Any MISTAKES made on past trips?

[Ali and boyz]

My story won't make sense because it's sort of complicated, but it falls under the category of Going With the Wrong People. Let it suffice to say that I shouldn't have let someone invite herself along, but I was too polite to open my mouth. Never again.

Oy vey, the things you learn about people when you travel together! Things about how often they shower or don't after spending the whole day in the hot FL sun ... things about how they insist on following you around even though you hate coasters & they love them, even though you eat on the go & they want a 3-course meal, even though you can't be bothered stopping for character photos & she wants to get photos AND autographs. (She's 23.) It was constant pouting by someone. It's funny how the oddest things need to click, like whether some people like a big breakfast & some people can just manage morning coffee.

My best advice is never be apologetic about splitting up. At the very least, it'll give you all something to talk about when you get together for dinner or whatever.

this is what happened to us and ruined our 1st holiday since out DS's accident . invited themselves and we didn't have the heart of courage to say no.

they sulked (adult) for 4 whole days) and then.............. when we decided to hire another car to give everybody more space .............. took the huff again even though they thought it was a good idea. I could go on and on but unfortunatley or sadly it has meant for me anyway that 1. I will need to toughen up and hopefully learn to say no WE ARE GOING ON OUR OWN. and 2. will never go with anybody again.

felt it was also such a waste of money in the tail end as we love florida (they won't be going back !!) and it upset my son so much.

 

[lc1965]

I hear ya, Ali! I need to come up with a polite but firm response. I figure it's best if I take the blame on myself, "You know, I'm very difficult to travel with & very set in my ways. I can travel only with people I know very, very well." How does that sound? I figure it's better than telling them teh truth -- the truth is so ugly!

 

[Tiggerbell05]

When our DD was 4, our mistake was taking her to see It's a Bugs Life before seeing any other 3D show. She was totally freaked out after that and refused to go into any other show that gave out glasses. She refused to see the Muppetvision 3D and I really regretted her not wanting to see that.

One trip we totally went overboard with the buffet meals and desserts. I ended up gaining 8 pounds!

Our last trip we spent a day at AK. It was hot and the kids didn't enjoy the park as much as MK, Epcot or MGM. Next trip we might skip this one all together. I need to stop feeling like we have to visit every park on every trip we make

The first time my DD and I went to AK, it was "drizzling", not wet enough for an umbrella, just annoying and much too humid for January! We were also tired from doing too much. We did not enjoy the park at all. On our next trip, we were planning to stay longer, but I only had one day planned at AK, later in our trip. The first day we were going to the bus for MK and my DD said "Why don't we go to AK today instead?" So, we jumped on the AK bus and had a blast! We had to leave early for our "PS" at O'hana, but we ended up going back two more times during our trip! So, my suggestion would be to give AK another chance, but NOT on a day after you have been up late! aw:

 

[can'twait]

Just back.

Our first mistake was making too many lunch reservations. After a few days we decided we would rather eat a light lunch on the fly, then have a nice sit down meal for dinner, preferably early, then go on rides until park closing. By the time we figured this out, it was too late and we already had lots of lunch reservations but not dinner ones. Lunch took us between 60 and 90 minutes to eat. Way too much time. It was usually scheduled for just when we could get second Fastpasses and by the time we actually made it back to the ride to use the first ones and get more, the return times were late in the day, so it really screwed up our ability to use Fastpass.

Second mistake - Spirit of Aloha and Hoop Dee Doo Review. One would have been fine, but both were expensive ($150 for each show for a family of 4) and wasted huge chunks of ride time. Also involved lots of hurrying up to wait in line, which is not good for kids. Glad we did them, but would skip next time.

 

[tlbwriter]

I hear ya, Ali! I need to come up with a polite but firm response. I figure it's best if I take the blame on myself, "You know, I'm very difficult to travel with & very set in my ways. I can travel only with people I know very, very well." How does that sound?

I'd leave off the last sentence, because the response is going to be "Oh, but you know meeeeee!!! We'll get along great!"

 

[shellynn24]

This thread has been very informative reading I hope I don't find that I have made a mistake going with my best friend and her DS. I was going to go alone becasue DH is in Iraq but asked her if she wants to come so I would have another adult there. On the plus side we spend all our time together (her DH was in Korea) almost day and night, so I don't forsee too many problems. Besides I KNOW WHO'S BOSS!! (that would be me BTW!)

My previous mistakes have been no planning or little planning and feeling like we missed out. Our maybe the mistake should have been going to WDW without the DIS wealth of knowledge!

