Looking forward to a crowd-free Disney Trip! **Update 9/4**

[jeremysdisneymom]

Finally getting caught up on my reading!

Yay, for your MNSSHP tickets! You will love it. It is our family's favorite Disney event.

Oooo, the Wishes Dessert party looks great! The boys want to do that this summer but I have yet to book it. Time is just flying by!

Hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day!

 

[photographymom517]

I don't have much time so I will come back and post more later. But, gas hit $4.19 a gallon here in southern Ohio yesterday! I am really hoping it will get cheaper as we head south in June.

Yep, Erika -- it hit $4.09 over the weekend here in Western PA so I'm sure it will be up to $4.19 soon. I have NO idea what to think about gas prices!

I've heard people mention it climbing up to $6-7.00 this summer and I've also heard some people say its going back down towards $3.00 a gallon before summer even starts. I don't know what to believe anymore! I do know that I've been limiting our trips out. I've been consolidating our grocery shopping to once a week (sometimes Luke & I end up at Walmart or Target 3 times in one week just to pick up a few items here or there). We've also been spending more time in our own backyard opposed to heading to one of the local parks.

Where are you going in June? We were throwing around the idea of going to Myrtle Beach for a weekend, but those plans are extremely tenative!

Hey! I am caught up!! I love all your plans. I know the MNSSHP seems pricey, but it is so so worth it. I haven't bought my tickets yet... I did call Pirates League today and still couldn't get an appointment for after 4, the CM said to keep checking!

I sent you an email to you MWT email, did you get it? It was about business cards!

Sorry Stephanie! I did get your email but I was just really behind & while I did read everyone's emails, I didn't respond right away. Normally I'm better about getting back to people than that. This past week/weekend was just craaaazy!

Good luck getting Pirates League at the time you need it!

Congrats on ordering your MNSSHP tickets, you won't be sorry, it's a great event!

Oooooo, the Wishes Dessert Party

I loved it, but DON'T eat a big meal the night that you go, I was miserable afterwards!!

I think you guys will have fun at Fantasia Gardens, WinterSummerland is probably easier for kids, but both are great, and the convenience of Fantasia Gardens will be perfect

Cute tops!!

Thanks Michelle! Everyone seems to have the same opinion -- that it is DEFINITELY worth it!!! So I'm very happy for our final decision! And -- the tickets arrived in the mail yesterday!!! I just looked at the envelope at first wondering why I was getting mail from Disney Destinations! THEN I opened it & realized what it was!!! I was super excited! I'll post an update later this afternoon!

I wasn't even thinking about our ADR for that day! I definitely don't want to eat a big meal because I have been looking forward to scheduling the Wishes Dessert Party since I first read about it on DIS reports!!! I'm actually planning to get all THREE of our monies worth just on my own! YUM!!! So, after I read your post, I grabbed my schedule & that day, we only have a lunch ressie at Crystal Palace at 1:05pm. I think we'll be hungry enough by the time of the dessert party, but I'm going to keep checking that day for an earlier ADR at CP. It wouldn't hurt to move it up closer to 11 or noon. Thanks for the reminder!

I really was set on Winter Summerland, especially after a few of you mentioned it on my PTR. But Fantasia Gardens is just so close to the BC/YC area, we might as well go there. Who knows though, you know me, always changing plans!

 

[photographymom517]

Excellent update Hope!! I have both those CDs too and I listen to them all the time! In fact, we were just listening to 4 Parks, One World in my classroom today!

I also love that yellow shirt from the disneystore website but just haven't brought myself to buy it.....yet!

So exciting to get the MNSSHP tickets!! I'm usually on it right away but since we are getting APs (upgrading 1-day tickets when we get there) I'm going to wait so we can get the AP discount. It's driving me crazy to wait but anything to save a few bucks!

Did you read about my Behind the Seeds tour experience?? We went on the 4th of July and did NOT book in advance! We just went to the desk near Soarin first thing and signed up for the first tour, which was 10:45 I think. I'm going to see if I can find the link to my TR where I wrote about it....

Okay, if you are interested, the two posts where I talked about signing up for and doing the tour (with pictures, of course!) are both on this page. http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2506691&page=23

Thanks for the links Nikki!!! I haven't had the chance to look them over yet, but I will soon!!! I'm sure it will be very helpful to me! I still haven't called to book it yet, so I'll look over that link first!

I've showed/mentioned that yellow shirt to alot of people & it seems that everyone wants it!

I just read your PTR & that's awesome that they let you use the AP discount now!!! Your tickets should come by the beginning of next week, mine took about 6 days in the mail! I guess I should've asked -- did you have them shipped or do the "will call" option?

That is so crazy that you went on the Behind the Seeds Tour on the 4th of July & didn't have to book in advance!!! That's great to know, but knowing me, I'm probably going to call to schedule it in advance anyway! I worry & worry about everything! If I wouldn't call & know "for sure" that we can go at the day/time I want, I would worry from now until that day! I swear I have anxiety issues & its all due to my obsessive planning!

