Surprise! We are going to Disney World! (9/23/11-9/29/11)

[jilly7896]

September 23, 2011- September 29, 2011
Pop Century

Cast:
Jill (Me)
Connor (DS12)
Kieran (DS9)
Ryan (DS9)

Janet- My mom
Lynn-Sister

On September 27, 2001, my oldest son finished treatment for Acute Mylogenous Leukemia. He was 2. 10 years later, I was ready to celebrate!!! 10 years Cancer Free!!! What better way than to go to Disney World! My husband was not able to go, and did not want to go again. I asked him if he minded if I took the older boys alone, and he said go for it!! So I did! I asked my mom and sister if they wanted to join me, and they did. I decided to surprise the boys. I thought it would be fun and different for them. I am a Disney travel agent and I am always asking them for “advice”. “Should the 'A' family dine here or there? They have a son your age… what do you think they would like??” So, they were planning their own trip from the beginning, but had no idea!! I decided to wait until the day of to tell them. You will see soon how that went! Enjoy!

[JulieC]

Excellent reason for a Disney trip! You and I discussed this before, but our last trip was my daughter's Make-A-Wish trip after her treatment for recurrent alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma. We said to each other when they were babies and again at that trip that we wanted to take them to Disney when they were about 7 or 8. We are celebrating that we will get to take that trip as originally intended as well.

[jilly7896]

Day 1
September 23, 2011

I was pretty much up all night tossing and turning. I was too excited and anxious to tell the kids about the trip! I got the boys up at 6:30, I told them I was going to go and buy breakfast and was asking them what they wanted. I was pretending to put it into my phone, but really I was getting ready to video them! Kevin turned on the TV and we had arranged to have a picture on the screen that said 'Surprise, you are going to Disney World', it also had the music from the WDW railroad playing “all aboard”. Their expressions were priceless. If I can attach the video, I will.

http://s61.photobucket.com/albums/h4...urrent=484.mp4

My oldest Connor got a little upset because he was worried about missing school. But as soon as I showed him the letter from his teacher telling him that his only homework for the week was to have fun, he was fine. He has Autistic Spectrum Disorder, so I wasn’t sure how he was going to react. Change is not easy. While they were getting some last minute things together and getting changed out of their school uniforms, I really did run to get breakfast.

We left for PHL around 8:15am and were through security and at our gate by 9:30. I bought the boys some drinks and we waited to board.



Our flight left exactly on time and we arrived in MCO 10 mins early.



On our way to ME we saw the Universal Store. We took a walk around and Connor and Kieran wanted wands, so they used their own money to purchase them.





Ryan didn't want a wand, but wanted to model Connor's!




After that we headed to ME. We had a problem there. We were in line for POP and led out to the bus, but it was full. So they brought us inside, but left us right by the door for the next one. Well they forgot about us and started loading other people. It was just a mess. We finally boarded and we all sat together, so all was well.

[SimplyEnchanted]

I can't wait to read about your trip! I have never been able to surprise my girls - it always gets out, so you're a better woman than I am!

[Brandie]

Can't wait to hear all about it!

[Claire]

Yeah Jill a trip report. I am in for the ride!

[jilly7896]

September 23rd continued...

We checked in to POP around 2:30 or so. Our room was ready. We were room 9206 in the eighties building. We were facing the computer pool, as requested and we had a connecting room with my mom and sister, due to arrive later. I really loved the location. I knew the boys were old enough to go out to the pool by themselves (with a lifeguard on duty!) but I wanted to be able to see them from the room.

Our View...






The boys went right out to swim while I relaxed and got stuff ready to head to MK. Our Garden Grocer delivery was brought up, but we still didn’t have our luggage.

Once the boys came in, they got dressed and we took a bus over to MK. The park was closing at 7 for MNSSHP, so we only had a couple of hours. Our first stop was to pick up a GAC for Connor. Once we entered the park we grabbed a FP for Buzz and grabbed a snack at Auntie Gravity’s and then walked over to Fantasyland. There was some lighting, so some of the rides were closed. We rode IASW, POTC, Buzz, Monsters Inc and I think that might be it. We were given splash FP’s, but Ryan refused to ride, so we passed them on to someone else. We started heading out around 6:30, but first stopped in the Confectionary for some cake pops. We walked to the POP bus stop and it was far. The farthest bus stop of course, and they were doing some construction, so there were some walls up and you couldn’t even see it! We waited awhile for a bus and I thought they forgot about us! Lol This was just the first of many bad bus experiences for us.

My first look at the castle. See Captain America on the right??? :)


The CM put a sticker on Kieran's back when he was loading him on Buzz






My twins with the Haunted Mansion twins!





