Well imagine my surprise!June 2009 PTRw/pics 7/7 pg. 76 NEW TR started link on pg. 76

[dddisrunner]

Thanks for sharing that link . I'll guess well have to do that next year since it won't open until at least July. You are going to have a blast at MNSSHP, it's so fun! Surprising the boys will be so fun you and Brian.

Thanks Nichole! PLEASE, anything you can tell me about MNSSHP would be great! I am really excited to surprise them!

 

[kaysmommie]

Thanks Nichole! PLEASE, anything you can tell me about MNSSHP would be great! I am really excited to surprise them!

Any questions you have feel free to email me anytime. Are you guys going to dress up? You probably already know most of what I'm going to tell you. First off you can get into the park at 4PM with your party tickets even though it doesn't start until 7PM. Also I would suggest resting up before the party since it is less crowded the last 2 hours. The year my kids didn't get a long nap they wanted to leave by 9:45. They will give you all trick treat bags too.

There are a couple of rare characters out for this party. You can meet Abu with Aladdin and Genie in Adventureland. We also met Walrus from Alice in Wonderland on her special trick or treat path. Stitch has a dance party inside Cosmic Ray's and he dresses up like Elvis. The Villains do a meet & Greet after thier show in front of the castle. Your boys will probably like that. Hallowishes and the Boo to You Parade are not to be missed!! Even Tom thought they were worth the price of admission and he is so cheap . I would suggest seeing the second parade at 10:30. We even sat on Main St 15 minutes before it started and there were no crowds. I tried to take a picture of the headless horseman but it didn't come out and didn't really get to see him since my face was in the camera. He will Gallop down the parade route from FL all the way to town square.

I love the ALice trick or treat path that starts in Toontown. They have another one near the riverboat but it's not as good. Also Mickey, Minnie and other characters are usually in Toontown Hall of fame dressed up their costumes. If you want to get a picture with Snow White and all 7 dwarfs make sure and get on line early. Usually they are in Fantasyland kind of by the tea cups. The Pooh characters also come out in costumes in front of Pooh's playground. They have a neat photo op in front of Haunted Mansion, but we have always skipped since the line gets long. Aslo CInderella's Carriage is out for a photo op on the road between Fantasyland and Liberty Square. You might want to bring a small flashlight to read the park maps too. You will see a light up (goofy balloon I think) to show you where the candy stops are. They also give out alot at the end of the parade, so don't worry too much about hitting every candy line. Hope that helps.

 

[dddisrunner]

Any questions you have feel free to email me anytime. Are you guys going to dress up? You probably already know most of what I'm going to tell you. First off you can get into the park at 4PM with your party tickets even though it doesn't start until 7PM. Also I would suggest resting up before the party since it is less crowded the last 2 hours. The year my kids didn't get a long nap they wanted to leave by 9:45. They will give you all trick treat bags too.

There are a couple of rare characters out for this party. You can meet Abu with Aladdin and Genie in Adventureland. We also met Walrus from Alice in Wonderland on her special trick or treat path. Stitch has a dance party inside Cosmic Ray's and he dresses up like Elvis. The Villains do a meet & Greet after thier show in front of the castle. Your boys will probably like that. Hallowishes and the Boo to You Parade are not to be missed!! Even Tom thought they were worth the price of admission and he is so cheap . I would suggest seeing the second parade at 10:30. We even sat on Main St 15 minutes before it started and there were no crowds. I tried to take a picture of the headless horseman but it didn't come out and didn't really get to see him since my face was in the camera. He will Gallop down the parade route from FL all the way to town square.

I love the ALice trick or treat path that starts in Toontown. They have another one near the riverboat but it's not as good. Also Mickey, Minnie and other characters are usually in Toontown Hall of fame dressed up their costumes. If you want to get a picture with Snow White and all 7 dwarfs make sure and get on line early. Usually they are in Fantasyland kind of by the tea cups. The Pooh characters also come out in costumes in front of Pooh's playground. They have a neat photo op in front of Haunted Mansion, but we have always skipped since the line gets long. Aslo CInderella's Carriage is out for a photo op on the road between Fantasyland and Liberty Square. You might want to bring a small flashlight to read the park maps too. You will see a light up (goofy balloon I think) to show you where the candy stops are. They also give out alot at the end of the parade, so don't worry too much about hitting every candy line. Hope that helps.

