Little Warrior's Wish Come True -- Marenna's Trip Report

Oh, wait! I forgot!:rotfl:

At some point in all this, we went to the Wish lounge. Knocked on the door, no answer. So we went to the First Aid counter and explained we were a Wish family. The person in First Aid got a key, came out, opened the door, explained there was cold water in the fridge, and left. I mean, she was nice. But there was no CM that stayed there that we could talk to. The economy may be causing them to make some cut-backs.

Marenna, Lily and I stayed there for a little rest while Tom, Kaziah and Jackson went on some of the big roller coasters. OH, Big Tip: through the door by the refrigerator is a bathroom. You don't know this, so one of the other Wish families that came in the lounge went outside and around the corner to go to the restroom. Luckily, when Renn needed a trip to the potty, a CM caught us on our way out and showed us the one right there.

I chatted with another family that was there. Another bilateral Wilms' Tumor. For a rare cancer, I sure seem to meet a lot of kids with it.

CM or no, we were grateful for the Wish lounge. Cold water and juice boxes, air conditioning, and a place to just sit, play quietly, etc. It was just what we needed.

And now ... my trip into the Horror House ...
 
Our trip through the Haunted Mansion: So, we look around for a CM, show her our GAC, and ask where to go. She sends us up the exit and tells us to wait. After a few minutes, another CM comes. She asks if there's anything we want to skip. Huh?:confused3 Um, no, I don't think so.

IT WAS AT THIS MOMENT that I should have said, "Yeah, can we go straight to the ride?" Or simply turned on my heel, grabbed as many kids as I could hold, and ran towards the Carousel. Or Splash Mountain. Or up a tree. :scared:

We get crammed into a small room, there's some sort of routine, I can't remember what, those memories have been repressed. After that, we're herded into The Big Room. We are packed in there like sardines. And we wait.

And we wait.

And we wait.

And we wait.

(All this, in the near dark.)

Not even room to sit down.

And we wait.

Finally, someone comes in and announces something. The problem, is that apparently every single person in MK that day is right here, jammed into this room. And so you can't hear anything. Then I overhear someone say that something is broken, but they're trying to get it going again.

And then the terror begins.

Because it's not just that we're jammed in there with 4 kids who are now becoming a little on the whiny said (and truth to tell, I'm a bit whiny myself by now), and it's not just that it's hot in there and it's not just that's it's practically dark in there.

We are trapped in there with ... wait for it ... junior high cheerleaders. :eek:

Who now decide that really, what all of us need is ... a CHEER! :idea: Several cheers!

It is at this point that I begin wondering when it was that we were killed -- did we step on a live electrical wire? Did we fall off a roller-coaster? Did we fall head first into Pooh's honeypots? -- because we obviously are in the 9th level of Hades.

And I don't mean a Hercules-themed ride.

I think that after a few minutes more, we were able to move, and they got the ride working, and we rode it. I'm not really sure. Things are a little bit hazy about that time period. My therapist has instructed me not to think about it too much. There are certain things humans are just not meant to experience.

So, I'm here to tell you ... when someone tells you The Haunted Mansion is not scary ... they lie.
 
Our trip through the Haunted Mansion: So, we look around for a CM, show her our GAC, and ask where to go. She sends us up the exit and tells us to wait. After a few minutes, another CM comes. She asks if there's anything we want to skip. Huh?:confused3 Um, no, I don't think so.

IT WAS AT THIS MOMENT that I should have said, "Yeah, can we go straight to the ride?" Or simply turned on my heel, grabbed as many kids as I could hold, and ran towards the Carousel. Or Splash Mountain. Or up a tree. :scared:

We get crammed into a small room, there's some sort of routine, I can't remember what, those memories have been repressed. After that, we're herded into The Big Room. We are packed in there like sardines. And we wait.

And we wait.

And we wait.

And we wait.

(All this, in the near dark.)

Not even room to sit down.

And we wait.

Finally, someone comes in and announces something. The problem, is that apparently every single person in MK that day is right here, jammed into this room. And so you can't hear anything. Then I overhear someone say that something is broken, but they're trying to get it going again.

And then the terror begins.

