Ltl Mermaid
<font color=darkorchid>Spreading Disney Magic with
- Joined
- May 12, 2006
- Messages
- 835
Hey all!! 
36 days left
I cannot believe it is almost here! I am (like most DISers) a fanatical Disney freak. I live right near Disneyland and practically grew up there! I worked there through college (the best part time job I ever had
.I miss it so) and still spent many evenings off visiting my boss (the mouse!!!) Growing up, my family never took really BIG trips. We went to Hawaii one year, and Nevada/Arizona a few years later, but our vacations consisted mostly of an RV and a campground. We still do this every summer, but things certainly changed shape when I became obsessed with Disneyworld! My freshman year of high school, I was involved in an all star dancing/cheerleading 
team. We competed about twice a month, usually in local competitions. That fateful year back in 1997 was my first ever trip to the WORLD when our team was invited to compete at Disneyworld! I almost didnt go (as my grandfather was having serious heart trouble) but at the last minute my mom pushed me to go, saying that it was an experience my grandfather would not want me to miss out on. With my older sister as my guardian we went to Disneyworld for a short trip. We stayed at All Star Sports, which I thought was a cute little hotel, but not really my cup of tea! I saw practically nothing as 89% of our time was spent rehearsing and competing 
! We won 1st place and got to dance on the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular Stage with a live TV crew from ESPN! It was an amazing experience. As far as Disneyworld went, I fell in love with a few things: Maelstrom (Dont hate me!), Horizons, The old Figment Ride, Epcot in general, and Tower of Terror 
. I also got to see the Castle Cake, which I thought was cute for a short period of time (would never want it to be permanent), even though it seems like everyone on the DIS hates it! That first taste of Disneyworld really had me hooked, even though I was unable to go again for another 2 years. After that short lull, I have been at least every year since then, and this upcoming trip will be notch number 10 in my Disneyworld belt! Ok, I know that may be nothing compared to some of you, but flights are $$$$$ from California! I have stayed at All Star Sports, Caribbean Beach, Coronado Springs, Animal Kingdom Lodge, Beach Club, Wilderness Lodge, Contemporary, Grand Floridian, and Port Orleans Riverside. I have gone on 90% of these trips with my sister, my fellow Disney Partner in crime. 
Anyhow, down to the trip at hand, I was desperate to go this December as it would be my only chance until October 2007 (gasp!!) due to other vacations I already committed to. My sister wasnt sure she would have enough time off/money to go in December and my boyfriend of 4 years seemed interested in going
! I have tried to make him as obsessed as me involving all things Disney, and he is progressing slowly but surely. I decided he was ready for his FIRST ever trip (hes 24 years old and never been to Disneyworld
so deprived!) I wanted him to have a good time (instead of me just dragging him around) so I actually let him do some of the planning. I priced out a few options through AAA and showed him pictures of the hotels that were in our price range. The options were Animal Kingdom Lodge (my first choice), Wilderness Lodge, or any of the mods. He picked the Wilderness Lodge with such speed and conviction that I knew there was no changing his mind! I LOVE the WL, dont get me wrong, but the Animal Kingdom was the very first deluxe I stayed at and I thought it was such a magical place! Anyhoo, we booked, we paid for ridiculously overpriced airfare and then
say it with me
we PLANNED our patooties off! 
Well, that is not entirely true, I asked his opinions on certain things, and then *I* planned MY patootie off! These ever important details are coming your way soon but for now .here is the CAST:
Me: 24, hard worker/never give up type, sometimes TOO optimistic, career/$ driven, likes the finer things in life, like nice vacations, clothing, and shoes. Never turns down a trip to Disneyland and LIVES for WDW and DCL trips. Can be very impatient and does not like to be told what to do! Loves animals. I will be know henceforth as Ariel
DBF: 24, Easy-going type who complements my wackiness well. Enjoys soccer, computer games, and watching sitcoms/stand up comedy. Takes a lot to get his panties in a bunch and he knows so well how to cheer me up. He will be known henceforth as Timon!
I hope you all enjoy my pre-trip report .and my trip report (I will have lots of pics, I promise) when I return!
I will end this by saying, this is my first trip report and I want feedback, so please PM with any suggestions to make it better. Also, if you like, please respond so I can feel the LOVE!
