Trip Report The mistakes that I learned from..Trip back in time..

Friends, I've been thinking,

I need a major distraction, and also, I received too many compliments for my laid back style..
I'm going to continue on the trip report binge and do a comparison of our 2015 trip here. It won't be as long.. I promise. If you want to follow along with my madness, you are welcome. I've had a rough past few days and need something to keep me busy.

So here it goes.. first I should change the title though..
ETA- actually its easier to do in a separate thread.

So here I am....

 

[MySmallWorldof4]

That's exactly what it was like for our family too! Although my brother was the whiny one LOL! Good times, that's for sure!!

I agree - having a child you know that there is just no control some times and I would never judge another parent and how their child is behaving because you never know what they are going through.

Totally agree. At Disney there is just constant stimulation and for any kid it can get overwhelming. The heat doesn't help either. I think that is why with little kids the days should be broken up so you are not at the parks all day. There should be some quiet times interlaced with park time.

When we had our first two kids and they were 3 and 9 mths old, my DD3 had a major meltdown at Pinocchio's Village House. My DH went online to get food and I had the double with the kids searching for a table. DD3 was crying the whole time. I finally found a table. I had to find a high chair for DS and settle him in. DD3 was still crying. I knew she was tired and hungry but stupid me did not think ahead so I had no snacks. I swear everyone was staring and I thought "they must think I am the worst parent ever". Then a kind lady from a table next to us offered dd goldfish crackers and lo and behold the crying stopped. She told me not to worry. That everyone had been in my shoes at one time. That taught me a huge lesson. Never leave anywhere without snacks. Also kids can get out of sorts in a new environment. Most importantly, don't think everyone is judging you because most often they are just sympathizing.

 

[gdisneyfans]

Totally agree. At Disney there is just constant stimulation and for any kid it can get overwhelming. The heat doesn't help either. I think that is why with little kids the days should be broken up so you are not at the parks all day. There should be some quiet times interlaced with park time.

When we had our first two kids and they were 3 and 9 mths old, my DD3 had a major meltdown at Pinocchio's Village House. My DH went online to get food and I had the double with the kids searching for a table. DD3 was crying the whole time. I finally found a table. I had to find a high chair for DS and settle him in. DD3 was still crying. I knew she was tired and hungry but stupid me did not think ahead so I had no snacks. I swear everyone was staring and I thought "they must think I am the worst parent ever". Then a kind lady from a table next to us offered dd goldfish crackers and lo and behold the crying stopped. She told me not to worry. That everyone had been in my shoes at one time. That taught me a huge lesson. Never leave anywhere without snacks. Also kids can get out of sorts in a new environment. Most importantly, don't think everyone is judging you because most often they are just sympathizing.

That was so sweet of that lady! Yes, sympathizing sounds much better!

 

[21stamps]

Devine is a female that is basically camouflage as a living tree
I do not think she has a tie in to any movie or show
Just really cool because she will try to blend in and hide and stay very still

Max

I learned something new in this thread! Hooray! Hopefully we do see her again.

The few times we've done 2 TS meals a day was with an early breakfast and a late dinner. And even that was almost too much for us. A friend of mine once tried 3 TS in a day and it didn't work out too well for them - so much park time wasted and by the 3rd meal no one was hungry lol.

I have a coworker who swears by the deluxe dining plan. It's not for me, for sure.

No you're not! We all have one of those pictures! We were up by the train station and I asked Emily to take a picture with me with the castle in the background and she didn't want any part of it and had a fit, but I made her
View attachment 197018

LOVE!!!!! That's great!!lol

AGREE! I'm sure there's pictures of us as kids somewhere with very similar expressions

I know that I have some. Ha ha. What's worse- my mom had my hair cut in a bowl cut for probably 4 years.. I'm surprised I'm not crying in more photos just for that reason alone

 

[21stamps]

