When Does the Fantasyland Expansion Open: A Very Early Pre-Trip Report

Edit: As this PTR spans a year, I have started over fresh. If you want the "short version", check it out here.)

Anyone who knows me knows that I am always planning my next trip. Even when that next trip is a long way off. The only time I am not planning a Disney World trip is when I am actually in Disney World. And even then, there's a good chance I am making mental notes for things to do on future trips.

After our last trip in 2010, I knew it would be a while before we returned. At one point during the trip, my wife told me she would be happy never to return to Disney World again. And she meant it. Since then, her stance has weakened. I got her to agree to a five-year wait. But with the kids' help, she is now ready to go back.

(If you care to read my 2010 trip report for the blow-by-blow, here's a link: http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showthread.php?t=564728)

Getting my wife to agree to go again was but one obstacle in my way. The fact of the matter is that if we went again today, we would almost certainly have a similar experience that would result in my wife swearing off Disney forever all over again. Obviously, I want to avoid that. The next trip needs to involve less agony and more ecstacy.

So I have vowed to hold off our next trip until the kids are old enough to really enjoy it and to make the trip less stressful. Because as magical as Disney World is, traveling with little kids is stressful. This is probably as good a time as any to introduce you to my family.

I'll start with myself. I've been around the boards for a long time. Obviously, I am a Disney fan. That wasn't always the case. While I always enjoyed Disney animation, I was anything but a fan of the company for many years. But after honeymooning at Disney World in 2003, I slowly became interested in the parks and then the company as a whole. My wife would tell you that I am obsessed although I would argue that she uses that word too loosely.

My wife, Mindy, has always been a Mickey Mouse fan. When I found out she had never been to Disney World, I decided to make that our honeymoon spot. She liked it, but it's not her style of vacation. Mindy likes what she calls a "relaxing vacation". Her ideal vacation involves doing all the things she does on weekends in a hotel room instead of our house. There is a lot of daytime TV and romance novels. I find this kind of vacation mind-numbingly boring and frankly a waste of money. Why leave home if you're just going to watch Judge Judy?

Then, there's our two daughters, Josie and Kara. Here they are on Halloween.

(If you'd care to read about how those particular costumes came about, I've written up the story on my blog here: http://lebeauleblog.wordpress.com/2011/11/02/post-halloween-update/)

Josie is our oldest. I will probably refer to her as Joey sometimes. That is what we call her at home. This year, she decided she prefers Josie (her birthname) so I try to use that whenever possible. But I use Josie, Joey and Jo-Jo interchangeably.

Josie has been to Disney World 3 times in six years. Her first trip was in 2007 when she was nearly 2 years old. On that trip, she loved the characters but had very little interest in rides. The next trip was in the fall of 2008 when she was 3 1/2. On that trip, her priorities had reversed. She discovered she loved rides but was scared of characters.

Josie was almost five on our last trip in 2010. On this trip, she was okay with both rides and characters. But she had reservations about them both. The things she liked the best were the gift shops, the hotel pool and the vending machines.

For the last few years, we have gotten passes to our local amusement park, Kings Island. I use Kings Island as a kind of training ground for Disney World. Over the summer, I have finally gotten Josie to the point where she enjoys rides and characters. I think she's ready to go back.

(If you'd like to read about some of our KI trips from the summer, here are some links: Opening Day, UK Day, mid-summer trip, Halloween.)

Our youngest daughter is Kara. When we went in 2008, my wife was pregnant with Kara. So, by my math, she has been to Disney World 1.5 times. When we went in 2010, she was not quite one year old. At the time we planned the trip, she was a very passive infant. She was happy to sit in a stroller or on our laps and just take everything in.

But then she discovered crawling. And shortly after that walking. By the time we went on our trip, Kara was a very busy 11-month old. She had to explore everything all the time. Sitting on our laps during the flight or the many bus rides was not an option. Neither was wearing shoes. She took them off and tossed them. We lost one in the airport at the start of our trip.

In short, Kara was a handful. And having both kids in a stroller made the trip a lot of work. The double stroller was heavy and hard to load and unload on the packed buses. Half the time, one of the girls would refuse to ride in the stroller anyway. So then we had to deal with the giant stroller and carrying one of the girls.

With that in mind, I decided that we would be down to a single stroller on our next trip. Also, I would wait until Kara was fully potty trained. No more diaper bags. I think we are down to the single stroller by now. Josie never sits in one any more. And we're close on the potty training thing. Kara has gone on the potty. But it's still more the exception that the norm.

I should also mention that Kara absolutely hates rides and characters. She freaks out whenever she sees anyone in a character costume. She is still traumatized by the time the Easter Bunny came to her school. At Kings Island, she won't get near Snoopy. I bought Kara her first Kings Island pass for next summer. Hopefully, by the end of the summer, she will feel comfortable with rides and characters.

I figure that by late 2012, the girls will be ready for our triumphant return to Disney World. The Fantasyland Expansion should be mostly complete. And my girls will be at a great age for the princess-themed additions (3 and 7 - the target demo really). But there are still a lot of variables that need to be figured out.

We don't yet have the 2012 school calendar. Originally, I was against pulling Josie out of school. But the more I have thought about it, the more open I am to doing it as a one-time option. Josie's a great student and should not have any problem missing a few days. So, the idea is to schedule our trip during a week that her school already has an in-service day scheduled. That way, she'll only miss a few days instead of a whole week.

Then there's the matter of discounts. I plan to go during the off-season, so I figure some kind of discount will be available. But I won't know for sure until some time next year.

One idea I have is to stay at the Little Mermaid rooms in the Art of Animation resort. But before I can commit to that, a few things need to happen. Right now, Disney has yet to make those rooms available for booking. They are meant to be open about the same time as the FLE and should be available for our late 2012 trip. But there's no guarantee.

So, right now everything is still very up in the air. So much so, that some might consider it too early for a pre-trip report. I mean, it's possible the trip may not even happen until 2013! So this thread (at least early on) will serve less as a documentation of trip planning than an open journal documenting my family's preparation for our next trip - whenever that may be.

