~ Aug 2013~ Sew what... We've gotta find a way back! Box contents REVEALED 5/23!!

[DMGeurts]

Soo...

I've decided - since August is a definite "maybe" trip for us - I've updated one of my reserved spots on the first page with this same info...

We have a TS meal that is up in the air on our Epcot day...

You'll also notice that we have 2 scheduled days off and 2 dedicated Water Park days...

Originally Posted by DMGeurts

I've decided, since I am really debating on 2 different trip times... I will post our plans for an August trip too.

If the August trip does happen - this is how it will look.

Dates: August 19-30 - Yes, that is 12 days of Disney Bliss.

Resort: POFQ - Does that surprise you?

Parks:

These restaurants are new to us. These restaurants are family favorites

Monday, August 19th: Arrival day - Possible evening park of MK

Tuesday, August 20th: AK - Breakfast at Tusker House

Wednesday, August 21st: Water Park

Thursday, August 22nd: MK - Breakfast at Crystal Palace - Dinner at BoG

Friday, August 23rd: Off - Late breakfast at Kona

Saturday, August 24th: DHS - Lunch at 50's - Dinner at Sci-Fi

Sunday, August 25th: Water Park

Monday, August 26th: Epcot - Lunch in France - Dinner at ??

Tuesday, August 27th: Off - Late breakfast at WCC

Wednesday, August 28th: MK - Lunch at LTT

Thursday, August 29th: AK - Breakfast at TH

Friday, August 30th: Departure day



D~

[KatMark]

Love the pics of you and your daughter.

Our dates are August 16 - 22 at Old Key West; this will be Mark's and my 30th anniversary trip (my girls trip is in June). We used to go at the very end of August, but never this early, but I'm told the crowds aren't too bad.

[mommy2mrb]

Happy New Year!

cute photos of V and you Alli is quite talented!

good luck on figuring out your dates!

[cajunfan]

I mentioned this on facebook, but I will say it here too...Alli has a real eye for photography. The way she frames her pictures of you & V are wonderful!

Lynn

[kittylady1972]

Those are some great photos by your daughter! I think your August trip sounds great so far! You are really making me want to make more ADRS for my trip in a few weeks. MUST. RESIST.

[babynala]

First off I love the pictures Alli took. She did a great job but she did have some good looking models. You and V look fabulous. I hope she was able to take some of you and Josh too.

As for your trip planning I am sad to say that August might be your best choice (sad since we might go during your August dates). Not having to miss school is nice and having the extra days would be great. I think with your relaxed schedule you could take your time and beat he heat. Since you normal touring style calls for an afternoon break the heat should be easier to deal with. Plus you will be more used to the heat. How do you guys feel after a day at your local amusement park?

Bummer about your visit to your friends house. Not looking forward to the teenage years!!!!

Casey and I were checking out the girl of the year and we nothing like her but she wishes she had gotten Laney. Oh well.

[disneychic2]

Love the pics Alli took! And the background was so pretty with the snow covered trees and the sunshine. You and V look so carefree and natural. Really great! Hope you got Josh out there for pics of the two of you.

I like your itinerary for your possible August trip. May I suggest instead of LTT for lunch you try BOG for lunch. It's really quite an experience to dine there and it's different for lunch as opposed to dinner. They are both great, but at lunch you order your food and you get to choose where you want to eat. We ate both lunch meals in the "West Wing". In the evening, we ate in the ballroom and I literally got tears in my eyes from the beauty and the way they captured that ballroom, and with the "snow" falling outside the tall windows, well, you get my point. Love, love, love that place! And the food we had was delicious! Ok, done with the commercial. lol

I was so sorry about how your BFF's DD treated you and your girls. Whenever someone did something to one of my kids, it sure did bring out the "mama bear" in me! I would have done much the same thing. I'm sure the DD is embarrassed and sorry, but may not know how to let you know. I am glad you are trying to let it go. Life's too short to let things fester. But we mom's have to stand up for our baby chicks!

