The Chit Chat Chit Chat Thread

Songbird76

Well-Known Member
First world probs..!!! ;)
I get all that, and it sounds like a pain, although we did similar in other situations with 3 young kiddos.
I was simply relating that the only thing we had on that in and out one day trip was the stroller combo...no luggage, no resort, no ADR’s, no fast passes, etc., etc., etc., and it will remain one of my most memorable trips as long as I live...!!!!!!! :joyfull::happy:
I just hear sooo many stories of folks bein’ so very stressed out about their Disney (or otherwise) vacations (also in so many Disney TRs), that I just hafta’ roll my eyes sometimes...many here make it sound more stressful than their jobs...what the hell kinda’ “vacation” is that...???!!!!! :hilarious:
Well, I'm definitely a planner, but part of that for me is that if I plan really well, the actual trip is generally smooth sailing...unless my husband just throws over my planning. He doesn't do all the research and doesn't know all the tricks, so he ends up making beginners' mistakes like using dining credits for a bottle of water instead of just going to a counterservice place and asking for a free cup of water, or he thinks we have PLENTY of time to get from the park to wherever without taking into account the time you might have to wait for the bus. Or like in 2019 at Universal Studios, he took A to McDonalds for dinner and then came back to the resort to drop him off and pick us up, but didn't come into the resort himself. He sat out in the car and waited, forgetting the simple fact that we didn't know where in the very large parking lot to look for him, and A couldn't even remember he was supposed to tell us to go out there. I asked him where daddy was and he couldn't remember if we were supposed to go out there, or if DH was parking the car. Then when we got out there and were looking, we couldn't find the unfamiliar rental car in the dark in a massive parking lot and he did nothing to help us, even though he saw us walking back and forth, and then was mad at US for wasting time walking back and forth looking for him. He didn't take into account that our phones didn't have service in the US, we could only use whatsapp if we had wifi, which we didn't in the parking lot, so I had no way to contact him to ask him to pull out or flash his lights or get out and wave or something.

He's not a planner like I am and likes to wing it, but sometimes winging it just doesn't work. But I need an approximate plan, like at the very least what time we plan on eating and where. And I have no sense of direction and can get lost very easily. The reason he watched us walk back and forth was because it was dark and there was a little path that led through the trees to the parking lot on one side, and I couldn't find that little break in the trees in the dark so when I went and asked how to get to the parking lot, they sent me a different direction than we had gone before, and it took me to the wrong side of the parking lot. Had I been planning it, I would have given a specific place to meet. And had I been him, knowing me, I would have parked the car and come to the room to pick us up, because expecting someone directionally challenged to find an unfamiliar car in the dark in a massive parking lot and sending that message with an 11 year old with autism was never a good plan. I'm a planner, he's not, and it causes a lot of friction sometimes.
 

MinnieM123

Premium Member
OK, this crazy disaster flick is one of the worst I’ve seen since I don’t know when, but, that doesn’t mean I’m not gonna’ hold out ‘til the ridiculous end...at least I didn’t pay 15 bucks for it...!!!!! :hilarious:

Oh, there's definitely something to be said for watching lousy movies. It turns the viewing experience into a whole new tier -- pointing out all the inane situations, dialogue, movie sets, etc. Sometimes, I've had more laughs over hideous films, than more professionally produced comedy ones!

(Reminds me a little of MST 3000 (Mystery Science Theater 3000), back in the 90s. That was one of my favorite shows with the bots who would zoo on bad movies. Don't know if you ever saw it, but it was hilarious! :p )
 

MinnieM123

Premium Member
Haven't a clue why I thought about the WDW Harmony Barber Shop this morning. (Never been inside, but down through the years, I've seen multiple photos of kids getting hair cuts.) Anyway, they're temporarily closed, following safety guidelines. WDW link below, fyi, if anyone with kids was planning on going there.

 

Goofyernmost

Well-Known Member
Oh, there's definitely something to be said for watching lousy movies. It turns the viewing experience into a whole new tier -- pointing out all the inane situations, dialogue, movie sets, etc. Sometimes, I've had more laughs over hideous films, than more professionally produced comedy ones!

(Reminds me a little of MST 3000 (Mystery Science Theater 3000), back in the 90s. That was one of my favorite shows with the bots who would zoo on bad movies. Don't know if you ever saw it, but it was hilarious! :p )
I never watched it back then, but it is still on a cable channel that I don't recall the name of the network right now. It is amazing just how awful some of those old Sci-Fi movies were.
 

