Its been awile...

[goofycathy]

Hello there, I used to frequent these boards quite often, then my mom got sick. It started with a small tumor on her adrenal gland, which the Drs operated on but it was too late...the cancer has now spread to her liver and is working on her kidneys. We just found out friday that there is nothing more they can do for her and have suggested that a call to hospice is around the corner....so why am I here you ask? The only thing she really wants to do is go to Disneyland with just her two daughters... so last night we booked a very very small trip...we leave Friday and spend Saturday there and come back on Sunday. I just wanted to know if there was anything special going on or if there is anything in particular that we should see...I would appreciate any feedback and I'm sorry it has taken me so long to check back in but things have been rough...love to you all and thank you in advanced!


~Cathy

 

[LavenderPeach]

So sorry to hear about your mom. I hope you collect a lot of good memories on your upcoming trip.

If you're looking for good shows you should see Aladdin at DCA. I hear it's really good! I wouldn't know from personal experiece since the one time I tried to see it DS was talking and yelling the whole time so I had to leave after the first 5 minutes. Of course there's also the Fantasmic dessert seating (if it's available at such short notice). They have the new dragon up and running now. There is also Billy Hill and the Hillbillies which is always enjoyable.

IASW has some new things in it including some disney characters sprinkled throughout and an Americana/cowboy themed room at the end. It's fun to try to spot all the new characters. Some of them are really obvious and some are harder to find.

Not sure if that was helpful or not but I hope you have a great time on your trip!

 

[Kayla's Mom]

Cathy - I am so sorry for what you and your family are going through. How about the Fantasmic dessert seating? Not sure if you could still get seats, but it would be worth a try. The dragon finally made her appearance last week. I hope you guys have a wonderful trip.

 

[lattemomof3]

Hugs to you & your family. My dad passed away 5 months ago and it is still very hard. My best advice to you is to take lots of pictures. They will be priceless to you in the years to come. Even if you are not the type to jump into a photo, jump in anyway. Photopass is a great option, bec. you will get lots of pics of the whole group, but won't "miss the moment" you are in, always worrying about getting a great picture.

 

[goofycathy]

Thank you for all the suggestions and I will do all of them if I can with such short notice....I'm really looking forward to this trip and now we have decided since our plane lands early (9am) that we will upgrade to a 2 day pass so that we can go friday also... *hugs* and thank you all for your advice!

 

[QueenDoOver]

I am terribly sorry for what you all are going through. It is so hard to watch someone we love suffer. I would imagine that stamina is a real concern for your Mom, and I would suggest getting a GAC (guest assistance card) so that you can minimize line waiting for any attractions that she wants to go on. Also, if it becomes too much, just rent a wheel chair for the day.

One thing I would check into when you get there, would be riding the Lily Belle train car. It is truly a lovely experience and surely would be a treasured memory for you and your sister. To see if it is possible, just go to the main street station (this is the only place you can get on I think) and ask the conductor there if it is on the track and if it would be possible to have a ride. You may even want to go ahead of your Mom and sister, and speak to the conductor in private, (they are readily available inbetween trains) and explain the situation. I am sure they would do what they could to make the trip a little bit more magical. If you are really lucky, Vern will be your conductor on the Lily Belle and he is truly a special Disney soul.

I hope that you will have a wonderful trip. I would call and try to make a PS so you know you will be able to have a seated meal at least once a day. Maybe Cafe Orleans, sitting by the river? Does your Mom like the Electric Parade? Maybe you could do the reserved seating for it, with wine and cheese and desert??

I do hope that you have a wonderful weekend.

 

[DizMe]

Oh, I'm so sorry, GC! How wonderful, though, that you will get to have this last special trip with your mom and sister. I'm sure the memories will help see you through some rough times.

QueenDoOver gave some great advice, as did the other posters! It might be worth emailing or calling DLR to explain the situation and see if they have any suggestions for making the trip extra special. If you're staying onsite, you could maybe call Vacation Planning and see what they have to offer, too.

I imagine your mom will get very tired, so the suggestion for Aladdin was a good one. I took my mom last Feb. She is 77 and in a wheelchair so we did the trip differently than we normally would have to take advantage of sit-down attractions and fun eating experiences. I would stay onsite if possible so that getting back to the hotel is as easy as you can make it. If you're staying at GCH, request a handicap room as they are nearest the elevators. Some of those GCH rooms are so far away that it is tiring just getting there from the elevator, even when perfectly healthy! I know it's expensive, but if there is a possibility for it you might consider concierge. We did that with my mom so that she would have a nice lounge to hang out in if she was too tired to be in the park. They have games, TV, movies, and food/beverages all day. Your mom probably doesn't feel like eating much but it's still nice to be able to get something to drink and snack on if you want and a place to relax.

