Roll Call

[BecBennett]

After a recent thread, it made me realise I don't know as many people here as I used to. So I thought it wouldn't hurt to introduce ourselves again.

Feel free to add as much, or as little info about yourself as you'd like.

Name: Bec
Disboards Name Origin: It's pretty self explanatory...
Location: Tamworth NSW
Story: I travelled to Disneyland when I was a child with my parents and siblings and fell in love with it. Unfortunately it wasn't until 2008 that I finally got back, dragging my then boyfriend in tow. Since then, we've been back to DLR twice, were married at WDW in 2011, and visited Tokyo Disney in 2012. We now have a little baby girl, and are hoping to take her to one of the parks in the next few years.

 

[heidispidi]

Great idea! I'm Heidi - have been heidispidi to my cousin for years!

I am the younger sister of Aust.

I'm from Sydney, just moved back here from Perth.

Tokyo DL was my first park. It was my last day of a 2 week school/council exchange, as a 15 year old. I only remember going on Space Mountain, and having no money left to buy lunch LOL.

3 years ago myself, Aust and my DD8 at the time went to the real DL! Had a brilliant week staying at GCH and also spent one night in San Fran. My DD and I were soon as hooked as Aust!

My now DD11, DH and his DD15 are heading back to DL a week before Easter. In this 2 week trip, we are also spending 3 nights in Vegas, and heading to USH and KBF, and will be catching up with an internet friend from Seattle who I've known since being pg with my DD! Staying 5 nights at PPH, 2 nights at DLH, 3 nights at the Venetian and 1 night at GCH. I can't wait to ride RSR for the very first time!!!!!

 

[WanderlustNZ]

I'm WanderlustNZ, and as my online name suggests, I'm a NZer who loves to travel.

I love Disney, but mainly I just love to wander and see what wonders the world has to offer.

My first Disney trip was when I was 14. My father had a bit of a windfall which was enough to get us to WDW. This was my first trip out of the country, and even my first time on a plane, so it was all very exciting. It sparked my passion for travel.
It was almost another 14 years before I got back to Disney, with my husband and I doing 1 day at Disneyland. Thinking back on that trip, I have much fonder memories of Vegas than I do of Disneyland. I think I was at a stage of my life where Margaritas were much more exciting than Mickey
I travelled onwards to London where I lived for nearly two years. While I caught the Eurostar to Brussels for the weekend quite a few times, I never did get around to catching the train to DLP. While in retrospect I regret that decision slightly, it just wasn't a priority at that stage of my life.
But fast forward a few years to the arrival of my DS, and my interest in Disney Parks returned. Last year I finally saved the money to get DH, DS and I to WDW. Boy has it changed since when I was a teenager. We also got to enjoy my favourite Disney experience to date - The Disney Fantasy. In fact, the Fantasy may just count as my favourite travel experience full stop.
Next year I'm giving Disneyland another try as part of a trip to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. I'm also hoping to stay three nights in Aulani.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Great idea.


Name: PIO (PrincessInOz)

Disboards Name Origin: I really am a princess.

Location: On the sane side of insanity. Just.

Story: I used to say that I really am the shy, retiring kind and it was my fingers that were the chatty type. Lately, I'm not so sure. The line really is blurring between sanity and insanity. It's either that or accept growing old gracefully.

 

[LisaAJ]

Excellent idea

My name is Lisa, think my Disboards name is pretty self explanatory too!! I'm not very original, lol.

I'm from Perth and my hubby and I have two little people, DS8 and DD6.

I went to WDW about 15 years ago, before kids. I had only been with DH for about 6 months (left him at home!) and I came home and told him we were taking our kids there one day. He agreed as we hadn't even discussed kids OR marriage! So I figure he was duly warned and can't complain about this trip!

So we are off to NY and Orlando at Chrissy time. We originally planned to go to HK Disney but figured if we were going to do it we may as well do it right! So it has blown out from a 10 day HK trip to a month long US trip complete with Disney Cruise and Universal studios!! Not to mention a price tag 3 times to original one - OOPS!!

Love sharing with everyone. This forum is invaluable for serial planners like me!!

