***Official March 2021 Thread***

[Orion Nebula]

I’ve always wanted to surprise my kids but never been able to pull it off! I say go for it if you can, it’s something they’ll always remember.

My wife always talked about it also, but my kids quickly got too old and they needed to pack themselves. I could not imagine being in the car and saying "surprise!" to my 18 year old daughter that requires two suitcases.

 

[DduzDis]

Part of me wants to involve them in the planning and the other part wants to put them in the car and ask "what do you want to do today?" And then drive to the airport.

That is exciting. With the relative lack of anything to plan besides park days and restaurants, I'd lean toward heading to the airport.

 

[JFox]

WOOHOO! I know you're happy you can move on to other planning now that your time off has been approved.
I have actually read about the daily limit on gift cards at Target but I had forgotten about that. I do need to buy some for my trip still. I meant to when I was there Monday and completely forgot.

This was news to me as I can recall a trip to Target where I bought $3000 at one time. Anyone feel like that they need an armored guard when leaving with active gift cards or is it just me? My husband just left to get the last few I need.

I’ve always wanted to surprise my kids but never been able to pull it off! I say go for it if you can, it’s something they’ll always remember.

That is exciting. With the relative lack of anything to plan besides park days and restaurants, I'd lean toward heading to the airport.

I have 4 Disney kids. I did the airport thing with the first 2 when they were young. We drove up to their daycare and I said, "I don't want to go to work. Let's do something fun today." Instead we drove to the Airport. Their grandmother and father were already there waiting for us. It was fun for them.

Now these 2 are different and obsessed about SWGE. They have been saving their $$$ for the light saber/Droid builds. Those are the only concrete plans I have made so far. I may tell them we are going somewhere so they can help pack what they want. They will figure it our when we get to the airport gate.

 

[Bama Mom]

I have been sporadically checking dining availability each day to see if any times I would rather have opens for a party of 6. I was just now able to get a Sci-Fi for 7:15 pm for our first HS day. I actually have two other times reserved that day as well so we just need to decide which ones to let go of. But until we decide if we want to hop that day I am going to hold on to them all. Also until we see if the hours change for that day I have no clue if it will still be a post park closing time. If it stays a post park closing time we will probably keep this one over the other two. I know they have been adding an hour to the opening time for HS rather than keeping it opened later so now I just have to wait a while and see if this holds true.

 

[Kmedders]

So I was just able to make a reservation at Ogas for the 16th at 7:55 but the park is scheduled to close at seven. Do you think this is a sign they are extending the hours?

 

[Bama Mom]

So I was just able to make a reservation at Ogas for the 16th at 7:55 but the park is scheduled to close at seven. Do you think this is a sign they are extending the hours?

They may be but I do know a lot of post park closing times have been available in the past when they didn't extend the hours.

 

[Bama Mom]

So now there are three yellow days...15th, 16th and 17th no HS availability. I'm holding out hope that the next week stays in the green since that's my week going.

 

[skeettafic]

UGH.... I really hate the idea of dealing with crazy crowds all week!!!

ETA.. we will be there 16th - 20th.

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

UGH.... I really hate the idea of dealing with crazy crowds all week!!!

ETA.. we will be there 16th - 20th.

Especially without FP! We typically go over crowded weeks and managed just fine between rope drop and FP. The thought of actually waiting in lines has me

 

[skeettafic]

Especially without FP! We typically go over crowded weeks and managed just fine between rope drop and FP. The thought of actually waiting in lines has me

We are typically rope drop people so we will still have that going for us so hopefully we can get most things done first thing and then just enjoy the rest of the time. It just has me nervous.

 

[JFox]

Everything I see the posts for the week of March 14 I have a mini heart attack. Our spring break is the week prior. I have checked the school calendar 3,748,827 times.

 

[Lurkerin]

I’ve always wanted to surprise my kids but never been able to pull it off! I say go for it if you can, it’s something they’ll always remember.

My wife always talked about it also, but my kids quickly got too old and they needed to pack themselves. I could not imagine being in the car and saying "surprise!" to my 18 year old daughter that requires two suitcases.

We are surprising our kids (11,8, and 6) this trip . Quick stay for some Magic and a secret tub of Disney clothes. They like to pack themselves too. Wife and I have almost had some close calls talking too loud or Amazon deliveries. But so far all plans are intact. 1 month to go... The oldest thinks they know everything. Smart as a whip so it is hard to pull one over on them. I can't wait to see all of their jaws hit the ground!

 

[BellesLibrary]

Hi, fellow Disney fans!

We are headed down for spring break in March and will be staying at Swan (our first stay at that resort!). My kids are going to get the surprise of their lives when we pick them up on a random Tuesday afternoon from school and head to Disney World instead of going home!

I had to plan this trip around my spring break (I'm a college professor), and I am SO excited about my current class ending and getting final grades in because that means it's time to head to Florida!

My kids LOVE Star Wars, so we're especially looking forward to exploring Galaxy's Edge. We haven't been to Disney since Galaxy's Edge opened, so any tips or tricks for that area of HS would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Orion Nebula]

So I was just able to make a reservation at Ogas for the 16th at 7:55 but the park is scheduled to close at seven. Do you think this is a sign they are extending the hours?

That is very odd, maybe so?

 

[Bama Mom]

Hi, fellow Disney fans!

