Well Begun is Half Done...When Plans Go Awry (UPDATE: 4/30)
- Thread starter danceintherain
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mommytothreeboys
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I'm so glad you resolved the photo situation. I would have been a wreck! Glad it was a simple fix!
Yay for being at your mom's...you're on your way!
Yay for being at your mom's...you're on your way!
danceintherain
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Oh my goodness I would be a hot mess if I lost my photos!!!!!
I'm glad you were able to get it all figured out and didn't lose any of your memories!!!
Can't wait to see G's Peter Pan costume!
I'm so glad you resolved the photo situation. I would have been a wreck! Glad it was a simple fix!
Yay for being at your mom's...you're on your way!
I was pretty worried about it, because I knew not all the photos were backed up.
It's funny though, because I probably have thousands of pictures of G since he was born to my few hundred from my entire childhood, but it's still hard to deal with the possibility that they may ever go missing.
danceintherain
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Usually, I have an awful time falling asleep the night before Disney (or any trip for that matter). Im always worried that Im going to oversleep, and miss my flight. Our flight was scheduled to leave at 6:40am, and my Dad determined that we should leave around 5am to get there in time. He travels a lot for work, so he knows pretty well how long it will take to get to the airport at certain times of the day, and how long it takes to get through all the bureaucratic nonsense. I think I set the alarm for 4:30.
We decided to just have my Dad drive us in our car, since everything was already packed, and I knew we would probably have a difficult time getting everything to fit in his Prius at the last minute. Also, my Mom drives a Toyota Corolla, and I KNEW all our stuff wouldnt fit in the trunk of her car. It was just easier to tell them both to drive our car.
We put G down to bed at his normal bedtime (8pm) then got things as organized as possible before going to sleep. I think I even went to bed around 9pm, because I knew Id need to be well rested, and I was expecting some tossing and turning.
Luckily, I slept really well. It probably had something to do with the fact that I knew if the alarm didnt wake me up, my Dad would be ringing the doorbell at 5am. I definitely trust my Dad not to sleep through an alarm clock, even if I cant trust myself or Logan.
We were all pretty much ready to go when my Dad got there, and my Mom even got up to entertain G while we were working on the last minute organizing.
{Ok now for the in hindsight part
I dont think Ill ever schedule such an early flight again, especially with a layover. At least not until G and any subsequent children are much older. It just doesnt work very well. G wakes up at 6am pretty much every day regardless, but our 6:40 flight required us to wake up a good 90 minutes before that. While traveling with kids, you want as much sleep as possible. I knew this. I just chose to ignore it, because I wanted to get there as soon as possible. I think our next option wasnt until 11am or some such nonsense, which wouldnt have gotten us to Disney until late in the evening.
It probably would have been fine if we had done our nonstop flight on the way down, and the one with the stop on the way back, but the scheduling didnt work out, and I decided to err on the side of more time at Disney. Ah well lesson learned.}
We were in the car in a few minutes, and on the road. Its always nice to have my Dad take me to/from the airport, because he knows the way so well, I dont have to worry about getting lost. He also knows a lot about the airport. Soon after we started driving, he started asking me about the details of our flight. He specifically wanted to know where our layover was I was a bit confused as to why he wanted to know, and said somewhere in Texas. He then told me that it mattered, because since the merger of Continental and United, the United flights have been in 2 terminals at the Kansas City airport, so if our flight was originally a Continental route we would need to go to Terminal C, instead of Terminal A.
I looked it up, and figured out that we were flying through Houston, which has always been a United route. When we got to the airport, he noted that they no longer had United listed at both terminals, so I expect they must have consolidated since the last time he flew United (he usually flies Delta).
We got out of the car, and began the process of getting all of the luggage to the check-in desk.
At which point I realized something quite annoying: THE CAR SEAT DIDNT FIT IN THE SEAT OF THE STROLLER
{more back story:
G and I have traveled A LOT since he was born, so I quickly figured out the easiest way to maneuver certain items, especially since he didnt walk until he was 22 months old. At first I traveled with his car seat by bungee cording it to a portable luggage cart.
He could ride in it sometimes, or ride in his Lillebaby carrier. The biggest drawback of this system was that I couldnt travel alone with the stroller, unless I wanted to check it with the rest of my luggage. This is something I try to avoid doing AND I like being able to manage all of my luggage myself in most cases (sometimes theres just not someone available to help).
After a while, I figured out that his Cosco Scenera (travel) car seat would sit nicely in the seat of either of his strollers, and I could bungee cord it in, and he could still ride in it, if necessary. So weve been traveling like that for over a year now.}
In my rush and possibly as a byproduct of cockiness, I failed to test the car seat we were bringing with us (a Cosco High Back Booster my Mom has) with the stroller (Baby Jogger City Mini). He probably would have been fine in the Scenera for our trip, but I didnt want to lug it from our house to my Moms, when a perfectly acceptable alternative (I face him forward when were traveling most of the time anyways) was already at my Moms house. It also has a lower profile, so he was able to use the tray table on the plane.
Two adults trying to deal with 4 rolling suitcases, a backpack, a stroller, and a car seat was hard enough with the stroller and car seat as one entity, but without that option, it became more difficult. (it is those moments that make me wish more airports in the US would fall in line and offer free trolleys for use in airports as they do most places overseas).
We pulled through, and got to use the Premier access line at the United counter, so we pretty much walked up to the next available kiosk, where I hurriedly scribbled addresses on luggage tags for the bags that didnt already have them.
