It's good to be bad..yo ho,yo ho a dxdp life for me!&they lived happily everafter 2-4

Baby Jack looks identical to Toddler Jack! I like K's new hair style. Cute skate pics too. Like 'em all.
 
Baby Jack looks identical to Toddler Jack! I like K's new hair style. Cute skate pics too. Like 'em all.

You think so??? I feel like I blinked and he went and got big on me :( Can we say baby fever??? Too bad I can't..grr

Glad you liked all the pics. I just uploaded them all to PB so I figured I'd share
 
If I had to describe our Disney 2008 trip in one word it would be Fanfreakingtastic! Ok, That is not technically a real word, but the trip was so much fun, amazing,dream like,blissful... I just can't use one word. Most of all it was exactly what my family needed! My first "glad I did that" is bringing Jack. Soooo many people said I was dumb to go to Disney with Jack being so young, that I would regret it! Well we didn't. Sure he had his moments, but in the end he LOVED it more than any of us..well just as much as we do!! He is still talking about it! So to those people [that will never even read this] put that in your pipe and smoke it!

What did I learn this time around that I can use for next time around? Well despite planning that trip for a year, I could not plan for the heat or how tiring the car ride was actually going to be.Also, although I made awesome ADR's, I will def make them a little bit more go with the flow stay in the park kind next year. Or, at least plan my days a little better. I will also make a list of what rides we want to do on what day, although not on a time sched. I would just l ike to avoid running from one end to the next 5 times! I think this will especially help in places like the animal kingdom, when it is 1000 degrees lol. Another thing I will do is not be so frugal with my snack credits! I did the typical ddp thing and was hoarding them, only to be left with numerous ones and craptastic use for them. Next year I will use all remaining credits at goofy's, end of discussion lol. I will also eat as much school bread and stupid slushy floats as I want! With that said, we will bring a case of water down with us this time. No sense in using a snack credit when I can get a whole case of dasani for $4.00! Although we got a ton of park time and I felt satisfied with how we toured and rode [with the exception of DAK, we totally didn't do a thing there] I would like to make some rope drops next year! Just to see what it is like. I think I will do 4 earlys days, and then 4 later days, and then the last day sleep in since we will have to drive. Being flexible this time around def made for a more pleasant experience, so I will def work in some pool time for our next trip! That is why we chose CSR actually! Next trip I will allow more time for travel. We got lost so many times going to the same places..der lol Most of all, I have decided that next year I will pack the queer disney shirts that I usually make fun of:snooty: I know I said I never would, but I see where they get convienient and make getting dressed alot easier in the am! wearing black in that some days killed me, so I will give in and try to find some disney shirts! I have been able to find the kids shirts cheap cheap, so that is good! The kids also bought John a couple shirts for xmas, and I bought myself one and wrapped it up and put form santa lol!! I would also like to do what so many of you awesome moms do and have special treat bags for my kids..you know cause a 3k disney trip isnt enough:rolleyes: I just want to make this next trip super awesome magical! So any little thing i can do to make it so, [within reason] I will. So if you all have any great ideas throw em at me!! Oh a big thing that I need to remember is to bring a change of clothes for the kids, and sweaters for those ridiculously cold restaurants! Jack should be fully potty trained by that time, but I think a change of clothes is a good idea none the less. Crap happens right? Let's move onto rides,shall we?? Tower of terror, never got to do it! def on the list for next year! Rockin rollercoaster, Kayla wasn't tall enough, def want to try it next year! how bad is it ? Those were the 2 main rides I was mad about missing. I am mad that we missed the bugs life show, and festival of the lion king!! That is a definite next year!! Next trip we are leaving a day earlier. we will leave friday and arrive saturday. The reason we are doing this, is so sunday we have a full day in the parks! Last year we left sat and arrived early afternoon sunday. We were beyond tired after our dinner at CRT and it kinda screwed our next day up too! If we leave friday this time around and get tere early afternoon saturday, that gives us all day to do..NOTHING!! We will surely feel energized the next day for our first full day! right?? I'll get more into that in my upcoming PTR.

Now onto the fun stuff, the real deal list of glad I did that!!
I am glad that I...
*stopped lurking on the Dis and finally joined!! the amount of info that I found for this past trip was AMAZING!! I feel like part of a secret society of awesomeness! Not to mention the great friends I have made on here and have already met!

* so so so glad we went to MNSSHP! It made my year! Even more so, I am glad we went 2x!!

*Dxdp, we loved it!! That's all I can say. If you like to take a break and sit down I highly recommend it! If you want to try a bunch of new places I recommend it!

