Trip Report A Not So Splashy, Very Dashy, Somewhat Sleepy and A Little Frisky, Uplyfting Sept 2018 TR (Completed!)

Once again, it is so hard to believe that our adventure in WDW is over. I don’t understand how time goes so fast when we are there. Even though this was our longest trip ever, it still flew by.

We returned home around midnight on Saturday and I’ve been getting back to reality and catching up on reading other TR’s before beginning my own.

Just in case you may not know us…

Me: Mary/mom

Ross – Dad AKA Grumpy, but was acting more like Sleepy on this trip. (And yes – those Crocs came along with him.)

Julia – DD Sweet 16 this trip

Hope – My 9 year old princess whose diagnoses of Autism usually lends itself to some interesting tidbits for my TR’s.

Trip details:

September 6th – 8th at Art Of Animation (Room only)

September 8th – 22nd Pop Century (MYW Package Free Dining)

Yep- that’s a LONG trip – our longest EVER. Still it managed to fly by in the blink of an eye.

If you’re not familiar with my crazy crew or you need to catch up, feel free to check out my pre trip report here:

https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads...feet-a-september-2018-pre-trip-report.944145/

All caught up? Are you ready? Okay then, here we go!

 

[aliceismad]

I love hearing all about your trip and your sweet girls. I'm so glad Hope got her ice cream for breakfast!

 

[disneypearl]

I'm glad to see that Ross made it to the scheduled meeting place! I'm also glad to hear he didn't forget the Crocs! Fingers crossed that he was able to return them.

 

[Figment Forever]

I love hearing all about your trip and your sweet girls. I'm so glad Hope got her ice cream for breakfast!

Thanks so much for reading along!

 

[Figment Forever]

I'm glad to see that Ross made it to the scheduled meeting place! I'm also glad to hear he didn't forget the Crocs! Fingers crossed that he was able to return them.

The adventure begins! lol

 

[Figment Forever]

After I convinced him that we had two beds, we had a short reunion and then decided to ride Buzz. No one wanted to ride with Ross. He gets too competitive, so he got to ride solo. Lol

Soon after we got off Buzz, Ross’ glasses broke! One of his lens slid right out of the frame.

I looked at him. Seriously, he was with us for less than an hour and the calamity had already began! He does have prescription sunglasses, but didn’t pack them. (Not a big surprise) I have to mention, this exact thing happen about 5 years ago. So weird! He felt confident that Guest Services would be able to fix them. (They had the last time.) So he wasn’t worried. Since we had to add him to Hope’s DAS pass, we would take care of it then.

But before we went to the front of the park, Julia wanted to go to COP.

Ross fell fast asleep, a theme that would reoccur throughout our trip.

He said he didn’t mind because he really couldn’t see anything.

 

[Figment Forever]

When we exited CoP, it was so hot, Ross wanted something cold, so we walked over to Auntie Gravity’s. Hope and I waited right outside, next to a trash can, near the bathrooms while Ross and Julia ordered. I turned around and called out to Julia to get two cups of ice water. I turned back around to ask Hope if she wanted some apple juice and I realized she was gone. She was not in her stroller, around the stroller or with Julia and Ross. In the ten seconds I turned away, Hope was gone. I felt like I couldn’t breathe. I started screaming her name and looking all around. I ran into the woman’s room and screamed out her name. I ran back out and of course Ross, now aware I was screaming her name like a lunatic, knew she was gone. Ross put the ice cream on top of the trash can and went off running to look for her. Julia was standing there also holding ice cream and not sure what to do. The lady who took our order for ice cream walked over and told me to calm down, she would be fine. I was anything but calm. I always feel like I am the calm one in emergency situations, but that all went out the window now. I was crying and told her Hope was Autistic. I asked her to call security. She did and then walked back over to me and said to relax. I couldn’t fathom how calm she was. She said, “You are in Disney. They will find her and she will be fine.” Before I could even answer her, a security guard was in front of me. Actually, a whole bunch of security had arrived. He asked me her name, her age and what she was wearing. I have to say, whenever we go out, I take a picture of Hope so I have exactly what she is wearing in case I forget. I pulled out my phone and showed him her picture. I told him that she may or may not give her name or age. She may just start talking about My Little Ponies or she may not say anything at all. As he walked off, a couple who were near us asked me her name and said they would also keep an eye out for her. I have to say that really touched me.

