Dancing on Air, Floating on Clouds WAIT - don't change that song!!!

[momstable]

It all started with a Fed-Ex envelope.

After picking up the kids from school, one Friday afternoon, we arrive home to find a Fed-Ex packet sitting on the front porch.

“What did DH order this time?”, I thought. After shooing the kids into the house, picking up the packet on the way in, I dump my purse and other belongings on the bed, holler at the boys to get started on their homework, and take a good look at the envelope. Hmmm, my name is on it, not DH’s. I look at the return address – Alamo.com Family Vacation Sweepstakes. I remember that one. I entered it because they were giving away 100 Disney….OMG, OMG, OMG!!!!!!!!! Hyperventilating, I tear open the Fed-Ex

“Congratulations, you have potentially won…..”
An affidavit, 3 companion affidavits, W-9 for taxes
Wheeze, wheeze…”Mom, what’s wrong? Can I have a snack?”
“We are going to Disney World!!”, I gasp. “Sure, okay. Can I have a snack?” “No, I mean, yes, you can have a snack, but no, you don’t understand – I won a trip for us to go to Disney World!!! “ “OHHHHHH!!! Coooool!! (shouts to big brother) “Hey, Mom won a trip. “ “Yeah, where to?” I wheeze again, “we are going to Disney World!! Find the phone, I need to call your dad.” Mad scramble ensues, phone is found, DH finally answers. He’s bowling. Yes, bowling. It’s a team building outing for his department at work.

DH -“What’s going on? My turn is coming up.”
Me – “Wheeze, wheeze”
DH – “I can’t hear you”
Me –“How would you like to go to Disney World”?
DH – “Sure, someday, maybe. Look, call back in 5 minutes, okay? It’s my turn.”
Me – “growl”

So I call my mother and sister instead, while I’m waiting for his turn to be over. And he calls back on the cell, which the kids try to answer, but hang up on him. Then I try to call him, but he’s on the phone trying to get the kids back on the cell. I call my dad and stepmother. Finally, I just stop and wait for him to call me back on the home line.

DH – “So what exactly is going on?
Me – I WON a trip to Disney World. For 4 people. We ARE going to Disney World. Soon. We have to take the trip by June 30th.
DH – “Oh!! Wow!! Cool. Yes, I guess we are going to Disney World.”
Me – “The kids and I are driving up. We’ll meet you at Spaghetti Factory for dinner. Don’t be late. Bowling is not more important than this, even if it is a team building thingy.”
DH – “Uh, okay”


**********************************************************

So maybe now would be a good time to introduce us:

Me – The Momstable – 41 (but I only admit to 33 – and it’s going to stay that way until my mom stops saying she’s 39!) Disney fan extraordinaire. Grew up in So. Calif, so definitely enjoyed Disneyland. a couple times a year during my formative growing up stage. Convinced DH that a Disneyland honeymoon would be perfect…and it was. Convinced DH that if we were flying 3000 miles to go to a cousin’s wedding in Atlanta, that it would be foolish to be only 1 state away and NOT go to WDW.

DH –The Great Dadoo - 47 – a great guy. Everyone says so. My anchor, my sanity, my partner in crime. But he came up with his nickname all his own self. Really, that’s how he refers to himself. (He refuses to be the Dadstable or a Popsicle –go fig?) Grew up in Florida. Barely got a chance to go to WDW at all, as they soft opened MK the week his family moved away (to California, but Northern California) Poor DH. Got to do Epcot when he came back for his brother’s wedding. Amenable to Disney ideas, even if he won’t originate them.

DS13 – The DJ - Teen tude, with a good heart. Very smart. Wicked sense of humor. And has Non-Verbal Learning Disorder (NLD). It’s a disorder in the autistic spectrum. Lots of sensory issues, lots of social issues. Called The DJ for a couple of reasons.
1. when we all go ballroom dancing (yes, all of us), sometimes he doesn’t dance, but ends up the DJ for the MP3s on the computer. 2. Because of his NLD issues, often he’s the one playing the “song” (read *behavior or mood*) we all need to dance to. Mostly they are okay tunes, and we can go along with his mood. But he only has so many “recordings” in his moods and issues, so we do get some “songs” we aren’t happy with. We still have to “dance” to them, though. Hated Disneyland as a small child – preferred staying in the hotel room playing with little toys. So we didn’t go much after he turned 5 and started school. Which wasn’t all that fair to his little brother. So he put up with going to Disneyland in Feb. ’06. Tried to make the whole trip miserable for everyone. Told him I was never taking him again because of it. Has apologized profusely and is really, really going to try to make up for it this time. Besides, I’ve learned some key lessons from that trip. Hopefully learned them well enough so that this trip will NOT be spoiled by the “songs” he plays. It’s not really his fault, he plays the “songs” he’s been given. And he’s been doing better lately. We shall see if I’ve finally got the “dance set list” balanced well enough so that he and we will all have a good trip.

