[Sally26]

Help! We leave for Disney tomorrow and I am feeling overwhelmed. Packing is freaking me out. Are we really going to be able to swim in a heated outdoor pool? Do we need shorts during the day and pants at night? How do we cut down on costs? We are staying at Shades of Green with two other families that adopted when we did we will have 5 toddlers among the five of us all around 4. One of the moms has made reservations for character meals for every day some days twice a day and one day she has three character meals and Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party (am I dreaming or are tickets to it $50 a piece?). She says we can cancel, but I don't know if she's prepared for the number to come down to 3 extra activities besides the parks. I know how expensive the meals are. She has reservations at Dixie Stampede and us going to all the parks. I don't think Epcot or MGM is really great for 4 year olds, I think Magic Kingdom is the biggie, with also going to Animal Kingdom and Sea World.

Also I just found out my thyroid isn't working. They did more blood work and hope to get it back today. If by some miracle they do and I get a prescription before we leave, how long does it take before I have energy again? Start loosing weight?

Thanks in advance for all the suggestions!
Sally

[papedge]

We stayed there last year in January it was nice and yes we did swim it was nice. We would wear shorts during the day and pants with long sleeve shirts/ hoodie at night. Food at the hotel cost alot $17.00 per adult and $10.00 for a 4 year old. I have attached to pictures if you have any questions let me know and the shades of green is located in magic kingdom we did not know this so it look us awhile to find. Who ever is in the milatary have them get the tickets at sea world it is free they are owned by anisher(sp?) Bud beer and they are big supportes of the milatary so they dont charege them to get in with milatary ID

Kim

[Kama]

Sally,

Thyroid that is not working is an awful (when it is not working) but very managable condition. You will get energy within days once you start taking the pill (one a day, in the morning, before meals) and will feel normal when you take the hormone regularly. By the way, do not accept a generic stuff for thyroid, synthroid is really the right thing to take. And, loosing weight just follows, it of course will not be overnight. Do not worry!

Originally Posted by Sally26

Also I just found out my thyroid isn't working. They did more blood work and hope to get it back today. If by some miracle they do and I get a prescription before we leave, how long does it take before I have energy again? Start loosing weight?

Thanks in advance for all the suggestions!
Sally

[cindyc]

Dear Sally:

Whether y'all will be able to swim will depend on the weather. We have gone in January and February and have had to buy coats. I would plan to dress kids in t-shirts, sweat pants, tennis shoes, and take a hoodie or sweater along with you.

Even if your kids are older toddlers, I would take a stroller. We rented one for our kids when they were 4, and it helped a lot. There's an awful lot of walking to do at D-World.

For what it's worth, that sounds like an awful lot of character breakfasts/meals for one trip. We have generally done one or two each vacation, and that was plenty. The character breakfasts are great, but they are expensive, the kids usually don't eat very much, and they really cut into the time you could spend doing something more active.

As for saving money.....it's tough down there. Some of the hotels have nice self-serve cafeterias, which are decent values for breakfast and dinner.

Try to stay calm. Maybe a "less is more" approach????

Have fun,
Cindyc

[angelkisses0102]

We are further south in Florida but I got sunburned putting our Christmas decorations up...Orlando tends to be cooler than here this time of year. So I would plan on bringing lots of mix and match for different temps. Swimming is up to your persoanl preference...for us, it is too cold now but for others coming from colder parts of the country, maybe not. It is supposed to be in the low 80's during the day and mid 60's at night next week in Orlando...I just checked now. Of course that can change on a moment;s notice.

Personally I thinnk you guys have wayyyyyy tooooo much planned unless your are staying for at least 10 days. I would pick one or maybe two character meals in total...like if your DD is into the princesses, there is a great one in Epcot. Parkhopper passes are usually a better deal if you are purchasing multi day passes in the long run. MGM is GREAT for the kids...much easier to see the characters and there is so much directed at the younger kids....like Playhouse Disney, Beauty and the Beast, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, Voyage of the Little Mermaid, and Muppet Vision 3D. You can easily spend a full day or more there. Animal Kingdom has tons of stuff as well so at least a 1 or 2 there, and of course the Magic Kingdom can keep us busy for days and days and days. My kids even enjoy Epcot...there is plenty to keep them occupied and it is very enjoyable for the adults. This link will take you directly to the preschoolers attractions, shows, and more. TONS to do without paying for any extras in my opinion as a season pass holder until this year. Walt Disney World Resort - Preschoolers

I wouldn't even think about going anywhere outside of Disney (like Sea World) unless you are taking a very long trip. Sea World has enough to keep you busy for at least 1.5 to 2 days. Plus everything is so time consuming at Disney...you will get much less done in a longer amount of time than you think. For the shows, you must get there before the show and wait...then get situated preshow, then the show, then the exit and then onto the next. So a 30 minute show may take up 60, 90 or even more minutes depending on the crowds...which shouldn't be too bad this time of year. I am guessing the ticket price is right for Mickey's Christmas....again, you may or may not find that is even something you need or want to do.

