Obsessive planning+loads of pixie dust=wonderful trip w/ a few tense moments -Updated

[KatieCharlotte]

We have just returned from eight days in Florida, which had many wonderful moments thanks to my obsessive planning (no one else is going to give me credit so I have to), great advice from these boards, and lots of pixie dust. This was the first time we took a vacation with no one getting sick and no torrents of rain during the day. There were a few grumbles and complaints from those who did not appreciate all my amazing planning, but things always seemed to turn out well. My mom called it luck. I called it pixie dust -- or blessings from God. And my obsessive planning.
Our cast:
Mom (Me) -- I obsessively plan all vacations and try very hard not to be controlling and annoying, usually successfully.
Dad -- DH. Wanted very much for me to have a great vacation, but occasionally cranky, especially about me not answering my cell phone, and terrified of ice cream.
DS8 -- Eight-year-old son who loves traveling but is very nervous about new experiences and sometimes inflexible.
DD5 -- Five-year-old daughter who loves thrill rides and princesses, but hates walking and new foods and needs alone time.
DD1 -- Nineteen-month-old daughter who loves music and people, is very loving, and knows the characters thanks to dd5, but is, after all, a sometimes cranky toddler.
Grandma -- My mom, who loves us lots but is irritated by poor management and bad service and takes longer to get ready than low maintenance me.
Grandpa -- My dad, who loves kids but hates crowds. When I was twelve and was taken to a concert for my birthday, we heard the encore from the parking lot to beat the crowds. You can imagine how this is relevant.
Plus -- dh's dad and his wife joined us for the first few days. They live in Florida. And dh's grandparents joined us for the first few hours. They also live in Florida.

We were unusual -- we rented a house instead of staying on Disney property, and we didn't even spend every day at the theme parks. We all needed the downtime. We flew in early Saturday , picked up our house key, and headed to DTD, where we met dh's grandparents at McDonald's (the kids' choice, obviously). The sixty-degree weather felt hot to us. DS8 decided he wanted a red sports team hat, which helped us keep track of him all trip. DD5 bought ears and a princess mug, then wanted to ride the train. DD1 tried to climb the gate to let us know she also wanted a ride, so I hopped on with her. The kids remembered photos of them in the DTD fountains, but they promised this time they would keep their clothes dry. In five minutes dd5 and ds8 were soaked.

After we pulled dry clothes out of the suitcases, we went to get settled in our house and have a quiet evening. I mentioned being ready to leave for MK rope drop at 7:30 the next morning, and my mom said, "Why?" She suggested 8:15 was plenty early. Our house was thirty minutes from MK. Dh suggested 7:45, and we decided we'd aim for that.

 

[Naively Occur]

Looking fwd to hearing more

 

[KatieCharlotte]

Day 2: The Magic Kingdom

We all were so tired from waking up unreasonably early to make our flight that even the adults were asleep by nine p.m., which meant we were all up nice and early on Sunday. After I got the kids ready for the day and my mom did her hair and make-up routine and drank her coffee, we were in the car at 7:50 a.m.
I will always love that first monorail ride into the Magic Kingdom, with my stomach fluttering and my head full of plans for the day, as I point things out to the kids. We were through the gates and in front of the train station when they announced it was five minutes until the welcome show began. Dh's dad and stepmom arrived just behind us. Although I'd heard it was going to be a busy day at MK, with late regular hours plus evening magic hours, nearly everyone must have decided to sleep late, because the crowds were small that morning. There was a chance of rain, but the sun broke through the clouds just as the train pulled up. I'd like to blame the sun for the tears in my eyes during the opening, but honestly it was because I was so grateful to be there with my family. This was our first trip since we had our youngest and our family was complete. Since our last trip three years before, I had learned to be more thankful for all the blessings we have -- family, health, finances. Being at Disney was icing.
We entered main street, and I didn't care that a crane was up to remove the Christmas lights and the moat was drained. Dh and his dad ran to ride Space Mountain (we didn't know it wouldn't open for ten minutes) and dd5 complained a little about walking all the way up main street, until she saw Dumbo and started running. We were able to walk on Dumbo, Peter Pan, and Pooh and ride the carrousel, before my parents took ds8 to the Speedway while dd5, dd1, and I hurried to Toontown. I remembered seeing the wait time to meet the princesses last time and feeling sad that we had to miss that. This time, we walked right in. Dd1, who says few words, pointed and said, "Belle" loud and clear. She didn't want to get close, but Belle blew her a kiss and dd1 blew kisses at everyone for hours afterward. I'd grabbed my mom's camera, since dh was still in Tomorrowland, and took pictures of dd5 meeting her princesses. After the last photo, the memory ran out. We discovered my mom forgot to put a memory card in; she didn't know the camera could store photos without it.
We had a perfect day at MK. Of course, I've forgotten the moments of whining and complaints, mostly from the kids. Although I had everything planned out, it seemed to flow smoothly without any effort to keep everyone "on track." We did everything we wanted in Fantasyland, Toontown, and Tomorrowland without lines. We bought ice cream when dh wasn't around so he wouldn't have to see the mess (he had to face his fears another day). DS8 loved Philharmagic, which terrified him at age five. We watched the parade and went back to the house for dinner and early bed. Dh's dad and stepmom went back for Spectro and said the park was packed.

