Mother Daughter Trip August 2012 – ASMusic – Lots of firsts

[PFW]

Hi Everyone,
Please bear with me. I have never written a pre trip report before. I would like to use this as a sort of journal to get my thoughts and plans written down as I go through the process of planning my trip.

This a mother daughter trip for my younger daughter, Amanda. When my older daughter Cheri was about the same age, way back in 1993, we took a mother daughter trip and it was my favorite trip so far. It was nice to just spend time bonding and not have to worry about dealing with anyone else. Now it is my younger daughter's turn.

I am a 52 year old Mom with 2 daughters who are currently ages 31 and 14. My younger daughter will be turning 15 before our trip. I will be turning 53 during our trip.

I have been making plans for this trip since early February. I booked a package on 2/28 for our room, tickets and flights. We will be staying at the All Star Music Resort. I chose this resort because Amanda is a musician. She plays clarinet in the high school band and is teaching herself to play guitar and piano as well.

There will be lots of “firsts” during this trip. This will be the first time I've stayed on property. I would never have been able to go before if I had not stayed at a dirt cheap motel on Rt 192. I decided I really wanted to experience staying on property this time. I could have chosen a more expensive resort but then I would have had to take a short trip. I usually like to stay at least 10 nights. My first trip was 4 nights and my 2nd trip was 6 nights. Not nearly long enough to be able to enjoy the parks and have any time to relax. This trip will be 11 nights. We are arriving on 8/20 and leaving on 8/31.

All of my other trips I have driven down except for the very first. My older daugher, her dad and I road Amtrak back in 1989. But I love driving down and having my vehicle with me. But, I cannot in good consience drive that distance by myself anymore, it would be quite unsafe to push myself that hard. So, since this is just Amanda and myself, I thought it best to “put my big girl panties on” and fly. I have never flown before and neither has Amanda. I have a fear of flying, heights and I'm claustraphobic. I have an appointment with my doctor next week and will be discussing this with her so that she can give me something for anxiety. Another first will be relying on Disney Transportation during the entire trip.

Hopefully I won't be too boring with all my rambling on about my planning.

 

[PFW]

Making Reservations – Changing Reservations – Changing Reservations

Transportation Thoughts

Itinerary

Preparations and purchases

The Easter that wasn't

RIP Bessie III and Lil Bessie

Trip Planner

Wishes

Totally Disgusted




More to come........

 

[PFW]

I had originally booked 11 nights without any type of discount. Then when Free Dining was offered I called and split it into 2 reservations. I ended up having to change my tickets as well to do it but still ended up saving some money.
Then I received a pin and saved a little more on the first reservation. Then another discount came out for the general public and I called and saved a little more on my first reservation. And instead of waiting for them to refund my money I had them add the Water Parks & More feature to my tickets, which I was going to do on arrival day anyway. So, I ended up with a balance due and paid it right over the phone at the time. One less thing to do when I get there.

 

[PFW]

This will be our very first time flying. We are both a little afraid of this. I'm sure my daughter will handle it just fine, me, not so much LOL. I talked to my doctor about it yesterday and she gave me something to take the edge off. In addition to that I made sure that we had non-stop flights both ways (mainly to save stress) and that I have a seat on the aisle (I'm 'of size' and claustrophobic). My doctor said those were wise decisions. Amanda wasn't too keen on being in a middle seat but so far nobody has booked the window seat next to us so she may get her wish for a window seat. While I'm truly very afraid of flying I am also looking forward to this new adventure.

I will be taking my scooter with me so that I'll always have it available to me on our trip. I have degenerating discs in my back and cannot walk far or stand for very long without being in a lot of pain. I rented a scooter in the parks the last time we went but my back has gotten much worse since then. I purchased my scooter last August before we went to our State Fair and was so glad to have it. I have been told I can use my scooter right up until we get to the gate and that they will return it to me at the gate at MCO when we arrive.

We are flying JetBlue and from what I've heard from family and friends who have flown out of Syracuse I have made a good choice. I don't think getting around the airport here in Syracuse will be too difficult but I do have concerns about getting around MCO.

