First timers list of stuff

[Bopsmom]

I love the guide!

We just returned and I wanted to add a couple of things to the list, especially for those going in the summer months who may not be ready for the heat/humidity.

These items were used by everyone-young and old on this trip.
I grew up on the Gulf Coast(before AC) so I have a few tricks up my sleeve.

Gold Bond Medicated Powder-I only brought a travel size but I am bringing a regular size for the Owner's Locker. The travel size was in the bag taken to the park. It cools, and doesn't turn into a sticky paste like other powders do in this climate.
I even used the Gold Bond Baby Powder for DD when she was little.
Everyone will be much more comfortable. Trust Me! this stuff has been around forever and for good reason, it works! (no this is not a paid endorsement! )

Another Great Product I am adding to the OL
Band-Aid Blister Block stick. This is like that stuff used by athletes that prevents friction. I used it on DD when a buckle was giving her pain and I got a "hot spot" after our shoes got soaked in a sudden shower. SIL used it when an underwire was giving her grief.
Warning though-it gets mushy in the heat but firms back in the AC. I bought mine at the pharmacy in the Grocery and I think they sell it at sports stores too.

This isnt' a product but just a bit of advice for you ladies traveling down here for the summer.
Go Native- Do yourself a favor pack at least one pretty, floaty cotton summer dress- (tea length=no stockings) for the evenings. We wore Croc Capri sandals with the dresses to give our feet a break.
We did our hardcore "touring" in the mornings but after the afternoon break(and rain storms) we went back to the parks for dinner, fireworks and a ride or two. There aren't many rides you can't ride in a dress at mid-calf length. You will be comfortable, cool and enjoy those rain-cooled evenings even more.

I hope these help and that everyone has a great trip!ixiedust:

 

[BethEJo]

bump

 

[Aliceacc]

Another newbie tip (which is probably in here somewhere)

Give some serious consideration to subscribing to Tour Guide Mike (the ads are here at the top of many pages.)

It's a LOT of info to get through, so do it early in your planning process. But I'm finding lots and lots of info there.

(Though, to be honest, it probably would have been easier if he had written a book. I'm going through LOTS of toner and ink, just printing up the pages I want.)

 

[mickeyfan1226]

subing

 

[MPAULIN123]

Hey hey,

i was just curious to know do the sharpies make a mess. i know the characters that are signing like the bigger pens.. but i have in my group 5 kids ranging from ages 4 thru 9. any suggestions on one sharpie vs. another.

 

[janiebegood]

Oooh! A question I can answer, MPAULIN123!

I read somewhere (if I could remember, I'd credit the source) that the characters are always pleased when someone has a CLICKABLE Sharpie with them. It's easier for them to use since they often wear gloves and it's hard to get the caps off the regular Sharpies.

I found a pack of two Clickables for $3.49 at my grocery store just this morning!

(And I plan to keep the Sharpies with me, rather than putting them in the hands of a 7-year-old)

 

[Dopey Rocks!]

subbing!

 

[PrincessGeek]

Thanks for the great tips! Keep them coming! I'm a HUGE planner and started planning our Land and Sea vacation a few weeks ago and we don't travel until March 09! I feel like I'm planning 2 vacations since the land portion is so different from the sea portion. Needless to say, I have already accumulated 3 Word documents and 4 Excel spreadsheets.

I wanted to throw in an idea that we're going to try this year. My DS10 protested when I showed him the cool fanny pack I picked out for him. So we went back to the drawing board and came up with a plan for him: cargo shorts with zippers and a lanyard. His cell phone, sunglasses, wallet, etc. will easily fit in his shorts pockets and the pockets zip so they won't fall out when he's flying around on the rides. The lanyard will hold his room key, ticket and fast passes and he can drop it in his shirt before riding to make sure it doesn't fly off.

I'm curious is anyone else with tweeners has this problem and how they dealt with it. Also, would love to have a "devils advocate" let me know the flaws in my plan!

 

[Bopsmom]

Thanks for the great tips! Keep them coming! I'm a HUGE planner and started planning our Land and Sea vacation a few weeks ago and we don't travel until March 09! I feel like I'm planning 2 vacations since the land portion is so different from the sea portion. Needless to say, I have already accumulated 3 Word documents and 4 Excel spreadsheets.

