Sunday with Friends - Julie Ranken

Happy Sunday, everyone! It's March 1st - isn't this year going fast?!

It's also time for another edition of Sunday with Friends - so please give a warm welcome to Julie Ranken! 

Hi, Julie! Tell us a bit about yourself.

I teach Latin in the Dallas-Fort Worth area where I have been at the same school for 17 years. My husband Bill and I have been married for almost 6 years, but we have no children. However, we do have three cats, all named after characters from "Up" - Carl, Russell and Dug.

What is your favorite time of year to visit with Disney parks or sail Disney Cruise Line?

If we are sailing, I love to sail in early to mid March. I am a teacher so I can't go when prices are cheaper and things are less busy, so this is usually when my Spring Break is. However, the temperatures in the Bahamas are very pleasant and you can still get some sun and enjoy all that the cruise has to offer. If we are going to Disney World, Christmas is busy, but fun!! So much fun!!!

If you had to pick your favorite attraction at Disney World or Disneyland, what would it be?

I could ride Peter Pan's Flight over and over again. When my family went to Disney World in 1987, we probably rode it five times a day so it holds a lot of good memories. We say "hello" to Nana at the beginning  of the ride and quote some of the lines as we go through the ride.

Tell us a story about one of your favorite memories from your Disney vacation(s).

I have so many favorite memories, so I'll share by husband's favorite. On our first trip to WDW together, we had seen lots of characters, but we had yet to see Daisy Duck. We arrived at the Magic Kingdom at rope drop and were walking towards the flag pole when I saw her - Daisy! I am not a runner, but I took off. Bill was putting something in our backpack, so , when he finally looked up, I was just a blur running towards Daisy. It was then that Bill realized that the woman he married had the heart of a five year old.

If you had a friend visiting a Disney park or sailing on Disney Cruise Line for the first time, what tip(s) would you give them?

My tip would be that you do some research before going. If you don't learn how FP+ works or how to correctly use your tickets or dining credits, you'll find that you waste a lot of time and a lot of money.

Julie is a travel agent with Mouse World Travel and you can find her Facebook page here - please go and join her page!

Have a magical day!