pkondz
Brace yourself for immediate disintegration
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2007
Canadian Buffoon's Disney With a Teen Vacation
(Alternate title: Oh Gawd... What Have I done?????)
It's kind of funny actually.
The number of trips that I/we've been on recently
considering our commitment to not going on any.
Since we decided to buckle down and not travel,
we've been to Hawaii, Europe, Ottawa, Niagara Falls and Disney.
So that whole "Not travel" thing may not be quite what we thought.
If you haven't already, and would like to read about those travels,
the links are in my siggie, down at the end of this post.
After not having been to Disney for five years,
I suddenly decided to do a solo trip last February.
At the time, someone suggested that I get an AP
(Annual Pass for those acronymically challenged.)
What a nice, but misguided thought.
I go to Disney anywhere from four to 10 years between trips!
So, of course here I am going again six months later.
Sans AP.
Five out of three people claim to be bad at math.
Guess I'm a quarter of them.
So how did this trip come to be, you ask?
Wow! I'm really glad you asked!
Because if you hadn't, right about now I'd be typing "The End".
Aren't you glad you asked? Aren't you?
Aren't you??
<cricket><cricket>
TOO BAD YOU'RE GOING TO HEAR ABOUT IT ANYWAY!
Sorry about the yelling.
Hope you didn't have your eyes turned all the way up.
Which brings me to the title of this little ditty.
Canadian Buffoon, well, that's me. Hence the apology.
We do that. It's our thing.
Canadians that is.
I don't know about buffoons. Even though I are one.
The Teen in question is my youngest DD, Kay.
Fourteen, going on thirty.
A force to be reckoned with at times, but a wonderful kid.
(usually... did you miss the "teen" part???)
Pictures? Oh, there'll be some... later.
No sense in scaring off the new readers quite yet.
The old readers are already traumatised and immune now.
(Actually, I suspect there'll be more photos of your
favourite TR writer than usual.)
WHADYA MEAN I'M NOT YOUR FAVOURITE?!?!?!?
Just for that, you get a picture of us!!
(That'll learn ya.)
Hmmm... I need to make a good first impression here.
A photo that bespeaks of our quiet nature.
Something sedate, mature, intelligent... sublime and refined.
This'll do.
Sorry.
(Oh, and in case you haven't figured it out...
that's us in the front row.)
And if you still haven't figured it out...
I'm on the right, Kay's on the left of the photo
and you need to get your eyes checked... right now.
No, seriously. Go. Make an appointment.
All done?
Okay... (Not that you can read this, Batman.)
So this is how it started.
(Oh, settle down. And stop rolling your eyes. I'm getting to it!)
When I got back from Disney, last February,
I decided that the next trip needed to involve the DW, Ruby.
She works really hard and I really want to get her to relax... even if just for a bit.
I asked her what she'd like to do and:
"I'd like to take a drive and see Deadwood" was the answer.
We'd seen the HBO mini-miniseries of the same name and liked it.
We mentioned that we'd like to see the real deal.
This was years ago.
But we (and obviously, especially, she) haven't forgotten.
"When do you want to go?" Says I, says I. "I've got some leave in July and August."
And Ruby picks August.
Sounds good. I go about doing my thing.
Namely starting research.
Lots to do in the area. Mt. Rushmore being the most well-known.
Not too long after this, Disney announces Free Dining.
"Gee. That makes it almost affordable." I think.
Well, of course, that's the kiss of death right there, no?
No. I manage to put it out of my head.
Even with free dining, it's still not going to be free.
A little more history...
(Would you please stop rolling your eyes!)
Last year, I took Elle (my eldest DD) and her friend Dee on a road trip
to Niagara Falls for a dance competition.
On the way, we visited Chicago, the Christmas Story house in Cleveland,
Cedar Point, and of course, Niagara Falls.
I even managed to squeeze in a couple of DISmeets along the way.
Kay got a trip to Fargo, ND.
Two years earlier, I took Elle to Montreal for another dance competition.
Kay stayed home.
