Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Getaway

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Getaway is the twelfth book in the series. It was released on 7. It succeeds Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Double Down and precedes Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Meltdown.

Main characters

 * Greg Heffley
 * Manny Heffley
 * Rodrick Heffley
 * Frank Heffley
 * Susan Heffley
 * Rodrick's Girlfriend
 * Director of Fun

Synopsis
Greg Heffley and his family are getting out of town.

With the cold weather and the stress of the approaching holiday season, the Heffleys decide to escape to a tropical island resort for some much-needed rest and relaxation, instead of staying home. A few days in paradise should do wonders for Greg and his frazzled family.

But the Heffleys soon discover that paradise isn't everything it's cracked up to be. Sun poisoning, stomach troubles, and venomous critters all threaten to ruin the family's vacation. Can their trip be saved, or will this island getaway end in disaster?

Plot
The story begins with Greg saying how he gets bored of hearing about other people's holidays, and that he only enjoys the ones that go wrong. As a result, he mentions the holiday his family just went on, and the story goes back a few weeks.

Greg Heffley notices that his family is getting frustrated with the holidays and they're way behind on everything; they have not put up decorations or bought gifts, and the cold is driving his parents crazy. When Susan and Frank see a commercial about Isla de Corales (where they went for their honeymoon), they both immediately decide to skip Christmas and stay there instead, much to Greg's dismay and protest. He does not like the idea of travelling by plane and does not want it as his Christmas present. Manny and Rodrick, however, are on board. The family head to the airport on Christmas Eve.

They are delayed by a series of mishaps. They encounter holiday traffic but arrive at the airport. As they fail to unload in time at the drop-off zone, Frank and Greg have to return later with the luggage. Greg steps into a slush puddle and they end up missing the shuttle.

In the airport, the family's suitcases are too heavy and the airport people say it'd cost extra to check it but Frank says they weren't giving them an extra nickel, so they stuff some clothes into their carry-on baggage. They enter the line for security, but a child unclips a barrier separating the lines, and everybody gets scrambled. They go through security and are delayed again by somebody who has to remove all of his piercings. Manny then gets his toy stuck in an escalator, delaying them more. As a result, the family panic, grab some luggage and dash to the gate. It turns out their flight is delayed. Greg goes to dry his sock but it ends up flying into a urinal while doing so. He hears that the flight is overbooked, and tries to stop his family from boarding in exchange for a hotel stay and $300 (soon $500), but is stopped by Susan. Then a woman snaps up the $500. A replacement crew for the plane arrives and they finally board.

Greg is first impressed by the plane's first-class seats before he discovers that he has to sit in economy. However, Frank collected enough air miles because of his business trips to sit in first class. In economy, Susan, Rodrick, and Manny are seated in the right row. Greg finds out he has three seats to himself until a family arrives late on board. The couple sits on either side of him with their baby. Greg becomes paranoid when he watches the emergency video and begins to ask questions about unfortunate events. Greg is very aggravated with the other passengers because most aren't watching the emergency video. Mid-flight, he feels boxed in when the people in front recline and the person behind slides his cold and clammy feet on Greg's armrest. Greg tries to recline his chair too but when he asks the flight attendant how he learns that he can't because the row behind him is an emergency exit. He ends up going to the bathroom because the couple's baby started to get annoying, and sits in there feeling like a mini-apartment to himself. However the handle of the door shakes and the whole bathroom shakes too, the Flight Attendant tells Greg that they were going through a little turbulence. Greg tries to swap seats with Frank but couldn't get to him because one of the wheels on the beverage cart broke from the turbulence. But then he ends up returning to his seat. He was somehow able to sleep for the rest of the flight.

As they land on Christmas Day, Greg begins to understand why the family came there. They touch down and began to head to the resort, Isla de Corales. He is even excited by the activities the resort offers which he sees on the bus. Greg hopes the resort will let them combine activities. They get there and are greeted by the staff. Susan and Frank tell the receptionist they want to stay in the same building they stayed in for their honeymoon, but she says that the resort has since changed, and it is now split into a family side (the Mild Side) and an adults-only side (the Wild Side). However, Frank is disappointed by the changes, but Susan says it's better because it is a family vacation and she says they don't need to be around a bunch of young couples partying. The family also discovers that they got the wrong luggage that is locked, and their luggage was sent back home. They only have the clothes they put in their hand luggage. They attempt to buy some new clothes, but they won't buy them because they are too expensive. So they only buy sunscreen and a toy pail and shovel for Manny to use at the beach.

