Before you read I will do my version of the Trip Report Promise (I was a Girl Scout long ago). *ahem* Raising right hand On my honor, I will try, to write a good trip report, tell you the good, the bad and the ugly and most importantly get it done in less than a month, start to finish.
I always get sad when I find a trippie I like, get to know the cast, follow their travels, wait each day for more and then months later it is still only half done and I have forgotton who is who. I am going to try not to let that happen with this one!
Lets start with the cast of characters for this trip .
Me, you can call me Mom.
I am Mom to 3 kids who you will soon meet. I am a childrens artist and paint whimsical pieces of art for wee ones rooms. I love what I do! I also love Disney. I first went when I was 3 years old. It was 1972. In 1974 I went again, just me and Mom. We stayed at the Contemporary. Growing up Disney was a part of my childhood. Every Sunday night was spent watching The Wonderful World of Disney on TV. We went to every movie that came out. I had oodles of those little 45 records that came with the books where they would read the story to you and you could read along. After those 2 trips as a youngster I went again as a teen and then since I went to USF in Tampa for college (Go Bulls!) I went many times, often for day trips. The last time I went was in 1997 with my husband. We booked the trip and then I got pregnant. Surprise! No good rides for you Mom!
My husband, well call him Grumpy.
Now he is not a Grump unless it is Disney related. In his normal life he is very laid back, very fun and most of our friends call him the funniest guy they know. He makes me laugh. A lot. Except when it comes to Disney. Then he morphs into the most Anti-Disney, Anti Mickey guy I know. It is sad. Really sad. He has only been once, that trip with me when I was pregnant. He never went as a child, that was his first time. First disappointment, the infamous Castle as a Cake. He recalled seeing the castle on tv as a kid and then we he finally saw it in real life and it was this pink, gaudy concoction, well that was a magic sucker for him. And he is thrifty. No economical. No lets just face it, he is cheap. The man is cheap and he feels like a trip to Disney is just like holding your wallet open to the wind and screaming Take it, take it all! He asked me to make him a T-shirt that says Disney
.where debt is made. I refuse.
DD#1, well call her Belle because she is cute and smart and loves to read.
She is 9 and has never been. None of the kids have. And none of them know we are going since this is a surprise trip. Theyll find out the night before. Belle is outgoing, very bright and teeters on the fine line between being a leader and being bossy. She loves rides and fun though she can also be a little bit of a scaredy cat at times. She likes to know what she is getting into, surprises are not her thing. However I think this surprise trip will go over just fine.
DD#2, well call her Bashful.
She is 7 and petite and adorable and shy. She loves animals, more than just about anything. She does have an adventurous spirit and is the one who will try anything, from an unknown ride to new foods. She has a quirky sense of humor and makes us laugh. She loves rides and the faster the better. She does not love princesses.
DS, the little guy, well call him Goofy.
No explanation needed. He is 4 and does not stop talking. Ever. Not for a minute. He is full of energy and zest for life. He is going to be the class clown, I am sure of it. He is so cute (not just saying that, he really is a cute kid!) and that allows him to sometimes get away with things. He wants to go to Disney and ride everything. The height requirements are going to pose a problem I just know it. He was 40.5 inches tall at his September doctors visit. For the rides he can not do, he wont take it very well, he likes to do everything his sisters do. The other thing he wants to do at Disney World? Meet the Power Rangers (cue the Hallelluia music). They rule his world! 
So how did this trip come to be? Well I have only been asking Grumpy for years to go. Years. Since they pulled out DD #1 (c-section, is that TMI?) and said Its a Girl I have been thinking When can I take her to Disney?! (hence the Ive Waited My Whole Life trippie title). It has been a dream of mine to show them the World as I was shown it as a kid. To share the magic and all those other clichés which really are so true. I think Disney is just the most wonderful place on Earth, it is so special, so unique, so magical. Grumpy on the other hand does not see it. He doesnt feel it. He just doesnt get it.
So time went on. It seemed, for us (not looking to debate the best age for WDW, whatever works for you is fine by me) it was never the right time. We wanted the youngest child to be old enough to not need naps, not be in diapers, etc. We had DD#1, then DD #2 and then comes along DS. So time marches on and it was January 2006 when the Disney itch hit again.
It was about a month after Christmas. Already toys that they had to have were growing a thin layer of dust from lack of attention. It was nothing new. So much of what they get at the holidays ends up living a lonely existence at the bottom of the toy box or in a Rubbermaid container somewhere. Its frustrating and a complete waste of money. Then I had my light bulb moment. Why not give them a trip instead of presents? Why not a trip to say, oh I dont know, Disney World? We would spend the money on something they want and they would have the memories to last a lifetime. It would be enjoyed, not wasted and forgotton.
