LAH LAH & Elsa, a mom/daughter (+1) Jan 2014 trip!!! UPDATE 1/27 *2 Days!!!*

[LAH LAH]

Can't believe it...we are going back!!! ​

The where, what, and whens to follow, but first the "whos"!

My name is Melissa. I am a 38 (groan) year old single mom of 5 (2 bio kids and an adopted sibling group of 3 little boys). I love, love, love Disney and my favorite character is Mary Poppins. I get itchy twitchy if I don't have a WDW trip on the horizon and I go into over drive when I do! I had the privilege of going twice as a young girl, then many visits in 2007 while being married to a CM, and 7 trips as an adult. I dream about getting AP's some day and having the luxury of being a DVC member. That would be amazing!

Her name is Elsa. She is a 14 year old, only sister to her 4 brothers. She is an amazing young lady who puts her heart and soul into everything she does. She loves singing, acting, soccer and track, playing her clarinet, snowboarding, and studies her academics like a fiend! Being at Disney makes her hap, hap, happy! Her favorite character is Sully and she just soaks in all the wonderful magic while at Disney. She is an exceptional teen, and we mesh well. We both love life and are really looking forward to this time spent together. There's just something about the thought of a girls only trip that makes me giddy!

Here we are at her very first concert. The Biebs.

All the kids:

Michael (16) Elsa (14) Easton (5) Chase (4) & Noah (almost 3)

I started contemplating another Disney trip at the end of November. I was throwing around the idea of a solo trip to the World. Never done it that way before. In some ways it sounded like a chance to recharge, but I wasn't sure if I would enjoy being alone in the World. I talked to Michael about the possibility of me going solo and he emphatically told me to do it. He said he was ok with not going, and that he knew I could use a break. He assured me many times that he didn't think he was too cool for Disney, but that he wouldn't mind to sit this one out.

Well, that was easy.

Armed with the confidence over my conversation with Michael, I approached Elsa about my desire for a solo trip. She was having NONE of it! She said: NO WAY! She said if I was going so was she. I was never opposed to taking my kids with me, it's just I haven't saved up enough in our vacation budget to fund a trip for all of us, and I only had free air fare for 2.

The thought of a mother/daughter trip appealed to me, and I got more excited the longer I thought about it. I went back to Michael and presented the new plan. Surprisingly enough he was fine with it. He has had a ton on his plate lately and the thought of missing any school was so overwhelming. We talked in depth about it and I was satisfied that he meant it. I ended the conversation asking how he was going to feel when Elsa and I got on the plane with out him. These were his thoughts: "You know how you feel when someone has a cookie and you don't? You're happy for them, but kinda wish you had a cookie too. Then you realize it's only a cookie and you really aren't that hungry anyways." That was enough for me.

So this is how it came to be that we are returning to Disney, and I am sooooo excited!!!

Just 15 days till we board that plane, and I can't wait!

 

[LAH LAH]

After solidifying that it would be just Elsa and I going, I started looking at dates. My mom (often referred to as Meema in my trip reports) had offered to watch the littles if we planned to go back. Being a single mom to 4 special needs boys can be awfully taxing at times. I know I'll take the littles to Disney at some point, but they will have to be a wee bit older. I have vowed to NOT be that crazy mom pushing the triple stroller around WDW. Well, I was ready to take Meema up on her offer! We discussed dates and I was happy we were able to agree on a time frame that would still be offering Free Dining!!

January 30th - February 3rd!

​

Rooms at the value resorts, attached to the Free Dining offer, were selling out fast. I had 3 resort options when Meema and I started talking about this. The day I booked our trip the only thing left was Pop Century, and that's ok because we LOVE Pop! I got the feeling from the CM who booked us that we were lucky we even got the reservation we wanted. I would have been so sad if we had missed out!

