tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Sept 25, 2019 0:48:59 GMT -5
Friends, countrymen, fellow weirdo connoisseurs of young adult fantasy: New Trials of Apollo out today. Thank you you for your attention in this matter. Thanks for the head’s up - I put it on hold at the library!
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Sept 25, 2019 0:50:38 GMT -5
Re: my aunt’s funeral - I didn’t end up going, so taking the kids became a moot point. The funeral ended up not being until Tuesday evening, with the graveside burial service on Wednesday morning. Logistically with other stuff I had, it would have been really difficult to make it work, so I opted not to go.
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NomoreDramaQ1015
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Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on Sept 25, 2019 7:17:51 GMT -5
Friends, countrymen, fellow weirdo connoisseurs of young adult fantasy: New Trials of Apollo out today. Thank you you for your attention in this matter. I'm already half way thru. I pre-ordered so it'd be on my NOOK by the time I got home last night. Abby said she feels good this morning but we still have to keep her home per school policy. I got her to take a children's pepto tablet by dissolving it in her Sprite. I encouraged her to "stay hydrated" all evening. Either it worked or she's getting better because she was solid by teh end of the night.
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Sept 25, 2019 7:23:14 GMT -5
We have to take K to the bookstore to buy it. She's excited too. I'm still stuck on the Magnus Chase books. I wanted to reread book 1 before I started on the other 2 and just hit a wall.
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azucena
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Post by azucena on Sept 25, 2019 10:21:27 GMT -5
Are Rick Riordan's books suitable for DD11? Mostly concerned about adult content of the Thai variety, not so much about violence. If you think so, please tell me the name of the first book of whatever series she should start with She just finished Harry Potter because she's been reluctant to jump on that bandwagon since she figured it was overhyped (and I think got a kick out of being such a voracious reader but a holdout for that series). Any others in that same genre that she might like?
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Sept 25, 2019 10:31:38 GMT -5
K started the Rick Riordan stuff about 12-18 months ago. She started with the Percy Jackson series. I don't think it touched on any themes inappropriate for an 11 year old.
Topics in the entire series include the following: running away from home, ADHD, being in trouble, getting oneself out of trouble, death/loss of family/friends, loyalty, betrayal, dealing with absent parents thru divorce and abandonment, and mental health issues. Later books touch on transgender and homosexuality. Oh, and mythology. LOTS of mythology. Greek, Roman, Norse and touching on Chinese mythology.
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NomoreDramaQ1015
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Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on Sept 25, 2019 10:52:01 GMT -5
I think it is but it depends on your views. Riordan's books are very inclusive the later books touch on gender fluidity, homosexuality, atheism and a few other things that may or may not be something you are OK with. I like that the books are inclusive because they should be, there are people of all walks of life and they deserve characters who are heroes too.
The books are in the youth section at the library. I picked it up after reading Harry Potter and got hooked. IF you are going to start you have to start with Percy Jackson and the Olympians which is the original series because pretty much everything else ties back into it.
If you are going in order it's Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Heroes of Olympus and then Trials of Apollo. Then are the Magnus Chase books which is Norse mythology and The Kane Chronicles which is Egyptian mythology, those are their own separate series but are connected to the overall universe.
Then there are the Rick Riordan presents books which are by different authors with different ethnic backgrounds. The first is the Storm Runner series which is about Mayan mythology. The second one is Aru Shah which is about Hindu mythology and currently my favorite. One about Navajo mythology and another one about African/African American mythology/lore are due to come out in the next couple years.
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Pants
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Post by Pants on Sept 25, 2019 10:54:41 GMT -5
None of the characters ever have sex. Some of them kiss. At one point a couple falls asleep together. (Nothing happens.)
For context, I’m reading them with my DD who is 7.
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bean29
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Post by bean29 on Sept 25, 2019 11:48:10 GMT -5
First of all pants, I am sorry for your loss. If you are not taking your kids b/c you don't want to subject them to the long car ride that is one thing, but if you are afraid of taking them to a funeral, idk - my in-laws were my babysitters, and they apparently dragged my kids to a good number of funerals. DD does not seem to have any adverse effects or bad feelings, but then again that side of the family is Hispanic and Hispanics have a day to Celebrate their loved ones they have lost:
Dia de los Muertos is a celebration of deceased loved ones. It is believed that the gates of heaven are opened every year late on Oct. 31, and the spirits of deceased children are allowed to reunite with their families for 24 hours. Nov. 2 is when the spirits of deceased adults join their families.
