"Do You Mind?" - Disney Adventures with Teens August Trip Report

[swwake]

Hi everyone! Well, after spending a few days on these forums, I can now admit DIS-addiction. I can just hear them now - the next time I'm at Home Depot in the paint dept - "Excuse me, Miss, move AWAY from the paint chips"

Anyway, so today (or was it yesterday?) I found the Trip Report and PTR boards by accident. I think there was a link in someone else's siggy that I followed. I'm still quite new and not too sure how this all works, but so much has already gone into our trip-planning that I'd like to get it journaled, even if just for our family.

Of course it's pretty cool how open and friendly all the DISers are and it will be fun to hear from others planning their trips and get input as we go along. So I welcome any and all comments!

So I read a few PTRs to get an idea of how this works, but I'm still not sure about "the rules". So if I do something incorrectly, please let me know and I'll promptly get it changed.

Looking forward to our vacation, but also to the PTR-writing journey! What a fun way to pass the time (months, in my case!)

I will link each significant installment here, in case you prefer to get to the meat of the matter and not read all the in-betweens. But as I post this, I will say, there are alot of great posts, ideas, responses, contributions, and more in the "in-betweens". So if you have time, I'd encourage you to read them as well.

As for the links, Mom (Grandma Bonnie) joined in a little late but is making huge contributions to the planning (and has several amusing insights and side-stories). My links will be in dark blue below, while hers will be in pink.

The Cast and Crew
DISNEY IT IS!!
it's been 10 years
it may be more like 400 sleeps
So as of now, it's the four of us
a lot of changes in one phone call
Someone, PLEASE, give me 3 options!
SNAKES in a CAB!!
lots to do today
7pm is a nice time
good news and bad news
Grandma Bonnie Joins the Fun
ADR Debrief - You Can't Always Get What You Want
we will know all these "secrets"
really looking forward to this one
History Lesson
More Disney History
La Nouba and Raglan Road
Pillaging the Village, and Universal, Too
Doin' Disney with a Grandchild (1997)
NTBM, ITT, and Maybe
Holding the Record for Most Disney Trips
Tax Season Moment!
I'm just trying to "make memories"
Our Travel Companion
It keeps the magic going 24/7
Bring on the mountains!
Checking in (on the PTR)
Of Kitties and Bunnies...
The park will always be the MGM Studios
It all feels so real now!
Diamond Horseshoe Musings
That's the plan anyway...
Meow occasionally
I haven't updated these in awhile.

No link, but at least a direction:
6/23 - I <3 saving money - Page 39, Post 585
6/25 - We do get some extras - Page 40, Post 598
6/29 - A picture worthy of a Christmas card - Page 41, Post 608
7/1 - Keep Them as Souvenirs - Page 42, Post 621
7/1 - Where Will We Show Off Our Skills? - Page 42, Post 624
7/3 - Memories will "Tide" Us Over - Page 42, Post 629
7/6 - Planning Binder - It's About Time! - Page 43, Post 635
7/13 - "Ship Ahead" box - Page 44, Post 659
7/13 - Little Taste of History - Page 45, Post 667
7/14 - Gangsta Before Gangsta Was Cool - Page 46, Post 676
7/16 - More Nostalgia - Page 47, Post 692
7/17 - Travel Docs - Page 48, Post 716
7/18 - Ch-ch-ch-changes - Page 48, Post 720
7/19 - Shopping!! - Page 49, Post 733
7/20 - Not-so-Magical Express? - Page 51, Post 751
7/21 - Useful and Useless stuff - Page 57, Post 842
7/23 - Current To Do List for Disney - Page 62, Post 929
7/24 - Questions and looking for advice - starting Page 65, Post 962
7/25 - Two Weeks, Weather and More - starting page 68, Post 1014
7/27 - More Shopping! - page 71, Post 1059
8/4 - T-Minus 5 Days - Page 74, Post 1109
8/6 - 2 Days! Room Request - Page 76, Post 1140
8/7 - Only Witches Melt - Page 80, Post 1191
8/8 - On the Road - Page 83, Post 1232
8/17 - Back from the World, But Still Traveling - Page 86, Post 1282

WE ARE BACK!!! Our trip report is a continuation of this PTR.

