What are we celebrating? Everything! A December, 2016 PTR

[Ruthie5671]

Hello everyone and welcome to my very first ever pre-trip report. Although I have been to WDW too many times to count when I was just a young kiddo, the trips as an adult have been few and far between. Our last trip was in December, 2009, so it is about time for another trip.

The cast of characters for this trip is a trio of wild and crazy peeps. Okay, well maybe not wild and crazy, but we are slightly left of normal. Here we are in our 2009 trip.

I'm your hostess, Ruthie. I hail from Frankfort, KY and by day I am a supervisor of social workers and by night I plan Disney vacations and spend too much time on the DIS boards. The majority of this vacation has been planned by me with some input by the other travelers. It has been fun to plan, but I will admit somewhat stressful. There have been quite a few moving parts to this trip and I just hope that everything falls together.

Coming along for the ride with us is my fabulous hubby Tony. He is a part time security guard and full-time student. He is the most patient, kind and hard working person that I know. He has had a few requests for the trip (most of them to do with dining and roller coasters) so they have been easily accommodated. I honestly don't know what I would do without him. He is literally the air I breathe.

Rounding out our trio is my mom, Wendy. She is long since retired and more than anything wants to be in Disney. She has had what has to be the most challenging year of any woman I know and deserves this trip. Her few requests have included Magic Kingdom on the first day (easy), Candlelight Processional (got it) and for her dreamboat Tom Selleck to be the narrator for CP (our date narrator is still TBA, so there's a glimmer of hope - right)??

Our dates are December 5-14, including travel days (we drive), two days in Orlando visiting family and friends and five nights at All-Star Music. I hope you'll enjoy reading along to see what has already been planned and what is still to come. And of course, to find out what exactly each of us is celebrating. More to come soon!!!!

 

[dancin Disney style]

I finally get to be first!!!

 

[thepicklebee]

Magnum PI is obviously not too much to ask!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

I finally get to be first!!!

@Ruthie5671 ... just so you know, she budded in line. I was ahead of her, and she elbowed me aside. Just for the record, I think I'm bruised . I'd keep an eye on @dancin Disney style if I were you .

But wahoo! A trip report! As another person who's slightly left of normal (okay, maybe a little more than slightly ) I am excited to read and follow along. Christmas is my favourite time of year, so this will be fun!!

Super jealous of the fact that you are doing the Candlelight Processional. That looks ah-mazing!

Can't wait for more!!!

 

[Ruthie5671]

I finally get to be first!!!

Welcome aboard - I'm honored to have you as the first guest on the PTR!!

Magnum PI is obviously not too much to ask!

OMG - she is so obsessed with Tom/Magnum/Blue Bloods. I have told her that he's never been a narrator before, so the chances are slim. But the eternal optimist that my dear mom is, she is holding out hope. Now I'm lobbying for George Clooney, but that's another story entirely!

@Ruthie5671 ... just so you know, she budded in line. I was ahead of her, and she elbowed me aside. Just for the record, I think I'm bruised . I'd keep an eye on @dancin Disney style if I were you .

But wahoo! A trip report! As another person who's slightly left of normal (okay, maybe a little more than slightly ) I am excited to read and follow along. Christmas is my favourite time of year, so this will be fun!!

Super jealous of the fact that you are doing the Candlelight Processional. That looks ah-mazing!

Can't wait for more!!!

Now ladies, there's no need to push and elbow each other. @dancin Disney style may have given me $20 for the heads up on when this PTR started. Hehehe.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Now ladies, there's no need to push and elbow each other. @dancin Disney style may have given me $20 for the heads up on when this PTR started. Hehehe.

She out-smarts me every time. Of course, that doesn't take much most days .

 

[dancin Disney style]

@Ruthie5671 ... just so you know, she budded in line. I was ahead of her, and she elbowed me aside. Just for the record, I think I'm bruised . I'd keep an eye on @dancin Disney style if I were you .

!

