It might be a bit early, but following Robyn's precedent I have decided to start posting my pre-trip report after all.
Be warned this is long, longer than I planned as I messed up a page and had to overwrite it, so get yourself a hot drink and a cookie and settle down.....
This is us on our last WDW trip
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This year's trip has been over 2years in the planning already, since we came back from our 2011 trip and still just under 9months to go. It has already changed quite a lot, the original plan included Anaheim, then I had to drop that but put in 3nts in NYC, but then once it got to booking flights and accommodation I had to drop that too and so now a measly 36nts in Orlando.
How did it end up so long you ask, well originally it was 3wks, that's our minimum trip, one week before October half term, then the week of the holiday and another week after. Then I looked at flights and midweek was cheaper, and so decided to fly out a few days earlier and stay a few days later, the flight savings would cover the extra accommodation costs. Also that meant that we could take in Hallowe'en and the start of Christmas. But then I realised that SW starts it's Christmas the weekend before Thanksgiving the last two years and want to see that, so I added another week. Iain got confirmation just after Christmas that he had got his leave, after a lot of messing about. He gets 7wks holiday a year, but 5 of those are preset weeks, so we actually know his holidays for the next 10 years, but he is allowed to arrange his own swaps, so we looked up who had the other weeks and he has given away his week off in March and 2 weeks August to get a 4wk block, but then thanks to his shift pattern, his days off the first week and last week mean he doesn't need any leave to get the 5th week.
However, even though we have a full 36 days and nights in Florida, looking at my provisional plan, I still can't fit in everything we want to do and there are only 2 half days rest! We tend to do our vacations very full on, we don't really enjoy typical relaxation, I need to be busy to stop my brain going into overdrive. Because of that, and spending most of our time wrangling 3 children, we don't take enough photos, so unlike Robyn's trippies, mine might be a bit deficient in photos at times, specially with food as it's normally half gone before I manage to take a picture! I do do a plan, but once Iain and Charlotte get in a park I cannot get them out! We had plans for various non park afternoons, but I could not get them off the rides, maybe laminating the plan this time might work?
This will be our 4th and last ever family trip to Florida/East Coast and it will be our last trip to the US for many years due to restrictions of school holidays once our eldest daughter starts at Grammar School in 2015 (only 4wks in the summer, boooo). I have no desire to pay summer prices, to deal with summer heat or crowds at WDW (or anywhere else for that matter). Don't worry our East Coast trip for my 50th already has a provisional itinerary, between this year's trip and that one we will be limited to budget European holidays, probably in a tent in a farmer's field somewhere.
I am pretty new to this forum so you don't know much about me or my family, so I will get on with the introductions....
The Cast
Me, Karen " 40 something stay at home mum and planner extroadinaire, be it holidays or parties. Sad to say I think I sometimes enjoy the research and planning more than being there!
My first visit to WDW was in 1988 when I was 18yrs old with my parents and younger brother. Despite being embarassed by my mother's childish behaviour (which I might be guilty of these days) I loved it, what got me hooked is the attention to detail in the theming, and it still does to this day. We did a backstage tour back in 1988 and it really I would have loved to be an Imagineer, Iike Robyn's husband, I love knowing the back story and watching all the behind the scenes programmes, for instance on how they designed and built Expedition Everest. My degree was in Mechanical Engineering and my dream was to design animatronics or rollercoasters. Needless to say that didn't work out and I ended up in IT Consultancy/Project Management in Petrochemicals. When our eldest was 2yrs old I convinced a reluctant husband to have a free long weekend in DLP, using all my points from work travel and subsequent to that our first family WDW trip was in May 2008, booked a package and off we went with little knowledge or planning. Since then I have planned a little more each trip, and each time it has paid off as I have managed to save money and get more out of our trips. Since leaving my high flying career behind in 2008 we have had 2 more children and I am now a stay at home mum, filling my time with voluntary roles and community work until I find a new career. I was born in Scotland, grew up in Yorkshire and had a Jewish Grandad, I like my luxuries in life but will move mountains trying to save money on them, I am a UK couponer extreme! I am a lover of all things related to spreadsheets and something of a control freak, hence I don't like surprises. I also have a wealth of willpower, so I will not falter on my diet (21lbs to go) or my savings plan for this trip (still a few PS1000 to save by October)!
