Countdown to Disney......packing

    Packing for a vacation literally takes me weeks. I have already started packing for this trip. I like to keep Rubbermaid containers in my bedroom and as I am doing laundry come across things that I KNOW need to go with us, I place them in the container. I have a second container that I use for other things, ponchos, fans, park bags, etc. As I come across those things (or as Amazon delivers things), I mark them off my list and they go in the container. Since this trip is a surprise, I am packing for everyone, not just the littlest of littles.  I decided to use Gallon Ziploc bags to organize everyone's clothes each day. This is helping me make sure I have an outfit per person per day and I can label the bag for the kids to grab each day on their own as they are getting ready for the day. I am excited to see how this works out for us. 

My packing list does keep getting longer and longer somehow. Every time I think I have thought about it all, I see another idea about something Disney vacation related that I add to the list. But my work in progress is going well so far:

Clothing

• 1 outfit per person per day + one spare outfit
• underwear, bras, socks for each person 
• shoes (tennis shoes x2, flip flops, sandals)

Toiletries

• toothbrush/toothpaste/floss/mouthwash
• shampoo/conditioner
• dry shampoo
• deodorant
• soap/body wash
• makeup
• makeup remover/face wash/moisturizer/toner
• sunscreen (spray and face stick)
• aloe lotion
• wipes
• brushes/combos/hair ties
• hair spray/mouse/volumizer/curl spray

Electronics        

• Camera/batteries/chargers/gimbal
• Phones
• Phone Chargers    
• Electronic wipes
• Kids games (switch, 3DS, etc) and chargers
• laptops/chargers
• extra memory cards

Medicines

• tylenol
• ibuprofen
• vitamins
• ACV
• Ashwaganda
• pepto
• colon cleanse
• allergy meds
• bandaids/ointment
• eczema cream
• ice packs
• compression we

Other

• Ponchos
• park sling bags
• hand santizer
• masks
• ears
• hairbows
• snacks/drinks for the room
• cleaning wipes for the room

For the Ride

• books
• coloring books/crayons/art supplies
• food/drinks/snacks
• blankets
• pillows
• stuffed animals

What am I still forgetting? What are your must haves for traveling with the family?

Countdown to Disney....souvenirs

 Souvenirs are a big deal in Walt Disney World. So many options to choice from and so many places to purchase and so many high prices! Do we pick ears, Loungeflys, shirts, pins!? Which parks? Which Stores? All of them!? 

Each child usually gets a couple of souvenirs of their choosing. Pretty wide open, as long as it isn't too pricey. No Light Sabers that cost $300 over here !Typically, we use leftover Dining Credits at the end of our trip and get snacks that double as souvenirs. I love that we are able to do so. It let's the magic take use home, to school, wherever we go for a little while longer. The kids love a Mickey shaped snack from the trip to pop up in their lunchbox at school! So again, I really miss Disney Dining Plans! 

Another new adventure for this trip leaves me thinking about what to do on the last day before we leave the parks. Our tradition of trading in snack credits isn't an option. How do we cap off the trip and make sure we bring a little magic home? For one thing, I have decided to pick souvenirs very carefully. 

When I think back on my favorite souvenir, it is from our second family trip to disney. Our youngest was 4 years old and fell in love with "Chip & Dip"  while we were there. She would get so excited every time that we saw them. She had never so much as mentioned them before that trip. We searched and searched and finally found a Mickey hat with a little Chip & Dale plush set. It documented the year on the ears and had Chip & Dip to help us remember those moments. It was a little tough to find but was the perfect represenation of that memory. Every time we clean the playroom and I see it, it makes my heart happy. I can see her sweet little 4 year old smile and her that cute litte voice, "It's Chip  & Dip!" 

I can't wait to see what we experience this year that becomes our favorite memory. And, I look forward to searching stores for that 'just right' souvenir to help us remember that moment for years to come. This is what Disney Magic is all about. 

I also have done a lot of thinking about ways to keep the magic flowing. I love the idea of a Disney puzzle to put together as a family after we return home. Maybe a Disney cookbook so we can recreate some of our favorite meals and snacks. I have also considered stopping by one of the local antique malls and bringing home a legitiate piece of Disney! I really hope that time allows for that option. A pillow from the Grand Floridian or a Lamp from the Polynesian. Wouldn't that just be the coolest!?

What's your favorite Disney Souvenir?

