Trip Report There's Something About Mary...and it's called DRAMA!

I think it's time to get this thing started...hoping it will help my mood and sanity levels. For those that missed the PTR (http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/lawdy-lawdy-look-whos-turning-40-ptr.867181/) - the early pages should help you catch up on the bulk of the big details, and for those that missed our problems from day 1 of our trip (http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/how-not-to-start-your-wdw-vacay.873853/ )...well, it kind of speaks for itself. I am going to try and keep this as upbeat as possible, but we have a very long road ahead to fix things...so, please bear with me as I vent in between some of the magic.

September 18th

I left work early on the 18th so I could pick up the girls at school and have them with us when we took our dog to get boarded. This is our Daisy Doggy...

What's really funny, the pic above was taken with Sammie's Fisher Price plastic kiddie camera!

After getting the dog situated at boarding, we went home, had some dinner, and the heavy duty packing started. I'd actually started packing my things on the 17th, but now it was time to really focus on the girls. I let them sleep in the guest bedroom that night so I could pack all of their stuff without keeping them up...i.e. so I could pack all of the surprise outfits without spoiling anything. It was A TON of packing, but I finished up around 1am. I had thought about setting up the outfits and bags in the guest room for the reveal, but Sammie got up to use the bathroom right around that time- soooooo, I decided to wait until just before the big reveal.

September 19

I guess I got close to 4.5 hours of sleep (good for the night before a travel day)...and at 6am, it was finally time to set up and reveal the big secret. I got everything set up and then DH came in to help me. The video I took is pretty awful and sleepy girls don't make for really good surprises, but this is the vid I took and I swear...they were REALLY happy.



You can all now probably appreciate what it's like getting these two up for school each morning.

Actually, the girls were super quick to get dressed once it really sunk in what was going on. They were even good with posing for pictures before hitting the road...

We loaded up my SUV and hit the road...sadly, we wouldn't get far. The accident took place about 2.5 miles from our house. I really don't want to rehash all of the scary details, but when we realized we'd all be able to walk away from this horror - we had to decide if we'd continue with this WDW trip. While the girls' initial screams and cries were from the accident itself, they morphed into cries that they wouldn't get to see their grandma and grandpa. We usually try and visit every 3 months, but we pushed it a bit longer b/c of this trip. It was for this reason DH and I decided to push forward with the trip even if the odds weren't in our favor. I guess I just figured getting everyone to "the most magical place on earth" could be therapeutic. Don't get me wrong...I love that the EMTs and lead sheriff on the scene were super lovey with the girls - they really needed something super positive...so, Disney it was!

So, after I took care of the most important initial phone calls, I got Southwest on the line (at the scene of the wreck) and started working with them to rebook the outbound flight. We were yelling over ambulance sirens and traffic, but after about 20 min, we were rebooked from our 9:15am departure to a 3:55pm departure. They also said DH could ask for a blue card for pre-board (we were now in group C after paying to be in group A on the original flight)...while it's gotten better, he had some leg pain that day and was limping from the aches. The timing also worked well since it gave me time to go to the collision center, talk to the various insurance companies, etc. My wonderful MIL was also kind enough to pick up DH and the girls from the scene. This enabled him to get his car and she was able to love on the girls for a while until we were ready to regroup and get travel plans rolling again.

While our flight out of Houston was delayed close to 3 hours due to weather and mechanical issues (not helping Kendall, who was now terrified that the plane would crash), but we got off the ground a little after 6pm and we were on our way...

Sammie sat with DH on the way to FL-- with Pooh, of course...

I had Kendall...

...and we spent the entire flight doing this big word search on her tablet.

We flew into terminal A and DME is in terminal B. It was after the girls' bed time, so we opted to just get our baggage. Soooooo, we went down to terminal A baggage and then lugged it over to DME in terminal B. Thankfully, Kendall has overcome her fear of escalators, so minus losing her shoe for a while on one of them we were in good shape.

I think the CMs manning the DME entrance could read all of the stress and worry on my face, because they promised me pixie dust and magic from that point on. We had our Magic Bands on at this point, but I had my vouchers out so in the interest of time and sanity, they just used those. They directed us to the line for AKL and while we were let on the bus right away...we were so late that the bus was accommodating a number of resorts from various lines. Still...Kendall and I wound up with this prime spot!