Edited to add: For sports fans -- My dad saw Randy Moss at MK. We didn't really believe him until dh searched twitter and found others saw him too.

Day 2: Natural Florida
I know it sounds odd, but we spent the next day away from the parks. We saw manatees in their natural environment in Blue Springs State park and played in the sand at New Smyrna Beach. My parents couldn't stop talking about trying Chic-Fil-a, which we don't have up north, and I spotted one near the Blue Springs highway exit with a play area, which made everyone happy. We would have spent more time on the beach had my parents, who are not beach people, not been there, but it was a quiet day that helped us regroup. I highly recommend some non-park days, whether spent at the beach or pool. I'm especially glad we did because the next day I reached near meltdown.

 

[KatieCharlotte]

Day 4: Epcot Center
The Magic Kingdom is my favorite park, because I see wonder on my children’s faces and recall my own childhood experiences. Cringe or laugh if you like, but I consider It’s a Small World my one essential attraction. However, Epcot is my favorite park to explore as an adult, preferably without the kids. I did not expect to have any time without kids during this trip, so I tried to keep my expectations low. Three years ago, my parents took our then dd2 and ds5 to our rental house while dh and I and my sister and brother-in-law enjoyed the afternoon and evening at Epcot. A few months before this trip, my parents tried to put one-year-old dd to bed while dh and I were out and it was an exhausting, frustrating ordeal, so I wasn’t even going to ask. Actually, I had suggested my parents go to Illuminations alone, but they didn’t want to.
We were out the door on time again on a foggy morning. Dh’s dad and stepmom joined us, but left mid-afternoon. I had a rope drop attack plan, which everyone went along with, although it was less necessary than I expected because the crowd was low all day. Much lower than Epcot the same time of year three years ago and much lower than all our other park days.
Dh headed to collect Soarin fastpasses for everyone, while we headed to Test Track. I picked up a parental Rider Switch pass and headed inside with ds8 and dd1. Dd5 rode with both sets of grandparents and loved it. We could not convince her eight-year-old brother. When dh appeared, we took dd5 for her second ride on TT with the three-person Rider Switch. The sun came out, blinding us, as our car left the building. By the time we’d finished Nemo and the aquarium, it was time for Soarin. Ds8 agreed to ride only if he could keep his eyes closed and cling to me. After a few seconds he opened his eyes and enjoyed the ride. It was all so stressful for him, though, that he decided to pass on riding a second time, but dh, dd5, and I rode again later with a second set of fp. It was a huge breakthrough that he rode at all.
After lunch ds8 was anxious to try Kim Possible. We were a bit frustrated to be sent to Italy for our Kimmunicator, only to then be sent to China for our mission. I’d hoped to explore Italy because dh and I had our babymoon (big vacation while pregnant with first child) in Italy. The mission itself was fun but frustrating as well. Ds8 is brilliant and a math genius, but apparently completely unable to see anything right in front of him. I’m rethinking my plan to take him with me on the Amazing Race when he’s eighteen. I won’t complain about the weather – I’m glad we missed the cold spell and the sun was shining – but we dressed for the chilly morning and were hot and tired in the afternoon. We rallied with a ride through Spaceship Earth, which ds8 loves, and playing in Imagination. But dh was upset with me for not hearing my cell phone, again, and ds8 was extremely cranky from sun, noise, and frustration. I think he really regretted not feeling brave enough to try Test Track. He refused to even try the video games in Innoventions.
We’d plan to have dinner at TGIFriday’s, mostly because my mom received a generous gift card at work and the only TGIF within an hour of our home had closed. I was looking forward to steak as compensation for not making it all around the World Showcase and dealing with cranky children all day. My parents had gone out the night before for prime rib and seafood while we had bad pasta at the house with the kids. When we reached the car with whining children, my parents decided we shouldn’t eat out that night because the kids were too tired – we should use the gift card the next night before we went to MK for Spectro and Wishes. They decided we would pick up KFC. Dh and I had chicken and mashed potatoes for lunch and dreaded more of the same. I was stressed that they would want to skip Spectro and Wishes. My mom had said earlier that Wishes wasn’t essential, since we see fireworks every fourth of July. We also felt frustrated that we were not in control. But I kept my mouth shut, for the most part, and ate my chicken without complaining. I mentioned to dd1 that I loved her but wished we could return to see the countries at night and watch Illuminations. My parents said they would love to put all three to bed if we wanted to go. I worried whether I should, but decided in the end that I didn’t want to miss the opportunity. Dh put Up in the dvd player and off we went.

