Don’t you turn that commercial- it’s my 30 second Disney fix! TR Link Posted

[lbuzz52]

I’ve been ready to go back since we got home. I’ve had the resort, Caribbean Beach, picked out since before we went on our last trip. A return to the world just can’t come quick enough.

Most of the time, I can keep that desire to myself. ….. Except when all those commercials come on. You know, the ones filled with characters and castles and rides and children screaming in extreme excitement. Apparently, I stop what I am doing and stare and let out a huge sigh- according to my dh.

I don’t believe him- okay, well, maybe I do- but don’t tell him I said that. I just can't help it. And i probably wouldn't change it if i could. I try not to discuss it all the time. I know that Chris probably feels the same way about my Disney talk as most people do about that one coworker that never talks about anything besides her children. But between you and me, I’ve been keeping an eye on all the discounts as they come out. I’ve had plans as to what dates would work best for us to get away. Don’t flame me, but I’ve even been known to reserve some ADR’s…. just in case.

We went to WDW in October 09. It was the first trip for everyone other than myself in my immediate family. Along with myself, there was Chris, my dh; Maya, my dd (4 at the time); and James, my ds (9 months at the time). We also went with my mom, dad, sister, and nephew. We all shared a 2 bedroom at Saratoga Springs. And we had a pretty amazing time!

here's a couple pictures from MNSSHP -

And now we have a new trip planned! It’s going to be our first true family vacation with just the 4 of us. We’ve always been going to visit friends and family, or had someone with us, or we traveled a little before James was born. It’s going to be great!



I’ll going to start by introducing our crazy cast. Then’ I’ll get back to how this trip came about.

I’m Lauren - I recently turned 31 and asked for Disney Gift Cards for my Birthday. I didn’t have a trip planned then, but figured I knew I’d use them as soon as I got the chance. I grew up before the whole princess craze started so my favorite childhood Disney characters were the dalmations. My family and I went to Disney World 3 times as a child. I absolutely loved it- for years I swore I was going to work at Disney when I grew up. i remember thinking, how could you work here and NOT love your job? And for some reason my occupation of choice there was to be a street sweeper. I’d still like to work there someday, but I’ll probably push to have a different task assigned. In the meantime, I’m a flight coordinator for a family here in town that owns an airplane. Basically my work is a combination of pilot’s personal travel agent and office manager. I’m the original Disney lover in the house, the planner of the trips, and definitely the Disney feen.

Then there is my DH, Chris. He never had the joy of experiencing Disney as a child. In 2008, we went on a random day trip to DL once while visiting friends and the whole day he was saying so what’s the big deal? We only came across one character the whole day, who happened to take a break when we were third in line. I was pregnant with DS so all the big rides were out, and the others didn’t have any memories for him. Then it was time for the parade- he watched DD’s face light up and it started to click for him. He likes Disney now, but not in the same way that I do. It’s more an “it makes my whole family extremely happy and I have fun there”. I think my favorite Disney trip with him will be the first one we take our grandkids on. I can just picture his face now, telling them stories of when their parents were on their first Disney vacation, his heart filled with nostalgia.

Maya is 5.5, as she will tell you. She’s got a big personality and has never met a stranger. She’s quite the doting big sister- unless ds is trying to mess with her Disney figures! Then it’s game on. I’m not quite sure who her favorite Disney character is, and to be honest, I’m not sure she is either. Ariel will always hold a special place in her heart, although she tends to gravitate towards Rapunzel lately too. She’s starting to approach that age where my goofiness isn’t so appealing to her anymore, so I guess its about time to start planning ways to embarrass her in front of her friends LOL. Her birthday was right at the kindergarten cutoff. Our choices were have her be the oldest in her class, or the youngest. For many reasons, including some speech issues, we decided to let her be the oldest. So we are enjoying an extra few months of childhood with her that most don’t get to experience. She’ll start kindergarten the first week of August.

And finally there is James. He turned 2 about a month ago. On our last trip, “Mickey” left him a tubby little cubby all stuffed with fluff. Little did we know that would start an obsession. He now has 5 of the same Pooh Bears in rotation as his lovey. He also is becoming quite the fan of Buzz and “the mouse”. He’s a boy in every aspect of the word. If he’s not leaping off some piece of furniture, he’s cuddling up to momma. Last trip, he was just an infant. And while I have great memories of the awe he felt at the parades, at IASW, etc, he does not. Chris is most excited to see him meet his pooh bear up close. He surprised me at Christmas and walked right up to Santa like he’d been doing it all his life, so hopefully he will feel just as comfortable around the characters. I have a feeling he will be my roller coaster partner someday.

Next: how this trip came about

 

[Corrine 1973]

What a great intro to your PTR, I can't wait to read more. I love the pics and your kids are so cute.

I think our daughters would get along well. She also has a large personality. I guess with 3 brothers she needs to remind me every once and while that she is there. Like I could forget my princess.

 

[lbuzz52]

So, like I mentioned, I’m ready to go back always. We thought we may go last October- We LOVED that time of year. Halloween is my dh’s favorite holiday and it was just a blast for us. But ultimately, it was decided that it would be better for us to wait on James to age a bit. At that time, he was just over a year and a half, and barely talking at all. We just thought it would be difficult with the lack of speech- he would be old enough to be scared, hot, exhausted, etc but not have the skills to communicate it. I was pretty bummed about it. We said we would keep it on the table for Spring.