Tomorrow will be back to work for DH. He's been off since Dec 21st. So that means I go back to work and get the house back in order and some laundry done. We spend so much time having fun and playing games and watching movies etc., that my housework went out the window.

Hope you get lots done in the sewing room and make lots of money so you can go to Disney in August.

[BabyRapunzel]

Those pics are fabulous! Ali did a great job and you guys look like you were having fun.

Trip planning is so fun but so hard. I have a trip booked, but due to the Disney visa discount, I am going back and recalculating to see if I want to change. And then ADRs, I'm happy now since I just made them a few weeks ago, but I'm sure I will second guess those as well. In the end no matter when we go, where we stay, and where we eat, it is Disney and it'll be perfect! But so many possibilities.

[Luvchefmic]

re-BOG restaurant I too had lunch there & also chose West Wing it would be a shame to missthis experience I haven't had dinner there but hope to soon

I too wanted to comment on Alli's eye photos are beautiful I love photography think if she wanted to do this professionally she has that,natural talent

[lovethattink]

Those pictures she took of you and her sister are wonderful. What kind of camera did she get for Christmas?

Originally Posted by KatMark

Love the pics of you and your daughter.

Our dates are August 16 - 22 at Old Key West; this will be Mark's and my 30th anniversary trip (my girls trip is in June). We used to go at the very end of August, but never this early, but I'm told the crowds aren't too bad.

Those dates should be good thought I don't think schools start back that early next year. Seems they have been starting later and getting out the 2nd week of June.

[Pixiedust530]

It looks like you all had a wonderful Christmas! The pictures Alli took are amazing. She really does have a natural eye for photography. You and V both look radiant in the pictures...can't wait to see what she takes of you and Josh.

Re: August vs. October...that's TOUGH! I am personally a HUGE fan of October...the best trip I've ever had. Great weather, low crowds and Food & Wine Festival! However, having MORE days in August and the girls not having to miss any school is HUGE! If it were me, I might be willing to sacrifice my beloved October for extra days in August. What are the girls opinions? Do they care either way? Also, I would try to stay at POFQ rather than SoG if you can make it work financially. I have never stayed at SoG, but for me there's just something magical about staying onsite!

Good luck with your decisions!

[lovesdumbo]

Love the photos Ali took! Would she let you or V play with her camera and take some of her?

Have you seen this thread about the rumor that free Dining will only be QSDP? I find it a bit hard to believe when the bounce back offer was the same as past years but the poster who started it has always been right.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3039016

[Pluto0809]

The photos are beautiful! Alli did an excellent job.

Your plans if you go in August look really good. I always wish I could plan an off day but we never go for a long enough time to fit one in.

[DMGeurts]

Originally Posted by NiniMorris

August Free Dining usually happens from the middle of August to sometime in October . The crowds start getting lower during the middle to end of August, but our kids go to school the second week of August.

So we will probably miss the free dining in August...but will have to have it in December to make it work!

The August timing actually works pretty well over all...since the beach 'Fall season' starts the day we leave Disney! It will save us $100 a night on a beach condo for the 7 of us! And that is the only reason we can even think about going the first week without Free Dining!

Of course, my son seems to be the KING of PIN codes! He got a total of 7 PIN codes for our last trip..each with a bit different dates but all for Free Dining while we were there...and has already gotten one for this year...but the dates did not work!

Nini

I am just so nervous that FD won't be offered at all this year to the general public...

Originally Posted by NiniMorris

He gets emails and post cards ALL. THE. TIME!!!

NONE of the trips are ever in his name! They are all in my DIL's name, but as long as he is a registered guest it works! And then, as long as we travel the same time as them (meaning we have to check in on the same day but we can check out on different days) we can piggy back on his PIN codes!

My son in law actually got one last year for our dates! And while they ended up going, they didn't use the PIN!

In the past 10 years I have gotten exactly ONE PIN code! And it was for a couple of weeks after we got home!

Nini

For curiosity - I went back through my emails... I never dump my box - ever - I received PIN codes very regularily (prob 6 per year) up until 2010... I have not received a single one since then. Figures...