Logan worked on checking us in, and we got our boarding passes. This is where things got sketchy.
I looked at my boarding pass and saw that it said Gate C-31, so we went looking for it. We walked ALL the way down to the end of the terminal, and couldnt find the gate.
This is when panic set in
I remembered what my Dad had said about the separate terminals, and thought that maybe we were at the WRONG ONE! It did say C on the boarding pass.
I walked to the first airport employee I saw and asked.
Luckily, I was looking at the boarding pass for our connection in Houston and our gate was right there.
One thing I LOVE about the Kansas City airport is that you only have to go through security with the people on your flight, and maybe 3 other gates. This means the lines are hardly ever more than a few minutes long. We sped through and got to our gate in plenty of time, because it was right there.
Luckily, there were no delays, so we were on our way really quickly. I think they may have had to deice the plane once, but it only took a few minutes.
This is when we decided that the car seat was a bad idea for the plane. DH always tells me not to bring it, but I really feel its the safest place for G, pretty much requires that he sit in cases of turbulence, and keeps the car seat safe (even gate checking doesnt protect it from rough handling). However, this may have been the last time that well use one on a plane for him. Even though G will happily sit in his car seat in the car rear-facing even he HATES them on planes. It might have something to do with comfort. On planes, he pretty much has to be forward facing now, which means he doesnt have anywhere to put his legs. This makes for restless sleeping.
Usually he just passes out during take-off, but he was having a hard time getting comfortable, so he hardly slept at all.
Even though I had packed plenty of activities and toys for G to do on the plane, he wanted none of them. The only thing he seemed interested in doing was watching cartoons on YouTube. Well YouTube requires the internet, and he kept getting angry whenever he couldnt access it. We had my laptop with me, but I couldnt find the DVDs I brought, so that was pretty useless for him as well.
Towards the end of the flight, I took him out of his seat, so we could snuggle, and he was fine until he had to go back in the seat for landing.
Our layover in Houston was short (I think around 1 hour) and the gate area was packed with people with kids. G enjoyed being able to move around for a while unencumbered. I figured out that the car seat fit nicely on the back of our rolling carry on, so I attached it with a bungee cord, and we had no trouble with it after that. Logan grabbed some lunch for us, and before we knew it our next flight was boarding.
We got an interesting surprise when we got on the plane. We werent seated together!
This was kind of odd, because even though I had booked us separately (using different frequent flier accounts) I had put us in seats next to each other. I guess when the airline was checking over the seat assignments at the last minute, they opted to upgrade G and Logan. I didnt think to have Logan double check our assignments when he checked us in, or check our boarding passes after we received them. I should know better than to expect an airline to let things be, but I guess I havent traveled enough.
Since we werent on the same reservation, there was no reason for them to assume that we were traveling together, and it was nice for them to realize that Logan was traveling with a toddler and to afford him a little extra space. After we boarded, I hung out with them for a minute, thinking that I would ask the person sitting in the row with them if they would mind if we switched seat, then it occurred to me that it was Economy Plus, which technically costs more, so it occurred to me that the person assigned to that seat probably paid for the perk, and would likely be unwilling to give it up.
I reluctantly headed back to my assigned seat, and told Logan that he could ask the person if theyd switch, but it was probably not likely, and we could switch halfway through the flight if G needed me.
Well the flight boarded and Logan came back to get me, because no one was assigned to the seat (SCORE!). Luckily, I had the forethought to put all our carry-ons besides my purse and book in the compartments near their seats, so we didnt have to worry about trying to retrieve the bags from the back of the plane when it landed.
This leg of our journey went much better, because we opted to gate check the car seat and G spent most of the time leaning on his Daddy asleep. The extra legroom was nice too!
We decided to just have my Dad drive us in our car, since everything was already packed, and I knew we would probably have a difficult time getting everything to fit in his Prius at the last minute. Also, my Mom drives a Toyota Corolla, and I KNEW all our stuff wouldnt fit in the trunk of her car. It was just easier to tell them both to drive our car.
We put G down to bed at his normal bedtime (8pm) then got things as organized as possible before going to sleep. I think I even went to bed around 9pm, because I knew Id need to be well rested, and I was expecting some tossing and turning.
Luckily, I slept really well. It probably had something to do with the fact that I knew if the alarm didnt wake me up, my Dad would be ringing the doorbell at 5am. I definitely trust my Dad not to sleep through an alarm clock, even if I cant trust myself or Logan.
We were all pretty much ready to go when my Dad got there, and my Mom even got up to entertain G while we were working on the last minute organizing.
{Ok now for the in hindsight part
I dont think Ill ever schedule such an early flight again, especially with a layover. At least not until G and any subsequent children are much older. It just doesnt work very well. G wakes up at 6am pretty much every day regardless, but our 6:40 flight required us to wake up a good 90 minutes before that. While traveling with kids, you want as much sleep as possible. I knew this. I just chose to ignore it, because I wanted to get there as soon as possible. I think our next option wasnt until 11am or some such nonsense, which wouldnt have gotten us to Disney until late in the evening.