36 days left
I cannot believe it is almost here! I am (like most DISers) a fanatical Disney freak. I live right near Disneyland and practically grew up there! I worked there through college (the best part time job I ever had
.I miss it so) and still spent many evenings off visiting my boss (the mouse!!!) Growing up, my family never took really BIG trips. We went to Hawaii one year, and Nevada/Arizona a few years later, but our vacations consisted mostly of an RV and a campground. We still do this every summer, but things certainly changed shape when I became obsessed with Disneyworld! My freshman year of high school, I was involved in an all star dancing/cheerleading team. We competed about twice a month, usually in local competitions. That fateful year back in 1997 was my first ever trip to the WORLD when our team was invited to compete at Disneyworld! I almost didnt go (as my grandfather was having serious heart trouble) but at the last minute my mom pushed me to go, saying that it was an experience my grandfather would not want me to miss out on. With my older sister as my guardian we went to Disneyworld for a short trip. We stayed at All Star Sports, which I thought was a cute little hotel, but not really my cup of tea! I saw practically nothing as 89% of our time was spent rehearsing and competing ! We won 1st place and got to dance on the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular Stage with a live TV crew from ESPN! It was an amazing experience. As far as Disneyworld went, I fell in love with a few things: Maelstrom (Dont hate me!), Horizons, The old Figment Ride, Epcot in general, and Tower of Terror . I also got to see the Castle Cake, which I thought was cute for a short period of time (would never want it to be permanent), even though it seems like everyone on the DIS hates it! That first taste of Disneyworld really had me hooked, even though I was unable to go again for another 2 years. After that short lull, I have been at least every year since then, and this upcoming trip will be notch number 10 in my Disneyworld belt! Ok, I know that may be nothing compared to some of you, but flights are $$$$$ from California! I have stayed at All Star Sports, Caribbean Beach, Coronado Springs, Animal Kingdom Lodge, Beach Club, Wilderness Lodge, Contemporary, Grand Floridian, and Port Orleans Riverside. I have gone on 90% of these trips with my sister, my fellow Disney Partner in crime. Anyhow, down to the trip at hand, I was desperate to go this December as it would be my only chance until October 2007 (gasp!!) due to other vacations I already committed to. My sister wasnt sure she would have enough time off/money to go in December and my boyfriend of 4 years seemed interested in going
! I have tried to make him as obsessed as me involving all things Disney, and he is progressing slowly but surely. I decided he was ready for his FIRST ever trip (hes 24 years old and never been to Disneyworld
so deprived!) I wanted him to have a good time (instead of me just dragging him around) so I actually let him do some of the planning. I priced out a few options through AAA and showed him pictures of the hotels that were in our price range. The options were Animal Kingdom Lodge (my first choice), Wilderness Lodge, or any of the mods. He picked the Wilderness Lodge with such speed and conviction that I knew there was no changing his mind! I LOVE the WL, dont get me wrong, but the Animal Kingdom was the very first deluxe I stayed at and I thought it was such a magical place! Anyhoo, we booked, we paid for ridiculously overpriced airfare and then
say it with me
we PLANNED our patooties off! Well, that is not entirely true, I asked his opinions on certain things, and then *I* planned MY patootie off! These ever important details are coming your way soon but for now .here is the CAST:
Me: 24, hard worker/never give up type, sometimes TOO optimistic, career/$ driven, likes the finer things in life, like nice vacations, clothing, and shoes. Never turns down a trip to Disneyland and LIVES for WDW and DCL trips. Can be very impatient and does not like to be told what to do! Loves animals. I will be know henceforth as Ariel
DBF: 24, Easy-going type who complements my wackiness well. Enjoys soccer, computer games, and watching sitcoms/stand up comedy. Takes a lot to get his panties in a bunch and he knows so well how to cheer me up. He will be known henceforth as Timon!
I hope you all enjoy my pre-trip report .and my trip report (I will have lots of pics, I promise) when I return!
I will end this by saying, this is my first trip report and I want feedback, so please PM with any suggestions to make it better. Also, if you like, please respond so I can feel the LOVE!
. This was the time in my life when I was on the DIS WAY more than my boss would have liked. My basic plan was simple (or so I thought). We were arriving December 8th in the early AM and then departing December 13th in the evening. We had decided to fly a red eye there and just sleep on the plane (a few Benadryl and I am good to go!) and then start the fun right away when we arrived at 6:30am. For all you naysayers out there, I will say that this is ALWAYS my plan when going to WDW, and it has worked very well for me so far 
. I figured that we would probably get to the WL via DME at around 8 or 8:30am, try to check in and unpack. If we could not get a room, we would likely change clothes and just check our luggage
.no big deal. My original plan called for MK the first day, followed by Epcot, Animal Kingdom, a free day, MGM, and then just hit our favorite attractions the last day. I had already decided to go commando (dont groan!! It isnt so bad with two 24 year olds) and figured our free day would be spent at Epcot (my fave park) and MK. I printed up all the park hours, EMH, and 
. 
