WE’RE GOING TO DISNEY WORLD! :sohappy::sohappy::sohappy:
I’m super excited about this fact because we almost weren’t able to go this year, but I’ll write more about that later.
To give a little information to those who don’t know me, I totally belong to the unofficial club of “I want to go to Disney every year.” Of course, I have many people in my life that say, “Didn’t you just go last year?” In other words, they just don’t get it. There are a few that understand, but for the most part, I feel like I have to justify my decision to go or want to go every year.
As my signature indicates, I’ve been to WDW when I was 2, 28, 38, and 39. I’ve always been a Disney fan, but there was just something that happened after I had my daughter. I think perhaps I want her to have all the childhood experiences at WDW that I didn’t have as a kid. But, honestly, I can’t say that’s it 100% because I just love going too. It’s my escape. I don’t have to think about my regular life (the good or the bad parts of it) at all…..it’s a TRUE vacation, which is another reason that I’m pro-staying on property for every visit. Disney truly immerses you in entertainment from the minute you drive on property until the minute you leave it. Every time we go, we can make it what we want to make it. That’s how versatile WDW is….it can be a thrill a minute with Space Mountain and Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster, a total rest fest by the pool or something in between.
So, enough background! On to our upcoming trip:
Here’s our cast:
DM, 62, who will be celebrating her retirement (she retired in December 2010)
Me, 41, who will be celebrating the end of a very hectic and stressful school year teaching 27 fourth graders
DD, 7, always a princess, who will be celebrating the end of second grade and becoming a 3rd grader
2008
2009
I wish I'd had a better camera to take this picture.
The quality of it could've been so much better!
(I apologize for the excessive DD pics. I just can't help myself!)
Meeting us there (they live in Venice, FL):
one of my cousins (I’ll call him DC for this pre-trip and trip report),
his wife (DCW)
their 2-year-old son (DCS)
No. No one’s getting engaged, married, graduating, having a baby, but we are celebrating nonetheless! And, yes, we are planning to get “I’m celebrating” buttons! Of course we are also celebrating simply being at WDW! It almost didn’t happen for us this year. I started trying to plan a trip for us earlier this year. In fact, Nancy with MEI travel, was helping me. (If you are looking for a super great travel agent to help plan a WDW trip, she’s the one you should contact! She’s FABULOUS! Send me a pm and I’ll be glad to give you her info.) After a little drama related to a Disney offer pin code for free dining (I’ll spare you the details of that LONG story), I AGAIN was thinking we wouldn’t be able to go this year. It was a roller coaster ride with the back and forth issues. Will we go? Will we not go?
Then one of my coworkers came in my classroom one morning and she reminded me about her upcoming trip to Disney World. I knew that she was going on a big family trip but I really hadn’t inquired about it for us because we wanted to go later in the summer and I was thinking that it was just for her family. Her trip was planned for immediately after school is out. We talked about it briefly and then went about our day.
A few days passed and this same coworker came in my room one morning and shared with me her trip situation. They were booking through AAA Travel and a lot of her extended family was going. She explained that they were getting a group rate on their Disney package and they had to have a total of 25 rooms booked or no one would be able to go at the group rate prices. At this point, they were 4 rooms short and trying to ask everyone they knew to get all the rooms booked. She then basically begged me to go to Disney World in their group! Again, I hadn’t really considered it because I was thinking that it was just for her family, but she explained that it was open to friends and family. So, I crunched the numbers again and what do you know, our trip was back on! WOO HOO! Then the fun began: planning!
I’m super excited about this fact because we almost weren’t able to go this year, but I’ll write more about that later.
To give a little information to those who don’t know me, I totally belong to the unofficial club of “I want to go to Disney every year.” Of course, I have many people in my life that say, “Didn’t you just go last year?” In other words, they just don’t get it. There are a few that understand, but for the most part, I feel like I have to justify my decision to go or want to go every year.
As my signature indicates, I’ve been to WDW when I was 2, 28, 38, and 39. I’ve always been a Disney fan, but there was just something that happened after I had my daughter. I think perhaps I want her to have all the childhood experiences at WDW that I didn’t have as a kid. But, honestly, I can’t say that’s it 100% because I just love going too. It’s my escape. I don’t have to think about my regular life (the good or the bad parts of it) at all…..it’s a TRUE vacation, which is another reason that I’m pro-staying on property for every visit. Disney truly immerses you in entertainment from the minute you drive on property until the minute you leave it. Every time we go, we can make it what we want to make it. That’s how versatile WDW is….it can be a thrill a minute with Space Mountain and Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster, a total rest fest by the pool or something in between.
So, enough background! On to our upcoming trip:
Here’s our cast:
DM, 62, who will be celebrating her retirement (she retired in December 2010)
Me, 41, who will be celebrating the end of a very hectic and stressful school year teaching 27 fourth graders
DD, 7, always a princess, who will be celebrating the end of second grade and becoming a 3rd grader
2008
2009
I wish I'd had a better camera to take this picture.
The quality of it could've been so much better!
(I apologize for the excessive DD pics. I just can't help myself!)
Meeting us there (they live in Venice, FL):
one of my cousins (I’ll call him DC for this pre-trip and trip report),
his wife (DCW)
their 2-year-old son (DCS)
No. No one’s getting engaged, married, graduating, having a baby, but we are celebrating nonetheless! And, yes, we are planning to get “I’m celebrating” buttons! Of course we are also celebrating simply being at WDW! It almost didn’t happen for us this year. I started trying to plan a trip for us earlier this year. In fact, Nancy with MEI travel, was helping me. (If you are looking for a super great travel agent to help plan a WDW trip, she’s the one you should contact! She’s FABULOUS! Send me a pm and I’ll be glad to give you her info.) After a little drama related to a Disney offer pin code for free dining (I’ll spare you the details of that LONG story), I AGAIN was thinking we wouldn’t be able to go this year. It was a roller coaster ride with the back and forth issues. Will we go? Will we not go?
Then one of my coworkers came in my classroom one morning and she reminded me about her upcoming trip to Disney World. I knew that she was going on a big family trip but I really hadn’t inquired about it for us because we wanted to go later in the summer and I was thinking that it was just for her family. Her trip was planned for immediately after school is out. We talked about it briefly and then went about our day.
A few days passed and this same coworker came in my room one morning and shared with me her trip situation. They were booking through AAA Travel and a lot of her extended family was going. She explained that they were getting a group rate on their Disney package and they had to have a total of 25 rooms booked or no one would be able to go at the group rate prices. At this point, they were 4 rooms short and trying to ask everyone they knew to get all the rooms booked. She then basically begged me to go to Disney World in their group! Again, I hadn’t really considered it because I was thinking that it was just for her family, but she explained that it was open to friends and family. So, I crunched the numbers again and what do you know, our trip was back on! WOO HOO! Then the fun began: planning!
