A Real Princess Goes to the Magic Kingdom!

[5dwarves]

Bill:

A lot of the dark rides have special light, like black lights from the 70's...we found the light colors in our clothes would "glow" in the black lights, and that was all the extra light reassurance we needed. The boys were never scared in the dark (except on Expedition Everest when we were being growled at by the Yeti, and going upside down on the roller coaster). If it was kind of a scary part, showing them how funny their clothes looked in the dark, redirected their attention.

 

[jennydep]

A friend gave me the advice of getting one of the little personal fans from the Disney store that light up with different messages for dark rides. I got them yesterday. We go on Sunday so hopefully I can let you know how they work. That is if my scared one will get on anything that might remotely possibly be slightly dark!

 

[KathyRN137]

We like to bring glowsticks and glow necklaces/bracelets for the nighttime parades and shows... when the kids were little they used the glow sticks on the dark rides, too.

BTW, we always carry mini flashlights in our bags and have never had any issues with ride monitors or security.

Most attractions post warning signs outside the entrance and they tell you when something might be scary. All the thrill rides have an exit just before you actually get on to ride. This way, you can experience the pre-show, but if your DD seems apprehensive, she can still experience the flavor of the attraction without riding the actual ride.

Kathy

 

[Bill_Lin]

Thank you Kathy. Your information was very helpful!

 

[Bill_Lin]

Wow! We only have three weeks left until our trip.

This is the point where I start trying to think of what I haven't thought to think of. Let's see, did I think to think of that? Hmmmm?


We have bags
We have crocs
We have games
In a box

We have shorts
And sunscreen
And Disney
Kid's Magazine

We have shirts
We have maps
We have times
Planned for naps

And have checked
Google earth
Have certificates
Of birth

We have our
State's I.D.
Know the places
to P

Have been
On DISboards
And know where
To buy swords

Still I am afraid
Our trip might turn rotten
If the tiniest thing
Is somehow forgotten

Does this sound familiar to anyone? I have asked so many questions on line, have driven our Wish Trip Coordinator nuts trying to make everything perfect, have talked to Disney Guest services on line and by phone and know more about Orlando than anyone sensible person should. Still, I press on with my research.

Seriously, I have gone on Google Earth a lot. The current satellite view of the area is really clear (except for Give Kids the World Village which is shrouded in a mystical cloud). I have used it to virtually visit each theme park. The following locations are marked on G.E. now: Wal-Mart, the U.P.S. store, the Post Office and Mailboxes etc.

This weekend is about shot. I have next weekend to work obsessively on getting ready (Is it a coincidence that it will be Labor Day?) but the weekend after that I will be gone to Puget Sound for my niece's wedding. Not much time left.

Can you believe that the ride checklists I prepared so each person could choose their top rides at each park had mysteriously disappeared? Hmmm......

Stay tuned for more news

Bill

 

[5dwarves]

Bill:

It tickles me to see your poems and to hear your angst and worry about getting everything perfect. Just face the fact that something will go wrong and miraculously it will still all be okay . You will have a wonderful trip and wonderful family memories, regardless of the portable DVD batteries being charged or not, I promise!

~Elisa

 

[KathyRN137]

Didn't know
You're a poet!

You'll do fine,
I just know it!

Take a breath,
Count to three,

It will work,
Wait and see!

You have faith
And you have love,

You'll get help
From above!



Kathy

 

[5dwarves]

Oh my! Emily Dickinson and William Wordsworth on the Dis! LOL. l love the work and the effort guys! Keep it up!

 

[alizesmom]

Poetry, what a nice perk from the board Sounds like you're well prepared. Can't wait till the real princess hits the parks. Karen

 

[Who'syourMickey]

Oh Bill you are so much more ready than we are. And so much more rhymy at the moment...who could rhyme at a time like this? You are amazing! OK...it's crunchtime!!!!! We have done nothing that you have, we have done not much shopping. not everyone has shoes yet. yikes..yikes...yikes...we don't have the little water things that go around your neck to keep you cool, have not figured it all out yet. We don't know where to pee!!!!!! I was hoping to buy bottled water, freeze it, and put it in backpacks though, so we have cold water....then we will need to know where to pee.

 

[Bill_Lin]

As far as drinking water is concerned. I have read on some posts that it is pretty easy to get a cup of ice water from the food counter folks. I am a big believer in drinking a lot of water in a hot climate . You would not believe the controversy about taking opposite sex children into restrooms at Disney. I don't really want to take my DD into a restroom with men (YUCK) , but when I am with her alone part of the time, I would do so by putting a shirt or something over her head until a stall is found, but only as a LAST resort. I was hoping to use a companion restroom for this, but there seems to be quite a HUGE problem with people who need the larger companion restrooms because some of the regular "accessible" stalls are not really accessible for all folks. There have been a lot of cases of people abusing this when they don't need it and making folks who need it wait . I don't wan to be in that group, so I will play it by ear. Now you and I can use the Wish Lounge at MK and the VIP lounges at Epcot, but I don't know of any such facilities at the other parks.

