Happiest place on earth planned by a first timer

[NightAngelX]

A month ago I would have never imagined that I'd have a WDW trip in the works!

I've always wanted to visit WDW but never have. As an adult without kids I thought I'd just wait til I had kids and felt silly for wanting to go. But a few weeks ago it seemed like everyone was taking a vacation but me at work and I wanted a vacation darnit. However, for the past 3 years most of our money has gone towards medical issues for both DH and I and I was just getting over an ectopic pregnancy and overall I was down in the dumps. So when I got home from work, I told DH we needed to go on a vacation. DH is always up for spending money (i am not) and he said 'sure! where do you want to go?' My first THOUGHT was WDW but instead I said 'I don't know.' He told me to think about it and he'd be okay with whatever I chose. (what a great DH) So then I cautiously said 'well what about Disney?' The happiest place on earth would surely be a break from our real life issues. He said 'sure!' I said 'will you ride rides with me?' (he has severe arthritis and has mentioned he doesn't like roller coasters before which is why I haven't even brought it up before, even though I did bring it up briefly as a honeymoon idea). He said he would if he fit the weight limit. lol So still unsure I said I'd research it. So after looking it up and discovering the deals in late August and September I thought that made things more affordable and doable. I also saw the Disney Visa offer and figured 6 months would be a good amount of time to pay down or off the vacation. I know its bad to borrow money for a vacation but we really need a vacation now. And thus it was decided! Disney in August!

Cast:
Elizabeth (me) and JC (DH)

We're going to Disney World!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[NightAngelX]

First thing I looked at was cost of staying on site vs off site. The price of the Values were comparable to what was offsite and seemed so much easier to be on site. So at first it was decided we would stay at All Star Music. Just for fun I started running the numbers for all the resorts and looking at all of them. I fell in love with POR and it wasn't THAT much more so I thought 'maybe...' Then I wasn't even going to look at Deluxes but decided to for fun and realized we could stay at AKL for just 200 more than POR! Suddenly AKL (while almost 3x more than ASMu) seemed affordable. I got way too excited and shared the news with my DH who was down with staying at AKL. So suddenly AKL was decided upon. After a few days of debating I booked it afraid they would sell out of the discounted rooms.

Since then I've continued the debate on if we should really stay at AKL or stay somewhere cheaper. DH stays firm about wanting AKL but I think I'd be just as happy at POR and my pocketbook would be much happier at ASMu.

 

[NightAngelX]

With our room we decided to get 5 day park hopper tickets. That way we could spend 1 day at each park and have 1 day to hop around and visit our faves or catch what was missed.

We also decided on a dining package. I figured it would be 'easier' for me to enjoy my vacation instead of getting slightly ill each time I paid an outrageous amount for each meal. We picked the one with one QS and one TS. So we could grab a quick lunch and have a nice sit down dinner each night. Breakfast we would eat in our rooms (pop tarts or something) or maybe pay for a hot breakfast once or twice, but not everyday.

 

[NightAngelX]

UPDATE: WE ARE DRIVING!!!

Right now we are planning to drive 20+ hours from Iowa to Orlando each way. I like this on one hand because we can pack as much as we want and can come and go as we please instead of having to leave at set times. There is nonstop flight service between Iowa and Orlando but it only runs on Sundays and Thursdays and a full week would just be too expensive and 3 days would be too short. So we decided to drive.

However, we just discovered yesterday there is a Star Wars Convention in Orlando at the same time we will be there so we may push our departure out a day making it one week there so the Sunday to Sunday flight is now doable. A 2-3 hour flight is much preferred to the 20+ hour drive. Also if we push the trip out another day driving would make me have to take another day off of work. The price of flying is actually comparable to what we'd spend on gas not to mention any extra wear and tear on the car.

But flying creates different issues. DH has psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. While this appears to be a skin or joint disease, its not. It's an immune disorder. The medication that treats it reduces his immune system. So if he gets a cold he gets really sick, maybe even pnenomia. Disney in and of itself is going to be a challenge for him not to get sick but if you think about a plane if just one person is sick he will likely catch it in such a confined space. Also he is afraid to fly, he has before but he hates it. Its not the flying he is afraid of but the crashing...

