Dad and Mrs. Mom are going to Disney World. Here’s the scoop …

The other day, someone asked me, what is this Palooza thing your always talking about. The Palooza is our little trip to Walt Disney World, and this page is Palooza Central. It’s all about the fun, the planning, the good and the bad, that goes in to every trip. You get to see the details of how Dad plans this years trip.

So without further ado, here is all about Dad and Mrs. Mom’s Disney Palooza 2012.

First, don’t forget, if you are going to Disney World in October and see Dad and Mrs. Mom, make sure to come up and say hello. You just might get a little surprise. (Yes, it’s a good surprise.)

In the Beginning

The Introduction – (The Palooza didn’t get a name until later in the year. Dad started by calling it The Perfect Vacation.) Here are the first few posts introducing the trip and some of the things we are still talking about.

The Palooza gets off to a roaring start.

Planning begins

Planning a trip to Disney World is a lot of work. Yes, we’re going to Disney World, but that doesn’t just happen. You’ve got to … see for yourself …

First you have to gather stuff together, make a budget and choose when to go –

Dad’s Resource List – here are the resources Dad uses when working on a trip to Walt Disney World
The Budget – I know, budgeting is a unpopular word, but it is necessary for families to set boundaries.
Choosing the time to go is then next step.

Oh, boy. That’s not all. Next we have to make reservations. That’s a big part of the overall plan.

Reservations –

There is an awful lot of planning and time that go into the perfect reservations when you’re going to Disney World. Of course, Dad’s here to help.

Transportation or Planes, Trains and Automobiles – How will you get there? Kinda an important question. Let’s figure it out.
Where to sleep. That’s pretty important. In fact it just might be the most important decision of the whole trip.
Disney Hotels versus other accommodations (sleeping with the enemy)
Tickets – everyone needs a ticket. Here’s a look at all the different types.
Dining – where to eat at Disney World is a big deal. Boy there is a lot to talk about. (Dad took a bit of time to talk about Dining Basics.) Then moved on to …
- Quick Service Restaurants
- Table Service Restaurants
- Character meals (Dad and Mrs. Mom are going to save character meals until the grand kids come around.)
And finally Dad and Mrs. Mom’s Dining plan

There are lots of decisions to be made when you are going to Disney World about reservations. For some help you can always go over to Destinations to Travel and let them give you a hand.

THE PLAN

When Dad is going to Disney World he always has a plan. In fact, Dad creates some of the best plans in the world. (And usually they work.) So, since Dad and Mrs. Mom are going to Disney World, of course, Dad is making up THE PLAN.

Then on Day 6 we do something completely new and different (for Dad and Mrs. Mom). We are going on a Disney Cruise. Doesn’t that sound fun.

The Cruise

As part of the Palooza, Dad and Mrs. Mom decided to add a Disney Cruise. It just sounded like the thing to do. So, Dad implemented Disney Cruise Fridays. It was a time to start the weekends and talk about the cruise. It was a bunch of fun.

First Dad took a good look at the Disney Cruise Line and some basics like –

Next, we took a look around the Disney Dream which is the ship we will be on during the trip. This was really fun.

Then it was time to talk about eating. Yum, Yum,

The we discussed some really neat stuff like …

The nightly shows
Port Adventures in Nassau
Castaway Cay (Disney’s Private Island) and a problem with Castaway Cay Day

Just for good measure Dad threw in a comparison of a Disney Cruise versus going to Disney World.

The 100 Day Blahs

During all the planning, the reservations, the cruise, and the hot summer, Dad got the blahs. He even named them He called them the 100 day blahs, because that’s when he realized what was going on. Up to the 180 day mark (when dining reservations had to be made) there was a bunch of activity. But things slowed down until Dad got a bit melancholy so he came up with a couple ways to overcome the 100 day blahs.

Dad got over the blahs just in time to make some final decisions.

Final Decisions

When you are going to Disney World, there are always some last minute decisions that have to be made. Dad even had some he had to deal with.

Do you really need a car at Disney World? Dad talked about that in the summer, but now it’s time for a final decision. Here it is.
Then there’s the Disney Dining Plan. Does it work for Dad?

That’s about it. All the decisions are made. It’s time to kick back and enjoy going to Disney World. Are you ready? Oops, one thing I forgot.

Healthy Habits Saturday

Saturdays are almost as much fun as Fridays. It’s essential that we prepare for our trip and part of that is getting in shape, so Saturdays are devoted to being healthy and talking about healthier lifestyles. Check out Dad’s Healthy Habits Saturdays and 10 steps to a Stress Free Vacation.

ADVBS

When Dad and Mrs. Mom got home from The Palooza, Dad got sick. He got ADVBS. It took months for Dad to admit he had a problem. Check it out …

Dad gets ADVBS

Go on a Palooza

Do you want to go on a Palooza? What a great idea. Tell you how to get started. Go over to Dad’s Destinations to Travel page and give my partners a call or drop them a line. They’ll be happy to set you up and get you started on your Perfect Vacation.