February 2016 - Autism, extra adults and anxiety - amazing adventure.

[MinnieGirlNE]

Hello. Long time lurker and infrequent poster. I still have to do some research as I'm not great at posting pics yet - but be patient with me and I'll get it figured out. Until then I'm afraid this is not really a picture friendly post. Sorry about that.

This past February we took a chance on traveling with our autistic daughter to WDW and bringing along my wonderful nephew and his fiance'. My friends have been reminding me how stressed I was beforehand and how much I read every trip report I could with anyone's experience with a situation like ours so I thought I might be able to return the favor. Trust me it was one of the BEST decisions we ever made, despite some of the drama and we're already planning a return trip back there next May!

Who we are.
Me, Tobi, 44- I'm a middle school teacher. Favorite park: MK/Epcot
DH: Steve 46 - Railroader. Favorite park: MK/Hollywood studios
DD: Gracie 14- teenager in full mood swing at times. Favorite park: MK
DD: Tatum, 7 - our wee one who falls on the autism spectrum. She is verbal, but can still be quick to meltdown and developmentally is delayed. (sensitive to noise, zero patience for crowds, still in diapers and oppositional defiant at times.) This will be her first trip so she didn't have a favorite yet but she sure made some along the way.

Gracie and Stever
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Tatum and I
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also along for the adventure....
DN: Michael- amazing nephew - a first timer at WDW
DN to be: Tony- his amazing fiance', also a first timer at WDW

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While I was able to take my niece when she was in 9th grade I was never able to take my nephew to WDW like I'd hoped. This opportunity came along as they had wanted to be down there while we were but they wanted to explore Universal as well. I sprung for the Disney portion of their trip and they covered the rest of their adventure. Note: Michael and Tony took a new flight offered from Grand Island, Nebraska which was a direct flight through Alegant (I believe) to Sanford and rented a car - while we flew from KCI to MCO on American Airlines, and then used magical express (at least to get there - leaving was a different story.)

The Plan:
One week at WDW only, February 21st-27th. We didn't really think there would be that much for Tatum at Universal on this trip and we wanted to spend a lot of time at WDW and take a laid back approach with her as we thought it would make it a happier experience for all of us. My biggest anxiety about the trip wasn't necessarily Tatum at the parks - it was getting Tatum on the plane. For some reason she was convinced she didn't want to fly. It did turn out to be our biggest hurdle in many ways and one we sadly barely overcame. If you are traveling with a kiddo with autism our experience may act as one possibility but remember every kid with autism is different and things could have gone a million different ways. One thing I will say by being open and upfront with all the companies we were working with everyone was amazing. We ran into some grumpy folks that had little patience for Tatum's meltdowns but most of the time everyone was great. Especially American Airlines and Walt Disney World.

Originally we were scheduled to be at POFQ - a favorite of mine and my husband. We had stayed here before with Gracie when she was 9 and Tatum was a baby and stayed back home with aunts and grandparents. It is our favorite moderate resort (we've also stayed at POR - alligator bayou and Coronado Springs). However when Michael decided he was ready to join us we couldn't get him a room (probably had a lot to do with the fact that we went during marathon madness) at FQ and he would have been at POR. When a dining package came up for February we phoned Disney and set up entirely new reservations upgrading to a 2 BR Villa at Saratoga Springs (folks here helped us specify the Paddock section- thank you again so much - it was perfect for us on this trip!) along with the Dining package for all of us for the entire week- even though Michael and Tony would be leaving early to do a few days and Universal- it left us with extra dining credits to use- which was nice. Also while it never felt crowded the villa was amazing to be spread out in once they headed to the other resort.

As it wasn't my first time I knew to plan my dining reservations 180 days out and for the first time my Fastpass reservations 60 days out. We had no idea for sure how the DAS pass would work or even if we would use it. Our main concern was getting Tatum there on the plane. That dominated most of our time and filled me with loads of anxiety.

Those are the basics... I'll start with travel day next and we'll see how far I get since I'm wide awake tonight.



Next up: Getting there is supposed to be half the fun right?

 

[MinnieGirlNE]

Getting there really is fun, it was just also loaded with stress for me.

Even if everything had gone perfect it was still Tatum's first flight. She was NOT wanting to fly in any way shape or form. She was yelling ridiculous things like "Girls don't fly" which killed the feminist in me as I pondered where that came from! We have a few different therapists that we work with and they all had various advice. We had made a social story about flying, made little check lists of what to expect, we had watched videos of kids on their first flights. Still Tatum thought she wasn't going to do it. Belonging to a group of other autism parents some said they had gotten some support from their physician. Our doctor wasn't comfortable, but a psychiatrist that Tatum sees said to try Lorazapam. Note: really didn't do much quite in time.

My favorite advice we got though was from her resource teacher- we had a Dumbo stuffed animal delivered with a note that said- please return me to my mommy - then told Tatum it was our job to help Dumbo get to see his mommy. (WE haven't actually watched that movie with her so she doesn't know the full story and believed us when we said the Dumbo ride was where we'd find its Mommy.) For a while that had her excited and seemed to be working but we knew we had the calming Lorazapam should we need it for the flight.

Living in Lincoln we knew we wouldn't get a direct flight- so we watched out of Kansas City hoping for a direct flight but alas no luck. We did find a cheap flight though with one layover in Houston for just the right amount of time so we nabbed it. Sadly the airlines had other plans for us and somehow for some reason rerouted us to Dallas/Fort Worth. When we checked in online in advance was the first we knew of the change. Panicky me called the airline and reminded them I have a child that might make changing terminals a bit challenging- sure enough the connection would have us changing terminals in DFW airport so they rerouted us to Charlotte- wow, that was a relief. Quick call to Magical Express to change some of our flight info and we were off for a quick overnight in KC before leaving at the crack of dawn for an early early flight.

Tatum struggles falling asleep in hotels - at least did back then- it wasn't a habit or routine for us, we have more of one now, but she struggled that first night. We had run to the Disney store in Kansas City and had dinner at one of our favorite restaurants in KC. We did have a major issue at the WDW store we limited her to picking out just ONE plushy- she of course had 2. We made her put back one assuming we would reward her by buying her that one at the World of Disney upon our successful arrival. Little did we realize that one we put back was the one plushy that was in limited release and never to be found at WDW or any store ever again- the elusive Janja from Lion Guard.

We woke up early, got a great parking spot in long term parking at KCI and caught a shuttle in plenty of time to get us to the airport for the earliest flight I've done in a long time 6:00 am. Bags checked and just the waiting game now... but the screaming started almost instantly once our bags were checked. NO she wouldn't fly. No she wouldn't go and we couldn't make her. Imagine a typical 2 year old tantrum in a larger, stronger body, more awkward to carry. She refused to eat breakfast but we broke out some apple sauce anyway. We sneakily tried the medicine they'd given us- after she spit most of it at my face I wasn't sure how much she got but we tried another bite when she calmed down a bit and I figure she got maybe 1/4 of what they prescribed as we only used 1/2 of the pill anyway. We did get to our gate with lots of fighting and screaming and glares from the many passengers who frankly just wanted to sleep a bit more until their 6 am flight got started.

One thing American Airlines did for us was allow for preboarding- not a sole there questioned why I bet! The airline staff was amazing. As parents we get used to her drama but in public its another story entirely. We boarded with first class and the soldiers. I felt like a wuss being so scared walking in with my little screaming mini me while guys in fatigues were trying to get home from goodness knows what. Even they were encouraging- saying things like wow- she's got a set of lungs on her and smililng and winking. Tatum is adorable we do have that going for us- so despite her volume her appearance does tend to soften folks up.

My secret weapon came out once I got her in her seat. A backpack I'd secretly bought at Hot Topic and filled with Blind Bags, a recent obsession of hers. I had hoped that this would keep her occupied while folks filled in. The plane was filling up and as it did it got noisy. I got out her noise cancelling headphones but she didn't want them on. I was choosing my battles and since the blind bags had her so excited and distracted she calmed down in the seat and buckled in happy to be by the window. I was also armed with her trusty iPad loaded with Disney movies she watched over and over again. So my hope was now that we were on board things may go smoother than expected. Gracie and Steve sat in front of us and a lovely woman sat beside me who was missing her little one so she was tickled to enjoy mine on her first flight (or so she thought.)

To be honest that first flight was great! Tatum loudly shouted out right as we took off- we're flying, we're really flying- I'm supergirl. And the whole plane pretty much laughed and I think in some small way we may have been publicly forgiven for causing a few headaches prior to boarding. The flight attendants checked on us a lot and were great. It was actually our longer flight but went way better than I could have imagined. It also lulled me into thinking all was well.

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We landed in Charlotte which is a great airport and found our next gate. Diapers changed, cooler clothes put on - it was February after all - we settled in to wait for our next flight. Waiting however is not a strength for her. We did a lot of exploring and wondering the airport to fill the time. Darn those little stores they all tempted her with more stuff. But we were waiting until we got to WDW to go find Janja- that was the plan and she was on board with it in spirit just really struggling with the waiting. We tried some of her go to snacks and some milk. She ate some cheez its and had some water. Just about 30 minutes before it was time to board a big meltdown started. I tried to distract with a walk to the bathroom but she had the idea of running in a different direction after the bathroom and I ended up having to carry her back. She struggled with me until I had to carry her fireman style- I was probably bright red and angry but she can switch up in a heart beat and suddenly threw her arms out and said- look mom I'm flying right here right now. So that calmed her down but Mommy was still stressing. I handed her off to her dad but once it was time to board she started throwing a fit again and by the time we got on the plane she had to be by Mommy again. So I appeased her and let her sit by the window thinking all would be well once we got in and got sat down again. This wasn't a very long flight so it should be easy. Gracie and I were beside her and Steve was up one aisle on the aisle seat. The nicest people were sitting in front of us- I know because Tatum kicked their chairs a lot and they were sweet and offered her snack and the like to calm her down when she got upset. Yes this second flight was the nightmare flight.

The attendant had noticed that Tatum slipped her seat belt off at one point, even I hadn't caught that at first. She stopped by and said I know this is going to be hard but we have FAA or something like that on board and we need her to keep her seat belt on- so I apologized and tried to oblige- but that wasn't what Tatum wanted. A fight started - me holding the seat belt shut and locked and Tatum maneuvering herself to get out in any way she possibly could. At one point she literally had her self twisted upside down with her feet sticking up the top. I know on the outside it seems like she's just a very spoiled child- but trust me she hears NO a lot. This was going to be one of those times- she has often been kicked off her bus at school for pulling this- I won't wear my seat belt and you can't make me routine. Part of it is probably control- part is she just gets a bit panicky in the tiny confined space on the plane and surrounded by so many people- her triggers just seems to trigger faster and more intensely at times like that. After a few minutes my husband offered to tag in- which I happily let him. With a fresh parent beside her - she informed him that I broke her love by making her wear her seat belt- which she actually did for him and then there was happy voice Tatum. I try not to take it personally- sometimes I guess she just gets tired of Mommy and in this case Mommy was kind of tired of fighting with Tatum. I sat down next to a really sweet guy who was headed to Orlando with his wife and without their kids this time. After I expressed my jealous he told me my daughter's tantrum was nothing. I think there is something to that- it felt like a hurricane of a meltdown to me but to others it was just a rough storm I guess?