We had no plans to take the DDs with us to Deadwood et al,
but we didn't feel right about not asking Kay if she wanted to come along.
Kay does not do well in cars.
Road trips, for Kay, are just another form of torture.
She was very quick to say no to a road trip.
I discussed Kay with Ruby.
Elle has had a few trips related to dance while Kay has either tagged along,
or stayed home.
Not fair! We cried.
You know how it is...
As a parent, you want to give your child the world, but...
How about, I offered, a Daddy/Daughter trip after our Deadwood trip?
Ruby was for it, so I surreptitiously sounded out Kay.
"Hey, Kay! (that rhymes) Which would you prefer?
A trip to Chicago or a trip to Minneapolis?"
"Neither. I don't like long drives." She says.
"No, no, no. If you could fly." I reply.
"Oh. Minneapolis." She says.
The answer surprised me a bit, but... okay.
"Cedar Point (near Cleveland) or Valley Fair (near Minneapolis.)" I query.
"Valley Fair." She says.
Huh! I would've guessed Cedar Point. She loves thrill rides. Whatever.
Now for the clincher.
"Valley Fair or Disneyworld?" I wheedle.
"Valley Fair." She replies.
What?????
Well, we'd been to Valley Fair a few years back
and there was one ride that we didn't do.
As she saw it, she had unfinished business at Valley Fair and that was that.
I questioned her about it some more and eventually she admitted
that since there was no real hope of going to Disney,
she'd stick with Valley Fair.
Ah! But you see, there Is a Santa Claus, Vir.... uh... sorry. Got off track.
There is a way to do Disney, Kay!
In Canada, we have two major airlines.
Air Canada, the largest and snootiest of the two and
WestJet, the up and comer and enjoyable one.
I had just switched my credit card over to a WestJet credit card.
Why? Because they gave me a $300 credit
and an annual $99 companion fare.
Which means I could fly to Orlando for $300 less than normal
and Kay could come with me for only another $99!
(Plus one free bag per guest.)
So I told Kay the good news and assured her
that I would look into flights that night.
Whoo, boy.
There are times in my life when I simply astound myself at just how stupid I can be.
This was one of those times.
I had a very, verrrrrry narrow window in which to book our trip.
And wouldn't you know it, there were no cheap flights left for those dates.
We're talking over $2,000 for one ticket... and that includes the $300 discount!
We can't afford that! That's crazy!
I tried everything. Multiple times, multiple dates (within my narrow range),
multiple departure/destinations.
Multiple airlines, drive and fly...
Nothing worked.
I couldn't tell Kay.
She was so excited!
She was going to go to Disney!
How could I tell her that it wasn't going to happen???
I felt like a class-A jerk.
I prevaricated.
I told her that it didn't look good.
I told her that I would keep looking at flights.
I told her that I'd do my best, but don't get your hopes up.
I just couldn't come right out and say it wasn't going to happen.
It was soul crushing.
Every day. After work. Before work.
First thing in the morning. Last thing at night...
"Dad? Did you check the flights to Disney today?"
"Yes I did." (And I did. Several times a day, in fact.)
"And?..." With some, but not much, hope in her voice.
"Nothing yet. But I'll keep looking."
She'd come up with alternatives.
"What if we drove part way and then flew?"
(Already crunched those numbers. Either too long or too much.)
"Sorry kiddo. I tried that. But I'll keep looking."
"What if we flew with another airline?"
"Doesn't work. Sorry Kay."
I was not enjoying life.
I was stringing my kid along.
And, I guess, I was stringing myself along too.
Maybe? Just maybe? I'd think of... something?
And then something happened.
One day, Ruby came home and wanted to talk to me.
(Oh, shush. She does so talk to me all the time. It's a figure of speech. Sheesh.)
Ruby informed me that she was completely swamped at work
and there was no way she could do the Deadwood trip.
She wasn't just saying that. She really was swamped.
She had several huge projects... all due August 31st.
"Maybe we can do it later? I just can't go in August."
I was disappointed, but I knew enough not to argue with my wife.
(See ladies? Hit us over the head often enough and we can learn!