You can expect to read updates on the girls. For example, Kara has entered a major princess phase out of the blue. I'll definitely keep you up to date on her progress this summer as I try to get her used to rides and characters at Kings Island. And as info becomes available, this will transition into more of a traditional pre-trip report.

As always, feedback and suggestions are welcome. Thanks for reading!

 

[Mrs.Skellington]

Maybe ya'll will be there when we are there.:ROFLOL:
November 23-December 2! Gonna be really fun!:wave:

 

[lebeau]

Maybe ya'll will be there when we are there.:ROFLOL:
November 23-December 2! Gonna be really fun!:wave:

It's a definite possibility. Although I am hoping to steer clear of Thanksgiving. Really, the date is up in the air.

I called Josie's school this morning to see if there was any pattern to days off that would help me plan out beyond the spring. No such luck. Sigh. So frustrating for a planner like myself!

Still a lot of variables to figure out. That always seems to be the case. But then, when the info I'm waiting for starts to come together, plans usually fall into place very quickly. The next thing I know, we're on a plane and my wife is complaining about having to go to Disney again.

 

[lebeau]

I hate this part of the trip planning process. I am ready to start nailing down dates and details, but there is vital information that is not yet available. And as a result, everything is still up in the air.

First, there is Josie's school schedule. It has not yet been determined. As I have inidicated previously, I am willing to pull her out of school if need be. But I want to minimize that if possible.

Then there's the Fantasyland Expansion. With two little girls (one in the grips of princess mania) we are the target audience for much of the expansion. So I would hate to go in August just before school starts only to miss the Beauty and the Beast stuff by a couple of weeks/months.

And then of course there are the discounts. Whether or not we go does not hinge on Disney offering discounts. But since I know Discounts will be available during the times I am considering, I am waiting to see what kind of deals are offered. That could be the difference between a late summer trip and a winter trip.

Last night, on the way to gymnastics, Josie was on me about wanting to go back. I have told her that it is my intent to go back in 2012, but that it could be as late as spring break 2013. She found that unacceptable and says she can't wait that long.

The thing is, she doesn't really mean it. Yes, she thinks she does. She wants to take a trip. But she really just wants a hotel room, a pool and a gift shop. We could go just about anywhere and it would be just about as good as far as she is concerned.

But I do want to go. And I would like to get Kara to a princess meet and greet before she outgrows her princess stage. So, I'm feeling the pressure. I'm starting to wonder if it is worth holding out till the winter for the Beauty and the Beast parts of the expansion to open.

If we went in mid August, we wouldn't have to miss school. The kids start school later than many, so presumably the crowds wouldn't be awful. Sure, it'd be hot as blazes. And there's a good likelihood we would not get to see all of the FLE in one trip. But we could stay an entire week with cheaper room rates and not feel guilty about missing any school.

I almost convinced myself August is the way to go just writing that paragraph. Let's take a look at fall/winter...

If I wait, I can pretty much count on seeing all of the FLE save for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Coaster thingie. The weather would be more moderate. The room rates, while slightly higher than August, would still be relatively cheap. The Little Mermaid rooms in the Art of Animation Resort should be available and that's something I've been considering. The resort would either be decorated for Halloween or Christmas depending when we went. And the crowds would likely be less busy than in August.

Of course, the Little Mermaid rooms aren't a dealbreaker. In fact, if free dining is offered (as I expect it will be) we may opt to stay at a moderate instead in order to get the "free" character meals over quick service dining.

The decorations and holiday parties are nice. But I don't think we are likely to go to the parties this year. And decorations aren't important enough to sway my decision.

If I knew for a fact that the Little Mermaid ride would be open in August, I think I would go ahead and commit to the earlier trip. That's the main part of the expansion that my girls want to see. As much as I am looking forward to the Beauty and the Beast stuff, we could see that in a future trip. But missing both BatB and TLM by a matter of weeks/months would be a disappointment.

I have been watching air fare recently. From CVG to MCO is always on the high end. Seems like I'd be lucky to get tickets for $200. That's $800 plus all the fees. As much as I hate the idea of driving 12 hours with little kids, I think economics may push me in that direction.

That makes Aug more attractive. Vacation time is not in short supply. So I could take my time driving down and back when school is out. During the school year, I would feel bad about missing extra days for the drive.

Sigh. It's very frustrating. I wish Josie's school would publish the school calendar at least a year out and Disney would commit to a time table for the FLE. But we all know that's not going to happen. So, for now, I'm stuck in planning limbo. :brick:

 

[Mrs.Skellington]

I hate this part of the trip planning process. I am ready to start nailing down dates and details, but there is vital information that is not yet available. And as a result, everything is still up in the air.

First, there is Josie's school schedule. It has not yet been determined. As I have inidicated previously, I am willing to pull her out of school if need be. But I want to minimize that if possible.
Our kids are going to miss 5 days of school. It is the week that most return from Thanksgiving break. We will arrive two days after Thanksgiving so hopefully most of the crowds are gone. Also, they normally offer free dining after Thanksgiving. This is something we are hoping for most.
Then there's the Fantasyland Expansion. With two little girls (one in the grips of princess mania) we are the target audience for much of the expansion. So I would hate to go in August just before school starts only to miss the Beauty and the Beast stuff by a couple of weeks/months.

And then of course there are the discounts. Whether or not we go does not hinge on Disney offering discounts. But since I know Discounts will be available during the times I am considering, I am waiting to see what kind of deals are offered. That could be the difference between a late summer trip and a winter trip.

Last night, on the way to gymnastics, Josie was on me about wanting to go back. I have told her that it is my intent to go back in 2012, but that it could be as late as spring break 2013. She found that unacceptable and says she can't wait that long.

The thing is, she doesn't really mean it. Yes, she thinks she does. She wants to take a trip. But she really just wants a hotel room, a pool and a gift shop. We could go just about anywhere and it would be just about as good as far as she is concerned.

But I do want to go. And I would like to get Kara to a princess meet and greet before she outgrows her princess stage. So, I'm feeling the pressure. I'm starting to wonder if it is worth holding out till the winter for the Beauty and the Beast parts of the expansion to open.

