The Evans' Take on the World-The Do-Over Trip (pics addded)
 

I am so excited to be writing my first pre-trip report!

Here is the scoop. Our last trip was 2 years ago in March- it was an extended family trip with two sets of grandparents, a great grandma, two aunts and our bunch! A week before we left my husband was hospitalized with a massive blood infection. By the time departure day rolled around he was stable but still hospitalized and way too weak to go. We stayed in a pool villa and so many people had so much money tied up we couldn't cancel. So we went with out him..... over his birthday, with his parents and grandparents!

So this trip is for his 31st birthday!

The Characters:
Mommy (27 year old private school teacher)
Daddy (30 year old networking company owner)
Alaina (7- 3rd trip)
Jayden (6- 3rd trip)
Elisha (4- 3rd trip)
Kaya (1- FIRST TRIP! okay so she went in utero on before mentioned trip)
A picture of our "littles":
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3216/...935386ffd5.jpg

Time Frame:
Spring Break 2009
We are extended our March break a few days to take advantage of the 4 for 7 deal.

Resort:
Port Orleans Riverside
Yes we will be squeezed in there like sardines but we don't spend much time in the room and love this resort.

We'll be doing the big reveal on Christmas morning!:yay:

Birthday Celebration Day!
 

Jason has always wanted to eat at Sci-Fi but somehting else has always semed better but in honor of his birthday SCI-FI IT IS!

http://adisneyworld.disney.go.com/me...In_Theater.jpg

We have a day at Disney Studios and an early lunch at Sci- Fi planned.

Good luck with your 1st report!
 

Can't wait to read it.
I've never done one before.

Hope you have a magical holiday.

Advance Dinner Reservations!
 

The first of the reservations and plans are made! We decided last night to bump up to the deluxe dining plan. It is a $400 difference but we decided the difference wasn't too much to consider that almost every meal and snack will be covered and we can eat wherever we want.

I am having a hard time shaking off the DIS mentality of trying to get the most for free and and not thinking about maximizing value. This is really about being easy, saying yes, and feeling all inclusive. We should eat where we want!.... we should eat whee we want!.... We should eat where we want!

Day One:
Evening arrival at Magic Kingdom (tradition)
Dinner at Casey Corner (in time for a picnic in our fireworks spot)

Day Two: Magic Kingdom
(L) Cinderella's Royal Table
Daddy and Kaya have never been and I have been craving a Major Domo's Pie for the last 18 months.

Day Three: Disney Studios
(L) Sci Fi Drive In
Daddy's birthday!

Day Four: Pool/ Dowtown Disney
(D) 1900 Park Fare Cinderelas's Gala Feast
We met the step-sister on our last trip and they were a riot. Hoping they make an appearance!

Day Five: Animal Kingdom
?
Day Six : Epcot
(D) Garden Grille
We love the food here! I am thinking of doing the land tour before we eat.

Day Seven: Magic Kingdom
(D) Chef Mickeys

To take advantage of upgrading to deluxe dining, you should eat at least 2 table service meals a day. If you're into character meals, I suggest going for Tusker House breakfast on your Animal Kingdom day. I will be doing it for the first time on my next trip, but I have heard great things about it from friends and on Dis.

Your title caught my attention.....Evans is my maiden name.:)

How are you going to tell you kids on christmas?

We will eat two table services a day for sure! Sit down meals are actually a welcome break for us... Tusker house looks good. I was just wondering if we could see the opening parade- that is a first for us and the deciding factor.

We haven't decided yet. We are considering making a dvd and wrapping it and letting them open raft we watch the parade. We also are doing something Christmas night as "one more gift".

Bad news!

We weren't able to get our resort for our first night we had planned. We are going to keep checking but it might mean we have to ditch the CRT reservations!:confused3

The Do- Over
 

I had almost forgoten how bad our last trip was- I guess it is like child birth. Your brain protects you from all the bad vacation memories!

As previously mentioned, Jason was in the hospital for our vacation but many more things made me ready to forget about our last trip.

Our last trip was a christmas surprise. So when the family found out they wanted to tag along. No problem. I rented more points and upgraded to a 2 bedroom at SSR. Next my inlaws chimed in.... booked them a room at pop. Great grandparent form Arkansas want ot come. Cane you tell grandparents form out of state no? We'll I couldn't. So now we have my mom, two sisters (8 & 11), mom and dad and law and 14 year wheelchair bound sister in law, great grandma, my 3 kids, and six month pregnant me.

