A Ferry Merry Christmas Trip

[goodferry]

OK, sorry this took me so long to start, but as soon as we got back it was Christmas, and well, you know how busy things can be.

First off, the history
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=591374 This is the trip report from our June 2004 family trip.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=891338 This is the trip report from our August 2005 trip. This was just DH and I celebrating our 15th anniversary.

Here is also a link to my resort review from this trip http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=986406

If you haven't read these first, read on at your own risk, or just ask questions about the stuff you don't understand. I will keep this entire report on one thread, to make for easier reading.

This was our 5th trip to the World, a trip that I booked in July 2004 right after we returned from our family vacation. It had been very hot and crowded during that trip and Matt (DH for those of you who have not done your homework yet...) said that he would like to go once when it wasn't so d*** hot and crowded.

Christmas is one of my favorite times of year, so it made sense to book a Christmas Vacation. We run our own business and December is a very slow time of year, so it made sense to travel then. We never do, though, the reason usually being an economic one. When you are slow at work, you guessed it, the cash isn't exactly rolling in, and then I am hesitant to spend any of the reserves and I won't use credit cards to pay for a vacation, so a little advanced planning was what we needed. I had this trip paid for, including spending money, long before November even arrived.

In our family, I am definitely the planner. I will start planning our New Years Eve party for next year today if I could get away with it. Matt, on the other hand, is the exact opposite. He HATES planning. If I could find a way to plan a trip and pay for it without his knowing, that's what I would do. Then about a week before we travel, I would say "Let's just pack up and go to Disney".

I know he would love that, but it isn't practical. We work together. We live together. We eat together. We sleep together. We showe...never mind, you get the gist, we are together all the time. There are no secrets between us. So I booked the trip and he found out in March. I managed to keep it secret for 8 months, pretty good, huh?

Then we decided to take a trip for our 15th anniversary. After careful consideration of all our options, we ended up booking a trip to Disney World. If you want to know all the reasons, go do your homework.

We did not tell the kids where we were going in August, they were home alone with my parents, that is all they cared about. When we got back, they were a little mad, but elated when we told them we would be going again in December with the whole family from December 16-23rd. I had a room only GVC room reserved at the Poly.

Within a couple of months that became a AAA Package GVC at the Poly from December 14-23rd with diining, with a one night stay at the Embassy Suites in Pittsburgh the night before our flight.. Don't ask me how I talked myself into booking a 10 day vacation, but I did.

I put a lot of thought into the planning of this trip in the begining. Shelby (DD for all you slackers) would be turning 7 on December 22nd and I wanted to make it a very special birthday for her. Any of you with December birthdays know that your birthday and Christmas often overlap, and I wanted her to have a separate, special celebration this year. I also wanted to make sure that Chris and Zack had a spectacular vacation and I hoped that Zoe would manage to have some fun.

Zoe would be only 2 1/2 when we left, and I didn't hold out much hope that she would get much out of the trip, but I also felt guilty about leaving her home, so I bought her an airline ticket and hoped for the best. Little did I know just how much Disney Magic I would experience through her little eyes.

For those of you who read my first trip report, you know how I love surprises, and this trip would be no different, as you will soon find out (or not so soon, depending on how long it takes to finish this report)

While I enjoyed planning all the surprises, arranging for a Christmas tree in the room, deciding on our ADRs, I was not as into it this trip. I spent maybe a quarter of the time on the Dis and Tour Guide Mike as I did before our other trips. I just wasn't in the spirit, I think it had a lot to do with the trip in August. I may have been a little burnt out.

Anyway, despite my lackadaisical attiude, December 13th eventually arrived. I had everything ready at our garage for our trip. This time Tony's wife was not pregnant, so that was not hanging over our heads, and he had been with us for 8 months at this point, and I felt a lot more confidant about leaving him alone to run the business.

I had everything ready at home, the house was decorated, the presents were bought and wrapped and the ones that needed shipped, were. I had shipped two boxes ahead to the resort, one with a four foot pre-lit christmas tree, and one with ornaments, princess dresses and some clothes. We were all ready to go, all we had to do was get through Chris's (14 year old ) hearing before the district justice on charges of disorderly conduct. Yes, you heard me right, on December 13th he was scheduled to appear in court.

Why, you may ask, why is this poor, sweet, well behaved, and, more importantly, well parented, boy appearing in court? Well, in the end of October I allowed him to go out with a few of his friends to "corn" another friends house.

It is a common (albeit strange) custom, and one that is acceptable unless you decide to corn the home of an elderly person, or a car. It was the first time we have ever allowed him to go. He left the house at 7:35, the phone rang at 7:45, he was calling from the police station. Apparently one of the mental giants he was with threw corn at a police car. Welcome to parenting a teenager Linda. So, he plead not guilty, since he didn't even have any corn, but, that meant he would have to go to court. The day before our trip.

