"Don't cry over spilled milk" Sept 2009-1st family trip w/ a 4 and 2 year old

[thegreggersmom]

Loving your report!!

 

[jana616]

Hey Jana, thanks for reading. It is quite a job to finish the TR. I guess before the trip you just are not thinking of anything else but after its almost sad to write the report because its all over. I cant wait to go back again. I have already been talking about it even though we probably wont go until summer of 2012. I think my parents are rethinking coming along because they know how I plan out every little detail.[/QUOTE]

I know, I have been trying to convince Chad to do a super budget, last minute trip THIS YEAR! Griffin is really, really into Star Wars now, and I so want to go for the first weekend of SW Weekends. We would stay off-site, try to eat lunch in the room and bring lunch in with us, that kind of budget trip. I almost had him convinced when we could still get the GAD Ticket and upgrade them, but then they stopped it before we could volunteer. I'm still covertly trying to get him to go. We got Disney DVD Bingo for Christmas, and Cooper LOVES all the characters now and gets super excited when he sees them anywhere, so I think he'd have an even better time. We'll see!

 

[mommyof2Pirates]

Hey Jana, thanks for reading. It is quite a job to finish the TR. I guess before the trip you just are not thinking of anything else but after its almost sad to write the report because its all over. I cant wait to go back again. I have already been talking about it even though we probably wont go until summer of 2012. I think my parents are rethinking coming along because they know how I plan out every little detail.

I know, I have been trying to convince Chad to do a super budget, last minute trip THIS YEAR! Griffin is really, really into Star Wars now, and I so want to go for the first weekend of SW Weekends. We would stay off-site, try to eat lunch in the room and bring lunch in with us, that kind of budget trip. I almost had him convinced when we could still get the GAD Ticket and upgrade them, but then they stopped it before we could volunteer. I'm still covertly trying to get him to go. We got Disney DVD Bingo for Christmas, and Cooper LOVES all the characters now and gets super excited when he sees them anywhere, so I think he'd have an even better time. We'll see![/QUOTE]

keep working on him...he might finally just give in. Nick asks at least 3 times a week if we can go to disneyworld again. I am surprised he still remembers it enough to want to go again. We had to stop talking about our next trip (even though its not for awhile I often will say "when we go to disney again we should _________") Ryan kept telling the kids at school and his teachers that we are going to disney soon. I would have parents say to me.....oh I hear you guys are going to disney and I am like "yeah in another year or so" So since he cant understand the difference between next week and a year I try not to say much around him. I am thinking of keeping the next trip quiet until 30 days out. Well see. Keep me posted if you convince him to go.....

 

[mommyof2Pirates]

Loving your report!!

thanks for reading!

 

[mommyof2Pirates]

We decided to take it easy and just hang at the resort for the 1st half of today since it was our MNSSHP night.

We all got up around 815am which is the lastest we slept the whole trip. It was a well needed rest. I went and got us breakfast at the FC. We ate in our room and let the kids watch cartoons and play with their new toys some more.

I ate a plain croissant
Mike- French Toast w/ Sausage
Kids- Chocolate chip pancakes and bacon.

All yummy as usual...I have to say the all star cafe is my favorite food court!

While the kids played and mike rested I of course cleaned our room and started packing....who else was going to do it right?

Mike eventually got out of bed around 1030am and got the kids in their swim gear. They went swimming and I finish up packing and went and joined them. We had a great time and were really amazed at how well ryan was doing with swimming under water.

We got changed around and went to the arcade and played a little. We then had lunch at the food court. I cant remember what we had for lunch but I know it was yummy since there were no bad meals!

Here are the kids at lunch.

Nick is looking like he needs a nap.

and thats exactly what we did. We all took a good long nap!

We got up..got ready....and were at the bus stop by 4pm. We got on the bus within minutes and were on our way to MNSSHP! I was so excited for this. This is what my husband and I said on our honeymoon we couldnt wait to do with our kids someday and here we were.

We had brought the kids costumes with which were buzz lightyear and woody but somehow I did not imagine how hot it would be. So we talked them into being pirates!

Here they are.




We arrived at MK around 430pm and I was so thrilled to see all the CM's around. Gosh it was amazing how many they have. Everyone was saying hello and talking about the pirate stuff the boys had. It was such a nice greeting.


all the CM's were lined up down main street. All saying happy halloween! The signs they held were so cute. Coming in said Welcome to MNSSHP and going out it said See Ya Real Soon. How clever!