I swear, I got choked up when I looked up and saw the screen...like that "we're really on our way" moment.

It took a while for them to load up the bus since they were waiting on people to come in from all of these late or delayed flights, but it wasn't long before we were off.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Sept 21 Continued…
While I was still pretty bugged by my cake, the sadness seemed to dissipate as we were waiting on the monorail.

I think it was about this time that I remembered linking up our tickets to our Magic Bands after the kids were in bed the previous night. Yeah- exhausted from the party, but linking tickets and making FP+s selections. Well, at least for this day…for whatever reason, the system would only let us book them for the 21st and didn’t recognize the 22nd as an eligible day. Odd, but we’d later find it’s because the system is highly confused by all things relating to complimentary tickets.

We didn’t wait long for a monorail…

There were quite a few people on board, but we found a spot and waved good-bye to the Contemporary and the lovely mural…

We got a nice view of the Poly as we pulled out of the Contemporary.

Of course I wasn’t fast enough to get a pic, but this time of day always seems to be a prime time to see hot air balloons from the monorail. I remember seeing them back in 2011.

We got off at the TTC and made our way over to the Epcot monorail area…

I took some pics of a little of everything as we waited…and Kendall too. Little ham!

The familiar saying played across the PA, the doors closed, and we were off…or so we thought. We were stuck for routine maintenance. We’d sit, we’d literally chug along a little bit, stop, sit, and chug some more. So, I took a few random pics as we waited to really get going.

We were eventually on our way to Epcot. We chatted with a really sweet couple in the car with us. They are AP holders from Jacksonville and were having a kid free day at Epcot. So, while we were feeling liberated with our first official full park day ever with the kids being stroller free…they were also free of the big bag of kid stuff. We talked a little bit about how Dapper Day was going on at DHS that day and before we knew it- we were there and I was on my way to bag check while DH waited for me at the edge of the pre-park opening crowds.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I got through bag check quickly, even got a chuckle from the guy over the container of chocolate cake topper stuff in my bag. And then the hot wait began. It was 9am, but we were not moving. I don’t think I’ve ever dealt with a crowd or wait like this getting into the parks. Unlike MK, Epcot was utilizing the finger scanners with the tap technology ticket scanners…and let’s just say things were not going well. The pics below were taken around 9:10am…we’d barely moved and we were in direct sunlight, so it was a rather sweaty time.

I was actually a tad nervous because it was becoming a hot angry mob. Seriously, you could hear people getting upset and I noticed quite a few people pushing around the edges of each line to either 1) cut 2) try and complain to the CMs up at the front.

We eventually got into the park (after finding that the kid finger pictures were part of the hold up) and buzzed by everyone stopping to take pics in front of SSE.

See...the grass really is greener on the other side (yes, I know it's not grass and just leafy landscaping).

We had a FP+ window to make … 9:20a – 10:20a at Test Track. I guess at least we didn’t have to run for FPs b/c of FP+.

Yes, that sign is correct. After the colossal wait to get into the park at park opening, we were just making our way to Test Track at 9:27am. Kind of crazy.

Of course there was next to no wait at Test Track, but we figured we might as well use our FP+s.

We walked right in…

…and before long we were designing our vehicles.

A funny thing here...as we walked on to the next part...I noticed that almost everyone stuck with a red vehicle. Now, pinkish purlplish roadsters like this wouldn't be my first choice, but I'm glad the girls went something other than the base red.

Then it was on to the ride.

I was paired with Sammie, which is fun because she’s quite the thrill junkie…well, as much as you can be at age 4. I took a few pics as we were getting started…

…but then I realized something very important quite early on in the ride -> Test Track is not a good ride to be on if you’ve just been in a bad car accident. Seriously, I was holding back tears in the early phases. The speed portion was the only part I really could enjoy…but some of that may have just been the fresh air. Don't get me wrong, I love Test Track and am actually fairly good with the changes, but this was not the right time for me to be riding it.