DS9 – Penguin Boy - a charmer, a flirt, and a great dancer – 9 years old, going on 23, we’ll call him. He’s my regular dance partner at square dancing, in addition to being a great ballroom dancer, and okay at English Country and Italian Renn dance as well. He loves penguins (so does the Great Dadoo), and he has a tuxedo – with tails. That way he was able to be a penguin for Halloween at the Halloween formal dance we went to. His request. He has his own groupie-fan club of girls, between 18 and 28 years old, who insist on making it onto his dance card every time we go ballroom dancing. But Mom is his favorite partner…for the next couple weeks at least. Finally got to go to Disneyland last year. We had to wait on his brother’s issues. Thought last February’s trip was “magic”. At least he wasn’t bothered by his brother’s issues, so that’s all to the good. He’ll be a Disney addict like his mom in no time.


**********************************************************

 

[momstable]

Back to our saga…

On the way to dinner, I arrange for all of us to meet the next day with a friend who is a notary public, so we can fill out the forms. At the Spaghetti Factory, DH goes over all the forms, and we start to make a few tentative ideas that might eventually become plans.

We won: A 5 day/4 night WDW vacation for 4 people, with 4 nights at a WDW hotel, 5 day Park Hopper + Water Fun & More passes, 5 day car rental, round trip coach airfare.

The next morning, we meet my friend for breakfast, get all the forms filled out. That afternoon, I ship them Fed-Ex.

Then we wait.

Okay, there’s a lot of waiting here. First to find out if our affidavits were received and approved, for the Promotions department to contact us, for their forms to arrive, to send them back, for their processing, for approval on the dates we selected (our first tentative plans were axed, because Spring Break was a black out period). But finally it all comes together. We have dates, we have hotels, we have flights.

Travel dates

Leaving May 18 – Red Eye flight
May 19&20 with Grandma
May 21 – 23 Beach Club
May 23 night Buena Vista Suites
May 24-26 Yacht Club
May 26 night Crown Plaza Orlando Airport
May 27 – home again, home again, jiggity jig

Now those who are observant will note that this is longer than 5 days/4 nights. And not all of our nights are at WDW hotels. I know that a park hopper is good for 14 days from it’s first day of use. And, since we are coming from the West Coast, I had no intention of letting travel hog up 2 whole days of this trip, one coming, one going. Plus, my MIL moved to Florida, about an hour away from Orlando, 3 years ago. We haven’t seen her since then. You betcha I’m going to take the opportunity for my kids to see their Grandma, if I can. And with The DJ’s issues, getting out of The World for a night is probably a good idea. And having a hotel by the airport for our last night will be handy. We can return the rental car. Sleep in a bit the last morning. Shuttle to the airport the next day. Not worry about traffic, or getting lost, or missing the flight.

Our Promo lady couldn’t have been nicer. She let me choose my travel dates so that visiting with Grandma could easily be built in. She let me break up my hotel days, 2 and 2. Extend the rental car, no problem. She took each request I had and took care of it (DH is 6’4”, he can’t really sleep on a double bed). So we are good. I just had to book out my hotels for the Wednesday off site, and the day of departure. After that, ADRs and planning our days, and packing are my big responsibilities. Well, that and budgeting for meals, which are not included.

So, while waiting, I do a lot of checking out information on the web. I read trip reports. I incorporate everything I learned on our last Disneyland trip. I consult with The DJ about food and activities. I get the Birnbaum book AND the Unofficial Guide. We peruse the menus on allears. Every one chooses a place to eat that’s a “must do”, and one activity per park that is a “must do”. I call for ADRs. I call back and add ADRs. I realize I’ve booked 5 character breakfasts in a row. I call back and change ADRs.

