A Mom and Three (Adult) Daughters Hit the World

[olafgypsy]

OK, I've started this waaaaaaaaaaaayyyy too late. It's not 10:08 p.m. in my world, and I have to go to bed. But I need to start this thread TODAY, because it is exactly one month until I get to go back to Disney World!!!!!!!! How cool is that?

So, since I only have about five minutes, I will just give a preview of things to come in this PTR.

Three sisters celebrating one's graduation from college, and another's graduation from high school!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Three sisters trying to convince their anti-Disney mom (who only agreed to go on the trip so she can spend time with her daughters) that it truly *is* the most magical place on earth!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A family of foodies makes ADRS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, have I caught anyone's attention yet? Well, it's early. But if you're out there, stay tuned. Coming tomorrow: the cast of characters! With pictures!

 

[olafgypsy]

So, who are we? And how did we decide to go to Disney World? Well, it all came about a few weeks ago, when I saw Disney's 4/3 deal on their website. I clicked on it, just for fun. Just to dream about what it would be like to go to Disney World. And it seemed like a really great deal to me. At first I tried to convince my husband, but he said that a) he had to work and b) he would rather spend his money to go someplace he's never been before.

So then I called my sister Kelly, who's a senior in college and has NEVER BEEN TO DISNEY WORLD BEFORE (we were deprived as children. haha, just kidding, mom!) and who said she REALLY REALLY REALLY wanted to go over her Spring Break, but she didn't have the money.

So then I called my mom. And I said "Mom, there's this great deal at Disney World. And Kelly and I really really really want to go. And we think it'd be awesome if you came too, because you have never gone and you just don't appreciate the magic of Disney enough, but that's only because you've never been to the World."

Well at first my mom was reaaaaaaally reluctant. She has always been a Disney skeptic. She says she prefers to spend her money on "real" places. Also, she doesn't like roller coasters, imax, or anything fast. But she did mention that she had been meaning to give my sister Kelly a trip for her graduation, and this could be it. She just wasn't sure she wanted to go with us.

Well, I really wanted my mom to go, because my mom is the most amazing, most fun person on earth, and she is SUPER fun to travel with. She is the kind of person who always wants dessert, not one of those lame people who is always like, "I'm too full." And that pretty much sums up her whole approach to life. It actually makes no sense to me that she is not a Disney ADDICT, because she is the world's most POSITIVE person. I know that if I can just get her in the Magic Kingdom, she will be hooked. So I kept trying to convince her. Here are some things I told her:
1. Pirates of the Caribbean has added Cap'n Jack Sparrow to the ride, as well as a character actor who looks EXACTLY LIKE JONNY DEPP.
2. The food at Disney is actually amazingly good.
3. Disney is about SO MUCH MORE than just the rides. It is about MAGIC!!!!!!!!!
This did not quite convince her, so then I said,
4. If you hate it you can sit by the pool at the resort the whole time, and
5. We will give the $200 gift card that comes with the package to you, so you can have a ball shopping and not even have to tell dad about it.

Well, those last two got her, or so I thought. But then later, she said, "I realized I should just be grateful that my daughters want to spend time with me, and I should look at that as a blessing, being able to spend time with you girls." awwwwwwwwwwwwww. Now THAT is the magic that Disney's all about! Am I right, or am I right?

 

[WDWRocksMySocks]

Hey! I saw you started a PTR and I wanted to come check it out. I can't believe your sister has never been to WDW! You guys are going to have so much fun showing her the World. Can't wait to hear more about your plans!!

 

[olafgypsy]

Hey! I saw you started a PTR and I wanted to come check it out. I can't believe your sister has never been to WDW! You guys are going to have so much fun showing her the World. Can't wait to hear more about your plans!!

Hey! Thanks for visiting If I know that I have readers, it'll force me to keep updating! (And that's a good thing).

 

[olafgypsy]

OK, so now that I finally have more than ten posts, I am allowed to post pictures. Woo hoo!

So I guess I should start by introducing myself. Here I am, with my dh:

(That's me on the right).

If I were a Disney character, I would definitely be Belle. I am quite bookish, and VERY headstrong. My husband is constantly telling me that I need to "once a while listen to other opinions" (he's Colombian, so his English is really cute). I am a planner, and lately it seems I've become the family concierge. This came about because when my husband and I were dating long-distance, I became very adept at using the internet to plan trips for our meet-ups. Now my whole family asks me to book them stuff online. I am definitely the concierge for our Disney trip, and loving it!

