Disney without wheels

[Angelrose]

February 6 - This morning was a lot cooler and we had gray skies. We got our pictures taken in Crystal Palace. Zoey was excited to meet Piglet. She just got a stuffed Piglet and just loves him. She gave him a big hug and so did Jesse. They also got pictures with Pooh. Zoey was afraid of Tigger and Eeyore, but Jesse gave them both a big hug and got his picture taken with them. It was a wonderful breakfast too.

Our first fastpass was for Buzz while Chuck went on SM. We rode Buzz three times until Chuck came back. We took the kids on Thunder Mountain. Jesse loved it but didn’t want to ride it again. Next Chuck and Karen took the kids to Tom Sawyer’s Island. I knew better and people watched around POC until they came back. After POC we had lunch at Pinoccio’s and rode SW. We used our last fastpass on PP. I just love that ride. We walked around to HM and the line wasn’t too bad. I always enjoy that ride.

It was starting to shower but we wanted to meet Merida. That was so cute. Both kids loved her and took great pictures with her. She was just tickling Jesse and he was giggling and Zoey got over her shyness. The big kids got their picture taken with her too.

Our last stop of the day was meeting Ariel. It was an hour wait but it was the last thing on our list. Jesse was so silly around her and Merida. He sure does love the pretty girls.

It was starting to rain pretty steady so we headed out just as the Main Street Electrical parade was starting. It was a shame we couldn’t stay but we were getting soaked.

We have been averaging 16,000 to 18,000 steps a day, so we very tired.

Tomorrow we go to Universal.

 

[Angelrose]

Can't get into Shutterfly tonight, so I can't post any pictures.

I'll try again later.

 

[Angelrose]

These last two pictures Chuck took while waiting in line. This squirrel made himself right at home eating snacks from a stroller. When the family came back we told them that they had had a visitor eating their snacks.

 

[Angelrose]

 

[Angelrose]

February 7 - Rainy day today. Chuck and I wore shorts until we stepped outside. That rain was cold, so we dashed inside and changed to jeans. It was a good choice. We got to Universal right around 9. Boy that’s a long walk to get to Harry Potter world. Our first ride was the Hippogriff. Jesse laughed through the whole thing. Then we took the Hogwarts Castle ride. Neither of the kids could ride that, so it was just Chuck and me. It’s just about my favorite ride.

We had to stop in the candy store. I got some peppermint dark chocolate frogs and some Pepper Imps. I thought they would be some really hot cinnamon. Big disappointment there. You could just about taste the cinnamon. It was just sweet. Oh well, I have a pretty jar. The kids got some gummie worms and the chocolate frogs too. Chuck, Jesse and I rode Spiderman. That is really amazing. It was around lunch time so we stopped in the Three Broomsticks. I love that place. I got the shephard’s pie like last time and it was just as good as I remembered. I got the pumpkin juice to go with it.

Both kids had been very good, so they were promised magic wands. Jesse got Harry Potters wand and Zoey got Hermionie’s. Jesse said that he wished it could do real magic. Don’t we all!

We walked to Dr. Seuss land and rode the train, carousel, and One fish two fish. We walked around and decided to go on Posiden’s adventure. We had the express pass, so we wlked right in to the waiting area. We had no idea what it was going to be. After about a half hour wait we were ushered in to a big room and we listened to a very bad actress tell us about some archeology find and the professor who was missing. There were some special effects and then we were led into another room. More special effects. Finally the last room where the story came to a conclusion and the world was saved. That is an hour I will never get back.

I was getting so tired by now. I did buy a nice Gryffendor sweatshirt and an amulet against the evil eye. OK, I’m Italian and I’m allowed to believe in that. I had promised Jesse an extra present and he chose a dragon from Harry Potter.

Chuck was coming down with a bad cold and it was around 4, so we decided to head back home. They made one stop at Walgreen’s and I actually fell asleep in the car that fast. We got home a little after 5. I got in my pj’s and didn’t move out of my bed. I watched the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympics and went to bed.

