Cindy & Erin Smoke around the World updtd 5-12 final

[sindertinker]

Cast: Me, Cindy. The Mom, age 41. This was my 5th time to Disney. Once when the kids were about 10 & 12 (Caribbean), again when they were 13 & 15 (All-Star Sports), then just me and my DH aka the Disney Hater (Boardwalk), then with my daughter who was 19 at the time and her roommate (Pop Century), also 19 (one of the best times of my life), and this time just me and daughter Erin, age 20 (2 nights at POR and 3 nights at All-Star Music). I have cancer. Ovarian, had it for 7 years. I rearranged my chemo schedule to help give me more energy for the trip. It helped, but I got pooped out pretty fast. I’m a long time lurker on the DIS and usually only post a question just prior to a visit to the World.

DD, Erin, age 20. This was also her 5th trip to Disney. She went once with her HS band. Lover of all things Disney and a hoot to be around. I really did a good job with giving my kids a sense of humor. We laugh together all the time.

Not along but in my thoughts….DH, aka Disney Hater. Hmmmm, Dear Husband and Disney Hater have the same initials…. Just did NOT want to go. He was the one who suggested I take DD and not him. He’s not crazy about rides, gets sick on all 3-D rides, thinks Disney is a money sucking vortex, only wants to eat hamburgers at the ESPN Club, for the WHOLE TRIP. Been three times and would be happy to never go again.

DS, age 22. Also not a lover of Disney. He hates the rides, the lines and cheerleaders. Since we’ve always gone in February, there’s always been cheerleaders. (He doesn’t mind looking, just hates the noise.) He’s been twice and has plans to not go again. Maybe he’ll change his mind when he has his own kids. I hope so. If I was a billionaire I would establish a fund so that every kid in America got to go to Disney at least once.

Pre-trip: At the end of January I just got a terrible jonesing to get to Disney. You know how that feeling of desperate need just suddenly comes over you? Of course you do. I had surgery around Thanksgiving to fix a big hernia that had been giving me problems for quite a while. We (my Dr. & I ) had put it off so that my chemo schedule would not be interrupted, but it was time to get it done. By January I was finally feeling better and just needed a diversion. I’ve been doing chemo for almost a solid year. I called Erin on her cell phone and asked her if she wanted to go. I told her she’d have to pay her own way, which she had done the trip before.

The trip last year with Erin and her roommate was a fluke. Erin had a friend she knew that had moved to Florida and was now a cast member. The girl was homesick and really wanted some friends to visit. The CM friend got us into 3 parks for free, got us a big discount on a room, and drove us around for several of the days we visited. It was a cheap trip. This time, the CM friend was no longer in Florida so we had to pay for everything.

I checked on Expedia for a flight. This would be the determining factor. This was before I had mentioned it to DH. We decided to go in two weeks! What??? Two weeks to plan an entire trip????? Oh yes. I got an incredible deal on a flight. Too good to pass up. Then I got my husband’s permission to go and his blessing for him not to come along. Yeah! Then on the phone trying to get a room. I foolishly thought this would be no problem. Just call and get 5 nights at an All-Star. Right…in February….cheerleader time….. After about an hour on the phone the only thing we could do was 2 nights at POR and 3 nights at AS Music. Ok, but….this was not in the original budget. I decided it would be only fair if I paid the difference in price between POR and AS Music. DH agreed reluctantly and DD was happy. Now the flight was cheap because we were to fly out of O’hare in Chicago. We live an hour from Milwaukee, where we usually fly out from. So I talked my son into driving us to Chicago and DH went along for the ride. Our flight left Chicago at 8:45 PM which meant arriving in Orlando 1:00 AM. Sheeshhhh….but oh well at least we were going and it was cheap.

Now here is where you can judge me if you want. My daughter and I both smoke. And in my own defense, I did not smoke when I was diagnosed with cancer. I had quit over a year prior. Besides I will never believe that my smoking had anything to do with my Ovarian cancer. I mean how would smoke get to my ovaries anyway. I started smoking again a few years after I had been doing chemo and remission and chemo again. I figured what the heck, what’s the worst that can happen to me now. Now I am the world’s best smoker. I will suffer through withdrawals as long as it takes until I can find a secluded hovel somewhere that my smoke cannot possibly bother another human being. I never litter my butts. I will smoke in a bar because if you don’t like smoke then you shouldn’t go to a bar, but if there are kids nearby I’ll refrain. My daughter however, being 20 years old, feels entitled to do as she pleases. I’m trying to teach her proper smoking etiquette. She does not have willpower to refrain even for a few hours and turns into a crabby fiend if she is forced to. Smoking will play a big part in our trip which is why I mention it now. Then there’s the drinking issue. I had posted a question on the Family Board asking about the laws in Florida pertaining to underage drinking. Yikes! In my part of Wisconsin, it is no big deal for a parent to buy a child (let’s say over 16) a drink. We drink with our meals like many cultures do. The drinking age is 21 here, but a parent can buy their kid a drink. I knew DD would ask. We’re just used to it. But after all the comments I received I told her absolutely no drinking for her. I did not drink either except for one beer, one night.

