Disney '10: The countdown is on!

I'm slightly fanatical about all things Dinsey. Fair warning: do NOT try to take me on in Disney Scene it or any other Disney game. My family refuses to play with me anymore. Except for Sissy...she's starting to give me a run for my money.

We have been fortunate enough to make the trip to Disney World every other year since Sissy was little...in 2004, 2006, 2008 and this year in 2010. The 2004 trip was traumatic for the Old Man. His family was not big on vacations when he was growing up. We did a single day trip while I was attending a conference in Tampa. It was July, it was hot, and it was crowded. And he thought the tomorrow land speedway was the Richard Petty track we passed on the way into the Magic Kingdom. Needless to say, he was grumpy and ready to leave my noon...not to mention he was stressed over the price of food. To which I responded something along the lines of, "I paid, $XX for these tickets and there's no way in ____ I'm leaving at noon. Now shut up and have FUN!" Yep, real  effective pep talk, I'm sure.

So by 2006, Bubby had joined the family and I was ready to go back. So I decided to make it as "Old-Man friendly" as possible. We went for a week right after Labor Day, which is supposedly one of the least crowded weeks of the year. We stayed on site so he didn't have to worry about transportation and we got the dining plan, so instead of whining about how much the food cost, he could spend his time maximizing our dining value and feeling good about how we were getting way more than our money's worth. The only thing I would have changed was that we stayed at one of the value resorts (All Star Movies), and even with just the four of us (and the kids were 1 and 3 years old), the room felt cramped...especially with the stroller in there. But it's not like we spent a lot of time in the room anyway.

It was such a great trip, we decided to do the same thing in 2008, by which Baby Boy had joined the gang. Same plan, only this time we were joined by the Old Man's dad and fiancée for part of the week. Disney World with the grandparents was great. We "upgraded" our accommodations to the "moderate" Caribbean Beach Resort. LOVED the beach and the playground and the room was much, much roomier. Plus, even though we went that same week after Labor Day, in 2008 we were able to go to the season's first Not So Very Scary Halloween Party. It was awesome and by far one of the highlights of the trip. Seriously, when else are you going to get to ride Splash Mountain 6 times in a row without ever getting out of your log, have the cast member keep you in the air on Aladdin's Carpets during a fireworks show, or meet all your Disney favorites (including a ton of the princesses' princes) in their Halloween finest? It was amazing! That's when I knew I had to try one of the Very Merry Christmas parties.

So when 2010 rolled around, I started talking the Old Man into another trip. Honestly, despite his 1st traumatic visit to Disney World, it's grown on him. He has been super impressed with the service and secretly likes to go. At least that's what I keep telling myself. We're headed back for a week in December. And this time we're trying one of the family suites at the All Star Music Resort. I loved the Caribbean Beach so much, I hope we're not disappointed going back to the value resort. But it's not like there are a lot of other options that are reasonably priced when you have 6 people to house in your room. Hopefully the family suite will make the difference.

Now here we are, less than 2 months from our trip. I'm so excited! Dining reservations are made for Chef Mickey's, the Fantasmic Dinner package, the Candlelight Processional package at Le Cellier in Epcot, and Donald's Safari Breakfast at Animal Kingdom. Tickets are purchased and printed for Mickey's Verry Merry Christmas Party, and I pay the balance due on our vacation this month.

To make it even better, my mom is planning on going with us. It's been a tough year for our family with the loss of my dad in January and my mom's cancer returning. She's in the midst of chemo now, but our Disney vacation falls on a non-treatment week for her, so hopefully all will go well and she can go. Unless the upcoming federal inspection for her job gets scheduled for that week. But we're thinking positive and not going there!

I think I got some great deals and have some good tips to share as we countdown to our Disney vacation. So check back to see how I maximized our savings and some other cool tips. :)

That's 55 days to go. And counting.