First family vacation, MNSSHP, and Free dining ptr...lets try this again

[JPFamilyMom]

So life has been happening all around me. LOL. With the upcoming holidays I've been getting out our Thanksgiving and Christmas boxes to see what we will be using and not using this year. (With a little baby there are many things that will not be going up this year, and we are trying to figure out where to put our tree so he doesn't tip it, our first child was not so adventurous, our new little guy finds a way to get into EVERYTHING, he dumped the 3 yo toy box over and climbed in and took all the toys out- which upset my older son sooo much)

Hubby and I talked and we are doing the 4-3 deal, so we will have 7 wonderful days (well 8 days really, 7 nights) in WDW To say I'm excited would be putting it mildly.

So my MK list is growing and now we might actually get to see all the things in the other parks that we wanted to. And eat at more of the places I want to eat at.

Hubby has decided with the extended stay and with us visiting family down there we are going to be packing a lot into our van (and he wants to take the middle seat out like we did to drive cross country when we moved, which sticks me in a tight spot between two kids, so I've protested) and that will not include the double stroller So I asked him about renting one in the parks, and he said to look into it, because we will need it. I know we are thinking way too far in advance and bickering about things that haven't even happened yet. But with two small children, we need to plan like this. (I've already started making lists of what I'll need to pack so I can start buying things a little at a time).

Yesterday I spent the day reading some TR's and am more excited about Epcot now, because I saw pictures from the character greeting spot and am really looking forward to that. I think this needs to be called the "all about meeting characters trip"

Ok MK is coming next, I'm off to finish my list

 

[JPFamilyMom]

This list may be a bit ambitious of me, even with three days... but here goes:

Must Sees
**Dumbo - as we all know this is the very first ride we need to do the first day at MK, because my son has missed out twice at Disneyland and is dying to go on Dumbo. And I imagine we'll try and get on this ride each day
**Small World
**Peter Pan
**Cinderella's Golden Carousel
** Pirates of the Caribbean (I'm hoping my baby likes it his first time as my son did at a year also)
**Buzz light years space ranger spin (this was the one ride photo dh and I got on our honeymoon, it's quite intense, we were really competing with eachother, I'll try and post it later)
**Disney railroad (does the one in MK go through like Dinosaur telling and other fun things like Disneyland?)
**Aladdin's Magic Carpets
**Pooh
**Indy Speedway (the 3 yo LOVES pretending to drive cars, this will be so fun)
**Mickey's Country House
**Judges tent
**Toontown Hall of Fame

If time allows:
Transit authority (we had this at Disneyland and they replaced it with I forget what ride, but I missed it, it was always nice to take a break and drive around the park )
Carousel of progress (I'll probably really be the only one that wants to do this)
Jungle Cruise (which is I guess more of a must see, but I put it here)
Country Bear Jamboree (my dads favorite attraction at Disneyland and it got replaced with the Pooh ride)
Donalds Boat
Haunted Mansion (I think the boys might get scared in the beginning, thats why it's not a must see)
Dream Along With Mickey
SpectroMagic
Disneys Deams Come True

Fun for the baby:
Poohs Playfull Spot
****First haircut at Harmony Barbershop (I really want to wait to cut his hair until this trip since he doesn't have a whole lot of hair yet I'm hoping we can hold out)

Fun for the 3 yo who will then be 4:
Astro Orbiter (he loved this at Disneyland and made me go on while preggo with baby #2, won't do that again)
Mad Tea Party ????
Tom Sawyer Island (dh better wear his running shoes to keep up with my little man , lol)
Mickeys Philharmagic
Barnstormer

Food:
Pinocchio Village Haus (they have this at Disneyland and we love it)
lunching Pad (for a quick snack)
Crystal Palace (our one sit down in this park, the other nights we'll do hotel restaurants)
Cosmic Rays Starlight cafe
Main Street Bakery (yum yum)

 

[jmskinner]

I haven't ridden the train completely around MK yet. So I can't help on that one. Wasn't too much to see from Splash Mountain to the front of the park though. Still a nice ride.

Jacob likes Carousel of Progress. Totally shocked me when he wanted to ride it again.

Yes, you will have to get the haircut at the barber shop there at MK. They did a great job on Jacob's hair. I always offer to get it done there, but he didn't like the glitter MH's in his hair.

I think with 3 days and correct planning you can get it all done. Especially using the FP's.

If you can do Jungle Cruise twice, try in the daytime and nightime.

Oh, and you mentioned the Indy Speedway. We went on it during Wishes one time. It was so much fun because everyone kept stopping to watch the fireworks, so we had a line of about 10 cars bumping into each other. I remember seeing a CM and thinking she would put a stop to all of the bumping, but she was watching the fireworks herself and not us. I laughed the whole ride.

