September 2011 - The Planning Has Started!!!

[KellyWasHere]

I need some insights and discussion on taking breaks mid-day. I have such mixed feelings on it, but I can't really determine much since we don't have actual experience. I've read a lot of comments on it, but I want your guys' opinions too. I feel like we need to let the boys rest because I'm sure WDW is a very overwhelming experience. Then on the other hand I feel like we'll be wasting SO much time. Thoughts? Help me through this decision!

We have never taken breaks, but also we usually go in November or December. The one year we went end of September, beginning of October. It was super hot, we didn't take breaks because we only had the one kid and she was only 1, but we should've. The problem I have with midday breaks is, if you're trying to do RD most days, but you take a midday break than go back to a park until 8-9, well, by the time you got back to the hotel and everyone ready and in bed, it would be close to 10. Getting up at 6 or 6:30 for RD the next day, that would not be enough sleep time for my kids. So I'm thinking of not taking breaks, but rather just doing the parks from RD to 2ish. Then going back to the hotel for swimming, relaxing, dinner at the food court (or maybe even driving to another hotel, ooh, that just came to me and is an interesting idea), then going to bed early to prep for RD the next day.

None of this accounts for parades or fireworks, 2 things we're not big on, or collecting FPs to use later in the day. It's a lot to take into account. I think the best piece of advice you could get would be to just focus on your "Must Dos", and not worry about getting everything done. You are there for a long trip, and it definitely sounds like you will be going back. I wish someone would've forced me to take that advice on all the past trips I've had with the girls. They were all fun but really should've been more laid back. I'm going to FORCE us to chill on this trip.

 

[KellyWasHere]

**Update on Baby Watch** there isn't one! She must be clinging to her umbilical cord like Tarzan. I thought my water may have been leaking last night but I realized I had sneezed without taking a trip to the restroom in the last 20 minutes

Oh the joys of late pregnancy!

Well, I bought this deal for 1/2 off an 8x8 photobook on snapfish ... it expires in 13 days so I'm hurriedly trying to put together an autograph book for my oldest DD. I decided to put a background of the character, hit the contrast up on it so they can sign it, and put pictures of my DD with that character on past trips on it. It's turning out cute but is alot of work! I hope I can get it done before the deadline.

Also, my one good friend from when we were kids is going to WDW in about a month. It's her kids' first time. It's driving me crazy because I know she's not a planner at all. I can just see her coming back and complaining about how awful it was with the crowds and they couldn't find anywhere to eat, etc, etc. I guess they just decided they were going a month ago. I offered to help with anything if she needed it, and told her that Star Wars weekends were coming up in May (her whole family are big fans) if she could change her dates. She said "Why didn't you tell us that 2 weeks ago?" LOL. Oh well, it's not my responsibility to make sure she has a good time, and I don't want to push my crazy planning tendencies on anyone else.

 

[lemonsours]

Hey All, I am moving over from the "other" thread as well. You guys look to be having more fun. We will be going in Sept as well. Our excuse is our 25th Wedding Anniversary. With the Pin code we moved to the Wilderness Lodge Honeymoon Suite. Yeah

Congratulations!! That is going to be so awesome for the 2 of you. My Husband and I will be 10 years in November--we are "celebrating" while at Disney too. (We also will be celebrating DD turning 7 on the trip and DS turning 3 in November.)

Marce

 

[L-Harper]

We're watching the Disney Planning DVD right now! It's awesome to see how excited my boys get just by watching the DVD.

 

[peachydreamyxx]

I need some insights and discussion on taking breaks mid-day. I have such mixed feelings on it, but I can't really determine much since we don't have actual experience. I've read a lot of comments on it, but I want your guys' opinions too. I feel like we need to let the boys rest because I'm sure WDW is a very overwhelming experience. Then on the other hand I feel like we'll be wasting SO much time. Thoughts? Help me through this decision!

