NEWS: Stay At Home Mom Visits Disney World Every Day For A Year (in her head!)

[SlippinFalls]

This is a very exciting day!!!!!!

Park hours are starting to be released for the week we will be there! And if I was vague about when our dates are you can pretty much figure it out now. I'll officially "announce" them when we've booked.

It's starting to warm up here in the north and I can feel spring is on it's way. The sun is shining and the boys can get out and play...it's glorious!

I've been doing some restructuring of our trip and I think I have a good plan. Tell me what you think of this:

Day 1: Arrival
Check-In to Pop Century; Dinner at Kona Cafe (check out Trader Sam's!)

Day 2: Magic Kingdom
Visit park from Rope Drop and stay through the Festival of Fantasy Parade
Back to Pop for afternoon break
Return to Magic Kingdom (EMH night)

Day 3: Resort Day
Spend time at the pool
Check out Art of Animation Resort (lunch there)

Day 4: Magic Kingdom
Another MK Rope Drop and stay to lunch time
Back to Pop for afternoon break
Return to Magic Kingdom and stay for Main St. Electrical Parade and Wishes

Day 5: Disney Springs
Check out Disney Springs and do some shopping and eating
Possible lunch at T-Rex Cafe

Day 6: Epcot
Visit park from Rope Drop until after lunch (Future World)
Back to Pop for afternoon break
Return to Epcot World Showcase stay for Illuminations

Day 7: Resort Day
Spend time at the pool
Go back to Disney Springs for lunch or shopping

Day 8: Animal Kingdom
Breakfast at Tusker House
Stay until we finish all our must do's
Back to Pop for pool time and packing/laundry

Day 9: Departure Day


Have a great weekend!

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[SlippinFalls]

Started booking our Dining Reservations on Sunday!

So far we have a dinner ressie at Kona Cafe on our arrival night. I can't wait to try the sushi rolls there! The sushi is our main reason for eating at Kona, but also the Polynesian is one of my favorite resorts and I think most of the rehab will be complete by the time we get there.



I'm looking forward to seeing all the changes and stopping by Trader Sam's for a pre-dinner drink! The last time we were at the Poly the lobby fountain was still there, I'm dying to see what it looks like now.



This morning I got us a 10:40am lunch at Be Our Guest for our first Magic Kingdom day. 10:40am is a little bit early for DH and I (the boys usually eat lunch at 11:00am everyday) but since we are eating breakfast in our room around 7:00am we will be hungry by then I'm sure. We've never been to Be Our Guest and can't wait to check it out!

I haven't booked our flights yet and wouldn't you know, the price went up.
I am not savvy about airfare at all. Will the price ever go back down? Should I buy them now before they go up even more or *gasp* sell out!?

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[yeheyprincex2]

we got a great price 6 weeks before our departure flying with Southwest. That's what got the ball rolling for our April trip. Some people say book your flight 3 months, books flights on a Tuesday/Wednesday,never book a flights on the weekend. Who knows if the tip, tricks work. Looks like a great plan.

Port Orleans is a nice moderate resort. We will be staying at Port Orleans River side next month. They have boat service to DTD, really relaxing as you pass the resort on the river.

 

[JoshAndEvsMom]

Hi! Following along! YAY for flying to Disney! I'm not a fan of long drives, myself. I once drove with my SIL, two 3 year olds & my 9-week old from Eastern WA to Ashland OR. Should have been a 12 hour drive... took us 24 hours.

Gotta go catch up on the rest of your posts but your plans look so fun! You've definitely had time to plan it all out!

 

[JoshAndEvsMom]

I have also been looking at flights and BIG bummer! There are no direct flights to Orlando International near us. We will have to change planes once on the way there and the way home. It freaks me out a bit because my babes have never flown and if they decide they hate it, we'll probably have to drag them on to the connecting flights kicking and screaming! I'm not going to make a big deal out of it to them beforehand, just act like this is something we do, like riding in a car. Does anyone have any tips on flying with little ones!? Oh and the flight down is SUPER early, like 5:55 am early!

I know traveling with the Under 5 Crowd sounds intimidating but, in fact it can be awesome! 1. You get to bring your stroller! Its a total pain to get through security but after that, having that stroller to throw all your stuff on is totally sweet. 2. Early boarding. 3. They keep YOU entertained and it makes the flight seem less long.

