The NEW Official November 2010 Countdown & Planning Thread ~ Come join us! (Part 1)

[Mindy5767]

Our school district only allows 3 days for vacation and they do not consider WDW "educational" Years ago, they allowed 10 days for vacation. I have friends who have kids in our school district and they always take their kids out for WDW every year. They are going to give me their letter.

Last year my DS missed 3 days (swine flu) and my DD (just started 1st grade today) only missed 1 day. My DS just started 3rd grade (today) and I think he only missed a total of 5 days since starting elementary school.

In our school district, there is no blanket policy. Its made by the principal, and ours is GREAT!!

Last year, my DD7 missed a whole week with the swine flu! She may have even missed an additional day here or there the following week. They dealt with it. At least with a healthy child they can give you some worksheets for math or whatever to work on during the trip. I know with our long car ride, the more worksheets and things to occupy my child the better.

just noticed the post from Px4... I'm so sorry for your loss. At least your grandmother is in heaven... and she's probably dancing. My nephew could see my parents for months and months after they passed away. My father had been crippled by a stroke years earlier and always walked with a limp. My 18 month old nephew uncannily described things he couldn't know that "poppa" had told him, but described how they weren't crippled anymore and that they were dancing!! It was amazing. I'm sure your granny is dancing too.

hugs.

 

[WAHkoMom]

Just wanted to make a quick stop in and update you all on my Grandma. She passed away yesterday afternoon.

Service will be on Monday. I am not sure I will be on anymore until then. So keep us in your prayers while we lay her to rest.

Jessica - I am sorry for your loss. You and your family will be in my thoughts and prayers. I am happy to hear that you were able to spend time time with her right up until the end. (And the story you posted earlier about Lois makes me cry happy tears )

 

[WAHkoMom]

Hello fellow November travelers!!! I am happy to say that we are at 9 weeks today!!!!!!
Got a tiny start on some of our Travel stuff yesterday!! Got toothbrushes for $1 at Walmart and a couple of packs of gum....still deciding on what snacks we are putting in the snack baggies this year....Got it all in a huge Disney bag that came from the Disney store!! We are very excited!!! Hope you all hace a great weekend...

We got the big reusable bag at the Disney Store last weekend, too! I was shopping for back to school stuff with my DD12 and after trucking through Aeropostale, Hollister, American Eagle and Justice, I said, "Let's go into the Disney Store!" At first she said, "MOM! NO!" because all the halloween costumes for the little kids were in front, but as we walked to the back (to the SALE/CLEARANCE section) and I pointed out the graphic tees, her tune changed. They were 2 for $24 (not cheap, but not awful) and she picked out THREE!! I got one for me and two each for DH and DS10. Add in the shopping bag ($1.49 I think?) and I made it out of there for just under $100. I got a cute blue Tinkerbell tee, which I've washed and set aside. It's too early to pull out the suitcases for me, so maybe I'll start putting the trip items in the Disney bag - - - - good idea, Disney Mommy 3!!!

 

[Hmom]

Just wanted to make a quick stop in and update you all on my Grandma. She passed away yesterday afternoon. So keep us in your prayers while we lay her to rest.

Jessica, you & your family are in my thoughts.

 

[Hmom]

If any of you guys are looking for Chef Mickey's reservations TONS of them just opened up!!! Lots for breakfast!!!

Thank you! I am tweaking things since our Aunt may now come with us. I want to keep the same plan, but just try to add her to our reservations. Couldn't get Chef Mickey's until today

Now I am waiting for the 45 day mark to see what might happen due to cancelled vacations. Hate that someone might have to cancel their WDW vacation, but don't mind taking their ADRs!


Shopping report
Ameribag Healthy Back Bag - LOVE IT!!! Tried it for the first time yesterday at the Pittsburgh Renaissance Festival. It was great! You don't have to take it off to access your stuff Mine is an extra-small, but I am short. I didn't want a huge bag, but one big enough to hold the basics for WDW & other fun days. Perfect!

