Cinderella16
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 17, 2006
Welcome, Welcome, Welcome...
Greetings beautiful DIS World!
Before we get into all the formalities, let me preface by saying that 1 part of this TR is long overdue! 10 months overdue to be exact! While I have written 3 other TRs over the years, I have been on a bit of a hiatus from the DIS--you know life sometimes gets in the way (hate when that happens), but I am back now, armed with a brand new laptop (thanks DH--I whined & he listened), and ready to share our latest (albeit old) adventure with you, yes YOU!
I want welcome you to this very unique trip report of sorts where I will take you through the details of our July 2012 trip as well as our May 2013 trip simultaneously. You may be asking, How will she do this? The truth is, I am not even sure yet, but I think some color coding may be involved, so just go with it.
Originally, this was just going to be a May 2013 Trip Report called: The Comeback Kids: The Mr. & Mrs. Return in Maybut I had a change of heart and decided to change things up a bit. Read about my revelation For now, read about the title change here.
Since I have been MIA from writing a TR since about 2010, I figure it is time to reintroduce myself to all you lovely people.
For starters, my name is Julianne and I am a self-proclaimed Disney planner extraordinaire. Like for many of you, Disney is my obsession. I love everything from the movies, parks, and history. While, I have always loved Disney, the true obsession is thanks to my husband, Justin, and his family.
Before we get into the EPIC battle that is July 2012 vs. May 2013 and since the title of this TR includes the word, History, I figure this is as good of a time as any to share my Disney history with all of you! Think of it as the pre-show before the big game!
My Disney history begins when I was 3 or 4 years old when we took a massive family road trip to Disney. By massive, I mean that my mom, dad, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, cousin, and I all piled into a van and drove nearly 24 hours to the most magical place in the World. Unfortunately, I do not remember much of that vacation except having the chicken pox. Yes, ladies and gentleman, my first Disney experience involved me being sick. They tell me we visited Magic Kingdom and Epcot (obviously as there were no other parks at that time!) I was also told we camped at Ft. Wilderness, although I do not remember it. I do recall meeting Smee and it is one of my earliest memories that I can remember, not just about Disney, but my life in general. Here is a very blurry picture of my dad and I meeting Smeemy very first character interaction!
When I was 10, the same group from above, minus my brother and sister and add a new little cousin, all made the road trip down again. This time we visited Magic Kingdom and the fairly new MGM Studios. We stayed with family, and only made two trips to visit these two parks. Here is me and the new little cousin, Joey, outside of Tomorrowland Speedway. Bonus if you can find the Hidden Mickey!
Fast forward to 8th grade graduation and my parents allowed me to go on vacation with my best friend as my graduation present. Again, we stayed off property with her grandma at her timeshare home in the Disney area and visited Magic Kingdom, MGM Studios, and Downtown Disney. Here we are in front of the old landmark of MGM Studios, the Chinese Theater (I am on the right).
In July 2004, I was a sophomore in college getting my education degree, and had been dating my DH for two years, he invited me on his family's vacation to Disney and I was thrilled since I hadn't been there since 8th grade! We visited all 4 parks and stayed off property renting a house in Celebration, Florida. Here we are so young and in love at the Magic Kingdom:
Since we had so much fun in 2004, we decided to go once again in July 2005. DH had decided to surprise his family with this trip for Christmas by making all the arrangements, so naturally, I helped to plan the details...this is when the monster was born. I helped make the ADRs, make our touring plans, and pick which house we would rent in Celebration. We again visited all the parks & of course, had a wonderful time! Here we are meeting Mickey at MGM Studios (still no name change yet!)
Now, I was no expert by any means because this was the first trip I planned, but things would soon change because in 2006, I joined the DIS and life as we knew it, would never be the same!
I miss the LGMH..anyone remember those?
2006 was the planning year as we needed to save money for another Disney trip. Afterall, I was still in college at this point, so we know how limited funds can be during that time! I began reading trip reports day and night! There is just something therapeutic about sharing Disney trips--I still love escaping to these boards and reading everyone's experiences, it really is like going on vacation all over again. Not to mention, I feel I have gotten a lot of my Disney knowledge, trip planning advice, and recommendations from some of the TRs on these boards. I always find it interesting to see how others "do" Disney! I poured over the DIS, gathering as much information as I could to plan an ultimate 2007 trip, not realizing that DH was true planner of that vacation as he had bigger plans than I could have ever imagined!
