Trip Report Our Almost One-Year Ago Fantastic Wilderness Lodge Disney Trip! (November 16-23, 2013)

Hi Everyone,

I'm fairly new to these boards but I love reading all the trip reports! I thought it may have been a bit late to post about our trip - it was almost a year ago! But I'm still going to post it because it was awesome.

Here are the cast of characters - Myself, DH, DS (10), DD (8)

 

[MickeyMom Caren]

Following along. Your kids are adorable! Sorry about the rain the first day, but happy to know that you still had a good time. It's horrible when something bad happens while on vacation. Did someone get sick? On our last trip my oldest daughter, who has cholinergic urticaria...allergy to heat, had one of her fainting spells. We had to spend a couple of days just staying at the resort in air conditioning.

Sorry to say you are RIGHT - someone got VERY sick on our trip... :-(

 

[MickeyMom Caren]

So remember I told you DS was feeling really tired as we were walking around World Showcase after dinner? I just figured we were only 30 or so hours into our trip and he was still getting over our lack of sleep from the early flight. Well I was wrong.

We had gone to sleep fairly early after our day at Epcot. DS woke up at 12:30 a.m. and violently threw up about 3 times. Got him back to bed, but he continued waking up about once every hour to vomit or dry heave, until about 5:30 a.m. Oh my God – NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is pretty much the sickest he has EVER been.

It was clear upon waking that there would be no way he could do the parks that day. On top of the vomiting, he had a fever and felt absolutely terrible. It DESTROYED me. I sent a Facebook status for prayer. The decision was for DH to stay with him - pretty much he slept the entire day when he wasn't being fed ice chips to stay hydrated. He could not even lift his head let alone get out of bed. My parents, sister, DD and I headed to Magic Kingdom. It was a sunny, beautiful day but my heart was with DS and there was a dark cloud without him. You're not supposed to get sick in Disney. This really stunk. But we had to keep our heads up for DD, we wanted her to enjoy herself even if DS wasn't able to.

Here are DD and I in front of the castle on this beautiful day!

 

[MickeyMom Caren]

We did all the rides we really loved – Space Mountain (My sister hadn’t been on it since our childhood trip in 1982!). It was awesome! DD was posing for the cameras on the ride and cracking us all up. She was very brave and just loved that ride!

We also did Splash Mountain and Thunder Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, and It’s a Small World. Speaking of small worlds, I ran into a 1st grader I knew from the school where I work in front of Thunder Mountain – crazy! I would end up seeing him a few days later AGAIN in line for Thunder Mountain – how insane is that!!!??? That just gives you an idea of how NOT BUSY it was that week! DD's faces on Space Mountain cracked me up!

We also did the Carousel of Progress which I had not ever done and really enjoyed! Old time Disney! I think DD was really bored, though. We then did the People Mover. We ate lunch at Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn – cheeseburgers and fries – it’s a counter service place similar to Pinocchio Haus – again very busy. Food was ok. We were starving and it hit the spot!

Here are some more pics from the day...

I loved all the Christmas decorations throughout the parks. Living in Connecticut it is such an odd feeling having warm weather in November yet I felt the Christmas spirit throughout the whole trip!

We ended up only staying at MK until about 3 p.m. We were worried about DS and wanted to get back to him, and give DD a chance to do some swimming. So we headed back to WL. Here are a few pics of swimming at WL!

My camera isn't the greatest - lol! I remember though while I was taking this picture they were playing Christmas carols at the pool - surreal!

DS was unable to get out of bed. We had a reservation at California Grill at 7:00 that night. No way would he and DH be able to make it. I was devastated. :-( The dinner was a celebration of my mom's 70th birthday. We got showered and dressed and headed over to the Contemporary (DD and I, along with my parents and sister). My poor husband had to get takeout from Roaring Fork and would not be able to eat at California Grill. I felt so bad for him and DS. It really put a damper on things.

We got to the Contemporary early and walked around a bit. This was the hotel I stayed in during my childhood trip to Disney when I was 11. So it was really neat for our family to come back 30 years later! We walked around a bit...

 

[MickeyMom Caren]

California Grill was awesome! I had a steak that was absolutely incredible! For dessert we got a cake for my mom but since I was on the meal plan I also got a dessert. I remember it well - it was an apple sampler which included a shot of Jack Daniels mixed with apple cider. It was DELICIOUS!!! We watched the fireworks from the rooftop which was amazing! I loved doing this ONCE but have to say... it's nothing like seeing them at MK in front of the castle!! The meal at CG was fantastic and we would definitely go back for another special occasion! Such a great night!!!

