Disney 2012...

These pictures from September 2011! 

 

 

I'm in a Disney kind of mood today. We decided, yep, we're going back this year. We looked at some other vacations and lots of fun places. But to be honest, Disney is a great value for us and the way we like to vacation. If I'm on vacation, I'm not cooking. Eating out is a big thing for us on a trip. I don't mind poptarts or cereal bars in the room for breakfast but no way am I cooking dinner or lunch. Also, with the difference in our kid's ages, Disney is just easier for us. There is plenty for everyone to do and it's all included. No getting to Wednesday and realizing you've spent too much so you can't do any more extras. We enjoy the beach and sight-seeing but we're not sit around and "relax" kind of vacationers. We enjoy "going" and "doing." We never watch TV on vacation. Ever. The only thing allowed on in our Disney Resort room is Resort T.V. and occasionally cartoons (Disney) if we are trying to get ready with kids running around. We like to disconnect from the real world and NOBODY does that better than Disney.

So, we stay in a value resort and take advantage of free dining if we can get it. We upgrade to regular dining so we get a sit-down meal every day. It helps that we don't have to worry about taking the kids out of school and can go in an off season. Things are usually very manageable. I think at most we waited last September was 20 minutes for any ride. We're hoping for late October this year so the weather is cooler but cooler weather vs. savings that we get with free dining. I imagine free dining will win if it is offered! So, it will be hot. Better to take advantage of the pools and water rides and enjoying a nice air conditioned restaurant!

Why am I talking about this now? Well, it's Disney. You can't just show up. Well, you can but you'll have a MUCH better time with some sort of plan in place. This will be our 4th trip and I think I'm doing better with the planning each time. Of course the last trip my plan mostly revolved around making sure my folks had a good time. They did. My Dad even talked about going back. Yay me!

So, anyway, we need to book any important Dinner reservations 180 days out. Some people hate this. Those people are not me. I LOVE the amount of planning involved. I loved researching menus and reviews. We are going to try not to do many repeats this year. Except for Sci-Fi Dine In. We loved it and it was a lot of fun. I'm still craving the stir-fry thing I had at Kona but we've eaten there several times and I'm trying to leave room for other places to try. Boma is completely out. We ate there for the 3rd time on the last trip and didn't like it nearly as much as we had before. We probably will still try to fill in with a few buffets/family style places since Sarah can eat for free. We paid out of pocket for her last trip and it worked out OK so that is still an option. I packed her snacks for the parks and that seemed to keep her happy. She'll still be free this year and we are doing the beach with the whole family next year so that is one reason we're hitting the big Disney in 2012.

That and we just like it there. I like that we can pay for everything up front. With the dining plan we get our food and most drinks covered. Our tickets and room in the package, too. So, we don't have to think about it. Just whip out that Key To The World Card and off we go! We don't even have to drive once we get there. Disney transportation isn't perfect but it is generally consistent. We've never waited that long for a bus. We usually have to stand up but it is only for a few minutes. Not generally a HUGE deal. It can seem that way at the end of the night, though!

Mostly the appeal is just that for one week we can escape our worries. We can go and play like kids WITH our kids. We love the shows and the rides and that there is never any lack of things to do. We've always enjoyed our resort and the excitement that seems to ride the air when you pull into Disney. Illuminations still gives Jamie chills and Wishes makes me cry. There are still a million things we haven't done as well. I look forward to filling in our Disney Portfolio and seeing how our kids change and grow through the years.

On to the planning!!!