3 Generations on Free Dining-Both sets of Parents, 9/20-9/26
- Thread starter WDWAurora
- Start date
WDWAurora
<font color=teal>I may not be Peter's Tink, but I'
- Joined
- May 21, 2003
DH and I have just returned from a wonderful vacation with his parents, my parents, and one of my grandmothers. I did a pre-trip report, it can be found here: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1864362. I'm going to copy and paste some of the info here.
We picked this time of year because even though I'm a school employee, I work 12 months, so it only seemed fair that I could have a few days off in September. We wanted cooler temperatures (if only slightly), cheaper prices (love value season, and the FREE dining plan was a bonus), and fewer crowds (although in recent years, I don't think the differences are as great). We are staying at POP. DH and I stayed there for our honeymoon, and it was fine.
Our Cast of Characters:
Me: 25 (26 then), a school psychologist, and a bit of a control freak. I've been to WDW over 30 times and know the parks like the back of my hand. I am all about making sure we see everything and do everything. I've done all of the planning for this trip. All everybody else has to do is show up. DH and I have been actively TTC for over a year, and I had hoped our next trip would be as a family of 3, but I finally determined that I just can't put my life on hold and that I needed a little pick-me-up. I'll be completely happy if I'm pregnant before we go, although that's not looking like it's happening and I'm a thrill ride junky. I'd happily miss out on the rides knowing there was a special someone on the way.
DH: 26, an electrical engineer, and my shy counterpart. When we met, he'd never been to WDW, so during college, he and I went with my grandparents for spring break. He's a reluctant convert. You ask him, he'll say he doesn't like it, but then he'll tell you how excited he is and what his favorite rides are when you're not asking. He was even pulling up Disney 3D on Google Maps! He likes pin trading and mild thrill rides. Not so much the drops...He'd rather have pool time than stay and watch all of the nighttime shows.
DDad: 59, my dad, a retired school principal, and my best friend. My dad has been with me on most of my 30+ trips and he's good for helping wrangle the troops (which will seem necessary as you keep reading). He just wants to be with me and will go along with whatever I plan.
DM: 57, my mom, she has dementia, so she's not at all "there." Ever. I miss her, because she was a terrific, talented, smart woman and besides, a girl just needs a mother. Anyway, my dad is her caregiver and she will be wearing either a bracelet or watch for ID in case of separation. My dad never takes his eyes off of her, so I'm not really worried about that, but we'll have to be careful during bathroom breaks when there are multiple doors out.
DGM: My grandmother, and the reason I've been to WDW so many times. All of my trips, with the exception of my honeymoon, have been with them. This will be my first trip since my grandfather's passing. She has had knee and hip replacements and is unsure if she will definitely end up going or not, but I hope so. It's weird to go without her! My grandparents took me several times that my mom and dad didn't go.
DFiL: Late 50s, DH's dad, a counselor for the military. He has some leg/back issues and is concerned about the walking. He's new to Disney.
DMiL: Late 50s, DH's mom, a librarian. She has some feet issues and is concerned about the walking. She's new to Disney.
So I'll start from the VERY beginning. My in-laws have 4 children. DMiL didn't really work while they were growing up, so vacations were slim. Disney just wasn't an option. I got DH to go with me before we were married, while we were in college, with my grandparents. He liked it, and agreed to go back for our honeymoon a couple years later. He's now into pin trading with me, and enjoys it, but not as much as I do. We both wanted his parents to see the world, but knew they would have to go with me, because I'm bossy. Sounds weird, but they're the type that would get overwhelmed, not be able to decide what to do, see a long line, and go back to the hotel. So, with me going, they didn't have to make any decisions. It works for everybody. So, when DH and I started talking about going and my parents invited themselves (not that I mind), we decided it would be the perfect time to take them.
Meanwhile...it's mega-drama with DH's siblings. Two of his brothers aren't speaking, a baby was born in June, one due at the end of next month, and us with our infertility battles. The sister is about to have a baby and her husband can't find a job now that he's out of grad school, etc, etc, etc. My in-laws are dealing with a lot of stress with everything going on there, and on top of all that, their home was broken into on Tuesday before we left on Saturday. A lot going on! There was some doubt about whether or not they would come, but they did decide to join us, as there wasn't anything else they could do at home.
On to the story...
