Our Magically Dysfunctional Gathering

[Lauralee131]

Hello everyone! Well, I’ve been a long time “lurker” and haven’t posted hundreds or thousands of times as many of you have…I’m usually too wrapped up in reading everyone else’s stuff to take the time to post my own! In fact, since we returned from our last trip to the world in February, I’ve been saying that I’m going to do a TR…more like threatening myself really to sit the heck down and do it! It was a fun, eventful, and pretty dysfunctional trip – oh yeah, and we celebrated my birthday in the middle of it! Everyone on our little Magical Gathering complained about it – said that I planned our trip that way on purpose. Well, DUH…hey – if you are going to elect me to be “Julie Your Cruise Director”, then dammit, shut the heck up and do what I’m telling ya, WHEN I’m telling ya! And if you’re going to leave it up to me, then I’m going to throw in little self-perks like that – I’m only human. Wouldn’t you? It’s funny how no one really wants to make the plans (“Oh, we don’t care when we go – you decide”) and the all important dining decisions (“I don’t care where or what we eat – you pick”), yet after all the arrangements are made, suddenly EVERYONE wants to throw 2 pennies at me and pelt me in the face with them. They not only rained on my parade, they pretty much peed all over it! I thought I was going to need therapy by the time we came back! So now that we’ve got another trip to my happy place within sight (Dec 2nd thru 9th at Poly), I thought that maybe I’d start a pre-trip report as a way to occupy myself – all thoughts turn to Disney even more so when we’re within 80 or so days from our trip. But, then I thought, I’ll probably be referring to that (allegedly) Magical Gathering that was pretty much for the most part, anything BUT Magical. I’ve never had anyone kill my Disney buzz before. Don’t care to have it happen again either.



You’ve probably all heard it before…”Never invite anyone, especially family, on vacation with you”…But no – we’re different – we’re very close with DH’s brother and his wife, this trip is going to be nothing short of spectacular! Yeah, well Denial is not a river in Egypt…and of course, to this day, DH tells me that as soon as I started mentioning this grand idea of mine that bells and whistles were going off in his head and he knew our trip was doomed. Ok, so tell me people, if your sweet, lovely spouse was planning this magical journey and you had this feeling in the pit of your stomach…wait, not just a bad feeling, not just an “utz” in your gut, but an “apocalyptically” bad feeling about something like this, would you make even the slightest mention of it? Or would you let your better half twist in the wind???


So anyway, this trip was planned with all good intentions on my part. I wanted to sprinkle some pixie dust on the in-laws (BIL/SIL) for their first trip, as well as my own little family – our DS4 was going to be experiencing the magic for the first time as well! I planned and planned, surfed the Dis, read the books…did everything I possibly could to make this trip so magical and so memorable, that even when Alzheimers finally set in and they couldn’t recognize family and friends anymore, they would still remember our little gathering…it was going to be all that and a bag of chips. Now mind you, I have been going to my happy place since it opened…my mom brought me just about every year, at least once a year up until I turned about 16 or 17. I was raised a Disney kid. I STILL AM a Disney kid, and always will be. In fact, at the age of (gulp) 37, I still get verklempt at pretty much just the thought of going to Disney World and when the television commercials come on - forget it – instant blubbering idiot, just add water. The vacation planning video gives me goosebumps and tears all at the same time. Now, before I go any further, I should probably explain WHY I get this way. It’s pretty personal, but pertinent as you’ll see later in my TR, and since I’m sitting in a room all alone right now and can’t see the looks any of you are giving me, I’ll give you a little background on myself. Two months after my 3rd birthday, my father died in a car accident. A rather tragic, horrific one I might add. My mother, now finding herself a 21 year old widow with a 3 year old to support, began the short journey into a lifelong battle with alcoholism. Bless her heart though, she still managed to work 2 to 3 jobs to support us and managed to take me on vacation each year so we could spend some quality time together. When I was 4, my mother married a…monster, for lack of a better word. Pure evil, plain and simple... The abuse started shortly thereafter. And I’m not talking your average verbal abuse, I’m talking the most horrifying abuse you could imagine and this was back in the day when husbands could beat, rape and nearly kills their wives and children over and over again, and police would simply look the other way. Domestic Violence was really an unknown, or should I say unspoken term back then. We tried to get away…several times. We spent the next several years virtually on the run, always getting caught, barely getting away by the skin of our teeth. Now through it all, my mom had to continue working to keep those temporary roof’s over our head so I spent most of my time home alone, a latch key kid as they’re now called. By the age of 6 I was wearing my house key around my neck, coming home from school, locking all the doors, closing all the shades and cooking dinner for myself, etc. But still my mom somehow managed to scrape the money together for a Disney World vacation at least once a year, usually twice back then. Disney World was the best place to hide I guess. For me, it was my chance to be a child. Once we began our walk up Main Street, I was free. I find it hard to explain the feeling I would get, to this day. Maybe it was like a huge weight being lifted off my shoulders…I was able to laugh, smile and spend some quality time with my mom. We didn’t have a care in the world – or at least we pretended not to – for our time there and reality never entered into the picture. So even now, all these years later, just thinking about being there makes me cry. I can go there, be away from all of the realities of my adult world and be a kid again. It is truly the most magical place on earth for me…AHEM…ok, so now that I’ve brought you all down – and you’re probably wondering what in the world possessed you to read this far, let’s put our Kleenex tissues away and get back to present day. Come on, shake it off...



