Working on my ROAR! Jaxon's first trip to see Mickey Mouse!

[eeyoresnr]

Jaxon had his 2nd birthday in July and is every bit a 2 year old he keeps us on our toes...but he will finally sit and watch TV with me in the mornings... he loves Mickey Mouse Club and Jake and the Neverland Pirates his favorite Disney movie right now is Dumbo... he loves Airplanes and so he has several of the planes from the movie...
I will have to upload some recent pictures of him​

 

[eeyoresnr]

so, there have been some big changes to our plans... for starters Josh decided he couldn't afford to go this trip so he will be staying home... he said the thing he will n=miss most is all the food and I believe it... that man can eat!


the next change is that Daniel has decided not to go either... last year when he changed schools he was happier at his new school but his grades dropped... so I said he had to get his grades up this year from day 1 and keep them up til our trip if he wanted to go... well he is in band this year and they have a travel date where he will miss school so his mother decided he could only do one or the other and he chose band... which is fine but we are kinda upset about this because when she wants to take him out of school for things like Mardi Gras she does, or any other reason she sees fit, and last year he missed too much which probably is why his grades suffered...

so I am not sure if he chose band because he knows she will let him go to that even if he has "C"s , because he has asked to go to Disney for Jaxon's first trip since he (Jaxon) was born...
anyways it will be Grumpa, Mamaw (me) Stephanie and Jaxon this trip...
I was able to take Daniel off of the ADR for Mickey's Backyard BBQ without losing the reservation

 

[eeyoresnr]

so, I was waiting and waiting to book our room at Bonnet Creek.... last year I remember seeing low prices on ebay from Sept thru Nov, so I figured I would wait and see what came up.... not the best choice I have ever made
A few weeks back I had someone tell me they were booked for the first week of Dec so I asked someone on ebay that I was working with and sure enough the dates had disappeared so then I panicked... I had a quote from Vacation Stratagies but when I checked again it had gone up almost a $100 for the 7 night stay... I went ahead and booked with them, but in the meantime my ebay person came thru and got us 7 nights in a 2 bedroom for $550 which saved us over $150 from VS
so I am going to use that extra money for the Photopass + card which is $149 if I pre-order it
and since I just booked another character meal that will come in handy

 

[eeyoresnr]

I also changed our hotel room in Clearwater twice
the rooms i had booked for the 1 night stay got good reviews on Tripadvisor it was like 14 out of 95, so I figured it was worth the $125 a night for a beach view... but I kept checking and it went to like 64th out of 95 and then I checked it's reviews on a couple other sights and same thing... so I ended up booking 2 rooms at La Quinta Inn & Suites for $85... and this one is back by the airport just a couple buildings down from the first one I booked... Jaxon will be in Heaven watching the airplanes

 

[shalom]

I have been on a healthy eating diet for about 2 months. I lost 22 pounds in the first 5 weeks but have been at a lull since then...

Congrats on the 22 pounds! Cutting out sodas and over-processed carbs and things definitely make a diet healthier; I'm less convinced that it contributes to weight loss. Ditto exercise; the evidence is that it's good for you whether it helps you lose weight or not. So definitely worth doing.

I think I'd have to go into serious training before I'd be willing to take a 2 yo old to Disney!

he loves Mickey Mouse Club and Jake and the Neverland Pirates his favorite Disney movie right now is Dumbo...​

Sounds like he's ready to go.

well he is in band this year and they have a travel date where he will miss school so his mother decided he could only do one or the other and he chose band...

Our middle daughter has missed a couple of vacations because of ballet. She hasn't missed WDW yet, but I'd really like to go in January 2015, which might end up being a problem with her. I am not going to Florida in the summer and I'd rather go in January than in May (only other non-summer time she could make it), so I guess we'll see. She doesn't usually have regular class in early January; but if she's going to be part of a competition thingie she has stuff for that. Right now she thinks she'll just skip the competition if we're going to Disney, but we'll see how she feels after she's gone to the competition next year!

Argh! Scheduling stuff with school-age kids is tough. And it gets tougher as they get older and are more committed to things.

 

[eeyoresnr]

60 days

 

[shalom]

60 days out is a good time. It's close enough to get a bit excited, but not close enough to be worrying about packing and getting everything done before you go.