I booked our flights when I booked my original reservation with Disney. The cost for the 2 of us round trip was $719.20. The price through Disney was the same at that time as booking through JetBlue. Those same flights through JetBlue are now up to $1345.20..yikes !!!

We will be using Disney's Magical Express between the airport and the resort. We will be utitlizing the Disney buses during our stay.

 

[PFW]

I used EasyWDW and Undercover Tourist while making my plans. I have 2 day MYW tickets with WP&M for 8/20 through 8/25. On 8/25 my 2nd reservation kicks in and we'll have 6 day MYW tickets that I plan on adding the Park Hopper option to when we get them. We also will have free QSDP beginning on 8/25.

8/20 Flying out of Syracuse on JetBlue at 7 AM.
When we arrive at ASMusic we will check-in, have lunch and check out the resort. I'm sure we'll be taking a dip in the pool next and then I would like to go to DownTown Disney. We can either have dinner there or stop to one of the restaurants before returning to the resort that night.

8/21 MK – Can't think of a better place to spend my birthday.
Amanda suggested that I make reservations for dinner at Cinderella's Royal Castle, so I did!!! I have never done this before and am really looking forward to it.

8/22 IOA/US – OK, I admit it, I'm a Harry Potter fan.
I can't go to Orlando without going to IOA. I am going to purchase a 1 day/2 park pass that includes transportation and we'll spend the day flying with Harry, drinking Butterbeer and maybe we'll get ourselves some magic wands LOL

8/23 HS
I have never been to see Fantasmic and really want to do that this trip. I managed to make a Fantasmic Package reservation for lunch at Mama Melrose so we don't have to waste so much time in line. If they add a 2nd show I may cancel this ADR.

8/24 Blizzard Beach and Winter Summerland Mini Golf
Amanda has never been to either of the waterparks. I have been to Typhoon Lagoon but never to BB. I decided to go to BB so that when we are done we can go next door and play mini golf using the vouchers that we'll be receiving in our packages. I may just watch so that Amanda can play both courses. I would like to be back to the resort early enough to enjoy the activities out at the pool and watch the movie. I plan on throwing in a load of laundry and getting that done while we are relaxing.

8/25 AK and then Park Hop over to Epcot for Illuminations

8/26 Epcot and then Park Hop over to MK for Wishes and evening EMH

8/27 Epcot and then Park Hop over to HS for evening EMH

8/28 AK
I would like to be back to the resort early enough to enjoy the activities out at the pool and watch the movie. Might take some time to check out AS Movies and AS Sports as well.

8/29 MK

8/30 EP and then Park Hop over to MK for MSEP

8/31 Pack up and check out. Flight home isn't until 8:10 PM
We'll go to DownTown Disney again to do some shopping and I've made lunch reservations at Planet Hollywood. (Voucher from Disney) If we are hungry we can grab dinner at the food court. If we aren't we still pick up dinner to go and have something to eat while waiting for our flight.

 

[PFW]

Since I normally drive to the world I have never really had a nice set of luggage. We had one very large suitcase that we filled and the rest was tucked into tote bags. Well, we can't really do that flying so I decided to buy a set of luggage, so I picked up a Red 5 piece set at Target. Of course Amanda spotted the pretty purple set so I ended up buying her her very own luggage. She has a carry on and a boarding bag. I have a large upright as well as 2 carry on bags and a boarding bag. I bought a small lightweight backpack to use in the parks that doesn't have too many pockets in it. I also picked up a soft sided cooler to take with us as well.

I picked up the most recent versions of the official and unofficial guide books. I'm not sure why though, most of the info can be found right here on the Dis Boards LOL. We also had fun shopping for various travel sized necessities, new summer clothes, flip flops, sneakers, notebooks for journals, a bigger basket for my scooter and a water misting fan. I even treated myself to a new bathing suit. I'm not a swimmer, I hate the water, but Amanda is looking forward to swimming at the resort so I can at least get in and splash around a bit with her.

I'm really glad I had made all these purchases ahead of time because if I had to take care of it all now I wouldn't be able to. You'll know why in my next post!!!

