My PO-RS, GF, and BCV Vacation With A Disability

[Janet2k]

I’ll let you folks in on a little secret: I always get a little wistful whenever a loved one leaves my family’s vacation. I was doing okay with controlling my emotions regarding my dear friend’s departure until my young daughter started to get a little teary-eyed herself. I tell you, the women in my family sure are sentimental old fools. Between the two of us, we probably polished off a whole box of tissues that morning.

My dear friend didn’t need to head to the airport until mid-afternoon. That gave us the entire morning to spend in Stormalong Bay. We were on the pool deck by 9:30 AM. Since the pool didn’t officially open until 10 AM, we got ourselves situated at our usual table (click here). We put on our sunscreen, and to pass the time until we could enter the water, we began reading some modern day fairy tales: People magazine, the National Enquirer, and US magazine. Ah, escapism! Somehow my troubles always melt away whenever I read the stuff of which fairy tales are made. It’s such a shame that I only have time for modern fairy tales while I am on vacation.

A minute or two before 10 AM, a few of the Life Guards walked around the pool deck and asked the guests to produce their YC/BC/BCV resort IDs before they would be issued any wristbands. When they walked over to our table, we pulled out our resort IDs and were promptly issued wristbands.

With our wristbands securely in place, we were ready for action. I rolled my wheelchair over to the pool’s handicap-entrance and bumped my rear-end down into the water. It felt wonderful to stand on the sand-bottomed pool. In the water I felt almost like my old self again. What a lovely feeling.

It was overcast that morning and rain threatened to break at any moment, or so the Weather Channel had stated. From what I could see of the sky, the weather folks were pretty much on the mark. But it was warm outside and since we were in the water, we didn’t care if the skies opened up and poured down upon us. We didn’t care, that is, as long as there weren’t any lightning strikes – Disney clears the swimming pools if lightning is sensed in the vicinity. Luckily for us, the rain didn’t fall and no lightning was discovered anywhere in the area. And so we frolicked and played in Stormalong Bay that morning.

Shortly before 11 AM, my friend went up to her resort room to retrieve her luggage. She brought it down to the pool and placed it beside our table. Then she, my daughter, and my husband went to Beaches & Cream Soda Shop in order to get us some lunch. Within fifteen minutes they returned with our food. We were definitely a hungry bunch of vacationers that day and the food tasted yummy.

Once lunch was eaten, it was time for one last swim. We took a final spin around the whirlpool and then it was time for my friend to change into her traveling clothes. She stood in her swimsuit beneath the outdoor shower and rinsed herself off. Then she went into the bathroom that is located next to Hurricane Hanna’s Grille in order to change into her clothes. Within minutes she was back at our table, packing her swimsuit into her luggage. The time had finally come for her to leave, so my daughter and I went with her to the Beach Club’s porte cochere in order to await her ride to the airport.

While we waited under the porte cochere, we exchanged hugs and goodbyes. My daughter had tears in her eyes but proudly kept them at bay. Soon, my friend’s transportation arrived and there was no escaping the fact that she was leaving the place where magic lives, a.k.a., Walt Disney World. As her ride pulled away from the Beach Club Resort, that is when the tears began rolling down not only my daughter’s cheeks but also my own. It was amazing how quickly the past few days had flown by. But there was one thing that was crystal clear to me even with tear-filled eyes – my family’s vacation wouldn’t have been half as much fun had my dear friend not joined us on it. I smiled to myself as I realized how truly lucky we were.

 

[Janet2k]

After my daughter & I wiped the final tears from our eyes, we headed back to Stormalong Bay to rejoin my husband. We found him reading one of the modern fairy tales (a.k.a., People magazine). I told him to put it down and join us in the pool. He promptly obliged. Have I told you what a smart man he is?

We spent the next hour or two in the pool. My husband went down the water slide a few times with our daughter, while I spun ‘round & ‘round in the whirlpool (making sure to tuck my broken leg underneath my body so it wouldn’t get bumped by my fellow swimmers – the whirlpool can get quite treacherous when it gets filled with too many bodies).

The sky cleared up a little bit, which probably made the Weather Channel people scratch their heads in wonder. It turned out to be a lovely afternoon, in spite of their warnings.

My family had dinner plans that evening at the Wilderness Lodge Resort's Artist Point restaurant, so by late-afternoon, we headed up to our resort room in order to shower and dress for dinner.

