Why our Land and Sea vacation was worth the wait

As time goes by and I continue to take vacations I've noticed my priorities for a trip have evolved fairly drastically.  I remember being younger and wanting to go to Disneyland or San Diego as often as I could, for as cheap as I could.  Whether I'm getting picky in my old age or just by having my wife continually remind me that vacation is about quality and not quantity, I can't say.  What I can say is this, sometimes it's easier to just listen to my wife than it is to try and convince her to stay at the Super 8 versus the Grand Californian.  We are an interesting match that I sometimes wonder how I worked out convincing her that a baseball loving Disney nerd was worth keeping around for awhile!  We are different in just about every way, from the food we like, the music we listen to, and you guessed it, how we prioritize our vacations.  Which is why our most recent trip for our anniversary in November was so great. 

For years we have talked about different vacations we dreamed of doing.  Everything from Europe to see majestic chateaus in the French countryside to visiting New England and the roots of our great America (Okay, you busted me.  And to see the Red Sox play at Fenway.).  Our struggle on where to go has almost always come down to one thing, how do we balance our individual wants and needs while still making the trip great for everyone.  I have always been a be there for rope drop and stay 'till they kick us out of the park kind of guy.  My wife, not so much.  It was a guarantee that after every Disney vacation we returned from you would hear her saying, "I need a vacation because of my vacation".  We still have our preferences on how we spend times in the parks but we have definitely tried to find our balance.  It helps that our older daughter likes staying late with me while our younger daughter goes back to the hotel for bed time, but our last trip was without the kiddos. 

So how do two people who are as different as Goofy and Mary Poppins find a way to have a successful vacation that both felt super happy with?  The answer is pretty obvious (I mean it is in the title of the post and all), a Walt Disney World - Disney Cruise Line land and sea vacation. 

When we first started talking about the idea we weren't sure we would be able to make it happen.  I mean, could we really do all 4 theme parks and a cruise in a 6 day window?  And if so how do we break it to the kids that not only are we going on a cruise without them but to the theme parks as well?  We were fairly certain we would be disowned and that our girls wouldn't want to leave grandma and grandpa's house when we got home due to the resentment that was sure to grow while we were gone!  Once we decided that the resentment from the kids could be bought back with Mickey shaped suckers and Stitch stuffed animals we decided to go for it.  Not only was it a great decision, but it turned out to be one of the easiest vacations we had ever planned!

We spent the first part of our trip in the theme parks.  We flew in and took our Magical Express shuttle to our lake view room at Bay Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort.  Following check in and a small break following the 4 hour flight we were off to see the newly opened Toy Story Land and grab some grub before we rode Tower of Terror.  Toy Story Land was fantastic and Slinky Dog Dash didn't disappoint!  After shedding a few tears over the Walt Disney Presents attraction being closed (I'm a nerd for Disney history and am now 0 for 2 on seeing that attraction on my last two trips) it was off to see the fireworks at Magic Kingdom from the DVC members lounge at our hotel.  The next day we spent at our favorite theme park in Walt Disney World, Animal Kingdom.  After a hot day in the park and having our minds blown again by riding Avatar: Flight of Passage we headed home.  The next day was spent in the heat of the Orlando sun while over eating at the Epcot Food and Wine Festival prior to our late night at Mickey's Christmas Party in Magic Kingdom.

Now, you may be asking, "how is it that Stacie was okay with all of the early mornings and late nights in the parks?  You just told us she hated early mornings and late nights at the parks!"  That's the beauty of it though.  When you know you have the next 3 nights to kick back and relax on the Disney Dream longer days in the parks are much more manageable.  This was Stacie's first experience with the Disney Cruise Line and I was beyond excited for her to see why I keep telling her I don't ever want to cruise with any other cruise line again.

Being our anniversary we decided to splurge a little and get a cabin with a veranda.  We ended up sitting on the veranda all three nights we were on board.  We even had breakfast room service one morning and ate as we pulled into the port of Nassau.  We fully enjoyed our dining friends and the servers were fantastic.  To me having the same dinner staff during each meal with our rotational dining is such a nice perk.  It's one of those little touches Disney offers that really adds to the guest experience.  The live entertainment was fantastic and we almost skipped a meal to see the live Beauty and the Beast show a second time, but the food was too good to skip!  We even participated and won in a Pirates of the Caribbean trivia game on one of our afternoons.  We were able to spend a few hours in the adults only area of the ship and really relax and enjoy our time together.  We had a morning brunch to celebrate our anniversary at Palo and got dressed all fancy.  As much fun as we had on board, there is nothing better than Castaway Cay!  From the all you can each beach barbecue to snorkeling out to find sea turtles and the remains of one of the original "Nautilus" submarines from the theme parks there really is something for everyone.  We are hoping to take the kids back soon and find a cruise that includes a second day at the island. 

