I feel terrible. His first thought was how much this was going to disappoint me & the kids (7 & 10) in regards to this trip.
Surgery is scheduled for Thursday. I don’t know all restrictions yet, but he can’t drive because he’s in a boot on his right foot for at least a month. Total recovery time is 6 months to a year.
Should I try to cancel through credit card trip insurance and reschedule? We were supposed to have 6 FULL park days, and I just don’t see that easily happening.
If I were in your husband’s shoes, I think I would do one of two things…heavily leaning toward the first. I don’t know all circumstances, obviously, so that could changes things.
Keep the trip, but RETHINK EVERYTHING. I would plan to rent a motorized scooter if at all possible and also plan to spend most of the time WATCHING everyone else ride things. Not sure if this is your husband’s first time or not, but I know for me, now that I’m older, I can get a LOT of enjoyment just watching my family have a good time even if I can’t participate. I recall taking a couple of my kids to Cedar Point alone one time where I didn’t ride a lot. I had a lot of fun, despite the fact that I’m a big coaster enthusiast. I would expect the same here. The joy I’d get in such a trip is in not what I personally get to do, but in what I can see my family enjoying.
If this is really a once-in-a-lifetime (or at least decade) type trip, I might instead go the cancel and reschedule route. But honestly, I don’t see myself doing that.
Achilles are very tough to bounce back from - I feel awful for your husband! I had my Achilles tendon lengthened twice and recovery was tough each time, so I can’t even imagine having to deal with a rupture. For me, deciding to keep or cancel the trip would be determined by a few things: How much pain will he be in at that point? Is it to the point where he will be stuck in a boot and can’t walk but other than that feel ok? Then I would say rent a scooter and keep going! If he’s still at the point of pain management and will be in agony the entire time, I would cancel and reschedule. Is this a once in a lifetime trip so you feel the need to cram everything in? Or have you been there before and will be there again so you can slow the pace.
And remember, the heat makes a big difference. Mom broke her foot right before we left when I was a kid and she was doing ok but after a day in the heat and humidity, her leg was swollen in the cast and she was trying to elevate it every chance she got, even being in a wheelchair the whole time. She was very uncomfortable by days end.
Good luck with whatever your choice is and I wish your hubby a speedy recovery.
This is a good point. After my neck surgery (a completely different beast, I know) I was on high-powered pain meds and a muscle relaxer for a couple weeks. But the worst part wasn’t that, but after I went off of them, the withdrawal issues were terrible. I couldn’t sleep at ALL for almost 2 full weeks. I was so miserably exhausted. It took another two full weeks, with the help of benedryl and melatonin, to get my sleep cycle back.
So, dealing with the pain aftermath will definitely play a role.
ETA: I should read better next time. I read the heading as 20 weeks, not 20 days!
It’s either a once in a lifetime trip…or we’ll upgrade to annual passes and go again in January 2019 and the first part of October 2019. We were going to make the decision based on whether or not we got our fill and/or felt like wanted to go back.
We did Disney only one other time for one day, without planning a thing. We went during Spring Break, and it took me 5 years to convince him to try it again. He doesn’t like lines.
I’m leaning towards cancelling and rescheduling, but he wants to go because he knows how much the kids and I have been looking forward to it.
As Ryan mentioned, I know for me I would want to see my kids have fun. Part of that though is being able to ride things they want to ride and see their reaction as it happens. If he can do that, great. If not, it’s his decision. Also, the heat is a good point. Don’t do anything short term that can make it worse long term. I’m no doctor, so I don’t know but if he was in the heat and it were to aggravate it his recovery might take longer (or just make him miserable). Trust me, you can’t enjoy something even as awesome as Disney World if you are miserable from the pain.
Could you possibly pull it off by going without him? First, could he take care of himself at home? Second, would he be super bummed? Third, would the kids be okay with that?
I truly don’t want him to make it worse. He’ll still be in a boot or a cast. I don’t know yet how his pain will be.
He wants to tough it out now, but I feel like we’d be better off going at another time. I suppose we can always wait another week before we make this decision.
I could probably pull it off without him. He could manage at home if we keep other arrangements for the puppy. He would be super bummed. He’s not really a Disney fan. I just beat him down. The kids would probably be OK, but Dad would definitely be missed.
I’d say, if you can wait to make your decision, then do so. Get the doctor’s recommendation. If s/he says your DH will be okay to travel, then see what he wants to do. If the doctor thinks you’re nuts to keep your trip, then you have your answer.
I’m sort of in Ryan’s camp: keep the trip, but re-think it. Personally, knowing all the stress that goes into planning a vacation, I’d rather change up the details than cancel and totally start over again.
Definitely get a scooter.
Maybe he joins you for the morning, then heads back to the hotel for a long mid-day break before meeting back up for dinner (and a few rides or whatever in the middle?)
Maybe you re-shuffle the park schedule so that you spend the morning through lunch in the parks, then back to the hotel for pool and relaxation time (where he can take meds and relax)?
If he’s not a big Disney fan, and he’s primarily going to participate in the family vacation but has no direct connection to the parks, then there are likely ways that you can include him in the communal experiences (breaks, meals, showcase experiences like fireworks or shows) and still give him plenty of time to rest/medicate while some or all of you do the rides he can’t.
Also, if he could physically do the rides themselves but he can’t wait in the lines (due to scooter mobility or pain management or whatever), then look into Disney’s disability program. It would let someone from your party “check in” at a ride, get a return time based on the current standby wait, and then come back at that time to use the FP+ queue. Basically, it avoids the need to wait in the line but doesn’t actually cut the line. That may help for the big ticket things like FoP; you could check in at the ride, tell him to meet you at a specific time, and he could show up and ride with minimal fuss.
I think I’d keep the trip planned and make some daily adjustments. As was mentioned earlier, your husband may enjoy some things with the family like meals or shows or special attractions and then he might appreciate and enjoy some R&R time by himself at the hotel.
I don’t have much advice, but just wanted to say how sorry I am to hear about your husband’s injury. It’s sounds very painful and also such terrible timing. Good luck to him on his future surgery and recovery.
I just have to thank you all. This has been the most helpful response to any question I have ever asked the Internets. I really appreciate everyone’s suggestions!
We are talking to the surgeon tomorrow pre and post surgery, and we’ll go from there.