Not Going June 2011, Going in April 2012!!!

[DisneyFirefly]

The smile on your face when you guys are meeting Mickey is just as big as your boys' smiles I need to see if I can find some of my old character pics and post them up on my PTR. I don't know if I have any of them anymore.

Your first day looks like it was a blast, and I hope the rest of it was just as good

 

[shelbys mommy]

The smile on your face when you guys are meeting Mickey is just as big as your boys' smiles I need to see if I can find some of my old character pics and post them up on my PTR. I don't know if I have any of them anymore.

Your first day looks like it was a blast, and I hope the rest of it was just as good

Yes my smile was!!!

 

[shelbys mommy]

I know I said Disney-MGM, but I had forgotten about our resort!

After waiting 2 very very long days it was time for us to head back to Disney! And this time we were staying in the Fort Wilderness Cabins. Now since I don't remember exactly what happened, I will just include all of the Fort Wilderness pics & try to explain as I can.

Once we made the right turn, we saw this:

While my MIL went check in, my boys just chilled out on the back of my FIL's truck:

And once we checked in, here was our cabin:

The inside of the cabin:
The Living Room, the wall with the hanging on it, at the very back was a pull out bed for Ben & I:

More of the living room:

The dining area:

The Kitchen, which was supplied with pots, pans, dishes & utensils, along with an outdoor grill!

The hallway that led to the bathroom & the only bedroom:

The only bedroom had a queen size bed if I am not mistaken & bunk beds:

Couch that I think Koby slept on:

Towel creations found in the cabin:

*********continued in next post*********

 

[shelbys mommy]

Hanging out in the cabin:

Ben's Potato Head creations:

Brady took the toys back:

Getting ready to get on the bus or ferry to head to the parks:

Brady & Pawpaw while waiting for the bus:

Then Ben joined in:

Then Koby & I joined in & Brady said "Only the cool people sit at this bench"

Where we waited for the buses:

*******continued in next post******

 

[shelbys mommy]

And this was directly behind us:

Koby just hanging around:

I THINK that this is the area we stayed in:

We had plans to do the Chip & Dale Campfire Singalong, but it rained the only night they have it, so we missed it. We also didn't do the horseback riding or anything else at the resort that they had. We were too busy heading out to the parks or too tired when we got back. I can remember walking quite a ways to the ferry boat & the bus stop. But before long we saw this:

And it was time to head to Disney-MGM!!!!!

 

[therussells08]

Great update! I loved seeing the inside of the cabin! They look really nice! I would love to stay in one someday!

I still can't get over how little the boys were!

 

[shelbys mommy]

Great update! I loved seeing the inside of the cabin! They look really nice! I would love to stay in one someday!

I still can't get over how little the boys were!

Thanks! It was really nice, expensive, I think like $250 a night or something like that (thank God that was our Christmas present from the in laws)!

I know!!!! Amazing that was only 3 years ago!

 

[shelbys mommy]

We finally left the cabins & caught the bus to Disney-MGM. Now I had been saying I was NOT doing ToT. My biggest fear is being in an elevator & it breaks. But Koby said he wanted to ride it, so I couldn't let my 7 year old out do me! So we get to MGM & I was just amazed. The big hat, the people, just everything was amazing! I know we rode RnRC & I totally loved it! Ben, Koby, me, & my FIL rode it & my SIL, MIL & Brady waited it out. Here is Koby waiting in line to get on the limo:

He rode with my FIL & Ben & I rode together. The first drop took my breath away, but before long I was singing "Dude Looks Like A Lady" along with Aerosmith while cruising. It was amazing. Koby got off that ride & was an instant Aerosmith fan! Up next was ToT. After the 30 min wait time in line, we get on there. And where do they sit us? The very front row! Are you freaking kidding me? I kept waiting for the bottom to drop out from below us at anytime. I had no idea about the riding around before they drop you to your death. At the time it was random how often they will drop you, but it was up to 5 drops. They dropped us 4. I looked over & Koby for one of the drops & I swear the child was going to have a heart attack. Everytime they would pick us up again, I would think "Oh God no, not again!" Finally after forever, our ride was over. I got off of that ride with my hands shaking like leaves. I did it, I rode it & I was good. No need to do that one again. I can check it off my bucket list. Up next was Playhouse Disney Live On Stage. Now Playhouse Disney was different than it was when we went in June. They had Stanley, Book of Pooh, Bear in the Big Blue House & Rolie Polie Olie. I totally loved it! Brady did too, Koby said "This is for babies." Sounds familiar? Here they are in front of Playhouse Disney:

I know we did Muppet Vision 3-D, Star Tours, but have no pics. We ate at Toy Story Pizza Planet.