 

[swwake]

So I'm not sure how large a post can get, so I am going to try separate posts by topic. I will do my best to go chronologically through our planning process, but forgive me if I don't get caught up from Day 1 to today before I have to throw in some of my current planning dilemmas.

The Cast:

Me (Susan) - (41)​

Mom, Wife, daughter. Lifelong Disney fan. CPA, so we're in the midst of tax season right now, of course, so I'm thinking this PTR and DIS will serve as a nice diversion for those times when I just need a break.

Chris (Captain Jack Sparrow?) - (36)​

Wonderful DH, Dad (more later), Son-In-Law. Adventurous, athletic, challenge-seeking. Marketing manager for a software firm. Not too into planning or silly Disney forums.

Katie (aka "Kater") - (15)​

Best princess daughter on the planet. Well, not quite princess - she's got a little tomboy in her, but she can get dolled up when she wants to. She takes after Chris in her adventurous nature. Super smart kid, adorable, lots of friends, plays lacrosse, dances West Coast Swing with us, performs in school theatre, has a boyfriend Tate (aka "Tater")

Bonnie (aka Grandma Bonnie) - (elder and wiser)
(pictured with Tyler)​

My mom who introduced me to Mickey with b&w Mickey Mouse Club reruns (Annette and Frankie, anyone?) at a very young age. Retired Elementary Principal and later College Professor. Loves to travel, and family is VERY important to her. Lives in my hometown of Memphis, TN. (pictured with Tyler)

The Crew:

Joann​

My sister, who will be with us in spirit and who will quite likely be helpful as we plan our trip, offering input and ideas. She has been to WDW more recently than I have, and she will provide airport transportation for Mom.

Haley, Hayden and Tyler​

My Niece and twin Nephews, Jo's kiddos, who will also be with us in spirit. They couldn't make this trip, but we will look forward to another family vacation with them this year and hopefully a larger family get-away next year.

Supporting Actors:

Magic​

Our amazing golden retriever girl, almost 9 years old. Laurell's Bring Back the Magic (named for a Buffett song), who I often say is a human trapped in a furry body. Has a whole bag of tricks (quite appropriate for a dog named Magic, huh?)

Harry (Potter? Houdini?)​

Ahh, Mister Harry, our other golden retriever. We adopted him through Gold Ribbon Rescue last January and he's almost 2 years old. We have fallen in LOVE with him. Not quite as smart as Magic, and much more of a dog than a human, but we are enjoying watching him grow in his lanky, adolescent years.

 

[swwake]

So why did we select Disneyworld for our 2008 family vacation, you ask? Well, here's the story.

Katie is now a Sophomore in High School. When she was entering 9th Grade, for a variety of reasons, it hit Chris and me that we only have her with us as immediate family for another 4 years. When they are 2 years old, 18 seems a long way away. When they are 13, it will be here tomorrow!

For the 2-3 years before that, we really had not taken a good family vacation. Reasons included finances, building a house, other financial priorities, etc. I think the last family vacation we had taken was about 3-4 years ago to Gulf Shores with my Sister and her family, and Mom.

Speaking of that, as I mentioned, Family is VERY important to my Mom, and she has passed that trait down. We have a pretty small immediate family (Mom and Dad divorced, so we have Mom, Dad, Sierra (stepmother), my sister and me, and a step brother - but we are all one, very close-knit family). And we have a quite extensive extended family on both Mom's side and Dad's side. We are pretty close to many of our cousins.

So I ran a little off-topic there. But the point is, we enjoy getting together with Mom, Jo, her husband and kids for vacation time at least twice a year. It may not be a trip, maybe just celebrating at one's home or the other, but it is important to us and we create marvelous memories. It also keeps our kids close to each other.

Back to the original story. So two years ago, we told Katie that SHE gets to pick the next four family vacation destinations, while she is still living with us before she goes off to college. She has selected the following:
- Disneyworld
- Australia
- Mediterranean Cruise
- Hawaii
- Snowboarding

I know that is more than four, but we are going to have to either squeeze in 2 or more trips in one year, or we will carry one over to her college years. In fact, due to the 2007 vacation circumstance, we may have to carry two of them over to her college years. In 2007, my Dad won a carribbean cruise and invited the whole family (including Mom) along. We made that the family vacation for that year, and it was a spectacular experience like no other.

