Pilgrms on the Move-updated 11/21-leaving in the morning!

[cam&phoebsmom]

I can't wait to see what you come up with to surprise your kids!! When we went at Christmas time, my parents woke us up and told us it was Easter! They had hidden Easter eggs around the house. Each egg had a letter in it and unscrambled, the letters spelled You're going to Disney World (or something like that).

That is a VERY fun idea! If we were to be here at home we would probably do a scavenger hunt or puzzle pieces or something in the mail. But since we are driving it will be different.

There are usually maps at a hotel of nearby attractions. I was thinking of pulling some out for the 3 kids and talking about what is nearby, and then throwing in a map of EPCOT and asking if they want to go there instead.

Not sure yet but I can't wait to spill the beans!

 

[dancingdisneydreamer]

I'm in! You guys will love WL-it is my favorite resort. I've stayed there twice!

 

[cam&phoebsmom]

I'm in! You guys will love WL-it is my favorite resort. I've stayed there twice!

We have stayed at POFQ twice and last trip stayed at CBR in a pirate room so we are excited to stay at WL. The option of having bunk beds for our kids is one of the things that helped us choose the resort, as well as the boat. Plus we have heard it is decorated really well for Christmas

I *think* D and S have stayed at AKL and if I remember correctly Boardwalk as well as POFQ and and off-site. They have opted to go with WL as well for this trip and even though they have one DD they chose the bunkbed room which I think she will like. Our ADRs and for now our park plans are the same (S may do one day at Universale fr Harry Potter and I think Rapunzel said something about it to her as well so they may split and do something else that day.

Here is a pic of us last year in the pirate room-the polka dotted bottom and pink crocs you see is my DD after our 1st day in the park-she crashed and could not be roused to take the pic, LOL

 

[dixie06]

Hey checking in and will be subscribing all the kids are cute i want to go to disney during the holidays maybe i can talk my boyfriend into it lol. cant wait to see how you surprise the kids and what else yall are going to do

 

[cam&phoebsmom]

Last year we arrived to CBR on a Sunday after a leisurely morning with no rushing around. But when we drive down this time it will be on one of the busiest driving days in the country-the day before Thanksgivig (cue honking car and squealing tire sounds here).

I am HOPING we can get on the road by 6am and be at WL by 10. That is best case scenario. But we are also realistic b/c we don't want to be tired when we get there considering we have 2 busy days to start our trip.

After driving down (and keeping our fingers crossed for an easy drive) we will check in at Wilderness Lodge, where we will be immediately upgraded to a club level room. Okay, okay that is just wishful thinking. Really we are excited about staying in a room with bunkbeds, but I would not turn down a club level room, LOL.

After heading in our plan (for now) is to head to:

EPCOT! Because we will not be there 1st thing we thin this park may be easy enough for people to spread out a bit and there are a lot of non-ride things for the kids to do. I am not hopeful that there will still be fastpasses left for Soarin' (a family favorite) but maybe we can snag some for Mission Space or Test Track.

Depending on what time we get to the park we may stop and eat at the resort or grab something in Sunshine Seasons. If our timing is good we might even have to me to go to World Showcase and grab something. Before we do that I know we will be getting our passes for:

Kim Possible Missions!!! (I know realize I was helping the kids so much during the missions that I took no shots of the fun goings-on)

I do think whoever came up with all the missions was a genius. We had avoided the World Showcase on our 1st two trips as we did not think the kids would really like it (even with the Kidcot stations). But last time we did the KP missions and I LOVED the interactivity. So much so that w actually had a minute to take a pic of just DH and I while the kids argued over the communicator:

If I rcall last year we did France, England, Japan, Germany, and Norway. That means we have Mexico, China, and if they have ones in Morocco, Canada, Italy and the American pavillion we will try those this time. (does anybody know if they have one for all of the countries?)



We have yummy plans for dinner that night in World Showcase. If I remember correctly we wil be dining with S' family that night so we neded a place that would accomodate 16 people (I think that is right).

Can anyone guess where we will be eating?

 

[sbynon]

Day 1-arrival at WL
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Yep, 16 people sounds right--that's why we had to go with someplace noisy! Since you're going in order, I won't spoil it.

You're right, we have stayed at AKL, which we were not entirely thrilled with--got a "discounted" room, which was a great price, but also on the first floor right next to the bus stop. We won't be going for the deeply discounted rooms again. The resort is AMAZING though.

So far Boardwalk is our favorite--LOVE being able to walk to Epcot and DHS. We're hoping our stay at WL is more like our stay at Boardwalk than AKL--we're sure the fact that you guys are with us will have a huge effect on that .

The scavenger hunt idea gives me a thought--what if we came up with a scavenger hunt that led the kids to dinner with each other? This requires a bit more thought, obviously, but it's a possibility.

