Sorry, kids. Momma's going to Disney for her birthday (and taking Dad too) April/May 2017

[Chelley00]

Welcome, fellow Disney friends. I'm starting a trip report so you all can help me overthink, overplan, overstress and overcelebrate our first ever kid-free Disney trip!

This is actually a replan as we were supposed to go this past April and had to cancel 5 days before our departure date. It was heartbreaking. I'm so not a crier and I bawled for days. But more on that in a minute

Who we are:

Me: I'm Shel, a 40 something accountant, mom of 4, wife to 1. With 2 of the kids in adulthood, my days of playing taxi for basketball, soccer, Scouts, gymnastics, swimming, cheerleading, karate and other miscellaneous things are slowly dwindling, but they still keep me crazy busy. When I'm not playing mom or wife, you can find me reading, obsessively planning our next trip or scrapbooking our last one.

DH is Dave, my much older (not really but it's fun to tease him) husband of many years. He works in a warehouse but would be much happier if he could be outside fishing, riding motorcycles or hiking all day long.

This is us our "consolation" trip in May to an adult only resort near home after the horse and carriage ride to our cabin.

Shout out to Disney Hilton Head for Dave's shirt.


Why April/May: 99.9% of our trip have been in October (thank you, Fall Break) Only one trip has been outside of that, and that was when DD and I took a mother/daughter trip for her 9th birthday in November to see the Christmas stuff. I've ALWAYS wanted to see Flower and Garden and the fact that my birthday falls on April 30th is just a bonus! So we are scheduled April 28 - May 6

Where: I go back and forth so much on the resort it's just not even funny. With the kids we've always stayed offsite. I've stayed at the Poly (love the atmosphere and rooms, hate the crowds) and AKL (love it love it) without DH. We know we want to be close to Epcot so for now we are booked at

Shout out to google for the picture

On all of our trips we've never made it to the Boardwalk so I'm excited to cross it off our Disney bucket list. Not a huge fan of the clown pool but was afraid Beach Club would be too much "kid" for a kid free trip and Yacht Club would be too noisy with the renovations. I change my mind about once a week but for now I'm leaving the reservations as is

Next up: Those we are leaving behind, how I survived canceling a trip 5 days out, a ruined trip to Disney Hilton Head and our plans so far

 

[Raeven]

Following along! Aw, I'm so sorry you had to cancel a trip so close to when you were going to leave that must've been hard. But it's awesome to get to go at a new time of year and to a new resort!

 

[clayfolks]

I'm following along, too. We are there May 4-8. May is my favorite (birthday) time to go. The weather is great and Flower & Garden is wonderful. I look forward to hearing your plans!

 

[ariane37]

Following! We've done 3 kid-free trips so far and LOVE them, so I'm very interested to hear what you plan!

 

[Chelley00]

Following along! Aw, I'm so sorry you had to cancel a trip so close to when you were going to leave that must've been hard. But it's awesome to get to go at a new time of year and to a new resort!

It was horrible to cancel so close. I refused to unpack my suitcase for a week!

I'm following along, too. We are there May 4-8. May is my favorite (birthday) time to go. The weather is great and Flower & Garden is wonderful. I look forward to hearing your plans!

I'm so excited to be going at a totally different time. We've never seen MK not decorated for Halloween or Christmas!

Following! We've done 3 kid-free trips so far and LOVE them, so I'm very interested to hear what you plan!

I'm so jealous of your kid free trips. I read your peas and mushrooms trip report. Made me laugh!

 

[Chelley00]

Ohana means family, but some of you are getting left behind.......


Since we are going kid free, there are quite a few little people we are leaving behind.

Little is subjective considering our oldest boys are 6'3 and 6'4.

K is our oldest (23). He lives 3 hours from home but he has a great life there so I pretend to suck it up and be the supportive mom and be happy for him. It's hard having your baby far from home. He's a fitness instructor and is all muscle so we all hate him.

J is almost 21. He's a junior in college and lives in an apartment on campus about 15 minutes from here. Honestly, between work, school, soccer, girlfriend and friends we see him never. He's our super-thin-always-in -shape-soccer player, so of course we have to hate him too

R is the only girl and will be 15 in a couple of weeks. She's our musical, artistic, super shy, animal loving swimmer, only she hates the competition because she doesn't like the attention so she has turned her focus to using her swimming skills for lifeguard training.

O is the baby at 11 (12 the day after Thanksgiving) He's our super sweet, funny, hyper, crazy, Harry Potter fanatic. O is a gymnast who recently transitioned to competitive cheer because the 4-5 nights a week for 3 hours a day at a gymnastics gym 45 minutes from here was beginning to take its toll. So now he hangs around with 14 girls 3 days a week. He's the luckiest guy in 6th grade.

