Bust out the pixie dust, cause this time we're flying! A Jan 2011 PTR. Updated 17/11

[stayhomemom77]

Day Four
Tuesday, January 4th, 2011
DTD/Resort Day

Planning a day off from the parks smack dab in the middle of our trip.

Will be heading to DTD at some point, likely in the late afternoon since we have ADR's for dinner at Raglan Road.

We haven't eaten here before and I am a little nervous because nearly everything is cooked with alcohol. I don't drink it and don't like it in my food...ever!! Now I know it gets cooked off, blah blah blah but I often can still taste it when it's in my food so it's just a personal preference thing.

Anyway, although I don't like fish I'm probably going to give the fish and chips a try and the REAL reason I want to check this place out is for the dessert. Yes friends, I am going to try the Bread and Butter Pudding and then I'm going to be able to tell you ALL about it when we get back.

During the early part of the day we have a few options that we are considering:

If the weather is cooperative we are also considering a water park (yes, we polar bear Canadians will do ANYTHING to swim in the winter months) for the morning hours or possibly a round of mini golf.

I also looked into Disney Quest but I think my kids might still be a touch young for the attractions there. I'm going to check into it again and make a list of what I'm sure they would be able to do to see if it's worth putting on a list of possibilities.

The other option is to resort hop and check some of the ones that interest us out. I am particularly interested in POFQ/POR and would like to head over there at some point to get a feel for the place and to use a snack credit on some beignets. We may rent something at the marina while we're there.

Another option that I am considering is signing the kids up for a Pirate Adventure Cruise. We looked into doing this in April but then decided against it in favour of BBB and the Pirate's League. I still have to see if anyone runs them on Tuesdays before we can decide whether or not this is a real option.

I guess that's it for this update.

Stay tuned for day five!!

 

[2_Eagle_Mom]

I LOVE Raglan Road. I don't drink so I was leary of the pub food as well. I've had the fish and chips (very good) but the last time we were there I tried the Shephard Pie OMG it was fantastic!! It was my favorite meal on our last trip. We had the bread pudding and it was amazing as well.

We didn't have plans to go there this trip, but now I'm having a hard time getting that shepards pie out of my head. I may have to check and see if we can get some ADRs at this late date.

If you want to go over to PRFQ, take the launch that goes from DTD. Its a great ride and a relaxing way to spend an afternoon.

 

[stayhomemom77]

Thanks for the tip, Jane. And I'm thrilled that you had such a good experience there. It makes me a little more relaxed.

I did eyeball the shepherd's pie on the menu and consider it...I've always been a fan of my mom's and this update of the recipe sounded intriguing. I'll keep it in mind when I'm there and if the mood strikes, perhaps I'll give that one a go.

I think going to POFQ via the boats from DTD is a great idea. We'll definitely give that a go if we do decide to head over there to check things out.

 

[denvergirl]

I just finished reading your ptr. . I love you already! You've given me some great ideas, not to mention money saving tips ~ thanks! Your level of detail has made me laugh at times, check out other threads and step up my own planning! I am actually considering what I'll eat for B/L/D and snack in January when I have not even decided on dinner for tonight! I love being with others that love planning and going to Disney as much as I do! Can't wait to see what develops in the next few months! We are four months out today! Thanks for sharing!

 

[stayhomemom77]

Well thanks for the high praise denvergirl and welcome, welcome, welcome to my PTR!

How exciting that you are a mere 4 months away!!

*********************************************************

So, I manage to get in on a fridge swap!! We have to pass it on the day BEFORE we leave but that's no big deal. So this means we can keep leftovers in the fridge (and I'm pretty sure there will be some) and our milk, fruit and yogurt as well. So, this means we'll only be eating breakfast in the food court on our last day (since we won't have the fridge).

Keep your fingers crossed that the fridge doesn't go missing between now and then...as they often seem to do.

Tuesday night, the kiddies had their first night of swimming lessons and while DS was in the water, we were chatting with DD. At some point in the conversation, we informed her that we would be breaking our recent tradition and would not be going back to Disney next April. We told her we would not have the money for a trip in April. She assured us that we could go in July or August as that would give us more time to save.

