Me, Mom, and the Mouse--Spring Break--Pic--All Days Posted and Sumary on Pg 2

[TAKitty]

I will post all in one thread. Trip pictures and day by day will follow when we return.

Yes, I am choosing to travel with my mom.

We were sitting around talking after Christmas and I mentioned that I wanted to go to WDW alone and do the things that I wanted to do. My Dh does not appreciate the world as much as I do. He is not a commando traveler. He insanely thinks that you should go to WDW to relax! Granted, I too plan to spend time relaxing, but I also think that one needs to walk quickly to get to the rides. I really just wanted to take a trip with someone who would tour like me. Well, my mom said that she would love to go. Caught up in the moment I said, “Sure that sounds like fun.” Maybe it was all the eggnog talking, except I don’t drink eggnog, or perhaps it was the Norman Rockwell type moment of mother and daughter getting over their difference--anyway, we were planning a trip to WDW .

Fun. Fun. Fun. This was not going to be Fun. What was I thinking! I love my mom, but she can be a downer. I know that many people have wonderful relationships with his or her parents. I used to have dreams as a child that I was really adopted and my real parents were waiting for me. My mom is good and kind in her own way, but she is not motherly. Without going into all the details, I have learned to accept her for who she is and not let her problems become mine—Thanks Dr. Phil for all of the help!

In an effort to let her off the hook, I emailed her and told her that I was looking at flights for the first of April, and they were pretty expensive. If she wanted we could postpone the trip until the fall when rates would be cheaper. I need to add in that in the meantime I told my younger sister (a freshman in college) that I would pay for a hotel room for her and her friend if they wanted to travel with me to WDW in July. She agreed. Well mom doesn’t know that I already have the sister trip planned. Goodness, Dh doesn’t know about the sister trip yet, and now I am planning the mom trip!

 

[TAKitty]

Mom can’t wait, she says. So, we are going to WDW in April.

I am a teacher so spring break is the only time in the spring that I can travel. Mom is a travel agent (yes, I am doing most of the planning, but mind you, she is very good at her job). I wanted to travel from a Thursday to a Tuesday. Mom can get the time off of work for free without taking any vacation days, so she wants to travel Monday to Friday. Sure, I say. It is only an extra $100 bucks for an already expensive flight.

My mom is a smoker. Now I don’t dislike all smoking people, just smoke in a confined hotel room. If I were traveling with another smoker, I would have no problem asking kindly if they smoked outside, but I can’t ask my mom to do that. Can I? We were planning on saying at a mod or value. There are no balconies at a these hotels!

After reviewing all of our lodging options, I tell her that I can see about renting DVC points. She insists that she needs to be on the reservation so DVC won’t work. Yes, I know that she can be on the reservation with DVC, but she was getting us a special travel agent discount. All the deluxe hotels are outrageously priced right now. We opt for a Mod. I stayed at POR last July and really liked it. We have settled on POR. However, two weeks later, as Mom is trying to make our reservation, there are only King Beds available! Hummmm, me and mom together in one bed….maybe I should take up drinking.

I tell her to check POP. It is cheap and I have always wanted to stay at a value. Mom is now becoming a hotel snob, which is fine when you are booking eight months in advance, but at a month and a half, I feel like we have to take what we can get. Mom’s reason for not wanting to stay at POP was because there will be too many kids there. Humm, it is Spring Break and she is worried about kids. The only people crazy enough to travel during this time have kids or are teachers. She relented but. . . wait!

It was sometime during this time (now February) that I got a crazy idea in my head that we just had to purchase DVC right now. It would allow us to stay at a deluxe resort and for free (sort of free, minus the DVC expenses). Not to extend the pre-trip too much longer, we purchased DVC. It seems Mom doesn’t have to be on the reservation because staying for free doesn’t seem to bother her—go figure. At a month and a half out I was able to book either SSR, VWL, or OKW. Mom picks OKW. Well, the trip is official.