I told him if he flies we can go to Star Wars Convention but if not I am not sure. But that makes me feel bad because I figure he will have a whole week of what I want to do I should give him one day of what he wants (not that he's against Disney but I'm definitely the fan between the two of us).

So overall its undecided how we are traveling at this time.

 

[NightAngelX]

Soon after discovering the DIS I realized I needed to make ADRs. So I have made ADRs at the following locations:
Monday - Crystal Palace
Tuesday - Tusker House
Wednesday - Mama Melrose
Thursday - Biergarten Restaurant
Friday - Fulton's Crab House

 

[NightAngelX]

No touring plans yet but here is the basic order we are visiting the parks:

Monday - Magic Kingdom
Tuesday - Animal Kingdom
Wednesday - Hollywood Studios
Thursday - Epcot
Friday - park hopping day

 

[Nurse_Mommy4]

You're doing a great job! I know you will have an awesome trip no matter where you stay, but if you do decide to switch to POR, you will be in great company. There are over a dozen families from the August thread that will be there during your trip.

Keep up the good work, can't wait to hear more! First trips are always fun to read about!

 

[Victoriasmom98]

HERE I AM...HERE I AM.....Great start! I'm going to love following along!!!

 

[netnurse31]

I'm here to follow your PTR!

 

[netnurse31]

Also he is afraid to fly, he has before but he hates it. Its not the flying he is afraid of but the crashing...

I told him if he flies we can go to Star Wars Convention but if not I am not sure. But that makes me feel bad because I figure he will have a whole week of what I want to do I should give him one day of what he wants (not that he's against Disney but I'm definitely the fan between the two of us).

So overall its undecided how we are traveling at this time.

I used to be DEATHLY afraid of flying! That is until I had to fly from NY (JFK) to San Francisco to go on a business trip for an online health wed site I used to write for. I flew out of JFK exactly one week to the day at the same exact time and on the same exact flight number of one of the American Airlines planes that hit the World Trade Center on 9/11. Now one would think that would scare the heck out of me even more but the exact opposite happened. My new philosophy was if it were "my time" it would have been me. That experience has left me even more sure that there is a predetermined plan for all of us. If we live in fear it will get us absolutely no where and it certainly won't get us to Disney in less than 3 hours!

Remind Hubby about the statistics. More people get hurt in car crashes on a daily basis than there are plane crashes in years! I got this from a web site and it is soooooooooooo true!.....

You might think, "I have more control over my own destiny when I drive a car. In an airplane I have no control." This is only partly true. In an automobile you do have control over your own driving. However, you have no control over the drivers in the lane next to you or in oncoming traffic. They let any idiot get a driver's license. They don't let just anyone operate a passenger jet. Pilots and co-pilots are extremely smart and skilled individuals.

Did you know that the experts say, you would have to ride every day in an airplane for the next 15,000 years to be involved in an aircraft accident? Those are how slim your chances are of being injured or killed.

Perhaps sharing some of that with him will ease his fears! I hope it helps

 

[NightAngelX]

HERE I AM...HERE I AM.....Great start! I'm going to love following along!!!

You're doing a great job! I know you will have an awesome trip no matter where you stay, but if you do decide to switch to POR, you will be in great company. There are over a dozen families from the August thread that will be there during your trip.

Keep up the good work, can't wait to hear more! First trips are always fun to read about!

I'm here to follow your PTR!

Thanks for reading!! I will try to keep it up! I pretty much think about Disney 24/7 since we decided to go.

I used to be DEATHLY afraid of flying! That is until I had to fly from NY (JFK) to San Francisco to go on a business trip for an online health wed site I used to write for. I flew out of JFK exactly one week to the day at the same exact time and on the same exact flight number of one of the American Airlines planes that hit the World Trade Center on 9/11. Now one would think that would scare the heck out of me even more but the exact opposite happened. My new philosophy was if it were "my time" it would have been me. That experience has left me even more sure that there is a predetermined plan for all of us. If we live in fear it will get us absolutely no where and it certainly won't get us to Disney in less than 3 hours!

Remind Hubby about the statistics. More people get hurt in car crashes on a daily basis than there are plane crashes in years! I got this from a web site and it is soooooooooooo true!.....

