southern_redhead
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 12, 2010
- Messages
- 1,287
We finally settled on our dates for the vacation......our first to Disney as a family. This will be DH and the kids first trip, my only trip was about 25 years ago - one afternoon at MK (I think) and my mother treated it like a county fair 
To say the least it wasn't a raging success, I never felt the burn to go back. Hopefully this time I have planned it a bit better and my kids will experience the things I would have loved.
So far I have 3 ADRs (a 9:45 at Ohana, 5:10 at Chef Mickeys, and a 6:45 at 1900 Park Fare) I scheduled them for different days so that we wouldn't feel like one day was nothing but showing up and eating. I know that seems like quite a few character meals *but* I kind of thought it killed two birds with one stone - A) We won't feel like we *have* to wait in long lines for the kids to see characters unless there is one where they just really want to do that and B) my kids will be 12/8/7 at the time of our trip (and a 15 year old stepson but I doubt he cares one way or the other about characters) and I think the 12 yo will enjoy it but would think he was too cool to ask to go, the two younger should enjoy it quite a bit - if we go back it won't be for at least a couple of years so I think they might all be out of the notion by that point.
I have a game plan, so to speak, of 4 days at Disney and either a day at Universal and a day at the beach or swap the Universal day for another day at Disney or a second day at the beach. I'm trying to break up the trip so we do a couple days Disney, a day off doing something else, another couple days Disney and a last (full) day possibly at the beach. I will have to make that final decision when I buy tickets........and, best place to buy tickets? Would the AAA discount be our best bet? It isn't much but I guess every dollar counts LOL and we ought to use that membership for SOME benefit
I also hope to fit in a family photo session, we haven't had one in sooo long. I think I will ask DH for that as my birthday present! I was thinking of perhaps doing that before the 6:45 ADR...thoughts?
We haven't told the kids yet, I kind of want to suprise them. But also because it is so early in the planning and we want to protect against disappointment should disaster strike and us have to reschedule the trip (and, LOL, against 4+ months of "Is it time? Is it time yet?") Now, who can point me to packing lists and whatever else I might need?!
To say the least it wasn't a raging success, I never felt the burn to go back. Hopefully this time I have planned it a bit better and my kids will experience the things I would have loved.So far I have 3 ADRs (a 9:45 at Ohana, 5:10 at Chef Mickeys, and a 6:45 at 1900 Park Fare) I scheduled them for different days so that we wouldn't feel like one day was nothing but showing up and eating. I know that seems like quite a few character meals *but* I kind of thought it killed two birds with one stone - A) We won't feel like we *have* to wait in long lines for the kids to see characters unless there is one where they just really want to do that and B) my kids will be 12/8/7 at the time of our trip (and a 15 year old stepson but I doubt he cares one way or the other about characters) and I think the 12 yo will enjoy it but would think he was too cool to ask to go, the two younger should enjoy it quite a bit - if we go back it won't be for at least a couple of years so I think they might all be out of the notion by that point.
I have a game plan, so to speak, of 4 days at Disney and either a day at Universal and a day at the beach or swap the Universal day for another day at Disney or a second day at the beach. I'm trying to break up the trip so we do a couple days Disney, a day off doing something else, another couple days Disney and a last (full) day possibly at the beach. I will have to make that final decision when I buy tickets........and, best place to buy tickets? Would the AAA discount be our best bet? It isn't much but I guess every dollar counts LOL and we ought to use that membership for SOME benefit
I also hope to fit in a family photo session, we haven't had one in sooo long. I think I will ask DH for that as my birthday present! I was thinking of perhaps doing that before the 6:45 ADR...thoughts?
We haven't told the kids yet, I kind of want to suprise them. But also because it is so early in the planning and we want to protect against disappointment should disaster strike and us have to reschedule the trip (and, LOL, against 4+ months of "Is it time? Is it time yet?") Now, who can point me to packing lists and whatever else I might need?!