 

[TAKitty]

Now that I am fully committed to this trip, I thought it would be fun to provide some pixie dust moments for my mom. She hasn’t been to WDW in eight/nine years. I have created “Tinkerbell Surprises” for each day of our trip. I printed out small cards with a picture of Tinkerbell and the following statements on them. I put a Disney Princess sticker on the envelope and borrowed a Hallmark Crown sticker to close the envelope. All of the envelopes are numbered.

Day One: “When you travel to the Mouse House, you have to dress the part.” I am giving her a Mickey tee shirt
Day Two: “What kind of Princess would you be if you weren’t treated like royalty?” We will be eating at 1900 Park Fare for dinner.
Day Three: “Let’s enjoy our own photo shoot today. Bring your biggest smile!” We are going to go to the Visa meet and greet.
Day Four: “Hurry don’t be late for today you are receiving the Keys to the Kingdom” We are taking the KTTK tour.


Report with Pictures will follow when we get back!

 

[Lil' Grumpy]

i know from past experience this is going a great report. and something you'll
always cheerish. boy i am so envious...i wish my parents was here to do the
same thing [again]. just so you know..one of favorite things is reading the details including when the storyteller add their "extra" feelings. thanks

 

[5boyz]

Can't wait til you get back to read the rest of the story!!! I agree with L'il Grumpy it is great to read peoples stories but when they add their bit of comedy is it that much better!!!

 

[Minniespal]

Can't wait to read more

 

[pooksma]

Looking forward to reading more of this one!

 

[TAKitty]

We’re Going
No we’re not
Yep, back on

I wish I could say that our flight was uneventful, but it was not. Our flight was scheduled to leave at 8:40 a.m. Mom and I left her house at 6:30 a.m. Mom lives about eleven miles from the airport. I clocked it as I was driving in the night before. We arrive at Quick Park and are promptly transported to the airport. Things are looking good. I was nervous for nothing.

We stand in the Spirit line and check our luggage. Again, smooth sailing. After we have our tickets, Mom says that she needs to use the restroom. If you need to find a restroom at any of the parks, I am the one to go to. It seems that mom’s bladder is smaller than the average four year old and she needs constant breaks. I can adjust. However, when mom goes to the restroom this seems to prompt the smoking part in her brain as well. Pavlov would be so proud; she is a direct example of classical conditioning…toilet flushes and cigarette goes in mouth. So a bathroom break turns into at least a half hour ordeal.

I will sum up the rest of our airport experience
Mom goes to bathroom
Mom needs to smoke
Daughter people watches
Daughter is left looking for Mom
Mom has met a new friend
Thirty minutes later we are off only to repeat the cycle again and again and again

If you are a nonsmoker it is amazing the camaraderie that smokers have. Mom met very nice people at all of the smoking locations in the airport, near the restrooms, or in the designated smoking areas in the parks. Mom would talk for hours if I didn’t stop by every so often to remind her that I was patiently waiting with all the other nonsmoking family members. The other nonsmoking family members seem much more uptight than their counterparts.

We make it to the gate and settle in on the floor and they announce that the plane that we were supposed to take to Orlando is out of commission. It seems the plane had some bird problems flying in, and they are unable to use it. Yes, “bird problems” was the official diagnosis. We would have to wait for another plane. They don’t tell you this, but if you have ever been delayed it could take from 3-4 hours for them to find another plane. How much damage can a bird do?! Can’t they just scrape away the rest of the bird?

Mom decides that she will use this time to smoke, so off she goes through security and back out to the front of the airport. I have her cell phone number just in case I need it. I settle in and begin reading my book. A chapter or so in, the flight desk people announce that they are changing our gate and the plane is here and boarding now. NOW! Mom is no where around. Should I go and get her and risk missing the plane? Frantically I call her cell phone but I am connected to her voice mail. I leave a message but remember that mom doesn’t know how to use her voice mail. She can’t check her messages. I decided that I would try again but if I don’t reach her I am heading to Orlando without her. Mom calls me, “did you try to call?” I can hear some of her new friends in the background. I tell mom that we are leaving now and she comes a running.

