LurrrvtheDuck
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 11, 2007
- Messages
- 2,417
So after slogging my way through various TR (ok only about 4) Ive decided to bite the bullet and write one of my own.
This Pre-Trip begins once upon a night .
I had been saying that for my birthday in 2007 I wanted to go to Disney. I hadnt been to WDW since 2001 when I had gone with my family (DF (father), DSM (stepmom), DB, DHB (half brother)) for my DHBs 1st time. Needless to say Im the only Disney freak in my family and DHB couldve cared less about the trip except for the video game exhibit in Epcot where he decided to throw a big hissy fit that made the parental units so angry
the rest of that day along with the can we go back to the hotel whining every few hours. :::sigh::: I was very saddened that they were not appreciating the Magic that is WDW. But I digress from my old TR within the Pre TR.
So sometime in October 2006 while at work (I work at night btw) I went to the Disney site to get into the mood and ideas of what I wanted to do for my trip and planning it. So I wandered aimlessly through the recesses of the website, checking out resort after resort, ticketing options, then I started pricing and what I wanted to do for 5 days in the World. I learned of the Disney Dining Plan, (what an awesome idea!), and watched video clips of resorts, restaurants and things to do at Disney until the computer at work decided to stop loading the videos. Very sad.
I spent about 5 hours on the Disney site and had somewhat of an outline of my Ultimate Disney Vacationwhich consisted of staying onsite (which Id never done), eating onsite and not just CS either, no sirree I was going to do some fancy sit-down dinners too (soon to be called TS). So armed with my scrap paper of what the trip would cost, the places I wanted to visit and my new Disneyworld.com account and my Free Vacation Planning DVD on the way I tucked it all away until the beginning of 2007 since the Website didnt even show me April 2007 way back in October of 2006. Oh what a sad lost misguided soul I was.
Fast Forward to January 2007. I have viewed my Disney Vacation Planning DVD (the 2006 Happiest Celebration on Earth Version) with Erin and her lovely friends. Which just excited me to all heck! I had checked out all the special features and checked out all the resorts, picking which ones I liked the most and even wrote down some of the restaurants. So January finally rolls around and I pull out my little scrap paper with all my notes for my Ultimate Disney Vacation and go back to the Disney site since I am now able to choose my April Vacation dates. Woohooo!!
So I start pricing my top hotels. Which were: BC/YC, CR, AKL, BW, and Port Orleans (both sides). I priced them and got with my travel buddies to choose which one we liked the most. And the winner was .::::drum roll please:::::
The Contemporary Resort, because we want to be able to jump on the monorail. So armed with my Disney website reservation quote I dial the lovely 407-W-Disney number excited to book my very first onsite reservation.
This Pre-Trip begins once upon a night .
I had been saying that for my birthday in 2007 I wanted to go to Disney. I hadnt been to WDW since 2001 when I had gone with my family (DF (father), DSM (stepmom), DB, DHB (half brother)) for my DHBs 1st time. Needless to say Im the only Disney freak in my family and DHB couldve cared less about the trip except for the video game exhibit in Epcot where he decided to throw a big hissy fit that made the parental units so angry
the rest of that day along with the can we go back to the hotel whining every few hours. :::sigh::: I was very saddened that they were not appreciating the Magic that is WDW. But I digress from my old TR within the Pre TR.So sometime in October 2006 while at work (I work at night btw) I went to the Disney site to get into the mood and ideas of what I wanted to do for my trip and planning it. So I wandered aimlessly through the recesses of the website, checking out resort after resort, ticketing options, then I started pricing and what I wanted to do for 5 days in the World. I learned of the Disney Dining Plan, (what an awesome idea!), and watched video clips of resorts, restaurants and things to do at Disney until the computer at work decided to stop loading the videos. Very sad.
I spent about 5 hours on the Disney site and had somewhat of an outline of my Ultimate Disney Vacationwhich consisted of staying onsite (which Id never done), eating onsite and not just CS either, no sirree I was going to do some fancy sit-down dinners too (soon to be called TS). So armed with my scrap paper of what the trip would cost, the places I wanted to visit and my new Disneyworld.com account and my Free Vacation Planning DVD on the way I tucked it all away until the beginning of 2007 since the Website didnt even show me April 2007 way back in October of 2006. Oh what a sad lost misguided soul I was.
Fast Forward to January 2007. I have viewed my Disney Vacation Planning DVD (the 2006 Happiest Celebration on Earth Version) with Erin and her lovely friends. Which just excited me to all heck! I had checked out all the special features and checked out all the resorts, picking which ones I liked the most and even wrote down some of the restaurants. So January finally rolls around and I pull out my little scrap paper with all my notes for my Ultimate Disney Vacation and go back to the Disney site since I am now able to choose my April Vacation dates. Woohooo!!
