Mom, you can't be serious. A vacation this September? Why? Why not!

[CatNipRules]

Okay, so this is a totally last minute vacation plan. We are planning on going to Disney in September of 2017, but I couldn't bear the thought of waiting so long....

Why? Because my husband passed away last month. And yes, we should probably wait, but I've never been one to wait for much.

When we lived in Florida, every birthday and anniversary was spent at Disney. You could say that it was truly our happy place.

So, I want to bring back a bit of happy to our family.

Without giving it too much thought, I fired off an email to my Disney TA and waited and hoped for the best. Was hoping for free dining, but wasn't counting on it because I've never gotten lucky with it in the past. So, why should this time be any different.

Well, luck must have been on my side. Because I got an email from her shortly afterwards telling me that she was able to get free dining. And I upgraded it from the 2 quick service meals, to 1 quick service and 1 table service. Because we do have a few TS meals that are a must do.

The next thing to do was to check with our jobs. Since we both work for the same place I asked if it would be an issue for us to both take off. I was told it was okay. That it would be approved. So, that only left one last hurdle.

What's that you ask? Well, I'm happy to tell you. The last thing was to find someone to watch this guy:



Now, I would like to say that his name is Mickey. That's what I wanted to call him when we adopted him almost 11 years ago. However, I was overruled by my son who was 8 at the time. LOL!! So, his name is Buddy. He's the second most important man in my life right now.

Our normal dog sitter is the only one that I trust to watch my furbaby. And guess what? He agreed to come over and walk him at least twice a day. Yay!! So, that last hurdle crossed, I let my TA know that she could go ahead and book the trip.

So, here are the three W's.

Who: Michelle & Chris
Where: All Star Music
When: September 13th thru September 20th
Why: Because we want to go back to our happy place

I reserved a rental car. Because we never take our own car. I will pick it up on the 12th of September and then we will leave that night. I have an Aunt that lives close to Disney, so we are going to stay with her for the night and then head to Disney the next day.

Just a few more pictures. One is of me:




Sorry it's a bit blurry, but Eeyore wanted to make an appearance in this thread.

Another one is of my son:



Sorry for the creepy face. My child can't seem to make a normal face to save his life. It's always some crazy face. LOL!!

We are planning a few special meals. Places that we always eat at. The Garden Grill is a must do for us. We've eaten there at least once on every trip since Chris was 3. That was actually our first trip as a family.

Here's one of him with Chip:



And finally, the reason for the trip is to remember the fun we had with the most wonderful husband and father ever. And in this picture he was being the best Uncle ever as always.



I miss him and know that I will never find another man to love. He was one of a kind, but I will carry him in my heart forever. I know that he would support me going on a trip to remember him and the life that we lived.

So, because it's so close I will keep the updates frequent. I'll update whenever I get my ADR's set.

Not sure if anyone will follow along, but if anyone does, then I thank you....

 

[CatNipRules]

Okay, so the deposit has been made on our trip!!! Yay!!

I was looking at the refurbishments today and wow....I am disappointed to find out that two of our favorite rides will be down when we are there. Dinosaur and Thunder Mountain.

Oh well. We will make do like we always do.

I went onto the Disney Store website looking for Magic Bands. Trying to find one that I absolutely love. I'm not sure if I should buy one in advance or wait until we get to Disney. Because I know there are probably a lot more to choose from when we get there. I'm not sure what to do on that front. I'm hoping to find the answers here.

Working on planning my Dining stuff. Nothing really concrete right now. Just taking it one second at a time. Nothing too hectic for this trip.....

 

[c3h3a3r]

So sorry to hear about your husband....but you obviously have some great memories
Thanks for sharing x

 

[CatNipRules]

So sorry to hear about your husband....but you obviously have some great memories
Thanks for sharing x

Thank you so much. Yes, we have lots and lots of great memories at Disney and not at Disney.

