Reality is Sinking In!

We are down to less than a MONTH until our DisneyMoon!!! Today I received the best mail ever - you know, DISNEY mail!

This month is getting crazy already! My husband is on the verge of being offered a full time position with the company he has been working for as a temp., we have had some financial issues that are on the way to being straightened out (the job thing definitely helps too!) and things are just looking better (FINALLY) overall. By the time we get to WDW, we will have SO MANY reasons to celebrate!

AND....we are already booked for our October 2012 trip!!! I have some tweaking to do, but can't do that until 7 months out - more on that later.

27 days and counting...

Disney in March

Well, we have decided we are definitely going to give the Beach Club Villas a try. The upside is that we will be within walking distance to Epcot. The downside is that I will miss being close to the Magic Kingdom.

We finally sat down and decided where we want to eat. We have not eaten at any of the places we chose. We made ADRs (advanced Dining Reservations) for the following places:

Monday, March 5th - dinner at 7:15pm - Yachtsman Steakhouse - Disney's Yacht Club Resort

Tuesday, March 6th - lunch at 11:45am - Restaurant Marrakesh - Epcot
Tuesday, March 6th - dinner at 8:15pm - Bistro de Paris - Epcot

Wednesday, March 7th - dinner at 8:15pm - Paradiso 37, Taste of the Americas - Downtown Disney - West Side

Thursday, March 8th - dinner at 7:30pm - California Grill - Disney's Contemporary Resort

Friday, March 9th - nothing yet. Not sure if we should make ressies for breakfast (like at the Crystal Palace in the Magic Kingdom or maybe at 'Ohana's just to get our fix of the Polynesian) OR sleep in and then head to Downtown Disney for lunch. Our flight leaves MCO at 6:45pm so I guess we will have to be on the Magical Express by 3-3:30pm. Thoughts?

Visiting Disney World With The Kids - It's A Small World Is Always The Winner!

We try to get to Disney World as often as possible as our budget permits. Sometimes we make it there yearly and when things are a bit tighter we take a year off and then go the next. Disney World is the best place for kids and I must admit that once the kids are gone I'll still be going there on my own!

When you first visit Disney it seems like you'll need radar detectors to keep track of your kids. Honestly, it can be quite overwhelming when you first get through the gates and see the crowds. If you're lucky, and you time it right, you can visit during the low season where the crowds are thin, and you won't feel like a valentine radar detector is necessary to manage your children through the throngs of people.

That being said, we always arrive when the crowds exist. Once you get used to the amount of people and start walking around, it seems more like a party atmosphere and the more the merrier. You start to enjoy yourself amongst the crowd because you are visiting the happiest place on earth and everyone else there is ecstatic too!

Every time we go we always gravitate towards It's a Small World and I don't plan on making any excuses for it. I love the ride and I will until I'm 100 years old. There's just something magical about it that can't be explained in words. You have to see this attraction for yourself. I have yet to see anybody get off the boat without a smile on their face and a calm serenity in their attitude.

What is It's a Small World? Literally speaking it's a ride that brings you around the world where young children, (as dolls), lift their voices in melody dressed in their native clothing. As you travel around on the boat you will hear the song It's a Small World being vocalized in various languages.

Again, this simple explanation of what this attraction is about does not give it justice at all. How can anyone be happy sitting in a boat listening to the song It's a Small World being sung over and over again by dolls? It seems silly but the magic of Disney brings it all together, and you can't help but be transported into another world where everything is okay, there is brotherhood of man and life is good.

If you have any troubles or worries when you are entering the boat they will magically disappear during the ride. I simply can't get enough of it. In fact, whenever I go to Disney we head over to the Magic Kingdom first and during the day I will drag my kids over to this attraction at least three times.

Everyone has their own thing that they love about Disney. Mine just happens to be the attraction It's a Small World. I'm over 40 right now and I'm not ashamed to say that I will return to Disney as much as I possibly can as I get older for everything it has to offer, but especially for this one attraction.

Walt Disney World 2012 Spring Specials

As some of you know, I have a good friend who is a Disney travel agent. She is THE BEST when it comes to planning Disney vacations. Her name is Kelly and she runs Travel with the Magic - her services are FREE.

Listed below are the current awesome Disney deals Kelly can offer you if you are planning a trip between now and June. Even if you already have a trip planned, she can still save you money!

