Commando touring seems more restful than a siesta in the wonderful hammocks at the CR compared to our recent Disney trip with two DGSs as our tour guides! Whatever was I thinking, believing in the power of planning while forgetting about the power of preschoolers??
I'll start with a little background to help with perspective: I am a mom of four - now 28, 27, 26 and 24 (DD, DD, DD, and DS), and for eleven years was even a single mom (my "baby" was 7 when I started that chapter). My now-ex and I took them on three Disney trips in four years "way back when" - 12/1986 (Mickey's*WDW) 15th birthday party!), 11/1987, and 9/1989/cruise/park combo big-time splurge, so you might think I'd have a tool or two in my arsenal to hold my own, but I now know you would be wrong....
My screen name is a bit of a misnomer, too. I went from being a single mom in charge of a household that included four kids to being "kid-less" within seventeen months. In that time period my three DDs joined the military (active duty USN, USMC, & USN) and DS decided to move in with his dad, hence my screen name (kdzgon, or "kids gone"). While it didn't exactly happen as I had envisioned, I was pretty much done with daily child-rearing, free to pursue my own path. I did become a mom at a relatively early age, planning to be young enough after they were gone to still be able to enjoy my own life, but I wasn't prepared for this timeline. I was ready to adapt, though - now all I had to do was figure out what I wanted to do when I grew up!
Little did I know that thanks to a series of occurences, a few short years later my world would be upended once again, when DH & I would take on physical custody of a seven month old grandson. God definitely has a sense of humor ("G/SoH" - remember this - it seems to be a recurring theme in our lives and our story) - not only was I starting over again, my DH is 9 yrs older and really had little experience raising his own children (now 37 and nearly 33) - suffice it to say it has been an "interesting" 3 years so far, and "kdzgon" certainly does not apply. We have done full-time bottles, teething, daycare, kiddy parties, potty training and lots of "grand-sitting" since early 2003. Truth is we have had less kid-free days than any of the parents of our (truly) darling grands.
Now, I have been trying to get back to Disney pretty much since 1989. Two of my kids take band trips to both WDW and DL, and when my eldest DD is stationed in Orlando for approx 9 mos of training (USN) I abuse my credit cards and arrange for my other three kids to meet her there, bringing her car to Fla (autotrain) and then to spend Easter together (eldest DD's first holiday "away from home" - I am a CPA by trade, so it is impossible for me to join them at that time of year.) Then, not only is my eldest DD (a lifelong Disney fanatic, BTW) stationed in Orlando, shortly after, my youngest DD is stationed in San Diego (USMC) where she remains for over 4 years - yet somehow, despite many visits to each DD, with the exception of one very quick evening at Pleasure Island, I never manage to get to either WDW or DL even once! (They are "tired" of going there so many times with their friends and prefer to do "other things" when we visit. Trust me: LegoLand does NOT compare....) Of course, my ex (who "cannot afford" to pay child support for years - still owes me >$50,000!) is suddenly able to take his GF, DS and DS's GF to WDW (8 days at GF, and Disney College besides!) I, however have yet to see MGM, never mind AK. My DH hasn't been since the year Epcot opened!
Fast forward to late 2005 - we have since acquired 4 S/DILs and 4 grandchildren spread over 4 states. With the exception of our marriage trip (early 2002), for too many years our vacations have consisted of visiting my kids at their respective duty stations. Our two eldest grandsons are going to be three in March & April, 2006, so I have the brilliant (IMHO) idea to take them to WDW in Sept '05 (free dining!) or else in early Jan 2006 - perfect time, IMO - old enough to enjoy, young enough to not need passes (or airline tickets). I am quickly overruled by DH ("they're too young") and DD/DSIL ("we want to be with him on his first trip to WDW", but SIL cannot get the leave), so trip gets put on hold. Six months later, DD & DSIL decide to take an impromptu trip with their DS to WDW after all. Needless to say, DGS loves the World and asks every day: when will they return?
Now that DD & DSIL have broken the ice AND the free dining is offered once again DH agrees a trip to see Mickey might be a good idea. (Of course, there might be a small possibility that the fact that I tell him DGS and I are going, is he planning on joining us? probably help sway his decision just a bit.) Note this is a man that absolutely HATES missing out on anything even more than not getting his own way. Add to that he is a total pushover when it comes to his grands and there is no way he's missing this trip.
Now, I need to digress a bit here: when I first suggest and get overruled on the Disney trip, we look to plan a different trip that we can share with the kids (DDs, DS and families). Of course, being military families with small kids (3) or newlyweds (1), money is an issue for each family. We were in the process of selling some property, so we come up with the brilliant idea of treating them to a vacation with us. (There are selfish motives here as well: our last vacation was for our wedding in early 2002; only one holiday and one of six weddings was attended by all in the past 7+ years, and we do not see the grands (DGS 3,3, & 18 mos and DGD 22 mos) nearly enough. Losing my dad (heart) and my sister (breast cancer) recently serves as our wake-up call.) What starts out as a "wouldn't it be nice" quickly becomes a reality - I find a really great deal on a cruise (built-in daycare - YAY!) and book it for January 2007. Unfortunately, ultimately only 3 of 5 families can make the trip, but we're going anyway. Saves some $$ from my original budget, so the only reason I suggest adding the Disney trip now is because between value season, value resort, the free dining and some really great airfares ($118 R/T) it is a pretty affordable trip, less than what I "saved" on the cruise. Well, that and the fact that DGS is potty-trained so no diapers to deal with (DOUBLE-YAY!!
