How I Survived 11 Days at WDW with a Disney-Resistant Husband **2/20 THE END **

[kcandbella]

LOVE the new title! Very fitting. And I'm happy for you that you have another trip to look forward to!

It looks like you had a great breakfast at Akershus. That is so sweet how your kids and their cousins took to one another. I know you weren't looking forward to the beach, but hopefully it wasn't too bad!! Can't wait to read about it!

 

[Spartangirl]

I've been watching R & K this week and I agree with you, PEI looks just beautiful! DH and I met an awesome couple (from our last trip) who lives there and they just raved about it! I hope to visit sometime in the near future!

 

[Glite]

I don't know if I have the stomach for the next update! You are breaking my heart with your stories of your "resistant" husband. Thankfully, my DH is not obsessed like I am (go figure!) but he always LOVES it when we are there! I wish I had gone with you. I would have, not only gone along with all your plans, I would have loved and appreciated them!

I am a tough DH, but I feel so sad about the resistant DH stories, I'm about to cry like a baby.

 

[dairyou]

 

[Glite]

 

[cdotla]

You don't have to pay Bell Services to move luggage except a tip?

PS - Forgot to mention...the other reason (besides saving about $40 in tips) that we didn't use Disney to move our bags from the CR to the BCV was due to the fact that technically we did not have a reservation there for another day.

We spent the 1st nite at the BCV in my MIL's studio, which technically was only supposed to sleep 4, not 5. Clearly, we never envisioned staying more than just overnite until our 1 Bdrm opened up. But, we certainly didn't want to alert the "Disney police" to the fact that we were breaking the rules!

 

[cdotla]

I have to agree with you on the maritimes being shortchanged in the film....Manitoba and Saskatchewan are pretty much left out too!! I was born in New Brunswick, left when I was 2 (my dad was in the military) and now we're in Manitoba....I wish they had included all provinces and territories in the movie!!

Agreed...let's get on that! Atlantic Canada and the Prairies unite!

I don't know if I have the stomach for the next update! You are breaking my heart with your stories of your "resistant" husband. Thankfully, my DH is not obsessed like I am (go figure!) but he always LOVES it when we are there! I wish I had gone with you. I would have, not only gone along with all your plans, I would have loved and appreciated them!

I honestly can't say that I had a bad trip. There was plenty of happiness, and many good times. But also a fair share of disappointments...the bulk of which I haven't gotten to yet. What is funny is that by Day 4, there was really nothing on the trip that had caused me too much concern or grief...except that walk through Epcot with the kids!

I just caught up on your TR and I am so happy for you that you have another Disney trip on the horizon! Hopefully going on a trip with friends will make it better this time around. You tend to be on better behavior around friends versus family. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you!

Love the photo of the kids with the cousins (the photo of their backs holding hands). it was so sweet.

I totally want to visit PEI one day. your psot made me laugh because it is totally because of the Anne of Green Gable series. I loved watching the series when I was growing up. While I may not be Japanese, looks like I'll fit in - maybe it's an asian thing? I keep trying to convince my husband to take one of the cruises that go from New England to Nova Scotia and PEI.

One of these days you will have to make it to Atlantic Canada...it is pretty fantastic. Did you catch Regis & Kelly today to see their Beach Party? That would give you a little taste of what things are like!

Drop me a line if you are ever swinging by!

I adore PEI! I love Canada actually but especially the maritimes.
My mom and I took a trip to PEI in 2000 after dreaming about it my whole life (because of Anne of Green Gables)
It was amazing and so beautiful. We also visited Nova Scotia during that trip.

Then two years later my parents and I went on a month long road trip across the US from Utah up through New England and into New Brunswick, over to Nova Scotia, up to PEI again, then back through New Brunswick traveling all the way across Canada and over to Victoria Island before going back down to Utah. It was amazing. I fell in love with all of Canada on that trip. It really does have the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen with the maritimes and the Canadian Rockies.

I completely agree. I think we Canadians can sometimes take the natural beauty of our country for granted. It is truly spectacular!

PEI looks like an awesome place to visit. One of these years....

Amanda

Definitely put it on the list! It would actually be a great little road trip for you from NY.

I agree, let's start a movement and get that changed! Too much Ontario and BC, show us the rest!

You lead the charge Darcy! Don't get me wrong - I thoroughly enjoyed all of the clips of Vancouver, Toronto, and Newfoundland. But a little more of the rest of Canada would have been good too!

 

[cdotla]

LOVE the new title! Very fitting. And I'm happy for you that you have another trip to look forward to!

It looks like you had a great breakfast at Akershus. That is so sweet how your kids and their cousins took to one another. I know you weren't looking forward to the beach, but hopefully it wasn't too bad!! Can't wait to read about it!

Thanks Kayce! The beach was great...more on that shortly!

I've been watching R & K this week and I agree with you, PEI looks just beautiful! DH and I met an awesome couple (from our last trip) who lives there and they just raved about it! I hope to visit sometime in the near future!