Anyhow I have to laugh as soon as we landed in Orlando her medication must have kicked in- she was OUT like a light.
Hubby and I smiled and laughed a bit to ourselves but agreed we were exhausted and we needed to talk about the return trip.

I grabbed all the carry ons I could and headed to pick up our luggage since it would be not marked right for magical express as we had to switch flights last minute and we met up on the path to the magical express. Within about five minutes we both agreed the flying part was a stressor and we were already dreading the return flight - so we had a back up plan- we'd rent a car and drive home - and once we decided that was what we'd do we felt a tremendous weight leave us and I think we got a little extra spring in our step.

NOW- lots of folks would maybe say we over-reacted by not trying the return flight- but for us it was the right call at the time. That first flight had gone great and Tatum in fact asks a lot if she can fly again. We will take her on a flight again one day but it will be when we feel more comfortable with her letting adults be in charge. Some folks never get that way but for her own safety and our sanity that is just how it will be.

Magical Express was packed. (photo posted above) Our wait time was short. A young first timer, like 5 or so, fell in love with my Mickey suitcase and my Minnie mouse sweater and she and I became fast friends. Our bus was packed packed packed- and while Tatum was sleepy and groggy she had her eyes half open but wasn't feeling the pixie dust the way the rest of us were. By the time we pulled into Saratoga Springs I was so ready to be off the bus and done with too close for comfort traveling. I do like the magical express but loved it more in the old days - the drivers had more time to do little magical things - we were packed in like sardines and I just don't think this driver had the time or energy to pull out the magic stuff for this route.


We got checked in- got Tatum's first time badge- texted my nephew that we made it to the hotel, they had gotten there very early that morning and headed to Epcot so as not to see the castle for the first time without me. They met up with us in the little quick service food area and we made a plan for the next few hours.

Overall-
WE MADE IT- that is what matters.
As Tatum gets older we know flying will be easier and it was a risk to try it- one I'm glad in hind sight we tried. It makes planning vacations easier since we know we will drive for a while. I grew up on driving vacations and although I get car sick I do love seeing a lot of the country. Driving back had lots of perks for us- we do love finding silver linings.

NOTE: american airlines was wonderful when we called to tell them we decided not to fly back they gave us flight vouchers to use within a year for the cost of our return flights. As a teacher I got a deal to rent a car from Alamo for the drive back - but that's another story for another day.

I can laugh a bit at how nervous I am as a mom and then to be raising Tatum kinda "blindly" in many ways, but I will always say if I'm doing the best I can at the time than I'm doing okay.

Up next: Where is Janja and the nearest Walmart? Earl of Sandwich and a quick trip for a few to MK for Wishes.

 

[MinnieGirlNE]

So- here we were first timers at SSR.

We chose this place because we figured the space was great. If Tatum had any meltdowns the extra room surrounded by two of our rooms would sensor some of her noise. The only hotel we've ever had a problem at was Great Wolf Lodge and I honestly think their walls are made of paper and that is why we ended up with complaints. They really like it to be quiet after 10 and try as we might we just couldn't get her quiet enough- although to be honest she wasn't melting down she was stimming- which in her case is jumping and squeeling with joy- its really cute actually. Anyhow the space was going to be great as was the kitchen. Tatum really doesn't eat much at restaurants- we try new foods all the time but she's a stickler for her staples. Chicken Noodle Soup- Campbells, Mini Pancakes- Eggo, chicken nuggest in dino form and snacks goldfish pretzels, apples, mandarin oranges and depending upon her mood grapes and or corn. Texture is a big thing for her - its often a deal breaker for most kids but again multiply that in her case. The Paddock section was because- one we wanted to be near a pool and a middle bus stop. Get on too early and she would get frustrated with how long it would take and how many stops we'd make- get on too late and if the bus is crowded and noisy- she would refuse to get on board.

We offered the master bedroom to my nephew knowing my hubby and I would take it over when they headed to Cabana Bay at Universal on Thursday of this week. I think my husband really liked having more guys around as he is always out numbered and I love my nephew and was happy to get to know his fiance even better this week. They got to see the highs and lows of traveling with Tatum and have a new understanding of her that I'm not sure everyone else in my family has. To travel with her is to know her and to see her happiness meeting characters is to develop a steely strong love for this little wee one who believes and bless her will continue to believe in magic long after other kids her age have given it up. Also- we have 4 in our family and neither girl was too excited about sleeping on the pull out sofa although we tried it and I thought it felt more comfortable than most my teenage daughter said she'd rather share a bed with Tatum or more likely Dad as Tatum and I are usually connected at the hip. The older Gracie gets the more she dislikes sharing a bed with her dad and I can't blame her. WE often try to switch bedmates once Tatum falls asleep but sometimes at Disney that was after Mom was!

So, we met up with Michael and Tony at the Artists Palette. Our room wasn't ready yet- it was only about 1:00 and we were hungry. Unsure about lunch options here we headed on a boat to Downtown Disney to Earl of Sandwich to go. We hoped after scoping out Disney Springs and finding Janja we could grab some sandwiches and head back and the room may be ready by then. That is actually almost what happened except that we couldn't find Janja. Maybe its spelled Jonja? All I know was the World of Disney didn't have it- even though a small chain in KC did have it. Luckily for us Tatum saw the Vinylmations and forgot about her desire for Janja, temporarily and was satisfied getting a vinylmation and an autograph book. Steve grabbed some blind bag toys - something we thought we'd use as needed in lines of rides and went through a different line. We got kind of smart on this trip and put our trip on the Disney Chase Visa- then paid it off - providing us with lots of Disney Rewards Money that we used exclusively for souvenirs on this trip. The girls both got some gift cards from aunts and grandparents and had their own to spend, but wow that Disney Rewards benefit came in handy on this trip - so we'll probably do that again for the next one.

Steve and I have been to WDW about 5 or 6 times and never have we ever seen it so crowded as it was. We had always thought February wouldn't be very crowded but with a marathon weekend it was packed. One of my friends had been the year before to do the marathon and she usually goes in the summer and said that it was more crowded in her opinion that week than ever in the month of June. I had nothing to compare it to not having been there in the summer since I was twelve and my father took us right in the midst of a hot July. The crowds were insane I recalled, but I was 12 and EPCOT had just opened I think, I don't remember it as well.

Steve, Gracie, Michael and Tony ran into Earl of Sandwich while Tatum and I sat by a fountain outside and talked about her new Vinylmation she opened. I think it was the boy from UP. (She opened up a few more on the trip but I think that was the first one.) The crowds inside Earl's tested Steve's patience and I could tell Tatum was getting tired. I was super excited to hear a text ringtone that told me our room was ready. We were so close to the bus stop we decided to grab a bus instead of boat back. That turned out to be a mistake as Tatum got really frustrated when buses came for other hotels but not ours. She just couldn't understand why we couldn't take the next bus that came. Melting down began and she tried running out in front of buses a few times. So we reshuffled our stuff and Steve got a death grip on her and held her screaming and kicking until a bus for our hotel finally pulled up. And you know she was just fine once she was on the bus. Its a learning curve- she got much better at waiting for buses (when she wasn't tired.)

Our text told us we were in the Paddock section as requested so we knew where to get off the bus and had to do a search for our room. Michael and Tony had a rental car so they got off at the main stop and drove their vehicle over. The plan was to unpack and send the boys off to Walmart for groceries etc. while the girls unpacked and maybe hit the pool. And after sitting down to enjoy some Earl of Sandwich that's exactly what we did. The pool was great- we loved it. We had grabbed our drink cups already and pulled them out to fill up at the concession by the pool. We weren't prepared for the swarm of bees we had to go through each time, Steve's allergic but the rest of us are fine, although the girls were always a bit scared to fill them up - Tatum doesn't drink pop so that was never an issue for her but she wanted to try it once- until she saw a bee- then her curiosity went away immediately. The boys got back around 6:00 and Tatum was happy watching TV in the room and Steve was excited to have gotten 1- Diet Mountain Dew, he hates that WDW property doesn't have his yellow dye #5 soda. and 2- got some Yungeling beer, a beer we cannot get here in Nebraska but he and his railroad buddies love. He decided he was done dealing with crowds for that day and suggested he stay back at the hotel with Tatum and let Gracie and I head to Magic Kingdom with Michael and Tony and after making sure that's really what he wanted to- we made it so.






Okay- gotta work tomorrow so I'll have to stop here for now. Best is yet to come...

 

[MinnieGirlNE]

So our first night there we divided to conquer.

Gracie and I headed to Magic Kingdom with Michael and Tony and let Tatum and Steve enjoy the Paddock pool (which admittedly was a bit chilly in February but being from Nebraska it still felt pretty nice most days.)

Our room was so conveniently located right near a bus stop and I was tickled my nephew had waited until I could be with him to see the main park and the castle.
We caught a bus quickly (we never had trouble getting buses honestly) and go to the park right about sundown. It all made the castle and main street look so magical for their first visit.

We did some of our favorites Haunted Mansion, Buzz and for the boys Space Mountain. My Gracie is not a ride person - she'll do dark rides and Haunted mansion but prefers shows and just the general magic. Later on the trip she agreed to do Splash Mountain again but it was truly a disaster for her and she's made me sworn to never speak of it or publicly share the pictures.

I recall grabbing something to eat kind of late at Cosmic Rays - we definitely go here more for the ambiance and the show than the food, I've just never been a huge fan of their quick service food but it does the trick I suppose when you are hungry. We did have the dining plan but truly Gracie and I could share a counter service meal here of chicken nuggets and fries and get plenty of food. She always enjoys the little cakes the most and I crave the soda - its my one and only vice.

After eating we wandered around a bit more, the boys did Space Mountain again and Gracie and I stayed off and waited just enjoying being there and talking over the day. She may be a teenager, but in some ways she has an old soul and I truly love getting to spend some time with her sometimes as she is such a Daddy's girl usually but in so many ways a lot like me.

We knew we'd see Wishes again but we decided to watch it from behind the castle back by the carousel. Gracie likes the feeling of the fireworks being right over us and it was exciting. We figured we'd gotten there too late to find a good spot in front but Gracie tells me she likes to see it once from each side. I'm always one that prefers being in front of the castle. We really didn't expect to be able to see many fireworks show as Tatum is (or wasn't) a fan at all. So this was one we wanted to try to catch since she wasn't with us.

Somehow we also caught the Spectromagic parade (I may have the old name there) and Gracie caught some on her phone for Tatum. That is something Tatum was excited for - the parades. She had been watching this one repeatedly on youtube for months prior to the trip and it was the first moment I felt a bit guilty that she wasn't there was us that first night but looking back I know Steve made a good call keeping her at the hotel and away from crowds as she had already had a long day.

