A Single Mom's account of another Dream Trip of a Lifetime! Pics Added to Day 1!

[Kimmielee]

I'm a little leary to start this due to the bar has been set very, very high by the likes of many wonderful DISer's that should be writing novels!!!

Also, as the title indicates... this is our SECOND Dream Trip of a Lifetime! I am so very blessed to be able to continue having our dreams come true!!!

Let me start with my small but very important cast:

The Pirate Wench - Me, single Mom, professional career - 46
The Pirate Wannabee- my DS who turned 8, 8 days ago today!

In 5 days we will be in WDW!! It's been a LONG time coming! I booked this 7 night Eastern Cruise when on the 4 night Wonder during Easter of 2006. My first post on our cruise thread was 538 days ago! OH MY GOSH!! It seems like FOREVER ago and yesterday... all at the same time.

The Pirate Wannabee has known this whole time. NOTE TO SELF: Do NOT tell the child in advance... ya know what it's like on a road trip... "Are we THERE yet???

Well, I've had 538 days of "Can we GO yet?". Well... his countdown had his birthday as a priority... (2 actually) so it's been the worst since last Friday!!

Now that the birthday's have come and gone... He's focused on his "Iwannadothisfirsterary". Very much like an itinerary that you or I might create - but it changes. EVERY. FIVE. MINUTES!

As for me, in the last 538 days.... My company has been involved in a merger that was called off, I've done over 300 interviews and hired an additional 42 people for my staff (this part is only since Feb!!). You see... I'm in the mortgage business. Specifically, I work for a mortgage insurance company. I manage underwriters that contract underwrite for our largest customer. The unstable issues that have been getting worse and worse since Feburary have increased business by over 70% for my company. Not that I'm happy that so many people lost their homes, but this WILL weed out some of the bad apples in our industry. Wayyyyy too many people got loans for homes that they never could have afforded had it not been for a money hungry, bottom feeder, piece of crapola loan officer that convinced them that lying about their income and assets would be "ok" because they will get the home of their dreams. Yeah right... home of their NIGHTMARE because... now, they don't have a HOME!!! NOTE TO SELF: Kimmie, this is a pre-trip report... not a satire on the mortgage industry... get off your soapbox!! I will however... tell you I got a huge promotion and a big fat raise this week!! Woooo Hoooo!!

Alrighty then... back to the task at hand. Plans are made, almost everything is paid for... Here is MY itinerary... shhhhhh... don't tell the Pirate Wannabee...

PROPOSED Day 1 at WDW - We arrive (via FL Tours Town Car that wisks us promptly away from MCO) at approximately 12:30 p.m. I am soooo hoping that my box that I shipped from the UPS store in Troy, MI made it to AllStar Movies as promised!! What's inside you might ask? Well... all of the large Trick or Treat bags for our kids, candy for the bags, 2 other treat/toys for the bags and 6 dozen Pirate Bubbles for the Sail Away Party (Or whatever they call it now) on Saturday!!

So - if we have some pixiedust... the box will be waiting, our room will be ready, it will be within 2 feet of the pool, 3 feet of the buses and only 1 step to the cafeteria. Yeah Right... It always cracks me up when people want the "very best location possible". Ok people.. if they had a room, as I just described above would ya really want to stay in it???

Pirate Wannabee is making the next choice, but it's either POOL or DTD. I'm trying really, really hard to save our 2 day tickets for Friday - one for MGM and one for MK - because I didn't buy the park hopper. So sue me... I was frugal with ONE aspect of this trip!!

Besides... we LOVE to spend hours in DTD. There is so much to do... so much to see... and as Pirate Wannabee would put it... SO MUCH TO BUY!!!!

Proposed Day 2 to follow.....

 

[Babs417]

You go girl!

 

[JennandJaryd]

I am a 28 yr old Single mom of a 10 yr old boy and he's been to Disney twice as well. We're doing the DCL Magic on Sept 1st, 2008.

I truly believe Disney is the happiest place on earth!

I am happy to see other single moms that are successful and budget for providing some "magic" in their children's lives.

As last posted, "You go, girl!"

 

[Kimmielee]

You go girl!

Thanks Babs!!! OH MY GOSH!!! A week from this moment and we will have our first night on the ship underway!

I am a 28 yr old Single mom of a 10 yr old boy and he's been to Disney twice as well. We're doing the DCL Magic on Sept 1st, 2008.

I truly believe Disney is the happiest place on earth!

I am happy to see other single moms that are successful and budget for providing some "magic" in their children's lives.

As last posted, "You go, girl!"