WOW! Thanks Nichole! I am printing this out as a reference! You ROCK!

 

[dddisrunner]

This was a GORGEOUS weekend, but WOW...I am exhausted! We are getting closer and closer to our trip! 54 days from tomorrow! I have some questions for you experienced summer WDW goers!


I am not one who likes to be bogged down with alot of "stuff" while at the parks. Usually I just carry my Overland Donner bag which comfortably holds 2 water bottles, sunblock, camera, hand sanitizer, tissues, chapstick, wet ones, motrin, cell phone, park passes, adr card with ressie #'s, bandaids and gum! The bag is comfy and never very heavy! BUT in June we will definitely be needing some ponchos and our spray fans...we have 2 of the Disney ones and they are not small!! What should I carry those in? I have a Vera Bradley backpack but I REALLY don't want to carry 2 bags I would be afraid to leave the ponchos (they aren't the $ store ones) they are heavier and our spray fans, I remember, last year Lesley had her fan stolen! So which option do you think is best, please help! What have you done in the past?

A. Make Bryan carry a manly backpack for the ponchos and fans.
B. Just suck it up and carry 2 bags.
C. Make each of the boys carry a fan(keep in mind they will probably have their lanyards on too) and risk the ponchos.
D. Just take our chances and leave everything in the stroller?


Next, I am trying to figure out our souveneir budget! The boys both have some Disney dollars and some gift cards about $75.00 each, they will each have a 30 minute arcade card too, thanks to a VERY generous friend ! Hi Amy I really think that is plenty! Staying at SSR though it will be VERY tempting to shop at DTD ALOT!! I really would like to limit their spending though to using the $ they already have. Is that reasonable? I am in TROUBLE though. I would like to go into the Basin I would also like to buy some Mickey head wine glasses, I can't find them online anymore Bryan probably won't buy anything He likes to spend his souvie budget on alcohol sample in the World Showcase I don't know, what do you guys usually budget, if you don't mind sharing? I really want to have a firm # in mind though because this could really do some overall damage if it isn't planned out ahead of time!

Lastly, I wasn't supposed to find out but I happened(sp?) to see the e-mail from ticketmaster but Bryan ordered tickets for our family and both of our moms to see...........



MARY POPPINS ON BROADWAY in MAY!!!!!!!! He was able to get the $15 companion tickets!!!!! I am over the moon excited and the boys are excited too!!!!

I look forward to your replies and suggestions!!!

Diane


Bye the way, have you seen how beautiful Kidani Village is going to be!!! So excited to stay there someday and call it "HOME"

 

[timandlesley]

This was a GORGEOUS weekend, but WOW...I am exhausted! We are getting closer and closer to our trip! 54 days from tomorrow! I have some questions for you experienced summer WDW goers!


I am not one who likes to be bogged down with alot of "stuff" while at the parks. Usually I just carry my Overland Donner bag which comfortably holds 2 water bottles, sunblock, camera, hand sanitizer, tissues, chapstick, wet ones, motrin, cell phone, park passes, adr card with ressie #'s, bandaids and gum! The bag is comfy and never very heavy! BUT in June we will definitely be needing some ponchos and our spray fans...we have 2 of the Disney ones and they are not small!! What should I carry those in? I have a Vera Bradley backpack but I REALLY don't want to carry 2 bags I would be afraid to leave the ponchos (they aren't the $ store ones) they are heavier and our spray fans, I remember, last year Lesley had her fan stolen! So which option do you think is best, please help! What have you done in the past?

A. Make Bryan carry a manly backpack for the ponchos and fans.
B. Just suck it up and carry 2 bags.
C. Make each of the boys carry a fan(keep in mind they will probably have their lanyards on too) and risk the ponchos.
D. Just take our chances and leave everything in the stroller?


