I'm going to Disneyworld....wanna help me plan?

[Jenn]

DH and I have decided to go to Disneyworld as a last vacation before this baby comes. We'll be taking Peyton, who'll be almost 2 at the time, along with my mother, my 5 year old niece and possibly by stepdad. We're going from May 15th-20th and I still haven't decided where to stay. We're leaning towards renting points from a DVC owner and getting a 2 bedroom suite or getting 2 rooms (hopefully connecting) at a moderate or deluxe resort. If we get 2 rooms, I'm really leaning towards Wilderness Lodge. That place is so beautiful!

So tell me what are your favorite restaurants, parks, shops! What is a must see/do for us? What restaurant should we not miss? Have you even been to a character breakfast or the Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue? Basically, what is a must in Disneyworld?

[mcr5298]

Jenn, I am jealous and excited for your upcoming trip! You are going at time of the year (my birthday is May 20th)! You are going to have a great time with Peyton! :) We are DVC Members with Old Key West as our home resort. It is one of the oldest DVC Resorts, but it has the biggest rooms, and is very relaxing. If you are interested, we could discuss renting some points to you. We won't be going anywhere until after this next baby is born anyway. We could see if anything is available at the Wilderness Lodge Villas. I agree, the Wilderness Lodge is one of the most beautiful Disney Resorts! :)

I'm sure that you are aware of some of these Disney websites. They have a lot of great suggestions and advice for everything!

http://www.disboards.com
http://www.ourlaughingplace.com (http://www.ourlaughingplace.com/)
http://allearsnet.com
http://www.intercot.com (http://www.intercot.com/)

Peyton would probably enjoy a character meal at Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary Resort. Breakfast or Dinner are great there! If you can swing it, the character breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table in the castle at the Magic Kingdom is fabulous! Keep in mind that it is very hard to get reservations, but it's worth a shot! Disney has a policy that you can book your priority seating reservations (Disney talk) 90 days from the date that you want it. So you can actually start booking now. For the breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table, you literally have to start calling a couple of minutes before the phone lines open up, around 6:55 am EST! It's crazy, but worth it. The Hoop-Dee-Doo Review is a blast, so I suggest booking that if possible. If you get a chance to leave Peyton with your mother, there are some wonderful restaurants! Flying Fish, Citricos, California Grill, Artist's Point, oh the list goes on and on!

Peyton would probably enjoy the Magic Kingdon, Animal Kingdom, and MGM Studios the best out of the 4 parks. EPCOT is geared towards the older crowd, although walking around the countries is great! There is so much to do at Disney, I can hardly narrow anything down as a must see or do. Downtown Disney has a great shopping area, with some nice stores and restaurants too. I just suggest that you try to get out early. Maybe use the surprise mornings, which let resort guest in a different park early each day. Then go back to the resort for some lunch/nap/swim. Then go back out to the parks in the cooler evening. Try not to do it all at once, because it is just impossible. No matter what you end up doing, you will have a great time!

I hope that I have helped. If you have any questions, please PM me! :)

[Jenn]

Wow, Mary, thanks for all the information! My second home has been the disboards lately. I can't get enough of that place. :lol:

I would definately like to talk to you about renting points! I would much rather rent from someone I 'know' than some random person on the disboards. :) My first choice would probably be the Wilderness lodge, just for it's theming alone! The pictures look gorgeous! We would need a 2 bedroom from May 16-20th and the points calculator at disboards says it's 136 points. We'll be staying at a value the first night to save money as renting points just for that night is OUTRAGEOUS! My second choice would be Old Key West and a 2 bedroom there as well. The points for that would be 108. PM me if you think we could work something out! :nod:

I'm thinking we'll do a character breakfast but probably not at the castle. Also, the Hoop Dee Doo Revue sounds great so I'll probably book that. My mom will definately stay with the kids one night so DH and I can get out for a night on our own. Do you have a favorite restaurant?

[mcr5298]

Jenn-My DH will call DVC tomorrow to see how many points that we have available. I will PM you with all of the rental details tomorrow. :)

[Jenn]

Thanks Mary!

[MichelleP]

My DH and I have passes to Epcot. :) In fact, we just went yesterday. It's our favorite park. Haven't been to any of the others in a while - although we went to Animal Kingdom and thought it was a waste of time.

