PTR: A Year of Magic at Walt Disney World, Part One

[MickeyMomTo2]

I have been on the DIS for several years, and I have read many trip reports, but I have never done any kind of trip report of my own. This year, I decided to change that!

As a family, we have been to Disney World every year since 2004, except 2005 after my daughter was born and 2006 when we went to Disneyland. Our last trip was December 2009. After that trip, we decided to do something different in 2010 and go to Chicago and the beach. Well, we did go to both of those places, but we just can't stay away from WDW!

In July, my husband called me and said, "Why don't we go for free dining in November, and then we can upgrade the tickets to annual passes and go several times in 2011." I said, "Are you kidding?" Although my husband enjoys our trips, the kids and I are the real Disney nuts, so I was thrilled, but shocked.

I looked into the available November dates. Unfortunately, the only dates available in November coincide with a work trip that my husband can't change (he didn't realize this when he suggested the trip). Rather than not go, he suggested that the kids and I go in November, and then he will join us on the next trip.

We plan to arrive for our free dining package Nov.12 and depart on the 18th. At the end of the trip, we will upgrade our tickets to AP's. Then, we will go back in March, end of May, early August, and next October (the March, May and August trips will be when school is out b/c we are missing school in November). I will also go back in February with a college friend to do the Princess Half-Marathon. HOORAY!!!!!

Because this pre-trip report will cover our November trip, I am calling it Part One. I hope to do more reports for each trip to cover our entire year. What a magical year it will be!

Stay tuned for the cast of characters and our plans!

Table of Contents:
Introduction (post #1)
Cast of Characters (post #2)

 

[MickeyMomTo2]

Here is the cast of characters:

DH - Although won't really be with us on the November trip, I have to include him in our lineup. On our first Disney trip, he thought he was going to have a horrible time. Now, he is the one suggesting annual passes. He's come a long way.

Me - I went to Disney several times as a child, but I didn't become the addict I am today until we took our son at age 2. I am now hooked, and I love helping friends plan trips so they can love Disney World as much as I do.

DS (8) - My son is in third grade and is a sports-loving boy who enjoys planning trips with me. He is my analytical, logical kid, so he likes to read guidebooks and map out itineraries. He is a boy after his momma's heart. His favorite rides are Toy Story Mania and Expedition Everest.

DD (6) - My daughter is in kindergarten and is still all about princesses. Her favorite is Belle, but Ariel ranks right up there. Even though she is still young (she's technically still five, but I listed her as 6 b/c her birthday is 10/26), she enjoys adventure, and her favorite rides are Tower of Terror and Expedition Everest.

I am a stay-at-home mom, so I am used to having my kids by myself. However, this will be my first week-long trip with the kids. We will miss having Dad with us, but I think the kids are old enough now. My DD will be a little shy of 48", which eliminates Rock-N-Roller Coaster and Primeval Whirl. The good news is that my DS has never ridden RNR b/c he doesn't want to go upside down, so the height restrictions shouldn't be an issue on this trip.

What will be an issue is going along with what others want to do. In the past, we could divide an conquer. This time, we will have to be nice and go along with what our brother or sister wants to do. We are already discussing this, and I think we'll be (mostly) fine!

Stay tuned for our itinerary!

 

[lisah0711]

Hi Lauren! Subscribing to your PTR. I like how you manage to work that INCREDIBLES thing into your intro. It will be fun to see you at the Princess!

 

[MickeyMomTo2]

Hi Lauren! Subscribing to your PTR. I like how you manage to work that INCREDIBLES thing into your intro. It will be fun to see you at the Princess!

Thanks for following along!

 

[MickeyMomTo2]

We've started our official countdown. For each trip, I try to come up with a fun way for the kids to know how many days until we leave. This year, I made a "chain" out of Mickey heads. The kids take turns removing the bottom Mickey head until we get to the top. They are numbered with the days of the month, so this morning, my DS took off the one at the bottom with a 20 on it. I always make sure there is an even number of whatever we use to countdown. That way, one person gets to remove the first, and the other person gets to remove the last.

November 12th isn't too far away!