Great Days in a Disney Vacation!!! (redux)

[MrPeetrie]

I've done this post before, but it's so much fun (and I love to write) I decided to do it again!

All days in a Disney vacation are great, but some are just a little greater than others. And some happen even before the vacation begins. Here are a few of mine. Read them, add yours and add some comments.

-- Reservation day. Up until this point, it's all conjecture. You may have thought about it. You may have it planned out in your head. But until you make that call (or go online,) it's all still a dream. But when you get that confirmation number, it's official!!!! "We're Going To Disney!!!" You can post it on social media. Enter it into your calendar app. Start your countdown timer. "We're coming home!!!" Now the real fun begins.

-- 180-Day Mark. Angst ridden, for sure, but still a great day. You know the feeling. You have certain "must-do" dining experiences and some will be tougher to attain than others. You have your strategy mapped out. "Be Our Guest (due to 180+10) will have very limited availability. I'll shoot for that on Day 5 at Magic Kingdom for dinner first, then try for Ohana on Day 3, then Tusker House character breakfast on Day 2." Cross Fingers. Sit by the computer in the early hours, sipping coffee, waiting for you window to open. Refresh. Refresh again. Then, boom. You get the ressies you want. You see your plans show up in the My Disney Experience app. Your trip is taking shape. "Won't they be excited to eat there?!?!"

[side note: I do NOT have the same excitement on Day 90 with FastPass. I actually hate that day!!!]

-- The day BEFORE the trip starts. This is actually one of my favorite days. We always go to Joe's Crab Shack for dinner and begin talking about the impending trip. At this point, the trip is still perfect!!!!! No rides are shut down. Lines are short and manageable. Guests are all friendly. Rain doesn't exist. Buses are on time and plentiful. All our "Happy Tanks" are still at FULL! We eat. Talk Disney. Hit Target for some last minute items.

[side note: (Daughter: "Best day to shop? The day before a Disney trip. Dad (me) is so excited, he says no to nothing.")]

-- Travel Day. Some people hate to travel. Not me. I love to travel -- love to fly. (Sometimes in my business, I will drive through the airport lot if I have free time just to watch planes take off and imagine their adventures.) We usually depart early (6 a.m., although for next trip attempting an evening departure for the first time.) Door closes. Push back. Seat upright. Belts fastened. Taxi out. "We're next in line from the tower." The rush of G-forces, wheels up, bank left, and head south! Two hours and 10 minutes later and we're touching down in MCO. Grab carryons, depart, head to Baggage Claim 2 and board the Magical Express. Ninety minutes later, we are at the resort! I love this day!!! LOVE IT!!!

-- First full day on property. "We're here!" The whole trip is ahead of us. Some people love to sleep in on vacation. Not me. At home, I wake early to go to work every day, so why wouldn't I wake early to do something I really love. On our first day, I'm up around 5 a.m., shower, dress, and head out by myself. I'll go grab a coffee, walk around the resort, and say "Hi" to everyone I encounter with the biggest smile on my face. In case anyone doesn't know yet, "I'm Here!!!" Almost always, the first full day starts at the Magic Kingdom with morning reservations at they Crystal Palace before the park opens. I'll return from my morning "Hello-Fest" walk with coffees for family and we'll head out!!

-- The Big Event. You know it. You've been waiting for this experience the whole trip. It' may be "Bippity Boppity Boutique" for your daughter. Or it may be the Hoop Dee Doo Review. Maybe it's a Grand Dinner at Victoria & Albert's. Whatever it is, it has finally arrived. Get the cameras out.

-- Shopping! I'm not a big shopper at all, but the women in my family are. REALLY ARE!!! Lol! I love letting them take a piece of Walt Disney World home with us on every trip.

-- The Cast Member that personifies Disney. Almost all Cast Members are great, but some are even greater. They "Get It!" And time and time again, a cast member or two will really make the trip extraordinary.

-- Seeing/hearing old favorites. The first time I hear "Put On Your Sunday Clothes" on Main Street, U.S.A., in the Magic Kingdom, I cry. The first time I see Illuminations: Reflections of Earth, I cry. (Sad this is ending.)

These are some of the things that bring us back over and over again. Read them over. Make some comments. Tell me yours. Share your favorite experiences.

[side note: (Daughter: "Second best day to shop? The last day of a Disney trip. Dad is so sad, he says no to nothing.")]

[Donald]

I loved your post! I was getting excited about my upcoming trip thanks to your post!

You pretty much nailed all of the exciting moments for me. I would have added seeing the white lines on the runway, the plane turning, the acceleration. Oh I love that part!

The taxiing to MCO and seeing all of the palm trees. Something I don’t see here in Michigan! I love that!

Thanks for your post!

[yjgirl32]

Some of my other favorite parts:
1. Meeting my first character
2. First table service meal
3. First photo with my family
4. First ride

[CynBeth]

You guys sound so much like me. We don’t have kids but love visiting every few years usually around holiday time. I enjoy planning trips and traveling no matter the destination and I get excited about the airport and planes. We do early flights. So many things make me cry when I am at Disney. We have 24 days to go before our next trip!

