Force Family’s “Fabulous” Fest Vacation 2007

[FatherForce]

Force Family’s “Fabulous” Fest Vacation 2007

(or How I Learned to Hate High School Musical 1 and 2)

* Warning. My TRs are gratuitously long, even the Prologue.

Prologue

After our daughter was born in 1999, we vowed that we, as WDW lovers and loving parents, would take her to Disney World every 2 years until she didn’t want to go anymore. We took her the first time when she was 2 in 2001. Then we went in 2003 when she was 4.
We were confident that our plan was solid and financially workable.
Then we went in 2004. We went to Disneyland in 2005. We went to WDW AND a Disney Cruise in 2006.
So it should come as no surprise that early in 2007 we began to plan for a fall trip back.

We wanted to come back during the Food and Wine Fest and the Halloween party which are 2 of our favorite special events. We wanted to stay at the Beach Club. Why? Well, we had never stayed there, and it was very close to the afore-mentioned F&WF. (You might want to peruse our TRs from last year if you question why close access to The World Showcase and its easily accessible potent potables). :thumbsup2

Great.

We whiled away the winter months with dreams of a balcony with a view of delectable delicacies and flavorful brews and fermented grapes within walking distance.

Spring arrived with the promise of new life and flowers blooming across the lawn.
With my heart filled with the joy that only Spring can bring, I chose dates and emailed our stalwart and talented travel agent, Nanci at Magical Journeys.
She promptly responded with rates for mid-October at the Beach Club.
I opened her email with excitement and glee, and I quickly read her quote from Disney.

The next thing I remember is waking up on the floor beside my computer with my wife standing over me and asking who had screamed like a little girl.

Unless an unknown wealthy relative passed and left us a small fortune, we would have to make other plans.

On a side note, has ANYONE ever had a distant, unknown relative die and leave them a fortune?
I certainly have not. I’d even be willing to spend the night in that haunted castle which the Will stipulates I do in order to receive my wealth and title due to me as my birthright.
Also, if anyone reading this is obscenely rich, yet has no heirs, I would be happy to carry on your name…


Sorry, I’m back.

During our discussions on what to do, a family friend, Kim, tells us she’d LOVE to go to Disney with us. Her son and our daughter went to Kindergarten together, and they had come over numerous times and loved our stories of our trips. Plus she used to work for Disney in the early 90’s and would love to see WDW as a tourist.

Sure, why not? What could go wrong?

So, over the summer, we met and decided we’d stay at a moderate. We’d stayed at Dixie Landings in 94 and liked it. We thought we’d try Port Orleans French Quarter since we had not stayed there. We booked the dates. We bought tickets to the Halloween party.
I came up with a tentative itinerary, and we made ADRs. All agreed that I had come up with a masterful and perfect plan.

At one of these summer planning sessions, Kim’s son, Hank, was singing some annoying songs. What was this? Kim informed us that Hank was obsessed with High School Musical. Huh? I was familiar with the existence of it. Wasn’t it for tween girls? I knew it was popular, but apparently, EVERY OTHER CHILD IN NORTH AMERICA BETWEEN THE AGES OF 8 AND 11 were also obsessed with it. Oh well, it was cute, I guess. Luckily, my goofy and independent daughter, Samantha, could care less about High School Musical.

I looked at my watch. It was 3:30 PM on July 14, 2007.
I had only 5 weeks left.

So, it wasn’t long before Nanci emails me the October codes, and it seems the meal plan special is offered at Riverside but not the French Quarter. Eh, I’d rather save a few hundred dollars than stay somewhere new.

In mid August, I noticed that Samantha was watching the Disney Channel. She started talking about Hannah Montana. I watched the show with her and laughed out loud at the appearance of Billy Ray Cyrus.

I wouldn’t be laughing for long.

Soon, she was asking for Hannah music and a DVD of….HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL
(cue lighnting crack sound effect)

So, from then on until we left, it was Sharpei this and Gabriella that, and Samantha announced that Troy was HER BOYFRIEND!

She’s 8!


I’ve got like 3 years until I have to deal with the whole Tiger Beat Psychosis, right?

Wrong.

So, HSM 1 and 2 were played nonstop. She started wanting to listen to Radio Disney instead of XM Kids in the car. (Which by the way, even Alberto Gonzalez classifies Radio Disney as torture)

My wife just laughed at me and my plight.

Ok, I can live with this.
We’re going to Disney World!
I got a great deal on airfare from SouthWest.
I got a great rate on a rental car.