Because it's not just that we're jammed in there with 4 kids who are now becoming a little on the whiny said (and truth to tell, I'm a bit whiny myself by now), and it's not just that it's hot in there and it's not just that's it's practically dark in there.

We are trapped in there with ... wait for it ... junior high cheerleaders. :eek:

Who now decide that really, what all of us need is ... a CHEER! :idea: Several cheers!

It is at this point that I begin wondering when it was that we were killed -- did we step on a live electrical wire? Did we fall off a roller-coaster? Did we fall head first into Pooh's honeypots? -- because we obviously are in the 9th level of Hades.

And I don't mean a Hercules-themed ride.

I think that after a few minutes more, we were able to move, and they got the ride working, and we rode it. I'm not really sure. Things are a little bit hazy about that time period. My therapist has instructed me not to think about it too much. There are certain things humans are just not meant to experience.

So, I'm here to tell you ... when someone tells you The Haunted Mansion is not scary ... they lie.

I am LAUGHING sooooo HARD!!:rotfl: ha ha! Sorry but you are too funny...and I love your story!
That does sound pretty scary!
HM is my fav ride there though...so I can't wait to experience it myself!!
Hope they have the kinks all worked out by now!!:lmao:
 
I know that if I was in that same situation that I would be scared to death, but the way you describe it has got me laughing so hard that tears are coming.:rotfl2:
 


NOT...CHEERLEADERS!!! :scared1::scared1::scared1::scared1::scared1: I'm so sorry. :hug: :lmao:I feel for ya! I love Bert pointing to Marenna, so sweet! You've got to love those CMs that actually look for the GKTW button! I love Dole whip floats and my kids would have those pretzels for every meal if I'd let them :thumbsup2
 
Loving your trip report. Your kids are adorable. So sorry you are having some issues with the CM's. Your Haunted Mansion story is funny you are very creative writer.

I look forward to reading more. Our trip date is quickly coming up.

Keep up the great work on your TR.

Diane
 
Thank you for the sites, I will check each of them out!!

I love your parade pictures and the story of Mary Poppins and Bert is wonderful!!
 


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This...

Is Priceless!

What an incredible moment. But to have captured it on "film" like that - WOW! :thumbsup2
 
Our trip through the Haunted Mansion: So, we look around for a CM, show her our GAC, and ask where to go. She sends us up the exit and tells us to wait. After a few minutes, another CM comes. She asks if there's anything we want to skip. Huh?:confused3 Um, no, I don't think so.

IT WAS AT THIS MOMENT that I should have said, "Yeah, can we go straight to the ride?" Or simply turned on my heel, grabbed as many kids as I could hold, and ran towards the Carousel. Or Splash Mountain. Or up a tree. :scared:

We get crammed into a small room, there's some sort of routine, I can't remember what, those memories have been repressed. After that, we're herded into The Big Room. We are packed in there like sardines. And we wait.

And we wait.

And we wait.

And we wait.

(All this, in the near dark.)

Not even room to sit down.

And we wait.

Finally, someone comes in and announces something. The problem, is that apparently every single person in MK that day is right here, jammed into this room. And so you can't hear anything. Then I overhear someone say that something is broken, but they're trying to get it going again.

And then the terror begins.

Because it's not just that we're jammed in there with 4 kids who are now becoming a little on the whiny said (and truth to tell, I'm a bit whiny myself by now), and it's not just that it's hot in there and it's not just that's it's practically dark in there.

We are trapped in there with ... wait for it ... junior high cheerleaders. :eek:

Who now decide that really, what all of us need is ... a CHEER! :idea: Several cheers!

It is at this point that I begin wondering when it was that we were killed -- did we step on a live electrical wire? Did we fall off a roller-coaster? Did we fall head first into Pooh's honeypots? -- because we obviously are in the 9th level of Hades.

And I don't mean a Hercules-themed ride.

I think that after a few minutes more, we were able to move, and they got the ride working, and we rode it. I'm not really sure. Things are a little bit hazy about that time period. My therapist has instructed me not to think about it too much. There are certain things humans are just not meant to experience.

So, I'm here to tell you ... when someone tells you The Haunted Mansion is not scary ... they lie.


Ok..this is SOOOO funny...

