Mickey and the Military

10, November 2009 By Tina Kelley 3 Comments

I have to say that I just love companies that do good things for our men and women in the armed services. Of course I’m a bit biased since my hubby is in the Air National Guard, but that’s also why I am much more appreciative to those that are so supportive.

During our trip to WDW we’ll be taking advantage of the Disney’s Armed Forces Salute. My hubs will get a free 5-day park hopper ticket that includes admission into some of the water parks. In addition to that he can also purchase 5 more 5-day tickets for $99 each! There are some restrictions on these tickets, like the fact that they aren’t park hopper tickets, but we can add that feature on for an additional $25.

Unfortunately, Disney’s Armed Forces Salute ends on the 23rd of December. I have been searching all over the web and even asking Disney folks on Twitter if they will perhaps extend this, but currently it’s not sounding like they will.

You can still get discounted tickets though if you are a military family. Magic Your Way, Stars and Stripes tickets can be purchased at the Shades of Green Resort. All you need to do is present a valid Military ID when purchasing the tickets. There are several ticket options and you are not required to stay at a resort. Although, in my research I discovered that by staying at a WDW resort the tickets you purchase give you more park options than the ticket options you are given if you are staying off Disney property.

If you’re not familiar with Shades of Green, it is an Armed Forces Recreational Center. One of only 2 in the states! Now, if we were planning our vacation ourselves and not going while hubs was at a conference we would stay at Shades of Green. The rooms are much bigger than the average resort rooms. For instance at Coronado Springs the standard room sleeps a maximum of 4. At Shades of Green, (which has the same in room amenities,) the stand room sleeps 5, because in addition to 2 queen size beds there is also a single sleeper sofa bed!

Not only that but Shades of Green offers some great seasonal packages. Their Winter Package (valid during a stay from Jan. 29th, 2010 to Feb. 28th, 2010. Price is based on 2 adults in a standard room,) includes accommodations for 2 to 8 nights, breakfast buffet each day, dinner buffet each day, and gratuity. The price starts out at $136 a night. Again, this price is based on 2 adults in a standard room. I don’t know what each additional person/child would cost.

All these things are great, but by far the greatest offer they have is their vacation discounts for servicemen and women who have served a minimum of 270 consecutive days in either OEF or OIF location. The service members and their dependent children will get 20% off their stay at Shades of Green for a 1 to 14 day vacation. On top of that they will also receive another 20% off all of the dining options at the resort (excludes Poolside Grille and Express Cafe.)

Mylanta!! There are so many great deals to be had if you are a military family. For Disney deals check out WDW Military Discounts page or Military.com, they both feature deals that you can use to make your Disney experience WONDERFUL!!

Next installment of the Mad Hatter Does Disney series: Leavin’ on a Jet Plane..with kids!

Photo by Joe Penniston

Filed Under: mommy bloggin'

Disney On Ice Meet ‘n Greet

28, October 2009 By Tina Kelley 1 Comment

I know, I know! I’ve been talking about posting this for like 2 days!

But here it is!

So, this past Friday I, (along with my family,) was given the opportunity to head to a meet and greet for the bloggers that helped out my friends at R-West PR with their Disney on Ice campaign. We hosted a local contests on our sites for family packs of tickets to the show.

The meet and greet was such a cool surprise too. I had already posted my 3rd Tinkerbell Tuesday when sweet Molly from R-West sends me an email that the meet and greet is in the works. I was super excited to meet some other bloggers from the Pac NW. Before the contest I only knew of 2 others even though I’m sure that are TONS of us out there.

In addition to the meet and greet we were able to meet Mickey and Minnie AND were given tickets to the show! We were able to hang out in the Courtside Lounge at the Rose Garden and snack on popcorn, chicken strips, and various drinks.

My very favorite part was meeting the bloggers!

Angela and Rebecca from Frugal Living NW. They were both super nice and Angela is my new hero! This lady showed up after giving birth 2 DAYS before!! And when I told her how unbelievable it was she replied, “Like I was going to miss this!” If you live in the NW go check out their blog. These ladies are awesome at finding great deals. They are Couponista’s!

I was also able to meet Jen, the Thrifty NW Mom. This lady drove all the way from NW Washington to join in on the fun! Jen is another frugal momma. She posts great deals and coupons from your favorite stores and websites.

We were a little rushed, so I was bummed we didn’t get to spend as much time getting to know each other but I’m now frequenting their blogs and am looking forward to Angela and Rebecca’s Coupon Express class starting in January!

Now, I’m going to get kind of mushy on you all.

See, R-West is truly a blessing to me. We are a single family income. (I do work part time but that just covers the bills my husbands income doesn’t.) Our family is on a pretty strict budget. That’s not to say that we don’t budget money for entertainment but typically that entertainment is a movie or video game rental.

Because of R-West and their willingness to work with this mommy-blogger, my children have had the opportunity to experience some truly unbelievable things. (Check out Pedi’s with a Pachyderm.) They’ve also been able to do things we otherwise wouldn’t afford. For instance it would have cost our family close to $100 to go see Ringling Bros. & Barnum and Bailey Circus when they were at the Rose Garden, but because of R-West my kids were able to see animals that they have only seen in books and watch unfathomable feats. Because of R-West my kids STILL talk about seeing the elephants and clowns 3 months later!

And now I have R-West to thank for seeing the wonder on my kids faces as they watch the amazing spectacle of Disney on Ice.

It was when my daughter yelled “No!” at the tops of her lungs when they announced intermission just how thankful I was.

Then I watched her as Tinkerbell skated across the ice. Her eyes were glued to the ice, not even cotton candy could draw her away.

I actually became somewhat emotionally watching her and my son. Knowing that if it weren’t for R-West that moment wouldn’t have been possible.

THANK YOU R-WEST!

YOU ARE NOW A PART OF OUR FAMILY.

Filed Under: Oregon Family

Mama ain’t having it!

21, October 2009 By Tina Kelley 8 Comments

Now I have to tell ya. My husband is often asked to go to conferences for the military. And when he goes to said conferences and I get stuck at home with the kids. My hubs has been to Washington DC, Mississippi, errr..and a couple more places that I can’t think of off the top of my head. Now granted he consistently tells me that he is there for work and not play but still!

So, THIS time we came to a mutual understanding that there was no way the kids and I were going to get left at home when he got to go to Florida. In December. Yes, there was no way we were going to get stuck in Oregon in the cold, rainy maybe snowy December, while he went off and wore shorts the whole time. NOPE, we decided against that.

All I have to say is….

DISNEY WORLD HERE WE COME!!!

That’s right. My hubby is having a conference at Walt Disney World!! YEE HAW!

We’ll be staying at the Coronado Springs Resort, which is where the conference is being held. This will be our first family vacation and we’ve decided it will be our family Christmas present. We also aren’t telling the little kids until we get there.

I bet you’re wondering if I’m just writing this post to rub it in..well a little. But this is also the first in a series I will be writing about our plans for Disney and preparing my kids (ages 2 and 4) for their very first flight.