, as a special neat treat for us. I called, made my ADRs (and had pretty good luck as well!!). Of course, I did have to switch up some park days to accommodate our TS meals
..about 15 different times. Without boring you all to tears (if I haven't already) I will say this: my simple itinerary changed about 14,000 times before I finally got it to fit in all of the events I had planned. 
Ha ha! Unfortunately he did not take to this too well as he LOVES him some Mexican food. So we compromised like all good couples do 
. We decided to eat at SAI for an early lunch and pay OOP. We then have a 6pm Candlelight Processional Dinner Package at Alfredos (not a DIS darling to be sure but my absolutely favorite restaurant in the World
..not WDW either
..the entire World). So we agreed to eat light at SAI instead of going whole hog. I sent him pictures of the rides, photos of the WL, and even photos of the park maps. 
(pirate princess for me and pirate for him!!) and Disney Christmas Sweaters for MVMCP on December 11th. 
Throughout this entire process I asked him about 100 million questions and he just got sick of it. He told me that he was already burnt out and it was still 4 months early. He asked me to lay off talking about it TOO much so he can get excited about it on his own time. 
I was shocked. I was hurt. I was ready to tell him to take a hike and BEG my sister to come with me. How could my enthusiasm not be infectious? Didnt he appreciate all the time I spent planning the perfect vacation for him? Doesnt he love me? 
. From then on out he was excited about the trip and even asked me questions about our plans, which thrilled me to no end. Our 4 year anniversary is this Wednesday, and I wanted to do something special for him at WDW instead o a traditional gift. I researched and found all the normal romantic ideas, but I wanted to do something that HE would really enjoy! I came across the Segway Tour in Epcot (Around the World on a Segway) and was sold! I couldnt believe they still had opening when I called!! I havent told him anything about it (except that he was going to get an anniversary surprise while at WDW) so I think he is going to flip!! I was SO excited and I felt confident that, by cutting out some character meals and adding other fun things, like the trail ride, sleigh ride, and especially the Segway Tour, Timon is going to have as much fun as I am! 
about happened. Last week, I was checking my email and saw that Delta had sent me a message stating that my itinerary had changed. I opened it up and OUR FLIGHTS HAD BOTH BEEN CANCELLED! I was so upset when I saw that the flight they booked us on was completely full and we were put at the very back of the plane with someone in between us! We werent even sitting together for a 5 hour red-eye flight! Is that a nightmare or what??? I also noticed that the new flight was considerably cheaper than the one we had been booked on. I figured, since there wasnt much I could do about it, I would at least call and save Timon some $$ by having them credit the difference on his CC. Well, if you know more than I do about airline policies, then you know what happened. They told me that there was no way to credit our account and that, even though we were not on the flight we booked, we were locked into our rate!! The rate we paid was $180 more expensive per person! I dont know about you but I found this to be completely unacceptable. Honestly, was I overreacting about this? Anyhow, though we never did get our money credited, we were able to (for a $50 fee per person) put the $$ toward a future Delta flight, as long as it is used within a year. Now, I am still not satisfied with the resolution, but I am aware that this is all I am likely to get. I spoke with manager after manager
calmly stating that, though I agreed to the fare price, I was not receiving what I paid for, which was a later flight out of LAX and a later flight out of MCO
with seats together toward the front of the coach section. Alas, this did nothing but make the manager chuckle (I am serious) 
at my earnest requests. So, I took what I was offered and I am now forever left with a bitter taste in my mouth about Delta. I am not letting it ruin our trip, so I decided to vent here and never speak of it again!
(in front of Sleeping Beautys Castle in DL perhaps?), a Disney-moon (maybe a week at WDW and a week on 
and get back to our regularly scheduled pre trip report!
, work is just dragging by right now and sitting in my office is driving me crazy 
. But, for now, I have to work! I am not going to post again before I leave, but I promise that I will check back with you all on the 14th or 15th! Hopefully I can figure out the pictures by the 17th or 18th!! See you all real soon! 