Here are some pics from the evening... the tree is the lobby tree at the Contemporary.

Back to WL - it was late! Fingers are crossed my boy is ok, or going to be ok soon. :-(

 

[MickeyMom Caren]

When we got back, DS had literally only gotten up once all day to use the bathroom. He was done throwing up but still had a fever. In fact, when we got back I took his temp and it was 103! He was sweating and it was almost as if he was having a febrile seizure. His fever was spiking at that point. We all went to bed. I did not sleep well because I was so worried about him. I was nervous about him getting dehydrated. At about 1 a.m. I decided to go out to the hallway to get some ice chips from the machine to give him a few. Well our room was in a back hallway (some of the rooms at WL when you open the doors you overlook the lobby), and when I walked down the hall to the ice machine I heard some commotion in the lobby. Without even giving it a second thought I walked around the corner to check out the lobby. I knew what was going on. I knew they were putting up the Christmas tree! So at 1 a.m. in my pajamas there I stood, looking over the railing as the lobby transformed before my eyes. The WL CHRISTMAS TREE WAS GOING UP! WREATHS WERE GOING UP! DECORATIONS COVERED THE ENTIRE LOBBY AND ALL THE HALLWAYS. I had to blink a few times. This was God's way of telling me DS was going to get better. That our trip was going to be great. This was my magic for the week - OH I LOVE DISNEY!!!

I wanted to take pictures of the literally hundreds of things going on that night, but I needed to get the ice chips to my boy! That is a great memory I will always have of my favorite place on earth. It was so cool to get a glimpse of how this magic is able to happen.

I could not wait to get up the next morning and check out the finished product... stay tuned!!!!!

 

[MickeyMom Caren]

OK I just can't wait to give you a sneak peek of what we woke up to the next morning, so here it is...

VOILA!

So this picture does NOT do it justice. But there ya go! THIS is why we can't stay anywhere else at Christmastime than WL.

 

[MickeyMom Caren]

TUESDAY, 11/19/13

DS woke up and was still not 100%. He had had a very high fever on Monday, all day. The night before, his fever broke and was 103 degrees. He woke up this morning with no fever, thankfully. However, he still felt incredibly weak and with little to no energy. He had not eaten anything at all the day before, he literally was just sucking ice chips.

We were supposed to go to Universal Studios today but made the decision to not go – we could not have gone without DS. DS was our Harry Potter fanatic and there would have been no way we could have denied him that experience. So DH agreed to stay back at the hotel with him for another day, and to try giving him Powerade from Roaring Fork (which someone on Facebook – a nurse friend – suggested we do, to keep the fluids going). We also thought we’d try giving him crackers (which I actually BROUGHT from home, so we were thankful for that). We also agreed he should shower at some point and sit outside on the balcony for fresh air, and that he should attempt to even go downstairs to the lobby at some point to allow the maid time to do room service.

DD and I got some breakfast at Roaring Fork – chocolate Danishes – yum!

We headed to Animal Kingdom with my parents and sister. I like Animal Kingdom but it’s not my favorite park, and I was really, REALLY sad to not have DS and DH with us. It felt wrong, somehow, but he was not ready for the parks today. We plugged along really to give DD a great experience at Animal Kingdom because she loves animals so much and after our last trip she said it was her favorite park!

First, we did It’s Tough to be a Bug, in 3D, which we all enjoyed! We then did the Safari – only a 20 minute wait, so no need for Fastpasses – woo hoo!!! The safari animals were a bit sleepy – definitely not as active as the last trip. We waited in our safari truck to see the giraffes –the trucks in front of us had stopped to watch them and they were REALLY close to their trucks – we waited forever to get up to them and by the time we did the giraffes had moved away. That was disappointing.

After the safari we walked along the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail and saw gorillas, a hippo taking a swim, and some birds.

I loved this lazy guy!

 

[MickeyMom Caren]

We were pretty hungry at this point – DD and I went to Pizzafari. The wait was long but the pizzas and desserts were really good. My parents and sister didn’t want pizza so they got different food and met us at Pizzafari.

