In 2022 I was blessed to be able to visit Walt Disney World Resort, Aulani Resort, and Disneyland. I will be covering each in their own detailed blogs but I realized they kind of cover the many types of trips you can take to Disney.
WDW
First was our big family trip to Walt Disney
World. Being west coasters we were
Disneyland people. I was raised in California
and lived in So Cal in the 90s. I had an annual
pass and have been to Disneyland over 500
times. So Walt Disney World had always been
a dream trip of mine but nothing I was
familiar with. The trip would be me, my
husband, our two youngest (13 and 18 at the time), and one
of my brothers. To be clear my oldest was invited. They do not like theme parks or a lot of Disney. I think it is part of their rebellion. Ha! In all honesty we support our kids being true to who they are. My oldest is a home body who is happy not participating in this kind of thing.
We planned this trip for 18 months. I watched all the videos, created the first version of the Most Magical Fairy Quest Guide, had little gifts each day for everyone, and was determined to make it great. It was great! It was also a lot. We decided to make this the biggest and best family vacation. We stayed at the Poly, ate at all the special meals, and just said yes to it all! Some people say spending this kind of money or putting in this kind of effort isn't worth it but I disagree. It was the best way for our family to experience WDW Resort for the first time. We will probably never do it that way again, but just because we feel like we got our fill and now we can have smaller more focused trips.
Aulani
Next was my Aulani experience. At the time I
was a consultant with a direct sales company
and I had earned the incentive trip. It was to
Hawaii. I had been to Kauai but not Oahu,
which is where they were taking us. I didn't
do a ton of research just looked at the things
the company and other consultants where
sharing. I wanted to relax more than do
things, and to stay open to the magic.
See what I could just allow to happen. No expectation. Well I ended up at the end of the week at the Aulani resort with three great friends having a character breakfast. We spent the day at the resort. Since we weren't staying there we couldn't use the pools, slides, lounge chairs, or do the activities. We could use the beach, meet characters, eat at all the restaurants and shop in all the stores. Our impromptu girls trip was some of the most fun I have had. There is nothing like running to find Moana to take pictures with other women in their late 30s and early 40s, and then finish the day with Mickey shaved ice.
Disneyland
Later that year my husband and I decided to
celebrate our anniversary at Disneyland just
the two of us. We decided it just a few months
before we went. The last time we had gone
was 9 years before. So we had a couples only
trip with only some planning. We did some
dining reservations and had a few things we
knew we wanted to do, but also wanted to see
where the days took us. We stayed at a good
neighbor hotel to help keep the cost down.
We love going with our kids but it was so nice to just be silly and have fun together. I highly suggest a couples only trip for anyone considering it. They can be magical.
I hope this shows that there is no “correct” way to take a Disney trip. You just have to figure out what is best for you. It can be to WDW, Disneyland, or Aulani because all offer amazing experiences. It can be planned way in advance, close but with some time, or last minute. It can be for all your family, just some friends, you and your partner, or even a solo trip! It can be budget or break the bank. All trips are valid and fun. So please reach out to me and lets talk about what trip looks best for you. We can even talk via email or text, a phone call is not necessary. I would love to find out about you and your family and figure out the best trip for you.