Disney World Trip 2010!

[countrykid]

Hello all!
I just signed up for the Disney World 2010 trip! I would love to chat with others that have been &/or plan to go! Has anyone been to the Mickey's not so scary Halloween party? Is anyone going during this trip? I can't stay in a Disney hotel but I got a room in the Wyndham Bonnet Creek Resort. It is on property near the Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort, or so I am told. I welcome any & all info. Has anyone stayed at the Wyndham? Have a magical day hope to chat soon! :o)

[jenny]

Hi I m Jennifer, My famil and I have been to disney every year for the last 8 yrs. We love it there and I think you will love it also. I have never stayed where you are staying but I have heard good things about it. If you have any question I would be glad to answer them if I can.

[countrykid]

Hi Jennifer,
I am so glad you replied to my post! :smile2: Are you going on the trip this fall? We hope to see lots of fellow homeschoolers while we are there. We have been to Disney but the last time was about 6 years ago it was a quick impromptu visit with some friends only 2 partial days. Although we loved every second of it we are ready to return & enjoy a longer organized trip. Late Sept sounds like a wonderful time to visit, better weather & less crowds. My mom is joining us & is excited about the food & wine festival. Have you ever been to Disney in late Sept early Oct? We are thinking about going to Mickey's not so scary Halloween party one night. Have you ever been to that? I am trying to make out a daily plan, & get some dining arrangement made. We are eating at Teppan Edo in Epcot. We want to do Chef Mickey's one day. Any places your family loves to eat? Have you ever bought the photo pass? They have it now for I believe $99 it says that is $50 less than if you buy it after you get home from your trip. I am not to sure about spending $99 on it when I will have a camera of my own. Is it really worth the money? We have never been to the water parks or Disney Quest, it's gonna be awesome! I love any & all things Disney! Any suggestions would be great! Thanks again for replying to my post hope to hear from you soon! :biggrin2:

[Dianna]

I've never been to the Not-So-Scary Halloween party, but it must be good because I have families who go every year (even plan their costumes way in advance). I've never stayed at the Wyndam, but I think I've seen it while driving around Disney and it looks fine. I bet you'll have a great time!

[Dianna]

The weather in September isn't cool, by any means, but it's probably better than July and August. (We have water park passes, so be sure to use them if the weather gets to be too much!). It's absolutely a low-crowd time, though, which makes the heat worth it.

We love Teppan Edo, and are going again this year. We do the Chef Mickey's breakfast buffet. It's great - good food and good character interaction. They don't have Chip and Dale anymore, though, and they were my favorites - very energetic and friendly, and would sneak in a kiss when my husband had his head turned. :redface2: :lol:

Another favorite is Le Cellier, but if you haven't made reservations there already, there's probably no way to get them now.

We enjoy Disney Quest a lot - there are virtual reality games, as well as older games such as PacMan, and there's a Disney illustrator there who gives classes on drawing Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and the rest of the gang. We always have a meet and greet there and the children (and parents) have a great time.

The benefit to the photopass is that you'll always be in the picture. There are photographers everywhere who are always willing to get the perfect shot of your whole family together. If you're going to do it, do it in advance so you can get the discount.

Warmly,
Dianna

[countrykid]

Thanks Dianna!:biggrin2:
I love the info & advice! I looked up the Le Cellier it sounds wonderful! I already have the Teppan Edo planned & then we were going to check out the Food & Wine Festival. I will keep it in mind for just in case or maybe a future trip. I love Chip & Dale too! I hope to see them while we are there. I remember they used to be at most character meals. I have to keep in a budget so I don't have a bunch of meals planned. For now I have Chef Mickey's, Teppan Edo, & Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater. I plan of checking out Flame Tree & a few other cheaper places. I realize it's all expensive, but I am trying to keep our food bill down. We have a kitchen in our room so we will cook some & have breakfast in the room plus take snacks. Do you have any places in mind that are more budget friendly? I think we are going to the Halloween party on the 30th it is a Thursday so maybe it won't be as busy. If anyone else wants to go that would be a neat meet up. The last time we were in Disney was August almost 6 years ago. As long as the weather is better than that I will be happy. A hurricane hit Fl the day we headed home I bet that was one reason it was so humid. Well, that & August is always very hot & humid there. In any case I am thrilled to go so I will deal with the weather. Disney is worth it! :tongue: Plus if it were too cool we wouldn't enjoy the water parks. I am really looking forward to the water parks! :cool2: My son is thrilled about Disney Quest. I am so glad the tickets include the water park & more option. Sorry to go on & on I am just so excited! Thanks again for the help. Hope to hear from you soon! :wave:

[cameragirl]

What ages are your kids? I just found out we are going to be at Disney for my husband's work (we are tagging along for free hotel and travel, the beauty of homeschooling!). I'd love to meet up with others with similar ages of kids- my husband will be mostly working so it will be me and my kids hitting the parks. My kids are 10 and 7 (boys) and 6 (girl). We will be there from Sept 27th-Oct. 8. I don't even know yet where we are staying. I have only been to Disney once before and only to MK for one day- my son got sick on the way down so we had to cut it short. That was 5 years ago. I am so excited to go again, this time the kids are old enough to really get so much more out of it.

Right now the kids are in hot debates over which class to take, and whether all 3 will be together (my 7yo is a bit insecure about me leaving him so if they were all together I could chaperone) or my 10yo wants to do the one at AK about animal survival. Either way I know they will love it.

I'd love to hear any insight anyone has about what shouldn't be missed, etc.

Cindy

[Dianna]

I realize it's all expensive, but I am trying to keep our food bill down.

If you don't have the free dining and are paying for food, try to share as much as possible. What would be a $40-$50 table service meal at home will be a $150-$250 meal at Disney. What would be a $20-$25 lunch at home will be a $50-$60 lunch at Disney.

Even on the free dining, we share 3 lunches among the 5 or 6 of us. It'll be hot, and you'll probably find that you won't eat as much at Disney as you do at home. You can always buy more food if you need it. Same for dinners, try ordering one or two entrees less than you'll think you need and see if it's enough.

If you're at Downtown Disney, definitely try Earl of Sandwich - it's one of our favorites and budget-friendly. (Again, remember to share... their sandwiches are big and can easily be shared - three are usually enough for our family of 5 or 6).

On the days you're eating at the table service restaurants (Teppan Edo, etc), try to eat a big breakfast and munch on the snacks you bring during the day, skipping lunch. It'll save money and you probably won't be hungry for lunch and dinner anyway.

Consider Sci-Fi for lunch instead of dinner. I think their lunch menu is cheaper and is the same food (double-check to make sure, though. It has excellent theming... you'll love it.)

Hmmm.... I'll try to think of other tips for you and will post again if I do.

Warmly,
Dianna

[countrykid]

