The call of the Dark Side is strong...

[mrsabbott]

I agree, we were blown away by Universal! I never expected it to be as amazing as it was! I haven't been to Disney since 2009 and I recently priced a Fall Break Disney vacation for us (onsite, value with military salute tickets) but I think we would rather just go to Universal in the spring! We love Disney movies, Disney cartoons.. but all I can think about it getting back to Universal!

I have to say, we went during a "moderate" to "mild" time of year as far as crowds go. We stayed offsite and didn't have an express pass, but we got to ride everything we wanted, some rides more then once. I didn't feel like it was that bad. I started reading into Disney's fastpass system now and, quite frankly, it stresses me out! I like to have a bit of flexibility in our plans and I feel like you have to plan every minute of your Disney time. Rushing to make reservations and get to your ride times.. Just the whole idea of scheduling when you are going to ride something so far in advance.. I don't know. I love to plan, but that just doesn't appeal to me!

 

[Bashtor]

I haven't heard if they are doing the Salute tickets for next year or not.. I know the current offer expires in September.

Just so you know, Disney just renewed the Salute tickets. Hope it helps with your decisions.

 

[mrsabbott]

Just so you know, Disney just renewed the Salute tickets. Hope it helps with your decisions.

Thank you! I did read that yesterday! I have to say, Disney's Salute tickets are wonderful! I think it is a WONDERFUL thing that they are doing for military families and I personally know several families who have gotten to take their kids because of it! So, props to Disney for that!

 

[mrsabbott]

I started back to work yesterday. The kids start school tomorrow. These early morning wake ups are going to be the death of me though! I also have some VERY rowdy kids in my class! They are good kids, they are just a handful and a half! I'm usually pretty exhausted when I get off work in the afternoons!

We had a plan on getting things paid off with my paychecks each month.. but my husband's truck finally kicked the bucket for real this time. We were hoping we could keep her running for just 1 more year.. And it looks like our washing machine is about to kick the bucket also. If it isn't one thing, it's another!

So, we aren't building our vacation fund up very quickly and I'm a little worried that we might have to cancel our Spring Break plans for Universal!

Not giving up hope just yet though.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

I started back to work yesterday. The kids start school tomorrow. These early morning wake ups are going to be the death of me though! I also have some VERY rowdy kids in my class! They are good kids, they are just a handful and a half! I'm usually pretty exhausted when I get off work in the afternoons!

We had a plan on getting things paid off with my paychecks each month.. but my husband's truck finally kicked the bucket for real this time. We were hoping we could keep her running for just 1 more year.. And it looks like our washing machine is about to kick the bucket also. If it isn't one thing, it's another!

So, we aren't building our vacation fund up very quickly and I'm a little worried that we might have to cancel our Spring Break plans for Universal!

Not giving up hope just yet though.

So sorry to hear about your vehicle and washing machine woes . Been there, done that, and its SO incredibly frustrating. Sending you positive thoughts and vibes that the finances will work themselves out and you can keep your trip as planned.

Wow, you guys go back to school much earlier than us northerners! The children in our area head back September 3rd, right after Labour Day. Hard to believe the summer has gone so quickly.

 

[plannermom]

Sorry to hear about the finance setbacks! Sometimes it does seem like one thing after another. I'm staring braces in the face (well, I will be soon, literally!) and even though I know DS needs them, it causes me great pain to write the check. Hang in there.

 

[mrsabbott]

Thanks, guys! I think that, regardless, we ARE going to go on vacation in the Spring! We might have to do more mac n' cheese and PB&J then I would like.. but that is okay! We NEED that time away as a family! We NEED that break! We NEED to see Diagon Alley!!

Looking for a good (albeit affordable) truck for Hubs and our washing machine is hanging in there for the moment..

Gina- I have a friend in Jersey who's kids don't start back until Sept 3rd also! It seems like we started later when I was a kid but they start much earlier now then they used to. Some areas have gone to year round schooling. You still get the same amount of days off, you just get smaller breaks. My cousin's kids do that and she likes it. I don't know.. I like having a large chunk of time off in the summer!

Plannermom- I am envious of your braces. I had braces as a kid but, over the years, my front teeth have gotten crooked again and I would love to have braces again! They ARE super expensive though and I know that all 4 of our kids will need them eventually!

