PrincessV
DIS Legend
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2006
- Messages
- 14,311
Bravo doesnt know what its missing. 
Hi there! And welcome to the oftentimes funny, sometimes sad, occasionally dramatic and always Fuzzy adventures that were our summer vacation to Walt Disney World. This was our longest trip yet a whopping 10 days. Was it enough? Too much of a good thing? Just right? Keep reading and find out!
Ill say this: there were many, many surprises. Also, many smiles, laughs, and tears. And I cant wait to share them all with you.
But first, youd probably like to know just who we is. Right?
(If you read my pre-trip report, feel free to skip this part. Unless you need a refresher. Or are bored and in need of diversion.)
V hi, thats me.
I first visited WDW in the late 70s while spending the summer with my dad, who lived in Florida. We returned for another visit sometime in the 80s and that was it until I moved to Florida for college. I spent a good amount of time with The Mouse then, and experienced Epcot for the first time. To say I was smitten would be a gross understatement; I fell head over heels in love with the place! I briefly moved back to NY before making FL my permanent home some 17 years ago. And that was that WDW quickly became my primary vacation spot.
In the early days, when money was tight, my WDW vacations consisted of many, many day trips. Yes, Im lucky enough to live within two hours of The Happiest Place on Earth. As jobs became careers and I was able to expand those day trips into, first, long weekends, and, later, into 5 6 night trips, I began to experience WDW as so many others do as a true resort vacation.
But Ill caution this: Im still a FL resident. Which means that we take the good with the bad when it comes to the theme parks in our state. There are a lot of folks who despise Disney and how it almost single-handedly morphed a sleepy, rural Central Florida based on agriculture into tourism central. I get it. I absolutely sympathize with those folks. For generations, their families worked the land to produce the best citrus on the planet; its had to be incredibly frustrating to watch that land be eaten up by hotels, souvenir shops, restaurants, and yes theme parks.
At the same time, WDWs presence, along with that of Sea World, Universal, Gatorland, Dinosaur World and the like, has provided the state with countless jobs, an incredible influx of money, and an economic base thats been able to weather most any type of storm. (NO Bernie Madoff, Goldman Sachs, Hurricane Charley. Or not.)
So I admit, my view of WDW isnt seen through rose-colored glasses. Ive derided the Mickey Regime for more than a few moronic decisions. And Ive cheered the Suits Behind the Cheese for making good on ol Walts vision. As you read along, youll no doubt hear me express some angst, even as I applaud the many terrific experiences WDW brings my way. Like I said we take the good with the bad down here. But we keep going back.
Leo my eight-year-old son.
Poor Leo never had a choice; he was born into the Disney life. When he came along, Id only just begun to get my toes wet in the Disney resort experience. His dad and I had taken a few long weekends at WDW before he was born, and that continued with Leo for the first few years of his life. Thus far, all but a couple of his birthdays have been spent at WDW. Hes done the day trips, the long weekends, and, in more recent years, the extended, week or more long vacations. Leo can map most of The World without assistance. Trust me when he says turn right here to get to the nearest ladies room, I listen.
Are you wondering if so much Disney time may have gone to his head? Ive wondered the same. And I think I can honestly answer no. I havent the faintest idea what Ive done to encourage it, but he does seem appropriately thankful for our times there. Which isnt to say hes not a typical young boy; not a chance. Weve had our fair share of Disney meltdowns: nasty faces over riding what someone else wants to ride, a sullen mood thanks to not getting that $85 Transformer from the Japan pavilion, tears, tears and more tears over dining choices (actually, Im with him on that one). Yep, weve had all that and more. Remember taking the good with the bad? Well, that goes for bringing your child to Disney world, too. Trust V.
That covers our immediate traveling group. But we were not alone. Oh no, not at all.
Its become something of a summer tradition to gather our wonderful family of friends met right here on the DIS at WDW. Four of us DIS ladies worked long and hard to pull together not just our individual family trip plans, but also many group activities and meals. Please, allow me to introduce my cohorts:
From left to right: V, Lauralee, Tracy and Kate.
Lauralee (or LL for short) comes with: her husband Tony and son Michael (Leos age and frequent partner-in-crime for many years now!)
Tracy (or T for short) comes with: her husband Andy, daughter Maddie (Leos and Michaels age and - poor thing - the lone girl!), and son Evan (close enough in age to hang with the big kids now!)
Kate (AKA SharkB8) comes with: her husband Mr. SharkB8, their son Bite 1 (the best-mannered teenager on earth, Im pretty sure), another son Bite 2 (enough older than Leo, Michael and Maddie to be considered cool! but young enough to think hanging with them is still fun), and third son Bite 3 (just a year shy of Leo, Michael and Maddie and a year older than Evan hes right in there, loving every minute of it!)
About the title. I confess; I love watching the stupid Real Housewives shows on Bravo. You think your life is dramatic and annoying? Spend some time with these ladies.
Ive thought for some time that we would make a fun group for Bravos next iteration of Housewives, but we all live in different cities. We do, however, come together frequently at WDW. Frequently enough that Im sure Bravo could get a seasons worth of footage from our trips!
Weve got it all: lots of kids, lots of outfits, lots of adventures, lots of fun and lots of love. And, as LL pointed out last week, we collectively have less debt than a single NJ Housewife! Heh heh.
So there we are. The Real Housewives of WDW. Ready for our crazy take on Disney World? Here we go!
