Dave Ramseying to Disney!Some final thoughts 8/18

[999ghostslover]

BIG UPDATE: 5/07: I am changing the focus of this PTR to be about my journey with Financial Peace University and how to do Disney on a budget. You will not see this mentioned until post 23 HERE. Please subscribe and check out my adventures.

Hellloooo out there. I am so excited to be starting my second ever pre-trip report for our next trip to WDW. It is still a long way off BUT I just had to start the report because it is exactly...
one year
one month
one week
and
one day until we leave.


And that is pretty stinkin' cool.

Our plans are we have no plans. Other than that we will be driving the day my DD gets out of kindergarten. All of our past trips have been more like this, "let's go to Disney in 3 months." "What, they only have a room in a broom closet at a hotel that costs 3 times as much as we budgeted for. Sure, what the heck?" We have never stayed in our first choice place or eaten at out first choice restaurant. It is petty pathetic. Now we have almost too much time to plan and I don't even know where to start. So I figure who better to figure that out that our fellow DISers. Let the fun begin.

I imagine that each "installment" will be me asking a major question and everyone chiming in with an answer with the most popular choice prevailing. All I have to do is sit back and enjoy the ride. Right?
So thanks in advance for helping me plan the best family trip to the world.

 

[cmp1111]

Fun! I'm sure you'll get advice aplenty.

 

[999ghostslover]

Here is a quick list of all of my major updates.

Allow Me To Shed Some Light
First Major Decision
Close my eyes and Make a wish
A Wish Continued[/B]
Which Guide Should I Buy?
What a week!
Waiting on the travel agent
The Best Value
Life Update
Thank GOD for portable DVD players!!
Visions of Dolphins Dance in my head
Summer Break is over...now let the planning begin
What's the Deal-e-o?
A shopping score
Questions abound!
Calling all would-be Disney chefs
Big Budget Update pg 6
Shaking with Excitement pg 7
The Nerd and the Free Spirit
Consignment Sale Season
CSR Excitement
Randomness
Help with ADRs
A trip Back in Time
The Money Angels
Podcast
MGM...er...DHS
Disney memories
Big Changes Abound
A Beauty of a Deal
Life Update
Life Part Two
Some thoughts and a DREAM
They Call Me Nurse Erin
Do you Have a Bucket List?
My job Update
ADRs are made
Back. Again.
Days 1 and 2. In detail.
Day 1. Take 2.
Disney Fun Facts
Disney shopping. Oh Joy!
Flashback: 2007 Part 1 page 20
Flashback: 2007 Part 2
Flashback: 2007 Part 3
Flashback: 2007 Part 4
Flashback: 2007 Part 5
A gentle suggestion
50 Days!!!
Fantasy
Tornado
2 weeks 5 days!
Live Facebook updates!
Last official post
An ending...of sorts.

 

[999ghostslover]

We are the fabulous Percy 5. We love Disney and cannot stay away. We only wish we could go once a year but we have to settle for every other year due to the fact that our families live so far away from us and we always end up spending most of my husband's vacation time on those trips.
Here we are:

Me, Erin, schmirty-schmone-year-old stay-at-home mother and wife.
I have been to Disney many many times. I grew up in Jersey and my grandparents had a Florida house so we would go to Disney for the day or stay OP for a night or two while there. I honestly don't have a lot of fond memories. Everything felt rushed and we never really knew what we were doing. My mom would get too nervous and my dad would make us march forever. Then, in 1999 a college friend and I went to Disney. He was an expert and a true Disney lover. I got to see it for its magic and wonder and it changed my mind forever. I was hooked. It took a few years before I could convince my husband to go. But he was instantly hooked too. And seeing it through our kids' eyes is like drug to us. We just eat it up. Which brings me to...

Husband and Father extraordinaire, Tom, 32, actual NASA rocket scientist.
He went to Disney once as a kid and this will be his 4th trip as an adult. He grew up in the Boston area and likes the Red Sox (bleck!) and all things space and nerd. As a kid he dreamed of being an astronaut but now he may actually tell you he would like to be an imagineer...if he ever grows up. Then there is...