Just so you know it's on the internet, therefore it's true.
I M FIRST

 

[Ruthie5671]

So you might be wondering (or might not be, but this is where I want to go) what are we celebrating? For each of us, it is something a little bit different. I will start with "what is Wendy (from now on known as mom) celebrating"?

This vacation had started hatching several years ago when mom told me that when she turned 70, she wanted to have a big family reunion in WDW. Sure, no problem, we can work on that, it's several years away. My brother and his family are in the military and stationed overseas, so I put a bug in their ear and went on with life. However, as time progressed, they determined that the cost of the trip was going to be too much for them, so the trip went from 7 people down to 3. As you can see from the pictures above, mom uses a motorized scooter to get around. She has used this for about 10 years due to numerous health issues, including osteo-arthritis. She cannot bear any significant weight on her legs and cannot walk. She uses her scooter all the time. Last August, mom had a serious scooter accident. While moving around in her house, the scooter malfunctioned and threw her to the ground. While I am so very thankful that her head did not hit the floor and her life was not in jeopardy, the lower part of her body received the impact. She broke both of her upper legs and her right ankle. She ended up having a total of five surgeries and was in ICU for two weeks. For an average person, this kind of accident would be something that can be recovered from in a few months. But not for mom, as she is still recovering. She has had numerous infections and "speed bumps" that have slowed down her progress. The biggest speed bump was the small tumor found on her lung. While she was bring x-rayed from head to tow, a tumor was found. She had no symptoms, and hasn't been a smoker in 30+ years, but there it was. So while she has been trying to work on getting her legs working back to the way they were before the accident, she went through radiation treatment. Fortunately for us, she was a candidate for a very new treatment protocol that was not invasive. We will know in a few weeks whether or not is was successful. So to answer the question of what is mom celebrating - simply put, turning 70 and surviving way too many health issues. She deserves this vacation.

Now we can move onto "what is Tony (from now on known as hubby) celebrating"?

Thankfully, hubby's path to celebration has not been as awful, but has been under the heading of "medical issues". Another sickly soul, hubby has had a lifetime of illnesses. When we got married 6 years ago he had the mindset of ignoring all the problems and they will eventually go away. Ummm, no, not hardly. So we were able to determine that he was in the beginning stages of kidney failure and was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. He was able to go a while, but ended up on dialysis. However, the kindness of people gave him the opportunity to receive a kidney donation from a live donor. That happened two years ago on our 4th wedding anniversary. Since then, he has been doing great. You would never know that he had been sick with the kidney issues. He works, goes to school and takes care of me. So since we have not been able to properly celebrate our good fortune of the kidney donation, that is what hubby is celebrating.

And finally, "what is Ruthie (from now on known as me) celebrating"?

I survived all of the above mentioned life drama. Along with just regular drama. And I turned 45 this year. And I never do anything for myself, like wear fancy clothes or drive swanky vehicles. We deserve this vacation. We need this vacation. We are going on this vacation!!!

 

[dancin Disney style]

Now ladies, there's no need to push and elbow each other. @dancin Disney style may have given me $20 for the heads up on when this PTR started. Hehehe.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

View attachment 183903

You are such a sneak . And a sassy one at that .

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

So you might be wondering (or might not be, but this is where I want to go) what are we celebrating? For each of us, it is something a little bit different. I will start with "what is Wendy (from now on known as mom) celebrating"?