Figgy1

Premium Member
Well, I'm definitely a planner, but part of that for me is that if I plan really well, the actual trip is generally smooth sailing...unless my husband just throws over my planning. He doesn't do all the research and doesn't know all the tricks, so he ends up making beginners' mistakes like using dining credits for a bottle of water instead of just going to a counterservice place and asking for a free cup of water, or he thinks we have PLENTY of time to get from the park to wherever without taking into account the time you might have to wait for the bus. Or like in 2019 at Universal Studios, he took A to McDonalds for dinner and then came back to the resort to drop him off and pick us up, but didn't come into the resort himself. He sat out in the car and waited, forgetting the simple fact that we didn't know where in the very large parking lot to look for him, and A couldn't even remember he was supposed to tell us to go out there. I asked him where daddy was and he couldn't remember if we were supposed to go out there, or if DH was parking the car. Then when we got out there and were looking, we couldn't find the unfamiliar rental car in the dark in a massive parking lot and he did nothing to help us, even though he saw us walking back and forth, and then was mad at US for wasting time walking back and forth looking for him. He didn't take into account that our phones didn't have service in the US, we could only use whatsapp if we had wifi, which we didn't in the parking lot, so I had no way to contact him to ask him to pull out or flash his lights or get out and wave or something.

He's not a planner like I am and likes to wing it, but sometimes winging it just doesn't work. But I need an approximate plan, like at the very least what time we plan on eating and where. And I have no sense of direction and can get lost very easily. The reason he watched us walk back and forth was because it was dark and there was a little path that led through the trees to the parking lot on one side, and I couldn't find that little break in the trees in the dark so when I went and asked how to get to the parking lot, they sent me a different direction than we had gone before, and it took me to the wrong side of the parking lot. Had I been planning it, I would have given a specific place to meet. And had I been him, knowing me, I would have parked the car and come to the room to pick us up, because expecting someone directionally challenged to find an unfamiliar car in the dark in a massive parking lot and sending that message with an 11 year old with autism was never a good plan. I'm a planner, he's not, and it causes a lot of friction sometimes.
There's always a certain level of planning if we go anywhere. Allergies, we have to know where to eat. Disney food in general we can eat almost anywhere but not everywhere. No ADRs good luck finding a place except qs which only works for so many days in a row unless you know how to avoid burgers and dogs for too many meals in a row, Now Disney has added the reservation system which will be in place until???????????? Before that it was working around EMH. I miss the paper FP system because FP planning months out was a PITA. That's part of why next time we go to Florida it will be UNI it involves less planning not to mention it's cheaper. We could walk up to almost every TS and get seated without an ADR. That said their ADR system while harder to navigate because some were Open Table and some were UNI site was easier to deal with because we didn't have to book months in advance if there was a place we wanted to try.
 

Figgy1

Premium Member

ajrwdwgirl

Premium Member
Haven't a clue why I thought about the WDW Harmony Barber Shop this morning. (Never been inside, but down through the years, I've seen multiple photos of kids getting hair cuts.) Anyway, they're temporarily closed, following safety guidelines. WDW link below, fyi, if anyone with kids was planning on going there.


My husband got his hair cut at the barber shop there a few years ago. He was hoping the Dapper Dans would come in and sing because apparently they would sometimes, but they did not. He did get a good haircut though.
 

ajrwdwgirl

Premium Member
There's always a certain level of planning if we go anywhere. Allergies, we have to know where to eat. Disney food in general we can eat almost anywhere but not everywhere. No ADRs good luck finding a place except qs which only works for so many days in a row unless you know how to avoid burgers and dogs for too many meals in a row, Now Disney has added the reservation system which will be in place until???????????? Before that it was working around EMH. I miss the paper FP system because FP planning months out was a PITA. That's part of why next time we go to Florida it will be UNI it involves less planning not to mention it's cheaper. We could walk up to almost every TS and get seated without an ADR. That said their ADR system while harder to navigate because some were Open Table and some were UNI site was easier to deal with because we didn't have to book months in advance if there was a place we wanted to try.

I hope that if the fast pass system does come back to WDW that it comes back in the form of Disneyland's Maxpass system. It is (was) like the old paper fast pass system and fp's could only be made day of and only after park entry. I like the move of restaurant ADR's from 180 to 60 days, it still is planning far in advance but not so far in advance.
 

MySmallWorldof4

Well-Known Member
My husband got his hair cut at the barber shop there a few years ago. He was hoping the Dapper Dans would come in and sing because apparently they would sometimes, but they did not. He did get a good haircut though.
We found one of our older phones yesterday and plugged it in. There is a video on it from our youngest’s first haircut at the Barber Shop. She was 5. Yes, her hair was really long. She only had a few inches removed though.
 

MySmallWorldof4

Well-Known Member
There's always a certain level of planning if we go anywhere. Allergies, we have to know where to eat. Disney food in general we can eat almost anywhere but not everywhere. No ADRs good luck finding a place except qs which only works for so many days in a row unless you know how to avoid burgers and dogs for too many meals in a row, Now Disney has added the reservation system which will be in place until???????????? Before that it was working around EMH. I miss the paper FP system because FP planning months out was a PITA. That's part of why next time we go to Florida it will be UNI it involves less planning not to mention it's cheaper. We could walk up to almost every TS and get seated without an ADR. That said their ADR system while harder to navigate because some were Open Table and some were UNI site was easier to deal with because we didn't have to book months in advance if there was a place we wanted to try.
I loved the lack of planning at Uni. Luckily we don’t need to worry about allergies.
 

ajrwdwgirl

Premium Member
Kind of a gray day and some random spits of precipitation but it is Saturday and that makes it a wonderful day! :) We were supposed to go snowshoeing today but with the wet heavy snow that has turned icy the trail we wanted to go to won't be in good condition so I guess I will just snuggle with the dog today!:joyfull: Hubs requested spaghetti this weekend so I have a batch of homemade spaghetti sauce simmering on the stove. I haven't decided if we will eat it tonight or let it meld a little more for tomorrow. Oh the tough decisions of a Saturday! Have a great day all!
 