And so terribly scary! :scared1:


My therapist has instructed me not to think about it too much. There are certain things humans are just not meant to experience.

So, I'm here to tell you ... when someone tells you The Haunted Mansion is not scary ... they lie.

:lmao:
 
How did I miss you starting your TR?

Love the Wish shirts and that everyone asked about them!

GKTW looks amazing - I love seeing everyone's photos and hearing about it.

I am sorry to hear you had a few bumps with the CM's and your GAC.

Love the sweet Tigger and the Mary and Bert story!

Can't wait to read and see more!
 
It was 8ish, and Spectromagic was at 9:00. We found a place along the parade route and Renna, Lily and I stayed there while Tom, Jackson and Kaziah went to Pecos Bill's to pick up dinner.

We were by ... um, I have no idea what. A store, or an attraction, but it was closed. The girls just had fun, "climbing" trees, going up and down the steps, etc. I used that time to call my mother and have a long conversation about what all we'd done that day.


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The gang came back, balancing all our food and drinks. We all had burgers, with some of the interesting trim from the toppings bar -- grilled onions, yum!

After that, we settled down for the parade. I pulled out glow sticks and glow bracelets. Kaziah gave one to a little girl sitting by her. Really, giving away pixie dust -- people act like you're giving precious jewels! :rotfl:

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It's here, it's here! :yay:

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After that, it was time for the Wishes fireworks. Um, where's the castle? Time to move! Well, no big deal. It's just fireworks. We can just sit/stand wherever, right? Um, right? :rolleyes:

(The laughter you hear right now is coming from the experienced DISers. It's laced with sympathy, because they're good-hearted folks. But they can't help snickering a little at the naive newbie.)

We get out to Main Street ... jam packed! Meanwhile, CMs are valiantly trying to keep a walkway clear for those who don't want to stop and gawk at the fireworks.

Tom finds a place for us ... um, honey, there's a big tree right there. I don't think seeing the fireworks this way is going to be worth it. We move over. A CM tells us we're blocking the way. Understandable, but frustrating! Tom tries to turn the stroller around and a CM starts fussing at him, thinking he's trying to block something. "No, no," I protest. "We're just trying to turn around so we can move out of the way!" He takes pity on us and directs us to a safe place to stand. We can't see anything (trees) but he tells us that after the fireworks start, he'll move us into the sidewalk area.

Fireworks start. We can't see anything, so I just tell Tom, you know, let's just go. As we're making our way across, the CM spots us and jams us into a safe area where we can see. Yay!

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So, advice:

If you're going to do Spectro and Wishes on the same night, find a CM (in the afternoon!), explain what you want to do, and very sweetly and politely ask if they can tell you the best place to be for them. Go there early, and send part of your crew for food. That's the one thing we did that was right.

We go "home" to our Villa -- more surprises on the table! :love: Tom carries all three comatose girls in and puts them to bed, clothes and all. I note with some satisfaction that none of us have blisters.

Jackson passes out on the couch bed, and Tom and I quickly fall asleep in our room.
 
Saturday has kind of ‘ehh’ beginning, but a bangup end. Which has been the experience of so many of us!

We said we were going to sleep in a little, since we go in so late the previous night. But the naughtiest child in our family is my brain – at 7 am, it woke up and wouldn’t go back to sleep. "It's vacation, wakeupwakeupwakeup!" My real children soon join my mental child.

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We got up and called for the breakfast cart. Little bummer – it was broken. Oh well, no biggie. Back for more waffles, biscuits and gravy, etc. at the Gingerbread House!

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Jackson was still kinda asleep. And Lilyanne displayed why her family nickname is Sillyanne.
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"See, I told you Mom was on the trip with us! She's not just an imaginary photographer friend!"
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After breakfast, we headed to Sea World. We headed straight for the dolphin area, since I knew Marenna would get a free dish of fish for feeding. We hung around, me making sure that Marenna’s GKTW pin was easily visible. We had several CM’s look right at us, but no recognition. Okay, that’s fine. Tom went into the little employee “shack” that they have there, and explained that his daughter was a Wish kid from Give Kids the World, and was there a better place for us to stand, so that she could feed the fish? The CM said No, we needed to pay for the fish, and go get in line! Thankfully, another employee said, “No, come here,” and gestured us to a little area off the side. After a long wait (not that I begrudge them that, I know they have a schedule to keep) we got to feed the fish. The kids enjoyed that.

