A Disney-addicted mom: Disney cruise, Family trip, Running trips! *Update 2/18*

[DrMomof3]

I'm going to attempt to write a PTR about our upcoming trips. I'm very spoiled and I have 4 Disney-related trips on the horizon in the next year. While I promise to try to do a good job of keeping currently, I will warn everyone now that I'm infamous for disappearing for a few weeks and then returning. My most recent TR took me nearly 8 months to complete!

Cast of Characters:

ME! The Disney-addicted mom of the title. I'm 40 years old. I work full-time as a pediatric urologist and a proud mom of 3 children. It's seems weird to say this but I'm also a runner. I've finished 3 half marathons and 1 full marathon to date. Warning: I will use this space to discuss my training!

A picture of me running past the Grand Floridian (around mile 11) during my January marathon!

Tom. "Big guy!" My almost-43 year old husband of 11.5 years. Tom is an adult urologist (meaning that he takes care of adults not that he is one!). He sometimes pretends that he doesn't love Disney as much as I do but that really isn't true. He definitely lets me handle the pre-planning but he takes charge of the day-to-day Disney operations as much as I do - once we're safely in Florida.

Tom during his January 1/2 marathon at mile 8.

Nathaniel. Our complicated eldest child. Imagine if you took a neurotic little old Jewish man who worries about everything and squished him into the size of a small 8 year old. Now add incredible artistic and musical talent. Then add a very grown-up and sardonic sense of humor. That's the closest I can come to describing Nathaniel. He can be unbelievably difficult and just as incredibly thoughtful and caring. All on the same day!

Before the children's races in January.

Jessica. The classic middle child. The diva and princess. Jessica is 6 going on 16. Smart and assertive. She can be your most wonderful ally or have a melt-down worthy of a 2 year old. Outgoing, confident, and just fabulous!

Zachary. "The mayor." Seriously. That's his nickname at preschool. Friendly and loving. A walking, talking teddy bear. Zachary started off life as a 34 week preemie but it's hard to believe when you see him now! He has very, very mild Cerebral Palsy with some subtle but significant motor delays (we use a GAC for him with stroller = wheelchair). Classic Zachary is when he does something wrong and you get angry at him he'll crawl in your lap and say, "But mommy! I love you!" He gets along with anyone and everyone and is a super happy child.

Welcome aboard!

Amanda

 

[DrMomof3]

As you can see we have several Disney trips coming up. Actually we have one more that I haven't mention yet.

Disney's Vero Beach Resort
On April 1st we are flying down to West Palm Beach and then renting a car and driving to the Vero Beach Resort for Spring Break. We wanted something quieter and more laid back than Disney World. And also something different. We're flying home late on April 5th.

Podcast Cruise 3.0
On June 23rd we are flying to MCO and staying one night near the Port before embarking on our 1st Disney cruise. This is the DISboards Podcast Cruise. It's a 5 night cruise on the Dream. We disembark on Friday, June 29th and then we'll stay 2 nights in a Cabin at Fort Wilderness before flying home on July 1st.

3rd Annual August Family Trip
We are returning to Disney the last week of August once again. Right now the plan is stay at Beach Club in a deluxe club level room. We booked a Bounceback offer when we were at Marathon Weekend. ADRs for dinner are made.

Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10 Mile Race
I was granted permission to participate in the inaugural ToT race in September. I'm traveling solo and probably staying at the Beach Club. I *think* I've found a roommate from the DIS (more later). I'm flying down on Friday, September 28th and flying home Monday night, October 1st. It'll be F&W and I'm hoping to catch a MNSSHP while I'm there!

Marathon Weekend 2013
I'm pretty certain I've made the decision to go Goofy in 2013. That means running a 1/2 marathon on Saturday and a full marathon on Sunday. Still negotiating trip details with Tom so more info to come. (Tom isn't sure he wants to bring the kids but I've suggested to the kids that we walk the 5k together.) Stay tuned.

That's the beginning! Stay tuned as I try to update!!!