Here's the gang on a long weekend trip over fall break

Why would we cancel a trip 5 days before departure (or why Shel cried for a week straight)

O is the reason for our failed trip this April. We don't tell him that. He thinks it was "a perfect storm of bad timing".

(warning: I'm getting a little gross)

In January, he got what we thought was the flu. For days. But it only happened at night. And he wasn't really throwing up, more like burping up. He had reflux as a baby but outgrew it for the most part. But this was bad. This was every night.

Every. Single Night.

For Hours.

He would literally burp up vomit every 20-30 minutes for 4-5 hours a night. It was awful. And exhausting.

And all of that led to test

After test

After test

After test

And even another test

(seriously, can you just not love the fact that he kept his goofiness through all this crap?)



And so the week before we were supposed to leave we had yet another fruitless doctor appointment to go over yet more test results with no answers. Other than the fact that he puked all the time, had lost 8 lbs and we hadn't slept more than 5 hours a night for months, we had nothing. I KNEW we couldn't go. My inlaws were to keep the kids the majority of the week and my mom over a long weekend (and she's a nurse) They all kept reassuring me he'd be fine. He could puke with them as much as he could with me. HE kept telling me to go. He begged me to go.

And so, 6 days before we were to leave, he spent an hour sobbing on my bathroom floor about how he hated his life and was done being sick and I knew I couldn't go and leave him miserable to have fun at Disney. So the next morning, I emailed our travel agent to cancel, locked myself in the bathroom and cried.




Now, not to draw it out, we finally did figure it out (no thanks to any of the 5 specialists we saw) I kept saying to everyone I had an autoimmune disorder and had developed food allergies as a teen/adult. No one listened and we had to have a referral to an allergist, but nothing. I finally called an allergist office and explained to the front desk what we were dealing with and their office pulled some strings (I'm sure my sobbing hysterical self was a good incentive), got a referral from somewhere and low and behold

CORN!


Took the boy off of corn and he hasn't thrown up since. Seriously. Corn.

(and a couple of environmental things which explain his yearly bouts with pneumonia....)

And so now, with a healthy kiddo, a few more months to work out the diet, we are going to Disney. And I'm not canceling this time. I will walk to Orlando alone if I have to

 

[Chelley00]

How to survive 2 (technically 3) ruined trips in a year......

It was easier to take canceling the trip because we still had a trip planned to Disney Hilton Head in June. We've gone the last 5 years. It's our favorite place ever. It's not over the top Disney but at last we could sort of get a Disney fix.



The week we were supposed to be in the world was sucky. The capper was the night we had multiple tornado warnings and I spent hours in our bathroom with 1 husband, 2 kids and 3 pets (cat, hamster and bearded dragon)

I was torn between still wishing I was at Disney and glad I was home because O is a storm chicken. We call him Mr Weatherman because anytime it storms he has 9 weather apps pulled up on his ipod.

The inlaws insisted we take a weekend away, so the last of may we spent the weekend at an adult only all cabin resort not far from home. No cars allowed, surprise deliveries in a butler door, hot tub, firepit on the deck, close to Lake Michigan and wineries. It wasn't Disney, but it was a nice quick recharge.

Right before we left for that, I found out the schooling I needed for a certification was scheduled for the end of June. This meant I would be gone for 2 full weeks, one of those weeks was our Hilton Head trip. So, once again, I was calling Disney. Only this time not to cancel, but to reschedule for Fall Break

But alas, Fall break didn't happen either, as Hurricane Matthew decided to be a putz and ruin our beloved Hilton Head.

2016 was the year of ruined vacations.

We managed to get a last minute reservation at a beach house on Lake Michigan. It worked out that our college kid and his girlfriend had 2 days off for fall break, our oldest and his girlfriend could take time off of work and my mom and stepdad could come for the weekend. We went from a nice warm South Carolina beach trip for 4 to a chilly Michigan beach trip for 10.

I'm ready to plan a trip I won't have to unplan and replan for once!

 

[xlsm]

Joining in!

Our trips overlap...I'll be there April 30 - May 6 at AKL. Just my MIL and I on this trip, which is a departure for me, too!

Hoping this trip planning goes smoothly and you can put the disappointments from last year behind you.

 

[Raeven]

Oh no 2 canceled trips! Let's hope this year goes a lot smoother trip-wise for you.

 

[ariane37]

OMG that poor child's back
Despite the canceled trip(s)I'm so glad you finally found out what was causing his issues. Here's to this trip going off without a hitch!

