They're opening FLE just for us! UPDATE: My 2010 Disney Book(11/17)

dawnmichele

DIS Veteran
Joined
May 20, 2010
Here's how it started.

Last Tuesday I was having a cranky day. :mad: I don't remember what it was that got me off to a bad start in the morning, but I do remember the poison ivy I found lurking about my back yard in the afternoon. By the time Danny got home from work, I was ready to complain to somebody. He sat on the couch patiently, listening and commiserating. When I suggested we partake in 79 cent tacos for taco Tuesday at our favorite drive through, he said he thought it was a good idea.

On the way he surprised me.

"My company already decided where our Christmas party is going to be this year." he told me. In the past it's been in places like Colombus or Las Vegas or New Orleans.

"Oh yeah? Where did they choose?" I asked.

"Some place called Coronado Springs Resort," he said with a straight face. "And there's something about a pass to the park."

Hmmm, I thought. I knew it sounded familiar but I was still in crabby mode and not at all thinking right.

"Where is that? Is that the hotel in San Diego?" We had walked around the beech there on our honeymoon.

"No," he said, finally laughing. "It's at Disney World!"

:cool1: :cloud9: :yay: :dance3:

Man! Is there anything more exciting than that? And how tricky is he? He knew the whole time I was complaining he had some fantastic news and he kept it till the perfect moment.

I was thrilled. It's been a tough time lately and was I ever in need of some good, exciting news! Even still I could have never guessed it would be a surprise trip to Disney World! It's magic there!

Of course I logged into the disboards as soon as we got back. I started reading everything and became so inspired with my planning and scheming! For me, planning is almost half the fun!

So here I am, a week later, full of ideas and questions and a need to talk Disney! It's so good to have an outlet for all these crazy ideas and excitement, and like minded people to share it with. Thanks for being here. I hope you'll join in!
 
That's exciting news!! I remember when my DH did that a few years ago. He called me to tell me about his meetings that he had coming up, and he said it was going to be in Florida. I was thinking Tampa or something, and then he told me Disney. The first thing I said is you wont be going alone to this one!:lmao: It was great! I just wish they would go back because I love those extra trips to the world. :love:
 
Is the Company hiring?! I wanna go to work for a company that has Christmas parties in Columbus, Vegas, Nawlins and DISNEY WORLD! WOW...that is unheard of. Congratulations. That is fantastic!
 


Is the Company hiring?! I wanna go to work for a company that has Christmas parties in Columbus, Vegas, Nawlins and DISNEY WORLD! WOW...that is unheard of. Congratulations. That is fantastic!

I don't know. :rotfl: They have offices all over the US and Canada so they try to spread out their parties, and so far they've chosen wonderful places. Personally I hope this year's party is such a hit they decide to do Disney every year!
 
WOW! How exciting! I have been there when they have closed the MK for private parties. Will it be one of those? Or will they have it at one of the places they hold weddings? Either way, I would love that!!! Geesh DH company stopped having Christmas parties years ago.

I too want to know if the company is hiring. :rotfl:

I also like the planning. Everyone in my family makes fun of me because I even enjoy the packing (departing. returning...not so much).

Can't wait to hear all the details. How long you will stay, what you will do...if you will take me. :lmao:
 


Danny's company is providing his round trip air fare and 2 nights at the Coronado Springs Resort. They are also allowing him to add up to 3 extra nights at the CSR at their convention rate. :cool1:

Well, if that isn't the universe telling us we need a family vacation! That's a message you have to listen to, right? It seems to be a good time, too. Our DD, 19, is still at living at home and going to school but that won't last forever (so I'm told). And Danny has some health issues that are degenerative, so he's not sure how many more trips he'll be up for… Of course these are all simply rationalizations because we want an "excuse" to go to Disney World! If you try hard enough, you can make any time a good time to visit the mouse. :thumbsup2

Since the company is reserving our room, we're not sure if we'll be able to partake in things like Disney Dining. Truth is, we're still not even sure we can take DD! In the past all company parties have allowed each employee to take one adult - but surely since they picked WDW they assume people will want to bring their families. And since the rooms at CSR are for up to 4 adults… Well we've really got our fingers crossed on that one. If it turns out she can't go, we'll probably go anyway, but what a drag that would be. DD would be so sad. :sad1::sad1::sad1:

