Have you heard about the WDW "parents only" week? It exists! I promise!

[Pyrate_Pryncess]

Welcome!​

I'm sure you're wondering about this brilliant title. Well, let me explain! We lived in Virginia for a long time and always had annual passes to Busch Gardens. A group of friends and myself got together when our kids were little and decided that we needed a way to go by ourselves at least once a season. Busch Gardens opens to pass holders for a day about a week before it opens to the public so we decided this would be the best week to pull of our plan. We made plans for sitters and we went! Best. Time. EVER!

On that chilly day in 2003, a master plan was born! Over the years, we have convinced our kids that, that one day is "parents only". They have known this for so long, they don't even question it! Even my 10 year old still believes it is true .

Fast forward to now! DH and I have been married almost 11 years and have never had a vacation. We never even had a honeymoon. Sad? I know! We had planned to go to WDW as a family in October, but the kids were homesick so we drove up to VA for 2 weeks instead. (It was their choice). I was content with not going again until the super-mega trip we are planning in 2014....more on that later! DH all of the sudden, caught the bug. He caught the famous I-want-to-go-to-Disney-right-now bug......you know you've had it! I never thought he would catch it though We are limited on time so we ruled out the rest of this year. We thought about fall of next year but, his sister is getting married and we have to go to that. The only option was late winter/early spring. We didn't tell the kids that we were thinking of going. We kept it to ourselves, then he sprang some stuff on me that left my head spinning. He decided that he wanted to go JUST US! JUST US, did you read that???? He said, we had never done anything without the kids and that it would be nice to go and not worry about having them with us. I pointed out, that it would be more affordable too! DUH! 2 people instead of 4 is always cheaper!

We finally settled on the dates and hotel and how we were going to work the tickets. We have annual passes right now, but they expire in December. We aren't renewing them because we won't be able to use them next year other than this trip. I knew that the kids would be bummed that we were ditching them so I emplored my tried and true method of breaking bad news......I lied! I told them that being passholders/military AND florida residents, Disney has set aside a week in the off season to make it for adults. That each day, a different park would be closed off to kids. THEY BOUGHT IT! I asked them which Grama they wanted to come down and stay with them and they picked my mom. They are a little bummed about not going but, they are super excited that my mom will be here with them! Plus, I think they might be a little burnt out on Disney right now. I'll explain more about that later!

Keep a watch! I'll talk a little about our previous trips, a little about who we are and of course our plans for this trip!

 

[Pyrate_Pryncess]

Table of contents with cheat links!​

[post=46046727]Chapter 1. Welcome![/post]

[post=46047318]Chapter 2. The Who![/post]

[post=46058160]Chapter 3. The What, The Where, The When and The Why![/post]

[post=46060895]Chapter 4. Flashback Part 1 (2008 recap)[/post]

[post=46072377]Chapter 5. Flashback Part 2 (2008 continued)[/post]

[post=46089685]Chapter 6. Flashback Part 3 (2008, It's almost over!)[/post]

[post=46089953]Chapter 7. What happened between 2008 and 2011[/post]

[post=46090307]Chapter 8. Day 1 of the greatest trip in the history of trips! 2011[/post]

[post=46091861]Chapter 9. Day 2~Bouncin around like Tigger! 2011[/post]






​

 

[Pyrate_Pryncess]

The Who!​

Who are we? I am Rebecca! A 31 year old Mom. I'm a stay at home mom who works with 2 direct sales companies. I love being able to stay home with the kids. I am a "new" Disney-aholic. Growing up, we were never able to take vacations so my first time was in 2008. I don't have a favorite park but, I do have a least favorite park. I am sorry to say, AK has nothing for me! Dinosaur! and Everest are the only 2 reasons for me to go in there. I know, I know. How could I say that? It just isn't for me I guess! I have been to Disney 3 times with my family. They have been amazing trips. Of course kids get tired and start to fight but, it is what it is! I am stoked to have the chance to go without the kids. As much as I love them, I really need a vacation!

DH is Eric! A 34 year old USAF guy. He is grumpy by nature and I am beyond shocked that he even brought this trip up! I am the planner and he is the "no-sayer". He shoots me down so often, I forget that he knows the word "yes"! He was fortunate enough to have gone to Disney with his family when he was growing up. He sees Disney as an amusement park. He doesn't see the "magic" within until we are actually there. He has worked hard in his 16 year career and is usually content with just hanging out at home on his leave. He would say that his favorite park is Epcot with his overall favorite ride being The Haunted Mansion!

This is us on our November 2011 trip! These are our "scared" faces!

After 11 years of Marriage, this is a well-deserved trip!

 

[Pyrate_Pryncess]

The What, The When, The Where and The Why!​

We have already talked about the Who and some of the basics! Here are the rest!