:eusa_dancI got our tickets the other day!!Wooohoo!! I am sooooo excited!!!
Thank you Dianna I appreciate all your help! :biggrin2:
Hi Cindy glad to hear from you! :wave:
I have planned on having lunch out instead of dinner as much as possible. I will freeze bottles of water to carry & then refill. I will keep plenty of snacks with us as well. I already told everyone we will do the food sharing thing, like you said, Dianna they have large portions. Plus being busy & hot we won't eat as much. We will eat a good breakfast every morning in our room too. I just want to enjoy being in Disney not going food poor lol! :eusa_naug :lol: I have read great things about Earl of Sandwich so I hope to try them while we are there.
My anticipation for this trip grows everyday! :cheer2: I am thinking of taking a day out & going to CocoaBeach. Have you done this before, or is there a different beach you prefer? I am just trying to make a well rounded trip & a day at the ocean sounds wonderful. We will arrive on Sept 24 & leave Oct 6 I believe we will have plenty of time to get a full experience.
I am looking up tie dying so I can try to make some Mickey tie dye shirts for my crew to sport while in Disney. :cool2: Have you ever made any?
We are excited to see what classes will be available. We check for updates almost everyday. My daughter is almost 15 & my son is 12. They both want to do the Wild by Nature program. Although I think any class given at Disney will be amazing. We are excited about meeting other homeschoolers too!
Cindy I am glad you get to go back to Disney! I have been 4 times & 2 of those times have been with my kids. The other 2 were when I was a kid. I would go every year if our budget allowed. I Love Disney!!! :wink2: You are going to have a wonderful time!! Just don't try to do too much take your time & enjoy all the little magical things that come with a Disney vacation. I made the mistake of rushing through the first time I took my kids. It was not as enjoyable as it could have been, we were exhausted! It was Christmas too so the crows were awful! My hubby did not enjoy it at all. It was his first & only trip there. He said he will try it again. I hope he finds out he loves Disney World, at least a little!!
Ok now stuff not to miss. Get on Disney World's web site with your kids look over each park. Look at all the shows, rides, ect... Let everyone pick a few things they really want to do. Make some notes. You can even make a personalized map of each park it is really neat. I am going to order ours soon. It is free!! Have you ordered a planning dvd yet? If not that is also a great free planning tool. One thing you will want to do is check the calendar to see what days certain parades & shows will be showing that info is on the Disney web site. It's a Small World will be closed while we are there, so will Star Wars Tours. :sad: That info is on the Disney site too. There are tons of web sites with Disney info mousesavers, allears, wdwinfo just look around. I love the Disney's mom panel! I also like passporter’s message board. Oh & I check out Disney travel guide books from my library all the time. I love Disney!! :smile2:
My kids were 9 & 6 on our last visit.
In Magic Kingdom we love Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain railroad, Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Mickey's Philhar Magic, just to name a few. They have new stuff we are looking forward to as well.
Epcot, it has been 8 years since we have been there. We enjoyed test track, & the kidcot stops around the world show case. We are looking forward to Soarin', walking around the world show case, Teppan edos Japanese restaurant. Illuminations at night is a great way to end a day.
Hollywood Studios the last time we were there, 6 years ago it was called MGM. We love Rock'n roller coaster, Tower of Terror, Backlot tour, FANTASMIC is wonderful don't miss that! The new Lights Motors Action show sounds awesome, & Toy Story Mania is super popular. Don't forget to use fastpass when you can.
Animal kingdom again it has been 8 years. We loved the Kilimanjaro Safari, Festival of the Lion King show is neat, Dinosaur (well my kids were 7 & 4 when we were there it was sort of scary for them), Kail River Rapids (you will get wet! Not fun in Dec but was a good ride) the tree of life has It's Tough to be a Bug. We are super pumped up to ride Expedition Everest!! The Finding Nemo show sounds good too.
There are parades & other shows that you will most likely want to see.
I hope this helped you Cindy. Remember this is your family trip & what some may love you may not. Just do your homework know what fits your family & have a wonderful time. I hope to hear from you again & hope to see you in Disney! Sorry this was so long I guess I just had a lot to say today! :lol:

[suep]

Hi group! We are from Savannah Ga. thank you for inviting us to go on the Disney trip with yall. This will be our 3rd trip to Disney. Last time we went was in 2006. I am not looking forward to the heat while there...but there are ways to get cool at the parks. :)
Does everyone know where they are staying yet? Any suggestions? we are on a tight budget this year. We would love to get together with some fellow homeschoolers-children are 16, 14 12 and 12 yr old friend is coming with us too! We signed up for the Wild By Nature II education program. I have not seen it listed yet, and really hope we get that one...it was one of the reasons we decided to go this year. :wave:
Well thats it for now...hope to hear from yall soon.
the p family in Savannah Ga:biggrin2:

[cameragirl]

Countrykid, thanks so much for the tips! I just found out we are staying at Disney Swan & Dolphin (we'll be at the Swan, after some tense moments when we found out the rooms only accomodate 4 and the hotel wouldn't budge- my husband called back later and they told us it would be fine to have 5 in the room). I am excited because there are 5 pools and it is walking distance to Epcot, plus it has free shuttle service to the parks.

