Dave Ramseying to Disney!Some final thoughts 8/18

[brookelizabeth]

I loved that under 3 eat free! Esp at the buffets! Henry is still not a huge eater so sometimes we don't buy him a meal and he still just eats off us - or we order an app and 2 entrees and share between all of us. I know that will change as he gets older, and perhaps getting the DDP will work in our advantage eventually. I won't like the upfront cost or the credit counting, but not getting a bill during the vacation is a nice perk!

I am still undecided on HDDR. I haven't looked at our plans in a long time, so I have to review and make a decision!

 

[MK2010]

Ta Da! Caught up! Reading your TR made me ask my husband for FPU for Christmas, but apparently he already got me a really great Christmas gift. I said, "That's okay. You can give it to me for Valentine's day!" Lol! Okay, I'm off to fix my signature, my ticker, and make my bucket list.

 

[brookelizabeth]

Ta Da! Caught up! Reading your TR made me ask my husband for FPU for Christmas, but apparently he already got me a really great Christmas gift. I said, "That's okay. You can give it to me for Valentine's day!" Lol! Okay, I'm off to fix my signature, my ticker, and make my bucket list.

FPU is an EXCELLENT program and it will change your life! We were able to get out of $20k of credit card debt in a year (granted, I was working and had a great job - life is a different story NOW! ) We unfortunatly do have some CC debt again due to having to wipe out our emergency fund AND charge. But, we are working back toward that $0 moment again.

(and we always have taken vacation while doing Dave's plan. Shhhh, don't tell )

 

[999ghostslover]

So 1,000,000 years later and I am back! Probably not too many people still out there. Also, some of you have gone on like two other Disney trips in the span of my absence. Sigh. Anyway, I just realized that we are closing in on 80 days until our trip. Whoa! Well, my new salary has paid for our trip. We are all paid up and while I can still say that none of it came from my husband's salary (the money that we live off of) I can say that we did it Dave Ramsey's way. Dave always points out that someone can get a second job to pay for the things they need or the debt they have accumulated. I am so blessed to be able to work one day a week (sometimes two) and still be a mostly stay-at-home mom. It is awesome! Our trip hasn't changed really at all surprisingly. We are really getting excited. And it sounds like a few other DISers are going to be there then too. Yeah! More updates to come. Promise.

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

So glad you're back!
We've paid off our part (the 5 of us) and will soon have MIL's part paid off. I love knowing we'll be in Disney with no worries about having to pay for it later.
How are all your kids? What have they been up to lately?

And, just to be sure---YOU'RE DOING A TR, RIGHT!?! I can't wait to hear all about this trip!

 

[999ghostslover]

So glad you're back!
We've paid off our part (the 5 of us) and will soon have MIL's part paid off. I love knowing we'll be in Disney with no worries about having to pay for it later.
How are all your kids? What have they been up to lately?

And, just to be sure---YOU'RE DOING A TR, RIGHT!?! I can't wait to hear all about this trip!

Oh yes, a TR will follow for sure. Since we will not be back to the world until fall of 2012 when we cruise (and we may not even do a Disney park then) I will have all the time in the world to work on a TR and have the memories last.
The kids are doing great. A few nasty bugs have laid us up over the last few months. We have had the barfing flu x2 this season and we have never had it any other year since Tom and I were kids. The boys and I have a nice routine. They are no longer in a mother's morning out and that is okay. they get a babysitter one to two days a week so that I can work. Abby is loving kindergarten. She is so smart. It blows me away the things that they are doing now. Fractions, all types of money, time. Weren't we like 10 when we learned that stuff? Congrats on paying off your part of the trip. That is awesome. Really early too.

