Dissapointing Trip?

[Meglen]

It is rather killing me to post this trip report. I planned and planned and made sure to keep things slow and not rush. But it seems to be to much in the end.

Party of 4+2 Me,Husband,DS9,Mother and tag alongs were my Father and his Wife for 4 days

June 20th
Flight to MCO FL tours to resort all was going great! Room not ready was not surprised at all so we checked our bags and had some lunch.
At around 1:30pm everyone was done so we headed to the busses to MK! We had a few fast passes
3pm Pirates 4pm Splash than 5pm Crystal Palace dinner. All in 1 areas to cut down on walking.

The moment we got to the parks my mother was already having issues with the heat and walking. (I warned her and wanted to rent a scooter but she refused) We made it to pirates while in line my son is hot my mom is crying because she feels like shes ruining the trip that just started and is in beggining stages of heat stroke(didnt no till later). After the ride we go and tend to my mom and sit down and watched the bear show a few times. We left her in the AC and went to do our splash FP.

After this fp we went and sat and waited for our crystal palace reservation. The rest of the evening was decent. We had a dessert party at 8 and that was fun and we had a great time at the fireworks show. I felt like maybe all the shock was over and the trip could begin on a happy note..

Now let me just update on the room situation it was 10pm and still no room text or call. I called the number multiple times that day and they said i would get one when it was ready. Called on the way back from MK and finally they said we had a room (still not on my app though).

Sleeping situation was not ideal. It has been along time since sleeping with other people in a room.. My mother snored all night my son couldnt get comfy and my husband was already starting to get sick.

I was the sole planner of this trip and I am trying to hold it all together so everyone has a good time.

June 21st AK day!
Now we had a late night so I didnt book anything till after 10am so everyone could relax we had breakfast and headed for the busses. Navi river was first and was amazing, than we had dinosaur which was down so we did some of the walking trails. Than the safari. At this point my son who is a smile maniac all the other days of the year is full on grump mode. My mom is still struggling my husband is sick and tierd. With all that the ride was amazing and got some great photos.

We had lunch at Tusker House which was ok.. our server was really not in a good mood and rushed everything and at one point when I asked about how to pay for the tip he just yelled at me and said to do whatever.

We went back to the resort after lunch (about 3pm) our room was still not on my app and was not made up at all. I called to the front (yes I no its not the front but its all I can do) they apologized I said not to worry about making the room up but some towels would be nice. My mom was trying to rest due to not feeling great and she has 3 knocks on the door. 1 was security, 2 was some people dropping off some post cards.. and 3 was something else but not towels. So I went to the front and had words. The rest of trip we had no room issues.

Went back to AK that night for pandora at night and tree lighting (the 2 main things I wanted all trip). We left my mom at the resort so 5 of us went off and explored. Again ds9 was not a happy camper. He was prolly tiered and to stubbern to say so.

June 22nd Epcot
I rented my mother a wheelchair and I had to wheel her.. but I was determinded to have a good time. We did spaceship earth, nemo and figment. All great rides and had a good morning. Than we had soarin FP. This ride was amazing my mother was sobbing from being so happy and almost made me wheeling her almost 300lbs body all over the park and up ramps worth it. This day had a light at the end of the tunnel. She had friends from florida with a kid my sons age and they met up with us at epcot so once we had lunch (garden grill which was amazing) me and my husband were able to just relax and do what we wanted. This was the best part of the trip so far and it makes me sad that I needed to be away from my son and mother to have a happy moment.

I got updates along the day from my mom and they were having a blast and my son was smiling and getting along with his new friend. My husband and I went to Hollywood and went on every ride and had a great night!


June 23rd Hollywood last day of 6 ppl.
This day was non event full I thought my son was going to love the starwars stuff but he really didn't care at all so we did a few rides and went back to the resort. That night we went to Disney springs again my son could not care less and wanted nothing to do with it. I wish he would just say so we could do what he wanted lol.

24th-25th
Rented a scooter for my mom did AK and mk last 2 days it was much easier with the scooter and less to worry about. Did breakfast with the princesses on the 25th (this was a gift for my mom she loves Cinderella)

At the end of the day.. did we have fun? I'm not so sure. Did we have great moments? Yes! Did I get good photos.. yes! Did I feel like it was worth it. No. I love Disney world but this was our first family trip. Nothing in this world can prepair you for it. I was stressed and worried all vacation. My husband is still recovering from being sick. My son doesn't want to go back any time soon. And I still want the Disney vacation I was dreaming of. So 2020 I go back on a anniversary trip. Hope this helps someone it helped me to atleast put it all out there. So ty for reading!!.

 

[No.1000]

Trips with family can be difficult. Glad you found some good moments.

 

[SCSteve]

So it's not the 100 percent perfect trip so far, but it sounds like you're doing fine; your good attatude and flexibility is making it a great trip! Looking forward to reading more.

 

[Daisy1940]

I’m so sorry to hear your trip wasn’t as enjoyable as you had dreamed. I’m glad you had some good moments though. It is hard when you have multiple generations and personalities together for several days, there are bound to be some rough moments. I’m glad to hear you aren’t giving up on Disney and have a trip planned for 2020.