If we went in mid August, we wouldn't have to miss school. The kids start school later than many, so presumably the crowds wouldn't be awful. Sure, it'd be hot as blazes. And there's a good likelihood we would not get to see all of the FLE in one trip. But we could stay an entire week with cheaper room rates and not feel guilty about missing any school.

I almost convinced myself August is the way to go just writing that paragraph. Let's take a look at fall/winter...

If I wait, I can pretty much count on seeing all of the FLE save for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Coaster thingie. The weather would be more moderate. The room rates, while slightly higher than August, would still be relatively cheap. The Little Mermaid rooms in the Art of Animation Resort should be available and that's something I've been considering. The resort would either be decorated for Halloween or Christmas depending when we went. And the crowds would likely be less busy than in August.

You could always stay in a value and upgrade to regular dining. We have done this and it is less expensive than staying in a Moderate

Of course, the Little Mermaid rooms aren't a dealbreaker. In fact, if free dining is offered (as I expect it will be) we may opt to stay at a moderate instead in order to get the "free" character meals over quick service dining.

The decorations and holiday parties are nice. But I don't think we are likely to go to the parties this year. And decorations aren't important enough to sway my decision.

If I knew for a fact that the Little Mermaid ride would be open in August, I think I would go ahead and commit to the earlier trip. That's the main part of the expansion that my girls want to see. As much as I am looking forward to the Beauty and the Beast stuff, we could see that in a future trip. But missing both BatB and TLM by a matter of weeks/months would be a disappointment.

I have been watching air fare recently. From CVG to MCO is always on the high end. Seems like I'd be lucky to get tickets for $200. That's $800 plus all the fees. As much as I hate the idea of driving 12 hours with little kids, I think economics may push me in that direction.

That makes Aug more attractive. Vacation time is not in short supply. So I could take my time driving down and back when school is out. During the school year, I would feel bad about missing extra days for the drive.

Sigh. It's very frustrating. I wish Josie's school would publish the school calendar at least a year out and Disney would commit to a time table for the FLE. But we all know that's not going to happen. So, for now, I'm stuck in planning limbo. :brick:

I am hoping that all is open for Thanksgiving with the one exception of the SDMT. We are planning on starting our days at the MK and eating at BOG the first night. Hopefully Disney knows this and will open up if just for that night:lookaroun:ROFLOL:

 

[Mrs.Skellington]

Oh BTW, how is the diet going. I have lost 5 lbs in two weeks. I am super excited to hopefully be fit and trim when we go to Disney!

 

[lebeau]

Oh BTW, how is the diet going. I have lost 5 lbs in two weeks. I am super excited to hopefully be fit and trim when we go to Disney!

Congrats! Glad to hear it.

I've settled into a pretty comfortable groove at this point. Just chugging along. My weight loss has slowed, but that's to be expected at this point. So all's good on the diet front.

I am nervous about the FLE. Everyone is counting on it being open when they go. But the way Disney is being so vague about the opening schedule makes me nervous. Even if we hold off until Dec, I'm worried the Beauty and the Beast stuff might get pushed over into 2013.

For now, I am just really frustrated because I want to get started planning, but I don't have all the puzzle pieces.

 

[lebeau]

Yesterday, I was frustrated over my inability to move forward with planning. Just 24 hours later, I think we have the beginnings of a plan.

I went home last night and subscribed to touringplans.com so I could get access to the crowd calendar a year out. That mostly made up my mind. Aug was a little busier than I was expecting. And Oct/Nov looked pretty beautiful by comparison.

Josie's school always has 11/1 off. So I'm targeting that date. Since 11/01 is a Thursday next year, it's possible they will take 11/02 as an in-service day. That would be like winning the jackpot. We would only have to miss 3 days to take an entire week.

I am really reluctant to miss any school at all. And I will definitely be talking to the second grade teacher when we go to open house in a few weeks so I can clear our plans. But Josie's an exceptional student. I'm confident she can miss the days without setback.

(Frankly, a good chunk of that week will be fun Halloween and/or church activities anyway. This will get me out of having to dress her up like her patron saint, so that's a win right there.)

My wife's birthday is 10/30. She wants to eat at the 50's PTC on her birthday. So, that would be a bonus. And Halloween in WDW would be pretty cool. I doubt we will do the party though. We have done it before in September. But I hear the late Oct parties tend to be packed. Plus, it's an expensive add on. And we already have some pretty expensive add-ons planned.

I've never been to the Food and Wine festival. That would also be a bonus.

Having made up my mind regarding "when", we started looking at "where". I let the girls look at pictures of different resorts. It didn't take long for the Little Mermaid rooms and Princess rooms to rise to the top of the list. I have my doubts that the Little Mermaid rooms will be ready by Oct/Nov. So I think that leaves us with the Princess rooms at Port Orleans. (Expensive add-on #1.)

Expensive add-on #2 is the Bippity Boppity Boutique. We have never done this before as Josie never liked having her hair done. But Mindy is insisting we do this for the princess-obsessed Kara. I'm guessing Josie will want to try it out if her baby sister is doing it. So, that's $100 at a minimum.

If we're staying in the princess room and getting the princess make-overs you can bet there will be a princess meal or two in our future as well.

I'll probably think it over over the weekend to be sure this is what we want to do. And then I'll be in touch with Kingdom Konsultants as I promised to use them on our next trip.

 

[lebeau]

I haven't updated the pre-trip report in a while because there hasn't been much news. It's just too early. Too many important factors are still to be determined.

Well, one of those factors is coming closer to being nailed down. And it's potentially great news. My mom is a teacher at Josie's school. She called today to tell me there was a teachers' meeting today to discuss next year's school schedule.

I knew that they would be off on All Saints Day, Nov 1. I was hoping they would take Friday off and make it a 4-day weekend. Well, mom tells me that they are leaning towards something even better.

As it turns out, 2012 is an election year (who knew?). Election Day is Tuesday, Nov 6. So, it looks like we'll be off school from Thursday, Nov 1 till Tuesday, Nov 6! That gives us almost a week without having to miss any school!

