How do you recover from a miserable trip?

[copcarguyp71]

Sometimes I know we have made the mistake of trying to relive a previous experience only to find out "you can't go home again" we have learned that new experiences, itineraries and different flows keep things from going stale. Sometimes overly high expectations can kill a trip too and then when one or two things go slightly awry then everything after seems tainted the rest of the trip.

We have found this particularly true with dining. We have had experiences that verge on sublime and then when we have gone back to recapture that experience again it seemed lack-luster. Not sure if any of this might be a contributing factor or two but thought I would share our experience...

 

[Little Green Men]

Go to Disneyland.

Clearly you didn't read the OP....

 

[Walt Disney1955]

We went to Dominican in 2010. It rained every day. Now, in Dominican it is a tropical storm so you know how that goes. It rains for an hour like its Noah's Ark and then you don't even see evidence of the rain 30 minutes later. So it wasn't a big deal. We adjusted. In Cuba it didn't rain that week at all when we went, so who knows.

I would think going on your honeymoon would mean you are tired from all the wedding planning in the first place. Maybe that factored in?

 

[C&D]

"How do you recover from a miserable trip?"................... Book a next one.

Never had a 'miserable' trip (myself) though some better than others; hope your next is your best. Congrats on you wedding.

 

[Aurora1]

There are substitute teachers for a reason! Take a spring or fall vacation. I'm sure the school can survive without you for one week! (My girlfriends parents are teachers so I know how that can be!)

The fall in my opinion is the best time to visit. Cooler weather, normally no storms, lighter crowds at the parks...

Either that or skip WDW and go to Disneyland instead. I enjoy it out there far more than here. Maybe you guys will too!

Man I wish we were able to do that as teachers! We get 2 personal days and they can't happen consecutively... Idk what schools really allow the teachers to take a whole week off.

 

[HRHPrincessAriel]

Man I wish we were able to do that as teachers! We get 2 personal days and they can't happen consecutively... Idk what schools really allow the teachers to take a whole week off.

only TWO?! omg. I'd die. We get 5 state and 5 local. They both carry over year to year. If you leave the district the local don't follow you but your state does. DH has something like 35 built up.

 

[Aurora1]

only TWO?! omg. I'd die. We get 5 state and 5 local. They both carry over year to year. If you leave the district the local don't follow you but your state does. DH has something like 35 built up.

Our sick days carry over, but they're really particular about those and check up if you take a few in a row. So jealous!

 

[Sudcaro- Sudcaro]

I'm sorry your trip was not as good as you expected.
I too think you were too tired and shouldn't have hit the park the first afternoon. As for the weather or your hubby getting sick... these are things that can happen, and there's not much one can do except deal with it. It sucks, but it's noone's fault.
Maybe your expectations were too high, because you love Disney, and because it was your Honeymoon, which you figured should be the most perfect trip ever - I can understand that. Right now you are very disappointed and only seem to see the negative. Maybe, as time goes by, you will start seeing things a little differently and will be able to only keep the best aspects of that vacation in mind. I sure hope so!

 

[stichrules]

There are substitute teachers for a reason! Take a spring or fall vacation. I'm sure the school can survive without you for one week! (My girlfriends parents are teachers so I know how that can be!)

The fall in my opinion is the best time to visit. Cooler weather, normally no storms, lighter crowds at the parks...

Either that or skip WDW and go to Disneyland instead. I enjoy it out there far more than here. Maybe you guys will too!

My daughter is a teacher in Michigan and they are only allowed to take 3 consecutive days a year and even those are questioned. Luckily her principal is a Disney fan and allows to take her days for Disney. We usually go on Tuesday evening and return the following Sunday. But there are some restrictions on when she can leave. Before and after holidays are a no go.