The What- We are going to Disney World of course. We are taking time away from the kiddos and heading out to find some of the "Hidden Secrets of Walt Disney World". The book is amazing and contains over 600 hidden treats that are just waiting to be found. We have gone and taken our faithful book of Hidden Mickeys but, this is so much different. We plan on riding the rides that we would normally have to skip because of the kids. We are going to take our time through the parks and really take the time to enjoy our surroundings. We have 3 ADR's that we would never be able to do if we were bringing the kids.

The When- February 24th to March 1st. It is going to be a quick trip. We have 5 nights and 4 days. We are limited on when we could go next year so, this is the best fit. The weather won't bother us. We live in Florida now but, spent the last 15 years in Virginia and before that, he is from PA and I'm from Buffalo! We are ready for anything that Florida can throw at us! We don't own coats anymore but, we each have amazing hoodie collections! If the weather seems like we will need it, we will buy coats before we leave!

The Where- We will be staying at POP Century! I thought about upgrading to the French Quarter but, we are never in the room and for us, it would be a waste of money. We really love Pop! We are planning AoA in 2014 when we go again with the kids!

This is the kids playing "invisa-pong" at Pop, November 2011


The Why- Eric and I have had an interesting 11 years of marriage so far. We have survived deployments, having a special needs child, families who didn't support us and all of the other issues that plague married couples! Through everything, the day we met is what keeps us together.

We met at a party through a mutual friend in November. We didn't even speak. I was standing on a cooler to be eye level with everyone there (I'm short!). He walked in, smiled at me and went on his way. I knew before I even spoke to him, that we would get married! We officially met about a week later. We hit it off and began meeting up for his "lunch" break from the base. I moved in with him in February right before he got orders to Korea for a year. We decided that we would stick it out and stay together while he was gone. We planned a wedding for his Mid-tour leave. Then September 11, 2011 came. We cancelled our wedding plans because he was on stand-by and ready to head to the desert on a moments notice. He called me on October 17th and told me he was coming home on leave and would be home the next day. I called the J.O.P and we were married on the 19th. We spent the rest of his shprt leave visiting his parents and then he left again. We had our daughter shortly after he returned for good.

Our son came in 2006 and changed our lives forever. He had Craniosynostosis. He was born without a soft spot. He had a skull reconstruction when he was a baby. He has had several other procedures since then, none as invasive as the reconstruction though.

Being so young when we married and had children and then the medical issues our son has, has put a strain on our marriage. Somehow we have survived for this long though! This trip will be our first ever vacation for us. We have never done anything like this before and I think it will be a great chance to get to know each other again! In spite of everything that we have been through, there is something strong that keeps us together!

 

[Pyrate_Pryncess]

Flashback part 1 (2008 recap)​

I wasn't always a Disney addict. For a long time, I thought Disney was unattainable for me. I had always wanted to go but, never thought I could afford it. In 2005 my In-laws took my then 3 year old daughter. I hate to admit it but, I was a little jealous! After AJ was born, the topic kept coming up. I would look through Ks pictures from her trip and really wanted those experiences for AJ. It became something I was longing for. Still, I never went to the website to run the numbers or anything.

In February 2008, my Mother-in-law called us and asked if we were doing anything in August. Of course, we had nothing planned. She told us that she had booked us an 8 night/7day trip to Disney! We were shocked. I was freaking out though. K was 6 and was in a bratty stage and AJ would just be turning 2. Of course, the heat in Florida was a big worry for me as well. I was excited and anxious and worried all in one.

Just before the trip came, I started having a pain in my lower back. That along with my migraines meant disaster for me. We decided to fly since we had gotten a great rate on flights. The night before we left, noone slept! There was too much excitement. Between Disney and the flight, there were way too many emotions! My mom took us to the airport and we were on our way.

This is how we found K on the morning of our flight!


The deal with the trip was that our room and tickets were paid for, all we had to do was transportation and food. Not a bad deal if ya ask me! The flight was amazing. My kids are natural flyers! We had a layover in Charlotte and the kids got to run out some of their energy! We arrived at MCO and found our way to the Magical Express!

We were staying at All Star Music so we headed there first. My in laws were waiting for us out front!

I love the pictures of them playing in front!


We all boarded the bus and headed for Downtown Disney! I never even knew this place existed!!! We had dinner at Rainforrest Cafe' that night. Not something we will ever do again. AJ was scared to death in there!

This is AJ and Papa Frank right before the animals started! He was done for after that!


We lolly-gagged around DTD for a while before we decided it was time to head back to the rooms!

More to come from this trip next!

 

[shalom]

I was going to post to this thread yesterday but didn't get around to it. You've done a lot since then!