You will definitely have to put it on your list!

BTW - did you see R&K today??? What a fantastic show!

I am a tough DH, but I feel so sad about the resistant DH stories, I'm about to cry like a baby.

To be honest, I am already dreading re-living some moments of the trip. But sometimes life experiences aren't completely perfect. The not-so great times certainly help me to cherish the great ones!

 

[cdotla]

Who Watched Regis & Kelly Today????

I know I am biassed, but I think today's episode was the BEST Regis & Kelly episode EVER!!!!​

 

[Spartangirl]

BTW - did you see R&K today??? What a fantastic show!

YES...LOVED IT!

 

[kate_wdw]

Who Watched Regis & Kelly Today????

I know I am biassed, but I think today's episode was the BEST Regis & Kelly episode EVER!!!![/CENTER

​

Didn't see it. What made it so great?​

 

[hstrickland]

Well, I have read through page 28! Still lots to go! So enjoying your TR....will get some more done after breakfast.

 

[kaysmommie]

Hi Trish,
Loved your Epcot Storybook breakfast update! The pics of the teenage cousins holding hands with Katie and Declan is adorable! Also what a nice picture of your group with Belle. Sorry your DH doesn't love Disney. Mine enjoys it but still doesn't really get obsessed with it like the kids and I do. Looking forward to hearing about your beach day .

 

[cdotla]

Didn't see it. What made it so great?

Linking you back to my original post about this: http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=37377362&postcount=764

Yesterday was the last day they were in PEI...and by far the best episode out of the 4 they did this week. They had Elisha Cuthbert, John Corbet, Bo Derek, and Carson Kresley as guests and had a lobster and mussels dinner bash on the Beach. Looked so fun, and it was completely an Atlantic Canadian thing to do, which is where I am from, so I LOVED IT!!!

When they showed Regis on the boat holding up one of the lobsters and he got scared and dropped it when it started to move, I just about killed myself with laughter!

Well, I have read through page 28! Still lots to go! So enjoying your TR....will get some more done after breakfast.

Welcome!!! So glad to see you here!

Hi Trish,
Loved your Epcot Storybook breakfast update! The pics of the teenage cousins holding hands with Katie and Declan is adorable! Also what a nice picture of your group with Belle. Sorry your DH doesn't love Disney. Mine enjoys it but still doesn't really get obsessed with it like the kids and I do. Looking forward to hearing about your beach day .

Thanks Nichole! Our Beach Day ended up being a lot of fun. More on that shortly!

 

[cdotla]

Our Day at the Beach in Tampa and Honeymoon Island

Chris is lucky to have grown up in Montreal with a very large and close-knit extended family, with a lot of cousins around the same age.

Two of those cousins moved to Tampa about 15 years ago. As we hadn't seen them or their families for quite some time, we knew that we wanted to try to get together with them sometime during our trip.

Before Chris' sister decided that she and her boys were going to join us on the trip, I had made plans with the cousins to meet up that day in WDW at the Beach Club.

The plan was that the cousins would drive over, arriving just after lunch (giving us time to have lunch at Teppan Edo), and we would spend the day with them at Stormalong Bay.

However, once Chris' sister decided she was coming, my MIL informed me that my SIL wanted to have a day at a real beach instead. As a result, our plans changed, and we were now going to drive over to Tampa, spend the day at Honeymoon Island Beach (a State Park just off of Clearwater Beach), and then have dinner at one of the cousin's home.

While I was a little disappointed to lose a day at WDW, as well as our Teppan Edo reservation, I do love the Beach, and was happy to be seeing the cousins. Plus, Chris and the kids were thrilled to be hitting the ocean.

So after we enjoyed our Princess Breakfast at Akerhaus, we all headed out in two cars caravan style for the Gulf Coast.

While I have made the drive from the Gulf Coast to Orlando so many times I have lost count, my SIL for some reason had been under the impression that the beach was much closer than it really was. Even though I had informed my MIL that it would take us almost 2 hours each way, I think she thought I was exaggerating.

After we had been in the car for about 1 hour and 45 minutes, and made a brief pit stop at a local Starbucks for some lattes, I could tell my SIL was completely fed up about how long it was taking to get to the beach. That is when she told me that had she known it was going to take us 2 hours to get to the beach, and a further 2 hours to drive home, she would have never agreed to go. Plus, she had been thoroughly impressed with Stormalong Bay when she saw it that morning, and would have much preferred to stay put at the resort.

When I then informed her that this was the original plan, she was of course quite annoyed with her Mom for changing the plans.

In her regular life, my SIL is constantly on the road, driving her sons around for hockey, and for her business. She works almost non-stop and this trip was supposed to be a little break for her. As she was only in Florida for 4 days, wasting over 4 hours in the car one of those days was not what she would have chosen to do.

However, once we finally arrived at Honeymoon Island State Park and hit the beach, we were all happy to be there.

Before we had left the Beach Club that morning, we had called the cousins to confirm that we were on our way and would meet them at the Beach in about 2 hours.

