Sweating our way around the world! August with a 1yr old with lots of tips to come!

[harleyquinn]

Hello all!
I've decided that there are way too few trip reports around here from families with young babies. (Though I do notice a lot of PTR right now!) I know there are a lot of people on here planning on taking there under 2s to WDW this year, so I hope this report will help...or should I say these reports... So this report will be heavy on tips I've learned from my fellow Disers.

So! Cast:
Sarah (me): Will be 30 next week. Obsessed WDW trip planner. I've been to WDW 6 times since 2003. I'm a children's librarian, which is the best job in the universe!

Justin (The_Horned_King): Turned 30 last November (HA! I'll always be younger!) He is the reason I am obsessed. In 2003 we decided to go to WDW for our Honeymoon, but that wasn't until 2004. Then the 7 for 3 deal came out and we couldn't resist. Been to WDW 5 times since 03 and twice as a kid. Middle school Art Teacher--so we slave to the school calendar.

This is from our January 06 trip back before DH found his teaching job.

Lilliana: Our first baby, already a princess. She'll be 13 months for the August trip. This was Halloween:

And this was about a month ago:

DH and I usually go in August, because that's really the best option for a teacher (school calendar) married to a librarian (summer reading @ the library in June/July).

So that was what we planned when I started getting crazy PIN code emails left and right. (That is what 4 seperate accounts plus a whole lotta "saved vacations" with disneyworld.com gets you!) And mixed in with the "free park hopper and more" emails I discovered a much coveted Free DINING PIN!! ANd not just the quick service one, no this is real free dining!!

So our dates:
August 14-20
December 18-22 (or maybe 23)
August 2011 TBD

I definitely want this thread to have a TON of tips for taking a LO and in that spirit, here is the link to a 11 page thread I started last year with TONS of info. http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2218699&highlight=tips

More to come if anyone cares!

 

[ADAMANDLISA]

Hi Sarah!

I'm in and anxiously awaiting more details! I always wish I had more time to do trip reports (as often as we go)....I'm excited to read yours, although reading your last thread caused me to be late taking Dylan to preschool!

 

[harleyquinn]

Hi Sarah!

I'm in and anxiously awaiting more details! I always wish I had more time to do trip reports (as often as we go)....I'm excited to read yours, although reading your last thread caused me to be late taking Dylan to preschool!

Yay! Would that be the Jesse James thread? Trouble seems to follow me. I wonder if I can say anything here that can cause enough stir that'll have a bunch of followers...

 

[hotveggy]

Heading over from the Mom's Board to follow you!

We are contemplating taking our daugter in either Sept or Oct since DH has a potential conference he could attend at the Beach Club. She will be 18/19 mos. by then...

Look forward to hearing about your planning.

 

[PrincessMommyLM]

Definitely in!!! I am anxious to see how your trips with Lilliana go this year... We are packing in vacations for the next couple of years before we have baby #2 because I am really worried about traveling with a young one... Maybe you will convince me otherwise!

BTW - you and your hubby are better employees than I am... I am a theatre teacher and take off work to go to Disney...

 

[caitty13]

I'm here

 

[ADAMANDLISA]

Yay! Would that be the Jesse James thread? Trouble seems to follow me. I wonder if I can say anything here that can cause enough stir that'll have a bunch of followers...

It was already 5 pages when I got to it....I couldn't stop reading the madness!!!Some people....well, just some people!


This is a much more exciting subject anyway! There's nothing like taking your L.O. for their first trip!



When we took Luca in Feb for his first bday celebration, his hair wasn't that long, so we'll be doing the barber shop for his 1st haircut in September. Are you thinking of going there with Lilliana?

 

[harleyquinn]

So convincing DH that we should take DD at only 1 to Disney was easy. He hasn't been since August of 08, so he's itching to go. We had talked and decided that if he got two weeks off for Christmas this year (happens in his district every 5 years or so), we'd go the week before Christmas instead of August. That way we could avoid the horrible heat with a 1 year old.