My kids are all saving money and getting stuff together for a garage sale so they can have more spending money. I have already told them there will be souvenirs, etc that they will want to buy and I can't afford to do alot of that:redface2:.

We are thinking of taking a beach day too while we are there. I was leaning toward the gulf side though. Treasure Island near St. Pete looks really nice, even though it's a bit further than Cocoa beach. A little research has revealed that the gulf coast beaches are prettier. Besides, I live right near the east coast beach so I can go there any time. I have never been to the gulf coast.

[Dianna]

It's getting close now, ladies! What are you most excited about the trip?

Dianna

[blessedmommyof2]

:wave:Hey, we are home schoolers from OK. A big thanks to Dianna for letting us join in on this fun Disney vacation. My husband's father lives in Cowpens, SC, just in case ya wanted to know how we got involved in this. I think my dh's aunt is a homeschooler. Any how, internet is great for us.
We have rooms at Pop Century, a value resort with my understanding, it is kind of in the middle of things. This is my family's first WDW vacation and I am not sure whom is more excited my dh or my youngest dd. I have walking issues and am a little nervous about the trip, we are bringing my chair so I feel a little better. I am not sure about the educational classes, would anyone know if there are classes they will not offer or which ones they will?
I am looking forward to meeting home schoolers!

[countrykid]

Hi! :wave:
We are excited about the whole thing!! My kids have a count down chain, it’s cute. They both have money saved from doing little odd jobs & birthdays. I am very proud of them.:biggrin2: I am on the PassPorters site everyday chatting with other Disney fanatics!! We are going to all 4 parks, the water parks, Disney Quest, & downtown Disney…..I can’t wait! :eusa_dancDisney has added many things in the last 8 years, & there was already so much we had never done! This is like a trip of a lifetime for us!! I got our tickets for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party… Yippee!! :cheer2:We are going Sept 30 it’s a Thursday so it shouldn’t be too crowded. Is anyone else going if so what day? The beach day is a surprise for my kids they have no clue! :wink2: If things don’t change we are going to have our day at the beach on Sun. Oct. 3. I’m worried about the Gulf Coast because of the oil spill.:confused2 I have never been to the Gulf so if it weren't for that I would love to see it! I agree Treasure Island sounds great…but has it been affected by the oil:question: Any info would be appreciated. My kids are doing the Wild by Nature 2 class. :cool2: My daughter wants to be a veterinarian, so this is right up her ally. Our lunch at Teppan Edo is a surprise for my son. He wants to be a chef & has always wanted to go to a hibachi grill. We will celebrate his birthday there. His real birthday was in June but he didn’t have much of a birthday so we are making it up to him. I would still love any info about saving money at Disney…or the beach, & or just any good pieces of advice. Well better get for now. Hope to hear back from ya’ll!! We have less than a month now!! It’s going to be great!! :bounce::cheer2::eusa_danc:wink2::biggrin2: Sorry just a bit excited!! lol :rotfl2::rotfl:

[Dianna]

:wave:Hey, we are home schoolers from OK. A big thanks to Dianna for letting us join in on this fun Disney vacation. My husband's father lives in Cowpens, SC, just in case ya wanted to know how we got involved in this. I think my dh's aunt is a homeschooler. Any how, internet is great for us.
We have rooms at Pop Century, a value resort with my understanding, it is kind of in the middle of things. This is my family's first WDW vacation and I am not sure whom is more excited my dh or my youngest dd. I have walking issues and am a little nervous about the trip, we are bringing my chair so I feel a little better. I am not sure about the educational classes, would anyone know if there are classes they will not offer or which ones they will?
I am looking forward to meeting home schoolers!

You're welcome! I'm glad you're joining us! Yes, Pop Century is a value resort, and the best of the values (in my opinion). It has the best food court, theming, and most frequent bus transportation (from what I've heard from others who've stayed at the other value resorts).

