Is it a bad sign for the vacation when you faint on the plane? COMPLETED!

[MRYPPNS]

Originally Posted by Sarilas

Words to live by!

Originally Posted by Native NYer

You're so close to your next trip. Are you going to do a tr?

Yes.

Originally Posted by mrsksomeday

I love the skycaps too. We always use them. Your tips are great and so true!

I think in another thread I was referring to them as "skycabs"

Originally Posted by 2xcited2sleep

Great tips on the clean house and toiletries. Think I'll pass the heat and serve meal tip along to my mom!

Can't believe I'm saying this but I'll see ya real soon!!!

That meal was a great surprise!

Very Very Soon!!!

Originally Posted by justplaingoofy

My husband is always shaking his head and I insist on putting fresh sheets on the bed the morning we leave for vacation. It could be because sometimes it 4am (Disney trips)...but a couple of trips to the caribbean we had 5am flights so we had to get up by 1:30am. Guess i could have just changed them the night before. But if I did that I would probably insist we sleep "ontop" of the covers

I can just imagine the two of you in matching Mickey Mouse t-shirts, shorts and sneakers sleeping on top of the covers so you are ready to leave the house at 2am!!

Originally Posted by mousescrapper

After our flight homw this trip...I may consider staying an extra night to get 1 more full day and leave in the morning of next to avoid the leaving disney meltdown or Kathy's endoftripitis

We have to leave early in the morning because DH won't eat until we are back in NH. I would much rather take a later flight and not waste the cost of the night last for the room.

Originally Posted by jenjolt

Heidi...I enjoyed this update even though it means we are coming to an end!!! I'm sorry you had to deal with those people on the plane, some people have forgotten what common courtesy is!!!!

They didn't bother me much. The single guy wasn't speaking about me or my family....if he had than there might have been an issue

Originally Posted by Charleston Princess

I am so evil that I am secretly full of glee that the first man had to sit near a crying baby. Serves him right!

And what was with the second guy? Not wanting to sit near kids, I can understand, but why would you not want to sit near "old people"? I don't understand that one.

I'm so evil that I gave him a big old smile as he departed the plane from the back!

And with the other guy....you don't announce it to the whole plane like that.

Originally Posted by Lady Lallie

Hehehe, oh I just love Karma!

What do people expect flying out of Orlando of all places? That is just ridiculous.

Sounds like a smooth last day though, the traveling part can be so nerve wracking so I'm glad it went smoothly for you.

No Fainting this time!!!!

Originally Posted by KathyRN137

At least Lame-O's wife was cool...

She was more clueless than cool. She had NO idea that she sat directly in front of Liam's huge car seat.

Originally Posted by jmamom

I just wish I could figure out a way to come home to a full refrigerator. That's the one that bugs me, having to go grocery shopping when you're worn out from traveling.

You must really be looking forward to your solo trip, just a couple of weeks now! It will be great to have time to yourself. Raising two little ones doesn't leave much time for that , so enjoy!

I so agree about the fridge...you don't want to leave stuff to spoil but you need to leave something in there! I always set aside enough cash for a take-out dinner that first night home....can't always count on Mom to surprise you will a meal.

I am looking forward to my trip! The kids keep me busy so it's been great to have something to plan for myself!

Originally Posted by Charleston Princess

I knew what you meant about the onions, Heidi!

I don't think Julie did !

Originally Posted by mousescrapper

AHHH! There you go....now that would be wonderful

Originally Posted by justplaingoofy

Ever use Peapod from Stop & shop for groceries? Maybe if get home early you could take the later delivery time or if getting home late at night take the 1st avail. in the morning?

Lets just say I am thrilled S.W. changed their boarding protocol.... But we always fly JetBlue for the tvs & the assigned seating now Plus they don't fly direct from Boston where we can park for free....so we'd have to drive to Providence, + pay for parking

We live in a small town....only one place delivers pizza, much less groceries!

I too was happy when SW went to the Letter and number system. People would que up for a hour before the flight

Originally Posted by TarzansKat

Great update.

