DISers stalking DISers...continuing our friendship!

[Disneyolic]

Hi guys! happy Friday! I am getting so excited about our trip! I am so stressed right now with all of the end of the school year stuff and the kids all have spring fever. Glad I have my trip to keep me sane!

When does your school year end? Our doesn't end until June 22 - and that is the day we are leaving for Disney!!

Hiya all,

Been really busy the past week or so but missed you all, not at the end of all the posts yet but I thought I would chip in with a bit about UK property prices. We live in Liverpool in the UK in a 4 bedroom 3 and a half bath 2 garage detatched house which cost us £300,000 which is around $600000. We have council tax over here that depends on the value of your home ours costs £1500 a year. Our houses are really close together too.

Hi Andrea. Missed you lately but welcome back. I watch house hunting shows all the time and always see that it's expensive to live in the UK. Guess that's another place that I can cross off my list...

Ok my problem is, I dont know how to post pictures? I know how to send pictures to people via the email. I go to other boards where it is easy to post pictures. But, after almost 3 yrs on this board, I still dont know how?
I figured out how to post a picture of my foster dog in my profile..other then that I am computer challenged...

If you upload a picture onto Photobucket, they have a resizing tool there. Photobucket is sooooooooo easy even a caveman can do it!

 

[Crazy Kanga]

Hey DM, our school year ends May 22nd! Yippee Just a few more weeks!

 

[twob4him]

I have started to get my little things together, but that is it. The weekend before the trip, I will go and get the snacks, water, soda, sunscreen, etc. I do have a list in the kitchen that I add on to, so I don't forget anything. I will wash all the laundry on Tuesday, then pack on Wednesday. Thursday and Friday I will clean the house, change all sheets, clean out the car, etc. Friday night we will get it loaded, then leave between 8 and 9 on Sat. We should get to Orlando around 5 or 6. ... This year I am promising myself to stick to my timeline!!

That sounds like an excellent plan. Did you have the same one last year? I have school ending on Wed and Thursday I go into Disney mode overtime! Hopefully I will be mostly packed by then. Its just the laundry, cleaning and the last minute things that take longer than you think. My DD9 will be away until Sunday night and we leave at like 4:30 AM Monday morning!

 

[twob4him]

If you upload a picture onto Photobucket, they have a resizing tool there. Photobucket is sooooooooo easy even a caveman can do it!

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[Disneyolic]

I think I had better step up my plans. I am not very good when it comes down to the last week before we go. I tend to leave most things for the last minute. Otherwise, I go back and check, then recheck, and then my ACD kicks in (no I don't really have it, or do I?) and I have to check yet again.

This year I am utilizing Passporter's Sidekick ebook and it has such nice pages with check boxes that maybe I can actually rest easy once I pack an item and check it off.

At least I've got my dog all taken care of with his sitter. And she offered to do it for free again. I absolutely have to get her something though that she cannot decline. I thought of restaurant gift certificates. Also, she is going to Disney at the end of May with her mother and nieces. I thought maybe giving her some Disney gift cards and if she was uncomfortable about taking them for herself, then she could use them on her nieces. What do you all think?

 

[Disneyolic]

CK - That is a really nice pic of your boys. I really wanted to rent one of those when we stayed at the YC but we never did. We did like walking around the BoardWalk area sometimes at night.

You are staying at the S/D, right? I actually looked into the Swan for our upcoming trip. The deal breaker was the DDP which I think will really work for us. It really was a huge decision as we kept going back and forth.

 

[Crazy Kanga]

CK - That is a really nice pic of your boys. I really wanted to rent one of those when we stayed at the YC but we never did. We did like walking around the BoardWalk area sometimes at night.

You are staying at the S/D, right? I actually looked into the Swan for our upcoming trip. The deal breaker was the DDP which I think will really work for us. It really was a huge decision as we kept going back and forth.

Yes we are going to spend our first night at the Poly(Cm friend's discount ) and then move over to the Swan. I got the teacher rate of $149 plus I got a Starwood Amex card that has earned us 2 free nights. We just don't eat out alot at Disney so the DDP is not a good deal for us. We are light eaters and Dh and I almost always share a meal unless it is a buffet. We usually eat poptarts or granola bars for breakfast, eat out 1 large meal where we often share and then snack with stuff we bring from home for the other meal.

