WOOHOO Complete 4/08 Trip Report NOW UPDATING WITH NEW SPRING 2011 PRE TRIP PLANNING

[wwessing]

My Pre-trip report

Here’s the traveler’s. . .

Me – 40 and planner of all travels
DH – 39 and payer of travel expenses
DD15 – quietly anticipating
DD11 – not so quietly anticipating
DD9 (really 8 but going to be 9 in a few weeks and insisting we consider her 9 RIGHT NOW) – planning assistant

Only have 11 more sleeps until it’s time to leave!! 18 months worth of planning has come to this. . . 8 more workdays and 2 weekend days. 8 workdays have me a bit worried because I’m not finished with the BIG PROJECT I’m working on and I need to be finished in order to relax and enjoy this MUCH needed vacation with my family. So, I’ve prompted dh to expect me to work even MORE hours than I’ve been working for the past couple months. I WILL get it done. . .I’m the little engine that could. See, I have to travel 115 miles to get to the office where the BIG PROJECT is. So I have about 2.5 hours of round-trip travel each day. Because I’m needed in my home office with week of 4/21, I have to have BIG PROJECT completed by 4/18. . . (I think I can, I think I can, I think I can). Then it’s a relatively easy 3 days (4/21 – 4/23) at least hours wise until 4/24 with is D-DAY!!!!

K – so I mentioned 18 months of planning. . . then why do I still need things from the store?? Mostly we have purchased everything we need, but these little items keep popping into my head, hence THE LIST! DH is sooooo sick of the LIST that he can’t stand it. As of today, I’ve been informed that HE will finish shopping for the LIST and once he is done, THAT’S IT. . NO MORE LISTS! Weeeeell allrighty then. . .

Me, planner of the travels, has everything planned. We have a travel book. . . . for those of you who have OCD. . .you understand. For those of you who have special needs family members, it is likely you understand as well. Travel book is a 3-ring binder appropriately sectioned off with tabbed dividers. Reservations, budgets, receipts, meal planner complete with menus, tickets, itineraries, park day planners, contact information, vehicle rental. . .well, there’s more, but you get the idea. . . .ok, so don’t laugh at the pencil case full of pens, pencils, sharpies, highlighters, post-it notes, white out tape, paper clips. . . uuumm, yes, I completely understand my OCD issues (I left out scissors and tape, doesn’t that count for something). . .nevertheless. So I probably shouldn’t mention the folder with the trip tik turn by turn directions in case the GPS for some weird reason fails us. . . prolly should not tell you about the giant atlas I picked up either (you know, just in case the gps fails AND for some reason the trip tik jumps out the window) oh, and the calendar in case I forget what day it is. . . . enough already!!!

Seriously though. . .all the above is true. . . .ok, really serious, I’m almost finished packing. As a matter of fact, I took a couple of pics for your enjoyment (go ahead, laugh till it hurts). Here’s a bit of background for you. As mentioned, we are traveling as a family of 5 (yes, we have 3 more kids and a grandchild even who will not be traveling with us since they no longer live in our home). Both dh and I work full-time plus, so pulling this together cannot be last minute. . .well, because there aren’t many minutes to spare in our lives. 4 years ago we took all 6 kids on a wonderful vacation for 16 days. We have a great time and some beautiful memories to last a lifetime. What I’ve discovered during the planning of this trip, is I didn’t really plan that trip. I made reservations and purchased tickets, but really there was not much planning involved. . . I simply didn’t know I needed to. Well, I’ve since become a much better traveler and have definitely done my research this time. So, we travel prepared and with a special needs child, that is a must. Because we can not fly (special needs dd won’t even consider it), we decided to drive straight through. . . 1,055 miles from central Illinois to Orlando, FL. To make that even better, we are driving through the night. This is mostly so dd will sleep a good portion the trip and not freak out because she is cooped up in a car for 18 hours (uummm, yeah, we are driving during the day on the return portion). So, on Thursday, 4/18 dh will pick the kids up from school at 1:00, bring them home for a quick change of clothes, pit stop and into the rental van they will go. On the road by 1:30 at the latest with meal and fuel stops all mapped out and programmed into the GPS. But, I’m getting ahead of myself. The reason most of our packing is done is because we have to work every day (cept sat and sun) between now and then and kids have some after school events over the next week and a half AND next Saturday dh takes the kids to the dome in St. Louis for a Motocross event. Sunday is the celebration of my grandson’s 1st birthday (a whole nother issue since we will be gone for his actual birthday). Plus there’s got to be some time for cleaning the house since we will have a house sitter during our vacay to take care of the critters. Oh yeah, and did I mention dh decided to rearrange the furniture this
weekend?????

