hi all,
we're off to Orlando in 16 days! so hard to believe the time is almost near. it seems like just yesterday I was saying, oh boy, 60 days left!! this was a rather spur of the moment trip, I guess you could say. it seems that most people plan for Disney well in advance. we decided in late august to bite the bullet and go. so let's say it's been a whirl wind of planning for the last couple of months
we're driving about 32 hours to get there. should be interesting, to say the least! we've got two daughters, ages 8 and 9.
we were planning on keeping the trip a surprise but I spilled the beans prematurely! it's a good thing though, because they've been able to give some valued input on the things they'd like to do/see.
our trip started out as a trip to seaworld and discovery cove but quickly evolved to include Disney, as well. i'm glad we made that choice. it would have been pretty sad to come back home, having missed out on the mouse.
here's what we're doing - any question marks you see mean "we have no idea what we're doing, so we'll just go with the flow"
day 1
depart eastern Canada
stay overnight in Connecticut
day 2
stay overnight in south carolina
day 3
arrive in Orlando
check into seaworld hotel, which is within walking distance to seaworld
relax
spend the afternoon/early evening doing whatever our heart's desire - no specific plans - have a nice dinner somewhere...affordable...family friendly...after two days of eating gas station food/mcdonalds, I think we'll be in the mood for something new
day 4
?
day 5
?
day 6
?
we'll be doing seaworld on either day 4, 5, or 6. if the kids really, really love it, we may go back for another half day? i'd rather not...i'd rather take a drive to a beach even if it's cold out...just to walk along and look at the scenery...or have my husband drop me off at the outlets for shopping while he takes the kids to a park. i'd like to hit up a local store that sells cheap Disney memorabilia so we're not spending too much at the pricey gifts shop in the parks.
day 7
discovery cove full day
go to bed very early
day 8
check out of seaworld hotel/into pop century
decorate the heck out of our hotel room
spend some portion of the day at Hollywood studios
day 9
magic kingdom day
day 10
epcot
day 11
animal kingdom
day 12
?
back track to favorite parks/rides?
shop?
get a VERY good night's sleep
day 13
? same as above
depart orlando
stay overnight in south Carolina
day 14
stay overnight in connecticot
day 15
arrive home
as you can see, this is a fast paced, whirlwind trip that involves A LOT of driving. we decided to drive in order to save money, plus we are an adventurous family and like a good challenge
my husband's work is a bit tricky to get vacation time, so we had to take whatever we could get this year. unfortunately, that means cramming our florida trip into a relatively short period of time. but...i'm staying positive because, hey, we are very blessed and fortunate to be going, if only for a short time. we're very lucky and we're going to have a great December/Christmas. he and I just came back from Europe a couple of months ago, so that ate up a good chunk of his vacation time. we are using what's leftover for a family vacation that hopefully our children will never forget. it's hard to say if we'll ever have a chance as a family to do something like this again. maybe. the more I learn about Disney, the more I can picture myself dying to go back
here are some things that are priorities. I won't get into the seaworld/early days because they aren't relevant to Disney. just take note of the fact that we plan on enjoying ourselves thoroughly during those early days
- character meetings/character meals/autograph signing
- low key, simple rides like dumbo/carousel/magic carpets/etc
- enjoying resort pool, if weather allows
- a short, sweet princess makeover for my littlest girl I am NOT paying big bucks for the full deal at BBB! we're doing the cheapest one, and I am bringing a ball gown from home
- haircuts at harmony barber shop - maybe. I couldn't get a decent appointment time, so it depends on how much my oldest daughter has her heart set on it
- admiring Christmas decorations at the fancy resorts - we booked meals at these resorts for this reason - the kids can't WAIT to see the trees lit up
- taking pictures (my girls LOVE that)
- souvenir shopping - they are so excited about penny press...I went to the bank today and we are now armed and dangerous with rolls of quarters and pennies
- pin trading (!!! this should be so much fun, even I wish I had pins to trade!)
