Never Again With Relatives!!

[JLTraveling]

If your group can't even make it through the planning stages without wanting to kill each other, that may be a sign to just call off the trip! Still, we had some fun and learned a lot in the process.

Cast of Characters:

Me, Lisa, early 30s -- I was practically raised at Disney, and worked there several times. I love Universal equally, and have also worked there. I've traveled a lot, and I'm used to delays/surprises. I generally go with the flow and am not real picky.

DF, my dad, Andy, mid-50s -- A Disney nut to the highest degree. Goofball sense of humor, lots of fun to hang out with. Absolutely loves showing people the parks and sharing bits of trivia along the way. Up for anything, and always manages to find the good in any person or situation. Also travels extensively. Disabled with an ECV and a GAC.

DC, my cousin, M., mid-20s -- M.'s my dad's brother's daughter. She moved with her mom to TN after her parents split up when she was little. She came to FL every summer until age 12. She had a rough childhood, and my parents kind of took her in over the summers. More like a sister than a cousin, but we hadn't seen each other much in 10 years.

DCIL, M.'s husband, J., mid-20s -- He's never been on vacation. His biggest trip was a drive with his brother to Biloxi from Nashville, straight there and straight back. We took him to a haunted house in Alabama when we were there a couple of years ago, a two-hour drive from his house, and it was a big deal trip for him. Big, quiet, and seemingly laid-back.

DU, M.'s dad, my dad's brother, S., mid-50s -- A real enigma. Sometimes loves us, sometimes hates us. Used to love Disney, but hasn't had the money to go in years, though he lives an hour away. Currently unemployed and living with a real witch who controls his every move. Only joined us on Magic Kingdom day.

Pre-trip summary: Dad and I are full-time RVers, and decided to spend some time in the Orlando area, where we were both raised, this year. M. always adored Disney and Universal, and had been talking about showing the parks to Jonathan. So thanks to some good travel deals, we offered her a birthday present -- Roundtrip airfare to Orlando, a week in an offsite condo, tickets to Disney and Universal, and a few table-service meals on us. Their counter-service dining and extras would be their responsibility.

The trip was originally scheduled for May, but for a variety of reasons was postponed until September. They also decided to drive down rather than fly, and we reimbursed them for gas. With the trip rescheduled, we also offered tickets to Halloween Horror Nights at Universal, but told them that if they wanted paid express passes, they could purchase them (Dad gets free disabled express for HHN, but only two passes).

Since the trip was rescheduled, we also made arrangements for my uncle S., M.'s father, to join us. His birthday was Aug 9, so Dad and I paid to upgrade his one-day birthday ticket to a FL Resident seasonal pass. However, his psycho live-in girlfriend informed him that he was only permitted to attend on our Magic Kingdom day.

Trip dates: Sept 21-Oct 1.
Tickets purchased: 6-day park hoppers, 7-day Universal/IOA, HHN Frequent Fear for them. We have APs for Disney and Universal, and we bought HHN Frequent Fear for ourselves as well.

Day One, Monday, Sept 21 -- Travel Day
Much drama had ensued with M. and her father, and I was already feeling skeptical about the trip. It was clear that there was a lot of baggage and bad blood, but Dad remained hopeful that the Disney magic would help to overcome it. Still, I took my time and dragged my heels getting ready. I'm sure it didn't help that as a freelance writer, I happened to get swamped with work in the days leading up to the trip, and was quite exhausted.

M. called around noon to say that they were on the road and really excited. Thank goodness she did, as their plan was to take Interstate 65 south. Great plan, if they were going to New Orleans!! We got them back on track and sent a MapQuest to their GPS. Still, she sounded really happy, and the feeling was infectious. I put on my happy Disney face and managed to get packed and the RV into storage.

Dad and I checked into the condo that evening and went to Walmart to buy household items and decorative touches like candles. We also did the "make your own Mickey ears" at Downtown Disney, creating a custom set of ears for all of us, plus S. We bought a pound of fudge at Goofy's Candy Co, a tribute to the time when M., then eight, polished off an entire pound on the hour-long drive from Universal to our then-house in Lakeland.

M. and J. got caught in the extremely bad rain and flooding in Atlanta, but managed to arrive around midnight. We were still at Walmart, so they met us there. Much hugging and excitement ensued. They were thrilled to see the condo, a 2-bedroom unit with a large living room, dining room, kitchen, and best of all, two bathrooms. There's also a lovely, fairly large private porch overlooking one of the two pools.

J. was exhausted from the drive and went to bed early, but M., Dad and I stayed up talking until nearly 4 am. Thankfully, the next day was a planned down day to relax.

Coming up: Day Two, Is a Hotel Tour Really That Exciting?

 

[Dizneydawn]

Here and for the first time first!

 

[JLTraveling]

We all slept late on Day Two, having been up until almost 4 am. Groggy but hungry, we were ready to embark around 1 pm. Destination: Contempo Cafe, and then a tour of the resorts.

I should pause here to explain that throughout the eight months of planning, I tried my best to engage M. and J. Whether they wanted to do the actual planning or just give a few opinions, Dad and I were trying really hard to incorporate their needs/wants/likes/desires. They kept saying repeatedly "You guys are the experts. We trust your opinions. We're sure we'll like whatever you come up with." Contempo Cafe, as well as the Sci-Fi and a ride on ToT for our Hollywood Studios day, were literally the ONLY things they specifically said they wanted to do at the parks. Outside the parks, they wanted to see the hospital at Celebration (Dad's home hospital, and since M.'s mom's a nurse, it's not quite as weird as it sounds) and MouseSurplus. So Dad and I put a lot of time and effort into creating a schedule that incorporated the few things they said plus a lot of things we thought they would like.

Since Dad needed his ECV, we all piled into his van. The van has some sort of weird electrical problem where the battery drains when the A/C is on and the car isn't moving, so we flip it off for a minute at traffic lights. Occasionally it doesn't start, but we have a massive power booster that provides an instantaneous jump.

Everyone was excited as we headed out, but J. and M. started complaining almost immediately about the heat. I tried not to pay attention, since I figured they would acclimatize over time. They complained loudly, though, every time we stopped at a light and had to turn off the A/C.

We decided to park at the TTC, since we weren't sure how long we would spend touring the resorts. We parked in the disabled lot with Dad's placard, and began walking in. Both J. and M. started whining about the length of the walk from the car to the monorail, but I chalked it up to still being tired from the drive.

A monorail was just pulling into the station, and there was no line, so M. and I broke into a jog and Dad turned up the speed on the ECV. J. stopped short and stared up. "I have to get on that?" "Um, yes, that's the general idea. That goes to the hotel where we're having lunch." "I'm scared. I don't think I can do it." Thank God he didn't hear about the crash in July, or we never would have gotten him on it! M. talked quietly with him, and he eventually agreed to go.

Once actually on the monorail, J. seemed to relax and we made it to the Contemporary uneventfully. Monica was excited to actually disembark at the hotel, since she'd only ever been through it on the Express line.

We found out about the food pickiness that day. Dad and I quickly settled on our order, and M. and J. wanted to split something. Between the two of them, though, it seemed that almost every option was ruled out--he hates mayonnaise or any creamy sauces, she hates virtually any vegetable, on and on.

I don't remember what they eventually settled on, some kind of sandwich and fries. I had the Chicken Caesar Salad (yum!) and Dad got the Beef Flatbread (equally yum!). Everyone enjoyed watching the monorails pass by as we ate.

Then the shopping tour began. I was genuinely shocked but excited at how into shopping J. seemed to be. Both of them looked at almost every item, bought candy, tried on silly hats, and seemed to be having a wonderful time. At their lead, we hit every shop at every monorail resort, plus the AK Lodge. By the time we got to the Lodge though, I could tell J. was crashing. He enjoyed seeing the animals, but started complaining that we had already been at it for around six hours, and he was ready to go back to the condo Oh boy, this was going to be a long week.

