The Lovebirds and their parents?! A PTR

[cathie1327]

Hi all,

Okay, this is my first attempt at a pre-trip report, so please bear with me! Please let me know if you have any suggestions as I will be also writing a trip report this year and want to make sure it's a good one!

Prologue:
So last year was the first trip ever to WDW for DBF and I. In 2006 and 2007 he had taken me to Disneyland and we went with his parents. This is when my Disney obsession began. We live in Colorado, so we just rented a car and drove to California. NOW, don't get me wrong; love his parents. Love spending holidays with them and love visiting. 2 days straight stuck in a Ford Taraus? Not so much! They love to bicker with each other so the ride was not so fun. However, the troubles didn't stop once we got to Anaheim. The parents are both retired, so they of course, were well rested for these trips. DBF and I work very hard, and so we were NOT. His mother is very very very VERY much commando style. We would leave the hotel early early and walk .75 miles to Disneyland. We would then stay all day running back and forth (and at times, I mean REALLY RUNNING!!!) from ride to ride, then we would leave the parks and meander around DTD until around midnight, then FINALLY go eat dinner at Denny's.

Like I said. Love the parents. Had no complaints about getting two trips to Disneyland without having to pay for them. But this just wasn't an ideal vacation for me. I sit at a desk all day and therefore am not in the best shape I could be (well, round is a shape, right? ) By the time we got home my feet were killing me and I was so exhauasted I coudln't fathom of going back to work the next day.

BUT!

The seed was planted. Having never been to Disney as a kid, I knew that I loved this place full of magic, characters, and worriless days. I've always been a giant kid at heart, and going somewhere like this where I could let it loose; well, I just about flipped out and lost my mind!!!!

Fast forward to Feb. 2008. DBF's mother has made no mention of wanting to go back to Disneyland and I decided to start planning a Disneyworld vacation!!! After all, DBF took me to Disneyland twice, and I was getting a very large income tax refund, so I figured it was the perfect time to relax, spend some quality time with each other, and "pay him back" in a sense for introducing me to this wonderful world. We had a WONDERFUL time.

But coming home, the depression started to set in. Just before leaving for WDW a few things happenned monetary wise, then after getting back, my hours at work were cut, making it seem nearly impossible for another trip.


AH, but for those with dreams nothing is impossible!!!

After refiguring my living situation and my bills I was able to get back up on top of things, replenish my savings, and have enough for Disney!!!!!

BUT there's always a catch......

DBF's parents are coming with Now, I'll be glad to share the magic of WDW with them, since they've never been....and a 4 hour plane flight is much much shorter than a 2 day car drive, so, sure! let's make it a family event! Afterall, I feel really lucky to just be able to go at all!!!!!

So you see, this trip is really a dream (and thousand of wishes) come true! It is giving me something to look forward to this year, which is something I REALLY need!

Next up......the cast of characters! (because that's really the best way to describe it!)

 

[wigdoutdismom]

subbing!

 

[wsushocker]

glad to be here......get to posting

 

[cathie1327]

subbing!

glad to be here......get to posting

Thanks guys!!!!!! Okay now I have a motivator to post haha!

 

[wigdoutdismom]

Waiting for your next post!

 

[Blesseddaddy]

I'm on board and looking forward to hearing all about your WDW plans and adventure!!! P.S. Your Mother-in-law is going to LOVE WDW, more parks, more rides, more commando!!!!! Might I suggest she be your designated Fast Pass runner???.......that will save YOU lots of steps and let her get in all the extra steps to keep her happy too!!!!

 

[cathie1327]

Cast of Characters!!!

First up, the parents!

Kathy-DBF's mom-future mother-in-law aka Extremo Commando!!!!Kathy is 61 years old but seriously, has the energy of a 5 year old! I've never seen someone who can walk so much without complaining!!!! She loves our home baseball team, the Colorado Rockies, and we all go to a lot of games together. She is very energetic, happy-go-lucky, apparently has feet of steel, and loves Disneyland. This is her first time going to Walt Disney World, her first time going to Florida, and her first time flying!!! She recently discovered the joys of a digital camera and hasn't put it down since!!!!