On September 19th, Friday, I had to go to a training session about an hour from home from 9-12. I took the rest of the day off, and left my training for the drug store. I picked up a prescription and headed for home. I made it by 2, and finished our packing. I got all of our bags downstairs and took care of some of the last minute things. DH left work at 4 (with me checking the driveway every minute, and finally sitting in front of the window to look for him) and arrived home around 4:30. We loaded the car, he took care of our cats, and we hit the road for his parents' house, which was about an hour and a half farther down I-95, so on the way to FL. We had some dinner (from McD's, and it was terrible) and spent the night with the in-laws. I could tell they were pretty excited, especially DFiL. He was a chatterbox and was asking nonstop questions. He was concerned about eating breakfast, because he has eggs for breakfast everyday. Luckily, a wonderful DISer sent me some food vouchers that we were able to use to supplement meals for everyone. We headed to bed fairly early because we had an EARLY departure the next day!
On Saturday, we left the house at 6am. After several bathroom stops, we ended up eating lunch just past Jacksonville, FL. We went to McDonald's AGAIN, and the boys (DH & DFiL) were VERY disappointed to find out that McRibs aren't in Florida. It definitely seemed as though we were making extremely frequent bathroom stops, and most of them weren't my fault, which was shocking. Overall, the trip was fairly easy. We got down there around 3pm, and checked in. The check-in was fairly smooth. My in-laws were pretty overwhelmed! It was so busy and they were just overwhelmed by the size of WDW in general. We finished up (our CM was fine...nothing rude, but she had NO personality! Not the greatest for your first entry point to vacation!) and found our rooms. The four rooms our group had were very close to each other. We had 3 in a row, and across the corner from the 3rd was our last room. We were a little far from the parking lot in the 70s section, despite a beg for mercy due to my grandmother's difficulty with walking. It wasn't SO horrible, but it did make it more difficult at the end of the day for her.
Our rooms were great, the in-laws were pleased. I don't think any of us are used to upscale lodging, so these rooms were perfectly adequate. Since DH pouted at McD's when they didn't have the McRib, and only ate a 4 piece chicken mcnugget, he was starving. I talked to my parents all day, and the 3 of them were taking longer to get there due to needing more stops and driving from a different part of the state. We went on over to DTD and ate dinner at Wolfgang Puck Express. Our food was wonderful. DH had the BBQ chicken pizza, DFiL had spaghetti & meatballs, and I had the chicken bolognese. DMiL was left to her own devices to order, and she ordered "crispy chicken" which was chicken tenders. Hers was the only meal that disappointed at all. They've remodeled in there since I was there last, and it looked great. They even had sweet tea! We were very happy with our choice for dinner.
After dinner, we did a little shopping and headed over to the TTC for a monorail ride as an introduction to WDW for the in-laws. We rode in the front over to Epcot, then hopped into a regular car for the ride back. DMiL is afraid of heights, and she was a little bothered by the ride up there, especially when the driver told her that she was the only person actually over the rail and that the rest of us were over air. After our rides, we drove back to the hotel and got our refillable mugs. These were TOTALLY worth it for us! We each had at least 2 fill-ups a day. We met up with my parents and grandmother and checked out the shop. We all turned in pretty early because our first park day is coming up, and my in-laws had no idea what they were in for, with me as their tour guide!!
Up next-Intro to WDW, aka our first day at Epcot with dinner at Biergarten!!
We picked this time of year because even though I'm a school employee, I work 12 months, so it only seemed fair that I could have a few days off in September. We wanted cooler temperatures (if only slightly), cheaper prices (love value season, and the FREE dining plan was a bonus), and fewer crowds (although in recent years, I don't think the differences are as great). We are staying at POP. DH and I stayed there for our honeymoon, and it was fine.
Our Cast of Characters:
Me: 25 (26 then), a school psychologist, and a bit of a control freak. I've been to WDW over 30 times and know the parks like the back of my hand. I am all about making sure we see everything and do everything. I've done all of the planning for this trip. All everybody else has to do is show up. DH and I have been actively TTC for over a year, and I had hoped our next trip would be as a family of 3, but I finally determined that I just can't put my life on hold and that I needed a little pick-me-up. I'll be completely happy if I'm pregnant before we go, although that's not looking like it's happening and I'm a thrill ride junky. I'd happily miss out on the rides knowing there was a special someone on the way.