The World Showcase at night is magical and romantic. I was more interested in wandering the countries than holding the perfect spot for Illuminations, but just before it began we found a place by a fence near Canada. That night I wanted to make a quick escape to lessen the burden on my parents if dd1 refused to sleep. We later learned she drifted to sleep on grandma’s shoulder in two minutes.

You would think I learned keeping my mouth shut was a good thing and I should appreciate having my parents along, but I slipped just a little the next night.

 

[cmp1111]

It's always hard to corral a big group - especially if they don't understand the importance of rope drop!

Sounds like a nice trip so far, though. I don't see anything weird about "down days" especially when you have really small kids. Unfortunately, we have only booked short trips where we feel that we have to go all day, every day. Maybe next time!

 

[tigerdragon]

I'm enjoying your TR!

We've been to Disney with a large group and it is so stressful. It's just too hard to please everyone all the time. Our trip coming in March is going to actually be the first time it's just me, DH, and our kids. It'll be nice to decide what we want to do without having to please others as well.

Can't wait to read more of your TR!

 

[KatieCharlotte]

Day 5: Gatorland and MK at night
Who needs Disney when you can have hundreds of gators, cheesy shows, goats licking your hands, running around on a playground, and changing into swimsuits to spray water at each other. The kids had low key fun at Gatorland and the adults had time to catch our breaths and soak up Florida sunshine. The only other children in the water play area were a boy about ds8’s age and a girl about dd5’s age. Then we all went back to the house to rest. I knew this was the only way I would see MK in the evening and maybe, hopefully, see Wishes. Three years ago we watched it, once, from under the train station on our way out. Did I mention that my dad likes to beat the crowds to the parking lot?
My mom was fortunately as eager as me to get to MK, because she wanted to do some main street shopping before Spectro, so we ate dinner at TGIFriday very early. I finally had my steak and dd5 finally found food she liked, the mac and cheese. We shared desserts. It felt strange to ride the monorail into MK stuffed and relaxed. The Christmas lights and crane were gone from the castle, which was glowing.
I’d wanted the girls to see the Move It, Shake It parade, as long as it didn’t require any real effort. I was sure we arrived too late for the 5:40 pm parade, but we were in the stores when we heard the music. We stepped outside and saw it go by, well after 6 pm.
Ds8 and my dad were off at the Treehouse and Jungle Cruise because they hated to shop. My mom and dh were stuck in an endless line to make their purchases. So dd5 and I hurried away to find a good spot in Liberty Square to watch Spectro. Naturally, dd5 announced a bathroom emergency, which required a long detour. Fortunately, dh and dd1 were able to stake out a nice spot right behind the rope across from the Liberty Bell. I pulled out my kid snacks to keep the girls busy and prevented a dd5 meltdown when she learned she couldn’t have a fifteen dollar lighted spinning thing. We tried to guide my dad and ds8 to us by cell phone, but eventually I ran to fetch them. My sister kept calling with updates on my parents’ favorite college basketball team’s game. Kids squeezed in behind us with dripping ice cream. But then Spectro started and we were all captivated by the magic.
There is nothing like seeing open-mouthed wonder on the face of ds8. It is a rare sight. Dd1 bounced up and down and pointed. A few months earlier, dd5 told me the princesses were pretend. Just before the trip, she said she wanted to meet them. When she met Belle and Cinderella at MK and Snow White at Epcot’s Germany, she smiled but held back her enthusiasm. When a float turned our corner and she saw Ariel, her face lit up and she started waving wildly. At night, covered in sparkling lights, the magic was real.