We abandoned dinner plans at Ft Wilderness and went back to the condo. They had noticed an Olive Garden on 192, and they offered to buy us dinner there. I suppose now is a good time to mention that apparently Olive Garden is M.'s favorite restaurant, and J. normally takes her there once a year on her birthday. I should also mention the couponing. M. has become a completely obsessed coupon clipper, and she had one for Olive Garden.

J. and M. insisted on driving, which resulted in getting completely turned around. They were sure they knew where it was, and drove around in circles for about half an hour, despite Dad and me both trying to tell them how to get there. We eventually arrived, and were told there was a 30 minute wait.

Dad's diabetic, and his blood sugar was starting to crash. M. ran to the counter and got him a bread stick, and I think we were also bumped up in line, because our beeper went off about five minutes later. Dinner was good, standard Olive Garden fare. J. hated his lasagna, but filled up on salad and bread sticks.

Back at the condo, they went to their room pretty much instantly. Dad and I let them know that the next day was Magic Kingdom, and we wanted to be there for rope drop and the opening show, so they should set their alarm for 7 am. We watched a little TV and went to bed around midnight.

Coming up: Day Three, Five Very Different Personalities Hit the MK.

 

[JLTraveling]

Here and for the first time first!

Welcome! Put on your seat belt, because this one's a heck of a ride!! Hope you enjoy it

 

[Jdougherty]

OMG,

that sound like vacationing with my Husbands ENTIRE family plus mine..... I've vacationed with each and almost all at one time.... never agian.......oh the flash backs..........

 

[bnewman27]

just getting enough posts in

 

[stacopp]

Having done the vacation with extended family that didn't go so well, I am signing up to see what happens! Looking forward to the TR

 

[JLTraveling]

Welcome, Jdougherty and stacopp! You guys are already making me feel better! It's easy to feel alone and completely off-balance when well-meaning trips turn into disaster, and while I'm very sorry you both went through it, I'm so glad to know it's not just me!! Hope you enjoy the TR!

 

[JLTraveling]

Can We Get There Already?
Despite our admonitions to set their alarm, M and J were completely passed out the next morning. At 7:30, I tried pounding on their door. No answer. At 7:45, Dad and I stood outside their door and sang "It's a Small World" and "Yo Ho, Yo Ho, a Pirate's Life for Me" very loudly and very off-key. M and J have two small kids who stayed home with Grandma for this trip, so at 8:00 I put on my best baby voice and started whining "Mommy! Mommy!" M opened the door within seconds! She also gave me permission to come in their room from then on to wake them up.

Since they were clearly exhausted, we checked in again with M and J. "Do you want to go to the park all day, or do you want a hotel break in the afternoon?" Historically, we've gone all day from open to close. Every time M's been down, she's done that with us. But we knew how easily J got tired, and we knew M wasn't a kid anymore. She quickly informed us that it was Disney, and NO WAY did she want a hotel break. Her dad (S) was also joining us that day, and she wanted to soak up every moment with him (despite the fact that they were planning to spend several days with him after the Disney portion of the trip).

Main Street USA
Everyone put on their Mickey ears, and we headed out, again taking Dad's van. S would call when he arrived at the park. We were running late, but managed to see part of the opening show from the monorail.

We watched the second opening show (the one on Main Street with the trolley car), and then headed to Guest Relations to get birthday buttons (we'd decided we were celebrating all of our birthdays on this trip) and family reunion buttons. We also got a First Visit button for J.

At this point we realized just how much M and J smoke. After each and every stop, whether an attraction or a shop, they needed a smoking area. Dad and I are smokers too, but we smoke less than a pack a day between us. They smoke better than half a CARTON a day. Thankfully (I guess), he also uses snuff, so he can put in a dip and be okay without stopping for a couple of hours.

We parked Dad's ECV and took the full train loop around the park. Despite his ride fears, when J saw BTMRR he decided he could do it. He was unsure about Splash though.

We were back on Main Street at, where else, the smoking area when S called at around 10 am to say he was in the parking lot. Despite earlier saying that she couldn't wait to see her dad, M decided he could catch up. It was time for rides. So off we went to Tomorrowland.

Tomorrowland
First up was Astro Orbiter. Dad and I got separate rockets, and M and J rode together. He's well over 6 feet tall and extremely broad, so you can imagine how comfortable that was! But that's ok, it was their decision. Turns out, though, that another of J's fears is heights. He initially refused to ride until M begged and cajoled him. We kept an eye on their rocket the whole time, and he was literally white and gripping the sides as tightly as possible. She took the rocket to its full height once, and he immediately made her take it all the way back down!

After surviving the scary Astro Orbiter, J needed a break. S still wasn't in the park, so we headed to CoP. S called almost as soon as we sat down, and we told him to meet us there. J and M had absolutely no comment after the show, so I have no idea if they liked it or not.

When we came out, S was at the drink cart across from CoP. Rather than waving him over, M decided it was the perfect time to call her kids. She disappeared into the bushes by the smoking area with the phone. J went to join her. Dad and I waved S over and made a big deal out of giving him his custom Mickey ears. He put them on and went over to M, standing directly in front of her for more than five minutes before she ever acknowledged him. She finally got off the phone and gave him a hug.

Liberty Tree Tavern
After a quick spin on the TTA, on which we briefly got to see the Space Mountain tracks, it was time for our lunch reservation at Liberty Tree Tavern. Poor S walks with a cane and really needs an ECV, which his girlfriend would have loaned him, but he's stubborn. So he was walking way slower than the rest of the group. I dropped back to walk with him, which I think he appreciated. That became a theme of the day -- M and J doing their thing and either me, Dad or both trying to make S feel welcome.

Lunch was a success. The menu wasn't exotic, so everyone was able to find something they liked. Dad and I split the pot roast, which Monica also had, and Steve had the Colony Salad. J got the appetizer-sized Declaration Salad, but ended up eating a little off everyone's plates. We had the Tavern Fried Cheese for the table, and since we were celebrating, everyone got a free small chocolate cupcake with sprinkles. Good conversation ensued, and we relaxed in the air conditioning for nearly two hours.

Since we were in Liberty Square anyway, we hit HM and HoP. As part of a group of five, I volunteered to ride HM alone. It was my first time ever riding it alone, and I couldn't believe how many small details I noticed without someone else distracting me! If you have the chance to do HM alone, take it!! Turns out J's an American history buff, so he was overawed by HoP. It was our first experience with the new show, and we all agreed it was fabulous! No more going to HoP to take a nap, lol!

"RIDES!"
By this point, it was nearly time for the 3:00 parade, which S and my dad both specifically requested. There was just one small problem. M was ready to do "RIDES!" I'm not sure what she considers HM, TTA, Astro Orbiter, etc, but they were not, in fact, "RIDES!" She had been whispering in my ear ever since lunch about how much she needed to do "RIDES!" and by 2:45, I had enough. I tried to gently tell Dad that perhaps M would rather skip the parade, but apparently my frustration came out in my voice.

Dad and I had a bit of a meltdown, which culminated in leaving the parade and him taking off at top ECV speed to Fantasyland, which contains lots of "RIDES!" Our argument lasted through most of Fantasyland, but thankfully was mostly silent glares or snide comments made in undertones, rather than a full yelling match. I'm sure those around us appreciated that! Meanwhile, M, J, and S refused to comment on anything except PhilharMagic, which all declared to be "Awesome!" even though it's not a "RIDE!" J managed to conquer his fear of Dumbo, which he rode alone (me with S and Dad with M), and take his elephant all the way up for a few moments.

Dad took M and J on the Teacups while I waited with S. He got it going so fast, it was literally rocking on its base. Turns out J also has a problem with dizziness, so we sat on a ledge outside the "RIDE!" for about 15 minutes while his head stopped spinning. M loved it though.

Next up was Mickey's Toontown Fair where Dad, M, J and I all enjoyed Goofy's Barnstormer. I was proud of J for doing it. S waited on a bench. M bought some princess ears for her youngest, and J got cotton candy. I got bitten by a no-see-em, and still have a large red welt.