I wanted to throw in an idea that we're going to try this year. My DS10 protested when I showed him the cool fanny pack I picked out for him. So we went back to the drawing board and came up with a plan for him: cargo shorts with zippers and a lanyard. His cell phone, sunglasses, wallet, etc. will easily fit in his shorts pockets and the pockets zip so they won't fall out when he's flying around on the rides. The lanyard will hold his room key, ticket and fast passes and he can drop it in his shirt before riding to make sure it doesn't fly off.

I'm curious is anyone else with tweeners has this problem and how they dealt with it. Also, would love to have a "devils advocate" let me know the flaws in my plan!

I like the idea of the cargo pants. but make sure he can sit and not crush the sunglasses.
Bring the fanny pack anyway-you never know, after a day of full pockets he might change his mind?
We took 2 tweens in June and neither girls (DD(11) and her BFF(11)) wanted to carry anything It must be the age.
This really upset DH who carried a backpack-he felt like a sherpa until we put our foot(feet) down and told the girls if you can't carry it, then you must not need it.
Be careful of the lanyards, I don't know for a fact but, I heard that there is(or should be) a quick release and if enough force is put it it will break away, for safety reasons. l see a lot of people wearing them though. I would just be concerned of loss or theft but that is just me.
DD and I did like carrying the drawstring-type backpack. I bought us each one towards the end of June's trip for December's trip. They are softer, lighter and "crushable"for sticking in the compartments of rides.
We also found that Carabiner clips were very useful. We used them for cameras(small digital) a bottled water "loop". DD even hooked her fan from Japan on a beltloop with one for easy access. DH kept one on a beltloop for the express purpose of "clipping" his baseball cap on when he was riding rides.
I found a lot of ideas for carrying items as well as small, easy to pack items(compact rain ponchos, small flashlights that clip on, etc.) by just crusing through the hiking department of a sporting goods store.
Hope this helps

 

[MPAULIN123]

THANKS janiebegood,

for the information about the sharpies. we will be leaving for the cruise on august 21st and i think i am more excited then my kids. i will get me some sharpies with the click thingy.

since this is our first cruise, i was wondering if i should bring white pillowcases for characters to sing. i already have all the kids autograph books for the ship and park. but i have been reading about dropping off stuff at guest services and having the characters sign. i just dont know what would be more exciting for ds (8) ds (4)
dsc?-hmm what is the symbol for cousins traveling with you. (4) dgc (8) and dk (9) . whew i think i made myself confused there.

just not sure.. my brain is exploding with the possiblities of having a great cruise.

 

[Becca_Rose]

Ok, I will so be plowing through all the info on this thread!

I've been ONCE, pre-kids, offsite w/ my in-laws, DH and his brother. I was a total tag-along and none of them are Planners. (inward scream... it WAS fun, but there was an awful lot of wasted...so what should we go see next?)

That will NOT be the case this time around although I'm probably in over my head seeing that...

At 84 days out, my DH tells me, "I've got a week of vacation still this year & they've asked me to take it in Sept if I can. I'll talk to my folks to see if they're interested too, but I was thinking we should take the kids to Disney. What do you think? (aka we're taking the kids to Disney in Sept, I'm sure you can pull it off just like our usual trips to St L, Indy, Wisconsin Dells...)"

Grandpa & Grandma are coming along (yea, more adults to corral the 3 hooligans, I mean, 'Angels'! ;-) and Grandpa sprang for the Polynesian with dining, Double Yea!!! but my OCD is in overdrive as the only planner in the bunch.

If I leave this in the hands of the rest of my crew, we'll show up at MK on Monday morning (an hour AFTER opening, b/c nothing in the luggage was organized & no one had a plan for breakfast...) with a guidebook & wishlist of our 'must-see' attractions but no PLAN for how to do the park...

*Shudder*

My late-night PMS (Planning Mom Syndrome) is driving my hubby & kiddos crazy ATM but they will be Soooo Happy when the vacation goes off with nary a hitch b/c I did the research & put it all together. ANY Suggestions greatly appreciated!

