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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Figment Forever

Figment Forever

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
We watched Mickey’s Philharmagic…

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...and then we decided to get a spot for HEA. We found a spot in the disability section and relaxed for a bit while we waited. We were a little concerned that it would be canceled since the weather was looking bad. A storm was definitely coming. Hope was so excited to see it. She loves this show.

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As we waited, the area was getting crowded. A mom walked up to where we were and asked if she could get her son’s stroller/wheelchair next to Hope. We and the family next to us squished a little closer together and soon there was room. That’s when we recognized the family as a family that rode Soarin with us the day before. The little boy was hysterical! It was his first time riding Soarin and he was blown away by everything. He kept saying things like, “WOW look the Taj Mahal!” and “Mom – LOOK There’s our home!” (Austrailia)

I think normally, Ross and I would get annoyed by a kid yelling through the show, but he was so darn cute, and just mesmerized by the whole thing – it was adorable. As soon as we saw him, we started talking to the whole family. He was trying to strike up a conversation with Hope, but settled on chatting with Julia. It was really nice to be chatting with new friends and it made the time go by faster – even when we heard the dreaded announcement that the show would be delayed. Luckily, a few minutes after that announcement, the show began.

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Figment Forever

Figment Forever

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Then, we split up. I told Julia that she could play SOTMK, so Ross and Hope went to see Arial and Julia and I went off towards Liberty Square.

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Then it was time to say our goodnight to MK. We left and joined the masses waiting for a bus. Let me just say, I loved POP – but I hated that it was the next to last bus stop at every park!

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Figment Forever

Figment Forever

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Rista1313 said:
That float looks so good! I love lime flavored anything!

Where is the disability section?
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It's so funny, because Julia insisted she did not like the flavor of lime - until that float! :hilarious:

We were told there were 2 areas. One was in front of the train station and the other is behind the garden area. It's where that fountain in our picture is. That's all I can remember. lol
 
joshsprincess921

joshsprincess921

Well-Known Member
Figment Forever said:
Of course, this past year in Disney, I threw that all out the window and she had her i-pod all the time at meals. I paid the price for a few weeks after until things got back to normal. It is a LONG & TOUGH process, but so worth it!
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I feel you on this! We are the same way and do not allow screens at the dinner table. Normally, my son is very well behaved when we go out to eat and we have good family conversations, but there was times in Disney where he was just straight up tired and cranky and things were going downhill really fast so I threw in the towel and let him watch my phone. I did what I had to do to have a nice meal on vacation! But upon returning home, he did think the rules had changed and was now allowed to watch the phone when he wanted! :hilarious: But agreed, so worth it!
 
bee

bee

Well-Known Member
Figment Forever said:
On the drive, I overheard the conversation of two women who were standing in front of me. The one woman was bragging to her friend how she was sick but still “powering through”. She was coughing constantly and said how her throat was sore and she figured she was running a fever. She went on to say how her family visited Great Wolf Lodge a few months earlier and again, she was sick and boasted how even though she had a fever, managed to do all the water slides with her kids. She said that when she returned home, it turned out she had strep.

I have to say, I’m a little precautious these days. I carry thieves’ oil and make sure we wash our hands good and I even carry hand sanitizer. On the trip out, I had the girls and I wear masks on the plane since I hear that a plane ride can fester germs. But truth be told, I think we needed the masks on the Disney busses more than the plane! The day before, Julia was sitting next to a woman who was coughing non-stop right in Julia’s direction without even covering her mouth. And now, this woman a few feet away, I don’t know, I felt like bathing in antibacterial lotion.
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UGH! That is SO rude and inconsiderate, especially of those with weakened immune systems for whatever reason!!
 
Songbird76

Songbird76

Well-Known Member
Figment Forever said:
Yes - it's so yummy!!



Yes - she is good with her stroller especially when she's tired. I gave her her i-pod and she napped a bit and I think she had ice cream in France. I'm hoping for the day we will not need it anymore. As far as dinner in restaurants... We were blessed with a therapist early on in our journey that taught us so much. One thing that she stressed was mealtime and the importance of eating as a family. It was just as important for me because we always try to sit for at least dinner together everyday. So early on, she taught us how to teach Hope. She warned us never to order food for her first because by the time our food came, she would be done and restless. So the rule was that, "We all eat together." We practiced ALOT! lol There were countless meltdowns at our dinner table. But that was good - because it was her training ground. I'd rather her have her meltdowns at home than public. And boy - did she have some doozies! In the beginning she was allowed to have her i-pod or crayons and coloring before her meal came and then after she ate. It was a long process and every time she mastered something, we made it a little more challenging. When we started, just having her at the table during our meal was a HUGE accomplishment. Today, she sits without needing anything - except if we are out and a restaurant gives her an activity sheet and then she eats with all of us. We are teaching her to order her meals when we go out. After she is done, she can go back to her activity, or if we if I know we will be a while, I let her play my phone. But I really try to limit screens at the table when we are out. At home there are NO screens allowed at the table. Of course, this past year in Disney, I threw that all out the window and she had her i-pod all the time at meals. I paid the price for a few weeks after until things got back to normal. It is a LONG & TOUGH process, but so worth it!
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That's so great that that works for her!! Our trainer told us that requiring DS to sit still is not a realistic expectation for him, and encouraged us to have something for him to do at the table when he's done eating. She also encouraged us to eat as a family because she said so many people don't have much family time and that's very important, and she's been working with us on ways to get him away from the screens, like playing board games, or having him cook with us, or going out for a walk...anything that combines family time with non-screen fun. It's been fantastic for him, but he still needs to be entertained once he's done eating. Non-scheduled time is difficult.
 
