“Embarrassing My Children, Just Another Service I Provide” Trip Report

[Applemomma]

Surely nine months out is the perfect time to start a pre-trip report isn’t? Since I’ve already been planning this trip for more then a year it feels like I’ve held off long enough!

First off, I can’t take credit for the title. I saw this saying in a picture of a t-shirt in a thread somewhere here on the Dis Boards quite a long time ago. I’ve taken it to heart and if you ask either of my kids what my personal motto is they will tell you this is it….and they will testify that I live up to it too!

Of course this isn’t the only saying I’ve incorporated into my life from the Boards. Two others of my personal favorites are:

“You get what you get and you don’t throw a fit”

“I want to live my life in a way that when my feet hit the floor in the morning the Devil shudders and says ‘Oh snap, she’s up’”

If those responsible for sticking those sayings in my vocabulary are reading this trip report then THANK YOU!

So the details….

The “Travelers” ….

Myself, Applemomma (a.k.a. Dawn)….
The kids ….Rae , the eldest daughter, who at the time of travel will have graduated to teenhood (how did that happen!) and is my serious one, though don’t let her fool you too much…she can get just as silly as her mother! Lindsay…..my free spirit and will be a comfortable nine, halfway to 10, when we travel to the World. They were last at Disney as 6 and 10 year olds so this will be even more fun now that they are that much older!

The “Stay-at-Homers”…..

My DH….the non-Disney lover. He went in 2007 because he had a conference in Orlando and we tagged along but has no desire whatsoever to return. Once was enough he says. Well that ain’t stopping the rest of us! He will probably be doing his own vacation this summer to a car rally in the States so he’s happy with that and we do go camping together and plan a whole family trip every second year. So Disney is a girl thing to do in our house.

The “Hopeful Traveler”

My mom…. She’s had a rough year (my dad has been ill) and she really needs a break. She’s a reluctant traveler though so still needs a little time to decide. I told her she’s got until I need to book air tickets and then it’s crunch time! In the meantime, I’m cajoling her with pictures of the resort, videos of the activities and humming “when you wish upon a star” in her ear. No pressure Mom!

Alrighty…that ‘s enough for my first post….I need to get off the computer and start supper anyway.

Next up, the where and the when of it….

Question of the day: What kind of point and shoot camera should I buy myself for the trip?

 

[disneylovin24]

Sounds like it will be a fun trip Can't wait to read all about the planning!!!

 

[michellem1118]

I'm in!

As for the camera question... we really like our Olympus SW1030 (now marketed as the Shock, I think). It's waterproof to 10 meters, shockproof, crushproof, and freezeproof, which makes it a great camera for travel. It also takes really good pictures, and wasn't too expensive (~$300).

 

[Native NYer]

Can't wait to read more!

 

[MHTeacher]

First off, I can’t take credit for the title. I saw this saying in a picture of a t-shirt in a thread somewhere here on the Dis Boards quite a long time ago. I’ve taken it to heart and if you ask either of my kids what my personal motto is they will tell you this is it….and they will testify that I live up to it too!

Love the title---I had to come over and check it all out!

“You get what you get and you don’t throw a fit”

I believe I've said this on some number of occasions to my three kids.....

“I want to live my life in a way that when my feet hit the floor in the morning the Devil shudders and says ‘Oh snap, she’s up’”

Always my mom's advice to me, when I was growing up!

 

[MainStMandy]

I'm in too!!! I have a Canon point and shoot that does a pretty good job. I'll have to check which one it is.

 

[Applemomma]

Sounds like it will be a fun trip Can't wait to read all about the planning!!!

Welcome!

I'm in!

As for the camera question... we really like our Olympus SW1030 (now marketed as the Shock, I think). It's waterproof to 10 meters, shockproof, crushproof, and freezeproof, which makes it a great camera for travel. It also takes really good pictures, and wasn't too expensive (~$300).

Hi! Is it skinny? That's mostly why I'm thinking of a point and shoot so it doesn't take as much space as our regular camera....

Can't wait to read more!

Welcome aboard!

Love the title---I had to come over and check it all out!

Hi...my kids are hoping the title won't kick in until the actual trip but I'm pretty sure I'll embarrass them at some point just in the planning stages!


I believe I've said this on some number of occasions to my three kids.....

I'm in too!!! I have a Canon point and shoot that does a pretty good job. I'll have to check which one it is.

I've heard good things about the Canons....does yours take short videos?

And now for another installment....

