What do you mean we’re DRIVING from CA to WDW??? With 4 kids!!!!

[blessedmom4]

Thanks! I really need to get an update done but right now just trying to get things ready for us to head out of town for Thanksgiving. We're leaving Tuesday right after my Dr.'s appointment and won't be home until Sunday. Part of me doesn't want to go but at the same time it'll be nice to just get away.

I keep meaning to and well as you can see that hasn't happened. And your not old!!

Good Morning Little Mama!! I hope you arrived safely at your destination and that you are feeling well!

I am so incredibly Thankful God brought you in to my life!! Praying for the many blessings you deserve.

​

 

[ladylyons]

Good morning Sandra... I know I am a bit early - but I won't have time to do this tomorrow. So, I hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

D~

Thanks D! We did have a great time at my parent's. While it was fun being there I was glad when we got home too.

Good Morning Little Mama!! I hope you arrived safely at your destination and that you are feeling well!

I am so incredibly Thankful God brought you in to my life!! Praying for the many blessings you deserve.

​

Thank you Judy!! I'm thankful that I've had the opportunity to get to know your family too!!

We did have a great time at my parent's house. I figured I just wanted to relax so I didn't get on the computer much while we were up there. I've been feeling good. I think I've finally gotten all my numbers under control which has been a big deal for me!! At my last check up she was trying to say I had to go on medication to get my fasting numbers under control (all the rest were ok) and I told her we had just changed when I'll be eating my bedtime snack so I needed time to try that. She gave in but I'll be seeing her again on Dec. 10. But since I've changed when I'm eating my snack my numbers are better than they were. I've also lost 10 lbs since I saw the nutritionist and my Dr. couldn't be happier with that (I was over weight to begin with so I can lose without it affecting the baby). The baby still has a very good strong heartbeat and he's very active. The kids love putting their hands on my belly and feeling him kick them. The look they get is just priceless.

 

[lovethattink]

Glad to hear you are able to stay off medicine, adjusting your snack time, and that everything is looking better. Hope you get a good report on the 10th. Glad your Thanksgiving went well too.

 

[ladylyons]

Glad to hear you are able to stay off medicine, adjusting your snack time, and that everything is looking better. Hope you get a good report on the 10th. Glad your Thanksgiving went well too.

Thank you! I couldn't be happier to stay off medication (whether it be oral or needles). Makes me feel good and know that I can do it if I just put my mind to it.

 

[ladylyons]

So now my DH is thinking it may be worth it to just fly but the main questions I have are what days are normally cheaper to fly on? How far in advance do you normally see the better deal? We have quite a few airports we could possibly fly out of including San Francisco, Sacramento, Oakland, and San Jose. DH even mentioned Reno and Los Angeles since we're hoping to add a couple days on to the trip and go to DL. Any one who has lots of advice on flying I'm up for it. I've only flown a couple of times in my life and only once with kids. So any and all advice is appreciated!!

 

[pharmjenn]

Here is my take. I don't think there are many, if any, direct flights to Orlando out of the Bay Area. And direct is always the best option for flying with multiple kids. Less schleping your carryons, stroller, carseats and kids through the airport.
SWA has the most flights through Oakland or San Jose, and either of those would be easiest for you. Sacramento (SMF) is a smaller airport also, and I don't think they have many off airport parking lots to use, so parking may be an issue if you don't have anyone to drop you off.
SWA can also be pretty cheap if you are able to plan ahead and watch for their sale prices. Plus they give you free checked bags, so that is a savings over the other airlines. Carseats and strollers fly free on most all airlines.

Overall, I think flying is a great idea, vs driving both directions. You will get so much more time in Orlando, for really not much more money. Flights will probably be $400 or so each, so $2000 for the 5 of you. The kids are still young enough, that they wouldn't get too much out of a x-country trip, even if you did want to make some stops.

 

[scdak]

I fly alot but not from the west coast so can't chime in on that but the PP had some good ideas for you. I would fly in a heartbeat if the price is close to driving to make it easier on you in so many ways. Just the time savings alone compared to driving would make it worth it for me. Just think of how much time you will spend trying to entertain the 3 older kids, that would be awesome for you. 2 adults - 4 kids, easy peazy lemon squeezy as my 5 yr old nephew would say! 2 adults can conquer anything by working together I was crazy a few years ago and took my then 3 year old nephew and 70 year old mother who has mobility issues to Disney by myself and survived to tell it!