I keep telling myself that we'll be going opposite most Thanksgiving traffic. I don't know why I think that--just seems like most people go north for Thanksgiving. At least in my head they do--so I'm sure I will be very disappointed in the reality and not particularly happy with traffic that day.

DD is definitely wanting to go to Harry Potter World this year--especially now that she has seen all the movies. The other night she asked if we could go "the next time we go to Disney"--hee hee, she has no idea that will be in only a few short months!

Looking forward to our first day at Epcot and to doing Kim Possible with you guys. I think they have it in Morocco, but not in Italy or America. I'm pretty sure we've done all the missions by now (DD actually asks to go to World Showcase now!), but she won't mind doing them again.

I'm pretty sure we'll still be able to get fast passes for Soarin'--I'm an optimist like that!

__________________________________________________

 

[sbynon]

Oh, and our trial run for our first stroller-less trip went well--didn't use one this past weekend and Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom, and there was no complaining, despite the heat and lines!

 

[mickeygirl14]

Totally subbing in! Can't wait to hear how you tell the kids - DH and I thought about surprising ours, but I couldn't keep it a secret! You have a beautiful family - and I love that D & S are adding to all the reporting!

 

[sbynon]

mickeygirl14 - Just read your report about the private event at WWOHP and I'm dying with jealousy! We went last year when it wasn't very crowded and I'm realizing everything we didn't do. Can't wait to see it again!

 

[mickeygirl14]

mickeygirl14 - Just read your report about the private event at WWOHP and I'm dying with jealousy! We went last year when it wasn't very crowded and I'm realizing everything we didn't do. Can't wait to see it again!

Thanks for reading it - it was long! Yeah - it was AWESOME!!! Everything was free...no lines for anything, all the shops were open and walked in BY OURSELVES for the Ollivander show with no wait! It was an amazing night. Really made me appreciate the event when we went back the next day and saw the crowds. I was shocked that they did not have ANY Dobby merchandise anywhere though! I even asked several CMs. I Dobby!

 

[mwmom]

I took my DD5 last Thanksgiving and loved it so much we are returning this year! We also went to WDW when she was 3 during that same week, but we stayed off property. When we splurged and stayed at WL this past year, I thought I was crazy for spending that much on a vacation, but I found it was SO worth it! I LOVED WL!!

Thanksgiving Week- Our strategy was to get to the parks when it opened and stayed for about 3-4 hours, went back to hotel during the afternoon (my original plan was to rest, but we ended up at the pool each day) then we returned to a park around 5-6. I did get PH tickets so we didn't always go back to the same park as the a.m. I used Touring Plans to plan a tentative schedule, but we in no way had a set schedule. I just used it to know where to start each day and followed their recommendations for best park and parks to avoid. I promise that was worth the 12.95 just to get that information! We didn't wait in lines for more than 15 minutes as a general rule. There were a few rides that were really crowded, but we used FP for those and that worked fine. For Soarin' we stood in line first thing in the a.m., grabbed a fast pass, went to ride Nemo ride 3 times in a row and then went back to Soarin. With a little planning, you can avoid long lines.

WL-We had a quiet room that was considered Courtyard View, but it really overlooked the DVC hotel next door through the trees, so I didn't consider it such a great view. The plus side was that it was quiet as the pool area is really loud during the day (they have a "DJ" and activities going on with the kids) and we weren't in the room that much anyway so it didn't really matter to either of us. My DD loved being in the pool and I loved relaxing (and getting off my feet) and the pool wasn't so crowded in the afternoon bc everyone was at the park.

When we returned to the parks in the evening, we watched the parade and fireworks one night and then when we returned on the other nights to MK, we rode rides while everyone else was watching the parade.

I will add more as I think of things. Oh, just thought of something...Christmas decorations. Last year the WL lobby was gorgeous. They even had a photographer there each day so we could take a family photo and have it added to our photopass card. I always buy the CD with all of our pics and just get as many photos taken as I can taken. Also, we did see the Osborne lights which I thought was fantastic, but my DD was not so impressed with it (I think she was just tired by the time we got there and our downtown area has dancing lights to music every Christmas). What she liked was the "snow" falling. She kept trying to catch it in her mouth! By far my favorite decoration is the castle. I try and get to MK at least 3-4 times just to see it (makes the PH passes worth it!)

Maybe we will see you there!

 

[cam&phoebsmom]

I will add more as I think of things. Oh, just thought of something...Christmas decorations. Last year the WL lobby was gorgeous. They even had a photographer there each day so we could take a family photo and have it added to our photopass card. I always buy the CD with all of our pics and just get as many photos taken as I can taken. Also, we did see the Osborne lights which I thought was fantastic, but my DD was not so impressed with it (I think she was just tired by the time we got there and our downtown area has dancing lights to music every Christmas). What she liked was the "snow" falling. She kept trying to catch it in her mouth! By far my favorite decoration is the castle. I try and get to MK at least 3-4 times just to see it (makes the PH passes worth it!)

