jaycns
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 19, 2005
- Messages
- 6,953
Welcome to my trip report. Come on in, sit down and take a load off. If you like, stay awhile. 
When I say "my" trip report, I really do mean "ours". But since I am the one writing it, I will start the introductions with none other then me, myself and I.
Hello, nice to meet you. I am jaycns here at the DIS. I am a 30 something mom of three (soon to be four come January 2008). I have been happily married to my dh for the past 12 years...and moving on to the important stuff...I LOVE DISNEY!!
Much like one of my sons, my favorite characters are the trouble makers. I love Stitch, Donald, Abu, Beast and Figment.
Next let me introduce you to my dh, aka the Disney grump. He is also a thirty something traveler. He loves his family enough to put up with yet another Disney vacation. For some reason, the Disney bug never bit him.
I so don't get that about him, but I love him despite this obvious flaw. 
Then we come to my boys:
First up, Aladdin. Aladdin is now 11 years old. Lucky for me, the Disney bug did bite him (and how!). He loves all things Disney, including WDW. When it comes to a partner in crime, he's my man, always helping me to convince dh that another Disney trip is "required".
His favorite characters are Jack Sparrow, Mickey Mouse, Aladdin and Will Turner.
Next is Goofy. Goofy turned 8 while on vacation. He just flat out loves Disney. He is a bit shy with new people, but considers all Disney characters to be old friends. His favorite characters are Pluto, Lucky (from 101 Dalmations), Goofy, Dale and Squirt.
Last, but not by any stretch least, let me introduce you to Stitch. Stitch is 6 years old and shares many traits with the original 626...he's sweet, loyal, loving and can wreck havoc with the best of them. He shares my love of the Disney "naughtymakers". His favorite characters are Chip, Stitch, Crush, Figment and Donald Duck.
Enough about the cast of characters...now for the trip plans (in a nutshell).
8/30-on the road
8/31-off site *gasp* Comfort Suites Maingate
9/1-9/9- AKL-Kilamanjaro Club
9/9-9/15- Grand Floridian- Sugar Loaf Club
9/15-9/16- Visiting family/driving home
PRELUDE-August 2007
This month was not a great one for our family. My dad had a heart attack. He had to have triple bypass surgery and one of his carotid arteries cleaned out. It was major surgery. He lives 8 hours away and I felt like I needed to be there. After surgery, my dad suffered a massive stroke. He was unable to "wake up" for almost 15 days. So, two full weeks of the month were spent in a hospital waiting room/hospital cafeteria/cardiac ICU/ICU family sleep room.
Until the very last minute (and I am talking the day of departure) I was not sure if we should really pack up and go to WDW. However, my dad had made me promise (before his surgery) that no matter what happened, we would take the kids to WDW. On top of that dh BEGGED me to go to WDW (yes, the Disney grump begged to go...that was a huge first and I am sure the last time that will happen). And finally, my OB told me it was his opinion that I "needed" to go on vacation. So...add those together and although I still felt guilty, the trip was still on.
On top of everything with my dad's health, I am pregnant. Not usually a "thing" to go to WDW at 18 weeks pregnant but I have high risk pregnancies (no regular OB would see me, my OB is a high risk specialist). So another thing kept us on the edge of our seats, waiting until the final round of bloodwork/physical exam/ultrasound came back as a go (which wasn't until the day before departure).
Maybe this all helps explain why I was so guilt ridden about going but also knew that if ever a family needed a vacation, time to get away from the stresses of life, it was our family right then. So putting our cares in a ziploc bag and sealing it as tightly as possible, we headed out on the road at about 9:00 PM on 8/30.
The drive down was uneventful, long and full of short "walking" stops to keep my pregnant tootsies from swelling. The one event of "note" during the trip was our stop at the Florida Welcome Center. It's a family tradition to stop at there. As a little girl whenever my family came to WDW this was something we did as well...stopped for that cup of orange juice. It may be corny but I get a real kick out of doing the same thing with my boys. This is also the point our Disney vacation seems "real" for the first time. We pick up the current Disney park guides at the visitor's center. The one's with the current operating hours listed in them, the glossy pictures, the descriptions of the new attractions...we devour these over the last few hours of the trip, for some reason, this really gets us in a Disney mood.
Buckled back up and finally in the right state we set off again. For a while now we have been seeing the "Buy Discount Tickets for Disney World this Exit" signs. But now we get our first glimpse of a real Disney sign. This time it was for the new Nemo ride. As the Disney signs started getting more frequent we knew we were getting closer and closer...this started to get us all very excited (other then maybe the Disney grump aka dh but he was at least playing along with the ahhing going on). By the time we got to the greater Orlando area we were all just about ready to burst. FINALLY we start seeing freeway exit signs with Disney written on them!!
And then
we drive under the Welcome to Walt Disney World sign and all of the worries and stress evaporated (or at least dimmed and moved to the back of our minds)...we were finally and oh so happily at Disney World! 
First up? Downtown Disney!! And our very first stop there is the Rain Forest Cafe.
*LOADS MORE PHOTOS TO COME!*
To be continued...
When I say "my" trip report, I really do mean "ours". But since I am the one writing it, I will start the introductions with none other then me, myself and I.
Hello, nice to meet you. I am jaycns here at the DIS. I am a 30 something mom of three (soon to be four come January 2008). I have been happily married to my dh for the past 12 years...and moving on to the important stuff...I LOVE DISNEY!!