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After that, we just kind of wandered around, looking at things. We were kind of there at an off-time for shows. After looking at the manatees, we did have one person acknowledge us. An obviously more experienced employee saw Renn’s pin and said, “Oh, now most Wish families don’t know this, but you get to feed anything that has public feeding – not just the dolphins.” We wound up not taking advantage of that, but were appreciative that she told us about it.

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The kids weren’t really interested in the aquarium stuff, but both of their grandmothers have big aquariums in their towns, so they’ve grown up seeing that sort of thing. They all agreed they’d rather be playing at GKTW, so that’s all we needed to hear! We headed back “home.”

Got to the villa and called up Katie’s Kitchen (Boston Market) to deliver to our villa. Yum! I don’t think I’ve ever eaten Boston Market before, but probably will again. Well, maybe not – I don’t think it’s very Weight Watcher’s friendly! LOL. Rotisserie chicken, Caesar salads, and YUMMO – Lily got the potpie.

After that, we headed back to the main area for some fun. And ice cream, of course! Jackson wanted to try an orange sherbet float in sprite, and was pleased with his creation. I believe Tom ate the same thing every time we went -- strawberry ice cream with strawberry topping. Oh well, as his wife, I should be glad he stays with what he likes, right? :rotfl2:

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Then, over to the Castle of Miracles for pillows and Marenna’s star. Talk about magic … Marenna’s pillow has frogs all over it!!! How did they know???

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After that, I found a good space where I could log on to my computer, while the fam went over to the Dino Putt Putt. They were there for a long time, so I believe they had fun!

Then, back home to the villa for a quick change into the girls’ princess dresses and one of Jackson’s cool Disney shirts. I’d heard so much about Downtown Disney, I wanted to go there first, then over to our 8:25 ADR for 1900 Park Fare, Dinner with Cinderella.

Oh. My. God. Um, trying to park at Downtown Disney, near the Disney Marketplace, after 6:00, on a Saturday night???? :confused:

We drove on, parked all the way over by Cirque, and tried to get our bearings. We decided to just go to The Grand Floridian and maybe ride the monorail while we waited. As we were leaving, Tom decided to try parking by the Marketplace one more time. A couple of minutes of cruising around, then Instant Park-ma! A place right up front.

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We did some great browsing, and a little shopping. Jackson has been turning his sister Lilyanne into a Star Wars fan, and she was thrilled to find a Princess Leia version of Polly Pockets. Little more browsing, then back to the car to go to our dinner with Cinderella!
 
I have to admit, yes, feel free to shame me … I’d been feeling an eensy weensy bit sorry for us, getting little special treatment, and having to be up in faces to get it. But by this point, I’d gotten over my bad self, and remembered what a gift this all was.

So, we get to Grand Floridian, and the parking person asks us if we’re going to valet park or self-park. Self-park, we say. “Okay, you need to take two lefts, then a right, go across the street, rub your head and pat your stomach, and then you can park,” she explains. Okay, not literally, but it was still pretty complicated. “Um, how much is valet?” $10. Sold.

We go in, and the maitre d’ says they’re running late, it may be about 45 minutes later than planned. Luckily we had a late lunch! We enjoyed sitting in the lobby, listening to the piano player. I did, I must confess, have to give the kids a reminder about “Prince and Princess manners,” as they had gotten used to being able to run around crazy-like.

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It was getting pretty late, so Tom went up and checked. They promised it would be soon. About 10 minutes later, our pager went off. Yahoo!

Outside of 1900 Park Fare, there was a photographer, who asked if we wanted our picture taken. "Is this part of our Photopass?" "No, that's at the parks, this is not a park," he said. Frankly, he was a little snotty. You get so used to everyone at Disney being so lovely, that when someone acts less than gracious, it's a little jarring. Get over yourself, dude! :lmao: Well, he probably gets that question a million times a day.

As we walked in, Lady Tremaine instantly noticed Renn’s button and told us she’d be coming over to us, soon.

