"You'd Never Let the Darkness Get the Best of You. I'm Sure of That," a Christmas 2023 Disney Trip Report from an Old Friend. - UPDATE April 26, 2024

[MeghanEmily]

HELLLOOOOO HUMANS!
Welcome to another Meghan-and-Nathan trip report!



Hey....who's there?.....do I...do I see any readers still out and about?....Does anyone....remember me?

Okay, so it's been a while. Let's be honest: a looooooong while. The DIS used to be SUCH a prevalent part of my daily life. It was. For several years. And then somehow, sometime, without my noticing until it was too late and too hard to go back...it wasn't.



I haven't written a trip report in years. I'm not sure I even remember how. Like....how even did I ever multi-quote??!?

I've been on a few Disney trips since then—though fewer than we used to...a certain respiratory/vascular bug put a real damper on that for a while—but I haven't been taking notes or pictures like I used to, and I certainly haven't been even THINKING about trip reporting. Like, nope. Didn't even cross my mind.







Until now.

Nathan and I went on a Christmas Break WDW trip (don't know who Nathan is? We'll get there!) where we had the pleasure of overlapping for a couple of days with my Mom, niece, and step-sister. I didn't take any notes. My memory is spotty—maybe spottier than usual, possibly more on that later—and my pictures are hit-or-miss to fill in the blanks. But I'm gonna attempt to write this TR, after all this time, because....

....because I think I need this right now?



So at this point in the rambling—oh gawd, what a rough start! I'm floundering already!—allow me to introduce you to....

"This Trip Report Doesn't Have a Clever Quote Title and That Makes Me Disappointed in Myself, but I'm Not at my Best Right Now, so Let's All Give Meghan a Little Grace."


JK, that's a loser title. Maybe I'll just call it....umm.....

"You'd never let the darkness get the best of you. I'm sure of that."


There. That sounds a little nicer. There will be no traditional suspenseful reveal for the meaning of the TR title. It's just a Mickey Mouse quote from Kingdom Hearts, and while I've never really played the games, I appreciate the sentiment.

Maybe it should have had a Christmasy title? Oh well.

A lot has changed since my previous reports, and now that I'm out of grad school and working, our travel times are dictated by......oh....once again...the school schedule. Yep. I work in schools now. This is why we decided to travel during one of the busiest crowd seasons of the year! Well, that, and the whole magic-of-Disney-at-Christmas thing.


Our travel dates were....*scrolls back through phone*....Dec. 20-28, 2023! As we often do, we stayed offsite at my grandmother's timeshare. We like to rent a car anyway, and the commute is typically 10-25 minutes from any Disney park we want to visit. And as much as we love staying onsite from time to time, at the very reasonably price of *free!*, it's hard to say no when my grandmother graciously offers. Also, the accomodations are great (this time 2-bed 2-bath and full kitchen,) and the grounds are themed standard-tropical-Florida-resort-gorgeous.



If you've somehow made it to this point without leaving...I guess I should remember to stop and make sure you know how glad I am that you're here! Right, yes, that's how I used to do this! If you're here because you've read another one of my past reports....wait....no...that doesn't seem likely. Not after all this time. Hmmm... Okay, if you used to know me back in the day, saw my name appear in the list of threads, went, "Huh?!? Say it ain't so!?!" and clicked on the link?....then welcome back, old friend!! I'm so glad to [virtually] see you!

Truly.

And if you're new to the group... HI!!! Please join us!! (Me? Us? Time will tell.) No promises, but it will hopefully get smoother as it goes! And yes, HI!! You are always welcome here!!



Now, I think this part is where I introduce our cast of characters? Some things have changed, and some things stay the same... ​

 

[MeghanEmily]

So who are we? *lauches into Zoom tv show intro from the late 90s*...

I'm Meghan! (That's me!)

I am a 30-year-old speech-language pathologist and Merida fangirl from eastern Canada. I work in schools with tiny autistic humans, trying to make school the best place it can be, and communication a rewarding and fun adventure. I love to travel to Disney in the spring, but settle for school breaks right now because having a job is a good thing.

