I'm scared...

[flyingenie]

I know, you must be asking, why am I scared, 10 days away from my trip, after obsessing about it long and hard?

Well... I'm mainly scared that the rest of my family will be disappointed in the planning I've done and choices I've made. We've done disney before, but not during a peak time like this with special packages and priority seatings.

I'm scared that
* mom, dad & sister will complain about the huge crowds, incessantly
* they will think my PS at Ohana is way too "kiddy"... the youngest kid there, my sis, is 16
* they will think that Ohana's food isn't good (heard mixed reviews)...
* they will be bored to tears with the candlelight processional
* they will think that Chefs de France CP package isn't worth it
* my mom will be bored to tears while waiting for us (she doesn't do many of the thrill rides)
* my sister will complain about waking up to get to the parks before 8 every day

I've obsessed, gotten everyone hyped up, etc. about it, and if it turns out to be a big huge failure with lots of complaining... it will be a surefire way to wreck our Christmas!!

anybody had similar experiences and want to tell me that it'll all be ok?

 

[zippehsmom]

flyingenie, don't worry you will have a great time. We always go in the middle of summer, when it's hot and crowded. My DH hates crowds, heat and is usually grumpy when he has to get up at the crack of dawn. Well, he has always had a good time on our disney trips. I make sure I give him some down time.

We ate at Ohanas to for the first time this past summer. I was concerned that he thought it would be to expensive, but he ended up enjoying himself. He said he was not sure if he'd come back, but he enjoyed his meal.

Nothing is going to go perfectly, but I think everyone will appreciate all the planning and effort you have put into this trip.

BTW, My mom and sister are joining us for the first time this summer. I made it perfectly clear that I like to be at the parks early (like first in line). If they felt like they did not want to get up, then they could me up with us later. Sure I would love for us all to be together, but I understand that sometimes that might not happen (my sister absolutely HATES getting up early).

Don't worry, enjoy your vacation.

zippehsmom

 

[sunking]

We visited the "World" last year beginning December 26th 2003. We took my sister, her husband and their son with us. It was their first trip and we have been many times. During the planning phase of the trip, I kept asking what they wanted to do, what they wanted to see and if they had any preferences as to where we ate. I was willing to put together the reservations but just wanted their input. They kept saying "You've been there so many times. You plan it and we will go". What a mistake. Husband was miserable all of the time and the wife felt caught in the middle and their son didn't have the magical experience that he should have with his first visit to the "World".

We ate a Chef Mickeys on arrival night. Husband got drunk and got lost after leaving early. We had CP reservations at San Angel Inn and husband got bored at CP and left early. Husband constantly making rude comments about the characters and the CM's that were trying to be nice to his son.

Not to scare you but make sure you get them to give some thought to the different things that you have planned and that they agree that it sounds good. You know, have them put a "pound of flesh" into the game.

After the XMAS trip we vowed that we would never travel with others again because of the uncertainity of it all.

Again, I hope you don't have these kinds of problems and have a great trip. Just keep smiling and try to ensure that the kids of the group have a good time.

 

[tiberius]

I
I've obsessed, gotten everyone hyped up, etc. about it, and if it turns out to be a big huge failure with lots of complaining... it will be a surefire way to wreck our Christmas!!

anybody had similar experiences and want to tell me that it'll all be ok?

They would have to be the biggest party poopers around to make it that bad. Several years ago my mother went with us over the New Year's period. I was worried over how she would feel over various things---and she had the time of her life! She still talks about how my planning made things so much easier. I think you should relax a little; if they let the things you mentioned ruin the trip, then they do not deserve what you have done for them.

 

[GrayTigger]

We are five days away and I am starting to second guess myself. The only day I really didn't want it to rain due to a Fantasmic package looks as though may be the only day out of 10 with rain. Do I redo my PS or just stick to them and hope for the best?

On a better note though, we did WDW at Christmas last year and had a GREAT time. I know as soon as we plant our feet on Disney soil all the bad thoughts will melt away. Just know that this is a busy time and get into the right frame of mind. Know that yes you will stand in line and plan accordingly. Have fun things to do during long waits like a small notepad and pen for tic tac toe or teach everyone how to play 20 questions Disney style of course.

 

[CaipiraBob]

* mom, dad & sister will complain about the huge crowds, incessantly
- There will be crowds. Show up early and use Fast Pass.

* they will think my PS at Ohana is way too "kiddy"... the youngest kid there, my sis, is 16
- They will eat so much they will forget what planet they are on.

* they will think that Ohana's food isn't good (heard mixed reviews)...
-Untrue. It's a very nice meal. If this is their first time they will surely be impressed.

