Well, we begin our ODYSSEY of buying a car in Utah and shipping it to New York to save the cost of a rental car in Utah this summer.
As the only real cost incurred by buying the car in Utah that is unique to the equation is shipping the car, that's really the deal breaker to pursue. So I did some online checking today.
Quite simply, it seems that I can get a rate between about $800 and $1,000. That seems pretty standard. But reading all the bids scares you a little bit because they all seem to warn you how the other guy will rip you off, not ship your car for weeks, etc.
But nothing that has scared me off. I'm confident we can find a good shipper that won't eat up our savings. We may have to pick-up the car in New Jersey vs. have it delivered to our door, but that's do-able.
So I'm going to proceed with the assumption that the fixed cost of buying a car in Utah is $1,000. Next, I'm going to officially reserve a van for our entire trip in Utah to know exactly how much that would cost. I know it's more than $2,000, so it appears we'll at least be $1,000 ahead in doing this.
Keep your hands at 10 and 2, and stay tuned.
Mark
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Disney World, Day 5 (Animal Kingdom)
Well, it's time to bring my memories of our Disney World trip to a close. This probably won't be as detailed but since it's been about six weeks, well....
To finish with the last day at Magic Kingdom, once we got home, Josh wanted to go swimming. I had promised him that all day if we stayed to the end. So at 10 p.m. at night, we were out swimming. I get cold kind of fast, but I was happy to do it. I brought back virgin drinks from the bar for me and Kathryn.
We were all really excited for Animal Kingdom as it was a new park for all of us.
We started by having an 8:10 a.m. reservation for a character breakfast at the Tusker House in Africa. That allowed us to enter the park an hour before it opened, and walking up there with the park closed with kind of fun. It felt a lot like the Bronx Zoo.
The meal was great and definitely felt authentic African in terms of some of the tastes from my mission. Definitely one of my favorite meals of the trip. And the classic Disney characters made it special, too.
The breakfast is situated right next to the Safari ride. When the rope was dropped, we scooted over there. Of course, in typical Mark fashion, I raced to get us a Fastpass before we got on it. Not that we needed it, but just because "we could". I sort of bought into the hype and couldn't stop with Fastpass!
The safari ride is fun, and then walking through the exhibits at the exit were good, too. Then Kathryn headed down to Camp Minnie Mickey while I did a fast tour of the park fetching Fastpasses (three for Everest and 2 for Dinosaur). I met her down there in the Camp and they had just had a great experience catching Chip and Dale (Sam's adopted favorite characters) as they came out for their character greetings. It was a very personal experience and was a highlight for Kathryn. It helped Sammy was carrying their stuffed animal counter parts.
Then we just chilled until the Lion King show started at 11 a.m., which is high energy and I felt fun.
The next big thing we wanted to do was the Nemo show, which wasn't until 1:45 p.m. But the time evaporated fast. I rode Dinosaur first, and was kind of disappointed. From the opening of the park 10 years ago, I've always wanted to go on it, but it didn't pack the punch I hoped it would. Just felt like driving around in a jeep looking at Dinosaurs. Pales big time to Indy ride in Disneyland. Then I did Everest, and the theming and all that is great from a distance, but I thought the roller coaster experience didn't deliver on it feeling like Everest. Maybe my bar is too high.
Kathryn and the kids did some of the dinosaur area rides during this time. Then we did traditional fast food type lunch before rushing to the Nemo show....can't believe it was time already.
The Nemo show is the best show in Disneyworld, and the best thing at Animal Kingdom. Worth the price of admission right there. As good as Lion King on Broadway. The puppets and all are just really really great.
I believe Kathryn did Everest next while I watched the kids. At 3 p.m., they did the bird show, which they all enjoyed. Sammy was asleep so I walked around and shopped and scouted out a place for the parade. That's a really great parade, and we had a good place and I even stole a chair for Kathryn to sit in. We then used our earlier fast pass to hit safari again.
Time was already getting tight as the park closes at 7 p.m. I did the Boneyard with the kids for a while, and Kathryn either did Everest now (instead of what I said a moment ago) or did another ride with Caroline on the "Wild Mouse" type ride.
The day ended anticlimatically with us trying to get our last purchases, missing dinner, and my worrying that we'd miss our flight at 9 p.m. Not one of the best Mark moments of the trip.
But we left, made it to the airport on time, got dinner at McDonalds at the airport, and were the first passengers on a new JetBlue plane. We got home without incident.
