Hot Dog, Hot Dog, Hot Diggity Dog! LINK TO TRIP REPORT!!!

[tinacaplan]

Tina, I see you live in CT. When we visited CT for my cousin's Bat Mitzvah, we took the kids to an aquarium (southern part of the state). Not sure if it was called the Connecticut Aquarium or what it was called. But they loved it. It wasn't too expensive. I think it was cheaper than the Baltimore Aquarium. Of course, we're spoiled by the National Zoo and Smithsonian museums that are free. But those prices ARE what you find for a child's meal at the Smithsonian, but at least at the National Indian Museum the food is great!! Also the Kennedy Center has high prices for all food, including the childrens meals, but then again... we didn't pay for admission. Parking on the other hand... is just another adventure to add to the list.

Hmmm...wondering if you're talking about Mystic or the Norwalk Maritime Center? We went ot Mystic a while back and were in and out in forty-five minutes. One of their biggest exhibits was done for renovations. Crazy!

 

[tinacaplan]

Just found out that my dad needs to have his heart defribulator (sp?) moved from one side of his chest to the other. Not super major surgery, but when you have as many issues as my dad has...nothing is ever simple anymore. In addition to numerous heart-related problems, he also had MRSA..the terrible staph strain on one of his more recent hospital trips.

What's more is that the surgery is currently scheduled during our family trip to Cape Cod! Crazy, right?

But I suppose that's life, right?

 

[Mindy5767]

Hmmm...wondering if you're talking about Mystic or the Norwalk Maritime Center? We went ot Mystic a while back and were in and out in forty-five minutes. One of their biggest exhibits was done for renovations. Crazy!

I just went to the Mystic Aquarium website and I'm gonna say that was it. It didn't take too long to get there from my cousin's house in New Town. It did have Beluga whales and African penguins... so... that must be it.

 

[KatMark]

to you my friend. Sometimes it just seems as if it never ends. Keep us posted and we'll keep your dad in our prayers.

 

[ljcrochet]

I hope your dad has an easy recovery.

Last August I did a split stay at AKV and BLT. I found the travel time from AKV to be better than the travel to from BLT to any park except MK.

 

[chunkymonkey]

Just found out that my dad needs to have his heart defribulator (sp?) moved from one side of his chest to the other. Not super major surgery, but when you have as many issues as my dad has...nothing is ever simple anymore. In addition to numerous heart-related problems, he also had MRSA..the terrible staph strain on one of his more recent hospital trips.

What's more is that the surgery is currently scheduled during our family trip to Cape Cod! Crazy, right?

But I suppose that's life, right?

I hope your dad's surgery goes well and he has a good recovery!

Have you decided whether you're going to move to CR? I think you'll have a great time regardless!

 

[tinacaplan]

to you my friend. Sometimes it just seems as if it never ends. Keep us posted and we'll keep your dad in our prayers.

Thanks, Kathy. And, no, sometimes it does seem like it will never end.

I hope your dad has an easy recovery.

Last August I did a split stay at AKV and BLT. I found the travel time from AKV to be better than the travel to from BLT to any park except MK.

Interesting...tell me more! The travel time from AKV makes me weary, even though it would be perfect in many ways.

I hope your dad's surgery goes well and he has a good recovery!

Have you decided whether you're going to move to CR? I think you'll have a great time regardless!

Thanks! We haven't decided anything yet.... just when I count my parents out, my mom mentions that she's still thinking about it! And now if our summer vacation is messed up, that might be just the push my dad needs to make the trip! Who knows? I said in the beginning of this report, that I wasn't sure what would happen... and I'm still not! But we're going. Oh, yes, we are. But, truthfully, I think I'm going to go ahead and plan for a week at CSR. It is, by far, the most likely scenario and, of course, we'll have a great time...we'll be at Disney. Though it sometimes helps to be reminded of that!

 

[annmarieda]

Just found out that my dad needs to have his heart defribulator (sp?) moved from one side of his chest to the other. Not super major surgery, but when you have as many issues as my dad has...nothing is ever simple anymore. In addition to numerous heart-related problems, he also had MRSA..the terrible staph strain on one of his more recent hospital trips.

What's more is that the surgery is currently scheduled during our family trip to Cape Cod! Crazy, right?

But I suppose that's life, right?

I hope things go well.

 

[dizneeat]

Just found out that my dad needs to have his heart defribulator (sp?) moved from one side of his chest to the other. Not super major surgery, but when you have as many issues as my dad has...nothing is ever simple anymore. In addition to numerous heart-related problems, he also had MRSA..the terrible staph strain on one of his more recent hospital trips.

