Another DisneyWorld Vacation---Better than last year!!! Full Report all at once!

[Catkramer]

Hello Everyone! It is time for our trip report for our DisneyWorld 2008 trip! WOO HOO.

I have to say that last year, I ran out of time and my report fizzled about half way through. So this year, I wrote it all in Word to make sure I could complete the report. And I did! YEAH ME!

This year, we went with less people. There was a total of 5 of us and we stayed at the Port Orleans Riverside. I have to tell you, I was a bit anxious staying at a Moderate, but let me tell you, it was actually a VERY nice resort. I don’t know why I doubted Disney at all. We were very happy with the choice to stay there. Our original dates to go to Disney was February 2nd through February 9th. But at the last minute, we added an extra day at Riverside and arrived on Friday morning, the 1st.

First, let me introduce to you my family. Some may remember me from last year. I ended up in the hospital with major surgery so I wasn’t able to finish my last years report. But this year, I am going to try and write it all up before I post it, so the whole report is going to be submitted all at once. I have a lot of days to cover.

My husband, Mark. Late 30s. The poor man grew up going to Six Flags and doesn’t “get” the whole Disney experience. He pretty much tolerates it for our benefit. But this year, I had some surprises for him.

My cousin, Lesley. Early 30s She is going through a divorce and has a 2 year old, but opted to leave him home this year. She can’t wait to take him, but decided to wait until he was a bit older where she didn’t have to carry all of the baby stuff with her in the parks.

My daughter, Caitlin. 7 years old. She IS a princess, with a diva attitude to go with it. She has enjoyed Disney so much, and eat time we go, they make her dreams come true.

My son, Kevin. He turned 4 a week after we got back from Disney. He also has Autism. He has the vocabulary of a 14 to 16 month old. And developementally, is more of that of a 2 to 3 year old. But great things happened on our trip, so I can’t wait to share them!

Myself, Helen. A complete Disney addict who honestly doesn’t see a problem with it. With this being our 4th trip in 3 years, I can’t wait until we plan the next one. By the way, I am already scheming on how to get my husband to agree to it. 

We started our trip by having a lay over in Dallas. The flights were a little weird, so we were able to fly into Dallas on Thursday and spend the night with my Sis in law, and then head over to Orlando on Friday. I was actually very excited about this last minute change of plans. This allowed us a full day at the resort with out any time in the parks. Each year we try and cram so much into our vacation, that I think we end up coming back feeling frustrated and exhausted. And to be quite honest, we have had TOO much snow here in Salt Lake City this year. Actually, I think it is more of the “average” amount, but we have been in such a drought the last few years. I had snow up to my thighs when we left. So I was honestly ready for a balmy 50 degrees. HAHA. And Florida didn’t let me down that week. I actually wasn’t prepared for how warm it was.

So this year we opted for a plan. I scheduled everything out in Excel. I included phone numbers, reservation numbers, and parade and show times. I then made a wish list for everyone. Things that we have done before but have to do again, things that we haven’t done before and must do again, etc. Then I printed out each day onto Index cards. So I could slip them into the back pack. They were more of quick reference guides instead of hard core scheduling. And I must pat myself on the back, I think it turned out REALLY great.

Here is basic Park schedule:

Saturday: Resort day

Sunday: Magic Kingdom

Monday : Animal Kingdom

Tuesday : Magic Kingdom

Wednesday : Animal Kingdom

Thursday : MGM

Friday : Magic Kingdom


We actually decided to cut out Epcot this year. This is the first year my son was old enough to ride some of the bigger rides. And as much as I love Epcot, it got the ax when we decided to simplify our vacation. I just didn’t feel that it was worth dragging the 4 year old (remember, he has Autism) threw that park. That is a lot of walking for a little guy.

Also, we opted to save the 400.00 and cut out the park hopper option. Again, having smaller kids, we just didn’t think we could really use that option enough to pay for it. And honestly, we never regretted it. I think there was only one time during the whole trip where I said to myself that I wish we could go to another park. But then I remembered “400.00. Do I need to go there bad enough to pay 400?” NOPE! Wise choice on our part.

We did do the Basic Dining plan, and let me tell you, that is a MUST! It was SO nice! We have done the one at Disneyland, but never the one at Disneyworld. And I have to tell you, I don’t think we will go again with out doing the plan. It was so nice to show up and know it was all taken care of. There was a few times that we pulled out our wallets for drinks or snacks, but honestly, we may have spent 50 to 75 for the week out of pocket. Which technically, isn’t that bad. If our kids weren’t so young, we could have probably cut out the extra drinks, but you can’t tell a 4 year old to be patient!

Here was our meal schedule:

Saturday: Whispering Canyon Café

Sunday: Cape May Café

Monday: Mary Poppins @ 1900

Tuesday: Dinner with Cinderella and Prince Charming @ Grand Floridian

Wednesday: Tusker House at Animal Kingdom

Thursday: Prime Time Café MGM

Friday: Chef Mickey’s

Arriving at the Orlando Airport and heading down to the Magical Express was great! I was so excited. This trip was really all about my son. In the past, it has been about my daughter because she is older and Kevin was so delayed. When he started speech therapy at 22 months old, his speech was that of a 2 month old. Basically, nothing. So this year, he knows signs, and seems to understand quite more of that going on around him. He is fascinated with trains, planes, monorails and cars. What a great place to see all of them? Disneyworld!

Here are some pics of us waiting for the Magical Express. My cousin Lesley would be flying in on Saturday to meet us. So we are on our own for about 24 hours. My husband, and his usual grumpy face that he displays on the way to the park. I have to tell you, what a trooper he is. Every year, he sucks it up for his kids… and me. 

