Mom's Magical 90th Birthday Celebration

[GrammieMame]

Mom: Honored Guest turning 90 during this visit
Me: Daughter and “very nervous about the whole thing” Planner
Rick/Vick (D/V): My brother and his girlfriend
DD: My lovely daughter
DGS’s: Wade (W) and Ty (T), my two grandsons (9 & 12)

INTRO: My family was scattered – Mom in NY; me in SC, my brother in FL and my daughter & grandsons in Colorado. DB despises cold weather and refuses to leave the confines of FL except to cruise to tropical places only. Mom is getting older and is reluctant to fly by herself; my Colorado people have such limited time off that we use it only for Disneyworld. Given all that, we hadn’t all been together for about 6 years, and it had been that long since Mom had seen her granddaughter & great-grandsons. But she has recently moved from NY to Ft. Lauderdale, which put her in traveling distance to WDW; and we would be there for our spring break trip. Coincidentally, her 90th birthday fell during our week, so Let’s Party.

I was pretty anxious about this plan – is WDW really an appropriate venue for a 90th birthday party? Would she be able to get around? Would we have to severely curtail our own experiences when she was with us? Would my brother’s severe anti-Disney phobia ruin the occasion? We decided to go for it, and I made THE PLAN. Split trip – DD and DGSs would be at WLV with me and move to BCV for the weekend where D/V, and Mom would join us for 2 days.

Saturday: ARRIVAL: They arrived about noon on Friday. I had bugged D/V to death to get there at a reasonable time, but didn’t really think they would do it. So when they got there we were ¾ of the way through the line to get into Test Track and they had to cool their heels in the lobby for about 30 minutes until we got out of there. I was very distraught, but they didn’t look any worse for the wear. Their room wasn’t ready yet, but I had checked us into a 2 BR villa the night before, so we went up and relaxed for a (very brief) minute. DGS’s had long been hankering for a Kitchen Sink from Beach’s & Cream, but we never had enough people to justify it. So they had decided that would be the first of the birthday surprises. We went right to B & C and, since we wanted to be sure we would be able to finish it off, we decided to have only ice cream for lunch (that sounds like a celebration to me). Of course we told CM’s wherever we went that this was a 90th birthday celebration, so the Kitchen Sink was brought out with even more fanfare than usual. I had told Mom we were having ice cream for lunch, but her eyes (as well as the boys) lit up when she saw that magnificent mountain of ice cream. Everyone sang Happy Birthday, gave her a balloon, and we were off to a great start. We finished every last spoonful, with the boys sucking up the residue with a straw

D/V went off to Epcot to buy tickets and use a Test Track FP we had gotten for them. Mom and I sat in the shade by the BC pool and caught up while the boys went down the big slide about 20 times. By that time, D/V’s room was ready and so we all settled in and got Mom unpacked. Mom loves sweet wine. I had gotten a special bottle from a vineyard we visited on a recent trip to Greece, so we popped it and had an “isn’t it great to be here” cocktail before heading off to Magic Kingdom for a 6:00 Royal Table dinner. Mom doesn’t drive, but she has spent the last 30 years in NY City where she walked everywhere. So she is in remarkable good shape for her age (or any age). But DB had told me she had slowed down a good bit since moving, so I was very anxious about how she would do in the walkingest place on earth. I had borrowed a companion chair from a friend but Mom assured me that I could bring it if I wanted to, but she had no intention of being wheeled around, so I left it home. I figured I could always rent one if we needed to. So our trip to MK was the first test. I was worried about her having to pull herself up on the stairs to the bus, but it was (the first of) no problem. Our weather was perfect, Main Street wasn’t terribly crowded, and we made our way to the Castle.

ROYAL CASTLE: Of course I had asked to have Mom’s birthday noted on our reservations, so the check-in CM immediately asked about it and told Mom she would be “queen of the castle” tonight; Mom responded by jokingly requesting a tiara. After lining up for our complimentary photo with Cinderella, we settled in for a great dinner and the visit by Fairy Godmother asking everyone with birthday or anniversary to raise their hands. Everyone sang a generic happy birthday and I thought Mom’s special celebration would go unnoticed. Then what should appear but the CM with a Cinderella light-up tiara. Mom put it on (briefly) but took it home with her as a souvenir. Mom loves 3-D shows, so we went over to Philharmagic and everyone enjoyed it. It’s the best in the World, I think. Had to fight our way out of the park since everyone was lined up for the parade, but took the short cut through the Main Street shops. When we got back to BCV, everyone got a glass of wine and adjourned to the balcony. Mom also loves fireworks, and we had a perfect view from our 3rd floor BCV room. There was a tree on the left and a tree on the right, framing a totally unobstructed view of the Illuminations fireworks. It was a fantastic ending to a perfect half-day.

 

[Disney5Mom]

Sounds like a wonderful birthday for your Mom!! Wow, She must be in great shape! Can't wait to hear more.

 

[Marion]

What a wonderful trip to plan! Can't wait to hear more

 

[VanniGirl]

Looking forward to reading the rest!

 

[KathyRN137]

Of course WDW is an appropriate venue for a 90th B'day celebration! I'm going there for my 100th, you know!

to your mother! God bless her.

Kathy

 

[robinb]

Thanks for a great start on your trip report!

 

[daly7o9]

I can't wait to hear the rest of this story. My Mom is a very young 87 and I would love to show her the world. I had the very same thought process as you apparently did...get as close to Epcot as possible b/c that park would probably interest her the most. And, Happy birthday to your mom!

