kadancer

When my boys were little we traveled to WDW infrequently and stayed on the monorail. As they grew older and voiced opinions about how much they loved going, we tried the Fort - best decision we ever made. Now, for us our golf cart replaces the monorail rides that we would jump on just to "do" something. No, it is not a necessity, but it sure is a lot of FUN.

Looks very professional - can't believe you are faking.

My son loved the pirate adventure, too. He didn't eat any of the snack/lunch provided, so I don't think it would be too hard for him to avoid the pbj. We were considering sending his little brother at the time and they were willing to make some accommodations for his food allergies, so it can't hurt to ask.

We had similar concerns with my youngest son who is autistic - more of a trusting he will stay seated then that he would be afraid, but his father found that he could actually touch his shoulders from behind - so although not seated side by side, the little guy was still aware of his close proximity.

We had a ball exploring the AKL - would love to go for the animal feeding at some point - we heard it was pretty neat.

We have done the Wild Africa Trek and loved it. Definitely worth what we paid (for us).

Cannot wait to see the new baby!

My rule for carrying food into the park is that it must fit in the pockets of the boys' cargo shorts. If it doesn't fit, it doesn't go. My 15 year old always asks what will happen if his pants fall down

at the gate because I put so much stuff in his pockets. This concern did not stop him from once shoving a small can of pringles into his pocket. I carry a parachute weight backpack in my pocket and once

past the search, the bag comes out and the pockets get emptied. This mostly limits us to nuts, fruit

snacks, and granola bars, but that usually gets us through until we return to the campsite for a meal.

We had a similar situation happen to us a few years back, but the company cancelled a couple days

before our trip. This was right when Disney started limiting the vendors' access. We were fortunate

that Disney had just made the decision because they rented us the cart at the vendors quoted price.

Before we learned this we did some investigating and found that we could rent a trailer for a day for

about $40 to pick up the cart offsite and bring it in.

The next year we rented from Rich (found him here) and it was a good price and fantastic service.

Hope you can get it worked out...

I have to go with Ledo pizza in College Park near the University of MD. But, you would have to accept

square as a pizza shape.

Great tips, thanks!

What Aaron said...

Ok, I don't really care if I eat at BOG or not, but does this mean if I arrive at EPCOT at 6pm and am

willing to wait 90 minutes for Soarin' I won't be able to do it because the Stand-by line is closed?

This seems immensely unfair to anyone that wants to do things spontaneously and as the parent of an

autistic child "go with the flow" takes on incredible importance. I am an over-the-top spreadsheet

kind of planner, but if my little guy pulls out his book and points to the picture of Soarin', it

overrides anything Mommy might have in mind.

We spent our last two trips trying to adapt to Disney's changes to the GAC (we had to live without it

because it doesn't work for us) and Fastpass+. Now, if this test continues, it will be another

expensive high anxiety vacation, instead of the "magical" fun time it should be.

Thanks for the opportunity to vent....

Absolutely adored Bernadette Peters as the witch on stage.  Will definitely give the movie a try, but live theatre is always the way to go.

We travel south on 95 frequently and find the Fredericksburg area to be wickedly unpredictable.  If you can get on 95 further south I would recommend it.

Congratulations to everyone on their weight loss.  I am at the beginning of the same quest right now and am encouraged by all of your great stories. 

What I can't understand is why they can't just create an amazing female superhero...why do we need to take "the hammer" when the male is unworthy. Do something original for goodness sakes.

BALTIMORE ORIOLES!!!

Good Grief, that looks so much better than the dinner I have in the oven....

I don't like to cook either. Here is an easy slow cooker recipe

Soft Chicken Tacos

Put 2lbs frozen chicken in the crockpot. Mix together a packet of taco seasoning and one can of chopped tomatoes with chilis. Pour over the chicken. Slow cook for 6 hours. Shred the chicken with a fork and return to slow cooker for another 1-2 hours. Serve on soft taco shells with whatever extras you like (sour cream, cheese, lettuce, etc.)

I also like this over a salad.

My son was 4 the first time we travelled to WDW.  We left at night so that the kids could sleep in the car - nice plan, but you know how kids can be.  As soon as we pulled out of the driveway he said "Actually, Mommy I'm not in bed so I don't have to sleep."  For the next three hours he talked non-stop about all the reasons he should stay awake.  Just about the time I thought my ears would fall off he more or less fainted and slept the rest of the night.

The next time we took a long car trip we handed him a tape recorder.  This saved me the need to always respond to everything he said.  The tape is priceless - he talked about everything, recited Green Eggs and Ham, and laughed at himself alot.  Now that he is a teenager, it is great to turn back time and hear that giggle again.

My son would have been devastated to see a baby bunny (or any bunny) tormented.  Kindness is a dying art....

My thanks to those of you onsite trying to keep the art alive.

The early arrival is a MUST for us now that the Guest Assistance pass has changed.  With a 14 year old that likes to sleep til noon, this was challenging, but we made it work.  Usually for us it is not multiple rides, but the same ride over and over and over...like 13 times on the TOT or Barnstormer as many times as possible without getting off.  We are usually only there during crowded time except this year we are going to test out late September til early October.

As sad as it sounds - I am missing the 4th at the Fort.

We are north of Baltimore in Harford County about 8 miles from Delta, PA. It doesn't seem like there is a good time to go around DC. We used to drive to Jacksonville and stop. This past trip we stopped at South of the Border campground. It was a nice halfway point and will stop there again.

We are in Harford County, too.  We stop at South of the Border on most of our trips...

Those are adorable!