*So glad we bought the double stroller! Not only did it keep both kids feet happy, but it was a great way to lug around a bunch of crap!

*I know some of you will think I am nuts, but I am soo soo soo glad we drove! I loved having our car down there! I loved being able to drive to the parks..which brings me to my next glad I did it...

*glad we drove to the parks ourselves and didn't use the buses1 They sucked, and when tired as all get out, I did not feel like waiting. Plus I encountered so many rude people this time around! and the double stroller full of crap..not so great on the buses ;/

*Tide pen, that thing was great when we had those red slushy drinks!

*hangers! There weren't nearly enough there! I will bring my own again next year!

*Back pack, that thing was great! I liked it much more than a big diaper bag!

*Although I will bring disney attire next year, I am glad we packed so many clothes. It was so hot we changed 2x a day!

*Bought extra memory cards for the digi cam and extra video tapes for the video recorder... man i took over 2000 pics, and i would have taken a lot more if I didn't forget it half the time! and I took a ton of video!

*BBB, I am so so so so glad that I took Kayla here. The experience was so magical!

*We brought our over the door hanger thingy ma bob. It held a bunch of crap that the counters did not fit!! We will bring it again next year!

*Life jackets. I know they have them there, but Kayla having her own made her feel super comfy in the water! She really broke out of her water fear shell this trip :)

*Glad we took part of the free dining and went in Sept. Despite being hot we saved a ton of money by going then, and had just as good a time as we would have in October!

*So glad we met up with Sophia and Carrie! Made the trip so fun!

Mostly I am glad that john seemed to have fallen in love this time around and agreed to let me book the bounce back offer!

Up next, restaurant reviews, and new traditions, and what ever other randomness I feel like spewing!
 
I totally agree. I like driving down and I like having my truck with me! In Dec we did the reg dining plan and I totally missed the deluxe! That's the way to go. Bringing your own stroller...heck yeah! Kids sleep, they get tired, and the cost to rent one...Geez. A few hundred dollars!? No thanks! I do need to bring one of the over the dor things...once I brought my own wardrobe. :rotfl2: The ones that collapse into a box....got it from Costco. I put all the kids clothes up in it. I'd even lock it when we left the room! We also bring our own fridge! We used to take a cooler but someone gave Sidney a beer fridge out of a bar. It's little....bright...gets extremely cold...perfect to bring along. Most of the time the ones in the resorts suck. They wont get cold and they don't hold much. This one is little but it holds a ton! Oh...and to the people who feel babies shouldn't go...puh leez. How could a baby not enjoy Disney? Do these people just leave their kids sitting in the crib 'til they're 4-5 and can do stuff!? They don't take their kids as a convenience to themselves! They want to do what they want to do....that's fine, whatever but don't use your kids age as an excuse. Just say it...you wanna do Disney w/o a PITA kid. :lmao: I would never leave my baby at home. Heck DS went on his first trip at 4 months! He loved it. In March I have to leave the older kids home because of school but that's out of my hands. I feel horrible about it too.
 

Your trip report has been outstanding! Thank you very much for sharing your trip, tips, and beautiful family with all of us! Best of luck!
 
Aww, those baby pics of Jack are precious

I love Kayla's new do....she looks so grown up:goodvibes
 
Aww, those baby pics of Jack are precious

I love Kayla's new do....she looks so grown up:goodvibes

She does look older, doesn't she :( But I do love her hair cut like that ! Thanks for the compliments :)

Your trip report has been outstanding! Thank you very much for sharing your trip, tips, and beautiful family with all of us! Best of luck!

why thank you! my head may have grown 3 sizes bigger! lol Please come on over to my new PTR very soon!

I totally agree. I like driving down and I like having my truck with me! In Dec we did the reg dining plan and I totally missed the deluxe! That's the way to go. Bringing your own stroller...heck yeah! Kids sleep, they get tired, and the cost to rent one...Geez. A few hundred dollars!? No thanks! I do need to bring one of the over the dor things...once I brought my own wardrobe. :rotfl2: The ones that collapse into a box....got it from Costco. I put all the kids clothes up in it. I'd even lock it when we left the room! We also bring our own fridge! We used to take a cooler but someone gave Sidney a beer fridge out of a bar. It's little....bright...gets extremely cold...perfect to bring along. Most of the time the ones in the resorts suck. They wont get cold and they don't hold much. This one is little but it holds a ton! Oh...and to the people who feel babies shouldn't go...puh leez. How could a baby not enjoy Disney? Do these people just leave their kids sitting in the crib 'til they're 4-5 and can do stuff!? They don't take their kids as a convenience to themselves! They want to do what they want to do....that's fine, whatever but don't use your kids age as an excuse. Just say it...you wanna do Disney w/o a PITA kid. :lmao: I would never leave my baby at home. Heck DS went on his first trip at 4 months! He loved it. In March I have to leave the older kids home because of school but that's out of my hands. I feel horrible about it too.

