Rope Drop is Tip #1!! A June 2016 TR...updated 10/31 pg 19 post 373 THE END!

[ArielSRL]

Great start! My kids always seem to wake up refresh and ready to go at the exact wrong time too! Good for you for being able to roll with it...and all the other stuff that got thrown at you. Looking forward to your next update!

Thanks for joining in. I've resized all my photos for day 1 and downloaded the photopass ones I want to include in the report, so I'm all ready to go. Will try to post a new one tonight!

 

[kastoney]

Hi Renee, I'm here and all subbed up. Can't wait to read more!

 

[ArielSRL]

Hi Renee, I'm here and all subbed up. Can't wait to read more!

Thanks so much for joining in! I'm working on an update right now...

 

[ArielSRL]

Before I get started with the update, I wanted to post some pre-trip 2017 stuff. I guess I could start a PTR but it seems so early and I want to wait til I get this TR finished first. So I figured I'd just post it here.

I decided on our dates: Saturday 6/3 as our arrival date - hopefully mid afternoon; Sunday 6/4 as our first park day; Saturday 6/10 as our last park day; and Sunday 6/11 as departure day.

If I haven't already mentioned it, we are renting points from my co-worker. Our options for resort are SSR, OKW, AKV, BWV, BCV, and VWL (or Boulder Creek Villas I think it is called now). I was convinced I wanted to try BWV, but I've heard some not-so-great reviews lately, so then I started thinking BCV. I mean who doesn't want to swim at Stormalong Bay?? And we had a Cape May ressie this trip so I knew I could check it out. But then I read a few Wilderness Lodge TRs and I started remembering how I had always wanted to stay there. The only reason we didn't this past trip is the construction, really. Well, by June 2017, most, if not all, of that should be finished. And, with spending 3 days at MK, the most difficult and time-consuming park to get to when driving - which we usually do - being as close as WL and only a boat ride away, is very appealing to me. Therefore, I have made my resort decision! WL is the clear winner!

Of course, my coworker will have to wait until 7 months out to put that request in because her home resort is SSR, so it's obviously not guaranteed. In about a week or so, she can make the SSR ressie though! Which is quite exciting!

I've also started looking at dining, but it's so early for that, I'll save that for the actual PTR.

Thanks for indulging me! On to this trip's TR...

Day One 6/4/2016 ~ Arrival

When I last left you, we had just taken off from Lake City, FL and were headed to Disney. I got a text around maybe 10:30 or 11 saying the room wasn’t ready. I was surprised about the text because I hadn’t heard of them sending one saying the room wasn’t ready but then I remembered that I had put 10:30 as our arrival time, so I guess that's why they sent it. I had been 99% sure we wouldn’t arrive by then when I entered that time on online check in, but I preferred putting too early than too late.

It was only supposed to take us about 2.5 hours but it ended up taking longer. I didn’t write it down but we probably had to make a stop or two for the 4 year old to use the facilities somewhere. Once we were close, around 12ish or so, I got another text. Ah, this is the one I was waiting for. I had really been hoping our room would be ready and it was!! We were in room 3425. Not my first or even second choice but it did fit my requests of upper floor, near the elevators, and in The Springs section.

Pretty soon after that, we pulled into Disney and if you can believe it I don’t have a photo! I was, again, in the third row so I didn’t have a good shot. I told my mom to take one and I think she did but guess what…I never got it from her. Oops. However, I did get this one:



Around 1pm, we were pulling up to building 5 and heading up to our room. That’s right, we bypassed check in and just went straight to the room. I think I like me some online check in! I took a video of the room, but it’s not the best quality so I won’t subject you all. It was a 1 bedroom villa with a sitting area with pull out couch, full kitchen, 2 “bathroom” areas but only one toilet, a bedroom, washer/dryer….very roomy. It totally served our purposes.

We had requested a crib but it wasn’t guaranteed and it wasn’t there and I never even asked about it, so we just set Will up in the pack-n-play that was already in the room.

