The Unlucky Family Gets Lucky; our 1st trip ever!

[decbysteph]

Hello everyone! I have been lurking since last February when I began planning this trip. And I can't say thank you enough to the disboards for all the tips and knowledge I had recieved!!

A little background:

Me:31, planning freak! I'm not happy unless I'm planning something- this trip was a glorious 10 month planning fest!! I've also lost 101 lbs over the past year, so this was a celebration (of meeting goal weight) trip as well.

DH: 37 A big pessimist this man is!! I always tell him he should start a Pessimist Club, to which he replies "no one would come", see what I mean? He was not thrilled to go on this trip, just not his thing. He would have prefered a hunting trip somewhere.

DD:5, our imaginative little girl. She watched the Disney Planning DVD like a million times! She is very sensitive to a lot of things and a very big worry wort (must get that from her dad!)

DS: 18 months, and not joining us on our trip. Thank you Lord!! He is not the happy, sweet little boy I see other moms pushing around in shopping carts. No, my son rips off his shoes and clothes and hurls them at people when we go shopping. He bites, kicks, throws, and scratches. He really needs some anger managment classes!! So thankfully, we had family watch him while we went on our vacation (we had to break it up so each person only had him for 2 days, believe me, 2 days is A LOT with that little devil.).

And I must mention my dear lovely sister. She is the sole founder of this trip. I am blessed to have a sister with such a generous spirit (and such a wealthy husband!). She called me up last January to ask if she could take my daughter and I on a trip to WDW with her teenage daughters. I said my DH would probably feel a little sad that he wouldn't experience it with DD, but that it was okay. She then called back and said that my DH and I should go and take DD, she would pay for it all. I was thrilled!! My DH and I didn't really even go on a Honeymoon, so this would be the first trip we ever took together!

My DH and I are very unlucky people. Sometimes it is even comical how so much goes so wrong for us! As I sit and reflect on this passing year, there were so many sad and upsetting moments, but also some great moments. I have learned to take the bad luck I have and accept it, and really, really appreciate and enjoy the good moments. I figure someone else out there is going through something worse than I am, so I can be greatful for what I have.
We are a one income household, my DH works outside the home, and I am a stay at home mom. Money is extremely tight for us, so we would have never dreamed of going on a trip like this was.

So thank you to my sister, and now to the trip.....

 

[OhMari]

Congradulations on the weight loss. I am always amazed to hear how people lost weight.
I hope your husband found the Disney Magic.

On with your TR.

 

[decbysteph]

The day before we left was crazy!! My mom was driving down to stay in our home with DS for the first 2 days of our trip. So I have to clean like a mad woman, so it appears that I do clean the house on a more regular basis!! I was also impatiently waiting for some labs and medical tests to come back for some serious health problems I had been worried about having. My son was recooperating from an emergency double hernia surgery he had had just a few days prior, so we were watching him for anything unusual that would cancel our trip.

The doctor called and gave me great news! I'm in perfect health, well actually, I have very low cholestrol and she suggested I eat more fat. Which was funny to me, since I had spent most of my life (until the last year) "morbidly obese" and consuming way too much fat. So, great news and my family is thrilled!

I get the house in order, get everything packed, tuck my daughter in (with her travel clothes on!) and tell her we will be waking her up very early to go see the princesses.(She has a Disney Princess room). I kiss my little boy goodnight and goodbye, not sure how I will get by without him for the next 6 nights. I go over everything with grandma until I'm sure all she is hearing is "diaper", "nap", "snack" ... I finish packing with DH and then we set the alarm for 3 a.m. and rolled into bed at 9:00.

You know the comercial when the kids are too excited to sleep? Well, my daughter fell fast asleep. I on the other hand probably didn't sleep more than a few minutes!! When was that alarm ever going to go off!!!

December 7th, 3 a.m. the moment we have been waiting for!!
DH and I are showered, dressed and ready by 3:40, van is packed for the airport. It is a bone chilling 8 degrees outside! I go and wake DD up and she comes down the stairs and snuggles up with my mom who is sleeping on the couch. DD is in a sleepy daze and I have to put her socks and shoes on. I hug my mom goodbye, and off we go!!

We arrive at the Madison WI airport around 4:30. It is like a ghost town in there that early!! We check in at the Midwest Airlines counter and proceed to security. My daughter freaks out about going up the escalator, and I wonder how she is going to be able to go on any rides. (DH finally has to walk her up the stairs.) Then DD freaks out because she thinks security is going to steal her stuff! We then find our gate and I purchase my first of many $3.00 bottled waters.

Have I mentioned that I HATE flying? Especially those tiny little planes you take from the little airports to the larger ones. We were flying from Madison to Milwaukee and then to Orlando. The flights went well and we landed in Orlando at 11:00 (10 am our time).