Once we got back to Pop, it was pouring. We went in to grab dinner from the Everything Pop. I think we all had burgers. While we were sitting there eating, my mom texted me that their flight was delayed in Philly and she was worried they were going to miss their connection. My phone was dying so I was anxious to get back to the room and into my luggage to get my charger and to call AirTran for her. We finally get up to our room, after getting lost getting there. Man, Pop is confusing! Lol It took me a couple of days to figure it out! Hahaha. Anyway, our luggage had arrived and I grabbed my charger and plug it into my power strip, and it doesn’t work. Great. My mom is going to be stuck in Atlanta and I don’t have a phone to even help her out. I start to panic. I call down to the front desk to see if there is any way for me to get an iPhone charger, they tell me to come down and talk to the concierge. I ran down there with Ryan and find out that there is nowhere on property to purchase one. She tells me that Wal-Mart is open, try there. I call up to the room and let Connor and Kieran know that Ryan and I are going to grab a cab and head to Wal-Mart.

One hour and $60 later, I am back in my room with my brand new charger and plug. I plug it in, nothing… Guess what? My charger wasn’t broken. My stupid power strip was!!!! I was in such a panic that I wasn’t thinking clearly and didn’t even try to plug it right into the outlet. I’m still kicking myself for that. I finally get my phone charging and I call up AirTran to find out what the deal is. The flight was delayed, but was finally in the air. The connection gate was right next door to the one they were landing at, BUT there was only a small chance they would make it. UGH. She said if they missed it, they would automatically be put on the next flight at 8am. So there really was nothing I could do but wait. In the mean time, our fridge was delivered and set up for us and I realized that Garden Grocer forgot our case of water. I called them and they were going to redeliver it the next day. My mom called me, they made the connection! Things were finally good!

Since the rain had stopped, I decided to take the boys down to the pool. They deserved a late night swim after dealing with their crazy mother for the past couple of hours! We were down there for an hour or so. They wanted to stay up and wait for my mom and sister, but they all passed out I waited and waited for them. They had to wait forever for the ME bus and FINALLY arrived at Pop at 2:00 am! I ran over to the lobby to meet them, I was worried about them getting lost getting to our room! They were starving, so they grabbed some snacks from our room and we all crashed!

[Bernie2003]

LOL about the charger. That sounds like something I would do!

Glad they made their connection, but what a late night!

[jilly7896]

Day 2
September 24

We got up around 9:30 to go to AK, but then changed our mind and headed to EP. Lynn wasn't feeling great so she was going to meet us later. We rode test track and mission space and then walked into the world showcase for our lunch reservation at Via Napoli. We all really enjoyed the meal. The kids got pizza and my mom and I got the chicken parm. We got one of each of the desserts to share and they were all delicious! The best was the tiramisu though. The kids then did a Kim Possible mission in China. It was so HOT, that one was enough and we decided to head back. On our way, we did the Grand Fiesta in Mexico.



We went back to the room and some of us napped, the others went swimming. Around 6 or so we decided to take a bus to DTD. Bad idea. It was mobbed. I knew it would be since it was a Sat night, but I still took the chance. We went into the Lego store so that Connor could spend his money and then stopped in a few others without buying. It’s too hard for me to spend money that early in my vacation. We were going to grab dinner, but WPE and EOS were both packed. We just took a bus to Pop and grabbed something there. I think we all got burgers and fries. (seeing a trend?) The boys went in the pool with Lynn after and I headed back to the room.

[Rhonda]

Sounds like things are a bit hectic..... all fun though~better than being a work any day!!
So glad Conner got over missing school, that could have thrown a wrench in your whole day.
I had a short stay at Pop last Dec and the one thing I hated about it was how far the bus stop was at each park. I guess "value" means "farthest away"

[jilly7896]

Better late than never...

Day 3
September 25

We got up around 7 and were at the bus stop to MK by 8. We made RD and headed right back to FL to ride sw, pp and pooh with no waits. Lynn called and she was there so we met up with her and rode IASW. We then grabbed some breakfast at sleepy hollow and ran over to get on the raft to TSI. On the way I saw a Photopass Photographer and I made the boys get a picture with me. This was our 3rd day in a park and we hadn’t gotten any pictures yet! I paid for a share and I wanted atleast a few pictures on there! I felt a little foolish standing in front of a fake Liberty Bell getting my picture taken when I live about 15 minutes from the real thing! Lol

I thought TSI would be fun to do, but what I didn't realize was how obsessed Connor would become with finding a paintbrush. We never did find one, but if it was up to him, we would have spent the entire day there looking. After TSI we went on Splash and BTRR. It was then almost time to meet up with Josh. Unfortunately, we were beat and the heat was really taking a toll on us so we really only had time for a quick chat before heading out. I didn’t even get a picture :( Sorry Josh! The kids ran off to get dole whips and then we left MK.