The magic was beginning to strike. We were all starting to feel like we were in a happy place. Michael and Tony were a bit surprised by the crowds but were enjoying themselves a lot. This was Sunday night and we had plans to tackle Hollywood Studios the next morning at opening so we headed back to the hotel to get a good nights sleep in the awesome room.

Monday was going to be Hollywood Studios- getting a DAS pass for Tatum, Fastpasses for Toy Story Mania and Star Tours as well as Tower of Terror for some and a lunch at 50s Prime Time Cafe. We were breaking up again tomorrow night for dinner. My little family was headed to Chef Mickey's (a place we'd been on every single trip since our honeymoon) and a nice dinner at Teppan Edo for Michael and Tony as they didn't need to do so many character meals as we did.

ON a side note: I got enough posts for an avatar pic which means I also probably have the ability to up load pics- I'll give it a try on the next post.
If you're reading along- thanks for checking out our adventure. Each day got better than the last.

 

[MinnieGirlNE]

Hollywood Studios Monday morning

Tony and Michael had gotten a rental car since they flew into Sanford airport so we chose to drive the car today to the studios. We weren't really sure how Tatum would do with buses again yet. Having never driven at WDW I was surprised with how easy it was and how much there was beyond the resort. I made a note right then that I wanted to drive next time so I could explore beyond the resort somehow.

We got a good spot and had only a short wait for a tram. We were in the first section parking wise so we couldn't have been that long past opening. I think we were pretty close. By the time we got in the gate and worked with a cooperative CM showed Tatum how the magic band worked - she still refused to wear it, but they always just let us wear it on one of our wrists - I'm glad we didn't take off the extra gray part since Steve and I ended up wearing it most of the trip. - This happens a lot- if a place gives us a stick or stamps hands Tatum just can't handle it- its as though she can feel the little molecules and they frustrate her to no end. But of course Disney was great and understood and showed me where to find guest services. Our doctor had written a note about Tatum being identified on the Autism spectrum but I don't think they even looked at it. Once we were in the tiny office and the cast member introduced herself to Tatum, she started stimming- super excited and happy to be there she bounced like Tigger for about 5 minutes and the guy said- is she on the autism spectrum? and we all smiled and nodded yes! He took her picture and scanned all of our bands and took our names and asked if we wanted a fastpass to see how it worked. We had scheduled one for Toy Story Mania but I anticipated this would be one Tatum would either love or HATE so we gambled on love and they got us an extra fast pass for Toy Story right away to explain how the system worked.

Low and behold she LOVED LOVED LOVED it. She complained a ton at first saying again she didn't want to go on any rides. Going in the fastpass line we got a waiting point by the stairs and she started trying to dash out but Steve pulled out a blind bag from the World of disney and she was back with us. (We're not proud of bribing her but it did the job - temporarily.) It was some tiny plastic figure of a muppet. She wasn't overly excited about it but loved listing all the other possible outcomes from the back of the packet. That kept us busy up to the car. She enjoyed the mystery of what car might we be riding in. She wanted Jessie, but I predicted Ham - we were both wrong we got Slinky- her favorite character and she joined me on the ride way easier than I expected. She wasn't crazy about wearing the glasses and asked for her noise cancelling headphones but didn't keep them on long for this one. While she needed help firing the little shooter, she absolutely loved the spinning parts. Especially if I made funny noises while we spun. Before we even unloaded she was begging to ride it again and again. Luckily we had a regularly scheduled fast pass time coming up so that would work out just fine. Right back in line we road it again - which is really pretty unhead of I think but a perfect start for her and made her so excited to try a few other rides. WE debated trying to do the photo line with Woody and Buzz but it looked pretty long and we thought we'd be better to move about a while before jumping in another line- inside a building. At least for character meets at DHS a lot are outside so if you need to you can step out of line easier.

Before leaving we got another DAS pass to come back and ride Toy Story Mania but by now the line was over 2 hours- so we couldn't come back for another couple of hours, which would work out well as we could come back before leaving. We had a Fastpass at Star Tours to get to. On our way there we spotted Donald and Pluto I think. Tatum and I got her autograph book ready and got in line while the others headed to star tours to save the planet or something. Thus began what would be our only curse on this trip- that nasty curse of poor character timing. We were about two people away from seeing Pluto when the CM announced that Pluto had to go get a drink and Daisy would be coming along to take his place. I anticipated a meltdown but Tatum was genuinely excited to see Daisy arrive and was so happy to get her autograph and picture taken with her. Crisis averted, photos taken and autographs recorded we headed over to meet up with the rest of the group. Tatum and I found ourselves heading to muppet fountain to wait for them as the crowds by the Jedi stage were big and it was hard to see the show and keep an eye on an every moving Tatum.



She loves fountains and ran around it about 1000 times while we waited for everyone to finish on Star Tours. We thought about trying to catch a muppet show but weren't sure how Tatum would do and so instead headed over for our lunch reservation at 50s Prime Time Cafe. Tatum said she was ready to sit and have some white milk anyways so all timed out well. We have always been fans of this place. Every since our honeymoon its been a "to do" and we love bringing others to it. My nephew is a pretty healthy eater but even he couldn't resist the milk shakes. I had the sampler so I could have a bit of pot roast and chicken. Wheenver I take pics of my food Stever makes fun of me so I often forget but I'll be better about it on my next trip. Everyone liked their food but Tatum was tired of sitting and I was too full to enjoy dessert so while the others stayed and got their desserts to go Tatum and I headed out to sit around the little lake outside and talk to Nessie is it? The Dinosaur? Photo pass photographers were there with the cutest frames and accessories and I loved the people watching. Tatum loved watching the little birds on the water and running around the lake moving from bench to bench. Sometimes it felt like she was getting in the way of pics folks were trying to take so we headed towards a store. I decided I dressed her in a shirt that was too warm so we went into a store and got a short sleeve lightweight shirt and ran to a bathroom to get changed. Through all this the rest of the crew waited for desserts to be boxed up. She and I headed out of the store and spotted Chip and Dale. We texted everyone our plans and headed over to meet the chipmunks and get their autographs. the others joined in just as we got up to get our pics taken and Chip and Dale were hilarious. They played with Tatum's toys and made her giggle and jump and she was on cloud 9- truly she was having the best time of her life. She would replay the whole interaction over and over again the rest of the day.

A favorite ride of mine is the Great Movie Ride and although the line did look longer than usual we stuck it out as we weren't sure when we'd be back. This was NOT a favorite ride for Tatum- it went on a bit too long and she got flustered and didn't like some of the scenes. Even with her noise cancelling headphones she hated the gunfight scene and I truly hadn't thought about all those factors and blamed myself for her small meltdown as she kept wanting to just get off.

Everyone else enjoyed it though. We did manage to hide her from the aliens appearance and I was so proud of us for distracting her properly having not ridden the ride in such a long time to remember where they came from impressed Steve and I. I never got to the parks with my mom (who just passed away this past March after we'd returned) but I always wanted to ride this one with her. She had such a love of movies and everytime I ride on it I get a bit homesick for her. I can only imagine what the ride will do to me now that she is gone - it may be a while before I can ride it again.

We were getting ready for our mid day break back at the hotel. So right after our return window opened for Toy Story Mania for a third time we split up. Some folks wanted to ride Tower of Terror but the girls and I decided to take a bus back to the hotel and settle in at the pool for a while- so we divided up and the guys did TofT and RNR before jumping back in their rental and heading back to the hotel themselves.

The DAS pass worked really well for us in particular for that one ride which she loved and wanted to ride again and again. We did have a meltdown at one point when it was too early for our return time and she wanted to get back on the ride- again waiting is not her strong suit but it really isn't for any kid at Disney is it?

Next time: My family goes to Chef Mickey's and has some highs and lows, Michael and Tony head to Teppan Edo and we meet up at Epcot for a Baymax meet and greet that ended up ruining my teenagers life (or so she would have me believe.)

fun times... and so far parkwise less anxiety than I anticipated and more happy than I could have imagined.

Thanks for reading.

 

[heaven2dc]

I wanted to pop in to say that I am having such a great time reading your TR! I'm only on the first day so can't wait to read all about Day 2!

 

[MinnieGirlNE]

Thank you so much Heaven2dc.

I think we often write trip reports for ourselves I want to remember how magical the whole trip was - especially as I plan our upcoming one for next summer, but it is SOOO wonderful to know that some body else is reading along. I have a whole new respect for checking in now whenever I'm following someone's trip report. Thanks for popping in.

 

[MinnieGirlNE]

Chef Mickey's - Monday night
Tatum's first character meal.

It may seem odd that we do the dining plan when we go to WDW. After all Tatum doesn't really eat much at any restaurant - that's why the kitchen in the villa is a perfect fit. We do the Dining plan for 1- budgeting purposes and 2- Character meals. A few years back we travelled down with some friends who stayed off-site and did a character meal or two- the cost for them was outrageous. I honestly think we pay the same price for our week of meals as they did for the two character meals they did for their whole family (granted their family is larger than ours and they did go to Akershus but still!) We're kinda sold on the DDP.

And we've always been big fans of Chef Mickey's. My husband and I celebrated our 1 week anniversary there on our honeymoon and have been back on each vacation since. I will admit though this may be my last dinner there. I used to love their parmesan mashed potatoes and the carved beef but really the last two times we've dined here we felt the food is lacking what it used to have in flavor and quality. We encouraged our friends to try it for breakfast and they said it was delicious- so maybe that's the answer- we switch it up to a breakfast option next time?

After a relaxing afternoon at SSR we grabbed a bus for Magic Kingdom - Tatum did a GREAT job waiting this time and we got Michael and Tony on a monorail over to Epcot for their meal and we walked over to Contemporary for our first character meal of the trip. I love this resort and hope to stay there one day. One of my favorite strange memories was hitting 20,000 steps on my fitbit on the way there. I love getting so many steps in on vacation. NOTE: I have a Charge HR and I will confess here that my fitbit and the magic band on the same arm was bothersome so I wore one on each but ugh- adding an even bigger band now with the new design doesn't excite me that much.

We had a really short wait and then a quick photo shoot with Mickey and his salad bowl and we were off to our table. I have sort of bad luck at restaurants. I always order the wrong thing - my husband almost always orders the right thing (lucky for me he shares a lot) and I always get seated in weird places. Like right next to the kitchen door. That's the table we were set at (again- we were sat at almost the same table the trip we took on 2009) - right by the kitchen door and at the end of the row of booth/tables before entering a tiny alcove up a few steps. So we were practically the last table for character visits.

Still the characters made it around quickly. Tatum was so excited to see Goofy. We had seen the others earlier in the day at DHS (except for Goofy and Minnie- but I was so excited to see Minnie I kinda forgot to pay attention to my kids excitement about her.) Tatum was excited to see Goofy though. He was going to be the last one to come to our table too- we must have just missed him when we got there as he had been up in the small area above us when we first sat down - so we had to wait for him to do a complete lap before he'd be back. Still - we waited. And waited.

