A Trip to the World Changed Our World

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Too bad the rain didn't let up for you guys! At least you were still able to enjoy F!

 

[annmarieda]

Glad you got good seats. Hmm, a snafu doesn't sound too good.

Yes, seats were great... but yes...snafu

Too bad the rain didn't let up for you guys! At least you were still able to enjoy F!

The rain did let up... but it still had us asking every cm who would care to answer "will they cancel Fantasmic" The answer was always a "not likely, but we wont know until right before the show is set to start"

Lucky for us...it went on as planned.

 

[eandesmom]

Brrrr....wet and in AC. Never fun!

Oh, snafu does not sound good. I've always wondered how much pizza you got for your credits as 2CS (or TS?) for a whole pizza is darn good. For some reason I thought it was 2TS pp, so basically like a signature We did order pizza once, long story, for an Illuminations fireworks cruise and it was one of the best decisions we ever made. Not great but certainly not awful either and plenty large. I haven't been back to F! since 2011 and am not sure we will attempt with what is sure to be hideous crowds for the NYE trip. I admit though, I love the idea of seeing it in cooler weather, I'll never even try in August again!

Zoe is so cute she could be on the Disney Channel! Sorry to hear that bedtime can be such a challenge.

 

[mommy2mrb]

I know... she LOVEs that ride and I was shocked she was able to do that. Between single rider and fast passes they managed to go on it over and over again. I would not be able to go more than a couple times. It makes me feel a bit woozy.

As for Zoe... yeah... I dont know. I have only rode ToT once and it was not good. I ended up biting Steve. I know... strange of me... but the logic was this; I was holding on for dear life with my hands, my arms, my legs...I had nothing else with which to grasp onto him. So I kinda lost my riding on ToT privileges.

biting ...oh my, that sounds dangerous, you could of lost a tooth! sorry you lost your ToT privileges

Ann, I'm so sorry I got so far behind.

I am paying close attention to those Mama Melrose pictures. We are going for the first time in May. I picked one DHS restaurant a day for SWW days. Mostly I picked Sci Fi and 50's PTC. Was your meal part of the F! package? Is there a set menu for that?

I love ToT. That's great that Zoe goes on it. I love that feeling of going up and how smooth the ride is.

LisaB, that's one attraction I'd be happy to go on with you and Megan. Grumpy loves it too. We might ride it once a year if even that. It's one of my favorite attractions at WDW.

Ok Tink, will take you up on it...think we will be trying it in DLR, will let you know if we survive


yuck on being wet and in the AC...lucky you dried off quick! we got stuck in a bad rain/wind storm april 2011, trees were crazy and people screaming....we didn't get to see F that trip since it did get cancel.

sorry bedtime is so hard for Zoe, hope its something she can be able to handle better soon

 

[annmarieda]

Brrrr....wet and in AC. Never fun!

Oh, snafu does not sound good. I've always wondered how much pizza you got for your credits as 2CS (or TS?) for a whole pizza is darn good. For some reason I thought it was 2TS pp, so basically like a signature We did order pizza once, long story, for an Illuminations fireworks cruise and it was one of the best decisions we ever made. Not great but certainly not awful either and plenty large. I haven't been back to F! since 2011 and am not sure we will attempt with what is sure to be hideous crowds for the NYE trip. I admit though, I love the idea of seeing it in cooler weather, I'll never even try in August again!

The use of 2 quick service credits is a pretty good deal considering all you get (I think) We had our mugs...so we didn't need the extra drinks and well... the desserts just ended up coming home with me anyway since they were rice crispy mickey heads.

Zoe is so cute she could be on the Disney Channel! Sorry to hear that bedtime can be such a challenge.

Thank you. I think she is cute, but I am super biased.

And... bedtime is a challenge sometimes... why that sometimes always seems to be when we are on or near a trip I don't know... (just days before our december 2011 trip she was in the er and the care team came tttttttttthis close to telling us we couldnt go)

 

[annmarieda]

biting ...oh my, that sounds dangerous, you could of lost a tooth! sorry you lost your ToT privileges

I guess I don't mind losing my privilege

yuck on being wet and in the AC...lucky you dried off quick! we got stuck in a bad rain/wind storm april 2011, trees were crazy and people screaming....we didn't get to see F that trip since it did get cancel.

I am amazed at how bad those storms can be down there.

sorry bedtime is so hard for Zoe, hope its something she can be able to handle better soon

She has her good days. The issue is she really needs another surgery... in theory that will make it so she no longer struggles. I didn't want to do it last summer though cause it takes about a month out of her summer and the previous summer she had a major surgery..so two in a row seemed to sad. And to take a month off of school isn't a good option either.

