Thanksgiving Camping turns into off site with family in May

[lledman]

Thank you both

 

[lledman]

Went to a concert last night – my little brother won free tickets for the lawn section at Jiffy Lube Live (Nissian Pavilion) Brad Paisley, Darius Rucker, Justin Moore, Easton Corbin, Steele Magnolia, & Josh Thompson. Great show even dispite the rain. My little brother is awesome – when we got there he hula hooped and won us upgraded tickets to the 305 section – we were still about as far back as the lawn but we had seats –off the ground & under the pavilion - slightly out of the rain if the wind blew the right way

 

[BippityBoo]

Joining in!! SO cool that you guys camp! I am sure the kids have a blast. That Mickey lamp is AWESOME! Great job! can't wait follow along

 

[lledman]

Joining in!! SO cool that you guys camp! I am sure the kids have a blast. That Mickey lamp is AWESOME! Great job! can't wait follow along

Welcome to my ramblings.


PS. notice my ticker is saying 6 months from today I'll be arriving in Disney -

 

[taymacsmom]

Welcome to my ramblings.


PS. notice my ticker is saying 6 months from today I'll be arriving in Disney -

6 months

 

[photographymom517]

Hey Lisa! I found your PTR in your siggie when you posted on my PTR! I read what you have so far! Your plans sound really, really great!!! Your past trips all sounded wonderful as well & I looked over some of your photos. I will be back later to look at more...I loooove photography!!!

I absolutely LOVED that light! I definitely think your husband could sell tons & tons of those! Just look at all the people on DIS...I think we'd all buy one!...

I am jealous that you have so much going on within a short distance from where you live! I live literally in the middle-of-nowhere & there is nothing to do here! We have to travel for hours to get anywhere remotely exciting...and really far away to find anything really exciting! lol

The beach looked fun & so did the concert! I haven't been to a concert in years, other than at local fairs...but I love looking at others pictures! I want to see Reba if she decides to extend her current tour & chooses a location near me! I saw Brad Paisley right before he became really famous & I think it was only $15 to see him & a bunch of other country stars! It was one of the best concerts I have ever been to.

Happy 10 year Anniversary!!!! And how exciting to have your Disney trip only 6 months away!!! Can't wait to read more about your plans!!!

 

[lledman]

Welcome aboard Hope! Thanks for coming over – and again congrats on moving up your Disney dates – I wish I was leaving sooner but good things will come to those that wait, at least that what I keep telling myself every time my 2 co-workers who are both going in August ask me Disney questions.



To everyone who likes the Mickey lamp – I got the directions from the camping board here at the DIS - http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=865702. I also found directions for this light up Mickey metal head – that I just made tonight.



For anyone who wants directions -
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2336012

 

[taymacsmom]

Thanks for the links. I am definitely make one of the rope light heads! You are just a wealth of knowledge. How are the plans going?

 

[lledman]

Thanks for the links. I am definitely make one of the rope light heads! You are just a wealth of knowledge. How are the plans going?

Thanks but I just love searching for ideas here - this site is a wealth of knowledge - seriously I'm surprised they don't make us pay for a membership to be here - I've learned soo many things - I've needed to upgrade my planning binder to a 4 inch one and even still I don't think I have enough space.

Plans - tomorrow is ADR day - - here's hoping for early morning Princess at EPCOT on our first park day and then still on the fence about Chef Mickeys and T-Rex later in the week. I am really looking forward to not having many commitments on this trip but I know without ADRs it's crazy to even think about eating at Disney restaurants when you are looking for a specific time and for a family of 5. So I think I'm going to bite the bullet and just make our reservations for everything - if I change my mind while there we can always just call and cancel.

 

[lledman]

Last night we went to a minor league baseball game - the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs - Tyler's school chorus sang God Bless America.

The chorus taking the field -


Chicken Dance -


Some other dance -


I don't think Devin & Tyra cared for the game at all - they were just worried about tracking the movement of Pinch -




We left at the bottom of the 8th inning and the Blue Crabs were up 8-0

 

[taymacsmom]

Thanks but I just love searching for ideas here - this site is a wealth of knowledge - seriously I'm surprised they don't make us pay for a membership to be here - I've learned soo many things - I've needed to upgrade my planning binder to a 4 inch one and even still I don't think I have enough space.