If I had to guess, you bought a Santa Mickey Mouse Club House Sticker Sheet. Or something along those lines.

That's what years of working at the Disney store will do for you.

Love Karma. Love it.

I think it might have been a santa hat tree ornament.

[MRYPPNS]

Let’s wrap this baby up, put a stamp on her and mail it!

Thoughts on trip planning stuff:

Rental Car: this was a good decision as I don’t think Liam would have done very well with the buses. Parking at the parks and getting around WDW is easy. And getting to the resorts for ADRs was a breeze and I really like valet parking!!

Caribbean Beach Resort: Excellent resort for families because of the pool areas, beaches and food court. Don’t be scared of its size. I like CBR better than POFQ for kids in the mod category.

Dining: These are my opinions- I truly believe that everyone should try everything once at Disney for themselves…it’s just the order in which we do it is affected by our DIS friends reviews.
Cookes of Dublin: never again
Chef Mickey’s dinner: nothing special food or character wise
‘Ohana’s: still great food even with our own horrible family drama- will return!
WCC breakfast: not worth the money or the time to get there….but WL is worth a visit.
WPE: Excellent – will be going back…..soon!
Kona Café breakfast: should have just tried the Tonga Toast from Capt. Cook’s and saved $$
Yak & Yeti counter Service: OK – nice for something different.
Beaches and Cream: YUM-O!

In general I felt like I wasted money with some of our dining choices this trip. In the case of Chef Mickey’s and ‘Ohana’s I learned that your “magic level” is directly proportional to your feelings of value.

Parks:
Epcot- F&W Fest has nothing for my kids and makes WS crowded.

DHS- Might be a while before there is enough for my kids to do there to spend a whole day there… But TSM is worth it just to go for that!

MK- I’m looking forward to a do over there in a few years with Liam.

AK- I need to start planning this as a 2 day park. I just love this park.

In Summary:

There are tons of things I would have done differently with what I had planned and when we were there trying to deal with what was going on with Liam. Which is no ones fault.

I felt like I couldn’t think straight- was I overwhelmed? Was it because I was pregnant? Was it because I had a cold? All of the above?? I don’t know.

Going back to our arrival day I didn’t smell that Disney smell. I felt no magic this trip. It’s not that we didn’t get any special things/attention from the CM’s; it was a void that was missing for me. Empty.

I didn’t have post Disney depression…far from it! I didn’t want to go back. For. A. Very. Long. Time.

As you know, I am going back, just me. I’m excited. I want to find my magic.

I’m not upset about our trip last year. I did have some remorse for the money that we spent that could have gone to the house addition but that’s the risk we took. Do I regret that we went? No. Where else but Disney can you take a safe vacation with an 18 mo old?

It could have been magical, and for a half hour in that Barber Shop on Main Street USA is was. Pure magic. It was like Walt himself sprinkled some pixie dust on us from above.

I like to think of it as a 10 day trip to get Liam a $5000 first hair cut.

Remember the whole fainting on the plane thing that gave me my title? Well it came full circle with the birth of Danica. Without getting into a whole bunch of medical stuff and birth stories, I found out that I have a condition called Vasovagal. My trigger is stress and it causes my heart rate to drop, which in turn causes the fainting. It’s so nice to know what’s been causing my fainting all this years!

Thank you to everyone who has read along, stuck with me while I took a break, and made comments. As you have probably figured out by now, I'm not all sunshine and pixie dust. I tell it like it is in real life and here on the DIS as well. In this trip report you got the good, the bad and the really ugly story of our Disney vacation. Things don't always go as planned and that's ok. I hope everyone was able to take away a little something useful from this TR for their next adventure.

I can't wait to have my first ride on the NEW Dumbo with Liam! And holy smokes! Danica and I are sure going to have fun with all those new princess things in Fantasyland. I can't wait!!!


I’ve decided to do a quick PTR for my up coming trip and then some sort of TR when I return. You can find the thread here…
5 Days, 4 Parks, 3 DIS-meets, 2 ADR’s, and 1 Solo DISer!