Wishes dessert party AND MNSSHP?! I am so jealous but SO excited for you! I really hope that they have the Wishes dessert party whenever we go -- it looks like we're going in January but haven't booked anything yet and I am so anxious to. Katie got to go to it on her October trip, I think. I remember getting pictures from her. I forget just how or when it started, but we send each other pictures of food to make the other jealous, especially if it's something not easily accessible to us, like cider slush or cider doughnuts to me and Sonic to her.

That 40th anniversary t-shirt is really cute, I think my friend has a similar one It might not have the 40th anniversary logos on it but I love it!

4 Parks, 1 World...that is hands down my favorite Disney CD! That and the Wishes soundtrack. I actually have a playlist on my iPod that is all Disney music and those two CD's are on it. I LOVE "Legacy" b/c Epcot is my favorite park and whenever I listen to it I can picture just walking into the park. I want THIS on my iPod:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doGRqUVUzIM

It's only part of the Innoventions music loop but it brings back soooooo many memories! Especially of being in Epcot at night.

The Behind the Seeds tour looks really cool! Good luck keeping it a secret from your DH -- I am the same way with surprises...sometimes I'm just so proud of myself I can't keep my mouth shut

I KNOW!!!! I am soooo excited for the Wishes Dessert Party! While the BTST is a secret, the dessert party really isn't -- BUT I haven't told my husband OR Luke about it yet!!! I like to reveal bits & pieces of the trip a little at a time to keep them excited about the trip!!!

We planted our garden this past weekend so I'm having more trouble than ever keeping the tour a secret!!! My husband does know that I'm planning something for the trip, but he has no idea what I'm planning. Sometimes when people know, it makes me more nervous because then I have to live up to their expectations (without knowing what their expectations for the surprise even are! LOL)

I'm excited for MNSSHP & as I told Michelle (and I will post an update soon, promise!) I got our tickets yesterday!!!!

I really have to figure out costumes & I'm starting to feel like I don't have that evening planned out well enough. That morning, we'll probably just hang around the resort until around noon when we'll start getting ready for our lunch ressie at Kona Cafe. We'll explore the Poly for awhile after our lunch & then head over on the monorail to MK for the party!!! I'm excited but still have lots to do!

You have a Sonic??? Now I'm super jealous! I see the commercials on tv all the time, but yet we don't have one near us! I looked within a 5-6 hour radius & nope, none!!!

Hi there Hope, just popping in to wish you a Happy Mother's Day - hope it was a great one!

Thanks Michelle!!!!

Finally getting caught up on my reading!

Yay, for your MNSSHP tickets! You will love it. It is our family's favorite Disney event.

Oooo, the Wishes Dessert party looks great! The boys want to do that this summer but I have yet to book it. Time is just flying by!

Hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day!

Did you dress up for MNSSHP when you went? I know that my husband won't dress up, but I definitely am! I take every opportunity that I can to "be a kid again"! LOL I can't wait!!! Our tickets actually arrived yesterday in the mail & I'm more excited than ever! I'm also more confused than ever over my costume! I originally was planning to wear my Cruella Deville costume. But its been in the 70's and 80's this past week & I've realized there's no way it will work! I honestly am just thinking about wearing my Minnie ears with my red/black tank top & maybe black or khaki shorts. The FL temperatures are just too warm for Cruella!

If you want to do the Wishes Dessert Party this summer, definitely look into it now! I noticed a few days in May had booked up by mid-March or so. Its mostly just the more popular weekends, but I have no idea how many people book it in the summer. You can book through the Disney Dining Reservations area on the website & full payment is due at the time of booking. You probably already know, but just wanted to share in case you didn't!

I hope that you had a wonderful Mother's Day too!!!!!

 

[SoonerGirl]

So, after I read your post, I grabbed my schedule & that day, we only have a lunch ressie at Crystal Palace at 1:05pm. I think we'll be hungry enough by the time of the dessert party, but I'm going to keep checking that day for an earlier ADR at CP. It wouldn't hurt to move it up closer to 11 or noon. Thanks for the reminder!

I think the time you have it now is perfect unless you think some of you might want to eat a small counter service meal before the dessert party. If you think you'll want to go that route, then change your ADR to earlier and eat your CS no later than 4:00

 

[Stefy]

Just popping over to say hi

Loving your plans for this trip, sounds like its gonna be fantastic

Congrats on becoming an agent, being a Disney agent has always been one of those "I'd love to do" jobs, as whats more fun than planning someones dream trip to the most Magical Place on Earth

Looking at your plans I think we cross paths on your DHS day, we most defo have crossed on arrival day as we are planning on staying at POFQ, but congrats on the Beach Club, is a gorgeous resort

 

[photographymom517]

I think the time you have it now is perfect unless you think some of you might want to eat a small counter service meal before the dessert party. If you think you'll want to go that route, then change your ADR to earlier and eat your CS no later than 4:00

Thanks for the advice, Michelle! I completely agree with you! I think the time that we have for our Crystal Palace ADR will work too! The more I thought about it, the more I realized its probably the perfect time!

