Family of 6, plus friends, 2 b-days; 17 nts, X-mas @ DW ~1st trip ever! PTR

[Piscesqueen]

Welcome to our story!

Hello All,

Ok, so this will be my first attempt at a PTR, well any TR for that matter. I’ve been a lurker on DIS for some time now but haven’t done a whole lotta participating. I think it’s time that’s changed; don’t you? Well, if you find anything in my PTR interesting, hopefully you’ll follow the many adventures of our big family’s first DW trip!

This is our absolutely very first trip to Disneyworld. DD16 and I went to DL for her 9th birthday but left the little ones home with DH since they were so young at the time. Our kids have wanted to go for years now and because of their bugging us all the time, we told our kids that when our youngest was 6 years old (old enough to remember the trip) we would all go. We weren’t the biggest Disney fans (we were fans though) at the time and didn’t really expect them to remember….yeah right!

DS6 turned 6 on Jan. 19th of this year and ON HIS BIRHTDAY, the other kids were all “Yay, now we get to go to Disneyworld!” It was sooo funny! DH and I figured we better get serious with the trip planning. And when I say “we” I really mean me! I do all our family vacation planning and husband just sits back and enjoys the ride.

Good thing for me that I had already begun planning our trip for Christmas of 2010. I even already had part of our vacation booked (original plans have changed since then). So I told the rest of the family on DS6’s birthday that for their X-mas present this year we would be going to DW. To say they were excited would be an understatement.

Needless to say, once I got serious about this vacation planning I found myself becoming obsessed with all things Disney related. I went from being blasé to obsessed with DW. I got so into it that I made my kids sick of hearing about DW. Can you believe that…they actually got sick of me talking about all things Disney!

Ok, so I told one of my BFF’s about our trip because I knew she was a DW die hard (well, IMO she’s a die-hard at going 8 times) and guess what….she’s going too! Her birthday and her daughter’s 21st birthday will be during our trip and so she thought it would be perfect for them to join us for part of our stay. She and her daughter will be joining us for 8 days; how awesome is that!

Onto the details:

Cast: Family of 6; Me- Xaviera , DH-Jeremy, DD 16-Ariana, DS10-Antaun, DD9-A’zia, and DD6-Avery. BFF-Michelle, BFF DD21-Brystle.

When: December 3-20, 2010 (Yay, 17 days at DW); BFF & BFFDD Dec. 8-16.

Where: We will be staying OS through our timeshare. First, Silver Lake Resort and then Hilton Seaworld; 3 bedroom condos at both resorts (yes, we need the space). BFF & BFFDD will be staying at the ASM on-site. Oh my god, I forgot to tell her about Free Dining; I better get on that so she can take advantage of FREE FOOD!

Meet the crew:

This is DH (Jeremy) and I (Xaviera): We've been together for many years but only actually got married 08-08-08. Our honeymoon was originally going to be DW (even had it booked with flights) but we changed our minds because of fear of August heat.

This is BFF Michelle and I: Michelle and I met so many years ago that I can't even remember when. She was also a Bridesmaid in my wedding. Very, very awesome chick; couldn't meet anyone sweeter!

This is DD16 Ariana: Ariana is our "Almost Never Smiles" teenager. She acts tough but deep down has a heart made of complete gold. She's my best friend and sidekick.

This is DS10 Antaun: We call Antaun our Boy Genius because he is so intelligent. I love my son, I really do but he is a prime example of how complex minds can't handle simple things. He tends to sometimes be a little slow when it comes to common sense .

This is DD9 A'zia (Asia): My precious A'zia is my princess. She is one of the sweetest and most caring little girls you'll ever meet. But, when it comes to her brothers messing with her, my princess can turn into a spitfire; I love it!

This is DS6 Avery: This little boy is freakin' hilarious! He is the comedian of the family and constantly keeps us cracking up at his antics and jokes. He's always been the center of attention in our family and he refuses to settle for less.

So, you've met our crew and next I'll give you more details of our trip.

Thanks for reading and hopefully you'll enjoy the ride.

Oh and, I apologize if the pics are huge (or too small); I've never added pics to a post before.

Much Love,
Piscesqueen

 

[Piscesqueen]

More Info...

We had originally planned a 13 night stay at FW but then later decided to utilize our TS instead because we were worried about the kids getting cold and cranky at night due to the December weather (we’ve never been to FL but didn’t want to take a chance on cold weather). Plus, we also wanted the added space and comfort of home...even though I don't like to cook on vacation.