There is a possibility we will add 2 more nights at the end of the trip so we can check out the Little Mermaid wing of the new Art of Animation. We're all in love with that resort and can't wait to check it out. The con of that is that since this is a surprise trip, we haven't planned or budgeted funds for it. We're trying to cut costs where we can, and this seems like an obvious one. I know 5 nights at the world isn't long enough ;), but it's not bad either. :hyper:

Another possibility is that my brother, who is a DVC and disBoarder as well (we did a trip report together here), will come along and bring his best girl Adrianne.

That's what we know so far. I can't wait for more planning! :goodvibes
 
Role Call!
Here's the who.


Me first, since I'm doing the telling.
I'm Shelly. I'm 45 and didn't have my first visit to the world until I was 30 years old! I certainly grew up loving Disney though. As a child I loved Bambi and The AristoCats and Mary Poppins (as well as The Three Lives of Thomasina and Bedknobs and Broomstics and Escape to Witch Mountain!). As I got older I loved Pete's Dragon - and really hated Oliver and The Fox and the Hound. With my daughter I fell in love with The Little Mermaid and The Hunchback of Notre Dame (and Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King). I finally did make my first trip to Disney in 1996. My last one was 2010. This next trip will be my forth.

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Me with Thumper and his girl. Maybe my favorite part of my 2010 visit.

When I'm not thinking of Disney, I'm a stay at home mom, for which I am very grateful. I love reading and history and travel. I like to make things - mostly paper things like mini books or a mess in my art journal. I like to cook. I blog. I take lots of pictures. I am frustrated with my camera.

Danny is my ex husband. We are still great friends and still do many things as a family, including this trip. He is 50 and a brilliant software engineer. He visited Disneyland several times as a child, and Disney World once. This trip will be his forth as well, but he hasn't been since 1997. I'm not sure of all his favorites through the years. I know recently he has really enjoyed Ratatouille and Up.

One thing that will make this trip a lot different, especially for him: He has a degenerative disc disease (combined with arthritis) that makes it impossible for him to walk long distance, and especially to stand too long. This trip will offer some challenges we haven't had to deal with before. I've visited the disAbilities board a lot already, so I'm sure we'll be able to handle them thanks to the help there. Danny's very excited and almost always willing to talk about the trip (at least for now :) which I appreciate so much. He also likes to reminisce about times he's been before and is quick to offer up a fun story.

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Danny, Hannah and Eeyore at CP in 1996.

Hannah is our beloved, grown daughter. She is 19, and lives with us while she goes to school to study graphic design. This will be her forth trip as well. She went twice when she was a very little girl and went with me in 2010. She is a Disney lover. She grew up watching just about every Disney movie. Her tops are The Lion King, The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast, but she has loved many. Her favorite part of visiting the world is "the Peter Pan effect" that makes her feel like she's 5 again the minute we get there. She is really excited, but likes to point out she is not "crazy" about it like she says I am. For example, I want to have a different Disney shirt to wear every day while we're there. She doesn't want to wear even one. She has Type 1 Diabetes and Epilepsy, so that sometimes adds a little more planning and attention on a trip. She did pretty good with it all last time, so I'm not too worried about her this time. I'm excited to see the Peter Pan effect on her again!

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The girl in the Animal Kingdom, 2010

And that's us and our funny little family!

There is a chance we might be joined by my brother Brian.
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My brother, acting goofy at CRT, 2010
He is a huge Disney fan and a DVC member, but whether he'll join us or not is still up in the air.

Of course I'll keep you updated!


:banana:203 days:banana:
 
Well :wave2: ! Very nice to meet you all.

Since you mentioned you like to make things... have you been on the Creative DiSign board theads yet? I admire those people so much. They are so talented. You could combine some of your likes... art, draw picture, then camera-take photo of picture, use computer design to make things like bookmarks etc., then post them for all to ask for one of.(of course I do mean all as ...me ;) ) hahaha

I'm enjoying reading along.
 
SO JEALOUS!

I doubt I can book a trip for the time that you are there (saving points for an awesome December 2013 trip).