 

[SingingMom]

At least I've got my dog all taken care of with his sitter. And she offered to do it for free again. I absolutely have to get her something though that she cannot decline. I thought of restaurant gift certificates. Also, she is going to Disney at the end of May with her mother and nieces. I thought maybe giving her some Disney gift cards and if she was uncomfortable about taking them for herself, then she could use them on her nieces. What do you all think?

Definitely get the Disney Gift Cards since she has a trip planned.... I think that's a great idea, if she won't let you give her "cash" to pay for her time.

I just put my order in at church for 10 - $100 cards for our trip. Will use them toward all our meals, souveniers, gifts... This way we don't have to carry much cash, the credit card only holds the room (too bad Dolphin doesn't accept the cards, or we would use them to pay the room, too), the flights will be on this month's credit card, so that will be paid for, and our parish received 7% on the gift card purchase. They actually offer a $1000 card, but that makes me too nervous if God forbid we lost it - and even if we didn't, then only Bob or only I have it. 10 cards annoy me, too.. lol but we'll leave them in the safe and use them as we need them!

Are we really "Going to Disney" soon?!

 

[wendygrace]

Alright, let me see if I can make this work...

I did it! This is Danae, 3, Me, Michael, 4 and Mick (the fat, bald guy). Not a great picture but was taken last fall right before Michael's surgeries.

 

[SingingMom]

Was tonight her last night? I am waiting for you to post the pic...!

But I'll have some mighty toned fingers!

This year I am promising myself to stick to my timeline!!

Your timeline sounds very efficient and my fingers are mighty toned, too! Forget the rest of me....

Here's the best I can do .... You have to really look closely, but Dana is on the left, with her hair up, looking down as she's folding sheets - with her back against the arm chair..... can you see her??! My star. lol She STILL can't get over the disappointment of not getting the part she wanted... and aside from "Annie", who was FABULOUS - that child has raw talent - Dana was much better than a few of the casting choices. I know, I sound like a typical "stage mother", but I have to say, it's the truth! The director is a teacher who has "issues" with some staff members (me included) and I'm just happy that Dana will be moving on to high school next year. She's signed up to attend a two week Theatre Arts Workshop this summer at her new school, so she's REALLY excited about that. Hopefully that will be the experience she's looking for. (And that director will be out of the picture! lol)

 

[SingingMom]

Alright, let me see if I can make this work...

I did it! This is Danae, 3, Me, Michael, 4 and Mick (the fat, bald guy). Not a great picture but was taken last fall right before Michael's surgeries.

What a nice family! And you have a Danae, too! (we don't spell it with the e)

I love your description (the fat, bald guy)! He looks VERY nice! lol

You mentioned surgeries.. Is your little Michael ill?

 

[wendygrace]

Ok. This is our crazy, tentative plan. We are almost assured a stay at Give Kids the World (won't get confirmation as to where we are staying until two weeks prior).

24th - DTD
25th - MK in morning, Epcot in evening
26th - AK in morning followed by Studios (time dependant on how kids are feeling)
27th - the other parks
28th - Seaworld
29th - MK in the afternoon and evening
30th - DTD or GKTW and home in the evening.

 

[SingingMom]

Yes we are going to spend our first night at the Poly(Cm friend's discount ) and then move over to the Swan. I got the teacher rate of $149 plus I got a Starwood Amex card that has earned us 2 free nights. We just don't eat out alot at Disney so the DDP is not a good deal for us. We are light eaters and Dh and I almost always share a meal unless it is a buffet. We usually eat poptarts or granola bars for breakfast, eat out 1 large meal where we often share and then snack with stuff we bring from home for the other meal.

We really loved the Dolphin last year - I got the educator's discount, but this year we were able to get the employee rate from MetLife, so it was even better. Our breakfasts sound a lot like your's, Kanga, but share a dinner?! lol I WANT MY OWN! Even so, the DDP would still be too much for us, too. Sometimes we'll eat really light, especially if it is too hot out. Sometimes we'll go go go all day, then get something when we return to the hotel. I just wish the pool bar/grill stayed open past 5pm at the Dolphin - that was really good.

Love your bicycle photo.... we go to the "Jersey shore" every year, so the Boardwalk is a staple in our vacation lives.

 

[karibritt01]

That sounds like an excellent plan. Did you have the same one last year? I have school ending on Wed and Thursday I go into Disney mode overtime! Hopefully I will be mostly packed by then. Its just the laundry, cleaning and the last minute things that take longer than you think. My DD9 will be away until Sunday night and we leave at like 4:30 AM Monday morning!