My sister Kelly, on the other hand, can't be bothered with planning. Before her trip to Thailand, she put off planning for so long that on her last day here she was running around trying to get all her money and medications and stuff together for the trip. And OF COURSE she forgot something, which then had to be overnight mailed to Thailand! For this trip, she's more than happy to leave the details to me. Here's a picture of the two of us, at my wedding:

When she was little, Kelly loved pickles so much that she could eat a whole jar in one sitting. She was also EXTREMELY stubborn. She was so stubborn that she refused to be potty-trained until she was almost four. My grandmother was convinced that this had to be a result of my mom's poor toilet-training techniques, and traveled all the way from Montana with a bag of goodies to bribe Kelly. She left after a week, saying, "She'll be potty-trained when she wants to." And she was.

Still to come: The cast of characters, cont'd.
And . . . How does a fourth character get added to the mix?
And still later -- resort reservations, and ADRs!

 

[autumnpalm]

Hi there!!

Oh my gosh, your trip is coming up so soon! My mom is my favourite WDW traveling buddy too. I love your wedding picture, it's beautiful. And it sounds like you have a really fun group to go with. So exciting that you will be able to share the magic with first timers.

Can't wait to read more.

 

[wlwilliams9]

How special to spend time at the most magical place with your Mom and sisters! Enjoy the time with your Mom, my Mom passed in August (age 57) and I would have loved to get one more trip to Disney with her. Fortunatly, my parents took us to Disney just about every year as kids, so I have many happy Mom memories there. I keep trying to get my Dad and sis to join us on our trip in May, but they're not biting! Oh well, maybe next time!!

I can't wait to read more!

 

[olafgypsy]

Hi there!!

Oh my gosh, your trip is coming up so soon! My mom is my favourite WDW traveling buddy too. I love your wedding picture, it's beautiful. And it sounds like you have a really fun group to go with. So exciting that you will be able to share the magic with first timers.

Can't wait to read more.

I know! I'm perhaps even MORE excited about this trip (if that's possible) because I get to share the magic with newbies! I just hope I do a good job. But hey, it's Disney World! How could it not be magical?

 

[olafgypsy]

How special to spend time at the most magical place with your Mom and sisters! Enjoy the time with your Mom, my Mom passed in August (age 57) and I would have loved to get one more trip to Disney with her. Fortunatly, my parents took us to Disney just about every year as kids, so I have many happy Mom memories there. I keep trying to get my Dad and sis to join us on our trip in May, but they're not biting! Oh well, maybe next time!!

I can't wait to read more!

Sorry to hear about your mom passing. I try to cherish all the time I get to spend with my family, since we live so far apart (me on the East coast, they in the Midwest). One of the greatest blessings in my life is that my family has the resources and energy to make meet-ups and family vacations happen, so we can spend time together no matter how far apart we live. It sounds like your family was (and is) the same . . . what a joy!

 

[olafgypsy]

OK, FINALLY time for an update! Where was I?

Oh yeah, my mom had just agreed that me, my sister Kelly, and she would be going to Disney World!!! The dates? March 5 - 12? The resort? Port Orleans Riverside. After much deliberation, I chose that one because it was either that or Coronado Springs. CSR, while beautiful, seemed to have a less "Disney" feel, and I wanted my mom and sister's first time to be as Disney as possible.

So 3 adults, one of them (Kelly) very small -- no problem in terms of beds, right? Kelly and I will share, and both wear earplugs because my mom SNOOOOORES like nobody's business.

That was until Darcy got wind of the plan. Now who is Darcy, you may ask? Well, here she is:

Darcy was actually the original Disney-lover in our family. When she was little she LOOOOOVED Disney movies. She used to come right home from school and watch The Fox and the Hound over and over until bedtime. When Mulan came out when she was a little bit older, that became her new favorite. I think she had a crush on Shang. Anyway, it had always been her life-long dream to go to Disney World. So when she was about 13, I suggested to my parents that she accompany me, my college roommate, and her parents to Disney World, when they made their repeat visit for that year.

So, we did, and we had a BLAST. Darcy was going through her teenager stage (and frankly, still is), so it was rare to see a smile from her. But my all-time FAVORITE picture of her was taken on the teacup ride, when we caught her off guard and she had the biggest grin on her face! And, she got to fulfill her life-long dream of meeting Mulan!

So Darcy has nothing but the best memories of Disney World, and loves it just as much as me. When she heard that me, my mom and Kelly were going, she begged my mom to let her miss school so she could go too. At first my mom said no. After all, she had just missed half a week for my wedding! But after much begging, and touting of her thus-far flawless academic record, and after I reminded my mom that she's really not the kind of kid you have to worry about academically, my mom said Yes!!!

So, that makes four of us going to Disney World!!! My mom was worried that my sister Erin would be jealous. She can't go because she's doing continuing ed classes that start that week, and would way rather go to a spa anyway. My brother was not so jealous, because my dad did NOT want to go and he wasn't so keen on the idea of spending the week with four women, meeting princesses. Maybe they'll do a guys' trip later (and maybe I can tag along!)

So there you have it. The story of how the M-sisters (-1) and Mom end up going to Disney World!