When the parade finally ended, we moved toward the castle and curved to the right. I saw just enough space behind the tape. My parents were talking about moving down to the end of main street, so we could easily get out at the end. Dh said I should decide where we stood. I envisioned watching Wishes from the exit once again and said I’d like to stay where we were, with a clear view of the castle. I held dd1, dh held dd5, and ds8 could see perfectly if he leaned across the tape into the walkway. My dad continued muttering about getting out faster if we were near the exit, my mom muttered something about tomorrow being another early morning (FYI Wishes was at eight o’clock that night), my dad said we could see fireworks just as well from the exit as in front of the castle if it was just fireworks, and my mom said, “Tinkerbell flies or something” in a tone that usually accompanies eyerolling. I decided they were ruining a perfect evening, turned around, and muttered back, “If you’re going to complain, don’t come on our vacation. We only see this once every three years and I want to be by the castle.” Not nice or mature but I was feeling like no one appreciated all the work I’d done to make this trip special. Unlike past trips with my parents, dh and I were paying our share of almost everything. We’d taken the kids alone on big trips and were used to being the adults who made all the decisions. If we go back to Disney with them again, we will rent a separate car and let them join us for things when they want.
Wishes began and the muttering ended. A man leaned out in front of ds8 to film the show, and ds8 stepped into the walkway to see. A cm gestured for ds8 to step back behind the tape, and I pointed out why he’d moved. The cm led us to the other side of the walkway, where the view was a little better for ds8. The family in front of us immediately turned and walked away toward the exit. A few seconds later, the group in front of them also turned and walked away. Ds8 and I had a large open space in front of us. We could both see the entire castle. We both felt like it was a special gift. When fireworks sprayed out from the sides, ds8 said they never do that on the fourth of July. He leaned against me, which he rarely does anymore. Dh later said dd5 told him it was like magic.
No one said another word about my decision to watch Wishes in front of the castle. We hurried out, had no traffic jam in the parking lot, and the girls fell asleep on the drive back to our rental house and dh carried them inside. But there was, unfortunately, a little tension that carried into the next morning.

 

[KatieCharlotte]

Day 6: Hollywood Studios
This was by far the most challenging day to plan and orchestrate. We each had different must-dos and we were going on a Fantasmic night because the kids and I had never seen the show. I knew it would be crowded, but it was even more crowded than I expected at rope drop and throughout the day, including several very large tour groups with hundreds of Brazilian teenagers. Someone later wrote on twitter that it felt like spring break – but Brazilian spring break. Plus, thunderstorms were predicted for that afternoon and evening.
Our must-do’s:
Ds8: Ride TSM twice, see Indiana Jones, play a long time at Honey I Shrunk the Kids
Dd5: See Beauty and the Beast and Little Mermaid and ride ToT
Dd1: See Playhouse Disney (if she could talk that’s what she’d have said)
Dh: Backlot Tour and Muppets 3d because we missed them three years ago
Me: Ride TSM, see B and B, get seats for 6:30 pm Fantasmic (I knew my parents would not want to stay for the 8 pm show), make sure dd1 had a good nap at the park, and make everyone happy
My parents: See Lights, Camera show, ride the GMR, and watch grandkids have fun
I knew this was the most critical rope drop, if we were going to ride TSM twice. We made it just in time, though we weren’t near the front of the crowd. We followed the moving sea of people to TSM, walked past the giant fastpass lines, and went through the stand-by line. It was no more than a fifteen minute wait and we were entertained in line. We all loved the ride. It met all our expectations.

