One for the Money . . . Two for the Show

If you remember repeating this as a child, you’ll also remember that it finished “Three to get ready, and Four to go”.  Shortly, my family and I are going to Walt Disney World in celebration of Rod and my 40th anniversary (and just because we love Disney)  Here’s how I’ve applied this little ditty our upcoming trip.

One for the Money - First we decided which days to spend at WDW, and booked our trip with our a travel agent.  It doesn't cost you anything, and she can not only save you money, but also give you some great tips for Disney. Once that was done, we needed to figure out how to save money to pay for the trip.  We started putting loose change in our “jug” bank, to use toward our "Mousekeeping" tips.  Disney recommends $1 per day per person.  It's just easier for us to stick a $5 into each envelope.  I make special envelopes for our tips, and put the money in them before we leave home. This is a sample of one of the envelopes that I have made.

 I’m a pin trader, so I searched out some good values on eBay where I was able to get pins for about $1 each. Free dining helped us save some money, too.  And each pay, we purchased Disney gift cards from a local supermarket that offers fuel perks on groceries and gift cards.   These gift cards and grocery purchases have also earned us discounts on gasoline.  And so, we have these gift cards to use for paying off our trip, use toward our spending money and we saved a little on fuel in the process.

Two for the Show – We looked at our favorite parks, and everyone in the group made a list of have-to-see’s, want-to-see’s, and have-no- interests. Then everyone decided where they would like to eat.  We try to accommodate everyone’s favorite eating spots. Mary, who is our unofficial tour guide, worked with Pam and I to put all these lists together and worked diligently to formulate touring plans for each park on days that were alleged to be less crowded.  After the parks were decided, we discussed our food choices.  Since this will be Izzy and Jake's first trip, we concentrated on chaaracter meals, where they could interact with their favorite characters.  And, at our 180-day window, we worked our magic with our dining reservations.  Some have changed since that day, but we’re all very satisfied with the final results.  We have made reservations for the 4 grandkids to participate in the Pirate's League, where they will be made up to be a pirate.  We made plans to see Fantasmic and booked a dinner package. This gives us preferred seating at the show. Attending the Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas is also a definite must.  It even snows on Main Street! We've researched which rides are most handicapped friendly and which rides the kids are all tall enough to ride.  And we set our fast passes for the rides with the longest wait lines.  And we have made a reservation for a Wishes Cruise.  It will be our third, but Kristin's family's first.  A cruise is a great way to experience the fireworks. And, finally, the “show” is set.

Three to get Ready – We’ve gone over our check lists, and are making last minute purchases.  We are all waiting to receive our document packs,  so that we can put everything in a safe place.  Those needing to request time off work have done so, and gotten approval.  I’ve pulled out the quilt blocks that I didn’t get signed on the last trip in the hopes that maybe this trip I’ll get those elusive autographs.  And I've been making lists of what gets packed where. I have made backpacks for the kids and wristlets for the ladies.  Oh yes, we are getting ready. 

And Four to Go – And now we are just 28 days from our trip.  The excitement just keeps building.  Christmas is one of my favorite holidays, and I can’t wait to see all the new decorations.  And I love seeing all the gingerbread creations in the Deluxe resorts, the large house at the Grand Floridian (where I can't resist buying some gingerbread); the carousel in the Beach Club; and, the tree at the Contemporary.  So in less than a month, we will board our flight for Orlando.  We’ll pick up our rental cars and head to our resort, (Coronado Springs, this year), check in, and meet at EPCOT.  And, it’s not four, but 28 and we are ready to go.

Trip Planning

This year, all of my kids and grand kids are going to Disney in November to celebrate our 40th anniversary.  Since the rest of the family all work and I'm a stay at home Grammy, I like to try to make things easier for everyone.  Although daughter Mary makes the Fast Pass reservations, I do a lot of record keeping.  I keep track of all the dining reservations, where and when each family is eating and the confirmation numbers.  And I make a card for each day of our trip with these reservations and confirmation numbers.  Previous years we have had the Deluxe Dining Plan; but this year, we are going with the Basic Dining Plan (it was offered FREE for our dates).  So to help everyone out, I have worked cards with the counter service options and snack options in each of the four parks. I also add the Fast Pass times and any special events, such as Candlelight Processional or Fireworks.  Once these cards are finished, I print them out of colored card stock, one color for each park.  Then I purchase a cheap  inexpensive photo album for each family to put their cards in.

This is a sample of one of last year's cards for the meals.  

And here's a sample of the counter service cards

These cards give everyone an idea of what is available in each of the parks for a counter service or snack credit.  Someone in each of the families carries a baggallini bag, so the small photo album with all the information fits quite nicely in one of the pockets.  Although our trip is about 2 months away, I haven't made touring cards yet, as we are still adjusting dining reservations.  But it won't be long now.