9/12 - 17 Boo, Mom and a special needs son - whew what a trip

[we3are1]

Ok so I am finally getting to a trip report. I have been waiting for my photopass cd before I started this report and it arrived today. So here we go.

Ok so we left Friday 9/11. My mom (that's Boo to her grandson) and I picked up son from school at noon, grabbed a quick lunch and hit the road. We live near Richmond VA and hopped on 95 pretty quickly. We drove right at the speed limit the whole way and there was very little traffic. Just to fill in those I haven't chatted with my son is in the autistic spectrum and he's 9. I really didn't know how this trip would go but I was very excited. We stopped only for potty breaks and the welcome centers and to also get current maps. My wonderful hubby who had to stay home and work packed the car for us and we weren't able to reach the snacks. Our plan was to make it to Kingsland GA but at 8:30 pm (probably an hour from Kingland) we could - no the boy could make it no further. He had done really well until then. This was a surprise trip and he opened his clue/toy each hour as we drove along. We ended up stopping in Richmond Hill GA (the 4th exit in GA I think). It was an ok place to stop. Plenty of hotels to choose from and a McDonalds too. We quickly ate at McDonalds and decided on a hotel - Best Western. It only needed to have beds, free breakfast and a pool - a promise to son that I had to keep. We checked in about 9pm and headed to the pool - lady at the desk said we could swim past 10 if we stayed quiet. Son swam till about 10 and then off to bed. Well it was a hotel and we tried to sleep. It was clean but right next to 95 and the beds were pretty soft.

So Saturday morning we headed out earlier about 8am. Breakfast was pretty limited at the BW but we were fed and off we drove. Son still had not guessed where we were going. Again we drove quickly through GA and may I just add how nice the highways are in GA after riding through SC - whew! We stopped quickly at the FL welcome center and enjoyed a cup of fresh squeezed OJ for son and Grapefruit juice for Boo and me. Mmmmm was that good! We hit the road quickly and got to route 4. Once on route 4 we looked for a place for lunch and quickly found a Wendy's. A quick stop there and we were off again. Since we were about 20 minutes from DW we decided to tell son where we were going. Kewl Disney World was as excited as he got. At about 2pm we arrived at Pop Century. Our total drive time was about 12 hours - not bad.

Let me fix a quick dinner grab the photo cd and then I will tell you all the details including a fabulous ddp report.

 

[we3are1]

Ok so we get to Disney at about 2pm. Now please know I planned to take pictures of everything but that didn't happen. I got so into the moments at Disney that the camera got forgotten about most times so you will just have to go with my words...
We pull into Pop Century and it was everything they say - Big Bright and Beautiful!

I did not do the online check in because I really wanted to make sure that my mom had a accessible room since she would be using a scooter. So I went to check in and I could see why the wait here could be so long during in season, but all our lines were short all week. I waited about 15 minutes and checked in. After that I went to the luggage area and retrieved my mom's scooter. That took longer than check in. So once I got the scooter I rode it to Boo to head toward our room. Now I have to say that is a bit confusing. We were trying to get out luggage out nearest the room - we were in the 60's building which was great access to everything but parking. If you drive to DW make sure you find out where to drop off luggage instead of trying to take it yourself. So rainstorm was coming I was trying to get luggage unloaded, mom in the scooter, excited special needs kids running around - you get the picture. SO finally a luggage guy came by and offered to help. He loaded up the luggage and I sent him and my son to the room with a key and then I parked the car and Boo and headed for the room...
Ummmm never do that your first trip to Pop Century. We both got lost looking for the room. I finally found someone checking on rooms riding a segway - does that tell you how big the resort is - well the maids ride on golf carts from building to building, need I say more. So the lady finally tells me where my room is and I find my son and the luggage guy, who I thanked over and over for staying there till I found him. Then I had to find Boo. Yes she had her cell phone on and I directed her to me LOL. Then it was straight to a park... Epcot here we come.

 

[we3are1]

So we drop our luggage and head to Epcot. Oh by the way my son was most impressed with the pools. He is a water kid 100% it changes him when having a bad attitude. So we head to Epcot as we enter the park we get a quick snapshot and start our photopass

Where to next??? I didn't have any notes with me and no map ahhhh I was overwhelmed. We did a quick stop at Cool Station and then to Test Track. My son is not a big rider so I rode only which was really good for wait time - 5 minutes but I don't think I even waited that long.

