**COMPLETED** Trip Report of the not Surprise trip to FTW changed to YC & ASSp

[debraW76]

The Plot:
The Greek family does Ft Wilderness

The Characters:
Mu - an attractive woman in her thirties who looks like she is still in her twenties. Spends most of her time doing laundry, changing diapers, running errands, working part time and planning vacations. Humbleness is her best characteristic!!

Zeta - an artist who spends most of his time working, doing yard work, cleaning, and listening to his wife talk about Disney. He is very lucky to have her.

Son Alpha (8) a young boy who takes his big brother status very seriously. He plays football, is a fast runner, and climbs anything and everything.

Daughter Princess Chi (7) Definitely the princess in the family. She enjoys complaining about her brothers and being the only girl. She is a brown belt in Tae Kwon Do and math is her favorite subject.

Son Omicron (6) The middlest child and also the most talkative of the Greek clan. Besides watching television he enjoys aggrevating his sister and reading.

Son Delta (5) The youngest of the big kids, he plays Tball, and smiles all of the time. He is artistic like his father and enjoys drawing on just about anything including furniture and walls.

and son Baby Tau (2) The baby of the Greek familiy. Spends his days taking his brothers cars, eating and making messes. He beleives that every yellow school bus is the one that his brothers and sister are on - even if they are in the car with us.

Shhhh! The children are all unaware of the upcoming trip.

TRIP REPORT
Day 1
Day 2
Cindy's Table
Day 3-Hollywood Studios
Day 4 - MNSSHP
MNSSHP-Continued
Day 5-Typhoon Lagoon & Planet Hollywood
Day 6 - Animal Kingdom
Day 6 Continued, more AK
Day 6 continued, sorry I had lots of pics of AK
Still Day 6 - Last one I promise
Day 7 - EPCOT
Day 7 - EPCOT Continued
Day 8 - Home
Final Thoughts

 

[debraW76]

The story you are about to hear is real. All of the events leading up to and including the trip are real. The names have been changed to protect the innocent.

 

[debraW76]

This story takes place in Alabama where 5 unsuspecting children are about to set out on an adventure to Ft Wilderness during their fall break October 11-17. While both parents have been actively involved in the planning (and paying) for the trip, it is primarily Mom Grizwald who lives, breathes, and dreams Disney.

The idea of the trip came when the school calendar was released in the spring of 2008 when mom said "Wow, they have a whole week off? Wouldn't it be fun to go somewhere with the family? After all it has been 9 months already since we've been to Disney" To which Dad replied "Ohhh, here we go again"

So mom started daily scouring her favorite sites looking for discounts. Having never stayed on-site before she was really wanting to do it this time. However no discounts were available but she did find a nice 1 bedroom 3 star hotel for $70/night so she went ahead and reserved it just in case since they had a no-penalty cancellation policy. When she got the ok from hubby she knew they were in!

She then went on to start making out daily touring plans and trying to figure out what tix they would need. They would eat most meals in the room since it had a full kitchen and this was a budget trip. So she didn't worry about ADRs.

Sometime during the summer she found a decent deal on a room at Universal . Dad Grizwald got really excited about staying at the Hard Rock Hotel Mom Grizwald re-planned their daily touring plans for the Universal theme parks. But she soon discovered that even though it was a decent deal, there was no way all of them could fit into one room and two rooms was waaaaaay out of the family budget. Dad was dissappointed But was ok about going to Disney again.

Now up to this point the children were not told about the trip since they didn't want to chance dissappointing them. It was at this point that they decided to not tell them at all until they leave for Orlando. Could Mom keep such a secret for so long?

 

[debraW76]

Later that summer Mom checks an old email account that she really doesn't use anymore. Somewhere in that mass of over 100 emails one catches her eye - Your Once upon a dream Disney Resort Offer!!