Here she is in Minnie's big comfy chair during her Disneyland 2008 trip!


On Main Street! Look at how empty it is! September is definitely the time to go!




Tony-DBF's father- future father-in-law
Tony is definitely the stereotype for little old dude. He is 67 years old, and loves relaxing in front of the tv all day, but has a soft spot for Disney, his kids, and his grand kids. He is sometimes a little loopy and we sometimes joke that we should buy one of those leashes for him that they put on the kids cuz he has a tendancy to wander!He also loves the Colorado Rockies and watches a lot of sports on TV. This is also his first trip to Walt Disney World but definitely not his first time on a plane!!! He was in the army and was one of the parachute guys, so no plane fright for him!
Tony on their Disneyland 2008 trip


He looks grumpy, but he actually asked me to take this picture. REALLY!!!


As I said before, the two of them really bicker a lot, but that's only because they are both together SO much! Tony is retired so they literally spend every waking minute together. They act tough buuuuuuuuuuuuuut from time to time you can catch them being cute!!!




Coming up......DBF and my family!!!! (okay so just myself and a couple of cats )

 

[cathie1327]

Waiting for your next post!

I'm on board and looking forward to hearing all about your WDW plans and adventure!!! P.S. Your Mother-in-law is going to LOVE WDW, more parks, more rides, more commando!!!!! Might I suggest she be your designated Fast Pass runner???.......that will save YOU lots of steps and let her get in all the extra steps to keep her happy too!!!!

Hey guys, thanks for jumping on board!!!!!!!!!

That's an amazing idea! This woman walks like crazy. It really puts me to shame, especially since she isn't too far from being 3 times my age!!!!

 

[wsushocker]

I want to go SOMEWHERE in September! I counted only TWO strollers in that picture!

 

[shordiebecka]

Looking forward to hearing more! traveling with bf's parents is always stressful.....spent 5 days straight with DBF's parents and almost went crazy!

 

[Blesseddaddy]

Hey Cathie, it sounds like Shocker is willing to go in Sept. with y'all and run for Fast Passes with your future M-I-L, so you can have a restfull trip, if you were interested?? Wigd. really has trained Shocker well, hasn't she????

I know you are going to have a great time at WDW, with OR without Shocker!!!! Of course, if you find the World that empty when you go, there might not be much need to actually run for Fast Passes like we did in March!!

 

[cathie1327]

Looking forward to hearing more! traveling with bf's parents is always stressful.....spent 5 days straight with DBF's parents and almost went crazy!

So glad you're on board!!! Welcome! And also so so so SO glad someone understands the bf parents dilemma! I love them but it can be a little crazy for five days!

Hey Cathie, it sounds like Shocker is willing to go in Sept. with y'all and run for Fast Passes with your future M-I-L, so you can have a restfull trip, if you were interested?? Wigd. really has trained Shocker well, hasn't she????

I know you are going to have a great time at WDW, with OR without Shocker!!!! Of course, if you find the World that empty when you go, there might not be much need to actually run for Fast Passes like we did in March!!

I know, look at that, totally ready to come along and run for me! lol. The picture is in Disneyland in Sept. but it has been like that every year we went. It is always REALLY empty in Sept! We walked onto pretty much everything! Disneyworld wasn't QUITE as empty when we went last Sept. but we still walked onto some rides, or only had a 5-8 minute wait for a good majority of them!!!!

So excited!!!!!! Officially past the 5 month mark!