If for some reason we would get hungry, we'll just grab something small. Maybe even a meal for the three of us to share.

They still don't have August available to book for the Dessert Party so I'm thinking it will be 45 days out before I can book it.

Just popping over to say hi

Loving your plans for this trip, sounds like its gonna be fantastic

Congrats on becoming an agent, being a Disney agent has always been one of those "I'd love to do" jobs, as whats more fun than planning someones dream trip to the most Magical Place on Earth

Looking at your plans I think we cross paths on your DHS day, we most defo have crossed on arrival day as we are planning on staying at POFQ, but congrats on the Beach Club, is a gorgeous resort

Hi Stefy!!!

I'm glad you like our plans! I'm trying not to think about it too much because everytime I do, things change again!

Which DHS day is the same? I'm thinking that you mean the 22nd because you are on your cruise during my first DHS day!

I just asked because I'm thinking of changing an MK day with a DHS day...but first I need to consult my notes, and Touring Plans, and Tour Guide Mike...oh I need to stop thinking about this so much!

Honestly, there's a part of me that just wants to throw all the plans out the window & just go with the flow! I was sitting here this morning (changing ADR's again) and I yelled outloud "How do I know if I want to go to Epcot on the 15th or not? That's 4 months away!!!"

I was considering removing the Park Hopper option from our tickets, but I decided to keep it. I figure if we wake up & feel like going to a different park than whichever park our ADR is at, we'll just go until its time for dinner!

I feel like I'm thinking way too much about it...but the problem is, the first year we took our son, we didn't plan a thing! And I came home with a LOT of regrets. I don't want that to happen again.

I'll be posting another trip-related update in a few days -- but for now, a shopping & Easter/Mother's Day update! Please keep following along, even when I'm slow with updates! Its nice to have you here!!!

 

[photographymom517]

I promise to post a trip related update this week! Actually, it will probably be tomorrow because I need to take a poll regarding my ADR's! Can't you post a poll somehow on DIS or is that on my Vinylmation site? I've never done it before, so advice is appreciated (if its possible)!

This is a shopping/holiday update!!!

If you have a Ross Dress for Less near you, definitely check it out! I love that store!!! First of all, they have discounted luggage & a lot of household items. But the majority of their merchandise consists of women’s clothing, shoes and handbags!!! You can find name brand clothing at a HUGE discount (much better than I’ve found in most other stores!) The most expensive thing I purchased on this shopping trip cost $12.99 !!

I found 3 summer dresses. All had original retail prices of anywhere between $49-$79 and were discounted to $8.99-12.99. I’m not sure yet if any of these will be coming on our September trip or not, but they will definitely be going on our cruise next year!

First is my absolute favorite!!! Doesn’t it remind you of Animal Kingdom? I already have multiple shirts to wear to AK & since we only go there one day, I probably won't wear this to Disney.

I love this one too! Its really hard to choose a favorite!

I also purchased 2 tank tops which I will definitely take to Disney this fall. Of course, this top reminds me of Animal Kingdom too!

This next one will probably be for an Epcot day. It reminds me of World Showcase!

I actually like the back of it better than the front.

Of course, Luke saw me taking pictures of all my new clothes so he decided to help out! (and if you can see those red marks on his arm, he used stamp markers to draw “kisses” all over his arms as well as mine!)

I probably shouldn’t even show you this! LOL Its one of my bigger purchases this year for our trip. And remember – I keep saying that we’re on more of a budget since we upgraded our resort!

To be honest with you, I’ve always looked at women carrying expensive carry-on bags or luggage & think they are insane!!! I guess if I traveled all the time, I would think of it differently because I would be using it ALL the time. But since we only take 1 vacation a year, I don’t really have a need for a really super expensive bag. The first year we took Luke (and I still remember this as clear as day!) the lady in front of us had a REALLY expensive Louie bag! I looked it up online once we got back home & if it was real (which I’m pretty sure it was!) it cost her at least $3,000 and I’m not even kidding you! I remember chatting with her in the line waiting to go through the scanners. I can’t remember exactly what she did for a living, but I remember being impressed & she also mentioned that she traveled all the time! So maybe a need for her, but definitely not a need for me!

I decided a few weeks ago that I needed a new carry-on bag. Of course, I first started to look at Dooneys since its my bag of choice!!! I couldn’t find a large enough one in leather that cost under $200 and I really didn’t want to pay that right now. I don’t really like the canvas bags, with a toddler it just gets too dirty (this is ironic, wait & see!) The only Dooney that I would probably consider buying in canvas would be the navy Mickey print Dooney! So I gave up & started looking at Vera Duffel bags…but those are probably too large to shove under the seat on the plane. So back to square one! LOL

If you remember from one of my first updates, I did get a super good deal on a Kathy Van Zeeland rolling tote. I’ll be taking that on the plane as my carry-on bag. But I need something that can fit under the seat in front of me so I will have easy access to it. I’ll need to take snacks for Luke, my cell phone & camera, travel documents, etc. I normally just take a small purse or cosmetic case as “my personal item” & just shove it into my Roxy carry-on once we go through baggage check. I put only my cell phone, camera, a few dollars, & I.D. in it (since there was a big pocket on the front of the Roxy bag, I just put travel docs in there).