And I have to sneak in an apology for the photos this year. I left my Nikon d50 at home and borrowed my moms new Nikon point and shoot. I wanted the option to video which my SLR doesn’t have, and in exchange, the quality of the photos went blah. So some are not as clear as I had hoped. I was a little disappointed actually, I gave her the camera for Christmas.  So you may see some pics that aren’t as good as others. I apologize.

 

[Catkramer]

When we arrived at Port Orleans, it was extremely beautiful. We stayed our first night in the Mansions. Over all impression? Eh. I think it needs to be overhauled. Was it “clean”? Yes. But when you are looking at tile that 20 years old, or carpet that is 20 years old, you can only get it so clean. I think it really needs to be updated, and I am sure Disney will get to it. I only took one photo of the room because honestly, that is all it really deserved. LOL We had water view, and it was extremely quiet. We were first floor. I seriously can’t complain. It was nice. But for 180 a night, I expected better décor. So hopefully Disney will get to that soon.

We ate dinner and headed back to the room to crash early. We had several days in a row where we were up early early early trying to catch flights.

While eating dinner, a cast member approached us and asked if the kids wanted to make cookies.

And let me tell you, I like how the Riverside is set up. They have plenty of dining options there at the quick service. From Pasta, to hamburgers to salads, etc. Although it could be very busy, it was a really nice set up and the pasta bar was very good. We ate there a few times through out the week.

We started out our day by renting two boats. They wouldn’t allow us to take photos while driving the boats. Blah. So I only got the photos of Mark and Kevin loading up.

Let me tell you, my son LOVED this. It pretty much let us scoot around from the Riverside down past the French Quarter and then past the Tree House resorts, that rumor has they are thinking of reopening. It was a nice 30 minutes, and Kevin just loved it. When we went to turn in the boats, they ended up charging us for only one of the boats, and not two. The guy was super nice, and said he would cut us a break. WOO HOO! We like breaks!

Once my cousin arrived, we headed over to Downtown Disney for lunch. Of course, the kids wanted McDonalds and honestly, I wasn’t going to force them to eat stuff they didn’t want to eat. This was a meal off of the meal plan, so it was fine with all of us. So we had McDonalds for lunch.

My cousin, Lesley.

We did some shopping and then headed over back to the Wilderness Lodge for dinner. So we hopped a bus and headed over for dinner. This was one of the things that I was excited about for Mark. All you can eat MEAT!!! I mean, MEAT and a man. How can you go wrong???

And let me tell you, it was WONDERFUL! I think all agreed once the vacation was over, this was our favorite place to eat over all. The server, and darn it if I can’t remember her name, she was GREAT! The milk shakes were to DIE for. Best in the whole park. Food was awesome. Atmosphere was GREAT. My daughter got a kick out of the whole ketchup thing. In fact, by the end of the evening, she was focused more on the ketchup than actually eating her dinner.

And I think my husband enjoyed the meal as well. He was happy and even joined in the fun!

Yes, I know he is a goof ball!

The Wilderness Lodge is where my heart is. I have stayed at the Contemporary, Wilderness Lodge, and last year was the Cabins. I still love the lodge. And this year was no different. Lesley went to Disney on her honeymoon and stayed off site. Yeah, I know BOOOOOO! But I think she now agrees that staying on property is a must when you are speaking of Disney. I think she is as big of a fan as I am, and actually sheds tears when she is in the vicinity of Mickey. 

We were moved over to the Aligator Bayou section of Riverside and MAN! What a difference. VERY happy. We got a room with two double beds, and a hide away underneath one of the beds. The hideaway is small enough where it is really made for a child. But my cousin decided she would rather have her feet hang off the bed than fight for covers with my daughter. LOL. Kevin still sleeps with guard rails, so someone who sleeps lightly had to sleep with him to make sure he didn’t fall off the bed. That would be me. 

Here are pics of the new room that we stayed in the rest of our stay. LOVED the décor. The house cleaning was awesome, the bell hops were great, Concierge was super nice!

Oh! I have to mention this! We came in on the Magical Express, and as we all got off, I quickly did a backage check and realized that we were missing something. As the bus drove away, I realized that my daughters pink Princess back pack had been thrown up in the over head above us and we walked out with out. It had her full year of home work in it, along with a book of mine, and some other things for her to do on the plane for school. I freaked! I just stood there and watched them drive away with it! LOL

So we went to concierge and they were awesome. They called Magical Express and they took a claim number for me. So, honestly, a pessimistic at heart, I honestly thought we were hosed and there was nothing I could do about it. You know? What are the odds that we would get that bag back?

At 9:20 pm we got a knock on our door and not only was her back pack returned, but her coat that was tied to the back pack! WOO HOO! I made a special trip to the lobby the next morning to report that her back had been returned and that everything was in it. And GO DISNEY! I was honestly surprised as the quick service, and the quality of service that we received! But then again, we are at Disney now, aren’t we?? And her homework was turned in on time. Whew!

 

[Catkramer]

On Sunday morning, we headed over to Cap May Café for breakfast with Goofy and friends. The food was good and the server was SUPER nice. Again, I don’t have her name, but she was really really good. Very attentive. Kevin is still having a hard time with the characters and would often duck under my arm or climb on top of me if they would get too close to him. We spent the year watching the Mickey Mouse clubhouse and sorts trying to get him familiar with the characters so that when he saw them, he could possibly relate to them. But at this point, I think he was just too scared to stop and think about it. Caitlin of course had her book out and was all over the characters. Now what is really funny, is that my cousin gave Mark the shirt he is wearing in these pics. And the shirt fits him perfectly. Hehehe

After breakfast, we headed over to Magic Kingdom…with out Mark. Instead, I sent him to the ESPN center to hang for the day and watch the super bowl. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize the Bowl started so late, so that will come back and bite me later. But hey, I gave him a few hours to go hang out with sports television and beer. Meantime, Lesley and I headed to Magic Kingdom with the kids, and a list of things we couldn’t do with out Mark. Kevin was going to have a lot of first times and Mark didn’t want to miss out on them. So we did a lot of the repeats on this day, and a lot of Lesley first times as well. 

