We really are going again . . .

[angeleigh]

I guess since I sent the final payment today I can do a pretrip report.
How this trip came about is a story in it self. Last years trip was suppose to be a go all out trip. We did everything. I wish I would have done a trip report then but I didn't. Anyway back to this report.
My dh said that we would not be going on another Disney trip for another couple of years so we were all ok with that.
In the end of January my mom passed away. The day a came back from making her funeral arrangements my dd 9 brought in the mail and says "I got a coupon to save 30% can I go?" My first response was no honey I don't have any money to go anywhere today. Well a couple of hours went by and I found her coupon. It was a postcard from Mickey with a pin code. I wasn't really in the Disney spirit so she showed it to my dh who began planning a trip for the kids and I. A budget trip. Stay at a value and get the dining plan. Me and 3 of the 4 kids because he was sure the oldest was Disneyed out like him. Well being the numbers guy that he is he realizes that you don't save as much when you book a value as when you book a deluxe. (you don't spend as much either) Anyway so he doesn't book anything. My ds 3 has wanted to return to disney since the day we left last summer. One night the two of them are looking at Disney resorts online. My son decides that when he goes to Mickey Mouse's house he would like to stay with the Animals. So it is decided AKL it is. My dh can not just make a decision and stick with it. Much research is needed. After much research he decides that he does not want to get a parking lot view so he must book Savannah. We have to book two rooms because we have 5 people. I suggest staying at a resort where 5 can sleep in one room. He quickly reminds me there are no animals at those resorts. So he books two rooms at AKL and because he loves to eat at nice places he books the deluxe dining plan. I am having sticker shock at the whole plan. I begin telling him that I really hate to pay for an extra room for just one person. He tells me that that was taken care of there now will be 3 people in the other room. Dd 15 decided to come and because there is two more spots to fill he allowed her to bring a friend. Now comes the soap opera portion.
DD 15 is actually one of my two wedding gifts from my dh and his exwife. She lived with us from the time she was 4 until 12 when she moved in with mom. The friend that she chose to bring is actually the niece of her step father. We have never met her or her mother. I am not going to lie I was a little shall I say upset. But the show must go on because we are going to Disney.
Well when my dh calls to change the reservation he checks into how much it would be to upgrade to club level.

My thoughts will it ever end . . .

 

[angeleigh]

Since I already began discussing how the trip came about I will add the details.

AKL Aug 17-24

Me - Angel - Can't get enough of Disney. First traveled in 2005 and have been every year since.

Dh- Ben- Spent his first honeymoon in disney. Isn't a huge fan but is starting to turn around.

DD 15 Cassandra- Will turn 16 while we are there. Is a princess and knows it. Loves to surprise us with new hair colors and most recently a pierced nose.

DDF - Cassandra's friend/cousin. Don't know much about her yet.

DD 12- Sahara - Loves Disney and all the thrill rides.

DD 9 Danielle- Loves to search for hidden mickey's. No longer into princesses But loves Mickey Mouse.

DS 3 Donovan- Loves everything disney. Lightening McQueen is the latest favorite with Woody as a runner up. Can't wait to get to Mickey Mouses house.

Well we had all of our ADR's made before dh decided we were adding to our travel party. We got all the hard to gets that we wanted. Cinderella's Royal Table, Le Cellier, Chef Mickey's. Well dh increased the travel party so he was responsible to fix the ADRs. One call to the conseirge at AKL and he was out of the dog house. He was able to fix them all.

Then we have another crisis. My dh's mother was diagnosed with Cancer. She began chemo. Had one treatment. She was doing really well (not real sick from treatment). About a week from her first treatment she got very ill. They had discovered that she developed an infection. She went into a coma. We traveled across 4 states and she passed away as we were pulling into the parking lot of the hospital. This all happened 6 weeks after my own mother passed away. (the day my mom passed my husband pulled into the parking lot of that hospital as she took her last breath). This was a very difficult time for all of us. My youngest dd did not travel with us because it was Easter and she was having a very difficult time with the death of my mother. The older girls took it extremely hard and my dh was devistated. I was just shocked I think.
My mil had not life insurance and my inlaws had no savings. My dh and I had to use our savings to cover funeral expenses. My children now were without both of their grandmothers. My heart ached for them. I was fortunate enough to have a great grandmother as well as two grandmothers until I was an adult. I had no idea how they were feeling.

 

[angeleigh]

We had everything planned. Booked a sunrise Safari, all ADRs booked. Then we stopped everything.
A trip to Disney was the last thing that we were thinking about. We still did not have flights and we had tossed around the idea of driving down but with the increased number that was no longer an option.
We decided that we had time to wait and see how things looked in a couple of months. The children were excited about going but we just weren't sure we could do it.
In April dd8, ds 3 and I went to Orlando to spend a week with my aunt. We had left over park tickets so we treated my aunt and cousin to a trip to Magic Kingdom. It was fun but was not the same as having the whole family in Disney.
May came and we still were not sure if we were going. We did not share this with the kids just yet. They really didn't need anymore disappointments.
Well lucky for us things started looking up. We were able to get good prices on airfare so we booked flights at the end of May. I still was not convinced that the trip was still on. We still hadn't finished paying off the trip and dh still hadn't given a definate answer as to whether or not we were going.
I talked to him about cutting somethings out. Changing resorts. Doing a split stay. Everything. He wanted none of that. So we wait.