Where were we? Ah yes, I just explained to you my sick, morbid version of why Disney World means so much to me. So to share that childlike joy with others is a big deal. I wanted my BIL/SIL to feel like kids again and couldn’t wait to see the magic thru not only their eyes, but my DS’s eyes too.



I have now made it my mission to give everyone an incredible vacation. Whether they like it or not!!

 

[MissMichelle]

WOW..powerful stuff...Great start and I can't wait to read on---December isn't all that far away
....My pre-trip report isn't as noble as yours, but you can check it out in the link below.

 

[Lauralee131]

Chapter Two

Our Cast
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DH, 46…the world’s most incredible carpenter (if you live in the vicinity of Greenville, NC – hire him to build you cabinets or furniture! He’ll blow you away!!) DH, bless his little heart, and I have been together 13 years now. He’s seen me at my best and at my worst. You know that it’s true love when someone holds back your hair while you’re puking and still stays with you after that! I have recruited him over to my dark side – with my twisted sense of humor and love of all things Disney. In fact, can you believe the poor guy was 35 before he first allowed me to bring him to my happy place. I dragged him around like a rag doll – let’s face it, the guy’s 10 years older than me and he wears it well. He’ll do anything I want and allow me to drag him around virtually anywhere, but only to a certain extent. After that he gets pissy and needs a nap. He’ll pretty much try anything once though – gotta give him credit for that. You should have seen him on that first trip – we arrived at night and went directly to the MK and he was like a little kid – he was hooked. Now maybe it’s a macho guy thing, but he won’t admit his love of Disney to anyone, but he’s right there with me at the openings of the new movies and riding every ride in the parks. Especially now that we have our DS, Michael…the little kid in the big man is hard to hide! DH was born in New Jersey and in his early teens moved to Winthrop, MA outside of Boston and lived there for years and years. He came back to NJ to work on a large construction project, where I was already working and we met when a large group of us went to a bar after work. The rest, as they say, is history.



Our DS, Michael, now 5, but 4 at the time of our last trip, is an absolute riot. He is without a doubt, his mother’s son. He’s got a fabulously warped sense of humor, razor sharp wit and incredible good looks. Call me biased, but mark my words, when he gets older, that kid’s gonna get more *** than a toilet seat! Now Michael, having just turned 5 and started kindergarten is a huge fan of all things Disney and had a great time on his first trip to the World. He’s a bit spoiled by friends and relatives, so every once in a while he gets an attitude that’s way bigger than he is and can be tough to deal with at times, but generally he’s a good kid. A bit on the energetic side, you may call him “spirited” – but he loves life, gotta love that about him. I’ll have to insert some pictures so you can see us all.



Me…Hmm…ok, so I’m now (UGH) 37 and you’ve all already learned probably more about me than you care to. BUT here’s some more tidbits…I’m an overgrown Disney World freak, as you all know. I was born and raised in NY – originally from the Bronx but grew up all around Dutchess, Orange and Westchester Counties, NY. I’m a die hard Yankees fan so baseball season in my house is rough. DH is a Red Sox fan. You can imagine the fights at our house in September/October, eh? Anyway THAT little tidbit was left off the application when we met. I specifically asked about sports…he said he didn’t really like baseball, not enough to pay attention as it was boring. He liked football – Great! I’m a huge Giants fan! Ladies, you must have had this happen to you…the man puts on a good show about who he is and what he’s like in the beginning. But then when you’re in love and it’s too late to back out without getting your heart broken, he throws everything on the table – he’s a Red Sox fan (ARGGHHHHH), a Patriots fan (YICK), and he doesn’t really like to drink and go out – he likes to stay in and be a couch potato. OMG - WHO ARE YOU????? Lies, all lies…keep in mind that we met in a BAR – did I mention that?!? So anyway, he reeled me in and broke me of (most of) my wild ways, but what can I say – I love the big lug. I’m also a HUGE fan of Neil Diamond…go figure right? Everyone thinks I’m nuts, but I just love the man…think he’s still got some kind of sexiness to him even now…And I like to read - big Janet Evanovich fan - love the Stephanie Plum books...who doesn't, really? And I’m FAR, FAR, FAR from being mother of the year, but I do the best I can with no instructions and let’s face it, not the greatest experience to draw from! I never wanted kids, hell – half the time I don’t even like kids! But surprise…we got pregnant. My mom, during my teenage years often warned me that some day I’d have a kid that would turn out just like me…I’d show her – I wouldn’t have kids…well I did and so far, she’s been right. DS is, in a nutshell, Mini-Me. It’s been a wild ride so far and I can’t imagine my life without him! I work for one of the largest construction companies in the country and love what I do and the company I work for. I’ve never met a greater group of people in my life and they’ve all become my extended family.