 

[durangojim]

If I were you, I'd sit down with your husband and ask him what would make him enjoy a vacation, not a trip to WDW, but any vacation and then try to incorporate that into your trip to WDW. As a Disney nut, your likes and loves, are probably quite a bit different than his if he's not crazy about Disney. Do you enjoy being romantic together? Do you enjoy eating? Do you like the out doors? (You mentioned he really liked AK). I'd look for things to do that he would enjoy. Food and wine in the fall is a great thing to experience, as is World Showcase any evening for adults. In the spring there's almost a Food and Wine light with the incorporation of food booths at the Flower and Garden festival. Make some nice dinner reservations, or rent a pontoon boat and enjoy some time on the water. My point is that there's a lot at Disney for all types of guests to enjoy but you have to know what would make someone happy before you can actually do them.

 

[EvilQueen-T]

Don't take this wrong but, other than your husband getting sick of course, your trip sounds pretty normal for that time of year. Maybe the expectation was different because it was your honeymoon? I see you're thinking about an August trip but you're still facing the daily afternoon rains, crowded parks, and with hotter temperatures. Maybe consider early November pre-Thanksgiving, February, April after all the Easter holidays, or early May?

 

[Baldy]

only TWO?! omg. I'd die. We get 5 state and 5 local. They both carry over year to year. If you leave the district the local don't follow you but your state does. DH has something like 35 built up.

35!!!!! I'm jealous. We only get two and they don't carry over.

 

[MaryJaneP]

Is there a way to re-introduce some Disney into your vacation without doing an all-or-nothing proposition? Maybe an Adventure by Disney or a Disney Cruise

 

[Figment1989]

Thank you so much all! I think we're going to go with a Disney World trip this summer. I think that a lot of you were right - the whole "honeymoon" = high expectations part was probably a huge part. I've been there several times in the middle of the summer, and never had it quite as bad as this trip. The biggest issue was the storms starting earlier and going later than I ever experienced there. I'm also going to take your advice and sit down with my husband to figure out the best parts for him, and structure the trip around those things. I will be happy just to be there as long as I keep my expectations reasonable!

 

[J_Carioca]

My husband and I went in August 2013...I was so excited for that trip, because we were staying at Old Key West, which had been a dream of mine. Well, I have a chronic health problem and it flared up two weeks before departure and didn't really go away fully. We went ahead with our plan and arrived in WDW. The first day I felt fine and we enjoyed ourselves (though it rained all afternoon). On the second day I started to get sick and it just went downhill from there. I felt like **** for the entire 6 days that followed. The worst thing is that I was so upset about my holiday being ruined that I pushed myself and went out to the parks anyway (when I could make it to the bus without collapsing). It was miserable. Yes, I was in the parks but I was REALLY forcing myself and I felt so sick that it was basically just an endurance test. The pictures of that trip are horrible...I look exhausted, miserable and sick in all of them. On the last day I cried my face off because I couldn't believe that the trip was over and I'd had what felt like 5 minutes of decent time.

And yes I know this is a "first world problem" but I was totally traumatized after that trip. I didn't come to this board, and I could barely look at any of the Disney stuff in my house without feeling devastated. It wasn't just that I'd gotten sick on holiday, it was also a slap in the face, reminding me that I have this chronic illness and probably will have it forever, and that it has the power to ruin my happiness. I know it sounds dramatic, but it's the truth.

We planned for a trip in October 2014, and based on the 2013 trip I had a hard time feeling hopeful about it. In the lead up to that trip I actually exercised more and ate really well in the hope that that would help me stay healthy during the trip. And it worked! We went for a week in October and I felt good the whole time. Unfortunately my husband did not "feel the magic" though, which made for a strange trip (see my thread "have you ever not felt the magic" from about a couple of weeks ago).

Anyway, I just wanted to say that I understand how hard it can be to have a bad Disney trip. I'm like you in that I don't expect perfection and I am usually so happy and feel so lucky to even be there...but let's be honest, sometimes things happen that can ruin even the most optimistic person's trip.

