Trip Report "BROOM BROOM!" A trip from a DIFFERENT perspective

Introduction

WARNING: The first three posts will be very text-heavy. I promise there will be many photos after that!

We just got back from another wonderful trip! We attended the Flower and Garden Festival, enjoyed much food and beverage, celebrated a birthday, visited family, and had a fabulous time! This trip was different from all previous trips for one significant reason, which will be revealed later.

WHO: Bee (me) and M (my DW)...and surprise guests
WHERE: The WDW Swan, with a quick trip to visit M's parents in Jacksonville
WHEN: May 22-27, 2018
WHY: To celebrate M's birthday, to enjoy one last trip before our APs expire, and...because we wanted to go!

The original version of this trip was to occur in July to take advantage of M having PTO for July 4. It was all booked and ready to go, and we were able to use points for half of the flights and a third of the hotel nights. However, I got offered an ensemble role in The Hunchback of Notre Dame in New Jersey in July shortly after we booked the original trip, so we had to adjust our plans.

And here is the PTR link: One La-ast Ti-ime (Another Swolphin Sandwich!) (This time with POINTS!)

To be continued

 

[bee]

Introduction, cont.

It was a Sunday when I accepted the Hunchback job, and we quickly rebooked everything and scheduled the trip for May.

On Monday, my whole life changed. I was teaching a voice lesson at the performing arts school where I work, when a huge fire broke out in the building. Another teacher and I had to get seven students, and ourselves, out of the burning building. The fire was so large and spread so quickly, that by the time we reached the outdoor stairs to exit, the stairs were on fire. Our only option was to jump off of a second story balcony onto the pavement below. Luckily everyone escaped, and no one sustained any life-threatening injuries. However, the other teacher injured her ankle and I injured my abdomen, among a few smaller things. I spent two nights in the hospital and I was in so much pain at first I could not even sit up. My sweet M stayed with me the entire first night in the hospital and spoon-fed me Jello (the first food I was allowed to eat) as I was too weak to even feed myself.

As time has gone on I have been steadily recovering; however it was quite a fall and injuries like this take time to heal. I cancelled all work for two weeks and have only done limited work in the weeks since then. I've been gradually regaining mobility; I went from needing a wheelchair to being able to take a few steps at a time with a walker to only needing a cane most of the time.

Immediately after the incident my number one priority was, of course, to recover. The thought of Disney barely crossed my mind. But as time went on and we got closer to the trip, I had to face that I would not be able to walk as much and as fast as I usually can, and long days of walking in the Florida heat and humidity were out of the question. At one point I was ready to cancel the whole thing, but M assured me that it would be okay and we could still have a great time by taking things at a leisurely pace.

To be continued

 

[LadyBelle]

My goodness, how scary. So glad everyone made it out safely and you are recovering.

 

[bee]

Introduction, cont.

We thought about renting a wheelchair, but we didn't want M to be exhausted from pushing me everywhere. I knew there was no way I could walk long distances or stand on line for more than 5-10 minutes without a break to sit, so we came to the eventual conclusion that the best solution was to rent a scooter.

I was hesitant for multiple reasons. We've all witnessed or experienced bad scooter/EVC behavior (going too fast and running into someone, running over someone's foot, riding 2-3 abreast and blocking the flow of traffic, letting kids operate the scooter, etc.). Of course I was afraid of being judged as someone who is young and looks healthy. I was also afraid the vehicle might be difficult to operate, or the parks might be difficult to navigate. But I sucked it up and went ahead and booked a scooter from ScooterBug for each of the Disney parts of the trip.

With the scooter reserved, I could finally get excited for the trip, though of course I still had doubts in the back of my mind.

If you've made it through three text-only posts, thanks for bearing with me while I set up the situation! After this there will be LOTS of photos (seriously, I took almost 1000 in just six days) of food, drinks, flowers, animals, and everything else we saw and did!

Up next: Day 1

 

[KatieLVT]

Oh my gosh!! What a horrible and scary situation for you to be in! You are a true hero, you sacrificed yourself for those students and made sure everyone got out alive. So glad you are still with us and looking forward to your trip report!!

 

[bee]

Day 1: Tuesday, May 22

Our flight was scheduled for 8:35am, so we got up a little before 6:00 to get dressed, pack a few last minute things, and head to the airport. We called a Lyft and soon we arrived at Newark Liberty. We already had our boarding passes printed and we weren't checking any bags so all we had to do was notify a Southwest employee that I would need wheelchair assistance. Very shortly someone came to escort me through security. TSA always takes FOREEEEEEEEEVER at EWR; it took extra long today because of the wheelchair and because I had a large medical liquid container from the doctor's office that required extra screening. But finally we made it through to a very crowded terminal. It was so crowded that my wheelchair escort had to ask someone to move their bags off of a chair so that M could sit near the pre-boarding area next to me.

