A Jolly Holiday with Masseys: THE TRIP REPORT - WDW Dec2019

mL45NHT41VIOKEqgaW9JgGjwrHTDsoRG7NBV2RXeeRMFC3wVBMqJSK6Ckmb4ngkSae7jj01Cy47wdUIqFxkZOYntw7TUcxpr8l3xNRcjrnAkNzjiV6A9-eqAPO0rBMtKIbJpQT-D
Well, I guess you're having a good week.

I'm here and looking forward to seeing how the trip went!!
 
Hi :wave:joining in.

:welcome: So happy you're here!

I bet! It shows! :)

This was at our big Thanksgiving dinner. We had a silly string war for the kids and young at heart.


Stay tuned for more fun photos with it.

Well, I guess you're having a good week.

THE BEST! Jimmy actually played on the 2003 Championship team. This picture is taken next to the plaque honoring his team.

I'm here and looking forward to seeing how the trip went!!

:welcome:Andy! I'm thrilled your here too. A trip with a 2 year old is always fun.
 


I'm pulling for y'all to get there for Christmas. Your wee Grandson will love it!
Ach thank you for rooting for us.We decided yesterday that the trip with the Grandson will be 2022 (they do every other Christmas with his dad's side of the family in Denmark so we are on the even numbered years). If we happen to win the lottery before then we will be there asap!! We might do a summer trip this year with just me and the boys so that's exciting too :goodvibes
Yes we are. We leave in 9 days to bring her down.
So exciting! Make sure to let us know where Danielle is stationed so we can drop by for a visit if we do get to WDW:goodvibes
 
Brent is a Music Education teacher. He really loves it and is so good with the kids. Looks like we have lots in common. Danielle is even considering teaching now.
My daughter loves her job even though it can be really difficult at times. She works mostly with children on the autistic spectrum and some with behavioural/additional issues. My son just started his final school placement today so crossing my fingers for him that all goes well. He will be teaching primary 6 kids (aged around 10). Kids really respond well to him and he loves working with them He also coaches the local kids football team so that gives him hero status in some of their wee eyes :worship::rotfl:
Funny to think we both have kids that teach.
What age group/ subject would Danielle like to teach ?
 


I interrupt this trip report to give you the update on Danielle and her DCP.

She got her work assignment today.

She will be a seater (hostess) in the Magic Kingdom at




Cinderella's Royal Table!!!!!


I can't believe she got CRT! We're all very excited for her. She really did want to be in the Magic Kingdom but would take anything she got.
 
I'm here! :goodvibes

:welcome: Alicia! Excited to have you here.

Ach thank you for rooting for us.We decided yesterday that the trip with the Grandson will be 2022 (they do every other Christmas with his dad's side of the family in Denmark so we are on the even numbered years). If we happen to win the lottery before then we will be there asap!! We might do a summer trip this year with just me and the boys so that's exciting too :goodvibes

I've got my fingers crossed to win the lottery too. If you make it this summer please look for her.

So exciting! Make sure to let us know where Danielle is stationed so we can drop by for a visit if we do get to WDW:goodvibes

I just posted it! It's a good one!

My daughter loves her job even though it can be really difficult at times. She works mostly with children on the autistic spectrum and some with behavioural/additional issues. My son just started his final school placement today so crossing my fingers for him that all goes well. He will be teaching primary 6 kids (aged around 10). Kids really respond well to him and he loves working with them He also coaches the local kids football team so that gives him hero status in some of their wee eyes :worship::rotfl:
Funny to think we both have kids that teach.
What age group/ subject would Danielle like to teach ?

Brent works at a school with lots of at risk kids and it's a challenge. I hope it goes well for your son on his placement. As a coach I know the kids will love him.

Danielle wants to teach the high school age kids.
 
I interrupt this trip report to give you the update on Danielle and her DCP.

She got her work assignment today.

She will be a seater (hostess) in the Magic Kingdom at




Cinderella's Royal Table!!!!!
Wonderful!!
 
Wonderful!!

Thank you! She's really happy.

WOW! THAT'S ABSOLUTELY AWESOME!
Congratulations to Danielle

:cheer2::cheer2::cheer2:

Thank you! We're all really surprised she got it.

Congrats Danielle!!! What a magical place to work!

Thanks! I told her it's a place that gives her lots of opportunity to make Magic.

That is exciting!!!!! Of course I won't be able to run into her there... CRT was a one and done for us.

I'm sure you'll still be in the Fantasyland area. The seaters are outside the restaurant near the walk through for the castle. Maybe someday the girls will want to give it another try. Disney is always changing stuff.


That's fantastic! I'm sure that will be a really fun place to work.

Thank you! She thinks it will be a blast.
 
