A long awaited return - Spring Break 2015

[irene_dsc]

I started futzing with the AK day. I didn't like how it made us go all over the place. So, I put the safari right after brunch, since they are right next door. Then the big question is whether or not they will want to watch a show. We would be near either the Lion King or Flights of Fancy. We watched Flights of Fancy last time and enjoyed it, and it probably works with our schedule better. 1:45 vs 1:00/2:00. Or, walk around and explore trails. Then we would go to our 3:15 raft ride. The next question is how late do we want to stay, and do they want to try Expedition Everest. Because I don't know if we can squeeze in Everest between our raft ride and Dinosaur, esp if ds decides he wants to ride the raft ride 2-3 times in a row. (He has been known to do such things!) But, I guess we can try and change/add things that day if we decide to. And we can double back and do Everest if we really want to - I suspect the lines will be shorter at the end of the day(?). And if we decide to do Everest and miss our Dinosaur FP time, we can always stand in line for that. But since I suspect we will be tired after 3 days of parks, I don't want to keep us there too late.

 

[irene_dsc]

I know, I never introduced everyone or post any photos! I've been busy, and shouldn't even do this...

Anyhow, here is dd. She's almost 11, loves music, reading, and Pokemon. This is her at the recent Pokemon Regionals competition, where she came in 3rd in the video game category for her age range! She's been reading all the Percy Jackson books for the last couple of months, but is finally finishing up the 1st Harry Potter book in anticipation of our trip.

 

[irene_dsc]

And here's a semi-recent family picture...

Note that I'm in heels. Ds is now taller than me, by just a smidge.

 

[irene_dsc]

For anyone who might be following along, you can go back to post 2 to see my actual family intro! (But, you get the family photo twice - sorry about that. It's the only recent family photo I've got! Hopefully, we can remedy that during Spring Break.)

The only other thing I've done since yesterday is download the WDW app and start playing with it a tiny bit. I have to say, it is pretty cool! I like that it shows all my FP+ and ADR's on the home screen. I hope it actually works decently in the park for wait times - I think I've seen that sometimes it doesn't get a good signal. I'm also starting to wonder if I should change a couple more FP. Splash Mountain had a 10 minute wait this morning, but Big Thunder Railroad had a much longer wait. Similarly, Dinosaur vs Expedition Everest...

 

[irene_dsc]

This weekend's mission: footwear! Both kids desperately need waterproof sandals, preferably Keens or similar. We have 4 days with water rides, and my kids love water rides...

 

[irene_dsc]

It turns out, this weekend mission has expanded! Dd had asked to shop for capris, now that it is getting nicer here. So, after flute and Pokemon League, we went to Target. We got a pair of denim capris, a pair of khakis that she suddenly decided she wanted, a sundress, and one pair of khaki shorts. I had thought she still had more shorts and skirts from last summer.

But, last night, we decided to try on all her summer clothes. Oops! She still has plenty of shirts, but besides the shorts we just got, she had one green knit skirt (the kind with shorts inside) and one pink knit skirt, without shorts inside, that she only wears over leggings.

So, today, we will be looking for more shorts for dd! At least I know ds has plenty of shorts, since he has been wearing them inside all winter!

 

[irene_dsc]

Btw, I plan to do laundry on our no park day, so at least I don't need a full week of shorts for her quite yet...

 

[irene_dsc]

My Facebook post says it all: "There is a certain irony in the idea that I was not able to spend the afternoon outside in the nice weather because I had to go clothes shopping with dd so she can enjoy the nice weather..."

So, yes, we found shorts for dd (3 pairs, all at Justice), plus sandals at Lands End. She tried on some Keens, but they didn't fit properly.

I also found a bag for me - yay! And sandals for me - yay! I wanted a bigger nylon bag than my old Bagallini, since I may not want a backpack this time. And my old Timberland sandals have failing velcro, so I was happy to find some very cute and comfy Teva sandals at DSW. I still need to take ds shopping, however.

 

[irene_dsc]

It's kinda fun to preview wait times at different times of day. After checking out Splash and Big Thunder Mountain mid-afternoon, I think I'm going to stick with Splash. I *know* we are going to want to ride that one, and it had a similar wait time to Big Thunder. I do wonder if I want to move it a little earlier, in the full heat of the afternoon. I also noticed Kali had a long wait time at around 3:30, I'm sure due to the heat factor again. I think I need to strategize better to take the heat into account. My family does *not* do well in the heat...

Suggestions for between Liberty Tree (around 2 pm) and Splash (5:15) that are relatively cool? Is there shade on Tom Sawyer's Island? I know Hall of Presidents is nearby and cool, at least.

 

[cajunfan]

I'm here! Your plans look good! It is so different planning for that age group versus what I am doing. I started taking my now 21 year old son to WDW when he was 8. It was me and him plus we traveled with a friend who also had a son his age. Sharing expenses made traveling there much more doable. Anyway, you are going to LOVE Tusker House. It is one of my favorites. Try the Mealie Pap....I could eat my weight in that stuff...it is just "jacked up" grits...but holy cow it is great comfort food. (I have never been on Tom Sawyers Island so not sure about the shade. I need to start watching those wait times just to get a feel for them.