Abby Rose, 5 1/2, the Belle of our ball.
This will be her 4th trip to Disney. LUCKY! She is kinda growing out of the princess phase and honestly, I am okay with it. I know she will get on board with meeting them and she will be genuinely excited but it no longer is her world. That makes me a little sad but excited to embrace our next Disney phase. And besides, she has always been a much bigger Pirates fan anyway. Ahoy! And next we have...

Brady, 21 months, the Buzz in this lightyear
Brady was last at Disney, as we all were, on his first birthday. What a magical birthday it was. Of course, he was too young to remember and yadda yadda yadda. But we remember and have the pictures to prove it. What a great trip! This little man is sooo into all things Pixar. He dreams of Lightning McQueen and Woody. Wait until he gets to go back for his 3rd birthday. He is going to be blown away. And last but not least is our bouncin' baby...

Colin, aka Mr. C, 7 months old next week and just hangin' on for the wild ride that is Percydom. Colin was gestating nicely the last time were were in the Wold. I was 5 and a half months pregnant with a 1-year-old on my hip and a 4-year-old in my ear. In June. In Orlando. And it was honestly awesome. So there you have us.

 

[999ghostslover]

Hello good people of DIS!

We have a major decision and we need your help. Should we go with a travel agent or not? AND if we do, who should we use? We started out planning our last trip with one. We never really made it past the quote phase. We were jumping in on the buy 4 get 3 madness and the agent just seemed to take too long. 2 days would go by without hearing from her which seemed ridiculous when my fingers could dial a phone just as easily as hers. It just seemed too middle-man-y. Ya know?
But then I started following the PTRs of several people on here. Their agents bent over backwards helping them with itineraries and planning nice treats for their kids. My Disney green-eyed monster came out and I wished I had a helper like that. So now I am stuck wondering where to start.
I mentioned to my husband last night that I was thinking of contacting a travel agent and he said, "why, you did such a great job last time. We were in on everything." Yes, darling but what you did not realize all of the time spent pouring over boards, sites, blogs, making binders and calling Disney almost daily. Do I want to do all of that again? Truth is, I would obsess even if a Genie popped out of a lamp and granted me a dream trip to the World where any Le Cellier rez is mine for the taking, the Cinderella suite in the castle was available for the price of Pop Century and where there were no crowds and only happy children everywhere. Alas, this will never be the case...
So YOU get to decide:
Go it alone. It is worth all of the effort to plan it the way I want it.
Get the help. The right travel agent is worth his/her weight in pirate gold.
Plan it myself but get Tour Guide Mike to help with the itinerary.
Get the works. Use an agent AND buy Tour Guide Mike.

 

[pooh'smate]

Joining in. I love my TA. She is from Dreams Unlimited. I can pm you her info. She always get back to me right away unless she is not at her desk but then I always get an email and she tells me when she will be back and then I get an answer shortly. She is great!!!! I have had to change my trip alot and she has always been a great help. I do use TGM too.

 

[BippityBoo]

HI! Subbing! Your kids are super cute! Love their outfits!!

PS: Come join my TR if you would like
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2374556

 

[999ghostslover]

Welcome BippityBoo and Welcome Pooh's Mate!

Thanks for joining. It has been about 9 months since I was last here (before I started my PT on Monday, that is) Okay, we've been a little busy this year. But I cannot believe how much has changed. I'm feeling overwhelmed. Can either of you give me a run-down of what has changed in the parks and/or on here? Thank you!!

 

[longing2Batdisney]

Hello! Erin
joining in for the planning ride...
you have an adorable family! and my hats are off to you...a four yr old, one yr old and 5.5 mo PG (I would never have made it)...
as for a TA or go it alone...I know Becky (ladybugmom) loves her TA but, I like you in the past never made it past the quote...I love doing all the planning! I love doing the research, making friends along the way here on the dis, and I love planning it all out! that's just me...

looking forward to the planning magic
Connie

 

[999ghostslover]

Hello! Erin
joining in for the planning ride...
you have an adorable family! and my hats are off to you...a four yr old, one yr old and 5.5 mo PG (I would never have made it)...
as for a TA or go it alone...I know Becky (ladybugmom) loves her TA but, I like you in the past never made it past the quote...I love doing all the planning! I love doing the research, making friends along the way here on the dis, and I love planning it all out! that's just me...