Frontierland and Panic Attacks
We briefly strolled through Toontown, but M was ready for more "RIDES!" so we headed over to Frontierland. S flatly refused to do BTMRR. Jonathan commented a few times on waiting with S, but M begged and cajoled. Eventually he agreed to try it, but there was visible tension mounting between them. M adored the ride. J said he felt like he was going to have a heart attack the whole time, but he was glad he tried it once.

Next up was Splash. J REALLY didn't like the look of the drop, and tried to beg out. M started begging and pleading, and soon turned to anger. Finally J said he would do it. Surprisingly, S also decided to ride.

Now here's the thing with S. He and my dad had cardiac stents placed within a week of each other, in the same spot, in the same hospital room! Dad's always been tough and fearless, and as soon as he was cleared to resume thrill rides he did so. S's always been weak and scared, and enjoys the excuse NOT to ride them, though he has been medically cleared. He builds himself up into panic attacks when he tries things. We did Expedition Everest on S's birthday. He was fine until it went backwards, at which point he had a panic attack. When we got back to the station, he had to lay down on the concrete until he got his breathing under control. He turned down medical assistance but accepted a wheelchair, which I pushed for the rest of the afternoon. So I was really surprised he decided to do Splash.

J was terrified the whole time. Every little bump or hill, he started screaming and cursing. In the photo, his hands are gripping the bar as tightly as humanly possible, his eyes are screwed shut, and his mouth is open in a wild scream. It's kind of cute, actually. S did fine the whole ride, but freaked himself out for the drop. I was sitting next to him, and had to talk him through breathing exercises from the bottom of the drop back to the station.

Meltdown in Adventureland
So J was miserable and S was miserable. I wanted to get to Adventureland to do my two favorite rides, Jungle Cruise and Pirates. It was already 7:15 and the park was closing at 8:00. Monica started whining about riding again, and I put my foot down. I said I was going to Adventureland, and anyone who cared to join me was welcome to do so. S and J looked thankful that they didn't have to do Splash again. Dad immediately checked his watch and agreed with me. M was furious.

M sulked and threw death glares at everyone throughout both rides. J got cranky, whether due to being hot and tired or annoyed with M. S was tired. Dad and I enjoyed the rides, and tried not to let the others get us down.

We walked out of Jungle Cruise just as Wishes was starting. We ran up to the side of the castle, which isn't a great view, but we intended to surprise M and J with the Wishes Dessert Party later in the week. Turns out M loves fireworks, so she was finally happy again, or so we thought.

Dad, S and I were bewildered when Wishes ended and M stormed off. I caught up to her and asked what happened, and was informed that "J didn't put his arm around me during the show. He knows I love fireworks." I tried to talk calmly and soothingly to her, but it was too late.

The Aftermath
M and J turned on each other in what I can only describe as a firestorm. The entire way out of the park, they were hurling insults. When we got to the ferry boat, J went upstairs with me while Monica remained on the lower level with Dad and S. This is when I found out this was their "Make up or break up" trip, and it looked like they were breaking up for good.

J got me to switch seats with him for the ride home, so he didn't have to sit next to M. S followed us to the condo. Dinner was supposed to be Olive Garden leftovers, but nobody but Dad ever actually ate that night.

The fight continued to escalate to the point that I thought we would get kicked out of the condo, if not arrested for disturbing the peace. They hated each other, they just wanted to go home and get divorced, just horrible things. I'm a trained therapist, so I offered to mediate if they wanted it. They said they did, so we sat and talked (well, I talked, they yelled) for hours. They finally wore themselves out around 2:30 am, cried and hugged and kissed and made up, and went to bed. S ended up staying over on the sleeper sofa, though he left before I was up the next morning. And for some reason, he didn't take his Mickey ears.

Day Four, Forget Epcot, We Need a Day to Recover!

 

[MouseKTeer]

Joining in!

We had 3 generations in our little travel group to the world this summer. The difference in age between the youngest and oldest was 58 years So you've got me hooked on what's gonna happen on your trip.

How did you choose your offsite condo? Just curious...

 

[JLTraveling]

Joining in!

We had 3 generations in our little travel group to the world this summer. The difference in age between the youngest and oldest was 58 years So you've got me hooked on what's gonna happen on your trip.

How did you choose your offsite condo? Just curious...

Welcome, MouseKTeer! I honestly think our trip could have been wonderful if M and J hadn't been teetering on the brink of divorce beforehand. Or if he had ever traveled before and had some idea what to expect. We ended up feeling so trapped inside their drama, and neither of them could seem to let it go.

Dad's retired from the Dept of Defense, so he qualifies for the Armed Forces Vacation Club. They get an ever-changing inventory of timeshares that haven't booked for a particular week, and we can choose any available condo anywhere in the world for $329 per week. There were several available in the Disney area for our dates, so we used Trip Advisor to narrow them down, and eventually settled on Orbit One. It's on Entry Point Rd, which is Sherberth Rd on the other side of 192. That's a very convenient back way to the parks, and the drive takes all of five minutes. The condo is fabulous, and I would highly recommend it!

 

[JLTraveling]

The Plan
According to our well-crafted plan, we would have two days at Epcot. Part of one day was to be taken up with a Gifts of a Lifetime Amazing Race birthday surprise for my dad, so we figured we would do that and Food and Wine one day, and Future World a separate day. This was to be Future World day. Of course, the plan didn't take into account midnight fights. Nor did it take into account that M REALLY hates Epcot, but didn't tell us for fear of "hurting our feelings."

Despite the late night, Dad and I were up and moving by 8 am. We weren't about to wake M and J though. Since M had finally voiced her Epcot hatred during the previous night's fight, we decided to just cancel the day and use it as a relaxing reset for everyone.

M woke up after 12:30 and was upset that it was so late. She was also furious that S hadn't stayed to say goodbye. Clearly the fact that the witch he lives with was probably furious that he didn't come home the night before never entered M's thinking. She got J up and we let them come up with a new plan for the day.

M decided on MouseSurplus, the hospital at Celebration, and Downtown Disney. We suggested adding Spook Hill, a quick, free, ride-through old Florida attraction that's just down the street from MouseSurplus, and she agreed.

Can We Make It Through a "Relaxing" Day?
It was scorching hot by the time we left (2 pm in Central FL in September, what did they expect?), and M and J were whining about the heat from the moment we stepped out of the house. Remember the electrical problem in Dad's van? Every time we stopped at a light and flipped off the A/C, they yelled and proclaimed that "we're going to d-i-i-e-e-e-e!" (picture a stereotypical 12-year-old girl being told she can't have new shoes).

We went to Celebration first and thanks to Dad's disabled placard got a parking spot just outside the front doors. If you've seen Celebration Health, you know it's pretty spectacular. And M ASKED to go. So we were surprised when she kept rolling her eyes and declaring the hospital in Nashville ten times better. Needless to say, we left pretty quickly.

The van didn't start when we got back to it, so we used the power booster (the only day during the entire trip that it didn't start, incidentally). At this point, M was standing outside the van, hanging off the door, whining "Why don't we just take MY ca-a-a-a-r? I don't know why we have to take this piece of (deleted for family viewing)." Well, there are two good reasons. The one I voiced is that Dad's ECV doesn't fit into M's ca-a-a-ar. The one I didn't express is that I've ridden with J before and I value my life. VERY dangerous driver, and I don't get scared easily.

Back in the car, despite the fact that we were on the highway and the A/C is super-cold, the pair of them continued to make pointed snide comments about the heat, just loud enough that we could overhear. 20 minutes later, I got sick of hearing it and told them to both shut up. We hit the McD's drive through, where M, Dad, and I got lunch, just before MouseSurplus. J wasn't hungry.

I warned M in advance that MouseSurplus wasn't air conditioned and asked if she was sure they wanted to do it during the hot afternoon. She assured me that they did. Well, I don't know if it was the heat or just them, but both rolled their eyes, stamped their feet, and rushed through the shop as quickly as possible. Now, I'll give them that it wasn't the best merchandise day MouseSurplus has ever had, but that's hardly my fault.

They did enjoy Spook Hill. It's a cute optical illusion that doesn't involve getting out of the car, and I think they were happy to just sit and enjoy it. Then Jonathan decided he was hungry, so we had to go find him a McD's. Can't the boy just eat when the eating's good?