Tatum saw him coming first and the excitement started building. He went from table to table headed in our direction and she got ready. She had her autograph book ready to go and began to stand and sit like she didn't know how she wanted to be when he first saw her. He waved from a few tables away - several folks around us had finished and tables were empty nearby. She began stemming- she was ringing her hands up by her face and squealing with excitement. He was almost there.

Our waiter stopped by we hoped for refills but instead to give us a heads up that Goofy was needed in the kitchen and would be back as soon as he could. Tatum hadn't been listening but froze in place when he began heading in the other direction. She turned to us with a very worried expression and a lip that almost started quivering. We quickly started trying to explain that Goofy had to take care of something in the kitchen but would be right back. Sometimes when she's upset the more we say the less gets through to her I think. I saw her eyes start to get very wet and I knew crying was coming and perhaps a meltdown. Gracie started trying to distract her and get her to calm down and I knew my anxiety was increasing and I hoped that my protective mom side didn't come out. (It never really does at WDW though- or at least didn't on this trip.)

If we hadn't been done eating it may have felt like we only waited a short time, but since we were done and really just waiting for Goofy it seemed like quite a long time. Steve was flustered as we were really the only table left in our area for him to visit and it seemed like it must be a pretty big kitchen emergency if there was just one table left in the row. As we started thinking negative thoughts Tatum began yelling, "Goofy, Goofy." And sure enough there he was. Goofy came running down the aisle of the restaurant right to Tatum. When he got there he sort of did a quick nab and twirled her around quick like. She was absolutely in heaven. He patted us parents on the head and sat down beside Gracie and played with the few desserts she had uneaten on her plate and posed for a picture then got up and and took Tatum by the hands and the two of them just bounced for a while -stopping every once in a while for a pic. THIS- THIS is why we do Disney- moments like this that made Tatum feel like she was the only one in the room Goofy was there to see- and thanks to a kitchen (or perhaps bathroom) emergency we got this moment.

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Don't get me wrong we see Tatum happy a LOT in our day to day lives- but so often it feels like when she is are moments where she is in her own little world, which seems to be a pretty happy place but seeing her this happy here in ours- PRICELESS!!!

With a bunch of big hugs we said good bye to Goofy and a few high fives of characters we walked by on the way out and we were on our way to meet the other two at EPCOT.

We jumped on a monorail- another first for Tatum that she loved although she was a bit loud for the others on board with us.

We got to EPCOT and headed straight to Nemo and his seas. Michael and Tony met us there and we did the clam shell ride (Tatum did NOT want to ride this at first but was fine once she got seated on the ride itself.) Then we all did a lot of exploring - pictures with Bruce etc and settled in to wait for a time to chat with Crush.

Tatum actually did really well in the show. Steve sat up front on the floor with her and all the other kids and she sat in his lap. She blurted out a lot during the show but when he asked for questions she followed along with other kids and raised her hand. I kinda hoped she wouldn't be called on because I knew she probably wouldn't ask a question that made sense - but this trip had been full of surprises of things I didn't think she would do and she did! She wasn't called on but happily enjoyed the show it seemed.

We got caught up in the gift shop on the way out shopping for my niece and her two beautiful daughters- too young to join us on this trip but will be headed back there with us one day in the future. The oldest daughter loves nemo and ariel so this was a great little place to shop for souvenirs for her. Tatum and I headed out to watch the "Mine" birds again and Steve picked up a few more blind bags and I think a surprise vinylmation maybe from here? (I'm never entirely sure where they came from but in a few days she had like 4 of those!)

The weather was beautiful and most people there were probably trying to get a great spot for Illuminations- it was about 45 minutes until the show. Michael and Tony wanted to get a good spot and we figured the fireworks wouldn't go well for Tatum so we started to head out after stopping at the character spot first. To our surprise it was Baymax!

https://www.facebook.com/tobi.scaggs/videos/vb.1348862542/10208543918139302/?type=3&theater

(note the video is adorable of my wee one but for my teenager this is the video she is furious with me for sharing. I teach 8th grade- my daughter happened to be in 8th grade when we went on our trip - and she happened to go to the school I taught at - so needless to say when my teacher friends saw the video they shared it with some of their classes. Not a happy Gracie moment. But a great Tatum one!)

After that we figured we'd quit while we were ahead and we made our way to the bus stop for SSR. But surprise the bus wasn't there yet and we were just the right distance to take in some fireworks at a pretty safe distance for a sensory kid. Especially a kid with her trusty NR headphones.

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It was a great show- even from this distance.

 

[MinnieGirlNE]

Tuesday- Animal Kingdom Day with Disney Springs for Dinner.

I should start off by saying my husband and I aren't big fans of this park. We've actually been to WDW and skipped this park entirely before. That wasn't going to be an option on this adventure- one because Tatum loves animals and zoos and 2 my nephew Michael was little when Lion King came out and so I was determined to see Festival of Lion King with him- it would be my very first time seeing the show in person (we watched it a lot on youtube prior to our visit.) We also were doing another first- the Character Meal at Tusker House for breakfast. A friend of mine from work loves this place. Michael had done a 3 month World Teach experience in Namibia and I was curious to see if the authentic food they put on the buffet was true to form. And this was the character meal he and Tony would go to with us - so one of the few times we were guaranteed to get photos with them with the characters. We'd also agreed to split up again for dinner letting Michael and Tony go explore more of Disney Springs on their own.


I had booked FPs right away for Expedition Everest before Breakfast and Kilamanjaro Safari after breakfast.

We all got up bright and early, Tatum had some microwave pancakes and we were off to get to animal kingdom as close to "rope drop" as possible. Even though I have never gotten there at Rope Drop and I don't think they do much of anything for rope drop. The bus stop was pretty full, and I think we had our longest wait for a bus on this day. It always seems at times like these buses come for every other park but the one you're waiting for doesn't it? After finally catching an Animal Kingdom bus- with very few other folks from our stop we were off. Must say if I haven't before the Paddock stop is such a great choice for us. We only had one day riding out to the parks where it was full, but even then we found a seat for Tatum and I- the rest of the family had to stand. We also had 1 day coming back where it was full full full, but we loved the ride back as our bus driver was absolutely hilarious that night and we almost wanted to keep going just to hear more of what he was going to say. I do love the bus shuttles at WDW.

We got to animal kingdom with time to spare before our FP at Expedition Everest (breakfast was going to be a bit late) but we went over to EE and explored as we walked. Okay- I'm going to confess here we broke some rules. Judge if you will. Gracie is not a RIDE person in any way. She kinda hates roller coasters and just anything that often goes up high in the air. Steve and I are big ride fans. Tatum not so much. Michael and Tony were there for the rides. So we did some creative magic band switching to get ride fans a chance to ride on EE twice. For this trip Tatum, Gracie and I sat off EE and we traded our magic bands off with Michael and Tony so they could ride back to back. If they ever ask for fingerprints at the ride we'd be caught. But having a boys name myself, and Tatum being somewhat gender neutral they never really noticed - and apparently no one was paying attention when Gracie's name came up on one of the boys wrists. Soo they were happy they got to ride that a lot- they even go back and ride it more before we left. We wondered around a bit and realized we had time for a photo visit with Pocahontas before breakfast - so Tatum, Steve and I jumped in line and we told Michael, Tony and Gracie to go do Dinosaur. Something was up with Dinosaur and they couldn't ride it but the stand by line wasn't very long for EE so they went back there and Gracie took some time to people watch and take photos on her camera at Animal Kingdom while she waited for everyone to finish. This character line we were in was LONG and very hot. I was surprised when we got up to the front though that you got to see not only Pocahontas but Meeko and the bad guy too. Governor Ratcliffe tried stealing Steve's watch and I think was really trying to interact with Tatum. She has never watched all of Pocahontas- just the Disney Princess sing a long and she loves her. So she was all eyes on the princess and had NO interest in Ratcliffe what so ever. She wasn't even sure she wanted him signing her autograph book. It was a long wait but well worth it as we got this beautiful shot.

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That is classic Tatum experiencing joy. She was really excited. Meeko did a great job interacting with her. Sometimes characters bounced along with her- at one point my older daughter wondered if they were making fun of her- we truly don't think so- if anyone gets her excitement its bound to be the folks that put up with those costumes all day.

Photos taken, some rides done we headed over to Tusker House for our first time having a character meal here. We truly loved it. While the food may not have been authentic, Michael loved the architecture and so much of the theming. I wasn't super crazy about the punch, but everyone else liked it. You really can't go wrong with a breakfast buffet- the eggs are always wonderful and it was fun to have so many different things to try here. The characters in their safari wear were amazing. The only downside is the seating- in some places you're very close- almost family style at one long table. Not usually something we mind really. But we were sat next to sort of a difficult table though. The matriarch (grandma) I think was pretty demanding of the staff. It sometimes created a problem for him keeping up with us for refills etc and well she was pretty harsh at times about his service. There was a moment where she and I were sitting near one another (I think my husband was up at the buffet) so she leaned across the empty seat and shared that she had just loved watching Tatum's excitement wheenver the characters were coming our way so we struck up a conversation. At first I was leery, I thought she was going to feel me out about our server not being up to par, but she was actually a really wonderful woman who had scrimped and saved for a long time to bring all of her grandkids here together and she wanted them to have a once in a lifetime experience. I tend to be overly nice and a softy- but I can easily turn into a lioness within a moment to keep my kids happy or making something special happen for them. I remember my husband and nephew being frustrated and uncomfortable with how hard she was on the waiter, and while I don't excuse her treatment of him in any way - both Steve and I had jobs where we worked for tips in our college years- but I somehow felt like I understood her and could see the good in her as well. I was happy to see her grandkids have such a wonderful time and was so pleased she enjoyed my wee one- we worried a bit that the extra time sometimes characters gave Tatum would have upset her as it felt as though it delayed the visit they made to her table, but without us having to tell her I think she saw the big picture- we were both there wanting the best for our kids. Still when we left we made sure to double the tip for our waiter and stop personally to thank him and tell him what a great job he did taking care of us- he apologized and said he couldn't take it as he said he felt that he barely got to see you all and we assured him he did a great job and told him the rest of his day was going to magical. Sometimes we have to be the ones that spread the magic when we're there too.

It wasn't quite time for our Kilamanjaro Safari yet so we rushed over to Festival of the Lion King, a great way to spend some time after eating. It was starting to look pretty cloudy and ominous and we were expecting some rain. We still had time to kill after the show so we stopped at Starbucks for some snacks and then strolled around watching impromptu entertainers and reading small detailed signs while we waited for our window to open for our fastpass. On our way there the skies opened up and it poured. Usually Tatum won't go out in rain- she hates getting wet but again things are different at WDW- she actually was out there dancing in puddles. I joined her and we skipped in the rain, jumping in puddles all the way to the safari ride. (The day will take a turn here soon but happy moments and ones I cherish.)