It was like a black cloud that hung over our heads, and it could have been part of the reason I was not as excited about this trip. I was worried about what would happen. At noon on the 13th, two and a half hours before he was scheduled to appear, the phone rang. The police had decided to drop the charges, Chris was off the hook. I all but burst into tears.

I realize now that the police probably intended to do this the entire time to teach the kids a lesson, however, I doubt they gave any thought to how something like that affects a family that is not used to harboring a criminal. I was a wreck, and so was he.

So this happy note is probably a good time to end the pre-trip report. I will try to begin the first installment soon, I am really looking forward to writing this report because it is a very different from the last two I wrote. I found a lot more of the disney "magic" this trip, and as I think back on it I don't see as much that strikes me as funny as I do that makes teary-eyed.

 

[wilma-bride]

A great pre-trippy - glad you had a magical trip. Could I be nosy and ask what "corning" is though please? I am very glad the police dropped the charges. though. That must have taken a load off your mind

 

[fizz13]

Wecome back to the trip reports board. For the record, didn't need to do the homework So sorry about what happened to your son, really not fair when another was responsible...oh well, on with the fun,

Claire xx

 

[goodferry]

Tuesday, December 13. Day 1
OK, officially we won't be in Disney until tommorrow, but I consider my trips under way the second we leave the house. We will be spending the night tonight at the Embassy Suites in Pittsburgh, right near the airport. I LOVE this particular hotel. The free manager's reception, the free breakfast and the awesome restaurant all add up to a good time for all. We managed to be out the door and under way by about 5pm, which is a miracle and a real testament to how early I was packed because I had to work all day and we don't finish up until 5:30 pm usually. Pretty good, huh?

Now usually this time of the year, we do not have very much work. Everybody is buying Christmas presents and NOBODY wants to spend money on auto repairs. This was our busiest December on record, of course it was. Let's just stress my husband to tears by making him leave for Disney World when there is still 10 more hours of work to be done. He was really excited to leave.

I managed to drag him out of work early with the promise the Tony could finish up and it would not be so busy while we were gone and if we hurried we could eat at that restaurant he loved so much last time, and let us not forget the free drinks.

I don't know about your DH, (or DW or SO), but mine is all about free, so we got all four kids and 12 pieces of luggage loaded by 5 pm and we were off. We might JUST miss rush hour and if we did, we would make it there on time, everybody needs goals, right?

We got about 25 minutes from the house and it struck me. I loaded all 12 pieces of luggage, but there were 13. What did I forget, did we have to turn back, how would I tell Matt that I had forgotten a bag, not only had I forgotted a bag, but I had forgotten the electronics bag. It had the camera, the video camera, the disposable cameras, plus the cell phone chargers, there was no way I could go on with out that bag.

"Honey, you didn't happen to grap that lime green bag from our bedroom before we left, did you?" "Uh, no, you packed the truck...What was in it?" Well, those of you who know Matt know that he can live without the cameras, but he can not live without the cell phone charger, how else will he check on Tony every thirty seconds of every day.

He gives me that look that says NOT AGAIN and turns the truck around. Those of you who read my first report know that we have had luggage issues before, that's why I count bags now, to be sure. That look also tells me I have killed his dreams of free booze and a good meal. "I will take the kids to McDonalds, you drive on to the house and get the bag"

OK, no problem, that's fine. Cue the cell phone. I just know it's my mother. She calls every day at 5:30 on her way home from work.

"Hi mom, how's it going?" "Fine, where are you?" "We are on our way" So Chris yells from the backseat "We are on our way home, mom forgot a bag."

I should have let them put him in jail.

"You forgot a bag?" "Yes mother, I forgot the bag with the camera, Matt is taking the kids to McDonalds and I am going to drive home to get it"

"I see." says my mother, who has now assumed the role of mother-in-law. "And why is it only your responsiblility to go get the bag"

"Because I packed the bags"

"I see. And will he bother to bring you something to eat, or do you have to starve?" Don't you just love how no matter what your mother will always take up for you? I could be an axe murderer and she would wonder if those people hadn't just gotten in my way while I was swinging my axe.

"Don't worry, mom" I said " I will eat something" I hang up before she gets to remind me of the time we left Chris's bag in the airport.

So, I drop the angry mob off at McDonalds and off I go to get the errant bag. Upon my arrival back at McD's I find that the situation with my family hasn't improved much. The all look like they are in pain. Matt throws a bag of food at me while Chris explains that they had messed up Zack's order and he wouldn't eat the cheeseburger until they fixed it. I take one look at my order, and sure enough, they had messed that up too. I eat my fries and try my best to cheer everyone up. I DO NOT mention that the sandwhich was not right.