I went with my son this past September two weeks after his first birthday. I planned on going back to the resort midday for him to nap and then return to the parks. After we attempted that the first day, it failed. He wouldnt fall asleep in the room, it was new, exciting and it didnt get 'dark enough' for him. We wasted a ridiculous amount of time our first day finding this out. Needless to say, our whole plan went out the window. Instead we went to the parks when he woke up in the morning. We never woke him up to make RD (only one morning when we had an ADR but that was the 2nd day of our trip). We let him sleep till he was ready, usually we were at the parks around 9:30-10 because we always sat down and ate a good breakfast so he would be full. He would fall asleep in his stroller around 11 usually and sleep for awhile. DH and I would walk around the shops, or childswap for the rides. When it would get really hot, we just went back to the room to swim / shower and then headed back for the evening. DS would take a later nap in the afternoon too because WDW can wear a young child out, but by doing this he also stayed up later at nights. We did MNSSHP and he made it till 11:30 (because we were exhausted! ) He actually never got cranky, or irritable and we luckily didnt have any melt downs. Your best bet would to test out a bunch of things and see what your guys work best with. Be flexible and go with the flow. This trip was def. different then my past trips making RD every day and hitting all the rides, but it was much more enjoyable.

 

[MissLiz]

I had to compromise with DS on a Poly/GF split! He's infatuated with 'Ohana. He is SO my kid....choosing resorts based on dining options. I've taught him well! I just can't decide on how to do the split. Should we do 4 nights Poly and 5 GF or 5 at Poly and 4 at GF? Both rooms are CL so that doesn't make much difference.

In that situation, I think I would choose 5 nights at Poly and 4 at GF. We've stayed at Poly and really liked it, but I've never stayed at GF. I would like to stay there, but I don't know how long I'd want to stay there.

Are you doing main building or Sugar Loaf CL?

 

[Millermom0606]

OK everyone I need help!!!!!

We only have four days in the parks, and REALLY want to do Epcot two days, and the Disney JR EMH party....so here's what I'm thinking

Day one SEPT 7: AK am; DHS or Epcot pm
Day two SEPT 8: MK MSEP, Wishes AND EMH this day (may be crowded but no choice that I can see)
Day three SEPT 9: Epcot
Day four SEPT 10: Epcot; or DHS OR both..... (this is the ONLY day DHS has evening EMH to get the Dis JR Dance Party in)

Someone PLEASE help me ixiedust:

I really am SO glad to see all the new people!!!

O and one more personal request, if you are of the 'higher power' believing camp, PLEASE pray for my kitty, he is sick and I'm a mess b/c of it THANK YOU )

 

[L-Harper]

OK everyone I need help!!!!!

We only have four days in the parks, and REALLY want to do Epcot two days, and the Disney JR EMH party....so here's what I'm thinking

Day one SEPT 7: AK am; DHS or Epcot pm
Day two SEPT 8: MK MSEP, Wishes AND EMH this day (may be crowded but no choice that I can see)
Day three SEPT 9: Epcot
Day four SEPT 10: Epcot; or DHS OR both..... (this is the ONLY day DHS has evening EMH to get the Dis JR Dance Party in)

Someone PLEASE help me ixiedust:

I really am SO glad to see all the new people!!!

O and one more personal request, if you are of the 'higher power' believing camp, PLEASE pray for my kitty, he is sick and I'm a mess b/c of it THANK YOU )

First, I'm very sorry to hear about your kitty. I will say a quick prayer for him.

Second.... what is the Disney Junior EMH?!?! I haven't heard of or about this!

 

[MissLiz]

OK everyone I need help!!!!!

We only have four days in the parks, and REALLY want to do Epcot two days, and the Disney JR EMH party....so here's what I'm thinking

Day one SEPT 7: AK am; DHS or Epcot pm
Day two SEPT 8: MK MSEP, Wishes AND EMH this day (may be crowded but no choice that I can see)
Day three SEPT 9: Epcot
Day four SEPT 10: Epcot; or DHS OR both..... (this is the ONLY day DHS has evening EMH to get the Dis JR Dance Party in)

Someone PLEASE help me ixiedust:

I really am SO glad to see all the new people!!!

O and one more personal request, if you are of the 'higher power' believing camp, PLEASE pray for my kitty, he is sick and I'm a mess b/c of it THANK YOU )

If you really want to do the Disney JR Dance Party, then I would just do the DHS EMH and spend the day at Epcot. We really don't enjoy DHS, so that's just my opinion.

Poor kitty! He's in my prayers! Do you know what's wrong with him?


Hugs to you, too!

 

[ThereYouSeeHer]

OK everyone I need help!!!!!