In June 2007, DH's family and I found ourselves back in Disney, staying off property and visiting all the parks once again. It was on this trip, that DH pulled off the ultimate surprise and proposed in front of Cinderella's fountain. Read all about that trip here: Our Magical Trip of a Million, Dreams, Wishes, & Surprises- Our June 2007 Engagement.
Here we are minutes after getting engaged:
In June 2009, we returned as husband and wife for our honeymoon. This was our first trip just the two of us, and the first time staying on property. We stayed at the beautiful Grand Floridian and vowed to never ever stay off property ever again. Read all about that trip here: The Mr., The Mrs., and the Dining Plan - Our June 2009 Disneymoon. One of my all time favorite Disney pictures:
In May 2010, we took another couples only trip, this time staying at Wilderness Lodge. Just like always, we had a wonderful & magical time. Read about it here: The Mr. & Mrs. Meeting Mickey in May - May 2010.
We were beginning to think that we would never need vacation any place else because after all these years, we still were not sick of Disneywe kept finding new things to experience and enjoyed experiencing our favorites year after year. It was in 2011, we made the best decision of our lives and decided to join the Disney Vacation Club! Our Home Resort is Saratoga Springs (although we have yet to stay there!).
This brings me to this EPIC double trip report highlighting our 2012 and 2013 TripsLET'S GET READY TO RUUMMMBLLLEEEE.....
First up, in this corner, wearing BLUE we have July 2012:
Who:
Me - Julianne - Disney planner extraordinaire of this and all our family's Disney's vacations. Lover of Disney, the Chicago Bulls. Administrative assistant by day, but the dream job would be a Disney cast member. My favorite ride is Splash Mountain or Test Track and favorite character is Cinderella, duh.
DH - Justin - Bless his heart for putting up with my Disney obsession, when in all actuality it is family's vacations that me hooked on this magical drug called Disney. He isn't obsessed per say, but he does love his Disney trips (just in a different, more normal way than me!) His day job is an IT professional (I truly have no idea what he actually does), but his dream job is to work IT for Disney or be an Imagineer. I knew I married him for a reason. His favorite ride is Soarin' and favorite character is Donald.
Also joining us for the first time since 2007 were members of DH's family:
DMIL - Loves all things Disney and will go with any plan we put in place. Loves palm trees, and if she could move to Florida, she would in an instant.
DAunt - I am almost 100% sure that Disney is her favorite vacation spot in the world; also lover of palm trees; just like her sister.
DUncle - Bless his heart for putting up with three Disney loving women on this trip. I think he would get a kick out of my obsessive planning tendencies--either that or he thought I was absolutely insane. In any case, I know he enjoys Disney too, just in a more healthy manner.
Dcousin - 13 years old - I love that he doesn't think he is too old or cool for Disney (as many kids his age often do). He will still meet characters, do all the rides, and he is actually very knowledgeable about the parks--probably a lot more than the average 13 year old. It made me happy that he still loves Disney as much as he used to when he was a little kid!
DBeaker Our mascot
When:
July 12 - July 24, 2012
Where:
Bay Lake Tower (July 14-21) & Disney's Vero Beach Resort (July 21-23)
Why:
DH and I had a lot of points saved up since joining DVC, and we had never stayed on property with our family before. Since DH's family loves Disney as much as we do, and we hadn't been on a trip together since 2007 when DH and I got engaged , we decided it was time for another fun-filled family Disney trip. SO, since I was still a teacher at that time, we could only take summer trips, we decided to rent a 2BR (Two bedroom) villa for all of us to stay in at BLT.
And in this corner, wearing PURPLE, we have May 2013.
Who:
See above for descriptions & pictures!
Me - Julianne
DH - Justin
DYeti- Mascot #1
DDuffy Mascot #2
When:
May 12-May 19, 2013
Where:
Disney's Boardwalk Villas
Why:
While on our July 2012 trip, we made the decision to return in May 2013 for various reasons which will soon be revealed.
Greetings beautiful DIS World!