THANK YOU for posting all of this!!

-Becca

 

[Aliceacc]

OK, my sister just called from her balcony on the Grand Floridian. It's the first time for her husband and 3 kids (ages 6, 8 and 12) and her first trip in over 20 years. Here's the gist of what she had to say.

-The Unofficial Guide is the BIBLE!!! Bring it with you; it will get you through anything.

- The crowd levels are very manageable this week. She watied about 45 minutes for one ride (Rockin Rollercoaster I think) and 20 minutes for everything else.

- The busses have been amazingly easy-- and she was really dreading taking those busses!

-Her kids are loving the pin trading. She's happy with the grabbag she ordered at www.mousepinsonline.

- You NEED to order water to be delivered to your room. She had originally ordered just juice boxes; I ordered 2 cases and had them sent for her. She said they were a lifesaver.

-You also NEED a misting fan or something similar.

- For her family, at least, the regular DDP would have been better than the deluxe meal plan she booked. She said they'll have a ton of leftover snack credits; it simply was too much food.

- She said you NEED to see Spectro. Since it's on hiatus after our 2nd day, I'll have to find a way to work it in.

-She could have lived without the waterpark option. Shd said they had a nice time yesterday at Blizzard Beach, but the kids would have been just as happy at the resort pool.

I'll get the rest of the lowdown from her next week when she's home.

 

[lisaanddenny]

don't forget an outlet strip, I hate having things plugged in all around the room, i.e. cameras, mp3, laptop, things get forgotten that way, we keep on in our suitcase at all times!

 

[lisaanddenny]

these actually do feel good when it is really hot, if you have a car, the grocery stores in Orlando sell these for $5 vs. $20 bucks in Disney............Walmart in Pittsburgh had them for $2.50, but they are only at one Walmart and I have not seen them again, I have one from last year though. I am going to Tampa in August, I might just pick up 3 for the others going with me.........they actually do feel good in the hot parks. http://www.preparedness.com/hanwatmisfan.html

 

[djacques]

Aliceacc, thank you so much this really helped me. Were leaving in a little over 2 weeks!!

 

[Aliceacc]

You're welcome! And many many thanks to all the others for all the tips they're contributing!!! I'm learning a LOT!!

We're leaving in 18 days!!!!

 

[Off2CDW]

Yes, the clickable sharpies do work nicely for the characters; and few of them seemed impressed by our sharpness . I tied the sharpie to the autograph book with a string, and this kept it all together for my wee ones.

 

[Off2CDW]

How do you order cases of water to your room? I was worried about that since my family drinks at least a case a week even at home. And, we're not going to have a car at Disney next year. Yeah, that's right, next year. I've also been reading my guide at the pool while watching kids.

 

[Aliceacc]

Two sets of options:

1) Order water through www.staples.com or www.costco.com

2) Order water as part of a grocery order through either www.gardengrocer.com or www.wegoshop.com

We chose plan #2 and ordered breakfast stuff for the room as well. (We're on DDP and figure we'll save the 2 meals per day for lunch and dinner.) In addition to those 2 cases of water, I ordered cereal, milk, donuts, muffins, fruit (oranges, bananas, melon chunks) and some snacks for the fanny packs-- fruit by the foot, raisins, and some chips.

I also have (packed in the suitcases) some of those packets you add to a water bottle-- Hawaiian Punch, Lemonade and Iced Tea.

 

[DisneyFun08]

Two sets of options:

1) Order water through www.staples.com or www.costco.com

2) Order water as part of a grocery order through either www.gardengrocer.com or www.wegoshop.com

We chose plan #2 and ordered breakfast stuff for the room as well. (We're on DDP and figure we'll save the 2 meals per day for lunch and dinner.) In addition to those 2 cases of water, I ordered cereal, milk, donuts, muffins, fruit (oranges, bananas, melon chunks) and some snacks for the fanny packs-- fruit by the foot, raisins, and some chips.

I also have (packed in the suitcases) some of those packets you add to a water bottle-- Hawaiian Punch, Lemonade and Iced Tea.

I just looked at your Ticker and had to say.........
WooHoo!!!!!!!!!! You're almost there!