Are You Sure This Is a Good Idea?
At this point, M and J were both complaining of headaches and stomach aches, but they still wanted to go to Downtown Disney. So against our better judgment, we agreed.

We had taken M to Downtown Disney when she was here for a couple of days in March while her dad was in the hospital. She had a wonderful time and was excited about everything, and she said she wanted to share it with J. So we assumed the evening would go well. You know what happens when you assume, right?

As we were driving up, the Characters in Flight balloon was in the air. M finally got truly excited for the first time the whole trip. She was staring with her mouth hanging open, and pointing, and begging to ride. Dad and I hadn't done it yet, so we said that if they wanted to go, we would buy the tickets. I wasn't sure J and his fear of heights would be up for it, but to my utter amazement, he immediately said yes. M was beside herself with excitement.

We got a great parking spot in front of the movie theater, and went directly to the balloon. There was a fairly long wait, because the wind was kind of high, so they were only taking six at a time. Both M and J said they wanted to wait.

Now, M and J already had a reservation for parasailing in Clearwater later in the trip. Yet while they were waiting for the balloon, M completely psyched herself out. She went from fearless excitement to utter terror. Only she didn't express it. She made a slight comment, "Oh my gosh, my heart is really pounding. I don't know if I can do it." Knowing M and her general lack of fear, Dad and I started gently teasing her. Among other things, I said, "Gee, I don't know. If you can't conquer your fear on this, maybe you shouldn't go to Halloween Horror Nights tomorrow." Totally said and meant in a teasing manner.

The Meltdown
M flipped out. She suddenly stomped out of line, lit a cigarette, and motioned for J to come over. She was talking furiously, a mile a minute, and shooting daggers at me with her eyes. But I couldn't hear what she was saying. I had no idea what I had done at that point. I gave her a few minutes and then approached her to ask if she was okay. Her expletive-riddled response amounted to "I'm going to do it because you're "forcing" me to do it." I told her that I was not, in fact, trying to force her, and it was fine with me for her to stay on the ground. In a not so nice way, she informed me that she didn't believe me. Dad got to the ticket window and asked how many tickets he should buy, if any. She snapped at him to get four and flounced to the holding area.

While we were waiting for our turn, tickets already purchased, it finally came out that she thought I was saying that she wasn't allowed to go to HHN if she didn't do the balloon ride. I immediately apologized for coming across that way, and told her that I was just joking with her. She told me where to go. Now, it would have been a neat trick for me to even try to prevent her from going to HHN, because they had their own car and the HHN Frequent Fear passes were waiting at Will Call. But nonetheless, she was convinced that I wouldn't "permit" her to go.

In the balloon, J and M stayed as far away from Dad and me as possible. She sat on the floor of the balloon for most of the ride, though J convinced her to stand up before the end. As predicted, she had a wonderful time and was SO glad she had done it. Shockingly, J wasn't scared at all. They were both so proud of themselves. Unfortunately, M was still furious with me.

Another Late Night of Fighting
Although I tried to just let the fight go, M was having none of it. She kept escalating and escalating, first taking my dad aside to tell him horrible things about me, and then doing the same thing with J. But the kicker was when she looked directly into my eyes and said, "This just brings back all the times you hurt me over the years." That was shocking to me, because all I've ever tried to do over the years was help her make the best of her rotten summers and be a calming and steadying influence. So that hurt me pretty deeply. I asked her to explain what she meant, and she just clammed up.

After another hour, it was clear that Downtown Disney was done. We headed back to the car. M got in and refused to acknowledge anything or anyone. In the process of getting his ECV loaded, Dad sliced his arm open. Blood was running everywhere, and I couldn't tell how deep the cut was. I yelled and J came running to help. M started screaming at him to get back in the car and let Dad bleed. Thankfully he ignored her and located the First Aid kit while I dug around for shop towels to stop the bleeding. It turned out the cut wasn't that big, just a major bleeder, and we were able to get Dad patched up. But M not only didn't show any concern, she was furious with J for helping.

At that point, I completely lost it. I told M I wasn't surprised she didn't care about my dad, considering she hadn't bothered to show up for my mom's funeral. I told her to show some concern or get out of our car. So she flounced off looking for a cab. Then she immediately came back to ask for the address of the condo. She flounced off again, then came back and told us they didn't "have money" to pay a cab. Now, during their fight the previous night, J had pulled their trip money out of his wallet and scattered it all over the table. There were many $100 bills, so I'm not sure why they couldn't afford a $10 cab ride?

The Near Break
Anyway, they got back in the car and we rode home in silence. She immediately started packing to leave. J's got real high blood pressure, and he said he started feeling like he was having a stroke. So he went to lay down while she packed. Dad didn't want her to leave like that, out of anger, so he told her that if she left under those circumstances, then she was choosing to cut off her relationship with him. She didn't say anything, but disappeared into their bedroom. A few minutes later they came out in their swimsuits and went to the pool.

Dad and I sat on the porch for awhile to see if she wanted to talk, but gave up and went to bed around 2 am. A few minutes later, she came in our room sobbing. She was so sorry, she didn't mean for it to go like this, she loves us so much, couldn't we please give her another chance?

Although we were both really done at this point, we truly didn't want to end things on such a bad note. We told her that we loved her, and that we would be willing to try again, but that we were hurt and it might take some time to get over it. She said she understood and would make a special effort the next day.

Coming up: Day Five, Universal and HHN...Can We Live Through It?

 

[canoe86]

I'm heading to Disney in a month or so with my wife and four kids. When things get hectic and crazy...which they are bound to do a few times......I'm going to think back on your trip report. (make me feel things aren't so bad)

 

[canoe86]

psychotic. (with all due respect)

 

[JLTraveling]

psychotic. (with all due respect)

Why yes. She certainly acted that way.

 

[JLTraveling]

Trepidation
I slept horribly after the previous night's fight. Once again, I hadn't eaten dinner, so my stomach was protesting loudly. I stared at the TV, but I don't think sleep came until around 5 am. I was just dreading what the day would bring.

M was true to her word, though. At 7:15 am, she came into our room. She shook me awake and told me she loved me, then pointed at Dad's bed with question marks in her eyes. I told her to go for it. Like she had every morning when she was seven, M ran and jumped on Dad's bed. She bounced up and down, playfully telling him he better get up or he would be left behind.

Worried but deciding to give her the benefit of the doubt, we got up and dressed quickly. Somehow, despite the early start, M and J weren't ready to go until nearly 9:30. We all agreed that it would be best if they took their own car in case they didn't feel like staying all the way through HHN. It was opening night, and there was no way Dad and I were planning not to stay.

They managed to get a decent parking spot, so we only had to wait a few minutes (in front of the movie theater, always our designated meeting spot). Then off to Cinn-a-bon for breakfast. All four of us like cinnamon rolls, so it worked out well. M had seen the roller coasters at IOA from the car, and was really excited about them. J was very happy that it wasn't IOA day, since his coaster phobia seemed to be in overdrive.

We went to Guest Relations and picked up Dad's disabled express passes, as well as the Frequent Fear passes. We explained again to M and J that while Dad can get six disabled express passes during the day, he can only get two during HHN. We strongly suggested that they buy express passes, but they didn't want to spend the money yet.

Another Late Start
The disabled express passes are not valid at the new Rip, Ride, Rockit coaster, and the line was already over an hour. M decided to wait on riding it, since I'm boycotting it, Dad can't stand in line for an hour, and J was terrified. She said she didn't want to waste an hour in line by herself. By this point it was already nearly noon

We all bought Meal Deals and souvenir mugs. We thought they might like Shrek 3D, but M flatly refused. She said her kids watch Shrek obsessively, and she wanted to be out of "Mommy mode." We tried to explain that the attraction is a lot better than the film, but she "knew better." This was to become a dominant theme, despite her being proven wrong repeatedly.

