MEK
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 8, 2005
If you have teenagers, you can relate to how I feel! You hate to leave your kids at home, but at the same time we decided the time had come. The moon, stars, and planets aligned and it was time for DH and I to do Disney solo. OK, the astological analogy is a bit dramatic. So, to put it in Disman terms - we were finally "hooked up" - we had the perfect combination of excuses for a solo trip - DVC points and annual passes.
DH and I joined DVC last fall. We took our first DVC trip in June. It was a nearly perfect trip with 3 nights at Vero and 5 nights at SSR. We brought DS's friend and we even entertained our Daytona Beach friends for the weekend. And before it was time to go home, I convinced DH to upgrade to an annual pass so we could plan our own trip before my AP expired. (wink wink)
Needless to say, I was on the phone with member services within 2 days of our return home. I wanted to visit right after Thanksgiving or the following week, but I could not get 3 days together in a studio anywhere. January was wide open, and that was tempting, but my AP would have expired 2 parkdays into the trip and I wasn't quite ready to renew. Fortunately, I was able to find 3 nights together 12/14-12/17 at SSR. We planned to arrive on Sat 12/13 and stay in a regular resort room for one night.
When we originally were searching for air fare, things were quite expensive. It was right around the time that gas was $4.00/ gallon. SWA fares were beyond comprehension, so I booked departures at Air Tran at $79 from PHL. Perfectly acceptable, since I didn't think I would find anything cheaper. I have never flown Air Tran before, so I was a bit skeptical after reading some negative stuff here, but my experience was quite pleasant - no complaints.
So back to the kids. WE have 2 boys - 14 (8th grade) and 15 (10th grade). Both boys play serious soccer, so planning a solo trip during soccer season would be a serious breach of soccer parent etiquitte. WE needed to wait for the calm of winter, since neither boy plays a winter sport (other then - of course - indoor soccer). We just needed to make arrangements for the boys. One of my dear friends offered to take DS14. For DS 15, the situation was a bit more complex. He could not seem to understand the statement - "No, you can not stay home alone while we are a thousand miles away. Are you freak'n nuts????????" We had this conversation in many different versions, many more times than I care to remember. And it always ended the same way, with the same statement "Are you freak'n nuts??????" Kids - Seesh!
So we hired a high school senior to stay in the house with DS15 from Sunday through Weds. We made arrangements for DS to stay at a neighbor's house on Saturday night. We also had several conversations about why he wasn't allowed to be in the house Saturday night. I think you know by now how those conversations ended!
I'll tell you what - there were several moments of everyday when I got so worried about leaving the kids, that I had to fight the urge to cancel. So the last two days before the trip I relied on a little Xanax to help with the nerves and I managed to make it, unscathed and reasonably calm, to departure day.
So stayed tuned for much, much more as I prepare to download my pics and inspire you to take a trip without your kids!
DH and I joined DVC last fall. We took our first DVC trip in June. It was a nearly perfect trip with 3 nights at Vero and 5 nights at SSR. We brought DS's friend and we even entertained our Daytona Beach friends for the weekend. And before it was time to go home, I convinced DH to upgrade to an annual pass so we could plan our own trip before my AP expired. (wink wink)
Needless to say, I was on the phone with member services within 2 days of our return home. I wanted to visit right after Thanksgiving or the following week, but I could not get 3 days together in a studio anywhere. January was wide open, and that was tempting, but my AP would have expired 2 parkdays into the trip and I wasn't quite ready to renew. Fortunately, I was able to find 3 nights together 12/14-12/17 at SSR. We planned to arrive on Sat 12/13 and stay in a regular resort room for one night.
When we originally were searching for air fare, things were quite expensive. It was right around the time that gas was $4.00/ gallon. SWA fares were beyond comprehension, so I booked departures at Air Tran at $79 from PHL. Perfectly acceptable, since I didn't think I would find anything cheaper. I have never flown Air Tran before, so I was a bit skeptical after reading some negative stuff here, but my experience was quite pleasant - no complaints.
So back to the kids. WE have 2 boys - 14 (8th grade) and 15 (10th grade). Both boys play serious soccer, so planning a solo trip during soccer season would be a serious breach of soccer parent etiquitte. WE needed to wait for the calm of winter, since neither boy plays a winter sport (other then - of course - indoor soccer). We just needed to make arrangements for the boys. One of my dear friends offered to take DS14. For DS 15, the situation was a bit more complex. He could not seem to understand the statement - "No, you can not stay home alone while we are a thousand miles away. Are you freak'n nuts????????" We had this conversation in many different versions, many more times than I care to remember. And it always ended the same way, with the same statement "Are you freak'n nuts??????" Kids - Seesh!
So we hired a high school senior to stay in the house with DS15 from Sunday through Weds. We made arrangements for DS to stay at a neighbor's house on Saturday night. We also had several conversations about why he wasn't allowed to be in the house Saturday night. I think you know by now how those conversations ended!
I'll tell you what - there were several moments of everyday when I got so worried about leaving the kids, that I had to fight the urge to cancel. So the last two days before the trip I relied on a little Xanax to help with the nerves and I managed to make it, unscathed and reasonably calm, to departure day.
So stayed tuned for much, much more as I prepare to download my pics and inspire you to take a trip without your kids!