Can we? Should we? A Spring 2009 PTR - New 5/6 - The TR has begun!

[mousescrapper]

We go back to school August 27th for 2 days, then have a 4 day weekend for Labor Day. We get 3 days off at Thanksgiving, a week and 1/2 at Christmas, a week in Feb. and a week in April. Then school gets out mid to late June, depending on snow days.

And yes - with airfare - it adds up quick. Wouldn't it be nice to live within driving distance of WDW?

Yes - NH's right next to DC - just head northeast a bit - it'll only take you about 10 hours!

Ok so obviously I don't know my NEastern geograpy of the states...maybe I need to take 3rd grade again (the twins studied all 50 states last year)

Um and yes it would be nice to be in driving distance...we'd have to take 2 days to get there, we did in 95, but of course we didn't have little kids traveling w/ us....

 

[DisMomAmy]

I can't even imagine trying to drive that far. The kids get stir crazy after a couple hours. We'd have a to do an overnight drive. It takes about 24 hours from here. Once you drive down and back, there isn't any time left to do anything. I know some people who drive straight through the night, but then they are dead tired for two days... And I can't even imagine how much we'd spend on gas. I'm sure not the $1500 or more we'll spend on airfare, but the price of the aggrevation would shoot right through the roof!

 

[mousescrapper]

I can't even imagine trying to drive that far. The kids get stir crazy after a couple hours. We'd have a to do an overnight drive. It takes about 24 hours from here. Once you drive down and back, there isn't any time left to do anything. I know some people who drive straight through the night, but then they are dead tired for two days... And I can't even imagine how much we'd spend on gas. I'm sure not the $1500 or more we'll spend on airfare, but the price of the aggrevation would shoot right through the roof!

I hear ya...after the 16 hour drive down to Atlanta last summer w/ a 6 mo old in the car to boot was enough to make anyone

Though I don't know, as kids we went on vacation just about every year....to CA, out west, CO, Myrtle Beach and drove all the time, many of those in a classic 80's sedan w/ 3 kids in the back. We each had 1 bag, and left like at the crack of dawn. No tv, no DVD, no handheld games...but hence we survived.

We be spoiled now, huh?

WDW really with all that you do there needs to have travel by air if you're over 8+ hrs away IMHO.

Well I think I better have some lunch and get some more done after spending 2 days I'm negleting the tv....JK

Be back in a few days need to do a little Scrappin too before July is out or I'll never get to the Disney pic's

J-

 

[DisMomAmy]

For those of you who have read my previous TRs, you know that I have only stayed on-site once in recent history… my April trip with mom. We stayed at Pop.

Normally we stay off-site because we own a timeshare condo – not in Orlando, but in Wells, Maine. We’ve never actually stayed in Wells, Maine – we’ve always used it to exchange – 90% off the time for a timeshare in Orlando. We’ve have mixed results – in 06 we made a last minute exchange and got an below average condo in an AWFUL location. We were afraid for our safety when returning late at night… and unfortunately we used two of our weeks because DH’s brother’s family was coming along as well and we couldn’t get one condo big enough for all of us. We have also stayed in decent places not too far from the World. Last October we stayed in a beautiful place – Marriott Grande Vista – and it didn’t take us very long to get to any of the parks from there. It was wonderful. We are planning on staying there again, or possibly at Horizons by Marriott. Here are some pics from the Grande Vista (copied from their website):

This is the floorplan.

And here are some I copied of Horizons:

And the floorplan here...

We can’t make our exchange until 60 days before our trip. It has something to do with the quality of the unit we own – it isn’t as good as the Marriotts, so we have to wait until we are in the “flexchange” period, which is 60 days out. That means we can make our exchange in either February (for an April week) or in December (for a February week).

Why do we stay off-site? It’s very inexpensive. We pay about $300/year for the maintenance fees associated with our condo. Then we pay another $150ish to exchange for the Orlando condo. So for less than $500 for the week, we have a 1, 2 or 3 bedroom condo with a kitchen and usually laundry in the unit. You can’t beat the price, and since we have to pay those maintenance fees anyways, we might as well enjoy the condo and Disney at the same time. I’d love to stay on-site, and one day that may be possible if the condo we own keeps rising in the quality levels to the point that we can get a DVC. That’s definitely not possible now, and may not ever be – but I always like to check. We love the amenities associated with the off-site condos and would find it hard to stay on-site where we could afford it. I loved Pop Century, but it would be way too small for our family. Plus, I would still feel the need to rent a car because of Alex’s needs.