I just wanted to add, like many others have said, you are absolutely positively NOT a bad mom! You only wanted to make T’s trip a trip that he will love and memories for both of you. We’ve all done that! I was lucky enough to go to Disney as a child too as we had lived in Florida for two years (my dad had lost his job in Wisconsin and we had some family friends in Florida so they helped him get a job down there). So of course, when my daughter was old enough that was all I wanted to do – take her to Disney. I finally convinced my husband to take her when she was 3…and at the time he said “okay – we’ll go this year, but don’t ask to go again for a long time!” He didn’t grow up with Disney in his house, so I understood him not wanting to go the first time as an adult…he didn’t get it! But we weren’t even half way through our first trip with Emily before he said, “Okay maybe we can go again next year” and he’s been hooked ever since. We just want great experiences for our children. We didn’t have a lot growing up, but my parents sacrificed what they could for us kids and took us on different vacations as much as we could. We didn’t have fancy cars or fancy clothes but the memories of those trips are so much more meaningful than what kind of jeans I had as a kid! So we try to give our kids meaningful experiences and things maybe we didn't have growing up and some times go just a little too far because what we think is so exciting and fun, they may not. Do I spoil Emily? Absolutely not! As a matter of fact, she just got her first job at 14 years old. Not because I expect her to start supporting herself at 14, but because I want her to appreciate hard work too and that things shouldn’t just be handed to you (to make it seem less harsh of having a 14 year old work! she’s working at a nursery that my aunt owns and helping her plant flowers and getting the greenhouse ready for spring flowers and is only working 8-10 hours a week!). She doesn’t play sports and I don’t want her laying on the couch playing video games or watching Netflix 24/7, I just want her to be a responsible teenager leading to a responsible adult and enjoy things that she's able to provide for herself.

Sorry that was so much longer than I had thought LOL. Just wanted to let you know you're not alone. You did a great job Those posts of you and T playing at the pool just melted my heart, I can only imagine how happy he was. And he his so adorable!!!!

Now I've got to check out the "spreadsheet" TR

Thank you for sharing that. I completely agree with the "experiences over 'things'". Memories are created by what we do, have done, who we share it with.

My grandfather passed away last month, I was very close with him. We've been cleaning out his house and having family get together watching old VHS tapes from my mom's old camcorder. A few of the tapes had family vacations to the Jersey Shore (grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins) most of those trips coincided with birthdays of mine, one was my 10th birthday, I was jumping up and down because I got a Sony Walkman (yes, I'm old) and a few other items that I declared I was "dying for". I completely forgot about those items until the video, but I haven't ever forgotten about the vacations and birthdays surrounded by love and laughter with my family.

 

[21stamps]

Oh, in case you're wondering.. THE Ohio State absolutely crushed VA Tech.
O-H!!!!
QUOTE]

I-O!!!

YES!!!!!! I ❤ You!!! OHIO!!!!!!

All this talk of kids is reminding me of my family's first trip all together, when I was 14 and my brother was 8. We had lived in Florida for seven years at that point but my parents couldn't afford a trip, so people at my dad's job surprised him with a room/ticket package so we could take our first family Disney vacation. Based on our personalities and behavior at home, my parents expected my little brother to be the well-behaved one and me to be, well, an angsty teenager. It was like we switched! I was super chill and my brother was whiny and high-strung for much of the trip.

I don't have kids myself (and don't ever plan to!) but I try not to judge the kids/parents having meltdowns in the parks. I am only seeing that one moment of their trip and have no idea what the rest of the trip was like, or how they normally behave. Who am I to judge in any case?

The best part about being at the parks sans kids.. you can move away from them when you encounter crying .

I think Disney is just so much overstimulation for kids 8 and under. Not that it's bad, not at all, just high risk conditions for meltdowns.

Totally agree. At Disney there is just constant stimulation and for any kid it can get overwhelming. The heat doesn't help either. I think that is why with little kids the days should be broken up so you are not at the parks all day. There should be some quiet times interlaced with park time.