In the meantime, Ross was searching all over the area looking for her. But remember he didn’t have his glasses, so he could barely see very far away from him. So he looked more like Mr. Magoo running around and sticking his head close to every little person that looked like they were wearing red.

As I tried to think where she would go, I remembered a game I tried to teach Hope over the summer. When we were up at State Fair, the State Police had a great presence there. It made me start to think that Hope really needs to learn how to identify “safe” people. If I can’t prevent her from eloping, I have to teach her how to find her way home. So I played a game with her - “Find a Policeman”. As we walked around the fair, if she could point out a policeman to me, I rewarded her with a treat. Would she remember? Would she try to find her way back to us?

I told Julia to wait by the stroller in case Hope came back. As I started walking off, sure enough, the security guard came walking over to me with Hope right next to him, holding his hand. She looked up at me and smiled and said, “Hope found a policeman!” I couldn’t hug her fast enough. What probably was no more than 10 minutes, felt like hours. As much as I should have been stern with her for walking away, I didn’t have it in me. I was just so happy to have her safe. The guard said she had walked over to the gift shop connected to Auntie Gravity’s and was looking at toys. I should have thought to look there right away, but it’s amazing how my brain just panicked. He made sure we were okay and then he noticed our ice cream sitting on the trash can melting away. He asked what Hope had and sure enough he went inside and got her a HUGE dish of vanilla ice cream. He wanted to replace all of our ice cream, but I said no thank you. They were still fine to eat and I think at this point, we had lost our appetites. The cashier emerged too smiling and gave me a hug. I couldn’t thank everyone enough. By this time, Ross had come back to us too. He was a nervous wreck and ready to fight with me for “losing” her. But thankfully, we all started to calm down and get back to our day.

We arrived at the front of the park about 2:00. We added Ross to Hope’s DAS and then asked for help with his glasses. Unfortunately, they could not help him. They didn’t even have an eyeglass repair kit. Since the parade was going to start soon, I told Ross to get the kids a spot and I would go see if I could find an eyeglass repair kit.

I first tried at the Emporium but they sent me across the street near the entrance. Luckily, they had one that I purchased and then brought it back to Ross and the girls. We watched the parade while Ross tried to fix his lens but to no avail.

 

[Figment Forever]

 

[PrincessJasmyn]

OMG I can't even imagine how you felt noticing Hope was gone!!
Glad it all worked out.

 

[Swissmiss]

How absolutely terrifying for you when realized Hope was no longer next to you. Although I was sure the story ended well, I had to read very quickly to the end to reassure myself!

Why is it that if glasses are going to break, it is usually on vacation?

 

[RememberWhen]

Oh! Thank goodness Hope was okay and quickly found. Kids have such a knack for making parents stressed.

Also, I love that Ross didn’t know about the Murphy bed! We’re staying one night at All Star Movies in a couple weeks and my sister will arrive before us. I’m sure she also hasn’t looked at the walk through I sent her. Maybe she’ll think the five of us are sharing a double bed!

I hope Ross gets his glasses fixed. Why do glasses always break at Disney?! It’s happened to be enough times that I pack a backup pair.

Looking forward to the rest of the trip!

 

[Songbird76]

Oh how terrifying! Don't beat yourself up about it...it's Disney, and kids will see something and wander off for a closer look. My DS was playing just a few feet from me in a store and he didn't see me, and tried to walk out the door to go looking when a very on-the-ball cashier saw him and stopped him, asking where his mommy was. He said he didn't know, and she took him by the hand and helped him look. Then we had the talk about what to do if you can't find mommy or daddy, who are safe people, etc. And DD had gone to get on a ride at a small amusement park, got lost and couldn't find her way back. She remembered the talk about who is safe to ask, so she found a family with kids and asked if they would help her. They took her to an employee who used the intercom to ask E's parents to come to the entrance, and the family waited with her until we got there.
It happens to everyone at some point...you are a great mom. You taught her what to do, and she did it. That's a total win!

 

[Rista1313]

Oh Hope! It is a very good thing you take a picture of her each day... I'm sure that helped identify her right away as well!

 

[riverside]

He said he didn’t mind because he really couldn’t see anything.

