Trip Report Pomp & Circumstance… Sunshine & Shadows… A Different Kind of Disney Trip (Completed)

Hello my friends! I know. I know. I have gone MIA AGAIN with an unfinished TR from September, and as @fractal pointed out, I do owe you not 1 ½ , but 2 ½ TR’s!

And now it is soon to 3 ½ …

I know I should pick up where I left off and not skip ahead, but writing has always been therapeutic for me and the last several months have been surreal. I’m thinking maybe if I write about it, maybe I will feel a little better.

This past December, my folks came to stay with us for the holidays.

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Right after Christmas, my mom decided that she did not want to go back to my brother’s house in NJ. She decided she wanted to stay with us in NY. I think she sensed something and wanted to be close to the area she and my dad were born and raised. Since January, my dad has spent 5 weeks in and out of the hospital. Finally, he said no more trips to the hospital. He made me promise him, so we called Hospice. Sadly, my daddy passed away last week.


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He was at home with all of us around him. He missed his 90th birthday by just a week. I guess he knew Heaven would give him a grander party. I miss him. I don’t think I’ve really accepted it yet. It just doesn’t seem real.

This is us on my wedding day…

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So that’s the shadows I feel around me.

The sunshine? Well that goes with the pomp & circumstance… Julia has graduated from Full Sail University with a Bachelors of Science in 3D Computer Animation. So proud of my girl! She had a bittersweet birthday last week losing her pop-pop.

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We will be flying down to Orlando for her commencement on May 10th. And since Full Sail is only about twenty minutes from Disney, Julia asked to go to her favorite park (EPCOT) for a day. She also asked to eat at Morimoto and maybe sneak a few hours in at the Studios. We will be flying out on Tuesday and back to NY on Saturday. So many memories to make…

This will be the first time we will be staying off site. We are staying at a “good neighbor” hotel in Lake Buena Vista, but it will definitely be a different kind of trip for us. Actually, I feel a great deal of guilt leaving my mom so soon after my dad passed. My brothers will both be staying at my house with her, but she is so attached to me… I’m not sure how this is going to go. I can’t even be out of the house for more than an hour without her having one of my girls call me and make sure I’m coming home soon. My parents were married for 69 years!!! I can’t imagine the grief my mom feels.

While I feel all that guilt, I also can’t wait to board that plane, close my eyes and just BREATHE. It’s been quite a stressful four months.

So here is my attempt at journaling this time… filled with so many emotions… from joy and happiness to sorrow and pain. Our time of sunshine and shadows.
 

Figment Forever

Premium Member
Original Poster
Saturday, May 11

We sort of had a plan for today…

I had our room booked until Sunday. We had a late flight and I didn’t know what the luggage situation was going to be like. So I figured it was worth the extra money to have the room for the day until we left for the Airport which was going to be about 6PM. Julia and Nick wanted to go to AK to ride FoP and Dinosaur and then they wanted to walk around DS or swim at the resort. I had Typhoon Lagoon planned for me, Ross and Hope and then some swimming at the resort before we made the journey home. However… the best laid plans…

Ross wanted to go to AK! I was so hoping that Hope would vote for TL, but sadly – no! She jumped on the AK bandwagon. Have I mentioned that I really don’t like AK that much??

Nonetheless, after packing up most of our stuff, we called a Lyft at around 11am.


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Soon we saw this…

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Figment Forever

Premium Member
Original Poster
We split up and the three of us headed to the soon doomed Dinoland. Dinosaur was down, so we settled to fly on Dino Dumbo.

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My mom always asks me how much it costs for a hot dog in the parks, so I sent her this.

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We tried to get into FOTLK, but the show was full. I didn’t want to wait, so we went to find Nemo instead. At about this time, I realized Jet Blue didn’t have Nick’s KTN or TSA pre check on his boarding pass, so I had to make a call. Of course, I was put on hold, so for a few minutes, I was “that” person on her phone in a show!

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As soon as the show was over and the Nick issues was taken care of, we returned to FOTLK. I’m happy to report we made this show.