 

[ddluvsdisney]

All I can say is WOW!!! Amanda
I hope your kids someday realize how very lucky they are. It sounds all so awesome! can't wait to hear all about it. I'm so glad you were able to start it before my trip, so I'll have something new to read to make the time fly.
Only 22 more days!!!

 

[natebenma]

I'm here!

I responded to your PM via e-mail, but I don't think it was what you were looking for... If I would have taken a minute to look, I would have seen you already knew what to do what I was describing! But I want to add that to the BC thread anyway.

Great intro! I love the descriptions of the members of your family.

Sounds like a really fun year ahead!

You mention this will be your first Disney cruise. Have you cruised on other lines? What are the ports, other than Castaway Cay? ( I know that's cheating and getting ahead of your report)

Is Nassau one of your ports? Next week is going to be a lot less hectic than this past one and I am going to put some serious effort into researching some excursion options for our Atlantis trip, in less than a month.

 

[DrMomof3]

All I can say is WOW!!! Amanda
I hope your kids someday realize how very lucky they are. It sounds all so awesome! can't wait to hear all about it. I'm so glad you were able to start it before my trip, so I'll have something new to read to make the time fly.
Only 22 more days!!!

Welcome (again!) and Thank You! I hope I'm worthy....

I'm here!

I responded to your PM via e-mail, but I don't think it was what you were looking for... If I would have taken a minute to look, I would have seen you already knew what to do what I was describing! But I want to add that to the BC thread anyway.

Great intro! I love the descriptions of the members of your family.

Sounds like a really fun year ahead!

You mention this will be your first Disney cruise. Have you cruised on other lines? What are the ports, other than Castaway Cay? ( I know that's cheating and getting ahead of your report)

Is Nassau one of your ports? Next week is going to be a lot less hectic than this past one and I am going to put some serious effort into researching some excursion options for our Atlantis trip, in less than a month.

I didn't actually do the chapter thing. I meant to but I didn't. Too lazy!
Tom and I went on a Celebrity cruise in 1998. We had done zero research about cruising and just hopped on the ship. We enjoyed ourselves but I hardly consider myself knowledgeable about cruising.
The cruise is doing 2 stops at Castaway and we're stopping at Nassau. We can't book shore excursions yet and I don't know if we will. I'll probably start obsessing about that here - soon!

Amanda

 

[DrMomof3]

Why Vero Beach? Good question! We are obviously Disney veterans. We wanted to go someplace warm for Spring Break (although our weather in NY has been quite mild this year) but didn't want the stress or crowds associated with Disney World. I debated a few hotels on the Gulf Coast but everything had such mixed reviews. I'm sure they were all perfectly nice but I found it hard to tell. And Tom doesn't really get involved with these things. While Disney's Vero Beach was certainly not cheap during Spring Break, we were able to get a one bedroom villa for a price that I considered acceptable. And we've stayed in DVC resorts before so I felt like we knew what we were getting.
I booked this trip months and months ago. With Tom's permission, of course. A few weeks ago I mentioned something about the trip and he looked at me at said, "We're staying at a DISNEY resort in Vero Beach??? Really???" He then admitted that it was probably the safest choice to make and at least we know it'll be child-friendly!
We're flying into West Palm Beach directly from our little local airport (White Plains). I had some major thinking to do about how to seat the family on the plane. These flights have 2 seats on either side and we're a family of 5. Plus, both Jessica and Nathaniel MUST have a window seat or major tantrums ensue. The last few trips Nathaniel has been seated by himself in front of us but he doesn't really like that. For this trip we're going to try Tom and Nathaniel in front of us, Jessica behind Nathaniel, Zachary next to Jessica, and me across the aisle for Jessica and Zachary. It will be interesting. Jessica and Nathaniel will both stay in their seats and can take themselves to the bathroom. Zachary doesn't always listen as well. We are flying JetBlue so we'll have tvs but I'm still considering a DVD player for Zachary. JetBlue has Nick but not Disney and some of the Nick shows are too old for Zachary. Hmmm.
I've decided to mostly "wing-it" for meals. We'll hopefully do a grocery stop between the West Palm Beach airport and Vero Beach. I think it's about a 90 minute drive. Many people fly into Orlando instead but West Palm is a little closer and much smaller. I did make one ADR. On Monday nights during peak seasons, the resort has a Monday night Pirate Dinner. I believe that Pirate Goofy attends but I don't remember the details. I am packing pirate bandanas for the kids to wear to the dinnner.
My step-dad's brother spends the winter in Vero Beach so we'll probably try to hook up with them for dinner one night. And we'll have a car so we can drive into town for dinners. Or even cook a bit in the room if we want. And I'm sure we can grab quick-serve at the pool.