Ok, then there’s DB-I-L – DH’s older brother. Kind of goofy, kind of clumsy, but bless his heart, he tries real hard. We get a long very well, though there’s quite a bit of arguing and name calling that takes place. All done with love though – nothin’ but love! He lives in NJ with DS-I-L, whom I love dearly. From day one she and I have been thick as thieves miss each other terribly as they are in NJ and we were in NH (up until this past May, when my company transferred us to beautiful NC).



So when we had DS, I already began planning our next trip to WDW, but DH said no – we had to wait until he was potty trained…the horror! And not knowing anything about kids, found out that it takes a few years…bummer. I tried potty training early – as soon as Michael started taking his first steps, thinking I’d get 2 birds with one stone – he’ll be walking and be potty trained in no time and I can finally go back to my happy place!! Had I gotten an instruction manual or even a copy of the rules of engagement when I’d had the young lad, I’d have known that potty training was going to commence when he was damn good and ready and not a moment before! So I, thinking machine that I am, figured he just needed a little motivation. I offered cash, cars, trips, and loose women…everything I could think of…he wasn’t having any of it. So flash forward a while and finally, finally, finally – he’s pretty much potty trained and I decided that was it – time to start planning!!!

 

[Lauralee131]

Thanks MissMichelle!! Appreciate it!!

 

[Eeyore's Tiara]

I truly agree that most kids should come with training manuals. It would make things a whole lot easier. Can't wait to hear about your trip!

 

[Lauralee131]

The Planning Phase of our Little Mis-adventure!
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So in talking with my DSIL about our upcoming trip, I say HEY – you guys should come with us – it would be so much fun!!! You’ve never been there…it’ll be awesome!! So the wheels are in motion…I threw it out there – no taking it back now…DH looks at me like he’d like to kill me, yet says nothing. Oh – maybe he’s got gas or he’s constipated or something. That was a weird look on his face. Hmmmm….So, DSIL says she’ll think about it, she’d really like to. Ah…she’s afraid to fly. Now, these poor kids have been on vacation ONCE in the last 20 years, with the exception of trips to our house 4 or 5 times a year. I mean a REAL vacation. What better time than now, right? OH COME ON, I beg…it’ll be FUN. They (ESPECIALLY DSIL) love my DS to death – can’t get enough of him so quality time in a magical place with him would be just heaven, wouldn’t you think? I throw this out there - So it’s June now, let’s try and plan for September to go for Michael’s birthday – wouldn’t he love that? I promise – put your vacation in my hands and I will make sure that you have the time of your life. DSIL, in the meantime, starts talking to everyone and anyone that may or may not have been to WDW and seeking advice from all who would offer it. No, DSIL says, can’t go in September – it’s hurricane season! Can’t go until the end of November and besides, we need to save some money. Great – let’s go for Christmas – always been a dream of mine – to have a Disney Christmas…no – can’t leave her family (she has grown sons, etc.) for the holidays. Ok, January then. Besides, we can celebrate some of our birthdays…both DSIL and DBIL have birthdays in the first 2 weeks of January and mine is the 31st…we settled on the 3rd week. GREAT – we have a plan in progress! Where do you want to stay?? Me, having been there before and having a 4 year old, suggest that we stay at a MK resort, preferably the Contemporary – love that place still after all these years. Now money becomes a factor for DSIL/DBIL so they hem, they haw, they generally drive me crazy. It’s vacation – screw it – splurge!! J I’m a good influence, eh? And I finally decide to put my foot down…I have a requirement – I want to stay at a hotel where I can watch the EWP at night…sounds exciting they say. I tell them I’ve loved it since I was a kid – it’s great, it’s this, it’s that…yada yada yada…Trust me – it’s these little things that you’ll enjoy! Ok, so the money issue is back rearing it’s ugly head back at me. I very politely say, there are plenty of resorts – we don’t have to stay in the same one…NO – we have to have adjoining rooms. We settle on WL – great choice – love it there. OK, we have dates, we have a plan…we have NO VACANCY. Ok, so there’s room at CR or GF – be honest with you – I was hoping they’d cave and say they’d do whatever I wanted. NOT. So again with the hemming and hawing and I finally made a decision. I pushed the trip back a week and booked myself a room at the WL. If you guys can make it, that’d be awesome. I hooked her up with my AAA travel agent, the whole works. Ball’s in their court.