I knew that due to holidays, work schedules, etc the next time that we would be able to go would be May. So I canceled the Oct ADR’s. (Yes, I had made them- I really thought we would go) And in Nov I made reservations for May. I didn’t say anything to anybody about it- too many variables still to get any hopes up. And the main one was pricing- I just WONT pay full price. Plus, DH switched jobs a couple of months ago and while the pay is better, he won’t have paid vacations this year. We couldn’t pay full price now if we wanted to.

So- winter comes and the free dining promo comes out. I got all wound up only to see our dates weren’t covered. I held on to the ADR’s but didn’t go any further in planning. It just makes it more of a downer if it doesn’t work out. Then came another couple of discounts that covered our dates. One was a small room only, I think. And there was also a kids stay and play. Neither of those gave us much discount.

But, about a week ago, I was sent a pin for up to 40% off room only. I put our dates in and searched CBR for availability. Only pirate rooms. Not what we wanted. Maya has decides she is scared of two things- Bugs and Pirates. I started to think maybe it’s just not meant to be.

But 4 or 5 days later, they resent the same exact pin to me. I had thought it was because they had misspelled my last name in the original email. But I clicked through and did a double take when I saw that standard rooms were now available!!

It seemed like it took forever for the work day to end but you better believe as soon as it did I called reservations and put a room on hold!!! I figured I ought to get Chris to agree before actually paying for it LOL

Dh finally got home from work and I laid it out on the table for him. And guess what- not only was he on board, he surprised me by saying he’s been tossing a bit aside here and there to save for an unpaid vacation this year!!

I got wind on here that there were possibly some discounts coming at the beginning of March. I had until March 3rd to call and put down my deposit. So the first came and went and I had no pin codes in any of my family’s emails. I decided to go ahead and call the next morning to put the deposit down. I asked just in case though, and sure enough, the free dining pin was attached to my name! The promo was only free counter service dining- but the CM priced the trip out with upgrading to the regular dining and it was $93 less than the room only so I jumped over to that code!


So I swear I’ve not done anything this week but skim through Disney this and Disney that. I’ve spent my lunch the last couple of days trying to find a special tee shirt for my ds. And that’s almost all the planning I have under my belt at this point. Last trip, I was planning for 8- most of whom had never been. It was pretty important to me as it was the make or break trip for my DH. I knew that if that trip wasn’t awesome it wouldn’t be easy to get him back. While I don’t feel that I have to go to the extremes in preparation that I did last time, I do feel really, really behind. I’m realizing that there are a lot of changes since our last trip. I am not prepared!! And I don’t have long to get prepared! But it doesn’t matter because we are going back to the greatest place on Earth!!!!

Oh- I’ve been watching airline tickets too. They have been hovering in the 250-300 range. A few days before our pin they dropped to $215. I looked at the large number of seats left for our flight and considered the fact that I had not even officially booked yet and decided to wait. Now that I have booked they are back up to $250. I’ve got another week or two before I start really panicking on this though.

Maya is just as ready to go on vacation as I am. Only, it seems, she can’t make up her mind as to where. One day its’ Disney, the next it’s to see our friends at the beach, and another it’s to Chicago to meet Ty Blue from Shake It Up- the greatest dancer ever as she calls him. I’m so happy to be able to provide all three for her (in a way, at least). We will stay at our beach hotel in Disney. And while Ty Blue won’t be there, at least I can offer the Shake It Up show at DHS! James has no idea what he is in for. He just jumps up and down when the commercials come on, just like his big sissy. I just can’t wait to get him there. I just can’t wait to experience the whole “first time” with him (I know it’s not technically but I think it will be emotionally for him).

So, at this point, Chris and I cannot make up our minds as to if we want to tell the kids about it. I’m sort of leaning to telling them. I’m just not sure if I could keep it a secret! I also wonder if we will need to give James the same kind of preparation we did Maya. With her, we watched a ton of youtube to let her know what to expect on rides and with characters. I personally love the building excitement. If I surprised them, I have no idea how I would do. Plus, kids don’t always react in the same manner you expect them to. So what are your thoughts on this?

Next up: The basic schedule

 

[lbuzz52]

What a great intro to your PTR, I can't wait to read more. I love the pics and your kids are so cute.

I think our daughters would get along well. She also has a large personality. I guess with 3 brothers she needs to remind me every once and while that she is there. Like I could forget my princess.

WELCOME!

Thanks for the compliments about my babies!
Only one daughter in a house full of boys? That sounds like it could be interesting. Dd has that situation at her grandparents. She can go from the loud tomboy to sassy princess in a second's time. How old is your dd?

 

[lbuzz52]

So- on to a few of the pertinent details. I'm going to cover the basics and later go back with more detail including the crowd levels, what we hope to cover, clothes, etc.

WHEN- Tuesday, May 10th - Wednesday May 18th
WHERE- Carribean Beach Resort
WHO- Chris, Maya (5.5), James 2, and myself
WHAT- family vacation!!
WHY- why not? Plus we are squeezing in a trip before school starts and our
date choices become even more limited.