I borrowed some pictures from All Ears:

West Palm Beach is South of Vero.

Mickey shaped pool with a twisty slide.

Pirate water play area.

The Beach!

We aren't huge Beach People so this is a departure for us. I'm guessing we'll buy sand toys at the grocery store and let the kids build castles on the beach. I'm a little nervous about them swimming in the ocean so we may spend a lot of time at the pool. The Resort has lots of children's activities, too. And there's a mini-golf course on property. We haven't decided yet if we're going to take a trip to Kennedy Space Center (about a 2 hour drive, I believe). Also there will still be some pre-season baseball games in the area, including a Mets/Yankees game. The tickets are sold out but we have some connections so we'll see.

Amanda

 

[ddluvsdisney]

Vero Beach looks beautiful. That another place on my bucket list. I the beach!!! I was a lifeguard through college and beyond until I was pregnant with my first. The ocean holds a speciallace in my heart. I could sit on the beach all day. Even though you're not really beach people the pools look so FUN!
What are the rates like there? Similiar to deluxe?

Deb

 

[DrMomof3]

Vero Beach looks beautiful. That another place on my bucket list. I the beach!!! I was a lifeguard through college and beyond until I was pregnant with my first. The ocean holds a speciallace in my heart. I could sit on the beach all day. Even though you're not really beach people the pools look so FUN!
What are the rates like there? Similiar to deluxe?

Deb

Like all Disney resorts Vero Beach seems to have seasons. It looks like you can get a regular hotel room for about $200. A one bedroom villa during Spring Break is not cheap! But I feel like we'll eat breakfast in our room every day and our biggest other expense will be the car rental. Still cheaper than a trip to WDW!

Amanda

 

[DrMomof3]

Vero Beach Update: I've started packing for our trip. One week from now we should be at the West Palm Beach airport! I feel so unprepared!!! It looks like the weather will be low 80's as the daily highs and maybe mid to upper 60's as the lows. In other words it should be beautiful!
I started by packing the swim suits. Two for each of us as I will do laundry during the trip. Zachary still needs swim diapers and I realized we're a bit low on the correct size so I'm getting more. I packed a cover-up for each of us as it may be a little chilly when you're not in the water. I also packed sunscreen. I'm thinking that we'll mostly be able to just wear shorts. I packed some sundresses for Jessica for dinner. Still need to pack clothes for the boys and for me. Tom *should* be able to pack for himself. We'll see!
We're planning a grocery stop between the airport and the resort so we'll just buy beach toys and stuff there. I don't see any reason to drag that stuff on the plane and I certainly don't plan to bring sandy, wet toys home with us. I should buy some snacks for the plane and I might download a few movies on my iPad for Zachary to watch (Tom vetoed the portable DVD player).
I've often made activity books and other goodies for the kids when we travel but I find that they don't really use that stuff very much. Jessica and Nathaniel both have iPod Touches and Zachary can use my iPad. I'll have a book and maybe my Kindle - not that I think I'll have a lot of time to read on the plane while entertaining the 2 young ones.

