tyandskyesmom
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2007
Hi there!
I know I am not done with my Christmas Extravaganza yet but I have stuff I neew to put out there for our next trip. So here we go!
WHO:
Skyler...12, entering 7th grade in August, championship dancer, tumbler, excellent student, Chicken lover, wants to put herself through med school dancing on Broadway...
Tyler...17, entering senior year in August, football player, scholastic bowl competitor, Elephant Lover, AP and Honors student, is happy to work at Little Cesar's so he can earn enough money to buy more video games and then sit on his butt playing them all day...
Cary...42, forklift operator, led a very different kind of life before he met up three and a half years ago but is learning that he loves a clean fun life...
And Me...Sherry...45, mom, HMO collections, taxi driver to dance, the gym, football, you name it, I drive there...and wait for the return call to pick up! I am the photographer most of the time and hate my picture being taken so you wont see a ton of me. My family is the most important thing in the world to me and we've been through a lot in the past 4 years or so, so it's important to me that we all get as much happiness out of the good times as possible! I am also stressing this being Tyler's last year in high school...I HAVE A SENIOR!!!
WHEN:
I initially made plans for over the 4th of July...and then Skyler was scheduled into a dance competition from the 5th to the 7th so that was out!
So I changed it to July 15th thru the 22nd. We would drive from Joliet from when Cary got home from work at about 3am (after showering of course) and arrive at around 8pm that evening. Then we would leave in the afternoon sometime on Friday the 22nd and have Saturday and Sunday to drive home. It was all set.
Then I got to checking flight schedules just because Southwest kept sending me e-mails! And then I started thinking about cost comparison. Driving we would need the rental car (neither of ours can be trusted) and then gas, and then hotels for two nights on the way home, and food for at least the way home (I planned to bring food with us for the way down). If we flew, I could get us flights for $119 each way per person. And we've there in 2.5 hours. So then I started looking at rooms for 2 extra nights because if we could fly we didn't need the two days at the end to drive home.
So we are now booked and paid in full for July 15 - July 24, 2016...that's 9 nights/10 days!
WHERE:
Pop Century. I requested the 60's section and a high floor, although I guess I'm not really worried about that. What I really want is to overlook Hourglass Lake with views and easy access to Art of Animation. However, when I did my online requests I did not notice the "water view" selection...I would have chosen that instead of high floor. I don't really care too much I guess but I do not want to be over by 80's or 90's...been there, done that and we like walking through the resort not the parking lot to get to the food court and busses...and that is a big walk. I just like the center and other side better. So we'll see what we end up with. We got an Annual Pass discount on the room for all nights, even the ones I just booked last week!
HOW:
Well, we're flying Southwest Airlines out of Midway to Orlando and back.
We leave MDW at 5:35am on July 15 and arrive in Orlando at 9:10am. We will use Magical Express to get to Pop Century so expect to arrive there around 10am.
We depart from Orlando at 10:30pm on July 24 so expect to be picked up by Magical Express at about 7:30pm. We arrive home at 12:10am on July 25th. Tyler is the only one that needs to be anywhere early (football at 8am). I took off, Skye has nothing, and Cary isn't due at work until 3pm. So we'll be good!
We purchased Platinum Annual Passes on our Christmas Trip so tickets are done. And passes include the Photo Pass option too so that's done.
We decided to make this trip a more laid back one. No dining plan is the biggest change. The kids and I have not been without the deluxe dining plan since when Tyler was still a "child" so it's been more than 8 years...so this will be different. With both the kids being "adults" at Disney this time, we found that deluxe dining was a lot of food and ADRs. We also found that ADRs with the new way Fast Pass + works, that's a lot of plans! SO we did the high extreme last time and this time we are doing the opposite extreme and then we will be in a better place to decide how to plan in the future. Tyler is the one lamenting the loss the most...he looks forward to ordering a steak at almost every meal. The rest of us are ok with it...I think. There seems to be a lot of newer counter services items we generally do not take part in that look very interesting...so I am looking forward to it...I think!
The general plan is to relax as much as possible. Make our fast passes and then play it by ear. If we want to swim, we will. If we want to shop, we can. If we want to nap, we have that option.
I had a difficult time at first...the planner in me wanted to PLAN! I love the whole process of planning ADRs and making them and arranging parks and fast passes. And I was lost. I felt disappointed and there was nothing to do so nothing to get excited about. But I think I'm ok now.
We're 15 days out...and I have been able to do a little planning...