So long about Early November, 2007, I was talking to Katie and said "we really ought to start thinking about our 2008 vacation." With very little hesitation, she said "I want to go back to Disneyworld!" I thought about this for a few minutes, spoke to Chris about it a little. It really didn't seem as exotic and exciting as her other four choices listed above. I mean really, as much as I love Disney and WDW, we've been there-done that.

But as we three continued exploring it, we decided "well, Disney is on "The List", and if we are going to do it, this would be the year." I think it will be most fun for Katie, the younger she is. I have found that it is a different experience at every age - different things interest and excite you - but I wanted Katie to be able to go back and re-live some of her WDW moments of her early years while she still feels it's ok to "be a kid". I am not sure she will be very interested in the WDW trip once she is in college, but I fully expect that she will want to return after college.

As I type this, I think "what a strange thought..." You see, when I was in college, I worked at a job where I could fly virtually anywhere for free, so we took a long weekend and flew to WDW one time. So why would I think a college-age Katie wouldn't be interested in Disney??

Anyway, I am a planner, and I needed to know the destination decision so I could move forward. So we reached a consensus and DISNEY IT IS!!

NEXT UP: OUR DISNEY HISTORY

 

[Donald is #1]

Great pre-trip report!

 

[swwake]

Here's a summary of our Disney experiences:

Circa 1975 (Correction: 1974) - Day trip to WDW (Magic Kingdom) from our Aunt's home in Jacksonville, FL - Susan (~8), Jo and Mom.

Circa 1983 - MK and EPCOT Center - off property (don't remember where we stayed but the whole time we were wishing we were staying at CR) - I think it must have been '83 since EPCOT didn't open until October 1982. Susan (16), Jo (15) and Mom.

Circa 1987 - MK and Epcot - off property (I think it was a Sheraton in Orlando. The building was round, I remember, and I was mugged in the elevator.) - Susan (20) and her boyfriend, later husband, later ex-husband. We worked for FedEx in Memphis and could fly for free to any destination. We took a long weekend to Orlando.

1988 - Disneyland, CA - off property (Burbank) - Susan (21), XH and a crew of college students - We went to Vegas and L.A. over Spring Break. One of our stops was Disneyland.

1989 - Cruise and Disney - Premiere Cruise Lines (before DCL existed) - off property (for the life of me I can't remember where we stayed, but if it had been on property, I think I would remember). - Honeymoon - Susan (22) and XH - I remember eating at Cinderella's Castle, but it wasn't a CRT event. I don't think they had them then. In fact, I don't remember very many character dining opportunities. I remember eating at the castle because they had the coolest pewter dining ware and the big cups were chilled. So fun to drink out of.

1989 - WDW - Chris (17) went with his high school band and performed in a MK parade. His first trip to WDW but he doesn't remember much about it.

1997 - MK, Epcot, MGM Studios - All Star Music - Chris (25), Susan (30), Katie (5), Mom - This was to be Katie's first vacation to WDW. As luck would have it (not really, let's just say as spite would have it), Katie's dad planned a WDW trip for her over Spring Break of that year. No worries though. By the time we got there, Katie knew what she wanted to see, do and ride, and we didn't waste time with some of the things she had already seen and decided she didn't care for, or didn't want to do again. Plus, we took her on Tower of Terror for her first time and she loved it!

1998 - MK, Animal Kingdom, MGM, Epcot (maybe?) - WDW Swan (or was it Dolphin?) and CBR - Chris (27), Susan (31), Katie (6), Mom - Susan was there for a conference staying at the WDW Swan/Dolphin. Chris and Mom flew in for a long weekend. It was our first time to see the Animal Kingdom. I think it had just opened that year.

Circa 2000 - Disneyland California - off property San Diego - Katie (8), Mom, Joann (31), Haley (6) - Susan was doing some consulting work in San Diego and Chris, Katie, Mom, Joann and Haley flew in for a few days. Chris and Susan stayed back while the rest went to Disneyland.

So it's been 10 years since we have last seen WDW. Chris and I have been to Orlando, separately and apart, several times since 1998 for Surf Expo as part of our attachment to the wakeboarding and boating community, but we never ventured into WDW on those trips.

This year's trip to WDW is long overdue. We are all in a different place in our lives now, so we know this will be a different experience than those before. Fortunately, we will be able to enjoy some of the pleasures we weren't able to in the past. We are so looking forward to this vacation!