Goofyernmost

Well-Known Member
While it's true that even back in the 80's there was a certain amount of basic planning that had to be done. But those were planning for the available time to go, plan "B" if we were to have a nor'easter show up the night before the start of our road trip, obtaining travelers checks, car serviced and checked out, fuel bill and any other things that were to come due while we were gone. In my case where we owned a Care Home (precursor to assisted living) that needed to be staffed 24/7 while we were gone, arrangements made for repair, appliance replacement, if necessary, and whatever other disaster might happen thought out before we could leave home. No cell phones so we had to plan on calling in at least once a day to insure all was OK and nothing else was needed, since there was no way they could contact us in an emergency. Initially, AAA road trip plans. Advance reservations for whatever offsite hotels we needed and along on the way. I know there are other things I have chosen to forget over time.

As far as what I had to plan to just go to WDW, I did have the tickets in advance, other then that not a damn thing. My first road trip to WDW was with no exception that best family vacation we ever took. The weather was great. -20F when we left home and 75F in Kissimmee. It was all new, we had no preconceived notion about what to expect. In my 72 years of life I have never enjoyed a week+ more in my life (at least what I could share in mixed company).

Now if I had all that to do and do the micromanagement that is required just to get through the gate now, I think would have stopped me from even making the trip. Because of our circumstances the stress levels were high right up to the minute we got in the car to go. We usually planned on leaving at 5:30 am and held our breath that we didn't get a call from the home that someone was not going to show up or some other thing went wrong (this was mid to late February). Only once as we were putting the final items in the car that phone rang. Our collective hearts stopped. When we picked up the phone, no one was there. We ran to the car and got out of there as fast as we could. Never did find out who called.
 

donaldtoo

Well-Known Member
Well, I'm definitely a planner, but part of that for me is that if I plan really well, the actual trip is generally smooth sailing...unless my husband just throws over my planning. He doesn't do all the research and doesn't know all the tricks, so he ends up making beginners' mistakes like using dining credits for a bottle of water instead of just going to a counterservice place and asking for a free cup of water, or he thinks we have PLENTY of time to get from the park to wherever without taking into account the time you might have to wait for the bus. Or like in 2019 at Universal Studios, he took A to McDonalds for dinner and then came back to the resort to drop him off and pick us up, but didn't come into the resort himself. He sat out in the car and waited, forgetting the simple fact that we didn't know where in the very large parking lot to look for him, and A couldn't even remember he was supposed to tell us to go out there. I asked him where daddy was and he couldn't remember if we were supposed to go out there, or if DH was parking the car. Then when we got out there and were looking, we couldn't find the unfamiliar rental car in the dark in a massive parking lot and he did nothing to help us, even though he saw us walking back and forth, and then was mad at US for wasting time walking back and forth looking for him. He didn't take into account that our phones didn't have service in the US, we could only use whatsapp if we had wifi, which we didn't in the parking lot, so I had no way to contact him to ask him to pull out or flash his lights or get out and wave or something.

He's not a planner like I am and likes to wing it, but sometimes winging it just doesn't work. But I need an approximate plan, like at the very least what time we plan on eating and where. And I have no sense of direction and can get lost very easily. The reason he watched us walk back and forth was because it was dark and there was a little path that led through the trees to the parking lot on one side, and I couldn't find that little break in the trees in the dark so when I went and asked how to get to the parking lot, they sent me a different direction than we had gone before, and it took me to the wrong side of the parking lot. Had I been planning it, I would have given a specific place to meet. And had I been him, knowing me, I would have parked the car and come to the room to pick us up, because expecting someone directionally challenged to find an unfamiliar car in the dark in a massive parking lot and sending that message with an 11 year old with autism was never a good plan. I'm a planner, he's not, and it causes a lot of friction sometimes.

Wow, definitely stressful there, and have read about similar friction in previous posts of yours.
DWifey and our DDs do all our trip planning, with input from me when asked, as I do have a bit of Disney knowledge from being here so often, etc....!!! ;) I follow their final plans to the tee though, including when they make last minute or on the fly adjustments...!!! :) I’m just so happy to be at Disney, that I don’t really care how it all plays out...!!!!! :hilarious:
Also, and as I’ve posted before, I’ve always gotten the free water from QS/CS, and have never once paid for an overpriced bottle of water at WDW...hmmm...does that make me a “partial planner”...?! 🤔;)
Seriously though, not trying to make light of the situation you described, but, just trying (probably unsuccessfully ;)) to add some levity to it...!!! :)
 

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom