Mommy, Daddy, is it May yet?! A May 2010 CR PTR **UPDATE 5/1 Only 7 days to go!**

[adamsup]

Welcome!
Thanks for reading our newbie PTR! You'll find much more info about us in later posts but here is a quick overview. My wife, Traci (username tracisup), and I are going to Disney World in May 2010 with our daughters, Brooklyn (age 4), and Paris (age 3) and son, Max (age 18 months). Yes, you're right, we do have our hands full This is our first trip to WDW and we can't wait! The kids are so excited and they are getting really good at spotting hidden mickeys as you'll see in later posts!

We made our decision to go to WDW back in May 2009 and joined disboards a little later on. As far as planning for our trip, we were completely at a loss (for obvious reasons!) before joining disboards. We had so many questions (still do) but hearing what others have had to say has really helped us. Hope you enjoy our PTR - and join us for our TR next year!


Updates

5.1.10

7 days to go!!


Table of Contents


About Us
Mickey earrings
Strollers in the World
Fly or drive?
Trashbags are out of the question - guess we have to buy some luggage!
Hidden Mickey on the way to preschool!
Vacation is officially booked!!
Halloween lunch with Snow White and practicing taking pictures of food
Now we have booked our vacation we gotta figure out what we're gonna do!
Another Hidden Mickey
Booking our ADRs - does anyone else think WDW has made the online site difficult?
Our Dining Reservations
32 days until our vacation balance is due
Airport research
iPhone app review
. . . e-Ticket WDW Official Disboards App
. . . TripIt Itinerary App
. . . WDW Wait Times
Brooklyn doing some planning!
Packing
Time To Do Online Check In
Package mailed to the resort

 

[tracisup]

My husband and I were using the same username until today. (adamtraci)



We are so excited about our trip that we wanted to start a PRE-Trip report. We thought it would be best if we had different usernames but both typed in the same report.



Who am I? My name is Traci. I am a busy working mother of 5.



Who is he? My husbands name is Adam. (his DIS name is adamsup) We have been married since 9-11-01.



Who are they? I have 5 kids. Andrew 18, Adam 16, Brooklyn 4, Paris 3 and baby Maxwell who will turn one next week.



When? We have our first WDW vacation planned for 05/08/10. The teens will not be going on this vacation. My oldest son, Andrew will be in Iraq and my 16 year old son has declined.



I am SO excited about this vacation. There is so much to plan! I discovered these boards about 2 months ago & I just can’t seem to get enough of them! It seems like each time I log on I learn something new.



Here are a few pics of us



Adam

Me and the boys

Our three little ones

 

[adamsup]

Mickey Earrings

you never know if you are gonna get pixie dust when you go so we are buying little things here and there for our trip. We've already bought a few things like some battery-operated glow spinner thingies that spin (imagine that) and light up all different colors. Thought these would be great for the night time.

Traci bought Mickey earrings for all 3 girls (Traci, Brookloyn and Paris) yesterday - they are so cute we thought we should share them!

 

[3princesses+aprince]

Hey, i'm just as crazy as you all are. I just started my pre trip report for SEPTEMBER OF 2010 We just came back from our first trip this past May and are totally excited to be going back next year. I had so much fun with our first pre trip and trip report that I wanted to start next years up right away. Plus we're getting married next 4th of July so they'll be wedding plans as well. Come check out ours too.

Your kids are adorable!!!! And we'll have fun planning this long wait until Disney together. There are a few other disers as well here that have their 2010 pre trip reports going too. We're not that crazy.......Are we?

Oh well, I think life is so much happier with wonderful things to look forward to.

 

[tracisup]

Plus we're getting married next 4th of July so they'll be wedding plans as well. Come check out ours too.

YAY! You are getting married. Is it going to be a Disney wedding?

OK - Im off to read your pre-trip now!

 

[adamsup]

Hey, i'm just as crazy as you all are. I just started my pre trip report for SEPTEMBER OF 2010 We just came back from our first trip this past May and are totally excited to be going back next year. I had so much fun with our first pre trip and trip report that I wanted to start next years up right away. Plus we're getting married next 4th of July so they'll be wedding plans as well. Come check out ours too.

Bet 4th July will be a great time to get married in Disney

Your kids are adorable!!!! And we'll have fun planning this long wait until Disney together. There are a few other disers as well here that have their 2010 pre trip reports going too. We're not that crazy.......Are we?