The PS’s
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Ok, we’ve got the backbone of our trip set – the dates, the hotel, now comes the fun part…let’s plan the meat of it – the PS’s. I’ve booked the dining plan – sounds great – can’t wait to try it…anything that offers me LOTS of food, for one relatively low daily price – I’m all over it! Sign me up!! I explain to our gang that we really should book some ressie’s as restaurants getting pretty booked and I think there are just some places and things they’ve got to try. Well, I want to do them anyway, so if you come (mind you they have booked anything yet), you’ll love it. I tell them, do some research, pick some places you’d like to try…more hemming and hawing… How much more can I take before I finally just blow up?. Ok, well how about dinner shows? I hear “Well, so-and-so said they didn’t like the Hoop De Doo, blah blah blah…I spent the next several months with my DSIL telling me how to do Disney because her friends said so. PUH-LEASE – they don’t even stay on site. Give me a break. Ok, fine. Do they mind if maybe we go to the Luau? Screw it – I booked the luau. Much aggravation followed throughout the course of the rest of our trip planning…I finally gave a list to my AAA agent – book these PS’s for me, will ya? I had dinner ressie’s for every other night of our 10 day stay. Already DH was grumbling that I was planning out every moment of our trip. I had become the Disney Nazi. Can you believe that? I shrugged it off, thinking he must’ve suffered a blow to the head or something. I call DSIL – one thing I’d really like to do is go to LaNouba. Friends of mine go 2x/year and love it – seen previews of it, I’m really intrigued. I’d like to try it. Well, says DSIL, Anthony and Kim didn’t like it and it’s a lot of money, blah blah blah. Ok, I say – thinking I’m pressuring them to spend more than they have, so I say we’ll skip it too. DH later on is pissed that we’re not going when he gets to see a bit of it on TV. Sorry honey – didn’t want to be a trip nazi and plan out every moment of your vacation! Knowing full well that it’s my birthday during our trip, no one suggests we do something special for me or anything. WHAT?!? It’s ME – I am 32 flavors and then some. Who’s better than me? TWO OF ME…Ok, you’re all telling me you don’t care where we eat (as long as it’s on the approved dining list of DSIL’s friends) and don’t care what times I make arrangements for so if no one has any input, screw all of ya – this night is going to be my choosing. I book my birthday dinner at the Yachtsman followed by an Illuminations cruise on the Breathless that I was somehow able to get. DSIL says that she really wants to do a fireworks cruise – they’ll split the cost of the boat with me. Great – it’s expensive – could use the help. Didn’t realize how much money a 3rd person, even a little one, adds to the cost of a vacation! Splitting the boat would be a great help! Thanks!



We go to DSIL/DBIL’s house for Thanksgiving… a 5 hour ride to NJ turns into a 7-1/2 hour ride with traffic and to add to the stress, we have DS, who’s not in the greatest mood on this particular road trip, our dog, who is 13 years old and diabetic and the vet says we can’t board him or sedate him due to him being on insulin. Great. Our dog – Jack Daniels is his name – is part Chihuahua, part Cockapoo and is NOT AT ALL a good traveler…he yips and yaps and jumps around the entire trip so we try not to take him anywhere. And of course, the sound of his little voice goes right thru you – like little shards of glass stabbing you in the temples with every bark. Along with DH, DS and the dog, we have brought Angel, our beta fish on the ride as we had no one to feed him for us back home. Who ever heard of putting a fish in a cupholder!! Well it can and has, been done! Angel made the long trek to NJ in a spaghetti sauce jar (with holes poked thru the lid) in the front cupholder in my Honda Pilot. Oh and did I mention that it POURED the whole way down there? So anyway, we spend 4 days in NJ with me occasionally bugging DSIL/DBIL to sit down and plan some of this trip – meals, for one thing. Watch the vacation planning video – look interested in this trip for crying out loud! No – never got around to it. Finally I gave up…I’m just going to book what I want, with everyone else in mind and at least it will feel like we have a plan…



Ok, so I plan and I plan upon our trip back home. I booked a Fantasmic dinner package at Hollywood & Vine – dontcha they’ll love that show?!?! A lunch at the Sci-Fi – I think that they’ll get a kick out of that, don’t you? Spirit of Aloha for one night – DH really wanted to do that. Dinner at Rainforest Café the day we’re at Animal Kingdom – not really a lot of choices for food at AK, and DS would love the RC. And a dinner at Cape May Café – yummm…a seafood buffet?? I’m there! And of course, my birthday dinner at Yachtsman with a fireworks cruise afterward. And lastly, a character breakfast at Crystal Palace for our last day…So I’m pleased with my dining ideas, thinking everyone’s going to enjoy it. All are in agreement that they’ll just go with what I picked. DSIL’s friends haven’t said that they wouldn’t eat at any of these places, so I guess we’re good. Plans are solid. For us anyway…DSIL and DBIL have yet to book anything…But, they declare, they’re saving change in a coffee can and are pretty sure they’ve got at least one plane ticket paid for. It’s now the first week of December…can our heroine (ME) stand this much longer? It will be worth it in the end I think. A family vacation to remember…click your heels 3 times and say it with me, “There’s no place like Disney World”, “There’s no place like Disney World”…

Sprinkling the Pixie Dust
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I discovered Goofydad621’s thread, Paying It Forward”, and PM him to have him send a PC to my DS from Mickey saying “Can’t wait to see you”, etc. and DH got one from the princesses (you should have seen the grin on his face!) and of course, DSIL got one from Mickey that he can’t wait to meet her. DSIL was like a little kid when that PC came…really put her into the spirit of the trip – FINALLY. She books their plane tickets. Brother Bear is playing in my head “Tell everybody I’m on my way…”