I waited for the right moment. Then I hit up Grumpy. I explained my frustration with the holiday toys. I talked about how it might be cool to do a trip instead, a better use of our money. I waited and held my breath.
Fine, lets do that
WHAT???? I was shocked. He agreed. He did, he really did! I know why he did. As much as he dislikes the Mouse, he loves me. And he loves our kids. And he knew this was something we had wanted for a long, long time. He knew it would make us happy. So for us he will endure a week of magic, and happiness and Mickey Mouse. Man, that is love.
I quickly contacted my Mom and Grumpys Mom. Years ago Grumpys Mom bought park tickets for my SIL and her family as their Christmas gift for an upcoming trip they were taking. I wanted to see if in lieu of gifts this Christmas she might be interested in contributing to the cost of our trip. She is a very generous giver and very practical too. She does not like to buy things that wont be used so I knew this would be right up her alley. I was right. She gave me $$$ to pay for all of our airplane tickets and then a little more to put towards the room. I made the same offer to my Mom and she too welcomed the idea of contributing and not having to do lots of Christmas shopping for our family this year. She gave me a check to put towards the package as well.
So it was done. I had permission to book, I had funding to help out. I had a trip to plan!!!
We settled on the week before Christmas. We didnt want to do the Christmas week thing, too crowded. I needed to try and make this trip as pleasurable as possible. After some research we decided Dec 15-22 would be perfect. Grump works for a boarding school and they close up for the holidays Dec 16 so the timing was good for him. The kids would miss a week of school but that last week before Christmas is usually lots of fun and not much work. They are young enough and both are very bright so I was not concerned with them missing.
Now do we tell them? No way! Since it was a Christmas gift to me it was a no brainer. This had to stay a surprise.
Also since it was only February I could not handle listening to Goofy ask every day for 302 days if we were going to Disney that day. I would have surely gone over the edge.
In February we booked our package, 7 nights at the Pop with 2 connecting rooms and the dining plan. The dining plan will help with Grumpys cheapness. He wont be digging for his wallet every meal so the perception will be that he is not spending as much money. I am doing the dining plan just to keep him happy. That and I love to eat out. Restaurants are a big part of vacation for me! We debated staying at a moderate but all of us in one room with a trundle bed made Grumpy, well grumpy. He thought that it sounded absolutely miserable so he suggested doing something with 2 rooms. Good call! Now we will have 2 bathrooms to get ready and when the kids fall asleep we can stay up watching tv or what have you. We booked with Jessica at the Magic for Less and she was just awesome!
Friendly, quick to reply, could not have been better. I booked the airline tickets myself and got us non stops Boston to Orlando on Delta for $177 a piece. I was really happy to score that price .
Then it was just time to wait. I discovered the Disboards and Tour Guide Mike. I read, I posted, I took notes, I read some more, I read books, I daydreamed, I night dreamed. Grumpy would humor me and listen to my tales but really I have planned this entire trip by myself. In June I booked all our dining ADRs. In September I booked a Holiday Sleigh Ride and SCORE got an Illuminations Cruise (Grumpy doesnt even know about that one!). I bought things on ebay like 100 glow sticks and light up spinny toys for parades and Minnie Mouse necklaces and Tinkerbelle barrettes. I got Power Ranger pajamas for Goofy and engraved name badges for all the kids. I hid all my loot and had to always be minimizing windows when they walked by the computer, especially Belle.
We watched the Disney planning DVD a lot. The kids love it and I get to ask what kinds of things they would like to see when they finally get to go. It is a good way to plan and get their input without them knowing they are going! As far as they concerned they are maybe going in March 2008 with me and my parents to celebrate my Mom (their gma)s 60th birthday.
October 31st came and went and final payment was made. The countdown was 45 days now and daily itineraries were being worked on. Still the kids have no idea. Still Mom is more excited for this trip than any trip ever. Still Grump reminds me he is only going for us and out of guilt. He felt he HAD to be there for his kids first time. I am determined to make this man enjoy himself. I may need shovels of pixie dust but I will do what it takes.
Now we are just 4 days away! We are revealing our secret on Thursday when the kids come home from school!
Here are pictures too so you can put faces to the names! Bashful, Goofy and Belle!
And here are Grump and I for good measure!
Next installment, I will let you in on how we plan to tell them!
I always get sad when I find a trippie I like, get to know the cast, follow their travels, wait each day for more and then months later it is still only half done and I have forgotton who is who. I am going to try not to let that happen with this one!
Lets start with the cast of characters for this trip .
Me, you can call me Mom.