When we had our first two kids and they were 3 and 9 mths old, my DD3 had a major meltdown at Pinocchio's Village House. My DH went online to get food and I had the double with the kids searching for a table. DD3 was crying the whole time. I finally found a table. I had to find a high chair for DS and settle him in. DD3 was still crying. I knew she was tired and hungry but stupid me did not think ahead so I had no snacks. I swear everyone was staring and I thought "they must think I am the worst parent ever". Then a kind lady from a table next to us offered dd goldfish crackers and lo and behold the crying stopped. She told me not to worry. That everyone had been in my shoes at one time. That taught me a huge lesson. Never leave anywhere without snacks. Also kids can get out of sorts in a new environment. Most importantly, don't think everyone is judging you because most often they are just sympathizing.

Oh that was so nice! Strangers can be the best rescuers sometimes

 

[Zipadeelady]

We have to....you know it's for your enjoyment later on - and maybe theirs too at some point One of these days I'm going to do a Shutterfly photo book for Emily for her birthday with all of "those" photos just for pure enjoyment

 

[21stamps]

Ok, I'm going to try and finish this thing.. maybe it will help me decide what to do in June. WDW vs. Florida Keys.lol

Onward I go.. next up, continuing HS day (last park day).,
Disney Springs afterwards
Next day- wake up early, grab rental car, head to Legoland then continue to SoFla for one night in Boca Raton after, before heading to Key West..

Those were the original plans anyway.. things turned out a little differently.

 

[21stamps]

I'll finish our Hollywood Studios day first.

Can I just tell you all- I LOVED the F! Dining Package!!!!!!!

While everyone was heading to the amphitheater to grab their seats, we went on Tower of Terror. FIVE consecutive times!! No wait!!!
It was wonderful!!!!

Look how empty it is!

We finally make our way to Fantasmic, 10 minutes before show start. We had time to grab a couple corn dogs and drinks, then found these (almost) perfect seats!!

iPhone 6 photos are obviously not best, but just pretend they're better quality

 

[21stamps]

We take the bus back to POFQ. My first time ever there, check in, and head to our room to shower and change for Disney Springs.

T is D O N E. After getting out of the shower he declares that he doesn't want to go to Disney Springs. He's hot and tired.

NO! no. NO!!

I added an extra night for this! We're going!!

He says "Please mommy, please can we just stay here. I don't want to go anywhere right now. Let's just stay here, please."

O. M. G. This is not in my plans!!!

But, Fine. We'll stay here. We have to catch the Magical Express early morning to take us to the airport for our rental. (For some odd reason Disney car care was sold out of all mid sized or below vehicles when I booked our trip, but I found an amazing deal at some never -heard of rental company at the airport.)

We eat at the Quick Service (I forget the name) and then went in the game room for a bit. $40 later we walk around the resort. Stitch has been temporarily replaced, and now on T's request, the new light saber gets it's on photos.

We go to sleep excited for Legoland tomorrow.

 

[21stamps]

Legoland Day!!!!!

....right?....

Wake up before the sun, get dressed, and T says- "Mommy, can we just stay here today. I don't want to go to Legoland right now. We can go there a different time. Let's just swim here."

W-H-A-T???!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can't. I just can't. What is my kid saying?? Am I hearing this correctly??? Is my lack of caffeine causing me to hallucinate???

My Lego obsessed kid doesn't want to use our Legoland tickets??????

No. This isn't happening.

"T. You love Lego's. You love rides. Legoland is Lego's AND rides!!"

"No, we can go another time."

"But T, YOU LOVE LEGOs!! Let's go! You'll love it, I'll love it. It will be fabulous."

"No, I think it will be hot. I don't want to go today."

(A million silent curse words were running thru my head- don't judge me please)

"T, are you SURE? Like, really sure? We have tickets, and we won't be back here any time soon."

"Yes, I'm sure. Let's just swim. And we can go to the game room and Disney Springs."


