I'm turning 30! What better way to celebrate than Disney World? 6/8 -6/16

[TeresaG]

Hi and welcome! This is my very first pre-trip report (heck, I'm a newbie so everything is a first to me ) but I love the idea of having a place to ramble about my upcoming trip.

Speaking of! This upcoming trip, June 8th -16th, is to celebrate my 30th birthday. The original plan was for DH and I to get away on a 5 night cruise, but my daughter was not thrilled with the idea of mommy -her loyal minion- leaving her sight for 5 nights. Instead, DH suggested Disney. Well hey, who am I to look a gift Disney trip in the mouth?

So, allow me to introduce ourselves!

Me: Teresa 29yrs old but turning the big 3-0 in June. SAHM, ex-social worker, and slave mommy to the two most beautiful kids ever. Aside from my Disney obsession I love to travel and my hobby is photography (and to punctuate that, here is just one of my favorite pics from our Dec trip).

DH: Kenny 33yrs old(he goes by Ken professionally, but I met him in High School when he was 'Kenny' and that's all he'll ever be to me ). He's a big Disney lover and is also our family pack mule. I imagine he'd love Disney even more if he didn't have to fold up a double stroller all the time. Going in June is probably going to be quite taxing for him since he's not a fan of the heat (silly man married me whose idea of a vacation is being on a beach somewhere hot -or Disney World of course). We met in High School when he was a senior and I was a Freshman. We officially became a couple in 1997, got married in 2003 and have been blissfully wed going on 8yrs (and together for 14yrs -wow!).

DS: Alex 4.5yrs old. Turning 5yrs old 2 wks after our trip. He is also convinced this trip is to celebrate BOTH our birthdays. Me, being the kind mommy that I am, have reluctantly agreed to share my birthday trip with the best present I ever got. He is obsessed with Toy Story 1, 2 & 3 and Monsters Inc.

DD: Maddie 1.5yrs old. The princess. The ruler really. Has been to Disney 2 times in her short life (3 really, if you count in-utero). This will be her 3rd trip. She is obsessed with Buzz Lightyear (thank you big brother) and is a Tangled fan (and with the amount of hair she has and how quickly it grows it's a fitting match). She loves Disney, loves rides, loves Mickey -and hates characters.

We are the usual fanatics about Disney. We've been to Disney 4 times in 3yrs -this trip being our 5th. We were just there in December for our first Christmas trip. It was also the first time DH and I traveled to the World without friends or family. We thought it would be our last trip for a while but we obviously reconsidered. Even though it was FREEZING while we were there (seriously, we leave PA and go south hoping for perhaps mild FL weather, but no it was 30 degrees consistently ), we did not let the cold bring us down. I think our Christmas trip was one of our most memorable and favorite trips so far. Nothing trumps the castle with icicle lights (insert second shameless picture I took in Dec)

Next up, where we've decided to stay and what parks we're going to each day.

 

[mrssmith06]

Jumping on board! We are arriving on the 8th as well!

 

[TeresaG]

Hi!! Thanks for joining me! I'm so happy to have a reader

 

[TeresaG]

So next up, where we decided to stay.

Our first trip to the World was in 2008 when my DS was 2yrs old. At that time we were only staying for 3 nights before we went on our 'real' vacation which was a cruise. We stayed at All Star Sports and while the resort was cute, using the Disney buses was not. We waited in a line for almost 2hrs at the Magic Kingdom after Wishes one night. My DH swore then and there if we ever went back there was no way we'd stay at a value. He held to that each trip (we're big fans of Saratoga Springs since we like being able to walk to DTD). However, taking as many trips down there as we have been doing makes staying in a deluxe pretty unreasonable (if you ask me -he may say differently ) so in December I convinced him to stay in a moderate. We really enjoyed Caribbean Beach (aside from being on the second floor with no elevators, two kids and a double stroller -no fun!) and the buses were never a problem so I think DH started to relax his rules about where we could stay.

This time when he mentioned us going for my birthday only 6 months after our last trip I put my foot down and said I wanted to make this trip as affordable as possible. The easiest way to do that is to stay in a value since we are only in our room to sleep. I've always been drawn to Pop Century -in fact when we stayed at Sports in 2008 it was only because I couldn't get us into Pop- so this time I said I wanted to stay at Pop and since it was my birthday he couldn't say no. He just gave me the 'look' (which revolves strictly around his feeling of buses at Values being one of the ten circles of hell) and nodded his head. Hey, when it's your birthday trip you pick the resort.