I am Mom to 3 kids who you will soon meet. I am a childrens artist and paint whimsical pieces of art for wee ones rooms. I love what I do! I also love Disney. I first went when I was 3 years old. It was 1972. In 1974 I went again, just me and Mom. We stayed at the Contemporary. Growing up Disney was a part of my childhood. Every Sunday night was spent watching The Wonderful World of Disney on TV. We went to every movie that came out. I had oodles of those little 45 records that came with the books where they would read the story to you and you could read along. After those 2 trips as a youngster I went again as a teen and then since I went to USF in Tampa for college (Go Bulls!) I went many times, often for day trips. The last time I went was in 1997 with my husband. We booked the trip and then I got pregnant. Surprise! No good rides for you Mom! My husband, well call him Grumpy.
Now he is not a Grump unless it is Disney related. In his normal life he is very laid back, very fun and most of our friends call him the funniest guy they know. He makes me laugh. A lot. Except when it comes to Disney. Then he morphs into the most Anti-Disney, Anti Mickey guy I know. It is sad. Really sad. He has only been once, that trip with me when I was pregnant. He never went as a child, that was his first time. First disappointment, the infamous Castle as a Cake. He recalled seeing the castle on tv as a kid and then we he finally saw it in real life and it was this pink, gaudy concoction, well that was a magic sucker for him. And he is thrifty. No economical. No lets just face it, he is cheap. The man is cheap and he feels like a trip to Disney is just like holding your wallet open to the wind and screaming Take it, take it all! He asked me to make him a T-shirt that says Disney
.where debt is made. I refuse.DD#1, well call her Belle because she is cute and smart and loves to read.
She is 9 and has never been. None of the kids have. And none of them know we are going since this is a surprise trip. Theyll find out the night before. Belle is outgoing, very bright and teeters on the fine line between being a leader and being bossy. She loves rides and fun though she can also be a little bit of a scaredy cat at times. She likes to know what she is getting into, surprises are not her thing. However I think this surprise trip will go over just fine.DD#2, well call her Bashful.
She is 7 and petite and adorable and shy. She loves animals, more than just about anything. She does have an adventurous spirit and is the one who will try anything, from an unknown ride to new foods. She has a quirky sense of humor and makes us laugh. She loves rides and the faster the better. She does not love princesses.DS, the little guy, well call him Goofy.
No explanation needed. He is 4 and does not stop talking. Ever. Not for a minute. He is full of energy and zest for life. He is going to be the class clown, I am sure of it. He is so cute (not just saying that, he really is a cute kid!) and that allows him to sometimes get away with things. He wants to go to Disney and ride everything. The height requirements are going to pose a problem I just know it. He was 40.5 inches tall at his September doctors visit. For the rides he can not do, he wont take it very well, he likes to do everything his sisters do. The other thing he wants to do at Disney World? Meet the Power Rangers (cue the Hallelluia music). They rule his world! So how did this trip come to be? Well I have only been asking Grumpy for years to go. Years. Since they pulled out DD #1 (c-section, is that TMI?) and said Its a Girl I have been thinking When can I take her to Disney?! (hence the Ive Waited My Whole Life trippie title). It has been a dream of mine to show them the World as I was shown it as a kid. To share the magic and all those other clichés which really are so true. I think Disney is just the most wonderful place on Earth, it is so special, so unique, so magical. Grumpy on the other hand does not see it. He doesnt feel it. He just doesnt get it.
So time went on. It seemed, for us (not looking to debate the best age for WDW, whatever works for you is fine by me) it was never the right time. We wanted the youngest child to be old enough to not need naps, not be in diapers, etc. We had DD#1, then DD #2 and then comes along DS. So time marches on and it was January 2006 when the Disney itch hit again.
It was about a month after Christmas. Already toys that they had to have were growing a thin layer of dust from lack of attention. It was nothing new. So much of what they get at the holidays ends up living a lonely existence at the bottom of the toy box or in a Rubbermaid container somewhere. Its frustrating and a complete waste of money. Then I had my light bulb moment. Why not give them a trip instead of presents? Why not a trip to say, oh I dont know, Disney World? We would spend the money on something they want and they would have the memories to last a lifetime. It would be enjoyed, not wasted and forgotton.
I waited for the right moment. Then I hit up Grumpy. I explained my frustration with the holiday toys. I talked about how it might be cool to do a trip instead, a better use of our money. I waited and held my breath.
Fine, lets do that
WHAT???? I was shocked. He agreed. He did, he really did! I know why he did. As much as he dislikes the Mouse, he loves me. And he loves our kids. And he knew this was something we had wanted for a long, long time. He knew it would make us happy. So for us he will endure a week of magic, and happiness and Mickey Mouse. Man, that is love.