My kiddos both flew a half a dozen times before their 5th/3rd birthdays respectively and our flights were always a pleasure. I didn't bring a ton of extras but I DID get suckers (for the ascent/decent), triangle crayola crayons (so they don't roll!), coloring books & stickers. I'd also plan to bring some of their favorite snacks that you may not typically buy so it makes the flight "special". If you're bringing a tablet load it up with their favorite shows and hype it up that they ONLY get to watch their SPECIAL shows when the seatbelt light is off.

You may find that a short layover is actually a blessing in disguise. It gives kids a chance to streach their little legs and run off some energy. Also visit the bathroom & do a diaper change. I found it close to impossible to change a diaper in those tiny on-flight bathrooms and my older son was terrified of going in there with the louder engine noise. If you're worried about them not wanting to get on the second flight save one of your "extras" just for that flight and make it a good one! If they want it bad enough, they'll be dragging YOU onto the plane! Lol!

 

[SlippinFalls]

we got a great price 6 weeks before our departure flying with Southwest. That's what got the ball rolling for our April trip. Some people say book your flight 3 months, books flights on a Tuesday/Wednesday,never book a flights on the weekend. Who knows if the tip, tricks work. Looks like a great plan.

Port Orleans is a nice moderate resort. We will be staying at Port Orleans River side next month. They have boat service to DTD, really relaxing as you pass the resort on the river.

We love Port Orleans! We stayed at French Quarter for our honeymoon in 2011. I've stayed at Riverside when I was a kid and always loved it. It's very laid back and they have some fun extras like cane pole fishing and Yee Haw Bob. You really can't beat that boat ride...so pretty.

I purchased flights yesterday in a panic as I saw the price went up again! And out of the 3 return flights 2 were sold out! I checked other flights on the days before and after our planned departure and they weren't any cheaper so I just booked it. I had planned on using the 3 month tip, but didn't want it to sell out!

 

[SlippinFalls]

I know traveling with the Under 5 Crowd sounds intimidating but, in fact it can be awesome! 1. You get to bring your stroller! Its a total pain to get through security but after that, having that stroller to throw all your stuff on is totally sweet. 2. Early boarding. 3. They keep YOU entertained and it makes the flight seem less long.

My kiddos both flew a half a dozen times before their 5th/3rd birthdays respectively and our flights were always a pleasure. I didn't bring a ton of extras but I DID get suckers (for the ascent/decent), triangle crayola crayons (so they don't roll!), coloring books & stickers. I'd also plan to bring some of their favorite snacks that you may not typically buy so it makes the flight "special". If you're bringing a tablet load it up with their favorite shows and hype it up that they ONLY get to watch their SPECIAL shows when the seatbelt light is off.

You may find that a short layover is actually a blessing in disguise. It gives kids a chance to streach their little legs and run off some energy. Also visit the bathroom & do a diaper change. I found it close to impossible to change a diaper in those tiny on-flight bathrooms and my older son was terrified of going in there with the louder engine noise. If you're worried about them not wanting to get on the second flight save one of your "extras" just for that flight and make it a good one! If they want it bad enough, they'll be dragging YOU onto the plane! Lol!

Thanks for the tips! Good idea about the triangle crayons...we've had so many roll away from us at church.
Did you bring a car seat on the plane? I know it's recommended for certain ages and I can see how it might make the kids feel like they're riding in a car and therefore not free to move about the cabin so to speak ha ha! I just do not love the idea of lugging it around especially with the plane change. We'll be using the WDW buses when we get there so wont need it after the flight. DH says not to bring it but Sean (my 2 y.o) is so active. I feel like it's a good way to "contain" him lol! I'm hoping he will be interested in movies and coloring by then.

 

[SlippinFalls]

I want to start adding some of my pictures to this report but for some reason they wont re-size in photobucket.

I added some to my last update and they are soooo tiny. Anyone else have this problem? What is an appropriate size?



This is how I feel right now! This is an older picture from my photo bucket account and it looks just fine. Oh well.

