Did you ever come back and want to plan a do over trip?

[ElizabethG]

We used those exact words, 'do over', after our first trip.

I made the mistake of taking the kids (4 and 6) to 'Honey I Shrunk the Audience' as their second attraction on the first day. Shrieking and scared to death, we had to walk out of that show. Then, the kids didn't want to go on any of the 'black box rides' (the ones in a building where you can't see what is going to happen). If we ever got them to sit in one, the pre-ride announcement would come on and say "... this ride has some lound noises that may frighted small children." They would scream "Lound noises!? We don't want loud noises!", and we would have to leave.

We finally got them coaxed onto IASW. That ride literally saved our trip. The kids loved it (and the song). The last half was good.

We needed a do-over, and had a fabulous second trip.

 

[ElizabethG]

Yikes everyone is talking about horrible trips with family. 7 of us are going and I hope for a smooth trip. I have travelled with everyone before and got along just fine but not Disney. And pre kids.

We have already decided we will split up some days. We are getting 7 day tickets they are only getting 5.

Any tips so I don't have to do a do-over? Lol

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We took my parents last year and the inlaws are coming this year. My tip is to make sure everyone has the same expectations. The parents just want to tag along with us, whatever we do. They absolutely did not want to plan anything or go out on their own. That works well for me, because I like to plan everything and say where, when and what. So, we didn't have any issues.

They do move slower, so I had to slow the pace a little. I also really like time with just my family. So, we do a split stay when going with family. This coming trip, we we have 5 nights at AKV with the inlaws, followed by 6 nights at BLT with just our family.

I did make sure they knew what things were going to cost. Before I planned the trip, I sent them emails with estimates for what everything was going to cost (park tickets, the ADRs I was planning, plane tickets, etc).

I also, for fun, send a 'Disney ... Did you know?' email every couple of weeks with fun facts about Disney World.

 

[Cars2006]

I'm doing one in 10 days. Last year when we went, I was studying for my Series 99 test that I need to pass to keep my job. I failed the first one right before we left so I need to study for the one I needed to take when we got back. They would go to the parks in the morning and I would meet them for lunch then head back to study. I missed seeing my first and middle child learn to swim. And my kids did miss me not being there to do other fun things. I also felt bad that I was not there to enjoy the fun. So we decided to plan surprise trip for them. And I can’t wait

 

[Sheilby]

@ Delilah, seems to me you had some issues with the "autistic child"....very rudely written for sure.

so lucky we have no do over trips and I would never talk about my family on here like this if we did, omg people!!!!!!

I guess to each their own because I find your scolding more rudely written. She just mentioned that it was difficult dealing with his issues and that the other family members shouldn't have brought their vomiting child to their room. That is not insulting to parents with autistic children, any parent with an autistic child knows that it is a challenge and when you aren't used to it it can be very difficult.

 

[Sheilby]

We took my parents last year and the inlaws are coming this year. My tip is to make sure everyone has the same expectations. The parents just want to tag along with us, whatever we do. They absolutely did not want to plan anything or go out on their own. That works well for me, because I like to plan everything and say where, when and what. So, we didn't have any issues.

They do move slower, so I had to slow the pace a little. I also really like time with just my family. So, we do a split stay when going with family. This coming trip, we we have 5 nights at AKV with the inlaws, followed by 6 nights at BLT with just our family.

I did make sure they knew what things were going to cost. Before I planned the trip, I sent them emails with estimates for what everything was going to cost (park tickets, the ADRs I was planning, plane tickets, etc).

I also, for fun, send a 'Disney ... Did you know?' email every couple of weeks with fun facts about Disney World.

We went with my MIL and FIL 3 years ago, it worked surprisingly well for us. They had no problem with letting me control everything, my MIL said it's a nice break from all the planning she has to do when they take trips. My FIL was amazed at not waiting on lines because of all my fastpass running (he had taken his kids a few times over the years). I honestly was not expecting it to go as well as it did, but like you my inlaws just wanted to be with us.

It went so well we are going with them again in November. Now I just feel bad for not taking my mom. I know she would love to experience it with the boys, and she was only there once when I was in fifth grade. I thought about taking her this time, but the truth is with her advanced Parkinson's I just don't think she could handle it. She gets tired so easily and we are staying at OKW so it's not like we could quickly run her back when she needed to rest. Plus since getting Parkinson's she has turned into a nervous wreck. I think we would stress her out with all the running around. Obviously she would have to get an ECV since she uses a walker at home and has trouble just getting from the living room to the bedroom. Even if she could transfer to a ride, once she has been sitting for a while she needs to stand still for a while before she can start taking a few steps. I can imagine her freaking out if she felt rushed. i have a feeling I'm going to feel very guilty about this for a long time.