 

[PFW]

Our plans for Easter were to pick up my Mom and meet Cheri, my older daughter, at a restaurant for dinner. We left the house about 2:10.

We were about 2/3 of the way to my Mom's and going through an intersection when a big pick up truck ran the light and hit the driver's side of my van. He was going about 55 mph and never even hit his brakes so hit us full force. I remember the van was tipped up on the driver's side and it felt like we were on just the 2 passenger side tires for a few seconds and then all of a sudden the van started rolling over. I'm not sure how many times we rolled, the sherrif said it was between 2 and 6 depending on which witness she talked to.

The van stopped rolling on it's side, the driver's side. My elbow was out the window and planted into the ground and was bearing my full weight, which is alot cause I'm pooh sized. The roof of the van had pushed in and was down next to my face. They couldn't upright the van because the land was not flat so I had to remain where I was and it took them 45 mins to cut the entire top of the van off to get me out. My daughter was in the back seat and the folks who stopped to help managed to get her unbuckled and pulled her out of the window and got her away from the van. DH was hanging by his seat belt and had to stay that way until the fireman could completely remove what was left of the windshield to pull him out. If he had unbuckled before that he would have fallen on me.

We were all taken to a hospital in the city and were eventually released. DH was just bruised a bit. Amanda had some bruises and cuts. One cut was fairly large and required 2 stitches. I took the brunt of accident and am still trying to recover. I have had some major pain in my neck and my entire upper torso. I had some very bad bruising on my chest and knees and lumps and abrasions on my head.

There were alot of people who stopped to help and be witnesses, one lady in particular came to hold my hand and let me know first that Amanda was OK and that 911 was called. Others stayed with Amanda as well until help came. The Sherrif's deputy spoke with all the witnesses and when they finally got me out she came to talk to me in the ambulance. She called my Mom and Cheri and told them what happened and which hospital we would be going to. The guys in my ambulance were great and even put up with my tizzy fit about being taped down. I'm claustraphobic and had to at least have my legs free.

I cannot say enough about the firemen who were there that day. There were 3 fire companies there and they were all just wonderful and darned good looking as well LOL

DH and Amanda received great care in the ER. Can't say the same for the way I as tended to, but that's another story. We finally got out of there, got some meds for me and Cheri took us home. Unfortunately my family had dinner in the hospital cafeteria...blech...I didn't have anything to eat until the next day.

So, we are ok, I'm still on the road to recovery, a little bit better every day.

Since we missed Easter we decided to make Mother's Day special and I made reservations at a casino for an awesome brunch. We really really enjoyed it.

 

[PFW]

OK, So I'm a little weird. I always name my vans Bessie. This was my 3rd van so Bessie III. Lil Bessie was my scooter which was in the back of the van and is damaged beyond repair

My auto insurance company has been wonderful through all this. The loan on Bessie III has been paid off and I received the balance of the value and even my deductible back quite quickly.

We were going to purchase a new van this fall when finances were a bit better but have now been forced into doing this early. The payment on the new van is going to be 2x that of the old one, the old van was purchased used. Thankfully the check from the insurance company for the old van should help offset the difference in the loan payments for a few months.

The new van Bessie IV is beautiful. She's a 2012 Chrysler Town and Country Touring L. She has everything I could have hoped for and more LOL. We are really enjoying such a luxury ride.

I need to file a claim with the other insurance company now to have my personal property, including my scooter, paid for. My brand new set of luggage was still in the back of the van when we were in the accident and the largest one sustained damages to the main zipper and I would not trust it to not totally rip out on a trip. My poor scooter has a bent axle in front and the motor and such in the back is all off kilter, you can't even put it in nuetral anymore.

Like I had said before, I'm glad I made the purchases that I had already made because money is going to feel a little tight around here for awhile.