Glad to hear you are looking forward to Epcot more now. If you make this a character trip, you have to get the Photopass CD then. We probably had 40 pictures just from meeting Pooh and friends at AK. I can't imagine that one at Epcot.

That is great you are already buying things for the trip. Just throw it all in a suitcase and you will be partially packed also.
Melissa

 

[deon1122]

Looks like you are planning a fun trip! Wish we lived closer so we could go with you guys!!! It would be so much fun!

 

[Dr_Finkelstein]

Hi there,

Sorry not posted for so long!!! I've got a lot to catch up on!!!

Di x

 

[Dr_Finkelstein]

Must sees:

Kiliminjaro Safari-I LOVED this, and I know my boys will love it too.
Finding Nemo- the Musical-we didn't watch any of the stage shows on our honeymoon, so I'm excited to see them now with my boys, I heard this one was really good
Festival of the Lion King-I saw part of this on youtube, not sure if it will hold my boys attention, but my son LOVES Lion King and the music, so what do you think?
Tricera top Spin-like Dumbo, right?
The Boneyard-When is the best part of the day to do this one? Is it just digging in the dirt?

Mickey Jammin' Jungle Parade-How many parades do they do each day, is this a one time thing or do they do it twice?

If time allows:

Pangani Forest Exploration Trail-How many animals will I see?
Rafiki's Planet Watch (affection section)-I think the kids will really enjoy petting the animals, what else might we want to do in this area?
Maharajah Jungle Trek-we didn't do this on our honeymoon, is it worth the walk?
Dinosaur-I can't remember, but I imagine too scary for a four year old even though he is tall enough

Kali River Rapids-My son is tall enough for this, my only concern is the water over the head, I can't remember, how many waterfalls are there, and how likely is it to go under it, he will freak out I think if he goes under it
Expedition Everest-obviously just for the grown ups I'm excited for this one


***Camp Minnie-Mickey-This is a definate do, how long on average does it take to go through the line and is it just Mickey and Minnie or other characters too?

Food:

Tusker House -(I want to do the character meal, is it only at breakfast? I think I read that)
Flame Tree BBQ -This sounded more interested than the second, so I'm hoping for here, but with QS I think we'll do wherever we end up
Restaurantosaurus-my second choice for QS

Ok, so a lot of questions on that one , this trip is so different from our honeymoon, on the honeymoon we didn't do any shows, looked mostly for thrill rides, and we really didn't have a plan at all. big shock coming from me I know, but I was planning a wedding, working full-time, and going to school full-time, left little time to plan the honeymoon out. I may or maynot be MIA for a few days, my mother-in-law arrives today and will be staying through until like monday or tuesday, so I'm off to clean some more.

I'm so far behind! I'll just start here. Your plans sound good. Nemo is fab, and the kids will enjoy watching Nemo swim around before the show. The Lion King show is really good as well, and I think both kids will like it.
Triceratop spin is exactly like Dumbo, so young kids always love it!
The Boneyard is good, but it can get pretty hot and there's not a lot of shade so either end or beginning of the day.
We didn't even attempt Dinosaur!

Both jungle walks are good as there is shade, and you can see some of the animals really closely! The tigers and gorillas were fab!

With Kali, it depends on what seat you're in, some get soaked, some hardly get touched!

Tusker House was really nice for a character meal, and we had planned to go to Flame tree BBQ but never got to it!

We like AK a lot, it always seems so much more relaxed than the other parks, just take it as it comes with the kids and see what they want to do.

I've not finished reading through yet so if this has already been answered - sorry! I'll catch up in the next day or so!

Di x

 

[Dr_Finkelstein]

Finally, all caught up!

Your plans all sound good so far. With 3 days at MK you should have no problems doing everything you want to.
You might also want to consider Columbia Harbour House for CS, Pinocchio's was always very crowded when we were just there, CHH had more seating available.

At Epcot we ate at Sunshine Seasons, and it was really lovely. It was a big food court but not with the usual 'fast food'. It had sandwich bars, noodle and salad station, flatbreads - it was a really nice change to eat there - and they had a lovely creme brulee!

You should definately try and eat at Biergarten and WCC - both some of our favourites, and very child/family orientated! Another nice place to try is Coral Reef, the kids just love watching all the fish swim by!

The Kidcot stations at Epcot are good, for kids of all ages! My 2 enjoyed looking to get a pressed penny from every country as well, and get their 'passports' stamped! We found it easier doing 1 day at Future World and another day spent walking round World Showcase.

Before I forget - at AK you can usually see Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Donald, Goofy, Flik, Koda, a couple of characters from Tarzan, Pocahontas, Stitch, and probably a few others I can't remember!

Hope this has helped!