I'm Nathan! (That's "N" for TR purposes. Not sure why. )

He was not thrilled that I took this photo.

N is a 34-year-old Spray Paint Artist who sets his own schedule and travels whenever we decide we want to! Flexibility is fabulous. He also is my partner in all, my Disney Fairytale Weddings groom, and my bestie from another nestie. He loves a good thrill ride, though is becoming slightly less tolerant of motion as he gets older. *Shhhhhhh, don't tell. Let him live in denial.*

Okay, losing the "Zoom" theme. Am I the only one who watched "Zoom?"

The Pet Boarding Crew:

Some of you will remember our kitty, above, Stacey J. Aswad. (And yes, she is named after that Stacey.) But new to most of you will be Stella...

She joined our family a year before the trip in question. We had lots of potential Disney-related names picked out for her, but when she arrived she just looked like a "Stella." Oh well. I don't make the rules. Both pets went to new boarding facilities while we were away and did so well without us that it's almost offensive.

Also guest-starring in this TR....


We were able to overlap for two days at the end of my mom's (S) trip with my step-sister (G), and niece (B). B had already been to Disney once previously with my mom, but G was brand-new to The Mouse, and proved [unexpectedly?] to be a good travel buddy and fearless thrill-rider. Note: at some point before I get too far into this, I'll have to set a reminder for myself to get the Photopass photos from S. This is all you get for now. Sorry!



I will warn you that this trip report may be a little less exciting than past TRs. Aside from my general rustyness, there's another excuse. Those who know my reports know that my health has always added little quirks into our trips. It's expected, like an old friend, the familiar drawback of chronic illness. But this time health issues truly made a dent in the magic. It was still a fun trip, and one I'm glad we took, but it also was a hard trip, and one I'd not plan to take again until I'm hopefully feeling more well...weller? more wellest? To make a long story short[er]... Nearly 10 years after having a health blip, requiring surgery, and beginning to get my life more on track again.... I began to experience some new symptoms from a likely-new cause. I have been working with my medical professionals for the last 9ish months to try to determine what's going on with my body and brain, and hopefully, at some point, to see some improvement. I have been in and out of work a lot this school year on medical leave, and I had just been starting a gradual return to work as we were coming up on the dates for this trip. I still wasn't feeling very well, and bad days were coming often enough that we were considering cancelling our trip. In the end, we decided to still go for it and take things at a slow pace. I figured—with encouragement from my work friends—that even if I felt yucky, I'd rather feel yucky laying around looking at palm trees!!

And I did. Feel yucky, that is. Well, I mean, I also looked at palm trees. But at the end of the day there were enough magical moments on this trip that I can still look back at it fondly.

Fast-forward to today....I still feel yucky. Mostly, not always. And I'm still looking for answers as to why. Though it's a slog. But lately I've been thinking a lot about how much joy I used to get from re-living my Disney trips and being around this site. I don't know who's even still out there anymore? (Haven't I said some iteration of that like 12 times already? Sorry!) But I thought it might be nice to be back. And I think I was right?

I don't know how consistent I'll be with updating, replying, or reading your reports. (Hopefully very, but some of you already know me, and now I'm an especially-tired version of me.) But I guess I'm gonna give this a try again? I hope it brings you joy as well.

Now, time to wind down the rambling....so we can get this show on the road!

Oh, DISboard emojis....how I've missed you. ​

 

[MeghanEmily]

Table of Contents
​

Dec. 20

• Part 1 - Travel Day​

Dec. 21

• Part 1​
• Part 2​
• Part 3....coming soon.​

 

[Mollydolly334]

I’M IN!!!!!! So glad to see you back on the DIS!!!! Always thinking of you and in your corner

 

[Counting Stars]

We haven't met in past trip reports but I am looking forward to following this one! It's hard to go with the flow when life throws us a curve but I absolutely respect those of us that make the effort. Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences with us

 

[ThreeBoyMama]

I remember you! I’m sorry for all the health issues. Looking forward to hearing about your trip.

