Update! rental house, 4 kids, and the grouchy grandparents! June 2013 Pre-trip Report

[Leger13]

Yay to final payment and some ADR's! sorry to hear your dad can't make it but it'll still be fun. LOVE Ohana breakfast! We did that on Alex's bday in December.

 

[agmmbolam426]

I know it has been a while since I updated my pre trip report..shame on me, I know.... between school, work, and 4 little rugrats life has been a little hectic ... so what better way to take a breather then work on our plans for our fun filled Disney trip! As I was reading over the past excerpts to our trip report and I couldn't believe how much our children have changed since I began this trip report.... So of course, I need to update the pictures for you all.


Landon and KK


Addie and Emma
They both have become big fans of Doc Mcstuffins, Sofia the first, and pretty much every princess.

We also added another member to our family too....This is Boss:


Last weekend we started watching youtube videos of the new fantasyland expansion and I have to say it looks amazing! We are all so excited to finally see it. My girls can't quit talking about riding the mermaid ride. I was absolutely obsessed with The Little Mermaid when I was a little girl and its so funny all of my girls love the same princess. We were thinking about eating at Be our guest for lunch. I have seen a lot of mixed reviews about the food but of course that wont stop us. DH and I have become such foodies over the years and Disney has so much good stuff to eat so we have made a list of stuff we want to try. The only problem is every year we do this same thing and when we get there our stomachs get full so quick we can never make it all the way through! A few things we really want to try in Magic Kingdom are:

Waffle Sandwiches from Sleepy Hollow (fresh fruit and nutella and sweet and spicky chicken to be exact)
Casey's Corner hot dogs and corn dogs
Roasted pork shank from Gaston's Tavern

Im sure this list will grow as we walk through the park.....

I know I already mentioned this in an earlier post but for all of you just now joining in let me get you up to speed. We have decided to stay off property this year for a few reasons. One, we will have 4 small children and my mother in law with us so we figured there would be more space. Originally, my father in law was planning to go with us but he cant get the time off work Two, it was much more cost efficient for us. We would have had to get two rooms otherwise and two of the kids would have ended up having to share a room with my in laws . The problem with that is that im sure after all day in the park they will probably want their own room for sanity reasons. So by doing it this way we can use the difference to help pay for all the extra fun stuff like souvenirs, snacks, and the pirates league! Their is also a game room, pool, and a lake to take the kids fishing also. Plus, I think my favorite part is the washer and dryer. The last time we stayed at Pop we spent a fortune on laundry! we just couldn't get our clothes to dry. So, I think it has it perks We just paid it off this week too

Every year we have gone to Disney we have went in September and have used the Dining plan. So this year we are going to have to pay for all of the food "out of pocket" when we get there. We will be eating more quick service than usual but we have made reservations for dinner at Ohana and breakfast at Kona. We love Ohana and my MIL has never eaten there before so I cant wait for her to try it. Believe it or not I have never eaten at Kona. I have seen so many pictures of tonga toast and it looks so good.

Our plans are to spend 2 days in Epcot, 2 days in Magic Kingdom, and 1 at Animal Kingdom.We like taking 2 days in Epcot so we can spend one day focusing on seeing the characters and then next time the rides. Landon and Kk's favorite ride is "the big ball" as they call it (spaceship earth) so we ride that several times. We also take 2 day in MK so that we have enough time to cover everything, especially with the new fantasyland expansion.

Another tradition we have before Disneyworld is crafts. My kiddos love making crafts. My sweet grandmother is getting us started by making my girls matching princess dresses for our trip. They are so excited! I took my 2 year old to the craft store(crazy, i know lol) and she chose a purple princess fabric and then five seconds later a pink princess fabric...im sure you can see where this is going! I attempted to help my grandmother make them but I have come to realize I am the kind of woman that can copy a craft on pinterest but past that im pretty much useless I was also thinking of making Landon a mickey pirate shirt and these really cool mickey necklaces made out of washers. Ill post some pics once we have finished.