We stopped off at the City Hall to get Kevin’s disability pass. And let me tell you, I LOVE Disney. I am always afraid I am going to have to “prove” that Kevin has autism. You know? The more we try and work with him, the more he is being socialized but we still have A LOT of work to do. And bless Disney, they never give me a hard time. And I have to tell you that this Disability pass is what keeps us flying across the country and spending what we spend to come to Disney. I could just drive down the rode and go to our local amusement park (which honestly is more like a carnival, you pay to get in and then pay for some of the rides as well. Blah. ) But as long as Disney looks out for the Disabled and helps with things like Extreme Make Over: Home Edition, I will ALWAYS put my money into Disney first. I don’t mind paying a little extra knowing that Disney is making a difference for families. So we head out with our special little pass and head up through main street.

We are all very excited to be there, and head to the left to the Tiki Room. We watch the show, which is different from Disneyland actually. And then head to Pirates. This was Kevin’s first time, and honestly, I don’t think he liked it too much. I don’t think he knew what to expect and I think he was a little apprehensive. I tried to point out the smaller things like the animated animals and stuff, and singing, so that he wouldn’t focus on the skeletons. I don’t think he is aware enough to know to be scared yet. You know? We limit what the kids watch, even my 7 year old hasn’t watched a lot of things with skeletons in it. I think she watched Pirates One after we got back. But I think because it was such a dark ride in itself he just wasn’t thrilled over it. So we headed out and back through Main Street to Fantasy land avoiding Frontierland.

For the last 6 months, I have been on You Tube and I have played the Big Thunder Mountain video for Kevin to watch. (we also would set him up to watch coasters on RollerCoaster Tycoon and Thrillville) I wanted him to know the ride and be comfortable with it so when he first rode it, he only had to worry about how he felt. So that he wasn’t scared of what would come next or what to expect. He usually would crawl up into the chair behind me and I would mimic the ride, jump up a little when it would go up and lean to the right on the turns. And so I knew that if he SAW the ride, he would want to ride it. And actually, that was going to be a ride Mark wanted to ride with him. So I was very excited for him. So we headed to Fantasy land and rode the Carousel, Peter Pan, SmallWorld, etc. Which we would all ride again many times. Even the Pooh ride was fun for him. He really seemed to start connecting with the rides, and soon was signing more and smiling when we had to get off. He was such a good little boy, I had to really hold back tears.

One of his favorite rides last year was the Transit Authority ride in Tomorrowland. So we made sure we hit that one again, and they were acting like it was a rollercoaster.

We covered most rides except for the ones on Mark’s list. Big Thunder Mountain, Stitch’s escape (which we wouldn’t take Kevin on), Laugh in, etc. So we were saving all of that for another Magic Kingdom day and actually ended up back at the hotel about 6. We made good time. On the way back I bought the kids each a balloon on Main Street. They were so excited! So we headed back to the hotel.

I found my husband laying on the bed watching the superbowl and we headed out to the pool to swim. It was such a wonderful day not having to rush around and knowing that we didn’t have to get the whole park done in one day. And take the kids swimming! I think the full month leading up to the trip we had been below freezing. So to have the kids out in their bathing suits and kicking around in the pool, what a wonderful way to start a vacation. 

 

[Catkramer]

Monday morning was my birthday. We headed over to have breakfast with Mary Poppins, my favorite. And honestly, I know these are just “characters” but I can’t help but turn into a little kid when I see them. I just get so excited! And my husband just looks at me across the table like I am a major freak. And I look back at him with pity, knowing he had such a horrible child hood that didn’t teach him imagination. Tsk tsk. Shame on his parents.

It was a wonderful breakfast. I can’t say that one breakfast stood out over another, but I think it is hard to screw up breakfast. Waffles, eggs, bacon. It is all good grub and we enjoyed it. Here is some photos:

I have to say that Mary Poppins was funny. She played it up good with Caitlin, telling her that she should look for someone better than Prince Charming. He sent hired help to chase after his girl for him, Caitlin needs to look for a man who will do the dirty work himself. We actually thought that was very funny, I had never thought of it that way! But she is RIGHT! HA!

After breakfast, we headed over to Animal Kingdom. It was Lesley’s first time to the park, and I think she really enjoyed it. We decided to break up Animal Kingdom into two days and put Asia on the first day, and Africa on the second. Good move I think, so we weren’t running all over the park. It is just so big. We headed over to It’s a Bugs Life, it was a hit of course. And the tree. And then went to Expedition Everest. I think we rode it 7 times between Lesley, Caitlin and I. Mark and I rode it once, and he opted to stay with Kevin the rest of the time. It wasn’t his cup of tea, doesn’t like things that go backwards. But at least he rode it.