 

[JoshAndEvsMom]

Thanks for the tips! Good idea about the triangle crayons...we've had so many roll away from us at church.
Did you bring a car seat on the plane? I know it's recommended for certain ages and I can see how it might make the kids feel like they're riding in a car and therefore not free to move about the cabin so to speak ha ha! I just do not love the idea of lugging it around especially with the plane change. We'll be using the WDW buses when we get there so wont need it after the flight. DH says not to bring it but Sean (my 2 y.o) is so active. I feel like it's a good way to "contain" him lol! I'm hoping he will be interested in movies and coloring by then.

I guess it depends on your kiddo's personality & the duration of the flight but my gut reaction is don't bother with the car seat. Does your son like his car seat? Mine would have declaired mutiny if I had them strapped in that long! I found that they were a lot more calm when they had the room to move, even though it was just in our seats.

If he's not interested in coloring, one idea I saw was window clings! I brought stickers for my DD when she was 2. We were careful not to stick them to the plane but she covered herself with 'em then covered me with them... she probably spent a good two hours entertaining herself with those stickers! Lol!

 

[yeheyprincex2]

I tell my husband the flights are the most tricky part, you want he best price and some times it just doesn't happen. He just happen to be looking on southwest site when he saw the prices had dropped and they were not advertising a sale so he was a happy man lol.
We do not take car seats on the plane and our boys have done well. yes they do move around a little but the idea of having two car seats on a plane is exhausting to me. We usually check them since we usually rent a car. But this trip we have decided to try the Magical express for the first time. I am a little anxious about the bus system but I'm sure it will be fine. Here is a pic of my boys on our last flight. they were happy to be on the plane

 

[SlippinFalls]

I guess it depends on your kiddo's personality & the duration of the flight but my gut reaction is don't bother with the car seat. Does your son like his car seat? Mine would have declaired mutiny if I had them strapped in that long! I found that they were a lot more calm when they had the room to move, even though it was just in our seats.

If he's not interested in coloring, one idea I saw was window clings! I brought stickers for my DD when she was 2. We were careful not to stick them to the plane but she covered herself with 'em then covered me with them... she probably spent a good two hours entertaining herself with those stickers! Lol!

He doesn't mind his car seat, but I think you're right about him being more calm with room to move. We have a 5:50am flight and I was hoping he might sleep through some of it. He might sleep in my lap if he's tired enough. He loves stickers and I was planning on bringing some of those, I'll look for some window clings too, those would be great!

 

[SlippinFalls]

I tell my husband the flights are the most tricky part, you want he best price and some times it just doesn't happen. He just happen to be looking on southwest site when he saw the prices had dropped and they were not advertising a sale so he was a happy man lol.
We do not take car seats on the plane and our boys have done well. yes they do move around a little but the idea of having two car seats on a plane is exhausting to me. We usually check them since we usually rent a car. But this trip we have decided to try the Magical express for the first time. I am a little anxious about the bus system but I'm sure it will be fine. Here is a pic of my boys on our last flight. they were happy to be on the plane

We are bringing two small strollers already and the thought of carrying a car seat too is sounding really impossible!
I think we'll leave it in the car.
We like Magical Express for the ability to let someone else do the driving. Neither of us are great with directions so we can avoid getting lost and lots of arguments by riding ME lol! The only thing I don't like is waiting for a bus. Sometimes it feels like you're waiting forever for the right bus to come along. We have gone during slower times of year so maybe they have less buses running? Just give yourself plenty of extra time. You are going during Spring Break though so they should have buses coming all the time to keep up with the number of guests.

Your trip is coming up soon! So jealous! Your boys are adorable on the plane btw!

 

[yeheyprincex2]

Thank you,
luggage carts are life and marriage saves when making your way through the airport lol.
seriously a few trips ago my DH refused to get a cart I was so mad cause it was a lot to carry (2 strollers,2 car seats 3 suite cases). He learned his lesson and now we get a cart.
My DH is looking forward to not driving this trip. The wait time for buses is a main concern for me, I just got to let it go and go with the flow(I'll be repeating this to my self from start to finish of this trip).
I wish we could go during MNSSHP, we had a good time at DL Halloween party last year. I would love to go for all the special events Halloween, Christmas, F&W, maybe when we are retired and have the time.

