Non-planners just don't know!

[MommaPeel]

So...
At the 240 day mark I had my hotel plans set in PEN!
At the 210 day mark I had my plans set in pencil!

January 25th I left the country for 1 year for my deployment.....

***Curveball #1 the military said ooh my bad you have to go back for 15 days and not 14 days and you get an extra day for travel so I had to add 2 hotel days*** Challenge ACCEPTED!
At the 180 day mark I had my ADRs set in PEN!

I should be all set right? Wrong!

~Dear brother finally chimes in and said he would like to come to Florida and he would like to bring the girlfriend and her son (Days 2-8)~

~Reservations were made people... for 2 not 5... I'm deployed military I don't have disney on speed dial anymore~

Being the loving sister I am, I booked my brother a hotel at the nearby POP resort with my Military Discount. His last trip to WDW was painful, he stayed in a home and spent a good part of his days driving, getting lost in Orlando and cooking. I want this trip to be better. This girlfriend is better! So this time he stays on property and it costs less!

Dear brother never really did Disney dining other than the world famous Quick Service establishments like PECOS BILLs. I don't want to over do it. So I rescheduled Sci-Fi Dine in for all of us and I booked Liberty Tree Tavern for Dinner. (an early Thanksgiving!)

Should be all set! But wait, now Dad moved in with him and I have to add one more! YAY! That was actually painless, but now dad is staying in one of my spare beds at Art of Animation Suite.

So 66 days out my Mom sents me a message saying that she was able to get days off to come and visit. Her and her boyfriend are coming for 5 days. I need to rebook meals again and she has certain parks she would like to go to! She had only ever been to Animal Kingdom! Poor Mother!

Nobody understands how painful it is to rebook and replan your entire trip at 65-62 days out! I should only be worrying about my fastpasses people! not more hotels, rebooking impossible now 8 people ADRs.

Luckily I was able to get my ADRs changed late last night and I even have one to give away now because I pulled it for the wrong day. I have to try and make another military hotel reservation for POP today for my mother.

But FP+ reservations are in 2 days. I'm planning 3 different groups of fast passes thou. I hope I plan correct for a 4 year old boy i've never met! I assume since he loves CARS he will get along with my dear boyfriend. He just won't be tall enough for the mountains.

Thank you for reading my rant!

 

[FaithTrustPixieDust*]

Families, eh!!

 

[jerseygal]

THANK YOU for your service!

May you and your "extended" family have the BEST TIME!

 

[Sheaboys]

THANK YOU for your service!

May you and your "extended" family have the BEST TIME!

This!

The 4yr old should be tall enough for BTMR and Splash, along with Soarin and ToT, as we went with our 3yr and he was able to do them.

Enjoy!!!

 

[Manders77]

This!

The 4yr old should be tall enough for BTMR and Splash, along with Soarin and ToT, as we went with our 3yr and he was able to do them.

Enjoy!!!

Not necessarily, when DD was 4.5 she was not tall enough (38 inches) and my DS who will be 5 on our next trip might not make the 40 inches. But my kids are short.

OP- unless you know the 4 yr old height I would book those just in case. Then change them if he isn't tall enough or too timid of a child. If you are not comfortable with that at least get the 7DMT.

 

[LovesTimone]

Thank you for your service.!!!! My family and I appreciate your sacrifice and you putting yourself on the line every day for us. No matter what you do in the armed forces, it is important. You are important and a Hero in my mind and heart. Thank you!!!!

Now on to family... You gotta Love'm. ...

I would tell them that they owe you quite a few adult beverages on this trip for all the changes

I wish lots of pixie dust for your trip.. Have a memorable and magical time..

 

[Mambo Junkie]

Thanks for sharing! I know it was aggravating, but it made for an interesting read; and THANK YOU for your service!

 

[sunnygal041]

Thanks for your service!! Families are something else!!

 

[BLTtinkerbell]

First, Thank you for your service!

Second, Only Disney people understand planning trips like this. Family & friends think its easy & not a big deal to add/change things at any time.

Thanks for sharing! Have a fun time!

