Sidetracked from planning to make DD's birthday invitation. What do you think?

[ineedmyblankie]

I did start a thread about double vs. 2 singles:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2118171

 

[ineedmyblankie]

After starting yet another double vs. 2 singles stroller thread (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2118399), someone replied to the first and reminded me why we really wanted to have two.

We did 2 singles when our kids were 4 and 2. It was nice cause dh could go back with Alex if needed or if my parents werent riding something they would take Alex with them and we could take bradyn with us.

My reply:
"You know, the past two days that I have been second guessing our decision, I totallly forgot one of our key reasons for wanting two! We had actually thought a while back that it would be easier for one of us to take the 13 month old back to the room for a nap, if he is melting down. That way, the other could stay at the park with DD, if she wanted to. Whoever left w/ DS would want a stroller instead of having to carry him the whole way. Yet, whoever stayed w/ DD would want one, in case she got tired. THANK YOU for reminding me!"

OK, I think we're sticking with two now. It seems like a lot of people have also done the 2 singles and said that it worked out just fine for them. If Evelyn's not in her stroller, we can still use it for storage.

 

[ineedmyblankie]

I know that I still have to discuss our car rental decision, but this whole stroller thing has worn me out. I think I need to go watch one of my many tivo'd shows now.

Grumpy - Talk to me about what ADR you set up. Considering that my DD loves your DS, I'm thinking that she may be interested in the same things. Of course, we both know that she has a fear for big headed characters. You know, some of those characters at Hershey Park are freaky. BTW - what happened to Dopey? Are you keeping her in a closet?

 

[ineedmyblankie]

The past few days I have been trying to do some planning. I have taken a book out of the library and got one from a friend. I have also been in hunt of a PhotoPass share group. They sounded great and inexpensive. So I thought it would be worth it. Unfortunately, I couldn't find an open one. However, I found 3 other people looking for one too. Well, we ended up starting our own and now have 10 people. YAY! I'm the organizer. I have been posting all the information and collecting people's individual information. My co-host is going to be the one to collect the money, order the CD, burn the copies and send them out. It's nice to be able to split the work.

Alright, I'm finally onto the rental car decision.

We had absolutely no intention of getting a rental car, since we can use DME from the airport and use Disney transportation to get to/from the parks. The glitch that we kept coming up with was that my son has a milk intolerance. We would have to find a way to get rice milk for him. On top of it, we were intending on buying his diapers when we got down there. (We actually cloth diaper at home during the day, but for the trip there is no way we are going to try to do that.) I called Disney to ask about grocery stores and the man mentioned that there is a Goodings close to DTD. He said that there is a Publix a bit farther away, but we'd have to get a taxi for that. Even Goodings is supposedly about 1/4 - 1/2 mi. away from DTD. We figured maybe we would just walk to Goodings, get what we need and take a taxi back. Or, we could just fork out the cash and take a taxi back and forth to Publix. I checked Publix's website to see if they deliver and didn't see anything. I tried to figure out how much a taxi would cost in Orlando. THEN...I found out that you can't have a child in a taxi w/o a carseat. Well, crap. That would mean that one of us would have to go to the store and the other would watch the kids. That's obviously not a big deal. However, we figured if we have to go to the store anyway, we would get some snacks for the room and the parks (we aren't on the DDP). Inevitably whoever would go to the store will forget something.

In my search for taxi prices, I found this article about Disney transportation vs. renting a car:
http://allears.net/pl/transp.htm
It was EXTREMELY helpful and insightful. Since we're staying on property, we'll get free parking. With our package through AAA, we will actually be getting a Diamond Preferred Parking pass. That means that we can park the next closest section after handicapped. DH and I had that on one of our trips a few years ago and it was nice. In Epcot, we were pretty much right at the front gate. We might use it when we are at the parks late. That way, at the end of the night, we can schlep our 2 kids half-asleep in the strollers to the car and load them into their own carseats, drive back to the hotel and schelp them into the room. We wouldn't have to worry about Disney transport - schleping two half-asleep kids, two collapsed strollers, and any bags onto a crowded, end-of-the-day bus. We also figured that if we had a car, we may try to go off property for some meals to cut down on costs.