Plans - tomorrow is ADR day - - here's hoping for early morning Princess at EPCOT on our first park day and then still on the fence about Chef Mickeys and T-Rex later in the week. I am really looking forward to not having many commitments on this trip but I know without ADRs it's crazy to even think about eating at Disney restaurants when you are looking for a specific time and for a family of 5. So I think I'm going to bite the bullet and just make our reservations for everything - if I change my mind while there we can always just call and cancel.

I hear ya! Luckily, it is very easy to change your reservations at anytime if you change your mind. We even changed our plans twice while we were actually there!

I agree with the whole paying for a membership here! I made three different sets of shirts for all 5 of us for our last trip, a stroller tag, luggage/backpack tags, the list goes on and on... I have learned soooo much.

Can't wait to hear about your ADRs. We have done CM twice although not on our last trip. Reviews are mixed here and we have only done breakfast but we enjoyed it!

Have a great holiday weekend!!

 

[lledman]

Yeah for ADR Day!!!!!!!!

I’m thrilled with our selections & confirmations
Friday 11/26 – T-Rex at 12:30 (wanted something slightly earlier but this is still very doable)
Sunday 11/28 – EPCOT Princess Breakfast in Norway at 8:10 (exactly what I wanted – I’m on
Tuesday 11/30 – Chef Mickeys at 10:30 (again just the time I wanted)

I haven’t bought our MVMCP tickets yet but I’m thinking we are going to try for the Tuesday, 11/30 show so doing CM in the morning will be great – we can sleep in, fill our bellies and then nap before the party - what a plan!!!!

I’m a Nervous Nelly by nature so I’m holding off on buying our MVMCP tickets – what if it rains, what if someone isn’t feeling well – I have never before had a fear of commitment – what’s wrong with me now

 

[lledman]

I'm off to take the kids to see Shrek - this will be Tyra's first movie and Chris isn't going with me - wish me luck. At least it's a matinee show (cheap) and Tyler has a gift card for his and Devin's tickets that he won for doing a 4-H public speaking contest. I'm actually using today as a trail run for taking them all to see Toy Story 3 - if Tyra doesn't fare well today she'll be left at home as I'm really looking forward to that movie - that sounds horrible I know but what's a Disney crazy mom to do

 

[lledman]

So not much has changed from my orignal plan - park hours were pretty much spot on to my predictions and ADRs are now secured - I did move Chef Mickeys up to our MVMCP day instead of the day after - want to be able to sleep in if we need it. I've also talked with my Uncle & Aunt, they still plan to be in FL for Thanksgiving so I'm more and more sure we'll be visiting with them for a day and going to the beach.

This is turning into a little more structure than I had wanted but I don’t want to go with no game plan at all – I just keep telling myself that once we get there this is just a plan and we can still do whatever we feel like – I just hate sitting around and asking “well what do you want to do? – I don’t care what do you want to do”

Wednesday – 11/24 – still planning to leave home as early as I can convince Chris to get on the road – drive until he’s tired and just sleep in a rest stop over night. I mentioned it before but the kids will have off school and since I work a Compressed Work Schedule this will be my day off too (CWS is where you work 4 – 9 hour days and then 1 8- hour day so you still get 80 hours every 2 weeks but you also get a day off – I don’t notice the extra hour and the days off are wonderful)

Thursday – 11/25 – Happy Thanksgiving – still thinking a simple traditional dinner at the camper – unless my cousin convinces Chris and the kids we need to stop at a Craker Barrel while on the road but I think we will make it to Disney by noon so that will be plenty of time to make a nice dinner (and save a few bucks on the food). Maybe make it to the campfire movie or watch fireworks & electrical water parade on the beach.

Friday – 11/26 – Lunch ADR at T-Rex so we will probably spend the morning at DTD –the boys really want to do the balloon ride there – I’m happy to watch from the ground. NO plans for the rest of the day – maybe archery experience for Tyler if we make it back to the campground in time.

Saturday – 11/27 –visit my Uncle and Aunt at their camper lot near Canaveral and hit the beach - of course this will be weather dependent and we'll have to wait and see if they are there and want visitors on this day - lol!!!