 

[mommy2mrb]

I guess I don't mind losing my privilege

that's good!

I am amazed at how bad those storms can be down there.


they blow in quick and pretty much right out just as fast...when we lived in the south we always called them the "green monsters" since the weather channel would have the big green storm formations

She has her good days. The issue is she really needs another surgery... in theory that will make it so she no longer struggles. I didn't want to do it last summer though cause it takes about a month out of her summer and the previous summer she had a major surgery..so two in a row seemed to sad. And to take a month off of school isn't a good option either.

sorry she needs another surgery, tough decision to make on the best time to do it

 

[amandaw]

I really need to see Fantasmic this year! I love that show so much but haven't braved it with Reid yet.

I think the pizza was a good idea for dinner!

 

[annmarieda]

sorry she needs another surgery, tough decision to make on the best time to do it

We have actually had a pretty good year. It has been about a year since her last surgical procedure. (well, I think March was her last I could be wrong) Thing is... she will always be under care and always have one reason or another to go into the OR. This is what makes me not want to rush into it...since I am sure it would only be a matter of time until she needed another surgery to further fix what was done at the most recent surgery.

I really need to see Fantasmic this year! I love that show so much but haven't braved it with Reid yet.

I think the pizza was a good idea for dinner!

Fantasmic is one of my favorite shows. I just hate that you have to line up and get seated so far in advance. It kinda rules out a good dinner... so yes, the pizza ended up being a great choice.

 

[annmarieda]

This day was a fairly hectic and stressful day. In fact, I think this is probably one of THE most hectic and stressful days of the trip. as evident by only having 11 pictures taken the entire day and no notes, I would say this day was a doozy. However, the good news is I bet I can barrel through and get the entire day into one update.

The day started out as many disney mornings do. Nothing to suggest that we had quite the day ahead of us. Then as I began to get ready I checked my wallet to make sure I had my DV with me. I am not sure what made me think I might not, but I checked. Low and behold, it was not in my wallet. All cash, id's and other cards were there. JUST the DV was gone.

Following this discovery, I began to retrace my steps the day before. Easy enough since I only dug my wallet out a couple times all day. The ONLY time I used my DV was at breakfast though. So my first call was to 1900 PF. They of course did not have it and they directed me to GF lost and found. They too did not have it. This then led me to consider the only park we had been to the previous day, DHS. I called to their lost and found. Nothing. They directed me to the main lost and found as well as telling me that I could check back later with them since the park had not actually opened yet.

Meanwhile, the girls continued to get ready. Once we were all ready it was decided that I would travel to DHS as they went to Epcot. Then we agreed I would meet them in Epcot.

So off we went in different directions. Once I got into the park, it was a quick left turn to guest relations and then immediately back out as they did not have my card. The poor cm at the entrance even noticed that I barely was in the park. Kinda blinking and saying "didn't you walk through here?"

I decided to take the boat from DHS to Epcot. This I thought would give me time to call chase card services. For whatever reason the boat was going super super slow. It also was not nearly as quiet as I had thought it would be. When we finally arrived at the swan/dolphin I hopped off to walk the rest of the way to Epcot. (really, a surprisingly short walk) While on this walk I chatted with a very nice agent from card services.

It is funny how much a credit card company can tell about your activities before you even tell them. She could see that I had checked into WDW. Since the card had been attached to my KTTWC, she instructed me to not cancel the card just yet. This would allow me to still use the card via my KTTWC while on vacation. (although, it would mean I couldn't get my discount on merchandise, or my free 5x7 pic in Epcot or go to the special F&W lounge ) She noted that it had been lost and flagged it to not allow any transactions that were not from Disney. She let me know that as long as I kept an eye on transactions it would be fine because I would not at all be responsible for anything I did not in fact charge. She told me the card could be canceled immediately if I noticed anything odd. I guess it should be noted that I do not carry a debit card for my chase account. I do not have checks for that chase account. I use my DV as a way to access those funds. So not having this created a bit of a hardship since I would not have anything beyond the cash I had on hand. So this plan to use my KTTWC as an extension of my DV was a good option.