I happened to get a 30% coupon for the Coach Outlet the week of Mother’s Day!

​

Luke & I took a trip to the Outlet Mall (its about 20 minutes away) and they had a TON of bags on clearance shelves! These were $400-500 bags that were on sale for $100-200. And don’t forget I have the 30% coupon!!!

Now when it comes to Coach, I am picky. Why?

Because of 2 things
#1 I hate the color purple which they decide to use for the majority of their purse linings
#2 I’m a Dooney girl

I don’t mean to sound like a snob for those of you who love Coach! I own a crossbody bag as well as a variety of Coach cosmetic cases which I use for my phone, camera, make-up, to store my credit cards inside, etc. and I do love them all…but Dooney will always be #1 in my heart!

Well, I looked around & couldn’t make up my mind! I had certain requirements that this bag needed to meet & if it didn’t, I was leaving the store empty handed

The requirements:
1 – It had to have a zipper closure (I don’t like any purse that closes with a snap)
2 – It needed to have a pocket in the front
3 – No purple lining
4 – Fairly large yet small enough to fit under the plane seat
5 – A color/pattern that I liked

We were in the store for over an hour & it’s a fairly small outlet store. Luke was very, very well behaved the entire time! He instantly befriended one of the sales clerks & she gave him a few stickers & a Coach card. He loved the card because he said it had a horsey on it (it was the Coach logo). I found 3 bags on the clearance wall (yes, an entire wall of clearance!) that I liked, but I wanted to look around the entire store before making a final decision. They also have 2 full length mirrors in the store so that you can see what it looks like while you’re actually holding it.

I finally decided on this one & a matching cosmetic bag that I will probably use to hold my point & shoot camera, cell phone, and smaller items.

The cosmetic bag has gold trim instead of brown, but that’s fine with me because it will be inside it anyway. I loved the flower design on it!!! Let’s just say that my total bill was under $125 for BOTH bags!!! Gotta love the outlet store & those 30% off coupons!!! If you have an outlet store near you, sign up on their website & they’ll send you coupons via email. The sales clerks usually pass out coupons in the store as well, but I’ve found its only around holidays.

That ended up being quite A LOT of discussion over just purchasing a carry-on bag – so apparently I was more excited about it than I thought!

 

[photographymom517]

Other than buying a few things from Walmart or Target’s “travel section” and maybe a few things for Luke, this is it for my purchases for this trip! So I’m sharing them all with you now! The following items I didn’t purchase recently – they’ve been in my closet since before Christmas!

These things are either for inside Luke’s gift bags that I’m making for 5 days of our trip OR for his carry-on bag. Last year, I took a ton of books & coloring books on the plane, but he mainly slept, watched his DVD, or used ONE of the books. So this year, I’m not lugging around that much on the plane!

The two round things in front of the Phineas & Ferb water bottle expand & become a washcloth. I bought them in the dollar section at Target & also picked up a Princess one for my niece. I’ll include it with her gift that we bring her back from Disney! I thought they would be good for Luke at the resort because sometimes he argues with me about getting a bath (at home, but he’s usually ok with it on vacation?) The Matchbox car set will probably go in his gift bag from Mickey Mouse & the 2 sticker books will go into his carry-on bag (I got the sticker books at Target as well $1.89 each).

This picture is just to show you how the Phineas & Ferb art set expands – the middle is a tablet & both sides hold markers. I bought it at the Disney Store back in February & I think it cost around $12.95 but I used my Disney Visa to get a discount on my entire purchase.

These are things I’ve picked up here & there throughout the past few months. I bought a new contact lens case & holder so I could take a spare set to the parks. I’m always afraid of losing a contact while we’re at the park & not being able to see for the rest of the day (or we’d have to make an unneeded stop back to our resort). I got 2 rain ponchos from the Dollar Store, but still need one for Luke. They didn’t have kids sizes at the time.

I can’t remember where I found that flashlight but it was either at Lowe’s, Home Depot, or Target. I remember that it cost under $7 but I’m not sure of the exact amount. It has 3 different settings & I got it for Luke for MNSSHP. It shines like a regular flashlight, blinks, and the handle lights up to create extra light. On the far right-hand side are cleaning cloths for my glasses (I threw them in my carry-on now because I forgot them last year). And the very first thing pictured is a strap that I use to connect Luke’s cup to the stroller. I firmly believe this is a necessity for anyone with kids, not just infants/toddlers. They sell them at Babies R Us and Toys R Us and they cost under $5. I’ve seen 2 packs for $5.98 as well. I will admit it worked a lot better when he was an infant. It holds the cup with Velcro & now that he’s older, he can un-Velcro it himself. Before, whatever I connected to the strap stayed there. I still feel it’s a necessity! I’ve had so many parents ask me where I got it & say that they really, really needed one! At one point, my husband suggested that I buy 50 of them & just carry them in my purse. And when someone asks where I got it, I could mention I’m selling them for $5. LOL I probably could’ve made a fortune!