So on a random side note. Addie has become completely obsessed with Sofia the First and everything keeps getting sold out where I live. Do they have a lot of Sofia the First stuff in the parks?

To be continued....

 

[shalom]

Yay on paying off part of your trip! That's always a good feeling.

There's a thread on the restaurant board "$50/a day dining" that you might check if you're wanting to keep your dining budget down. I enjoyed its predecessor ($40/day), partly because it tends toward more adventurous meals. Tried the vegetarian sandwich at Restaurantasaurus based on that thread, and was surprised at how much I liked it.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3088426

Josh at easyWDW also discusses the best dining deals, although since he eats there so often he's also looking for the most interesting variations on hot dogs and hamburgers -- for instance, he recommends the hot dogs back in the new circus area over Caseys, and also the hot dogs by Echo Lake at the HS, I think partly because they're cheaper but also because they offer more options. Although the problem with people going in search of the cheaper options is that Disney catches on when people mention it on the Internet. "Same ice cream is cheaper in China than Japan? Better fix that..."

 

[agmmbolam426]

Thank you for all the great ideas! We really appreciate it. I will definitely check those out! Yeah...Disney is pretty quick to change those prices. We cant have anything being cheap in disneyworld

 

[agmmbolam426]

It looks like there may be a change of plans....again
My FIL was originally going with us then he was unable to get the time off work. Well, as of a few days ago he is trying to work out taking a few days off and flying down on Wed. after work and staying for a few days and then riding back with us. Everyone cross your fingers that we can find him a cheap flight so he can come join in the fun

 

[hodgesda1]

Just caught up with your post today. We are heading to WDW next week and have decided to stay off property so I am hoping I don't regret it. We usually stay on property, never the same place twice. My concern is the travel time from our resort to the parks. We are saving a ton by staying off property even adding in the cost of parking and gas. Sometimes we have to decide if cost is more important than convenience. This time it seems to be. Enjoying your planning so far.

Dave

 

[agmmbolam426]

Just caught up with your post today. We are heading to WDW next week and have decided to stay off property so I am hoping I don't regret it. We usually stay on property, never the same place twice. My concern is the travel time from our resort to the parks. We are saving a ton by staying off property even adding in the cost of parking and gas. Sometimes we have to decide if cost is more important than convenience. This time it seems to be. Enjoying your planning so far.

Dave

Well first off, thanks for reading From everyone I have talked to it has its pros and cons but I bet it will be worth it! Let me know how it works out for you and your family next week! I hope you all have a wonderful trip!

 

[agmmbolam426]

Good news!!!! My FIL bought his plane ticket today We are so excited he is coming with us! I spoke with my MIL on my way back from school this evening and she told me that my FIL has been talking about the trip non stop. It feels like our trip is complete now!

 

[agmmbolam426]

Well tickets were ordered today, will pick up saturday in orlando. Cargo carrier is installed and the packing has started! Can not believe we leave in 2 days

ALthough we have had some setback in the past 2 weeks. Our toyota sequoia had a bad front right bearing ($350) and the drive shaft basically broke last week ($200) so that money had to come out of our disney budget. But we will not let it keep us from having a bad trip, we just can not eat out as much.

 

[Leger13]

Sorry y'all had some car repairs to take care of but at least you had the funds to do so. Hope you guys have a very magical time and a safe trip!

 

[shalom]

Sorry to hear about the car repairs, but glad you could pay them right off.

Hope you have a great time!

 

[dsnycrzy]

Well it is the 1st week of June. Hope you are enjoying your trip or your travel to your trip. I too will be trying a vacation home this year just because with my kids being DD20, DS17, DD11(she is twice the size of the 20yr old) and DS2, there is nowhere for us to move in those value rooms anymore We are looking forward to our stay at the vacation home. We usually go late August because its cheaper than June. We used to go in May but had to swith that due to school too.