Wilderness Lodge, Here We Come!!! Updated - Final Thoughts, Page 10

[Renee1061]

CHAPTER 1

This is my very first trip report. Well, actually, this is the pre-trip report, since we haven’t gone yet. I debated on whether to post this in Pre-Trip Reports or Trip Reports, since I don’t think I can move it around after I get started. Decided to post in Trip Reports since that is what it will be when all is said and done.

(Okay, now that I’ve read back over what I’ve written below, I guess this should officially be called a pre-pre-trip report)

It’s a small cast of characters. Only two of us. But we have enough fun for 10!!

Me, Renee (ageless)
DD, Lindsay (14)

I’ve tried to think of clever, mother-daughter, Disney-related nicknames for us. Sadly, I have realized that most Disney movie characters don’t have mothers! It’s really depressing when you think about it. Cinderella has a stepmother, but no mother….Ariel, no mother….Snow White…no mother….Jasmine….no mother….Bambi’s mother was killed….Aurora…does she have a mother?....Okay, there’s Simba & Sarabi, but Simba is a boy, and I just don’t think of myself as a Sarabi. So, for lack of anything more creative, I’ll call us Renee & Lindsay. At least I should be able to remember that!

Let me try to get you up to speed on my tiny family and our Disney adventures up until now.

Our first trip was in 1997. It was me, DH, and DD (who was then 4, almost 5). We had not yet caught total Disney fever, so our trip consisted of the following: Stayed off-site at a timeshare, went to MK, MGM, SeaWorld, and a petting farm somewhere nearby. We were there a grand total of 3-1/2 days. It was fun. Lindsay got to meet Mickey Mouse and give him a picture she had colored for him.

Fast forward to July, 2003. DH had surgery for a brain aneurysm in September, 2001 (two weeks after 9/11) and as a result of the surgery, had brain damage and was mentally handicapped. I was determined to give Lindsay a good vacation, since we had not gotten to go anywhere in a couple of years. She wanted to go back to Florida, but this time, she wanted to go to Universal Studios. I really wanted to go to Disney World, but I reminded myself that I was doing this for my daughter. So, we did 3 days at US, one day at MK, and one day at the beach. Between the July heat and worrying about keeping up with DH (he was prone to wander off), it was less than a magical vacation for me. But Lindsay had fun, and that’s what mattered.

Coming up. Chapter 2….We finally get Disneyfied!!

 

[serendipity]

Geez....so sorry about your husband. I took a class with someone who suffered the same problem....very scary. However, I am looking foward to the trip report!

 

[disneymoon_0307]

I am so sorry about your husband. I'm looking forward to reading your pre pre trip report.

 

[jcc0621]

I'm in. Sorry about your husband. Glad that Dis can bring you and DD some joy

 

[Renee1061]

Thanks to everyone for your responses. Unfortunately, as you will find out in my next installment, the situation with my husband did not have a happy ending. But I am focusing on the positive here, because WDW has become such a place of joy for DD and me, as you will discover.

I am planning to add pictures when I have a chance.

 

[kaysmommie]

Looking forward to your trip report. Sorry about your DH, that is awful When are you going? We love WL it's a great resort.

 

[Renee1061]

Looking forward to your trip report. Sorry about your DH, that is awful When are you going? We love WL it's a great resort.

Thanks. We're leaving in 4 days. Most of the planning is done and I was getting antsy, so I started writing the trip report to keep me occupied. I am very excited about going to WL! It will be our first time there.

 

[srandsr76]

Subscribing!!

 

[disneyaddicted]

I am looking forward to reading more trip planning. I am so sorry about your husband, it's amazing the joy that Disney can give us. I hope you and DD get all the Disney Magic there is.

 

[Renee1061]

Over the next two years, DH’s health deteriorated, and he passed away in August, 2005.

After a few months, I decided that Lindsay & I needed to get away somewhere, just the two of us. We had both been through a very tough four years. I asked her where she wanted to go more than anywhere else, and she said, “Italy.” Where that came from, I have no idea, but I asked her to pick somewhere within the continental US. Her next choice (with possibly a little prompting from me) was….yes, you guessed it….Disney World!!

This was in February, 2006. I began looking at the calendar to figure out the best time to go. I didn’t want to go in the summer (too crowded and too hot), and I didn’t want to wait until November or December, so that left only one choice….Spring Break in April. Only two months away!!! Could I possibly plan a trip in that short amount of time? Well, at this point, I was still blissfully ignorant of all the planning that should go into a total Disney experience, so I booked the trip. Six nights at All Star Movies, six-day park hopper passes, no dining plan. I was glad that I didn’t discover the DIS boards until after I had booked the trip. Otherwise, I probably would have been in panic mode trying to plan the trip in such a short amount of time. But everything worked out beautifully!! There’s really not that much planning you have to do for two people. We didn’t make any ADRs…ate mostly counter service…but were able to do a couple of TS restaurants with only a short wait. It worked out perfectly for us. Our main focus was having fun at the parks. Eating was just something we did when we got hungry. One day we were at Epcot and had been walking around several hours and were absolutely famished! We got some Chicken McNuggets and french fries at the McDonalds stand near Canada. I must have really been starving, because those McNuggets tasted sooooo good!

