**~~***The Official June 2017 Thread***~~**

[ArielSRL]

Rumor is that booking for the Ariel/Eric character breakfast opens tomorrow for dates April 2nd and beyond.

 

[JennLTX]

My princess-averse son is about to have to decide if he's going to enjoy a character meal or a granola bar in the hotel room by himself. Because I WILL meet Flynn Ryder.

 

[ArielSRL]

My princess-averse son is about to have to decide if he's going to enjoy a character meal or a granola bar in the hotel room by himself. Because I WILL meet Flynn Ryder.

I should book it but my 2 boys wouldn't be happy with me. So I guess I'll skip it. Boo hoo.

 

[JennLTX]

I should book it but my 2 boys wouldn't be happy with me. So I guess I'll skip it. Boo hoo.

We're going to be there at the same time, so you are MORE than welcome to be my plus-1 when my boy blows a gasket.

 

[Ferrentinos]

Got my reservation for breakfast at Trattoria al Forno! It opened up right before 6am online. I'm excited to try something new! My DD6 will love the characters and I love the menu for the whole family. I hope the menu doesn't change at all - there is no mention of the couple meal on their booking page so fingers crossed it is the correct thing that I booked!

 

[Amy M]

Where is this meal with Ariel?

 

[ashleymrush]

It's been a while since I've been to the board but I need to update my info for the front page. We switched our reservations from CBR to OKW today. Got an upgrade from 2 rooms at CBR to a 2 bedroom villa at OKW for FREE!!!! Gotta love pixie dust!!!

 

[JennLTX]

Where is this meal with Ariel?

Trattoria al Forno, on the Boardwalk. The menu looks pretty dang good, too!!!

 

[mekay1012]

I didn't have any luck booking yesterday, but I was able to get my Bon Voyage meal booked this morning! I think I'm more excited than my girls! We are doing it our last day before heading home so I think that will be a good way to end the trip.

 

[mekay1012]

What are everyone's thoughts on the dining plan. I don't have it booked because my oldest dd is considered a disney adult, but she eats less than my 3 year old. I just can't see paying so much for her. My original plan was to only do one sit down meal (Ohanas for my dh on Father's day), but we now have 3 meals booked for our 6 night stay. I'm thinking we will still be better off paying oop, because my 2 daughters can probably share meals. We also don't usually do desserts when we eat. I'm just second guessing not having our meals prepaid for (even though I'm planning to have a disney gift card with enough money on it to cover all of our meals).

 

[JennLTX]

Okay, I have to do this.

DOUBLE DIGIT DANCE!!!

 

[Shellyb84]

What are everyone's thoughts on the dining plan. I don't have it booked because my oldest dd is considered a disney adult, but she eats less than my 3 year old. I just can't see paying so much for her. My original plan was to only do one sit down meal (Ohanas for my dh on Father's day), but we now have 3 meals booked for our 6 night stay. I'm thinking we will still be better off paying oop, because my 2 daughters can probably share meals. We also don't usually do desserts when we eat. I'm just second guessing not having our meals prepaid for (even though I'm planning to have a disney gift card with enough money on it to cover all of our meals).

Sounds like you'll definitely be better off paying OOP. I always run the numbers, and really considered it for this trip but we've found we like the flexibility of not having an ADR every single day, and sometimes we just snack instead of an actual lunch.

 

[Roxyfire]

What are everyone's thoughts on the dining plan. I don't have it booked because my oldest dd is considered a disney adult, but she eats less than my 3 year old. I just can't see paying so much for her. My original plan was to only do one sit down meal (Ohanas for my dh on Father's day), but we now have 3 meals booked for our 6 night stay. I'm thinking we will still be better off paying oop, because my 2 daughters can probably share meals. We also don't usually do desserts when we eat. I'm just second guessing not having our meals prepaid for (even though I'm planning to have a disney gift card with enough money on it to cover all of our meals).

Yeah don't do the dining plan. My son is going to be 11 and he eats more like a kid than adult. We're doing maybe 2 buffets for sure, but everything else is just a regular meal. 9 times out of 10 he will order from the kids menu so it's not worth it in our case.

 

[ArielSRL]

We're going to be there at the same time, so you are MORE than welcome to be my plus-1 when my boy blows a gasket.

I booked it just in case! But I'll remember this.

 

[ArielSRL]

What are everyone's thoughts on the dining plan. I don't have it booked because my oldest dd is considered a disney adult, but she eats less than my 3 year old. I just can't see paying so much for her. My original plan was to only do one sit down meal (Ohanas for my dh on Father's day), but we now have 3 meals booked for our 6 night stay. I'm thinking we will still be better off paying oop, because my 2 daughters can probably share meals. We also don't usually do desserts when we eat. I'm just second guessing not having our meals prepaid for (even though I'm planning to have a disney gift card with enough money on it to cover all of our meals).

We are paying OOP and I have at least one TS meal scheduled per day! But I don't always eat the way the DDP is designed. I'm a grazer by nature...a little here, a little there. And my kids eat practically nothing.