Then him and I rode Mission Space (green line). He loved it especially since he wants to be a jedi. A little more walking around Epcot and son was ready for swimming. So a quick stop by guest services for our GAC card and then back to the room.
Oh the bus and the scooter that was interesting. Boo was very nervous at first and there are 2 different bus drivers - the very patient helpful ones and the ones that weren't. There are also so 2 kinds of buses the pull on easy ones and the back in lift hard ones. So getting that scooter on and off the bus was a bit of an ordeal. Once back at Pop Century I unpacked while Boo watched son in the pool and then we switched. We hung around the pool and got dinner. Food at Pop Century was AMAZING! We had the salmon, rice, corn bread, and green beans and Matthew had the hamburger. I can't even remember what we had for dessert. Of course I had to purchase the refillable mug, but we used the heck out of that mug. We head the bed pretty early so we were rested for the next day.
Day 2 - Hollywood Studios

 

[we3are1]

We arrived at DHS before opening and were treated to a preshow for American Idol. The gentleman that hosted this was amazing and I even got to say I Love American Idol so maybe one day I'll be on a commercial ha ha. Oh I should add that I was feeling very rough this morning. My husband had gotten the flu at home and I may have had a touch of it but wasn't going to let that keep me down. So we headed in with the crowd and waited for the ropes to drop. Boy was that fun - again a sick me, a new scooter grandma and an autistic child LOL but we waited and followed the crowd to Toy Story Mania. Since mom was in the scooter we got to go in the handicapped entrance and only had to wait for the handicap accessible car to come through (maybe 3 minutes) and away we went. It was an amazing ride. My son wasn't too interested in riding - Toy Story is for little kids and he's an old 9 LOL. But once he rode he loved it. They have added great effects for that ride. After that a quick walk over to Star Tours with a stop by the raining umbrella and snowman scene. We got to Star Tours about 10 minutes before the Jedi Training. We waited with maybe 10 other families and we had our sign "The Force is with this one" ready and he got picked

My son still thinks he fought and beat Darth Vader - I'm not shooting that dream down yet LOL.
After that we rode Star Tours - he loved it! and then we rode The Great Movie Ride. That was really I could handle for the day - I was feeling rough.
We did decide to see if our 6pm adrs at 50's Prime Time Cafe could be moved up to 2pm so we could use our TS credit before we headed back to Pop and they said certainly. It was such a great move cause a huge storm moved in while we ate lunch. I felt so rough that day I don't even remember what I had. I think I had a burger and fries and so did son. Boo had the pot roast she said it was great! Son also got the peanut butter and jelly milkshake but it was really to rich for him. For dessert son had the ice cream and so did Boo. I got the Smores to go. They smelled really good but I never did eat them. I did find that most restaurants were very willing to pack up desserts to go if possible. We headed back to Pop for a nap for me and more swimming for son. About 6pm we headed for Downtown Disney and a quick visit to Legos just for son. Again we dodged a huge rain storm just after we entered the Lego store. You have to know I had all these plans for everything at Disney but after I heard the weather for the week (100 degrees was what it would feel like) I changed my plans. I decided we would hit the top 5 rides and anything else than that would be BONUS. I am so glad I decided that - it really changed my outlook. Once back to Pop we grabbed a quick bite - Boo had the chicken dinner - it was a huge serving and she said it was great. Son had another burger LOL and I had the Shrimp Lo Mein - it was AWESOME! I think we had ice cream bars as our dessert that night.
Oh I also forgot our photopass DHS shots

Day 3 - Animal Kingdom

 

[we3are1]

Pop Century

 

[we3are1]

Well for some reason my photos won't post. Feel free to view them on picasa
here
http://picasaweb.google.com/we3are1fam
managed to get pics up but feel free to look here for more

 

[jlmasl]

I love Pop Century! It's what a value resort should be!!!!

Looks like you had a great time!

Jenney

 

[we3are1]

Jenney - I agree. I have no desire to stay anywhere else. Well if someone else was picking up the tab I would say Grand Floridian or Contemporary because the monorail would be so convenient.