On that chilly day in 2003, a master plan was born! Over the years, we have convinced our kids that, that one day is "parents only". They have known this for so long, they don't even question it! Even my 10 year old still believes it is true.

...

I knew that the kids would be bummed that we were ditching them so I emplored my tried and true method of breaking bad news......I lied! I told them that being passholders/military AND florida residents, Disney has set aside a week in the off season to make it for adults. That each day, a different park would be closed off to kids. THEY BOUGHT IT! I asked them which Grama they wanted to come down and stay with them and they picked my mom.

Heh. And here I thought my friend who convinced her kids birthdays are only celebrated on Saturdays was unusually skilled at deception.

The Where- We will be staying at POP Century! I thought about upgrading to the French Quarter but, we are never in the room and for us, it would be a waste of money. We really love Pop!

I'm a condo person, but we visited Pop last time and will definitely be there again next time. Pop is fun! Also, Tie-dyed cheesecake is one of our musts.

I knew before I even spoke to him, that we would get married!

Aw. I met my hubby at a party thrown by a friend, however we did talk because she was doing her level best to get us together. Then she told us we needed to slow down when we told her a month later we were engaged.

My SIL fell for my brother on first sight as well -- however, she didn't tell me that she knew they'd get married. She just knew they'd get together. Mind you, she was fourteen at the time. And he was twenty. He thought she was cute, but way too young, and wouldn't date her until she turned sixteen -- she called him on the phone just about every day until then, so that really slowed her down, sure. Our 25th was this year, and they married a year later (after a much longer courtship!), so they're fast approaching their 25th wedding anniversary.

I was not a believer in love at first sight as a teen, but now I think there's definitely something to it.

He had Craniosynostosis. He was born without a soft spot. He had a skull reconstruction when he was a baby. He has had several other procedures since then, none as invasive as the reconstruction though.

Our second son's skull was fused at birth, too, however with us it's the doubly rare condition where it's genetic; his dad and one sister have the same condition, and it's basically benign. But the two front plates were fused at birth, plus he was a big baby -- he topped out the midwife's scale at eleven pounds so we don't know how big he really was, but he was 13 pounds a week or so later -- so that was a birth experience I'll never forget.

My pastor came to visit that day, and he was cooing over my baby, saying he was beautiful and being a total sap, and I said the baby looked like a Klingon. He had this big ridge down his forehead, and it was all knobbly and bruised looking from the birth and he totally looked like one of the "new" Klingons. The look my pastor gave me! I don't think he would have given me my baby back if I hadn't convinced him that I think Klingons have their own appeal.

In my son's case, turns out there was little risk that his brain would be compromised, so the surgery would have just been cosmetic so we didn't do it. But we didn't know that going in to the consultation (no one had called us after the MRI to tell us things looked good ), and I vividly remember the surgeon's discussion of the surgical procedure. *shudder* So glad that surgery is all over with for you, and that your son is clearly thriving.

I wasn't always a Disney addict. For a long time, I thought Disney was unattainable for me. I had always wanted to go but, never thought I could afford it. In 2005 my In-laws took my then 3 year old daughter. I hate to admit it but, I was a little jealous!

I was jealous of my daughter when she was about the same age, for a totally different reason. It's like, you try to give your child a better childhood than you had, then when your kid gets what you always wanted to give them, your "inner child" starts feeling sad they didn't get that childhood!

And in the 1980s, when I was living in Colorado working as a temp and so barely above poverty level, I was jealous of a pal of mine who hit WDW any number of times. It was nice hearing about it, but a real bummer that I couldn't go. I was excited to move to this side of the Mississippi because we were that much closer to WDW, but it still didn't seem likely I'd ever get there. Especially as I had more kids. And then, in less than a year, it was suddenly totally doable! Although it looks like, within the next year, it's going to be impossible again. Have to see how that goes.

This is AJ and Papa Frank right before the animals started! He was done for after that!

I have to say he already looks a little nervous. Not surprised he lost it when the noise kicked up. You got an adorable pic first, though!

How great of your in laws to take you guys!

 

[Pyrate_Pryncess]

I was going to post to this thread yesterday but didn't get around to it. You've done a lot since then!

Welcome!!! I've learned that I need to get it done when I can otherwise, I'll forget! lol pitiful, I know!

Heh. And here I thought my friend who convinced her kids birthdays are only celebrated on Saturdays was unusually skilled at deception.

Yeah, the Queen of deception here! My kids always say that every story needs a Villian and I am theirs! Makes me think that I'm doing my job as a Mother right! They are 10 and 6 now and can't get away with anything. I usually wouldn't think twice about taking them with us, I feel like WDW is such a "family" place that it is almost a sin to leave them home. We just really, really need a trip away!

