whitneyebz
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2015
Hello all! I am not really new to this board, but I am mostly a lurker and really only come here when we have a trip planned (I need to change that!) I love to write, though, so I thought I'd start a PTR. First, I will introduce myself!
I'm Whitney, age 33 and have loved Disney parks since my first (and only) trip to WDW when I was 14! (I turned 14 on that trip...I'll never forget it).
Okay, so that's me and my DD, age 9. It's not the greatest picture of me, but it's at Disneyland (well, our hotel). So background on me- I went to WDW when I was 14, as I mentioned. It was the only time my parents took us (they're not really Disney people). However, we moved to Paris a year later and I went to Disneyland Paris frequently! I was there when they opened their second park. At this point, it's still the park I've been to more than any other. I got married in 2004 and my husband and I went on a one day trip to Disneyland early on in our marriage (it was completely unplanned, we happened to be in CA). In 2012 we took our 2 oldest for the first time, and my husband was officially converted to a Disneyland fan! We have taken them a few times since then (about once a year) and have gone with some of DH's family, too, and now they are also huge Disneyland people. That's why we are even going on this trip (you'll see...)
Oh, and we're from Phoenix. It's about a 6 hour drive (thanks to LA traffic...yuck...) but that's like a mini road trip for us. We take a lot of road trips. I love that Disneyland is close enough for a weekend trip, and just far away enough for it to feel like a fun vacation!
Next, my husband, Adam!
He's 34 and loves the rides. It's alll about the rides. We have never sat down and watched a show because of this (yeah, that's changing this trip). And he only barely tolerates character pictures. But he is a big kid at heart and really enjoys being there!
And the kids!! Here you go-
I had to crop this one because I don't know how else to make the files small enough! Our oldest, Odin, is 11. Ally is 9, Jude is 7, Eli is 4. They love Guardians of the Galaxy, Star Wars, Avengers, etc. Ally is not as into it, she is more a Descendants fan- sadly she kind of grew out of the princess phase but we all love the animated films too. My personal favorites are Tangled and Beauty and the Beast, and Mary Poppins.
Alright, so that's my family. But, we are traveling with a big group!! I won't post their pictures for privacy reasons, but we are going with my husband's 2 sisters and their families, and my MIL and FIL. I am a bit nervous about how to navigate maxpass and all that with so many people.
Alright, so here is how our trip came about!-
We already knew one sister was going (I'll call her A) and her husband and our nephew. They had been wanting to go during the Christmas season, and we said there was just no way- we shouldn't be spending money on a Disneyland trip this year (well, we CAN but we are Dave Ramsey followers and are sticking to a budget). A couple weeks ago, they were talking about it again, and the subject of fall break came up...and it so happens that our nephew and our kids have a monday off that Dh's other sister's kids also have off (I'll call her J). J's kids have that entire week off...we get a 4 day weekend. Well, once they decided to go, we said we needed to go too! We've never gone with them!
So, we frantically started looking at hotels and let me tell you, it was NOT easy to find a hotel that we liked for big families (2 of our families have 6 people each!) We really wanted walking distance, but that did not work out. We ended up with the Anaheim Majestic Garden, which we have stayed at before, and it has a free shuttle and was within our budget. Also, with the income I am making this month (I got a job this year and my money goes to extra stuff), and my husband making some extra next month, we should be able to do this without touching savings! We are only doing 2 days this time (I know, not enough!!) but it's better than nothing.
Did I mention the trip was 3 weeks away from when we booked it? Yep, it's just over a week away now. I have never booked a Disneyland trip this close. I am a total planner.
I got our park tickets from LMT, and will head to target tomorrow and grab some gift cards there (5% off with my redcard). Those will be for food in the parks. The kids have their own money for souvenirs.
Okay I think that's it for now! My next post will probably be just before we leave, and I will include some pictures of the few things I bought for the kids (and me!) to wear. Mostly just accessories...I am being frugal and wearing t shirts from my last couple trips, and DD will wear her lularoe Disney stuff (I sold mine, but I have some other shirts I got on etsy and a local t shirt shop).