Day 3 Animal Kingdom - well I did get up this morning and feel VERY rough so we took it slow and made it to AK by 11 am. We looked around Rainforest Cafe. Not sure how the meals are here but seems like a great place to eat. The atmosphere was great and the shop prices were very reasonable. We slowly walked through the Oasis - I was still feeling bad. Then we went straight for Safari - the wait was probably 15 minutes and we met a very nice couple to talk to in line. They were camping at DW and said they had left their can opener at home and ended up paying $12 for a simple ($1 Walmart) can opener at the camping store. I love driving and being able to bring everything! After that we walked though the Exploration Trail - that was really nice and peaceful. After that we headed straight for the train ride and Rafiki's Planet Watch. We got to walk through the Habitat Habit, Conversation Station and Affection Station. The 1st 2 were great but Affection Station wasn't. The animals have learned where to go so that they won't be bother so they tend to stay in that area. We also got to see Jimney Cricket, Pocohontas, and Rafiki in this area and got autographs and pictures. After that is was a quick walk to to Kali Rapids which my son LOVED. Something about water just changes his whole attitude. He was a bit cranky and hot but put him on a water ride and life is great! I did put on a poncho for this ride but I still got soaked. I took off my socks before hand - tip from online - this was a great idea. Just leave items with someone not riding to keep it dry. My mom did the Jungle Trek while we rode and she said it was amazing. My son wasn't interested in any extra walking LOL. After that we grabbed a quick snack - juice bars I think - and then on to Dinosaur. Well son completely freaked out at the video area to Dinosaur. My mom took him out and I rode. What a good thing he didn't ride - this ride is intense, very space mountainish. Dark, fast, lots of turns, LOUD, lights flashing and scary. Be warned! Then a quick ride on Triceratop Spin where we saw Pluto and Goofy giving autographs. We quickly got in line, got pictures and autographs. By that time it was about 4pm and son was done with the park. We had 7pm adrs for HDDR but no one wanted to head to the room with more bus transfers. So we headed to Fort Wilderness to hang out. But we had a surprise ahead of us.

 

[we3are1]

So we head to Fort Wilderness for out HDDR adrs. We jump on the Fort Wilderness bus but they drop us off at the front entrance. This is why they tell you to take the boat. We have to get on the Fort Wilderness buses to get to the back. This is not clearly marked but we just asked all the others standing in line. Once we got to the HDDR I realized I had left the tickets in the room. I figured since it was 4:55 and adrs were 7:15 so if they couldn't help me I would have time to get back to the room and get the tickets and get back. The lady at the counter was very friendly and said no problem people do this all the time. I decided to check and see if maybe there were any openings at the 5pm show and hallelujah there were! Within 5 minutes we were sitting and eating! What a great show and the food was great too! They even made special items for my son's no dairy diet. The food was really good but we didn't eat too much - but you can. I just can't do a long walk after a big meal. After the show we took the boat (a much better way to travel), which is just a little walk from the restaurant, to Magic Kingdom and then a bus back to Pop Century. Once we got back to Pop Century it was time for more swimming LOL and I did a load of laundry. We learned on this trip to reward Matthew (and bribe for pictures that I wanted) for good behavior with swim time. He had earned a good 50 minutes of swim. This night the laundramat near the main pool wasn't too busy so I did laundry there till 11 pm. I also used the internet this evening. Although this is expensive I think (most hotels give you free internet not DW they charge you 9.95 for 24 hours), if you use it at the right time you can get 2 days out of it. I logged in at 10pm (while laundry was drying) and used it for a few hours and then I had it to use until 10 pm the next night. This was like getting 2 days for the charge of 1. It was very easy to use and the cables are in the room if needed. I would have preferred to use it at the pool while waiting for laundry but wireless is not an option.
Tomorrow is Epcot!

 

[we3are1]

