16 days...and I'm a little freaking out

[dtkids]

First time to WDW. Hubs, me, 13yo daughter. I've been reading, planning and tweaking since March. Things are set..ADRs, FPPs, touring plans.

Now, at just over two weeks out, I'm a little freaking out.

1. Hubs in ER on Thanksgiving because of ankle injury. He could not walk on it, worst pain I've ever seen him in. No one knows what it is. Not broken, not sprained, not gout. He's moving around, just not well. MRI and vascular ultrasound scheduled for today. ECV reserved, but dang, you know?
2. In preparation for trip, I've started upping my step count over the last few weeks. Guess a bit too much, as now I've hurt the top of MY foot. Can anyone say "ECV races"?
3. Second guessing the touring plan. of course.
4. Second guessing the dessert party choice.
5. Completely unsure how to pack properly for the weather.
6. My newest anxiety is getting sick. Daughter gets flu shot today. Heavy duty hand sanitizers ordered. Please, I don't wanna have any us sick on this trip.
7. Complete fail on the movie prep we had put together. Supposed to watch all these Disney movies. I think we got three done so far.

I think I need an Rx for anti-anxiety meds.

It's entirely possible my head explodes. Or my foot falls off. Or my husband's foot falls off. Before we get on a plane.

Newbie, first-timer stress...what's the cure?!?!?!?

 

[Ladcassidy]

Take a deep breath. Go to WDW. Follow your plans, or not, depending on what makes the most sense at any given moment. Remember, this is a vacation, not a test. Don't be afraid to skip FPs, cancel ADRs, or just sit quietly at your pool. Pledge to remember the good stuff and turn the bad stuff into family legends that your daughter will tell her own grandkids someday.

 

[BrianL]

Do not worry about the small stuff. You will have a good time no matter what. Maybe you won't "see it all" (nobody could) but you will enjoy your time together and make magical memories. Have a plan, but be flexible. It sounds like you've done all the work, so now relax and have fun. Have an awesome trip!

 

[georgina]

The top of my foot was bothering me last trip. I found an elastic ankle brace really gave it some support around the arch and helped. Go slowly, this will force you to 'smell the roses' and appreciate the details. Check the forecast before you leave, pack a little of everything and layer!

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Don't worry about the Disney movies. You'll enjoy things even without seeing the movies. (Heck, not many have seen Song of the South and Splash is still a lot of fun!). Give yourself some breathing room. Don't be afraid to drop things once you get there if you feel the pace of your touring plan is too much. You can't see it all in one trip, so there's no use trying. Some of our fondest memories have nothing to do with rides, shows, etc., so allow yourself some breathing room. If you forget to pack something or find you need a sweatshirt, pair of gloves, etc. because the weather is up and down, they have everything you could possibly need there. It's going to be ok!

 

[Roxyfire]

A few things...

• As a self proclaimed dessert party apologist, it's fine. You've already paid for it so give it a chance and enjoy! Don't feel like you have to stuff yourself to get your "money's worth" out of it. Just enjoy the fact you don't have to camp out ahead of time for fireworks. Try one of everything that looks good, have a couple drinks, or sparkling ciders if it's the HAE one, and take the time to relax!
• For the pain on the top of your foot, be sure your shoes aren't too tight. Could be that your feet are swelling and you need to have some more space in there. If you're wearing sneakers, try to loosen up the laces a bit, or just generally make sure they are the correct size. Just like anything else, shoes tend to run differently in size between not just brands but styles too. If they don't have enough give in them, you'll be miserable the whole time.
• I echo the others and say slow down! You don't have to be one of those people racing from spot to spot. A touring plan should be more of a guideline than a rule. Plans are made to be changed!
• Packing for the weather is tough, and I'm not too experienced in it for WDW but for other places I tend to go with lightweight layers. It is Florida after all so probably at most a windbreaker, light hoodie or fleece would be the heaviest I would go being a converted northerner. And yes as the previous poster said, you could always buy something if you needed it!

edited to add: You'll have a great time, you got this!

 

[Sparkly]

You are going to have an amazing time, don't worry about it. You don't need to stress out about plans. Don't want to do a FP? Just skip it.