 

[CatNipRules]

Okay, so we are getting closer to our trip. So, we have been browsing the different restaurants trying to decide where we are going to eat. We've decided to pretty much decide on the day that we go to each park where we are going to eat. However, there are a few must do's for us.

In the middle of doing this, my son reminded me that he loved T-Rex. In fact, during our last trip, he convinced us to eat there again.

However, I've been trolling the website trying to get a ADR. However, nothing and I mean nothing has been open for any of the days.

This is where my amazing travel agent comes in. She managed to grab me a dinner reservation for the night we arrive. We aren't planning on doing a park that day so it's great.

Now for a bit of drama. Since we are renting a car I need someone to take me to pick it up. My son is working on getting his license, but I want to have a backup plan.

It's amazing how many people are there for you when your husband passes away. They tell you to let them know if you need something, but when it comes down to it, they disappear. Well, I changed our pickup day from Monday, to Saturday. That way, we can leave early Monday morning. Well, after a lot of crying and worrying, I finally found the solution.

Remember a few posts back when I told you about my dog sitter? Well, he's going to come over on Saturday and get the key and a breakdown of what he's needed to do. Then he's going to take me to pick up the rental car. Problem solved.

We are getting more and more excited as the trip gets closer. Been buying gift cards at Target to pay off the trip. But found out that Dinosaur and Big Thunder Mountain are both going to be closed when we are there. Bummer....But we will make do. LOL!

 

[CatNipRules]

Well, the trip is now officially paid off. It's a relief to have it paid off already. That leaves me to focus/obsess over other things.

So, anyone that knows me knows that I love all things Eeyore. If it has Eeyore on it, I. Must. Have. It. Well, I know that you can hardly find anything with him on it in any of the parks. Well, I found a site that will custom make Mickey ears. So, I emailed her and asked what I thought was going to be a possible let down.

I would love to have a set of ears that has Eeyore and Goofy on it. I was fully prepared for her to tell me, "Sorry. I can't do that. Much to my surprise though she said that she can definitely do it. So, she's going to do Eeyore and Goofy on the front and orange for Goofy and grey for Eeyore. I'm so excited. I can't wait to order them.

We have been watching videos and getting ideas for our trip. Sooooo, we aren't one for a lot of shows. However, after watching the shows my son is determined that he wants to see them. I agree. It would be nice to watch them this time. In the past it was all about rushing around the park and getting from ride to ride. Now I want to take our time.

I'm really not looking forward to driving. I don't want to drive through Atlanta. So, we are going to find a way around Atlanta. Because I remember going through Atlanta on the way to Florida last time and it was not fun at all. We barely moved and I was getting more and more annoyed as the time went on. Which annoyed my husband. Which in turn annoyed me. LOL! IT was really a viscous circle and it didn't seem to end.

It was like the song that never ends. It goes on and on my friend.

Snorts...

Still sorting out where we want to eat on the different days. It's very hard when you have a picky eater in your family. Everything on the menus looks good to me, but I have a child that hates any kind of sauce on food. He won't even use ketchup on his food. Unless it's a hotdog. He likes hamburgers, but only his dads. Because, according to him, everyone else burns their burgers.

When he was little he wouldn't even eat spaghetti sauce. Now though, he will eat it when we have spaghetti. He uses no sauce when he eats chicken tenders or chicken fingers. He likes pizza, but only with pepperoni on it. He's not much of a breakfast food eater. Will occasionally eat a honey bun or something like that. But it's always been a struggle getting him to eat in the mornings. Ugh....

My only idea is to buy breakfast foods for the morning time from Target or Walmart and then grab our mugs and get drinks then. Yes, I have a picky child and it's so hard some times....

We will probably just wing it once we get to the parks. We have 2 reservations, but trying to decide what we are going to eat tomorrow is hard enough. Let alone 2 months from now.

So, picky eating aside, we are going to have an awesome time. We are thinking about doing a backstage magic tour. His dad did it back when he was little and he's always wanted to do it. So, we are going to try and do it.