It's not a done deal yet. But it's looking good. Looks like I'm going to have to figure out how to submit an absentee ballot this year.

 

[lebeau]

I have been fiercely researching looking for deals. We have been thinking about the Swan and Dolphin resorts of late due to the location and reports that some great room rates have been offered. So far, I've uncovered some decent deals, but nowhere near the $139/night I have heard about.

Part of the appeal of the Dolphin is that they have the potential to sleep up to 5. My mom has been talking about accompanying us on the trip. We didn't actually invite mom, but we'd be happy to have her tag along.

Fair warning, the rest of this entry will consist primarily of venting. I apologize in advance.

I'm from a relatively large family. I'm the oldest of six kids. I started having kids relatively late in life. My younger sister started relatively early. We're the only two kids in the family with kids. Since Sarah started early, her kids are older than mine (for the most part - more on that later.)

For a time, my sister's kids were my parents' only grandkids. My mom spent a great deal of time with them. When we had kids, we were expecting the same thing. But for whatever reason, it didn't happen. My mom spent a lot of time with my sisters kids, but relatively little time with mine.

This lead to some bad feelings for a few years. I tried talking it out with my folks, but they refused to meet me in the middle. I remember one particular instance where we discovered my mom had gone a vacation with my sister and her kids. It wouldn't have rankled so much except that she had expressly kept this from me because she knew it was another example of the favoritism I had been complaining about. It was a sticking point for a while.

We eventually got through the bad feelings. Josie went to my mom's school and they bonded. Sarah's kids got older and had less interest in grandma. And then Kara came around and became my mom's favorite (my mom claims not to have favorites, but you can always tell who the favorite is).

At this point, Sarah's kids were quite a bit older. We all assumed she was done. Especially since her husband very clearly and vocally did not want any more kids. But somehow, she became pregnant a few months after Kara became my mom's favorite grandchild.

Sarah claims that her youngest child was a "happy accident". But no one really believes it. I'm not saying she had a third kid out of jealousy, but most of the family thinks that was a factor.

So, that's all background info. Next, I need to talk a bit about my sister's middle child, Anna. My wife and I are godparents to Anna. And Mindy takes the responsibility very seriously. She's one of those super-aunts, but she tries especially hard with godchildren and expects quite a bit of our kids' godparents.

There's really no good way to put this. Anna is a difficult child to like sometimes. Where we are very hands-on parents, my sister and brother-in-law take the opposite approach. As a result, their kids don't say "please" or "thank you". They don't hold open doors. They demand things rather than asking or just help themselves. They were never taught manners. It's not their fault.

But Anna in particular can be prickly. Anna has no filter. If she stops by unnancounced, she has no problem telling you your house is dirty. She complains about things non-stop and she pulls no punches.

The New Year's Eve before last, my wife decided to invite some of the nieces over to spend the night with our girls. This was done largely because Mindy felt bad for Anna. Her brother had been on a lote of sleep-overs, but no one had ever invited Anna to one. So Mindy decided to throw this party largely for Anna's benefit.

Long story short, Anna complained about absolutely everything. What they watched on TV, what they ate, and yes the cleanliness of the house. (If the house meets with her cleanliness standards, she will pay you the backhanded compliment of "I see you finally cleaned-up.") The next morning, Mindy could not wait to get her out of the house.

Personally, I have a pretty high tolerance for these things. Yes, I think her behavior is attrocious. But I know that's how she was raised. If I'm going to spend time with her, I just accept going in that she is going to be somewhat unpleasant. When picking her up, I frequently tell her that if she wants to complain about the cleanliness of my car, she can walk. Once that's out of the way, we're good.

But Mindy can't handle Anna at all. And yet, she keeps trying. Every few months, she'll invite Anna to do something because she feels bad for her. The latest thing has been to take Anna to the animal shelter along with our girls.

They all love animals and my sister always says how much Anna enjoys going to the shelter. But you'd never know it by her behavior. The most recent trip was apparently a nightmare. It started when Mindy picked her up at 12:30. Upon enterting the car, Anna demanded "I hope you're going to feed me because I'm starving."

Mindy had picked a post-lunch time figuring everyone would have been fed. She had no plans to buy lunch. But amazingly, she dropped by Wendy's after their visit to the shelter. She got all the kid's meals for all the girls. Anna complained. Upon seeing the make-up of her kid's meal, she commented, "This is more like fries with a side of chicken nuggets."

The entire experience pushed Mindy over the edge. She hasn't invited Anna to anything since. Which I think is the best given that Anna pushes her buttons.

Okay, all the background info is out of the way. Now I can talk about the part that relates to our upcoming trip.

As I said at the beginning, my mom is talking about coming with us. Mindy is pretty happy about this. She sees it as a chance for my mom to really bond with our kids the way she has done with my sister's kids back in the days in which she went on trips with them.

My sister had an unexpected job change last week. She landed quickly on her feet with another employer. She used the time off between jobs for a last-minute trip to Florida. She asked me to help her plan a weekend trip to Disney World.

I warned her that since it was President's Day weekend, the crowds would be heavy. Also, since she was booking last minute, she wasn't able to take advantage of any deals. She was undeterred, so I put together a touring plan for her anyway.

I've done this for lots of people. I've done it for Sarah before. The last time I put together a touring plan for her, she totally ignored it. As a result, she never did get to ride Soarin' because she ignored my advice to get a FP first thing.

When I e-mailed her the touring plan this time, I never heard anything back. I wasn't sure she even received it. So, when I saw her on FB posting pictures from their condo on the beach, I asked if she was ready for her Disney weekend.

She responded that the crowds and prices scared her off. She said she was thinking about taking "a kid or two" to Disney World in the fall.

Translation: She was inviting herself, Anna and the baby along on our planned trip. And since there would only be 3 of them (my brother-in-law hates Disney World and their oldest son won't be invited) they would take my mom too.

