I have been visiting WDW magic now and again over the years. Mostly when I would hear some news or a rumor, I would google it and it would lead me here. However, when we began planning our Christmas 2018 trip, with the extended family, and we got the free dining plan, I knew it was time to call in reinforcements. We had never done the dining plan. Never ever in all our years and all our trips. We rarely even made ADR’s. I needed help so I googled disney dining plan. And it sent me here. I feverishly started taking notes about where we should or shouldn’t eat to get the most bang for our buck. I spent hours researching what snacks would optimize the use of a credit. Then I got a grip and remembered the dining plan was FREE.
I started purusing the rest of the forum and what I found was terrifying! These people, why, they didn’t even like Disney! They criticized it and each other. It seemed so very unmagical (to quote katiebug). Then I read a trip report and another, then another. To be honest my FIRST response was, “no! You are doing it all wrong!!!” But then I realized, I found my people. These were the true Disney fans.
Now I am ready to contribute. “But who are you”, you ask. Well....I was born and raised in southern California to a Father who lived through the depression and a Mother from the mid west. Translation: there were no vacations...ever. We would camp every now and again. Or drive to Vegas. “Where do you want to stay tonight”, my Dad would ask. Then that is the parking lot we would pull our camper into. So glamorous! I never knew what a hotel room looked like until prom....er.....that’s another trip report.
Our family did go to Disneyland 2-3 times a year and we did Disneyland hard core!!! Yep, we got our moneys worth!
College found me back East where I met my husband. As luck would have it, he also enjoyed Disney. As more luck would have it, my sister, while at school in Houston, met her future husband who was from Florida. After graduation they moved back to Florida for law school. So now my boyfriend (husband) and I had an excuse to visit Florida. And visit we did!
But how did this trip come about? With in-laws and all? And at Christmas? Well, for that we need to peel a layer of the onion. Picture it, Christmas eve 2010, my Mother in law’s dining room table. She had always loved Christmas. When my husband and his brother were small she would get them EVERYTHING on their list, then, because she was so excited she would have them open all their gifts on Christmas eve. Then the Aunts, Uncles and cousins would come over for the feast of the seven fishes.
So here we sat chatting after the presents and the feast and the fun. (more onion) In 2008 my husband and I had become DVC members. Our first order of business was to take the entire family to AKL. We got a grand villa and who was staying down the hall from us? None other than Mr. Bob Iger himself. (Our room was nicer as I may have poked my head in his while it was being cleaned). It was a great trip and we all had a ton of fun.
With a little trepidation I asked my MIL if she would want to go to Hawaii for Christmas the following year. I explained how we would have enough points for a grand villa for 4-5 nights. She squealed and said yes. She did not check with my FIL. She did not ask my husbands brother or wife. She said yes so it was a yes. We were going to Hawaii!!!
Two weeks later she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer...
I started purusing the rest of the forum and what I found was terrifying! These people, why, they didn’t even like Disney! They criticized it and each other. It seemed so very unmagical (to quote katiebug). Then I read a trip report and another, then another. To be honest my FIRST response was, “no! You are doing it all wrong!!!” But then I realized, I found my people. These were the true Disney fans.
Now I am ready to contribute. “But who are you”, you ask. Well....I was born and raised in southern California to a Father who lived through the depression and a Mother from the mid west. Translation: there were no vacations...ever. We would camp every now and again. Or drive to Vegas. “Where do you want to stay tonight”, my Dad would ask. Then that is the parking lot we would pull our camper into. So glamorous! I never knew what a hotel room looked like until prom....er.....that’s another trip report.
Our family did go to Disneyland 2-3 times a year and we did Disneyland hard core!!! Yep, we got our moneys worth!
College found me back East where I met my husband. As luck would have it, he also enjoyed Disney. As more luck would have it, my sister, while at school in Houston, met her future husband who was from Florida. After graduation they moved back to Florida for law school. So now my boyfriend (husband) and I had an excuse to visit Florida. And visit we did!
But how did this trip come about? With in-laws and all? And at Christmas? Well, for that we need to peel a layer of the onion. Picture it, Christmas eve 2010, my Mother in law’s dining room table. She had always loved Christmas. When my husband and his brother were small she would get them EVERYTHING on their list, then, because she was so excited she would have them open all their gifts on Christmas eve. Then the Aunts, Uncles and cousins would come over for the feast of the seven fishes.
So here we sat chatting after the presents and the feast and the fun. (more onion) In 2008 my husband and I had become DVC members. Our first order of business was to take the entire family to AKL. We got a grand villa and who was staying down the hall from us? None other than Mr. Bob Iger himself. (Our room was nicer as I may have poked my head in his while it was being cleaned). It was a great trip and we all had a ton of fun.
With a little trepidation I asked my MIL if she would want to go to Hawaii for Christmas the following year. I explained how we would have enough points for a grand villa for 4-5 nights. She squealed and said yes. She did not check with my FIL. She did not ask my husbands brother or wife. She said yes so it was a yes. We were going to Hawaii!!!
Two weeks later she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer...
?????
I agree with you there. Disney and relaxing don't usually go together. I've only had one relaxing Disney vacation and it was because J and I went without the kids and did a lot of laying around the pool , eating and trying new drinks. 
