If you don't have anything nice to say...write about it in your trip report

[DisneyRegulars]

Here we go again! Our 4th trip in just under a year. I've finally been able to wind down from an insane work and school schedule to start thinking about the trip. We leave in ten short days for a week in Disney from January 13-19.

Let's start things off with a bit about the title. "If you don't have anything nice to say... write about it in your trip report." I've decided this is going to be my motto for the trip. You see, I will be traveling with my MIL, and I know I will have to bite my tongue ALOT. I have to be careful what I say here, in that I will only write what I would be willing to tell her face to face because she is crafty and understands the internet enough to have maybe found this site, and maybe be following my username. Out of respect for her I will also not be posting pictures of her in this report.

So let's meet the cast. Firstly, there is me, your trip narrator. I'm 30, an avid Disney fan, and a recovering park commando. Recently, just before Christmas, I finished my PhD, so I look forward to buying myself some Dr. Llama ears on this trip. How awesome is it that Disney just announced the 'Year of the Ear'? Secondly, there is my husband, Grizzly. He's 37 maybe? I'm not entirely sure because he stopped aging at age 28. Anyways, he's a few years older than me, and is a complete an utter Disney fool. While he is willing to go slow for our little guy, his heart is very much that of a park commando. Thirdly, there is Tigger. He will turn 3 the last day of this trip, and this will be his 4th Disney trip. He loves Disney, but most of all he loves rides. He is intrigued by the characters, but so far has flipped out every time one has gotten near him. Last trip I spent most of the time obsessed about bathrooms and potty breaks, but it's been several months now and I'm excited that potty training is behind us. This kid is actually the potty king (I'm sure I'll have to eat those words), and if I leave it up to him he goes twice a day (around lunch time and before bed). Wait I got sidetracked!!!

There's the fourth person, MIL. I have such mixed emotions about this trip. MIL has never been to Disney, so one side of me thinks she will love it. The other side is screaming "IF THERE ARE MORE THAN 5 PEOPLE IN THE PARK WITH YOU SHE'S GOING TO THINK IT's CRAZY CROWDED". She can be fun, but the overwhelming percentage of her stories revolve around complaining. Her complaints are mainly about crowds, lines, bad service, lines, check out people not knowing the coupon policy, lines, crowds, bad service, bad service, bad service, how expensive things are, and Obama. We see eye to eye on about 1% of things. She's very OCD, and gets nervous and panicky about everything. I'm sure she's already packed her suitcase for the trip. I'm sure it was packed 3 weeks ago. I will pack the day before. I've already told Grizzly that he is to go through security with her, but without me, because according to her going through security at the airport is the worst possible thing that could ever happen to a human being. I can't wait till she gets to face the return trip in the Orlando airport. I could go on, but I will just leave it at this. I'm nervous. I'm nervous to be traveling with my exact opposite. I hope I can maintain the peace. I may be writing here a lot!

Next up I'll share our tentative itinerary, and pretty soon we'll get the real show on the road. I try to do live blogging from down at Disney, so stay tuned.

I suppose I should also mention that we will be staying in a 2 bedroom lockoff standard view at Kidani Village.

 

[Thumper4me]

Take a deep breath....everything will be fine. My MIL joined us on our last trip to WDW during the Food & Wine Festival. I was very nervous since our first vacation to the Grand Canyon did not go smoothly. However, everything went great at WDW. It truely is a magical place.

I am looking forward to hearing more about your trip. We are heading down right after you get back.

Kelly

 

[DisneyRegulars]

Take a deep breath....everything will be fine. My MIL joined us on our last trip to WDW during the Food & Wine Festival. I was very nervous since our first vacation to the Grand Canyon did not go smoothly. However, everything went great at WDW. It truely is a magical place.

I am looking forward to hearing more about your trip. We are heading down right after you get back.

Kelly

How bizarre!!! Our first trip with MIL was to the Grand Canyon too! And it was awful. It got to the point where I refused to ride the tram with everyone to the next stop, and just walked to the next viewing point by myself because I could stand them no longer. My only hope is that most of the stress with that trip was due to MIL and FIL fighting, and FIL will not be with us. Thanks for the good vibes. I will hold them close.

 

[a742246]

Just have a good sense of humor on your trip and everything will be fine.

 

[DisneyRegulars]

Just have a good sense of humor on your trip and everything will be fine.

That's good advice! I'm a strong believer that people have a lot of control over how they feel. I hope I remember to 'choose' not to feel annoyed, and am able to just let things roll off my back, and perhaps as you suggest, have a little chuckle.

 

[SusieBea]

I'm in! We'll actually be there part of the time you will (Jan. 14-18). If it gets too bad, you can come sleep on our sofa bed at OKW! On the other hand, I am also a MIL!

