Will We Survive With 3 Teens? Tiki23+4 - We're Going To WDW Tomorrow!

[tiki23]

Boy, this trip has been awhile in the making! We’ve been saving and planning for almost 18 months.

In the past, we’ve not had much money so most of our family vacations revolved around camping – in a tent. DD spent her first camping trip in the playpen most of the time because she screamed bloody murder whenever she got dirty. DH is not much of an outdoorsman, but he knows the kids and I love to camp, so he goes for us…and because he knows if I don’t get vacation time, I’ll go insane!

We have almost every Disney movie, starting with The Jungle Book that I bought when I was pregnant with DS#1 – which I said was for him to watch later but which I really bought for myself because it’s one of my favorites. “You-oo-oo, I wanna be like you-oo-oo; walk like you, talk like you do-oo-oo…” Oh oops; where was I?

When the kids were 8, 7 and 5 the planets aligned just right and we made a trip to So-Cal for Disneyland, Universal and Sea World. I’d been to the So-Cal theme parks and Disneyland before, but it was the 1st time for DH and the kids. After I got over being the “Disney Nazi” “Ve haf vays of making you valk faster to der Space Mountain, yes?” we all had a blast; I loved watching the kids’ faces and hearing them laugh.

We talked about going back but….I won’t make you sit through all of the boring details, so let’s just say that some very lean years intervened here. Finally we agreed that it was time to get out of the lousy economic climate of our hometown of Portland so we packed up and moved north to the Seattle area.

A little over a year after our move, things were looking up for me career-wise and money-wise, and I started thinking about a big family vacation. The kids are getting older…. would they still like Disneyland? Maybe I should think about Hawaii? The next day, by chance, my daughter put our vacation tapes from Disneyland in the VCR and we had so much fun looking at them, that Disneyland popped right back up to the top of the list.

I start surfing the internet, looking at prices, hotels, flights. Well looky here – flights to Florida are about the same price as flights to L.A.!

A plan was born.

I ordered the Disney planning DVD. We watched it. I was excited. The kids were excited.

DH was intrigued. Intrigued by just how much money this was gonna cost.

I like to research and plan. I was burning up the computer. Did an internet search for Disney info sites and found the Dis.

An obsession was born.

LOL

 

[Avivasmom]

Off to a good start, I cannot wait to read your trip report.

 

[tiki23]

Thanks Avivasmom! Your daughter is just precious!

 

[tiki23]

I remember very little of my first two trips to Disneyland. I was 2 on the first trip and 2 ½ on the second. When I was 2, my Mom and Dad and I were living in Costa Mesa. They didn’t have much money then but we were happy. We were living in a little tiny house and my Mom was cooking on a hotplate and an electric fry pan.

One week my Dad made an extra $50 helping to paint a house after work. He asked my Mom if she wanted to buy a stove with that $50 or go to Disneyland. My Mom didn’t skip a beat, she said “I’ve been cooking just fine like this and I guess I can keep on a while longer – let’s go have some fun!”

I have a glimmer of a memory of riding Dumbo with my Dad. I only have one other memory of my Dad, from when I was about 3; he came home from deer hunting with a deer tied onto the car. He was killed about a month later in a car accident involving a drunk driver. My Mom was 6 months pregnant with my Dsis at the time.

When I was 2 ½, my Grandpa came down from Oregon to take me trick-or-treating. He was so excited about taking the first grandbaby out for the big night. I guess I got scared to death at the first house when the door was opened by a little old man, and we were done for the night! To get over his disappointment with Halloween, Grandpa took us to Disneyland before he went back home. Another glimmer of a memory aboard Dumbo – this time with Grandpa!

After Dad died, Mom and I moved in with Grandpa and Grandma. DSis was born when we lived with them. I wanted to name her “Cinderella” but my Mom gave her the boring ol’ name of Laura Kathleen.

My Mom grew up watching “The Mickey Mouse Club.” DSis and I grew up watching “The Wonderful World of Disney” every Sunday night. I loved watching the start of that show, when Tinkerbell came on the screen, I really thought it was magic. Any of you around my age might remember that feeling – this was before VCR’s so you planned ahead for the shows you wanted to watch because if you missed it, who knew when it was going to be on again? (Same thing with the Christmas specials. I had to watch “Rudolph” “The Little Drummer Boy” and Charley Brown or it just wasn’t Christmas time!)