Who, Why, What, and WHEN?!

Why oh Why oh Why does anyone need a reason to go to Disney?

When we originally started these plans forever and a decade ago, we totally thought my sister would have been working in the Disney College Program at that time. So of course we would need to go visit.

The last big trip we all took together was in 2015, for my wedding. In May 2017, Danielle graduated high school and Mom and Dad took her and her then boyfriend to Disney. I was home with a 2 week old baby. In 2018, Jimmy and I took Gia, 9-month-old John Paul, and my mom to help. So we were overdue a trip of us. And I'm not going to feel guilty for thinking that (because I totally have been for the better part of the last year), because Gia's going AGAIN next month, and I've done enough pleasing everyone else on these trips that we were overdue for a trip with no strings attached and as little coordinating as possible. I'm still sad Jimmy missed out, but with Danielle leaving the nest, my possibly moving away (emphasis on POSSIBLY), this couldn't have come at a better time for the originals... the Masseys. (and JP, because he's free. AND SO CUTE).

Dad originally came up with the idea that he wanted to take JP. And of course, before he turned 3 and cost money! They came up with this Christmas trip, with the idea that they would need to visit Danielle if she was working there. And they wanted to bring JP. He was just a baby when they asked me. I said of course… but that I’d have to go too! Duh! I’ve never been away from my baby for very long. AND HE IS JUST A BABY. So we figured it would be one, big family trip for all of us.

Then Jimmy was laid off. So we weren’t going to go, but I was going to still let them take JP. That was really hard for us. But then he got another job… 1,200 miles away. An amazing opportunity, but his only time off he uses to visit us at home. So we’re paying to fly him home every month, live in two different states, etc. No way are we going to Disney.

About the same time all of this is happening, we get the news that Danielle did not get into the Disney College Program. SHE WAS HEARTBROKEN to say the least. I had hoped she’d get back on that horse quickly, but she was pretty hesitant. Danielle’s never really experienced true heartbreak before, so she struggled.

It kinda felt like all of our plans were falling apart. We explored the idea of doing Mardi Gras (it’s a Louisiana thing) instead, in case Danielle was there in the Spring. But Mom went ahead and said they were keeping the trip as-is. We weren’t going to plan around possibilities anymore. So I started making plans with my own little family. But the longer Jimmy was job searching near and far, the further and further the idea got away from me. I finally just gave up the idea of a trip with my own little family, and asked Mom if I could bum off of their trip.

The idea of being away from my baby that long just killed me. And I could be their 4th adult! So we picked the date of the Christmas party we wanted to go to and made our plans around that. I was going to fly down with everyone and head home a few days later while they stayed.

Then the day to book the flights came. I went ahead and changed plans on Mom again… I decided I would MEET THEM in Disney and fly home all together, instead of the opposite. Again, leaving my baby is SO HARD! And he doesn’t do as well being left as he does being picked up. Whoops, sorry Mom. But it all worked out for the best. Oh, and this is all AFTER I had convinced Mom to shave a day of room-only and travel off of her trip and just fly in super early and go to a park. Basically so I wouldn’t have to take an extra day off of work. Again, WHOOPS.

So that was it.

Mom, Dad, Danielle, and JP would be flying in early on Saturday, December 14 and going to a park that day.

I’d be meeting them around lunch time the day of the party, Tuesday December 17. And we would all be flying home together Saturday evening, December 21. Just as the crowds were coming in for Christmas. I'd pay for my portion of the trip (spoiler alert... we got "free" dining). If I was going to Disney, this may as well have been the only way how.




A little UPDATE to our plans… as it got closer, this kind of became my DAD’S trip. Which was good. Because trying to do Disney like we normally do Disney was going to be hard with a 2 year old! And oddly enough, Dad became pretty relaxed about the plans too. The source of all disappointment is unmet expectations… and so far, we all didn’t have too many things to expect. WHICH IS KEY WHEN YOU HAVE A TODDLER. I didn’t care what we did, I just wanted to see my son happy. And Mom and Danielle would be back in January (this weekend coming to be exact) to DROP DANIELLE OFF for the DCP!!!

