A Pre-Trip Report for a Fun, Old-Fashioned Disney Christmas

[silverhaze269]

I’ve never written a pre-trip report before, so I’m not sure how this will work out, but hopefully it won’t be too painful a read or anything. So, to start everyone off I’ll do some introductions.

DM (in her 40’s): She’s a great person. She works for an investment brokerage firm from Monday-Friday, 9-5, and she is a personal homecare worker on the side. She loves her second job very much, and she feels it’s her mission to help those who need it. She is very family-oriented and loves to travel. She refuses to grow up, insisting that since she turned 40 her age has been going backwards. She works too much though, and has little time for anything outside of work. When she does watch TV it’s usually CSI.

DF (in his early 50’s): He works for the government at the DMV. He loves his job and working with the public. When he’s not at work he loves watching tv or movies, especially sci-fi (Star Trek). He also computer savvy and has way too many computers. He loves snowboarding in the winter, and although he says he likes skiing too, he prefers snowboarding way more. He likes to shop too…but that’s enough about him.

DB (22): He’s in his fourth year of university, working towards a bachelor of commerce, majoring in business management. He’s really smart, especially in math and accounting (I always had a good math tutor in high school). He’s computer savvy too. When he’s not doing school related work, he can usually be found playing guitar hero or surfing the net. Uh…I don’t really know what else to say about him…but his favourite Disney movie is probably Finding Nemo.

And I guess that brings us to me…your…host? Anyway, I’m a 20-year-old university student, in my third year. I’m working toward a bachelor of arts, double majoring in English and religious studies. I love music, in almost any form, but rock/hard rock is my favourite genre. I love skiing, musicals, tattoos, traveling, butterflies (and other animals) and a bunch of other stuff that would take me too long to write. I really like The Nightmare Before Christmas, Lenore: The Cutest Little Dead Girl, Rocky Horror Picture Show, and Alice in Wonderland (especially American McGee’s version). I love my quirky family, and it would seem weird to me to travel to Orlando without them.

Okay, so now that you know a bit about us I should probably get back to writing my essay (on The House of Bernada Alba). My next instalment will be a bit about our traveling history. Until then, happy trails!

 

[silverhaze269]

So I’m back to tell you guys about where I’ve been so far. For someone who is only 20 and still living at home, I think I’ve been around quite a bit. Here is a list of the places I’ve been, so far (not counting my home province and the places I’ve had stopovers at):
Orlando, Florida
Miami, Florida
Key West, Florida
New York City, New York
North Conway, New Hampshire
Maine
Boston
Quebec City, Quebec
Montreal, Quebec
New Brunswick
PEI
Deer Lake, Newfoundland
Ireland
London, England

My first time in the United States I went with my best friend and her family to Maine and some of Boston (we drove). I guess it was from traveling there that I caught the travel bug and I’ve been going ever since. I love meeting new people from different areas and I love exploring new places. I don’t think I could ever travel enough.

My first time on an airplane was when my family and I went to Florida for the first time back in April of 2002. It was a 12-day whirlwind trip in which we went to Sea World, Busch Gardens, Universal Orlando, and Disney. I don’t really remember a whole lot about that trip since we did so much. I had a fantastic time though, and we all agreed to go back again. Little did we know that would be the beginning of an annual trip to Orlando for our family.

The next year we went back in August for 5 days just going to Universal Orlando, but this time we stayed on-site at the Hard Rock Hotel on the club level. I think that may have been my favourite Orlando trip, only because of the hotel. I fell in love with it the moment we drove up the driveway and I saw the water fountain. I was awestruck the entire trip. Music plays such a key role in my life and to be emerged in a place where that’s the primary focus was moving for me. The club level perks were great too (I highly recommend it to anyone who intends to stay there).