Uggggggggg!!!!!!! I could have forced it, but I didn't want a complaining hot kid all day scenario..and I didn't want to put him thru that.. so I decided for the sake of both of us, and our Mental Health, I'll let him have his way.

I walked to the front desk and added a night. I think there was steam coming out of my head. But, to be honest, I wasn't looking forward to another park day either. Although I was looking forward to our time in Boca.

So, hanging out at POFQ and Disney Springs it is. But first, the rental car.


I call the hotel we had reservations at and cancel them.

Arrive to the airport and run to the desk-

Awesome. This day is starting off awesome.

 

[21stamps]

Apparently there was not a car ready for us, unless I wanted to upgrade to a SUV or Minivan "at a discount"... which I didn't. I said we'd wait for one to be ready.. was quoted an hour. We went ahead and had breakfast at the airport.

Finally get a car and make our way back to POFQ.

It's not even 10am and I'm already completely over this day, we get to our room..
And see this..

Sometimes the small things make all the difference!!! T loved the Yoda towel art, and it brought me back out of my frustrated mood.. a slap to remember what this vacation is about. Him. His excitement. And Us. Enjoying time together.

Thank you Mousekeeping!!!!!!!!!

 

[21stamps]

We change into our bathing suits and go to the pool..

T takes one look at the slide, and complains. "This is a BABY SLIDE! Let's just go back to the Polynesian. I don't want a baby slide."

The Pixie Dust wore off.

In my head I'm saying (omg you are acting like a brat)

What I actually say to my kid..

"T this is a SUPER AWESOME slide!! Let's go try it out!"

"Mommy, this is not a super awesome slide. The volcano slide is super awesome. THIS IS a Kiddie Slide. Let's go back to the other place."

I calm myself before speaking.

"T, I just cancelled our plans and added a night here. You wanted to swim. This IS an awesome slide and YOU are not acting very nice right now. I think we need to just go home. We can end this vacation right now."
(Omg I sound like my father)

T- "But.."

Me - "I'm not joking. You are not acting nice, we can leave, or you can go on this slide. One more complaint and you'll just go to time out. You should feel LUCKY that you are here."
(Who am I?? Who is the kid??? This is NOT us!!!)

I think my tone frightened him.
In the 180 Attitude that only children can have..
T runs up and hugs me, and says,

"I'm sorry, mommy. I'm going to be nice. We'll have fun on the baby slide. Thank you for bringing me here."

This rollercoaster of emotions is crazy.. and more are about to come..

This time in the form of -
Utter and Complete Humiliation.

We swim and slide.

He eventually admitted that it was a fun slide..and apologized. He said "it's only kind of a baby slide, it is a little bit awesome. Sorry for complaining."

 

[21stamps]

T was not a strong swimmer for a 5 year old- as in doggie paddle more than anything else.
I take complete blame for that. I felt more comfortable with him wearing a life jacket. He wanted to take it off, so I let him, and we practiced swimming together in the pool.

He goes down the slide a few times, sans swim vest, and swims to me on the other side. A lifeguard was cheering him on.

Then I grab my phone to take a video.

And all heck breaks lose.

The Lifeguard blows her whistle and jumps in to him.

What?? Why???!!!!!!!!!!! He was fine!!!

She says "I just wanted him to know he was safe, I thought it would help his confidence."

Yeah, that would be all fine and good. Apparently though, if a whistle blows and a lifeguard jumps in the water-
EVERYONE gets EVACUATED.
ALL WATER STOPS.
For like 20 minutes or so.

People are looking at me. I just want to sink into the pavement and disappear.

I am so HUMILIATED!!!!!

I wanted to scream-

I wasn't letting my kid drown. He was fine!! The lifeguard was trying to make him "feel safe". DON'T BLAME ME!!

I tell T that we have to go. I'm getting out of Dodge!! Omg I have never been so embarrassed in my life!!

T was pretty embarrassed too. We both high tailed it out of there. He took off in the complete opposite direction of our room. Lol

 

[21stamps]

We cleaned up, then went for lunch at the restaurant there. I signed up for a horse ride and we went back to the room for a much needed nap.