The entire family but my MIL playing:

We met this guy at Al's Toy Barn:

We rode The Great Movie Ride, but no pics. We also did the Backlot Tours:

As we were walking the Streets of America, who do we meet up with? Leo!

And who was after Leo? Jojo!

We watched Beauty & the Best Live. It was beautiful, but there was no way we could have sat through it with Shelby. Maybe next year.

We had to make a quick stop at Honey I Shrunk the Kids Playarea:

Brady waiting for us to finish a ride that he was too small for:

I know we did more, but memory fails & lack of pics so this is all I have for Disney-MGM. I know we didn't watch Fantasmic. I am not even sure when we left the park, but I know it was at night sometime. Coming up tomorrow, 7 am ADR at Chef Mickey's & back to Magic Kingdom!

 

[mickeystoontown]

Good Lord have mercy....you've been on a writing roll and I've gotten behind. I had to laugh when you said ya'll had to buy short sleeve shirts because the temps were in the 70s. We once went over Thanksgiving week and we packed mostly short sleeves. Boy were we surprised when a cold front came through and the temps went down to the 30s!

I have always wondered how the cabins were at Fort Wilderness. It looked like it was nice to have all that room so the kids could run around.

Good for you riding Tower of Terror! I always said I would never ride it and was surprised that the family ever talked me into it.

 

[shelbys mommy]

Good Lord have mercy....you've been on a writing roll and I've gotten behind. I had to laugh when you said ya'll had to buy short sleeve shirts because the temps were in the 70s. We once went over Thanksgiving week and we packed mostly short sleeves. Boy were we surprised when a cold front came through and the temps went down to the 30s!

I have always wondered how the cabins were at Fort Wilderness. It looked like it was nice to have all that room so the kids could run around.

Good for you riding Tower of Terror! I always said I would never ride it and was surprised that the family ever talked me into it.

Oh wow! I'm not sure if we will go back for the holidays, but if we do, we are packing Summer & Winter clothes!

It was very nice to stay in. Saved us on eating so much at the parks (before the dining plan). My MIL went shopping for things for my FIL to grill outside, so we at breakfast at the cabins, ate lunch on the parks & the then dinner at the cabins.

I was surprised that Koby didn't want to ride it in June. He loved it when he rode it, but I guess he just changed his mind. Ben loves it, but he didn't care if he got to do it since he has done it before. I think he just didn't want to ride it alone.

 

[shelbys mommy]

So my curiosity got the better of me & I decided to check out the Disney site to see if they would give me prices for 2011. Low & behold they did! To stay at All Star Movies on June 11-17, with the Dining Plan it will cost us $2897.42. With just the Quick Service Dining Plan, it will cost us $2597.42. And no Dining Plan at all it will cost us, $1895.66. We spent about $400 on food last trip, not including snacks & water. We ate only once at Epcot, twice at Hollywood Studios & one was the Play & Dine ADR, twice at MK on both days & once at AK. I would like to do the Dining Plan so we can do CRT, but Shelby will only be 2, so I'm not sure if I should hold off on doing it until she is older or go ahead & do it now. And I still don't know what other ADR's I want to do yet either. I had somewhat of an idea, but I'm still clueless. Help! Should I push for the Dining Plan & do CRT or wait & just do the QSDP?

