Being prepared for these moments can help to prevent or at least delay the impending meltdown. Here are 5 sanity saving items that you may want to pack in your purse, suitcase, or diaper bag. I am skipping over all the stuff we mom's already make use of and giving you a few lesser known items.
What do you do when one of those dreaded moments arrives on a family trip? You know what moment I am talking about. The Pre melt down moment that takes many forms. The line at the theme park is moving at a snails pace, their is no sign of the waitress in the busy restaurant, or you find yourself in stand still traffic when you still have 4 hours of travel time to go. Being prepared for these moments can help to prevent or at least delay the impending meltdown. Here are 5 sanity saving items that you may want to pack in your purse, suitcase, or diaper bag. I am skipping over all the stuff we mom's already make use of and giving you a few lesser known items. Bubbles are the perfect sanity savor for toddlers to pre teens. I like to pack the tiny bottles because they are space saving and it they spill the mess is minimal. Bubbles were the number one sanity savor for all the waiting we did on our Disney World Trip. I keep some in my glove box to help ease travel delays. At first glance these may not seem like a sanity savor but when you add the right items this classroom item becomes a travel must. The first thing I love about these is that they are see through. The second is that you can use a carbriner key chain clip to secure these to your stroller or bag. The third and most important things is that these are great for keeping all ages busy. For toddlers, fill it with safe snacks, bubbles, & age appropriate toys. For your school ages kids, toss in crayons, stickers, tiny toys and notebooks. Having a few of these pre made travel bags on hand can certainly save the day. An added bonus is that reusable items can be tucked back in the zippered bag for another trip and empty bags can be used for packing souvenirs for the trip home. This is space saving play anywhere story game that simply consists of dice with images. You simply roll the dice and take turns creating a story. Great family game for all ages that will get everyone involved and help pass the time. You could also create your own DIY version of this game if you want to save a little cash. Every trip needs a notebook! My kids have come to expect this. From the tiny spiral flip top notepads to cute embellished journals you kids will love having a place to scribble, draw or play tic-tac-toe. I like to attach a tiny gel pen with a string to the spiral type note books and include a sheet of stickers. You will love the moments of quiet this simple item provides. Headphones. Ear Buds. They are a must have sanity savor. So much so that I always pack a pair for everyone on longer travels. They are perfect for those moments when you just can't listen to another round of cartoons, kids fighting or to shield the rest of the family from the whiney toddler who just wont give it up and go to sleep. Yes, headphone are for the moms, dads, sullen teens, and cartoon loving kids. Of course, they only work when attached to some sort of media/electronic device but this mom is okay with that if it helps to save the day!
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The Sci-fi Diner is located inside Disney's Hollywood Studios and features retro style drive in movie dining in car themed booths in a darkened theatre. I was excited to land advanced dining reservations even though one of the only available lunch times landed us eating at 3:10. Okay, our reservations were at 3:10 - we were not actually seated and eating until around 4:30. I will say that although it was worth our wait, waiting that long to eat made me glad that I had only booked 2 advanced reservations. The waiting area was cramped, uncomfortable and not very well themed. It was pouring rain, so at least we were able to wait inside. Once seated in the car themed booths the experience certainly improved. We were seated by our car hop. Each car contains 3 booths. As a group of four we were seated in the first two booths and a third couple was seated behind us. It is an unusal seating arrangement but we enjoyed it. In some reviews that I had read before my visit some people had noted that this type of seating doesn't work well for conversation for eating and I can see how that could be an issue. However, it worked well for us! We were there for the food and movie experience. Now....about the food....The food is all american style cuisine. I opted for the Smoked turkey sandwich. It was a nice sized sandwich on a tasty thick multi grain bread with turkey, bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, and a Avocado Mayonnaise with a cucumber salad on the side. It was a good sandwich although I would have preferred a bit more of a avocado taste in the mayo. I chose a cherry coke for the drink and I must say I slurped down several glasses. I had read on a few blogs that drink refills were extra at many dining locations but I did not find this to be the case here. D.C. opted for the create your own burger and fries which looked yummy and had me second guessing my choice. The little ones had kids meals which came with desert. My 2 year old ate very little of her food. She ate her desert (apples) and her brothers ice cream. Atmosphere, movies, and service......The atmosphere is really what makes this dining experience. I loved the darkened room, city and night-scape details on the walls and ceiling. It is a small dining area but it doesn't feel cramped. The small size played into the length of our wait time. Don't plan on eating here without a reservation during the busy season. The movies were a mix of your typical B grade sci fi flicks with a few cartoons tossed it. We enjoyed the space themed Tom & Jerry. The Service was great. The car hops were attentive, stayed true to their car hop roles and offered prompt refills. Our car hop even took photos of us together. Conclusion.... value vs cost.....................This was an enjoyable meal and experience if you factor out the ridiculous wait time and poor waiting area. ( I hate waiting to eat!) The total for lunch ended up being around $65 after tips and taxes. The food was good, the portions were large, and refills were free. Outside of Disney, I would not rate this as a good value if strictly looking at food and price, but when you factor in the experience and service It was worth it.
The big question for me when doing a review is always... would I eat here again? The answer here is yes but I would book earlier in advance to get a better time slot. Here I am planning my rather last minute trip to Disney world and I have not even finished posting all of the awesome photos and travel reports from out Disney Cruise in January. So much going on in my life back to back from November to now that I just have not kept up. Of course, I should have lots of time this summer for catch up posting. I don't see any big summer trips in the works for us after cramming so much into the beginning of they year. Now, If you know anything about planning Disney World vacations, then you know that there is a wealth of blogs, message boards, and Disney fans out there to fill your head with information. I love information, but I will admit it can get a bit overwhelming. Stay on site? Of site? Pre pay meals with the dining plan or pay as you go? Oh, not to mention that people begin booking their Disney restaurants up to 120 day in advance? Did I mention this is last minute? Of course, I have been kicking the idea around for about two years now. I knew we were going, I just wasn't sure when. Spring break is not the cheapest or slowest time to go but by going before my little girl turns 3 we will be saving the cost of a ticket for her and that is a huge savings. That is the incentive. Saving money. We will going with a strict and rather wimpy budget but go we will! I wanted to stay on property and it was in my budget. Then the value resorts started filling up and sent me searching for alternatives. We will be staying off site at a not so fancy ( read cheap) hotel. Note the fancy Disney resort photo- we wont be staying there! Our little budget saver hotel has free breakfast and that will save us a good deal of cash. Which, we will of course turn around a spend on expensive Disney food or trinkets. We are also planning to save money by driving (instead of flying), bringing plenty of snacks and water, and taking advantage of what ever freebies we can find. I have started our touring plans for each park. I don't have all of those completely laid out yet. I do know which parks we will visit on what day, and I have booked one restaurant so far. My brain may be steaming a bit from all the information on touring plans, fast passes, parades, and shows. |
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