 

[Applemomma]

On our last family trip to Disney we had stayed at Pop Century, which I love, but by the end of the week DH was probably finding it a bit much. Though the theming is great, the rooms are a little small so you’re always in each others way. Plus it definitely isn’t a quiet resort. Not that we noticed any noise in the room but by the end of the week I felt like I couldn’t get away from people (people in the pool, people in the food court etc. etc). So in an effort to make this upcoming trip a different kind of vacation for DH (who if you recall I had originally thought would be coming with us) I thought I’d give off site a try.

** Side bar….if you were to ASK DH if he was originally coming with us he probably would say no, he never was. That I had just assumed he was going…that I had never actually asked if he was going….silly me…I thought when we said we’d go back in 2010 I thought “we” included him…my bad. Doesn’t matter. He finally spoke up and said he didn’t really want to go and I spoke up and said okay….we’ll leave you home! Everybody’s happy!

Back to your regularly scheduled trip report…..

Now, if you are someone like me who is addicted to the DIS, addicted to the DIS Podcast and addicted to Disney where would the logical place to stay if you had to stay off site? Why Dreams Villas of course! For those of you not familiar with these town homes they are owed by John Magi, part owner of Dreams Unlimited Travel, the company which brings you the DIS Boards, and his partner Kevin Klose, both of whom you can get to “know” through the Podcast. So I booked us in there, extremely excited about it and telling the girls we were staying at “Kevin and John’s House”.

Then what should suddenly appear in my email in box but one of those coveted “PIN”’s for 20-40% of room rates on property! I do not delete the email ….I can’t….there’s something physical that happens to me when I even try and delete something from Disney because something very, very bad could happen if I do that. But it was getting to me. Then another one appears ….amazing. People wait a life time for ONE of these and I have two? For the whole of 2010! Not just Jan- June! But I can’t use it…..I’m staying (I mean “we”) are staying at Kevin and John’s House. But I don’t delete….

So with the booking of Dreams Villas I’ve set a date. Last time we were there it was September. I’m Canadian…in late September, in my part of the country, the leaves are changing colours (you can tell I’m Canadian by the way I spelled “colours" and by the way my little American spell check threw that nasty “you spelled it wrong” red line under it ….twice now) and the geese are flying south and we haul out a sweater or two.

In Orlando in late September, at least according to our last trip, you still worry about heat stroke, fogging up your glasses and camera lenses when you go from air conditioned hotel rooms into the outside and 90-100 degree temperatures!

So I decided November will be a kinder, gentler time. And there’s the Remembrance Day holiday in there and chances are the school system might throw me a bone and toss a school inservice day in there too. And if I play my cards right some, if not all the Christmas decorations will be up, not to mention the castle lights!

After our Christmas Break discussion of who really wanted to go to Disney….and who didn’t ….ahem….I realized that if it was just going to be the girls and I going, then I needed to make some changes. One of these changes would mean shorting up the time I’d be there….so our ten day trip shrunk to seven. And I decided if it was going to shrink then I would take advantage of one of those undeleted email PIN’s and use it.

And this is where “Fuzzy Disney Math” kicks in (another term I picked up from the Boards). If I was going to put out $1200 for an off-site property what could I do with that same amount of money ON property …… low and behold ANIMAL KINGDOM LODGE! Yes, I know I’m not saving myself any extra from my budget because I’m staying fewer nights but Fuzzy Disney Math points out that the 40% off means I’m saving $800 off the regular room price of a deluxe! A deluxe, people! So with sorrow in one part of my heart (because I really, really, really did want to stay there) I contacted Kevin and John and cancelled Dreams Villas and turned right around and booked AKL through Dreams Unlimited (so they are still getting part of my money!)

So the plan now….if I haven’t lost you yet…is to stay at the Animal Kingdom Lodge November 10-16th. Now those dates might change slightly, depending on when I can get good airfare (a challenge in our part of the world). The other part of my logic is that my best friend actually lives just about an hour from Disney so I’m hoping to drive up to see her for the day so I’ll be extending the trip a day or so one side or the other. If I do that though I’m hoping to book Gaylord Palms (ICE!), and if I do that at the end I figure it will be a good weaning from Disney before we have to go home…to real life……

Next up….finding the perfect park bag and trying to explain to my mother about the invisible people I know…

 

[xkwisit]

I love the title.... had to check it out because I too look for ways to embarass our children 17, 15, 12, 9 & 3.......

And have many many time used to don't throw a fit comment to all of them.....