Buy 3 nights get one free selected dates Feb 26th thru March 10, 2012:
http://www.travelwiththemagic.com/one-more-day-and-night-of-disney-magic-free.html

Spring discount at Disney World select dates Feb 21, 2012 thru June 14,2012 

http://www.travelwiththemagic.com/spring-2012-discount-disney-world.html

Annual Passholder discounts selected dates March 9, 2012 thru June 14, 2012

http://www.travelwiththemagic.com/spring-2012-annual-passholder-discount.html

Beach Club Villas Instead?

I can never seem to make up my mind. I want everything...I hate trying to decide on things, especially when it comes to where to stay when In Disney!

CJ and I are going to The World March 5-9 sans the kids. We only need a studio room. Our home resort, Bay Lake Tower, is booked. We had Old Key West, Saratoga Springs, Wilderness Lodge, and Animal Kingdom Lodge - Jambo House to choose from. We have already stayed at AKL- JH and SSR. I'm not overly excited to stay at WLV and OKW seemed too far away from everything. We really enjoyed our stay at AKL in June 2011 so we decided to book there and got a savanna view!

However, CJ and I really want to experience every resort in WDW and so I asked to be put on a wait list for Beach Club Villas. Two days ago I got the confirmation email - BCV is now where we are staying.

Photo Credit

At first I was super excited, but after reading reviews I suddenly feel conflicted. I suppose I have been spoiled because we have never had a 'bad' experience at any DVC resort thus far. I know BCV is an older resort - dated even, and now I am wondering if I made the wrong choice?

I would love to hear from you if you have ever stayed at BCV - the more recent the better - especially from those who have stayed in a deluxe studio villa. Leave a comment or send me an email via the Contact form.

Being Part of the Disney Vacation Club

Making the decision to join the Disney Vacation Club back in 2010 was the best decision I ever made. It was definitely a tough decision, financially speaking, but it works well for my family of five.
We chose Bay Lake Tower as our Home Resort; this means we can book a room at Bay Lake Tower 11 months before our vacation date and Bay Lake Tower is the resort we pay maintenance fees to yearly. The plus to being a DVC member is that we can stay at any DVC resort, not just our home resort. This was a huge selling point for my husband because he absolutely loves the Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge and I have to agree, it is wonderful there.

The outside of the Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge is so very serene. It sure made us feel as if we were in our own little world.

The location is perfect, only a boat ride away from the Magic Kingdom, which happens to be where we spend most of our time.

 The Electric Water Pageant can be seen from the Wilderness Lodge each night as well, which is another reason we love the location, we really feel like we are in the middle of all the magic.

Now, our family loves to eat so we were pleasantly surprised when we had our first meal at The Whispering Canyon Café; lots of excellent food, served family style and a tremendous amount of fun!

The cast members playfully interact with guests, which our kids loved! Just ask for ketchup and see what happens!

 While I am always raving about being a DVC member, I realize many people cannot afford to do so or just want to try a villa in Disney first before taking the plunge. This is where looking into DVC rentals comes in.

You can rent points from a DVC member like me to stay at a Disney villa. This is an excellent way to decide if a villa is the right fit for you and your family. In fact, often it is a cheaper option than becoming a DVC member. I know families who rent timeshares for their Disney vacation every year and it fits their family style and budget perfectly.

1 Month and 27 Days!

In just 1 month and 27 days I will be back in my happy place! I cannot wait to get there. I know it has been a while since I've posted here. December was a downright awful month. My dear friend Heather, who had just been to WDW in October and had her engagement pictures taken there, passed away from cancer - a cancer she didn't even know she had, until it was too late.

That same week my grandmother passed away - my father's mother, not the grandma we usually take to WDW with us.  That was not easy. Then a week later my father had a heart attack. He came home from the hospital on Christmas Eve.

The job situation for CJ is still a bit shaky and we are trying our best to get situated again. Our March trip is already paid for. We're staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge - Jambo House using DVC points,  the flight has been paid for, we have annual passes so we don't need park tickets. We will just need money for food. If this wasn't the case, we would not be going.

Soooo, despite the dark clouds that seem to have been following us, we are just chugging along and having this upcoming trip to look forward to sure helps.