Overall, a great, great vacation that we will remember forever! When we return (and we will) we want more time at Epcot and more ability to just explore and be leisurely at Animal Kingdom.
Phew!
Mark
To finish with the last day at Magic Kingdom, once we got home, Josh wanted to go swimming. I had promised him that all day if we stayed to the end. So at 10 p.m. at night, we were out swimming. I get cold kind of fast, but I was happy to do it. I brought back virgin drinks from the bar for me and Kathryn.
We were all really excited for Animal Kingdom as it was a new park for all of us.
We started by having an 8:10 a.m. reservation for a character breakfast at the Tusker House in Africa. That allowed us to enter the park an hour before it opened, and walking up there with the park closed with kind of fun. It felt a lot like the Bronx Zoo.
The meal was great and definitely felt authentic African in terms of some of the tastes from my mission. Definitely one of my favorite meals of the trip. And the classic Disney characters made it special, too.
The breakfast is situated right next to the Safari ride. When the rope was dropped, we scooted over there. Of course, in typical Mark fashion, I raced to get us a Fastpass before we got on it. Not that we needed it, but just because "we could". I sort of bought into the hype and couldn't stop with Fastpass!
The safari ride is fun, and then walking through the exhibits at the exit were good, too. Then Kathryn headed down to Camp Minnie Mickey while I did a fast tour of the park fetching Fastpasses (three for Everest and 2 for Dinosaur). I met her down there in the Camp and they had just had a great experience catching Chip and Dale (Sam's adopted favorite characters) as they came out for their character greetings. It was a very personal experience and was a highlight for Kathryn. It helped Sammy was carrying their stuffed animal counter parts.
Then we just chilled until the Lion King show started at 11 a.m., which is high energy and I felt fun.
The next big thing we wanted to do was the Nemo show, which wasn't until 1:45 p.m. But the time evaporated fast. I rode Dinosaur first, and was kind of disappointed. From the opening of the park 10 years ago, I've always wanted to go on it, but it didn't pack the punch I hoped it would. Just felt like driving around in a jeep looking at Dinosaurs. Pales big time to Indy ride in Disneyland. Then I did Everest, and the theming and all that is great from a distance, but I thought the roller coaster experience didn't deliver on it feeling like Everest. Maybe my bar is too high.
Kathryn and the kids did some of the dinosaur area rides during this time. Then we did traditional fast food type lunch before rushing to the Nemo show....can't believe it was time already.
The Nemo show is the best show in Disneyworld, and the best thing at Animal Kingdom. Worth the price of admission right there. As good as Lion King on Broadway. The puppets and all are just really really great.
I believe Kathryn did Everest next while I watched the kids. At 3 p.m., they did the bird show, which they all enjoyed. Sammy was asleep so I walked around and shopped and scouted out a place for the parade. That's a really great parade, and we had a good place and I even stole a chair for Kathryn to sit in. We then used our earlier fast pass to hit safari again.
Time was already getting tight as the park closes at 7 p.m. I did the Boneyard with the kids for a while, and Kathryn either did Everest now (instead of what I said a moment ago) or did another ride with Caroline on the "Wild Mouse" type ride.
The day ended anticlimatically with us trying to get our last purchases, missing dinner, and my worrying that we'd miss our flight at 9 p.m. Not one of the best Mark moments of the trip.
But we left, made it to the airport on time, got dinner at McDonalds at the airport, and were the first passengers on a new JetBlue plane. We got home without incident.
Overall, a great, great vacation that we will remember forever! When we return (and we will) we want more time at Epcot and more ability to just explore and be leisurely at Animal Kingdom.
Phew!
Mark
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
An Odyssey to Save Money on Cars
Hi blog fans:
Yes, I still have one more day to detail on our Disney World trip.
But here's a preview of next big thing. From the family that orchestrated a simultaneous closing on our old and new house, and from the guy who over-researched every last second of their trip to Disney World comes: "Save Money by Buying a Car in Utah and Shipping it to NYC???" I call it my "Odyssey to Save Money on Cars".
I started researching vans to rent while in Utah for our annual visit. We're staying nearly a month due to a High School reunion scheduled at the end. Mini vans for that long cost in the range of $2,000. "Wow -- that could be several car payments right there" said my smart wife.
"Ah, you're right!"
