First Trip to Disneyworld - Pre-Trip Report

Let me start by saying that I got really into planning this vacation... some might say obsessed. But I really enjoyed preparing for it!

It began a year ago in September 2007, when my boss took our entire LTR team to WDW. It was all about creating environments, engaging crowds, communication, excellence, etc. We did the backstage magic tour; he created a booklet w/notes and discussion questions; it was thorough. So there were eight of us at WDW, and most of us have preschoolers. Pretty sure we were all planning our next family trip.

Evan & Al took their families back in November. Mauro took his family in April. But MC, Andrea & I decided to hold out for the free dining plan offerred in September. The free DDP dates would be released in mid-April. Going on in the background is MC's battle w/cancer. He found out before Christmas that some tests came back questionable. Then he was having surgeries removing tumors and later was scheduled for brain surgery. Planning and talking about WDW became an escape, a relief from what had become his reality. We were going to take our families the same week. We put money on what day disney would make the free DDP announcement, etc.

My friend MC passed away on May 4th, 2007. He wouldn't be able to take his family to disney like we had all planned. I didn't want to think about our trip after that. It was all wrapped up in my grief for MC. Over the next few weeks, Brian and I were trying to think of a way to honor him. And in one of those God things, we both came up with the same idea on the same night: let's invite Jen and the boys to go with us in September.

So, we called Disney to see if we could add them to our reservations, make sure they would get the free dining, etc. It worked out to where all they would have to pay for were their tix to the parks. I called Jen. She thought about it & accepted. And we all cried. Bittersweet for sure.

But as you can imagine, trip planning took on new meaning. It gave me something constructive to do with my grief. So, I got into it. It would be the Volks, Maurers & Colwells after all. I was coordinating three families itineraries and it was fun.

Dining reservations (ADRs) were fun. What worked well in 2007? Which character meals would our kids enjoy? What was on the kids menu? Which park will we go to which day? What are the extra magic hours? What are the strategic routes thru the parks? Where will we be on our routes around lunch time? Could we do date nights? I'm a producer, what can I say. I love coordinating moving parts.

I had fun discussing strategies w/Al. And Evan laid out the plans in a booklet like LTR had in 2007. I so appreciate everyone's help. I know they especially wanted to maximize this trip for Jen, Kaleb & Noah. We all hoped it would be a chance for them to make some family memories in 2008 that were happy.

So I joined discussion boards, read trip reports, collected tips and watched the weather. (I probably got a little too into it :) But come September, we were primed for a great trip. (Don't worry; I didn't boss everyone around. I just gave them a strategic plan they could adapt for their family.)

We packed the car the night before & were on our way to Orlando at 9:06am Sunday, September 14th.