Tomorrow we’re going back to DTD and then Epcot in the afternoon. I hope I can walk by then.

 

[Angelrose]

Zoey must have been naughty. Chuck is feeding her to T. Rex

 

[Angelrose]

February 8 – Yet another rainy day today. Only this time it rained steady all day. We stayed at the house until around 11. I read and played with the kids and just fell back asleep around 8. We went to DTD for lunch at EOS. Again we had the Holiday sandwich. I could eat that every day and never get tired of it. We went into WOD and I returned my beautiful pink lap top holder because it didn’t hold my laptop. LOL

We went to EPCOT and our first stop was one of the little kiosks
Right at the beginning of World showcase, I got some chocolate liquors and a couple of Mickey rice crispy treats for a gift. Then we headed to the countries. My ankle and knee were bothering me terribly today. But I was determined not to use a wheelchair. We stopped in Germany and had to stop and get a treat at Caramel Kuche. Karen and I each got a pineapple spear coated in chocolate and drizzled with caramel. See it was really healthful with that pineapple. We looked around the other shops quickly because the kids were getting bored. We stopped at Norway and rode Maelstrum. My goodness what a line for that. The kids both enjoyed that ride. We stopped in Mexico and rode the Donald Duck ride. How Jesse laughed at poor Donald. That ended the countries walk. We did a baby swap for TT. It was really raining hard and I ran into the gift shop to keep Zoey and me dry. Now it was my turn to ride with Chuck. I wanted him to design a race car for me and I would choose the color and design. Well, he designed this strange looking small box-like car with teeny tiny wheels. I keep telling him I would disinherit him, but it made no difference. At least it was the right shade of blue with stars on it. To our surprise, it was rated #1. As we went through the outside portion, I pulled my hood up over my face as you can see in this picture. I think it came out perfect.

We still had time before out 8pm reservation at Boma, so we rode Universe of Energy. OMG, how dated that is. But the kids enjoyed the dinosaurs.
We stopped in Mouse Gears and Karen bought a few gifts and I found a really cute Mickey long sleeved t that I loved. It was dinner time.

Boma! I could eat there every day and never get tired of it. I had the chicken curry soup and that was delicious. I do love that babootie. I got some peanut flavored rice which tasted like peanut butter, some hummus and some root vegetables. Of course zebra domes and sweet potato bread pudding with orange glaze. My ankle was hurting me so bad that I had to ask Chuck to help me carry my plates because my hands were shaking so bad. I’m sure it was the rainy weather that irritated everything. That and so much walking.

We got home around 9 and the moon had just come out. I walked into my room, changed into my jammies, and turned on the Olympics. I watched about 5 minutes of the snowboarding before falling fast asleep. I woke up once and tried to watch the ice skating. I fell asleep again and woke up around 2, turned off the tv and went to sleep for the night.

 

[Angelrose]

 

[Angelrose]

February 9 – A beautiful day at last. Not too hot and not too cold. Sunshine all day. Today we went to DHS. I still cannot get used to calling it anything but MGM. Chuck and I went on TOT and then he asked if I was ready for RNRC. You bet I am. I’ve never tried it before because, well, I’m a coward. But I’ve been thinking about this ride for two years and I was bound and determined to at least ride it once. I wasn’t nervous at all. I knew to keep my head back at all times. Finally it was out turn. I got in and pulled down the harness. ZOOOOOM it starts out about a zillion miles an hour. Next came the part I had been worried about, going up side down. WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEE NOT A PROBLEM! I was laughing the whole time. Into the second loop, around a few turns and we are back to the beginning. I think it is AWESOME I should have tried it years ago. What a high. I bought a pin to commemorate the occasion. OK back down to earth.

Time for something for the kids. We did a meet and greet with Wreck it Ralph and Vanillape. Jesse loved them both, but Zoey was a little afraid of Ralph, but she sure loved Vanillape.

