It’s Time For An “Emergency” Disney Trip

I dedicate quite a bit of time on this blog to helping you, my faithful readers.  I love helping people, especially when it involves them seeing the world.  But, sometimes this blog is just about me or our family.  Some might argue I should stick to “travel news”.  But, I suspect a few of you stick around for the stories.  And, I just enjoy writing them, even if nobody’s listening.  So, here’s why it’s time for an “emergency” Disney trip.

Okay, so there’s no such thing as an emergency Disney trip.  But, I think this story is a great example of how you can use points and miles to plan a quick trip somewhere without breaking the bank.  I saw an article come across my e-mail a short while ago about the announcement of new shows at Disney World.  New shows are great, right?  We love new Disney stuff.  But, it’s what’s going away that has my attention.

“Wishes” is the evening fireworks show at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom.  It’s been that way for as long as we’ve been bringing our kids.  The current show started in 2003 and will have its final performance on May 11, 2017.

Memories

A fireworks show may not be memorable to most.  But, Disney is great at creating experiences.  We lost my aunt to cancer in the fall of 2010.  She was the glue, the matriarch of our family.  She loved Christmas Villages, princesses and, most importantly, her family.  She was a surrogate mother to me, and I always imagined taking her to Disney World with my family.

With her passing fresh in our minds, our family took our first Disney trip right before Thanksgiving.  I can recall sitting with our daughter, Catherine and watching the parade.  She was so happy.  My father (Toni’s brother) was there, and we were both still feeling the pain of that loss.  But, Catherine was having the time of her life.  As kids can do when you most need it, she took our minds off our loss here and there throughout the trip.  There were a lot of memories made in those whirlwind few days where we tried to do everything Disney had to offer.  Side note to those who know me, you can only imagine how much I tried to pack into that trip.

One of my fondest memories (along with that parade) is the evening fireworks show, set to a song called “Wishes”.  You can find it on the iTunes store if you’re not familiar.  We won’t go all the way to “sappy dad land”, but hearing her sing that song as we’ve returned to Disney numerous times over the years is pretty heartwarming.  It’s the simplest of dreams for a little girl, to have her wishes come true.  And, on those nights when the loss of my Aunt was still fresh, seeing Catherine stare up in wonder while singing about her dreams coming true was, in a word, perfect.

The Final Two Pennies

There’s no question we wouldn’t be taking this trip if we had to pay (cash) for everything.  4 airline tickets, a hotel room, not to mention theme park tickets!  We’d reminisce about it from afar, and I’m sure that would be fine.  But, this wonderful world of miles and points gives us the opportunity to capture one more memory.  Some might argue there are better “values” for your points.  Not for me on this one.

If you happen to be down at Disney World in the near future, you might hear a 10-year old girl belting out the lyrics to Wishes.  You might hear an oldish man singing them with her, decidedly off-key.  They’ll have big smiles on their faces.

Oh, a world of wishes.
A world where dreams come true.
So make a wish, see it through.
Dare to do what dreamers do

We’ll make a wish, and do as dreamers do
And all our wishes (all our wishes)
all our wishes
will come true

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