Oh, not much and not well... but still!!!)
I had to go in to work that night and while it was slow,
armed with the knowledge that my window of opportunity had just increased,
I opened up my browser and surfed over to WestJet’s' website.
There was a chance.
The flights weren't ideal, but it was do-able.
Did Disney have room in the Values?
I plugged in my dates, selected Free Dining and crossed my fingers.
ASMusic... sold out.
ASMovies... sold out.
ASSports... sold out.
Come on.... come on...
Pop... sold.... wait.
Pop has one category available. Preferred Pool View.
Still within budget?
A bit more than I wanted, but....
I quickly booked the flights and the resort!
Done!
Now I just had to break the good news to Kay!
I figured she'd be up when I got home.
If not, I'd see her the next day.
I wanted to do this in person, not over the phone.
I got home that night around eleven.
I was right, Kay was still up.
I pretended ignorance. I didn't have to try very hard.
"Dad? Did you look into flights to Disney?"
I think at this point she was pretty much on autopilot.
There wasn't much hope left in the question.
More just a stubborn refusal to give up, no matter what.
I sighed.
"Yeah. We need to talk about that.
Let's go into your room so we don't wake up your mother."
I really wish they handed out Academy Awards for acting at home.
I was a shoe-in for a little golden nude dude holding a sword.
(Why is that, anyway? Weird.)
Dejectedly, Kay wandered into her room. I followed behind.
We sat down. I started to talk.
"Okay, listen. I know I said that I'd keep looking for flights and I have been.
I've looked every day and I keep coming up with the same results."
(Her head started to dip down in defeat.)
"You know that I only have leave for a certain period of time.
There's just no way that we're going to be able to go to Disney during the time
after you're Mom and I get back from Deadwood. It's just not going to happen."
(Head down almost to her chest.)
"You're Mom and I were talking and she told me
that she couldn't go to Deadwood either, now."
(Head all the way down... accepting the inevitable now.)
"Which means that there's more dates that I can look at,
so I did and we're going to Disneyworld."
(Head snaps up. Did she hear that right?)
I hand her the package with the flight and hotel confirmations.
She bursts into tears of happiness.
Yep. That was satisfying.
"You're so mean! I thought you were going to tell me we couldn't go!"
If you can't torment your children, then why did you have them?
We talked about Disney for a bit and I advised her to do some homework
and figure out what she'd like to do.
One of the first things out of her mouth was she wanted to find Woody and yell:
"Andy's coming!" To see him fall down.
I told her they don't do that anymore.
She then asked me about another thing that Disney doesn't do anymore,
(What, exactly, escapes me. I think it was to find Push.)
She was 0 for 2.
I was getting nervous.
Next she was going to ask to ride 20,000 Leagues and wake up Tink.
Luckily, she had other requests that I could grant.
Ride RNRC and TOT.
Go to the Japan store (in Japan/Epcot)
Ride Sum of all Thrills.
I assured her I'd do everything in my power to make it happen.
It was getting late, so I told her we'd talk more the next (now that) day.
I went back to my room and it suddenly hit me.
What did I just do?
As I mentioned, I've traveled a fair bit with Elle.
She's a very easygoing travel companion.
She wants to see and do it all.
If I say "We have to be up by 4am so we can be first in line." she'll gladly do it.
Her vocabulary consists mainly of the word "yes".
Kay, on the other hand is a whole other kettle of fish.
If I say "We have to be up by 4am..."
Well, I won't finish the sentence before she'll start arguing
and pointing out all the reasons why she shouldn't wake up before noon.
Her vocabulary consists mainly of the word "no".
Don't get me wrong, I love both my little girls.
But I also know that traveling with one is completely different
from traveling with the other.
I'm more of a rope drop, plan the day kind of guy.
Kay is more laid back, let's do whatever.
I was going to have to learn to slow down a bit.
Or a lot.
Don't sweat the small stuff.
Someone once said, "Let it go." (no idea who)
Good idea.
Otherwise we were going to smother each other...