The family goes to explore the resort and ends up at the pool. The Director of Fun shows up, however, and gets everybody moving. The Director of Fun makes Greg and Susan get in the conga line. Then Greg decides to do the Treasure Dive. After this, Greg sees an iguana by the pool and is worried, so the family goes to get some lunch. Greg and his family try to eat outside; however, too many birds and bugs keep ruining their meals. Greg wants to go back to the room, but Susan says they were just getting started exploring the resort. Frank also wants to go back to the room because he wanted some rest after the flight. So they head back to the suite, but Frank contracts a severe infection from his water.

The next day, the family decides to go to the beach. Susan tells them they'd clean up after themselves and decides to rent a cabana at the beach. Greg uses the outdoor shower. As he puts on his slipper, a giant spider falls out. Greg has an intense fear of spiders. As a result, he calls room service, but the lady who answers keeps asking for his breakfast order. Greg gives up and orders breakfast. He gets another call from the room service waiter that there is a do not disturb sign on the doorknob. Greg tells him he could come in. The waiter who arrives also is scared of spiders. Eventually, they manage to trap the spider and flush it down the toilet. The family heads to the beach while Frank is still at the suite. He returns, however, and reveals that he found the same spider that Greg attempted to flush away on the toilet seat. Manny develops an obsession with collecting sea creatures in his bucket so he can have them as pets. But he is upset by Susan when she dumps them back in the water, so they decide to go to the activities.

Susan decides to sign the family up for the banana boat and turtle hatching. Before this, they have to find Rodrick, who has been in the Teen Zone helping a girl get her lip ring out of the volleyball net. They first try the banana boat to take a photo for the Christmas card, but this is ruined when a kid using a water trampoline lands on and bursts their float. They get hungry, so they go to the golf clubhouse which turns them down as they are not following the dress code. They go to the poolside bar and learn of a monkey that has been returning there for drinks every day. They are chased away when Manny finds the TV remote, changes the channel to his favourite cartoons and throws the remote in the water. Greg goes to the arcade, and the family regroup later to find Rodrick. The same girl he helped earlier is now his girlfriend. In the evening, they go to the beach bonfire and go to sea turtle hatching. Just as Greg is prepared to leave, they begin to hatch- but they lose their way to the sea as people are using the flashes on their phones to take photos. They find Rodrick with the girl in the dunes.

The next day, Susan goes to the spa and Frank goes to the gym. Rodrick then goes back to the teen zone. Greg takes Manny to the Toddler's Cabana, but Manny gets out of going there because he is not potty trained. He puts Manny in the pool, but has to get him out again later. Susan booked a charter cruise for the whole family due in thirty minutes. On the cruise (which turns out to be a regular boat), the captain offers them to go snorkeling. Greg is freaked out by all of the deadly animals and only stays in for one photo. As he surfaces, he swallows a big gulp of water. He also thinks he swallowed the seahorse along with it so they return to the bay to see a doctor. Frank and Susan also were both seasick, so they just return to the poolside.

They see the Director of Fun, who keeps circling their chair, but suddenly stops at a plastic bag in Manny's bucket. It is actually a "box jellyfish" which Manny smuggled from the snorkeling, where the Director of Fun launches it back into the pool in fear. Because the pool workers can not find the jellyfish, they have to drain the pool. They escape in the commotion, and notice Rodrick isn't with them. He had been left in the sea where they went scuba diving and got sun poisoning. They return to the suite and decide to spend their last two days outdoors.

The next day, Greg goes to the tennis court in the Tween Zone in hopes of learning how to play tennis. Unfortunately, when Rodrigo locks them in, it was just a cage full of children with a ball machine and tennis balls. It turns into a free-for-all, which stops suddenly when a kid recognizes Greg as the family who brought a "box jellyfish" to the poolside. He tries to tell them that it was Manny's fault, but they throw tennis balls at him. He quickly escapes the cage and goes back to the suite with his family. They were out of things to do and want to leave the resort early, however, Frank refuses to leave until he gets a decent meal. Manny discovers that the suitcase they got on mistake fell and broke and has the clothes they need to get in the clubhouse. They each wear some of the clothes in there; they first head to the clubhouse, and then the putting green for golf. However, they are spotted by a security guard, who escorts them out of the green. A family had reported them for wearing their missing clothes.

They attempted a failed getaway, and are ultimately sent back to the hotel to return the clothes. They were also ejected from the hotel for theft, so they were forced to stay overnight at the airport hotel. The next day, Susan and Frank didn't like the way things ended want to leave on a high note. So they sneak in. They skip the pool and then find Rodrick's girlfriend with Rodrigo. They go back to the beach, and scavenge for food by distracting others and then eating their food. They go to take one more photo, but are spotted by the family who they took clothes from.

The Heffleys try to escape the resort. Greg heads for the beach and windsurfs away. He gets stuck in the dolphin swimming area, but is chased back to shore by security. He ends up on the Wild Side of the beach and lands on a private beach. Greg runs for the wall dividing the two sides, just where his family was passing. Greg tries to climb over the wall, but this is destroyed by a stampede of tourists. The family escapes unnoticed and heads to the airport.