We went to Kali River Rapids – we probably waited about 30 minutes to get on. We chatted with a family in line from a nearby town in CT! Kali River Rapids was just “ok” – no crazy hills or drops, and even though we had ponchos on our feet got soaked lol!

We headed over to Expedition Everest. My sister and I rode it – DD and my parents had no interest! There was no wait. What a crazy ride – I kept my eyes shut lol! I had done this ride the last time but didn’t remember how fast and crazy it was! Oh well! I really missed DS at that point because I knew he would have loved this ride – it was one of his favorites on the last trip.

Here are a few more pictures we took before heading back to WL. DD loves taking pictures and I think she got some great shots! I love how they decorate for Christmas, even at AK, the tree is beautiful!

We got some Mickey ice cream, then headed back to the hotel. DS looked a whole lot better at that point – he had gotten out of bed, sat on the balcony, took a walk to the lobby with DH to check out the tree, and snacked on crackers and Powerade. Thank God! We went to the pool – DD and DH swam while I sat with DS on the lounge chairs and just relaxed. Then I went into the hot tub. I also took a walk along the WL trail a bit and saw the beach and where they rent the bikes. My Dad took DS to the arcade because he really wasn't up for swimming and my Dad just wanted to treat him to a fun time.

We all went back upstairs, showered and changed, and DH took the kids to Roaring Fork for dinner along with my parents and sister. I was not hungry and my stomach was not feeling quite right. I was in denial at this point - kind of dreading the possibility of what I might be experiencing and hoping it was just my body's reaction to Expedition Everest. Yep. Denial.

Later on when they came back to the room, we were all talking about doing Universal Studios tomorrow. Really tomorrow was the last day we could go because my parents and my sister were flying home tomorrow evening and we had already purchased our tickets. But as we were talking I felt nauseas and needed to lay down. It was bedtime anyway, but I was definitely not feeling right. We watched TV a bit then lights out. I woke up at 3 a.m. That awful feeling when you know you’re going to be sick. I threw up, went back to bed and actually felt much better after getting sick. I thought maybe I’d be ok for Universal but laid in bed worrying about it for the rest of the night. Eventually I fell asleep….

Up next: AM I OK TO GO TO UNIVERSAL? Stay tuned...

 

[MickeyMom Caren]

Love reading about the lack of wait times! I'm going the same week you went last year, this year.

As for Mission Space, the accident happened before there was Green vs. Orange. A guest had a pre-existing heart condition and the forces on the ride caused cardiac arrest. That's why it's posted that you should not ride with a pre-existing condition.

Thanks for explaining this - good to know we can try the orange next trip. You're going to LOVE being there that week, seeing the Christmas decorations, and getting to go on rides without waiting. Have a GREAT trip!

 

[mouse_luv]

Following along. I love WL and your TR so far!

 

[MickeyMom Caren]

Following along. I love WL and your TR so far!

thank you so much!

 

[mrdrift]

Sorry to hear your son was sick during the trip. My heart goes out to your family. Glad that your daughter was still able to have some fun at the parks. Then you say you may be getting sick yourself. I truly hope it was a once time thing and you will be able to join the whole family at Universal. We will soon find out when you continue the report. Following along.

 

[MickeyMom Caren]

Sorry to hear your son was sick during the trip. My heart goes out to your family. Glad that your daughter was still able to have some fun at the parks. Then you say you may be getting sick yourself. I truly hope it was a once time thing and you will be able to join the whole family at Universal. We will soon find out when you continue the report. Following along.

Thank you for your kind words. I'm glad you're enjoying my trip report. There is a happy ending... eventually...

 

[MickeyMom Caren]

I know you're all wondering if I made it to Universal the next day..

WEDNESDAY, 11/20 – I woke up with the family, got up, and wondered about the course of my day. Well, I felt extremely weak. It was very clear to me that I would not be able to do Universal. No way. I was extremely upset because this would be our last day to do Universal – my parents and sister were leaving later today and this was our last chance. I was dying to see the Harry Potter stuff. It was my idea to go to Universal in the first place. However, I needed to stay back and let them go. DH initially thought we should all bale on going. But that made no sense at $93 a ticket. I was very upset. DD began to cry. I said goodbye and sent them on their way. I went back to sleep for 3 hours, which I really needed. The Do Not Disturb sign was up.

Here's a picture I took of the 3 of them before they left... (no way was I getting in the pic lol!)