For the first three days of our trip, I meticulously planned which parks we would go to, how long we would stay there, what we would ride, etc. We stuck to that plan pretty much, with maybe a few variations. For the final three days, we decided where we would go either the night before, or when we woke up the next morning.

We both fell madly in love with all things Disney, and before the trip was halfway over, we were trying to decide when to return.

Next up…Chapter 3…Will we ever make it back to Walt’s World?

 

[NMAmy]

Hi, Renee:

I'm so sorry about your husband. I'm glad you and your dd are able to find your happy place at WDW.

Lindsay is so cute! I recently stayed at the WL for the first time so I'm looking forward to hearing how you liked it when you get back.

I'm also looking forward to reading about your upcoming trip!

 

[Augustheather97]

I am sorry for your husband 's death too....but you seem like such a postive person....more people should be like you....you will LOVE WL....we went last month and my almost 10 year old daughter loved it....it is very relaxing there and so close to the MK which makes it nice...Have fun after 6 rough years you deserve it......

 

[kaysmommie]

You are going to love WL. We stayed there twice with our DD and had a really nice time. The lobby is gorgeous and the new rooms are nice too. Make sure to eat at Whispering Canyon. Have a great vacation!

 

[Renee1061]

Thanks to all for your replies. I think Lindsay is kinda cute too, but then, everyone says she looks like her mom! LOL!! I love all the glowing reports of WL. I think I am more excited about being there than I am going to the parks!! Well, maybe not quite, but almost!

 

[KathyRN137]

We're excited for you both!

Kathy

 

[Renee1061]

Over the next few months, we relived our wonderful memories and talked about “when we go back” but didn’t really have a definite timeframe in mind for returning. Lindsay would ask me occasionally, and I would just say, “Some day.”

Right around Christmas time, I started really thinking about going back. On Christmas afternoon, I told Lindsay I had one more gift for her. I said, “How would you like to go back to Disney World during Spring Break?” Needless to say, she was thrilled!! This will be the last year that she has a late April Spring Break. School will be starting later next year, so they are cutting out Winter Break in February. Her Spring Break will more than likely be in March, so this may be our last year of light crowds.

I had thought about trying to keep the trip a secret from Lindsay until the last minute, but decided not to. For one thing, I’m horrible at keeping secrets, and for another, Lindsay loves the anticipation almost as much as the trip itself.

I’m not one for making long-term plans. I would go crazy if I had to wait a year or longer while planning a trip like some of you do. I don’t even think I could last six months! At least this time, I had four months to plan instead of just two!

I had decided this time we would upgrade to a moderate resort. We looked them all over and decided on CBR. I priced out all the options and knew we could afford it, but something was keeping me from booking it. Every time I would start to pick up the phone or hit that button on the computer, something would tell me not to. I thought maybe I needed to look closer at the other moderates to make sure that CBR was where we wanted to stay, so I started reading the Resort boards on the DIS a little bit closer and ran across the Wilderness Lodge FAQ thread. After reading only a few pages, I knew where we were going to stay! Before I could change my mind, I reserved a room through Travelocity. I wish I had called CRO & checked prices with them first. Travelocity was cheaper than what I was coming up with on the Disney web site, but maybe I could have gotten a better deal by calling. Oh well, it’s paid for now. Next up was making airline reservations. Last year, we flew out of Shreveport (about 75 miles away). Flights out of Texarkana, where we live, are usually at least $100 more per person, but I decided to check on it anyway. It was the same price as Shreveport!! So now, we only have to drive about 6 miles to the airport, make a connecting flight in Houston, then it’s off to the Land of Mickey!

I still didn’t make any ADRs this time. We have so much fun in the parks, that I don’t want to take a chance on having to tear ourselves away from something we are enjoying immensely and rush to meet a reservation. Since we are staying at WL, we are going to try to slip in a late afternoon visit to Whispering Canyon.

We do have a couple of special things planned. A member of the Community Board on TGM was offering two spaces on a Wishes Cruise on Monday, the 23rd. Of all the things we love about Disney, Wishes is our favorite!! Kim, I don’t know if you are on these boards or not, but we’ll see you Monday!! And on Thursday, the 26th, we are going to the DIS Gathering at MK. So for those of you who will be there, I am looking forward to meeting you! And if we show up with sad faces, it’s because it will be the last day of our vacation.

In less than 48 hours, we will be on our way!!!.

 

[Renee1061]

Yippeeeee!!!!

I will be posting my final mini-installment tonight, then tomorrow morning, it's off we go!!!

Can you tell I'm excited?

 

[Renee1061]

So, everything is finally packed. A friend is keeping our parakeet. Our Chihuahuas have checked in at Hotel Westridge (the veterinarian clinic). That’s one of the only bad things about going away. I hate leaving my babies.

Oh, and this year, we are also leaving Lindsay’s sad boyfriend behind (sorry Josh, we’ll bring you something special back). Will they be able to make it a week without seeing each other? Something tells me the cell phone will get a workout next week. Thank goodness for nationwide long distance & no roaming!

So, it’s off to bed for me in a couple of hours. I’ve got to get up at 4:00, get ready, load the car up, and get to the airport by 5:30 for our 6:25 light.

Wilderness Lodge, here we come!!!!

 

[disneyaddicted]

sweet dreams Renee and Lindsay. Have a great time at the world.

 

[Tinkalink]

Good luck,Godspeed and may your Disney Dreams be filled.