"Be... Our... Guest"

"...be our guest!
Put our service to the test,
Tie your napkin 'round your neck, Cherie
and we provide the rest."

Could I really call this post anything else?  Yep, I'm gonna cover the accommodation.
Now in the grand scheme of things - that is, if you're anything like me - you could be excused for thinking that the hotels and resorts aren't much to consider when you compare it to the ENORMITY that is the AWESOMENESS of the Disney Parks.
However, I've got to say that Disney, as usual, goes above and beyond when it comes to accommodation.

What I'm going to start with is the resort I have experience in: All Star Music.

I left my heart at ASMu...

Often known as ASMu on forums such as the Disboards (which is a fab site for finding out multitudes of WDW related stuff), All Star Music is one of Disney's budget resorts.  It has less of the luxuries, but is perfect if all you want is a place to lay your head and crash after a day at the parks.  We chose it because we thought we didn't have much option - we needed a room that would fit all of us in, and the All Star Music resort had recently started offering family rooms, when we went.

A family room is ace.  Well, we thought so!  It's actually two rooms knocked in to one.  You'll have one entrance door, but two bathrooms (with toilet, bath, shower, sink and hair dryer in each).  One main bedroom with desk, drawers and bedside tables, etc, and one living room, with a big TV, sofabed, chair-bed and an ottoman that can convert in to a bed.  When we stayed we never even opened the ottoman, as two of our children shared the sofabed while the other took the folded out chair.  They all found it very comfortable and huge fun!  The only downside really is that the space is very limited when the beds are out - I know this from trying to lay out the clothes for the next day while my children slept!
Also in the family suite is a kitchenette.  It's a small space, but has everything needed, considering we would be mostly eating out.  Sink, kettle, fridge and cupboards with basic disposable (but Disney - check out the Mickey heads!) plates, bowls and cutlery.

Mousekeeping still comes around as usual.  They even make the little animals out of face cloths that you'll find in the moderate and luxury hotels.  What I wish I knew was that it's OK to keep your cloth animals!  I didn't even want my children to touch ours - in case they messed them up!  I've found out since that they are usually made from cloths ready for retirement anyway, so when I go back I really do hope I get another to bring home!

I digress.  I do that.
So at a budget resort you might expect to miss out on some of the luxuries.  You wont find a gym or spa at ASMu - but you will find a gorgeous fun swimming pool.

Ay ay ay!   I miss you guys! 

The pool is themed!  It's in the shape of a guitar, with the top end of it a small pool for younger children.  The three Caballeros will squirt you as you swim past, there are lots of seats around the pool and plenty of towels.  You can even borrow a life jacket for non-swimmers, so they can bob about independently.
There's another pool - and it's piano shaped!!  How cool is that?  It's bigger too, but we were so happy with our guitar pool (right on our doorstep!) that we never even went to tinkle the ivories of the other resort pool.

Man I just felt like a superstar every time I stepped out of our room!

Much of all the All Star resorts are themed.  This is probably the main thing I loved about them, as you just don't get fun quite like it at the other resorts.  At All Star Movies you'll be able to pose with some of your favourite characters from various Disney films, like 101 Dalmations, Herbie, Donald and Daisy.  All Star Sports is the place to go if you're the active type - quite often Cheerleading teams will meet up there for local competitions.
All Star Music is of course, music themed.  We stayed at the Jazz Inn.  At the end of our building there were huge instruments for decoration.  My children are quite musical and loved this - many photo opportunites without even leaving the resort!  I also loved the stars everywhere - so bright, so fun and so happy.



You wont find a 5 star full service restaurant at the All Stars, but what we did get was a lively and friendly environment and quick service menu at the Intermission Food Court.  Each day I would dash down to fill my cup with a Diet Coke to wake me up, and grab some breakfast that was easy to eat on the go - as we would probably be eating while waiting for an early bus to the parks!
We only ate a full meal at the Intermission a few times and while breakfast was just lovely, I can't say that dinner was the best ever.  But neither was it bad - it was just fine, I guess!  The pizza isn't great but the other foods are pretty yummy.  Not out of this world, but will fill you up and taste good.  Better foods are to be found in park restaurants if you are on a quick service meal plan, or full service restaurants if your budget stretches that way.  We did have a giggle when Liam was offered bacon to go with his sweet waffles and strawberry sauce!  That's so American - and one of our first examples of how British we are that it seemed so odd.