We looked around the shops for a little and checked out all the beautiful halloween decorations. I am upset I didnt take more pictures of all the awesome stuff.

Next we headed to do some rides we didnt get on yet. 1st stop Dumbo. It was only a 10 minute wait which was much better than the other day (45min).

It was enjoyable for all!

Next up- a first for us all....Cinderella's Carousel




then Ryan tried to show us his muscle by pulling the sword out of the stone.

No luck...we told him to keep eating his veggies and maybe next time he will get it out!

We also rode the speedway again! This was the all time favorite! at least thats what I thought.....I will explain in a little!

By this point it was about 630 so we decided to stop at cosmic rays for dinner. Mike was not feeling well. He had a headache and a sorethroat/hoarse voice. He was getting a little grumpy!

Mike and I had burgers and fries and the kids shared yet again....chicken nuggets and fries. I really enjoy the fixing bar they have there. Its always been a favorite of mine. After we ate mike felt a little better and we headed out just as the party was starting.

Here is one of many awesome decorations.


We walked into fantasy land and saw donald and daisy in costume and they were having a dance party.

Nick and I joined in but Ryan and Mike decided to sit this one out.


Nick really enjoyed dancing and Ryan did join in at the end. He very quietly walked over to us and shook his tush a little. I looked at mike and we both cracked up. He's always the shy one and it just was so funny. He was so serious about his moves.

Once the kids were done dancing we walked toward frontierland. We stopped at a bunch of candy stands and trick or treated along our way. We got a spot for the boo to you parade. Ryan had to use the potty so I took him and along the way we met this guy.

We got back to the spot and shared some popcorn and drinks and then we saw it....The headless horseman! It was amazing.
I didnt get the greatest pictures of the parade so I wont post them. I still need to figure out the right setting for night time on my camera. I can honestly say it was the most amazing parade I ever saw. It was the best parade experience the whole week and I just cant say enough about it. I would recommend MNSSHP just for this. The neatest part was goofy's candy float. It gave off a sweet candy smell as it passed us.

After the parade we walked towards the castle for the fireworks. Along the way we hit up some character spots. There were so many to see and very short lines. We did not wait more than 5 min at any of them.




We stood in the walkway off to the left side of the castle to watch the fireworks. Heres the kids waiting and playing with their new light up toys. Yes we paid the ridiculous price for the toys. I remember as a kid getting a light up toy was always the highlight of my trips so I broke down and bought them.

The fireworks didnt even start yet but nick was covering his ears just in case.

While we waited we admired how awesome the stores and castle looked all lit in spooky colors.




The fireworks then started and were just as amazing as the parade. The music and the light show on the castle added a special touch. It was by far the best firework show we have been too and we see alot of fireworks.

After the fireworks it was around 930pm. The stage show at the castle was starting at 945pm so we grabbed a snack of dibs and drinks and parked ourselves in front of the castle.

The villian show was ok. Nothing compared to the parade and fireworks. The villians come into the audience to take pictures and sign autographs. They immediately were surrounded by a large amount of people so we decided to skip out and take advantage of the wait times. We chose our favorites which started with Monsters Inc. (we did wait 15-20 min) we must of just miss the show because we were the first ones waiting. I love that ride! We did speedway twice! At this point it was 1115pm.

I said to ryan what is your favorite ride in this whole park and we will make it our last ride...........he says......................are you ready for this one...........
"ITS A SMALL WORLD AFTER ALL". Now I know this is one of my favorites but its not what I expected from him.

We did it though. We finished of our dream vacation by riding IASWAA.

We stopped at the Emporium and did some last minute shopping. I bought us all Disney 2009 shirts. The kids each picked a pluto stuffed animal. We checked out at 1159pm. I would of never imagined we would have made it so late. The kids were so well behaved....not one temper tantrum.....not any tears....It was the best night ever.

We waited at the bus stop for at least 30 minutes. It was crowded but not quite as bad as the night before. The kids were fast asleep on the bus. Mike and I sat in silence as we thought about the amazing vacation we just had and how lucky we were to bring our children here. It was a bitter sweet feeling as we took our last night time bus ride back to the resort.

