OMG- Where is the baby!....oh, yeah, that's right!-PTR link- 5/24!

[mom2clr]

You had me at "hot food".

I'm a stay at home mom also and talk about being able to eating one WARM meal at least once a week like it's an ex-boyfriend.

 

[MeMom]

On the couple of grown-ups only trips I have taken, I had to 'detox' from heading straight to stroller parking when exiting a ride or show. My legs just started walking that way without me thinking, since it's such a habit.

Glad you guys got to get away for a few days. I will enjoy seeing pictures and hearing all about it.

 

[ladylyons]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels that way! One of my new parent irrational fears was that I was going to leave Everett somewhere. If he gets too quiet I will still check to make sure he is in the car and not still sitting in the cart in the Target parking lot!

Followed you over from your fearless trip report. Really enjoyed reading it since I'm trying to get my DH to agree to another Disney World trip since our only trip in May 2009 got rained out. On another note I've been known to get the kids into the van but managed to leave my shopping bags in the cart in the Target parking lot and not realizing it until I've gotten home!! Thank goodness my store is only 5 mins away and I've been able to call them and they'll run my bags back out to me when I come back so I don't have to unload 3 kids for a 2 min stop.

 

[CandleontheWater]

Yeah! I'm in! DH and I discovered the wonder of kidless Disney trips five years ago (when our youngest was 14, yes, we are slow learners) and three childless trips later we haven't looked back.

Looking forward to hearing more!

Sometimes I wonder why people think Disney is for kids

I do love trips with Everett, but DH and I went all the time back (pre-DS) when we lived in Florida, and it was nice to revisit that type of fun.

I'm in!!! Love reading your TR's!

Thank you so much and welcome back!

I'm in! Excited to hear about all the Disney fun you guys managed to cram into a weekend. I know you missed your sweet guy but a little grown up time is always fun too!

We did cram in lots of fun! I was exhausted by the end of the weekend, I'm out of practice with commando trips!

I am here!reading your TR's,Count me too

Glad you could join us!

Wuh-hoo, you started! Can't wait to read about your kidless fun!

Lots of fun and shenanigans! Just like it should be!

 

[CandleontheWater]

I'm in! Can't wait for more!!!


__________
Maria Rose

Yay, I'm hoping to have the first "real" update done today. We'll see if Everett will cooperate and take a long nap!

I've seen you on several TR's I follow and wanted to join in on your fun.

Thank you for coming over!

Ohhh!! Adults only trip! Yeah! This is on my bucket list!

It is so much fun to go as adults only, you guys definitely should!

Joining in. We're leaving in 3 weeks and we are also leaving the baby with the grandparents. Can't wait to find out how it went.

Yay, I'm sure you guys will have a great time! It all went much smoother than I anticipated, and I'm sure you guys will have a similar experience.

I lurked all the way thru your fearless tr, so i thought i'd say hi and join up for this one.

Thank you for coming out of lurkdom!

 

[CandleontheWater]

I'm definitely in!

Thanks for joining in the fun!

You had me at "hot food".

I'm a stay at home mom also and talk about being able to eating one WARM meal at least once a week like it's an ex-boyfriend.

Yes!! The elusive hot meal, it is blissful!

On the couple of grown-ups only trips I have taken, I had to 'detox' from heading straight to stroller parking when exiting a ride or show. My legs just started walking that way without me thinking, since it's such a habit.

Glad you guys got to get away for a few days. I will enjoy seeing pictures and hearing all about it.

We had a few issues with that as well, it is amazing how the body can't seem to forget that the kids are safe at home!

Followed you over from your fearless trip report. Really enjoyed reading it since I'm trying to get my DH to agree to another Disney World trip since our only trip in May 2009 got rained out. On another note I've been known to get the kids into the van but managed to leave my shopping bags in the cart in the Target parking lot and not realizing it until I've gotten home!! Thank goodness my store is only 5 mins away and I've been able to call them and they'll run my bags back out to me when I come back so I don't have to unload 3 kids for a 2 min stop.

Oh my gosh! I can't believe that I have never done that. That is so nice of the store to take your bags out to the car!

 

[TinkerbellBby]

I'm in!