When Mindy saw this, she hit the roof. She is absolutely furious. She told me that is she has to see Anna on our vacation, it won't be a vacation at all. If you have read my 2010 trip report, you know how easy it is to ruin my wife's vacation. And that, in turn, ruins mine.

I'm in a bit of a pickle here. Next year's school schedule presents a perfect fall break in which to schedule a WDW trip. I don't know when or if we will ever have a better window for traveling. Since my mom teaches at this school and my sister's kids go there, this is also the perfect window for them as well. I can't pass this window up myself, but I also can't tell my sister it is off-limits to her.

Having said that, I know Mindy's trip really will be ruined if my sister and her kids tag along. And she will let me know how unhappy she is at every turn.

Realistically, I have my doubts that Sarah will actually pony up for a second vacation in one year. Especially after starting a new job. And one as expensive as Disney.

Even if they do go, I doubt we would see much of them. Our kids are different ages. We would have different agendas. Plus, we're planning a lot of add-ons I know my sister would not participate in. Our time together would be minimal.

Of course, that means our time with my mom would be minimal as well, which is part of what has Mindy so riled up.

Personally, I realize there's not a lot I can do about this. Whatever the rest of my family chooses to do is fine by me. Come or don't. I'm not going to let it interfere with the trip I have been planning since 2010. But Mindy's already mad about it and the plans aren't even in place yet.

Like I said at the start, this entry is mostly venting. Sorry about that.

 

[NewfieFan]

I don't know how the Swan and Dolphin resorts work... it is just a standard hotel room that accommodates 5? If your mom comes and stays with your family I would really suggest a family suite. Not sure if it's in your budget but I can't see three adults and two children being comfortable in the one room for a week long vacation. I assume there's only one bathroom as well? That way you could stay at the new Art of Animation or you could try the suites at AS Music. I think the suites at AS Music will be slightly cheaper!?! I know your daughter(s) want a princess themed room but if I had to pick a theme over space - space would win!!! AS Music is a nice resort and the atmosphere there is nice. And the suites give you preferred location.

The BBB is worth it, IMO (at least do it once). I had an early appointment for my daughter and I brought my own dress for her to put on afterwards. Then I took her directly to see the Princesses (it was in Toontown back then). She was really good for it and she was only three at the time. I did tell them to not pull too tight when they were making the bun on the top of her head. They warned me that it might fall out and I said I was ok with that. Anyways, the hair stayed put for two days (and that included sleeping on it and swimming with it)! I also told them to go light on the make up (partly b/c she has sensitive skin and partly b/c I didn't want my little girl looking like a pageant child). And I would think about pre-ordering the Photopass CD if for nothing else but this experience. I found the photographers there were good at capturing the moment and the pictures I have are amazing (they know when the big reveal is coming and they get good mirror shots). I was glad to be able to put down my camera and just enjoy the experience with her as well.

Keep us updated! I'm reading along...

 

[lebeau]

I don't know how the Swan and Dolphin resorts work... it is just a standard hotel room that accommodates 5? If your mom comes and stays with your family I would really suggest a family suite. Not sure if it's in your budget but I can't see three adults and two children being comfortable in the one room for a week long vacation. I assume there's only one bathroom as well? That way you could stay at the new Art of Animation or you could try the suites at AS Music. I think the suites at AS Music will be slightly cheaper!?! I know your daughter(s) want a princess themed room but if I had to pick a theme over space - space would win!!! AS Music is a nice resort and the atmosphere there is nice. And the suites give you preferred location.

If 5 of us stayed at the Dolphin, we would have 2 queen beds and one bathroom. For an extra $25/night, we could get a rollaway bed. And guess who would likely be sleeping on it. That's right. This guy.

Having said that, it seems unlikely there will be 5 of us in one room. If my sister does come along, I guarantee my mom will stay with her and her kids. It's just practical. 2 rooms of 4 makes a lot more sense than a room of 5 and a room of 3.

I have looked at the suites. I've also looked at the cabins in Ft. Wilderness. I think if we went the suites route, I'd probably shell out the extra for Art of Animation. We have a lot of Nemo fans in our house, so the Nemo suites are a bit of a slam dunk. If mom comes, we could split the expense with her. Although, 2 rooms at the Pop are still cheaper than a suite at either All Star Music or Art of Animation.

When the time comes, I'll have to consider the deals on the table and what the other travelers in our group want.

The BBB is worth it, IMO (at least do it once). I had an early appointment for my daughter and I brought my own dress for her to put on afterwards. Then I took her directly to see the Princesses (it was in Toontown back then). She was really good for it and she was only three at the time. I did tell them to not pull too tight when they were making the bun on the top of her head. They warned me that it might fall out and I said I was ok with that. Anyways, the hair stayed put for two days (and that included sleeping on it and swimming with it)! I also told them to go light on the make up (partly b/c she has sensitive skin and partly b/c I didn't want my little girl looking like a pageant child). And I would think about pre-ordering the Photopass CD if for nothing else but this experience. I found the photographers there were good at capturing the moment and the pictures I have are amazing (they know when the big reveal is coming and they get good mirror shots). I was glad to be able to put down my camera and just enjoy the experience with her as well.

Keep us updated! I'm reading along...

Thanks for commenting. I sometimes wonder if I'm talking to myself here!

And thanks for the feedback on BBB. I have actually planned to get the Photopass CD this time. I have told everyone I want this to be the most documented trip I've ever taken. And not just because I lost weight! (But largely for that reason.)

Your comments on BBB kind of seal the deal for Photopass.

BBB is non-negotiable as far as Mindy is concerned. She feels like Kara HAS to go. I will say, Kara watches videos of kids getting their hair done at BB on You Tube and she is riveted! The girl is Disney marketing's fantasy child. Too bad her daddy isn't rich.

Kara's birthday is in April (it falls on Easter this year.) Her big present this year is this set of princess dresses from the Disney Store:

http://www.disneystore.com/costume-...t-for-girls-12-pc/mp/1294715/1007603+1000763/

I got it when they ran the 25% off special last weekend. Kara gets mad if we try to put her in pants. When she sees someone who is wearing a dress, she will tell them they are pretty. Unfortunately, anyone who is not wearing a dress may be told they are "not pretty".