So the PIN codes roll out, and I email my Travel Agent (Scarlet from Small World--she's the bomb!). DH and I had discussed going really crazy this first trip and staying D-lux. So I had her price POR (our favorite) and WL (convenient and not too expensive). Of course WL was about $500 more or so and just like always, we couldn't justify paying more when we love POR so much. I'll take quiet pools in August over interior hallways any day.

So we ran into some issues. The time between getting a PIN (or four) and finding out when DH would start school was brutal. I had like 8 scenarios worked out.

1. DH starts on Monday, August 23. This was the most likely scenario based on previous years, but we knew that the district was adding an extra teacher day at the beginning of the year, which leads to
2. Friday, August 20 start date. I thought this would be monumentally stupid, but DH was convinced it would happen

So I languished in the world of "will we be able to use this wonderful PIN" heck for like 3 whole days and then DH's school put out 2 schedules for the teachers to vote on.

The first one had them start on August 23rd (boo-ya DH) and the second had them starting on... August 30! I told DH that I didn't care that the second schedule had them getting out of school a week later in June! They have air conditioning! They will survive! I want to go to WDW with less people!! More schools will be going back earlier, this equals less people! I started a one woman crusade to convince DH's coworkers to Vote for Schedule 2!! No New Taxes!

My campaign lasted about 3 seconds until DH told me no one would vote for option 2. But still I added possiblity
3. School starts Monday, August 30. This would mean a full week of free dining, plus lower crowds (probably only in my mind, but hey a girl can dream.)

But the kicker...both schedules had school being out for 2 weeks for Christmas!!! I've been DYING to go to WDW for Christmas. (and Halloween, but alas maybe in 25 years when we're retired...gotta have something to look forward to!)

Anyway, DYING to go to WDW for Christmas...so much that I made the WORST DECISION EVER and took my mom for her first trip in December of 08 and left DH at home...or school whichever way you wanna look at it.
We'll save that for another post ...

So now we had option
4. Forget August and go December 18-twenty-something

So which did we chooooooose and why?????? (Crap, already let that cat outta the bag! lol)

 

[harleyquinn]

Heading over from the Mom's Board to follow you!

We are contemplating taking our daugter in either Sept or Oct since DH has a potential conference he could attend at the Beach Club. She will be 18/19 mos. by then...

Look forward to hearing about your planning.

Definitely in!!! I am anxious to see how your trips with Lilliana go this year... We are packing in vacations for the next couple of years before we have baby #2 because I am really worried about traveling with a young one... Maybe you will convince me otherwise!

BTW - you and your hubby are better employees than I am... I am a theatre teacher and take off work to go to Disney...

DH isn't allowed to take time for vacation?? It's written into their contract.

Thanks for joining!!

I'm here

When we took Luca in Feb for his first bday celebration, his hair wasn't that long, so we'll be doing the barber shop for his 1st haircut in September. Are you thinking of going there with Lilliana?

Good question!

I had totally planned to do it for this trip. I made an ADR at Crystal Palace for 8am with the plan that we would go straight to the Barbershop afterwords.
But...she has almost no hair!! lol, so we'll see if she has enough for December or just wait until next August, but she will get her first haricut at WDW!

 

[harleyquinn]

So recap...I like to blab

Option 1 was out. The teachers voted to go back August 23rd (boooo!) so Option 3 was out, which left option
1. August 13-20
or
4. December 18-something.

I got all excited about finally going for Christmas, but DH didn't want to give up free dining. Seriously. We could get the dining plan in Decmeber. Yes it would cost more, but food is food...unless it's free food, I guess!

So I priced out a December trip and OUCH! Disney sure knows how to get every dime out of the unfortunate souls who travel at holiday time. So I gave up my dream.

So we booked August 13 & 14th with a room only PIN and a package for the 15-20th, because the free dining PIN didn't start until the 15th.

Then my TA pointed out that we wouldn't have park passes for the 13 and 14th (DUH!!!). I had completely overlooked that little tidbit. I already had my which park on what day planned out after subscribing to TGM.