Don't worry at all about using a wheelchair at any of the parks or the resort or anywhere at Disney. We've had to use one for my middle son for the past several years (due to foot issues), and Disney is very accommodating for guests in wheelchairs and/or those who have any other problem. From what I've heard, Disney accommodates guests better than any other travel company/destination. Seriously... it's a non-issue, so don't worry one bit.

All of the classes have been confirmed (except for the 3 we had to drop previously), and they're listed here: http://www.carolinahomeschooler.com/travelwdw4.htm

Let me know if you have any other questions. I'm getting soooo excited. But my husband beats us all. He looks forward to Disney every year - he feels like a kid every time and loves it so much!

Warmly,
Dianna

[Dianna]

I got our tickets for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party… Yippee!! :cheer2:We are going Sept 30 it’s a Thursday so it shouldn’t be too crowded. Is anyone else going if so what day?


We're not going, but I know several families who are - and some who look forward to going every year. It's the highlight of their trip!


I would still love any info about saving money at Disney.



I think I already told you this, but just in case... if you're not staying on Disney and want to save on the $14 parking fee at the parks, drive to Downtown Disney (where they don't charge for parking), and take the buses there to wherever you want to go.

That's all I can think of for now, but I'll post again if I remember anything that I haven't already told you! :smile2:

Dianna

[blessedmommyof2]

Thanks so much for posting back! Yes, yesterday, I found which classes would not be offered! My children are looking forward to LEARNing with these classes. My fellow home schoolers in OK are so jealous:biggrin: we had our kick off last night, my youngest dd told everyone! I think she maybe excited:banana:We are all so excited, my dh gets 9days vacation from his work, just a win/win for him! bye-for-now,
Nora

[countrykid]

It's almost time!!!! How are all of your plans looking? I need a wheelchair for my mom while we are there any ideas?

[Dianna]

It's almost time!!!! How are all of your plans looking? I need a wheelchair for my mom while we are there any ideas?

Everything is on track so far. I still have a few more tickets to mail out, and a few more details to finalize, but it's all good! We really need this vacation! :smile2:

I recommend renting a wheelchair while you're there. My middle son has foot issues (surgeries, pain when walking or standing for long periods), so we usually rent one at the parks if he needs one. It's less expensive if you rent one over multiple days than day-by-day (they'll give you tickets to use for each day). You can also rent chairs less expensively from outside of the park and they'll deliver to your hotel. I don't know personally of a rental company, though. You'll probably find recommendations on the various Disney websites. In any case, Disney is very accommodating of their guests with wheelchairs and other problems.

[countrykid]

Dianna
Sorry to hear about your sons foot problems. I will look into Disney's multi-day rentals that will probably be the best way to go. I think there is a guest assistance card I can pick up for my mom as well. This will keep her out of the heat, & help her have a place to sit while we wait to ride stuff. I think she will be ok to ride we will start slow & see how she feels. Thanks for all your help! We are very excited about this trip too! I am so grateful you put this together!! :biggrin2:

[cameragirl]

We are counting down! 12 days til we leave for Disney:cheer2:

Our tickets came today.

I have been reading the unofficial guide to get ideas of what to ride and when. I even found a neat free app for my phone that gives you real-time wait times for all the major attractions. Cool!

Hubby and I signed up for the first annual food and wine classic, being held right at our hotel, the Swan & Dolphin! It starts on our last night there so we made reservations for the hotel childcare for the evening, and then we get to sample all the food and drink we want from lots of fancy restaurants. I think that will be a nice way to end our trip:)

[Dianna]

Cameragirl,

I think you were the last one to get your tickets. (I always try to order the last batch kind of late so I can make last-minute adjustments to the order.)

Everyone has their tickets, and hopefully we're all set to go. I can't wait! :banana:

Dianna

[Dianna]

And just another nag... uh, I mean, reminder... please remember to make at least one copy of the back of your tickets and pack them in different places. :smile2:

Warmly,
Dianna