Remaking the Magic...January 2020

Amybelle · 30 Aug 19, 03:58 PM

Hi everyone!

So, I may change this name if I think of something different, but this holiday means so much to all of us, and it feels like a real milestone in rebuilding our lives.

Some of you may have seen me mention it on the general thread, but I'm just over 2 years out of pancreatic cancer, and after some majorly testing times, I'm here and ready to rebuild. Is it weird that I still get scared saying this? I start telling myself that I might be jinxing everything

However, this isn't going to be a sad trippy, this is all about having fun, and getting somewhere that I genuinely worried I may not get to see again. I still get pancreatitis at least once a month, but we are working on eradicating it completely - fingers crossed! Here I go with the superstition again...

Just as a sidenote, if any of you are affected by pancreatic cancer/pancreatitis and want a good old chinwag or a bit of guidance, feel free to send me a message and if I can help, then I will. In a bid to raise a bit of awareness, too, here is my story for anybody who wants to have a little look:

dailymail/health/a...rm-cancer.html

Why did we decide to fly across the world?

Well, why not! I'm safe to go, I can manage and you know what, sometimes you just have to grab whatever life throws at you and run with it, particularly when opportunity knocks to go to Disney, obviously!

A couple of weeks ago I was pricing up a holiday to Spain or somewhere similar - we really needed a break and just wanted to get away

However, when I started pricing everything up, to stay somewhere half decent in a relatively mediocre resort, all I could see was ridiculous prices. Like, silly amounts for a bit of an average holiday. So, I searched Florida, fully anticipating that it wouldn't be possible. How wrong was I?!

2 weeks in Florida was the same as 2 weeks in Salou in down season! So, I know that the spends and ticket prices bump your holiday price up when you go to Florida, but if I moved the holiday back a few months, the spends could be collected and off we could go. It was a no brainer...

What we got:

3 adults and 2 children -

Flying from Manchester Airport to Orlando Int. on 8th January 2020
Returning on 22nd January 2020

All flights direct and with Virgin inc. hold baggage

Staying at Liki Tiki Village in a 2 bedroom condo

Grand total *drumroll* - £2,452.77

Which to be honest, I was absolutely over the moon with. I've had a look at Liki Tiki and it looks perfect for what we need. I was originally going to book the Rosen Inn International as that's where I've stayed in the past, but with there being three adults and two children, I needed more facilities as if my kids are tired after a long day, I can just throw something together and we can eat in - they're only toddlers and personally, I think there is absolutely nothing worse than forcing a tired toddler to sit in a restaurant and eat. Like, they need restraining when they're shattered and it's just no fun for anybody. I contemplated a villa, but just didn't like the thought of them having direct access to a pool. I know everything is safe, but maybe in a couple of years when they're a little bit older, then I'd go down this route. This option gave us villa facilities with the benefits of being on a resort and I'm so impressed with the reviews.

I wanted to be a bit knee jerk and go in October but decided against it, I wanted us to really enjoy this trip and not feel rushed, and part of the fun is the build up, right?!

Being somebody who likes to plan, I've obviously watched countless YouTube videos in bed straight after I booked.

So...the cast...who's coming along for the ride?

First things first, let's start with the sproglets...

Jack - aged 3

This is my little boy, Jack, or Jackabean as we call him. The funniest little human who is obsessed with Toy Story and constantly acting scene after scene out - we are convinced he's going to be an actor

He's at a lovely age where we sit and chat for hours, he's curious about everything and is just full of fun. I can't wait to see his little face light up

Annabelle - aged 2

Our very own little princess who took us by surprise - there's just 11 months between my two babies and things can be chaotic at times, but hey, it's amazing!

Annabelle will be turning 3 when we are there so we have breakfast at Akershus booked on 16th January to celebrate, then I'm contemplating bibbidi bobbiti boutique, but I've heard so many mixed reviews! She's very much a girly girl and loves Anna and Elsa, but keeps us on our toes as she is the boss

Annabelle was just three weeks old when I got sick, and as I got better, she developed more and more of a character in tandem with my recovery

She's a very clever, beautiful little girl with bags of character.

My Little mum, Alison, fifty something - I won't divulge as she will kill me if she finds out

Our absolute rock who is always there for us no matter what - we honestly don't know what we would do without her and we are lucky that we all have such a good relationship. She's very, very funny

This trip is special to my mum as she took me and my sister when we were young and always wanted to go back, only this time she is taking her grand babies! They are her world, they only have to look at her and they get what they want...what about me! I was here first!