What's more is that the surgery is currently scheduled during our family trip to Cape Cod! Crazy, right?

But I suppose that's life, right?

Tina, I hope all goes well! I'll keep you and your family in my prayers!

 

[tinacaplan]

Tina, I hope all goes well! I'll keep you and your family in my prayers!

I hope things go well.

Thank you! The surgery was moved and he's going in at the end of August now.

I have two more days of school and then I'm off for almost three weeks! I think I'm going to go ahead and plan for a week at CSR in February and I need to get on that, because my ADR window is quickly approaching! How crazy is that? I know I'm getting a little closer when I start to see everyone planning for Christmas!

 

[tinacaplan]

I am nearly one hundred percent sure that this is what we are going to do...

I really did not want to go into planning this trip depending on a discount that we might not get, so my husband and I have talked it over and barring any seriously unforseen circumstances... I think we are going to do CSR for a full week. Besides, based on this picture, I think I need to take some better shots that really show off how beautiful CSR really is.

We had started talking about only going for five days, but now figure...well, once we pay for the airfare, we might as well stay the extra couple of days. This way, we'll be able to do what we want, at a leisurely pace. Fingers crossed that the weather will not be exceptionally cold this year and we'll get to spend some time taking serious advantage of CSR's beautiful Dig Site. The jaguar slide is great and we LOVED the large hot tub last year. Now, with Max, I seriously doubt I'll be sitting in the hot tub, margarita in hand, the way I did last year, but... The thought of it just relaxes me and makes me smile.

I will get into some more serious updating in a few days... Can't wait to get some planning done and start putting my binder together. Does Disney planning count as a legit hobby?

Thanks to everyone for staying with me through my crazy flights of fancy, personal dilemmas, and birthday cake baking! Having such amazing, warm people to share my Disney obsession with has been a wonderful thing for me these past several months!

 

[annmarieda]

Is the discount you are waiting on a 4/3? I think today is the last day, but Soutwest air has a book 4 nights get three free to disney plus pay for a 4 day ticket and get a 7day. For us, it wasn't as good of a deal as fd...and you do have to go through southwest travel. (which is i have read is not as easy to deal with as Disney)

 

[Mindy5767]

Is the discount you are waiting on a 4/3? I think today is the last day, but Soutwest air has a book 4 nights get three free to disney plus pay for a 4 day ticket and get a 7day. For us, it wasn't as good of a deal as fd...and you do have to go through southwest travel. (which is i have read is not as easy to deal with as Disney)

Once you've paid for 4 days of ticketing, you've paid for the bulk. The additional 3 days is what? $20 or less? Its the extra 3 days of room that would be a savings, if that's what you're getting. I'd also be a little nervous of dealing with an airline's travel service vs. Disney Destinations or one of the official Disney Travel agents such as Mousefan Travel or Dreams Unlimited Travel or Magic of Mickey Travel... But if its a good deal. To me, the airfare is the most complicated part of the whole thing. One of the reasons we usually drive.. but when we drive, we don't have someone telling us exactly when we have to leave.. I like to ...linger....

 

[jerseygirl81]

Hi Tina, I've been reading your pre trip report. I can somewhat relate to your house issues we've been in our home for 22 years now and I refer to it as the money pit . We ended up cancelling our trip to Disney in August my DH is'nt working as much these days and my DS17 is driving now I did'nt realize how expensive it would be to add on another vehicle and teenage driver. So I will have to get my dose of disney through other peoples trips for now. I enjoyed your pics from Cape Cod, we just returned from Chatham Cape Cod my sister and her DH have a house there so we were able to take a very inexpensive trip. We just love it there it's so pretty and relaxing and very family oriented. I think you did a great job on the Mickey cake! As far as Six flags goes you can't even compare it to Disney. We used to go to Six Flags in Jersey every summer as teenagers as a kid I could'nt afford a day ticket to Disney if I lived near there so you get what you pay for employees with little training garbage on the ground no pretty flowers and a lot of teens, these parks also attract more thrill seekers they have more roller coasters than anything. We have stayed twice at CSR and loved it, its a very relaxing and pretty resort we also enjoy the quiet pools. Its also nice having the queen beds and the room refurb looks great. I look forward to following along with your trip plans. Linda

 

[tinacaplan]

Is the discount you are waiting on a 4/3? I think today is the last day, but Soutwest air has a book 4 nights get three free to disney plus pay for a 4 day ticket and get a 7day. For us, it wasn't as good of a deal as fd...and you do have to go through southwest travel. (which is i have read is not as easy to deal with as Disney)

Once you've paid for 4 days of ticketing, you've paid for the bulk. The additional 3 days is what? $20 or less? Its the extra 3 days of room that would be a savings, if that's what you're getting. I'd also be a little nervous of dealing with an airline's travel service vs. Disney Destinations or one of the official Disney Travel agents such as Mousefan Travel or Dreams Unlimited Travel or Magic of Mickey Travel... But if its a good deal. To me, the airfare is the most complicated part of the whole thing. One of the reasons we usually drive.. but when we drive, we don't have someone telling us exactly when we have to leave.. I like to ...linger....