Podcast Cruise Update:
Believe it or not I'm FAR more stressed about the cruise than about our upcoming trip. The trip to Vero Beach is supposed to be relaxing. Even though we've never been there, I'm planning to hang out at the pool and beach and maybe sign the kids up for some of the children's programs. We can play mini-golf, drive to the Space Center, or even go to the movies. We'll have a car so we can get around. No biggie.
The cruise is another animal. I really don't know what to expect! Our plan is to fly down on Saturday and somehow get to our hotel (Country Inn and Suites). We'll find something for dinner. Somewhere. The next morning we need to get to the Port. Maybe by cab? Again, I'm not really sure.
I don't know if we should book shore excursions. The stuff at Nassau doesn't seem fabulous for the kids, except Atlantis which is wildly expensive. And I think that most of the stuff we would do on Castaway Cay we can just do when we get there. At least that's my impression. I'll obviously sign the kids up for the children's programs on the ship. I'm hoping and praying that Zachary is fully potty-trained in time. It'll be a close call! I'm also not sure if we'll be able to do a Palo or Remy dinner one night. My kids tend to go to bed early so I don't know how that will work with the children's clubs. Lots of uncertainty = stressed out Amanda!
Then we have to get from the cruise ship to Fort Wilderness. I've reserved a golf cart for us since we plan to spend a lot of time exploring the Fort and not so much time at the parks. And finally we have to get back to the airport from Fort Wilderness. I suppose we could use DME for that part. Or a car service.
The 3-leg car service for a family of 5 will be about $350. And that doesn't get us to the Port from our hotel on Sunday morning. Are we better off renting a car? But then we'll have to pay to park it somewhere during the cruise. Ah, decisions, decisions....

Amanda

 

[DrMomof3]

Marathon Weekend Update:
1st let's talk about training. I'm running my next 1/2 marathon on April 15th in NYC. I did 12 miles the weekend before last and have 14 miles on tap for this weekend. Almost ready to start tapering. I feel like I've trained pretty well but I'm not sure I'm ready to beat my best time (which was originally a goal of mine for this race). I guess I need to wait and see what happens. Some of it will depend on the weather - if we get a warm day I'm much less likely to go as fast as I'd like.
Now my issue. Ineed to start thinking about lodging. It looks like it'll be my family of 5 + nanny + my parents. 5 adults and 3 children. Last year we stayed CL at GF. It was awesome but even with discounts I can't afford 3 rooms at GF. I'm thinking about 3 rooms at Swan/Dolphin but that's pricey, too. Or maybe renting DVC points at either BLT, BCV, or BWV. Or hope for a room discount at BC, BW, or CR and get 3 rooms?
I want our room on the race route for convenience. Although maybe that shouldn't be the goal. 3 rooms at POFQ? Or POR? Then have the family go to Epcot for the last mile of the Marathon? My DH is a bit of a snob and I don't know how that'll go. We'd hope for adjoining rooms with my nanny and let the kids take turns between the rooms. Then hope for my parents nearby?
I'd love thoughts on the room situation!
Off-site is not an option because we'd need multiple cars. How do 8 people who are used to deluxe resorts stay at Disney without breaking the bank?

Amanda

 

[Native NYer]

Hi Amanda,

Joining in and read through your updates.

Have you considered Art of Animation for your Marathon Weekend trip?

 

[DrMomof3]

Hi Amanda,

Joining in and read through your updates.

Have you considered Art of Animation for your Marathon Weekend trip?

Welcome Jennifer!!!
I had not considered AoA. I'm not sure it'll be the most economical solution though. I've heard there are no discounted rooms and we'd still need 2 suites. Would 2 suites at AoA be cheaper than 3 rooms with AP discount at POR or POFQ? I'll have to price it and see. There's also the snob factor issue. Love my DH to death but he's a huge snob. He already wants to leave the kids at home for Marathon Weekend. Telling him that we're bringing the kids and staying at a value resort might end the whole weekend before it starts! (Remember: This is the man who chose for us to stay CL at the GF for marathon weekend this year. We then paid for my parents to stay at GF - non CL. We had a 35% off room rate for both rooms but it was really, really expensive. It would be a huge let-down to go from CL at GF to a value resort - no matter how beautiful and new!
Please don't think I'm criticizing AoA. I would stay there in a minute and be happy to do so if that meant I could go to Disney. But it would be a hard sell in my house.

