1/6 *Today's the Day and Dreamin tomorrow!* Buy 1 get 2 free isn't bad! Jan 2013 PTR

[DannyDisneyFreak]

Hello and welcome to my PTR! We will be doing our first cruise ever on the Disney Dream followed by 4 nights in Disney... unfortunately we will have to pay for our vacation... my girlfriend and I went to WDW this past May and before that last October free. I felt guilty going without my kids the past 2 times so I figured I guess I'll actually have to shell out some cash. Okay, I'm kinda getting ahead of myself and probably confusing a few of you so let me start with introductions. My name is Dan, I have two wonderful children, Hannah age 8 and Noah age 3 and will be 4 by January.

This is Hannah the last time she was in Disney when she was 5

Here they both are last summer, this will be Noah's first trip!

And last introduction for now is my gorgeous girlfriend Cathleen, here she is on our first free trip last October with the Big Cheese himself

Oh, and I almost forgot! Here is you PTR author and guide! (I'm the one on the left)

My parents may also join us for the Disney World half of our trip but I will introduce them later.

Thats all I have time for now but hop aboard the PTR I'd love for you to join in on my planning and stay tuned for more! See ya real soon!

 

[DannyDisneyFreak]

So if I have to pay for this trip how did I get to go for free the two times before? Some of you who have read previous PTR and TRs know about it but if not I will get to that soon...

Well let me start by explaining that Cathleen and i previously worked together prior to our "romance" for lack of a better term We worked in a group home for people with developmental disabilities for about four years as just coworkers and then I was promoted to the site manager (in turn becoming her boss!) We had been best friends for so long and I guess it was only eventual that we started dating but we had to kinda keep it secret because of my supervisory role but that's a whole other story! We have both moved onto other agencies this year but about a year ago I was helping one of the women who lived at the home arrange to go on a Disney Cruise with a group called People and Places that takes people with disabilities on vacations. Deedra was very excited to go on her cruise but unfortunately the trip had filled up and she wasn't able to go on the cruise but another co-worker of ours Sam (aka EnglishRose47 here on the DIS, in the real world she goes by "Sam" on here I usually refer to her as Rosie-Sam) she was a volunteer for P&P told us that there was a WDW vacation that P&P was doing in October that Deedra may be able to go on. Well thanks to Sam since she put in a good word for Cathleen and I since we did a P&P trip before to Lake George and there was a need for escorts for this trip they offered us to do the trip! Volunteer escorts get to go for FREE since they are volunteering their time to take groups of 8 disabled people on trips, although it is a free "vacation" everything is included but it is still a bit of "work" for the escorts. BUT it was a FREE trip to DISNEY!!!! Rosie-Sam was also going to be in Disney with a separate P&P group at the same time so it was cool for both our groups to be there at the same time. Well the trip went great and we got to go again this past May!!! Although it was FANTASTC going to Disney for free twice in less then a year I did feel kinda guilty going twice with out my kids, it was kinda hard telling them the first time, "We're going to Disney World... but you're staying home with your grandparents." Then the second time was even worse, "why can't we go daddy?" So I "had" to plan another trip Who really wants to go back again in less than a year after two trips within the past year... (note the sarcasm)

 

[Minnie&Nana]

Hey, Dan! I am actually first for a PTR - that's a first too! I always seem to show up on the 3rd. or worse, 7th page.

Your munchkins are adorable and Cathleen is lovely!

The Dream and 4 ngts at WDW - what fun!! Looking forward to lots of planning!

 

[englishrose47]

And when were you gonna tel me this PTR had started !!!!Dan it is strange to be paying for a trip, People and Places has spoiled us !!!!
I am anxious to hear about the Cruise as CarolE and I are hoping for a Disney Cruise next May !!!

 

[DannyDisneyFreak]

And when were you gonna tel me this PTR had started !!!!Dan it is strange to be paying for a trip, People and Places has spoiled us !!!!
I am anxious to hear about the Cruise as CarolE and I are hoping for a Disney Cruise next May !!!

It just started yesterday

 

[englishrose47]

It just started yesterday

So when is the next update or are you to busy fiding purple spoons

 

[tangled up]

Fantastic start, you have a lovely family. Looking forward to more xx

 

[englishrose47]

Fantastic start, you have a lovely family. Looking forward to more xx

Oh A fellow Brit!!!!!Bury St Edmunds for me !!!!