Next, I am trying to figure out our souveneir budget! The boys both have some Disney dollars and some gift cards about $75.00 each, they will each have a 30 minute arcade card too, thanks to a VERY generous friend ! Hi Amy I really think that is plenty! Staying at SSR though it will be VERY tempting to shop at DTD ALOT!! I really would like to limit their spending though to using the $ they already have. Is that reasonable? I am in TROUBLE though. I would like to go into the Basin I would also like to buy some Mickey head wine glasses, I can't find them online anymore Bryan probably won't buy anything He likes to spend his souvie budget on alcohol sample in the World Showcase I don't know, what do you guys usually budget, if you don't mind sharing? I really want to have a firm # in mind though because this could really do some overall damage if it isn't planned out ahead of time!

Lastly, I wasn't supposed to find out but I happened(sp?) to see the e-mail from ticketmaster but Bryan ordered tickets for our family and both of our moms to see...........



MARY POPPINS ON BROADWAY in MAY!!!!!!!! He was able to get the $15 companion tickets!!!!! I am over the moon excited and the boys are excited too!!!!

I look forward to your replies and suggestions!!!

Diane


Bye the way, have you seen how beautiful Kidani Village is going to be!!! So excited to stay there someday and call it "HOME"

Hey Diane! I am so excited for you guys to see Mary Poppins, wish we lived closer to New York we'd be there in a heartbeat with rates that low, can't wait to hear all about it!!!! What a great DH you have to surprise you with that.
As for the bags, wow you must have been reading my mind (again, hey, great minds DO think alike : ) because I was thinking through the same things today. Here is what we are going to do, we learned after our fans were stolen on day 1.
I will carry my Vera Bradly backpack and in it bandaids, passes, id's,antibacterial wipes,AND the kids pin lanyards (my kids don't keep them on all day), and our camera (this year it will be our small video camera too - hopefully it will all fit.
In ANOTHER bag (typically it's a smaller/midsize beach bag type bag) to store under our stroller (we're bringing an umbrella one for Lauren- Volo- great stroller) in it will be:
the poncho's (we put 3 in here and that's it, Tim refuses to wear them : )
and the sunscreen, 3-4 bottles of water (they are frozen, put them in the freezer in the room the night before). that's all this bag holds so if it gets stolen it's not the end of the world. We will buy 2 more spray fans this year (sigh) and I plan on putting those under the bag at the bottom of the stroller tucked away. Last year we had them hanging from the back of the rental,- bad move on a 99 degree day I would never want to lug those onto rides.
Last year Luke picked up a small hand held teenie mickey battery powered fan, and I found a tinkerbell one for 3.99 at Target for Lauren today. They have little lanyards on them, so I plan on having the kids carry their own teenie fans and those will be no problem for them to carry,and if they get sick of them I'll throw them in my purse.
As for a souvie budget- we did 75 per kid last year and it worked out well. Lauren used it to get her face painted, get some of those fancy minnie/sparkly ears with the veil type stuff hanging down and some jewlery stuff. Luke used his money on a McQueen tattoo, a Yeti shirt, and I forget what else. Typically we will front them the money for some things like I got Luke a pin for riding Rockin' Roller Coaster for the first time,etc. but they know what money they have and when it's gone it's gone and they've always been good with that. I plan on getting more stuff for our disney kitchen. I got the wine glasses last year they are AWESOME! Tim is the big spender in our family - he loves the Club Mickey store : ) Actually I can go nuts in the World of Disney store too. Gotta get our yearly album, souvies for relatives back home (small stuff), gifts for people caring for our pets while we are away, etc.
Man did I just ramble on or what!! hope I helped some.
Lesley

 

[IluvXU]

I ditto Lesley on the bag left on the stroller (except mine has diapers and baby junk in it too). I have not in two years had a problem, and hope to not this year either.

Have an awesome time seeing Mary Poppins.... I can't wait to catch it here in Cincinnati next spring, but I love to see anything on Broadway!