The timing might be right for us to expand our auto family. And the name of this adventure is going to see how much will it cost -- or how much will I save -- AND at what price hassle-wise. I'll bring you along every step of the way as I evaluate such things as:
• Honda Odyssey OR Toyota Sienna
• Turn in the mini van OR become a two automobile family
• Purchase in Utah OR purchase in NYC
• Buy OR Lease
• negotiating with dealers via the internet only
• comparison of prices in NYC vs. SLC
• how to ship a car cross country
• drawbacks of buying in Zion and owning it in Babylon
• Plans to drive the car back out to Utah (i.e. road trip) in 3 years when lease is up (if I go that route)
The goal is to get the van we want with at least a $1,200 savings (shipping a car is $800; a rental van would be $2,000) and taking delivery within the first 3 days Kathryn arrives in SLC. Can it be done? Stay tuned to my special reports.
We may set off a trend amongst my fellow Westchester / Salt Lakers.
Mark
Yes, I still have one more day to detail on our Disney World trip.
But here's a preview of next big thing. From the family that orchestrated a simultaneous closing on our old and new house, and from the guy who over-researched every last second of their trip to Disney World comes: "Save Money by Buying a Car in Utah and Shipping it to NYC???" I call it my "Odyssey to Save Money on Cars".
I started researching vans to rent while in Utah for our annual visit. We're staying nearly a month due to a High School reunion scheduled at the end. Mini vans for that long cost in the range of $2,000. "Wow -- that could be several car payments right there" said my smart wife.
"Ah, you're right!"
The timing might be right for us to expand our auto family. And the name of this adventure is going to see how much will it cost -- or how much will I save -- AND at what price hassle-wise. I'll bring you along every step of the way as I evaluate such things as:
• Honda Odyssey OR Toyota Sienna
• Turn in the mini van OR become a two automobile family
• Purchase in Utah OR purchase in NYC
• Buy OR Lease
• negotiating with dealers via the internet only
• comparison of prices in NYC vs. SLC
• how to ship a car cross country
• drawbacks of buying in Zion and owning it in Babylon
• Plans to drive the car back out to Utah (i.e. road trip) in 3 years when lease is up (if I go that route)
The goal is to get the van we want with at least a $1,200 savings (shipping a car is $800; a rental van would be $2,000) and taking delivery within the first 3 days Kathryn arrives in SLC. Can it be done? Stay tuned to my special reports.
We may set off a trend amongst my fellow Westchester / Salt Lakers.
Mark
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Disney World, Day 4 (Magic Kingdom) (part 4)
Our final hours at Magic Kingdom were fun. After the Haunted Mansion, we weren't quite sure what to do, so I did what I do best, which is ran down to get another Fastpass, this time on the Jungle Boats. Kathryn stayed with the kids by the Mark Twain-type steam boat and had the kids eat their peanut butter sandwiches. But then we went to the fast food place in Fantasyland that overlooks Small World for a real dinner of hamburgers, pizza, etc. It was completely empty and so it was very stress free.
Then I made a mad dash off to Big Thunder for one more ride as I had remaining Fastpass to cash in. Kathryn took the kids to Adventureland and they did the Flying Carpets one or two times. I picked up some more Fastpasses at Big Thunder because why not? Then I caught up with Kathryn just as they were getting on the Flying Carpets. Kathryn asked me to jump the fence and join her on the ride because Sammy was having his biggest meltdown of the trip. I ended up running up the exit and jumping in one of the carpets and taking Sam. It was not a pleasant ride with Sam screaming the whole time and me not quite sure what I had just inherited. But considering how good he was the majority of the time, he's allowed one bad moment.
But I felt uneasy entering the ride through an unauthorized manner....if I did that at an airport, I'd be arrested.
Then we did the Jungle Boats again. It wasn't as fun as Wed. night as the skipper was still very good, but we very much loved Skipper Mike.
Then we headed back up to Fantasyland, and I was thrilled that Josh had finally talked himself into going on Big Thunder (guess that's why I got the extra fast passes). It meant we had to fight the parade crowds to get to the ride, but it was worth it, because I didn't want Josh to leave without going on it as I knew he'd regret it. So Kathryn was happy to keep the three in Fantasyland, and Josh talked all the way down about how excited that he was overcoming his fear and doing it. I could tell he was nervous in the line, but he didn't chicken out. And he actually seemed to enjoy it! Too bad it was at night because for the first time on the ride, daytime would have been better to enjoy all the scenery and nuances. But it was a very big victory for all of us.