Aren't they so cute? I got all of us those shirts (the iron ons) - our whole family had them. This was the last day we'd be with my parents and sister and I was going to miss it. :-(

It hurts me to talk about what I missed lol - but they had a great time at Universal. Here's a few pics that DH took.

As a parent, I was so happy to see DS feeling better. It didn't matter that I felt like crap. I just wanted him to be better and I think these pictures prove it.

 

[MickeyMom Caren]

The good news is, I ended up feeling much better by that evening! I'll post more in a few days - I have a lot going on tomorrow so may not be able to post again until Wednesday, but stayed tuned!

 

[Mom@disney]

I'm so sorry to hear that your son and you were so sick. Reading your post about how sick and weak he felt, made me feel so sad that you couldn't experience some days all together I hope to hear that the rest of your trip was spent healthy and happy. And how did your son enjoy Harry Potter?

 

[MickeyMom Caren]

I'm so sorry to hear that your son and you were so sick. Reading your post about how sick and weak he felt, made me feel so sad that you couldn't experience some days all together I hope to hear that the rest of your trip was spent healthy and happy. And how did your son enjoy Harry Potter?

You are so sweet - thank you! My son loved Harry Potter and was feeling so much better at that point! HOnestly I was sad to miss but all I wanted was for him to get better!

 

[MickeyMom Caren]

OK I'll do a quick post this morning to tell you about day/evening that I ended up with the stomach bug.

As a side note, I think the reason DS and I got sick (and not everyone else) is because he had had the croup the week before our trip, and I was just getting over a sinus infection (still on antibiotics). So I think our defenses were down and that's why we caught the bug. It was so strange no one else got it even though we were sharing desserts before this happened and sharing beds... crazy!

So that day, they left and I went back to sleep until 11 a.m. At that time I forced myself to sit up in bed even though I felt so weak. I wasn't throwing up any more, at least, but I felt very weak. I watched a little tv. Then gradually I got up and sat out on the balcony for a bit. Then I wanted the maids to come so I flipped the Do Not Disturb sign and called room service then left to go downstairs a bit. I sat in front of the tree for a while, then sat on the big balcony overlooking the pool. As I moved around I felt a lot better. I was drinking PowerAde and eating crackers, too. I did not get this bug like my son got it.

DH called around 4:30 and said they were coming back - my parents and sister had just left for their flights. We were supposed to go to dinner at Sci Fi drivein that night but since our Universal day was originally scheduled for the day before, and they were not going to be able to make it on time, I had the concierge at WL cancel the reservation due to illness so we weren't charged the fee.

Waiting for them to get back I thought I would actually be ok enough to go to a park for dinner (we were just going to be too late for Sci Fi). DS loves Hollywood Studios - it's his favorite park. And since they were getting back around dinner time and would be hungry, I thought I could muster the energy to go with them. Eating anything would be a completely differerent story lol.

Well they got back and we headed to HS. They were starving, so we went up to Hollywood and Vine to see if they had any tables free since we didn't have a reservation. Amazingly, they did! They were the NICEST Cast Members when I told them I wouldn't be eating. They sat us at a nice booth, and I loved that there was a buffet so my family could eat right away. That was a magical moment right there.

We finished up, and DS was anxious to go on Star Tours. We were only going to do a few rides (just DS and DH) bc we were planning to head back to HS another day. So they went to Star Tours and DD and I went to the Osborne Family Lights, which is one of my very favorite things at Disney at Christmastime!

We were looking around and I was just marveling at how much better I was feeling. An older gentleman CM came up to us and suggested we look for something special - I guess the Osborne family mistakenly donated a Halloween light mixed into the Chrismtas lights - he told us to go look for it and pointed the way. We found a little tree with a lit up Halloween cat in it. That man was so sweet and I LOVE DISNEY AND HOW IT MAKES ME FEEL! I needed that magic right at that moment. Here are some pics from our evening. We left soon after for me to rest up for the next day. Thank God the sickness seemed to be at bay and NO ONE ELSE GOT SICK LOL!!!

 

[Mom@disney]

You are so sweet - thank you! My son loved Harry Potter and was feeling so much better at that point! HOnestly I was sad to miss but all I wanted was for him to get better!

That's how mothers are...we just hope to have our children happy and healthy always!

 

[Mom@disney]

So glad to hear that you turned around quickly. And that no one else got sick. Btw, I really like the matching shirts