We Ditched The Kids! - UPDATE (7/22 - NYC trip)

[Cinderella's Fella]

 

[melk]

Following along. We took our first adults only trip in 2014. Doing it again this October. Watch out, it's addictive!

 

[rdkeim]

I like the way you think! Can't wait to hear about your adults only adventure!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Jumping onboard another CaptainOblivious trip report!

Lisa!

Been a long while since I've claimed 1st page real estate. Study break ensuing!

Liesa! Huh...Lisa & Liesa, first two on board.

As usual, I will read along, the probably disappear for long stretches when I'm too swamped at work to provide witty comments (or random keystrokes, whatever) only to reappear at random times to make some sort of wise crack. You've been warned.

Barry! I wouldn't expect anything less. Sounds like you need a cushy state job.

I could'a used this kind'a information a decade ago...
Think I'll be reading along anyway.

Rob! Better late than never, though. Right?

It's been a long time since I have been on the boards.... I'm looking forward to your report.

I'm honored that you chose to read this one!

Looking forward to it!

Connie!

JOining in! DH and I took an adults only trip in 2013 and it was glorious!

aboard! So you're saying this can be habit-forming?

Loved your previous reports so here I am again!!!

Thanks for coming out of lurk-dom to say hi! And thanks for reading my dreck.

Just checking in. Will be back to read later.... still behind a few other TRs.

pkondz! Well then, catch up! What, did you leave the country or something?

Wow! I better stake my claim while I can hopefully still make the first page!

Alison! No worries, you made it!

Can't wait to hear all about it!

Dugette!

I am here! And I think the Psst... Etc. Is a quote from Sesame Street. No clue about the three others...

Magdalene! Sorry, I wasn't going for Sesame Street there...although I'm sure they've done a bit like that before.

 

[jedijill]

Drat! I was busy planning and daydreaming about my next trip yesterday and missed the start of this one!

You guys deserved this trip! Now you just have to add to the kids' therapy funds.

Jill in CO

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Well, as usual I stink at your movie quotes, and stink even worse at remembering to quote along the way. Of course that's mostly due to your riveting writing style. Well, that and the fact that I'm hungry and distracted.

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess it's the latter...

But it was, as always, a great intro to the 2 of you, and your 4 underlings. We play dictator in our home too! Every day. We're more cruel than most parents though- ours only ever get 2 choices at dinner: Take It or Leave It. Occasionally, we ramp up our heinous acts of inhumane treatment, like the other day when we instituted a standing "do your own laundry" edict.

Oh, the humanity! That might incite revolt in our house. We're still working on "clean your room" and "do your homework" and "electronics only allowed on the weekend."

Great start, Mark!

Thanks!

Thanks for the signal flare.............I'm here!

Marv!

Can't wait to see what it's like to take an adults only trip to Disney...........

Oh man, you should really try it sometime!

Adults only??? I cannot believe it. Whatever will you do? Signing on for the ride. I just made reservations today for our first adults only trip in 18 plus years. I have no idea what we can do with ourselves but I am sure I will gain a few ideas from your report.

kate

Kate! Yes, it is hard to find things to do in Disney World, but don't worry. You'll manage.

I'm here. I have 4 minions as well.

And my condolenc--uh, I mean, congratulations!

Signing up! I didn't realize you have a 14 and 11 yo. That's what I have - but we stopped there. ..

Irene! You are already smarter than us.

I am here. Tired and out of breath but here.

Welcome Pat! You didn't need to run; we would have waited for you.

Yes you deserve a couples trip. Looking forward to seeing how you liked the Poly.

Well, it's a Disney resort, so you can probably guess. And we didn't spend a ton of time there...

Gleefully following. Someday we will do this. I'm thinking for our 25th anniversary in 2019.

I don't think you'll regret it! Hope you can pull it off.

Randall! I see you there.

Following along. We took our first adults only trip in 2014. Doing it again this October. Watch out, it's addictive!

Great, NOW you tell me!

I like the way you think! Can't wait to hear about your adults only adventure!

If only we had the budget for this every year!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Drat! I was busy planning and daydreaming about my next trip yesterday and missed the start of this one!

Jill! Whoops--I sent out a signal flare yesterday and forgot to put you on the list. My bad!

How soon till Australia?

You guys deserved this trip! Now you just have to add to the kids' therapy funds.

Thanks! And there's no way I'll be able to afford the therapy they'll need.

 

[jedijill]

Jill! Whoops--I sent out a signal flare yesterday and forgot to put you on the list. My bad!

How soon till Australia?



Thanks! And there's no way I'll be able to afford the therapy they'll need.

9 days until I leave!

Jill in CO

 

[Rozz]

Can't wait for us to take our first adults only trip. Ready to read about yours!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

9 days until I leave!

