I WAS so excited about WDW, now I'm not...

[MissyWV]

We're going to WDW Thanksgiving week (My mom, sister, my 10 yr old son and I). I have been totally immersed into planning this trip for the last 6 weeks or so. You know...reading everything I can get my hands on, scouring this budget board, planning, making hotel reservations, planning, budgeting and planning some more to the point that I have even been dreaming about planning LOL I am so excited that I'm ready to pack and go NOW!!

The problem is - nobody else seems all that excited about going, so I made a point of printing information for my mother and sister to read and watching the video WDW sent, just to see if it will help them get "into the magic". It hasn't worked! Mom has her heart set on doing Discovery Cove and now my sister wants to cut the budget and she and mom are only planning on going into the parks for 2 days. I told them if they wanted to cut the budget....my son and I are going to skip the $230 discovery cove tickets and spend the $30 more for a 4 day PH and just spend another day at the parks. Neither one of them can imagine how we can spend three whole days in the parks - they have no interest in going to epcot - blah blah (and yes, I've been wondering what planet they came from). Now it seems like my son and I will be totally doing our own thing and I am SO disappointed. I'm wondering why we have even planned this "family" trip in the first place. I had hoped to experience the magic WITH my mother and sister.

I know that I'll get over this and I'll just take extra special care in making sure that my son and I have a trip of a lifetime, but for right now I just needed to whine a little since they burst my bubble.

 

[mickeymousefan]

I think you will have a great time as long as you spend more time making it magical for your son than for your mother and sister. If they want to do there own thing every so often, it will give you and your son time to do your own thing too. That can be a good thing, especially if you guys move at different paces.
As for them not being excited, some people dont get excited about things. My husband never gets excited about our trips beforehand. Once we are there though, he turns into a little kid again and loves it!!. Dont let their "unexcitedness" ruin your trip or your planning. You only live once and you have to do what makes the trip great for you and your son.

 

[Doodlebug939]

I will be there Thanksgiving week as well with my family. My sister and her son with his wife and their 4 children under age 5. My sister is a very young grandmother she is only 44.

My mom is going and she had her hip replaced so she has no desire to do many rides.

Are you going to have your own vehicle? If not I would look at renting an economy car for you and your son.

As far as our trip. I have made all the planning from the home rental, airline, car, tickets and my sister has contributed the credit card that is it. She is into it but she has her own plans of what she wants to do. I have explained that if there is a place to eat on Thanksgiving week she should make plans now so I can reserve them. Nope not a thing.

So I am doing everything that I can to make sure that my kids and husband have a great time. I think that our vacation may end up being more of a meeting up at the house in the evening kind of trip. I dont mind really but it sounds like you are similar to me in that you have ideas of what you want the trip to be but unfortunately I have learned that I cant change people.

I know you will have a wonderful trip and there will be special moments with each of your family members and they will be wonderful. It might not be the exact way that you want but it will be special. Never fear it will all work out.

Also my mom and husband are they type of people who dont get excited till they are in the car so I can relate. I am excited from the first day of the reservation is made.

 

[punkin]

I went on a Thanksgiving trip with my DH and 2 DDs and my sister's family-2 adults and my DN. I made ressies for all of us to eat on Thanksgiving day; I got up at 7 am to call for CRT (my niece is HEAVY into Cinderella) - my sister overslept and did not call; they all refused to plan which rides they wanted or even which parks they wanted to do when. When we got to Florida (My familly drove, they flew) they did not want to rent the car I reserved for them because, hey-we can all fit into the minivan. I let them do whatever they wanted while I took my kids where I had planned. I only insisted that the one day we had CRT ressies at MK (Friday after thanksgiving) they had o follow me and do everything I told them for 2 hours. After that I would leave them alone. We followed a strict touring plan and my sister called me "the general" but after 2 hours we did not stand in any long lines and we were now getting on attractions with no lines while the attractions we had already gone on had 2 hour lines (this was Friday after thanksgiving-very crowded)

I've been to Disney twice with my sister after this trip. She still refusess to plan, but now she says "just tell me what to do and I'll do it"

Relax, you will have fun regardless.

 

[BRIANSMOM]

I really hope everything works out for you and your family. Just make sure your son has fun and does not get caught up in the family squabbles.

Each year my sister (lives in GA), (I live in Louisiana) plan on a trip to Orlando. We drive to her house and then go to FL. When she doesn't go, we fly. This year me, my mom, my son and his friend (they are 10) and one of my friends drove to my sisters in SW GA. We then drove to Daytona, then ORlando. This turned out to be the worst trip of my life. Her boyfriend harrassed her the whole trip. He is alienating her from her family and it is working. I hate him and although he was going to go on this trip in the beginning, I was dreading it and glad he did not go. She stayed mad at the world and when we tried to talk to her about what he was doing to her, she screamed and hollered at us and we could get no where with her. Therefore our days at the parks were very stressed and I had to beg my mom to do the parks with us.