Will be following along!

Lynn

 

[irene_dsc]

Thanks, Lynn! Your grand niece is just a little older than my daughter was when we went before. That was a very different trip than this one will be.

I'm looking forward to trying Tusker House. It has much better reviews now than when we were there before.

 

[irene_dsc]

I decided that I should update my Excel itinerary will all of these thoughts, so it will be easy to print out. In the meantime, I realized I didn't have my ADR's linked to MDE! So, I did that. I also see my wish list stuff if I click on it. But, I put it in order on my itinerary, along with a few notes.

Not sure how much I need to plan out Universal. Supposedly, it is easier to navigate. I probably should at least put together the list of priorities.

Dd is finally done with book 1 of Harry Potter. She has put in a request to get a packet of Every Flavor Beans when we are there, which should be a doable goal.

I do know I want to ride on the Seuss themed carousel. It just sounds way too cute!

Hogwarts Express, of course, to justify the upcharge for the Park to Park tickets!

And of course, ds will want to ride every single water ride. Over and over again, I suspect.

We also haven't decided if we want to stop and actually see anything in Atlanta. Dh used to visit his grandmother a lot when he was a kid, so he knows the town a little. He originally suggested World of Coke, but it is now $16/person. We don't think it is worth that! He wants to do the Cyclorama for history, but the kids don't sound interested. Stone Mountain looks like it would be difficult to do quickly and cheaply. Yes, you can just hike, but that's not nearly as exciting as everything else. We may just drive straight through, but it would be nice to have a good stop after a full day of driving.

 

[irene_dsc]

In other news, I decided to try on my old pair of cargo shorts. I had originally bought them for a trip to Mexico when I was 5 months pg with ds, so they are a bit bigger than my usual size (with elastic, of course). They had been a bit loose the past few years. But, I've gained a few pounds lately, so they actually fit pretty well right now! So, that's good, because they are my only pair of cargo shorts with closable pockets. But, that's bad because it means probably some of my other shorts won't fit. I did pick up a pair of shorts on clearance in December that should fit, however.

 

[irene_dsc]

While I'm thinking about it - must remember to pack sun hats.

Also, need to think about a date night, probably on our non-park day. Dh has requested I pack the green dress that is in the family photo. Not sure where we want to go. It has to be not in a WDW park, but could be in City Walk since we have an extra Universal day. Or at a resort or Downtown Disney....

 

[orangejeepgirl]

Hi! Enjoying reading your PTR! It looks like you guys are going to have a blast! Where are you thinking about going for date night?!

 

[irene_dsc]

Funny you should ask where we are going for date night! I started looking at California Grill, but wasn't happy with the prices. I started a search, and showed dh the options. He noticed a Cuban restaurant, and I remembered there are other Cuban places outside of the World.

So, dh went on tripadvisor, and found a place called Cuba Libre, on International Drive. It looked like fun, and about half the price of the nice places. Plus, lots of good reviews, and it turns into a night club later, so my green dress shouldn't look totally out of place, lol.

 

[orangejeepgirl]

Funny you should ask where we are going for date night! I started looking at California Grill, but wasn't happy with the prices. I started a search, and showed dh the options. He noticed a Cuban restaurant, and I remembered there are other Cuban places outside of the World.

So, dh went on tripadvisor, and found a place called Cuba Libre, on International Drive. It looked like fun, and about half the price of the nice places. Plus, lots of good reviews, and it turns into a night club later, so my green dress shouldn't look totally out of place, lol.

Ohhh that sounds like fun! Plus Cuban food is delicious!

 

[irene_dsc]

Yeah, I suspect Florida is one of the best places to find good Cuban food outside of Cuba. I'm not sure I've ever had any, except possibly a Cuban sandwich once, so I'm looking forward to it.

I also need to make sure we find some Key Lime pie sometime during the trip for dh. He wanted some on Pi day, but Baker's Square considers it a seasonal pie for summer. It will also remind me of the time I was in Florida with my family as a kid and my mom decided to have Key Lime pie at every restaurant we visited, to compare all the different ways of making it.

 

[irene_dsc]

I'm not sure if I like being able to preview wait times or not. It's a little disconcerting that at 10:42 (9:42 Florida time), there is already over an hour wait at both Buzz and Space Mountain. I keep wondering how early the kids are going to want to get up on our MK day, since of course we will be losing an hour, and it will be our late day. And there's an early EMH (7-8), so even if we get there at RD, there will be people there before us.

 

[irene_dsc]

It's getting close enough that I can preview weather on the 10 day forecast! So far, it is looking pretty good! Saturday, high of 73 (Epcot day - no water rides), Sunday, high of 80 (MK), Monday, high of 80 (AK). I like those temperatures a lot better than the 90 predicted for today!