The Inglis Family do Deluxe October 2010

[Guest]

The Inglis family do Deluxe!

PART 1

Hi folks!

I thought I would finally do a little Pre-Trippie! With the countdown at 28 sleeps to go it certainly won’t be the epic adventure my first Pre-Trip report was but I’l do my best to tell you all about us and how the holiday came about and everything in between!

Ok so to start with there is Me ( Carreen) and DH Paddy this photo was only a few weeks ago at my 30th Birthday Party



We have been together for 13yrs and will have been married for 12yrs in December. I was a teenage bride but I can honestly say that it was the best thing I have ever done, I love my little family to bits and they are my world.

Then my three darling cherubs, Kieran (11), Aidan (turns 9 three days before we go) and my littlest man Aaron (4). This is a wee picture of my boys first day of school this year a few weeks ago.



Our first trip to the world was in Nov/Dec 2008 and you can read all about it in my last trip report ( Link in signature). It was THE single most amazing place we had ever been to so much so we were itching to get booked up again.

Now that holiday wasn’t without problems but it hasn’t deterred us one little bit! To explain for those who haven’t read our last report, my boys have additional needs. Kieran was diagnosed at age of 6 as having ADHD but as of April this year he also has a diagnosis of Asperger’s Syndrome, which is a high functioning type of Autism. Aidan also has a diagnosis of ASD (Autistic Spectrum Disorder) but is probably somewhere in the middle of the spectrum (not classically Autistic but not Asperger’s either). And little Aaron is also going through the assessment process for ASD also.

So for us planning is everything! However…….

It has been a long slog to get to this point in the countdown…..so I shall start at the beginning!

The post-holiday blues were sooo bad after last time…coupled with the fact that our last weekend of our holiday was not all we had expected it to be (see last report) it seemed to be all we remembered. Slowly though as Christmas and New Year passed and the weeks dragged by, my thoughts started gearing towards Disney again and how I would be turning the BIG 3-0 the following year and how it would be lovely to celebrate this at the World! My memories of the last weekend were fading fast and the previous two weeks seemed to be coming back thick and fast!

The smile on Kieran’s face that drew me to tears as he met Stitch his favourite character for the first time,



Aidan’s face after riding Rock n roller coaster,



Aaron’s face lighting up at seeing Minnie mouse



and most of all the memory of my biggest baby boy, turning to me at the end of seeing Wishes for the first time and telling me I’m the best mum in the world and thanking me for bringing him to Disneyworld is just priceless….these are the moments that made all those horrible times soo worthwhile!



Sooooo……..

I started talking to Paddy about what he thought. He was desperate to go back but he was very very keen to stay onsite this time. Although this would be a dream come true I was a little apprehensive of the lack of space compared to staying in a villa and less flexibility etc. more for the kids’ sake than anything else.

So we looked and looked! At this time I went to visit my good friend and fellow Dibber Claire ( Wishes36) along with a few of the other dibber girls that all got together for the weekend! Seeing scrapbooks and hearing stories just reinforced my need to go back!

When the first editions of the Virgin brochure came out I madly starting pricing our options up, along with the Disney website. Teresa (Dizneyblonde) recommended contacting Val (Cinders mum) to get quotes etc. So I duly sent an email to Val stating what we were looking for what I had already found and asking what she could do for us. Within a matter of minutes I had a reply and this was the start of a wonderful friendship! Val has been a complete star, she has replied to umpteen emails, msn messages and phone calls over the last 18mths or so and I’m so glad to call her a friend now.

Soo we had already decided that as DH’s annual leave is worked into his rota – meaning he doesn’t really get a say when he gets his time off, by pure luck he would ACTUALLY be off for the FIRST time EVER at October break we would be booking for then! So our dates were fixed as 1st October – 15th October. This meant the kids would only be out of school for 6 days.

Next point was do we fly from Manchester again to save money or make life easier and do Glasgow? There was only approx £300 of a difference in price so we decided to save ourselves the hassle and do Glasgow! Phew no stupid red bull fuelled drive back up the road for us! Woohoo!

Ok so it seemed to be that, crazy as it sounds, cheaper to book a deluxe resort than it was to book a Value! Go figure eh? Basically we would have to book two rooms at either a value or a moderate but we could all fit into one room at a deluxe for approx. the same price….so no brainer there really!

So Disney’s Beach Club resort it was! Stormalong bay was the selling feature for us for the kids! It just looks AMAZING! Aidan and Aaron are little water babies they LOVE the water so this is right up their street! Ok so we were entitled to free Disney Dining Plan staying at a deluxe resort – result! But Paddy being Paddy ( a man basically) really only thinks of one thing these days….Oh ok maybe two things but it’s a family forum so I’ll keep it clean!LOL FOOD!
He really wanted us to have as much flexibility with our meals as possible. As this was more than likely a once in a lifetime opportunity for us staying at a Disney resort full stop never mind a deluxe he wanted the kids to have as many character meals as possible and upgrading to the Deluxe dining was what he wanted to do. In all honesty I had my reservations about this as I didn’t want to be tied down at all but it did make sense for the amount of money it was costing to upgrade v’s the amount of money we spent last year on counter service type meals, so it was agreed Deluxe Dining it is!
We have both agreed however that although we have booked a few lunch time ADR’s then we will have no probs cancelling them if we feel it will be too much or simply if we are enjoying whatever we are doing and don’t want to rush off.
I have tried to plan the ADR’s based on where we will be so there will hopefully be minimal running around the World frantically trying to get to restaurants! LOL.