Amanda

 

[ddluvsdisney]

Welcome Jennifer!!!
I had not considered AoA. I'm not sure it'll be the most economical solution though. I've heard there are no discounted rooms and we'd still need 2 suites. Would 2 suites at AoA be cheaper than 3 rooms with AP discount at POR or POFQ? I'll have to price it and see. There's also the snob factor issue. Love my DH to death but he's a huge snob. He already wants to leave the kids at home for Marathon Weekend. Telling him that we're bringing the kids and staying at a value resort might end the whole weekend before it starts! (Remember: This is the man who chose for us to stay CL at the GF for marathon weekend this year. We then paid for my parents to stay at GF - non CL. We had a 35% off room rate for both rooms but it was really, really expensive. It would be a huge let-down to go from CL at GF to a value resort - no matter how beautiful and new!
Please don't think I'm criticizing AoA. I would stay there in a minute and be happy to do so if that meant I could go to Disney. But it would be a hard sell in my house.

Amanda

I know exactly what you mean about the resort snob thing
My DH is the same way. My BIL is taking his family this year for their first trip- staying at ASMo. My DH was showing DS10 pics of the resort and he was like oh cool can we stay there next time? DH was like oh no we won't be staying there. DS10 said why?
I'm with you, as long as I'm in Disney I'll stay anywhere. If I'm unemployed any longer we may have to look into that more seriously. According to DH it won't happen.
And as for CL- once you go CL it's hard to go back.
Sorry I can't help on where you should stay.

Deb

 

[DrMomof3]

I know exactly what you mean about the resort snob thing
My DH is the same way. My BIL is taking his family this year for their first trip- staying at ASMo. My DH was showing DS10 pics of the resort and he was like oh cool can we stay there next time? DH was like oh no we won't be staying there. DS10 said why?
I'm with you, as long as I'm in Disney I'll stay anywhere. If I'm unemployed any longer we may have to look into that more seriously. According to DH it won't happen.
And as for CL- once you go CL it's hard to go back.
Sorry I can't help on where you should stay.

Deb

In the last few years we've either stayed in a villa or CL, except when DH and I went without kids. We're very spoiled!
We are giving the Cabins a try but only for 2 nights so the risk is low.
I was thinking that if we have 3 rooms to spread out, we might like one of the Port Orleans resorts. And, obviously, we have to see prices and discounts when they release the 2013 rates.
I'm starting to think about it NOW because if we want to rent DVC points, we need to get on that!
Location vs. Cost.

Amanda

 

[Native NYer]

Welcome Jennifer!!!
I had not considered AoA. I'm not sure it'll be the most economical solution though. I've heard there are no discounted rooms and we'd still need 2 suites. Would 2 suites at AoA be cheaper than 3 rooms with AP discount at POR or POFQ? I'll have to price it and see. There's also the snob factor issue. Love my DH to death but he's a huge snob. He already wants to leave the kids at home for Marathon Weekend. Telling him that we're bringing the kids and staying at a value resort might end the whole weekend before it starts! (Remember: This is the man who chose for us to stay CL at the GF for marathon weekend this year. We then paid for my parents to stay at GF - non CL. We had a 35% off room rate for both rooms but it was really, really expensive. It would be a huge let-down to go from CL at GF to a value resort - no matter how beautiful and new!
Please don't think I'm criticizing AoA. I would stay there in a minute and be happy to do so if that meant I could go to Disney. But it would be a hard sell in my house.

Amanda

Your DH and I must be related. I'm the same way when it comes to resorts. And I don't think you're criticizing at all. One thing I love about Disney is the variety. There is truly something for everyone in terms of resorts. The only value I would consider is AoA because it's new and it has family suites. However, I don't think I could stay more than a couple of nights. DVC has totally spoiled me!

Actually, I think POR or POFQ would be cheaper. I've heard the same thing about no discounts for AoA. I bet Disney doesn't need to discount the rooms there since it's new.

How did you like GF CL? I'm considering booking that for an extra trip.

 

[DrMomof3]

Your DH and I must be related. I'm the same way when it comes to resorts. And I don't think you're criticizing at all. One thing I love about Disney is the variety. There is truly something for everyone in terms of resorts. The only value I would consider is AoA because it's new and it has family suites. However, I don't think I could stay more than a couple of nights. DVC has totally spoiled me!