Dh jumped into the fastpass line and got us all fastpasses for 1:15 pm. My mom later worried briefly that this would conflict with the 1:20 pm Lights Camera show, until I said we were allowed to come back after our fp window. While dh was in the fp line, Dd5 and I ran to ToT, but the standby line was already 40 minutes so we decided to fp as soon as we were eligible for another fp, at 11:30 am. We planned to all meet at Honey I Shrunk the Kids, which is fun for five and eight year olds but scary with toddlers. My mom ended up chasing dd1 through tunnels before dh and I got there, and she was not happy. She said abruptly that they’d meet us at TSM in the afternoon and left. I hate feeling like anyone is mad at me, so this really bothered me. Ten minutes after she’d left, my mom called to say they were at the GMR but would try to meet us at Playhouse Disney. For the rest of the day, her only annoyance was directed at cm’s.
Dd1 was already getting sleepy, so I decided to take her to the 10:30 am Playhouse Disney before she melted down. We wanted her to enjoy the show because the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is the only tv she’ll watch and we all sing the “hot diggity dog” song. When she first saw a sign with Mickey as we were entering the MK she started singing “dog dog.” Ds8 decided it would be torture to watch this show, so he went with dh on the Backlot Tour. Dd1 was very cranky entering the theater. Yes, the screaming toddler was mine. But she had fun once the singing, dancing, and bubbles started. The girls liked the show, but I was slightly disappointed not to hear “hot diggity dog.” My parents were too late for the show. After they saw us briefly, they went off for lunch, the backlot tour, and Lights, Camera.
We were ready for pizza lunch. We did all counter service, no ADRs on this trip, which was cheaper and less stressful with young kids. After we ate, it was just after 11:30 am, so I ran to ToT for fp, which were at 4:55 p.m. I’d intended to ride with dd5 and dh, but that was awfully close to when we needed to be in line for Fantasmic with a tray full of counter service food, especially considering the huge crowds that day.
Dd1 fell asleep on dh’s shoulder and slept through Muppet 3D and Indiana Jones. Dd5 and I skipped Indiana and caught Beauty and the Beast, which lifted my spirits, which were sagging under the stress of pleasing everyone. After, I took dd1 to the baby care center for some quiet snack time and nursing. She’s mostly weaned but can’t last the entire day without any nursing comfort time. I remember making sure I had dd5’s pink hat with Mickey ears – along with everything else -- when we left to meet everyone at TSM. We rode TSM, ran around to find ice cream cones, waited in a long line while one woman took orders and made cones, and the found a wall where we could stand to see the Block Party Bash. My mom was upset because they'd had to stand in a holding pen until their show was supposed to start, it started late, and the latecomers all got the best seats. The sky was darkening and the wind was picking up. That’s when I realized we didn’t have dd5’s hat.

 

[KatieCharlotte]

Hollywood Studios continued:

First, I'm sorry about the lack of photos, but I'm not comfortable posting any with my kids. I'm writing this mostly as a record for myself, but anyone's free to read along and comment.

When we left off, I was stressed about getting seats for Fantasmic, the threatening weather, keeping everyone happy, and losing dd5's hat with Mickey ears. I left my family at the parade and ran to the baby care center, hoping I'd left the hat there, although I thought I last remembered seeing it in the stroller as we ran into the TSM fastpass line. Dh still insists no one at Disney World would ever steal anything from a stroller. Well, I never found the hat, but a wonderful CM who heard our story made it everything right and I was no longer in trouble with dd5. As they say, that's the Disney difference.


All three kids were dancing to the Block Party when I returned, and I was so relieved I joined in. We then all made our way to the Honey I Shrunk the Kids play area, which was a hundred times more crowded than the morning. I'd already decided I would send dh and dd5 alone on ToT while I bought our dinner at Rosie's, so we could enter Fantasmic sooner. I was not looking forward to informing my parents that entering thirty minutes before show time would not be early enough.