We never made a family trip to Disneyland. We lived on a farm and it was hard to get away. Our one big family trip was a car trip to Minnesota to visit relatives. We stopped at Yellowstone along the way; I’d love to go back again some day. I can remember being in 6th grade and one of my classmates was going to WDW over Christmas vacation. I really wasn’t even jealous because I couldn’t even fathom all 5 of us FLYING on an airplane to take a vacation – but I still would have loved another Disney vacation, on either coast!

Fast forward to when I was 17 and I spent the summer in Southern California. I was staying 2 blocks from the beach in San Diego. Being a sun bum back then, I was in heaven. But I also made trips to the theme parks and to Disneyland that summer. I felt that magic again, the magic that I felt when I saw Tinkerbell fly across our TV screen.

 

[disneychickforever]

you are a great writer! I love your style.

I'm sorry to hear about your dad....its terrible when people die like that, and so young too. At least you have some memories about him though, even if you were small

You wanted to name your sister Cinderella? LOL, when my sister was born, I wanted to name her Belle, I loved Beauty and the Beast. It was either that or "Josephina" (she was born on St. Joseph's day....)

My mom picked Allison Marie (yuck)

Anyway, keep it up! Excited to read more!

 

[OhMari]

Sorry about your dad too. Thanks for starting Pre-trip, not to many DISmembers find it, and I have to do a lot of moving around. Let me know when you want to start your TR too.

 

[tiki23]

Thanks disneychickforever and Oh Mari; sometimes I would wonder what it would have been like growing up with my Dad. But I didn't lack for a male role model, I was my Grandpa's little shadow. He taught me how to ride and fish and hunt, how to hold a hammer and how to work hard. He and my Grandmother taught me a lot that I've tried to pass on to our kids.

Thanks for the compliment, too! I've never written anything like this before. Usually the most exciting thing I get to write are financial statements.

 

[tiki23]

Fast forward again to, well…several years later and we’re taking the kids to Disneyland. I just loved that trip. The kids were at a perfect age (aren’t we always at the perfect age for a trip to Disney?!); old enough to get around on their own and young enough to still get that magic sparkle in their eyes when they saw Mickey, Goofy and Tigger for the first time.

As I think I mentioned somewhere earlier, I was *ahem* a bit of a commando on that trip. We started out on Space Mountain – I figured if I could get the biggest ride out of the way it would all be smooooth sailin’ after that.

Raise your hand if you can guess what happened next. You there in the back, a little louder please – yes, that’s correct. Taking 3 kids ages 8,7 and 5…and your loves-rides-not-so-much DH…on Space Mountain, with no preparation or warning IS a really BAD idea. Please see the attendant on your way out, you’ve won the door prize for the evening.

I felt like the world’s most awful Mommy during that ride. I could hear the kids screaming. What was I thinking?? When the screamfest and the ride came to an end, oldest DS was not going to admit he was scared but no, he did not want to ride SM again, thankyouverrymuch. Middle DS crossed his arms, glared at me and said “I hated that ride! It was not fun!” DD, my sweet little girl with the long blond curls looked like she wanted to kick me. And then I looked back at DH who was still in the ride vehicle…and my already sinking heart took a big lurch. He had bought a brand-spanking new Sony video camera right before our trip. Back in ’98 that camera was da bomb! All the bells and whistles, including night vision. Well, it looked to me like the camera was broken and he was picking pieces of it up off the floor. You see, I didn’t warn him either, and he thought he would try out the night vision feature. He had the ride of his life trying to hang on to that camera! (I bought him an “I Survived Space Mountain” t-shirt before we left – I’m not sure if he saw the humor in it, at least at the time.)

Thankfully, the camera wasn’t broken; he was picking up all the accessories that came flying out of the camera bag. And thankfully, I didn’t scar the kids for life but for the rest of the trip, any attraction with the words “space” or “mountain” in it was a no go. They did have a wonderful time though, once the terror wore off, and we made some magical memories on that trip.

Now it’s time to take them to WDW. 3 teenagers.

I’m really afraid that they are plotting revenge.

 

[tiki23]

There's really no reason to have inserted that song title here...other than I used to sing it to the kids when they were little and it cracked them up.

