joedisney
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Sep 1, 2000
- Messages
- 70
Ok, I've changed my goal from the best trip report ever written to the longest trip report to write. I have promised myself that I will finish this before our upcoming January trip. For those who have forgotten, at the time of the trip the cast of characters were; Joe - the dad at 41, Kathy - the mom at 37, Christopher - the map boy at 11, Connor - without a nickname at 8, Alex - the octopus at 4 and Caley - the sassy princess at 2. Sorry for the slow progress and I understand if you have lost interest
Monday, January 19, 2004
Let me start by stating the obvious, a trip to Disney is a major investment. As the Dad of the house, I assume the responsibility of constantly worrying about money. How will we pay for college? Why do the kids need those new shoes? Do we really need to wear underwear? Didn't they just get their hair cut last month? Monthly bill time is not always fun at my house. At Disney, I tend not to worry about how much we're spending, but old habits are hard to break. Today we are taking the bus to the Animal Kingdom. As we ride along, my money senses start to tingle. Like Spiderman can sense danger, I can sense when I am burning money. It is always dangerous when I am left with little to do and my mind begins to wander. "How much is each bus ride actually costing me?" I think to myself. Let's see, if we are awake for about 12 hours each day at Disney (8am to 8pm is about average for a family with small children), then the 9 full days we are at Disney adds up to 108 hours. Plus 6 hours each for the travel days adds another 12 hours for a grand total of 120 hours of "awake" time spent on our ten-night stay. Based on our total approximate cost, I figure it is costing me approximately $66.67 for every hour I spend awake at Disney. That 20 minute bus ride to the Animal Kingdom just cost me $22.22. That's $44.44 for the round trip ride. Throw in the average 15-minute wait on both ends and this little bus ride is up close to $80. Why do I torture myself this way?
We are spending the day at the Animal Kingdom. Today we are joined only by Janet and Bridget. Mike and Caitlin took the early flight home so that Caitlin could get back to her classes at BU. As we enter the park I spot Devine. I point her out to the rest of the crew and let everyone know how lucky they are to spot this rarest of Disney characters. Again I flex my Disney knowledge and everyone is impressed (yeah right). We start out with the Kilamanjaro Safari. After the ride we decide to walk over to the other side of the park. There, along the pathway, we are again treated by another rare sighting of Devine. "Really," I say, "this is very unusual. She is usually very hard to find." Next up is the Triceratops Spin followed by the Primeval Whirl. At the Dig Site playground I laugh as Auntie Janet tries to keep tabs on Alex and Caley as they wind her through the rope ladders and down the twirly slides. She actually gets stuck in one of the climbing nets as Caley and Alex leave her behind.
After the playground we walk back over to Dinoland to check out some of the games. With money still on my brain, I am further irked by the fact that I have to pay extra for these carnival style games. "Do you realize it's already costing me $67 an hour just to stand here?" I ask one of the attendants as he looks at me with a puzzled stare. Reluctantly, and with a little coaxing from a sweet two-year-old with an irresistible dimple, I plop down two dollars as Caley takes a seat at the squirt gun game as its only contestant. As my aspiring Annie Oakley takes aim, the attendant lures a nice young couple over to the game. I'm really starting to dislike this person. Our odds just went from 100% guaranteed win to 100% disappointed two-year-old. Anyone that has experienced a full-fledged disappointed two-year-old knows that this is not good. Demonstrating wisdom beyond their years, the young couple realizes the situation and tells the attendant they will wait this one out. "No, no" the attendant tells them, "you can play." This guy is really getting on my nerves. I'm about to blurt out that this little two-minute negotiation has cost me another $2.22, when the nice couple again declines the offer to play. Hah. With a great show of marksmanship, Caley goes on to win a cute stuffed Triceratops which she affectionately names Rhinosaur. Along with the two-dollar game fee, the time playing the game and the time wasted by the annoying attendant, this little Triceratops only cost me $23.50. Of course, to avoid the disappointed four-year-old, we spend another $28 attaining another stuffed dinosaur for Alex. Why did I ever calculate the hourly rate?