 

[KnK]

We'll be there the same time....happy planning. A wonderful tribute to the love of your life.

 

[CatNipRules]

Forgot to include the shirts that Mike's job made up for him. Every year they have a fitness event. Well, because Mike died of a massive coronary they are honoring him and his favorite Disney character this year.

So, here is the shirt:



Not sure if the characters will sign shirts, but hoping that I can maybe get Goofy to try and sign it for us. It would make it super special.....

 

[crabbygal902]

I popped over from the Restaurants board to see your pre-trip report. It is great!!

I am so sorry for your loss. You said something that resonates with me, that there are lots of offers to help immediately after a loss but then the helpers disappear. I had never thought about that. I am going to do a better job of being present for those who need it. Thanks.

I am looking forward to reading more. I think taking a trip is a wonderful way to honor your happy memories with your husband.

Best wishes to you and your son as you plan and prepare.

 

[CatNipRules]

I popped over from the Restaurants board to see your pre-trip report. It is great!!

I am so sorry for your loss. You said something that resonates with me, that there are lots of offers to help immediately after a loss but then the helpers disappear. I had never thought about that. I am going to do a better job of being present for those who need it. Thanks.

I am looking forward to reading more. I think taking a trip is a wonderful way to honor your happy memories with your husband.

Best wishes to you and your son as you plan and prepare.

I'm trying to do better also. I remember saying those words and trying to make sure to follow up, but now I know that I will.

I'm kind of just winging what I write. I'm not even sure if any of it makes any kind of sense to anyone but me. But thanks for reading along just the same. Hopefully I don't bore you to tears. LOL!!

 

[CatNipRules]

I got Disney mail today!! Yay!! I had an awful day at work. It was one of those days that made me just want to throw my hands up in the air and say forget it. However, I sucked it up and powered on.

On a better note, Chris and I are all set to do the Backstage Magic tour! I'm so excited, but at the same time it's bittersweet. I wish that Mike could be there with us.

I know that this is something that Chris is really going to enjoy. He's wanted to do this for a few years. Back then Chris was only 15 and you had to be 16. Now you only have to be 12. I'm excited about it and can't wait!!

 

[CatNipRules]

I feel

But, we are going to Disney!!! So, I'm happy to be going home again!!

I'm counting down that days until I can do my online checkin and start making my Fast Pass plus reservations. I can't wait to see the Coke store in Disney Springs. Chris even has a few things that he wants to do to. I know that we are going to have so much fun!!

I feel like this trip report should be titled the Ever changing plans report. Because it feels like I'm changing everything about this. From the day that we are going to what we are doing on each day.

Originally we were going to pick up the rental car on Monday the 12th of September. Now though, we are picking it up on Saturday the 10th. We were going to leave late on the 12th of September. Like overnight late. Now I'm planning on leaving as early as possible on the 12th.

I wasn't planning on doing a backstage tour. Because it was never going to be that kind of a trip. Lets face it though. Most plans have a way of changing. Even when you don't want them to.

So, since we are leaving early on Monday morning. We are going to drive straight through until we get to Disney. I was going to check with my TA about adding an extra day to our trip, but I honestly don't want another day added on. So, I'm going to probably either stay with my Aunt or get a hotel room offsite.

So, since we are going to be doing the backstage tour we have an extra day of park tickets. So, our original plan was to make the first park day the 14th of September. However, since we are moving things forward a day, I'm thinking that we can go to a park on the 13th and that will make up for the tour day.

So many things to think about. so many things to worry about.......

 

[CatNipRules]

Trying to get my son more involved with planning the trip. It's....What's the word I'm looking for? Um, trying maybe? That's the best word I can come up with right now. He's interested in the trip, but he's never been a big planner. Not like me. I'm trying to get his input on things, and I keep getting one word sentences. It's frustrating to say the least. He has been changing the days on our Disney countdown board that I made a few years ago. So, that's some progress. Getting his input on where he wants to eat is another matter altogether. I want to eat at some new places. Him? Not so much. He's not much for adventure when it comes to eating. Which is the main reason I'm not doing a lot of ADR's. It's not worth stressing over if he's not going to eat there anyway.

