From Hell to Heaven - then back home again....Updated with photos

[tttessa]

Hiya all,

Thought I'd do my first ever pre trip for WDW... we have been before-children 10 years ago and we have done DLRParis in the past 2 years with the kids......

We are:
Me - 43 obsessive organiser, worry wart etc.....
DH - 39 goes with the flow , loves it all being organised for him.....(thankfully!)
DD7 - argumentative little princess
DD5 - huffy little princess
Trip dates 6th to 16th April

Well, we are going in 50 days , so here's the tale so far...

Booked our flights and accommodation 14 months ago with Virgin holidays - doing an "unspecified" villa holiday - so pot luck on accommodation - as an obsessive planner this bit really worries me, but money v obsession says we go this way......

Booked just a couple of ADRs :

Epcot princess storybook breakfast - Wed 8.30 am - hoping one of us doesn't mind nipping out near the end to get FP for soarin... Later times were all gone...

Lilo and Stitch breakfast at Poly - 10.30 on the second Monday - our general rest day.....

Fantasmic - dining at H+V at 4.30 mmmmmmmm too early?? the second Tuesday - day before we travel home...

And we went ahead and booked a P+PP on the 11th (Friday). Never done one, but it sounds like fun....

As this is the kids FIRST trip to Florida - as well as their first FLIGHT ever, (over 9 hours on a plane - a baptism of fire....) it is a biggy and we are desperately trying to shoehorn everything in......

So, more to come on the itinerary another day... we have a lot to fit in, when can we sleep???????

Tessa

 

[tttessa]

Okay, here goes for the itinerary - I really want to see if/how well we stick to it - is all the pain worth it in the end????

Day 0 - Catch bus to town with the kids and the luggage... mmmmm??? (that really does NOT sound as easy as it looks on paper - may rethink..... Taxi to town.....)then coach down to Gatwick, stay overnight on airport at Hilton hotel - thank you Tesco vouchers...

Day 0.5- Fly to Florida, get through security, pick up hire car, get to villa - this day could be bad!!! Been hearing about the flight we plan to go on being delayed 5 hours and more lately so am dreading it. Also it is the kids FIRST FLIGHT ever!!!! so we are working on things-to-keep-them-occupied (any suggestions welcome!!)

Day 1 - FIRST proper day - well, we were offered Express passes for US and IOA by family who have been before as a Christmas present - we said YES!! So today is planned for US - with the express passes we get one go at pretty much everything, so if we are late in it is not crucial to get there before rope drop..... Back to villa mid/late afternoon

Day 2 - Seaworld (probably - no firm plan) - plan to have an easy day round the shows - kids like dolphins/ penguins etc, so will "amble about" not commando planning this day.....

Day 3- DISNEY EPCOT - ADR for 8.30 Princess Storybook breakfast. Hubby heading out for soarin FP just gone 9 then try to fit in Nemo, Turtle talk, TT, Ellen and Malestrom - back to swim/chill etc mid afternoon.

Day 4 - IOA - express passes again. -Plan for rope drop today - Spiderman, Seuss landing are the important ones - the rest we will do on express the once.

Day 5 DISNEY mmmmmmm Have P&PP booked at MK for tonight, so easy morning, or maybe hit park at RD and do a few rides then go to villa before lunch, eat, chill, eat and back 5 ish for P&PP (any advice on this one welcomed)

Day 6 - Late start, maybe Busch Gardens - hubby loves it, he will be driving, might as well just give in..... Just for animals - not ride freaks, so would be an amble about, not full on...

Day 7 - DISNEY AK - early if we can - but generally easyish day, look at animals, ride KS, water ride, ITTBAB (my favourite!!) Dinosaur - try to work out best use of FPs for this day.

Day 8 Lazy day - 10.30 poly ADR Lilo+Stitch breakfast, followed by whatever, maybe some shopping, DTD, or see how the kids are - maybe an afternoon round WS at epcot?? (advice)

Day 9 DISNEY HS - have Fantasmic ADR 4.30 so lazy morning then arrive for ADR do some rides before Fantasmic, see how it goes.

Day 10 -pack up take bags to DTD dropoff, head for a park - kids choice really, maybe Studios if they didn't get to do much, or MK we will see.....
then sleep on plane (in economy - ha ha ha ) Take coach to home town then Taxi home!!!! SLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEPPPPPPPPPPPPPP lots!!!!!!!!!