Packing Cubes - Rick Steves (yep, that travel guy)...jury still out. I played with them a bit, but I think I'd actually have to use them on a trip to decide for sure. We won't get the chance to do that until WDW. Although, for keeping us organized, I think they'd be great. Space saving - not so sure.

Dollar Tree - $1.00 glow swords, fairy wands, pitch forks - thought the sword would be perfect for our Pirate & Pal Fireworks cruise!

Have a beautiful Sunday!

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

yep,.. I think my bag was under $2 also...i love it! It's sitting on my bookcase in my room...I am looking at it now...AAAHHHHH the closeness of a Disney trip!!!! I printed out a few of our park days last night...got the first couple of days and the the last 2 ironed out just like I want them....still got a few days of up-in-the-air ideas....will work on those tonight.....
Got tons to do before now and then!
So...how old were your kids when they quit trick-or-treating? My ds14 was around 11 or 12, ds11 said he didn't want to do it this year and dd7 is riding the fence....we do a fall fest at church, so I know they will want to go to that, but ds11 is just wearing a cute orange t shirt we got at Target last week with a jack-o-lantern on it.....not sure about dd---maybe she will do a cute t shirt too and I won't have to fork out $$ for a one-time outfit anymore!!! LOL!!
have any of you started walking in prep for your trips yet? We did one night last week,...plan on hitting it hard next week!!!!!

 

[summerlady]

Just wanted to make a quick stop in and update you all on my Grandma. She passed away yesterday afternoon. I had just left when it happened but I was on the phone when it did. After I posted my last update, things went drastically down hill. None of the meds she was on worked the way it was suppose to. Other meds they tried didn't work either. One even made her go a bit crazy. It was horrible. But we all stayed by her side at all times. Our family is very small, so we are all very close. Loosing grandma was a major hit for us because she was our backbone. But at the same time, it was a relief to know she will never have to suffer again. And I know she is in heaven. If there was anyone going there is was her! We joked what took so long in her finale days was that God was trying to decide what to do with her.

Service will be on Monday. I am not sure I will be on anymore until then. So keep us in your prayers while we lay her to rest.

I'm so very sorry for your loss.

 

[jrasmom]

I'm sorry for your loss, Px4.

A question for ou guys, are any of you on a photopass share that may still be open? I haven't even started looking yet but thought I might look to see if I can find one for a decent price.

 

[MAGGIED]

Just wanted to make a quick stop in and update you all on my Grandma. She passed away yesterday afternoon. I had just left when it happened but I was on the phone when it did. After I posted my last update, things went drastically down hill. None of the meds she was on worked the way it was suppose to. Other meds they tried didn't work either. One even made her go a bit crazy. It was horrible. But we all stayed by her side at all times. Our family is very small, so we are all very close. Loosing grandma was a major hit for us because she was our backbone. But at the same time, it was a relief to know she will never have to suffer again. And I know she is in heaven. If there was anyone going there is was her! We joked what took so long in her finale days was that God was trying to decide what to do with her.

Service will be on Monday. I am not sure I will be on anymore until then. So keep us in your prayers while we lay her to rest.

Jessica... so sorry for your loss

Thank you!


Shopping report
Ameribag Healthy Back Bag - LOVE IT!!! Tried it for the first time yesterday at the Pittsburgh Renaissance Festival. It was great! You don't have to take it off to access your stuff Mine is an extra-small, but I am short. I didn't want a huge bag, but one big enough to hold the basics for WDW & other fun days. Perfect!

Packing Cubes - Rick Steves (yep, that travel guy)...jury still out. I played with them a bit, but I think I'd actually have to use them on a trip to decide for sure. We won't get the chance to do that until WDW. Although, for keeping us organized, I think they'd be great. Space saving - not so sure.

Dollar Tree - $1.00 glow swords, fairy wands, pitch forks - thought the sword would be perfect for our Pirate & Pal Fireworks cruise!