So it's official. We're staying at Pop Century in a standard room (no need to pay for preferred since we don't mind the walks).

I had him note that we want to stay in the 60's building since I like that pool the best and it's close to the splash pool which I know the kids will love.

So we have the hotel decided on next we had to pick dates. My Birthday is June 5th so originally DH was trying to pick dates that would have me down there ON my actual birthday. He had started really figuring things out (and making ADR's) when he found out our neighbors would be going away that weekend and would not be able to take care of our dog. Kenneling our dog is never an option (because she's my first born and we can't imagine doing it -neither can our awesome neighbors who love to take her in while we're away), so DH had to refigure our dates. The best way to refigure our trip so the dog would be taken care of and we could get cheap flights out of our small local airport (SO much better than flying out of Philly!) was to leave on the 8th and return on the 16th. I'm fine with anything, so long as I'm at Disney again. It doesn't have to be on my actual day.

Coming up, our park itinerary.

 

[Minnie_Mom]

Only had time to read through your first post, but it looks like we have lots in common. I just turned 30 last month (I begged and begged for a trip to WDW, but sadly it did not happen. I did however get a trip to Macaroni Grill and even got a complimentary piece of cake!), have pre-school age sons, toddler daughters, and love Disney!

I love your photos... They are great! I just a DSLR camera in Dec, but I am still learning how to use it to its full potential.

Can't wait to have time to read your last post!

 

[TeresaG]

Thanks for joining! What kind of SLR camera do you have? Learning to use it to it's full potential is the best thing you can do, but it's also the trickiest. It took me a while to stop shooting in auto, but now I refuse to shoot in anything but manual.

I love Macaroni Grill! Yum. That's a great restaurant to enjoy a birthday dinner -and get a free cake!

 

[mrssmith06]

Yeah I am nervous about the buses while staying at a value, so we plan to drive most of the time, especially since we will be carrying a double stroller with us!

 

[Mouse's Shadow]

I love your pictures. They should be shown off. I've never been there during Christmas. A friend and I are hoping to go next Christmas. I've only read the first post, but I'll catch up later.

 

[iixheartxyouxox]

I LOVE the picture of the fireworks and the castle..its amazing and the best i've seen! I know what you mean about the cold temperatures..when i was there in january..it was way cooler then i would have liked but 30 degrees is crazy! I actually prefer the heat to the cold and plus it doesnt feel like Disney unless your sweating lol

When i stayed at All-star Sports the buses were great..i feel like its luck of the draw with the buses..We waited just as long one night at MK for a bus back to Port Orleans, it was crazy..Pop will prob be much better since it wont be sharing buses like sports does. I might be adding a night there onto my trip if I decided to add a day.

Can't wait to read more!

 

[TeresaG]

So here is our itinerary as it stands now. We have 7 day base tickets (we're not the hopping type just yet, maybe when the kids get older) but I think I want to add one more day to it. Right now we either don't go to a park on our arrival day or we take a day off mid-week. I'm not sure which is best. I have a feeling my little man might not be willing to wait to go to the Magic Kingdom on arrival day. He's going to be so excited that telling him we have to wait and hang at the hotel might not work. Or it might because he can go swimming. Ugh. I don't know. It doesn't cost much to add it.. (my first ramble! yay!).

Oh, and we're debating adding the water park option to the tickets. Not sure if it's worth it because the kids are so young. Alex likes water slides and pools but he is not a strong swimmer. DH and I would be splitting up to do anything so it seems like it's not worth it for us just yet.


Day 1: Arrive in Orlando at 9:30am.
Hopefully grab the ME and get to Pop by 12pm-1pm. Check in isn't until 3pm, but I hear sometimes they'll check you in early so here's hoping. No idea if we'll go to a park or stay at the hotel and swim (see ramble above). This day we will not be eating at a restaurant and will probably eat at Pop or maybe DTD if DH gets his way.

Day 2: Hollywood Studios
I'm not thrilled with starting out the trip at DHS. I love Hollywood Studios, and I know Alex will be thrilled to go and see Woody and Buzz and Mike and Sully, but I like to start out our trips with the Magic Kingdom. I need to see the castle as soon as possible.

ADR: Mama Melrose 4:00pm Fanatasmic! package . We've never been to Mama Melrose or Fantasmic! so I'm hoping we will be happy with both.

I know the most important thing to do this day is get Toy Story fast passes so I guess we'll be getting to the park as early as possible. Last trip in December they ran out of FP by noon and the stand-by line was 60mins long. I was so upset because I didn't think Alex would get to ride (again) but a man walked up to me and gave me his family's 5 FP because they didn't plan to use them. I was so so happy and grateful for the kindness. This time I want to be there before FP are out. I also plan to ride Tower of Terror at least twice. And since it's my birthday trip I fully plan to.


Day 3: Magic Kingdom
Yay! I think Magic Kingdom is the collective favorite. This is a full day since we will probably get to the park early and we'll be staying for EMH after Wishes at 10pm. Probably not too much later than that though, since our kids will be exhausted. However, that is the best part about having a double stroller. They do this a lot.

Yes, my almost 5yr old very-big-for-his-age son happily squeezes himself into the stroller AND still naps.

ADR: Crystal Palace 2:05pm. I love eating lunch at the Crystal Palace. We always go at least once per trip.
Wishes Dessert Part 9:30pm. This is my Birthday treat. We did this for the first time when my dad turned 60yrs old, but l was so full from dinner at O'hana that I didn't very much. I'll make sure to rectify that mistake this time around.


Day 4: Animal Kingdom

The kids will be most thrilled to go back to Dino land so they can dig all.day.long. That was their favorite part of this park. Well, that and the baby care center. And maybe the safari.

ADR: Tusker House 9:25am. I loved Tusker House last time we went and am excited to go back. Hopefully Maddie won't be as terrified of the characters as she was last time.
We're hoping the kids will do this again

so DH and I can take turns going on Everest...


Day 5: Magic Kingdom
Again. I doubt we'll stay for Wishes, but we might. We'll probably eat a late lunch at Columbia Harbor House since that's our favorite counter service in MK.

ADR: 1900 Park Fare 9:35am We really liked breakfast here on our last trip and since Alex loved meeting the Mad Hatter so much we decided to go with it again.



Day 6: ????

This day is up in the air. We have no solid plans. We are thinking of making it a day off from the parks but who knows. DH made an ADR at Kona for breakfast, but I don't expect to keep it. I'm not a fan of breakfast in general and I don't feel it's the best use of table service on the dining plan. So this day needs planning. We will probably try to to go DTD to eat at Wolfgang Pucks since that is our favorite place to eat.



Day 7: Epcot

We skipped Epcot on our December trip so we're looking forward to going this time around. We're hoping to stay for Illuminations since we've ever seen it before, but I guess we'll see.

ADR: Akershus 1:45pm OR Via Napoli 4:30pm We're not sure which place we want to eat. DH is pushing for Via Napoli, but I'm partial to Akershus. I kinda think my little princess should meet the other princesses, but we're not sure yet. I'm not really familiar with counter services at Epcot so I'm not sure where we'll be eating lunch or dinner depending on which TS we chose.



Day 8: Magic Kingdom
Last day. This day we're just going on favorite rides for the last time. Soaking in the atmosphere until the next trip.

ADR: Cinderella's Royal Table 4:00pm This is my 'fancy' and 'fun' celebration dinner. I know Alex will enjoy eating in the castle. He'll probably even get a kick out of meeting the princesses. Maddie is too young to understand, but I'm sure pretty girls in pretty dresses will make her happy.

 

[TeresaG]

Yeah I am nervous about the buses while staying at a value, so we plan to drive most of the time, especially since we will be carrying a double stroller with us!

We never rent a car while we are down there. We (crazily) stick to the shuttles and ME. I think when the kids are older we'll rent a car to go to Sea World or Universal, but for now we avoid it. Plus, parking at Disney probably ranks as a form of personal hell for my DH who HATES parking lots.

Carrying the double stroller and other stuff (diaper bag, camera bag etc) definitely makes things a little more stressful and complicated but we manage (albeit quite grumpily at the time... )

I love your pictures. They should be shown off. I've never been there during Christmas. A friend and I are hoping to go next Christmas. I've only read the first post, but I'll catch up later.

Hi and Thanks so much for reading!

Aww, thanks for the comps on my pictures. Going to Disney at Christmas was really magical. Everything had such a nice feeling

I LOVE the picture of the fireworks and the castle..its amazing and the best i've seen! I know what you mean about the cold temperatures..when i was there in january..it was way cooler then i would have liked but 30 degrees is crazy! I actually prefer the heat to the cold and plus it doesnt feel like Disney unless your sweating lol

When i stayed at All-star Sports the buses were great..i feel like its luck of the draw with the buses..We waited just as long one night at MK for a bus back to Port Orleans, it was crazy..Pop will prob be much better since it wont be sharing buses like sports does. I might be adding a night there onto my trip if I decided to add a day.

Can't wait to read more!

Hi! and thanks for reading!

Thank you so much for the compliment on my pictures! I love shooting the castle. I took A LOT of it with the icicle lights. It was pretty funny when I uploaded them all. I have a castle problem...

You're probably right about the buses. I've told DH not to allow one memory of our very first trip where we didn't know any better taint his opinion on Values. We're never in our room so why spend the extra money on our 3rd (!!) trip down there this year? [/COLOR]

 

[Minnie_Mom]

Thanks for joining! What kind of SLR camera do you have? Learning to use it to it's full potential is the best thing you can do, but it's also the trickiest. It took me a while to stop shooting in auto, but now I refuse to shoot in anything but manual.

I have a Canon Rebel T2i. I am just venturing out of manual. I have thought about auditing a class at the university here but will probably just purchase a book. Not sure when I would have time for a class

He just gave me the 'look' (which revolves strictly around his feeling of buses at Values being one of the ten circles of hell) and nodded his head. Hey, when it's your birthday trip you pick the resort.

So it's official. We're staying at Pop Century in a standard room (no need to pay for preferred since we don't mind the walks).

I had him note that we want to stay in the 60's building since I like that pool the best and it's close to the splash pool which I know the kids will love.

Sounds like a great plan! We stayed here in Sept. and had no problems at all with the buses! We really liked this resort and may even end up changing our reservation to Pop for our trip, if Disney doesn't offer any discounts

Right now we either don't go to a park on our arrival day or we take a day off mid-week. I'm not sure which is best. I have a feeling my little man might not be willing to wait to go to the Magic Kingdom on arrival day. He's going to be so excited that telling him we have to wait and hang at the hotel might not work. Or it might because he can go swimming. Ugh. I don't know. It doesn't cost much to add it.. (my first ramble! yay!).

What about Downtown Disney? It is Disney fun with no tickets and more relaxing than the parks.

Oh, and we're debating adding the water park option to the tickets. Not sure if it's worth it because the kids are so young. Alex likes water slides and pools but he is not a strong swimmer. DH and I would be splitting up to do anything so it seems like it's not worth it for us just yet.

We just had this same discussion. Both the kids LOVE water, but I am a little nervous about a water park with a 4-year old and a 2 year-old. What to do, what to do?


Day 1: Arrive in Orlando at 9:30am.
Hopefully grab the ME and get to Pop by 12pm-1pm. Check in isn't until 3pm, but I hear sometimes they'll check you in early so here's hoping. No idea if we'll go to a park or stay at the hotel and swim (see ramble above). This day we will not be eating at a restaurant and will probably eat at Pop or maybe DTD if DH gets his way.

We have checked-in early before, so hopefully they will let you. If they don't have any rooms ready, I know they will store your luggage and you guys could just hang at the pool or go to DTD. When your room is ready, they will text you.

Day 2: Hollywood Studios
I'm not thrilled with starting out the trip at DHS. I love Hollywood Studios, and I know Alex will be thrilled to go and see Woody and Buzz and Mike and Sully, but I like to start out our trips with the Magic Kingdom. I need to see the castle as soon as possible.

I know. We almost always start at AK, but the tree of life just doesn't have the same impact as Cinderella's Castle!

ADR: Mama Melrose 4:00pm Fanatasmic! package . We've never been to Mama Melrose or Fantasmic! so I'm hoping we will be happy with both.

We really enjoy Mama Melrose. It is not our favorite restaurant at WDW, but we visit almost every visit!

I know the most important thing to do this day is get Toy Story fast passes so I guess we'll be getting to the park as early as possible. Last trip in December they ran out of FP by noon and the stand-by line was 60mins long. I was so upset because I didn't think Alex would get to ride (again) but a man walked up to me and gave me his family's 5 FP because they didn't plan to use them. I was so so happy and grateful for the kindness. This time I want to be there before FP are out. I also plan to ride Tower of Terror at least twice. And since it's my birthday trip I fully plan to.

Good for you! Is Alex tall enough to ride with you?


Day 3: Magic Kingdom
Yay! I think Magic Kingdom is the collective favorite. This is a full day since we will probably get to the park early and we'll be staying for EMH after Wishes at 10pm. Probably not too much later than that though, since our kids will be exhausted. However, that is the best part about having a double stroller. Yes, my almost 5yr old very-big-for-his-age son happily squeezes himself into the stroller AND still naps.

Fantastic! I keep trying to talk DH into taking our double stroller, but he refuses to carry it on the buses. What kind do you have?

ADR: Crystal Palace 2:05pm. I love eating lunch at the Crystal Palace. We always go at least once per trip.
Wishes Dessert Part 9:30pm. This is my Birthday treat. We did this for the first time when my dad turned 60yrs old, but l was so full from dinner at O'hana that I didn't very much. I'll make sure to rectify that mistake this time around.

Can't wait to hear about the Dessert Party! Thinking of surprising our group with this in Oct IF the are still having it. When I call no one seems to know.


Day 4: Animal Kingdom

The kids will be most thrilled to go back to Dino land so they can dig all.day.long. That was their favorite part of this park. Well, that and the baby care center. And maybe the safari.

ADR: Tusker House 9:25am. I loved Tusker House last time we went and am excited to go back. Hopefully Maddie won't be as terrified of the characters as she was last time.

We love Tusker House!

Day 5: Magic Kingdom
Again. I doubt we'll stay for Wishes, but we might. We'll probably eat a late lunch at Columbia Harbor House since that's our favorite counter service in MK.

Yum... Columbia House!

ADR: 1900 Park Fare 9:35am We really liked breakfast here on our last trip and since Alex loved meeting the Mad Hatter so much we decided to go with it again.

Day 6: ????

This day is up in the air. We have no solid plans. We are thinking of making it a day off from the parks but who knows. DH made an ADR at Kona for breakfast, but I don't expect to keep it. I'm not a fan of breakfast in general and I don't feel it's the best use of table service on the dining plan. So this day needs planning. We will probably try to to go DTD to eat at Wolfgang Pucks since that is our favorite place to eat.

Love Wolfgang's, too!

Day 7: Epcot

We skipped Epcot on our December trip so we're looking forward to going this time around. We're hoping to stay for Illuminations since we've ever seen it before, but I guess we'll see.

ADR: Akershus 1:45pm OR Via Napoli 4:30pm We're not sure which place we want to eat. DH is pushing for Via Napoli, but I'm partial to Akershus. I kinda think my little princess should meet the other princesses, but we're not sure yet. I'm not really familiar with counter services at Epcot so I'm not sure where we'll be eating lunch or dinner depending on which TS we chose.

If you like Moroccan food, then the counter service at Tangerine Cafe is really good! Also, if you are not sure about Illuminations, consider a reservation at Rose and Crown about an hour before the show. If you get a patio table you can watch from your seats. If not, everyone in restaurant is allowed onto the patio during the show. It really helps when you have little ones!

Day 8: Magic Kingdom
Last day. This day we're just going on favorite rides for the last time. Soaking in the atmosphere until the next trip.

ADR: Cinderella's Royal Table 4:00pm This is my 'fancy' and 'fun' celebration dinner. I know Alex will enjoy eating in the castle. He'll probably even get a kick out of meeting the princesses. Maddie is too young to understand, but I'm sure pretty girls in pretty dresses will make her happy.

Sounds like a great day. We really enjoyed CRT in Sept. Snow White even danced around the table with Porter!

Yeah I am nervous about the buses while staying at a value, so we plan to drive most of the time, especially since we will be carrying a double stroller with us!

What type of stroller do you have? I keep trying to talk my husband into taking ours, but he think it is too bulky to travel with...

I LOVE the picture of the fireworks and the castle..its amazing and the best i've seen!

I agree. That is one of the best photographs I have seen. It looks like it belongs in a Disney Ad!

 

[hurleysweety]

You have some wonderful plans coming along! How fun to spend your birthday at Disney..we always spend DH's there it seems since of the time of year it falls. One of these days though, it'll be my turn.

Jealous that you guys have been 4 times in the past 3 years. I think its great that your kids will have so many fun memories at such a fun age.

And your pictures are absolutely magical. Stunning photography. My favorite from the first pic, besides the beautiful castle and fireworks, is the small silhouette of mickey ears. The Christmas castle makes me even more hopeful for a Christmas trip (to DLR or WDW, I would be fine with either!).

And you don't sound like a newbie at all, btw! I think you'll find disboards right up your alley!

 

[TeresaG]

Thanks for the awesome detailed response! I'm going to do my best to reply without re-quoting..

First, the camera. Learning to shoot in manual can be very difficult when you first try. There are three different settings you'll need to change in order to get a correct exposure (ISO, SS, and Aperture) Learning how to change those settings and read your light meter (on the view finder when you're about to take a pic -that bar across the bottom? that's your light meter) are very important. Taking a class was never an option for me either, since photography became my hobby after college I never took even ONE class to help me learn. I'm completely self taught which has been a little hard at time. Anyway, this book is REALLY great and you can probably even borrow it from your library. It'll help teach you everything you need to know

Thank you for your tip about Epcot. I'm going to check out Rose and Crown. The only problem I see with that is my kids will probably be too hungry to wait that long for dinner and if they did make it, they'd probably be majorly cranky. I'm going to run it by DH though since it sounds like a great idea.

The dessert party is really great. Maybe it could be a back up plan for you if the pirate cruise doesn't work out? I mean, what kids don't like tons of desserts?

The stroller we have is a Maclaren Twin Techno. I think it's their version of a lightweight umbrella double stroller. It's amazing. I wish we had bought it when my daughter was first born instead of waiting a year. It's super easy to push and maneuver (even with a 20lb weight difference between kids), fits through doorways and is comfy for the kids. Both seats recline and the stroller has never tipped over when the kids have gotten out. Even though we pack obscene amounts of stuff on the handle bars (diaper bag, camera bag, bags of souvenirs etc) it always stays upright. It's a great stroller. Check out Craigslist for used strollers. Chances are you can find a really good deal on one. I think Disney with a double stroller is a must. At least for us. it makes our trip so much easier.

You have some wonderful plans coming along! How fun to spend your birthday at Disney..we always spend DH's there it seems since of the time of year it falls. One of these days though, it'll be my turn.

Jealous that you guys have been 4 times in the past 3 years. I think its great that your kids will have so many fun memories at such a fun age.

And your pictures are absolutely magical. Stunning photography. My favorite from the first pic, besides the beautiful castle and fireworks, is the small silhouette of mickey ears. The Christmas castle makes me even more hopeful for a Christmas trip (to DLR or WDW, I would be fine with either!).

And you don't sound like a newbie at all, btw! I think you'll find disboards right up your alley!

Hi! Thanks for checking out my trip report!

I'm so excited to spend my birthday down there. Especially because it's the perfect way for me to celebrate (well, the 5 night cruise with just my DH would've been great but my daughter is too young and won't let me out of her clutches just yet ).

I'm a newbie, but I've been a lurker for a long loooooooong time. I just never had the courage to post a pre-trip or trip report. But I always liked reading them so much that I figured I'd give it a try. I already love it since only on the Disboards will you find people who 'get' the obsession and appreciate it along with you.

Thank you for the compliments on my pictures. The Mickey hat silhouette is my favorite part of that picture too.

 

[TeresaG]

So after deciding we were going to Disney and making our park plans and ADR's the time came to tell the little man Alex that we were going back to Mickey's house. When we went on our December trip I made a countdown from 50 days and every night Alex or Maddie would pull one Mickey head off and underneath would be a picture of something we would see or do. Then we could talk about it and get even more excited. We told Alex that Mickey sent us the countdown as his way of inviting us over to his house. Alex really believes we only go to Disney because Mickey invites us. It's cute and I'll let it go for now.


Since this trip was sorta sprung on me, I hadn't planned on making a countdown. But that little nagging thing called 'mommy guilt' (is it little? probably not. Mommy's are probably 50% mommy guilt among all the other things we are -at least I am ) was consuming me for not having a countdown for Alex.