In case you didn’t see, she’s a seater at CRT! We did a little going away dinner for her this past weekend. Mom told the guy at the cookie store to do the “O” in HOME like a castle. She says, “you know, like Cinderella’s castle.” Well we didn’t expect how awesome it would be. ORRRRR how ironic it would be. We didn’t know her assignment until yesterday and the party was on Saturday.

v
kOJTvmV6ak8ULgdizcorUpLgAToW6SuxBKFi26eKX0XHvlOp5tb-FzTDth1QZaN0hONLb11C1FTmQIQC1YWYoFPY043yM8DvPTHCgzyyDdJcZskFEi2C5fckSZ7yacX_Kal58T-B


YdEEPMs6pL0CPsDtslN92qAopehRUeBbs3jAP5Z2F8pgE6nBaP2wkSirrd12xPbJlR9Y1nYMst0o_GLd6kXQJbw0Mi75dZeoOLZsmsmU_dnEEs3tJ-AZmQJHWIVRcwGIqzsHt5vF
1hgkS5HFsGZVTW7TjqPaclRq8pPeWIwFW2ZF7rS8i3kuiBdjv0zussurnjuwsSIjwgQoX7b8v93tQ0Zs4AKsgbuZB7wqlWHvO3ZE8s_ISkHA4ym_u9GGZ8D4suc3z5JKQkxoXS2M
KKZ_pxLv4j8ucqYei8QEnw7wVIJamNkzPmcaRHJI_M-zEiI2LxpHWlM9Tfx0Dji8Fd0Wbw5ozi2yodtQip88Tad9q2hwCIx5dnJ1An7SHov0kInPqz-S8N_RFilH3PLTFaz-dwZl
 
OMG - he's sooooo big!
Don't remind me! He's his own little person.
I look at pictures of her from just a year ago. She's really becoming a young lady.
Love the photos -JP is getting more like his dad as he grows up though I see Grumpy (who looks very Happy in his SC jammies) in there too :goodvibes
I see them both! Lots of Jimmy, but my dad, too.
I laughed when I saw Gia's spa day photo! She really is growing up fast :)
She's always been a grown up in her mind. Now, it's just catching up with her. She is getting so big, though!
So excited your trip report has begun! We overlapped you on this trip, even the same resort, and was hoping to get to meet you in person, but somehow I always forget how big Disney is and how many people there actually are :) . So we never crossed paths :(, but we had a fabulous vacation, and I can't wait to hear all about yours!
Disney is so big, I'd be more shocked if we DID run into each other. But Mom and I were prepared in case we did! A little gift from the bayou for our imaginary friends. Can't wait to compare notes on our trips.
No you're not. You love Disney. That makes you a perfect Dis'er.
:hug:
Too cool for school. ::yes::
Since the day I was born.
Just a bit sensitive about that are we?
hangin on tight!
Love this shot of Vanessa!
ME TOO!!!
Ummm, excuse me, but when did all these kids grow up?!?!?!?

Danielle is going to be in DCP? WHOOHOO! (I think I remember reading this, but my mind is a sieve these days, so it seems brand new info to me!)

JP...welllll....he just needs to stay where he is at...tooooo CUTE!

And GIA...wow she is becoming quite the young lady/princess!

Jimmy...yeah well the big kid has not changed much, lol

Can't wait to read about your family's adventures!

and....

GEAUX TIGERS!!!
so much excitement, here!!! and YES, GEAUX TIGERS!!!!!! Jimmy was on the '03 championship team as a DB, so going to the parade of champions and everything with the kids, mainly Gia, gave me an opportunity to show her what a big deal it is that her Dad was a part of that!
Popping over from your PTR. Can’t wait to read another Massey TR. So excited for Danielle at her DCP . And those kids are growing up way to fast. Mine are 25 and 22 so believe me I know it goes way too fast !
don't tell me that! every day that goes by, they wear me out, but I can't squeeze in enough moments of watching them grow into themselves.
Well, I guess you're having a good week.

I'm here and looking forward to seeing how the trip went!!

A VERY GOOD WEEK! We're all still on cloud 9... get it? 9... like Joe Burrow?
467098
This is probably my favorite picture of all the hype. How Louisiana dresses to the 9's. HAHA
 
A little UPDATE to our plans… as it got closer, this kind of became my DAD’S trip. Which was good. Because trying to do Disney like we normally do Disney was going to be hard with a 2 year old! And oddly enough, Dad became pretty relaxed about the plans too. The source of all disappointment is unmet expectations… and so far, we all didn’t have too many things to expect. WHICH IS KEY WHEN YOU HAVE A TODDLER. I didn’t care what we did, I just wanted to see my son happy. And Mom and Danielle would be back in January (this weekend coming to be exact) to DROP DANIELLE OFF for the DCP!!!

In case you didn’t see, she’s a seater at CRT! We did a little going away dinner for her this past weekend. Mom told the guy at the cookie store to do the “O” in HOME like a castle. She says, “you know, like Cinderella’s castle.” Well we didn’t expect how awesome it would be. ORRRRR how ironic it would be. We didn’t know her assignment until yesterday and the party was on Saturday.
Congrats! I prob won't be going to CRT on my upcoming trip, but I hope she has fun! (If you end up doing an impromptu Mardi Gras trip, let me know - I'm there that week!)
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Top