We had a great ride on Kilamanjaro Safari's I don't think Steve and I had ridden this since our honeymoon when Animal Kingdom first opened- the line was always too long on the trips where we had come to AK. We had so much fun and I think I just really relaxed as Tatum had so much fun pointing out animals.

The day was about to take a rough turn but I have to come back... slight bedtime emergency for the Tot tonight. Hopefully be back to write more soon.

 

[columbusdizfan]

I am loving your trip report. Thank you for sharing!

 

[MinnieGirlNE]

Animal Kingdom Continued....

So after Kilamanjaro Safari we headed over to Tough to Be a Bug. I wasn't sure if Tatum was going to do this or not. Even though she isn't on the spectrum, Gracie hated these type of attractions when she was younger. In hindsight we should have cut our loses but we kept pushing forward. We were splitting up later and we wanted to make sure Michael and Tony got to as much of Animal Kingdom as they could. Dinosaur had still not been achieved. Kali River Rapids was down while we were there - so really other than TTBAB in the Tree of Life and Dinosaur were our only must dos. (At that point I had forgotten that Finding Nemo was there- or I think we figured we'd just try to catch one show and this year it was meant to be Festival of Lion King.)

Tatum started to get a bit edgy and grumpy in the waiting area. It was crowded and since there were fewer characters to see that she knew we weren't having as much luck distracting her. We tried sitting down for a bit and pulling up photos of animals from the safari - that gave us some time. (Its funny we had downloaded a really cool quiz app that you activate while you wait in line and it asks all sorts of little scavenger hunt questions and things for you to do in line and we never used it because we were always so concerned distracting Tatum, we never really had time to try it out.) Steve had Tatum sit on her lap through the show (to eliminate the feeling of bugs crawling on her probably) and that helped. So did her noise reduction headphones. From a WDW camping sing along she knew some of the characters - although I think Hopper was a bit big and scary for her. When we sat down to plan trying an attraction like this we envisioned getting up front by a door and going all the way to the other side of the theater so if someone needed to they could sneak out with her- but silly us we've been so often when it wasn't as crowded that was easier to do. On this trip we were at the mercy of the crowds. We had to just keep her settled the best we could until the end of the show - but this wasn't a great option for her.

Afterwards I thought maybe a character visit was in need for her. We saw a little building that said it had a short wait time of 20 minutes- I decided to ask the girls if I could use her DAS pass here. This was one of that you couldn't use it for- but they offered to let us go in a side door and wait. Everyone else headed to Starbucks for a snack of some kind and Tatum and I headed in to a small room where we were told to wait for someone to come and open the door. It had only been about 5 minutes when she got upset and started trying to open the door herself. A cast member on the other side asked us to wait, but that just wasn't happening for her. She started one of her meltdowns right there. Before long she was taking off her shoes and trying to hit me with them. I picked her up and carried her out of the hallway and out the door we'd been let in to. The cast members told me I could sure come back another time but right then I just wanted to get her some place where she could cool down away from crowds. We found a little path off to the side and sat on some rocks while I held her tight trying to calm her down. Often times I think folks want to help but just don't know how for sure. Sometimes its just really nice if folks don't stare too much when she is like this. But we've gotten used to it. I hadn't realized that we had lost her shoe until someone came along and brought it back to us. A family had their younger son run it over to us and he sweetly said- I hope she's okay. That's about the perfect amount of help we need. Tatum could've reacted harshly and snapped at him, but in this case he had a lion guard shirt on and she started coming back to reality somewhat and suddenly said- Mom- we never found Janja. To help her calm down I suggested that once she feels better we could go look for it. She started taking deeper breaths and said thank you to the boy and started trying to get her shoe on and just like that the worst of it was over. I texted my husband to let him know where we were and what had happened and we caught up with the rest of the group and headed towards Dinosaur. Passing by EE the wait was fairly short so Michael and Tony got in line and we suggested we'd meet them over by Dinosaur - there was a fountain over there I thought I'd remembered and that's always a good waiting place for Tatum. BUT- just as we went by they were doing a last call for seating for Finding Nemo and I simply couldn't resist. I do love that show. So we quickly ducked in the dark theater almost just as it was starting. I asked the cast member if I could keep my daughter near an exit towards the back just in case (I wasn't entirely sure we were truly calmed down yet) and she wasn't as cooperative as most- she said No, I need to guarantee those seats are for individuals with special needs. Well... I thought this is sort of that but I get that its not physical or visible so I said if the show starts and no one is sitting in one of those seats could we move to it? To that she agreed and since the show was about to start it worked out. Just as they started she gave us a nod and let us move us to the handicap accessible back row with a shortened bench. It was perfect. Tatum stood through most of the show and bounced and stemmed happily. I could tell the cast member was uncomfortable with this and wanted us to have her sit and we tried and she would sit after we would redirect her but then before we'd know it she would be back up bouncing again. In truth she isn't bothering anyone but I suppose it does make cast members nervous to have someone not being able to stay seated during the show for safety reasons? We got a text from Michael that they'd tried to join us in there but they weren't able to get inside. Luckily for us we made this an impromptu thing as she ended up loving this show- we still watch it a lot at home on Youtube. The guys had made it on Dinosaur and since that wasn't something we were going to try Tatum on we decided we were done after the Nemo show.

So long to Animal Kingdom and back to the hotel for a break and Disney Springs for dinner for both groups just at different places. My family was going to try the Boathouse and Michael and Tony were heading to Wolfgang Pucks.

I got some laundry done back at the hotel and I think Steve, Michael and Tony made another trip to Walmart or some nearby grocery store for a few more things since we would be without a car once they headed to Universal on Thursday. It was sad to think we had only one more full day with the boys. But I had lots of fun things set for us to do at the Magic Kingdom.

Dinner at Boathouse review and our Longest Disney Day coming up.

 

[cheapster316]

Thank you so much for sharing. We are headed to disney in January and it is a good reminder to have patience and a smile for any family you see who may be dealing with some type of meltdown for whatever reason.

 

[MinnieGirlNE]

Boathouse at Disney Springs

Originally we had scheduled a dinner with Gracie at Le Cellier (Thursday night) and we're going to look into getting a Fairy Godmother for Tatum, but I just couldn't bring myself to commit to it. So I ended up cancelling it and rescheduling a dinner for all of us at Boathouse. I really didn't know much about it other than watching a youtuber have lunch there and it looked yummy. Wow- I probably should have done a bit more research. Overall I ended up liking it a lot. We had hoped to take Michael and Tony with us for dinner tonight but they were leaving for Universal on Thursday and kinda wanted to try something else at Disney Springs before leaving. We're at Magic Kingdom all day on Wednesday so we thought maybe a break from our little family would do them good. WE took a boat over to Disney Springs (we love having boat transportation and Tatum did really well always going on these on this trip) and searched for the Boathouse. It had a huge crowd out front. By the way Disney Springs is wonderful at night. Love the atmosphere, love that to me it feels more like Citywalk (which I secretly preferred over Downtown Disney at night.) I will note that I expected Tatum to be a bit overwhelmed. However, she saw a bubble machine a little girl had and kinda became obsessed with it- had I mentioned we had NOT found Janja yet? Something else to search for... bubble wand machine. I was surprised though that Tatum wasn't bothered by the noise and crowds here- perhaps she was getting used to the crowds or it was just pixie dust magic?

Although we had a reservation we ended up with about a 20 minute wait still for our table. They easily changed it to 4 for us and didn't penalize us for the extra seats we cancelled last minute. Worked out well for us that this particular dinner Michael and Tony cancelled as I had not noticed before it was two dining credits per person. I recall ordering shrimp- but just 4 since I was the only one in my family that eats any- it was funny they brought out 4 on the biggest platter- which I think was meant for 20 or more- but there were my little 4 shrimps. They were tasty but we couldn't stop laughing at the massive plate. Gracie is normally a great steak eater but she wasn't feeling good on this night and Steve wasn't excited about his options either. I got the fancy steak and it was fine- I can't say that it was worth two dining credits but we were stuck near the bar and it was so crowded. I have a feeling if we'd been seated outside off the lake the atmosphere would have felt more magical and being from Nebraska we are used to pretty good quality steaks - I hate to say it but often times the ones we get on vacation just don't measure up at times. Still, I'm glad we tried it on this trip while we had extra dining credits. Michael and Tony had bought their dinner out of their pocket- unknown to us so we ended up with extra table service credits and that worked out perfectly considering this accidental reservation. (I have never eaten at a double dining credit restaurant- we are trying Le Cellier finally on our upcoming trip but still hate to use our dining credits that way. I always want to use them for character meals instead.) Honeslty the person who was in the best mood at this restaurant was Tatum. She seemed fascinated with all the boat stuff on the walls and loved her special tinkerbell cup she got for her juice. As soon as they were done eating Steve, Gracie and Tatum got up and headed out to explore Disney Springs and left me to deal with the check and the takeout bag full of desserts. I think I was the only one who really enjoyed the restaurant- steve said he was just nervous about Tatum in fancier restaurant or he would have enjoyed it more. I would like to think one day we'd go back but maybe if it was just Steve and I.

We wondered in and out of shops, grabbed some more souvenirs at World of Disney and I really wanted to get a margarita at the place on the dock, but right about then we could tell the noise was ramping up and Tatum was getting a little grumpy so we made our way back to the boat pick up spots. We ended up at a different one somehow than when we arrived but found our way to the line for Saratoga Springs easy enough and within moments we were back at our resort. A quick stop through the Artist's Palette for some snacks at the room. WE started a charm necklace for Gracie on her first trip and each trip back we buy a new charm for her. Her favorite character is cheshire cat - so we started there and she got a little minnie charm on this trip. I bought myself a bracelet and my first charm (I'll catch up on a charm per trip on the next trip- unless Steve ever gets me a Pandora bracelet and I can just start asking for those.) Tatum got a little Stitch charm if I remember correctly for her necklace - which we started on this trip. I stood beside some WDW bags and debated back and forth on buying one for a new bag to take all my grading in. But alas I couldn't decide and it was getting so late. We started heading back to our room which was a short walk around the pool and across the long bridge. Tatum was upset that we wouldn't let her swim before going in for the night and throwing a bit of a meltdown again as we walked back but after a quick calm down she perked back up by the time we got back to the room.

All in all Animal Kingdom still isn't my favorite park- its always been a half day stop for us, but I'm glad we got to see and do some things we haven't done in a while and I enjoyed Tusker House and Festival of the Lion King but Finding Nemo will be a must do for us every visit. Boathouse has a lot of great stuff going for it - it maybe just wasn't for us on this trip and I'm not sure we felt it was worth double dining credit. Tatum did a great job today even though we had some meltdowns. She is continually surprising me with what she will do on this vacation. I'm so impressed with her and how she is handling herself here. And truth be told the most amazing day of our trip would be Wednesday. A full day (with a quick trip back to the room for dry clothes and laundry for the boys) at Magic Kingdom and our last day with Michael and Tony. (Also the last day before I'd come down with what I think of as WDW Bronchitus.- which is all the fun of being sick but still pushing yourself because- you know ... you're at WDW.)