After we got back, we had one of those hardcover memory books made through Costco from our trip with my mom and I just love it. It sits on the coffee table and people enjoy looking through it.

I hope you have a wonderful time!

 

[pixiewings71]

Oh Cathy, I'm so sorry! :hugs

I don't have much to add, but please cherish every moment with your Mom and your sister, have a great time and just enjoy it.

 

[disneymama83]

I wish you a very memorable vacation with your mom and sister!

God Bless You!

 

[goofycathy]

My husband called DL today and they are working on something to make the trip extra special....we got her a wheelchair today and we're flying instead of driving to minimize the time she has to sit in the car. The worst thing is that she is so dang young, only 53. Her only request is to ride Pirates and eat at the Blue Bayou, so we have PS arrangements already...yay, after that she said she wouldn't mind just hanging out and people watching on Main St....I cant wait, I went a bought a 4gb memory card today so I can get some really good high resolution prints for my albums....this trip will be bittersweet but I'm also so happy to be there with her.

 

[ballarinamom]

Are you getting a wheelchair or an ECV? If it is an evc, please remember that you can use the handicap entrances by just showing the key. I think you need the special pass from city hall otherwise.

I read where someone here in a similar situation was doing a silhouette with their mom. I thought that would be an amazing thing to have.

My heart goes out to you! My brother died of pancreatic cancer last year and I know how important it is to squeeze in all that love in a limited time.
Have an amazing trip

 

[azdisneylover]

(((Big Hugs))),
My heart goes out to you and your family, Cathy. My mom passed in July, and I miss her terribly. Ride the train often, the jungle cruise, IASW, grab a snack and sit and watch the musicians, and people. Ask mom what she would like to see and do. She will tire fast and will need a break or two during the day. See if you can have her meet Oscar and have him talk with her about his experiences working for Mr. Disney. Sail on the Mark Twain and enjoy the scenery and chat. Take lots of pics, hopefully there will be Dis boarders there to grab your camera and take some shots of you and your sis with your mom. Look for LGMHs.
Make a game of who can find the most Hidden Mickeys. Your mom has the best taste! (((big hugs)))

ps Keeping your mom and your family in my prayers.

 

[scanmom]

so sorry to hear about your troubles. All of the ideas here are really great. just remember to take time to really, really enjoy your special time with your mom. Try not to get caught up in what to do, or where to go next. Stop and smell the roses, so to speak. Your mom sounds like a brave woman who has raised very special daughters! I am glad you all will get to have a special time together... bless you all!!!

 

[goofycathy]

OK between the tears I'm writing to tell you all thank you very much for all these wonderful suggestions! my husband talked to the people at Disneyland to see if they could do anything special (and he talked to two different people) and they basically asked him right off if we were staying on-site (which we couldn't afford) and they told him that they really cant do anything except maybe possibly letting her ride in the Lilly Belle train car....well correct me if im wrong but cant you ride if you ask politely? I just felt like they should be privileged to have my AWESOME mom come to their park as her dying request....oh well I guess its not as important to them like it is to us :-(

 

[aprincess@mail.com]

oh im sooo sorry for your pain, please know that your family is in my thoughts and prayers.
I hope you have a great time in Disneyland and cherish all those special moments.

Sorry Disney couldnt do anything for you, its unfortunate that they were not willing to extend magic to those not staying onsite...

But please do not let this get in the way of your mom's last wish, she wishes to have a great time with her daughters in the magical kingdom, and thats what you will do...

Everyone had great responses, and Im sure you will have a grand time.
I just have one thing to add, the Tiki Room, I know its my mom's favorite, so she may love sitting there enjoying a pineapple dole whip.

 

[goofycathy]

I'm back, We had a great time but Disney dropped the ball on SO MUCH....I have details but not sure if I want to burst anyones bubble, we've talked to CM's about it and it seems like it was just lack of communication on Disneys part....didnt wreck our trip just kinda bummed us out! Disney was BUSY at night, guess it was after everyone was done with D23....Fireworks were awesome!!! we had VIP seating which was the best! mom had a great time!

 

[Kayla's Mom]

Sorry to hear they dropped the ball....but glad you had a great time.

 

[Lynzer Torte]

Aw- I'm glad you had a good time.

How did they "drop the ball"?

 

[goofycathy]

One of the cast members that we called ahead of time had all these little surprises set up for my mom and even went as far as to make a little itinerary for our trip but "forgot" to relay all of this information on friday night before she left for the weekend to the different cast members involved, so when we showed up for these events they had no idea what we were talking about or acted like it was no big deal...it was disappointing for my sister and I, who have grown up going to Disneyland, but not for my mom since she didn't know about any of it....either way, we had a good time and im not going to let it affect the fun we had on our trip or the memories we made