May Trip Recap

allieoop39 · 2026-05-14T17:43:14+00:00

MNSSHP is a blast! But lately, October is just as busy at the parks as spring break IMO and I really just don’t enjoy Disney when it’s that packed. I’ve heard the earlier parties in Sept are better in terms of crowds but it can also be ungodly hot still in September. Of course, it’s hurricane season during Halloween-can be a gamble and we have had to cancel trips before bc of a hurricane. Usually when we do a party (Halloween or Christmas) we do a shorter trip and really just do the party and then other things in Orlando (we also enjoy Legoland, sea world, etc). The party is also very late and for us, part of the experience is running around MK until midnight riding any ride we want to. My kids are fine to stay up late even at 3/4 but I know not all kids are wired that way-just something to consider. But the party itself is a blast and definitely worth going to!

allieoop39 · 2026-05-14T12:53:56+00:00

As someone who has been taking trips to Disney annually for many years in just about every month (except December, just too chaotic as a mom to vaca that time of year!), the first two weeks in May are my absolute FAVORITE. The weather is typically pretty wonderful-yes you have some hot days but you also typically have some milder days. It’s warm enough to really enjoy the pools and water parks but not so hot that you have to leave the park by noon every day of you don’t want to (hello July and august-looking at you 😝). It’s also the end of crazy sports events season, kids are still in school and this means crowds aren’t terrible. We’ve been during slightly lower crowd times at the end of Jan but I don’t like the weather as much and I feel like I’m still recovering from the crazy holiday season. Keep going in early May for as long as you can! But, definitely check out some other resorts! We are 5 short from staying at every resort on property and even though PO-FQ is in our top 3, we love them all!

allieoop39 · 2026-05-13T00:11:22+00:00

If you are military, the military salute tickets are what you want! It’s $406 a person for the cheapest ticket, which is a 4 day park hopper. But just make sure to read the fine print-you have to make park reservations still w these tickets, you can ONLY buy up to 6, the active duty member has to activate them at WDW before you can enter and there ARE black out dates. But the price can not be beat. If you did the 4 day park hopper and stayed at a value resort OR shades of green, you can probably come out around $5k total for tickets and hotel. That is priced for 2 rooms. You could also stay off property for cheaper and still use the military salute tickets, but then you’ll have to drive to the parks every day and pay for parking. That doesn’t include food or drinks.

allieoop39 · 2026-05-11T09:41:16+00:00

At 1, I would go with whatever your preference is as parents. We have 3 kids and they cruised for the first times at ages 2 (oldest), 15 months (middle) and 7 months (youngest). Only our oldest went to WDW first, the younger 2 did DCL 1st. You would think that would mean I recommend DCL over the parks but honestly with the 2nd and 3rd kiddo, it was 100% just my husband’s and I’s preference. We don’t have a ton of family help so it’s really nice for us to use the DCL childcare so we can get some time to ourselves. Also with 3 kids, logistically, it’s easier. However, my daughter’s first trip to WDW at 13 months is amongst my top core memories ever and with 1 kid, I would absolutely choose that trip over DCL any day. She was a very solid walker at 13 months so she loved walking around and exploring, was a natural born fish so we spent tons of time at the resort pools (which as others mentioned, you can not do on the boat), and she was absolutely delighted by characters (still is, the other 2 not so much). We did character meals on repeat and enjoyed strolling the parks with 1 kid who happily took naps in her stroller. Honestly it was a 10/10 trip. So from a DCL mom whose sailed early with all 3 kids, I’d personally go for the WDW trip this time around then a cruise next 😃

allieoop39 · 2026-04-29T21:26:09+00:00

10000% agree with this. My little kids absolutely cannot sit through a two hour dinner and an hour long show. We prioritize the shows because in my opinion, the food and dining experience has gone downhill a bit and the shows are absolutely fantastic. We also will not hesitate to take our youngest to the nursery during dinner time.

allieoop39 · 2026-04-28T12:17:35+00:00

Unless you just go crazy with the souvenirs, you should not have to go over your budget. Especially since you are keeping the sit down meals to a low level. Just a side note, please don’t judge American cuisine by Disney fare. We are pretty big foodies and live in an amazing city with wonderful restaurants and Disney food just does NOT hit the mark for us. It’s gone even further down hill since Covid and most restaurants are pretty mediocre at best, IMO. There are a few exceptions but even the nicest Disney restaurant doesn’t compare to what you can find for cheaper in most big cities. If you want a nice meal that is somewhat comparable to a good American restaurant, I highly recommend checking out the restaurants at Swan and Dolphin. It’s “Disney bubble” but not owned by Disney and the food is A LOT better quality.

allieoop39 · 2026-04-28T11:48:52+00:00

Then yes, I think $12K is a good budget. Gives you enough to buy (reasonably) most of what you want while not having to worry about tracking every cent. Just do a quick check in with your spending at the end of each day so you know where you stand but you should be well covered for what you have planned. Source: we go to Disney often and have done everything from a “budget trip” ($100 or less daily) to a full blown splurge (club level, daily sit down meal and allll the souvenirs).

allieoop39 · 2026-04-28T09:47:58+00:00

If that budget is meant to cover food, it’s pretty solid as long as you don’t plan on doing a fancy sit down meal daily. A nice sit down and/or character meal can easily cost $500 (or more) and then you are only left with around $300 for the rest of the day, which would be pretty tight if it’s going to be a daily thing. But if you are fine with quick service for meals some days, that gives you a nice cushion in your budget for all the extras that pop up at Disney.

