Takin The In-Laws Pretrip
Cast of Characters
Me DH32, love Disney and now a planner extraordinaire
Min DW34, loves Disney too, but left the planning to me
Buddy DS6, 3rd trip to Disney, 1st one hell really appreciate
Doodle DD3, my princess and a DCL souvenir
BuckleBoy DS21months, 1st time to WDW, obsessed with buckles
Meme MIL65, Fun, nice, extremely quiet
Papa FIL67, Big heart, Bigger talker with occasional bad timing
BIL 37, Just a big kid
Just for the record, I had absolutely no intention of writing a trip report before we went on this trip. After reading reports by Delswife, Zurg, Vettechick, Off To Neverland, and so many other talented writers, I thought that there was no way my trip could be anywhere near as entertaining as their trips.
As you continue reading, you will realize I was right. My trip was nowhere near as entertaining or exciting as their trips, and I dont have their storytelling talent. But I decided Id give it a shot anyway. Something has been gnawing at me to do this. So here goes. But first, I have to make an announcement
(Imagine this in your best Disney ride announcer voice) For your safety, please remain seated and keep your hands and arms away from the monitor at all times.
Now enjoy the report .
We decided that it was time for a family vacation to Disney sometime last summer. We began tossing around times and decided that sometime in spring, after the tax refund, would be a pretty good time. We belong to the DVC (thats the Disney Vacation Club for all you newbies), and it had been a couple of years since we actually used our points. We had been renting them out the past couple of years and using the money for other things. I knew it was going to be expensive, but I decided that I would figure out a way to afford it, since there are few things on this earth that I enjoy doing more than Disney. Either that or I could find a way to wiggle out of it later.
So we penciled the trip in for spring and left it at that for a while.
A little background For several years, we had been planning on taking my wifes parents to Disney for their 50th wedding anniversary. They had never been there, and with the DVC we could get a 2-bedroom villa and it wouldnt really cost us anything, other than points. This year is their 47th anniversary so I figured we were still a few years away.
Last October, Memes brother (aka my wifes uncle) was diagnosed with cancer and died about 3 weeks later. It was quite a shock, as nobody had a clue he was sick and it all happened so suddenly. It was quite a wake up call, and reminded us all how fragile life really is. Thats when I decided that; somehow, we were going to Disney in the spring. Id figure out a way. No wiggling out.
Fast forward to the holidays We spent Christmas at my in-laws house; it was a rather emotional time since this is the first Christmas without Uncle. Min says, Why dont we take my folks with this spring? They are still young enough to enjoy it, they are still healthy enough to do it, and they are still alive! How do I argue with that? Before I can slow her down, she throws it out there to them. Aw, what the heck! The more the merrier, right? Itll be fun. BIL is just a big kid anyway, and Meme and Papa will get a big kick out of it. Sure they are up for it! Lets go!
Now, I have a pretty good relationship with my in-laws. Meme and I get along very well. She is a very nice person, always willing to help, and pleasant to be around.
I can generally take Papa pretty easily in small doses. A weekend is usually about my limit. Its not that we dont get along, we get along fine. We just have very little in common. He is very outgoing, to the point of taking to anyone who will look at him. He also has the knack of saying exactly the wrong thing at precisely the wrong time, and sometimes to the wrong person. This can make for some rather awkward situations.
My BIL is fine too. Hes just a big kid at heart. He has a Hot Wheels collection of several thousand cars. He loves amusement parks. Hes a video game nut. We dont have a ton in common, but when were together we generally get along fine. Hes much quieter than Papa, so he generally doesnt embarrass us.
So, like I said, it is a pretty good relationship. But a week at WDW can do funny things to extended families, or so Ive read. Well have to see.
I was kind of wondering if they really were excited about it over the next couple weeks or not, until Min got a call one afternoon. Papa sold his gun collection so they wouldnt have to take money out of savings for the trip.