I think I will be buying an extra spray fan at Walmart soon- I already have two but don't want to be stuck short down there!

 

[Happydog]

SO EXCITED for you to see Mary Poppins! On Broadway will be fabulous. It was amazing when we saw it last October in London. The set and the effects blew me away! And I am a former theater director, so I had so much fun saying "Hey! How'd they do that!" It was funny seeing it where it is set!

You'll love it I am sure.

Re the bag issues... We put things loose in the bottom basket last time, and I took a bag, it is a Skip Hop (actually a diaper bag -- but you'd never know!!) and it was perfect. It is like a messenger bag. The water, the poncho and the rain cover for the stroller went under the stroller, I kept the personal items in the bag, and I did take it with me on the rides. It wasn't uncomfortable, but it also wasn't 90 degrees out. I can sling it across my body. I do recall it got a little heavy at times, though. So maybe the backpack idea is a good one too... definitely separate the "important items" from the less-so... But I'd feel okay leaving it tucked away while we parked the stroller -- are you using a stroller that has that space below? We have never had those fans, but we have never gone during the summer...
Re spending $ for the kids, wow, your $75.00 sounds great! seems like a good amount helps them prioritize. You have the luck to be there for such a nice long time that they can "decide" before they just buy!

 

[Charleston Princess]

Hi, Diane! Exciting news about Mary Poppins!

I would make Bryan carry a backpack, but then I usually just take my chances on the whole poncho thing.

As far as souvenir money goes, I think I am doing about $75 for the kids this year and making them stick to it. For us, I haven't decided yet...I do love shopping at Disney!

 

[lmillercrew]

Hi Diane!!! Went away for a week and it's taken me forever to catch up! First of all, congratulations to Eric for getting his yellow belt!!!
Second, your NY trip looked amazingly fun and productive. I learned so much just from the little things you told me. Like, that the Statue of Liberty is made of copper!! Had no idea I said to DH, "hey, did you know that the statue of liberty is made out of copper?" DH, "yeah". DS pipes in and says, "yeah mom. You didn't know that? Everybody in the United States knows that" Ummm... APPARENTLY not EVERYBODY!! smart***. So then DH sticks up for me and starts asking him the square root of things. Plus, I didn't know that the original torch is no longer attached. Hmm. Sounds like I need to read up on my history a little better.
Anyway, back to your trip. I don't know what it is about Central Park, but it scares me. I always think about CSI NY and how they always find people there. I want to like it becuase it screams NYC.
Now, onto your questions about summer at Disney. We have always gone in June. As far as what kind of bag to carry, I usually carry one of those draw string back packs like Adidas and Nike make. The kids carry one of their own with their own water bottles in it and a poncho. The kids have small fans. We took those big water bottle fans one year and then a reg fan the next year. We prefer the reg fans. They are less bulky and I think that the water makes me more hot. Anyway, and the souvie money question, $75 seems like enough. That's about how much we give and that's it. Just like Lesley said, they know what they have and once it's gone, its gone. I am the one who doesn't get much at Disney. DH tells me to get what I want, but then I get buyers remorse and would rather spend it on everyone else. I'm starting to realize that if I don't get it when I'm there, I regret not doing it when I get home.
Good luck with your planning! I'm anxious to see what you decide on the souvie thing.

 

[Trentmom]

Hey Diane

I think Leslie's two bag idea sounded great

That broadway deal is awesome!!! Kudos to your dh for surprising you with that

 

[CRSNDSNY]

Awesome news about Mary Poppins!!! We're hoping to do a bus trip later this year. ENJOY!

I think you should have the boys carry something to help you out. I agree, it's too hot for you to be a pack mule with everything! Will Bryan wear something on him to help you out?

 

[CRSNDSNY]

That's so funny...I picked up a couple of those at Target for the kids, too!

