The call of the Dark Side is strong...

[mrsabbott]

I knew that Easter was early this year and our vacation fell right after the holiday, but it never occurred to me that Easter would be a busy time of year for the parks. Christmas and Halloween, I could totally see it. But goodness!! Everything that I am reading is saying that the crowds will be awful the week before and the week after Easter!

Hopefully, Hubs will do okay with the crowds and it won't be too unpleasant. We have a tentative itinerary planned, but I can't help but wonder if we should move our "Harry Potter day" to midweek in hopes that it will be slightly less packed? Any thoughts??

Vacation Itinerary 2015

Thursday, April 2: Travel day. Leave by 9am and drive to Charleston, SC. Check into hotel (to be determined). Dinner and relax.

Friday, April 3: Sightsee in Charlston. Visit the Market, Beach, and possibly Ft. Sumter.

Saturday, April 4: Travel day. Leave by 9am and drive to Orlando, FL. Check into Bahama Bay and get settled in room. Go to store for groceries (menu plan needed).

Sunday, April 5: Easter Sunday. Church at Summit with BIL and family. Swim and relax at resort.

Monday, April 6: Park day. Hope to arrive at park early this day. We are doing Diagon Alley and Hogwarts today only. (Breakfast or Lunch at Leaky Cauldron)

Tuesday, April 7: Park day. May try to arrive early this day. Visiting the rest of Islands of Adventures today. (Lunch at Mythos)

Wednesday, April 8: Park day. May not make it early this day. Visiting the rest of Universal Studios today.

Thursday, April 9: Park day. May not make it early this day. Revisiting favorites or things missed at both parks.

Friday, April 10: Rest day. Swim and relax at resort.

Saturday, April 11: Travel day. Leave by 9am and drive to Atlanta, GA. Check into hotel for night. Dinner and sleep.

Sunday, April 12: Travel day. Leave by 9am and drive the rest of the way home.

 

[chs27]

Y'all will be fine, having seen everything last time. Early entry is key for moving easily through the parks when it's busy. If your family is like mine, they don't care. After the second day, I can't drag them to the parks early. So, I moved my relaxing by the pool day to midweek.

 

[mrsabbott]

I am home from work today. The past two days I have broke out in hives over my whole body. The only thing that helps is Benadryl which, literally, knocks me out. Seriously, I am dead to the world when I take it. I took some last night before bed and woke up hive free. So far, they are not coming back. Now I am unsure if I should go to the Dr or not.

Regardless, I need to be here because they are delivering out washing machine today! Thank goodness for NO MORE LAUNDROMATS!!!

I am going to do some cleaning, eventually do some laundry, and study for my midterms. I also have to go to the store later on.. I need to get a few more things for my kiddos at work (have a special classroom party planned for tomorrow) and get our trick or treat candy for Friday!

But first, I am spending some time in my "happy place". I can't wait until we go on vacation!

 

[mrsabbott]

I am down to 5 months and 2 days until we go on vacation!! Actually, I might have to double check the date on my ticker because we are leaving the Thursday before Spring Break actually starts..

Anyhoo, Hubs and I were talking and I am going to set some goals to reach by the time we leave. Here they are:

1. Lose 20 lbs before vacation! Over the past 6 months, I have gotten lazy about exercising and watching what I eat. I've gained back 10lbs of the weight I had worked so hard to lose the last time (so easy to gain, so hard to lose, so unfair!!) and I am starting to feel the health effects. Achiness, indigestion issues, plus I've been having some strange allergic reactions to stuff.. all signs that I need to start looking into a healthier lifestyle again! Plus, I want to fit back into my vacation clothes!

2. Save at least $2000 in our vacation fund! I only have $250 right now. Would have had more except I had to "borrow" from it a time or two. I have a plan for this though.. everytime I go grocery shopping, I am going to get $20 or more cash back, depending on how well I stay within our grocery budget. The cash will go into the fund. Also, Hubs is making better money, so I will be putting part of MY paycheck into the fund. I will just take it out in cash when I go to the bank to deposit it and then put it into our fund. If all goes as I hope, I will be putting nearly half my paycheck into the fund by Christmas!

3. Pay off our condo early! I still owe a few hundred bucks but plan to get it paid off long before the due date!

4. Reserve and pay for our travel lodgings! I need to reserve our room in Charleston and one in Georgia for the trip home. NOT staying near Atlanta this time though.. traffic was a BEAR!

5. Pay off our smallest credit card! It is a Shell gas card. Hope to get it paid off by the time we go. My ultimate goal is to get ALL of our credit cards paid off within the next 5 years!

 

[mrsabbott]

Yep! I was right! We now only have exactly FIVE MONTHS until our vacation! There were 2 extra days on there.. LOL!

 

[rnorwo1]

Yeah on the 5 months! We were originally going in Feb during the kids' Mardi Gras break, but we just learned less than 2 weeks ago that DH's work is going to block all vacation during that time period

 

[bstarprincess37]

Hi mrsabbott

Stopping by to let you know I found your trip reports and am following along. You are such a trooper with all that is on your plate! I work in early childhood too and know that can be so draining and on top of that to do school and still be a mommy - I can't even imagine...

Also, sounds like you are doing well saving for your upcoming trip but wondered if you had ever heard of AFV Club. Its for military families. You can get a week at a resort for pretty cheap. My sister has used them (her husband is in the army reserves) and was happy with her experience. I believe she paid about $350 for a week. You have to select from dates and inventory available but thought if you did end up getting season passes maybe that would allow you to take another cheap trip at some point...if you're interested i can send you a PM of the website.

Enjoying your PTR so far. Keep it up

 

[mrsabbott]

Yeah on the 5 months! We were originally going in Feb during the kids' Mardi Gras break, but we just learned less than 2 weeks ago that DH's work is going to block all vacation during that time period

 

[mrsabbott]

Hi mrsabbott

Stopping by to let you know I found your trip reports and am following along. You are such a trooper with all that is on your plate! I work in early childhood too and know that can be so draining and on top of that to do school and still be a mommy - I can't even imagine...

Also, sounds like you are doing well saving for your upcoming trip but wondered if you had ever heard of AFV Club. Its for military families. You can get a week at a resort for pretty cheap. My sister has used them (her husband is in the army reserves) and was happy with her experience. I believe she paid about $350 for a week. You have to select from dates and inventory available but thought if you did end up getting season passes maybe that would allow you to take another cheap trip at some point...if you're interested i can send you a PM of the website.

Enjoying your PTR so far. Keep it up

Thank you!!

I actually did look at AFVC. They have a sister site that is for Veterans. They didn't have what we needed for the dates we needed, so it wasn't an option for us this time! We have a few future trips we hope to take and I will always check there to see what is available! and that is a good idea about if we get the season passes.. I hadn't even thought that far ahead but if we do go that route then I will check into the AFVC!

I often question my sanity in trying to juggle it all, but it will be a benefit for us in the long run! ECE is what I think I am called to do, although days like today I am wondering.. LOL! my classroom kids were a little nuts today!

 

[mrsabbott]

Today is payday for us! I have some more bills to pay, but I am planning to put $100 into the vacation fund! That will bring us to a whopping $350!!

It is a start! Well.. A late start. Okay, it is progress! A step in the right direction! We don't have much time, but I hope to add more to it next week!

I spoke with Hubs about getting serious about our budget and getting the bills paid off! Granted, we have had a few surprise expenses this year. Being an adult isn't nearly as fun and carefree as I imagined it to be! Lol!

 

[mrsabbott]

The time change is killing me! In one way, it is nice because the kids have no problems going to bed a little early. However, they also get up very early in the mornings! It's not a bad thing when we have work and school but it is a pain on the weekends when Momma wants to actually sleep past 6am! Actually, 6am is technically sleeping in since I am usually up at 4:30am on weekdays.. Regardless, I am very thankful for coffee!!
It is a chilly morning here in Kentucky! The girls are bundled up and riding bikes outside. Buds and I are watching "superheroes" on TV while I visit in my happy place! Got to get ready for church soon.
They are saying it is going to be another harsh winter this year! Thankfully, I have vacation to look forward to! Nothing new on the planning home front! I found a good deal on tickets but we can't afford to buy them yet! Well, we could if we wanted to eat up our emergency savings and you know the second that happens we will have something break down on us.. Murphy's law and all..
If all goes well, we might be able to make a size able payment towards the credit card I am wanting to pay off! I have decided against the character breakfast because it is an added expense that we don't really need. We may throw in a visit to DTD to get a "mouse fix" if we feel like it, but other than that, I think 4 days at USO is enough.