I decided if we could wing it, we would try to rent a car. I started pricing them out and they were about $350+ for the week (and that was even using a discount code I have for Avis)...YIKES! [I did just check Avis now though and it was only $250. Usually with my discount code, I pay about $200 or less. We even rented a minivan for 2 1/2 weeks and drove cross-country (7500 miles) for about $700 (minivans are obviously more)...but that's another story.] I didn't really think that it would be worth it for $350 (or even $250), since we do have all of the Disney transporation. But then...I remembered that we could use our credit card reward miles for car rentals. I checked that out and we can receive a certificate for a free weekly rental at Hertz for a car the size of a Mazda 6. DH has a Mazda 6 and we know that we would not be able to fit the strollers and all of our luggage into the car. We decided that we would put our checked luggage onto DME to and from the airport and then just transport ourselves using the car. It may take a while for our bags to catch up with us, but we will bring a small suitcase with what we think we'll need for the day on the plane with us. Then it shouldn't matter when the bags arrive. Anyway, we made sure a few days ago that the two strollers will fit in DH's car together with some room for small luggage. They fit, no problem. Yesterday I sent off the request to use 27,000 miles for the rental car. With the certificate, I will only have to pay taxes and fees, which is about $50. For $50 and 27,000 miles (which we have about 130,000 miles in the account), the decision was a no-brainer! WE WILL BE RENTING A CAR! The only problem is that the certificate takes 4-6 weeks to arrive. I hope to God that it arrives before we leave. If not, then either we'll have to pay the $250, or we will be using Disney transportation. Ugh.

Oh yeah, and I also have an friend that I met on the internet through BabyCenter (we were pregnant at the same time) that is going to be down there the last couple of days of our trip. If we have a car, it will make it much easier to see/meet them.

So...that is the rental car decision. Next...the random things I have been doing to prepare.

If anyone reading this has any information on ADR, I would love to know links, etc. I have to book those. I would love a princess character meal for DD.

 

[ineedmyblankie]

I have been trying to compile random lists, items, etc. that I think I will need for the trip. Many of these I have gotten off of this site or others , some things I have read in books, others I heard from friends, and a few I thought of myself. I apologize if I don't give people proper credit. However, in lieu of a memory, I now have 2 children.

In no particular order, here are some things I've been doing/compiling.

• PhotoPass Share - I was poking around on here and found some of those. After finally figuring out what they were and how they worked, I went on the hunt to find an open one. That's not so easy to do. I did, however, find 3 other people that were looking for one in the same time period. We decided to form our own and now I am a co-organizer. Within one day, we had 9 people in our group. We closed it out at 10 people.
  
  If you don't know what a PhotoPass Share is, here is a good link that provides a plethora (I love that word) of information about it: http://www.stitchkingdom.com/disneysphotopass/.
  
  If you want to join a group, look on the Budget Board. If you don't find one, you could always try to start your own.
  .
• ADR - I finally booked one today. Since DD is afraid of big headed characters , we're not quite sure how she will react to character dining. We did book the Princess Storybook Meal at Akershus in Norway (Epcot). I opted for that one over Cinderella's Royal Table b/c PSM may have Ariel, DD's favorite princess.
  
  Grumpy had sent me a crapton of links for awesome things, including dining. Here are the dining links he had sent me:
  Disney Top 10 WDW Character Meals for Kids
  Walt Disney World Character Dining Guide
  Character Dining at Walt Disney World
  Character Dining
  For menus for all restaurants at WDW: Menus from Around the World
  .
• Oooh...a few days ago, I called my TA to put in a room request for POP! After reading some of the Groovier New Pop Century FAQ Thread, I feel like I have a general handle on the place. I am still way back around page 35 of the thread though and I think it recently broke 100 pages. If you are staying at POP though, you MUST check out the first post of that thread. It is AMAZING. Pretty much anything you want to know about staying at POP is in there. Kudos to Buckeye Gal for her awesome compilation of many people's wonderful input. If you're wondering where I requested, I put in a request for building 4 (that's in the 60's section), fireworks view, 4th floor. Being in the 60's, we will be close to the kiddie pool, which would be great. We also aren't too far away from the playground, which I think DD will want to frequent. However, looking at some of the fireworks times, I think that we will not be able to keep the kids out that late every night. Maybe a couple to see the shows at their respective parks, but otherwise, I think we'll be in the room. If we have a fireworks view from our room, DH and I will still be able to see them when the kids have gone to bed. That would be nice. Also, we didn't want to be poolside b/c it sounds like it can be a bit noisy sometimes.

More later. I think that's enough for now. Plus, if I don't get these darn taxes done, then...well...considering that's how we're paying for the trip, it would suck.

 

[ineedmyblankie]

My last post posted twice, so I just wiped it out. However, I just realized that I talked about the PhotoPass Group in two consecutive posts. Oops. I told you my memory is shot.

 

[Angela0917]

Hi! I just found your PTR! We will be in Disney the same exact time!! We arrive at like 9:00 am on April 27th, and then head for home on May 4th. I can't wait!!!

 

[miprender]

Hi, just catching up and saw you were debating on two strollers. We did two strollers and it was fine. We are just bringing our single stroller for the baby this time and using a stroller swap for a double. Our double stroller is just too big and I didnt feel like lugging it through the airport.

 

[ineedmyblankie]

Hi! I just found your PTR! We will be in Disney the same exact time!! We arrive at like 9:00 am on April 27th, and then head for home on May 4th. I can't wait!!!

YAY for our trips not being so far away!! I think I get more excited when my DD rips one of the countdown links from our chain than she does. Congratulations on your upcoming wedding. You must be so excited.

Hi, just catching up and saw you were debating on two strollers. We did two strollers and it was fine. We are just bringing our single stroller for the baby this time and using a stroller swap for a double. Our double stroller is just too big and I didnt feel like lugging it through the airport.

Hi there! Thanks for checking back. It always makes me feel a little better about our 2 stroller decision when someone says they have done it and it's fine. One great suggestion I got was that we can always park one of them in the general area that we are going to be in for a while, if we aren't using it.

 

[GrumpyGoofy]

So you want to hear my ADR's. I just made them this morning. Today was the 90 day mark for our trip. For these you will have to keep in mind our party size of 9 and that we are going with people from age 1.5 to 80 and everywhere in between. We are on the dining plan. We are staying are SSR, so on arrival day, we are doing a dinner at the Turf Club. Just cause it’s there and it’s easy.

We have 3 character meals booked for our week there. Chef Mickeys, Ohona, and CP. DS3 loves characters (unlike blankie’s DD) so we wanted to book a few meals, but not everyone cause he will be so distracted during those meals, he will forget to eat. Booking at CM and Ohona gives us an excuse to ride the monorail, something DS also wants to do. We will also get to see BLT (our family’s DVC home) when we visit CM. We are doing CM and Ohona for breakfast and CP for dinner.

Our other reservations are Teppan Edo, a request from my sister prompted that reservation…seems like DS3 will like watching the guy cook our food so should be OK for the kids. We are also eating at Moma Rosa’s. We ate at 50’s and Sci Fi in the past, so why not try something new.

Our last ADR was my request. Whispering Canyon Café in Wilderness Lodge. The menu/food looked good and we wanted to go to the campfire/sing a long at the campground so it seemed like a good spot for dinner. After doing more research, it also seems like a fun time if you get a CM in the mood to play.

 

[GrumpyGoofy]

Blankie mentioned something her rental car post about wanting to have food and snacks. Well if you want you can have item shipped to your hotel along with all your baby items. Obviously Blankie ‘s need for Rice Milk won’t be able to make the trip in a box…hence the need for the car, but everything else can be put in a box and shipped down there to save you on paying a higher price for it while there/packing in suitcase.

 

[Dopeys1stLove]

Now that the Grumpster has found that we can ship some of the bulkier kids' things down to the resort, that has taken a lot of concern off of my shoulders. I was really wondering how I was going to pack diapers, swimmies, snacks and other goodies. Even though we could have easily driven to get these items, it was still going to be a pain. Shipping the stuff there is going to be a piece of cake.

What other things will I be able to put in this box? Juice boxes? Help me brainstorm.

 

[ineedmyblankie]

Shipping is definitely a good alternative. If you need any perishable items, Garden Grocer is a great option too.

I hear that diapers are super expensive there, so we will be bringing our own. As for swim diapers, I have a large package here, so it would pain me to buy them there. I had heard a good tip from a friend in my moms' club. When she travels, she usually brings her carseats in carseat bags. She checks them with her other luggage (carseats are free to check for most airlines). Since obviously the carseat doesn't fill the bag, she puts her diapers in the seat inside the bag. Then she doesn't have to worry about buying, shipping or packing them in her suitcase. I thought it was a fabulous idea and purchased a relatively cheap carseat bag for DS's carseat.