Thanks Jenn - I can't wait to go... I see you have one booked soon too!

 

[Kimmielee]

Tonight, Pirate Wannabee and I went to see Disney On Ice "Finding Nemo". It was sooo cute. What a great way to get into the Disney Mood.... oh wait... we already were in a Disney Mood... Hmmmmmm.

Proposed Day 2 at WDW - We are planning to meet up in the morning with another DISer and her son (she's a single Mom with a son that is Pirate Wannabee's age).... and we are sailing on the Magic together too! No... this wasn't pre-planned. We met and got to know one another on the Cruise Meet Thread.

We are taking the boys to MGM Studios. Her son... I'm sure... will be all over the Star Wars Tour.... my Pirate Wannabee is going to be all about the High School Musical Pep Rally. Hmmmm... should I be worried? HE LOVES anything to do with HSM. Anything. He knows the songs, the dances, the real names of the actors that play each character and he's even heard about Ms. Vanessa and her nudie pics. GRRRRRRR

After MGM, back to the hotel to change into costumes.... Then we are having dinner at LTT in MK waiting for MNSSHP to start!! There are 20+ of us meeting for dinner and another 1/2 dozen or so that will meet later in the evening as well. How cool is that? I get to meet 25 NEW friends... how often does that happen?

So, the planning is done... the cruise is the ultimate part of our trip... 7 nights on the Magic... and spending Halloween on the ship!!! I'm spending tomorrow packing, checking my lists, organizing what's left to do... we need to be packed and everything loaded in the jeep by Tuesday night. Wednesday, we head for the airport hotel!

 

[Kimmielee]

MNSSHP is going to be a great kickoff to our sailing on the magic the next morning! Yesterday, Pirate Wannabee made me a card that said... "5 more days to Disney! I can't wait! Thank you for taking me to Disney Mommy. You are the best Mommy ever!" Oh My Gosh... I busted out with tears... couldn't help it.

Last night when we went to see Disney on Ice "Finding Nemo".... we get into the Jeep to leave and he starts clapping. I said "Wow, aren't you excited!" He said..."Oh Momma, I LOVE that we are going to Disney on Ice, but that's not why I was clapping." So I said.... "Ok, then why were you clapping?" He said..."Because you aren't bringing your cell phone, so that means we can really have fun!"

Then it hit me... since Feb., when the Sub-prime market starting tanking and I went into high gear with my hiring, recruiting, training and working 65-70 hours a week - I've been neglecting him. He NEVER said anything, until yesterday. He just accepted that it was what I had to do. Even when we did go on vacation at the end of August (we went to KY to see my Dad) I was still semi-glued to my phone (due to offers that were pending, training that needed to be coordinated and I even left him for 2 days while I did some interviews down there.

I feel horrible - even more so that I let it get to the point that he equates my cell phone with me not paying attention to him. How true it is. Or dare I say, was.

So you see, this trip is VERY important to me. Not because it's time off from my work - but valuable time I can spend with him. We will have a blast. No cell phone. No work. Just focus on us. I'm not the most perfect mother in the world. Who is? I do, however, recognize my faults and admit them. This adorable, amazing gift of child - needs his mommy. That's my priority!

 

[jns]

Just dropping into say hello
Great report
wish we were going to the MNNSHP but our plane does not get into 8pm
have a great night and we'll see you on saturday

 

[anewmac]

aww great start. Your last comment about the phone and what your DS said had me in tears! Cant wait to hear all about your time together!!

 

[disneydance]

Great start I cant wait to hear how the cruise went sorry to hear that you didnt get to go to Castaway Cay but hey that must have been a wonderful sight seeing the magic and the wonder together

 

[Disneygrl36]

Hi ya Kim.........I'm along for the ride. I can't wait to hear how everyone tells the story in all the different perspectives.
It was great meeting you & Noah!!!!!!!!!

 

[Gina]

So you see, this trip is VERY important to me. Not because it's time off from my work - but valuable time I can spend with him. We will have a blast. No cell phone. No work. Just focus on us. I'm not the most perfect mother in the world. Who is? I do, however, recognize my faults and admit them. This adorable, amazing gift of child - needs his mommy. That's my priority!

From one single mom to another, KUDOS to you. I am constantly having to defend the trips DS and I take to WDW and on the Magic, but we eat a lot of cereal for dinner to be able to take those trips. And you know what? Life is short, and unpredictable -- and as long as we're blessed enough and able to do it, we will. The memories we already have made, and the ones we will make, are beyond priceless.

I can't wait to read about your trip.