 

[eeyoresnr]

well I am officially getting excited.... we are down to 46 days ... Grumpa went ahead and took Friday the 29th of Nov off work otherwise he wouldn't have been off til 8 am on the 30th and we wouldn't have been on the road til about 10 am... this way we will get an early start (about 5 am) and we are going to Apollo Beach on our way there and see the Manatees at the Manatee Viewing Center... this is a sanctuary at the Big Bend Power Plant where the Manatees go when the water gets cold in the Gulf http://www.tampaelectric.com/company/mvc/

and best of all it's FREE

 

[eeyoresnr]

6 weeks from right now we will be on our way to Clearwater for the night...
so last night I was checking attraction closers at the parks as I have done periodically since we decided our dates to go... and I am so bummed to see Small World ride is closing Dec 2-12 for refurb... no I know to most folks that would be no big deal... and to some even a Blessing like Grumpa for example... but I remember Small World from Disneyland as a child and I love it... and I wanted Jaxon to be able to see it his first trip...Dec 1st is our day to see Winter Dolphin and then check into Bonnet Creek, shop and eat at Down Town Disney and call it an early night so we can get a fresh start in the morning... so now I have to decide whether or not to stop at MK before Downtown Disney just long enough to ride Small World... the park closes at 7 pm for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party ...
such decisions

 

[shalom]

I am so bummed to see Small World ride is closing Dec 2-12 for refurb...

That is a bummer. Jaxon's just the age that most loves that ride.

I like It's a Small World. It's about the only ride that predates Disneyland. It's like riding history!

Enjoy the manatees. I thought about them the first couple of times we went, but it wasn't the best time of year and they didn't make it to the final plan. Last time would have been perfect, but I never even thought of them!

 

[eeyoresnr]

That is a bummer. Jaxon's just the age that most loves that ride.

I like It's a Small World. It's about the only ride that predates Disneyland. It's like riding history!

Enjoy the manatees. I thought about them the first couple of times we went, but it wasn't the best time of year and they didn't make it to the final plan. Last time would have been perfect, but I never even thought of them!

I so agree about the age that he would probably love Small World...

Danny thinks I'm just plain silly going out of our way ( an entire half hour) to see the Manatees but I wanna do it so we're gonna do it

we are down to 27 days

 

[eeyoresnr]

Oh My Gosh! we are down to 21 days... I'm getting butterflies already... after waiting 2 and 1/2 years and planning for well over a year we are almost there! I went ahead and bought the photopass + and received the voucher to exchange for lanyard and PP+ card when we arrive... it came with the CD of 300 Disney photos...

I also booked a stroller... after reading DISboard reviews and other online reviews I went with Orlando Stroller Rentals... the price was the same as Kingdom Strollers, but lately Kingdom has had more and more negative comments... mostly about the cleanliness of the strollers...we have a nice jogging stroller but it takes up too much room and we usually fill up the back of the Avalanche pretty well when it's just Danny and I I always pack way too much clothes... so with Stephanie and Jaxon thrown in the loop I'm sure we won't have any spare room at all...
We do have an umbrella stroller we are taking for the Aquarium but it folds up small...
we will use a crib or pack n play and high chair from the resort

I ordered Disney gift cards for Stephanie and Jaxon for their souvenirs or whatever they want to spend it on... I also bought gift cards for the meals and tips... I bought them in $200 increments (for the meal cards, not the kids) ... now I just need to tweek the numbers and then run to the Disney Store nearby and buy the final ones... I ordered the others online but it takes a little too long to arrive and I don't want to chance them not coming on time...

I also could kick myself... I started a AAA membership last Sept 2012 with 4 extra free months... I just realized when I do my online shopping (and I do a LOT) I should have went to the sights thru AAA, then I would have gotten credit in AAA $ which could be used towards next years fees...
lesson learned, this year I will be more careful...
the weather has been windy and chilly here which I think is cooler than user for us this time of year... it's so hard to pack for Disney in Dec because we have been there when it was downright cold and other Dec we wore shorts and played in the pools...
more later

 

[shalom]

it came with the CD of 300 Disney photos...

How things have changed. Back when we used film, 300 photos would have sounded like a lot. Now that we've got digital cameras, it sounds kinda skimpy.

I always pack way too much clothes...

That's one advantage to staying in an offsite condo -- we always have a washer and a dryer in the unit, so doing a load of wash now and again is painless, meaning I don't overpack clothes so much. Haven't found a cure for overpacking other stuff, though.

Your trip is coming up fast!

 

[eeyoresnr]

10 days! yes we are really down to 10 days! and I keep feeling like I am forgetting something that is such a horrible feeling... I started packing Jaxon's clothes about a week ago... I still have to finish his shirt.... I will post a pic here when I finish it....
we were in Sears yesterday so Stephanie could buy some new shoes for the trip and I took Jaxon over to the Christmas section and he was pointing here and there and back here ... and Steph says good going mom he just went into overload mode... it really wasn't that bad but she seems to think it's going to be a bit overwhelming for him, and she may be right, but I keep telling her he isn't the first 2 year old to go to Disney
she was 17 months her first trip to Disneyland ... of course Jax has a bit more energy than she did as a toddlerI don't drink but I may start before the end of this trip

 

[eeyoresnr]

5 days and counting... weather has been cold and windy here but forcast is mid 70's for our trip

 

[eeyoresnr]

we will be on the road at 4 am in the morning!

 

[shalom]

Looking forward to hearing how it went!