Cast: me- 34 (crazy trip planning mom)
Josh - DS, 4.5 years old. Hasn't been anywhere in WDW except AK when he was 2.
My mom (crazy, trip planning grandma)
Rachael - 25 (my younger sister, hip, single, graphic artist who works for a .com and needs a long weekend break)
Trip dates: Jan 18 through 22
So, it all started a month or so ago when Chicago was getting hit with yet another blizzard. Remember that song that goes "I have to get out of this place, if its the last thing I ever do"? Well, I was hearing it in my head as I looked at the giant mounds of snow that were accumulating. So, I did a few searches on the internet and made a few calls to my corporate travel department and got some amazing fares to Florida. January is my husband's busy season, so unfortunately he couldn't make it this trip (besides he really only tolerates my love of Disney) SO I plotted to bring my mom and sister along. I called DC, got a membership, called CRO and got rooms at AS Sports (who needs a fancy room if you are with your mom, sister and four year old?). With my discount, the room was only $70. (well, ok, a little more with tax and the extra adult charge) I then got my 4 day hopper passes with my DC discount. Things were going rather smoothly.
Now, how to tell my son? Hanukkah was only a day or so away. Each night of Hanukkah we do a big treasure hunt where Josh follows clues to find his gift. On the second night of Hanukkah, his last clue was to "Look for Mickey in the laundry room" Sure enough, there in the dryer was a Hanukkah Mickey beanie (Mickey holding a menorah), a wrapped mickey sweatshirt and a letter from Mickey. Mickey told Josh he had a restaurant and could Josh come for dinner? Josh was so excited. In the past month, Josh has gotten letters from all of the characters (Pooh, Buzz, Donald, etc) telling him what there was to do in WDW and counting down the days until the big trip. Josh has responded by dictating letters back to Mickey telling Mickey how many days it will be until Josh arrives in Florida.
We leave tomorrow and Josh will wake up to find a bag of treats from Mickey with a note telling him that it is finally the big day. The bag will have a mickey sticker book and activity book and random other things to amuse Josh on the plane. He is already so excited today that he is ready to explode.
Anyway, thanks to these wonderful boards, I have learned so much, I feel really prepared for the trip. I even have an extra rain poncho to cover the stroller when it rains on Saturday.
Will file a full trip report when we get back. Thanks again to everyone for all of your wonderful advice and tips over the past month!
Josh - DS, 4.5 years old. Hasn't been anywhere in WDW except AK when he was 2.
My mom (crazy, trip planning grandma)
Rachael - 25 (my younger sister, hip, single, graphic artist who works for a .com and needs a long weekend break)
Trip dates: Jan 18 through 22
So, it all started a month or so ago when Chicago was getting hit with yet another blizzard. Remember that song that goes "I have to get out of this place, if its the last thing I ever do"? Well, I was hearing it in my head as I looked at the giant mounds of snow that were accumulating. So, I did a few searches on the internet and made a few calls to my corporate travel department and got some amazing fares to Florida. January is my husband's busy season, so unfortunately he couldn't make it this trip (besides he really only tolerates my love of Disney) SO I plotted to bring my mom and sister along. I called DC, got a membership, called CRO and got rooms at AS Sports (who needs a fancy room if you are with your mom, sister and four year old?). With my discount, the room was only $70. (well, ok, a little more with tax and the extra adult charge) I then got my 4 day hopper passes with my DC discount. Things were going rather smoothly.
Now, how to tell my son? Hanukkah was only a day or so away. Each night of Hanukkah we do a big treasure hunt where Josh follows clues to find his gift. On the second night of Hanukkah, his last clue was to "Look for Mickey in the laundry room" Sure enough, there in the dryer was a Hanukkah Mickey beanie (Mickey holding a menorah), a wrapped mickey sweatshirt and a letter from Mickey. Mickey told Josh he had a restaurant and could Josh come for dinner? Josh was so excited. In the past month, Josh has gotten letters from all of the characters (Pooh, Buzz, Donald, etc) telling him what there was to do in WDW and counting down the days until the big trip. Josh has responded by dictating letters back to Mickey telling Mickey how many days it will be until Josh arrives in Florida.
We leave tomorrow and Josh will wake up to find a bag of treats from Mickey with a note telling him that it is finally the big day. The bag will have a mickey sticker book and activity book and random other things to amuse Josh on the plane. He is already so excited today that he is ready to explode.
Anyway, thanks to these wonderful boards, I have learned so much, I feel really prepared for the trip. I even have an extra rain poncho to cover the stroller when it rains on Saturday.
Will file a full trip report when we get back. Thanks again to everyone for all of your wonderful advice and tips over the past month!