Just back from an AMAZING first family trip to WDW - so many special things happened!! Thank you all so much for the tips and insight that you provided while we were planning!
WHO WE ARE:
Zoe Dog -- Me; 41; went to MK several times as a child and to EPCOT once in late 1980s with DH; compulsive planner, list-maker, and tip-gatherer, but (much to my and my family's relief) was able to be flexible once we arrived
DH -- turned 41 during vacation; late 1980s trip with me was only foray into the World; was a little spooked by memory of how perfect and "Big Brothery" everything was and loved to tease me about my "disney obsession" but is a total kid at heart and began to lurk on the DIS and other helpful sites during the last weeks before departure
E -- DD (11 years) - has an incredibly vivid imagination and so was a bit apprehensive about "spooky" rides, but determined to be a big kid; loves interaction with characters and spotting live animals and noticing all of the little unexpected things
D -- DD (almost 10 years) - wants to do it all and then do it again and again . . . absolutely fearless and utterly enthusiastic
L -- DD (6 1/2 years) - doesn't like to be left behind by the big girls, but is not a thrill seeker; began to swim like a little fish thanks to daily access to warm pools
PRE-TRIP:
DH and I began to talk about a first (and probably only) family trip to WDW about two years ago. We decided that wed wait a until the girls were all old enough to enjoy it on relatively the same level and decided that probably meant a trip in 2002 or 2003. Also, because of my schedule at work, we knew that summers were the only possibility for a trip of any length. But the problem was where would we find the money to go? So we took a hard look at our budget and made the following proposition to the girls: If you are willing to share some fairly large house cleaning chores with daddy and mommy in addition to your normal chores, we will get rid of the house-cleaner (who came once/week) and pay ourselves to clean house every week. The money could then be used for family vacations. After the girls checked with us to make sure that WDW would be the first vacation wed save for, they quickly agreed. They have been truly wonderful about their jobs very little grumbling. So the house is cleaned weekly by the five-member Family Cleaning Squad and the payment is deposited into a savings account set up for WDW. This has the added bonus that the girls have learned some new life-skills -- even L can run a load of laundry by herself now. And they know how long it has taken to save for a really wonderful family vacation. DH and I have been on enough vacations where we literally ate nothing but peanut butter sandwiches and carrots -- we decided that we wanted this trip to be a bit more deluxe and so determined that wed save two years for this trip which also meant that L would be 6 1/2 and a bit more able to keep up with her sisters.
We began keeping a Disney Jar for excess change (and sometimes dollar bills, e.g. from the deposit on glass milk bottles) and for proceeds from a mega tag sale in the summer of 2001. Even the girls added to it. Grandparents gave the girls Disney Dollars for their own use at WDW and on occassion emptied out their wallets of change for the Disney Jar. The girls also saved a lot of their allowance and other money from cat-sitting or being a mothers helper for our neighbors, for their private spending money.
We had a hard time deciding whether to go by car (24 plus hour drive) or by plane. One set of grandparents suggested that we go by train which looked like a lot of fun but the cost is outrageous for a family of five (nearly $3,000 from New York City plus the cost of the trip from Vermont to NYC and back). So between concern for Ds ears on the plane and post-9/11 fears, we finally decided to drive. DH and I are both very flexible at work in the summer, so we decided that wed take our time coming back from FL and go to a Florida beach (first time the girls would be in a warm ocean - they'll never swim on the Maine coast again!!), see old friends in North Carolina, visit the wild ponies at Assateague Island, and maybe stop by Washington DC for a day or two. Luckily the car trip turned out to be much more pleasant than we'd imagined possible. The girls had a lot of fun checking out license plates and were surprisingly interested in the difference in vegetation, etc. as we travelled further south. We also brought along plenty of snacks and a few new games, books on tape, etc.
We knew we wanted to stay on-site, in order to take advantage of early-entry and (and maybe e-nights) and also because it would be simpler to get back to our hotel for a mid-day break/swim. Unfortunately early-entry was discontinued which was disappointing since we are up early anyway and could have used that as a way to avoid heat and crowds oh well. During the course of planning we considered staying at the FW cabins and then decided instead to split our stay between WL and POR. But, with changed vacation dates and some wonderful codes found on the Mousesavers site, we ultimately arranged for 6 nights at WL and 3 at AKL. The AKL stay was a surprise for the girls as were the various PSs we obtained. The girls knew that most breakfasts and many other meals would be room picnics of cheese and fruit and peanut butter and cold-cuts but this kind of frugality allowed us to stay longer and at our first-choice resorts plus have several fun restaurant meals along the way, as well as have the flexibility to get treats in the parks as snacks now and then.