 

[cathie1327]

Okay, time for the lovebirds

Carlos-DBF-aka totally laid back mellow dude
Carlos is 25 years old and is an electronics engineer. Which is technical for he likes to take stuff apart and play with it! He is definitely one of the most laid back people anyone could ever meet. I'm an obsessive planner, so it works to have someone alongside that is mostly just "whatever!" Makes planning so so much easier. He loves sports and likes to play video games, and seems to be a pretty huge movie history buff. I never knew this until we bought the Movies edition of Scene It and they have tons of questions related to Oscar awards and what not, going clear back to the 1940's, and he knows tons of them! He kicks my butt at this game every time. (But we all know who wins the Disney Scene It so it's all good! ) He has his associate's degree in electronics engineering and works for a really great electronics restoration company. Also a huge Colorado Rockies and Avalanche fan, and a fan of the Dallas Cowboys, but let's not hold it against him, yeah? He can be really goofy at times, but can also be super shy.

Carlos and Tigger at Crystal Palace 2008

Trying on hats (like father like son!!!)

Carlos, Kathy, and Tony 2007 waiting for the parade

And...*Drumroll*...

Myself!

Cathie-aka-stichgroupie-aka-Winnie the Pooh FANATIC!
Hiiii....my name is Cathie and I'm a Disney addict I'm 23 years old and like my 3 other counterparts, love the Colorado Rockies. I like sports but can get sort of bored with them on TV, I'd much rather go to a game! I've always been a giant kid at heart and loved cartoons, but my REAL love and collection for all things Disney started in 2006 when Carlos took me to Disneyland and it stemmed from there. Then last year in the process of planning for our WDW trip I found the Dis and realized that there were so many places to keep up on ALL things Disney and I was hooked and the obsession has just increased exponentially from there! I LOVE Stich and all of the Winnie the Pooh characters. I'm also a teddy bear collector so of course Pooh is my favorite bear I love the princesses and Jasmine is my favorite. I can recite a line from pretty much any Disney movie (with a few exceptions) and have a huge playlist on my itunes that is just Disney music. I'm definitely obsessed. I'm also starting next month full time at a 4 year college to double major and receive my bachelor's in marketing and finance. I went to a private college before but had some issues with the school and found out my credits wouldn't transfer, so at 23 I am a brand new freshman getting ready to start all over again! I work for Wellpoint under the Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield branch as a claims representative. I really really enjoy my job but definitely want to move up in the company. I love the comapny I work for; I've been there for 3 years and still have no major complaints! I tend to be a bit of a goof myself, but unlike Carlos, I'm DEFINITELY NOT shy! I love meeting new people and having fun!

My dream come true; meeting Stitch for the FIRST TIME EVER! WDW trip 2008 (Honestly, I come to tears every time I look at this picture. This was our first day at WDW and I don't think I could have ever gotten any happier!)

Just me showing off my goofy side!

At Disneyland 2007

Carlos and I met online when I was 17 years old. After being online pen pals for a long time we decided to just meet and hang out at the mall one day and things just went from there! At first sight I knew that he was going to be someone very special to me; I had no idea just how special! We've had our shares of ups and downs, but have always come out stronger and in a better place than we were before. We have been together for about 6 years and are talking about getting married. Even though it's not OFFICIAL because I told him I still want a traditional proposal (WDW is the perfect plaaaace hint hint wink wink lol) I have been given the okay to start scoping things out for price and start looking at dresses and the like and we would both like to see it happen next year. Really, we're in no rush because we know we have our whole lives ahead of us! We both really love Disney (although I'm a bit more obsessive in my love lol) and really really enjoy going to the parks together!!!

Rainforest Cafe 2007

Universal Studios 2007

Coming up...the last installment of the cast of characters! Random people that will without a doubt pop in and out of my PTR and ultimately TR!

 

[cathie1327]

Lastly....random characters....

So the first people I want to talk about is Carlos's sister, Chrissy, and his two neices, Katie-12, and Nicole-8. This family has been through SO much in the past few years, as Chrissy is going through a divorce with a very-NOT-nice man and the girls have unfortunately felt the brunt of what a person their father has become.