We only have four days in the parks, and REALLY want to do Epcot two days, and the Disney JR EMH party....so here's what I'm thinking

Day one SEPT 7: AK am; DHS or Epcot pm
Day two SEPT 8: MK MSEP, Wishes AND EMH this day (may be crowded but no choice that I can see)
Day three SEPT 9: Epcot
Day four SEPT 10: Epcot; or DHS OR both..... (this is the ONLY day DHS has evening EMH to get the Dis JR Dance Party in)

Someone PLEASE help me ixiedust:

I really am SO glad to see all the new people!!!

O and one more personal request, if you are of the 'higher power' believing camp, PLEASE pray for my kitty, he is sick and I'm a mess b/c of it THANK YOU )

For your schedule, it looks fine to me. However, I only see morning EMH at DHS on the 10th. I don't see any evening DHS EMH during those 4 days? I would personally probably choose the following:

Sept 7th: AK (AM), Epcot (PM)
Sept 8th: MK (AM), MK (PM)
Sept 9th: Epcot (AM), Epcot (PM)
Sept 10th: DHS (AM), DHS (PM)

P.S. I am thankful for your DH's service and will pray for your kitty!

 

[focusondisney]

How exciting does your trip sound?! Welcome to our group! I have you added to the first post!

Thanks! Our magical vacation is courtesy of my 40% off PIN code! Now if I could just decide on ADRs.

We started going to WDW after our kids were school aged, so I don't know how toddlers are in the Sept. heat. DH & I head out for rope drop, have lunch around 12, then return to the hotel for swimming or rest (we're getting old!). We're not big on fireworks or the night parades, so we have a nice sitdown dinner. We might stroll for awhile after dinner or just relax at the hotel. I think staying flexible & adjusting to keep your kids happy is good advice. Happy planning!!

 

[lemonsours]

I need some insights and discussion on taking breaks mid-day. I have such mixed feelings on it, but I can't really determine much since we don't have actual experience. I've read a lot of comments on it, but I want your guys' opinions too. I feel like we need to let the boys rest because I'm sure WDW is a very overwhelming experience. Then on the other hand I feel like we'll be wasting SO much time. Thoughts? Help me through this decision!

Will you have a double stroller? DD slept in the stroller mid-day.

**Update on Baby Watch** there isn't one! She must be clinging to her umbilical cord like Tarzan. I thought my water may have been leaking last night but I realized I had sneezed without taking a trip to the restroom in the last 20 minutes

Too funny. With my DS it was the opposite--I woke up wet and assumed I drank too much before bed, but when I stood up I realized it was way too much!

We have never taken breaks, but also we usually go in November or December. The one year we went end of September, beginning of October. It was super hot, we didn't take breaks because we only had the one kid and she was only 1, but we should've. The problem I have with midday breaks is, if you're trying to do RD most days, but you take a midday break than go back to a park until 8-9, well, by the time you got back to the hotel and everyone ready and in bed, it would be close to 10. Getting up at 6 or 6:30 for RD the next day, that would not be enough sleep time for my kids. So I'm thinking of not taking breaks, but rather just doing the parks from RD to 2ish. Then going back to the hotel for swimming, relaxing, dinner at the food court (or maybe even driving to another hotel, ooh, that just came to me and is an interesting idea), then going to bed early to prep for RD the next day.

This is what our experience was as well. We opted to stay in the park and let DD sleep in the stroller, then leave after a late lunch/early dinner to enjoy resort time and early to bed.

What you could do is plan your days with the break in them, and then if they don't work for you, just do the am or pm portion of the day based on your ADRs or parade/fireworks plans. In the end, only your own family's experience will be able to decide for you.

Marce

 

[Millermom0606]

I'll have to figure out how to post pics, its AWESOME!! (the party LOL)
Its where Disney JR (was Playhouse Disney) is held during the day, but during EMH its a DANCE PARTY for your kids, the bubble machines are going nonstop and they play fun music for the kids and all the characters come out and dance and play with the kids and they give out balloon animals!! it WAS A BLAST and probably the highlight of the trip for the kiddos LOL they got a LOT of one on one time with Minnie and Goofy and Mickey and SO many others.....

