Worst vacation ever...

[Aliceacc]

I just moved to Jacksonville and I was calling the HEAVY rains last week a hurricane, too! I know exactly which day you are referring to! It sounds like a case of "when it rains, it pours" (no pun intended) for you. Just try to keep a bright attitude and take it as easy as you can from here on out. I hope your girls get better and your mother takes it easy, too.

Maybe that's the problem here.

A hurricane is something that is spotted on radar, with sustained measureable winds at a certain level. Had there been a hurricane anywhere near US soil, we would most certainly have heard of its approach. (and this time of year, it would be really unusual!)

To the OP-- that's the line that had some people thinking you were posting just to get a reaction. My sincere apologies if you were just referring to a horrible rainstorm-- the kind that we think of when we hear the phrase "nor'easter."

Anyway, take a day off, spend it at the pool, and salvage this vacation!

 

[1rockinmamato2]

I believe there was a cold front, not a hurricane, that came through from the west, most likely affecting Florida as well, that caused tornadoes in Alabama. This would also explain why the next day the temperatures dropped.

I do believe that you should try to salvage some of your vacation. But, I would also like to point out that if your child has in fact been diagnosed with having the flu, it's probably not a good idea to take her to the park as she will then potentially spread it to other vacationers.

I'm sorry that your vacation has not turned out as you had hoped, but sometimes that happens. I'll never forget our trip to the Cincinnati zoo when I was younger and having to sleep in the car in a McDonald's parking lot because we couldn't find a hotel room with a golf tournament going on that weekend. Years later, we can sort of laugh about that trip now.

 

[Aliceacc]

We had one vacation upstate a few years ago:

-it rained every single day. This was a lakeside cabin; it was all about the lake.
- our normally quiet dog barked so much that we were told we were not allowed to leave her alone (and, yes, this was a place that allowed pets, so she must have raised some racket when we were out!) You try entertaining 3 kids in the rain when you have an 80 lb labrador retreiver with you.

- each of the kids caught a stomach bug and spent 1.5 days throwing up. Of course it was consecutive, which meant I pretty much spent my entire vacation cleaning a cabin bathroom.

Here's to a better vacation!

 

[atpatt]

I hate that I missed the post before it was deleted! Sounds like a trip headed in the wrong direction and I hope you can salvage it.

No hurricanes whatsoever, promise. There were some really bad tornados that hit south central Alabama, however. Maybe that line of weather extended down to Orlando. I dunno! If you were already having a bad time, I see how that could put you right over the edge. Weather in the south is not a lot of fun sometimes.

I hope things improve and that your baby is feeling better.

 

[nascar-j]

I hate that I missed the post before it was deleted!

You didn't miss too much. It was a drama queen's exageration of some unfortunate events, beyond her control, that led to a crappy vacation. We've all probably been there. She came here for sympathy and didn't get it.

j

 

[1rockinmamato2]

I hate it when people delete their original post. Too bad no one quoted her.

IMO, the whole "hurricane" comment discredited her and made me doubt the rest of her story. There was the comment about "not realizing it was President's Day weekend" even after all the research and planning she did. Then, "the ice machine fell on her mom's arm." How in the world does that happen?

Oh well, OP, if you're still reading I want you to know that I'm truly sorry you have had a terrible trip. Having that much time and money invested into a much anticipated trip and it not working out is the pits.

 

[Grendalynn]

I hate that I missed the post before it was deleted! Sounds like a trip headed in the wrong direction and I hope you can salvage it.

No hurricanes whatsoever, promise. There were some really bad tornados that hit south central Alabama, however. Maybe that line of weather extended down to Orlando. I dunno! If you were already having a bad time, I see how that could put you right over the edge. Weather in the south is not a lot of fun sometimes.

I hope things improve and that your baby is feeling better.

I agree - it was odd reading the responces to the Original POst - I was trying to piece it together as I read through, this is what I got so far: The weather sucked, parks were crowded, baby rolled off the bed, 4 year old was taken out by a ginormous wave and was then cranky while at the beach when it was really cold, Grandma was no fun and is clumsy, ice machines can fall on your arm so watch out, and there was an invisible hurricane that only she saw... How am I doing here? Someone please fill in the blanks, it sounds like she had a helluva time!??

You didn't miss too much. It was a drama queen's exageration of some unfortunate events, beyond her control, that led to a crappy vacation. We've all probably been there. She came here for sympathy and didn't get it.

j

That stinks. When life give gives you lemons, you make a long island iced tea!! And then drink one (or two or three)!!?? My feeling is that when you are traveling with kids and grandparents, you have to be ready for anything and roll with the punches, its only a big deal if you make it a big deal. If you let it roll off your back, it can actually still be a good time!!? And usually the most memorable

 

[1rockinmamato2]

I agree - it was odd reading the responces to the Original POst - I was trying to piece it together as I read through, this is what I got so far: The weather sucked, parks were crowded, baby rolled off the bed, 4 year old was taken out by a ginormous wave and was then cranky while at the beach when it was really cold, Gramdma was no fun and is clumsy, ice machines can fall on your arm so watch out, and there was an invisible hurricane that only she saw... How am I doing here? Someone please fill in the blanks, it sounds like she had a helluva time!??




