Mom's At It Again! ***Updated 4/30/2009~Trip Report Link**

[Planning fanatic mom]

Happy Birthday Dan!!!

I graduated high school in 1984. I guess that makes me the old lady in the group.

EPCOT Thoughts

We like CLub cool. See if you can get your family to drink BEVERLY. It is gross.

We like American Adventure mostly because of the singing group that sometimes perform before the show in the lobby. They are amazing. I think they are called the "Voices of Liberty" The soprano is incredible.

I think that Ellen's Energy Adventure is a little boring, but it is dark and cool. IT is different from the other stuff. So, worth a try. THere is usually very little wait.

I wish the China and Canada movies would have swivel chairs. We could sit and still get the whole 360 experience. I know, I know, I'm nit picking. THe movies are very neat. My DH and I think the French movie is the best. But France is a place we have always wanted to visit.

I can't wait to see Spaceship Earth. We haven't seen the changes yet. I will wait patiently to hear about it when you return. I've heard good things.

We like the model railroad. I thought the train ran all the time. There are a lot of hidden mickeys to look for here as well.

Thanks for the update.

 

[mommytothreeboys]

Happy Birthday to your son!

I was 10 in 1984. Good times.

Thanks for the birthday wishes!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! YAY! I love birthdays.

I was negative 3 in 1984

Negative 3!

Happy Birthday Dan!!!

I graduated high school in 1984. I guess that makes me the old lady in the group.

Old is relative!

We like CLub cool. See if you can get your family to drink BEVERLY. It is gross.

You are the second person to mention that I left this out. We did this on our last trip and the boys are still talking about it. It will definitely be on the Must Do list!

I wish the China and Canada movies would have swivel chairs. We could sit and still get the whole 360 experience. I know, I know, I'm nit picking. THe movies are very neat. My DH and I think the French movie is the best. But France is a place we have always wanted to visit.

Another vote for the France movie...Hmmm...I may need to rethink our movie choices!!

 

[mommytothreeboys]

Can I just say....WOOO-HOOOO!!!!! I booked our flights today!!



For all of you who have been reading along, you remember my earlier Freak-Out about airline tickets and how concerned I was about getting a good rate as well as good flight times. Well......like I mentioned before, I check almost daily to watch fares/times, etc. and today Southwest dropped their fares by almost $30 per ticket for our return flight and about $20 per ticket for the ORIGINAL morning flight we wanted on Sunday 4/19!!

So....I "IM" DH (it's the form of communication that gets me the best response when he's at work). I told him about the fare drop and he asks about some flight details. I tell him that we can fly out Sunday AM like originally planned and fly back Monday evening for a very reasonable price. Here's where it gets good....he says he'd still rather stay till Tuesday AND fly out Sunday AM!!!!! What a guy....I LOVE HIM!! Long story short....relatively!......we are leaving Sunday 4/19 and arriving in Orlando at 9:40 am and leaving Orlando on Tuesday 4/28 at 12:45 pm. An extra night AND most of the day on Sunday! The best part is that the round trip flight for all 5 of us is costing us LESS than it did 2 years ago by about $40! INCREDIBLE!!

So here's what our trip looks like date-wise:

Sunday April 19th--Depart Buffalo, NY 7:19 AM
Arrive Orlando, FL 9:50 AM

Monday April 20th-Monday April 27th--DOING DISNEY!

Tuesday April 28th--Depart Orlando, FL 12:45 PM
Arrive Buffalo, NY 4:35 PM (one stop)


Next Step....revisit itinerary and make any necessary changes!

 

[carissanboys]

That's awesome Missy!! Less money AND you get an extra day and a half. Woohoo for good news!!

 

[mommytothreeboys]

That's awesome Missy!! Less money AND you get an extra day and a half. Woohoo for good news!!

Thanks! I am so excited! The plane tickets just make it feel so much more real!

 

[Planning fanatic mom]

EXCELLENT!!! Congratulations

What time would you have to leave your house to make a 7:19 flight? It sounds like it could be very early. Not that I don't think it is worth it, because I do. Anything for more time at WDW.