 

[DannyDisneyFreak]

Hope to update tomorrow! Happy Friday!

 

[DannyDisneyFreak]

Hey all! I just updated the second post in this thread!

 

[englishrose47]

Caught the update to post 2 !!!I (Rosie-Sam( have known Cathleen since she first started in the field and worked with her at another house , Dan and I got to be friends thru the Dis , while I knew him vaguely it was our shared LOVE of Disney that got it all started , then I left the agency that Dan & Cathleen worked at 5 years ago ( well stayed as RELIEF) but about 3 years ago I started to regularly work at the house they did , so they were perfect candidates for being escorts and I was happy to vouch for them !! Dan now is working as a Supervisor for the same agency as me , which is awesome as I have volunteered him to go to Albany in October for work !!!!So we will get another trip together , not as good as P&P but stoill hotell and 3 meals a day!!!
Dan's kids are every bit as cute in person as their pix !!!

 

[DannyDisneyFreak]

Caught the update to post 2 !!!I (Rosie-Sam( have known Cathleen since she first started in the field and worked with her at another house , Dan and I got to be friends thru the Dis , while I knew him vaguely it was our shared LOVE of Disney that got it all started , then I left the agency that Dan & Cathleen worked at 5 years ago ( well stayed as RELIEF) but about 3 years ago I started to regularly work at the house they did , so they were perfect candidates for being escorts and I was happy to vouch for them !! Dan now is working as a Supervisor for the same agency as me , which is awesome as I have volunteered him to go to Albany in October for work !!!!So we will get another trip together , not as good as P&P but stoill hotell and 3 meals a day!!!
Dan's kids are every bit as cute in person as their pix !!!

Would you say I am every but as cute in person too?

 

[englishrose47]

Would you say I am every but as cute in person too?

 

[Minnie&Nana]

Dan, nice photo of you and Cathleen. Definitely time to take the kiddos back to Disney!

When mine were about 10 & 11, I went on 2 Disney trips without them because non-English speaking friends asked me to go with them so they could take their Dev Dis 20 yr old. We stayed at the Polynesian on my recommendation, which was fine by my kids because that was where we usually stayed. Second trip was a similar situation with friends of the friends - after that it was time to take my kids back, but we went twice a year anyway...nevertheless, it was not easy leaving them behind twice.

Two years later they both told me they were "Mickey'd out" and "could we go someplace else on vacation"? Sure!! We went to Disneyland instead!! I made sure they saw a lot of Southern CA as well...but we stayed at DL that trip.

Soooo, Rosie....does everyone outside of the DIS call you Sam? And why? .... all these wooden spoons, pole dancing....where the heck did Sam come from?

 

[DannyDisneyFreak]

Dan, nice photo of you and Cathleen. Definitely time to take the kiddos back to Disney!

When mine were about 10 & 11, I went on 2 Disney trips without them because non-English speaking friends asked me to go with them so they could take their Dev Dis 20 yr old. We stayed at the Polynesian on my recommendation, which was fine by my kids because that was where we usually stayed. Second trip was a similar situation with friends of the friends - after that it was time to take my kids back, but we went twice a year anyway...nevertheless, it was not easy leaving them behind twice.

Two years later they both told me they were "Mickey'd out" and "could we go someplace else on vacation"? Sure!! We went to Disneyland instead!! I made sure they saw a lot of Southern CA as well...but we stayed at DL that trip.

Soooo, Rosie....does everyone outside of the DIS call you Sam? And why? .... all these wooden spoons, pole dancing....where the heck did Sam come from?

Thanks! I am very excited to bring the kids but I do have to admit I think going to Disney kid-free (and group of 8 free) is more fun. I am hoping my parents do make it because the one thing I would like to do is take our time going around World Showcase in Epcot and they could occupy the kids and let us go drink around the world! Even without the drinking wandering World Showcase is one of my favorite things in WDW and our last two P&P trips we didn't even get a chance to walk all the way around!!!

Cathleen says she is a bit "Mickey'd out" too that's why I opted for the cruise to change it up a bit. Our next P&P trip will probably be in 2013 for MNSSHP we were already given the approval Our next family Disney trip after this one will probably be to Disneyland and in a few years Cathleen wants to do an Alaskan Disney cruise just the two of us and my friend Sam and his boyfriend (a different Sam, I don't know if Rosie has a boyfriend???lol) They have done a few cruises and want to do Alaska. Also Cathleen's mom just moved to Utah so we have lots a reasons to hit the west coast!