So they don't want to make reservations anywhere they all just want to do what we want to do. I end up scrapping all the hotel reservations and booking a villa off-site. I wonder how many time I called disney dining? Did I mention we lose the dining plan with the hotel rooms?

So to cut things to point and not send my self into a giant depression I will briefly list everything that is off with our trip:

• Husband can't go
• Six months pregnant and two year old wants me to carry him through the park because daddy is not there.
• Daughter gets massive outer ear infection and is kept going be the 4 bottles of motrin we buy- for $11 dollars a piece. She can't swim- in the pool villawe are in. Mommy constantly chants- we are having so much fun!
• Every good moment is met with "Too bad daddy can't...."
• I break into an emotional mess and bawl at least once a day.
• A group of 14 can not walk ten minutes without someone having to pee.....and since they are all there to see my kids do disney.....

We are so excited to do disney together! And not play tour guide!

I am bracing myself for the "can we comes?" and steeling myself up to say "I am sure you can get reservations if you tried" and letting them work this one out themselves.

Ooh - I hope your do-over works for you!

You picked 2 of our favorites from our trip - 1900 Park Fare & Garden Grill. And, yes, we rode Living with the Land right before our meal - that was cool. I was kind of disappointed we couldn't see the greenhouse from dinner, though - that was our favorite part!

Stay strong on making it just your family - they had their turn to go with you! Of course, our own trip was our very first family vacation where we weren't either visiting friends or family, or taking someone with us, lol.

How many times can you change your ADRs?
 

Well the kid shave been told, the deposit paid, and the dining reservations made (a few times) and we are counting down!

Disney Dining Plan vs. Deluxe Dining Plan
I LOVE the idea of every snack and every meal being paid for before we get there. I hate the 1400 price tag! (That is seriously less then I make in a month teaching private school!) We live on a pretty tight budget so the idea of spending 1400 for seven days of food- yikes! I don't like to vacation on a budget and I like to feel like the skys the limit on vacation.....So here is been my thought process.

• With a full two sit-down meals a day we would come out about $200 dollars ahead and our giftcard ($200 promo) would cover gratuity)
• We would eat A LOT, much more then we would probably need to and its seems a bit excessive. We planned Liberty Tree Tavern, Tony Town square, Sci-fi, Brown derby, 1900 Park Fare, Tusker House, Yek and Yeti, Akerskus Breakfast, Garden Grille, Ohana's Breakfast, Chef Mickeys, & Cinderella's Royal Table.
• I am already dreading the big popcorn debate. Will I let my children get the popcorn buckets we all adore and use every week at home or make them stick to the box on the plan!?!

So I crunch the numbers and sit down the kids and pick our must do's. We come up with: CRT lunch, Sci-Fi (Daddy birthday Pick), Chef Mickey's, Garden Grille, 1900 Park Fare, Ohana's Breakfast, and Brown Derby.

• I can pay out of pocket for brown derby- we are ordering a cake for daddy so we will skip dessert. CRT is also a 2 TS credit meal but includes gratuity on the plan so it is a better use of 2ts on the plan then BD.

• That brings us to a grand total of 1240.00 vs. 1460.00 and another 60.00 worth of mandatory gratuity.

So despite the fact that we could almost double our dining for about $200 dollars I have decided enough is enough! I'll go with the regular plan and put $450 on a gift card for the extras and feel confident I am making the smart but still indulgent decision!

Now I just have to cancel the extra's!

And Brown Derby gets cut!
 

After talking to hubby he says he isn't really into brown derby and has no interest in paying out of pocket for it! I was planning to have a cake delivered for his birthday. Now what? No cake? Somewhere else? Move Sci-fi to dinner?

50's Prime time is my vote!!
 

Great comfort food, good kid's menu, fun staff. Be prepared to wait long past your ADR time however. They are always at least 30 minutes up to 1hour and 15 minutes late seating us! Even so, it is one of our "must do's" every trip.

Karen

My husband didn't really loke 50's antics....and since it is his birthday, we have to skip it. I am thinking counter service now....but need a recommendation.

Hmmm...on our DHS day, we ended up just snacking, tbh, then getting pizza back at the resort for the kids, and then dh and I had our date night. I don't remember any place at DHS getting really good food marks. Are you planning on staying for Fantasmic, or leaving early enough to have dinner somewhere else that night?