DH: 26, an electrical engineer, and my shy counterpart. When we met, he'd never been to WDW, so during college, he and I went with my grandparents for spring break. He's a reluctant convert. You ask him, he'll say he doesn't like it, but then he'll tell you how excited he is and what his favorite rides are when you're not asking. He was even pulling up Disney 3D on Google Maps! He likes pin trading and mild thrill rides. Not so much the drops...He'd rather have pool time than stay and watch all of the nighttime shows.
DDad: 59, my dad, a retired school principal, and my best friend. My dad has been with me on most of my 30+ trips and he's good for helping wrangle the troops (which will seem necessary as you keep reading). He just wants to be with me and will go along with whatever I plan.
DM: 57, my mom, she has dementia, so she's not at all "there." Ever. I miss her, because she was a terrific, talented, smart woman and besides, a girl just needs a mother. Anyway, my dad is her caregiver and she will be wearing either a bracelet or watch for ID in case of separation. My dad never takes his eyes off of her, so I'm not really worried about that, but we'll have to be careful during bathroom breaks when there are multiple doors out.
DGM: My grandmother, and the reason I've been to WDW so many times. All of my trips, with the exception of my honeymoon, have been with them. This will be my first trip since my grandfather's passing. She has had knee and hip replacements and is unsure if she will definitely end up going or not, but I hope so. It's weird to go without her! My grandparents took me several times that my mom and dad didn't go.
DFiL: Late 50s, DH's dad, a counselor for the military. He has some leg/back issues and is concerned about the walking. He's new to Disney.
DMiL: Late 50s, DH's mom, a librarian. She has some feet issues and is concerned about the walking. She's new to Disney.
So I'll start from the VERY beginning. My in-laws have 4 children. DMiL didn't really work while they were growing up, so vacations were slim. Disney just wasn't an option. I got DH to go with me before we were married, while we were in college, with my grandparents. He liked it, and agreed to go back for our honeymoon a couple years later. He's now into pin trading with me, and enjoys it, but not as much as I do. We both wanted his parents to see the world, but knew they would have to go with me, because I'm bossy. Sounds weird, but they're the type that would get overwhelmed, not be able to decide what to do, see a long line, and go back to the hotel. So, with me going, they didn't have to make any decisions. It works for everybody. So, when DH and I started talking about going and my parents invited themselves (not that I mind), we decided it would be the perfect time to take them.
Meanwhile...it's mega-drama with DH's siblings. Two of his brothers aren't speaking, a baby was born in June, one due at the end of next month, and us with our infertility battles. The sister is about to have a baby and her husband can't find a job now that he's out of grad school, etc, etc, etc. My in-laws are dealing with a lot of stress with everything going on there, and on top of all that, their home was broken into on Tuesday before we left on Saturday. A lot going on! There was some doubt about whether or not they would come, but they did decide to join us, as there wasn't anything else they could do at home.
On to the story...
On September 19th, Friday, I had to go to a training session about an hour from home from 9-12. I took the rest of the day off, and left my training for the drug store. I picked up a prescription and headed for home. I made it by 2, and finished our packing. I got all of our bags downstairs and took care of some of the last minute things. DH left work at 4 (with me checking the driveway every minute, and finally sitting in front of the window to look for him) and arrived home around 4:30. We loaded the car, he took care of our cats, and we hit the road for his parents' house, which was about an hour and a half farther down I-95, so on the way to FL. We had some dinner (from McD's, and it was terrible) and spent the night with the in-laws. I could tell they were pretty excited, especially DFiL. He was a chatterbox and was asking nonstop questions. He was concerned about eating breakfast, because he has eggs for breakfast everyday. Luckily, a wonderful DISer sent me some food vouchers that we were able to use to supplement meals for everyone. We headed to bed fairly early because we had an EARLY departure the next day!
