So, I was just thinking about the fact that, again, in a few short weeks *happy dancing, dancing, DANCING!* (Oh yea! Isn’t that the Bee Gees, or some disco-eque song? LOL), I will be attempting to seamlessly *fingers-, eyes-, and toes-crossed* book our upcoming trip. However, this time, I have little more to do…

“Go to Your Room!”

On prior trips, again being that we’re Disney Vacation Club (“DVC”) members, we’ve tried out a 1-bedroom for when my mom comes up from South Florida to join us for the first part of our trip. (Nice kid, ain’t I?) Unfortunately, though, we’ve sort of felt that the 1-bedroom wasn’t the greatest choice for us because she was “stuck” out on the sleeper sofa. I mean don’t get me wrong, they’re comfortable enough, but I think they’re “better suited” for kids and teenagers than, um, more “mature” adults (I think she won’t yell at me for that :-P). So, after her repeatedly saying, “No, no it’s fine,” as she’s sleeping on the couch (*sigh*), last year I finally got smart! We skipped the 1-bedroom and just booked us each our own room. Ingenious, I know!

BLT 1-bedroom Living Room is pretty nice! * photo taken by chezp

Well, this worked out much better, and I think everyone was less “feeling like they couldn’t relax” because we weren’t in each others’ space. So, needless to say, this year I will be doing the same; however, this time, my in-laws have insisted on coming down with us too!

I Love That Show!

“Roseanne” (Season 2, Episode 7, Aired 10/31/1989)

Jackie: “How’s your costume coming along?”
Roseanne: “Ahh-ahh it’s the coolest! Wanna see?”
Jackie: “Yeah.”
Roseanne: “Walk this way.” [skips out of room]
Jackie: “Oh! Yea.”
Roseanne: “Ok. I am going to be…the Wicked Witch of the Mid-West!”
Jackie: “Great. Great…Where’d you get the hat?”
Roseanne: “My mother-in-law.”

*****

This is totally one of my favorite TV shows of all time and this scene popped into my head as I was writing this; however, I have to say that I actually LOVE my in-laws! They are just so much fun when they can let loose and not have to worry about being “Grandma” or “Grandpa” or “boss” or what-have-you; they can just be themselves — and boy do they make me laugh. A lot! I mean, who else can say they thoroughly enjoy hanging out with their mother-in-law (“MIL”)?? (You probably shouldn’t mention it if that’s not you…just in case yours has access to the internet! LOL)

So, this time around, I will be planning for not only DH, my, and my mom’s resort accommodations and dining reservations, but I’ll also have to figure in 2 more “co-guests.” For me, this is no big deal as I *heart* me some planning, but I was wondering:

Have you or do you travel with more than just yourself/significant other/usual travel buddy and do you enjoy it?

I guess I could actually just consider my mom a “regular” at this point, although since she’s not with us the entire trip, I still like to think of her as our guest — and I have to say that we enjoy the company (and this is per the DH too). Plus, it totally helps that she just goes along with the plan and isn’t a “backseat driver.” 😉 However, that’s not to say that I leave her out of the planning completely. I still involve her and always ask for suggestions; i.e. are there any past restaurants she wants to re-visit? Is there a new place she might want to try (well, with her not being as Disney Dorkified — no, no it’s ok; this is a good kind of dork! ), I just ask her what “kind” of food would she like to try this time, etc.

I think involving your guest(s) in part of the planning, like talking about what restaurants to try, for example, is a great way to get your “co-travelers” excited about the trip — and yet it doesn’t overwhelm them (like I know she would be if I did involve her in every detail) — because we all know Disney is so completely void of options. *snickers*

I also keep things in mind like the fact that my mom doesn’t do rides and loves Epcot; so this is where we will inevitably spend most of her stay. 🙂 However, I tend to look forward to our “traditions” with her and, in turn, I like that I “have” to come up with other things that DH and I can attend/try during the remainder of our trip. This is always a fun aspect of my planning because it definitely amps the anticipation — and it would be great if we can actually make a definitive decision to get on over to Islands of Adventure at Universal for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter this year! I’m hoping that with it being 3 years old, come our next trip, that the crowds will have thinned out a bit. Hey, a girl can dream! LOL

Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Hogwart's Castle * photo taken by DebiDebiDebi

Ok, well maybe I’ll go give my MIL a call and see what’s for dinner, er, I mean where she might want to eat when we’re down on vacation! *wink*

Until next time,