I love credit cards so much!

[Artygal90]

The funniest part is, during their trip my sister was posting on FB the usual lovely family pics, iconic Greek attractions, yummy looking food, etc. Looked like such a perfect vacation. Until they got back and my sister said the kids were miserable brats the whole time. She said they would walk to get ice cream and 5 minutes after leaving their rented castle, the kids would complain they were tired and couldn’t walk anymore.

Wow! What gets me is that they were renting a castle too. You'd think they'd be old enough to appreciate how special that is! But who knows, maybe in the future the kids will remember the trip much differently than the parents. We went on a family vacation to Egypt maybe 20 years ago (we were expats at the time so it wasn't too far but still a big trip) My parents had three kids under the age of ten and we all spent a week sightseeing. Us three sisters were talking about the trip a few years ago with our parents and we were reminiscing about how fun some of the shows we saw were, how much we loved our resort, how special it was to see the pyramids and ride a camel and see mummies and see King Tut's Tomb. We remembered it as an amazing trip, one of the highlights of our childhood.

Our parents' mouths dropped open! "You girls were pills the entire time!" my mother said. "It was one of the worst family trips we ever took!" said my dad. Apparently all we did was whine about how we were hungry, tired, sweaty, and hot, and could we just go back to the pool already, and we didn't like the food, and we thought everything was boring, and we kept getting in fights. So who knows, @CyndiLouWho , maybe your nieces will eventually remember the trip fondly, even if your sister doesn't!

 

[Haley R]

Really dating myself now...but went on it’s a small world at the NY worlds fair in 1964....

I bet it was awesome!

 

[Haley R]

Thats exactly how it was last Oct and I then wrote off oct trips for the future. DD19 and I had a great experience in August though. I think the key is avoid fall breaks, spring breaks, Christmas break/New Years, and 4th of July week, Jersey week, 3 day weekends ...at least thats my plan going forward.

Lol seems like avoiding most of the year works well

 

[disneymagicgirl]

She kept saying, “What is WRONG with you? You are never like this!” She said this both mornings though. Either she was embarrassed and made that up or he had something going on that was bothering him.

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say off-schedule and overtired.

 

[Haley R]

Wow! What gets me is that they were renting a castle too. You'd think they'd be old enough to appreciate how special that is! But who knows, maybe in the future the kids will remember the trip much differently than the parents. We went on a family vacation to Egypt maybe 20 years ago (we were expats at the time so it wasn't too far but still a big trip) My parents had three kids under the age of ten and we all spent a week sightseeing. Us three sisters were talking about the trip a few years ago with our parents and we were reminiscing about how fun some of the shows we saw were, how much we loved our resort, how special it was to see the pyramids and ride a camel and see mummies and see King Tut's Tomb. We remembered it as an amazing trip, one of the highlights of our childhood.

Our parents' mouths dropped open! "You girls were pills the entire time!" my mother said. "It was one of the worst family trips we ever took!" said my dad. Apparently all we did was whine about how we were hungry, tired, sweaty, and hot, and could we just go back to the pool already, and we didn't like the food, and we thought everything was boring, and we kept getting in fights. So who knows, @CyndiLouWho , maybe your nieces will eventually remember the trip fondly, even if your sister doesn't!

Lol sounds like every trip my family went on. My brother and I didn’t get along AT ALL. We are 3-4 years apart so we fought a ton. I remember having a bunch of fun still.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

When my son was 2 and I was pregnant with my daughter..we went to Disney with my in-laws.....dating myself ...but it was in 1990 when Universal opened..my DH and his mom, dad and brother went there one day...so it was just my son and I at MK...I let him pick the rides..we went on it’s a small world...a lot and...watched..Minnies surprise birthday party show for Mickey many times..super relaxing day I still remember

I am about to do this with DD2 in Dec and I am so excited to spend the day just doing what she wants. Previous trips we stand around doing rider swap and waiting on the older siblings. This time I am sending them to Uni and taking just her to mk. Then we get to do it again in Jan! Making memories.

 

[speedyfishy]

Really dating myself now...but went on it’s a small world at the NY worlds fair in 1964....

My gandmothers grandma took her when she was little. I loved going to Disneyland and riding it with my grandma this past January. I hope I can take my grandchildren on the ride on day.

 

[Alexle2007]

Yikes! I guess thats why they say not to go outside the secure port gates. Too bad really. It is such a beautiful island.

Agreed! We’ve been to Beaches Negril several times and have had nothing but awesome experiences. We never left the resort and always felt safe. DS spent hours in the XBox lounge playing with the staff. That article sadly has totally ruined wanting to go back there

 

[disneymagicgirl]

Well DS9's travel hockey team has hired me to make apparel for the fans (parents, etc) to purchase. "Business" is booming over here.

 

[palhockeymomof2]

I am about to do this with DD2 in Dec and I am so excited to spend the day just doing what she wants. Previous trips we stand around doing rider swap and waiting on the older siblings. This time I am sending them to Uni and taking just her to mk. Then we get to do it again in Jan! Making memories.

You’ll have a great time...love doing things as a family of course but one on one time is so fun too...last month while the “boys” played golf my now 28 year old daughter and I went to Epcot and had fun visiting the food and wine booths

 

[disneymagicgirl]

Any suggestions on what should be next for DH?