Again, we came home and napped. The heat is a killer! I think the boys probably swam with Lynn while I napped, I'm not even sure... that’s right, Mom of the year. (I have another one of these moments later) We headed out around 4:40 for dinner at The Wave. The food was delicious. I had the filet and it was perfectly cooked. Our server was very nice, but dear GOD he was slow!!!





We headed back over to MK EMH right after. We decided to skip the MSEP and headed right over to tomorrowland. We rode everything! It was a great night. It was a bit crowded but so worth it to be out of the heat.













I have no clue what is with Ryan and his little hand signs. He did it all week?!










Ryan didn’t want to ride Indi with the others, so he waited by himself. Too cool to sit with Mom and Mommom I guess…



I was raring to go, but I should have realized my kids had not napped and were tired. I pushed and pushed them and we didn't leave til after midnight. Poor Kieran was dragging. We got to the bus stop (The FURTHEST bus stop mind you) and there were a million people there. We waited forever for busses to come. I think we finally made the 4th one that came. My kids fell sound asleep on the bus. We finally got to the room around 1:30am and went right to sleep.

[jilly7896]

Day 4
September 26

Kieran really wanted to ride SOAT and I knew the best time was first thing in the morning so I decided to get a wakeup call for 7:45am. We all got up and went to Epcot. We didn't arrive til almost 10 though because we had another awful bus experience. There were tons of people, we finally were about to board the 3rd bus that came and they had to stop us to load the wheel chairs and ECV's. There were 4 of them and it took over 40 mins. There HAS to be a better way!!!! Anyway, we got to Epcot and rode SOAT with a 30 min wait. Oh well! We grabbed breakfast at sunshine seasons and then rode Soarin' with Connor's GAC. After Soarin' we went to TT and MS and then into the WS. We grabbed some margaritas in Mexico while the boys did another KP mission, we rode Maelstrom. We then walked up to Japan and my mom and sister picked pearls. Lynn got a rare silver pearl which was really pretty! I think the boys spent some of their money on Pokemon cards or something. After Japan we were really struggling.














We decided to exit at the IG and headed to the boardwalk. Ryan and I ran into the boardwalk bakery and got a Smores cupcake... delicious!!! We then grabbed a cab back to Pop. Let me tell you... it was the best $10 I have ever spent! lol once we were back I napped again! I could really get used to this! The boys were about to go swimming but it started storming. I slept for about an hour and then headed to the food court for some grub. When we were done, I did some laundry. I apparently was not the only one that had that idea! I had to wait forever for a washer and dryer to open up. In the mean time, my twins played football in the rain and as soon as they opened up the pool, they were the first 2 in and actually were the only 2 in! lol They love it! We finally called it a night and went to sleep around 10:30. Tomorrow is the big celebration day! Connor's 10 year anniversary :)

[jilly7896]

Day 5
September 27th

My wakeup call came at 6:45am. I hopped in the shower and then got the boys up and dressed. We made it to the bus stop by 7:15 and there was a bus ready to go! We got to MK and got in line for breakfast ADR's. We were let in about 7:50 and were one of the first families that checked in. My adr was not til 8:20, but we were seated at 8 and the first ones at the buffet. We paid the check right away and saw Tigger and Piglet and then headed out. We were done by 8:30.














We leisurely walked back to fantasyland and stood at the rope. The kids really wanted to ride Dumbo for some reason. We were able to make it on to the first ride of the day!



















Self portrait on Dumbo… my mom and Connor are behind us!


The Castle…and the crane














After that we hit peter pan, pooh, snow white, philharmagic, hall of presidents and the haunted mansion. Ryan started having a meltdown about that time, so I took him back to the room along with Connor. It was only 11am!





this is the view from the furthest bus stop at the mk…

[jilly7896]

Day 5 continued...

My mom, Lynn and Kieran decided to stick around. We napped and when everyone else returned, we went swimming. Around 5, we headed to DTD to do some more shopping. We had an ADR at 'Ohana at 8:20, so we jumped on a bus to the Poly about 7:15. We only waited for 5 mins or so before we were seated. We had a great table right by the window. The food was great, as usual. The adults each got a Lapu Lapu. The lights dimmed around 9:30 and the Hallowishes music started piping in. There were a lot of trees out front blocking our view, but we were able to see some fireworks. We all really enjoyed that.