 

[OzCath]

Hi, I'm ozcath Catherine. Not very original with the online name.

Live in Adelaide with DH, DD8 and DS5. Not a very prominent poster. Will work on that. However an avid reader. Love to travel. Always have to have something in the works. Have travelled to the USA many times and visited disneyland four times, and Hong Kong disney once. Hoping to add tokyo and wdw to that list.

Enjoy reading about everyone's plans and trip reports.

 

[Luisa]

Name: Luisa
Disboards Name Origin: A severe lack of imagination at the time of joining
Location: One of Melbournes beautiful eastern bayside suburbs
Story: I grew up reading Disney Little Golden books, watching The Wonderful World of Disney and a weekly treat of a Disney comic (the Scrooge McDuck ones were my favourite). In 1999 I decided it was time to see the US and while staying at a youth hostel in Santa Monica saw they had a day trip to Disneyland and thought, why not? It was fun, but I wasn't 'wow, I have to come back!' Fast forward to 2005 when Sunrise were at Disneyland for the 50th and I knew I just had to go back and see the celebrations, so I went that December and I was hooked! I've since been back several times as well as to the parks in Hong Kong and Tokyo and to WDW, including spending my 40th birthday at DL (where by coincidence I met Aust on the Walking in Walts Footsteps tour).
I'm now in the process of organising my first non-solo trip for Nov/Dec 2015 - my SIL wants to take my brother to see where she is from (Atlanta) and asked my mum and I to come too. So mum gets to visit WDW with me while the others visit with family and friends, then we'll all go to Disneyland on the way home.

 

[Aussiefamof5]

Love this idea
I'm aussiefamof5 mumma to 2 boys and one girl, leave in hobart tassie! Which is very frustrating for vacationers, as getting out of the state can be a trip to Bali!

My partner introduced me to my love for Disney, I used to be one of those little girls always dreaming of visiting, and pretty much accepted I may never that was until our first visit last year. I told my partner if we only ever do Disney holidays for the rest of our lives I'm sweet with that!

So we are off to disneyland, universal and knotts again this year, and can not wait!!!!!! We will attempt the world in a couple of years when our little one is older.

 

[Franrose]

Name: I answer to Fran as if it were my own (not so keen on real name on a public board).
Disboards Name Origin: Many moons ago (more than a decade, ouch) I was on wedding planning boards, and Frangipanis/Roses were my wedding flowers. So there you go.
Location: Kiwi Aussie living in super sunny Bris, Qld
Story: Once upon a time, I went to Disney as a little kid... visited DL a few times in my childhood/teenage years. In 2004, my husband and I checked to WDW - I'm not sure what prompted our visit exactly. My research was pretty limited back then to some rudimentary tour plans, and although we had a great time I remember thinking (after seeing lots of kids melting down) that I wasn't sure I'd ever want to bring my own children to Disney, ha ha. We did eventually bring our young family over in 2011 though and from then on, we were hooked. In 2011 and 2013 we had trips to both WDW and DL and although I love them both and there's something to be said for the fact that DL is closer, WDW has my heart (and quite a few of our dollars now ). DH & I love sharing the magic with our children. (Cheesy, but true. You guys know how it is.)

 

[Aust]

Aust (Tanya), sister of heidispidi.


I hate my username, wish I could change it! I didn't realise when I joined up in 2006 to research our first Disneyland trip that I'd still be on here years later.

I always wanted to go to Disneyland when I was a kid, after seeing it on the Wonderful World of Disney show.

I went to Toyko DL for a day on a school trip to Japan when I was 17, and I enjoyed it, but felt like it wasn't the 'real' Disneyland.

Fast forward to 2007, married with 2 daughters - I decided it was time to see the real Disneyland! We all went or 10 days and I loved it and couldn't wait to go back.

Next trip was 2011 with my sister heidispidi and her daughter (my girls were in Phuket with the inlaws and I left hubby and 2 year old son at home, how mean).

Then in 2012 we 'had' to go to DL again, to see Carsland and also because it's not fair that the girls had been but my son hadn't! (That was my excuse anyway).