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For those of you who are familiar with our previous Trip Reports, you might be wondering where all of Elsa's hair went. I told you before that she was an extraordinary girl. Her good friend Micah has been battling T-Lymphoblastic Lymphoma. He's doing well and responding to treatment, but it has been a long and draining process on his body. When he started loosing his hair, she (and a few of her guy friends) decided to shave their heads in support. We decided to have a "macaroni and cheese, Wreck it Ralph, shaving of the heads" party.

It turns out that she has a very nicely shaped head. This is one of those things you just never know about until you shave your head. Ha! It also helped her whole Sinead O'Conner/80's vibe she had going on for Throw Back Thursday of Spirit Week at school.

 

[LAH LAH]

2 WEEKS FROM RIGHT NOW we will be in the airplane and flying to the best place ever! I can't believe we are so close to the trip. I was very happy to snag early morning flights on our first day. We should land in Orlando around 10:00 am!!! Our hope is to make it to EPCOT by 1 pm. We figured 1-9 pm would be enough for just the two of us. We chose FP+ for Test Track, Mission: SPACE, and Spaceship Earth. I'm not sure how necessary FP's will be, seeing as it will be such a slow time, but thought we might as well grab them now! I let Elsa choose all of our FP+'s and I wouldn't have "wasted" one on Test Track, and would have preferred Soarin', but I thought it would be fun for her to be in charge of something on this trip. I tend to present our itinerary, and this time I wanted some input.

Speaking of FP+, we were pretty excited to get our Magic Bands. I like the idea of wearing the band and being able to forgo fishing around for those darn tickets every time we need them. As soon as we booked the trip we went online and picked FP+'s and customized our bands! About a week later I tried to get MDE (My Disney Experience) set up on my phone. Strange thing happened. The app kept demanding I link our tickets to our reservation. That didn't make sense so I went back to my computer and tried to view it from there. Nothing. It was getting close to the time our MBs were supposed to ship and I was afraid we might get the grey bands of shame, so I called Disney. It was obvious I wasn't the first to call with this issue. The CM sounded soooooo tired. I waited on the phone, on hold, for over an hour while all sorts of levels tried to find our reservation. She would come back on every once in a while to apologize and it was usually while I was loudly singing away to one of the "on hold" songs. Once I was even holding the phone to Elsa's ear so she could here "dead men tell no tales". They were finally able to find our reservation with the confirmation number I provided, but it wasn't attached to anything or anyone. Once they finally linked it back to me they said we were good to go! They directed me to re-customize our bands and choose FP+'s again. We did it right away and received a "Your Magic Bands have shipped!!!!" email the very next day. We waited on pins and needles to see if we got our customized ones or the plain grey, (1st world problems, I know) and I was sooooo pleased to open the fancy box to see our green and blue MB's!!!!

I suppose it wouldn't have mattered in the end, because we decided to bling out our Magic Bands instead. We used different nail polishes and nail stickers to create our master pieces and we love them!!!

14 DAYS!!!!​

 

[Jennifer48]

YAY! Thanks for the heads up! So excited for you to be going back, and a girls only trip, how fabulous!!

This picture, priceless! Did you do it yourself? So creative and the littles are getting so big!!

What a special friend Elsa is, shaving her head like that. So brave! But you are right, she has a perfect shaped head for no hair!

What a great job blinging out your MBs you did! I saw a thread on everyone's designs. I might have to go out and buy myself some glittery nail polish!

 

[LAH LAH]

Thanks for joining! So much more fun to be excited with people than alone!!!

YAY! Thanks for the heads up! So excited for you to be going back, and a girls only trip, how fabulous!!

Sooooooooooooooo excited!!!

This picture, priceless! Did you do it yourself? So creative and the littles are getting so big!!

It was our Christmas card. Yes, I did it myself, but stole the idea of the internet...


What a special friend Elsa is, shaving her head like that. So brave! But you are right, she has a perfect shaped head for no hair!

What a great job blinging out your MBs you did! I saw a thread on everyone's designs. I might have to go out and buy myself some glittery nail polish!