I'm a condo person, but we visited Pop last time and will definitely be there again next time. Pop is fun! Also, Tie-dyed cheesecake is one of our musts.

I am such a rotten person. I've never had their cheesecake! We love pop.

I was not a believer in love at first sight as a teen, but now I think there's definitely something to it.

I never believed in it until it happened!

Our second son's skull was fused at birth, too, however with us it's the doubly rare condition where it's genetic; his dad and one sister have the same condition, and it's basically benign. But the two front plates were fused at birth, plus he was a big baby -- he topped out the midwife's scale at eleven pounds so we don't know how big he really was, but he was 13 pounds a week or so later -- so that was a birth experience I'll never forget.

It sounds like your sons was a Metopic Suture! AJs was the one at the top, the sagittal. His head looked like a toaster, long and narrow. His metopic fused after his first surgery. He has the ridge going down the center of his forehead but, it isn't causing any damage and isn't too bad so we are leaving it for now. Of course, if he wants the bone shaved down when he is older, we will do it for him. I have stuck to my guns saying that we would never do anything for cosmetic reasons. There have been plenty of Drs who wanted to go ahead with it though. AJs first surgery was medically necessary. The neurosurgeon we had, basically said he was the most severe case he had ever seen and his brain was already having problems growing and could potentially press on his spinal cord. We were in surgery in less than a week! It was insane! He is well now. He is a little behind. He didn't speak until he was 4 and now he has language and speech problems. If that is the worst that we have to deal with, Im ok with it! We have been blessed that he has triumphed over this and is a strong kid for it!


More of his story is sure to come since we are actually getting him an appointment at the University of Alabama Birmingham for new CTs and overall check-ups.


I am glad to have you along on this ride and I am honored to meet another "Cranio" mom!

 

[Pyrate_Pryncess]

Flashback Part 2: 2008 Continued!​

When we left off, we had left our dinner at Rainforest cafe. AJ was freaked out and K was beyond exhausted. We headed back to ASMU and drifted off to sleep. Our first day was to be spent at the Magic Kingdom. Of course, being a Disney Newbie, I was stoked! This is what everyone thinks when they think of Disney!

We got on the bus and headed out. We entered the park and were greated by Jimney Cricket! How awesome!!! As we turned up Main Street, I saw it. Cinderella Castle. In all her beauty. I was floored. I stopped to take the same picture that everyone on the planet takes!

We turned Right and headed into Tomorrowland. Again, I was taken aback. This futuristic world that was in front of me had me standing in awe! It was here that we met the greatest character on the planet! PUSH

PUSH has started my sons love for trash cans! It's been more than 4 years since that visit, but he still touches most of the trash cans in MK! Kinda gross in my opinion. We spent the entire day at MK. I felt rushed the entire time though. My mother-in-law and S.I.L are such Disney pros that they had everything timed out. There was no real time to stop and really take in what I was seeing. If they didn't feel it was important, we didn't see it or do it. I actually had to sneak into the Dumbo line with AJ because they just wanted to skip right on by it!

About 1/2 way through this day, Tropical Storm Faye decided to show up. We spent the next 7 days in pure rain and wind!

Our next day was spent at AK. It was one of the worst days ever. It was hot. It was wet and AJ was miserable!

He was having a rough day. He wouldn't leave the hotel without his "bankie". You can see it on top of the stroller. It is a thick plush blanket. Being hotter than the hinges of the gates to he** that day, we took Bankie away from him and you can see the fit he had.

I was only able to go on Everest that day before I had to leave with him and head back to the hotel. That of course, started drama within the family. "tickets were paid for and now wasted".....Whatever! We needed a break, he needed to cool off and he needed a nap! I stayed at the hotel for the rest of that day with AJ! Since then, AK just does nothing for me. I could skip it if it weren't for Dinosaur and Everest!

When we come back, I will tell you a condensed version of the rest of that trip!

 

[shalom]

I am such a rotten person. I've never had their cheesecake!

That's not rotten. That's deprived! It's cheesecake (with lots of food coloring) over a devils food cake base; the recipe is floating around but I'm not trying it with my tempermental oven. So we'll definitely be getting it when we go back.

It sounds like your sons was a Metopic Suture!

Yep! Although it went far enough back he didn't really have a soft spot. The pastor I mentioned earlier is his godfather, and when my boys were little, he was always mixing them up, calling them by the wrong name as we left church or whatever. The boys never cared, but his wife once complained, "He is looking right down at the top of their heads -- how can he forget that the kid whose head has a prow like a boat is his godson?"

I have stuck to my guns saying that we would never do anything for cosmetic reasons. There have been plenty of Drs who wanted to go ahead with it though.