He sold his beloved gun collection! The whole thing! Were they excited? You figure it out!
After going back and forth with several different dates, we finally settle on April 2 8, 2005. It seems to work in everybodys schedules, is late enough to be warm in Orlando, early enough to be chilly in Chicago (a must so we can rub everyones noses in our tan when we get back) and close enough to my vacation time roll-over at work so I can borrow a couple days for the trip. We settled on Old Key West for our resort. We stayed there a couple years earlier, and really liked it. It has a nice laid back atmosphere, and they play a lot of Jimmy Buffett now thats vacation! (The other reason we picked OKW is because thats the only resort that I had enough points to get a 2 bedroom for those dates.)
All right, since this is their first (and maybe only) trip to WDW I had better make it good. But where do I start? What was that website we looked at before our Disney Cruise? The one with all the cool chat boards and great trip reviews? You know, the one we looked at when we were researching our DVC decision? Oh yea, TheDis!
Min left all the planning up to me. I think she saw me start to run with it, and just stepped away so as not to get buried in all the information I was coming up with. I surfed the boards for several weeks, just looking for any nuggets I could pick up.
I want to stop here and thank everyone who posts on these boards. You guys are a wealth of information, and I consider myself lucky to have stumbled onto this fantastic group.
Anyway, I came across a thread about Tour Guide Mike. I had no idea what this was all about, but I was becoming addicted to this planning thing, and knew I needed more help. TGM was an incredible resource. He has more information on his site than any one person can possibly know what to do with. It was very overwhelming for a while, but eventually, I just broke it down and read through it all. I was developing an amazing plan to let everyone see and do everything! This is GREAT!!!! By this time Min no longer thinks Im nuts, she KNOWS it! I have been bitten by the bug, and the only cure is in Orlando!
From there I stumble onto Mouseplanet, Mousesavers, AllEars, TouringPlans, BadShoe, TicketMania, along with a host of others. My goodness, this is like a drug! Whats happening to me?
Im spending hours at work surfing, surfing, and surfing. The other guys really think I have gone off the deep end. It seems as if every time someone walks into my office, a Disney related site is open. I even have Cinderellas castle as my background! What 32-year-old guy has Cinderellas Castle for his background picture on his monitor? This is sick.
So, I got a reservation for a 2 bedroom villa at OKW, I build a kick-butt itinerary, order plane tickets, and get our P.S.s, reserve 2 rental cars, and I reserve 2 hotel rooms near the airport for the first night.
Anyway, after all kinds of hemming and hawing, will we or wont we, maybe maybe not, back and forth, (for a multitude of reasons like BIL quitting his job and getting a new one, Meme and Papa getting cold feet, me getting cold feet over the $, etc.) on March 23 we finally decide that we are officially going! So I order the park tickets from TicketMania and get a great price (thanks mousesavers!)
I finish my itinerary, get all the last minute stuff together and off we go!!
(Imagine again in your best Disney ride announcer voice), Please remain seated until the story has come to a full and complete stop. Please exit to Day 1. Thank you.
Takin' The In-Laws -- Pretrip
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=793737
Takin' The In-Laws -- Day 1 - Blankie & Buddy... MIA
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=8324050#post8324050
Takin' The In-Laws -- Day 2 - Kennedy, Dixie and Will
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=8342639#post8342639
Takin' The In-Laws -- Day 3 - Fire Alarms, Fighting, and Fantasmic! (Part 1)
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=8364237#post8364237
Takin' The In-Laws -- Day 3 - Fire Alarms, Fighting, and Fantasmic! (Part 2)
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=8379122#post8379122
Takin The In-Laws -- Day 4 (Part 1) Commando Crazy
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=8391188#post8391188
Takin The In-Laws -- Day 4 (Part 2) The Magic Kingdom Really Is Magic
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=803835
Takin' The In-Laws -- Halftime Update - Wishes Come True
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=8517400#post8517400
Cast of Characters
Me DH32, love Disney and now a planner extraordinaire
Min DW34, loves Disney too, but left the planning to me
Buddy DS6, 3rd trip to Disney, 1st one hell really appreciate
Doodle DD3, my princess and a DCL souvenir
BuckleBoy DS21months, 1st time to WDW, obsessed with buckles
Meme MIL65, Fun, nice, extremely quiet
Papa FIL67, Big heart, Bigger talker with occasional bad timing
BIL 37, Just a big kid
Just for the record, I had absolutely no intention of writing a trip report before we went on this trip. After reading reports by Delswife, Zurg, Vettechick, Off To Neverland, and so many other talented writers, I thought that there was no way my trip could be anywhere near as entertaining as their trips.
