Pre-Trip Eenie...Meenie...Miney...Dough: Booking (and re-booking...and re-booking) our April 2021 Trip ***COMPLETED***

AKA The NeverEnding 'Reservation'​

Hi! My name’s Tom. Welcome to my first-ever (Pre) Trip Report…

To start off, I’d like to thank a few forum members: @Tuvalu , @Darstarr, @fractal , @DisneyGigi , @MickeyCB , @riverside and everyone else who has taken the time to post a trip report (or 2…or 3…). I’ve really enjoyed reading through your very informative (and entertaining!) reports, and was inspired to try my hand at one myself.

 

[tommcp516]

This latest extension to the length of our trip meant that we were now on Version 7.0 of our original itinerary—but happily this was the first change to actually save us money.

Naturally before each of the previous six changes, I always ran things by Melissa—usually by launching into a pitch highlighting how the overall benefit of adding an extra day or upgrading to a deluxe resort greatly outweighed the extra cost.

With each additional pitch session, I could sense her concern climbing along with the growing budget for the trip:

Me: (bustling into the living room holding a handful of printouts and spreadsheets): Hey, hun—I’ve had a thought about adding a second day to our stay at the Contemporary.

Melissa: (sighing with slight apprehension as she pauses the season finale of Outlander): Okayyyyyyy--I'm listening...

 

[tommcp516]

But she eventually was in agreement with each of my proposals, despite their added cost.

Although somewhere around the point that she agreed to go along with my suggestion to upgrade our reservation for the fifth time, I began to detect a very subtle shift in the dynamics of our conversations whenever the topic of family finances came up:

Melissa: (returning home after a girls' afternoon wine tasting): Could you go outside and bring in the cases of wine from the back of the car?

Me: (sighing with slight apprehension as I pause the season finale of Fargo): Cases? As in plural?? Just how many did you wind up---

Melissa: Remind me again, how much extra did it cost us to add that second night at the Contemporary?

Me: (...)

Me: (...)

Me: (...)

Me: (heading out to the driveway) Is the trunk locked??

Melissa: (calling over her shoulder as she uncorks a bottle of Chardonnay): Remember to lift with your legs….

 

[tommcp516]

Oh, and I'm happy to report an update regarding my pursuit of that elusive white whale of character breakfast reservations:

 

[mpaulam]

Congratulations on landing Chef Mickey's!

 

[tommcp516]

Congratulations on landing Chef Mickey's!

Thanks! It was definitely worth all the repeated searches--this wound up being the perfect time for our schedule that day.

And our 13-year old is totally looking forward to chowing down on the Mickey waffles and pancakes! Nom nom!!

 

[tommcp516]

(Pre) Trip Report Continued-March 22
T minus 2 weeks and counting...

Lots of Disney-related activity here this past weekend--we hauled out the suitcases and started to organize our outfits and travel gear for packing, plus made some last-minute Amazon orders. Our trip seemed so distant when we first got our MagicBands back in October.

Here's a photo of them all from Christmas:

We had wrapped them up all together and gave them to Adam as the final present under the tree as our way of surprising him with the news of our Disney trip. He was thrilled of course

 

[tommcp516]

(Pre) Trip Report--Flashback 1997
'My own Tragical Express...'

I had learned my lesson about Disney surprises with my oldest son, Brendan, who is turning 29 this week.
(hang on a second, let me double-check the math on that one--I can't be the parent of a 29-year old already, can I...??? )
('two plus nine, carry the one...' Crap, the math checks out.)

Brendan is my son from my first marriage, and I wound up raising him on my own after my wife passed away when he was three. Back when he turned five I wanted to surprise him with a trip to Disney World. I had built up this vision in my head of the two of us walking up Main Street and him seeing the castle for the first time and suddenly realizing where we were. Let's just say my hopes for a magical reveal backfired big-time...

 

[tommcp516]

Back then I had to travel out of town for work occasionally, and Brendan would stay with my MIL while I was away. To set up the surprise, I told him the night before we left that I had a sudden work trip that just came up, and that Mom-Mom was away and wouldn't be able to watch him, so he'd have to come with me. Being only five years old he just went along with it without too many questions.