Iain " my train driving husband, he is also now in his 40s. We met back in 1996, when we met he was a 'chef' in a gastropub on Salford Quays and I was a barmaid/waitress in the attached cocktail bar. Back then, he had never flown or been outside the UK at all. Shortly after we met I got a job with a US company and his first ever flight was to visit me for 2wks in Bethesda, DC, where I proposed to him in Clydes Restaurant (over a medium rare calves liver and a nice Chianti). The year after we were married I made him go on holiday to Turkey, he was dreading it, but under duress he actually enjoyed it. He can be a stick in the mud and has to be made to try new things " he's ordered the same thing from the Chinese for at least 16yrs.. He was very reluctant to visit DLP back in 2006 but loved it, he didn't want to go camping but I booked us camping (without his knowledge) in June 2012, guess what, he loved it! He insists he will hate cruising, but we are booked on a 4nt DCL in November and I bet he loves that too! The reason he loves our WDW trips is for the parks and the rides, he would happily never meet a character or watch a parade, he just wants to get on as many rides as possible, though he does like the Disney shows. His favourite ride in Orlando is Kraken. Iain works to a rule of vicarious liability, if he plans nothing he can be blamed for nothing. I am not leaving him in charge of anything this trip, last trip he was in charge of phones - but he messed up and they didn't work so we couldn't split up all trip, this time he just has to help with the cases. He does like to rubber stamp my plans but I do tend to sneak in a few surprises. He has a huge collection of Grumpy and irate Donald duck tshirts, which fit his character perfectly. He likes his beer, he goes out for 12hrs at a time with his mates on tours of real ale pubs here in the UK but so far he isn't keen on US beer. but hoping he might like some of the microbrewery ales this trip. He also likes his food, and has a complete and utter lack of willpower when it comes to dieting. He is a huge Man Vs Food fan so I am searching out independent restaurants this trip to hopefully appease him when he sees some of the other things I have in store!
This is the only picture I could find of us without the kids...
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Charlotte " Tink, our 9yr old feisty fairy and adrenalin freak, she takes after her dad in many ways and has to ride every mountain in MK several times a day! Her first big coaster was Scorpion, because she is little we made a special trip to Busch Gardens in 2009 as it was the only one she was tall enough for. Her favourite ride now is SM2 at DLP which she got on for the first time in December just gone. She is also very bright and will just have done her 11+ exams to go to Grammar School before we depart, hopefully we'll find out before going if she's passed as we will have to do her school choices online from Florida. She is also very active, into drama, dancing, singing, plays clarinet (very well), and swimming. Unfortunately she also has an artistic temperament! Charlotte likes to get involved in the planning, of the fun things and she is responsible for picking our MNSSHP costumes and helping me make them, as well as door decorations for the cruise and FE gifts etc. Her favourite character varies, as well as Tink she likes Rapunzel and Minnie, though is pretending to be too old for them now, and is more into 1D! Her favourite film at the moment is Frozen, we often hear her singing along to Let It Go or Do You Want to Build a Snowman in her bedroom. Like me she is also a big fan of Harry Potter so is excited to see the developments at WWoHP this trip.
This is Charlotte working the lighting board in Studio 1 at WDS in Paris
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Archie " our 4yr old Hugglemonster is a character lover and parades, every time he runs into Goofy I wince, I really hope they have some protection inside those costumes as his head is just at groin height, we have many photos of Archie engulfed in the folds of some of the more cuddly characters like Chip and Dale or WTP. He loves watching parades on YouTube and really gets into them at Disney. However, he is not at all keen on rides, his limit is IASW and Peter Pan, we are hoping he might be up to BTM or at least Dwarfs Mine Ride by the time we get there. I think his favourite ride is Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin. He will just have started in Year 1. He is really into trains and cars and all things typical of young boys. His favourite film character is Mater though his favourite huggable character is Goofy but he also adores Captain Hook. He is going through that lovely huggy phase right now, however he does have a temper to go with his mop of red hair.
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Lucy " my 2yr old little Thumbelina. She will have just started nursery in October when we go to WDW, she was just 8wks old on our last trip in 2011. She has a very confident and happy disposition, loves to sing and dance (specially to Frozen tracks with her big sister). It's a bit early to know what she'll be like in 9mths time, as so much can change quickly at this age. She used to like rides and her favourite was the first drop on PoTC in DLP (bigger drops than WDW), however last December she started to get nervous about the drops and really didn't like Toy Story Parachute Drop. I think her favourite ride at the moment is Buzz Lightyear, she just loves to shoot the baddies with her gun and gets quite an impressive score considering she just seems to wave the gun around aimlessly. To be honest it probably won't matter as she is only 33" tall right now and the chances of her growing enough to get on even the Great Goofini are very slim. She is really into mermaids at the moment, but is very nervous and inconsistent around characters, we have a great photo of her with Pluto on day 1 at DLP last December, but that was the one and only time she went near a character the whole trip. In the past she has occasionally allowed Minnie to touch her but not last time. Pluto is her favourite plush so I'm guessing he might be her favourite character at the moment, and regards her favourite film it's either Ariel or Frozen.
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Always let your conscience be your guide....
DLP - 11 trips between 2006-2013
WDW - 4 trips between 1988-2011,
next Florida trip Oct/Nov 2014 - Magnificent Mega Month of Making Magical Memories - pre-trip report
(obviously)