Woke up for our carriage ride and Disney Springs (with last minute T Rex reservations) on deck.

My only 2 carriage photos were in the "favorites"

Finish up and get in the long line for the boat to DS.

The POFQ property is quite pretty. We enjoyed it. I understand why it is so many people's "favorite."

We had a "garden view" room in a building closest to the water..Room 2124. I think the room view thing is kind of pointless though.. there isn't a balcony, and I don't see where the price is justified. I'm glad that the "river view" wasn't available when I booked it...would have been a waste of money imo.

Wait about 25 minutes and then..

POURING RAIN.

Pouring.

A boat pulls up and announces that they are closed.

Once again, AWESOME.

We get our ponchos and go to the game room. Have I mentioned that I hate game rooms???lol

Then we pick up some beignets and bring them back to our room.( these were delicious) Waiting for the boats to resume so we can go to Disney Springs.

 

[21stamps]

Finally, at 8:43pm. 3.5 hours after our first attempt. We are on our way to Disney Springs!!!!

3 Days in the making, past my pre trip plans.. we're actually here.

Stitch wanted to join us.

We did A LOT of shopping.
This DS visit is what prompted the gift card budget in 2016.
It also prompted me to make a budget for myself. I bought wayyy too many Christmas ornaments.

We also explored, of course had to visit Ghiradelli, and T went on the train (bc ya know, "Kiddie" labels only apply to certain things )

A real smile!!!! Finally this day turned around.. even if took until 11pm at night.lol

We left at midnight with the 2 shopping bags that I chose not to ship home.
The rest of the items would be waiting for us when arrived back home a week later.lol
Never. Again.

This was wayyyyyy later than planned. We have to be up in LESS THAN FIVE HOURS.

5am departure time. Will I make it?

 

[21stamps]

... answer is-

Nope, we didn't leave at 5am.

We didn't even leave the room until 10am.
Then I had to drag T back and forth to the car with me while I loaded our oversized 4 suitcases, 2 carry ons, 2 backpacks, along with our Disney shopping bags, and that still thriving Mickey balloon. I didn't realize that I could have just asked for a cart.lol

We went to the QS to eat breakfast, and took to-go coffee for me and milk for T.

On our way out we were given Mardi Gras beads. That was kind of funny, I would think they would give them on arrival, not departure.

Finally got buckled in the car at well after 11am. I'm a little off schedule at this point, but what else is new this trip.lol

Goodbye Disney World!!!
We're off to Part Deux of our adventure!


3.5 hours later....we're in SoFla!!!!!!!!

We keep driving until we reach the exit WPB exit, drive to Palm Beach Island, and have a super late lunch at one of my favorite spots.

Then we continue a little more south to Boca Raton. Check in to our hotel, only 1 night here now instead of 2, due to extending Disney. We are both beat. We walk around, get rained on, and neither one of us is in the mood to get dressed up for dinner. I declare a "bum day" and my best friend comes and joins us. We didn't even hang out at our hotel, or even in Boca, we went to Deerfield Beach for dinner.lol
Afterwards we went back to the hotel, and then me and the BFF sat on the beach chatting, while T ran around in the sand.

The next morning we again had a late start. Yes, it's apparently the theme of the trip.

We met up with "D" again before driving to Key West.

This is one of the worst photos of me in existence. I'm sharing it only because it sums up perfectly what a train wreck mess I was.. How I look is exactly how I felt. Bags under my eyes, wrinkles popping out, a forced smile that looks like I'm in physical pain...
Exhausted.
I was running on pure caffeine at this point.

Tell me again why I didn't just take a 7 or 10 day vacay like we usually do?

How do people do 2 weeks in Disney? I'm wrecked after just over 1.

I stop at Starbucks for a Quad Trenta Latte, and we start our 4 hour drive South.

Key West here we come!!
Chapter 3 of our Adventure!!