I get my Christmas shopping nearly done…I ordered DSIL/DBIL Disney pajamas and have them gift boxed and delivered. DSIL, thinking they’re from Mickey himself, rips them open and calls me to tell me. She’s now very excited. DS can’t contain himself either. Every single day he asks if it’s the day we’re leaving for Disney World and when I say no, not today, he looks at me like I killed his puppy right in front of him or something. I can’t stand the wait either, little man. We’ll be there soon enough, soon enough. I now have an idea for even more magic. I order Mickey Mouse sweatshirts for all of us that say, The “_____” Family’s 2006 Magical Gathering at Walt Disney World”. Notice I left the last name blank. What if DSIL’s all-knowing-Disney-expert friends read this…they’ll call me out on the carpet and who knows what kind of problems they would start It'd be ugly if DSIL got wind of my advertising what a CRAPPY time it was. We just started speaking again regularly over the summer…why ruin it now. Yes, that’s right – I said we’re speaking again…you’re wondering what happened? And in this TR, we haven’t even left yet. Stick around my friends…you’ll see…Anyway, the sweatshirts were all gift wrapped in Mickey boxes and then I ordered a couple of Pal Mickey’s. Flash forward to a couple of days before our trip – I ship these down with gift messages from Mickey “Welcome! We’re glad you’re here. Enjoy your vacation! Love, Your Pal, Mickey”. These were to be delivered to our hotel and placed in our rooms upon arrival. Slick, eh?

YAYYYY!!! They Did It!!!
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They did it, they did it – they booked their trip!!! WOO HOOO!!! Houston, we have lift off…only 3 more weeks to go…think it’s too soon to start packing? Naaaa…I actually started packing a couple of weeks before that…I find it therapeutic…makes me feel like this trip is finally becoming a reality! But, dear readers, here is the question...will my reality check bounce??? Stay tuned...

 

[Eeyore's Tiara]

okay, I've stayed tuned, where's the rest? Why were you and you're DSIL fighting? You got to tell us more!

We took friends on our recent vacation, and it's best if I don't talk too much about it. I'm still a little put out by my friends dh. He did everything he could to make us miserable short of coming right out and saying he was doing it. He even made some of the CM's so mad we thought they were going to hit him. I tell you now, I would have sided with the CM's!

Get to writing, I'm waiting to hear more!

 

[Lauralee131]

You're right ET...sorry - I've been lax...I keep starting it and then forget to finish it...I've got something I should be able to put up tonight I think...then I'll work on it over the weekend...


Thanks for noticing! Easy to get overshadowed by great trippies (hint, hint!!)
I feel like Sally Field, you like me, you really like me!!

 

[Lauralee131]

Ok, so I’ve planned and I’ve packed and re-packed and it’s time to finally leave!! We have a 7am flight so we, ok – I decide that we’ll stay the night in a hotel near the airport the night before…we lived and hour and 45 minutes away from the airport and even though I knew I wouldn’t be sleeping the night before, DS and DH would and I knew there’d be all kinds of drama trying to wake them up at 3am to get ready to leave. AND there’s an Olive Garden near the airport! I don’t know what it is about that place…yes, it’s typical chain-restaurant food, but I love it and I don’t get it often and something about the Olive Garden makes me eat…and eat…ok, I’ll admit it – we’re all friends here. I could eat until I throw up…OMG – I’ve become like my dog! Not a pretty picture, I know…BUT that’s just something I’ll have to work out in therapy I guess!



Anyway, we had a nice dinner, and a good nights’ sleep…well, I couldn’t sleep…too excited – like those 2 little kids the older commercials…”we’re too excited to sleep!”…I laid awake all night…I could practically smell the smells of walking up Main Street (again with the food issues…I’m sensing a pattern here!)…



We got to the airport with plenty of time to spare and I decide to leave my guys and sneak off to…gulp, don’t flame me…have a quick cigarette before we board. Yes, I admit it – I’m a smoker. BUT I’m a very considerate one and definitely don’t smoke around my child and spritz myself afterward so I don’t smell…but, smoking issues will come later…Anywho…I spent several minutes talking to a very nice (and very handsome) purser from Southwest while in “the lounge”…what a way to pass the time…listening to an absolutely adorable Southern man…just dreamy !! Wish I had a picture of him to share!



Pre-boarding starts and somehow we are lucky enough to be the first people on the plane…and who do I see…the handsome Southwest guy! Ahhh…this is going to be a good flight! As we enter the plane, he says hello and takes DS into the cockpit! DH and I are looking at each other thinking, ok, this is cool, but now what do we do. Flight Attendant McDreamy shoos us away…”Go on, find a seat…I’ll bring him back when we’re done with him!”…I could hear DS squealing with delight so off we went. We got our seats and others were now boarding…we couldn’t see up front but figured he must be in good hands….then, all of a sudden McDreamy comes running down the aisle towards us…I’m thinking, “Oh no, DS broke the plane…” But no, “Quick”, he says, “Give me your camera – this is good stuff!!” He grabbed the camera and took off back down the aisle. We got a good giggle out of this and I was so glad I was going to have pictures of this! The plane continued to board and still no sight of our son…minutes went by and still nothing…ok, looks like the plane is just about full…where is he?? Then all of a sudden we hear an announcement…”Ladies and Gentlemen, today your captain will be…and I then I hear DS, in this adorable little 4 year old voice say his name, loud and clear…”Michael Anthony Hartz”…the whole plane was laughing and I hear “And your captain has a very special message today” and then I hear it…something I hope to hear (and see) on the big screen at the Super Bowl someday…”HI MOM”…How cute is that?! A few minutes later our DS was brought back to us as they were closing the door and beginning to prepare for the safety demonstration…DS was just GLOWING…going on and on and on about how cool it was and then proceeded to show us how to fly a plane…apparently he got a mini flying lesson up there…he showed us how to turn left, right, go up and down…TOO CUTE…