So stay tuned - I won't know for a while exactly where we will be staying, but these are my two top choices.

Up next... a mini-TR from our Story Land and Santa's Village weekend.

 

[MRYPPNS]

Feb. vs. April....that's a hard one. I don't even know which one I would pick for myself. A con for Feb is flying out when you might get snowbound in NH. If you go for it, I would plan your first full day as one that is very easily changed around incase you get majorly delayed by weather here. But the Pro for Feb is you would probably have the place to yourselves. And who doesn't want to get out of NH by mid Feb in winter anyways! The con for April for me would be that we seem to be very busy that time of year with other goings on (that may not be the case for your family). Another Pro for April would be more chances for pool/waterpark fun with warmer weather and both Disney's waterparks will be open.

If in December you find that you can score the Marroitt and airfare isn't that bad you might want to scoop it up. If not you can try again for April....that's really not a bad position to be in.

 

[Hedy]

Dumb question-could you exchange your timeshare week for DVC?

 

[DisMomAmy]

Feb. vs. April....that's a hard one. I don't even know which one I would pick for myself. A con for Feb is flying out when you might get snowbound in NH. definitely an issue to consider If you go for it, I would plan your first full day as one that is very easily changed around incase you get majorly delayed by weather here. we generally plan a full day for travel, fly out mid-morning so we don't have to get up early, get settled into our condo when we arrive, send DH out for groceries and get a good night's sleep - we may do things differently this time around and plan an evening out, but we'll see... But the Pro for Feb is you would probably have the place to yourselves. And who doesn't want to get out of NH by mid Feb in winter anyways! The con for April for me would be that we seem to be very busy that time of year with other goings on (that may not be the case for your family). Another Pro for April would be more chances for pool/waterpark fun with warmer weather and both Disney's waterparks will be open.

We would definitely like to visit a waterpark or two this time around. From what I can tell it may be busier in February than in April.

If in December you find that you can score the Marroitt and airfare isn't that bad you might want to scoop it up. If not you can try again for April....that's really not a bad position to be in.

I'm not worried about getting a Marriott - there seem to be plenty available, in the past we have needed at least a 2BR unit because of extra family coming along - this time we would be OK with a 1BR - of course, a 2BR would be better.

But I am DEFINITELY on the airfare watch - I have a spreadsheet going and I check fares on different days of the week to see if they are going up or down... It seems to be a fine line between tickets going up as they sell them and then the price dipping if they haven't sold enough by a certain date. I'm trying to crack the code - I'll keep you posted.

Dumb question-could you exchange your timeshare week for DVC?

Not a dumb question... DVCs are in my exchange network (Interval International), but apparently I am unable to exchange for them right now because the value of the condo I own is too low compared to a DVC condo. My condo has gone up in value every year over the past few years due to improvements they have been making. I may never be able to, but I am hoping that eventually, maybe, I might be able to exchange for DVC. But as of now, no, I can't.

 

[Native NYer]

I've stayed at Grande Vista. It's so beautiful!

 

[DisMomAmy]

I've stayed at Grande Vista. It's so beautiful!

It's no CR or Poly, I'm sure - but it is fantastic by any other non-Disney standard.

Horizons isn't quite as nice, or so I hear, but it has great themed pools for the kids. We're planning to visit one or both water parks this time, so the resort pool may not be that important. We'll see...

 

[MRYPPNS]

Amy----Thumbs up or Thumbs down for Santa's Village? I'm thinking of taking Liam in the next couple of weeks.

 

[DisMomAmy]

Amy----Thumbs up or Thumbs down for Santa's Village? I'm thinking of taking Liam in the next couple of weeks.

Definitely thumbs up for my kiddos... there are lots of rides that everyone can ride together so I'm sure Liam with have fun too. I'll post my pics soon. Maybe later today if I have time.

 

[DisMomAmy]

At the end of June we took a four day weekend up to the mountains in NH. We try to go up every year between when school gets out - June 19th this year with all the snow days - and when summer school starts for Alex (June 30th). Each year we have added an extra day because we find something new to do. Last year we discovered Attitash Mountain and all of the fun summer stuff they have. This year we visited Santa's Village for the first time.