I'm actually just going to wait and see what happens, discount-wise, through Disney. I don't want to plan something I would not be able to afford without a discount, so that's why I've decided to go the CSR route, rather than hope for anything else. Also, Delta runs fairly inexpensive, direct flights out of Hartford, which allows us to take full advantage of Magical Express. There's a flight that leaves at about 7 nearly everyday and lands at MCO by 10:30, so we get a pretty full day on arrival day. I HATE to fly, as does my husband, so connecting flights aren't our thing. I know that if I dug around and really looked and didn't mind a connecting flight, I could save some money, but it isn't worth it to me. I wish we were a bit closer and I would consider driving. Maybe someday in the summer!

 

[tinacaplan]

Hi Tina, I've been reading your pre trip report. I can somewhat relate to your house issues we've been in our home for 22 years now and I refer to it as the money pit . We ended up cancelling our trip to Disney in August my DH is'nt working as much these days and my DS17 is driving now I did'nt realize how expensive it would be to add on another vehicle and teenage driver. So I will have to get my dose of disney through other peoples trips for now. I enjoyed your pics from Cape Cod, we just returned from Chatham Cape Cod my sister and her DH have a house there so we were able to take a very inexpensive trip. We just love it there it's so pretty and relaxing and very family oriented. I think you did a great job on the Mickey cake! As far as Six flags goes you can't even compare it to Disney. We used to go to Six Flags in Jersey every summer as teenagers as a kid I could'nt afford a day ticket to Disney if I lived near there so you get what you pay for employees with little training garbage on the ground no pretty flowers and a lot of teens, these parks also attract more thrill seekers they have more roller coasters than anything. We have stayed twice at CSR and loved it, its a very relaxing and pretty resort we also enjoy the quiet pools. Its also nice having the queen beds and the room refurb looks great. I look forward to following along with your trip plans. Linda

Its always nice to get a new reader! Makes me feel like I'm not talking to myself. Chatham is beautiful. Good for your sister! We would love to own a house on the Cape, but that's not in our budget and, so far, my son doesn't seem to really love water . I'm sure that will change as he gets older... Also, why, as I've said, the YC and BC have no interest for me.

Will be posting some more substantial updates soon!

 

[KatMark]

Just stopping by to say hi Tina and anxiously awaiting an update.

 

[tinacaplan]

Just stopping by to say hi Tina and anxiously awaiting an update.

Thanks, Kathy! I am swamped with work for school..planning for next year and I am chained to my computer, which means I'm checking the boards every so often... , but not doing an real updating.

But soon enough, I will have the time.

Hope you're feeling better, finally!

 

[Mindy5767]

I'm actually just going to wait and see what happens, discount-wise, through Disney. I don't want to plan something I would not be able to afford without a discount, so that's why I've decided to go the CSR route, rather than hope for anything else. Also, Delta runs fairly inexpensive, direct flights out of Hartford, which allows us to take full advantage of Magical Express. There's a flight that leaves at about 7 nearly everyday and lands at MCO by 10:30, so we get a pretty full day on arrival day. I HATE to fly, as does my husband, so connecting flights aren't our thing. I know that if I dug around and really looked and didn't mind a connecting flight, I could save some money, but it isn't worth it to me. I wish we were a bit closer and I would consider driving. Maybe someday in the summer!

I know you love CSR, but if you're really trying to be budget minded like I am this August trip, why not consider a Value Resort. We're staying at Pop Century in just 19 days! I'm so glad I didn't go with a moderate after I got my Monstro gasp of all gasps electric bill. We're not doing the meal plan. We will bring our regular cereal for breakfast to eat in the food court. Might buy the milk there, but I really should be getting lactaid milk and they never have had that at Disney that I've seen, so I might buy at Winn Dixie and put in my cooler. We have 2 ADR's for character breakfasts, but Chef Mickey is being canceled. I calculated how much our bill will be with tax and tip, and I can't really justify it after our electric bill! It was THAT bad!!

