What Do You Do When Your Disney Plans Go Haywire?

Being a mom who has raised her kids Disney, I have cherished every moment with them while all the while knowing that one day I would not be traveling with all of them as they would eventually grow up and create lives of their own. I have been very blessed to be able to travel with all three of them for all these years, as my oldest is now twenty-six.

Our annual trips have been some of our best times together  – quality, Disney time that is full of wonderful, magical memories. Last November, when we were at Walt Disney World for Thanksgiving, I was thinking about that very thing. Unbeknownst to me, this year would turn out to be “that year” when I would not have all my kids with me on our annual Disney trip.

I realized in February that my oldest son would not be able to join us this year. He is not only a brand new daddy but also has a brand new job. I had some heartache when planning this year’s trip because I realized that “it” was starting. In his attempt to make everything better, my husband suggested that we do a Land and Sea vacation this year to change things up. So, we planned half the trip for Walt Disney World and half for the Disney Dream. We have never taken a Disney cruise so it was something new to which to look forward.

These past ten months I have continued planning a wonderful holiday trip despite the fact that I would only have two of my three children with me this year. Then, the unthinkable happened; three weeks ago my daughter’s boss told her she would no longer be able to be off at Christmas time this year.  Needless to say, that was a horrible weekend. We cried and tried to think of what we could do. Ultimately, I booked a short trip to Disneyland for us in February – a girls trip.

The holiday vacation we are getting ready to embark upon will be very different from what I have known. My husband and I will be traveling with only one of our kids this year, our youngest son. We gave him permission to invite his girlfriend to take our daughter’s place. She has never been to a Disney park nor has she ever been on a cruise. She is very excited.

So, what did I choose to do when my Disney plans went haywire?

  1. I changed our trip to a different kind of trip
  2. I planned a special girls trip just for my daughter and me
  3. I invited a newbie to join us
  4. I have made a list of special gifts for my new granddaughter (tee hee)

Our trip has changed from a family of five to a family of 3 and a special guest. It will be a little different, but it will still be Disney, so it will still be magical. When life happens, we just have to adjust, overcome, and look forward to the future. We will soon be taking wonderful trips, not only with our kids but with our new grandprincess as well. Until then, we will make the very most of our blessing of being able to visit this magical place.

Have you had to completely change your trip before due to unforeseen circumstances? What modifications did you make?

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Brenda is a native Texan born and raised on the Gulf Coast. She visited Disney World twice as a teenager and always dreamed of growing her family Disney. She took her first-timer husband and their three children to Disney World in 2000 and they now spend every Thanksgiving there. Brenda writes with a comedic twist on various Disney topics. She will be sharing tips she has learned during her travels and also hopes to enlighten people on little-known freebies that Disney has to offer. She wishes she could have met Walt Disney and considers herself to be a student of Walt. In parallel to his dream it is her wish that everyone would take at least one trip to Disney World in order to share in its magic with their families.

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5 thoughts on “What Do You Do When Your Disney Plans Go Haywire?

  • December 1, 2011 at 8:54 am
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    Brenda I am so sorry that this has happened to you. What an amazing mom you are taking it and turning it into a positive. Hugs!!

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  • December 1, 2011 at 12:12 pm
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    We had to change almost everything on our trip last March. We planned to be in WDW for our little guy’s 1st birthday. It was sort of last minute plan. We booked in the beginning of February. Our agent was great. We purchased insurance for the trip because my husband’s grandmother was very sick. Sadly she passed away 2 days before we were scheduled to leave. Her funeral was on my sons birthday which I had scheduled so much to do with reservations. We were able to rearrange a few things but unfortunately we were only able to stay on resort for 4 days instead of the 8 we had looked forward too. So we lost our dining plan for those days and had to re-schedule and cancel reservations I had worked so hard getting. It sounds horrible but I was so angry about it all but then it hit me that I was being selfish and horrible and even though the trip wasn’t exactly what I planned or wanted we had a blast 🙂

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    • December 1, 2011 at 7:55 pm
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      Aww April so sorry that all happened. I know that must have been so difficult in so many ways! We put so much time and effort into trying to make our Disney trips these magical experiences….I think it’s only natural to be frustrated and upset when things don’t work out as planned. But your last few words said it all: “even though the trip wasn’t exactly what I planned or wanted we had a blast”. Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your story. Hopefully your next trip will work out perfectly!

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  • December 1, 2011 at 7:11 pm
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    Thank you, Kelly. I really appreciate that! It is hard when these times are realized, even when we know they are coming. Have a great evening…HUGS!!

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  • December 5, 2011 at 7:29 pm
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    Brenda – I am glad you were able to do some re-arranging and give someone who hasn’t been a chance to also experience the Magic in The World! It’s hard as a mom to realize your kids are grown and aren’t there every trip with you.
    April – I am so sorry about the circumstances, but glad you had a blast in spite of everything.
    The secret we have found is going with the flow and remembering that each trip will be different, even if you go with the same group each time – cherish each trip as something new and special!

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