Sounds quite full, we have a couple of lazy days in there, but we don't really do commando style at the parks, we ride if line is short, we FP where possible, we sit etc... Holidays are about fun - so hope we can fit it all in

any comments are really welcomed
Tessa

 

[DisneyJo]

Sounds good so far, don't worry too much about the flights my girls have done long haul from about 5 y/o and mainly watched the movies and coloured

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Hi Tessa! Sounds like fun It looks like you don't have much at MK - not your fav?

As for dining at H&V, what time to you have tea usually? It is probably close to right for you - oh, except for the time change! Did you find shoes for your trip? Are you going to take "suitcase pics?"

 

[tttessa]

Hiya all -

Disneyjo - I am a bit worried I must admit - being first time and all - though they are susceptible to bribery for good behaviour!!

hello again Magicfor2 - we have found shoes and are "wearing them in" since we have feet that always blister in new shoes.... - trainers+ proper walking sandals for the girls, and me - hubby does his own thing... also got some crocs for schlepping about in.

What are suitcase pics?? Do you take pictures of all your stuff??

Tessa

 

[ahibird]

Hi Tessa -- this sounds like a great plan. You get a from me, too.

I agree with DisneyJo -- movies and coloring/activity books are the way to go to keep kids entertained on the plane. A deck of playing cards goes a long way too. When DS was 6, DH taught him how to play blackjack on the plane -- he justified it saying that it was a good way for DS to practice addition and money skills .

Do you have your packing lists ready ? Aloha -- keahi

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Hiya all -

Disneyjo - I am a bit worried I must admit - being first time and all - though they are susceptible to bribery for good behaviour!!

hello again Magicfor2 - we have found shoes and are "wearing them in" since we have feet that always blister in new shoes.... - trainers+ proper walking sandals for the girls, and me - hubby does his own thing... also got some crocs for schlepping about in.

What are suitcase pics?? Do you take pictures of all your stuff??

Tessa

Yes! some people get so excited in their TR that they show you pics of their suitcases packed, toiletries they are bringing, or just the suitcases themselves! It's a fun way for them to pass the time and share their excitement! I was really just teasing you

 

[tttessa]

Hiya all -
I "get " it now thanks - no I am not going THAT far - but I am working on a packing list - on about the 12th revision - when I realised (and checked) that we have a washing machine and tumble drier so we don't have to take ALL the clothes we own, it is getting easier!! We will have 2 hold luggage and 4 hand luggage, between us, so not tooo bad

We have complications in that the first night is in the airport hotel after the twilight check in - so we want to have stuff for the night in hand baggage - means taking pjs, toothbrush , change of undies etc (Hairbrush -I always forget!!) as well as the stuff for the flight for the kids... that way the hold bags can be checked in the day before the flight. And hopefully we will be able to get seats together on the plane. Ones that recline and not toooooooo close to the loos if you know what I mean!!

Any packing list tips would be good - I don't fret too much about it, cos it's not like we will need anything we can't buy out there (for half the price!!!!!) except the worn-in shoes...

Tessa

 

[karajeboo]

Hey Tessa!

Loved reading your report! My only fear for you is that you don't have any time "budgeted" for the World Showcase at Epcot. This is my favorite part of WDW! You did mention the Maelstrom, so that at least gets you in there, so maybe you are planning to walk around. Also, if you're going to DHS in the late afternoon right before dinner, do you have time to see any of Playhouse Disney? How about Tower of Terror (another of my faves!), RnR, or Star Tours? A lot of people are down on this park, but it really has a lot of great attractions that your family might enjoy.

We're still not sure if we're hitting US or IOA when we're there next weekend, but we have VIP passes from DH's cousin who is some VP with Universal. So I'll let you know just how quickly one of those parks can be done!

I like the idea of suitcase pics

 

[tttessa]

Hi Kara - and everyone else....-
we haven't put world showcase in cos the kids sounded totally disinterested in it - other than maelstrom and the princess breakfast - I'm prepared for that to change when we get there!!

At HS we don't "do" coaster's - not much thrill stuff really, tower of terror etc do not appeal - Star Tours I am wary of cos I nearly puked last time.... that one and the SeaWorld sim ride really made me worry about seeing my lunch again! Mainly going there for a show or 2 -especially the muppets!!

I am thinking a bit about MK - we don't have a lot of it in there - but the kids have done DLRParis, so have done a lot of the "key" rides and are no longer that interested in rushing to do Dumbo etc. POTC and BTMRR they do want to do, so P&PP night we will be heading there.. Maybe our last morning too.. we will see...

Thanks for all the kind comments and advice.... I may just post those suitcase pics to mock you all.......

