A first-timer's mini pre-trippie

[MorningGlory]

In preparation for our upcoming holiday (and the trip report that I have promised so many on here that I daren't not do it!) I thought I would give you all a little background as to who we are, and how we came to the point where we are now about to embark on our first Disney holiday of any kind.

Before I go any further I should point out, there is only 1 pic in this pre-trip, as I have a new PC and haven't managed to transfer all the stuff from my old PC yet. I know lots of people like loads of pics (and I promise in my trip report I will make up for it!) so if a text-only pre-trippie isn't your thing, i'm sorry to disappoint

So, where to begin? Let's start with the main players;

Me. Paul. 34 and single. Apart from a couple of years in Kilmarnock and Hamilton (towns just outside Glasgow), I have spent all of my years here. I LOVE my city and its people.

Paul jnr (which in NO WAY makes me Paul senior, okay!! ). 9yo and the coolest, most handsome little dude I have ever known. My best mate, he is a real daddy's boy. I split with his mum about 6 years ago, but we still get on really well. This will be me and junior's 2nd holiday together.

Here is a little pic of us both, on our first holiday as father and son, to Icmeler (Turkey) in September '06;

Dad. James. 60 something. Since being forced to retire through ill-health, he has found the perfect anecdote - holidays! He has been taking roughly 6 a year (lucky beggar!) for the past few years, although this will be his first time to the States also.

Brother. John. 45. John and my dad have always been close, so he has accompanied dad on most of his holidays in recent years. He simply LOVES going on holiday (don't we all?!). He has been mentally handicapped since birth, so will see all the magic of Orlando practically through the eyes of a kid. I have a feeling he is going to have the best holiday of his life - and that goes for all of us.

Now, some history to explain how we are finally getting to where we thought we could only ever dream about....

 

[MorningGlory]

Rewind 4 years, and I was working in a great, well paid job with Customs & Excise. I decided to buy my first flat since my break-up with my ex (had been renting a friend's flat beforehand) and moved out to Hamilton. I really loved this flat, as it was far from all the family at a time when I really needed some space and time to myself, and time to spend alone with Paul . Not long after however, I decided to try and further my career by going into the private sector, and secured a job with one of the Big 5 tax firms as a Tax Consultant. At the time, this seemed like the ideal career move for me, and I think that but for some circumstances (that i'll get to) it could have been a lifetime career. However, the new job was in Edinburgh, around 35 miles from my flat. No problem I thought, I can drive in every day. I love driving, so didn't see it as a problem. However the problem was, it wasn't 35 miles of driving - more like 10 miles of driving and 25 miles of crawling at a snail's pace. And that was on a good day! Just to clarify, the journey is along the M8 motorway, which connects the capital of Scotland (Edinburgh) with the largest populated town in Scotland (Glasgow). A MAJOR artery, needless to say. Describing it as a motorway however takes a big stretch of the imagination. I won't go on about it for fear of souring what should be a happy pre-trippie, but suffice to say the thought of the 5 hour return journey I endured several times a week still makes me shudder. Coupled with this, however, was the fact I had to fly sometimes 3 or 4 times a week between Edinburgh and London. I quite enjoy flying, it's something that has never frightened me. Except, I get shockingly sore ears every time I fly when we are landing. It usually results in bursting headaches that can take days to clear, so obviously this was having a major impact on me enjoying my job. Well, after 8 months of it, I had had enough. I had no life, no time to spend on myself, and every weekend when I had Paul, I was too tired to do the things I wanted to do with him. Also, despite an increased salary, I seemed to be spending so much more on travelling, socialising with clients (which I often done privately and footed the bill for), etc, and it really just didn't seem worth the hassle. In the end, I made probably the best decision I have ever made, and chucked my job.

