The Road to Disney World: Part Four |
The Final Countdown!
Less than a week and the countdown is on for our trek to Disney World. To say we have been in a planning frenzy is putting it a little lightly! I thought planning our wedding 17 years ago took a lot of organizational abilities but it has nothing on what my family has been up to. Actually, I should clarify that a little more by saying what my 'wife' has been up to!
She's been buried in enough paper and spent enough time on some great web sites with Disney experts that I truly think she knows every trick there is to know about tackling Disney World. She has used the all of the top Disney planning guides for great reference ideas plus she has put numerous postings on DISBOARDS - www.disboards.com. This is a website where people who have been to Disney a lot post their opinions of various areas of the park and the best way to make your days there more successful. Tips are given on a host of topics ranging from where the best food is to what time is best to try and ride certain rides or see certain shows. You can even procure some neat details like shortcuts in the parks & exactly what resort rooms are noisier than others. My wife said she can post a question on the site and within a few minutes she would get a host of opinions back! The community of Disney Fans is the best, very friendly and very well versed on the ins and outs of the "world."
My daughter and son have been busy planning what they want to see thanks to a great little book call "Walt Disney World For Kids by Kids". It has reviews by kids of their favourite rides and things to see and do in a more concise kid-friendly version.
We have planned each day out so far. Experts say that this is the only way to tackle the parks with any amount of success because there is so much to see and do. If you don't plan ahead you may find yourself wandering with that deer-in-the-headlight look each time you enter a new park at the resort. On planning days we have the kids on one side of the table with the "kids" planner - and my wife on the other side of the table with her stack of planning books. If you ask her which is best she will say they are all great. Her only regret is that she didn't start planning sooner - it has been so much fun.
Our planning has taken us through each of the parks and we have a pretty good idea of what we want to see. We know which rides and shows are not available (they have to upgrade sometime!) and we have planned it out so we see all of the parades and firework displays. The biggest challenge was the food - there is no shortage of food at Disney! Did you know if you want to sit down to eat it is recommended that you have a preferred seating - the guide books give great information on the ins and outs. We have opted to enjoy some character breakfasts, one family dinner (Ohana), and one date night. The kids will be at the Grand Floridian's Neverland Club playing, eating, and watching Disney movies while we dine at what we are told is one of the best spots to eat at DisneyWorld - The California Grill (I'll let you know how it goes!).
And for those of you who think DisneyWorld is just a bunch of parks think again. My wife has discovered that the resorts offer lots of fun - the Grand Floridian has a fun afternoon "unbirthday" party with Alice! They also offer up a Pirate Adventure Cruise and a Cooking Class for kids. Little girls can enjoy "MY FIRST MANICURE" at the resorts spa.
With our itinerary pretty much set we have shifted our focus over to packing. My wife has picked up some great tips from disboards.com and looks pretty organized. To keep the kids somewhat level and the house orderly she has setup a chart on the fridge where the kids can earn "DISNEY DOLLARS" each time they complete a set task. This will give them their spending money while we are away - so far they are very motivated to get their jobs done.
Now at this point you are probably wondering in what way am I contributing to the pre-planning of this excursion. Other than trying to find a bathing suit that won't make me look any fatter, I have had one duty really - making sure we get safely from the Orlando Airport to our resort and back to the airport when our trip is finished. There are three ways to do this - shuttles that take you to Disney from the airport, you can flag a taxi or pre-book a car service before you leave for your trip. Unless you are planning to rent a car or have a friend picking you up, these are your only options. Starting in May, Disney will be offering a free shuttle service (for resort guests) from the airport - but that is not currently available.
Quick Silver Tours and Transportation
1-888-468-6939
www.quicksilver-tours.com/
The current shuttle shuttle services comes at various times throughout the day but by the time we pay for all four of us it the cost is almost the same as taking a taxi. Flagging a taxi can be a bit of a chore these days at some international airports plus you are then dragging your luggage around while trying to find a cab. And with two kids in tow, we thought that might not be a safe option either. So we settled on ordering a car service instead. The cost is about the same (sometimes cheaper) as a cab or the shuttle and they guarantee pick up at the luggage carousel right after you get off the plane. After much consultation I decided to go with Quicksilver Tours and Transportation for a couple of reasons. They had a toll-free number (888-468-6939) that I could dial from Canada, offered a free grocery store stop on the way to our resort plus we could make a free 5 minute long distance call back to Canada to let our loved ones know we had arrived safely. And if that wasn't enough, they also had some great recommendations on-line as well. I phoned the company and spoke to Gregory Nicholas who had us all set up in minutes. They are also going to pick us up at the end of our week and take us back to the airport.
Now the plans are made, the bags are ready to pack and I only have 8 million things left to do at work before we leave. There is nothing left to do now but count down the number of 'sleeps' before we go! I suppose the kids will probably be doing that too?!!?
Anyway, I will keep you posted on how our trip went when we return.