* they will be bored to tears with the candlelight processional
-Bored to tears? That's what they'll <i>tell</i> you. (yeah, right!)

* they will think that Chefs de France CP package isn't worth it
(Think Homer Simpson drooling) I found CDF to be one of the best quality meals at Disney... and I hate France (just not at Epcot.) Try the Grand Marnier Souffle for desert.

* my mom will be bored to tears while waiting for us (she doesn't do many of the thrill rides)
-Give her the camera. Tell her she is the vacation "archiver". She will be building memories and that will mean a great deal to her, unless she is "Mom-zilla".

* my sister will complain about waking up to get to the parks before 8 every day
Since when did you ever listen to your sister? Wait until mom isn't looking and slug her a good one. Blame "Goofy".

Relax, enjoy and know that on your worst day you are at DISNEY!!!

 

[bjakmom]

flyingenie - take a deep breath When I took my family last Jan for my 50th birthday we did hit a little family 'turbulence' , but never over the special events or PSs I had planned - everyone loved and enjoyed those things - dinner at O'Hana's (our youngest was 15, next to the 5 mos old) and no one thought it was the least bit 'kiddie', but we did enjoy watching the kids having fun with the games - we ate. . and ate. . and ate. . then watched Wishes from a beautiful perspective. DD (24) even remarked "Wow, this is where Wishes is really meant to be seen from".

What started easing the tensions for us was when we (OK, "I" ) stopped trying to all stay together every moment during the day - I let the kids who wanted to sleep in meet up with us later, one day the gang was flagging and I suggested those who were tired go back for a swim, others stayed and enjoyed the parade. So my advise would be to give everyone a little space and a few options the night before and plan how you will meet up for the shows/PSs - a 16 yo forced to get up early every AM when on vacation can easily ruin things for everyone else - I know !! - so let her sleep in, if you are staying on site she can easily manage the transportation system if she's done WDW before (and she will feel very independent and happy to be making her own decisions ... when she realizes that she's missing a lot of fun, she may be willing to get up and join you all on her own !)

I just took my sis and my DNeph (7) to CP this past Monday for our first time - get there early ! We got in line 20 mins before the 6:45 show and the theater was already packed when we got in - we sat in the first few rows behind reserved seating all the way to the right - we could still see and hear just fine - the show was fabulous !!! We looked at the positive and said "we'll be the first out of the theater" - and we were! However, the woman who sat directly behind us arrived 5 mins before the show and ranted on and on to the CMs about how much $$ she had paid for dinner (we had done the highest tier package also) and she could not believe they didn't have a better seat for her - her poor mother was mortified - they moved her up to the very front, not a better seat IMHO, but she just wanted to feel special and she got to sit in front of the rope ! - I can't imagine anyone being bored to tears at CP - we were 'moved' to tears !!

I love the suggestion to give your mom the camera - this is one of the things I enjoy most while waiting - capturing the memories.

You can never tell about a meal, Coral Reef consistently gets slammed, but I booked here because DNeph loves fish - we had a fabulous !!! meal here and sat right in front of the tank - our waiter, Kevin from Kissimmee by way of Ireland, was a sheer delight - kept us laughing through our whole meal!

Gray Tigger - rain was forecast for most of our days - there were threads written about it here on the DIS - we never saw a single drop and the forecasted 70s ended up being 80s !!! - so you never know - Fla weather is very unpredictable - in August we decided to walk over to MGM in the rain for Fantasmic - we just put our ponchos on and sat in the stands, eating hot dogs in the rain with a few other crazy die hards - it was the only night that trip to see it, so we figured what the heck - low and behold, literally 5 minutes before the show the rain just stops - everyone comes out from under their ponchos and umbrellas and we were front and center in a practically empty stadium for a fabulous Fantasmic !!!

You've just got to go with the flow. . . and Enjoy !!!
(as in life, every little thing will not be 'perfect', your level of enjoyment will depend on how you handle the 'bumps')

 

[ErinInCT]

Flyingenie,
I think your family will be very grateful for the work you did to plan the trip. My dh gets mad at me for spending hours, days, months planning our trip & then he (when we are on vacation) is so happy that someone did the leg work & made it special by knowing so many "secrets". You cannot be in control of everyone in your party & you are not responsible for their "feelings". Many things will be out of your control (crowds, weather, etc) so try not to take things personally if someone is not happy 100% of the time!! You have done the planning, now it is time for you to enjoy your plans. If others are not in agreement, you can suggest that they plan the next trip!!
Go, have a great time, give us your trip report so we can see how it went!!

