How Early is Too Early to Plan??? - TR Link Added - 12/29

[jedijill]

Happy birthday to your DS! Can't believe he is already 4. What a great night...glad he got so into it!

Jill in CO

 

[MEK]

Reading from phone so I have to come back, but happy birthday to DS! Four already!!!!! Yay!!!!!

What a great BD present. I'll be back to see your pics.

 

[KatMark]

Happy 4th birthday, little man:

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I need to adopt some local kids so we can go to the Ice Show again...it's been a long time since we've gone (I'm guessing about 10 years when we took our then 8 year old niece).

Looking forward to hearing plans soon.

 

[amazingact21]

Very good birthday idea for your DS. I've heard a lot about Disney on Ice but have never actually been to a show, so it was cool to see some pictures.


The Malificent part had to be very entertaining, but yeah, sounds like they geared it more towards the princesses. I'm sure all the girls in the audience loved it, but like your DS, a slight disappoint for anyone hoping to see some other main characters.
No Beast?? That just seems wrong. Why have all the other princesses with their guys but exclude Belle? Guess none of the actors were talented enough to manage ice skates AND a massive furry costume.


Oh man, I bet your son belting out the Tangled soundtrack was so ridiculously adorable. (As was his reaction when he realized strangers oerheard him. ) He sounds like quite the Disney fan in the making.

 

[cheerful chickadee]

joining in! love the Disney on Ice pics. Happy Birthday to your little one, both kids are adorable!!

 

[afwdwfan]

Happy birthday to your DS! Can't believe he is already 4. What a great night...glad he got so into it!

Jill in CO

Thanks! We can't believe he's already 4 either.

Reading from phone so I have to come back, but happy birthday to DS! Four already!!!!! Yay!!!!!

What a great BD present. I'll be back to see your pics.

Thanks. It was a great way to start his birthday weekend.

Happy 4th birthday, little man:

​

I need to adopt some local kids so we can go to the Ice Show again...it's been a long time since we've gone (I'm guessing about 10 years when we took our then 8 year old niece).

Looking forward to hearing plans soon.

Thanks!

You definitely need to adopt some kids to take to the show. Or just take that big kid who lives with you and enjoy a night out. Who said you need a kid to take?

Very good birthday idea for your DS. I've heard a lot about Disney on Ice but have never actually been to a show, so it was cool to see some pictures.

It really was a lot of fun. I encourage you to go sometime if you have a chance.

The Malificent part had to be very entertaining, but yeah, sounds like they geared it more towards the princesses. I'm sure all the girls in the audience loved it, but like your DS, a slight disappoint for anyone hoping to see some other main characters.
No Beast?? That just seems wrong. Why have all the other princesses with their guys but exclude Belle? Guess none of the actors were talented enough to manage ice skates AND a massive furry costume.

I knew it would be geared towards the princesses, but it was also about the heroes. So I have to say I was a little bit disappointed that some of the princesses never really got into their stories at all.

Belle did get her prince at the end of the show for the finale, but it was the human form, not Beast.

I don't see why they couldn't have Beast if they could have a Genie, Sebastian and Ursula out there skating. Beast couldn't be anymore cumbersome than some of those.

Oh man, I bet your son belting out the Tangled soundtrack was so ridiculously adorable. (As was his reaction when he realized strangers oerheard him. ) He sounds like quite the Disney fan in the making.

It was. Definitely the highlight of the evening. We have trouble getting him settled down to go to bed, but he usually wants to watch a movie before he goes to sleep. He usually picks Tangled, Peter Pan or Cinderella. So yeah, he can pretty much quote the entire movie.

joining in! love the Disney on Ice pics. Happy Birthday to your little one, both kids are adorable!!

and Thanks!

 

[khertz]

Happy birthday to Landon! Oh my goodness, how time flies!!

Thanks for reviewing Princesses & Heroes. We are taking Paxton to see it in March and you pretty much confirmed what I figured, that it would be Princesses > Heroes. But at least they are all stories he is familiar with, unlike the last Disney on Ice we went to that turned out to be pretty boring, even with the second half entirely devoted to Toy Story 3. As long as it is more music-focused, we should be good.

Glad the kiddos had a good time! So cute about DS singing along with Tangled. Between that soundtrack, and Cars and Frozen, those are about the only songs Paxton ever wants to listen to!

 

[that's nice]

I already saw/ commented on your Disney on Ice pics in the other place but this caught my eye:

I think she's officially almost as hooked on Disney as I am now.
[/CENTER]

This was your opportunity to either throw out the idea of DVC or at least the idea of another trip.

 

[afwdwfan]

Happy birthday to Landon! Oh my goodness, how time flies!!

Thanks for reviewing Princesses & Heroes. We are taking Paxton to see it in March and you pretty much confirmed what I figured, that it would be Princesses > Heroes. But at least they are all stories he is familiar with, unlike the last Disney on Ice we went to that turned out to be pretty boring, even with the second half entirely devoted to Toy Story 3. As long as it is more music-focused, we should be good.

Glad the kiddos had a good time! So cute about DS singing along with Tangled. Between that soundtrack, and Cars and Frozen, those are about the only songs Paxton ever wants to listen to!