NEXT UP: DAILY THOUGHTS 1/22/08

 

[dreamer17555]

subscribing

-Becca-

 

[swwake]

Great pre-trip report!

Thanks! Welcome! You know I'm reading yours too!

subscribing

-Becca-

Welcome! It's great to have "friends" on this journey. I will check out your PTR later today.

 

[swwake]

200 More Days!
Only 199 more sleeps!

(I like nice, round numbers! )

 

[swwake]

OK so I've been talking to Mom today (via AIM). She said that 199 Sleeps assumes you sleep at night Which prompted me to think that, with my notorious naps, it may be more like 400 sleeps!

Anyway, as of today, I have decided to add Whispering Canyon Cafe to our ADR. More on that later. Not sure what I will remove.

Talked again about the luau, since Mom has pretty much decided NOT to go to Hawaii this year, but Mom and I decided to forgo the luau in favor of other fun.

Also today, exploring airfare: I have been watching as the prices have been steadily climbing to something FAR outside our budget ($537 per person round trip!! ). But Mom's airfare from Memphis is still only $174.50 round trip. So now I have to consider driving to Memphis before the trip and just flying with Mom out of Memphis. It would not only save on airfare, but we could take the dogs and board them in the Jackson kennel for FREE (saving $50 or more per day) and we wouldn't have to pay for airport parking (roughly $13/day). I will do the later, but this appears to be SUBSTANTIAL savings. Plus it means we could visit family and friends in Memphis - added Bonus! BUT, it means both of us would have to take an extra 2 days or more off work. Well, I really don't mind, because I can work in the car and I never use all of my vacation anyway, but Chris might mind.

Anyway, things to think about!

OH yeah, one more thing! DH has been to Home Depot twice in the past week for various reasons. Every time he comes back I ask him "Did you get me some Lime Green Mickey Heads?" and he just rolls his eyes. I think I am driving him nuts!

NEXT UP: So as of now, it's the four of us

 

[klj27]

Great start! Looking forward to reading more.

 

[irene_dsc]

Great start! I'm so not ready for the idea of the last kid year vacations - this trip we just came back from was our first true family vacation!

 

[NMAmy]

Susan, this is so funny to me. Coincidence funny, not ha ha funny.

I believe I posted a few pictures of my dd and her pal at Whispering Canyon for you over on the restaurant thread earlier today which is why I noticed your report when I came over to check out a couple of threads.

We both have an only child. A teenage girl. Yours is Katie; mine is Caitlin (known among the family as Cait or Caitie.) Your Katie is a beautiful girl, I might add! We also have a golden retriever. Her name is Sunny, though. She's 2. I think we're living some bizarro kind of parallel lives.

Anyway, I just wanted to say welcome to the boards and I hope you have a great trip! And I just KNOW your Katie is going to love WCC.

 

[swwake]

Great start! Looking forward to reading more.

Thanks for joining!

Great start! I'm so not ready for the idea of the last kid year vacations - this trip we just came back from was our first true family vacation!

Welcome! Yeah, the kid years go by so quickly. Luckily Katie can sometimes let loose and revert to that kid mentality - especially if DH and I do the same!

Susan, this is so funny to me. Coincidence funny, not ha ha funny.

I believe I posted a few pictures of my dd and her pal at Whispering Canyon for you over on the restaurant thread earlier today which is why I noticed your report when I came over to check out a couple of threads.

We both have an only child. A teenage girl. Yours is Katie; mine is Caitlin (known among the family as Cait or Caitie.) Your Katie is a beautiful girl, I might add! We also have a golden retriever. Her name is Sunny, though. She's 2. I think we're living some bizarro kind of parallel lives.

Anyway, I just wanted to say welcome to the boards and I hope you have a great trip! And I just KNOW your Katie is going to love WCC.

You're absolutely right! I have seen your posts around and saw the golden in your signature. I clicked on your profile hoping to learn about the golden, but nothing I'm glad you posted here. It's crazy the similarities! How old is your Caitie? Thanks for joining me for this "ride"!

 

[swwake]

Now, that seems like an easy enough question. But you gotta know my family to know that things are rarely easy.

So when we first started talking about it, Mom said "I'm in!". There was no question there.