So, now you know us. On to the airport!

 

[OhMari]

Where do you live in Wisconsin?

My dh is a smoker, and he is trying to quit, but I thought I really don't want him quitting while we were on vacation. I printed up all the places that he could smoke in each park, I forgot where I found it. Either here on the DIS or on All Ears.

Anyways, his smoking spots worked out pretty well, most were near a bathroom for me . We met so many nice people in the smoking areas's and some of the smoking places were put in areas that we would of never even noticed. A place was at Epcot in the back of the United Kingdom where the The British Invasion sang.

Looking forward to the rest of your TR! and for you.

 

[popcenturycp07]

sounds like you are off to a good start. cant wait to hear more!

 

[sindertinker]

Near Sheboygan. And I agree, we met some great people at the smoke stations and lots of people asked us to take their pictures, lots of fun!

 

[disneyaddicted]

It's awesome that you and your DD can take a trip together, my mother will only take a weekend trip if it involves quilting and fabric stores, I hate quilting so...no trips for us.

DH is a discreet smoker, most people don't even know he smokes, I respect the people who have proper smoke etiquette.

Can't wait to read more about your trip, we (the cheer moms) are looking into taking a trip during cheer week, if not to compete, at least to let our squad watch the competition and go to the parks, but I have read in other TR's that it can be an aggrivating time.

I feel like I know you now, you are in my prayers

 

[VanniGirl]

Sounds like this is going to be a great report!

Looking forward to reading the rest!

 

[jcc0621]

Cast:
Now here is where you can judge me if you want. My daughter and I both smoke. And in my own defense, I did not smoke when I was diagnosed with cancer. I had quit over a year prior. Besides I will never believe that my smoking had anything to do with my Ovarian cancer. I mean how would smoke get to my ovaries anyway. I started smoking again a few years after I had been doing chemo and remission and chemo again. I figured what the heck, what’s the worst that can happen to me now. Now I am the world’s best smoker. I will suffer through withdrawals as long as it takes until I can find a secluded hovel somewhere that my smoke cannot possibly bother another human being. I never litter my butts. I will smoke in a bar because if you don’t like smoke then you shouldn’t go to a bar, but if there are kids nearby I’ll refrain. My daughter however, being 20 years old, feels entitled to do as she pleases. I’m trying to teach her proper smoking etiquette. She does not have willpower to refrain even for a few hours and turns into a crabby fiend if she is forced to. Smoking will play a big part in our trip which is why I mention it now. Then there’s the drinking issue. I had posted a question on the Family Board asking about the laws in Florida pertaining to underage drinking. Yikes! In my part of Wisconsin, it is no big deal for a parent to buy a child (let’s say over 16) a drink. We drink with our meals like many cultures do. The drinking age is 21 here, but a parent can buy their kid a drink. I knew DD would ask. We’re just used to it. But after all the comments I received I told her absolutely no drinking for her. I did not drink either except for one beer, one night.

No judgment here from a fellow smoker. You do meet the nicest people in the smoking section and the nice part is they are usually in an out of the way place where you can take that little break from the crowd evey once in a while.

Can't wait to hear about the rest of the trip

Janet

 

[sindertinker]