Before we get into all the formalities, let me preface by saying that 1 part of this TR is long overdue! 10 months overdue to be exact! While I have written 3 other TRs over the years, I have been on a bit of a hiatus from the DIS--you know life sometimes gets in the way (hate when that happens), but I am back now, armed with a brand new laptop (thanks DH--I whined & he listened), and ready to share our latest (albeit old) adventure with you, yes YOU!
I want welcome you to this very unique trip report of sorts where I will take you through the details of our July 2012 trip as well as our May 2013 trip simultaneously. You may be asking, How will she do this? The truth is, I am not even sure yet, but I think some color coding may be involved, so just go with it.
Originally, this was just going to be a May 2013 Trip Report called: The Comeback Kids: The Mr. & Mrs. Return in Maybut I had a change of heart and decided to change things up a bit. Read about my revelation For now, read about the title change here.
Since I have been MIA from writing a TR since about 2010, I figure it is time to reintroduce myself to all you lovely people.
For starters, my name is Julianne and I am a self-proclaimed Disney planner extraordinaire. Like for many of you, Disney is my obsession. I love everything from the movies, parks, and history. While, I have always loved Disney, the true obsession is thanks to my husband, Justin, and his family.
Before we get into the EPIC battle that is July 2012 vs. May 2013 and since the title of this TR includes the word, History, I figure this is as good of a time as any to share my Disney history with all of you! Think of it as the pre-show before the big game!
My Disney Timeline
My Disney history begins when I was 3 or 4 years old when we took a massive family road trip to Disney. By massive, I mean that my mom, dad, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, cousin, and I all piled into a van and drove nearly 24 hours to the most magical place in the World. Unfortunately, I do not remember much of that vacation except having the chicken pox. Yes, ladies and gentleman, my first Disney experience involved me being sick. They tell me we visited Magic Kingdom and Epcot (obviously as there were no other parks at that time!) I was also told we camped at Ft. Wilderness, although I do not remember it. I do recall meeting Smee and it is one of my earliest memories that I can remember, not just about Disney, but my life in general. Here is a very blurry picture of my dad and I meeting Smeemy very first character interaction!
When I was 10, the same group from above, minus my brother and sister and add a new little cousin, all made the road trip down again. This time we visited Magic Kingdom and the fairly new MGM Studios. We stayed with family, and only made two trips to visit these two parks. Here is me and the new little cousin, Joey, outside of Tomorrowland Speedway. Bonus if you can find the Hidden Mickey!
Fast forward to 8th grade graduation and my parents allowed me to go on vacation with my best friend as my graduation present. Again, we stayed off property with her grandma at her timeshare home in the Disney area and visited Magic Kingdom, MGM Studios, and Downtown Disney. Here we are in front of the old landmark of MGM Studios, the Chinese Theater (I am on the right).
In July 2004, I was a sophomore in college getting my education degree, and had been dating my DH for two years, he invited me on his family's vacation to Disney and I was thrilled since I hadn't been there since 8th grade! We visited all 4 parks and stayed off property renting a house in Celebration, Florida. Here we are so young and in love at the Magic Kingdom:
Since we had so much fun in 2004, we decided to go once again in July 2005. DH had decided to surprise his family with this trip for Christmas by making all the arrangements, so naturally, I helped to plan the details...this is when the monster was born. I helped make the ADRs, make our touring plans, and pick which house we would rent in Celebration. We again visited all the parks & of course, had a wonderful time! Here we are meeting Mickey at MGM Studios (still no name change yet!)
Now, I was no expert by any means because this was the first trip I planned, but things would soon change because in 2006, I joined the DIS and life as we knew it, would never be the same!
I miss the LGMH..anyone remember those?
2006 was the planning year as we needed to save money for another Disney trip. Afterall, I was still in college at this point, so we know how limited funds can be during that time! I began reading trip reports day and night! There is just something therapeutic about sharing Disney trips--I still love escaping to these boards and reading everyone's experiences, it really is like going on vacation all over again. Not to mention, I feel I have gotten a lot of my Disney knowledge, trip planning advice, and recommendations from some of the TRs on these boards. I always find it interesting to see how others "do" Disney! I poured over the DIS, gathering as much information as I could to plan an ultimate 2007 trip, not realizing that DH was true planner of that vacation as he had bigger plans than I could have ever imagined!