This vacation had started hatching several years ago when mom told me that when she turned 70, she wanted to have a big family reunion in WDW. Sure, no problem, we can work on that, it's several years away. My brother and his family are in the military and stationed overseas, so I put a bug in their ear and went on with life. However, as time progressed, they determined that the cost of the trip was going to be too much for them, so the trip went from 7 people down to 3. As you can see from the pictures above, mom uses a motorized scooter to get around. She has used this for about 10 years due to numerous health issues, including osteo-arthritis. She cannot bear any significant weight on her legs and cannot walk. She uses her scooter all the time. Last August, mom had a serious scooter accident. While moving around in her house, the scooter malfunctioned and threw her to the ground. While I am so very thankful that her head did not hit the floor and her life was not in jeopardy, the lower part of her body received the impact. She broke both of her upper legs and her right ankle. She ended up having a total of five surgeries and was in ICU for two weeks. For an average person, this kind of accident would be something that can be recovered from in a few months. But not for mom, as she is still recovering. She has had numerous infections and "speed bumps" that have slowed down her progress. The biggest speed bump was the small tumor found on her lung. While she was bring x-rayed from head to tow, a tumor was found. She had no symptoms, and hasn't been a smoker in 30+ years, but there it was. So while she has been trying to work on getting her legs working back to the way they were before the accident, she went through radiation treatment. Fortunately for us, she was a candidate for a very new treatment protocol that was not invasive. We will know in a few weeks whether or not is was successful. So to answer the question of what is mom celebrating - simply put, turning 70 and surviving way too many health issues. She deserves this vacation.

Now we can move onto "what is Tony (from now on known as hubby) celebrating"?

Thankfully, hubby's path to celebration has not been as awful, but has been under the heading of "medical issues". Another sickly soul, hubby has had a lifetime of illnesses. When we got married 6 years ago he had the mindset of ignoring all the problems and they will eventually go away. Ummm, no, not hardly. So we were able to determine that he was in the beginning stages of kidney failure and was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. He was able to go a while, but ended up on dialysis. However, the kindness of people gave him the opportunity to receive a kidney donation from a live donor. That happened two years ago on our 4th wedding anniversary. Since then, he has been doing great. You would never know that he had been sick with the kidney issues. He works, goes to school and takes care of me. So since we have not been able to properly celebrate our good fortune of the kidney donation, that is what hubby is celebrating.

And finally, "what is Ruthie (from now on known as me) celebrating"?

I survived all of the above mentioned life drama. Along with just regular drama. And I turned 45 this year. And I never do anything for myself, like wear fancy clothes or drive swanky vehicles. We deserve this vacation. We need this vacation. We are going on this vacation!!!

You guys are all definitely deserving of a fun, relaxing, and awesome trip! You've had some heavy burdens to carry, and concerns about the physical health of the people you love definitely take their toll.

What a wonderful gift Tony received with the new kidney. God bless organ donors: they are truly angels among us. Here's to many years of health ahead of him.

 

[Ruthie5671]

What a wonderful gift Tony received with the new kidney. God bless organ donors: they are truly angels among us. Here's to many years of health ahead of him.

We were absolutely blessed to be able to have a living donor for him. He only had to be on dialysis for less than a year. There are people who are on dialysis and wait years and years for a donor to come available. He will take tons of medication for the rest of his life, but a small price to pay.

Transportation

We drive. Or rather I drive and hubby and mom ride along. Now when most folks hear that we drive for 15+ hours to get to a vacation destination, they usually think I am crazy and think of things like . . .



Nope, not hardly (but I just love this movie).

For our trio, with all of the things that we travel with (mom's scooter, the ramps to get it in the vehicle, luggage, medical supplies, drinks, snacks, entertainment, etc.,) it is just easier to drive. So let me introduce you to our mini-van, Carlos.



This is not actually him - but if he was clean, this is what he would look like. There are several benefits to driving. There is no security in my driveway. There are no luggage restrictions in Carlos. Because I can pack a van to the tippy top. All I need is a slight area to see and we're good to go. I can leave when I want, stop when I want, and most importantly - potty when I want. But I really dislike flying. I have flown before and it's just not my thing. The seats are too narrow for my fluffy self. I don't want to worry about over booking, being bumped, TSA pat downs, and all that silliness.