Next up. . . packing and pics

 

[wwessing]

Note: I've included pics in the writing of this, but I'm having trouble getting photobucket to upload what I want. . . I'll keep trying and insert them here soon (I hope).

Anyway, packing has become it’s own planning event in itself as we are taking quite a bit of stuff for morning meals in the room and snacks as evidenced by this pic

Yep, that’s a whole suitcase of healthy snacks and breakfast stuff. And, notice the cooler shot has not a soda to be found. . . .we decided enough soda in the parks so we would not be having any of that outside the parks. Oh, the BIG suitcase. . well, it’s full of drinks, but I didn’t take a picture before we closed it up and set it right. Yep, we figured it was easier and more economical to get what we needed here and take it with us. But how to cart around cases of water, V8, a variety of juices. . . put them all in a suitcase with wheels and off we go. Since we only wanted to take one cooler and the one with wheels was not big enough to accommodate what we needed (I have dietary requirements) we packed a little bit of everything and put the rest in the suitcase. . . brilliant, eh? So since I have lost 26 pounds as of this date, and completely changed my lifestyle months ago, I started freaking out about how I was going to manage during vacation. I MUST have fruit, veggies, yogurt, green tea and water. . .that’s what I survive on all day long!!! So, dh says calm down you freak (not really), we will take what we can as far as fresh foods and load up on the other stuff. So I have a case of low sodium V8, cases of water and several cases of juices for the rest of my family. Did I mention I can’t have caffeine or high sugar products because I have an extra heartbeat that’s exaggerated by the above?? And yes, the cooler is also packed with space for a gallon of milk for the family, and space for yogurt and skim for me. Because we’ve not been on a vacation since my lifestyle change, we don’t really know what to expect as far as healthy eating, so I decided I have to be prepared and hope for the best. I want to maintain control of my diet and determine when I make a not so healthy eating choice (cheeseburger in paradise) rather than having no other choice. Riiigghht. . . enough about my dietary needs. . . . moving along then

For some time we have had garment bags hanging in our bathroom closet airing out. . .phew, they smell like plastic. Yep, they aren’t expensive cloth bags, and they stink cuz they are new. Each family member has their own garment bag and if it doesn’t fit in the bag, you can’t take it. Shoes and clothes must all be in the bag. Everything else goes in the ginormous suitcase I had to pay extra to get on the airplane!!! Hhhhmmmm, can I stick to my own rules. . . no one will know if I stick a few extra things in the suitcase. . . . but I NEED all those sandals. All the girls clothes going on vacation are hanging in the closet with the stinky plastic garment bags waiting to go in them so all I need to pack for them is the personals. And those have to fit in 2 gallon-size ziplocks with their name on them to lessen the confusion in the family suitcase. Our “bathroom” bag is all packed with the exception of one or two items we need until we leave. . . .ok, ok, I convinced dh that we NEEDED all new bathroom stuff so we didn’t have to wait around until the morning of to pack that bag. . . . . Oh, and our "swim" bag is packed with suits, towels and sunscreen since our room prolly won't be ready when we arrive. We can stow our luggage and grab the swim bag without worries. First aid kit - check and double checked. I have to thank a homie for the coolest idea. . . you know who you are(Barb). . . take a see-through over-the-door shoe bag so you can hang it on the bathroom door for all your stuff. Now your bathroom counter is not cluttered and housekeeping is able to keep your sink area clean. You know since "that video" of housekeeping and glasses, we have bought a supply of antibacterial wipes that are, of course, packed and ready to go. I think I'll be cleaning some things right out the gate. . . tv controlers, phones, door knobs, light switches and we've purchased and packed our OWN reusable plastic cups to take along.

