At WDW now and a few observations....

[Timon-n-Pumbaa Fan]

My MIL and I are both on scooters this time around. We have had a lot of issues with MIL's declining health that we were frankly very surprised by and grossly unprepared for. We are rolling with the punches, but it's been a challenge. MIL can't seem to get herself together in the morning and to a park before noon. I made ADR's based on her needs, spacing out the meals 6 hours apart based on her getting up at 7am, which has yet to happen. I got special dietary services involved. She isn't behaving like she told me she needed at all. Today was supposed to have been out DHS day and she didn't even get up until 11:30am. Needless to say, we didn't go to the park at all. Honestly, I am just so boggled as to how to "salvage" some pixie dust for me and Corey, that I broke down and cried in the middle of the darn food court at Contempo Cafe tonight.

So, the down time we have in the morning seems to be fine. I am just hoping that she can hang with us through MVMCP. The next day is a scheduled off day. The only planned thing is the Afternoon Tea at the GF. Beyond this, I cancelled out second MK day and replaced it with DHS. We lost out on dinner at HBD tonight and the DIS TSM MouseFest Meet.

In respect to WDW and things you might actually want to know....
MIL has a scooter and at HM, the only ride that we did at the MK yesterday, we were told that she would have to go through the regular line until she got to the wheelchair gate. No problem, but when you have someone that requires that the ride be stopped to be able to load her onto it, it makes very little sense to me to exclude her from them "traditional" entrance through the exit method of boarding the ride. We were told that she would have to have a GAC in order to load her onto the ride that way. So, from now on, when we go to a park, we will be getting her a GAC, so that we can cut down on the BS. The woman moves slower than molasses, we need all the time saving help that we can get.

Also, even with signs, bells, and lights on the scooter basket, people still say that they didn't see her and walk right in front of her left and right cutting her off. Corey is getting extremely frustrated and came very close to decking a few people.

Even with Special Dietary Services help, there isn't any proactive action on the part of Disney when we go to dine. The TS and CS locations have been extremely unhelpful. There has only been one mention of the fact that we have special needs at our table and that was AFTER the meal had been ordered, prepared, and consumed at R&C. None of the other restaurants have even mentioned that there are concerns listed on the ADR or that Special Dietary Services had "warned" them that we were coming. It's extremely frustrating.

Overall, while I am still working very hard at having a good vacation experience, it's not going very smoothly at all. I planned my butt off for this vacation and today it just overwelmed with all of the compromises and lack of ability to make this trip even a 10th as magical as I had hoped that it would be. I realize that I am very blessed to be here. I realize that we are supposed to be focusing on creating mother daughter bonding time for Corey and her mom, but it's just not what I had hoped to give them at all. They seem content enough, but I still feel like I am doing a crappy job of providing them both with a great Disney experience.

 

[peemagg]

Hang in there! I have been there when family members mess all of your hard planning up. I found what helped me was to just go off on my own for a while and do what I want to do for a while.

Is there the possibility of you leaving MIL in room so she can go at her own pace and meet you when she gets around? If not take some time for yourself, even if it is for a couple of hours. It will make a world of difference if you do. It gets you out of the situation.

Maybe a heart to heart with Mother and Daughter is in order to get her moving.

 

[mrsksomeday]

When you are checking in at the podium of a TS restaurant are you telling them that there are special dietary needs? I have heard many people on the DIS say that the chef comes to their table and helps them with the dietary issues.

 

[SueM in MN]

When you are checking in at the podium of a TS restaurant are you telling them that there are special dietary needs? I have heard many people on the DIS say that the chef comes to their table and helps them with the dietary issues.

If you are not doing that, you should. That would help point out to them that you have special needs before your meal is served. I would not count on them noticing the note in time without that extra reminder.
As for Haunted Mansion, removing people using wheelchairs from line at the hearse is the usual spot. Even with a GAC you will likely be sent thru the line until that point. Sometimes, it has less to do with your needs and more with the number of people with wheelchairs and ECVs already waiting though. Going thru the exit won't probably save much time. When they do that routinely, it puts all the people who need assistance into the same place suddenly. Having people go thru part of the line spreads them our a bit so they show up at the handicapped boarding area in a more manageable number. Our experience is that GAC or no GAC, they will send you through the path that makes the most sense based on the number already waiting with ECVs and wheelchairs. If there are already a lot of people waiting there, going in through the exit is not necessarily going to shorten your wait. It just means you will be waiting in that exit courtyard instead of the line. Sometimes that makes things that look like no sense - like one of the last times we went to HM, we were sent they the exit to enter the ride and told to wait near the hearse. We could see that the CM greeter was sensing other people with wheelchairs after us thru the line and telling them to wait in line until they got to the hearse. They ended up in the special needs boarding process right behind us, the same as if they had entered thru the exit like we were routed to so. But, by that time, quite a few people with special needs had completed the ride and left the area, so there were less ECVs and wheelchairs parked there waiting. Because of fire and evacuation rules, they can only have so many people with special needs who would require evacuation on at one time anyway so if they have reached that number, they can't let anymore on until the guests who are riding leave.

Sending lots of pixie dust for some less frustrating days.