I did know, however, that to do some of the things she wanted to do
would require some planning.
We were already within our 60 day FP+/ADR window.
Which brings up another point.
When I booked the resort package,
Disney charged the full amount to my credit card.
Annoying, but whatever.
I'd have to pay it sooner or later.
Well in the time from when I booked it to the actual trip,
the CDN dollar fell a few more cents.
So by charging me up front, I actually saved a bit of money.
Disney. Always making sure to save their customers some money.
What? What's so funny?
Anyway...
As I said, I was within 60 days.
I had discussed some restaurant and ride choices with Kay.
I did my best, but was unable to get two ADRs.
(I did just fine with the FPs)
I wasn't able to get a BOG ADR nor a Wishes Dessert Party ADR.
Over the next month, I tried about once a day
to see if there were any cancellations.
At one point, Wishes Dessert Party opened up,
but it was on a night where we weren't planning on being in MK.
Could we switch plans around? Yes we could!
But by then, it was already too late.
Someone else had already snatched up the opening.
Never did see another one.
In retrospect, I'm kind of glad we didn't get it.
We had plenty to eat and I don't know if we would've enjoyed it much
on full stomachs!
Booking the FPs was a bit problematic too.
I had to go on the assumption that Kay might be coerced into getting up semi-early.
Maybe even around 9 or 10!
Regardless, I generally booked the fastpasses with the assumption that the first one
would either be done at the end of the one hour window, or not at all.
I think I did okay. Time would tell.
Now, with all the FPs booked and ADRs done (well... almost... gotta keep checking!)
the only thing left was to wait for the big day to arrive.
And as the day got closer and closer,
I had this nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach...
I will admit.
I was worried.
I was worried that we'd be at each other's throats!
Me: "Get up! Come on! We have to Go! Go! Go!"
Kay: "I want to sleep some more, I want to sit down, I don't want to go!"
Me: "Let's go!"
Kay: "Let's stay!"
I took a deep breath.
I was just there a few months ago.
I did and saw a whole bunch of stuff... at my own speed... on my own terms.
And the big question:
Just who was this trip for, anyway????
Well, yeah. Me too, but mainly it was for Kay... right? Right?
Right.
So shortly before our trip I sat Kay down
and told her I needed to tell her something.
So Kay, being a normal teenage kid,
prepared for the inevitable grounding/electronics confiscation/extra chores.
"Listen. I want to make sure you have a good time in Disney, okay?
So If I'm walking too fast, just tell me to slow down and I will,
no questions asked.
I may explain why we need to be somewhere for something
and we can figure it out then.
If you want to sleep later, just tell me.
If you want to go back to the hotel and just chill in the middle of the day,
(I took a deep breath) that's okay too.
This trip is for you, so we go at your own pace, okay?"
She thought about it for a second and said.
"Can we just take a day and spend it at the hotel?"
A chill ran down my spine.
All I could think was:
"Do you have any idea how much this costs...
and all you want to do is stay in the room????"
But what came out of my mouth was, "Yes."
And I'm oh-so glad that I had that conversation with her.
I may or may not mention it again,
but there were a few times (not a lot... but they were there)
when Kay would say "Slow down" and I would.
I think we both benefited.
She didn't stew because I was killing her
and I didn't kill her... much.
So now that we have all that out of the way,
we're all set to go on our trip!
How did it go?
Did I kill my daughter?
Either by pushing her too far,
or by choking her to death because she pushed me too far?
Maybe both?
Care to find out?
Hopefully, if you're willing,
I'll be able to tell you (and show you!) in the coming days.
Brace yourselves....
It's the Canadian Buffoon Disney With a Teen Vacation!!!
ps. Did I mention the contest? One with a real prize and everything?
Details next chapter!
(Alternate title: Oh Gawd... What Have I done?????)
It's kind of funny actually.
The number of trips that I/we've been on recently
considering our commitment to not going on any.
Since we decided to buckle down and not travel,
we've been to Hawaii, Europe, Ottawa, Niagara Falls and Disney.
So that whole "Not travel" thing may not be quite what we thought.