It was super easy to do and the word on the street is it holds up fantastically!

 

[JessM]

I'm in! I remember reading your last trip report, so happy you are getting a chance to go back! A girls trip will be fantastic!

 

[LAH LAH]

I'm in! I remember reading your last trip report, so happy you are getting a chance to go back! A girls trip will be fantastic!

WOOT WOOT!!!

So glad you are joining in!

 

[wiigirl]

Following along!

 

[LAH LAH]

Following along!

So happy to have you here!!

 

[LAH LAH]

Well...I think we are gonna switch things up a little bit. My dad (Peepa) is thinking about coming out and joining us, which would be just fine with us! He loves, loves, loves the magic and the rides just like we do. Meema thinks she might be getting the raw end of the deal. She will be staying here with all the boys while the rest of us traipse off to the Happiest Place on Earth!

Actually she has been encouraging my dad to join us. He will be having a very extensive surgery on his leg a few weeks later and they know they won't be able to return to WDW this year. Because he might be joining us for the weekend, we thought we would change our plans so he could enjoy 3 different parks while he is there (if he even comes...). We were going to do EPCOT on the day we arrived followed by MK, HS, and ending with another MK day. Well, now we will be doing a shortened first MK day, EPCOT, HS, and then the lovely MK again. Doesn't really matter how it works out, we will be having a blast either way!!

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From 2010, that boy is now 6 feet tall!

 

[Imbri]

The decorated bands look really nice! They'll still work and everything, right? I can't see a reason they wouldn't, but I'd be worried that I'd be the one it malfunctioned on!

 

[LAH LAH]

Lots of people have painted them and they still work! I guess I will be able to give you 100% assurance in 12 days!!!!

Oh, and WELCOME!!

 

[LAH LAH]

Lots of people have painted them and they still work! I guess I will be able to give you 100% assurance in 12 days!!!!

Oh, and WELCOME!!

 

[LAH LAH]

Saving Mr. Banks​

We ventured out to see my "must see" movie of the year and we LOVED it! Mary Poppins is my favorite character and I loved the movie. Tom Hanks did a fantastic job and Emma Thompson blew me away! I was worried it might be too dramatic for the likes of Elsa. She loves action and adventure, and such, but she absolutely loved it! It really got me itchin' to be back at WDW, and I'm thankful we don't have to wait too much longer.

Elsa, the littles, and I saw FROZEN on New Years Day and the kids loved it, especially Elsa. I was a bit bitter though. I just couldn't get over the mainstreaming of my sweet Elsa's name. Every time they said it during the movie I cringed just a bit. Hahaha! In all seriousness it was a good movie and we even have pre-ordered it. Elsa is hoping to meet Elsa and Ana at Disney, but we really don't want to wait 5+ hours just to get a picture with them. We are hoping it will be a little bit more manageable seeing as we're going during a pretty slow time.

Michael has seemed to miss out on a lot of the group family stuff this year. He has been super, super busy his Junior year. Not only has he been trying to keep up with his studies, he has been involved in many extra curricular activities. He was selected to participate in the All-State Chorus. The highest musical honor our state has to offer for high school students.

It was simply amazing! I didn't think this level of music was possible from high school musicians. I cried through the first 2 songs, then I got it all together and really enjoyed the performance. So proud of my Michael! That was only one of the 5 singing groups he has been involved with the past two months.

Show Choir

Hot Chocolate Show Choir

Area-All State

Elsa and Michael after their Senior High Christmas Concert

All-County Show Choir

He is also the setter on his men's volleyball team.

All of this has happened since December. Plus missing 11 days of school so far this year from a medical issue we just last week got answers for. Thankfully things will be slowing down for him when January comes to a close. I very much understand his decision to stay home for this Disney trip.

 

[Jennifer48]

Keep us posted if Peepa joins the fun!

My how much Michael has grown. He's such a young man now! What wonderful accomplishments!