You and I see things the way things are meant to be seen:angel: Sucks, so bad that the kids cant go in march. are they so mad?Kayla would never forgive me!

bringing your own fridge is an excellent idea! something i may do if we do a resort without fridge next time!

also, my kid is a RPITA and I still brought him!! Disney was just what he needed!
 
They're okay with us going. They know they get presents since they can't go. Plus...they know they're going in a few weeks. You guys sure you don't wanna go with us??? We could do some Grand Gatherings...:rolleyes:
 
While we were in Disney we decided to start/keep some fun traditions

* On our first night in 2005 we walked up to CRT and asked if they had any openings(this was pre disboards for us)..and guess what they did!! that started our love CRT!! The dinner that night was amazing! We decided that on our next trip we would eat there again on the first night! We did again... Next trip we plan on doing the same..but you'll have to wait for those details..stop trying to be sneaky!

*Pin-trading. I swore I wouldn't, and what do you know.. we def did..and we did it well!! lol. I am so looking forward to seeing the new MNSSHP pins for next year! I will def have to set up an allowance for it, and not go over it!

*A special frame. In 2005 we found a really cute (and super tacky) frame with all of the main characters on it. I was hoping to find something similar, and did, but it didn't have the date on it. I didn't get, but then winded up getting a Jack Skellington frame! It took a lot for OCD me to not get something with a date on it!! Anywho, I have decided we will get an awesome frame to put our fav pic in form each trip! Date or n date, just an awesome frame :)
[this reminds me, remind me that I want to start buying frames on a bigger scale and other cute decor to put in the kids playroom]

*A scrapbook with the date and a photo album with the date. Along with some fun scrapbooking stuff! Again, I did this in 2005!

*Ornaments!! I love love love the personalized ornaments! I got a ton in 2005 and got a ton this year as well! and i will get a yon on the next trip!!

*MNSSHP, as long as we are there for it, we will be there! It was just amazing, and was everything I love about Disney!

That about sums up the new,the old, the keepers.


On to the restaurants shall we???

CRT- loved it. sincerely do. the food, the atmosphere, love it!

BOMA- Had breakfast here, and it is a must do on our next trip!

Whispering canyon cafe- We had fun, and I recommend it. It is not on our must do list again, at least not on the next trip.

Chef Mickey's-Breakfast again. Loved it!! Def on our must do for next trip list!

Ohana-Dinner. Disappointing. But dessert rocked!! Def not doing again for a long time. Although going to give breakfast a try.

Play and dine at Hollywood and Vine-Breakfast. Our least favorite. Def not on our list to do again. Decent character interaction though!

50's ptc- Lunch.Jack was HORRIBLE during this, and I didn't care for my fried chicken. With that said, I absolutely loved it there. The atmosphere was amazing, and the pot roast was to die for!! I just ordered the wrong thing! Or maybe Jack just had me so crazy I didn't know what to do?? It is on our definite to do on our nextr trip list!

Spirit of Aloha- Dinner. Not worth 2 ts. The show was eh... maybe with a large group of friends this would have been better?? The food was just so so, nothing special at all.The dessert stunk too :( Not anywhere near our to do list anytime soon!

Akeshurs-Princess storybook breakfast. In 2005 we ate dinner there and hated the food. The breakfast was amazing though! It is on our list for the next trip! The character interaction was super as well!

Coral Reef-Dinner. I loved it here :) They were awesome to us. The menus they did were great, the scuba diver was amazing! the food was awesome as well. I look forward to going there again!

1900 park fare-Breakfast. Lovedddd it! On our list to do again! Character interaction was great!

Tony's town square- Dinner. Not as bad as everyone says!! Not at all actually! It is not on our list to do again next trip, but we def would like to go back there some day!

Crystal Palace-Breakfast.I am sad to say that we did not like it here, and do not have a good review or any intentions of going back anytime soon. I iwll say that the character interaction was very good!

Yachtman's-Dinner. Food was very good, service was eh..atmosphere was too cold to even enjoy!! We still aren't sure about this place yet. I'm gonna say it was overpriced though.

Earl of sandwich- Lunch. AMAZING. I hate sandwiches, and this place rocked my world!! EVERYONE SHOULD TRY THIS PLACE! especially if you are on the reg ddp, or the new qsdp! Def a great use of credits!

