m!ssemmx0
<marquee><font color=magenta>All you need is love
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2008
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Welcome to my magical mystery tour of the one and only, Walt Disney World! Before I begin what should have been the pre-trip report, I have a little disclaimer I need to put out there, just to clear things up a bit...
DISCLAIMER: I am in no way, shape or form responsible for the lateness of this TR, because the trip was taken BD (before the DIS). I am also not responsible for the lack of pictures in this TR, because my mom recently got a new camera, and all the pictures were on the old one. Lastly, I'm not responsible for the sequence of events in this TR, because I can't remember every itsy bitsy detail of the trip, since it was two years ago.
Okay, enough of that "legal mumbo jumbo". Lemme give you a little background on how my trip (or should I say half of my entire family's trip) came to be.
My first memory of Disney World is circa 1999-2002 (I can't remember the year exactly, I just know it was somewhere in that time span.), when my paternal grandparents were living about two hours away from the World. My parents decided we should take a day trip to MK, since my sister, my brother, and I had never been before. Little did my parents know that this harmless little excursion would ultimately be a bad idea. We ended up getting there mid-afternoon. It was Easter weekend, so the place was packed. And it was HOT! I remember doing a few rides, but I don't remember anything too specific. My most vivid memory of the day is when we decided to watch Spectromagic. I refused to watch the parade, because the characters scared me (yes, I was one of THOSE kids). Then, when Mickey and Minnie appeared, I summoned up all my courage to watch, because who wants to be in Disney World and NOT see Mickey? Apparently after the parade it was kind of late, so we (the kids) were all exhausted and just wanted to leave, and went into full-on pissy-mode. So, that's really my first memory of WDW: having severe "character-phobia".
I know my first trip (if you can even call it that) to Disney World seemed like a total bust (because it pretty much was), but this next story makes up for it. See, when I was really young, before I'd even started school, I would always ask my grandma (the one who'll be in this TR) if she'd take me to Disney World, because I'd seen her albums-full of pictures from her trips with my grandpa. Shed say (every single time Id ask, mind you) When youre older, I promise. Well, older came and went, and still no Disney trip. I wasnt begging for it or anything, but I was a little let down, since Id been asking about it for years by that time. Fast forward to sometime in mid-2007 (again, I cant remember the exact month). Grandma had a big surprise for us (even the grown-ups!). In September of that year, she was taking all 15 of us (yes, I said fifteen) to Disney World for 6 days! She had kept her promise, even though it was a little late.
Now, let's get to the fun stuff. Time to meet the cast members of this little tour!
Me (age 13 on trip, currently age 14) - I'm the biggest bookworm in the family. I'm known as "the smiley one" (along with several other nicknames). Im an honor roll student, and Im a total grammar Nazi. Im well-known for my attitude, and my mom says that I was born a teenager. I have CP (so does my twin sister), so I used a wheelchair to get around, since it was way too much walking for me. Id say that Tinkerbell and Mickey (DUH!) are my favorite characters.
DSis, Sara (age 13 on trip, currently age 14) - Shes pretty much the exact opposite of me, personality-wise (appearance-wise, were identical). She loves anything that has to do with sports, and is a huge Yankee fan (were from New York). She can be kind of absent minded, and is really gullible sometimes. She's really afraid of heights, and hates anything that goes upside-down. She and I are best friends; we fight sometimes, but we tell each other everything. I think her favorite characters are Goofy and Mickey.
DBrother, Erich (age 9 on trip, currently age 11) - He's definitely the baby of my immediate family unit. He's going to be in 6th grade in the fall, and he can still pretty much get away with murder. He loves animals of all kinds (he's been begging for a dog for months, and I think my parents are going to give in and let him adopt one). He loves being the center of attention, and is constantly trying to entertain everyone. His favorite characters are Mickey and Jack Skellington (don't quote me on that, it's just a guess).
DDad - Before this trip, my dad was total anti-Disney. When the trip was in its planning stages, he tried to convince my grandma to take us on a cruise instead. But since the rest of us (meaning the rest of my immediate family) was dying to go, he gave up on that. He's surprisingly really athletic, and can get competitive. He has a habit of thinking he's funny when he isn't, which can get annoying. If I had to guess who his favorite character(s) are, I'd have to say Grumpy or Goofy.