As we leave Dinoland via the underbelly of a large orange Brontosaurus, I admire the amazing detail that Disney has put into this park. Although the Animal Kingdom ranks last in most of my family's list of favorite Disney parks, I really like this park a lot. The thick lush greenery and worn out stone pathways are details lost on my thrill ride seeking eleven-year old. More interested in the opening date of the new roller coaster, Christopher bounds along the parks wonderful trails chatting mindlessly with his equally oblivious eight-year old brother. They do, however, notice the "rare" Devine yet again, ruthlessly poking fun at their Dad's useless Disney knowledge. Enamored with their new dinosaurs, the little ones are too young to appreciate the amazing detail put into just about everything around us. We are all agreed on one thing, however, as we happen upon the Flame Tree Barbecue (remember, to all but the trained Disney planner, these things appear to be totally spontaneous). We are all hungry and this looks like a great spot for lunch. From the front, the Flame Tree looks like a small counter service restaurant with limited seating. Even I am surprised as we carry our trays of food out back to the sprawling multi-tiered terrace scattered with tables and surrounded by trees. We have a wonderful lunch with the boys at one table and the girls at another protected from the light rain by a canopy of trees. Although we are having a nice leisurely lunch, that darn money clock keeps ticking in the back of my head. Still, we can't help but take another $16.75, oops, I mean fifteen minutes, chatting and enjoying our surroundings after finishing up our meal.
During our last trip I was very proud of young Connor for trying "It's Tough to be a Bug." This time, however, I can't even get Mr. Thrill ride to give this show another try. I'm not sure why, but they both have very bad memories of this attraction. Maybe it was that "just a little too real" feeling that Disney provides when spraying the audience with bug spray. Whatever the reason, Janet, Bridget, the Octopus and I are the only ones interested in trying "It's Tough to be a Bug." Alex, as expected, is willing to try anything that he is big enough to go on. This boy puts his older brothers to shame. We make a plan to meet up with the "wimps" at the Lion King show as we head into the giant tree. It is almost detail overload as you try and take in the amazing sculptured trees as you wind your way along the pathway into the show. Alex is a trooper as he shows only the slightest fear during the scariest parts of the show. As we exit the Tree of Life, it begins to rain. We rush along, past the rare Devine, as the rain begins to get harder. By the time we get to the Lion King entrance it is raining pretty hard. As we enter the tent it is down right pouring. As usual, we all love the show. With the pre-show wait, we are under the tent for about an hour. That's another $67, but well worth it considering we got shelter from the rain. No one is impressed as we pass the not so rare Devine on our way out of the park.
Tonight we have big plans. What has now become a two-year tradition. Kathy and I spend a romantic evening at the California Grill while Janet takes the little ones to a character dinner. Janet and Bridget show up at our room right on time. Hmmm, maybe it is Mike that is always late. The kids always love when their auntie Janet comes to watch them. Inevitably she comes with a special surprise. They are not disappointed when Janet arrives with overflowing gift bags for each of the kids. The bags are stuffed with Legos, puzzles, crosswords, pencils, crayons and coloring books. Perfectly chosen activities to keep them busy during dinner. We all walk over to Epcot, dropping off the gang at the Garden Grill as Kathy and I continue on to the Contemporary via the Monorail. Although I am feeling better, I can't fully enjoy the wonderful California Grill as I did the year before. As usual, the service is great, the food exquisite and the view of the fireworks from the table is magical. It is funny, however, that we just don't quite feel right when the kids aren't with us. When you are with your children for so long, their presence becomes engrained in your subconscious thought. It's like when I put in my contact lenses after wearing my glasses all day. I still attempt to push my glasses higher on the bridge of my nose and am always surprised when they aren't there. Although we love our quiet and relaxing dinner, we both miss those cute little noisy faces when they're not with us.
Back at our room we are happy to be reunited with our crew. The energy level is high, as they all want to tell us of their night at the Garden Grill. They tell us about the "worms and dirt" they had for dessert and the cool moving floor that turns ever so slowly. "You don't even notice it's moving and when you look up, the scenery is all different," exclaims the Map Boy. Janet tells us that the Garden Grill is the "best restaurant they ate at so far." As the day comes to an end, we are all sad to say our last good-byes to Auntie Janet and Bridget, as they will be leaving the next morning for home. It was nice for the kids to get to spend some time with their aunt and cousin. We are sad to see them go, but it could be worse. We could be the ones going home!