However - our favorite restaurant on Disney property is at the Animal Kingdom lodge. It's called Boma and is actually a buffet. I normally don't like buffets but this one is really good! It features African food, so you get to try a lot of things you wouldn't normally try. The hummus is really good! Plus at the Animal Kingdom lodge the animals roam free behind it, so you can walk around and look at them, which is really cool. The only drawback is that it is expensive - around $30 a person. Of course, everything at Disney is expensive. Be sure to make reservations or they won't let you into the lodge.

[MichelleP]

Here are my Epcot tips.

We haven't even been able to ride Mission: Space yet because the lines are always hours long! We haven't ridden Test Track, either, for the same reason. They have a thing called Fast Pass where you get a ticket for the ride and it tells you to come back at a certain time and when you do you bypass a lot of the line. That would definitely be worth looking into.

One of our favorite things at Epcot is the free soda. Yup, you heard right! In Future World there is a Coca-Cola sponsored attraction called Ice Station Cool. As you are walking toward World Showcase from Spaceship Earth, right down the middle of the park, past the fountain, you will see it on the right. It looks like a big white cave. When you walk in, you go through an area that has been super-cooled and has actual snow in it. (A novelty for us!) Then you get to a place where they have soda dispensers full of different sodas from around the world. No Coke, but there are quite a few interesting ones. Don't try Beverly, it will probably make you My favorite is Kinley Lemon, it's like a fizzy lemonade, it's the only one I drink now that I've tried them all.

Things to do - Spaceship Earth is always fun; Cranium Command at the Wonders of Life pavillion is sooo cute; the new Journey into Imagination ride is STUPID, don't waste your time unless you've run out of other things to do. Honey I Shrunk the Audience is really funny. The Universe of Energy is cute. The ride in Mexico is my favorite. I also really like the France movie and the Canada movie. Most of the rest of World Showcase is just shopping and restaurants. I can't think of anything else off the top of my head.

Restaurants (my favorite part) - the ones in the World Showcase are good. They are less expensive at lunch. I have eaten at most of them. The only restaurant I would say to stay away from is the Coral Reef in the Living Seas, it is AWFUL.

Decide when and where you want to eat in advance, go to guest relations by Spaceship Earth and make reservations. Of course, it isn't reservations, it's "priority seating," which means you'll have to wait a little anyway, but at least you're guaranteed to get a table. I've seen people turned away if they didn't have a priority seating reservation.

Here are some more restaurant tips:

Canada - I'll bet you won't eat here, since you live so close to Canada, but if you do, be sure to try the cheese soup - it is my favorite thing in the park.

UK - we weren't too impressed with this one. It was okay but nothing special.

France - we've only eaten at the restaurant downstairs (there's also one upstairs), it's not bad. There's a pastry cafe here too that is good.

Morocco - I love this restaurant. Sometimes they have belly dancers.

Japan - actually, we haven't eaten here yet. The department store is fun to walk through.

USA - blech!

Italy - I actually thought Olive Garden was better for the money.

Germany - my DH loves this restaurant. I found there was a little too much meat for me. It is a buffet and they make you sit with strangers. There's an oom-pah band, too, which can be fun.

China - I know you can get chinese food anywhere but I actually really like this restaurant. The honey sesame chicken is wonderful.

Norway - also a buffet. If you like fish, this is good. Lots of salmon.

Mexico - this one has the best atmosphere of any of the restaurants. The food is really good, too.

Hopefully you will not be too tired to stay for the fireworks! I hope this helped you some. I will let you know if I think of anything else.

[Missy&Maggie]

We went to Disney last year when I was about 20 weeks pregnant and had a great time! We stayed at the Wilderness Lodge and really enjoyed it. My biggest piece of advice is drink lots and lots of water as you're walking around. Bring a big water bottle and fill it up as you go -- they'll let you in with bottled water too (or at least they let me in!) because you're PG.

The meal I most enjoyed were at California Grill in the Contemporary Resort during the MK fireworks. We also had dinner in Morrocco at Epcot, which didn't sit well with my PG belly, the buffet at the Beach/Yacht Club on the Boardwalk, and the Artist's Point restaurant at Wilderness Logdge. Everything was delish.

I think one of the best kept secrets at Epcot food-wise is the little fast food joint in Japan. They have really good noodles!

[Jenn]

Canada - I'll bet you won't eat here, since you live so close to Canada, but if you do, be sure to try the cheese soup - it is my favorite thing in the park.



:lol: I'm actually quite far from Canada. It's probably about 8 hours away and I've only been once.