And we go shopping. $1 Ponchos (89 cents actually) – check, mister fans – check, water bottle holders – still have those from DL – check, glow sticks – check, fanny packs – hmmm, have 2 of them. Penguin Boy lost his Cub Scout pack at DL, time to go shopping again. New underwear and socks all the way around – check. Swimsuits – if I can get the Great Dadoo to try his on from last year…., but the boys are okay – so half a check? I have a checklist. I have a box to put stuff in to mail to my MIL a week ahead. I have suit cases. I have Lime Green Mouse thingys from Home Depot. My kids start to roll their eyes and groan whenever I announce I have to “pick up a couple of things
for The Trip (tm).” My MIL saves them a couple of excursions by reminding me that there are a Target and a Super Walmart right where she lives. I can do some of my shopping after we arrive. <pout> well okay, I guess.

I have a note from The DJ’s doctor. I probably won’t need it, but I have it just in case. I have called guest relations…twice. The first time I got a Cast Member who needs to go back to remedial Customer Service School. The second time I got Bill. Now, Bill, apparently has worked all over WDW. He just oozed facts, ideas and enthusiasm. He was thrilled that I was well informed. He made a bunch of additional suggestions that I noted down. And he was very encouraging. Thank you, Bill!!!

I have buy in from the kids’ teachers. I’ve scheduled the trip to begin after State testing. Everyone thinks this works out perfectly. The week after testing is less likely to be serious study anyway. And my kids will be there to add their high scores to the mess. They have something to look forward to. And after being in high gear for the testing sessions, they get to do something fun. We aren’t informing the district or the administration, so their opinions don’t count. The teachers think the whole thing is cool. They are jealous, but supportive. I have to remember to bring home some nice things for the teachers. The DJs resource specialist is handling all of his other teachers. She really thinks the trip and a break from school right after testing is a good idea. The other possibility would have been to go when school let out in late June. More crowded, hotter, more rain (The DJ is weather sensitive, too. And June is the rainiest month in Florida) – bad idea. We are happy that mid-May worked out for the trip. Much better timing, or at least we hope it is.

But the most important thing is – I have a plan. A clever plan. A plan so cunning you could put a tail on it and call it a weasel. Or at least something like that.

I have a plan……

 

[praisehisname]

I want to know what your plan is!!! Great start; can't wait to read more! I have an almost 11dd who has mood disorder and anxiety disorder, so I'm curious to hear how your son makes out on the trip. The last time we went to WDW, she had only been on her meds for a month, and it was awful! She is more stablized now, so I'm hoping for a smoother trip when we go in September.

Denise

 

[awesomepinktink]

First congradulations on your win! Sounds like your just about ready for your fun trip! Can't wait to hear more!

 

[Goofyluver]

Your DS sounds like mine! My DS is also somewhere on the spectrum...he has the same diagnosis as the real "Rain Man". Love how you refer to his "song!"

I am so looking forward to your TR!!! You guys are so lucky!!!

 

[pooksma]

Great start!
Looking forward to reading more.

Congratulations BTW!! I am SOOOO jealous.

 

[wvdislover]

How exciting!!! I can't wait to hear all about this!

 

[winkers]

The only thing better than a disney vacation is a FREE disney vacation!!! Now I want to know what your plan is!!

 

[momstable]

Apologies to those who have been waiting for the next installment. Spring Break for da boys happened. Therefore my computer time…and my at home time….was greatly curtailed. They are now back in school. Now the computer is mine all mine BWAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAH. At least during school hours, after which I have to fight for my shot at the keyboard.

The plan. Yes, I have a plan…and it’s a good one. It’s Ping. No, not really.

My plan is the following:

Planning
Buy-in
Observation
Preparation
Cooperation
(Renovation) More Planning
Imagination
Stability
Flexibility
Revitalization (More Planning)
Recovery


Great sounding words, if I were planning an advertising campaign. Well, in a way, I guess I am. I have to come up with a plan, “sell” it to da guys, and adjust it to make it work.


Planning:

This meant a lot of research. Not only into Walt Disney World, but into the schedule of the schools, DH’s work, my activities, other life events, etc.

I picked up the Birnbaum’s Official and the Unofficial Guidebooks. Went onto the Web..here at DISboards, the Disney official site, and other places.

I checked with the school calendar and the kids’ teachers. Made sure that we were traveling after state testing was over. Verified dates with the Great Dadoo, to make sure they were good for his work.

I worked very closely (and nicely) with the Disney rep who was in charge of our vacation planning for this sweepstakes.