Tues, May 10th-
Travel day
airline tickets still have to be purchased, but should arrive around lunchtime.
We will check in at the hotel and explore a bit. Probably swim
dinner is at Ohana's*
try to catch the fireworks from Poly beach

Wed, May 11th-
MK

Thurs, May 12th-
Epcot (flower and garden)

Fri, May 13th-
AK

Sat, May 14th-
water park
nap
MK to see MSEP

Sun, May 15th-
DTD
nap
DHS for fantasmic

Mon, May 16th-
DHS

Tues, May 17th-
MK

Wed, May 18th
checkout
hopefully over to MK for a couple hours
flight home

so there's the basic schedule.
I'm not planning on much leaving the parks during the day. We will probably just make our evenings shorter as needed. I think that will work best for James.


Next up- ADR's and appointments.

 

[aprilfoolwed]

Thanks for checking out my PTR!

I hope you have a great "solo" family trip! I loved traveling with my family, and I think it was a great experience for my kids too. But I am looking forward to spending some quality time with just the 5 of us as well.

I am looking forward to reading more about your trip planning, and seeing how your first family vacation alone goes!

ps - Love that you are a babywearer! My kiddos are a bit too old for that now, but I did carry a sling with me on our first trip just in case the lines were a bit too long. I think we used it once in WDW!

 

[lbuzz52]

Thanks for checking out my PTR!

I hope you have a great "solo" family trip! I loved traveling with my family, and I think it was a great experience for my kids too. But I am looking forward to spending some quality time with just the 5 of us as well.

I am looking forward to reading more about your trip planning, and seeing how your first family vacation alone goes!

ps - Love that you are a babywearer! My kiddos are a bit too old for that now, but I did carry a sling with me on our first trip just in case the lines were a bit too long. I think we used it once in WDW!

Welcome!

it was great having the grands along for the first trip. They are so involved with my kids that they definitely deserved to experience the firsts with them. But we are looking forward to making our own memories this trip. My dh and I work mostly opposite hours to minimize the need for daycare so I can't wait to spend some time with him too!

We took the wrap and it definitely was helpful at times- like toting the kids and bags and everything on the plane. Ds didn't nap well when we went ok our trip so it was nice to have another nap option as well.

 

[lbuzz52]

Ok, on to ADR's and appointments.

Just a little note- my ds is 2 but can out-eat his sister. So sometimes we will share our plates, sometimes we will use snack or counter service credits, and we will probably pay out of pocket if needed. I have to play with the math some to see what would be the best to do out of pocket if necessary.

Also- if breakfast isn't specified, we will either have something in the room or use snack credits.


Tues May 10-

Breakfast- bring something from home for the plane
Lunch- we will likely grab something from the hotel CS.
Dinner- Last trip, we scheduled dinner our first night at Ohana's. Only it didn't happen because we managed to miss our flight. Between having to take a flight 4 hours later and then a 1 hour flight delay, we were not able to make our ADR. So this will be our re-do. I'm super excited about the bread pudding!

Wed, May 11-

MK

Both lunch and dinner will be counter service at MK. I'm not sure which yet. I think we will try Tortuga Tavern and Pinocchio Village Haus. Anyone have an idea as to how to predict if these two will be open?

Thurs May 12
EP

We are most interested in the restaurants here so we planned 2 ADR's this day. It should be okay because our list of must dos is a little shorter.

Lunch- Le Cellier
Dinner- Akershus.
Note- no one is very excited about this menu but willing to try it. So it may work out well that we won't be starving after a big lunch

Friday May 13
AK

Brunch- late breakfast at Tusker House
Dinner- either Yak n Yeti and Flame Tree or back at CBR, depending on when we finish the park

Sat May 14-
Waterpark and MSEP

Lunch- at the waterpark. Anyone have any tips as to how the food works here? not on the dining plan, right?
Dinner- 1900 Park Faire


Sun May 15-
DTD and F!

Lunch- at DTD, either WPE or Earls
Dinner- right now it's at Flying Fish on the boardwalk. If I were able to get a F! Reservation for after 4pm at Mama Melrose then I would cancel Flying Fish.

Mon May 16-
DHS

Lunch- 50's primetime
Dinner- pizza planet

Tues May 17-
MK

Breakfast- Crystal Palace
Lunch- ?
Dinner-?

Wed May 18-
Probably lunch at the airport

I have to go back through this because I think we are going to have to cut or do some out of pocket.


And Appointments-

James isn't really old enough to appreciate slot of the options. So I picked his for him. He will be getting his first haircut at Harmony Barber Shop on Wed the 11th. Yes, he will be 2 yrs and 3 mths. So thank goodness his hair is curly! *He is way overdue for a cut but I've trying to make it. If it wasn't curly then he would for sure have a mullet but thankfully the curls hide most of it!

I randomly discussed different options with Maya- the tea party with Alice, the pirate cruise, I'm not sure what else. She chose Bippity Boppity Bou-teacup (as she calls it). So she is scheduled for Sun May 15th at 1030 at the DTD location. When I called to make my appointment I was told that I needs to make it before noon because they have a Princess Parade for everyone that went to BBB that morning and the parade is at noon. And just a note- you must bring your own comb/brush.
We are doing the middle package- hair, makeup, and nails. We will probably just take one if the princess dresses she already has.