Kathryn stayed in Fantasyland and among other things went on Dumbo one more time. She really wanted to ride Dumbo at night, and she had a great missionary experience while waiting in line, so maybe that's why.
It was a challenge to meet up again as they close the access to Fantasyland. Fortunately, the fireworks got delayed, which allowed us some time to escape. We kept on the phone, I saw her as she walked by on Main Street, we joined up and got out of Dodge just as the fireworks were starting. So we saw the fireworks from the monorail and left with that picturesque memory. Magic Kingdom....done!
Then I made a mad dash off to Big Thunder for one more ride as I had remaining Fastpass to cash in. Kathryn took the kids to Adventureland and they did the Flying Carpets one or two times. I picked up some more Fastpasses at Big Thunder because why not? Then I caught up with Kathryn just as they were getting on the Flying Carpets. Kathryn asked me to jump the fence and join her on the ride because Sammy was having his biggest meltdown of the trip. I ended up running up the exit and jumping in one of the carpets and taking Sam. It was not a pleasant ride with Sam screaming the whole time and me not quite sure what I had just inherited. But considering how good he was the majority of the time, he's allowed one bad moment.
But I felt uneasy entering the ride through an unauthorized manner....if I did that at an airport, I'd be arrested.
Then we did the Jungle Boats again. It wasn't as fun as Wed. night as the skipper was still very good, but we very much loved Skipper Mike.
Then we headed back up to Fantasyland, and I was thrilled that Josh had finally talked himself into going on Big Thunder (guess that's why I got the extra fast passes). It meant we had to fight the parade crowds to get to the ride, but it was worth it, because I didn't want Josh to leave without going on it as I knew he'd regret it. So Kathryn was happy to keep the three in Fantasyland, and Josh talked all the way down about how excited that he was overcoming his fear and doing it. I could tell he was nervous in the line, but he didn't chicken out. And he actually seemed to enjoy it! Too bad it was at night because for the first time on the ride, daytime would have been better to enjoy all the scenery and nuances. But it was a very big victory for all of us.
Kathryn stayed in Fantasyland and among other things went on Dumbo one more time. She really wanted to ride Dumbo at night, and she had a great missionary experience while waiting in line, so maybe that's why.
It was a challenge to meet up again as they close the access to Fantasyland. Fortunately, the fireworks got delayed, which allowed us some time to escape. We kept on the phone, I saw her as she walked by on Main Street, we joined up and got out of Dodge just as the fireworks were starting. So we saw the fireworks from the monorail and left with that picturesque memory. Magic Kingdom....done!
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Disney World, Day 4 (Magic Kingdom) (part 3)
I may now be getting the order mixed up just a bit on our Friday afternoon after 3 p.m.
But I know Caroline and Matthew and I went to Toon Town to ride the Barnstormer Coaster and Josh, Mom and Sam went on Snow White. I took Josh and Matthew on the Autopia again (that was a real big hit for Matthew, so I'm glad we could do it again).
And of course, I picked up another Fastpass, as that was the theme of the day. This time, we grabbed another Winnie the Pooh (why not!) and got a bonus Fastpass for PhilHarmagic. It's kind of a marketing ploy, as I'm sure they knew crowds were light there so they were being sneaky to get people to fill up the theater. But we felt like we won the lottery! Wahoo - bonus!
So back in Fantasyland, I took Matthew on Dumbo again (he was very happy to wait 45 minutes...he loved the flying elephant). Kathryn used our earlier Peter Pan fastpass for the others. Then they got ice cream, and we joined them once we got off the flying elephant. We did the Winnie the Pooh ride on the Fast Pass, and then the Philharmagic. When you do it right, you don't need to wait in lots of lines!
Getting into about 5:30 p.m., we decided to have me and Josh go on Haunted Mansion (I hadn't been yet) while Kathryn took the rest on Small World. Caroline went on it 3 times, and she still says it was a favorite. I didn't think I was going to get on Haunted Mansion, so I'm glad it worked out. I read later that they have added recently a "stair room" which is like one of those classic drawings where the stairs all go up and into each other, but also look like they go down, too, if that makes any sense. But I enjoyed Haunted Mansion more than I ever have. I'd dare say it's better than Anaheim, which surprised me.
Just one more posting and we'll finish Friday night...then off to Animal Kingdom on Saturday.
