September 2015 ... Here we come!!

[lnuss1988]

Hello All!!

This is my FIRST ever Pre Trip Report. I've been doing some research on how to put one together. I love reading everyone else's trip reports, and seeing all the pictures!! Makes me miss The World!!

So where to begin, I guess we will start with Introductions!!


First, there is myself,DW, Lindsey, I am 25 years old, work part time in the evenings and the rest of the time I am a stay at home mom. It is amazing to be able to stay home with our daughter and be financially stable. I wouldn't trade all the time I get with our daughter for anything! It also gives me a lot of time to plan our Walt Disney World vacation! I have been to WDW 3 times in the past with my Mom, Dad, Brothers and Aunt. I lost interest in WDW because my mom wanted, and did, go every year. As a teenager, 3rd time was a charm and I stopped going. Now that I have a daughter who loves the Disney Junior channel and all Disney Movies, I have got my interest back and CAN'T WAIT TO GO! I am also the Treasurer at the Fire Co my husband runs for. I have my associates degree in accounting, but I would much rather be at home with our daughter than working full time. So I do the treasurer stuff on the side just to keep my love of accounting in my system!


Second, there is my DH, Adam. He is 28 years old and he works full time as a Deli Manager in our local Grocery Store. He runs with one of the local Volunteer Fire Company where he is the Asst. Engineer and has truly found his passion. He lives and breathes firefighting and I am so happy he found something that he cares that much for, besides myself and our DD. He has NEVER been to WDW This will be his first trip, along with our DD first trip!! He is pretty excited, although he tells me all the time to stop talking about WDW because he will know everything before we even get there!


Last, but certainly not least, there is our DD, Bailey. She is 2 1/2 years old. She will be 4 when we go to WDW. She is a GIANT BALL OF ENERGY! Makes us laugh all the time, loves to color, anything a 2 1/2 can do she does more, talks your ear off, cant always understand her, but she will just keep talking, and she LOVES LOVES LOVES Disney Junior on TV and all Disney Movies! This will be her first trip ever. I am trying to prep her for it, not going to surprise her since she's never been there. We will save that for our 2nd trip.



Pre Trip Report Contents
The In-Laws
http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=50473378&postcount=2
How this trip came to life
http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=50476417&postcount=3
Preparing our DD for her first trip
http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=50529180&postcount=6

 

[lnuss1988]

I left off my last post with Introductions, and I forgot to add in there two more components! My Mother and Father In-Law.

Kim and Bill, Ages and occupations will be left unsaid, Better know as Grammy and Poppy!! Poppy has been to WDW before, I think he was telling me he was there BEFORE the Tower of Terror was even built!! He is really eager to get back to see everything that has been added and upgraded, but most importantly, he is eager to see our DD for the first time in WDW. As we all are. Grammy has never been to WDW. She is just as excited as the rest of us because we all share the love of Disney, even though my DH won't show his excitement like the rest of us do. They are most excited about my DD. They cherish her and I love that they do and that they will be able to share this experience with us, and her!!




Up next, how this trip came to life ...

 

[lnuss1988]

When our DD was born in 2011 I knew I wanted to take her to The World! I also knew my in-laws want to go with us when we take her for her first trip. At that time we were living with my dad. He didn't make us pay rent or help with any of the bills, we did help with Groceries and coal in the winter. Other than that, we had our cost of living bills (Car payments, Insurance, etc.). I was working part time, my DH full time, and we were banking money. We had talked about going April of 2012, DD would've been 9 months. We discussed it with my in-laws and they brought up a good point, "Even though she is free, she won't remember it, or be able to REALLY enjoy it" ... Meaning the rides. That "trip" was then tossed out the window.

DD turned 1 in July 2012 and we started discussing a trip for April/May 2013. DD would be 21 months, still free, would be able to enjoy a little more and possibly remember some things. We had dates picked out, Hotel ressies made, ADRs made, Park tickets bought, Itineraries made, we were GOING TO WDW!!! ..... Things then took a turn for the worse. My Brother(14) moved in with my Dad and us, and he had a bad attitude, didn't listen to anyone, and wanted things HIS WAY or NO WAY .... We decided it was better for us and our DD to get a place of our own .... Putting our WDW trip on hold ... AGAIN!!! I had to call and cancel the ressies and ADRs, worst phone call EVER!!