 

[Dallas_Lady]

Three words: Mother In Law. We took her with us Thanksgiving 2009 and it was less than magical. I got my go over trip in June 2011 and it was the best one we've taken.

 

[Disneyaddictz]

We went on our first long disney vacation ( first because before that we lived 3 hours always and did many 3 dayers) we went with our very dear friends and stayed in a cabin. We had a great time yes but it wasn't till the last day when they left and we went to the parks alone that disney was a very special family thing, it changed the whole dynamic and we realized that disney had to be something that we do alone as a family, time to focus on each other. Our little ones behavior dramatically changed as well for the good. Needless to say it was that day that all of a sudden we had an urgent need to experience a family trip soon just us. We went again that march for a week and it was amazing!!!

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[donac]

We kind of did that last month. We went a year ago with our sons, their gf's and met up with my sister and her family and another sister. There were 11 people. Dh and I would be up showered, dressed, had breakfast and then read the paper, which dh went down to get. We stayed at BLT with MK view and it was lovely but dh and I are early risers and we couldn't just leave like we really wanted to. We also had lunches planned for every day and that ate into a lot of our park time.

We got a great deal in May and we almost didn't do it but we did and we had a great time.

 

[JoAnna525]

We got back last week and I already want to go back to make the next trip better. Some things were such a disappointment. It was too hot in August, I did not like the AOA LM rooms and my extended family did not get along and it caused a lot of hurt feelings that I won't go into other than I won't travel with them again. We stayed the first 3 nights by ourselves at CSR and we loved it. I want to go back to CSR so much! And I never get to do everything I want to do at Epcot.
Did you ever have a do over trip and was it better? Was it worth it? Why did you plan it?

If it weren't for the fact that you went in August, I would have thought you were my sister posting with respect to our extended family June trip. It was the same kind of bad, to the point that I can't think of that trip without getting upset. Some friends of mine encouraged me to do a do-over trip, and I am, just me, my husband and son, and we are so, so happy we're doing it. The rest of my family caught wind of it, though, and are quite angry at me, so if you do it, make sure you keep it somewhat on the downlow if you think your family will be offended that you are taking a "better" trip without them.

 

[sturowski]

Our do-over trip is in 11 days, lol.. We have gone the past 4 years but last year was going to be the last.. My oldest son, who was 5 1/2 at the time was not his normal self and made the trip kind of miserable, everyone fighting.. Hopefully this year is better since it will be the last for awhile!

 

[GotLabradors]

We were thinking of traveling with some friends who we already spend a lot of time with as it is, but now I'm terrified of doing it. We've both just started talking about it and she's already said she's overwhelmed. No one in her family has ever been. I'm the only one in my family who's been, so I know what's lurking in pandora's box.

 

[donac]

If it weren't for the fact that you went in August, I would have thought you were my sister posting with respect to our extended family June trip. It was the same kind of bad, to the point that I can't think of that trip without getting upset. Some friends of mine encouraged me to do a do-over trip, and I am, just me, my husband and son, and we are so, so happy we're doing it. The rest of my family caught wind of it, though, and are quite angry at me, so if you do it, make sure you keep it somewhat on the downlow if you think your family will be offended that you are taking a "better" trip without them.

When we went this past August we didn't tell anyone until a couple a weeks before we left. We really liked keeping that secret. We finally had to tell ours sons since one of them had to watch the cats and the other one we were meeting for lunch before our plane left. My younger son was funny. He knows I want a smart phone but I don't have one yet. He offered to stay by his phone to check ride times if we needed them.

 

[happymommy]

This thread is reminding me - NEVER go with in-laws or extended family. And yes, I've done it, but not my choice. UGH. Don't even get me started.

And we are actually planning (well, I am the planner) a trip for spring break next year - just our family. We went to our every other year trip to Hawaii this summer, but so many others were along (we all had our own condos but same resort) and it was just too much. The older folks constantly were concerned with what we were having for dinner - I just wanted to relax. And I'm the Type A personality - not good when another one is also Type A. It was okay - we love Hawaii (lived there for a few years) and love our friends. But I want a trip for just us.