Last year Luke picked up a small hand held teenie mickey battery powered fan, and I found a tinkerbell one for 3.99 at Target for Lauren today. They have little lanyards on them, so I plan on having the kids carry their own teenie fans and those will be no problem for them to carry,and if they get sick of them I'll throw them in my purse.

 

[mylag1rl]

Hi Diane -
I like the idea about leaving one bag in the stroller. When we went last year in August I bought the insulated Disney small backpack. It worked out pretty well to put 4 water bottles in, ponchos ($ store), maps, camera and ibprofen. We usually came back to the room in the late afternoon evening and I would swap the backpack out for a nike cinch sack. I didn't usually carry water bottles in the evening. Also, some days my husband would carry a cinch sack, too. It just depended what park we were going to. My husband usually carries the money, tickets and fastpasses. My boys didn't have a fan last time but I remember when they were little they would carry those alot themselves.

The souvenier money is a tough question. My boys like to buy pins and that adds up quickly considering most pins are $8 -10.

One thing I thought of about MNSSHP if your boys are going to dress up I don't think they can wear masks. I think it is a safety issue.

That is awesome about Mary Poppins tix. What a nice Mother's day idea !

 

[carissanboys]

We're not summergoers, but Chuck always carries a backpack when we're in the parks. He usually has the water bottles and ponchos in there, as well as sunscreen. I got by this last trip with just having my hipster and most of the days the camera bag.

How exciting about Mary Poppins!!!

 

[dddisrunner]

Hey Diane! I am so excited for you guys to see Mary Poppins, wish we lived closer to New York we'd be there in a heartbeat with rates that low, can't wait to hear all about it!!!! What a great DH you have to surprise you with that.
As for the bags, wow you must have been reading my mind (again, hey, great minds DO think alike : ) because I was thinking through the same things today. Here is what we are going to do, we learned after our fans were stolen on day 1.
I will carry my Vera Bradly backpack and in it bandaids, passes, id's,antibacterial wipes,AND the kids pin lanyards (my kids don't keep them on all day), and our camera (this year it will be our small video camera too - hopefully it will all fit.
In ANOTHER bag (typically it's a smaller/midsize beach bag type bag) to store under our stroller (we're bringing an umbrella one for Lauren- Volo- great stroller) in it will be:
the poncho's (we put 3 in here and that's it, Tim refuses to wear them : )
and the sunscreen, 3-4 bottles of water (they are frozen, put them in the freezer in the room the night before). that's all this bag holds so if it gets stolen it's not the end of the world. We will buy 2 more spray fans this year (sigh) and I plan on putting those under the bag at the bottom of the stroller tucked away. Last year we had them hanging from the back of the rental,- bad move on a 99 degree day I would never want to lug those onto rides.
Last year Luke picked up a small hand held teenie mickey battery powered fan, and I found a tinkerbell one for 3.99 at Target for Lauren today. They have little lanyards on them, so I plan on having the kids carry their own teenie fans and those will be no problem for them to carry,and if they get sick of them I'll throw them in my purse.
As for a souvie budget- we did 75 per kid last year and it worked out well. Lauren used it to get her face painted, get some of those fancy minnie/sparkly ears with the veil type stuff hanging down and some jewlery stuff. Luke used his money on a McQueen tattoo, a Yeti shirt, and I forget what else. Typically we will front them the money for some things like I got Luke a pin for riding Rockin' Roller Coaster for the first time,etc. but they know what money they have and when it's gone it's gone and they've always been good with that. I plan on getting more stuff for our disney kitchen. I got the wine glasses last year they are AWESOME! Tim is the big spender in our family - he loves the Club Mickey store : ) Actually I can go nuts in the World of Disney store too. Gotta get our yearly album, souvies for relatives back home (small stuff), gifts for people caring for our pets while we are away, etc.
Man did I just ramble on or what!! hope I helped some.
Lesley

Too funny Lesley! Yes, you helped ALOT! I will do what most suggested, and just put the ponchos, water and sunblock in one bag and all else in my backpack! I will have to go to Target and check out those teenie fans! Funny about Tim and shopping...maybe should spend some time with him to learn how! We are gpoing to bring our stroller for Eric too. I was going to rent but figured being at SSR we would need one for DTD too! Glad to hear you like the wine glasses! Did you fly home with them? If so, did you carry them on? Thanks!
Diane

I ditto Lesley on the bag left on the stroller (except mine has diapers and baby junk in it too). I have not in two years had a problem, and hope to not this year either.