At this point, I wondered if we would ever get to WDW now because we have Rent, Utilities, Groceries, etc. I still keep up with my Disney sites taking notice they usually offer Free Dining at the end of September. DD started watching The Disney Junior channel and all Disney Movies, she is now 2 1/2 (Jan 2014). I brought it up to my in-laws in September 2013 and they thought end of September would be a good time to go, Free Dining or not. My Disney Aunt loves going to WDW at the end of September, sounds like we got a good thing going for the end of September. I was looking at our calendar, picking out tentative dates for when we could go. Deciding when certain bills would be paid off, how long it would take us to save money, and obviously, the crowd calendar. I brought it up to my DH and he said OK. I asked the in-laws if they were still interested in going and they said yes .

WE FINALLY HAVE A WDW TRIP IN THE MAKING and THINGS ARE ON OUR SIDE .... (I say that in the littlest voice possible so I don't jinx us)!!


September 18 - September 26, 2015. DD will be 4 and old enough and probably tall enough to ride the rides, enjoy the characters, remember the shows and know what is going on! Car and Loan payments will be paid off, we are saving money now thanks to DH fixing his filing status for taxes. I have an itinerary started, know what hotel we are staying at, where we want to make ADRs to, and I have our countdown calendar already typed up and hanging on the fridge!!

Things are finally on our side!!! We are DETERMINED to get to WDW!!

 

[wiigirl]

Following along!

 

[lnuss1988]

Following along!

My first follower!! How EXCITING!!!

 

[lnuss1988]

We are currently about 605 days out from our trip to WDW for the first time as a family, making this our DD first trip to The World!! She is 2 1/2 (January 2014) and she will be 4 years old when we go (September 2015). She loves The Disney Junior channel (Already have plans for ADRs at Hollywood & Vine for the Disney Junior Characters) and she knows probably 85% of the Disney Movies. Some of her favorites being Toy Story, Monsters, Inc., The Lion king, Peter Pan, Tinkerbell, Winnie the Pooh, and of course, Mickey Minnie Donald Daisy Goofy and Pluto.

She loves Rides! We have a small local amusement park we go to every summer and we have to ride EVERY ride she is big enough for!! I showed her a video online of The Barnstormer and the whole time she kept saying "WEEEEE". She is definitely like her DMom, Me, in that aspect. DDad doesn't do to many rides.

So how do you prepare your DD for her FIRST TRIP TO THE WORLD?!!?

I have been encouraging WDW A LOT more lately! She only watches The Disney Junior Channel, which was a must even before our trip finally came into light, and she has always loved The Disney movies. When I get on my computer I will bring up WDW videos and she will sit and watch bits and pieces. I tell her that is Walt Disney World and ask her if she wants to go. She doesn't quite get it yet, but that's OK, she is only 2 1/2 and I got 1 1/2 to go!! I ordered the Planning Video for 2014, when that comes I will sit down with her and watch it. I show her other peoples pictures from their trip reports, and the pictures of the character meetings are her favorite! I showed her a lady and Mickey Mouse and she went nuts!! "MICKEY MICKEY MICKEY" she kept saying! I told her we would meet Mickey Mouse when we go to Walt Disney World and she said "OK".

I have a countdown calendar (I know, I know, a little early, but who CAN wait to go to WDW, NOT ME!!) on our fridge, she doesn't understand that yet, but once we get closer and she understands what is going on I will let her cross off the days. For now, it's more for me I have also been thinking about buying the Birnbaums Walt Disney World Guide for Kids for 2014 just to let her look at. She loves books and what better book than a guide ALL WALT DISNEY WORLD?!?! At this point, I am more excited than her and my DH has to keep my calm about the long wait!! He doesn't know what's coming when our DD realizes where we are going!!!


Up Next ...
Keeping myself busy to pass the time

 

[lnuss1988]

I know its been forever since I've been on!

But I think it is inevitable that this trip is going to be postponed until 2016. I am looking into the 2nd week of May 2016. We just have some finances right now that need to be taken care of before we can go and be able to fully enjoy the wonders and magic of Disney. I will keep posting and keep my researching up! My DH and I talked and since we don't know if we will ever get back after our first time, we want the first time to be amazing!! Stay at the hotel we want, stay for the amount of time we want, without being limited.

 

[disneyaddicted]

OMG! My sister and I are going in Sept 2015, our dates are the 16th-27th. I'll keep you company during the planning process. BTW, my name is Ty.

 

[WildReekies]

We just had to postpone our oct 2014 to sometime in 2015. A nasty wind did some major damage to our house. I'll join and keep you guys company too : ) I feel pretty good about postponing. Gives us lots of time to save for WLCL instead of POR.