DH told her that we still wouldn't have the money we needed to go in the summertime and that it would be too hot and crowded anyway. She started at DH for a full fifteen seconds in dismay and disbelief and then he finally reassured her that we would "work something out."

It is SO dang hard to keep this a secret!!

Thankfully, I have been a DISer long enough that my constant research hasn't led them to suspect anything. We are able to put money in the Disney jar and discuss what we would like to do "next time" freely and they aren't the slightest bit suspicious.

I have them both excited about the Osbourne Lights and Christmas decorations and I hear them at LEAST once a week say, "Oh, I WISH we could have the money to go soon!!"

Did I mention it was REALLY hard to keep this secret??

Still no word from my parents as to whether or not they are wanting "in" on the plan.

My most recent obsession is trying to cut the "extra" expenses. Namely stroller rentals and checked luggage fees for the airline.

If I can get around them, I could stand to save $200 so I've been tinkering and scheming.

So far, I believe the stroller situation has been solved. I can get an umbrella stroller here at Walmart (or wherever) for $20 to $30 and then we won't need to rent one. One of our broke at Epcot in April so we are one short. We are able to bring them on the plane as carry on items so I think that's what we are going to do.

The checked luggage is another issue entirely. For two suitcases, we are looking at $100 USD in fees. Yeah, I don't want to pay that. So today I checked out Delta's policies for carry on items and had a quick chat with DH. He's cool with doing a load of laundry mid trip if it means we save that money, so we're thinking of relying on our carry on bags only.

At first, I worried about things like our toiletries since we'll have the 20 oz (or whatever it is...can you tell I haven't flown recently??) limitation in place but I have several of those items left over from our last trip and Santa can stuff the stockings with travel sizes of the other necessary things.

I'll have to check our luggage but I know for sure we have one large carry on suitcase (that is small enough to BE a carry on) and two medium sized ones. I do believe we also have a backpack that should fall within the size limitations so that means we each have a bag and we are also allowed one personal carry on item in addition. The kids can use their small mickey mouse backpacks for their plane things (books, snacks, etc) and I will bring a HUGE purse and jam it full of all kinds of stuff. My largest purse is really big and I can probably get all our bathing suits in it as well as a whole whack of other stuff.

Tomorrow, I'll post some pics of our luggage cause what's a report without pictures??

 

[denvergirl]

Oh, I know how hard it is to keep this a secret! We are surprising our DD at a "surprise" birthday party the day before we leave. (1/23/11 to 1/30/11 at VWL). I'm trying to throw out subtle questions and am just praying she does not catch on.

Love that you've come up with a way to avoid luggage fees! I was such a fruit loop about it last Dec when we flew to WDW. When we showed up at the airport they said my husband's airline status was enough to waive the fees!!! I was thrilled for a short moment and then realized I had spent days packing to meet their needs! I sure hope his status is still the same this year. . .guess I should check in to that, or else I'll be talking carry-on, too!

Did you start the swimming lessons for the trip? We started our DD in August so we'd have more flexibilty (assuming the weather wil be warm enough to swim). She is going to go NUTS when she sees the pool! We are not brave enough to do a waterpark, but last December we were able to hang around the pool one day. . .even if we were the only crazy fools out there

I am so hopeful they'll still have the Christmas Decorations up for you! OFCS was amazing! It was my first Christmas trip and I was completely awestruck! I wonder if they post that anywhere. . .Have a great weekend!

 

[stayhomemom77]

No, the lessons are actually just something they wanted to do, although I do think they'll come in handy. My parents have a pool and they have cousins younger than they are that swim at my mom's all the time (we don't live in the same city but the rest all do) so these younglings are much better swimmers than my kids.

They didn't like that so much so they asked to take swimming lessons so they could catch up. They started them last year but were still fairly timid in the water but this summer at my mom's they really branched out. So now their lessons are kind of a joke!! They are passed the levels they have been assigned to, but they are having fun so I'm not going to worry about it.

Okay, I'm going to close this post and then start an official update!!

 

[stayhomemom77]

I went shopping today. Needed to try and get that stroller since winter approaches and they won't be stocking them soon.

I went to Walmart and got their LAST umbrella stroller for $19.97. I think it's quite appropriate, don't you?

