Everything is fine (at least it is now).
It's kind of a long story but I might as well get it out. I know eveyone will think we're nuts but here's a summary of events:
1. DD said at the last minute that she would like someone her age on the trip so we decided to take my nephew (13) with us (Mistake #1)
2. forgot how hot Florida is in July (Mistake #2)
3. forgot about how my friend hates to get up early to go to the parks or basically do anything we have planned (very important because of #2 above...hence Mistake #3)
4. Friend is glued to CNN. She sees a news report Wednesday morning about Terrorism (re videos of US landmarks &
Disneyland that have been found) & points it out to my DD & DN (Big Mistake #4)
5. Head to the monorail station at GF to be told Epcot is closed for the day (not given a reason, CM just keeps stressing that it has NEVER happened before)
6. Change plans & arrive at MK to find heightened security (each day before security had just glanced at our bags...didn't even seem to care what was in them...made me wonder why they were even doing it at all). But on Wednesday, we have to open each & every pocket, empty our camera pouches, make-up bags, etc. Friend, DN & DD are getting more scared! Friend & DN refuse to go into park, so we head back to GF.
By now, DD (who gets stomach sick when she gets upset, worried or senses tension) is starting to get the tell-tale "pains" in her stomach. I'm ready to strangle my friend!
After getting back to the room. I suggest we go to DD for a while...friend refuses to leave the room, nephew says WDW is boring (we'd done all the rides & I guess that's all he cared about...I should have thought about that before I decided to take him) & DD is doing her best to try & forget about the fears my friend had instilled in her & is ready to head back to a park. But by then, I'm really ticked off!
So...considering that:
1) it's soooo hot & the parks aren't open as late as we're used to (so we can tour in the mornings & the evenings),
2) the fact the my nephew is being a royal "pain-in-the-butt",
3) I'm ready to strangle my friend for frightening everyone & being so un-cooperative & unappreciative of a trip that
I am paying for,
and everything else above, I just said: "OK we're leaving right now". Friend & DN are happy, DD is really upset then...it seems that DD & I are the only ones who really want to be there. I was paying for 10 nights at the GF that only WE seemed to be enjoying so I said "enough is enough" & we headed home. The drive home seemed sooo long...I just couldn't wait to drop my friend off in Kitchener & "hand" my DN back to my sister.
DD & I have since had a nice long chat...she's feeling really bad but I've told her that I don't blame her at all. She's only 14...my friend is 52...she acted irresponsibly scaring everyone like that. She should have discussed her fears with me not them (I was in the bathroom when the CNN report came on). And my nephew acted like a spoiled brat - plain & simple.
So, we've decided we're going to go back to WDW (alone, just the 2 of us)...not sure when, but definitely not in the heat of the summer again. We have 8 park hopper days left on our passes & 4 water park days (I paid for all 4 of them & still have them so I feel I'm entitled to use them for just the 2 of us) so we'll just need plane tickets (no driving this time - we only drove because my friend is afraid to fly) & our hotel (DD really wants to try the POLY so it'll be the POLY or GF). Once I calm down a bit I'll start researching, reading all the DIS posts & thinking about our next trip.
So that's our story...thanks everyone for reading it (now that I've written it all down & have it all out of my system, it sounds ridiculous & crazy (but I feel better
). Most of you know how much I was looking forward to this trip so I just had to "tell it like it is". So much for our 2002 WDW Vacation (although we did manage to have some fun anyway).