If you haven't already, and would like to read about those travels,
the links are in my siggie, down at the end of this post.
After not having been to Disney for five years,
I suddenly decided to do a solo trip last February.
At the time, someone suggested that I get an AP
(Annual Pass for those acronymically challenged.)
What a nice, but misguided thought.
I go to Disney anywhere from four to 10 years between trips!
So, of course here I am going again six months later.
Sans AP.
Five out of three people claim to be bad at math.
Guess I'm a quarter of them.
So how did this trip come to be, you ask?
Wow! I'm really glad you asked!
Because if you hadn't, right about now I'd be typing "The End".
Aren't you glad you asked? Aren't you?
Aren't you??
<cricket><cricket>
TOO BAD YOU'RE GOING TO HEAR ABOUT IT ANYWAY!
Sorry about the yelling.
Hope you didn't have your eyes turned all the way up.
Which brings me to the title of this little ditty.
Canadian Buffoon, well, that's me. Hence the apology.
We do that. It's our thing.
Canadians that is.
I don't know about buffoons. Even though I are one.
The Teen in question is my youngest DD, Kay.
Fourteen, going on thirty.
A force to be reckoned with at times, but a wonderful kid.
(usually... did you miss the "teen" part???)
Pictures? Oh, there'll be some... later.
No sense in scaring off the new readers quite yet.
The old readers are already traumatised and immune now.
(Actually, I suspect there'll be more photos of your
favourite TR writer than usual.)
WHADYA MEAN I'M NOT YOUR FAVOURITE?!?!?!?
Just for that, you get a picture of us!!
(That'll learn ya.)
Hmmm... I need to make a good first impression here.
A photo that bespeaks of our quiet nature.
Something sedate, mature, intelligent... sublime and refined.
This'll do.
Sorry.
(Oh, and in case you haven't figured it out...
that's us in the front row.)
And if you still haven't figured it out...
I'm on the right, Kay's on the left of the photo
and you need to get your eyes checked... right now.
No, seriously. Go. Make an appointment.
All done?
Okay... (Not that you can read this, Batman.)
So this is how it started.
(Oh, settle down. And stop rolling your eyes. I'm getting to it!)
When I got back from Disney, last February,
I decided that the next trip needed to involve the DW, Ruby.
She works really hard and I really want to get her to relax... even if just for a bit.
I asked her what she'd like to do and:
"I'd like to take a drive and see Deadwood" was the answer.
We'd seen the HBO mini-miniseries of the same name and liked it.
We mentioned that we'd like to see the real deal.
This was years ago.
But we (and obviously, especially, she) haven't forgotten.
"When do you want to go?" Says I, says I. "I've got some leave in July and August."
And Ruby picks August.
Sounds good. I go about doing my thing.
Namely starting research.
Lots to do in the area. Mt. Rushmore being the most well-known.
Not too long after this, Disney announces Free Dining.
"Gee. That makes it almost affordable." I think.
Well, of course, that's the kiss of death right there, no?
No. I manage to put it out of my head.
Even with free dining, it's still not going to be free.
A little more history...
(Would you please stop rolling your eyes!)
Last year, I took Elle (my eldest DD) and her friend Dee on a road trip
to Niagara Falls for a dance competition.
On the way, we visited Chicago, the Christmas Story house in Cleveland,
Cedar Point, and of course, Niagara Falls.
I even managed to squeeze in a couple of DISmeets along the way.
Kay got a trip to Fargo, ND.
Two years earlier, I took Elle to Montreal for another dance competition.
Kay stayed home.
We had no plans to take the DDs with us to Deadwood et al,
but we didn't feel right about not asking Kay if she wanted to come along.
Kay does not do well in cars.
Road trips, for Kay, are just another form of torture.
She was very quick to say no to a road trip.
I discussed Kay with Ruby.
Elle has had a few trips related to dance while Kay has either tagged along,
or stayed home.
Not fair! We cried.
You know how it is...
As a parent, you want to give your child the world, but...
How about, I offered, a Daddy/Daughter trip after our Deadwood trip?