Our plan is to leave on Monday, December 5th as soon as hubby gets home from work that morning. That should have us leaving our house around 8:00 AM. We will pick up mom and be heading down I-75 South around 9:30 AM. Since I am the only driver and I have no desire to drive straight thru, we will stop the first night somewhere around Macon, GA. That is about 7 hours of driving time, but with stops and such, it will stretch out to 8. Throw in Atlanta traffic and it might even stretch out to 9 hours. But it's okay. I enjoy the drive and will entertain mom and hubby with my rendition of every 80's song that will pop up on Pandora. We will be up and moving down the road on Tuesday, December 6th probably no later than 9:00 AM, having us arrive in Orlando by 1:00. I cannot wait for all the fun that awaits us.

Up next - accommodations!

 

[Ruthie5671]

Accommodations

Once arriving in Orlando, we are planning to take the first two days to enjoy the city and visit family and friends. Hubby's brother and sister-in-law live about 30 minutes away from Orlando and mom has friends that live in Winter Park. I spent quite a bit of time doing search upon search for a nice, clean and reasonably priced hotel for us. This was surprisingly challenging. We do better with two rooms considering everything that comes with us to travel. And then I had a thought - what about a condo? It certainly couldn't be more money than what I had already seen on line. So after some searching and inquiries, we are spending our first two nights in Orlando at the Wyndham Bonnet Creek! I made the reservations thru VBRO. The very nice person I initiated contact with has given me an excellent rate if booked within 60 days of travel. She will contact us on that date to secure payment. We will be in a two-bedroom, two bathroom fully handicapped accessible unit.



Doesn't it look so pretty?? After 15 hours of driving, if anyone needs me, I'll be chillaxing by the pool. Come and join me - I'll have alcohol with me!!!



On the morning of December 8th, we will load up Carlos and make our way over to Disney. If money were no problem (hahahaha), I'm sure we would be driving up to one of the deluxe resorts for all of the pomp and circumstance they offer. However, I did not win the lottery last night, so our family stays at value resorts. I personally have no issue with the values. I realize they are more family oriented and we run the risk of tour groups and crowded food court, but it really is okay. So we are staying at the All-Star Music Hotel.



We have reserved two rooms. For mom, a fully wheelchair accessible handicapped room with a roll-in shower. For hubby and I, an adjoining room right next door. That way we have the benefit of plenty of room and two bathrooms and the ease of being right next door. I know that when it gets closer to our arrival date, I can make requests for certain buildings, floor, etc. Mom has a weird issue with elevators (she will not get on one without someone with her), so I plan to request the Calypso building, bottom floor. This will have us close to the pool and main building and the walk at the end of the day should not be too ridiculous.



Current countdown - 129 days!!

 

[dancin Disney style]

WBC is a fabulous resort and you won't want to leave. I'm willing to bet that you will regret moving from WBC to ASMu.

Also, you do know that Calypso are the only buildings that are preferred category right? There are very few single rooms as most are family suites. I'm not sure but I don't think those buildings have connecting rooms.

 

[Ruthie5671]

WBC is a fabulous resort and you won't want to leave. I'm willing to bet that you will regret moving from WBC to ASMu.

Also, you do know that Calypso are the only buildings that are preferred category right? There are very few single rooms as most are family suites. I'm not sure but I don't think those buildings have connecting rooms.

I don't know that we'll regret moving because I enjoy staying on Disney property. And since we have two rooms at ASMu, we will still have space to move around and the all important two bathrooms. If all three of us were crammed into one small space, you know I would be changing things up.

Nope, didn't know that Calypso was only preferred. I was just looking at the nice location of those buildings in comparison to everything else. I need to call and find out where the likelihood is that we'll get our rooms. I don't want to pay extra for a preferred room, but if some pixie dust wants to be sprinkled on us, I certainly will not complain!!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

I can't wait to hear what you think of Wyndham Bonnet Creek. I am sure you will adore it, if the feedback from other Diser's is even close to accurate. It sure gets a lot of love here on the boards. I think you have chosen very well for your first couple of days!

BTW, we love the National Lampoon's Vacation movies too (though I am almost ashamed to admit it....LOL, such off-colour humor at times!). We watch "Vacation" before every non-Christmas trip, and Christmas Vacation multiple times each holiday season. It's become one of our many traditions that we just can't bear to break from .