It probably would have been fine if we had done our nonstop flight on the way down, and the one with the stop on the way back, but the scheduling didnt work out, and I decided to err on the side of more time at Disney. Ah well lesson learned.}
We were in the car in a few minutes, and on the road. Its always nice to have my Dad take me to/from the airport, because he knows the way so well, I dont have to worry about getting lost. He also knows a lot about the airport. Soon after we started driving, he started asking me about the details of our flight. He specifically wanted to know where our layover was I was a bit confused as to why he wanted to know, and said somewhere in Texas. He then told me that it mattered, because since the merger of Continental and United, the United flights have been in 2 terminals at the Kansas City airport, so if our flight was originally a Continental route we would need to go to Terminal C, instead of Terminal A.
I looked it up, and figured out that we were flying through Houston, which has always been a United route. When we got to the airport, he noted that they no longer had United listed at both terminals, so I expect they must have consolidated since the last time he flew United (he usually flies Delta).
We got out of the car, and began the process of getting all of the luggage to the check-in desk.
At which point I realized something quite annoying: THE CAR SEAT DIDNT FIT IN THE SEAT OF THE STROLLER
{more back story:
G and I have traveled A LOT since he was born, so I quickly figured out the easiest way to maneuver certain items, especially since he didnt walk until he was 22 months old. At first I traveled with his car seat by bungee cording it to a portable luggage cart.
He could ride in it sometimes, or ride in his Lillebaby carrier. The biggest drawback of this system was that I couldnt travel alone with the stroller, unless I wanted to check it with the rest of my luggage. This is something I try to avoid doing AND I like being able to manage all of my luggage myself in most cases (sometimes theres just not someone available to help).
After a while, I figured out that his Cosco Scenera (travel) car seat would sit nicely in the seat of either of his strollers, and I could bungee cord it in, and he could still ride in it, if necessary. So weve been traveling like that for over a year now.}
In my rush and possibly as a byproduct of cockiness, I failed to test the car seat we were bringing with us (a Cosco High Back Booster my Mom has) with the stroller (Baby Jogger City Mini). He probably would have been fine in the Scenera for our trip, but I didnt want to lug it from our house to my Moms, when a perfectly acceptable alternative (I face him forward when were traveling most of the time anyways) was already at my Moms house. It also has a lower profile, so he was able to use the tray table on the plane.
Two adults trying to deal with 4 rolling suitcases, a backpack, a stroller, and a car seat was hard enough with the stroller and car seat as one entity, but without that option, it became more difficult. (it is those moments that make me wish more airports in the US would fall in line and offer free trolleys for use in airports as they do most places overseas).
We pulled through, and got to use the Premier access line at the United counter, so we pretty much walked up to the next available kiosk, where I hurriedly scribbled addresses on luggage tags for the bags that didnt already have them.
Logan worked on checking us in, and we got our boarding passes. This is where things got sketchy.
I looked at my boarding pass and saw that it said Gate C-31, so we went looking for it. We walked ALL the way down to the end of the terminal, and couldnt find the gate.
I walked to the first airport employee I saw and asked.
Luckily, I was looking at the boarding pass for our connection in Houston and our gate was right there.
One thing I LOVE about the Kansas City airport is that you only have to go through security with the people on your flight, and maybe 3 other gates. This means the lines are hardly ever more than a few minutes long. We sped through and got to our gate in plenty of time, because it was right there.
Luckily, there were no delays, so we were on our way really quickly. I think they may have had to deice the plane once, but it only took a few minutes.
This is when we decided that the car seat was a bad idea for the plane. DH always tells me not to bring it, but I really feel its the safest place for G, pretty much requires that he sit in cases of turbulence, and keeps the car seat safe (even gate checking doesnt protect it from rough handling). However, this may have been the last time that well use one on a plane for him. Even though G will happily sit in his car seat in the car rear-facing even he HATES them on planes. It might have something to do with comfort. On planes, he pretty much has to be forward facing now, which means he doesnt have anywhere to put his legs. This makes for restless sleeping.
Usually he just passes out during take-off, but he was having a hard time getting comfortable, so he hardly slept at all.
Even though I had packed plenty of activities and toys for G to do on the plane, he wanted none of them. The only thing he seemed interested in doing was watching cartoons on YouTube. Well YouTube requires the internet, and he kept getting angry whenever he couldnt access it. We had my laptop with me, but I couldnt find the DVDs I brought, so that was pretty useless for him as well.
Towards the end of the flight, I took him out of his seat, so we could snuggle, and he was fine until he had to go back in the seat for landing.
Our layover in Houston was short (I think around 1 hour) and the gate area was packed with people with kids. G enjoyed being able to move around for a while unencumbered. I figured out that the car seat fit nicely on the back of our rolling carry on, so I attached it with a bungee cord, and we had no trouble with it after that. Logan grabbed some lunch for us, and before we knew it our next flight was boarding.
We got an interesting surprise when we got on the plane. We werent seated together!
This was kind of odd, because even though I had booked us separately (using different frequent flier accounts) I had put us in seats next to each other. I guess when the airline was checking over the seat assignments at the last minute, they opted to upgrade G and Logan. I didnt think to have Logan double check our assignments when he checked us in, or check our boarding passes after we received them. I should know better than to expect an airline to let things be, but I guess I havent traveled enough.
Since we werent on the same reservation, there was no reason for them to assume that we were traveling together, and it was nice for them to realize that Logan was traveling with a toddler and to afford him a little extra space. After we boarded, I hung out with them for a minute, thinking that I would ask the person sitting in the row with them if they would mind if we switched seat, then it occurred to me that it was Economy Plus, which technically costs more, so it occurred to me that the person assigned to that seat probably paid for the perk, and would likely be unwilling to give it up.