And, I have a sister in law with a cute as can be 3 year old, and I keep thinking of maybe seeing if they would want to join us for a few days - thanks for reminding me to NOT do it! Not at all!!

 

[newtexan]

Another victim of an extended family trip here. I was so bummed about our trip that I avoided the DIS for about 6 months, and never have I even looked at our Photopass cd, mainly because the other part of the family has the majority of their pictures on it together without my little family which was always there at rope drop and somewhere inside the park sitting and sitting and waiting and waiting for the rest of them to wake up and come ride with us. Then we had all checked out the menus on allears and agreed on dining, only to find that at every single meal together, someone hated that restaurant and couldnt find a single thing on the menu to order and just sat there with water and bread staring at the rest of us who were eating. All I heard was about how hot it was, how crowded it was, how early it was, and how hard it was to stay together. augh. I can't wait for a do-over to make some new memories to replace all those. With just my little family of course!

I can't believe my ears....my dh told me today, that his family wants to GO AGAIN - ALL TOGETHER, AGAIN. No, no, no!

 

[pooh4evr]

We have been back for a couple of weeks now (October 9-18) and I am still disappointed in our trip. We have been many times now with our girls, maybe that is the problem trip number 6 in 12 years. But this time it was so crowded, I hated the Halloween party (what a waste of money!) and it just overall didn't t feel right the whole trip. We tried to work with FP+ and FP- to the best of our ability but it just felt so weird! We did enjoy typhoon lagoon though, All star sports was great - the cast members from the front desk, lifeguards, and housekeeping were wonderful- the parks just felt weird. Oh well - I long for the day when DH and I can go and sit at a table around the Epcot lagoon with a drink!

 

[biminibigblue]

Our upcoming trip in February is going to be a bit of a do-over. When we were in WDW this April, we had a fantastic time, but we did miss a few things. Those will be our priorities this time. We LOVED being on the dining plan, but only did QS. This time, we'll have TS meals. We skipped AK last trip, so it'll be the first park we visit in Feb. DS wasn't tall enough for ToT last trip, so this time we'll head there first on our HS day, and so on.

 

[kohlby]

We had been to Disney many times - even going three times between Christmas and New Year's so we knew the parks well and how to deal with crowds quite well. We saw all the strollers and vowed to never come once we had kids until they were out of strollers. Then the in-laws planned a 50th anniversary gathering at Disney. I was pregnant with our second child but it was too early to tell them, so we figured we would just go along with it and go for it. (Plus with my history of miscarriage, we knew it wasn't a sure thing that I'd stay pg at that point as well). We went over Memorial Day weekend. We went with a 2 month old and a barely 3 year old. The 2 month old was easy - minus the drive back. But the barely 3 year old has sensory quirks and though he's a seeker, there were several things at Disney/Universal that set him off. Plus the inlaws were tough to tour with and we didn't plan correctly for the crowds. We made the best of the situation and did have fun. But it was far, far from what we had hoped. We were not prepared for Disney with kids, especially not with a barely 3 year old.

So, we came home and planned another trip! We were no longer scared of doing Disney with young kids and knew we could do much better the next time. We went back just 6 months later when the kids were 8 months old and 3.5 years old - and it went MUCH better! We've since been back several times and never felt the need for a do-over other than that first with-kids trip. We learned a lot from our first with-kids trip. I'm very glad the in-laws planned it, since we got to spend time with them and it also resulted in us doing Disney with stroller aged kids quite a bit! My oldest is now 10 and youngest is 4, so we're still doing the stroller thing. I can't imagine if I had spent the last decade not doing Disney at all!

 

[navyblue8]

Our last trip was so rushed trying to cram everything in for relatives who have never been and might not get to again. Less than a year later, we are planning another.

 

[kellyg403]

I have a do over planned in March/April with my granddaughter who is 7 now. Her first trip was when she was 4. All she wanted to do and all she had talked about for months was Snow Whites Scary Adventures. So, after months of Youtubing the ride and speaking to her about dark/loud noises we thought we were ok. Uhhh...no.

The second day she informed me that she never wanted to see the Castle again with a little shudder..all because of one ride. The whole trip she was scared and the only thing that made her happy was SHOPPING I spent so much time in shops while everyone else rode rides and did the shows and dh doesn't even know how much money I spent.

Now, we think it might be ok. She finally has started to go up to Chuck E Cheese when we go there without fear written all over her face and actually went to 4th of July fireworks with us without needed ear plugs. We have a chance this time will go better!

Kelly