 

[ladylyons]

Here is my take. I don't think there are many, if any, direct flights to Orlando out of the Bay Area. And direct is always the best option for flying with multiple kids. Less schleping your carryons, stroller, carseats and kids through the airport.
SWA has the most flights through Oakland or San Jose, and either of those would be easiest for you. Sacramento (SMF) is a smaller airport also, and I don't think they have many off airport parking lots to use, so parking may be an issue if you don't have anyone to drop you off.
SWA can also be pretty cheap if you are able to plan ahead and watch for their sale prices. Plus they give you free checked bags, so that is a savings over the other airlines. Carseats and strollers fly free on most all airlines.

Overall, I think flying is a great idea, vs driving both directions. You will get so much more time in Orlando, for really not much more money. Flights will probably be $400 or so each, so $2000 for the 5 of you. The kids are still young enough, that they wouldn't get too much out of a x-country trip, even if you did want to make some stops.

Last time we flew we did fly out of Sacramento and didn't have any issues parking there. I figure I'll find the airport that has the cheapest flights and go from there. I've priced some right now and we're looking at about $424 a person on United non stop from San Francisco (SFO). That's a lot of souvenirs I can get the kids and me if we just drive. We wouldn't bring car seats just something extra to lug around. Only one that we might have to for though would be James since he is the hardest one to keep contained at times.

Don't get me wrong I'd prefer to fly but at almost $2500 for us to fly compared to less than $1000 driving. I'll drive. The kids are on the young side for site seeing but I still think it'll be a fun experience for all of us.

Thanks for the tips!

I fly alot but not from the west coast so can't chime in on that but the PP had some good ideas for you. I would fly in a heartbeat if the price is close to driving to make it easier on you in so many ways. Just the time savings alone compared to driving would make it worth it for me. Just think of how much time you will spend trying to entertain the 3 older kids, that would be awesome for you. 2 adults - 4 kids, easy peazy lemon squeezy as my 5 yr old nephew would say! 2 adults can conquer anything by working together I was crazy a few years ago and took my then 3 year old nephew and 70 year old mother who has mobility issues to Disney by myself and survived to tell it!

I'd prefer to fly but again it's just so expensive for a family of 6 (well 5 since one would be a lap baby.) For Christmas the kids are getting some new things that will hold their attention more than the stuff we have now. We have the original leapster's now and the kids only get them for special occasions (car trips, Dr. appointments, good behavior, etc.) They don't get them every day so they still aren't bored with them. Jeremy is getting a Nintendo DSI, Sarah is getting a Leappad2 and James will be inheriting the leapster and v-tech we have. So I think we have some of the boredom covered. I also plan on getting some note pads for drawing (will have clip boards), small toys and games the kids can paly while we're traveling. We also have the 2 screen DVD player we'll put in the van (if we do drive) and that is always a hit for them too. Again it's not an all the time thing only special occasions like really long road trips.

I figure we'll survive it's just a matter of will our sanity survive.

Thanks for the tips!

 

[ladylyons]

So I think we've finally narrowed things down to where we want to eat. When is a totally different story.

These are the one's we know we want to do for sure...

Crystal Palace (early morning breakfast. James is a bit Winnie the Pooh fan!!)

BOG - Lunch (DH could care less to meet Beast so doesn't want to go for dinner.)

CRT - Probably lunch or dinner (Have to dine with the Princesses for the Princess.)

Biergarten - Late Lunch/Early Dinner (DH traveled Europe in college and really loved the food in Germany when he was there and we just recently saw a show that showed Biergarten and he got all excited about it. )


Here's the one's we're still talking about (there's a few more but I don't have the list near me right now. I'll add them when I do)...

50's Prime Time - Probably lunch (We did Sci Fi last trip and DH doesn't want to go back and I'm ok with it. It would have been nice to go back for nostalgia reasons but I have to give DH some of the things he wants too.)


I want to do the Fantasmic dining but where would you go with young kids? Mama Melrose sounds good but I don't know if I could get the kids to eat anything there.

Now to get DH to relook at the list and we will hopefully be able to make those dining reservations on the 17th. Which will be here before we know it! Getting excited seeing park hours show up for the days we're going to be there!!

 

[DMGeurts]

I always prefer flying to driving - I am not sure why... It is such a hassle, but it's so quick. Hopefully you are able to find flights that are easy for you all to handle.