When DD took an elective Culture? course in College we visited the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago - they have a fascinating display on Dia De Los Muertos.
It was TCU's aunt who passed on, not anyone on my end - sorry if that exchange was confusing! I don't think kids get scarred by funerals. (Generally, unless something really unorthodox happens or you're dealing with preexisting mental health issues/phobias/etc.) I think, for the most part, observing and participating in rituals of grief is helpful for children as they grow and learn how to deal with the concept of mortality and just functioning in society. On multiple levels, rituals of grief are critical cultural, religious, anthropological and psychological touchstones. My recommendation not to take the kids was more because I think the logistics of a 12-hour drive each way with 2 kids and managing them at a funeral while also trying to support her grieving mother was a very high investment of time and energy with almost no chance of reward. I'll have to check out the museum, we have so many in Chicago I didn't even know we had a National Museum of Mexican Art! That exhibit is seasonal, but we enjoyed the whole museum. We must have gone in October, I think they had a parade etc. The Museum was very crowded, and there was a line to get in, but it was not horrendous. Lots of kids in line were dressed up or had face paint (they have people there that you can pay to do it). We did have to park on the street and walk. DD was going to go by herself, and I said no Dad and I will go with. I think my DH kind of knew the area. He knew of the museum's existence, but had never been there before.
Sorry I mixed you up with TCU. Agreed on the long car rides, but I also understand she was traveling a lot, so if she did not take them with, then she would not have spend time with them for large blocks of time. My MIL would want my kids with her (she babysat for them, and they are closer to her), some of the other grands, don't have the same relationship with her.
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azucena
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Post by azucena on Sept 25, 2019 13:18:27 GMT -5
Thanks for the feedback - I've placed this one on hold at the library Percy Jackson and the Olympians. We'll see if they interest her and then take it book by book. I'd rather delay the transgender and homosexuality stuff in kind of a figure out the plain old facts of life first (her current stage) and wait a bit to add in all of the complicated layers. This reminds me to post an update about DD11. I forget if I posted the story about her crazy/scary writings this summer here or in the tween thread. I called around to find a therapist for her but openings weren't until Aug/Sept so we ended up using the school therapist as school started mid-Aug. A friend pointed out that this would give DD control over her own appts should she need/want to be seen without us knowing in case there was something really crazy happening. Anyway, I met with the counselor along at first, gave her the story, and showed her the writings. She agreed that there were red flags but also said it may be nothing since DD is such a reader and writer (she wrote lots of other things including a whole screenplay this summer). Around the same time DD confessed to using the library app on my phone which she had permission to do and was supposedly set in child mode for "material suitable for ages 10 and under". She ended up downloading and reading some books that were way too graphic (so much for the library's filter) and some of it didn't make sense so then she broke our rules and googled stuff phrases she didn't understand and ended up seeing some baaaad videos. Anyway, she's connected well with the therapist and the therapist thinks that the library/videos/writing were all connected and nothing else terrible happened. Writing was the way she attempted to process things she shouldn't have seen when she was still in the beginning stages of learning about sex in the first place.
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Pants
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Post by Pants on Sept 25, 2019 15:44:36 GMT -5
Thanks for the feedback - I've placed this one on hold at the library Percy Jackson and the Olympians. We'll see if they interest her and then take it book by book. I'd rather delay the transgender and homosexuality stuff in kind of a figure out the plain old facts of life first (her current stage) and wait a bit to add in all of the complicated layers. This reminds me to post an update about DD11. I forget if I posted the story about her crazy/scary writings this summer here or in the tween thread. I called around to find a therapist for her but openings weren't until Aug/Sept so we ended up using the school therapist as school started mid-Aug. A friend pointed out that this would give DD control over her own appts should she need/want to be seen without us knowing in case there was something really crazy happening. Anyway, I met with the counselor along at first, gave her the story, and showed her the writings. She agreed that there were red flags but also said it may be nothing since DD is such a reader and writer (she wrote lots of other things including a whole screenplay this summer). Around the same time DD confessed to using the library app on my phone which she had permission to do and was supposedly set in child mode for "material suitable for ages 10 and under". She ended up downloading and reading some books that were way too graphic (so much for the library's filter) and some of it didn't make sense so then she broke our rules and googled stuff phrases she didn't understand and ended up seeing some baaaad videos. Anyway, she's connected well with the therapist and the therapist thinks that the library/videos/writing were all connected and nothing else terrible happened. Writing was the way she attempted to process things she shouldn't have seen when she was still in the beginning stages of learning about sex in the first place. I’m glad you guys are figuring it out and nothing horrible actually, you know, *happened*. Every parents nightmare.