Could it be? A pin code? She thought that these were only stories, myths like the Loch Ness Monster or Big Foot! But no, there it was in front of her - her very own pin code. She felt very unworthy Still shocked she called Disney from her cell phone on the way home and yes in deed she had a pin code good during the children's fall break

But then the unbeleivable happened. She went through a bad spot and her call was dropped.

Now, since they are keeping this trip a secret from the kiddos, she couldn't do any planning at home. So she decided to hand it over to a Travel Agent. Now Mom normally likes being in control of things so this was a very difficult task for her. But she still had the touring and meals to plan for so she thought she would give it a try.

She contacted a Disney specialist who used the pin code to get a good rate at the Ft Wilderness Cabins. Since this will likely be the only time they get to stay in the cabin (next year they will exceed the occupancy limit).

Now that the room is taken care of all that is left is...wait...The Disboards say that there is a Disney Visa code coming out this week Maybe I should wait until that is released to see if I can get a better rate somewhere else. Monday comes... no discounts Tuesday comes... no discounts Wednesday comes and lo and behold there is a code But it is only for AP holders. Thursday comes and finally there is a public discount code for everyone So I emailed my TA to ask her about it and she checks. I wait... and wait and finally she emails me back and says that my pin code discount was the same as the general public code.

Oh well, Who cares!! We are still going to Disney and this is going to be a great vacation!!

Right?

 

[debraW76]

• Transportation to Orlando
• Golf Carts for transport within the campgrounds
• Strollers for transport within the parks
• MNSSHP
• The Disney Box (Post #10)
• Dining (or not dining)
• How to give the 'surprise' to the kids
• Final Budget
• Packing for the trip
• Disney Pins
• Touring Plans

 

[2BusyPlanning]

Very cool! Wow, 5 kids on vacation!!! I will have you in my thoughts and prayers...

I stayed in one of the cabins back in 1997. I worked for the Disney Stores back then and it was me and 4 other cast members. We had a blast, and we liked the cabins a lot.

Can't wait to hear more!

 

[debraW76]

Very cool! Wow, 5 kids on vacation!!! I will have you in my thoughts and prayers...

I stayed in one of the cabins back in 1997. I worked for the Disney Stores back then and it was me and 4 other cast members. We had a blast, and we liked the cabins a lot.

Can't wait to hear more!

Thanks for the compliment. This will be our second trip to Disney as a family. We are so excited and very much looking forward to staying in the cabins.

 

[debraW76]

She contacted a Disney specialist who used the pin code to get a good rate at the Ft Wilderness Cabins. Since this will likely be the only time they get to stay in the cabin (next year they will exceed the occupancy limit).

My mom just called me at work and asked why we would exceed the max occupancy next year. She thought we were pregnant! No we are not pregnant. The max occupancy at the cabins is 6 plus an infant under the age of 3. Next year Baby Tau will be 3 and therefore we will exceed the max occupancy after his birthday. Sorry for the confusion (and for alarming my mom!

 

[debraW76]

My husband thinks we should have greek names too. He will be refered to at Zeta and I will be Mu.
So our family is now
Zeta, Mu, Alpha, Chi, Omicron, Beta, and baby Tau.

 

[debraW76]

I have a box, a most precious box that I use to put all of my Disney vacation things in. To me this is one of the most exciting parts of the pre-trip. As I think about what we are going to be needing in the parks, room, on the road, in the pool, etc, etc I secretly hide those things in the Disney Box. Some of the things have been there since our last trip. Other things were taken from various parts of the house when no one was looking. The rest are new items that I purchase throughout the year when the price is right. Each item I find (online, in the house or otherwise) gets me a little more excited about the trip. Then when I look inside the box at all of my glorious treasures I get a rush knowing that I will get to use them on my next trip.

The kids have noticed some of the things taken from their rooms and put in the box. I keep making excuses like “oh, I have to check the batteries”, or “I need to clean it for you”. I think Alpha has almost figured it out as he brought me the walkie talkies and asked when we were going to Disney again so that we can use them. Luckily we were going to Six Flags that week and I told him I had them out for that reason. I think he will figure it out first.