When we arrived, there was no sign of either of the cousins or their families, so we staked out a spot and kicked back to enjoy the Beach.

We had all forgotten how much we enjoy the Florida Beaches. Even though we live right on the Beach at home, Florida's Gulf Coast beaches just can't be beat!

After a half hour turned into a hour, and an hour turned into an hour and a half, and there was still no sign of the cousins, we started to wonder what had happened.

Then Chris and I remembered the last time that we were in Tampa and had made plans to meet the cousins and their husbands for Dinner at Bahama Breeze. They arrived over 1 hour late, just as we had finally given up and asked to be seated.

After close to 2 hours after our scheduled meeting time, Chris and I decided that we were going to have to call it a day. It was scorching hot, and our Canadian kids simply weren't used to this sun. There was nowhere to get out of the sun on the beach, and even though we kept applying sunscreen, we were both worried about them burning.

Just as we were about to pack up, one of the cousins arrived with her husband.

Then about 1/2 hour later, the other cousin arrived with her 2 girls.

While it was great to see the cousins and their families again, by this point Chris & I decided that we couldn't keep the kids out much longer. So after the kids had a quick 10 or 15 minutes of playtime with their cousins, everyone packed up and headed back to one of the cousins' house for supper.

While we felt bad that Chris' cousin had made a 30 minute drive to the Beach from Tampa, only to have to pack up and go home 15 minutes later, there was simply no way we could have kept the kids out much longer. By this point, we had spent over 3 hours out in the scourching hot sun during the hottest time of the day.

As it turned out, it was a very wise call to leave. Later that night, and especially the next morning, we realized that the kids had gotten too much sun. They weren't burnt, but a little red. However, Chris & I looked like lobsters by the next morning. I felt like a complete novice Canadian tourist.

(Continued in next post)

 

[cdotla]

(Continued from last post)

When we arrived back at Chris' cousin's house, her husband was already in the kitchen making dinner.

The kids of course immediately jumped in the pool as supper was being made and the rest of us enjoyed some yummy cocktails and appetizers.

We also got to meet their gorgeous dog:

Dinner was absolutely fabulous, and it was so great to re-connect with the cousins. They are truly some of the nicest and most hospitable people you could ever meet!

Believe it or not, even though her Birthday had been 5 days earlier, Chris' cousin actually went through the trouble to get Katie a Birthday Cake for Dessert, and even had a present for her!

We all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves that evening, and were very sorry to have to go. By the time we arrived back at the Beach Club that evening, Illuminations was just starting. We quickly took the kids out onto the balcony to watch it, and then they fell into a deep, dark sleep!



POST SCRIPT: While we were at the cousins' house for supper, we all commented that it would have been perfect had our visit coincided with their mother's visit, which had been scheduled a few weeks after our trip. This, of course, was my MIL's sister, Heather.

How could any of us have known at the time that we would be seeing each other again so soon, but under very tragic circumstances? Just 2 weeks ago, our family had to travel to Montreal to attend Heather's funeral. Her death was completely unexpected and shocking, and even more tragic because she had been scheduled to go to Florida to see her daughters and their families just a few weeks later. As a result, neither of her daughters got a chance to say goodbye to her, and one of them had not seen her in almost a year. Obviously a very good reminder how short and precious life really is.

UP NEXT: Touring Hollywood Studios - Part One

 

[swwake]

Even with all the stress - that looks like a fun day at the beach. I'm glad you got the kids out of the sun before too long - you wouldn't have wanted to ruin the rest of the Disney trip. It's kinda cool that you got to mix in a beach trip with the Disney trip. I love all the family pics. As we get older, we realize how important family really is. So nice of them to make the birthday cake for Katie. And that house is beautiful. So sorry again to hear about Heather. I hope that the family has found some closure and is at peace now with her passing.

 

[kate_wdw]

Linking you back to my original post about this: http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=37377362&postcount=764

Yesterday was the last day they were in PEI...and by far the best episode out of the 4 they did this week. They had Elisha Cuthbert, John Corbet, Bo Derek, and Carson Presley as guests and had a lobster and mussels dinner bash on the Beach. Looked so fun, and it was completely an Atlantic Canadian thing to do, which is where I am from, so I LOVED IT!!!

When they showed Regis on the boat holding up one of the lobsters and he got scared and dropped it when it started to move, I just about killed myself with laughter!

Sorry, I missed that! I've always wanted to visit PEI. Maybe one of these days...

 

[Harlie]

Hi Joining in on your trip report! I just caught up Great stuff so far. I can totally agree with you about the Canada 360 show is missing too many of the other great provinces. IMHO the show could have used Some Rider.....Errr....Saskatchewan footage lol!

Look forward to reading more!

 

[Queenofallthings]

Great update! Those beach pictures....beautiful! In all of our trips to Florida, we have never gone to the beach

How wonderful that you got to spend some time with the cousins, looked like you were all having a great time!!