Then I drew up basic charts with Park hours, EMH schedules, and a list of what we all wanted to do, where we wanted to eat, and when we would be where.

Buy In:

This is where I made sure that everyone felt like they had input into the schedule. Especially The DJ. If he’s not cooperating, then it throws the whole family off. Yes, it’s typical of kids to play those kind of cards to jerk their parents around. And no, ordinarily I wouldn’t give in to it. But…because of his NLD issues, we do need to cater more than a bit to his needs. He has some legitimate grounds for his behaviors. Are there lines we don’t let him cross? Oh yes, definitely. Have we explained them to him? You betcha! But if he doesn’t feel like he’s part of the process…and if he hasn’t internalized enough of an investment into the outcome of this trip, he can seriously make it a pain for ALL of us. So, instead of singling him out, I’m treating the whole family the same. All of us need to be part of the planning process. All of us need to agree to the plans. And all of us have a stake in the outcome.

Which means – we go over the maps and park descriptions. Everyone gets to name an attraction or activity they “must do or see” for each park. Everyone gets a chance to pick a dining activity they want to try. We go over menus. Everyone gets a chance to voice opinions on the dining options. What they might want or be willing to eat. What they really want to try. What they don’t want to even smell. We probably have a good idea what we will order at every place we are going to. We are doing a LOT of buffets for the variety. There will be a couple of times for non-buffet restaurants where we feed one or another kid prior to going to the restaurant…just in case. There will be food choices in the hotel rooms for snacks. Fanny packs are great for snack carrying, and everyone will have a couple of choices to snack on in their pack, attached to their person, everyday…just in case.

Everyone has agreed to the wake up times, the daily park choices, the evening activities, the “go back to the room and nap daily” plan.

Observation:

This is a critical component. And the one I was doing while they were on Spring Break. By combining what I remember from going to Disneyland last year. And from other trips various places, I had a basic idea of what to expect and how to mitigate negative experiences, baring unforeseen stimuli and occurrences. But I wanted to really look at behaviors in situ. So, we have Spring Break. We have a few plans, but not many. One of the days DS13&9 and I met some friends at the Tech museum.

This entailed waking up earlier than maybe personally desired, after a later night [“Mom!!!! It’s vacation. I don’t want to go to bed yet!!” – Fine with me, experimenting on one’s progeny is such fun.]. It involved some travel time in a car. It involved parking and walking. And touring the museum in an orderly manner, criss crossing the building to get to demos and the IMAX show at the times they were offered. It involved waiting to eat because of lines or show timing. It involved lots of walking. It involved eating at a place that didn’t include anything they wanted to eat – and the consequences of them not eating much. It involved waiting in line for the stuff they wanted to do. It involved other people, strangers even, many of whom are not as mannerly as my children. And it involved a looooong day in extended company of each other.

In short, I was able to get an idea of how a typical day at a park might go. I really wish that for this day we’d been able to take a break for a nap and a swim. But since this was about 40 minutes from home, not a real option.

Actually, my kids did okay for most of the day. The morning was better than the late afternoon. The DJ started to pick on Penguin Boy towards the end of the time. Which made Penguin Boy over react and act out. Which made me irritable and both of them got the sharper end of my tongue trying to curb their behavior. Especially when one would start to obey, and the other would do something else to re-trigger the undesirable behaviors. Neither is excused, because they both did it.

The important thing was, I was able to see what the triggers where, and at least mentally record them. And start to revise or confirm aspects of The Plan to counteract the negatives and reinforce the positives. And made me re-do our ADRs…again.

 

[momstable]

Note: I know this section is less amusing and much more serious then the intro. But The Plan is serious. And I know there are folks out there with kids who how learning disorders, both in and out of the autistic spectrum, who are seriously taking notes and getting ideas for there own trips. I will go back to light hearted and amusing as soon as I can…really. And I’ll try to throw in a one-liner or two for good measure even in this more serious part.

Preparation, Cooperation, Renovation:

These aspects are tied together, as in prepping, I wanted my guys to cooperate and participate. And what I learned from observation and from more online study meant we revising the schedules. Some of the Preparation I’ve already listed above…mainly the shopping. Part of the cooperation was having DH and DSs shop with me. That way they knew what I was buying and why and got to help look and choose colors. It’s drawing up detailed schedules and going over them with the family. It’s family meetings to clear up questions about who will sit next to whom on the plane flights. Yes, I pulled down seating charts and we have notated who gets the window, who gets the aisle [Dadoo is 6’4” – he gets the aisle], who gets to sit next to Dadoo and who HAS to sit by the Momstable [you can sit next to Daddy as long as you behave. Act up and you are next to Mommy. Yes, I am a punishment to my kids. I’m not cool like the Great Dadoo. I’m an embarrassment to my teen-tude son. On the other hand, one of the legs of the flight, Penguin Boy WANTS to sit with me…so we can play cribbage. I’m honored.]