And I need some ideas- how have you told you kids about your trips in the past? (doesn't matter if it was before you left or a surprise once you got there). I'd love it if you guys could share what worked and what did not.

 

[Lidian]

Tues May 10-
Breakfast- bring something from home*
** * * * *for the plane
Lunch- we will likely grab something*
** * * * * from the hotel CS.
Dinner- *Last trip, we scheduled dinner*
** * * * our first night at Ohana's. Only it*
** * * * didn't happen because we*
** * * * *managed to miss our flight.*
** * * * Between having to take a flight 4*
** * * *hours later and then a 1 hour*
** * * *flight delay, we were not able to*
** * * *make our ADR. *So this will be*
** * * *our re-do. *I'm super excited*
** * * *about the bread pudding!
***
Wed, May 11-
MK
Both lunch and dinner will be counter service at MK. I'm not sure which yet. I * Think we will try Tortuga Tavern and Pinocchio Village Haus. Anyone have an idea as to how to predict if these two will be open? **
These should be open. We tried Pinocchio's in 2009 and it was good! Our faves are Columbia Harbour House and Cosmic Rays though ... so we're partial to them.

Thurs May 12
EP
We are most interested in the restaurants here so we planned 2 ADR's this day. It should be okay because our list of must dos is a little shorter.
Lunch- Le Cellier
Dinner- Akershus.*
** * * *Note- no one is very excited*
** * * *about this menu but willing to try*
** * * *it. So it may work out well that we*
** * * *won't be starving.
We had lunch at Akershus in 2009. DH loved the cuisine. I was less than thrilled with my entree (but it was a large family, and we all shared entrees). His was wonderful, as was my mom's and aunt's. I just got unlucky and ordered something that didn't suit my taste. However, I can honestly say NONE of us walked away hungry. We were stuffed!!! If you haven't checked out menus, I'd recommend it. If there isn't one on the main WDW site, try allears.net for theirs.

Friday May 13
AK
Brunch- late breakfast at Tusker House*
Dinner- either Yak n Yeti and Flame*
** * * * * *Tree or back at CBR,*
** * * * * depending on when we finish*
** * * * * the park
We had Y&Y in 2009 and Flame Tree last year. We prefer FL, and that's where we'll be eating lunch again this year, but you can't go wrong with either! The food court at CBR is nice, too! We did enjoy a meal or two there, as well.

Sat May 14-
Waterpark and MSEP
Lunch- at the waterpark. Anyone have*
***** * * *any tips as to how the food*
** * * * * *works*here?*
Dinner- 1900 Park Faire
We didn't care for the offerings at the WPs, so we either went to DTD or back to CBR for our lunch. But allears.net has menus listed, so you can see if they offer something your family will enjoy! 1900 PF is one place I really want to visit! I'm so jealous!

Sun May 15-
DTD and F!
Lunch- at DTD, either WPE or Earls
Dinner- right now it's at Flying Fish on*
** * * * the boardwalk. If I were able to*
** * * * *get a F! Reservation for after*
** * * * * 4pm at Mama Melrose then I*
** * * * *would cancel Flying Fish.
WPE or Earls sounds soo good right now! We're huge fans of WPC, so we usually skip the counter for a table! It's DH's must do every year. (Yes, he'd make me cancel our trip if I couldn't get us a table at WPC. )

Mon May 16-
DHS
Lunch- 50's primetime
Dinner- pizza planet
We're excited to try 50s PTC this year ourselves! Perhaps you can recap once you come back and let us know how you felt about it!

Tues May 17-
MK
Breakfast- Crystal Palace
Lunch- ?
Dinner-?

Wed May 18-*
Probably lunch at the airport

I have to go back through this because I think we are going to have to cut or do some out of pocket.*

*
And Appointments-

James isn't really old enough to appreciate slot of the options. So I picked his for him. He will be getting his first haircut at Harmony Barber Shop on Wed the 11th. Yes, he will be 2 yrs and 3 mths. So thank goodness his hair is curly! *He is way overdue for a cut but I've trying to make it. If it wasn't curly then he would for sure have a mullet but thankfully the curls hide most of it!*
How wonderful! I always wanted to have my child's first cut at WDW, but it never worked out that way.

I randomly discussed different options with Maya- the tea party with Alice, the pirate cruise, I'm not sure what else. She chose Bippity Boppity Bou-teacup (as she calls it). So she is scheduled for Sun May 15th at 1030 at the DTD location. When I called to make my appointment I was told that I needs to make it before noon because they have a Princess Parade for everyone that went to BBB that morning and the parade is at noon. And just a note- you must bring your own comb/brush.
We are doing the middle package- hair, makeup, and nails. We will probably just take one if the princess dresses she already has.*
I see the little girls who do BBB and they are just zomg adorable! If I booked DD9 for this, she wouldn't go with the princess one, she'd do the pop star. She will have a blast! We watched the Fairy Godmother's one afternoon and they are just amazing with the little ones!

