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Hello friends! 

 

I thought I'd introduce myself - I'm Robin and I live in a suburb of Atlanta. I homeschool my four boys, ages 14 (almost 15), 9, 6, and 5. We are very excited to be making our second family trip to Disney in the Fall.

 

I am an obsessive Disney planner - complete with spreadsheets and lists. But, I'm by no means a pro and I am always so excited to learn something new. The size of our family necessitates that we stay off-site, so I can answer some questions about that. Let me just go ahead and say, I think it's the way to go if you have a family the size of ours!

 

I look forward to sharing the excitement over this upcoming trip with y'all!

 

Joyfully,

Robin

No more news yet, but everything should be finalized this week. I'll post an update as soon as I can.

 

Warmly,

Dianna

Sometimes plans change and families aren't able to join us on trips and events they've already paid for. In some cases, instead of asking for a refund, families donate their spots to those who would otherwise not be able to attend. In other cases, the place we're visiting won't give us a refund, and those spots are wasted if we don't have anyone on our waiting list.

If you're a homeschooling family who can't attend our events due to financial hardship, or you'd like to refer a family in need for upcoming events, please email me at director@carolinahomeschooler.com.

Warmly,
Dianna

Hiya guys....we stayed at Windsor hills..2 miles from Disney last Feb..loved it..they have 2-3 bdroom condos. Townhouses with splash pools and full 5 bedrooms houses with private pools...so everyone has a budget I know this place was super clean pool with slide very safe and secure..easy off site drive and cheap restaurant ...just a great alternative ...well be waiting for dates..the shortcutting drive was shorter than any Disney bus..and I think they have meeting rooms...for any classes we want to have..by the pool..so even if we don't get a hotel together..some can have some get togethers..ooh plus all have full kitchens ..we saved a ton on breakfast.

Okay, Dorothy, I am by no means an expert, but I've done some poking around for you and this is what I've come up with.  A family of six only has a few relatively inexpensive places they can stay on site as far as I can tell.  You can do the family suites at Art of Animation or All Star Music for (Disney price) $2200-2500 (that's for the whole week, November 16-24, 8 nights).  If you are a AAA member, Disney Visa holder, or ID-having military retiree then you can often get some discounts in the 5-15% range.  The disadvantage to these rooms are that they JUST sleep 6, with the two smallest bed being a twin fold-out chair and a "single" fold-out ottoman; the value resorts are more spread out, so there's more walking from room to bus stop, food, etc. although each complex of three buildings usually has its own water play/pool area (check a map to see what I'm talking about); and you're pretty much stuck with Disney's food as you might have a little fridge but nothing else, so that adds a bunch of $$.
Another option is one of the 2BR villas at Saratoga Springs, a Deluxe Resort.  The big advantages here are that it's much bigger, sleeps 8, so the master BR has a king-sized bed and the other three are queen beds or sofabeds; and you get a fully equipped kitchen, which can cut down TREMENDOUSLY on your food costs.  Now, I know you don't want to be in there cooking all the time, but even if you just had a quick breakfast in the room and then made sandwiches to take to the parks for lunch (or had them for dinner after an afternoon swim) you would be SO ahead of the game.  You would just have to have the food arranged to be delivered, but there are several companies that do that.  This option IS more spendy of course, and you don't book it through Disney b/c that would cost you more than 6K.  You go to a Disney Vacation Club (DVC) rental site, like dvc-rental.com, and you pay someone for their extra points to rent it in your name.  I ran those numbers for your family, again for my dates which is 8 nights, and that came to about $3200.  Add your airfare (check Southwest directly, they don't participate in fare-finder sites and they're an Orlando hub), figure one Disney meal per day plus whatever you think breakfast and sandwich/chips/fruit/snacks would cost for the week (a lot of the delivery sites have "menus" you can price from), and then assume $230 per person for 8-day tickets.  I have no idea what Universal and Sea World tickets are going to cost, so I'm not sure what to estimate there.  And then pray for a big tax refund!!! :-)

I'm SUPER interested in Universal. I haven't taken my kids yet, since it's as expensive as Disney, and we get so much out of that. We went in January 2012, and so much was changing that I am so excited about seeing. I'm a Disney freak, so we go every other year, and I've been doing it since I was 10, so I've been dozens of times .

 

I was the one who accidentally emailed about the hysterectomy. We're homeschoolers, and we spent HOURS at the Affection Section and Rafiki's Planet Watch petting and feeding the goats and pigs, and watching a Kuni Kuni pig getting a hysterectomy.

 

There is SO much at Disney for people who don't ride thrill rides! The Magic Kingdom has the new interactive game Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom. Parades, shows, character events... Epcot has the new Phineas and Ferb (used to be Kim Possible) interactive adventure. We did Kim Possible or hours and loved it. In addition, Epcot has tons of shows, and the Innoventions pavilions. Epcot is my favorite park. Animal Kingdom is adding a new scavenger hunt. http://forums.wdwmag...er-hunt.801676/ Not sure when that will be active, though. Hollywood Studios has so many great shows if you aren't a rider, too.