Some of the preparation is also mental. We went shopping in stores and online for Disney themed apparel and music. We’ve been listening to the Happiest Celebration on Earth and other Disney themed music in the car. We’ve watched, as a family, the Disney Vacation Planning DVD. As a result, some of the rides my kids had blown off they are now intrigued by. Some they thought they wanted to do are now not as interesting. Word descriptions in books are not the same as visual impact.

Imagination
Stability
Flexibility


I know these look like they might conflict with each other. Especially Stability and Flexibility. But they don’t. Stability means knowing where we are sleeping. Knowing that every day will include a nap. That there will be comfort food in the room, or in the fanny pack, at all times. That comfort objects or stuffed animals or favorite toys are allowed. That Mommy and Daddy will be with the DSs. That we won’t be riding the buses (too much sensory uncertainty) and the same car will be ours for the whole time. The car will be a constant touch stone, going with us everywhere. Stability is letting the kids bring their handheld games and chargers. Stability is Dadoo’s laptop and familiar DVDs to watch. Stability is having a full day at home to recover after this trip before going back to work and school.

Imagination is trying to figure out ways to deal with everything. DH says I don’t necessarily “overpack”. It’s more that I pack to deal with ANY situation. It’s MY security blanket. Do I wish we could just throw a bathing suit and couple of clothing changes in a bag and go? Yes, must be nice for those that can. But I can’t. DS9 is allergic to decongestants and he’s asthmatic. If he has a cold, or an attack, or something, I need to have on hand the meds he’ll need without worrying if he’s allergic. Imagination is planning some small surprises to brighten each day. To make the experience magical without relying on CMs to make it magical for us. Including chocolates for pillows (my own turndown service), light sticks for parades, treats to pull out at unexpected moments – or as bribes – or to redirect meltdowns. Imagination is scheduling alone time with each child.

Flexibility is realizing that while we have a plan, no plan survives the first contact with the enemy. The enemy being reality in this case. So I’ve planned blocks of time/activities. There is some of “we are going to MK on this day and eating at Chef Mickey’s for Lunch. Epcot is this day, eating at Marrakesh”. But a lot of the plan is “here is a sequence of activities for 2 hours. It can plug into any late afternoon during our time there”. Using the GAC (Guest Assistance Card) if we need to. I have mornings more planned than afternoons and evenings. Realizing that if the guys need to sleep in more, I can just go to a park without them and join up later (I’m the early riser, and the thrill rider) And that’s okay, for me and for them.

Revitalization (More Planning)
Recovery

Again, there’s some overlap, with both of these topics and with some of the others.

Sleep in Days every third day, built in planned naps and swimming. Laundry. Starting the vacation with visiting my MIL and spending quiet visiting time for 2 days with her. As well as a trip to the Atlantic ocean. Leaving the Park for one evening and night, to get out of the immersive sensory overload. Flying home late enough to sleep in, but early enough to get our gear, eat dinner in a familiar restaurant, and get home to some time at home before bed. A full day off at home before returning to our routine.

Okay, I know people want to know about which park on which day, which hotel, ADRs and all of that. I’ll post that information on the next segment. If something is part of The Plan – I’ll label it.

Time to go pick up the kids from school.

I’ll be back

 

[winkers]

Wow! Just wow!! I thought planning for 4 kids was tough. I'm really impressed with all of the planning and thought you've put into this. When do you have time to sleep?

 

[jenr812]

Read the intro and NEED sleep before working 12 hours at the hospital tomorrow - so I'll be back Congrats on the win, btw!!!

 

[KathyRN137]

Wow! Congratulations on your win! How cool!

Oooops, sorry! My age is showing.

How Suh-weeet!!

Really feeling at oneness with you...my DS is autistic and it really drives the operational plan! Looking forward to more soon!