 

[SlippinFalls]

Our Dining Plans!
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I got all of our Dining Reservations completed this week! I had some trouble booking online so I kept trying for a couple days and then finally called Disney Dining. I had read on the boards that some people were having the same issue. The problem was that no one could book reservations for Tusker House. For some reason when you picked an available time the page would refresh instead of taking you to the next page to complete the reservation. I also tried using the app and it wouldn't work either. It wasn't a big deal to do it over the phone, but the time I really wanted was gone...that's what I get for waiting.

So here is what we have!

Be Our Guest 10:40am
This is for lunch (a very early one!). I feel lucky to have snatched this one and was willing to take any time they gave me!
We have never stepped foot in this place and I can't wait to see the inside and the rest of New Fantasyland for that matter!
I now found out they serve breakfast and you can get in before park opening if your ressie is early enough!

Kona Cafe 5:00pm
We are having dinner here on Sunday and we really want to try the sushi rolls, but what I'm most excited about is Trader Sam's!
I've seen some videos of the Grog Grotto and it looks awesome! I can't decide which drink to get...we'll probably get two!
I hope we can get a seat inside, but the patio looks cool too.

T-Rex Cafe 12:00pm
We will try lunch here on Tuesday. TRY being the operative word. No idea how the boys will handle the dinosaurs.
We are going to attempt to hit Disney Springs on arrival day and pop into T-Rex for a look and gauge the fear level of the boys.
If they're scared I have enough time to cancel and possibly re-book something else. DH thinks they'll be fine!

Tusker House 9:40am
Ah the elusive TH reservation which I wanted for a late 10:00am breakfast. I'll keep trying for that time because I don't want to rush.
This is our last full day and we will be taking our time in Animal Kingdom.
The boys "should" be warmed up to the characters by now, so I thought a character breakfast would be great here.
I also want to get a Bloody Mary from the Dawa Bar before they stop serving them at 11:00am. So many to choose from!
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That's all for now! Hope everyone has a great Easter weekend and if your on Spring Break in Disney right now...you're dead to me. Just kidding!!! Have a blast!

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[SlippinFalls]

It's Official!

Our package is booked!
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I happened to notice yesterday that the Free Dining Promotion had been released. I was surprised because I didn't expect it to come out until early May. So I jumped on the WDW website and made it official!

We are staying at Pop Century Resort September 18th through September 26th and I am so excited! We got the Quick Service Dining Plan for free. We also got 4 day tickets and upgraded them to park Hoppers for FREE! I'm thrilled because this will give us even more flexibility. If it rains the night we plan to see Wishes we can totally do it on our Epcot day or Animal Kingdom day with no worries!

We're just a little under 5 months away! Then we will get to see these wonderful sights!

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[SlippinFalls]

It's Fastpass+ Day Y'all!
​

The day has finally arrived when we can make our Fastpass+ Reservations! That means we are just 60 days away from our trip! Whoo Hooo! I could technically do online check-in at this point to but I'm going to save that for another day...how lame is my life that I am spreading out these things to make them last. This is the first time we've used Fastpass+ so I was excited to see how the reservation process worked!

I woke up at my normal time, which is just before 7:00am. That's when the kids are just starting to wake up. I left Sean in his crib so he wouldn't bother me while I was on the computer. Jack was still sleeping. I jumped right in and started reserving our ride times...we got:

1st Magic Kingdom Day
10:00 am Peter Pan's Flight
1:00 pm Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin
2:00 pm Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

2nd Magic Kingdom Day
10:00 am Splash Mountain
11:35 am Haunted Mansion
5:15 pm Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

EPCOT Day
9:45 am Sorin'
11:35 am Turtle Talk With Crush
4:15 pm Spaceship Earth

Animal Kingdom Day
1:05 pm Kilimanjaro Safari
2:05 pm Expedition Everest
3:30 pm Finding Nemo: The Musical
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I realize that I might not be utilizing the system to it's full potential, but based on our previous visit in September we didn't really need the Fastpasses all that much. We really don't know how much the kids are going to want to do and how many times they might want to repeat rides. I just wanted to make sure we got Fastpasses for the rides we really want to do. We're not trying to see everything this time around.

So there you have it! I'm happy with our selections! I'll try to post more here about my preparations and what we have bought and are bringing with us to Disney!

Have a great day!

 

[NJlauren]

Your trip is so close!!!! Are you so excited?

Dinning and FP look great!