And you're officially under 130 days!! Time's a flyin'! (though never fast enough, right?)

 

[Ruthie5671]

BTW, we love the National Lampoon's Vacation movies too (though I am almost ashamed to admit it....LOL, such off-colour humor at times!). We watch "Vacation" before every non-Christmas trip, and Christmas Vacation multiple times each holiday season. It's become one of our many traditions that we just can't bear to break from .

The original and Christmas ones are my favorite. I like the Vegas version well enough. Cousin Eddie is my favorite. Not that he reminds me of anyone in my family. No, not at all.

Food - glorious food!

When planning this trip, we debated back and forth about whether or not the dining plan would be a good value for us. I had originally tried to get our dates during free dining, but by the time I was able to try to make any reservations when free dining opened up, there was little to nothing affordable left. We have done the dining plan in the past and I like that everything is paid for up front and I can just enjoy the dining experience without worrying that I am spending too much money. So we have moved forward with the dining plan with one table service, one counter service and one snack per day. With five nights and three people, we as a family decided that each of us would get to pick the restaurant of our choice and then the other two would be "family choices". That seems fair and reasonable - right??

I need to digress for a minute and ask my DIS friends a questions. Ladies, is it just me or does your mom love your hubby more than they love your daughter? Every since mom met hubby she has been his biggest fan and he can oh so take advantage of that! So instead of each of us getting planned choices, hubby convinced mom to give up her choice because he needed "just one more". She's so weak and pitiful. But I would rather them get along than be at odds, especially since we're going to embark on such a long road trip.

I wanted to jump on the 180 day ADR planning as soon as I was able to, and that seemed to be a good plan. I was able to secure the reservations I wanted and we're dining at all new to us restaurants. Very exciting indeed!

Night one - Cape May Café - This was originally mom's allotted pick that hubby weaseled away from her. He can attack a seafood buffet like no other. I was kind of so-so about this choice since I have read mixed reviews. But it will give us a chance to visit the Beach Club area, and that is exciting.

Night two - Minnie's Seasonal Dine Dinner at Hollywood and Vine - This is a family choice and I'm excited about it. I enjoy character meals and since this is holiday festive it makes it even a bit more fun. Mom wants us to all dress up to match the festiveness of what the characters are wearing. I can get on board with that.

Night three - Rose and Crown - This is my choice. This is also part of the Candlelight Processional Dining Package, so we actually dine at 3:30 and see the 8:15 CP show. So very much looking forward to this. Our announcer is still TBA. Come on already - fill the slot!!

Night four - Yak and Yeti - Mom's choice. We looked at the menu and it really looks like a fun and interesting dining experience. I was only able to secure a 2:00 reservation, so a late lunch for us on this date.

Night five - Tony's Town Square Restaurant - hubby's second choice. And the only reason he wants to go there - hubby's name is Tony, so he feels a bit of an ownership. What a goofball. I asked him if he knew what they served or what movie the restaurant was based on. He's still coming up with an answer.

Our counter service choices will likely just be whatever we run across when we get hungry. Another perk of driving is that we will have snacks and such in the room for a quick breakfast, so we can save our CS and snack choices for more yummy things. Like pastry in Paris. Or a Mickey head ice cream. Or freshly popped popcorn (why is it just so yummy in the Magic Kingdom?).

We are still undecided about meals prior to arriving at WDW while we are still in Orlando. There have been several yummy looking Groupon coupons available, but since we are spending time with family and friends, I didn't want to purchase something that they might not want to do. So for that part of the trip, I will just be spontaneous (OMG) and go with the flow (YIKES). Very much against my nature.

124 more days!!!

 

[dancin Disney style]

I don't know that we'll regret moving because I enjoy staying on Disney property. And since we have two rooms at ASMu, we will still have space to move around and the all important two bathrooms. If all three of us were crammed into one small space, you know I would be changing things up.