What a great way to start his vacation, eh? Those dear people from Southwest have totally spoiled him and continued to spoil him all the way from New Hampshire to Florida. Well, spoiled him is right….as you’ll see throughout our journey…Michael now had to drive every single ride at Disney World or he’s just not happy…



Hmmm…maybe that WASN’T such a good idea after all…



Well, I have to get ready for work…more later!

 

[PrincessV]

Terrific start! I'm staying tuned for more...

 

[kcdarr]

Enjoying your report. Can't wait to read more.

 

[Lauralee131]

01/26/06 – We’ve finally gotten to Florida!
​

WOOO HOOOOO Here we are!! Sunny Florida! We arrive at the airport and DS just can’t wait to ride the monorail…YAY we’re at Disney!! I tried to explain that we’re not quite there yet and then tried to explain the difference between this monorail and the one he’s seen in the planning video, which played on a non-stop loop at our house for the last several months. And of course, he expects to drive the thing…and isn’t happy when we need to tell him that he can’t…Thanks, Southwest!



We easily get through the airport, practically skipping our way to the Magical Express counter…But wait…there’s a line…a HUGE, long, snaking line…all kinds of friendly cast members waiving their huge Mickey hands directing traffic…I have got to get one of those hands…They said that only one member per group needed to wait on line so I quickly volunteered and let DH and DS go sit and wait. Amazingly enough, the line moved rather quickly and after I gathered up “da boys”, we headed to the lines for buses…wow – no lines…they sent us immediately outside! Alright!! We’re on our way!! The friendly bus driver, who was collecting and stowing our carry-on baggage underneath the bus, was very talkative…and by talkative I mean we heard one and only phrase out of his mouth the entire way to the hotel…”Tips are not included in the Magical Express service”…and for the hearing impaired…there were signs inside the bus that stated that also…Now I’ll tell you a little bit about myself…I tip everybody…I even tried to tip Mr. Southwest McDreamy just for being so kind to my son (he wouldn’t take it – think he suspected that on the back of that $5 was a note that said “CALL ME?”…LOL, I didn’t actually write the note – I’m happily married, TYVM, but I did try to tip him and he wouldn’t accept it. So, being the “happy tipper” that I am, was already going to tip the ME driver, without his constant remind-ears! When we arrived at the Wilderness Lodge, the driver exited the bus and stood outside holding his hand out for tips PRIOR to actually opening up the storage areas and getting everyone’s bags. It actually seemed that he was holding our baggage hostage until each and every last bag owner had tipped him. Now, the “happy tipper” is not so happy…I am now the “unimpressed tipper”…so the ME was not so magical for me, but I don’t care, we tipped the guy and went to check in…



We arrived at the hotel at 10:30 am and I knew full well that our room wouldn’t be ready, but that’s ok…I will gladly spend the time in the parks or wandering the grounds of this beautiful hotel. I checked in with a very friendly Cast Member and not planning on doing a trippie at the time, didn’t make note of her name, so let’s call her Belle. I requested to be Flag Family on the morning of the 31st (my birthday!) and YAY – it was available! Thanks to Dis’ers and Allearsnet, I was highly anticipating this little event, and made sure that even before we got our paperwork that I was on that list…Ok, so we had to get up early, but hey – I don’t sleep much when we’re here anyway! We got all checked in and received the little card with the number to call for when our room was ready. My DSIL/DBIL should be landing at MCO any minute now so we’ve got some time to kill before they arrive…let’s check out the hotel! We changed into shorts and gave our carry-on baggage to Bell Services and outside we went…The grounds really are stunning, by the way. And the lobby is gorgeous. Worth the trip just to check out the Lodge…Anyway, already I feel relaxed as we meander down to check out the pool…but wait…what’s that…the hair on the back of my neck is starting to stand up, and I've got a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach…Hmmm...what could that mean?


Stay tuned Mousketeers...

Up next....The Out-Laws Arrive...

 

[Lauralee131]

Terrific start! I'm staying tuned for more...

Thanks PrincessV - I'm not quite up to your/GMax/ET/UMama's standards, but I'm trying! Hmmm...this could turn out to be therapeudic for me...is that even how you spell it? I don't know, but you'll see as I post more why it was so bad! I don't know if I'll EVER, EVER, EVER invite anyone else to the World with us again... I don't want to spoil it though...stay tuned for more humility, embarrassment and anger - only available on dysfunction gatherings!!

That's right - we put the FUN into dysFUNctional!!

Thanks for reading...really appreciate it and I'll try to make it worth your while!