You might think, "I have more control over my own destiny when I drive a car. In an airplane I have no control." This is only partly true. In an automobile you do have control over your own driving. However, you have no control over the drivers in the lane next to you or in oncoming traffic. They let any idiot get a driver's license. They don't let just anyone operate a passenger jet. Pilots and co-pilots are extremely smart and skilled individuals.

Did you know that the experts say, you would have to ride every day in an airplane for the next 15,000 years to be involved in an aircraft accident? Those are how slim your chances are of being injured or killed.

Perhaps sharing some of that with him will ease his fears! I hope it helps

Thanks netnurse! I agree about all those statistics but i think he has a legit excuse with the germ thing. He would definitely have to wear one of those lil masks if we did go. He also has a thing about roller coasters and i had him google it and apparently only 4 people a year die on a roller coaster. 150 people die from getting out of bed each year. Thus I told him he was safer in a roller coaster than in bed. I also added that surely that NEVER happened at Disney or they'd be sued for millions so everything at Disney is SAFE! So we'll see how he does...

 

[beachmama3]

Hi!! Following you over from the Aug board! Looking forward to more PTR and TR


Love that you both are going to experience Disney for the first time-- you will LOVE it!! Hopefully your travel will go smoothly and everyone will remain healthy!

We are doing the long drive for the reasons you mentioned. (We have a drive of about 17 hours.) However, I have been stalking airline prices, so that may change. I think my boys would LOVE a Star Wars convention, I have to look that up!!

 

[NightAngelX]

Hi!! Following you over from the Aug board! Looking forward to more PTR and TR


Love that you both are going to experience Disney for the first time-- you will LOVE it!! Hopefully your travel will go smoothly and everyone will remain healthy!

We are doing the long drive for the reasons you mentioned. (We have a drive of about 17 hours.) However, I have been stalking airline prices, so that may change. I think my boys would LOVE a Star Wars convention, I have to look that up!!

Welcome!!! Thank you! I hope DH remains healthy too.

Here is the Star Wars Celebration information: http://www.starwarscelebration.com

 

[netnurse31]

Thanks for reading!! I will try to keep it up! I pretty much think about Disney 24/7 since we decided to go.


Thanks netnurse! I agree about all those statistics but i think he has a legit excuse with the germ thing. He would definitely have to wear one of those lil masks if we did go. He also has a thing about roller coasters and i had him google it and apparently only 4 people a year die on a roller coaster. 150 people die from getting out of bed each year. Thus I told him he was safer in a roller coaster than in bed. I also added that surely that NEVER happened at Disney or they'd be sued for millions so everything at Disney is SAFE! So we'll see how he does...

I agree about the germs on a plane. All that recirculated air is a breeding ground! If you do opt to fly, make sure he gets a respirator surgical mask and not just a regular one. That will give him much better protection against germ droplets. They sell them on Amazon.

 

[NightAngelX]

So DH and I talked last night and decided we would DRIVE to Orlando. We are also not going to buy tickets to the Star Wars Celebration ahead of time. Depending on how we feel we may not even go. If he is hurting or sick we will just head home Saturday. If we fly regardless of how we feel we couldn't leave until Sunday and we'd have to rent a car. Also the germ factor of the plane really did sway me. I didn't even think of that when I suggested it. I do want to visit Europe and other places that will require a plane someday but since we can drive to Orlando there is no need to fly.

DH is also still standing strong on wanting to stay at AKL. He asked me when was the last time I was on vacation. It was our honeymoon nearly 5 years ago (Our honeymoon was a cabin in the Smoky Mountains and it was amazing!). Since marriage I have used all my vacation time for family emergencies. The first year my mother (who has emphysema) went into a coma and she lives 8-9 hrs away so I had to take a week and a half off work to go down there. I had to leave just as she woke because both my job and my husband's wouldn't allow us to stay longer. We went back for Christmas for a few days too so that was kind of a vacation. Then the next year her husband died so again we went down there and helped her out. Then last year DH's condition got so bad he couldn't walk or get up on his own. His parents helped me a lot so I could go to work but I missed alot of work. Then we went up to the Mayo Clinic where they admitted him for a 4 week out patient treatment. I was there for the 1st and 3rd week and his mom was there for 2nd and 4th week (he couldnt walk/get up on his own). This treatment was supposed to put him in remission for a year or more and it did work. He felt great for a few weeks but he flared back within 2 weeks of returning home. Now this year we've been doing well so that is why we pursued fertility treatments making ME miss work and now I have 6 vacation days left and I am going to use them ALL for this trip. I have a little sick time but I just feel weird using my vacation FOR a vacation. I'm so used to using it for something else that I feel like I shouldn't be using it all. Anyway so DH's point is we should stay at the nicest place we can afford since we haven't been on vacation in forever and who knows when we will get to go again. So for now still AKL. I think I'd be just as happy at POR though.