Psst... if you have a hankering to read about what went into planning this trip, you can find the pre-trip report here: Saturday in the Park
Hi there! And welcome to the oftentimes funny, sometimes sad, occasionally dramatic and always Fuzzy adventures that were our summer vacation to Walt Disney World. This was our longest trip yet a whopping 10 days. Was it enough? Too much of a good thing? Just right? Keep reading and find out!
Ill say this: there were many, many surprises. Also, many smiles, laughs, and tears. And I cant wait to share them all with you.
But first, youd probably like to know just who we is. Right?
(If you read my pre-trip report, feel free to skip this part. Unless you need a refresher. Or are bored and in need of diversion.)
V hi, thats me.
I first visited WDW in the late 70s while spending the summer with my dad, who lived in Florida. We returned for another visit sometime in the 80s and that was it until I moved to Florida for college. I spent a good amount of time with The Mouse then, and experienced Epcot for the first time. To say I was smitten would be a gross understatement; I fell head over heels in love with the place! I briefly moved back to NY before making FL my permanent home some 17 years ago. And that was that WDW quickly became my primary vacation spot.
In the early days, when money was tight, my WDW vacations consisted of many, many day trips. Yes, Im lucky enough to live within two hours of The Happiest Place on Earth. As jobs became careers and I was able to expand those day trips into, first, long weekends, and, later, into 5 6 night trips, I began to experience WDW as so many others do as a true resort vacation.
But Ill caution this: Im still a FL resident. Which means that we take the good with the bad when it comes to the theme parks in our state. There are a lot of folks who despise Disney and how it almost single-handedly morphed a sleepy, rural Central Florida based on agriculture into tourism central. I get it. I absolutely sympathize with those folks. For generations, their families worked the land to produce the best citrus on the planet; its had to be incredibly frustrating to watch that land be eaten up by hotels, souvenir shops, restaurants, and yes theme parks.
At the same time, WDWs presence, along with that of Sea World, Universal, Gatorland, Dinosaur World and the like, has provided the state with countless jobs, an incredible influx of money, and an economic base thats been able to weather most any type of storm. (NO Bernie Madoff, Goldman Sachs, Hurricane Charley. Or not.)
So I admit, my view of WDW isnt seen through rose-colored glasses. Ive derided the Mickey Regime for more than a few moronic decisions. And Ive cheered the Suits Behind the Cheese for making good on ol Walts vision. As you read along, youll no doubt hear me express some angst, even as I applaud the many terrific experiences WDW brings my way. Like I said we take the good with the bad down here. But we keep going back.
Leo my eight-year-old son.
Poor Leo never had a choice; he was born into the Disney life. When he came along, Id only just begun to get my toes wet in the Disney resort experience. His dad and I had taken a few long weekends at WDW before he was born, and that continued with Leo for the first few years of his life. Thus far, all but a couple of his birthdays have been spent at WDW. Hes done the day trips, the long weekends, and, in more recent years, the extended, week or more long vacations. Leo can map most of The World without assistance. Trust me when he says turn right here to get to the nearest ladies room, I listen.
Are you wondering if so much Disney time may have gone to his head? Ive wondered the same. And I think I can honestly answer no. I havent the faintest idea what Ive done to encourage it, but he does seem appropriately thankful for our times there. Which isnt to say hes not a typical young boy; not a chance. Weve had our fair share of Disney meltdowns: nasty faces over riding what someone else wants to ride, a sullen mood thanks to not getting that $85 Transformer from the Japan pavilion, tears, tears and more tears over dining choices (actually, Im with him on that one). Yep, weve had all that and more. Remember taking the good with the bad? Well, that goes for bringing your child to Disney world, too. Trust V.
That covers our immediate traveling group. But we were not alone. Oh no, not at all.
Its become something of a summer tradition to gather our wonderful family of friends met right here on the DIS at WDW. Four of us DIS ladies worked long and hard to pull together not just our individual family trip plans, but also many group activities and meals. Please, allow me to introduce my cohorts:
From left to right: V, Lauralee, Tracy and Kate.
Lauralee (or LL for short) comes with: her husband Tony and son Michael (Leos age and frequent partner-in-crime for many years now!)
Tracy (or T for short) comes with: her husband Andy, daughter Maddie (Leos and Michaels age and - poor thing - the lone girl!), and son Evan (close enough in age to hang with the big kids now!)
Kate (AKA SharkB8) comes with: her husband Mr. SharkB8, their son Bite 1 (the best-mannered teenager on earth, Im pretty sure), another son Bite 2 (enough older than Leo, Michael and Maddie to be considered cool! but young enough to think hanging with them is still fun), and third son Bite 3 (just a year shy of Leo, Michael and Maddie and a year older than Evan hes right in there, loving every minute of it!)
About the title. I confess; I love watching the stupid Real Housewives shows on Bravo. You think your life is dramatic and annoying? Spend some time with these ladies.
Ive thought for some time that we would make a fun group for Bravos next iteration of Housewives, but we all live in different cities. We do, however, come together frequently at WDW. Frequently enough that Im sure Bravo could get a seasons worth of footage from our trips!
Weve got it all: lots of kids, lots of outfits, lots of adventures, lots of fun and lots of love. And, as LL pointed out last week, we collectively have less debt than a single NJ Housewife! Heh heh.
So there we are. The Real Housewives of WDW. Ready for our crazy take on Disney World? Here we go!
Psst... if you have a hankering to read about what went into planning this trip, you can find the pre-trip report here: Saturday in the Park
Super excited!!! Now I have even MORE reasons not to update my own Trip Report.... I'm too busy reading everyone else's. (And loving every word!)
This sounds like fun. Can't wait to get home & start reading!!