I call my mother to assure her I won't be starving to death any time soon and that we were happily on our way to Pittsburgh, just a little later than we expected.

By the time we arrive at the Embassy Suites, things are looking up and Matt can see the humor in the situation. I swiftly escort the quarter pounder WITH CHEESE instead of without to the garbage can while he isn't looking and help with the bag unloading.

Once the kids are settled into the room with their new art supplies I bought them as a surprise, Matt asks about the quarter pounder.

"Why didn't you eat the burger"

"They put cheese on it"

"Let's go downstairs and get a drink and get you something to eat."

After a glass of wine, maybe two, and dinner we were both happily remembering our last adventure to the World and ready to leave.

If you read my last few trip reports, you know that I tend to book EARLY morning flights, this trip, I decided to try something different and booked an 11:45 am flight. We were actually able to sleep in a little, eat a leisurely breakfast, and stroll through the airport. It was the first time I have ever slept well the night before a trip.

Day2:

We all woke up at around 8 am, well rested and ready to leave. The flight was surprisingly uneventful. Our Airtran flight was fairly empty, so we were given nine seats for the six of us, three window seats, thereby eliminating the jockeying for the window seats that had been going on between Chris, Zack and Matt. Zoe sat with me and she was practically perfect the entire trip, coloring and reading books with me.

Now for the first surprise. I had told everyone but Matt that we were using Magical Express to get from the airport to the hotel because it was, you guessed it, free. The truth of the matter was, I needed to stop at a grocery store because Zoe is lactose intolerant and I wanted to get her special milk and yogurt. So I had decided to book a limo, then Mousesavers listed a free upgrade through Happy Limo, so I was able to secure a stretch Excursion.

Happy Limo worked out just fine. I have always used FL Tours, who wait for you at the bottom of the stairs with the little sign. With Happy Limo, you call them when you have your luggage and they pick you up. While the kids enjoyed seeing someone holding their name on a sign, this was a much more efficient system. They were shocked to see the car, and it's a good thing we got such a big car, 13 bags, six people and a stroller take up a lot of room.

So, I think I will wrap up this installment for now, when I get back, I will tell you about check in at the Poly concierge and teaching the kids to love Epcot.

 

[goodferry]

I myself asked the very same question when I moved to PA, what is corning? I was picturing canned corn, I am not exactly a country girl. Corning is when you take the dried corn off the cob and throw it at someones house. It makes a little bit of a racket, kind of like throwning gravel I suppose, and the animals enjoy the free food.

As far as not being fair, I do agree, although it was a good lesson for him. His punishment (from me) was that he had to write a 2500 word essay on Guilty by Association, what it meant and how it has changed other people's lives. Another good side effect was that I got to see what good kids his friends really are. They all told the truth about what happened, and the guilty parties stepped up and admitted to it.

 

[OhMari]

I don't have to do my homework either. I have already read your last Trip Reports. My husband is the same line of work as yours, so it is fun reading what other people go through trying to go on vacation.

Please don't get busy and forget about us waiting patiently.

 

[2belles'mom]

Oh, you are funny! The phone call from your mother TOTALLY reminded me of my own mother!!!! I wonder if we will be the same way with our kids?

My DH is impossible to get away from work too. In fact, that I that is why I always book Christmas and other supposed "vacation time" OUT OF TOWN. Otherwise, he goes to work everyday, even if he is is supposed to have it off! So I get him as far out of dodge as possible...

 

[goodferry]

OhMari--it's a sickness, isn't it? When I sense that he is getting too stressed out I have to plan a weekend away at a hotel somewhere or he won't sit still. He is actually incapable of not working if we are at home.

2bellesmom- I think we will be the same way, it is so instinctual, I think, to protect your child, no matter how old. I hope I am the same way, it's nice to know that there is always at least one person who will be on my side no matter what.

Day 2 continued...
You should have seen the looks on the faces of my children when that stretch excursion pulled up, they were totally fooled. There were ME buses everywhere, so they totally bought my story. Once again we were like the Beverly Hillbillys oohing and ahhing over the car, or truck, whatever it is. It would be nice to see a picture of it, wouldn't it? I didn't take any. Again. Second trip with a limo, second time I took no pictures.

We arrived the the Polynesian fairly quickly, stopping briefly at a Publix for the bare essentials. One ironic thing. While there I walked down the aisle with the medications, trying to think if there was anything I might have forgotten, but nope didn't find anything. What do people do, I wondered, who go to Disney without a car and then get sick. I would find out soon enough.