We stayed just North of North Conway in Intervale. We went with our friends, their DD and their DD’s friend. Their DD turned 7 while we were there. We stayed at Perry’s Motel & Cottages. In addition to their motel and about 8 cottages, they have a two bedroom unit attached to the backside of the owner’s house, which is where we stayed. Our friends stayed in the cottage right next door to us. Unfortunately, I don’t have pictures from the cottages… there was a fun play area for the kids and a nice pool. It was a great place to stay and we’ll probably stay there again. On the first afternoon (Thursday) we went straight to Story Land. If you enter after 3pm you get to come back another day for free. We went back for a full day on Friday. I only have a few pictures from Story Land – I didn’t want to lug my camera along… I’ll be asking for a smaller camera for my birthday or Christmas this year. I love my new bigger camera and it takes great pictures – but the pictures aren’t so good if I leave it at home because of the inconvenience!

Our friends took a few pictures at Story Land: (plus you can visit MRYPPNS’s PTR for some good pics):
The family:

DH & Zachary getting ready to ride the Polar Coaster:

Us on the Polar Coaster:

Alex, chatting up the girls:

Alex is not quite 48 inches so he was very excited that nobody questioned him when he rode alone!
Alex, passing by the water play area:

Us, soaking wet, getting off Dr. Geyser’s Remarkable Raft Ride:

Zachary, getting his hands painted, he wanted to be able to see the paintings:

Zachary with his turtles:

A little bird’s nest with babies in it:

That’s it for the Story Land pictures – we had a great time. It is a great place to visit - not too big, not too small. Families can ride the rides together which is fun for everyone.

Next, I’ll try for later today, we visited Santa’s Village for the first time and had a blast!

 

[MRYPPNS]

Liam has the same driver's license that Alex got. I thought that was a steal at $6! I plan to get one for Liam every year.

 

[DisMomAmy]

Liam has the same driver's license that Alex got. I thought that was a steal at $6! I plan to get one for Liam every year.

What a great personalized souvenir for only $6! The kids love them. They actually got left behind at the hotel - I kept telling Zachary to stop putting things in the couch cushions because we would forget something... well, guess what happened. Luckily the lady at the hotel found them in the couch (thorough cleaning job) and mailed them to us.

 

[Native NYer]

Looks like a fun place!

 

[mousescrapper]

I think your off-site options are really nice...if you don't have the repeat of the scary-one

Anywhere you can save some $$ when going to Disney helps and the extra space for a growing family can make a huge difference. I don't know if this is the same for Alex, but Michael needs his own space to chill and wind down...WDW is so high-octane on everything, if we were crammed in a 1 room place even for just a few breaks in the day and sleeping, it still wouldn't work.

You guys are certiantly making the wisest choice in so many areas.

Can we stay there?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Santa's Village huh?

They use to have one around here awhile back and I remember going to it. There actually used to be several little kiddie style/fam parks in the area, when we were kids, but they have all shut down, hence 1 which was rummored to close last year. But even so only 1 out of my 4 kids would really enjoy it there and the price is steep!

Looking forward to seeing the pictures, see if it brings back any memories!

J-

 

[DisMomAmy]

Looks like a fun place!

It was - sorry I didn't have more pictures. Just wait for Santa's Village.

I think your off-site options are really nice...if you don't have the repeat of the scary-one

Anywhere you can save some $$ when going to Disney helps and the extra space for a growing family can make a huge difference. I don't know if this is the same for Alex, but Michael needs his own space to chill and wind down...WDW is so high-octane on everything, if we were crammed in a 1 room place even for just a few breaks in the day and sleeping, it still wouldn't work.

You guys are certiantly making the wisest choice in so many areas.

Can we stay there?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Santa's Village huh?

They use to have one around here awhile back and I remember going to it. There actually used to be several little kiddie style/fam parks in the area, when we were kids, but they have all shut down, hence 1 which was rummored to close last year. But even so only 1 out of my 4 kids would really enjoy it there and the price is steep!

Looking forward to seeing the pictures, see if it brings back any memories!

J-

Yes - Alex needs his space! And we need our space from Alex sometimes - the ADHD portion of his diagnosis makes him talk NONSTOP. I can't imagine being stuck in a regular hotel room with him for a week!

Sure, you can join us!

Santa's Village coming up!

 

[mousescrapper]

It was - sorry I didn't have more pictures. Just wait for Santa's Village.



Yes - Alex needs his space! And we need our space from Alex sometimes - the ADHD portion of his diagnosis makes him talk NONSTOP. I can't imagine being stuck in a regular hotel room with him for a week!

Sure, you can join us!

Santa's Village coming up!