Day 4 - Epcot - get ready for some walking!
We headed to Epcot about 10 am. We learned after day 2 that rope drops aren't made for scooters or children with aspergers.
We quickly made our way to The Seas and hopped on our clamobile. (I forgot to say the 1st day we rode Spaceship Earth too). This was really cute and even my big boy enjoyed it. The effects are amazing. After that we hung out in the aquariam area for awhile and caught Turtle Talk. Although son didn't get picked to talk to Crush this was really cute as well. After that it was onto The Land. We grabbed a quick early lunch. We had finally learned how to eat on this dining plan. We grabbed son his lunch and 1 adult lunch at Sunshine Seasons. Mom and I shared a lunch. This is a great place for a counter service - lots of choices. We both got the sandwich choice. We also got carrot cake for dessert - not so great. The sandwich and the potato salad was great. After that we road Soarin. It was a very quick wait in the handicap line. I really had to convince son to ride this - he scared of heights. He was thrilled he rode it. He never let go of my arm but it was great and the orange scent was wonderful. This was the only fireworks we saw LOL. After that we head to Imagination - Journey into Imagination and ImageWorks. Of course there was no wait in either attraction and we got picked for the Kodak picture lab. Even though Kodak lost my pictures I couldn't talk son into Honey I Shrunk the Audience so off to the countries. Of course Canada was first. I have to say everyone said that AK was the hottest park but on our trip I felt Epcot was. There was shade in AK but not at Epcot. We used lots of our snack credits here. The first one was in Canada - popcorn (son is addicted to this when he sees it and a drink). Son and I did the Kidcot while mom watched the movie. This was a great place to sit and stay cool while mom watched the movie. On to France. In each country we got our passport (from DISboards of course) signed by one of the Kidcot workers and requested something written in their language if possible. Canada was great but France hmmm they just have an attitude here of you Americans what a bother. Anyway on to Morocco. I do recommend just asking where the Kidcot stops are - they are tucked away sometimes. Morocco was great the ladies here were very friendly. I did find a photpass guy here but he was busy with another lady and said wait I'll be right back and he never came back - oh well! On to Japan and we got to see the show with the drummers. Son had to go shopping here. Parents don't go in this store unless you plan to spend LOL Remember many toys are made in Japan - Pokemom and bakugan our 2nd favorite to Star Wars. We got our purchase, found the Kidcot and saw the Koi on to America. The band was playing and doing the flag raising but son was too hot to watch we walked by slowly. Then we used another credit on Frozen Lemonades for the adults and Frozen juice cup for son. We move right along to Italy with a quick picture and Kidcot stop. And the same plan in Germany. At the Outpost we got to watched the world globe for the night show come out. That was kind of cool because you usually don't see it that close up. We also found a photopass lady here and got another picture. In Germany it was the normal quick picture, and Kidcot stop. We had 4pm adrs at Garden Grill, we were really moving along. We did the same in Norway - I didn't get my school bread either but dinner was coming soon. The same in Mexico - I did meet a very nice lady in Mexico that also used Disboards and we discussed the passports we had printed and the tshirts. Next was the mad dash to Garden Grill - we were about 15 minutes late but it was the fastest I could get my whining son to walk.
Dinner at Garden Grill was GREAT. We were really hot and tired from out day at Epcot. We didn't wait long about 5 minutes - just enough time to potty and washed up. At dinner we had very fresh salads, a platter of 3 meats, veggies and bread. This is family dining and very good. I can't remember what son ordered but he ate every bite. Dessert was some sort of cobbler but the fruit escapes me. Mickey, Chip, Dale and Goofy all stopped by our table 3 times. We were able to get autographs and pictures. We then got on the bus and back to Pop Century. About 9pm we again got 1 adult counter service pizza and ice cream and split it among the 3 of us. Of course we had to go back to the pool for about an hour and then off to bed for a day at Magic Kingdom.

 

[we3are1]

