9 Days to go! A perfect time for a PTR! **New! 8/29 shopping for the trip**

[cdhale]

I don't have a lot to add about the questions, but maybe if you stayed 7 nights you could have several days off of non-Disney fun to let Baby J recuperate between all of the hustle of Disney. Then you could rent a house for less money maybe. Just a thought.

I think renting a house would save a ton of $ and we would probably all be a lot more comfortable. I just have to deal with being outside the Disney bubble!

If it were me, I would do Windsor Hills. They have Disney themed rooms. Planning our next trip in my mind for dgs.
I just read a trip report for two adults at the Spring Flower festival 2013 and they did not feel he resort looked like an island getaway. It was old, worn, overgrown in areas and too big to get around without a car.
Just her thoughts.

I'll have to look into this!

Aww, Baby J looks so cute in his 9 month picture.

This is going to be my first trip with a little one so I can't offer much advice. I do think you'll get a better deal using a resort discount over free dining considering the cost of the room.

I'm not even sure we'll do the DP, though if we got it for free it could be a big savings considering it will have to cover 4 "adults."

So much to consider, so much time!

 

[cdhale]

First of all, we'll be in Disney in 3 weeks!

Second, I pre-ordered our PhotoPass+ yesterday. Going on vacation with no other adults (I don't count my Mom, who has come for a few days on each of our trips but is a terrible photographer AND never shares her pics) usually means I am never in any pictures. Plus, I'm still debating over whether to bring my DSLR (which I love to shoot with but hate to carry) or just my crappy point and shoot. Or if I should buy myself a new point and shoot for this trip. I love the PhotoPass service. I bought the cd in 2010:





Third, and completely unrelated to the current trip , Dbf is a realtor. He listed a house Sunday and had NINE showings on Monday. Hopefully 3 offers will be coming in today. Bidding war = higher sale price = higher commission = more money for Disney in 2015. At least that's how the math works in my head.

On with day 4 of our trip (did I mention it's only 21 days away?).

Today we have... NO PLANS! Seriously, no plans at all during the day. No where we need to be until our dinner ADR. If the weather is nice I'm sure we'll head to



If the weather is bad we'll probably go to DTD. Or maybe we'll go to BB and then DTD. Or maybe back to AK. Or to play mini golf (though probably not as DDs for some odd incomprehensible reason hate mini golf). It's a completely free day, something we have never done on one of our trips.

No matter what we do we will head to Epcot that evening for our 8:00 ADR at a new restaurant for us



I am very excited about this dinner at San Angel Inn. We all love the inside of the Mexico pavilion and the boat ride is a favorite of DDs. We have always wanted to eat here but never made the time, so this is the year. Afterwards we may watch Illuminations, but will probably just walk around and shop.

 

[happybelle]

I think renting a house would save a ton of $ and we would probably all be a lot more comfortable. I just have to deal with being outside the Disney bubble!

You will have a lot more money outside of the bubble. I think it is a smart move.

 

[cdhale]

You will have a lot more money outside of the bubble. I think it is a smart move.

I think Dbf will be happier outside the bubble as well. We were at an all-inclusive when we went to Jamaica last year and he couldn't wait to get off the property!

 

[Ladygoldenhair]

I think Dbf will be happier outside the bubble as well. We were at an all-inclusive when we went to Jamaica last year and he couldn't wait to get off the property!

We've done more than half our trips off site I love the cost savings. A few budget buster were on site with two rooms needed for ds and dgs with an upgrade to table service. We ended up using the rental car alot and feeling rushed to get through meals. I think one or two times we did EMH. The ds and dgs love those, especially if its during rainy weather.

I loved the off site convince of the washer dryer, kitchen full size with a dishwasher and fully stocked. Lots of room, closets, parking outside the door too. The kids had tons of their own space. Having their room on a vacation was great for us too. A room is where you sleep, a home is where you keep sanity!
It was really relaxing and not cramped in each others space.