The year after that one, we did a Disney trip. We went in August again, and I honestly can’t remember how many days we spent there. It was probably a week. We stayed in Downtown Disney, at the Grosvenor (now Regal Sun Resort) for the first three nights, and then we went to the Hilton for the rest of our trip. That was the year Florida had a bunch of bad hurricanes, one after the other. We were incredibly lucky to have been there the week between two of them (we arrived a few days after one, and when we left another one hit a few days later). This was a really great trip. Both hotels were fantastic, but the overall consensus was that we liked the Hilton better. We were able to see the Downtown Disney fireworks every night from our room at the Hilton, something my mom made a point to see each night. The parks were really enjoyable, and PhilharMagic had just opened in the Magic Kingdom. That was my favourite ride I think; it was a toss-up between that one and Test Track. Anyway, there were quite a few ups and downs on that trip, but we all had a great time and couldn’t believe how any other Orlando trip could top that one.

We went back to Universal the following year, again, for another 5 days, staying on the Club Level at the Hard Rock. It seemed we didn’t get enough the first time, so we just had to have our fix again. This was another unforgettable trip, and the most enjoyable for my dad, as he somehow seemed to be looking at things in a new light.

Last year, we went back, yet again, to The Hard Rock at Universal. You’d have thought we would have had enough by now, wouldn’t you? Well, this time was different because we went in December, 2 weeks before Christmas, and we had a new travel companion to share the experience with. It was great hearing the Christmas music playing throughout the parks, and seeing the Macy’s Day parade was nice too. I still have a mint and some ticker tape lying around here somewhere. I loved being able to have a good family friend come along. I think this was my mom’s favourite trip.

So, that brings us to this year: a Disney Christmas. It was something I was looking into since last Christmas, and I was able to get my mom in on the idea. For the entire year we had been looking and dreaming of how great it would be to do it, but we never really thought it would be possible. Here we are though, defying the odds once again. Of all the Orlando trips I’ve been on I think I am most excited for this trip. We have never stayed on-site at Disney before, and it’s something I’m really looking forward to.

Okay, this is most definitely long enough for now. I’ll be back next time with some photos (if I can figure out how to up load them on the site)! So, as my good friend Tigger says, TTFN!

 

[rcymrcym]

I'm looking forward to hearing about your trip! We are going in December too!

 

[mzliza3]

I enjoyed reading your first entry! We're going to Disney for Christmas, too! I guess I should post a trip report, too! It's great to see young people with a desire to travel. My children are around your age & they, too, enjoy traveling. We've taken two Canadian maritime cruises & fell in love with Nova Scotia. Such a lovely part of the world! Canada is such a beautiful country with equally beautiful people. My DH & I have traveled around the world and we've always found the Canadians to be terrific. So friendly, hospitable, & sincere. Hope you & your family enjoy your trip!

 

[silverhaze269]

Wow, I have some readers!

mzliza3, I’m so glad you had a great time here in Nova Scotia. I’m assuming you took a cruise up to Halifax, which is where I live. I always love to hear what people think of our city. I’m so happy when people have a good time here, I feel lucky to call this place my home.

I can say the same things about when I’ve visited the US. The people I’ve met have been really great and friendly for the most part. I love experiencing new places and someday I’d like to say I’ve been to every US state. I know that’s a bit ambitious, but I figure I’m still young so I might be able to do it one day.

So…on to the report…

I’m back after my short school-related hiatus. I’d much rather be doing this than studying for midterms or writing papers, but there comes a time when you just have to get things done.

Anyway, now that I’m back (for a little bit anyway) I’ll follow through with my plans to post pictures.

I wanted to post some pictures of the ‘touristy’ areas in my city so you guys could get a better idea of where I come from. I was going to try and take some photos myself, but I didn’t have the time so I did a Google search instead, and found photos that I thought are quite representative of Halifax. Here they are (maybe mzliza3 might recognize some of these places ):

The Halifax sky line

The corner of Barrington Street and Spring Garden Road, two busy downtown streets

This is a bit of an old photo of Spring Garden Road, definitely busiest street in downtown Halifax

The main entrance to the Public Gardens. It’s a really beautiful park that unfortunately sustained a lot of damage during Hurricane Juan back in 2003. This is a recent picture after it was fixed up.