We have a full week of already made plans waiting- boat rentals, snorkeling trips, a sea plane to Dry Tortugas, wave runners, and a good dose of history and learning for T.
Unless Mother Nature has plans of her own...

 

[21stamps]

The Drive to my Happy Place

After about an hour we stop for Subway and more Starbucks. I'm listening to the Bengals game on the radio. T takes a nap.

This is my 3rd Starbucks, and 7th coffee of the day..lol

I decide to stop for some fresh fruit.. one of my favorite things about SoFla..

Wake T up.. and HOLY LOVE BUGS!!!!!!

They were EVERYWHERE!!!!

It was DISGUSTING. It's rare that I have seen them this bad. T didn't even want to get out of the car.

Finally convinced him to exit, and we picked out our fruit.

The sky wasn't looking so good.

We literally run back to the car to escape the Love Bugs, and with our new peaches and apples we continue on to the end of mainland Florida.

Finally we pass thru Florida City!!!

Then make our way over the 18 Mile Stretch..

We are in the Keys!!!!! T's first time here since he was a baby!!!

Only 2 hours to go before KW!!!

We drive over the Upper Keys, and when we reach the Middle Keys, I notice how much rain is out at sea.

I pull over so we can get out and take a video.

(Sorry for the quality of these photos, they're screenshots from the video)

Pockets of rain were all around us, over the Gulf and the Atlantic.

I know we're going to get hit by a storm shortly, so we jump back in the car and continue on.

Yep, we're driving right towards it.

 

[21stamps]

And now...

We've reached the Seven Mile Bridge.
This means 1 more hour to go!!!

I swear that when I drive over this bridge my stress level just decreases to non existent.

All of the Disney stress.. washed away. We're heading to my favorite place in the US, I'm going to share the history, and my beloved islands, and marine life, with my son. This week will be nothing short of Amazing! It's all perfectly planned...

These rain pockets will all pass by tonight, right?!

I tell Tristan the (kid modified) story of the Overseas Railroad, we talk about Henry Flagler as we drive.. with nothing but two bodies of water becoming one, and an old railroad surrounding us.
He's enthralled by the stories and asks a million questions.. I'm loving every second of it.

I hate that this photo is so grainy the good one was deleted.

 

[21stamps]

The rain finally hit us a few minutes later.. but luckily- no accidents. I've been stuck on the Overseas Highway way too many times due to car accidents during rain. I was so glad that this wasn't one of those times.

We arrive in Key West around 10pm. Check in to our hotel, my favorite- the Casa Marina, and then hurry up and shower and change to go out for a late dinner.

Yes, I took my 5 year old out to dinner at 11pm...on Duval Street no less.lol
T had a healthy dinner consisting of a milkshake, fish sticks, and fries.
I had a Cobb salad.


Mom also had a MUCH needed mojito.

Afterwards we visited with a close friend of mine for a bit.. made it back to our hotel room around 12:45am. ETA- I realized this sounds horrible.lol. I have a close friend who has a daughter and our kids have not seen each other since they were too young to remember. I had planned on visiting much earlier.. she insisted that we come by, I was excited to see them..and our kids played..way past their bedtime, while we drank Turkish Coffee and chatted about how "it's been too long" and how happy we were that our children are hanging out- even if it was midnight lol. . This was such a nice moment for me. I miss my Fla friends dearly.

Anyway,
We have an early start tomorrow.

Maybe I didn't learn from my overscheduling mistakes at WDW...

 

[MySmallWorldof4]

I know you were beating yourself up over changing plans for T, but I have to say that you are a super nice mom. I am not sure if I would have gone and canceled hotels last minute. I like you am a stick to the plans for the most part person, which is why I cannot over plan because I will stress too much if we are not somewhere at a certain time. I have this thing where I cannot be late for anything. The possibility of cancellation fees would have bugged me too. I give you credit. You actually did go with the flow, but I guess the stress of it happening in real time was overwhelming.

Love that guitar plate. What restaurant was that at?