Right, so the night before we leave, all will be packed and waiting by the door; house will be clean; sitter will have a set of keys; bunny delivered to my parent’s for rabbit-sitting duties and travel clothes all laid out for the girls. No piles of laundry will exist and no dirty dishes will be in the sink. . . it’s my pre-trip report, so I’ll tell it like I want to!!!!! It has to be this way because I only have a few hours for “last minute stuff” like renting the van, getting home and loading it up and being all prepared to pull out of the drive at 1:15 when everyone else gets home. What I can control, will be accomplished.. It’s the things I can’t that cause some anxiety. . .

Last minute packing is only allowed for the kids travel bags. . . they each will pack a small bag with their iPods, Nintendo DS, and whatever else they think they need. Since we are renting a van, we know it won’t be “loaded” so we’ve got 2 portable dvd players and a laptop ready to go as well. Remember we are driving through the night, so much of the travel time to Orlando will be spent sleeping . . . or so we think. DH and I will take driving shifts and will trade off each time we stop for gas. . . . does he realize I HATE night driving. . .nope, I didn’t tell him cuz I want to do my share so he’s not dangerous driving while sleepy. He can sleep anywhere, anytime under any conditions. . . so he’ll get 3-4 hours of sleep during my turns. I, on the other hand, will not sleep much since I don’t sleep well under the best of circumstances. Maybe he will be okay with one 4 hour nap . . . we’ve agreed that if we both are tired we will pull into a rest stop for a few hours. Plus, we don’t want to be exhausted for our first day of vacation. Smartly planned as a pool day at Nick studios.

Coming soon. . . the vacation plan

 

[wwessing]

THE Plan . . . .

We have a limited time since we have taken our kids out of school. . .thanks to our district deciding that this year of all years we will not have an extended spring break. . .what the. . .

So, we are leaving on 4/24 and, as you know, driving through the night to arrive at Nickelodeon Studios. I know, I know. . .terrible reviews but my kids reeeaaalllly wanted to stay. Gotta spoil them while I can. Besides, I’ve interacted here with some DIS folks who have recently gone and had positive experiences. I expect to find the hotel a bit dated and worn and realize that Marriott is taking over next year so there’s won’t be any renovations happening. It is what it is and I got a decent rate (thanks to a DISer tip) and it’s only for 3 nights.

So, Friday is arrive in Orlando day and set aside for the kids to enjoy the water park area. Dinner is planned for Sweet Tomatoes that night.

Saturday and Sunday are Sea World days. Both days will be spent at the parks until afternoon when we will return to Nick for some water park time. Dinner at Joe’s Crab Shack and Boston Lobster Feast those nights. Taking advantage of not being “on-site” and getting in those places we wanted to visit before we get to the Universal part. Oh, that’s next. Monday we move to HRH for the remainder of our stay – 6 more nights. Monday is Uni/IOA day; Tuesday we go to Busch Gardens; Wednesday is Uni/IOA and Thursday is Aquatica (rented a cabana). Friday and Saturday are Uni/IOA days and. . .well, I have to stop here because the next day brings us home and I so cannot include that right now. There are random other things we plan to do such as an evening visiting the go-cart tracks (I love my Other Orlando book).

For those of you who want to put in your 2 (or 3) cents, here’s the rest of the places where we will be eating: Sharks Grill (SW), NASCAR Grille, Crown Colony (BGT) Pastamore, Margaritaville, Bubba Gumps, Sal’s, Finnegans, Enchanted Oak Tavern, Thumder Falls Terrace, Mythos, Richters, Lombards (for seafood), Hard Rock café and NBA city. Off-site will include IHOP, Chick fil A, the Dessert Lady (thanks Kelly), McDonald’s Bistro and the hope that we will really fit all that in. . . I’ve got a planner that says we can. . . .