In case you are wondering if I figured out where I lost this card.... As darkness fell over the amphitheater the previous night, Zoe had wanted some thing from one of the vendors. I remember pulling my wallet out for cash and as my excited daughter (who I told could go up and pay the vendor all by her self) jumped around me, she bumped my wallet and it fell open and onto the cement below me. The lighting was so dim at that point that I guess I must not have seen that my DV probably lay on the floor beneath my feet. It was never found. I did check several times a day (thank you iphone ap) to watch for charges and none ever appeared. The plan worked exactly as the agent from chase had said it would. It could not have been more easy to go on using my card without actually having it physically present. If it were not for needing it to get the discount on merchandise or for the picture I could see not ever bringing it to the park again.

So to continue on. At this point in the day pretty I stressed out. Not to the point of freaking out, but definitely not laid back. I needed to get to the girls and pick up Zoe so that she and I could go back to POFQ where we would meet up with someone from the second room who was arriving.

So as I continued to walk toward Epcot (maybe not such a short walk after all ) After getting off the phone with card services, I called Kira to see where they were.

They were in WS enjoying F&W. Ok, so at this point I was a tad jealous. I believe that they had just ordered lobster claws to enjoy when I met up with them. This was their lunch I think. I am not a fan of shelfish so I really didn't want to try it. So I went to the American pavilion to get myself some lunch.

I got steak, broccoli and potatoes. Who knew you could get a pretty good steak for a cs credit.

For dessert I got some sort of chocolate cupcake.

After I gobbled up my food, it was time for Zoe and I to head back to POFQ.

Kira and Amanda left to go to AK. I am not sure all they did, but they did take the pp+ card with them.

Meanwhile, Zoe and I met with a person from our groups second room. This becomes hard to write about since this was a person I had become very close with and due to events on the trip and shortly after I lost as a friend. I am not sure how much I should add about who this was or activities that involved both of us. I tend to be an over sharer IRL and I definitely am more so on the dis... and so I am not sure how to continue some of this TR without over sharing. So my apologies go out to anyone who may read this and find it offensive. I am will just try to stay to the facts... just the facts. (as I see them )

Zoe was extremely excited to meet up with my friend. While this friend lived on the other side of the country, she had become a very active part of both mine and Zoe's lives. The three of us had spent time together during a previous WDW trip and talking several times a week was not uncommon...and texting everyday was a must.

Once together at POFQ, we made our way to the rundisney buses. It was the day of the ToT 10 miler expo and the three of us needed to pick up our bibs.

I took no pictures of the expo. I was SERIOUSLY overwhelmed. There were so many people. I was going to say that I didn't think I was "misbehaving" but I know that between the stress of the morning and the "omg, am I really about to run a 10 mile race" I was on edge and... well, I might have over reacted a tad when the shirt I was given for the race was not the right size and I might have thrown it down on the table and said I didn't need it. In my defense... it was quite a bit too big for me. I don't need things snug, but this would have fit me more like a sleep shirt. My friend picked it back up for me though, thankfully. It is nice to have even if I dont wear it.

My friend (ok, not friend now.. but I will just for the sake of the TR say "my friend" cause she was my friend then ) and I submitted times to get our coral placement changed. There were 4 corals and since neither of us had ran a race before, we were placed in the last one. Having ran a 10k over the summer to submit was great because it bumped us up by one coral.

My friend then started to encourage me to sign up for the PHM. I was very nervous about doing this. Not knowing if I could get the time off from work. Not knowing if I could afford another WDW trip so close to the last one. Not knowing if I could FINISH the race that was before me...and not knowing how well the two of us would do running together all played into my hesitation. Zoe noticed that I was under distress and asked what the trouble was. After one last "blow" from my friend in telling Zoe that I was just trying to make her run the phm alone... I relented and registered. It was a good deal too since the fee had gone up, but in registering at the expo not only did I get the previous price, but I got the active registration fee waved.

Now I was even more stressed from the "OMG, did I just sign up for a half marathon?! " thoughts. So when my friend wanted to start looking at buying "I did it" shirts I was instantly out of sorts. I just couldn't bring myself to get a shirt before I had actually finished the race. I couldn't bare the thought of having a shirt saying I did it, if I had not actually done it.

It was about this time that we decided to head out to the buses to return to POFQ. However, there was a HUGE downpour happening. No one was going anywhere. I thought the previous day's storm was bad, but it was NOTHING compared to this day. So add in a pinch of stress because I needed to get back so that I could meet up with Kira and Amanda for dinner.

THEN I got a call from Childrens Hospital in Seattle. My friend was nice enough to keep Zoe occupied while I navigated the very long phone call. It was some social worker... who wanted our family to mentor another family. It was a fairly stressful conversation. I am amazed that I could even breath at this point.

