In July our out-of-state friends visited us and we sat down with my laptop and looked at some of the Disney-related options. When I learned how much it costs just to set foot inside a Disney park, I had heart palpitations. The reality check was a good thing, though, because P started selling some of his nerdy crap on eBay and socking away the profits. He's hoping to have quite a bit saved by the time May rolls around (although I have a sneaking suspicion that no amount is actually enough when it comes to Disney). I'm happy he's being so pro-active. Maybe we'll even be able to eat periodically while we're down there! The other bit of good news: my friend Sherri (with whom we will be traveling) is very frugal. You'll find her at Target on December 26th buying Christmas stuff at 75% off. I bow to her greatness. Anyway, I'm confident she'll help me navigate the maze that is Disney (they've been down there several times). Also, they have a timeshare where we can all stay.
I visited the Disney website yesterday to sign us up for a free vacation planning DVD. I put it in my daughter's name because I figure she'll get a kick out of getting it in the mail. She has also been telling everyone in the free world that she is going to Florida for her birthday. The other day I stopped at Bath & Body Works to pick up some lotion and as I was checking out at the back of the store, I could hear her talking to a sales person at the front of the store. I heard the sales person say, "Oh wow, your birthday is on May 3rd? And you're going to Florida?" I put an end to the conversation before the kid had an opportunity to give out her social security number.
I'm still in the early planning stages, but I have to confess that the Disney website overwhelms me. Truly. I feel like I might have a seizure every time I visit the site. There is so much to know and so many decisions to make. Character meal or no? If so, which character? And did you know you have to make the reservations six months in advance, on the dot? Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique or no? Which parks do you want to visit? Epcot? Magic Kingdom? Do you want to buy Park Hopper passes? How about the water parks? Do you have a Disney Rewards Visa? Do you want one? How about a meal plan? Would you like to be raped on the way out of the park or just on the way in? Okay, I'm kidding about that last one but I do feel a little violated just thinking about how much control Disney seems to have over my life.
Despite my grousing, I am actually excited about the trip. I've never been to Disney World (or even Florida for that matter). I'm excited because my daughter is excited. Also, I'm glad she'll be old enough to remember it. We took her to Texas when she was two and all she could remember about that trip (at the end of it) was that she'd had eggs for breakfast one day. So at that time we vowed not to attempt Disney until she was older. And now she is.
Well, I'd better get back to my research. Does anyone know offhand if our friends at:
serve . . .
?