-gina-

 

[Kimmielee]

Due to PC problems and being sick, sick, sick.... I'll work on my report this weekend... Thanks for the interest! We had a ball and I can't wait to share it all with you!

 

[Kimmielee]

DS and I woke up at the crack of dawn to catch an 9:14 a.m. flight from Detroit Metro to Orlando.

Noah was wide awake!

The sun wasn't even up yet...

but that was ok! We were on our way to start our Dream Trip!!

Noah's excitement spilled over onto the plane. Question after question... making plan after plan. "Momma, what are we gonna do first?" Before I could get the answer out he'd have list of activities for us to do!

The flight was uneventful (the BEST kind there is!!) except for one embarrassing moment when he and I BOTH went to the restroom. He went in one and the other was occupied. So... I had to wait. I went in when my restroom was vacant and ASSUMED he'd wait for me to return to our seats.

So... I come out of mine... and HIS is still showing occupied. I'm thinking... Oh, please.... no.... God don't let the boy have one of his "bathroom moments". You see... there's something about my DS that drives me NUTS. He can't go to the bathroom... you know... #2 without stripping NAKED! Yes, it's true. Don't ask me why... I can't figure it out but apparently it runs in my family and my Brother's did the same thing. All I can picture is him in that tiny, little, restrictive bathroom and trying to take his clothes off, do his business and put them back on. So.... I wait. I wait some more... ok, still waiting. Oh my, he must really being doing some business in there. Then, all of a sudden, I hear him yelling... from our SEATS!

"Mommy, I'm done in the bathroom - what's taking YOU so long?" Oh no he didn't... but yes, he did. The entire plane erupts in laughter. Great. Now I'm the one with the problem in the potty!

Within an hour or so of my major embarrassment moment - we land! We are in Florida!!

Off to take the tram to get to the luggage claim area and find our driver!

Noah was very excited! Especially to use his new Disney luggage!

So off we go to AllStar Movies. The driver isn't very talkative. I like it when they engage especially with Noah. This one, not so much. However, we made it to ASM's in good time. I give our luggage to the bellhop and go in to check in. We were there by about 11:45. Our room wan't ready yet, but we knew we were staying in the Love Bug building! We stayed for a few nights at ASM in 2006 and stayed in the Woody building! I was worried that Noah would be disappointed, but he was quite excited!!

So, off to the World Premier Food Court for some lunch! We ate and discussed what we wanted to do. It was slightly overcast, but warm. Noah's choice. Pool? Downtown Disney? Magic Kingdom? He wanted to go to MK. So... we went to Donalds Double Feature store and bought a few quick items, including the 2007 backpack. Went to the front desk, checked my purse, cruise docs, birth certificates, $$$, etc... into a safe.

Off we go to MK!!

 

[Disneygrl36]

Woo hoo we are going to the Magic Kingdom!!!!!!!!!!!! That's the most fun part is finally getting there & starting to soak in the magic.

Great start.........& loved the bathroom story Kim.

 

[Kimmielee]

Great start I cant wait to hear how the cruise went sorry to hear that you didnt get to go to Castaway Cay but hey that must have been a wonderful sight seeing the magic and the wonder together

It was a disappointment to not make it to Castaway Cay, but we ended up in port with the Disney Wonder! That was sooo cool!

From one single mom to another, KUDOS to you. I am constantly having to defend the trips DS and I take to WDW and on the Magic, but we eat a lot of cereal for dinner to be able to take those trips. And you know what? Life is short, and unpredictable -- and as long as we're blessed enough and able to do it, we will. The memories we already have made, and the ones we will make, are beyond priceless.

I can't wait to read about your trip.

-gina-

Gina, thanks so much for the encouraging words. Our trip was amazing! I can't wait to share it with you!

Woo hoo we are going to the Magic Kingdom!!!!!!!!!!!! That's the most fun part is finally getting there & starting to soak in the magic.

Great start.........& loved the bathroom story Kim.

Thanks Melanie...it was soooo embarrassing, but so Noah!!

 

[vital]

Uh oh, you're gonna tell everyong how I coerced you onto Splash, aren't you

 

[Kimmielee]

Uh oh, you're gonna tell everyong how I coerced you onto Splash, aren't you

You better believe it!! You TOTALLY tricked me into getting soaked!! I'm uploading pics now... stay tuned!

 

[Kimmielee]

Uh oh, you're gonna tell everyong how I coerced you onto Splash, aren't you

Well, since she's popped in to the report... let me introduce you to Vital... aka Paula. She and her son Ethan will be ALL over this report!