The most photographed area of the Public Gardens

An aerial shot of the Halifax Citadel. It was an old fortification that was used during the war.

The town clock on Citadel Hill

And just so you get an idea of our winters…here’s a shot of the Dingle Tower in Flemming Park in the winter

…and just in case you’ve never experienced snow before, here’s a shot from a storm we had back in the winter of 2003, the same year we had Hurricane Juan. We called it White Juan because of all the damage it caused. The city was shut down for almost a week and they called a state of emergency. There hasn’t been a storm that bad since (maybe this is the reason we love Orlando so much)

And, so you guys have an idea of what we look like, here are some family pictures that were taken on a cruise we went on in late August.

This is my mom…she hates her picture taken, but I like this one.

I apologise for this picture on more than one level. I’m sure my dad wouldn’t like that I posted this one, but he actually has a decent expression on his face (the only picture I could find) despite the numerous fashion fopaux he was committing. We try really hard to warn him, but he just doesn’t listen to us. Luckily when we go to WDW in December it will be just the right temperature for him to wear normal clothes…well, as normal as he can get.

And…this is my brother and I.

That's all for now folks...Next time: ... I'll figure it out once I get there, lol!

 

[mzliza3]

Yes, I've had the opportunity to visit Halifax, a beautiful city. Your lovely photos bring back so many memories! The Public Garden is so pretty & we had dinner on Spring Garden Road & toured the Citadel. You have a wonderful city. We sailed around NS & then up to the St. Lawrence to Quebec. Maritime Canada is lovely. One of our dream trips is to take a train across Canada. Thanks for posting them!
Good luck with your studies! I know it's hard to concentrate with the prospect of a Disney Xmas looming. I work as a nurse in a trauma center in Pittsburgh & thoughts of my Xmas trip gets me through the day.
Take care & look forward to your updates!

 

[silverhaze269]

After just finishing a week of insane assignments I’m starting to miss the DIS… Here’s why:

This is a list of the things I had due last week:
Monday: Mid-term exam, as well as a reading response for the novel “Pride and Prejudice”
Tuesday: 5-page paper on the play “The House of Bernada Alba”, as well as an 8-page report on a Roman Catholic Church service

This week I have/had these things due:
Tuesday: a report on an assignment for my field research on religion class
Wednesday: a reading response for the novel “Foe”, as well as a 2-page paper on a case study found in the book “Religion and Ecology”

Next week I have:
Monday: a test
Tuesday: interview questions, and another assignment for field research on religion, this one is on an activity relating to my final project (both things for the same class)

The rest of term:
November 6: 2-page report on a chapter in “Religion and Ecology”
November 7: a report on an assignment for my field research class…this one involves videotaping or photographing an activity relating to my final project
November 12: presentations start for the final paper (10-15 pages long) in my religion and ecology class, as well as I have another reading response due, this one is on “Mrs. Dalloway”
November 13: I have to present my findings of an interview to my field research class
November 21: final reading response due, this one for “The Hours”
November 26: 2 page report on a chapter in “Religion in Ecology”, and a 5-6 page research paper due for my class The Novel
November 27: 10-15 page paper due in field research on religion
November 30: 6-7 page paper due for my Drama class

So, as you can see I’ve got a lot on my plate between now and the end of November. Sometimes I look at everything I have to do and start to wonder how it can all be done. Not only will writing the papers take a good chunk of time, but the research for them will too. I have to do interviews for the one in my field research class. It is not going to be an easy month…. did I also mention I work on the weekends?

Anyway, now that I’ve ranted sufficiently about the looming pile of schoolwork I have to do, I think it’s safe for me to take a break and talk Disney. Lord knows how boring that was for you…but just think of what it’s like for me!

Over the past few days my family has been contemplating the DDP. At first we thought it would be a flat out waste of money, but then as I started to read around here, and as we discussed it, we began to change our minds. I think that we are probably going to add on the DP, but I’m a bit worried it will be too late for us to get any kind of a ADR at the places we would like to eat at by the time we’ll have the finances. Hopefully there will be some good places left.

