Surprising Our Daughters With a Trip To Walt Disney World for Christmas

Big News…….insert drumroll here……..

We Are Going To Walt Disney World for Christmas!!!

Yes friends it’s true, the dream we’ve had for years is actually happening. With both of our daughters born in December and Christmas planning December has always been an overwhelming month for my husband and I. Combine this stress with the freezing cold temperatures and inevitable snow here in suburbia and I’m sure you can see why we’d love to spend 10 days with the Magical Mouse!

Let me tell you planning a trip to the most magical place on Earth is a daunting affair. There are endless choices to be made, experiences to be had but I was left shaking my head…how could I possibly plan our trip and make these choices ?

CAA Makes Walt Disney World Planning Simple

After becoming quite exasperated I went to the CAA Store and begged the Magical Vacation Planner to come to my rescue. The Magical Vacation Planner, Amber, waved her fairy godmother wand and took all of my worries away with her calm demeanor and seriously amazing knowledge of Walt Disney World.

We began with the fundamentals, she asked for our desired dates, preferred room types, budget, wish list of activities, and ages and in depth description of the people traveling.

I knew there were definitely challenges with this trip. With my disabilities we did request staying at a resort on Walt Disney World but I wasn’t certain Amber could make this happen within our budget. We were also booking within the 180 days recommended to secure reservations for restaurants and attractions so we doubted that we would be enjoying the locations we would have wanted.

Amber told me that she would work on getting some figures together for me and she would be in touch very soon. I felt somewhat relieved but still wasn’t convinced that we’d be able to achieve this dream of ours and I expected to wait a few days to hear back from her.

Within an hour Amber had contacted me, she had a quote which fell smack dab within our budget!!! I was flabbergasted, she had outlined our vacation to include:

•  direct flights for all four of us
• 10 day stay at Port Orleans Riverside (a moderate Walt Disney World resort)
• 10 day dining plan
• park hopper tickets for 6 days
• 6 day park passes
• 3 day rental car (we wanted to do Christmas Shopping)
• a Pirate League makeover
• a Bibbity Bobbity Boo makeover
• CAA Story Telling with a Princess
• all of the character meals we requested except for one
• medical insurance
• trip cancellation insurance

WOW – This Magical Vacation Planner is GOOD

There is NO way I could have arranged all of this! Amber really made it look easy but I know it’s not. At this point all she required of me was our passport numbers, a credit card to secure the vacation and a smile.

This all happened at the end of a work day and Amber and I have worked together to stream line the trip since. Of course we have changed our minds here and there about dinners and Amber has been so accommodating, even to the point of coming into work early to make a booking she felt we HAD to have before it was gone.

The thing is it’s not just Amber who provides this level of service, it’s all CAA Magical Vacation Planners. When we went to WDW in 2010 I used this service and received the same customer service. CAA goes out of their way to ensure that the holidays booked are truly wonderful experiences.

There are perks for CAA members at Walt Disney World:

• Exclusive pricing on tickets
• Save up to 10%, 15%, 20% or 35% off the room portion on selected packages on selected dates (subject to availability)
• 200 Disney Dollars included in packages of 7 nights or more at the Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotel
• Storytelling experience with a character from a classic Disney animated feature
• Special savings on meals, merchandise and entertainment options at participating locations throughout the Walt Disney World Resort
• Preferred seating at parades and fireworks

Our CAA Magical Planner also got in on the fun of surprising our daughters with our trip. Amber came up with the idea to make a sign that says “We’re Going To Walt Disney World”, attach it to a Minnie Mouse balloon and hide in a box. Then we could remove the lid and shock the girls when the balloons popped out. She even went so far as to provide me with the sign, balloons and ribbon….now that’s going all out in my opinion! Of course I videotaped it….check it out!

I can’t thank CAA enough, they really made planning our Magical Christmas Vacation simple.

If you are even considering a trip to Disney please contact CAA to see what is possible, now is a great time because if you book for a 5 night/6day room stay for a family of 4 before February 18th you can save up to $600 US with the Play, Stay, Dine offer.

Watch for more posts on my Disney planning, I can’t wait to share everything with you all!