But I know Caroline and Matthew and I went to Toon Town to ride the Barnstormer Coaster and Josh, Mom and Sam went on Snow White. I took Josh and Matthew on the Autopia again (that was a real big hit for Matthew, so I'm glad we could do it again).
And of course, I picked up another Fastpass, as that was the theme of the day. This time, we grabbed another Winnie the Pooh (why not!) and got a bonus Fastpass for PhilHarmagic. It's kind of a marketing ploy, as I'm sure they knew crowds were light there so they were being sneaky to get people to fill up the theater. But we felt like we won the lottery! Wahoo - bonus!
So back in Fantasyland, I took Matthew on Dumbo again (he was very happy to wait 45 minutes...he loved the flying elephant). Kathryn used our earlier Peter Pan fastpass for the others. Then they got ice cream, and we joined them once we got off the flying elephant. We did the Winnie the Pooh ride on the Fast Pass, and then the Philharmagic. When you do it right, you don't need to wait in lots of lines!
Getting into about 5:30 p.m., we decided to have me and Josh go on Haunted Mansion (I hadn't been yet) while Kathryn took the rest on Small World. Caroline went on it 3 times, and she still says it was a favorite. I didn't think I was going to get on Haunted Mansion, so I'm glad it worked out. I read later that they have added recently a "stair room" which is like one of those classic drawings where the stairs all go up and into each other, but also look like they go down, too, if that makes any sense. But I enjoyed Haunted Mansion more than I ever have. I'd dare say it's better than Anaheim, which surprised me.
Just one more posting and we'll finish Friday night...then off to Animal Kingdom on Saturday.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Disney World, Day 4, Magic Kingdom (Part 2)
After lunch, we decided we kind of want to make one more full circle around the park before the end of day. My intention was to end early and go home and swim. No, I'm not a big swimmer, in fact I kind of hate swimming, but Josh had said he wanted to, and I was thinking we had or would have done everything.
We started after lunch with the Country Bears show as it was about to start, so no wait. Hadn't seen it in years, so that was fun for me, but it could use a bit of a refresh. The kids liked it well enough, though. And Sammy fell asleep, so thus began his afternoon nap as he did transfer. Yea!
We cut across the park with Sammy asleep in his stroller and went to the Monster's Inc. Laugh Factory show. It's part of their new wave of technology where it's computer animated graphics and such, but it's personalized, if that makes sense. So it's an animated character, but he's performing in real time. We got to text in jokes ahead of time, and some were used in the performance. The premise is that laughter provides more energy than scaring kids, so they need to get us to laugh. It really is just like using the old stadium trick of aiming a camera at the fans and then adding commentary when it shows up on the Jumbotron. But it's fun and you laugh, and Matthew seemed to place this at the top of the list of favorite attractions. (Kathryn stayed out with the sleeping Sammy).
If I'm not mistaken, Kathryn now agreed to take Matthew on the Rockets Ride, which had a 45 minute wait, but for which he was more than happy to stand in line for. After all, he was a Jedi now! Kids CAN stand in line and be patient if it's something they want. Matthew really surprised us.
So I had to kill about 10 minutes until the window would open up to get our next Fast Pass (it was nearly 2 hours since I had gotten the passes for Peter Pan, which we hadn't used yet). So I stood by the machine at Buzz Lightyear just waiting and waiting for the clock to hit 1:15, while Kathryn and Matthew were on the Rockets. It's like the Amazing Race! Once the clock hit, I put in our tickets, then we scooted over to the Castle to watch the Performance that they do several times a day. It has Princesses, dancing, characters, etc. Sam slept through much of it, but it was getting pretty warm over there by the end.
We met up together again around 1:45 p.m. I took my turn on Space Mountain while Kathryn hung out with the kids and I think bought some souviners. Space Mountain is dark....it's even darker when you forget to switch out of the sunglasses! Glad to enjoy one last ride before they start a revamp of it starting today. Can't explain why, but definitely more fun at Orlando than Anaheim. When I had my turn, I let Kathryn go (using FastPass) and I took the four kids alone on the Tomorrowland Transit. That's really a big hit!
Unless I'm mistaken, we got done with that and it was time for our FastPass on Buzz Lightyear, so we did that. I think we were moving out of Tomorrowland (for the last time) around 3 p.m.
We started after lunch with the Country Bears show as it was about to start, so no wait. Hadn't seen it in years, so that was fun for me, but it could use a bit of a refresh. The kids liked it well enough, though. And Sammy fell asleep, so thus began his afternoon nap as he did transfer. Yea!