DS18 is starting college the week of our Disney trip and we have to pay his tuition a few days before our Disney arrival.

I collect two Disney collectibles. I collect the Disney Parks Precious Moments figurines and those beaded animal figures from the Animal Kingdom park. I'm just going to have to buy one of those. I think I'll buy the beaded animal, maybe the panda, and save buying the Precious Moments figurine for after I get birthday money. At least the Precious Moments can be bought online. The beaded animals can't. And the beaded animals help provide jobs for poor people in Africa. So... I'll be doing good by adding to my collection.

We really have fun at the Pop Century. We don't spend alot of time in our room anyway. We only spend time in the room when we're staying at the Vacation Club villas.

 

[tinacaplan]

Yesterday was OFFICIALLY our fifth anniversary! Kind of hard for me to believe, as sometimes I think I just graduated from college and yet, somehow, twelve years have passed! My parents took Max and we were able to have a lovely dinner out at an adult restaurant. It frustrates me a little that even around here in CT, where there are still quite a lot of independently owned places, there are precious few non-chain options for dining out with a three year old. Anyway, we enjoyed our evening and Mark got me a new Keurig coffee maker, which we are hoping will solve our coffee making problems, as we both make horrible coffee, for some reason. Its a little weird, because I am actually a rather capable cook otherwise.

I would have taken pictures of our meal, but...well, I was afraid I would have looked silly given the environment.

Now, onto the update...

Looking back through this report, I realized that the plans I have posted on here and the plans I have on my beautiful Excel spreadsheet look very different at this point!

Let's review what has changed since I started this thing...

1. My parents and any other family members are not coming. I have mixed feelings about this, which I have documented fairly extensively in earlier posts.

2. When we were thinking this was possibly going to include my parents, who were wary of spending a week, we had planned on doing five nights. Now that we know its just us, we are going to go for a full seven. It will be much easier for us to see and do all the things we want to at a relaxing pace.

3. We had considered April, next summer, even...but finally were able to decide that its February for us!

4. I (my husband has pretty much always thought we should stay at CSR) considered the Contemporary and the AKL, but have decided against them and will be staying at CSR.

Not huge changes, I suppose, but fairly significant.

ARRIVAL DAY: February 19

I am planning on taking the same flight we took last year, which was a 7 a.m. out of Hartford, arrive at MCO around 10:30 a.m. We will have to leave our house pretty early, around 4:30. We'll have breakfast at the lovely airport McDonald's... Actually, Max will love that.

I can't wait to see how excited Max will be by the plane ride. No one seems to appreciate transportation as much as a three year-old boy. I know he'll even find the bus rides exciting. I do think that we are going to buy or borrow a portable DVD player for him, though. Even with a window seat and books, I'm a little concerned about keeping a very active three year old occupied for three hours.

Any tips on plane travel with toddlers would be much appreciated.

Once we arrive, we will head to Magical Express!! Last year, we were spoiled and the line was short and we were at CSR pretty quickly. Hope that's true again this year.

I did on-line check-in last year and probably will again this year, as well. I loved checking in early and found it super exciting for some reason.

Last year, we had a beautiful water view room in Casitas Four, right around the corner from the quiet pool. We were also quite close to bus stop 2. It was a lovely spot. With Max, though, I think I want to request Cabanas or even Ranchos to be closer to the Dig Site. Even if the weather's not pool weather, he will love the Dig Site playground.

Hopefully we will be able to get into our room fairly early. After check-in, we will probably have lunch at Pepper Market, while we wait for our room. After lunch, if we still have time, we can go over to the Dig Site and hit the playground, which Max will probably appreciate after the long plane ride.

Once we get into our room, we will unpack and hopefully get Max to at least rest. He has stopped napping at home, even though we do put him down every day at the same time. He plays quite contentedly in his crib and we usually let him out after an hour or so.

I plan on making a 5:30 or 6 p.m. ADR at the Garden Grill, for Max's first character meal. I'm not even sure I can completely explain how excited I am to see his reaction to all of it!

After the meal, we will see what rides we can get on, possibly Living with the Land or the Seas, with Nemo. I would love to get on Spaceship Earth, too, as it is one of my ABSOLUTE favorite rides and always has been. Well, I suppose I shouldn't really call it a ride.... my favorite attraction?

By seven thirty, we will have to see how Max is holding up. If he's raring to go, we'll try and stick around for Illuminations, but if there are any signs of crankiness, we'll head back to the room for what I am sure will be very restful, first night's sleep.