I then called my sister and invited her and her family. She wasn't too interested at first, and said maybe we could talk about it when we met in Vegas the first of December. Well, the Vegas trip came and went, and honestly, we really were having so much "adult" fun in Vegas, we didn't even think about planning the Disney trip. Through the days and weeks, DSis really didn't indicate much interest. I thought it would be fun for us to have another family vacation (like our cruise last summer) and for all the kids to go to Disney together before they grow up. After all, the kids had all been to WDW, but never together.

So at some point, DSis went to Tunica with our Dad and got to talking to him about the potential trip. He seemed a little interested. Our stepmother has never been to WDW, and we aren't sure whether Dad has or not. Having DStep-mom there would give someone for Mom to hang out with while Dad and DBrother In-Law went to play golf and such. Having Haley there would give Katie someone to hang out with. And the boys - well, they're the boys and they have a knack for making their own brand of fun no matter WHERE they are!

So at this point, Dad's interested and DSis starts researching places to stay. Pretty quickly she rules out on-property, UNLESS we can get a deal at Shades of Green (since Dad is retired Army). She found a few vacation homes, then I jumped in and we started running numbers for NICE vacation homes with private pools, private bedrooms, etc. We were getting really excited about that vacation scenario. Now, it wasn't going to be what I had envisioned - with the on-property, EMH, walk to Epcot, etc. etc. etc. But I was getting used to the idea - even EMBRACING it!

Well, DSis decided that the only way they would want to go is if it was a WHOLE family trip, in which Dad and DSM also went. About that time, Dad got an offer for his SECOND free cruise in 2008 from Harrah's. This one to Hawaii. Now how can you pass up a FREE 10-day Hawaiian cruise?!?! He couldn't. So he's off to the Eastern Caribbean in March, then Hawaii in May, and he said he really can't see how he can rationalize leaving his business for another week this year. (At that point, it was going to be June, right on the heels of the Hawaiian cruise.)

Anyway, long story short, DSis and her family decided not to go. They just weren't too excited about the idea this particular year. I can understand. (They have a few more *kid* years left.) Also, we will do something with them this summer. Maybe a long weekend at South Padre or something.

So, next decision. Haley's not going, so will Katie want a friend with her? Well, again, running the numbers, taking a friend will be an extra $600 for park hopper and dining plan, PLUS airfare, plus any souvenirs, dining not covered by the plan, etc. I am not sure we can afford to take a friend for over $1,000. And, come to find out, ask Katie asked around, none of her friends had very much interest in going to WDW. Party poopers.

As I type this, I am re-considering spending the money on a friend. Katie's best friend since she was 7 years old is from a family that would probably have a hard time affording a WDW on-property vacation. I wonder if we could just save a few dollars here and there (Katie's braces are paid off as of this month, so there's an extra $200/month!) and go ahead and splurge to take her friend. I will have to think about it. It sure would be a nice gesture for the friend, but more than anything, would it make Katie's trip a better experience? Hmmm...

So as of now, it's the four of us - Me, DH, Katie and Mom.

NEXT UP: THE PLANNER AT WORKhttp://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=22841804&posted=1#post22841804

 

[NMAmy]

You're absolutely right! I have seen your posts around and saw the golden in your signature. I clicked on your profile hoping to learn about the golden, but nothing I'm glad you posted here. It's crazy the similarities! How old is your Caitie? Thanks for joining me for this "ride"!

I'm a bad golden mommy. Sunny is a sweetie--she's our first golden and after some crazy puppy behavior, she has turned into a wonderful, mostly well behaved dog. I adore her.

Caitlin is 17 and a busy, busy junior in high school. About taking the friend--we've taken a friend of Cait's for the last 3 years. The first trip was kind of a fiasco--she picked a friend who was just not a good fit for that kind of trip. Last year, we took another friend and it was wonderful. She's coming again with us in March. Her family can't afford those kinds of trips right now so we happily cover it all. DH and I bore dd fairly quickly and her pal keeps her company. It works out really well for us. But I can't stress how important it is to take someone who really meshes well with everyone--likes the same kinds of rides, isn't a picky eater (if your family isn't), etc.

It's too bad the whole family isn't coming with you--that's my dream trip to take the whole extended family!

