My "not such a dream come true" vacation

[hebbynan]

My long anticipated surprise trip to WDW for my 2 boys turned out to be a nightmare!! Let me explain:

We met up with the in-laws at a park and ride just over the MD/PA line. Just after we got on I-695 from I-83, at 3:30am mind you, we were hit from behind by a drunk driver. He put a 3 foot hole in the back of our Jayco 21' Feather Light. Thanks to DH's police driver training, he kept the accident from being worse than it could have been. Dh said he could read the entire side of our camper in his door mirror!! Yikes!! After he pulled off, we all ran to the driver of the other car (that went backwards across 4 lanes of traffic into the median) to see if the driver was okay. Well, drunks are apparently very limber!! He was fine, but his car sure wasn't = Camper 1 / Ford Tarus 0. DH smelled alcohol on him and I was so proud - he showed such restraint because I thought for sure he was going to kill him!! Needless to say, almost 2 hours later and after watching Mr. Drunk be handcuffed and taken away, we get moving again. Duct Tape rules!!! There was no damage to the hitch or the frame of our truck, so being the loyal campers we are, we just duct taped the hole shut to keep out the drizzle and we proceeded on. Due to all the adrenaline, there was no way DS's 3 and 7 we're going to sleep now!!

That's the last excitement we had until we pulled into the FT on Sunday afternoon. FW is beautiful! It was our 4th trip to WDW, but our first to FW. Wow, that really is a resort in itself! We didn't even do any of the things there that they have to offer. Most of the following week was uneventful (expcept for my FIL who at times had tantrums far worse than those of my 3 year old!!). We had a ball and alas, the time came to leave.

We set out at 9am on Saturday 10/13 for home. Around 1 pm that day, our cell phone rang and we found out that DH's grandpa had a massive heart attack. This was my FIL's Dad, so they dropped their trailer in SC to make better time to get there before he passed away. We stopped in NC for the night with the boys because they just couldn't travel straight through. My MIL called at 11pm that night and said that he had passed away. They didn't make it home to say good bye (they were still in VA). DH was crushed as was my FIL. We never saw this one coming. So, we drove the rest of the way home with heavy hearts on Sunday.

On Monday in addition to the 12 loads of laundry I had to do, I spent all day on the phone with the insurance claim adjusters and my in-laws regarding the funeral arrangements. A vacation that I had looked forward to for a year ended up being one of the worst weeks in my life. The only redeeming thing was the look on my boys' faces when we walked thru the gates of the MK. I never saw such wonder and amazement in all my life. I lived WDW thru them and it was as if I'd never seen it before in my entire life. That alone was the only thing that made it all worth while!!!

Although DH said that he will never again tow to Florida, we will still visit WDW in the future, but I'm afraid it's All Star's for us from here on out.

I just want to thank everyone for all the advice and tips that I'd read on here over the last year. It was some very useful information!!!

Thanks again!!

Heather in York, PA

 

[ntsammy5]

I'm so sorry......

 

[Gatordad]

Sorry to hear about your troubles.... That's a shame in every sense of the word. I hope things work out better for you in the coming weeks.

 

[hebbynan]

Aww, thanks! It just felt nice to be able to vent about it to people who would understand. Everyone at work was just "oh, it was just a camper" or "well, it was just Disney". Thanks for understanding!

 

[LegoMom3]

Big group hug for you!!! Oh my word, what a trip. I've always been hesitant about towing our pop-up from NH, and now I really don't want to do it! SO glad you all came out ok after being hit.

So sorry for your family loss, too...That's so sad for you all. I'm so glad you have the memory of your kids' faces when entering MK! That is priceless, isn't it?

Glad you enjoyed The Fort. Duct tape rules!

 

[Tink51]

What a sad week for you. I'm so sorry to hear this, but you will have the memory of your children's joy to soften the sadness. I'm a former Yorker now living in Florida and just wanted to add my condolences.

 

[cajunpeach]

so sorry for your family loss and the rough trip down.

 

[Duane]

I'm really sorry to hear about your experiences, however, I'm afraid you guys have been "bitten" by the Ft. Wilderness BUG. From now on, no other resort at WDW will compare to spending time at the Fort.
At the All Stars, you won't be able to hear the sound of the boat horns sounding before leaving for the Wilderness Lodge or Magic Kingsom.