We then headed over to Kali Rapids and rode that. I bought a Poncho for Kevin. One thing about Autism is that some kids don’t like water on their heads, or that sensation of losing their breath unexpectedly. So I knew he wouldn’t like getting wet. But I didn’t want to keep him off of the ride because I really thought the ride itself would be great for him. So I opted to get the poncho. Now, I know that he isn’t going to like wearing the poncho either. Sooo, I waited until we were literally loading the raft and shoved it over his head and stuck him in the seat. LOL poor little guy didn’t know what hit him. Of course, he started freaking out, it was warm and the plastic was all over him, and it was definitely a texture challenge. But once the raft started moving, he settled down. Right away Caitlin, who was sitting directly across from us, got pounded. And then, Kevin’s face lit up and he smiled and signed more under the plastic.  He has a little devilish personality. Caitlin wasn’t happy, but Kevin thought it was funny.

As we rode the ride, I kept my arms around Kevin, I wanted him to know that he was fine, and I wanted him to feel secure but have fun. The waves came over us a few times, but he barely got wet. Just some splashing on his face and hands, and his shoes I think were wet. Everyone was soaked except for Mark. So coming off the ride, Kevin was signing More and smiling. We voted to send Mark back on it with him again. He didn’t want to go, but I told him to look down at that face and ride that ride again with his BOY! And off he went. Guilt works every time. Hehehehe

Here are some pics that I got of them. There were a lot of people around so it was hard to get a good picture. This was a time I missed my fast shutter speed on my SLR.

After the second time, I took Kevin to the bathroom, changed his diaper and dried his pants and shoes and sock under the dryer.  It was definitely worth it. I think he had such a good time. Another exciting milestone for Kevin, yeah!!

We ended up back at the hotel pretty early, I don’t think we really had any late nights, which was nice. It was just a wonderful day at Animal Kingdom. Saw some animals, stopped and had Chinese food which was really good! Maybe we were really hungry, lol, but it was good. I didn’t have time to jot a lot of the quick service stuff down, but I don’t think there was a place that we were unhappy with. We had expectations that we were in amusement parks so we weren’t aiming too high. But the Chinese food was really good.

 

[Catkramer]

Tuesday morning we headed back to Magic Kingdom. Today was a very exciting day because we were heading to the Bippidy Boppidy Boutique at 4:45 pm and then on to dinner with Cinderella and the Prince. We did make our reservations at the Castle this year, last year was DownTown Disney. And let me tell you, our dinner plans were at 8:00 PM and we needed all of that time because BBB was running an hour behind. So make sure you plan your reservations with plenty of time before any meals that you have scheduled.

Mark and Kevin were able to enjoy their rides together. Big Thunder Mountain was a HIT with Kevin. It was just SO amazing to watch him enjoy it so much. We did get to use the disability pass and Kevin still had a little bid of a hard time standing in line, but I think a lot of was his excitement over riding the ride. As we walked through the fast pass line, I lifted him up so he could see the train, and he FLIPPED. He was pointing and smiling and jumping up and down, he was sooo excited. YEAH YOU TUBE!!!

So we boarded, Mark and the kids were in one car, and Lesley and me in another. And I kept turning around to see Kevin’s face, and let me tell you it was priceless. He was just smiling and looking all around. And when we came off, he was signing more. So he went again. This time Mark sat out and Lesley and I took the kids again. That was Kevin’s favorite ride. He just loved it.

We also took Mark to the Laugh in, and rode Buzz Lightyear, and Mark rode Transit Authority with Kevin a few times while Lesley and I took Caitlin to Space mountain and Stitch’s great escape. Then Mark headed back to Port Orleans to get Caitlin’s shoes, dress, etc for her appointment with her fairy godmother. Here are some pictures:

She then walked down main street and we headed the Grand Floridian. One thing we didn’t take into account was that Magic Kingdom closed early for some reason. It was either a Pirate and Princess party or extra magic hours. And as we walked down main, so was a billion other people. So it wasn’t as enjoyable as I thought it was going to be.

We grabbed the monorail and headed over to the GF. Again, the pictures suck because I didn’t have the right camera. UGH. But you get the picture.

Let me tell you, that this dinner was just great!!! It wasn’t the food, but the characters that made it. Anatasia was just hysterical. Her and my husband ended up going back a forth and that just made the whole experience. My husband got up to go to the buffet, and Anatasia was talking to the table next to us. So in order to get past her, he had to squeeze behind her. While doing so, he tapped her on the opposite shoulder so that she turned and saw no one standing there. When she was done with that table, she turned to us and I said “He is just really rude isn’t he?” and she said “Yes! He POKED me!” in this shrilly voice. Seeing that I could joke with her, I said “You should go tell him to CUT that out!” She leaned over and said “I will! What is his name?” I told her and she went running OUT into the main dining room where she stopped and started screaming “MARK!!! Oh MARK!!!” I was running behind her and saw Mark looking around the dining room and then he ducked behind one of the buffet counters. I was rolling. She yelled “Mark! I SEE YOU! You poked me!!!” And Mark stood up and acted innocent and pointed to the guy next to him. He was really really funny. And to see a character go beyond the more conservative roll that I see most of them play was REALLY nice. I have to say, she was a highlight for us.

Nothing though will top the Prince this year. Last year, the prince we got was really cute and he really paid attention to Caitlin and he twirled her around at the table and she fell in love. Being that Caitlin is about to turn 8, I really figured that year she would be out growing it all. But nope, she didn’t let me down. He passed our table and went to the table behind us and started talking to them in another language. HAHA, we have a bilingual Prince! AWESOME! Meanwhile, Caitlin is sitting and looking at him with gaga eyes and I figured she would pick up on this, but nope. She was in love.