DM - My mom's biggest priority is definitely family. If we're happy, she's happy. She loves her job as a medical assistant. She's like me when it comes to sports and other outdoorsy things, meaning she doesn't like them. I think Minnie is her favorite character.
DGrandma - She's the mastermind behind this whole operation. I wouldn't say she's a complete Disney freak, but she's been there at least 7 times since the 70s. She's taken care of me and my sister practically since the day we were born (not so much anymore, since we're older), and she even quit her job so she could stay home and watch us. She can be a bit crazy and stubborn, but she loves all seven of us, even if we're the ones who make her crazy. Her favorite character is probably Mickey or Pooh, but she likes them all.
DGrandpa - Compared to my grandma, he's pretty mellow. I've been his "big girl" since the day I was born 
ssst: don't tell the other kids, but that means I'm his favorite). He doesn't take anything from us kids, if you know what I mean. He's afraid of heights, and turns white on pretty much any roller-coaster. His favorite character is Mickey.
DCousin, Samantha (age 7 on trip, currently age 9) - She's a bigger girly-girl than I am. She does gymnastics and soccer, but doesn't like any other sports. She and my brother are practically like siblings, because our houses are within walking-distance of each other, and they're close in age. Her favorite characters are Mickey, Minnie, Tinkerbell, and the princesses.
DCousin, Paige (age 4 on trip, currently age 6) - She takes after my sister in a lot of ways. She plays soccer, and she's a tough cookie. She can be kind of fresh and wild sometimes, but she's really cute and can butter anybody up (especially my grandma). She's smart, but has trouble in school because of what we think might be a learning disorder (it's a hereditary thing; her mom had one when she was in school). She LOVES Tinkerbell.
DAuntM - She loves shopping, shoes, etc., etc., etc. My mom recently got her hooked on Twilight, and she finished all 4 books in a few weeks. She has a really good sense of humor, and is fun to be around. Her favorite characters are Chip and Dale.
DUncleT - He and my dad have been best friends since they were kids living in the same neighborhood. He has a good sense of humor too. He's not as athletic as my dad, but he skis occasionally. He got my cousins hooked on Spongebob when they were little. His favorite character is Goofy.
DCousin, Eric (age 8 on trip, currently age 10) - He loves Star Wars, and is pretty mature for his age. He likes to skateboard, and has been in Boy Scouts since the first grade. He and my brother are only a year apart, and they've become close. His family have been to Disney more times than I can count. I'm not sure about his favorite character.
DCousin, Ian (age 6 on trip, currently age 8/9) - He loves Star Wars too (partly because his brother does). He's definitely the most wild of the bunch. He gets hyper easily, and he's always bouncing off the walls. He's kind of spoiled, and gets pretty much whatever he wants. I think his favorite character is Stitch.
DAuntMJ - She's entertaining, to say the least. She has a sick sense of humor sometimes, but I like it. She doesn't take anything (if you know what I mean) from her kids, especially Ian. She got the boys hooked on getting autographs from the characters, and now it's all they ever do. I don't know who her favorite character is.
DUncleR - He's pretty sane compared to DAuntMJ. He can be really sarcastic and snarky sometimes, which gets on everyone's nerves. He loves Disney, obviously. I don't know who his favorite character is either.
So, all 15 of us crazy "Lawn Guyland people" were headed to Disney World for 6 days, and we were staying at Port Orleans Riverside, thanks to DGrandma and all her secret tricks. The trip of a lifetime, I tell you. But it wasn't all pixie dust and princesses right away. We had to get there first (which was a whole other trip itself).
Coming up next: We're HERE!, Chef Mickey's, and a night in MK
(Remember kiddies: read it, love it, subscribe, reply! Tell anyone who'll listen about it! I don't want it to get lonely here.)
DISCLAIMER: I am in no way, shape or form responsible for the lateness of this TR, because the trip was taken BD (before the DIS). I am also not responsible for the lack of pictures in this TR, because my mom recently got a new camera, and all the pictures were on the old one. Lastly, I'm not responsible for the sequence of events in this TR, because I can't remember every itsy bitsy detail of the trip, since it was two years ago.
