Dreams have come true! , A Sept/Oct 2014 Saratoga Springs PTR

[Vickyrowe]

OMG how things can change in 6 months!

Before Xmas it was tentatively mentioned that it might be possible to do a 2014 trip,
We mentioned it to Adam's parents who seemed really up for the idea ,but
tonight I finally got an answer from them that they unfortunatly will not be coming with us which is why I have decided to re-write my PTR .

 

[Vickyrowe]

Pre-trip report

Hello everybody, Welcome to my PTR!

I did have a previous PTR on the board, but life got in the way of those plans, so we have had to start again from scratch.

Who:

Me: My name is Vicky, Im 25 (26 when we travel) , I am a full
time carer for my DH, although I have done many jobs from mucking out stables , to cooking and waitressing.

This is me and DH at my 25th birthday meal, last September

Favourite Ride: I love Expedition Everest, I could ride it all day and not get bored , but I also LOVE Tower of Terror , so its a tie between both of those.

Favourite Character: Belle , without doubt , I love Beauty and the Beast , I even purchased a massive standee from my local cinema which take up about half of my lounge ( much to DHs horror when I arrived at the front door with it)

Favourite Movie: Beauty and the Beast

DH: My husbands name is Adam we met when we were 12 on a school trip to Germany . we were boyfriend and girlfriend for a while but split up and we got back together when we were 17 and 18 ( Im older and wiser lol) . DH has cerebral palsy, and is quadriplegic , he has to use a wheelchair all of the time, and I am his full time carer.

Favourite Ride: Big Thunder Mountain ( he cannot ride this anymore as we cannot lift him) or Toy Story Midway Mania

Favourite Character: Jiminy Cricket

Favourite Movie: Jungle Book

Thom: Thom is DH's other carer , He'll come in to give me a break, he has been in our life since we were in school , he looked after Adam in class, and after we left came to do some work for Adam taking him out and about so he wasn't stuck with his parents all the time .

Favourite Ride:

Favourite Character : Ariel

Favourite Movie: Little Mermaid

This is a photo of the three of us on our first day in Florida in 2011, This was DH and I's , Honeymoon!

Although it may not seem like the ideal romantic honeymoon , I definitely needed Thom there to help with Adam , any sort of care needs an extra pair of hands especially when away from home and with an unfamiliar routine.


Where:

Again we have to discuss the but Im in love with Saratoga Springs at the moment, I like its proximity to Downtown Disney , and the layout of the suites.

I also like Old Key west , but if money was no object Id love to stay at Bay Lake Tower ,

Last time we were in the world we were staying off site and were relying on taxis to get back to our condo, we arranged with our driver to pick us up from the Contemporary a few times, we loved how easy it was to walk to Magic Kingdom .

Although I would be happy to sleep in a cupboard just to be on property and that little bit closer to the parks.

We will be staying in a 1 bedroom suite with myself and Adam in the master , and poor Thom is relegated to the sofa bed .


I hope you enjoy coming along with us on our journey.


Vicky x

 

[Vickyrowe]

When: After some discussion it was decided that we would be able to go on my ideal dates ,hence the title

It has always been my dream to spend my birthday in Disney, my family has never been big on massive birthday celebrations , so I've always dreamed of spending my birthday in Magic Kingdom.

My Birthday is the 25th of September, so we will be flying out on the 23rd , the 24th will be a settling in day, (Walmart shopping etc) and then MY BIRTHDAY!!! will be our first park day in Magic Kingdom!!

We will also be able to have a night at MNSSHP, and be there for the start of the Food and Wine Festival ( 2 of my favourite thing in one festival at Disney, oh I am spoiled)

I am so over excited , I don't think I've ever been as excited for anything ever ( well except my wedding )



See I look pretty excited don't I

Thankfully they have just announced the free dining for 2014 , so after the Bank Holiday, I'm putting down my deposit , then it will be 100% official

 

[Vickyrowe]

Day Plan ​

Day 0- 22nd Sept Sleeper Train from Cornwall to Paddington ,Then Heathrow Express to The Airport.

Day 1- 23rd Sept - Fly with Delta via Atlanta. Arrive MCO, Check in at Saratoga Springs. (Well probably grab some dinner at Artists Palette or maybe Downtown Disney depending on how tired we are)

Day 2- 24th Sept - Wake up, eat breakfast (Most likely from Artist Palette) We will usually eat breakfast in our room every day and save our Dining plan credits for lunch and dinner. Taxi to Wal-Mart to pick up supplies (The essentials like beer and wine!) , Afternoon In DTD, I want to try The Earl for lunch, and Adam wants to try House of Blues for dinner.