Tessa

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Hi Tessa! We really like DHS, too! The Backlot tour is fun, and the Great Movie Ride - of course I love Voyage of the Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast for shows. If you get ADRs with a Fantasmic package it's great, cuz you get preferred seating at Fantasmic - this is not to be missed!

If you are going to that, you might want to get some "glow" necklaces or bracelets or light up toys to pack as surprises for your girls - the CMs are out there selling these items at quite a premium price at the show.

We also love the Sci-Fi drive in restaurant - it is corny and fun and you eat in a car. Did you have drive-in theatres in England when you were a child? Probably not, with all of the rain. We had drive-ins like that when I was little, so it is fun for us. My niece and nephew didn't "get it" when we were there in June!

 

[DisneyJo]

Tessa you're flying with Virgin right, have you tried booking your seats online? They may have all gone by now but it's worth a try. Also I'm sure they have a policy of seating families together, the planes have the seat configuration 3-4-3 so you caould all sit together in the middle of the plane

I've also remembered my kids at that age loved Uno, we had a Barbie version Also I printed off lots of Disney activities for them Try clicking this link for ideas!

My girls really enjoyed WS make sure they pick up a mask to decorate at the first country and they'll love collecting each charm

 

[Debbie6221]

Looking good Tessa! I am so excited for you! I don't even have a ticker in sight at this point. You are gonna have a blast. It must kindof feel like it feels for us to go to Hawaii....a whole other wonderful world away and a VERY long flight!

 

[tttessa]

Hiya all -

getting there on the planning now..... just over a month to go

Thanks for the comments - will definitely look out for some glow stuff - probably best to get over there though - who knows what the baggage scan system will do to them......

DisneyJO - yep, I looked at the Virgin seat booking system, but unfortunately all were taken (6 months ago!!!) except for the odd 2 or single seat - but they release more blocks for on-line and twighlight check in, so we need to get in early for that I guess.

Sci fi drive in sounds good - mmm will have to think about that....

Tessa

 

[Camster0307]

Hi Tessa - finally made it over here!

Everything looks good. I, too, would like to put in a strong word for World Showcase - it's our favorite place. Your girls could do the masks in each country and also do the "passport" thing. There are also many characters around WS and the entertainment at each country is very good - esp. the bands in Canada & UK; and the acrobats in China. We usually spend ALOT of time walking around there!

 

[momz]

Hi Tessa!!!!! Love your plans. I can't wait to hear your trip reports as well. I was really surprised this time by how much my kids enjoyed World Showcase. They are 6 and 4. My 6 year old loved the masks, she made one for herself and one for a friend back home. My 4 year old just liked the whole atmosphere of it. It has a lot of elbow room and he was able to explore more here than other parks, where he had to hold hands most of the time. There are many wonderful shows there as well, street entertainment. Of course when we were there it was really not very crowded at all. In fact we had many character encounters all to ourselves. At AK, be sure to check out the "trails". We enjoyed taking our time through these as well, there's a lot to discover. But it looks like you have a wonderful experience planned. It is wise to not expect to do it all in a day. Time to relax is essential!!!!! Looking forward to hearing more.

 

[UsNew2Disney2008]

Hi Tessa!

Looks like we might bump into each other at AK! I hope you guys have a wonderful time. As for things to do to keep the kiddos busy on the airplane, so far I have came up with new DVDs, a portable DVD player, (leaving the Leapster handheld game, though people rave this is a good take along), water paint books that only need water to color the pictures, and I've heard pipe cleaners are good entertainment too. I'm not sure about that one, but I could see the promise there. Luckily, our flight will be really short, so I'm counting on that DVD player!

Have fun planning. Enjoying your report!

 

[tttessa]

Hiya -
we will have our lime green mickey heads about our person, on back pack etc - so will be looking out for others!

For the flight so far - we have Nintendo DS for the girls, and loads of colouring and a little disposable cardboard Cella sticker maker, as well as a little unlined paper notebook for them to write and draw in. But as it is their first flight, they will probably be more interested in looking around, watching the in flight tv/movies etc. They will probably be bored with the travelling as we have 4 hours on a coach/bus the day before.

Tessa

 

[~Fisharefriends~]

your plans look good to me, im sure you will have a great time, I would also factor in some time for world showcase espiecally if your Children see and want to do the kidcot stops.

look forward to hearing more about your trip

 

[tttessa]

Hiya all,

there seems to be a recurring theme here -I think we need to put World Showcase at Epcot in there somewhere .... maybe on one of our lazier days....

Tessa