Have an awesome time seeing Mary Poppins.... I can't wait to catch it here in Cincinnati next spring, but I love to see anything on Broadway!

I think I will be buying an extra spray fan at Walmart soon- I already have two but don't want to be stuck short down there!

Thanks Laura! I am really looking forward to Mary Poppins...I sure hope this Swine flu thing passes by then!

SO EXCITED for you to see Mary Poppins! On Broadway will be fabulous. It was amazing when we saw it last October in London. The set and the effects blew me away! And I am a former theater director, so I had so much fun saying "Hey! How'd they do that!" It was funny seeing it where it is set!

You'll love it I am sure.

Re the bag issues... We put things loose in the bottom basket last time, and I took a bag, it is a Skip Hop (actually a diaper bag -- but you'd never know!!) and it was perfect. It is like a messenger bag. The water, the poncho and the rain cover for the stroller went under the stroller, I kept the personal items in the bag, and I did take it with me on the rides. It wasn't uncomfortable, but it also wasn't 90 degrees out. I can sling it across my body. I do recall it got a little heavy at times, though. So maybe the backpack idea is a good one too... definitely separate the "important items" from the less-so... But I'd feel okay leaving it tucked away while we parked the stroller -- are you using a stroller that has that space below? We have never had those fans, but we have never gone during the summer...
Re spending $ for the kids, wow, your $75.00 sounds great! seems like a good amount helps them prioritize. You have the luck to be there for such a nice long time that they can "decide" before they just buy!

Thanks for all your suggestions! I feel much better about the souvie money after hearing all of your responses!! We will keep the water, sunblock, etc. in the stroller!

Hi, Diane! Exciting news about Mary Poppins!

I would make Bryan carry a backpack, but then I usually just take my chances on the whole poncho thing.

As far as souvenir money goes, I think I am doing about $75 for the kids this year and making them stick to it. For us, I haven't decided yet...I do love shopping at Disney!

Bryan won't mind carrying a backpack, but I think I will leave his hands free for fastpass running, and helping with the fans if necessary!

Hi Diane!!! Went away for a week and it's taken me forever to catch up! First of all, congratulations to Eric for getting his yellow belt!!!
Second, your NY trip looked amazingly fun and productive. I learned so much just from the little things you told me. Like, that the Statue of Liberty is made of copper!! Had no idea I said to DH, "hey, did you know that the statue of liberty is made out of copper?" DH, "yeah". DS pipes in and says, "yeah mom. You didn't know that? Everybody in the United States knows that" Ummm... APPARENTLY not EVERYBODY!! smart***. So then DH sticks up for me and starts asking him the square root of things. Plus, I didn't know that the original torch is no longer attached. Hmm. Sounds like I need to read up on my history a little better.
Anyway, back to your trip. I don't know what it is about Central Park, but it scares me. I always think about CSI NY and how they always find people there. I want to like it becuase it screams NYC.
Now, onto your questions about summer at Disney. We have always gone in June. As far as what kind of bag to carry, I usually carry one of those draw string back packs like Adidas and Nike make. The kids carry one of their own with their own water bottles in it and a poncho. The kids have small fans. We took those big water bottle fans one year and then a reg fan the next year. We prefer the reg fans. They are less bulky and I think that the water makes me more hot. Anyway, and the souvie money question, $75 seems like enough. That's about how much we give and that's it. Just like Lesley said, they know what they have and once it's gone, its gone. I am the one who doesn't get much at Disney. DH tells me to get what I want, but then I get buyers remorse and would rather spend it on everyone else. I'm starting to realize that if I don't get it when I'm there, I regret not doing it when I get home.
Good luck with your planning! I'm anxious to see what you decide on the souvie thing.