A few years ago, I had been fortunate to meet a man thanks to my love of Walt Disney World. He and I struck up a friendship via e-mail. Last year during my Mother & Daughter Vacation, he and his wife took me and my daughter out to dinner at the Contemporary Resort's California Grill restaurant. I can’t tell you how nice it was to finally meet him in person, and to meet his lovely wife too. They were so kind to us, and I was fortunate to have gotten the opportunity to get to know them a little bit better via that dinner.

When I was planning my new vacation, my friend asked if my family and his family could hook up again for dinner. I happily accepted his kind offer as I really wanted him to meet not only my husband but also my parents. My parents are such decent folks, that I love having them meet my friends (and my Dad is such a hoot, that my friends always enjoying meeting both he and my Mom). I can’t tell you how disappointed I was when my parents suddenly left Florida and headed home due to the illness that my Mom had been unable to shake while they were vacationing with us. I think I was more disappointed that they weren’t going to get to meet my friends than I was disappointed that they weren’t going to get to attend the Haunted Mansion Movie Set Dinner Event. Oh, well. Hopefully, on another vacation, they will get the opportunity to meet my friends.

My family hadn’t eaten at Artist Point in a few years. The last time we ate there it was good, but it didn’t ~wow~ me. I was curious to see how I would feel about the food that evening.

We took a taxi over to the Wilderness Lodge and made our way to the restaurant. My friend’s wife arrived first, and I introduced my husband to her. She said her husband would be arriving soon, followed by their daughter. We decided to sit at our dinner table and wait for them there.

We were dining early, so the restaurant had just opened for dinner and initially wasn’t very busy. However, as the evening wore on, the restaurant quickly filled with vacationers. It was obvious to me that it was a popular place for dinner.

My friend arrived shortly after we were seated. It was good to see him. He and his wife are such lovely people. I was so happy that my husband was finally going to get to know them as I have come to know them over the years. My poor husband has heard me speak of them often enough; I am sure he was happy to finally place a “face” with a “name.”

Soon after my friend arrived, his daughter joined us and our party was finally complete. She was as cute as a button and such a well-behaved young lady. I had only seen photos of her prior to that night. I couldn’t decide if she resembled her father more than her mother (it’s always fun trying to figure that out). My daughter was happy that there was another youngster at our table for dinner that evening. I forget how boring we adults can be to a child.

Eventually, we placed our dinner orders. Our waiter was excellent and attended to all our needs. I was impressed, especially since he was so personable.

Last year when I had dined with my friend and his wife at the California Grill, I had discovered that he had attended the same university that I had attended. We didn’t get our degrees in the same field, nor did we attend the school at the same time. However, it was fun knowing that not only did we have a Disney connection, we had an alma mater connection. Talk about a small world.

I am fairly certain that I had relayed the college-connection to my husband at one point in time. However, at dinner that evening, it must have escaped his memory banks. He noticed that my friend had on a polo shirt with a one-letter insignia. When my friend had momentarily left the dinner table, my husband whispered to me, “Is he wearing a XXXX University shirt?” To which I laughed. Leave it to my husband’s eagle eyes to spot a college shirt (he is such a sport’s fanatic). I told my husband to ask my friend that same question when he returned to the table. My husband did. The kismet did not escape him.

When our food finally arrived, I must say that I was ~wow’ed.~ I had ordered the free-range chicken and it was delicious. I am still kicking myself in the butt for not finishing my meal that night, but I was too busy talking. I can’t wait to go back to Artist Point to order that meal again. This time I will make sure to savor every bite.

As to everyone else’s meals, they were just as delicious. I think my husband actually licked his plate clean (that man needs to talk more & eat less). Believe it or not, everyone somehow found room for dessert. I ordered the berry cobbler and it, too, was yummy. All in all, our dinner that evening was wonderful, from the service to the food. I won’t hesitate to dine at Artist Point again.

After a few hours of great conversation and scrumptious food, it was time to call it a night. We fondly bade each other farewell. I could tell that my husband enjoyed the evening as much as I did. This was the last officially planned event of our vacation. It was the absolute perfect event to end it with, too. I couldn’t have asked for better companionship if I had asked Disney itself to provide me suitable dinner partners.

 

[IloveDMB]

This really was a dream vacation, wasn't it? I'm sure your friend had an unbelievable time, as well.

 

[erikthewise]

The thread that keeps on giving....
Thanks again, Janet, for the lastest installment!

 

[Janet2k]

Day Six at the Beach Club Villas was the first day out of our entire vacation that I did not have one single thing planned. Not one. Imagine that. How could I have let that happen?

