Are you an obsessive over packer? Do you start checking the weather report a month before your trip? Do you make extensive lists and then revise them repeatedly? Is your suitcase always the one with the sticker saying "heavy" on it? If you answered yes to any of these questions then you're just like me.
It's funny, but I think the most difficult part of planning this trip was deciding what to pack. I know that sounds insane but the problem started with the weather on my previous trip which was the first week of December 06. I remember being really cold the entire time. The weather reports this time were all over the place so I had to keep changing my lists. In the end they were predicting that this trip would be even colder than the last, so I brought all the winter clothes I could possibly shove into one suitcase! As luck would have it, it turned out to be much warmer. So there I was with multiple wool sweaters, jackets, hats, scarves, gloves, boots, and not even one short-sleeved shirt! YAY! Before getting into all the details though, I should include a brief Disney history since Ive never written a trip report before. (I would love to hear comments and suggestions if youre reading).
My Disney History:
My first trip was with my parents when I was 9. We stayed off-site and only went to MK for two days during that week. I don't remember many details but I do remember loving The Haunted Mansion (my Dad tried desperately to get the CMs to smile but they just wouldn't crack! I was also completely amazed at the hitchhiking ghosts), Pirates (that hairy leg hanging over the bridge always stuck in my mind) and 20000 Leagues (I really thought we were sinking and in danger! I was such a nerd). I was also afraid to go on Space Mountain. I blame that on a bad first experience with a giant wooden coaster in the rain a few months earlier. I had to be dragged onto Big Thunder Mountain, which was actually a lot of fun and nothing like that horrible wooden coaster. (This fear was cured a few years later whe I became a thrill ride junkie). I dont have many pictures from that trip that I can actually find, but I know people love old park photos so Im going out on a limb by posting a very unflattering one:
removed
Things to note about this picture:
The lack of order around the characters, no lines back then
The giant park passport tied to my belt
The retro Disney World logo on the bag the lady behind me is carrying!
Please excuse the following things:
1) The Mickey ears that quite obviously didnt fit. They were a gift so I wore them anyways. I remember trying to shove them onto my head constantly, but they would just pop back up .
2) The horrible look on my face as I squint in the sun. I guess sunglasses hadnt been invented yet?
3) The socks with sandals! I take absolutely no responsibility for this. My Mom chose my clothes back then and she didnt want me complaining about blisters. I realize I was probably too old for her to be doing that but I just had no interest in choosing my own clothes so I just didnt bother with it.
My parents had fun at Disney but they weren't really into it. I think they felt obligated to take me on one trip and then never really wanted to go back. We did eventually return several years later for my younger sister's "one" trip. We went to MGM and Universal as well. We never did get to EPCOT. For some reason my parents didnt pull my sister out of school for a pleasant off season trip. We went in August this time, and we waited in lines, lines and more lines. I remember a two hour wait for Back to the Future! Aaahhh!! I know this is going to sound like blaspheme on the DIS but I liked Universal better than Disney at the time (I know, I know, but it was the ride junkie in me that made me feel that way). I dont have pictures scanned from that trip so just imagine a hippie-ish teen with an oversized Lollapalooza t-shirt and a really cute little girl wearing Minnie Mouse ears posing with some Mutant Ninja Turtles at MGM. (At least I think it was MGM).
The Disney love didn't start until I moved to California. I started going to Disneyland with my husband (then boyfriend) about once a month. I guess I drank the kool-aid as they say. I used to go to parks just for the extreme thrill rides but somehow Disneyland was different. I learned to appreciate all the other things that make the place great. We had very flexible jobs so we could take week-days off to go to the park, and in the off season those days were empty. That's when I became extremely spoiled. I tend to get cranky if there are too many people around. Its not so much about waiting in lines, its more about not being able to navigate the pathways if its busy.
A few pictures of my sister and I at DL since I cant get one from our 90s trip:
removed
My husband and I have taken two week-long trips to Disney World, one in October 05, and the other in December 06. Ill probably mention them a little in this TR, so I wont talk about them now.