I know I am not done with my Christmas Extravaganza yet but I have stuff I neew to put out there for our next trip. So here we go!
WHO:
Skyler...12, entering 7th grade in August, championship dancer, tumbler, excellent student, Chicken lover, wants to put herself through med school dancing on Broadway...
Tyler...17, entering senior year in August, football player, scholastic bowl competitor, Elephant Lover, AP and Honors student, is happy to work at Little Cesar's so he can earn enough money to buy more video games and then sit on his butt playing them all day...
Cary...42, forklift operator, led a very different kind of life before he met up three and a half years ago but is learning that he loves a clean fun life...
And Me...Sherry...45, mom, HMO collections, taxi driver to dance, the gym, football, you name it, I drive there...and wait for the return call to pick up! I am the photographer most of the time and hate my picture being taken so you wont see a ton of me. My family is the most important thing in the world to me and we've been through a lot in the past 4 years or so, so it's important to me that we all get as much happiness out of the good times as possible! I am also stressing this being Tyler's last year in high school...I HAVE A SENIOR!!!
WHEN:
I initially made plans for over the 4th of July...and then Skyler was scheduled into a dance competition from the 5th to the 7th so that was out!
So I changed it to July 15th thru the 22nd. We would drive from Joliet from when Cary got home from work at about 3am (after showering of course) and arrive at around 8pm that evening. Then we would leave in the afternoon sometime on Friday the 22nd and have Saturday and Sunday to drive home. It was all set.
Then I got to checking flight schedules just because Southwest kept sending me e-mails! And then I started thinking about cost comparison. Driving we would need the rental car (neither of ours can be trusted) and then gas, and then hotels for two nights on the way home, and food for at least the way home (I planned to bring food with us for the way down). If we flew, I could get us flights for $119 each way per person. And we've there in 2.5 hours. So then I started looking at rooms for 2 extra nights because if we could fly we didn't need the two days at the end to drive home.
So we are now booked and paid in full for July 15 - July 24, 2016...that's 9 nights/10 days!
WHERE:
Pop Century. I requested the 60's section and a high floor, although I guess I'm not really worried about that. What I really want is to overlook Hourglass Lake with views and easy access to Art of Animation. However, when I did my online requests I did not notice the "water view" selection...I would have chosen that instead of high floor. I don't really care too much I guess but I do not want to be over by 80's or 90's...been there, done that and we like walking through the resort not the parking lot to get to the food court and busses...and that is a big walk. I just like the center and other side better. So we'll see what we end up with. We got an Annual Pass discount on the room for all nights, even the ones I just booked last week!
HOW:
Well, we're flying Southwest Airlines out of Midway to Orlando and back.
We leave MDW at 5:35am on July 15 and arrive in Orlando at 9:10am. We will use Magical Express to get to Pop Century so expect to arrive there around 10am.
We depart from Orlando at 10:30pm on July 24 so expect to be picked up by Magical Express at about 7:30pm. We arrive home at 12:10am on July 25th. Tyler is the only one that needs to be anywhere early (football at 8am). I took off, Skye has nothing, and Cary isn't due at work until 3pm. So we'll be good!
We purchased Platinum Annual Passes on our Christmas Trip so tickets are done. And passes include the Photo Pass option too so that's done.
We decided to make this trip a more laid back one. No dining plan is the biggest change. The kids and I have not been without the deluxe dining plan since when Tyler was still a "child" so it's been more than 8 years...so this will be different. With both the kids being "adults" at Disney this time, we found that deluxe dining was a lot of food and ADRs. We also found that ADRs with the new way Fast Pass + works, that's a lot of plans! SO we did the high extreme last time and this time we are doing the opposite extreme and then we will be in a better place to decide how to plan in the future. Tyler is the one lamenting the loss the most...he looks forward to ordering a steak at almost every meal. The rest of us are ok with it...I think. There seems to be a lot of newer counter services items we generally do not take part in that look very interesting...so I am looking forward to it...I think!
The general plan is to relax as much as possible. Make our fast passes and then play it by ear. If we want to swim, we will. If we want to shop, we can. If we want to nap, we have that option.
I had a difficult time at first...the planner in me wanted to PLAN! I love the whole process of planning ADRs and making them and arranging parks and fast passes. And I was lost. I felt disappointed and there was nothing to do so nothing to get excited about. But I think I'm ok now.
We're 15 days out...and I have been able to do a little planning...