Spending money is the American way. No matter how much we earn, we always seem to find a way to spend it all and sometimes a bit more (darn those credit cards). The more prudent among us, set aside a chunk of money each month to cover our retirement. Those with kids do their best to salt away some money each month for college (how scary is that for someone with four kids?). Other than that, the rest is history. For most of us, the money is already spent way before it hits our bank account. Except for college and retirement, I have all but given up trying to save money. My last salvation, however, is the search for value. My wife has heard me say more than once, "don't buy anything that isn't on sale. Spend the time, do the research and make sure you are getting the most for your hard-earned dollar. With Disney, I am an obsessive value hunter. This doesn't mean we take the cheap way out. We always stay on-site at the deluxe resorts, but I am always diligent about finding the best deals. We buy annual passes and use them twice in the same year to get the most value. Even with all of my efforts, bringing six people to Disney involves a big chunk of change. Some would say that a trip to Disney is frivolous. I consider it an investment. It's an investment in the most valuable of life's assets. Time. Time spent with the ones we love in one of the most magical places on earth. How much is that worth? Surely there is not a one-size-fits-all answer to this question. For us, the $67 per hour is easy to justify when calculating our return on investment. The decision is easy when you start adding up those priceless moments in time that are captured forever in the bank that holds your life's memories. There is only one chance for a Mom and Dad to experience the magic of Main Street with their feisty little two-year-old or their happy-go-lucky four-year-old Octopus or their cautious eight-year-old or their caring young eleven-year-old. Vaulted away forever are the experiences we share together. Although we will come home with common stories of our vacation adventures, much of what we remember will be our own. I still remember walking along with my Dad and Sister Janet on a warm summer night at the Magic Kingdom back in 1973. As an eleven-year old boy, staying out till midnight was very cool, but doing it with my family in this most magical of places is what made this night so special. I remember the feel of the warm air, the smell of the popcorn and the anticipation of trying yet another new ride. With this trip comes a whole new set of experiences. Watching the Octopus strut around the Polynesian saying Helloha to anyone passing by. Connors subtle smile as he walks off the Thunder Mountain Railroad, hiding as best he can the pride of conquering something new. Christopher showing absolutely no emotion, as he is about to plummet 52 feet down Splash Mountain or blast off on the Rock 'n Roller Coaster or while swinging around the moon on his way to Mars on Mission Space. I know he is having a good time, but you would never know it by looking at him. As my children grow older, I realize that there is nothing I could own of more value than the time I spend with them. So, the next time you are planning a trip to Disney, remember that time is money, but memories of the experiences shared together with your family are priceless.
Coming up next:
Chapter 7: Tackling the great unknown
Monday, January 19, 2004
Let me start by stating the obvious, a trip to Disney is a major investment. As the Dad of the house, I assume the responsibility of constantly worrying about money. How will we pay for college? Why do the kids need those new shoes? Do we really need to wear underwear? Didn't they just get their hair cut last month? Monthly bill time is not always fun at my house. At Disney, I tend not to worry about how much we're spending, but old habits are hard to break. Today we are taking the bus to the Animal Kingdom. As we ride along, my money senses start to tingle. Like Spiderman can sense danger, I can sense when I am burning money. It is always dangerous when I am left with little to do and my mind begins to wander. "How much is each bus ride actually costing me?" I think to myself. Let's see, if we are awake for about 12 hours each day at Disney (8am to 8pm is about average for a family with small children), then the 9 full days we are at Disney adds up to 108 hours. Plus 6 hours each for the travel days adds another 12 hours for a grand total of 120 hours of "awake" time spent on our ten-night stay. Based on our total approximate cost, I figure it is costing me approximately $66.67 for every hour I spend awake at Disney. That 20 minute bus ride to the Animal Kingdom just cost me $22.22. That's $44.44 for the round trip ride. Throw in the average 15-minute wait on both ends and this little bus ride is up close to $80. Why do I torture myself this way?
We are spending the day at the Animal Kingdom. Today we are joined only by Janet and Bridget. Mike and Caitlin took the early flight home so that Caitlin could get back to her classes at BU. As we enter the park I spot Devine. I point her out to the rest of the crew and let everyone know how lucky they are to spot this rarest of Disney characters. Again I flex my Disney knowledge and everyone is impressed (yeah right). We start out with the Kilamanjaro Safari. After the ride we decide to walk over to the other side of the park. There, along the pathway, we are again treated by another rare sighting of Devine. "Really," I say, "this is very unusual. She is usually very hard to find." Next up is the Triceratops Spin followed by the Primeval Whirl. At the Dig Site playground I laugh as Auntie Janet tries to keep tabs on Alex and Caley as they wind her through the rope ladders and down the twirly slides. She actually gets stuck in one of the climbing nets as Caley and Alex leave her behind.