The show probably spends more time on Aladdin, Little Mermaid and Sleeping Beauty than any of the others. But each princess comes out and gets 1 or 2 songs to skate to. It is definitely a good show, but during Snow White's skate/dance with her prince, and a couple of other similar performances, DS said he wanted to watch something else.

The only time he ever really got excited about 2 people on the ice, without a big cast of costumed characters was for Rapunzel.

I already saw/ commented on your Disney on Ice pics in the other place but this caught my eye:


This was your opportunity to either throw out the idea of DVC or at least the idea of another trip.

The DVC conversation has been had. I think I can sell her on it. I just need the $$$$ to make it happen first.

 

[momabbate]

I can't remember if I posted, and I'm to lazy to scroll and check. I love your pics of Disney on Ice. Looks like your kids had a great time. What a nice way to celebrate turning 4. I have never been to a Disney on Ice. I have been seeing that it is coming next month here. I wont be able to make it this year. Maybe next year. Unlike some one on here I'm not taking any kids. I figure I first need to experience it alone or with my daughter. Then when here son is 4 we might think of letting him come. That will give us two years to see if he will like it.

 

[MEK]

Finally back to see your pics. I'll admit - I forgot.

But they are wonderful! What a great show. I can just imagine being a Disney junkie AND a little kid and going crazy over this. The last time we saw it was about 10 years ago and its was pretty fab then. I'm sure its only gotten better.

 

[amandaw]

Sorry I haven't been around but I wanted to pop in & see what was going on with the trip planning.

Glad to hear the trip is definitely still in the works even if you haven't been able to pick a resort yet. I do think it'll be nice to have your in-laws there to experience it with your children.

The Disney Ice show looks fun. That show is actually coming to our town next month & I was considering taking Reid. I'm just wondering if it'll be "too girly" for him. He'll be 6 & acts so grown now.

 

[Leshaface]

Disney on Ice looks like fun! How incredibly cute that DS started singing along to that song It is a great song though.

I would really like to see Disney on Ice one day, but not sure I could convince the hubby to see it. Like you were saying, it sounds very much princess-geared. Would be spectacular if they did a Pixar themed show.

Would it be weird to say, "Yay for DW tears!" I think it means she's ready for WDW

 

[afwdwfan]

I can't remember if I posted, and I'm to lazy to scroll and check. I love your pics of Disney on Ice. Looks like your kids had a great time. What a nice way to celebrate turning 4. I have never been to a Disney on Ice. I have been seeing that it is coming next month here. I wont be able to make it this year. Maybe next year. Unlike some one on here I'm not taking any kids. I figure I first need to experience it alone or with my daughter. Then when here son is 4 we might think of letting him come. That will give us two years to see if he will like it.

Sounds like a great idea! Too bad you can't see it this year, but nothing wrong with checking it out ahead of time before taking the grandson!

Finally back to see your pics. I'll admit - I forgot.

Yeah... I know the feeling.

But they are wonderful! What a great show. I can just imagine being a Disney junkie AND a little kid and going crazy over this. The last time we saw it was about 10 years ago and its was pretty fab then. I'm sure its only gotten better.

Yeah, it really was a lot of fun. First one of those I've been to since I was probably around DS's age!

Sorry I haven't been around but I wanted to pop in & see what was going on with the trip planning.

Hi! Good to see you!

Glad to hear the trip is definitely still in the works even if you haven't been able to pick a resort yet. I do think it'll be nice to have your in-laws there to experience it with your children.

It should be a lot of fun. I really need to get in gear. Even though we're leaning towards AoA, the doubts in the back of my mind are keeping me from pulling the trigger yet. We need to get something booked soon though.

The Disney Ice show looks fun. That show is actually coming to our town next month & I was considering taking Reid. I'm just wondering if it'll be "too girly" for him. He'll be 6 & acts so grown now.

It was a lot of fun. But a 6 year old boy... yeah, the Princesses and Heroes show might not be his cup of tea.

Disney on Ice looks like fun! How incredibly cute that DS started singing along to that song It is a great song though.

It is. And now I'll always associate this moment with it.

I would really like to see Disney on Ice one day, but not sure I could convince the hubby to see it. Like you were saying, it sounds very much princess-geared. Would be spectacular if they did a Pixar themed show.

Well... they do. They do about 3 - 5 different shows each year. Some princess themed, some geared towards a certain subset of films. They change up the show line up from year to year and it is just a matter of which show comes to your town. This year just happened to be Princesses and Heroes. I don't remember what was in Indianapolis last year.

Would it be weird to say, "Yay for DW tears!" I think it means she's ready for WDW

Not at all. In fact we've had the DVC convo a few times since then. I'm working on it...

 

[afwdwfan]

I just wanted to pop in here this morning to share some good news.

We booked our trip yesterday! We hope to maybe end up staying somewhere else, but at least we came to some compromises and have something booked now. I'll be back later - probably tomorrow - to give a full update when I can type on a computer instead of a phone.

 

[that's nice]

I just wanted to pop in here this morning to share some good news.