 

[Rella Bella]

Our Biggest mistakes... in no particular order:

Following the advice to "be sure to take advantage of the morning Extra Value Hours"! What a disaster! NONE of us are early risers...
but we're at Disney... spent a lot... gotta get our money's worth... we'll come back later & nap. WRONG!! All we got was grumpy & irritable... NO FUN! If you're family are early risers fine...but we had MUCH better days when we slept in 'till we were done and then headed to the park.

Going with friends and trying to stay in a group. (Either divide by sex, ages or families... or your in for disaster. Everyone has their expectations SOOoo HIGH.)

Leaving the rain ponchos in the room... because it looked like a nice day.

Surprising an almost 8 year old with a 'trip to Disney to celebrate your 8th birthday'... (He had other ideas of what he wanted to do, but was really angry that he missed the "getting all excited" part before we left for the trip. He cried all the way to the airport! Of course he calmed down and had a BLAST and was so glad we went... but the inital 'surprise' was a disaster! Who knew?

Carrying all the stuff we thought we'd need in a back pack! Now we all wear fanny packs, take what we can and either buy or do without the rest. The BP was just a pain... put it on, take it off, will you hold it while I..., will it fall out of the ride... You get the idea.

Taking an under 6 to 'Bug Life' or 'Stich'... it totally freaked him out.

Thinking we could arrive at the Orlando Airport an hour & 1/2 before our flight and we'd be okay because that's how it worked leaving from our home airport. WRONG!!! Plan on AT LEAST two hours! Or you'll get to discover the airport travel lodge like we did!

Relax, Have Fun, and Make Memories!

 

[hsmamato2]

HAHA! The lines at MCO are horendous! I'd rather wait in line for a fun ride, than for the airplane anyday! We're trying Sanford airport this time around- heard that it's smaller and less crowded,here's hoping...

 

[psiprez]

B...u...m...p...

 

[NeverlandClub23]

That's so funny, because my biggest mistake was going with someone who was 19 and stupid in-love. Unfortunately for all of us, she DID have a cell phone - and was on it 23+ hours a day with her boyfriend back home. Every time we had to wait in line, our entertainment was listening to her tell her boyfriend all about what we had just done 2 minutes before.

The best part of that trip - when her cell phone fell out of her pocket on Space Mountain.

The worst part - about 5 minutes later, someone found her phone still in the seat that she sat in on Space Mountain, even though that same car had made two more trips through the ride. Apparently the phone slipped to the back of the seat and people sat on it so it never flew out of the ride. Good luck for her, bad luck for the rest of us who were thrilled that she lost that #@$!! phone.

I didn't realize what a pain it was to be around someone like that until our last trip. My cousin (20) came with us and her and I shared our own room. She was GLUED to her cell phone the whole time trying to reach her BF and she was supposedly so excited to be going with us! We went to Country Bear Jamboree and she was text messaging him the whole time during the show. Then we went to the Comedy Warehouse and she kept checking her voicemail messages and then asking me what was said by the comedians because everyone was laughing. I about died laughing when she was still looking at her cell phone on the big drop on Splash Mountain (of course I had to buy that picture ).Then I absolutely LOVED the 2 a.m. phone calls from her BF and her fighting with him saying "There are no boys in our room! I promise!" every single night. Then when she wasn't on the phone with him she wouldn't stop talking about him. "He's so perfect. You know he used to be a model for Abercrombie & Fitch. And he used to be an astronaut. And right now he's a firefighter/police officer. And he's going to school to be a rocket scientist. And he's a millionaire." It brought back memories of how I spent my trip when I was 19. I felt sorry for her especially now that they're broken up! Oh well...but I don't think I'll be going to WDW with her again anytime soon.

 

[NeverlandClub23]

Oh and I think my Dad's biggest mistake was blowing up at me at MK when I was 14. I went on some rides with my aunt and cousins and apparently he thought I was lost (and that I had purposely walked away without telling them where I was going) so when we met up later he started yelling at the top of his lungs at me and everyone was just staring. I would've completely forgot about it by now if he didn't bring it up ALL of the time (I'm 23 now) and saying how sorry he is and how he felt like it really ruined that trip for him because all he sees is my face and my expression while he was yelling at me. Good ol' July heat and humidity and heavy crowd frustrations, it'll bring out the worst in people every time.

 

[TxDisneyFan]

Biggest mistake was not finding this website before our first trip to WDW last year.

I've learned so many great tips and ideas....now let's see if I can put them to good use in December!