So I'll just discounted Disney gift cards to pay for our meals.

 

[ArielSRL]

Okay, I have to do this.

DOUBLE DIGIT DANCE!!!

Same for us!!!!

 

[trvlgirlmq]

Paid off our package today Just have to save for a few incidentals and we are set.

 

[JennLTX]

I posted this over in the YC/BC thread, but thought it was worth repeating here: if you've flown to Orlando, you know the security lines when you leave are just awful (yes, there's a reason DME picks you up 3 hours before your domestic flight). I just got a TSA Known Traveler Number, and considering it's a government process, it was ridiculously easy. $85 covers you and any of your kids under the age of 12 for 5 years as long as they're included in your reservation. Online application, interview appointment a week later during which they confirm your information, take your fingerprints and your money, and you're done. They'll tell you the number might not be sent for 6 weeks, but I got mine online in less than one.

Given all the craziness at the airports right now, if you're eligible, it might be worth investigating!

 

[BigredNole]

Still in the triple digits for another week. We have not finalized Week 2 yet, but it is still looking like it is a go. This will be a trip to remember. We won't have to rush around, we get the number of days I would like for each park, and we have lots of resort relax time (WBC).

 

[Zhoen]

Hello Dearies!

Happy March! How's everyone's planning coming together?

We will hit double-digits soon (this month) but not quite yet.... I'm contemplating making a ring-loop countdown... maybe two, one for Disney, one for end-of-school... that way each kiddo gets to pull a loop each day. I found a paper cutter (one of those big guillotine-looking things) at my school library the other day, so it would be super-easy to cut up all the strips, and they are off school tomorrow, so that could be a project for them, and it could make the (perpetually messy) hallway a little more festive.

So let's see... we did get the tax return finally, and that money is tucked away into a couple of sub-accounts. We're looking to buy all of our tickets at the end of this month--waiting on family members to get their money together so I only have to go through the ticket buying process ONCE. We have one sub account earmarked just for the BS "resort fees" we have to pay upon check-in at our Key West place, along with a couple of other lame incidentals. All of our Universal money is set aside in "Niffler Hoard," which will pay for tickets, those refillable mugs for a couple of days, guesstimated meal costs (we are guessing $50/meal for 4 of us for most QS meals on this trip... our few TS meals I estimated based on the menus) and, of course, a magic wand. (We are just planning to buy one and take turns with it... $48 is too much to buy multiples.) Our "mouse food" sub-account is ALMOST where it needs to be, but not quite yet--obviously that's our Disney money, along with a GC I have. Just before the trip I plan to use my Target redcard to get our GCs up to around $1k... still figuring that part out... want to save the 5% on as much as possible, but don't want to lock too much money into Disney considering all our other "side things."

Speaking of Target, I got a cute dress for DD9 for arrival day... it is white cotton shift with what looks like a blue toile pattern, but when you look at the pattern, it's Beauty and the Beast... Kind of a silly splurge since I'm not sure she'll ever want to wear it again after the trip, but it was only about $25, and DD13 already has a similar dress with an Alice in Wonderland theme I tucked away AGES ago when THAT movie came out... so now they will look all themed and cute on arrival day... (We actually aren't really planning anything but check-in that day, but hey, I don't get to have my kids clean and kempt very often... let me have this moment, even if it's only in my mind...)

Oh, and I did find some linens that will probably work for theming DD13's bed (we are staying in a condo because it's cheaper, but I like to theme it up where I can.) I found a POTC 4 duvet cover and matching pillow case that just might do the trick, though if something even better comes along, I'm willing to re-consider... it turned up at the marvelous $3 bag sale I go to once a month, so if it doesn't work out, I'm not out a ton of cash... (Personally, I'm hoping a lot of little Disney details will come my way as yard sale season gets going.... C'mon Universe, time to show me the goods!!!)

I haven't had any luck improving the time of our T-Rex reservation, and the day we want to go to Beaches and Cream is the SATURDAY before 4th of July... so I'm not hopeful that that's going to work out... but I did find out that you can get the Mickey-pants (smaller) version of the kitchen sink inside of MK, and choose your own ingredients... so while *I* want to see a giant sink of Ice Cream... since the others don't even know it exists, I guess the Mickey Pants will work... it certainly will cost less and taste better... for me it was really just about the experience.. oh well, maybe some other year... (Funny part is, I don't even really like ice cream all that much, especially not the way it sounded all mixed up like that... I just wanted to say we'd done it...)

School and a kiddo in the hospital for half of last month have kept me super-busy, so I haven't even pulled that Cricut I bought myself for Christmas out of the box yet, but hopefully during spring break this month I'll get crackin' on making up all those cute t-shirts I want but can't really afford to have custom-made by anyone but me... fingers crossed.... First, clear space in the workroom... Second, figure out how to work the thing... Third, mess it all up really bad... ;P

And last, but certainly not least... I lost about 9 lbs (depending on when you asked the scale...) last month! That's like TWO 2-liter bottles of soda I *WON'T* be carrying around with me come June! YAY!!!