Now we were off to find Magical Express. This was a little harder to find than I was expecting. We found the area and checked in. I had expected to wait a while, so I was thrilled when we walked right up to our line and was told to hop on a bus immediatly. Wow! That was quick, and LUCKY! As soon as we were seated the bus took off. I don't think we were off the plane more than 10-15 minutes, how cool is that?! We felt like snowmen melting though, what a difference in temp and humidity! And it was only in the high 60's!

My DD really enjoyed the little movie they put on, she was giggling with excitement! We arrived at the Beach Club after stopping at the Boardwalk first. Checkin went smoothly, although I thought they would be able to tell me what room we would be in, even though it wasn't ready yet. Or at least tell me if it was what I requested. Oh well. They told me to call after 3:00 for the room number.

So with keys to the world, we hand off our Wisconsin weather coats and carryons to the bell staff, and go in search of lunch. We decide to walk to the World Showcase and get lunch at Tangeriene Cafe in Morroco. I had really been wanting to try that!! So after walking on the pathway for just a little while, I was shocked that we were there! We were at Epcot's world showcase entrance!! That was fast!! And where was everyone? I felt like we had the place to ourselves!!

We walked over the bridge and into France, and who do I see standing there all by herself? Why, it's Sleeping Beauty!! Not another person around her!! My daughter ran giggling towards her with out stretched arms- it was like a commercial! I'll never forget that moment. She signed her autograph book and we took a picture. My DD was thrilled! We start walking a little further and standing all alone is Belle!! So up my daughter runs again! This is crazy I'm thinking. Where are the lines of kids I have heard about? We walk a little further until we reach Morroco and there is Jasmin and Alladin. This time we were 3rd in line, but I couldn't believe that we had just been on a plane an hour before, and now DD was an experieced character hugger!! How LUCKY we felt!! The world showcase area was so beautiful, I just kept saying, "oh wow!, wow, oh wow. Beautiful, beautiful, wonderful"
We had lunch outside at the Tangeriene Cafe right when a storyteller came out and talked with us. It was all so magical, I felt like I was in a dream.

We finshed our fantastic platters and headed to Japan. "Beautiful, beautiful, wonderful". DD got a kaki gori. We wondered around the countries until we reached China. My daughter loves China stuff, don't know why, she just always has. In fact it was her decision to pick a dinner selection one night, and she had a hard time choosing between the Nine Dragons restaurant in China, or 1900 Park Fare where she could meet Cinderella. So, of course who do we run into in China? Mulan of course!! There was only 1 other little girl ahead of DD, so again, not much of a wait!
Now things were starting to catch up to me. I was starting to get a headache, and my migraine meds were back at the BC, so I decided we should make our way back. I called and asked if our room was ready, it was 3:00. They gave us the number and we walked through the rest of the countries until we were outside the entrance gates. We were all pretty tired now, so we decide to hop on one of there water ferrys. The fumes of the gas used on those boats made me really queasy and didn't help my headache at all! I suddenly realized that we should not have taken the ferry, since as soon as we took off, I saw the walk way to the BCV was right there! Oh well! So we got a little tour of the lake, and ended up with a longer walk, since we had to get off at the lighthouse that the YC and BC share. We decide to find the Marketplace before seeing our room, so we can buy some milk and water. (I packed cereal and outmeal for us to eat in our room in the mornings.) The gelato and baked goodies looked great!!

 

[GottaGetToDisney!]

I'm really enjoying your report! Can't wait to read more!

Gotta Get To Disney!

 

[decbysteph]

We finally make it to our Villa. I had requested a top floor, 1 bedroom villa facing Epcot. So I was a little disappointed that we were on the 3rd floor. The room was nice though! My DD was actually pretty excited about getting a pull out couch! The full kitchen and balcony was nice, but I was worried that we were by a street. We had a wooded view and the canal was right below us. (keep reading to hear a surprise view I recieved on day 3) The master bedroom was lovely with its own balcony and a whirlpool tub! I think I was most excited about that tub than anything! It was also very nice to have a washer and dryer too.
Hmmmm. What is missing, oh yeah, our luggage! More important, my migraine pills! I called down and they said that they didn't know where they were. Okay, I said and decided to lay down. They called right back and said they found them and would bring them right up. Fabulous!! I had promised DD that she could go swimming, so as soon as the luggage came, I was finding the suits.
Now, I wasn't feeling up to it, and DH is not a "pool" type guy, so we decided I would just take her down to the villa's "quiet" pool and DH would start putting away our things. I popped a headache pill and headed down to the pool. I only stayed down there about 20 minutes, since I really wanted to lay down before our dinner at Rose and Crown. I also wanted to see the Epcot tree lighting ceremony at 6:00. So I only layed down a few minutes, and feeling pretty crummy, I decided to just suck it up and keep going!
On the walk over, I told DH that he may have to just take DD to dinner without me. I was so bummed out that I was feeling that way. We got a spot that was towards the back of the tree ceremony stage, but that was okay. We were right where Micky and the characters drive up, so that was exciting! I got all choked up watching DD as the tree was lit. It really was beautiful. I was so happy to be there, and my headache was going away!! So we walked over to England and checked in at the Rose and Crown. Now it was around 6:15, and boy did it get cold! Not Wisconsin cold, but cold enough that I was glad we had gloves and jackets on! They gave me a beeper and we wondered over to a store. In that store was Pooh and Tigger! There was a short line, so DD and I waited a bit and had our pictures taken with those guys. That was my first character hug, and it was great!! At that time our beeper went off. We headed over to dinner and had a great meal. I had the best beer ever!! (I don't usually drink, and if I do it is usually wine. I just thought I should try one since I was in a Pub.) The atmosphere in there was really cute, but I did want to sit outside. I was glad that we were seated inside though when I felt how warm they had those heaters on outside! I was feeling really good from that beer and DH had wanted to see if he could purchase some Earl Grey from the Tea shop, so we decided to head over to that little shop. Wouldn't you know it, my contact fell out in there! I found it and then realized I had no saline or even a contat case with me! So I ran to the bathroom and rinsed it with water. For those of you that have done this, you know how that BURNS like fire when you put it back in your eye!!