 

[DisneyFansInNYC]

It is rather killing me to post this trip report. I planned and planned and made sure to keep things slow and not rush. But it seems to be to much in the end.

Party of 4+2 Me,Husband,DS9,Mother and tag alongs were my Father and his Wife for 4 days

June 20th
Flight to MCO FL tours to resort all was going great! Room not ready was not surprised at all so we checked our bags and had some lunch.
At around 1:30pm everyone was done so we headed to the busses to MK! We had a few fast passes
3pm Pirates 4pm Splash than 5pm Crystal Palace dinner. All in 1 areas to cut down on walking.

The moment we got to the parks my mother was already having issues with the heat and walking. (I warned her and wanted to rent a scooter but she refused) We made it to pirates while in line my son is hot my mom is crying because she feels like shes ruining the trip that just started and is in beggining stages of heat stroke(didnt no till later). After the ride we go and tend to my mom and sit down and watched the bear show a few times. We left her in the AC and went to do our splash FP.

After this fp we went and sat and waited for our crystal palace reservation. The rest of the evening was decent. We had a dessert party at 8 and that was fun and we had a great time at the fireworks show. I felt like maybe all the shock was over and the trip could begin on a happy note..

Now let me just update on the room situation it was 10pm and still no room text or call. I called the number multiple times that day and they said i would get one when it was ready. Called on the way back from MK and finally they said we had a room (still not on my app though).

Sleeping situation was not ideal. It has been along time since sleeping with other people in a room.. My mother snored all night my son couldnt get comfy and my husband was already starting to get sick.

I was the sole planner of this trip and I am trying to hold it all together so everyone has a good time.

June 21st AK day!
Now we had a late night so I didnt book anything till after 10am so everyone could relax we had breakfast and headed for the busses. Navi river was first and was amazing, than we had dinosaur which was down so we did some of the walking trails. Than the safari. At this point my son who is a smile maniac all the other days of the year is full on grump mode. My mom is still struggling my husband is sick and tierd. With all that the ride was amazing and got some great photos.

We had lunch at Tusker House which was ok.. our server was really not in a good mood and rushed everything and at one point when I asked about how to pay for the tip he just yelled at me and said to do whatever.

We went back to the resort after lunch (about 3pm) our room was still not on my app and was not made up at all. I called to the front (yes I no its not the front but its all I can do) they apologized I said not to worry about making the room up but some towels would be nice. My mom was trying to rest due to not feeling great and she has 3 knocks on the door. 1 was security, 2 was some people dropping off some post cards.. and 3 was something else but not towels. So I went to the front and had words. The rest of trip we had no room issues.

Went back to AK that night for pandora at night and tree lighting (the 2 main things I wanted all trip). We left my mom at the resort so 5 of us went off and explored. Again ds9 was not a happy camper. He was prolly tiered and to stubbern to say so.

June 22nd Epcot
I rented my mother a wheelchair and I had to wheel her.. but I was determinded to have a good time. We did spaceship earth, nemo and figment. All great rides and had a good morning. Than we had soarin FP. This ride was amazing my mother was sobbing from being so happy and almost made me wheeling her almost 300lbs body all over the park and up ramps worth it. This day had a light at the end of the tunnel. She had friends from florida with a kid my sons age and they met up with us at epcot so once we had lunch (garden grill which was amazing) me and my husband were able to just relax and do what we wanted. This was the best part of the trip so far and it makes me sad that I needed to be away from my son and mother to have a happy moment.

I got updates along the day from my mom and they were having a blast and my son was smiling and getting along with his new friend. My husband and I went to Hollywood and went on every ride and had a great night!


June 23rd Hollywood last day of 6 ppl.
This day was non event full I thought my son was going to love the starwars stuff but he really didn't care at all so we did a few rides and went back to the resort. That night we went to Disney springs again my son could not care less and wanted nothing to do with it. I wish he would just say so we could do what he wanted lol.

24th-25th
Rented a scooter for my mom did AK and mk last 2 days it was much easier with the scooter and less to worry about. Did breakfast with the princesses on the 25th (this was a gift for my mom she loves Cinderella)

At the end of the day.. did we have fun? I'm not so sure. Did we have great moments? Yes! Did I get good photos.. yes! Did I feel like it was worth it. No. I love Disney world but this was our first family trip. Nothing in this world can prepair you for it. I was stressed and worried all vacation. My husband is still recovering from being sick. My son doesn't want to go back any time soon. And I still want the Disney vacation I was dreaming of. So 2020 I go back on a anniversary trip. Hope this helps someone it helped me to atleast put it all out there. So ty for reading!!.

I am sorry about the trip - at least you had some highlights. It is so hard being the planner. I have been doing this for a long time (planning for other people besides our immediate family) - it took me a couple of trips with people that couldn't handle the heat or crowds, to realize that if someone isn't enjoying the trip like I thought they would - I don't get upset and know it is not my fault. It is not your fault - and did great with your attitude. Enjoy your next trip!