Originally Posted by Terkina

Lovely pictures of you and V. I hope you get some kind of discount for your august/october WDW trip. I know many people was hoping for FD for February 2013 (that's when I'm going), but it never came. There was a different discount though but many complained (on the DIS) that it was not as good as FD. Fingers crossed you will get the discount you want.

Thank you Lillian.

I know - I am so bummed about FD... And it worries me a lot that they have yet to offer it to the general public this year. I agree - the discount that was offered was crappy (however, it was better than nothing).

Originally Posted by cogero

When we go in August we like to go anytime after the 20th the crowds really begin thining out after the 15th.

That is generally why we go about the 25th. This would of been the perfect year for August since the way the Jewish holidays fall they are starting school late but I have serious problems with a baby in August. I am going to miss our August trip.

I will say the parks are not open super late in August but it is a nice trip. we like the low crowds and take it slow due to the heat.

Can't wait to see your latest bag.

I agree... I don't think I would go with a baby quite so young - I think it would be very hard. I never took my girls when they were that young, but I know people do it.

I did look at the park closing times, and they don't look too bad. They look better than the Oct park closing times.

Originally Posted by nowellsl

I think DAA is Disney's Art of Animation. We stayed in a Mermaid room there, and have decided we like Pop better Back in December we stayed in a family suite at All Star Music. The room was great, and having 2 bathrooms was nice! We didn't use the kitchenette much, mostly just for coffee. The pull out couch was terrible (unless you like FIRM mattresses - but that's the only downside. I can't remember what size the bed was in the bedroom, but I'm thinking queen.
I think August is a good choice, except for the heat, but I'd rather be hot than cold any day!

Came back to add, those pictures are great! What kind of camera did she get?

Thanks Stephanie... I always think of it at AoA.

I've heard very good things about POP - however... I just don't think we could smoosh into a value resort - as much as I would like to save the $$ - we do spend a bit of time in our room these days, and with the girls being full grown adult sizes - I just don't think the double beds would work for us? I guess we could bring a blow up matress - people have been known to do that. It's just not something I am sure we'd want to do?

I do think the heat will be a genuine issue for us... But, I think we could be OK, especially since we like to tour with a break in the middle of the day. I would honestly prefer to tour in sweatshirt/capri weather - as that is what I am most comfortable in... But I would like it to be warm and sunny for the water parks and pools.

For Stephanie and Tink: Alli got a Nikon D5100... I did a lot of research, and I was prepared to buy the cheapest Nikon DSLR available... But thanks to The Dis Photography section, I found a lot of great websites... Specifically the Ken Rockwell website (it's awesome), between his reviews and the reviews on other websites, I was able to determine that the D5100 was one of the better entry level cameras out there, and due to price cuts in the later half of the year - the price point was very close to the cheapest DSLRs. So, back in October, Josh and I started looking in earnest - and were lucky enough to find an amazing bundle pack deal at Best Buy... We also had some reward coupons to use up, so we were able to get her camera and the bundle pack for about the same price as the cheapest DSLRs out there. We were very happy with it, and very happy that it's a camera she can use right now, and also something she can grow in to. We also purchased 2 of the most highly recommended books out there, so she can learn at her own pace. Right now, she is just shooting with the kit lens - I really wanted her to use that one and get used to the camera (I didn't want extra lenses to overwhelm her right away). I am hoping to get her a new lens for her birthday... One that also comes highly recommended... the f/1.8 lens. It's one of the cheapest ones out there, but also one of the best for the price. I really recommend, if you are interested, to go read the photography boards - there are some amazingly talented people over there. You probably know more about this than I do, and maybe you don't need to read? LOL

^^ Sorry so long winded.

Originally Posted by KatMark

Love the pics of you and your daughter.

Our dates are August 16 - 22 at Old Key West; this will be Mark's and my 30th anniversary trip (my girls trip is in June). We used to go at the very end of August, but never this early, but I'm told the crowds aren't too bad.

Thank you!

Oooh - that would be awesome to do a meet - I would sooo love to meet you and Mark!