We got back and quickly got to bed. Ryan woke up and had the giggles for a little but we all fell quickly asleep.

Favorites:
Mike: Parade and Character Greetings
Lindsay: Parade and Fireworks
Nick: Speedway
Ryan: Parade, IASWAA

UP NEXT: DEPARTURE DAY

 

[Charlefours]

I am so excited after reading your report about MNSSHP--I sure hope the dates work out for us (seems like they are going to based on the hours posted).

 

[mommyof2Pirates]

I am so excited after reading your report about MNSSHP--I sure hope the dates work out for us (seems like they are going to based on the hours posted).

You will love it. Its so worth the extra money. My advice would be to try to go a little early and do some rides and get a bite to eat so that by 7pm your ready to party. Then focus on seeing all the stuff that the MNSSHP offers. Hit the rides after the parade and fireworks. Try to rest early so you can make it until midnight. In my opinion the castle show is not worth waiting for if you really have other things to do. It only lasted 5-10 minutes and then the villians came into the crowd. I would recommend if you are absolutely set on getting there autographs to go early and stand near the front steps of the castle. This is where they walk down at. This plan seemed to really work for us but everyone is different I just thought I would share it with you. I am excited to hear all about your trip. Your dates are getting closer. They will be here before you know it.

 

[mommyof2Pirates]

We woke up around 830am. We all slept so good. I got us breakfast again at the FC and brought it back to the room. The kids ate and watched cartoons while mike and I packed us up. It was a bittersweet morning. We were pretty exhausted from all we did and we were ready to just get home and relax in the comfort of our own home, but we also were sad that our awesome vacation with our kids was ending. I knew it will be a little while until we can return so it was sad to think the next time we come to disney our kids will most likely be totally different. I can almost tear up thinking about it.

We checked out of our room at 1055am. We waited until the last possible moment we had. I tried to call airtran prior to leaving the room to pay for the extra bag we were checking in on the way home. I kept getting a busy signal. So while Mike went to the check out desk and took care of that stuff. I returned the swim vests to the arcade and the stroller to the luggage area and tried to check in our bags and get our boarding passes. This was the only part of the trip that did not go smoothly. Luckily the staff at the baggage area were very helpful and got through to airtran on their cell phone. They handed me the phone and I was able to pay for our luggage. I then handed the phone to another gentleman who also was having trouble. I thought that was great service!

We met back up at the food court and had our last disney meal together. I forgot to right down what we got but it was yummy Im sure. We did not have anything bad from there.

We had some time to spare since the ME would not be picking us up until 2pm. We walked around the resort and took some pictures.

My photo session didnt last too long because it was so darn hot out we were dying. We decided to wait in the lobby instead.

Now this worked better. Mike was happy and no longer complaining about the heat.....Ryan is a huge tv buff so he was happy sitting and watching the cute cartoons they play.....and for nick?????????????

Well he was happy sitting with the kids too until....he fell off the side of the bench! He cried for about 20 minutes I think out of embarassment more than anything. I am still amazed that we made it home with out any medication or doctors visits needed. It's a miracle

About 145pm we headed out to wait for the ME.

Can you tell how sadly they were walking?

We chatted with another couple that was also waiting and we were talking about the weather. They were from AZ and said that they were flying home to 103 degrees. and I thought orlando was rough! We were happily flying home to the 60's One positive part of going home!

The ME bus arrived promptly and loaded everyone on. I teared up a little while watching the video and my husband looked at me like I was crazy....deep down I know he wanted to cry too

We arrived at MCO and went to the security check point. The lines were ridiculous. We waited for 40 minutes to get through. The kids were getting miserable. Nick was laying on the floor and when I tried to get him up he was making himself like a wet noodle. Then I told them to take off their shoes and Ryan decided to throw a fit about that because he would just have to put them right back on again. Their moods plus having to carry my carry on plus the back pack and trying to move the kids carry on's along just about put me over the edge. At this point I felt ready to go home. I was done!

We did make it through all in one piece and without TSA drama. We took a potty break and got some dinner at burger king. We waited for a while until they called our boarding number. We were one of the first sections boarded on the plane. Good I thought right?............well maybe not so much. The kids did not want to sit still. They were getting board. They were tired. I thought this would be a horrible flight! and then as we were rolling onto the runway the best thing I could have ever asked for happened..........

