The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same

by: NicoleMarie

After 15 Disney trips in five years, the NMs were finally convinced at the end of last summer that our love affair with the Mouse wasn’t going away anytime soon. In fact, it was getting even more intense with every trip under those happy arches. So with uncharacteristic financial spontaneity, without even seeing Bay Lake Tower in person, or even being in the World when we signed the contract, the NMs bought some DVC points at Bay Lake Tower and finally became members of the Best Kept Disney Secret (really?): the Disney Vacation Club. We took our first DVC trip this past Thanksgiving, stayed in a 1 BR villa at Bay Lake Tower, and loved every minute of it.

Like the full on rednecks we are, we ooohed and ahhhed over the villa and all the space it afforded our family of four. We put snacks in the cool pull-out pantry. We loaded the full size fridge with drinks. We listened to our iPod tunes through the iPod dock while we got ready. The hubby and I threw the “loser” sign at the kids as we shut the door to the master bedroom every night and fell asleep on the big, comfy king bed. We put our dirty laundry in a laundry basket in the LAUNDRY ROOM, and we came home with mostly clean clothes after our vacation. Because the Florida temps were COLD this past Thanksgiving, I’d fill up a nice, hot Jacuzzi bath when I needed to take the chill off. (After running two tubs full of water through the jets on the day we checked in. The first tub containing the entire contents of a small bottle of bleach. Oh yes Ma’am. You didn’t think I’d just get in there WITHOUT doing that did you?) The kids got ready in the mornings in their OWN bathroom, and the husband and I got ready just like we would at home – in the privacy of OUR own bathroom. Get where I’m going with this? Staying in the 1 BR villa at Bay Lake Tower was an AWESOME way to vacation at Disney World.

FOR THE LOVE OF MONEY WASTED ON HOTEL ROOMS, WHY THE HECK DIDN’T WE BUY DVC SOONER???



For those of you who don’t know us, let me give you a little introduction. A very little one just so you can get the NM family dynamics in your head. My husband and I both turned 40 this spring, and we’ve been married for 18 years in December. (!!!!) We have two children – a girl and a boy. Our daughter is 11 and going into the 6th grade (!!!!), and our son is 8 and going into 2nd. You’ll learn more about us as we go, but that’s the basics. On with the show.

So now that we own DVC, we are GUARANTEED (Lord willing and the creek don’t rise) to take – at this stage in the game – at least one trip per year. I’m sure there will come a time we’ll bank points and go every other year. Or possibly every THREE years if we bank AND borrow. But not now. Especially not this year. Because this year we had not only our 2010 points, but some leftovers from 2009 as well.

And so it was born.

A milestone trip of sorts for the NM family. A trip that shifted the NM ‘s Disney Vacation tide.

For FOREVER, we’ve taken our main family vacation in September. We’d pull the kids out of school and enjoy a week at the beach or at Disney World, paying cheaper rates and mingling with less folks.

But when the girl entered 5th grade this past school year, we felt like it was best NOT to pull her out of school for a full week, and instead, take our vacation during school breaks.

So we started discussing summer dates, and right away I thought of the 4th of July. For the last five years, I’ve wanted to be in the World on the 4th of July. Whether we were in a boat on the lake watching some not-as-awesome-as-Disney fireworks, or whether we were lighting sparklers and grilling hamburgers by the pool with good friends, or even last year, when our plane was descending into Atlanta just as really nice fireworks were going off all over the city, I would ALWAYS say to my husband that one year, I would love to watch the 4th of July fireworks at Disney World. In my mind, there would be no better place to celebrate the birthday of this great Land.

With that thought, my mind turned into a calendar and I started mentally drawing a long line starting on Saturday, June 26th, and ending on Monday July 5th. Monday the 5th was the federal holiday for the 4th - and an EXTRA day of vacation for the NMs. Oh yeah, baybee!! Go ahead and tell the office you’re gonna be off, Mr. NM. Cause we are GOIN’ TO DISNEY WORLD!!! FOR TEN DAYS!!! Our longest trip ever.

Now that the dates were agreed upon, it was time to decide resorts. I could make this paragraph really detailed and boring to read – kinda like the rest of my TR – or I can save you the grief and just give you the final outcome of the resort decision making process. We decided on 6 nights in a Kidani 2 BR, moving over to a 1 BR at BLT for 3 nights the weekend of the 4th. So now we had not only moved up from a hotel room to a villa, we were going TWO BEDROOMS.

TWO BEDROOMS? AT DISNEY WORLD? Country has come to town, my friends. Country has come to town.

We looked at online pictures of the 2 BR villa, and the kids started dancing a jig all over the kitchen as they realized they would each have their VERY OWN BED! In their VERY OWN BEDROOM! DH and I were dancing a jig all over the kitchen when we realized that there would be not just one, but TWO doors - AND a big living room - separating ours and the kids’ sleeping space for 6 nights. Oh, yes. This was shaping up to be a trip like no other Disney trip the NMs had ever taken. We might actually slow down and enjoy things this time! Sleep in! Rent some movies! Take a day off to hang at the resort! All while knowing the parks were ready and waiting whenever we wanted to be in them.

The excitement and anticipation of this seemingly "best Disney trip ever" would continue to build for the next seven months. We'd play Disney Trivia at restaurants, look at Disney websites, measure my ALMOST 48" son every month and in general, talk about our trip constantly. Until finally, the time would arrive. We would pack the bags, put them in the car, and head off to Disney World.

I promise, next installment, we'll get there.

Thanks for reading, friends.