After the playground we walk back over to Dinoland to check out some of the games. With money still on my brain, I am further irked by the fact that I have to pay extra for these carnival style games. "Do you realize it's already costing me $67 an hour just to stand here?" I ask one of the attendants as he looks at me with a puzzled stare. Reluctantly, and with a little coaxing from a sweet two-year-old with an irresistible dimple, I plop down two dollars as Caley takes a seat at the squirt gun game as its only contestant. As my aspiring Annie Oakley takes aim, the attendant lures a nice young couple over to the game. I'm really starting to dislike this person. Our odds just went from 100% guaranteed win to 100% disappointed two-year-old. Anyone that has experienced a full-fledged disappointed two-year-old knows that this is not good. Demonstrating wisdom beyond their years, the young couple realizes the situation and tells the attendant they will wait this one out. "No, no" the attendant tells them, "you can play." This guy is really getting on my nerves. I'm about to blurt out that this little two-minute negotiation has cost me another $2.22, when the nice couple again declines the offer to play. Hah. With a great show of marksmanship, Caley goes on to win a cute stuffed Triceratops which she affectionately names Rhinosaur. Along with the two-dollar game fee, the time playing the game and the time wasted by the annoying attendant, this little Triceratops only cost me $23.50. Of course, to avoid the disappointed four-year-old, we spend another $28 attaining another stuffed dinosaur for Alex. Why did I ever calculate the hourly rate?
As we leave Dinoland via the underbelly of a large orange Brontosaurus, I admire the amazing detail that Disney has put into this park. Although the Animal Kingdom ranks last in most of my family's list of favorite Disney parks, I really like this park a lot. The thick lush greenery and worn out stone pathways are details lost on my thrill ride seeking eleven-year old. More interested in the opening date of the new roller coaster, Christopher bounds along the parks wonderful trails chatting mindlessly with his equally oblivious eight-year old brother. They do, however, notice the "rare" Devine yet again, ruthlessly poking fun at their Dad's useless Disney knowledge. Enamored with their new dinosaurs, the little ones are too young to appreciate the amazing detail put into just about everything around us. We are all agreed on one thing, however, as we happen upon the Flame Tree Barbecue (remember, to all but the trained Disney planner, these things appear to be totally spontaneous). We are all hungry and this looks like a great spot for lunch. From the front, the Flame Tree looks like a small counter service restaurant with limited seating. Even I am surprised as we carry our trays of food out back to the sprawling multi-tiered terrace scattered with tables and surrounded by trees. We have a wonderful lunch with the boys at one table and the girls at another protected from the light rain by a canopy of trees. Although we are having a nice leisurely lunch, that darn money clock keeps ticking in the back of my head. Still, we can't help but take another $16.75, oops, I mean fifteen minutes, chatting and enjoying our surroundings after finishing up our meal.
During our last trip I was very proud of young Connor for trying "It's Tough to be a Bug." This time, however, I can't even get Mr. Thrill ride to give this show another try. I'm not sure why, but they both have very bad memories of this attraction. Maybe it was that "just a little too real" feeling that Disney provides when spraying the audience with bug spray. Whatever the reason, Janet, Bridget, the Octopus and I are the only ones interested in trying "It's Tough to be a Bug." Alex, as expected, is willing to try anything that he is big enough to go on. This boy puts his older brothers to shame. We make a plan to meet up with the "wimps" at the Lion King show as we head into the giant tree. It is almost detail overload as you try and take in the amazing sculptured trees as you wind your way along the pathway into the show. Alex is a trooper as he shows only the slightest fear during the scariest parts of the show. As we exit the Tree of Life, it begins to rain. We rush along, past the rare Devine, as the rain begins to get harder. By the time we get to the Lion King entrance it is raining pretty hard. As we enter the tent it is down right pouring. As usual, we all love the show. With the pre-show wait, we are under the tent for about an hour. That's another $67, but well worth it considering we got shelter from the rain. No one is impressed as we pass the not so rare Devine on our way out of the park.
