My First Trip Report! - "Escape from New York" - completed

[Chicago Mo]

Kids bounce back so quickly from being sick. it's remarkable!!!
your daughter is so precious!!!! Love all the pictures!!!
your on another vacation???!?!
I'm jealous! not going back to WDW until 9-2012...

 

[baseballmickey]

That's good that y'all got in a little bit of Disney before hitting the road. That always helps to soften the blow that the end of vacation brings. But, I'm so sorry DD couldn't keep her lunch down. Poor Baby! But, you can tell it definitely didn't dampen her spirit. She's such a doll!

I do really like the convenience of the DDP. Last year, I had every intention of keeping all my receipts & seeing at the end of the trip if it saved us money. Well, that just didn't happen. This year, I've tried to estimate our meal totals & have figured that the DDP should save us around $70. I'm hoping to really keep track this year & see in the end if it did save us money or not.

I can't believe y'alls next trip is in 3 days!! If I don't talk to you before y'all leave.....Have a safe & magical vacation!

Thank you for sharing all of your memories with us (the good, the bad & the ugly). I've really enjoyed it & look forward to your next TR!

Thank you! Just got back about a week ago. Getting the pics organized and going to start the TR for that right after I put my final thoughts to this one! Also need to go through the receipts to double check if our decision on the DDP was a good one or not.

Kids bounce back so quickly from being sick. it's remarkable!!!
your daughter is so precious!!!! Love all the pictures!!!
your on another vacation???!?!
I'm jealous! not going back to WDW until 9-2012...

Thanks. your trip is getting closer and closer!! You'll be there before you know it!!

 

[baseballmickey]

So, despite the blizzard and the ordeal of getting to WDW, the reconfiguring of plans, the getting sick, and the crowds and everything else that piled on top of that, we made it there and back, and still managed to have a good time!

Looking back on this trip, I wish I had been more on top of things regarding the flight and the weather. By the time we realized there may be a problem with our flight, it was too late to change. Everything the couple of days before was booked, and the day after as well. I suppose we could have made the decision to drive if the airline offered us a full refund. We had a chance to get out on the road and beat the weather... but as they say, hindsight is 20/20. We rolled the dice, and we lost.

I have a new found admiration for my family. My wife and daughter really showed how strong they can be. To this day, DD talks about how the flight got canceled, but we didn't give up!

WDW at the holidays is worth seeing. I highly recommend going for the holidays if you can. The decorations, parade, shows, and atmosphere are excellent.

As for New Year's Eve. Would we ever do that again??? I think I would like to, someday. For one thing, we learned that the parks rehearse their NYE fireworks the night before. (at least MK does) So there is the option of seeing the same fireworks with a little less crowd. Also, we now know that it is bearable if you avoid Main Street USA and keep to the less crowded areas. Because the fireworks go off all around the park, you will have a pretty good view as long as you make sure you are not right up against a large tree or any buildings. Just find a spot where you can see a good amount of sky.

The biggest surprise for me was the DVC Merry Member Mixer. We had such a great time. If you are DVC, and go down during the holidays, be sure to get to one of these! When we got home, we made sure we looked into our local DVC locations to see if they were doing anything special like this. There was a holiday event at our local Doorway to Dreams, but that could have been better organized, but it was still okay. Since then, they also threw an anniversary event that was really good, with characters and music. Anyway, not going to turn this into a pitch for DVC. My only regret with DVC so far is that we didn't buy more points when we bought into it!

So, what else has been going on with us...

Well, the biggest thing was that issue of DW being pregnant. I am happy to say she is no longer in that condition.

On April 10, 2011, DW gave birth to the newest member of our little family.

DD was scared of him at first. But she has adjusted very well to her role as a big sister.

DD is now 5 1/2 years old, and about to enter kindergarten.

The little guy is now approaching 1 and a half years old. And we just took him on his first trip to WDW!

