FEBRUARY 5 10, 2006
ANIMAL KINGDOM LODGE
CAST:
ME Traci, 37, Disney Nut
DH Brad, 36, Enabler
DS Ben, 5, Nut in Training, Autistic
A TINY BIT OF BACKSTORY:
The five years since my DSs birth have been difficult. We had severe financial difficulties and prior to his first birthday I was diagnosed with a serious illness that required immediate and sometimes uncomfortable or painful treatment.
After a year, I was in standard treatment, my hair had mostly grown back and I was starting to feel normal again. We then realized something was not quite right with our precious little boy. By the time he was three, DS was diagnosed as autistic, in the moderate to severe range. It was a devastating thing for a parent to hear. Yes, he is a perfect specimen physically and we thank god for that, but to lack basic communication skills, the ability to talk, and the frustration you can see he suffers often expressed in anger breaks your heart.
He had been in various therapies and now special classes in Kindergarten, but the future is uncertain. We can only help him and I think we are his best teachers. We treat him as normally as we can and celebrate each syllable that he utters and light in his eyes when he gets it.
After all we had endured as a family, we needed some magic. DS loves all things Disney, so on June 9, 2005, DH and I decided it was time to take him on a real WDW vacation. He had only been once, Christmas 2003, and that was for one extremely crowded day at MK.
The date was chosen, October 24. It seemed a good choice; out of the heat of summer, low crowds and during the time of year when I, as a 37 year old native Floridian, had never seen a hurricane even threaten to strike. We were booked at CBR. I eventually purchased tickets to MNSSHP for October 27th and lived through hurricanes Katrina and Rita as they moved through our area.
With seven days remaining on our countdown, it was evident that Tropical Storm, soon to be hurricane, Wilma was headed directly for us in South Florida and taking her sweet time to get here, strengthening all the while. We couldnt leave our pets and home unattended through a storm and although he offered, I was not going to go without DH.
Three days prior to what was to have been our arrival date, I rescheduled our trip for February 5. With the extra time to make payments, we added an additional night and upgraded to AKL. It seemed little consolation at the time.
Wilma arrived on October 24th. She left the lower third of our state without electricity, including us. With no school, no work and no power for an indefinite period of time, DH insisted I take DS to my fathers home where things could be more normal for him. My father happened to live in Orlando.
We drove up on October 25th while DH tended to our darkened home and brood of dogs and cats. DS and I attended MNSSHP with my stepmother since I still had the tickets and we went to AK the next day. I would report more on that, but this is already getting long for pre-story.
We returned home when the power was restored on October 30th. It would be weeks and weeks more before our community returned to anything resembling what it was and the after effects of uprooted trees and torn off roofs still exists today.
After all of that we finally arrived at February 5, 2006
DAY ONE COMING UP...
ANIMAL KINGDOM LODGE
CAST:
ME Traci, 37, Disney Nut
DH Brad, 36, Enabler
DS Ben, 5, Nut in Training, Autistic
A TINY BIT OF BACKSTORY:
The five years since my DSs birth have been difficult. We had severe financial difficulties and prior to his first birthday I was diagnosed with a serious illness that required immediate and sometimes uncomfortable or painful treatment.
After a year, I was in standard treatment, my hair had mostly grown back and I was starting to feel normal again. We then realized something was not quite right with our precious little boy. By the time he was three, DS was diagnosed as autistic, in the moderate to severe range. It was a devastating thing for a parent to hear. Yes, he is a perfect specimen physically and we thank god for that, but to lack basic communication skills, the ability to talk, and the frustration you can see he suffers often expressed in anger breaks your heart.
He had been in various therapies and now special classes in Kindergarten, but the future is uncertain. We can only help him and I think we are his best teachers. We treat him as normally as we can and celebrate each syllable that he utters and light in his eyes when he gets it.
After all we had endured as a family, we needed some magic. DS loves all things Disney, so on June 9, 2005, DH and I decided it was time to take him on a real WDW vacation. He had only been once, Christmas 2003, and that was for one extremely crowded day at MK.
The date was chosen, October 24. It seemed a good choice; out of the heat of summer, low crowds and during the time of year when I, as a 37 year old native Floridian, had never seen a hurricane even threaten to strike. We were booked at CBR. I eventually purchased tickets to MNSSHP for October 27th and lived through hurricanes Katrina and Rita as they moved through our area.
With seven days remaining on our countdown, it was evident that Tropical Storm, soon to be hurricane, Wilma was headed directly for us in South Florida and taking her sweet time to get here, strengthening all the while. We couldnt leave our pets and home unattended through a storm and although he offered, I was not going to go without DH.
Three days prior to what was to have been our arrival date, I rescheduled our trip for February 5. With the extra time to make payments, we added an additional night and upgraded to AKL. It seemed little consolation at the time.
Wilma arrived on October 24th. She left the lower third of our state without electricity, including us. With no school, no work and no power for an indefinite period of time, DH insisted I take DS to my fathers home where things could be more normal for him. My father happened to live in Orlando.
We drove up on October 25th while DH tended to our darkened home and brood of dogs and cats. DS and I attended MNSSHP with my stepmother since I still had the tickets and we went to AK the next day. I would report more on that, but this is already getting long for pre-story.
We returned home when the power was restored on October 30th. It would be weeks and weeks more before our community returned to anything resembling what it was and the after effects of uprooted trees and torn off roofs still exists today.
After all of that we finally arrived at February 5, 2006
DAY ONE COMING UP...
DH and DS are still asleep and we cant even drop our dogs off at their doggie spa for another four hours. So begins our first day of vacation.
Add medicine to the already full bags.
we arrive at AKL just prior to 5:00 PM. Check-in was quick and everyone is Disney friendly. Our room is beautiful and all the way in the back of the lodge. 
Looking forward to more.
He came out crying, so now I felt even worse.
I had heard that even with a Guest Assistance Card, you still had to use Fast Pass when you could, so I was hoping not to need one, I would learn different later.
Our driver was horrible, not speaking above a mumble and it made me long for when DS and I went in October and our driver was so wonderful you bought the whole story. DH didnt care, he was more interested in the animals anyway and for a treat the male lion was actually awake!!