 

[999ghostslover]

So it dawned on me that some of our plans have changed a little bit. We did change around a few ADRs when we swapped a couple of park days. I am going to go through a detailed list of the things we are aiming to accomplish each day in detail. This is mostly for my own brain but I'm happy to share.
Day 1 Saturday May 28th
Set alarm for 4am. That is not that much earlier than we normally get up. In fact, that is what time we were up this morning. Thanks thunderstorm!
Car will already be packed. Movies will be in player. All systems are a go! I usually buy some of those Jimmy Dean sandwiches and donuts or something equally healthy for our long car trips. I will throw those at the savages. Start my coffee I.V. drip and we're off. Preferably by 4:45 at the latest. Our goal is to make it to Jonesboro, GA for a late second breakfast (yes, we are in fact Hobbits) at Truett's. I used to work near there and we love that place. We did not make it that far the last time. And that was okay because anyplace with a playground will do. Get back in the car and keep heading South. Stop at the Florida Welcome place with the free orange juice (why does it taste so good in those tiny cups?) Resist the draw of the 13 foot gator and eat a late lunch that we will have packed. We love a good picnic. Head on down to Disney. Check into CSR in time for a quick dinner at the food court and then hit the pool. Hopefully daddy can manage them while I do a little unpacking. Because CSR has notoriously little drawer space and we will have a pack and play in the room I am thinking about packing suitcases in the order that we need them. Does that sound crazy? Instead of a boys suitcase and a me suitcase there would be a family suitcase for days 1-3 and so on. We'll see. Then we can leave them out in the car and hope no one steals them. My DH thinks I'm nuts. Anyway, we'll go to sleep that night when we feel like it. Since we have no crazy park plans the next day there is no rush to bed. That is nice as it takes my crew a little while before they get used to sleeping in a hotel.
Day 2 Sunday May 29
Today we will get up early and head to DTD for breakfast at WPE's. I am very excited about this. We have never eaten at a counter service place at DTD. That is so sad, I know. Breakfast is about the only thing we can fit in but I am happy that we can. We just have to figure out which WPE. Then we will drive the 40 minutes or so to Titusville, FL. The land that time (but not space) forgot. We will have a lovely visit with Tom's grandmother, aunt and uncle. Hopefully the kids will behave as she lives in a lovely senior "luxury" double-wide neighborhood. If you can picture such a place. There is no yard and alligators all over the place so you can't go for walks. And sweet Grammy loooooovvvveees to talk about the good ol days. For hours. In like 90 degrees. So there is that. I am thinking I may gather up the babes and head to Walmart for whatever we inevitably forgot and give Tom some time to chat with her. We will probably go see the Space Center. As in drive-by and wave only. We'll see if that is enough for DH. Head back to CSR to find my lovely parents who have checked in by now and are probably already ready to go home. Just kidding. They are going to love it!

 

[999ghostslover]

Day 1. Take 2. We now have enough Hilton points to stay at a Hampton Inn on Friday. Soooo I am not going to change my ticker or anything because we still do not get to Disney until Saturday but WE ARE SO EXCITED TO GET TO GO A DAY EARLY. Well half a day really....
Friday morning get up and get Abby to her last day of school (of course her school now has class for 3 days the following week but she is excused since this trip was planned well in advance of Mother Nature), come home and load up the car. Get the boys strapped in and head to her kindergarten graduation. Get everyone in the car and just start driving without telling her. I think we can pull off that we just packed the car in advance. Once her nose is in her ipod she is good to go without looking up for a few hours.
We are planning to drive to Griffin, GA. The Hampton Inn there is significantly less points than all others as long as it isn't a race weekend. The Atlanta Motor Speedway is there. So we'll pile out of the car. We will def. have just one bag needed for this stay. Abby will be so excited. The kid loves Hampton Inns. We stay at them all of the time and she can tell you the subtle differences in them all. Then we will get up in the morning and be at Disney World in no time. Well, probably 7 hours. But hey, that is way better than 11.5! I'm really glad we are doing it this way. It is a Holiday weekend and the traffic will likely be bad at some point so breaking it up (for free!) seems like a much better choice!

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

Well, wave at us as you drive on by!
Your idea for packing sounds brilliant! I think I may have to try that!! My original plan was to get to the room, hang up clothes, use up drawer space, and stash the suitcases back in the van.
We're trying to drive a while on Friday, too. First time. We'll see how it goes. We're not planning on telling Juju that she's getting picked up early, but likely she'll figure it out. She's sneaky like that!!
(We've never eaten a CS at DTD, either...are we weird?)