Much like one of my sons, my favorite characters are the trouble makers. I love Stitch, Donald, Abu, Beast and Figment.Next let me introduce you to my dh, aka the Disney grump. He is also a thirty something traveler. He loves his family enough to put up with yet another Disney vacation. For some reason, the Disney bug never bit him.
I so don't get that about him, but I love him despite this obvious flaw. Then we come to my boys:
First up, Aladdin. Aladdin is now 11 years old. Lucky for me, the Disney bug did bite him (and how!). He loves all things Disney, including WDW. When it comes to a partner in crime, he's my man, always helping me to convince dh that another Disney trip is "required".
His favorite characters are Jack Sparrow, Mickey Mouse, Aladdin and Will Turner.Next is Goofy. Goofy turned 8 while on vacation. He just flat out loves Disney. He is a bit shy with new people, but considers all Disney characters to be old friends. His favorite characters are Pluto, Lucky (from 101 Dalmations), Goofy, Dale and Squirt.
Last, but not by any stretch least, let me introduce you to Stitch. Stitch is 6 years old and shares many traits with the original 626...he's sweet, loyal, loving and can wreck havoc with the best of them. He shares my love of the Disney "naughtymakers". His favorite characters are Chip, Stitch, Crush, Figment and Donald Duck.
Enough about the cast of characters...now for the trip plans (in a nutshell).
8/30-on the road
8/31-off site *gasp* Comfort Suites Maingate
9/1-9/9- AKL-Kilamanjaro Club
9/9-9/15- Grand Floridian- Sugar Loaf Club
9/15-9/16- Visiting family/driving home
PRELUDE-August 2007
This month was not a great one for our family. My dad had a heart attack. He had to have triple bypass surgery and one of his carotid arteries cleaned out. It was major surgery. He lives 8 hours away and I felt like I needed to be there. After surgery, my dad suffered a massive stroke. He was unable to "wake up" for almost 15 days. So, two full weeks of the month were spent in a hospital waiting room/hospital cafeteria/cardiac ICU/ICU family sleep room.
Until the very last minute (and I am talking the day of departure) I was not sure if we should really pack up and go to WDW. However, my dad had made me promise (before his surgery) that no matter what happened, we would take the kids to WDW. On top of that dh BEGGED me to go to WDW (yes, the Disney grump begged to go...that was a huge first and I am sure the last time that will happen). And finally, my OB told me it was his opinion that I "needed" to go on vacation. So...add those together and although I still felt guilty, the trip was still on.
On top of everything with my dad's health, I am pregnant. Not usually a "thing" to go to WDW at 18 weeks pregnant but I have high risk pregnancies (no regular OB would see me, my OB is a high risk specialist). So another thing kept us on the edge of our seats, waiting until the final round of bloodwork/physical exam/ultrasound came back as a go (which wasn't until the day before departure).
Maybe this all helps explain why I was so guilt ridden about going but also knew that if ever a family needed a vacation, time to get away from the stresses of life, it was our family right then. So putting our cares in a ziploc bag and sealing it as tightly as possible, we headed out on the road at about 9:00 PM on 8/30.
The drive down was uneventful, long and full of short "walking" stops to keep my pregnant tootsies from swelling. The one event of "note" during the trip was our stop at the Florida Welcome Center. It's a family tradition to stop at there. As a little girl whenever my family came to WDW this was something we did as well...stopped for that cup of orange juice. It may be corny but I get a real kick out of doing the same thing with my boys. This is also the point our Disney vacation seems "real" for the first time. We pick up the current Disney park guides at the visitor's center. The one's with the current operating hours listed in them, the glossy pictures, the descriptions of the new attractions...we devour these over the last few hours of the trip, for some reason, this really gets us in a Disney mood.
Buckled back up and finally in the right state we set off again. For a while now we have been seeing the "Buy Discount Tickets for Disney World this Exit" signs. But now we get our first glimpse of a real Disney sign. This time it was for the new Nemo ride. As the Disney signs started getting more frequent we knew we were getting closer and closer...this started to get us all very excited (other then maybe the Disney grump aka dh but he was at least playing along with the ahhing going on). By the time we got to the greater Orlando area we were all just about ready to burst. FINALLY we start seeing freeway exit signs with Disney written on them!!
And then
we drive under the Welcome to Walt Disney World sign and all of the worries and stress evaporated (or at least dimmed and moved to the back of our minds)...we were finally and oh so happily at Disney World! First up? Downtown Disney!! And our very first stop there is the Rain Forest Cafe.
*LOADS MORE PHOTOS TO COME!*
To be continued...
I'm first! Its Michelle, mlill, and this is my new screen name!
Great start! 
THANKS! And thanks for the well wish for my dad. His road is long, but at least he is on it!!
Now stop making me SPIT my water out from laughing so hard! That's another thing a crazy person would do! 
My parents would only give us things that glowed on the 4th of July. That's it. I grew up getting one measly glow stick a year. 
I am spending my adult life trying to make up for what I didn't have as a child. 
So, my free water was served in a $7 glowing cup. 
Don't get me wrong, it was delicious, but it was HUGE! You'll definitely have to try it as a family next time you head back......we didn't eat much of it and went away stuffed! 
What a treat.