I was just kidding about the revenge part. I think.

I guess it’s time to introduce you to our hopefully happy gang of travelers. (Any of you who have teens can probably guess why I inserted the “hopefully.”) Here’s a little snapshot of who we are, and for fun I picked a Disney character that I think suits each of us. Though they might not agree.

Cast of Characters
DH – 54 Steve, Stevie, Carlos Santana Jr. (He plays a mean guitar!) Dad, Daddy “Old Guy” Mr. Safety (It’s all fun and games until someone loses an eye!).

We’ve been together 18 years, married for 14. (And yes, the kids are all ours…the boys walked us down the aisle.) Plays in a band on the weekends (my heart still goes pitter-pat when I see him up on stage) and drives an airport shuttle during the week. He likes astronomy and reads quantum physics for fun! He’s bringing the same video camera again this trip.
Disney Character: Doc

DS#1 – 16 Bryce, Bryce-man, B-man, “Big Shiny Man” (so named by DD and her friends for his fondness for shiny sports jerseys… and because he’s 6’2”)

It’s puzzling how one kid can crack me up so much one minute and then make me want to crack him over the head the next! Typical teen, I guess. He’d be a great slap-stick comic, he’s got da moves and is always looking to make you laugh. I have a feeling he’ll want to ride Space Mountain more than once this time around!
Disney character: Kronk

DS#2 – 15 Evan, Evvie, Evvie-man; 6’1” but still my boy. Loves his Mom and Dad and not afraid to show it; I still get hugs and kisses ….awww.

He’s funny and smart – he amazes me sometimes with his intuitiveness – has lots of friends but is sometimes on the shy side. He’s really looking forward to this trip and has been my excitement buddy.
Disney character – Goofy (But if you ask Evan, he’ll tell you he’s “Ninja-Goofy”!)

DD – 13 Miranda, Randa, Randy-Pandy, Missy-Miss (she hates that one, lol) 5’7”

Right now she’s totally into animae, Naturo and learning about Japan. Very artistic and has a pretty voice. Coming into her own as a young woman, an independent young woman. She’s not boy-crazy though, she has too much stuff she wants to do on her own to worry about what a boy might want her to be! She has a big heart and loves to do little things for her friends.
Disney character: Mulan

Me – 44 tiki23, Alice, Mom, The Mominator, Mom-Do-You-Know Where-My-(insert item here)–Is?, Honey, Honey-Do-You-Know Where-My-(insert item here)–Is?

Grew up on a farm, rode rodeo, was into sports, music and drama. Now I work as a property manager and am into reading, saltwater aquariums and chauffeuring the kids around. I also like to make lists (I have to write everything down or I forget it!), research on the web and save $$. I felt like I was coming home when I found The Dis.
Disney Character: Dory

14 Days until we leave for Orlando! We're pumped! We're excited! We're going to have the time of our lives!

And I'm starting to freak out. Did I miss anything on my list??

 

[tiki23]

12 Days!!

 

[mouseketeer_mom]

subscribing...

more please..

 

[tiki23]

Hi mousketeers mom! Thanks for reading along.

 

[tiki23]

I took some very good advice from here on the Dis and planned out what I could spend, and then planned the trip around it. I was hoping for cheap airfare, discounts, codes, special rates and all of the money-saving goodies, but I was being realistic that it might not happen.

Of course, now that I came in almost $2,000 under what I had originally budgeted, I can spend more money on stuff. At Disney. “Not so much a savings, but a re-allocation…” I’m on guard that this trip will probably be a losing battle for my wallet.

Now before you think I’m an Uber-Shopper, I will confess that I ended up switching our reservation from Caribbean Beach to Pop Century. There’s 5 of us, Disney said we needed 2 rooms…and I said we needed 2 bathrooms. I looked at the cabins, the suites, renting DVC points, off-site – you name it, I looked at it. DH and I wanted to drive as little as possible, we wanted the kids to have some autonomy, we wanted extra park hours and we wanted the dining plan. I need to have some elbow room to unwind and not be stepping over size 13 sneakers. And the two bathrooms, of course. I really don’t think we’ll be in our rooms enough to notice the difference between a mod and a value. It all added up to POP.

