Disney Here We Come!

We'll be on our way to The Happiest Place on Earth soon and I got to thinking about previous Disney adventures.  We've been very very fortunate to be able to go to Disney a number of times but this will be the first time without children.  I expect it to be a very different experience than those we've had before. 

Our first visit to Disney was 25 years ago on a senior class trip. 

We spent most of our free time with another chaperone who's still teaching with me.  Cindy and Jim abused me a great deal for the number of flower pictures I took on this trip. 

Our next trip after that was nine years later in 1996.  I recall planning the trip carefully for when Ryan no longer needed a daily nap.  This particular trip was very special because we spent time with Kathleen and Nick, our sister Kathy AND our friends the Hamiltons.  It was (can I say it?) MAGICAL.

Kathy shamed me into setting up a lunch with the characters and this is from that event. I hadn't intended to spend that money but I'm so glad we did.

Four years later we returned and were chosen as "The Millenial Family of the Week"!  Our room was decorated for our arrival and we got a number of nice little perks including beach towels I still have.

Kathy came along on this trip too and was also a Millenial Family of the Week Member.  What I especially remember from this trip was promising myself that any future trips required only a pool, ESPN and a remote control.  That's all the kids seemed to care about even though we were in the Happiest Place on Earth.

We didn't really plan it this way but it worked out that we returned again 4 years later.  It takes that much time to save the money I guess!

This trip was memorable for the characters we met.  As you can plainly see.

I planned the 2008 return carefully realizing it may be the last time the four of us could take a big trip together.  Amy was in college meaning she'd be going off on her own soon.  This was a wonderful trip.  I expected the kids to go off on their own but they didn't--we mostly stuck together and experienced Disney magic in a really special way. 

 This was the morning we left and we were doing some last minute shopping.  We ended up stranded at the airport in Orlando and spent another night there.  Their hotel is right in the airport and it's like a mall.  Couldn't ask for anything better for kids this age. 

All the trips have been memorable and we are fortunate we were able to share such experiences with our children.  But I'm looking forward to this one especially! See you on the other side!