TRIP FROM VERMONT TO FLORIDA:
Monday 6/17: We picked up DH as soon as inservice concluded at 3:00 and drove 4 hours to stay with his mom in NW Connecticut.
Tuesday 6/18: Left CT at 7 a.m. and arrived in Petersburg VA at ~6 p.m. (just south of Richmond) - quick trip to the pool, and then to bed (after first watching some I Love Lucy re-runs - one of the new delights for the girls on this trip . We discovered a channel called "TV Land" that we don't get at home. One of the first things the girls would do when we arrived at a new hotel was check to see if the TV picked up TV Land so they could catch a few more episodes of Lucy!).
Wednesday 6/19: Another long day of driving to arrive in Pooler, GA -- but we arrived early enough in the afternoon to enjoy a good long romp in the pool and then spend the evening wandering the streets of nearby Savannah-- what an enchanting city! I hope that DH and I can go back sometime. The girls were delighted by their first encounter with a street perfomer (juggler / escape artist / comic) along the re-developed waterfront.
Thursday 6/20 - Satrurday 6/22: Slept in late on Thursday after our late evening in Savannah and drove 4 hours to the Holiday Inn Family Suites for one and one-half days of unwinding from the car trip before we hit WDW. HIFS was a great place! We would definitely consider staying there if we go back to WDW, especially if early entry isn't re-instated. We spent Friday aternoon and evening at DD - had thought we might go to PI to visit the Adventurer's Club, but we all had so much fun poking around at the Lego and Disney stores and watching the caricature artists that we never made it there.
* * *
It began to rain as soon as we entered Fl on Thursday and we (especially me) were discouraged to hear that a LOT of rain and electrical storms were expected for at least the next 7 to 10 days. We were glad that the Florida drought finally seemed to be over - but how could mother nature ruin our vacation?? Luckily, although the entire vacation was a wet one and we did miss a few things because of rain cancellations, the weather turned out better than the forecast. And, because DH and I tend to be Pollyannas and look for the sunny side of life, we all decided that there were at least two benefits to the rain: relatively small crowds and no sunburns!!
Sorry this is so long. Please feel free to ask questions especially about the trip down - I'd be happy to elaborate. The hotel in Pooler GA was especially nice and quite affordable.
WHO WE ARE:
Zoe Dog -- Me; 41; went to MK several times as a child and to EPCOT once in late 1980s with DH; compulsive planner, list-maker, and tip-gatherer, but (much to my and my family's relief) was able to be flexible once we arrived
DH -- turned 41 during vacation; late 1980s trip with me was only foray into the World; was a little spooked by memory of how perfect and "Big Brothery" everything was and loved to tease me about my "disney obsession" but is a total kid at heart and began to lurk on the DIS and other helpful sites during the last weeks before departure
E -- DD (11 years) - has an incredibly vivid imagination and so was a bit apprehensive about "spooky" rides, but determined to be a big kid; loves interaction with characters and spotting live animals and noticing all of the little unexpected things
D -- DD (almost 10 years) - wants to do it all and then do it again and again . . . absolutely fearless and utterly enthusiastic
L -- DD (6 1/2 years) - doesn't like to be left behind by the big girls, but is not a thrill seeker; began to swim like a little fish thanks to daily access to warm pools
PRE-TRIP:
DH and I began to talk about a first (and probably only) family trip to WDW about two years ago. We decided that wed wait a until the girls were all old enough to enjoy it on relatively the same level and decided that probably meant a trip in 2002 or 2003. Also, because of my schedule at work, we knew that summers were the only possibility for a trip of any length. But the problem was where would we find the money to go? So we took a hard look at our budget and made the following proposition to the girls: If you are willing to share some fairly large house cleaning chores with daddy and mommy in addition to your normal chores, we will get rid of the house-cleaner (who came once/week) and pay ourselves to clean house every week. The money could then be used for family vacations. After the girls checked with us to make sure that WDW would be the first vacation wed save for, they quickly agreed. They have been truly wonderful about their jobs very little grumbling. So the house is cleaned weekly by the five-member Family Cleaning Squad and the payment is deposited into a savings account set up for WDW. This has the added bonus that the girls have learned some new life-skills -- even L can run a load of laundry by herself now. And they know how long it has taken to save for a really wonderful family vacation. DH and I have been on enough vacations where we literally ate nothing but peanut butter sandwiches and carrots -- we decided that we wanted this trip to be a bit more deluxe and so determined that wed save two years for this trip which also meant that L would be 6 1/2 and a bit more able to keep up with her sisters.