When he came to the table, I updated him on what has happened since last year when he danced with her (wink wink) and how she talked about it ALL year long and it just meant everything to her. He picked it up and explained that it was Cindy and his one year anniversary (for something) and that they will be doing the Waltz soon, and for Caitlin to come out to the main area when she heard the music. He went to the next table and then the music started. So he turned and grabbed her hand and he took her out there and asked her to stand by. Cindy and Prince Charming started their dance, and it was really nice. My cousin and I grabbed our cameras and started filming. When they were half way through the dance, the Prince and Cindy split up and he looked at Caitlin. And was she ready to go or WHAT??? I didn’t know if I should laugh or cry. She just played it all the way up.

I hope this link works!




After the dance was over, I went back to the buffet and ran into the Prince. And I made sure I thanked him for making her dream come true and for dancing with her. And he said she was such a pretty little girl and she was going to be a knock out when she grows up. And honestly, he just seemed so sincere. He was sooo nice. I would recommend any one to go and have this meal. They were just super at this meal. Caitlin came back to the table at the dance and literally melted into her chair and said “Mom! This is SOO much better than last year!” For the rest of the night she was floating on cloud nine. She was sighing and singing and looked dreamy. My husband had a hard time seeing her so “in love” with someone.  She was even smiling in her sleep. 

 

[Catkramer]

On Wednesday, we were up again and off to Animal Kingdom. I was very excited about the second day of Animal Kingdom because I had never been to this side of the park before. So we headed out to Breakfast at the Tusker House. Again, wonderful food and great atmosphere. The kids had a great time. Kevin was still scared of the characters so I was a little disappointed. But every other part of the trip he was having a great time.

After breakfast, we headed to the Lion King Festival. Um, I have one word: WOW! We arrived a few minutes early and started talking to the cast members outside of the show. They took us to the exit and VIPed us. I referred to it as being VIPPED. We were VIPPED! WOO HOO. Caitlin chose for us to be in the Lion section, and we got the first row seating. Which was AWESOME for Kevin because it was so in your face that it kept him interested. That is just AMAZING. My husband is a huge Elton John fan, so it was so nice for him to enjoy Elton John’s music, and Caitlin was part of the show. And to have Kevin enjoy it. It was just an all around successful show. Even Mark had nice things to say about it. Which is hard for him to admit that Disney does anything right. But this show even won him over.

After the show, we took Caitlin to see Pocahontas and then it was on to the Rafiki’s Planet watch. I wasn’t really excited about this, but I think a lot of it was just that I hadn’t read up on it. But it was on the list, so we headed that direction. My son LOVED the train. He was just so excited about that. Once we arrived, we stopped to see the monkey’s and enjoyed the petting zoo. Here are some pics:

We also ran into J. Cricket and Pocahontas again. This was a first time for us so Caitlin was very excited about meeting both of them. And let me tell you, there was NO ONE there. No long lines. Pocahontas wasn’t very interactive and that was pretty odd, I was expecting her to be more engaging with Caitlin. But we didn’t stop and try to engage with her a lot either. I was just expecting her to try more since there wasn’t anyone around. But she was nice. My husband that she was hot. LOL

On the way back from Rafiki’s Planet, we rode the train again. And I asked if Kevin could have his picture with the engine. And he got a treat that literally made me cry. I had tears rolling down my face. This kid breaths and sleeps Trains and Planes. So for him to be able to climb up into the seat and toot the horn, it was just AWESOME! Again, Disney made another dream come true.

I think it was a surreal moment for Kevin. More of he didn’t realize what he was doing and to be excited about it until it was over. But I know he just loved it so much!

We also rode the Safari, and wow, how cool was that. Kevin had a hard time following the animals, anything that wasn’t moving or wasn’t up close he wasn’t really into. But he had more fun on the truck itself, bouncing him around and speeding up and slowing down. He thought that was really cool.

I was really expecting the safari to be longer than it was. But over all, it was pretty awesome. I can wanting to stay at the Animal Kingdom Lodge and doing the sunrise safari so that you can stop and see each of the animals because you are moving so quickly through the areas. But it was pretty cool.

One thing that Kevin really enjoys is music. He loves Crosby Stills and Nash, and loves James Taylor. In fact, Kevin was named after James Taylor. Kevin Taylor. So, of course my kids are raised listening to this older music. On one of the James Taylor concert DVD’s that he watches, there is a drum solo. And Kevin just LOVES this drum solo.

We ran into the drums there in Animal Kingdom and Kevin was just in heaven.

He really had a blast. We took the kids back on Kali Rapids and enjoyed it again. Kevin wanted to keep riding it, as usual.  But that is what is awesome about it. We had a WONDEFUL time at Animal Kingdom. It was really nice to be able to spread it out over two days and really take our time and feel so exhausted at the end of the day.

 

[Catkramer]

On Thursday, we got up and headed to MGM. Today was going to be VERY exciting. My daughter ate her meatloaf and veggies all year long to make sure she grew enough to ride the Rock and Roller Coaster. And let me tell you, she was EXCITED. We first headed in to the park and hit the hot dog place over on the left side of the park, next to the Star Tours ride. It was a pretty good meal. We had a lunch reservation at 2 PM at the Prime Time Café so we didn’t want to eat too much. We rode Star Tours and I took Kevin on the ride. And he was really fussy. In fact, the cast member asked us while we were buckling him in if he was going to be ok to ride. I had to tell him, He has autism and he will be fine once the ride starts. And sure enough, once the doors shut and the ride started, he was ok. I do have to admit he did have the Oh crap look on his face most of the ride. I don’t think he understood what the point of the ride was. So we probably won’t take him back on that for a few years. But he didn’t cry or get sick or anything. He just didn’t come bouncing off of the ride like he does the others.