I found a hot deal on airfare. I had budgeted $1,800 for the 5 of us – worst case scenario – but paid only $1,165 RT from Seattle. I was pumped I was excited. The airline? Delta. I hadn’t been paying attention to the news. I freaked. They might go on strike? And the airline is saying if there’s a strike, there might be a going-out-of-business sale on slightly used airplanes? Arrgh!

My boss said not to worry about it; Delta is too big of a company for the government to let them fail. Smart man, my boss.

When it came time to book the rooms, tickets etc. I was still looking at CBR, so I was running the numbers on mousesaversdotcom and allearsdotnet. Maybe an AP could save us some money here. Then came the Best Rate Plan fiasco. RIP BRP. Let’s look at AAA. We have two aging vehicles (ok, let’s face it – the Toyota’s so old it should be featured in Dinosaur) and I’m on the road a lot so we were past time for AAA anyway. I penciled out those numbers and they’re looking good! Called the local AAA and asked for a quote. The numbers just don’t look right, but silly me, I put a deposit down on it anyway as the agent had me 90% convinced that it was the best she could do. But those numbers gnawed at me, nay they haunted me! So I turn to my friends at the Dis. Who turned me on to an angel of a AAA agent in SC, Michelle. Love, love, love her. (Thanks WDW Betsy!) This time I booked the trip at POP. Wow, look at all this extra money we can spend…errr save.

Instead of heading straight to POP, we’re staying off property the night we arrive and the following night after we visit the Kennedy Space Center. This saved us quite a bit; why pay Disney room prices and for the dining plan when we won’t be using them yet? Bring on the free breakfast off-property! Found a great code for the hotel on Deb’s allears site. Cha-ching!

We’ll need a rental car for those few days. Thanks Mary for your Mousesaver’s site; by combining codes I saved almost half off of a minivan rental. Sa-weeeeeet!

And boy howdy, here comes a general public code we could use off of our package. $556 back into our pockets. YES! (Did I tell you I love Michelle at AAA SC?)

And for the cherry on top of this gooey, money-saving goodness I found a fridge swap. Why pay $70 for fridge rental when we can pay only $7….and have fun with other Dis’ers to top it off, like chocolate sprinkles? (Thanks, KatelynnsAuntie!)

It pays to Dis. In more ways than one.

 

[disneychickforever]

yay money for trip! Since June I have been putting all my change in my elephant bank (piggy banks are SO yesterday lol) hoping to save some spending money...I have to count it up tho

So, you've got 3 teens, this is going to be interesting! We only have 2, and one is me...and techincally and by law, we are "Adults" (yea....right...okay then)

Keep writing please!

 

[tiki23]

...we'll be sitting in the plane, waiting to taxi on to the runway! I'm pumped I'm excited but I'm not ready!!

I have our glowsticks, crocs, moleskin and body glide. I've got a spreadsheet, Tour Guide Mike notes and Dis notes but none of it is in my Passporter yet! I haven't packed a single thing, I still need to take a last minute shopping trip and I'm up to my eyeballs in work.

Breathe in. Breath out. Find the happy place. But every time I think about a happy place right now it's somewhere at WDW and thenIstartfreakingoutbecauseI'mnotreadytogo.

In. Out.

In. Out.

InOutInOutInOut.

 

[tiki23]

This is what my family looks like right now:


Well, I hope the kids don't look like that on the outside, they're in school.
DH is off picking up tapes for the two video cameras, that was the last thing on my shopping list.

House is clean. Laundry is done. Tonight we pack!

And I need to triple check my lists.

 

[tiki23]

We're leaving tomorrow morning! We're pumped! We're excited! I called Delta to check our reservations...and I freaked!

They moved the seats again, and AGAIN, we were in the very last row of the plane. I'm traveling with people who are over 6', the back row would be way uncomfortable. I managed to get the seating changed - again - and then the agent says "Oh!" I said "Oh what?" He said "You won't make your connection coming home."

Well, isnt that nice to know??

So, after 45 minutes on the phone, we're now leaving Orlando an hour earlier, and flying via Salt Lake rather than Atlanta to Seattle.

And we don't have assigned seats on the return flights.

Who knows? Maybe we'll pull a Horsey and make some money on this vacation.

Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love ya tomorrow - you're only a day a-waaaaay!

 

[tiki23]

If you'd like to read along, follow the lime green link!