Then in the weeks leading up to our departure:

- The air conditioning in my wife’s truck went out
- The refrigerator broke
- A leak appeared in the roof
- The Catalytic Converter went out on my car
- I injured my knee playing softball
- I began to have intense foot pain and had to have new orthotics made for my Plantar Facsitis

I, nay, we NEEDED this vacation bad….


( Next up, Day One – Why Can’t I Escape That Song?)

[zweihund]

Off to a great start!
I look forward to the day when my children will torture me with HSM35.

[Avivasmom]

Everything always goes wrong before you are ready to go on vacation.

You are off to a great start...keep it coming.

[wdwnomad]

I had to laugh when I saw the title to your trip report. I thought, I bet that is a Sharpay reference. My nieces love those movies. They are 5 and 3 and know all of the words to all of the songs. The 3 year old thinks she is Sharpay.

[anewmac]

OH ya HSM is played non stop in my house too.. and I have boys. I have to admit I do sing some of the songs myself. Bop Bop Bop to the top... LOL

Cant wait to read more!

[MAGICFOR2]

Subbing - I have heard of the famous FatherForce TRs - so far looks like a must read! My DH is a HS basketball coach - HSM just about makes him :sick: I told him to play it for his team and tell them it's their new drill! :rotfl2:

Can't wait for more popcorn:: And Erica, don't you have some place to be....

[zweihund]

Subbing - I have heard of the famous FatherForce TRs - so far looks like a must read! My DH is a HS basketball coach - HSM just about makes him :sick: I told him to play it for his team and tell them it's their new drill! :rotfl2:

Can't wait for more popcorn:: And Erica, don't you have some place to be....

:rolleyes1

[Donald is #1]

Great start!

[KYCruiseCrazy]

looks to be off to a good start. :banana: waiting for some more.

[Jaklackus]

Subscribing....Loved your last trip report....can't wait to read this one!

[retiredkid]

enjoying this report, more please:)

[FatherForce]

Day #1 Installment ( w/pics) is coming this afternoon.
Promise.

[mainemouselover]

Can't wait to read the rest of the trip!

[Disneygrl36]

Glad I found this.......loved your trip report from last year & can't wait to hear about this years adventures?

Will there be shower beer????????????

[momof2boyz12]

Great start. Your title caught my eye as well. I have two boys, and my youngest, 3 year old, loves HSM 1 and 2. He is in love with "the dark haired one". He's even asking Santa for the HSM dolls for Christmas. I am sure his father will love that!

[WDW Fan]

Great start -can't wait for more!!!:cool1:

[FatherForce]

Force Family’s “Fabulous” Fest Vacation 2007

Day One – Why Can’t I Get That Song Out of My Head?

Cast Me (Brad) a.k.a. FatherForce
The Wife (Cheryll) a.k.a. MamaForce
Our DD (Samantha) a.k.a. WeeForce

Specials Guests, family friends: Kim and Hank.

Our plane was scheduled to leave on Tuesday Morning the 16th at 7am from Indianapolis which is an hour away from us. That meant that in order to get up to the airport in time, I figured we’d need to leave Bloomington by 4:45 AM or so.

Although it didn’t make anyone happy, all agreed that was the way to go.

Monday the 15th arrived, and we were packed. We had actually packed about a week earlier, but I’m sure that’s no surprise or anything unusual for fellow DisBoarders.
The 15th was my Birthday, and I spent the day taking Sam to school, and going into the office for a little bit to tie up some loose ends and go to a couple of meetings.
Cheryll cleaned the house. After Sam got out of school, we went and ate some sushi for my birthday. We were all so remarkably excited!

However, Cheryll began complaining that she couldn’t get the “Get Your Head in the Game” song from HSM 1 out of her head. I was having trouble exorcising “Fabulous” from my subconscious. Eh, we were going to WDW, soon we’d have all those wonderful Disney melodies floating in our collective craniums.

Right?

That night I had to work at the Comedy show I host each week at a local pub across the street from Indiana University. It is a very popular weekly show with comics from across the country, and I’ve been hosting it for over 10 years. The college kids who come each week have adopted me in a way. Since it was my birthday, they made posters and banners in my honor (some of which I could not let my 8 year old daughter see) and did their best to get me very intoxicated. This seems to be the only way college students are capable of showing their respect.
“Dude, you are AWESOME! Let me buy you a shot!” “Bra, you’re so funny. Have this drink with six shots of cheap liquor and fruit juice.”