And tomorrow I'm off to DL Paris, so time to get off here and start packing up the hotel room.

 

[FireflyFi]

Name: Fiona
Disboards Name Origin: I usually use the same name for everything I sign up for, but after lurking on the board for so long thought I'd be a bit more inventive and Disney specific this time. So I thought about my favourite Disney movie at the time (Princess and the Frog) and the characters within and I really liked Ray, so 'Firefly...Fi..?' I didn't realise how much of a tongue twister it is until I met the lovely ladies at the Melbourne DISMeet lol I was supposed to set my pic as a photo of him so that the name made sense, but gave up trying pretty quickly.
Location: Geelong
Story: By Australian standards, I was pretty slow to get into the distant overseas travel. So my first trip to the US was in 2012 at the 'old' age of 31 lol just me and two friends. Our three weeks included a week split between WDW and Universal. This was in late June and the heat, humidity and so many humans made me definitely want to return at a more comfortable time of year (and for much, much longer!) At the end of 2012 I bought my first real piano. After playing with digitals for as long as I can remember I bit the bullet, and so that huge expense put the return to WDW plans to 2014. I did manage to sneak in a solo trip to Tokyo Disneyland in 2013 though so far I'm booked to return to the US solo on 13 November for a month. The last two weeks are dedicated to Orlando and hopefully doing two trips next year - US west coast and Disneyland, and back to Japan (and Disneyland). There is still a lot of research to be done here hahahaha

 

[PinkCupcakes]

Name: Jade
Disboards name origin: We have three dds - hence the pink! And I call our baby girl babycakes or cupcake.
Location: Two hours from Melbourne
Story: My dh and I (then df) visited DL for one day as a stopover on our way home from Canada in 2001. I was very excited for this trip and we had a ball. But because we didn't have kids at the time, I remember thinking "What on earth is Toy Story?" Anyway, after that day, we vowed to come back again with our future children.
So, in 2010 while researching flights to Fiji for my cousins wedding, I found a bargain to LA via Fiji. How could I refuse?! So we went to DL for 7 nights after Fiji. It was such a magical trip and the girls were 7 and 4 at the time. We knew we would have to come back.
It was after this trip that I discovered Disboards. It was also when I discovered how beautiful the parks were at Christmas time and knew we needed to see it.
So here I am, planning to get back to DL this December. Maybe even a trip to NYC and even WDW if we can swing it. But this time we have dd1 as well! So we shall see.

 

[beejai]

Brenda
gold coast,14 years,orginally from nz
Married for 18 years this year,been to Disneyland 3 times, first when we first got married, not with hubby though, my mother-in-law, who was a travel agent at the time, all it cost me for my airfare was $50, wow, I don't wish that was still the case, the following year hubby and I went.
Two kids later,ds12 and dd 5 , in 2012 we were lucky enough to win a family trip to Disneyland,which we did last year, we also did universal and legoland,(which the latter we wished we missed),
always dreaming of Disneyland and maybe in the near future we'll be able to go again.

 

[bswift]

I'm Bianca and I love Taylor Swift, hence the username!
I live in Melbourne and I think I'm a bit younger than most people here, I've just graduated from uni.
In 2012 I studied in North Carolina for a semester and travelled all across the US but didn't make it to Disney. I was meant to go to DL at the end of the trip with my dad but then we both got a nasty flu.
So last year I decided to head back to the US, this time for 2 months and also by myself. I finally visited WDW and fell in love. I've now been to 18 US cities in 13 states.
In April this year I'm heading to HKDL for 2 days and I can't wait! I only wish there was more info about it online but the TRs on here have been very helpful.

