Tim and Lesley Year of Million Compromises/TONS pics- 8/5 help me pg. 164!!!

[timandlesley]

I saw that you were in Cincinnati. I think I might have written to you last year after you wrote your trip report. We are in Liberty Township. There should be an Ohio Dis Support group around here. I have a friend at the Polynesian this week and another heading down to Disney in May a few weeks before us. Seems like the Cincinnati area is full of Disney Fanatics!

Guess it is a Small World After All (Bad, I know, couldn't help it )
We live very close to Liberty Township, we are in Landen, close to Kings Island.
Thanks for reading and joining the thread!
Lesley

 

[timandlesley]

Looks like a great plan.... what is the age to take girls to BBB?? my dd will be 3 when we go.

They say it starts at age 3. My daughter will be 3 1/2 when we go and she is SO into hair/manicures,etc. etc. I am only doing the 35 package with hair/makeup. I will have her come in with a dress and I decided against the nails because they are the fake ones and she will have them off instantly, not worth the extra 10 in my oppinion.
Lesley

 

[IluvXU]

I caught your pretrip report and trip report from last summer and thought it was great... and as I read on I realized we are a lot alike... teachers, staying at POFQ this summer, honeymooned at Disney, have princess crazy daughters...but even funnier we live in Landen too. I enjoy your planning and too are trying it the TGMike way this trip!

 

[timandlesley]

I caught your pretrip report and trip report from last summer and thought it was great... and as I read on I realized we are a lot alike... teachers, staying at POFQ this summer, honeymooned at Disney, have princess crazy daughters...but even funnier we live in Landen too. I enjoy your planning and too are trying it the TGMike way this trip!

VERY VERY funny! Nice to "meet" you. I will go read your pre-trip report now. Lots and lots in common, very cool!
Lesley

 

[Pixeldust Fairy]

Lesley, you give me inspiration. Last year I so enjoyed your trip report I read every day before we left to WDW. It was our first trip. Your TR was so helpful and entertaining. And oh how lucky I am to find your Pre TR. Very much looking forward to your return from WDW so that I have something to read before I leave. Keep it comming.

 

[timandlesley]

Lesley, you give me inspiration. Last year I so enjoyed your trip report I read every day before we left to WDW. It was our first trip. Your TR was so helpful and entertaining. And oh how lucky I am to find your Pre TR. Very much looking forward to your return from WDW so that I have something to read before I leave. Keep it comming.

Thanks soooooo much, I am flattered

Lesley

 

[txbradybunch]

We are getting ready to go on our spring break trip (18 days and counting) in March. We will be spending 5 nights at Vero Beach Resort, and then 2 nights at SSR. We are only going to one park for one day - the Magic Kingdom on Saturday the 17th. Was wondering about your tips for where and when to find the best parade seating, etc. We went for a week and did the whole all parks all days things with the "mine" and "ours" group of kids June 2004. In June 2006 we had a fantastic time with the "his" crew doing the all out experience. We joined DVC on our last day, and are taking a dream spring break trip with close friends/neighbors to the beach and just MK on the way home.

We spent Father's Day last year at the MK all day long including the EMH. I agree with the other posters about the EMH - they were the best hours of the day for us. We caught a second wind after a great unplanned character dinner at Crystal Palace when we found the park emptying out and the sudden ability to get on the rides so much faster! It was like a 15 year deja vu for me.... here DH and I were running through the exit lines of Space Mountain with his 7 year old twins to run around and get right back in line over and over just before close - JUST LIKE my daddy and I did so many years ago when he turned me into the roller coaster junkie that I now am!!

Just wait til both kids are big enough to go on every ride - you'll have to ponder over the age old dilemma of Rockin Roller Coaster at MGM or Space Mountain at MK???????

Anyway - looking for any pointers you care to share on our Magic Kingdom day. I hope to be there for the rope drop in the a.m. We have Cindi reservations for lunch, and plan to stay until closing time. Thanks!

Looking forward to reading more!

Oh - and almost forgot - CORAL REEF IS AWESOME for the whole family!!!!!!

 

[3dog2kidmom]

O.K., now I have to switch gears and get pumped for POFQ, if any of you have heard good things please post, I need lots of positive reviews . I'm trying to get the kids pumped, the dragon slide is helping . Tim and I have been spoiled rotten by WL and the easy access to the monorail and MK by boat so we are adjusting dining timing in our heads and switching gears a bit, (o.k. doing a bit of mourning too ) but I know we will have a great time.
OH YEAH, THE BIG NEWS IS WE GOT TO ADD A DAY AND WE ARE ACTUALLY SAVING 50 bucks!!!! So that is good news

Lesley,
We are arriving the day you leave! We are staying at Riverside because my DD and I are going with a friend and her 2 DKs so we needed a room for 5. I digress... we LOVED POFQ -- went there for our first family trip on Christmas '05. I think you will love it. It was cold when we were there so we didn't get to swim or take advantage of the dragon slide though. We loved the small location, the bus service was fantastic, DO have beneigts in the food court, and enjoy some time strolling the grounds. The boat ride to DTD was really nice, too. Thanks for sharing your plans with us!! And congrats on saving $$ AND adding a day!!!