On Sunday we booked tickets for MVMCP on the 18th, and we also booked Crique tickets for the 21st, as well as making our reservation for Christmas Dinner at the Concourse Steak House in the CR. It wasn’t the first place we’d have chosen but it was available when we wanted so we took it.

As our trip starts to take shape more every day, and we get closer to it every day, I’m finding it seems farther and farther away…maybe some old pictures will help get me in the Disney spirit…

These are from our trip back in 2004:

 

[mzliza3]

Love your photos!
School can be overwhelming; my DD17 is going through the same thing, trying to prioritize while trying not to be too distracted by her upcoming trip. But you'll get through it! Think of it this way, with every school project completed, you'll be closer to going on your trip. At least that's what I tell DD. Good luck!

 

[silverhaze269]

Love your photos!
School can be overwhelming; my DD17 is going through the same thing, trying to prioritize while trying not to be too distracted by her upcoming trip. But you'll get through it! Think of it this way, with every school project completed, you'll be closer to going on your trip. At least that's what I tell DD. Good luck!

Thanks!

As you can see, I haven't been around much lately. School has definately been the highest priority as of late.

Our ME package came today! And our MVMCP and Cirque tickets came about 2 weeks ago!

We've been collecting small Christmas decorations to take with us so we can decorate our hotel room. So far we've got a very mini-christmas tree, some window sticker things, and a few things for the door. I think we'll be taking some garland and mini lights for the window as well, but we don't want to take a whole lot just to save on luggage space. I can't believe how fast things are starting to come together!

Unfortunately that's all I can update for the moment...I'd like to say I'm getting more excited with every day that passes, but honestly, I'm too busy with school to think about Disney right now

Hopefully I'll have more to report next time!

 

[silverhaze269]

Well, it’s been a while, but I’m back and raring to go!

Only 7 more days! That is hard to believe! In just one week I will be in the MK at MVMCP! AND SSE will likely be operational for us! Talk about an early Christmas present.

I’m finally finished all my papers!!! Now all I have to worry about is work, and really, work is nothing to complain about. I love my work…the customers and other staff members make it so enjoyable. I do have to work straight through from Wednesday until next Monday though, so that kinda sucks. It just means I have to be ready extra early.

We’ve been getting a lot of ‘wintery’ weather lately, which has been putting me in the Christmas spirit. Just today we had a nice dusting of snow. Every time it snows, even if it’s a little bit, I’m appreciating it more. That’s probably because I know I won’t be able to see any in Disney…well, not the real stuff anyway. I took a few pictures of the snow with my new camera. I got it for the trip because my old one wasn’t the best. It was small, which was good for being able to tote it around, but as far as a camera, it wasn’t very good. This one is a Canon PowerShot A720 and I love it!

Here are some ‘festive’ pictures for you folks who don’t have the pleasure of getting snow this time of year!

 

[mzliza3]

Hope you & your family have a wonderful trip & a joyous holiday! Unfortunately, my mother was diagnosed with colon cancer & had to have surgery & now we can't go. They caught it in the early stages so hopefully, everything will be OK. We've rescheduled for mid January. Enough of my doom & gloom, MERRY CHRISTMAS & A HAPPY & HEALTHY NEW YEAR!!!

 

[silverhaze269]

Hope you & your family have a wonderful trip & a joyous holiday! Unfortunately, my mother was diagnosed with colon cancer & had to have surgery & now we can't go. They caught it in the early stages so hopefully, everything will be OK. We've rescheduled for mid January. Enough of my doom & gloom, MERRY CHRISTMAS & A HAPPY & HEALTHY NEW YEAR!!!

Oh no! I'm so sorry to hear that! I really hope she will be able to recover. When they get it early the chances of beating it increase a lot. I hope you are able to have a good holiday season despite everything, and enjoy your trip when it comes! ALL THE BEST!