I reluctantly headed back to my assigned seat, and told Logan that he could ask the person if theyd switch, but it was probably not likely, and we could switch halfway through the flight if G needed me.
Well the flight boarded and Logan came back to get me, because no one was assigned to the seat (SCORE!). Luckily, I had the forethought to put all our carry-ons besides my purse and book in the compartments near their seats, so we didnt have to worry about trying to retrieve the bags from the back of the plane when it landed.
This leg of our journey went much better, because we opted to gate check the car seat and G spent most of the time leaning on his Daddy asleep. The extra legroom was nice too!
danceintherain
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We arrived in Orlando with no trouble. We got off the plane and headed to the bathroom, because we knew it could be quite a while until wed arrive at our hotel. We werent very hungry, so we decided to wait on that. Then it was off to Magical Express!
{I LOVE Magical Express. It makes vacationing at Disney so easy, and it means I dont have to figure out a way to maneuver too many bags for the number of managing adults.
I HATE baggage claim. It completely baffles me why everyone always stands right up next to the carousel. If everyone would stand back a little, then it would be so easy for EVERYONE to see when their bag comes down and retrieve it. Instead, you have to push through people to get to your bags. UGH!
Thats just another reason why ME is such a nice addition, since even car services require you to at least go to baggage claim to point out your bags.
It may take a little bit more time, but youre on an air conditioned bus watching cartoons. ME may have been Gs favorite part of the trip.}
When we got to the ME check in, I pulled our book out and walked up. I indicated to the CM that my sister would be arriving later, so she unchecked her off our list, and sent us on our way.
{I was a bit concerned about Kami using ME, because her paperwork didnt arrive in time. They messed it up the first time, and had the 3 of us listed under Kamis itinerary, and didnt have her listed at all. Our TA sent me the original packet, but ME was supposed to send a second packet that would have been forwarded to Kami. It never came. I knew that all she needed was her name to check-in, but Im a bit of a protective older sister and a control freak, so I was worried that there would be a problem, and she wouldnt know what to do. Ultimately, she was very impressed with the service. She said everyone was so nice and kept saying right this way.}
We were immediately loaded onto a bus, and only one other group loaded after us. To my dismay, Port Orleans-French Quarter was going to be the 3rd stop of 4! Luckily, the other stops were Saratoga Springs and Old Key West with a final stop at Port Orleans Riverside. The short distances between all our stops (all in the Downtown Disney resort area) made the trip bearable, and I always love seeing new places anyways.
The time stamps on my photos put us on ME at 1:40pm
Then .we were there.
danceintherain
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It is fun. It really gets me in the Disney mood.
I'm joining in! can't wait to read more about your trip
Thanks!
You definitely had some pixie dust on that plane!!!
As much as I hate driving 16 hours to Disney- I think flying stresses me more!
G looks excited on the ME bus!
I've flown so much that I'm completely over any misgivings I may have ever had about it. Even with G...I know it's a temporary situation. The drive to Disney would be something like 20 hours for us. Even when I've had plane travel that lasted that long...at least I'm almost always in a position where I can do something for G. In the car he has to be strapped in, and a break for him means stopping. I'm sure once we have more kids, we'll resort to driving places more often, but for now I prefer shorter trips.
I'm driving down to Georgia with my Mom in a couple weeks, and I'm not really looking forward to it at all and G won't even be with us! Maybe that's partly because I hate driving.
I should have an update today or tomorrow. Also, my Photopass photos should be in the mail, so hopefully I have them by next week!
FancyNancy
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Hey I followed you from the April group! Subbin in
mommytothreeboys
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Goodness...I never traveled when my boys were toddlers and now I see that was probably a good idea! You are super-mom to get through it all!
I love ME too! It just makes me excited to see the buses and know I'm on my way! And who wants to carry their own bags anyway..UGH!
I love ME too! It just makes me excited to see the buses and know I'm on my way! And who wants to carry their own bags anyway..UGH!
jenniferreich
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Great trip report! I look forward to hearing more about your trip! The first time we took our sons to WDW, they were 4 and 2--very interesting traveling with those ages!
Thank you to your husband (and to you!) for your service to our country!
I hope you're having a great day! Jennifer
Thank you to your husband (and to you!) for your service to our country!
I hope you're having a great day! Jennifer
danceintherain
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Hey I followed you from the April group! Subbin in
Welcome!
Goodness...I never traveled when my boys were toddlers and now I see that was probably a good idea! You are super-mom to get through it all!
I love ME too! It just makes me excited to see the buses and know I'm on my way! And who wants to carry their own bags anyway..UGH!
G is actually really well behaved for his age, but it's still not pleasant. When he was portable, it was a little easier, because I could just strap him on, and go. Now that he's 30 lbs and talking and walking, it's a bit more difficult, because sometimes I have to argue with him about appropriate forms of transportation.
Thanks!
We're hoping to take G back when he's 4, and hopefully we'll have a second child by that point, so it will be 4 and under 1.
danceintherain
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When we arrived, we were greeted by a few CMs. One was kind enough to present G with some Mardis Gras beads, and a First Visit button (Logan couldnt resist the button, even though it isnt really Gs first visit I think he was kind of bummed that we didnt really qualify for any this time around)
Logan took G over to the TV area while I checked us in. There were only a few families in front of me, but someone from the concierge desk stepped up and helped me over at his counter, so I wouldnt have to wait. He went over my packet with me, and helped me set up our room charge. This was the first time we had used room charge, because Logan doesnt really like the idea for some reason, but since we were supposed to be paying for all of Kamis food, I figured giving her charging capabilities would be the easiest way for that to happen during situations when we werent together. That part worked really well. It was Logan who kept leaving his room key behind.
