Oct 14 - 23 with Grandma and the High Plains Princess

[sewmess]

So, I've been threatening people over on another TR that I'd make one for our last trip (October 14-23) to WDW and that other place in the local. And now I have started!

This is the background post to get everything started.

My DH and I have been to WDW 6 times in our 7 years of marriage. His fault entirely. He grew up in Orange County CA, and you all know what that means: he was at DL frequently with his family from Grandma on down. After a long complicated series of moves, he ended up in Alabama. Once he was able to start paying for his own vacations, he went to WDW with his bachelor herd. In fact, the day he asked for my number, he told me that it would be a week before he'd call because he was headed to WDW. He swears I made him pay for that by not returning his call for a week.

Six months after our wedding we went to WDW (with another newly-wed member of the bachelor herd & his wife) for the first time. Then we ended up going every two years, including taking my eldest sister who had only been on IASW at the world's fair for her first real visit to celebrate her 50th. Then came the first BIG family trip; DH's sister wanted to get back to WDW before her kids all went away to college. So we went with SIL, BIL, 3 teenagers, MIL & FIL.

It was like herding cats.

So we rewarded ourselves by taking the money we did not spend on anything because we were too busy making sure everyone had a good time and went again in November. And froze. But had a much more relaxing time.
Then we went the next year and the year after that, making the trip an annual event rather than every 2 years.

A couple of years ago my mom (Grandma of the title) moved to Alabama to be near my sister and I. That's when we started scheming to get her to Disney. At age 77, she had never been before: except of course on the World's Fair version of IASM. The original plan was to go last year. My dear BIL likes to spoil his family & usually takes a big vacation every year or so with his boys, my sister, Mom, and my neice: or some combination thereof. Last year his youngest was graduating college. In Washington. So that was the big trip that year. (and he had new floors put in the house, but that's beside the point.) So we moved it to this year.

Okay - originally I was going to do a Pre-Trip as well, but I got lazy & it never happened. Basically the Pre Trip went like this: DH and I started planning and rounding up pricing in February. We ended up reserving in Apr so as to get our ADRs set up. We had changes because of misremembered scheduling (DH swears WDW changed the MNSSHP dates on him) additional people (neice from CA) and blackout dates, etc. We finally had a plan and it went as follows:

DH, me and Mom drive down - Sister & BIL fly and meet neice at airport 10/14 - spend the night off property

10/15 - check in at CBR & spend the day at that other place in town, just off of I4

10/16 - EPCOT
10/17 - MK
10/18 - AK
10/19 - AK tour for some; Water Parks for the rest
10/20 - MNSSHP
10/21 - DHS
10/22 - Pick Up Day
10/23 - Fly/Drive/Cry our way home.

Next Post: Who is who and why having nice in-laws is so. . .well, nice.

 

[nebo]

. So we went with SIL, BIL, , MIL & FIL.

Wow, sounds like you should have included, KILL

It was like herding cats.

.

Great start Sewer Rat, wanna know how everybody like CBR.

 

[sewmess]

Thanks for the support, Nebo.

Hopefully it'll get better. but I'll give you a hint about CBR - no complaints were heard about the accomodations from any one.

 

[sewmess]

I realise it's been a few days: forgive me - I had work.
Okay - as promised: Introductions

I'll start with me.

Sewmess aka RAT aka Sewer Rat: mid 30s, youngest of 6, sewer, messy (thus the screenname) customer service manager by day.
I went to WDW when I was in high school, right after DHS (then DMGM) opened on a school trip where we went to all 3 parks and then a 3 day cruise
in the Carribbean - before Disney started it's own line! Then, 14 years later, I got married to a WDW fan and have gone there more than anywhere else I've ever been.

DH aka CAT (yes, that makes us CAT & RAT): early 40s, youngest of 4, call center man by day, artist/fanboy by night.
DH grew up about 20 minutes from DL, as previously mentioned, and has been to WDW, like, 18-20 times. He can remember the exact number, I can't.
Since we've been married (7 years) we've gone to WDW 7 times - this trip being 7. We've stayed at Pop, ASMov, POR, and for the last 3 times, CBR.

CAB aka Sis: mid 50s, eldest of 6, preschool teacher, zoo volunteer
CAB, before her 50th birthday, had never been to WDW & we all thought it was high time that she went. After she went, she wanted to go again, but
not every year, like DH & me.

MTH aka MB or Monkey Boy: mid 50s, coke dealer (not that kind, the coal kind. Really, what kind of a family do you think I have?) known for spoiling family
I have no idea if he's been to WDW any other time besides when we went for CAB's 50th. It's a second marriage situation and while neither first
marriage is a topic that's off limits, it's not really something that comes up at family dinners.

Mom aka Grandma: 77 years, Mom to 6, Grandma to 1, artist, zoo & thrift shop volunteer
Mom had never been to WDW. So when she moved to Alabama a couple of years ago, CAB and I started scheming to get her there, knowing she'd love the atmosphere and people watching.

CMB aka High Plains Princess: late 20s, only child, flakey Californian with southern roots
CMB had been to WDW with her cousins, who lived in FL, as a preteen. All she could remember was screaming in Alien Encounter. And before you ask,
she may have been to DL on day trips, but she lived in the SF area, so not that often, if at all.

So, for those of you with sharp eyes and a flair for math, yes, my sister and I are almost 20 years apart. She was at college when I was born.
That's made for a much more mature adult relationship, if you ask me. I'd just as soon sock some of my other sisters (I have a total of 4 sisters) than go ona multiday vacation with them.

Once the plan was set, travel arrangements were to be made. We had to decide what to do with the dog, when-exactly- to leave and so on.

CAB & MTH were flying from Birmingham to Orlando. CMB was flying from San Fransisco to Orlando. Both flights arriving at between 5-6pm Oct 14.
DH, Mom & I were driving. DH likes the travel & he's got long legs so sitting in a plane, even for an hour's flight is not comfortable. I'd rather
not have to deal with security hijinks at the airport and Mom wanted to see more of the state.

Luckily - or conveniently, if you'd rather - SIL from the cat herding trip lives in Greenville, AL - on the way to Orlando via our circuitous route. (From Birmingham to Greenville via I65 - over to Luverne via Al-10, down to DeFuniak Springs via US 331 and then on to I10 to I75 to Turnike to I4 and over the river and through the woods to Mickey Mouse's house we go.

So, Mom and I picked up DH after work (we're talking 7pm here) and headed down to Greenville to stay over night on 10/13. 10/14 saw us up and on the road by 8am with day old donuts, a box of vanilla Zingers and a cooler of hummus to keep us fueled.

Next Up: Day 1 - There and back and there and back and there again.