Ruby was for it, so I surreptitiously sounded out Kay.
"Hey, Kay! (that rhymes) Which would you prefer?
A trip to Chicago or a trip to Minneapolis?"
"Neither. I don't like long drives." She says.
"No, no, no. If you could fly." I reply.
"Oh. Minneapolis." She says.
The answer surprised me a bit, but... okay.
"Cedar Point (near Cleveland) or Valley Fair (near Minneapolis.)" I query.
"Valley Fair." She says.
Huh! I would've guessed Cedar Point. She loves thrill rides. Whatever.
Now for the clincher.
"Valley Fair or Disneyworld?" I wheedle.
"Valley Fair." She replies.
What?????
Well, we'd been to Valley Fair a few years back
and there was one ride that we didn't do.
As she saw it, she had unfinished business at Valley Fair and that was that.
I questioned her about it some more and eventually she admitted
that since there was no real hope of going to Disney,
she'd stick with Valley Fair.
Ah! But you see, there Is a Santa Claus, Vir.... uh... sorry. Got off track.
There is a way to do Disney, Kay!
In Canada, we have two major airlines.
Air Canada, the largest and snootiest of the two and
WestJet, the up and comer and enjoyable one.
I had just switched my credit card over to a WestJet credit card.
Why? Because they gave me a $300 credit
and an annual $99 companion fare.
Which means I could fly to Orlando for $300 less than normal
and Kay could come with me for only another $99!
(Plus one free bag per guest.)
So I told Kay the good news and assured her
that I would look into flights that night.
Whoo, boy.
There are times in my life when I simply astound myself at just how stupid I can be.
This was one of those times.
I had a very, verrrrrry narrow window in which to book our trip.
And wouldn't you know it, there were no cheap flights left for those dates.
We're talking over $2,000 for one ticket... and that includes the $300 discount!
We can't afford that! That's crazy!
I tried everything. Multiple times, multiple dates (within my narrow range),
multiple departure/destinations.
Multiple airlines, drive and fly...
Nothing worked.
I couldn't tell Kay.
She was so excited!
She was going to go to Disney!
How could I tell her that it wasn't going to happen???
I felt like a class-A jerk.
I prevaricated.
I told her that it didn't look good.
I told her that I would keep looking at flights.
I told her that I'd do my best, but don't get your hopes up.
I just couldn't come right out and say it wasn't going to happen.
It was soul crushing.
Every day. After work. Before work.
First thing in the morning. Last thing at night...
"Dad? Did you check the flights to Disney today?"
"Yes I did." (And I did. Several times a day, in fact.)
"And?..." With some, but not much, hope in her voice.
"Nothing yet. But I'll keep looking."
She'd come up with alternatives.
"What if we drove part way and then flew?"
(Already crunched those numbers. Either too long or too much.)
"Sorry kiddo. I tried that. But I'll keep looking."
"What if we flew with another airline?"
"Doesn't work. Sorry Kay."
I was not enjoying life.
I was stringing my kid along.
And, I guess, I was stringing myself along too.
Maybe? Just maybe? I'd think of... something?
And then something happened.
One day, Ruby came home and wanted to talk to me.
(Oh, shush. She does so talk to me all the time. It's a figure of speech. Sheesh.)
Ruby informed me that she was completely swamped at work
and there was no way she could do the Deadwood trip.
She wasn't just saying that. She really was swamped.
She had several huge projects... all due August 31st.
"Maybe we can do it later? I just can't go in August."
I was disappointed, but I knew enough not to argue with my wife.
(See ladies? Hit us over the head often enough and we can learn!
Oh, not much and not well... but still!!!)
I had to go in to work that night and while it was slow,
armed with the knowledge that my window of opportunity had just increased,
I opened up my browser and surfed over to WestJet’s' website.
There was a chance.
The flights weren't ideal, but it was do-able.
Did Disney have room in the Values?
I plugged in my dates, selected Free Dining and crossed my fingers.
ASMusic... sold out.
ASMovies... sold out.
ASSports... sold out.