Di x

 

[JPFamilyMom]

Thanks for the tips Dr. Finkelstein, I'm picking up even more reading through your TR. Loving it.

a kink possibly in our trip. We've had a string of bad luck and we also aren't sure now about the graduation party for June either, so I might be going solo with the boys in the fall instead. Which is fine by me cause that then means free dining (hoping) and maybe MNSSHP.

Also taking a time out from planning to enjoy an evening of Disney with my 3 yo son on Wednesday. We are going to Disney on Ice. I'll post a report on that and pictures after we see the show.

And will then update on our travel plans as soon as I get the final word on what is going on with the graduation and with us and our string of bad luck.

Hope everyone is enjoying the merriment of the season.

 

[jmskinner]

I hope your DS enjoys Disney on Ice. Jacob did. Which one are you seeing? We saw the Incredibles one. It was fun because they went to WDW.

Here is some to turn your luck around.

If you end up going by yourself, I'll come help you out. Oh, and I promised you some links, I will PM them in a minute.

Melissa

 

[missj1975]

And will then update on our travel plans as soon as I get the final word on what is going on with the graduation and with us and our string of bad luck.

Hope everyone is enjoying the merriment of the season.

Just finished reading all your pre-trip report. Hope your bad luck turns to good luck soon. Have A Merry Christmas.

 

[JPFamilyMom]

We had a good time. Though my son was on sensory overload. It was a bit too much for him to handle, so we had to take some breaks.
Here are some pictures from the show.

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And we added to our Mickey collection. I tried to explain to my 3 yo how the cost of just one of the characters we bought could buy him two or three at the Disney store, but he didn't understand. He just wanted the ones he could have right then. Oh well...

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I find it funny that the Minnie looks bigger than the Mickey. Why couldn't they be the same size? Another oh well. Whenever he lets me I'll gather all his Mickey's and take one big picture. We are starting a small collection. He is only 3, and for a 3 yo I think we have too many. But he LOVES them. Last time we went to Disneyland he got three different ones.

Overall Disney on Ice was a good show. Merchandise overpriced as with any show like that. We got out of there only spending $30, so it was a good night.

 

[jmskinner]

Your pics came out great. Love the Cars characters. You did good $30 isn't too bad. When we went we bought the $10 popcorn so we got a mask, and then the $10 cotton candy to get a mask, did they have those things. I find it funny that the merchandise in those shows is more than what you pay at WDW.

Would love to see a pic of all the Mickey's. Since we are Star Wars fans, I think I am going to try to buy all of the Disney Star Wars characters.

 

[JPFamilyMom]

Here is our little Mickey (and a couple Minnie's now) family:

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we also have some plastic ones, one for bathtime and then a little one he can fit in his pocket. and he is getting a 2 ft one for Christmas from Santa.

If he wanted food we would've spent more, but he isn't a big eater. He asked for popcorn, but I didn't want to buy that cause the last two times he asked for it at home, he just played with it.

The cotton candy with the rubber hat was $12. He wanted the cars hat, but I don't think he realized it was a hat, and neither of us would've eaten the cotton candy. The only food item he really wanted was a soda. I even offered to get him an icee thing, and he said no.

 

[jmskinner]

I love the Steamboat Willie one!

 

[Dr_Finkelstein]

Hi there,

Enjoyed the Disney on Ice photos - the merchandise is really overpriced isn't it!
We went last year to see The Incredibles in a Magic Kingdom Adventure which was really good. It's amazing how they can skate in those costumes!
We are going on Friday to see High School Musical 1 & 2 on ice, which I'm mega excited to see! I don't know who's more excited - me or the kids!
Love the Mickey collection!

Di x

 

[mickeysmyboy]

Jumping over from my PTR! I just noticed the link in your siggie! No, I'm not all that observant! I have to go back and catchup!

 

[Dr_Finkelstein]

Hi just popped in to say 'Hi!'
Any updates on the upcoming trip? Hoping it will all work out OK!

Di x

 

[JPFamilyMom]

Finally some uplifting news, and good vibes heading our way...

I booked tonight for free dining in Sept. DS(4) had a four day weekend the last weekend in Sept so I booked the four days.
We will actually arrive Thursday night (sept 24th) but it will be so late we will just go straight to bed.

That gives us a full day on Friday to explore, plus we will now get to do MNSSHP, so now I need to start thinking costumes...hehe

Then we will drive back Monday afternoon. So I'm planning a day and a half at MK, and that only leaves two days, so one park will have to get the ax, but I don't know which one to cut. But I'm really just happy we get to go this year after all

 

[jmskinner]

I'm so happy for you and to get to go to MNSSHP!

I'm trying to think of what to do for costumes also. Probably some sort of Pirates, Jacob will probably be a ghost pirate.

 

[pamouselover]

subbing be back to read later!