Nonetheless, we turned right on Hollywood Blvd. The Horror Makeup Show was about to begin. Now, M says she doesn't like shows, but she remembered that one and was excited to do it. J seemed to like it as well, and the day was off to a great start. There wasn't going to be a Terminator 3D show for awhile, so we went on to KidZone (after the obligatory smoke breaks). They both loved ET and the Woody Woodpecker Nuthouse Coaster.

M was having trouble fitting together her memories of Universal a decade ago with the reality of today, so while we were in KidZone we stopped briefly to point out the old Hard Rock Cafe and the spot where the Psycho House and Bates Motel had been. This was a mistake that would come to haunt us later.

We moved on to World Expo, where Dad suggested we ride Men In Black. It's a ride we usually skip (the only one of that genre we care for is Toy Story), but we thought J might like it. He was mad about having to put his camera in a free locker, but he seemed to get over it. We all rode and shot aliens and had a good time, or so everyone said. We got lunch at the International Food and Film Festival, where Dad and I had orange chicken and M and J got pizza.

Can We Stick to a Mini-Plan?
Even with the Express passes, the late start had set us back, and we were getting concerned about time. So we decided to skip Jaws and Mummy and ride them that night during HHN. The plan was to do Beetlejuice, Disaster and Twister, then run around to Hollywood to get in T2: 3D before heading to the Passholder event for HHN.

We made it through Beetlejuice okay, and even J seemed to enjoy the show. Afterwards, he was ready for some Dipping Dots. You know those little balls of ice cream? For four days, all I had heard about was Dipping Dots, and they sell them in Amity at Universal. WHY he didn't get them before Beetlejuice and eat them during the show, I will never know. All I know is that it was already 3:30, we had a long attraction and a short attraction left, and the last T2 started at 4:30.

Oh, the Power of Dipping Dots
Here's the thing about M and J. Neither can do anything on their own. He said he didn't care about the remaining attractions, he cared about his Dipping Dots. She didn't want Dipping Dots, she wanted the attractions. Wouldn't it be logical for him to get Dipping Dots and the rest of us to do an attraction, and then meet up? It doesn't work that way in their world.

So we all backtracked to the Dipping Dots. And sat down on a bench. And watched J eat them. Monica got upset pretty quickly, which I understand given that we were running out of time. Soon he threw away the half-eaten container of Dipping Dots and we were off to Disaster.

J was fuming about the uneaten Dipping Dots, but I think it helped when M was chosen to participate in the show. She remembered Earthquake, and agreed that Disaster was a vast improvement. She was happy, and J seemed okay.

They recently lived through a pretty nasty tornado, so Dad and I expected them to skip Twister, but J specifically said that he was interested in seeing it. It scared both of them pretty badly, but they said it was realistic and well-done, and they were glad to have seen it.

Express or Not Express? That Is the Question
Having been put behind schedule by the Dipping Dots, we missed the last T2. So we headed to Guest Relations to pick up Dad's HHN express passes and tried yet again to suggest that M and J buy passes, but they refused.

Dad and I met a couple of wonderful Disney CMs in line at Guest Relations, and had a long conversation with them. They had never been to HHN before, and she was nervous. He was excited. We gave them a few tips and pointers. M and J sat on a bench.

After stopping for smoke breaks and bathroom breaks, the Passholder event houses were already open by the time we got there. Fortunately, since they were exclusively open for Passholders, the lines were only around 15 minutes.

Never Suggest Sunglasses to "Adults"
Earlier in the day, we had suggested to M and J that they wear sunglasses in line for the houses that we would see before dark. The reason is simple: if you enter a dark house from a sunny street, your eyes won't adjust until the end of the house. On opening night last year, we spent the early part of the evening running into walls, getting lost, and bumping scare actors. The next night we wore sunglasses in line, and voila, we could actually see the houses!

M had left her sunglasses in the car, and we had forgotten to pack ours, so we had picked up three pairs of decently inexpensive glasses at the MiB store. J had his with him. Now we suggested that they wear their glasses, which they did.

The first house was "Ripped from the Silver Screen." Without spoiling it for those who may want to go, it was awesome! Great effects, great scares, lots of fun. The second house was "Chucky: Friends Till the End." Again, a fabulous house! M's deathly afraid of clowns, to the point that we all had to surround her and lead her past The Simpsons Ride because she was so scared of the Krusty head. So again, not to spoil the house, but at a certain point I knew she would be scared. She was directly behind me, so I grabbed her hand and told her to close her eyes and just follow me.

That house scared M pretty badly, even with me trying to help her through. We took a break to let her calm down and get a bit of food. At this point, J REALLY wanted an express pass. The lines were already starting to back up, and the event had just officially opened. He had seen the advantages of Express earlier in the day, and he did NOT want to stand in lines. Dad and I had also made it clear that we would stand with them if the line was 15 minutes or less, but that because of his back problems, he couldn't do anything longer.

M put her foot down. They were NOT going to spend $120 on two express passes. They were planning to go two nights anyway, and they'd just do the best they could. If they ended up having to stand in line, that didn't affect Dad and me, since we could still go express, and it was just too bad if J didn't like it. I bit my tongue and stayed out of it, while they got more and more heated.

After they calmed down a bit, we headed for The Spawning. The wait was already 45 minutes. Dad talked to the Ride and Show attendant out front, and convinced her to let the four of us go through express with only two passes. We put our sunglasses back on and suggested they do the same. Jonathan put his on, but M started whining that "I'm a grownup. I'm a mommy. I'm not a kid anymore and you can't tell me what to do!!" Okay then, are you going to hold your breath till you turn blue too? We apologized and dropped the sunglasses topic.

I don't know if she saw a single thing in The Spawning, because even having worn the glasses, Dad and I could barely see. That's one I definitely want to redo after dark. M and J didn't like it. They were definitely getting cranky.

Another Night, Another Argument
I had let everyone know in advance that I planned to see the 7:30 Bill and Ted show. It's become a tradition for Dad and me to always see the first and last Bill and Ted of the season. So we headed over at about 7:00.

M and J pulled out their guide map and stood about ten paces back from us, muttering to each other. I knew something was wrong, so I asked if they were okay. M told J to "man up" and tell me what was wrong. He said he was okay and left it at that. So M told me that J didn't want to see Bill and Ted, he wanted to go the Saw house. But he didn't want to tell us, because he thought we would yell at him.

We told him if he wanted to go, that was fine. We were going to see Bill and Ted. Apparently J didn't believe us, because he didn't go. He stayed with us. They kept muttering and looking at the map. Dad and I decided they were not going to ruin Bill and Ted for us, so we turned around and chatted with the VERY nice HHN Vault people ahead of us in line.

M ended up absolutely adoring the show, as we figured she would. Even J was clapping and cheering by the end, so we thought maybe the fight was over, or at least on hold. Nonetheless, nobody wanted to push it. Dad and I planned to do the Rocky Horror Tribute next, and M was positive that J would hate it. She's a Rocky Horror fan, but again, they can't do anything unless they both do it. So she and I came up with the plan for them to go get more Dipping Dots, maybe ride Jaws, just take a general breather while we went to the show.

After Bill and Ted, we enacted the plan that M and I had agreed on. Dad and I were thrilled to run into some of our friends from last year's HHN, and had a wonderful time. Until my phone started ringing. Off the hook. I read the first couple of texts, from M of course. They had done Jaws twice and were going to check the line at Saw. I texted back "K." Then she actually called, and I wasn't going to answer during the show. I turned off my phone. From the time Rocky started at 8:15 until it ended at 8:50, I literally received three phone calls and six texts, all from M!!!

I was pretty surprised when I read the texts. First, they somehow managed to talk their way into bypassing the 75 minute wait at Saw and using the express line. They wanted us to be there in ten minutes (sent literally five minutes after the 35 minute show started). The next, sent in rapid succession beginning at 8:40, were weird and snippy, telling us that they were done and heading back to the condo. Um, okay, couldn't you have waited till we were out of the show to tell us that in person?