Yah, the surgeon was surprised when we said we wouldn't do the surgery if it wasn't medically necessary, and said most people do it for cosmetic reasons. First he worried about our son getting teased at school but we said we planned to homeschool anyhow, then he made noises about our son wanting to look good so he could get married later and I pointed out that his dad had managed it without surgery. I can understand why people do it for cosmetic reasons, but I'm pretty sure hubby and I don't carry the beauty gene anyhow.

He is a little behind. He didn't speak until he was 4 and now he has language and speech problems. If that is the worst that we have to deal with, Im ok with it!

Just the trauma of surgery and repeated trips to the hospital (I often wonder what the little ones think of the ruckus the MRI makes and what it all means!) can cause delays, I expect. There's a theory that some kids with Aspergers are just processing things in a different order than "neuro typicals" -- the ones that pick up social skills and otherwise test out more average in their twenties or thirties -- and I've heard that kids who're dealing with trauma or other stress can be processing that instead of learning what they're "supposed to" at a particular age, then pick it up later, as well.

OTOH, both our boys had some speech issues when they were young; second son's lasted long enough we took him into a specialist who verified what I already suspected, namely that he understood things just fine. He just wasn't interested in talking much, or in articulating clearly when he did so. Too laid back, that guy.

My poor kids have musicians and computer geeks on both sides of the family, their parents as well as aunts and uncles, so they were kind of doomed from the start.

I was only able to go on Everest that day before I had to leave with him and head back to the hotel. That of course, started drama within the family. "tickets were paid for and now wasted".

Officially retracting my admiration for your Inlaws, here. Good for you for giving your son what he needed.

We haven't been to Animal Kingdom yet, however my daughter informs me I "have to" like it, because it's her best friend's favorite and she intends to think it nifty as well. I think my odds are pretty good -- it's supposed to be the park you "take slow" and good for rambling around (my preferred approach), and we're likely to get there the first time in January, so I don't expect heat will be a big issue. Not sure what I'll do if I hate the place, but I just hope that, if that happens, middle daughter won't think too much of it either!

 

[Pyrate_Pryncess]

Yah, the surgeon was surprised when we said we wouldn't do the surgery if it wasn't medically necessary, and said most people do it for cosmetic reasons.

We had a plastic surgeon that treated us like crap once because, the tyoe of reconstruction he wanted to do, would have given AJ a perfect little round head. We didn't want that. We just wanted the corrective surgery and to let his head take the shape it was supposed to. He said nasty words to me, I said even nastier words back! In the end, we chose to go ahead with the surger with only a Neurosurgeon in the room. He knew what he was doing and we loved him!

Officially retracting my admiration for your Inlaws, here. Good for you for giving your son what he needed.

, they aren't bad people.....they are just polar opposite from me! They live a life where money isn't an object and we live day by day. WDW is nothing new to them and I think they had forgotten that it was new to me and AJ! We have never really "meshed" well together so I knew there would be a few bumps in the trip!

We haven't been to Animal Kingdom yet, however my daughter informs me I "have to" like it, because it's her best friend's favorite and she intends to think it nifty as well. I think my odds are pretty good -- it's supposed to be the park you "take slow" and good for rambling around (my preferred approach), and we're likely to get there the first time in January, so I don't expect heat will be a big issue. Not sure what I'll do if I hate the place, but I just hope that, if that happens, middle daughter won't think too much of it either!

AK is a gorgeous place. To me, it is way to hot and humid and although it is designed beautifully, it seems like a glorified zoo to me Even my kids aren't huge fans of it. We will never skip it on a trip, but we only spend less than 1/2 a day there. It's just not for us!

 

[Pyrate_Pryncess]

Flashback Part 3: 2008 it's almost over!​

When we left off, I was taking the heat for leaving AK with a very tired, very sweaty, very MEAN 2 year old. Best decision ever!

The next morning we woke up early and headed to Epcot! This was the first day of the Tropical Storm that decided to visit us and STAY!

We sent Eric our fastpass runner over to grab FPs for Soarin. He met us back and I had my first ever ride on the "Ball of doom". Now, rides don't normally freak me out. In fact, I am somewhat of a thrill junkie but, this one just freaked me out from the begining! I still have nightmares of it just popping off of it's base and rolling away!

We headed over to Nemo and had a blast! The kids loved it. From there, we went to my favorite place..........Journey into the Imagination with Figment! Of course, that first time, I had some hope that we would get the cherry smell...........didn't happen

This day at Epcot was great. Not a lot of fighting. The kids were actually pretty good.

We went to the WS but, didn't do much exploring! The one hysterical thing that happened this day was on TT. K was 6 at the time and was HORRIFIED! During the ride, she was screaming "Oh my God, we're gonna DIE". When I find my photopass disk from this trip, I'll post the pics!

