Missing the Mouse

[moxiecola]

DH had been laid off steadily for over 2 years. Our last trip was in '05. We were in the process of planning our next trip when his lay off started. I had to cancel everything (which just KILLED me to do). He has just started a new job and although the idea of a Disney trip is in the back of my mind I just don't see how it's possible. We are so deep in the hole it's going to take us FOREVER to get out of it. In the meantime the kids are growing up and I feel like we are missing out on memories we will cherish forever. My oldest was in 5th grade the last trip and some of the magic of seeing Disney through a child's eyes had disappeared then. He's a freshman now so I know that innocense will be gone. The next kid down is 12 and a young 12 at that, he is still in "believe" mode (even with Santa)...I would really like him to experience Disney once more before that disappears.
Any kind of trip is hard for us as we live in New England and there are 7 of us. So to get to Disney is not a hop, skip & a jump. It hits the wallet hard.
Thanks for letting me vent a little...missing Disney is HORRIBLE. If anyone will understand it's the folks here on the boards.

 

[deuceswild10]

That's great that DH found a job!!

You are closer to the Mouse than you were a few months ago!

 

[bankgirl05]

DH had been laid off steadily for over 2 years. Our last trip was in '05. We were in the process of planning our next trip when his lay off started. I had to cancel everything (which just KILLED me to do). He has just started a new job and although the idea of a Disney trip is in the back of my mind I just don't see how it's possible. We are so deep in the hole it's going to take us FOREVER to get out of it. In the meantime the kids are growing up and I feel like we are missing out on memories we will cherish forever. My oldest was in 5th grade the last trip and some of the magic of seeing Disney through a child's eyes had disappeared then. He's a freshman now so I know that innocense will be gone. The next kid down is 12 and a young 12 at that, he is still in "believe" mode (even with Santa)...I would really like him to experience Disney once more before that disappears.
Any kind of trip is hard for us as we live in New England and there are 7 of us. So to get to Disney is not a hop, skip & a jump. It hits the wallet hard.
Thanks for letting me vent a little...missing Disney is HORRIBLE. If anyone will understand it's the folks here on the boards.

I do understand oh, so well... I am missing Disney too,thanks to an injury at work and a resulting surgery. I know that it is hard to admit this, but considering the age of your kids, Disney just might not be the place for family vacations anymore. You may have to revisit in a few years as just a "couple"...

Maybe you can put your head together and create some memories closer to home like a near by campground. Usually you can camp cheaply, and if you don't have gear, ask around, I am sure you know someone who can loan you some!!!I Know, camping may not be for everyone, and by everyone, I mean me, but one weekend out of your life isn't really going to kill you, and by you, I mean me, and think of all the funny stories you'll have for the rest of your life. Like the time we went camping and mom walked into a spider web, and then while she was dancing the hee-bee-gee-bee gig, she startled a squirrel so bad it threw acorns at her...

I guess the point I am trying to make is that your kids will appreciate so much more if you don't go into debt trying to create a perfect vacation, and then spend the next few months or years afterwards fighting or fretting about money. They just want you to spend time with them, I'm sure.

 

[kandb]

Maybe you can plan a economical trip for a year or two from now. Maybe put a little money aside every paycheck and plan on driving, staying outside of disney and try to get an efficiency so you can do some of your own food preparation. It's hard but I would still try to go if you can. Good luck.

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

I just wanted you to know that I totally understand! We've NEVER been on a family vacation, just us. My IL's flipped the bill for a 2009 trip to WDW and the last 2 years I've been trying to get us back. I had a PTR called the Neverending PTR! 2010 was our worst year ever, we almost lost our house, and it felt like we were so deep that we would never be able to get out of the hole we were in and get back to WDW. My kids never got to experience WDW young and I was sad about that. They are 11, 16, & 17 and last year I felt like our time as a family, vacationing, was slipping away b/c they were getting older! So (after rambling, sorry!) I just wanted you to never give up hope and keep working towards it! It's never too late, my boys are teens and still excited about our trip that we are finally taking in January, after many postponements and cancellations! It will happen for you too, and the magic never goes away if you don't let it! Hang in there!

 

[Aliceacc]

I didn't go to Disney World until I was 17. As a fresh high school graduate, I went down with 2 friends for 4 days in my first ever "adult" vacation without any parents.

I'm one of 5 kids and I grew up on Long Island; that sort of vacation simply didn't happen.

But we all grew up happy and healthy, emotionally unscarred.

I know the financial situation hurts you, and you wish you could do what you want for you kids. But they're OK. They're growing up in a happy home, where their parents support each other. They're not missing going to Disney the way you're missing it. MOST kids on the planet and in the US aren't like the DIS kids; for them Disney is a distant dream, something they hope to experience someday, and not an annual event.

Hang in there.