As you continue reading, you will realize I was right. My trip was nowhere near as entertaining or exciting as their trips, and I dont have their storytelling talent. But I decided Id give it a shot anyway. Something has been gnawing at me to do this. So here goes. But first, I have to make an announcement
(Imagine this in your best Disney ride announcer voice) For your safety, please remain seated and keep your hands and arms away from the monitor at all times.
Now enjoy the report .
We decided that it was time for a family vacation to Disney sometime last summer. We began tossing around times and decided that sometime in spring, after the tax refund, would be a pretty good time. We belong to the DVC (thats the Disney Vacation Club for all you newbies), and it had been a couple of years since we actually used our points. We had been renting them out the past couple of years and using the money for other things. I knew it was going to be expensive, but I decided that I would figure out a way to afford it, since there are few things on this earth that I enjoy doing more than Disney. Either that or I could find a way to wiggle out of it later.
So we penciled the trip in for spring and left it at that for a while.
A little background For several years, we had been planning on taking my wifes parents to Disney for their 50th wedding anniversary. They had never been there, and with the DVC we could get a 2-bedroom villa and it wouldnt really cost us anything, other than points. This year is their 47th anniversary so I figured we were still a few years away.
Last October, Memes brother (aka my wifes uncle) was diagnosed with cancer and died about 3 weeks later. It was quite a shock, as nobody had a clue he was sick and it all happened so suddenly. It was quite a wake up call, and reminded us all how fragile life really is. Thats when I decided that; somehow, we were going to Disney in the spring. Id figure out a way. No wiggling out.
Fast forward to the holidays We spent Christmas at my in-laws house; it was a rather emotional time since this is the first Christmas without Uncle. Min says, Why dont we take my folks with this spring? They are still young enough to enjoy it, they are still healthy enough to do it, and they are still alive! How do I argue with that? Before I can slow her down, she throws it out there to them. Aw, what the heck! The more the merrier, right? Itll be fun. BIL is just a big kid anyway, and Meme and Papa will get a big kick out of it. Sure they are up for it! Lets go!
Now, I have a pretty good relationship with my in-laws. Meme and I get along very well. She is a very nice person, always willing to help, and pleasant to be around.
I can generally take Papa pretty easily in small doses. A weekend is usually about my limit. Its not that we dont get along, we get along fine. We just have very little in common. He is very outgoing, to the point of taking to anyone who will look at him. He also has the knack of saying exactly the wrong thing at precisely the wrong time, and sometimes to the wrong person. This can make for some rather awkward situations.
My BIL is fine too. Hes just a big kid at heart. He has a Hot Wheels collection of several thousand cars. He loves amusement parks. Hes a video game nut. We dont have a ton in common, but when were together we generally get along fine. Hes much quieter than Papa, so he generally doesnt embarrass us.
So, like I said, it is a pretty good relationship. But a week at WDW can do funny things to extended families, or so Ive read. Well have to see.
I was kind of wondering if they really were excited about it over the next couple weeks or not, until Min got a call one afternoon. Papa sold his gun collection so they wouldnt have to take money out of savings for the trip.
He sold his beloved gun collection! The whole thing! Were they excited? You figure it out!