 

[Talking Hands]

In respect to WDW and things you might actually want to know....
MIL has a scooter and at HM, the only ride that we did at the MK yesterday, we were told that she would have to go through the regular line until she got to the wheelchair gate. No problem, but when you have someone that requires that the ride be stopped to be able to load her onto it, it makes very little sense to me to exclude her from them "traditional" entrance through the exit method of boarding the ride. We were told that she would have to have a GAC in order to load her onto the ride that way. So, from now on, when we go to a park, we will be getting her a GAC, so that we can cut down on the BS. The woman moves slower than molasses, we need all the time saving help that we can get.

Even with the GAC you go through a short portion of the fastpass line before going off to the side for the handicapped entrance. GAC is not meant for immediate access but to create a method of equal access. Usually it is quite fast but not always.
Today at DHS we went on Toy Sotry 2x. First time we had a less than 10 minute wait in the handicapped line, 2nd ride it was more like 30minutes. I can't complain though because other guests were waiting quite a bit longer in the Standby line.

 

[Timon-n-Pumbaa Fan]

Hang in there! I have been there when family members mess all of your hard planning up. I found what helped me was to just go off on my own for a while and do what I want to do for a while.

Is there the possibility of you leaving MIL in room so she can go at her own pace and meet you when she gets around? If not take some time for yourself, even if it is for a couple of hours. It will make a world of difference if you do. It gets you out of the situation.

Maybe a heart to heart with Mother and Daughter is in order to get her moving.

My MIL's health has really declined. She didn't tell us that she was so bad and since she lives in FL and we don't we relied on her to be open and honest with us. She wasn't, mostly because we think that she doesn't want to admit it to herself. She can't walk more than 20 feet without needing a break. She can't stand up straight. She is so much worse than when we last saw her, which was only a few months ago. She needed help doing almost everything. This woman has very little independence at this point. She is on a lot of meds. We didn't realize how much of those meds were pain killers. It's very sad really.

We managed to have some good times together, but it wasn't what I envisioned at all. I feel most sorry for Corey. She was supposed to be having pixie dust and was too busy to enjoy much of it at all.

 

[zumbergc]

Kind of sounds like your MIL can only go for like 1-2 hours maybe 3 per day of being up and out in the public area.

What about talking with MIL. Maybe you go out in the morning get some park time in. Then come back at noon when she has been getting up, maybe bring her breakfast, or lunch (you know what ever she eats). Spoil her up.

Although this may not work, if someone has to be there with MIL the whole time. But when someone health declines, being in all the hustle and bussell of disney may be to much and just over whelming. All depends on how much she can handle. If she was out too much one day, she could be wiped out for several if she isn't careful.

Sorry to hear you were given mis information. That must be completely frsutrating.

We took my mom when she was really ill. What really made the trip easier was when me and dh would go off and do some things on our own. As mom and dad stayed back. mom really shouldn't have been left alone, and didn't have much energy and needed lots of naps. We would go in the parks and stuff with mom, but she didn't last long at all. I knew how ill she was, but in my head figured she could do more than she could. Its a big mental hurdle. I felt horrible leaving them back, but i knew mom couldn't handle all the activity, even with more pain meds. mom was popping more pain meds just to keep her out in the parks as long as she did.

One more thing to remember, if she is taking all the pain meds, it does cause some severe constipation, which makes things worse, more pain, and other yucky feelings.

Maybe plan a trip to downtown disney. Let her know your only going for 1-2 hours. Or maybe hit the restraunt in the hotel, or just hit the lobby or hang out by the pool and people watch. I know it isn't what you planned. If she likes movies, what about hitting amc and see a good christmas movie. Of course if you can take a taxi, and get there directly you may get more actual time, instead of the time it takes with the busses. When a person can't be out very long, in retrospect of my parents trip with us. It may have enabled us more park time. I hadn't really thought of that being a benefit. yes, more money but given the circomstances.

Think about making memories, but it may not be the things you initially intended doing. Try to think out of your planned box, and find out whats around you. If you are at the contemporary. Just visiting the other monorail resorts, checking out the christmas decorations, getting some pics of MIL and corey in the decoration.

If it is her last trip corey will truely cherish those pictures.

When we go to restraunts. We let the hostess know we need to talk to tthe chef, we let he waiter, the seater person, everyone know. It just gets the ball rolling, by letting the whole chain of people know you need to speak with the chef. Once your seated you do have to wait a bit for the chef, but they make great things!!

Merry Christmas.
Connie

 

[cquick]

My MIL's health has really declined. She didn't tell us that she was so bad and since she lives in FL and we don't we relied on her to be open and honest with us. She wasn't, mostly because we think that she doesn't want to admit it to herself. She can't walk more than 20 feet without needing a break. She can't stand up straight. She is so much worse than when we last saw her, which was only a few months ago. She needed help doing almost everything. This woman has very little independence at this point. She is on a lot of meds. We didn't realize how much of those meds were pain killers. It's very sad really.

We managed to have some good times together, but it wasn't what I envisioned at all. I feel most sorry for Corey. She was supposed to be having pixie dust and was too busy to enjoy much of it at all.

She sounds a lot like my mom. But my mom admits she doesn't even want to deal with the hustle and bustle of WDW. She will go to Epcot for a few hours, using a rented scooter. Maybe your mom would be happier just tooling around the hotel.