Sunday – 11/28 – our first park day - early morning ADR at EPCOT's Norway Princess Breakfast @ 8:10 - the park opens at 9 - if we aren't finished our meals at park opening either Chris or I will serve as the runner and go get Fast Passes for Soarin. I still plan to only stay here until lunch time and then one of us will stay at EPCOT with Tyler and the other will go back to nap with the little kids at the camper - we'll do dinner at the camper and then head over to DHS that night for EMH (dance party and Osborne Lights)

Monday – 11/29 – morning EMH at AK (I hope we can get up and be here by 7 am this morning with staying out late the night before). AK is only a 1/2 day park for us so by noon we'll all head back to the camper for lunch and naps before heading to the MK for evening EMH (the park is scheduled to close at 9 which means it will be open until midnight if we choose to stay - this is where having the double stroller for Devin and Tyra will come in handy if us bigger people can hang – stroller dilemma will follow)

Tuesday, 11/30 - sleep in and then take the boat to Chef Mickey's @ the Contemporary Hotel for a 10:30 ADR. Back to the camper for a nap, then a quick dinner and off to the MK for MVMCP and another late night.

Wednesday, 12/1 - a totally free day with no plans - catch up on some rest and spend some time around the campground or head over to Disney Quest.

Thursday, 12/2 - our last park day - will probably do DHS in the morning depending on what we get done Sunday night and then head back to EPCOT (this is Tyler's favorite park and there really is a lot to do there.

Friday, 12/3 - head home - maybe unless I can convince Chris that we should just live in the camper and stay there.

 

[lledman]

As I just eluded to I’m not sure what to do about a stroller. I have nice umbrella stroller for Tyra that reclines and is super easy to push - I also have a cheaper one we bought for Devin for a previous Disney trip. We also have a double umbrella stroller that doesn’t fold up super tiny – it does fold in half but is still like 3 feet wide folded – it’s very light weight though and the seats recline independantly. Is it crazy to take 2 strollers with us on this trip. Since I want to take a nap break every day we’ll use Tyra’s nicer umbrella in the morning and then take the double one to our evening park. Devin hasn’t used a stroller since our last Disney trip I don’t believe but when we went to the zoo last month he was totally worn out by 4 pm – and with us wanting to stay out as late as possible I think having a stroller for him will be ideal. Space is not an issue since we’ll be dragging the camper behind the truck. We used the double stroller on our April 08 trip and it was nice b/c they could both ride but it’s just big (wide), when we went in August 08 we took the 2 single umbrella strollers – it was nice b/c they were more mobile but it was a pain if we separated (Chris going with Tyler and me staying with the little 2) because Devin had to push is own stroller – thus why I think just taking one single stroller in the mornings and then the inconvenient double in the evening.

 

[lledman]

I'm off to take the kids to see Shrek - this will be Tyra's first movie and Chris isn't going with me - wish me luck. At least it's a matinee show (cheap) and Tyler has a gift card for his and Devin's tickets that he won for doing a 4-H public speaking contest. I'm actually using today as a trail run for taking them all to see Toy Story 3 - if Tyra doesn't fare well today she'll be left at home as I'm really looking forward to that movie - that sounds horrible I know but what's a Disney crazy mom to do

I forgot to update, Tyra did well at the movie this morning. I think it was a big long for her to sit through – she spend the last 20 minutes in my lap but she was good. The kids loved the movie but I didn’t think it was as funny as the previous 3.

 

[lledman]

Went to Target tonight, in their dollar section they had small personal misters so I picked up one for each of the kids - I don't think it will be too terribly hot in November but you never know. I also picked up Cars & Toy Story magic ink activity books like the Tinkerbell & Princess ones I got for the girls (so now everyone will match for that Tink gift day) Everything from the dollar section!!!!

Last night I also picked up some character beach balls, water discs and goggles for the little 2 from the dollar store.

 

[taymacsmom]

Wow! Lots of updates. Your plans look great. My whole family is counting down the days until Toy Story 3. Can't wait!

I think your stroller "plans" sound good. I have a love/hate relationship with the stroller in Disney. I would love to not have to bring one, but my DS used it everyday last year! He even took a nap in it despite the fact that he hasn't napped at home since he was 2. The heat and activity wears them out. We plan on taking ours next year too. On the plus side, its a great place to store all of our stuff.