We stayed for the fireworks and I had my first experience with a firework in the eye! The wind was blowing and everyone expected them to cancel the show. They didn't! During the show, I was looking up and got hit in the eye by a firework shell! Turns out, it happened to a lot of people in the crowd that night!

One of the best pictures EVER!




We went to HS next. It was another SOAKING wet day!

Look at these clouds! This was our ENTIRE TRIP! I learned that I really love ToT this day. The crowds weren't there and we rode and rode and rode. I liked RRC too but, this was the first of 3 times that I got off thinking I needed to go to the ER. My head gets slammed around so bad on this ride and I suffer from migraines so this is on the "Never again" list now!

The rest of the trip went pretty well. A few more fights. The kids were overwhelmed and tired and K had it out with M.I.L a few times. I kept my mouth shut as much as I could. It was rough!!!!!!!

 

[Pyrate_Pryncess]

What happened between 2008 and 2011​

After our trip, I decided that we would go back!

I showed my family how affordable it could be and we started planning. We had 2 trips planned that just never worked. Deposits were paid but, life got in the way. I really wanted to experience WDW with my side of the family. In September 2010, I flew to Alabama to watch my husband graduate from a school that he needed to progress in his career. We contimplated taking an indirect route home and hitting WDW on the way home. Of course, we couldn't do it. He only had a few days to get home so we drove up instead.

In November, I got the call. We had gotten orders. Like I said, DH is military. His entire career had been spent in VA with the exception of Korea. 15 years! We never expected to get orders.

His orders were for Ft. Walton Beach FLORIDA! How awesome is that?!?!?!?! Closer to Disney was my first thought! We spent the next few months getting everything ready to go. Not an easy task when you have a special needs child!

We moved here in June 2011. We got settled in and started planning. During the break from 2008 to 2011, there had been a lot of changes in my family. My mom had gotten sick. She has a rare kidney disorder and at times, she is in bed for days. My brother had gone back Active Duty which was a blow to the entire family. He was in Iraq and not only lost several close friends but, came home with some major problems. At one point in 2009, we were awoken by a "goodbye" call from him. He wasn't getting the help he needed and was done with it all. His friend came from abour 45 minutes away and met up with DH. They managed to calm him down and got him admitted into the VA hospital under a 72 hour psych hold. Terrifying! Somehow, that past was overlooked when he decided to re-enlist. He hasn't been "right" since.

My younger sister has been in Job Corps for a few years now and is super close to getting her certification in welding....Super proud of her!

We decided on when we wanted to go. We wanted to take the kids for the Christmas decorations. We called my parents and offered to cover 1/2 the cost for them to come. We really wanted for my Mom to be able to come before something bad happened health wise. We called my older sister, shes a grump and didn't want to come. My younger brother and sister couldn't come at all. My brother was in NC and my sister was doing JC in VA! Little did I know what we were in store for!

 

[Pyrate_Pryncess]

Day 1 of the greatest trip in the history of trips!​

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In October 2011, we had the trip all worked out. Except for one little thing...................we hadn't booked yet We knew our dates, we knew our hotel, who was coming, how much money the kids had and where we were eating! We even had breakfast reservations made! Free dining was out and it was the last day to book when we finally managed to get it taken care of. WHEW! We were booked for November 27th to December 4th. 7 nights 6 days with tickets to MVMCP. 2 rooms at POP Century and park hoppers.

We had expected to make this a "slow" trip since my mom needs breaks often. We had no plans for rope drops and figured we would wing it! The only plans I had were what park on what day. In the end, that didn't matter, DH blew that out of the water!

We left home at about 5am. Remember, we are central time so we would have that time change to deal with. At about 11am est, we saw this:

Such an amazing sight to see since it had been so long! My parents were driving in from VA. They had left with time to stop and see family along the way. We spoke to them as we arrived and found out, they were in traffic and were still a while away! I had done online check in and we were given our keys right away! WOOHOO! ALL of my requests were granted. Bottom floor, lake view, adjoining rooms!

We unloaded the van and headed to DTD for a bit while we were waiting on my parents!

We shopped for a while until they called us to tell us that they had arrived! SUPER EXCITED!!!!!

We got back to POP to find my mom, already in tears when she saw our bus pull up! The kids cried, she cried, I may have had a tear or two!

We got them checked in and changed to head to MK for MVMCP! Here is my mom when she rounded the bend at MK and saw the castle:

I'm the chunkster in the front wearing a tank top! This won't be the case for our Feb trip! I have plans to slim down some!

Back to MK. We stared in awe at the castle for a few minutes and enjoyed the snow on main street. At the hub, we turned right. Tomorrowland was calling us! Up first was the Laugh Floor! Awesome as always! We hit buzz next and then headed over to pecos bills for some grub.

