they have some of the same foods featured at the buffets, like ribs, chicken and I think they have roast beef or something like that.

 

[Tinker326]

Holy cow....look at that snow!!! 28 inches?!?! We got hit with that same storm (Chicago) but WAY LESS snow..but it was enough to make a 4 hour commute in Chicago traffic. I'm pretty much ready for winter to be done too! I'm glad you & all your animals made it through OK.

Yhea for the refund!!! And good planning with the auto deduct from paycheck. That's what I do too for my vacations.

And yhea for small improvements with Victoria. Gosh, it's just so hard to be a teenager now. I don't remember my teen years as pleasant and that was before social media exploded. I wouldn't want to go through high school today. And I'm already fretting about it for my girls -especially my Stitch who struggles so much with social anxiety issues already. I do know- for me- that those years DID make me learn coping skills (I was and still am painfully shy in front of people I don't know... it could be crippling but I learned to work with it to at least become successful in life & hold my own). I still envy people who that comes so easy for! Hugs to you and her as you work through it....

I think I will bawl buckets the day one of my girls tells me they don't care about Disney!!!

 

[Victoriasmom98]

We almost had two alike. I know for sure we are hoping for Sci-Fi Diner on the 24th for dinner. We decided to do breakfast at Crystal Palace on the 28th. We could have done it on the 27th, but we are doing Princess Storybook on the 26th and I didn't want to do two character breakfasts in a row.

Well, I have no idea at this point if my days are staying the same. The start of the school year is messing up my plans now! How dare they even think that they can start school on the 28th when we aren't scheduled to come home until the 29th! That would mean Victoria would miss the first 2 days of school and I don't want to do that. Grrrr....

Oh Ann,

I'm sorry to hear about Victoria's depression and anxiety issues... I know how hard it is to watch your baby go through that... It isn't easy... & you can't always totally make it go away... but in time you learn how to manage it... and what kind of situations make you vulnerable... On a positive note, I've found that a lot of people who have these kinds of issues are really bright and sensitive and can really become really insightful about themselves and others around them...

Don't ever feel like you're alone with that kind of stuff... you'd be surprised how many of us have had these kinds of issues...

I saw that Erin talked about her own personal experiences and I can only add that not only have I personally had issues with both depression and anxiety (& panic disorder) but both of my kids have had anxiety issues. Emily spent most of fifth grade in a constant state of anxiety, missed a lot of school and had major separation issues... (she was on meds for a long while and is finally mostly off) David is still struggling...and is on meds as well...

(if you ever have any really specific questions please feel free to ask me or you can pm if you want to as well...)


Good luck with the Snow Storm... I hope it doesn't cause you too much trouble... Nemo... (will always have a different meaning to Dis ers...

Yeah for POR... I really love it there...and recently saw the Princess and the Frog for the first time since it came out... LOVE it, Tiana is now easily in my top three princesses... awesome story... great setting... Either side you stay at... great choices...

Thanks for all those kind words, Patricia. It's hard to imagine your beautiful Emily having those kind of issues. She is everything Victoria wishes she could be ---- thin and pretty. It's so hard to convince her she's an exceptional child, but I think it will come in time. I am soooo excited for POR! I just know it will feel like home!

Hey, Ann! I just wanted to check on you and make sure you weren't hit too hard with the snow storm this weekend.

Oh my goodness, Ann! I am so glad that tree didn’t fall on your house and that you had power! I’m also glad that your rabbits and chickens did well! That’s a nice little chunk of change you’ll be getting back for taxes! I’m sorry you got stressed out about it, but what a great plan to have the remaining payments coming directly from your checking! I hope things go well for Victoria with her meds. I totally understand the feeling of just wanting to protect your kid from everything. Good for her for getting through that tough day at school and feeling good about it! Coy rarely had days like that, so I know what a serious accomplishment it is to turn a bad day into a good day. As far as your ADRs, I can’t think of any other buffets outside of the parks either. What about Whispering Canyon Café? I can’t remember if you all had been there before. I want to go because I have heard really great things. Plus, they have some of the same foods featured at the buffets, like ribs, chicken and I think they have roast beef or something like that.

We went to the Whispering Canyon Cafe last year and weren't that impressed. Maybe it's because we were in a little side room and the activities and fun were in the main hall --- I'm not sure. The food was good.

Holy cow....look at that snow!!! 28 inches?!?! We got hit with that same storm (Chicago) but WAY LESS snow..but it was enough to make a 4 hour commute in Chicago traffic. I'm pretty much ready for winter to be done too! I'm glad you & all your animals made it through OK.