Originally Posted by mommy2mrb

Happy New Year!

cute photos of V and you Alli is quite talented!

good luck on figuring out your dates!

Thank you Lisa! I've been thinking of you, and your trip coming up (I think you leave today???)...

Originally Posted by cajunfan

I mentioned this on facebook, but I will say it here too...Alli has a real eye for photography. The way she frames her pictures of you & V are wonderful!

Lynn

Thank you Lynn! I did see your comment on FB... I must say - she does make us look pretty good.

Originally Posted by kittylady1972

Those are some great photos by your daughter! I think your August trip sounds great so far! You are really making me want to make more ADRS for my trip in a few weeks. MUST. RESIST.

Thank you! Yes, you must resist the ADRs, especially if you are going to be spontanious.

Originally Posted by babynala

First off I love the pictures Alli took. She did a great job but she did have some good looking models. You and V look fabulous. I hope she was able to take some of you and Josh too.

Thanks! Well, Josh talked us out of going yesterday... He didn't want to go tromping around in the "wilderness" with the temperature at -20°... He talked us into waiting until this weekend - when we are supposed to be in a heatwave of 20°.

Originally Posted by babynala

As for your trip planning I am sad to say that August might be your best choice (sad since we might go during your August dates). Not having to miss school is nice and having the extra days would be great. I think with your relaxed schedule you could take your time and beat he heat. Since you normal touring style calls for an afternoon break the heat should be easier to deal with. Plus you will be more used to the heat. How do you guys feel after a day at your local amusement park?

I am leaning this direction too... And I agree - we enjoy taking our afternoon breaks. The only 2 days we might not be able to are our DHS and Epcot days - since we only have 1 day each scheduled in those parks.

Well, because we normally get season passes to our local amusement park - We use a lot of Disney touring styles there... LOL We are almost always there at a park opening, and done by 2pm... We haven't done a full day there in years. So, I am not sure I could use that as a guage? I know the hottest days we were in Disney - it was rough. Not so much me or V, but Alli had the hardest time because she wasn't feeling well (still don't know if that was due to heat/dehydration or a flu bug/bad food). So, I know that we will have to take it slow and DRINK. MORE. WATER.

Originally Posted by babynala

Bummer about your visit to your friends house. Not looking forward to the teenage years!!!!

I know - I am much better about it now though.

Originally Posted by babynala

Casey and I were checking out the girl of the year and we nothing like her but she wishes she had gotten Laney. Oh well.

Lanie was a very cute doll - she is the one that V chose to be "her" GOTY... I let each of the girls pick one Girl Of The Year to be theirs (Alli chose Nicki), and I did my best to purchase their full collection for them. Alli did not get the ski gear for her Nicki and V did not get the camper for her Lanie (way too big)...

I do love Saige, she is beautiful as a doll... Her collection does not appeal to me too much, but there are pieces that I like - like her art easel set - it's adorable. I am waiting for some of the reviews to come in on the message boards to determine if that's a piece I want to get, or not. I am trying so hard to be done with our AG collecting... However, V told me this morning that she is asking for AG GCs for her birthday - because she is sad she didn't get any AG for Christmas. I didn't know... Oh well...

Originally Posted by disneychic2

Love the pics Alli took! And the background was so pretty with the snow covered trees and the sunshine. You and V look so carefree and natural. Really great! Hope you got Josh out there for pics of the two of you.

Thanks Lois... Josh and I did not get out yesterday... He said it was too cold. He said he would go this weekend though.

Originally Posted by disneychic2

I like your itinerary for your possible August trip. May I suggest instead of LTT for lunch you try BOG for lunch. It's really quite an experience to dine there and it's different for lunch as opposed to dinner. They are both great, but at lunch you order your food and you get to choose where you want to eat. We ate both lunch meals in the "West Wing". In the evening, we ate in the ballroom and I literally got tears in my eyes from the beauty and the way they captured that ballroom, and with the "snow" falling outside the tall windows, well, you get my point. Love, love, love that place! And the food we had was delicious! Ok, done with the commercial. lol

Hmmm... Interesting. I had BoG down for a dinner, but you think I should go for lunch instead? The only reason I hesitate is because LTT is a "Must Do" for us for lunch... and they don't have the same offerings for dinner. So, can you take a minute to give your opinion on lunch vs. dinner at BoG?