Of course, this one will be for DD. DS still has his from last year in the garage. I hid the new one in my closet though. We just sold our double jogging stroller because they have outgrown it so the purchase of a new stroller will just make them start asking awkward questions that I'd like to avoid.

Rats!! I just realized I forgot to take a picture of my travel purse. I'll have to do that for the next update.

Anyway, I normally carry a fairly large purse. It sort of bridges the gap between purse and diaper bag. Obviously my kids are out of diapers, but I have a first aid kit, wipes, hand sanitizer, writing implements/paper and snacks in my purse as well as my own stuff because I find that my kids still need these kinds of items when we are out and about.

On vacation though, I just bring a slim little thing that's not much more than a wallet. If we need a "kid bag" proper, I pack one separately.

On this trip though, due to the luggage issue...I'm going to use my largest purse as our "plane bag" and just stick my vacation purse inside of it. That way I get to bring an extra bag.

So, here's the bag I'm going to be bringing:

I've actually never used this one yet (a sure sign I have too many purses ) and though it's difficult to tell in the photo it's capable of holding A LOT!!

After hitting Walmart and having such success there, I headed over to the dollar store for a birthday card. The store is located inside the local mall and as I went from the end with the dollar store down to the end to get some postage stamps, I passed a Bentley's. (It's a luggage store...not sure if it's just a national chain or what.)

And low and behold...

they were having a sale.

I managed to get these beauties for twenty bucks a piece!!

They go quite well with our other carry on luggage, don't they??

These bags should be big enough to fit all of our clothes and toiletries but we won't have tons of room left for souvenirs, so we'll have to encourage the kids to choose small stuff.

So, there you have it folks!! For a little more than sixty dollars, I don't have to rent a stroller or pay for any checked luggage. I saved us $140 and the fridge swap will save us about $60 more!! And all it took was a little time, planning, research and SHOPPING!!

 

[gellybean]

I'm not worthy!

LOL

Love that you found a way to save on the luggage checking fees and the stroller issue.

We are still debating what we are gonna do about a stroller for our Christmas trip. No Mr. I to lug it around on the bus for me.

I've given serious thought to purchasing a smaller stroller but I hate stooping over to push an umbrella stroller!

So I don't know. May just bite the bullet and rent one!

I'm a big purse kinda gal too. Used not to be. But realized quickly I got tired of carrying a diaper bag just in case plus a purse. When Jack Jack was really little I just used the diaper bag as a purse with my wallet inside. As he's gotten older and needed less stuff, I just carry a few things in my 'mom bag'.

I wanna see pics of your park bag. Is it something you can put over your shoulder or what?

Looking great so far! Can't believe you've managed to keep the secret!

 

[stayhomemom77]

I hear you on the stooping over thing. This particular purchase is tall enough for me to push comfortably without excessive bending. Jaq's stroller...not so much. That's why it's up to DH to push that one. Although he's taller and therefore has to bend farther, I'm the one with a history of back problems (although the weight loss has definitely helped with that issue) so that one is his responsibility.

I did offer to check out the other Walmart, and Zellers to see if I could find another $20 stroller that was a bit taller but he said he was okay with the one we currently have. I'm glad because that one has a different handle and a storage basket underneath so we can toss the park bag under there and not worry that the weight of it will tip the stroller over when the kids jumps out.

I'll be back soon with a pic of my park purse!!

 

[stayhomemom77]

So, I ran upstairs to get my vacation purse…and it wasn’t there!!

I always keep it in the same place and it was missing. I thought I must have tossed it in with my Disney stuff once I knew we were going…that’s our next vacation so it was a logical assumption. It wasn’t there either. (Although I took pics of the container and everything in it from last time so…hooray for you!! I'll post them in a bit.)

Hmmmm…what DID I do with that thing?? I recently cleaned out the drawer I traditionally keep it in but couldn’t remember what I did with it. If it wasn’t in the drawer and it wasn’t with the Disney stuff, it MUST be with my other purses then, right??

Wrong.

The pile of purses after being thoroughly searched.

UNDER the purses, I found a pair of sandals I bought last year on clearance. I had completely forgotten about them, so BONUS...new sandals!!