 

[999ghostslover]

Well, wave at us as you drive on by!

(We've never eaten a CS at DTD, either...are we weird?)

You aren't weird. I think the sit downs are yummy too! In fact, the first thing tom said when we changed it to this new plan was "Can we eat at T-rex?" He loved it there! But I think it is too much of a gamble with the little ones. I'm scared they will get too scared of the dinos and if they both melt-down it will be bad. We may get rid of Le Cellier lunch later in the week and try for Boma (my favorite).

 

[teachermommy78]

Hi! Following from PirateKate's TR! Anyone who hides light sabers like I do is worth following. That didn't sound right at all! The mind has been in the gutter all day! I will catch up later!

 

[999ghostslover]

Hi! Following from PirateKate's TR! Anyone who hides light sabers like I do is worth following. That didn't sound right at all! The mind has been in the gutter all day! I will catch up later!

Too funny!! I knew what you meant but it cracked me up!

 

[999ghostslover]

I am about to make my 60 day Disney countdown poster. It will have fun facts and prizes that will be revealed when you flip over a mickey paintchip. Here are the ones I have so far. I may need a few more.

In Japan you can pick a pearl out of an oyster and place it in a necklace.
Cyrstal Palace, in the Magic Kingdom, serves character meals with what characters?
In Tinkerbell's Treasures in Fantasyland, what do you do to wake up Tinkerbell?
Disney World is celebrating its 40th birthday this year. Happy birthday!
All of the trash at Disney World is sorted by hand and the recyclables are pulled out.
When someone puked at Disney World the cast members call it a protein spill so as not to upset other guests.
Coronado Springs has 1,917 rooms divided into three villages: Cabanas, Casitas and Ranchos.
Coronado Springs has a 15 acrea lake called Lake Dorado.
Pay attention to the domed ceiling of the lobby at Coronado Springs. There is a beautiful painted mural.
The hotel is named for the explorer Francisco de Doronado. He explored much of Mexico and Latin America.
Coronado Springs is famous for The Dig Site which has an ancient pyramid waterfall, jaguar waterslide, large pool and playground.
Carefully check the hyrogliphs at the pyramid for a hidden Mickey!
Don't forget your pennies and quarters. There are pressed penny machines in the lobby by the phones.
The arcade at CSR is called Iguana Arcade.
WDW is the size of two Manahatten Islands.
1.65 million pairs of sunglasses have been turned into Lost and Found over the years.
How many stones in Cinderella's Castle? None. All fiberglass.
What is the tallest attraction at WDW?
Mickey was first named Mortimer but Walt's wife made him change it.
FastPAsses debuted in 1999. Mommy was there!
WDW used to have ride tickets. "E" tickets were the best rides. Like pirates and Mansion!
Name all the lands in MK. There are 6 now.
Look for Big Bertha at GF when we eat there. She is a huge organ!
Name the roder that the parks opened.
Maybe Popo or Daddy can rent a boat at our hotel.
The food court is called Pepper Market.
The gift shop is called Panchitos. Look for the Three Caballeros.
The jaguar waterslide closes at 8pm. No late-night slides.
When Mom nad Dad were younger Hollywood Studios was called MGM.
Stat Tours will reopen a week before we get there. It is totally new.
Mommy got to be a guest star in Indian Jones show.
DHS was a flop at first. They rushed the opening to compete with Universal.
You can trade pins with any cast member at any time. Just ask!
We have the Dining plan. Abby, Mommy and Daddy get one snack ,sit down and qucik meal/day. Hungry?
What is your favorite Walt Disney World food?
What is your favorite Walt Disney World ride?
What is your favorite Walt Disney World park?
Epcot has a new simulator where you get to build and ride your own rollercoaster.
Epcot's fireworks is called Illuminations. Can we stay up that late?
Animal Kingdom doesn't have fireworks. But there is a 3 oclock parade. What time does it start?
Who will be visiting us at dinner in France?
The Florida Rest stops give out free samples of what?
What is your favorite Disney movie?
WDW had Cinderella's castle. What does Disneyland have?
How many countries have Disney Parks?[/COLOR]

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

That is such a good idea!! Sounds perfect for getting everyone excited (or even more excited) about the trip.
http://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Magic-Walt-Disney-World/dp/1605500631
This book is a great source of Disney fun facts. In fact, I need to go get my copy back out and read it again!