Originally Posted by disneychic2

I was so sorry about how your BFF's DD treated you and your girls. Whenever someone did something to one of my kids, it sure did bring out the "mama bear" in me! I would have done much the same thing. I'm sure the DD is embarrassed and sorry, but may not know how to let you know. I am glad you are trying to let it go. Life's too short to let things fester. But we mom's have to stand up for our baby chicks!

I know I should be less of a momma bear... But I look at it this way... If it was one of my girls that had done that to my other dd, I would not have stood for it either, I would have done the same thing. Had it been any other girl in the world, I would have made a proper excuse to leave and just be annoyed... but since it was my bff's dd - I was comfortable with telling her the exact reason we were leaving.

I dunno - we are scheduled to go on a trip to Disney with them in 2014... originally we were planning to share a room, but there is just no way I could share a room with them... Love them both to death, but the girls and I barely survived a hotel room together - I just cannot imagine adding 2 more people to that. I told her, when we returned from our last trip - they would have to get a seperate room... And I guess this just confirms it... We get along great, but we are going to need our space, and no amount of $$ savings is going to make it easier, IMO.

Originally Posted by disneychic2

Tomorrow will be back to work for DH. He's been off since Dec 21st. So that means I go back to work and get the house back in order and some laundry done. We spend so much time having fun and playing games and watching movies etc., that my housework went out the window.

Hope you get lots done in the sewing room and make lots of money so you can go to Disney in August.

Oooh, sounds like you had a wonderful holiday season with your DH... I kwym... the girls went back to school today and I am back to the grind too... Trying to get up to my sewing room at a decent hour this morning - it's not going so well.

Originally Posted by BabyRapunzel

Those pics are fabulous! Ali did a great job and you guys look like you were having fun.

Trip planning is so fun but so hard. I have a trip booked, but due to the Disney visa discount, I am going back and recalculating to see if I want to change. And then ADRs, I'm happy now since I just made them a few weeks ago, but I'm sure I will second guess those as well. In the end no matter when we go, where we stay, and where we eat, it is Disney and it'll be perfect! But so many possibilities.

Thanks! We did have a lot of fun... But I realize I laugh with my mouth too wide open. LOL

I think it is worth it to rework your disounts - any savings is better, IMO. Glad you were able to make your ADRs too.

Yes, I agree - it is Disney, so we'd be happy with anything...

Originally Posted by Luvchefmic

re-BOG restaurant I too had lunch there & also chose West Wing it would be a shame to missthis experience I haven't had dinner there but hope to soon

I too wanted to comment on Alli's eye photos are beautiful I love photography think if she wanted to do this professionally she has that,natural talent

Do you think that lunch would be that much different than dinner? I was thinking of doing a dinner there, only because we can't miss our LTT lunch - it's a must do for us. So, it works best to do a BoG dinner on the day we have our early breakfast at CP, because we most likely won't be hungry again until dinner time???

Thank you... Alli would be thrilled to hear that! She is still just learning, and young... but I really believe this has become a passion for her... You should see how much she has used my camera in the last year. And I was amazed with the pictures she could get off of my little point n' shoot, I knew that a bigger better camera would only push her to new heights. I am so thankful that we were able to find a deal on it, and give her a hobby that she can really grow with.

Originally Posted by lovethattink

Those pictures she took of you and her sister are wonderful. What kind of camera did she get for Christmas?

Those dates should be good thought I don't think schools start back that early next year. Seems they have been starting later and getting out the 2nd week of June.

Thanks Tink... I did a really long camera answer above so that I could answer both of you at the same time.

Our school gets out later in June too. Which drives me crazy... I would love to do a birthday trip for the girls and I one year - but that probably won't happen until they are out of college.

