Lifelong_Dreamer
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2007
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It was a week long trip to Disney World and the Silly and Mischievous Canucks planned to take in all the holiday festivities before the youngest member of the tribe packed up and moved to the West Coast. As with most family vacations we had lots of fun and some really great moments and then some not so great moments but the good will always outweigh the bad and that is what I will choose to remember.
Let me give you an introduction to the members of this silly group of mischief makers before jumping into the story of how this week of Christmas festivities unfolded.
First up I will introduce myself, Lessa, the planner of this little family trip. I am the oldest of three siblings and my mother describes me as the "alpha" of the family. I like to be in charge and make all the plans. I do extensive research before traveling and that includes trips to WDW. In the past I have made vacation planning binders but for this trip I relaxed a bit and relied on my cell phone and the MDE app to keep track of all our plans. I work exhausting hours as a Registered Nurse and I was very much looking forward to a week of not having to worry about taking care of patients, medications, code situations, etc. Or so I thought...
Next up is the mother unit, Beth. Mom has not been on a true vacation since our last Disney trip back in May 2011. She had been saying for a long time that she wanted to go on vacation and so when I presented her with the idea of this December WDW trip she jumped on it. Mom has Multiple Sclerosis and in the past traveling in the humid and hot months has been a bit challenging for her. We were hoping that the cooler month of December would make park touring more comfortable for her. Mom has also been working hard at losing weight and she was very much looking forward to seeing how this weight loss would impact her endurance on the long days in the parks. Right before the trip she visited the dentist and found out that she had cracked a tooth. A temporary crown was placed and she was provided with an antibiotic and painkillers just in case an issue arose on the trip. We were really hoping that an emergency trip to the dentist would not be in the cards for us...
I have two younger brothers, Alek and Erich. Alek is the middle child and was skeptical about taking this trip as he feels that we go to Disney too often. He enjoys Disney but he feels that when you go too often you lose the magic as it all becomes too familiar. I convinced him that this trip was a good idea by talking about New Fantasyland, the Christmas activities and the fact that this would be our last chance to see Hollywood Studios in its current state. It also helped that I told him I would be footing the hotel bill as a Christmas present to the family.
Alek and our younger brother Erich are the goof balls of the family and it is always a good time when they are around. They are always very creative and able to come up with silly and fun things to do in the moment. Mom and I are not like that at all so it creates a nice balance.
Lastly is Alek's partner in all things silly and mischievous, our younger brother Erich. Erich worked as a Cast Member through the College Program several years ago. He had not been planning on returning to WDW so soon but was also convinced when I offered the incentive of a "free" hotel stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge. The timing of this trip turned out to be fortuitous as Erich decided this Fall that he will be moving out to the West Coast in January in the hopes of pursuing a career in Human Resources.
Now that you are familiar with the main players in this Christmas adventure I will share the basic details. We were traveling from Canada, flying from Toronto, and staying for a week at the Animal Kingdom Lodge in a savanna view room. Our dates were December 6-12. Our main goal of the trip was to experience all the Christmas activities and to check out the new attractions in New Fantasyland.
I plan to update several times a week and will be including lots of photos, video and funny stories. Feel free to chime in and say hello! I welcome an interactive thread.
Let me give you an introduction to the members of this silly group of mischief makers before jumping into the story of how this week of Christmas festivities unfolded.
First up I will introduce myself, Lessa, the planner of this little family trip. I am the oldest of three siblings and my mother describes me as the "alpha" of the family. I like to be in charge and make all the plans. I do extensive research before traveling and that includes trips to WDW. In the past I have made vacation planning binders but for this trip I relaxed a bit and relied on my cell phone and the MDE app to keep track of all our plans. I work exhausting hours as a Registered Nurse and I was very much looking forward to a week of not having to worry about taking care of patients, medications, code situations, etc. Or so I thought...
Next up is the mother unit, Beth. Mom has not been on a true vacation since our last Disney trip back in May 2011. She had been saying for a long time that she wanted to go on vacation and so when I presented her with the idea of this December WDW trip she jumped on it. Mom has Multiple Sclerosis and in the past traveling in the humid and hot months has been a bit challenging for her. We were hoping that the cooler month of December would make park touring more comfortable for her. Mom has also been working hard at losing weight and she was very much looking forward to seeing how this weight loss would impact her endurance on the long days in the parks. Right before the trip she visited the dentist and found out that she had cracked a tooth. A temporary crown was placed and she was provided with an antibiotic and painkillers just in case an issue arose on the trip. We were really hoping that an emergency trip to the dentist would not be in the cards for us...
I have two younger brothers, Alek and Erich. Alek is the middle child and was skeptical about taking this trip as he feels that we go to Disney too often. He enjoys Disney but he feels that when you go too often you lose the magic as it all becomes too familiar. I convinced him that this trip was a good idea by talking about New Fantasyland, the Christmas activities and the fact that this would be our last chance to see Hollywood Studios in its current state. It also helped that I told him I would be footing the hotel bill as a Christmas present to the family.
Alek and our younger brother Erich are the goof balls of the family and it is always a good time when they are around. They are always very creative and able to come up with silly and fun things to do in the moment. Mom and I are not like that at all so it creates a nice balance.
Lastly is Alek's partner in all things silly and mischievous, our younger brother Erich. Erich worked as a Cast Member through the College Program several years ago. He had not been planning on returning to WDW so soon but was also convinced when I offered the incentive of a "free" hotel stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge. The timing of this trip turned out to be fortuitous as Erich decided this Fall that he will be moving out to the West Coast in January in the hopes of pursuing a career in Human Resources.
Now that you are familiar with the main players in this Christmas adventure I will share the basic details. We were traveling from Canada, flying from Toronto, and staying for a week at the Animal Kingdom Lodge in a savanna view room. Our dates were December 6-12. Our main goal of the trip was to experience all the Christmas activities and to check out the new attractions in New Fantasyland.
I plan to update several times a week and will be including lots of photos, video and funny stories. Feel free to chime in and say hello! I welcome an interactive thread.
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Even though Rosie did beat me 
Luckily we didn't get too lost and we were soon on the turnpike and headed to Disney. The drive was quick and easy after we found the turnpike and we were soon driving through those magical gates.