On Saturday, we left the house at 6am. After several bathroom stops, we ended up eating lunch just past Jacksonville, FL. We went to McDonald's AGAIN, and the boys (DH & DFiL) were VERY disappointed to find out that McRibs aren't in Florida. It definitely seemed as though we were making extremely frequent bathroom stops, and most of them weren't my fault, which was shocking. Overall, the trip was fairly easy. We got down there around 3pm, and checked in. The check-in was fairly smooth. My in-laws were pretty overwhelmed! It was so busy and they were just overwhelmed by the size of WDW in general. We finished up (our CM was fine...nothing rude, but she had NO personality! Not the greatest for your first entry point to vacation!) and found our rooms. The four rooms our group had were very close to each other. We had 3 in a row, and across the corner from the 3rd was our last room. We were a little far from the parking lot in the 70s section, despite a beg for mercy due to my grandmother's difficulty with walking. It wasn't SO horrible, but it did make it more difficult at the end of the day for her.
Our rooms were great, the in-laws were pleased. I don't think any of us are used to upscale lodging, so these rooms were perfectly adequate. Since DH pouted at McD's when they didn't have the McRib, and only ate a 4 piece chicken mcnugget, he was starving. I talked to my parents all day, and the 3 of them were taking longer to get there due to needing more stops and driving from a different part of the state. We went on over to DTD and ate dinner at Wolfgang Puck Express. Our food was wonderful. DH had the BBQ chicken pizza, DFiL had spaghetti & meatballs, and I had the chicken bolognese. DMiL was left to her own devices to order, and she ordered "crispy chicken" which was chicken tenders. Hers was the only meal that disappointed at all. They've remodeled in there since I was there last, and it looked great. They even had sweet tea! We were very happy with our choice for dinner.
After dinner, we did a little shopping and headed over to the TTC for a monorail ride as an introduction to WDW for the in-laws. We rode in the front over to Epcot, then hopped into a regular car for the ride back. DMiL is afraid of heights, and she was a little bothered by the ride up there, especially when the driver told her that she was the only person actually over the rail and that the rest of us were over air. After our rides, we drove back to the hotel and got our refillable mugs. These were TOTALLY worth it for us! We each had at least 2 fill-ups a day. We met up with my parents and grandmother and checked out the shop. We all turned in pretty early because our first park day is coming up, and my in-laws had no idea what they were in for, with me as their tour guide!!
Up next-Intro to WDW, aka our first day at Epcot with dinner at Biergarten!!
WDWAurora
<font color=teal>I may not be Peter's Tink, but I'
- Joined
- May 21, 2003
I hope you had a wonderful trip, Ziggie! I would love to have 4 generations go, but with the age of my grandmother and our current childless, not by choice situation, it doesn't look good. Your granddaughter is beautiful!
Now, on to our first park day! I will eventually try to add some pictures in here, because there's a really funny one from early on in the day in our first day.
Our plan was to leave our hotel around 8am. Now, DH and I have a very different getting-ready philosophy than our parents. When he and I leave the room for breakfast, we are ready for the day. We don't have to go back to the room. Our parents and my grandmother, on the other hand...they get up, dress, go to breakfast, then come back and do sunscreen, final getting ready stuff, etc. So we were given a hard time all week for being "late," but in reality, we were ready earlier than everybody else, because we usually made it to the POP foodcourt before they were done eating, and we ate cereal bars, so we were ready. So, the first day, we head out. I tell DH to bring his key, because I'm leaving my bag since I know we have to come back to the room for everybody else. Yeah, so after we leave the room, DH immediately tells me he didn't put his key back in his wallet. So, we have to go to the check-in desk and get new ones. Well, the lady at the desk screwed up and printed new keys for my inlaws. We finally got it straight and joined our family in the food court. By the time we rounded everybody up, we missed my 8am departure time. We still pulled into the Epcot AAA Diamond lot (and handicapped parking for the other car-which was like 6 cars away! Funny.) by about 8:35. Woohoo! We were able to send DFiL to the restroom (lots of those visits on this trip with so many people!) and line up with time to spare. DMiL was already experiencing problems with her feet, which I had worried about before the trip, and her feet plagued her throughout the trip. After the turnstiles opened up, we got everybody in with minimal drama.
We started out by wandering through the "tombstones," looking for the N'Sync pictures. I was thinking that the rope was in the normal place. Apparently not! I discovered after a few minutes that they were doing several mini rope drops! I was so upset that my perfect plan hadn't accommodated that! Oh well. We went and lined up for Spaceship Earth-my in-laws' first disney ride! They hadn't started loading yet, so we waited there until right around 9. Then, as we start up the ramp, they pulled my grandmother and sent her and my parents through the handicapped entrance. She had hoped to avoid that, but I guess they can't slow it down from the regular line. I loved the look of most of the updates, but a little into the ride, the lights came on! It totally ruined the effect. I was upset about that, too! Also, where they take your picture, DH's apparently didn't work, so I ended up with a cartoon husband! Very funny. After riding, we met up with my grandmother and parents, and visited another bathroom!!