Thanks for all the great tips! I definately want to try the french pastries! :lick:

Missy~ I definately plan on drinking lots of water. We'll have a 2 year old and a 5 year old with us so I'm sure we'll be taking it easy for their sake too. Thanks for the info on the restaurants. :)

[jenr812]

Just subbing for the tips! I am so excited for you!!! :banana: but I told you that already! Wish we could go together :nod:

[kim]

my favorite restaurants:

ohana - in the polynesian hotel. great all you can eat (they bring it to you) grilled skewered meats (turkey, beef, shrimp, pork) delicious!!!! we go here every time! i consider it a 'must do' and it's reasonable. they also did things for kids like hula hoop contests and coconut races and sing songs.

kona cafe - in the polynesian. go for breakfast and get the tonga toast. enjoy. :lol:

le cellier - in canada (epcot)- i had the salmon and it was out of this world!!! cannot recommend that enough. i would put this in the 'fairly pricey' category

artist pointe- in the wilderness lodge. file this under 'wicked pricey' but damn good :lick: we had our anniversary dinner here.

flying fish - on the boardwalk. another 'wicked wicked pricey' place, portions are small but the food delicious. wouldn't take a kid there though.

the little sushi/tempura bar in japan.....great.

crystal palace - in the mk. we did a character dinner and the selections were really good. i was not thinking it would be good but it was.

make all your ps's as soon as you make your plans :nod:

dammit now i'm hungry!!!

as for the parks. here's my best tip. GET THERE WELL BEFORE THE PARKS OPEN. AND USE EE (early entry). seriously, if you can get up and get your butt to the parks and be at the gate about a half hour before they open, you can get a TON done :nod: you would be amazed at the people who don't go early!
even if this doesn't appeal to you, it is a must for the MK :nod: especially with kids. otherwise forget about getting on dumbo without a hideous wait.

i went to wdw when i was 8wks pg with tony. it was sept and hot as hell. water is the key. i also rested a lot while marc rode the rides i couldn't go on.

oh, another good tip. buy a brita water bottle, they're about $7 or so and bring it with you. then just fill at the water fountains. thereby saving yourself a ton of money :aok:
they'll let you in with tons of stuff. i brought snacks for the kids (we had a large group on one trip), water, juice etc.

oh, they search your bags before you go in. i had a baby backpack one time and what a pain in the ass!!! i had to unzip and rezip all the pockets for them. next time i'll use a tote or something.

ok, this is all off the top of my head. i'll post more if i think of it :lol:

[~Tara~]

I dont have any suggestions, but I wanted to thank you for starting this thread. My goal is to get to Disney in the near future and I am sure this will help us too!!!

I'm so jealous of your upcoming trip - you are gonna have a BLAST!

[Dawn]

Like Tara, we are planning to hopefully go to DW next year too. :) The info. here will be very helpful because I don't know where to start. :lol:

I haven't read all the posts yet, but I just wanted to ask: Are there some rides that will be fine for an almost 3-yr to ride? I figured there were, but just wanted to make sure.

[kim]

dawn, we took tony when he was only 9m and took him on everything in fantasyland at the magic kingdom! this would include:
dumbo
peter pan (my personal favorite)
it's a small world
winnie the pooh
teacups
snow white's scary adventures (not scary)

at the animal kingdom he went on the safari with us, and into the 'festival of the lion king' show.

at mgm he went to:
the playhouse disney show! (a personal fave of mine. i love bear)
muppets 3d - not that he got anything out of it, at least he didn't cry :lol:
the great movie ride

i'm sure there's more stuff we dragged him on. my point is that anything without a height restriction is ok!

oh, he also came with us to universal studios :lol: not a lot for him there but they have 'single rider' lines so marc and i kept switching off.

[Dawn]

Wow Kim...that is so cool!!!! :) That is really good to know!

Oh btw, this thread saved you from an email I wanted to send you about DW! :lol: I knew you would have tons of info! :aok:

[kim]

you can see pics of tony enjoying himself (or sleeping) at disney here:
http://webpages.charter.net/cavey/new_web/disney/disney.htm

here's a preview

http://webpages.charter.net/cavey/new_web/disney/1911.jpg

[Jenn]

Love the pics Kim! Thanks for all the info too! I should be finalizing our reservations soon and I can't wait to make our PS's but now I'm going to have to plan out our days at which parks. Aghh! I'm getting overwhelmed!

Quick question...Are there any rides that I can go on while pregnant?

[Jenn]

Also, thanks for stopping by Jen, Tara and Dawn. I've never really been to Disney (I don't count that time I went as an infant) so I'm learning a lot and I hope you guys can learn from this thread too!

[Dawn]

I hope you guys can learn from this thread too!:nod: This thread will help LOTS...thanks for starting it!