 

[NMW]

Subscribing always wanted to do a trip alone with DH

 

[CandleontheWater]

A little background info (with various pics from over the years)-

So I figure you are all dying to know the who, what, when and where for this vacay, and a little background on how it came to be!
Ask and ye shall receive!

ME! I am Marissa and a Disney freak since birth. I grew up in a Disney family and took my first trip at the tender age of 9 months old. 50 some-odd trips later and I’m still riding high on the magic (or is it the margaritas from Mexico?). I am the planner and executer of the trips…

BUT, I wouldn’t be anywhere without my travel partner and husband extraordinaire Mark. He is a good sport about my addiction and deep down really does love Disney (even if he does love to tease me about being a nerd). He had been to WDW a few times before we met, but his vacation count really skyrocketed when we moved to Jacksonville Florida in 2005 and I introduced him to the wonders of the annual pass.

There are three people who won’t be joining us in this TR, but still were an integral part of the trip, and that would be my sweet DS Everett and my super-awesome Mom and Dad. Being that this was our first time away from DS, I was understandably a little nervous, but I knew he was in excellent (if overindulgent) hands.

As to the why for this trip- well, I hate to be a downer, but I’m going to take it down a few notches here.

This trip was really not in the plans for DH and I, you see we had planned to take a couples weekend much closer to home, just across the Potomac ,at the Gaylord National at National Harbor. We had planned this weekend for the beginning of August, and my parents were going to come down and watch Everett.

Unfortunately in July our world was rocked and forever changed when my brother’s fiancée died suddenly and tragically from a ruptured brain aneurism. Both DH and I were very close with her and the loss hit us, and everyone in our family, very hard. It is something we are still struggling with, but it has reminded us that every moment with your loved ones is precious and not to take a single moment for granted.

We obviously canceled the weekend away, being wrapped up with family and nowhere near ready for a lighthearted getaway, and truthfully I didn’t give it much thought with all the other pressing matters at hand.

My mom, however, did not forget, and in September she presented her “grand plan”. She wanted DH and I to get away, and not just locally, but to a place that we both love and is filled with happy memories. We had some flight credits that we could use, and some DVC points, and with the discounted military tickets, we could go to Disney for just about the same price as our weekend at Gaylord National.

After everything that had happened I thought the chance to focus on something happy, and to have the time to reconnect as a couple would be priceless, so we decided to give it a go. My first call was to DVC, to figure out if we could even get something so last minute and I was pleased to find availability in a studio for Oct 4-6. It would be a quick trip, but one we could pack full of fun.

Originally we were booked at SSR, but after many, MANY calls to member services, a savannah view studio at AKV opened up. I was beyond thrilled because I had always wanted to stay at AKL, but never had the chance.

So, everything had fallen into place, first flight out in the morning, last flight out at night, AKV, and even an ADR at Bistro de Paris. Make sure those seat belts are fastened now, because we’ve got to get this show on the road!

 

[CandleontheWater]

I'm in!

Yay! Thanks for joining!

Subscribing always wanted to do a trip alone with DH

I'd highly suggest it! It is so much fun!

 

[fitgirl36]

Yay! Another trip report from CandleontheWater! Can't wait to read about your most recent WDW adventure!

 

[StephaniexMarie]

Nice introduction! I can tell I'm really going to like this trip report.
I'm so sorry about your loss, I have never lost anybody that close to me but I can imagine how horrible it is.
On a happier note, I think your mom's "grand plan" was genius.
I'm happy everything worked out for you guys in such short notice! And by the way, your Alice in Wonderland shirt is super cute.

 

[KatMark]

Love the introductions, Marissa. My dream came true last month and we were able to stay at AKL Savannah view and we loved it. I can't wait to hear what you think about it.

I am sorry for the loss of your brothers' fiance.

 

[TinkerbellBby]

Before I start anything else, I'd just like to say that I'm extremely sorry for your loss. I know how hard it is to lose someone that close to you!
However, your introduction was great! I'm glad to see that everything worked out for you guys!
Can't wait for more.

 

[ladylyons]

Great introduction. Isn't a weekend away just what the Doctor ordered? I love my kids but it sure is nice when the DH and I can reconnect. Can't wait to hear more.

