The Not-So-Surprise Disney Trip

[panek9995]

Well, let me start by introducing the cast for this trip.
There is me , Amy, mom to three wonderful yet exhausting boys. I am the only girl in this household so I'll warn you that though I love the Princesses, they will not be on the top of list of faves to see. I am also the offical trip planner, coordinator, self-obsessed Disney expert.
Next up is DH ,Jeff, dad who I have to proudly say is just as excited about this trip as the rest of us. No grumps here.
The eldest child, Tyler is 9 (will be 10 by the time the trip starts) is my gifted, artsy child. He is not into sports but their isn't a video game out there that he doesn't love. He is my child who enjoys acting, singing and all the artsy stuff-just like his mom.
The middle child, Owen is 7 and a RED HEAD! Doesn't that pretty much sum him up. He is the one that we joke about and say "he is our ticket to Sainthood." He is definitely a challenge. He is the opposite of DS#1. He loves sports and is very competative. He plays rough and hard and then crashes afterwards. I can pretty much guarantee that he will be the first one asleep each night.
The youngest child, Andrew is 3 and my angel-baby. He learns all the wonderful things from his brothers (insert sarcasm) here. This is his first trip to Disney and he is very excited to see BEAR at MGM! I have tried to tell him that there is so much more but he has a one track mind. His new favorite video is the Disney planning video that came in the mail.
Next up, the idea begins

 

[panek9995]

I must say that I think the planning for this trip began in December before Christmas. We thought that it would be neat to surprise the kids with a trip to Disney during their April vacation. Well, if anyone knows me, they will know how hard it will be for me to keep this secret. So for Christmas we decided to have Santa leave the boys a clue as to what their surprise was but not really tell them it was a clue. Santa left the boys tickets to go see "A 100 Years of Disney" Disney on Ice at a nearby arena. The tickets were for Jan. 6th. We also left them little jars that said on them "Save Now for Something Special Later." Of course, my oldest is pretty smart and already started to assume what the jars were for. Me. I just denied everything and in my free time began planning. The first thing was to check with my parents as to if their timeshare at Sheraton Vistana Villages was available. Woohoo-it is! Free accomodations thanks to mom and dad and something plenty big enough for a family of five. We had stayed there probably 5 or so years ago and loved it. The suite has two bedrooms, kitchen, familyroom, 2 baths, washer/dryer-it's perfect. And since we plan on driving we don't have to pack tons of clothes cause we can do wash. I also figured the kitchen would be a huge bonus and mean we could save money by eating in the room. Yeah right....I want those character meals!!! I'm on vacation here. Do I really think I am going to want to cook? LOL Everything is beginning to come together! But what about those meals I want. I know that I have missed the ADR date by a lot but I figure I'll give it a try. Next up... The Surprise Is Revealed.

 

[4boysrus]

HI AMY!!

can't wait to read your pre-trip report!