This post was written in December 2016

I won a Disney Vacation!  Yes, you read that correctly – I won a 3-night vacation at a Disney Resort Hotel and park tickets for 4 people through a contest sponsored by Family Finds Fun and Friends. ( I won this trip in fall of 2016)

Have you ever noticed contests online but didn’t enter because you figured you wouldn’t win?  Well, I’m proof that people do win those contests.

Way back in June, I entered several travel contests.   I completed the entry form and even forgot I had entered.   When I did think about them, I thought I hadn’t heard from anyone so I assumed I didn’t win.

And then one day, I got an email…”Do you remember entering a Disney Contest?   You are the winner of a Disney Vacation!”

Now how about that?  At first, I wasn’t sure if it was a joke or if it was true.  Then the person asked me to verify my entry with a copy of the comment I made on Facebook when I entered.   Once I provided the proof, I was confirmed as the winner of the vacation.

Now the interesting part of the story. There were over 17,000 entries and I was NOT the first person selected to win.  In fact, I think I was number 5 or 7.  When they notified people about winning they had 48 hours to respond.  Some people never responded even after a week.   Others just didn’t verify their entry.  So those people forfeited their trip.

I was quick to respond.  Who doesn’t want a free Disney vacation???

My family had visited Disney in July of this year, and I knew the week in Dec. when the trip was planned was around finals for my son at college.  So when I won, I decided to bless some other special people in my life and take my mom, sister, and aunt with me on the trip.    We are making it a girl’s trip!  My mother and aunt have never seen Disney decorated for Christmas.  They are in for a beautiful surprise.

We leave tomorrow.  (Dec. 2016)

The trip did not include airfare, but I found an incredibly great deal on airline tickets out of Latrobe to Orlando on Spirit.   I had flown out of there before and it is an easy drive and free parking, so it was a win.

Our vacation includes staying at Disney’s Old Key West Resort.

We will be visiting the Magic Kingdom, Disney Springs, and either Epcot or Hollywood Studios.

We will be posting on social media so feel free to follow along on our trip via Facebook or Instagram.

• As a side note….Two weeks later I won another contest with tickets for 4 to Hershey Park.  

So the moral of this story is…

1.  Don’t be afraid to enter online contests.   They do pick a winner and that winner could be YOU!
2. Check your email on a regular basis, so you don’t miss a winning message.
3. Respond when they announce the winner.  Don’t let a fantastic trip slip through your fingers.

Going to go pack my suitcase now using my Disney Packing List!

Thank you to Maggie Miller at Family Finds Fun and all her friends who sponsored the Disney Vacation contest.  We can’t wait to get to Disney!

Going to go pack my suitcase now using my Disney Packing List!

This post was  written in December 2016