Yhea for the refund!!! And good planning with the auto deduct from paycheck. That's what I do too for my vacations.

And yhea for small improvements with Victoria. Gosh, it's just so hard to be a teenager now. I don't remember my teen years as pleasant and that was before social media exploded. I wouldn't want to go through high school today. And I'm already fretting about it for my girls -especially my Stitch who struggles so much with social anxiety issues already. I do know- for me- that those years DID make me learn coping skills (I was and still am painfully shy in front of people I don't know... it could be crippling but I learned to work with it to at least become successful in life & hold my own). I still envy people who that comes so easy for! Hugs to you and her as you work through it....

I think I will bawl buckets the day one of my girls tells me they don't care about Disney!!!

I think Victoria really does care and saying she doesn't is her way of coping lately. I know she loves it. Yeah, I wouldn't want to be a teen right now. These are crazy times we live in, that's for sure.

 

[FancyNancy]

Gotta love that snow! I had to go dig my brother out of his house. The snow was up past his doorknob! LOL Oh and why does the snow always have to drift into the driveway? It can drift onto the lawn as far as I am concerned! Thank god for the plow guy.

 

[Victoriasmom98]

Ok guys…..so, it’s not a huge dilemma, but it’s something I have to think about. Would you believe that the Augusta School Department is thinking about starting school on August 28th???!!! Really people? We are not scheduled to come back from Disney on August 29th. What are they thinking?! Now the bounceback offer that I booked starts on August 18th so if I want to keep Free Dining (which is the only way Peter would agree to go) I would have to shorten the trip. I DON’T WANT TO SHORTEN THE TRIP!!! I have everything planned out to a T. I don’t want to change anything!! Realistically, we could still get all of Disney done and shorten the vacation if we don’t have a break day and if we don’t visit Sea World. I’ve been on shorter Disney trips and I have just felt rushed. I don’t know about everyone else, but it does take me a couple of days to decompress from real life and really start enjoying the vacation. That probably sounds silly, but it’s true. Having a nine night vacation would cost less, too. So, there’s a plus. BUT I don’t want to shorten it!! No, No, No!!

My other option includes wishing/praying/hoping that Free Dining is offered to the General Public which would include August 16th through the 26th. That would work out perfectly for us. I see that crowd levels are up in the 8’s until the 18th, but it’s still doable. Currently, airfare on the 16th is cheaper than on the 18th, but that could change. Who’s to say they will be offering Free Dining to the public and am I willing to risk it? I know there is plenty of time to change the ressie and I haven’t purchased airline tickets yet, but what about ADR’s? Those are due to be made on the 19th and I know there is no Free Dining offer on the table right now, so what should I do? Keep them as is and run the risk of not getting what I want if the dates do remain the same? Make multiple ADR’s and clog up the system (which I don’t think is fair to others trying to get the same ones) and then cancelling the ones I really won’t need. I don’t even know if Disneyworld.com would even let someone do that.

Third option ---- leave it as is and have Victoria miss the first 2 days of school. She states she doesn’t care, but I don’t believe I should put her in that situation. There’s been enough of missing school this year. Here again, the school calendar has not been released, so I don’t even know if I am worrying over nothing. Seriously, if it wasn’t for ADR’s I wouldn’t have a problem waiting this all out. I would love opinions on this please!!!!

 

[FancyNancy]

Honestly I hate that they start before September I really do! When I was a kid we started in Sept after the Labor Day holiday. I agree with you it's a pain.

 

[Tink-erin-belle]

Why in the world would they want to start the school year early? What a pain! I agree that it takes a few days to decompress on a vacation, so I can see why you wouldnt want to shorten your trip. When will the school system make a final decision? I doubt it will be before your ADR day. I know schools dont revolve around Disney (but they should ) but the school system has to know that families plan their vacations based on the school breaks! I can see why you wouldnt want Victoria to miss the first few days of school. I think your best option is to just make the ADRs the way you have them planned now. I accidentally tried to make two ADRs in the same time frame once (maybe an hour apart) and the system didnt let me. Plus, as you mentioned, its not really fair to clog up the system. Hopefully, if your dates do have to change, you will be able to rearrange your ADRs. The other option (and the one that seems like more fun to me) is to rearrange your ADRs based on the dates if you do have to cut the trip short, because that just means more planning! Planning is one of the best parts, right?! Im sure you can work out this piece of the puzzle

Edited to add: I wasnt really helpful, was I?