 

[timandlesley]

We are getting ready to go on our spring break trip (18 days and counting) in March. We will be spending 5 nights at Vero Beach Resort, and then 2 nights at SSR. We are only going to one park for one day - the Magic Kingdom on Saturday the 17th. Was wondering about your tips for where and when to find the best parade seating, etc. We went for a week and did the whole all parks all days things with the "mine" and "ours" group of kids June 2004. In June 2006 we had a fantastic time with the "his" crew doing the all out experience. We joined DVC on our last day, and are taking a dream spring break trip with close friends/neighbors to the beach and just MK on the way home.

We spent Father's Day last year at the MK all day long including the EMH. I agree with the other posters about the EMH - they were the best hours of the day for us. We caught a second wind after a great unplanned character dinner at Crystal Palace when we found the park emptying out and the sudden ability to get on the rides so much faster! It was like a 15 year deja vu for me.... here DH and I were running through the exit lines of Space Mountain with his 7 year old twins to run around and get right back in line over and over just before close - JUST LIKE my daddy and I did so many years ago when he turned me into the roller coaster junkie that I now am!!

Just wait til both kids are big enough to go on every ride - you'll have to ponder over the age old dilemma of Rockin Roller Coaster at MGM or Space Mountain at MK????
Anyway - looking for any pointers you care to share on our Magic Kingdom day. I hope to be there for the rope drop in the a.m. We have Cindi reservations for lunch, and plan to stay until closing time. Thanks!

Looking forward to reading more!

Oh - and almost forgot - CORAL REEF IS AWESOME for the whole family!!!!!!

Thanks for the EMH comments, we are definitely going to give it a try this year. PM me and I will give you some MK tips, I have a few.
Lesley

 

[timandlesley]

Lesley,
We are arriving the day you leave! We are staying at Riverside because my DD and I are going with a friend and her 2 DKs so we needed a room for 5. I digress... we LOVED POFQ -- went there for our first family trip on Christmas '05. I think you will love it. It was cold when we were there so we didn't get to swim or take advantage of the dragon slide though. We loved the small location, the bus service was fantastic, DO have beneigts in the food court, and enjoy some time strolling the grounds. The boat ride to DTD was really nice, too. Thanks for sharing your plans with us!! And congrats on saving $$ AND adding a day!!!

How cool! So you loved POFQ huh, thanks for the post. The beinets sound YUMMY, can't wait to try them. Glad to hear the bus service is fantastic, it was one of the perks of staying there vs. Riverside in my mind but we'll see. WL bus transportation isn't the best in the world either, but we loved that boat to MK, we'll miss that terribly. We will take the boat to DTD from POFQ though so that will be cool!
Thanks for posting.
Lesley

 

[CourtneyandRyan]

Only on page 3, but I wanted to let you know that I'm so glad I found your report. I read your previous one a while back when I was still a lurker! Now I'm official, and officially loving your report!

And guess what? We'll be in WDW the same time as you!!!!! I hope I cross paths with you and your DH and beautiful children! Here's our breakdown:
June 20th- MGM- Dinner 50's PTCafe
21st- Magic Kingdom- End w/ Dinner at Epcot (Coral Reef)
22nd- Epcot- Dinner LeCellier
23rd- Animal Kingdom Day- Pleasure Island Night- Raglan Road Dinner
24th- Magic Kingdom- End with Dinner at MGM (50's PT again)
25th- Open day to repeat our favorites- Leave at 6:30 pm

 

[CourtneyandRyan]

So, I'm done reading!

Looks like (if you keep your agenda the same ), then we'll both be at Epcot on the same morning. We'll be there bright and early- preferably 30-minutes before it opens at 9:00.

Loving your report. Can't wait for more of the pre-trippie.

Special note to Tim:
By the way, great idea Tim on the week of a million dreams! I think that's fabulous... Way to make the kids and wife feel special! They deserve it. Especially Lesley for all of her devoted planning!

 

[timandlesley]

So, I'm done reading!

Looks like (if you keep your agenda the same ), then we'll both be at Epcot on the same morning. We'll be there bright and early- preferably 30-minutes before it opens at 9:00.

Loving your report. Can't wait for more of the pre-trippie.

Special note to Tim:
By the way, great idea Tim on the week of a million dreams! I think that's fabulous... Way to make the kids and wife feel special! They deserve it. Especially Lesley for all of her devoted planning!

Courtney,
Glad you found the report again, I'm hoping others who read last years will discover this, hey I have time I guess!!!
Glad we'll be at Epcot the same morning, we will be there by opening as well so we'll probably be in the crowd racing towards soarin' getting Fast Passes or hitting the character connection first thing, if you see us be sure to say hi!