I hope you have a good trip, but I have figured out not to take the whole family. Me and my son and his friend have had better times with just us and that will be the way I do it the next times.

 

[MissyWV]

Thanks all for the words of support! I guess that I was just expecting too much. This whole trip started out as being for my son after a pretty rough year (divorce, step-brothers moved out, broke off his front teeth, tons of dental work, then braces! lol) I'm just going to remember that and not worry about anything else. The funny thing is that my mom, sister and I are very close.

I just can't imagine how they could NOT want to go to MGM or Epcot!! How many things do you think my son and I can cram into 3 or 4 days??? I bet we have a blast!!

Thanks all!!

 

[CheapMom]

If you haven't already done so- request the planning DVD/video to be sent to their homes immediately!

Missy- Try to get them to compromise- and get 3 day hoppers from Alamo.

If they are decided that they will only do 2 days then have fun with them on those days and while you are together. You and your son will have a blast at Epcot and MGM. When I went with my family and my sisters family I found days apart to be nice because on those days we could just do what we wanted at our own pace without having to consider their needs and wants. (That came out sounding selfish but I think you know what I mean.)

Have a great trip!!!

 

[michmouse]

I can totally relate with you. My DH is not a big Disney fan. In fact, it would not bother him if we never went again. However, do I have news for him. We (DH, myself, my mom, DDs 4&6, DSs 2&2) are going Dec. 4-8. I am so excited, have been waiting since June to make my PS arrangements and I still have to wait until Sept. I want to talk and plan and talk and plan some more. He will talk about it on Dec. 3 and be excited then. What about all the planning time between now and then? Don't they get it?

 

[Cinders]

Aren't families grand? We've tried for years to get M-I-L to go with us to FL and WDW but she always makes excuses not to go. Now all of a sudden she is going with DHs younger brother (28 years old) who has no children and no spouse. My kids were very disappointed. Then I thought I'd try to see if they needed any help planning the trip. She told me its taken care of he got them a $250 hotel at WDW for only $70 and they'll be at WDW for 3 days. Asked B-I-L which resort he got. Turns out he chose Sports. And to top it off they're going this month so I'd bet he could have gotten a mod for that price. I asked what passes he got....he thinks he'll just pick up a 3 day pass when he gets there. DH winked at me and shook his head. I swear I give up helping family members. DH told me to just wait until they get back and start complaining about the resort room being small, the heat and how they couldnt park hop or they had to buy extra days that they won't use. DH said I then could say "You should have asked for help"

 

[MermaidsMom]

Remember Eunice on the old Carol Burnett show? She would always try to get everyone in the family excited about things and they would give her such a hard time. They never liked what she liked or wanted to do what she wanted to do! It was very funny to watch, but there is a real kernel of truth to those skits! And as soon as she was totally discouraged and said she didn't want to do the things she had been so excited about, then they would suddenly want to do it.....I would agree with those other posters who have said to have fun with your most important family member, your son! Have a wonderful trip

 

[Blueberry]

We sometimes go with the kids and their spouses, grandkids, my brother and family and once in awhile my folks go..All of us have differnt tastes in touring and we gave up long ago on planned touring together...

Generally we each take off our own way and meet up for lunch or dinner. We sometimes take the grandkids with us, or Mom and Dad for a bit, or else we might spend an afternoon here or there with each family. It works out well, I live near these people and see them all the time, and we do see the kids at WDW, but we let them do their own family thing too..

I saw go with your son, have the trip of a lifetime and if they want to sit in the hotel and watch tv all the time, that is fine it is their vacation time to spend anyway they want...

 

[buzz2400]

Every year my ds and I go to orlando and every year my ds asks his aunts, counsins, etc. to go with us. The same response every year is no. In a way I am glad because the more people that are involved the more stuff you can't do because you have to do what the majority wants. So every year my ds and I pack our bags and go to orlando and do whatever the two of us wants. I can tell you this my ds has a lot of good memories. Just plan on going to the parks with your ds and have a great time. Since you said you are close to your mom and sister, you can just remind them that your ds has gone through a lot and it would be great if they went with you to the parks.
P.S. my ds also has gone to discovery cove and loved it. you ds might too. not too many people have swam with a dolphin.

