Trip Report Honey, I Blew Up The Magic Band (Completed!!)

Hi Everyone!

Welcome to my September 2014 trip report. I know I’m starting it a little late – but life has been so crazy and hectic since we have returned, there doesn’t seem like any time to just sit and write.

You can check out my pre-trip report here:

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/our-almost-totally-free-trip-to-dsney.888659/

I didn’t finish it – so it ends rather abruptly.


You can also read last year’s trip report here:

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/completed-this-is-autism-when-you-add-a-little-pixie-dust.873100/


Just to remind you who we are:

Me – Mary, aka “mom”. I am a teacher turned homeschool mom, advocate and blogger.

Ross, the daddy, aka “Grumpy”. He is the character who works non-stop all year to make this trip possible for us.

Julia, aka “sissy”, our oldest daughter who is 12. This will be her last trip with us before she turns into a… I hate the word… teenager! She LOVES Disney as much as I do and I pray that she always does.

Hope, aka “the Hopester”, (a nickname she somehow adopted when riding Spaceship Earth last year). She is my youngest daughter, 5 ½, diagnosed with severe Autism and Sensory Integration Disorder

Many people look at me like I’m crazy when I tell them we are taking Hope to WDW. But it’s like 10 days of intense therapy for her. It challenges her so much while presenting her with the greatest incentive and rewards. We sacrifice the whole year to make this trip possible and it is so worth it.


Hope’s WDW goals for this trip:

Ride Splash Mountain and like it.
Ride 7 Dwarfs Mine Train.
Ride the Monorail without a meltdown.
Sit in booster seats rather than a highchair.
Tell me what she wants to eat rather than me just deciding for her.
Sit in a theater seat rather than her stroller during a show.

Julia's goal: Skate at Hollywood Studios

My goal: Eat at Columbla Harbour House!

Ross' goal: Eat at the Food & Wine Festival

Will we all meet our goals? You'll have to read to find out!

Everybody ready?

Off we go…

 

[Figment Forever]

It was time to head to Play N Dine for our 1:00Pm lunch ADRs.


Now last year, we had a HUGE meltdown here because there was such a wait and Hope just wanted to see her “friends”. We were praying that the wait after check in wouldn’t be too long. We also took the time to prepare her that we had to “wait in line” so they could set the restaurant up. We were also a little nervous because there would be no OSO – one of her favorites.


I guess 2 out of 3 isn’t too bad.



She did great waiting! She didn’t seem to miss OSO. But the wait after check in was terrible. Probably at least a half hour – 40 minutes.

But in the end it was worth it…

We all really like the food here too, although, I remember not liking breakfast as much as the lunch. I’m not saying I would eat here if not for the characters, but as far as a buffet goes – we don’t mind it at all.


I attempted some “amateur” food pictures. Which of course, annoyed Ross a little bit. By this time, he realized I wasn’t joking and that I really was going to be taking pictures of food.

 

[Figment Forever]

I tried to get a good picture in front of this sign – but to no avail. Little miss was ready to get back into the park and wanted no part of posing for mommy.

Oh well...

It was Julia’s turn and she was so excited to do the ice skating. It was a really cool place! (No pun intended.)

Sadly, her bubble would burst. When they handed her the rental skates, she realized they were hockey skates. Apparently, figure skates and hockey skates are 2 different animals. She says her coach doesn’t even want her to skate in hockey skates. I felt so bad for her, but I encouraged her to give it a go. We weren’t sure if this was going to be a permanent part of HS so I thought she should try it. She did!

We never did make it into the gift shop portion of Frozenland but oh well.

 

[ItlngrlBella]

Wow! What a great trip! So happy to see how the magic of Disney breaks through your daughters autism. God bless!

 

[Figment Forever]

We returned to Disney Jr. and we had a super cool moment. We always sit in the back of the theater and Hope always stays in her stroller. This year I noticed how interactive Hope was throughout the show. So at the end when the kids all get up and dance I suggested to Ross that we should encourage Hope to get up. I think we were both nervous, but you can see from the video clip, Ross was NOT giving her an inch to bolt from us. She did great – a tear dripping moment.





We also did TSMM one more time.

Hope even hit some targets!!!

Next was Star Tours – which Hope LOVED last year but not so much this year!

We managed to see the Muppets and then made a mad dash to see the Frozen Sing Along. We seemed to have a heck of a time trying to find where the tickets were being handed out. But alas, we got there just in time to grab some tickets and then walk right into the 6:00PM show.

We all enjoyed the show so much! It was much better than what I had thought it would be. Maybe it was because we have not experienced Frozen “overkill” in our household.

 

[FlaggNL]

thanks for sharing!!

 

[Figment Forever]

We wanted to grab some dinner before Fantasmic! so we walked to Pizza Planet. Julia was disappointed to find out it was closed already. We decided just to start walking and see what we would run into.