I hear ya on the nonstop talking....Michael can have his good quiet moments too though when he's stuck in a book he's reading or an activity book he's working on...can't hear me talking

His needs have really made us think harder about how and when we can travel. It's good to have friends like you who are doing the same things as us and are able to see the great victories in all the small things too

 

[DisMomAmy]

About an hour north of where we were staying in Intervale, NH is a little place called Santa’s Village. I don’t know why we had never been there, but this would be our first trip. We started going to Story Land after our first family Disney trip in 2006. I inquired if they offered any kind of accommodations for kids on the autism spectrum, and to my delight, they do. They have a VIP pass that allows for shorter waits. Since we go in June, we don’t usually end up needing it much, but it’s nice to know we have it there. This year I decided to check out the Santa’s Village website and right on their site they mention a special pass that they offer. I was so excited. We had already planned our trip so I wasn’t sure if this would fit in or not, especially with our friends joining us, but it worked out perfectly. They wanted to go explore Clarke’s Trading Post, but we didn’t think it would be a good fit for our kids this year. We took the day and headed off to Santa’s Village. I don’t even have memories of going here as a kid. I’m not sure if I ever did? Or maybe I was just too young to remember. This adventure would be a first for all of us. And I brought the camera this time!

When we got there we headed off to the First Aid area to get the pass we needed for Alex. We didn’t end up using the pass for Alex at all during the trip. I think the longest we waited was about 10 minutes for the Ferris wheel. Then we went over to a newer part of the park. I saw all of these elves along the way with letters on them. Kids were punching little cards at each elf. I asked someone and they sent me off to “Elfabet University” to get punch cards for the kids. I knew Zachary would love this, so he and I went off to school while Alex and DH rode the Antique Cars.

As you will notice in many of the pictures, Alex likes to hold his head sideways when he gets his picture taken… one of the girls in his class did that when she had her class picture taken and ever since Alex got his yearbook at the end of school he has been doing that!

This is what the cards looked like after all of the letters were punched:

Zachary and I stopped at a couple of the elves on the way back and punched some letters. I also took a few pictures of him along the way:

In an igloo:

When we got back to the Antique Cars we caught Alex & DH finishing up their second ride:

Next we headed off to a newer part of the park and rode Rudys’s Rapid Transit. Alex was so excited to sit by himself.

We went around 2 or 3 times – it was a lot of fun:

Next we visited a little game where you shoot water guns and the fastest wins a prize. Alex enjoyed a similar game at Story Land the day before. He and DH played. Zachary played one game too, with some help…

Next was the Hot Shots Fire Brigade. The things went up and down and the kids shot water at the “burning house”. It looked like it used to keep score, but not anymore. It was kind of boring in my opinion, but the kids like it.
Zachary:

Alex:

Alex getting a letter from an elf:

Yes – I have one of those cheesey little strollers. Zachary insisted he wanted to ride in it when we got to the park. He rode for about 1 minute and then we used it to push our stuff around. Strollers were free.
Next up was the Christmas Carousel. Zachary and the turtle Alex won for him at the water shooting game:

Alex:

As you can see the carousel has a reindeer theme:

The Himalaya:

I should have sat on the inside because as the ride spun around I slid further and further in. I was using all of my strength not to crush the kids!
The Little Drummer Boy ride:
Alex loves blue, Zachary loves red:

Next we had lunch at the Burger Meister Food Court. It was OK. The usually burgers, chicken nuggets, etc. The kids meals were served on a Frisbee which was fun because then we had a souvenir.

Continued...

 

[DisMomAmy]

After lunch we headed to The Skyway Sleigh was really cool – we drove around above the whole park:

This is the reindeer barn that we visited later:

Here’s the picture we bought at the park:

This ride was a very pathetic Buzz Lightyear wanna-be ride:

You rode in a little cart and shot at things to get points. But it looked like something some kids put together from the stuff in their attic. My gun was broken too. It was called The Great Humbug Adventure. I’d recommend riding it for a good laugh.
More shots from our ride around the park:

Next was the Peppermint Twist:

You can see the Skyway Sleigh ride in the background:

We took a break for ice cream next at Frosty’s Freezer:

After this we split up and DH took Alex to the arcade. Zachary and I went to feed the reindeer. Alex is scared to death of animals.
Here are a few shots of Zachary feeding the reindeer (yes, they are real - I think they look fake in this picture) and then playing a ring toss game:

Then he decided to do it the easy way:

Continued...