Kathy

 

[PittypatBR]

Super duper terrific!! Congratulations on a lot of things - winning a great Disney vacation, having fun DANCING with your family (I do historic dance, so I know how much fun that is), and being a great, thoughtful, caring, and sharing mom. We will be there shortly before you (check out my pre-trippie) and have two younger kiddoes to deal with, one of whom is a very strong-willed darling. That's tough enough. Good luck with your trip, and hope the DJ has fun and does well. Your planning will definitely help.

 

[momstable]

When do you have time to sleep?

Sleep!?!?! I'm supposed to sleep? Darn! I knew I forgot to do something. Thanks, winkers, for the clue - LOL

Actually, I'm an insomniac, which helps some. And I nap well, to make up for the lack of night sleep. Also, because of The DJs issues, I didn't go back to work once the kids were born. I'm a SAHM. I volunteer at the schools a bunch. But the real key is that I was an administrative assistant before I stayed home. So I'm just keeping my hand in the skill set.

Wow! Congratulations on your win! How cool!

Oooops, sorry! My age is showing.

How Suh-weeet!!

Really feeling at oneness with you...my DS is autistic and it really drives the operational plan! Looking forward to more soon!

Kathy

Kathy, I guess my age is showing, too. Because "cool" and "paaarteee" are far more a part of my personal lexicon than "sweet". And yes, our kids challenges are family challenges. When things do work, the reward is even sweeter than for other folk. But the price of it not going as planned is much greater as well. If things really disintagrate, one of us will take The DJ back to the hotel room while the other takes Penguin Boy around the park. Trading off who is where as is necessary. That's our final resort, but we know it's always a possibility - The DJ knows it's a possibility, too. And wants to avoid that if possible - Buy in is a good thing.

Congrats on the win, btw!!!

Super duper terrific!! Congratulations on a lot of things - winning a great Disney vacation, having fun DANCING with your family (I do historic dance, so I know how much fun that is), and being a great, thoughtful, caring, and sharing mom. We will be there shortly before you (check out my pre-trippie) and have two younger kiddoes to deal with, one of whom is a very strong-willed darling. That's tough enough. Good luck with your trip, and hope the DJ has fun and does well. Your planning will definitely help.

Jenr812, pittypatBR - thank you. I feel very fortunate. If I never win anything again, this win will be a huge chunck of random luck vibes for my life. (not to be confused with Parking Carma, or lucky pennies or saving throws)

PittypatBR - What kind of historic dance do you do, if I may ask? Hmm, maybe I should send that question as a PM?

I need to go and check out all of your trip reports, too. The kids are in school - the computer is MINE!!!!!

 

[momstable]

Once again, THEY are at school, and the computer is MINE, ALL MINE!!! Bwahahahhahaha

Ermm, pardon my excess enthusiasm.

For those who like to track such things. And for those who have good advice to share, here, as promised, is the tentative schedule of things to be:

We fly out from the West Coast on Friday May 18. Hop to LAX, and endure a brief layover. Red eye from LAX (Los Angeles Int’l) at around 11 pm, arrive in Orlando at around 7am on Saturday May 19. Should be plenty of sleep to be had on that plane – right? Of course, right. Now for those of you, like my sister, who think I’m off my rocker for doing the red-eye flight (yes, I did get quite the earful from her, or rather eyeful, since she emailed me about how insane I must be to inflict this on my poor, deprived family), I do have my reasons.

It’s many hours of travel to get across the country. We can’t leave until the kids are out of school, since they will be doing state testing. I have the teachers’ cooperation on pulling them out of school the following week. I’m not messing that up by not having my kids there for State Tests. If we wait until Saturday to fly, we lose the whole day in travel. By doing the red-eye thing, my kids have enough time to get home from school, shed their school books. They get to unwind a bit. My 13 year old stinky teen gets to take a shower and change clothes (if you think I’m letting him get on a plane after gym class that day, without taking a second shower of the day, you are wrong. I don’t want to do that to me, much less my fellow passengers. I’m a considerate flyer. Middle school teen stench…Ewwww!!!) I get time to wash his gym clothes (letting them hang around the house for 9 days unwashed, I think not. I really don’t want them turning into aliens, encouraging other life forms in the fridge to rebel, and taking over the house. Tame them BEFORE they mutate, that’s my motto – at least one of them). We get to pick up the hubby at work, thereby saving a vacation day. We get to eat dinner at a local eatery my kids & DH love, and I know they will eat at (this will become an important theme in the trip report-pre and post). And we “wake up” in the morning, East Coast time, as we land. Thereby getting a head start on adjusting to the schedule and time. In theory.