They both fell asleep. I was able to relax and read my magazine and mike listened to his I pod and took a snooze. The flight was uneventful except for the poor pregnant lady 2 seats behind me that was getting sick every 30 minutes. The poor thing. I felt so bad for her.
The kids woke up about 10 minutes before landing. Nick cried so hard on the descent this time. He kept saying his belly hurt but I still wonder if his ears were bothering him because once we landed he was fine.

We got off the plane and made a pit stop in the bathroom. As we walked to get our luggage mike looked at me and said....Well we survived our first family vacation.....and I almost cried again.

We waited outside for our shuttle to take us back to the hotel. We now had to put our jackets on as it was only 55 degrees. What a change.

We went back to our hotel got into our car and were home and snug into our comfy beds by 930pm.

UP NEXT: FINAL THOUGHTS AND THANK YOU'S

 

[mommyof2Pirates]

My Final Thoughts.

PERSONLIZED TSHIRTS
Definitely order Amy's transfer paper. Its worth the extra money and they work so much easier. Have fun making your own shirts. Everyone loves them and you will get so many comments

EARLY PLANE FLIGHTS
Leaving early in the a.m on arrival day worked out better than I thought. If anyone else is worried about getting the kids up so early dont be. They will be so excited once you get there it will work out fine. The advice I would say is to plan for an early night.

ORLANDO STROLLER RENTAL
This by far was one of the best things ideas I was given on these boards. It was so easy to order online. The stroller was ready when we got to the hotel. It was a great double stroller. Easy to use. Plently of room. The shades are phenominal and shaded almost the kids entire body. The stroller closed up easily and was not hard at all to get on and off the bus. My husband did not complain once and thats how I know it was convienent. Believe me he complains a lot. The double stroller was 85 dollars for 7 days. It was easily returned to our baggage area at the resort. I cant say enough about this company it was great.

ALL STAR SPORTS RESORT
This was a great value resort if your not looking for anything fancy. I would recommend paying for a preferred room so your close to the pool/bus stop/food court. I also recommend requesting a room on the top floor and towards the back. It was so quiet. We didnt hear anything when we were in our room. It seemed like the rooms in the front by the pool may be a little noisy. The other plus was that we always were the first stop for the buses on the way out and the way back.

ONLINE CHECK IN
This is a must do! It saves so much time.

DELUXE DINING
We decided to upgrade to the deluxe dining since free dining was already offered. I liked the idea of not being restricited to only one TS a day and it did offer 3 meals a day and 2 snacks. We also had appetizers included in the TS meals and 3 travel mugs from the FC. I defintely dont have any complaints about the deluxe. We used every credit we had. (yes we do love to eat) I dont really think it was necessary though. I think next time we will go with the basic dining plan and it will be just fine too.

DINING RECOMMENDATIONS
For all of you families with young kids I would recommend the following places as "don't miss".
CHEF MICKEY'S BREAKFAST
OHANA'S BREAKFAST
WHISPERING CANYON CAFE
For any traveler's to the world I would say "don't miss".
PLAZA RESTRAUNT
YAK AND YETI
CAPE MAY BUFFETT (DINNER)

PARK ADVICE
Do not under estimate EPCOT for kids. I thought it would be boring and the kids would hate it and it turned out to be one of the best evenings we had on our trip. I will plan for this so much better next time. Make sure to hit the kidcot areas!
If you have young children plan at least 2 days at MK. " " you may only need 1/2 day at AK.
Plan to spend the whole day at HS if you want to see all the shows the times seemed to all be in the late morning to early afternoon making a mid day break impossible.

WORDS OF WISDOM(I dont know if you would call it wisdom)
Enjoy your children....plan ahead to be prepared but dont be crazy if its not going as planned. If its your first time traveling with kids be aware that what you think may take 10 minutes will take 20. The trip will be slower paced than it was with only adults. Most of all remember you are there to have fun and see your kids having fun. Focus on that when the stressful times pop up it will get you through those times. Know when to take a break dont continue to push yourself and your kids, it will only make your trip more unpleasant and what you want to stay and do will not be pleasurable anyway. Document your trip because you will forget the little details as time goes on. I noticed reading my journal months after returning there were funny and cute moments I had forgotten about....at the time I thought I would remember them forever.