We cut across the park with Sammy asleep in his stroller and went to the Monster's Inc. Laugh Factory show. It's part of their new wave of technology where it's computer animated graphics and such, but it's personalized, if that makes sense. So it's an animated character, but he's performing in real time. We got to text in jokes ahead of time, and some were used in the performance. The premise is that laughter provides more energy than scaring kids, so they need to get us to laugh. It really is just like using the old stadium trick of aiming a camera at the fans and then adding commentary when it shows up on the Jumbotron. But it's fun and you laugh, and Matthew seemed to place this at the top of the list of favorite attractions. (Kathryn stayed out with the sleeping Sammy).
If I'm not mistaken, Kathryn now agreed to take Matthew on the Rockets Ride, which had a 45 minute wait, but for which he was more than happy to stand in line for. After all, he was a Jedi now! Kids CAN stand in line and be patient if it's something they want. Matthew really surprised us.
So I had to kill about 10 minutes until the window would open up to get our next Fast Pass (it was nearly 2 hours since I had gotten the passes for Peter Pan, which we hadn't used yet). So I stood by the machine at Buzz Lightyear just waiting and waiting for the clock to hit 1:15, while Kathryn and Matthew were on the Rockets. It's like the Amazing Race! Once the clock hit, I put in our tickets, then we scooted over to the Castle to watch the Performance that they do several times a day. It has Princesses, dancing, characters, etc. Sam slept through much of it, but it was getting pretty warm over there by the end.
We met up together again around 1:45 p.m. I took my turn on Space Mountain while Kathryn hung out with the kids and I think bought some souviners. Space Mountain is dark....it's even darker when you forget to switch out of the sunglasses! Glad to enjoy one last ride before they start a revamp of it starting today. Can't explain why, but definitely more fun at Orlando than Anaheim. When I had my turn, I let Kathryn go (using FastPass) and I took the four kids alone on the Tomorrowland Transit. That's really a big hit!
Unless I'm mistaken, we got done with that and it was time for our FastPass on Buzz Lightyear, so we did that. I think we were moving out of Tomorrowland (for the last time) around 3 p.m.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Disney World, Day 4 (Magic Kingdom) (part 1)
Wow....being out of town with the Monopoly tournament has thrown me off my writing rampage. Let's return to the narrative.
FRIDAY, MARCH 20
We knew Friday was going to be a less stressful day (and less structured) as we were back for our return day at Magic Kingdom. We had knocked out so much the first day that there wasn't a lot of pressure of trying to hit everything. The kids were adjusting to the regiment of park touring, we had no specific times or schedules (i.e. shows or meals), and we knew the lay of the land.
We had a McDonald's near the hotel, so we brought in breakfast before we left. Then off to the MK. We got there a bit later as we now knew getting there right at 8 a.m. for a 9 a.m. opening was a bit too early. Of course, we were still in position by before the park opened.
Unlike Wednesday, they did a full blown Disney welcome via the train and lots of characters at the entrance. So that was fun.
The race up Main Street is truly a race....should have been smart enough to realize that the lands would be closed, so no need to hustle quite so much. Today we were going off to Frontierland. When the rope dropped, Kathryn led us through a back alley to get ahead of the rope line walkers, but alas, the Disney folks had anticipated that, too, so it didn't matter. And to be honest, we could have been a lot less "hurry up" as the crowds weren't bad. But once you start in that mentality....
Fearing the worst (and remembering the day at Hollywood Studios) I grabbed Fast Passes for Big Thunder then I took a crew on Splash Mountain (they are next to each other). I tried to get Josh to go, but he wasn't quite ready for that one yet. So I took Matthew and Caroline. We had talked about doing switch-off (as we knew Sam couldn't go), but the policy has changed, and now it involves the Fast Pass line, but that doesn't open til 9:30 or so. So I kind of felt 'stressed' during the ride wanting it to hurry so Kathryn could ride crowd-free, too. We got done, and the lines were still very low for Kathryn to go (and she took Caroline again, I believe).
I stayed with the boys and they found a little play area that they loved. Very simple and basic, but sometimes kids don't need or want much.
After that, we did Big Thunder in turns (I think Caroline went twice -- once w/ me and once with Kathryn) but Matthew steered away from it, as did Josh (though he went later in the day and loved it).