Last year, after our WDW trip was booked, Kathy announced that they wanted to go to Disneyland but didn't want to go alone, as they would be driving to California and it is a long way for Tony to drive the whole way. This was a problem, as we already had our trip booked and paid for.

Then there was the fact that now his sister and the two girls were going to be the only ones not going to Disney, and that family LOVES Disneyland. So we all banded together, and figured out a way that they could go to Disneyland with Kathy and Tony!

Unfortunately this year, because of Chrissy just starting her new job, she can't get the time off to go. So this year, they will be with us in spirit!

Chrissy and the two girls at Disneyland 2008 (left to right, Nicole, Chrissy, Katie)

Just the two girls being cute on their vacation

I absolutely adore this picture. It says so much to me, and really spells out such a story for me! I really love these two little girls and don't know how anyone could do anything to hurt them.

And because they are such a big peice of me and I HATE leaving them behind for a week or more....

my kids! (aka two very spoiled kitties!)

Lily-Lily is the older and definitely the big mean sister who likes to pick on her brother. She loves to chew on straws, and is very chatty. Loves to run and play and attack things. VERY hyper and ornary. Doesn't listen to me well but when Carlos speaks, she listens. Must be the dad thing!

Lily when we were leaving for Disneyworld 2008-think she knew?

Gizmo-Gizmo is VERY much a mama's boy! He was the runt of his litter and he was only 6 weeks old when I got him. A friend of mine that ran the pet shop that he and Lily came from said a man had come in with Gizmo's litter trying to sell them. When she told them she couldn't take them until they were 12 weeks old (she was an assistant manager there) he said if she didn't buy them he'd throw them in the trash! Needless to say she took them in and just tried to sell them before her manager came back! lol Gizmo likes to play with feathers, is very gentle, and purrs LOUDLY. He also chatters with Carlos on a regular basis. They have full out conversations!

Gizmo when I came back from Disneyworld 2008...he was grouchy I think lol. Maybe cuz we left him behind?

They are seriously like my kids and I love them to death. They fight a lot but eeeeeevery once in a while you can find them snuggling together and being cute. (hmmm....that sounds like the in-laws haha!)

So there it is in a nutshell (or two!)-myself, and all the people who will be part of this trip and it's planning process!!!

Next up-the early details. I don't know exactly what we're doing yet, but I sure have A LOT of ideas!!!!

 

[wigdoutdismom]

The girls are just beautiful! Your kitties are pretty cute too!

 

[cathie1327]

The girls are just beautiful! Your kitties are pretty cute too!

Thanks! I keep tellin Chrissy that she's gonna need a bodyguard for these two, especially since Katie is starting to get towards 'that age'. She has posters of Zac Efron and Jonas brothers all over her room arleady lol. And from what Nicole tells me, Katie has a crush already at school!

My cats can be so cute.......when they're behaving. I look at them when they're sleeping and go "awwwwwww" but then the next day will inevitably be chasing Lily around going KNOCK IT OFF or something along those lines lol. Just preparing me to be a real mommy I suppose!!!

 

[cathie1327]

Yay! Time to start posting details of the trip!!!!

Here's what is definite so far.

We will be leaving Denver at 10:15 AM Denver time on Friday, September 11th (yeah, I didn't really think about it when picking 9/11 for travel...I wonder if security will be extra bad that day???)

The flight into Orlando is just about 4 hours (just long enough for me to get fidgety!). We should be in Florida around 4 o clock or so. We will then hop aboard the lovely bus known as Mickey's Magical Express. Carlos and I did Magical Express last year, and I know it has gotten a bad rap from some, but I gotta say, we really liked it! It made our process so very very easy, so this year we decided that we would definitely be taking advantage of it. Kathy is a serious over-worrier type (is that a word?) though, so she is already super super nervous about our luggage not showing up and the like. I have to admit I think about it, but me worrying over it isn't going to change it if it happens, so I figure I'll keep from borrowing trouble!