We were able to get a last minute reservation for the 50’s Prime Time Café. We all had the meatloaf and Chuck and I both asked for the collards instead of the green beans. I detest green beans and so does Chuck. Karen loves them. Everything was delicious and I ate Chuck’s collards as well. I had a strawberry milkshake too, Chuck had a vanilla and Karen had the peanut butter and jelly. Our waiter was not a fun one and I didn’t see any who were around us. But the food was good and Jesse had fun making his own sundae and sharing with his sister.

Time to go to the GMR. I love this ride and for once we got the cowboy side. I haven’t done this side in years. We were lucky. Now it was time for our fast pass to Lights, Motors, Action. It was a great show and this time I got my picture taken with all the stunt drivers. Granny gets the hunks!
Voyage of the Little Mermaid was next. We all enjoyed it especially Zoey. She is still very into mermaids. We got in line to meet Frozone and Mr. Incredible. Well, they did and I got in line for Sorcerer Mickey. Mickey gave me a kiss! After that we went through all the stores and didn’t buy a thing. Something new for me.

It was now time for our reservation for dinner at SyFy. We got a car and had burgers. The food isn’t that great, but you go for the cheesy movies. It was a fun experience and both kids loved it.

It was now time for our fast pass to Fantasmic. It was hard for the kids to keep still for so long, but they tried their best. Once the show started, they were mesmerized. Karen had Zoey on her lap and I had Jesse so they could see better. It’s always a wonderful show.

My ankle and knee were behaving today, but I was still glad to come home and relax. I can’t believe we only have two more days here. It has gone by so fast.

Tomorrow is MK day.

 

[Angelrose]

 

[Angelrose]

 

[alwaysdisney]

DISNEY WITHOUT WHEELS The past two times I’ve been to Disney I’ve had to use a wheelchair. Twenty eight years ago I broke my ankle and there is very little, if any, cartilidge left. But, since losing 45 lbs. I no longer need it. I can’t tell you how exciting this is for me. My son, Chuck, Daughter in law Karen, grandson Jesse and granddaughter Zoey are all going. We are renting a vacation home in Clermont and will be only 15 minutes or so away. October 25, 2013 – I am really looking forward to this trip. My granddaughter Zoey is now three and Jesse will be six. The prefect ages for DW. The last time we were there two years ago and I don’t think she could understand much. Jesse loved al the characters, especially Jake from Jake and the Neverland Pirates cartoon. He has been a pirate for Halloween the last two years. Going to DW brings back so many wonderful memories for me. We started going in 1982. My son was 11 and we all had such a great time that we started going every year the second week in December. Every year was as magical as the year before. Four years ago I lost my DH Ron in June. That September my son and daughter in law Karen convinced me to come with them to DW. I didn’t think I could do it but I’m so grateful that they convinced me to go. Being at DW with them gave me the confidence that I could go on and do things that I used to rely on my Ron for. Whenever we plan our vacations, I start getting excited as soon as I close the pool in September. Now here it is October 25 and I’ve just made my flight reservations and my car reservations to take me from MCO to our vacation home on January 31st and then back to the airport at the end. Chuck and Karen will be driving down with the kids on the 30th of January and we will all get there around noon on the 31st. After unpacking and relaxing a bit, we will go to DTD for lunch, shopping and letting the kids run around. I am hoping to buy a Disney Vera Bradley mini hipster. So far the reports are that they have run out of everything but the duffels. Hopefully they will restock by the time we get there. January 6 – I called the local car service today and reserved a car for the 31st. The price he quoted me was a bit too high, but he said he would see what he could do. I’ve put all my Christmas decorations away and have the tree almost all done. I need my son to do the very top and then put it away until next year. He’s coming over on Friday to do that. January 12 – Karen bought our tickets and got the babysitting reservations. I have all my clothes packed and found that most of my Disney t shirts are too big. I am so proud of myself for losing that weight. Only 18 days left. January 15 – Is it time to go yet?? Everything is ready so it should be time to go. I guess I’m going to have to work a bit more on that time machine. January 22 – We had a few inches of snow yesterday but the temp was down to 6 this morning and it got all the way up to 16. I shoveled off the back porch and a path to my car. I am so blessed to have a wonderful neighbor who plows my long driveway and all the way to the back of the house. I don’t know what I would do without him. Thank you, Chris. I am so ready to go to DW. I hope it warms up down there and we have good weather. Only 8 days to go. January 30 – Here it is. I’ve printed out my boarding pass. I will confirm with the car services shortly. Then, no more steps. I will be at the airport by 6am tomorrow. Chuck and Karen are on their way. I just hope they don’t run into any bad weather conditions on their way down. Only 20 hours and 44 minutes to go! January 30 – Well, it’s finally here. I printed out my boarding pass and confirmed both car services. I thought this day would never end. I know I won’t sleep well tonight. The alarm is set for 4:30. I will have a cup of coffee and a breakfast sandwich and pace until the car comes for me at 5:30. Only 8 hours, 7 minutes to go! January 31 - I made it to the airport with time to spare. I slept pretty well last night. I only woke up once at two. Then I slept until 3:20 and after that I was just dozing. I had the full body scan. I guess it doesn’t bother me. It wasn’t bad at all. Of course my gate was the furthest away, but it’s a small airport and it wasn’t that far. I have a twenty minute wait until I board. A beautiful sunrise is just barely visible. I can see streaks of orange and gold against the dark blue of the clouds. I’ve just boarded and have a window seat in row 4. I’m glad I paid extra for it. We took off a few minutes early and the skies are mostly clear. Orlando is 51. Much better than the 16 I left in NJ this morning. I think we are a little more than ½ way to MCO.