 

[coastgirl]

Hi Mrs Abbott. (I feel like I'm talking to a teacher--yes, Miss! But then you are, so that's ok.) Hopping on late here...

So what have you sorted out? Tickets, lodging? I don't know the place you mentioned, Bahama Bay, I'll look it up...we have found renting a house to be very good value for a family, but we tend to travel for longer periods, a week plus. And we eat at home a fair bit, but that is partially because we have extra time and don't tend to spend full days in the parks anymore.

We haven't been to Disney for a while, but do our favourite character meal ('Ohana) and DTD and that's good. And a free ride on the monorail.

I got DD potty trained so she could go to the Mad Hatter tea party at Disney...no pull ups allowed! Maybe you could find something similar as a bribe for your ds? :-D She was three by then too, but, meh, it gets done and then it's done.

I hope your hives are all gone now. That would drive me crazy.

 

[mrsabbott]

Hi Mrs Abbott. (I feel like I'm talking to a teacher--yes, Miss! But then you are, so that's ok.) Hopping on late here...

So what have you sorted out? Tickets, lodging? I don't know the place you mentioned, Bahama Bay, I'll look it up...we have found renting a house to be very good value for a family, but we tend to travel for longer periods, a week plus. And we eat at home a fair bit, but that is partially because we have extra time and don't tend to spend full days in the parks anymore.

We haven't been to Disney for a while, but do our favourite character meal ('Ohana) and DTD and that's good. And a free ride on the monorail.

I got DD potty trained so she could go to the Mad Hatter tea party at Disney...no pull ups allowed! Maybe you could find something similar as a bribe for your ds? :-D She was three by then too, but, meh, it gets done and then it's done.

I hope your hives are all gone now. That would drive me crazy.

We stayed at Bahama Bay last time and loved it! They don't have villas with a pool, but they do have several pools, a splash park, a "beach" area, and nature trails! They have 2 and 3 bedroom condos. We got a great deal on a 3 br condo for under $100 a night. We are staying a week. I looked into staying somewhere else and even looked at some places with a private pool. In the end, we opted to stay at Bahama Bay again because we liked it there so much! I got it via VRBO.com and have it halfway paid for!

We played around with getting an annual pass or just getting 4 day tickets. We have some other smaller trips planned throughout the year and I just don't know that we will get back to Florida again and I don't know that the AP's would be worth it to us otherwise. I have scoured the web and compared prices. We are ONLY doing Universal this time.. no waterparks or anything else. 4 days at Universal and that is it. But, that is plenty! We want to take some time and enjoy the pool and stuff. We will probably go full speed at the parks.. at least the first couple of days. We will see how we feel once we hit Day 3 and 4! LOL!

My hives did go away and, thankfully, have not returned! I hope they don't because they made me just miserable! YUCK!

As for Buds ever potty training.. sigh. He went once this past week, completely on his own. The rest of the time, he says he doesn't want to. I am trying not to push too much because the more I push, the more he refuses.. come to think of it, that reminds me of another man who lives in this house..

Looks like you will be back again a few weeks before we arrive! Look forward to hearing all about it!

 

[mrsabbott]

The good thing about being busy is that time is FLYING by! The bad thing about it is that there is too much to do and to little time to do it in!

I have been thinking more about our Christmas gift theme.. Vacation!

Every child is getting a wallet with a Universal Studios gift card in it. Their stocking will be filled with travel necessities (toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, etc..) along with a few sweets of course!
I am going to check game stop for some used DS games to keep them entertained on the trip! Also looking into some headphones for the car so that the kids can watch movies without us having to listen too!
I am also getting Hubs a gift card for Universal. I don't want to spend a ton on stuff and would rather put the money towards our vacations!

If all goes well, I will have our Shell card paid off by the end of the year! The Discover card is next on the list! Hubs is taking a break from school, so money will be tight again. He gets $ through his GI Bill and we will have to start paying back his loans. :/

Still... We are on the right track and I think we can make some progress!
I am budgeting like crazy and hope that we can keep on track! I am going to menu plan for our resort stay and am going to cross some souvenirs off my wish list! We will still eat at Mythos and Leaky Cauldron. Definitely no Chef Mickeys or eating out other than in the parks.