Love your restaurant choices... CP is always a must do for us before the parks open. BoG was good - but I don't feel like it's a must do. Have not done Biergarten or a F! dinner pkg before - so no opinions on those. But we do like the food and atmosphere at 50's... Although getting a server who is in character has proven to be difficult for us.

When is your 180?

D~

 

[lovethattink]

Your choice of restaurants are great.

I now prefer 1900PF to CP, for food selection and I prefer the characters there. Alice, Mad Hatter, Mary Poppins, Pooh and Tigger. I have pictures up on fb from our breakfast.

We love 50's PTC and Biergarten. BOG, the food isn't that great, but the castle is magnificent. The cupcakes are super yummy!

I have picky eaters, so we haven't gone to the castle since my oldest was a little boy.

I assume you know about allearsnet.com for the menus and other info?

 

[ladylyons]

I always prefer flying to driving - I am not sure why... It is such a hassle, but it's so quick. Hopefully you are able to find flights that are easy for you all to handle.

Love your restaurant choices... CP is always a must do for us before the parks open. BoG was good - but I don't feel like it's a must do. Have not done Biergarten or a F! dinner pkg before - so no opinions on those. But we do like the food and atmosphere at 50's... Although getting a server who is in character has proven to be difficult for us.

When is your 180?

D~

I'd prefer to fly too but I can't break the budget by flying since we'll have to pay for 5 seats. The baby would be a lap baby. That worked out great the first time we went to WDW as a family in 2009 (Sarah was a lap baby and did great).

Thanks! CP is a must do for James since he loves the Winnie the Pooh characters so much. I've heard the food isn't all that at BOG but I know we'd love to see the restaurant and since I've told Sarah about it she now has to eat in the Beast's castle.

December 17 so it's approaching quickly.

Your choice of restaurants are great.

I now prefer 1900PF to CP, for food selection and I prefer the characters there. Alice, Mad Hatter, Mary Poppins, Pooh and Tigger. I have pictures up on fb from our breakfast.

We love 50's PTC and Biergarten. BOG, the food isn't that great, but the castle is magnificent. The cupcakes are super yummy!

I have picky eaters, so we haven't gone to the castle since my oldest was a little boy.

I assume you know about allearsnet.com for the menus and other info?

I wouldn't mind eating at 1900PF but we like to get to the parks and stay there as long as possible before we have to head out for our midafternoon break. I think I've seen those pictures. I'll have to go check them out again.

Jeff is pretty excited about Biergarten. He keeps telling me we better eat there. That's why we're looking at BOG for lunch. I've heard it can be hit or miss but again since I've told Sarah about it she has to eat in Beast's castle. She's fine without meeting him so we don't have to do dinner thankfully.

We did breakfast in the castle so that's why we're talking about lunch or dinner this next time. I do know about allears but keep forgetting to go check them out. Jeremy and James can be picky at times but Sarah is pretty good about trying new things.

Thanks for the input!

 

[WDWJonasGirl]

I'm here!! Jeremy will be the age I was when I first went to WDW.

 

[kaoden39]

The 50's place always looks so fun to me.

 

[lovethattink]

I wouldn't mind eating at 1900PF but we like to get to the parks and stay there as long as possible before we have to head out for our midafternoon break. I think I've seen those pictures. I'll have to go check them out again.

Jeff is pretty excited about Biergarten. He keeps telling me we better eat there. That's why we're looking at BOG for lunch. I've heard it can be hit or miss but again since I've told Sarah about it she has to eat in Beast's castle. She's fine without meeting him so we don't have to do dinner thankfully.

We did breakfast in the castle so that's why we're talking about lunch or dinner this next time. I do know about allears but keep forgetting to go check them out. Jeremy and James can be picky at times but Sarah is pretty good about trying new things.

Thanks for the input!

Not sure if they are still doing it or not, but there was a way to make lunch reservations at BoG. You'll have to ask Lisa, mommytomrb how she made her resie. They walked right by all the people lined up. When we ate there, we got in line around 10:15 am for lunch and til we got in the castle, ordered and were seated it was around 11:30. It's a super busy place, and they cut off the line very early on.

As for my dh's vacation days, they won't interfere with your trip. He was a smart guy and took a week for SWW!! So we will be at 2 of the 4 weekends this year.

I'm here!! Jeremy will be the age I was when I first went to WDW.

The 50's place always looks so fun to me.

 

[ladylyons]

I'm here!! Jeremy will be the age I was when I first went to WDW.