And I need some ideas- how have you told you kids about your trips in the past? (doesn't matter if it was before you left or a surprise once you got there). I'd love it if you guys could share what worked and what did not.
In the past, we just sat them down and was out with it. This year, they'll find out as we're driving under the WDW gate. However, I think that on the next non-surprise trip, that their favorite character will leave them a note with a toy/plush inviting them to WDW to visit them.
*

Jumping in! You have a beautiful family!

Loving your PTR! And you will love CBR! We stayed there last year and had a blast! Our older one loved the main pool, and both kiddos loved the water playground.

I've added in my opinions above. I can't wait to read more!

 

[lbuzz52]

Jumping in! You have a beautiful family!

Loving your PTR! And you will love CBR! We stayed there last year and had a blast! Our older one loved the main pool, and both kiddos loved the water playground.

I've added in my opinions above. I can't wait to read more!

thanks for stopping by!

Glad to hear that Akershus isn't all bad. I hear such good things about the character interaction that it is a must do for us.

I'm also glad to hear that you loved CBR. It seems that once there was enough for some. My friend stayed there and had issues with the bussing. She had previously stayed at resorts that had only a few stops at most so the large number of stops wasn't preferred by her family. we have only stayed at Saratoga, which had 6 or 7 stops i think, so i dont think CBR will be much different from what we know.

I am hoping Tortuga will be open- it wasn't when we last went. we ended up eating at Pecos Bills a couple of times and could do without it. We did try CHH and will probably go back there this time.

As for the AK CS- my dh is a huge BBQ fan, my dd- not so much. so i could see us going to both places.

We ate at 50's PT last time. Everyone enjoyed it. dd can't wait to have another PBJ milkshake!

I think i know what area i want to request at CBR but before i spill what are your opinions?

 

[lbuzz52]

i'm going to change my planning posts to purple

More on the appointments-

Yesterday my extended family met at Mom and Dad's for dinner. i told the adults that we were going back to WDW! The first thing said was "so you have a haircut scheduled, right?" I told you that his haircut was overdue!

So- if i were to trim it, is that cheating? Would it still count as his first haircut since he technically will have never had a public haircut? what do you think?

And now i'm glad that i booked BBB. This weekend, we were looking at pictures from our last trip. DD looked at me and said- momma, that isn't Buzz, that is just a man in a suit. I said what, and she said, Just Kidding! But then later that day, she asked me what the garden statues next door weren't talking like Gnomeo and Juliet

So while i think, based on the whole picture and not any one conversation, that she still believes, it just made me realize that the time until she doesn't could come at any moment. Who knows when we will return after this, and by then she could be completely out of the princess time of her life. so this may be my last shot and i dont want to miss it!

 

[lbuzz52]

Oh my airline tickets- they are goign to make me cry!!
Like i mentioned, they dropped a couple of weeks ago to a great price of $215- but we didn't officially know we were going so i didn't make reservations. Well, i checked today and they are at $376 a person!
That is a HUGE difference when you are buying 4 tickets. i'm going to hope its a fluke and that when i check later they will be back down some. i'm so sad that i couldn't take advantage of those prices before. i'm not sure that they will go that low again because of the darn gas!!


BUT- I dont' want to think of that right now... so on with the planning info


Day 1- AKA Arrival Day


Morning-

Hopefully, we will be on a nonstop Delta flight, arriving into MCO at 1130am. Hop on the ME and arrive at CBR i guess in the 1230 pm to 130 pm range (Does this sound right?)

I don't know if i am going to do online check in- i've read its not as easy to adjust room requests if needed if you check in online?


Lunch and afternoon-

We will check in and then head over to eat at the Food Court. Any recommendations?

Hopefully we will be in our room by then. We will then slather on the sun tan lotion so we can explore the area. We'll probably check out the feature pool and the beach in our village.


Dinner and Evening-

Then we will get cleaned up for Dinner. our first bus ride of the trip will take us to the polynesian for Ohana's! Our ADR is at 6:40. I've heard that it isn't unheard of to run late there though. My preference would be to be done with the meal in time to hit the beach to watch the fireworks. If we get a late start, maybe we will be lucky enough to get a table near the windows.

Do they still have photopass people in the lobby there? If so i may just try to get some- it may be one of the few times all week we aren't sweaty.

I'm PRETTY sure that i am going to have Maya wear this-

I'm not as sure about James. Probably one of these two. It really just depends i guess on which looks better next to Maya's. I've had all those outfits put up in a bin for months so its hard to remember what they look like in real life.

Option 1-

Option 2-

I'm thinking the coloring will probably work best with option 1.


Question of the day: What are some things you MUST pack now that a first or second timer may forget?

 

[mommy2girlswv]

Oh my airline tickets- they are goign to make me cry!!
Like i mentioned, they dropped a couple of weeks ago to a great price of $215- but we didn't officially know we were going so i didn't make reservations. Well, i checked today and they are at $376 a person!
That is a HUGE difference when you are buying 4 tickets. i'm going to hope its a fluke and that when i check later they will be back down some. i'm so sad that i couldn't take advantage of those prices before. i'm not sure that they will go that low again because of the darn gas!!