In the meantime, Ross was searching all over the area looking for her. But remember he didn’t have his glasses, so he could barely see very far away from him. So he looked more like Mr. Magoo running around and sticking his head close to every little person that looked like they were wearing red.

I know that had to be a very stressful situation(trust me, my heart started beating faster while I was reading it) but I started cracking up at this statement. I got a visual in my head & couldn't help but laugh. I'm glad Hope was found quickly. I'm impressed with the way Disney handles situations like this. But, I'm super impressed with the way Hope handled it!! Great job Mom!!!

 

[Goofyque']

We went to one Halloween Party (as Piglet & Pooh)
We really enjoyed the show and fireworks and the parade was super cool!!..View attachment 316665

Nailed it!!!!

 

[MySmallWorldof4]

We walked through a gift shop and I saw a shirt for me….

View attachment 328969

And look, they made one for Ross… lol

View attachment 328970

Julia saw a shirt she wanted – It said something like. “Lands that I Love…. Fantasyland, Frontier Land, Tommorowland…” but I talked her into waiting, just to make sure it was the one she liked the best. Not a good plan on my part. It sold out by the time we decided to purchase it. And of course, I haven’t been able to find it anywhere online so I can get it for her for Christmas.

Julia wanted another PP Float, so we stopped to pick her up one before heading to Monsters to wait for Ross. She ended up getting the cone instead.

View attachment 328971View attachment 328972View attachment 328973

Hope had some Vanilla ice cream. We headed back to the Monsters exit where we had planned to meet and waited. As soon as 12:00 hit and there was no Ross I started to worry. I actually called Jet Blue to see if he had checked in for his flight. As I was waiting for them to answer, he walked over. I was so relieved to see he made it ok. (And yes - his Crocs came along.)

View attachment 328974

I asked him how his flight was and he told me he had an issue getting on the plane. Apparently, when he walked through the scanner, something went off. They put him in the super scanner, but again, they said his body was showing a “residue”(??) and they had to do a more thorough search. He said they asked if he wanted to go into a private area, but he said no. At this point, he had been awake for almost 30 hours and he just wanted to be on his way. He confirmed it was quite a detailed search. But thankfully, TSA allowed him on the plane.

After telling me his tale of being frisked, he looked sad and started to apologize to me and saying we should have paid to upgrade to POR. I asked him why – because I really loved the POP room. He said he had no idea that the room only had one bed. Julia and I looked at each other and then back to him. I asked if he was kidding, but he wasn’t. He asked what we have been doing and if we had a plan for how the four of us would sleep. Julia and I just started to chuckle at the point. I told him there was a Murphy Bed in the room. Even at that, he seemed skeptical. I told him that he didn’t do a good job of watching the room walk through video I showed him a couple of months back!

I bought the Lands That I Love tee 2 years ago. It has a different design this year. It is my favorite Disney Tee. Hopefully they will restock and bring it back.

 

[MySmallWorldof4]

When we exited CoP, it was so hot, Ross wanted something cold, so we walked over to Auntie Gravity’s. Hope and I waited right outside, next to a trash can, near the bathrooms while Ross and Julia ordered. I turned around and called out to Julia to get two cups of ice water. I turned back around to ask Hope if she wanted some apple juice and I realized she was gone. She was not in her stroller, around the stroller or with Julia and Ross. In the ten seconds I turned away, Hope was gone. I felt like I couldn’t breathe. I started screaming her name and looking all around. I ran into the woman’s room and screamed out her name. I ran back out and of course Ross, now aware I was screaming her name like a lunatic, knew she was gone. Ross put the ice cream on top of the trash can and went off running to look for her. Julia was standing there also holding ice cream and not sure what to do. The lady who took our order for ice cream walked over and told me to calm down, she would be fine. I was anything but calm. I always feel like I am the calm one in emergency situations, but that all went out the window now. I was crying and told her Hope was Autistic. I asked her to call security. She did and then walked back over to me and said to relax. I couldn’t fathom how calm she was. She said, “You are in Disney. They will find her and she will be fine.” Before I could even answer her, a security guard was in front of me. Actually, a whole bunch of security had arrived. He asked me her name, her age and what she was wearing. I have to say, whenever we go out, I take a picture of Hope so I have exactly what she is wearing in case I forget. I pulled out my phone and showed him her picture. I told him that she may or may not give her name or age. She may just start talking about My Little Ponies or she may not say anything at all. As he walked off, a couple who were near us asked me her name and said they would also keep an eye out for her. I have to say that really touched me.