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azucena
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Post by azucena on Sept 26, 2019 8:19:22 GMT -5
Thanks pants. Seeing the therapist has been helpful for her in general. She was reluctant to go at first but now tells me she looks forward to it. I ask how it went and sometimes she shares and other times she doesn't which is perfectly fine. They've talked about her mood swings, arguing with us, my dad/her gpa's death, and friend issues. Bonus is that it's during school once a week so no extra scheduling for me - they just pull her out of a different class on different days. And, the school has a grant that supplies the therapist so it's free to us.
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Pants
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Post by Pants on Sept 26, 2019 12:08:30 GMT -5
Friends, countrymen, fellow weirdo connoisseurs of young adult fantasy: New Trials of Apollo out today. Thank you you for your attention in this matter. I'm already half way thru. I pre-ordered so it'd be on my NOOK by the time I got home last night. Abby said she feels good this morning but we still have to keep her home per school policy. I got her to take a children's pepto tablet by dissolving it in her Sprite. I encouraged her to "stay hydrated" all evening. Either it worked or she's getting better because she was solid by teh end of the night. I'm only 20% way through, which is surprising to me. I am a fast reader and usually will just binge something like this straight through. It's not grabbing me though, so weird. I keep getting distracted and just doing other stuff.
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NomoreDramaQ1015
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Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on Sept 26, 2019 17:13:21 GMT -5
This one was not my favorite. Book 3 gut punched me hard so I figure that's why this one isn't wowing me quite as much.
I was pleased to find out I was half right on some things.
I also felt like Apollo did a ton of character growth which I have become heavily invested in.
I hate having to wait till next fall for the last book.😖
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Post by Deleted on Sept 27, 2019 8:06:50 GMT -5
So Carrot still has not mentioned nor asked me anything about his dad not being in scouts anymore. We had a Pack meeting last night and he got his new uniform and all the associated swag plus his awards for everything he did over the summer and was all pumped up and happy. I mentioned afterward that next week den meetings start and that Ms. Rachel had had all the meetings planned out for the whole year already. I was thinking talking about her being the leader might prompt him to say something, but no. Rachel pretty much ran the show last year anyhow, Ex 2.0 really was more of an assistant which is all he wanted anyhow. I'm not sure if I should initiate the conversation or just let it go unless he brings something up. He doesn't seem to be dealing with any hidden angst over his dad not being able to be there.
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Sept 27, 2019 8:27:03 GMT -5
I'd let it go MPL. If he's not upset about it, you don't want to plant a seed that he should be upset about it.
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Pants
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Post by Pants on Sept 27, 2019 8:30:06 GMT -5
This one was not my favorite. Book 3 gut punched me hard so I figure that's why this one isn't wowing me quite as much. I was pleased to find out I was half right on some things. I also felt like Apollo did a ton of character growth which I have become heavily invested in. I hate having to wait till next fall for the last book.😖 Agree. I finished last night.
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Pants
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Post by Pants on Sept 27, 2019 12:58:34 GMT -5
Ok, we are starting to get semi-serious about planning a disney trip next fall. What do I need to know? How do I do this? Best practices? Based on current thinking, I don't want to just set money on fire, but I'm ok with paying more for things that are v convenient. justme steph08 swampHalp!
