Go ahead and invite those parents before it is too late

[dianeschlicht]

This is one of the nicest stories I've read on the DVC boards. Sorry for your loss, but I'm also so glad you could see the good in it too.

 

[El&Asmom]

We leave tomorrow and are taking both of my parents. We would never have been able to do this without DVC. I can't wait to see my parents reaction to watching their granddaughters at the MK.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Thank you for telling us your story. I am sorry for your loss.

Bobbi

 

[DisneyHumbug]

I am so sorry for your loss. I took my parents for Christmas 2002. Dad was in a wheelchair, but we had a ball. There were 12 of us. What great memories. Dad passed away in September and DD and I took my Mom to the F&W in November. It was sad, but she had such happy memories of when he was there. We took it slow (she's 88) - no wake up calls, we got up whenever she woke up. We took naps by the pool in the afternoon and we walked slowly(the hardest part for me). Even though she said she didn't want to go, when we got home she thanked us for forcing her to go.
Go! and go now!!!

 

[psu4glory]

thank you for sharing your story...and i am very sorry for your loss.

my dad (54) was diagnosed with leukemia just over 1 yr ago. doctors told him at the time that he would probably have 2-3 yrs - 1 of which has already flown by. i would absolutely love to take he and my mom to WDW for a vacation - neither of them have ever been to disney, or even been on a plane before. but they always refuse, saying that they're not amusement park people. if only i could convince them that disney is so much more...

 

[BCV23]

I'm so sorry for your loss but glad you have wonderful memories.

 

[dgaston]

We were never able to convince my Dh's dad that there were things he would enjoy in Disney World. He had been to Disneyland, and just thought it would be the same. He passed away (prostate cancer) in 2001, and I still regret that we couldn't get him to see his grandkids in WDW.

I know you will cherish those memories of your mom -- and I hope that those same memories will ease the pain of her passing.

 

[extremesoccermom]

I just love taking my Mom to Disney with me. Infact Mom will be making her 5th trip and dad his 2nd trip with us in Oct for the F&W festival. This will be first "HOME" trip as a new DVC owner and I look forward to treating them to the master suite in a two bedroom villa.
Thank you for your wonderful message to everyone.

 

[beachblanket]

It is so bittersweet to be reading all of this.

I lost my mother to terminal disease when I was in my early 20s - long before I started a family or DVC even existed.

My father --well read and well travelled -- is still with us, but like others here has continually come up with reasons not go to WDW with us (doesn't like crowded places, perceives it as being "too touristy," etc.). We are going to Disney next month and when the planning for that started over a year ago my brother (who is going with us) made a real push to get Dad to come along, but it again failed.

What almost frightens me about that is history. My wife's father passed away suddenly and unexpectedly in August 2003 while my immediate family was at Disneyland - I don't even want to get into what it is like being at the "happiest place on earth" and watching your wife burst into tears while she is picking up a voice mail message at the Grand Californian.

The closest I've come to the positive experiences some here are describing was last year, when my family took my mother in law on a cruise. So I have a small sense of what it's like to have multiple generations together on a "grand trip."

But I still wish it could happen at Disney.

 

[Inkmahm]

thank you for sharing your story...and i am very sorry for your loss.

my dad (54) was diagnosed with leukemia just over 1 yr ago. doctors told him at the time that he would probably have 2-3 yrs - 1 of which has already flown by. i would absolutely love to take he and my mom to WDW for a vacation - neither of them have ever been to disney, or even been on a plane before. but they always refuse, saying that they're not amusement park people. if only i could convince them that disney is so much more...

Print this thread for him to read. It's worth a try!

 

[Doug7856]

Thank you for sharing your story. We never know what our time here is going to be over. Our story is not quite as positive. After years of wanting my parents to join us at Walt Disney World, we finally made plans for December 2006. One August Saturday I called my mom's cell phone to see what was happening (we were traveling home from a trip) and she told me she was in the emergency room. The next day I visited mom in the hospital and we learned that she had pancreatic cancer. Six short weeks later, at the age of 58, we buried my mom. We miss her greatly.

That December we still made our trip and dad joined us. We had a wonderful time and some tears as we missed mom. Next month dad will again be joining us for a Disney Cruise.

No we enjoy every moment possible with our loved ones. We have incredible memories of mom. We still make new memories, but our family will also have a missing member until we gather in heaven some day.

 

[Disney Doc]

This reaffirms why I'm leaving for BCV in the morning with my wife's parents. They've never even been to Florida.

 

[Ariel8676]

I am so sorry for your loss..Thanks for sharing your story.
This is the very reason why i took my Grandma last year and spent a wonderful, slow paced vacation,and are traveling with my inlaws this August...

 

[ont/ohana]

I lost both my parents when they were still young at 58. We never had the chance to bring them to our DVC home, but they are the reason I have the love for Disney so much. I chereish the memories of going to Florida and Disney during spring break, growing up and looking forward to giving my kids the same memories. We are trying to convince my MIL and FIL to come with us, but it doesn't look they will come.