There were three CMs trying to help us out of the car/truck when we arrived and they quickly checked to see if our room was ready yet. One of the CMs there I mentioned in my resort review was Eb. He is a terrific guy and a real asset to the Polynesian. Last trip he escorted us to our room and the boys remembered him because he looks like Morgan Freeman, I mean just like him. I remember his charming tour of the resort and his explanation of the concierge building. He was great.

Anyway, the kids ran right up to him, of course. Now, there is no way he remembers my kids. It has been a year and a half since we were there. He is not the CM assisting us, so I figured he would smile and wave and let that be it. He came over to the kids and asked them how they were, looked at our tags discreetly and asked them how things were in PA and remarked on how big they looked and how much they had grown. The kids were blown away that this kind man who simply carried our bags one time remembered them. I just let them believe that.

Our room was in fact ready we were told and a golf cart was brought right around. Now you remember those 13 bags, right. No way are those bags, all of us, plus the stoller fitting on that cart. The CM wanted to try, but I said we could walk. So he offered to drive the kids over, they jumped at the offer and Matt and I walked over with Zoe in the stroller.

There is something about the Poly. I don't know if it's the landscaping, the music, some sort of scent that they pipe in, I don't know what it is, but I instantly relax when we arrive. We visited a lot of resorts this trip, and we may try the Beach Club next time, but I can't imagine not staying at the Poly for at least a few nights.

The weather was absolutely beautiful. After check-in, which was flawless, we went to check out our room. 1519 in a Garden View Room on the first floor at the very opposite end of the building from the lounge. The new rooms are gorgeous and this room ended up being a perfect location, even though I wasn't totally sure it would be at first. The baby loved walking that hallway to the stairs and going to the lounge, she felt like a big girl. It was nice being close to the quiet pool and the path to the buses and TTC. Plus the beach was right there when you went out the door.

Now, those of you who read the August trip report know that I discovered Tour Guide Mike that trip. We were under his spell again this time, mainly using his best days guides and some of his touring strategys. Once again, it worked flawlessly. At check in a lady told Matt that the Magic Kingdom was totally packed to the gills. I knew from my best days guide that it was a red day for the Magic Kingdom and we would not be going there. We went to Epcot instead.

Last trip we fell in love with Epcot and could not wait to convince the kids we were right. We walked to the TTC and took the monorail to Epcot. We got there about 4:30. Epcot was a ghost town. Thank you Tour Guide Mike. The wait time for Soarin was 20 minutes. They kids wanted to start with Spaceship Earth, so I went for Fast Passes for Soarin while they did that.

Next we walked on to Mission Space, twice. Shelby opted not to ride this one and I did not protest. She has childhood epilepsy and hasn't had a seizure in quite a while and I didn't want to force the issue. I think she would have liked it, but she probably knows her limits better than I do.

Next we headed for Test Track, walked on that twice. This time I insisted Shelby ride, and she agreed as long as it was with me. She LOVED it. They had to ride again for her. She pronounced it her new favorite ride. Next we went to Soarin' for our fast passes. Everybody rode, twice with the baby swap and everybody loved it and pronounced it one of the best rides in the world.

At this point, we hadn't eaten any real food since breakfast, so we stopped at the Sunshine Seasons Food Fair. Everybody found out they loved the dining plan and being allowed to get whatever they wanted, dessert included! I don't remember what the boys had, but all the girls had rotisserie chicken, and it was delicious.

After dinner it was around 7 and we decided we didn't want to start our World Showcase tour at this point and the baby hates movies, so Honey I Shrunk the Audience was out, so we decided to go "home" and get to bed early.

Back at the homestead we had a snack and put the kids to bed, Matt and I watched the fireworks from the lounge with a drink while Chris kept and eye on the sleeping little ones. It was a relaxing start to our Disney vacation, not something I am used to! I am usually an up at the crack of dawn, stay until the last firework has flown kind of girl, so this whole relaxing while on vacation thing was kind of nice.

I would find out about forced relaxation the next day...

Zoe, the spoiled little princess, with the Test Track Mickey she suckered Dad into

Test Track, or as Matt calls it, "the unimaginable waste of money spent on Snap on tools that no one uses ride" Shelby has declared herself so in love with this ride she would marry it.

 

[Queen_freckles]

Great report! Had to laugh about "corning"...dh and I both grew up in Greensburg, PA and have done our fair share of "corning" as well!!

Marlene

 

[goodferry]

Greensburg! We live in Ligonier!

 

[richard_andmel]

Really enjoying your report so far. Thanks for sharing it.

Mel

 

[goodferry]

Day 3-our first full day in the World
We all woke up bright and early at 7 am, ready to attack Magic Kingdom at opening. It was the begining of the vacation so there were no comments from the peanut gallery about the hour. Now I have read lots of speculation on the cost of concierge service and whether or not it is worth it, but for us, concierge pays for itself in the convenience it provides at breakfast.