You won't be able to hear the sounds of the Electric Water Parade on Bay Lake at night.

You won't be able to rent a canoe and explore the canals.

Your boys won't be able to explore for lizards and armadillos that are rumaging around in the vegetation in the evening.

You won't be able to experience the sense of peace and calm as you drive past the security gate and past the Outpost.

You won't be able to enjoy a morning cup of coffee while sitting under your awning watching parents drag their sleepy kids to the bath house for morning chores.

You might as well not fight it. Go ahead and make ressies for next year for another stay at the fort......

Keep the faith and give it another try......

Duane

 

[ILoveDisney&Cruising]

I am so sorry to hear about your very difficult & sad week!

 

[AuburnJen92]

I hope things go better for you. It is tough enough coming back from vacation without what you are dealing with. It makes the Disney withdrawl that much harder. I am glad that your Disney experience wasn't like the rest. Please try FW again, it is so worth it.

 

[Us3]

So sorry for your loss....

 

[dreambound]

Oh that is just rotten, but I am SO glad that your family that was in the rv is safe and sound. Kudos to your dh for his quick-thinking and safe driving skills.

When I first responded, I had missed the part about your loss. My condolences to your family.

Meg

 

[bradisgoofy]

Please add my condolences to your family. I can understand your pain, my Mother passed away two weeks before we left for our most recent trip to FW. We had to drive from Michigan to Chicago to intern her ashes and then the next day we headed for FW.

I have often heard it said not to make any quick decisions after the death of a family member. Wait at least six months before making that final decision about FW and camping.

Please let your husband know I understand how hard it must have been to deal with a drunk driver especially when your family is involved. I was a Deputy for 20 years and many times I wanted to take the law into my own hands with a drunk driver.

 

[terri01p]

We planned our trip to WDW for two years before we went in April and it came darn close to being as bad as yours. Our dog of 11 years died 5 days before we left, that's not to compare with your loss but it still sucked. My dd had to go to the hospital as soon as we got to florida, and she stayed sick the entire trip. We had a massive tire blow out on the way home. I felt like I worked myself to death trying to keep the tt clean, I had no system worked out. HDDR lost our reservations but still worked us in, we couldn't see anything because of a dang pole and we still had to pay for my dd even though she was to sick to go.
My dh lost his indiana jones 50.00 hat on splash mountain trying to look cool for the picture. There were many pluses, but I just wanted to join in with you to let you know no matter how much you plan crap still happens.

 

[hebbynan]

Thanks everyone!! You've all made me feel much better!! I knew I could count on my fellow DIS FW friends to cheer me up! As my DS7 would say...."you guys rock!"

We might try another round at FW, but maybe in the cabins. And despite all the bad points about this trip.....DH is still talking about returning in 3 years when the boys are a little older. But this time we'd be staying at Shades of Green with my parents.

Thanks again everyone!

 

[Colson39]

Very sorry to hear about all the troubles you had on this trip. Hopefully future trips will have a lot more magic pre and post trip

 

[loveDmouse]

So sorry for your loss and your troubles during your trip.

I hope next trip will be overflowing with magic.

 

[des1954]

Wow, you really did have a lot of tragic events. I'm sorry for your difficulty and for the loss of DH's grandfather.

I do agree with the OP (Duane) who said you've been bitten by the FW Bug, however. Let the dust settle from this vacation & you will soon be talking about taking your TT back to FW. I'm very glad you were still able to salvage your trip and that the damage to your camper wasn't a total loss. Duct tape is truly the "handyman's helper"!

After all the years of lectures, commercials and tragedy's, people still don't get the message: DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE!!! How hard is that to understand?

I hope things look up for you from here, on.

Debbie ♥

 

[DL55]

I'm sorry for the loss of your DH's grandfather.
The accident was a terrible start to your trip. You were lucky no one was injured and you were able to continue.
Since I live in drunk driver mecca, I never travel after midnight or before 5 am. Maybe on your next trip to FW you could plan to stop somewhere half way down so you could drive during safer(?) hours. (Don't know how bad the traffic is along your route).

 

[Gillian]

I'm glad you're feeling a bit better. I'm sorry about the loss of your DH's grandfather and the accident. It's good it all turned out ok, with no one injured, and the magic of WDW somewhat intact!

Although most here are campers, we have tried the cabins and they're quite nice! A bit pricey, but lots of space and a kitchen.