These are some of the things that I have in my Disney Box:
• Walkie talkies – purchased on our first Disney vacation as a family
• Matching Disney shirts (two each) for all of us that I purchased off disneyshopping.com for $3.99. Except they sent the wrong item for Baby Tau when I contacted Disney shopping they said they were out in his size. I’ll have to find a suitable knockoff. Maybe he won’t notice – or we’ll just say he is a stray.
• Other Disney clothes and hats that I purchased online at bargain prices
• Kitchen items such as travel size dish detergent, laundry soap, coffee filters, fabric sheets, etc
• First Aid Kit
• Light up toys, the ones they sell in the parks after dark (from previous trips and some new store bought ones)
• Autograph books (from previous trips)
• Mickey/Minnie wallets (from previous trips but thinking of updating)
• Pressed penny collections (from previous trips)
• Disney themed activity books & Crayons (found at target for $1)
• Ponchos for the kids (non-Disney characters) found at general dollar for $3 each!
• Other small toys for Tinkerbelle Bags (I’ll explain what this is later)
• Flashlights
• Neat Sheet – this is a waterproof sheet we use primarily at the beach. It is also great for covering up strollers during bad weather and for putting over wet ground during parades or other outdoor shows.

These are the things left to purchase (or find around the house) for my trip
• Glow sticks
• Batteries for walkie talkies and camera
• Snacks for Tinkerbelle bags – more about this later.
• Disney Pins and lanyards (maybe, we’ve never done the pins but I thought I would give it a try if I can find some cheaper pins off ebay before the trip).
• Pens for autograph books
• Still missing Delta’s Mickey wallet
• Disposable cameras for the kids
• Squeeze Breeze bottles – these are the water spray bottles with the battery operated fan they sell in the parks for $17. They all wanted one last trip and there was no way we were forking out $100 for each of them to have one. When I took Chi for a mommy and daughter trip to Disney she purchased one with her own birthday money but it is now broke. I have seen them from time to time at wal-mart for around $7 so I will try to buy each of them one before the trip. Here is hoping they still have them.
• More light up toys (so they each have at least one each – our kids don’t like to share).
• Disney posters that we want autographed. Princess Chi has a princess one, Delta and Omicron have Cars ones but I need to get one for Alpha – maybe pirates.
• My Disney Villains book for my autographs.
• Water shoes for everyone.
• Sunglasses for everyone
• I would love to find some affordable fanny packs for all of us. Last year the kids all had small backpacks but even those were too big. We had a stroller just to carry all of their stuff. This year we are trying to cut down on one stroller so we need something smaller that they can keep up with all day without growing too weary.

Wow! I didn’t realize that I needed to do so much more shopping!

 

[debraW76]

I didn't know they had stroller swaps here! The Disboards are awesome. Unfortunately my dates are used up on every stroller swap I could find. I tried starting a new thread for a new swap but so far no takers. That would really save us some money as well as make it easier on the kids.

 

[debraW76]

Tonight the kids asked what we are doing during their fall break. We told them we were driving to Canada!! I thought Alpha was going to start crying because he didn't want to drive to Canada. Omicron was very happy. I told them we would be staying in a log cabin at a place called Ft. Wilderness (which isn't a lie). We just lied about where ft wilderness is. I am getting so excited!!

 

[Alysa]

I thought exceeding max occupancy meant that you were pregnant too - I was going to say 6 kids, wow! Five is amazing anyway!

 

[debraW76]

I thought exceeding max occupancy meant that you were pregnant too - I was going to say 6 kids, wow! Five is amazing anyway!