If you need it, there's a laundry room at ASMu.  While some people like that so they don't have a mountain of dirty clothes when they get home, I can tell you that the LAST thing I want to do while away is household chores!  And of course a general gift shop.  Loads of souvenirs to buy here, plus more useful things like sun screen (an *amazing* spray on sun protection!), headache tablets and similar.

I wish I had taken more photos of All Star Music, as it's such a lovely place and I don't think my words can do it justice.  I'm quite sad to think we wont be going there again as I've found a way of making it cheaper, but a different resort (more on that next time), but at the same time rather excited at the thought of trying something new.  If I learned anything from our first stay at WDW, it's that Disney really does want you to be their guest, and they really will look after you as well as they can!

"My boy, you are *allergic*

"Allergic?"

"Yes, and there is only one cure: a vacation on Pleasure Island!"

I never really considered food allergies or intolerances at Disney World before, but then I never had my Starbaby before.  Since before birth he has plagued me with food worries and pains - In pregnancy I couldn't tolerate whole eggs or gluten without shocking gut pains that would last for days.  When he was a few weeks old we realised that the near-constant screaming from him was because he had reflux, and that it was exacerbated by what I ate - wheat, dairy, soy caffeine and eggs were all struck off my diet, lest they affect him through my milk.

Then weaning age came around and the reflux lessened - I was able to eat freely again!  But when I eventually introduced wheat to him as a finger food he reacted with pain, despite enjoying eating with much vigor!   And then despite Starbaby no longer eating these foods, he developed an appalling case of eczema on his face, so I was back to food eliminations in my diet again.

Safe to say, what we eat has become something I think about far more now than I ever used to.  When we first went to Disney World my only concern regarding food was whether we would be sick of fat and junk after two weeks (as it turned out, not really) and would we be able to find better alternatives on the Quick Service Dining Plan (Yes, more on that later).  But now I have the possibility of a toddler being miserable and uncomfortable if he eats the wrong things, so I've been doing some research.

I think that most people, including me, might make an assumption that WDW would be an awful place for people with intolerances and/or allergies.  All that ice cream at every turn?  America is known for it's fast food, and fast food isn't known for making people-friendly changes, because it takes too long!  Add in the sheer number of people using Disney World restaurants every day and you couldn't blame the staff there for not wanting to accommodate really. 

Ahh, but there's the word! ^  'Accommodate'.  If there's one thing Disney aims to do, it's to make you feel happy and at home on their grounds.  So the first place I checked for information was the WDW website.

Hmm.

"Walt Disney Parks and Resorts will use reasonable efforts"

"However, it is ultimately up to the Guest"

"...cannot guarantee that allergens may not have been introduced"

It doesn't look that good at first glance. All a bit negative and disappointing really. The page does then go on to list restaurants that "may accommodate" guests' common food allergy or intolerance requirements. This is useful, but I thought I'd dig further - am glad I did!

Next stop:  Allergy Free Mouse "Your allergy-free guide to Disney World"

Oh MUCH better!
Here are people that love WDW, love food, know about food issues, but do not have the litigation worries that obviously cause Disney to be cautious on their web information. If you need it, this is the place to go for people with experience that are willing to share.
I am now armed with so much more information, and weighed down with so many less worries.  It seems that going to Disney with a food intolerance doesn't need to be the nightmare I had thought it might be, but - as with all things WDW - scrupulous planning beforehand is key.  Sure, avoiding certain foods will limit your options somewhat, but then that would be the case anywhere.  From what I have found, Walt Disney World will do all they can to accommodate, to a level I find quite generous, considering how busy their restaurants can get.

So I have the official word.  I have the word of experience - do you know what I need?  I need PICTURES of course.  And here is is; allergy friendly food at Disney World in pictures.  So many yummy foods to get your belly growling!  And they look so delicious you'd never even guess they were on the 'free from' list.  I particularly like the ice cream sandwiches on page 10 - YUM, and check out those cute sprinkles!
Bear in mind that the first few pages of this post are older, so menus may have changed since.  It's always worth checking out and I do find that either the Disboards or Disney themselves are the best people to ask if you're unsure.