 

[mickeystoontown]

So my curiosity got the better of me & I decided to check out the Disney site to see if they would give me prices for 2011. Low & behold they did! To stay at All Star Movies on June 11-17, with the Dining Plan it will cost us $2897.42. With just the Quick Service Dining Plan, it will cost us $2597.42. And no Dining Plan at all it will cost us, $1895.66. We spent about $400 on food last trip, not including snacks & water. We ate only once at Epcot, twice at Hollywood Studios & one was the Play & Dine ADR, twice at MK on both days & once at AK. I would like to do the Dining Plan so we can do CRT, but Shelby will only be 2, so I'm not sure if I should hold off on doing it until she is older or go ahead & do it now. And I still don't know what other ADR's I want to do yet either. I had somewhat of an idea, but I'm still clueless. Help! Should I push for the Dining Plan & do CRT or wait & just do the QSDP?

Well, for me, I think I'd get tired of eating just counter service meals. We like a nice sit-down meal every evening. One of the good things about the dining plan is that you can schedule character meals and not have to pay out of pocket for them. I wish that we had eaten at CRT years ago when Hunter was younger because I probably couldn't get him to go there now. Give it another year though and he'll probably want to see all the pretty princesses.

Are your dates set in stone? They are offering free dining May 27th through June 2nd. We were able to get it extended to June 4th.

 

[shelbys mommy]

Well, for me, I think I'd get tired of eating just counter service meals. We like a nice sit-down meal every evening. One of the good things about the dining plan is that you can schedule character meals and not have to pay out of pocket for them. I wish that we had eaten at CRT years ago when Hunter was younger because I probably couldn't get him to go there now. Give it another year though and he'll probably want to see all the pretty princesses.

Are your dates set in stone? They are offering free dining May 27th through June 2nd. We were able to get it extended to June 4th.

Yeah the character meal was around $100 for us to eat if I remember correctly. And I know if I ask Ben, he will be "I don't care. I told you we might not even be able to afford it & you are big time jumping the gun." But after seeing Shelby dance to "it's a small world" & her smiling & seeing & saying Mickey everytime she sees Mickey Mouse & how her beautiful little face just lights up. I HAVE to bring her! Ben did see her doing this & he said "Shelby do you want to go back to Disney World?" And she smiled sweetly & said "Yes", so I am hoping that she can work some of that Daddy's Girl magic on him & get him on board with this trip!

Yeah, they pretty much are set in stone. When we figured out the best times for us to go with Ben's work schedule (he works every 3rd weekend) & the boys school schedule, that is the best time for us to go.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Yeah the character meal was around $100 for us to eat if I remember correctly. And I know if I ask Ben, he will be "I don't care. I told you we might not even be able to afford it & you are big time jumping the gun." But after seeing Shelby dance to "it's a small world" & her smiling & seeing & saying Mickey everytime she sees Mickey Mouse & how her beautiful little face just lights up. I HAVE to bring her! Ben did see her doing this & he said "Shelby do you want to go back to Disney World?" And she smiled sweetly & said "Yes", so I am hoping that she can work some of that Daddy's Girl magic on him & get him on board with this trip!

Yeah, they pretty much are set in stone. When we figured out the best times for us to go with Ben's work schedule (he works every 3rd weekend) & the boys school schedule, that is the best time for us to go.

Character meals can add up pretty quickly as do any table service meals. The price difference between the quick service plan and the regular dining plan for us was just about $300.00. We like sit down meals so we come up with the $300 somehow or the other.

Maybe you can pay the $200 deposit for the package and hope that a good promo comes out for your travel dates. I've done this a lot and when a promo comes out, I immediately call and have them apply it to my existing reservation. Haven't had a problem doing it in all the years we have stayed onsite.

 

[shelbys mommy]

Character meals can add up pretty quickly as do any table service meals. The price difference between the quick service plan and the regular dining plan for us was just about $300.00. We like sit down meals so we come up with the $300 somehow or the other.

Maybe you can pay the $200 deposit for the package and hope that a good promo comes out for your travel dates. I've done this a lot and when a promo comes out, I immediately call and have them apply it to my existing reservation. Haven't had a problem doing it in all the years we have stayed onsite.

Yeah, that was why we only did 1 Character meal. It was around $40 for us to eat on the parks. I have no clue what other table service meals we would do. The only one I know that I definitely want to do is CRT. I know the boys won't like it, but I figured I could do a "boy" one for them.