Hi Alysa. Yea my mom was pretty worried especially since all of my pregnancies i have surprised her in some way when i told her. As a matter of fact when i found out I was expecting Omicron it was just two weeks before I was heading to Universal Studios. I wrote her an email and set it to deliver to her after we were in the air. It was a poem (written as if it was from Chi that went something like this:

I wish that i could be
dressed up for you to see
and go knocking on your door
for toys and candy galore.
but instead i'll be on vacation
in a sunny location.
to make it up to you
this is what i'll do
next year i'll bring with me
a new baby for you to see
for tiny hands and tiny feet
are growing as we speak
Happy Halloween!

Anyway she was soooo mad that I sent that to her while we were flying and she couldn't get in touch with me until late that night. When she read that post she thought that was my way of surprising her again.

No, we really have our hands full and I think we have somewhat made the decision to not have any more Physically I am ready to make that decision as we are exhausted most of the time. Emotionally however.... I still get very sad when my youngest reaches any milestone because I know that will be the last time I see that. When they moved him from the nursery class to the toddler class at church I cried for a month.

I'm so pathetic...

 

[Alysa]

I still get very sad when my youngest reaches any milestone because I know that will be the last time I see that. When they moved him from the nursery class to the toddler class at church I cried for a month.

Our littlest boys are both the same age and I am exactly the same (except he is only my second!)

 

[debraW76]

Itinerary
Saturday (6 days before leaving) – do as much laundry and cleaning as possible. If the kids ask what is wrong tell them you are looking for your lost one hundred dollar bill and you are not going to stop cleaning until you find it. See if they will help by telling them they can keep half if they find it.
Sunday (5 days before trip) – clean car. If the kids ask why, tell them because you just remembered you last saw the one hundred dollar bill in the van.
Tuesday (3 days before trip) – Finish cleaning and pack as much as possible while kids are at school. If the kids ask about the suitcases tell them it’s for our trip to Canada.
Thursday night (1 day before trip) – go shopping for groceries and last minute items. Leave stuff in car until kids go to sleep.
Friday – kids come home from school and tell them they are staying with Mimi for the night. (don’t forget to ask Mimi first)
Friday night – while kids are away clean the house (again), clean out the car (again because you know they done trashed it), finish packing and load up van. Try to sleep for a few hours and wake up at midnight to pick up kids!!!
Midnight – pick up kids from Mimi (hopefully Mimi wont mind being woke up) and leave for our trip!!!!!
Arrive at Ft. Wilderness around 8 AM – tell the kids we are in Canada.
Check into our cabin (say a prayer on the way that it will be ready). Eat breakfast at Trail’s End. Tell the kids we are taking a boat around the campground. Take Boat to MK. OK, if they haven’t figured it out by now yell “SURPRISE!”
Saturday – tour MK, rest in afternoon and finish MK that evening.
Sunday – Sleep in – visit Typhoon Lagoon
Monday – Animal Kingdom in the morning, Studios at night
Tuesday – Sleep in - Blizzard Beach (Here’s hoping they’ll be open)
Wednesday – Studios in the AM, Animal Kingdom in the PM
Thursday – Sleep in - Downtown Disney in the afternoon, rest, and MNSSHP in the evening!
Friday – go home! BOOOOOOO!!!!!

 

[debraW76]

Should we do the food and wine while we are there? We were not planning doing EPCOT at all on this trip since our kids still dont have quite the stamina to do such walking. And we dont want to push two strollers around. I think my husband and I would like it but not sure about the kids.

Also heard about the new KimPossible interactive game at Epcot and wondering if it will be in operational during our visit (Oct 11-17). Boards say late october??

Any advise on EPCOT Food and Wine with 5 kids??

 

[daisyduck7]

test

 

[daisyduck7]

hi. it's mom

 

[daisyduck7]

I have really enjoyed reading everything written by everyone. Another baby would NOT be alarming , it would be WONDERFUL My daughter sometimes thinks she knows me so well that I have to pitch something from left field and catch her off guard . That is so much more fun than being totally predictable all the time. Keep in touch, every one