So
Friday May 18 – evening flight

Saturday May 19 – approx 7am - arrive at MCO, get rental car (Alamo, of course), head toward the ocean, stopping to eat breakfast along the way (Hmmm, maybe Cracker Barrel? I’m willing to take suggestions for this meal) Get to MIL’s house. Spend day with MIL. Tour the “city”. The Great Dadoo can hardly wait to show off his hometown. Where his elementary school was, etc. Go to dinner at Dixie Crossroads ( family tradition that we are going to be indoctrinated into. ) Go to bed early, after all, we hardly will have slept the night before. The kids, at least, should be ready to drop. Well, maybe just the parents. But Grandma can entertain her grandsons while we sleep, right? After all, she hasn’t had them to herself in 4 years, and phone calls aren’t the same. Of course, right!

Sunday May 20 – Beach Day.

Now I’m going to interject a bit in here. See my hubby grew up on the shores of the Atlantic near the Space Center. His daddy worked there. He’s been complaining about the beaches of Northern California for the whole time I’ve known him. They are “cold, gritty, places. Unfit to be called a beach. More like ocean rock ledges”. Beaches, per the Great Dadoo, should be soft, warm, fine sand – that flies through the air to invade your sandwiches and hot dogs.. They should have warm, fine ocean water. And apparently jellyfish lurking to sting you. Preferably warm and fine and invading your food, I guess. From all he says. He seems to think the reason I dislike the beach is because of this lack. What he keeps forgetting, or at least denies believing, is that *I* grew up in Southern California. I KNOW warm, fine beaches, too. Zuma, San Diego, to name a couple. I just don’t like the beach. I do like the ocean. I’m not too crazy about sand. Or bathing suits. Or sand in the bathing suits. I like tide pools, and aquariums, and boats. I like walking the shore, in normal clothes and supportive shoes that don’t hurt the feet or twist the ankles…unlike sand. He’s just positive that once I get a gander at a “real” beach, I’ll be converted to the truth. Huh, as if!!! What really galls him, is the boys are on my side. Like the ocean, hate the beach. So……

Sunday May 20 – Beach Day (or more likely, Beach Morning, since I’m doubting this will last all that many hours). More visiting. Going to bed reasonably early, as we are getting up at the crack of East Coast dawn the next day. But it’ll be a good 2 day visit with The Great Dadoo’s Mommy. We are all looking forward to that.

Monday May 21 – up *early*, either eat breakfast with Grandma, if she’s awake for it, or on the road. Fighting commuter traffic all the way back to the Orlando area. It’s our first day in The World. Get to Beach Club, check in, get our passes and whatnot ( that’s where the prize pack pickup is). Head across the bridge into Epcot. After all – we’ll be resort, on-property guests at this point. We probably won’t have a room yet, but we will take advantage of this perk. Epcot opens at 9. We will try and be in line by 8-ish (depending on wake-up, commute, and check in delays). The park opens at 9. Tour Future World. We have 12 noon Marrakesh reservations for lunch. Which The DJ picked as his restaurant of choice. Because the chicken kabobs looked like something he might be willing to eat…maybe. We picked lunch for this meal because lunch is cheaper than dinner. And if it really bombs out, we can make up for it with an early dinner with bland, boring stuff. Tour World Showcase a bit. Then back to the BC to find out what room we really got. Nap and swim time.

Having typed out that whole mess, I think that maybe a chart will show it better. Instead of justifying each move I’ve made with a paragraph. I’ll save that for the post trip report. When we get to see if anything survives first contact with the enemy.

I present the following – provided it actually shows up properly on the post. I hope it's readable. I have it in a table in the word document that I'm doing to save this report.

Monday May 21 Tuesday May 22 WednesdayMay 23
Wake 6am 6am Sleep In
up time

Early Leave Gram’s Arrive MK 7am Pack up
Morn by 6:30am EE 8am
ing Check Into Reg. gate 9am
Plan Beach Club
Be at Epcot by 8ish
(Epcot opens 9am)


Break At Gram’s or In room In room or
fast on the road prior to park counter service
Plan



Late Tour Future World Tour MK Typhoon Lagoon
Morn at Epcot Or Miniature Golf
ing Fantasia or
Plan Disney Quest maybe


Lunch Marrakesh Chef Penguin Boy
12 noon Mickey & Momstable
10:50am GF Tea 3:30 pm
(breakfast buffet) Great Dadoo
& The DJ
counter service