- design your own t-shirt at the Disney store that does that - if it is at downtown Disney (which I think it is?) I might take the kids there on one of our earlier days (the days before Disney) and get it done then. that way, it doesn't take up any park time. same goes for mouse ear shopping.
- the goofy make your own candy shop
- CUPCAKES!!
- getting their 'passports' stamped at epcot
- holiday sleigh ride - this is very short - 30 minutes. my girls LOVE horses - they take riding lessons once a week - so I am positive this will be the highlight of the trip, no matter how short it lasts.
- decorating our resort room - man oh man - are they EVER psyched for this. even though we won't be spending much time in our room, lol, they are so freakin' excited about it. I plan to sneak into the room before they come up for the first time and decorate it for Christmas, pretending that santa made an impromptu visit for them overnight
I have booked numerous character meals. this will be a hit with our family because we have quite the tradition of dining out - it's a real part of your family culture, and always has been. I only wish we could bring all of the grandparents/aunts/uncles/cousins with us
my girls plan to sit there with notepads watching characters walk by...and drawing pictures of them, lol. my girls are so easy to please. I posted a list of table service restaurants we are (maybe) attending in another post, and many people here say it's way too much for our itinerary. but...I wish I could explain how big of a tradition these sorts of things are with my family and how it will be such a meaningful, integral part of my kids' experiences, in their minds. we are very big social eaters, and enjoy laughing over a meal and taking pictures and carrying on and all that goes with it.
we made homemade autograph books today. to say the kids are excited is quite the understatement. they worked SO hard on their books...they have about a billion pages where they hope to draw their favorite characters too
I am very blessed with two children that are laid back, and happy with the smallest, simplest things in life. they will be so content to stroll along and people watch, especially watching all the excited little, teeny little girls running and squealing, I can guarantee it. my husband is a very low stress, easy to get along with man, as well.
they packed their bags the other day and are rarin' to go. we stocked up on everything from tank tops to very heavy sweaters, not knowing what to expect.
well, that's all for now. my biggest concern right now is that I pray to god our car doesn't break down on the way to florida, lol!
look forward to talking with all of you
we're off to Orlando in 16 days! so hard to believe the time is almost near. it seems like just yesterday I was saying, oh boy, 60 days left!! this was a rather spur of the moment trip, I guess you could say. it seems that most people plan for Disney well in advance. we decided in late august to bite the bullet and go. so let's say it's been a whirl wind of planning for the last couple of months
we're driving about 32 hours to get there. should be interesting, to say the least! we've got two daughters, ages 8 and 9.
we were planning on keeping the trip a surprise but I spilled the beans prematurely! it's a good thing though, because they've been able to give some valued input on the things they'd like to do/see.
our trip started out as a trip to seaworld and discovery cove but quickly evolved to include Disney, as well. i'm glad we made that choice. it would have been pretty sad to come back home, having missed out on the mouse.
here's what we're doing - any question marks you see mean "we have no idea what we're doing, so we'll just go with the flow"
day 1
depart eastern Canada
stay overnight in Connecticut
day 2
stay overnight in south carolina
day 3
arrive in Orlando
check into seaworld hotel, which is within walking distance to seaworld
relax
spend the afternoon/early evening doing whatever our heart's desire - no specific plans - have a nice dinner somewhere...affordable...family friendly...after two days of eating gas station food/mcdonalds, I think we'll be in the mood for something new
day 4
?
day 5
?
day 6
?
we'll be doing seaworld on either day 4, 5, or 6. if the kids really, really love it, we may go back for another half day? i'd rather not...i'd rather take a drive to a beach even if it's cold out...just to walk along and look at the scenery...or have my husband drop me off at the outlets for shopping while he takes the kids to a park. i'd like to hit up a local store that sells cheap Disney memorabilia so we're not spending too much at the pricey gifts shop in the parks.
day 7
discovery cove full day
go to bed very early
day 8
check out of seaworld hotel/into pop century
decorate the heck out of our hotel room
spend some portion of the day at Hollywood studios
day 9
magic kingdom day
day 10
epcot
day 11
animal kingdom
day 12
?