Thank you for thinking of my Kitty His name is Tee Jay and he is 13 yrs old, he got out the other night and apparently got bit by something and now he has a patch of skin that got infected and its not pretty..... BUT $500 out of the Disney account later and he 'should' be ok.... i hate that they can't give me any more hope than that. but he's eating and drinking and doing all the important 'kitty' things LOL so here's hoping

 

[Millermom0606]

For your schedule, it looks fine to me. However, I only see morning EMH at DHS on the 10th. I don't see any evening DHS EMH during those 4 days? I would personally probably choose the following:

Sept 7th: AK (AM), Epcot (PM)
Sept 8th: MK (AM), MK (PM)
Sept 9th: Epcot (AM), Epcot (PM)
Sept 10th: DHS (AM), DHS (PM)

P.S. I am thankful for your DH's service and will pray for your kitty!

DANGFLABBIT!!!! You are right!!!! GOSH DARN IT!!!!

 

[ShhhQ]

jbmom - I was wondering if you remembered me... you, me and another diser (faindrops) started a dismeet back in 2007.... however, your schedule didn't mesh up and we never got to actually meet.

 

[ThereYouSeeHer]

DANGFLABBIT!!!! You are right!!!! GOSH DARN IT!!!!

Have you ever done Mickey's Backyard BBQ Dinner Show? I know it's not free, but it would give a similar experience. Characters also dance with the kids a little at character dining. I know it's not the same though...bummer!

 

[sjs314]

Jo and Shelly don't yell at me but DH finally came around to my way of thinking about the heat in September and suggested we look at October dates again today , we did and we changed our reservation.

We did luck out though since the pin# DH got via snail mail and said it was only good for Dec 1-Dec 22, when I called and gave it to the CM I spoke with "Art" who was so fantastic told me it was good from Oct 18 to the end of the year so we were able to use it to re-book

Back to the drawing board for me now and waiting for Park Hours but I know we will have a better time if we do not have to deal with the heat and humidity as much. Plus we mainly want to go for F&W and late October will so much better than fighting the crowds opening weekend of the F&W.

Anyway L. Harper you can take me off the "Who's Going When List" I love this group and will check in from time to time to see how everyone is doing and I have to stick around to see if disneydreamin247's baby appears on March 4th

 

[thossink]

I need some insights and discussion on taking breaks mid-day. I have such mixed feelings on it, but I can't really determine much since we don't have actual experience. I've read a lot of comments on it, but I want your guys' opinions too. I feel like we need to let the boys rest because I'm sure WDW is a very overwhelming experience. Then on the other hand I feel like we'll be wasting SO much time. Thoughts? Help me through this decision!

When our kids were younger we always headed back for the pool. 1)We needed the downtime. 2) the kids needed to cool off. 3) The kids needed a break from the over load. 4) The kids loved the food at the resort. 5) did I mention we needed the down time.

 

[L-Harper]

Jo and Shelly don't yell at me but DH finally came around to my way of thinking about the heat in September and suggested we look at October dates again today , we did and we changed our reservation.

We did luck out though since the pin# DH got via snail mail and said it was only good for Dec 1-Dec 22, when I called and gave it to the CM I spoke with "Art" who was so fantastic told me it was good from Oct 18 to the end of the year so we were able to use it to re-book

Back to the drawing board for me now and waiting for Park Hours but I know we will have a better time if we do not have to deal with the heat and humidity as much. Plus we mainly want to go for F&W and late October will so much better than fighting the crowds opening weekend of the F&W.

Anyway L. Harper you can take me off the "Who's Going When List" I love this group and will check in from time to time to see how everyone is doing and I have to stick around to see if disneydreamin247's baby appears on March 4th

Just because you aren't going in September doesn't mean we're going to kick you out of our group. You can most certainly stick around!

 

[BelleBete]

I need some insights and discussion on taking breaks mid-day. I have such mixed feelings on it, but I can't really determine much since we don't have actual experience. I've read a lot of comments on it, but I want your guys' opinions too. I feel like we need to let the boys rest because I'm sure WDW is a very overwhelming experience. Then on the other hand I feel like we'll be wasting SO much time. Thoughts? Help me through this decision!

This is my first trip, and I don't have kids so I probably won't be much help buuuut I'm definitely planning on mid-day breaks. I want to be at the parks at rope drop most days and I don't think I'll have the energy to make it through the whole day without resting a little. The way I see it I'll be avoiding the afternoon crowds at the parks and enjoying the slightly less crowded pools.