9 months to go -Are we there yet? Our 1st official Family Trip :)7 Mo, 4 Wks to go...

AlternateEgo

Missing the House of the Mouse
Joined
Jan 9, 2009
Pre-Trip Report

Cast:

Me, Crystal - the planner.

I have been to Disney:

1992 (with my parents & sisters) - We stayed offsite and went to the three parks. I was 6 & 8 years older than my sisters and that caused some problems with which rides we went on.

2007 (with my 3 daughters) - We stayed at ASMu for 4 days and had free dining. We only went to Magic Kingdom, since I didn't want to stress/wear us out. They were 1, 2, & 4 at the time :) The other half of our vacation was spent in a condo at Madeira Beach.

2009 (with my DH) - We went for our honeymoon in September. We stayed at Coronado Springs :love:, had free dining, and went to all four parks, as well as MNSSHP. We had a blast, just being the two of us, and doing whatever we wanted abd whenever we wanted.

DH - Jeff- aspires to work at RPDE by day and a pyrotechnic by night.

He has been to Disney:

Once when he was little, no one know what year...

2009- for our Honeymoon :)

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DD7 - Alayna- She is beginning to grow out of the Princesses and more into the Fairies- only cause some girl at school told her Princesses were for babies. She retorted with, "My mom still likes Princesses!" - that a girl!

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DD5 - Brianna- Full fledge princess, loves them, believes she is one, can't wait to see them again!

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DD4 - Keeley- Loves "mouse" but has a few issues I hope we can overcome before vacation time. She has a few sensory issues and a speech delay. In general, face characters aren't a problem, but Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh are "scary". She will watch them on TV and sing and dance, but in real life... not so much. She also doesn't like rides. I am hoping we can overcome these fears of hers or work around them.

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So that sums up our cast, up next... our story about why we are going.
 
So you have met the cast...

Now the story of why we are going :)

We are looking at being in Disney from September 4th - September 12th.

When we planned to go to Disney World for our Honeymoon the kids were pretty sad we weren't taking them along. So I had promised them a trip in 2010.

Actually, I told them December 2010 and that maybe we could spend Christmas there. The way my DH's work is, they tend to have a few weeks off in the December time frame, so I thought he could use his vacation time instead of having no income flow.

Well... after our Honeymoon I became obsessed that September was the ONLY time we should ever go to Disney. Everything was so wonderful. We walked onto nearly every ride, not having more than a 5 minute wait (except Toy Story), it wasn't crowded, the weather was warm but not scorching hot, free dining... the list goes on.

So I started looking at dates and found that September 6th (our anniversary :cloud9:) was labor day and the children would only miss 4 days of school. I know! I know!

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So I received the year long PIN code and am so happy, because now I get to do some calculating :) Not that I love calculating... but I have choices!

Last trip we planned to stay at AKL, but with the cost of wedding, we decided to try the newly renovated Coronado Springs. We absolutely loves CSR, but still wished we had stayed at one of those deluxe resorts since it was just the two of us.
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The problem with having a big family is that you are limited to the available resorts, with rooms for 5, without costing a fortune. Our choices are ASMu Suite, Port Orleans Riverside, Polynesian, or booking two rooms.

Again, last trip we had the pleasure of visiting a few different resorts and sort of get a "feel" for which resorts really fit our taste. Our favorites were Animal Kingdom Lodge, Polynesian, and Wilderness Lodge. So I have to decide what is really in our budget... and maybe even come up with a budget. :)

So far the cheapest for what I have came up for 8 night stay, 5 day tickets, & dining plan.

$3,938.60 Poly - PIN code
$3,607.40 Beach Club - PIN code
$2,489.27 POR - Free Dining

So next I think I will be looking into menus and places we would like to eat and decide if the dining plan will work for us. :)

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I spent most of my day looking at menus and choosing restaurants to determine if we would NEED the dining plan.

I figured up the cost we would save using the dining plan (including tax - not tip), then what it would cost if we were paying out of pocket (including tax). I figured that if out of pocket was more than the dining plan, it would be a better deal. For oop, I figured no desserts (unless buffet) and sometimes some of the kids might share a meal.

Here is our preliminary list:

Whispering Canyon Cafe - $105.75 DDP $86.30 OOP

Ohana - $113.90 DDP & OOP

Narcoossee's - $187.44 DDP $151.23 OOP

Chef Mickey's - $111.77 DDP & OOP

Magic Kingdom - Cinderella's Fairytale Lunch - $198.79 DDP & OOP

Epcot - Akershus Royal Banquet - $140.52 DDP & OOP

MNSSHP - Crystal Palace - $106.45 DDP & OOP

DHS - Prime Time (Lunch)- $52.89 OOP - Will pay OOP either way

Counter Service Restaurants (Based on $38 average) - $40.47 OOP & $47.40DDP (with desserts added in) x 8

Snacks (Based on an average of $3) - $3.20 x 40

This is what came of it:

Actual cost of Dining Plan = $959.60
Dining Plan = $1,471.82
OOP = $1,377.76

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Here is a little bit of a plan I am looking at. I don't know which days we will actually do each of these until it gets a bit closer and I can know which days to avoid which parks.