I joined Logan and G, and we set off to find out room. I had only put one request in a corner room because since the resort was so small, I didnt think anything else would matter.
Well in all my research I overlooked the fact that POFQ only has one bay of elevators in each building. The room they gave us was a corner room all right, but it was about as far as possible away from the elevators. It was also in Building 1, which is the furthest away from the bus stop. (the actual room number was 1301)
I knew that it would likely be ok while we had the rental car, but not so much fun when we were taking the buses, so Logan called and requested a change. Usually I dont mind stairs, but we had a stroller. We lingered in the room waiting for their call. We couldnt really settle in, but we couldnt really leave, because they were planning on calling the room, and it would have been silly to leave our bags behind or take them with us when we didnt know where we were going to end up.
They called back eventually and offered us a room in Building 4, close to the elevator. We took it, and immediately went to check it out. It wasnt a corner room in the sense that it had an extra window, but I didnt care. Not only was it right next to the stairs and the elevator, it was just across the courtyard from the bus stop (I think it was 4211). From now on, Im going to request ground floor or close to elevator whenever we stay at Moderate Resorts. At least until we get past our stroller days (although I cant imagine carrying a much larger child up a flight of stairs at the end of a long day at the parks either).
At that point, it was around 4, because it had taken us close to an hour to deal with the room switching and we were HUNGRY.
I had tried really hard to get a good deal on a rental car, but the best I could do was $84 for 2 days. I had scheduled to go pick it up on our arrival day, because I thought wed have the most free time to do so then, and it would allow us to have it for our first day at the Disney park. I chose 4:30 as the time, because the Car Care Center closed at 5, and I figured 30 minutes would be enough time.
DH went to inquire at the Concierge Desk (I figured theyd call for us) and they gave us a piece of paper with the phone number and hours. It indicated to call around 30 minutes before you wanted to be picked up. It also indicated that they were actually open until 5:30.
Well he called the number and they told him that the shuttle stopped running at 4pm, so they didnt have anyone to come pick him up. Well Logan can be very persuasive, and told them that their hours were until 5:30, so they should be able to pick people up until that point. They decided to try to find a driver. Apparently they did, and told him to be outside in 15 minutes.
He choked down some food and headed out. G and I split a personal pepperoni pizza ($7.29), and Logan got an Angus Mushroom Burger with fries ($9.99). We also got a Juice Box ($1.99) for Gideon and 2 bottles of water ($5). The total was $25.53.
The pizza was pretty standard Disney pizza. It was edible, but I didnt get another one during the trip. I think Logan enjoyed his burger, but he at it very quickly
We were all planning on going to pick up the car together, so I could be added as a driver, but Logan decided that it would just be easier for him to go alone. G was cranky at this point, and our pizza was still too hot to eat (if I would have known that they made them fresh, I would have gotten something else). I gave him my drivers license just in case theyd add me anyways, and sent him on his way.
Logan took G over to the TV area while I checked us in. There were only a few families in front of me, but someone from the concierge desk stepped up and helped me over at his counter, so I wouldnt have to wait. He went over my packet with me, and helped me set up our room charge. This was the first time we had used room charge, because Logan doesnt really like the idea for some reason, but since we were supposed to be paying for all of Kamis food, I figured giving her charging capabilities would be the easiest way for that to happen during situations when we werent together. That part worked really well. It was Logan who kept leaving his room key behind.
I joined Logan and G, and we set off to find out room. I had only put one request in a corner room because since the resort was so small, I didnt think anything else would matter.
Well in all my research I overlooked the fact that POFQ only has one bay of elevators in each building. The room they gave us was a corner room all right, but it was about as far as possible away from the elevators. It was also in Building 1, which is the furthest away from the bus stop. (the actual room number was 1301)
I knew that it would likely be ok while we had the rental car, but not so much fun when we were taking the buses, so Logan called and requested a change. Usually I dont mind stairs, but we had a stroller. We lingered in the room waiting for their call. We couldnt really settle in, but we couldnt really leave, because they were planning on calling the room, and it would have been silly to leave our bags behind or take them with us when we didnt know where we were going to end up.
They called back eventually and offered us a room in Building 4, close to the elevator. We took it, and immediately went to check it out. It wasnt a corner room in the sense that it had an extra window, but I didnt care. Not only was it right next to the stairs and the elevator, it was just across the courtyard from the bus stop (I think it was 4211). From now on, Im going to request ground floor or close to elevator whenever we stay at Moderate Resorts. At least until we get past our stroller days (although I cant imagine carrying a much larger child up a flight of stairs at the end of a long day at the parks either).
At that point, it was around 4, because it had taken us close to an hour to deal with the room switching and we were HUNGRY.
I had tried really hard to get a good deal on a rental car, but the best I could do was $84 for 2 days. I had scheduled to go pick it up on our arrival day, because I thought wed have the most free time to do so then, and it would allow us to have it for our first day at the Disney park. I chose 4:30 as the time, because the Car Care Center closed at 5, and I figured 30 minutes would be enough time.