We are planning on arriving in Orlando on the 12th. I've got the hotel booked from the 13th thru the 20th. Trying to decide if I should add another night of hotel to the trip. Not tickets for any park and no dining plan. Just the hotel. My TA said it would be another $110. I'm not sure that it's worth it. But for the convenience of not having to switch hotels after only one night, it might be worth it. Going to think on it for the night.

I am going to have some special Mickey ears made for the trip. Since I love Eeyore and Mike loved Goofy, I'm going to have some made up with Goofy on one side and Eeyore on the other. The back of Goofy will be orange and Eeyore will be gray. Something special to feel like I have part of him there with me. I know it won't be the same, but it might help.

 

[CatNipRules]

I really, really wish that our trip was this week. Why? Because nothing has gone right this week.

I was at work on Sunday and my son was home. Well, the sink clogged up. We tried our old standby of baking soda and vinegar. Nothing. Then I called a plumber on Monday. Well, since he was waiting for a part for his machine, I told him I could wait until today. HE said he would be here between 9-12. He showed up at 8:35. No big deal. I figure we can get it over with and I can get my errands done for the day. Simple right? If only. He spent an hour in my kitchen cursing up a storm.

He goes outside and gets up on the roof. I hear him doing some things and then he comes in and tells me that he's sorry, but there's nothing he can do to fix it. He tells me I'm going to have to call someone else. Really? He leaves both sides of my sink filled with the nastiest water I've ever smelled and it's got all kinds of crap floating around in it. Well, the dishwasher won't drain now and I'm literally in tears. So, I called Mr. Rooter and am currently sitting in my living room waiting for them to come.

I need a vacation more than ever now.

Speaking of vacations, I'm literally drooling over the menu for the food and wine festival. So many amazing things to eat. So little time. LOL!!

Just counting down the days until we leave....Can't wait....

 

[CatNipRules]

Okay, since we are getting closer and we were able to make our Fastpass+ reservations, we have more or less decided on what parks we are going to on what day. Another side note, my old boss from Florida wants to get together with us for a few hours. Normally, I would be like, I don't think so. It's going to cut into our Disney time. This time however, I really find myself wanting/needing to see her. So, here is our plan so far. As always, it's subject to change:

Monday September 12th- The plan is to get up early and start the drive to Disney. I'm planning on waking up at around 5 a.m. I plan on having the car packed and everything ready to go the night before. It's a 9 plus hour drive, so I figure with stops we will probably arrive on Disney property at around 4 p.m. Give or take an hour or so.

Dinner will be at Bongo's Cuban Cafe. We were supposed to eat there on our last trip, but skipped it in favor of T-Rex. I'm looking forward to this dinner.

Tuesday September 13th- We will be going to Animal Kingdom this day. We have Fastpasses for Expedition Everest, Kilimanjaro Safari and Primeval Whirl. Not exceptionally happy with the last one, but since Dinosaur will be down, we chose the next best thing.

We have a dinner reservation for 6 p.m. in downtown Disney at T-Rex. As I've said before, my son loves that restaurant. It's the one that he keeps asking to eat at on every trip. So, who am I to say no???

Wednesday September 14th- This is our Magic Kingdom day. We have fastpasses for Space Mountain, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Buzz Lightyear.

Thursday is Our EPCOT day. We have fastpasses for Test Track, Mission Space and Nemo and Friends. We are going to be doing our favorite meal here. Garden Grill has been a must do since Chris was 3. We ate there once and were hooked.

Friday is a free day. We are going to do the Back Stage Magic tour. It's a 7 hour tour and it includes lunch at Whispering Canyon. This is one of the things I'm looking most forward to. Hubby did it a long time ago and he loved it. Chris always hoped to do it with him one day, but never got the chance. So, we are going to do it together.