 

[photographymom517]

I also never posted Easter pictures! I apologize for that!!! We actually had extended Easter festivities this year! First we had an Easter Egg Hunt at a local school the week before Easter. I almost didn’t go because it was super cold that morning. I had to get out Luke’s winter hat & fleece coat! We did go because its only about 3 minutes away from our house. He had a lot of fun & even won a prize!

He won this butterfly net – he was thrilled because he loves to catch bugs outside!

My parents also set-up an Easter Egg hunt at the park for the kids. Luke really enjoyed finding eggs again & this time he was able to wear shorts!!! We took a walk afterwards & boy can that kid run! We walked/ran about 2 miles all together & he wasn’t tired at all.

This was on our walk. He kissed this flower & then gave it to me & said it was mine!

The animal park by our house also opened for weekends-only in April and then opened daily beginning May 1st. We have Season Passes & its only 5 minutes away so we go there often! I’ve taken Luke twice already. We probably would have gone more often but it has rained/stormed almost every single day here since the beginning of April! We try to get out as much as possible on the warmer/sunny days, but there have only been 5-6 all together in April and May so far!

This is inside the bathroom! I had to take it because it reminded me of all the little “special details” at Disney!

A lot of the animals that we normally see were sleeping. We went later in the afternoon & they were probably fed all morning/afternoon – so it was nap time now! It was neat to go at a different time though because the animals that we usually see sleeping we actually got to feed this time around!!!

 

[photographymom517]

I also took Luke to see Easter Lane again. We had gone once before but I wanted to take him again to have his picture taken with the Easter Bunny. We walked through & when we got to the Easter Bunny, he was too afraid. In December with Santa, I forced Luke to have his picture taken & we ended up with a crying picture. But I wasn’t pushing it this time. I just said “Ok, its fine, you don’t need to have your picture taken.” He looked at me in disbelief at first! He couldn’t believe mommy was passing up a photo op! LOL

Some of you already know this story but its so cute, I have to share again! We stopped by this display & there was a baby bunny sitting beside a larger bunny. I noticed that Luke kept looking back & forth between them & another bunny that was sitting alone. He picked up the baby bunny & sat it right next to the larger bunny. He said to me “This baby bunny needs to be with his mommy.”

See the TV in the picture? I’m not sure I like these. They just added them this Easter for the first time in a display. I’ve gone there for Christmas & Easter since I was probably 3 or 4 years old & the tv just sort of ruins the experience for me. Maybe I will get used to them, I don’t know!

Luke’s Easter basket from us

The week after Easter, we went to a birthday party for my husband’s grandfather. A few members of the family organized an Easter Egg hunt for the kids, so Luke got to look for eggs again!!! (and yes, mommy forgot his basket so we used a plastic bag)

Luke also received a very special Easter card in the mail from my very good friend, PopArtGal. We had a little mishap – the post office accidentally routed it to Malaysia so it arrived a little later than expected, but it was still wonderful to receive it!!! As you can see, Luke absolutely loved it!!! THANK YOU again!!!!

Another trip to the animal park!

This chicken had just laid this egg!

 

[photographymom517]

I was practicing how to use the timer on my Canon Xsi. I have never used it before so I have about 20 of this same exact picture (only half of them have our heads or arms cut off! LOL)

There were quite a few brand new baby goats!

And that brings me to Mother’s Day! It was a gorgeous weekend, so we spent the entire morning outside planting our garden.

Luke just saw me posting these pictures & he said “That is me wearing my farmer shirt. I am helping my daddy plant my tiny tims.” (We let him go to the greenhouse with us & pick out his own plants. He always gets tiny tim tomatoes…they’re the really small round ones! Luke & I pick them off the plants, wash them & eat them whole! Everyone thinks we’re crazy but yum they are delish!!!

Now he said “Hey that’s me working my tiny tims” LOL

This is right before him & his dad planted Luke’s sunflower!

Everything was blooming that weekend, so I took the opportunity to take some pictures!

My mom got roses for Mother’s Day from a neighbor lady – my parents always help her out & she is very nice to them as well!

My fav!

And last but definitely not least!

My best purchase so far & something that I will definitely use all summer as well as on our Disney trip – my Sanuks!!! Katie (DisKate) mentioned a sale to me, but unfortunately by the time I went to order, my size was sold out! However, after she told me how comfortable hers were, I was determined to find a pair in my size! LOL I went to IslandSurf.com and found 2 pairs – one in Aqua and one in Zebra Safari print. I got my order the other day and have been wearing them ever since! I even wore them in the house the other day! Thank you very much Katie for recommending them to me!!!

Aqua Sanuks

Zebra Sanuks

I think I could honestly write an entire post just about the Sanuks! They are super comfortable & it feels like you are walking on air. They conform to your feet very well & almost by the end of the first day or so. I love them!!! I decided the other day that I’m going to buy a pair for my mom when my parents go to Disney in October! (it’s a surprise!)

I also mentioned earlier that I need some advice regarding ADR's (again...)