Sorry I wasn't able to find our photos from dinner tonight- I'll try to come back and add them in later.

 

[No.1000]

Enjoying your report. That pic of Tatum and Goofy is priceless.

 

[MinnieGirlNE]

Wednesday - Our big Magic Kingdom day.

I always tell myself I want to get there in time for rope drop, but I've yet to achieve that particular goal. My heart is in it but my families isn't. We still arrived early enough to go on a few rides before our ADR at Be Our Guest. First we had a FP for Peter Pans Flight and Tatum was crying about not riding. Still we carried her through the short line, we actually got through the fastpass line very quickly and she and I jumped in a flying boat. I got nervous because it seemed so much darker than I remembered but once she spotted Wendy and then eventually Peter Pan she got into it. She LOVES Nana the dog. She actually really loved the whole ride. I'd say this one changed her whole feeling about rides - except our next ride would prove to be a challenge to get on again- but each one got a bit easier. (This is one of the rides we watch on youtube these days.) Tatum of course wanted to ride again, but we told her we had to go see Buzz Lightyear first. We headed over to Tomorrowland and a downpour hit us. This time I was prepared and got out ponchos for the kids and the hubby but not for me. This was a good opportunity for me to grab my souvenir. I wanted a hoodie and grabbed one from a little shop before we scooted over to Buzz Lightyear's Spin. Tatum did her usual "I'm not gonna ride" routine but we carried her crying her straight to the loading zone. She and I once again were ride mates and while I did my best to try to protect the galaxy - she mostly made it hard by turning our vehicle around at awkward angles. I never pay attention well enough to get a decent photo on this ride- I'm always concentrating way too hard to try to beat my husband's score. [I've literally studied Joe's video (of See Ya Reel Soon) on how to galactic hero probably 100 times but I just can't do it- maybe some day when I'm not riding with any of my kids?] I'd actually settle for just beating Steve one day. Michael and Tony had seen the video like ONCE- and Michael was so very close. He had on his birthday button that day and for the first time ever they got some Disney Magic as the staff person suggested he try riding again one more time- since it was a special day for him. He and Tony got to stay in their car and ride straight through - or maybe got out and got right back on I can't recall. Either way we waited just in case he did it and got the button but alas, he missed it. Maybe on his next trip? We had time for one more ride before Be Our Guest- we debated a lot of possible rides but in the end just did some people watching and made our way back through pretty intense crowds to Be Our Guest. Honestly I wasn't overly impressed with this place. I know its a favorite and I think I understand why - we chose to do lunch and only use up one dining credit- we ordered our lunches long in advance and maybe went in with gigantic expectations after watching so many videos and reading trip reports - it was good food don't get me wrong- way better than most theme park food and although I didn't care for what I ordered I loved what my husband got (and luckily he preferred mine) the kids had a harder time finding something for lunch and I'd like to think we'd do better at Dinner or Breakfast maybe one day. We all agreed we liked the cupcakes. Oddly enough everyone else preferred the strawberry one while I liked the grey stuff version. We did some exploring and enjoyed the theming a lot and were very glad we tried it but I can make it an every so often trip visit easily.
Poor planning on my part had us getting ready for a Splash Mountain ride after lunch. For me this is a relaxing enjoyable ride- for my oldest who made a deal with her dad to take possession of Tatum's old cracked ipad if she went on the ride it was about to trigger her biggest panic attack of the trip. After the first few minutes of her (the oldest) crying we suggested she skip it and not go, but she committed and bless her heart she went on - she went on it crying and hyperventalating but she went on it. For her its all about the drop she hates it. I never even really think about the drop- I love the story, the puppets, the music- everything. Tatum had watched the SplashMountain videos so many times prior to our trip it was the one ride she wasn't scared to get on. We made Michael and Tony sit in front hoping they would get the wettest. Tatum and I sat behind them and then Steve and Gracie sat behind us. Tatum actually turned around a few times and kept telling Gracie- she'd be fine this was going to be a great ride. After a while of hearing Gracie cry I think Tatum started to get a bit more nervous - we looked for all of our favorites from the video and she loved cheering for Brer Rabbit and saying hi to Brer Bear whenever we spotted him. I got nervous about her during the drop but Tatum did fine. When we got down she said- OH I got all wet! We laughed- we were all actually wet. But we all rode it together. The photo is hilarious and something I have kept my word on never sharing. My teenager is sobbing, my husband is laughing at her- I'm clutching on to Tatum thinking she is going to fly out on the drop- she is happily looking down the drop with her noise reduction headphones on and Michael and Tony look like seasoned extreme riders with their hands up and everything. (Okay so I snuck it in a scrapbook I made for myself, but left it out of the photo book we share with the masses.)
We hadn't used her DAS pass here yet - we did a quick check in on the Mine Train ride - our FP window wasn't until later - but on our way over we spotted Winnie the Pooh and Tigger out for a meet and greet. After much waiting in line Tatum got to meet Tigger! She totally blew off Winnie the Pooh at first but came back to him after celebrating with Tigger first. These pics were my favorite.

Tatum meets Tigger video link

Okay- so after waiting to meet Tigger we decided we had timed it just right to ride the mine train. Steve was going to ride this one with Tatum and I had asked my nephew if this could be our one ride together and he agreed. So I got to ride the mine train with my favorite (and only) nephew. Words can't express how happy I was to have he and Tony along on this trip. I LOVE WDW but I think more than I love I love sharing it with other people. It took me way too long to get him there and too too long to get myself back there. Something I told myself I wouldn't let happen again. Tony rode with a stranger as Gracie got to sit off this one. After a quick ride on the mine train we'd planned to head over to ride Pirates, maybe Big Thunder Mt and if we were lucky catch a parade. Folks were already starting to get sat down. I knew the parade would be something Tatum would enjoy and she seemed a bit tired anyway so she and I settled on a spot to sit and open a blind bag or two while the rest of the crew went to go ride Big Thunder Mt and came back just in time to see the parade come by. Tatum loved waving at the characters. Sadly no one came over to her or even seemed to see her but Anna from a float who blew her a little kiss. She jumped through the whole thing and called out to each character and waved. One good thing about her autism is she didn't seem to notice they're not seeing her - even though her mom did. There must be so many things and people to look for. A lot of the characters seemed to more concerned with connecting with groups of teenagers around us than the wee ones and I suppose the older kids need that connection too but I wish more had noticed her - even if it was just a dancer to come by and high five her. Everyone was getting a bit tired and we really wanted to head back to the hotel for a mid day break - but we kept finding one more thing we could do. All but Tatum and Steve ran quickly into a Mickey's Philharmagic show. Looking back I wish I'd tried her in that ride more than Tough to be a Bug- I think there were enough characters in this one that she would have enjoyed it more. Afterwards we checked the wait time for anna and elsa - it was pretty long but with the DAS we figured we'd reserve it now and then go through after our hotel break. The wait was over 2 hours so that was going to work out fine. EXCEPT it didn't because their machine couldn't link up to get us in the computer right. The girl at the entrance said they'd been having trouble that day- so she started hand writing a fast pass for us but then changed her mind as another girl came over and said- just let them go through now. And so we did- a magical WDW moment. These were the only princesses we met on this trip and knowing the impossible wait time we thought we couldn't have been luckier. Tatum and Gracie were your typical adorable kid visits but Tony and Michael were something fabulous. Tony wanted to stand on the opposite side of Elsa instead of beside Michael next to her and Elsa characteristically kinda snapped at him and said- that's where my dress is. So Tony stepped aside and stood by Michael but when he got over to Anna started saying- "wow you're sister is difficult" - okay for future reference don't say anything negative to Anna about her sister! She proceded to kinda go off on Tony for disrespecting her sister and we LOVED every second of it- so did he. (I have to find those pics and upload them- they were priceless.)
On our way to the entrance we scoped out the menu at Tortuga Tavern and decided we'd try that for our dinner counter service meal then stopped to check out the wait at Jungle Cruise. Tatum was exhausted and needed a break from crowds - we were all tired of walking around in wet clothes but we had another magical moment as the folks offered to let us jump on again through the fastpass line with the DAS pass. This time we decided to pass- Tatum pre metldown would not have been good on a boat! So we thanked them and grabbed a paper fastpass to use when we got back later that night.
We quickly went back to the hotel and I honestly thought we wouldn't make it back we were all so tired. I laid down and took a quick nap and Steve ran Tatum over to the pool. We talked about cancelling our ADR for breakfast at Ohana's the following day and did and then made an ADR for Teppan Edo for dinner instead. I hadn't wanted to do that but Michael gave us the idea of going there during Illuminations so Tatum wouldn't hear the fireworks and it worked out perfectly we got a late reservation and were set. Now we could sleep in and take a lazy approach to Thursday.
Steve woke me up and said Tatum and everyone is ready to go back and so after putting on some warmer clothes we headed back to the park which I believe had Extra Magic Hours that night. We got there in time for an Electro Magic Parade and Steve bought me some light up Minnie Mouse ears and we headed over to Tortuga Tavern for some Mexican fast food counter service style. This was really good. Everyone but Tatum found something they liked and we'll definitely go there again on the next trip. The crowds were crazy unbelievable. We did the Jungle Cruise- which I haven't really ever done at night so that was cool for a change. Michael and Tony enjoyed the jokes and Tatum believed we were on a boat version of the Safari ride so she was psyched to see all the animals. We made our way around the world - doing Pirates with Tatum, Steve and Gracie watching Splash Mountain riders go down the big drop. Well I'm not sure Gracie watched that part she was probably on her phone texting friends.
- this was a late night so there's more to come but I had to get part of this uploaded and now to do the bedtime stuff with the kids. Perhaps I'll get back for more yet tonight.

Thanks for reading along and for the nice comments- I'm not good at quoting yet either.

 

[MinnieGirlNE]

Okay- back finally- Happy Holidays for any readers. I got totally sidetracked with Work and completing our Christmas preparations. Finally a day "off" so to speak. So much to put away -but what a pleasant problem to have?

So when I stopped the last trip report we had headed back to Magic Kingdom to spend our last night with Michael and Tony before the left the following morning for universal. We knew we were going to stay as late as possible on this night and we wanted to make sure the boys got to do everything they wanted to and Steve and I would get one ride in together before they left.

After riding Jungle Cruise I think we headed over to Tomorrowland. Steve and I wanted to make sure to ride Space Mountain - a ride neither of our girls would enjoy while Michael and Tony were there to help watch Tatum. But first a ride on the Peoplemover. Gracie rode with Michael and Tony leaving Stever and I to ride with Tatum. She seemed to enjoy this ride - even telling us we had to sit on one side so she rode by herself. We tried to make fun of the dark sections playing I spy when we knew what was coming but we just don't get there enough sometimes and it was funny the two of trying to predict what we thought might be coming up- Buzz lightyear ride? the store? Space Mountain- this was the second ride I had made Steve go on during our honeymoon there so many years ago- the first was a gondola ride that is gone now so this is sort of our favorite couple ride now- its sentimental for us and we enjoy it as most do on this site. I think this will be a ride she looks forward to when we return. It was probably tame for Michael and Tony, but Gracie is a fan as well- so it works well for our little family.