Sorry for the interruption, but my angel of a son has a poopy diaper for me~

 

[Cass]

Hi there, first of all congratulations on your weightloss, what a wonderful accomplishment and you should be so proud of yourself.

Secondly, what a great sister to treat you to a trip to Disney, and just as importantly you family support in looking after your DS (2 nights at a time!) while you are gone.

I am enjoying your trip report and I love how you mention you are LUCKY when good things happen. Sometimes we forget to appreciate things that happen to us.

Looking forward to ready more. I had to laugh when you said a bone chilling 8 degrees, here in Toronto that is balmy

 

[swankybeth]

I'm really enjoying your report so far. Congrats on the weight loss and I have to say it was so nice of your sister to pay for your trip! Looking forward to your next installment.

 

[Backstage_Gal]

Love your story so far!! Hope your trip continues to go well!

 

[decbysteph]

Hi there, first of all congratulations on your weightloss, what a wonderful accomplishment and you should be so proud of yourself.

Secondly, what a great sister to treat you to a trip to Disney, and just as importantly you family support in looking after your DS (2 nights at a time!) while you are gone.

I am enjoying your trip report and I love how you mention you are LUCKY when good things happen. Sometimes we forget to appreciate things that happen to us.

Looking forward to ready more. I had to laugh when you said a bone chilling 8 degrees, here in Toronto that is balmy

I love that you said 8 degrees is "balmy"! That is what my husband always says! I was actually being a tad sarcastic about saying it was bone chilling, since growing up in Northern WI the normal low in the winter used to be about -30. (over the years it has been warmer however, global warming?) We laughed at WDW when we saw people bundled up when it was in the 50s. Thank you for reading my report and giving some feedback. I really appreciate it! Enjoy the rest!!

 

[decbysteph]

Okay then, I put a contact back in my eye that had fallen out in England, remember? Just checking! It was about 8:30 p.m. now and we had been up since 3 a.m., so we were loosing steam. I couldn't help but ask if we should wait 1 hour longer and see Illuminations. DD still seemed to have the energy, so DH said "we can try and see how it goes". So I tried to find a good place to sit and wait. We walked over to Japan (boy is that pretty at night!) and found a great bench by the water. This would be a perfect spot! Until my DH points out that the wind is blowing right at us. The thought of a ton of smoke blowing at me is not intriuging, so I sadly agree to leave my perfect little spot and walk back by France. Mmmmmm the French Bakery sure sounds good now, so I decide we should pop in and get a treat! I get a Napoleon and an espresso and we all go sit by that big beautiful fountain. That is such a great memory now for me, everything seemed so beautiful and I sat there watching my daughter dance by herself in front of that lit up fountain while DH and I sat on a bench and enjoyed our treat. I felt so happy and LUCKY sitting there in that moment. My whole trip could have ended right there and I would have been thrilled with what we already experienced!
We decided to watch Illuminations from the railing on the middle of the International Gateway bridge. I don't remember everything about it, because I was just so overwhelmed with it all! I remember the tears coming several times, and my DH's arms wrapped around me. I bawled like a baby at the end when they play "let there be peace on earth" with the finale of fireworks. Unbelievably beautiful! It was a very emotional moment for me, I felt like I was in a good dream. We headed back to our room, all of us holding hands. We all got tucked into bed.