Then we shall be whisked away to our castle-er-I mean, All Star Movies. Now, don't get me wrong, we liked All Star Sports last year, and for some people that don't spend a lot of time in the hotel room, the value resorts make the most sense. But I was hoping to spend this year in a moderate though...ooooh well....maybe on a Disneymoon next year, yeah? Kathy and Tony are pretty frugal people so they can't really see the point in spending more than you need to on a hotel, and in this case, I can't say I can blame them! And actually, All Star Movies looks pretty cool, so I'm kinda psyched!

Now this is the only finite detail we really have planned, simply because it's sort of already a given. Both of the years that the four of us went to Disneyland, and last year when Carlos and I went to WDW, we always went to Rainforest Cafe the first night. SOOOOOOOOO after we check in, get settled, it's off to Downtown Disney for dinner at the Rainforest Cafe! Since we don't really have TONS of time this day, we figured we'd just take it easy and do some shopping at DTD, maybe some swimming at the resort. Because even though our plane doesn't leave until 10:15, we will all undoubtedly be up around 5 or 6 am, so we're gonna be tired! Then there's the fact of losing two hours, so we figure that it's best to kind of take this day to rest up for the busy busy day ahead of us!

Now, for the 12th-21st, all I can tell you is that we'll most likely be in the parks pretty much every day haha. I'm waiting on hours to be released so we can plan on which parks to go to which days, but I do know that either the 15th or 18th we will be taking half a day off and going to MNSSHP at 4 PM, and whichever of those two days we don't do the Halloween party will most likely be a "day off" in which we take some much-needed time to rest!

Our plane leaves around 4 PM Orlando time on the 22nd to go back to Denver. We're not really sure yet how we're going to work this day, since checkout is at 11 and Magical express isn't going to be there until 1 or 2 that day....hmmmmm....

Well, there's the basic plan, as I keep working out little details, I'll come by and post them. I've got a thousand possibilities swimming around in my head so I'll definitely drop by and share a few of those!!!

Any suggestions??? Any at all???

 

[Blesseddaddy]

First, cute family. I know that you all will have a great time.

and I LIKE your future inlaws.........they might be Frugal, but I AM DOWN RIGHT CHEAP!! I sort of agree with them. On our first trip to the World last month, I couldn't see spending extra $$ for just a "bed" and it turned out to be the right choice for us. We truthfully were never at the resort and other than a quick swim in the pool after a long day in the parks, we only used the room for SLEEP at night and maybe a quick breakfast here and there during the week!!

We drove down when we went, but like you, had some extra time that afternoon before we wanted to start using our park tickets the next morning. One of the things that we went and did that evening, because I really wanted my girls to experience this, was to ride in the front of the Monorail with the Pilot. So, after making our shopping run and getting settled in to the resort, we hoped on a bus to the MK, then after scoping out how we would enter the park the next morning at rope drop, we went up the ramp and requested to ride up front in the Monorail with the Pilot. We rode the entire loop and had a great time. We actually didn't even have to wait to get to ride up front. It was early enough in the evening that the masses weren't yet leaving the parks, so it worked out perfect. I read about it here on the Dis and it was a nice way to get a little Disney Magic without having to use day one of our tickets!! The Pilot even gives you a license as a Co-Pilot as you exit!!! It was something that I wanted our girls to get to do and I knew that during our week, that we wouldn't likely want to leave the park to do it. I also knew that we might be tired when leaving the park after a full day and therefore not wanting to wait for our turn, so it was the perfect time to go and get a view of the World at night from the front of the Monorail!! I know you and Carlos have been to the World before, but it might be nice for your future inlaws to get to see the Magic Kingdom that evening (even if it's from outside the entrance) and then get the experience of riding up front of the Monorail? If you think that DTD will be more than enough that first day, plus it appears that you will have more time there, than we did, so you might want to wait to request to ride up front of the monorail another time during your trip??

Waiting to hear more.......sounds like you are getting everything in order for a fun trip.

 

[cathie1327]

First, cute family. I know that you all will have a great time.