DH went to inquire at the Concierge Desk (I figured theyd call for us) and they gave us a piece of paper with the phone number and hours. It indicated to call around 30 minutes before you wanted to be picked up. It also indicated that they were actually open until 5:30.
Well he called the number and they told him that the shuttle stopped running at 4pm, so they didnt have anyone to come pick him up. Well Logan can be very persuasive, and told them that their hours were until 5:30, so they should be able to pick people up until that point. They decided to try to find a driver. Apparently they did, and told him to be outside in 15 minutes.
He choked down some food and headed out. G and I split a personal pepperoni pizza ($7.29), and Logan got an Angus Mushroom Burger with fries ($9.99). We also got a Juice Box ($1.99) for Gideon and 2 bottles of water ($5). The total was $25.53.
The pizza was pretty standard Disney pizza. It was edible, but I didnt get another one during the trip. I think Logan enjoyed his burger, but he at it very quickly
We were all planning on going to pick up the car together, so I could be added as a driver, but Logan decided that it would just be easier for him to go alone. G was cranky at this point, and our pizza was still too hot to eat (if I would have known that they made them fresh, I would have gotten something else). I gave him my drivers license just in case theyd add me anyways, and sent him on his way.
danceintherain
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2007
- Messages
- 5,776
Oh...and my Photopass photos did arrive today, so my entries should have more photos once the park time starts.
I'll probably do one more entry this week, then I'll be taking a week off, because I'm headed to Cancun with my Mom for her 50th birthday!
I'll probably do one more entry this week, then I'll be taking a week off, because I'm headed to Cancun with my Mom for her 50th birthday!
danceintherain
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2007
- Messages
- 5,776
Since I'm behind, and kind of anxious to get to the fun part of the trip. I'm going to double up on entries.
I just got back from a trip to an all-inclusive resort near Cancun for my Mom's 50th birthday. It was soo nice to get away for a while. No child. No husband. Just relaxing. So different than Disney.
Anyways...
G and I hung out at the hotel while Logan went to pick up the car. We went to the playground for a bit, and got a feel for the resort. G LOVED that playground! There was one thing in particular that he kept getting drawn to it was a kind of maze thing with balls that drop through as you turn the wheel. He kept trying to get the ball to drop into this one little indention, and would cheer for himself every time he did it. He was always upset when it was time to leave.
I let him play for a while then we went to walk around the pool. He was soo excited by the pool, and wanted to get in right then. I had to work hard to persuade him to come back to the room with me. It was around 5:30 and our bags had arrived, so I began to unpack them.
At this point, I was kind of concerned about Logan. He had already been gone for quite a while, and I really didnt expect it to take that long.
Well apparently the whole thing ended up being much less simple than it should have been. When we ran into the trouble with the shuttle, I probably should have just cancelled that reservation, and used the Avis one I had for the following day instead. Once Logan is moving on something, he wants to make it happen though, and it was better for us to have the car all day on Sunday than it would have been to have it through Tuesday. At this point, Logan and I were considering doing a date during the morning on Tuesday anyways, and we didnt want to mess with having to return the car then.
Logan went out to the front of the hotel within minutes after calling and them telling him that it would be 15 minutes.
He waited.
No one came.
So he called back, and was told that the shuttle came and waited for a while, then left.
Likely story.
He decided to hail a cab, and got there that way. The cab ended up being around $13.
He got there, and apparently they didnt have a record of our reservation. The only reason they gave him a car was because he had the confirmation I had printed out. Even so the total charges ended up being around $140, instead of the $82 I had been quoted (maybe there were some extra fees I was unaware of?). I was pretty annoyed, but didnt push the issue, because I didnt find out until after the fact, and Logan didnt seem to notice or care.
The first car he went to was trashed like literally garbage everywhere. He went back in and told them. They tried to convince him that he had already signed for the car, so that was the one he had to take. Seriously, people?
One thing I love about my husband (most of the time) is that he doesnt take no for an answer, and can be pretty persuasive with people. Im not sure exactly what transpired, but he convinced them to give him a different car.
Either way this took quite a while. I think it was close to 6pm by the time he got back.
He decided to take a little while to rest before we went to find a grocery store.
I just got back from a trip to an all-inclusive resort near Cancun for my Mom's 50th birthday. It was soo nice to get away for a while. No child. No husband. Just relaxing. So different than Disney.
Anyways...
G and I hung out at the hotel while Logan went to pick up the car. We went to the playground for a bit, and got a feel for the resort. G LOVED that playground! There was one thing in particular that he kept getting drawn to it was a kind of maze thing with balls that drop through as you turn the wheel. He kept trying to get the ball to drop into this one little indention, and would cheer for himself every time he did it. He was always upset when it was time to leave.
I let him play for a while then we went to walk around the pool. He was soo excited by the pool, and wanted to get in right then. I had to work hard to persuade him to come back to the room with me. It was around 5:30 and our bags had arrived, so I began to unpack them.
At this point, I was kind of concerned about Logan. He had already been gone for quite a while, and I really didnt expect it to take that long.
Well apparently the whole thing ended up being much less simple than it should have been. When we ran into the trouble with the shuttle, I probably should have just cancelled that reservation, and used the Avis one I had for the following day instead. Once Logan is moving on something, he wants to make it happen though, and it was better for us to have the car all day on Sunday than it would have been to have it through Tuesday. At this point, Logan and I were considering doing a date during the morning on Tuesday anyways, and we didnt want to mess with having to return the car then.
Logan went out to the front of the hotel within minutes after calling and them telling him that it would be 15 minutes.