BUT- I dont' want to think of that right now... so on with the planning info


Day 1- AKA Arrival Day


Morning-

Hopefully, we will be on a nonstop Delta flight, arriving into MCO at 1130am. Hop on the ME and arrive at CBR i guess in the 1230 pm to 130 pm range (Does this sound right?)

I don't know if i am going to do online check in- i've read its not as easy to adjust room requests if needed if you check in online?


Lunch and afternoon-

We will check in and then head over to eat at the Food Court. Any recommendations?

Hopefully we will be in our room by then. We will then slather on the sun tan lotion so we can explore the area. We'll probably check out the feature pool and the beach in our village.


Dinner and Evening-

Then we will get cleaned up for Dinner. our first bus ride of the trip will take us to the polynesian for Ohana's! Our ADR is at 6:40. I've heard that it isn't unheard of to run late there though. My preference would be to be done with the meal in time to hit the beach to watch the fireworks. If we get a late start, maybe we will be lucky enough to get a table near the windows.

Do they still have photopass people in the lobby there? If so i may just try to get some- it may be one of the few times all week we aren't sweaty.

I'm PRETTY sure that i am going to have Maya wear this-

I'm not as sure about James. Probably one of these two. It really just depends i guess on which looks better next to Maya's. I've had all those outfits put up in a bin for months so its hard to remember what they look like in real life.

Option 1-

Option 2-

I'm thinking the coloring will probably work best with option 1.


Question of the day: What are some things you MUST pack now that a first or second timer may forget?

I hope the prices go back down. Also, hope you make your ADR this time around. I like both options, but 2 more. I've been planning out my dd's outfits for the trip too..

 

[Lidian]

thanks for stopping by!

Glad to hear that Akershus isn't all bad. I hear such good things about the character interaction that it is a must do for us.

I'm also glad to hear that you loved CBR. It seems that once there was enough for some. My friend stayed there and had issues with the bussing. She had previously stayed at resorts that had only a few stops at most so the large number of stops wasn't preferred by her family. we have only stayed at Saratoga, which had 6 or 7 stops i think, so i dont think CBR will be much different from what we know.

As for the AK CS- my dh is a huge BBQ fan, my dd- not so much. so i could see us going to both places.

I think i know what area i want to request at CBR but before i spill what are your opinions?

The Princesses were AMAZING at Akershus. DS was 3 at the time, and terrified. But they worked well in playing along with his fear and made it special for all of us. DD wore a Princess shirt (it had most of the Princesses and it lit up when she moved), and they all "ooohhhed" and "ahhhhed" over it and pointed out their friends and made a comment about each one of the Princesses and loved to see themselves.

When we stayed at CBR, we had a pirate room for the kids. We did have some bus issues, but it wasn't enough to make us dislike the resort or complain or anything. We'd gladly stay there again! I don't have any opinions on villages or rooms, I think they'd all be nice, but that's just me. It really was a gorgeous resort - and we only didn't consider it this year because we want to try ALL of the resorts!

I am NOT a BBQ person. I don't like it, and I refused to consider it in 2009. However, when we walked near FL, the aroma made my mouth water. So last year, I insisted we try it, and it was absolutely delicious!! (Granted, this is just my opinion.)

So- if i were to trim it, is that cheating? Would it still count as his first haircut since he technically will have never had a public haircut? what do you think?

I totally vote that a light trim is not a cut!

Oh my airline tickets- they are goign to make me cry!!
Like i mentioned, they dropped a couple of weeks ago to a great price of $215- but we didn't officially know we were going so i didn't make reservations. Well, i checked today and they are at $376 a person!
That is a HUGE difference when you are buying 4 tickets. i'm going to hope its a fluke and that when i check later they will be back down some. i'm so sad that i couldn't take advantage of those prices before. i'm not sure that they will go that low again because of the darn gas!!
I hope prices go back down for you! My fingers are crossed it was a typo in their system.

Day 1- AKA Arrival Day

Morning-

Hopefully, we will be on a nonstop Delta flight, arriving into MCO at 1130am. Hop on the ME and arrive at CBR i guess in the 1230 pm to 130 pm range (Does this sound right?)
Yep!
I don't know if i am going to do online check in- i've read its not as easy to adjust room requests if needed if you check in online?
I've actually heard it was the other way around. We've never requested anything specific about the room - just booked what we wanted and waited until we arrived to see where they put us. We think of it like Christmas.

Lunch and afternoon-

We will check in and then head over to eat at the Food Court. Any recommendations?
I don't remember what we ate last year, but I do recall everyone agreeing our meals were delicious!
Hopefully we will be in our room by then. We will then slather on the sun tan lotion so we can explore the area. We'll probably check out the feature pool and the beach in our village.

Dinner and Evening-

Then we will get cleaned up for Dinner. our first bus ride of the trip will take us to the polynesian for Ohana's! Our ADR is at 6:40. I've heard that it isn't unheard of to run late there though. My preference would be to be done with the meal in time to hit the beach to watch the fireworks. If we get a late start, maybe we will be lucky enough to get a table near the windows.
Don't forget to give yourselves plenty of time to get there in case buses are backed up!
Do they still have photopass people in the lobby there? If so i may just try to get some- it may be one of the few times all week we aren't sweaty.