Mind you, we've never been to DW at all (or Florida for that matter. Well, I haven't but DH has been to Florida). Enjoy your vacation! Let us know what your final plans are and what you decide! :)

[kim]

Quick question...Are there any rides that I can go on while pregnant?
actually there are more things you can do, than can't. don't forget there are tons of shows at disney (including my favorite, beauty and the beast at mgm)

the rides i skipped while pg:

mk:
splash mtn
space mtn
big thunder mtn
teacups (spinning, no good for pg women)

ak:
dinosaur

mgm:
rock and rollercoaster
tower of terror
star tours

epcot:
mission space (well, it wasn't there when i went but i've been on it and it's a definate no no!)
test track
body wars

here's a helpful page: http://www.allearsnet.com/pl/pregnant.htm


i feel like 'tourguide kim' today....:lol: i love it!

[Jenn]

Ok, so here is where we stand so far....

We are renting DVC points from Mary (mcr5298) and we have reservations for a 2 bedroom at Old Key West right now and are waitlisted at Wilderness Lodge, which Mary can hold until 30 days prior to our arrival. I really want to stay at Wilderness Lodge so keep your fingers crossed for me. All I have left to do is send Mary a check for our deposit!!

We are probably going to fly down to Disney on Saturday but don't have reservations at Old Key West until Sunday (we're staying there Sun-Thur) so I need to figure out where we want to stay the first night. We decided not to stay at the DVC resort on Saturday night since it was going to be about $600 just for that one night. I'm thinking of either staying at a value resort and getting 2 rooms or if any darn codes would come out we would try to stay at a moderate. It also depends on when my stepdad meets us down there. He's decided not to fly down with my mom and my niece but said he will drive down to meet us so if he wants to leave and head home he can. He's a big homebody so I'm even surprised he's coming. :lol:

I also need to sit down and figure out the early entry days for the parks and see where we want to go so I can figure out where we are going to eat dinner at night. I think we're going to eat breakfast in the room (except for 1 character breakfast) and take snacks in the parks with us so we can eat a light lunch in the park. I'd much rather splurge on nice dinners for us but I just need to figure out where we want to eat so I can make our PS's. I'm also going to make reservations for the Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue for one night. I think this will be fun for everyone!

I also need to look into renting a minivan while we're down there. I really like the idea of being able to drive to the other resorts for dinner and having a vehicle available for us. I think it will be much easier, since Peyton will be in a stroller, than always using the bus system.

Who'd have thought that going to Disney required this much thought!

[kim]

:woo: jenn!!!!!! i am so excited for you!!!! how lucky that mary is renting her pts! even if you don't get VWL it will be great!

we always rent a car for the exact reasons you mentioned. we like to eat at the hotels and it's just easier to drive. we also drive to all the parks (except mk. it is better to take the bus on ee days)

be sure to check mousesavers.com often for car rental codes. i got a minivan last year for $199 for the week. not bad.

be sure to check out the dvc board on the DIS for lots of info about OKW.

[Dawn]

Ok....I'm feeling really stupid right about now, and I have to ask....

What do these stand for:

PS's ?
VWL ?
OKW ?
DVC (guessing here...Disney Vacation Club points??)

Uh, I think that's it for now. Thanks much! :)

[Jenn]

Kim~ Yep, I've already been all over mousesavers looking at deals for rentals and all over the dvc boards at the DIS for info on OKW! I'm sure I'll have a ton more questions for you as I start planning which parks on which days and where to eat. Also, why is it better to take the bus on EE days at MK?

Dawn~

PS's - Priority Seating (kind of like reservations and a must at almost every restaurant)
VWL - Villas at Wilderness Lodge
OKW - Old Key West (it's a DVC resort)
DVC - Yep, Disney Vacation Club

Once you start reading on the DIS boards you'll get use to all these abbreviations. :lol: Some of them still confuse me.

[kim]

Also, why is it better to take the bus on EE days at MK?


because the bus drops you right at the entrance to the mk, if you drive you park at the ttc and take the monorail. takes too long and you might encounter delays!! (god forbid :lol: )

i am already getting obsessive about my june trip :blush1: only 94 days to go!

[jenr812]

:yippee: I am so happy for you! It must be a relief to have SOME reservations nailed down :nod::crossfing: you get VWL!!! It looks gorgeous!