 

[Baldy]

Anyway, I just wanted to say that I understand how hard it can be to have a bad Disney trip. I'm like you in that I don't expect perfection and I am usually so happy and feel so lucky to even be there...but let's be honest, sometimes things happen that can ruin even the most optimistic person's trip.

Me too. As much as Disney is an escape that my family looks forward to each year, we are having trouble holding on to the magic. Two trips ago we had a "just okay" trip. Nothing horrible happened, just a combination of little things. The weather wasn't great, my mom is getting older (but won't admit that she can't go nonstop like she used to), my teenage son can no longer be coaxed into getting up early (even for Disney) and I now have a very restricted diet and not much stamina. This meant my son was grumpy in the morning, my mom was exhausted and sore by midday and I just wanted to go to bed when they were ready for a snack and an evening swim.

This past summer, we were so worried about making sure that the magic was still there for everyone else that we just didn't have the same kind of fun that we usually have. We've been to Disney through worse times and had always managed to turn off our adult brain. This time, there was just too much thinking and worrying.

For our next trip (Aug 2015) I will try to figure out what was most enjoyable for each person and we will build around that. We will take a day off (new for us) to relax at the pool and we will go to *that other park* from our Disney Resort on two days (previously unthinkable) to give us something new to experience together. The plan is to take things slow and hopefully just enjoy being at Disney together.

 

[lincolnryan]

Outside of your husband getting sick, it sounds like a pretty normal trip. But maybe you're more upset that your husband didn't seem like he was all that into Disney. I like disney now that I have kids, but I'm not sure if I would've been super excited when I was just married either. If you didn't grow up going to Disney, it seems like you wouldn't really get the magic until after you had kids.

 

[DanStat]

We always try to look back and laugh at what happened. For instance, missing our dining reservation in Epcot because we didn't want to leave Osbourne lights at DHS. We couldn't find any restaurant that would take us so we jumped on a monorail and finally landed at Polynesian. The crowds were terrible, it was frustrating not to be seated and we were mad with ourselves that we were late.

However, looking back on it, we have found humor in the way we tour the parks gangbuster style. Much like a wedding, it would be unfair to ever go back and try to recreate the positive experiences you had in that one moment in the past. Rather, you look back fondly and remember what about it made it special. I think the same applies for a WDW vacation. Each time you visit, try to find something new that you add to your bank of memories. That helps save us from disappointment.

 

[Gig 'Em Mickey]

There are substitute teachers for a reason! Take a spring or fall vacation. I'm sure the school can survive without you for one week! (My girlfriends parents are teachers so I know how that can be!)

My wife is a professor and both parents are public school teachers. And as a parent of two school-aged children I'd be pretty ed if my kid got stuck with a sub because the teacher took a week off to go to Disney world. Sorry, but long vacations being limited to summer is just part of the job.

OP, please don't take this the wrong way I don't intend it to sound harsh, but it sounds like you need to get a little different perspective as well. Sure we're all Disney fans, but you state it's a huge part of your identity. I don't think you should allow a corporation and their property to own that much real estate in your life. Your happiness should not be driven by the management of a theme park. Some trips will be better than others, but in the end a trip can be what you make of it. I'd advise you to go into trips with reasonable expectations and not expect a dream vacation every time. You'll just be setting yourself up for disappointment as something will always come up on any trip.

Outside of your husband getting sick, it sounds like a pretty normal trip. But maybe you're more upset that your husband didn't seem like he was all that into Disney. I like disney now that I have kids, but I'm not sure if I would've been super excited when I was just married either. If you didn't grow up going to Disney, it seems like you wouldn't really get the magic until after you had kids.

Agree completely. We took our honeymoon as WDW and both loved it. But I can see why some wouldn't, especially right after getting married. ANd don't expect your husband to share ALL of your passions. My wife and I have very disparate passions and hobbies. I don't share in all of hers and she doesn't share in all of mine. Just part of marriage. Sometimes he won't be as passionate about things as you are. Doesn't mean y'all can't still have fun together. Just have reasonable expectations.