Thankfully, inspiration struck! I HAD put it with the Disney stuff but not in the travel container. I have a reuseable bag from our first Florida trip (it’s a Kennedy Space Center bag) that contains all the bits we were hanging on to for scrapbooking (one day we’ll actually DO something with these bits ) and I had tossed the purse in there.

Whew…found!

Now, I should also state that this last time, I only used this for the first couple of days. After that, I bought my lanyard pocket (what ARE they called??) and just used that. But it's very light, holds a lot and I wear it straight on all the rides.

Okay, so I don’t have an owner’s locker…but I do have a purple plastic container at home for my Disney bits!! I took a picture of it…I figure this is good training for my TR and maybe I’ll have established the habit of taking plenty of pics (along with my notes) when we are actually ON our vacation. (AND I was also writing this update in my head and thought adding pics of my frantic search for my vacation purse would provide some amusement.)

Am I not thoughtful??

So, here it is:

And the contents...

My lanyard

My notebook

Park bags (we only took one into the park but they each had a bag for the car)

Tissue (always a necessity)

Glow bracelets (also a necessity)

Rain ponchos (which we've had for two trips already and never needed)

...and the autograph book.

That's all that was in the box but then, I haven't begun collecting thing yet.

 

[jenjolt]

Hopped on over from Sheree's TR!! I too am going to January, just at the end of the month! It is such a great time of year to go!!!

Loving your plans so far!!!

 

[stayhomemom77]

Hi JenJolt!! Welcome aboard!!

 

[stayhomemom77]

I checked out the calendar. I’m now 96 days away from departure!! Doing the double digit dance!!

It also means I only have 14 weeks to lose another 15 to 20 pounds. I can’t do anything more than I’m already doing (I’m following weight watchers and making sure to get plenty of exercise) so I’m really at the mercy of my own metabolism and whatever else it is that governs the rate of weight loss. I’m hopeful though that I can make my goal!

One tiny detail that just occurred to me though, is that I won’t have a summer wardrobe that fits!!

A double edged sword that…I mean, who can complain about shrinking down into a smaller size?? On the other hand, I can’t really go shopping for shorts and capris that are in the proper size because

a) no money to spare for that sort of thing and
b) you just can’t find that sort of stuff in Canada in the winter.

The way I see it, I have two options. I can just hope that some of the items that are still snug right now aren’t too loose and sloppy when I need to pull them out again OR try and borrow some clothes from my mom. If I lose the weight I’m hoping to, I should be able to wear her size so if I raid her closet at Christmas I should be okay. (Thankfully we have similar tastes in clothing and she has a large and extensive wardrobe!!)

I’ve also begun to solidify the budget. Now that I’ve eliminated the stroller rental and checked luggage costs, the out of pocket expenses are starting to look quite low!!

It’s still in the early stages so it will likely change somewhat, but at present, the “Extra Bits” budget looks something like this:

Spending Money $100
OOP food $60
Dining Tips $106
Mousellaneous $109
Total $350

So the spending money only includes DH and myself. I picked up some Disney dollars last time we were there so they will have earned $20 each by the end of the year. My mother in law always does stockings at her place for everyone and can be counted on to stick some American cash in them for each kid and of course Santa knows about the surprise and will respond accordingly.

Now that we are doing only carry on luggage, we’ll have to ensure that any souvenirs purchased will be able to make it home with us. Shipping a box to ourselves will cost an arm and a leg, so we won’t be going that route.

The mousellaneous section will include things like tips for mousekeeping, a birthday present for my niece and a small amount of “overflow” money, in case we go over slightly in one of the other areas. I do this for every single vacation we take and we have NEVER needed to dip into the misc money. If I have gone over budget in one area, I’ve been under (sometimes WAY under) in all or most of the other areas.

I don’t know if anyone would find this interesting but I’m going to share it anyway. I have a formula that I follow. First I do extensive research to ensure I am able to anticipate every way in which we’ll need to spend money. I try to itemize every known expense and find out exactly how much we need to cover those costs, then I add everything up and pad the total (depending on the final amount) by either $20, $50 or $100. That way I always have more than enough money.