Okay, enough of that "legal mumbo jumbo". Lemme give you a little background on how my trip (or should I say half of my entire family's trip) came to be.
My first memory of Disney World is circa 1999-2002 (I can't remember the year exactly, I just know it was somewhere in that time span.), when my paternal grandparents were living about two hours away from the World. My parents decided we should take a day trip to MK, since my sister, my brother, and I had never been before. Little did my parents know that this harmless little excursion would ultimately be a bad idea. We ended up getting there mid-afternoon. It was Easter weekend, so the place was packed. And it was HOT! I remember doing a few rides, but I don't remember anything too specific. My most vivid memory of the day is when we decided to watch Spectromagic. I refused to watch the parade, because the characters scared me (yes, I was one of THOSE kids). Then, when Mickey and Minnie appeared, I summoned up all my courage to watch, because who wants to be in Disney World and NOT see Mickey? Apparently after the parade it was kind of late, so we (the kids) were all exhausted and just wanted to leave, and went into full-on pissy-mode. So, that's really my first memory of WDW: having severe "character-phobia".
I know my first trip (if you can even call it that) to Disney World seemed like a total bust (because it pretty much was), but this next story makes up for it. See, when I was really young, before I'd even started school, I would always ask my grandma (the one who'll be in this TR) if she'd take me to Disney World, because I'd seen her albums-full of pictures from her trips with my grandpa. Shed say (every single time Id ask, mind you) When youre older, I promise. Well, older came and went, and still no Disney trip. I wasnt begging for it or anything, but I was a little let down, since Id been asking about it for years by that time. Fast forward to sometime in mid-2007 (again, I cant remember the exact month). Grandma had a big surprise for us (even the grown-ups!). In September of that year, she was taking all 15 of us (yes, I said fifteen) to Disney World for 6 days! She had kept her promise, even though it was a little late.
Now, let's get to the fun stuff. Time to meet the cast members of this little tour!
Me (age 13 on trip, currently age 14) - I'm the biggest bookworm in the family. I'm known as "the smiley one" (along with several other nicknames). Im an honor roll student, and Im a total grammar Nazi. Im well-known for my attitude, and my mom says that I was born a teenager. I have CP (so does my twin sister), so I used a wheelchair to get around, since it was way too much walking for me. Id say that Tinkerbell and Mickey (DUH!) are my favorite characters.DSis, Sara (age 13 on trip, currently age 14) - Shes pretty much the exact opposite of me, personality-wise (appearance-wise, were identical). She loves anything that has to do with sports, and is a huge Yankee fan (were from New York). She can be kind of absent minded, and is really gullible sometimes. She's really afraid of heights, and hates anything that goes upside-down. She and I are best friends; we fight sometimes, but we tell each other everything. I think her favorite characters are Goofy and Mickey.DBrother, Erich (age 9 on trip, currently age 11) - He's definitely the baby of my immediate family unit. He's going to be in 6th grade in the fall, and he can still pretty much get away with murder. He loves animals of all kinds (he's been begging for a dog for months, and I think my parents are going to give in and let him adopt one). He loves being the center of attention, and is constantly trying to entertain everyone. His favorite characters are Mickey and Jack Skellington (don't quote me on that, it's just a guess).DDad - Before this trip, my dad was total anti-Disney. When the trip was in its planning stages, he tried to convince my grandma to take us on a cruise instead. But since the rest of us (meaning the rest of my immediate family) was dying to go, he gave up on that. He's surprisingly really athletic, and can get competitive. He has a habit of thinking he's funny when he isn't, which can get annoying. If I had to guess who his favorite character(s) are, I'd have to say Grumpy or Goofy.DM - My mom's biggest priority is definitely family. If we're happy, she's happy. She loves her job as a medical assistant. She's like me when it comes to sports and other outdoorsy things, meaning she doesn't like them. I think Minnie is her favorite character.DGrandma - She's the mastermind behind this whole operation. I wouldn't say she's a complete Disney