Day 3- 25th Sept - MY BIRTHDAY!!! Yay! This will be our first park day and there is only one place to go Magic Kingdom, Im trying to decide where to have my birthday meal , I was thinking of trying to get a Be Our Guest , but I'm still deciding.

Hopefully I will be able to book Our Keys To The Kingdom Tour for today!

Day 4- 26th Sept

Day 5- 27th Sept

Day 6- 28th Sept

Day 7- 29th Sept

Day 8- 30th Sept If the pattern of MNSSHP stays the same there will be one this day, We will have a lazier day today possibly by the pool or DTD, grab some lunch then go back to the room to get into our costumes.

Day 9- 1st Oct

Day 10- 2nd Oct

Day 11- 3rd Oct

Day 12- 4th Oct

Day 13- 5th Oct

Day 14- 6th Oct

Day 15- 7th Oct Finish Packing, Check out , Catch Magical Express to MCO, Fly with Delta via JFK,

Day 16- 8th Oct Land Heathrow, Take The Express train to Paddington, Then Paddington to Cornwall.

 

[Laurafoster]

Sounds like you have a great trip planned

 

[Vickyrowe]

ALL BOOKED ​

Yay it's official, today I called and made the booking !! So excited, it feels real now​

 

[Vickyrowe]

Hi Everybody

I haven't posted in a while because not much has really been happening.

It's still a little too early to book our flights and any dining

We have been spending the last few months thinking about what we really want to do , and brain storming our MNSSHP costumes

Me and DH have our ideas sorted

I need to spend quite a bit of time sewing/making mine

And Adams is simple and practical but funny

( I won't say what they are lets leave it as a surprise for my TR)

Thom still has to decide , but he has plenty of time, He loves fancy dress and will put 200% in to it which make it great fun


It's my birthday on the 25th Sept and instead of a party/meal we are having a meeting ( Organising is my fun Don't judge LOL)

We need to go through everything on Adam's care plan so we can phone the airlines etc. and get everything booked in

Only 89 days until I can get my confirmation number for My Disney Experience, then I will start adding our plans​

 

[wiigirl]

Following along!

 

[princess_ariel_85]

Nice PTR so far! The planning is just as much fun as the going lol.

Btw I love your wedding dress, you look so pretty!

 

[Vickyrowe]

Nice PTR so far! The planning is just as much fun as the going lol.

Btw I love your wedding dress, you look so pretty!

Aww thank you, I went in to try on some simple dresses and ended up buying a cathedral length dress and veil on the first day . Ooops


And I agree I love planning so much, I would really love to set up a company putting together bespoke Disney holidays , Specialising in helping families with special needs. I have the time just wouldn't know where to start

 

[jockey]

Looking forward to more!

 

[Vickyrowe]

YAY!!
We are officially under 1 year until our trip
And boy am I glad I have it to look forward too
Last Wednesday was my birthday and on the Tuesday I developed a raging sore throat which by the morning had turned into a fully blown cold,
Add that to the fact my sister was on holiday and my dad who already has heart problems was in bed with a bad case of bronchitis.
It was shaping up to be a rubbish day, oh and a flat battery on the car made the day even better!!
We decided that the 3 of us that are going to Disney would go for lunch; it actually wasn't bad although I’d lost my sense of taste!
We actually managed to get a lot of the logistics ironed out, and it did make me more excited.
We have decided we definitely have decided that we are going to pay to upgrade to ‘Economy Comfort’ with Delta
Thom’s exact words were, ‘It wouldn’t feel like a holiday without drinking on the plane’
And free drink sold it for us!
The only thing we have left to decide is the transfer airport and book the flight, but will wait and see which one has the best layover time;
Enough time to sort Adam but not waiting around for too long.

 

[Vickyrowe]

I'm still feeling quite poorly, but managed to have a productive day organising things I've already purchased for Florida , Managed to have it on the sofa while i was watching tv and feeling sorry for myself.

I already had my travel adapters so they've gone in and I've been picking up a few things in the sales and when I see bargains, I have a passion for couponing , not to the american extremes but I don't see why I should pay full price if I don't have to.

I had a good bargain on travel toiletries in Sainsbury's , they we're the cheapest around and I am a member of a few survey sites and had a £10 voucher so I managed to get:

6 x mini shower gel
6 x deodorant
3 x toothpaste
3 x mouthwash
3 x shampoo and
3 x conditioners

for only a few pounds.

I've separated them up in clear zippy bags, one for the hotel before we fly, one for Adam and I each for our first night in Florida ( we will buy full size ones in Walmart, as they take up too much weight in the case) and one for the first night back in the UK.

You'll come to realise that I love to be super organised , my shopping/packing lists are on my kitchen door and everything will be triple checked before we go.