So probably most of you are thinking, what the heck, why all the dining plans. . .we’re not in Disney. . . here’s why – we have, as previously mentioned, a daughter with special needs. Surprises are NOT a good idea. We have had to locate and review menus for all the places we plan to visit so she can take her notes and feel comfortable ordering. Otherwise, there’s a really good chance that she will refuse to order or eat even if we order for her. It’s just what we have to do to accommodate her disabilities and be able to enjoy ourselves. I know I’ve goofed quite a bit during this report, but all the uber planning is to accommodate her needs. It gets more difficult as she gets older and is less flexible. While all the months and months of planning has been fun, it’s also been exhausting and keeping track of the details has been a second full time job. That’s why the Travel Book and all the back up plans and commando planning. I’ve finalized and double and triple checked on our reservations and my special requests. . .like I said, surprises are NOT good. . . even the advance packing has been partially for her benefit. She can go through everything and know what we are taking and where it is. She can know what will always be available for her to eat in the event she “can’t” eat at a restaurant and in the mornings. She “helped” me pack every single bag so far and the shopping LIST is partially her requests (dh still says too bad. . we are DONE with the shopping). Uh oh. . . .

So, we’ve got THE PLAN , we’ve done the details, we’ve done most of the packing, we’ve done the saving. . . now we are doing the hardest part THE WAITING!!!!!!!!



Whew. . . have realized that it is no simple task for my family to travel. . . so will I achieve sainthood for all my hard work and planning?? We shall see AFTER the vacation

 

[pixeegrl]

OMG I had so much fun reading this! I don't know how I am going to wait for the actual TR! Have a great time!!!!

 

[wwessing]

OMG I had so much fun reading this! I don't know how I am going to wait for the actual TR! Have a great time!!!!

Thank you. . . I will probably come back and update as the days go by and the packing and shopping proceed. Plus, I noticed lots of typos I need to fix. . . oops.

I'm going to have the laptop while we are gone, so my hope is to get a bit of time in the evenings to file my report day by day. . but we will see.

Hey, there are folks around here who are really good at stealing wireless connections . . . hook me up homies. . . .

 

[LeslieR]

Thanks for the pre-trippie--love it! Keep it coming. I have my note pad right here taking notes. You've reminded me of a few things I don't want to forget! Like you I'm addicted to lists. My DH makes fun of me because sometimes, when the need arises, I make lists of lists...You're not the only one with OCD

A lot of the fun is in the planning.
Hope you can get the pics working!

 

[tlinus]

just making myslef a comfy spot here

waiting fer more

 

[wwessing]

Thanks for the pre-trippie--love it! Keep it coming. I have my note pad right here taking notes. You've reminded me of a few things I don't want to forget! Like you I'm addicted to lists. My DH makes fun of me because sometimes, when the need arises, I make lists of lists...You're not the only one with OCD

A lot of the fun is in the planning.
Hope you can get the pics working!

I'm very happy that this reminded you of details. I know when I first started reading these boards I couldn't get enough. I ordered books, read thread after thread after thread, asked a billion ridiculous questions and literally researched for hundreds of hours over the past 18 months. I'm hoping as a result of all this planning, the only surprises we have are pleasant ones. . . .and involve candy seriously, I mean that. . . but not for me since my candy eating days are a thing of the past (well, chocolate candy anyway. . . a couple pieces of hard candy now and again keep me sane) but for my dd15. She can handle "surprises" much better with candy. . .it tends to prevent or lessen the severity of our meltdowns. Whatever works, right

Anywho. . . I love the details so I likely overshare them and you will find when I can get the stupid pics to post the right size I'm absolutely certain no one gives a big hoot what's in my bags. . .but I'm compelled to share for some freaky, psychotic reason. . go figur'.

Thanks for reading. . . I'm not sure what I'll add before we leave, but probably some ridiculous, tiny details will come up. . . snap, I got to do more shopping last night. . .I'm gonna tell you guys all about it!

 

[wwessing]

just making myslef a comfy spot here

waiting fer more

You know homies go to the Reserved for Redhead section with free cocktails and carrot sticks. . . .

 

[wwessing]

So I'm going to TRY to add those pics I promised. . .here goes

so I don't know why, but this is how my photobucket pics are posting. If anyone knows how to tell me to resize them in photobucket, pm me please!