I helped myself with the one issue! Remember that I cancelled Captain's Grill for our arrival day? Well, I have since booked our flights!!! We arrive at MCO around 10am (probably to our resort by noon) which gives us more than enough time to either explore the resort or head to a park. So I decided to schedule an ADR for arrival day (again). I'm not sure if I want Captain's Grill again. I don't want to be stuck at the resort if we decide to head to a park. I was thinking about Les Chefs de France because I currently have TWO scheduled for our first full-day at Disney. I have Les Chefs de France for lunch, the Behind the Seeds Tour in the afternoon, and Garden Grill for dinner. It seems like a lot for a first day! So I made the ADR for Les Chefs for dinner on arrival day -- but shortly after cancelled it! Why? Because I wanted Luke to see Remy & he's only at lunch!!!

That solves one problem...but we still don't have anywhere to eat.

I'm not sure whether to schedule something or not. If we do, I'm considering Tony's at MK (new for us) because we don't go to MK until the 17th and we arrive on the 14th. We could easily schedule a 6pm ADR at Tony's & still have enough time to relax for a few hours at the resort if our room is ready upon arrival. After dinner, we could go on a few rides if the wait times aren't crazy and then watch the fireworks.

Our other options are: reschedule Captain's Grill for dinner & just stay at the pool that day/evening, grab QS at Boardwalk/BC, or head over to Epcot for Illuminations & QS in World Showcase.

I need advice please! Who has (or has not) scheduled an ADR for their arrival day? Why (or why not) ? Did you end up cancelling it or do you schedule one every trip?

My second change was on departure day. Our flight doesn't leave MCO until 9pm which means the dreaded ME won't pick us up until evening (probably 6pm). I decided to schedule an ADR for that day as well. Right now, I have Tony's scheduled at 1pm (because I was unsure if I wanted it for dinner on arrival day). I think it will give us enough time to finish packing last minute items, relax at the resort, check out, leave our carry-on bags with Bell Services, and head over to MK on the bus. I'm also considering NOT having an ADR scheduled because we don't have anything planned for this day. I didn't schedule a park for this day because I was unsure of our flight times. Now that I know it, I'm considering MK. I have always gone to MK the very last day of a trip so this works out for me! Previous to this day, we will have gone to MK on the 20th for MNSSHP and the 17th for our full MK day.

Now, if I do schedule an ADR for arrival & departure day, I will cancel a few of the others. I don't want to have something scheduled every single day...but at the same time, I don't want to be hungry & have to eat QS if we aren't really hungry for it. So again, help!!!

WOW! This would be so much easier to plan for someone else!!!

Ok, while I'm at it, here's my flight update too!!!

I honestly wasn't having luck with Airfarewatchdog. I was only getting deals for flights with layovers. The ones that were non-stop were the same price on the actual airline's website. I also noticed prices starting to rise (probably because of gas prices). I'm actually fairly upset because the same flight I could've gotten 2 months ago through Southwest for $84 is now $300 per person! They always have the best prices so I was disappointed. I know prices drop 60-90 days out & if I could've gotten a better deal, I will kick myself! But something is just telling me that I did the right thing.

I ended up finding a great Mother's Day special through AirTran and booked it! Ironically, it was the same exact price with taxes as my latest Airfarewatchdog deal!!! We WILL have to pay for our checked bags, but I'm hoping to avoid taking at least 1 of the bags. I also found out that it only costs $20 per bag -- we were charged surcharges last time we flew with AirTran because I didn't weigh our bags ahead of time! Oops! (That's why it was $45 per bag). Plus last time we flew with AirTran, Luke wasn't a paying customer (he was a lap child), so we didn't get a bag allowance for him. So I had to pay a surcharge on my bag because it was too heavy PLUS an additional fee for a "second" bag even though it was really Luke's. I'm actually hoping to put most of his clothes in my carry-on bag & some in my husband's suitcase. Unfortunately I need my entire suitcase to myself I always have an issue fitting all our shoes in the bag -- but this time will be different. Everyone is wearing their tennis shoes on the flight & putting flip flops into the bags. I'm not squeezing three pairs of tennis shoes in the bag this time...actually now that I have my Sanuks, I'm not even taking my tennis shoes!!!

I still think that free baggage (through SW) is much better than $20 (through AT) -- if we end up taking 2 bags each way, that's $80 more than what we were planning to spend. We also need another $80 to park at the airport. Last year it was free because my dad took us there & picked us up. But this time, we have to leave our house by 4am and won't get home the last day of the trip until close to midnight. Because he works midnight shift, neither of these times will work out with his schedule.

Let me know what you think about the ADR's for arrival day & departure day! I will post another update this week!!! You'll see why!!!!

 

[NikkiLovesWDW!]

Hey Hope! Lots of great updates! Cute pictures of Luke!!! I LOVE all of your purchases and am SOOO glad that you plan your outfits around which park you are going to be in! I'm always looking at which shirt seems like an AK shirt, etc! Congrats on that Coach bag! I especially love the flower on the smaller case!