 

[littlezar]

I am here! Present and accounted for!

Super excited for you to be going back only days from now!

The kids have all gotten so big! WTG Michael on all your choir and volleyball successes! (sp?)

Can't wait to read more. No trip in the works for us - will PM you so as not to clutter up the TR!

 

[LAH LAH]

Keep us posted if Peepa joins the fun!

My how much Michael has grown. He's such a young man now! What wonderful accomplishments!

Every day he walks in the house after school, it shocks me. It hasn't sunk in yet that he is no longer a boy.

I am here! Present and accounted for!

Super excited for you to be going back only days from now!

The kids have all gotten so big! WTG Michael on all your choir and volleyball successes! (sp?)

Can't wait to read more. No trip in the works for us - will PM you so as not to clutter up the TR!

So happy you made it!

 

[LAH LAH]

+1​

My parents gifted all three of their children (and his two grandchildren) with a trip to Disney in 2007. Michael was 9 and Elsa was 7. It was August, wicked hot, and we had a blast!!! I was smitten with Disney and took Michael and Elsa back 10 months later. My mom (Meema) joined us for that trip, and we had a blast! Took another trip the following year (a surprise one for the kids) and Meema and my dad (Peepa) met us there, and we had a blast. 3 more years with three more trips with Meema and Peepa joining us for all but one, and we had a blast each and every time.

Whenever we make plans to go we invite the two people in our lives that enjoy it as much as we do. When I started throwing the idea around to go back I contacted my mom to see if the offer of her watching the little boys was still on the table. She worked it out and said yes. A great blessing! If she had said no, I would have encouraged her to join us. So it was only natural to see if Peepa wanted to come. He hemmed and hawed a bit, started in with the "not so sure I can take off work right now" stuff, but I knew he really wanted to come. He loves Disney like we love Disney.

We finally worked out all the details and I am sooo excited that he is actually going to join us. We added him to our room so he could get the Free Dining and we'll have to rent a cot, but the more the merrier, right? Elsa and I will spend our first day together at MK and he should arrive pretty late (10 pm-ish) and we will go to Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and end the trip with an EMH Magic Kingdom day! Elsa, Peepa and I are the go, go, go-ers out of the group so we are excited to see how touring the world with just the three of us will work out!

Peepa, Michael and Elsa at Animal Kingdom in 2012​

8 Days To Go!!!​

 

[littlezar]

How fun that Peepa is coming!

I can't believe that picture was taken not quite a year and a half ago!

I think I forgot to say "Way to go, Elsa!" for shaving her head for her friend! She totally rocks the shaved/short look! And the littles are so adorable! Love the Christmas card pic!

 

[LAH LAH]

2 Days to Go!!!​

I can't believe we are so close to going! We have had a ton of sickness in our house this month and I am really hoping it continues to pass Elsa and I. The poor littles have been hit hard. I spent three days this week carrying a bucket in hopes that I might catch something, anything that the boys were "producing". They haven't mastered the art of aiming yet. Bleh... Michael missed two more days of school this past week with the flu. Like I sad, tons of sickness. Even my dad, two states away, has been battling a wicked, wicked flu. He is on the mend, but how weird that it's only hitting the men in the family.

We'd better not get it at Disney!!!

Elsa and I are mostly packed and excited to see that the temps keep improving. Hopefully it will stay with what the forecast calls for now. One chilly day, followed by lovely, lovely sunshine!!! We pulled out our trading pins and I had a little surprise for Elsa waiting on her lanyard...an Elsa and Anna pin from FROZEN. It's very rare that we get anything remotely related to her name, so it was a fun little surprise.

My mom is coming Wednesday afternoon and once she and the boys are all settled, Elsa and I are traveling the hour and a half it takes to get to our closest airport. We are spending the night in the big city as our flight leaves e-a-r-l-y! I guess I must admit I miss the boys already, and we haven't even left yet. Ha!

2012 trip​