So, remember THE LIST? Last night, dh decides that after tanning, we will go to Wally World to finish up the shopping (for those of you who read closely, you will remember he said HE would finish it up. . .), so we load up and head to the tanning salon where we register dd15 because she has "earned" the privilege. Ok, so I got sucked into that one, made the deal and had to stick with it. Anyway, tanning took FOREVER because we are used to going sans children and we had to take all 3 with since dd15 is now a tanning participant (yes, I realize she will not get anything remotely close to a base tan in 9 days counting today, but a promise is a promise and SHE doesn't know that she's not going to be tan ). Finally, I'm the last one out of the salon and the family is impatiently waiting in the car. Off we go to Wally World, which is like 5 seconds, literally, from the salon, find an upfront parking space (I told dh to park farther out because I wanted the walking distance) in row #8 (hey Lawrence, are you reading this??) and in we go. I have the list in hand, determined to purchase only what is written, so I head off the the. . .uuuhhhhmmm, ladies personals, pick up what dd will need (oh dear Lord, just the thought of my special needs 15 year old with pms while on vacation. . .please pray for me y'all), moving on to get a supply of allergy meds (oops, that's not right, get the one with both day and night formula), over to the hair goddess section for a ginormous clip for me (which of course they don't have one large enough ) and some metal-free elastic ponytail holders for dd's (spring colors of course.. . .this causes dh to roll his eyes numerous times). Now, where's the bunny food and chew sticks. . .dh off to get those while I contemplate the array of deodorant. Finally make my selections and I'm off to find that little bottle of stuff to prevent swimmer's ear (beign proactive since dd11 is prone to get it). Yes. . .there it is. . .for $6 a bottle, which I will gladly pay though it is really only vinegar (got that from the doc's own mouth) but the shelf is empty - dang!! Circle that on the list and meet up with dh to get batteries for the digital camera. Huge sigh. . . dh won't buy the batteries because they are out of the 4 pack and he doesn't WANT to buy the bigger pack ( ok, so they are the lithium energizers and I get that they are expensive, just buy the ridiculously overpriced big pack. . would ya ) so that items gets circled as well. Now we are off to the food half of the World to get water, yep 2 cases of Dasani in the cart. . . a couple 12 packs of Lipton extra sweet (yuck!) for dh, some diet citrus lipton green tea for me. . check. . now we are down to only a couple LIST items, but dh is off getting things we need at home. Milk, frozen veggies, whatever the kids have talked him into. . ok, I'm off to get stuff I want then. . . 20 yogurts lmao: ) but I neeeeed them, some roasted chicken (yessss! they have an applewood smoked left). Finally, dh shows up so off we go to find the check out lines are loooonnnnng what the heck. Now the wonderful lady in front of us also has a giant cart full of stuff and of course something needs a price check and THEN she wants to pay on her charge card bill HEY LADY! THE LINES ARE LOOOOONNNNNGGG - TAKE YOURSELF TO CUSTOMER SERVICE. . . NO. . . THANKS FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION OF THE 5 PEOPLE BEHIND YOU!!!! Out to the car, load up the stuff. . dh says, #$&*, I forgot to get diet 7up. . .yeah, well I'm hungry, it's nearly 8:00 and WE AREN'T GOING BACK IN!!!!

So, we STILL have items on the LIST. . . what the heck . . . so we decided that it's way too distracting to try to focus on LIST shopping with the kids so tomorrow night we will go while the kids are at their youth groups at church. But wait. . . there will be one more trip yet before D-Day because I'm a giant whiner and I must have my fresh fruit and yogurt to put in the cooler. . . so we will be shopping the night before departure. . . yikes!

this is actually a different pic than above. . .look to the left and you will see a blue jean clad knee and an arm. . .look to the right and you will see something pink. . .that is dd11 and dd9 sitting behind the suitcase. . . just in the event you didn't realize how ridiculously large this . . .ahem. . snack bag is.

You see the snack case and cooler, but behind them is sitting a bigger bag and that's the one full of drinks, which I mentioned in an earlier post.