 

[Czardas]

NAME Gilian
DiS NAME ORIGIN my first dogs name
LOCATION Melbourne
STORY I'm 48 married without children. Finally got to visit DL in 2008 and have been hooked ever since.
I'm very fortunate that we collect FF points by the bucket load and can fly anywhere 3 times a year first class, so I always book my holidays a year in advance to secure those golden seats.
I have always been daunted by the planning that goes into DW & chicken out and end up going back to DL, but I will finally be ending this fear and have just booked for Jan 29th next year for DW but still with a trip to DL coming up this May

 

[Aussie Wendy]

Name Wendy
Disname Origin: Speaks for itself - very boring but my other "incognito" was used for other travel boards and decided I wanted a change
Story I suspect I am one of an older couple on the Board. When I was around 10 my new, much older, stepbrother had been in the US for many years and returned with a Disneyland park info brochure that blew my mind -and so on DH and I's first big overseas trip in 84 we got an around the world airfare and included Disneyland. We made it back in 89 then had a break to build a house, have a child etc and took her as part of another big trip when she was 6-scared her to death - with no research in retrospect took her on some very inappropriate rides. We love travelling but including a visit to Disney where we can is our "fun" part. Aiming to see all 5 castles (soon to be 6) - 4 down so far!

 

[Blonkage]

Hi,
NAME :I'm cassie and my username is a family nickname.
WHERE:I live a few hours out of Melbourne, but have lived many places.
WHY:I'm a married stay at home mum to four (3 teenage ) exhausting children!
My first trip to Disneyland was in 2010. I always dreamed as a child what it would be like and it was even better than i ever imagined. Since 2010 I've been plotting another trip and finally we will go this September to DLR, WDW & DCL. I am totally addicted to dis and planning this holiday is my happy place. My hubby thinks i'm crazy planning everything down to the minute, but i just want to see and do everything. I am very excited about attending MNSSHP, Fish Extenders and Dapper Day & Happy Haunted 5K run
I love reading trip reports, especially from Aussie/Kiwi perspective and hope to give a detailed report of our trip this year.

 

[BecBennett]

In April this year I'm heading to HKDL for 2 days and I can't wait! I only wish there was more info about it online but the TRs on here have been very helpful.

That's exactly how I felt trying to plan a trip to Tokyo Disney. The only information on it was in Japanese (of course) and my mind was never up to the challenge of deciphering what was meant by the google translation...

 

[gogo65]

Name:Gabrielle
Dis name origin my initials and two numbers I picked
Location:Sydney
Story: first went to WDW when I was 21, don't remember a lot but knew I wanted to take my kids there one day. In 2000 we decided to leave the madness of Sydney while the Olympics were on, got a great deal with kids fly freeAnd we were on our way on a 4 week adventure of the west coast of USA, when I arrived at the Disneyland gates with my two kids then aged 5 and7, and started crying in happiness I knew this was my special place! Couldn't wait to get back but with private school fees etc, it was always put on the back burner, until we planned another trip in 2008 to WDW staying at the contemporary with dining and skiing in Canada, loved WDW and universal, two years later another trip to Disneyland, skiing in Canada, Hawaii and Fiji, again loved being back in DL. A quick day trip to DLP in 2011, made me realise it is still my happy place.
Then in 2012, DD made the team to compete at the Cheerleading world championships in WDWSo we were off again, this was a last minute(well4 months notice) trip with little planning, only one ADR and accomodation arranged at ASMu with the cheer federation. DH and DS didn't come
Finally leading up to another trip for DD this April and we are all going this timeIncluding DS who is now 21.
I love travelling and I am always planning another trip, in between our Disney holidays we try and travel the world. Our kids are now at the age that we can leave them at home (19 & 21) so we can slowly tick of our list

 

[LizfromOz]

Name: Liz
Disname origin: not very creative
Live: Central Coast NSW

My DH and I visited the US back in 1996, way back when the word of a travel agent was gospel. No internet at our house then, so everything was planned using brochures. We did a coast to coast tour from LA ending in NYC. We flew back to Anaheim at the end of our tour and spent a week at Disneyland. Loved it! Vowed to bring any kids we may have in the future to visit Disneyland.
Fast forward 13 years and 2 DDs and we visited the US again for our trip of a lifetime. Our final (cough) trip of a lifetime was in 2012, with a cruise to Mexico thrown in. Our really and truly, very, very, very last trip is coming up in September, this time visiting WDW for the first time. We're also going on the Freedom of the Seas to the Caribbean. We can't wait!