After dinner we went into the gift shop and one of the CM's started doing trivia with the boys. She then gave them each a certificate. It was cute. We were too tired to take the monorail to MK and then a bus, so we got a cab from the Poly back to Pop. It was pretty late, so we went right to bed when we got back.[/COLOR]

[jilly7896]

Day 6
September 28th

Another early morning. We got to the bus stop by 8 and were at DHS bright and early! We headed right to TSM and rode standby and then hit "One Man's Dream" and "Animation Studio". We then headed over RNRC and TOT. I sat out with Ryan while everyone else rode. He wanted a snack so I gave him his card to grab something. He took a really long time and sure enough, he was lost. I found him walking around with a CM. (another proud moment, I tell you) Once they finished riding, we grabbed lunch (it was around 11:30 I think) and then saw the 12:45 BATB. That stadium is SOOO hot!!









Once it was over we ran over to get into the 1:30 American Idol show. We really enjoyed it.



We then hit the 2:00 Indiana Jones! The timing was perfect. It was now time for ST. We all enjoyed it. I’m not much for simulator rides, they make me a little queasy, but I was ok. I was taking Dramamine every morning, just in case.



It was now about 3pm. We decided to do the VOTLM. We had never seen it. The wait was really long. The room was packed and they just kept squeezing more and more people in. The show itself was ok, kind of corny though. The boys liked being sprayed with water though. After the show I think we did the GMR then we headed to Mama Melrose for our 4:50 ADR. We were seated right away and we had a fabulous meal. I had the steak, my mom and sister had the chicken parm. I think maybe Ryan did too. We all really enjoyed it. It is nice that you get an appetizer with the Fantasmic Dining pkg too.



Kieran with his spaghetti and meatball cupcake!


We were all tired and ready to call it a night. Me and the boys had seen Fantasmic last year and my mom and sister had no interest. We found a family of 6 to give our passes too and they were very grateful. The cab driver that took us from the Poly to Pop the night before gave us his card in case we needed him during the remainder of the trip. We gave him a call when we were leaving HS and he met us there. He was really nice. We got back to Pop and relaxed for a bit. My mom and sister decided they wanted to go back to DTD to finish up their souvenir shopping so we decided to join them. We were only there for a bit and got everything we needed. We wanted to stop for ice cream at Ghirardelli’s, but there closed. They were having some kind of problem and were giving out chocolates to make up for it! It was a nice last night.



i took this because belle is my nieces favorite princess


We went back to the room and I think Lynn and the boys went for one last swim while I started packing up.

[jilly7896]

Day 7
September 29th

We got up around 8 and finished packing up. I sent the boys out to the pool because they were in the way! Lol Our breakfast was just leftover snacks. I gave Ryan the camera to take some pictures and this is what I got:







I tried to put the fridge back into the box, but it was just too heavy so I called bell services to help me and to grab our luggage to check. He came up and packed it up for me with no problem. We went down and checked in for our flight and checked our luggage in and then went back to the room to grab our last minute stuff. We dropped off our carry-ons with bell services and hopped on a bus to Epcot.

I had a coveted lunch ADR at LeCellier for 11:30, but I knew we would never make it in time. So I cancelled and got another ADR for Biergarten for 2:00pm. We took a quick ride on SE and then walked right back to the WS and started in Canada.





The infamous Cranberry Bog





We made our way around, checking every country out.










We made it around to Morocco and the boys decided to get henna tattoos. They were really cool. They wanted them earlier in the week, but you couldn’t swim for 24 hours with them and I knew that would never work, so we waited til today for them.









After they were finished, we walked to Germany and I bought a pilsner glass for Kevin. I had them etch his name into it and I was going to pick it up after our ADR. We checked in a little early for it, but only waited maybe 15 mins. This was our first time here and we all really enjoyed it. I was surprised how much I liked the food. I know my DH would love it and I’m excited to go back with him. We saw some of the band and they were very entertaining. We were seated with a nice couple who lived in FL. Here is turns out they used to live about 5 mins from us! Such a small world!






After lunch I grabbed the glass for Kevin and then we hit Maelstrom again (we really like that ride!) and then decided to do one last ride on TT and then it was time to leave 

We took the bus back to Pop and grabbed a couple of tables in the food court. We grabbed some CS meals to share and snacks to use up. I did some last minute shopping at Everything Pop and then it was time to grab our ME bus. We grabbed our carry-ons and waited for the bus. As soon as we got on the bus it started pouring! We got to MCO and went to the Harry Potter store to show my mom and sister (they missed it when they arrived because it was so late!)



We got through security with only one issue. I put a thing of peanut butter in Kieran’s backpack and apparently that is not allowed. Ooops! We got to our gate in plenty of time and just waited. We finally boarded and the plane was empty! We all sat together, but we could have easily have moved around to our own seats. It was nice. The flight got in early and our bags were waiting for us. It was the perfect flight! My husband and youngest son came to pick us and it was just so nice to see them! We were home by midnight!

We really had a great trip, besides the heat. It really wore on us. I don’t know if we were just not prepared for it or what. I’m already trying to plan a time to go back 