I am thinking another chase biz card maybe? The amex plat is not showing up yet on his CR so he actually "looks" like 0/30, 0/90, 0/120 PLUS cip to chase.

 

[palhockeymomof2]

Any suggestions on what should be next for DH? View attachment 362292

I am thinking another chase biz card maybe? The amex plat is not showing up yet on his CR so he actually "looks" like 0/30, 0/90, 0/120 PLUS cip to chase.

Maybe the CIC or CIU...depending on which one you get more value from

 

[Artygal90]

Well DS9's travel hockey team has hired me to make apparel for the fans (parents, etc) to purchase. "Business" is booming over here.

That sounds a lot like real business to me! Congrats on the gig!

 

[Alexle2007]

When my son was 2 and I was pregnant with my daughter..we went to Disney with my in-laws.....dating myself ...but it was in 1990 when Universal opened..my DH and his mom, dad and brother went there one day...so it was just my son and I at MK...I let him pick the rides..we went on it’s a small world...a lot and...watched..Minnies surprise birthday party show for Mickey many times..super relaxing day I still remember

We always say this is Alexander’s world and we’re just lucky to be a part of it. At 11, he does occasionally inquire as to what we would like to ride and do, after some negotiation...

 

[GlamMistress]

Well our wdw trip is officially over. We went three times this year and I’m sad to say Dh and I both agreed we might need a long break from wdw. Very crowded and people were extremely rude. We were stressed for most of the trip instead of being relaxed. We both said today we can’t wait to actually get home and relax. We are looking into Phoenix as our next trip before Japan.

Kind of sounds like my Disney trip two weeks ago. Crazy heat, crowds, screaming kids and parents. I will say the second half of my trip was better than the first. And now I can't wait to go back but I was ready to get home this time too which isn't normal for me.

We witnessed so many parents just railing on their kids. The one time we were in line for a QS meal at Disney Springs. The kid was upset and the mom just went BONKERS and starting screaming the F word at the top of her lungs at the kid while smacking him, etc. The rest of her party acted like this was completely normal. That really bothered me.

I'm sorry this trip wasn't relaxing for you. I'm sure your next Disney trip will be better.

 

[Happy814]

My kids are overall pretty good kids, but vacations definitely make me want to get out my soapbox and give my speech about walking uphill in the snow both ways.

They can be so incredibly whiny on vacations. My youngest constantly asks to go back to the hotel to rest and my oldest whines about basically everything.

On Day 5 of incessant whining and my kids being less than 3 feet away from me 24/7 (those Pop rooms are small) you may definitely encounter a scary mom moment outside IASW.

Of course, I don't really scream at them in public. It's more of a very pointed, very scary, teeth gritting forced whisper .

 

[disneymagicgirl]

That sounds a lot like real business to me! Congrats on the gig!

Thanks. It definitely could be. I used to have an Etsy but closed it when dd2 was born. I’ve considered getting back into it but everyday I ask myself where has all the time gone? The hours she is at preschool just fly by!

 

[disneymagicgirl]

Maybe the CIC or CIU...depending on which one you get more value from

I think the CIC would only be good for 5x GC at Staples. Not sure how much I’d use that. I could also put my AT&T internet on there.
Hmmnnn

 

[thevalley]

So I am now 1/4 of the way to a CP. I was instantly approved for sw biz Friday. I asked for expedited shipping and the card came today. Thanks for the help. My dw I think will apply when we fly out Monday. Only 6 more days. It has been hard talking in code so the kids don’t pick up on our BIG surprise.

 

[kmc8826]

I wish more people would let their kids take charge of the vacation. I think some of them want their kids to do certain things that maybe the kids don’t want to do at all. Some kids are terrified of meeting characters but I saw parents forcing them anyway because they wanted a picture.

Right now we are thinking no to dvc but maybe sometime down the road.

I am sorry it was a hard trip.

We just got back too, and agree it was busy and crazy. Best was just hanging out being goofy with the kids and my parents worst was just the amount of people at “special events” like EMM at HS and Mickey’s BBQ (we ate and walked out). We didn’t do the MNSHP.

For us the secret is not doing public transportation (worth it to drive), to always take breaks in afternoon, not be jammed into one hotel room. If you can’t afford a DVC villa or multiple rooms people really should stay off site. Windsor Hills is awesome and cheap compared to onsite. It is as close as AKL. A separate room for parents and a kitchen does wonders. Plus everyone sleeps better.

Breaks for our kids consisted of them crawling into bed and watching the endless loop of Mickey cartoons. I am sad to report that this trip they were too lazy to even want to swim. But we averaged 25k steps a day and no real complaints. I do think parents are more violent and stressed and ridiculously over rely on technology. They are at WDW for heavens sake...why do they need to be playing a game on a tablet?

We did have some weird stuff with CM’s. But I think almost all that a reflection of the people they have to deal with. When I was just a little nice we got pixie dust. (Even little stuff like them charging the 9 year old price for my now 10 year old who eats nothing. Our one TS meal and maybe she appreciated my honesty).

I renewed our AP’s though and am really looking forward to our first DVC trip in January. Count me in the “not done with Disney; sorry but I still love it” column.