After Tour a bit Storm Check into
noon of World along Bay Buena
Plan Showcase Vista
back to BC nap Suites
for swim
and nap


Dinner Counter Boma Charley’s
service 6:20pm Steakhouse
either at Offsite
hotel or MK


Even MK MGM Down time
ing
Plan



Night Spectro MGM Go to bed Early
Plan Magic & Fantasmic
Wishes



Hotel Beach Club Beach Club Buena Vista
Suites


Thursday May 24 Friday May 25 SaturdayMay 26
Wake up 6am 7am Sleep in
time

Early Check into Arrive Animal Kingdom Pack up
Morn Yacht Club parking by 7:45am
ing be at MK by 7ish
Plan EE 8am
Reg. gate 9am



Break Buffet at Donald’s Boma
fast Buena Vista Suites Breakfastosaurus 10:30 am
Plan before check out 8am

Late Tour MK
Morn
ing
Plan

Lunch Crystal Counter service Counter service
Palace either at hotel,
11:30am or park,
(Lunch buffet) or other resort



After Storm Typhoon
noon along Lagoon
Plan Bay or Mini Golf
Fantasia
nap


Dinner Cape May Counter Counter
6:30 pm service either service
at hotel either
or Epcot at hotel
or park or
other resort


Even Tour Epcot Tour Epcot
ing
Plans



Night Illuminations Pleasure Island
Plan



Hotel Yacht Yacht Crowne
Club Club Plaza
Orlando
Airport
Fly out Sunday


Now looking over this plan, I’m pretty happy with it. I have my ADRs and some of them are really good.

For instance, Tea at the Grand Floridian for just me and Penguin Boy. That's our time together. The Great Dadoo and The DJ will probably play on the Boardwalk or do something else as their time together. The parents will also do something one to one with the opposite son, probably on Beach Day.


This one I'm also stoked about. On Friday, we have an 8am ADR at Donald’s Breakfastosaurus. Animal Kingdom opens at 9am. At which point, we are ALREADY INSIDE THE PARK!!! Isn’t that a great plan? Thursday is the weakest link of the plan, needing to get on site, check in and be in line by 7 for an 8am early entry. But, since the night before is an early night AND a sleep in day, I think we can do it. Or I’ll go without them and they can catch up later. That’s my real fall back plan. Let sleeping males lie, if they won’t wake up and get their tails in gear.

If you’ll notice, mornings are very structured. Afternoon and evenings aren’t. And are all mostly interchangeable. That’s because the DJ does better when he’s freshest. He may not like to wake up, but once he’s going he’s okay. After he’s been going for a bit, he gets exhausted. His weak muscle tone makes keeping himself going as exhausting as a marathon. We will take mid-day breaks to nap and swim on any day we don’t sleep in. But afternoon/evening plans have a lot of blanks and maybes in them. It’s because I’m not sure how well he’ll be doing. We may be splitting up and one adult take Penguin Boy off to the evening park. We may be all staying in. We may be all raring to go again. I don’t know. And because I won’t know until the minute, I’m not planning that part. I have things planned down to bringing liquid soap for the hotel room, because The DJ can’t utilize bar soap well, but I don’t have every minute commando planned. Just generally planned. More like a guideline. I only have 3 dinners planned. Cape May is iffy. Because dinner may be in the room. Or at the fast food places that I know they’ll eat off-site. Or getting pizza. Because I don[‘t know what the moods will be.

Life is such an adventure, isn’t it? Of course it is.

 

[momstable]

Rats, it didn't work. All that editing, for nothing.

 

[momstable]

I'm too tired of typing to re-do the schedule again at this moment. I'll try to straighten it all out later this evening. <sigh>

 

[KathyRN137]

Don't worry, you'll probably still tinker some more anyway! Sounds wonderful!

Kathy

 

[winkers]

sounds great! I wouldn't know what to do with myself on a "warm" beach! The only beaches I've been to are in washington and oregon, but I love them! We drove to CA 2 years ago and never saw the ocean! A few years before that dh & I went to north carolina, we drove down to charleston, saw the harbor there and stopped for @ an hour in myrtle beach, but it was early march and cold. Some of my friends can't believe we're going to Florida and won't even drive by the ocean. I figure I can point it out in the airplane before we land! Look kids......there's the Atlantic ocean, ok. Now more importantly, there's disneyworold!