This is now when I turned into a Fast Pass machine!!! I had learned that you can get a new one every 2 hours and that they don't monitor the expiration time. So I figured that we'd stock up on them and get one literally every 2 hours. So around 10:15 or so, I darted off to Tomorrowland to get two for Space Mountain. (After missing out on Rock and Roller, I wasn't going to miss Space Mountain) and Kathryn kept the kids. After I got back, it was Josh's turn to get to go on a favorite ride, so Kathryn took Josh and Matthew on Haunted Mansion (up very near Fantasyland) and I took Caro and Sam on Small World. It was a good trade-off and everyone was happy.
We did early lunch (again, lesson learned from Hollywood -- even if not hungry, eat early for the kids' sake and for the crowds sake). We walked down to Pecos Bill in Frontierland, which was doing some back tracking. Even sillier, we got down there and then decided to get three more Fastpasses on Peter Pan (right next to Small World). After all, 3 passes were going to waste (as we had two for Space Mountain). So Matthew and I ran up to get those while Kathryn ordered lunch. Matthew loved sticking the cards into the machine to get them.
Lots of indoor seating at Pecos Bill, good "fixin" bar for the burgers, and everyone felt happy and relaxed.
FRIDAY, MARCH 20
We knew Friday was going to be a less stressful day (and less structured) as we were back for our return day at Magic Kingdom. We had knocked out so much the first day that there wasn't a lot of pressure of trying to hit everything. The kids were adjusting to the regiment of park touring, we had no specific times or schedules (i.e. shows or meals), and we knew the lay of the land.
We had a McDonald's near the hotel, so we brought in breakfast before we left. Then off to the MK. We got there a bit later as we now knew getting there right at 8 a.m. for a 9 a.m. opening was a bit too early. Of course, we were still in position by before the park opened.
Unlike Wednesday, they did a full blown Disney welcome via the train and lots of characters at the entrance. So that was fun.
The race up Main Street is truly a race....should have been smart enough to realize that the lands would be closed, so no need to hustle quite so much. Today we were going off to Frontierland. When the rope dropped, Kathryn led us through a back alley to get ahead of the rope line walkers, but alas, the Disney folks had anticipated that, too, so it didn't matter. And to be honest, we could have been a lot less "hurry up" as the crowds weren't bad. But once you start in that mentality....
Fearing the worst (and remembering the day at Hollywood Studios) I grabbed Fast Passes for Big Thunder then I took a crew on Splash Mountain (they are next to each other). I tried to get Josh to go, but he wasn't quite ready for that one yet. So I took Matthew and Caroline. We had talked about doing switch-off (as we knew Sam couldn't go), but the policy has changed, and now it involves the Fast Pass line, but that doesn't open til 9:30 or so. So I kind of felt 'stressed' during the ride wanting it to hurry so Kathryn could ride crowd-free, too. We got done, and the lines were still very low for Kathryn to go (and she took Caroline again, I believe).
I stayed with the boys and they found a little play area that they loved. Very simple and basic, but sometimes kids don't need or want much.
After that, we did Big Thunder in turns (I think Caroline went twice -- once w/ me and once with Kathryn) but Matthew steered away from it, as did Josh (though he went later in the day and loved it).
This is now when I turned into a Fast Pass machine!!! I had learned that you can get a new one every 2 hours and that they don't monitor the expiration time. So I figured that we'd stock up on them and get one literally every 2 hours. So around 10:15 or so, I darted off to Tomorrowland to get two for Space Mountain. (After missing out on Rock and Roller, I wasn't going to miss Space Mountain) and Kathryn kept the kids. After I got back, it was Josh's turn to get to go on a favorite ride, so Kathryn took Josh and Matthew on Haunted Mansion (up very near Fantasyland) and I took Caro and Sam on Small World. It was a good trade-off and everyone was happy.
We did early lunch (again, lesson learned from Hollywood -- even if not hungry, eat early for the kids' sake and for the crowds sake). We walked down to Pecos Bill in Frontierland, which was doing some back tracking. Even sillier, we got down there and then decided to get three more Fastpasses on Peter Pan (right next to Small World). After all, 3 passes were going to waste (as we had two for Space Mountain). So Matthew and I ran up to get those while Kathryn ordered lunch. Matthew loved sticking the cards into the machine to get them.
Lots of indoor seating at Pecos Bill, good "fixin" bar for the burgers, and everyone felt happy and relaxed.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)