Two Weeks to Go!!

That's right it is only 2 weeks to go until we see that 'Welcome Home' sign!! This vacation was booked approximately 16 months in advance and although at times it has seemed a long way off it really is nearly here!

So we are now down to the finer details in the planning process; from those last minute purchases to making sure all bills are paid before we leave to actually deciding on which park we will visit on which day (I keep putting it off because it's hard to decide).

So the Excel spreadsheet is up and running and I have key dates already marked out. Our first and last days are in my mind a 'no-brainer', it has to be The Magic Kingdom; it is after all the epitome of all that Disney conjures up, and nothing beats that feeling of walking under the railroad and down Main Street USA heading towards Cinderella Castle. I then have dates put aside for a few other things;

• We have our ADR (Advanced Dining Reservation) at Teppan Edo
• We will be attending WDW Radio's Meet of the Month at Disney's Blizzard Beach
• We shall be joining Michelle of The Minnie Minxes for a 'Drink Around the World' at Epcot
• And another date with Michelle will be over at Beaches & Cream Soda Shop when we will hopefully tackle the infamous 'Kitchen Sink Ice-Cream Sundae'

I have sorted our Photopass+ and ordered new raincoats for the kids as would you believe it they have grown somewhat since our last trip back in 2011.

I am hoping to book at least one more ADR, this time for Whispering Canyon Cafe at Disney's Wilderness Lodge so I need to make some decisions as to where we are going on which days so that I can tie this reservation in nicely.

I am also, along with the help of my daughter, going to make up some envelopes ready for tipping 'Mousekeeping' - a creative few hours with pens, envelopes, glue and more decorating envelopes for those oh so important tips.

So over the next few days I shall let you know how the planning is coming along and just how excited we are all getting!

93 days or 13 weeks...

So it's now 93 days or 13 weeks till our next visit to WDW. Which do you think sounds closer?

Whichever it is I just know that the chance to visit my favourite place (apart from home, of course) is getting closer. And most days my thoughts turn to one element or another of our vacation.

The vacation is now paid for (took us 13 months to do it, but it's all done now!).  We have two weeks staying at the Coronado Springs Resort with the Quick Service Dining Plan 'thrown in for free' with our package deal.  So now my thoughts turn to the details before our vacation can begin.

Being based in the UK we have to sort ESTA's (Electronic System for Travel Authorisation) for the whole family, a minor expense at $14 each and at least they will last us 2 years.

Another minor expense is hotel accommodation the night before we fly.  We live about a 3 - 4 hour drive away from our departure airport and as check-in for our flight is around 8.00am it is a lot easier to travel down the day before and stay overnight in a cheap hotel close to the airport.  So I have been doing a bit of internet searching and have managed to find a really cheap deal for the night :).  Another, not so minor expense, is what to do with the car whilst we are away on vacation...thankfully there are lots of different options at different prices.  I think I have settled on an option that will mean the car is ready and waiting for us at the airport when we return from our two weeks away - I hate having to think about the end of a vacation before it's even started!!

It will be our first time staying at Coronado Springs Resort so that in itself is something to look forward to.  I have been checking out all the information I can about the resort, liking Facebook pages and following Twitter accounts.  I really like to go in knowing what to expect so I can start to plan in my head what we will be doing whilst there!  The Rix Lounge looks very inviting for a bit of adult time, thankfully our kids are old enough to look after themselves now which means me and Simon will be able to sneak a couple of hours drinking cocktails!

The grounds look amazing and we are already discussing taking runs around the lake. I think the main pool area is going to be a big draw for our two kids and will be fantastic when we have a chill out day away from the parks....oh ok half a day away from the parks!

I still haven't made any ADR's, and at the moment there is really only one restaurant that we can all agree on, which is Teppan Edo in the Japan pavillion at Epcot.  I think we enjoy the freedom of roaming the parks with no real ties too much and are finding it really hard to commit ourselves to ADR's...and as far as we are concerned the 'quick service' options are so varied that we are quite happy eating on the go.  Plus any ADR's we do make will have to be extra to our Quick Service Dining Plan and out of our 'expenses' budget!

We do however, have one date set whilst on vacation and that is to meet up with good friend Michelle from The Minnie Minxes podcast who is organising a little get together in Epcot one day to travel our way around the world....hopefully including food and drink!!

So vacation planning is taking shape slowly but surely and I shall fill you in with more details the closer we get :)

Disney Friends are the Best!

Yesterday I had the privilege of spending the day with some like minded individuals at a hotel in Nottingham....don't worry these were just fellow Disney fans!

Friends that have come together through the power of social media and podcasts, friends who share the common denominator of being fans of the WDW Radio show and a certain Mr Lou Mongello.  A fan group that was formed by the lovely Emma over at Daydreaming Disney and now supported by the laughter loving Michelle and Kim from The Minnie Minxes.  We had a great day of quiz's, do-nuts, satellite link-ups, sharing memories, muffins, lots of laughter as well as raising money for WDW Radio Dream Team Project.

It was great to spend time with people who 'get' what going to WDW is all about, who share a passion and a love for all things Disney and who all have amazing tales to tell about their experiences visiting various Disney parks around the world.

And although we may have been relatively small in number we still managed to raise $200 for the WDW Dream Team Project through a small raffle of donated goodies, look what I won :)

Raffle prizes :)

My goodies from the meet!

So a big thank you to everyone who came along yesterday, to those who helped organise it and those who graciously donated raffle prizes the only thing I want to know is when are we doing it again??

Countdown to Christmas - Day 15

15th December

So the observant amongst you will notice that despite this post being titled Day 15 it is actually being published on Day 16!  So first I shall apologise for being a day late and then I think my post will explain why.

Christmas is always a time for family and friends, a good excuse to get together with those we love and care about, and this weekend for us has been no exception.

Through the common interest of all things Disney we have over the last couple of years, and especially this last year, begun to find other liked minded individuals through the medium of the internet.  By following podcasts like WDW Radio or The Minnie Minxes we have been introduced to a 'whole new world' of all things Disney, and subsequently along the way have made new friends.

So this weekend has been spent with one of the hosts of the The Minnie Minxes, Michelle, and other Disney obsessed people and we even managed to connect with long time friend Emma by the power of Skype!

And at the same time our friends at WDW Radio were posting a blog all about 'My Best Disney Present Ever' and one from our friend Christy Viszoki, right at the bottom of the blog post, caught our eye - couldn't have said it any better Christy.

Disney and the spirit that it embodies brings about a kindness and warmth among people and ultimately new connections, friends and adventures.