A great big beautiful – Summer 2022

[Goldia]

Welcome to another pre-trip report from me.

A little back story

Little? Ok those who’ve read my trip reports before know there is nothing ‘little’ about them as boy I write a lot, what can I say? There’s a lot to tell and I like to share it all with other people who love Orlando too .

I’m Abby, my husband is David, we have two children Max, who is 17 and is doing his A Levels this year and Kate, who is 14, she’ll turn 15 in March. In the past we have traveled to Orlando as a four, in 2019 my parents came along too, but this year there will be neither four nor six of us. We will be a party of three as Max has decided he doesn’t want to join us on this trip . I’m sad he won’t be returning with us and I have said to him that I can always add a flight and amend bookings if he changes his mind, but I don't think this is going to happen. He is looking forward to a summer off after his A levels and being able to go out and have fun with his friends.

The title of the trippie

The title of trippie is always important to me and those who are veteran Orlando vacationers will already know where it comes from.

Along with many other Dibbers, over the last couple of years we have had to cancel and re-book many trips, with both the 2020 and 2021 Orlando trips cancelled.

So, I settled on the song from Carousel of Progress in the hopes that this year we will all be able to enjoy travel again across the pond .

There’s a great, big, beautiful tomorrow
Shining at the end of every day
There’s a great, big, beautiful tomorrow
And tomorrow’s just a dream away.
Man has a dream and that's the start
He follows his dream with mind and heart
And when it becomes a reality
It's a dream come true for you and me
So there's a great, big, beautiful tomorrow
Shining at the end of every day
There's a great, big, beautiful tomorrow
Just a dream away

It says it all doesn’t it? Just a dream away

A bit of History

So, next up a bit of history, cos I love reminiscing . It's one of the reasons that I love to read other peoples trip reports as I get to remember all the fun we've had on our trips.

I'll tell you a story all about how our lives got more Disney-fied over the years. You may not know, but we’ve been to Orlando before . We always travel at the same time of year, the first two weeks of the summer holidays so the end of July and beginning of August. I'm a teacher, Dave works at a college and of course the kids are both in school so we've always traveled when AK is hotter than the surface of the sun. In pretty much all our photos we've all had to wipe the sweat from our brow's in the hopes we're not too shiny. FYI - this pre trip will be full of useful tips like that

This summer will be our 6th time to Orlando. It's the 8th trip I've booked, but, well you've all been there not all of those trips went ahead.

When did it all begin? I hear you ask well some of you surely are asking that. I daresay there are others of you who are wondering when I will get onto the plan for the future trip you may have skip on ahead a little bit I'm afraid.

2014

Our first trip was in 2014, Max was 9 and Kate was 7. We stayed at CBR in a pirate room with the QSDP.

I was a newbie at this planning malarkey and only discovered FP+ was a thing about 72 hours before the holiday, I'd never heard of ADRs and I didn’t know we could or should plan some stuff in advance. Yes, we were those people who turned up without an ADR at all .

It was still a fantastic holiday.

2016

Our second trip was in 2016, Max was 11 and Kate was 9. Once again we stayed at CBR this time we upgraded the free QSDP to the DDP and we had ADRs booked as I’d discovered the Dibb .

2017

Our third trip in 2017 did not include WDW. The previous two were WDW exclusively, we hadn't set foot outside of the Disney bubble. But of course Orlando has a lot more than just WDW. This year we did a split stay with 4 nights in NYC and 10 in Orlando going to Discovery Cove, Seaworld, Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure.

2018

Our fourth trip was the It’s All About the Mouse trip and back to being just WDW. We stayed at OKW with DDP again.

We did the 4 parks 1 day challenge, which was awesome and at the end of the trip I surprised the kids with a 2 night stay in a Royal Room at POR.

2019

The Bare Necessities Orlando trip included 14 nights at POFQ with upgraded DDP, a swim with the dolphins at Discovery Cove and of course back to Universal staying at RPR. This year was different though as my parents also came along.

2020

Our Orlando trip of course was cancelled and instead Kate and Me enjoyed a very last minute trip to DLP.

2021

This trip also ended up being cancelled, but we did enjoy two weeks of relaxation in an all inclusive resort in Jamaica and we were back to being a group of 6 again as Mum and Dad came with us. This holiday was a lot of cocktails, lounging on the beach and eating.

Which finally brings me up to date and I can now start telling you about the plan for this summer.

2022

At the moment I haven’t got any flights booked , partly because I’d been hoping Max would change his mind and partly because, jeez, they are all so expensive. So, there will be flying talk later in the trippie.

Never fear, we do have three hotels booked and 14 day tickets. Two of the hotel bookings overlap so that's another thing that needs sorting out...

Here's what happened.

I booked up 10 nights at Coronado Springs Resort when the free dining plan wasn't announced and we were fobbed off with a dining credit . Our check in day is 29th July so that includes 14 day tickets and the room for four people as I didn't know Max wouldn't want to come.

Then I did some serious thinking and researching and it ended up in us becoming DVC members! What? How did that happen?

The short story is I bought a 150 point resale contract for Copper Creek Villas. The long story of the DVC purchase will be shared later in a new post as this is just the opening gambit of this pre trip report and I've already rambled on for ages .

So, we also check in on 1st August for 5 nights at CCV in the Wilderness Lodge. This is my absolute favourite WDW resort. I cannot wait to be welcomed home.

After that on 6th August we are moving over to Boardwalk Villas. Again this is a DVC room, but this one is a rental booking with David’s DVC as we had a voucher from the cancelled 2020 trip that needed to be used. For 6 nights we will be within walking distance from both Epcot and HS and this is also something I’m really looking forward to.

So, as you can tell there is still a bit of stuff to be sorted out. We have the bare bones of a plan though and I hope you'll all join me in this pre trip.