 

[GrammieMame]

SUNDAY: ANIMAL KINGDOM - Up early the next day to get to AK when it opens at 9:00 to be first (or somewhere close to it) in line for Expedition Everest. I wanted DB, who has a need for speed, to have some fun at WDW. We had done Everest about 4 times earlier in the week, and the kids were dying to do repeat rides. I sat with Mom and girlfriend while the others went on. Of course I was dying to ride again too, so as soon as they got off, everyone went one more time, including me. We scooted over to Africa and walked the Pangani Trail before boarding the Safari, which everyone enjoyed. A rhino actually crossed the path in front of us and came very close to the stopped vehicle and just stared at us a few minutes. Wade had seen, and been very impressed with, the African acrobats a few days ago and he really wanted Mom to see them. So we got a drink and just chilled out, sitting on the wall waiting for the show to begin. These guys are amazing, the things they can do with their bodies are unbelievable. We managed to squeeze in TTBB before lunch, when Mom, DD & Wade returned to the hotel for lunch and some rest. So no worries about Mom getting around. She held her own at AK for a good 4 hours. I myself was pretty worn out. But little Ty was absolutely determined to do one of his favorite things – get soaking wet on Kali Rapids. DB wanted to try it too, and girlfriend volunteered to hang out on the bridge and try to get some pictures of us coming over the finish line. We had a good ride, but DB was the one who got soaked and so Ty and I had to go again. This time he struck pay dirt, and came out looking like a drowned but happy rat.

DANCING QUEEN: Back to the room for some rest, cocktail hour and our dinner at the German restaurant. I had picked this because of Mom’s love for polka music, being of Polish background. I have to say here that Mom has always been a Dancer. Up until the time she was 85 or so, she and her (male)friend would go to every dance that was available and go at it until the band quit. Then he got sick and their dancing days were over, so it had been awhile for Mom. So we got to the restaurant and of course they had been informed that it was her 90th. Actually, it was that very day. We were seated at an excellent table overlooking the dance floor and stage. When the waitress came to take drink orders, Mom joked (I think) that she would like a nice young man to dance with. The music had started and she was already snapping her fingers and movin’ and groovin’ in her seat. We went to the buffet and stocked up on the delicious food.

A few minutes into the meal, the CM arrived with a very uncomfortable looking young man in tow, dressed in lederhosen, of course. They were playing a relatively slow number and he politely asked Mom to dance. They proceeded to the dance floor and you could tell he was handling her with kid gloves, and anyone who knows her knows she was itching to cut loose. When the dance ended, the MC took that moment to take the mic and announce that “we have a very special lady here tonight; would Sophie Harris please let us know where she is”, looking around to see where he might locate the wheel chair that she would be occupying. Well, there’s Mom, exiting the dance floor with a good-looking young German as an escort. She waved her hand with a “Here I am”. The MC was genuinely taken aback. He looked at her, looked at his card, looked at her, looked at his card, and said “surely this can’t be right.” Then asked permission to tell her age. When she gave it, there was a round of applause and a rousing happy birthday. And Mom, who usually hates to bring attention to herself, was basking in the glory. What a fantastic magical moment.

From there on, it was uphill all the way. When they did the chicken dance, she was there; when they played a polka, she and I were there. But the thing that did me in was when my 9-year-old GS came around the table and asked her to dance. OMG, is that kid the sweetest or what. Tears came to my eyes, and I was so very happy that I had arranged this whole event. It was one of those things that rarely happens - perfect in every way. I will always have that memory of my Mom, at age 90, having the time of her life.

 

[KathyRN137]

From there on, it was uphill all the way. When they did the chicken dance, she was there; when they played a polka, she and I were there. But the thing that did me in was when my 9-year-old GS came around the table and asked her to dance. OMG, is that kid the sweetest or what. Tears came to my eyes, and I was so very happy that I had arranged this whole event. It was one of those things that rarely happens - perfect in every way. I will always have that memory of my Mom, at age 90, having the time of her life.

Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!!

That's what WDW is all about... such beautiful, magical memories!!

Kathy

 

[Marion]

From there on, it was uphill all the way. When they did the chicken dance, she was there; when they played a polka, she and I were there. But the thing that did me in was when my 9-year-old GS came around the table and asked her to dance. OMG, is that kid the sweetest or what. Tears came to my eyes, and I was so very happy that I had arranged this whole event. It was one of those things that rarely happens - perfect in every way. I will always have that memory of my Mom, at age 90, having the time of her life.

Awwwwww! I love this story so much! Any chance you have pics you'd be comfortable sharing?

 

[daly7o9]

Cut it out!

This latest installment put a big lump in my throat and I've gotta go to work!

Keep it comin'.

 

[Rustysmom]

Wonderful story! I think it's great that your mom is in such great shape at 90. What a great way to celebrate it!

 

[fizz13]

Aaawwww now I'm crying That is one of the most wonderful memories I've ever read, your mom sounds like an awesome lady, I'm so glad she was living it large on her birthday, fantastic

 

[GrammieMame]

Thanks for the kind comments. This concludes the trip report - it was only 2 days. I'd love to share pictures, but I'm still stuck in the 35mm rut and I don't have a clue how to get them up here, even if it's possible.

 

[disnut1149]

Hi
Thanks so much for sharing. Your mom sounds like she's a lot of fun!! This Disney trip sounds like a trip that your family will never forget. I love reading trip reports like this.