Me! Amy, aged 30 - I'll be 31 when we travel

So, I've already bored you with a bit about me, but I've been Disney mad since I can remember and I just love everything about the Disney mantra. Can you guess who my favourite character is? She inspired my little girl's name...

I'm really looking forward to seeing the kids faces and having some nice meals, plenty of laughter and a nice time to bookend the crap couple of years we've had. Mum has even promised to babysit one or two nights so OH MY GOD, my fiancé and I will get time alone! Seriously, it never happens...

My fiancé, Ant - 32, will be 33 when we travel

I literally couldn't find one picture of him on his own! I'm on a new Mac and I couldn't be bothered moving files around to be honest! Ant is my world and together we love our little universe - he gave EVERYTHING up to help me to get better and I can honestly say I wouldn't be here without him.

He's an amazing Dad to our babies and he's so excited to visit some...pawn shops. Seriously. I think he thinks it's going to be like one of those programmes on telly

He plays guitar and sings (he's amazing!) so I think he just wants a good root, although I have no idea where he thinks a guitar is going on the way home...

And there you have it! Our little family of 4, with my Mama.

I still have to book a car, so if anybody has any tips, hit me up! Also, tips on keeping the little devils entertained on the flight would be SO welcome. Honestly, I'm absolutely dreading it - it's like putting a frog in a box

I'll be making updates when I buy some clothes and bits and bobs - absolutely delighted that I'll get to benefit from the sales although I'm doing Slimming World at the moment - I need to get rid of my jelly arms!

My other hurdle is Christmas, I feel like you could go on and on with it and buy and buy for the kids, so this year I'm going to be more savvy and make sure I don't overspend on plastic crap, when that money could be better spent somewhere that will give us better memories.

There are a few to-dos for us, including:

Be Our Guest
Toy Story Land
Cheesecake Factory
Shopping - hello outlets!
Meet Anna and Elsa
Meet the Toy Story gang

It's not a massive list and no doubt I'll add to it, but we are planning but staying open minded at the same time - we just want to enjoy it as much as we can, without feeling like we have to overstuff days.