Nope, didn't know that Calypso was only preferred. I was just looking at the nice location of those buildings in comparison to everything else. I need to call and find out where the likelihood is that we'll get our rooms. I don't want to pay extra for a preferred room, but if some pixie dust wants to be sprinkled on us, I certainly will not complain!!

I'm a huge WDW resort lover but you can't compare to WBC.

Your ASMu options are very limited. There are not very many handicap rooms and even less that are connecting. You would have far better choices at a different All Star or POP. Remember that when you call them you are getting a call centre that is off site and the CM's frequently give incorrect info.


Your dinning choices are good. We love Cape May, Yak & Yeti and Rose & Crown. Tony's you might want to reconsider and Hollywood and Vine we went for breakfast and it's pretty hard to screw up breakfast. It was ok but nothing special.

 

[Ruthie5671]

Sorry for the lag of an update. I didn't realize it had been more than a week from when I last left off on our journey. Let me start first with a "real life update" . . .

Took mom to the oncologist yesterday. Tumor? What tumor? The radiation was a complete success. The physician was amazed at how well she responded. There is only a 5 mm area left on her lung and that can be scar tissue. She will get scanned in three months to see how things continue to look. And while they cannot say that she is "cured" or "cancer free", this is about as close as we can get. WOO-HOO's all around!!!

Back to our vacation!

The discussion about what we would do in Orlando prior to checking into WDW went all over the place. The original plan was just one day in Orlando, but we added another one when there were additional friends/family we wanted to visit. Mom was shouting "Sea World", but the expense was quite a bit for all three of us. I was leaning towards Discovery Cove, but the expense and lack of options of activities for mom in her electric scooter vetoed that plan. And then I floated the idea to the family of the Orlando Eye combo pack. Thanks to @Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina, I was able to get a good idea of what to expect and it sounded like fun. With the exception of one thing - I am afraid of heights. This isn't a crazy kind of fear, but it is a fear. I will not ride ferris wheels or crazy high looking roller coasters. Super tall buildings give me the creeps and don't even think about putting me in an express elevator. But a few years ago, hubby and I were vacationing in Myrtle Beach, and he convinced me to ride this thing:

I think I managed to survive because it is an enclosed pod we were in rather than an outside death trap like most ferris wheels tend to be. And to be honest, the views were pretty spectacular.

So the plans look like this - arrive in Orlando early afternoon of December 6th. Spend time lounging around the pool and enjoying being out of the vehicle. Dinner that evening with friends of mom. December 7th - a nice and leisurely morning and the afternoon at the Orlando Eye and Wax Museum. Dinner that evening with hubby's brother and his wife. I've been stalking Groupon and Living Social in the hopes of a discount for the tickets. The "Visit Orlando" website has slightly discounted tickets, but I know that better offers are out there if I can just remain patient.

116 more days!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Don't give a second's worry about the Eye: I am TERRIFIED of heights and loved every second on the Eye. You get so caught up in the view that you forget how high you actually are! The movement of the pod is so smooth and there is absolutely no rocking, so it feels super safe too. There's a bench in the center where you can sit, or they have bars along the windows where you can stand and have something to hold onto.

I just heard this week (on the most recent episode of Attractions Magazine: The Show) that Coca Cola has just inked a sponsorship of the Orlando Eye. They now have themed Coke Pods where guests get free ice cold Coke products to drink and free Coke selfie sticks. They are totally random and considered a pixie-dust type upgrade (you can't pre-book one of those pods at the present time) so hopefully you'll be lucky enough to ride in the upgraded "suite"!

Tussauds is great fun: be sure to have lots of batteries for your camera. Photo ops galore!

I will keep my fingers crossed that maybe the Eye will offer a good deal on Black Friday where you can save some moolah on the tickets. One of the advantages of traveling in December are the Black Friday deals right before your trip!

A big wahoo to the great news on your momma's health! Here's to many more happy, tumor-free days ahead. Your trip just got a whole lot more "celebrational" with that news, and I couldn't be more happy for you all .