[mcr5298]

Jenn-I'm so glad that we could help you with the DVC points! :) We NEVER would think of renting on a Friday or Saturday night! Ugh, it's outrageous what they want for those nights. So we usually do the same thing as you had mentioned. We stay at an Value or Moderate Resort those nights. This way, we usually try to stay at a new Resort, since it will only be one or two nights. One of these days we will get to all of them. Here is the list of times that I have been to WDW! :)

Mar '86 High School Trip Off Site
Mar '93 College Spring Break Off Site
Nov '95 Dixie Landings
Jan ' 96 Off Site
Oct '96 Wilderness Lodge Suite, Carribean Beach Resort & Grand Floridian Concierge
Oct '97 Off Site
Aug '98 Wilderness Lodge
Jan '99 Port Orleans, Yacht Club
May '99 Off Site, Dixie Landings
Dec '99 All Star Music
Sept 2000 Joined Disney Vacation Club, All Star Music, Old Key West, Boardwalk Villas
May '01 Animal Kingdom Lodge Concierge, Villas At Wilderness Lodge
July '01 Coronado Springs, Old Key West
No Trip During 2002, Baby Riley Made Her Appearance in September!
Mar '03 Last Minute Trip! Off Site
April '03 The Swan, Old Key West, The Dolphin
Oct '03 Old Key West, Two 2 Bedroom Villas

We always rent a car, or drive down with our own mini-van. I can't imagine being without a car in Disney World! I love the freedom of coming and going whenever I want. :)

Good luck, and have fun planning the rest of your trip!

[MML051901]

Wow what a great thread you started. We are goign the 1st week of May. I am terrified that it is going to rain our whole trip. When we went to Ft. Lauderdale for our honeymoon in May 2001 it rained everyday we were there :(

Is it ok if I ask some questions in here too?

We plan on going to Sea World, WDW, MK, Universal but we want to stay at a not so pricey hotel on the beach with a beach front room. Where would you all recomend? We are so clueless it isn't funny. It will be me, my mom, my DH and his 6 year old niece. We will be driving too!

[kim]

michelle, wdw and the others are in central florida, not near the beach at all.

[MML051901]

Yeah I know that much :lol: We planned on staying on the beach and then driving to the parks daily. I heard it was like an hour drive.

[kkc]

Hi Michelle,

If you want to spend time at the beach, I would think about doing 1 or 2 days of dedicated beach time at the beginning or end of your trip. Then spend the rest of your vacation at a hotel in the Orlando area so that you can go to all of the other attractions on your list.

There is so much to do at Disney you could easily spend a week there. I know I personally wouldn't want to spend 2 precious hours in the car each day when I could be hanging out with Mickey!

Have fun!
Kristen

[MML051901]

Thanks Kristen :)

[Jenn]

Wow, Mary, you've been to Disney a ton!

Michelle, sure you can ask questions in here! I'm a little worried about it raining also but I know that with Florida weather, you always stand a chance of rain. I have to agree that if you want to hit the Orlando area it's probably better to stay in that area. Why don't you split up your week and go to Disney/Orlando for part of the week and then stay at the beach for the other part of your week?

[MML051901]

Hey Jenn :) Thanks for letting me bombard your thread too!

Yeah I am going to run that past my mom tonight. I think that will work out much better!

[Dawn]

Michelle - Not to sorry at all....I just found out the other day by talking to a travel agent that there were no beaches in Orlando either. :blush: I never knew! :lol: I think this thread will help us "virgin Disneylanders" ALOT! :lol:

[MML051901]

:lol:

[Jenn]

Well, I just wanted to update some more.

We are definately staying, our entire stay at Villas of Wilderness Lodge. :yippee: Our first night will actually be in the hotel portion and then the next day we will switch to our 2 bedroom villa! I'm so excited and can't thank Mary and her husband enough for renting us their points from DVC! Here is a link to the resort.
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/resorts/resortLanding?id=WildernessLodgeResortLandingPage&count=8

I also booked all of our airfare on Tuesday night. I had to book the flight from Dulles International to Orlando for me, Jeff and Peyton and I had to book a flight from Atlanta to Orlando for my mom and niece. That was fun. :rolleyes:

I discovered that the Star Wars weekends start the first weekend that we'll be there and my niece is a Star Wars fanatic! She is going to die when she sees all the Star Wars Characters at the Magic Kingdom. :)

I still have to reserve a rental car and make all my priority seatings for where we want to eat. I think I'm going to plan a Character breakfast for one day and do the Princess Breakfast that is in Epcot at Akershus (I think that's it). This trip is requiring so much planning! I'm already exhausted and we haven't even gotten there yet! :lol:

[kim]

jenn, i am beyond excited for you!!!! :banana:

[Jenn]

Thanks Kim! I can't wait!