As for ADRs on arrival and departure day, we've done both. We usually take the first flight out in the morning and since you are arriving at MCO at 10am, I'm assuming you are too! So you'll be up early and probably exhausted by the end of the day. Two summers ago, we booked 'Ohana for 5pm dinner. We were staying at the Poly but our room wasn't ready until 3pm.....oh and our wedding was the night before so we were really exhausted! We literally ate and then went to sleep immediately!

Now last year, we had the early flight again but booked a 7:30pm dinner at Rose and Crown with the intention spend the morning going to DTD, have lunch and then just relax and take a nap so we can be ready for Epcot that night and that worked out great!

All that said, it's just me and DH....we don't have to worry about how a toddler would play into it! I think you should go back to the Garden Grill ADR for arrival night! Make it early enough so you can call it an early night if necessary.

As for departure day, we've done character breakfasts but nothing ever later than that, even though we take late flight homes too. I don't want to spend the last few hours I have in WDW sitting down in a restaurant.

 

[MeMom]

Keep us updated on your garden, please. Maybe a picture every few weeks? I am a wannabe gardener, but I don't have the knowledge or time to do it. I hope to learn a lot in the years ahead and get into it when I retire. Every time I ride through Living with the Land, I leave with a renewed determination to find my green thumb. I think it is awesome that Luke will be growing up learning all of this along the way.

 

[Megablocks]

Luke is such a little man, he's so cute! I laughed out loud when I read "hey, that's me working my tiny tims!"

I didn't buy the Sanuk flip flops, but you know from Facebook that I DID end up with the Reef Fannings. I definitely love them! But our weather has been so freakin' crazy I haven't been able to wear them the past few days, and it's going to rain basically all week, so I really don't want to wear them. Oh well. One day, it will feel like spring/summer.

I also love all the pictures from the animal park, I adore farm animals!

I am with MeMom on the garden pictures! We never have any luck with growing anything. My grandmother out in Ohio, and one of my aunts, can grow anything. I'm not sure if it's our weird weather, our soil, or what, but we never seem to be able to grow anything. We LOVE going to Ohio because my grandmother doesn't pick any of her tomatoes or cucumbers till we get there, just so we can have them with our meals. One year, we got to dig potatoes out of my aunt's garden, which was VERY exciting for these city folk!

 

[jeremysdisneymom]

Love the pictures of Luke and his garden. Too cute. We always had a garden before we moved and built a new home. I really miss it. I am sure you will get lots of enjoyment from it.

What a neat animal park you have near you. It looks like lots of fun.

We have always had an ADR the day we arrive but usually for dinner. It gives us time to relax and have a good meal before we hit the parks early the next morning. We have done a Breakfast ADR the day we leave once. It was just too much of a rush for me but we weren't leaving as late as you are either.

 

[Stefy]

Hi Stefy!!!

I'm glad you like our plans! I'm trying not to think about it too much because everytime I do, things change again!

Which DHS day is the same? I'm thinking that you mean the 22nd because you are on your cruise during my first DHS day!

I just asked because I'm thinking of changing an MK day with a DHS day...but first I need to consult my notes, and Touring Plans, and Tour Guide Mike...oh I need to stop thinking about this so much!

Honestly, there's a part of me that just wants to throw all the plans out the window & just go with the flow! I was sitting here this morning (changing ADR's again) and I yelled outloud "How do I know if I want to go to Epcot on the 15th or not? That's 4 months away!!!"

I was considering removing the Park Hopper option from our tickets, but I decided to keep it. I figure if we wake up & feel like going to a different park than whichever park our ADR is at, we'll just go until its time for dinner!

I feel like I'm thinking way too much about it...but the problem is, the first year we took our son, we didn't plan a thing! And I came home with a LOT of regrets. I don't want that to happen again.

I'll be posting another trip-related update in a few days -- but for now, a shopping & Easter/Mother's Day update! Please keep following along, even when I'm slow with updates! Its nice to have you here!!!

Yes we both appear to be at DHS on the 22nd. That is our DHS day and we'll be there for Fantasmic as well.

I know what you mean about throwing the plans out the window. The way I see it is that the plans are there as a guideline that you can stick to if you want. But if you wake up one morning and think I would rather go to DHS then you can do that, you don't have to stick to what you have down. Sometimes the best days out are the unplanned ones. Also ADR wise you are centrally located in the Epcot area so wherever you are you know that you will be able to get to whichever park/resort pretty quickly

I have to say that we did Tony's last year for DF's birthday and it was awful and the service was not the greatest.

Dinner wise I would pick somewhere in Epcot as you are literally a stones throw from it and if you get too tired out you know that you don't have to go very far. Another option would be Beaches and Cream, they don't take ADR's but whilst you are waiting you can check out the resort (but don't stray too far because of the buzzer) and there is an arcade right next door to it

Love the Easter festivities, looks like Luke had a great time

Lovely dresses too, very AK. Vacation shopping is always the best as most of the time you pick out fun bright summery clothes

 

[jenseib]

LOVE the pictures

 

[stephielela]

Love all the pics! Luke is adorable! I hope he had a great birthday, I am sure he did!