She told me that she had heard of guest services letting you start your passes early when you had a package booked, but it wasn't a safe bet.

The out of the blue inspiration struck Why in the world would we want to be at WDW for 2 days without passes? Maybe we should only go for 5 nights? I had never considered it, because we have always gone for 7 nights. My mind just went bonkers...Maybe if we cut those days off, we could go in December too?! And then...hmm maybe I should think about renting DVC points? Turns out DVC is in almost value season until December 23rd?! And then...maybe we could upgrade our passes from August to APs, since we won't need a package in December! And then...We could use those passes again next August for a third trip!!

So I ran the numbers and went on a mission to convince DH. Would he say yes?????

 

[DannysMom]

I'm here too! DH is too nervous to plan a trip w/ 2 babies. I think we could do it.... he thinks I'm delusional. On this we disagree, to say the least.

 

[DannysMom]

I see what you mean Sarah, I just posted to join your PTR,,,,,,

ETA: it just took a min to show up.... odd

 

[harleyquinn]

I'm here too! DH is too nervous to plan a trip w/ 2 babies. I think we could do it.... he thinks I'm delusional. On this we disagree, to say the least.

I see what you mean Sarah, I just posted to join your PTR,,,,,,

ETA: it just took a min to show up.... odd

That was really weird, wasn't it?!

I went back and edited my posts to make them actual updates (well the first one is done anyway).

OMG baby twins at WDW...just imagine the pictures!! But, honestly I don't know if I could do it. Just one is scary enough after so many trips by ourselves.

 

[DannysMom]

That was really weird, wasn't it?!

I went back and edited my posts to make them actual updates (well the first one is done anyway).

OMG baby twins at WDW...just imagine the pictures!! But, honestly I don't know if I could do it. Just one is scary enough after so many trips by ourselves.

It's not like I don't deal with twin babies on a daily basis, kwim? I'm anxious to see how megan (staley) makes out w/ her crew. We took my older son every spring from 2006-2009, so we are sorely missing our WDW trip right about now.

 

[harleyquinn]

It's not like I don't deal with twin babies on a daily basis, kwim? I'm anxious to see how megan (staley) makes out w/ her crew. We took my older son every spring from 2006-2009, so we are sorely missing our WDW trip right about now.

That's totally what I was thinking. If you can handle them at home and you are a WDW vet, I'm sure you could handle them at WDW.

 

[Adi12982]

Looking forward to reading along!! We are hoping to go in October for Isabel's first birthday. We'll see! Being a Florida resident has its perks in that I can wait on deals to book, since I don't have to even think about airfare.

 

[cmskok]

Hi! I am jumping over from the mommy board! I am Cleveland-er too, but we are in Cleveland Heights for the past 12 years or so! I have always taken my babies to Disney...it is a great place for them!!

We did AP's last year and it was great. We only planned to take 2 trips, but we eeked out a third a week before the AP ran out and it was so worth it!!!

 

[harleyquinn]

Hi! I am jumping over from the mommy board! I am Cleveland-er too, but we are in Cleveland Heights for the past 12 years or so! I have always taken my babies to Disney...it is a great place for them!!

We did AP's last year and it was great. We only planned to take 2 trips, but we eeked out a third a week before the AP ran out and it was so worth it!!!

That's exactly what we want to do!

And I'm not actually in Cleveland, but Lake county. So we're very close! A couple of the other moms on the thread are close to us too. We should have a meet at COSI or something.

I'll post a planning update tomorrow!

 

[december]

How did I miss this link? I only found it after you mentioned it in your last post on the New Moms thread. I leave in 47 days, and Katie will be 12 1/2 months. I'll let you know how it goes!

I can't take vacation during the school year either-we only get 2 personal days. And we aren't allowed to take them the day before or after a holiday.

One day I will get to go the week before Christmas. I went Thanksgiving 2007, and the Christmas stuff was amazing!

 

[cmskok]

My husband grew up in Painesville and when we first married, we lived in Willoughby, so we know Lake County very well!!!