************************************************** ********

I didn't make it into my sewing room at all yesterday... I did manage to finish my book though - barely.

I sat my lazy behind on this computer until about 11 am...

Our neighbors invited us for dinner on New Years Day... I was sitting here at 11 am, and finally decided to text her to see what time she wanted us over... 2PM~~~ ACK!!!!

So, I rushed into the shower... Rushed to town... Got a few groceries for home and a few groceries for dinner at her house... Stopped at Perkins to get 2 cake pies for dessert... Rushed home and made my dish to bring... And I was still a half our late to her house.

She had us, and one other set of neighbors over... She served prime rib and cheesy potatoes... I brought a corn caserole... The other neighbors brought a beautiful salad... We all brought wine... and then we brought dessert too... Then the kids all put on a magic show for our entertainment... it was super cute!

We had a lot of fun, but we were all at home and in bed by 7:30. If I drink wine too early in the day, it knocks me right out. LOL

So, it was a great day - just a little frantic there for a while.

Today, I am back into my sewing room...

I hope you all have a wonderful day!

D~

[DMGeurts]

Originally Posted by Pixiedust530

It looks like you all had a wonderful Christmas! The pictures Alli took are amazing. She really does have a natural eye for photography. You and V both look radiant in the pictures...can't wait to see what she takes of you and Josh.

Thank you... I will be sure to tell her.

She just got some really important followers on Instagram this morning, and she is super excited about it.

I can't wait to see those pictures either - LOL - but Josh decided to postpone until this weekend when it's warmer. Can't say I blame him - it's been frozen here the last few days.

Originally Posted by Pixiedust530

Re: August vs. October...that's TOUGH! I am personally a HUGE fan of October...the best trip I've ever had. Great weather, low crowds and Food & Wine Festival! However, having MORE days in August and the girls not having to miss any school is HUGE! If it were me, I might be willing to sacrifice my beloved October for extra days in August. What are the girls opinions? Do they care either way? Also, I would try to stay at POFQ rather than SoG if you can make it work financially. I have never stayed at SoG, but for me there's just something magical about staying onsite!

Good luck with your decisions!

I agree... We LOVE October too - we have been there twice for MNSSHP and F&W... Our best ever family vacation was in October too... So, we just love going at that time.

But I also agree... MORE days and no school missed is HUGE... Very huge. The girls are in the same boat, for the most part, Alli has no desire to miss school - V dislikes school a lot, so she would rather miss (and it would be like pulling teeth to get her to do her make-up work)... I just don't want to deal with that at all.

For me, the only down side to August would be the heat... but I think I have it planned enough that we will be doing some fun things that we've never done (water parks and more DTD), and also a couple of days "off"... And there's no reason why we can't sneak into a park for a dole whip on our day off - right.

Originally Posted by lovesdumbo

Love the photos Ali took! Would she let you or V play with her camera and take some of her?

I think she might??? One of our next door neighbors received a camera for Christmas too... And I am hoping that maybe I can talk her into doing a photoshoot with the girls and I, because it has been my desire for many years to have some candid shots done of the girls and I together. We have such a unique relationship - I would love to capture that.

Originally Posted by lovesdumbo

Have you seen this thread about the rumor that free Dining will only be QSDP? I find it a bit hard to believe when the bounce back offer was the same as past years but the poster who started it has always been right.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3039016

I have not seen this thread. I will go read it after. I guess I would take QSDP if that's all that is offered... BUt I would still need to pay OOP for a few sit down meals - which wouldn't make it much of a savings.... I did acutally do those figures yesterday (but I didn't write them down), because a lot of meals I have on the schedule right now, are not must dos for us, they are just filling in because we have them to use.

I wonder, if they offer Free QSDP, if you can upgrade to DDP for a cost?

Originally Posted by Pluto0809

The photos are beautiful! Alli did an excellent job.

Your plans if you go in August look really good. I always wish I could plan an off day but we never go for a long enough time to fit one in.

Thank you. We enjoyed our "Off day" last year - which turned out to be not a day off at all. LOL HOpefully, this time it will work out better for us?

D~