Riding the People Mover we noticed the Incredibles were having a dance party down in tomorrowland. Tatum was so excited. Right away she wanted to go and see what was going on and meet the Incredibles. So we headed over. She joined in with the crowds dancing- although she grabbed her noise reduction headphones and put them on first. She tried her best to dance and keep up with all the moves but she struggled, it was cute though and lots of kids were unable to keep up so she didn't really stand out and she was hving the time of her life. She kept pushing me away and telling me to go away and get off the dance floor so it seemed like the best time for Stever and I to sneak off and go ride Space Mountain. So that's what we did and poof as soon as we got off the ride we found the whole crew down in the gift store waiting for us.

https://www.facebook.com/tobi.scaggs/videos/vb.1348862542/10208557237472277/?type=3&theater

We knew we wanted to be sure to catch the fireworks one more time with them before they lfet so we scoped out a good place to watch and Steve took Tatum to a farther location with her noise reduction headphones. He says she watched a lot of the fireworks go off from a seating area in Tomorrowland - so maybe this next time she'll actually watch them from the front.

Michael and Tony wanted to ride on a few more rides so back to Tomorrowland and Space Mountain then over to Speedway - where everyone drove around the track but me. (Steve rode with Tatum and said he had to hold the peddle down with his own foot most of the time as it was a challenge to press down.) We stayed until the guys got on the last Space Mountain ride there was and then we slowly made our way to Main Street for last minute shopping for the guys and pictures for the girls with statues and such in front of a dark but well lit castle. Once they were satisified that they had enough souvenirs we headed out and to our Saratoga Springs bus stop. The ride back was faster and more full than most of our other trips but what a day we had had.

Thursday Morning: I'm gonna put this here because - 1 it was sad to say goodbye to the guys- I love sharing Disney with others it makes the trip even more fun for me, but I was also selfishly jealous that I wasn't going over to Universal with them. They got packed up and headed out- leaving a big master bedroom open with a magnificent bathtub that I was longing to use. But alas, before I could enjoy the tub I started feeling nauseous. Getting sick at WDW is just the worst. I was suddenly feverish and unable to keep down the small bit of pop tart that I'd had that morning. I woke Steve up to get his advice on what was wrong with me and also to move him over to the bigger bed. We had planned to have a sleep in/swim day this day with a last minute reservation made for dinner at Teppan Edo. Steve convinced me to try a warm bath, a half of a xanax (I have an anxiety disorder with a prescription that allows me to counteract panic attacks before they get severe.) and then to lay down with him and let the girls sleep in and just do so myself. So after saying goodbye to Michael so he could get to US/IOA in time for his extra magic hours for Harry Potter - (a book he had first listened to as a little boy on a trip with my husband and I to a cousins wedding down south) I found myself being forced to relax and take it easy- a new concept for me on a trip to the parks. What a wonderful thing it was. I worried about feeling like I was wasting time and money just resting but eventually I fell asleep and woke up feeling better stomach wise but with a true cough and cold that would plague for about 2 weeks from that day on.

Tatum woke up at some point and got herself some cheez-its, Gracie must have woken up and made her and Tatum some mini pancakes in the microwave and by noon the girls came in and asked us if we wanted to wake up and go swimming. Steve and I wanted to have a drink at the pool so we headed to the main pool and just lounged. The water was pretty cool and I felt bad at times for Gracie - she wants so badly to play with Tatum, but Tatum enjoys playing by herself and not interacting with others- even her sister at times. She has an incredible imagination but is truly in her own "world" at times like this and she was in heaven - even though it was fairly chilly. Gracie tried to entertain herself but got bored and eventually came to lay on the lounge chair with Steve and I. I got some amazing raspberry drink and Steve had a yuengling beer. Gracie settled for a pop in her souvenir cup but we had to get it for her as the bees were everywhere around the soda refill machine.

We went back to the room after grabbing some lunch at quick service place by the main pool and found a love of the cinnamon rolls there. We grabbed some more souvenirs - a saratoga springs tshirt and some cold and cough medicine for me. Then we headed back to the room to relax some more- I seriously took a second bath that day! LOVE that tub. Steve and I confirmed our rental car for the drive home and started mapping a route. I contacted work and let them know I'd be back a day later than I anticipated and worked on sub plans. Around 6 we left to catch a bus to Epcot for dinner. We had no ideas whether or not Tatum would be good at this restaurant- but she LOVED shopping at all the stores at Epcot. Steve and the girls all bought matching baha coats at the Mexican pavillion. Tatum danced and played music with a mariachi band - they just brought her over to play along with them while she played with instruments she found nearby in a store.

Last time we ate at Teppan Edo I had a problem - we believe it was the ginger sauce - so I let them know in advance to keep the ginger sauce clear from me- such a bizarre allergy to have but I do- sucks too- that sauce was so good!

Surprisingly enough Tatum was wonderful through the whole meal. In fact prior to this trip we were a family that didn't go out to eat because she didn't do well in restaurants but starting with the character meals and then just being so happy to sit instead of walking she found a love for going to them. This was an unexpected gift Disney gave us- the confidence to try going out to eat again when we got home. She loved the show the cook put on and (although she still wouldn't eat anything there) the rest of us, we all loved our food- especially the buttery noodles. This place will be a must do everytime we come to WDW. During dinner we could hear the rumbling of Illuminations - but Tatum was never bothered by the noise - she never put her headphones at all on this night. By the time we were done with dinner the whole park was closed as it was quite a bit after Illuminations. We had an empty park. To make it even better the Flower and Garden show was going to be starting soon- remember this was the end of February- beginning of March- so the shrubberies were cut in the form of the Disney characters. We found many as we made our way slowly to the entrance. If you ever have the chance to be in the parks late at night or early in the morning I suppose- its a wonderful thing. Cast members at the entry asked which hotel we needed to go to and as we told them they got on a radio I assume to call a bus to get us back to our hotel. The family that shared our table at dinner came along and joined us at our same hotel bus stop and within moments a bus came along to take us back. And one of the best and worst days of our trip finally came to a close.

On a side note Michael and Tony made it over to Universal easily and got checked in at Cabana Bay (although their room wasn't ready) they went to the parks early enough to do the Harry Potter stuff- and had the time of their lives for the rest of their trip. They just told me yesterday at our Christmas dinner that our trip in February was the highlight of their year and that made me so very happy. I'm so glad it all worked out.

We had one full day left that we were going to spend at Epcot- then Beaches and Cream for Lunch followed by a final night at Magic Kingdom. When we got back to our hotel I took another bath! Seriously I just love that tub.

 

[DHare]

I'm really enjoying your trip report! My daughter and I are headed to Disney February 26-March 3rd. This will be our 3rd Mother Daughter trip. Our first was in 2011, then 2013. My daughter is also special needs and on the Autism Spectrum. Disney World is our Favorite Place in the whole world! She has been begging me for years to go back and she just found out at Christmas that we are. We can't wait! It sounds like we are going during the same time you did last year. It will be our first Flower & Garden festival.

 

[MinnieGirlNE]

Friday- our last full day at WDW.



I woke up long before everyone else- and surprise- Took a Bath! (tee hee) (We have a house with lots of showers and a really small tub that’s great for kids but is very shallow- so it isn’t one an adult ever really “soaks” in. I really took advantage of the tub- have I mentioned that?)



My throat was really getting sore, but I had zero nausea that morning. I was up by 7:00 and didn’t really want to wake anyone else up- so after a quick soak in the tub I got dressed and headed over to the lobby for some sore throats drops I’d seen the day before but hadn’t grabbed. I also snuck myself another one of those cinnamon rolls and got one to go for Gracie or Steve- whomever woke up first.



I absolutely love Saratoga Springs. I worried a bit when we first booked it reading about how big it was and all the bus stops and I’ll confess when we first got our room and it had a view of basically a swamp I was bummed. But our location was right next to the Paddock pool and the bus stop that accompanied it and we were right around the building from the bridge that took you to the lobby and the quick service restaurant as well as the main pool. Originally we’d thought we should get a higher floor room, but we learned on this trip about her bouncing- its better for her to be on the ground floor so folks below us don’t have to listen to her bouncing when she gets excited (which happens anytime she finds a toy she loves or thinks of something funny, or we mention something that makes her happy.) Everything turned out just perfectly though, I cannot complain and I remember that morning walk as one of my favorite moments from our trip. I will have to remember to do that again.



The kids woke up and Gracie had the rest of her cereal instead of the roll, leaving it for her dad. We let him sleep in as long as possible. When he woke up we all got ready and headed over to Epcot via bus. I think it was around 9:30 or so when we got there and we headed over to Ellen’s Energy Adventure- this was Gracie’s pick as she wanted to return and it had closed early one night earlier in our stay. Tatum absolutely hated this ride. Sadly because the rest of us enjoy it but in retrospect the dinosaurs were just too scary and she didn’t follow the video parts – luckily it wasn’t very crowded and I think we had an entire massive row to ourselves and she hid for a large part of it down on the floor. After that we wanted to build up her trust again and we headed straight to Imagination for the Figment ride- while she tolerated the ride she really wanted to play in the area after the ride- she loved making music by stepping on spots on the carpet. We wanted to ride so we told her that was the only way to get there. She accepted it but kept reminding us she wasn’t doing any more rides on this trip. She had a blast playing and we had about 2 hours before our reservation at Beaches and Cream so we were fine with it.



Gracie started to get hungry though and we thought we’d head out for a snack. But nothing sounded very good to her so we started heading to a food court for her. I had intended for us to actually eat one meal at Beaches and Cream that day –but when Steve pulled up the menu he felt like we should just do ice cream there and get some lunch at the food court at the American Pavillion. So we headed that way – without realizing it we got there right as it opened and folks flooded to the counters to order. We got the basics- cheeseburgers for steve and I and chicken tenders for the kids. I’m never a huge fan of their counter service anywhere in the parks really (although we were impressed with the Mexican place Tortuga Tavern at MK) it all kinda tastes the same otherwise. One of these times we’re going to remember to try Sunshine Seasons that I read so much about on the boards. With full bellies we walked around World Showcase again – it was crowded at Epcot that day. We went on a futile search to try to find Mulan for a picture with Tatum, but were never lucky enough to find her. We saw Belle and Mary Poppins but Tatum didn’t want to stand in line for either of them. I think they looked too human for her interest level to be there. Even with Pocahontas she was mostly excited about Meeko.