Now, onto our next ride, aka, what will we break now?
Now, on to our first park day! I will eventually try to add some pictures in here, because there's a really funny one from early on in the day in our first day.
Our plan was to leave our hotel around 8am. Now, DH and I have a very different getting-ready philosophy than our parents. When he and I leave the room for breakfast, we are ready for the day. We don't have to go back to the room. Our parents and my grandmother, on the other hand...they get up, dress, go to breakfast, then come back and do sunscreen, final getting ready stuff, etc. So we were given a hard time all week for being "late," but in reality, we were ready earlier than everybody else, because we usually made it to the POP foodcourt before they were done eating, and we ate cereal bars, so we were ready. So, the first day, we head out. I tell DH to bring his key, because I'm leaving my bag since I know we have to come back to the room for everybody else. Yeah, so after we leave the room, DH immediately tells me he didn't put his key back in his wallet. So, we have to go to the check-in desk and get new ones. Well, the lady at the desk screwed up and printed new keys for my inlaws. We finally got it straight and joined our family in the food court. By the time we rounded everybody up, we missed my 8am departure time. We still pulled into the Epcot AAA Diamond lot (and handicapped parking for the other car-which was like 6 cars away! Funny.) by about 8:35. Woohoo! We were able to send DFiL to the restroom (lots of those visits on this trip with so many people!) and line up with time to spare. DMiL was already experiencing problems with her feet, which I had worried about before the trip, and her feet plagued her throughout the trip. After the turnstiles opened up, we got everybody in with minimal drama.
We started out by wandering through the "tombstones," looking for the N'Sync pictures. I was thinking that the rope was in the normal place. Apparently not! I discovered after a few minutes that they were doing several mini rope drops! I was so upset that my perfect plan hadn't accommodated that! Oh well. We went and lined up for Spaceship Earth-my in-laws' first disney ride! They hadn't started loading yet, so we waited there until right around 9. Then, as we start up the ramp, they pulled my grandmother and sent her and my parents through the handicapped entrance. She had hoped to avoid that, but I guess they can't slow it down from the regular line. I loved the look of most of the updates, but a little into the ride, the lights came on! It totally ruined the effect. I was upset about that, too! Also, where they take your picture, DH's apparently didn't work, so I ended up with a cartoon husband! Very funny. After riding, we met up with my grandmother and parents, and visited another bathroom!!
Now, onto our next ride, aka, what will we break now?
reyasmommy
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 20, 2007
I'm loving your TR thus far! My DH and I have been ttc # 2 for awhile now, so I feel your pain. Here's a little baby dust for ya! 
WDWAurora
<font color=teal>I may not be Peter's Tink, but I'
- Joined
- May 21, 2003
Thanks! I tend to ramble, so I know it can be hard to read at times. I write like I speak-A LOT! You should check out the TTC thread on the community board-a great network of support over there! I'm glad to see you're a Twilight fan-I love the books and can't wait for the movie!
Hope to get the rest of Day 1 up tonight!
Hope to get the rest of Day 1 up tonight!
WDWAurora
<font color=teal>I may not be Peter's Tink, but I'
- Joined
- May 21, 2003
I am SO slow! SO I'm going to continue...
We leave SSE, after collecting the family members that went in through the handicapped entrance and visiting the bathrooms (truly, the story of our trip), we headed over to Test Track. We got on quickly. The standby line was next to nothing, and started our journey. Right as we finished the corrosion chamber, it stopped! We missed the effect of hitting the truck, and stopped just after that for like 10 minutes. After what felt like forever, we did the speed part, but it kind of ruined the effect. It didn't look good that we were 0 for 2!! Here is my picture while we were stopped:
So we did a quick second ride, and everything worked fine, so the in-laws got to see it working correctly. We ran over to Mission: Space and DH rode the orange side with his dad, and I rode the green side with his mom. Oddly enough, we waited longer for the green side. What does that say?