 

[ceecee]

My inlaws all live in FL, so we try and meet. SIL is only 15 min from Disney...but doesn't like the parks anymore!!! BIL and wife and 6 yr old stay onsite with us (it's a 2 hr drive for them) but only for three days (thankfully). They only want to go to the parks for 2 days. They are buying one day tickets and can't park hop!!! It happens every year. This will be the fourth year meeting them and we always end up missing a ton of stuff because they like to wander aimlessly thru their one park a day! Last year we split up but the girls wanted to stay together! They don't trust us to watch their daughter so the girls ended up crying. Also DD and I were off to ride Splash Mountain for the 4th time (no waits) but their DD already rode that ride twice and said she couldn't go....yeap, more tears. I think we will meet them at Animal Kingdom this year or was that Magic Kingdom!!! I might forget! HAHA

 

[lou7401]

Maybe they'll get more excited once they get there so perhaps you should try to keep your options open in terms of what you want to do there? Even if they never feel any "magic" don't worry about it have a good time yourself and with ds. I'm the only person in my family who feels Disney "magic" - hubby and the kids don't care if they are at Disney or at Cedar Point (Ohio). Hubby actually thinks Cedar Point is better (maybe I should leave him there while I go to Disney! LOL) They still have a good time though!

 

[starwood]

I've done Disney World and Disneyland with MIL and Disney World with mother. Next August we are doing Disneyland with both of them . Neither one of them can walk very fast (although MIL CAN when she wants to). They both hate the heat. I think I'll leave them on a bench somewhere with a walkie talkie and make the rounds. At least on the ship they won't have much walking to do.

 

[HappyLawyer]

i say have enough excitment for everyone, i take my mom also and she does not get excited until we arrive, we are excited with and for you --(your extended family)

 

[Madi100]

Honestly, it sounds like the perfect vacation to me. For some reason my family always wants to go to Disney with us. Last trip I guess we took my mom, but my step-mom wanted to go. It definitely would not have fit under the category of "Magical Gatherings". So, this next trip my dad and step-mom want to join us. Great. However, I enjoy doing our own thing too. So, maybe it will be great for you and your son to explore by yourselves and not have to worry about making anyone else happy. Yet at the same time, you are taking a family vacation with others.

 

[bexareaglecheryl]

Hi! I know it's been a while since there was a posting here but was doing some searching and thought I'd chime in. We're planning a trip with my extended family (my mom and dad, DSis and BIL (note the lack of a D) and their 2 girls, DSis and her two kids and me family, me, DH, DS and DD(both kids are teens). THe 4 of us are WDW fanatics and although we haven't been in almost 4 years (damn those post 9-11 job layoffs and extended periods of unemployment), we eat drink think and dream of WDW. I've been planning our Nov. trip since August of 03. Planning to me is half the fun and brings about great excitement. I know that there has been talk here of a little bit of a let down right before you go, once the planning is over and you're actually starting to think about the nitty gritty of the trip.

Don't think of it as a vacation. Think of it as a trip. You and your son will have a blast if you can separate yourself from your family's lack of enthusiasm. You can not make some one else get excited or have fun. You can lay the ground work and have a good time yourself. If you are stressing out, then it will only make the trip less fun for you and your son and your mom and sis will start to wonder what all the fuss was about over WDW anyway. Let them go there own way during the day and then meet up for a PS in the evening or go on an Illuminatins cruise. Your son will have some happy memories with his grandmother and aunt and you wont be stressed. Let it go! Dont worry about something that hasn't even happend yet. That's what I keep telling myself! Haha!

 

[MissyWV]

bexareaglecheryl:
Oh my! It sounds like you are going to have your hands full on your vacation!! lol I wish you the best of luck and fun! Hey - we're going at the same time aren't we?

Since I posted, I have come to terms with the fact that my idea for this vacation and my mom and sis's ideas are just different and I'm not going to let it dampen my spirits or change my plans. I have told both of them (VERY VERY NICELY) that I am making plans for my son and I and when I am finished obsessing over them I will let them see and they can plan what they would like to do.

We are officially going to swim with the dolphins at Discovery Cove on Thanksgiving Day!! I wanted to avoid the Disney parks on that day because of crowds, but we wanted to do something special and special it will be!!!

I am SO excited - every week it just keeps getting worse. I have already bought odds and ends for the trip and they are already packed in a suitcase / tote (which are laying out in a spare room already!)

Thanks for the kind words!

 

[Rhongepooh]

I know EXACTLY how you feel! My 9 year old is as excited as I am. The 15 year old changes as her and her boyfriend have arguments. But my hubby is DRIVING ME NUTS!!!! He is the one who said we could go in October. I've been busy looking for hotels and tickets (we usually stay on grounds but this trip we will be at Disney's Best Western. He says that I have already ruined his trip by constantly trying to get things together. I finally told him that me and the girls need a good fun vacation. If he didn't want to go that would be ok but IF he DID go there would be NO fussing, NO complaining and NO pouting!