I think that partly comes from my mother who will pack 21 days worth of stuff for 7 days and has to check everything 1000 times , and generally out of necessity. We have to book Adams equipment 6 months or more out, so it just comes naturally to do the hard work now and relax when it gets closer.


I also have some bargain flip-flops from the 99p store , I was super skeptical at first, I thought I'd wear them for about 5 mins and be in agony but they are super comfy , great for by the pool and cheap enough that I can leave them in Florida and have more room for presents

My trip report note book , A lovely Tinkerbell notebook and pen set I received in one of the UK Community Board exchanges ( Thanks if your reading)

Oh and some socks I picked up for 50p in the Asda sale.

I have lots more to buy as I'm losing weight and cannot buy any clothes till next summer oh well I'll enjoy the shopping even more in a smaller size


Will update soon , if I find anymore bargains

Vicky x

 

[stephensmum]

Hi Vicky. I can feel your excitement. We share our birthday, so I will definately think of you at MK next year.

 

[Vickyrowe]

New Idea!!

Today we went for a day out on the train to Newquay (about an hour away)
As I said before I’m an Extreme Couponer, and I had a £10 train voucher that was going to expire so we used it to go instead of driving.

We we’re chatting away and I said how easy it would be if we could go from our local station to Heathrow.

We we’re unsure how feasible it would be as we would have 2 cases each and Adams Mobile hoisting system.

We had a bit of time to wait before catching the train home, so we did a bit of searching and working out.

It turns out that the train leaves at 22.45 from our local station and is the overnight sleeper to Paddington, no changes.

It arrives at 5.30, and we can get the Heathrow Express and be there by 6 to check in. It works quite perfectly actually.

As far as Adam’s needs are concerned, as we would not need to stay over, we no longer need the hoist until we land in the US, so we can get one delivered straight to the resort.

And even if there was an emergency there are care rooms with built in hoists at both Paddington Station and Heathrow.

As far as saving money goes, it seems to be the best way to go as well.

Before we were looking at about £150 for hotel rooms, £150 for petrol (our car drinks a lot), £100 for car park, and £100 for food. So about £500

The Train will be about £200 return for all 3 of us, which includes a sleeping cabin so Thom and I can sleep in shifts. We would get a complimentary breakfast, and drinks on board.

I think it’s going to be a good way to do it, as it will feel like holiday as soon as we board the train. We won’t need to worry about our rooms being correct, traffic jams and leaving our car at the airport.

​

 

[Vickyrowe]

The New GAC /DAC System

Firstly I have to say I have never been to a place that goes above and beyond , so consistently for anybody with a disability.

And, as with any theme park or company you, will always have people who try to cheat the system or think they are above the rules and regulations.

The opinion of my DH and I is simple , Why does being disabled entitle you to anything !! yes we are very fortunate to live in a world where, the people who really need it get the help they need and we would not survive with out it.

But, the people who 'hired' disabled people , and the disabled people themselves who for a want of a better word 'PIMPED' themselves out for money, to help families cut the cues should be ashamed!

I know and have worked with several clients , who have no concept of queuing , or lack the social skills to behave reasonably ( will shout and scream, that could frighten others/ small children), or people with medical conditions who for whatever reason are unable to wait 2 hours in the queue for, for example Toy Story Midway Mania ( which we did in 2011)

These are the real people who should be able to skip the queue not somebody who just needs a flat entrance , like my DH.

We only used our GAC once or twice in 2011 and that was for a couple of rides we had to physically lift my DH into, or had to enter via the exit eg Haunted mansion, otherwise we queued like everybody else,

Inevitable we actually ended up waiting longer than most people as they had to wait for the accessible car /boat to come back round.

I really like the new system and I feel like it is more inline with the UK systems I have used previously ( Thorpe park and Drayton Manor are the most similar)

Where if the queue is an hour then why the heck shouldn't we wait an hour!!!

Some people may complain that they won't get as much done,!!

No hold on right there , you will get exactly the same done as Mrs and Mrs X and their 2 Kids that have been waiting for years to scrimp and save for this trip, working all the hours god can give , which will probably be their first and last, who have to plan and think about queues, and they stand with aching legs and tired feet , after 8 hours of park touring and you expect to sail by and get 5 x rides on Splash in a day when they will only get 1!!

What on this earth can give you any right to expect to have more than them , when it comes down to it , we have all paid our money and we should get equal treatment from the parks!

Sorry for the rant , but I have seen too many comments recently from people who 'need' GAC's and are 'disgusted' at the new system.

Fine you don't like it , don't use it. The people that it will actually benefit will still use it and it will be a fairer system for all!!