For example:
In order to get some idea of how much money we would need for tips at our TS meals, I did a spreadsheet on excel. Thanks to AllEars, I was able to find fairly accurate menus and I chose what I and the kids would eat and drink and logged the corresponding costs. Then, because I have no idea what DH is actually going to pick, I just added in the most expensive drink, entrée and dessert so I had a projected total. Then I added all six meals up!! Finally, I figure out what 18% of the grand total would be and…voila!! I know have a fairly accurate idea of what I need for tips.

Last time I was even able to go so far as to ensure I had the money parceled up into separate envelopes (which we kept in the safe) and only took along what we needed for the meals we had each day. I found that I had overbudgeted (since DH rarely chose the most expensive option on the menu) and we never had to dip into the misc cash I had brought along for “just in case.”

Of course, I've still got three more months to go. I'm sure this budget will be adjusted and readjusted between now and then but this is the first draft, at any rate.

I'm gonna go check out Characters in Flight and see what's what for that. I'd love to do it if we can and I think I have DS turned on to it also. One down, two to go.

 

[DaParkers]

Wow! You have the exact dates as I do. I even started out with just Jan1-5 because that was the dates for free dining. Then I remembered that the 5th was the last day to START a package with free dining. So, I added 2 days and took away the park hopper option and the price was virtually the same. So, now our trip is Jan 1-7. We also are staying at Pop.

 

[stayhomemom77]

Wow! You have the exact dates as I do. I even started out with just Jan1-5 because that was the dates for free dining. Then I remembered that the 5th was the last day to START a package with free dining. So, I added 2 days and took away the park hopper option and the price was virtually the same. So, now our trip is Jan 1-7. We also are staying at Pop.

How fun!!

Have you ever stayed there before?? This will be our first time. We rented DVC points this past April so this is our first official Disney package AND our first value resort.

My kids are going to be so stoked when they find out!!

Welcome to my TR!!

Did you go with QSDP or did you upgrade to the DDP? It was ridiculously cheap to do the upgrade (like $22 a day for the four of us) and we LOVE the sit down meals so for us it was a no brainer.

Of course, that means I've switched around our ADR's fifty thousand times (JUST made a change half an hour ago, in fact!! ) but eventually they get locked in and all we need to do is wait!!

 

[stayhomemom77]

Made some more ADR changes…geez, I really DID think that I was fully finished the last time but DS requested we eat at Coral Reef “on our next trip” and DH suggested we do lunch there on our Epcot day and just eat dinner at Everything Pop on arrival night like we had previously discussed.

I’m not crazy about the idea of two TS meals in the same day (not to mention the fact that I was looking forward to snacking around the world at Epcot in place of lunch) but as he's only made only this one request I guess we’d better honour it!!

And THEN, DD expressed an interest in eating at Chef Mickey’s. She’s requested breakfast, but we feel that’s a “waste” of a TS credit, so we’re going to be doing dinner there instead. I'm less than thrilled with this particular meal...I'm giving up Cape May Cafe for it but it can't ALL be about me. Unfortunately.

Her desire for breakfast is just because she loves bacon and wants to be able to have some. I told her a QS breakfast also has bacon and is more economical. I can buy the kid's platter out of pocket for like $5. I promised that next time I would do this at least once so she gets her bacon. She seemed okay with this.

So, I’ll recap our meals for the first few days again so that we’re back on track:

Jan 1st, Arrival Day
Breakfast at home
Lunch at home
Dinner: QS meal at Everything Pop

Jan 2nd, HS
Breakfast : cereal, pastries in the room
Lunch: Sci Fi
Dinner: QS meal at Pizza Planet (??)

Jan 3rd, MK
Breakfast: cereal, pastries in the room
Lunch: QS somewhere in the park (CHH if I can arrange it)
Dinner: Ohana

Jan 4, resort/DTD day
Breakfast: cereal, pastries in the room
Lunch: QS (location dependant on where we go and what we do this day)
Dinner: Kouzzina’s


You kind of already know what dinner comes next, but since I haven't done the update for day 5 yet, you'll just have to wait for the official one to come out on Monday.

 

[DaParkers]

How fun!!

Have you ever stayed there before?? This will be our first time. We rented DVC points this past April so this is our first official Disney package AND our first value resort.

