We Did It Before and We Can Do It Again - PreTR

[Travel Guru]

*“We Did It Before and We Can Do It Again” Pre-trip Report* ……I seriously considered naming this the “Que Sera, Sera Whatever Will Be, Will Be” Trip Report (from the old Doris Day movie) as that seems to have summed up the planning phase of this second vacation to WDW. Before we jump in to the details (and I promise to keep it short and to the point so as not to have you all nodding off!), let me introduce you to our cast of travelers… First we have me, Cathy (46) – homeschooling mom, former martial arts instructor, chief dog-walker, amateur chef, herbal healer, ghost hunter (I could keep adding titles but we’ll leave it at that.) I love Disney, :love: love all the warm childhood memories it invokes – the Mouseketeers, Davy Crockett, Zorro, the beauty and wonder of our National Parks, the friendship between a Mouse, a Duck and a very Goofy dog. If you want to know why going to WDW meant _so much_ to me before my very first trip last year, you can check out my pre and/or TRs here : HowI got My Act Together and Went to Disney (http://www.passporterboards.com/foru...ney-world.html) Our Crash Course in Disney 101 (http://www.passporterboards.com/foru...te-10-1-a.html) Next we have my DH Kevin (54). This will be his second trip to WDW and okay, I’ll admit it – he’s a bit more on “the Dark Side” and loves Universal Studios, but luckily he’s discovering that WDW is a fun adventure, too. Kevin’s real love(s) in life are music and martial arts. He’s been doing both since he was 4 years old, and even though he has a myriad of skills and interests, chances are if you look, he’ll either be practicing his jiu-jitsu or playing his guitar. (Would that be “The Fighting Troubadour” or “The Singing Ninja” ???):D Kevin’s musical interest is all over the board from classic rock to jazz; for now, he mainly writes and records Christian music. And since he’s owned a martial arts school, he’s had the opportunity to meet some incredibly talented martial artists such as Chuck Norris. Image: http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/g.../Chuckcrop.jpg *(Kevin and me meeting Chuck at the Martial Arts Expo in Chicago)* Image: http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/g...Emmaresize.jpg *(Kevin in the studio with granddaughter Emma.)* Between the two of us we have 6 children. (I can already hear someone whistling the tune to “The Brady Bunch.” :rolleyes:) Kevin’s oldest two, Sarah and Michael, are grown and living in Michigan. My oldest son, Tyler, is a new United States Marine stationed in Camp Lejeune, NC. My daughter Alexa (18) is the next traveler in our adventure. Alexa is a very creative artist and graphic designer, but her heart belongs to her music. She plays keyboard, guitar, bass, a little banjo, has a phenomenal singing voice (but won’t sing in front of anyone) and is completely self-taught. She and her band played for almost three years in and around the Nashville area – but recently broke up due to ‘creative differences.’ This will be her third trip to WDW as she went as a child with her dad’s family. Image: http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/g...lexaresize.jpg *(Self-portrait by Alexa)* Next on the list is Kelley (10). Kelley loves Disney – so much that we’ve had some sad crying spells last year, “Mom, I just want to be in Disney World right NOW and I feel so sad!” :( She also dabbles in music and is teaching herself keyboard, drums and guitar – but really hasn’t found her place yet. Image: http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/g...lletresize.jpg Cory (8) is our final adventurer. Even though she also loves music, she’s our ballerina and is getting ready to start her third year of training with the School of Nashville Ballet. Last year Cory had a small part in “The Nutcracker” and that really brought the stars to her eyes; she can’t wait to be onstage again. So there we are – and here’s how this next trip came to be… The planning for this trip really started last year, about a mile after we drove under the WDW arches to begin our journey back home after our very first visit. *Everyone* wanted to go again; our time in the World had definitely not been long enough and so the girls all begged, “Please Mom – can we go again next year?” All of you know how it feels to take your first trip to WDW. No matter how much fun you had; no matter how magical everything was – _once is just not enough._ After our first trip, I realized what a newbie I really was – and I wanted to do it all again! There were things I wanted to tweak; changes to make here and there, new ideas to try and activities missed to go back and experience. One of the activities missed that _really_ bothered me was not attending MNSSHP on our first trip. And as a family that *LOVES* Halloween, to miss it just didn’t seem fair. The other subject that kept coming up was my intentions to be able to take a family vacation every year. Since we had never been on a true vacation the entire time Kevin and I had been married, and had worked so hard to create our first Disney trip last year, I wasn’t willing to go without ever again. So when they kids started asking if we could go next year, without really thinking about it I told them *IF* free dining was offered again and *IF *it coincided with MNSSHP dates, we would go again. I didn’t really feel like thinking ahead to how all of it would work out. I simply marked dates on my calendar as to when to start watching for the release of MNSSHP dates; when to call for ADRs and when to keep an eye out for the VISA cardholder’s Free Dining Offer – and then I let it go. “Whatever Will Be, Will Be…” _Why_ I didn’t really want to think about it all was because of how many changes would be happening to our family in the up-coming year…and had I known that more changes than I _thought_ would be happening, I might have waited before making that promise… *UP NEXT: To MNSSHP or Not to MNSSHP?*