 

[DisneyRegulars]

I'm in! We'll actually be there part of the time you will (Jan. 14-18). If it gets too bad, you can come sleep on our sofa bed at OKW! On the other hand, I am also a MIL!

Great to have you along! If you hear someone outside at OKW screaming "SusieBea, SusieBea, Let me come in!" That will be me, not a big bad wolf. Actually, it might not be me, it may be MIL, I'm sure she will love your couch, she's very sweet to strangers.

 

[iwannbindisnee]

Im in! SOunds like it will be fun. You already seem to have a sense of humor, so I think you have the right attitude! And as another PP said, Disney is a magical place... (I'm like you-pack the night before...Just don't get the early packers!)_Debbie

 

[DizBub]

Your post made me smile. We used to travel with my in-laws too and the 1st time we ever went to WDW was in 1975 and we were together. Our oldest turned 5 on the trip and was an only child then. I was really nervous too but we had a great time and repeated our visits together for many years.

On the other hand, I am also now a MIL and our sons-in-law really seem to like to travel to WDW with us. Maybe it would be different if I had a daughter-in-law.

Relax.....you'll be in WDW and have a great time. If nothing else, maybe MIL can stay with Tigger one evening and give you and DH a little alone time.

 

[cubfans]

Disney has a way of soothing even the most savage beast. If she can't calm down and enjoy a week at Disney then maybe lose hope. Maybe start her off at the carnival in Kissimmee..... I believe it's called Old Town.....we call it Red Neck Disney. After a few hours there she is sure to appreciate every minute at WDW! Good luck!

 

[MomToPrincePhillip]

I'm joining in too! Looking forward to your up dates! I'm sure with a 2 bedroom, you'll have enough room to breath. You'll have a great time!

 

[DisneyRegulars]

Im in! SOunds like it will be fun. You already seem to have a sense of humor, so I think you have the right attitude! And as another PP said, Disney is a magical place... (I'm like you-pack the night before...Just don't get the early packers!)_Debbie

Ah thanks! So glad you are along for the ride!

 

[DisneyRegulars]

Your post made me smile. We used to travel with my in-laws too and the 1st time we ever went to WDW was in 1975 and we were together. Our oldest turned 5 on the trip and was an only child then. I was really nervous too but we had a great time and repeated our visits together for many years.

On the other hand, I am also now a MIL and our sons-in-law really seem to like to travel to WDW with us. Maybe it would be different if I had a daughter-in-law.

Relax.....you'll be in WDW and have a great time. If nothing else, maybe MIL can stay with Tigger one evening and give you and DH a little alone time.

We have our fingers crossed for one evening of babysitting, but since we haven't planned the exact night at least two weeks in advance it may cause too much stress for her. We love traveling with my parents and have been to Disney many times with them, so there is some hope that this could be equally as fun. Maybe. If hell freezes over.

 

[DisneyRegulars]

Disney has a way of soothing even the most savage beast. If she can't calm down and enjoy a week at Disney then maybe lose hope. Maybe start her off at the carnival in Kissimmee..... I believe it's called Old Town.....we call it Red Neck Disney. After a few hours there she is sure to appreciate every minute at WDW! Good luck!

Ha! The first line is AMAZING! I love this idea of starting off with redneck disney. She already thinks Disney only has those kiddie rides, like the boats and airplanes that go around in a tiny circle. I'm sure she will be completely taken aback by the sheer magnitude and scale of the rides. She also doesn't plan on riding anything because she thinks everything is either made for a 2 year old or a thrill ride. She has no idea what fun she is in for.

 

[DisneyRegulars]

I'm joining in too! Looking forward to your up dates! I'm sure with a 2 bedroom, you'll have enough room to breath. You'll have a great time!

Thanks for joining in! We invited both MIL and FIL last year and they both said "heck no that is the last place we want to go". Well at some point during the year MIL had a change of heart, months AFTER we had already booked a value 1 bedroom. The first thing I did was panic. The second thing I did was change the reservation to a 2 bedroom. Thank goodness one was available and we happened to have enough points. The last thing I wanted was to add the stress of tiny accommodations to the trip. This will be our first and probably last 2 bedroom for quite a long while, but I'm looking forward to all the space.

 

[Trish.Glenn]

Lol old town... Red neck Disney....I almost choked when I read that! OMG !!! So funny!

 

[DisneyRegulars]

This is Grizzly... The only requirement that I had for this trip was that if my mother was going along, she had to rent a scooter to get around. So, this is just another reason for going during a lower season, I could only imagine what I would hear if we went during Easter, the summer of Christmas. Just under a week to go and we are starting to make our plans for the trip. Of course with a 3 year old, we plan mornings only and fly by the seat of our pants for the evenings since our little beast still takes 3 hour naps. But the hope is that this will give my mother some down time and since the little guy goes to sleep early, we might be able to do some later evenings to see more stuff . We being any combination of 2 out of the 3 of us, with the remaining person hanging out with the sleeping child. Our biggest excitement about this trip is that our son will likely be big enough to reach the 40" mark for a lot of rides, opening a whole new world of opportunities for our little guy to enjoy. Plus, I am admittedly a huge Beauty & the Beast fan, so seeing the new area is exciting for me. Stay tuned for more...

