Welcome to my blog...

Thanks for checking out my blog! My plan is to write various articles about my favorite place in the world… Walt Disney World, including my thoughts about current Disney news, reviews (and maybe some tips) regarding the parks, and of course my experiences at the different resorts. Being a Disney Vacation Club (DVC) member, one of the things I enjoy the most is staying inside the Disney bubble, including those resort-only-non-park vacations!

But I also love to travel beyond the house of mouse! From popular vacations destinations in Europe and here in the US, to less popular "hot" spots, like Lexington, Kentucky or Nacogdoches, Texas. This blog will describe my experiences, share some tips, and highlight fun things to do! In addition, I'll review various cruise ships and their itineraries. Hopefully, the information I provide will be helpful, or even better, inspiring to you in your travels.

In this introductory article, I want to introduce my personal history with Disney. It is definitely true that we Disney fanatics are an intense, even crazed, bunch. I think one’s love for Disney is similar to the unbreakable bond that occurs when a baby chick imprints on its mother seconds after birth. Once bonded, there’s a feeling you get when you are breathing Disney air. Magic is swirling all around and yes, you feel as though there’s not a care in the world. Simply put, there’s a warm "feeling of happy" bubbling inside. You feel connected to those around you and it’s easy to make fast friends. It’s a place where life has an upbeat soundtrack continuously playing in the background. It’s a world that brings out the best of us (well most of us--at least us bonded ones). Those who have never "imprinted" on Disney will never understand those who have, and that's OK. I think this imprinting can happen in many ways, but for me it was simply the result of early and frequent exposure. I believe that my first visit to Disney was during the critical age period when I was most susceptible to the whimsy, fantasy, and wonder of Walt Disney World.

My first WDW visit occurred just six months after the Magic Kingdom opened to the public in 1971. Back then, the “star” characters didn’t roam freely, so catching a glimpse of Mickey or Minnie was similar to a Hollywood star sighting. A park admission gave us those ticket books and we always ran out of those coveted “E” tickets, while we always had plenty of A and B tickets that we brought back home with us. Because we spent an entire week at Disney, and only had the Magic Kingdom to visit, we often talked about how many times we rode each ride. “I rode Small World six times,” I remember telling friends.

What followed was a yearly pilgrimage to Disney World and the addition of theme parks (first EPCOT, then Hollywood Studious (formally MGM) and then Animal Kingdom) and, of course, the water parks. Exploring each new park brought new and fun experiences. When EPCOT first opened, it was always so exciting making our dinner reservations with an agent we spoke to through a TV monitor in the building behind Spaceship Earth. And remember when Hollywood Studios was an active studio? My husband and I were chosen to be on an episode of “Let’s Make a Deal,” dressed as “The Hideous Honeymooners.” We weren’t selected to make a deal, but during the running of the credits, Monty Hall told our row he’d give $200 to anyone who could pull out a toy from their bag. I’m still sore about this, but Mr. Hall denied the "toy status"of my one-inch pack of Snoopy multi-color pencils (what else are they if not a toy??). Anyway, we left with no cash in hand!

Thankfully my spouse, while not a Disney fanatic, is very Disney-tolerant. I was shocked when he suggested we should look into this “vacation club thing” after paying a whopping $99 a night to stay at the Boardwalk Villas (the promotion at the time to sell Disney Vacation Club memberships). Of course, I jumped at his moment of weakness and the rest is DVC history. Children soon followed and they were helpless to the ensuing deep Disney indoctrination that took place.

Throughout the years, I’ve seen many changes in the parks, in the resorts, and with the Disney management. Some changes have been good, some have been necessary, some have been bad, and some have been both good and bad—so it can be complicated. The Chapek years were hard, as the Disney sparkle dimmed a bit, but I believe we are back on track and moving forward the best way in these times.

I enjoy listening to various Disney podcasts and reading the Disney Tourist Blog. I love hearing the many discussions and opinions about Disney news and happenings. And I have many opinions myself to share about these happenings! So, I decided to start this blog to voice some of those opinions to keep current events in the discussion.

But as I mentioned before, I also love to travel outside of the World of Disney! This blog will provide reviews and ideas for travel within the United States, cruises and cruise ships, and sometimes locations outside of the US. In fact, my first article will review a Mediterranean Cruise on the MSC Grandiosa. This was our first time on the MSC cruise line and our first cruise in Europe.

In addition to travel articles, I also plan on publishing short reviews and commentaries for a quick read about specific hotels and events. So, I hope you enjoy my blog and hope you will subscribe to it (see below). Comments, thoughts and opinions are always welcome (but of course please keep them respectful)!