We have gone twice with our large family onsite to Disney.  In 2005 we stayed at the Wilderness Lodge.  If your asking how we afforded a deluxe with a large family of 6 children at the time, well....my mom decided she wanted to go with us and offered to pay for one of the rooms with our kids in it!  When I ran the figures it was a huge upgrade and bonus to us! (oh and she only would do deluxe acommodations...at first I kept thinking we couldn't afford it and then I realized it wasn't much more then us paying for two budgets with a huge upgrade)  We loved the theming!  My dad loved going downstairs and using his dining credits for bacon, eggs and coffee at the sit down breakfast while looking at the grand lodge entrance and waiting for our large family to get ready.  I can't even begin to explain how spoiled we were staying there!  We brought cold breakfast for the kids in the room, but the kids loved to use their snack credits for cream cheese and bagals or what not.  My mom loved exploring the property.  Lets just say with such a big party getting ready in the morning everyone was very happy and not bored and getting upset at people.   I felt very safe with the kids going downstairs by themselves.  We only stayed in a moderate (Port Orleans Riverside) one night and it didn't have any of the luxaries that we were spoiled with.  For example, I didn't feel safe sending my children out of the room to walk who knows how far outside to the food, shops, pools, etc.  I didn't like the bus stop for my only means of transportation and it wasn't as convenient or nice as the deluxes.  I would do a budget or moderate if it meant staying on property...but we were spoiled!

 

We had so much fun in 2005, that we went again with my parents in 2008.  This time we decided for the Beach Club.  It was awesome for that trip!  I loved the decor!!!  The pool was the best for the ages of our range of kids!  We utilized it every mid afternoon.  One of the greatest tips for young children is to get out of the heat at mid day for rest, relaxation and naps!  It truly saves on having a fun, relaxed vacation.  As the person said, kids get grumpy when it gets hot out. (not to say parents too)  I am a very visual person, and could not believe how even I could get "visual overload" from being in the parks.  The middle of the afternoon rest reengergized everyone.  I loved the personalized character dining there.  The kids loved the "happy meals" in a pail at the pool restaurant!  After their meal they would take their pail and shovel and go play in the special sand beach and toddler sized themed beach for them only.  It was truly amazing how they did it all.  The pool area had different spots for all ages of kids.  The lazy river float, the pirates of the carribean slide from a recreated pirate ship, little fun fountains that squirted the little kids, and it all felt like you were at a beach! (and walkways going over different areas of the pool)  We can't forget the view of across the lake was the boardwalk and my husband and I could go for a stroll around the lake.  One morning we meandered around the lake to the boardwalk to a little breakfast nook and had breakfast.  The shop felt like you were in a different country.  And last, but not least you can't forget the boat rides(which I love) to Epcot or Disney Studios.  You can walk to Epcot and Disney Studios(I am not sure if you still can, I think we decided to just take the boat because I love that mode of travel)  It probably took longer, but I always walked to Epcot and took the monorail to Magic Kingdom.  I  love the monorail too!  I guess it is reminiscent of when I was in 5th grade and my family and my grandparents brought us to Disney and we stayed at the Contemporary.  Everytime we go we ask to ride up front with the engineer, it is a highlight!  I guess you can say I really like that area for the luxuries of the scenery and mode of transportation. (I like walking too! The buses are my least favorite)  I didn't mention that I loved the boat at the Wilderness Lodge!  We used it alot!  We always seemed to have good luck with walking down and getting on quite quickly.  We didn't use it for just the Magic Kingdom.  I loved it so much I would take the boat, then the monorail to epcot.  I tried to avoid the buses unless we were in a hurry.  Early in the morning we always had great service on the buses.  We did other times of day too, I just didn't utilize them as much.

 

Sorry if I went on too much...my ramblings some might find enjoyable!

WooHoo! Let the Disney stalking begin!!! 

Tuck your membership card in your wallet as soon as you receive it so you can take advantage of educator/homeschooler discounts if they're offered. 

 

Below are a few discounts available to homeschool families. If you know of others, please post a message in this thread and I'll add them to the list.

 

SC State Museum

Homeschool students (K5-12) and one parent get in free on Tuesday-Thursday. Check their website for full details. (Special Exhibits usually cost extra - only admission to the museum itself is free.)

 

etvStreamlineSC

Through etvSreamlineSC, SC homeschoolers receive free Discovery Education Streaming, as well as ETV and ITV content, and related quizzes, assignments, black line masters, teachers' guides, and more. To get an account, send an email to vjallred@scetv.org and sokonek@scetv.org with the following information:

- in the subject line, type: Streamline for homeschools

- tell them your name, name of your association, your address, and the ages of your children

 

They'll email you a passcode and instructions for creating your account. (We'll use some of the content here for our history e-projects, so make sure you create an account when you become members.)