We get to Chicago around 5;30 pm for an 8:45 pm flight. I’m anal about being early. I just can’t stand the tension of running around at the last minute for anything. Erin and I put on our nicotine patches and head in. We flew with TED airlines, which was a first and we were really happy with the whole experience. After we were all checked in we paid $10 for a disgusting sandwich and waited. Our flight was delayed an hour. It didn’t really bother me because we were only going to the hotel to sleep anyway. The nicotine patch was not helping Erin much. She was getting crabby. We arrive in Orlando at 1:00 am. The Disney Express people are wide awake and cheerful. A lady with a Disney Express sign greets us and the maybe 7 other fools arriving at 1:00 am and asks us if we want to fetch our own bags from the carousel or have D Express bring them to us in the morning. This was such a relief. You see on the plane we had discovered a problem. You can’t carry-on matches or lighters. We stuffed our lighters in our stowed luggage at the airport. If we didn’t get our luggage until the morning we would have no way of having a cigarette when we landed, or the rest of the night for that matter. DD had gone a few hours already and even with the patch on she was getting tense. We finally decided that we would use her curling iron to light our cigarettes! The guy next to us on the plane thought we were funny. I thought too that maybe if we ran her hairdryer long enough we could get the coils hot enough to light up. We were really thinking. DD had a look of doubt and panic in her eyes. I thought it was funny. I could make it until morning, but I could picture her sitting on the sidewalk in front of the resort rubbing two sticks together in a desperate attempt to light up. But now that we had the option of having our luggage with us right away, we took it. DD was happy and getting excited for her first cigarette in 8 hours! Reunited with our lighters! We arrive at POR and go and hide in the bushes next to an ashtray and light up. WOW..that was good. We’re a bit dizzy…..So on to check-in. It is now almost 2:00 in morning. We just want a room close to the lobby and smoking of course. We are greeted by a not so happy CM. He asks how are you and I answer fine and you? He says he’s not happy because he was scheduled to work Monday and he has chemo on Monday. What a coincidence. Cancer follows me around sometimes. I say I’m sorry and he tells me about what kind of cancer he has and for how long. See, I have no hair so I wear a hat or scarf. It’s obvious what I have. He asks about me and I give him the brief rundown. He knows and I know what it’s like without going into detail. My daughter is whispering behind me “ask for a smoking room, make sure we get a smoking room, blah blah”….just as I’m about to mention that we want a smoking room he says, SURPRISE a free upgrade to a riverview room!!! How nice of him but I really don’t care if I’m in the basement, I really want a smoking room. I just didn’t have the heart or the energy to try and change the SURPRISE free upgrade. I thank him for this upgrade that I didn’t really want. I know, ungrateful old bag I am. DD and I trudge off to our room. The resort is deserted and rightfully so, it’s 2:00 am. She asks if I got a smoking room and I tell her I don’t think so. She’s not pleased. The room is beautiful and so is the river. Whatever…. We dump our crap and head outside to smoke. I am adamant about not littering the butts and keep a watchful lookout for the smoking police. You know, the people who feel it’s their duty in life to scold all smokers no matter where they are. I was worried we had stumbled into one of those non-smoking buildings where the allergic are. I have the utmost respect for the allergic people. I feared our smoke would be sucked into the air conditioning units and cause a mass epidemic of asthma attacks. I could picture coughing people come bailing out of rooms, gasping for air. I force Erin to puff hard and fast just in case. She rolls her eyes at my paranoia. We head back in to sleep but are so excited. It’s 4:00 am before we quit talking and fall asleep. Tomorrow is going to be tough with no sleep.

 

[disneynutt1225]

I'm in!

 

[sindertinker]

This is me. Oy Vay! My neck is as big around as Cindy's neck!