Lesley

 

[momof2cutegirls]

They say it starts at age 3. My daughter will be 3 1/2 when we go and she is SO into hair/manicures,etc. etc. I am only doing the 35 package with hair/makeup. I will have her come in with a dress and I decided against the nails because they are the fake ones and she will have them off instantly, not worth the extra 10 in my oppinion.
Lesley

Good call on the 'cheapest' package. I took my girls to BBB back in December, and they loved it. Even though the package with the nails was only $10 more, we decided against it. I did let them buy a new princess dress, but even at $60 plus the cost of BBB, it was still much cheaper than the $175 package. It was the cutest thing ever and totally worth it!

We live in Dayton, so it's nice to hear from other Ohioans. My DH thinks I am a crazy planner, so I'll have to show him some of your posts so he knows I'm not the only one! I have never used Tour Guide Mike, so I may look into that.
Glad to see that you have fun with the planning instead of getting stressed out! Take care!

 

[timandlesley]

Good call on the 'cheapest' package. I took my girls to BBB back in December, and they loved it. Even though the package with the nails was only $10 more, we decided against it. I did let them buy a new princess dress, but even at $60 plus the cost of BBB, it was still much cheaper than the $175 package. It was the cutest thing ever and totally worth it!

We live in Dayton, so it's nice to hear from other Ohioans. My DH thinks I am a crazy planner, so I'll have to show him some of your posts so he knows I'm not the only one! I have never used Tour Guide Mike, so I may look into that.
Glad to see that you have fun with the planning instead of getting stressed out! Take care!

Thanks, your daughters look adorable in the botique pic's, can't wait for Lauren's turn.
Glad to have another Ohioan on board, there are lots of us it seems. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Tour Guide Mike and highly recommend it. In fact I would post my daily plans for each park on here but that would go against everything he believes in and I had to agree not to share his info when I signed up so I can't do that. It's killing me though because I'd love to update everyone on the nitty gritty of my planning which involves the day to day park info, so I highly recommend you check his sight out for future trips, it has been so worth it for us!
Oh yes, I love the planning, no stress here, more like a high
Lesley

 

[timandlesley]

So, I know the details of this thread have died down and they will until the trip gets closer but here is the latest.
I have paid AAA 2400 and we only owe 819 on our package and it will be PAID OFF. I will have that money in April so there will definitely be a SUPER happy post in April announcing we are paid in full.
I've been using Sunshine Rewards and am up to 19.50 earned and 1.25 pending so I'll earn that 20.00 Disney Gift Card soon to go towards our spending money. I've been putting a little away each pay check to get to our total 900 budget for spending money for the trip. I have the 150 put aside for the stroller rental money - OH THE MONEY THAT GOES TO DISNEY, but it's worth every penny
I called my AAA agent yesterday about the AAA story hour at MK. Have any of you heard of this/done this? I am considering it but want good stories about it before I change the itinerary around to fit it in. Anyone?
I'm getting excited about all of the POFQ posts on the boards, they are all so positive about the resort, can't wait to taste those Beinets and check out the pool in person.
Well, gotta get back to work, lunch break is ending.
Until next time:
Lesley

 

[3dog2kidmom]

So, I know the details of this thread have died down and they will until the trip gets closer but here is the latest.
I have paid AAA 2400 and we only owe 819 on our package and it will be PAID OFF. I will have that money in April so there will definitely be a SUPER happy post in April announcing we are paid in full.
I've been using Sunshine Rewards and am up to 19.50 earned and 1.25 pending so I'll earn that 20.00 Disney Gift Card soon to go towards our spending money. I've been putting a little away each pay check to get to our total 900 budget for spending money for the trip.
Lesley

Lesley, do you know you can order gift cards through SR and get 8% back to go to your spending $$ fund? 8% of the 800 you owe would be another $64... watch for a special cashout and it could be more!!! Just a thought because that's the path I'm on for our trip right now. I emailed my TA to make sure she could apply gift cards towards balance due.

 

[timandlesley]

Lesley, do you know you can order gift cards through SR and get 8% back to go to your spending $$ fund? 8% of the 800 you owe would be another $64... watch for a special cashout and it could be more!!! Just a thought because that's the path I'm on for our trip right now. I emailed my TA to make sure she could apply gift cards towards balance due.

WHAT AN AWESOME IDEA!!! So your TA said it could work, do you know if AAA can take Disney gift cards to pay off balances too?? That would be INCREDIBLE!
Lesley

 

[3dog2kidmom]

WHAT AN AWESOME IDEA!!! So your TA said it could work, do you know if AAA can take Disney gift cards to pay off balances too?? That would be INCREDIBLE!
Lesley

I would think so, but definately ask. Ours is going to pay for DDs BBB appointment

 

[timandlesley]

I would think so, but definately ask. Ours is going to pay for DDs BBB appointment

Shelly,
I just emailed her, I'll let you know. Here's hoping!!!!
Lesley