So what's a guilty mommy to do? Why make one last minute of course.

So off to buy materials, swipe 50 Mickey heads from Home Depot, and get to work.

And work it is. When I started making the countdown our trip was already 50 days out so unless I turned into superwoman, Mickey would be mailing the countdown a little late (hey, he's a busy mouse right?). Finding 50 pictures, resizing them so they are small enough to fit under the Mickey heads, cutting gluing etc. etc. is no quick feat. The only time I had to do it was during nap/quiet times or after bedtime. So naturally I was up late at night working on the count down and cursing myself for my mommy guilt and brilliant idea to make such a complicated countdown.

But, in the end, the countdown was complete and we were able to give it to the kids after a couple days.

I don't have any pictures of the Mickey heads pulled off, but since we're {looks up at countdown} at 41 days there are 9 pictures showing so if anyone is interested I could take another picture of it.


We couldn't figure out a good way to give it to Alex to make it fun and exciting. I had finished the countdown at around 10pm so I was pretty done trying to be creative. All I wanted to do was creatively flop into bed and go to sleep. DH would not relent with the need to make the reveal a fun event so I had to sit up, barley awake, and try to think up a fun way to reveal the countdown. I obviously wanted the reveal to be worth all the hard work I had put into the countdown, but I was too fried to think about anything but my comfy bed and pillows (hey, I'm a SAHM, 10pm is my limit before I need toothpicks to keep my eyes open ). Since my idea of flopping in bed and going to sleep was not one shared by my DH, we sat up and tried to figure out how best to give the countdown the next morning. We came up with flipping the countdown to the other blank side and making it look like a letter to Alex and Maddie from Mickey Mouse. So we did that. We even added a Mickey stamp. I'm sure we could've come up with something better, but it was late and I was too tired.


The next morning DH ran outside and placed the countdown/letter from Mickey out on the doorstep. When it was in position I said to Alex "Hey Alex! Did you hear that? I heard something by the front door. You want to go check it out?" Which, naturally, he did. So he ran to the front door, peeked out the side lights and yelled "It's a COUNTDOWN!!!" (the wind knocked over the letter part and revealed the countdown. After all the planning. lol. oh well. )


Much happiness ensued. We explained that Mickey told us the countdown got lost in the mail and was a little late so we could already take off three Mickey head days and then that night we would take off the new one. So we did.


Then mommy made chocolate chip Mickey pancakes and fresh hash browns and we all enjoyed a special "We're going to Disney" breakfast.

 

[TeresaG]

The best laid plans...

We just realized Star Wars Weekends are happening June 10-12th. Kenny is a huge huge Star Wars nut and if Star Wars Weekends are really happening while we're down there we just can't miss it.

Of course, that 'messes' up our plans so far.

Thankfully it doesn't mess anything up too terribly. Day 5 will now be a Hollywood Studios Day instead of Magic Kingdom day. Whether we stay the whole day or do a half-day park half-day at the hotel pool remains to be seen. We also have to figure out an ADR for this day. Originally we were going to 1900 Park Fare, but I wonder if being at HS for rope drop (or as close to rope drop as we can make it) is the better plan.

I know nothing about Star Wars weekends so that's the next thing to plan. Are there special event times for things? I need to go look it up.

 

[Minnie_Mom]

Anyway, this book is REALLY great and you can probably even borrow it from your library. It'll help teach you everything you need to know

I just added to my Amazon cart... Thanks for the tip!

Thank you for your tip about Epcot. I'm going to check out Rose and Crown. The only problem I see with that is my kids will probably be too hungry to wait that long for dinner and if they did make it, they'd probably be majorly cranky. I'm going to run it by DH though since it sounds like a great idea.

The night we try this we stay out of the park until close to our ressie time so that the kids are not as tired at dinner. I also pack "dinner bags" for them each night which have a new toy (small), crayons, coloring book, and stickers. These really help to keep them entertained since everything is new to them.

The dessert party is really great. Maybe it could be a back up plan for you if the pirate cruise doesn't work out? I mean, what kids don't like tons of desserts?

I would love to book a surprise... mainly for my parents. They are a huge help to us on vacations. I would love to book this as a thank you.