Of course I couldn't sleep, because we were going to go to MK in the morning! The road noise outside took a little getting used to as well. I was up and making coffee by 6:00. DH and I had our cereal and oatmeal we brought from home. I woke DD at 6:55 and told her she would be getting a phone call shortly. The phone rang at 7:00, and Stich and Mickey gave her the wake up call. She thought that was so great!! We got ready and headed out to find the bus area. When we first stepped outside, we couldn't believe the temp! We knew it was going to be cool, so we had on jeans and long sleeve shirts. But this was a little too cool without another layer on. Oh we'll be okay I thought, we are Wisconsinites for goodness sakes! We found the MK bus area and sat down and waited. Now, after loosing 100 lbs you feel the cold a little more, alright a lot more! No more protective padding!! So I was getting cold, and I look over at DD and her nose is starting to drip. I run over to the CM and ask how much longer before the bus comes. She says about 5-10 minutes. But she tells me not to leave, she would hate me to miss it and have to wait another 20 minutes. I sit back down. Oh man, I have to go get our gloves, I just have to! So DH and DD stay and I go running (yes a full run, that I am so happy to say I can run without loosing my breath and feeling like I will pass out now! That is actually my choice excersize. Okay, sorry about the change of subject...) back to our room. I timed it and it only took 90 seconds to get to the room, I should make it back in time for the bus. I grab our warmy things and run back to the bus area. I see DH and DD walking towards me, shaking their heads. I guess the bus came right when I started running back to the room.
This was actually pretty devastating for me at this moment, because this was the only park I really wanted to be there for the opening. I think I even had tears swell up. DH kept saying it would be alright, everything would be okay, calm down. Which is kind of a role reversal for us! The moment we got back to our bench, DH says "look at that!". I turn and see a MK bus drive up right in front of us! I couldn't believe it! It had only been a couple minutes since the last one left! We hopped on and DH told the driver to watch out, I may have to kiss him, I was so happy! And feeling LUCKY!!
I could see the excitement in DD's eye's when we could see the castle, and of course that made me cry again! We ended up right at the front for the opening, and were among the first to walk down Main St. I've read about people crying when they walk down Main St. I always thought to myself, why? Well I still don't really know why, but I had so many tears in my eyes, and streaming down my cheeks, that I was blinded by them and tripping over DD! I didn't realize that you would be stopped and held up again inside the castle before they allowed you into Fantasyland. I wish now that I would have taken more time walking down Main St and through the castle, just to let things soak in more.

Well the moment arrived and we dashed right over to Dumbo. This is when my DD had her first little "hypo-sensitive" moment She was hysterical and terrified to go on Dumbo! I could not beleive it!! She watched that planning DVD a million times saying "I want to go on Dumbo!". Now her we were, the first ride of the day, and she is freaking out! Now, I normally would never force DD to do anything she was scared of, but how scary is a flying elephant?! So the bad mother in me told her she WAS going on with DH and I would ride in front of them. We got on and I turned around and took some pics of the two of them. She seemed okay then. I wished I would have taken a moment to realize where I was at that moment, but it was over in an instant. DD kept saying "I don't ever want to go on Dumbo again", okay I said! This was repeated everythime she even walked in the Fantasyland area!

I have to stop now to take myself and the kids to the gym. I haven't worked out in almost 2 months, but need to get back in the groove of things. I'll write more soon!

 

[Backstage_Gal]

Great continuation of your story, thanks!

 

[chip91]

Your writing is so magical, I'm seeing things right through your eyes and it makes me want to go back NOW, darn ticker, can't go fast enough..I know the feeling, the castle..tears, fireworks..tears. When we were on the plane home from our 1st trip oldest dd leaned over with a tear in her eye, I asked her what's wrong, and she said, "Oh Mommy, if I could just go back and look at the castle one more time." Complete waterworks!!! Thankgoodness for some very GENEROUS parents, who are taking us back in October.. Can't wait to read more, and bravo for your weightloss, I would love to lose 50lbs for our October trip, 50lbs in 10 mo's?? I think I can I think I can...

Chip

 

[Cass]

Your writing is so magical,

Loved the recent addtion and looking forward to more.

 

[MeLaNie9]

Congratulations on your weight loss! What an awesome accomplishment! I have to laugh at your "unluckiness" because I always say that DH and I are super unlucky as well, but I have to say that we also seemed to have a bit of luck during our WDW trip in May and hope it continues for our trip in Feb. It's just that WDW magic that every always talks about...
Looking forward to more from your trip!

 

[debjoisme]

What a wonderful trip report~~~~being from Ohio I can relate to coats and gloves!!!

 

[swankybeth]

Glad to hear you made it back in time to catch the bus!

 

[tinawv]

First, congratulations on your weight loss. I know how hard it is to lose weight, and that it quite an accomplishment (100 pounds). I am enjoying your trip report, and looking forward to the next installment.

 

[bushdianee]

Congrats on your weight loss. I'm trying to do the same. The holidays are hard. It is so hard to lose but it seems to come right back too easily.