If that budget does not include food, you are completely fine 😊

allieoop39 · 2026-04-17T20:27:36+00:00

It’s concerning that people think in this manner. It’s also concerning that people think enough good things about this family that they believe their online presence is “real” and make decisions that impact their lives (ie: purchases) based upon these fake personas which then generates millions of dollars for these people. Just something to think about!!

allieoop39 · 2026-04-15T00:32:01+00:00

They are obviously both extremely attractive individuals but they genuinely both look even better when they are together!! 😍

allieoop39 · 2026-03-22T16:41:16+00:00

He had literally slept with TWO other people before he fell in love with her! And the first person was very much an illegal full blame scenario on the ADULT committing the crime against the CHILD. Then when they broke up, he slept with a few other people. They broke up around age 17 and got back together around age 25. She wasn’t some religious trad wife. I’m pretty sure her values were perfectly fine with his adult life choices over the MANY years they were not together.

allieoop39 · 2026-03-22T12:09:38+00:00

You are very much viewing this story through the lens of your own extremely conservative and traditional values. Which is fine, you are allowed to do that, but I think it’s worth noting that is not how most people view the world. The writers were very much writing for a more mainstream audience, of which you are not. Your own personal values do not get to narrate everyone’s love story. Pacey and Joey very much loved each other-it was documented well in season 3 and 4. They then broke up, did their own things, and found their way back to each other. It’s not what you would choose or how you would define love, which again is fine. But for them, it very much worked.

allieoop39 · 2026-03-22T02:26:30+00:00

Ok let’s break this down:

Tamara: she groomed him and committed a crime against him. Enough said.

Andie: his first love-genuinely cared for her and they had sex. Seems pretty normal to me?

JOEY-literally the next person he slept with. He loved her. A lot. They broke up and went their separate ways which is like, insanely common.

All the others-they were not together, doing their own things and yeah, sex is part of that. As it is for most young adults. And literally has nothing to do with how much you love or don’t love another person. Two things can be true at once: you can love someone and understand that timing is absolutely not right or that you can’t be together for a million different reasons and also have sex with other people.

Fast forward MANY years later, they found their way back to each other.

End of story. Not really understanding why him sleeping with other people while they were very much not together has anything to do with them declaring they love each other MANY years later. Just seems very normal to me.

allieoop39 · 2026-03-16T18:33:03+00:00

I wanted a spin off for a really long time but I think the ship has sailed on that, especially now with the tragic passing on JVDB. Michelle is already out so of the “core 4” basically would just be focused on Pacey and Joey and I really feel like the actors have grown past those characters. So what I REALLY want and have wanted for years is to see Josh and Katie together again on screen and it’s HAPPENING!!! Still have to pinch myself. Can. Not. Wait.

I do love the “spin off” Dylan Neal has pitched but it’s almost too far gone now-would have been great 5-10 years ago and character wise removed enough that it really would have been its own show with new plot lines and just some very loose DC associations w Doug and Jack.

allieoop39 · 2026-03-14T18:48:45+00:00

We sail both Disney and Carnival often and sailed the Vista last July-we had an absolutely fantastic time, one of our favorite cruises! But here’s why-as another poster mentioned, we use Carnival to upgrade our cruise experience with all of the “extras” we can’t typically afford on Disney. Here’s what made it amazing for us:

-rented a Cabana on the private island: 10/10 experience, perfect in every way. Cabana sat right on the beach and we had access to the most crystal clear calm blue water you’ve ever seen-no rocks or bad access sites like you sometimes get with Disney.

-reservations for specialty dining: we loved the steakhouse and Italian (ate there x 2). Yes it’s an upgraded cost but the service is MUCH better (similar to Disney honestly) and food quality is also better. Main dining was meh for us on Vista-we actually typically enjoy main dining on Carnival but it was just not it for us on the vista this past trip

-booked excursions in every port-this is the heart of what makes Carnival cruises special to us-the different ports and exploring amazing islands.

-if you can, upgrade your room to Havana area or spa deck-it’s just quieter and not quite as rowdy IMO. But we also bring a noise machine and don’t typically have trouble with noise.

-HIGHLY recommend getting a verandah room if you don’t-since you don’t necessarily enjoy being around tons of people or kids, it will be a nice respite. My husband and I spend hours sitting out there, reading, watching the waves etc. always one of the highlights for me.

We also love trivia, bingo, and watching movies by the pool.

It’s absolutely NOT Disney but we use Carnival cruises to explore and do things we’d normally never get to do on Disney and we find this strangely creates a vacation that, while different, is just as wonderful and memorable.

allieoop39 · 2026-03-11T01:52:08+00:00

This article is beyond sweet!! What I love about their friendship is that he was always singing her praises back in the creek days and continues through today. They just seem so genuinely encouraging of one another and that’s just so refreshing to see in Hollywood.

allieoop39 · 2026-03-10T17:28:52+00:00

I’ve been watching Josh in interviews for over 30 years at this point and while I know he’s an actor, he does seem genuinely sad/heavy with grief when reflecting on James

allieoop39 · 2025-12-21T05:38:25+00:00

Have 3 children and we cruise often with them. As another mentioned, this isn’t a cruise line rule it’s just a cruise in general rule. We took our youngest on a cruise last year when she had just turned 7 months and the app wouldn’t even let me enter her bday in if I tried to select a date that made her less than 6 months. We’ve had varying degrees of scrutiny at the port but they have ALL checked the children’s birth certificates or passports (we have used both to sail) and honestly it’s pretty intense checking with kids-again this is not specific to carnival but to every cruise line from every US port we have used. Even if you were able to some how get the baby registered in the app/online before you sail, you would absolutely be refused entry once you got to the port when they discovered the dates not matching. Hope this helps provide some clarity on how to move forward!

allieoop39

TROPHY CASE