We booked our trip yesterday! We hope to maybe end up staying somewhere else, but at least we came to some compromises and have something booked now. I'll be back later - probably tomorrow - to give a full update when I can type on a computer instead of a phone.

that's nice!

Can't wait to hear the details!

 

[KatMark]

I just wanted to pop in here this morning to share some good news.

We booked our trip yesterday! We hope to maybe end up staying somewhere else, but at least we came to some compromises and have something booked now. I'll be back later - probably tomorrow - to give a full update when I can type on a computer instead of a phone.

something booked. Now get your butt back here and tell us where and when!

 

[amandaw]

Yay! for booking! I can't wait to hear all about it!

 

[momabbate]

so excited to hear you have trip booked. Can't wait to hear more.

 

[afwdwfan]

Finally Booked!!!

As it has been documented here, there has been a bit of back and forth discussion revolving around the when and where of our trip. Part of our difficulty was that we had a strong desire to stay somewhere that would be an impressive experience for our first time visitors, but also somewhat budget friendly as to not give them complete sticker shock and ruin the trip before it started.

I calculated out some options and basically outlined a price range for what I thought we could do on a few different resort options. MiL didn’t bat an eye, and actually said they’d be willing to pay more than their share if they had to. Wait… what?

That said, we really did want to try AoA, but it just seemed like a Cars Suite would be too crowded for us. We’d considered renting DVC points, staying in 2 rooms at a value or a moderate. We even considered staying offsite. In the end the choice wasn’t really all that difficult.

We booked 2 rooms in the Little Mermaid section from 12/13 – 12/19.

Yes… we even changed to the more expensive week of the 2 we’d considered. That week is just more convenient for all of us with our home schedules. We could have made either week we were considering work, and both require a little bit of juggling, but this one is just going to be easier. So in the end, it was worth the expense to DW and I, and it was even more of a factor for MiL and FiL to go that week as opposed to the week after Thanksgiving.

Now, I mentioned that we hope to possibly change resorts. Well, based on history, AoA hasn’t exactly been eligible for discounted rates. So we’re booked at rack rate, and likely that’s what it’s going to be if we stay there. In past years, there have been some good discounts available for Deluxe resorts in December. Before we booked the trip, MiL asked if we could stay where DW and I stayed a few years ago. If you’re new to my TR’s, she’s referring to Kathy’s favorite resort, Wilderness Lodge. She saw the pictures and really would like to stay there. So basically, if they would come out with one of their 30 – 40% discounts on Deluxe resorts, comparing the cost of a couple of rooms at WL to the cost of a couple of rack rate rooms at AoA seems like a reasonable upgrade, so we would likely try to switch. But truthfully, I think we’ll be happy either way.

One thing I did differently this time around was booking the Regular Dining Plan. I typically am not a fan, and don’t see the value in it, but we’re planning to get some more buffet and character meals this time, so I think it makes more sense. We might do one or 2 meals that are 2 credits (and yes I know it doesn’t make sense to use dining credits there, but I can’t bring myself to let my in-laws see how much the bill would be if we paid for it). Right now I think we might… might do CRT this trip. This would be a first for all of us. We also will likely do a Candlelight Processional package. Probably easier to justify that cost out of pocket since it is more than just a meal.

Right now, our short list for Table Service meals is as follows:

• Chef Mickey – It has been a great first meal tradition with our kids. We’ll keep the tradition alive, but maybe not the first meal this time around…
• Via Napoli – Ok. This isn’t even on the short list, nor is it up for discussion. We’re eating here.
• Cinderella’s Royal Table – We think it might be fun to try while our little prince is still little enough to enjoy the princesses and our little princess will hopefully be receptive to them.
• Be Our Guest – Obviously I want to try dinner here. We’ll probably plan to eat lunch here at a minimum and it might get left off the ADR list.
• Whispering Canyon Café – Definitely eating here if we don’t get to stay at WL. Probably eating here if we do stay at WL.
• Garden Grill – Looks like a fun character meal. Maybe a good one for us to look at for a CP package.
• Tusker House – I’ve booked this one twice and cancelled it as the trip approached due to schedules/plans changing.
• Crystal Palace – Always a favorite. We haven’t been here since 2008.
• 50’s Prime Time – DW hates this place and always refuses to go. I know her parents will love it, and I fully intend to take advantage of that fact and eat here for the first time since 1998 if we can work it in.
• Mama Melrose/Sci Fi – Our top choices if we’d book a Fantasmic package. Otherwise, not a priority.
• Hollywood & Vine – Only if the character line up is something our kids would really like. The food was horrible last time we ate there.
• Beaches & Cream – Always on my short list, we just never manage to work it in
• Yachtsman – DW and I are hoping to get a date night. If so, this is probably where we’ll go.
• Liberty Tree – DW and I love it. I’m sure her parents will love it. It will probably fall just short of making the cut this time around since we ate there last trip.

Ok. I guess our short list really isn’t all that short. We still have a lot of work to do here. There are too many old favorites that we don’t want to miss and too many new ones that we want to try. There just aren’t enough meals in the day.

I guess my next update here will have to be narrowing down the park days so we can take a look at what ADR’s might work on a given day.

Thanks for your patience and following along!