To save money...eat outside of the parks (there is even a Mickey D's on property...& tons of places just outside the property as well) or eat at the cafateria style places in Disney. Get a mini fridge for your room too and just stock it up. Bring in your own snacks and drinks...we always take a soft sided cooler with juice boxes and water. Take your own stroller if at all possible...the ones in the parks are hard molded plastic. I just hook the food and drink bags on the back of the stroller and no one has ever stopped me from bringing any of it in.

One other thing is each park has a Baby Care Station...it is great even for toddlers....much nicer/calmer/less crowded than the regular restrooms.

Check out this link as well...all the way at the bottom is a great tip list you may want to print out for the over scheduling mom.
Travel and Planning Tips | Walt Disney World

Sorry about your thyroid....good luck with that and have a great trip.

[Pinkie]

Sally, I feel your pain on both accounts!! We are going to Disney in February 2008 and I was overwhelmed just looking on the internet! Our trip is not finalised yet but I can tell you that I will be booking one disney breakfast. Granted if we were going now I would include Mickey's Christmas Party - I'm sure its something not to be missed. I will also be pre-booking a Princess makeover for Antonina and the park tickets are included in my package...........Compared to your schedule mine is looking rather dull right now!!

As for the thyroid I had mine removed in 2000 and been on tablets ever since. Everything ticked along nicely until this year as alas I have let the tablets slip. Silly as it sounds I just got out of the habit of taking mine every morning and the difference is incredible. I've put on a ton of weight this year and some days by about midday I could have fallen asleep I was so zapped of energy. I also found I had terrible mood swings but thought that was the joys of motherhood until my specialist explained it was also a thyroid effect. I'm recently back on track and feel loads better, Kama is right you will feel the difference almost immediately but as your still finding your feet it may take awhile for your doctor to find the right dosage.

Good Luck, I hope you get a prescription before you leave and have a fantastic holiday.

[Kama]

I second Pinkie - the right dosage is key, because it must be very precise. Oh my goodness, Pinkie, please take your hormones - from what I understand, one can eventually die if one does not take this stuff! It is really minor inconvenience and has to be done every day.

Originally Posted by Pinkie

As for the thyroid I had mine removed in 2000 and been on tablets ever since. Everything ticked along nicely until this year as alas I have let the tablets slip. Silly as it sounds I just got out of the habit of taking mine every morning and the difference is incredible. I've put on a ton of weight this year and some days by about midday I could have fallen asleep I was so zapped of energy. I also found I had terrible mood swings but thought that was the joys of motherhood until my specialist explained it was also a thyroid effect. I'm recently back on track and feel loads better, Kama is right you will feel the difference almost immediately but as your still finding your feet it may take awhile for your doctor to find the right dosage.

Good Luck, I hope you get a prescription before you leave and have a fantastic holiday.

[amyfk]

I have no answers, but wanted to wish you best of luck on the thyroid. I was tested for thyroid function a few years' back when my thyroid overreacted and I had a thyroid storm. It was NOT FUN! So I can associate with you somewhat there.
Try not to worry too much. Try to think how much fun you will be having spending quality time with your kids and knowing that you will be making lifetime memories. That will take some of the anxiety away.
Amy K, NJ

[Sally26]

Well, I've just about gotten my dd packed, but still have to pack for me! We've decided to skip Sea World and get the equivalent of park hopper tickets. Thanks for the tip on Sea World letting the military in for free, but my dh is a civil servant for the Army so we get perks for him working for the DOD. We'll be there from Sun to Sat will get four or five day tickets

I'm leaning right now toward doing the Prince meal at Askershaus, and breakfast at Chef Mickey's, maybe the Very Merry Christmas Party, but that still cancells reservations for seven other meals! The lady who booked all this is 50, adopted two at once and has taken care of them by herself. She really has a lot of energy, no thyroid issues !

My doctor didn't call today, so I'm still pushing myself to function. I hope when I do get medication it is quick and easy adjustment. It would be awesome to have energy and loose all this weight I've put on! I should have gone to the doctor months ago, but I was so afraid that she would say I need a hysterectomy and I couldn't have surgery knowing we had this Disney trip planned!