My kids are going to be so stoked when they find out!!

Welcome to my TR!!

Did you go with QSDP or did you upgrade to the DDP? It was ridiculously cheap to do the upgrade (like $22 a day for the four of us) and we LOVE the sit down meals so for us it was a no brainer.

Of course, that means I've switched around our ADR's fifty thousand times (JUST made a change half an hour ago, in fact!! ) but eventually they get locked in and all we need to do is wait!!

Yes, we've stayed there twice. It's very busy, but very "Disney". We stayed with the QSDP because it's different. We've done the regular DDP 3 times before and loved it, but liked the idea of having 2 snacks per day. The free mug is also a major selling point also. We'll just pay OOP for TS meals. We figured we would do a couple of character breakfasts. They are usually about $20 and it gives us 3 meals a couple of days. We want to steer away from TS dinners this trip because we almost always are dead tired and don't feel like going to a reservation at dinner time. Thanks for welcoming me.

 

[stayhomemom77]

January 5th
Animal Kingdom

Mickey's Jamming Jungle parade will be over unfortunately, but we don't dig parades too much (me and DH, I mean) so neither one of us is too brokenhearted about it.

He's mentioned more than once to me that we don't need to try and do EVERYTHING on this one trip which is code for, "you are getting too OCD on me here and I'm starting to get worried."

So, I decided last week...it is what it is.

At any rate, I'm a bit nervous because this is a p.m. EMH day for AK and we try and avoid the EMH parks as a general rule. But this was the best place for this park and skipping it wasn't an option so...there it is.

Anyway, we're hoping to make rope drop (although we won't kill ourselves to get there) so we can do the safari first thing. After that, I'm going to let DH take the reins on this one. This park is my least favourite so I don't care how and when we do things, as long as we hit up my favourite attractions/rides at some point during the day.

This time though, the kids want to take the train back to Rafiki's planet watch. We've never been there before and I think we need to ensure that this time it gets thoroughly checked out!!

My only other personal favs are Kali River Rapids (weather permitting), FOTLK and the Maharajah Jungle Trek. I've never gone on EE or Dinosaur or Primeval Whirl because our philosophy for family vacations is to hang together and our kids were either too small or uninterested in these rides.

I'd do EE in a heartbeat (still have three months to try and talk the kiddies into it) but I think that'll have to wait for another visit. They are still a bit cautious when it comes to the thrill rides. Neither of the other two rides interest me so I'm not sad we sit them out...I'm content to continue to do so.

Anyway, we'll eat lunch wherever we are when our tummies tell us it's lunch time (although I'm hoping that we are near Flame Tree Barbecue when they start talking) and we are not having dinner in the park.

We'll likely be leaving the park around 4 p.m. and heading to the Contemporary to eat with Mickey and gang!! DD's request of Chef Mickey's will be honoured on this night. Neither DH nor I are particularly stirred up for this ADR but since these autographs are missing from our book, it's a MUST DO!!

I'm not worried about liking/disliking the food...we always do fine at buffets but I do find that character meals can sometimes be even longer than your traditional Disney TS meal. Still, DD wants pics with Mickey et al and I wouldn't mind getting in on the one with Donald, myself!!

Then we'll head back to Pop. If it's warm enough, we'll swim...if not, it's off to the playground for a while during which time we'll pop a load or two into the wash (if it's necessary...I hope it isn't!!).

Then shower/bath and bed. Nothing glamorous. And that concludes the plans for day 5!!

 

[stayhomemom77]

DH and I are celebrating our anniversary next week and the kids are sleeping over at Grandma's house that night. DD was so excited about the sleepover that she requested a countdown calendar for it.

I complied.

Then DS suggested we just do a countdown calendar for the remainder of the year.

Again, I complied. And celebrated on the inside, because now I have a "secret" countdown calendar for our trip.



On a sadder note, I ordered the 2011 edition of Birnbaum's Walt Disney World for Kids to use as part of the big reveal on Christmas morning but I got an email a couple of days ago saying the it's been delayed. Last night the rest of my order from amazon came without it.

Hope it comes soon...I've never looked at a copy of this book before and I'm curious to see if I'm going to find it as wonderful as others say it is.