Day 5 - Magic Kingdom
Ok so this day started with son waiting up at 3 am and not going back to sleep. Uggghhh! Mom took him to the pool and let him swim 6 -7 just to get him out of the room. We headed to Magic Kingdom and arrived there about 10am. We snagged many photopass photographers on the walk down main street getting various views of the castle. But the best one was right in front of the castle. He asked my son to kiss my cheek and snapped a photo. You have to go to http://picasaweb.google.com/we3are1fam and see this shot. He knew any mom would pay 12.95 to go home with that photo. Even though I had purchased the photopass cd before going I had to have that one immediately. So we headed right for Tomorrowland and went to the Laugh Floor. I was very cute. There was no wait in Tomorrowland for anything. I couldn't talk son into riding anything. We then went to The Carousel of Progress something I just have to do because I always have LOL. Then on to TTA just to see stuff. I was disappointed to see that walls were put up in Space Mountain so I couldn't see what they were doing LOL. After that son was starving again LOL So off to Cosmic Rays. Again we had learned 1 kids meal and 1 adult meal to share. Son got the PBJ sandwich and we got a hot dog. We should have gone for the burger to use the topping bar to our advantage but it was good. I think dessert was the chocolate cake this was ok. After that son was really tired and we found a bench in the shade for him to rest. Mom told me to go ride the things in Tomorrowland that I wanted and see if he fell asleep - so I did. I rode Stitch - really cute but I could see how it would be scary for kids very dark. Then I rode Space Ranger Spin. This was cute too but since I had already ridden Toy Story Mania - it was no comparison. After that I went back to check on mom and son and he was asleep. So I headed over to Fantasyland and rode It's a Small World and Winnie the Pooh, my son would not want to ride these. I had forgotten how small this area is. It was really crowded with people and strollers. There was no wait for Small World. WInnie had about a 10 minute wait. The other attractions had about a 10 - 15 minute wait but I needed to get back. When I got back son had woken up so we headed to PhilharMagic. This was amazing, the movie, the smells, the feelings - just amazing and the theater was like 1/3 full. After that on to Toontown and a quick walk through Minnie's and Mickey's house. Since we had already seen Mickey at the Garden Grill, we didn't wait the 20 minutes. We went to jump in the train and found out scooters can't ride. So we discussed options and mom decided she would meet us in Frontierland and we rode. While waiting son played in the water area - again this helped with his mood. We rode the train to Frontierland and got off and found mom. I could not talk son into riding Splash Mountain or BT railroad. His lack of sleep was really messing up our day but we made the best. We headed toward Hall of Presidents - this was a must see for me. On the way we stopped at Country Bear Jamboree. I was beginning to realize Magic Kingdom was a chance to relive my childhood LOL. After that we caught the end of the parade and then on the Hall of Presidents. Morgan Freeman did a great job on the monologue and even with the redo - it was just like I remembered. After that we worked our way back to Frontierland and on to Adventureland. We rode the Jungle Cruise. It was really great how they got the scooter on and our driver was great. Even at the end when she tells us to duck because of danger, my son was so into the ride that he did LOL picture on http://picasaweb.google.com/we3are1fam After that I had to have a (oh I can't think of the name of it) the pineapple juice and vanilla ice cream treat. We shared one and son got an OJ. It was really good. Then mom suggested son go on Swiss Family Treehouse. That meant I had to walk with him whew was it hot. But it did gives us a different view of the park. After that we were ready for some dinner - well not really hungry but time to eat before we left the park. Some one on here had suggested Tony's since we didn't have any adrs for this evening. We got there about 4ish as they opened and there was no wait. This was a delicious meal. Son and I got spaghetti and meatballs and mom got the seafood pasta. The spaghetti and meatballs were good. Mom said the seafood pasta was delicious but rich. We also got dessert Pumpkin cheesecake for me, Tiramasu for mom and ice cream for son. There are pictures of that on the website listed above. We could only eat one bite. The waitress did bring us to go boxes for our desserts. I just couldn't eat anymore but I left them in the place where you get pictures. Uhhh duh! Then back to the hotel for another swim and more laundry.
This time the laundramat near the main pool was BUSY! So we headed over to the one at the bowling pool. Much more area and less busy but it was a long walk! Once laundry got to the drying time it eas time for more food arrgghhh.
I went got 1 adult cs - this time the it was nachos mmm mmmm. We shared this. We had also learned the trick that you could get your ice cream up to 90 minutes after you got dinner. So we did that. Oh I should tell you the ice cream dessert here is 3 scoops of your choice of ice cream and toppings. Mmmm Mmmm good!
Our last day tommorrow

 

[we3are1]

Parting is such sweet sorrow
Well I didn't want to go home, mom did and son only wanted to swim arrrgghhh! We ate breakfast. 2 Pop Century waffles and the mickey waffles for son. Although son wanted the POP waffle I wanted the mickey waffles. Pictures are available here http://picasaweb.google.com/we3are1fam We had not eaten breakfast any day on the dining plan but it was a great deal for adults. Along with the waffle you get either a pastry item or an extra drink, plus juice. We selected muffins - a great road trip snack. We packed up and I tried to do a music video. I don't think it will work out but I may try. We pulled out about 11 am. We made a stop by the Disney outlet listed as the one with the best buys. The buys there were pretty good. I got a great frame to put my awesome picture from Magic Kingdom and a few gifts for friends. We left there about noon and hit the road. Not sure where we got lunch but it was as soon as son started saying he was hungry LOL and a quick pull thru. We also stopped by one of those places that had oranges and grapefruits for sale. Don't do that - what a waste. Then we stopped by the J&R (I think that was the name of it) Outlet. The deals here were great! This would be a great place to pick up souveniors, snacks, or gifts for friends - although they are not Disney items. We drove a total of 6 hours and stopped in SC at a Country Inn and Suites. It was right behind an Arby's a great dinner for mom and I ordered delivery pizza for son and I. WE tried to take a quick dip in the pool but it was cold - certainly not what we were used to in Disney Son did swim for about 30 minutes. We ate dinner, watched something other than Disney TV (thank goodness) and used free internet. The room here at this hotel was wonderful - huge, clean, and the mattress was great. The next day we got up and ate our free breakfast and then drove the next 6 hours. We grabbed a quick lunch at the BK near the house and headed home to a very happy to see us hubby.

Now I am planning the next Disney trip. I want to go for 10 days - 2 days per park and 2 days at the hotel. Hoping for next August/September and hoping that free dining is back We'll see!

 

[we3are1]

Check out my trip countdown

 

[wigdoutdismom]

Just wanted to stop in and say hi! I'll be catching up on my reading this evening!