Matt and I get up at the same time and get dressed, he goes up to get something to eat, while I get Chris and Zack up and dressed. By the time Zack goes up to the lounge, Matt is done eating and ready to help him. Chris helps me get the girls up and moving and then we all go up to the lounge together to eat and enjoy a minute together.

Now, If you are picturing some sort of Hallmark moment, it's not quite like that. Shelby and Zoe park their little rear ends in front of the TV to watch cartoons while Matt and I serve them and the boys sit at a table as far as humanly possible from us and eat while they plan what they will ride today. Multiply this times 8 and you have breakfast for most of our vacation. We did have one breakfast ADR, CRT, of course, but more about that later.

I guess that I should mention now that during the getting dressed routine this morning, Chris mentioned that Shelby had a big bug bite on her leg. She said it was OK. I looked at it and it did look a little red, but no big deal.

We were lucky to catch the first boat from the Poly that morning to the Magic Kingdom and were there in plenty of time for the opening ceremony. It's a cute little show that I had never paid much attention to until today. I got my first hint that Zoe just might have a better time than I had envisioned. She was totally captivated by the show.

"Mommy," she whispered to me "That's Mickey Mouse. Right there mom, do you see him? It's Mickey Mouse" and so it all did begin with a mouse.

Once inside we sped towards Fantasyland while the two older boys went to collect Fastpasses for Space Mountain. We headed straight for Dumbo and Zoe loved it! She sat next to me with her head burried for a moment, but then she was in love. Matt and Chris showed up just in time to wave to her and catch her little smile.

I still wish we had a chance to ride it again that week, but we never did, we ended up spending far more time on that ride with the little singing people of which I will never speak of again, you all know what I mean. Oh well, next trip.

We hit Snow White, Pooh Bear and Peter Pan (Shelby's favorite ride)without any lines. I wanted to hit that ride I mentioned earlier, the one with the little people, but we didn't have time, SOMEONE was anxious to get to Splash Mountain.

Right by Haunted Mansion we walk, right by Big Thunder and down to Splash Mountain. We absolutely had to get there so Matt could ride a couple of times with no lines. So off he went with the boys, Shelby decided she didn't want to go, so she stayed with Zoe and I in the play area. She was running around, acting fine, playing, I had forgotten all about the bug bite.

I sat there people watching, not able to believe how few people there were. Frontierland was literally a ghost town, we were the only ones there. I was so excited, we would be able to get so much done if things stayed like this.

Matt and the boys came back and I went on with Chris and Zack, still no lines. Zack was doing so well this trip. Last time, we couldn't get him to ride anything. All the sudden he was a thrill ride demon!

We skipped over to the play area to meet Matt after the ride was over only to find Shelby in tears. Her leg hurt really bad. We decided that she and Zoe and I would go to the First Aid station while Matt took the boys on rides. They took one look at her leg, which was now huge and hot and red, and told me we needed to see a doctor. They gave me the name of a company that would pick us up and take us to a clinic and then bring us back.

Unfortunately, I didn't have my wallet with me with the insurance cards and the money, all I had was my room charge and $20, so I called Matt and told him I was taking the girls back to the room and then off to the doctors. He wanted to come with us, but I didn't want to spoil their afternoon, so I insisted he stayed there with the boys while I took the girls with me.

We walked (limped) down Main Street and right on to a boat to the Magic Kingdom. It was a little tricky folding the stoller and coralling the baby on my own, but we managed. To be honest, I was regretting my decision to take the baby with me. I wasn't sure how I would manage them both on my own.

Back at the resort, the cms at the concierge desk noticed immediately that I looked like I was ready to burst into tears and asked what was wrong. I explained the situation to them and they gave me the business card of a doctor who was already on his way there that afternoon and would come and see Shelby right in our room. The price was a little dear, but it eased my mind.

After a phone call to DOCS with a lengthy explanation of her medical history we had a 1:00 appointment. I took the girls to the room and gave Shelby some Motrin, helping it would help with the pain and the swelling. We lounged around on the bed writing in Shelby's journal and coloring princess pictures until lunch time. I toyed with the idea of ordering room service, but decided we were already spending enough on the DOC, we could manage the walk to Captain Cooks.

Although we had stayed at the Poly before, we had never been to Captain Cooks and I had not heard many complimentary reports. I had a hot dog, Shelby had chicken strips and Zoe had mac and cheese. Everybody ate every bite of their food and either I was hungry, or it was pretty good.