I was actually a little relieved that I finally had some time to spend with just my daughter and my husband. I had been feeling slightly guilty that I had packed our vacation with so many activities that it was on the verge of becoming a non-vacation. When I look back over that vacation now, I still am amazed at how many things we did in spite of the fact that I spent the entire vacation in a wheelchair. And I was in a lot of pain, too, but for the most part kept my mouth shut. I must admit that there were times when I was afraid that I was pushing myself too hard, but I was bound and determined to make that vacation as fun for my husband and daughter as I possibly could. They had suffered through so much with my disability, and yet they never complained.

I can’t remember if I mentioned this before but my husband slept on the floor next to my hospital bed throughout the entire time that I was disabled. We live in a two-story townhouse and I couldn’t manage the stairs with one leg that was badly sprained and the other leg that was terribly broken. Because of that simple fact, I had a hospital bed installed in my home so that I could sleep downstairs while I recuperated (my bedroom was upstairs and thus off-limits to me).

The hospital bed that I rented allowed me to sleep with my legs in an elevated position (a requirement in order to lessen the threat of Deep Vein Thrombosis, or DVT). My husband did not want to leave me alone downstairs during those long and scary nights. My young daughter didn’t want to leave me alone, either. She slept on one of the sofas in the living room while my husband camped out in a sleeping bag next to my hospital bed. If that ain’t love, I don’t know what is. I think now you can understand why I wanted to pack our vacation with as many magical events as I could. It was my small way of saying “thank you” to them for sticking with me through thick and thin, through better and worse, and in sickness and in health.

Since Day Six at the Beach Club Villas found us with nothing to do, I let my daughter dictate the day. She chose the Epcot Theme Park. I already knew that she wanted to try Mission: SPACE. She’s quite the little daredevil. And so we purchased our tickets at the International Gateway and entered the theme park.

The Weather Channel had told us that there would be scattered showers for the better part of the day. Judging by the sky above us, I knew they were correct. We had our Disney rain ponchos with us. The rain usually never slows us down, but since I was in a wheelchair, I was a little concerned regarding how the elements would affect my chair. I knew the rain ponchos were rather large, so I hoped that if I had to wear one, I would be able to wear it so that it not only covered my body, but also covered a major portion of my wheelchair. Only time would tell.

Our first stop that morning was Mission: SPACE (click here). I was a little hesitant about going on the ride because of my disability. I knew I could manage the ride physically (I would wheel myself up to the ride vehicle and then transfer myself into it by hopping on one foot). However, since I hadn’t walked in months, I wasn’t sure how the ride would affect my equilibrium. Did I even have any equilibrium left? Would I get dizzy? Would I get sick? Would I cry out for my Mommy? You get the picture. I decided to keep a stiff upper lip and try the ride at least once, so off we went into the ride queue.

There have been many Mission: SPACE ride reports written here on the Dis. My words couldn’t possibly do the ride justice, so please read my fellow Dis’ers ride reports instead. The only thing I have to say is, “Wow! What a ride!”

With those words out of the way, let me tell you that when the ride first began, I got a little dizzy. I have spent many summers racing on sailboats in all kinds of weather, so I knew I was not the dizzy type (regardless of what my husband might say). I attributed what I felt to my disability and focused my attention on the video screen before me inside the ride vehicle. I was the ride’s “engineer” and did not want to let my crewmates down. I pressed the buttons when I was supposed to press them and generally did everything that a good engineer should do. The ride was fun and over much too soon. As we exited the ride vehicle, my daughter cried out, “I WANT TO DO IT AGAIN!” with much enthusiasm (oh, to be young again). I looked at my husband and told him to take her on the ride again; I would wait outside. So I exited the building and they quickly raced back to the ride queue.

It had started to sprinkle lightly and folks were putting their rain ponchos on (click here). I put mine on, too, and found that it covered both me and my wheelchair quite nicely. I was glad. Due to the weather, Epcot was not very busy. I noticed that there really weren’t many people in the ride queue. Because of that, I knew it would probably be less than fifteen minutes before my husband and daughter exited the ride again.

Like clockwork, they appeared before me. Once again my daughter exclaimed, “Mama, I WANT TO DO IT AGAIN!” (Hhhhmmm… I wonder if I have a future astronaut on my hands?) I told her that since it was getting close to lunch-time, we would ride Mission: SPACE again later on in the day. To prove it, I took advantage of Disney's FASTPASS® Service and got us three FASTPASS® tickets. That seemed to appease her.