As any mum of a baby with food issues will know, it's an ongoing test with daily checks and concerns.  Will this food be ok for my baby?  Why has he flared up now?  What did he have that's different?  Is his diet varied enough?  Is he missing out?  And of course I'm hoping that in time my Starbaby's food sensitivities will become something we don't really need to think about.  He's come on leaps and bounds and now doesn't even seem to react to things in my milk.  This is big news for me - who knows, but with lots of mama milk and leaving him free to pick and chose his own foods so he dictates what's safe (check out baby led weaning, people), he might even be ok to eat treats on holiday when we get there.  Maybe not junk food all day, every day, but now I know that even with sensitivities he'll be able to join in the foody fun without me needing to bring along a load of free-from foods from the supermarket!

"What makes mothers all that they are? Might as well ask, What makes a star?"

Mothers' Day

Mothering Sunday.  Here in the UK it was celebrated on the 10th of March this year.  That goes to show how long this post has taken in coming!  It didn't take me too long to think of a title, as Wendy's song always comes to mind when I think of mothers. The title 'Your mother and mine' didn't quite work - but the bit about the star is perfect, considering I've made 5 of them!

I told both my husband and my children that I would rather money get saved towards Disney than lots of treats, although I did really need a pair of shoes for when the warmer weather eventually gets here (it's actually still snowing now, so it turns out I had time yet!)  So what did they get me?  Well, only the perfect present, of course!

The pot, not the radiator that I tried to crop out.  Though the rad is appreciated in this weather.

Supergirl even gave me a £2 coin to put in it, knowing that it's considered bad luck to give a wallet or money purse with nothing in it, so a savings pot would probably be the same!  Each child (except Starbaby) decorated a section, so I have a (now rather smudged) picture of Peter Pan fighting Captain Hook on the other side - I think I'm going to have to ask the kids to re-do their art and see if I can fix it in place somehow.

The rest of the day passed without too much event, as I like it.  I had of course done that mum thing of blitzing the house the day before, to be as clean and tidy as possible in the hope that I would get a 'day off' on my one day of the year!  It's true that there's no such thing as a day off for mums, but I did get a big bubbly bath in peace for a while - a Lush 'Ma Bar' that I had been saving, as they are discontinued now  (floating in caramel chocolate?  Yes Please!  Who else thinks they should be brought back for Mothers' Day each year?)

And yes I did get my warmer weather shoes - I'm too spoiled!  Converse with stars on - it did not pass me by that they would be the perfect Disney World shoes, but alas they will probably be retired by then, I do walk a lot!

So the butterflies are back in my belly with renewed vigour now, every time I think of what's to come - squee!  I may have been busy recently, but the planning is definitely back on track.  First step - the hotel.

"When stars are born, they possess a gift or two."

"...One of those is, they have the power to make a wish come true."

Wishes.

Ah Wishes.  What can I say?  If you've been to Disney it's one of those things you *know* - and you wont forget it.  We can share a wistful smile here and nod knowingly.  You're with me, yes?

For those that aren't there in the moment, Wishes is the firework spectacular that comes at the end of the Day in the Magic Kingdom.  It's set just behind Cinderella's Castle, but makes the Castle just as much a part of the show as the music, rockets and sparklers.  The buildings beauty is magnified to epic proportions by the lighting, which changes colour and effect throughout.  You'll see it shift from scene to scene as though it were part of it's very own Disney movie.

*How* do they make fireworks so big??

Picture the most amazing firework display you have ever seen.  Magnify the size of the explosions by about 10.  Lengthen it a good deal - just when you think it's over, start it up again.  Twice.  Picture fireworks raining down like magic sparkles of every colour imaginable.  And shaped fireworks - heart shapes...  Mickey shapes...!  (how?!)  I couldn't tell you how many times my children told me that they could see the magic sprinkling off of the shooting wishes - but I can tell you I agree with them, I saw it too.

The reason this blog entry took so long in coming - I was *determined* to do this activity!
This is 'Wishes' by Supergirl.

The music is wonderful.  Honestly, I still can't think the lyrics "Starlight, star bright" without welling up a little.  It was far and away the most magical point of our trip for me.
My Star was born 9 months ago, my Starbaby.  He even has Star as his first middle name - he's my Disney baby and some day he has to see these fireworks.  I so look forward to seeing his face lit up in the magic of it all, his eyes sparkling with the 'pixie dust' reflecting in them.  The Wishes soundtrack soothes him when he's otherwise inconsolable, it helps him to sleep when he's too tired to drift off by himself.
So the Blue Fairy tells us that when a star is born, they possess the gift to make a wish come true - can you guess what I wished on my Star?

