HELP! Leaving in 16 days for WDW....

[homeschool mom]

...and I am so NOT ready!!!! :confused: By this time I usually have our itinerary all planned out and have already started packing! :thumbsup: There will be 8 of us going on this trip - myself, DH, DDs 12, 13&15, DSs 6 and 8 and DDs best friend age 14. This is our 8th family trip, but there are so many new things since our last trip (4/05). At this point I will take any random advice anyone wants to offer. :thumbsup: Just start shooting. I will weed through and keep what I want and delete the rest. :mickey: Two of our DDs will celebrate birthdays while we are there - one will turn 16 and the other 13 both on 5/22. They want to know what you would recommend is the best park to be at for character or CM interaction on their birthday? :party: We will be having breakfast at Chef Mickey's that morning and have tentatively planned to spend the day at MK and MGM. Any suggestions? Thanks for helping out a very :confused: mom right now.

[January-2007]

:magic: Check this out (http://intercot.com/infocentral/misc/birthday.asp) in regards to celebrating the girls' birthdays. It might be a good idea to pick up their birthday buttons a few days early so they can wear them to Chef Mickey's- the characters are sure to give them even more attention! Also, make sure you have it noted on your reservations that you're celebrating two birthdays! Very exciting for them, I'm sure!

Try not to stress too much, I know you want everything to go perfectly, but you will be in Walt Disney World with your family- all is right with the world! :mickey:

[merlinmagic4]

Well, it sounds like you're a seasoned traveler so I'm not sure I can tell you anything you don't know. I will tell you that I completely changed my itinerary around once I got to Florida! I only had 3 ADRs and two were at resorts so it was nice being able to change according to the weather and not totally mess up our plans! Have a great trip and enjoy the birthdays at Chef Mickey's! We just celebrated our youngest son's first birthday there on 4/14. They gave him a special placemat and a cupcake, too! They even put a Happy Birthday icon on our "plate" picture. It's a great place for a birthday :mickey:

[MsMin]

I agree with the above. You've gone enough,so don't panic. I too felt unprepared last Dec. but sometimes we just spin our wheels:D
do you have your packing list ready? don't forget the bathing suits- does anyone need new ones? I would prepare as many ADR's as needed with a party of 8. I imagine it will be pretty warm b/c we've had several days near 90 already. Misting fans? fanny packs? My all time favorite thing to forget--- charging batteries like the video camera before I leave.
Focus too on the birthdays. Are you prepared? everything like gifts and b/d items purchased? wrapped? Have you planned for a cake?
If the above is finished than I say relax you're a veteran WDW fan.
Relax and enjoy.... Have a wonderful time.

[cruellalvr]

One thing that I did...All of my family had their own walkie talkie. My daughter had hers so that just in case she got seperated. I know lots of people have them, but for my DD7, it had a fun and calming effect on her. I planned mine out to a tee and most of the time, it worked but some of the best stuff was the spontaneous stuff we did. HAVE FUN!!!

[Mickey91]

Well, first of all, I think you have picked the perfect parks!! Make sure, if you are staying on site, to tell the front desk about your DDs birthdays when you check in. Also, Liberty Tree seems to be really fun and would probably do something neat to celebrate and Prime Time Cafe would be fun. Also, upon entering each park, go to guest services and tell them about your birthdays. They will get a special button to wear. This insures them a great time with CM, character, and guest interaction!:party: Have fun!! And Happy Birthday early!!

(We homeschool too!!!:mickey: Love the flexibility)

[BelleCiavo]

I know exactly what you mean, our trip is in 17 days and we will be celebrating our son's 14th birthday; I've been so busy winding down our homeschool commitments I don't even have all my ADRs yet!

Anyway, I was also going to suggest picking up the buttons early as someone else did. Also, right now we are thinking of either booking a fireworks cruise or a meal with an Imagineer (if they can be had!) I am also considering contacting Gifts of a Lifetime for a special surprise if those other two don't pan out.

HTH,
Karen