So all this agreed and finalised it was time to get booked and start paying for it! Last year saw us hit a bit of financial difficulty and we thought at one point that this holiday wouldn’t happen but my husband is a star and he managed it. He has worked overtime like you wouldn’t believe in order for this dream holiday to happen and I can’t thank him enough he really is (as corny and cheesy as it sounds) my superstar! He really looks after us all and has given us not one but two dream holidays!

So after the holiday was booked I then turned my thoughts to other things, such as ME!LOL. I had always said that when Aaron was due to start school then this would be time for me to sort myself out and figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I’ve been a stay at home mum for 10yrs and as much as I love my children I think I would go stir crazy if I was to stay at home any longer! LOL So I applied to do a part time Access course at Glasgow University studying Psychology and Sociology. When I started the course I had no idea what I was doing, what I had planned to do or where I would end up!

As I’ve said my boys all have additional needs and I have been very lucky to have a great experience of helping other parents with children on the spectrum as well as running a parents group at my son’s school. The help I have had from Social Services has been phenomenal over the years and I’m very grateful. This has made me realise that this is what I want to do…to help others. A few months into my courses and I knew what I wanted to do ….Social Work. So I made my UCAS application and sat back and waited. I was getting great grades with my course A’s and B’s but it was a struggle at times, lots of late nights at the computer. I finally finished my course and passed with two B’s and two C’s in May and was over the moon. I got my conditional offer from Glasgow Caledonian for the Social Work programme, but part of the conditional offer was to complete a summer school maths course. Aarrrgghhh! I hate maths! But thankfully it is now completed and I have my place and I start a week on Monday 13th September! Now this isn’t too great timing seeing as we are away only a few weeks later but it’s just one of those things really isn’t it! I am worried about catching up but in all honesty if I can do the course I have just done with the amount of extra stuff I had going on in my life then I know I will do it! It has been a really tough year, problems with Kieran and school which resulted in multiple exclusions, finally getting him his diagnosis which suddenly makes the school change their thinking (another bug bare of mine, why schools need a label in order to deal with a situation or person in a different way really winds me up!) Not knowing if the little one was going to get to start school this year and having to fight to get him a place in the Enhanced Provision unit. Taking on the local Education department was not something I relish at all and having had to do this numerous times previously has made me very determined not to back down year but this year was soo draining that I didn’t think I had it in me to be honest but I persevered and we got him his place. So a lot of the planning that I had intended on doing has fallen by the way side this year but I think I have still managed to come up with a good plan.

So stay tuned for the next part which will be THE PLAN and ADR’s!

Carreen
xxx

[Guest]

Hi Carreen

Great start and am looking forward to seeing how much you have crammed in to your trip. The Happiest Place can also be the unhappiest sometimes when things get a bit intense but special moments like you had at Wishes snaps you right back and puts a big smile on your face.

Have high hopes for your ADRs but I fear what kind of shape I will be at the end of our trip.

Gordon

[Guest]

I loved your pre-trippie Carreen. Wew are off to the Beach Club for the first time in October so cant wait to read all about your holiday there. Wont be long for you now!

[TrueBlue]

WOW Carreen...your holiday sounds like a dream come true. I'd love to stay at the Beach Club, it's a beautiful location.

Well done you on your achievement...give yourself a pat on the back hun for all your hard work and grades you got in your exams. You'll make a fantastic social worker because you care about what you do. I'm 100% sure you will make a huge difference to the peoples lives you will encounter.

I knew your boys were on the spectrum Carreen but I didn't realise just what a tough time you's guys had been going through. You're a strong woman and with Paddy by your side you'll come out a stronger person for it.

Looking forward to reading more about your trippie... you'll be there for the first few days of our holiday. We don't leave here until the 12th.

[15isto2]

I am really looking forward to reading more of your planning, thanks for sharing.

[jessie1]

Thanks for sharing that
Really enjoyed it and hope its not to long before your next chapter xx

[Cinders Mum]

woohoo, the holiday countdown has truly started now babe. You guys so deserve this holiday, and I cannot wait to meet up and have a cocktail or two together.
Love ya xxxx

[joanna23]

Is it wrong that I am so excited to be able to read another one of your pre-trips and even more the big report! It is going to be an amazing holiday and I know you're all going to have a fantastic time. We stayed onsite for the first time in SSR this year with DDP and it was brilliant. I had my concerns but to be able to do all of the character dining was a great experience. We really enjoyed the Play n Dine in DHS, lovely atmosphere in here and not that busy.
Finally I have to say that we went to Cape May for brekkie on the last day as a last minute add on and The Beach Club is Woooooooow! That would be my dream to stay there and I know it will certainly be a dream come true for your boys too! Only problem now is how on earth are you going to be able to get them out of the pool!
Forgot to say congratulations on your cours acceptance, what an achievement. Your family must be so proud. Take care and I can't wait to read more x

[Guest]

Originally Posted by Finkelstein

Hi Carreen

Great start and am looking forward to seeing how much you have crammed in to your trip. The Happiest Place can also be the unhappiest sometimes when things get a bit intense but special moments like you had at Wishes snaps you right back and puts a big smile on your face.

