Dancind
Tinkerbell's Mom
- Joined
- Jul 25, 2001
- Messages
- 7,730
Cast:
Me (Cindy, according to the Disney Character quiz) 40 something, Mom, vacation planner and financier. Not in great shape healthwise, but determined to have fun anyway. MBA with an artists soul, sentimental softy.
DH, (Al) 47 (he doesnt care), gets on the plane when its time. Remodeling Contractor, award-winning homebrewer. (Wheres the beer?)
DD (Tink) 10, thinks shes a preteen, pure Princess. Dancer, artist, soccer mid-Monster, brainiac, comedienne.
Its Wednesday night, we leave Friday morning. Ive been planning this trip since April, and I feel oddly calm and collected, ready to go. Maybe Id better check the Tropical Storm Advisories one more time! Tink & I finished most of our packing tonight, Al will probably do his Friday morning.
Our first and only trip to WDW was in May 1999. We went 1st class, 8 nights at the Beach Club with LOS passes and food plan. We had a wonderful, magical time, and when we got a nice tax refund two years ago, Tink decided we should put it in savings and go to WDW again. Pretty mature for an 8 year old, no? Our 2000 tax refund added to the kitty, and Ive been saving some too. In April, I found the Mousesavers site, and announced that it was time to go. We booked 8 nights at the GF, got what I thought were great fares on Southwest, and purchased Park Hopper passes. Also decided that our big splurge this time would be a day at Discovery Cove, complete with Dolphin Swim. That turns out to be one of the Big Splurges, anyway.
You know how it goes when you have too much lead time. Our trip has evolved a bit. The air travel was rebooked, and we now have two trips for what I had paid for one, were going back Dec. 29th! My family thinks I switched us to the Contemporary this trip to save some $ for the second trip, but were doing two nights at GF still surprise! I havent told them yet. Since Tink cried when I told her about the switch, I had to do it. The five nights after the GF will be spent in a one BR at OKW, our new home. This trip is on rented points, but future trips will be on our own soon-to-be points. Thats a whole other story! (BIG splurge) When I told Al about my plans to buy into DVC (as I said, he just gets on the plane), he asked if we would be able to trade for other places too. After all, we may not always want to go to WDW. Of course we can, I said, with my fingers crossed behind my back. Well, I might consider a Disney Cruise on points.
The last two nights of our stay will be at the Hard Rock Hotel, with two days of Front of Line access at Universal/Islands of Adventure. This plan was made, rooms paid for, and tickets purchased, before it was decided that the WDW PHPs should be upgraded to annual passes. Next trip will be pure Disney, and the one after that!
We should arrive at GF about 5-6 pm on Friday, and I hope there are some E-night tickets left. Since we will still be on Mountain Standard Time, well be ready to go. Saturday at Discovery Cove, perhaps Spectromagic in the evening if we have the energy. Im going to try for last minute PSs at Cinderellas Royal Table for Sunday morning (we have Thursday, but will be over at OKW by then). Then enjoy the GF before checking out and moving. I havent booked this trip as heavily as the first one. We will probably need generous mid-day breaks due to the heat and my chronic fatigue problems. Ive warned the troops, esp. the pre-teen, that were going to be doing some early entry mornings, which we didnt do last time. Things we have to repeat, by popular demand: Disney Quest, Rose & Crown, Test Track, the acrobats in China, Splash Mountain, Legend of the Lion King at AK, SAB as DVC pool hoppers. Must dos that we didnt do/see last time: Rock n Roller Coaster, Tapestry of Nations, fireworks at MK (not sure how we missed this), CRT (before Tink decides shes a Teen), Who Wants to be a Millionaire, Boma and AKL, Typhoon Lagoon, Fantasmic (got rained out last time), Illuminations Cruise! And there will be much more new on our next trip Candlelight Processional (yes, I booked it), and all the new parades! Tink is going to try her hand at Pin Trading too, I bought her a few to get her started. The Tinkerbelle pins are staying on her hat, though. Funny, Tink was her favorite character before she found out she IS Tink! My favorite character? Alice, because she looks like my Tink.
Im praying for the Magic this time, too. Looking forward to fun days shared with Al and my precious Tink. After the first trip, I decided that vacations have to be more a priority in the budget. With the DVC membership, there should be more vacations. Cant explain what happened last time, but I guess you just dont enjoy your kids as much when youre busy trying to juggle their needs, activities, homework, and your own job, needs, etc. Disney gives you the chance to stop and really enjoy them, and be a kid yourself. Even at 40 something!