Have a good weekend.

 

[mommytothreeboys]

EXCELLENT!!! Congratulations

What time would you have to leave your house to make a 7:19 flight? It sounds like it could be very early. Not that I don't think it is worth it, because I do. Anything for more time at WDW.

Have a good weekend.

Oh yeah...it'll be early. Buffalo is an hour away so probably like 4:30! (Southwest does not fly out of Rochester.) But who can sleep anyway?? Jeff has taken his parents to the airport at crazy hours so we're hoping they are willing to return the favor!

 

[Planning fanatic mom]

Sounds like a plan!!

 

[jms531]

Hi! We're going to be down in Disney the same time as you I feel your excitement-I spend my days on the DIS and spoonfeeding DH little Disney fact nuggets whenever I feel I can slip them in lol! Your planning looks good so far and you're lucky you're only an hour away from the airport! We leave at 7 a.m. and live 2 1/2 hours away--YIKES!

 

[mommytothreeboys]

Hi! We're going to be down in Disney the same time as you I feel your excitement-I spend my days on the DIS and spoonfeeding DH little Disney fact nuggets whenever I feel I can slip them in lol! Your planning looks good so far and you're lucky you're only an hour away from the airport! We leave at 7 a.m. and live 2 1/2 hours away--YIKES!

Hi and Where are you staying for your trip? I'm really hoping for great weather....our 2007 trip in April was gorgeous!
We actually have an airport about 15 minutes away and we flew out of there last trip, but we chose Southwest this time due to lower fares as well as the fact that they don't charge for luggage. With a family of five that really adds up! So...off to Buffalo we go!

 

[mommytothreeboys]

Just saw you are staying at Pop! OOPS!

 

[mommytothreeboys]

I know I said I would post a new itinerary next, but here's the story. I really want DH to look over and give input on the daily plans. It's his vacation too...really!...and I want him to like the way things are planned out. He has agreed to sit down with me and go over the daily plans, but AT HIS PACE....meaning I don't know when that will be. I am trying to be patient...but I'm DYING to get stuff set. That being said...I will post a new itinerary with changes necessary due to flight plans as soon as I can!

Now...about those flight plans. I called Disney yesterday to add on the extra night since we will be flying out on Tuesday instead of Monday. At first the CM told me there were no rooms available! Oh no....now what??? A million scenarios are going through my head in about 2.3 seconds! Then he says..."no wait..I didn't have the code right, let me check again." Apparently there is an alphabet soup of codes just for the 4/3 deal and if you don't have them all correct (dining, room, park tickets, etc) you don't get the right info. So....I CAN add a night to my package, no problem. WHEW! I thought for a minute we would have to be camping out somewhere for the night! (Then I could post on Carissa's camping report!! LOL! ) However, and here's the catch, it is costing a BIT more than I had planned. I guess I just got ahead of myself and had bad math, because the original price I was thinking didn't even make sense considering dining. Oh well....It's not so much the extra money as it is the fact that I was caught off guard...I HATE THAT! Anyway...extra night in the room is booked. One more thing to cross off the list!

I finally managed to get to Target last week on the suggestion of a fellow DISer (thanks Carissa and Winkers) . They had a TON of cool Disney stuff in the dollar bins. I purchased some great stuff, tattoos, activity/sticker books, marker/stamps, notebooks, an ice pack, etc. Most of the things will go into the kids' Easter baskets. (Except the stickers which we will use to decorate Mousekeeping envelopes.) Here's a pic of all the goodies. It was mostly Monsters Inc, the Incredibles, and Toy Story, but I managed to find a Wall-e activity/sticker book!

Now for a few planning questions......any and all input is MUCH appreciated!


We opted to go with the Water Parks and More add-on this year. I am wondering mostly about Disney Quest. The UG says to allow 2-5 hours here. Is that about accurate? We didn't even set foot in here last trip so I am totally clueless! Remember that being caught off guard thing? Yeah...don't want that to happen!

Also, the Shark Reef at Typhoon Lagoon. Is this something my DS8 will be able to do? I think DH and I did this on our honeymoon, but I'm not sure it's the same.