 

[katriscari]

Following along! Stinks you had to cancel 2 trips, but at least you figured out the darn corn issue!! We are taking our big trip in May 2017 for 10 nights (6-16 staying at AKL), and our first adults only trip is planned for October 14-17, 2017. Confession.....I've never been away from either son for a night (one will be 8 in February, and the other is 5 months old)

 

[Chelley00]

Our trips overlap...I'll be there April 30 - May 6 at AKL. Just my MIL and I on this trip, which is a departure for me, too!.

You are brave! I love my MIL but I don't know if I could travel with her I love AKL. I keep telling Dave I want to stay there again but then I talk myself out of it to be so close to Epcot

OMG that poor child's back
!

You think that's bad? That poor back is actually fractured right now! Stupid gymnastics!

He's 2 months into a 3-6 month stint in a back brace and intensive physical therapy!

We are taking our big trip in May 2017 for 10 nights (6-16 staying at AKL), and our first adults only trip is planned for October 14-17, 2017. Confession.....I've never been away from either son for a night (one will be 8 in February, and the other is 5 months old)

We are backwards! Adults only in May and then family in October (although I can't get everyone to decide if they want Disney for fall break) You are definitely due for a kid free break. We try to at least take a weekend once a year, usually for our anniversary. This will only be our second big kid free trip though.

 

[Chelley00]

April 27 Here we go.......

So, this is travel day 1. Dave will most likely take the entire day off (he has one more week of vacation than I do so he can afford to splurge) If I work it will be just a couple of hours to check in the office and tie up loose ends. My goal is to be on the road no later than noon.

And here is where it gets nuts.

We are driving

I know I know. Why would we drive 15 hours when it's just the two of us?

Because I'm a chicken.

And I'm okay with it.

I'm one of the 20 million people who hate to fly (Yes, that's a real number. I googled it) I can fly, I have flown. I just hate it. I have a little claustrophobia and a whole lot of control freak OCD. I spend the whole vacation dreading the flight back home. I'm okay with driving, I actually drive the entire trip. Dave is happy to kick back, mindlessly watch movies or play on his phone. Now, I've been watching flights and if they get super cheap the budget minded accountant in me will overtake the scaredy cat.......

But for now, we drive as far as we can until we get tired and stop and stay. I have tons of hotel points banked from my summer certification schooling so it's a free stay somewhere along the way (there and back)

 

[Chelley00]

The real world

A quick life update (and an explanation why it's taken so long to update)

Two weeks ago I got the bright idea to buy new furniture for the living room. Sounds great until it gets delivered the night before Thanksgiving and you are trying to get everything put in order, especially after giving away your computer desk and end tables and leaving yourself with no storage. Sigh. Not my brightest move!

Thanksgiving we spent at my ILs. J's girlfriend went with us too since K wasn't able to come home that day. My inlaw are great but I have food allergies and MIL isn't quite sure how to cook for me (and gets offended if I bring stuff) So I just make sure we leave early so I can go home and eat dinner later

The kids however had no problem putting themselves into a food coma

He and his girlfriend came down on Friday and stayed until Monday morning so we had a houseful for the weekend. We did our Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday and watched Fantastic Beasts (and binge watched Gilmore Girls)

Man do I feel short in my house anymore!

O turned 12 the day after Thanksgiving. Can't have cake? No prob, eat ice cream instead!

And so now we are prepping for R's birthday tomorrow and finishing up Christmas shopping. A couple more stocking stuffers and I am done!

 

[Chelley00]

April 28

Welcome Home!


I have no clue what time we will arrive since we have no set travel plans. I've left this day wide open, but have a few ideas as long as we arrive late afternoon.

First I want to mention is that we decided that since this trip is all about firsts: no kids, staying onsite together (I've stayed onsite with DD and with my mom and he stayed onsite a million years ago with his family), first spring trip etc that we are going to try all new restaurants! We have our set favorites and it seems so weird to not be going to them, but we agreed it's all new, counter services included!

So, for our arrival day, here are some ideas. Thoughts?

We don't have park tickets but if we arrive early enough we could add a day and walk to Epcot to eat somewhere in World Showcase

Boathouse and then explore Disney Springs (I can pick up Erin McKenna for breakfasts!) although not a fan of Friday nights there

Sanaa and wander around AKL, since DH doesn't want to stay at my favorite resort

Yachtman, wander the Boardwalk and explore the resort

Part of me wants to go see Yeeha Bob. We've never caught his show. Eat where before?

 

[ariane37]

We were in WDW for Thanksgiving so I just saw your response about DS's fractured back I'll say it again, OMG that poor child's back!!
Sounds like you had a nice Thanksgiving despite having to rearrange new furniture the night before lol.
So, for arrival night, hmmmm of those choices I would probably pick Sanaa (which we love) and wandering around AKL (which we love) or Boathouse and walking around DS. We haven't been to the Boathouse but I want to try it, and as much as I'm not a huge fan of the newer parts of DS it is pretty at night. So is the Boardwalk though and Yachtsman is delicious.....sorry, guess I'm no help!