[kim]

i think the star wars characters might only be in mgm.....

anyway, 83 days for me! i am currently sporting this as my laptop wallpaper :lol:
http://new.disneyecho.emuck.com/pics/PolynesianMonorail.jpg

car rental: i joined national's emerald isle. i love it, you walk right out to the garage, pick your car off the aisle and hand your paperwork at the booth. go to mousesavers and see if you can join for free. (i'm sure you know all this already).

i hear chef mickey's is good for a character bfast, although i've never been. ohana in the polynesian also has one :nod: don't forget the crystal palace :lol:

ok, i'm pumped again, off to the disboards! :lol:

[Jenn]

i think the star wars characters might only be in mgm.....



I'll have to check on that again. I don't know why I'm thinking they'll be at MK also.

Actually, I didn't know you could join National's emerald isle for free so I'll definately look into that on mousesavers.

I've heard great things about Chef Mickey's too but I think my niece really wants to do a princess breakfast and since I doubt there's anyway I can get into Cindy's for breakfast the other princess breakfast will have to do for her. Hmmm, maybe we'll do more than one character breakfast.

Hey, have you ever done the hoop-dee-doo revue? I'm still undecided about doing that.

[kim]

no, haven't done hoop de doo...marc wants to but i'm not too jazzed on it (he likes all you can eat :lol: ) i think we'll wait on that one until the kids get older.

i have been to cindy's for bfast, it was the morning of 9/11. you should keep checking for that, it's totally worth it. and yes it was just me and marc looking like dorks :lol:

[MML051901]

Jenn I am so excited for you guys. We have booked our trip too! We leave April 30th but we are driving :eek:

So for the character breakfasts, what is this, where do I call to try to get in? My niece would love to have a princess breakfast and probably Mickey and others as well. Is it expensive?

Also what is the hoop-dee-doo revue?

Thanks ladies for all your help!

[Jenn]

Michelle,

I can't believe you guys are driving from Michigan! :owow: There is no way I would drive with Peyton. :lol: She would drive me nuts.

Before you make any Priority Seatings for character breakfasts or dinner, I suggest you get the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disneyworld. I can't get a link from www.amazon.com right now. For some reason the site is crapping out on me. That book has helped me so much!

Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue is a dinner show with an all you can eat buffet. They take reservations for this 2 years in advance! :owow:

So where are you staying? Are you staying on site or off site?

[Jenn]

Kim, maybe I'll call a few times to try for Cindy's. I know my niece would love it. Heck, she'll be happy enough just to go inside the castle.

[MML051901]

Jen we are staying offsite. We are staying at Quality suites. Yeah I am sorda dreading the car ride but it will be ok. My niece is 6 so she will probably just watch movies the whole way and sleep :lol: I hope anyways, I don't want her to be miserable.

I could have sworn I saw that book at our local Meijers and last night we looked for it and nope :(

[mcr5298]

Jenn-I'm so happy that we were able to get the Wilderness Lodge Villas for you and your family! :jump2: Just looking at the pictures make me want to go there badly!!!

I have never been to the Storybook Princess Breakfast at EPCOT, but have heard good things. I would definitely try to book that. Be prepared that this breakfast is becoming very popular too. If you don't get it the first time you call, try again. And try calling back as you get closer to the trip. People do cancel, and maybe you will get a lucky break. Try this strategy with Cinderella's Royal Table too! :)

We have been to the Hoop-Dee-Do Review only once, but loved it! :) It's a really great family night. You never know, you might get lucky with that reservation too.

Here are some websites describing the show:

http://allearsnet.com/din/hddcom.htm
http://pscalculator.net/psreview_001.shtml

Good luck to all of you girls planning your trips! :) It's putting me in the mood to start thinking about our trip in December. Maybe I should see if we can book the Hoop-Dee-Doo Review now! :biggrin:

[Kimmy0712]

Jenn I am excited for you!! I am taking the boys in July! DH will be staying home. I am going with his 3 sister's and 2 neices. When I was pregnant with Alex I went and had a blast. I was about 6 months along I think. I rode on most everything in Disney except the roler coasters of course. Make sure your drink A LOT of water. We where there in April and it was really hot. You will love the Wilderness Lodge. I have not stayed there but we ate dinner at Jinko's. That was fabulous!

Have Fun!!

[Dawn]

Jenn: :jump: Yah for your plans coming right along! Sounds great! :) Gosh, I can only imagine all the planning involved!

Michelle: How cool that your going to DW!!! How far is the drive from Michigan?