After these rides, we headed over to Ice Station Cool, and tricked DMiL & DFiL into trying Beverly. Neither had a very strong reaction. DMiL made a purchase and had it sent to the hotel, which took forever because the computer was down. It turned out to be a really good thing for us the rest of the week, though. After our journey to the land of Coke, we headed over the The Land. I ran ahead and got fastpasses for Soarin' while everybody else found the bathrooms and headed down for lunch. I have to say, the dining plan just truly makes things so much easier. On our honeymoon, we were on such a budget that we worried over every item we ordered. Not so on this trip! We ordered whatever we were in the mood for, because it was already paid for. I had the rotisserie chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy and rice. DH had the pork. Most of the rest of the group had sandwiches. For my dessert, I had the creme brulee, which was fabulous for counter service. We were all pleased with our meal, although it really was too much food!
After lunch, we still had time before our fastpasses were good. We went ahead and rode Livin' with the Land, which I have to say, was better when it still had a human as the host. After that, we relaxed, hit up the bathrooms, bought a Soarin' pin, etc. until our FPs were ready. We rode, and everybody loved it. DMiL was a little scared of the height, but it was good. DH and I had our first ride in the front row, which is definitely way better. It's cute watching my mom on this. I kept seeing her lift her feet, and I thought she was really enjoying it, but dad said it was because she was keeping them from getting wet, hitting the trees, etc. Sad, but sweet. It was a relief that DMiL liked it, because she's so afraid of heights.
I'd been pushing a pretty tough pace, so all day the in-laws were worn out, especially DMiL. Unfortunately that doesn't get much better for her during the trip. I did rest breaks frequently, but she's just not used to doing anything, really.
Our next stop was Figment! I still love that ride. We did a quick trip, which basically only I appreciated. Oh well. I decided to save Honey I shrunk the audience for our second epcot day. On to Mexico! We went to the Mexican pavilion and rode the revamped ride. I don't love the changes, but I did enjoy Donald and the gang. DMiL & DFiL really enjoyed the inside of the pavilion. We met my family and headed toward Norway. DGM sat out Maelstrom, but the rest of us enjoyed it. We skipped the movie. After this, we went to China, where the heat caught up with DMiL. We stopped for drinks, but DMiL HAD to have a frozen lemonade. Nothing else would do. So DH trekked about 3 countries away and brought one back to her. He is SUCH a good son. We all really needed the drink break. We hit a few more of the countries to check out the shopping, but spent most of our time in Germany! DFiL was adopted from Germany, and DMiL is of German heritage, so the family feels a lot of German pride and interest. DH bought a stein with his birthday money from DGM and DMiL bought gifts for the other girls in the family. (This will be a theme in the trip-she bought nothing for us, and tons of stuff for all the people at home. It was a little hurtful to be left out, which I know is silly, but still...I guess I just want everybody to be treated the same, and they definitely aren't in DH's family.)
Dinner was at the Biergarten. It was fabulous. Everybody enjoyed the food. Despite our party size, we did have to share our table. It was a 10-seater, so there was a party of 3 with us. No big deal, and they were nice. It was hard for DGM to deal with her food, but other than that, so good! I had to get up at one point to help DDad get DM into the restroom, and the waitress took my streudel! I was so upset! Finally I went and got more, but I didn't like that the food was wasted and that DH let them have my plate. I got over it quickly, we paid the tip, and we were out! My side went back to the hotel to rest, and we continued the country tour so that we ended up at UK to watch Illuminations. This was the only night that my in-laws survived to see the evening show, which was disappointing. They really liked it, though!
After Illuminations, it was back to POP for a blue icee and bed.
We're going to Magic Kingdom tomorrow!
We leave SSE, after collecting the family members that went in through the handicapped entrance and visiting the bathrooms (truly, the story of our trip), we headed over to Test Track. We got on quickly. The standby line was next to nothing, and started our journey. Right as we finished the corrosion chamber, it stopped! We missed the effect of hitting the truck, and stopped just after that for like 10 minutes. After what felt like forever, we did the speed part, but it kind of ruined the effect. It didn't look good that we were 0 for 2!! Here is my picture while we were stopped:
So we did a quick second ride, and everything worked fine, so the in-laws got to see it working correctly. We ran over to Mission: Space and DH rode the orange side with his dad, and I rode the green side with his mom. Oddly enough, we waited longer for the green side. What does that say?