 

[Tink-erin-belle]

Hey, Ann, are you still looking for a resort restaurant that has a buffet? I was just reading Disney Food Blog and I saw this about Trail’s End in Fort Wilderness.

 

[Tinker326]

I hear you about the school. Our school start mid-August now (I think this year it's slated like August 16th). Sometimes in our area it takes all of June to warm up.. so come August we still want pool time!

I think, historically, they do offer free dining through mid-late August- so hopefully you might be safe to move it forward a bit if you need to. Because I agree- it would be tragic to shorten the Disney trip. Only those of us who live for Disney truely understand that tragedy!

I hope it all works out for you!

 

[Victoriasmom98]

Honestly I hate that they start before September I really do! When I was a kid we started in Sept after the Labor Day holiday. I agree with you it's a pain.

Why in the world would they want to start the school year early? What a pain! I agree that it takes a few days to decompress on a vacation, so I can see why you wouldnt want to shorten your trip. When will the school system make a final decision? I doubt it will be before your ADR day. I know schools dont revolve around Disney (but they should ) but the school system has to know that families plan their vacations based on the school breaks! I can see why you wouldnt want Victoria to miss the first few days of school. I think your best option is to just make the ADRs the way you have them planned now. I accidentally tried to make two ADRs in the same time frame once (maybe an hour apart) and the system didnt let me. Plus, as you mentioned, its not really fair to clog up the system. Hopefully, if your dates do have to change, you will be able to rearrange your ADRs. The other option (and the one that seems like more fun to me) is to rearrange your ADRs based on the dates if you do have to cut the trip short, because that just means more planning! Planning is one of the best parts, right?! Im sure you can work out this piece of the puzzle

Edited to add: I wasnt really helpful, was I?

Hey, Ann, are you still looking for a resort restaurant that has a buffet? I was just reading Disney Food Blog and I saw this about Trail’s End in Fort Wilderness.

I hear you about the school. Our school start mid-August now (I think this year it's slated like August 16th). Sometimes in our area it takes all of June to warm up.. so come August we still want pool time!

I think, historically, they do offer free dining through mid-late August- so hopefully you might be safe to move it forward a bit if you need to. Because I agree- it would be tragic to shorten the Disney trip. Only those of us who live for Disney truely understand that tragedy!

I hope it all works out for you!

Ok, I believe I have made a decision. As much as I HATE to do this, I’m going to shorten our trip by one day. I feel I am making a good compromise by only having Victoria miss one day of school and not 2. (That’s if the calendar goes how we think it’s going to go for the start of school. The calendar comes out in March --- too late for ADR’s) I know the average person wouldn’t understand why shortening the trip by one day is killing me, but at least we can still go, right? So, new official dates are still August 18th through the 28th. My days are totally switched around now, but I think I have them all set to do my ADR’s by. I’ve gone onto easywdw and got the recommended days and worked from there. We will basically be cutting out a day at Sea World. I know that won’t bother Peter too much and I’ve already run it by Victoria and she’s ok with it. The schedule is still allowing for the entire 8 days of Disney fun and one break day for resort fun! Just no Sea World…..I haven’t been in 3 years now and I miss my animal friends! The plus side of this rearranging is that it’s one night’s charge less (at least $100) and the flights on the 28th back home are cheaper than the 29th. (I just don’t get airline pricing at all. Why would one day matter??) I’ve also been doing some research on the Dis and historically, Free Dining is not usually offered earlier than late August for the general public and I’m not willing to risk it. So, I truly believe this will be the best thing for us.

There. Decision made. And no, Erin, you really weren’t much help on this one, unlike usual! At least you aren’t like Karen who makes giraffes stick their tongues out at me. Just plain rude!

 

[Tink-erin-belle]

That giraffe picture was so cute, even if he was being a brat! I'm glad you were able to come to a compromise with the trip. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the school calendar stays the same, though.

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Ann, I'm so sorry I got behind! It's been hard catching up with everyone...especially with so many TRIP REPORT PUSHERS trying to get me to update every single day!

That snow was INSANE! Is it starting to melt yet?!?!?

I know it's hard to cut a day, but I think it will work out fine. At least you just cut the Seaworld and not a Disney day! That's what really matters! How about Raglan Road? Not a buffet, but they have entertainment? Is Chef Mickeys out? I didn't care for their dinner, but it's a buffet at a resort!

 

[mickeystoontown]

Oh I totally understand why it was so upsetting to have to take away a day of your trip! I want every single minute that I can get while at Walt Disney World.