We found a spot outside of Pecos to watch the parade. It was great, not awesome though! We then made our way back for fireworks!

After the fireworks, we wandered around for a while. We walked on EVERYTHING that night. This would be the trend for the trip! The kids had a ball watching the lights and of course drinking all of the hot cocoa one can drink. We are cocoa snobs.

We really enjoyed MVMCP. We won't do it again though. It was expensive for what there was. Worth it to be able to walk on the rides, but the entire trip turned out to be that way!

Up next, Parents in Epcot for the first time!

 

[Pyrate_Pryncess]

Day 2: Bouncin around like Tigger!​

We woke up in no rush. Somehow we were well rested from MVMCP the night before. Todays plans had us going to HS but, the Epcot bus came first! As soon as we walked in we saw:

And then AJ saw one of his girlfriends:

He really loves Daisy! We sent our runner over to Soarin and he met us over at Nemo!

As you can see by the shirts, we were dressed for the wrong park! Oops!

We rode Nemo and headed over to Figment. Everyone in our group loved it as much as I do! From there, we headed into the Land for lunch.

After an "OK" lunch we headed into the FP line for Soarin. Kata is NOT a fan of heights or anything that isn't stationary on the ground. My mom convinced her to ride with us. She wasn't happy and cried a little on the ride. Yes, she was 9 at the time! She really doesn't like rides!

This was another day where EVERYTHING was a walk on! Amazing! After Soarin', we left for a mid-day nap. My mom was getting tired and sick to her stomach so we decided it was time to go.

After our nap, we headed to MK for EMH. Again, NO LINES! WHAT??? We rode almost everything again.

We ate dinner at Cosmin Rays and wandered around the park until 11pm. By then, we were done! We had ridden EVERYTHING at least twice and were ready to head to bed!

Stopped at the shops on the way out and off to POP we went!

 

[shalom]

, they aren't bad people.....they are just polar opposite from me!

In-laws are interesting. The first time my MIL met my parents, she told them, "Yeah, [Geek Dad] was always the weird one." I don't know how my parents managed NOT to say, "Oh, good, because [Shalom] is our weird one, so it should be a good match!" because I definitely am their "weird one", they're just too polite to say so outside immediate family!

In fact, I am somewhat of a thrill junkie but, this one just freaked me out from the begining! I still have nightmares of it just popping off of it's base and rolling away!

I worry about getting stopped on that one, but the rolling away fear is definitely more fun to imagine!

I liked RRC too but, this was the first of 3 times that I got off thinking I needed to go to the ER. My head gets slammed around so bad on this ride and I suffer from migraines so this is on the "Never again" list now!

I was not particularly scared of roller coasters as a kid, and I loved that weird feeling you get in the stomach with sudden drops, but I've always hated getting thrown around too much and now I'm older and more creaky-boned, it really hurts.

I showed my family how affordable it could be and we started planning.

WDW is an expensive vacation for us -- we're more the "hit a National Park or use our various memberships to go to things for free" types -- but OTOH it's surprising how cheaply you can do it if you look around a bit and can be flexible.

Kata is NOT a fan of heights or anything that isn't stationary on the ground. My mom convinced her to ride with us. She wasn't happy and cried a little on the ride. Yes, she was 9 at the time! She really doesn't like rides!

My second son is afraid of heights -- when he was little, he'd freak out being on the second floor if there was a wall of windows! He's a lot better about it now, but Soarin' is definitely not on his list.

I'm not actually much of a rides fan, either. And I hate heat and crowds. My mom's still trying to figure out why I love WDW so much.

How great that your mom got to come. After we switched our dates to January, I called up my Florida-hating dad to see if he might be willing to come then, and he surprised me by saying, "I'll go if you can talk your mother into it." For a while there, I thought it was in the bag, because mom has always said she'd love to go. But when it came right down to it, mom finally decided, "no," because she knows she can't take the walking. I pointed out that we don't go commando (my dad's a commando vacationer), plus I've got three teenagers who are willing and able to push her in a wheel chair (eldest daughter is willing but not able), or she could use an ECV, but it's not happening.

But since it's the first trip where everyone's going to the parks, probably less stress with just us going anyhow. Which hasn't stopped me from poking at some friends of ours whose one son is TOTALLY OBSESSED with Woody, and trying to convince them to go before he gets too old to be wowed by meeting his hero, and giving them hints on how to do it relatively cheaply. Like, for instance, going right when we are would be a great idea!

 

[Pyrate_Pryncess]

Day 3: Did we make these ressies for a reason?​

Day 3 found us starting at Hollywood Studios again! If you can't tell, this is one of my favorite places!

This was going to be one of our slower days. We had a dinner reservation at Whispering Canyon that night and we planned an afternoon break. We got into the park and had DH run as fast as he could for Toy Story Mania FP's.