That'll be epic! A bucket-list destination, for sure.

Can't wait for us to take our first adults only trip. Ready to read about yours!

Rozz! Hopefully you'll still want to go after reading it.

 

[franandaj]

Looking at the DISboards while the boss thinks you’re preparing cover sheets for TPS reports.

What are TPS reports? Thank Goodness the only boss looking over my shoulder is Fran and she falls asleep frequently.

You want to go to Disney World without the kids.

Well of course. Why would I rent kids to go to WDW?

Well, I’m here to tell you that we did it. My wife and I went to Disney World. By ourselves. We ditched our kids. And we lived to tell the tale. They didn’t change the locks or anything

That's good! Aren't there laws to prevent that?

Who are we?

I would have trimmed the guys butt out of the picture. Just sayin. otherwise it's an awesome picture!

Remind me to tell you the story sometime.

seriously, I’ve already made 4 references in this intro).

I went back and couldn't recognize any.

have a goal of getting them to all 50 states before our eldest leaves for college.

Wow I didn't realize there was a time limit!!!

And sometimes, we really, really need a break. Those of you who are parents don’t need me to explain that.

I'm not a parent, but just from seeing my sister's kids I can understand.

The curse is that you have to do all the work of closing the estate yourself. Thankfully, her father’s affairs were in order and there was an inheritance. We tried to take care of savings, college accounts, etc.—all the boring responsible stuff that adults have to do.

You've already finished all that? Wow! It took us the full 9 months to get it together for the death taxes, and another two years to empty his house.

But we also thought we should have a little bit of fun. So we put a little bit aside to make the trip possible.

Good for you.

I told them that someday in the (distant) future, they’ll each meet someone who they think is special. And they’ll want to travel to Disney World with this person. Without Mom & Dad in tow (unless we’re footing the bill, of course). And that’s when they’ll understand.

This is so true! I bet Sarah is the only one who had an inkling of what you meant.

Instead, we twisted our own arms and held our noses and took a room at the Polynesian resort instead. You can imagine the disappointment.

I'm sorry you had to suffer like that.

We’d also been saving up our reward dollars on our Disney Visa card and finally cashed them in for this trip—this worked so well that we essentially gave ourselves free dining for the trip.

Awesome!

Please join in, read along,

I can do that.

spot movie quotes

I don't know about this one.

and give me a hard time in the comments

Sure I'll give it a shot.

 

[Kiren]

This sounds like it could be interesting. I'm in!

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

OK, finally back to to lay waste to.... errr...
playfully comment on the intro.

(Or, How To Take An Adults-Only Trip To Disney World And Totally Get Away With It Without Your Kids Rebelling or Changing The Locks)

I suspect that there is a great deal of bribery and larceny required to actually pull this off.

Psssst.

One of the tires on your minivan seems to be leaking.
Well, it could be you that’s leaking, but then you’d probably have spelt that a mite differently.

Hey, you. Yeah, you. With the over-sized cup of coffee and the bags under your eyes. Looking at the DISboards while the boss thinks you’re preparing cover sheets for TPS reports. Come here.

OK, but I’m bringing my red stapler with me, so just know… I’m armed.

Over here. Turn around. Do the hokey-pokey.

<<staples TPS report cover sheet to author’s forehead>>

Sorry, I just wanted to see if you’d do it.

Well, now you know better.

Let’s be honest. You don’t want to be at work right now.

Not much of a stretch of the imagination required to derive that bit of information.

You want to go to Disney World without the kids.

And have someone else pay for it, while we day dreaming here.

But, hey…it’s just a dream. Might as well dream about winning the lottery, or finding a Presidential candidate who displays humility, honesty, and an actual plan to help average citizens.

OK, now you’re just being delusional.

Snap out of it!

*--Ok, yes, we did have to spend the GDP of Guam in the gift shops in order to buy our way back into their hearts, but our peace offerings must have been acceptable, because they let us back in the house.

Yup… called that one back up at the top of this little discourse.
It’s the only way…

I’m known on the boards as Captain_Oblivious, which actually does have some meaning. Remind me to tell you the story sometime.

Yo Mark!
Why don’t you tell us the story of how you acquired your rather apt moniker?

Of course, Disney isn’t perfect

Are you allowed to say that out loud?
Yeah, I know that an indisputable fact, but are you allowed to point it out?

I remain fascinated at how such a large and complicated place can be run, for the most part, so efficiently and smoothly.

Must agree here.
It may be a money devouring machine, but it’s a very well run money devouring machine.

And a highly entertaining one.
They know their business.

I was turning 40

Oh, Pu-leeeze…

Pup!

…and then Baby Drew happened.