Although it was early, I could already see our room number in the SPG app:

Here's where things started to get a little "Topsy Turvy" (hey @dizfan917 ). Usually I am the one to order things while M saves us a seat or table. Obviously that wasn't possible on this trip and the roles were reserved. So I waited with our bags while M endured the hellish line at the only "quick" service restaurant in the Southwest part of the airport, Boar's Head.

Iced coffee

Egg and cheese croissant

Everything was pretty good despite the horrible wait. We didn't have to wait long after finishing our breakfast for boarding to begin. Since I was in a wheelchair we were part of pre-boarding before the A group. An airport employee wheeled me down the jet bridge right to the door of the plane, and from there I used my cane to get to my seat. We sat near the back, thinking it would be better in case I needed to use the bathroom. Would this turn out to be a wise decision?? You'll have to wait and see!

We departed close to on time and enjoyed the views from the plane.

On the plane I studied an opera role I'll be performing in August.

We also watched some in-flight entertainment on my phone and the journey passed quickly. Soon we could see Florida out the window.

Up next: Will we ever get off the plane and out of the airport???

 

[bee]

Day 1, cont.

As I mentioned before we sat near the back row, thinking we could just take our time getting off after the mad rush to exit. Then a FA announced that the disability assistants were all leaving and taking away the wheelchairs! The FA instructed anyone who needed a wheelchair to raise their hand, but of course we were in the back so they couldn't see us. Then the FA said we could press the call button if we needed a wheelchair, so we avoided the crisis. But we decided we would sit in the front of the plane for the flight home!

A really nice airport employee named Kyle wheeled me all the way from the gate to the passenger pickup area. Soon we were calling a Lyft and then we were on our way to the World! Franco was our driver and we had a great experience with him.

I always wonder what it would be like to stay at the Gaylord Palms...

A welcome sight!

Construction...

A peek at Galaxy's Edge...

More construction...

WE'RE HERE!!!

Up next: Check-in, bad behavior, and my first time on a scooter!

 

[AKemily]

Glad you’re doing okay! Sounds like a really scary experience for you and M and everyone involved! It’s so great that no one was very seriously injured.

As always, I’m looking forward to your report!!

 

[Zipadeelady]

So ready to read your report!!!

And what is that circle of bushes?!!

 

[Tuvalu]

Gaylord Palms is HUGE. Ridiculously HUGE. Like small city HUGE.

It was a one-and-done for us.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Too bad you are home but on the plus side we get to read about your adventures! I hope you had a fantastic time, you certainly deserve it.

 

[LisaBelle]

Wow! As a teacher, a fire at school is one of my worst nightmares. You and the other teacher truly are heroes for getting everyone to safety. I am so sorry to hear about your injuries and am glad to hear that you are healing.
Looking forward to reading about your trip. You definitely needed the Disney Magic!

 

[LadyBelle]

Gaylord Palms is HUGE. Ridiculously HUGE. Like small city HUGE.

It was a one-and-done for us.

I’ve stayed at the Gaylord in National Harbor, Opryland, and in TX for our annual software conference. Huge doesn’t begin to cover it.

 

[Swissmiss]

Now I understand why you said in your PTR that you weren't ready to talk about the fire - that must have taken some time to process! Can't wait to read about the details of your trip and to see the pictures (and if a picture is worth a thousand words your pictures will be worth a million! )

 

[Kiwiduck]

Wow, that sounds so scary. I'm glad you all made it out allright and that you are recovering well enough to head to Disney!

 

[MinnieM123]

So glad you arrived at WDW! What a nice break for you, after the school fire. Happy to hear that you rented a scooter, as is would have been more difficult for someone else to push you around in a wheelchair. There's a lot of miles in those parks.

Love the photos you took from your airplane window--so much fun when you get close to the airport and can see everything. Anticipation builds . . .

Also glad you brought up the Gaylord Palms, as I've been curious about that place for years. Finally read (above) that two people had experiences there and offered comments. I think the only thing that stopped me from trying it was that it was a distance from the parks, and would have meant I'd have to either rent a car (no way!!), or get taxis to and from. Just not worth it for me, when I can stay on Disney property and have access to all the buses, etc.