Tonight we have big plans. What has now become a two-year tradition. Kathy and I spend a romantic evening at the California Grill while Janet takes the little ones to a character dinner. Janet and Bridget show up at our room right on time. Hmmm, maybe it is Mike that is always late. The kids always love when their auntie Janet comes to watch them. Inevitably she comes with a special surprise. They are not disappointed when Janet arrives with overflowing gift bags for each of the kids. The bags are stuffed with Legos, puzzles, crosswords, pencils, crayons and coloring books. Perfectly chosen activities to keep them busy during dinner. We all walk over to Epcot, dropping off the gang at the Garden Grill as Kathy and I continue on to the Contemporary via the Monorail. Although I am feeling better, I can't fully enjoy the wonderful California Grill as I did the year before. As usual, the service is great, the food exquisite and the view of the fireworks from the table is magical. It is funny, however, that we just don't quite feel right when the kids aren't with us. When you are with your children for so long, their presence becomes engrained in your subconscious thought. It's like when I put in my contact lenses after wearing my glasses all day. I still attempt to push my glasses higher on the bridge of my nose and am always surprised when they aren't there. Although we love our quiet and relaxing dinner, we both miss those cute little noisy faces when they're not with us.
Back at our room we are happy to be reunited with our crew. The energy level is high, as they all want to tell us of their night at the Garden Grill. They tell us about the "worms and dirt" they had for dessert and the cool moving floor that turns ever so slowly. "You don't even notice it's moving and when you look up, the scenery is all different," exclaims the Map Boy. Janet tells us that the Garden Grill is the "best restaurant they ate at so far." As the day comes to an end, we are all sad to say our last good-byes to Auntie Janet and Bridget, as they will be leaving the next morning for home. It was nice for the kids to get to spend some time with their aunt and cousin. We are sad to see them go, but it could be worse. We could be the ones going home!
Spending money is the American way. No matter how much we earn, we always seem to find a way to spend it all and sometimes a bit more (darn those credit cards). The more prudent among us, set aside a chunk of money each month to cover our retirement. Those with kids do their best to salt away some money each month for college (how scary is that for someone with four kids?). Other than that, the rest is history. For most of us, the money is already spent way before it hits our bank account. Except for college and retirement, I have all but given up trying to save money. My last salvation, however, is the search for value. My wife has heard me say more than once, "don't buy anything that isn't on sale. Spend the time, do the research and make sure you are getting the most for your hard-earned dollar. With Disney, I am an obsessive value hunter. This doesn't mean we take the cheap way out. We always stay on-site at the deluxe resorts, but I am always diligent about finding the best deals. We buy annual passes and use them twice in the same year to get the most value. Even with all of my efforts, bringing six people to Disney involves a big chunk of change. Some would say that a trip to Disney is frivolous. I consider it an investment. It's an investment in the most valuable of life's assets. Time. Time spent with the ones we love in one of the most magical places on earth. How much is that worth? Surely there is not a one-size-fits-all answer to this question. For us, the $67 per hour is easy to justify when calculating our return on investment. The decision is easy when you start adding up those priceless moments in time that are captured forever in the bank that holds your life's memories. There is only one chance for a Mom and Dad to experience the magic of Main Street with their feisty little two-year-old or their happy-go-lucky four-year-old Octopus or their cautious eight-year-old or their caring young eleven-year-old. Vaulted away forever are the experiences we share together. Although we will come home with common stories of our vacation adventures, much of what we remember will be our own. I still remember walking along with my Dad and Sister Janet on a warm summer night at the Magic Kingdom back in 1973. As an eleven-year old boy, staying out till midnight was very cool, but doing it with my family in this most magical of places is what made this night so special. I remember the feel of the warm air, the smell of the popcorn and the anticipation of trying yet another new ride. With this trip comes a whole new set of experiences. Watching the Octopus strut around the Polynesian saying Helloha to anyone passing by. Connors subtle smile as he walks off the Thunder Mountain Railroad, hiding as best he can the pride of conquering something new. Christopher showing absolutely no emotion, as he is about to plummet 52 feet down Splash Mountain or blast off on the Rock 'n Roller Coaster or while swinging around the moon on his way to Mars on Mission Space. I know he is having a good time, but you would never know it by looking at him. As my children grow older, I realize that there is nothing I could own of more value than the time I spend with them. So, the next time you are planning a trip to Disney, remember that time is money, but memories of the experiences shared together with your family are priceless.
Coming up next:
Chapter 7: Tackling the great unknown