How fun is that!! He's excited about the trip and by going off of his height now I think there's only a couple things he won't be able to go on. We're hoping he hits the 44" mark between now and June which he should hopefully do since he's 43" now. He's sooo looking forward to trying out the rides WDW has that DL doesn't (Everest, Dinosaur, Mission Space, etc.). This isn't his first trip but it will be the first trip he remembers (he was 27 months old his first trip to WDW and 5 weeks old his first trip to DL.)

The 50's place always looks so fun to me.

That's why I want to try it. It looks like it would be fun to do.

Not sure if they are still doing it or not, but there was a way to make lunch reservations at BoG. You'll have to ask Lisa, mommytomrb how she made her resie. They walked right by all the people lined up. When we ate there, we got in line around 10:15 am for lunch and til we got in the castle, ordered and were seated it was around 11:30. It's a super busy place, and they cut off the line very early on.

As for my dh's vacation days, they won't interfere with your trip. He was a smart guy and took a week for SWW!! So we will be at 2 of the 4 weekends this year.

I think the lunch reservation is part of the FP+. I've read a few things on it so I'll just keep an eye on how that's working. I may make a dinner reservation though (if I can get one) to at least have something in case lunch doesn't work out.

Yeah!! Smart man!! He knows what's important to his family. SWW!! Sounds like it's going to be another fun "Season" for JJ.

 

[ladylyons]

So no new trip news to report yet.

But I do have a baby update. Went to the Dr. yesterday and I do not have to go on medication to control my numbers. She is very happy that I've been able to get them all under control and we are now going to be having an ultrasound every time I go in for a check up. I'll be going in every 2 weeks with my next appointment scheduled for Dec. 26. The baby's head is at the top of my stomach for now and she's not worried yet that he hasn't turned because I'm only 33 weeks tomorrow. We will talk other options (C-section, the Dr. trying to turn the baby, etc.) later on though if the baby hasn't turned in the next few weeks. She also said as long as the baby's weight does not get out of control or as the pregnancy progresses my numbers don't get out of control she'll just let things take it's course. Meaning they won't induce me but if the baby all of a sudden starts putting on a lot more weight than is normal or I can't keep my numbers under control then they will induce me. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers that the baby does what he should do so we can have a natural birth again. My other 3 were all natural with no drugs and I'd really love to be able to do that again.

 

[kaoden39]

So no new trip news to report yet.

But I do have a baby update. Went to the Dr. yesterday and I do not have to go on medication to control my numbers. She is very happy that I've been able to get them all under control and we are now going to be having an ultrasound every time I go in for a check up. I'll be going in every 2 weeks with my next appointment scheduled for Dec. 26. The baby's head is at the top of my stomach for now and she's not worried yet that he hasn't turned because I'm only 33 weeks tomorrow. We will talk other options (C-section, the Dr. trying to turn the baby, etc.) later on though if the baby hasn't turned in the next few weeks. She also said as long as the baby's weight does not get out of control or as the pregnancy progresses my numbers don't get out of control she'll just let things take it's course. Meaning they won't induce me but if the baby all of a sudden starts putting on a lot more weight than is normal or I can't keep my numbers under control then they will induce me. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers that the baby does what he should do so we can have a natural birth again. My other 3 were all natural with no drugs and I'd really love to be able to do that again.

I am thrilled to hear that there will be no medicine for you. That is great news. I will continue to keep you in my prayers. I had both Kody and Loren cesarean section. The healing process stinks.

 

[ladylyons]

I am thrilled to hear that there will be no medicine for you. That is great news. I will continue to keep you in my prayers. I had both Kody and Loren cesarean section. The healing process stinks.

Thank you!! I was so happy to hear no medication!! I know a few people who have had c sections and just the thought of basically having to have surgery to have my baby scares the heck out of me. And I would probably hate the healing process too. I don't have time to just lay around and heal.


Tomorrow is the day!!! ADR DAY!!! Wish us luck!! There aren't too many very popular one's we want but it's still nerve wracking.

 

[kaoden39]

Thank you!! I was so happy to hear no medication!! I know a few people who have had c sections and just the thought of basically having to have surgery to have my baby scares the heck out of me. And I would probably hate the healing process too. I don't have time to just lay around and heal.


Tomorrow is the day!!! ADR DAY!!! Wish us luck!! There aren't too many very popular one's we want but it's still nerve wracking.

ADR is out so far on WDW. Disneyland you are doing it much closer to the trip. I am not a fan of making ADRs. I always end up making them and cancelling them. Now I am in the process of wanting to make them again.