We got most of our luggage up to the room but then we had several boxes and no easy way to transport them. So we found someone from mousekeeping and we got some handtrucks and got the boxes moved up as well.

By this time, it was getting later than I had planned for, maybe around 3. I had hoped to be at MK by then but that wasn't happening. We needed to eat something and get the stroller from guest services, along with a delivery from Amazon Prime and Garden Grocer. Yes, we went way overboard on the groceries and next summer I definitely plan to scale it back a lot! So we piled in the car and headed to the Carriage House. We had already decided to grab lunch at Artist Palette, the quick service at SSR. We were on the dining plan for this trip.

We all took turns grabbing items. Mom and I went first and while Dad was waiting with the boys, a cast member brought an easel over to the boys with papers and crayons. Wow! I wish I had been there to thank him. How nice! It’s the little touches that set Disney apart, ya know?

We got our refillable mugs so we were able to trade our drinks for another side/snack item each.

Our food:

I got the Caprese Flatbread: Olive Oil, Roasted Garlic, Plum Tomatoes, Buffalo Mozzarella, Fresh Basil, and Reduced Balsamic Vinegar, along with a chocolate milk for Will and a cupcake for me. The flatbread was decent and the cupcake was fine, though nothing to write home about.

Two of the other sides we got were another chocolate milk for the boys to share in the AM - though I think AJ ended up drinking some of it for this meal instead of his Fanta Orange - and strawberries for Will. Strawberries and blueberries are his favorite foods!

Mom got the Saratoga Salad with Chicken: Field Greens, Dried Cranberries, Dried Blueberries, Apples, Honey-Roasted Walnuts, Lemon-Poppy Seed Dressing - she subbed for ranch, and Crispy Ciabatta Croutons. She seemed to enjoy it. I don't think she finished it though.


I got the boys the Chicken Breast Nuggets: 8 pieces with House-made Chips, along with a fruit cup for Mom and Worms in Dirt for AJ. The boys barely touched the nuggets or the worms in dirt and Mom didn't eat the fruit so it got boxed up and taken back to the room (and never eaten, btw).

I'm honestly not sure what Dad got as he was on a separate receipt as us. Maybe the Italian Flatbread? In any case, he also got a fruit cup and a side salad. Again, I think he enjoyed it and he ate almost all of it.

Yes, this was an extreme amount of food. And this was par for the course on the dining plan. Therefore, I think I've made the decision to skip it next trip. Honestly, its not even about the money. It makes no difference to me whether I pay less, more, or the same next time. We just don't need all that food at once. I'm a grazer and I'd rather eat a little here and a little there. So we'll see how it works out.

After eating, we grabbed the stroller and the deliveries and quickly headed back to the room to drop the groceries off and get ready to head to Magic Kingdom!

I’ll stop here for now!

Up next: Day One 6/4/2016 ~ Magic Kingdom (part 1)

 

[Princess Leia]

Therefore, I have made my resort decision! WL is the clear winner!

What a great choice! We stayed at WL in 2013 and absolutely loved it. It is a fabulous location. I loved that boat ride over to MK in the morning. Everything is so compact compared to a lot of other resorts.

Great start to your TR! Timings do have to be a bit flexible particularly with little ones in tow or perhaps that should be parents!

 

[ArielSRL]

What a great choice! We stayed at WL in 2013 and absolutely loved it. It is a fabulous location. I loved that boat ride over to MK in the morning. Everything is so compact compared to a lot of other resorts.

Thank you! I'm excited about it! I think I sort of forgot about it when I was first considering. So glad I remembered! Can't wait for the boat ride over!

Great start to your TR! Timings do have to be a bit flexible particularly with little ones in tow or perhaps that should be parents!

No doubt. I mean, kids definitely can take a lot of time and getting anywhere in Disney seemed to take forever, too. But my Dad pretty much has the record for "taking the most amount of time to do anything" or something like that...lol.