That stinks. When life give gives you lemons, you make a long island iced tea!! And then drink one (or two or three)!!?? My feeling is that when you are traveling with kids and grandparents, you have to be ready for anything and roll with the punches, its only a big deal if you make it a big deal. If you let it roll off your back, it can actually still be a good time!!? And usually the most memorable

That about sums it up. Except for the fact that she got a bit snippy when she found out that some people doubted parts of her story and she wasn't getting the support she was seeking.

 

[disneymom3]

That about sums it up. Except for the fact that she got a bit snippy when she found out that some people doubted parts of her story and she wasn't getting the support she was seeking.

The thing is that with the exception of people asking about the reality of a hurricane, the vast majority of posts were very supportive with ideas and suggestions to improve things as well as MANY wishes of "hope things get better."

I do wish if people are going to be so upset by what others say they would just give a list of acceptable answers in the OP. It would save a lot of hurt feelings.

 

[nascar-j]

When life give gives you lemons, you make a long island iced tea!! And then drink one (or two or three)!!??

Grendalynn,

I like your style.

You did forget about the sun poisoning from the trip to the beach in 50 degree weather after the huricane blew through. AND that she knew she was prone to sun poisoning because it's happened to her before...

j

 

[atpatt]

Ok, the OP is a bit clearer now. I still hate that things went the way they did. I do. But...

You mention hurricane around these parts, and it definitely gets attention, which is the reason I followed the thread. I see the word and I cringe. It's a very very bad word, use it when you have to.

The weather wouldn't have bothered us and we would have found another way to have fun, as we did during the downpour which wiped out dh's bday Family Tour in October. We simply left MK, went to Quest, ate at Pucks (one of his fave places), and kept on smiling. But we hadn't had all the other problems she did. Probably b/c my 3 year old still sleeps surrounded by pillows, so as to prevent any of that falling business.

 

[LadyShea]

I didn't get to read the OP, and don't know where she's from, but perhaps her use of "hurricane" was a harmless exaggeration based on lack of experience of our weather. I would probably consider a Michigan winter as akin to the ice age

Anyway, I didn't see any responses here harsh enough to warrant post deletions, but do hope things have gone better for you since posting/deleting.

 

[1rockinmamato2]

I didn't get to read the OP, and don't know where she's from, but perhaps her use of "hurricane" was a harmless exaggeration based on lack of experience of our weather. I would probably consider a Michigan winter as akin to the ice age

Anyway, I didn't see any responses here harsh enough to warrant post deletions, but do hope things have gone better for you since posting/deleting.

Her first post contained the hurricane remnant comment. And when it was questioned, she said, "It was a hurricane REMNANT. If you don't believe me, take it up with the weather man." So, I don't really think she was using the term "hurricane" as an exaggeration at that point.

 

[blessedby3]

Wow, this thread sounds crazy. I didnt see the original post, but bad things happen on vacation sometimes. We just got back last month from our 10 day Disney Vacation. I had planned and planned, saved and saved and we were so excited to be going. Things turned sour for us when our plane landed and my mom (yes, we were traveling with Gma too) tripped getting out of her airplane seat and we had to call the paramedics. She twisted her knee and said that she heard somethin pop and all I could think about was we have 10 days here and already a MAJOR problem. We ended up getting her off the plane in a wheelchair. She had to buy a brace at Target and we were told that if it started swelling to get her to the doctor. She ended up limping on it for a few days.....until she got a virus and had fever, nausua, headache, soar throat and missed 5 days of park time on a 10 day pass. On day 3 my son woke up in the middle of the night throwing up We had ressies at Ohanas the next morning and he and my DH had to miss them because of the night. Ended up DS had just eaten a variety of too much junk, so he was good to go later that day. Day 7 my DS is sick again, this time running a fever and he had a bad cough. Called the pedi back home who told us he couldnt call in meds across state lines. We knew DS had bronchitis (DD left on vacation with it and her antibiotic and was better now) and just needed antibiotics. Called my husbands doc (also a family friend) and he was gracious enough to call in meds for DS. After a couple of days he was good to go, but missed 2 days in the parks too. We left him in the room with Gmom. On day 9 we were caught in a tornado box while at the MK. We were trying to get out of the parks with Gmom in a wheelchair, baby in a stroller and the other 4 kids in tow. It was parade time and the streets were PACKED. They had just made a decision to cancel the parade because of weather and everyone was trying to make it down Main Street. Gale force rains and winds started up and everyone went into the Emporium. It seemed to slack off a bit so we rushed for the train station. Pounding thunder and lighting, sideways blowing rain and we were stuck under the station. We waited for it to subside again and made a run for the busses. All the while it was lightning terribly- I thought we were gonna be struck!! We managed to make it to the busses (of course our shoes, socks and pants legs were completely SOAKED and waited under the shelter for just a bit for the bus. After getting back to the room we were able to see on the Weather Channel that we were in a tornado box Yikes!! My baby (3 1/2 mos) also went on a nursing strike- maybe all the stress I was under- and we had to get formula for her. (Not my best memory of that trip- the start of my baby giving up nursing). We also had our rain cover stolen off of our stroller one day while in the MK!! Ordered pizza from Papa Johns one night at 7:30 and finally got it at 9:45 that night!! Got caught in the middle of the marathon trying to return 2 rental cars to the car care center (took us 1 1/2 hours to get them back and should have taken about 15 mins). We also experienced huge crowds that a FL resident said was just a fluke thing. It is never THAT crowded at that time. My kids waited an hour to get on SM one day and got right up to the loading dock to step into their cars when the lights came up and they announced the ride was broken Things like this seemed to happen to us the whole time, but we just had to grin and bear it and move on. It wasnt a barrel of laughs and fun the whole time, but we did make memories- some good and some not so good. People who have heard our saga think I am crazy for still wanting to go back. I tell them that things can happen anywhere- its not Disney- and we will definately go back. We are just hoping that the next trip will not be quite so crazy.