Roll on our countdown, I think we are at around 16 weeks now

30 Aug 19, 03:58 PM	#1
	30 Aug 19, 03:58 PM Amybelle Gone all Goofy
Amybelle Gone all Goofy Join Date: Apr 14 Location: Liverpool	Remaking the Magic...January 2020 Hi everyone! So, I may change this name if I think of something different, but this holiday means so much to all of us, and it feels like a real milestone in rebuilding our lives. Some of you may have seen me mention it on the general thread, but I'm just over 2 years out of pancreatic cancer, and after some majorly testing times, I'm here and ready to rebuild. Is it weird that I still get scared saying this? I start telling myself that I might be jinxing everything However, this isn't going to be a sad trippy, this is all about having fun, and getting somewhere that I genuinely worried I may not get to see again. I still get pancreatitis at least once a month, but we are working on eradicating it completely - fingers crossed! Here I go with the superstition again... Just as a sidenote, if any of you are affected by pancreatic cancer/pancreatitis and want a good old chinwag or a bit of guidance, feel free to send me a message and if I can help, then I will. In a bid to raise a bit of awareness, too, here is my story for anybody who wants to have a little look: dailymail/health/a...rm-cancer.html Why did we decide to fly across the world? Well, why not! I'm safe to go, I can manage and you know what, sometimes you just have to grab whatever life throws at you and run with it, particularly when opportunity knocks to go to Disney, obviously! A couple of weeks ago I was pricing up a holiday to Spain or somewhere similar - we really needed a break and just wanted to get away However, when I started pricing everything up, to stay somewhere half decent in a relatively mediocre resort, all I could see was ridiculous prices. Like, silly amounts for a bit of an average holiday. So, I searched Florida, fully anticipating that it wouldn't be possible. How wrong was I?! 2 weeks in Florida was the same as 2 weeks in Salou in down season! So, I know that the spends and ticket prices bump your holiday price up when you go to Florida, but if I moved the holiday back a few months, the spends could be collected and off we could go. It was a no brainer... What we got: 3 adults and 2 children - Flying from Manchester Airport to Orlando Int. on 8th January 2020 Returning on 22nd January 2020 All flights direct and with Virgin inc. hold baggage Staying at Liki Tiki Village in a 2 bedroom condo Grand total drumroll - £2,452.77 Which to be honest, I was absolutely over the moon with. I've had a look at Liki Tiki and it looks perfect for what we need. I was originally going to book the Rosen Inn International as that's where I've stayed in the past, but with there being three adults and two children, I needed more facilities as if my kids are tired after a long day, I can just throw something together and we can eat in - they're only toddlers and personally, I think there is absolutely nothing worse than forcing a tired toddler to sit in a restaurant and eat. Like, they need restraining when they're shattered and it's just no fun for anybody. I contemplated a villa, but just didn't like the thought of them having direct access to a pool. I know everything is safe, but maybe in a couple of years when they're a little bit older, then I'd go down this route. This option gave us villa facilities with the benefits of being on a resort and I'm so impressed with the reviews. I wanted to be a bit knee jerk and go in October but decided against it, I wanted us to really enjoy this trip and not feel rushed, and part of the fun is the build up, right?! Being somebody who likes to plan, I've obviously watched countless YouTube videos in bed straight after I booked. So...the cast...who's coming along for the ride? First things first, let's start with the sproglets... Jack - aged 3 This is my little boy, Jack, or Jackabean as we call him. The funniest little human who is obsessed with Toy Story and constantly acting scene after scene out - we are convinced he's going to be an actor He's at a lovely age where we sit and chat for hours, he's curious about everything and is just full of fun. I can't wait to see his little face light up Annabelle - aged 2 Our very own little princess who took us by surprise - there's just 11 months between my two babies and things can be chaotic at times, but hey, it's amazing! Annabelle will be turning 3 when we are there so we have breakfast at Akershus booked on 16th January to celebrate, then I'm contemplating bibbidi bobbiti boutique, but I've heard so many mixed reviews! She's very much a girly girl and loves Anna and Elsa, but keeps us on our toes as she is the boss Annabelle was just three weeks old when I got sick, and as I got better, she developed more and more of a character in tandem with my recovery She's a very clever, beautiful little girl with bags of character. My Little mum, Alison, fifty something - I won't divulge as she will kill me if she finds out Our absolute rock who is always there for us no matter what - we honestly don't know what we would do without her and we are lucky that we all have such a good relationship. She's very, very funny This trip is special to my mum as she took me and my sister when we were young and always wanted to go back, only this time she is taking her grand babies! They are her world, they only have to look at her and they get what they want...what about me! I was here first! Me! Amy, aged 30 - I'll be 31 when we travel So, I've already bored you with a bit about me, but I've been Disney mad since I can remember and I just love everything about the Disney mantra. Can you guess who my favourite character is? She inspired my little girl's name... I'm really looking forward to seeing the kids faces and having some nice meals, plenty of laughter and a nice time to bookend the crap couple of years we've had. Mum has even promised to babysit one or two nights so OH MY GOD, my fiancé and I will get time alone! Seriously, it never happens... My fiancé, Ant - 32, will be 33 when we travel I literally couldn't find one picture of him on his own! I'm on a new Mac and I couldn't be bothered moving files around to be honest! Ant is my world and together we love our little universe - he gave EVERYTHING up to help me to get better and I can honestly say I wouldn't be here without him. He's an amazing Dad to our babies and he's so excited to visit some...pawn shops. Seriously. I think he thinks it's going to be like one of those programmes on telly He plays guitar and sings (he's amazing!) so I think he just wants a good root, although I have no idea where he thinks a guitar is going on the way home... And there you have it! Our little family of 4, with my Mama. I still have to book a car, so if anybody has any tips, hit me up! Also, tips on keeping the little devils entertained on the flight would be SO welcome. Honestly, I'm absolutely dreading it - it's like putting a frog in a box I'll be making updates when I buy some clothes and bits and bobs - absolutely delighted that I'll get to benefit from the sales although I'm doing Slimming World at the moment - I need to get rid of my jelly arms! My other hurdle is Christmas, I feel like you could go on and on with it and buy and buy for the kids, so this year I'm going to be more savvy and make sure I don't overspend on plastic crap, when that money could be better spent somewhere that will give us better memories. There are a few to-dos for us, including: Be Our Guest Toy Story Land Cheesecake Factory Shopping - hello outlets! Meet Anna and Elsa Meet the Toy Story gang It's not a massive list and no doubt I'll add to it, but we are planning but staying open minded at the same time - we just want to enjoy it as much as we can, without feeling like we have to overstuff days. Roll on our countdown, I think we are at around 16 weeks now __________________ Amy xxx Faith, trust and pixe dust Edited at 06:17 PM.