I forgot that when the airline states that they are boarding now. They usually mean they are boarding in the next half hour or so. Anyway, the rest of the flight was fine and we end up only being 20 minutes late.

Up Next: Mt. Everest with Mom and move out of the way, I need a bathroom break

 

[diswedwish]

Enjoying your report My mom and I will be going in May - she is a smoker and I am not. I can definitely relate My mom is much better than my dad however - he needs a "cigarette" made out of a straw (exactly the size of an unfiltered Camel) to play with on the plane. All was well until we got off the plane, found a smoking section, and he tried to light the straw

 

[horsegirl]

I am so glad you went with mom. Your report is hysterical. I can't wait to hear more!

signed,

a non smoker

 

[Candice30]

i can certainly relate. i was supposed to take a solo trip for alone time last year but opened my mouth to my mom too and off we went to disney in december. while we had a great time, it was definitely an adjustment. no matter how old i get, my mom still thinks of me as 12 so she acts accordingly. as i said, we had a good time but there were certainly limits as mom couldn't move as fast and wanted to do alot more people watching and less riding.

when i got home, i immediately starting planning my solo trip and gave strict instructions to my sisters not to let me run off at the mouth and invite mom or one of their kids. i'm enjoying your report and can't wait to read more.

 

[Mel6197]

We might actually have the same mother? Is that Possible? Yes I took my mother down for a suprise trip to Disney this Past Dec. And her Smoking breaks, turned into her leaving, 10 times, telling everyone she met about how she had no idea she was coming, how I did this for her, How I lost weight.. Oh yes, once she has someone to talk to.. WATCH out.. They know EVERYTHING about her children, especially the one she is with at the time (usually me)
Is your mom a food theif too? 2 times on the SAME trip my mother stole food from another family. Grapes the 1rst time off some poor Family stroller (she thought I brought them, and some how mananaged to rent a stroller, even though we took no children this trip, and 4 days later at Epcot a Funnle Cake off the top of another stroller..Again forgetting that we have NO children this trip. Both Time she was caught, 2nd time she was yelled at by some VERY ANGRY Dad.. Oh the joys of Moms...
Cant wait for the rest of your trip..

 

[fizz13]

Oh bless you for being as patient as you have been so far. I am a reformed ex-smoker so I apologise on behalf of the smokers who know not what they do at the time. Looking back, I can't believe how much of my time in WDW was spent looking for smoking areas and of course smoking. That is good riding time a wastin'. BTW, totally sympathetic to how the mom trip came about. I was supposed to have a solo trip in October...lets just say we are now a party of 6 Keep the great report coming,
Claire xx

 

[TAKitty]

We find Magical Express without too much effort. I am standing in line as mom waits outside to yes…take a smoke break. Don’t worry; your own computer screen will protect you from the haze.

We arrive at Old Key West and our room is ready. Now every time I take ME I am usually the last resort stop. This time we are first! I have stayed at AKL, CR, POR, CBR, YC and now OKW. Our studio was really big for the two of us. Any pictures I took just doesn’t do the room justice.

I am glad that I purchased into DVC. Mom also seems happy because I just paid for our meal plan and she didn’t flinch at the expense. I also tipped all of the hotel, bus etc. people. You would think she has no idea how to tip. Alas, this trip is about her, and I have the money set aside.

We head to Animal Kingdom around 2:00. I think they should have a practice ticket machine at every resort and you have to be able to master that before they let you in line. I tried to tell mom how to use the machine, but it seems she put all of her fingers in the machine, not just two. She figured it out and we were off. She has never been to AK, and I want to pay her back for the time she made me go on the corkscrew as a kid.