 

[ariane37]

WL-so exciting! I totally want to stay there but Steve isn't feeling it He's been there before but it's been a few years so I'm kind of hoping our visit to WCC in Nov. changes his mind a bit.
I don't blame you for thinking about skipping the DDP next year, we gave it up a couple years back. Regardless of the "does it save money" debate we just rather eat the way we want which isn't always necessarily the dining plan way. Plus when we have AP's the TiW card works out to a better deal, so......
Also, time goes ALOT faster when at Disney

 

[Jfsag123]

WL has been on my list too! I've been trying to convince the rest of the family with limited success so far. I'm going to keep working on it though! It's so great that you've already got your dates for next year! Before you know it you'll be right back to planning ADR's, wondering what will be open (come on Avatar...) and cursing Disney for their constant schedule changes.

So I have to know...were those chips good? Because they look good. Good job taking pics of the food, btw. I really dropped the ball in that area, as you will see if I ever start my TR.

 

[ArielSRL]

WL-so exciting! I totally want to stay there but Steve isn't feeling it He's been there before but it's been a few years so I'm kind of hoping our visit to WCC in Nov. changes his mind a bit.
I don't blame you for thinking about skipping the DDP next year, we gave it up a couple years back. Regardless of the "does it save money" debate we just rather eat the way we want which isn't always necessarily the dining plan way. Plus when we have AP's the TiW card works out to a better deal, so......
Also, time goes ALOT faster when at Disney

It's funny how WL seems overlooked a lot. Even though it's so close to the MK, it's not on the monorail loop and there are those Boardwalk/Epcot area resorts that are so close to Epcot and DHS and you don't see animals out your window like AKL. I think WL get relegated to just above SSR and OKW, but I'm okay with that!

And exactly what you said about the DDP. I want to eat how I want to eat. I mean, I might want an appetizer and a dessert and nothing else (plenty for me in one sitting), then a snack here and there. Or maybe I want to share my meal with the boys since they ate practically nothing but Cheerios and Goldfish (that I brought) the whole trip!

In any case, I'll just throw what we would normally pay for the DDP + adult beverages on a Disney gift card (from Target...therefore saving 5%) and be done with it!

WL has been on my list too! I've been trying to convince the rest of the family with limited success so far. I'm going to keep working on it though! It's so great that you've already got your dates for next year! Before you know it you'll be right back to planning ADR's, wondering what will be open (come on Avatar...) and cursing Disney for their constant schedule changes.

So I have to know...were those chips good? Because they look good. Good job taking pics of the food, btw. I really dropped the ball in that area, as you will see if I ever start my TR.

See above on the WL thing. See, you aren't alone!

Yes, I basically went straight to planning mode once this years' trip was over. I mean, in the car, on the way home! Lol. That and this TR has kept the post Disney depression away! Of course, I don't really like the countdown (at 339) right now but it is better than no countdown! I have no idea what I'll do next year when we have no return trip planned (for a couple of years at least). I may have to end up talking the hubby into a long weekend trip for 2018 just so I have something on the calendar! Regardless of if we really go, at least I can plan it like we are! Haha.

The chips were good! Basically the kind where you say you are full and are done with your meal, yet you keep eating the chips. Like the tortilla chips at the Mexican restaurant! Lol.

As far as starting your TR, like I said, it does really help with the depression, if you happen to be feeling any. And I'm ready to read it, so hop to it lady!

 

[DVC-Cassie]

Before I get started with the update, I wanted to post some pre-trip 2017 stuff. I guess I could start a PTR but it seems so early and I want to wait til I get this TR finished first. So I figured I'd just post it here.

I decided on our dates: Saturday 6/3 as our arrival date - hopefully mid afternoon; Sunday 6/4 as our first park day; Saturday 6/10 as our last park day; and Sunday 6/11 as departure day.