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justme
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Post by justme on Sept 27, 2019 13:33:15 GMT -5
Ok, we are starting to get semi-serious about planning a disney trip next fall. What do I need to know? How do I do this? Best practices? Based on current thinking, I don't want to just set money on fire, but I'm ok with paying more for things that are v convenient. justme steph08 swamp Halp! Happy to help. Feel free to pm or tag me about it. There are Disney travel agents that can help. I believe they're free to use. But make sure that they regularly book Disney trips and you can use some of the things I mention below to see if they know their stuff or not. Not sure on specifics for fall, but after Labor Day there's a little lull in the park. On the plus side they've extended Food & Wine Fest so it starts at the very end of Aug so you'll have that if you go before the first weekend of Nov. The Christmas lights/decorations don't go up until that first weekend of Nov. Hurricane season goes until the beginning of Nov too, but Disney does pretty good by it's guests if any happen to come by and you'd get the plus of having rather empty parks right before/after. It just now started "cooling" off and by cooling off I mean the low is low 70s. Sometimes the lows in the 60s starts in Oct, sometimes not. Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party also starts in Sept. It's a separate ticket - but some say it has the best Disney parade, kiddos get to dress up and go trick or treating and get candy, and it's a lower cap on attendance so riding rides might be easier. In Nov and Dec is Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party - same concept as Halloween but Christmas themed with free hot chocolate and other treats a Christmas parade and Christmas fireworks. The resorts also get decorated for Christmas in Nov - some are spectacular - Grand Floridian has a human sized ginger bread house they serve hot chocolate out of! Staying on property gives you access to Fast Passes before everyone else. At 60 days instead of 30. If you have must-do rides you need to be logging in at 60 days to get them. (If you make a list I can tell you which ones need a FP vs not.) When staying on property you can book your entire stay when the first day hits 60 days out - so say you're staying for 5 days you can book all 5 days when your arrival day is 60 out so you're booking your last day 65 days out. Some say working backwards with the last day of your trip can get you a better chance of getting big ticket fast passes since everyone else is starting with day 1. Picking a hotel - if you're going to spend all your time in the parks it makes more sense to go value. If you're wanting to hang out at the resort a lot it would make more sense to pick a better resort. However, and it can be a pain, but a lot of resorts don't gate-keep their pools. Some do, but there are others you could resort hop to get to a better pool. I'm not up on which ones gate-keep, though I do know yacht and beach club do. (You could use lyft's minnie vans to go between your resort and the other). The gondola is open which adds a lot more resorts on easy non-bus access to parks. Unless you can walk there count on 20-30 minutes to travel between 2 places. Unless you get the dining packages in a package deal or they let you not buy them for everyone in your group it's probably best to pass. Unless your family is very big eaters. I order a kids meal 90% of the time I eat at Disney (not at a festival) and my parents always split an adult meal when they go. Having breakfast food delivered to your room is a good idea to save some money if you guys are ok with like cereal and yogurt and other things you don't have to cook. Snacks to take in the park would help a lot too -- some of Disney snacks are reasonable and some are just expensive. Anywhere they serve soda in cups you can ask for a free glass of water. Bring your own reusable bottle and then refill it with ice water throughout the day. I have a bag with a bottle holder just for this reason - no need for a $3 bottle of water! Also, each park has at least 1 restaurant with self-serve soda/drink stations. A trick I've utilized frequently is to keep a hold of the cup throughout the day, you'll have to empty it before you go on the rides, but if you keep the cup you can go back to the self-serve place and get a refill. I've done this park hopping and refilled at a different park. Unless you're planning to go for more than 4 full days (so not counting arrival/departure) I'd stay away from park hoppers. Even I don't hop that much anymore, but if you're not familiar with Disney you could waste a lot of time trying to travel between parks. Plus they search all your bags before entering so that adds on a bit of time as well. If you're going to the parks for 5+ days though you might not want to stay at each park for multiple full days - or just want to go to one for their nighttime show or a restaurant. Ok, that's enough Disney overload for now!
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Pants
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Post by Pants on Sept 27, 2019 14:04:06 GMT -5
Ok, we are starting to get semi-serious about planning a disney trip next fall. What do I need to know? How do I do this? Best practices? Based on current thinking, I don't want to just set money on fire, but I'm ok with paying more for things that are v convenient. justme steph08 swamp Halp! Happy to help. Feel free to pm or tag me about it. There are Disney travel agents that can help. I believe they're free to use. But make sure that they regularly book Disney trips and you can use some of the things I mention below to see if they know their stuff or not. Not sure on specifics for fall, but after Labor Day there's a little lull in the park. On the plus side they've extended Food & Wine Fest so it starts at the very end of Aug so you'll have that if you go before the first weekend of Nov. The Christmas lights/decorations don't go up until that first weekend of Nov. Hurricane season goes until the beginning of Nov too, but Disney does pretty good by it's guests if any happen to come by and you'd get the plus of having rather empty parks right before/after. It just now started "cooling" off and by cooling off I mean the low is low 70s. Sometimes the lows in the 60s starts in Oct, sometimes not. Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party also starts in Sept. It's a separate ticket - but some say it has the best Disney parade, kiddos get to dress up and go trick or treating and get candy, and it's a lower cap on attendance so riding rides might be easier. In Nov and Dec is Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party - same concept as Halloween but Christmas themed with free hot chocolate and other treats a Christmas parade and Christmas fireworks. The resorts also get decorated for Christmas in Nov - some are spectacular - Grand Floridian has a human sized ginger bread house they serve hot chocolate out of! Staying on property gives you access to Fast Passes before everyone else. At 60 days instead of 30. If you have must-do rides you need to be logging in at 60 days to get them. (If you make a list I can tell you which ones need a FP vs not.) When staying on property you can book your entire stay when the first day hits 60 days out - so say you're staying for 5 days you can book all 5 days when your arrival day is 60 out so you're booking your last day 65 days out. Some say working backwards with the last day of your trip can get you a better chance of getting big ticket fast passes since everyone else is starting with day 1. Picking a hotel - if you're going to spend all your time in the parks it makes more sense to go value. If you're wanting to hang out at the resort a lot it would make more sense to pick a better resort. However, and it can be a pain, but a lot of resorts don't gate-keep their pools. Some do, but there are others you could resort hop to get to a better pool. I'm not up on which ones gate-keep, though I do know yacht and beach club do. (You could use lyft's minnie vans to go between your resort and the other). The gondola is open which adds a lot more resorts on easy non-bus access to parks. Unless you can walk there count on 20-30 minutes to travel between 2 places. Unless you get the dining packages in a package deal or they let you not buy them for everyone in your group it's probably best to pass. Unless your family is very big eaters. I order a kids meal 90% of the time I eat at Disney (not at a festival) and my parents always split an adult meal when they go. Having breakfast food delivered to your room is a good idea to save some money if you guys are ok with like cereal and yogurt and other things you don't have to cook. Snacks to take in the park would help a lot too -- some of Disney snacks are reasonable and some are just expensive. Anywhere they serve soda in cups you can ask for a free glass of water. Bring your own reusable bottle and then refill it with ice water throughout the day. I have a bag with a bottle holder just for this reason - no need for a $3 bottle of water! Also, each park has at least 1 restaurant with self-serve soda/drink stations. A trick I've utilized frequently is to keep a hold of the cup throughout the day, you'll have to empty it before you go on the rides, but if you keep the cup you can go back to the self-serve place and get a refill. I've done this park hopping and refilled at a different park. Unless you're planning to go for more than 4 full days (so not counting arrival/departure) I'd stay away from park hoppers. Even I don't hop that much anymore, but if you're not familiar with Disney you could waste a lot of time trying to travel between parks. Plus they search all your bags before entering so that adds on a bit of time as well. If you're going to the parks for 5+ days though you might not want to stay at each park for multiple full days - or just want to go to one for their nighttime show or a restaurant. Ok, that's enough Disney overload for now! You are my sunshine, friend. OK, so just so we level set where I'm at: it just occurred to me when you said park-hopper that disney has multiple parks. I guess I should look into that? DH and B will also want to do Harry Potter at Universal for a day, for sure. (That's close, right?) I would enjoy it too, but have a funny feeling I will get stuck with K hanging out with the princesses.
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swamp
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Post by swamp on Sept 27, 2019 14:14:32 GMT -5
Ok, we are starting to get semi-serious about planning a disney trip next fall. What do I need to know? How do I do this? Best practices? Based on current thinking, I don't want to just set money on fire, but I'm ok with paying more for things that are v convenient. justme steph08 swamp Halp! Watch AJ's Disney Food Blog on Youtube for some great tips. Stay at the park. Semi plan your trip but don't get all anal about the schedule. Take afternoons off to go back to the hotel to rest/swim. I wouldn't bother with sit down restaurants with kids, just do counter service. They have mobile ordering. Use it. Don't bother with the dining plan. Plan your visit around the fast passes you can get if rides are your thing. I don't like the value resorts. Too far away, only accessible by bus. Port Orleans is super quiet. Caribbean Beach resort is fun. I'm sure I'll think of more later.
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steph08
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Post by steph08 on Sept 27, 2019 15:54:36 GMT -5
Caveat: I have never taken my kids to Disney. I'll be going in January for the sixth time, but my kids have never gone. I'm hoping to take them in 2021 if I can get DH to agree.
I think the fall would be a great time (not as busy because most people don't take their kids out of school), but be sure to watch for hurricanes if you pick September. I went to Universal once in September, right after a hurricane, and it worked out perfectly for us because the parks were practically empty! For Universal - you need a ticket for both parks if you want to ride the Hogwarts Express. I recommend it because all the HP stuff is awesome. While Escape from Gringotts gets a lot of press because of the fire-breathing dragon on top, I love love love Forbidden Journey. I rode it like three times in a row when there were no crowds.