THANK YOU!
Thank you for all of you awesome people who have continued to read along and comment on my trip. It is so great to share these wonderful memories with all of you. Thank you to all of you who followed my PTR and gave me such valuable advice. There were so many great ideas that were given to me that helped make our trip so much more enjoyable.

I look forward to starting a PTR as it gets closer to our next trip. We are planning for summer of 2012. It seems like an eternity but Im sure the time will fly. I hope to still see you all on here then.

so for now I will just have to say.....SEE YA REAL SOON!

 

[lbuzz52]

Thanks for the feedback. I was thinking villa since at least we would have our own room but the more I think about it a regular room probably would be nice and a little more private. I can understand in your situation why the villa was a good choice. the kitchen itself had to be a big bonus with the baby. Oh and I applaud you for taking your 9 month old. I would have been too afraid to attempt taking baby. I would have such anxiety about feedings and naps and the heat. It seems like you handled that like a pro. Did you ever think it would be that hot in oct? I never did!

I think that if there had been one more bedroom, the villa would have been amazing. Then those who needed to get things around in the kitchen, or who wanted to sit up and realx by the tv etc could have. It was such a pretty place.

I'm not sure that i would have been brave enough to take the baby if it was just my husband and I on our first trip. i was greatful for extra hands. but now that i've done it, i'd do it again. we hope to have one more eventually, and we knew that if we waited until that one was old enough, that dd would miss out on it while it was magical. and, for me, it worked as a perfect time to continue weening from nursing. at home, he cried everytime he saw me, but at WDW he had way too much to distract him! Myabe we were lucky, becuase he really was good on the trip, but i haven't heard too many stories of people wishing that they hadn't taken the baby.

and no, i didn't think it would be that hot. in fact, when we lef the house, the weather channel had told us it was going to be much cooler.

then Ryan tried to show us his muscle by pulling the sword out of the stone.

No luck...we told him to keep eating his veggies and maybe next time he will get it out!



The fireworks didnt even start yet but nick was covering his ears just in case.


UP NEXT: DEPARTURE DAY

Good thinking on the fly with the costumes!

I loved loved loved MNSSHP too. And i love the way you toured it. Its pretty much how my day would have gone if we had stuck to the plan.


I 200% feel you about departure day. i haven't even left for my next trip and am already sad to leave it!

Wish i could have seen the boys dancing. the serious moves sound so cute! we loved that area too.

i didn't notice that goofy's candy truck smelt like candy. i think i need to go back and check that out! i wish i had seen the parade twice the night we went.

Did the veggie line work?

My kiddos did that with fireworks too.

you guys got to do a lot at MNSSHP. glad to hear the villian show wasn't much. we missed out on that.

all the kids in my group loved IASW too, much more than i expected.

 

[lbuzz52]

My Final Thoughts.


EARLY PLANE FLIGHTS
Leaving early in the a.m on arrival day worked out better than I thought. If anyone else is worried about getting the kids up so early dont be. They will be so excited once you get there it will work out fine. The advice I would say is to plan for an early night.

i totally agree- as long as you set the alarm clock! if you arrived late, you wouldn't be able to sleep anyway with the anticipation!

ORLANDO STROLLER RENTAL
This by far was one of the best things ideas I was given on these boards. It was so easy to order online. The stroller was ready when we got to the hotel. It was a great double stroller. Easy to use. Plently of room. The shades are phenominal and shaded almost the kids entire body. The stroller closed up easily and was not hard at all to get on and off the bus. My husband did not complain once and thats how I know it was convienent. Believe me he complains a lot. The double stroller was 85 dollars for 7 days. It was easily returned to our baggage area at the resort. I cant say enough about this company it was great.

i might have to try this next time.