 

[DannyDisneyFreak]

I thought I would share this with my DIS friends:

 

[englishrose47]

I thought I would share this with my DIS friends:

True soooo True !!!!

 

[Minnie&Nana]

I thought I would share this with my DIS friends:

I love these! They keep showing up on FB.

 

[DannyDisneyFreak]

I love the DIS iPhone app! Great for when your board at work (shhhh… don't tell)
I am so wishing I was going to Disney now u don't want to wait 5 more months does anyone else get major Disney withdraw sometimes? All I can think of is Disney the past couple days I keep going over my ADRs, I just made two more yesterday. Let me tell you guys what I have planned so far and maybe a little history about me too:

Well as you know our first 4 nights will be on the cruise which I will get into more details about that later. We will board the Dream on 1/6 and disembark on the 10th. From what I have read we will probably be off the ship by 9:00 or sooner and make it to Disney before lunch time. We will be staying at the Caribbean beach resort, I had originally planned to do the new AoA but I have always wanted to stay at the CBR. The first time I was in Disney when I was 7 years old I remember driving past the resort and seeing pictures and wanted to stay there but as a kid we always stayed off property. I can't blame my dad and don't mind that we did it made it more affordable which allowed me to go 4 times before I was a teenager. Back then we stayed at the Comfort inn Lake Buena Vista for $29 bucks a night! I remember my dad talking I a family in line at MGM studios saying how it cost our family $1000 for our vacation. The dad whose family was staying at the polynesian said "Oh that's not bad for $1000 a day for a family" when my day said no that our entire vacation was $1000 the guy almost died! Granted we survived on McDonalds for the week we still did all 3 Disney parks at the time MK, EPCOT, MGM and typhoon lagoon plus Universal Studios that wasn't too bad. We even did the character breakfast at 'Ohana which at the time was Minnie's Luau or something like that. Going back 5 more times as a kid including when they opened the value All Star resorts we stayed at the Sports and Music. My first trip as an adult was at the Pop and then the Pop again and then at the Coronado Springs and then the past 2 P&P trips at the Pop so I think it's time for me to finally make it to my Dream resort to see if it's really all I've cracked it up to be. Maybe our next P&P we will do the AoA. One day hopefully I will make it to my big dream resort the Poly!!!

Well on our arrival day to WDW I plan to make it our Epcot day since we will only have 3 full days Epcot is the least appealing for the kids. I will get into our more detailed day to day plans later but here are my ADRs so far:
1/10/13 arrival day dinner 4:00pm at Garden Grill with Farmer Mickey and friends. Never done this one it gets mixed reviews but always gotta try it for myself.
1/11/13 will be MGM, I know it's DHS now but old habits die hard. We have a 3:00 ADR to the SciFi which I am going to consider a late-late lunch after a late breakfast and afternoon snack. After Fantasmic I plan on leaving the kids off with my parents who will be joining us and Cathleen and I will go to DTD Raglan Road at 8:45.
1/12/13 no ADRs yet for this day. Planning on AK in then MK in the evening since they are open till 10. I would like to score an ADR at the new Be Our Guest restaurant in Beasts castle which is suppose to open before our trip. Other options are maybe breakfast at Boma or 'Ohana. I wanted dinner at Ohana but they only have have late times available and I want to spend the time in MK rather than there, but now that I think about it maybe dinner at Boma? Mmmmmm my mouth is already watering thinking about the deserts there. Another option is doing the Wishes Desert party this night or tomorrow.
1/13/13 will be our full MK day. ADR made for CRT for 3:50pm, most excited about this one eating in the castle, Hannah hopefully will see her favorite princess Ariel, Cathleen's faveotite is Cindy who will be there for sure, and Noah will probably be happy to get a pirate sword. Maybe we will do breakfast at Ohana this day…
1/14/13 last day haven't booked our flight yet so idk what time we will have to leave but hopefully a later flight and make it to one of the parks in the morning and maybe another breakfast, crystal palace maybe?

So what do you guys think so far??? Suggestions? Comments?

 

[englishrose47]

Sounds good to me !!We loved CRT last year !!! Carol's favorite restaurant is Raglan Road for that Raspberry dessert . They have yaken some of my favs off the menu, but there's still lots to choose from !!!