It made me a little better about not being at Casey's with the boys. I knew they would be eating there, it's our Magic Kingdom tradition ever since the trip when I didn't eat for three days and nearly lost my mind. That meal still stays with me, a stupid hot dog, but nothing ever tasted so good.

I should mention at this point for all of you who have now assumed the role of mother-in-law that Matt called every 10 minutes to check on Shelby and begged me to let him come sit with us, but I knew they were having fun and I didn't want the boys to have to sit around.

Back in the room we napped and snuggled and had a really nice time together, despite the injured leg. It was wierd to sleep in the middle of the day, but very relaxing, During all my worrying about Shelby's leg, I somehow managed to let go of the fact that I had planned to be in the Magic Kingdom today and we were not following my plans.

The doctor arrived right on time around 1:00 and Shelby was very excited about his coming. This was quite an adventure for her to have a doctor come to her room. She is used to making hour long trips to Pittsburgh to the doctor, so this was a real treat.

Shelby has spent a lot of time with doctors since she was little, unfortunately, but has assumed a pretty good disposition towards them. She sees them as additional sources of attention instead of as something bad, a pretty good attitude I guess.

The doctor came in and he was wonderful. He was very funny and kind and spent a lot of time trying to make her at ease. Little did he know that she is a lot more at ease with doctors than most kids. He asked 4000 questions and then finally looked at her leg with an "Oh my". After much poking and prodding and questioning and joking, and a lot of writing, he diagnosed her with cellulitis, a blood infection. OhMari, if you have a mechanic for a husband, you probably have heard of it before.

Matt had cellulitis before and I knew it was a very serious problem. He ended up in the hospital for a week with streaks up his arm and antibiotics pumping through his veins.

Luckily, Shelby's wasn't that bad, yet. Because she was allergic to amoxicillan, he could not prescribe the medication he normally would have, and he gave us Zithromax, which I knew rom experience she reacted very well to. He gave her the first dose of the medicine and then had the rest delivered to the resort from a local pharmacy, along with an additional supply of motrin for the week just in case I ran out.

He checked out my admittedly impressive supply of OTC medications and showed me what I should give her for pain and when and took a marker and drew a big circle around the infected area. If the redness and inflamation grew beyond this, we would have to take her to the hospital for stronger antibiotics.

So after 20 more minutes of directions and goofy antics with Shelby and Zoe, he left, over an hour after he arrived. Luckily, he did say that we could put her in a wheel chair and tote her around disney world, so we had the green light on our plans to see Fantasmic! that night and have dinner at Mama Melroses.

to be continued...

Shelby and Zoe waiting for the doctor to arrive.

 

[2belles'mom]

Oh my goodness! I hope Shelby responded quickly to the antibiotics. That must have been scary. I never knew that WDW had docs who come to your room! Hopefully, its information I won't need, I'll tuck it away anyway (ANYTHING can happen, can't it--I am learning!)

Looking forward to your next installment!

 

[Ron from Michigan]

Please don't keep us in suspense any longer. We really want to Know how Shelby is doing. I really enjoy your reports. I remember how we enjoyed reading your last trip report too.

 

[THE HAT]

as i usually say while waiting for the next trip report installments around here.....
more more more

 

[goodferry]

Actually, WDW doesn't have doctors, but there is a service in Orlando that will come to any hotel room, Disney included. And you never do know, I definitely found that out. Who would think one little bug bite would cause so much trouble?
Anyway, back to Day 3, December 15th
Our plans for that night were to have the Fantasmic Dining Package at Mama Melrose's and maybe see the Osbourne Family Lights. Because Fantasmic was at 7 that night, our dinner reservations were for 4:30, a little earlier than I would have liked, but no big deal.
Shelby was excited to get her clearance to leave the room, and even more excited to hear that she would get to ride in a wheel chair for a few days. The doctor had no sooner left the room when Matt and the boys arrived bearing gifts. There were earings, a necklace and a Christmas Mickey for Shelby and a Christmas Minnie hat for me. They are so sweet. Matt said the boys insisted on bringing something back for Shelby and they had a ball shopping.

Plus, they were feeling a little guilty because they had a GREAT day at the Magic Kingdom. The longest line they saw all day was 20 minutes for Space Mountain, and they had Fast Passes for that, so they didn't have to wait.

They went on everything, literally. Every ride, plus Tom Sawyer's Island, Swiss Family Treehouse, the Tiki Hut, everything there was to do, they did it. They even went on Space Mountain a few times. Zack's first time on Space Mountain and I didn't even get to be there!

Zack is a space kind of kid, his previous favorite ride was Buzz Lightyear, but he is also a cautious kid, so I knew he would like it if we could talk him into getting on it. I think he rode 10 times before the week was over.