Our current focus is on wondering if our DD will reach the magic number of 44" in time. Our unofficial measurements show 43". 42" is also an important height for many rides. I feel like we are cutting it close for those rides as well. Perhaps lifts are called for. Hmmmmm.... how do you put lifts in crocs? Maybe she will have to slip on her Princess shoes for those lines that are too close to call. 44" is the cut off for Mission Space, Space Mountain and Ripsaw Falls. 42" is the height for Bige Rat Barges and a few others. I don't intend to resort to stretching her, however.

We bought out neck coolers at our local festival . I think you can find them on line, but shipping time is running out for us. They are made of cloth tubes filled with some sort of gel beads (I think Silicone) which absorbs water. They really do work well in cooling your whole body by cooling the blood close to the surface on your neck, but they need to be resoaked fairly often.

I think hats are important for sunstroke protection and to shade ears and shoulders. I bought an elephant grass hat from Africa, which seemed like a swell idea at the time. It is WAY big however. I kept bumping people with it, so I think I will just wear my felt hat, a Pendleton Fedora with a nice brim. It is wool, of course, but works fine in our climate. I would just use a baseball cap but want to save my ears.

20 days and counting down!

Bill

 

[wendygrace]

Oh Bill! You are too funny! It will all be ok. *hugs* to you.

It'll soon be time to let it all go and enjoy. But please remember to enjoy!

BTW, I had no issues with bathrooms. Mick took Danae into bathrooms and I took Michael at times. But then, we don't care what people think! LOL And every time we came across a companion bathroom, there usually wasn't a line so we would use those to get us all four through as quickly as possible. But then, our kids pee fast. LOL

We had those neck wrap thingies and were real nice for AK and Disney-MGM.

We used baseball caps and lots of sunscreen and we did fine.

It will all be ok. You are going to the most Magical Place on Earth and staying at the Most Magical Resort Ever!

I'm so excited for your trip!!

 

[Who'syourMickey]

Bill,

I read the TR you are talking about and I would just go ahead and use the companion bathrooms if you need to. The GKTW T shirt will be enough of a givaway that you need it. It's not like you are napping in there. I would make sure the coast was clear of anyone in a wheelchair by looking both ways, and if it's clear, go ahead. It was my understanding that companion bathrooms are for people who have a small child of the opposite sex to take to the bathroom as well as for disabled people. In this day and age it is not safe to send your small child to the bathroom alone! I don't think people should use companion bathrooms as dressing rooms or nap spots. My dd poops and pees quickly but if you only knew how much work it took to get to this point you would be rejoicing with me on that one.

 

[Who'syourMickey]

Oh and what we did to add 2 inches. #1 is a pair of flip flops, certain kinds add an inch. You don't wear these all day, they are uncomfortable. I will keep them in a backpack for "special rides". We gain 1 inch from that. Then #2 is the longstanding disney tradition of getting yourself a hat when you get to the parks. Why do you think they sell so many hats that seem to add a lot of inches???? You guessed it, you could try to get away with a hat tall enough to get onto a ride. We have a poofy hat that adds 1 inch already, giving us the required 48 inches for the rollercoasters. To get from 46 to 54 inches, dd would need a huge hat, and that would probably be pushing it, but you can always try. I did this all through my growing up years, each time we went to disneyland the first thing we did was get mouse ears, it's tradition. Now they have a wider selection of height increasing hats at the parks. Even princess tiara hats. I would go for it.

 

[SueM in MN]

As far as drinking water is concerned. I have read on some posts that it is pretty easy to get a cup of ice water from the food counter folks.

You can get a cup of ice water from any of the counter service restaurants at no charge just by asking.

II don't think people should use companion bathrooms as dressing rooms or nap spots. My dd poops and pees quickly but if you only knew how much work it took to get to this point you would be rejoicing with me on that one.

We can't use any restrooms except the Companion ones.
I personally have no problems with the people who are using them and are 'quick in and out'. I don't know why they chose to use it (although it's pretty obvious if it is a dad and DD). Most of those people are really embarrassed when they come out and see my DD in her wheelchair and me waiting outside (so I usually tell them we were not waiting long).

Just a caution - when my DH took our DD into a Companion Restroom at Mall of America, a woman went really ballistic on him taking an opposite sex child in there. He explained that DD is not able to get out of her wheelchair and use the bathroom without help. When he came out, she was waiting. With security!
So, if you have a choice, I'd suggest sending your DD into the ladies room with her mom. (unless I missed something and you can't do that).

There are a surprising large number of people who use the Companion Restroom for dressing and some people have used it for naps. Those are the ones I have a beef with.

Oh and what we did to add 2 inches. #1 is a pair of flip flops, certain kinds add an inch. You don't wear these all day, they are uncomfortable. I will keep them in a backpack for "special rides". We gain 1 inch from that. Then #2 is the longstanding disney tradition of getting yourself a hat when you get to the parks. Why do you think they sell so many hats that seem to add a lot of inches???? You guessed it, you could try to get away with a hat tall enough to get onto a ride.

CMs usually have kids remove hats for measuring, especially if the child looks close to not making the height.
I have also seen them make kids remove shoes if the soles are obviously higher heels.
They are pretty serious about it because CMs have posted that they can get fired for allowing a child on who doesn't meet the height requirement.