Oh my gosh! I can't believe that I have never done that. That is so nice of the store to take your bags out to the car!

Yeah it is very nice of them (now I have had to prove I've bought the items by keeping my receipt handy, luckily it always goes in my pocket not a bag). I think it also helps that I shop there on a regular basis so they've gotten to know me pretty well over the last few years.

 

[amandaw]

Love your intro....great pictures!

I'm so happy for y'all that y'all were able to do this get-away. Y'all definitely needed it. And I know your mom & dad had to be over-the-moon getting to keep Everett.

Can't wait to hear all about y'alls adult-only adventure!

 

[afwdwfan]

Once again, I'm sorry for your family's loss. That is great that your parents made this trip come together for you though. Disney is always a good getaway when you just need to clear your mind and surround yourself with happy things.

 

[CandleontheWater]

Episode 1: What time is our wake up call??!!

When I first booked this trip, I thought that maximizing our time should be a priority. What I did not think about when I booked the 7am flight, was how early I would have to wake up to make said flight.

With DH threatening to have my head if we were not out the door by 5:20 sharp, I set the alarm for the ungodly hour of 4:45 and drifted off to sweet Disney dreams.

The next morning was the usual push me/pull me of pre-vacation hysteria, with me taking as long as humanly possible to accomplish simple tasks like brushing my teeth, and DH standing by the door and fuming.

He began the badgering at 5 am, which he should know by now has the opposite effect, because I still had 20 WHOLE MINUTES, to drink my coffee, and stare off into space, and other important pre-dawn tasks.

My parents were asleep on the pull out couch downstairs, and I did try my best not to wake them, but they got up anyway. My mom offered to drive us to the airport, but I turned her down. I told her to go back to sleep, she was going to need her rest to keep up with speed-racer Everett.

Here is our luggage- ready to go! NOTE: neither cat nor highchair accompanied us on this trip!

Finally at exactly 5:20 (and not a moment earlier) we left the house and walked down to the metro. It was really dark and so peaceful without the usual crush of tourists and shoppers on King Street. I would have liked to take my time and admire the window displays (something I am unable to do with DS), but we had a SCHEDULE to keep, you know.

We managed to time it pretty well and we didn’t have long to wait for the next metro train. While we were standing on the platform, I saw the MARK commuter train go by and I couldn’t believe how packed it was. It was barely 5:30 and all those people were already on their way to work. I didn’t even want to think about how early they had to get up!

Soon enough our train arrived and we took the short trip to DCA. One thing I’m really going to miss about living in Alexandria is how easy it is to get to the airport. Even if we do have to haul all our suitcases like hobos, it sure beats driving.

We made our way to the US Air counter and Mark got us all set up. Members of the US military don’t have to pay bags fees on US Air, which is a really nice perk, so DH is always in charge of getting our luggage checked.

I was in charge of taking gratuitous photos, such as this one

Ladies and gentleman- we are flaunting the mug rules!

And this one

No one should be up and functioning this early (unless they are going to Disney)

We then made our way to security, so DH could calm down and stop insisting we were going to miss our flight. Seriously, I had been keeping to THE SCHEDULE!

Security is waaaaay easier without toddlers…. let me just say that again…. Security is waaaay easier without toddlers.

There was no stroller to fold and attempt to mash through the X-ray scanner, only to find out it doesn’t fit and then have to get it out, unfold it, send it over to another screener, wait around for a while, have bomb sniffing dogs give it the once over, wait some more, have some lady pat it down, wait around some more, have another lady wipe it down with some contraption that looks like a cotton ball on a stick, and wait around some more, until it comes back clean, all while attempting to keep Everett from riding on the conveyer belt through the X-Ray scanner. Fun times!

One thing I did notice was that there are now signs everywhere saying that if you are under 12 you no longer have to remove your shoes. That is a welcome relief. I’ll never forget the first time I flew with Everett when the TSA made me remove his SOCKS (because they apparently counted as footgear)! You may have heard of the Shoe Bomber, but the little known Baby Sock Bomber is just as dangerous. It’s always the innocent looking ones.

Once we were through security and DH’s stress level jumped down about five notches, we settled in for a nice long wait, and some pretty mediocre breakfast.

