Disney Trip 2013 - Departure Day and Final Thoughts

This is the final post of my Disney Trip report – click for  post #1, post #2, post #3, post #4, post #5, post #6, and post #7!

We got up early on our departure day. We had to be out of the room by 11 and needed to do most of the packing. Emily and I went to the car to load some things up and I got some pictures of her in the resort which was really beautiful.

We had some credits left on the dining plan so Emily and I got some breakfast. Todd wasn’t hungry because he was a bit sick – he thought he might have gotten food poisoning though Emily and I were fine.

Todd finished up loading the car while I amused Emily in the arcade since we had some credits left. We got checked out and then went to the food court to spend the rest of our dining plan credits so we could have snacks for the drive home.

The drive home was pretty uneventful and we got back late that night. I was sad to go but it was nice to be home.

Emily and I want to go back to Disney World as soon as we can, though Todd is less thrilled about going back. We are tentatively planning on going back in 2016, probably in September.

I thought the trip went really well. We didn’t see everything but we had a pretty relaxed time with taking afternoon breaks. It really helped Emily be able to keep going by taking a nap in the afternoon.

The new Magic Bands are great! They work for everything from opening the room, to the dining plan to Fast Pass +. I was really intrigued when I first heard about the Magic Bands and I’m really glad that we got to try them.

I also loved the new Fast Pass +. We never used Fast Pass that much before, and we still didn’t for a lot of things. But it fits our style of touring which is laid back. I didn’t mind scheduling our Fast Pass + selections in advance. The only thing I would have done differently would have been to print out all our Fast Pass + selections for each day so I wouldn’t have to try and fiddle with the My Disney Experience app.

All in all, it was a pretty magical first trip for Emily. I asked her last night what her favorite things to do at Disney were. She said that she loved meeting the characters and riding Dumbo and Star Tours. Hopefully she’ll still love it once we go back in a few years!

One Month Until Disney!

Dressed as Sophia & ready for Disney World!

Today is a special day for me that doesn't have anything to do with the events of 12 years ago today. Today is exactly one month until we go to Walt Disney World!

I've talked about my previous trips and I’ll finish up my write up of my Disney honeymoon soon. Disney World is my favorite place in the whole world. It was only three months after we got back from our last trip that I became pregnant with Emily.

Since I was pregnant, I've been dreaming about taking her to the World. When we were on our honeymoon, Todd and I both decided that we wanted to wait until our child was old enough to walk on her own and be potty trained. We originally thought about waiting until her 6^th birthday.

Because of the way the school cut-off falls in NC, Emily is still in preschool this year. Because of that, I convinced Todd that we should go this year instead of next year because she wouldn't be missing actual school. My logic won out and I started planning our trip in earnest in March of 2012.

I've been working with a great travel agent over at MouseFan Travel to get everything set. My travel agent, Sara, was able to get us the coveted Be Our Guest reservation as well as a great early reservation for the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. We are also lucky enough to get to try out the new Magic Bands!

There have been several things that nearly derailed our trip. First, Emily had to have dental surgery back in

May and we weren't sure if we could afford both.  We were able to come up with the money and Emily’s teeth have been very healthy since her surgery.

Then about a month ago, things got very bad for Todd at his job forcing him to find a new job. Thankfully he

found a new job that he likes a whole lot better right away, but it made me a little nervous for a while there.

But here we are, one month away and everything is all set. Our trip is paid off and mostly I just need to pack. I got Emily a Sophia the First dress last week for the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique and even made her a countdown chain.

She’s excited but I know I’m more excited than she is. It’s been a heck of year but in 30 days I’ll be in my favorite place in the whole world and that will make everything better.