Question of the day: What are some things you MUST pack now that a first or second timer may forget?[/COLOR][/COLOR]

I'm an over-packer. We didn't forget anything our first year (and I learned what I could leave at home the 2nd year) ... but I do recommend OTC meds - you never know when you'll get an upset tummy! I went through a whole bottle of Pepto in 2009. I was thankful I had some in my suitcase - so DH wasn't out at 4AM searching for some!

 

[lynlink]

Yay for a PTR!! I'm so excited for you guys!
Ok, 1st I have to say I'm thrilled you are going to MK on your 1st full day. That's always been what DH wanted DS to see his 1st day. The castle!!
But it just hasn't worked out that way so far. Maybe our next trip!

Next, I think you will like CBR. It was just a bit too big for my taste and too many bus stops. I like to get on the bus and maybe only have 1 stop until we get to the park. CBR is beautiful though - you just have to take the time to walk around and explore. The pools are awesome and the beaches and hammocks were cool too. I think our trip last yr wasn't as great b/c DH got in his wreck 3 days before we left. So he was all banged up and trying his best to be in a good mood. But the wreck definitely rained on our parade.
I really do think you will like it. I vote for Jamaica for a std room.

We did online check-in at CBR last trip and it was fine. At 1st we didn't get the building that we had requested but I asked if they could check if a room was available and it was! It was no problem at all to switch. She just did a few clicks in the computer and then reprinted our keys to the world. All with a smile on her face...and mine!!

I would say a trim to James' hair would be fine. As long as you do it and it's just a "trim". Make sure you save a lock from WDW though!!

On a side note and just because we have been friends for yrs (how many anyhow?).
I told you should have booked those flights!!!!
But I do hope a cheap flight comes through for you! I will keep my eye on them as well for ya!

 

[sl_underwood]

Im on board! We will also be staying at CBR, just shortly after you get back. Your children are precious, just love those curls.

 

[lbuzz52]

I hope the prices go back down. Also, hope you make your ADR this time around. I like both options, but 2 more. I've been planning out my dd's outfits for the trip too..

i hope i make it too! i think it sounds like the perfect mini-start to the trip. i just hope that we can pass MK without giving into the temptation to enter... i think i'll have the hardest time

The Princesses were AMAZING at Akershus. DS was 3 at the time, and terrified. But they worked well in playing along with his fear and made it special for all of us. DD wore a Princess shirt (it had most of the Princesses and it lit up when she moved), and they all "ooohhhed" and "ahhhhed" over it and pointed out their friends and made a comment about each one of the Princesses and loved to see themselves.

I'm really excited for this one! we did CRT last time, and while it was a great experience, the character interaction felt rushed. Not that DD noticed one bit!

When we stayed at CBR, we had a pirate room for the kids. We did have some bus issues, but it wasn't enough to make us dislike the resort or complain or anything. We'd gladly stay there again! I don't have any opinions on villages or rooms, I think they'd all be nice, but that's just me. It really was a gorgeous resort - and we only didn't consider it this year because we want to try ALL of the resorts!

I think i want to make a request- i'll detail futher in a later post. And maybe we will try the pirate rooms later when ds is older.

I am NOT a BBQ person. I don't like it, and I refused to consider it in 2009. However, when we walked near FL, the aroma made my mouth water. So last year, I insisted we try it, and it was absolutely delicious!! (Granted, this is just my opinion.)

Yeah! I don't mind BBQ at all, but we have some good BBQ here- so its got a lot to live up to. i also love Chinese so my original thought was to let me dd sway my decision. but it sounds like i may not be able to once i walk past FT.

I totally vote that a light trim is not a cut!

I am going to TRY not to trim at all- but if i do end up having to, i'm sure it will be crooked so maybe the barber wont' be able to tell

I'm an over-packer. We didn't forget anything our first year (and I learned what I could leave at home the 2nd year) ... but I do recommend OTC meds - you never know when you'll get an upset tummy! I went through a whole bottle of Pepto in 2009. I was thankful I had some in my suitcase - so DH wasn't out at 4AM searching for some!

I felt that most everything we brought was put to good use.
one thing we wished we had brought was cups for the kids to drink out of. SSR had regular glass drinking cups and they were a bit heavy for the kids.
This time, i vow to pack my bathing suit!

 

[lbuzz52]

Yay for a PTR!! I'm so excited for you guys!
Ok, 1st I have to say I'm thrilled you are going to MK on your 1st full day. That's always been what DH wanted DS to see his 1st day. The castle!!
But it just hasn't worked out that way so far. Maybe our next trip!

i can't remember- do you guys usually tour the first day? even a partial day works in my books.

Next, I think you will like CBR. It was just a bit too big for my taste and too many bus stops. I like to get on the bus and maybe only have 1 stop until we get to the park. CBR is beautiful though - you just have to take the time to walk around and explore. The pools are awesome and the beaches and hammocks were cool too. I think our trip last yr wasn't as great b/c DH got in his wreck 3 days before we left. So he was all banged up and trying his best to be in a good mood. But the wreck definitely rained on our parade.
I really do think you will like it. I vote for Jamaica for a std room.

you are right, that was bad timing. Poor B, it wears you out on any given day, but add that pain to the mix... he's stronger than i am for sure. I'm so very completely excited to see this resort. i want the sand between my toes!
i need to go check out the resort thread (among many others). did you eat there much?

