Hicks on Holiday 4:MODERATOR - please move to trip reports

DisneyMom5

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Nov 11, 2003
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That’s right…it’s been four years, but, finally, the HICKS ARE GOING BACK!

A lot has happened in four years.
As you might notice in my siggie, I didn’t get around to finishing my last trip report.
The shame is only bearable due to the fact that I had a baby during the writing of that report…child #8 in our family…
and I was not quite prepared for the nuttiness that a baby added to our routine.
She has added great joy to our home, and all of us are very much in love with her.

Then, when said baby was a little over a year old…dh decided to start checking out other employment options.
Three months later, we moved from Michigan to Wisconsin.
Life is good here behind the Cheese Curtain, though we have not yet gone over to the dark side…aka Packer Fandom…
because we still love our Lions.
[No mocking please...they have improved greatly over the last few years.]
Only one real Packer fan in our midst…and we can’t figure out where she gets it. *cough*TRAITOR*cough*

Last year, our oldest graduated from homeschool high school.
She then proceeded to move back to MI to be a nanny.
Apparently, it's not as Mary Poppins-esque and one would imagine.
She has now moved back home and will be accompanying us on our Disney trip…we’re very excited!

But first, a word about our Hick-ness.

Let me first say we are not as Hick-ish as some.

We used live in a pretty big town in Michigan…but now we live in a pretty small town here in WI.
But our house still has only one color of siding,
we have no major appliances on our porch,
and we still have no cars on blocks in our yard.
And with the exception of some of our smaller children, we have all of our teeth.

We don’t show up at hotels in a beat up pickup with all our belongings in garbage bags.
[Just in our new Big Gas Van…seating for 12! :drive:
Sadly, the big green van of previous trips died this summer.
A moment of silence please.
We call the new white van Glinda the Good Van.
Which gives you an idea what the green one was. :rolleyes1]



The original idea of Hicks on Holiday was in reference to a trip we made in 8/05,
where our McDonald’s family was faced with the prospect of eating fancy food on the free dining plan at WDW,
and we felt like our Hick flag was flying.

So while we may not be Hicks all the way through, we are small town Americans, and we’re willing to represent the Hick in all of us.

But I digress....

May I present to you, the Hicks on Holiday 4, "Return of the Hicks…Now with More Hicks" Pre-Trip Report...
 
Cast of "Characters" (And I say that with love, truly):

Me (Sarah) - 45, Stay-at-Home-Homeschooling mom, Disney compulsive planner.
Been so long since I’ve planned a trip…I feel like I’m off my groove.
Rediscovered a love of sewing (well, actually, I think this is the first time I’ve LOVED it),
and may or may not have sewed some stuff for Disneyworld. *que dh’s rolled eyes*

John, aka Indiana Jones - 43, My handsome dh of 20+ years.
He really has studied to be an Archaeologist.
Hoping to retire from manufacturing and just dig stuff.
He tolerates my WDW obsession, mostly because once we get there, he has a great time.
He’ll be the one wearing sunglasses in all the pictures.

Disney Girl - My 19yo dd., the former nanny. Considers the trip a scouting trip for her:
“Friends Only, We’re Turning 21 Super Terrific Trip of Epic Awesomeness” that is supposed to happen in two years.
She will ride just about anything.
Helpful to have another adult when you need three rooms!

The Chef – Ds17 – New driver. History buff and Lego fanatic.
He used to want to be a chef...now he just thinks cooking will be a great hobby.
He’s pretty game to ride just about anything at WDW. Working on 6’4”…and super skinny. Looking forward to free food.

Danger Boy – DS, 14. Loves electronics and gaming.
Third tallest in the family and will be for a while…until younger brother passes him up.
Been a chicken about rides up until this trip (yes, we realize that makes his nickname slightly ironic.)
This will change…oh, yes, it will change.
He is our gluten-free, peanut-free, tree nut-free food critic, so when I do my dining report, expect to hear some input from him.

The Inquisitor- DS, 12. Still full of questions, 24 hours a day.
He’s taller than his mama now. He’s looking forward to EVERTHING at WDW.
Believe me. He just spent ½ hour asking me MORE questions about it.

Princess K - 10yo dd. K is happy to be pretty much adult sized for rides, and dining.
She was putting her older brothers to shame on rides when she was 4…she was already willing to ride anything then.

Bitsy - DD, 9. She was still pretty little for the last trip. She remembers a lot, though.
I think she’s just happy to be going back. She’ll be the one sporting the SUPER curly hair.

Babycakes – DD7, remembers only a little of the last trip.
She cried when she couldn’t get on the roller coasters last time.
She’s pretty game to try them this time.
Hoping to see some princesses.

