Disney!

Tomorrow we leave for the happiest place on Earth! We're almost packed and I just have a few errands to run. We're staying at the Port Orleans Riverside and I'm so excited about staying there! I've been four times in my life and I've never stayed at one of Disney's nicer resorts (well, I stayed at Shades of Green once but I mean like a Disney hotel!) We got such an awesome deal because of it being the off season. (Cheap room and free dining plan!) We've made reservations to eat all over the world (English, Mexican, Germany, haha!) We're also taking the boys to Chef Mickey's. We'll be there for six days. I've had my eye on the tropics for the past couple of weeks. They expect Maria to make a turn for the north so I'm praying she does. Even if we get rain, we'll still head out to the parks! I'm not made out of sugar! :) Austin is excited about getting to ride the big rides this year. I'm hoping he likes them and doesn't freak out! He likes water slides so maybe he'll be okay. We're hoping to take it slow and enjoy ourselves this year! Last time we went, it was Spring Break and it was so crowded, we didn't get to ride some of the rides. I have some tips for all my friends who aren't Disney freaks:

1. Go during the off season. Everyone and their mama is there for Spring Break, the week of Christmas, etc. The wait time for rides can be over an hour and moving around in a crowd of large people can be nerve racking. Check to make sure it's not President's Day or some random holiday because some schools get out for them. We went one year for Mardi Gras, thinking only coast schools would be out, but it was also President's Day, and all the schools up North were out! Plus, during the off season, they have awesome discounts! The Fall is a great time to go. They have lots of fun extra things going on (you have to pay extra for them though!)

2. The dining plan is actually a good deal! We got it for free, but if we hadn't we probably would've purchased it. You pay up front for all your meals, so if you decide to have a sit down meal every day, you end up saving a ton.

3. If you don't want to do the dining plan, you may want to try to bring lots of breakfast, snacks, drinks with you. You can bring soft sided coolers in so we are bringing one with bottled water. (The dining plan only allows for one "snack" and bottled water is considered a "snack".) Food and drinks can really add up at the World!

4. I recommend staying on grounds at a Disney resort. They have transportation to the parks and Downtown Disney. One year we stayed on grounds but at a resort that wasn't considered a "Disney" resort. They still had transportation to the parks, but we had to share it with two other hotels. We were last to be picked up, during Spring Break, and ended up having to wait for another bus because it would be so full. Plus, they have really cool restaurants and pools! The All Star resorts are pretty cheap if your not wanting to shell out the big bucks!

5. You can buy park merchandise on The Disney Store's website. They always have discount codes. I ordered the boys both a "I'm Going to Walt Disney World" shirt and Logan's autograph book and got free shipping. Stuff at the parks is expensive!

6. I made a Disney notebook and put all our reservation information, the park schedules, and anything they sent us to take with us.

7. Do online check-in! They'll have all your stuff printed out for you when you get there!

8. Disney's website lists all their restaurants with a price range so you can kind of plan ahead if you decide to skip the dining plan.

9. Get the free planning DVD to show the kids! Austin loves to watch it!

10. We've been saving all our change and I'm cashing it in today to take with us. They boys both have piggybanks too. Brett's grandfather loves to bring them change to put in their piggybanks. We ended up having $50 in change! We had a yard sale too and made some spending money!

Okay, I really should get off the computer and start on my To-Do list! I'm sure I'll think of a million more tips while we're there so maybe I'll do a 'Part 2!" See you when we get back!