 

[photographymom517]

Yeah for ADR Day!!!!!!!!

I’m thrilled with our selections & confirmations
Friday 11/26 – T-Rex at 12:30 (wanted something slightly earlier but this is still very doable)
Sunday 11/28 – EPCOT Princess Breakfast in Norway at 8:10 (exactly what I wanted – I’m on
Tuesday 11/30 – Chef Mickeys at 10:30 (again just the time I wanted)

I haven’t bought our MVMCP tickets yet but I’m thinking we are going to try for the Tuesday, 11/30 show so doing CM in the morning will be great – we can sleep in, fill our bellies and then nap before the party - what a plan!!!!

I’m a Nervous Nelly by nature so I’m holding off on buying our MVMCP tickets – what if it rains, what if someone isn’t feeling well – I have never before had a fear of commitment – what’s wrong with me now

ADR's sound great!!! Those are all great choices! Glad you were able to get the days/times that you wanted!

I know that you mean about the tickets. I don't know how to describe my personality...lol...because sometimes I HAVE to do things asap & other times I have to do things at the very last minute (in case things change). In my case, I'm extremely happy that I didn't buy MVMCP tickets ahead of time because I would have wasted the money since we changed our dates. I would say to wait until closer to the end of summer to buy them if you aren't going really close to Christmas...I don't think the other ones sell out as quickly. (just what I've heard, don't count on that as 100% correct...lol)

This is turning into a little more structure than I had wanted but I don’t want to go with no game plan at all – I just keep telling myself that once we get there this is just a plan and we can still do whatever we feel like – I just hate sitting around and asking “well what do you want to do? – I don’t care what do you want to do”

Friday – 11/26 – Lunch ADR at T-Rex so we will probably spend the morning at DTD –the boys really want to do the balloon ride there – I’m happy to watch from the ground.

Monday – 11/29 – morning EMH at AK (I hope we can get up and be here by 7 am this morning with staying out late the night before). AK is only a 1/2 day park for us so by noon we'll all head back to the camper for lunch and naps before heading to the MK for evening EMH (the park is scheduled to close at 9 which means it will be open until midnight if we choose to stay - this is where having the double stroller for Devin and Tyra will come in handy if us bigger people can hang – stroller dilemma will follow)

Friday, 12/3 - head home - maybe unless I can convince Chris that we should just live in the camper and stay there.

Love compressed work schedule...I used to work that as well & absolutely LOVED it. You don't notice the extra hour at all & its soooo worth it to get a day off! I especially loved it in the winter because I always left work in the dark anyway...whats one more hour or two? I also had the option of taking a shorter lunch or eating lunch at my desk instead of taking a break! Is it sad that sometimes I miss my working days?

LOVE Cracker Barrel! Our closest one is about 2 1/2 hours away, so I love when we stop at the beach in the summer & eat lunch there!

I hate it whenever everyone is sitting around trying to decide what to do & who picks what to do, etc. Everyone always says "I don't care" but you know that everyone really DOES care & everyone has a thought in their head of what they want to do, but no one will say so! Drives me craaaazy! I have plans for our trip, but if they need to change, no biggie! I like to have a plan, but also be flexible. I think its a good combination!

TRex and the balloon ride sound great! I really wanted to do TRex because my son recently started the dinosaur phase & loooove dinos! I wasn't able to book it, but I might still try. I'd happily trade it for Crystal Palace even though CP seems to have better reviews, atmosphere, and food. My son would just enjoy TRex alot more. Even if I don't get it, I still plan to take him into the "Build a Dino" store & let him pick out a stuffed dino. He isn't into the clothes & accessories for the stuffed animals yet, so we usually just get the animal. (thank goodness...lol...those outfits can get pricey!)

I agree with you about Animal Kingdom. Last trip was my first ever time at AK and we left the park by 3:30pm (arrived around 9:30am). I think the parade was around 2 or 2:30 at that time, so we left right after the parade. Even though it was our shortest park day, I still feel like we did alot there & didn't feel like I was missing out on anything leaving so early. I think on our AK day this year, they are open until 7pm but I know we won't be staying that long.

for trying to get Chris to just live in the camper at Disney!!! Don't you just laugh whenever you sign those papers when checking into the resort...did you ever read the fine print??? You actually have to sign something saying that you agree that you won't LIVE there! I laugh everytime I sign it...I'm not sure anyone notices that! I accidentally said last trip that "I'd love to just live here" right when I walked by a CM...and I immediately felt guilty...like I was breaking the rules by saying so!