HDDMR-Dinner. So so fun! Food isn't anything to scream and shout about, but it isn't anything to piss and moan about either! The atmosphere was so fun, and it was a great way to end our trip! [it may be added to the new traditions list,we're still debating..again stay tuned for the PTR]

and last but not least

Kona-Breakfast.Loved it!Good service,great food. GREAT REAL COFFEE!! although, that came at a price. This restaurant also has an awesome kids selection! Def on our must do list!


I am so tired right now, and I have to end it here.. final thoughts tomorrow!
 
Loving all your wrap up posts.

I agree Earl of Sandwhiches rock :thumbsup2
 
Great wrap up to your TR. Loved all of the pictures too. I can't wait for our trip together in just 7 months. :grouphug:
 
Oh my gosh! I can not believe how tired I was last night!! I started feeling goofy I was so tired!

With that said I would like to write my conclusion.

I will start off with a hugeeeeee thank you to everyone has been keeping up with me!! Life has been so rough for me lately, and coming on here and seeing that there are a few people that actually give a crap about what I have to say makes my heart swell! I also have to thank everyone for all your kind words, and trip planning help! Our trip would not have been the same without the dis!! Again, I love "my" "secret society"!! I have decided to not share with anyone the dis anymore lol. I want it to remain as small as possible!


This Trip Report has been so much fun to write and I am sooooo looking forward to starting my newest PTR! Which I better get on, because I think Sophia might die if I don't lol. Any suggestions for names?? I will need something terribly witty!

This trip was definitely a defining moment in my life. I realized how important me and my lil fam of 4 are to each other. I realized i will always love love love disney world, and can't wait to take my granbabies there one day! I hope my kids do something for my 50th birthday there lol!! Yes I think that ahead!

At the end of the day, Disney was wonderful. The food was awesome, the snacks were really awesome, the friends I made along the way are awesome, the room we stayed in... crappy room, but the value resorts really are a great value and really quite nice for the price!! I have no issue with returning to them after this trip to CSR [unless I love csr, then I may not be able to go back lol]. I really truly had a magical time, and hope to make the next trip 10x better with all of your help:thumbsup2 :grouphug: pixiedust:

Thanks again for reading along, and please join me in my next PTR!! Please keep checking on here for the link to it. Also, if you have any good ideas for the name lemme know!!!
 
Thanks you for sharing your story with us


I am looking forward to your pre trip





Maybe you new title could have something to do with Halloween:goodvibes
 
Thanks you for sharing your story with us


I am looking forward to your pre trip





Maybe you new title could have something to do with Halloween:goodvibes


You know me so well :) everything in my life has some sort of something to do with halloween!! Thanks for being such a huge part of our story!!

Loved your conclusion.............now get with the PTR. :lmao:

your ever so pushy!!:lmao:
 
Thanks for teh dining reviews! That is always helpful! Glad you liked 1900 Park Fare breakfast and Tony's!!

Off to check out the new report!!
 
I finally caught up! :banana:

I loved all the family pictures you guys took, especially the one in your Hawaiian outfits at the Poly. And, as usual, both Jack and Kayla were frickin' adorable in all their shots.

And I still can't get over you getting free admission to MNSSHP - that's just amazing to me! It's like they handed you almost 200 bucks! It couldn't have happened to a nicer or more appreciative family, either! :goodvibes

I'm sorry to hear you're stressing out about our meeting, though. DH and I totally understood what was going on - two pooped kids and two pooped parents! Maybe next time we can meet under more auspicious circumstances - say, at the GF spa while someone paints our toenails! :rotfl:

Off to check out your pre-trippie!
 
Um, your pin of Pluto dressed as Zero just called me, & said that it wants to come live at my house for a while. :laughing:

Your babies are so unbelievably gorgeous! I love Jack's curls! It's so cute seeing Kayla & John together, you can tell they have a great bond. :cutie:

Loved the TR! Too bad we won't be there at the same time as each other! We're the insane family who goes in the throes of heat & humidity. Thankfully, we get that here in SC too, so DH & I can get ourselves prepared ahead of time!
 
Um, your pin of Pluto dressed as Zero just called me, & said that it wants to come live at my house for a while. :laughing:
I LOVEEEE nmbc! I was toked to find all those pins!

Your babies are so unbelievably gorgeous! I love Jack's curls! It's so cute seeing Kayla & John together, you can tell they have a great bond. :cutie:
thank you <3
Loved the TR! Too bad we won't be there at the same time as each other! We're the insane family who goes in the throes of heat & humidity. Thankfully, we get that here in SC too, so DH & I can get ourselves prepared ahead of time!

sucks that we wont be seeing each other :( don't feel bad, it will be just as hot when we go..but who could pass up free dining!
 








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