She and I hit it off on our cruise meet thread, way early on... over a year before our cruise and became really good friends. We are both single Mom's and our son's are just months apart. We had so much fun getting to know one another, planning our excursions, talking about EVERYTHING under the sun and then... we decided to get the boys together at WDW prior to the cruise. Needless to say, the boys BONDED like you wouldn't believe!

It was like having a ready made family. In addition to Paula and Ethan, we go to know many others on our meet thread... all will be mentioned as I go... I am so very blessed to have such an incredible group of people come into my life. We are planning a reunion cruise!!

So... after getting a few items at Donald's Double Feature, I got a text from Paula. She and Ethan were landed and on the ME bus on their way to ASM. At this point, Noah had his heart set on going to MK and Paula and Ethan were going to DTD. I tried so hard to talk him into DTD so we could meet Paula and Ethan sooner, but he had his heart set on seeing Mickey.

Off we go on the Disney bus and my heart was so torn. My good friend and Noah's soon to be good friend are probably pulling in RIGHT NOW!

Well, very few pics were taken because I wanted to take them the next night since we were going to MNSSHP! As always, walking into MK and getting the first glimpse of Main Street and Cinderella's Castle, always takes my breath away AND brings tears to my eyes. Noah is jumping. Not skipping, not hopping, not even running... he's JUMPING because he's so excited. "Momma, this is my favorite place in the whole world." Then he hugs me tight and thanks me for bringing him. Oh my... water works!!

POTC, Haunted Mansion, Peter Pan, Mickey's Philharmagic, Snow White then off to Buzz Lightyear! We had an amazing time. The changes made to POTC and Haunted Mansion were wonderful!! Mickey's Philharmagic is still MY all time favorite 3-D show and... of course beating Noah with the high score at Buzz is always a debated highlight!

Dinner that night was at Tony's. I wasn't impressed. I had spaghetti and meatballs. The sauce had a spice that I just don't like but can't put my finger on and the meatballs - HUGE and dry. Ick. They just wern't as good as mine. So.... now we are on our way back to ASM to meet Paula and Ethan!! We've been texting back and forth with updates of our locations. It's almost time!

We take the bus back to ASM and while walking through the courtyard to the Love Bug building, we find them relaxing on the Hammock! Finally! We get to be together. Ethan and Noah were a little shy at first. It was actually kinda cute. My first impression of Paula was that she was so naturally beautiful, inside and out. My first impression of Ethan was that he and Noah could have been Brothers! Noah is taller and much chunkier but they have the same silly laugh and I knew they would be fast friends.

Off to the room to freshen up, then we met at Silver Screen Spirits - the bar by the pool.

Now I get a text from another DISfriend that Paula and I know from the Singles Thread... and he's on his way to meet us with his friend Annie. It was a great night filled with new friends.

Noah took Ethan on a tour of the resort... then I took them into the arcade and bought them cards to play the games. They played and laughed and we drank and laughed. It was such a fun night.

Off to bed because tomorrow is DTD for Noah and I... and MNSSHP that night! Oh yeah, and the evil side of Paula shows up!!

 

[Kimmielee]

Noah and I headed to DTD for some shopping and lunch. He loves the McDonalds in DTD... I have no idea why... but that's what he wanted!

We stopped and took a couple of pictures that I thought might make a nice Christmas/Holiday Card... Let me know which one you like best!

OR

Then it was back to ASM and meeting up with P and E for our Dinner at LTT before MNSSHP started!

This dinner was a combination to meet some of our friends from the Cruise Meet Thread and some from the Singles Thread. From the cruise was DreamCruiser100 and her hubby & daughter and Dizzi, her hubby, son and daughter as well as CF.

CF is also from the singles thread... another group meeting us was Sha, Katydidbug1 (it was her birthday!!), Timeless, Annie and another family, JG and GoofyDude. When we got to LTT, it felt like we were coming home!

However, I digress for a moment... Here's what we saw coming into MK:

and this is the boy's in their costumes on the way to MNSSHP!

The best picture of Noah in his costume is a Disney fast pass photo. I just ordered it and hope to scan it! It's sooo cute!

So, LTT and our friends...

All this and we haven't even started with MNSSHP!! It was such a great time, being able to put faces and HUGS with our cyber friends. Everyone was almost as I expected!

Next installment... MNSSHP... and then Paula's EVIL TWIN SISTER....

 

[Disneygrl36]

Ohhhhhhhh Paula has an evil twin........do tell!!!!!
Ya'll had a great time at dinner. I am still bummed that we had to miss it.