As I just eluded to I’m not sure what to do about a stroller. I have nice umbrella stroller for Tyra that reclines and is super easy to push - I also have a cheaper one we bought for Devin for a previous Disney trip. We also have a double umbrella stroller that doesn’t fold up super tiny – it does fold in half but is still like 3 feet wide folded – it’s very light weight though and the seats recline independantly. Is it crazy to take 2 strollers with us on this trip. Since I want to take a nap break every day we’ll use Tyra’s nicer umbrella in the morning and then take the double one to our evening park. Devin hasn’t used a stroller since our last Disney trip I don’t believe but when we went to the zoo last month he was totally worn out by 4 pm – and with us wanting to stay out as late as possible I think having a stroller for him will be ideal. Space is not an issue since we’ll be dragging the camper behind the truck. We used the double stroller on our April 08 trip and it was nice b/c they could both ride but it’s just big (wide), when we went in August 08 we took the 2 single umbrella strollers – it was nice b/c they were more mobile but it was a pain if we separated (Chris going with Tyler and me staying with the little 2) because Devin had to push is own stroller – thus why I think just taking one single stroller in the mornings and then the inconvenient double in the evening.

I definitely vote for taking the strollers, especially if space is not an issue. There are lots of pros & cons to taking the stroller, but in the end, I think its worth it. It definitely sounds like a good idea to take the double stroller in the evenings, even though it might be a little bit of a pain. I know that I am not looking forward to listening to my husband complain about having to fold up the stroller everytime before we get onto a bus! But I think its better to have ours...our son is used to it & it reclines for his naps. It also has lots of storage for me in the basket & also cup & food holders on top. At around 35 pounds, there is no way we would be able to carry him...I'd rather push around an empty stroller 90% of the time & have it available for him in case he needs it than to not having it at all. And there's no way I'm paying $13 per day x 6 days to rent them from Disney! Last trip wasn't so bad b/c we only went to parks 3 days, but with double that this trip, no way! lol Oh, I could go on and on all night about strollers!!! That was definitely my biggest dilemma & my DH and I will probably be arguing about it until we get to the airport.

 

[lledman]

I know that you mean about the tickets. I don't know how to describe my personality...lol...because sometimes I HAVE to do things asap & other times I have to do things at the very last minute (in case things change). In my case, I'm extremely happy that I didn't buy MVMCP tickets ahead of time because I would have wasted the money since we changed our dates. I would say to wait until closer to the end of summer to buy them if you aren't going really close to Christmas...I don't think the other ones sell out as quickly. (just what I've heard, don't count on that as 100% correct...lol)

This sounds a lot like me – I like to always be prepared/have reservations and such but I also overanalyze things and then second/third/forth guess myself. I hope that we will be able to get MVMCP tickets if we wait but if not I am ok with it - I guess I look at it as we all have days on our tickets that we could go to the parks just about everyday this trip if we wanted but I'm really trying to ration them and just use 3 days this trip and save 3 days for a future vacation but at the same time if something happens and we need to use 4 days off these passes then so be it – it’s not like I’m not going to eventually have to buy us new tickets one day anyway – and it won’t be this trip so I’ll just worry about that then.

LOVE Cracker Barrel! Our closest one is about 2 1/2 hours away, so I love when we stop at the beach in the summer & eat lunch there!

The closest one to us is about 2 hours away too.

I agree with you about Animal Kingdom. Last trip was my first ever time at AK and we left the park by 3:30pm (arrived around 9:30am). I think the parade was around 2 or 2:30 at that time, so we left right after the parade. Even though it was our shortest park day, I still feel like we did alot there & didn't feel like I was missing out on anything leaving so early. I think on our AK day this year, they are open until 7pm but I know we won't be staying that long.

It's not that I don't like AK - my favorite coaster is there (Everest) and my favorite show (Nemo) we always have great luck meeting characters and see Devine every time we visit - I just can't explain it but it just can't hold my interest like the other parks do.