Tonight Denis and I are going to spend 30 minutes or so going over our Disney Trip which is in four short months. FOUR MONTHS people – the planner in me is going nuts that NOTHING IS PLANNED YET!!!
I’m also on a mission to have this vacation be CASH ONLY for us. That’s pretty steep, given it’s DISNEY. But if I’m able to make enough money doing my blog thing between now and April 20 (thus having a final payout on May 20 before the vacation begins on the 24th) then we just might be able to swing it. I’d rather NOT have our entire tax refund go to Mickey and the gang. I’d like that money to go in our checking account and stay there for a couple months, thankyouverymuch.
We know we’re doing Magic Kingdom. We know we’re doing Sea World (the kids will LOVE IT). We know we’re doing Epcot (that’s more for the adults than the kids), and we know we’re doing the one that has Playhouse Disney. Other than that we’re pretty open. But I still want to get things kind of mapped out so that I feel more in control of the trip.
If nothing has been planned yet, what are those emails we’ve been getting?
😆
Yo, Animal Kingdom is a must.
MGM Studios is a must so that the kids can eat at Mom’s Diner or whatever that place is.
I’m hoping to have a good spring open house so that we can use that money for Disney. And for a good tax refund, as well.
Jen – those emails are NOTHING compared to what I’m capable of. 🙂
MGM has Playhouse Disney. We went in November (hubby had a business trip) One day I took Davis to MGM by myself, and the next day the 3 of us went to the Magic Kingdom. I will say that we had a 5 hour window of time at each place before we hit the wall. You get more face time with the characters at the Magic Kingdom.
cristan’s last blog post..Tuesday Top 10
Since I’m the Disney Nerd in my circle, I am compelled to input my 2 cents.
Have you looked around the DisBords? (http://www.disboards.com/) You don’t have to register to be able to look, I would check out the Theme Park Strategy Board, Budget Board, and Disney for Families Board. You’ll find lots of good ideas from other Disney Nerds (like myself) to help you maximize your time and money.
If you want to maximize your character time, I would suggest a character breakfast or lunch at the park or one of the resorts; Crystal Palace or Liberty Tree Tavern in the MK for lunch, and breakfast at ‘1900 Park Fare, Cape May Cafe or ‘Ohana (at grand Floridian, Beach Club, and Polynesian resorts, respectively). They’re less expensive than the character dinners (and the lunches are usually almost the exact same thing as dinner) and you’ll get LOTS of photo opportunities. You just have to decide which characters you want to see because they’re different at every meal (ie Goofy is at Liberty Tree, Pooh & friends are at Crystal Palace, etc.)
I am geeking out over my own Disney Trip (early June) and so I’ve been on the DisBoards almost every day in the past few weeks. If you have ANY questions, do not hesitate to email me directly, meghan at chubbercheekers dot com. I’ve done Disney on a shoestring budget and always had a blast. I actually just ordered my PassPorter today (on sale for roughly $14 at Amazon) which is my favorite planning guide. It’s more organized than I am, which is saying something. Please, let me know if you want any ideas, tips or recommendations.
(I’ve got Excel spreadsheets. I dare you to ask for them.)
Meghan’s last blog post..This is exactly why I haven?t bothered to post this past week
Jen, it’s the 50’s Prime Time Cafe and it’s a lot of fun. Great milk shakes Jaynee!!!
Do not miss the Hoop-De-Doo Musical Revue it is great. Rob and I always do it and last year the kids LOVED it.
Also, the Disney dining plan was a great value it was almost too much food. You may have to be staying at a Disney resort for that though.
Also if you want to do a meal at Cinderella’s Castle (since they both love princesses!) You have to call exactly 90 days in advance of the day you want to go. SO call Disney Dining and book the Hoop De Doo and ask what day you have to call for the castle.
Hoop De Doo Revue and Cinderella’s Royal table are fun, but they’re also $$$. We’re going to CRT this June because we’re on the dining plan, so we’ll be able to use 2 of our table service credits to pay for it. (You do have to stay at a Disney resort to use the Dining plan, so unfortunately that’s not an option for you guys.)
Since your condo has a kitchen, I’d recommend picking up fresh fruit and cereal/milk/granola bars for a quick breakfast, and then having lunch in the park. If you think the kids might want (need) to rest a little in the day, have a little quiet time or pool time, I’d suggest taking an couple of hours between lunch and dinner to relax, eat, and then return to the park for a few more rides and the Wishes fireworks display. That way you can do dinner at the condo (macaroni & cheese? sandwiches?) or go out to a restaurant before getting back to the park
I typically stay on property and eat all of my meals in the park, but I know a lot of people do it the way I described above and it works well.
Meghan’s last blog post..This is exactly why I haven?t bothered to post this past week
A lot of helpful comments with this post. My parents surprised the kids at Christmas and told them they were sending our family to Disney World. We’ll probably go in the Fall when it isn’t as busy. It looks like I have a lot of planning to do.
I’ve spent a lot of time with the Mouse, and went to Playhouse Disney for the first time last trip. Way fun and we were a group of four adults. Pathetic, I know!
I know what you mean. I’m a COMPLETE vacation planner. Every detail planned out from the day we leave, what we’re doing each hour, restaurants to possibly go to, things to see, etc. I’m very detailed.
Nevis’s last blog post..Love and Hate Meme
Marmie and I are planning to take our crock pots for dinners “at home” to save a few bucks each day. I know that we won’t be at the parks for long periods because of Jesse’s age. And we plan to stick with his regular bedtime as much as possible, especially since he’ll miss his naps on most days.
Lots of good advice here – I’m a Disney Geek, myself, AND a compulsive planner! We’ve been to Disney 7 times, 6 with our kiddos. We went twice last year, and we’re going again this Thanksgiving. Definitely check out the DIS Boards mentioned above! And if you have any questions at all, feel free to e-mail me!
Bubba’s Sis’s last blog post..Wordless Wednesday – Lone Star