Then we headed across the park to the RRC. And Caitlin was jumping all the way. We first rode the Tower of Terror, it was Lesley’s first time. And I really think she enjoyed it. We didn’t take Kevin on because we just didn’t feel like he was ready for it, although we were on the fence. I think he would have liked the up and down part of the ride, but I think the ride is just dark and it is hard for him to be prepared for all that he is exposed to in such a short amount of time. So we don’t usually put him on dark rides, and honestly, after his lack of enthusiasm over Pirates, I didn’t think I should risk it with the T of T.

We rode RRC 7 times between us all, all taking turns to take Caitlin. I think she was trying to get all of her suffering through the veggies to pay off. She had a BLAST. And I really thought to myself, I have created a monster!!!

We age lunch at Prime Time. And let me just say, we had to wait about 30 minutes for our table. But that isn’t what got me so ticked off. It was the other people waiting for tables. And maybe because I have worked in the restaurant business so I understand the process, and maybe not. But I am on VACATION. I don’t want to hear other people complaining about crap that doesn’t really matter. But apparently Prime Time screwed up and took too many walk ins early in the day or something, which made the place packed and by 2 pm they were already running way behind. Ok, got it. BUT… people need to remember that these are not set in stone reservations. These are call ahead seating situations. And they may be running behind and they may be late, and you may have to stand there and wait 20 minutes. But there was a big top, other wise a party of 6 or more, that had a reservation 15 minutes before ours, and man, they were going to make sure everyone around them KNEW what time their reservation was for. They were complaining that others were being seated before them, um, 2 and 4 tops, and it was just annoying and tiresome. I understand that people are upset, but don’t make a scene. Just contact the manager and handle it. Other people don’t want to hear about it. And my experience just didn’t get any better from there. We had a nice server, Uncle Dave, and he was really nice. But he was slammed and never really had time to interact with us. The food was awesome though. But I was just peeved that it just started out so poorly and never really got any better. I don’t blame Prime Time, I think it was a crappy situation where someone miscalculated and it just never got any better. But honestly, I was wanting to ask the manager to PLEASE seat the party before us so I didn’t have to listen to them any more. I felt sorry for their server.

So we left from there and headed to meat up with Lightening McQueen. Now this is another highlight for my son. He is a HUGE Cars fan. And so far, hasn’t really accepted any of the characters. So we headed to get in line and met some GREAT folks from Louisiana that were in front of us. Had a great time visiting with them while we were in line. Once Lightening and Mater came out, you could hear the engines and the music. I tried to get Kevin to see them through the crowd but I don’t think he knew what he was looking for.

As we got closer though, and the people were thinning out, it was AWESOME. He finally saw them, and MAN. It was priceless. It was a wedding day and prom and a birthday and an anniversary all wrapped in one for me. His mouth just dropped and he started pointing and then he started jumping up and down. I said “yes! Lighting McQueen! LOOK KEVIN!!!” and he was just SOOOO excited.

They did rush us through because there were so many people waiting. My one regret is that we didn’t take the time to let Kevin TOUCH them. I think that would have made a HUGE difference. He had a screaming melt down when we had to walk around. It was HORRIBLE. I felt SOOO bad. The one darn character that he just loves and we were rushed through the line. UGH. Darn it, Disney!

They had one more meet and greet with them the next hour, so we decided to do the back lot tour really quick…um, we thought, and then we would try for McQueen again. WRONG. Didn’t know it was so long, and honestly, wasn’t impressed at all. On a one to ten, it was like a four. If you have something else to do, DON’T skip it to do this. Ugh, I regretted that the rest of the trip. I missed McQueen again for that. : kicking self again:

We ran out of time to see the Great Movie Ride, Little Mermaid, PlayHouse Disney, etc because we were running from one side of the park to the other, and because for the first time EVER, we hit Fantasmic. And let me tell you, I was IMPRESSED. I REALLY thought it was awesome. Kevin learned how to do the wave while we waited for the show to start. Hehehe. Caitlin saw all of the princesses. And Lesley got to see Mickey again. I think we will definitely stay and watch Fantasmic again. It was very cool.

 

[Catkramer]

Alrighty! Friday, our last day in the park. WOO HOO! Heading back to Magic Kingdom. Basically this was a repeat day and a day we wanted to make sure we saw Spectro Magic and Wishes.

We started out the morning at Chef Mickey’s. Had a GREAT time.

We then headed over to the park and finally FINALLY ran into this special lady.

We rode the rides again:

We saw the Princesses and Mickey again:

Now, we headed back to Big Thunder Mountain and rode it. Kevin of course came off crying because he wanted to ride it again. A castmember pulled us back into the exit and set us up in the first car and let us ride TWICE with out getting off. Kevin was just having SO much fun! WOW! Thanks Disney!!! WOO HOO. I will keep spending my retirement to go to Disney.

So, because we now rode BTM three times in a row, we were now late getting back to Main Street for the parade. It wasn’t looking very good at ALL. So we walked it, and it was 6:30 and the parade started at 7. I stopped up by the castle on the left side where the water fountains were and asked a cast member “ My son has autism, and unfortunately, we got delayed on a ride and didn’t make it here. Is there a place that you can recommend for us to go where it may not be so crowded and we don’t have to FIGHT for our space on the curb?”

She responded, “Do you have one of those disability passes” and I nodded my head, and she said “Right here”. She pulled back the rope and lead us under the awning of the water fountain area. There was a bench, and even though it wasn’t first row seating, we were happy for any place where we either didn’t have to stand or didn’t have to fight the crowd. In the past, we haven’t always had the best experiences with the crowds when it came to the parades and shows. So this was great. We were excited and happy. And Kevin had some room to stem, walk his lines and spin in circles. And honestly, by this point, we were just letting him. Normally we have to try and stop him and redirect him, but sometimes he just needs that outlet.