 

[Klayfish]

It's entirely possible my head explodes. Or my foot falls off. Or my husband's foot falls off. Before we get on a plane.

Newbie, first-timer stress...what's the cure?!?!?!?

Yes, those things could happen. It's also possible a meteor strikes, an earthquake hits or the zombie apocalypse finally happens. You can't control any of that, so don't sweat it. Control the things you can control.

So you're worried about packing properly...what's the worst thing that happens? You have to buy a sweatshirt because you're cold. Not ideal, but not a bad way to get a Disney souvenir.

Don't want to do the FP+ plans you made? What's the worst that happens? You skip it or you modify them.

Just my own $.02, but I wouldn't try to suddenly do a ton more walking just a few weeks out. If you're not ready now, it's too late. Just try to be smart with how much you criss cross the parks, and make sure to have plenty of sit down breaks (rides are great for this).

It's your first trip. You're going to be a deer in headlights. Don't fear it, embrace it. Don't expect to know everything, have everything go "perfect" or to see everything. You won't. Take it all in, enjoy the atmosphere and just have fun. Go with the flow...whatever happens happens.

 

[KittyKitty]

Now that you have a plan, do not worry if things change, and they will,when you get to WDW. Remind yourself to take a deep breath and appreciate all that is around you.

Feet... I had problems with mine this last trip. Sandals I have worn for years(maybe the problem..) gave me a blister. Thank heaven I took cheap flip flops with me. Also I saw at the resort stores(Pop, WLV) they had mole skin, bandaids, and gold bond powder that were lifesavers!

You will have a great time!!

 

[disneyvoice]

Force yourself to relax - LOL!! First - the walking at WDW is highly over-hyped. Yes, you will end up walking a lot BUT it will NOT feel like power walking a 12 mile race. At most my feet and legs feel a bit tired at night, but it isn't something we actually notice until we get back to the resort. You will be spending a lot of time just standing in line, sitting on rides, sitting for meals, etc. Walking will happen in mainly short bursts with some longer bursts thrown in when you have to get across a park.

Also don't pre-stress over the possibility of getting sick. We have done trips where we were all completely healthy, trips where someone got sick while we were there, trips where someone got sick before we left, and trips where we ALL got sick there. None of our trips were ruined by any of these experiences, we were just more mindful that when someone started to get tired it was time to leave and head back to the resort.

Allow yourself the freedom of being flexible when you get there. It's great that you have all these plans but even if you get there and have to cancel ALL of them, you will still have fun. We do this a LOT . . . by choice. If we have plans for MK but feel like going to Epcot instead we cancel/reschedule/change FPs and ADRs and go to Epcot instead. If we were supposed to do rope drop but are too tired when the alarm goes off, we sleep in instead.

Notice the people around you when you are there and it will change your entire outlook about a WDW vacation. You will see DOZENS of irritated, frustrated women barking orders at their husband and children because they going to miss their FP if they don't walk faster, complaining that what someone wants to do is NOT on the itinerary so they can't do it, getting in their family's face that they spent HOURS trying to get the ADR for a place no one now wants to eat at. These families are MISERABLE. Husbands get yelled at, kids are shamed and humiliated all because things aren't working out the way they were supposed to. It's just not worth it.

 

[intertile]

It is at time like these that I must quote Mr. Myagi : " Don't forget to Breathe Danielson!".
Relax. Just go with the flow. Think of it this way, if you don't get to do something it's an excuse to go back in a year or 2 when life permits. Your going to have a blast, just soak it all in. First visits only happen once, and you should allow yourself to enjoy it!

 

[TinkLoverSam]

We are 4 days out and I had my gallbladder removed on Sunday I’m still allowed to go but I can’t lift anything over 10lbs which makes taking care of my 30+ lbs toddler a little difficult! Luckily we are traveling with my family (me, dh and ds 2.5) my sister and her hubby and my mom and dad. Lots of hands to help with the lifting.

 

[BranRan]

And get your "1st visit" buttons when you arrive! You only get one first time so breathe(a lot) and enjoy it!