 

[DexLabDeeDee]

Hi! I've come over from my PTR. You have had a rough year!! You deserve some Disney love.

I'm so glad that you figured out the corn allergy! Is it so severe that he can't have corn fed beef? I met someone in Disney while we were waiting for our allergy orders who had that problem. I didn't even know that was a possibility!

I always love to go to DS on arrival day because the parks are usually crowded in the afternoon/evening, you don't use up a ticket, and you still get the Disney vibe. Though Sanaa is great and I would also vote for that one too. I guess I'm totally on the same page as @ariane37!

 

[Chelley00]

So yes, I completely dropped off the face of the earth for awhile. But, with good reason!

1. Holidays: We celebrate 3 kids birthdays between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Then Christmas is always a non stop affair here. We had a lovely Christmas, the kids got utterly spoiled. The oldest was only able to be here Christmas Eve and part of Christmas Day so that made for a whirlwind of trying to cram all the grandparents in to a short amount of time. DH and I got quite a few Disney gift cards to add to the Disney fund.

2. Testing: The littlest boy had to undergo more GI testing over Christmas break, which was so incredibly awful (gastric impedence: tube down the nose into the esophagus and kept there for 24 hours = miserable)

3. Year end: any accountant in the world will tell you year end blows.

4. New job: Someone I know from another church called and said that their accountant quit and they needed someone to fill in while they searched for someone new. Since I only work part time I figure adding another part time job wouldn't be too terrible. However, with it being year end, and adding in a commute and trying to learn new software, it's been WAY more than I ever expected. But, the extra money will be nice for our Disney trip, no?

5. And in the middle of all of this, the discounts came out and our TA immediately got on the phone and applied it for us, saving us over $1,000

And now, with it being 2017, I can say I'm going to Disney this year!!! In just 104 days!

 

[Chelley00]

Back to daily plans:

April 29
Wild Thing

Right now this is our Animal Kingdom day. This may change if they release dates for Club Villain and it's only on Saturday still. Last year for our trip Disney kept messing with things: changed Club Villain dates, pushed back Rivers of Light, added the extra magic stuff on our MK day twice etc, and did it all 1-2 weeks out. I sent an email to customer service just to let them know it stunk that they force people to plan ADRs 180 days and fastpasses 30 days out and then THEY change everything after its impossible for people to change their carefully laid plans.

And Disney responded back with an apology and free tickets to Club Villain.

And then we had to cancel our trip. Vomit.

So this year, if they offer Club Villain I will rearrange every since plan I to go.

Not sure if I'll replan this day to be our DHS day or if we'll keep AK and then just add park hoppers to head over to Club Villain.

But for now, we're pretending it's all AK all the time for today.

I'm torn on fastpasses. I know everyone says not to waste fastpasses on shows, but there isn't much at AK I'm dead set on doing. Everest is a must. I'm not a fan of the safari. And I'm definitely not a fan of Kali River Rapids unless it's 1,000 degrees outside. So the shows it may be.

DH has never seen Flights of Wonder.

But can I tell you what I'm most looking forward to?

I want to take my time to walk around the Tree of Life and actually look at the animals. Everytime we go the kids want to go from thing to thing and we don't get to just look. How weird am I?

So, in keeping with our "All New To Us Restaurant" theme, we are skipping our every trip favorite Flame Tree and are heading to Harambe Market for lunch. For dinner right now we are have reservations at Tiffins, but I'm toying with changing it to Sanaa. Too many options!

 

[ariane37]

Hi, welcome back and Happy New Year!

2. Testing: The littlest boy had to undergo more GI testing over Christmas break, which was so incredibly awful (gastric impedence: tube down the nose into the esophagus and kept there for 24 hours = miserable)

This is terrible I truly hope all the testing is over for him.

5. And in the middle of all of this, the discounts came out and our TA immediately got on the phone and applied it for us, saving us over $1,000

YAY! I didn't have any clients the discounts worked for but I did just apply the latest AP discount for my own trip lol!

And Disney responded back with an apology and free tickets to Club Villain.

Awesome! Even though you couldn't go

So this year, if they offer Club Villain I will rearrange every since plan I to go.

I definitely suggest doing this! Not sure if I mentioned it here or not but DH and I did the very first Club Villain last January and absolutely loved it; best separately ticketed event we've ever attended at WDW Everything about it was perfect! I hope they extend it for you!

So, in keeping with our "All New To Us Restaurant" theme, we are skipping our every trip favorite Flame Tree and are heading to Harambe Market for lunch.

We ate at Harambe Market back in August and I enjoyed it so much I ate there again in Nov. I especially enjoy their Sangria