Walt Disney World with a Tent

[CNDKangaroo]

Cast:
(DH) - not a huge disney fan but goes along with whatever plans I make for holidays

Me - Disney theme park fanatic. It started with my grandparents took me to Disneyland when I was 5.

DS 8 - Loves Disney but is a very cautious child. First time he went to Disneyland at age 3 the only rides he would go on were Casey Jr. and Alice...even Dumbo was a no-go.

DD 5 - Loves Disney and is a wild child. She is the kid at age 3 on Big Thunder with her hands in the air and a huge smile plastered on her face. Thank goodness she is tall for her age so she can enjoy the thrills.

DD 4 - Loves Disney in theory but is terrified of the characters. She enjoys the rides but not the dark ones. Loves Dumbo and the tea cups. She has special needs: developmentally behind in a number of areas and has sensory issues and behavoural issues due to her adoption.

I started planning this trip back in April of 07. We had planned to go in May of 08 but I realized I was saving our money rather quickly and we opted to change our date of travel to Jan. 12th - 24th (we actually leave home Jan. 11th and stay over in Seattle and we don't come home until Jan. 28th as we are going on a cruise).

I am a planner. I bought the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World and read it cover to cover when we decided on our vacation destination. Since that initial read I've re-read it numerous times -- highligting and folding pages. Due to having 5 people in our family and budget constraints as well as our love for camping we decided on Fort Wilderness and a tent. We've done the tent thing many times (not without it's challenges...a child who refuses to go out in the dark which results in mom spending time each morning in the laundry...a child that is terrified of bugs....and a child that loves to wonder and explore and has no fear of getting lost!). I do refuse to cook on holiday though so we opted for the Disney Dining plan for the time we are there. This should ease the packing a bit.
As well, the DDP allows me further scope to my planning. I phoned at 180 days out and received all my ADR's just how I wanted them!
Liberty Tree Tavern
Boma
Coral Reef
Mama Melrose fantasmic package
'Ohana
Biergarten
Whispering Canyon
Chef Mickey
Akershus Royal Banquet
Marrakesh
Crystal Palace
Chef Mickey's (breakfast our last day)

We live on the West Coast of Canada but when researching flights it would cost double to fly out of Canada so we are driving down to Seattle, spending the night and flying our first thing in the morning...arriving in Orlando at 5:12pm!

 

[CNDKangaroo]

Fast forward to Christmas. We gave each child a new wallet with Disney money and a ticket for the Pirate and Princess Party Jan. 21st, as well, I made up a book for each child for their daily journal etc. It looked pretty cool if I do say so but the kids weren't terribly impressed...looked a bit like work to them. I think everyone would have been more excited if I'd been able to keep my mouth shut and not tell them about the trip and make it a christmas surprise...I might be a good planner but I'm a lousy secret keeper!

I'm still trying to decide if the children should wear costumes to the party. I'm leaning towards not as my youngest has sensory issues and a scratchy dress would drive her nuts and I know it would upset her if her siblings got to dress up and she didn't. I may just have her put the dress on top of clothing and then we can take it off when she wants to. Travelling with our youngest is always a challenge. The reward is huge but it takes a lot of effort to make it all work out. She is 4 but has the emotional development of a 18 month to 2 year old. This said she has the intelligence of a 4-5 year old and the physical ability of a 2-3 year old. She is also very, very small. At 4 she is about 35 inches and maybe 30lbs (not on the charts). She is a trooper though!

 

[CNDKangaroo]

Oh my goodness!! I just looked at my ticker and it is only 2 days until we go. What am I doing on the boards...I should be making sure everything is in order and ready to go!! Did I mention that the day after we return home the moving truck is arriving so we can move to a new city? Let's just say our house is in a state of chaos and if I do manage to remember everything it will be a miracle!

 

[Disney Brat]

Just found your PTR....hope you have a great time....and good luck with the move when you get back!!