Thanks for reading! Now I should try to figure out how to make a signature...
I'm Whitney, age 33 and have loved Disney parks since my first (and only) trip to WDW when I was 14! (I turned 14 on that trip...I'll never forget it).
Okay, so that's me and my DD, age 9. It's not the greatest picture of me, but it's at Disneyland (well, our hotel). So background on me- I went to WDW when I was 14, as I mentioned. It was the only time my parents took us (they're not really Disney people). However, we moved to Paris a year later and I went to Disneyland Paris frequently! I was there when they opened their second park. At this point, it's still the park I've been to more than any other. I got married in 2004 and my husband and I went on a one day trip to Disneyland early on in our marriage (it was completely unplanned, we happened to be in CA). In 2012 we took our 2 oldest for the first time, and my husband was officially converted to a Disneyland fan! We have taken them a few times since then (about once a year) and have gone with some of DH's family, too, and now they are also huge Disneyland people. That's why we are even going on this trip (you'll see...)
Oh, and we're from Phoenix. It's about a 6 hour drive (thanks to LA traffic...yuck...) but that's like a mini road trip for us. We take a lot of road trips. I love that Disneyland is close enough for a weekend trip, and just far away enough for it to feel like a fun vacation!
Next, my husband, Adam!
He's 34 and loves the rides. It's alll about the rides. We have never sat down and watched a show because of this (yeah, that's changing this trip). And he only barely tolerates character pictures. But he is a big kid at heart and really enjoys being there!
And the kids!! Here you go-
I had to crop this one because I don't know how else to make the files small enough! Our oldest, Odin, is 11. Ally is 9, Jude is 7, Eli is 4. They love Guardians of the Galaxy, Star Wars, Avengers, etc. Ally is not as into it, she is more a Descendants fan- sadly she kind of grew out of the princess phase but we all love the animated films too. My personal favorites are Tangled and Beauty and the Beast, and Mary Poppins.
Alright, so that's my family. But, we are traveling with a big group!! I won't post their pictures for privacy reasons, but we are going with my husband's 2 sisters and their families, and my MIL and FIL. I am a bit nervous about how to navigate maxpass and all that with so many people.
Alright, so here is how our trip came about!-
We already knew one sister was going (I'll call her A) and her husband and our nephew. They had been wanting to go during the Christmas season, and we said there was just no way- we shouldn't be spending money on a Disneyland trip this year (well, we CAN but we are Dave Ramsey followers and are sticking to a budget). A couple weeks ago, they were talking about it again, and the subject of fall break came up...and it so happens that our nephew and our kids have a monday off that Dh's other sister's kids also have off (I'll call her J). J's kids have that entire week off...we get a 4 day weekend. Well, once they decided to go, we said we needed to go too! We've never gone with them!
So, we frantically started looking at hotels and let me tell you, it was NOT easy to find a hotel that we liked for big families (2 of our families have 6 people each!) We really wanted walking distance, but that did not work out. We ended up with the Anaheim Majestic Garden, which we have stayed at before, and it has a free shuttle and was within our budget. Also, with the income I am making this month (I got a job this year and my money goes to extra stuff), and my husband making some extra next month, we should be able to do this without touching savings! We are only doing 2 days this time (I know, not enough!!) but it's better than nothing.
Did I mention the trip was 3 weeks away from when we booked it? Yep, it's just over a week away now. I have never booked a Disneyland trip this close. I am a total planner.
I got our park tickets from LMT, and will head to target tomorrow and grab some gift cards there (5% off with my redcard). Those will be for food in the parks. The kids have their own money for souvenirs.
Okay I think that's it for now! My next post will probably be just before we leave, and I will include some pictures of the few things I bought for the kids (and me!) to wear. Mostly just accessories...I am being frugal and wearing t shirts from my last couple trips, and DD will wear her lularoe Disney stuff (I sold mine, but I have some other shirts I got on etsy and a local t shirt shop).
Thanks for reading! Now I should try to figure out how to make a signature...