If you think this is no big deal, trust me - try it the second time around!)
Back to our trip to Mickey: DH is now getting nervous that NJ ("New Jersey") DGS (3 1/2) will get bored with just us, so he has the clever idea to bring along NC ("North Carolina") DGS (3 1/2) as well for company. The only additional costs are one plane fare and a child's ticket, a do-able add-on. (BTW, one thing I will not be telling you is how to make - or save - $3,600 on your trip!) These cousins are a mere 5 1/2 weeks apart in age and spend time together several times a year, usually visiting at our house while giving his parents a much-needed break at the same time. Consequently, we are pretty comfortable dealing with the two boys for weeks at a time and know they usually get along well. DD and DSIL being no fools sign on for this deal immediately (they know my usually-vacillating DH well by now), savoring the idea of an unexpected two weeks of freedom.
It has only taken 17 years (almost to the day), but I'm going back to Disney
Remember last time combined a Disney cruise? Well, it just happened to be during Hurricane Hugo, at that time the second-largest hurricane to hit the Caribbean in 100 yrs (largest in E Car.) - 33 dead in the Caribbean alone (G/SoH)) Now, though, Disney has a hurricane guarantee of sorts - worst case, we'll have to cancel &/or postpone but we won't lose our money.
I've already taken three Disney trips with four young'ns at a time, and that was when there was a lot less available to entertain them. My DH is much more supportive than my ex ever was. Plus, these kids are the same age and gender, have similar interests and usually love to spend "special time" with Grandma and Grandpa. I have discovered allears.net and mousesavers (didn't really find/explore DISboards until we were in the park), and know about the Unofficial Guide, touring plans, and the Passporter. I belive I am a good bargain hunter, and a consummate planner. While I haven't been back in 17 years, I have good resources in my DDs, DS and an employee/good friend that travels to WDW 2X a yr (all courtesy of her in-laws!). We're good to go - now all I need to do is a little more research and advance planning.
Next: The Planning Begins
Having enjoyed a couple of trip reports, I thought I'd try and share my story. Not being familiar with protocol, I already suspect I might just be too wordy for this task but I simply cannot help myself. I'll understand if I have no audience. Should anyone might want to travel along at least a little further, I'll try to pick this up again in the next day or so.
edited to change title
I'll start with a little background to help with perspective: I am a mom of four - now 28, 27, 26 and 24 (DD, DD, DD, and DS), and for eleven years was even a single mom (my "baby" was 7 when I started that chapter). My now-ex and I took them on three Disney trips in four years "way back when" - 12/1986 (Mickey's*WDW) 15th birthday party!), 11/1987, and 9/1989/cruise/park combo big-time splurge, so you might think I'd have a tool or two in my arsenal to hold my own, but I now know you would be wrong....
My screen name is a bit of a misnomer, too. I went from being a single mom in charge of a household that included four kids to being "kid-less" within seventeen months. In that time period my three DDs joined the military (active duty USN, USMC, & USN) and DS decided to move in with his dad, hence my screen name (kdzgon, or "kids gone"). While it didn't exactly happen as I had envisioned, I was pretty much done with daily child-rearing, free to pursue my own path. I did become a mom at a relatively early age, planning to be young enough after they were gone to still be able to enjoy my own life, but I wasn't prepared for this timeline. I was ready to adapt, though - now all I had to do was figure out what I wanted to do when I grew up!
Little did I know that thanks to a series of occurences, a few short years later my world would be upended once again, when DH & I would take on physical custody of a seven month old grandson. God definitely has a sense of humor ("G/SoH" - remember this - it seems to be a recurring theme in our lives and our story) - not only was I starting over again, my DH is 9 yrs older and really had little experience raising his own children (now 37 and nearly 33) - suffice it to say it has been an "interesting" 3 years so far, and "kdzgon" certainly does not apply. We have done full-time bottles, teething, daycare, kiddy parties, potty training and lots of "grand-sitting" since early 2003. Truth is we have had less kid-free days than any of the parents of our (truly) darling grands.
Now, I have been trying to get back to Disney pretty much since 1989. Two of my kids take band trips to both WDW and DL, and when my eldest DD is stationed in Orlando for approx 9 mos of training (USN) I abuse my credit cards and arrange for my other three kids to meet her there, bringing her car to Fla (autotrain) and then to spend Easter together (eldest DD's first holiday "away from home" - I am a CPA by trade, so it is impossible for me to join them at that time of year.) Then, not only is my eldest DD (a lifelong Disney fanatic, BTW) stationed in Orlando, shortly after, my youngest DD is stationed in San Diego (USMC) where she remains for over 4 years - yet somehow, despite many visits to each DD, with the exception of one very quick evening at Pleasure Island, I never manage to get to either WDW or DL even once! (They are "tired" of going there so many times with their friends and prefer to do "other things" when we visit. Trust me: LegoLand does NOT compare....) Of course, my ex (who "cannot afford" to pay child support for years - still owes me >$50,000!) is suddenly able to take his GF, DS and DS's GF to WDW (8 days at GF, and Disney College besides!) I, however have yet to see MGM, never mind AK. My DH hasn't been since the year Epcot opened!
Fast forward to late 2005 - we have since acquired 4 S/DILs and 4 grandchildren spread over 4 states. With the exception of our marriage trip (early 2002), for too many years our vacations have consisted of visiting my kids at their respective duty stations. Our two eldest grandsons are going to be three in March & April, 2006, so I have the brilliant (IMHO) idea to take them to WDW in Sept '05 (free dining!) or else in early Jan 2006 - perfect time, IMO - old enough to enjoy, young enough to not need passes (or airline tickets). I am quickly overruled by DH ("they're too young") and DD/DSIL ("we want to be with him on his first trip to WDW", but SIL cannot get the leave), so trip gets put on hold. Six months later, DD & DSIL decide to take an impromptu trip with their DS to WDW after all. Needless to say, DGS loves the World and asks every day: when will they return?
Now that DD & DSIL have broken the ice AND the free dining is offered once again DH agrees a trip to see Mickey might be a good idea. (Of course, there might be a small possibility that the fact that I tell him DGS and I are going, is he planning on joining us? probably help sway his decision just a bit.) Note this is a man that absolutely HATES missing out on anything even more than not getting his own way. Add to that he is a total pushover when it comes to his grands and there is no way he's missing this trip.
Now, I need to digress a bit here: when I first suggest and get overruled on the Disney trip, we look to plan a different trip that we can share with the kids (DDs, DS and families). Of course, being military families with small kids (3) or newlyweds (1), money is an issue for each family. We were in the process of selling some property, so we come up with the brilliant idea of treating them to a vacation with us. (There are selfish motives here as well: our last vacation was for our wedding in early 2002; only one holiday and one of six weddings was attended by all in the past 7+ years, and we do not see the grands (DGS 3,3, & 18 mos and DGD 22 mos) nearly enough. Losing my dad (heart) and my sister (breast cancer) recently serves as our wake-up call.) What starts out as a "wouldn't it be nice" quickly becomes a reality - I find a really great deal on a cruise (built-in daycare - YAY!) and book it for January 2007. Unfortunately, ultimately only 3 of 5 families can make the trip, but we're going anyway. Saves some $$ from my original budget, so the only reason I suggest adding the Disney trip now is because between value season, value resort, the free dining and some really great airfares ($118 R/T) it is a pretty affordable trip, less than what I "saved" on the cruise. Well, that and the fact that DGS is potty-trained so no diapers to deal with (DOUBLE-YAY!!
If you think this is no big deal, trust me - try it the second time around!)Back to our trip to Mickey: DH is now getting nervous that NJ ("New Jersey") DGS (3 1/2) will get bored with just us, so he has the clever idea to bring along NC ("North Carolina") DGS (3 1/2) as well for company. The only additional costs are one plane fare and a child's ticket, a do-able add-on. (BTW, one thing I will not be telling you is how to make - or save - $3,600 on your trip!) These cousins are a mere 5 1/2 weeks apart in age and spend time together several times a year, usually visiting at our house while giving his parents a much-needed break at the same time. Consequently, we are pretty comfortable dealing with the two boys for weeks at a time and know they usually get along well. DD and DSIL being no fools sign on for this deal immediately (they know my usually-vacillating DH well by now), savoring the idea of an unexpected two weeks of freedom.
It has only taken 17 years (almost to the day), but I'm going back to Disney
Remember last time combined a Disney cruise? Well, it just happened to be during Hurricane Hugo, at that time the second-largest hurricane to hit the Caribbean in 100 yrs (largest in E Car.) - 33 dead in the Caribbean alone (G/SoH)) Now, though, Disney has a hurricane guarantee of sorts - worst case, we'll have to cancel &/or postpone but we won't lose our money. I've already taken three Disney trips with four young'ns at a time, and that was when there was a lot less available to entertain them. My DH is much more supportive than my ex ever was. Plus, these kids are the same age and gender, have similar interests and usually love to spend "special time" with Grandma and Grandpa. I have discovered allears.net and mousesavers (didn't really find/explore DISboards until we were in the park), and know about the Unofficial Guide, touring plans, and the Passporter. I belive I am a good bargain hunter, and a consummate planner. While I haven't been back in 17 years, I have good resources in my DDs, DS and an employee/good friend that travels to WDW 2X a yr (all courtesy of her in-laws!). We're good to go - now all I need to do is a little more research and advance planning.
Next: The Planning Begins
Having enjoyed a couple of trip reports, I thought I'd try and share my story. Not being familiar with protocol, I already suspect I might just be too wordy for this task but I simply cannot help myself. I'll understand if I have no audience. Should anyone might want to travel along at least a little further, I'll try to pick this up again in the next day or so.
edited to change title