Next. . . can my OCD tolerate the bags sitting in the living room until d-day

 

[LeslieR]

Excellent..I love this! Added two more things to my list that I would have (maybe) forgotten..swimmers ear stuff and camera batteries! Altho I still have 3+ months to plan Can't be too ready right?


I'll have to try the lipton green tea. Does it taste like tea or what? I usually hate that bottled tea unless its unsweet, no lemon then I can tolerate.

Does your family buy the drink cups with cheap refils at the park? I've been trying to figure how many drinks we would have to buy to make it worth it. I think I read the small drinks are like 2.50, but I don't know how small is small.


I'm really enjoying your planning...keep it coming if you have time !

 

[tlinus]

Excellent..I love this! Added two more things to my list that I would have (maybe) forgotten..swimmers ear stuff and camera batteries! Altho I still have 3+ months to plan Can't be too ready right?


I'll have to try the lipton green tea. Does it taste like tea or what? I usually hate that bottled tea unless its unsweet, no lemon then I can tolerate.

Does your family buy the drink cups with cheap refils at the park? I've been trying to figure how many drinks we would have to buy to make it worth it. I think I read the small drinks are like 2.50, but I don't know how small is small.


I'm really enjoying your planning...keep it coming if you have time !

First of all - Great installment Wendy!!

We do the refillable cup - we stay for a week and it is most certainly worth its weight in GOLD - especially with 3 kids Frank is in to the whole "cootie" thing this year, so hoping that we can still convince him that his sisters most certainly do not have cooties and they can all share the same cup !!!!!

IIRC the small cup is 16 ounces maybe? kinda like your small cup at a McD's or BK

 

[LeslieR]

First of all - Great installment Wendy!!

We do the refillable cup - we stay for a week and it is most certainly worth its weight in GOLD - especially with 3 kids Frank is in to the whole "cootie" thing this year, so hoping that we can still convince him that his sisters most certainly do not have cooties and they can all share the same cup !!!!!

IIRC the small cup is 16 ounces maybe? kinda like your small cup at a McD's or BK

I hear you about the cooties thing!! There are just 3 in our family but our 13 yr old son wouldn't even think of drinking after anyone-ever-not even his own parents! What have I done? I have raised a germaphobe So anyway, we would have to buy 2 cups (Of course to save a buck, I am gracious enough to share with my DH luckily we both do diet)

We'll be at UO 4 days in early August . I think it's starting to look like a good idea. Thanks for your input.

 

[tlinus]

I hear you about the cooties thing!! There are just 3 in our family but our 13 yr old son wouldn't even think of drinking after anyone-ever-not even his own parents! What have I done? I have raised a germaphobe So anyway, we would have to buy 2 cups (Of course to save a buck, I am gracious enough to share with my DH luckily we both do diet)

We'll be at UO 4 days in early August . I think it's starting to look like a good idea. Thanks for your input.

DH and I sometimes share a refillable pilsner Sometimes I have to just buck up and buy my own - but guess who gets stuck holding ALL of the cups

 

[LeslieR]

DH and I sometimes share a refillable pilsner Sometimes I have to just buck up and buy my own - but guess who gets stuck holding ALL of the cups

Refillable pilsner??!!? Where do ya get that?

Yeah, holding the cups is another factor I'm taking into consideration before we buy. If they have a handle that I can clip to my bag that would be great.

 

[wwessing]

Excellent..I love this! Added two more things to my list that I would have (maybe) forgotten..swimmers ear stuff and camera batteries! Altho I still have 3+ months to plan Can't be too ready right?


I'll have to try the lipton green tea. Does it taste like tea or what? I usually hate that bottled tea unless its unsweet, no lemon then I can tolerate.

Does your family buy the drink cups with cheap refils at the park? I've been trying to figure how many drinks we would have to buy to make it worth it. I think I read the small drinks are like 2.50, but I don't know how small is small.


I'm really enjoying your planning...keep it coming if you have time !

I'm still in the middle of BIG PROJECT. . . but taking a break from it for a bit. Waiting for a tenant to get back so she can come in and sign her documents. Oops. . .guess I can't do anything else until then. . .