If I haven't already mentioned it, we are renting points from my co-worker. Our options for resort are SSR, OKW, AKV, BWV, BCV, and VWL (or Boulder Creek Villas I think it is called now). I was convinced I wanted to try BWV, but I've heard some not-so-great reviews lately, so then I started thinking BCV. I mean who doesn't want to swim at Stormalong Bay?? And we had a Cape May ressie this trip so I knew I could check it out. But then I read a few Wilderness Lodge TRs and I started remembering how I had always wanted to stay there. The only reason we didn't this past trip is the construction, really. Well, by June 2017, most, if not all, of that should be finished. And, with spending 3 days at MK, the most difficult and time-consuming park to get to when driving - which we usually do - being as close as WL and only a boat ride away, is very appealing to me. Therefore, I have made my resort decision! WL is the clear winner!

Of course, my coworker will have to wait until 7 months out to put that request in because her home resort is SSR, so it's obviously not guaranteed. In about a week or so, she can make the SSR ressie though! Which is quite exciting!

I've also started looking at dining, but it's so early for that, I'll save that for the actual PTR.

Thanks for indulging me! On to this trip's TR...

Day One 6/4/2016 ~ Arrival

When I last left you, we had just taken off from Lake City, FL and were headed to Disney. I got a text around maybe 10:30 or 11 saying the room wasn’t ready. I was surprised about the text because I hadn’t heard of them sending one saying the room wasn’t ready but then I remembered that I had put 10:30 as our arrival time, so I guess that's why they sent it. I had been 99% sure we wouldn’t arrive by then when I entered that time on online check in, but I preferred putting too early than too late.

It was only supposed to take us about 2.5 hours but it ended up taking longer. I didn’t write it down but we probably had to make a stop or two for the 4 year old to use the facilities somewhere. Once we were close, around 12ish or so, I got another text. Ah, this is the one I was waiting for. I had really been hoping our room would be ready and it was!! We were in room 3425. Not my first or even second choice but it did fit my requests of upper floor, near the elevators, and in The Springs section.

Pretty soon after that, we pulled into Disney and if you can believe it I don’t have a photo! I was, again, in the third row so I didn’t have a good shot. I told my mom to take one and I think she did but guess what…I never got it from her. Oops. However, I did get this one:

View attachment 177673

Around 1pm, we were pulling up to building 5 and heading up to our room. That’s right, we bypassed check in and just went straight to the room. I think I like me some online check in! I took a video of the room, but it’s not the best quality so I won’t subject you all. It was a 1 bedroom villa with a sitting area with pull out couch, full kitchen, 2 “bathroom” areas but only one toilet, a bedroom, washer/dryer….very roomy. It totally served our purposes.

We had requested a crib but it wasn’t guaranteed and it wasn’t there and I never even asked about it, so we just set Will up in the pack-n-play that was already in the room.

We got most of our luggage up to the room but then we had several boxes and no easy way to transport them. So we found someone from mousekeeping and we got some handtrucks and got the boxes moved up as well.

By this time, it was getting later than I had planned for, maybe around 3. I had hoped to be at MK by then but that wasn't happening. We needed to eat something and get the stroller from guest services, along with a delivery from Amazon Prime and Garden Grocer. Yes, we went way overboard on the groceries and next summer I definitely plan to scale it back a lot! So we piled in the car and headed to the Carriage House. We had already decided to grab lunch at Artist Palette, the quick service at SSR. We were on the dining plan for this trip.

We all took turns grabbing items. Mom and I went first and while Dad was waiting with the boys, a cast member brought an easel over to the boys with papers and crayons. Wow! I wish I had been there to thank him. How nice! It’s the little touches that set Disney apart, ya know?

We got our refillable mugs so we were able to trade our drinks for another side/snack item each.