After a couple of months doing driving work through an agency (I told you I love driving ), I took a complete change of direction in my career, and began working as a gas engineer. I sold my flat in Hamilton as it wouldn't have been practical, and moved back with family. The proceeds from the flat paid all my debts, and I found myself back on my feet again. All of a sudden I was in a job that I really loved, working outside in the elements and with people who were more friends than colleagues (one of my mate's had got me the job). I have set hours (8 til 4:15) interrupted only by a 1 day in 9 standby rota, and strangely, despite the much reduced salary (only temporary while I train to be a craftsman) I found that I had alot more spare cash. So, after some thought, I took the plunge and booked up last year to go to Turkey with a workmate (friend) and another friend, and their wives and kids (one of whom is Paul's best friend). We had an absolutely wonderful time and it brought us even closer together which I wouldn't have thought possible, since we were already best mates.

Needless to say, upon returning I hit major post-holiday blues, and already began thinking about returning this year. I had a chat with Paul, which went something along the lines of;

Me: So, what about next year - back to Icmeler?
Paul: Yeah, that would be good! OR...we could go to Disney???
Me: Ummmm.....I really really dont think we can afford it wee man.
Paul: We could try, eh?
Me: (Scared I was setting myself up for a fall) Okay, we'll try...

In the back of my mind though, I [thought I] knew we couldn't do it, and had already started planning in my head about which hotel I wanted to book in Icmeler for our return visit. Then, one day in January, I swear the Gods took pity and smiled down on me. Browsing a forum where people post good internet deals, usually for electrical stuff etc, I seen a thread that seemed to jump off the screen and scream at me to pay attention - Virgin were having a sale, and it was the last day. The sale finished at midnight, this was around 8pm. Intrigued, I clicked the link to the Virgin site and after entering some details, the quote came up. I think I must have bruised my chin a bit, my jaw hit the floor so hard! THAT CHEAP?!? IMPOSSIBLE!!!!!!! Okay, now I was having palpitations. This could actually be becoming reality. We might just actually be able to go to Disney. Frantically, I tapped in all of my details, ever aware of the impending deadline and the realisation if we were ever gonna get there, it was now or never. And then, Hey Presto! The Gods decided to have a bit of fun with me first, and crashed the Virgin website

'Nooooooooooooooo' I cried in to my beer/coffee (actually I didn't - I used a string of expletives that I won't dare repeat here and likely banjoed the side of the monitor in frustration, but you get the idea). Convinced that our chance was gone, I decided to chance my arm and phone the Virgin booking line, on the off-chance that they might just honour the massively discounted (half price) offer from the website. I explained nicely (but undoubtedly desparately) to the guy at the other end that the site had crashed on me. 'No problem' he says, 'I can give you the deal!' Yeeeeehaaaaaa, we're back on track!

Me: Okay, here's the bank details, take the money!
Him: Ummm, sorry Sir, we don't accept your type of debit card - do you have a credit card?
Me: Ehhhhhhh (panicking again)....No.
Him: Do you know anyone who has a credit card or alternative debit card?
Me. Errrrrrr....yep!

And so, one frantic phone call to dad later and that was it, we were booked! Booked for what, I didn't quite know yet.

And so, the planning begins...boy, was I in for a shock!

 

[MorningGlory]

I check the internet, and google 'Disney', and had a conversation with myself that resembled something like this;

Okay, let's start with the official site. Now, what else is there apart from a castle? Hmmm, they have 4 parks? Okay, 1 in Paris, 1 in Florida and 1 in California - dunno where the other one is, im thinking. Wait....how come there is only 1 Magic Kingdom - wouldn't they all have a Magic Kingdom (it is the symbol of Disney after all)? So what the hell is 'Animal Kingdom'? Epcot....hmmm, that rings a bell. MGM Studios.....must be in California (I was thinking it's near Hollywood lol). But wait....this is just the Florida site im looking at...surely not...

And gradually, the penny dropped. Well actually it didn't, it fell from a massive height square on my head, and left me the biggest headache ever. 'How the hell are we gonna do this?!?' What is where, how will I find it, how are we gonna get about, etc, etc. I started searching frantically for info, and at one point thought I was gonna drown in it. There was just too much to comprehend. Things like 'Universal Studios' and 'SeaWorld' kept cropping up - just how much of this is there?!