 

[mrsabbott]

Today is Pod's 8th birthday!! My babies just keep growing up on me! She is having her party this Friday. I was thinking and thinking of what to get for her and I decided that I'm going to buy her Despicable Me and/or Despicable Me 2 on DVD. I have the first one DVR'd.. but it is one of our favorite movies and we should probably own it!

 

[mrsabbott]

Hubs and I had a rare date night this weekend. We had a mediocre meal at the new Italian place that opened up nearby. But we had a great time being together! We talked about a lot of things, including our vacation this spring. We still agree that we are going no matter what. Yes, we may have to give up eating out, but getting away for the week will be so worth it!

Hubs said he would be open to staying somewhere else for the week, but we are still stuck on Bahama Bay. Chances are pretty good that we are going to stick with the plan and stay there. Oh how I wish I could go ahead and book the room now! Hopefully, we will be able to in the next couple of months.

We have our basic "itinerary" down..

We will leave that Thursday. Hubs wants to visit Charlotte again, so it looks like we are going to do that. We will stay Thursday and Friday night in Charlotte and leave Saturday to drive the rest of the way to Orlando, just like the last time. Saturday nights and all day Sunday will just be relaxing. I think we may try to attend my BIL's church that Sunday morning.

Monday-Thursday are all Universal days. We aren't going to rush to get there for rope drop. We may or may not stay until closing all 4 nights. Hubs wants to spend one day "geeking out on Harry Potter, robes and all"! Not sure that we can afford robes, but we will plan to spend a day just doing HP. After that, we plan to spend one day concentrating on Studios and another day concentrating on IofA. The 4th day will just be us revisiting all of our favorites.

Friday will be a recoup day.. Sleeping in, hanging by the pool, and relaxing. We will wake up Saturday and head towards home.

We have briefly considered doing 3 days at Universal and then doing a beach day. Or maybe driving to the beach for a few hours on Sunday afternoon. We will see.

All I know is, I can't wait!!

We have also been dreaming of getting ourselves to the point financially that we can take more then one vacation a year! We would like to take four.. Fall break, Spring Break, Indy 500 (really just a long weekend), and one other long weekend somewhere. Fall and spring break would be the big ones! The Indy 500 is a tradition and usually falls during a time that school is out and I will be off work already. It is a nice goal to have and one that is currently motivating my husband to put in extra hours when he can!

 

[mrsabbott]

It has been a wee bit stressful here the past few days. Yesterday, I went to my "happy place" and browsed various condos on VRBO(dot)com. Love that site!

While I found and researched several possibilities, we kept gravitating towards Bahama Bay. It is a "safe" bet.. we know what the resort is like. We know the pools were clean and well kept. We know that Tradewinds is a tasty restaurant. We know the general area and what the drive is like to Universal. Not only that, it holds a special place in our heart because of how wonderful our last vacation was.

I finally found the perfect room! Total cost is $671 for the week, including the refundable damage deposit. AND.....

I JUST PUT DOWN THE DEPOSIT AND RESERVED THE ROOM!!!!

We have until March to pay the rest! I can't even begin to tell you how exciting it was to take that first REAL step towards our trip!! If all else fails and something comes up and we simply CANNOT afford to go to Universal.. at least we will have a week's vacation staying at a nice resort, eating ramen noodles by the pool!

 

[plannermom]

Woo hoo! So happy for you. I know it is great to feel like it is real! I'm still looking for a way to catch a break on park tickets and if I come across anything promising, I will post here.

 

[mrsabbott]

Woo hoo! So happy for you. I know it is great to feel like it is real! I'm still looking for a way to catch a break on park tickets and if I come across anything promising, I will post here.

Thanks! I know that I have looked and looked but there aren't many big discounts for tickets to be found. I am still debating on annual passes though. Not a decision I have to make until closer to time to leave. If we do get AP's then I can pretty much guarantee that we would return during next year's fall break though.

I already informed my job that I was taking off for Spring Break! They looked at me a little odd that I was planning 7 months in advance! LOL! I told them I wanted to make sure they had plenty of notice to find coverage! Although, our numbers go way down during school breaks.