 

[fizz13]

i do not have any brilliant advice to add to what's already here, but just to tell you to take a deep breath, count to ten and release...now does that feel better. I think when you have done all the work, you feel the pressure for everyone in your party. believe me, there is no way better to not have fun than when you are bound and determined that EVERYONE MUST HAVE FUN!
I think what you need to do is give yourself a break from the boards (as lovely as we all are LOL, put away all disney books, maps etc. and go see a movie or read a trashy novel, anything to give you a total disney break for a while. Maybe it will put things into perspective for you.
BTW I am sure they are gonna have a wonderful time. Who couldn't in the most magical place on earth. Relax, enjoy and I'm blowing lots of pixie dust your way.
Claire

 

[Took]

Good advice in many posts above. Also, remember, you can only control whether YOU enjoy the things you have planned. Let others determine their own feelings and live with them. You can't make them have fun nor are you responsible for their joy. You've planned things MOST disney people would love. If they don't love them, too, well, maybe it's just not their thing and that's not your fault. In short, have fun yourself--you've earned it!

 

[flyingenie]

thanks all for the much-needed advice! I think, yes, I need to sit back and take a breather I will definitely be writing this up after all the planning! Thanks again!

 

["thegirls"]

I did not have your worries ahead of time for our Christmas visit starting on Christmas day and ending on Jan 2 last year but I probably should have!!! I go about 6 times ayear and have experienced every other 'busy' holiday but Christmas to this point! I did not heade(?sp?) the warnings and thought I could just pull a few 'tricks' out from my hat of 'special and little known secrets' ..... BUT... as quick as our second day we all learned a hard lesson....If your NOT in the parks early you will be one of the shocked and amazed people starring at a 240 minute stand-by wait time for the not so new rides, such as test track in epcot! It will take your Sis one day of that craziness to change her mind about getting up early to actually get on rides with a decent wait time(non-existent to 20 minutes). You sound prepared and you will do well. If the others doubt your wisdom just get up late one day and mosey on into say Epcot around 10a.m. and 'sunder' on over to TT for a closed fast past kiosk(sold-out usually around 9:30a.m.) and a 3 hour wait time...that should wake everyone up to appreciate your dedication and wisdom!!
But remember my analogy is during the actual week of Christmas...your experience may be a bit less extreme!!
Good Luck and E N JO Y !!!!!!


P.S. the Candlelight Processional is sooooo spiritually uplifting that only an agnostic could NOT enjoy it!!!!

 

[lllovell]

You sound just like me Flyin. I want everyone to have a GREAT time and sometimes it means that I don't when I am upset that they are not reacting as I want them to. It took me FOREVER to realize that no matter how much I love Disney, hubby comes to be with us and the boys, but its never going to be his favorite place on earth. He doesn't have a bad time, but he doesn't share our enthusiam for the place. The last time we were there with low wait times (5 minutes or less) the boys and I ran from line to line and left him sitting on a bench for a while. He was happy, we were happy. It worked.

The biggest mistake you can make is trying to coordinate everyone ALL day every day. Make it very clear when the PS arrangements have been made. Make it quite clear that they need to be there on time (or 15 minutes early - whatever you think is best) and other than that, you hope to see them and do things with them, but you are there to have a BLAST! I loved the last poster's advice about letting them get there late. Hubby used to drag butt in the morning and not want to get there early, but he has finally discovered that if we go early, our sons (2 and 4) can get a nap in the afternoon, enjoy the pool maybe and miss the hottest part of the day and we all have a better trip.

I plan and he doesn't listen. I get frustrated because I feel like he doesn't care and honestly, maybe he doesn't...not to the level that I do. BUT BUT BUT He is there, for me and the kids and he does have a good time and likes some things about it (he is ready for "big kid" rides, so next time, I am going to try to let him go and ride more of those while we ride Pooh for the 22nd time ) The CP was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen (ate in Germany - yummy and then got in after walking to the back of this really really long line - I was worried, but we had a seat and in the middle too! It was fantastic) but it rained and rained and rained. We got a little wet (i.e. had to wear different shoes the next day and two days later ours were not dry lol) but you know what we also got? A FANTASTIC view of Illuminations after the show. My mother in law was with us, her first trip, and she is NEVER happy with the things we do for her (that sort of oh yes..that was nice...without meaning it thing) and she was THRILLED this whole trip. So even if hubby doesn't have the best time, I know I am doing the right things to make the trip great. pphooey on him (I am just happy he goes and is not grumpy even if I cannot get him excited about it sometimes)

Have a blast!!! YOU deserve it after all the hard work you have done to make this trip a success.