Ok, for Disney. If I am taking my kids, I'm going to think about how they are on buses - because you will be riding a lot of them unless you stay at a monorail resort (Contemporary, Polynesian, Grand Floridian). Monorail resorts will give you quick access to MK and Epcot. There is the new skyway system - but you will want to think about heights with that one.
My kids are up early, so I would be rope-dropping (hitting the parks right when they open) and trying to get the most out of the parks in the morning before they crash (if that happens). You can always chill at the pool for a few hours in the afternoon and return to the parks in the evening for fireworks.
If you stay on site, you can book fast passes (ride reservations) 60 days ahead of your trip. If you stay offsite, you can only book them at 30 days. There will be tough decisions to make here! Do you fast pass Toy Story Mania, Slinky Dog Dash, or one of the new Star Wars rides at Hollywood Studios now?! The madness!!
Dining - again, never taken my kids. But I always take a collapsible water bottle and fill it up inside the parks (it has a clip, so I clip it to my purse). We usually have something small in the room - fruit/yogurt/poptart, then a later brunch at the parks to hold us over to dinner. Restaurants I enjoy - Be Our Guest at Magic Kingdom (the master's cupcake (try the grey stuff, it's delicious!)), Boma at Animal Kingdom Lodge, Ohana at Polynesian, 50s Primetime at Hollywood Studios, Yak and Yeti in Animal Kingdom. The Land has a great quick service in Epcot with lots of options as well. And of course, all the different countries and their offerings. justme already mentioned Food and Wine.
Purse - I use a small sling one that holds my cell phone and some money. With kids, you might want to take a backpack with snacks.
Magic bands - You will get them for free if you stay on site. You might want to buy them anyway if you stay offsite - they are your ticket, and it is easier than whipping out a plastic ticket every time you have a fast pass.
Disney Magical Express - It picks you and your bags up from the airport and takes you to your Disney resort (if you stay onsite). Love it.
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justme
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Post by justme on Sept 27, 2019 16:36:43 GMT -5
Happy to help. Feel free to pm or tag me about it. There are Disney travel agents that can help. I believe they're free to use. But make sure that they regularly book Disney trips and you can use some of the things I mention below to see if they know their stuff or not. Not sure on specifics for fall, but after Labor Day there's a little lull in the park. On the plus side they've extended Food & Wine Fest so it starts at the very end of Aug so you'll have that if you go before the first weekend of Nov. The Christmas lights/decorations don't go up until that first weekend of Nov. Hurricane season goes until the beginning of Nov too, but Disney does pretty good by it's guests if any happen to come by and you'd get the plus of having rather empty parks right before/after. It just now started "cooling" off and by cooling off I mean the low is low 70s. Sometimes the lows in the 60s starts in Oct, sometimes not. Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party also starts in Sept. It's a separate ticket - but some say it has the best Disney parade, kiddos get to dress up and go trick or treating and get candy, and it's a lower cap on attendance so riding rides might be easier. In Nov and Dec is Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party - same concept as Halloween but Christmas themed with free hot chocolate and other treats a Christmas parade and Christmas fireworks. The resorts also get decorated for Christmas in Nov - some are spectacular - Grand Floridian has a human sized ginger bread house they serve hot chocolate out of! Staying on property gives you access to Fast Passes before everyone else. At 60 days instead of 30. If you have must-do rides you need to be logging in at 60 days to get them. (If you make a list I can tell you which ones need a FP vs not.) When staying on property you can book your entire stay when the first day hits 60 days out - so say you're staying for 5 days you can book all 5 days when your arrival day is 60 out so you're booking your last day 65 days out. Some say working backwards with the last day of your trip can get you a better chance of getting big ticket fast passes since everyone else is starting with day 1. Picking a hotel - if you're going to spend all your time in the parks it makes more sense to go value. If you're wanting to hang out at the resort a lot it would make more sense to pick a better resort. However, and it can be a pain, but a lot of resorts don't gate-keep their pools. Some do, but there are others you could resort hop to get to a better pool. I'm not up on which ones gate-keep, though I do know yacht and beach club do. (You could use lyft's minnie vans to go between your resort and the other). The gondola is open which adds a lot more resorts on easy non-bus access to parks. Unless you can walk there count on 20-30 minutes to travel between 2 places. Unless you get the dining packages in a package deal or they let you not buy them for everyone in your group it's probably best to pass. Unless your family is very big eaters. I order a kids meal 90% of the time I eat at Disney (not at a festival) and my parents always split an adult meal when they go. Having breakfast food delivered to your room is a good idea to save some money if you guys are ok with like cereal and yogurt and other things you don't have to cook. Snacks to take in the park would help a lot too -- some of Disney snacks are