looking forward to the planning magic
Connie

Thank you and welcome. Your trip is so soon. I'm going to sub to it next. I forgot how addicting this all is. The last trip actually was great. My husband is amazing and did all of the physical work. Loading and unloading and carrying kids and what have you. In fact he changed most of the diapers the whole week. Everyday we drove to a park for EMH. Took the bus back to WL for nap or swim. Took the bus back to the park for the night and then we would drive our van back at night. From our amazing parking spot we snagged at early EMH. It worked perfect.
I'm sure some people will think I'm crazy for trying this trip but we have a chance to get in TWO kids for free. How can we pass that up? And this is ou celebration for losing lots of weight!

 

[bellebookworm9]

Hi! I followed you from Becky's PTR. I say plan it yourself. I've not bothered with TGM myself, because he doesn't give you a set plan. I am subscribed to the Unofficial Guide website, which I use for crowd levels and which parks to go to. I also bought RideMax which I love so far and I am itching to try it out in 26 days!

I understand what you mean about the "try the travel agent but never get past the quote" thing. I used AAA online quotes several times, but the agents always took at least 24 hours to get back to me. I can do that myself in soooo much less time!

Can't wait to read more, and come check out my PTR if you're interested!

 

[MHTeacher]

Hi! I followed you over from Becky's PTR when I noticed you were from Huntsville. I live in Florence, about an hour west of Huntsville.

In regards to your poll-I used a TA for our first trip back in 2001. In 2005, I discovered the DIS, and have gained so much Disney knowledge from these boards. During our New Year's Eve trip this past year, I used a TA because her agency had special room only rates locked in, and it was an amazing rate for the Holiday 2 season. Aside of the great rate (Yacht Club for $235/night), I didn't really feel like she did anything that I couldn't have done myself.

Can't wait to find out what you decide and read along as you plan your next trip.

 

[999ghostslover]

Welcome MHTeacher!
I know where Florence is. Beautiful area. There is an Italian restaurant on the square that is one of my favorite places to eat and I can never remember the name. We have been in Huntsville for about 7 years and love living in AL. Roll Tide!
Welcome BelleBookworm.
I know where Geneseo is. I graduated from RIT in 2000 and my DH graduated in 2001. That is where we met. I miss Western New York especially in the spring. And I miss Wegman's. And Tahou's.

 

[MHTeacher]

There is an Italian restaurant on the square that is one of my favorite places to eat and I can never remember the name.

That would be Ricatoni's. It is one of my husband's favorite places to eat!

 

[999ghostslover]

yes, the bread and dipping oil is soooo good!

 

[999ghostslover]

So I am trying to vision this trip in its entirety. As I have said, usually my plans come about too late and I already have several options closed to me. So I have decided to do a stream-of-consciousness exercise and just gut-reaction plan out a trip. I will keep a relatively realistic budget but at this point anything (on property) is an option. There is also a relatively good chance that my parents may come for at least part of the trip. I love my parents but they are not exactly Pop people. Ya know? Chances are good that if they come we will end up at Boardwalk or Contemporary. I have a feeling that would be the best bet for them. And we would stay wherever they stay.
I think this will be fun because I can go back to it and see just how far from this we end up.
So here goes...
May 27th
Leave Huntsville right after Abby gets out of school (half day)
Drive to Tifton or Valdosta and stay in a Hampton Inn. Hopefully with points.
May 28th
Drive to Titusville, FL (near Cocoa Beach) and visit with family for the afternoon and evening. Stay in another Hampton or thereabouts.
May 29th
Finally get to Disney.
Check into...gut reaction...Caribbean Beach.
Check out the awesome pool. Eat dinner in DTD. Preferably Raglan Rd. But the kids may veto and get T-Rex again. We actually loved it last time but since it is not on the dining plan we probably won't do it. They can deal. We go to Rainforest in Nashville all the time.
May 30th (i'm just going to guess random parks as there is no way to know which will be which yet)
Tusker House early breakfast.
Must dos: Safari, Everest, FotLK, Kali. Remember, last time I was pregnant and so I could not do a lot. I have done all of the thrill rides there at least once but missed Dinosaur and Everest last time so I want to do that for sure. I was a bad mama and did the Safari and Kali while pregnant. It was fine. My baby is fine. They are rides I had been on plenty of times so I knew what I was getting in to. I am a labor and delivery nurse (although i stay at home now) so I felt comfortable doing a few rides that others may be leery about while pregnant. Everybody is different. I digress. Who knows what the evening will hold.
May 31st
Epcot
Can we say Le Cellier for dinner? Okay, last year this was the most coveted thing to go after. But now it seems like everybody is snagging this Rez easily. Has something changed? Do Soarin, Test Track and Mission Space. MS is the only thing I have not been on here. Very excited. Here are the countries we have not made it to the last few trips: Japan, Italy, Morocco. Let's face it. When it is super-hot and you ave toddlers world-showcase kinda goes by the wayside. Young people without kids--Get you WS fix in now!