When we originally were going to stay at FW, we were going to get a 10-day hopper but when we decided to stay OS, we changed plans and extended our time in FL. Now we are getting AP’s for the whole family with TiW card.

So you know what that means, right? A second trip planned for DW before we even start our first!! We are now planning to take the kids back for MNSSHP in October 2011!! Isn’t that sooo cool?!

Plus, now instead of going to DW for the 10 park days like we originally planned, we now get to go ALL 16 DAYS!! We were originally a little bummed about missing out on the EMH’s but then figured it was going to be okay since we would be there so long…and going back again!

We were also originally going to get the DDP because Mama doesn’t like to always cook while on Vacation. So when we changed our plans we had to find an alternative. We know how expensive dining out can get, especially for a family of 6, and so we researched (well, I researched) and found out about Tables in Wonderland. What an awesome program! It gives us off-siters a chance at discounted Disney TS meals. I love it already. I almost think it’s better than DDP because we can each what we want, the way we want. The biggest plus…it includes alcohol, yeah baby!! Me and DH are beer drinkers and this will definitely come in handy.

Once we decided to stay OS we were worried about all the extras we would miss out on, i.e. dining plan, Disney transportation (is it true anyone can use this?), free parking, EMH’s, etc. But with the benefits of AP’s & TiW, we now feel like we’re not missing out on much.

I've been making and changing ADR's since the 180 day window open and so far we've got every single one we wanted. My family are big eaters; especially my oldest son. It doesn't matter how busy my kids are, they will always want to eat! You would think I had all teenagers. So for this reason, we have 1 or 2 TS's reserved for every single day of our trip; they love TS meals. My kids could seriously be on the DxDP and be happy.

We plan on using the TiW card for our TS meals and have reserved accordingly except for T-Rex. My youngest son LOVES Dino's and so I thought he'd get a kick out of that place. Plus, our AP's will get us 10% off! Later I will post our ADR's; there are alot of them.

When we arrive it will be really late at night and so we don't plan on doing anything that night but our first full day we plan on having a character meal at Chef Mickeys for dinner or 1900 Park Fare for breakfast; which would you all suggest?

I keep hearing mixed reviews on MVMCP and so I'm still undecided if we are going to attend this. DH wants to because of the X-mas spirit but I just don't know if it's worth the added expense. I hear it's so crowded that you can't even enjoy yourself (any feedback would be appreciated). But if we do attend we'd like to go Dec. 9th.

While we are there it with be Michelle & Brystle's birthdays. Brystle will be turning 21 and so we are going out to celebrate. We were thinking of Universal since they have more nightclub/bar options but if anyone has any suggestions for DW property, we'd love to hear them. I'm hoping Michelle's Fiance will be able to make the trip so that my DH isn't stuck with 3 women thw whole night.

Okay, so that gives you all a little more info on our trip and I will keep adding more and hope you all don't get too bored with me .

Much Love,
Piscesqueen

 

[poohbearluver]

Congrats on your first trip! Your kids are so adorable. Your trip sounds like tons of fun! And to already have another one planned, even better. Can't wait to read more!

 

[Piscesqueen]

Congrats on your first trip! Your kids are so adorable. Your trip sounds like tons of fun! And to already have another one planned, even better. Can't wait to read more!

Thank you so much! I love the heck out of my kiddies, they are the funniest little people ever!!

I'm so glad to have a reader, your now my favorite person .

We are very excited and can't wait for the trip. My kids keep talking about it and counting down. Since this is our first time going it's even more exciting. We haven't told them about the second trip yet because that one will be a surprise for them.

Hopefully I'll get more readers because I could use all the info/advice I can get!

Much Love,
Piscesqueen

 

[ashg8r]

Hey there! Enjoyed seeing pics of your adorable family - sounds like you guys have a fantastic trip put together, can't wait to see where all your ADR's are!

 

[Piscesqueen]

Hey there! Enjoyed seeing pics of your adorable family - sounds like you guys have a fantastic trip put together, can't wait to see where all your ADR's are!

Thank you so much for the support! I'm so glad to have another reader.

We have a ton of ADR's because I wanted to keep our options open. I'll be cancelling some of them as we get closer to our dates.

I know for a fact that our plans will change a few more times before we leave because I can't make up my darn mind about this or that.