Our food:
View attachment 177675
I got the Caprese Flatbread: Olive Oil, Roasted Garlic, Plum Tomatoes, Buffalo Mozzarella, Fresh Basil, and Reduced Balsamic Vinegar, along with a chocolate milk for Will and a cupcake for me. The flatbread was decent and the cupcake was fine, though nothing to write home about.
View attachment 177674
Two of the other sides we got were another chocolate milk for the boys to share in the AM - though I think AJ ended up drinking some of it for this meal instead of his Fanta Orange - and strawberries for Will. Strawberries and blueberries are his favorite foods!
View attachment 177676
Mom got the Saratoga Salad with Chicken: Field Greens, Dried Cranberries, Dried Blueberries, Apples, Honey-Roasted Walnuts, Lemon-Poppy Seed Dressing - she subbed for ranch, and Crispy Ciabatta Croutons. She seemed to enjoy it. I don't think she finished it though.
View attachment 177677
View attachment 177679
I got the boys the Chicken Breast Nuggets: 8 pieces with House-made Chips, along with a fruit cup for Mom and Worms in Dirt for AJ. The boys barely touched the nuggets or the worms in dirt and Mom didn't eat the fruit so it got boxed up and taken back to the room (and never eaten, btw).
View attachment 177678
I'm honestly not sure what Dad got as he was on a separate receipt as us. Maybe the Italian Flatbread? In any case, he also got a fruit cup and a side salad. Again, I think he enjoyed it and he ate almost all of it.

Yes, this was an extreme amount of food. And this was par for the course on the dining plan. Therefore, I think I've made the decision to skip it next trip. Honestly, its not even about the money. It makes no difference to me whether I pay less, more, or the same next time. We just don't need all that food at once. I'm a grazer and I'd rather eat a little here and a little there. So we'll see how it works out.

After eating, we grabbed the stroller and the deliveries and quickly headed back to the room to drop the groceries off and get ready to head to Magic Kingdom!

I’ll stop here for now!

Up next: Magic Kingdom!

The food look super yummy!

 

[ErinF]

We love, love, love WL!!! We stayed there twice, spring break 2009 and summer 2012. We outgrew their regular rooms since we are a family of 5. I'd love to stay there again some day, maybe if my mother-in-law comes with us and I can put my daughter in her room. The boat ride to MK is very nice, plus there's the boat to the Contemporary and Fort Wilderness, too. It is nice being so compact, one of the reasons we love the Contemporary so much also.

Great start to your TR! I could never ever get food pictures, my family is way too voracious and dives in as soon as food is in front of them, ha!!

 

[ArielSRL]

The food look super yummy!

Thank you! And thanks for joining in!

We love, love, love WL!!! We stayed there twice, spring break 2009 and summer 2012. We outgrew their regular rooms since we are a family of 5. I'd love to stay there again some day, maybe if my mother-in-law comes with us and I can put my daughter in her room. The boat ride to MK is very nice, plus there's the boat to the Contemporary and Fort Wilderness, too. It is nice being so compact, one of the reasons we love the Contemporary so much also.

Great start to your TR! I could never ever get food pictures, my family is way too voracious and dives in as soon as food is in front of them, ha!!

So glad to hear your opinion of WL! I'm incredibly excited about it so I hope it comes through. I think my boys will love it too! I know the dvc studios now sleep 5. Have you ever rented points? Where do you guys usually stay with 5? I'm really looking forward to riding the boat!

As far as the food photos, I forgot a few times. It was usually my parents reminding me after we had all had a few bites!

 

[ErinF]

We've never gone the DVC route, maybe we should give it a try. I get nervous about renting points in case there's some kind of emergency and we couldn't go on the trip. With 5 we've now stayed at the Contemporary, CBR, and POR.

 

[ArielSRL]

We've never gone the DVC route, maybe we should give it a try. I get nervous about renting points in case there's some kind of emergency and we couldn't go on the trip. With 5 we've now stayed at the Contemporary, CBR, and POR.

I haven't done it before though I hear there are some rental companies where you can get trip insurance and get refunded if you need to cancel. I'm renting from a friend so I'm not paying until spring. But we have stayed at DVC resorts the last couple trips however, we just paid cash. So there's that option. There was a 30% offer this year for our dates.