ONLINE CHECK IN
This is a must do! It saves so much time.

this too

DELUXE DINING
We decided to upgrade to the deluxe dining since free dining was already offered. I liked the idea of not being restricited to only one TS a day and it did offer 3 meals a day and 2 snacks. We also had appetizers included in the TS meals and 3 travel mugs from the FC. I defintely dont have any complaints about the deluxe. We used every credit we had. (yes we do love to eat) I dont really think it was necessary though. I think next time we will go with the basic dining plan and it will be just fine too.


not sure about deluxe, but i was so greatful to be able to eat without worrying about the cost adding up. definitely easier for budgeting

DINING RECOMMENDATIONS
For all of you families with young kids I would recommend the following places as "don't miss".
CHEF MICKEY'S BREAKFAST
OHANA'S BREAKFAST
WHISPERING CANYON CAFE
For any traveler's to the world I would say "don't miss".
PLAZA RESTRAUNT
YAK AND YETI
CAPE MAY BUFFETT (DINNER)

wcc looks like fun

PARK ADVICE
Do not under estimate EPCOT for kids. I thought it would be boring and the kids would hate it and it turned out to be one of the best evenings we had on our trip. I will plan for this so much better next time. Make sure to hit the kidcot areas!
If you have young children plan at least 2 days at MK. " " you may only need 1/2 day at AK.
Plan to spend the whole day at HS if you want to see all the shows the times seemed to all be in the late morning to early afternoon making a mid day break impossible.

i wish we had spent more time at Epcot too. I thought that too about the scheduling at DHS.



WORDS OF WISDOM(I dont know if you would call it wisdom)
Enjoy your children....plan ahead to be prepared but dont be crazy if its not going as planned. If its your first time traveling with kids be aware that what you think may take 10 minutes will take 20. The trip will be slower paced than it was with only adults. Most of all remember you are there to have fun and see your kids having fun. Focus on that when the stressful times pop up it will get you through those times. Know when to take a break dont continue to push yourself and your kids, it will only make your trip more unpleasant and what you want to stay and do will not be pleasurable anyway. Document your trip because you will forget the little details as time goes on. I noticed reading my journal months after returning there were funny and cute moments I had forgotten about....at the time I thought I would remember them forever.


yes! document!


THANK YOU!
Thank you for all of you awesome people who have continued to read along and comment on my trip. It is so great to share these wonderful memories with all of you. Thank you to all of you who followed my PTR and gave me such valuable advice. There were so many great ideas that were given to me that helped make our trip so much more enjoyable.

I look forward to starting a PTR as it gets closer to our next trip. We are planning for summer of 2012. It seems like an eternity but Im sure the time will fly. I hope to still see you all on here then.

so for now I will just have to say.....SEE YA REAL SOON!

comments in purple


And thanks for sharing

 

[mommyof2Pirates]

lbuzz: thanks for the comments. I can say that the veggie line did not work at all. He still only eats corn

 

[jana616]

Lindsay, I'm so impressed that you finished your TR! Way to not be a TR dropout like me, lol! The end of your trip sounds fabulous, and I love how you did your MNSSHP day/evening. Your departure day sounds like it went much better than ours (if you remember, we missed DME and I ended up making my MIL cry-yikes!)

Yay for 2012. We are trying for baby #3, so if that happens soon, then I think we are planning for early fall of 2013-Griffin will be almost 9, Cooper will be 6, and the baby would be just under 3 (so still free!). Unless I can convince Chad to go in May-still working on that, without much success!

I'm so glad we got to "tag along" on each other's planning and trips. See you on facebook!

 

[mommyof2Pirates]

Lindsay, I'm so impressed that you finished your TR! Way to not be a TR dropout like me, lol! The end of your trip sounds fabulous, and I love how you did your MNSSHP day/evening. Your departure day sounds like it went much better than ours (if you remember, we missed DME and I ended up making my MIL cry-yikes!)

Yay for 2012. We are trying for baby #3, so if that happens soon, then I think we are planning for early fall of 2013-Griffin will be almost 9, Cooper will be 6, and the baby would be just under 3 (so still free!). Unless I can convince Chad to go in May-still working on that, without much success!

I'm so glad we got to "tag along" on each other's planning and trips. See you on facebook!

Thanks jana. Good luck on the baby making. I hope it all goes well. Keep me posted on your next trip....I would love to plan together again. I think you should finish your report because I would love to hear how the rest went. You didnt have too much more to go. Do a shortened version. Ok thats my motivational speech for ya.

 

[Charlefours]

Thank you for the tips on MNSSHP! I will jot them down to remember because the dates worked out for us to go! I think we are going to buy the tickets next week. The photo of your three guys leaving is so cute (sad, but cute!). Awe, poor little guys were exhausted! I am glad that they settled down for you and took the much needed nap on the way home. Definitely am planning on using Amy's transfer papers. Everyone who uses them just raves about them. I am so excited to try Plaza--I changed to it the day we made our ADRs as an alternative. I think the menu looks so yummy.