And introducing the newest Hick:
Booger (hey, Daddy picked that nickname, not me. Heretofore to be called “Boogs”.)
– DD3 was born on New Year’s Day,
thereby assuring that everyone will forget to celebrate her birthday because it’s on a holiday,
and preventing us from claiming her on our previous year’s taxes.
As I said earlier…WE ARE IN LOVE with the child. Every single one of us.
If you ever get to that point, you know, that “are we too old for another kid?”
Don’t give it a second thought. GO FOR IT.
All the time Dh and I look at her and say “BEST.DECISION.EVER.”
Plus…having a little one when you already have teenagers ROCKS.
You have so many more pairs of hands.
I had to ask for her back when she was little.
If I hadn’t been the only one lactating in the house, I might never have gotten to hold her.

Alas (and also, thankfully) we will not be bringing any kinfolk this time around.
We toyed with the idea of sneaking to WDW without anyone knowing…but they found out.
They are just not joining us this time around. ;)

That's it for now, folks. I'll be doing some pre-trip updating as I finish sewing and packing. Thanks for reading!
 

I love me a good TR and can't wait for more Hicks adventures! :)
 
I just checked a few things off my pre-trip planning list, so I thought I'd reward myself with a little update here.
[For those interested...stop mail form - check, credit card travel form - check, hair cut and colored - check.]

I have also been working on a Disney Trip sewing project for my ds12 -- hand appliqued Disney bus:




So, now, perhaps, I should include a word about how Hicks plan trips.

Originally, I wanted to go in February of 2013.
Why?
Because it's my birthday.
And I think that I should be in WDW on my birthday.
I actually was...once.
BUT...my family was so busy enjoying MK that day that they FORGOT it was my birthday.
I think that that needs to be rectified.
I even made all my ADRs in August 2012!
Unfortunately...we just couldn't swing the time or the money then.

But while planning that trip I came up with the awesome idea to stay at POR Alligator Bayou,
so we only had to have two rooms instead of three.
AND...should they offer free dining, we wouldn't have to pay to upgrade!
We would be able to stay at a MODERATE for less than a Value.
This plan was so brilliant, I just couldn't stand it. Seriously.

Then something miraculous happened that changed my whole point of view.

Due to lack of space in our MI house, and the floor plan of our new WI house, dd3 was still in our room up until this Spring.
One night, she looked at me and said "I'm going to sleep upstairs with the girls."
And she DID. And has never looked back.

Suddenly, dh and I found ourselves ALONE in our room.
And decided that even if it cost MORE to have three rooms at a value,
we were going to do so,
because we would rather have a room to ourselves than to try to cram 10 people into two rooms.

Pop Century is our fav Value,
but as many of you know, they have raised their nightly rate...because they are popular.
[Um, this is confusing to me, unless you are a cutthroat giant company concerned more about money than people....
huh...I wonder....]

We couldn't justify the cost of Pop.

We stayed at All Star Sports last time.
It was supposed to be Pop...but we moved our trip last minute and Sports was all that was left with free dining.
Honestly, it may just have been that I was hugely pregnant and cranky,
and my Sister in law was non-pregnant but cranky,
or that a MARCHING BAND that decided to practice at 10 pm one night,
or the fact that WDW was inundated by a torrential rain storm,
but there seemed to be a dark cloud hanging over Sports.

It just wasn't as...DISNEY...as I had hoped.

So this trip, we decided to try All Star Movies.
Other than the fact that the non-preferred rooms at ASMov
are themed with movies that no one under the age of 40 has actually seen,
I think it looks VERY Disney.

So, with 3.5 weeks to go, we are very excited to try All Star Movies.

That's my update for today.

For a little preview, here are some recent pics of the "cast of characters" minus John and I. I'll find one of those later.

Everyone buy Disneygirl (dd19) at Easter:



Disneygirl:

 
Very cool t-shirt!! Love it!

Your kids look great, too! :) Cant' wait to read more.
 
/
Your kids have grown a lot in 4 years, but they still look the same... (Adorable!)

With the exception of Disney girl, who has changed a lot and grown into a wonderful young lady!

I wish you a fantastic trip!
 
Your kids have grown a lot in 4 years, but they still look the same... (Adorabile!)

With the exception of Disney girl, who has grown into a wonderful young lady!

I wish you a wonderful trip!

Thanks! Even I, who see them every day, get shocked sometimes at their growth. Three boys who are taller than me??? How did THAT happen? LOL
 
So, my update for the day is that we are only TWO WEEKS away from our trip!!!!! :cool1::cheer2:
Now is the perfect time to PANIC!!!!
:scared1:

I'm trying to do all the packing, preparing, etc. that I can do right now, but my pre-trip anxiety is at an all time high.

It will be all good once it gets here...I hope.... :rolleyes:
 
Well...we leave on Saturday. Yup...less than 5 days.

I should be :cheer2: and :laundy:

but instead I'm :scared1: and :surfweb:

Sigh.

Sooooo...how's things? What can we talk about so I don't have to go pack???

Oh...I know! I haven't told you our ADRs!

Free dining is so exciting. We eat cheaper at WDW than we do at home!
[at least that's what I tell myself! ;) ]

Monday, 9/2
Lunch - will probably visit Be Our Guest for lunch, as we're dying to see it.
Dh doesn't know we have to line up at 10:30 am...
what he doesn't know won't hurt him.
Dinner - 5 pm 'Ohana. We've been here before and are really looking forward to returning.