Well, I was thinking/hoping we would be going to DW next year, but now seeing that we got a "surprise" and baby will be born Nov. of this year...not so sure now. :( In the meantime we just booked a 5 day mini-vacation to Miami (South Beach) and we leave in 6 days!!! :eek: How I would of loved to go to DW but it's just not in our budget at the moment. I just wanted to get a quick vacation in before our 2nd child comes (and before any morn. sickness starts too! :lol: ). It's been almost 3 yrs. since our honeymoon that we've been on vacation....very long overdue. I didn't care where we went...as long as it's warm and on the beach! I'm just glad that we booked a nice place and will be relaxing on the beach. :)

Sorry....now back to your regularly scheduled DW talk! :)

[kim]

dawn, you'd be amazed how easy it is to take a baby to wdw! :lol: think positive! you can still go!

i won't be taking #2 to wdw until sept. '05 when he/she is about one, but that's only because we are taking my sister and her kids with us so we need to go in the DVC 'off season' (so our 'point' cost is lower)

that said it's not totally out of the realm of possibility that we will sneak in another trip before then :lol:

ony 68 days till my june trip! :woo:

[Dawn]

dawn, you'd be amazed how easy it is to take a baby to wdw! :lol: think positive! you can still go! Thanks Kim! :biggrin:


that said it's not totally out of the realm of possibility that we will sneak in another trip before then :lol:That wouldn't surprise me at all, Kim! I swear, your the DW master! :bowdown: :lol:

[jenr812]

Getting so excited for you!!! :jumping:

[jkl]

Jen- did you come back from your trip yet? I'm anxious to hear about your experience and can't wait to hear more about the vwl. We're going to disney april 15th. we're staying at the beach club. I've enjoyed reading through this thread! :)

[Jenn]

Nope, we haven't gone yet. :) We leave for Orlando on May 15th and return on May 20th. Unfortunately I probably won't get to update how our trip was until June because on May 22nd we have movers coming to pack up our townhouse. We then close on our townhouse on May 25th and leave for Georgia the next day to close on our house down there on May 28th. :faint: I'm not even sure when I'll internet access again after Disney. I think I'll be going through internet withdrawls but I'll be sure to take a ton of pictures to show you all.

[jenr812]

I didn't realize we'd be without you for that long :eek: I'll miss you :bighug: You are going to be very busy :nod:

[Jenn]

Aw, thanks Jen! We'll be staying at either my mom's or my sister's house right when we get to Georgia so I'll be able to check in but probably won't have time to update about the trip. Getting DSL or Cable modem set up at the new house is definately going to be a priority! :nod:

[jkl]

oh jenn... you've got a busy month coming up wow!!! Hey.. i goofed about the date we're going to disney, DUH!! We're going the same time as you!!! We leave on the 15th.

[Jenn]

oh jenn... you've got a busy month coming up wow!!! Hey.. i goofed about the date we're going to disney, DUH!! We're going the same time as you!!! We leave on the 15th.

Where are you guys staying? We should meet up!

[jkl]

We'll be staying at the beachclub. Where are you flying out of? We're flying out of dulles... I just noticed you live in northern virginia. Wouldn't that be something if we were on the same flight? :) we're flying ted airlines.

[Jenn]

:lol: That is too funny! We're flying out of Dulles on Ted also. I can't seem to get into Orbitz right now to look at our itinerary but I'm pretty sure we land around Noon in Orlando. I have the info on my yahoo email but I can't access that from work. That would be funny if we're on the same flight!

We live about 10 miles from Dulles. I think I remember you from UB. Don't you live near Norfolk or am I thinking of someone else?

[Jenn]

Ok, I made my DH go into my yahoo email account to pull up our flight information and we depart from Dulles at 11am and arrive in Orlando at 1:13pm on May 15th.

[jenr812]

:lol: How funny would that be if you're on the same flight?? Cool :aok:

[jkl]

Jenn- we're on the same flight!!!! :lol: I just called my mil who had our flight info.. we're in row 16 and 17.. how funny is that?!?!!? We will definitely have to meet up on the plane.

We technically live in Manassas but we're closer to dale city.. exit 152 off 95. Where r u for the next month anyways? :)

[jkl]

Jenn, I was just checking out your journal to see how old peyton was (my girls are 2.5 and 1) and I noticed you work at sallie mae. My sil (kalen o'neill) also works there. Do you know her? How weird is this? :)

[jenr812]

:rotflmao: Too funny!! Hope you two get to meet up :)

[jkl]

its a small world. :)

[Jenn]

:scratch: Why did I think you lived in Southern Virginia? I live in Gainesville, on the other side of Manassas. Your SIL's name doesn't sound familiar but then again, I don't know too many people outside of my department. We've had a lot of turnover the past couple of years. What department is she in? I'll look her up on the intranet tomorrow at work.