She goes beyond just dresses. She will pick a certain princess dress and will have to wear that specific dress. We have to stay up on the laundry at our house! She got a few princess dresses for Christmas, but we never seem to have enough.

Kara's definitely the girly sister. (She gets into mom's make-up whenever we aren't looking.) Josie never went through a princess stage. And she hated having her hair done. In 2008, I had an appointment at the BBB for her (Mindy was pregnant with Kara that trip). It was a plum spot right before the Halloween party. I was lucky to get it. But we cancelled because Josie just hated having her hair done so much.

Since Kara is going to do the BBB this year, Josie has reluctantly agreed to do it. She has some reservations even now. Which gives me reservations as well. Kara will definitely enjoy it $50 worth. But Josie probably won't. I'll definitely ask them to go easy on Josie who will likely pull out her bun (or whatever) within an hour.

We'll definitely bring Kara's dresses from home. The dress package she's getting comes with a travel bag! Josie has a Rapunzel nightgown from the Disney Store that works as a dress without being as itchy as those play dresses. And Josie hates things that are itchy! (That's why she abandoned the princess phase so early.) So we will mostly likely bring the nightgown for her. Although it's entirely possible she'll go a completely different direction by the time the trip and Halloween roll around.

 

[lebeau]

I have been forcing myself not to think about the trip. It was getting too frustrating trying to plan at this stage of the game. Too many variables that could not be known.

Well, one of those variables has finally been nailed down. Josie's school has released the 2012-13 schedule. And as predicted, it includes a fall break from 11/01-11/06.

The ability to go to Disney World during the off season without missing any school is too good to pass up. I figure 6 days is enough. Especially with young kids. When we have gone in the past, we have stayed longer. And somehow it always seemed too long.

I have been watching air fare for a while now. The prices are high as I'm sure you all know. There's still time for the prices to come down a little, so I haven't felt the need to lock in the current prices. But eventually, I'll have to bite the bullet before prices start to go up!

There is always the option to drive. But I fear for my sanity should we attempt driving with the girls. Even a 20 minute drive can be harrowing. A trip to the grocery store usually convinces me we need to fly regardless of the price.

But as it turns out, price isn't the only concern. I am having a problem picking flights.

If we wanted to maximize our time at WDW, we would leave on 10/31 right after school. But, this is Halloween (song reference sem-intentional). So traveling would mean the kids miss out on trick-or-treating.

We considered doing this anyway. We have talked about going to the Halloween party on 11/01 to make up for it. It's a pricey solution, but we liked the party last time we went.

But when I started trying to put together an itinery, I couldn't quite get the flights to work out. In order to make it work, we would need to head straight from school to the air port to catch a late afternoon flight. Otherwise, we would run into a lay-over which would have us arriving in Orlando around midnight.

So, now we are seriously considering getting an early flight on 11/01. The downside is that we loose at least 1/2 a day. The earliest we would be checked in is around noon. And then the kids are bound to be tired. It could make for an exhausting arrival day.

On the other hand, if we fly out on 10/31, it will be a stressful day. We would have to seriously motor to make our flight. Our last trip was derailed early by a stressful arrival day. I definitely don't want to repeat that mistake. On the upside, we could start touring the parks fresh on Thursday morning.

Mindy is leaning towards flying out Thursday morning. I think that will be my mom's preference as well should she come with us. So I will likely just go with the flow on that one even though I hate to sacrifice such a large part of the first day to travel.

I have also been looking into alternatives to staying on property. Nothing farther off property than the DTD resorts. Mindy tends to be claustrophobic and hates the small Disney rooms. But she likes the dining plan and positively refuses to stay anywhere where the dining plan is not an option. It's a strange and unexpected point of view. I don't remember her liking the dining plan the one time we ever used it.

At this point, it looks like we'll be staying on-site from 11/01-11/06. We're expecting a discount to be announced. Honestly, we're expecting free dining since they have offered it during this time period the last several years. There is no way we would pay rack rates to stay on property.

Deluxes are out of our budget. I'd say it's very likely there will be three adults (Mom talks as if she is coming although she hasn't 100% committed.) and 2 kids in total. But we'll probably put Mom in her own room if she comes. I noticed the most recent free dining offer doesn't include the suites. So, they are probably out.

The Little Mermaid rooms at Pop Century will be open which is great news. But they will most likely be excluded from any discounts. So they are probably also out of consideration.

The princess rooms at Port Orleans were included in the most recent discount. So, they may be an option. When the offer comes out, we'll have to seriously look at our budget and decide if they are worth the extra money.

There's still too many variables for my liking. For the time being, I'm putting in as much OT at work as I can stomach so that we can afford all the bells and whistles.

 

[lebeau]

Edit: I have added a longer version of this (with less of a focus on the trip) at my blog if anyone wants to see more pictures of the girls.

I hope everyone had a happy Easter. We had an extra busy weekend. Kara's third birthday fell on Easter this year. Mindy doesn't do "small birthdays" so our weekend was jam packed.

On Friday, I stayed home with the girls. We decorated Easter eggs. Here's a pic of the girls patiently waiting to start.

Just for context, this was my 4th attempt at a picture. Kara just wouldn't look at the camera and smile. She would either do one or the other. It was a theme all weekend. That's why Josie looks like she is running out of patience with me.

Later that day, I took them both the Picture People. I had a coupon and figured I would surprise Mindy with pictures of the girls for Mother's Day. (Don't tell!) Those pictures turned out great. I'll post scans at a later date. Of course, that meant I spent more than I planned. But the pictures are worth it.

Saturday, Josie had soccer. As is usually the case with girls soccer, the team has been up and down depending on where they fall in their age bracket. Last spring and summer, they were dominant. But they have been on a losing streak since going up a bracket. This week, they had their first blow-out victory in a long time. Josie was goalie, but she still managed to score which was great.