- but we still have the huge family trip in 2015 to look forward to!
 
WOW! How exciting! I have been there when they have closed the MK for private parties. Will it be one of those?

We don't know yet. I am hungry for more info, and his company says they'll have more to say about it in a few weeks. They wanted to let people know asap so they could start saving, but they're not rolling out the info for a while. Maybe they're still working it out, but I can't wait to know more!

I also like the planning. Everyone in my family makes fun of me because I even enjoy the packing (departing. returning...not so much).

I swear planning is half the fun. I love having something exciting like this to plan and anticipate. And packing? I always get started way early because I like it so much.
 
SO JEALOUS!

I doubt I can book a trip for the time that you are there (saving points for an awesome December 2013 trip).

- but we still have the huge family trip in 2015 to look forward to!

Awww. That's sad news for everyone involved. :sad1: :sad1:

And yes, Brian is planning a super sized trip for December or 2015 for all our siblings (6 of us) and our kids (5 so far). It's kind of a crazy plan, but crazy is good, right? :joker:
 
I made a blog post about telling our daughter we were headed back to Disney World at the end of the year. I had lots of fun getting it all ready (i.e. shopping) and watching her face as she figured it out. Here it is almost exactly from the blog.

:dance3:

Here's the thing I didn't tell you about Mother's Day.

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For almost 3 weeks now, Danny and I have known that we're taking a family trip to Disney World this December. His office has their annual Christmas Party in a different city each year, and this year they've chosen Disney World. !!! Go Danny's office. Seriously, how fantastic is that?

We decided to keep it a secret from Hannah for a while. At first we weren't sure if his office would allow us to take her, and we weren't sure we should spend the extra money it'll take us to all go. We finally decided the trip was a go and it was time to tell Hannah.

We wanted to announce it to her in some fun and kind of surprisey way. I checked out some ideas on the web and decided to do the backpack reveal sort of surprise. I bought her a Disney bag from Walmart, and a bunch of silly Princess things at the dollar store. I threw in some travel supplies, and I bought her the Camelbak water bottle with a filter she's been asking for.

IMAG1238.jpg


I waited till after I opened my presents and then told her I'd picked up something for her too. "For me?" she asked. "It's no big deal," I told her. "Just something I saw and thought you might like."

I handed her the bag. She unzipped it and barely glanced inside before she said,

"We're going to Disney World, aren't we?"

She's clever, that girl. I was all denial. "What? I don't know what you're talking about. Just see what's inside."

I had picked up a few things for Danny as well and shoved them in a Mickey gift bag. I gave him his.

IMAG1240.jpg


Danny got some travel sized supplies, a different kind of filtered water bottle, a Star Wars shirt and a pack of Disney tattoos.

By that point she was pretty positive we were going, so Danny gave her the details. 5 nights at the Coronado Springs Resort at Disney World. D and I are considering adding a night or two at the new Art of Animation resort, but we'll have to give it some more thought (and number crunching).


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203 days. I'm so excited.


:dance3:
Of course I didn't leave myself out of the get ready for Disney gifts!

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I bought myself a Princess play pack from the dollar spot. It's got a sort of coloring book and some stickers. Also at the dollar spot I found the tiny flip top Princess notebook I'll take to the park and write the notes for our fantastic upcoming trip report. And who doesn't want their own set of fancy dollar store rain ponchos?

For the family...

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I saw these plates at Target and could not resist adding one of each to the stack of plates in our cabinet. These have become our favorites. I don't think we've used any other plates since!
 
It might be time for me to invest in more DVC points... I never thought that I would run into a time when I could not join the fam for a trip! GRRR
 
Awesome way to tell your daughter! And on mothers day. That's cool.

I have a love/hate relationship with the dollar stores. I love I can pick up disney stuff at a bargain, I hate that I ALWAYS go over board. Then of course the family looks at me like I am nuts when I hide a "little" gift bag in there carry-ons. I know they look forward to it. One of my sons asked if I was hiding surprise bags for them for the Nov. flight. :love: I started this when they were 3 1/2 to keep them occupied on the 3 hr flight. Now that the older ones are 21 it is becoming a bit expensive. hahaha

Yep, I agree with your brother when he said he should buy more dvc points. haha It is addictive. I hear the GF may be selling points by late fall. Just saying.... :confused3
 
Awesome way to tell your daughter! And on mothers day. That's cool.