We are headed down for spring break in March and will be staying at Swan (our first stay at that resort!). My kids are going to get the surprise of their lives when we pick them up on a random Tuesday afternoon from school and head to Disney World instead of going home!

I had to plan this trip around my spring break (I'm a college professor), and I am SO excited about my current class ending and getting final grades end because that means it's time to head to Florida!

My kids LOVE Star Wars, so we're especially looking forward to exploring Galaxy's Edge. We haven't been to Disney since Galaxy's Edge opened, so any tips or tricks for that area of HS would be greatly appreciated.

Added you to the list under "first week" so if you want your specific dates put in just let me know and I'll change that.
My last trip was in 2019 right before Galaxy Edge opened so this will be my first time seeing it as well. My very first movie I saw in a theater was The Empire Strikes Back when I was 7. I'm pretty sure I saw Star Wars at the Drive-in Theater when it came out though. I've been a Star Wars fan every since.

 

[dez1978]

Ugh. Just found out DH can't come to Disney with us. I knew it was a possibility but I'd really hoped he'd be able to go. This will be our 3rd trip so I know what to expect and how to get around. My boys are 7 (turns 7 on the day we arrive) and 9.5. They fight ALLLLL the time. Bc boys... We always try to spilt them up when they get crabby with each other. Dad takes one, I get the other. That is not going to happen obv. Fortunately, my sister in law, her husband and their 2 boys, 6&12 are also going. So they can help me some when needed. Please tell me I'll be ok. I expect some meltdowns (mine not the kids). Does anyone have any tips to navigating this with 2 kids? I know people do this all the time, but I do not lol. My oldest has ADHD and can be a lot some days so I generally don't venture out to things like this with both of them on my own.

 

[BellesLibrary]

Added you to the list under "first week" so if you want your specific dates put in just let me know and I'll change that.
My last trip was in 2019 right before Galaxy Edge opened so this will be my first time seeing it as well. My very first movie I saw in a theater was The Empire Strikes Back when I was 7. I'm pretty sure I saw Star Wars at the Drive-in Theater when it came out though. I've been a Star Wars fan every since.

Thanks!

Our official dates are 3/2-3/9, I think. I've just gone through a huge round of grading, and my brain is a bit mushy.

My parents weren't big Star Wars fans, so I didn't see the original trilogy until I was in college (!!!). My boyfriend at the time was big into the movies, so he made me sit through all of the movies that were out at that point (1-6). I liked them then, but I didn't fall in love with the series until my kids asked to watch them during quarantine. It's not like we had anything else to do, and our family's obsession began!

Drive-in theaters are SO much fun! We have a temporary one set up in an empty lot in town since all of our movie theaters are closed, and it's been a great diversion.

 

[BellesLibrary]

Ugh. Just found out DH can't come to Disney with us. I knew it was a possibility but I'd really hoped he'd be able to go. This will be our 3rd trip so I know what to expect and how to get around. My boys are 7 (turns 7 on the day we arrive) and 9.5. They fight ALLLLL the time. Bc boys... We always try to spilt them up when they get crabby with each other. Dad takes one, I get the other. That is not going to happen obv. Fortunately, my sister in law, her husband and their 2 boys, 6&12 are also going. So they can help me some when needed. Please tell me I'll be ok. I expect some meltdowns (mine not the kids). Does anyone have any tips to navigating this with 2 kids? I know people do this all the time, but I do not lol. My oldest has ADHD and can be a lot some days so I generally don't venture out to things like this with both of them on my own.

My husband hasn't decided if he can take off the vacation days for sure yet, so there's a very real possibility that I will be at WDW solo with my kids (daughter 7.5 and son 4). My daughter has ADHD and ODD, so meltdowns and unfocused energy are things we're constantly working on with her. I've traveled as the solo parent with both kids to other places, and it's tiring, but usually fun. My two squabble with the best of siblings, so we're always hedging against that, too.

Some tips I've found that work:

• Frequent breaks for water/snacks (they get hangry!)
• Letting the kids rotate on picking the next thing (so one doesn't feel as if the other is directing the entire day)
• Setting boundaries/limitations on fighting (i.e. the kid instigating a fight loses his/her turn to pick the next thing)
• Knowing when we need to stop for the day or go back to the room for a nap (My daughter definitely hits a wall when she's overloaded, and my son is still young enough that he needs a nap/rest period on high energy days)
• Alternating high energy activities with more focused/quieter activities (so, doing the Kidcot activities in between rides).

Let me know if you have other ideas! I'm looking for ways to balance fun without wearing myself out!

 

[debedo]

I forgot to update my reservation changes.
BLT 14-17, BCV 17-20, SSR Treehouse 20-21.
I wanted something different/special for my 50th Birthday trip, so we are doing the Treehouse villa for our last night. Always wanted to stay in one.
Now just waiting to see if they announce Rat ride, and hours extended to finalize our plans and cancel ADRs I wont need.

I love split stays!!! We are splitting between 4 resorts now

 

[TISHLOVESDISNEY]

I love split stays!!! We are splitting between 4 resorts now

We like to stay MK area for MK, and Epcot resorts for Epcot/HS. Walking to parks is the best! We've thrown in AKKV and AKL a few times too. To us, it makes the vacation seem slightly longer.
I don't like "moving day", but this trip we have a rental car so we'll just load the car and hit a park until we can checkin.
HAVE FUN!