I’m up pretty early, around 8:00 which is good since we just went to sleep at 4:00. I head outside to find a cave or someplace to smoke in. I find an ashtray down in the courtyard. I figure if there is an ashtray it is ok to smoke there. Now I could have just lit up on the balcony, but no, I’m a considerate smoker and I take a hike. Back to the room to wake sleeping beauty. She is a rock in the morning. Once she’s finally up, she has to go smoke, then shower and do her hair and make-up. It’s vacation for pete’s sake. But I sit there watching her do her morning ritual. Finally we head down for some breakfast. While we are at POR the foodcourt is being remodeled. Kinda inconvenient but not too bad. We grab a Danish and then head out for the bustop. Day one is Magic Kingdom day. I see the castle and mist up. When you have cancer you never know if this is the last time you’ll see this or that. But I thought that last year and here I am this year. God is good. Now…we have been enough times in this park that we don’t need a map. (was that sentence in English?) We know where every ride is and the best way to get to it. I’m an obsessive planner and I have it all memorized. Except the smoking spots. We decide we need a map just to find the hidden smoking spots. It really became a bit of a joke finding the smoking spots. But we also had some of our best times at them too. First smoke break is near Frontierland and we get a seat by the ashtray. Our fellow smokers smile and nod. We are a tight-knit group. Our numbers are fading fast, by our own accord. We are sitting there in the sunshine, people watching, and Erin asks if there is a bug on her back. I look and see bird doo!!!! We look up and sure enough, there the little vultures sit. I almost have a heart attack from laughing as she is yelling for me to wipe it off with some imaginary towel or something she thinks I have. I have nothing! I tear off a bit of the beloved park map, careful not to remove a smoking spot, and clean her off. We do all the rides we want to. The upgraded Pirates of the Caribbean is cool. We are in line for Haunted Mansion when it breaks down and we are told to leave. We get on this later though. We do Splash and Big Thunder and wander off and do the people mover and decide to do Small World. We have not done this since our very first trip and I had heard it had been refurbished so I drag her on. WOW what a beautiful ride. We both sit in awe, mouths agape, and the song didn’t even annoy us! Just beautiful. We do Space and then decide to do Snow Whites Scary Adventure. For some reason, in the previous 4 visits we never did this. What a joke of a ride. Way too scary for little kids and way too lame for everyone else. Time for an upgrade in my opinion. We decide to go to Pinocchio’s Haus for lunch. It’s really crowed but we find a table. The food was very good. We see Mickey’s Philharmagic. I love this one. To me it epitomizes Disney. We stop at a lovely smoking spot just to the left of the castle, up on the bridge. It’s a funky spot in that it’s not hidden or off the path. We sit right there where the rest of humanity walks past, at least those people who don’t walk under the castle. Well those cute little cheerleaders crack us up. They walk by with their little faces contorted into horrible frowns while pretending to cough uncontrollably and fanning their faces with their little hands. WE’RE OUTSIDE for pete’s sake! I’m sure they can smell it but they’re not getting smoke in their lungs. It’s too funny to us. I’m sorry, we can’t help it. And it’s funnier to me because Erin used to do the exact same thing when she was 13 or 14 to ME.
Now to digress a little, being bald means wearing a hat or a scarf. Hats are more comfortable because scarves squish my ears. But hats will fly off on rides if I don’t hang on to them. It’s a pain really, especially on windy days. I did the wig thing the first time I got cancer and wigs, in my opinion, really stink. They’re hot and itchy so since that first time long ago, no wig for me. At least in Disney I don’t get stared at when wearing a hat. For all people know I’m just keeping the sun off my head. That’s one of many reasons I love it here. No cancer thoughts. Except when hanging on to the ride bar with one hand and the hat with the other. Ok, back to the park….Somehow we are still hanging on as the time for Wishes is approaching. I really want Erin to see this. But we decide on one more trip on Space Mtn at the same time as Wishes. When we come off the ride Wishes is over. I’m dragging by now. We decide to call it a night and flow with the rest of the cattle to the exit. I take a look back at the castle. Will this be my last time to see it? Erin reads my mind and says we’ll come back for Wishes another night. I look at the castle just in case we don’t get back. That was a good choice because we didn’t make it back. Tomorrow morning we will be checking out of POR and heading to All-Star Music. I promise Erin I will get a smoking room as we take another long walk to our room. POR is very nice. But somehow it just doesn’t shout Disney to me like the All Stars. Maybe that’s why people love it at POR. I’m looking forward to getting out of what feels like a retirement village to me, and get into some action!

 

[OhMari]

POR. I’m looking forward to getting out of what feels like a retirement village to me, and get into some action!

Hey, hey, hey!

I do agree POR is a very quiet resort-you see people sometimes, but nothing like the Parks. Plus we stayed at the BWI and that place was a hoppin.

We almost got ran over by a horse and carriage at POR. The guy steered the horse right down the middle, he didn't move over to the right side. We had to hop onto the grass. I yelled to the guy-"Seriously can't we share the sidewalk." The guy didn't even look at me-maybe he wasn't used to people walking around the "retirement village"

Enjoying your TR-

Our fellow smokers smile and nod.

I always got the look like-does she or doesn't she. I was usually the one bouncing around on the benches and walls while the group sat peacefully wondering if I was a nut job-I have no patience, but I wait patiently-but not sitting down.

 

[islandmum]

funny TR!

I'm a smoker like you - I bloody love it but wont offend people and find nice little aithorised smoking zones to puff away.

And dont worry about the drinking thing .... any mention about "where can we get some beers" sends some people into complete rants about the fact you're an alocoholic!!

There is NOTHING wrong with having a nice bottle of wine to share over dinner, or a few beers. In france and most European cultures a bottle of wine is your lunchtime beverage .... and they're some of the healthiest people on the planet!

hope you had a GREAT trip, and oh do I feel your pain when flying and being deprived of the weed!

 

[Dreaming WDW]

"A mass epidemic of people come bailing out of the allergic buildings coughing" Too funny! But I can relate.

On my last two visits on property, they were not able to honor my smoking room request. The first time it was OK because I was on the first floor, and I could walk just across the lot and be practically in the woods. The second time I was on the third floor.

Can't wait to explore the rest of the smoking areas with around WDW with you. I have visited the castle one many times. My favorite is in AK, a gorgeous little area that few non smokers stumble upon.