I did have the same plan last year, but wasn't able to pull it off. Because I do home daycare, I had kids here until 6:30 Fri night, and couldn't get much accomplished. Some days I have more time than others! Wynn was planning to change the oil in the truck, then come help me inside. Long story short... it took him 5 hours and 2 trips to Pep Boys to get the job done, so he couldn't help me at all. This year he will be TAKING it to get the oil changed! I pulled it all together in the end. The house was straight (mostly) but not mopped or vacuumed. My room looked like a tornado went through, though! I really want to do better this year, because I hate to come home to a dirty house.

DM.. I saw that caveman pic coming a mile away! I use photobucket, too. I tried the photo section on here, but it would never accept the size of my pics. I figured we had our camera resolution set to high or something.

The gift cards are a great idea. She can use them for souvies... you can never have enough souvie money!

We thought about the S/D when booking our last trip, but we knew we would want the EMH. Last year I could have taken or left the DDP when planning, so that wasn't a big consideration. This year... we know how much it is truly worth, and wouldn't go without it.

 

[Disneyolic]

Thank you for posting your family picture Wendy! I love that pose. That would be a good pose for our family as it hides the "bottom"! I am now going to add a link on the first post to your family picture and update your itinerary.

SingingMom - I see Dana. I do! I do!

 

[wendygrace]

Thank you.

Yes, Michael is "ill" although you'd never know it. He's our hyper little whirlwind (if you see a crazy, brunette with a little girl under her arm yelling "Michael get over here" as she chases a preschooler, that's probably us!). Our trip is part of his wish (he wished to fly with Peter Pan). Michael will be starting a round of surgeries when we get back from the trip. Hopefully, this time will work. We are hoping to get all the opinions settled before the trip and decide on a plan so we can start right away afterwards. But he's a joy and he and his sister do an incredible job of moving through all the procedures. They deserve this trip and if all goes well, I am already tentatively planning another trip for Danae's 5th birthday in 1 1/2 yrs. LOL

My poor children are being neglected right now. As for packing, I have started a bag of the free stuff I've been receiving from the freebies thread like deodorant and toothpaste and such. 2oz of liquids in carry-on! How nuts is that!

 

[wendygrace]

OH yes, it does hide the "bottom" well on all three of us! (DS has an abdominal wall defect so he has a protruding stomach). I loved the pose but it took forever to get it as close to right as I wanted it.

I see Dana as well!! So cute! I was an aspiring actress as well and I played the part of "Duffy" in the play Annie. My first line "Can't anyone get any sleep around here?!". Gee, I can still remember the darn thing and I was 12!

Danae is pronounced like Janae, btw. I do like the name Dana as well. Dh wanted it to be a bit different though and he found dd's spelling in one of his books. .

 

[Disneyolic]

Oh boy...I guess I am getting into a big debate over on another thread that started out with someone asking about "Kids Nite Out" or "Fairy Godmothers". Someone is over there stating about ages kids start watching kids, etc., and it seems like she was "flaming" me for not agreeing that kids younger than 14 should babysit. I don't care what other people do, I have my own comfort levels. Why or why did I post???

 

[SingingMom]

We thought about the S/D when booking our last trip, but we knew we would want the EMH. Last year I could have taken or left the DDP when planning, so that wasn't a big consideration. This year... we know how much it is truly worth, and wouldn't go without it.

You can use EMH at the Swan & Dolphin, just not the DDP or the Disney airport pickup.

DDP sounds like you either REALLY love it or REALLY don't use it. I'm glad the option is there for the families that do use it.

 

[Disneyolic]

You can use EMH at the Swan & Dolphin, just not the DDP or the Disney airport pickup.

DDP sounds like you either REALLY love it or REALLY don't use it. I'm glad the option is there for the families that do use it.

When we went to the MK for just a day last October I calculated approximately how much we spent OOP for our meals for just that day. We grabbed a 2 bananas in the am as a snack and had lunch at the Crystal Palace. We then had a CS dinner at Pinocchio's Village Haus. Plus we did buy a frozen lemonade, some waters, and more popsicles for the kids. When I kind of added it all up, it came to definitely over $100 for the day. The DDP comes out to be $99.96 a day for all of us and that includes the snack, CS, and TS. I think it will definitely get our monies' worth using it. In fact, I am definitely going to keep a tab on what we actually spend this year doing the DDP as compared to what we "really" would have ordered (as we probably would not have gotten apps or desserts all the time) and see what the difference is.