 

[LadyShea]

Her first post contained the hurricane remnant comment. And when it was questioned, she said, "It was a hurricane REMNANT. If you don't believe me, take it up with the weather man." So, I don't really think she was using the term "hurricane" as an exaggeration at that point.

Ah I see. Thanks for clarifying.

Well a hurricane remnant still requires a hurricane. Just as the name implies it is what is left, a remnant, after a hurricane disorganizes/falls apart. I feel pretty safe in saying there was no hurricane, however our region has experienced quite severe weather over the last 10 days. The weather man she heard must have been sniffing glue.


blessedby3 holy moly what a series of unfortunate events you had! I am glad you made the best of things and managed to pull some fun times and good memories from the trip. The best laid plans...

 

[solstice621]

On day 9 we were caught in a tornado box while at the MK.

It took me a little while to understand what you meant by tornado box. I have never heard it referred to as that before. I was thinking, huh, I've never seen that before. I was picturing an actual "box" that they brought out for everyone to use at the parks in the case of a tornado...

Anyways - sorry about your troubles! Glad you kept your spirits up and still enjoyed your vacation!

 

[tickeymouse]

I wish I had seen the post too. We took my 2 year old to disney in January. We also were with gma. We had not been since we were kids. We had planned, got in on a fridge swap, made reservations, had a plan, etc. My son spiked a fever a few hours before the flight, but we gave him medicine and carried on. The first morning he woke up looking like pink eye. We called our ped and they recommended he be seen. He threw up on the complementary van on the way to the clinic. We loved the Centra care clinic, where he was diagnosed with an ear infection, upper respitory infection, pink eye, and possible strep. And the thowing up and fever. He had the fever the entire trip. We decided it was our learning trip. We learned our way around, what would be fun for next time around, where might be better to stay, and next time we should stay longer. We still dragged him out to the parks and let him sleep in the stroller whenever. And I still managed to take 396 pictures. And it always helps to have a sense of humor!!

 

[LisaZoe]

And it always helps to have a sense of humor!!

This is the best advice I think any parent can get when planning a vacation!!! Stuff happens and you can let it get you down and spoil everything or you can put it in perspective, as tickeymouse & blessedby3 did. Also, having a sense of humor means you can later look back on even those bad times and laugh. My nephew loved to hear stories of his "worst camping trip eve" - when he was "clothes lined" with a clothes line, fell into the fire (he had a minor burn on his hand which helped get past the trauma) and fell down a fairly steep hill tumbling the while way. All this in a weekend. He especially liked to hear about how fast his mom moved to get him from the fire to the ice chest - before the accident had barely started registering with the rest of us.

 

[atpatt]

Blessedby3, i think its safe to say that that absolutely sounds like the worst trip ever! I'm glad you made the best of what sounds like a nightmare and have high hopes for the next trip!

 

[nascar-j]

Blessedby3(4),

Great TR and great attitude. I'm leaving in 21 days and I hope I don't have half the problems you had, but if we do... We'll still be at WDW!
We had our terrible vacation last July when we went to Daytona for a week. Had to buy a new truck, 4 of the 7 days we had torrential rains at the beach with highs in the low 70's... and much more that doesn't matter anymore.

I noticed your trips in your sig. Do your teens still enjoy going? Most of our friends with late teens, their kids think Disney is "for kids" and they don't want to spend that much time with mom and dad.

j