Countdown to Disney.....shopping

 Shopping....ugh. I am not a big fan of shopping but I have been doing a lot of it for this trip. It has been a few years since our last trip in 2018 so kids have outgrown Disney gear. Plus, with the lack of Disney Dining Plan, we are taking Breakfast foods to have breakfast in the room and we won't have our refillable mugs. I feel like there are so many extra things that we need for this visit. I may overthink things a little but I have been shopping around for months. Shirts, ears, water bottles, backpacks, chargers, etc. 'Save for Later' has been my friend lately.  I am so indecisive about the silliest things, like shirts and always think I can find something better or cheaper. I worry about whether the kids will like them or my husband will think they are silly. The majority of things I place in the cart, usually end up in save for later. I did that this time and then ended up ordering it all at once. I actually think I prefer this method. It gave me time to look around and order with no regrets because I knew I had really searched the ends of the interwebs! I even have some items saved for the next trip. I orignally planned to share my purchases with you now but ultimately, I think the better option is to wait until our trip is over. I will be able to give great reviews and feedback on lots of great new Disney themed merch. Glad I can do all of the overthinking for you! 😂

Up next....souvenirs.....

Countdown to Disney....keeping the surprise

Making a Walt Disney World vacation a surprise is super fun and super hard! Part of the joy of planning is everyone picking their favorites: rides, foods, attractions, etc, reminiscing about past vacations, picking a resort, and watching videos/looking at pictures. It is all so fun to do as a family. When you make the trip a surprise it is hard to NOT do those things. We are so excited and keep mentioning things that we probably shouldn't be saying out loud! The good thing is that we all watched a YouTube video one day that happened to mention that park reservations are completely sold out through July! So luckily, everyone seems to think that we can't go anyway. SO, we are getting to watch videos together with everyone assuming we are speaking about a trip next year. It just kind of happened that way, thankfully. 

This is such an odd situation and strange time in our world. Uncertainity about the trip makes us want to keep it a secret as long as possibly but we are prepared that it might slip out at some point or little smarty pants P9 might put the peices together and figure it out on her own. As we keep watchig videos about how things are changing so rapidly in WDW, we keep getting more and more excited about the possibility of a more normal Disney Vacation. Social Distancing markers are slowing going away, mask requirements are slowly going away, restaurants and shows are slowly opening back up. Fireworks shows are being tested.  I am STILL crossing my fingers that Disney Dining Plans will magically reappear soon too! 🤞

Since the day that video mentioned the park being sold out, keeping our surprise as been much easier. We are able to talk about our next visit and ask questions about what we want to do and what we want to skip. We have done some meal planning, meaning the kids litterally picked out meals and snacks. We have watched POV videos of rides and marked them as dos an don'ts for each kid. 

We are now working on plans for the big reveal IF they don't figure it out. We thought about just driving to WDW and heading to the resort and filming them as they see us approach the famous sign. Or, maybe letting each of them open a small Disney themed gift since this is a Birthday/Graduation celebration. Or maybe playing some type of clue game. We do love a good scavenger hunt! 

What do you think? How would you do the big reveal!?

Countdown to Disney....park plans

Daily Park Plans! Probably my favorite part of the planning process is deciding which attractions are going on our Must-Do list for each day. We typically stay at one park all day. No park hoping for us. I just find it easier to plan this way. If we ever manage to go on an adult only trip, I may rethink that!

Day 1: Arrival

We will arrive pretty late in the day since our Van Gogh Experience tickets are for the afternoon in Atlanta. A late night arrival is another new thing for us. We usually leave bright and early and drive straight to the Happiest Place on Earth. So, we will likely go straight to the resort and get settled in. I also like to quickly run through plans for the next day each night and since this trip is a surprise, I know I will be answering lots of questions and lost of additions to our Must Do list for the whole week. :)

Day 2: Resort

This is kind of strange to plan for day 1, I guess, but it just kind of happened this way and I actually think it will work well for us. We have a long day the day before. We will be driving to Atlanta for an art exhibit, where will will spend a couple of hours and then we will drive the remainder of the way to Orlando. We had originally planned to stay in Georgia and finish the drive to Atlanta the next day. So, now we are arriving a day earlier. This will be the first time we have really had a true Resort Day during a DW trip and I am so excited. Exploring the resorts is always fun and now we have a whole day to do so! And, I can't wait to get hang out in the Big Blue Pool!