Had we ridden stand by, we would have gotten on in nearly the same amount of time and could have used our FP+s right after to ride again (because the wait went from 5 to 45 min while we were in there), but considering my reaction- it’s good that we did it the way we did.

I guess at least DH got the chance to gloat, since his car with Kendall ranked much better than what Sammie and I built. A guy in the single rider line (a kid with an AP who lives locally and goes every change he can get) told us that the vehicles they pre-assign you when you do single rider normally win out above the personally designed vehicles. On the way out, DH even joked if I’d like to start shopping for a new vehicle.

Not funny.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

So, we headed out from the Test Track area and started making our way to our next FP+…Soarin.

I don’t know why, but this was a drama filled walk. Both girls wanted to walk up on the walkway edges like they were on the balance beam. Kendall was taking forever, so we asked her to stop- which turned her into Little Miss Crabby Pants. And then Sammie, who is much faster and a bit more agile, happened to fall and skin her knee a little in the process…so, there were tears. So, DH and Sammie kept on walking for a bit while I consoled Miss K.

We were almost there when DH noticed this and asked me what that random plate was for. I told him I had no idea…so he speculated it could be a duck exit ramp. Ummmm…OK. Watch him be right.

It wasn’t long before we’d arrived at The Land pavilion.

Maybe it’s all of the attention over the redesigned Test Track – maybe it’s the addition of FP+, but this is the quietest I’ve ever seen Soarin. Seriously- just kept walking…

The only time we waited was in front of these screens waiting for the pre-show to start.

We had a pleasant flight, and were now faced with the dilemma…what to do next?

 

[ThatBrunette]

When you call Disney about the cake, start with the non-round lumpy Micky Mouse ears. Yarg!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

When you call Disney about the cake, start with the non-round lumpy Micky Mouse ears. Yarg!

Ok- so it wasn't just me! One of my friends said I was just being petty over the ears, but I thought they looked more like the glow bunny ears I bought a couple of years ago to "try" and pass off as mouse ears.

 

[coachwnh]

Loving the report!!

 

[Jessica Meier]

Can I just say it isn't being petty when you pay a LOT of money to have these cakes made. And you would think there would be a standard they had to go by. Disney is so protective over their brand it really surprises me that they would let that out of the bakery!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Loving the report!!

Thanks!

te="HouCuseChickie, post: like the glow bunny ears I bought a couple of years ago to "try" and pass off as mouse ears.


Can I just say it isn't being petty when you pay a LOT of money to have these cakes made. And you would think there would be a standard they had to go by. Disney is so protective over their brand it really surprises me that they would let that out of the bakery.

Whrn[/quote]

Excellent point! Their pastry chefs aren't permitted to sculpt characters b/c they're so concerned about such things, yet it's acceptable to put out a cake like this!?!?! Makes no sense.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

START VENT

I hate being such a dramatic mess. I really want this over...geez...I think I'd just be happy with light at the end of the tunnel.

1. PAIN- DH and I both have pain setting in. He went back to the dr today...they changed out his muscle relaxers, moved him strictly on Tylenol for pain, and was told to start seeing a chiropractor 3x per week for at least a month. I have to call my dr on Thursday if my pain is still like this...I'm guessing I'll get a similar change in my treatment plan. Of course the girl with the insurance co never answers her phone or returns my calls - so I have no idea where we're going from here. Well, I do- I'm going to ask for her supervisor tomorrow.

2. RENTAL- When the lady's insurance co said they'd take responsibility for everything, they put in a reservation to move the reservation over to them. The only problem- they put it in for a subcompact. UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The rental car company had started working to switch me into something fitting this description. I nearly flipped. I said they'd be changing it to something comparable to my vehicle. The insurance co agreed to make the change, and then I get a call saying the Toyota Tacoma I was in was now covered by the insurance co. NO! My vehicle is one step above that. They told me they could only get me a large SUV, so I called the insurance co who then said no to that, but that they could get me in a mid-sized SUV. hey- that's all I wanted! They upgraded my reservation again, but the rental place had nothing suitable...so they'd have to get back with me. I got a joyous call at the end of the other day saying they had a brand new Chevy Silverado for me. NO! it took another day, but they got me into a 2013 Nissan Pathfinder. Rental cars should not be this much drama!