Scotty happening is one thing…
But this “happening” is a whole other brand of: “oh myyyyyy…”

So, we put it off until this year. We decided that if we were going to go, then we needed several things to fall into place:

OK.… I’m payin’ attention.
List me, daddy-o…

1. Willing and available babysitters.

Nope, don’t got it…
Don’t need ‘em anymore, but they were never available.

2. Extra cash to fund the trip.

Nope, nope… don’t got it.
And that’s still a problem.

3. The approval of our children.

Well, that won’t be happening, but our house is also a dictatorship, so…

Barring that, we at least needed assurances that there would be no phone calls to the Department of Child Services.

OK, now that might be doable with the right amount of coercion and monetary incentive.
But again, it’s not an issue any more for us so I suppose it all comes down to that pesky money thing.

As far as requirement #3, well, we’ve only ever given the appearance of being a democracy in this family. It’s a dictatorship.

Good…
If it were an actual democracy, I’d be the one reporting you to the DSS.

I told them that someday in the (distant) future, they’ll each meet someone who they think is special.

Distant?
Have I ever told you about the properties of relativity in relation to time and the direct effect it has on kids?

we chose to also demonstrate our power with an act of mercy. We listened to our children and avoided booking a room in either of their favorite resorts. Instead, we twisted our own arms and held our noses and took a room at the Polynesian resort instead.

A selfless act of neigh epic proportions, that.

You can imagine the disappointment.

I suspect it was steeped in near biblical quantities of sorrow, wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Please join in,

Already done….

read along,

T’is the plan

spot movie quotes

A moral imperative…

and give me a hard time in the comments

Goes without saying…

Coming Up Next: We’re traveling! Without the kids! This is actually happening!

I hate you!

Nooooo, not really, but you know…

 

[glennbo123]

Aha! Found it.

Yes, we have dreamed of going to DisneyWorld by ourselves, just us parents. It hasn't happened yet. But someday!

The only thing I might disagree with in your Intro is the "staying up after 8" part -- that's getting pretty close to somebody's bedtime in my particular two-some, and it ain't me, but I'm not saying who.

Looking forward to it!

 

[TigerLilly's Mom]

Doing an adults only trip in October so I'm eagerly anticipating your report. Of course my kids are 21 and 18, but still...

 

[MickeyReeds]

We are also leaving the kids behind for our next trip! They were less than thrilled! We are also going to Daytona for a NASCAR race, which they aren't too happy about, but I think we deserve an adults trip to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary! Can't wait to read about your trip!

 

[Bebella]

Following along because I have to say...this is like my dream trip! I really wish DH and I would have gone to Disney before we had kids (we almost did in March 2012 but instead went to Vegas...you know, the adult "Disney" ...and I kick myself every day for making that decision ...we should have done the REAL Disney!).

Anywhoooo, I can't wait to see how much fun you guys had without kids!

 

[Terra Nova guy]

Jumping in on this one! Rumor has it that you're actually the best trip report writer.

Sounds like a dream trip. I've never managed a trip to the World without the kids, but maybe someday. In fact it's our 10th anniversary this year. Maybe worth celebrating with a no kids trip? Hmm......

 

[Chelley00]

Also following along. We leave in 57 days for our first adults only trip. Not that Im counting or anything.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

What are TPS reports? Thank Goodness the only boss looking over my shoulder is Fran and she falls asleep frequently.

I have no idea. But I know from the movie Office Space that they all need to have a cover sheet.

Well of course. Why would I rent kids to go to WDW?

No idea. But if you ever do, I have some you can take!

That's good! Aren't there laws to prevent that?

They wouldn't be thinking of that in the moment.

I would have trimmed the guys butt out of the picture. Just sayin. otherwise it's an awesome picture!

I thought about it, but was too lazy to edit the photo. It served its purpose.

I went back and couldn't recognize any.

In order:

Office Space
Predator
Gladiator
The Simpsons

Wow I didn't realize there was a time limit!!!

Well, it'll be harder to travel together once she leaves for school. What with summer jobs and everything.

I'm not a parent, but just from seeing my sister's kids I can understand.

There's also the matter of my wife and I wanting to make sure we still like each other once the kids are gone.

You've already finished all that? Wow! It took us the full 9 months to get it together for the death taxes, and another two years to empty his house.

We've been trying hard! Thankfully much of his financial affairs were in order. Cleaning out the house was a big job.

Good for you.

This is so true! I bet Sarah is the only one who had an inkling of what you meant.

She still thinks boys are annoying and stupid and immature. I'm totally fine with that, because she's not wrong.

I'm sorry you had to suffer like that.

We did our best to pull through.

Awesome!

Nice when you can give yourselves a bonus!

I can do that.

I figured you'd be on top of it.

I don't know about this one.

So you haven't watched Predator lately?

Sure I'll give it a shot.

I thought you might be game for that as well.

This sounds like it could be interesting. I'm in!

Thanks for joining in!