To answer your questions -

I can not drink caffeine, and green tea has very little so I tolerate it well. I drink the diet citrus. Honestly, I have an insulated cup I carry around EVERYWHERE. I fill it full of ice then pour in the room temperature tea. The ice melts, waters it down and it's good to go. . . .too sweet for me straight from the bottle. And, no, it doesn't really taste like regular tea, but I'm addicted. I get lots of water this way

Yes, we will buy a refillable cup at Universal/IOA (probably at the busch parks too) and use it all of our days. For our family, it is definitely worth it. We will share one cup probably. . . we will see how that goes. The refills are very cheap, like less than $1 and even cheaper if you have AAA or AP to flash. Because we know that most of the refills will be soda, we did not pack any soda to bring with. The kids will get enough as it is, so for them we bought juice and water and some carnation instant breakfast to add to milk for the mornings.

DH likes tea. . . he drinks alot, but he likes it sweetened. It was for him we bought the lipton extra sweet in the bottles. . . man that stuff is expensive.

 

[wwessing]

DH and I sometimes share a refillable pilsner Sometimes I have to just buck up and buy my own - but guess who gets stuck holding ALL of the cups

Refillable pilsner??!!? Where do ya get that?

Yeah, holding the cups is another factor I'm taking into consideration before we buy. If they have a handle that I can clip to my bag that would be great.

My girls are pretty used to sharing because when they do each get their own, they tend to waste. I don't mind buying, but I really mind wasting. . .so we will have to see how it goes. I can pretty much say too bad, share that cup and we will refill it whenever we need to and they will accept that (especially if I tell them fine, you can have only water then . . . I'm sooooo mean like that). I, however, did not know of a refillable BEER CUP. . . so I will definitely need more info on that and dh doesn't do beer, so it will be alllllll mine! Here's the difficulty with that. . . if me, the planner and organizer of all things goes down, they will likely stand there and stare at me since i won't be conscious to tell them what to do (just kidding)

 

[LeslieR]

My girls are pretty used to sharing because when they do each get their own, they tend to waste. I don't mind buying, but I really mind wasting. . .so we will have to see how it goes. I can pretty much say too bad, share that cup and we will refill it whenever we need to and they will accept that (especially if I tell them fine, you can have only water then . . . I'm sooooo mean like that). I, however, did not know of a refillable BEER CUP. . . so I will definitely need more info on that and dh doesn't do beer, so it will be alllllll mine! Here's the difficulty with that. . . if me, the planner and organizer of all things goes down, they will likely stand there and stare at me since i won't be conscious to tell them what to do (just kidding)

We're not big soda drinkers, but in that August heat who knows? We may go for the free water more than the soda, but a good cold soda hits the spot sometimes.

tlinus just gave me the low down on the refillabe pilsners. She said you can get them at most drink carts for about 8 bucks and refils are about 6. I know my DH will be digging that deal!

 

[tlinus]

My girls are pretty used to sharing because when they do each get their own, they tend to waste. I don't mind buying, but I really mind wasting. . .so we will have to see how it goes. I can pretty much say too bad, share that cup and we will refill it whenever we need to and they will accept that (especially if I tell them fine, you can have only water then . . . I'm sooooo mean like that). I, however, did not know of a refillable BEER CUP. . . so I will definitely need more info on that and dh doesn't do beer, so it will be alllllll mine! Here's the difficulty with that. . . if me, the planner and organizer of all things goes down, they will likely stand there and stare at me since i won't be conscious to tell them what to do (just kidding)

Wendy,

Refillable Pilsners (original purchase/fill) = 7.99
*******these cups are also GOOD FOR LIFE!!!!!! (God I love US/IOA)*******
Refills are around 6 bucks
Refills at Happy Hour $3.25 for domestics (I usually go with Bud Light)
DH can also get a drink in a cup and walk around with it......not that I am encouraging it or anything

It's nice to have the option to have an adult beverage when you please on vacation. It gives me my "nerves of steel" to do rides I never did before (JPRA, ROTM) and it makes my kids less annoying

 

[LeslieR]

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