Maybe we will see you there!

Thanks for your comments-it seems like with a good plan we will have a great time! It helps that we have all been there before so we get how to use FP and make good use of riderswap.

We have always had PH but I took them off our package but am not opposed to putting the PH option back on, just don't know if we would use it more than once. I think D and S still have them on there tix. I think I will be adding them back once we get there because we tend to fall under the "Disney Spell" and don't want to miss out, LOL.

 

[prisjoyce]

Hello fellow MD-er, Thanksgiving go-er and (I think) Capt's Grille diner (didn't you reply to my post about that on another thread? Anyway...),

I love the surprise idea... wish I could pull that off but we're pulling my DD8 out of school for a few days, so she has to know b/c of make-up work, etc. Have you ever used the DISigns thread here on the boards? There are lots of great ideas there for surprises: from letters to scavenger hunts... you could even make t-shirts for the kids and incorporate that into the surprise.

Good luck w/ your planning!!

 

[cam&phoebsmom]

Hello fellow MD-er, Thanksgiving go-er and (I think) Capt's Grille diner (didn't you reply to my post about that on another thread? Anyway...),

I love the surprise idea... wish I could pull that off but we're pulling my DD8 out of school for a few days, so she has to know b/c of make-up work, etc. Have you ever used the DISigns thread here on the boards? There are lots of great ideas there for surprises: from letters to scavenger hunts... you could even make t-shirts for the kids and incorporate that into the surprise.

Good luck w/ your planning!!

Hello! Yes it was me who responded on the Captain's Grille. Although I was talking to S last night and now we may end up with a smaller group so we may stick with Cape May (which we also have a reservation for).

We are taking the kids out for the 4 days after Thanskgiving break since our trip starts mid-week. We have taken our kids out before and so far so good (still elementary). I will let my son's teacher know beforeand and hope to get work. Our conference is the day before we drive out so I am hoping we can pick up his work then,

When my son was in 1st grade his teacher refused to give him any work in advance and he did it all in one day when we got back. In 2nd grade his teacher said he did not have to do any reading work b/c of how good his grades had been and I had to beg her for some math work to take for the drive down, LOL. He had a few things to do when he got back, but not much. I am hoping his 4th grade teacher is willing to give us work in advance, if not the weekend after we return will be catchup time for us!

I know people have different feelings about taking kids during the school year. I feel like as long as it is not excessive and the kids are good students it is okay (and I used to teach-it did not bother me). Both my DS and Rapunzel are academically very strong. And luckily for us DS has only missed one day of school due to illness since preschool. My DD will pick up any bug floating around, but DS (knock on wood) has had a good immune system and does not get sick easily. I hope that proves true through our trip!

Where are you guys staying?

 

[prisjoyce]

Hello! Yes it was me who responded on the Captain's Grille. Although I was talking to S last night and now we may end up with a smaller group so we may stick with Cape May (which we also have a reservation for).

We are taking the kids out for the 4 days after Thanskgiving break since our trip starts mid-week. We have taken our kids out before and so far so good (still elementary). I will let my son's teacher know beforeand and hope to get work. Our conference is the day before we drive out so I am hoping we can pick up his work then,

When my son was in 1st grade his teacher refused to give him any work in advance and he did it all in one day when we got back. In 2nd grade his teacher said he did not have to do any reading work b/c of how good his grades had been and I had to beg her for some math work to take for the drive down, LOL. He had a few things to do when he got back, but not much. I am hoping his 4th grade teacher is willing to give us work in advance, if not the weekend after we return will be catchup time for us!

I know people have different feelings about taking kids during the school year. I feel like as long as it is not excessive and the kids are good students it is okay (and I used to teach-it did not bother me). Both my DS and Rapunzel are academically very strong. And luckily for us DS has only missed one day of school due to illness since preschool. My DD will pick up any bug floating around, but DS (knock on wood) has had a good immune system and does not get sick easily. I hope that proves true through our trip!

Where are you guys staying?

We took our kids out of school for 8 days in March to go a Disney Cruise, so I agree with you. DD is a straight-A student and DS is just getting into kindergarten, so he wasn't a problem. The problem we have w/ surprising the kids is that my daughter gets anxious about missing school, so we tell her ahead of time.... the teachers are usually good about giving her some work to take with us and telling her what to expect when she returns. She just needs to know what's going on.

We're staying at POFQ for the first time. We've stayed at OKW, CBR, All-Stars, in the past and decided to give this one a try. We're driving down (we like having a car, too!) the Sat before Thanksgiving and staying until the Sat after. I'm pretty excited to have scored FD for that whole week.