Thanks!!!! I'm super excited!

and I LIKE your future inlaws.........they might be Frugal, but I AM DOWN RIGHT CHEAP!! I sort of agree with them. On our first trip to the World last month, I couldn't see spending extra $$ for just a "bed" and it turned out to be the right choice for us. We truthfully were never at the resort and other than a quick swim in the pool after a long day in the parks, we only used the room for SLEEP at night and maybe a quick breakfast here and there during the week!!

You know, honestly, this is exactly how we feel. When we went for the first time last year we KNEW that we would be going non stop to see all that we could, so paying more for an expensive hotel was really very silly. I wanted to relax a bit more on this trip, but since it is the IL's first time, it's almost like our first time all over again too! We will be running around like crazy with them so they can experience all there is, so, again, we will very rarely be in the hotel room!!! Plus, like I said, I'm still really trying for a Disneymoon next year, and then we can stay somewhere nice and really relax.

We drove down when we went, but like you, had some extra time that afternoon before we wanted to start using our park tickets the next morning. One of the things that we went and did that evening, because I really wanted my girls to experience this, was to ride in the front of the Monorail with the Pilot. So, after making our shopping run and getting settled in to the resort, we hoped on a bus to the MK, then after scoping out how we would enter the park the next morning at rope drop, we went up the ramp and requested to ride up front in the Monorail with the Pilot. We rode the entire loop and had a great time. We actually didn't even have to wait to get to ride up front. It was early enough in the evening that the masses weren't yet leaving the parks, so it worked out perfect. I read about it here on the Dis and it was a nice way to get a little Disney Magic without having to use day one of our tickets!! The Pilot even gives you a license as a Co-Pilot as you exit!!! It was something that I wanted our girls to get to do and I knew that during our week, that we wouldn't likely want to leave the park to do it. I also knew that we might be tired when leaving the park after a full day and therefore not wanting to wait for our turn, so it was the perfect time to go and get a view of the World at night from the front of the Monorail!! I know you and Carlos have been to the World before, but it might be nice for your future inlaws to get to see the Magic Kingdom that evening (even if it's from outside the entrance) and then get the experience of riding up front of the Monorail? If you think that DTD will be more than enough that first day, plus it appears that you will have more time there, than we did, so you might want to wait to request to ride up front of the monorail another time during your trip??

Wow, this is an AWESOME idea! Last year I really wanted to ride the monorail, but we didn't find time to fit it in. I think you're right; seeing Magic Kingdom the very first night were there from the Monorail will really set the tone for the whole trip! This is a fabulous idea, thank you so so so much!!!! And....is it childish for me to want that pilot's license??? lol It's for the scrapbook, I swear!

Waiting to hear more.......sounds like you are getting everything in order for a fun trip.

I'm excited to start getting details finalized and as I do, will DEFINITELY be posting them on here!!!! 136 days to go!!!!

 

[Blesseddaddy]

Hey Cathie,

Just something for you to think about.....though we did our up front Monorail trip that first night and it was "Magical" and it turned out to be a great start to our week!! I notice you are going to be there longer than we were, so you may find time during your extended stay, that I didn't think we would. Anyway, we rode the monorail a couple of other times during that week, because we park hopped. I don't know if y'all are getting hoppers, but if you are and you have a split day between MK and Epcot.....you could go and request to ride up front then, without having to intentionally leave the park to do it, if you don't get around to it on that first night. We even on one trip took the boat over from the TTC after leaving Epcot for the MK on the monorail. Just so we could say we did that too!!

No, it's not childish (of course I reckon Disney brings the kid in all of us out!! ), anyway, they are sort of cute and would be great for a scrapbook!! They say if you ask the bus drivers for trading cards they will give them to you as well. However, anytime my two girls would ask, the particular driver wouldn't have any???? My girls eventually quit asking. Though, the drivers were really nice about it and did seem to know what we were talking about at least......so you may be able to pickup a few of those as well??????