I called M and she said they were almost back to the car and were heading to the condo, and we needed to have a house meeting. I asked what the topic was, since I was utterly bewildered at what we'd supposedly done this time. She said it was about the text that my dad had sent her dad. At 8:30 pm. During the Rocky Horror Tribute. I was sitting right next to him. He was enjoying the show. He's not even good at texting, and hates doing it. He certainly wasn't surreptitiously texting during the show.

This Is Where It Gets Really Weird
"OK, what's the alleged text?" "My dad said that your dad texted him and said that if he doesn't get here (HHN) by 9:00, then I'm going to be mad at him and really mad at his girlfriend." Huh, what, come again? A) S doesn't have the money to go HHN. B) S lives over an hour from Universal and the alleged text was sent at 8:30?? C) S wouldn't even enjoy HHN. D) What possible motive would my dad have for threatening his brother to make him to go to an event? E) I was sitting right next to my dad and he certainly didn't send any texts!

Okay, I'm not even mad. I'm horribly befuddled. I tell her to tell my dad this and give him the phone. Meanwhile I try to call S (M's dad). No answer. I call a few times. Clearly he's not speaking to me, and I have no idea why. I text him, "What's going on?" He forwards that text to M, but will not answer me. M won't listen to Dad or me, S isn't speaking to us, we're getting nowhere. So we finally tell her we'll be home late, we'll discuss it in the morning, and by the way, we'll be glad to pull up phone records online.

Shock and Awe Campaign, Thy Name Is M
Dad and I ended up spending the rest of the evening wandering through HHN in a state of shock and bewilderment. We decided to save the rest of the houses for the next night, and wandered through the scare zones. We stopped for awhile to watch the live Fangoria broadcast. We ran into some more friends. We had a good time, but were definitely shaken up pretty badly.

We left just before midnight, hoping and praying that M and J would have packed and left before we got there. Sadly, their car was still parked outside. Directly in front of the condo, leaving Dad and his health problems to walk all the way from the far end of the lot.

Coming up: Day Six, HHN Retry, Does the Insanity Ever End?

 

[canoe86]

MY guess is the insanity.....does not end.

 

[JLTraveling]

Why Am I Doing This Again?
Okay, let's recap. Dad and I offered M and J a trip to Disney and Universal. We paid for their gas after first offering a flight. We paid for the offsite condo. We paid for six-day park hoppers, seven-day Universal/IOA tickets, HHN Frequent Fear passes, and table-service dining. We spent eight months asking for their input. Once they got here, we adapted and changed and reworked the schedule and threw entire chunks of time out the window. We paid for M's father to go to MK at her request. We kept trying to find out what they wanted and provide it to them. Yet we're up to Day Six, and every single day either they've screamed at each other or screamed at us. Sometimes both in the same day. Am I the only one not understanding why we're all still trying to make this work?

The Talk
Despite getting home more than three hours after they did, Dad and I were up first again. We talked a bit, trying to understand where M could possibly be coming from. J got up awhile later, and he didn't seem mad at all. He was as befuddled as we were as to why S would invent a text message and start trouble between us.

We had a reservation for Kona Cafe that morning that I really wanted to keep, but I knew better than to suggest it. So I kept my mouth shut and waited for M to get up. Which she finally did after 11 am.

M was civil but reserved. She also changed her story. Now it wasn't a text message that had allegedly been sent. It was a voicemail that had allegedly been left. She wasn't interested in phone records or any other objective proof. Just like the day before, she knew what she knew and no one could convince her otherwise. She flatly refused to call her father to get to the bottom of it.

Meanwhile, she wanted to discuss other topics. The biggest one was the sunglasses. How dare we have even suggested that she wear sunglasses in line for a haunted house. She doesn't like sunglasses and she doesn't have to wear them. We agreed. She's right. She's doesn't. And she didn't calmly tell us this why?

Next was the shows. M informed us that she and J (the same guy who was terrified of the monorail, Dumbo, and the Astro Orbiter) only care for the big rides. They hate shows and don't appreciate being "forced" to endure them. When we pointed out that every show we saw except Bill and Ted was her idea, she became enraged. Bill and Ted was the sticking point, apparently, because we told her that we were going to see it. She told us that if they want to see a show, then we will all see it. If they don't, then none of us will see it.

J finally decided to speak up, for the first time the entire trip. He told us that this is their vacation. We have annual passes. His expectation is that they will look at the map or just wander around and decide what to do. We will follow along behind them and stop to do whatever they decide. He stopped just short of saying, "Since you have the GAC and we don't want to wait in lines or do Fast Pass."

M actually intervened at that point and told J that was unfair. Dad suggested that we all just split up. They have a car and park tickets, and we have a car and park tickets. They could go do whatever they wanted, and we could do the same. If we met for anything, cool. If not, cool. Monica said that she didn't want to do things that way because it would feel disrespectful to say "Hey, thanks for the condo and the tickets. Buh-bye now!" But it doesn't feel disrespectful to stamp your feet, roll your eyes, start screaming arguments or storm out of parks?

An Actual Workable Plan?
So we told M that if she wanted to keep doing things together, we would have to find a way to make it work. We explained that the offer we had originally made and they had originally accepted was for a personal VIP tour of the parks. That was the expectation that we were operating under. To us, a personal VIP tour includes an overview of everything and a bit of discussion on history, trivia and fun facts. I reminded her that for eight months, I had tried to get input and been told that they wanted to leave it all up to us. I reminded her that for nearly a week, we had been trying to ask targeted questions and get specific input and only ever gotten "Fine," or "OK," or "I'm game." I reminded her that on a couple of the days I had handed her the schedule and a pen and had HER make the entire day's schedule. I was up for whatever she wanted to do to change things and make them work, but I was not okay with feeling like we were tagging along for the sole purpose of using the GAC.

After a McDonald's run and many more hours of conversation, we eventually hit on a new idea. We would go around each park in a circle. As we got to each thing, each person would vote Yea or Nay. If one person wanted to do something, everyone would stop and either do it or sit and wait. Efficient? Not in the slightest. The greatest idea since sliced bread? According to M, it was. OK, cool, that's resolved. Are we friends again?

The Big Test
J really wanted to go back to HHN that night, so we put the new plan into action. Since we were taking two cars, they would leave slightly ahead of us. She wanted to try to ride Rip, Ride, Rockit before HHN, and he was willing to sit and watch. Meanwhile, Dad and I would leave slightly behind them, get our express passes at Guest Relations, and meet them in the Stay and Scream holding area. We hadn't been able to get reservations for that night's Passholder party.

They ended up leaving an hour behind schedule. I was just waiting for them to leave so that I could lay down and meditate for 20 minutes, to clear my head and steel myself to try again. Since they left late, my 20 minutes put us behind schedule, and Dad and I arrived 10 minutes after Universal closed. So we headed for the IOA holding area.

I called M to let her know and make a plan to meet at one of the houses. She told me that Dad and I should come to Universal because the Team Member in the holding area told her that we could still get in if we showed our APs at the gate. I tried to explain that was only for those attending the Passholder party. She refused to believe me. I told her to ask that Team Member if we could get in the gate without being on the list for the party, and she said no. M believed her.

She didn't do the coaster, by the way, as the line was over 2 hours long. I'm not surprised, but I wanted her to find out on her own. Meanwhile, she either tricked J or got her story confused, because she told him The Mummy was just like Men in Black He rode with her, but afterward while she was , he was Dad and I promised to ride with her later that night.

So Dad and I went through IOA holding. It worked out just fine, and we actually made it to our first house (Wolfman) five minutes ahead of M and J. We waited outside, and we all got in with less than a 10 minute wait. Awesome house! Can't wait to see it again! We did Dracula, another really terrific house, with under a 10 minute wait, and lined up for Frankenstein, which would open at 6:30. Dad and I ran into more friends in line, and for once M didn't get upset with us for saying hello. Was the evening really going to be a success? Maybe so, because right after Frankenstein, we got into Leave It to Cleaver in under 15 minutes. That finished off the houses for them, although Dad and I had yet to see Saw.

We were all in a great mood, and decided to grab some grub. Dad and I got fried chicken in Amity, while M and J had more Dipping Dots. For once we were talking and laughing and genuinely acting like a family!