After going back and forth with several different dates, we finally settle on April 2 8, 2005. It seems to work in everybodys schedules, is late enough to be warm in Orlando, early enough to be chilly in Chicago (a must so we can rub everyones noses in our tan when we get back) and close enough to my vacation time roll-over at work so I can borrow a couple days for the trip. We settled on Old Key West for our resort. We stayed there a couple years earlier, and really liked it. It has a nice laid back atmosphere, and they play a lot of Jimmy Buffett now thats vacation! (The other reason we picked OKW is because thats the only resort that I had enough points to get a 2 bedroom for those dates.)
All right, since this is their first (and maybe only) trip to WDW I had better make it good. But where do I start? What was that website we looked at before our Disney Cruise? The one with all the cool chat boards and great trip reviews? You know, the one we looked at when we were researching our DVC decision? Oh yea, TheDis!
Min left all the planning up to me. I think she saw me start to run with it, and just stepped away so as not to get buried in all the information I was coming up with. I surfed the boards for several weeks, just looking for any nuggets I could pick up.
I want to stop here and thank everyone who posts on these boards. You guys are a wealth of information, and I consider myself lucky to have stumbled onto this fantastic group.
Anyway, I came across a thread about Tour Guide Mike. I had no idea what this was all about, but I was becoming addicted to this planning thing, and knew I needed more help. TGM was an incredible resource. He has more information on his site than any one person can possibly know what to do with. It was very overwhelming for a while, but eventually, I just broke it down and read through it all. I was developing an amazing plan to let everyone see and do everything! This is GREAT!!!! By this time Min no longer thinks Im nuts, she KNOWS it! I have been bitten by the bug, and the only cure is in Orlando!
From there I stumble onto Mouseplanet, Mousesavers, AllEars, TouringPlans, BadShoe, TicketMania, along with a host of others. My goodness, this is like a drug! Whats happening to me?
Im spending hours at work surfing, surfing, and surfing. The other guys really think I have gone off the deep end. It seems as if every time someone walks into my office, a Disney related site is open. I even have Cinderellas castle as my background! What 32-year-old guy has Cinderellas Castle for his background picture on his monitor? This is sick.
So, I got a reservation for a 2 bedroom villa at OKW, I build a kick-butt itinerary, order plane tickets, and get our P.S.s, reserve 2 rental cars, and I reserve 2 hotel rooms near the airport for the first night.
Anyway, after all kinds of hemming and hawing, will we or wont we, maybe maybe not, back and forth, (for a multitude of reasons like BIL quitting his job and getting a new one, Meme and Papa getting cold feet, me getting cold feet over the $, etc.) on March 23 we finally decide that we are officially going! So I order the park tickets from TicketMania and get a great price (thanks mousesavers!)
I finish my itinerary, get all the last minute stuff together and off we go!!
(Imagine again in your best Disney ride announcer voice), Please remain seated until the story has come to a full and complete stop. Please exit to Day 1. Thank you.
Takin' The In-Laws -- Pretrip
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=793737
Takin' The In-Laws -- Day 1 - Blankie & Buddy... MIA
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=8324050#post8324050
Takin' The In-Laws -- Day 2 - Kennedy, Dixie and Will
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=8342639#post8342639
Takin' The In-Laws -- Day 3 - Fire Alarms, Fighting, and Fantasmic! (Part 1)
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=8364237#post8364237
Takin' The In-Laws -- Day 3 - Fire Alarms, Fighting, and Fantasmic! (Part 2)
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=8379122#post8379122
Takin The In-Laws -- Day 4 (Part 1) Commando Crazy
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=8391188#post8391188
Takin The In-Laws -- Day 4 (Part 2) The Magic Kingdom Really Is Magic
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=803835
Takin' The In-Laws -- Halftime Update - Wishes Come True
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=8517400#post8517400
Can't wait to find out!!!