We rode a couple of rides and head for EE. The payback begins: As a young child she convinced me to ride the corkscrew at some amusement park. It is kind of like Rock-in-Rollercoaster. The ride goes upside down, and I truly thought at nine that my life was over. I saw the sky. I saw the ground. I was going to die. Well, the Yeti is my payback. Mom is scared. After 60 minutes and the ride breaking down for 20 minutes, we were sitting on the train. Ah, the look of pure terror on her face was priceless. She was calling to Jesus. She was calling to Mary. She was calling to God himself to save her--All this from a woman who isn’t really that religious. Maybe this ride has a new calling. The Yeti converts those to the faith. Anyway, it was pure delight for me.

We left around closing to head to Boma for dinner. I thought Boma for breakfast was nice, but I am not sure if I would eat dinner there again. I wanted mom to see the lodge, but there were not too many things I liked from the buffet. I am now leaving out the smoke breaks, but don’t worry, they were taken.

After dinner we head to MGM for Fantasmic. As soon as we get our wrist band I felt a gurgle in my stomach. A big gurgle. I run. I sprint to the nearest bathroom. I am not sure what I ate at Boma but let me tell you it wasn’t pretty. It took a full day for my stomach to recover.

We watched Fantasmic in the standing section engulfed by bushes. Really, we almost looked like Devine at AK. Mom still loved it. We went back to OKW and headed to bed.

Tomorrow MK: The most magical day

 

[TAKitty]

I almost forgot! As we dragged our feet back to the room look what I found next to the bed.

My Dh who doesn't even really like Disney. Who has no clue about Adr's, fastpasses, or ME ordered flowers for me. . It was a wonderful surprise .

 

[TAKitty]

I love the Magic Kingdom. I love when you turn the corner by guest relations and the bathrooms--Yes, we stopped at the bathrooms even though mom went when we left for the bus stop—and you see the castle and the buildings. It truly is as close as I can get as an adult to feeling the magic like a child. We had every intention of arriving at MK at rope drop, but with the bus delays and the endless loop at OKW we ended up making it there just past 9:00 a.m.

Mom was very excited to get her Tinkerbell surprises everyday and today was our dinner with Cinderella. When I was younger the characters were not as out and about as they seem to be today. Sure we did Chef Mickey’s and I have a picture with Snow White when she was there, but now it seems you can find characters everywhere. Our reservation wasn’t until later so we had the entire day at MK.

Mom and I rode almost all of the Fantasyland attractions in an hour! We flew with Peter, we sang with the dolls, we hopped with Tiger, we ran with the evil witch, and last we laughed with Donald. It was so early, what to do now?

Well with the usual breaks at the hour, it just so happened that Cindercelebration was starting. Now at this point I was starting to feel a little bit queasy again. No, it wasn’t because “It’s a small world was playing over and over in my head.” It seems that after last night’s great bathroom disaster my stomach had not really settled down.

We high tailed it over to Pinocchio Haus Village and look at our counter service meal!

It is hard to believe how much food you get! Mom was cold on this 80 degree day so she got hot chocolate. They even let us substitute fries for chips. After lunch and our mandatory breaks we rode Haunted Mansion, saw the tiki birds, got a fastpass for Buzz and headed for Toon Town.

In all of my years going to Disney I don’t ever remember meeting Mickey Mouse. On this trip I was determined to meet the big, I mean little, mouse. We find the “Mickey’s Friends” line and jump on in. Now, I usually feel like what happens at Disney can happen there because it is, after all, Disney. Sort of the same philosophy as What Happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. I admit I was somewhat intimidated by all of the children. I felt a wee bit out of place, but darn it, I wanted to see Mickey Mouse.