[NewDVCowner]

I'm arriving in 24 days, too!

One thing that I want to add is getting the Magical Express information in the mail. It's kind of that feeling of 'well I know we're going, but now Disney has us on its radar, too.' :)

[MrPeetrie]

I'm arriving in 24 days, too!

One thing that I want to add is getting the Magical Express information in the mail. It's kind of that feeling of 'well I know we're going, but now Disney has us on its radar, too.' :)

That IS a great day, as well. It’s like Disney has “Officially” acknowledged your arrival. Glad you enjoyed reading. Have a safe and magical vacation in 24 days.

[BrowncatP]

I agree with NewDVCowner and MrPeetrie, I know I'm going, but once the Magical Express shows up in the mail, I know they are ready for me! Of, course the "LONG" wait until the magic bands arrive seems like forever!

[CynBeth]

I'm arriving in 24 days, too!

One thing that I want to add is getting the Magical Express information in the mail. It's kind of that feeling of 'well I know we're going, but now Disney has us on its radar, too.' :)

We got our MBs today!

[Giggy]

Loved reading this post, for me the big days in the build up are when something changes or we reach a milestone:


1. Booking Day, as you said this is the day it is confirmed. This has taken different forms over the years from visiting the travel agent when we were younger to booking online for our last two trips. As you said that moment it I booked then we know we are definitely going.


2. Planning parks and Fastpasses, we are offsite so this takes a slightly different form. From 30 days out I can book one day at a time and I enjoyed doing this for our last trip. We had already agreed where we planned to be on each day so I would know where I was looking for Fastpasses. As we're in the UK they would become available about 12pm each day so I would try to find the best 3 available for that park and send the rest of the family a screenshot. That small update with everyone each day was a fun way of saying what we would be doing 30 days from now.


3. Travelling, not sure my father agrees with this one but I am with you here. From UK it is a very early start (between 5am and 6am) and then either drive or taxi from our house in Telford to the airport (usually Manchester, about 90 minutes drive). I know we have a huge journey ahead of us but we are definitely on our way by this point on a journey that starts at our house and ends in Florida. Dropping off luggage, collecting boarding passes, going through security - each makes me a little nervous about getting it right but is a step closer to getting there! When I was young I only went on a plane once every few years so airports have always been a place of excitement for me, watching everybody rushing around and seeing planes taking off to places all around the world. Boarding the plane, taking off and landing are all exciting for me, as is being on a plane for the first hour or so but then my attention span runs out and I just want to be there! :mickey:

4. Arriving, we finally land at MCO! We get off the plane and arrive in the airport. When I was little the importance of being quiet in Immigration used to go over my head, now it makes me a little nervous (even though I have no reason to be!) but at least it is the last place where I have to be serious! Then there is the usual journey through to arrivals, finding the Virgin Atlantic rep and going to collect the car. Walking out of the airport we cross the road to the car rental directly opposite, this is the moment when the heat of Florida suddenly hits so (particularly when I was young) this was more of a dash to get under cover again!

5. First evening, we normally land around mid afternoon. By the time we get to our room it is late afternoon/early evening. We stay for 2 weeks and have 14 day passes (and have just had a very long day) so this is a quiet evening, parks will start in the morning. We get set up in the room, go for a swim, get dinner somewhere like IHOP or Denny's, pick up a few groceries and try to get an early night, ready for the big day.

6. First day at the parks! The day where the magic really starts! :magic: The time difference and the excitement mean everyone is up earlier than they normally would be. We have a breakfast of some combination of Donuts and Froot Loops (we can't get these in UK!) and head for the parks. Similar to the start of a movie Walt Disney do a good job of building this up. As we drive in we pass through the WDW sign and it's always exciting to see the road signs turn purple! Driving past the Tower of Terror sign is one landmark we always look forward to - it's customary to scream at this point! Follow signs towards Magic Kingdom and pass through the parking lot sign trying to guess which character we will park at this time, last trip they caught us with the new Heroes and Villains divide! From here each step is slightly more Disney than the one before it as we take the tram to the TTC, then take the ferry across the Seven Seas Lagoon, landing just outside the Magic Kingdom. Pass through the gate, under the train station and we are finally there! :mickey:


7. First ride! This has changed slightly last two trips, previously it was always Walt Disney World Railroad to Mickey's Toontown Fair to meet Mickey. After the expansion work this turned into a walk down Main Street, head for Frontierland and everyone on Splash Mountain! :surfing: Everyone now even includes my mother who hates heights but realised it is a worth 5 seconds down the drop to see the rest of this ride, a definite family favourite!

8. Tomorrowland! I don't know why specifically Tomorrowland but for me arriving here is a moment I always look forward to. I love the futuristic theming and in particular Space Mountain is a moment I know I am really there. I think we had done Barnstormer already by this time on our first trip but Space Mountain was my first of the "Big" rollercoasters. :coaster:


I think that is my main ones (sorry for long post), it was going to be followed by first rides on X, Y and Z but then I realised it would just turn into a very long list of my favourite rides!

[MrPeetrie]

No need to apologize. I loved reading your response, as well.