By the end of the trip we were both happy and looking forward to seeing the girls, who cleaned house with all the treats and surprises we brought back for them.  We had made it through all four theme parks and still came home feeling relaxed and refreshed.  It's always hard to cut time in the parks short, but I can honestly say I didn't regret it one bit!  We had an absolute blast and were able to achieve something rarely done in our house, meet both Stacie and my vacation needs without compromising anything!  Looking back I have only one regret about our land and sea adventure, that we hadn't done it sooner!

So, over the past few weeks (maybe even months) I've been trying to figure out a great way to start off this blog.  I've never done anything like this before and don't really have any clue as to where to start.  I was so excited to create the page and get it started I failed to realize how difficult it may be to find things to say.  After all the time and thought my wife ended up coming up with what I felt is a great place to start.  One night while thinking about where to begin I asked her if she had any ideas on how to get started.  Without hesitation she replied, "Just do an introduction.  People don't want to follow someone they don't know anything about."  I guess I hadn't really thought about it that way!  As simple as getting to know someone can be, it really is the most important thing you can do to build a good relationship with someone.  So here goes!

I grew up in the Salt Lake valley in a town called Cottonwood Heights.  Being the oldest of 5 with close to 8 years between myself and my next sibling I enjoyed a long run of life as an only child.  Growing up I quickly developed a very strong bond with the game of Baseball, which is still in place today.  I played pretty much all year long, which is a tall task in the winter months when you grow up less than a 20 minute drive from some of the best known ski resorts in the world.  I was fortunate to have amazing coaches and facilities to help me chase my dream of playing in the Majors.  I was on countless teams, played in countless tournaments, won a Utah state championship, and I even still play in a men's league now.  I still love it as much as I ever have, even though it takes me 2 to 3 weeks to not be sore instead of a day or two like when I was young.  I follow the Red Sox religiously and love that modern technology allows me the ability to keep up on things with my phone.  I don't think the pager I wanted so badly in high school would've given me that freedom! 

Following high school I spent a few years working and goofing off with friends.  I have been incredibly blessed to have a group of friends who I am still just as close to as I was 25 years ago.  Although a lot of our conversations have evolved from which movie we were going to see or what house we wanted to toilet paper that weekend to how our kids are doing or what's new with the house remodel, the bonds and camaraderie have never changed.  During these years of fun many of these friends were pivotal in supporting me as I began training for and pursuing a career as a firefighter.  I was able to complete the necessary schooling and began testing for jobs and was eventually hired by the Sandy City Fire Department.  Time has flown by and I can't believe I've been there for nearly 11 years now.  My career as a firefighter has led me to some amazing experiences and I have been able to add even more friends to my list of life longers.  This is also where I met my wife. 

Stacie and I met and began dating as she was in her schooling to get hired by a full time fire department as well.  She was able to get hired by Sandy as well so we both work for the same department, just working different platoons.  She also brought a daughter with her, London.  London had just turned 2 when we started dating and I couldn't help but fall for them both.  Shortly after Stacie and I started dating, she and I took our first trip to Disneyland together.  On our first date she had expressed to me her total disdain for the Magic Kingdom and vowed she would never go back.  Somehow my good nature overpowered my want to immediately push her out of the truck as we rolled down the freeway and I was able to compose myself.  That first trip together without kids was one of the best ever and since then she has grown to love what Disney brings to the table as well.  This trip I was able to take one of my favorite photos of her of all time.  I even proposed to her in front of the Disneyland fire station with the help of the Hook and Ladder Band and our London. 

So as we combined our lives and brought our family into existence we added another little one to the ranks.  Kayden was born and our family was complete.  She definitely takes after me, London after Stacie.  Kayden being goofy and sensitive, London being very calculated and independent. 

Currently Stacie and I both continue to work for the Sandy City Fire Department.  I took the travel planning program at the community college and through an assignment for that class fell into a job opportunity with Mouseketrips.  That job is the main motivation for this blog, actually.  Stacie is now knee deep and rocking through her master's in accounting program.  When we have a minute off I'm typically riding one of my bikes and Stacie is out in a garden somewhere.  The kids can be found right by our side.

So, this was a lot longer than I intended.  I hope you feel like maybe you know me a little bit better now.  I still don't know where this blog will lead but I can guarantee that you will get a whole lot of Disney here!  I didn't talk too much about my relationship with Disney yet just due to the fact that it will be at the forefront of my future posts.  Please feel free to reach out and let me know what you think!  I'd love to share thoughts or stories about anything and everything you may want to hear about!  I look forward to sharing more as time goes on, and, like the title of the blog says, I hope you find my stories fun, informative, and entertaining!  Thanks for checking it out!