Ah dangling participals...but I do really truly need something to look forward to. I admit, I am weak. I love to repeat a favorite trip. Walt Disney world is fun, and there is something to entertain you over and over, and not even be repetitious. There are four parks, over a dozen resorts, two water parks and so much more! The only thing a struggling middle class family needs to get there is F.A.I.T.H (and a budget). When my husband suggested we plan to go in a year from now (meaning December 2012), I thought he was just looking for a way to get on my good side after a major fight. But we are planning to go, and for once we sat and figured out a real budget. I am so skilled at planning WDW vacations that I had a figure already in mind and when we crunched the numbers to decide the cost...it was exactly what I said. Budget Disney trip, 6 nights, 2 adults/2 kids = $3,000
Keep in mind that $3000 is a tight tight trip. But this is just our style (for now) Knowing realistically how you like your vacations to go and what each member of your family is interested in really helps too. For example, we do not need to park hop. Hopping is a blast... but it is tiring. We have a child who will be 4 at the trip dates and will still get tired by midday. Also, we are not too interested in dining at disney. There are some wonderful restaurants for sit down service but again, we have a four year old! All of the quick service food is marginal and nothing is truly delicious, so for us, food is about cutting as many corners as we can and in the long run we pay far less for food then most Disney visitors. I bring snacks and water into the park. I carry a cooler. We buy a piece of fruit at Animal Kingdom and a funnel cake at Magic Kingdom. We eat a burger here and there. We manage. No one in my family is starving...LOL
Disney has amazing resorts! I could go on and on about them. But guess what? Anyone who wants can tour the resorts and eat in their restaurants or shop in their gift shop. Meanwhile, as a family with little kids, our money is best spent at the Value Resorts with their Giant Cartoon Icons. Kids and adults alike LOVE it and their pools, rooms, busses and service are all excellent! You cannot go wrong. Disney Value Resort+Value (off) season+ shop for best rate= $60 per night. Do you love it now??? Check out my Pop Century video
We have stayed twice at the POP. Next trip, we are planning to stay at The All Star Movies. But in the future, I plan to stay at every resort at least once. You catch buses from your hotel to any park on WDW property FOR FREE.
So as for my personal trip coming up...we have 12 months to plan. And only just 12 months, barely. According to our plans, we will leave RI by car the night after Thanksgiving, allowing for two days to drive, and arriving at All Star Movies around 2pm Sunday. After check-in, we will spend our first evening at The Magic Kingdom. By then, the parks will be decorated for Christmas and Christmas Music will be everywhere. Arriving at MK after 4pm is so cool! Shortly after your arrival, the weather is cooler and the sky gets dark. The lines are not as brutal on a Sunday evening. The castle is lit up and changes colors. The shows are dazzling on the backdrop of the night sky. Fireworks go off over the castle. I already know exactly what we will do.
First, we will stroll up Main Street admiring the castle and the decorations and everything around us. we will cut through the castle to Fantasyland and head right to The Haunted Mansion, followed by It's a Small World and as many other MK/Fantasyland rides as we can fit in before the park closes. The reason for this is lines. When lines are long, you get tired by late afternoon, and on our full days at the park, we will be tired from our four year old whining and wanting to be held. He will grow impatient of lines very quickly.
Now I also have a tweeny-bopper. She loves all things Tween, such as "Shake it up", "Victorious", cheerleading, dancing, contests and games. She dislikes rides...especially thrill rides. She likes slow stuff like trains. She loves to see the shows and meet characters. She enjoys pin trading and buying and also getting autographs. My son...the four year old...he loves rides and playgrounds. He even wants to ride the roller coasters! My husband wants to ride "Soarin". Anything that simulates flying, is for him. I personally like the rides where you learn stuff, like in world Showcase at Epcot Center. They have Panoramic Movies of China, Norway, Canada. They have a museum of American history. In the Magic Kingdom, I really like the Hall of Presidents and the gift shop for it too. I especially love auditioning for American Idol.
This year, with another family (my sister) meeting us for one day in the park, we have decided that it should be The Magic Kingdom. It will be good for us to have the half day ahead of this to ourselves in Magic Kingdom. This way we can more easily divide and spend quality time on our full day together. It's going to be a lot of fun.