 

[hokieinpa]

I'm here! Glad travel went somewhat smoothly. I'm sorry your dad drags his feet - I know that must be so frustrating!

I'm excited to hear more about Saratoga Springs! It looks beautiful and the pool areas all look like lots of fun. And exciting that you decided on WL for your next trip!

I agree 100% about the dining plan. We never get it (I have a TIW card now though) and end up spending less paying out of pocket. My mom and I or the boys almost always share a meal or get a side instead of a full meal.

 

[ArielSRL]

Day One 6/4/2016 ~ Magic Kingdom (part 1)

Ok, so last I left you we were ready to head to the Magic Kingdom. We piled into the car again - yes, a recurring theme - this time with the double stroller and all our park gear! We had to park - fortunately my dad has a handicap placard for his diabetes so we got to park up close - walk up to the TTC, grab the monorail (I know for a fact I teared up on here with anticipation), get through bag check (I think Mom was randomly selected for additional screening), and then through the turnstiles. Finally...WE ARE AT MAGIC KINGDOM!!!! Yay!


So it was after 5pm at this point and we were way off schedule. I remember that I had modified our 2:15 FP for Under the Sea to a later one for Pooh, 5:20 I believe. But we totally missed our PP FP for 3:15-4:15 and our 7DMT one for 4:15-5:15. I think I modified one to Under the Sea at 6:20 and maybe the other to Dumbo at 7:20. So we got onto Main Street and I got my first photo of this beauty:

I thought for sure I would cry at the sight but honestly, we were rushing a tad bit and it was hot and I was a little frustrated already...so no crying! In any case, we made our way toward the castle and stopped for a few more Photopass photos:


Now you'll notice that my wonderful son is making lovely faces in these photos. Unfortunately we don't discover it until a few days later! Smh.

So we make our way through the castle and head for our very first ride of the trip...Winnie the Pooh! Here are the boys, standing in the FP line:

Can you tell by their faces that they were HOT? OMG...I don't want to complain too much about it because it would be very easy to, but it was hot. Our last trip was the end of July and it seemed just as hot as it had been then.

Ok, so great first ride! AJ loved it (and asked to ride it a million more times). Will, however, did not. But I just chalked it up to first ride jitters. Except he reacted the exact same way the other two times we rode it. Oops. Oh but I'm getting ahead of myself.

After this, Dad, AJ, and I decided to run over to 7DMT as it was right across the way, and use our special anytime FPs for it. Good plan and it was a great ride! Or at least I thought so. Dad thought it was fine but nothing special and I'll let you figure out what AJ thought by looking at these photos:


Excuse my lovely self in the second photo. I was totally into the ride and was "Whoo-hoo"-ing at that moment. LOL.

In any case, you can see that AJ was terrified! Oh well. I guess I should've known as he is NOT my most adventurous son. He proclaimed "no more" and therein changed quite a bit of my plans to introduce him to all my thrilling favorites. Maybe next trip. Or else, I'll just have to wait til Will is tall enough. Because you see, he's the crazy (in a good way) one!

Oh and here's the video from the ride:

After riding so many rides and doing so many things...smh...guess who needed the bathroom? A certain 4 year old. So we traipsed over to the closest ones by Gaston's. Of course, even the bathroom trips took forever because we had to all take turns, just like when we ordered at QS places. I'm not going to complain too much because this gave me the perfect opportunity to try something I had on my list:

LaFou's Brew! Yummy! I liked it quite a bit. Nope, was not too sweet for me.

I also grabbed some ice waters for the others and Dad and AJ ended up getting Mickey bars. We took a little rest, again, from all the stuff we had accomplished. Sorry for the overuse of that emoji but it truly does fit my attitude at this point!

Here's a couple of resting photos:


Continued in next post...

