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

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

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Julia – DD Sweet 16 this trip

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

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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!
 
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slipperalwaysfits

slipperalwaysfits

Well-Known Member
I just found your TR for this year! I'm caught up so far and so happy the girls are having a great time! I'm glad Julia found the art class and Hope is falling in love with more things and she looks SO EXCITED on Splash!!!
YAY for extra pixie dust!
 
Figment Forever

Figment Forever

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Rista1313 said:
Yep... Lyft or Uber is great, expecially when you are going resort to resort for dinner. We have taken the Minnie Van a few times too, because it's the only service that's allowed to go all the way to Pioneer Hall for Hoop Dee Doo
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The reason I picked Lyft over Uber was because of the Minnie Van option. I had promised Hope one ride in the Minnie Van. But I never figured out how to choose it as an option. So I still owe her a Minnie Van ride!
 
Figment Forever

Figment Forever

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
By the time we left for DS, the sky was dark and it looked like a bad storm was imminent. We hurried to our destination as we began to feel a few drops of rain start to fall.

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Julia and I were both really excited for tonight’s ADR…

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Just as we made it to the podium and checked in, the rain started. I was glad we secured a seat under cover since the CM said it would be a few minutes until our table was ready. But as soon as we settled in, I received the text that our table was ready and off we went. We got a seat on the patio, which made me nervous at first since the rain was now coming down strong. But there was no reason to worry about it, everyone inside stayed dry. By the time we ordered, the rain had turned into torrential dour pours and a wicked thunder & lightning show began. It was crazy!! We saw the lighting strike down – and it seemed so close to us it was a little scary at times.

Julia and I ordered the fried chicken and doughnuts with mashed potatoes. Oh my goodness – it was amazing!!! I thought the syrup was a little odd at first but that feeling disappeared after the first couple of bites!

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Hope was a grumpy girl tonight.

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I have no idea why, except she was tired. I let her play her iPod while she ate – which would become an issue in a few days. Her i-pod was awesome in helping her overcome her fear of some of the rides, but I became too complacent in letting her have it during mealtimes. I don’t like her zoning out from us and she became too demanding in asking for it. Thankfully, that has all stopped since we returned home

Julia and I could have probably shared one meal instead of stuffing ourselves. We barely put a dent in the mashed taters. We had no room for dessert, so we took it to go. Hope had ice-cream so Julia and I relaxed while she ate it.

We had to decide what to do next. We had wanted to explore DS, but with the rain, (and I didn’t bring our ponchos,) we figured we should make a dash back to the bus and to POP. However, by the time Hope finished her ice cream, and I settled our bill, the rain stopped!
 
Songbird76

Songbird76

Well-Known Member
Do
Figment Forever said:
Day 2: Friday September 7th, 2018

By 6:00AM I was up and getting ready for the day.

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I woke Julia shortly after since she had her Japanese class at 7:00AM.

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I let Hope snooze since we weren’t leaving the room until 9:30.

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The plan was to head to Captain Cooks for breakfast followed by an exploration of Julia’s beloved & abandoned River Country, AKA Project 89 which we figured would certainly be demolished by our next visit.

I left the room and headed to the food court to get some coffee.


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While I was there, I walked over to the lobby to ask some questions about switching resorts the following day. I’m always paranoid about what I need to do, so I just like to confirm before we head out. I also wanted to pay off our room charges with my gift cards.

I paid the bill and the CM answered my questions and said basically I just needed to leave my luggage in the room and call bell services to pick up. He said I did not have to be there for them to pick either. He also conformed we could swim at AoA the day we checked out and that our dining plan would kick in that morning.

As we were talking he asked me if we visited any theme parks yet. I said no – this was a room only and our package would begin the next day. He mentioned that MNSSHP was taking place during our stay and asked if we had plans to go. I said no – not this year. He then asked if we had ever been to one. Again I said no – not yet, but I’m sure one day we will. Then he said, “There’s a party tonight. Would you like to go?”

I laughed and told him it was not in our budget this year, but that I was sure one day we would go.

He then looked at me in a rather mischievous way and said, “That’s not what I asked. I asked if you would like to go to the party tonight?”

I was confused. So all I could get out was, “Yes?”

The next thing I knew, we had 3 Tickets to MNSSHP! WE WERE GOING TO MNSSHP!!!

I couldn’t thank the CM enough and felt like I was walking on air as I made the journey back to our room. I was bursting to tell the kids! But I knew I had to wait for Julia’s class to end.

On the walk back to the room, it was just about 9:00, so I called my parents. My mom and & talk to each other every day at 9:00AM. One always calls the other and being on vacation didn’t change that except for a few days that we were too crazy for us. I told them what happened and they were so happy for us. Part of me felt sad that Ross wasn’t here. I finished our conversation before I went back into our room. For some reason, I had no phone service inside our room. I always had to walk outside to make or receive a phone call.

As soon as Julia was done with her class I told them both the good news. I was soooooo excited! I exclaimed, “We are going to the Halloween party!” Julia looked at me and said, “Oh, OK.”

What? Did she not hear me? I proclaimed again. “WE ARE GOING TO THE HALLOWEEN PARTY!!” I looked at Hope and she replied with, “NO Halloween Party – just the regular Magic Kingdom.”

