"I can't handle this!" A June 2011 Trip Report

[Homesick for Disney]

Introductions

What lies in these pages is a tale of bravery, a tale of triumph, a tale of derring-do that will you leave you breathless. They said it couldn’t be done, but done it was. What follows is not for the faint of spirit, but if there be daring and courage in your hearts, dear readers, then carry on.

In the immortal words of that boy who never grew up, “here we go!”

The who: Three brave souls. Trent, Lisa, and our niece, Josie. You can read more about us in my pre-trip report.

The what: A vacation long anticipated by the three brave souls pictured above.

The when: May 31 – June 6, 2011

The where: Disney’s All-Star Music Resort.

The why: Because she asked nicely.

 

[pinkxray]

Just found your thread and I'm in.

Love your title

Josie is too cute and I would be tempted to take a little kid to Disney if they asked nicely too. Too bad my daughter tends to demand stuff instead.

 

[TiggerFan3590]

I am in... Cute family~

 

[Homesick for Disney]

Just found your thread and I'm in.

Love your title

Josie is too cute and I would be tempted to take a little kid to Disney if they asked nicely too. Too bad my daughter tends to demand stuff instead.

Thanks for joining! The title will be explained a few days in. And while Josie did ask nicely for the trip, there were plenty of times that she demanded things!

I am in... Cute family~

Welcome!

 

[Homesick for Disney]

I would love to begin this report by saying that our first day went smoothly and uneventfully, with an easy departure, a drive that felt much shorter than it actually was, and a relaxing arrival. Unfortunately, that is not the case.

We got to my sister-in-law’s house the evening before we planned to leave. We’d spent the day packing, and were both tired, but excited and ready to set out. Josie was excited, too. We spent the evening cooking out and then watching Seabiscuit. I’d never seen the film before, but I guess I was exhausted because I fell asleep about halfway through once I figured out how it was going to end.

We woke early the next morning, or at least early for us, around 7 AM. There wasn’t much to do, as our bags were in the car, and all that was left to put in was Josie’s suitcase. My SIL woke Josie.

Here’s where things got interesting. Josie is not a morning person by any means, a trait that would show itself more than once over the course of the trip. We hung around for awhile, waiting for her to get fully awake before leaving. She was quiet, but everything was fine until it was time to actually get in the car. There were tears. Lots of them. Although we’d repeatedly asked her before booking the trip if she wanted to be gone for that long and she’d repeatedly assured us that yes, she did, she decided when it was time to leave that she did not want to go. She begged her mom to let her stay and Trent and I felt like evil villains for forcing her to go. Eventually we got her in the car and after about ten minutes or so she calmed down and got excited about the trip. (On a side note: this is not unusual behavior for her. She does this if her mother leaves her at her grandmother’s for a bit while she runs errands. She always gets over it quickly.)

We stopped at McDonald’s for breakfast and then set out on the long drive to Orlando. Josie napped, I napped, Trent napped. We ate lunch (McDonald’s again). We were asked repeatedly how much further we had to go. Basically, it was uneventful, but long and boring, as car trips tend to be. If it wasn’t so expensive, I’d fly every trip.

That evening, we made it to Disney. Josie was about to come out of her skin trying to see the welcome sign.

We checked into our hotel, discovered we were in Rock and Roll, and unloaded our bags. Unpacking was nice this time around, because Josie got to stay in the room and someone had to stay with her. That someone was me. Poor Trent had to haul the bags by himself.

After that, we gave Josie the option of staying at the resort and going swimming or going to DTD for dinner. We should have known the answer without even asking. Mention swimming and there’s only one thing a kid will choose. We changed into our swimsuits and then jumped on the bed for a little while.

We went to the food court for dinner. Trent and I both had the chicken Alfredo (which is awesome) and Josie had the spaghetti. I cannot comment on her food, but she said it was good.

Then it was time to swim. I planned on swimming, but first I wanted to take pictures. Josie wasn’t feeling the big pool and refused to put on a lifejacket. She decided the kiddie pool was much more her speed. Trent wound up freezing because he couldn’t get his whole body underwater!

We swam for a while (or rather they swam and I watched) and then we got ice cream sundaes / milkshakes. One of my favorite things from trips past is eating amazing hot fudge sundaes and watching the movie on the big inflatable screen. We were in luck, because they were showing Monsters, Inc.

After eating and a bit more swimming, we finally talked Josie into heading back to the room. We didn’t want to say the B-word (bed), lest she get sad and start wanting her mother, so we just put on the TV and turned it to Disney channel. After a marathon of Shake It Up, Wizards of Waverly Place, and Hannah Montana, we finally all fell asleep.

Up next: $70 I’ll never see again.

 

[ericamcl]

following along - can't wait to see how things go

 

[mermaid764]

Joining in

Your trip sounds like a lot of fun, and your niece is adorable!

 

[vleeth]

I'm in!

 

[Disneyfreak616]

I'm in!

Your niece is too cute!

 

[lbuzz52]

Just found your thread and I'm in.

Love your title

Josie is too cute and I would be tempted to take a little kid to Disney if they asked nicely too. Too bad my daughter tends to demand stuff instead.

Mine would demand too Diane



Love the start! its so sweet of you to take your neice along!

 

[EllaBean]

I'm in...we are taking DD(4) in two days I am excited to see what you all did...your niece looks like she's around 4 or 5.

 

[iluvwdw5]

Loving it!!

 

[MelMel11]

Count me in!!