 

[PirateKate]

As I read your TR, I had a ton of things to comment on, and now, I can't remember most of them.

Let's see... Your countdown calender looks fun. I can't wait til my boys are old enough to get that concept. Right now, a countdown calender would probably last about five minutes until it was ripped to shreds.

I think you guys have got me convinced to skip buying light sabers...

 

[999ghostslover]

That is such a good idea!! Sounds perfect for getting everyone excited (or even more excited) about the trip.
http://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Magic-Walt-Disney-World/dp/1605500631
This book is a great source of Disney fun facts. In fact, I need to go get my copy back out and read it again!

Are they just blurb facts or amusing little stories. I wnat ot get Jim Korkis's new book and it has great little stories about Disney World.

As I read your TR, I had a ton of things to comment on, and now, I can't remember most of them.

Let's see... Your countdown calender looks fun. I can't wait til my boys are old enough to get that concept. Right now, a countdown calender would probably last about five minutes until it was ripped to shreds.

I think you guys have got me convinced to skip buying light sabers...

Its funny you should mention that because I can't figure out where I want to hang it right now. I figure it will have to be high up and somewhere they don't have free access to all of the time. Maybe the stairway up to our playroom? There is a gate. Hmmm.

 

[PirateKate]

Maybe just high enough that the boys can't get to it? On the stairs should work, too. I'm sure they don't spend a lot of time playing on the stairs.

I once spent quite a bit of time making a book box for my boys. I had it covered in white paper with pictures of Buzz and Woody and cut out letters that said BOOKS. It lasted about a week before Landon started ripping the paper off and eating it.

Of course, the funny part is neither one of them will ever open a Christmas or birthday present.

 

[teachermommy78]

All caught up! Phew! I'm glad you took breaks because I never would have caught up!!! How I wish we were going a few weeks earlier or you were going a few weeks later! I think our families would get along GREAT! Maybe next time! You ARE going to do a TR, right?

 

[teachermommy78]

Can you tell me more about using a travel agent? Do you pay them?

 

[999ghostslover]

All caught up! Phew! I'm glad you took breaks because I never would have caught up!!! How I wish we were going a few weeks earlier or you were going a few weeks later! I think our families would get along GREAT! Maybe next time! You ARE going to do a TR, right?

I know! Especially since you are Pirate League kind of people. Those are my people.

Can you tell me more about using a travel agent? Do you pay them?

No, Disney pays them and just makes less profit. So the same rates you can find on your own your TA can find or you can even call them and tell them you have a pincode. My TA makes her own touring plan for your family, she laminates all of your ADRs and she is just a great reference to have. She has told me about all sorts of stuff that I did not even know about. It has been wonderful. A friend just got back from a trip with her as her TA and there was some kind of snafu with her ADR at Chef Mickey's and she called Angela in tears and Angela fixerd it on the spot. Dinner at Chef Mickey's on spring break! My friend would have been SOL without Angela. Becky recommended her on here and now Becky has become a TA through Angela's company. It is awesome. I would be happy to pass on her info if you want to book another trip. She can even book a bounce back if you get an offer in your room.

Maybe just high enough that the boys can't get to it? On the stairs should work, too. I'm sure they don't spend a lot of time playing on the stairs.

I once spent quite a bit of time making a book box for my boys. I had it covered in white paper with pictures of Buzz and Woody and cut out letters that said BOOKS. It lasted about a week before Landon started ripping the paper off and eating it.

Of course, the funny part is neither one of them will ever open a Christmas or birthday present.

That is funny. Yes, Colin is my first paper shredder. Any paper he gets he just shreds. It makes having a 6 year old--who personally kills a tree a day with all of the paper she brings homer from school and leaves everywhere--very hard.