Disney has so many options and things to do that I'm having a hard time deciding and DH just keeps saying "Just tell me where to be and when." Darn him!

Much Love,
Piscesqueen

 

[Piscesqueen]

So What's the Problem...?

Okay so now I'm faced with a new problem (if that's what you can even call it)....

As I mentioned above, we are planning a second trip to DW for Halloween next year so that we can get more out of our AP's (not premium).

Well, I originally really wanted to go to DL for Halloween but didn't want to waste our WDW AP privileges.....well, I just found out about the Premier Passport that allows you to get into BOTH LOCATIONS!!

Now how is this a problem you ask....

The price increase is $1200 from our original dollar amount. I'm not too sure DL is worth that much more when we can just return to WDW for Halloween.

I've been listing some pros and cons but I'm still conflicted.

Premier Pros

*DL is closer to us. (Somewhat driveable; a very long drive)
*Shorter flight to LAX
*Cheaper flight to LAX
*Premium benefits at both locations
*Experience both locations within 1 year
*WP & DQ included

Premier Cons

*$1200 more than originally planned
*I really want to experience WDW F&W next year anyway
*Flights to MCO can be cheap if planned correctly
*We don't care too much about WP's & DQ
*WDW has more park options than DL

Both lists could actually go on and on but I'll just stop here. I'm conflicted because I'd really like to go to both DL and WDW next year but I just dont think we could afford that many Disney trips because we also have other family trips planned as well.

I guess another option would be to get WDW APs for this years trip and for next October for Halloween; and then plan a DL trip for 2012 and get APs at that time for a future trip as well. Hey, I like that idea! That way we can do DL and WDW AP's every other years. Hmm, well I think I may have just solved my own dilemma, !!

So that means...

Dec 2010-WDW for 17 nights (X-mas & 1st trip)
Oct 2011-WDW for 7 nights (Halloween)
Mar 2012-DL for 7 nights (Spring Break)
Dec 2012-DL for 10 nights (X-mas)

Yay, I'm a genius...not really!

My kids have already expressed that they want to go to DL for X-mas too and so that is a must and they don't know about the Halloween trip but they've been talking about it ever since they learned about the MNSSHP.

We will also be taking non-disney trips too in between so that should keep DH happy..

June 2011-Yellowstone/Glacier (Road trip close to home)
Mar 2012-Paris or Caribbean Cruise (DD's graduation trip)
May 2013-Jamaica (renewing wedding vows)

We are NOT rich ppl and thank god for Timeshares because otherwise these trips wouldn't be as possible!!

NEW TOPIC:

Okay so Michelle is going to book the Free Dining for her part of the trip (when its available). And, I found out that yes, her fiance is going and so is Brystle's boyfriend; so that makes our total now 10 ppl for our trip! And, DH doesn't have to be the only adult male now!

My kids really want to check out the new Harry Potter World at Universal and so we are all debating on whether or not we should throw in a Universal day in the mix. I also really want to do a character breakfast with the Grinch (he's one of my most fav characters) but I'm not sure when the dates are for that.

A couple days ago my kids were wanting a Disney fix and so DD9 suggested we watch the WDW DVD. We watched every single part of it and the DCL DVD and the DL DVD, and the DVC DVD...not done yet, and the Adventures of Disney DVD...it took us soooo many hours to get through them all!! It was a blast though hearing the kids say what they wanted to do most. They are really pushing for a cruise now too and so I just may add on a 3 or 4 night cruise onto our Oct 2011 trip if we can afford it.

Thank goodness I work for a company that allows 5 weeks of vacation a year!! Oh and, that I have the most awesome boss ever!!

ADR's up next!

Much Love,
Piscesqueen

 

[Piscesqueen]

Plans...Part 1

Here are a few of our plans for our trip. I'm only posting a few this time but will update quickly with more.

12/3 Travel Day- Our flight doesn't get in until really late at night so we don't have any plans for this day. If we have time we may do a little bit of grocery shopping and take a dip in the resort pool. I read somewhere that GF's Gasparilla Grill is open 24 hrs (or really late) and so if the kids insist on hitting WDW property maybe we'll take them there for a late night meal.

