Stressed out Disney Virgin - can you check my list - have if forgot anything?

[feelingood]

Bloody bloody hell, Im going from excitement to stress head in the space of minutes so I've come here to ask you lovely MNetters to appraise my list for me and chip in any advice as you see it.

Booking - done and paid for - October: Flying Virgin from Gatwick, Disney transfers, Carribean Beach resort, Dinning Plan inc (counter + table per person daily) Tickets inc for all parks (13 nights)

Upgrade child lap seat thing to normal child ticket (waiting for quote not his one)

Dinner reservations - some done via telephone but not showing on booking - waiting for tech help to open.

Passports - all done paid and received

Esta'a - to do

Prepaid credit card set up but needs loading with more dollars

Cash dollars to do

Travellers cheques to do

Suitcases - to order

Back packs with pacamacs to order

Universal tickets - to do

What suitcases are best there lots half price in debenhams hard or soft? Is tripp alright?

This is our first time abroad in 10 years and with young children. Feeling a bit glum as it is all down to me to sort this out (its part of our arrangement so no LTB mentalists please )

We usually take three suitcases, one empty inside another one. I hate mucking about with hand luggage so we usually just have one small backpack each (then DH insists on buying duty free using both our allowances so I have to lug that back as well). I grew up in America so I have specific food I look for- Quaker cornmeal so I can make cornbread (what you get here is just NOT the same!!), a certain coffee flavoured hot milkshake according to DH and so on. I tend to buy in bulk, like 10 boxes of cornmeal, 20 tins of coffee etc.

Oh and I forgot to say- since you're on the dining plan you can use your snack credits for a lot of the food at the various F&W booths. They will have a sign up with the offerings and the ones you can use a snack credit on will have a little dining plan symbol next to them. Some are extremely good value under the plan and more expensive than the normal snack foods.

There is a great wee converse store on the 192 which is even cheaper that the outlet on IDrive.(I got 2 pairs for about $60) Also if buying express passes for Universal buy and have them sent when you are in UK rather than buying on the day as were bit of a rip off. We also made sure we handed ours over to another family arriving as we were leaving on all trips to Universal as were $100 each (we bought them on the day) and wanted to make sure they got used to the max. They also aren't valid for ALL the rides and you do still have some queueing time (we were peak time)
You will have a fab time . My only tip(and others may disagree) is dont do magic Kingdom on your first day. We did as it seems the obvious thing to do...however everyone is tired from travel/getting used to heat and if it is your first time it is full on sensory overload!! I dont think we saw one smiling child that day but I reckon its for those reasons and everyone heads there first.

Dont even begin to think you will get everything done. (we bought tickets for EVERYTHING) and no way could have managed it in our two weeks.
My favourite things were Typhoon Lagoon (esp the lazy river) we booked a cabana for the day and that was great. The shopping (mainly the outlet malls at the end of Int. Drive)..Downtown Disney early morning was quietish and some quirky shops and my DD9 had a tinkerbell bibbidy bobbidy make over. Universal - my kids liked Islands of Adventure best while I preferred the other side.
Food wise it was all a bit too much burger and fries at the parks for me. My kids didnt complain about that once tho! My favourite meal was in an Italian restaurant in celebration.

Am so jealous..we have been back just over a week and would love to be back in the heat have fun...sorry about my essay!

ps..we had to buy a huge suitcase to bring home our shopping! I bought the convers, 2 pairs Vans and a pair nike and that was just me ..I have two daughters so you can imagine! Also so many people asked me to bring stuff back

Just be careful with what you do bring back because it is really only £150 worth of goods you can bring back into the UK. Take all labels off stuff.

im out at mo but will be posting my updated later (marking place)

my DH will love you for that silverfoxballs thanks.

LJL69 where abouts on the 192 is the converse shop?

Holdalls! I swear by holdalls as you can roll and get strange sized things home.

We went in march this year and used travellers cheques with ease.

I preferred the idea as easier to track what is spent.

If you are bringing Christmas stuff home remember full sized snow globes have to go in the hold - they contain too much liquid for hand baggage.