Come on.... come on...
Pop... sold.... wait.
Pop has one category available. Preferred Pool View.
Still within budget?
A bit more than I wanted, but....
I quickly booked the flights and the resort!
Done!
Now I just had to break the good news to Kay!
I figured she'd be up when I got home.
If not, I'd see her the next day.
I wanted to do this in person, not over the phone.
I got home that night around eleven.
I was right, Kay was still up.
I pretended ignorance. I didn't have to try very hard.
"Dad? Did you look into flights to Disney?"
I think at this point she was pretty much on autopilot.
There wasn't much hope left in the question.
More just a stubborn refusal to give up, no matter what.
I sighed.
"Yeah. We need to talk about that.
Let's go into your room so we don't wake up your mother."
I really wish they handed out Academy Awards for acting at home.
I was a shoe-in for a little golden nude dude holding a sword.
(Why is that, anyway? Weird.)
Dejectedly, Kay wandered into her room. I followed behind.
We sat down. I started to talk.
"Okay, listen. I know I said that I'd keep looking for flights and I have been.
I've looked every day and I keep coming up with the same results."
(Her head started to dip down in defeat.)
"You know that I only have leave for a certain period of time.
There's just no way that we're going to be able to go to Disney during the time
after you're Mom and I get back from Deadwood. It's just not going to happen."
(Head down almost to her chest.)
"You're Mom and I were talking and she told me
that she couldn't go to Deadwood either, now."
(Head all the way down... accepting the inevitable now.)
"Which means that there's more dates that I can look at,
so I did and we're going to Disneyworld."
(Head snaps up. Did she hear that right?)
I hand her the package with the flight and hotel confirmations.
She bursts into tears of happiness.
Yep. That was satisfying.
"You're so mean! I thought you were going to tell me we couldn't go!"
If you can't torment your children, then why did you have them?
We talked about Disney for a bit and I advised her to do some homework
and figure out what she'd like to do.
One of the first things out of her mouth was she wanted to find Woody and yell:
"Andy's coming!" To see him fall down.
I told her they don't do that anymore.
She then asked me about another thing that Disney doesn't do anymore,
(What, exactly, escapes me. I think it was to find Push.)
She was 0 for 2.
I was getting nervous.
Next she was going to ask to ride 20,000 Leagues and wake up Tink.
Luckily, she had other requests that I could grant.
Ride RNRC and TOT.
Go to the Japan store (in Japan/Epcot)
Ride Sum of all Thrills.
I assured her I'd do everything in my power to make it happen.
It was getting late, so I told her we'd talk more the next (now that) day.
I went back to my room and it suddenly hit me.
What did I just do?
As I mentioned, I've traveled a fair bit with Elle.
She's a very easygoing travel companion.
She wants to see and do it all.
If I say "We have to be up by 4am so we can be first in line." she'll gladly do it.
Her vocabulary consists mainly of the word "yes".
Kay, on the other hand is a whole other kettle of fish.
If I say "We have to be up by 4am..."
Well, I won't finish the sentence before she'll start arguing
and pointing out all the reasons why she shouldn't wake up before noon.
Her vocabulary consists mainly of the word "no".
Don't get me wrong, I love both my little girls.
But I also know that traveling with one is completely different
from traveling with the other.
I'm more of a rope drop, plan the day kind of guy.
Kay is more laid back, let's do whatever.
I was going to have to learn to slow down a bit.
Or a lot.
Don't sweat the small stuff.
Someone once said, "Let it go." (no idea who)
Good idea.
Otherwise we were going to smother each other...
I did know, however, that to do some of the things she wanted to do
would require some planning.
We were already within our 60 day FP+/ADR window.
Which brings up another point.
When I booked the resort package,
Disney charged the full amount to my credit card.
Annoying, but whatever.
I'd have to pay it sooner or later.
Well in the time from when I booked it to the actual trip,
the CDN dollar fell a few more cents.
So by charging me up front, I actually saved a bit of money.
Disney. Always making sure to save their customers some money.
What? What's so funny?