The next morning we flew from Philly to Orlando, and after we landed my big surprise was immediately in jeopardy: Brendan knew from all the incessant commercials between his favorite cartoons on the Disney Channel that Orlando was the home of Disney World, and he asked if we could go. I improvised and quickly made up some excuse about having a super busy schedule right up until our return flight, so that it didn't look hopeful but we'd see.

 

[tommcp516]

I rented our car and my excitement about giving him this big surprise kept growing as we passed billboard after billboard on our way to the park. Suddenly, I heard the sound of sniffling coming from the backseat, and looked in my rear-view mirror to see Brendan sitting in his car seat with tears rolling down his cheeks quietly crying. I asked him what was the matter and he said he was sad that he wouldn't be able to go to Disney World. Apparently he had been seeing the same billboards filled with messages and images of the wonders of the Magic Kingdom, and as each one went by he became more heartbroken.

I felt like the biggest jerk in the world and immediately pulled the car over. I got into the backseat and gave him a big hug and kiss and told him that he WAS going to Disney--that Daddy had just wanted to surprise him and that there was no work trip---this was all for him just to enjoy Disney World. The tears were quickly replaced by smiles, and we were on our way to a wonderful four days at the happiest place on earth. I may have bought him an excess of Mickey Bars and stuffed Disney characters out of guilt..

So, lesson learned. Fortunately, there were no tears with Adam this Christmas--just a big grin. The only tears for this trip will likely be my own in three weeks when I see the final bill...

 

[cgersic]

I rented our car and my excitement about giving him this big surprise kept growing as we passed billboard after billboard on our way to the park. Suddenly, I heard the sound of sniffling coming from the backseat, and looked in my rear-view mirror to see Brendan sitting in his car seat quietly crying. I asked him what was the matter and he said he was sad that he wouldn't be able to go to DisneyWorld. Apparently he had been seeing the same billboards filled with messages and images of the wonders of the Magic Kingdom, and as each one went by he got more heartbroken.

I felt like the biggest jerk in the world and immediately pulled the car over. I got into the backseat and gave him a big hug and kiss and told him that he WAS going to Disney--that Daddy had just wanted to surprise him and that there was no work trip---this was all for him just to enjoy DisneyWorld. The tears were quickly replaced by smiles, and we were on our way to a wonderful four days at the happiest place on earth. I may have bought him an excess of Mickey Bars and stuffed Disney characters out of guilt..

So, lesson learned. Fortunately, there were no tears with Adam this Christmas--only smiles. The only tears for this trip will likely be my own in three weeks when I see the final bill...

Awwwww, love this!! Not that he was crying, but that's truly sweet.

 

[tommcp516]

Awwwww, love this!! Not that he was crying, but that's truly sweet.

Thanks--it did turn out to have a happy ending, but boy did I feel bad in the moment.

Just last week I asked Brendan what he remembered about that trip from when he was five, and we were laughing about how he still remembers that car ride all these years later. I still feel a twinge of guilt about the whole episode--maybe I'll try packing a Mickey Bar in some dry ice to bring back for him...

 

[tommcp516]

(Pre) Trip Report--Flashback 1997 *follow-up*
'Photos from the (eventually) Happiest Place on Earth...'

So before I put up yesterday's post I had been looking for pics from that trip to go along with it, but since this was way before digital cameras I had no idea in which old shoebox at the bottom of which cluttered closet they were kept.

Luckily I was able to recall that my cousin Tim and his family had met up with us that week, and he's since digitized all his old photographs from over the years. So, without further ado:

Here's the image that I had in my mind about Brendan waking up that morning in Philly and finding himself on Main Street with the castle behind him later that afternoon (minus the tears beforehand...lol). His cousin Emily is on the left.

Here's the two kiddos on the balcony of Tim's room at the Contemporary
(I still vow to stay there ourselves one day...)

Here they are at the luau dinner at the Poly
(nice job on the sunblock for your son's cheeks, Dad...)