3. MY VEHICLE- They were supposed to call me on Friday, but I never heard a thing. I called the local guy again hoping to hear something- but by early afternoon today...I decided to call him - again. Turns out he had good reason to not call me---the vehicle damage exceeded his authorization levels...so the case was sent back to the darn girl who never returns my calls. She was apparently supposed to call me on Friday. He gave me a handful of contact numbers for her to try and get through. UGH!

Now get this...the initial estimate on the vehicle damage was anywhere from $12-15K. Of course, this was just based on a surface inspection. It was much worse once they pulled it apart. The estimated cost to repair - just a hair under $18,000.00

There's more, but these are the big points.

END VENT

If my muscle relaxer doesn't knock me out, I'll be posting more after I get the kids in bed.

 

[ThatBrunette]

Ok- so it wasn't just me! One of my friends said I was just being petty over the ears, but I thought they looked more like the glow bunny ears I bought a couple of years ago to "try" and pass off as mouse ears.

I took the 'class' in Art of Animation. Mickey is three CIRCLES.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Back to Sept 21...

We were right there and there was no line…so Living with the Land was up next.

Ahhhhh- nothing like dimly lit bison to warm the heart.

Ya know…just in case I wanted to get out and play in the sand…

The ride is one of my more favorite things at WDW and it always gives us good inspiration for what we might like to try growing in the garden. My only real complaint is that I miss the old song.

Now, I know lots of people have seen this and report on it, but count this as the first time we’ve ever seen the sky writers at WDW!

Mmmmmm…fish and gators and shrimp – Oh My!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

It’s also a fun place for finding semi-hidden Mickeys...And more yummy vegetation.

Yes, I really like taking pics in here...and no, these weren't all of my pics from Living With the Land.

And before long…our nice little boat ride is over.

 

[Pooh'sBuddy]

I'm so sorry you're having such a big problem with the aftermath.

 

[TheMouseFan]

Sandy, so many things to comment on!! I totally agree with you about the cake, and I am definitely not a cake designer/decorator. I would have been very disappointed too! It makes me second guess myself, as I was thinking of trying to have an anniversary cake made for our CP breakfast. I definitely won't have a detailed sketch like you did, so now I'm worried about how it may turn out! Oh well, still have plenty of time to decide! I'm so sorry you are having such an issue with pain (physical, mental, and emotional) after the accident! I totally understand the frustration with the rental car. When we were in an accident and needed a rental, they tried to give me a compact to replace our minivan. Three carseats/boosters just don't fit in a compact, and they couldn't seem to understand that!?! Loving your pics and can't wait to see more!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

And we’re on our way out of The Land pavilion.

More skywriting...

Our next FP+ was Spaceship Earth, but we had some time before that window was set to open. So, what to do? I quietly suggested Nemo or Imagination, but DH wanted nothing to do with either one. So, we just started walking…when I had a brilliant idea. I should go into Mouse Gears and continue my search for a Disney Dooney. Nobody else really loved that idea, but I promised to be quick.

So, everyone else looked around while I sifted through the display without fully dismantling the whole thing. While I liked the physical shapes of the sketch patterned bags a bit better than the other options, again…the charms pattern was calling to me…and this time…there was one with Donald front and center…and on the back too! The satchel would have been a more functional bag size wise, but I tried it on (just in case I wanted to continue my search for one with Donald) and it was not me. I also didn’t really care for the charms tote. So…I bought the letter carrier!!!

While these pics were taken later, back at the hotel, you can see the full pattern placement here...

A side note here...I had reward dollars from my Disney Visa as well as gift cards that I was planning on using- with putting the remaining balance on my Disney Visa so I could get the 10% off. It would not let me use the gift cards and also do the Visa for the 10% off. Annoying.

We stopped for a quick drink of water and then it was on to the next ride…or so we though. We walked up to Mission Space…something we’ve never done.

(also took some pics on the way)

We have arrived...but there's a problem...

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I took the 'class' in Art of Animation. Mickey is three CIRCLES.