Anyway...
As I said, I was within 60 days.
I had discussed some restaurant and ride choices with Kay.
I did my best, but was unable to get two ADRs.
(I did just fine with the FPs)
I wasn't able to get a BOG ADR nor a Wishes Dessert Party ADR.
Over the next month, I tried about once a day
to see if there were any cancellations.
At one point, Wishes Dessert Party opened up,
but it was on a night where we weren't planning on being in MK.
Could we switch plans around? Yes we could!
But by then, it was already too late.
Someone else had already snatched up the opening.
Never did see another one.
In retrospect, I'm kind of glad we didn't get it.
We had plenty to eat and I don't know if we would've enjoyed it much
on full stomachs!
Booking the FPs was a bit problematic too.
I had to go on the assumption that Kay might be coerced into getting up semi-early.
Maybe even around 9 or 10!
Regardless, I generally booked the fastpasses with the assumption that the first one
would either be done at the end of the one hour window, or not at all.
I think I did okay. Time would tell.
Now, with all the FPs booked and ADRs done (well... almost... gotta keep checking!)
the only thing left was to wait for the big day to arrive.
And as the day got closer and closer,
I had this nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach...
I will admit.
I was worried.
I was worried that we'd be at each other's throats!
Me: "Get up! Come on! We have to Go! Go! Go!"
Kay: "I want to sleep some more, I want to sit down, I don't want to go!"
Me: "Let's go!"
Kay: "Let's stay!"
I took a deep breath.
I was just there a few months ago.
I did and saw a whole bunch of stuff... at my own speed... on my own terms.
And the big question:
Just who was this trip for, anyway????
Well, yeah. Me too, but mainly it was for Kay... right? Right?
Right.
So shortly before our trip I sat Kay down
and told her I needed to tell her something.
So Kay, being a normal teenage kid,
prepared for the inevitable grounding/electronics confiscation/extra chores.
"Listen. I want to make sure you have a good time in Disney, okay?
So If I'm walking too fast, just tell me to slow down and I will,
no questions asked.
I may explain why we need to be somewhere for something
and we can figure it out then.
If you want to sleep later, just tell me.
If you want to go back to the hotel and just chill in the middle of the day,
(I took a deep breath) that's okay too.
This trip is for you, so we go at your own pace, okay?"
She thought about it for a second and said.
"Can we just take a day and spend it at the hotel?"
A chill ran down my spine.
All I could think was:
"Do you have any idea how much this costs...
and all you want to do is stay in the room????"
But what came out of my mouth was, "Yes."
And I'm oh-so glad that I had that conversation with her.
I may or may not mention it again,
but there were a few times (not a lot... but they were there)
when Kay would say "Slow down" and I would.
I think we both benefited.
She didn't stew because I was killing her
and I didn't kill her... much.
So now that we have all that out of the way,
we're all set to go on our trip!
How did it go?
Did I kill my daughter?
Either by pushing her too far,
or by choking her to death because she pushed me too far?
Maybe both?
Care to find out?
Hopefully, if you're willing,
I'll be able to tell you (and show you!) in the coming days.
Brace yourselves....
It's the Canadian Buffoon Disney With a Teen Vacation!!!
ps. Did I mention the contest? One with a real prize and everything?
Details next chapter!
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) but I will read when I get home later! But I'm excited! 
My Favorite new phrase to tell Little Miss, "I'm helping you more by not helping you now. Figure it out yourself." 
Awa and that made all the stress of figuring things out worth it I bet. 
* but thanks to Carrie I am in the loop right away. *she is giving me a fanny whooping on words with friends and mentioned your tr* Know all about the traveling with the daughters and like yours mine are very different but hey that is what makes them fun. my son was always easy going also. so thanks for the new tr, and what are we guessing this time? or are we doing recipes this time? lol *I still have those cookie recipes in a file and make quite a few of them during the holidays*
I went to Disney with my parents in 8th grade and there was no way my mom would give up any control. I remember having to run to keep up with her. So sneaky the way you told her, too bad you didn't have a hidden camera.
