Planning & Overwhelmed, but excited!
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| Sun, 01-28-2007 - 10:38pm |
Dh & I went to DW on our honeymoon, way back when there was no Epcot, LOL! It was very easy back then. When we finally decided to venture out of our hotel room, we went to the MK! One day we rented speedboats on some lake, we have photos, but I can't possibly remember what lake or any other details lol. It seems like now I have to do much more planning, and I am beginning to feel overwhelmed. I've been googling stuff & found a couple of sources, like mousesavers, travelwithkids on about.com, wdwinfo, an article here on iVillage, etc.
We're going for the week from Dec. 22 to 28. I know, it's one of the busiest weeks, but two of our girls are in college, and the "baby" is in high school, and that's the best time for them. Plus we're taking the oldest dd's b/f who is also in college. We have booked a 2-bedroom unit off-site at Star Island, part of our timeshare trading company, which claims it is 4 miles from the MK. (TripAdvisor gave it mostly good reviews, so I'm hopeful that they're right lol.) They offer a shuttle bus to the park, once in the morning and once in the evening. I'm the only driver in the group, and want to do a minimum of driving, while keeping a fair amount of flexibility, so we'll probably also rent a minivan.
That said, I still have so many questions and don't know what to think about first. I am not sure what kind of park passes to get. I think the kids would enjoy the water parks (at least one day), and dh & I might as well. Because of that, plus dh & myself might not have the energy for it, I don't think we need 7-day passes (or at least not for dh & I). Dh is a heart patient plus he has a bad hip (after this trip, he might finally be eligible for that replacement!), and I am way obese & not fit for walking all day. I understand the parks have wheelchairs & scooters for rent, but dh said he would rather sit on a bench for an hour to rest than ride in a wheelchair. I was wondering about the scooter, though, for me. However, it seems like you have to get to the park especially early since they're first-come/first-served, and it's a busy week. What are the parks like, as far as shaded benches? Are there lots of them? I also thought the scooter might be nice since we're all water-drinkers, we could take extra bottled water and the scooter could hold the extras. Also, I want to bring a family first-aid kit, mostly band-aids for blisters, bug-bite cream, sunblock & aloe, and a few feminine hygiene products. No one is going to want to carry more than one bottle of water around all day, let alone a tote bag. And I can't imagine trying to convince my kids to wear a fanny-pack LOL.
Can you even bring your own bottled water into the park? It is Florida, after all. We were in Tampa 6 weeks ago at the same time frame, and it was HOT & HUMID every day that week except the day we went home to PA!
Can anyone tell me what the parks are like that week? What hours are they open? Is it better to take our own vehicle? Is parking at the MK free? If we have to pay, is it one price each time, or one price for all day (that is, do we have in/out privileges)? If we went to the park in the morning, came back to our hotel in the afternoon, then back to the park for the evening, would we have to pay to park a 2nd time that day? Oh, and while I'm thinking about it, can we leave the park & go back on the same day's pass? How do those park passes work? Suppose dh & I get really exhausted mid-day, too tired to even drive back to the hotel? Is there someplace cool & quiet to rest? (Dh could even cat-nap in a mall, though, lol.) Do you ever see guests doing that on a bench, or would the kids really be embarrassed?
I'm learning that we should decide ahead which attractions to do. I want to give the kids choices, though. I don't want to have to decide for them. Only my middle dd has been there, none of the others have. The ages of the kids who've never been there are 21 & 14, and the b/f is 20. I found an article on iVillage that outlines WDW for different aged kids, & which ones might be too babyish for them. But how do I decide of the ones they'd like, which ones dh & I want to do? I know we parents won't have the energy to do everything they all want to. As mentioned above, I've considered the idea of buying more inclusive passes for the kids so that they could go to the park on their own 1 or 2 days, and dh & I can stay at the hotel & relax & enjoy the hotel's features. OTOH, if we're up to it, when the kids go to one of the parks one day, dh & I could go to a different one ... I just don't know. It seems like these are all decisions to be made before we go, rather than just play every day by "ear" like on our honeymoon.
We'd like to take the family to a nice Disney dinner at least once. I read about this new place called Boma, I think? Any thoughts on that, or other ideas?
Last but not least, for now, I read on one site about a Magic Kingdom Club, a savings club (sounds like one of those supermarket-savings clubs). Is it worth it if we're not staying on-site?
THANKS ALL!
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In peace,
Max

Welcome to the board, Max!! It HAS been a long time since you were last at Disney, hasn't it? LOL Planning a Disney trip can be overwhelming but your excitement and anticipation of the trip will win out, I assure you! :) Also, you've found
Val, Co-CL Disney Vacations