He waited.
No one came.
So he called back, and was told that the shuttle came and waited for a while, then left.
Likely story.
He decided to hail a cab, and got there that way. The cab ended up being around $13.
He got there, and apparently they didnt have a record of our reservation. The only reason they gave him a car was because he had the confirmation I had printed out. Even so the total charges ended up being around $140, instead of the $82 I had been quoted (maybe there were some extra fees I was unaware of?). I was pretty annoyed, but didnt push the issue, because I didnt find out until after the fact, and Logan didnt seem to notice or care.
The first car he went to was trashed like literally garbage everywhere. He went back in and told them. They tried to convince him that he had already signed for the car, so that was the one he had to take. Seriously, people?
One thing I love about my husband (most of the time) is that he doesnt take no for an answer, and can be pretty persuasive with people. Im not sure exactly what transpired, but he convinced them to give him a different car.
Either way this took quite a while. I think it was close to 6pm by the time he got back.
He decided to take a little while to rest before we went to find a grocery store.
danceintherain
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2007
- Messages
- 5,776
After Logan found himself sufficiently rested, we decided to go ahead and do a grocery run. I wanted to get it out of the way, so we could really settle in.
Ideally, we would have been able to do it when Kami was already available to watch G, but I didnt want to wait until she arrived that night. Also, I wasnt sure how much energy Logan was going to have the next day during our break (another reason why I didnt want to pick up the car then) or how long we would want to spend at Universal on Monday. I definitely didnt want to put it off, and not end up getting there at all.
I looked up directions online before we left, but they were kind of a confusing. We had stayed at the Doubletree near Downtown Disney before, so we were kind of familiar with that area, but not familiar enough. Traffic was moving terribly slow on Hotel Plaza Boulevard.
At the end of it, you can only turn right or left, and the light was very short.
It was finally our turn, and we didnt really know where to go. I knew that the Goodings is right across the street, but since we couldnt go straight, I didnt really know how to get there, and our directions were no help.
We drove for a bit thinking we would turn around if we didnt find it within a mile or so.
Well I saw a Winn Dixie!
Logan was driving, and didnt understand the significance (he's not as well traveled as I am) so I had to explain to him that Winn Dixie is a grocery store. In that time, we passed it, so he turned around and we headed in. I have no idea how the prices there compare to that at Goodings (definitely higher priced than the grocery stores where we shop at home) but they werent too bad.
We spent $67.90
Heres the breakdown, if anyone is curious
Quaker Granola Bars = $3.49
Goldfish crackers = $2.49
Cheezits = $4.19
Bag of Powdered Donuts = $2.99
Gatorade = $1.39
Apple Juice (I think a gallon?) = $2.99
Apple Juice (8 pk single serving) = $2.99
Loaf of Bread = $1.18
Gallon of Water = $0.89
12 bottles of water = $3.39
deli ham = $4.59
Size 4 Pampers = $10.99
sliced cheese = $3.39
½ gallon milk = $3.39
10 pack Uncrustables = $7.89
Munchkin Snack Catcher = $4.39
Pink Lemonade Crystal Light Packets = $2.99
We probably could have done without the loaf of bread and lunch meat, but when I asked my sister if she had any items she wanted me to get she said sandwich stuff would be good. I explained to her that we dont really eat in the room, but she never said I didnt need to get it, so I figured I would humor her. Most of the stuff we could have packed ourselves (the snack catcher was definitely a whim purchase and we could have likely bought one for cheaper at home). G did eat some cheese slices occasionally, so in the future, Ill probably go with a heartier cheese and some crackers. I also should have gotten a smaller box of Uncrustables. G ate some of them, but since the room didnt have a freezer, they didnt work exactly how they were intended. They were great for in the room when he got hungry and the rest of us werent though. He didnt seem to mind that they were a little dried out.
Everything else got used up almost entirely. We did leave a few bottles of water and juice in the fridge (mostly because I forgot about it) but it was still significantly less expensive than it would have been in the parks. We also didnt touch the Crystal Light packets (the water from the counter service places ended up being better than I thought it would be) but they were easy enough to pack to bring home with us. Its possible that I could have gotten similar prices in the gift shop for some things, but we had the rental car anyways.
I put similar items into GardenGrocer.com and it would have been $97.08 (with tax and delivery charge).
So we saved almost $30 by doing the shopping ourselves (again...we were already planning on the rental car). I expect we would have only saved around $10 by bringing most of the stuff from home. We would have ended up still having to do the grocery run or buying some things (ie. milk & juice) in the Disney shops, which may have eaten up those savings anyways.
We still ended up buying some water in the parks, but avoided it for the most part by bringing our own refillable bottles or some of the bottles I bought at the store.
This was great, especially since I hate Aquafina water, so when we did get water in the parks, it was Smart Water, which is a dollar or so more than the Aquafina.
We ended up with around 280 oz of water for a little over $4, which would have cost us close to $50 for Smart Water in the parks! Thats not even including the water we drank with our counter service meals, and I filled up in the food court. In reality, we probably would have ended up getting sodas more, which would have been awful for our hydration, which we struggled with regardless.