Needless to say, everything became a whole lot clearer the day I found the Dis. UK Trip Planning looked like a good place to start, so I dipped my toe in with my first tentative post, and felt immediately surrounded by a great bunch of people who seemed to be falling over themselves to give me advice and tips. It was like heaven [of the Trip Planning variety] - I became totally immersed, and began scouring the forums at every available opportunity, gleaning a ton of great info (and giving myself butterflies) from reading up on the fabulous trip reports. Is it just me that feels that the pictures and words in these are worth more than any brochure/website that any mega-corporation can put together? Every one is a gem in its own right, and I can honestly say that I haven't read a single one and felt disappointed afterwards. They have been a central part of my planning, and can pay them no higher compliment than to try to produce something even half as good when my trip comes.

And so, 5 months or so on from when I originally booked, I actually feel that I can make this holiday work - that we are not going to be wandering around the World thinking 'what the heck is going on here'. I now have a plan of attack in the shape of a loose itinerary, and enough hints and tips packed away on the laptop to ensure that we don't miss out at all.

I think I can safely say, the planning has been worth it. And for the help I have received from so many great people, the least I feel I can do is to come back and tell them just how much their info will have helped me. Cos yeah, I am THAT sure we are going to have our holiday of a lifetime (but hopefully just the first of many ).

Oh, one more thing. As you can see above, my dad and brother got added in somewhere. Well, during the course of the frantic conversations I had with the TA and my dad in trying to book, I tried to convince my dad to come with us (thinking we could hire a villa instead of the planned Comfort Inn LBV that I was booking). Dad was adamant he couldn't do the 9 hour flight without a cig, and so only me and junior booked. Then, about 6 weeks or so ago, dad decided he wanted to come after all - I think all my talk and planning about it convinced him it was something that had to be seen. I could have strung him up though, as he ended up paying full price, and the combined totals of our holidays would easily have covered the cost of a villa instead of a basic hotel. But oh well, we were all going to Disney together, and the planning then went into overdrive.

And so, we are now at the present day, where we have only 9 days left until we hit the World. In some respects, I still can't believe it's happening (and will probably continue to have this surreal feeling until we actually walk out of MCO and into our hire car).

I hope you enjoyed reading, and am sorry about the lack of pictures. Just think of it as I have alot to make up for in my trip report to come

 

[Ali and boyz]

reading your thread then.......................

well done you for doing all this in such a short time.

can't wait to read your trip reports , you have a fab time, I am really interested to see what you think of the whole place being it your first time

 

[carolfoy]

Paul I really, truly hope you do have the holiday of a lifetime, you've been through so much planning you deserve it. I hope too that its everything your dad could wish for and that he enjoys himself as much as you and Paul jr do.

thanks for the pre trippie and I'm looking forwrd to the rest

9 days!!!!

 

[CoralCayTownhome]

Ok now we know everything about you

That was a great pre-trip report - can't wait for the full one - photos and all. By the way I have a 7yr old son that is the image of your Paul

 

[edinburghlass]

We leave for WDW on Sunday, I'll be looking out for that cute little boy in those fabby glasses, just bought a pair very similar myself

 

[scottishsue]

This is a fantastic report Paul, well done you !!

You have to do another report when you get back though
Talk to you soon - and have a fantastic time. You deserve it after all the work you have done to get there.

 

[MorningGlory]

Thanks everyone

I just had a brainstorm this evening after I got home from work, and decided to give you all a bit of background info. It ended up a good bit more than I had planned, so I hope it didn't bore you all too much. It's always better to break it up with some pics - although to be honest there isn't really any other pics I could post - maybe some more from Turkey.

@ CoralCay: Haha what's the chances I bet you think yours is just as handsome and cool

@ edinburghlass: Cool, have a brilliant time! And please, say hello if you do spot us

 

[edinburghlass]

We're at the Country Inn and Suites, LBV, so we may well bump into you

 

[CoralCayTownhome]

@ CoralCay: Haha what's the chances I bet you think yours is just as handsome and cool

Well of course

Was showing DH the photo and he agreed there is a real likeness! DD11 happened to come in the room and the reaction was "No way that looks really like Kai" Even the glasses look the same