 

[ArielSRL]

*Continued* Day One 6/4/2016 ~ Magic Kingdom (part 1)



After all this resting, finally, it was time to go! So off we went to Under the Sea. The ride was cute though I don't remember a lot of details. I'm going to be honest here, I was just feeling very frustrated at this point. So much so that it was causing some anxiety and I'm fairly certain I was on my phone, trying to save my touring plan for the day. FYI: I eventually gave up! I truly wish I had paid more attention. I love The Little Mermaid, I love Ariel, and I missed a lot of the ride. But this kind of stuff also plays into my "get to Disney a day early" plan for next year. It's a lot to try to drive, arrive, get into the room, eat, get luggage in, and get to a park all in the same day. Too much for me anyway.

Regardless, I still had fun and I loved that the boys enjoyed themselves. AJ really liked this ride, though not as much as Pooh!

After spending some time with Ariel, we decided to head towards Dumbo. I took these on the way:



As we passed Mad Tea Party, I saw it was a 10 minute wait and I asked AJ if he wanted to ride with Dad. He said, "maybe tomorrow." Hmmmm....okay. So onto Dumbo with our FPs. Mom sat this one out. I rode with Will, Dad with AJ:


After this, I asked AJ about Barnstormer but it was most definitely a no. He said, "maybe another day" but not too convincingly. He did, however, see The Tomorrowland Speedway and he most definitely wanted to ride it. We all jumped in the standby line. I don't think the wait was that long but it was probably around 20 minutes. I took this while we were waiting:


We didn't really wait in any incredibly long lines on this trip, maybe 30 at most, but even 15 - 20 minutes was long with a 2 year old. He is too heavy to carry the whole time but he likes to wonder off if you aren't holding onto him. He also likes to go 'boneless' when you are holding his hand. If you aren't sure what that is then you have obviously never read Knufflebunny. LOL.

OK, so AJ really liked this ride. I can't remember who rode with who, except I'm fairly certain Mom was by herself. I think Will was with me and AJ with Dad, but that could easily be wrong.

At this point it was way past dinner time, so we decided to eat. But, I'll stop here for now. I had planned to finish up the day but there's still a bit more to write and either my computer or my internet is being slow. Hopefully I can do the last bit tomorrow night.

Thanks for reading!

Next up: Day One 6/4/2016 ~ Magic Kingdom (part 2)

 

[ArielSRL]

I'm here! Glad travel went somewhat smoothly. I'm sorry your dad drags his feet - I know that must be so frustrating!

Thank you for joining! And thanks for the sympathy. It was VERY frustrating but I eventually had to accept it so it wouldn't ruin my vacation!

I'm excited to hear more about Saratoga Springs! It looks beautiful and the pool areas all look like lots of fun. And exciting that you decided on WL for your next trip!

It is beautiful, quiet, peaceful. Very nice mousekeeping staff that took care of us. Rooms were great. Kiddie splash area at Paddock pool was wonderful. My only complaint is that there really isn't much Disney theming. We went to AoA last thing before we left Disney and the theming there is very much Disney. My boys would've loved it. My parents, not so much. Me, the deluxe/DVC was nice but I would've been okay with whatever. It was nice to be able to go to sleep and come back to breaks with no noises around, though. I'd definitely recommend it but it really just depends on what someone is looking for.

I agree 100% about the dining plan. We never get it (I have a TIW card now though) and end up spending less paying out of pocket. My mom and I or the boys almost always share a meal or get a side instead of a full meal.

I thought I would end up preferring it mostly because of prepaying and not having to worry about costs and such but honestly I can probably save money by not getting it because I would never order that much food. But again, even if we don't save by not getting it, I'm okay because I just prefer to order what I want and not have to "follow the plan".

 

[Aspenmarie82]

Travel Day 6/3/2016 ~ Lake City, FL

Well, I’ve been home a couple of days so I figured I had better get this TR started before I forget everything! This post won’t be too terribly exciting but it is the start of the trip, so, therefore necessary.

Well, we had planned to leave home around 4:30, stop in Perry, GA around 7pm for dinner, get the boys set up in PJs, head back on the road around 8pm and make it to Lake City, FL by 10:30/11pm.