However, my friend was in good spirits and she helped to keep us laughing. She decided we should just make a run for it in the rain. We didn't make it very far before we were SOAKED. We still had so far to go to get to the buses and the line of taxis were too inviting. My very generous friend got us a taxi and we were on our way and back to POFQ in no time.

We said our good byes for the time being. We each had different plans for dinner.

Zoe and I then got dried off and made our way to AKL to meet Kira and Amanda.

We got checked in for our dinner at Boma and soon were were enjoying a (stress free) meal.

The first moment of the day to be lacking in stress was short lived though. Once dinner was over and we were about to board the bus back to MK, I made a comment. It really was not meant to but it did and Kira was INSTANTLY with me. The bus to MK was the most horrible ride I have ever had. Three of us sat as Kira lost her mind with me.

Getting off the bus, Amanda stayed with Zoe and I. She wanted to make sure that I was ok. :yes:: it was THAT bad ) Kira then went off on her own to "cool down" which meant call her husband and cry until she felt better.

Then as IF this day couldn't get any more stressful... (I laugh now..literally.. cause it is almost hysterical how bad this all was..but I assure you it was a nightmare of a day and NOT funny then) my friend just happened to be on the same bus as Kira. She sat behind her and listened to Kira as Kira cried and whined and otherwise acted immature while on the phone to her dh. So as soon as I got back to POFQ my friend wanted to talk to me about it. As bad as my dd had been, I knew there were reasons behind her behavior. (the fight the day before, shortage of sleep, stress of Zoe's nighttime routine, being without her dh, closing on the house the night before the trip, her dh moving into the house without her and yes, finally my comment that was meant to be funny but only came across as snide) My friend was having none of the "excuses" though and I believe that this set the tone for how she viewed Kira and how she approached her. See the two had never actually met in person, so while my friend knew it was her on the bus... Kira had no idea that the person who we would be spending much of our trip together with was sitting behind her.



Next Up: 9/29 - Day 5 Part 1

 

[Disneychix]

Holy Moly! I bet you had enough steam in you to take off running the 10 miles right then and there at the MK! Sorry you had such a stressful day!
We went to the Expo this day as well but we didn't get any rain. It was hot as Hades though. We snuck into some air conditioned building with the boys because they had fallen asleep in strollers and strollers were not allowed in the Expo building. My goodness it was soooo hot!

So, are you running the PHM? Are you ready? It is much much better than the TOT! So much more entertainment to keep you going!

 

[luckylady]

So sorry to hear that was a really bad day for you. The food picture looks so good. Can't wait to hear how your race went and good luck on the upcoming one.

 

[MEK]

OMG. I read your update this morning when I got up, but I obviously didn't have time to comment.

Wow - that sounds like a terribly stressful day and I sincerely hope that you and your friend can make up and become friends again. It's very difficult to have a friendship end on bad terms.

I am glad that you finally got to relax during dinner. Your food looks amazing.

I am also glad that everything worked out with your Disney Visa and that you were able to continue to make room charges. What a relief.

 

[dizneeat]

Well, it never rains, but it pours!

Some days are just aweful. I am so sorry to hear you had such a stressful day, Ann.
I really really hope it did not influence the rest of your vacation TOO much.

 

[annmarieda]

Holy Moly! I bet you had enough steam in you to take off running the 10 miles right then and there at the MK! Sorry you had such a stressful day!

I actually was quite tapped. I looked into airfare and thought about just going home. It was just too much by the end of the day.

We went to the Expo this day as well but we didn't get any rain. It was hot as Hades though. We snuck into some air conditioned building with the boys because they had fallen asleep in strollers and strollers were not allowed in the Expo building. My goodness it was soooo hot!

Kira said they got some rain in AK, but not nearly like what we saw the previous day in DHS. But for us, the rain at WWOS was worse than it was at DHS the previous day. Funny how and where the clouds decide to dump.

So, are you running the PHM? Are you ready? It is much much better than the TOT! So much more entertainment to keep you going!

I am! Sadly, my friend and I had different ideas of what we wanted out of a race (which is partially at the core of why we no longer speak) so while the original plan was to go together, we will not be doing this together. I have been training hard and I am sure I can run the entire half marathon...but I plan to take some time to see the entertainment. I wasn't disappointed in the entertainment at the ToT though.. I think had there been more for us to stop for we would have been swept. I only wish that I could have gone to villians bash... but I am getting ahead of myself

So sorry to hear that was a really bad day for you.