So glad you got caught up and that I could help teach you things! Too funny. I was a little scared of Central Park too BUT we were there in the middle of the day and went to all the touristy things and there were TONS of people around! I am so glad we went!

Hey Diane

I think Leslie's two bag idea sounded great

That broadway deal is awesome!!! Kudos to your dh for surprising you with that

Thanks Kelly! I think we will go with Lesley's plan! So excited about Mary Poppins!

Awesome news about Mary Poppins!!! We're hoping to do a bus trip later this year. ENJOY!

I think you should have the boys carry something to help you out. I agree, it's too hot for you to be a pack mule with everything! Will Bryan wear something on him to help you out?

Ha! Thanks about Mary Poppins! Yes, definitely not into being a pack mule!

Hi Diane -
I like the idea about leaving one bag in the stroller. When we went last year in August I bought the insulated Disney small backpack. It worked out pretty well to put 4 water bottles in, ponchos ($ store), maps, camera and ibprofen. We usually came back to the room in the late afternoon evening and I would swap the backpack out for a nike cinch sack. I didn't usually carry water bottles in the evening. Also, some days my husband would carry a cinch sack, too. It just depended what park we were going to. My husband usually carries the money, tickets and fastpasses. My boys didn't have a fan last time but I remember when they were little they would carry those alot themselves.

The souvenier money is a tough question. My boys like to buy pins and that adds up quickly considering most pins are $8 -10.

One thing I thought of about MNSSHP if your boys are going to dress up I don't think they can wear masks. I think it is a safety issue.

That is awesome about Mary Poppins tix. What a nice Mother's day idea !

Thanks for all your suggestions! I like the idea of changing out bags for the nighttime! I will remember not to choose "masked" costumes! My boys like pins too...I might purchase 1 or 2 of them for them but that's it!

We're not summergoers, but Chuck always carries a backpack when we're in the parks. He usually has the water bottles and ponchos in there, as well as sunscreen. I got by this last trip with just having my hipster and most of the days the camera bag.

How exciting about Mary Poppins!!!

Thanks Carissa! Not carrying too much sounds great! But I think I will leave one of the bags with the stroller!

 

[kaysmommie]

On the park bags, I haven't really figured this out either . I have a small Vera Bradley hipster, our camera bag which also is also good sized and we still need to have our poncho's and fans with us too. I think a back pack for the guys is a best bet. Also I will be packing extra hand sanitizer this year .

 

[vamassey1]

Park Bags

We use a small backpack that pretty much carries everything except a water bottle and fans. The fan I picked up the other day has a strap around it. I was thinking we would just wear the fan. This year I'm going with my daughter who will turn 10. She carries her own stuff in her backpack. I got the back at our outlet mall at the totes store. For me they are just the right size and have several pockets and zippered areas. I'm using the small ponchos and they fit just fine in it.

 

[dddisrunner]

On the park bags, I haven't really figured this out either . I have a small Vera Bradley hipster, our camera bag which also is also good sized and we still need to have our poncho's and fans with us too. I think a back pack for the guys is a best bet. Also I will be packing extra hand sanitizer this year .

Thanks for weighing in Nichole!! I will be bringing extra hand sanitizer too!!

Park Bags

We use a small backpack that pretty much carries everything except a water bottle and fans. The fan I picked up the other day has a strap around it. I was thinking we would just wear the fan. This year I'm going with my daughter who will turn 10. She carries her own stuff in her backpack. I got the back at our outlet mall at the totes store. For me they are just the right size and have several pockets and zippered areas. I'm using the small ponchos and they fit just fine in it.

Thanks! I can't wait until the boys can be responsible for all of their own stuff!!
Your Totes backpack sounds great!

 

[vamassey1]

Thanks! I can't wait until the boys can be responsible for all of their own stuff!!
Your Totes backpack sounds great!

It's truly wonderful feeling. Freedom!!

 

[dddisrunner]

It's truly wonderful feeling. Freedom!!

I bet!