[Lady Lallie]

I can't really say I'm sad to see this TR end when you already started a new one! WOO HOO!

I am so glad that you have the right perspective on this vacation. There are not guarantees with vacations...even Disney.

[jenjolt]

Great Trip Report Heidi!! I loved every minute of it!!! Thank you so much for sharing your trip with us!! Can't wait until your next one!!!!

[TarzansKat]

You know what? I appreciate your honesty. I'd rather here how it really was than some glossed over version. It helps all of us to make informed decisions. And I've had trips that were less than magical. The sad reality is that they all aren't sprinkled with pixie dust. We try, but sometimes, it just...doesn't work.

And in that vein, think about how great it'll feel to have a do-over when the kids are older!

Thanks for writing.

I'm off to your new thread.

[MRYPPNS]

Originally Posted by Lady Lallie

I am so glad that you have the right perspective on this vacation. There are not guarantees with vacations...even Disney.

I think you hit the nail on the head with that statement. And I know you speak from experience.

Originally Posted by jenjolt

Great Trip Report Heidi!! I loved every minute of it!!! Thank you so much for sharing your trip with us!! Can't wait until your next one!!!!

Thanks Jen. You even get "live" updates from the next one since at some points you will be standing right next to me!!!

Originally Posted by TarzansKat

You know what? I appreciate your honesty. I'd rather here how it really was than some glossed over version. It helps all of us to make informed decisions. And I've had trips that were less than magical. The sad reality is that they all aren't sprinkled with pixie dust. We try, but sometimes, it just...doesn't work.

Thanks! It just serves as a reminder that not all trips are pixie dust and dole whips. But man that non-melting Dole Whip I had was excellent!

[Charleston Princess]

Heidi, wonderful final thoughts -- I find your honesty refreshing -- the sugar-coated TRs don't do much for me. I want to know that everyone else has the same ups and downs that my family does!

I am so glad you are going back in just under three weeks -- I hope you find that magic again -- and I hope you find some of it boozing it up with me and TK!

[KathyRN137]

Originally Posted by MRYPPNS

There are tons of things I would have done differently with what I had planned and when we were there trying to deal with what was going on with Liam. Which is no ones fault.

I felt like I couldn’t think straight- was I overwhelmed? Was it because I was pregnant? Was it because I had a cold? All of the above?? I don’t know.

Seems the stars were just not aligned for you guys on that trip... I know your next one will be so much better!


Kathy

[MaryAz]

Great report-I appreciated your honesty-and all the prices! Can't wait to follow along on your solo trip! Thanks for sharing your experience with us!

[LISAMWDW]

Sad for your trip report to end but looking forward to your pre trip report!

Thanks for sharing! Hope you find your magic! It's there!

[Native NYer]

So glad there's another ptr/tr to read!!!

[MagicShell]

Thanks for sharing your trip report. I wish your trip had been perfect, but I guess that is not always how it goes. I am sure you have a lot of good memories that you will cherish forever. And, maybe the bad memories will fade.

[DisMomAmy]

Hi Heidi!! I'm sad your report has come to an end, but happy you can move on to what will hopefully be a more magical trip.

And by the way, I have that vasovagal thing too... for me it's standing too long. I'm fine if I'm moving, it's the standing in one place too long thing that gets me. That's why I haven't seen some of the movies in the countries in Epcot - you know, the ones where you have to stand.

I can't wait to hear about your first trip to the new Fantasyland with Danica!!

I'm off to read our new PTR now.

[scottny]

all caught up. great tr and pics.

sorry it was a little rough with Liam.

One bag was overweight but a nice tip took care of that

ok this makes never want to fly Southwest.

If you ever have time click the link in my sig for my trip to Europe. I did Disneyland Paris.

I will look for your new tr if you do one.

[2xcited2sleep]

I've been a big ole lurker here but I have very much enjoyed your TR. Love the honesty! And can't wait to see you in the World soon!!