reasonable and some are just expensive. Anywhere they serve soda in cups you can ask for a free glass of water. Bring your own reusable bottle and then refill it with ice water throughout the day. I have a bag with a bottle holder just for this reason - no need for a $3 bottle of water! Also, each park has at least 1 restaurant with self-serve soda/drink stations. A trick I've utilized frequently is to keep a hold of the cup throughout the day, you'll have to empty it before you go on the rides, but if you keep the cup you can go back to the self-serve place and get a refill. I've done this park hopping and refilled at a different park. Unless you're planning to go for more than 4 full days (so not counting arrival/departure) I'd stay away from park hoppers. Even I don't hop that much anymore, but if you're not familiar with Disney you could waste a lot of time trying to travel between parks. Plus they search all your bags before entering so that adds on a bit of time as well. If you're going to the parks for 5+ days though you might not want to stay at each park for multiple full days - or just want to go to one for their nighttime show or a restaurant. Ok, that's enough Disney overload for now! You are my sunshine, friend. OK, so just so we level set where I'm at: it just occurred to me when you said park-hopper that disney has multiple parks. I guess I should look into that? DH and B will also want to do Harry Potter at Universal for a day, for sure. (That's close, right?) I would enjoy it too, but have a funny feeling I will get stuck with K hanging out with the princesses. Yes. There's actually 4 theme parks, 2 water parks, 2 miniature golf courses, 1 regular golf course, and a shopping/entertainment area in their Disney World enclave. (And they've only developed 1/3 of the land they own ) Magic Kingdom - what most think of when they think Disney. Has the traditional rides Epcot - originally more educational, known for the world showcase Hollywood Studios - now might as well be called Star Wars and Toy Story Land Animal Kingdom - home to animals, Pandora, and a couple rides I can give the rundown of the rides if you want at some point - but it's a lot of stuff! Universal is around 20 minutes away (depends on traffic). For Universal, especially since Harry Potter is the reason to go, I would suggest a one day two-park pass. Harry Potter world is actually split between the two parks and you can only ride hogwarts express if you have a park hopper. I forget the ages of your kids, but I've definitely seen younger ones around HP even if they can't go on the big rides. Also, Islands of Adventure has a whole Dr Seuss land as well as a cartoon area thingy that is more geared towards younger kids. Universal has some too, but I think the larger kid friendly area over there is Barney themed. They also have the Marvel area in IoA if any of the kids like superheroes. Halloween Horror Nights starts up in Sept and runs until Halloween or just after (depending on when during the week it falls). I wouldn't suggest it at all for young kids unless they're already watching things like Us and Texas Chainsaw murder and the like, but I mention it because on those nights Universal closes early - sometime between 4 and 6. It runs Thurs-Sun nights so if you're coming during that time I would make your Universal day Mon-Wed to avoid the early closure. Most of the HHN stuff is moved into place between when the park temporarily closes, and all the houses are backstage, so while you'll see some themeing in the park it shouldn't really be scary to any kids. Unless you were planning to do more than just Disney and Universal it might be a better idea to not rent a car. Disney has the magical express to get you to/from the airport, which I've heard good things about. I believe they've started to charge you to park overnight at Disney Resorts (though that also gives you free parking at any of their theme parks which is nice) and Universal is like $25 to park. An uber there would be less than that (I'm past Universal and can uber from my place to Disney for about $30).
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justme
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Joined: Feb 10, 2012 13:12:47 GMT -5
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Post by justme on Sept 27, 2019 16:42:48 GMT -5
steph08 Are you a Star Wars fan? Right now the new Star Wars ride has no fast passes and as far as I know there have been no murmurings of when they will open them up for it. Considering the other SW ride is supposed to open in Dec (heard rumors that they're going to have to push it back though) that one will definitely not have FP by Jan, but there's a small chance they might open them up for smugglers.
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steph08
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Post by steph08 on Sept 27, 2019 19:06:26 GMT -5
steph08 Are you a Star Wars fan? Right now the new Star Wars ride has no fast passes and as far as I know there have been no murmurings of when they will open them up for it. Considering the other SW ride is supposed to open in Dec (heard rumors that they're going to have to push it back though) that one will definitely not have FP by Jan, but there's a small chance they might open them up for smugglers. I am a Star Wars fan and I forgot that they aren't doing FPs for the rides! I haven't looked into it too much bit I should start! I hope they don't push Resistance back too far, since I'll be there for marathon weekend and don't want to miss it! I was planning on a whole day at DHS anyway and have an early reservation at Oga's, but I will really have to drag my mom out of bed early to make sure we can ride GE rides first thing.