I really appreciate all yall's helpan all the good advice (probally wouldn't have ventured to MGM, but will now Karen).

I'm really lookin forward to seeing Emily's Russian cousins. We also call them the six pack. The missing sixth is in the process of getting a little sister from Russia! I can't wait to see her. We get together with that family every year since they live the closest to us. I really can't wait to see how they all interact. Their parents are all incredible people, too. We would very fortunate in our journey that well all bonded and enjoyed each other's company.

We also might get to see Amysue! She's going to be there at the same time. I just hope she checks the board and her private messages!

Thanks again everyone! This truly a wonderful place to get advice and support!

[mellaf]

Hi!

Hubby and I are Disney-philes so we usually do certain things when we're there. We don't have any kids (yet), but I think these tips might help you anyways.

#1 Get the parkhopper tickets and request that they never expire. We do this every time and if we have enough, we buy extra days. All Disney tickets USED to be never-ending, but they've changed it to a year--unless you request no expiration date. It might cost more in the short run, but it's so worth it if you plan to go back--you could already have some days left! And since you can go from park to park, you can knock off a few things each day.

#2 Use the internet to figure out exactly which rides/shows you want to see. Write it out and take it with you. Hubby and I made up a list before we left of what were priorities. If a park had a ton of things you want to go to, plan on spending more time there and less at the others.

#3 Don't overload your day with scheduled events. We work out a little schedule for specific things. When we don't cram all of the rides in and try to do everything, we take lots of pictures, especially with the characters! We did ONE character meal at Epcot (can't remember the name of the restaurant-It was at the Living Seas and it was family style serving).

Definitely bring snacks with you. I'm borderline diabetic and I try to stay away from breaded stuff and sugar and most of the stuff there is LOADED with bad stuff. Not to mention the prices of everything. We have specific places we like to eat at each time, but the norm is to eat from our lunchbag while waiting for the shuttle.


It might all be different with kids in tow (we're starting to plan a trip for 2010 when there are some new rides open at Disney and Universal Studios and hopefully to celebrate an adoption).

Good luck, have fun and don't push yourself to do too much.

[Sipper]

First, I am about 80 miles due west of Disney and we were out putting up our Christmas lights in shorts and sleveless tee shirts. I am not sure you would need the pool even to be heated just yet this year. It may be a bit cooler in the evening but a light sweater and pants will due. I would certainly have shorts and comfy shoes for the day. We just took our 1.5 year old and 3.5 year told to Disney about a month ago. Disney is great, Animal Kingdom did nothing for them. Epcot and MGM was also a huge bore for the kids. The character meals are fun but if you do one during the trip, that should about cover it. The character meals are ususally buffet style. Food at the hotels and such is expensive so you may consider bringing snacks to cut down cost some.

As for the thyroid, I am on daily life long meds for mine since about 35. As the other posters mentioned - get synthroid and not a generic. I recently ran out of my script and went about a week without. You could barely get me down the stairs due to lack of energy. I got the script renewed as long as I see the doctor and within 3 days I was back to busy mommy of two. I have not had the benefit of the weight loss - and believe me, I was really excited about that, but the energy gives me what I need to keep a good workout schedule.

Just enjoy the trip and spend what you have to make it the best trip ever. The memories will be priceless.

[ddahl]

Just sending you a hug! I am considering getting my thyroid checked. Your symptoms mirror what I have been feeling and I have had a tremendous weight gain in the last 2 years.
Hope your trip is really nice and that you all have fun!

[cathvash]

Trip report? -Hope all went well!!

[Sally26]

Well, I didn't get medicine before I left. I did start taking it yesterday and haven't noticed a difference yet.

We ended up not leaving the Disney Parks and for five days went to them. We did three character meals (one wasn't planned we were pretty much trapped due to the parade, hungry and there wasn't much of a wait.) Emily really enjoyed the princess meals, but they are way too expensive (close to $100 for two adults, and a child with 18% tip due to being with a large party). The weather was great. We wore shorts the entire time. The crowds weren't bad at all. It is definitely the time to go. Shades of Green is very nice. The best part was spending time with the families that we adopted with and seeing the kids interact with one another. We are very blessed that our group likes getting together. One tip though, if you vacation with a group let it be know up front that you'll get together when you can but will do your own thing most of the time. Trying to get anything accomplished as a group was hard.

I really appreciate all the support.