So we decided to make our way to the Friendship Launch and take a boat ride to Beach Club. I’ve always dreamed of staying at this hotel one day but I had never actually been there. It was pretty and very spread out. I was actually more impressed with Boardwalk when we actually saw them in person. Catch 22- I want the pool at Beach Club but the feeling of Boardwalk. We made our way to Beaches and Cream and ordered some ice cream- none of us were brave enough for the kitchen sink but whatever gracie ordered came with some flair and flaunt from the wait staff- it was mostly chocolate – I want to say some type of big brownie sundae. Then we went over and played in the arcade for a while. Tatum really wanted to go to the beach- but sometimes when she gets sand on her and we can’t get it off all the way it can trigger a meltdown. So despite her complaints we talked her out of it with her bubble machine we had bought and made our way to the bus stop to catch a ride to Magic Kingdom. Their bus stops are really nice.



Once at Magic Kingdom Gracie wanted to look at phone cases and Steve and Tatum went to get a DAS fast pass for Peter Pans Flight. That was one of the few rides Tatum wanted to do again. I talked her into a quick ride on It's a Small World- that was like a walk through line – the line area looked full like it would be a wait but we just kept walking and moving til we got to the loading area. Steve used to hate this ride until we looked up all the hidden mickey’s to find- now he tolerates it. Gracie finds it creepy since we read the Kingdom Keeper books – she expects them to come along and attack. But Tatum and I enjoyed it the way it was meant to be enjoyed. She’s a little bummed that the Florida version doesn’t have the hidden characters like the California one does- I wish they’d put those in – it makes for something really fun to look for while you ride along. Having watched the videos a lot on youtube and not realizing we were watching Disneyland ones I had her expecting to find those but she was a trooper and would say- we’ll find them next time. Our window opened for Peter Pan and we headed over and rode what may be her favorite ride again. Her favorite character these days is Nanna – she always got so excited when she spots her and it's the only tsum tsum she sleeps with every night.



We went through the shops a bit looking at dresses and gifts for my nieces girls from me. Gracie found the phone case she was searching for and I bought myself a puzzle to put together. The crowds were getting really thick and Tatum was getting fairly impatient. We wanted to walk over and do the Tikki room and get a dole whip but a major meltdown happened in a store near the castle and we headed out to see a show starting outside the castle so we tried to watch. Tatum wasn’t having it- she wanted nothing to do with watching the show and started trying to run from us. I think the crowds had gotten to her and she was probably tired. I think we had a moment where Steve and I realized we were tired too. We had intended to stay late and watch the spectromagic parade and maybe even wishes again that night, but we listened instead to our tantruming daughter and our bodies and headed towards the entrance knowing we had done nearly everything on our wish list for this trip at MK. We quickly got a bus and were back at Saratoga Springs in no time what so ever. Tatum actually fell asleep for a bit and Gracie, Steve and I watched a bit of TV. Since we paid out of pocket for our meal at Beaches and Cream we had a table service credit left and we figured we’d try the hotel restaurant for a late dinner. We put our names in and got a table at 8:00.



We got dressed, slowly woke Tatum up and walked over to our main restaurant, The Turf Club Bar and Grill. Tatum had some trouble waiting for our table to be ready but Stever took her outside and that seemed to help a bit. I ordered Steak and loved it- I actually liked the steak here a bit better than the one at the Boathouse- that probably won’t make me very popular but its true. We really enjoyed it. Best part of our meal was our amazing waitress named- Tobi- now I’ve gone my whole life only meeting one other girl named Tobi- and I’m named after her –so to meet another one that spelled it just as we did was so much fun. She took great care of us and Tatum and make us feel so welcome. We headed back to our room after doing some last minute souvenir shopping- Gracie convinced me to buy my last souvenir a black bag I use every day for work to carry back and forth all my papers to grade and I’m so glad I bought it. It was a relaxing end to a whirlwind trip. I often think I’d want to be there for 10 days but honestly by the end of a week I’m ready to get back home- I end up missing my dogs, my parents and sisters – I’m a homebody. I think we were all ready to head home – even though we were kind of dreading the long drive.



Back at the room Steve and I had a quick conversation about stopping at Hollywood Studios before leaving – we had started this adventure with Tatum with Toy Story Mania and we thought it might be fun if that was her last ride too. So- we made a plan to wake up and get the rental then pack up the vehicle and head over to DHS before leaving for home.



I took another bath knowing it was my last and then we packed like crazy. We had originally planned on stopping at nights for a good nights sleep, so we packed with a separate bag to go in with us to lighten the load we would have to take it when we’d stop. I did a lot of laundry quick like and we headed to bed.


SATURDAY - our 1/2 day at HS and then the start of a LONG drive home.

It was so so easy to get to the rental car. We made a reservation through Alamo to get picked up at the hotel lobby at 8:00 - we got there early and had breakfast- with Gracie babysitting a sleeping Tatum back at the room. A shuttle picked us up at the front lobby and took us over to the rental place. They let us pick out our full size SUV- we tried out a Yukon and felt like that was great so we ran the card through- note must be credit not debit – and we were on our way. This was the very first time either of us had actually driven at WDW. Usually I’m the driver and he’s the navigator – he was trying to use something on his phone but the green signs were actually more helpful. Sadly I did get lost once getting back to the hotel and ended up driving us into the Disney Springs Parking garage but we quickly exited and were back at the room by 8:30 and headed over to our last park visit by 9:30 or so. We had scheduled a fast pass for Toy Story Mania but it wasn’t going to be until noon. We walked over and used Tatum’s DAS to get an early ride- it was a Saturday and there was a 90 minute wait already- so we had a window that opened up around 11:30- so we may get to ride it twice if we were lucky. We stopped in at Starring Rolls and got some cupcakes with some of our left over snack credits. We walked around the Star Wars area – it was so very crowded. With our credit card membership we were able to get an audience with Kylo Ren. Tatum wanted to meet Chewbacca but the wait was too too long. So we settled for the Sith lord with anger management issues- Steve was happy. I hadn’t seen the movie yet at that point so really didn’t “get” his character but Steve said he was perfect and Tatum was legit scared- so he was doing something right. So mostly Steve got his picture taken with him as Kylo Ren determined Tatum to be rebellion scum, I think he called her – it was hard to hear him.



We headed back to Toy Story Mania and rode with the DAS pass we had. For the first time Tatum agreed to ride with Steve so I actually got to just control my own gun for once and I did okay- I wish I’d had more practice but honestly I kinda missed my ride partner when we got to the turns. I was happy she wanted to ride with me again for the last round. We were able to ride back to back as our FP window opened for our last ride. We tried grabbing some food at Fairfax Faire but it was packed and we cut our losses and decided to grab sodas with our snack credits at the exit and say goodbye to the parks.



Tatum kept asking which park we were going to next and we’d say Homeland. She bought it, we were all tired and I think ready to be finally going home. Doing this half day and driving I didn't go through my usual end of Disney trip depression. I can honestly be downright grumpy on our last day when we leave- but I think WDW with kids is a bit exhausting for me and so for once I was sort of ready to be done and back to home routines. Even though Tatum had done a wonderful job outside of the plane and a few glitches waiting for buses.



First stop was finding a place to get Steve to take some Yuengling back home. We found a Walmart and grabbed a bit of that and some snacks for the car and settled in.



We drove and drove until we got to Valdosta Georgia before I begged to stop for the night and get some rest. My cough and head were killing me and I need a break from the road. We had trouble getting a room as we hadn’t made reservations. My father never made reservations far in advance I think he always just found us a roadside hotel or motel and we got a room, but these days that’s not what you do. We finally found a Drury Inn that had a room available and an indoor pool. It was more than we wanted to pay for one night but we figured it would work. It was fabulous – we’re planning on staying there again. The beds were comfortable, the pool was amazing and they had a nice spread for breakfast in the morning. This was bound to be our longest day ever in the car. My cough was getting worse and worse and I felt kinda miserable, meaning Steve had to do most of the driving. Tatum and Gracie were great. Tatum used to get car sick whenever we’d go anywhere and we were worried but the bigger vehicle and letting her sleep a lot in the back third row seat helped. So did an iPad with a satellite connection.



That night at some point we stopped to eat at a restaurant and get out of the car for awhile and Steve (who works nights) said he was going to drive straight through the night to get us closer to home quicker. I was sad but felt like he’d decided – so supported him. We stopped at Target and got some supplies – mostly diet mt. dew for him to keep him going and some more goldfish and cheezits, etc for the kids. Around 1 AM we hit terrible road construction and seriously a crowd of people on the interstate- when does that ever happen? We had to take a detour and I remember him wishing we had stopped and we decided next decent place we found we’d stop but it took over an hour and we found a nice truck stop and got out- I needed more cough medicine and tried driving for a while and got us to St. Louis. He took over the last three hours in the rental and got us to KC airport where we found our minivan. We paid for longterm parking and turned in the rental- they only charged us about half what they predicted since we turned it in essentially a day earlier than we’d anticipated. And he got himself in our van and I drove the last leg home. Right about the time we got to Nebraska City Tatum finally got car sick and started throwing up everywhere. I’m not even sure we had it in us to do anything but kinda laugh a bit. She had done so well for so long- that’s a really long drive to Nebraska from Florida. We got home and all happily fell asleep in our own beds for a few hours.

Follow up: I had to go to the Doctor by Tuesday afternoon and they confirmed I had bronchitis. I was surrounded in the waiting rooms by all sorts of coughs with probably similar test results but I was happy because I knew my germs were Disney germs. What a peculiar thought if you think about it- but the best part about this website is that many of you know or understand exactly what I meant by that.

Thanks for joining us and reading along. Goal for my next trip- get better at posting pictures and responding to comments. I'm up to my peak anxiety (in a good way- its EUSTRESS not distress!) planning the next trip- May 2017 returning and letting Gracie bring a friend this time - rooms for 5 are a bit tricky but I think we've got a handle on it. We shall see. Sad for much of what will no longer be there but happy for all the new stuff we find each time.

Thanks again.

 

[MinnieGirlNE]

I'm really enjoying your trip report! My daughter and I are headed to Disney February 26-March 3rd. This will be our 3rd Mother Daughter trip. Our first was in 2011, then 2013. My daughter is also special needs and on the Autism Spectrum. Disney World is our Favorite Place in the whole world! She has been begging me for years to go back and she just found out at Christmas that we are. We can't wait! It sounds like we are going during the same time you did last year. It will be our first Flower & Garden festival.

Thank you for your comment. We really enjoyed it and were so glad we took the chance to take her. I can't lie I was apprehensive about all the unknown variables we could face, but we got twice as much happiness and joy as we expected and she did so much more than we thought she would. I hope you and your daughter have a wonderful mommy daughter trip. I have a feeling your trip schedule will be perfect and miss many of the crowds we ran into post-marathon weekend. It was a fun time to be there. I hope you'll post a trip report when you return so I can find out how it all goes. Happy traveling (soon for you!)

 

[MinnieGirlNE]

Enjoying your report. That pic of Tatum and Goofy is priceless.

I know right? We got one of her visiting with Pocahontas I wasn't able to load I don't think that my cousins all thought should be disneyworld tourist pamphlet worthy. The "beast" of Tatum's autism is in its unpredictibility at times, the beauty is her absolute belief in the magic all around her at the parks. I hope she never grows out of it. With good planning and flexibility the "beast" of it is very tame.