If Matt wasn't a Tour Guide Mike believer before, he was now. After that lady had told us how crowded the Magic Kingdom was the previous day, which was a Tour Guide Mike red day for the Magic Kingdom, he couldn't believe how empty it was the next day, a green day.

So, they were feeling guilty that we missed such a nice day, and guilt can be a good thing. Shelby and I were treated like queens for at least 10 minutes until they were over it and we were on our way to our dinner reservations.

Luckily, it was a short walk to the bus stop, which Shelby made easily, thanks to the Motrin. The bus pulled up right after we got there, so we were in MGM in time to catch the parade, which I had been hoping for. It was a cute parade, the kids really enjoyed it, Zoe especially liked seeing JoJo and Zack tried to pretend he didn't still think the Power Rangers were kind of cool. We were lucky to sort of walk right into great spots which had been roped off and they opened up just as the parade started.

Next we walked over to pick up Fast Passes for Rock and Roller Coaster, we only needed three because of the baby swap, and then two more for the Tower of Terror. At the Rock and Roller Coaster there was no line, so the Chris and Matt went on while I pushed Zoe's stroller and Zack pushed the wheel chair to Mama Melrose's to check in for dinner.

Along the way, we had our first spontaneous character encounter. Woody and Jessie happened to come walking around the corner and we nearly walked into them. Shelby and Zack were excited, Zoe cowered in her stroller and I started to wonder how she was going to handle our dinner at the Crystal Palace later that week.

Dinner was terrific, as usual. Matt and I both had the vodka pasta, Chris had something with calamari in it, which he loved, Zack had steak and Shelby had pizza. Zoe shared. We had two flatbreads, the kids weren't crazy about them, but the baby loved them. All the kids tried and loved Chris's calamari. I was so impressed that they agreed to try it, even when they knew what it was, I was not so adventurous at their ages!

Afterwards we walked through the Osbourne Family Lights, it was amazing and beautiful, but PACKED! I have never seen so many people packed into one space before. I wish we had gotten to go back again that week, because it was difficult to enjoy with so many people there.

From there we walked to Oscar's garage to redeem our "special seating" passes. The entire way Chris kept saying, "but it says Fantasmic is this way" I kept the rest of them quiet by telling them we were going in a super secret way, but Chris felt certain I was wrong. He is a teenager, so he no longer believes that his mother knows everything, he'll learn. The walk from Oscar's to the seats is about 700 miles, luckily they let us bring the wheelchair the entire way.

We got there about 30 minutes early, there were plenty of good seats available and we probably didn't need to do the dining package, because it didn't fill up until about two minutes before it started, even then I think there was still room.

The kids enjoyed the show, all the kids but Zoe that is. Turned out she did not like the lights and she did not like the noise and she did not care if Mickey Mouse was there, or the princesses or whoever, she was not happy and she "wanted to go back to her little stroller".

She is very sure of what she wants and doesn't want and she did not want to be there. I had already seen Fantasmic before, so it was no biggy for me to walk back to stroller parking with her and leave. We walked around and checked things out until the show finished up and then we all headed for the bus.

The line for the bus was HUGE, but we did get on the first bus that stopped. It was the only time all week any of us had to stand on a bus.

We got back to the room and everybody headed for the lounge for a snack/drink. Shelby said her leg felt better, but it looked the same to me. Back in the room, her antibiotics were at the concierge desk waiting for us.

I forgot to mention, that the two boxes I shipped ahead did arrive in our room on the first day and our cute little tree was up and decorated. I had even brought a wrapped present for everybody, a new sweatshirt and gloves, that they had opened that morning before we left for the Magic Kingdom. The tree was not necessary since we would be going home before Christmas, but it was fun having it, and we would leave it plugged in all night and the baby slept better than she ever does at home, leading us to think she might need a nightlight!

Next; Our plans say Animal Kingdom, but should we do Magic Kingdom EMH since Shelby and I missed the Magic Kingdom the first time around? Will Shelby go to the parks or into the hospital?

Shelby and Chris at dinner

The Osborne Family Lights

 

[goodferry]

Day 4 Friday December 16
So, the night before we discussed our plans. Originally, I had planned we would go to the Animal Kingdom, but with the weekend approaching I thought maybe we should go to the Magic Kingdom for Extra Magic Hours so the girls could ride everything we missed the day before, plus the Animal Kingdom is huge and a lot of walking.

I was outnumbered. Shelby LOVES the Animal Kingdom and the boys already went to Magic Kingdom, plus they didn't want to get up a whole hour early, and Matt didn't care. So, we decided to stick with the original plan.