As for the camera... I have a sony cyber shot..... I love love love it.... Take great pics & is small enough to fit in my fanny pack (that embarasses the kids) & was only $200. It takes videos too.

Can't wait to see more of your trip report.

 

[Applemomma]

Question of the Day.....why can't I get my link for this trip report to work in my signature???!! Is it just me?

 

[MainStMandy]

I have a Powershot A570 and love it. Yes it does take short video's!!!

Love that you upgraded to AKL!! We are also staying there for part of our upcoming trip...we just love it!!

Make sure you link your title in your signature using the little button thatlooks like a globe (?).

 

[Applemomma]

Question of the Day.....why can't I get my link for this trip report to work in my signature???!! Is it just me?

FIXED! Had an extra "http" in there .... got to love the new search feature on here!

 

[michellem1118]

Yep, the Olympus is pretty thin. It fits fine in a pocket or small park bag.

I can't wait to hear how you explain the invisible people to your mother... I had quite a time explaining the DIS to my MIL on our trip in December, LOL.

 

[Applemomma]

Good morning!

From poking around other people's trip reports and checking out the "Happy Dance" forum it looks there's lots going the same week as we are so there's bound to be a Dis Meet! Should make the "invisible people" a little more real for my mom

Off to volunteer to paint the inside of our new church expansion for the day....hopefully I'll post again later, though I'm trying to check out all your trip reports too! So much Disney....so little time....not to mention the fact I really need to finish my blankets for GetADay....and I have a grant application to do....not to mention Housework....okay I'm tired already. Can I go back to bed?

 

[RockinDisney]

It makes me fill good to know I am not the only one who plans this far ahead!!!

Love the title!!

 

[jenniferkeala808]

i'm here! Can't wait to hear more!!

 

[Applemomma]

Okay, I’m back for a quick post! Basketball is ruling the roost this weekend and between painting the church, kids stuff, my own soccer game (at 8am Sat morning! UGH!) and all the regular stuff I’m having a hard time sitting down here.

So for now just a quickie….

Last trip I searched for months for the perfect park bag and ended up getting an Overland Donner bag (in DIS lime green no less). Loved it….still use it! But it is getting old now so I wanted something else and maybe something not so big since I don’t plan on being anyone’s pack mule this trip.

So with ten months to go the search was on. I checked out a few that I didn’t really like and one Saturday on a whim (actually after another 8 am soccer game!!!) I wandered into Walmart and found this baby….

It’s a Buxton bag and the price was right at only $14.98.

Here's a shot of the front pocket with a clip for your car keys:

A shot of the back where I'd keep my park maps, time tables, etc.

I put my Passporter in the middle pocket to show the size (I don't take it to the parks but it shows you the height)

And my favorite pocket. It's got all kinds of slots for Keys to the Kingdom cards, credit cards ect. The water bottle isn't one of those huge ones but it's average size and the zipper comes right up over the top of it. I also tucked a rain poncho in the opposite side so you can sort of see the pockets there. Lots of other little pockets in this section too.

Here's a shot of my daughter wearing it. She's a little shorter then me (about 5'1") and the strap is almost fully out. The strap feels softer then the Overland Donner bag I have so hopefully it won't bug my neck as much and the material is nylon so it should take some rain/splash action.

Now the worst part is the waiting to be able to use it!!!! Maybe I should try it out for a bit to make sure it's a keeper

 

[michellem1118]

I would definitely load up the bag with the amount of stuff you expect to carry in the parks and see how it goes. There's nothing worse than getting to the park, only to discover that your bag is horribly uncomfortable... and you don't even have another option in the room!

 

[MHTeacher]

Now the worst part is the waiting to be able to use it!!!!

Isn't that the truth!

 

[Diamondintheruff]

Don't you just hate that red squiggle under colour or favour?

Followed you over from my TR thanks to your link.

I'm off to WDW with the kids sans Dh this summer. I stayed at AKL last year and loved it. But then I love fuzzy math too. In fact I'm cooking up some of my own and trying to reason out a split stay at WL and then CSR (where the dance competition is being held and the real reason we are going to Disney).

I've got an old park bag. It's a travelmate by Hey's. It's lime green. But I've been eyeing up those Vera Bags everyone raves about. Only I don't really need a new bag. I just want one. I've seen yours at Wallymart. It looks good but maybe a little small for me. I always get cold in the air conditioning so I need a bag that will hold a long sleeve cover for me. And the kids. When do they start carrying their own stuff anyhow?