The stroller we have is a Maclaren Twin Techno. I think it's their version of a lightweight umbrella double stroller. It's amazing. I wish we had bought it when my daughter was first born instead of waiting a year. It's super easy to push and maneuver (even with a 20lb weight difference between kids), fits through doorways and is comfy for the kids. Both seats recline and the stroller has never tipped over when the kids have gotten out. Even though we pack obscene amounts of stuff on the handle bars (diaper bag, camera bag, bags of souvenirs etc) it always stays upright. It's a great stroller. Check out Craigslist for used strollers. Chances are you can find a really good deal on one. I think Disney with a double stroller is a must. At least for us. it makes our trip so much easier.

I spent most of the day at work yesterday on my iPhone looking at Maclaren double strollers. I see one in my near future! Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts... my husband, on the other hand, doesn't thank you quite as much!

 

[Minnie_Mom]

Alex really believes we only go to Disney because Mickey invites us. It's cute and I'll let it go for now.

So sweet!

Since this trip was sorta sprung on me, I hadn't planned on making a countdown. But that little nagging thing called 'mommy guilt' (is it little? probably not. Mommy's are probably 50% mommy guilt among all the other things we are -at least I am ) was consuming me for not having a countdown for Alex.

We really are a lot alike! I know the exact feeling you are describing. "Mommy guilt" strikes me all the time... and is most likely responsible for most of my crazy ideas and late nights!

But, in the end, the countdown was complete and we were able to give it to the kids after a couple days.

This is just adorable. What a great idea to pick pictures behind the Mickey heads. We normally just make a paper chain, but I might have to borrow this idea!

We came up with flipping the countdown to the other blank side and making it look like a letter to Alex and Maddie from Mickey Mouse. So we did that. We even added a Mickey stamp. I'm sure we could've come up with something better, but it was late and I was too tired.

The next morning DH ran outside and placed the countdown/letter from Mickey out on the doorstep. When it was in position I said to Alex "Hey Alex! Did you hear that? I heard something by the front door. You want to go check it out?" Which, naturally, he did. So he ran to the front door, peeked out the side lights and yelled "It's a COUNTDOWN!!!" (the wind knocked over the letter part and revealed the countdown. After all the planning. lol. oh well. )

How fun! I just love to surprise Porter and Audrey Anne. We are trying to decided if we should tell Porter in advance or completely surprise him when we get there.

The best laid plans...

...often go awry, especially if these plans involve WDW.

We just realized Star Wars Weekends are happening June 10-12th. Kenny is a huge huge Star Wars nut and if Star Wars Weekends are really happening while we're down there we just can't miss it.Of course, that 'messes' up our plans so far.

But, what a great, but crowded, opportunity! It will be so fun for him to get to experience Star Wars Weekend.

Thankfully it doesn't mess anything up too terribly. Day 5 will now be a Hollywood Studios Day instead of Magic Kingdom day. Whether we stay the whole day or do a half-day park half-day at the hotel pool remains to be seen. We also have to figure out an ADR for this day. Originally we were going to 1900 Park Fare, but I wonder if being at HS for rope drop (or as close to rope drop as we can make it) is the better plan.

Glad your plans weren't too messed up! I would think rope drop would be very important any time a DHS, especially during SWW. Is it possible to work 1900 Park Fare in on another day?

I know nothing about Star Wars weekends so that's the next thing to plan. Are there special event times for things? I need to go look it up.

I know very little about Star Wars weekend, but from what I hear, there are lots of events and meet and greets. Good luck... how fun to have something else to plan!

 

[TeresaG]

Apologize to your hubby for the Maclaren stroller obsession. But really, I love mine. I know there are others out there, but I had specific requirements in mind when I decided (good weight distribution, reclining seats, semi-light weight, wouldn't tip over etc) and this one is perfect for all that. Plus it's easy to push.

My DH is pretty stoked about Star Wars Weekends. I'm excited to go so he can enjoy it, but it sounds like it can get pretty packed so hopefully it's not too bad when we go. Alex isn't really a fan of Star Wars so I'm not sure how much he'll care, but my DH will love seeing Storm Troopers walking around. lol

 

[Minnie_Mom]

He had accepted your apology but is still a little pouty.

I hear that SWW is a wonderful experience for fans! I know he is going to have a great time. And who know, maybe it will help Alex develop a love, too, that way he and daddy will have another outlet for father/son bonding!