IT'S NOT ABOUT GETTING TO THE FRONT OF THE QUEUE, YOU SHOULD BE DAMN GRATEFUL YOU CAN EVEN GET ON THEM AT ALL!!​

 

[Vickyrowe]

And breath ...................................................................................................

OK So now I have that bee out of my bonnet we can get down to some constructive trip planning.

The next thing we have to do is for Myself and Thom to scout out the train, We are lucky that Adam and I live by one stop and Thom by the next.

We are planning to take a one stop journey to have a look at the facilities and chat with the train staff.

A couple of pounds and an hour out of an evening , will be invaluable to make sure everything goes smoothly.

 

[Vickyrowe]

Flight Plans

Ok so it is a few weeks until we can actually book our flights but thankfully the route we would want to take is flown everyday from LHR so it is easy to plan our flights.

We will be leaving Heathrow, flying Via Atlanta , then a short hop down to MCO.

Returning We will fly MCO to JFK then back to Heathrow.

23rd September- 09.05 am Depart LHR
13.25 pm Arrive ATL
14.55 pm or 15.55 pm Depart ATL
16.30 pm or 17.30 pm Arrive MCO


7th October- 15.00 pm Depart MCO
17.45 pm Arrive JFK
20.30 pm Depart JFK
08.45 am Arrive LHR ( 8th Oct)​

 

[Vickyrowe]

So another month has dropped off the calendar and that means We are a month closer to Disney!! It has also struck me over the last few days that it means we are a month closer to coming home from Disney I'm really not sure how I will be able to cope when I get back.

Last time I was a wreck, partly for being awake for nearly 45 hours , and missing the one place I feel truly happy,

The night we came back DH promised we would go again but this time I know in my heart that this is the last trip for a good while , possibly for ever

We want to settle down in the next couple of years and start a family, trying to save for Disney will have to come last behind everything.

Short of our number coming up on the Lottery, although I'd probably get back to Florida faster putting the £2 in a jar

Feeling quite down about it at the moment , but going to try and make this the best trip ever , that way the memories will last a lifetime

Vicky x

 

[Vickyrowe]

Flights are booked


BUT ONLY AFTER A LOT OF HEADACHES AND PHONE CALLS!​

So we decided today was the day to sit down and book our flights.

The plan was to fly out via Atlanta and home via JFK, all was going well , I clicked through the Delta website , priced everything up and checked they had seats available. Hmmmm it was all seeming too easy ...............Dun dun dun!!!


As Adam and I had to pay separately to Thom we decided it would be easier to transfer our 2/3rds of the price to Thom's account and pay on his credit card , so if anything went wrong it would be a bit easier to claim back the cost.

Adam tried to call his phone banking but couldn't remember his security code ( and they wouldn't let him answer any security questions ) So off we trundled into town to do it face to face !

Bearing in mind Adam's mood was less than chirpy as his new PS4 arrived this morning and is promptly being sent back as it is one of many affected by the ' blue light of death' .

We had to wait a couple of hours for the transfer to clear so , Thom had to finish his shift with us and go home , so he called about 7pm to say it was all cleared and I could buy them .

Easy peasy or so I thought !! this morning I had priced the same flights twice. LHR- ATL- MCO and MCO- JFK - LHR . All with Economy comfort.

I clicked through for a third time and instead of the 20 or so EC seats on the JFK- LHR leg that were there earlier they were all gone , not one left , I even started over to see if I'd clicked something wrong .

So phone call number 1 to Thom to see which other flights would suit, ( standard economy just isn't suited to Adam)

We decided that we could fly back through Atlanta , and still get back in at a similar time , we would just have a slightly shorter layover.

Thinking ' disaster averted' I merrily clicked through the payment page , doubled checked the details and clicked purchase.

** Insert Family Fortunes X noise here** PAYMENT DECLINED

I'm still on the phone to Thom at this point and his house phone rings , It's his bank , just double checking he is trying to buy flights in America ,

I do think this is great and would hope that most banks would do this if it something seemed out of the ordinary , just a bit annoying when I'd been trying for hours to book .

It went through this time and I finally got my E-mail confirmation, and the bar codes to scan at the airport to get our boarding passes.


I mistakenly too this opportunity to relax, only to look at my computer again to see a red error message to say ' We can't give you some of the seats you have chosen'

Oh Dear............. I'd literally just put the phone down to Thom and I had to call him again to get him to call the bank and check the amount that had been taken as I was being asked to pay another £170.


Finally we fathomed , no thanks to a call centre Thousands of miles away that because of the seat error, they had not taken payment for the seat upgrades flying out to America . I swiftly paid and managed to still get the upgraded seats.

I couldn't believe it had taken so much effort to book 4 flights ,


But we have them booked now , and it is starting to seem more real.

Vicky x