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I thought we were so past the days of Hope being picked for the ending parade, but she was! And she was sooooo ecstatic!!!

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We walked the path back to Pandora and rode FoP.

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And of course, who could leave Pandora without the umpa lumpas (I know that’s not the name. I forget it. Lol. ) and the Night Blossom??

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Figment Forever

Premium Member
Original Poster
The trip to the airport was fine and we were there with plenty of time to have a bite to eat…

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Ross and I have really gotten to like this place – it’s by Chef Art Smith. I can’t really compare it to Homecoming – the menu is completely different, but the food is excellent! And Ross is so pleased that they have fresh squeezed OJ!

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After we ate, we just relaxed until our flight. It was uneventful (thankfully) and then we were home.


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It was a good trip. It was a tough trip. The last few months have been crazy and exhausting and painful. I thank all of you for allowing me to help vent it all out. I am so proud of my girls. It was a wonderful adventure

Wait… Did I actually finish a TR??
 
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Bullseye1967

Is that who I am?
Premium Member
The trip to the airport was fine and we were there with plenty of time to have a bite to eat…

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Ross and I have really gotten to like this place – it’s by Chef Art Smith. I can’t really compare it to Homecoming – the menu is completely different, but the food is excellent! And Ross is so pleased that they have fresh squeezed OJ!

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After we ate, we just relaxed until our flight. It was uneventful (thankfully) and then we were home.


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It was a good trip. It was a tough trip. The last few months have been crazy and exhausting and painful. I thank all of you for allowing me to help vent it all out. I am so proud of my girls. It was a wonderful adventure

Wait… Did I actually finish a TR??
Thanks for such a great TR!
 

Tuvalu

Premium Member
So happy you finished this one!

But - ahem - now this one should be updated.


Or add a synopsis to this one. 😉
 

Songbird76

Well-Known Member
So....was Julia's favorite part of the trip her graduation? I was expecting something actually AT Disney, and that we didn't know was going to happen. But if there was something else, I missed it.
 

Figment Forever

Premium Member
Original Poster
Thanks for such a great TR!

Thank you so much!! It felt good to write it.

That was a fantastic trip and TR.

But curious minds want to know: why was Julia not schmoopsie poo by the end of the day?

Ohhh... lol I think she spilt something on it at DS - so she changed.

So happy you finished this one!

But - ahem - now this one should be updated.


Or add a synopsis to this one. 😉

Haha yes!!! I actually took really good notes on that one, so have no fear - it will be updated!

So....was Julia's favorite part of the trip her graduation? I was expecting something actually AT Disney, and that we didn't know was going to happen. But if there was something else, I missed it.

I think it was her graduation - if not dinner at Morimotos! LOL



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Thank you for taking the time to share your trip w/us! Congratulations to Julia again on her graduation! It’s now “A Whole New World” for her!

Thank you so much!!

Congratulations again to Julia. So pleased you were able to enjoy WDW and maybe you will be there next September when we are.

Thank you!! When will you be there in September?? We would like to go for a few days before our passes expire.
 

Wicked Sisters

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
Thank you so much!! It felt good to write it.



Ohhh... lol I think she spilt something on it at DS - so she changed.



Haha yes!!! I actually took really good notes on that one, so have no fear - it will be updated!



I think it was her graduation - if not dinner at Morimotos! LOL





Thank you so much!!



Thank you!! When will you be there in September?? We would like to go for a few days before our passes expire.
I should have put September 2025. We will be at WDW the 8th for two weeks. We are staying at the WL this time.
 

dizfan917

Well-Known Member
I wish we could fly into the new terminal at MCO. It looks so nice (and Art Smith!!). I'm a little jelly.

What a fun trip! It seemed to go so smoothly... and has Nick decided that he actually LIKES the Disney experience now?! It looks like he was having fun! I really like Animal Kingdom... it looks like you might have had a pretty good day there as well? maybe...?!

CONGRATULATIONS Julia! And CONGRATULATIONS Mom & Dad for helping her succeed as well.

I'm looking forward to reading the remaining report! :D
 

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