Saturday is a Animal Kingdom day. We are going to have lunch at Tusker House. Our Fastpasses are for Everest, Primeval Whirl and the Safari ride.

Sunday is an MGM day. This is our least favorite park. I'm not really sure why. Maybe it's because it always has the least to do. But anyways, we have lunch at Mama Mia's for a Fantasmic package. Our fastpasses are for Rock N Roller coaster, Star Tours and Muppet Vision.

Monday is another EPCOT day. Pretty much the same fastpasses as the last time. Test Track, Mission Space and Spaceship Earth.

These are our tentative plans as of right now.

I did get the Memory Maker.

 

[crabbygal902]

Oh, good! An update!

Monday September 12th- The plan is to get up early and start the drive to Disney. I'm planning on waking up at around 5 a.m. I plan on having the car packed and everything ready to go the night before. It's a 9 plus hour drive, so I figure with stops we will probably arrive on Disney property at around 4 p.m. Give or take an hour or so. Hmmm...I am wondering if you are also from North Carolina. We are on the 6 am leave and 4 pm arrive track too, including restroom breaks and lunch.

Dinner will be at Bongo's Cuban Cafe. We were supposed to eat there on our last trip, but skipped it in favor of T-Rex. I'm looking forward to this dinner. It's always fun to try something new!

Tuesday September 13th- We will be going to Animal Kingdom this day. We have Fastpasses for Expedition Everest, Kilimanjaro Safari and Primeval Whirl. Not exceptionally happy with the last one, but since Dinosaur will be down, we chose the next best thing. Primeval Whirl scrambles my brains! My DH can't even get on it, it makes him sick. My kids love it!

We have a dinner reservation for 6 p.m. in downtown Disney at T-Rex. As I've said before, my son loves that restaurant. It's the one that he keeps asking to eat at on every trip. So, who am I to say no??? Way to go, mom! Taking one for the team! Making our families happy makes us happy.

Wednesday September 14th- This is our Magic Kingdom day. We have fastpasses for Space Mountain, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Buzz Lightyear. Exactly what I will pick when my window opens up.

Thursday is Our EPCOT day. We have fastpasses for Test Track, Mission Space and Nemo and Friends. We are going to be doing our favorite meal here. Garden Grill has been a must do since Chris was 3. We ate there once and were hooked. Are you doing the pre-park breakfast and then ride Soarin' first?

Friday is a free day. We are going to do the Back Stage Magic tour. It's a 7 hour tour and it includes lunch at Whispering Canyon. This is one of the things I'm looking most forward to. Hubby did it a long time ago and he loved it. Chris always hoped to do it with him one day, but never got the chance. So, we are going to do it together. This sounds awesome!!

Saturday is a Animal Kingdom day. We are going to have lunch at Tusker House. Our Fastpasses are for Everest, Primeval Whirl and the Safari ride. Are you doing an evening safari? I haven't been since the change in hours, but it seems like it would be very cool.

Sunday is an MGM day. This is our least favorite park. I'm not really sure why. Maybe it's because it always has the least to do. But anyways, we have lunch at Mama Mia's for a Fantasmic package. Our fastpasses are for Rock N Roller coaster, Star Tours and Muppet Vision. We call Mama's a "sleeper hit"...who knew we would like it so much? It's one of our favorites. And RNRC...probably my favorite attraction in all of WDW.

Monday is another EPCOT day. Pretty much the same fastpasses as the last time. Test Track, Mission Space and Spaceship Earth. I am loving the fact that you can add FPs on the app after you "spend" your first three. So much more convenient!

These are our tentative plans as of right now.

I did get the Memory Maker. I was able to buy a one-day memory maker pass on a Halloween party night a couple years ago. The ride videos from 7DMT are fun!

 

[CatNipRules]

Oh, good! An update!