'People watching the fireworks' by Sunboy

Everyone gathers from the front of the Castle, right down Main Street USA to the entrance gates.  And yep, you get a view of it all even from way back there.  In fact, in some ways the view is better there than close up, because if you're too close then the castle can get in the way - but what makes up for it is a perfect view of the Castle animation, a fab view of Tinkerbell flying from the Castle right over your heads (yes, really!), and a wonderful sense of community, as you all crowd together waiting.  The night we were at the castle gates we got talking with a man on leave from the US army, he was there with his family and had lots to talk about, as did we!

You can even get a view of Wishes from Tommorowland Terrace, a restaurant on Main St USA.  They have a dessert party upstairs each night, which sounds absolutely wonderful!  Desserts?  Fireworks?  View of the Castle?  Not needing to stand and wait?  Perfect.  But beware - much time is needed for advance dining reservations!

An activity so fun, that even mummy might get a little carried away and make her own...  *ahem*

So today we finally got around to our Wishes activity that I have been meaning to try for ages.  I can remember at school, doing firework scratching pictures, with crayons and a knitting needle - did you ever do one?  It's pretty simple. 
All you need for the Disney pic we made is a sheet of card, colourful crayons, black crayons, a knitting needle (we used a crochet hook), a glue-stick and a cut out silhouette of Cinderella's Castle.

Start off by colouring a huge patchwork rainbow on to your card.  You could use paper as we did, but it's much harder to cover with crayon, I'd use card next time.

Then cover it all with black crayon.  Be prepared for this to take some time, and be prepared to ache a bit by the time you've done it!  Smaller children may struggle to cover the page, so it might be best if you do this bit and leave them to get creative on the firework etching.

Now the fun bit!  Get scratching.  It's harder than you might think to draw fireworks, but the colours showing through make up for any lack of artistic talent.  I suggest trying star shapes with a 'tail', and spirals - of course you'll want some hidden Mickeys in there too! 

If you google a Cinderella Castle silhouette or colouring page (I'd do it for you but my search wont work!) then print and cut this out, and you'll be left with the perfect shape to stick in front of your lovely firework display.  Beware those flags though, they rip off rather easily!

"If you can dream it, you can do it."

Things have been busy here! I'm sure you can imagine, with ferrying five children around to their various places (and bearing in mind I don't drive!) - oh what I wouldn't give for some pixie dust!

So I was at a toddler group chatting with a friend yesterday and she asked about the cost of Disney.

Friend: So what is it, about three to four thousand?
Me: Uhmm, up
F: Five, Six?
M: Keep going!
F: Seven? More??
M: It's the flights!

Friend concedes that flights are indeed ridiculous, and I get across that The Dream is a very big thing to save for, without actually giving a number.
I wasn't lying. The flights ARE expensive, and to be fair to Disney, while its expensive their end too, it covers EVERYTHING. 

Transport

Mickey's Magical Express - *SWOON*

Accomodation

All Star Music - So magical you wouldn't believe it's a budget resort

Entertainment

*Everything* deserves a parade and a celebration at WDW.  Even opening the gates.  Every day.

 All our food and drinks are covered and paid for


Sunboy wasn't dropping that sausage for any amount of once in a lifetime photos

...and of course access to six parks - each one completely different from the last - and boy do these people look after us! I've never in my life felt better cared for than I did on those two weeks there.
This would explain that while life in a large family can be chaos, and you'd expect that being on holiday (vacation to my American friends!) in another country would be even worse, it's not. Everything ran amazingly smoothly, and I felt that as an adult I was looked after and belonged there as much as my children. Yes we were worn out by the end of it, but it was the best two weeks of family time we've ever spent.

So we've established that for us Walt Disney World is worth it, but how much does being  fed, entertained and looked after cost?
The answer is A. Lot.  We weren't too great with knowing what the deals were and where to find them last time, plus we spent a LOAD of money getting to Universal's World of Adventures (Wizarding World of Harry Potter, baby!) and on souveniers while there.  It was pushing for £10,000  all told, and yes, I will whisper that!  Then hide in a corner, rocking and humming quietly to myself...

So the next step:
To figure out if I was right - do we need to go sooner rather than later?
Do the math - is it even possible to go without 8 years of saving?
The extra hard bit - approach my husband Liam to see what he thinks.