But that's a whole different Trip Report!!

Thanks for reading!!

 

[amandaw]

I really enjoyed your final thoughts. I think it's so great that your family made the most of the trip despite all the obstacles thrown y'alls way. So many people would have just focused on the negative. I don't know that I would have done so well with all of that thrown my way. So a big "Kudos!" to your whole family for a great positive attitude!

I'm so happy to hear that your DW is not "in that condition" anymore. Your son is soooo precious!

I can't wait to hear about the latest trip!

 

[Chicago Mo]

Ummm. I believe there is a time lapse and i lost a year and a half!!!
CONGRATULATIONS!! he is beautiful!!!
CANNOT LEAVE ME HANGING!!!

 

[baseballmickey]

I really enjoyed your final thoughts. I think it's so great that your family made the most of the trip despite all the obstacles thrown y'alls way. So many people would have just focused on the negative. I don't know that I would have done so well with all of that thrown my way. So a big "Kudos!" to your whole family for a great positive attitude!

I'm so happy to hear that your DW is not "in that condition" anymore. Your son is soooo precious!

I can't wait to hear about the latest trip!

Gonna get the new TR started very soon. Introduction will probably have to be done in parts, otherwise it will take longer to get started.

Ummm. I believe there is a time lapse and i lost a year and a half!!!
CONGRATULATIONS!! he is beautiful!!!
CANNOT LEAVE ME HANGING!!!

sorry!! I didn't have any other pictures uploaded to my web albums!! standby...

 

[baseballmickey]

This should help bridge the gap from that last trip to this latest one. (at least as far as DS is concerned)

One Month:

Two Months:

Three Months:

Four Months:

Five Months:

Six Months:

Seven Months:

Eight Months:

Nine Months:

Ten Months:

Eleven Months:

One Year Old:

Thirteen Months:

Fourteen Months:

Fifteen Months:

Sixteen Months:

This last picture is a little teaser from the next TR. It was taken at the MK just after the little guy got his first haircut. You can see from the pictures that he needed a little trim!!

Sad part is, he needs another one already. It's my fault. my hair was like that when I was a kid.

 

[eandesmom]

what a great "year in the life" of your little guy!

Nothing beats a first haircut at the barber shop.

The E's were bald until 3 or 4 so it wasn't an option but conceptually, I love it!

looking forward to your new TR!

 

[amandaw]

What a cutie!! I can't wait to hear all about his 1st trip to Disney! And how fun that he got his 1st haircut there, too!

 

[starousse]

What a great review. I'm so glad to see you had a great trip after such a bad start. Even despite of being sick, your little girl, who is adorable, looked like she had an amazing time.. I'm from Long Island, NY as well, and can remember that snow storm we had. I give you credit for getting in car and going. I'm so looking forward to seeing your new trip review.

 

[baseballmickey]

what a great "year in the life" of your little guy!

Nothing beats a first haircut at the barber shop.

The E's were bald until 3 or 4 so it wasn't an option but conceptually, I love it!

looking forward to your new TR!

Thank you!! The haircut worked out. We didn't think he'd make it to the vacation without getting his actual first haircut before we left. But somehow we procrastinated enough that we got him there and it was, in fact, his first haircut!!

What a cutie!! I can't wait to hear all about his 1st trip to Disney! And how fun that he got his 1st haircut there, too!

New TR is up and going!!

What a great review. I'm so glad to see you had a great trip after such a bad start. Even despite of being sick, your little girl, who is adorable, looked like she had an amazing time.. I'm from Long Island, NY as well, and can remember that snow storm we had. I give you credit for getting in car and going. I'm so looking forward to seeing your new trip review.

Thank you! and Thanks so much for reading!! Where in Long Island are you?

 

[baseballmickey]

Just in case anyone wanted to follow along on my new TR, here's the link:

I'm Going Away... FOREVER! Oh, Great! Could You Get Me a Sandwich?​

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