Thanks! It was super fun. She was not expecting it at all! She did catch on super quick though - before she even took the stuff out of the bag. I guess it's harder to surprise your kids after they hit college :)

I love I can pick up disney stuff at a bargain, I hate that I ALWAYS go over board. Then of course the family looks at me like I am nuts when I hide a "little" gift bag in there carry-ons.
I have that problem too! And right about how it's harder when they're older. I keep wishing my DD was still 7 or something. I'm definitely looking forward to going with my baby nieces when they're older - right now one is 17months and the other 3 months so they're a bit young still, but we are all planning a giant family trip in 2015. WooHoo! :cool1:

Yep, I agree with your brother when he said he should buy more dvc points.
No doubt! Do it Brian, do it!
 
Hey, I don't remember seeing the pictures when I first read about the surprise. And, I love the Target plates. I wish our Target had those. But that would only be more money for me to spend which i should not be doing right now. :rolleyes1

My nieces and nephews are all grown up & have children of their own. I keep trying to talk 1 of my nephews & neice in law to take their 2 (3 1/2 & 2). They would be awesome!! Every occasion that I buy them a gift, it is a Disney gift card with a note, that eventually they will be able to buy their park passes from Aunt Dee. :thumbsup2 I will win them over eventually. They keep saying how expensive it is. AND they don't listen to me about the deals. Ah, alas, I have become THAT aunt. I used to be the cool one. :rolleyes:
 
Surprise #2: Foiled

You may or may not remember from a previous post in this report that DX (is there an abbreviation for your ex husband?) and I were trying to figure out if we wanted to spring for a couple extra days on our own at the end of the trip his company is (mostly) providing for. We were keeping it a secret from the DD until we decided. If we chose not to, why get her excited and then have to let her down, right?

Well one night after a family dinner, we were having a Disney meeting. We had several things we had to think and decide about. Towards the end, DX had had about enough. He was tired and overloaded and started asking about those 2 extra days. :scared1: Were we staying? Had we made a decision? Because if we had he didn't know anything about it. I was giving him the serious evil eye :mad: and trying to obfuscate. I was lost trying to figure out how to get him to stop. I tried everything I could think of to change the subject but he was not getting the hint! Then he started to get upset, "Well maybe you two have made some kind of decision I'm not privy to, but I don't know what's going on!"

:scared1::scared1:

The conversation was quickly headed downhill. :headache: So I told. "You don't know about that decision because it hasn't been made and it was supposed to be a Surprise!"

Oh man. DD was all :confused3 and then bummed that the surprise was ruined in such an unpleasant way. DX felt horrible for not thinking and ruining the surprise. I told DD that the secret was only being kept till we had come to a decision and she really didn't miss out on much. She envisioned me telling her as she packed "Oh, by the way, you'll need some extra clothes because we're staying 2 more nights!" but I assured her it wouldn't have gone down like that. With all the talking and planning and ADR questions we would have told soon anyway.

Later that night DX and I were talking and he still felt badly about the whole scene. I assured him it was not really that big of a deal, but I kind of think may have factored in to his vote to go ahead and book those 2 extra nights. Well, you don't have to tell me to make Disney reservations twice! :dance3: I called my old friend the Disney Vacation Planner to go over the details. She was about to go out of town for Memorial Day weekend, so I told her we'd give it one last think and call her when she got back.

Before the weekend was over we were certain we wanted to do it, and that we would stay in a Little Mermaid room at AoA! :cheer2: And we decided to make a new secret to make up for the spoiled one. DD now knew we were staying 7 nights instead of 5, but as far as she knows now they are all at the CSR. We are not going to tell her about the Mermaid room until the night before when he tell her to make sure she's packed up before she goes to sleep. When she stands there completely confused, then we'll tell her.

That's the plan anyway. Hopefully the secret will be kept. So if you see her, don't spill the beans!

Personally, I'm so excited that we'll get to check out the AoA when it's all still new and fresh! I can barely wait!! 183 days!
 

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