Tuesday, 9/3
Lunch - not sure. Something at DHS. Not a big meal, though, because at 5:30-ish we will be at...
Dinner - 50s Primetime Cafe
This is our first time here, and we've been wondering how we'll like it.

Wednesday, 9/4
Epcot Breakfast or lunch - probably Sunshine Seasons.
Dinner 4:35 ish Garden Grill. Also a first time for us.
Looking forward to seeing Mickey.

Thursday, 9/5
DHS again, possibly Pizza Planet for lunch
Dinner DTD 7:15 pm at Raglan Rd.
Have never been here, but think the menu looks great and looking forward to embracing our Irish roots.

Friday, 9/6
AK - thinking of trying Flame Tree BBQ for lunch.
Dinner DTD again, 7 pm at T-Rex.
The menu here looks great, and we're excited to try something new that is kind of boy themed
(even though our boys are now teenagers or almost a teen.)

Saturday, 9/7
Epcot again, have no idea about lunch
Dinner 5:30 ish at Biergarten.
This is a favorite of John's, and not just because of the BEER FLIGHT. :drinking1
(but let's just say it doesn't hurt. :rolleyes: )

Sunday 9/8
MK before opening, 8:30 ish at Crystal Palace
Dinner - who knows???
We LOVE Crystal Palace breakfast, especially the puffed french toast. Mmmmmm... :love:

Well, that's my update for now.
I may not update again until we get there,
and probably won't do my official report until we get back and I can upload pics to my computer.

Thanks for reading! pixiedust:
 
Hi,
I enjoyed reading your other trip reports and am looking forward to this one. I saw you want to do be our guest for lunch. Have you tried to make reservations for lunch on the beourguestlunch.disney.go.com. You need to use the confirmation number with no letters. I used the magical express number and it worked for me. I choose my day and time and meals. We aren't there for a few mor weeks so I don't know if it is 100% going to work but I'm going to check in at the fastpass window and hope for the best.
 
Hi,
I enjoyed reading your other trip reports and am looking forward to this one. I saw you want to do be our guest for lunch. Have you tried to make reservations for lunch on the beourguestlunch.disney.go.com. You need to use the confirmation number with no letters. I used the magical express number and it worked for me. I choose my day and time and meals. We aren't there for a few mor weeks so I don't know if it is 100% going to work but I'm going to check in at the fastpass window and hope for the best.

I've tried multiple times and no luck getting it to work.
We are only RO for our first night (9/1), before our package, and are driving down, so no magical express.
I can't figure out if it's not accepting us because of the date, the only one night RO, because the ROs are in my dds name (don't know why) but my email, or if we just weren't invited. :confused3

Would really love to get it to work!
 
Well...we leave in 12 hours! :cool1:

I've packed all the clothes [for the record...63+ pairs of underwear, 70+ pairs of socks, 10 toothbrushes - 7 suitcases, 2 big ziploc bags, and a couple of small rubbermaid tubs of snacks and activities.]

We will be driving through WI, IL, KY, TN, GA and FL.

It's 100 deg. w/ the heat index here...FL should be nice in comparison. :thumbsup2

I'm not sure if I will update much during the trip, but will try to do some quick ones when I can.

See you all on the other side! pixiedust:
 
We're here! Check-in was great, they are keeping us in the same rooms when our pkg starts tomorrow, and we're really liking AsMo.

Wifi is is working great and easy to access.

Can't wait for MK tomorrow!
 
We're here! Check-in was great, they are keeping us in the same rooms when our pkg starts tomorrow, and we're really liking AsMo.

Wifi is is working great and easy to access.

Can't wait for MK tomorrow!

I'm eager to hear how the trip goes for you all. Have tons of fun!
 
We're back home! WHEW.
Disney kicks my butt EVERY time. But it's a good kind of exhaustion.

Lots of pics and stories to tell...
but I'm still in the process of uploading pics, unpacking, and doing laundry :laundy:
...not to mention I caught a Disney cold. :sick:

*cough, cough...SNIFFF....*

But here is a teaser to hold you over:


 
We're back home! WHEW.
Disney kicks my butt EVERY time. But it's a good kind of exhaustion.

Lots of pics and stories to tell...
but I'm still in the process of uploading pics, unpacking, and doing laundry :laundy:
...not to mention I caught a Disney cold. :sick:

*cough, cough...SNIFFF....*

But here is a teaser to hold you over:

Fantastic picture of the whole family!
waiting anxiously for the rest... :)

PS: get well soon!
 
I promise I will update this week...still trying to get organized, starting school, starting soccer, and yesterday had to pull out the fall/winter clothes because it suddenly got COLD here.
Quite a shock after returning from WDW to 95 deg. temps here in WI...then dropping down to 45 deg. in three days! Brrrrrr.... :eek:
 














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