Dex Hands Free Carset Bag

We have not yet decided if we are going to check DD's carseat or have her sit in it on the plane. As with everything, there are pros and cons w/ each. I think that she will be more comfortable and will be able to sleep easier if she is in her carseat. Since we will have to leave the house around 4am, we don't know if she will sleep in the car on the way to the airport, or if she'll be too excited to sleep. Also, if we hit turbulence, she will be more secure. Some of the obvious cons are that she will not be able to change seats, if she wants to on the plane. She won't have a lot of room to stretch out. We will have to lug the carseat on and off the plane and strap it to the seat. I have heard from people who have done both - carseat on plane and carseat checked. Each liked the decision they made. Hrmmm? What to do? What to do? Who knows, maybe we'll decide when we arrive at the airport, based upon how much sleep she's had.

Anyway, if we do lug it onto the plane, or check it at the gate, we will be using our Cheeky Monkey Pac Back to carry it.

I used that thing when I travelled solo w/ DD 2 years ago to Florida and it was worth every penny.

Oh yes, back to the groceries. I may consider shipping some things down there. However, since we have started to really like the idea of having a car so we can do things off-property (we might be visiting a friend who will be down there at the end of our trip), going to the grocery for us really isn't that big of a deal. John sometimes likes to not feel cramped in one place for a long time (like the hotel at night when we will have to be quiet b/c the kids are sleeping). I have a feeling he may even volunteer to go to the store after the kids are in bed. That way, he can also scope out the area. If he doesn't want to, then I'll go. It looks like Publix is open until 11pm, so when they're in bed will probably be the most convenient time. According to mapquest, it is only 9 minutes away from POP.

 

[ineedmyblankie]

So you want to hear my ADR's. I just made them this morning. Today was the 90 day mark for our trip. For these you will have to keep in mind our party size of 9 and that we are going with people from age 1.5 to 80 and everywhere in between. We are on the dining plan. We are staying are SSR, so on arrival day, we are doing a dinner at the Turf Club. Just cause it’s there and it’s easy.

We have 3 character meals booked for our week there. Chef Mickeys, Ohona, and CP. DS3 loves characters (unlike blankie’s DD) so we wanted to book a few meals, but not everyone cause he will be so distracted during those meals, he will forget to eat. Booking at CM and Ohona gives us an excuse to ride the monorail, something DS also wants to do. We will also get to see BLT (our family’s DVC home) when we visit CM. We are doing CM and Ohona for breakfast and CP for dinner.

Our other reservations are Teppan Edo, a request from my sister prompted that reservation…seems like DS3 will like watching the guy cook our food so should be OK for the kids. We are also eating at Moma Rosa’s. We ate at 50’s and Sci Fi in the past, so why not try something new.

Our last ADR was my request. Whispering Canyon Café in Wilderness Lodge. The menu/food looked good and we wanted to go to the campfire/sing a long at the campground so it seemed like a good spot for dinner. After doing more research, it also seems like a fun time if you get a CM in the mood to play.

Chef Mickey's looks really good. I'm tempted to book it for the tail end of the week and see how DD does w/ the characters. If she is fine with it, then we can go. If she jumps behind me and screams everytime she sees one, then I just need to make sure I cancel the 48 hours in advance. Does that sound reasonable?

I was also looking at Whispering Canyon Café and it looked pretty cool. I think I need to look into it more, tie DH down , and make him go over my tentative schedule w/ me. Of course I know that the schedule will not necessarily happen as I have it. However, I planned for going back to the hotel for naps most days. DD still naps and DS naps 2x/day. DS will probably take his AM nap at the park. If he doesn't nap, then he'll have to go back to the room for sure. Considering that some of the night shows are at 8/9pm, DD should get her nap in too. I would prefer not to be lugging around a cranky pre-schooler at night for the shows. I also allotted time for playing at the pool. Depending on time, we may even go off-premises to a restaurant for an early dinner before heading back to the parks. Right now I'm REALLY happy we opted for the park hoppers.

 

[ineedmyblankie]

Now that the Grumpster has found that we can ship some of the bulkier kids' things down to the resort, that has taken a lot of concern off of my shoulders. I was really wondering how I was going to pack diapers, swimmies, snacks and other goodies. Even though we could have easily driven to get these items, it was still going to be a pain. Shipping the stuff there is going to be a piece of cake.

What other things will I be able to put in this box? Juice boxes? Help me brainstorm.

I addressed some of these things in the post after yours. However, I didn't talk about actual snacks/drinks. Do you plan on bringing sippy cups for the kids? I have heard that you can order cases of water from Costco or Staples and have them shipped to your room for about $12. Are you considering that? If you go with bottled water, I hear that getting some of the individual Crystal Light packets are great to pour into the bottles. As for juice boxes, I have to ponder. I may buy some down there. However, those packs aren't heavy, but they aren't light either. I don't know how much postage would cost to send them. You may be better with Crystal Light in that case.