Bill, your pre-planning sounds great. You sound like your family will be prepared for almost anything.

 

[Bill_Lin]

We have 19 Days left ! It is hard to believe that the trip is approaching so rapidly, although it must seem to the kids like time is going VERY slowly . We have done most of the planning that will need to be done. We will have to start getting everything together Labor Day Weekend. That sounds kind of early, but I work 10 1/2 hours shifts plus an hours RT commute and will be gone to my niece's wedding the next weekend. We will have the Friday and Saturday before we leave home to pack. The day before we leave, we will drive to my inlaws to spend the night. They will drive us to the airport EARLY the day of our departure.

The next event we have is a "Send Off Party" with Make a Wish . My DD chose Chuck e Cheese for that dinner. http://www.chuckecheese.com/ It is in Spokane, about an hour away. Chuck e Cheese has really poor quality pizza, but lots of arcade games and such for kids. The host is an animatronic (poor quality) mouse. Several other such figures perform on a little stage. It is definitely a kid-friendly place.

At the party we will get our airline tickets and funds for the trip. The date has not been set yet.

Last night, my DD and I watched the travel channel show on Sea World before bed. She got into it a lot more this time that she has so far. She asked me to look up on the internet to see if she was tall enough for Journey to Atlantis. She is by an inch . She was also very interested in the Arctic ride.

Yesterday her grinchy friend told her that all the characters she will meet at Disney World are not real , but are just people dressed up. She is pretty cynical for a 7-year old, but I think there are some sour grapes going on as well . It is hard to know how to approach this. We want the magic to work for her, especially related to Cinderella. My DD is pretty sure that Minnie, Mickey et al, must be people in costumes, but the actors like the Princesses and Peter Pan seem real to her.

We will keep you posted.

I was a bit stunned to hear that people take naps in restrooms. GROSS ! I have to admit that when camping in a unexpected downpour or snow storm the thought has occurred to me, but I have never done it. At Yellowstone in the winter I was at Old Faithful. It was -25 . I misread the time of eruption and went into the restroom to thaw out. I ended up just missing Old Faithful .

The reason my DW will not be available at times to take our DD to the restroom is that she has agreed to go on some of the big rides with my stepson who is 13 . This will separate us fairly often as I will take DD to attractions that she would like and he would not (maybe even Small World and to meet Barney! ). I would not send my DD into a restroom alone, although it may be a lot safer than sending a little boy into a men's room. Having only one kidney, she has to go fairly frequently and suddenly .

As far as overplanning versus taking it easy and enjoying the trip, I am kind of unusual. I will plan and plan and plan ahead of time, but be very laid back when the activity is finally happening . For instance, on a road trip from Spokane to Disneyland, I planned out every rest stop along the way and where every Taco Bell was located (cheap food) on the route. But when the trip happened, I was the first to suggest being spontaneous and taking a detour to do something unplanned.

When I was an E.M.T. in California, I had this dichotomy going. I would really work hard to plan for emergencies, but when we were on scene, I would be the calmest man on the team, as cool as a cucumber. When the event was over, and I was home, I would feel shaken then , but not during the mission.

I see my Disney planning as insurance. If I have a plan and know the options and outcomes, I can relax and go with the flow and offer lots of choices for the group. I don't even care if I am the one to choose which ride next. I just need to be prepared to offer my family the best choices possible. I am thinking, that we should have a different person choose each ride within a "land." It would be one person's turn to choose, then anothers, etc. so everyone feels empowered and valued.

Bill

 

[Iluvmickeymouse!]

19 days....woohoo...I am so excited for you and the other Wish families going at that time!! We just started our countdown calendar today. Very exciting!!! I am a planner also. This trip has been harder for me to plan because I don't know how the DD's are going to do/handle everything. I knew how to plan for just DH and me!! Your trip will be here before you know it!!!

 

[Bill_Lin]

First the Good News:

We received a mailing and an email from Give Kids the World today. Woooohooo!

Unfortunately, our Wish Trip package will not be ready for us until 6 days before we go.

That is rough on an advance planner like me.

Our Send Off party will be at Chuck e Cheese on Tuesday, September 11th. That should be a blast.

Yesterday, Lysi and I looked over the souvenir trip-planning maps we ordered from Disney. They came with our Trip D.V.D. Both are awesome. Our favorite rides are marked with gold circles. She watched a preview of Dinosaur: The Ride with me. I am hoping to de-sensitize her somewhat to the scary stuff. She is getting pretty serious about the trip now and anything to do with it. We continue to watch our Travel Channel tapes on DW and SW off and on before bedtime.

Now the Bad News: Social Security has cut off Elysia's Medicaid. They state that they will cover her until other coverage is found. I am very sure she qualifies for state medical so I am not too stressed. Never the less, I am sure it is a mistake. Our income has not gone up, quite the contrary. Send up a prayer about this, please.

Bill

 

[KathyRN137]

Prayers and pixidust, coming your way!


Kathy

 

[alizesmom]

Prayers being sent now. Karen