Have high hopes for your ADRs but I fear what kind of shape I will be at the end of our trip.

Gordon

See more...

Hey Gordon! Your very right, I think it can be very intense especially that first time where you want everything to be perfect! But this time we know what to expect so hopefully we will be a little more prepared for things to come. The moment at Wishes totally summed up the whole holiday for me!

I shall get to work this evening on the ADR and Plan, it is pretty full on but hopefully i've worked in enough down time as well this time as well! Thanks for reading!

Originally Posted by ponenet

I loved your pre-trippie Carreen. Wew are off to the Beach Club for the first time in October so cant wait to read all about your holiday there. Wont be long for you now!

See more...

Hiya! Thanks for reading I cannot wait for this holiday - i'm sure your going to have a ball as well!

Originally Posted by TrueBlue

WOW Carreen...your holiday sounds like a dream come true. I'd love to stay at the Beach Club, it's a beautiful location.

Well done you on your achievement...give yourself a pat on the back hun for all your hard work and grades you got in your exams. You'll make a fantastic social worker because you care about what you do. I'm 100% sure you will make a huge difference to the peoples lives you will encounter.

I knew your boys were on the spectrum Carreen but I didn't realise just what a tough time you's guys had been going through. You're a strong woman and with Paddy by your side you'll come out a stronger person for it.

Looking forward to reading more about your trippie... you'll be there for the first few days of our holiday. We don't leave here until the 12th.

See more...

Aw Marion you've got me all teary eyed here thanks so much that means a lot to me reading that. I hope I can do the job justice. Its been a rough year but I've learned not to let it get me down too much, I have my bad days like anyone else but the good far out weigh the bad and i've got to remember that - thats what keeps me going! Hopefully we will bump into each other over there! I'l be on the lookout!

Originally Posted by 15isto2

I am really looking forward to reading more of your planning, thanks for sharing.

See more...

Thanks for reading along!

Originally Posted by jessie1

Thanks for sharing that
Really enjoyed it and hope its not to long before your next chapter xx

See more...

So glad you enjoyed it and hope I can get the next part sorted tonight!

Originally Posted by Cinders Mum

woohoo, the holiday countdown has truly started now babe. You guys so deserve this holiday, and I cannot wait to meet up and have a cocktail or two together.
Love ya xxxx

See more...

It really has hasn't it! Its certainly cranked up a notch in the excitement levels now! Wish I had had the time to do the same sort of Pre-Trippie as last time but hopefully this will be just as exciting!
Thanks so much hunni for everything you've been a wee star! And i'l save you a seat at the bar for that Cocktail babe!xxx

Originally Posted by joanna23

Is it wrong that I am so excited to be able to read another one of your pre-trips and even more the big report! It is going to be an amazing holiday and I know you're all going to have a fantastic time. We stayed onsite for the first time in SSR this year with DDP and it was brilliant. I had my concerns but to be able to do all of the character dining was a great experience. We really enjoyed the Play n Dine in DHS, lovely atmosphere in here and not that busy.
Finally I have to say that we went to Cape May for brekkie on the last day as a last minute add on and The Beach Club is Woooooooow! That would be my dream to stay there and I know it will certainly be a dream come true for your boys too! Only problem now is how on earth are you going to be able to get them out of the pool!
Forgot to say congratulations on your cours acceptance, what an achievement. Your family must be so proud. Take care and I can't wait to read more x

See more...

Hey Jo!

Thanks for joining me again! Oh I do hope I can live up to your expectations with this report!
So glad you had a great holiday. I can't wait to do all the character meals, the kids LOVED meeting characters last time so this is going to be a big highlight again! We have Play n Dine ressie for breakfast in our first week. I have heard that characters have changed and Handy Manny is now there ( which DS3 will LOVE) but also that Special Agent Oso may be joining them after 3rd October? Our ADR is 4th October so keeping my fingers crossed for that as I think Jojo and Goliath were a bit dated now!

Thanks again for reading and hoping to get time tonight to start the next part!

Carreen
xxx

[Ms Finkelstein]

Hi Carreen!

Loved the start - it sounds like a fab trip. Y&BC are some of my fav resorts, just gorgeous!

Sounds like you'll need your holiday after the year you've had. Well done on all your hard work! Great to see someone going into SW, they get so much stick at times for doing a job very few are capable of.

Can't wait to see your ADRs - I know none of ours match up which is a shame, but hopefully we'll manage a wee mini meet at some point.

Di x