Have a beautiful Sunday!

Okay you guys are making me think I might need to do some shopping... I have never tried those packing cubes... can someone please give me some details?

 

[CajunMomof3]

A question for ou guys, are any of you on a photopass share that may still be open? I haven't even started looking yet but thought I might look to see if I can find one for a decent price.

What is a photopass share? I am confused...

 

[Hmom]

Okay you guys are making me think I might need to do some shopping... I have never tried those packing cubes... can someone please give me some details?

Look on ebags or ricksteves or some other travel accessories website (REI, Magellan, Orvis). I think one of them has a video. Mine are mesh on the top & sides with solid nylon type fabric on the bottom. Again, not sure on the space saving, but I can just pull out the cube & put it in the drawer with our stuff in it. They also have some in Target's luggage section, but they are only 2 inches or so deep. The ones I bought are like 4 or 5 inches deep.

I am also hoping they'll help me remember DS's underwear this time Yes, I really did forget to take underwear for the child As a result, he had some of the most expensive Disney underwear he'll ever have.

What is a photopass share? I am confused...

Photopass shares have been discontinued on disboards. I think maybe there were issues with people paying to share a photopass & not getting anything in return. And/or maybe Disney didn't really look favorably on sharing.

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

Wendy~ go to a website like Eagle Creek dot Com...they have video to show you how convenient the packing folders are..the cubes I have found at Target, but not the folders (or envelopes,whatever you wanna call them)....some of the big luggage specialty stores and the container store carry them too. They help keep your stuff organizes, folded and space maximized.....if nothing else I want them for DH!!! That man brings an entire closet!!!!!!

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

My ticker starts with a 1

 

[Marshay]

Look on ebags or ricksteves or some other travel accessories website (REI, Magellan, Orvis). I think one of them has a video. Mine are mesh on the top & sides with solid nylon type fabric on the bottom. Again, not sure on the space saving, but I can just pull out the cube & put it in the drawer with our stuff in it. They also have some in Target's luggage section, but they are only 2 inches or so deep. The ones I bought are like 4 or 5 inches deep.

I am also hoping they'll help me remember DS's underwear this time Yes, I really did forget to take underwear for the child As a result, he had some of the most expensive Disney underwear he'll ever have.

For our July trip, I used a combination of 2 gallon ziploc bags and packing cubes. I had used the bags before but never the cubes. What a great difference!

I got my cubes at Eastern Mountain Sports with a coupon. I only bought the smaller ones and used them for shoes, toiletries, socks, bras, undies. I also made a "baby bag" for all the baby stuff. I made an "office bag" for things like pens, paper, tape, scissors, stapler, post-it notes, etc. I made a 1st aid bag. And a "fun things" bag with all the glow in the dark stuff (except the long things like necklace and wand). All the clothes went into individual day bags.

It really helped keep everything super-organized and after our trip, for some of the bags I could just store them in our Disney/Vacation Storage Box for the next trip. They are already packed!

Oh, and they had an insulated one we use for our portable DVD Player and DVDs. Another insulated one we use for all the cords, chargers, etc.

 

[sjs314]

Look on ebags or ricksteves or some other travel accessories website (REI, Magellan, Orvis). I think one of them has a video. Mine are mesh on the top & sides with solid nylon type fabric on the bottom. Again, not sure on the space saving, but I can just pull out the cube & put it in the drawer with our stuff in it. They also have some in Target's luggage section, but they are only 2 inches or so deep. The ones I bought are like 4 or 5 inches deep.

I am also hoping they'll help me remember DS's underwear this time Yes, I really did forget to take underwear for the child As a result, he had some of the most expensive Disney underwear he'll ever have.

I have never priced undies in Disney but I remember the year we had the most expensive Jackets I had ever bought since we forgot ours

Photopass shares have been discontinued on disboards. I think maybe there were issues with people paying to share a photopass & not getting anything in return. And/or maybe Disney didn't really look favorably on sharing.