Next random question...pin trading. I don't want to spend a lot of money...I know, HA HA .....but the kids may want to give this a try. Especially DS14 who dabbled last trip. Any advice? Should we or shouldn't we....more trouble than it's worth? Keep in mind that we are not serious collectors and will just do this for the fun quotient.

I guess that's all the random stuff I have for right now. Thanks for reading along and giving me such great tips and advice!

 

[jms531]

We're going to be staying at Pop Century. We stayed there last April and after all of the research I've done, I keep coming back to Pop Century-at least for this trip. We're planning on checking out the other resorts while we're down there! We were there last year in April and the weather was GORGEOUS! Mid 80s if I remember correctly!
I hear what you're saying about plane tickets. DD's always been big for her age so we've always bought her a seat which is pretty pricey. We'd like to go back down to the world in November and are contemplating.......driving to save money. Just typing that makes me sick lol!

 

[Planning fanatic mom]

Now for a few planning questions......any and all input is MUCH appreciated!


We opted to go with the Water Parks and More add-on this year. I am wondering mostly about Disney Quest. The UG says to allow 2-5 hours here. Is that about accurate? We didn't even set foot in here last trip so I am totally clueless! Remember that being caught off guard thing? Yeah...don't want that to happen!


Next random question...pin trading. I don't want to spend a lot of money...I know, HA HA .....but the kids may want to give this a try. Especially DS14 who dabbled last trip. Any advice? Should we or shouldn't we....more trouble than it's worth? Keep in mind that we are not serious collectors and will just do this for the fun quotient.

I guess that's all the random stuff I have for right now. Thanks for reading along and giving me such great tips and advice!

We did Disney Quest in 2006. The girls and DH really liked it and yes, I would say 2-5 hours is about right depending on how crowded it is. It was not my cup of tea, but there were plenty of seats for me to people watch. They liked the virtual space mountain.

We are going to pin trade for the first time this year. For Christmas, DH got the girls and me a set of 25 pins on-line for about $50.00. He separated them to what he thought we would want, and then on Christmas day we had a good time trading. I have several I won't want to part with and I have some that I will trade. I know that if I bought a pin in the store, I would not want to trade it. This gives us a start for when we get there. Maybe you could get some for the boys for Easter and let them trade at home first. I am interested to hear how it goes for you.

 

[carissanboys]

WHEW! I thought for a minute we would have to be camping out somewhere for the night! (Then I could post on Carissa's camping report!! LOL! )

At least then someone would have been camping!

We've never been to Disney Quest or Typhoon Lagoon so I can't help you there. As for pin trading, we started on our first trip only because we won Year Of a Million Dreams lanyards and pins. Sully did some trading on that trip. Next trip we brought the lanyards along and I had purchased some pins on ebay for them to trade. But, we kept forgetting to bring them to the parks. Ended up putting some pins on their hats, which worked out great. I think Sully traded once on that trip and that was it. We did buy some more pins though (or I should say my parents bought some for the boys).

This year I'm actually into it and I plan on doing some trading. My advice is to not spend a ton of money. Maybe buy a bunch of them on ebay for $20, divide them up, and see what happens. Maybe let the boys pick out one special pin at the world to add to their "collection" and see how everyone likes it. You don't even have to buy lanyards. I saw some other kids wearing their pins on hats, which is where I first got the idea.

 

[Villainess]

I went to Disney Quest once with then DH. I'm not a video game person so I did a lot of watching ... people and the clock. I was bored, but if you're kids are into it then they will have fun. I believe we were there for about 3 1/2 - 4 hours.

Shark Reef - when I went there, which was in 1989. You had to be 10 years old to go in Shark Reef. There wasn't a height requirement, but an age. I lied and said I was 10 since I was 9 1/2 and I really wanted to do it. I don't know if that has changed since or not.

Pin Trading - I would suggest going online and buying a pin lot for trading. It is quite fun, and the CMs are usually very nice to talk with about Disney in general or certain pins. There are green lanyards some CMs wear which are only for kids to trade, too!