In the meantime, Ross was searching all over the area looking for her. But remember he didn’t have his glasses, so he could barely see very far away from him. So he looked more like Mr. Magoo running around and sticking his head close to every little person that looked like they were wearing red.

As I tried to think where she would go, I remembered a game I tried to teach Hope over the summer. When we were up at State Fair, the State Police had a great presence there. It made me start to think that Hope really needs to learn how to identify “safe” people. If I can’t prevent her from eloping, I have to teach her how to find her way home. So I played a game with her - “Find a Policeman”. As we walked around the fair, if she could point out a policeman to me, I rewarded her with a treat. Would she remember? Would she try to find her way back to us?

I told Julia to wait by the stroller in case Hope came back. As I started walking off, sure enough, the security guard came walking over to me with Hope right next to him, holding his hand. She looked up at me and smiled and said, “Hope found a policeman!” I couldn’t hug her fast enough. What probably was no more than 10 minutes, felt like hours. As much as I should have been stern with her for walking away, I didn’t have it in me. I was just so happy to have her safe. The guard said she had walked over to the gift shop connected to Auntie Gravity’s and was looking at toys. I should have thought to look there right away, but it’s amazing how my brain just panicked. He made sure we were okay and then he noticed our ice cream sitting on the trash can melting away. He asked what Hope had and sure enough he went inside and got her a HUGE dish of vanilla ice cream. He wanted to replace all of our ice cream, but I said no thank you. They were still fine to eat and I think at this point, we had lost our appetites. The cashier emerged too smiling and gave me a hug. I couldn’t thank everyone enough. By this time, Ross had come back to us too. He was a nervous wreck and ready to fight with me for “losing” her. But thankfully, we all started to calm down and get back to our day.

View attachment 329098View attachment 329099

We arrived at the front of the park about 2:00. We added Ross to Hope’s DAS and then asked for help with his glasses. Unfortunately, they could not help him. They didn’t even have an eyeglass repair kit. Since the parade was going to start soon, I told Ross to get the kids a spot and I would go see if I could find an eyeglass repair kit.

View attachment 329100View attachment 329101

I first tried at the Emporium but they sent me across the street near the entrance. Luckily, they had one that I purchased and then brought it back to Ross and the girls. We watched the parade while Ross tried to fix his lens but to no avail.

View attachment 329102View attachment 329103View attachment 329104View attachment 329105

So glad that Hope wasn't missing for long. When my ds was 7, we were all walking out of Playhouse Disney when he got separated from the rest of us. We panicked of course and started screaming his name. Then we decided to go to where the stroller was parked, and there he was calmly waiting for us. He said he realized that when he didn't see us that he should go to the stroller. Such a relief. Great job teaching Hope the game about finding a policeman.

 

[Cetta]

my heart was racing during that story about Hope wandering away. I know how it feels when you lose sight of your child for .2 seconds and feeling absolutely sick about it, so I cannot imagine what it felt like for 10 minutes! So glad there was a happy ending...that included ice cream! Ross not knowing about the second bed even though you showed him walk throughs of the room sounds exactly like something my husband would do haha.

 

[Gurt]

I went missing as a small child in Manchester airport however my parents didn't realise I was missing as they both thought I was with the other, they had separated and gone in opposite directions and I was unsure who I was supposed to go with, by the time I decided on my dad I saw the lift doors shutting on him and when I turned the other way I couldn't see my mum, thankfully I spotted some British Airways stewards walking through and knew they were safe people, they took me to their offices while they called for my parents.

I am glad Hope was found quickly and safely it's good she remembered the find a policeman game you taught her.

 

[krisri18]

That's an ingenius game! May I share "find the policeman" with my work kids? They rely on their care staff being with them so much that I'm honestly not sure what some of them would do if they got separated. So glad Hope was safe!

 

[Ayden]

My heart sank for a moment when I read Hope took off. I can imagine your panic. I'm very relieved to hear she was such a smart girl and found the 'policeman'.