We found a place to eat – but how funny is this? I have no idea where we were! I thought it was Fairfax Fare, but I’m not sure – maybe Catalina Eddie’s? Anyway, we ordered some chicken nuggets, pizza and a salad – and of course the Olaf cupcake which was unbelievably YUMMY.

We would also have another “Hope – Disney Magic moment”. Hope doesn’t always show a lot of emotion – especially about being sad. So as we began to consume our Olaf cupcakes, she started getting upset. Then it hit me – maybe she didn’t want us to eat Olaf! I had to test out my theory so I told daddy to bite his head off.

He obliged…





And she got upset!

I was so excited. I couldn’t believe she had that kind of connection – it was pretty cool.


I have never seen Fantasmic so crowed – it was standing room only. We got settled in the “witch” section and Hope motioned she wanted to sit next to Julia. So we sat her next to sissy.

The show was amazing! Last year, the boats were not in the show – so it was great to see them back. Much better than the characters waving ribbons!

It was a packed, sun shined, fun filled day at the Studios!

 

[Figment Forever]

When we reached “home”, Mousekeeping had some fun with Hope’s figures.

Julia decided to go for a swim while Ross tucked in Hope. I walked with Julia and threw in some laundry while Julia swam.

As I was tossing clothes into the machine, a couple who didn’t really speak very good English started to ask me questions. They looked really confused and I’m pretty sure they were speaking French – but I had no idea what they were saying. It took a bit – but I finally figured out that they didn’t know how to pay. I tried to explain in very slow English but I don’t think it was working. So the man just handed me his credit card! So I set up 2 machines for him and just visually walked him through it. They were very sweet and I’m pretty sure they were saying “thank you” as I left.


Time for sleep. The princesses were expecting us for an early breakfast in Norway.

 

[Figment Forever]

Wow! What a great trip! So happy to see how the magic of Disney breaks through your daughters autism. God bless!

Thanks for reading!

 

[Figment Forever]

thanks for sharing!!

Thanks for reading!!

 

[Figment Forever]

What an awesome first day at Magic Kingdom. The Harbor house lobster roll is on my to do list and I can't wait to try it. Looks like everyone is having a fantastic time and really enjoying the rides. So happy to hear that Hope is having a great time. Following along.

Thanks for reading along!

 

[Figment Forever]

You've left us hanging! More please....

Thanks for reading along!

 

[Figment Forever]

What a great trip report! We also have a son on the spectrum and he has sensory integration issues As well. Now he's a teen but he was 7 during our last trip to Disney. When he was younger keeping a routine was our saving grace!

Thanks for following along!

 

[Figment Forever]

Great trip report I hope to see more soon!

Thank you!!

 

[Figment Forever]

Great report so far....we plan on going this September...same week as you...how were the crowds?

I thought this year it was the most crowded we've ever seen it. I think maybe because the Food & Wine Festival was starting while we were there. Usually, it begins after we leave. However, it's still September and not the summer or holiday season - so I would never complain. I can't imagine going during a busy time of year.

 

[Tuvalu]

The video clip of Hope dancing brought tears to my eyes. I am so sorry about your difficult recent months. (Olaf hugs to all of you!) Thanks for not giving up on us WDWMagic-ers who want to enjoy reading about the rest of your vacation.

 

[mrdrift]

I'm so sorry to hear of the family loss, my prayers are with you and your family. I was glad to hear the battle for Hope came back positive for the family. Keep you husbands head up I'm sure a job will be found soon. The family day at Hollywood Studious turned out fantastic. I really loved the dancing Hope video made my whole family get very emotional. Following along.

 

[jlthomas81]

I cannot wait to read more about your trip!! Our ASD kiddo just turned 6 and we will be headed to the World in May. Last time he was there he was 3, and I too plan to have him set some lofty goals....Splash Mountain being one of them!! We have been watching YouTube videos of the rides as he is not so much concerned about the routine but anxious about the uncertainty, and I think it is helping! So happy for Hope's accomplishments during this trip

 

[dukeaboy]

I thought this year it was the most crowded we've ever seen it. I think maybe because the Food & Wine Festival was starting while we were there. Usually, it begins after we leave. However, it's still September and not the summer or holiday season - so I would never complain. I can't imagine going during a busy time of year.

Thanks for the reply...the food and wine is starting after we leave so there really isnt much going on...im hoping that means low crowds...dont have kids so me and the wife always try to pick a slow time of year....hope things get better for you....

 

[SeaweedCupcake]

So excited you started your trip report! Hope is so adorable and I love reading how much she accomplished so far this trip. Disney Magic! My ASD brother always does amazing things there too. Following along!

 

[Mickey81]

Wow, what a wonderful trip. Sounds like you had a fantastic time. Glad to see all of you had such a great experience. Thank you for sharing, looking forward to seeing more.