Clearly, they have not taken that class

I'm so sorry you're having such a big problem with the aftermath.

Thank you...I'm really hoping this mess is over soon. Still trying to wrap my head around the damage figure and how we walked away.

Sandy, so many things to comment on!! I totally agree with you about the cake, and I am definitely not a cake designer/decorator. I would have been very disappointed too! It makes me second guess myself, as I was thinking of trying to have an anniversary cake made for our CP breakfast. I definitely won't have a detailed sketch like you did, so now I'm worried about how it may turn out! Oh well, still have plenty of time to decide! I'm so sorry you are having such an issue with pain (physical, mental, and emotional) after the accident! I totally understand the frustration with the rental car. When we were in an accident and needed a rental, they tried to give me a compact to replace our minivan. Three carseats/boosters just don't fit in a compact, and they couldn't seem to understand that!?! Loving your pics and can't wait to see more!

The crazy thing is that we've had 2 great cakes on previous trips...and while our next cake for this trip isn't perfect, it's certainly much better than my cake. Are you looking for something like that cake we'd previously discussed? If so, I think using that pic would be a big help for them. I also asked for the sun, moon and stars- figuratively and literally- so there was a greater chance for letdown.

I think that's part of what's so draining- fighting for everything we're entitled to rather than letting them cheap out on things. i.e. if the rental was this much of a battle, what's it going to be like with getting what we deserve for my vehicle? And it's hard enough fitting 2 carseats/boosters in a smaller vehicle- I just couldn't imagine trying to jam in 3.

I think the meds are starting to hit me, but I should have more tomorrow

 

[epcotisbest]

Still following along and still enjoying the TR. Living With The Land is one of those classics (like COP) that we seem to do every trip.

 

[epcotisbest]

Oh, my wife has a Dooney sketch bag, and this last trip she looked at a cross body bag, but wanted something different, and there just was not anything that grabbed her. She just did not love the charms design. I like it just fine, but I like $10 canvas totes as well. Either way I don't carry either one, so I guess it does not matter.

 

[PenguinPrincess]

I love all your trip reports (long time stalker of this site...very rare actual poster!). My husband and I loooove Disney World (have gone on multiple trips to "the World"...even our honeymoon), and we can't wait to share it with our future children! What's so amazing about your trip reports is that, while you have such an amusing "adult" perspective and voice, we as the reader also get to experience WDW from your daughters' points of view! Keep writing...I'm right here with you, longing to experience your vacation vicariously!!!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Still following along and still enjoying the TR. Living With The Land is one of those classics (like COP) that we seem to do every trip.

Oh, my wife has a Dooney sketch bag, and this last trip she looked at a cross body bag, but wanted something different, and there just was not anything that grabbed her. She just did not love the charms design. I like it just fine, but I like $10 canvas totes as well. Either way I don't carry either one, so I guess it does not matter.

I was pretty sad that we didn't make it by COP this trip. Sammie LOVES singing the music...drives us all kind of nuts after a while...but I think she really would have appreciated some COP time. Next trip I had thought about one of the big sketch bags, but I really prefer that pattern back when they were offering colored backgrounds. Now, if they could offer a big sketch tote in bright yellow- that would be all me! I do hear ya on the canvas tote though too. While not $10, I think my canvas Small World themed leSportsac bags are much better for the parks.

I love all your trip reports (long time stalker of this site...very rare actual poster!). My husband and I loooove Disney World (have gone on multiple trips to "the World"...even our honeymoon), and we can't wait to share it with our future children! What's so amazing about your trip reports is that, while you have such an amusing "adult" perspective and voice, we as the reader also get to experience WDW from your daughters' points of view! Keep writing...I'm right here with you, longing to experience your vacation vicariously!!!

Thank you I wish my DH liked Disney as much as I do...I guess at least he tolerates it enough to keep going. It really is a whole different experience once you add a couple of kids to the mix. I'm having fun comparing their last 4 trips and seeing how much the experience has evolved for them. The girls are also such strong personalities, each in their own way, so it totally adds a whole new dimension. I'll hopefully be posting more tonight. Thanks for reading