We found a payphone and I pressed *88 in order to reach the WDW Dining Reservation Center’s telephone line free of charge (a lovely feature that I find so handy while vacationing in the World). I made a reservation for lunch at the San Angel Inn in the Mexico Pavilion. My reservation was for approximately thirty minutes later, so we headed towards the World Showcase and our restaurant.

The rain sputtered as we made our way to the Mexico Pavilion. We kept our ponchos on, even though the rain didn’t really amount to much. Within minutes, we were in Mexico and before the San Angel Inn. After checking in, there was only a five-minute wait before we were seated. The hostess seated us alongside the El Rio del Tiempo, or the "River of Time." What a lovely location for lunch.

My family always enjoys our meals at the San Angel Inn and today was no exception. We were famished and thus pretty much wiped our plates clean. The restaurant is a lovely way to escape from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the World and our time there always seems to pass quickly. I think we could easily linger there for hours, but since my daughter was in the driver’s seat today, we paid our lunch bill and immediately entered the queue for the El Rio del Tiempo ride. We love that ride, and I especially enjoy its song (you can hear a snippet of the song if you access the webpage that I just gave the link to).

After we left the Mexico Pavilion, we toured the rest of World Showcase. The rain had departed by that point in time. We strolled through many countries and their shops, and even watched a movie – the updated “Reflections of China” movie. We also visited the Norway Pavilion and rode on Maelstrom. That’s one of our theme park favorites.

Somewhere in between all of our touring, we headed back and used our FASTPASS® tickets for Mission: SPACE. All three of us rode the ride this time, and I am pleased to report that the second time around was great – no dizziness to speak of (phew!). And just like the prior two rides, after the third ride, my daughter exclaimed, “ONE MORE TIME!” This time I temporarily suspended her driver’s license and told her that there were too many other things left to do inside Epcot. She knew I was right and didn’t say another word.

Since we were at the front of the theme park, we decided to get another set of Leave A Legacy tiles made in order to commemorate our current vacation. My family has purchased a few of these tiles over the years, so once our photographs had been taken, we decided to visit our old tiles (click here). It’s always fun seeing how my family has changed through the years. It was at that point that I suggested to my daughter that she take an etching of one of her tiles (click here). It didn’t turn out too well because we didn’t have a pencil with us, only a pen, but it was fun nonetheless taking an etching.

Dinner was at hand so we decided that when in America, you do as the Americans do. Yep, we stopped in the U.S.A. Pavilion and grabbed a bite to eat in the Liberty Inn. Our burgers and fries tasted great with our soft drinks. They really hit the spot. Plus, the “Eat To The Beat” concert was about to begin, and the evening’s headliners were the Fifth Dimension. We definitely wanted to watch their show.

The Fifth Dimension has recorded some wonderful songs over the years: “Up, Up and Away,” “Stoned Soul Picnic,” “Wedding Bell Blues,” “One Less Bell to Answer,” “(Last Night) I Didn’t Get to Sleep At All,” and one of the 20th Century’s all-time favorites, “Aquarius.” I couldn’t believe our luck in getting the opportunity to listen to them sing in person. And what a show they put on for us. Even my young daughter enjoyed their music (and she recognized a few of their songs, too). I have some photos of the group singing. Sorry for the poor color & quality of the images (we sat way back in the audience):
Photo # 1
Photo # 2
Photo # 3
Photo # 4

The Fifth Dimension performed so beautifully that I was a little sad when their concert had ended. But it was time for IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth to begin, so I quickly got over my sadness and prepared for the evening’s big finale. IllumiNations was wonderful, as always (click here).

And so our Epcot day had come to an end. My husband and daughter took turns pushing my wheelchair back to the Beach Club Villas. We wanted to savor the beautiful night air. When we returned to the resort, my husband headed up to our room but my daughter and I decided that we just weren’t ready for bed yet. We found the rocking chairs on the resort’s verandah a wonderful place to kick back and relax for awhile (click here). After rolling all day long in my wheelchair, I definitely was ready to rock.

 

[Nanajo1]

I was late finding your report but I am so enjoying it if with a tinge of envy. I need a vacation to recover from imagining all you did!. Thanks for posting.

 

[floridafam]

Originally posted by WeFullTime...

I've been a lurker on these forums and never felt the need to register or post, but I just registered so that I could tell you what a truly lovely, down-to-earth, and gracious lady you have on these boards in Janet2K.

