Hi! If you’re here and reading this you’re probably looking for some information about a dream holiday. Probably to one of the fantastic Disney parks around the world? Or perhaps on one of Disney’s fleet of cruise ships? I want to help with your Disney Holiday Planning as part of the Fairytale Holidays team!
If you’re anything like me, you’ll want to consume all the information you can to enable you to have the best trip ever. Any kind of Disney trip is a trip planning fanatics dream, because to do everything you want to do, you can’t just fly by the seat of your pants. Trust me, I’ve done Disney both ways. I know if you want to make the most of it, you really have to do your research. But hey, that’s what I’m going to be here. My name is Amy, I’m going to be a regular on the Fairytale Holidays blog and today I’m going to tell you why I know what I’m talking about.
Who am I?
As I mentioned above, my name is Amy. I live in Scotland with my family, a cat called Elsa, and a guinea pig called Tink. We have been visiting various Disney Parks since my daughter was two. She’s now twelve While living through a Pandemic for two years which saw all the resorts around the world closed for a select time, I still managed to cram in a lot of visits between 2014 and 2020. Over the years I have documented all of this through an Instagram account, first known as livvybirdadventures, and and then livvybirdlife. Now that my daughter is older I don't share as much, but I am going to be active on Fairytale Holidays Instagram!
During this time I’ve helped other people make the most out of their Disney holidays. During the pandemic, I truly thought we were going to come out the other end and Disney experiences and adventures would no longer be a way of life. But here I am in 2023 reaching for more and I’m so excited to be writing for Fairytale Holidays, in between planning our next holiday.
How did it start?
My love of Disney is a tale as old as time (see what I did there?). Meaning, it stretches back to my childhood. As it does for so many. The funny thing is, I wouldn’t say before having children my parents were big Disney fans. It was just something they passed on to my sister and I during our upbringing. The first movie I ever saw at the cinema was the re-release of Peter Pan in the early 90s and I still have vivid memories of that day. Probably my first memory.
It was definitely my Dad that really embraced a magical Disney childhood for us, we even had a Disney shelf in our bedroom! Shortly after my ninth birthday, we visited Orlando for the first time. We stayed offsite, and rarely ate in the parks. We managed to go three times and they are my favourite childhood memories. I also visited Disneyland Paris once with the school. Between trips, we had an annual Disney Day, which for a long time felt embarrassing, but now I know it made my childhood awesome! But perhaps I’ll go into that more another time.
How many times?
If someone is going to be talking to you about a specific subject, you want them to know what they’re talking about. Right? It’s all good and well I went as as a child, but the Disney holiday experience has changed so much since then. While my sister grew out of Disney, I never did and when I became a mother in 2012, I vowed I’d ensure my daughter had a magical childhood. At the time, I never expected it to be as magical as it has been!
Since 2014 we have visited Disneyland Paris sixteen times. Walt Disney World ten times. Disneyland in Anaheim twice. Then in summer 2021, we took our first Disney Cruise on the Disney Magic. We’ve stayed onsite, offsite, and with friends. We’ve also held Disneyland Paris annual passes on a few occasions. Over the years our experiences have changed as my daughter has grown but it doesn’t matter which resort we visit, home truly is where the mouse is.
We have also visited SeaWorld, Gatorland, Kennedy Space Center, and both Universal Parks in Orlando.
What I have to offer in Disney Holiday Planning
While the Fairytales Holiday team, will be the ones helping you plan and book your dream trip, I’m hoping to give you some reading material. Most of it will be rather family-focused, I’m a parent and my goal on every trip is to give my daughter magical memories. But hopefully, there will be something for everyone. I’m a thrifty traveller, but I have also splashed out on special experiences. We love character dining. My daughter just loves characters and has had some incredibly special moments with them.
So yay for traditional meets being back after their pandemic hiatus. Now that my daughter is older, she’s also a thrill seeker! She went on the Incredicoaster at Disney California Adventure when she was only seven! I’m at the other end of the spectrum. I love entertainment. Shows, parades, fireworks. Sign me up! And who doesn’t love Disney snacks?
Hopefully I can bring some thoughts, opinions and maybe even some quick tips to the table to help you all plan your trip. Or even just get you excited!