In June 2007, DH's family and I found ourselves back in Disney, staying off property and visiting all the parks once again. It was on this trip, that DH pulled off the ultimate surprise and proposed in front of Cinderella's fountain. Read all about that trip here: Our Magical Trip of a Million, Dreams, Wishes, & Surprises- Our June 2007 Engagement.
Here we are minutes after getting engaged:
In June 2009, we returned as husband and wife for our honeymoon. This was our first trip just the two of us, and the first time staying on property. We stayed at the beautiful Grand Floridian and vowed to never ever stay off property ever again. Read all about that trip here: The Mr., The Mrs., and the Dining Plan - Our June 2009 Disneymoon. One of my all time favorite Disney pictures:
In May 2010, we took another couples only trip, this time staying at Wilderness Lodge. Just like always, we had a wonderful & magical time. Read about it here: The Mr. & Mrs. Meeting Mickey in May - May 2010.
We were beginning to think that we would never need vacation any place else because after all these years, we still were not sick of Disneywe kept finding new things to experience and enjoyed experiencing our favorites year after year. It was in 2011, we made the best decision of our lives and decided to join the Disney Vacation Club! Our Home Resort is Saratoga Springs (although we have yet to stay there!).
This brings me to this EPIC double trip report highlighting our 2012 and 2013 TripsLET'S GET READY TO RUUMMMBLLLEEEE.....
The Starting Line Up:
First up, in this corner, wearing BLUE we have July 2012:
Who:
Me - Julianne - Disney planner extraordinaire of this and all our family's Disney's vacations. Lover of Disney, the Chicago Bulls. Administrative assistant by day, but the dream job would be a Disney cast member. My favorite ride is Splash Mountain or Test Track and favorite character is Cinderella, duh. DH - Justin - Bless his heart for putting up with my Disney obsession, when in all actuality it is family's vacations that me hooked on this magical drug called Disney. He isn't obsessed per say, but he does love his Disney trips (just in a different, more normal way than me!) His day job is an IT professional (I truly have no idea what he actually does), but his dream job is to work IT for Disney or be an Imagineer. I knew I married him for a reason. His favorite ride is Soarin' and favorite character is Donald. Also joining us for the first time since 2007 were members of DH's family:
DMIL - Loves all things Disney and will go with any plan we put in place. Loves palm trees, and if she could move to Florida, she would in an instant. DAunt - I am almost 100% sure that Disney is her favorite vacation spot in the world; also lover of palm trees; just like her sister. DUncle - Bless his heart for putting up with three Disney loving women on this trip. I think he would get a kick out of my obsessive planning tendencies--either that or he thought I was absolutely insane. In any case, I know he enjoys Disney too, just in a more healthy manner. Dcousin - 13 years old - I love that he doesn't think he is too old or cool for Disney (as many kids his age often do). He will still meet characters, do all the rides, and he is actually very knowledgeable about the parks--probably a lot more than the average 13 year old. It made me happy that he still loves Disney as much as he used to when he was a little kid!
DBeaker Our mascot
When:
July 12 - July 24, 2012
Where:
Bay Lake Tower (July 14-21) & Disney's Vero Beach Resort (July 21-23)
Why:
DH and I had a lot of points saved up since joining DVC, and we had never stayed on property with our family before. Since DH's family loves Disney as much as we do, and we hadn't been on a trip together since 2007 when DH and I got engaged , we decided it was time for another fun-filled family Disney trip. SO, since I was still a teacher at that time, we could only take summer trips, we decided to rent a 2BR (Two bedroom) villa for all of us to stay in at BLT.
And in this corner, wearing PURPLE, we have May 2013.
Who:
See above for descriptions & pictures!
Me - Julianne
DH - Justin
DYeti- Mascot #1
DDuffy Mascot #2
When:
May 12-May 19, 2013
Where:
Disney's Boardwalk Villas
Why:
While on our July 2012 trip, we made the decision to return in May 2013 for various reasons which will soon be revealed.
It is time for the Disney vacation battle to begin... Round 1 coming soon!
Thanks for following along!!
Thanks for following along!!
glad you are joining in! 