 

[Gurt]

The fire must have been so scary I am glad you are on the mend.

 

[mlegerto]

WOW...that sounds terrifying. Sad to hear that you were injured, but sounds like it could have been a whole lot worse. I am glad you are in the process of healing and so happy for you that you were STILL were able to make it to Disney.

Following along...can't wait to hear about your "special trip"!

 

[dclfan]

Oh no!!!! I’m so sorry to hear about that incident but glad to hear you are on the mend and were well enough to get down to Disney World. You are officially a real life superhero.

 

[bee]

My goodness, how scary. So glad everyone made it out safely and you are recovering.

Thank you!

Oh my gosh!! What a horrible and scary situation for you to be in! You are a true hero, you sacrificed yourself for those students and made sure everyone got out alive. So glad you are still with us and looking forward to your trip report!!

Thank you, that is very kind. I'm just glad we could get the kids out!

Glad you’re doing okay! Sounds like a really scary experience for you and M and everyone involved! It’s so great that no one was very seriously injured.

As always, I’m looking forward to your report!!

Thank you! In the moment it was happening so fast there was no time to be scared--which is good because if I had been thinking about what I was doing instead of just GOING, I probably would have psyched myself out and been too scared to jump!

So ready to read your report!!!

And what is that circle of bushes?!!

Welcome! I don't know, but I definitely want to know!

Gaylord Palms is HUGE. Ridiculously HUGE. Like small city HUGE.

It was a one-and-done for us.

Good to know! Of course @Tuvalu would know!

Too bad you are home but on the plus side we get to read about your adventures! I hope you had a fantastic time, you certainly deserve it.

Thank you! We DID have a fantastic time!

Wow! As a teacher, a fire at school is one of my worst nightmares. You and the other teacher truly are heroes for getting everyone to safety. I am so sorry to hear about your injuries and am glad to hear that you are healing.
Looking forward to reading about your trip. You definitely needed the Disney Magic!

Thank you. I can't imagine being a school teacher and having that fear. Once was enough for me!! And yes, the Disney Magic came at just the time when it was most needed!

I’ve stayed at the Gaylord in National Harbor, Opryland, and in TX for our annual software conference. Huge doesn’t begin to cover it.

Ah, so huge is their "thing." Thanks for the info!

Now I understand why you said in your PTR that you weren't ready to talk about the fire - that must have taken some time to process! Can't wait to read about the details of your trip and to see the pictures (and if a picture is worth a thousand words your pictures will be worth a million! )

It's definitely been a process to process (ha) and it definitely helps things that I'm feeling better physically! Welcome!

Wow, that sounds so scary. I'm glad you all made it out allright and that you are recovering well enough to head to Disney!

Thank you!

So glad you arrived at WDW! What a nice break for you, after the school fire. Happy to hear that you rented a scooter, as is would have been more difficult for someone else to push you around in a wheelchair. There's a lot of miles in those parks.

Love the photos you took from your airplane window--so much fun when you get close to the airport and can see everything. Anticipation builds . . .

Also glad you brought up the Gaylord Palms, as I've been curious about that place for years. Finally read (above) that two people had experiences there and offered comments. I think the only thing that stopped me from trying it was that it was a distance from the parks, and would have meant I'd have to either rent a car (no way!!), or get taxis to and from. Just not worth it for me, when I can stay on Disney property and have access to all the buses, etc.

Thank you! I agree about staying onsite. We always fly since we don't have a car, so of course driving and staying offsite is out of the question. We occasionally do the math of rental car/Lyft+offsite hotel vs. just onsite hotel, and usually end up saving money by staying onsite. Not to mention the time saved when going back and forth, and the immeasurable value of being "in the bubble!"

The fire must have been so scary I am glad you are on the mend.

Thank you!

WOW...that sounds terrifying. Sad to hear that you were injured, but sounds like it could have been a whole lot worse. I am glad you are in the process of healing and so happy for you that you were STILL were able to make it to Disney.

Following along...can't wait to hear about your "special trip"!

Thank you! You're right, it could have been so much worse in so many ways. I didn't break any bones, damage any organs, or get burned even a little bit. Every doctor and nurse has been like "how are you not hurt worse?" haha. Welcome!

Oh no!!!! I’m so sorry to hear about that incident but glad to hear you are on the mend and were well enough to get down to Disney World. You are officially a real life superhero.

Thank you! I would like my superhero name to be SuperBee, and my super suit will have wings so I can more easily help other escape fires and other disasters!