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wvugurl26
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Post by wvugurl26 on Sept 27, 2019 19:14:54 GMT -5
steph08 Are you a Star Wars fan? Right now the new Star Wars ride has no fast passes and as far as I know there have been no murmurings of when they will open them up for it. Considering the other SW ride is supposed to open in Dec (heard rumors that they're going to have to push it back though) that one will definitely not have FP by Jan, but there's a small chance they might open them up for smugglers. I am a Star Wars fan and I forgot that they aren't doing FPs for the rides! I haven't looked into it too much bit I should start! I hope they don't push Resistance back too far, since I'll be there for marathon weekend and don't want to miss it! I was planning on a whole day at DHS anyway and have an early reservation at Oga's, but I will really have to drag my mom out of bed early to make sure we can ride GE rides first thing. I'm sure the marathon will impact crowds but the wait time lately for smugglers run has been a hour or less. I'm going next month and I've been checking the wait time in the app on different days, different times. I've never seen anything over 65 minutes. I really don't care that much about Star Wars but I figured I'd check it out if the crowds weren't crazy.
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justme
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Joined: Feb 10, 2012 13:12:47 GMT -5
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Post by justme on Sept 27, 2019 19:20:31 GMT -5
steph08 Are you a Star Wars fan? Right now the new Star Wars ride has no fast passes and as far as I know there have been no murmurings of when they will open them up for it. Considering the other SW ride is supposed to open in Dec (heard rumors that they're going to have to push it back though) that one will definitely not have FP by Jan, but there's a small chance they might open them up for smugglers. I am a Star Wars fan and I forgot that they aren't doing FPs for the rides! I haven't looked into it too much bit I should start! I hope they don't push Resistance back too far, since I'll be there for marathon weekend and don't want to miss it! I was planning on a whole day at DHS anyway and have an early reservation at Oga's, but I will really have to drag my mom out of bed early to make sure we can ride GE rides first thing. Super early can work. They also have a single rider line that I've heard moves very quick (though you miss the preshow). It's a 6 person ride, which is a very odd number for a ride so they use a lot of single riders. Especially since so many groups of 2 opt for the single rider line. The ~80 min stand by line had about a 30 min single rider line from what I've heard. If you don't do single rider I suggest you ask to wait if they want to give you engineer. They might not let you, but that's the least fun position. The pilot position was cracking me up the first time as my SIL and I were crashing into everything. I think the young dudes stuck with us were probably rolling their eyes a lot. I was still laughing when I was pilot again with my bro but we did better.
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justme
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Joined: Feb 10, 2012 13:12:47 GMT -5
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Post by justme on Sept 27, 2019 19:24:31 GMT -5
I am a Star Wars fan and I forgot that they aren't doing FPs for the rides! I haven't looked into it too much bit I should start! I hope they don't push Resistance back too far, since I'll be there for marathon weekend and don't want to miss it! I was planning on a whole day at DHS anyway and have an early reservation at Oga's, but I will really have to drag my mom out of bed early to make sure we can ride GE rides first thing. I'm sure the marathon will impact crowds but the wait time lately for smugglers run has been a hour or less. I'm going next month and I've been checking the wait time in the app on different days, different times. I've never seen anything over 65 minutes. I really don't care that much about Star Wars but I figured I'd check it out if the crowds weren't crazy. The theory is a lot of big fans are waiting until the resistance ride opens which is why flight of the banshee regularly has a longer wait time. Though considering resistance is a 30 minute experience (!!!!) everyone might be stuck in that line not smugglers by the time steph gets there.
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raeoflyte
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Post by raeoflyte on Sept 29, 2019 21:29:29 GMT -5
Nothing is as tragic as a first grader having to miss corn dog lunch day to go to the zoo. Really wondered why I didn't just lie about it...
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taz157
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Post by taz157 on Sept 29, 2019 21:33:15 GMT -5
Nothing is as tragic as a first grader having to miss corn dog lunch day to go to the zoo. Really wondered why I didn't just lie about it... For my third grader, missing corn dog lunch day would be okay. Now if it was fish and chips day, that's another story. I hope your first grader enjoys the zoo!
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