I wish I could put a deposit down now, but I have tons of birthdays, the holiday & our 11 year anniversary coming up. Sept is Ben's 30th birthday, October is Brady's birthday, Niece Sophia due & Halloween Costumes, Nov is my 20+1 birthday, Christmas in Dec, Jan is our 11th anniversary, Feb is Valentine's & Nephew Landon's birthday, then Easter & come April is Shelby's 2nd birthday! Phew! So I won't be able to book & pay it off until tax time, which sucks!

 

[mickeystoontown]

Yeah, that was why we only did 1 Character meal. It was around $40 for us to eat on the parks. I have no clue what other table service meals we would do. The only one I know that I definitely want to do is CRT. I know the boys won't like it, but I figured I could do a "boy" one for them.

I wish I could put a deposit down now, but I have tons of birthdays, the holiday & our 11 year anniversary coming up. Sept is Ben's 30th birthday, October is Brady's birthday, Niece Sophia due & Halloween Costumes, Nov is my 20+1 birthday, Christmas in Dec, Jan is our 11th anniversary, Feb is Valentine's & Nephew Landon's birthday, then Easter & come April is Shelby's 2nd birthday! Phew! So I won't be able to book & pay it off until tax time, which sucks!

I totally understand the deposit money and all kinds of expenditures. It seems like we have all birthdays every month along with holidays and you can't forgot those pesky auto expenses we don't budget for (yes, I'm still complaining about John's truck)

 

[shelbys mommy]

I totally understand the deposit money and all kinds of expenditures. It seems like we have all birthdays every month along with holidays and you can't forgot those pesky auto expenses we don't budget for (yes, I'm still complaining about John's truck)

Hahaha!!!! I am hoping & praying that we don't have any surprises that we will need to put the tax money towards instead of Disney. The boys are already saying that they want to go back next summer. Koby was bummed because we won't be there for his birthday this trip. He said he loved hearing "Happy Birthday" constantly. His birthday is the 20th & we leave the 17th. He said maybe he can wear the birthday button anyway lol

 

[shelbys mommy]

So I sent Ben the prices for all of the ones I posted earlier. I asked him what he thought of the prices & he said "Not too bad." So what does that mean? Men are so confusing lol

 

[shelbys mommy]

Well I had Becky's wonderful Travel Agent check into prices for me, have I mentioned that she is FREE?!?! And wow, what a discount already! Here is the email she sent me:

Hi Joni!

I've gotten some pricing for you Keep in mind that this is "rack rate" right now, but we can apply a discount later if one is released for your dates. We usually get them about 3 to 4 months prior to the travel dates, so no worries about missing out on a deal because you've already booked.

Check In: June 11, 2011
Check Out: June 17, 2011
2 Adults, 3 children ages 10, 8 & 2

Pricing Includes:

* 6 nights accommodations at the selected resort
* 7 day Magic Your Way base tickets (allows for entry into 1 of the 4 "main" theme paks per day: Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios or Animal Kingdom)
* Disney Dining Plan (allows for 1 table service, 1 quick service, and 1 snack credit per person, per night's stay)
* Unlimited use of all onsite transportation
* Free parking throughout the resort
* Disney's Magical Express transfers to/from Orlando International Airport (if needed)
* Pre arrival dining and itinerary planning (provided by me)

Disney's All Star Movies Resort
A Disney Value Resort

$2657.50 Preferred Room Location

I also checked with a 5 day base ticket as well, just in case $2614.90 Preferred Room Location


If you would like me to put the room on hold for you, just let me know. I just need your husband's name and I can hold it for 7 days

Yeah, I think I will stick with her instead of the Disney website!

 

[shelbys mommy]

Since I can't remember when we did what, I will post all Ferry Boat ride here. I know we had to take the Ferry everytime we went to MK, which was not always pleasant. Our 2nd day at MK it POURED!!! But more to come on that later!

Koby, Ben & my FIL either leaving or going to MK:

Brady leaving MK, can you tell he was sad?

View of the Contemporary from the boat:

View of the Monorail from the boat:

Another ferry boat we crossed:

The Shoe Tree:

Ben & Koby:

Ben & I:

MK view from the boat:

Koby leaving MK:

The Grand Floridian:

Space Mountain:

Tomorrow will be Chef Mickey's!!!