So I start pricing my top hotels. Which were: BC/YC, CR, AKL, BW, and Port Orleans (both sides). I priced them and got with my travel buddies to choose which one we liked the most. And the winner was .::::drum roll please:::::
The Contemporary Resort, because we want to be able to jump on the monorail. So armed with my Disney website reservation quote I dial the lovely 407-W-Disney number excited to book my very first onsite reservation.
(27) -- I am the only Disney Freak in my family. I lurrrve Disney, I grew up on the Classic Disney channel (by classic I mean they played actual non-computer generated cartoons and Disney movies with a few live-action shows—as opposed to the horrible looking Clubhouse Disney and the five-million live action shows with little to no cartoons…very sad). I am single (never married), no kids, mom to 3 wonderfully spoiled mittow kitties.
Currently working at a hospital with a communications degree that is 1 year old and doing absolutely nothing for me because I lack experience. Ok mini pity party over. Also Scrapbook extraordinaire that basically scraplifts to save time and already spent a nice chunk of money on Disney scrapbooking stuff for the upcoming trip. 
(19) – She’s the next closest Disney freak to me, but not as obsessed as I. She loves to eat and is very excited about the snack credits and desserts from the 
Collette (40ish) — She’s my lovely 40-ish co-worker who’s never been to Disney. She’s originally from NY by way of England and Jamaica. She’s a wonderful mixture and has the spirit of a 20 y/o. Very excited to be getting away from her husband and kids to come with us on this all girls trip.
Monica (30ish) – She’s actually a friend of Collette’s, that I’ve recently met. Another Disney virgin who is also excited to get away from her kids to come with us. Another spirit of a 20 y/o. She and Collette have an amazing energy that rivals mine and my cousin’s put together and they will be a force to be reckoned with.
Yani (26) – Another co-worker. Actually at this point Yani is onboard, but not completely sure because she’s in college and is in Finals week. (Yani had decided not to go, but then later on decided to withdraw from classes and once again rejoined our rag tag team of Vacationers—act shocked when you read about it later).
of speechlessness I say Hmmm really? Can you check the price for another resort? 
and my heart does a little fluttering thing telling my brain is she crazy? 
Are you packing and celebrating and frolicking??? Hey, you better get this pretrippie going! 
Waitin for more!! 
In the meantime I get to cherish them. 
I find out about renting DVC and the ebook provides a link on how to do that. Oh what a beautiful link it is to the DIS rent/trade board. 
I soon wander to the top of the link to all the other areas that I can click on and the world of the DIS unfolds before my very eyes. OMG!! What a wonderful little world I have stumbled upon. I hug my computer and ask it where has this site been hiding all this time? Unfortunately it is too late to even think about doing a DVC renting option, but thats ok, Ive got my ressie already and all is good. So a reading the DIS I go.
I had to re-arrange things around because by this time the restaurants seem to be getting pretty full and its harder to get tables at good times for a party of 5. I eventually get everything worked out fine and all my ADRs rearranged. 
But how? So the only thing left is the Contemporary and the Grand Floridian, both way out of my budget and more than my current YC ressies. 
hug: thank you minnie61) which sounded like the answer to all my problems, but when I checked for it, it came up as unavailable. 
Wooohooo!!! So I call my TA and tell her about it and she got it and she booked (but I ended up losing my Free WP & More promo because that room doesnt get discounts
). Sure fine, whatever and I was back on budget with my vacation, in a slightly bigger room. Yes it is a Value resort but that's fine at this point I'm just happy to be staying onsite. :::whew::
ixiedust:
I was wondering if anyone would get my little references! 
).
Mardi Gras.
Sure I say! Why not!? Sounds like fun. Well it was, so the weekend before we leave to Disney we drive up
to Orlando and visit that other park and do Mardi Gras Orlando style and get to see Daughtry (hottie!)
even if we did only see him on a big screen. It was fun and the short weekend was fun to briefly take my mind off of Disney.
So being the savvy DISer that I am, ADRs are done, I have a pending DVC reservation and all wed need to do is buy tickets when we get there. 
&P
in the beginning of the year and Disney is so kind to offer it again in August that I decided I must do that too! So Im already in the stages of planning that one. Ive already got the ADRs for that one done. 
the parks have been this month. So I was getting more worried
on how bad the crowds were going to be. 
and to my dismay, my beautiful lovely itenerary had a ginormous flaw
(Although I honestly don't think by pressing it got me connected to a CM faster). Then again Disney had announced it's Free Dining by this time to the Disney Visa cardholders.
Have fun! Cant wait to hear the trip report!
Its trippie/arrival day!!! Hope you having a great time! Here's some extra pixie dust