 

[trinaweena]

Jut caught up with your PTR, loving it so far!

I am wondering mostly about Disney Quest. The UG says to allow 2-5 hours here. Is that about accurate? We didn't even set foot in here last trip so I am totally clueless! Remember that being caught off guard thing?

We went to Disney Quest a few years ago, I think I was 15, so about 7 years ago and I remember I really enjoyed it, as did the rest of the family. The build your on rollercoaster thing is so much fun (and this coming from someone who doesn't really enjoy rollercoasters!) and the whole family had a great time.

That being said, I don't remember how long it took! That part is a little funny, but I will double check with Mom and see if she remembers!

I'll be subscribing to this so I can keep up with your report!

 

[mommytothreeboys]

We did Disney Quest in 2006. The girls and DH really liked it and yes, I would say 2-5 hours is about right depending on how crowded it is. It was not my cup of tea, but there were plenty of seats for me to people watch. They liked the virtual space mountain.

We are going to pin trade for the first time this year. For Christmas, DH got the girls and me a set of 25 pins on-line for about $50.00. He separated them to what he thought we would want, and then on Christmas day we had a good time trading. I have several I won't want to part with and I have some that I will trade. I know that if I bought a pin in the store, I would not want to trade it. This gives us a start for when we get there. Maybe you could get some for the boys for Easter and let them trade at home first. I am interested to hear how it goes for you.

Thanks for the info about Disney Quest. I know it won't be something I'll enjoy but I think my boys will like it...and probably DH as well (he's really just a big boy!).

I think I am going to look into buying an inexpensive lot of pins and then just dividing them up. Then the boys can decide if they want to trade them or keep them. I really think DS14 will be into the trading.

You don't even have to buy lanyards. I saw some other kids wearing their pins on hats, which is where I first got the idea.

We actually purchased lanyards for all of us on our last trip and we just bought some pins we liked. We still have those and will be taking them along!

I went to Disney Quest once with then DH. I'm not a video game person so I did a lot of watching ... people and the clock. I was bored, but if you're kids are into it then they will have fun. I believe we were there for about 3 1/2 - 4 hours.

Ok...so the 2-5 hours is probably pretty accurate. Good to know! And I imagine I will do a lot of people watching!

Shark Reef - when I went there, which was in 1989. You had to be 10 years old to go in Shark Reef. There wasn't a height requirement, but an age. I lied and said I was 10 since I was 9 1/2 and I really wanted to do it. I don't know if that has changed since or not.

I remember reading this somewhere...the 10 year age limit...I'll have to look more into it. Thanks!

Pin Trading - I would suggest going online and buying a pin lot for trading. It is quite fun, and the CMs are usually very nice to talk with about Disney in general or certain pins. There are green lanyards some CMs wear which are only for kids to trade, too!

I think this is what we will do....not sure my younger boys will be into the trading, but they may want to try. I know DS14 is looking forward to it. He was trying to collect all the Mickey Head international flags on our last trip!

Jut caught up with your PTR, loving it so far!


I'll be subscribing to this so I can keep up with your report!

Welcome Aboard!!

 

[mommytothreeboys]

I've been wanting to post these pics forever....and since I have no planning updates today, , I figured now is as good a time as any!

A little background. My DS11 is going to put me in an early grave. This kid will push every limit, fight every battle, and just about make you want to strangle him! But he's so darn cute! I've told him many times that it's a good thing he is an attractive child! Anyway....Isaiah (DS11) is like the Energizer Bunny....he keeps going and going and going.....Then he drops! Like a rock! He's done it all his life and I have many pictures of him sleeping in many odd places!

Disney was no different. Isaiah went hard ALL DAY....until he got on the Disney Bus! And these pictures tell the story!

That kid's butt barely hit the seat before he was out like a light! LOL!! I know it's terrible that we kept snapping pics, but it just got to be too funny to pass up!

I love, love, love these pictures and just wanted to share! I hope you enjoyed them too!!

 

[Planning fanatic mom]

OH, to have that ability. What great pictures!! You are such a proud mama.