disneychic
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 2, 2001
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We're back from another truly AMAZING Walt Disney World and Disney Cruiseline vacation!
Last February, my DH, my mom, her boyfriend, my brother, his girlfriend, my cousin and his family all went on a Walt Disney World vacation together. We had such a great time that we decided to all go away again -- you can read my TR by clicking here It's My Big 4-0 So We're All Gonna Go to Disney! Trip Report - completed w/ highlights video
There were a few minor changes to this years trip, as my brother & his girlfriend ended up cancelling, as well as my aunt who was unable to go both due to work. The best way to recap the - who, where, when and why of this trip would be by reading my pre-trip report-you can click this link to read my PTR -- Here we go again - WDW & DCL with Uncle Tom & Aunt Jen! PTR
In the meantime I'll quickly explain the "who"
I'm Jen, (a.k.a. Aunt Jen) a WDW fanatic, DVC member & a former CM (we lived in Celebration from 2002-2009 until my DH got transferred to the North East).
DH Tom (a.k.a. Uncle Tom) Engineer - also loves WDW
My Mom (a.k.a. Aunt Kathy) Also a DVC meber, and WDW lover. I am so happy that my husband was able to transfer to NJ so I can see my family more often! My mom and I love traveling together, and we always take a mother/daughter trip every fall. This year we'll be going on the Disney Fantasy! I can't wait
My Cousin Brian -he is my moms godson. His mom was my mothers older sister and she was my godmother, sadly she passed away a few years ago from cancer. His dream was to go to WDW and my mom made sure that happened in February 2011 and now Im making sure he goes again in 2012. This year was my turn to bring his family. He is the funniest person I know!
Danielle - Brian's wife, and one of the nicest people that I know. She is a great mom, great wife, and a great friend.
Victoria - 5 year old Princess in training! She loves everything princess! I Love her to bits - can't get enough time with these girls!
Samantha - 2.5 -- no terrible 2's with this one! Just a lovey-dovey happy girl. I lover her to bits too!
My DH and I do not have any children of our own, so we LOVE spoiling the girls as much as we can!
Here's my DH and I at the Boardwalk last year....boy, my hair was DARK!

Here I am with my mom and Sam at my princess birthday party a few weeks ago

Here's my cousin, his wife and the girls on last years trip

Here's the whole gang last year at WDW.....we never did get a "family photo" this year

This years trip was from February 4th February 12th 2012.
Day 1 -Saturday, February 4th 2012:
My DH and I were picked up by a town car at 5:00 in the morning on Saturday morning as we had a very early flight out (7:50 AM). This would have normally been ok, but sadly, my husbands grandmother passed away during the week and we had been running back and forth from NJ to Long Island all week. The funeral was Friday, and we didnt get home from being with his family until about 10:30 pm then, I STARTED to pack for our trip, which kept me up until about 3:00 AM and before I knew it our alarm clock went off. The craziness of the week really put us in a different place, after going through the funeral and all, we were emotionally drained, and physically and mentally exhausted. I dont think the fact that we were going on vacation even set in until after we got through airport security and got a cup of coffee while waiting to board our flight. My mom was also on our flight, and she met us at the airport (we live in completely different areas of the state). So, it was great to see my mom that morning and we all had seats next to each other. We landed in Orlando at around 10:15 or so and picked up our luggage and rental car we reserved a mini van as there would be 7 of us once my cousin and his family arrived on Sunday. We were so happy to arrive and get checked into our rooms at the Animal Kingdom Lodge Jambo House. My DH and I are DVC members and my mom is a DVC member too. So, we had a value studio booked, and my mom had her own standard studio booked. Our room surprisingly was ready, and we had savannah view. After we checked out our rooms, it was time for lunch! We were on the DDP, and were going to use our QS for lunch. We decided to go to SSR as we love the artists palate. Lots of choices for lunch there (I love the Saratoga Springs salad sooo yummy with chicken, apples, blueberries!) and we also wanted to say a quick hello to our DVC guide. After lunch we headed over to the Boardwalk to take a walk and eventually made our way into Epcot. It was a beautiful afternoon sunny and in the 80s! We ended up making our way around WS, did some shopping and spent a few hours there and then we went to Publix to pick up some things to have in the room (water, apple juice for the kids nothing exciting) and then headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner at Boma at 6:00. Boma is my favorite restaurant lately. I just love the selection there. Lots of choices for everyone. Our friends, Adrianna and Gill who were our neighbors when we lived in Celebration joined us, and we had a great evening. We ended up in the lounge/bar area after dinner catching up with our friends, and finally went up to our rooms at about 10:30. My DH and I were EXHAUSTED! and we were able to fall asleep right away but, I was excited because tomorrow morning we were going to the airport to get the girls!!
Here we are after dinner with our good friends

Up next.....the girls arrive and our trip gets well underway!
Heres a short little youtube photo slideshow recap of our trip and the song that we all kept singing during this vacation! Enjoy!
http://youtu.be/vifIUjj4Gag