Getting ready to take the kiddos to the State Fair today. We aren't doing the rides or anything. You can apparently get discounted tickets to the amusement park that is connected to the fairgrounds, but I have no interest in that. We are going to see the animals and exhibits and maybe treat ourselves to some pineapple dole whip or maybe some deep fried girl scout cookies. You can't just get those anywhere, you know!

 

[glocon]

Another way I have found to save for vacation is ... change! We have a change cup in the kitchen cabinet and another in the laundry room. Any change we have at the end of the day or any change found in washer or dryer goes into the change cups. It adds up!

 

[mrsabbott]

Another way I have found to save for vacation is ... change! We have a change cup in the kitchen cabinet and another in the laundry room. Any change we have at the end of the day or any change found in washer or dryer goes into the change cups. It adds up!

Yes it does!!! We have our "Vacation Fund" box.. If we find change somewhere, we put it in the Fund! Even pennies! I tell the kids, "We are one cent closer to Vacation!!"

I want to say that we saved well over $100 in change for our last vacation!

 

[mrsabbott]

So, we are planning to take off the Thursday and Friday before Spring Break this time. We were initially going to visit Charlotte again, but Hubs and I were talking. He loves history, and the kids are a little older (well, mostly) and I said we should start visiting some historical sights with the kids. He said I should plan a stop on the way down to Florida. Long story short, it looks like we will be spending a couple of nights in Charleston, SC!

Hubs has talked fondly of his visit there as a kid. I have never been. It will be a little over ten hours to drive. Kind of a long trip. The plan is to have nearly everything packed and loaded on Wednesday night. We will get up Thursday morning and travel that whole day. Check in to the hotel that evening and then spend all day Friday in Charleston. A visit to Ft Sumter and one of the beaches is at the top of the list. The bright side is that on Saturday morning, we will only have a 5-6 hour drive to Orlando!

I found a room for a little over $100 a night. Has a kitchenette, pool, free breakfast. Just got to save up for it!

 

[pixeegrl]

We used to go when I was a little girl. Had family in Folly Beach and near Edisto Island. It's beautiful there!!!

 

[mrsabbott]

We used to go when I was a little girl. Had family in Folly Beach and near Edisto Island. It's beautiful there!!!

It looks beautiful in pictures! I think we are going to try to see the market while there, Ft. Sumter, and Folly Beach. Hopefully we can squeeze it all in.

Was thinking about and researching some anti nausea meds for our next park visit. Any suggestions? I need something just to take the edge off.. Not knock me out. I tend to react strongly to meds since I hardly ever take them. If it says "may cause drowsiness" that means it will knock me out! Any natural cures for motion sickness that have worked for you?

 

[mrsabbott]

I got the "Welcome" email from the owners of the condo we are renting! I can't wait! I need to get my Vacation Planning Folder together!

For Christmas, kids are all getting new wallets and Universal Gift Cards. We are also putting money aside in the Vacation Fund every month! We won't get to do as much as we would like.. Eating out and whatnot. But it will still be fun! I think that, instead of gifts for hubs and I, we will just put money in the fund.

I am not going to lug as much food there with us this time. I will pack some snacks and drinks for the road, but our food for the week I will buy once we get there. I need to come up with a menu plan.. It will be simple stuff though. Frozen pizza one night. Sandwich fixings. Things like that. So, menu plan and shopping list will need to be created!

I have no idea what crowds will end up being like now that Diagon Alley is open. We are only going to the park on weekdays. Monday - Thursday. I don't know that we are going to be there at rope drop every day either. I plan to pack my camelback again, as well as some snacks. We will eat lunch in the parks, dinner at the condo probably. So many details to work out...

Going to have to drop the plans to do a Disney character meal this time. No money for it. :/

 

[chs27]

I bring my crockpot with me. Throw in a roast or whole chicken, come back to dinner already made.

 

[mrsabbott]

I bring my crockpot with me. Throw in a roast or whole chicken, come back to dinner already made.

You know, I have a crockpot and never use it. Well, I use it once a year to keep mashed potatoes warm on Thanksgiving! LOL!

I might have to look into trying some recipes. We are vegetarian though (well, the kids and I are) so I will have to see what veggie recipes I can dig up.