 

[PFW]

Amanda and I spent some time today working on our Trip Planner. We got a good start by deciding what sections to include and we have a few pages designed, just need to type up some text to add.
Fun Stuff

 

[Halloween Baby]

I have been making plans for this trip since early February. I booked a package on 2/28 for our room, tickets and flights. We will be staying at the All Star Music Resort. I chose this resort because Amanda is a musician. She plays clarinet in the high school band and is teaching herself to play guitar and piano as well.

We're a music family too! Ashton is learning guitar and he's looking forward to playing an instrument in middle school! Chris plays piano and I was in band in high school!

BTW, you'll love staying onsite. MCO is easy... just follow the signs for baggage and then Magical Express and you're all set! And it's so much easier to just catch a bus everywhere (IMO) than have to worry about driving and parking!!

I'm very envious of your scooter!! I thought about renting one on some of the days while we're there and I still might... I have a blood clot disorder that causes me a lot of pain and restricts me from lots of activity. I'm walking to get ready for the trip but still worry about making it for 10 days!

I used EasyWDW and Undercover Tourist while making my plans. I have 2 day MYW tickets with WP&M for 8/20 through 8/25. On 8/25 my 2nd reservation kicks in and we'll have 6 day MYW tickets that I plan on adding the Park Hopper option to when we get them. We also will have free QSDP beginning on 8/25.

8/20 Flying out of Syracuse on JetBlue at 7 AM.
When we arrive at ASMusic we will check-in, have lunch and check out the resort. I'm sure we'll be taking a dip in the pool next and then I would like to go to DownTown Disney and surprise Amanda by going to Disney Quest. We can either have dinner there or stop to one of the restaurants before returning to the resort that night.

8/21 MK – Can't think of a better place to spend my birthday.
Amanda suggested that I make reservations for dinner at Cinderella's Royal Castle, so I did!!! I have never done this before and am really looking forward to it.

8/22 IOA/US – OK, I admit it, I'm a Harry Potter fan.
I can't go to Orlando without going to IOA. I am going to purchase a 1 day/2 park pass that includes transportation and we'll spend the day flying with Harry, drinking Butterbeer and maybe we'll get ourselves some magic wands LOL

8/23 HS
I have never been to see Fantasmic and really want to do that this trip. I managed to make a Fantasmic Package reservation for lunch at Mama Melrose so we don't have to waste so much time in line. If they add a 2nd show I may cancel this ADR.

8/24 Blizzard Beach and Winter Summerland Mini Golf
Amanda has never been to either of the waterparks. I have been to Typhoon Lagoon but never to BB. I decided to go to BB so that when we are done we can go next door and play mini golf using the vouchers that we'll be receiving in our packages. I may just watch so that Amanda can play both courses. I would like to be back to the resort early enough to enjoy the activities out at the pool and watch the movie. I plan on throwing in a load of laundry and getting that done while we are relaxing.

8/25 AK and then Park Hop over to Epcot for Illuminations

8/26 Epcot and then Park Hop over to MK for Wishes and evening EMH
I may make an ADR for the dessert party.

8/27 Epcot and then Park Hop over to HS for evening EMH

8/28 AK
I would like to be back to the resort early enough to enjoy the activities out at the pool and watch the movie. Might take some time to check out AS Movies and AS Sports as well.

8/29 MK

8/30 EP and then Park Hop over to MK for MSEP

8/31 Pack up and check out. Flight home isn't until 8:10 PM
We'll go to DownTown Disney again to do some shopping and I've made lunch reservations at Plant Hollywood. (Voucher from Disney) If we are hungry we can grab dinner at the food court. If we aren't we still pick up dinner to go and have something to eat while waiting for our flight.

Oh I wish were able to stay on our last day until that late! We're leaving at 5 so we still get some time in but it'd be great to have more of a day... We've done the Mama Melrose package before and we're doing it again. The food is very yummy and it's so worth it not to have to get there early and waste Disney time!

I'm so sorry about your accident! It's a good thing that you drive a van!! Maybe once all of the injuries are behind you it'll turn into a blessing in disguise in helping you pay for your new Bessie! Last year, we went to visit family in Chicago. When we got back, my car had been totaled by a hail storm. I had been driving a hatchback Ford Focus and it was getting so difficult for me to get Aidan's car seat in and out... I was able to get a Honda CRV and now it's so much better! Without the check from my old car, I would have never been able to get something so nice! I hope it all works out for you!