Then to our surprise, right before the show started, one of the cast members came over and asked us if we would like “better” seats. Uh?? Better than THIS? Um, yeah, we were VIPPED again. WOO and HOO! Off to the special white benches we went. Between Main and Frontier land, you will see white benches on the left in the shape of a half circle. For the show, they will rope the whole section off from main street up over the bridge into Frontier land. WELLLLL, they move those benches and make three lines. And that is the VIP section. And it was EMPTY. So we got first row, baby. YES, we did. Again, GO DISNEY. At this point, My cousin turned and looked at my son, and with tears in her eyes said “Thank you, Kevin. This is awesome!”.

We have always tried to make our daughter appreciate all of the things that Kevin has to offer. There are times she gets to do extra things or different things because he has Autism. So even though she is the sibling of an Autistic boy, and it is hard on her to be pushed aside sometimes and put up with the frustration, he does offer a lot to her. So through out the trip, we would remind her that not every one has a disability pass and that she can’t always just fast pass to ride a ride and how grateful she should be that Disney does nice things like this for special people. So at that moment, my cousin had her ah ha moment, and said Man, this is awesome. As much as it SUCKS to have an Autistic kid sometimes, it is so awesome to have these experiences and to be able to enjoy them with Kevin. Those floats would literally stop right in front of us. And each character would wave specifically to each person sitting in this section. It was VERY personal and very awesome. What a WONDERFUL experience. We really sat in aw and really enjoyed the parade. At the end, Snow White and Doc stopped and shook Caitlin’s hand and Snow White leaned over and said something special to Caitlin, and she was just SO excited about that. It really made our trip.

Each time I come back to Disney, I keep thinking that they can’t do it any better than they did last year. But our experiences keep changing, and we keep experiencing new things. We did a lot of firsts, and we really slowed down and enjoyed our trip. It was so magical.

After wishes was over, Mark took Kevin back to the hotel room and Lesley and I and Caitlin headed to Space Mountain. The line was 90 minutes long, but with the pass, we were fast passing right up to ride the ride. Caitlin got in the very front car, and we had a blast. We got off and went to the rest room. Looking down at my watch, we had 40 minutes to go. Back to Space Mountain we went. As we walked up to the ride, I saw this long line and I told Lesley, man, I feel almost guilty for using this pass. Then I remembered the Dis Board and the “Pixie Dust”. And I smiled at Lesley, and said lets do it.

I went and grabbed two people from line and said come with us. We used the pass and got them through and put them on the ride with in 5 minutes. They were a couple, teens, from Kentucky. And it was his first time on the ride. It made me feel good to be able to do something nice for some one else. I explained to them that the pass was for my son, but he had headed back to the room. We were leaving the next morning and just wanted to do something for someone else, since so many people do such wonderful things for us. It was really an awesome experience. And my cousin loved it. The teens were SO nice. She was a cheerleader, and Caitlin took up with her right away. The girl was SO kind, and didn’t mind Caitlin hugging her. Caitlin was excited to meet a high school cheerleader. So, I don’t know if what I did would have gotten me in trouble, but I just felt like I wanted to do something nice for some one else. 

The next morning, it was depressing as we packed up our stuff. Our flights were leaving until 4. We debated on adding another day to our tickets, but decided honestly, enough was enough. We had really had such a great time and it was SO relaxing, why ruin that with trying to cram in more park time.

So instead, we rented a large boat and went on a cruise:

As my husband got used to the steering, Lesley and I belted out the them to Gilligan’s Island. It was pretty funny actually.

Then we got back and rented one of those four people car/bicycle contraptions. And MAN, I think everyone in the resort met us that day. Here come the goobers on the bike thingie. LOL. We had SUCH a good time. We laughed so hard that last day.

And I think this picture really sums up what kind of a vacation that we had. Coming back from Disney, I think Mark really enjoyed it. I think he enjoyed the more laid back schedule, and the extra time we had to do the extra things like the boating. Next time I want to horse back ride. I think that would be cool. 

So far, this has been the best Disney trip yet. I am already trying to calculate how to get another trip planned and where we are going to stay. Mark just doesn’t know it yet. HEHE

 

[Catkramer]

There is one thing I somehow left out of my report.

Kevin came back from Disney verbally saying colors and verbally counting. His speech isn't quite there yet, but he has Purple, Yellow, and Eight down REALLY well. Here is a video while we were standing and waiting for Dumbo:

I have always said that Disney is a GREAT therapy option when you are dealing with Autism. I think my extended family thought I was using that as a reason to go to Disney. But honestly, it isn't. With Autism, you NEED to remove them from their day to day life from time to time. Kevin hides behind his trains and cars. But by removing him, not for just one day, or two days, but for one whole week. And planting him in a different bed, eating different foods, and placing him in parks full of people, it is an awesome experience. And yes, he has a hard time from time to time. But by the time we got to Chef Mickey's, he was WAVING to the characters!!! He still didn't want them next to him, but he was smiling and WAVING!!! HUGE! And I keep thinking, what if we had stayed 10 days??? or 2 weeks? Then what???

Coming back home and now seeing him count into the teens verbally, naming colors verbally, counting objects and pets, and matching colors on objects. This is HUGE! I love Disney. And I can't wait to get Kevin back there.

 

[estherhead]

I just wanted to tell you I read your whole report & I'm not much of a crier but when I watched the video of your little girl dancing with Prince Charming it made me cry. Disney really is such a magical place & we've learned to take it slow & laid back like you did this time and let the magic truly sink in.