 

[Anesthesia Fine]

I feel you! It really is hard to juggle heat, extended family, multiple generations . . . it can be a real mixed bag. But I'm glad you got to do the two big things you wanted to do! That's a huge help.

Our last trip was really hard for a variety of reasons (some big, some petty as heck), and on our resort-only day about five days in I sent everyone else to the pool, had a cathartic ugly-crying jag and then took a really long nap. It really did sort of recalibrate everything; things did not actually improve much after that, but I was able to laugh about it and we really did end up with some nice photos and some nice memories. They can't all be winners! We're still going back but I am super glad it's not for another two years or so. Heh.

 

[Meglen]

Thanks for the kind words. It was definitely a learning experience. Our next trip will just be me and my husband and we will try again when my son is a bit older. If anything we have the memories and that would have been worth it.

I feel like no one ever talks about the stress of the trips it's nice to no I'm not alone.

 

[DisneyFansInNYC]

Thanks for the kind words. It was definitely a learning experience. Our next trip will just be me and my husband and we will try again when my son is a bit older. If anything we have the memories and that would have been worth it.

I feel like no one ever talks about the stress of the trips it's nice to no I'm not alone.

One time we had a trip where we had exhausted my friend and her daughter by day 3. They are not used to all the walking especially in the heat. They were so worn out they didn't leave the room all day - they ordered room service for all their meals. I had booked certain FPs and ADRs for them that day (since they hadn't been to Disney in about 10 years) and they came to none of them. We laugh about it now - how we wore them out. She was so thrilled about how planned we were. She keeps asking to go with us again - she says she will work out before - we all laugh. We will go with them again - but now we know how to plan for them. So maybe in the future you will laugh about it with your son.

 

[halfpintpeggy]

Thanks for the kind words. It was definitely a learning experience. Our next trip will just be me and my husband and we will try again when my son is a bit older. If anything we have the memories and that would have been worth it.

I feel like no one ever talks about the stress of the trips it's nice to no I'm not alone.

You're right that these trips certainly can be stressful! Which, for our family, is the LAST thing we want when on vacation. We have learned to, sadly, lower our expectations over the years when visiting WDW. We've also learned that taking it easy (& staying mostly offsite) works best for us as opposed to the park commando style that so many love. So sorry to hear that your trip did not go as planned - I feel for you & know that can be disappointing! But happy to hear that you & your family had some good highlights as well! Hoping that when you return with just you & your husband, your trip will be much more enjoyable. I'm curious...from your review it sounds as if your son wasn't all that interested in many things your family did, did he give input into the planning of the trip?

 

[juuuliebeth]

I've had bad experiences in the past. I went with friends once where someone preferred to be drunk most of the time and ended up starting a huge fight one night. I thought my vacation was ruined. But after she left, the rest of us made a conscious decision not to let it ruin the last two days, and we had a marvelous time without her. It opened my eyes to the fact that just because you enjoy spending time with someone, doesn't make them a good Disney companion. I've gotten lucky over the years in that this was the only truly bad experience. I've had people who want to stay later than I want to or not get up as early as I want to, but that has been easier to get over.

I think a trip with just you and your husband is definitely in order. Sounds like that's when you had the best time.

 

[disneyseniors]

We have had multiple trips with family, and it was great! But only because everyone understood that we would all go our own ways. There is no way that you can make everyone happy. It worked out great, and we all got to see and do what WE wanted to. We didn't drag each other around to things no one was interested in. I think that is the key to extended family vacations, at least for us. We only meet up to eat together or for a special attraction that we all want to do.
One time, the family left and we (husband and I) stayed for a few days by ourselves. It was fantastic and an eye opener! We went when and where we wanted to go. We had such a great time that we take an annual trip just the 2 of us and enjoy it immensely. We love the family, and they come visit when they can while we are at Disney, but only for a few days at a time.
The heat of Florida is a killer, especially if you are not familiar with it. It just drains you. We always take a rest during the hottest part of the day and go out again in the cooler evening. I like to go to WDW in the cooler months and even winter. Don't like the intense heat and humidity.
Glad your Mother used a scooter, as they are a lot easier on everyone.
Hope your anniversary trip is great!

 

[Meglen]

You're right that these trips certainly can be stressful! Which, for our family, is the LAST thing we want when on vacation. We have learned to, sadly, lower our expectations over the years when visiting WDW. We've also learned that taking it easy (& staying mostly offsite) works best for us as opposed to the park commando style that so many love. So sorry to hear that your trip did not go as planned - I feel for you & know that can be disappointing! But happy to hear that you & your family had some good highlights as well! Hoping that when you return with just you & your husband, your trip will be much more enjoyable. I'm curious...from your review it sounds as if your son wasn't all that interested in many things your family did, did he give input into the planning of the trip?

My son was part of planning everything he enjoyed the rides we went on but anything with a line (meet and greets and other non FP rides he jsut didnt want ot wait.) So i feel he was being alittle unreasonable in not wanting to wait for things. Like our hollywood day we planned on doing all the star wars meet and greets and he just didnt want to walk over and wait.. so frustrating lol.