Our youngest of 4 kids is in college now, and the others are out making their way in the world. Life in our household is WAY different than it was back in the day when we had 4 school-aged kids involved in a million different activities. Back then, money was always tight, schedules were always insane, and the unexpected always happened. We were extremely fortunate to have family members who lived in vacation zones, which gave us opportunities for economical summer vacations. For years, our vacations revolved around trips to South Florida to visit grandparents and trips to a family house at a South Carolina beach. One summer, with a sense of restlessness, we dared to dream of doing a completely different vacation—going to Disney World. Instead of dismissing the idea as too expensive, we decided to explore the possibilities and see if we could make it work. Make it work, we did! Let me tell you how it all went down.
In 2010, Disney introduced a program called Give A Day of Volunteer Service. During that year, you could register with any of the partnering companies, participate in a volunteer charitable project, and receive a free day’s pass to Disney World. I was all over that! As a family, we (read: all by myself, I single-handedly) conducted a clothing drive. We (I alone) collected 15-20 large garbage bags full of clothes, sorted them all, and donated them to a registered partner location. For our (my individual) efforts, we received 6 free tickets to Disney World! Way to go family (me, only me)! Things were coming together!
With credit card bonus rewards, we had one free night at one hotel chain and another free night at a different hotel chain. So, we checked into the first hotel in Orlando, Florida for one night, then moved to a different hotel for the rest of our stay. The second hotel also had an afternoon Manager’s Reception at 4:00pm, with free heavy hors d’oeuvres like pasta or tacos, etc. So, we structured our days to eat dinner at 4:00 at the hotel. We stored snacks in the hotel room to stave off hunger between meals. We spent several days at Disney (one day was free!), then we spent one day at Universal Studios, where, to our extreme excitement, Harry Potter World had just opened.
Here’s the part where I pat myself on the back for stellar planning. I had read several guides, blogs, and general feedback on how to do Disney and Universal. I did not choose to follow exact plans that some people posted, such as “go straight to Dumbo, then make a bee-line to It’s a Small World”. Instead, I listened for the logic behind their choices and made note of the mindset of the typical park-goer. With that knowledge in mind, I made a loose plan of attack of things we wanted to do first, before lunch, in early evening, etc., planning to avoid the biggest crowds or longest lines. Let me tell you, the research really payed off. The parks were full—it was early summer. Time and time again, we would walk up to a ride, surprised that there was no line to speak of. Then a noise behind us would make us turn around to see a throng of humanity rushing up right behind us. I mean, if we had been 5 seconds later…. This happened over and over, to the point of making us laugh, saying "Here they come again!" We also employed the FastPass, an extra payment which helped us skip longer lines by using assigned ride times. We had to wait in line only 2 times, both rides at Universal. We considered ourselves well prepared and very lucky.
The other luck we received was at the expense of our youngest daughter. She was just at the age when some kids are ready to tackle bigger, more exciting rides. She was not ready. Although she hit the height requirement for many rides, she was reluctant to try. At first, we tried to cajole, convince, and otherwise persuade her to ride the rides. But, as the full power of the Child Swap policy began to sink in, we pushed less and less. Here’s how it worked. Our family stood in line together, and, when the time came to board the ride, I would step aside with our young daughter and move to the Child Swap area. When the family’s ride ended, instead of exiting, they walked to the Child Swap area, so Rob and I could switch places. Now it was time for me to ride. And here’s the cool part—the other family members got to ride again, too. Without waiting in line! So, as we approached each ride, we would give our daughter a half-hearted “do you want to ride this one?” When she said “no”, then we would line up for our Child Swap experience, which meant Rob & I each got to ride once, but the other kids would get to ride two times in a row without waiting in line again! We had struck gold!
We had a blast running around the amusement parks, all the while knowing that it wasn’t a cheap vacation, but, because of crafty planning, it also wasn’t breaking the family bank. Lots of family memories were made, including the time when we finally convinced the youngest one to go with us on a challenging ride, only to have our floating boat stall under a waterfall which relentlessly poured buckets of water on her, and her alone, for almost 30 seconds. She payed the price for riding the ride. Another memorable moment was when the entire cast of pirates from the Pirates of the Caribbean ride stood on stage chanting “We Want the RedHead! We Want the RedHead!” to urge my daughter onto the stage with them. Good times, good times.
The final part of our trip brought it all back to reality. We were going to eat a real meal in a legit restaurant the last night we were in Orlando. To this day, no one remembers what sparked the argument, who said what, or how it was resolved. But, what we all remember was our family sitting at the table in the restaurant, all being so mad at one another, that nobody said a word. We just sat there staring at our plates and silently chewing our food. What a way to end a vacation.
Regardless of the final meal disaster, strategic planning was key for the success of our trip. We got a lot of bang for our buck. Which just goes to show that where there’s a will, there’s a way. As the years went by, we were fortunate to pull off a few more vacations, each with its own share of treasured memories and odd occurrences. It’s funny how things stand out in your memories, sometimes big, sometimes small. While it’s happening, there is no way of knowing which memories will stick, which details will blur, which emotions will be rekindled, how each person’s memory will differ. The memories will form, but often what you will remember most is how the experience made you feel.
Excited, proud, reluctant, relieved, angry, content, energized: all the emotions were there. The year we stretched dollars to make a trip to Disney. What a memorable vacation!