 

[Txshadow]

Looking forward to your report. We've had MIL tag along a few times and we lived. Admittedly she was with us when we were newbies and basically "winged" everyday. I doubt she could keep up now with our kids being older trying to hit every ride 2 or 3 times a day as well as make all of our ADRs.

 

[disney212]

Can't wait to read your TR. I also have one of "those" MIL's. This is my 2nd marriage and my previous MIL and I still have a great relationship (so I know it is not me). I always try to view my current MIL as entertainment. I tell DH when we go to her house that we don't just get dinner, we get dinner and a "show". Try to keep a sense of humor and I look forward to your adventure!

 

[DisneyRegulars]

Hmmm....Grizzly seems to have trip report bombed my trip report. Not sure how I feel about that, but considering I am the one who sort of stole his Dis account I suppose I will let it slide. So if all goes according to plan, this is what our trip might look like. In past trips we have been thwarted by several beastly incidents including Tigger getting sick on the monorail, Tigger never waking up from a nap until 3am the next morning, and other Tigger related calamities that have caused us to throw plans out the windows. I am not attached to this plan in any way, but I think it's always nice to have a game plan. As Grizzly said, we have no evening plans because last trip we only made it out of the room twice after nap time, but MIL expressed interest in only one thing, 'the fireworks'. So we will make sure she gets out to see all three main shows, Fantasmic, Illuminations and Wishes, even if it is without Tigger. So here is our plan:

Sunday 13th: Flight is 7:55am with arrival at 10:40.
Pick up Rental car and drop Tigger and Mom off at DHS so that we can watch Playhouse Disney before it goes down for refurb the next day
Grizzly and MIL continue on to hotel to check in.
Fingers crossed room is ready or MIL will be peeved despite telling her checkin is actually 4pm.
Pick up and figure out scooter rental
ADR: Jiko 5:30 (Not sure how this will go with Tigger, we avoid restaurants here, but he has recently developed a love for coloring, so maybe it will be okay)

Monday 14th: Rope Drop at Epcot
Rides to see(not necessarily in this order): Test Track, Figment, Soarin, Finding Nemo, Turtle Talk with Crush
As nap time approaches, Dad and Tigger head back to hotel, if MIL is up for it we will tour the world showcase and drink some.

Tuesday 15th: Breakfast 7:30am at Kona Cafe (will try to arrive early in hope of making MK opening ceremony)
(Does anyone have any suggestions on car/scooter logistics?) Should we park at TTC then take monorail and scooter to restaurant? Or drive to Kona, leave scooter in car, then drive back to TTC and park before going to MK?
MK 9am (Hoping to make rope drop/opening ceremony)
Rides to See Without rushing MIL: Tea cups, Dumbo, Peter Pan, IASM, Barnstormer, BTMR, Pirates, Jungle Cruise, Tiki Room, Buzz Lightyear, People Mover
Grizzly wants lunch at Be Our Guest, so we will probably try to go early around 11:00, hopefully we will be hungry despite breakfast. We probably won't be able to hit all our rides this day either.
Back to our hotel to nap by 2pm

Wed 16th: HollyWood Studios Rope Drop 9am
Rides We Care About: TOT, RRC, Star Tours, Great Movie Ride, Back Lot Tour, Honey I shrunk the kids playground (Tigger while MIL on Great Movie Ride)
Back to hotel to nap by 2pm

Thurs 17th: EMH MK 8am
Finish list of todo's from previous day, but start with new fantasyland and Little Mermaid and Story Time will Belle
Maybe watch a castle show or a parade
Nap time by 2pm

Friday 18th: Animal Kingdom 9:00am
Things we care about: Safari, Expedition Everest, Triceratops Spin, Bone Yard, Animal trails

Saturday 19th: Happy Birthday Tigger!!! I'm thinking of having Mickey Mouse call him to wish him Happy Birthday.
Return flight at 11:55, plan to be at rental car return by 9:00am so as not to stress out MIL.

I love touringplans.com, so we will be using their touring plans or a custom touring plan from their ap to guide us through the parks each day. This trip is mostly about MIL and making sure she had a good time. I think she will have a good time if the following happens:
-She can maneuver through the parks easily with her scooter. (She has had double knee replacements and while she can walk, can't walk nearly enough for Disney)
-We don't wait more than 15 minutes for any attraction
-She can ride some rides with Tigger and hear him laugh and see him smile
-We go at a slow enough that she doesn't feel rushed and she can see and look at what she wants to look at along the way.