We are still stopping in Charleston but plan to just sightsee and visit the beach. No paid activities planned.

 

[coastgirl]

Love the idea of Universal gift cards for Christmas. My kids are at the age where they are hard to buy for, so this makes a ton of sense. Now I just have to see if I can get them shipped to Canada...ALso you inspired me to plan a girls' excursion for dd & I...I will schedule mani-pedi's for us the week before we go and get dh to do them as gift certs for us. (Because, it's snowing right now and my feet will be in boots and my hands in mittens for the next three months...)

 

[mrsabbott]

Love the idea of Universal gift cards for Christmas. My kids are at the age where they are hard to buy for, so this makes a ton of sense. Now I just have to see if I can get them shipped to Canada...ALso you inspired me to plan a girls' excursion for dd & I...I will schedule mani-pedi's for us the week before we go and get dh to do them as gift certs for us. (Because, it's snowing right now and my feet will be in boots and my hands in mittens for the next three months...)

They are calling for snow here tomorrow! Winter is a little early his year!
Your DD will cherish the girl time! it will be fun! And a great, yet practical, Christmas gift!

Hubs has a change jar and it is completely full! We are getting ready to fill up jar #2! Yay! There are lots of quarters, so we think there is at least $150 in there!

We have some Texas Roadhouse gift cards. Steakhouses aren't our thing, but it will be a decent meal while we are out. I have money on my Starbucks card so I am good to go on caffeine while on the road. We have a Chuy's near the In-law's house, so I think I am going to put a bug in their ear that a gift certificate for there would be nice as a Christmas gift! There is a Chuy's by the resort and we all love the food!

I seriously live for vacation...

 

[coastgirl]

I am a little jealous and in awe of your planning...I want to give our trip more thought but we are in our busiest time right now with the kids and for me at work too. :-( So I'll steal a few minutes and live vicariously through you! I have the week before Christmas booked off--if I don't start my PTR by then I might combust! But combining Christmas prezzies and trip stuff will help!

 

[mrsabbott]

I am a little jealous and in awe of your planning...I want to give our trip more thought but we are in our busiest time right now with the kids and for me at work too. :-( So I'll steal a few minutes and live vicariously through you! I have the week before Christmas booked off--if I don't start my PTR by then I might combust! But combining Christmas prezzies and trip stuff will help!

Vacation planning is my stress relief! I wish that I had more time to really soak it all in and do more in depth planning, but things are busy here as well! I do have to complete several things that I started, but those will have to wait until we get a little closer. I will have a better idea of what our final budget will be!

Looking forward to hearing all about your plans and your trip!

 

[mrsabbott]

So, I decided to post my wish list of the things I want to purchase on my vacation. It is safe to say that I won't get to buy all of them, but still..

1. Ravenclaw sweatshirt. Yes, I am a Ravenclaw. Every single "sorting" quiz I have done, including on Pottermore, I am always a Ravenclaw. I am totally cool with that! That sweatshirt would come in handy right now with it being 20 degrees outside and all..
2. A wand. I really want one of the interactive wands..
3. Honeydukes candy: Chocolate Frog, Cauldron Cake, Rock Cake, etc.. I have a major sweet tooth and could spend WAY too much in here!
4. Drinks! I want to try ALL of the new HP drinks.. except the beer! Yuck! I hate beer! I will leave that up to Hubs to try..
5. Ice Cream. I want to try some of the crazy flavors at Fortescue's.. (hmm it seems like all of my money is going to end up being spent in HP..)
6. T-shirt. I am not sure if I want a HP shirt, a USO shirt, or what.. but I didn't buy a shirt last year and kind of wish I had. I still wish we had our family Thing shirts that I wanted to get last time..
7. I Love Lucy magnet. I bought one last time and lost it! We buy magnets for our fridge when we travel somewhere. We have a minion one for our last trip, but I am a huge Lucy fan so that one was for me..

 

[samheatherwhite]

You cannot go wrong with a Ravenclaw sweatshirt. I have taken many quizzes just like you and I am always a Ravenclaw as well. The only one in my family. I got the blue zip up hoodie when we were there in September and it is easily my favorite! I wear it all the time.