Drizella came over first. She was very funny, and really talked with the kids.
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Anastasia came next and oh, she was SUCH a hoot! She had fun with all the kids, including Jackson, who was having as much fun as any of them. Having three little sisters, he didn't feel like he had to be "cool," he could play along. And he did!

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We got a little lull between characters, so we went and filled our plates. I've heard varying reviews for 1900 Park Fare, but we found it delicious. The cream of asparagus soup was subtle and nice, the prime rib was good, salmon was good -- desserts were delicious. They had some kind of chocolate tarts ... mmm.

Cinderella was so sweet. Marenna’s original wish was to go to Disney World and meet Cinderella, so I will admit that I was taking pictures and just weeping all over the place at the same time. I hope the other guests saw my Make-a-Wish pin, perhaps it would have explained the strange woman with obvious emotional problems.

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Then it was time for a royal dance. Marenna was entranced, watching them. And then ... they came over to her. Cinderella danced with her, then took her over to Prince Charming to dance with him.

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And now, the tears are really flowing. And I'm thinking about that bald little baby in the big hospital bed, telling our Nurse Practitioner about how she wanted to meet Cinder-wella. And this, my dear friends, is why you don't wear mascara on a Wish Trip! ;)

The Prince brings her back to our table, ever the gallant royal, and talks with Marenna for a little while. How will she ever deign to date a pimply adolescent after this? :rotfl:

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After that, Cinderella comes back over to our table. Quietly, she asks me if we can stay until everyone leaves. "We want to give your family a magic moment." Oh, BOY!

Lady Tremaine comes over to our table. She was so, so, so hilarious. Great with the kids, even with staying in character. I had triple dog dared my son to tell her she was beautiful. “Well, of course I am,” she said haughtily. She began tousling his hair. “But if you’re going to be like Prince Charming, you must get your hair cut!” The would later turn into a running joke.

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She came over to where Marenna was sitting and talked with her. "I don't think you're really mean," Marenna told her. "Of course, I'm not. I'm very nice. And have you met my two beautiful daughters?" She got Renn to make a mean face for a picture. I think Marenna out-stared her.

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And then ...
 
ahhhh, no cliffhangers! You had tears in my eyes even BEFORE it started getting really good! Those pictures are great! I love Marenna outscowling Lady Tremaine!!! And I do believe both of my daughters were quite smitten with Prince Charming as well.
 
You had me a Cinderella:love:

I am so glad that the characters were so good to you at 1900 Park Faire. :cloud9:
 
Before the dining room was completely empty, the maitre d' came over to us. "Can you come outside to our courtyard?" she smiled. We went outside. She drew the children's attention to the Mary Poppins topiary. Behind us, Cinderella and Prince Charming came in, as if they were on their way somewhere and "happened" upon us. Right after them, Lady Tremaine and the stepsisters bustled in, arguing about this and that. They spent a good bit of time with us, talking to the children, letting us take pictures, etc. Anastasia had a decoration in her hair, and Marenna asked if it was paper. "Not at all," said Lady Tremaine. "It is solid gold, a priceless family heirloom!" :rotfl: They also teased Jackson again about his hair, with Lady Tremaine telling the Prince and Cinderella that she had told him he needed to cut his hair so he'd look like the Prince. Prince Charming replied that maybe he didn't want to look like a Prince. And Cinderella sweetly said, "Maybe he's a pirate!" :rotfl2:

Through all of this, they never broke character. It was impressive!

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They really made us feel special, as you can imagine. And one of the other CMs let the children trade pins with her (and she gave Marenna three!)

Still glowing, we waited for the valet to bring our car. The valets there wear Scottish driving caps, and Marenna decided one was Burt. She even wanted to get his autograph. Well, that was the one thing missing from the night -- we'd left the autograph books in the car. Oh well! :rolleyes: We'll just have to go back, right?

Got home, still floating on a cloud. It was pretty late by now -- everyone tumbled into bed, dreams of Cinderella in their heads. :cloud9:
 
There is only one word I can think of when I finished reading. . .

PERFECT!:cloud9:
 
wow, what a fantastic evening, and yes you made me cry again!! the Disney magic was certainly working that night xx
 

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