We've never been to Cape May, but I know it's very popular. I'd tried 180-days out to get 'Ohana reservations any time that week and everything was booked, then I looked on a whim 2 days ago and something had opened up. The reviews aren't great, but ADR's are hard to get there, so I guess we'll try it and see!

I'm looking forward to hearing about the surprise reveal!

 

[bookmama]

I'm here! and subbing

 

[cam&phoebsmom]

We took our kids out of school for 8 days in March to go a Disney Cruise, so I agree with you. DD is a straight-A student and DS is just getting into kindergarten, so he wasn't a problem. The problem we have w/ surprising the kids is that my daughter gets anxious about missing school, so we tell her ahead of time.... the teachers are usually good about giving her some work to take with us and telling her what to expect when she returns. She just needs to know what's going on.

We're staying at POFQ for the first time. We've stayed at OKW, CBR, All-Stars, in the past and decided to give this one a try. We're driving down (we like having a car, too!) the Sat before Thanksgiving and staying until the Sat after. I'm pretty excited to have scored FD for that whole week.

We've never been to Cape May, but I know it's very popular. I'd tried 180-days out to get 'Ohana reservations any time that week and everything was booked, then I looked on a whim 2 days ago and something had opened up. The reviews aren't great, but ADR's are hard to get there, so I guess we'll try it and see!

I'm looking forward to hearing about the surprise reveal!

We stayed at POFQ twice and really enjoyed it. My kids loved the serpent slide and I liked how close everything was. The beignets I think are only a snack credit so that is always a nice treat. It is my husband's favorite moderate and we would stay there again without missing a beat.

For a couple of meals we ended up with 2 reservations. I made ones that were for the two families traveling-so for my 4 and D and S and Rapunzel. But some meals S' family may also be joining us so S made another set for some meals for 16 people. Plus we may have another couple join us who are friends with D and S (we like them, too, but they are very close with D and S-you know what I mean!). If I recall they don't "do" buffets so they wil be with us just sometimes.

But last night S said that she is not sure know if the members of her extended family are coming or just some of them are. I do know we are covered and will cancel any reservations we do not need once we figure out for sure who is going.

 

[sbynon]

Our dinner reservations are quite the show--family members for some, more family members for others, other friends for others. D keeps telling me, "Stop inviting people!" But how can I not? It's Disney and I want to share it with everyone!

 

[cam&phoebsmom]

Our dinner reservations are quite the show--family members for some, more family members for others, other friends for others. D keeps telling me, "Stop inviting people!" But how can I not? It's Disney and I want to share it with everyone!

As long as they do not cause the waitstaff to spit in my food I am good with any size group

 

[cam&phoebsmom]

What is our plan for day one?
*Arrive at Wilderness Lodge and check-in to get our park tix.
* Head to EPCOT and pickup some FP for the headliners
*Help KimPossible save the world
*meet some Princesses

and then get some yummy food in a setting that will bring us back to the place we all met!

BIERGARTEN!!!

^that will be us dancing around to the oompa band!

The fun thing is that D and S, and DH and I all have been to the REAL Oktberfest together in 1998 (I think it was 1998). In 1998 D and my DH were stationed together and DH and I drove down with S from where we were living to meet up with her DH ("D") who was in southern Germany for training (did you follow that?LOL). We got a train headed for Munich and the festivities began.

I am hoping the evening at the Biergarten ends up better than our original Oktoberfest experience which included:

*homemade East German pickles that had "unusual" effects on DH, D and S (I don't eat pickles so I was safe from the pickle effect)
*one of the group (I will refrain from saying who, LOL) eating cheese bread that had fallen in the road
*somebody getting shoved in a phone booth for safe keeping
*another from our group sliding headfirst down a flight of stairs on his way to the bathroom, and getting no help from the rest of us b/c we were laughing so hard

Hmmm that was one of the funnest nights we have had

My family has eaten at the Biergarten twice and we love the atmosphere and dancing. The only thing my son does not like is the chicken dance (he once got in trouble at school for giving the chicken dance a thumbs down).

^The kids getting their groove on at the Biergrten Jan. 2010*

^D and Rapunzel getting down at a mutual friend's b-day party. It has nothing to do with Disney, but I love the picture and D is a great dancer.

Another added bonus of the Biergarten is the beer that is served. Both D an DH are homebrewers and I am sure will enjoy a sampling of some of the Biergarten's drink options (or two).


Illuminations is presented that night so depending on how the kids do we will stay for Illuminations or head back to WL. Most likely our room won't be ready when we check-in so we will have to settle in and get our things put away. We will have to get a good night's sleep b/c the next day is THANKSGIVING!