 

[suse66]

Hi Meghan!!! So, so happy to see you back on the Dis!! I’m here for all the details and can’t wait to relive your adventures with you!

 

[disneyAndi14]

Hi Meghan!
I’m happy to see you back on the boards! I will be here reading along!

 

[footballmouse]

 

[MikeWsGirl]

Cheers to feeling poorly and going to Disney anyway. I have a weird, rare disease that makes trips to sunny places hard. Looking forward to reading your trip report.

 

[valleygirl]

Yay, you're back! I loved reading your reports in the past and look forward to reading this one.

 

[Woth2982]

Okay, if you used to know me back in the day, saw my name appear in the list of threads, went, "Huh?!? Say it ain't so!?!" and clicked on the link?....then welcome back, old friend!!

It was me! I said "huh!" and had to sub in! Welcome back!

speech-language pathologist and Merida fangirl from eastern Canada. I work in schools with tiny autistic humans

My DD (3.5) is a tiny human who was just diagnosed high functioning ASD (it is quite scary how smart she is), and works with a speech pathologist once a week! It is so rewarding seeing her progress, so this is coming to you as a mom on the other side! Your work makes a difference in so many lives .

I am sorry to hear you are still dealing with health issues. I cannot imagine how frustrating it must be to feel so blah all the time with no real answers as to why! Hang in there and hopefully 2024 is the year they figure it out!

 

[MeghanEmily]

I’M IN!!!!!! So glad to see you back on the DIS!!!! Always thinking of you and in your corner

Molly!!!!!! Thanks! I'm so glad you're here! And so glad to have a friend like you on my side

We haven't met in past trip reports but I am looking forward to following this one! It's hard to go with the flow when life throws us a curve but I absolutely respect those of us that make the effort. Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences with us

So glad to "meet" you, and thanks for coming along for the ride! You're so right that it can be really difficult, but I think it's better than the alternative.

I remember you! I’m sorry for all the health issues. Looking forward to hearing about your trip.

Welcome back! So glad you're here! And thanks

Hi Meghan!!! So, so happy to see you back on the Dis!! I’m here for all the details and can’t wait to relive your adventures with you!

Susan!!! Hi!! Thanks -- I'm looking forward to getting to revisit the pictures and the memories.

Hi Meghan!
I’m happy to see you back on the boards! I will be here reading along!

Hi Caroline!!! Great to "see" you here! Thanks so much for joining in!

Cheers to feeling poorly and going to Disney anyway. I have a weird, rare disease that makes trips to sunny places hard. Looking forward to reading your trip report.

Right!? You GET it! Disney's worth it Thanks for coming along for the ride.

Yay, you're back! I loved reading your reports in the past and look forward to reading this one.

Welcome back!! Thanks so much! I'm glad you're here

It was me! I said "huh!" and had to sub in! Welcome back!

I KNEW there'd be at least one! Thanks! Glad you're here!

My DD (3.5) is a tiny human who was just diagnosed high functioning ASD (it is quite scary how smart she is), and works with a speech pathologist once a week! It is so rewarding seeing her progress, so this is coming to you as a mom on the other side! Your work makes a difference in so many lives .

Oh this is soo kind and encouraging! Thanks so much for sharing this! I bet your DD rocks your socks off with her smart unique awesome brain.

I love how individual and amazing all my students are. They all have their own unique profile of amazing skills and things that are challenging, and I love their honesty and ways of looking at life. They amaze me every day with their growth, and every day is different. Sometimes it can be a challenge to make public school a place that works best for how autistic brains work (or "brains of kids with autism," depending on your preferred language!) but when you have awesome teachers and specialists who really care, it can be the most amazing experience.

I am sorry to hear you are still dealing with health issues. I cannot imagine how frustrating it must be to feel so blah all the time with no real answers as to why! Hang in there and hopefully 2024 is the year they figure it out!

Thanks so much for saying this. It's definitely been frustrating, but I'm hanging in. There are pros and cons to living in Canada with a free healthcare system, and one of the cons—at least where I live—is that things move very slowly. Hoping that this is the year of diagnoses and better health!