I can't believe we're on the same flight! :lol: We're in row 23 so only a few rows behind you. It definately is a small world.

[jenr812]

its a small world. :)
Arrggh! I'm gonna be singing that song all night!! :)

[jkl]

jen- i'm sorry about the song thing. how pathetic is it that I didn't even think about the "disney connection" when I wrote that? :lol: its a small world after all, its a small world after all.... la la la la la la la okay, i'm a dork.... he he

jenn- i'm not sure which department she's in.. i'll have to ask her but she has said also that there's been alot of turnover. we actually looked over in bristow at houses last june on our househunting trip. nice area...growing fast! wish we could have met up sooner.. but i can only imagine how excited you've got to be to be moving closer to your family. look forward to meeting you. :)

[Jenn]

Your SIL works on the same floor as me and is also a Senior Accountant here. That's too funny. I've probably seen her a million times even though the name isn't familiar. I might have to walk by her cube and see if she looks familiar. :lol:

Bristow is a nice area but they just keep building and building and haven't improved the roads at all. It's getting way too crowded and expensive out here and I'm so glad we made the decision to move to Atlanta. :nod:

[jkl]

That's really funny that you're both on the same floor...wow?!?!?!

as far as your move... it was a good time to sell around here too! :)

[jkl]

Only 7 more days Jenn!!!! Are you excited!!! Ally asks me every day when we're going to the airport to go to disneyworld! :lol:

[jenr812]

I'm so excited for you guys and so jealous at the same time :banana: Have a wonderful, safe trip!

[jkl]

Thank Jen :)

jenn- only 2 MORE DAYS!!!!! Where are you?...packing? :) Ally is counting down the days! :lol: Its absolute craziness in this house?!?!!? :crazy:

[Jenn]

I'm going nuts over here! :lol: Between getting ready for our move in less than 2 weeks and getting ready for Disney, I've barely had time to breathe. :lol:

Today I have to run some errands and I'm going to start on laundry and packing this evening!

Jen, what time are you planning to get to the airport to check in? I've heard some bad stories about security and I'm thinking of leaving our house at 7am so we'll be at Dulles by about 7:30. I know our flight doesn't take off until 11am but I'm so worried about getting through check-in and security and I'd rather just have extra time to sit at the gate.

[jkl]

Hi Jenn! :wavey: I can only imagine how crazy it is over at your house?!!? We'll probably get to the airport 2 hours before the flight so I guess around 9. Was it security at dulles that you heard about or just overall at airports? dh flies alot and we've taken a few trips recently and we just always get there 2 hours prior but I don't blame you for wanting to get there early and then just relax.

[jkl]

Has anyone who has gone to disney found any rental places that have backpacks to carry little ones around in?

[Jenn]

Jenn, my mom had heard that 400 people missed their flights in Atlanta last weekend because of security lines. I'm just thinking that Dulles might be kind of tight on security because of all that talk about a United flight to LA being targeted and watched by terrorists. I like to be early when I'm flying, anyway. :lol: I missed my flight once and I'm terrified that it will happen again. We'll probably get to the airport by 8am so that's not too early.

[kim]

Has anyone who has gone to disney found any rental places that have backpacks to carry little ones around in?

you are in luck! i remember tons of crap :lol:

this company is used by a lot of people on the disboards and is very reputable! $25 for a week. not bad! i believe they will deliver it to your hotel!

http://www.abbf.com/equipment.php?item=backpack

jenn! i can't wait to hear all about the vwl when you get back!

[jkl]

Thanks Kim!!! I will check it out! :)

jenn- nah, 8 isn't too early :) look forward to meeting ya.. just fyi.. (since i don't have a pic on here) I'm short w/ red hair :)

[mcr5298]

Have a wonderful time Jenn and Jen! I can't wait to hear both trip reports! :)

I just checked the weather down in Orlando, and it's going to be HOT!
http://www.weather.com/weather/local/32830?lswe=32830&lwsa=WeatherLocalUndeclared

Drink plenty of water! :)

[magoo]

just subbing for future reference :)

[Jenn]

I'm sorry that I haven't been back to update. I typed everything out in my journal but I haven't uploaded any pictures yet. I'll update in here soon!