 

[SoonerGirl]

Just trying to catch up here, you were the update queen while I was gone!!

First of all I have to say that I can't believe how grown up Luke is looking, he's losing that baby look and becoming a true little boy. I adore the pictures of him in his 'farmer' outfit working in the garden, absolutely adorable!

Great purchases!! LOVE the Coach bags especially since you got such a good deal on them.

Congrats on getting your airfare booked - it's official now As for your arrival day ADR, I would make one at an Epcot restaurant since it's so close to your resort. I like NikkilovesWDW's idea of making one for Garden Grill. You could eat there on your arrival night instead of the day that you are also eating at Chef's, that way you don't have so much crammed into that one day - just a thought! As far as your departure day, I would look at The Plaza over Tony's, I just haven't heard very good things about Tony's and I've read lots of good reviews from The Plaza.

 

[photographymom517]

I'm going to do this backward from what I normally do -- I'm going to post my update first and then write back to all of you! I've been trying to post this for over a week now & I just want to finally do it!!!

Sorry it has taken me awhile to post another update. I have been busy throughout May with work (which is definitely a good thing!), cleaning inside the house on rainy days, and spending the gorgeous sunny days outside!

Luke also turned 3 years old two weeks ago & we ended up celebrating three different days! I’ll post another update this week one day with pictures from his birthday as well as more garden pictures! I have them saved to my computer but not uploaded to my photo share site yet. Once I do that, I’ll post again!

For those of you who followed last year’s PTR, you will remember my various “Disney shopping trips.” These were trips where basically I didn’t buy anything, but just took pictures of Disney merchandise!

On our first shopping trip about 2 weeks ago, our main purpose was to get Luke a haircut. It was starting to get long & I wanted it cut before the hottest part of summer. It was 96 degrees here today -- finally!!! I love gorgeous sunny weather!

Before we left for a haircut, we needed to water the garden! He loves helping around the house & outside!

As you can see from the pictures after the haircut, I changed his clothes after we watered the garden. I didn’t realize how humid it was outside, so I put a tank top on him instead. I also (very wisely) remembered to throw an extra shirt in my purse -- I knew he would be covered in hair after his haircut so I wanted to change him before our shopping adventure!!!

He did ok during the haircut. He had to sit on my lap & he cried most of the time, but it was more of a “whiney, fake cry” than a real sobbing, sad cry (if that makes sense!) After it was over, he told the girl thank you and gave her a tip. When she asked him if he’d be back in a month, he shook his head yes, waved to her & said “bye see you later.” So I guess he wasn’t too upset about the haircut after all!

This is after his haircut -- we stopped at Walmart to pick up a few groceries before heading over to Target to check out the Disney stuff!

Here are some pictures from Target! This was two weeks ago. First, we found Cars pretzels in both large bags as well as smaller-sized bags that come in a 5 gallon plastic tub.

Moving right along to the bed/bath section -- I found ALL of the licensed Disney shower curtains & accessories on sale. Most items were $3-5 off regular prices!

This picture didn’t turn out very good because Luke yelled at me & I jumped. He said “Mommy quit taking pictures of that stuff that isn’t yours.” I thought I took another one, but I can’t find it on my memory card.

I have the Mickey Mouse soap dish. I don’t use it for soap though -- I have it in my office with little electronics sitting on it -- like my iPod shuffle & its charger!

Next stop -- the baby/kids section where we found these sippy cups. It really bothered me that the boys cups were $7.87 and the girls were only $6.99. I examined the cups & I didn’t really see a difference in them. It’s not a huge deal, I just really found it odd.

We also found these cute tshirts in the boys department. The largest size they had was 3T or else the Donald Duck one would’ve came home with us! Who am I kidding? You know they probably BOTH would’ve came home with me! LOL Luke has been wearing a 5/6 now -- so its honestly been a struggle for me when we shop at Target! I had to “move up” to the next department -- the little boys instead of the baby/toddler section! Just another sign that my little baby is growing up!

We then made our way towards the toy department! First stop -- the girl’s section!!! I love visiting this area, if only to take pictures to share with all of you! My niece -- who just turned one in March -- is the ONLY girl in the family! So I’m looking forward to when she gets older & begins to love the Disney Princesses!

I’m not sure of prices on the Disney Store website for girls merchandise, but this seemed like a pretty good deal to me for the large collection of Disney Fairies! It was on sale for $39.99 (I’m not sure of the original price but I think it was $49.99)

And of course they had each of the Princesses dresses & accessories!!!

In addition to the Princesses, they also had some of the Fairies (but I didn’t see Tinkerbell’s outfit).

First, Rosetta

And Silvermist -- yes I know my Fairies! Luke does watch the Tinkerbell movies! It was actually cute the other day because I was doing a quote for a client online & the screen came up with Tinkerbell flying through the pixie dust! He said “Mommy, when we go to see the castle, I want to stop & see Tinkerbell too.”

More Fairies & Princess dolls

Accessory set

I really loved the Deluxe Cinderella Carriage set!