I played with my phone a little bit, to make sure that my updates on foursquare would go through to facebook, and DH made fun of me for being so concerned about my nerd friends. I think he is just jealous that he doesn’t have a smartphone or “nerd friends” for that matter.

While we were sitting around I truthfully wasn’t paying attention to the boarding announcements, figuring that Mr. Obsessive Traveler sitting to my right would be all over it. At one point I looked up and said “isn’t that our flight”, as they were boarding the last of the passengers.

We jumped up and ran over right on time! What is the point of being in the waiting area 56 hours early, if you don’t even pay attention to the boarding announcements, right?

Well despite everything, we made it on the plane, and we even had seats next to each other. Something we managed to mess up when we booked the flights, but luckily my mom managed to fix. What would I do without that woman!

I figured that since we were the last people on the flight, that we’d be off and moving quickly, right? I got myself seated in record time, and I was all ready to go, but there were some people who obviously didn’t have big theme park plans that hinged on getting to Orlando as quickly as possible.

Here is a helpful tip: If your rollerbag is so heavy that you cannot lift it up to the overhead compartments- CHECK IT! Sit down already lady- we’ve got places to be!

Once all luggage was secured we still waited around for a while and I was about jumping out of my skin. The frustrations did not end when we started moving, because some idiot decided to change seats, WHILE WE WERE TAXIING ON THE RUNWAY! Of course that completely stopped the plane, and the captain had to remind everyone that the seat belt sign is on for a reason.

I kept my eye on that guy, just in case he tried to pull some funny business. Then I would have to clobber him while DH guided the plan to safety (now THAT would be a trip report!)

Next up-I have a seat- all to myself! And no one to entertain! (not counting DH)

 

[CandleontheWater]

Yay! Another trip report from CandleontheWater! Can't wait to read about your most recent WDW adventure!

Thanks for coming along again!

Nice introduction! I can tell I'm really going to like this trip report.
I'm so sorry about your loss, I have never lost anybody that close to me but I can imagine how horrible it is.
On a happier note, I think your mom's "grand plan" was genius.
I'm happy everything worked out for you guys in such short notice! And by the way, your Alice in Wonderland shirt is super cute.

Thank you so much, yes, my mom is awesome, she knew that we needed to focus on something positive.

Love the introductions, Marissa. My dream came true last month and we were able to stay at AKL Savannah view and we loved it. I can't wait to hear what you think about it.

I am sorry for the loss of your brothers' fiance.

AKL was a dream come true for me as well! I hope I'm not spoiling anything if I say that I loooooved it!

Before I start anything else, I'd just like to say that I'm extremely sorry for your loss. I know how hard it is to lose someone that close to you!
However, your introduction was great! I'm glad to see that everything worked out for you guys!
Can't wait for more.

Thank you for reading along. It certainly hasn't been an easy few months, but I'm lucky that I have such a wonderful family, and we've all really come together to help each other out.

Great introduction. Isn't a weekend away just what the Doctor ordered? I love my kids but it sure is nice when the DH and I can reconnect. Can't wait to hear more.



Yeah it is very nice of them (now I have had to prove I've bought the items by keeping my receipt handy, luckily it always goes in my pocket not a bag). I think it also helps that I shop there on a regular basis so they've gotten to know me pretty well over the last few years.

It was nice to have some time just with DH, I hope we get to do it again in the future.

Love your intro....great pictures!

I'm so happy for y'all that y'all were able to do this get-away. Y'all definitely needed it. And I know your mom & dad had to be over-the-moon getting to keep Everett.

Can't wait to hear all about y'alls adult-only adventure!

Yes, I think my mother's idea was partly self motivated. I know that spending time with Everett made her very happy and helped raise her spirits as well.

Once again, I'm sorry for your family's loss. That is great that your parents made this trip come together for you though. Disney is always a good getaway when you just need to clear your mind and surround yourself with happy things.

It was a much needed retreat, and focusing on the positive and making new happy memories was very beneficial.

 

[Deemarch]

Enjoying your TR! Glad that you and your husband were able to go to your "happy place" to get back to enjoying the life you have!! Sorry for your loss.