We did online check-in at CBR last trip and it was fine. At 1st we didn't get the building that we had requested but I asked if they could check if a room was available and it was! It was no problem at all to switch. She just did a few clicks in the computer and then reprinted our keys to the world. All with a smile on her face...and mine!!

did you notice if the online or regualr check in was shorter?

I would say a trim to James' hair would be fine. As long as you do it and it's just a "trim". Make sure you save a lock from WDW though!!

if i have to trim anything it will be just around his ears. and i most certainly will save some!

On a side note and just because we have been friends for yrs (how many anyhow?). oh my goodness, i think its going on 15! I feel OLD

I told you should have booked those flights!!!!
But I do hope a cheap flight comes through for you! I will keep my eye on them as well for ya!

You are right!!! i should have! i just kept telling myself if we have to change the flights then the change fee will outweigh the difference. i didn't anticipate such a large increase so quickly. the good news is they are back down some this morning- so i will watch at the magic hours today and tomorrow and see what happens. (p.s.- what are BMB's's wdw opinions? i'm surprise she hasn't gone yet)

Im on board! We will also be staying at CBR, just shortly after you get back. Your children are precious, just love those curls.

thanks for the compliments and thanks for joining in! What are you looking forward to at CBR?

 

[lbuzz52]

I'm still completing our must do list for our first park, MK.

In the meantime, I thought i'd ask another question and share a few MK pictures from our first trip.

So without further ado- the question of the day

What WDW memory always makes you laugh so hard you could cry?

Here is mine-
Last trip, DD was 4. Quite an independent age. Well, we were on our way to load for the Jungle Cruise, all 8 of us. If you remember, there is a decent size step into the boat. I ask Maya if she needs any help. She of course replies, "no, i've got it". I position myself on one side of her, my mom on the other. She proceeds to step into the boat and realizes its a larger step than she anticipated. She could have grabbed my hand, or my moms. There was even a pole there. What does she grab?



the skipper's crotch!

and to make matters worse, the skipper on the cb saw it. "I'm not going to lie, that's freak-y"

That was the longest ride of my life.
_________________________________________________________


And here is a 10 second recap of our first Mk day-

Last trip, we spent quite a bit of time at MK- 2 full days, plus a breakfast ADR/evening MNSSHP day, plus a couple hours on departure day. I imagine it will be similar this time.

on our first day we had great low crowds- it was hot though. I was glad i had purchased Maya's autograph book ahead of time becuase we saw so many characters that day.

we had out first glimpse of the castle!

Alice and the White Rabbit

snow white

Lady Tremaine and the Stepsisters

Pinnochio

we high fived gepetto

Maya learned to hula hoop and play duck duck goose

even James had a blast!

tink came to see us

We saw both Celebrate and Spectro

we shook hands with some Dwarfs

and some how, in between all that, we managed to ride pretty much everything we had on our list for that day.

 

[lbuzz52]

Our first park touring will be at the Magic Kingdom!

Here is what touring plans has to say-
Today the Magic Kingdom has the lowest crowd level of the week
•Crowd Level: 2.8 out of 10

The hours are 9 am to 9pm
Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade at 3 pm
Wishes at 9 pm

The historical crowd tracker has our first Mk day from last trip at a 3.4. Granted, the way things were calculated were different then- but if the crowds are similar then it will be a great day! we got so much done!

We have no ADR's this day. our only appointment is at Harmony Barber Shop at 4:00. I have faith that my kids will be just as enthusiatic about Celebrate this time as they were last trip. We may actually head towards Main Street to watch it. Last time we stuck to Frontierland and it worked great! But i'm not sure that would leave enough time to get there if we did that this time.

My number one must do is Space Mountain. I have never been able to ride this. As a child I was chicken! and last trip it was being refurbished.


Here are all the Must Do's- without talking over with the kids. I'm going to list them all here but obviously some will carry over to our second MK day.

Must do's-

Dumbo
IASW
Teacups
Pooh
Philharmagic
Peter Pan
Buzz
Speedway
Aladdin's Carpets
Haunted Mansion
Splash
Space *does this have a single rider line?
BTMRR
Pirates
Jungle Cruise
Rapunzel Meet and Greet
Mickey/ Minnie Meet and Greet
Princess Meet & Greet
Tiana Meet & Greet


If time permits:

Monster's Inc
Regal Carousel
Snow White
Tom Sawyer's
Railroad
Riverboat
Hall of Presidents


James will be too small for the three mountains. I think maybe one of us will stay with him at the playground under Splash while we utilize the Baby Swap for BTMRR & Splash. I'm not as worried about Space because i'm don't think Maya will end up on that one anyway.


I have not yet made an official touring plan. I probably will just in case we need it. But at this time, my general thought is Fantasyland and
Tomorrowland for this day. and maybe some FP for the mountains too.

We will stay until we tire. We will have seen wishes the night before and have a couple of additional chances.

So what do you think?

I'm not sure what they are wearing yet-