Wendy~ go to a website like Eagle Creek dot Com...they have video to show you how convenient the packing folders are..the cubes I have found at Target, but not the folders (or envelopes,whatever you wanna call them)....some of the big luggage specialty stores and the container store carry them too. They help keep your stuff organizes, folded and space maximized.....if nothing else I want them for DH!!! That man brings an entire closet!!!!!!

Since my trip in 2005 I use the space bags that are made for packing in a suitcase but have never tried the folders , the space bags to save a lot of space, they are just kinda hard to squeeze the air out of , at least for me they are

My ticker starts with a 1

8 weeks from today I will be at AKL at Sanna's in Kidani and looking at the Giraffes and Zebra while we eat.

For our July trip, I used a combination of 2 gallon ziploc bags and packing cubes. I had used the bags before but never the cubes. What a great difference!

I use zip loc bags for all the small tolietries and large ones for my extra shoes, I was very happy I did last trip when I forgot to close the powder at least it was only in the zip loc bag and not all over everything, that would have been one awful mess to clean up

I got my cubes at Eastern Mountain Sports with a coupon. I only bought the smaller ones and used them for shoes, toiletries, socks, bras, undies. I also made a "baby bag" for all the baby stuff. I made an "office bag" for things like pens, paper, tape, scissors, stapler, post-it notes, etc. I made a 1st aid bag. And a "fun things" bag with all the glow in the dark stuff (except the long things like necklace and wand). All the clothes went into individual day bags.

It really helped keep everything super-organized and after our trip, for some of the bags I could just store them in our Disney/Vacation Storage Box for the next trip. They are already packed!

Oh, and they had an insulated one we use for our portable DVD Player and DVDs. Another insulated one we use for all the cords, chargers, etc.

 

[sjs314]

I went shopping over the weekend and finally bought my new sneakers for the trip now just need to break them in if it stops raining.

Went for a stress test today, fingers are crossed I do not get a call from the doctor when he reads the results

 

[jrasmom]

Photopass shares have been discontinued on disboards. I think maybe there were issues with people paying to share a photopass & not getting anything in return. And/or maybe Disney didn't really look favorably on sharing.

I found that out after I posted. OOPS, hope I didn't get anyone (including myself) in trouble with that!! I did also find out they are available on Facebook if you search for Walt Disney World Photospass you'll find them.

Can I say how excited I am that we're 75 days out now???

 

[Trackey79]

Can I say how excited I am that we're 75 days out now???

I remember when we hit 75 days out. Before that time it seemed like Nov would never get here, but since day 75 time seems to be flying. We are down to 54 days and I just can't believe it!! Part of me wants it to hurry, but the other part of me knows once its come and gone, then I have no countdown to Disney again for a while to look forward to, hehe.

 

[jrasmom]

I remember when we hit 75 days out. Before that time it seemed like Nov would never get here, but since day 75 time seems to be flying. We are down to 54 days and I just can't believe it!! Part of me wants it to hurry, but the other part of me knows once its come and gone, then I have no countdown to Disney again for a while to look forward to, hehe.

Once this trip is over I'm not srue how long it will be before we get to go back. It's been every other year since 2006 since some things are changing so I plan to SUPER enjoy this trip!!!

I feel like I'm the 'late bloomer' here because most of you are in your 50's or 60's countdown. But it's all good as we ALL are going to WDW!!

My daughter is part of a pre-professional official youth ballet of WV and the studio opens back up full time today. So from here on out those days WILL fly for me. She is in class 3-4 days a week plus rehearsals will begin soon for the fall show which takes place the Friday BEFORE Thanksgiving, plus a Nutcracker performance on Dec. 11th once we're back.

 

[shinysparklybubbles]

I hit Target up yesterday and got the glow bracelets and some thanksgiving themed window clings!!! 2 months from tomorrow!!