 

[CTXRover]

I'm really enjoying the trip report thus far.

I wasn't going to comment as I didn't want to hinder the momentum of your trip report and initially thought it wasn't my place (which it may not be), but as a new physician I felt compelled to after thinking about it this evening. So I decided to come back to your thread to write the following:

While I am a huge advocate of smoking cessation, please know I never try to judge anyone. You obviously don't know me, but please do not take the following as though I am trying to tell you what to do or not to do, as I always respect a person's choice. However, as I always tell my patients who smoke, quitting is the #1 thing to do for your overall general health, which you may have already been told. Smoking affects everything from your mouth, to your esophagus and trachea to your lungs, to your heart and vessels, increasing your risk for strokes, heart attacks, cancers, etc. I am not trying to scare you or anyone else, but I feel compelled to mention these facts given the number of fellow Disers who mentioned either being a smoker or knowing a relative who smokes on this thread thus far. You mentioned the link between smoking and ovarian cancer and while I am not personally aware of any studies that have shown an exact mechanism as to how smoking may cause ovarian cancer, there are a number of studies that do show that smoking is a risk factor. The likely theories at this time suggest that the known carcinogens (toxic metabolites/molecules) in tobacco that are absorbed into your bloodstream (at the level of your lungs)then can damage/affect/precipitate problems in almost any cell in the body, including those in the ovaries (essentially it damages the DNA in the cells which cause them to be over produced). By no means does that mean smoking caused your ovarian cancer even if you have been told that, as there are a multitude of other factors that increases one risk. Ultimately, any decision to quit smoking should be up to you, but if you or your daughter ever feel like you want to try and quit for good, please tell your family doctor. He or she is probably one of your best resources on tips and ways to quit. Quitting is honestly one of the toughest things for people to accomplish and I have great admiration for those who try and even those who try and ultimately don't succeed in their goal. It is never an easy road, but it is a road that often needs to be traveled more than once to reach success. I am never offended by anyone who smokes, but I greatly appreciate your willingness to participate in what you coined proper 'smoking etiquette'. Please do not feel obligated to respond or defend your decision to smoke, as that was not my intention. I wish you the best in your continued fight against ovarian cancer!

Looking forward to reading and seeing more about your trip!

 

[sindertinker]

I actually appreciate your thoughts and concerns. I am ashamed that one of the legacies I passed on to my kids was smoking, which was passed on to me by my parents. I do try to quit a lot and hope my kids will quit too. Thank you!

 

[sindertinker]

Oh I forgot to mention that I did think POR was beautiful! It was very peaceful and just lovely. Our room was just OK. Dirty bathroom, hair on the floor, no water pressure in the shower, otherwise it was fine. My best friends are at POR right now! with their daughter. Today she will be dressing up as Cinderella in the gown I bought her for her birthday and her Mom is taking her to BBB. I'm excited for her!

I guess I like my resort to SCREAM Disney at me! And the All-Stars do that, for sure!

 

[perd]

I actually appreciate your thoughts and concerns. I am ashamed that one of the legacies I passed on to my kids was smoking, which was passed on to me by my parents. I do try to quit a lot and hope my kids will quit too. Thank you!

There is a new drug called Chantix that I have been hearing about lately that apparently works very well for smoking cessation.

 

[singingpixie]

I'm enjoying your report so far, because I'm planning a trip for me (early 20s) and my mom (late 40s) for August '08. It'll be our first trip together!

 

[CTXRover]

There is a new drug called Chantix that I have been hearing about lately that apparently works very well for smoking cessation.

A quick comment, Chantix is actually becoming a very popular smoking cessation agent since it was recently approved by the FDA and I know of a few patients that have used it with great success. It really seems to be helping patients without the unwanted side effects of many of the other current oral smoking cessation drugs, including bupropion. If anyone is interested in quitting, don't be afraid to ask your doctor about the best plan to do so.

 

[CTXRover]

I actually appreciate your thoughts and concerns. I am ashamed that one of the legacies I passed on to my kids was smoking, which was passed on to me by my parents. I do try to quit a lot and hope my kids will quit too. Thank you!

I'm glad that I could provide some insight or help. It is sometimes hard to do that without talking face to face Again, quitting is hard and I admire your desire to quit. Again, don't forget to ask your doctor about the best plan for you. Everyone is different and without knowing you personally, I am hard pressed to give any specific recommendations, but as someone above mentioned, the new drug Chantix seems to be working very well for smokers, but there are a number of other agents as well. Good luck!

Now on with your trip report