back track to favorite parks/rides?
shop?
get a VERY good night's sleep
day 13
? same as above
depart orlando
stay overnight in south Carolina
day 14
stay overnight in connecticot
day 15
arrive home
as you can see, this is a fast paced, whirlwind trip that involves A LOT of driving. we decided to drive in order to save money, plus we are an adventurous family and like a good challenge
my husband's work is a bit tricky to get vacation time, so we had to take whatever we could get this year. unfortunately, that means cramming our florida trip into a relatively short period of time. but...i'm staying positive because, hey, we are very blessed and fortunate to be going, if only for a short time. we're very lucky and we're going to have a great December/Christmas. he and I just came back from Europe a couple of months ago, so that ate up a good chunk of his vacation time. we are using what's leftover for a family vacation that hopefully our children will never forget. it's hard to say if we'll ever have a chance as a family to do something like this again. maybe. the more I learn about Disney, the more I can picture myself dying to go back
here are some things that are priorities. I won't get into the seaworld/early days because they aren't relevant to Disney. just take note of the fact that we plan on enjoying ourselves thoroughly during those early days
- character meetings/character meals/autograph signing
- low key, simple rides like dumbo/carousel/magic carpets/etc
- enjoying resort pool, if weather allows
- a short, sweet princess makeover for my littlest girl
I am NOT paying big bucks for the full deal at BBB! we're doing the cheapest one, and I am bringing a ball gown from home - haircuts at harmony barber shop - maybe. I couldn't get a decent appointment time, so it depends on how much my oldest daughter has her heart set on it
- admiring Christmas decorations at the fancy resorts - we booked meals at these resorts for this reason - the kids can't WAIT to see the trees lit up
- taking pictures (my girls LOVE that)
- souvenir shopping - they are so excited about penny press...I went to the bank today and we are now armed and dangerous with rolls of quarters and pennies
- pin trading (!!! this should be so much fun, even I wish I had pins to trade!)
- design your own t-shirt at the Disney store that does that - if it is at downtown Disney (which I think it is?) I might take the kids there on one of our earlier days (the days before Disney) and get it done then. that way, it doesn't take up any park time. same goes for mouse ear shopping.
- the goofy make your own candy shop
- CUPCAKES!!
- getting their 'passports' stamped at epcot
- holiday sleigh ride - this is very short - 30 minutes. my girls LOVE horses - they take riding lessons once a week - so I am positive this will be the highlight of the trip, no matter how short it lasts.
- decorating our resort room - man oh man - are they EVER psyched for this. even though we won't be spending much time in our room, lol, they are so freakin' excited about it. I plan to sneak into the room before they come up for the first time and decorate it for Christmas, pretending that santa made an impromptu visit for them overnight
I have booked numerous character meals. this will be a hit with our family because we have quite the tradition of dining out - it's a real part of your family culture, and always has been. I only wish we could bring all of the grandparents/aunts/uncles/cousins with us
my girls plan to sit there with notepads watching characters walk by...and drawing pictures of them, lol. my girls are so easy to please. I posted a list of table service restaurants we are (maybe) attending in another post, and many people here say it's way too much for our itinerary. but...I wish I could explain how big of a tradition these sorts of things are with my family and how it will be such a meaningful, integral part of my kids' experiences, in their minds. we are very big social eaters, and enjoy laughing over a meal and taking pictures and carrying on and all that goes with it.we made homemade autograph books today. to say the kids are excited is quite the understatement. they worked SO hard on their books...they have about a billion pages where they hope to draw their favorite characters too
I am very blessed with two children that are laid back, and happy with the smallest, simplest things in life. they will be so content to stroll along and people watch, especially watching all the excited little, teeny little girls running and squealing, I can guarantee it. my husband is a very low stress, easy to get along with man, as well.
they packed their bags the other day and are rarin' to go. we stocked up on everything from tank tops to very heavy sweaters, not knowing what to expect.
well, that's all for now. my biggest concern right now is that I pray to god our car doesn't break down on the way to florida, lol!
look forward to talking with all of you