I would love for you to pop over to my PTR/TR if you get a chance! I know you are crazy busy but I would love your feedback. :

 

[mommyof2Pirates]

Thank you for the tips on MNSSHP! I will jot them down to remember because the dates worked out for us to go! I think we are going to buy the tickets next week. The photo of your three guys leaving is so cute (sad, but cute!). Awe, poor little guys were exhausted! I am glad that they settled down for you and took the much needed nap on the way home. Definitely am planning on using Amy's transfer papers. Everyone who uses them just raves about them. I am so excited to try Plaza--I changed to it the day we made our ADRs as an alternative. I think the menu looks so yummy.

I would love for you to pop over to my PTR/TR if you get a chance! I know you are crazy busy but I would love your feedback. :

Thanks for all the comments and for reading along. I think you definitely would be happy with the plaza I loved it. and Amy transfers too. It was so simple. I will definitely check out your ptr/tr. I am now back on the disboards more again. I am training to do the princess 1/2 marathon next march and my mom and I are going to spend a couple days in disney that weekend. So I have been on the W.I.S.H boards alot and have started a weight loss journal. I will most likely do a PTR a little closer to booking the trip. I will be glad to give you feedback and comments along the way. Im so excited that you can get your MNSSHP tickets soon. Thats awesome the dates worked out. You all will love it!

 

[Charlefours]

Thanks for all the comments and for reading along. I think you definitely would be happy with the plaza I loved it. and Amy transfers too. It was so simple. I will definitely check out your ptr/tr. I am now back on the disboards more again. I am training to do the princess 1/2 marathon next march and my mom and I are going to spend a couple days in disney that weekend. So I have been on the W.I.S.H boards alot and have started a weight loss journal. I will most likely do a PTR a little closer to booking the trip. I will be glad to give you feedback and comments along the way. Im so excited that you can get your MNSSHP tickets soon. Thats awesome the dates worked out. You all will love it!

for doing the half-marathon! One day I would like to do it. I am going to go check out your W.I.S.H journal! Your and Jana616's PTR were two of the first threads I started reading and I was hooked! We are traveling the same time as you did so I wanted to see what it was like for you and with small children, they both were good fits! I enjoyed reading them!!

 

[mommyof2Pirates]

thank you so much I am glad you enjoyed it and hopefully I was able to pass along some good tips. I know Jana helped me out alot. She was the guinea pig!

 

[danaw11]

I stumbled upon your trip report and found it so helpful. We are taking our boys on their first WDW trip in Sept 2010 and since their ages are close to your boys (they will be 4 1/2 and almost 3) it was really good to read your report.

I think I really need to plan for the heat but than I was so thanks for that.

I have used Avery's t-shirt transfers before with luck so I was wondering if you know how they compared with Amy's transfers.

I have also been planning to rent from Orlando's strollers so I'm gladed you liked them. Did you pay for the rain cover and insurance?

Thanks!

 

[mommyof2Pirates]

I stumbled upon your trip report and found it so helpful. We are taking our boys on their first WDW trip in Sept 2010 and since their ages are close to your boys (they will be 4 1/2 and almost 3) it was really good to read your report.

I think I really need to plan for the heat but than I was so thanks for that.

I have used Avery's t-shirt transfers before with luck so I was wondering if you know how they compared with Amy's transfers.

I have also been planning to rent from Orlando's strollers so I'm gladed you liked them. Did you pay for the rain cover and insurance?

Thanks!

glad I could give you some helpful tips. I bet you will have a wonderful time taking your boys. Their ages are perfect for a magical vacation.

I am not sure how amy's transfers compares since I have never used avery's. If you had luck before with avery's I would stick with it or at least see which one is cheaper.

I did not rent the stroller cover but instead took a few 99 cent ponchos from walmart in case of rain to cover the stroller, We didnt need it except the one day we were in a show and it rained. the stroller got wet but luckily I had packed a few hand towels in our park bag. We wiped down the strollers and the kids sat on dry towels. The stroller dried quickly. I also decided not to purchase the insurance and took my chances.

If you need any other advice feel free to ask away.
Have a great trip!