I quickly contacted my Mom and Grumpys Mom. Years ago Grumpys Mom bought park tickets for my SIL and her family as their Christmas gift for an upcoming trip they were taking. I wanted to see if in lieu of gifts this Christmas she might be interested in contributing to the cost of our trip. She is a very generous giver and very practical too. She does not like to buy things that wont be used so I knew this would be right up her alley. I was right. She gave me $$$ to pay for all of our airplane tickets and then a little more to put towards the room. I made the same offer to my Mom and she too welcomed the idea of contributing and not having to do lots of Christmas shopping for our family this year. She gave me a check to put towards the package as well.
So it was done. I had permission to book, I had funding to help out. I had a trip to plan!!!
We settled on the week before Christmas. We didnt want to do the Christmas week thing, too crowded. I needed to try and make this trip as pleasurable as possible. After some research we decided Dec 15-22 would be perfect. Grump works for a boarding school and they close up for the holidays Dec 16 so the timing was good for him. The kids would miss a week of school but that last week before Christmas is usually lots of fun and not much work. They are young enough and both are very bright so I was not concerned with them missing.
Now do we tell them? No way! Since it was a Christmas gift to me it was a no brainer. This had to stay a surprise.
Also since it was only February I could not handle listening to Goofy ask every day for 302 days if we were going to Disney that day. I would have surely gone over the edge. In February we booked our package, 7 nights at the Pop with 2 connecting rooms and the dining plan. The dining plan will help with Grumpys cheapness. He wont be digging for his wallet every meal so the perception will be that he is not spending as much money. I am doing the dining plan just to keep him happy. That and I love to eat out. Restaurants are a big part of vacation for me! We debated staying at a moderate but all of us in one room with a trundle bed made Grumpy, well grumpy. He thought that it sounded absolutely miserable so he suggested doing something with 2 rooms. Good call! Now we will have 2 bathrooms to get ready and when the kids fall asleep we can stay up watching tv or what have you. We booked with Jessica at the Magic for Less and she was just awesome!
Friendly, quick to reply, could not have been better. I booked the airline tickets myself and got us non stops Boston to Orlando on Delta for $177 a piece. I was really happy to score that price .Then it was just time to wait. I discovered the Disboards and Tour Guide Mike. I read, I posted, I took notes, I read some more, I read books, I daydreamed, I night dreamed. Grumpy would humor me and listen to my tales but really I have planned this entire trip by myself. In June I booked all our dining ADRs. In September I booked a Holiday Sleigh Ride and SCORE got an Illuminations Cruise (Grumpy doesnt even know about that one!). I bought things on ebay like 100 glow sticks and light up spinny toys for parades and Minnie Mouse necklaces and Tinkerbelle barrettes. I got Power Ranger pajamas for Goofy and engraved name badges for all the kids. I hid all my loot and had to always be minimizing windows when they walked by the computer, especially Belle.
We watched the Disney planning DVD a lot. The kids love it and I get to ask what kinds of things they would like to see when they finally get to go. It is a good way to plan and get their input without them knowing they are going! As far as they concerned they are maybe going in March 2008 with me and my parents to celebrate my Mom (their gma)s 60th birthday.
October 31st came and went and final payment was made. The countdown was 45 days now and daily itineraries were being worked on. Still the kids have no idea. Still Mom is more excited for this trip than any trip ever. Still Grump reminds me he is only going for us and out of guilt. He felt he HAD to be there for his kids first time. I am determined to make this man enjoy himself. I may need shovels of pixie dust but I will do what it takes.
Now we are just 4 days away! We are revealing our secret on Thursday when the kids come home from school!
Here are pictures too so you can put faces to the names! Bashful, Goofy and Belle!
And here are Grump and I for good measure!
Next installment, I will let you in on how we plan to tell them!
. But I am counting on Belle to be the one to put it together that we are going! We will definately be getting this moment on video and I sure hope it plays out as wonderfully as it does in my head! Then we eat Chinese food and try to get some sleep! I am already almost packed for myself and the 3 kids (Grumpy is on his own) and will finish Thursday morning so that will be done.
Installment 3--Just 2 more days!
They were all over it! And hey, it is little, it's a Guest of Honor badge right?
settles down! Now I must go and figure out what exactly there is left to do! I know I am forgetting things. I need to finish packing for Belle but Bashful, Goofy and I are done. I need to finish addressing a few Christmas Cards. I need to get the dogs items ready for our 7am trip to the boarders. I need to pack carryons and gosh I am starting to feel a teensy bit overwhelmed!