Onsite, It was like camping, but in a one room cabin. It's okay if that is the bubble you want to be in, but more then two or three it's way too much for us.

Because dd and I are traveling ourself this trip we are going with on site with free dining. But the convention in March we will find either inexpensive digs or if family goes a condo again.

Three weeks!

 

[cdhale]

TWO WEEKS UNTIL WE LEAVE!

Saturday, Sept 7 will finally bring us to DHS, the park we have thus far avoided. It's not out favorite and we won't spend much time here. There are a.m. EMH so we'll get up and go early, ride TSM hopefully twice, once as stand-by and once with fastpass...

That reminds me! We will not have fastpass+ or magic bands on this trip (as far as I know, as of today). POR guests checking in the same day we do will get those, but not us POFQ people. So I assume we'll still be able to use the old-fashioned soon-to-be-extinct fastpass machines.

Back to our plans. I also want to see Beauty and the Beast, one of my favorites shows in all the parks.



We will SKIP Little Mermaid. Soooooo cheesy. My kids won't ride TOT and I don't think I'll get them on RnR. I've never ridden it and they have no interest. We've seen Fantasmic and don't feel like sticking around all day to see it again. Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground (another of their favorites) will be closed, and they're probably too big for it anymore anyway. We may try Star Tours this trip, something else we have never done, and check out the just re-opened Muppets.

Our real reason to come to this park is to eat lunch here:





Sci-Fi is a favorite of all of ours! And once we're done eating, if we've done all of the above, we'll probably head back to the resort for some swimming or to DTD for some shopping. It's the last night of our trip (It's making me sad just writing about it, and we're not even there yet!), and we'll decide what to do based on what we haven't done yet or what DDs want to do again. We do have dinner reservations at Boatwright's, but I'm not committed to keeping them if DDs want to go somewhere else.

So that just leaves our last day, some posts on packing, and my thoughts on pin trading. Back soon!

 

[Ladygoldenhair]

Not long now, it will pass so fast!
Sounds like a fun filled day, sadly your last. This will be our first park day! So we'll pick up your fun. I would recommend the Star Wars, I don't do the TOT or RnR but love Star Wars. We never ate at Sci Fi, can't wait to hear about it.

I am excited for your girls and you..

 

[klacey1]

There's not a ton we LOVE at DHS, either. I completely agree with you-- BATB is one of my favorite shows in the World, but I can't stand the Little Mermaid. I thought it was awful.
Star Tours is definitely worth a try, though! We love it!

 

[cdhale]

Not long now, it will pass so fast!
Sounds like a fun filled day, sadly your last. This will be our first park day! So we'll pick up your fun. I would recommend the Star Wars, I don't do the TOT or RnR but love Star Wars. We never ate at Sci Fi, can't wait to hear about it.

I am excited for your girls and you..

11 days for us and 14 for you! I can't wait, but next week will go so fast with the girls starting middle school, and Hannah starts swim practice, too.

There's not a ton we LOVE at DHS, either. I completely agree with you-- BATB is one of my favorite shows in the World, but I can't stand the Little Mermaid. I thought it was awful.
Star Tours is definitely worth a try, though! We love it!

I think we'll definitely give Star Tours a try. It will make up for not being able to play on the giant ant

 

[cdhale]

If you've read this whole report, you know that we were originally booked at BC, but switched to POFQ because of the almost $1000 savings. However, my DDs had their hearts set on going to Beaches and Cream and eating this:



(photo courtesy of the internet)

Soooo.... if we get to check in and by some miracle our room is ready, we won't bother eating lunch at the resort, but rather head to BC and eat the kitchen sink for lunch!

Looks disgusting to me, but it is a must-do for them.

 

[happybelle]

If you've read this whole report, you know that we were originally booked at BC, but switched to POFQ because of the almost $1000 savings. However, my DDs had their hearts set on going to Beaches and Cream and eating this:



(photo courtesy of the internet)

Soooo.... if we get to check in and by some miracle our room is ready, we won't bother eating lunch at the resort, but rather head to BC and eat the kitchen sink for lunch!