Maybe a little! But in a good way.

Oh well, I think life is so much happier with wonderful things to look forward to.

I totally agree. Well, I'm gonna go check out your reports now. Sounds like you had a great time!

ttyl

 

[3princesses+aprince]

Nope, not a Disney wedding!!!! Those are ridiculously expensive. That would be nice though. But we also want all of our family and friends to be there. We are getting married at home on the 4th of July and then going to Disney, but we didn't want to go in July, too hot and crowded for me, so we're planning for the end of September!!!

 

[tracisup]

I made a list of things that we will want/need to take with us on our trip and it was pages and pages long SO I made a plan to start getting one or two things each week.

I have been reading on the boards that a lot of little girls at wear princess dresses and minnie mouse dresses while out and about in WDW so I ordered Brooklyn and Paris each a MINNIE DRESS on EBay. The seller had them listed for 37.00 each and 5.00 each for shipping. I sent the seller a message asking for BOTH dresses for 40.00 and free shipping and he did it! YAY!

Here they are. I LOVE them!

 

[adamsup]

Stroller Decisions

We've been doing some thinking about our strollers and how well they are going to work for WDW. Since we have 3 kids (4,3,1), we have 2 strollers. One is a single-rider Evenflo that we use for he youngest; the other is an in-line double stroller that we use for the two girls.

The problem is that the double is already starting to get too small for the girls so in another 9 months when we go it will be even smaller.

We were in Toys R Us one day and I spotted a wagon that I instantly fell in love with. I sat the girls in it and walked around the store with them in it. I really liked it plus it had some good features like a roof that can be used to put your stuff on, cupholders inside the canopy area for the girls and some storage space under the seats. Very functional

Here's a pic so you know what I'm talking about.

Well, I later found out on Disboards that WDW doesn't let you bring anything that is designed to be pulled into the parks. When I was practicing in the store, I actually preferred to push than pull, but I know the wagon is technically designed to be pulled or pushed, so probably doesn't meet the acceptable criteria

Soooo... back to square 1. I really don't want to buy a new stroller just for WDW. What to do... what to do....

 

[JPFamilyMom]

subbing... I'm totally in... I started a PTR more than 6 months out too, and I've been planning for almost 2 years, not quite so many purchases, but I have two boys, no girls, if I had girls, I would probably have more....can't wait to read about all your plans

BTW- minnie dress, just ADORABLE

 

[adamsup]

Fly or drive?

We're obviously still in the early planning stages here ... Last night we were mulling over the pros and cons of driving versus flying.

Here are a few of our considerations...

1. Sanity

According to Google Maps we have a 13 hr drive (not including traffic hold-ups, breaks etc). That makes me just to think about it. But I do this when I think of doing it with a 5, 4 and almost 2 yr old.

According to Expedia it's a 3 1/2 hr flight from our local airport to Orlando. Obviously, this is a major win for flying so far.

2. Cost

Well, unless gas prices spike to European heights... driving wins this one. Although I was surprised to learn that round-trip flights for 4 (under 2's don't count) not from an international hub only (lol only) cost $1450-ish. That was as of last night. 2 months ago they were pricing around $2400.

3. Convenience

We're planning to stay on property at a monorail resort (think CR but not totally sure yet) so we won't need our car once we're there. We live 5 minutes from the airport so that would be a plus. We could leave on the early flight and be in WDW by 10am and then leave late on our last day and get home around 10pm. By doing that we gain almost 2 extra days than if we drive.

If we drive we have the ability to use our van to get to other places but like I said, we are staying on property at a monorail with no plans to sightsee outside of WDW, so not sure having our van there is such a plus.


More to come I'm sure.

 

[adamsup]

subbing... I'm totally in... I started a PTR more than 6 months out too, and I've been planning for almost 2 years, not quite so many purchases, but I have two boys, no girls, if I had girls, I would probably have more....can't wait to read about all your plans

BTW- minnie dress, just ADORABLE

Thanks and welcome! There's so much cute stuff for girls. When we go shopping for my son there's always an entire section for girls and then just a little rack of boy clothes like it was an afterthought. What's up with that?!

I'll head over and check out your PTR, can't wait to see what you're planning too.

 

[tracisup]

Hi Peeps. I thought I would update.