He met back up with us to ride on the Great Movie Ride. I swear, we rode this 1,000 times on this trip. It is one of K's favorite things to do!

When we were done with GMR and TSM, we found this guy:

We roamed the park and rode all of the big rides. We had planned on going back to the room to nap and change, but we got caught up in the park and stayed until the last possible minute!

We had our reservations at Whispering Canyon so we left. We decided it would be fun to take the boat to Epcot and then Monorail to Transportation and then on to Whispering Canyon from there! I know, up our butts to scratch our elbows!

At TTC, we saw these guys:

So cool! Chalk drawings using a pin as a guide!

We arrived at Whispering Canyon about 20 minutes before our ressie time. We checked in....We were STARVING! This place was chosen because we were only going to have 2 table service meals. One dinner and one breakfast. This one seemed to be a fit for everyone.

We waited, and waited, and then waited some more! About 45 minutes AFTER our ressie time, I went to the desk to enquire about getting seated. I got grief by the hostess. While I was up there, I saw a group of 6 (the same amount as us) who had arrived for their reservation (they were early) and they got seated right away???? WHAT? I had a reservation, I arrived early, I have now been waiting over an hour and these people get seated right away???

MANAGER! That was the next word out of my mouth! Now, I understand that reservations aren't perfect and that if they are busy, you won't get seated right then but, really? Why seat people who had just arrived over those that had been waiting? Manager came over and guess what, we were seated right then!

Our server was horrible. Very bland and very flustered. We waited about 15 minutes just to place our drink order!

DH was so frustrated, he walked out! I ordered for him when it was finally time but, by then noone was happy. The kids were hungry and tired and so were the adults. Again, I got the manager. Same one as before and she was shocked that by this time, we still didn't have food! You know it isn't good when even the manager is wondering where your food it! She went in the back and since we only ordered skillets and kids stuff, she brought it out. She said it was someone elses food but, had noticed that our food order had JUST been put in! WHAT???????????

Wow! In the end, the food was OK. Im sure that had it been a better overall experience, we would have liked the food better. There was no playfulness, nothing. I'm not sure if we would go back!

After the frustrating dinner we left and headed back to POP for some needed down time!

 

[emmysmommy]

Oh my goodness.. I just read your entire PTR! Congrats on some adult time with your DH - sounds like it was a long time coming! My youngest son is getting deployed in December and leaves behind his wife. (Oh, and my DH was in the USAF but that was like 30 years ago!)

I wish you all the best with the excitement and planning for this much deserved trip!

 

[Pyrate_Pryncess]

Day 4: The Great Movie Ride..........AGAIN?​

When we left off, we had left Whispering Canyon and headed back to POP. Ya know, there is no easy way to get from resort to resort!

We woke up and had another slow morning. I have to say, I really like taking it slow at WDW!

We started our day back at Hollywood Studios! Can you see the trend?

Look who forgot to wear the right shirt today:

We headed into the park and decided to skip out on the mad dash to TSM. We went to the GMR............AGAIN! I swear, we rode this a BILLION times on this trip!

When my parents and the kids were at Indiana Jones Hubby and I headed over to ToT. We were able to ride a few times in a row without any waits!
We went over to Lights, Motor, Action and watched that and then just wandered around and shopped like pros!

We went here:

But of course..................It was closed That is Kats favorite ice cream place on the planet but, she can never seem to get any! Poor kid!

Around mid afternoon, we decided to hop on the boats and head to Epcot!

We had no plans other than eating wherever we wanted in the WS and catching the fireworks!

I was DYING for egg rolls and Pot stickers so you know where I headed

I have no idea what everyone else had, I had my blinders on!

Kata had been having a great trip and was super bummed about Gerties being closed that we took her to Mexico and let her have a Churro! She was in heaven!

We wandered and wandered and found our spot for the fireworks! Hubs and I ditched the family and headed over to Mission Space while we had sitters! We came back and everyone was eating burgers. We sat on the ground and helped them finish and then watched the fireworks!

We headed back to POP! Another great day done!

 

[shalom]

He met back up with us to ride on the Great Movie Ride. I swear, we rode this 1,000 times on this trip. It is one of K's favorite things to do!

I'm starting to think K and I have similar tastes!

Wow! In the end, the food was OK. Im sure that had it been a better overall experience, we would have liked the food better. There was no playfulness, nothing. I'm not sure if we would go back!

That is one long, sorry tale. Intellectually, I know that it can be just an off night, particular server, whatever, but not being rational about my vacations, and especially considering how nasty some of my chillins can get when hungry, in your place I'd probably cross that place off for life.

Ya know, there is no easy way to get from resort to resort!

Which is yet another reason I'm glad we drive.