I used to use a scooter because of my weight but now that I have lost 22 pounds, this will be the 1st time going to Disney World without a scooter & I am looking so forward to it.

 

[Angelrose]

Thanks for posting alwaysdisney. Believe me, it is such a great feeling of accomplishment to walk (even with a cane) instead of a wheelchair.

Congrats on your weight loss.

I still have a couple more days and lots of pictures to post in the next few days.

 

[Angelrose]

February 10.

What a beautiful day. There isn’t a cloud in the sky and the temperature will be around 75. Our first stop is Tomorrow land where we did the Buzz Lightyear ride three times in a row. My score was around 20,000. Jesse was around 40,000 and Chuck’s score was 978,000. He would have hit 999,999. But one of the targets wasn’t working. But, it’s always a fun ride. Next we went to Adventure land and met the fairies. We waited in line for about 20 minutes and then we met Rosetta and Tink. Tinkerbell loved my Tinkerbell earrings and said she loved the sparkle. I told her I loved the sparkle too. I must have been a pixie in a previous life.

Next we did something called the pirate adventure. I would recommend this to anyone who has a little pirate in their family or even adults. You get a map and follow the clues to find a “treasure”. At each sign you find, you press your icon against it and an automation gives you the next clue. At one of these clues, Grandmom got shot by a cannon. I was right next to it when it “blew”. Once you have found all the signs, you go back and get a second map, then a third, fourth and fifth map. After you have found all the treasures you are done. We did half the maps, then watched the Pirate tutorial and Jesse was chosen at the end to participate. He was disappointed that he didn’t get to sword fight with Jack Sparrow, but he had a good time anyway. We had a fastpass for Thunder Mountain and ride that and then it was time for lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern. We all had the Pilgrims feast which was delicious. We got the Ooey gooey toffee cake and the Johnny Appleseed cake to share for dessert. We also had a fastpass for POC which is always fun. Then we finished the last maps for the Pirate adventure. Jesse was disappointed that he didn’t get any treasure to keep, so Karen told him she would buy him a pirate gift instead. He wanted another sword, but he has plenty of them, so he picked out a rubber cobra which he loves to wear around his neck.

