Third "Trip of a Lifetime!"

We are just a few months away from our occasional "Trip of a Lifetime" to Walt Disney World.   Since we live in the West, we usually go to Disneyland, which is great.  I love Disneyland.   And now with Disney California Adventure, I love it even more.  However, a trip to WDW is always great as often as we can afford it.

Visiting WDW can be a challenge when you live out west.  Mostly because of the distance, and the time required to travel there.  Is it worth it?  To a Disney fan like me, totally.  Honestly, though, if you like Disney (not love, like)  than by all means, travel to California and enjoy the Happiest Place on Earth. I didn't really discover WDW until I was an adult, and I have been a Disneyland aficionado all my life.

Even though I love Disneyland, I felt like I was missing out by not going to WDW.  So I planned a trip.  I was an awesome 2-week adventure.  Yes, we spent a lot of money.  Yes, it was worth it. Yes, I would do it again.  In fact, I did.

Here is a bit of our original "Trip of a Lifetime"

Now, we are more time-constrained.  We have a week to do WDW, plus the four-day drive.  Yes, four days.  Yes, it will be crazy. Yes, I am working on strategies to ease the pain.

I love planning a WDW vacation!

A trip down Memory Lane.

A dear friend is going to Disney World with her family.  These are for you, Robin!

This was from the Cinderella dinner at the Grand Floridian.

These are from our 2007 trip.  The 2010 trip was great, but I haven't downloaded the pictures to photobucket.

One more week! Pre-trip planning post

We are leaving in one week for the Happiest Place on Earth!  In exactly one week we will be on Interstate 10, heading West.  I can't wait!  

Finally, all the work is done, money is saved, and reservations made.  We will be staying at two Good Neighbor hotels, the Jolly Roger, and the Castle Inn.  I have never stayed at either, so I will review them as a newbie.  Already, I am irked at the Jolly Roger, because they want to charge us 20 dollars a night for our second vehicle (my mom is coming too).  I don't know if this is common, but I don't like it. Especially when you consider that we are going at low season, and the place probably will not be anywhere near full.

Also, neither hotels offer breakfast.  Even the cheapo Super 8 offered a breakfast.  I am considering taking my electric griddle and making some awesome hot breakfasts.  I thought about pancake mix and pre-cooked bacon.  These hotels also do not have refrigerators or microwaves as standard amenities.  Of course they can be rented for a price.  At some point, however, you just don't want to pay One Penny More. Normally we just eat cereal, but Disney makes us hungry.  I have budgeted out our meals, and there's not much left for breakfast in the parks.   The great thing is that when you travel off-season, the parks open later.  That way, you get a good night's sleep, a good breakfast, and you still make it to the Parks before opening.

Below is a link to a post about the earliest days of ideas about Disneyland.  It wasn't even called "Disneyland"at this time!   This is fascinating to me!



Disneyland History

Adventures by Disney, An amazing way to see the world!

I would love to go on each and every one of these trips!  Check out this video and see what adventure is out there for you and your family.

Saving money for Disney

I am always open to suggestions about saving money for my next Disney get-away.  This week, we are pet-sitting.   This is interesting because the only person in the house that is interested in a pet is my four-year-old.  And, quite noticeably, the person the dog likes the least in the family is the four-year-old.

At any rate, the dog is quite well-behaved.  So, we are making some money that will go directly to this month's trip to Disneyland.

 I am always looking for new ways to fund my Disney habit.

Adventures by Disney

So, you've already been to a theme park this year.  How about the adventure of a lifetime?