Checking out was a bit irritating. I think they only had one regular register open, and 2 of the self-check kiosks were down, so everyone was being siphoned into 3 check-out lanes. There werent a ton of people there, but enough to make it frustrating. We headed to the self-check lanes, and the ladies in front of us were going painfully slow. They didnt seem to understand how it worked, and one of them was trying to buy an avocado or something, and didnt know how to pull up the menu. I probably shouldnt have been as irritated as I was, but I was anxious to start our vacation. Finally, she got some help from an associate, and it was our turn. Im pretty sure I checked my 18 items in half the time it took her to purchase half a dozen.
Then we were done, and headed back to Port Orleans French Quarter.
Ideally, we would have been able to do it when Kami was already available to watch G, but I didnt want to wait until she arrived that night. Also, I wasnt sure how much energy Logan was going to have the next day during our break (another reason why I didnt want to pick up the car then) or how long we would want to spend at Universal on Monday. I definitely didnt want to put it off, and not end up getting there at all.
I looked up directions online before we left, but they were kind of a confusing. We had stayed at the Doubletree near Downtown Disney before, so we were kind of familiar with that area, but not familiar enough. Traffic was moving terribly slow on Hotel Plaza Boulevard.
At the end of it, you can only turn right or left, and the light was very short.
It was finally our turn, and we didnt really know where to go. I knew that the Goodings is right across the street, but since we couldnt go straight, I didnt really know how to get there, and our directions were no help.
We drove for a bit thinking we would turn around if we didnt find it within a mile or so.
Well I saw a Winn Dixie!
Logan was driving, and didnt understand the significance (he's not as well traveled as I am
) so I had to explain to him that Winn Dixie is a grocery store. In that time, we passed it, so he turned around and we headed in. I have no idea how the prices there compare to that at Goodings (definitely higher priced than the grocery stores where we shop at home) but they werent too bad.We spent $67.90
Heres the breakdown, if anyone is curious
Quaker Granola Bars = $3.49
Goldfish crackers = $2.49
Cheezits = $4.19
Bag of Powdered Donuts = $2.99
Gatorade = $1.39
Apple Juice (I think a gallon?) = $2.99
Apple Juice (8 pk single serving) = $2.99
Loaf of Bread = $1.18
Gallon of Water = $0.89
12 bottles of water = $3.39
deli ham = $4.59
Size 4 Pampers = $10.99
sliced cheese = $3.39
½ gallon milk = $3.39
10 pack Uncrustables = $7.89
Munchkin Snack Catcher = $4.39
Pink Lemonade Crystal Light Packets = $2.99
We probably could have done without the loaf of bread and lunch meat, but when I asked my sister if she had any items she wanted me to get she said sandwich stuff would be good. I explained to her that we dont really eat in the room, but she never said I didnt need to get it, so I figured I would humor her. Most of the stuff we could have packed ourselves (the snack catcher was definitely a whim purchase and we could have likely bought one for cheaper at home). G did eat some cheese slices occasionally, so in the future, Ill probably go with a heartier cheese and some crackers. I also should have gotten a smaller box of Uncrustables. G ate some of them, but since the room didnt have a freezer, they didnt work exactly how they were intended. They were great for in the room when he got hungry and the rest of us werent though. He didnt seem to mind that they were a little dried out.
Everything else got used up almost entirely. We did leave a few bottles of water and juice in the fridge (mostly because I forgot about it) but it was still significantly less expensive than it would have been in the parks. We also didnt touch the Crystal Light packets (the water from the counter service places ended up being better than I thought it would be) but they were easy enough to pack to bring home with us. Its possible that I could have gotten similar prices in the gift shop for some things, but we had the rental car anyways.
I put similar items into GardenGrocer.com and it would have been $97.08 (with tax and delivery charge).
So we saved almost $30 by doing the shopping ourselves (again...we were already planning on the rental car). I expect we would have only saved around $10 by bringing most of the stuff from home. We would have ended up still having to do the grocery run or buying some things (ie. milk & juice) in the Disney shops, which may have eaten up those savings anyways.
We still ended up buying some water in the parks, but avoided it for the most part by bringing our own refillable bottles or some of the bottles I bought at the store.
This was great, especially since I hate Aquafina water, so when we did get water in the parks, it was Smart Water, which is a dollar or so more than the Aquafina.
We ended up with around 280 oz of water for a little over $4, which would have cost us close to $50 for Smart Water in the parks! Thats not even including the water we drank with our counter service meals, and I filled up in the food court. In reality, we probably would have ended up getting sodas more, which would have been awful for our hydration, which we struggled with regardless.
Checking out was a bit irritating. I think they only had one regular register open, and 2 of the self-check kiosks were down, so everyone was being siphoned into 3 check-out lanes. There werent a ton of people there, but enough to make it frustrating. We headed to the self-check lanes, and the ladies in front of us were going painfully slow. They didnt seem to understand how it worked, and one of them was trying to buy an avocado or something, and didnt know how to pull up the menu. I probably shouldnt have been as irritated as I was, but I was anxious to start our vacation. Finally, she got some help from an associate, and it was our turn. Im pretty sure I checked my 18 items in half the time it took her to purchase half a dozen.
Then we were done, and headed back to Port Orleans French Quarter.
mommytothreeboys
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 2, 2007
- Messages
- 3,504
We shopped for food on our trip too and were very surprised by how expensive the groceries were. But....it did help to have some convenience foods at the condo and breakfast food as well. Most definitely cheaper than buying food in the parks!
danceintherain
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2007
- Messages
- 5,776
Great update!
Thanks!
Definitely! I think we'll probably do a grocery run from now on. Even though it's pricier than at home, it's still worth budgeting in.
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