We wanted to get in out of the sun, so we did the Laugh Factory. I always love that and it was pretty funny. To relax a bit we rode the People Mover. Our last fastpass was for Haunted Mansion. There were a couple of stops even before we got on and one after, but then it went smoothly. It was time to get our spot on Main Street for the parade and fireworks.

We stopped at Columbia Harbor House to get me the hummus sandwich for dinner and I sat with the kids and Chuck while Karen got something to eat. Then it was Chuck’s turn to get Zoey to the rest room and since he wasn’t hungry he rode the people mover with her again. It was almost time for the parade.

I have always loved the Main Street Electrical parade and it didn’t disappoint. Both kids loved it and waved to all the characters. Then we watched the pictures on the castle. What a show! I have no idea how they project the pictures on the castle so clearly.

At last the fireworks. Oh my I do love fireworks. So many ooooo’s and ahhhhhh’s. We were all tired but there was one more stop. We had heard about this Cheshire Cat Café cupcake which is served like a parfait. It was very good but too much icing and not enough cake.

We started for the exit through the crowds waiting for the next parade and fireworks. Karen looked in the Emporium for a certain sweatshirt for Zoey but couldn’t find it. I went with Chuck through the Confectionery. He picked up some Mickey rice crispy treats for the way home.

The weather report for our Wednesday travel day is fine for me, but Chuck and Karen may be driving through snow. But only rain at home for us. Thank goodness for that. I am tired of snow.

Tomorrow is our last day and a short one for me. We are going to EPCOT. I will be babysitting from 4pm, while Chuck and Karen have the last dinner at Mexico and the last ride on SSE.

One more day of fun.

 

[Angelrose]

 

[Angelrose]

 

[Angelrose]

 

[Angelrose]

February 11 – WOW this vacation has sure gone by fast. We’ve had so much fun and so many laughs, but I think all of us are ready to go home.

I didn’t sleep well last night, but strangely didn’t feel that tired this morning. I had my coffee this morning and then we were ready to go. Our first ride was SSE and then onto Soarin’. We rode Nemo and walked around the fish tanks. The kids really love looking at all the different fishes.

We had lunch at the Mexican cantina. I think we were all ready to leave. We rode SSE one last time and then Chuck stayed at the park and Karen drove us back to the house. Karen was packing and getting the kids ready for the pool. She will be meeting Chuck back at EPCOT for some adult time and dinner at Mexico. I will be taking care of the kids until bedtime. Chuck and Karen will come back whenever they get tired.

I made the confirmation calls to both limo services and made sure they knew about my first driver. Everything is set for tomorrow.

I have really enjoyed my vacation, but am ready to go home and sleep in my own bed.

 

[Angelrose]

February 12 – Chuck and Karen woke the kids up around4am and packed the last of our luggage, toys, food and souvenirs into the van.

I dozed off and on fully dressed on the sofa until 8am when the driver (a different one this time) arrived a few minutes early.

I picked up a breakfast sandwich at Wendys and since I am an hour early, I will be reading my Kindle until we take off.

The flight was fine and I went right to the exit to look for my driver. UHHHHHHHH no driver was there. I called the service and he told me the driver was there and was the second car in the line. Well, I found the car but no driver. Then I see a driver coming towards me. Apparently I changed my name to Marsha Davis. (probably his last pick up) He said are you Port Republic? Yep that’s me. I figured I was in trouble when he asked me what exit I needed. None, Port is about 20 minutes away. So he types it in and what do you know, Port is 20 minutes away. We get home right on time.
I went in and got into my jammies and didn’t move for the rest of the day.

Chuck and Karen ran into a bad ice storm on the way home and had to stay at a motel. They made it home safely the next day.

I had a wonderful time and love all my souvenirs and memories.

Only 645 more days until our next trip!

 

[Angelrose]

Journey's End

Some random pictures that I don't remember what day they were taken.

Not a Magical time.

Well that is my trip report. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.