I had to squeeze in some office time as well. During the winter and spring months, I usually have the option to work overtime. Last year, that OT dried up early. This year, it has been plentiful which is great considering we have our trip coming up. With holiday pay premiums on the table this weekend, I could not pass that up. The amount of OT offered between now and Nov will be a deciding factor in how grand our trip will be.

After work and soccer, we had Kara's birthday party. When I was a kid, 3rd birthday's meant grandparents and cake. Maybe cousins or neighborhood kids. But Mindy insisted on having a big birthday party because, well, because she's insane.

We had her birthday at Town and Country which is a family sports center we belong to. On the one hand, it was very affordable compared to most birthday rentals. On the other hand, we wound up paying about $200 (including tip) to use a facility which we already pay $70/month to use. But like I said, my wife is crazy.

The $200 included cake, pizza, drinks, etc. Here's Kara with her cake.

The gym is very family-friendly. Lots of activities for kids. This is why we are members. As it turns out, the place was empty. We didn't rent it out, but we may as well have. We were the only ones there. Here are the kids playing Aeroball (basketball on trampolines).

Kara was in constant motion. I didn't want to make her stop and pose for pictures. But action shots tended to look like this:

Another popular game was one in which the kids through balls at lights on a wall. The lights would blink on and off. Here's Josie playing.

After an hour of activities, it was time for cake and pizza.

And then presents:

After presents, it was off to the pool. Kara has always been fearless in the pool.

After the attempts to get decent posed pictures earlier in the weekend, I didn't bother posing the girls. So I have a lot of crazy pictures.

Sunday, of course, was Easter. We had the usual activities involving visiting both sets of grandparents. All that, plus I had to squeeze in yardwork and laundry. I was too tired to snap any more pictures. Plus, I think the girls may have revolted.

So, Kara is three now. She officially needs a ticket for our trip. She's getting to be such a big girl! I will be using Kings Island as a training ground this summer to prepare her for Disney World in the fall. So, hopefully we'll be ready.

We're just a few weeks away from Josie's 7th birthday. (Where does the time go?) Anyone know where a guy can get a good deal on an iPod touch?

We're getting closer to the timeframe where I can start doing some legit trip planning. But for now, trip preparation comes in the form of working OT, saving wherever possible and preparing the girls for what WDW has in store.

 

[lebeau]

It's been a heck of a week. Mindy had her wisdom teeth removed on Monday and has been a wreck ever since. While she was home recouperating, she was asked to join a conference call for work. Turns out her team is having a lot of their work off-shored next year. So, she may be out of work at the end of the year. It's been a stressful week!

On the upside, we have made reservations for our trip. I went through Kingdom Konsultants based on all the positive comments made around here. I look forward to working with them.

Our dates are solid. Thanks to a rare fall break, we'll be able to go in the "off season" in early Nov without Josie having to miss any school. The downside, we don't know how much of the Fantasyland expansion will be open. I was really hoping to catch the BatB stuff. But at this point, I'll be satisfied with TLM.

If Test Track really doesn't re-open until 11/30, we'll miss that. Which is a bit of a shame. But not tragic. The adults have all been on it. And the kids won't want to ride it.

My mom has confirmed she will join us. She's a teacher at Josie's school, so she has the same fall break we have. Mom would like to go to Disney with all the grandkids, but my dad hates the place. He hates all theme parks. Heck, he hates leaving the house. So this is her best bet to go.

Mom really doesn't care what we do. She'll just tag along. I have asked for input from both my mom and Mindy, but neither one of them has much to say. They trust my judgement and/or don't care enough to form an opinion. So all the decisions will fall to me.

For now, we're booked at the Art of Animation. That could change depending on whether or not discounts are offered there for our travel dates. No way am I paying rack rates. Since free dining is currently offered, I suspect we will be able to get it at AoA.

I'm excited about this development. The suites look really nice. Our family loves Nemo, so if we can stay in a Nemo suite that would be really cool. I won't be heartbroken if we have to switch to another resort based on discounts. But if things work out to where we can stay at AoA, I'll be pretty jazzed about it.

I'm starting to work on ADRs (which are the primary reason I have gone ahead and booked prior to the release of the discount info). Believe it or not, we have never seen Fantasmic! So I am interested in the Fantasmic dinner package. We may try out Momma Melrose as part of that deal.

Mindy has it in her head that we have to eat at the castle. Personally, I'd rather use a single dining credit at Akerhus for the princess dining thing. We may end up doing both. Kara is very princess-obsessed still. My though on this is to book Akerhus early in the trip and the castle at least 2 days later. That way if we decide we have had enough princess dining, we can cancel our ressies at the castle without incurring the cancelation fee.

50s Prime Time is a family favorite. But we may pass it up this trip. There's not that much for our family to do in DHS. And if we eat at Momma Melrose for the F! package, that doesn't leave a lot of chances to get back for a second sit-down meal at DHS. If we don't go, it would mark our firts 50's free trip.

We had a good meal at the Garden Grill last trip. And Chip and Dale are favorites of ours. So, we may make a return trip there. That would make 2 character meals in Epcot.

I can't imagine spending more than 1/2 day at Animal Kingdom. So we probably won't burn any table credits there.

That leaves MK. As I said, Mindy wants to dine at the castle again. I'm considering Crystal Palace or even a monorail trip over to Chef Mickey's or Whispering Canyon.

It's like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. Still not sure how all the pieces are going to fit together. But I am excited to be getting started in earnest.

 

[lebeau]

Well, it's official. I've put down my deposit. The trip is ON! Realistically, putting down a deposit doesn't really mean a whole lot. I could still cancel my reservations if need be. But it feels satisfying nonetheless.

April has been a rough month. Mindy is still recovering from her wisdom teeth extraction. Apparently the dentist touched a nerve. Hopefully there was no permanent damage. She has been unable to eat solid food for going on two weeks.

Meanwhile, me and the girls are sick. I took them to a party for Josie's soccer team and all three of us came down with nasty chest colds. Mindy skipped the party and has been spared the cold.

We got a call from Kara's daycare yesterday concerned that she might have strep. Apparently, it's been going around. Kara gets strep really easily and she doesn't ever let on that she's feeling bad. So we figured better safe than sorry. I left work early and took both kids to the doctor.