 

[PrincessV]

Thanks PrincessV - I'm not quite up to your/GMax/ET/UMama's standards, but I'm trying! Hmmm...this could turn out to be therapeudic for me...is that even how you spell it? I don't know, but you'll see as I post more why it was so bad! I don't know if I'll EVER, EVER, EVER invite anyone else to the World with us again... I don't want to spoil it though...stay tuned for more humility, embarrassment and anger - only available on dysfunction gatherings!!

That's right - we put the FUN into dysFUNctional!!

Thanks for reading...really appreciate it and I'll try to make it worth your while!

Oh pshaw, I'm loving your TR already! The more I read of other peoples' adventures with extended family trips, the more okay I am with our tiny little family. Now, when I see those big family groups, looking so cute in their matching outfits, I'll think of the stories told by you and sorul82? and others instead of thinking "Next time, I'm inviting all the aunts and uncles on our trip!"

 

[sherreis]

Enjoying your TR. Looking forward to reading more. You already have me convinced to look at WL.

 

[pigletforever]

Don' t leave us hanging. This is a great report.

 

[disneylizzy]

I am loving your report!! Family drama and WDW, can't wait! (I've had my share.)

Your little guy is adorable.

 

[Lauralee131]

Enjoying your TR. Looking forward to reading more. You already have me convinced to look at WL.

Oh you will love it!! I'm looking forward to visiting it during the holidays this year! If you do stay there, be sure to ask about being the flag family! You won't believe the views from the top of the hotel!!

Thanks for reading!

 

[OhMari]

Ok, so how much did you tip the ME driver. I am a good tipper too, i tip waitresses 20%, but I try not to eat at sit down meals where I am waited on either.

 

[Lauralee131]

When last we left our heroine, she was enjoying the bonding time with her DH and DS, exploring all that the beautiful Wilderness Lodge has to offer. Then suddenly the hair on the back of my neck is starting to stand up and my stomach feels funny…I can’t quite put my finger on it…



Then my cell phone starts ringing…they have arrived at the airport!! YAY – I’m so excited to see their names on my caller ID…I answer the phone all excited to hear that they’re here when it starts… ”What the XXXX? - You can’t XXXXXXX wait for us at the XXXXXXX airport!?!?!? Oh that’s real XXXXXXX nice! I don’t know where the XXXX I’m going!!” (I'm doing my best to honor the boards' moderators and the profanity rules here so bear with me! Basically, everywhere you see all the X's, my DSIL used her favorite F-udge word...I'm trying to keep it clean and still relay to you all how hideous this whole experience was!) Ah ha…they have arrived…a little bit of pixie dust dripped, no – melted - down my forehead with the bead of sweat that I developed imagining all of the happy families with little children at the airport around her, listening to her swearing upside down and sideways at me for not sitting in the airport for a couple of hours and waiting for them …My DSIL, (ahem) bless her heart, actually expected that we would wait for them, just sitting in the airport, breathlessly anticipating their arrival. Now, I’m all for killing time and people watching, but NOT when I could be at Disney World. And how exactly would you explain that to a 4 year old? Now let’s all remember – for the few of you that may be sympathizing with my SIL – we were taking the ME, it’s not like I took the rental car on her and I am forcing her to take a cab! So anyway, I tell her she needs to go down to the Magical Express desk and the whole time she’s walking thru the airport, she’s yelling into the phone, yelling at her DH and swearing loudly at anyone that will listen that she doesn’t know where she’s going…Did I mention that they are not travelers? They’ve been on one vacation that involved an airplane in the last 20 years…and you can tell…she’s afraid to fly and not big on going into the “unknown”…the whole time we’d tried discussing and planning this trip, her likes and dislikes were based on the opinion of people that had given her theirs. For example, she didn’t want to go to LaNouba because so-and-so’s husband didn’t like it. Oh, well that there settles it then, huh?



So for the next hour, my phone rang every few minutes with “NOW where the XXXX am I and where do I go now?” Hmmm…I’m just sure that once she gets here and settles in, she’ll relax…Duh Lauralee, she probably never relaxed in her life… And don’t flame me, as this is NOT a general comment directed to everyone, just HER as this is how she is - maybe she’ll leave her Jersey at home (and her cell phone for crying out loud) and have a nice time…



Once again, my cell phone rings for like the 11th time…they’re here!!! We were on the beach with DS playing in the sand and so we set off to the lobby to meet up with the rest of our “Magical Gathering” gang…I now must escort my DSIL to the desk, as apparently she cannot check in alone. She loads up DBIL’s back with all their carry-ons like a pack mule and shoo’s him away and we check in. Now we’re at the same lovely CM, “Belle”, that I had earlier…shortly though, the lovely “Belle” will be replaced by a supervisor to handle the loud, unpleasant lady at the desk …Big, heavy sigh…this day is not so magical for me now…I’ll spare you all the embarrassing details, but DSIL made a big commotion over getting connecting rooms (secretly I was hoping that there weren’t any available…call it a hunch…I just knew that it was a bad idea), and over leaving a credit card on her account…we’re finally checked in! Let’s head to the Magic Kingdom!! We’re burning daylight people!! And off we head down to the boat launch…As we get to the boat launch, there are a few others waiting with us…my DSIL is already checking her messages…being a realtor, she’s CONSTANTLY checking her messages – even at midnight…drives me nuts…I insist that she turn her phone off, or at least put it on vibrate so as not to bug me, and others around who are on something called a VACATION and don’t particularly care to hear the sounds of the outside world…I definitely don’t want to hear a cell phone, especially in THIS World!! GRRRRR…