 

[Mitzicat]

Like everyone else has said...breathe! Things will work out fine. We are leaving in 11 days. We have been discussing what to pack. I have been to Disney one other time in December and it got down right cold...low 40s at night. Coming from Maryland we will already have our coats - but don't expect to need them in Florida, but have them if some fluke weather pattern shows up. Right now weather channel is saying for our trip low 70's during the day with low 50's at night. Honestly that's nothing to us, but I get cold easily. I plan on packing a mix of capris / leggins / and jeans. I will have long and short sleeve tshirts as well as a couple of sweatshirts. It is easy to take layers off during the day if you are too hot. Hubby plans on bringing jeans/shorts and tshirts/sweatshirts. He doesn't get as cold as I do. I do plan on bringing my mickey gloves and hat - but don't expect to need them. I always say better safe then sorry.

Which dessert party did you schedule? I have the jingle bell jingle bam party scheduled and I can't wait. This is hubby's second time to Disney and he loves Hollywood Studios and will be surprised (he doesn't know I scheduled it).

 

[hsmamato2]

relax. You're overplanning (easy to do with the internet lol) you are going to Disney! It's going to be so wonderful,and you won't spare one minute while there thinking about the things that could go wrong. It's an overwhelmingly great place to vacation without any effort at all,and if you're in a ecv,so what? it's all flat sidewalks there- no real world here,just WDW!

 

[BigredNole]

Welcome to the new Disney. No longer can you book a vacation and be excited. Now, you have to book, over plan, re-plan, change plans, question plans, only to find out the plans all go out the window. It needs to be back to the old way: book room and dates you want to go. Relax, get there, have fun.

 

[Magpie]

Seconding the advice to check the fit of your shoes, for that top-of-foot pain. Pain in that location is usually due to poor shoe fit/lacing, whereas pain in the arches or ankles is more likely attributable to exercise stress (or sometimes not enough arch/ankle support). Rest your foot and try different shoes. Go barefoot, when possible. You've still got lots of time to recover - feet bounce back quickly, as soon as you stop abusing them. In the meantime, if you want to continue building strength and endurance, you can focus on floor exercises. Or even go swimming (if you have a pool nearby)!

When you're getting in shape for a vacation, you don't have to limit yourself to just walking. All exercise is good.

Good luck, and I hope your husband gets some answers about his ankle!

 

[Klayfish]

Welcome to the new Disney. No longer can you book a vacation and be excited. Now, you have to book, over plan, re-plan, change plans, question plans, only to find out the plans all go out the window. It needs to be back to the old way: book room and dates you want to go. Relax, get there, have fun.

But it's only that way if you make it that way. We pretty much do the latter of your thoughts...book our rental house, relax, get there, have fun. Very little planning, change on the fly, just go with the flow. Like I mentioned in another thread, our "schedule" for the 8 day trip we just finished was made on the back of a Dunkin Donuts napkin, in about 10 minutes. That was the entire extent of our pre-trip planning. Yes, we're WDW veterans, so that helps a ton. But my point is that rookie or veteran, you don't have to book, over plan, re-plan, etc...

 

[heidijanesmith]

I feel your pain, I am an over the top planner. I went crazy over planning my 1st trip. I wanted us to experience it all. What I realized is that you can't do and see it all. Half way through the trip my family rebelled. They needed some relief from my planning. We slept in one AM, went to a different park than I had planned for an added an extra waterpark day. Some of those spontaneous changes turned out to be some of my most happy memories of the trip.

Now that you have made your reservations, FP+ don't agonize over the plans you have made.

Have a great trip!

 

[PixieT78]

I totally get it. Our first trip DH tore the meniscus in his knee about a week before we left. He walked around anyway and barely complained, though I'm sure it hurt quite a bit (surgery happened a few months later). We mistakenly did 14 hours straight our first day and my feet never forgave me (still haven't haha). They hurt a lot so we took breaks when I needed them. I also wore a jean skort that got soaked on Blutos at Universal and proceeded to walk around rubbing the skin off my thighs for the rest of the day - that was about 2 days into the trip and I only had one pair of pants I could stand to walk in so that's what I wore for the rest of the trip.

Random things are going to happen and you will adjust and still have a fabulous time. None of this stuff affected how much fun we had and we are headed back again soon!

Have a great trip!