Alas, Mickey’s Friends does not include the big cheese. Twenty minutes later we had pictures with Minnie, Donald, and Goofy. Hummm, on the way to the train station, a young man asked where he could smoke without Mickey coming after him. The CM at the entrance laughed and pointed him in the right direction. Mom at this point was about to follow him and make another new friend except the CM said that the wait to see Mickey was only ten minutes! Well, I couldn’t let this moment pass us by. I didn’t care how thirsty my mom was. It is funny that during this trip I kind of became the “mom”.
Now, Mom, do you have to use the bathroom now?
Now, Mom, we need to see Mickey and then we will get a lemonade slushy

Well, we did it, we saw Mickey, rode Buzz where mom beat then pants off of me and headed back to OKW to rest until dinner. Up next: Meeting Cinderella and "I'll take one Prince Charming to go, please."

 

[TAKitty]

We made it back to OKW and mom slept like a baby. I left her drooling on her arm and decided to go for a swim.

You see, I was actually taking this trip to evaluate if I could really go solo or not. I thought venturing to the pool was a safe first step. I didn’t bring anything to read so I just people watched. It was really enjoyable and I will definitely consider going solo, which may happen for a couple of days this July.

Anyway, we get up and go to the Grand Floridian for our reservation at 1900 Park Fare. Mom falls in love with the Grand Floridian, and I start to feel badly about making her stay in a hole in the wall like OKW. Sure OKW is a nice resort but it doesn’t have that grand feeling like the GF. Well, I remind myself that mom is not footing the bill and OKW is a very nice place to rest our head for 7 hours before we leave for the day.

We met all of the biggies at dinner but the highlight was our slipper deserts.

Mom was so happy to have her special desert and our time together was really starting to feel magical. We happily drifted over the MK to prepare for Spectromagic and Wishes. Main Street was all lit up. It was a beautiful evening. Mom and I were actually having a great time together. She wasn’t being her usual self at all; we were actually laughing and smiling together. See the most magical things can happen at WDW.

Mom and I found a small glass Cinderella slipper to commemorate our trip, which she purchased as a gift for me. We had front row seats for Spectro and saw Tinkerbell fly during Wishes. It really was the most magical night.

We returned back to OKW and decided that we were sleeping in. Sweet Dreams.

 

[TAKitty]

Epcot was pretty uneventful. So, this is the perfect time to digress and talk about proper shoes for touring.

Me: Nike Walking Shoe, broken in, socks

Epcot is a big place, and I was planning on walking to BC too! I am on my feet all day at work, so the walking is not a big deal to me. These shoes have been to WDW two other times.

Mom: Two pairs of girlie sandals

Before we leave I remind mom that she needs to wear comfortable shoes. Mom works behind a desk all day, and I think has unrealistic expectations about the walking at WDW. She reassures me that things are fine. She is bringing two pair of sandals. Now these are not walking sandals. These shoes are not sport sandals. She is brining two pair of shoes that you would wear to look good with your outfit. She is sure that they are comfortable. One pair she claims is just like wearing slippers.

Well, Cinderella she is not. It is that slipper pair that she decides to wear to Epcot. As we traveled the world showcase and most of future world, mom’s dogs were hurting! It seems she has been quietly harboring the fact that she has developed six blisters on one foot alone. She is such a trooper! I had no idea.

Mom is slightly disappointed that the shops in the World Showcase don’t have nearly as much stuff as she once remembered. The highlight was our desert at Le Cellier. I didn’t like any of the grown-up deserts so I ordered the Mousse. Mom loves chocolate mousse. All of a sudden out of the corner of her eye she sees our mousse being carted out.
“Oh my Gosh,” she says leaning towards me.
“It has ears!” We both started to laugh hysterically.

She was able to eat it all though!


The night ended with the fireworks

PS: I was able to get my favorite item as a snack credit at Epcot. What do you know, it was next to a smoking locaiton. It made that smoking break all the more worth while!

Still to Come: Day Four—KTTK and Final Touring Day; Final Thoughts

 

[hfrink13]

I have enjoyed your report, can't wait for the last installment. It seems like you and your mom had a great time. I would love to go to WDW with my mother.

 

[pooksma]

I nearly spilled my wine reading these!
Can't wait for more!!!