Turns out, neither one of them had strep. I shelled out $20 each in co-pays for confirmation that my girls have colds. Also, the strep test triggered Kara's gag reflex and I got thrown up on. (Sorry for the gory details. Not sure what she ate. But something was pink.)

We got home and gave the girls over-the-counter cough medicine. I bribed them with ice cream and popsicles. Josie had gymnastics, but we skipped it as neither of us felt up to going. She has a soccer game tonight. Not sure if she'll play or not.

Meanwhile, there's some drama going on at Josie's school. It doesn't directly involve us so I won't comment on the details. But my mom has gotten dragged into this mess. She has been a teacher at this school for a long time, but recent developments have her considering retiring after this year. She still has two more grandkids she was planning to teach, so that tells you how dire the situation is for her.

It's been a rough couple of weeks. And next week, Mindy is going on a business trip. Not sure how that's going to go over as the girls are both die-hard "mommy's girls". Kara will specifically tell me I can't have any kisses because she's a "mommy's girl." I'd have my feelings hurt if she wasn't so cute.

With everything that's going on, it feels good to have the trip to look forward to. Hopefully we're getting our illness out of the way now and everyone will be healthy for the trip!

 

[lebeau]

Today is opening day at Kings Island. I have posted a more detailed version of this trip report for those who are interested.

I use Kings Island as a training ground for Walt Disney World. At Kings Island, I taught Josie to wait in line, ride rides and meet and greet characters. We’ve also curtailed her obsession with the gift shop just a little bit. After three seasons as a pass-holder, Josie is a theme park vet.

However, Kara is a total rookie. Last year, she was scared silly of the characters and most of the rides. I did manage to get her on a couple of rides late last summer. And she talked about wanting to get her picture taken with Sally. We never again saw Sally to make that picture happen. But Kara’s been talking about it ever since.

Last night, Mindy took Kara to a Sesame Street live show which she loved. But Mindy said any time a character came near her, Kara recoiled. So I was curious to see how she would fare with the Peanuts characters. It turns out as soon as we arrived in Planet Snoopy we were greeted by Sally herself!

Last year, I coaxed Kara reluctantly into riding on a bench. This year, to my surprise, she requested a zebra. I snapped this picture very quickly before running back to support her.

 

[lebeau]

Today marks 180 days out. So I set the alarm clock nice and early and made my ADRs online. Got everything we wanted with one delayed exception. Here's the rundown.

Nov 1 - arrival day - Akerhus.

Those who have read my previous trip report know that we got rained out of our Akerhus reservations in 2010. We wound up paying a $40 cancellation fee even though only 3 of us were going to eat. Mindy still holds a grudge. It took a lot of arm twisting to get her to agree to try making reservations here again. But the girls will love it.

Nov 2 - Chef Mickey's

The Magic Kingdom closes at 7 for the final MNSSHP of the year. We don't feel like shelling out the big bucks to attend. So it's a perfect day to hop over to the Contemporary for a late dinner once the park closes. We haven't been to Chef Mickey's since 2003. The girls have never been. This was one of Mindy's must-dos.

Nov 3 - unscheduled

The plan is to book the Fantasmic! dinner package. We have actually never seen Fantasmic! The girls (Mindy included) will not wait in line for it at all. Thus, the importance of the package. Unfortunately, Disney is not yet offering the package past Oct even though it is now only 180 days away. I'll have to check back daily, but I don't anticipate this being hard to get. The plan is to eat at Mama Melrose which is new to us. However, I would not be heartbroken to have to change plans.

Nov 4 - Garden Grill

This was a big hit on our 2010 trip. Mindy requested a return visit on this trip.

Nov 5 - Crystal Palace

The MK doesn't close early tonight so we plan to stay for the parade and fireworks. We also plan to visit the BBB tonight. (Another Mindy must-do). Crystal Palace is new to us (Mindy hates Pooh with an irrational intensity.) If the Be Our Guest Restaurant should magically open in time, we will try to switch ressies.

Nov 6 - Departure Day - Cinderella's Royal Table - breakfast

All the table service meals to this point are dinner reservations to maximize our dining plan usage. However, Cindy's table is a terrible use of 2 dining credits. So the plan is to pay for this one out of pocket. Thus, breakfast - cheapest meal of the day. It's scheduled on our departure day and it is possible we will cancel it. We have Akerhus on our arrival day. So if we have seen all the princesses we want to see, we'll cancel this breakfast before the cancellation fee comes into play. But it's nice to have this hard-to-get ressie booked in the event that we want to use it.

So, all that remains is to book the Fantasmic! dining package once it is offered, book BBB for our MK day and apply discounts once Disney offers them (fingers crossed for free dining). Oh, and air fare once it hits the sweet spot I am looking for.

 

[lebeau]

A big part of this pre-trip report has been showing off pictures of the kids. One of the reasons I started this as early as I did was to track the kids' growth as we prepared for the trip. This weekend we had another big moment with Josie's seventh birthday. If you want to see a lot of pictures, here's a link to my blog.

Here's a taste to show how much the girls have grown since I started this thread.

Since Josie's a big animal lover, she wanted to have her birthday party at a farm where she and her friends could care for animals. As you can see from the pictures, a great time was had by all.

This sheep's name is Josie too:

Here they are holding baby chicks - the big hit of the party.

And yes, they milked goats and fed babies with a bottle!

 

[PhoenixSpirit]

Wow! They have grown up so much in the last two years (when I read your 2010 trip report)
Josie looks so different with shorter hair, she looks much more grown up I hope the training for Kara is going well, I look forward to more updates. We are hopefully going just after Easter 2013, before my little sister turns ten.

 

[lebeau]

Wow! They have grown up so much in the last two years (when I read your 2010 trip report)
Josie looks so different with shorter hair, she looks much more grown up I hope the training for Kara is going well, I look forward to more updates. We are hopefully going just after Easter 2013, before my little sister turns ten.

Thanks for the kind words.

They got haircuts last week and it makes them both look so much older (and like their mom).