I must confess. I have turned into one of those obsessed Disney trip planners. I can’t help it and I don’t mean to but I find myself on these boards every single day reading tips and secrets. I have been busy making lists and buying things to get us ready.

Last weekend, JC Penney had a HUGE sale. They had their Dockers luggage marked @ 70% off and then on top of that, on Sunday they had a one day sale and a coupon for 15% off of all sale prices. It was almost like THEY were paying US to get the luggage! Adam and I each got one of these

I went to Walmart the same day and found these for only $19.00 each and got each of the toddlers one of these!

I have also been obsessed with searching EBay for Disney items every single day. I want to get a head start on clothing for us and for the kids. It is going to be a bit tricky with the kids because their summer things from this year will not fit next year and when we go (May 2010) it will be early summer and the summer clothing will not be in stores yet. I got a little pair of Mickey Overalls on EBay. I have found a few things on clearance at Walmart and Babies R Us for next year but I still need a lot more.

I found some adorable Minne Mouse pajamas for the girls at Walmart last weekend and an adorable pair of Mickey Mouse ones for Maxwell at Babies R Us. I will try to take pics of them later. I found this at Walmart too.

Its princess bubble bath. That’s a must have for a Disney vacation, RIGHT?

Have a good weekend everyone! Ill post more soon!

 

[josh0208]

Now I feel so much better about how crazy I have been. My family has decided to take a trip to Disney in April 2010. My family thinks I'm crazy with how much planning I already have done. I couldn't bare the thought of telling them that I already have a packing list together.

Just like you, I have already purchased some items and keep hiding them in my closet!

I absolutely love the planning phase..I live for this stuff. This website is the best place. I used it to help plan our Disney trip 4 yrs ago.

The group is DH, myself, DS10, DS8, sister, niece, fiance, their 9 mo child (at the time - she's due on Monday ), my other sister and possibly her boyfriend and 22 yr old son.

We are renting a pool home off grounds which is owned by a family friend...free to use! I toyed with the idea of driving but weighed the pros and cons. Having our 2 boys in a car for over 19 hours just doesn't sound like a good idea to start a vacation. I'll spend the money for my sanity!

 

[JPFamilyMom]

Yes Princess bubblebath is a must

Great deal on the luggage, we already have luggage but I do frequent the Disneystore website to see if their luggage goes on sale, and I'm figuring a way to convince DH we need more

We are also on the lookout for Disney clothes, have you been on the DISigners boards-some neat artwork, buy solid color shirts and make your own Disney shirts, personalized.

 

[tracisup]

Now I feel so much better about how crazy I have been. My family has decided to take a trip to Disney in April 2010. My family thinks I'm crazy with how much planning I already have done. I couldn't bare the thought of telling them that I already have a packing list together.

Just like you, I have already purchased some items and keep hiding them in my closet!

I think its funny that you are hiding it in your closet What you have been hiding in there?

We are renting a pool home off grounds which is owned by a family friend...free to use! I toyed with the idea of driving but weighed the pros and cons. Having our 2 boys in a car for over 19 hours just doesn't sound like a good idea to start a vacation. I'll spend the money for my sanity!

A free pool home! How fun (and LUCKY) is that?

 

[tracisup]

Yes Princess bubblebath is a must

You know, Max just had his 1st birthday. With him being a baby now, it is hard to think of him as a proper walking and talking toddler. He will be one month shy of his 2nd birthday. He might not actually like princess bubble bath! LOL I need to keep him and the fact that he is a boy in mind more when I shop for Disney vacation things.

We are also on the lookout for Disney clothes, have you been on the DISigners boards-some neat artwork, buy solid color shirts and make your own Disney shirts, personalized.

I will have to check out these boards. I have been looking at IRON-ONs in EBay and the prices look great. I looked for some solid Tees (granimals) yesterday at Walmart but they dont have many now. Fingers crossed they will be out early next year when I know my sizes and need them.

 

[tracisup]

Im sorting through some pics today working on my scrapblog. Here is a picture of my oldest daughter Brooklyn. She is 4 and loves to play dress up. I got this dress on Ebay.

 

[JPFamilyMom]

Here is some artwork from DISigners:

Feel free to copy and save any for your use, and if you need help finding some, let me know, I have saved a ton to my computer that I'm deciding which ones to use for our trip(s)

 

[tracisup]

Here is some artwork from DISigners:

Thanks!