I like to plan. I like lists. I like long term goals. When I was pregnant with Sam, part of our birth strategy (ok, my birth strategy) was to plan a trip for Jarrad and I. It was something to take my mind off of mourning sickness and the birthing process. Sam was born in May of 2009. We went on a cruise in January of 2011. And I planned on it for then.
I am a planner.
About a year into our wheeling life, I had a bad day. This particular bad day involved me mourning the loss of our future. We had planned to do all these things with our kids - trips, experiences - to give them adventures. One of which was to take the kids to Walt Disney World. On this bad day, I was feeling hopeless but Jarrad refused to let me be hopeless and pushed me to plan for our trip. We figured out a base and we started to plan.
The first part of the planning was saving. Disney is expensive. Obviously. We saved for 3 years. I made lists, bookmarked websites, and figured out what we would need to make life comfortable for all of us, in particular, Jarrad. Then, last January, I started to do some serious research.
1. Unless you get great joy out of planning and booking your trip - GET A DISNEY PLANNER!!! I had all the fun of researching and planning but did not have the stress of getting on the internet at midnight to book restaurants and rides. I had access to expert advice from a reliable source and up to date information. Danielle was amazing! I jokingly called her my fairy godmother and she really was. When I freaked out, she was there to hold my hand. If we go again, I am booking my trip through her!
2. Pinterest is great. Make sure you check the dates of some of the sites as Disney is constantly changing and what 1 family did a year ago, is not going to be the same this year.
3. Ratings are all well and good but they are not the end all be all. Decide what is best for your family and enjoy your trip.
Those are my general tips and bit of advice. We were looking at this as a once in a life time trip. We went and we had fun. I do have some friends who go back every other year or so. I don't think that we will do that but I think at least one more trip is in our future! However, if it isn't, I am ok with that.