M decided she really wanted to see Rocky Horror, and despite several warnings from us about the content, J said he wanted to go too. M had a great time, even yelling some audience callbacks. Afterward, J said it was the worst experience of his life Still, he had promised not to agree to do things and then complain about them, and he honored that agreement.

J really wanted to see the street scare zones, so right after Rocky we headed out. The idea was to make a big circle around the park, hitting all the zones, then end up at The Mummy for us to ride with M. Unfortunately, the weather had other ideas.

As we left the Rocky theater, I felt a couple of drops of rain. We ducked into Louie's to wait it out, and it seemed to be just a small sprinkle. So we headed out again and made it through New York street with a bunch of dazed scare actors just standing around. I think they were in the process of being called in due to rain. Just as we left that scare zone, the sky literally opened up. We were drenched in seconds, so we ran for ponchos. Dad's ECV can't get too wet or the electronics will be ruined, making the situation potentially even worse.

Once poncho-ed and scooter protected, J wanted to head out again. But the street actors had gone in, and the ponchos seemed to be doing little good. We headed for the Universal Studios Store to wait it out. Eventually we were able to make a break for the restrooms, and by the time everyone was done it looked like the rain was about over. We saw some street actors start to head out. Can we really do it?

Nope, not yet. As soon as we left the restroom building, round two of rain hit. The street actors left again and we ducked back into shelter. Fortunately that bout was short-lived, so we headed for the Saw house.

Saw had closed briefly due to the rain, and a huge crowd was milling about outside. There was no actual line though, so we managed to stake out spots at the rope. We waited about ten minutes and the queue was opened. Turns out a lot of people hadn't evacuated the queue when the house closed, so we still had to wait around 20 minutes, but it was much better than a 75 minute wait!! M and J were thrilled and excited to share the house with us. I loved the sets and accurate recreations of scenes, though I didn't think it was that straight-up "scary." I love different houses for different reasons though, and that one was just cool.

By the time we got out, the rain was gone and the street scare actors were back. Shockingly, the rain delay hadn't upset anyone in our group, and we laughed and jumped in puddles. M got some great scares, and even J was startled a few times. Much fun was had by all!

We stayed until the park closed, and all agreed that it was a wonderful night. The next day, we had plans to go visit my grandmother (no blood relation to M, but they were close when M was a child) and see my mom's grave. We were expected at Grandma's at 2 pm.

Coming Up: Day Seven, To Grandmother's House We Go...Or Do We?

 

[JLTraveling]

Too Good to Be True?
After a shockingly good night at HHN, I was guardedly optimistic. Perhaps we really had resolved our issues and could go on to salvage a great vacation. Dad didn't think it would last, but we were both determined to do our part.

We got a disturbing phone call at 10:30 am, though we actually didn't awaken and get to the phone in time. According to the voicemail from my Uncle W (mom's brother), Grandma was in the emergency room. She wanted him to let us know not to come visit. She was in the hospital a few weeks ago with severe vertigo, and she hadn't felt right since. At breakfast that morning she had felt ill and extremely weak and dizzy, so they called an ambulance (Grandma is in an assisted living facility, though at the least restrictive level. She has a gorgeous apartment in a lovely building that reminds me of a classy cruise ship). Wes said she was okay and feeling a bit better, but would be in the hospital overnight.

Now What?
Despite knowing ahead of time that we were due at Grandma's at 2 pm, and not knowing that she had been hospitalized, M and J slept until 1:30. We would have awakened them for the trip, but let them sleep since we weren't going anyway. Still, it bothered me that they said they wanted to see Grandma, and then didn't get up.

Once they were up, we told M and J about Grandma. We had talked to her, and she was feeling a lot better. She wanted us to stop by, but not until she was out of the ER and in a regular room. So we told her we would talk to them and figure out a plan.

Plan B? C? Z? Who Knows Anymore?
Monica had been wanting to try again with Downtown Disney. She really wanted to hit Marketplace, so we decided to go there first. Then we would head to Lakeland to see Grandma and visit Mom's grave.

We left the condo at nearly 4 pm. Are you sensing a pattern here? Anyway, we went to Earl of Sandwich, which M had loved when she was down in March. She still loved it. J thought it was okay, but said he had yet to eat a meal that could beat the sandwich at the Contempo Cafe on Day Two

It turns out that M only had two Marketplace destinations in mind: the $10 store and World of Disney. She bought presents for her kids at the $10 store, but got weird in WoD. All of a sudden, she didn't want to look at anything or let J look at anything. She walked quickly through the main part of the store and back outside again. I didn't even ask, I just moved on.

Dad talked them into going into Once Upon a Toy. He thought they might like stuff for their kids (or even themselves). Both went back into eye-rolling, foot stamping mode, so we got them out of there quick.

Dad and I then told them we were stopping for drinking chocolate at Ghiradelli's. It's not hot chocolate, with milk, it's just literally like drinking a candy bar. We think it's the greatest stuff in the world! M and J were hesitant, but they ended up buying one. They loved it, just like we thought they would.

It's Only a 40 Minute Drive!
It was around 6 pm, and everyone was ready for the Lakeland trip. Still driving two cars, we headed out. On I-4, we wound up in a MASSIVE traffic jam. We found out on the news later that there had been an 18-car pileup Even creepier, it had happened just about the time we would have been there if we hadn't done Once Upon a Toy and Ghiradelli. Yikes, someone was looking out for us that day!

We got on I-4 shortly before 6:30 with an ETA at the hospital of 7:10. At 7:45, when we'd gone less than four miles M called to ask if we still wanted to go. She said S would take her to Mom's grave. I explained that since she hadn't been able to come to the funeral, I really wanted to share Mom's grave with her, rather than her having that moment with S. In a rare bit of understanding and compassion, she agreed. We knew we would miss visiting hours at the hospital, so Dad called W and asked him to explain to Grandma why we couldn't come.

We finally made it to the cemetery after 8:30 pm. We had to use a flashlight, but thankfully the cemetery was still open. M cried, I cried, Dad cried a little, and even J's eyes were a bit watery. It was a truly meaningful moment and, despite everything, I was glad I shared it with M. I broke down in the car on the way home, dealing with feelings I thought had long been dealt with (it's been almost five years now).

Yet Another New Plan
When we got home, M decided she wanted to plan out the next day in advance. She got out the guide map and Times Guide for DHS, and we actually managed to plan out the entire day without arguing at all. Maybe we would be able to pull it off after all!

Coming Up: Day Eight, Turning Over a New Leaf at DHS

 

[JLTraveling]

Will She or Won't She? Only Her Hairdresser Knows For Sure
As far as Dad was concerned, DHS was the true test of whether things had been resolved. It was the first full park day since the massive blowup, and he was now utterly convinced that M's emotions spun on a dime. I was feeling fairly confident, but not completely trusting. Everyone was up and out pretty early though, which I took as a good sign. We arrived shortly after 9 am.

As always, M and J took their own car. Dad and I discovered when we arrived that the outlet he had his scooter plugged into at the condo didn't work so he immediately took it to ECV Rental. They allowed him to plug it in, but meanwhile, Dad was without a scooter. I tried to get him to rent one, but he was stubborn

We went to Starring Rolls, because Dad really wanted a lox, bagel and cream cheese sandwich. Unfortunately, they no longer sell those So we made do with pastries and orange juice, and got moving.

How Did I Know This Would Happen?
Sunset Blvd was our first stop. We wanted to go ahead and get M on ToT, which she had been talking about nonstop since they arrived, as well as RnRC. Predictably, J took one look at ToT and said no way. He absolutely would not ride it, no matter what. Equally predictably, M begged, pleaded and cajoled, and then got angry. To her credit, despite being upset, she eventually backed off and went on the ride with Dad and me. I skipped RnRC to hang out with J, because I felt bad for him. I didn't want to abandon him for two rides in a row.

