4/21 - 4/27/2010 - The Lopez/Pullano WDW Pre-trip Report - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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4/21 - 4/27/2010 - The Lopez/Pullano WDW Pre-trip Report
Hello ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls!! For your enjoyment today, I present: The Lopez-Pullano WDW Vacation with one new Addition Pre-trip Report!
For most of you that may “know” me, I had quite the harrowing experience after my May 2008 trip (when I had my appendix removed…for the second time). Due to that “experience” (and I use that term loosely), I discovered I was pregnant six months later which caused me to miss out on my favorite place for all of 2009. Sad…very sad indeed. So with 2010, so comes a renewed sense of life, love, happiness and family…and of course, the vow to visit WDW as many times as possible… Tee hee.
Reminisce with me (if you will) about vacations past:
My very first trip to WDW was back in 1980. I was 2 and a half. Those were the days when MK was the only theme park and staying on property wasn’t necessary. I don’t remember much about the trip and I have to look at the pictures in order to prove that I was actually there. The one thing that I do remember (and forgive me because I’m not 100% certain it is something I remember, or if it’s something that my dad has been telling me which in turn makes me FEEL like I remember)…anyway the one thing that I do remember is Goofy scaring the overalls off of me!
My family and I were fortunate to visit WDW again in 1989. This was an off-property vacation with a 4 day “Passport” to the World. When DHS was MGM and I was 12. We left the day after school ended and it was a complete surprise to us kids. June in WDW…ah memories!!
I didn’t go back to WDW until I was 21. It was August of 1999 and DH and I (we were dating at the time) went to WDW for 9 days. We stayed at Dixie Landings and we had such a wonderful time. A time when MGM was still MGM and we could come and go as we pleased and have a few drinks and not worry about the kids (since they weren’t part of the picture just yet). We went again in 2000 for what I still refer to as the most amazing trip to WDW ever. The Millennium Celebration was fantastic and I am proud to say that I was fortunate enough to experience it! 2001 brought another trip where we stayed at the then Disney Institute. Enjoyed the trip, but we (we went with another couple) spent most of it either sipping FABs or sick. It was only a 5 day trip, so it kind of came and went really quickly.
And that was it…for 6 long years, I waited…and waited…and waited. Did I mention that I waited? DH and I had a daughter, bought a house and got married and before I knew it, our little girl was almost 4. My how time flew. In 2007 we took our first “family” trip to the World. Not the greatest of trips (seeing as how my mother was involved but that’s a whole OTHER story altogether). However it was 2008 that officially cemented my utter love and devotion to Disney. May 2008 brought one of our very best trips to Disney World (Read our trip report HERE) and just a few short months later (August to be exact) brought a very special mother/daughter trip for me and Princess Bella. November brought yet another trip, this time for me and DH. And then it happened…Something that DH and I weren’t expecting and it wasn’t until I was riding the Mad Tea Party that it dawned on me…
“OMG, I think I might be pregnant.” Yup, you guessed it. The end of our vacation was marked by the possibility that I was “with child.” And I was. My beautiful little boy AJ was born on July 16, 2009 and his impending arrival certainly put the kibosh on any travel, let alone any trips to WDW.
So here we are. Getting reading for our first trip in almost 17 months. We are 40 days from our vacation and we can’t wait!
Next up: Initial planning stages and many, many questions.
Note: My apologies about the photos. Evidently I'm not on the ball with sizing and resizing today!
I didn’t start thinking of the joyful thoughts of Disney until just after Christmas. Our “planned” (and I use the term lightly) January trip had been scrapped due to a slight dip in finances and an inability to take vacation time (both DH and myself). So with the possibility of a new vacation in the works, I started to hash out ideas. I knew we all wanted to go, but that was about the extent of my planning (insert: gasp!). I had so many questions running through my head, most of which pertained to the kids.
I’ll admit it…I’ve never traveled to WDW with a young child (especially one as young as just a few months). I knew that taking our infant son would prove to be a test of my planning skills. Afterall, DS needs diapers, wipes, formula, stroller, extra clothes, toys, diaper bag, food, etc; etc, etc…the list goes on and on. I was feeling extremely unprepared and definitely overwhelmed. So I took a deep breath and pulled out my trusty, brand spankin’ new Passporter. Rick (DH), knowing how much my Passporter means to me, resigned himself to reading the 2009 Passporter to brush up on the basics (men…they are so cute when they want to help!).
I grabbed a notebook and started scribbling numbers, resort names, dates/vacation combo possibilities, ADR suggestions, etc. I had narrowed down our resort choices to two. DH and I were lucky enough to have stayed at the Pop Century Resort during our last trip in Nov 2008 and we fell in love. It was like walking into a huge time capsule. Our other choice was CBR in the new Pirate themed rooms. After pricing out both possibilities, we went with Pop Century. Seriously? Did we actually make our first “official” decision?? Indeed we did! Well, the very next day (I actually think it was a week or so later but really, why go there?), I called WDW Reservations and booked our room/package. I was able to take advantage of the gift card deal which was nice.
So in the end, here’s what we ended up with:
Dates: April 21-April 27, 2010 Resort: Pop Century Resort (standard room) Tickets: 6 day MYW w/PH (and $300 gift card) Meals: Disney Dining Plan
Not a bad start and as things are on the ball, it certainly makes me feel like we actually may get on a plane in April!!!!
Next up: The nightmare of booking airfare, DH and the possibility of changing dates, a quick trip to ADR land and Disney Dreaming for the rest of 2010.
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