We began keeping a Disney Jar for excess change (and sometimes dollar bills, e.g. from the deposit on glass milk bottles) and for proceeds from a mega tag sale in the summer of 2001. Even the girls added to it. Grandparents gave the girls Disney Dollars for their own use at WDW and on occassion emptied out their wallets of change for the Disney Jar. The girls also saved a lot of their allowance and other money from cat-sitting or being a mothers helper for our neighbors, for their private spending money.
We had a hard time deciding whether to go by car (24 plus hour drive) or by plane. One set of grandparents suggested that we go by train which looked like a lot of fun but the cost is outrageous for a family of five (nearly $3,000 from New York City plus the cost of the trip from Vermont to NYC and back). So between concern for Ds ears on the plane and post-9/11 fears, we finally decided to drive. DH and I are both very flexible at work in the summer, so we decided that wed take our time coming back from FL and go to a Florida beach (first time the girls would be in a warm ocean - they'll never swim on the Maine coast again!!), see old friends in North Carolina, visit the wild ponies at Assateague Island, and maybe stop by Washington DC for a day or two. Luckily the car trip turned out to be much more pleasant than we'd imagined possible. The girls had a lot of fun checking out license plates and were surprisingly interested in the difference in vegetation, etc. as we travelled further south. We also brought along plenty of snacks and a few new games, books on tape, etc.
We knew we wanted to stay on-site, in order to take advantage of early-entry and (and maybe e-nights) and also because it would be simpler to get back to our hotel for a mid-day break/swim. Unfortunately early-entry was discontinued which was disappointing since we are up early anyway and could have used that as a way to avoid heat and crowds oh well. During the course of planning we considered staying at the FW cabins and then decided instead to split our stay between WL and POR. But, with changed vacation dates and some wonderful codes found on the Mousesavers site, we ultimately arranged for 6 nights at WL and 3 at AKL. The AKL stay was a surprise for the girls as were the various PSs we obtained. The girls knew that most breakfasts and many other meals would be room picnics of cheese and fruit and peanut butter and cold-cuts but this kind of frugality allowed us to stay longer and at our first-choice resorts plus have several fun restaurant meals along the way, as well as have the flexibility to get treats in the parks as snacks now and then.
TRIP FROM VERMONT TO FLORIDA:
Monday 6/17: We picked up DH as soon as inservice concluded at 3:00 and drove 4 hours to stay with his mom in NW Connecticut.
Tuesday 6/18: Left CT at 7 a.m. and arrived in Petersburg VA at ~6 p.m. (just south of Richmond) - quick trip to the pool, and then to bed (after first watching some I Love Lucy re-runs - one of the new delights for the girls on this trip . We discovered a channel called "TV Land" that we don't get at home. One of the first things the girls would do when we arrived at a new hotel was check to see if the TV picked up TV Land so they could catch a few more episodes of Lucy!).
Wednesday 6/19: Another long day of driving to arrive in Pooler, GA -- but we arrived early enough in the afternoon to enjoy a good long romp in the pool and then spend the evening wandering the streets of nearby Savannah-- what an enchanting city! I hope that DH and I can go back sometime. The girls were delighted by their first encounter with a street perfomer (juggler / escape artist / comic) along the re-developed waterfront.
Thursday 6/20 - Satrurday 6/22: Slept in late on Thursday after our late evening in Savannah and drove 4 hours to the Holiday Inn Family Suites for one and one-half days of unwinding from the car trip before we hit WDW. HIFS was a great place! We would definitely consider staying there if we go back to WDW, especially if early entry isn't re-instated. We spent Friday aternoon and evening at DD - had thought we might go to PI to visit the Adventurer's Club, but we all had so much fun poking around at the Lego and Disney stores and watching the caricature artists that we never made it there.
* * *
It began to rain as soon as we entered Fl on Thursday and we (especially me) were discouraged to hear that a LOT of rain and electrical storms were expected for at least the next 7 to 10 days. We were glad that the Florida drought finally seemed to be over - but how could mother nature ruin our vacation?? Luckily, although the entire vacation was a wet one and we did miss a few things because of rain cancellations, the weather turned out better than the forecast. And, because DH and I tend to be Pollyannas and look for the sunny side of life, we all decided that there were at least two benefits to the rain: relatively small crowds and no sunburns!!
Sorry this is so long. Please feel free to ask questions especially about the trip down - I'd be happy to elaborate. The hotel in Pooler GA was especially nice and quite affordable.
krissy