freak, but she's been there at least 7 times since the 70s. She's taken care of me and my sister practically since the day we were born (not so much anymore, since we're older), and she even quit her job so she could stay home and watch us. She can be a bit crazy and stubborn, but she loves all seven of us, even if we're the ones who make her crazy. Her favorite character is probably Mickey or Pooh, but she likes them all.DGrandpa - Compared to my grandma, he's pretty mellow. I've been his "big girl" since the day I was born ssst: don't tell the other kids, but that means I'm his favorite). He doesn't take anything from us kids, if you know what I mean. He's afraid of heights, and turns white on pretty much any roller-coaster. His favorite character is Mickey.DCousin, Samantha (age 7 on trip, currently age 9) - She's a bigger girly-girl than I am. She does gymnastics and soccer, but doesn't like any other sports. She and my brother are practically like siblings, because our houses are within walking-distance of each other, and they're close in age. Her favorite characters are Mickey, Minnie, Tinkerbell, and the princesses.DCousin, Paige (age 4 on trip, currently age 6) - She takes after my sister in a lot of ways. She plays soccer, and she's a tough cookie. She can be kind of fresh and wild sometimes, but she's really cute and can butter anybody up (especially my grandma). She's smart, but has trouble in school because of what we think might be a learning disorder (it's a hereditary thing; her mom had one when she was in school). She LOVES Tinkerbell.DAuntM - She loves shopping, shoes, etc., etc., etc. My mom recently got her hooked on Twilight, and she finished all 4 books in a few weeks. She has a really good sense of humor, and is fun to be around. Her favorite characters are Chip and Dale.DUncleT - He and my dad have been best friends since they were kids living in the same neighborhood. He has a good sense of humor too. He's not as athletic as my dad, but he skis occasionally. He got my cousins hooked on Spongebob when they were little. His favorite character is Goofy.DCousin, Eric (age 8 on trip, currently age 10) - He loves Star Wars, and is pretty mature for his age. He likes to skateboard, and has been in Boy Scouts since the first grade. He and my brother are only a year apart, and they've become close. His family have been to Disney more times than I can count. I'm not sure about his favorite character.DCousin, Ian (age 6 on trip, currently age 8/9) - He loves Star Wars too (partly because his brother does). He's definitely the most wild of the bunch. He gets hyper easily, and he's always bouncing off the walls. He's kind of spoiled, and gets pretty much whatever he wants. I think his favorite character is Stitch.DAuntMJ - She's entertaining, to say the least. She has a sick sense of humor sometimes, but I like it. She doesn't take anything (if you know what I mean) from her kids, especially Ian. She got the boys hooked on getting autographs from the characters, and now it's all they ever do. I don't know who her favorite character is.DUncleR - He's pretty sane compared to DAuntMJ. He can be really sarcastic and snarky sometimes, which gets on everyone's nerves. He loves Disney, obviously. I don't know who his favorite character is either.So, all 15 of us crazy "Lawn Guyland people" were headed to Disney World for 6 days, and we were staying at Port Orleans Riverside, thanks to DGrandma and all her secret tricks. The trip of a lifetime, I tell you. But it wasn't all pixie dust and princesses right away. We had to get there first (which was a whole other trip itself).
Coming up next: We're HERE!, Chef Mickey's, and a night in MK
(Remember kiddies: read it, love it, subscribe, reply! Tell anyone who'll listen about it! I don't want it to get lonely here.)
.
) could ride Space Mountain. My sister and I decided to sit this one out; her because she's scared of the dark, and me because I was exhausted. Paige ended up crying once UncleT got her through the queue, but the boys loved it. By the time everyone had met up again, it was time for Wishes! I was pretty excited for for this, since I had never seen it before. I love the way all the fireworks and parades make you feel like you're in a completely different place...it doesn't even feel like you're in Florida! Anyway, I loved Wishes...Paige couldn't wait for Tinkerbell to come "flying" down from the top of the castle, but she was too little to get a good look. After Wishes ended, we regrouped and headed back to POR, ecstatic that we'd actually made it here, and excited for a day at DHS (it was still MGM then) the next morning.