When they got back on Sunday, December 30, Greg wants to show Rowley where he went to for his Christmas vacation. He discovers there that his family has been banned forever and are wanted.

Trivia

 * This is the third blue book. Rodrick Rules was the first, and Cabin Fever was the second.
 * This is the third book to include the reptile skin design, and the second to include the new amulet logo.
 * Fregley makes no appearances for the fifth time.
 * This is the second book that takes place on a vacation. The first is The Long Haul.
 * This is also the second book where the book only covers 1 month (in this case, December). The first is The Long Haul, which took place in June.
 * This book was foreshadowed at the end of the The Long Haul Film, when Greg's mom says that next year, they'll be flying away for vacation.
 * This is also the fifth book to feature Greg’s trademark frown on the cover.
 * The pig is absent in this book. However, he returns in The Meltdown.
 * Corny's Family-Style Restaurant makes a brief appearance when Greg explains that adding "family" to something means it will be of poor quality.
 * Chirag makes a cameo for the first time since Cabin Fever. He appears on Page 19.
 * This is the third book where Rowley is not seen on the title page.
 * Larry Larkin makes a cameo on page 22.
 * This is the third book that takes place at Christmas time (the first being Diary of a Wimpy Kid and the second being Cabin Fever).
 * This is the second book in which Rowley has a minor role (the first being in The Long Haul).
 * This is the second book in which the color of the spine is different than that of the cover (the first being Double Down).
 * There are some pop culture references in this book:
 * Jurassic Park was referenced when Greg is running away from the Giant Iguana on Page 90.
 * Spider-Man was mentioned when Greg climbs up the fence in the Tennis Court on Pages 188 and 189.
 * The main plot of this book is almost similar to the 1985 National Lampoon's European Vacation Film's plot: Both families are going to a different country on an airplane, there are a few romance moments in each of them, and there some other similarities between this book and the film.
 * A Star Wars character is shown holding a Light Saber on Page 76.
 * Charlotte's Web was mentioned when Greg fantasized himself into the actual book on Page 107, saying that if he was in it, it would’ve been "a very short book" with him as an exterminator.
 * In the arcade, there's a game that appears to be a parody/reference to Pac-Man.
 * At the end of the book, a picture is shown of the Heffley family on a banana boat with X's crossed on their faces with a caption that reads: "ATTENCIÓN!" "Póngase en contacto con Isla de Corales si conoce la identidad de las personas en la foto de arriba." This is Spanish for: "ATTENTION!" Please contact Isla de Corales if you know the identity of these people in the photo above."
 * The medicine that reads "¡AY! ¡MI ESTÓMAGO!" on Page 97 is Spanish for "OH! MY STOMACH!"
 * The Box Jellyfish may not have been an actual Box Jellyfish, due to several hints suggesting that Isla de Corales is located in the Carribean, and the fact that Box Jellyfish are native to Australia. If so, either Greg misidentified it, or it was a factual error.
 * This is the 2nd time Rodrick made an appearance on the book cover. The first since Rodrick Rules.
 * This is also the 2nd time Manny made an appearance on the book cover. The first since Cabin Fever.
 * This is also the first book to feature more than 2 characters on it's cover (3).
 * This book reveals that Greg has never been on a plane before and doesn't know how they work. He also is shown to not know that there is first class, despite knowing it in Dog Days.
 * 466 words are written in all-capitals in this book.
 * Greg is taller in this book and following books.
 * In the physical version of this book, this is the first wimpy kid book to feature a 3rd color on the book paper, gray.

Goofs/Errors

 * Greg's waist seems way too high throughout the entire book. This could just be a new character design.
 * Factual error: Greg states that he learned that human waste is ejected from airplanes. In real life, human waste is kept on the airplane until landing.
 * Rowley seems too tall on some pages, especially on Page 184.
 * Manny seems too short on some pages, especially on Page 150.
 * Greg's pants are longer than his dad's pants on Page 78. His pants are also too big in Page 14 since it almost touches 3 lines when it should only be touching about less than 2.5.
 * Rodrigo's goatee is missing when his girlfriend takes the Heffleys' picture.
 * When Greg explains that the lady liked the window, and her husband liked the side, his left arm is missing.
 * Greg mentioned that he can't climb a rock wall in their school, but he can climb a fence, as he is also shown climbing a fence in Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Old School. This is a continuity error.
 * Greg says that every time they go to an hotel, he has to sleep on a cot or a sofa bed, but in The Long Haul, he slept in the closet on the floor.
 * On page 202, a man's body is transparent.
 * When Greg sees the iguana, and runs out of the pool, he says he actually skipped across the water. But in Cabin Fever, he reveals he cannot skip.