More to come .
Me (Cindy, according to the Disney Character quiz) 40 something, Mom, vacation planner and financier. Not in great shape healthwise, but determined to have fun anyway. MBA with an artists soul, sentimental softy.
DH, (Al) 47 (he doesnt care), gets on the plane when its time. Remodeling Contractor, award-winning homebrewer. (Wheres the beer?)
DD (Tink) 10, thinks shes a preteen, pure Princess. Dancer, artist, soccer mid-Monster, brainiac, comedienne.
Its Wednesday night, we leave Friday morning. Ive been planning this trip since April, and I feel oddly calm and collected, ready to go. Maybe Id better check the Tropical Storm Advisories one more time! Tink & I finished most of our packing tonight, Al will probably do his Friday morning.
Our first and only trip to WDW was in May 1999. We went 1st class, 8 nights at the Beach Club with LOS passes and food plan. We had a wonderful, magical time, and when we got a nice tax refund two years ago, Tink decided we should put it in savings and go to WDW again. Pretty mature for an 8 year old, no? Our 2000 tax refund added to the kitty, and Ive been saving some too. In April, I found the Mousesavers site, and announced that it was time to go. We booked 8 nights at the GF, got what I thought were great fares on Southwest, and purchased Park Hopper passes. Also decided that our big splurge this time would be a day at Discovery Cove, complete with Dolphin Swim. That turns out to be one of the Big Splurges, anyway.
You know how it goes when you have too much lead time. Our trip has evolved a bit. The air travel was rebooked, and we now have two trips for what I had paid for one, were going back Dec. 29th! My family thinks I switched us to the Contemporary this trip to save some $ for the second trip, but were doing two nights at GF still surprise! I havent told them yet. Since Tink cried when I told her about the switch, I had to do it. The five nights after the GF will be spent in a one BR at OKW, our new home. This trip is on rented points, but future trips will be on our own soon-to-be points. Thats a whole other story! (BIG splurge) When I told Al about my plans to buy into DVC (as I said, he just gets on the plane), he asked if we would be able to trade for other places too. After all, we may not always want to go to WDW. Of course we can, I said, with my fingers crossed behind my back. Well, I might consider a Disney Cruise on points.
The last two nights of our stay will be at the Hard Rock Hotel, with two days of Front of Line access at Universal/Islands of Adventure. This plan was made, rooms paid for, and tickets purchased, before it was decided that the WDW PHPs should be upgraded to annual passes. Next trip will be pure Disney, and the one after that!
We should arrive at GF about 5-6 pm on Friday, and I hope there are some E-night tickets left. Since we will still be on Mountain Standard Time, well be ready to go. Saturday at Discovery Cove, perhaps Spectromagic in the evening if we have the energy. Im going to try for last minute PSs at Cinderellas Royal Table for Sunday morning (we have Thursday, but will be over at OKW by then). Then enjoy the GF before checking out and moving. I havent booked this trip as heavily as the first one. We will probably need generous mid-day breaks due to the heat and my chronic fatigue problems. Ive warned the troops, esp. the pre-teen, that were going to be doing some early entry mornings, which we didnt do last time. Things we have to repeat, by popular demand: Disney Quest, Rose & Crown, Test Track, the acrobats in China, Splash Mountain, Legend of the Lion King at AK, SAB as DVC pool hoppers. Must dos that we didnt do/see last time: Rock n Roller Coaster, Tapestry of Nations, fireworks at MK (not sure how we missed this), CRT (before Tink decides shes a Teen), Who Wants to be a Millionaire, Boma and AKL, Typhoon Lagoon, Fantasmic (got rained out last time), Illuminations Cruise! And there will be much more new on our next trip Candlelight Processional (yes, I booked it), and all the new parades! Tink is going to try her hand at Pin Trading too, I bought her a few to get her started. The Tinkerbelle pins are staying on her hat, though. Funny, Tink was her favorite character before she found out she IS Tink! My favorite character? Alice, because she looks like my Tink.
Im praying for the Magic this time, too. Looking forward to fun days shared with Al and my precious Tink. After the first trip, I decided that vacations have to be more a priority in the budget. With the DVC membership, there should be more vacations. Cant explain what happened last time, but I guess you just dont enjoy your kids as much when youre busy trying to juggle their needs, activities, homework, and your own job, needs, etc. Disney gives you the chance to stop and really enjoy them, and be a kid yourself. Even at 40 something!
More to come .