Monday September 12th- The plan is to get up early and start the drive to Disney. I'm planning on waking up at around 5 a.m. I plan on having the car packed and everything ready to go the night before. It's a 9 plus hour drive, so I figure with stops we will probably arrive on Disney property at around 4 p.m. Give or take an hour or so. Hmmm...I am wondering if you are also from North Carolina. We are on the 6 am leave and 4 pm arrive track too, including restroom breaks and lunch. We actually live in Alabama. Although my husband was from North Carolina.

Tuesday September 13th- We will be going to Animal Kingdom this day. We have Fastpasses for Expedition Everest, Kilimanjaro Safari and Primeval Whirl. Not exceptionally happy with the last one, but since Dinosaur will be down, we chose the next best thing. Primeval Whirl scrambles my brains! My DH can't even get on it, it makes him sick. My kids love it! It's not one of my favorites, but we still like it.

We have a dinner reservation for 6 p.m. in downtown Disney at T-Rex. As I've said before, my son loves that restaurant. It's the one that he keeps asking to eat at on every trip. So, who am I to say no??? Way to go, mom! Taking one for the team! Making our families happy makes us happy. Definitely!

Wednesday September 14th- This is our Magic Kingdom day. We have fastpasses for Space Mountain, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Buzz Lightyear. Exactly what I will pick when my window opens up. We've never been on the Mine Train.

Thursday is Our EPCOT day. We have fastpasses for Test Track, Mission Space and Nemo and Friends. We are going to be doing our favorite meal here. Garden Grill has been a must do since Chris was 3. We ate there once and were hooked. Are you doing the pre-park breakfast and then ride Soarin' first? We are actually doing a dinner here. We love their dinner food here.

Friday is a free day. We are going to do the Back Stage Magic tour. It's a 7 hour tour and it includes lunch at Whispering Canyon. This is one of the things I'm looking most forward to. Hubby did it a long time ago and he loved it. Chris always hoped to do it with him one day, but never got the chance. So, we are going to do it together. This sounds awesome!!

Saturday is a Animal Kingdom day. We are going to have lunch at Tusker House. Our Fastpasses are for Everest, Primeval Whirl and the Safari ride. Are you doing an evening safari? I haven't been since the change in hours, but it seems like it would be very cool. Yeah, we are going an evening safari. We've never done it before and I can't wait.

Sunday is an MGM day. This is our least favorite park. I'm not really sure why. Maybe it's because it always has the least to do. But anyways, we have lunch at Mama Mia's for a Fantasmic package. Our fastpasses are for Rock N Roller coaster, Star Tours and Muppet Vision. We call Mama's a "sleeper hit"...who knew we would like it so much? It's one of our favorites. And RNRC...probably my favorite attraction in all of WDW. Funny story is that we hate Mama's the first time we ate there, but now we love it. It's one of our favorites now!

Monday is another EPCOT day. Pretty much the same fastpasses as the last time. Test Track, Mission Space and Spaceship Earth. I am loving the fact that you can add FPs on the app after you "spend" your first three. So much more convenient! Definitely!!

These are our tentative plans as of right now.

I did get the Memory Maker. I was able to buy a one-day memory maker pass on a Halloween party night a couple years ago. The ride videos from 7DMT are fun!

 

[CatNipRules]

Okay, so I totally forgot to post the pictures of my Goofy and Eeyore ears, so here they are:

 

[hockeyprincess25]

Following along! I will be leaving as you are arriving...

Sorry to hear about your hubby. You are so strong and amazing!

 

[CatNipRules]

Following along! I will be leaving as you are arriving...

Sorry to hear about your hubby. You are so strong and amazing!

Thank you so much. Some days I feel stronger than others. Some days it takes all I've got to keep the tears at bay. My son is the amazing one. He's been a rock for me and I love him so much. I know that he misses his dad so much. They were very close and I sometimes feel inadequate and like not enough for him.