Songbird76

Songbird76

Well-Known Member
Figment Forever said:
Day 14: Wednesday September 19th

As the days went on, it became harder for Ross and the girls to wake up early. I am the early person in our family – on vacation and home. But today, they had to move because we had a breakfast ADR with my favorite bear.

I started the day doing some laundry. I didn’t want to travel home with all dirty clothes, so I washed it up and started to pack what I knew we would not use again.

We made it out to the busses around 9:00. The line for MK went all the way back to the HS line! It was absolutely insane. We waited probably a half hour to get on a bus and then were on our way. We were on a double bus and it was PACKED.

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On the drive, I overheard the conversation of two women who were standing in front of me. The one woman was bragging to her friend how she was sick but still “powering through”. She was coughing constantly and said how her throat was sore and she figured she was running a fever. She went on to say how her family visited Great Wolf Lodge a few months earlier and again, she was sick and boasted how even though she had a fever, managed to do all the water slides with her kids. She said that when she returned home, it turned out she had strep.

I have to say, I’m a little precautious these days. I carry thieves’ oil and make sure we wash our hands good and I even carry hand sanitizer. On the trip out, I had the girls and I wear masks on the plane since I hear that a plane ride can fester germs. But truth be told, I think we needed the masks on the Disney busses more than the plane! The day before, Julia was sitting next to a woman who was coughing non-stop right in Julia’s direction without even covering her mouth. And now, this woman a few feet away, I don’t know, I felt like bathing in antibacterial lotion.

Once we arrived at MK, we went straight for Crystal Palace.

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Ugh, that drives me nuts....what is there to brag about in infecting hundreds of unsuspecting people because you are sick and don't want to miss out? How is that a positive thing? You are miserable and probably passing it on to dozens of others. Share the love, not the germs, people!!

I don't know why, but those donuts look so good!!
 
Figment Forever

Figment Forever

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
fractal said:
That last photo of Hope and Ariel is frame worthy!

Thanks @fractal ! I do have it "waiting" for a frame. I'm so bad - my pictures usually live on my computer or in a stack waiting to be framed or scrapbooked!

Sick lady should have stayed in her room or get to a Doctor.
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Yes - I agree!


Katiekitten said:
Those photos of Hope are Ariel are so cute, I agree with @fractal the last one is definitely frame worthy!
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Thank you!!!
 
Figment Forever

Figment Forever

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Songbird76 said:
That's so great that that works for her!! Our trainer told us that requiring DS to sit still is not a realistic expectation for him, and encouraged us to have something for him to do at the table when he's done eating. She also encouraged us to eat as a family because she said so many people don't have much family time and that's very important, and she's been working with us on ways to get him away from the screens, like playing board games, or having him cook with us, or going out for a walk...anything that combines family time with non-screen fun. It's been fantastic for him, but he still needs to be entertained once he's done eating. Non-scheduled time is difficult.
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It sounds like you have a good plan in action. It's definitely about baby steps!

Songbird76 said:
Ugh, that drives me nuts....what is there to brag about in infecting hundreds of unsuspecting people because you are sick and don't want to miss out? How is that a positive thing? You are miserable and probably passing it on to dozens of others. Share the love, not the germs, people!!

Yep - I agree. It was crazy how many people "shared" their germs on the busses.

I don't know why, but those donuts look so good!!
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They were!!! and... gluten free!
 
Figment Forever

Figment Forever

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
ajrwdwgirl said:
Any news on that contest Hope entered? Wasn't it to be an ambassador of a park near your house? That video she did was great, just wondering if she won.
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Jasmyn said:
Oh man i must have missed that update too!!
Thats such a shame.
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Yes - like @Rista1313 said, she was not chosen. :( It was to be a Legoland NY kid reporter. Legoland is opening up a theme park about 10 minutes from our home. She was very disappointed to lose, but it was a great experience. It really was the first time she showed us that she was "disappointed". It's not a common emotion for her - so that was our silver lining. We are excited for Legoland, but having sticker shock at the prices of annual passes.
 

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