(College guys do say, “Bra” as a derivative of “Bro” which is short for “Brother”. I seriously worry about the future of our country.)

I have a deceptive, yet respectful way of dealing with this situation.
If they want to buy me a drink, I ask them to order me a shot of Jagermeister from their waitress. The waitress will bring me a shot glass filled with Diet Coke. I will toast them and shoot the drink with a mild fake wince on my part. They’re happy, and I can drive home, plus the waitress gets the tip.
Everyone wins.

This night, I had 14 shots of Diet Coke, which, since I was not only still standing, but also coherent and poised, made me a Superman in their dazed eyes, AND, the caffeine in the shots would mean that I could stay awake until it was time to wake the family and drive to the airport!

I got home at 1AM, and watched Heroes (which is awful this season, btw) and the Daily Show on my DVR.

- An aside here. If you do not yet have a Tivo or cable box with a DVR, GET ONE TOMORROW! It will enrich your quality of life more than a washing machine.

3:30 rolls around, and I wake the family. Showers are taken. The car is packed.
Now it seems that we have filled the back of our CRV with all the stuff we are bringing. Where would we put Kim and Hank’s luggage? Eh, No worries, I’ll make it fit!

We arrive at Kim’s at 4:30 to pick up her and Hank.

SHE’S NOT READY!

Didn’t she read the schedule we went over?

On top of that, Hank was not even at home. He was at his Dad’s and due to arrive soon.

Ok, it’s Ok. I built in a 15 minute cushion. No problem. Kim has her stereo playing…the HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL SOUNDTRACK! Now, I know a little about hypnosis and function of the subconscious mind. It was early, I’d had no sleep, and I was jacked on Diet Coke shots, so the influx of these songs into my music-snob brain was like tossing a stick of dynamite into the creek to fish for Bluegill. Complete devastation. For the next week, I would be completely under the evil sway of the HSM 1 and 2 soundtracks. Even the mention of Sharpay or Troy, would send “Fabulous” or “What Time is It?” mercilessly running through the music player of my mind.
Ever seen“The Manchurian Candidate”?
HSM became my ‘Red Queen”.

I’m only now able to talk about without twitching uncontrollably.

So Hank arrives, and I thankfully leave the house to put their luggage in the CRV.
Uh oh.

Well, someone’s going to have a carry on bag in their lap.

There I fixed that problem.

Driving up to the airport, Samantha and Hank insisted the XM radio be set on Radio Disney. Yep, we heard all the aforementioned HSM songs again interspersed with Hannah Montana and Jonas Brothers, of course.

I had thought the kids would sleep on the way up, but, once again, I underestimated the appeal of the HSM soundtrack. They sang along with every word at the top of their lungs.

Sigh.

Small line at check in and we make it with 20 minutes to spare.

Samantha took her own boarding pass and went through security in front of me by herself. She took off her shoes and put her bag in the tray and walked though the scanner without hesitation like a seasoned traveler. Every other fight we’ve had, I’ve had to hold her hand and help through as the whole process scared her. This time she didn’t even flinch.

I almost started to cry right there going through security! She’s not such a little girl anymore. I’m going to have a real hard time with this whole “growing up” thing.

We got the dreaded “C” on our Southwest boarding pass, and couldn’t sit together on the flight. A very nice young man said, “Bra, I’ll move so your girl can sit with her Mom”.
And he did. Maybe the next generation won’t be that bad…

I sat by myself in the back and put on my iPod and tried to drown out insidious HSM voices in my head.

Now the good thing about Southwest is that the plane went to Chicago first and most everyone de-planed. So we got up and moved to the front of the plane before the “A” passes from Chicago got to board! Sweet.

In the air, Cheryll ordered Bloody Marys, and I drifted off to blissful sleep while I listened to “All Things Must Pass” by George Harrison.

Soon, we touched down in Orlando and the adventure truly began…..


(Ok, I promised pictures this update, but I still haven’t gotten us off the plane. So, here’s a pic and I promise to get us into WDW in the next Update)

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l181/FatherForce/Incredibles1.jpg


Up Next: Day One Part 2 – What the Heck is that thing in Cosmic Ray’s?

[zweihund]

Great installment! I am fascinated that not only did we once share the same last name, but we drive the same car AND we both think Heroes stinks this time around.
Are you sure we're not related?

[Disneygrl36]

Where did ya go FF???????????
:rollseyes

[Jennifer48]

Ok I'm totally excited to find a FatherForce trippie that is 4 months old and there are only 2 installments?! Did I miss something? :confused3