Actually, I think POR or POFQ would be cheaper. I've heard the same thing about no discounts for AoA. I bet Disney doesn't need to discount the rooms there since it's new.

How did you like GF CL? I'm considering booking that for an extra trip.

I'm so glad you weren't offended! I truly understand that some people save $$$ for years to stay at a Value Resort and I totally respect that. We're very lucky to be able to afford deluxe resorts!
I really loved CL at GF. The resort is beautiful. Not the best pool slide on property but good enough. We were 3 rooms away from the club lounge which was very convenient. Despite being snobs we are not particularly demanding or difficult guests and generally have nothing to complain about!

Amanda

 

[Chelley00]

I admire your stamina. Planning one trip is killing my OCD. If I had to plan 4 at once, I'd need lots of medication and alcohol to get through it all

 

[DrMomof3]

I admire your stamina. Planning one trip is killing my OCD. If I had to plan 4 at once, I'd need lots of medication and alcohol to get through it all

My biggest issue is that my DH pretends to not have opinions because he doesn't like to plan ahead. But he does have opinions at the last minute!
The August trip and Marathon trip require "real" planning. Otherwise I'm letting my OCD rest.

Amanda

 

[DrMomof3]

Vero Beach
Quick update on the Vero trip. I'm mostly packed but need to rearrange bags a bit. Tom has a friend from med school who lives in Jupiter. We land in West Palm around 2pm. We'll get bags and rental car and drive straight to Jupiter. We'll swim and eat dinner with them before driving on to Vero Beach. It's on the way so it'll break up the drive a bit. I also need to email my uncle and see if they want to join us for dinner one night.

Cruise
Exciting news!!! I emailed a question to WDW Today podcast about our post-cruise plans and they answered my question on last Friday's podcast. I felt famous! Based on their recommendations I changed our dining reservations. Friday night post-cruise we're doing Hoop-de-doo and Saturday night we're doing Mickey's Backyard BBQ. I don't know when we'd go back to Ft Wilderness so I'm excited to try both!
The podcast cruise just released discounted rooms for the Swan pre-cruise. I think we'll cancel our pre-cruise stay at that Port and go to the Swan instead. The DIS cruise transfers are a good deal so we'll do that, too. Now I don't need to worry so much about transportation! There was a glitch on the website so I can't book yet.
Final payment for the cruise is due SOON so I need to do that, too.

Amanda

 

[DrMomof3]

Vero Beach:
We're back! We had a great trip, minus some vomiting. Yes, again. The resort was beautiful and we even spent a day in Disney World. Almost 2 hour drive each way but we had fun! More to follow....

Podcast Cruise:
I made final payment on our cruise today. I guess that makes it real!!! We also were able to get a 20% discount on our stay at Fort Wilderness. I think it saves us about $160. I'll take it!
I moved us to the Swan for the night before the cruise. Unfortunately, I can't use the DIS transfers to the cruise because they will only let you leave and return from the same resort. There's no way I'm lugging my stuff over to Fort Wilderness!!!
We'll probably use FL Tours for all of our transfers. I should contact them sooner rather than later.
On Tuesday we can start booking shore excursions. I'm not sure what we'll do at Nassau. Any of the excursions that look appealing are also wildly expensive, especially for a family of 5. With all of the trips this year, $$$ is a bit tight so we may either stay on the ship or do something on our own. I'd love to see Atlantis but not if it costs $500.

Marathon Weekend:
I'm registered for the GOOFY! Tom's still pretty adamant about not bringing this kids for the race weekend. I'm not happy because my parents were going to train for the 5k to do with the whole family. I know it's expensive and stressful but I'd bring help for him. And I've never been very disabled after racing. I'm going to wait and see and make my arguments later. If I go by myself or just with my parents, I'll stay someplace different than if the whole family goes. It seems that either a moderate resort or 2 bedroom villa will be best if the whole crowd goes.

Happy Passover and Happy Easter to all!

Amanda