Reasons for sooner (am thinking May 2014)
Frazer will be year 8 (year 9 starts exams usually - not a good holiday time!)
Scarlett will be year 6 (still at primary - much easier to get time off, and with less guilt)
Rowan and Robin will still be considered 'child' (much cheaper)
Jasper will fly for free and be free in the parks (babies under 2 fly for free on a parent's lap, and are considered babies and so free at WDW until they are 3 years old)

Jasper being a baby also means that we can get the family suite again

Any time after 2014:

Frazer doing exams from year 9 onwards - I don't want to intefere with that.
Scarlett at secondary - I don't think her (strict) school will allow time off, and even if they do, I don't want the stress of asking 3 schools.
Rowan will no longer count as a child so will cost more.
Jasper will not fly free.

We would need two seperate rooms (Family suite sleeps 6 plus one infant) which would probably bump the cost.

Soooo... I put my argument to Liam.  What do you think he said?
He said if I think we can do it, then we can do it.  HE'S ON BOARD!!!

And do I think we can do it?  Well, if I can dream it...

"Ohana means family, family means nobody gets left behind. Or forgotten."

Let me introduce you to my little rays of funshine.

Robin sure loved those big pink shoes.

On the left there's Rowan.  He's my Emokid.  This is probably one of his happiest, most 'in the camera shot' photos we have out of the thousands of pictures from our 'once in a lifetime' WDW trip.  Rowan was 6 there and is 8 now.  If he gets it in to his head that he doesn't like or want something (fairly often), he is unmovable.

Then there's Frazer, AKA DrummerBoy.  Yep, he plays drums.  But not only this, he is LOUD.  I also call him Mouth (for his constant noises) and Google (because he has an answer for everything).  He's a lovely sweet thing, but he's now 11 and going through those angsty pre-teen hormonal moments!

The little one is Robin.  I call him my Sunboy because he really is a loving little ray of sunshine.  He was almost 2 when this photo was taken and was rather taken with Daisy's shoes!  I have about 6 other photos of this moment and in almost all of them he's pointing at her feet.  Robin is 3 and a half now and still remembers this trip.

Uhm... Daisy.  While I'd love her to be one of our family, I can't really claim her!

Then Supergirl!!  My Scarlett.  While all my children are hairy, she is definitely the most like Cousin It.  She was 8 in this photo, is 10 now.  She's a Disney nut as much as I am - I can't wait to get her back.  In fact, I look forward to going with her when she's an adult too.


But someone is missing!  Only the most amazing, most cuddly, most fantastic Starbaby in the world.


Om nom nom - I mean, uuhm - Kisses!  I love you duffy Bear...  *munch*

And he's not experienced the magic yet - we can't have that can we?  Can't leave the Starbaby behind, no way!


That'll do, right?
Oohh - me!  And DH.  Yeah, mustn't forget us really.

Photo courtesy of DrummerBoy. Child 'tog extraordinaire

This is back when my hair was 'Ariel Red'.  In fact, we met Ariel - my hair was redder.  Now it's blue and purple so she has no competition from me.  DH is Liam.  We've been together since we were teenagers and I'm still smitten.  Making my dream come true to go to Walt Disney World was an amazing gift from him, but he's started an addiction!


We're such a varied family, I'm going to come back to each of us with some more detail, and to show how Disney works out a fab holiday for almost everyone.  I really didn't think we'd all enjoy it as much as we did, but we all left wanting to go back!



"All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them."

Hey there, I'm dipping my toes in the waters of the blogging world.

So, I'm a mum, I live in London UK and I spend chunks of my day dreaming about Walt Disney World.


Biggest. Fireworks. Evah.

I have a large family.  No not the Large Family, and no, we're not overweight.  We're a family that has a few more people than is standard.

Average sized kinda cool family

Larger than average and *awesome* family

We've been to Disney World before but have had one more little person come in to our family since, and so it wouldn't be fair on him not to have experienced the magic himself!  I recently realised that the only chance we will get to take all of our children while they are children is soon.  Very soon.  Very soon in terms of how long it takes to save for something like this anyway.
Now some people might not get it.  I expect most people wouldn't.  Most of those people just haven't been.  Or they are dead inside.
It was my lifelong dream before we went in 2011, and it was our 'Once in a Lifetime' (ha!) holiday - so we had to get it right!  We got it fantastic, but I'll come back to that another time.  All I need to say now is that it was the happiest time we have ever spent together as a family and I want to relive that - we all want to relive that.

Now it's time to work out how possible/impossible that dream is.  Come with me on the journey?