Everybody was up by 7 am again the next morning, ready to go. Shelby was the last one up, and we were eager to see how her leg looked. I was in the bathroom when she woke up and I heard Matt call, "Lin, come look at this"

I walked into the room and he says "it''s bigger." Shelby has tears in her eyes, she doesn't want to go to the hospital, she hates IVs.

My mother's intuition quickly kicks in. I decided we should give her another dose of antibiotics now and then wait re-evaluate around 2:00 when she would have been on the medication for 24 hours. In the meantime, she would have to keep her leg up whenever possible, like the doctor said, and try not to walk too much.

Matt relies on me to make all decisions medical, so he was fine with that. We made sure we had our wallets, money and insurance cards with us and left for the Animal Kingdom.

The bus pulled up just as we got there and we got to the front gate in time to see Wes Palm for a bit before they started letting people in. We watched the opening show and then started out with Tour Guide Mike's touring plan. We followed it pretty much to a T and had a great morning. Zack hated Dinosaur of all things, but loved Primevil Whirl. Shelby loved Dinosaur but refused to ride Primevil Whirl.

Zoe couldn't ride Dinosaur, so I took her to the character greeting trail that is just before you enter Dinoland to see who was there, and we found Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore and Tigger. There was no line, so she jumped out of her stroller and cruised over to Pooh Bear, success! She cautiously hugged him and had her picture taken and then proceeded to run over to her stroller.

I asked her if she didn't want to come out and see Eeyore, nope she "wanted her little stroller". This would become her battle cry this week. Whenever something would go wrong, she was scared, or just tired, she would scream "I want my little stroller" sometimes she was in it at the time.

She was fine with talking with Eeyore and Piglet, having her picture taken with them, kissing them, and she wanted them to sign her book, just so long as she could stay in her stroller while she did it.

Tigger, on the other hand, was another story. Tigger was a little too much fun, fun, fun fun fun for Zoe and she wanted nothing to do with him. We met up with everybody, and they were all disappointed because THEY wanted to see Pooh too, so back down the trail we trecked and met with them all again, including Zoe, who held court from her little stroller.

We tried to see It's Tough to be a Bug, where did Zoe and I end up? You guessed it, back in her little stroller. Matt was starting to get aggrevated, but I was not surprised. She hates to go to the movies, why he would think she would want to see a movie where bugs jump out at you I don't know.

I want to mention one thing about our safari this trip, it was fantastic. We saw more animals this time than we have ever seen on past trips. The cheetahs were out and moving (much to Shelbys surprise, that's her favorite animal) the giraffes were close, the elephants were out, the rhinos were playing, and those are just the things I know the names of, there were other animals I didn't recognize.

Lunch today was in Tusker House and it was fantastic again, one of our best counter service meals of the trip. The kids all ate every bite of their food, and especially liked the chocolate cake.

After lunch, Matt and Chris went to Kali River while Zack and I took the girls to see Pochantas. They both LOVED it. We were there early enough that both girls got to sit in the front row, Zoe sat there and held Shelby's hand until Pochantas came out and then she was just enthralled. They each got a paper leaf when we were leaving, you would have thought Pochantas gave them a million dollers, they treated those things like gold and carried them all day.

Next we saw Goofy in his Santa Suit in Camp Minnie Mickey and then met the with the boys to see the Lion King show. I explained to them that Shelby could walk and didn't need to ride her wheel chair in, but the cm insisted that she stay in the chair and be wheeled in. We were seated right in the front, the perfect place for someone who wants to participate in the show.

Now realize that every member of my family is a serious ham, everyone that is, but Matt. So of course, who gets picked to represent the warthog section? Matt. And I didn't have my video camera with me. I could kick myself for leaving it in the stroller. He was a good sport about it, but his face was as red as Santa's suit.

Once out of the Lion King, we wheel Shelby over to Pochontas because they want to see it again. Now it is time for the unveiling. I pull up her pant leg to check her calf, and it is shrinking! The redness has shrunk a good 25% and it isn't as hot and nasty looking as it was! Hurray, no hospitals!

So, this seems like a good time to stop since there are now dishes in need of washing and children in need of homework help.

Still to come: a girls night out.

The kids in front of the Animal Kingdom Christmas Tree

Matt and the boys on Primevil Whirl

Shelby in her wheelchair

Zoe and her first ever character encounter

Safe from Tigger in our "little stroller"

The girls favorite show

 

[Queen_freckles]

Great report! Glad your daughter's leg looked better!

Marlene

 

[TuckandStuiesMom]

Thank goodness for Zithromax! I was really worried about how things were going for you folks when I read the diagnosis.

 

[7beasley]

I love your reports!!! Your anniversary report was one of my favorites so when I saw that there was now a Christmas trip report - I was so excited. You sound like a wonderful Mom with a great family.

Keep up the great report!!

Nicole