 

Ripley's Aquarium (Myrtle Beach)

I don't know about in other areas, but Ripley's Aquarium in Myrtle Beach offers significant discounts for homeschooling families. Visit their website or call them for rates.

 

NC Zoo

NC homeschool students (K-12), and one parent, get in free. Out-of-state homeschool students received a discounted price of $6 and one parent gets in free. For more information about discounts, visit their website.

 

Barnes & Noble Educator's Discount

You'll get a 20% discount off the publisher's list price on select items that they consider suitable for use in the classroom or with the student population, including most hardcover and paperback books, toys, and games. Visit their website for more information.

well,I've done Disney both with and wothout the dining plan in the past....I plan to NOT use it this trip,and join up with this groups disounted homeschool deals. I looked at it this way, when we had the free dining, it was fun,and we ATE a lot, but our trip was organized around that food. With the discounted h.s. tickets,we can organize our trip around a more leisurely, hang out wherever we feel like it ,use thos park hopper tickets kind of pace. ANd pay out of pocket for quick service? No problem,I think I could keep it under 100.00 per day,onsite only,at QS places. (4 people)There are some excellent quick service choices on property!

  FD did save us some $$$,but we had to use less 'tickets' as in I couldn't afford to upgrade too many days in parks, or hoppers,etc.

  And it seems to me this group rate is a FAR better price than average yes programs.......so what is the focus,eating,or touring? For us, this trip it'll be less about food I think. (not so bad for my diet LOL)

I'm looking forward to eating when and where we feel like it,instead of worrying about credits/plans/times.

Shelley, don't apologize for jumping in - that's exactly what we want... homeschoolers to jump in and share their experiences and advice. Thank you!

 

Warmly,

Dianna

Shelley, that's a good point about the parking fee. I think it's still $14 per day for 2013, but may go up before our dates (if they increase prices, it's usually in early fall, from what I've noticed).

 

Families won't have to pay for parking on the day of their educational program at the park where you'll be attending the program. If you go to another park after the program, you'll have to pay for parking. You'll receive a confirmation for your program, and it waives the parking fee.

Does anyone here have recommendations for campgrounds? We have stayed at Disney's Fort Wilderness, but it's pretty expensive. We are interested in off-site RV parks. Thanks.

There are two that I have heard of from the disboards.com.  They are Tropical Palms Resort and Turkey Lake.  We have thought of staying there but ruled them out for the following reasons.  By the time we paid parking at the parks each day Tropical Palms would cost as much as Fort Wilderness.  Turkey Lake is run by the City of Orlando and the rate was $8.00 a night (I am not sure what it is now.).  Turkey Lake is a drive from the parks and it does fill up quickly. 

 

I am not sure if I have been helpful.  I know these parks were recommended a lot on the disboards.com under Camping at Disney World.

 

Shelley

Hi, and welcome!

 

I think you'll find homeschooling in SC easier than in NY (from what I've heard about NY in the past). To find out more about homeschooling under our 3rd Option law (the majority of homeschoolers go this route), see http://www.carolinah...com/alegal.html

 

I'd also recommend that you read through my FAQs at http://www.carolinah...r.com/afaq.html

 

For more extensive information about homeschooling, you may want to read my homeschooling guide available here: http://amzn.to/Mj41rh  It discusses methods, resources, schedules, high school, record-keeping, and more, and is intended for new homeschoolers.

 

Let me know where you're planning to move to, and I'll try to connect you with local homeschoolers so you can find out about support networks before you move here.

 

I hope this is enough to get you started. Let me know if you have any other questions.

 

Warmly,
Dianna

The USPS Community Connection is offering a lesson plan honoring our nation's First Ladies as part of Women's History Month. Here's the link: http://www.uspsconne...e/lesson-plans/

Dianna

Yes, onsite. I hope to be able to post details tomorrow.

If we don't do the educational tours at Universal, can we use our 2-day tickets whenever we want?

You can use them between the dates of Nov. 13-23. Both days must be used within 7 days of each other, based on the first day of use. (If you use your first day on Nov. 13, the second ticket must be used within 7 days of that or you lose the 2nd day.)

 

 

I'll post more questions/answers as we go along.

Michelle and Robin, I moved your questions into a new "Questions about Disney Classes" thread and will answer there.

 

Warmly,

Dianna

Disney confirmed the final details and the trip is finally posted! Thanks so much for your patience. You ladies are the best!

 

Here's the link:

http://www.carolinah...atravelwdw.html

 

Warmly,
Dianna

We always have to get Giordano's pizza - YUMMY Chicago-style pizza. Right now you can get a $10 certificate for $4 on restaurant.com. I put in zip code 34747. You have to buy $20 worth of food, but that isn't a problem for us. 

We love Giordano's too!  They've been offering that certificate for a while now, because we used one Sept. 2011!