12/4 Mini Golf Day- We plan on taking it easy on our first full day in FL and so we decided to take the kiddies mini-golfing. But before golfing we have our first character meal planned at 1900 Park Fare (1105). After golfing we want to tour the Boardwalk and go to the arcade. We are conflicted as to whether or not we want to do the Mickey's Backyard BBQ at FW or if we want to have dinner at Chef Mickeys. If the kids insist on hitting a park then we'll head over to Epcot. I'm trying to avoid taking them to MK right off the bat but you never know, the magic of the castle may hit and thats probably where we'll be spending our evening.

12/5 Animal Kingdom- To start our day we have ADRs for Donalds Safari Breakfast at 810am. We plan on staying here most of the day and then heading over to DTD and trying out Wolfgang Puck's for dinner. Or, we may head to DHS and try out the Sci-Fi Diner for dinner.

12/6 DHS & Epcot-We plan on starting our day at DHS. We have lunch ADR's for Sci-Fi Diner or H&V and then we'll head over to Epcot for a few hours. We're not sure if we are going to see Fantasmic! this day or wait...we'll probably wait and just enjoy Epcot. We have dinner ADR's for the Captains Grille.

12/7 Magic Kingdom- We were advised not to start our kids out at MK because it will set the bar really high for the other parks and the kiddies will be disappointed. So we decided to save this park for a few days into our trip. We're hoping to be there for rope drop in the morning. We have lunch ADRs for The Plaza and for dinner we are still deciding between Coral Reef or Crystal Palace. If the kids are really enjoying MK then we'll probably just stay for CP.

12/8 Free Day- There are a few days of our trip where we'll make no plans and let the kids decide what they want to do and this is one of those days. I made various ADRs for the kids to chose from but they will lead the way on this day. But, knowing my kids, they will probably chose MK!

12/9 Epcot & DHS- We will be spending the morning at Epcot and then having lunch at Teppan Edo. We're then going to head over to DHS to enjoy Fantasmic! We are still deciding on MVMCP but if we do go, it would probably be this night and if so, then we'll leave out DHS and go to MK; then have dinner at Crystal Palace.

12/10 Epcot-We plan on spending the whole day at Epcot. We have ADRs for Akershus at 1035 and then San Angel at 830. We really want to see Illuminations and hope dinner doesn't interfere.

As you can see, I sometimes have a hard time making final decisions. None of our plans are set in stone because we are constantly changing our minds on when and where we want to go places. I don't know how you all do it without ripping out your hair. There's just so much to chose from that it seems impossible to decide.

We also want to throw in some FW time into the mix. We are thinking of going on a carriage ride to see the campsite lights. It looks like so much fun. We haven't decided what night we are going to do this but I'm hoping we can fit it into our first week.

Plans...Pt. 2 up next!

Much Love,
Piscesqueen

 

[Canefamily]

Hey Piscesqueen I've really enjoyed reading your PTR. It is so nice hearing from another first time Disney World planner going through the same type of crazies.

We live in Oregon so we have also visited Disneyland quite a bit but this is our first trip to DW too!!! We are so excited to visit DW but, the last time we visited DL, Nov. 2009 and the World of Color was not opened yet. So, with this DW trip means we will not be able to see World of Color until June 2010.

Our travel dates are Dec. 10th-18th so we will be there the same time. Your family will be there so much longer. How cool!!! We also own a TS but we traded our points through RCI for one week at Old key West. With only being there for a week we are trying to squeeze as much Disney as possible.

Can't wait to hear more.

 

[blacksand]

Oh, I can totally relate. A few months ago, my boyfriend would talk about WDW and I'd say, "oh, that's nice." I have never been there, and I didn't care too much one way or the other. Then I started looking into buying him tickets for his birthday. The more I researched, the more obsessed I became. I mean seriously obsessed. Like I cannot think of or talk about anything but Disney! I think my boyfriend, like your kids, is actually starting to get sick of hearing about it. I have totally beaten him out in the excitement department. And it's supposed to be a present for him! Whoops.

I'm very jealous of all the future trips you have already planned! Wow! We are going in October and already planning a return trip for next Christmas...almost the exact inverse of your plans. Looking forward to reading about how your Christmas experience goes!

 

[exwdwcm]

just found your PTR!!! love the plans so far. We are there Dec 4-11th! I can't believe you have 16 days, i am so jealous.

Your family is beautiful! it sounds like you guys will have an amazing time. We are getting TIW and APs for the first time ever too! We have already booked for October next year (we are DVC) for MNSSHP!!! We also love to EAT!! funny how our WDW trips usually revolve around eating.

can't wait to read your TR afterwards and hear about your amazing 2 weeks in disney!!