 

[pooh'smate]

So nice to see you again. I'm here. I'll be following along but not sure how much I'll comment as I can only read here and there in little bits

 

[Wayland10]

I’m in! I always really enjoyed your trip reports and your general outlook on life, so I’m glad to see you on here again.

 

[pkondz]

Don't mind me... just gonna sneak in here when no one's looking.

Hi, Meghan! So nice to "see" you again.

HELLLOOOOO HUMANS!

There it is!! I've missed that.

Hey....who's there?.....do I...do I see any readers still out and about?....Does anyone....remember me?

Like....how even did I ever multi-quote??!?

So what ya do is... Oh, I'm sure you'll figure it out. And judging from your replies... you did!

don't know who Nathan is? We'll get there!

I do! Artist extraordinaire!

oh gawd, what a rough start! I'm floundering already!—

You're doing great.

"This Trip Report Doesn't Have a Clever Quote Title and That Makes Me Disappointed in Myself, but I'm Not at my Best Right Now, so Let's All Give Meghan a Little Grace."

now that I'm out of grad school and working, our travel times are dictated by......oh....once again...the school schedule.

No shoulder season for you!

We like to rent a car anyway, and the commute is typically 10-25 minutes from any Disney park we want to visit.

That's really close! That's not much different than if you'd stayed on-site!

at the very reasonably price of *free!*, it's hard to say no when my grandmother graciously offers.

I'm Meghan! (That's me!)

N is a 34-year-old Spray Paint Artist

He loves a good thrill ride, though is becoming slightly less tolerant of motion as he gets older. *Shhhhhhh, don't tell. Let him live in denial.*

Uh, oh... that age creep... uh, huh...

Okay, losing the "Zoom" theme. Am I the only one who watched "Zoom?"

Sorry. After my time.

Some of you will remember our kitty, above, Stacey J. Aswad. (And yes, she is named after that Stacey.) But new to most of you will be Stella...

Don't remember Stacey... but hi to the critters!

Both pets went to new boarding facilities while we were away and did so well without us that it's almost offensive.

Right? They should be "Oh we missed you so much, please don't leave me again!"

G was brand-new to The Mouse

Oh, boy. So much fun introducing a new person.

and proved [unexpectedly?] to be a good travel buddy and fearless thrill-rider.

Great!

Those who know my reports know that my health has always added little quirks into our trips.

I do know.

one I'd not plan to take again until I'm hopefully feeling more well...weller? more wellest?

Well said.

I began to experience some new symptoms from a likely-new cause. I have been working with my medical professionals for the last 9ish months to try to determine what's going on with my body and brain, and hopefully, at some point, to see some improvement. I have been in and out of work a lot this school year on medical leave, and I had just been starting a gradual return to work as we were coming up on the dates for this trip

 

[jrmint427]

Following along! I've been on and off the boards over the years but have likely read your reports in the past Looking forward to reading more!

 

[MeghanEmily]

So nice to see you again. I'm here. I'll be following along but not sure how much I'll comment as I can only read here and there in little bits

Welcome back! So great to "see" you again! No pressure, just glad to have you along for the ride

I’m in! I always really enjoyed your trip reports and your general outlook on life, so I’m glad to see you on here again.

Welcome back! Thanks so much for the kind words and for joining in!

Following along! I've been on and off the boards over the years but have likely read your reports in the past Looking forward to reading more!

So glad you're here!

 

[MeghanEmily]

So what ya do is... Oh, I'm sure you'll figure it out. And judging from your replies... you did!

I did! The DIS is just like riding a bike....not that I was ever all that great at that either.

I do! Artist extraordinaire!

I think so, too!

That's really close! That's not much different than if you'd stayed on-site!

It's very convenient. All that's missing is the free transportation, but I do at least have my own free driver either way! (Nathan's job.)

Oh, boy. So much fun introducing a new person.

Always

 

[vamassey1]

I'm here and so happy to be reading another one of your reports.

I'm so sorry for your health challenges. I do agree with being at Disney and not feeling well is better than being at home not felling well.