We’re finally at the MagicKingdom!!​

We enter the security checkpoint and she starts again…why do I have to do this, yada yada yada…please, can we just go in now??? I have a headache…never in my life have I had a headache here…We see Pluto off to our left as we start up Main Street and he’s all alone!! Michael’s thrilled and wants to go meet him so off we go…we give DH the camera for a change and DS and I go and stand with Pluto

and in runs DSIL…oooh…she’s…what is that look on her face??? OH MY WORD…it’s a SMILE!! She’s in the pictures too now…giggling and laughing and hamming it up for the camera! YAY…see – I told you all that this place was magical! We wander up Main Street a bit and pose for pictures for Photopass – I had already warned everyone…we’re going to get our pictures taken a hundred times if we have to…I’m finally going to be in some vacation photos!! YAY…To my horror…I look like crap in every single one of our 98 Photopass pictures…sigh…We take some pictures in front of the castle…translation – I take some pictures of my guys in front of the castle…​

DH doesn’t want to take pictures of me and DS…GRRRR…I’ll fix you for that…and head off to do the Carousel. Michael wanted to ride that first…go figure. I think it’s probably because he’s been on one before and needed to ease his way up to Dumbo maybe…


DH and DS head off the entrance for the Carousel ride and I am waiting to take some pictures of them…All of a sudden my SIL starts furiously banging on my arm…WHAT?!?! She points over to a little left and behind us and screams “LOOK” and finally I see what the fuss is about…There goes Kelly Ripa, her hubby (wow is he HOT in person), their kids and her parents…NO ONE notices them, although her hubby Mark (or is it Marc with a C) appears to be posing with a red carpet smile almost hoping to be noticed…well, that was my cue, as Mark/Marc is hotter than Mr. Southwest McDreamy…as we…errr, shall we say “pursued” them, we took a couple of pictures and then I noticed that Kelly had a look on her face that made me feel almost bad for her…I realized that it must be tough to be famous and try to do ordinary things like take your kids to Disney World…so I hung back and called to DSIL – let’s leave them alone…but she was gone…right behind them, snapping pictures like paparazzi following Lindsay Lohan!

So we had a little excitement that first day with our celebrity sighting…and we rode a few rides and headed back to the hotel to see if our luggage had arrived so we could unpack and have some dinner…It was, and we did…we ordered 3 pizzas and a bunch of sodas for dinner and had it delivered to our room so we could nosh while unpacking…translation – so DH and DS could eat, while I unpacked…DBIL, I come to find out, asks DH to buy the pizza and he’ll pay him back…still waiting by the way, but I digress. As I unpack, they (DH and DBIL) open the connecting room doors so we could all eat our pizza while we unpacked and DS goes next door to spend time with his aunt and uncle…and that’s when I smell it…SMOKE…I go next door and DBIL is laying on his bed, with a plate of pizza and smoking a cigarette while playing with my DS…Needless to say my friends…I FREAKED OUT… Now, don’t get me wrong…I was trying to be nice…I was pretty shocked that they would do this…they (and we) don’t smoke in our house, around our child and now, they’re STINKING up both of our hotel rooms…I could practically feel my blood boiling…So, I went next door and chased DS back to our room with some ridiculous story that something was happening over there and I said to my SIL – you know, this is a non-smoking room? You can get charged another $50 or they’ll move you to a smoking room…and that’s when she lost it…Oh Dear God – I’m on vacation with Sybill!



She started yelling, arms flailing, XXXX this, XXXX-that, XXXX-them, I’m on XXXXXXX vacation, I paid good XXXXXXX money for this trip and I’ll smoke anywhere I want” So now I’m FURIOUS and I just told her that was fine, she can do what she wants, but I’m keeping the door to our room closed to keep the smoke out. Which, by the way was very difficult to do…I ended up getting extra towels and rolling them up and putting them under the door and burning candles every night…I should have just called the front and complained about it “anonymously”… There she was swearing up a blue streak about how she paid good money for this trip and blah blah blah…Oh, so I guess the money that I paid, which was MORE by the way since there were 3 of us, didn’t matter…So with that, I left…locked my side of the door, put all my suitcases in front of it, and sat on our patio with a couple of drinks, reflecting on how my first day had gone…I wanted to cry…Not the magical gathering I’d anticipated so far, and my DH, sensitive to my feelings says, “Yeah, that was a great idea to invite them…” Well thank you for those wise words Mr. Dali Lama…”



Well, I have a few more drinks (yes, I travel with my own Jack Daniels, thank you very much, and after today, let’s face it – I needed it), and head to bed…tomorrow’s another day. I set the wake up call for 6:30 to give us time to slowly wake and go get breakfast before we head back to Magic Kingdom for our first full day!


OFFICAL WAIVER: I hope none of you take offense to the content of my trip report - I know I was offended when it happened to me...I apologize if it upsets anyone!!