A baby needs nursing. To be continued...

 

[999ghostslover]

Well my DD5 is off to take-your-daughter-to-work with daddy and the DSs are sleeping so I can continue.

June 1
day off or water park day
maybe make reservations at Boma or somewhere in the Beach Club/Boardwalk area. We did not get over there during our last trip and we really enjoy it there. If my parents come maybe we can get away while they stay with the kids. I would love that!

June 2-Brady's Big birthday
MK no matter what! Get earliest rez possible for Crystal Palace breakfast or Pirate League Makeover. We missed this opening by ONE WEEK last year. We were so upset! We have been long-time pirate lovers. We will for sure be doing that this trip. Abby can wear her Elizabeth Swan costume for this day.
And I just saw that you have to be 3 to do it and he will be--that day!

June 3-Studios OR MK day 2
Honestly, we may skip Studios this trip. I know that seems crazy but we have done that park a ton and it is not that great for little kids. We always seem to miss most of the shows and most of the rides are not for little ones. If I had to pick a park to skip it would be Studios. So unless we are able to score a GREAT deal and get to stay another day (or God forbid, but something were to happen to my DH's grandmother and we did not have to go to Titusville for the day--I honestly hope not as she hasn't even met her two great-grandsons and she is a wonderful person) then I think we will make this a MK day 2.

June 4-Head out bright and early and drive home straight though. About 11 hours.

Okay, now I am getting excited. Well, I only have a year+ to wait it out!

 

[999ghostslover]

I Need to Buy a 2011 Guidebook. I know they usually come out in August but I want to pre-order on Amazon to get free-shipping on something else. What should I get? You make the decision...
The Unofficial Guide Walt Disney World 2011
Birnbaum's Walt Disney World 2011
The Complete Walt Disney World 2011
Passporters 2011
Which one has the best companion website with ride/day info?
I'm sure I will borrow others from friends and the library later.

Thanks!!

 

[bellebookworm9]

I Need to Buy a 2011 Guidebook. I know they usually come out in August but I want to pre-order on Amazon to get free-shipping on something else. What should I get? You make the decision...
The Unofficial Guide Walt Disney World 2011
Birnbaum's Walt Disney World 2011
The Complete Walt Disney World 2011
Passporters 2011
Which one has the best companion website with ride/day info?
I'm sure I will borrow others from friends and the library later.

Thanks!!

I love the Unofficial Guide because it's thorough and has the touring plans. Birnbaum's tells you info you can find anywhere else. I recently read the Complete Walt Disney World, and found it to be interesting, but not something I would buy. I'd get that from the library. I have a Passporter and I love all the pockets and worksheets. I would buy a Passporter, and subscribe to the Unofficial Guide website to get the crowd calendar, and it has a lot of the info from the book on the website, at least in regards to the parks/dining.

 

[disneyscrappinjan]

Hi Erin,
We are practically neighbors. I live in the Hazel Green area. I plan all our family trips and help many friends and relatives. I do love the passporters guide, it seems much more detailed to me. I just purchase the 2010 . We already have trips planned for June, Oct, Nov and Dec of this year and March already next year. I would be glad to help you on anything I could just give me a shout. I do have some suggestions already if you are interested. And by the way loving your report already.