I think you'll be surprised that your dh is ready to go when you've got the next trip set up. I know my b-i-l would like to go elsewhere, but with 4 boys, one with Asperger's, he has to admit that Disney is the best place for his family right now. Fortunately for me, my dh went to Fort Wilderness for a month every single winter of his life as a child. So I never get any complaints!

Thank you for a lovely report and nice photos.

 

[Zeebs]

I have debated long and hard whether to post here or not but at the risk of being flamed I have decided I am going to.

I was having a lovely time reading your trip report, your children are so cute and the magical time they were having must have been so wonderful to see as their parents. I laughed at your "goofball husband" cause I have one of those to. Thought it was fabulous that Kevin got to toot the horn on the train and was even a little jealous of your daughter and that cute prince charming dancing that lovely dance.

Then you dissapointed me, by using the disability pass you got to ride rides after your son had gone home. I know this will sound so judgemental but it is the way that I feel. Why is it ok to use a pass that is designed for your son to miss waiting in lines if he isn't even there. I could maybe understand if he he didn't want to ride the ride but you all did and rather than have him wait for a long time you used the pass.

How do you know that in that standby line there weren't other families not aware of the pass, waiting with their autistic child, or for people that didn't qualify for the pass but were still having issues waiting for one reason or another. I am sorry but I don't see how taking 2 other able bodied people through with you even comes close to making it alright and spreading the pixie dust so to speak. To me this is the same as someone who is quite capable parking in a disable space.

Those passes as you well know are to help people who need them.

I am really glad you had a fabulous trip and I can see from your photos you all had a great time. I just hope that in the future that you might take a few of the things I have had to say on board and still have a fabulous trip.

Kirsten

 

[Catkramer]

I have debated long and hard whether to post here or not but at the risk of being flamed I have decided I am going to.

I was having a lovely time reading your trip report, your children are so cute and the magical time they were having must have been so wonderful to see as their parents. I laughed at your "goofball husband" cause I have one of those to. Thought it was fabulous that Kevin got to toot the horn on the train and was even a little jealous of your daughter and that cute prince charming dancing that lovely dance.

Then you dissapointed me, by using the disability pass you got to ride rides after your son had gone home. I know this will sound so judgemental but it is the way that I feel. Why is it ok to use a pass that is designed for your son to miss waiting in lines if he isn't even there. I could maybe understand if he he didn't want to ride the ride but you all did and rather than have him wait for a long time you used the pass.

How do you know that in that standby line there weren't other families not aware of the pass, waiting with their autistic child, or for people that didn't qualify for the pass but were still having issues waiting for one reason or another. I am sorry but I don't see how taking 2 other able bodied people through with you even comes close to making it alright and spreading the pixie dust so to speak. To me this is the same as someone who is quite capable parking in a disable space.

Those passes as you well know are to help people who need them.

I am really glad you had a fabulous trip and I can see from your photos you all had a great time. I just hope that in the future that you might take a few of the things I have had to say on board and still have a fabulous trip.

Kirsten

I can understand why you would feel this way. We actually didn't use it last year at all with out my son. But this year we got clarity on it and actually we are able to use it with out him as a parent swap option on rides that he can't ride, now on Friday night, we did use it after he did go home because it was the end of the night, and I thought by pulling someone out of line would be helpful in some way.

I tell everyone I know about the disability pass option and if someone has an issue with their child or has a health problem, then all they need to do is go to the Disney Castmemebers and learn about the pass and how to get one. This is not something that I feel that we abused. This is an AWESOME tool for my son and I would never put myself in a position where I would want to lose this for my child or anyone else who needs this pass. It would be one thing if he was sitting at the hotel all week and we were out using the pass, which is DEFINITELY not the case.

Again, I am an advocate for any one who needs this pass, or thinks they need one, to go and talk to Disney. A friend of the family just went to Disney and she had cancer in her leg and half of her muscles in her thigh were removed, causing her to have trouble standing for long periods of time and walking up hills. I explained what the pass is and how to get it.

But Disney also specifically explained to me that we can use it on rides that my son is not riding because he has just as hard of a time standing there waiting for us to ride one than he does standing in line himself. AKA, last year when we were waiting 45 minutes for Expedition Everest and he was walking lines and having melt downs because he was standing out waiting for us.

I am sorry that I offended someone by using the pass with out my son being there. I will certainly take that into consideration next time.

 

[Catkramer]

I just wanted to tell you I read your whole report & I'm not much of a crier but when I watched the video of your little girl dancing with Prince Charming it made me cry. Disney really is such a magical place & we've learned to take it slow & laid back like you did this time and let the magic truly sink in.

I think you'll be surprised that your dh is ready to go when you've got the next trip set up. I know my b-i-l would like to go elsewhere, but with 4 boys, one with Asperger's, he has to admit that Disney is the best place for his family right now. Fortunately for me, my dh went to Fort Wilderness for a month every single winter of his life as a child. So I never get any complaints!

Thank you for a lovely report and nice photos.

Thank you! We had such a wonderful time. We will never go anywhere but Disney as long as they are small. My mom is taking Caitlin to Hawaii in June for her 8th birthday and wanted all of us to go, and I just told her. The thought of being in a long hollow capsule with 200 other people and one autistic child for 7 full hours is straight is just not my cup of tea at this point. She wants to spend the time site seeing volcanos, etc and Kevin is just not going to tolerate that. Disney has raised our standards as far as resorts and things to do with our kids. So as much as Mark wants to travel to other places, we will certainly be returning to Disney.