Day 3: Magic Kingdom

We will making our way over to to the iconic Magic Kingdom and we have a long list of MUST DOs for our first day in the parks! Space Mtn, the Peoplemover, 7 Dwarfs, Mad Tea Party, Little Mermaid, Haunted Mansion and Peter Pan are all on the list BEFORE lunch! We are really challenging ourselves to hit all of those before lunch but we have plenty of time after, if we don't get them all in. Then, it's Frontierland and Adventureland for the rest of the afternoon. I have to admit that I am crossing my fingers that we will be able to stay late and see a magical light show on the castle by the time we go! 

Day 4: Animal Kingdom

I love to get to Animal Kingdom early to do the safari when the animals are the most active. So, we want to try to arrive in the parks as they are opening. Something that we haven't gotten the chance to see yet is the Bird Show at the Tree of Life so we are excited about that addition. Kali River Rapids is one of my favorite rides of all times! I love that the whole family can be in the same boat and we get to face each other and see excited (and somewhat nervous) little expressions on litte faces. I would ride it 10 times if there was enough time. But alas, we have Pandora Flight of Passage and Nav'i River Journey, Dinosaur, Expedition Everest and more! 

Day 5: Disney Springs

Disney Springs is practically a Must Do for us. Great restaurants, great shopping, even some fun activities and cute photo opportunities. If it isn't part of your Disney Plans, I suggest checking it out if you have the time but I wouldn't put it above a day in the parks!

Day 6: Epcot

AHHH, the Experimental Protype, Community of Tomorrow. Every single trip I leave saying I wish we had spent more time in Epcot. I could spend a whole week! I am STILL discovering that there are elements of Epcot that I had zero clue existed.  We keep adding to the very long list of things that we would like to do this time in Epcot. I honestly don't know how we are going to narrow this list down. Frozen Ever After, Soarin'and Spaceship Earth for sure. I love Turtle Talk with Crush so I am bummed that it is stil closed but I guess that gives us time to to something new to us like the Gran Fiesta Tour....how have we never done that!? But one of my favorite things is taking a tour around the world! I love walking through all of the countries and learning and shopping! Plus, I am pretty excited to take the Skyliner to the park!

Day 7: Hollywood Studios

HS is probably a favorite for the guys in the house. I guess it has a little something to do with Star Wars. Even I have to admit Rise of the Resistance looks A-Ma-Zing! Getting a boarding pass is probably the thing I am most nervous about making happen. Toy Story land will also be a first for us.  and we are pretty excited about Slinky Dog Dash! And, shockingly.....Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway is on the list for the first time ever..... WHAT!?

Day 8: The Journey Home

On the last day, we will have a TBD breakfast and then do some souvenir shopping before we head out. Though the ride home can be a little sad in a way, I love it because we all talk about our favorite parts of the trip. We each pick something from each day that was our favorite. Except our Sweet P (10 yr old) that can pick a favorite because "she loves is all so much!" Then, we start planning the next trip and the things that we saw this time but didn't get to do so they have to go on our list. 

We can't wait to share all of the fun with you!

Up Next....keeping the surprise but still building excitement!

Countdown to Disney....Dining

 Disney Dining Plans! One of my favorite things about planning a Disney World vacation is the Disney Dining Plan. I have never planned a trip without one. I love that I can prepay for everything, I don't have to worry about keeping up with purchases in the park. I don't have to manage a budget for each meal. I don't have to worry about a kid ordering the most expensive item on the menu, like I have one that has a tendency to do. I don't even have to think about any of that. It is the best! 

But wait... 'rona. No Disney Dining Plans.😭😭 I keep hoping that they will bring them back before our trip. I literally wake up every single day and search for Disney Dining Plans news. As we get closer to our check-in date, I am losing faith that we will be adding Disney Dining to our vacation plan. So...on to planning our dining budget. 

We arrive on Monday and will probably eat something quick on the way from Atlanta. I am budgeting $60 for this one. Here we come Chick-Fil-A! We have ordered lots of snacks, small foods and breakfast items from Amazon to save some money and really only plan one big meal per day. We have a sit down reservation each day of our trip. 

Tuesday is Olivia's Cafe . This is actually a free day for us to hang out at the resort and rest up from the drive and the first part of our vacation in Atlanta. So, we took a peak at opening at different resort restaurants. We have stayed at Old Key West on a previous trip but have not actually eaten at Olivia's. I looked over the menu and built out a meal based on what I think everyone will order. I added drinks, desserts and a 20% tip. Based on that, I will budget $200 for this meal. I rounded everything up and added desserts which we will not be getting at every meal. However, I felt that I would rather OVER budget for the meals and be able to let the kids get whatever they want rather than have to be strict about sticking to lower cost and not geting special treats. 