The actual isn’t that far off, but we were a little behind. My parents were supposed to come over at 3 to pack up the car, but they didn’t show until 4. We left at 5:30pm, with Dad driving, and me in the third row so that I could help the boys if they needed anything…which, if you have ever driven with children, you know that they did! All kinds of things…snacks, coloring books, a different movie…you name it, they wanted it…lol. We ended up deciding to stop at a Waffle House for dinner around 7:30 but it was a little bit before Perry. We probably didn’t stop for an hour though, so we managed to make up some time that way.

I drove the rest of the way that night and if I had it my way, I’d do the drive at night every time...hardly anyone on the road and the boys asleep! Unfortunately, I don’t think my plans for next year will allow for it, as I’ve decided to add a night at our WDW resort onto the beginning of the trip and I want to arrive in the afternoon so we can get settled in, relax a bit, maybe swim, possibly hit Disney Springs, then early to bed, before doing rope drop at MK the first day...but that’s a story for another report…lol.

We arrived at Lake City around 11:30, so not too far off from the plan. It took Mom and Dad quite a bit of time to check in – around 15 minutes, maybe – because the place was jam packed!! I guess everyone had the same idea as us!

Oh and guess what happened while they were checking in. The boys woke up…nice and refreshed from their nap! It took us a good 30 minutes to get everything into the hotel room, and I’m not really sure why because I had packed a separate suitcase for that night. I guess we needed to bring in the cooler and put all that stuff in the fridge and with kids, you just always have a bunch of junk! Oh and those kids…they were raring to go at midnight!

Eventually we all got settled, except the boys. Regardless, we turned out the light and coaxed them to sleep around 1am, I think. Ugh. Oh, and I had to sleep with both of them and I found out that Will, my two year old, is a BED HOG! He was all over me all night long. Needless to say, it was a horrible night’s sleep for me, but I figured adrenaline and caffeine would get me through the next day! But this just reminds me why I am changing my travel/arrival plans for next summer.

We did get up semi early the next day. I think I set my alarm for 7am. Finally, my phone countdown showed this:
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So exciting!!

I got myself ready and then around 7:30, the boys. Of course, Dad was dragging butt (I wanted to use another word here but am not sure that it’s Disboard friendly…lol), which is par for the course every day and definitely for this trip. Around 8am, I took Will out so we could get some of the free breakfast. I thought my parents were right behind me with AJ, but it took them another 10 minutes or so before they came out. Yes, I was already waiting on them...*foreshadowing*

Photos at breakfast (you'll notice a pattern, but I wasn't that great of a trip reporter with food photos...oops):
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We didn’t take too long to eat and then we packed up the car:
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and we were on our way to Disney, around 9:30!
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Now that most of the travel details are out of the way, I think I will stop for tonight. Thanks for reading!!

Next up: Day One 6/4/2016 ~ Arrival

In your last pic, what is that brown board going across your kid's lap? Is it just a cardboard box? My family and I are traveling to Disney in July and this looks like a good idea for my niece and nephew. I'm assuming it's a hard surface for them to color on and whatnot. Did it work well for y'all? Thanks for the trip report! I love reading these types of things.

 

[ArielSRL]

In your last pic, what is that brown board going across your kid's lap? Is it just a cardboard box? My family and I are traveling to Disney in July and this looks like a good idea for my niece and nephew. I'm assuming it's a hard surface for them to color on and whatnot. Did it work well for y'all? Thanks for the trip report! I love reading these types of things.

Hello! Thanks for joining! Yes, it was a cardboard box. I broke it down but then used packing tape to make it sturdy enough for them to color on. I had seen ones on Amazon that sell between $15 and $20 bucks but I needed two and I read the reviews that said they were basically cardboard, so I made my own. I think they worked fairly well but they were slightly too big. I wanted them to go across the card seat arms but by doing that, they just took up lots of space. Not sure if it would've worked to make them smaller or not.