Looks disgusting to me, but it is a must-do for them.

I think it looks yummy, sounds like a delicious lunch to me!!

 

[klacey1]

I think it looks gross too, but it's the little things that can make kids sooo happy!

 

[happybelle]

Do you need a reservation to order one of these?

I think it looks gross too, but it's the little things that can make kids sooo happy!

 

[cdhale]

I think it looks gross too, but it's the little things that can make kids sooo happy!

Soooo happy and soooo hyper!

Do you need a reservation to order one of these?

Yes, maybe I'll just tell them I couldn't get a ressie...

 

[cdhale]

Single digits! Nine days!

 

[cdhale]

Quick update... so busy at work and the Baltimore Grand Prix is this weekend making traffic a nightmare downtown. So hopefully I'll find time to finish this report.

In the meantime, I stopped at Marshall's yesterday and got a black Baggallini Hobo tote for $24! This will be my park bag for this trip. I have always used a backpack in the past, but since I don't need to worry about packing multiple layers of clothes for 3 people (as we had to do for our January trips), I wanted something smaller. And I love cross body bags. And it holds 2 water bottles.



Photo from zappos, and of a brown bag. But you get the idea.

I've also been stressing about my camera. I have a Canon Rebel DSLR that I love, but I hate my kit lens and the 75-300, while awesome, is big and heavy to lug around. I also have a Nikon Cool Pix point and shoot that I hate!! Then my DD Hannah bought her own Rebel on ebay with a better than kit lens and smaller than my big lens. Since she's determined to bring her camera, I don't feel like I need mine. Thus I went to Costco and bought a Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZX25 with some birthday money (with case and 16gb card $229). I am very excited to use this new little camera. I also have photopass+ for the good shots.

Finally... 5 DAYS TO GO!

 

[klacey1]

That bag looks like the perfect size! That's the only thing about my VB hipster-- I wish I could carry a bottle of water in it (my other stuff takes up too much room).

 

[Ladygoldenhair]

Quick update... so busy at work and the Baltimore Grand Prix is this weekend making traffic a nightmare downtown. So hopefully I'll find time to finish this report.

In the meantime, I stopped at Marshall's yesterday and got a black Baggallini Hobo tote for $24! This will be my park bag for this trip. I have always used a backpack in the past, but since I don't need to worry about packing multiple layers of clothes for 3 people (as we had to do for our January trips), I wanted something smaller. And I love cross body bags. And it holds 2 water bottles.



Photo from zappos, and of a brown bag. But you get the idea.

I've also been stressing about my camera. I have a Canon Rebel DSLR that I love, but I hate my kit lens and the 75-300, while awesome, is big and heavy to lug around. I also have a Nikon Cool Pix point and shoot that I hate!! Then my DD Hannah bought her own Rebel on ebay with a better than kit lens and smaller than my big lens. Since she's determined to bring her camera, I don't feel like I need mine. Thus I went to Costco and bought a Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZX25 with some birthday money (with case and 16gb card $229). I am very excited to use this new little camera. I also have photopass+ for the good shots.

Finally... 5 DAYS TO GO!

Just a few days! We have a week until we stay/park/fly from the airport. Packing tonight. I wish I knew if it would stay hot, or drop to the chill factor like our 2006 Sept trip?

You will love the Lumix, the lens is fantastic. I have a 20x zoom on my second one. Don't drop it, or find a rubber case. I am debating taking my Sony DsLR, it has a a tamer on lens I bought 18/200 and love it. But, I don't need it. I didn't even take it Bermuda the first year.

I love cross body bags too. I have a Baggellini too for several years and love it. I just think the metal on the cross strap côuld be lighter. It makes the lightweight bag heavy.

Did I read your doing the MNSSHP? I have tickets for the 10th. Safe travels, looking forward to read about your fun trip!