M had absolutely no memory of RnRC, despite it previously being one of her favorite rides. She and Dad had a great time on it, and I'm kind of glad they got to ride something alone. Amazingly, she had decided the night before to see Beauty and the Beast (What? A SHOW?), but our show time wasn't until 12:45. We had an 11:25 reservation at Sci-Fi, one of the only requests she had made before the trip. Between rides, cajoling, and smoke breaks, it was already almost 11:00, so we stopped for another cig and then picked up Dad's scooter. It didn't have nearly a full charge yet, but it was in decent shape. We wandered over to Sci-Fi, and he plugged it again just outside.

Another Successful Meal
M and J both LOVED the restaurant. Absolutely everything about it was wonderful to them. Dad and I enjoy it, and hadn't been there in awhile, so it was fun for us as well. We sat and talked and laughed at the old film clips, and genuinely had a good time Dad and I split the ribs, and M and J split a turkey sandwich, plain.

After lunch and yet another cig, we did GMR. M remembered most of it and was excited to do it again. Dad and I were heroes because we pointed out a couple of Hidden Mickeys (turns out M adores Hidden Mickeys), and they both loved the ride. It's one of my favorites as well.

What? They're Actually Listening to Us?
We then detoured to Toy Story, which was decidedly NOT on M's agenda. But she remembered that if anyone wanted to do something, everyone else had to either go along or sit and wait. Since it was air conditioned, they decided to go along. To their shock and amazement they actually loved it! They were SO glad we had "talked them into it."

Next up was the 12:45 Beauty and the Beast. J didn't comment either way, but M said it was really cute. I thought it was funny that she liked it that much, because I'm the "show" person and I think it's too saccharine; she hates shows and she loved it Go figure!

Next up was Indiana Jones at 2:00, so we headed to Star Tours first. J was scared to death, but he got on it without too much complaining. He was white-knuckled during the ride, but afterward he thought it was awesome. They both got a kick out of Tattooine Traders as well.

M remembered some of Indiana Jones, and said it was even better than she remembered. J wasn't real impressed, but he said it was all right. I was quickly learning that from J, that's a compliment

Dad and I decided to do the Muppets, and offered to do it while M and J were in the 4:30 Lights, Motors, Action. But since there was time to spare anyway, they decided to do it. Both thought they would hate it, since they're not Muppet fans, but both were impressed by the special effects. They thanked us for taking them in.

M remembered the old Backstage Studio Tour (the two-hour version with the walking portion, back when the tram went down New York Street and Residential Street still existed). We warned her that it had gotten extremely watered down and that she might be disappointed. She insisted on doing it anyway and was, indeed, disappointed. To her credit, though, she said, "You did try to tell me. That was my own fault." They were both highly unimpressed with the AFI Villains exhibit, which Dad and I adore. But to each their own, right?

The Big Thrill
Finally it was time for Lights, Motors, Action. Dad and I are not big car people, and we rarely take time out for this show. Both M and J were super-excited though, and we were glad they were happy. As it turns out, they were utterly enthralled. Both spent most of the show with their mouths hanging open, soaking it all in. Afterward, J said it was his favorite thing of the entire trip. M said it was second-best after ToT. Boy am I glad we did that one!

By this point, M and J were starting to drag. We picked up Dad's scooter, which had a nearly full charge by this point. We got snacks and relaxed a bit. M wanted to ride ToT and RnRC again, and swore up and down that J had promised to go with her. I had overheard him teasing her, but absolutely no promises that he would actually go.

She Just Doesn't Let Up
So we headed back down to Sunset. We got to ToT and M grabbed J's hand and said, "Let's go." He said, "No. I'm not riding it." That set M off completely. They got into a massive argument about trust and promises and lying and all kinds of fun stuff. A random family overheard me calmly explaining the ride to J, who asked me to specifically describe it, and asked me to explain it to their daughter.

Apparently the girl, who looked about eight or nine, had gotten all the way to the elevator and then chickened out. I sat down with her on the curb and told her all about the ride. She had already done Mission:Space Orange Side, and I told her Mission:Space was the scariest thing at Disney. If she had already done that, then ToT would be nothing. She listened intently, but decided she still didn't want to go Oh well, at least I tried, right?

Meanwhile, M and J continued to argue for over 40 minutes. Dad and I walked away and sat and chatted on our own. Eventually M stormed up to us and said, "Well, let's go. He's a (expletive, expletive, expletive), but that's okay. I'll remember that whenever HE wants something." I didn't feel like listening to her complain through the entire line, so I said I was dizzy and sat down with J. My poor dad was a trooper, despite having back pain from walking so much that day. He took M on the ride, and then on RnRC again. M actually called J from the ToT queue to yell at him some more, but didn't even try on RnRC.

M and J continued to snipe on the boat all the way to the Boardwalk. We had reservations at Kouzzina, the new Cat Cora restaurant, and I was not about to give them up. I did tell M and J that they didn't have to go, but they tagged along.

Can't Take Them Anywhere
We wandered the Boardwalk for a few minutes. At around 8:15, J wanted us to ask if we could be seated early for our 9:00 reservation. As I suspected, the restaurant was booked solid. We were allowed to go ahead and check in, and given a beeper, but we were told that we shouldn't expect to be seated until 9:00.

Dad and I watched a couple of street performers while M and J bickered. Then all of a sudden, they were over it and ready to rent one of those multiple passenger Surrey bikes. M asked if we wanted to come, so we did. We should have said no. Turns out she was only asking to be polite. Again, I wish she would say what she means. We rode around the lagoon loop, M complaining the entire time about having to pedal. Um, how do you think a bicycle works? We returned the bike and she started whining about how it was supposed to be romantic, and it wasn't supposed to be hard, and blah, blah, blah. J told us it was the worst experience of his life. Wish I had such a charmed life that pedaling a Surrey bike around a lagoon at Disney was my worst experience ever.

Finally it was time for Kouzzina. I was really excited to try the restaurant, since I absolutely love Cat Cora. Dad asked if Cat was there that day, but sadly, she was not. In hindsight, I'm actually really glad she wasn't.

I thought for sure Greek food wasn't that exotic. If worst came to worst, they could have a salad. Well, Dad and I quickly settled on sharing the Goat cheese-stuffed Grape Leaf appetizer, a side of orzo and one of pickled beets on mashed potatoes (served cold) with the appetizer, and the Pastitio entree. Pastitio is a Greek lasagna with a cinnamon-stewed meat sauce.

After much debate and asking the waiter what other salad dressings they had (Come on, this is fine dining, not your neighborhood Shoney's!), M and J finally decided on a Greek salad and steak. They ordered the steak plain and the salad dressing on the side. The waiter pointedly ignored the large bag of cotton candy M had set on the floor beside her chair.

There went all pretense of normal fine dining etiquette. I tried to slink down in my seat, while Dad laughed and joked it off with the waiter. It only got better when M called her kids and loudly discussed with the babysitter (after our bread and black sea salt butter were delivered ) how the 2 year old now goes poopy in the potty!

I gave up and quietly thanked God that the family next to us (with very well-behaved children) was raptly focused on their own meal and not paying attention. Nonetheless, I was determined to get full enjoyment out of my dinner.

Dad and I ordered coffee and dessert (a molten chocolate cake). M and J declined. To her credit, after she saw I was getting embarrassed, M tried to make more polite conversation. She also tried to remain at the table while we finished. J couldn't wait though. He HAD to smoke a cigarette. So they left the table to go smoke, and came back just as we were paying the check.

The boats had long since stopped running back to DHS, so M and J decided to grab a cab. Dad and I walked back (well, I walked, he rolled) along the walking path. We asked if they wanted to join us, but they couldn't fathom voluntarily walking for 20 minutes.

When we got home, they were locked in their room, using the jacuzzi tub. The next day was Dad's Amazing Race birthday adventure, so I really wanted to discuss the plan. I pounded on their door and eventually got a response, but they didn't actually emerge until an hour later.

M wanted to do everything in Future World and nothing in the World Showcase. Dad wanted to do some things in World Showcase as well as Food and Wine. I was too tired to argue with anybody, so after waiting up for them for an hour, we decided to play it by ear.

Coming up: Day 9, An Amazing Birthday Race and the Final Meltdown.