And here we all are at Epcot--Brendan and I are on the far left
(Aww, so little. Now he's taller than me...lol)

And speaking of red faces, can you tell that Tim's and my side of the family are Irish?? lol
Our pasty-white Philly complexions didn't stand much of a chance during a week in the Orlando sun.
Of course, back in 1997, our sunscreen options were pretty much limited to baby oil and Coppertone 2...

 

[PolynesianPrincess]

Really loving this pre-TR!! Isn't it crazy how Disney just sucks you in and makes you stay at more expensive resorts and add more park days and book more expensive dining?? I think they must add some subliminal messages to the hold music while you wait for a CM to pick up!!

 

[tommcp516]

Really loving this pre-TR!! Isn't it crazy how Disney just sucks you in and makes you stay at more expensive resorts and add more park days and book more expensive dining?? I think they must add some subliminal messages to the hold music while you wait for a CM to pick up!!

Thanks--glad you're enjoying it!

I've definitely been listening to a lot of hold music these past months--I think you're on to something...lol.

 

[tommcp516]

(Pre) Trip Report--Flashback 1997 *follow-up part 2*
'I, Tom, take you, my cousin's wife...'

My cousin sent another photo of the kids after they had tribal tattoos painted on their faces as part of the Luau Dinner Show at the Polynesian in 1997:

Seeing this photo now brought back a pretty funny but awkward memory from that night. After the dinner portion of the luau, there was an incredible stage show featuring really talented dancers, singers, and fire twirlers. At one point they asked for some ladies to volunteer to come up and learn a traditional Tahitian hand dance. My cousin's wife, Nancy, shot her hand up and was picked to come up on stage with about four other women. The performers gave each woman a lei and a grass skirt and proceeded to teach them some basic dance moves, which they all easily mastered even as the song's tempo quickly sped up.

 

[tommcp516]

After they received their well deserved applause, the emcee then called out for their male partners to join them onstage. One by one, four husbands of varying enthusiasm stood up and lumbered their way towards the stage, but my cousin Tim was having none of it. I didn't want to leave Nancy stuck all alone up there without a partner, so bolstered with the confidence of a couple of Mai Tai's, I hopped up onstage and joined her, figuring that they'd also put the men in a silly grass skirt and teach us a funny dance.

 

[tommcp516]

Instead, the stage lights dimmed and the music shifted to a slow, melodic tune as the emcee instructed all of the couples to turn and face one another and for each gentleman to place his hands on his partner's hips as we would now be joining in the traditional Hawaiian wedding dance.

The host began crooning a romantic ballad with lyrics like:

"now we are one, here under the Hawaiian sun..."
and
"...on this our wedding day, I will love you with all my heart"

 

[tommcp516]

I'm not sure what the other four couples were doing at this point, but as Nancy and I were now fully committed we just decided to uncomfortably soldier on and see the whole dance through. Our gazes became fixed squarely off in the distance over the other's shoulder in a determined effort to avoid making any eye contact, just as the refrain kicked in with mention of lovers in paradise.

I can still distinctly recall the cringe-y tableau that the two of us made onstage: our bodies held apart from one other as far as my stiffly-extended arms would allow, while we just swayed rigidly from side to side like two teenagers at a Catholic junior-high-school dance. Out in the audience, the faces of Nancy's husband/my cousin and our two suddenly very confused young children looked upon us from beneath the soft glow of the tiki torches.

 

[tommcp516]

After what seemed like a Polynesian eternity, the wedding song finally ended and we both slunk back to our table to rejoin our (separate?) families. I remember some rather uneasy looks between Tim and Nancy in those initial moments, and then the adults all quickly ordered a few more rounds of drinks in the hopes that any lasting memories of what had just transpired might be blurred somewhat in the aftermath of the ensuing blackout.

Of course over the years we've all had a lot of laughs recalling the awkward spectacle that unfolded onstage that night, and at some point during our family reunions Nancy or I will joke about how we are still technically married in the Hawaiian culture. Come to think of it, I should probably do some research into whether there's some kind of traditional Hawaiian divorce dance that the two of us are still legally required to perform...

 

[cgersic]

I am laughing so hard right now! You are such a great story teller with just the right amount of humor and sarcasm. I've been to tons of luaus, most of them in Hawaii, and have enjoyed watching so many awkward moments during crowd participation. Love it!