Meanwhile, I've started our touring plans. I created a spreadsheet on Google docs so I can access it on my phone without having to print it. I just love Google documents. I use them for grocery lists, menus, recipes, etc. Then I can add things as I think of it. So far I have a tab for each day with park hours for each park we are visiting (as well as any magic hrs) and then parade and fireworks times as well as ADR times. Now is the hard part since I've never been. I will have to look at my nifty maps and read some online plans in order to decide our overall plan.

But I guess I better do some laundry first....

Thanks for reading!

 

[Victoriasmom98]

OH, Elizabeth.....of course you two deserve a vacation! Boy, if anyone does, you two do!! Chronic illness is fun, isn't it (I'm being totally sacrcastic there). We've had our troubles with our health as well and I tell you, a vacation is very much worth it! I'm so jealous of you guys staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge. Maybe next year......I don't know. I tell you, right now I don't even have enough money for lunch until payday on Wednesday. My husband and I keep our money seperate and I hate to ask him for money to hold me over. I might have to for the next few days! ugh!

 

[NightAngelX]

OH, Elizabeth.....of course you two deserve a vacation! Boy, if anyone does, you two do!! Chronic illness is fun, isn't it (I'm being totally sacrcastic there). We've had our troubles with our health as well and I tell you, a vacation is very much worth it! I'm so jealous of you guys staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge. Maybe next year......I don't know. I tell you, right now I don't even have enough money for lunch until payday on Wednesday. My husband and I keep our money seperate and I hate to ask him for money to hold me over. I might have to for the next few days! ugh!

Thanks! I know we need it. I think DH is just trying to make me happy. Since the ectopic pregnancy I've been pretty low all the time. Thing is we can't afford it either. We are charging it on Disney Visa. I hate doing that we haven't used our credit cards except for emergencies only since the wedding (half our wedding went on a credit card too). DH is now on disability and my income is less than half of what DH used to make. I need a better job since I have a masters degree but that's another story. Oh well i am going to try and not think about it while on vacation. Hopefully it will all be worth it when I'm paying it back. I will have lots of pictures and lifetime memories.

 

[disneychic2]

I'm glad you're going to be able to take a much needed vacation! Sounds like you and your family have been through the ringer! You might want to jump over to the Budget Board to get some great ideas for ways to save/earn additional money for your trip. Those people over there are amazing! Good luck to you and have fun planning.

 

[emmysmommy]

It truly sounds like a well deserved vacation for you and DH. Glad that you solved the delimma of driving vs flying... so much more flexibility and such with having a car and you don't have to worry so much about your DH being exposed to all the potential nastiness or recycled air on a plane!

Happy planning!

 

[NightAngelX]

Tonight DH and I went though all 4 park maps and used the website to decide what we wanted to do and what general order we are going to do things in. We want to see lots of shows.

Is there any way to find out the times of all the shows before we get there?

My husband also shared with me that he wants to get the characters AUTOGRAPHS...he's 36 not 6! I asked him if he knew there were people inside those costumes and he then rephrased that he wanted the princesses' autographs. I said 'they are NOT giving you their phone numbers, they are signing it Cinderella' He did a little wink as if to say 'we'll see about that'. What a goof. I want my picture with as many characters as possible but I think the signing thing is for little kids. Anyone else get autographs as an adult? If he REALLY wants to do it I want to get him an autograph book BEFORE we go.

So while we totally don't have any sort of time planned out we at least have a list of what we want to see in roughly the order we plan on seeing it based on the map and what we want to see first. I may put it all here later but I thought I would share where we were headed first each day.

Magic Kingdom - DUMBO
Animal Kingdom - Kilimajaro Safari
Hollywood Studios - Star Tours (of course we plan to hit this Monday night too during Magic hours after MK fireworks)
Epcot - Mission Space

Good plan?