 

[jco_direwolf]

Why are you changing ADRs? That is something I don't stress over any more.

I've never had an issue with changing the number of people on an ADR at the podium, they have always accommodated. With that many people/families these days I just let people know what ADRs they can join us for.

"Everyone, here is a link to the Google Calendar of ADRs I have and where. If you'd like to join us please be at the place ready to eat at the time listed." (which I quietly list as about 20 minutes before my ADR.)

I have way too many times be involved with the insanity that is.
"Oh 8:05a at Ohana doesn't work for us, can you just change it to more like 10a?"

I always feel like saying "Yea well 10am breakfast doesn't work for me, everyone is going have been awake and wanting food for about 4 hours, and by 10a I expect to be in a park having been on 2-5 attractions Thank you for playing."

Between that people panicking over what the food might be like a say Sanna. "Really you don't think you'll be able to find anything to eat a Sanna? Order the Chicken nuggets and Fries."

Sorry about venting in someone else's thread. But ADRs and my immediate family (both bio and inlaws) are insane.

Good luck with your trip.

 

[Disneytam]

So glad you posted this! You make me feel so much better knowing I'm not the only one with a family that sees no need to plan anything in advance for Disney. My husband and son get it but the rest of the family..ugh!

 

[Crl1817]

You are a saint. When we went with the in laws, I made a handful of group meal reservations and that was it. We told them which park we were going to for the day and they called us to figure out where we were when they finally entered the park.

I hear you on the non planners though. Dh wants nothing to do with the planning, yet has requests that just don't work. (Thankfully when I say they just don't work he is willing to accept that.)

Thank you for your service. Dh spent 13 years in the marine corps so I kind of know how much that adds to the complications of planning anything.

Hope your disney vacation is a blast!

 

[PJ]

1) Thanks for your service and sacrifice!

2) Hope your family appreciates what you've gone through to try to make sure everyone has a great time (definitely puts you in the saint category)

3) Hope your effortss pay off and you have a magical time - you've earned it - on many levels!

 

[Portugal1000]

My family have no idea how much planning goes into our holidays each year. I think they think everyone gets to ride 25 rides at MK in August in one day!!
Last year I finally managed to get a reservation for the 3 of us at BOG. I had be begging my brother to come with us for several years and bring my nieces (I have a son so was desperate to do the Princess thing), so he finally books his flights from London, Yay. Arrival time, 10 minutes after our BOG reservation. No more reservations available for any other time and we had to meet them at the airport. Now of course I would much rather have my brother and his family with us for 3 weeks than one dinner at BOG but it would have been nice to have both Wasn't able to get a reservation this year and tried right at the 6 month mark.

I hope you have a fantastic trip.

 

[Haygar2]

First and foremost...Thank you for your service to our country.

Now onto the topic (sort of). We planned our trip last year. Booked it, almost, 1 year ago today. My mom and her husband had planned on going with us. I had us booked at the WL (at that time. Now we are booked at the Cabins). Anyway. They didn't want to stay at a Deluxe and so I told her to stay at POR. We drive. They were going to fly. So my mom tells me how great it is that we are driving so we can pick them up at their resort everyday. Uhhh....no. I told her that it would be silly for us to do that since they can take the Disney busing. I informed her that we get to the parks early and stay until they close. We do not take a break in the middle of the day. She then proceeds to tell me that we can take them back to their resort, in the middle of the day, right? Uhhhh...no. Again, take the buses. I then tell her what we have planned (as far as attractions) go and when we will be seeing a show if they want to me up with us. She says "you mean we aren't going to be together the whole time?" Uhhhh..no. She would drive me crazy and crab about not taking a break. I gave her some ideas of restaurants and she says to me "we aren't big eaters. Do we have to eat a big meal every night?" Uh..no. You don't. We are. That is part of the "Disney magic" for us. Me especially. I cook ALL THE TIME. It's so nice to have someone else cook for me for a week.

Fast forward one year. My mom and her husband bought a camper and camp every weekend. Their Disney vacation went by the wayside. Now we can enjoy our vacation and they enjoy their camper. Win/win for everyone.


Have a great vacation. You deserve it.