I was when my mom announced they had a new plan. They didn't want to see Fantasmic. I took deep breaths, waiting for her arguments why we shouldn't stay for the show --- and she announced she and my father would watch dd1 wander DHS while we were at Fantasmic. I love opportunities to enjoy things with my big kids without a fussy, squirming toddler.

A light rain started falling and people ran for cover, which was funny to us because the rain felt good, so long as it wasn't the start of something worse. At 4:55 p.m. dh and dd5 could finally use their ToT fastpasses. Dh gave away our extra two fp to a dad and daughter in the stand by line who were worrying about meeting up with their group in time.
I handed off dd1 to her grandparents and purchased dinner with ds8. The line was extremely slow (training a new cashier?), so dh and dd5 were ready to join us as we entered Fantasmic. I was nervous walking with a tray of food, but a CM waved and said something about needing a tray-carrier, so at least I knew I wasn't breaking any rules.
Thank you to the dis experts who shared their strategy of bringing in counter service food to pass the time. Those were the best cold hamburgers and fries we ever had. Ds8 joined the crowd in the wave and Brazlian soccer chants. It was standing room only forty-five minutes before the show and the ropes were closed thirty-five minutes before the show.
We'd spread out a little with our food tray when we first arrived. I thought it was odd that no CM ever encouraged those in seats to move in closer, as they do at smaller shows. I saw a mother very upset when she and her young son were told not to sit on the steps. She told the CM he could not see in standing room only, and he was too heavy for her to hold through a show. I told the CM we had more space than we needed. He said, "I'm sorry you don't have more space, that's why there are two shows." Eventually I made him understand that we wanted to share our space. We loved being able to sprinkle more
Despite announcements that weather might delay or cancel the performance, the rain held off. The storms came when the parks were closed and we all were cozy in our beds.
We were glad that night we braved the crowds to see Fantasmic. I imagine that day was frustrating to some who did not get seats to the first Fantasmic and did not arrive early enough to ride TSM without an endless line. The fastpasses were gone when I passed by at noon, and the lines were long all day. My parents reported seeing a two-hour standby line during the first Fantasmic performance. Is there a thread on this board just for expressing gratitude for info that saved our day?
As we waited for Fantasmic, dh said it had been the least stressful day on our vacation.

BTW, dd5 found ToT utterly terrifying. She never wants to ride it again, but thinks she was pretty cool to brave it once.

Tomorrow - back to the Magic Kingdom.

 

[cmp1111]

Wow, what a jam packed day! I'm glad everything worked out, though! I took my kids on ToT when they were five, and they are still on the "I'm never doing that again!" kick.

 

[KatieCharlotte]

Before I move on to the next day ---

I really don't understand the limited Fantasmic showings. WDW usually seems to understand the art of customer relations and goes above and beyond to make its guests happy with their experience. We had a few times in DHS where low staff levels had us shaking our heads and my mom wondering if each park was managed independently. One person to take and fill orders at the ice cream stand near the parade at parade time? Only one cash register running -- with someone who couldn't handle the job -- during the crush to eat before the 6:30 pm Fantasmic?
But Fantasmic itself was the strangest thing. I know they've received many complaints over the past year. The standing room crowd that night was not happy, nor were those shut out 35 minutes before show time. I saw no effort to even find more space in the stands and CMs seemed flustered and frustrated. At 7 pm, the crowd for the 8 pm show was backed up to the park entrance. People were still streaming in to DHS just for that show. The park was packed all day because everyone who wanted to see Fantasmic was there. The only other showing during our weeklong stay was Sunday -- which was also very late emh at MK. I know the show is expensive, but Disney attendance does not seem down despite the economy. What are the expert theories regarding why Disney is willing to accept negative public relations over this one problem?

 

[cmp1111]

As I recall, WDW did a lot of layoffs/staff cutbacks in the last year. The attendance may not be down too much, but they've done SO much on the extra codes, free dining, etc. to keep it up. So, they're still not making as much money as before, and sadly the staffing is what's suffering.

I'm sorry to hear that, though. We've not been since August of 2008, which was before the cuts.