 

[becca011906]

Subbing... i've read through some but can't wait to read the rest !!!! I'm a first time Pre-Trip writer and i've been on the boards for 3 years now! LOL

 

[swwake]

Wow! I can't believe I haven't posted in 4 days! I guess I've just been busy. Busy planning this trip!

Anyway, I am planning to post an update on our status with this post. Alot has changed. But as you can see, I'm a planner and I have planned ahead the next oh...30 or so...entries. HAHA! So I know what I WANTED to post in "The Planner at Work" - and I may still post those thoughts - but the title so aptly suits the things I have done in the past 4 days, I think I'll post them first.

My original "plan" (gee, that sounds so funny now, since my TR "plan" has gone to pot really quickly) was to try to get this planning process chronicled in order. But I think I have given up. I will just move forward from here and fill in the gaps as I go.

So anyway. Let's get down to business. The latest:

Who's Going? - Well, well, well, as it turns out, Amy got me to thinking (yes you did, ma'am) and I discussed first with DH, then with DD, and we ultimately decided to invite Katie's best friend of the past 8 years along. We made a change in our itinerary that will save us almost $700 (more later), and that is about half of what I estimate it will cost us to bring along the BFF.

So Thursday night, DH and I discussed it. I also talked to Mom about it. She said she really doesn't care. You see, Mom just likes the idea of a vacation with family. She wants everyone to have a good time and make memories to last a lifetime, and she will be doing the same. She will relax and make it her own, but she will participate with all of us as well and enjoy the company. So, what I'm saying is, it doesn't matter to her whether DD's BFF comes or not.

Friday, I presented it to Katie. Of course she jumped at the idea. She loves, loves, loves Caitlin, and she misses her since we moved about 30 minutes away from her. She knows she'll have a much better time with a friend her age along, and she said "I'll be more able to act more outgoing and not as reserved" (to paraphrase).

Next step, asking BFF's parents if we can take her. I got ahold of them yesterday afternoon and got the call this morning that they're allowing Caitlin to come along. They told Caitlin (we hadn't told her before - didn't want to disappoint if she couldn't go) and she was thrilled, though not so excited about a plane trip.

So today, Mom and I spent a couple of hours arranging and booking our flights. It was a bit of a hassle through Northwest, and we didn't get exactly what we wanted, but that's ok. We'll all be happy.

Flights - Well, this is a story. I have been watching Northwest because we could catch a flight from Austin to MCO, but it stops in Memphis. Well, that's great, because we could book Mom on the same outbound and inbound flights with us and all travel together! Fabulous, right? Think again

When I first started watching the fares and budgeting, it was $331 per person from Austin round-trip and $175 from Memphis. So I was holding out for Southwest to release their fares. Had picked out potential flights too. I estimate the price will be about $282, based on the fares for the week before our trip (which happen to be published now), unless we can get a ding fare (which is always possible and easy to change flights on SW), which might take us down to below $200 at some point. But it's a gamble whether it will happen, and whether I will be near a computer when the Ding comes out.

In the meantime, I watch as the Northwest fares steadily increase to - WHAT? - $567 per person round trip. You have GOT to be kidding me!

Then Mom - smartypants, I like to call her , says "well why don't ya'll consider driving to Memphis and flying from here. You'll save so much in airfare." Of course, my initial daughter-ly (and accountant-ly) reaction was "Geez Mom, that is two extra days of vacation we'd have to take to DRIVE! Ugh!!" But then the accountant kicked in even further and I figured out that we can take the dogs to Jackson TN and leave them at my dad's kennel (for free!), saving roughly $500 (maybe more, since we always buy the extra playtime and frosty paws), AND - BONUS! - We save roughly $200 or more in airport parking in Austin! Doesn't take much to figure out that Memphis makes more sense.

As an added bonus, we can (hopefully) spend a little time with family and friends the night before and the night we return. Chris and I both have plenty of vacation time, so the extra two days aren't really an issue. And Katie and Caitlin are still out of school on summer break. So, that's the new plan!

So this morning , Caitlin's mom calls and says she can go with us, and I immediately log onto nwa.com to check airfares. Dangit! The fares went up for the flights we wanted! At this point I am so mad!