Wednesday is Magic Kingdom Day. We were able to get reservations at The Crystal Palace.  Again, based on the menu, I have budgeted $300 for this meal. 

Thursday is Animal Kingdom and we have Tusker House reservations. Tusker House has been closed and as of this moment, is still closed but will be reopening before our trip. It is one of our favorite character dining experiences.  Character Dining so this is a big one at $400. 

Friday is our Disney Springs day with reservations at Splitsville. I landed on a $250 budget for this meal. 

Saturday, we are headed to lunch at Coral Reef in Epcot. I have decided to budget $250 for this meal as well. 

Sunday is Holywood Studios with lunch at Mama Melrose's. I budgeted $300 for this meal. 

We will be leaving on Monday and I am planning a breakfast meal for the way out but have decided against making a reservation. We will wait to see if we can snag something last minute. If not, we will just eat a quick breakfast in the room and grab lunch on the way home. We are going to budget $200 for this, just in case. 

I have also set a $60 per day budget for an evening snack in the parks. 

This is definitely a big food budget. It doesn't have to cost this much to eat in Disney.  We will pay with our Disney Visa to get the cash back! Then we will use that to go towards paying the card. 

To be honest, I am not overly happy with this budget. I feel like given more time and planning I could get this down a bit. However, we are on a timecrunch at this point so I am going with this plan. All the while, I will continue to cross my fingers for Dining Plans to return! If time and my patience allow, I will revisit Dining planning and budgeting after I nail down all of our other plans. 

Up Next: Park Plans

Countdown to Disney....resort

 We are less than a month away from our surprise trip. So, let's talk about resorts. We will be staying at A Finding Nemo Family Suite at Art of Animation. Finding the right accommadations can be fun if you don't let it stress you out. I always let it stress me out! 😂We like to stay somewhere different each time we go. We have stayed at Art of Animation in a Cars Suite on a previous trip so we know we can make that work. When it comes to staying at Disney for larger groups, there are limited options that won't leave you broke. I know that these Family Suites are actually a bit crowded but I am not concerned becuase I also know that we spend VERY little time in our room while at Disney World. Basically, the room is a place to shower and sleep so don't worry too much about it. I just like to make sure that transportation to the park is easy. Finding Nemo is pretty close to the bus stop and skyliner (YAY!) so I think it is a great option. Plus, they were recently remodeled! 

Previous trips have seen Old Key West, Port Orleans Riverside, Cars Suite and more. While we have loved them all, some of them weren't very spacious. Old Key West was a two bedroom and definitely my favorite but we honestly spend so little time in the room that I don't think I should worry about it as much as I do.Something that I always stress about even though after so many trips I know it doesn't really make a big difference. I think it is just my natural reaction because I am used to that being difficult to plan for us on most trips. Though it is getting easier. I think most places are starting to adapt to the fact that the traditional idea of a family being two parents and two kids is not realistic. In the grand scheme of things our family isn't huge but it does take some extra thought and planning. 

If you find yourself worrying too much about the resort options, don't. ALL of them make for a magical stay. All of them give you a shower and sleep. Just play around with resort options and worry less about space and more about fun! Just pick one that works best for your budget. Our resort motto is to Shower, Sleep and Have a Magical Day. 

In the end....Our room is booked and I have marked that stress off my list! 😉 I can't wait to show you around the Finding Nemo Family Suite. 

Next Stop....Dining reservations.

A Big Surprise to Come.....

 It has been a big year for us. The oldest child (she's still not an adult, I won't allow it) moved out. The 2nd one graduated high school and is about to start is IT career (IT Student of the year!) and we just had 9th and 10th Birthdays for the youngest. After the chaos that was 2020, we decided it was time for some fun to celebrate! For the girls' birthdays, we gave them a quick trip to Atlanta to see the Van Gogh Experience. They are super excited little art lovers!  What they don't know? When we leave Atlanta that day, we aren't headed home. We are going to Disney! We plan to keep it a secret until they figure it out on there own. We are currently placing bets on how long it will take and which kid will be the one to realize what is happening. 

Planning a surprise trip is quite the endeavor in normal times. Covid-times has made it even more interesting. I can't wait to be in Disney with smaller crowds though! 

Stayed tuned to learn more about  the planning process and of course, the big reveal!