 

[Ron from Michigan]

After reading your current trip report, I had just had to go back and read your prior trip report. You are such a great storyteller with your reports, I just feel like I am there with you. You sure know how to make your WDW trip very magical. We have been going every year for a while now, and it always feels like we have come home again. WDW is the most magical place there is to spend time with friends and family. Thanks again for the wonderful posts.

 

[Janet2k]

Ron from Michigan, now you've gone and done it. I fear I will be forced to finish this trip report someday! (Believe it or not, I actually have half-finished entries that I had hoped to post but never got around to doing.)

 

[Ron from Michigan]

Janet2k, We just love your posts so much that we just have to have more & more & more..............

 

[janets]

that when I read your current report, you made mention several times to your leg injury. Now that I've had a chance to read your old trip report and understand the extent of the problem, I have to tell you how much I admire you for making the trip at all.

Just before 9/11, my mother fell on the steps in my aunt's house in CA and landed on the ceramic tile floor. While she didn't injure her replacement knee, she did shatter her right femur. They operated that night, inserting a plate and pins to hold the bone and after being released from the hospital, she ended up staying for a while in a nursing home because there wasn't anywhere else for her to go. Unlike you, she was not casted at all. As a result, she could put no weight on the leg at all and was in a wheelchair for almost 12 weeks. We were lucky enough to be able to bring her home to NJ in mid October, with the help of one of the care givers from the nursing home (he actually accompanied her on the flight back east, getting her on and off the plane, into and out of the cars and back home for us).

After finally rehabing and getting out of the chair in mid December, she seemed to be getting on with her life, back to driving and working a day or 2 a week. In February, she took a day trip to Atlantic City with a few lady friends and came home complaining that her leg hurt. We all assumed that she had over done the day, straining the leg, but she insisted it was different and the pain was so bad she couldn't even get out of a chair. After a visit to the ortho the next work day, she found out that the plate had cracked and the bone had not healed at all (so she was walking around on a broken leg). He immediately scheduled her for another surgery and reopened the leg completely, taking out the broken plate and pins, severing the bone at the knee and inserting a rod in its place. She spent another 12 weeks in a wheelchair unable to put any weight on the leg, because again there was no cast. Finally, in May, she was up and around and, thankfully, completely healed.

Having lived through the terrible ordeal, I simply must tell you that you are an amazingly strong woman and you must love your family an awful lot to travel across the country to WDW only a few months after such an ordeal. The way you handled all the challenges with such grace and charm makes me feel humbled.

I hope that you manage to find the time to finish this report, as I'd love to hear about the rest of the trip. I'm also anxiously waiting for the next installment of your most recent trip. Can't wait to hear about the Family Magic Tour and the special dinner party.

Hoping this finds you feeling well and strong.

 

[Kewz1]

Janet,

I'm enjoying your other report so much I've started reading this one as well!

I got a real kick out of hearing about your VIP tour at the AK because we did that same exact thing back in Janaury 2001. My DH has a good friend from college who works in management at AK. He arranged for that plus a few other goodies as well. It sounds like you enjoyed your tour as much as we enjoyed ours!

Thanks for sharing all your adventures with us!!

Kristen

 

[elise72]

Your trip report is the most magical I have ever read,I had no idea about all the wonderful events that are possible.
I had read your reviews of the GF Childrens Programs before,but had no idea they were part of such a magical vacation.

Thanks for sharing your wonderful diary.I hope my family have as
magical time as yours on our trip next year.

 

[NJOYURLIFE]

OK, this is just to subscribe. I can't wait to read this one too.

 

[Janet2k]

A year or two ago, I put together a slideshow of the photos from my family’s “Haunted Mansion” Movie Set Dinner Event. Almost all of the photos in the video slideshow were taken by Disney Event Productions (it should be fairly obvious which photos didn't come from our professional photographer). The background music that was used was the hauntingly beautiful overture from the “Haunted Mansion” movie. I thought I would share a link to the slideshow in this trip report.

The slideshow is nothing fancy but I hope it conveys a little bit of what my family and our guests experienced inside the Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park’s Soundstage 4 on the night that my husband and I celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary. I hope you enjoy the show.

Click here for the slideshow.

 

[tiggerbell]

Janet,

I came across this thread 3 days ago. I have a problem with my laptop, it loses my connection to my home network whenever I close it - so it's been open for 3 days! I wasn't closing it until I finished your report! Thanks so much for the report and the Haunted Mansion slideshow in your last post.

When I read a trip report (most of them anyway), I feel like I'm also on the trip and the people in the report seem like old friends. Now I'm off to search for any more reports you might have out here of trips WE'VE been on!