So Mom, being a nurturing mom, senses my frustration and immediately offers to call NWA and take care of this fiasco. Long story short, we got a later flight out than we originally wanted, but still get into MCO by 4:30pm, with plenty of time to explore and get Disneyfied. And two of our tix are at the $175 fare, while the other three are at $226. For me, it was worth the extra money to just have some closure. Our flights are now booked and everyone is happy!

Dining Plan - Well, ready for another story? This weekend, I took a look at our plans for all of our TS meals. I had already mapped out an itinerary, with a nice TS meal for each night. I had decided to swap out bluezoo for Flying Fish (if we could fit it in the budget), based on some amazing reviews, and since we can walk to either one. So I'm doing the whole budget analysis (it's what I do best ), and I think - we are spending our 7 TS credits on a bunch of 2-credit restaurants and we will be out of pocket a bunch!

Brainstorm! What if I switch to DxDDP and we will have enough TS credits for everything we want, with some leftover! So I run the numbers on that. Then I run it with bluezoo (not DDP) vs. Flying Fish (DDP). Then I go over it with DH for a sanity check. He catches a few flaws in the math. We correct them. Then I run the numbers again, substituting DDP onto some 1-credit meals and paying OOP for some of the less expensive 2-credit meals. After all the math, I ultimately determine that in order for the DDP to save us money, all five of us will have to order the most expensive items on the menus in our chosen restaurants, PLUS dessert (which we don't often eat), PLUS try to spend the MAX ($4) on our snacks! Well, with two picky teenagers, it is unlikely that they will eat alot on any of the TS menus. I'm guessing chicken fingers and macaroni may be the Dinner of Champions every day!

So, at the end of a long day of "figgerin' ", I decided to drop the DDP. Yes, it breaks my heart, because I have planned so much around it, but it had to be done. Anyway, we all agree that this opens up more options for dining on the go, rather than being tied to TS so much.

I will still make all my ADRs, but I may change the dates around a little. And I will pay attention to the ones that require CC to hold (real reservations) vs. those that do not. That way I can cancel if it looks like we won't make some TS meals.

Summary - So today I called WDW reservations and:
1 - added Caitlin (no change in room charge - she's under 18)
2 - removed the DDP
3 - added DME
4 - added celebrating our 10-year anniversary
5 - confirmed celebrating Mom's birthday
6 - re-confirmed the travel insurance (there were some questions)
7 - switched from 7-day PH w/ water fun and more to 8-day PH w/ water fun and more (for $10 total!)

That's alot of changes in one phone call! Luckily the CM was a gem and it was done rather quickly.

So we're all set! Yippee!

NEXT UP: RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH!!http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=22855453&posted=1#post22855453

 

[swwake]

I thought it would be nice to post a pic of the new voyager. But she isn't my "friend" on myspace and I don't know how to get her to be my friend so I can't access her pics. So here is a pic of the two BFF's together. No, they don't always dress like this. They were goofing off out by our pool one night.

 

[NMAmy]

Who's Going? - Well, well, well, as it turns out, Amy got me to thinking (yes you did, ma'am) and I discussed first with DH, then with DD, and we ultimately decided to invite Katie's best friend of the past 8 years along.

Yikes! I changed my signature today--you're the second person I've talked into doling out more money to the Mouse.

For us, I know that taking dd's friend along has made for more enjoyable trips. While they still hang out with us, in her words, "I don't have to feel like a doofus all alone on vacation with my mom and stepdad." They really have a great time and I think that's one reason she's still begging to go to WDW with us even at the grownup age of 17.

I have to agree with you on the Dining Plan. It just seems like we would never eat enough to justify spending that money up front. Plus, I don't like to tie us down with too many ADR's.

Can't wait to read more!

 

[swwake]

Susan, this is so funny to me. Coincidence funny, not ha ha funny.

We both have an only child. A teenage girl. Yours is Katie; mine is Caitlin (known among the family as Cait or Caitie.) Your Katie is a beautiful girl, I might add! We also have a golden retriever. Her name is Sunny, though. She's 2. I think we're living some bizarro kind of parallel lives.

While they still hang out with us, in her words, "I don't have to feel like a doofus all alone on vacation with my mom and stepdad."

And so the parallels continue! Chris is not Katie's dad. He is her stepdad! (She calls him "Dude". Remind me later and I will share that story.)

Anyway, can we be any MORE alike?