I Wished Upon A Star, and It's Coming True!!!

[mom2taylorandemily]

I know I should have began this when I first began to plan our next trip but, I’m not always sure of my writing and I sometimes feel silly thinking out loud to others (partly because DH laughs at me). So, I have hesitated in attempting to write my pre-trip report.

First a Cast of Characters:
Me: Mary / Planner who gets carried away
DH: Glenn / Doesn’t get excited until 1 week before we leave
DD: Taylor / She’s my Princess
DD: Emily / She’s my Tinkerbellie, but has a little Pirate in her!

We came home from our trip last Dec. having spent only ½ the money I had anticipated spending, so I told DH we had almost enough money to rebook another trip. He said, “Look into it and see if you can get any deals.” OMG, was he kidding, that isn’t something you joke with me about. So, first thing the next morning, I get on line at work to see what I can conjure up with Disney’s web-site and I get a pretty good feel about how much it would cost for where I want to stay, but I went ahead and called our AAA Travel Agent to see if she is able to get us any deals. I went on to work and she called my cell with the rate she was able to get for me: it was almost $600 less than I had come up with by going straight to Disney’s web-site . I told her right then and there, book it.

Oh YAY!!!! I’m on my way, again!!!

But, first let me give you a little background on us. I was a young girl during the time that WDW opened up. I grew up in Virginia and watched many of my childhood friends go to WDW during their travels on Military transfers. I knew what it was, as I had grown up as a little girl singing to my Disney Music Albums. I can still remember singing Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious right along with Julie Andrews at the age of 5. So, to say I was a little fascinated and curious was pretty much an understatement, but my dad was a minister and money was always tight, so I knew it was out of the question. They brought it up occasionally about staying at Ft. Wilderness, but of course the money was never there. So, I just would remind myself that I’d get there one day. Then we moved to Long Island when I was in Jr. High School (now they call it Middle School). Well, that was in the late 70’s and early 80’s and everyone I knew was going or had been to WDW, but not me. Again, I would just remind myself one day I’d get there, and if I ever had kids, I was going to make sure that they got to go if they wanted.

All the while DH was a Military Brat, he grew up in Germany. His family moved back to the states when he was in High School, and WDW was just opening up around that time (yes, I am his child bride, there’s 10 years between us), so all he wanted to do was graduate and get married to his girlfriend. And he did.

Well, fast forward to the year 1992, both of us divorced from previous spouses and we meet at a Jaycee Meeting thru a mutual friend. We began dating, about 1 ½ year into our relationship I ran across an ad in the local newspaper about a trip to Orlando for $299 per person, and tickets to WDW included. I look at DBF (now DH) and say, “I have always wanted to go to WDW and I have never had enough money to go or anyone to go with me, would you like to go?” He said, “Yes!” Well, I called the travel agency who had the ad in the paper and we booked the next week. So, about 3 months later, we went on our first trip to WDW. We stayed at the oldest Econo-Lodge on Irlo Bronson Hwy, but who cares, we are at WDW. Well, I’m here to tell ya, the first time I saw that Castle, I was hooked. That did it for me, WDW was going to become the biggest addiction of all time for me and I knew it.

In 1995 we were married and he asked where I wanted to go on our honeymoon, my answer was WDW of course. So, we went again and had the most magical time, or so I thought. But as we left, I knew that it was probably going to be the last time we would go for a long time, if we were going to have kids. DH didn’t want to take a stroller if we didn’t have to (go figure, he’s a man!!).

That's all for today, I'll do more tomorrow!

 

[Ready to go in Ok]

Sweet story Mar! Good job lady.

 

[Disney4Drew]

Great start, Mary!

 

[mom2taylorandemily]

Sweet story Mar! Good job lady.

Thanks Steph!! I'm trying to work on it at night, after everyone goes to bed, so I should have more on here tonight late.

Great start, Mary!

Thanks Trisha!! I never know if it reads ok, but having someone say so, makes me feel better!!!

 

[mom2taylorandemily]

Ok, so fast forward to the year 2003, a Dr. finds a birth defect in DH’s heart. He had to have open heart surgery, and spent many weeks in ICU. DH decides that when he is better and the kids are old enough to walk the whole day at WDW, we are going. But he didn’t figure on our budget. After paying for open heart surgery, life takes on a new meaning in the budget area. We finally got it all paid off in Feb. 2006 and DH said, “Now we can go to WDW!” Well, he didn’t have to tell me twice. I started looking at some books that I had from back in 1995 when DH and I had gone, and read that AAA could book the trip for us, so one day while the girls were in school, DH and I headed to the local office to get some quotes. Well, we liked the prices that she quoted and we went ahead and put a deposit on the trip. Well, before we had the trip said and done, I had changed our resort twice and ended up at WL, and extended our trip by 1 day. We had a great time, and my kids have been forever changed. They are now hooked.

But……. I knew something was missing for me, I knew what it was, but I was a little nervous about telling DH, I just knew he would laugh at me. I’ll go ahead and let you all in on the secret. I have always dreamed about what it would be like to stay at the Contemporary Resort. It was so futuristic with the Monorail running through the building. Something about it just says Disney all over it. It has been my dream resort. Well, once I sat down and told DH that the CR was where I wanted to stay, after I picked my jaw up from him saying we could go again at Christmas this year, he said, “find out how much it will cost.” Well, I went on the web-site, and knew that he wasn’t going to go for it, but I went ahead and called the AAA Travel Agent too. Well, when she called back and gave me a price that was almost $600.00 cheaper than Disney’s web-site, I knew that maybe he’d say yes. He did. I called the Travel Agent that afternoon and told her I’d be by in the morning with a deposit. It only took me a month to add a day to the package. So, I have booked for us: 9 days, 8 nights at the CR with MK view, DDP and 8 day tickets with no-hopper.

Now where do I begin, so much to do and 365 days to plan it all………

First let’s figure out what we absolutely have to do again, that we did the last trip!!
MVMCP - Candlelight Processional w/ Le Cellier - Breakfast at CRT - BBB - Osborne Lights - Chef Mickey’s - Crystal Palace - Rice Cream from Kringla Bakery - Mickey Bars - Frozen Coke - Hollywood Tower of Terror - Festival of the Lion King

Now that I have that to begin with, I can begin to plan our vacation!!

Well I can guesstimate what the EMH’s are going to be, so that having been said, I will begin to plan my days of the trip and put the “We absolutely have to do that!!” in on the days that we’ll be at that particular park. Then, I can plan our ADRs. But DH wants to have some input this time too! He doesn’t want me to overbook everything and have us running from one park to another. We lost a lot of time in the parks doing this last year.

So, tomorrow, I’ll lay out the days and the EMH’s and see what we have.

Until then, may all your dreams come true!!!