I was completely blown away. Have my children gone mad? Julia seemed unimpressed and Hope did not want to go!?!?

I announced we were going – like it or not! Not only that... but we were were going to have the BEST time EVER!!!!
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Does Hope have difficulty with changes in routine/schedule? We were told in our Autism parenting training that we should never ask DS if he wants to do this or that, because even if he really does want that, he will say no because he's uncomfortable with a change in the schedule. We should just tell him what we're going to do at what time. So it was recommended that we write out a schedule for everyone in the family for the whole week with all the activities, and what we're going to eat each night for dinner so that DS knows what's going to happen. So I'm wondering if that's maybe why Hope didn't want to go to the Halloween party? She doesn't know what to expect and was unprepared for that, so it makes her anxious? I hope you all had a good time though, once you were there!
 
Figment Forever

Figment Forever

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
slipperalwaysfits said:
Homecomin' sounds delicious! Disney is always so much fun but the balance of exploring/fun and taking a nap or turning in "early" can't be understated. Good job!:p
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Yes - exploring is so much fun!! That is why I love our non-park days!


Songbird76 said:
I'm here! Better late than never, right?
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Welcome!

Songbird76 said:
Do
Does Hope have difficulty with changes in routine/schedule? We were told in our Autism parenting training that we should never ask DS if he wants to do this or that, because even if he really does want that, he will say no because he's uncomfortable with a change in the schedule. We should just tell him what we're going to do at what time. So it was recommended that we write out a schedule for everyone in the family for the whole week with all the activities, and what we're going to eat each night for dinner so that DS knows what's going to happen. So I'm wondering if that's maybe why Hope didn't want to go to the Halloween party? She doesn't know what to expect and was unprepared for that, so it makes her anxious? I hope you all had a good time though, once you were there!
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Oh I have no doubt it was because the party was not something we were "supposed" to do. Schedules can be both a blessing and a curse for us. I use a "somewhat" schedule with her. When she was younger, I had her more on a schedule. But I found having a strict schedule makes it difficult for her to break out of it. So as soon as I see her find a routine, I change things up so she doesn't get caught in it. That's why I think she changed her mind as soon as we were in the park and having a good time. I have a few friends that have very strict schedules with their kiddos and then when they need to change things, it can be tough.

Jasmyn said:
I am finally all caught up! Glad to be here, even if I am, a little (or a lot!!) late.
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Thanks for following along!

joshsprincess921 said:
I am sooooo looking forward to Homecomin' on my trip and the meal you had was exactly what I plan to order. It looks amazing!!
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Enjoy! It was my favorite meal of the trip!

Disneyfreak Jen said:
Great review! I hope you’re all adjusting to life back st home. I’m 51 days out, but who’s counting?!😂
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Getting back to reality is so tough!! lol Have a great time on your trip!!!
 
Figment Forever

Figment Forever

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I know I'm behind in updating!! I hope to have another day posted soon.

As a side note... Jet Blue sent an e-mail for $31.00 flights on Halloween and Ross discovered that Orando was included. So he asked if I wanted to fly out with girls and spend the night at ASM and come home late the next day. He was astonished when I declined his offer. Have I gone mad turning down a whirlwind trip to Disney? He thinks so. The flights would have been free with our points and ASM was reasonanabe. I'm even pretty sure I could have easily talked him into a 2 night stay. But in the end, it just would have been too much. I'm still trying to regain a routine around here and the kids activities are in full swing. But then again, maybe I was nuts for turning that down!!
 
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krause

krause

Well-Known Member
Figment Forever said:
I know I'm behind in updating!! I hope to have another day posted soon.

As a side note... Jet Blue sent an e-mail for $31.00 flights on Halloween and Ross discovered that Orando was included. So he asked if I wanted to fly out with girls and spend the night at ASM and come home late the next day. He was astonished when I declined his offer. Have I gone mad turning down a whirlwind trip to Disney? He thinks so. The flights would have been free with our points and ASM was reasonanabe. I'm even pretty sure I could have easily take him into a 2 night stay. But in the end, it just would have been too much. I'm still trying to regain a routine around here and the kids activities are in full swing. But then again, maybe I was nuts for turning that down!!
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Yup. Crazy. :hilarious: We’re doing a last minute no-kids trip in November and I tried to talk my hubby into Disney but round trip flights not even direct $600 each. So I lost that battle 😭. We did $440 round trip on our last trip and that was a steal.
 
Rista1313

Rista1313

Well-Known Member
Figment Forever said:
I know I'm behind in updating!! I hope to have another day posted soon.

As a side note... Jet Blue sent an e-mail for $31.00 flights on Halloween and Ross discovered that Orando was included. So he asked if I wanted to fly out with girls and spend the night at ASM and come home late the next day. He was astonished when I declined his offer. Have I gone mad turning down a whirlwind trip to Disney? He thinks so. The flights would have been free with our points and ASM was reasonanabe. I'm even pretty sure I could have easily take him into a 2 night stay. But in the end, it just would have been too much. I'm still trying to regain a routine around here and the kids activities are in full swing. But then again, maybe I was nuts for turning that down!!
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Solo whirlwind trip!
 

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