 

[HenDuck]

1. letting my husband "pack" his own clothes. I don't know what he was thinking, bringing "work" clothes? whaaa???? and too much of it to boot!

2. bringing too many things to "entertain" DS. he liked jumping on the beds and looking at pictures from my bro's digital cameras. we didn't need to bring every book he owned!

3. same as #2 but for snacks!

I'm sure there are more things and I've done a lot of what others have said too.

 

[kmebee]

Sharing a room with friends. Don't do it! 'Nuff said.

AMEN to that one!!!!

 

[Drizzo67]

1. letting my husband "pack" his own clothes. I don't know what he was thinking, bringing "work" clothes? whaaa???? and too much of it to boot!

2. bringing too many things to "entertain" DS. he liked jumping on the beds and looking at pictures from my bro's digital cameras. we didn't need to bring every book he owned!

3. same as #2 but for snacks!

I'm sure there are more things and I've done a lot of what others have said too.

HenDuck - I am with you on all points. The first year we went I started to lay clothes out for DH but he insisted on pack for himself. Well, he was so sure that WDW was going to be cold in February that he packed way too much for the cold and not enough for warm days. It was in the 80's almost the whole trip (or at least it felt that way). He had to spend a lot of money on short sleeve shirts and shorts and even had to buy another suitcase to bring the new clothes home (and all the souviners we bought too, LOL)

We also overpacked things we thought the kids would want to play with (DVD players, CD players, GameBoys, LeapPads, etc.) My kids wanted to either watch the "WDW Must See" show over and over or play in the arcade at the hotel. They didn't even need anything on the plane as Song has TV, Movies and Games to rent and a Trivia game played by all one the plane.

Second year - I packed DH's luggage and the kids only brought coloring books and crayons for the plane. What a difference.

 

[Cinderella94]

We packed way to much......brought waaayyy to much stuff to do in the car that just took up space and we never used.

 

[Kimmielee]

Taking an under 6 to 'Bug Life' or 'Stich'... it totally freaked him out.

Oh my, I made that mistake too! My son was 5 and totally freaked... to the point of shaking and huge tears.... all I could make out was "Momma, are the bugs gonna ggggget me again?" We couldn't even enter AK after that... it now is "the BUG place", not Animal Kingdom... what was I thinking?

 

[psiprez]

Oh my, I made that mistake too! My son was 5 and totally freaked... to the point of shaking and huge tears.... all I could make out was "Momma, are the bugs gonna ggggget me again?" We couldn't even enter AK after that... it now is "the BUG place", not Animal Kingdom... what was I thinking?

OK - here's my "Bad Mom of 2002" move. Around midnight on E-ride nite, my DD3 was dead asleep in my arms on line for the Haunted Mansion. I figured there was no way she was waking up after a full day in MK, so I would just go through the Stretching Room preshow with the rest of the family and take the chicken exit after. Wouldn't you know, right before the floor drops, when they can't stop the show, she wakes up! "wwhhhhhHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"

Which, of course, gets my other DD, and every other kid under 10 there going. Which is about to bring me to tears, because I can't calm DD3 down and everyone is glaring at me angrily like I am a horrible mother. So we all just ride it out to the end, the doors open, and I yell out "I'm sorry, I didn't know!" before quickly departing in shame!

Thankfully, DDs have gotten over it and look forward to visiting the HM next trip!

 

[jennymouse]

My biggest mistake was a painful lesson indeed. I'd gotten badly chaffed on my inner thighs after getting soaked on Kali River Rapids. It hurt so bad for my legs to touch and we were planning to go to E-night at MK that night so I came up with the bright idea to put whole strips of moleskin over my chaffed thighs. During E-night the moleskin started rolling up around the edges so I decided to duck in the bathroom take the moleskin off and put new sheets on. When I took the moleskin off all my skin ripped off with the moleskin! I was a mess! I barely made it back to the room that night. I had to buy gauze and wrap my thighs but the tape wouldn't stick from getting all sweaty. I ended up having to rent an ECV to get around the parks for our last two days. Now, I take and use Bodyglide and it prevents chaffing.

 

[disney_me]

Too much rushing around!!! First trip was in 10/04. We went to all the Disney parks with a 4day pass, Universal and Ialand of Adventures all in 7 days. Plus we ate out every night at Ohana, Si Fi diner, Prime time cafe, all the fun places to eat.

Went from house to car to park to car to dinner all sweaty!!

My sister and I used Lever 2000 moist wipes to clean the sweat off us and the kids while on our way to dinner.

NEVER AGAIN!!!