While I can certainly get worked up and out of sorts, I also can cool down and change my attitude pretty quick. It did take a bit and as I mentioned already I did contemplate going home...but by the next morning I was in positive spirits.

The food picture looks so good.

Thanks for saying so... it was good food...but the pic doesn't make it look as good as it tasted.

Can't wait to hear how your race went and good luck on the upcoming one.

I hope to get that update done soon since in just about 3 weeks I will be off on the next adventure! I am getting nervous about the next race, but as long as I get better (I came down with a horrific stomach bug last week and still don't feel 100%) I am sure I will be fine. I have been keeping up with the training..even in the snow. I have improved my pace and am surprised that even on long runs (around 10 miles) I can keep just over a 10 minute mile pace. Not super fast ( my sil does like an 8 minute pace ) but not super slow either.

OMG. I read your update this morning when I got up, but I obviously didn't have time to comment.

Wow - that sounds like a terribly stressful day and I sincerely hope that you and your friend can make up and become friends again. It's very difficult to have a friendship end on bad terms.

It makes me sad, but we will not be able to reconnect. She truly was much more giving to our friendship than I was. Maybe that in the end is what caused her to think I was an aggressive unsupportive person. I don't see myself as such, but I can't discount that somehow I made her feel that way. While I maybe wasn't as giving... I do try to take responsibility for my actions which is something that I feel she may struggle with a tad. I also like to think of myself as easy going and willing to "go with the flow" but... if put in a position I don't agree with I will stand my ground. another area that may have contributed to her conclusion I was not the person she thought I was.

I am glad that you finally got to relax during dinner. Your food looks amazing.

I was quite impressed by the food at Boma. Lots of soups, rice dishes and grain dishes. The meats were good...but overall, I think the soups and was that a porriage? Yes, those were yummy!

I am also glad that everything worked out with your Disney Visa and that you were able to continue to make room charges. What a relief.

It worked out so perfectly (other than not being able to go to the chase lounge or get my discount or photo) It was nice to know I still had access to it's use.

Well, it never rains, but it pours!

Some days are just aweful. I am so sorry to hear you had such a stressful day, Ann.
I really really hope it did not influence the rest of your vacation TOO much.

I really had a wonderful vacation. It was just a bad day. Were there more bad moments? yes. Did any of them ruin my vacation? no.

 

[amandaw]

WOW. That was quite the day you were having.

I'm so sorry for all of it.

And I don't blame you for getting more stressed out and overwhelmed at the Expo - that place was crazy!!!

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

How stressful about your DV - and the rest of your day!!! I hope things calmed down after that! It is easy to get short-tempered at Disney, I think there's just SO much going on at one time, especially in a group with multiple people, it's not easy to keep everyone happy at every moment!

 

[oceanwave]

Oh my goodness Ann, what a stressful day! It really is hard traveling with a group, especially at Disney World. If I had lost my DV and attended the expo, with the reality setting in that I would be running the race, I probably would have freaked out with a full on panic attack. I think you handled yourself very well

And wow, what are the chances that your friend would end up sitting right behind Kira on the bus. How unfortunate that this would be your friends first impression of Kira

 

[afnaechiquita]

Delurking to say I've read all of your trip report so far, and I really admire your positivity. Every little and big bump you've faced in this trip, you seem to twist it to find something positive.


Good luck on the PHM. It's definitely an accomplishment to finish it.

 

[eandesmom]

What a stressful day! The CC thing alone may have put me over the edge and how wonderful that they allowed it to stay open for Disney charges, I'd have expected them to require you to cancel the card and I know if that happened to us on a trip it would be a total nightmare. We use our DV for the exact same thing.

Interesting though, this makes a case FOR having a CC on your room, versus not. A call from Children's on top of it, I'd have been drained and you hadn't even had lunch yet. I admit, after dealing with all that and seeing the rest of my party already eating, it wouldn't sit terribly well with me either. Not that there was anything wrong with them going ahead but it would make me feel a bit left out and out of sorts though I'm sure that wasn't their intention.

What an unfortunate series of events. Mother daughter blow ups can be their own thing and how awkward for someone who is an outsider to that relationship to view it unknowingly. I can just see how impressions might be made, or unmade in that kind of context.

I'm with you, I would not be comfortable buying an "I did it" shirt before the event either.

I know this isn't the end of the series of unfortunate events but am glad at least you had a stress free dinner and that Chase took good care of you. That's something, right?