 

[wendyinoc]

My condolences to your family and I am so sorry she passed so young. I agree with you on family vacations. So many people don't take the time. When my brother died at 23 the last place I saw him was on a family vacation three weeks prior. My DVC is being funded by my brother's estate. I knew I wanted to use the money to have more vacations with my family. A vacation is more important to me then plasmas, fancy cars, clothes etc.. Vacations connect you with people you love and that is worth so much more!!

 

[JimMIA]

First of all, our condolences for your loss. Those wonderful memories of your trip will be a great source of support for you in the days ahead, I'm sure.

I also wanted to say how impressed I am with your daughter! For a young woman of 12 to be able to perform CPR, and to coach you through it, is really quite remarkable. I've seen adult EMT students faint or freeze in less stressful situations.

In the world of emergency medicine, there is a term of affection and respect for the many women in the field. They are called "Girls With Guts." Your daughter has certainly earned that proud title!

 

[buttrflyksses]

Thank you everyone for your kind words. I truly hope that my post will persuade at least one family to include their parents or in-laws on a future WDW trip.

DVC Mary...you asked for advice for how to slow down your trip for your Nana. We talked to our children before our trip and explained to them that we would be moving at a slower pace so that their Gran could enjoy herself. We told them that because of DVC they knew we would be going back next year and if there was something they didn't get to do this time because of our slower pace we were shure they would get to do it next time. We discussed with my mother before we left that if there was any time that she wanted to stay behind instead of going to a park that it would be ok. She would have a 2br suite(as opposed to a regular hotel room) to spend the day in and she could watch some movies if she wanted (we took DVD's for her). I even added some Lean Cuisine frozen meals that she liked to our GardenGrocer.com order so that she wouldn't feel pressured into going out to dinner with us every night. We had a plan that she would go back to SSR each day when my DB took his girls back for a nap. My brother and I split the cost ($200) for a lightweight but durable transport wheelchair for her. I explained to her that I knew she would have a much more enjoyable trip if she didn't need to worry about walking. The transport wheelchair does not have the large wheels that a regular wheelchair does so it is lighter. I even bought one with a red frame which was her favorite color.

Needless to say other than the evening that we arrived she never did stay in the room alone. She stayed with my DH, DD's and I everyday in the parks. Because she was in the wheelchair she didn't get tired out and didn't have to deal with the pain from the arthritis. If your parent doesn't want to use a wheelchair please tell them about my mother. About what a wonderful, painfree trip she had. A trip where she would only have been able to spend 1/10 of the time with her granddaughters in the parks if she hadn't used it.

Kato0627 and JimMIA...Thank you for the acknowlegment about my DD. It still baffles my mind how brave she was. She even thought to call 911 back after I took over the CPR to let them know that my mother had stopped breathing. She will always be a hero in my mind.

 

[TenThousandVolts]

I am so sorry for your loss. Thank you for posting your story. We have travelled with my elderly parents on our last 2 trips to WDW and although our trips were much slower paced, they were by far the most wonderful trips we have had. My kids love having their Grandparents along and have already begun begging us to bring them on our next trip. Thanks for sharing your experience. I am glad you and your family have those sweet memories to comfort you.
Doug7856- so sorry for your loss also.

 

[VLee]

I agree....sometimes you have to persist in trying to get your parent to come along. They think they will "slow" down everyone.

After spending the last few years with my daddy, who did not have the stamina for such a trip, and after all the stress of losing him and the endless paperwork that accompanies such, I talked my mother into spending four days before Christmas of 2006 with just me there. No kids to nag us about riding, etc.

She had the most wonderful time and never would have agreed to return in October 2007 with me and my two sisters had she not truly enjoyed her time.

So now we have two trips behind us, and I have secretly booked a few days at BCV next December in case I can get her down there again. I casually said something about her having a day or two left on her ticket....and she didn't say no...so we will see.

When we go, I concentrate on things she would like to do, see and places to treat her royally. We never make it to the parks real early, but that is okay...we are well rested and we walk very slowly. The hardest thing for me to adjust to was the time to allow between getting places...now I figure at least 1 1/2 to 2 times as long as if it were just me and the grandkids.

I only wish I had been a member of DVC many years ago, when my daddy would have loved the trip. They took us a couple of times, and I really want to treat her now.

 

[justloveit]

It is nice to hear of such a happy story. So many times you hear of conflict with taking family. Thank you for sharing this. We took a trip to Disney in 2000 with my mother and father before we owned DVC. We had such a wonderful time. We drove down together from NJ in our van. My father passed away in 2001, and we frequently talk of our trip together, and how glad we are we had the opportunity to do it. In 2005, we took DH parents and stayed at BCV and again had a wonderful trip together. DH's father just passed away in Dec, and we find ourselves again talking of the fun we had in Disney. We are planning to take both of our DMs in May, and again we know we will be making many happy memories together. To me, this is the best part of DVC, being able to share with friends and family.