Booked! The five hurdles to Disney

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This is the Disney Bible apparently.

omg omg omg omg omg omg – We’re going to DISNEY!

I am beyond excited about this. It’s a surprise so SHHHHHHHHHH.

It took a long time to get to the buy however. A long time.

• First -the timing
• Second -the money
• Third -the when
• Fourth -the where
• Fifth -the planning

1. We decided to wait a while to go to Disney. My kids are currently 6,4, & 2. Maybe you don’t think that’s a while and that we should wait longer. There was a part of me that thought so too. But then there’s the second hurdle to Disney…

2. The Money. We had a good year this year and I have been socking away money into a savings account. When it hit the magic (pun intended) number, music played and lights shone. It was wonderful! Will we have the money in 2 or 3 years. I hope so, but it’s not guaranteed. So we have it today. Livin’ in the moment baby!

3. My children’s birthdays are all within 3 weeks of each other in the spring. I initially thought that a birthday surprise to Walt Disney World would be ah-mazing.

Then I started to do my research.

Other times are cheaper. I would have to take them out of school pretty much anytime we went because school vacations are out of the question. School vacations mean more money and more people. Both of these things I have a very low tolerance for. So if I have to take them out of school anyway ,I chose a time when the crowds are down, the prices are down, and the temps are still a leeeetle bit up. We’re from Boston, let’s admit that my kids will be in the pool no matter the temp ;-)

4. Where o’ where should we stay? Holy hell this was BY FAR the biggest decision. On property OR off property? I did some crowd sourcing (read: I bugged the heck out of my network on Facebook). People have lots of opinions on this. I priced everything out. Went back and forth, and then back again.

In the end I decided that it would be best for our family to stay ON property this time. Because of the ages of my children it seemed like it would keep the schlepping to a minimum and enable us to get back to the hotel for naps for the little and have the big kids still having fun.

We’ll be at the brand new Art of Animation, one of Disney’s Value Resorts. It has the biggest pool on Disney property, an arcade, and a playground to keep them busy when they’re not passed out from exhaustion and need MORE to do. We’ve booked a Cars Suite, which gives us the space we need. Since my 2.5 year old will not remember this trip, getting to see him live in the moment surrounded by the characters of his favorite movie will be priceless.

5. The planning was daunting. Sometimes I like to wing it. However, this is not one of those times. There is so much to know. SO MUCH. There are books, websites, and people that dedicate their careers to knowing what to do at Walt Disney World. I know how to ask question when I need to. I know when to ask for help when I’m in over my head. I also research and plans things to a fault. So I reached out to friends and family for help. I asked an official planner, Pixie and Pirate Destinations, for help. I recommend them highly. Christina was very responsive and thorough. Then I was introduced to someone local – if you give me a personal connection that’s who I’ll pick every time! I thanked the very helpful lady on the internet and went full steam ahead with Dawn at MouseChow.

So that’s where we’re at now – the planning.
The biggies are done. Plane tickets – BOOKED. Resort – BOOKED.

DISNEY – BOOKED!