Arrival Day
Quick Service Lunch
Narcoosee’s Dinner
Wishes from Balcony

Magic Kingdom
Snack – Bfast
BB Boutique
Chef Mickey’s

Free Day
Quick Service
Whispering Canyon

Animal Kingdom
Yak & Yeti QS
O’hana

DHS
QS
Prime Time

Epcot
QS
Royal Banquet

MNSSHP
QS
Crystal Palace

Magic Kingdom
QS
Cinderella’s Castle
Dessert Party

I haven't quite decided if it would be best to have a magical last day or first day, with Cinderella's Castle, BB Boutique, and Dessert Party.

Last trip, we had all the best restaurants first and then the last few restaurants were disappointments.

Narcoossee's, Whispering Canyon Cafe, Maya, Boma, Tony's, Coral Reef.

Greens are definite repeats, Red are no way, Blue is possible, and purple is never tried before. So I really need to look at possible replacements for Chef Mickey's & Crystal Palace. Those restaurants won't be missed by DD4 either...

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Thanks!

I have been lurking through Disboutiquers pictures coming up with plans to make my daughters some outfits.

I already feel overwhelmed, haha.
 
So far on my clothing list:

Cinderella tutu dress - BBB, CRT, maybe MNSSHP
Tiana tutu dress - BBB, CRT, maybe MNSSHP
Snow White tutu dress - BBB, CRT, maybe MNSSHP

3 Animal Print Tops with Capris - Animal Kingdom

3 Kimono Style Tops with Capris - Epcot

I haven't decided to do "favorite movie" theme or "Hollywood theme" for DHS. It all depends on the fabric, but will most likely be a top and capris set.

I am interested in making the Vida patern for a couple of days...

All depends :) but the CRT dresses will be first on my list.

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I made a couple of dresses for the girls yesterday. Their Christmas concert is this Thursday, so I wanted to make sure I had them finished on the weekend.

I made them without patterns. Just sort of had things in mind and went for it. I wouldn't say they turned out exactly as I had imagined (well not at all :rolleyes:) but I think they are adorable.

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I don't know WHY my oldest child gave such a "smile"...

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Of course the children will be wearing a shirt under the dresses. I am just not confident in my sleeve making skills :)

I think the dress on the right would make an adorable Ohana dress :) ... well with some Hawaiian fabric instead of gingerbread men :rolleyes:

(Ignore my messy house, the kids were using laundry baskets for cars, while i was sewing...)

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I don't think I have mentioned the possibility of bringing along DH's Mom. I am kind of torn on this concept.

Pro's

She never goes anywhere, nor has the money to do so.
Extra hand with the children.
Possible babysitter while anniversary dinner with DH.

Con's

Money
Will probably have to stay at ASMu.
If we don't have ASMu, we might have to have 2 separate rooms = more money.

9/4-9/12/10
5 Day Disney tickets
Basic Dining Plan

Currently I am looking at Port Orleans - Riverside, which we can do a 5 person room with the trundle bed. - $2,489.27 (Assuming Free dining)

6 people - ASMu - $3,143.70 (Assuming Free Dining)
The price difference is not bad at all, but I am scared of the value hotels, since we will be using Disney transportation.

I have no desire to stay at the Fort Wilderness Cabins, just personal preference :)

6 people - CSR (Junior Suite) - $4,542.15


Plus, when you add in plane tickets, we are looking at adding another $1,000.

So it is really a challenge for me, I want to bring her, but I don't think we have the money to do so.

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My first thought about takong your mother in law is, DON'T DO IT!!


I took mine in Feb...most of the time I was glad but there was alot of extra drama.

My best advice is..do you get along well with her or does she cause tension?
 
My first thought about takong your mother in law is, DON'T DO IT!!


I took mine in Feb...most of the time I was glad but there was alot of extra drama.

My best advice is..do you get along well with her or does she cause tension?

Hehe thanks!

We get along :) Maybe I need to think more about what kind of drama could unfold... hmmm
 
Just finished reading! Sounds like a great family vacation. No matter where you stay, I know you're going to have a great time! Looking forward to reading more about you and your family.
 
If you do decide to bring along your MIL and you're having trouble with space and don't want to buy two rooms, have you looked into staying at the Fort Wilderness cabins? They fit six. :)
 
Just finished reading! Sounds like a great family vacation. No matter where you stay, I know you're going to have a great time! Looking forward to reading more about you and your family.

Thanks Pipersmom! I have been reading along on your PTR and just love how you have managed to keep your secret from DD (hopefully its still a secret, dont think I finished reading)

If you do decide to bring along your MIL and you're having trouble with space and don't want to buy two rooms, have you looked into staying at the Fort Wilderness cabins? They fit six. :)

Well... there is just something about the Fort Wilderness cabins that puts me off. I can't quite put my finger on it though. Have you had experience with them before?

ETA - I just read that you are planning a trip there this January! How exciting, I am looking forward to reading your trip report :)
 
Well... there is just something about the Fort Wilderness cabins that puts me off. I can't quite put my finger on it though. Have you had experience with them before?

ETA - I just read that you are planning a trip there this January! How exciting, I am looking forward to reading your trip report :)

I'm pretty excited! :D And, no, I don't have any experience with them, but everyone on the Camping at Disney board is very helpful and there's a lot of information! (I think I know what you mean, though... While I'm still really excited about the cabins, I do wish we could have stayed in one of the other hotels--I guess next time. :))
 

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