As for other snacks, I will have to ponder that also. I know a few things we would get off the top of my head, but let me put together a short list of things I know that we'll want.

 

[bertegirl]

Check out Garden Grocer. They deliver everything from diapers and wipes, to bottles of water or fruit and snacks. We ordered all the baby supplies, plus water, string cheese, fruit snacks, apples, bananas, apple juice boxes, milk and cereal. We are on the meal plan, but I know my little ones and snacking. Plus it was only $10 to have delivered to our hotel and thats less than an extra suitcase with all the items!

 

[bertegirl]

Shipping is definitely a good alternative. If you need any perishable items, Garden Grocer is a great option too.

I hear that diapers are super expensive there, so we will be bringing our own. As for swim diapers, I have a large package here, so it would pain me to buy them there. I had heard a good tip from a friend in my moms' club. When she travels, she usually brings her carseats in carseat bags. She checks them with her other luggage (carseats are free to check for most airlines). Since obviously the carseat doesn't fill the bag, she puts her diapers in the seat inside the bag. Then she doesn't have to worry about buying, shipping or packing them in her suitcase. I thought it was a fabulous idea and purchased a relatively cheap carseat bag for DS's carseat.

Dex Hands Free Carset Bag

We have not yet decided if we are going to check DD's carseat or have her sit in it on the plane. As with everything, there are pros and cons w/ each. I think that she will be more comfortable and will be able to sleep easier if she is in her carseat. Since we will have to leave the house around 4am, we don't know if she will sleep in the car on the way to the airport, or if she'll be too excited to sleep. Also, if we hit turbulence, she will be more secure. Some of the obvious cons are that she will not be able to change seats, if she wants to on the plane. She won't have a lot of room to stretch out. We will have to lug the carseat on and off the plane and strap it to the seat. I have heard from people who have done both - carseat on plane and carseat checked. Each liked the decision they made. Hrmmm? What to do? What to do? Who knows, maybe we'll decide when we arrive at the airport, based upon how much sleep she's had.

Anyway, if we do lug it onto the plane, or check it at the gate, we will be using our Cheeky Monkey Pac Back to carry it.

I used that thing when I travelled solo w/ DD 2 years ago to Florida and it was worth every penny.

Oh yes, back to the groceries. I may consider shipping some things down there. However, since we have started to really like the idea of having a car so we can do things off-property (we might be visiting a friend who will be down there at the end of our trip), going to the grocery for us really isn't that big of a deal. John sometimes likes to not feel cramped in one place for a long time (like the hotel at night when we will have to be quiet b/c the kids are sleeping). I have a feeling he may even volunteer to go to the store after the kids are in bed. That way, he can also scope out the area. If he doesn't want to, then I'll go. It looks like Publix is open until 11pm, so when they're in bed will probably be the most convenient time. According to mapquest, it is only 9 minutes away from POP.

We had the blue bag when we went to California with Jenny. I think its folded up in a closet somewhere. Maybe I will come across it when we move. Watch out Northwest made us pay to take it...

 

[ineedmyblankie]

We had the blue bag when we went to California with Jenny. I think its folded up in a closet somewhere. Maybe I will come across it when we move. Watch out Northwest made us pay to take it...

I know what you're saying about the bag in the closet! Up until now, I had only used the Pac Back thing for that one trip. When we were debating car rentals, we also debated whether to bring our own carseats or not. I made John check out Delta's rules/requirements and he said that it fell under special items (or something like that). It said they were an additional charge, but then there was a separate page that talked about special items related to traveling with children. There it said the carseat was free. I'm hoping that it's right!

 

[Nubbee]

Ok, I finally found my way over here. I am glad to hear you will be renting a car and hopefully we can find a way to meet up at the end of your trip.

I need to dig out the car seat bag, but I am hoping that there will be a seat on the plane for DS. We intentionally booked the middle and aisle seats, so let's see what happens.

We aren't staying in the park, but we are also traveling with family, and there are, um FOUR little ones with us, with ages ranging from almost 18 months to 7 years. We will have our hands full, even if only one of them is ours!

 

[ineedmyblankie]

I've been slacking. I think the initial excitement has worn off. Don't get me wrong, I'm still super excited to go to WDW, but I have been trying to do some of the little things around here to get ready.

My DD is also turning 4 soon! So I have been trying to get everything set up for her birthday party. I finished creating the invitations tonight. What do you think - totally dorky, cute or both?