After these rides, we headed over to Ice Station Cool, and tricked DMiL & DFiL into trying Beverly. Neither had a very strong reaction. DMiL made a purchase and had it sent to the hotel, which took forever because the computer was down. It turned out to be a really good thing for us the rest of the week, though. After our journey to the land of Coke, we headed over the The Land. I ran ahead and got fastpasses for Soarin' while everybody else found the bathrooms and headed down for lunch. I have to say, the dining plan just truly makes things so much easier. On our honeymoon, we were on such a budget that we worried over every item we ordered. Not so on this trip! We ordered whatever we were in the mood for, because it was already paid for. I had the rotisserie chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy and rice. DH had the pork. Most of the rest of the group had sandwiches. For my dessert, I had the creme brulee, which was fabulous for counter service. We were all pleased with our meal, although it really was too much food!
After lunch, we still had time before our fastpasses were good. We went ahead and rode Livin' with the Land, which I have to say, was better when it still had a human as the host. After that, we relaxed, hit up the bathrooms, bought a Soarin' pin, etc. until our FPs were ready. We rode, and everybody loved it. DMiL was a little scared of the height, but it was good. DH and I had our first ride in the front row, which is definitely way better. It's cute watching my mom on this. I kept seeing her lift her feet, and I thought she was really enjoying it, but dad said it was because she was keeping them from getting wet, hitting the trees, etc. Sad, but sweet. It was a relief that DMiL liked it, because she's so afraid of heights.
I'd been pushing a pretty tough pace, so all day the in-laws were worn out, especially DMiL. Unfortunately that doesn't get much better for her during the trip. I did rest breaks frequently, but she's just not used to doing anything, really.
Our next stop was Figment! I still love that ride. We did a quick trip, which basically only I appreciated. Oh well. I decided to save Honey I shrunk the audience for our second epcot day. On to Mexico! We went to the Mexican pavilion and rode the revamped ride. I don't love the changes, but I did enjoy Donald and the gang. DMiL & DFiL really enjoyed the inside of the pavilion. We met my family and headed toward Norway. DGM sat out Maelstrom, but the rest of us enjoyed it. We skipped the movie. After this, we went to China, where the heat caught up with DMiL. We stopped for drinks, but DMiL HAD to have a frozen lemonade. Nothing else would do. So DH trekked about 3 countries away and brought one back to her. He is SUCH a good son. We all really needed the drink break. We hit a few more of the countries to check out the shopping, but spent most of our time in Germany! DFiL was adopted from Germany, and DMiL is of German heritage, so the family feels a lot of German pride and interest. DH bought a stein with his birthday money from DGM and DMiL bought gifts for the other girls in the family. (This will be a theme in the trip-she bought nothing for us, and tons of stuff for all the people at home. It was a little hurtful to be left out, which I know is silly, but still...I guess I just want everybody to be treated the same, and they definitely aren't in DH's family.)
Dinner was at the Biergarten. It was fabulous. Everybody enjoyed the food. Despite our party size, we did have to share our table. It was a 10-seater, so there was a party of 3 with us. No big deal, and they were nice. It was hard for DGM to deal with her food, but other than that, so good! I had to get up at one point to help DDad get DM into the restroom, and the waitress took my streudel! I was so upset! Finally I went and got more, but I didn't like that the food was wasted and that DH let them have my plate. I got over it quickly, we paid the tip, and we were out! My side went back to the hotel to rest, and we continued the country tour so that we ended up at UK to watch Illuminations. This was the only night that my in-laws survived to see the evening show, which was disappointing. They really liked it, though!
After Illuminations, it was back to POP for a blue icee and bed.
We're going to Magic Kingdom tomorrow!
the4princesses
WE LOVE DISNEY WORLD
- Joined
- May 14, 2007
I'm enjoying reading your report.
That is so sad that your mom has dementia. Your mom is so young to have it.
My mom is 69 and has it. It is so very hard to see my mom with it.
How old was your mom when she go it?
And is she taking Meds for it?
What state are you from?
We are from La. and we stayed at POP Aug. 29-Sept. 10th.
We ran from the storm!!
Are you going to post pictures of your DH and family also?
Can't wait to read more!!!
Oh What was the dates you all were at POP?
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