I look forward to reading more as you post more!!

 

[PFW]

I used to rent a scooter when I went to Disney and to our state fair. At $50 a day it was adding up to alot of money. So, instead of shelling out that money over and over I decided to just buy one last summer. I got a a Zip'r 4 that cost $789 (free shipping thru walmart.com). That's the cost of 16 rentals. Well, we go to the state fair at least 4 times each year. Now we're going to be spending 8 days at Disney, 1 day at Blizard Beach and 1 day at US/IOA. Not to mention all the pain it will save me trying to get through the airports. I have also used it when we went Trick or Treating last year. I dressed up like a witch and put a plastic caldren in my basket with a flashing light inside LOL. You can use it at the mall, at the zoo, at any store that may not supply scooters. It really does pay for itself rather quickly !!!
I have degenerating discs in my lower spine and feel like the scooter has given me back a lot of freedom that I was losing without it.
If it's something that you can use continually you may want to just bite the bullet and invest in one.

 

[PFW]

Back in 2007 when my 2 girls and I went to Disney we didn't catch Wishes and my younger daughter is still upset about that. So, I am going to make a point of seeing them with her when we go.

 

[PFW]

Bought myself a new camera today

I took my change to the CoinStar machine at Walmart yesterday and walked away with $148.00

 

[disprincessesmom1012]

HI! I'm here following along. So glad you guys are all ok after that accident. I'll admit, I cried reading that story. I'm a sap. Cant wait to hear more about your plans.

 

[PFW]

Thanks for your thoughts
I'm glad to have you following along

 

[PFW]

Amanda and I spent some time organizing our stuff for vacation this afternoon. I had picked up lots of travel sized toiletries and stuff for the trip as I saw stuff in the stores. We put stuff into our boarding bags and our carry-ons. We talked about the 3-1-1 bag and the liquid rules. We both decided we want to journal during our trips so we have comp books and pens all set to go.

I cannot wait for this trip. The waiting is killing me.

 

[Halloween Baby]

I cannot wait for this trip. The waiting is killing me.

TOTALLY!!!

 

[PFW]

Well, the insurance company of the guy that hit me is stringing me along with my claim for personal property damages and are now declining payment. The claims adjuster didn't give me the correct information on going about supplying the needed info so I just wasted a month waiting for him to get back to me. I complained about it on the phone with him yesterday. Fine, I'll play your darned game....I am in the process of documenting it all again and submitting it through the proper channels.

I think I'll just have to bite the bullet and charge a new scooter because I'm afraid they aren't going to come through with the money in time for me to order it before my trip.

I so disgusted and frustrated having to go through all this because of someone else's inability to safely drive a motor vehicle.

And we won't even discuss the bald spot on my head and the additional hairs that have been falling out lately

I called a lawyer about the bodily injuries. The woman I talked to wouldn't let me finish a sentence. She wanted to have someone else call me the next day and I told her that I would not be available in the morning because we had an appointment and that they should call in the afternoon. Well, she must have not listened to me because I got a call from them on my cell phone at 10 AM. I ended up telling them when they called again the following day that I wasn't going to sue after all just to get rid of them. I'm just not dealing with people who can't listen to me.

 

[PFW]

Amanda and I spent some time getting our tip envelopes ready for mousekeeping.

I ordered my new scooter, I can't wait for this insurance company to come through with the money so I put it on a charge card for now. Looks as if it'll be delivered on Monday as it's already in Syracuse. Maybe I'll get lucky and they will get it on a truck and deliver it tomorrow, but not getting my hopes up.

I bought myself a new sundress the other day. Amanda and I have decided that we'll both wear sundresses the first day at MK.

I don't think I'll ever book a trip so far in advance again. This waiting is just excrutiating !!!

 

[Trinity524]

So sorry for that happened to you on Easter.

There is something to be said about the stresses of life and going to WDW. I find that the worse the day to day issues are, the better my trip.