Next up: Our current trip, my husband and I with an occasional appearance by his parents. One week at the Polynesian, 6-day Park Hoppers and no meal plan!
It's funny, but I think the most difficult part of planning this trip was deciding what to pack. I know that sounds insane but the problem started with the weather on my previous trip which was the first week of December 06. I remember being really cold the entire time. The weather reports this time were all over the place so I had to keep changing my lists. In the end they were predicting that this trip would be even colder than the last, so I brought all the winter clothes I could possibly shove into one suitcase! As luck would have it, it turned out to be much warmer. So there I was with multiple wool sweaters, jackets, hats, scarves, gloves, boots, and not even one short-sleeved shirt! YAY! Before getting into all the details though, I should include a brief Disney history since Ive never written a trip report before. (I would love to hear comments and suggestions if youre reading).
My Disney History:
My first trip was with my parents when I was 9. We stayed off-site and only went to MK for two days during that week. I don't remember many details but I do remember loving The Haunted Mansion (my Dad tried desperately to get the CMs to smile but they just wouldn't crack! I was also completely amazed at the hitchhiking ghosts), Pirates (that hairy leg hanging over the bridge always stuck in my mind) and 20000 Leagues (I really thought we were sinking and in danger! I was such a nerd). I was also afraid to go on Space Mountain. I blame that on a bad first experience with a giant wooden coaster in the rain a few months earlier. I had to be dragged onto Big Thunder Mountain, which was actually a lot of fun and nothing like that horrible wooden coaster. (This fear was cured a few years later whe I became a thrill ride junkie). I dont have many pictures from that trip that I can actually find, but I know people love old park photos so Im going out on a limb by posting a very unflattering one:
removed
Things to note about this picture:
The lack of order around the characters, no lines back then
The giant park passport tied to my belt
The retro Disney World logo on the bag the lady behind me is carrying!
Please excuse the following things:
1) The Mickey ears that quite obviously didnt fit. They were a gift so I wore them anyways. I remember trying to shove them onto my head constantly, but they would just pop back up .
2) The horrible look on my face as I squint in the sun. I guess sunglasses hadnt been invented yet?
3) The socks with sandals! I take absolutely no responsibility for this. My Mom chose my clothes back then and she didnt want me complaining about blisters. I realize I was probably too old for her to be doing that but I just had no interest in choosing my own clothes so I just didnt bother with it.
My parents had fun at Disney but they weren't really into it. I think they felt obligated to take me on one trip and then never really wanted to go back. We did eventually return several years later for my younger sister's "one" trip. We went to MGM and Universal as well. We never did get to EPCOT. For some reason my parents didnt pull my sister out of school for a pleasant off season trip. We went in August this time, and we waited in lines, lines and more lines. I remember a two hour wait for Back to the Future! Aaahhh!! I know this is going to sound like blaspheme on the DIS but I liked Universal better than Disney at the time (I know, I know, but it was the ride junkie in me that made me feel that way). I dont have pictures scanned from that trip so just imagine a hippie-ish teen with an oversized Lollapalooza t-shirt and a really cute little girl wearing Minnie Mouse ears posing with some Mutant Ninja Turtles at MGM. (At least I think it was MGM).
The Disney love didn't start until I moved to California. I started going to Disneyland with my husband (then boyfriend) about once a month. I guess I drank the kool-aid as they say. I used to go to parks just for the extreme thrill rides but somehow Disneyland was different. I learned to appreciate all the other things that make the place great. We had very flexible jobs so we could take week-days off to go to the park, and in the off season those days were empty. That's when I became extremely spoiled. I tend to get cranky if there are too many people around. Its not so much about waiting in lines, its more about not being able to navigate the pathways if its busy.
A few pictures of my sister and I at DL since I cant get one from our 90s trip:
removed
My husband and I have taken two week-long trips to Disney World, one in October 05, and the other in December 06. Ill probably mention them a little in this TR, so I wont talk about them now.
Next up: Our current trip, my husband and I with an occasional appearance by his parents. One week at the Polynesian, 6-day Park Hoppers and no meal plan!
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