It's going to be an "Incredible Summer" About This Page:

[CinderAbby]

With the new plan in place, we then headed to where else but Fantasyland. First up was peter Pan with the FP I had gotten when I made all our other FP at 60 days out. As usual, Small World followed Peter Pan then we went to Philharmagic. I think Abby wanted to see what the line was like for the 7 Dwarves after as we headed to Storybook Circus next. The Dwarves location was moved inside the circus tent so all we could see was the line but it extended pretty far away from the tent. We then went inside the gift shop to see the party exclusive merchandise. Abby got a t-shirt and a pin and I liked the light up ornament - that will go on our Christmas tree of course (I don't decorate for Halloween). When we came out of the gift shop, we saw the Barnstormer was only at a 10 minute wait so Abby and I rode that, then she wanted to go to Tomorrowland. The Speedway also had a 10 minute wait so Abby and I got in line for that too. Lenny doesn't even attempt this one now after his one and only time on it. After the Speedway, we went to Buzz which had a 15 minutes wait posted. As we got in line, we saw three people trying to get in their costumes - inflatable t-rex costumes. Once they were on and inflated, it was so funny to see them. Unfortunately my camera was never ready to snap a picture of them whenever I saw them and by the time it was they were either out of my view or so surrounded by people I couldn't get a good picture. It was around 6:30 when we left Buzz so we hit some treat trails waiting for it to be 7. At 7, the dance party in Tomorrowland started and Abby spent a few minutes there but after Mike and Sulley came out, she wanted to go to the Storybook Circus dance party. While she was under the tent where this one took place (where the Dwarves use to meet) Lenny "decorated" his scooter canopy with some battery operated lights we brought with us.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/7RFRj6axQoJX5nwv8
https://photos.app.goo.gl/DVAFTYVZqwovVqM47

When Abby was done with the dance party - again only a few minutes into it - and the scooter had its lights, Abby wanted to do some more treat trails. About 8 she wanted to head to Main St. for the stage show but it was pretty jam packed already and there didn't seem to be any good place to stop - especially since when the show would end, it would be time to get parade spots. With the party being sold out and the crowds we saw on Main St. I didn't see that as being a realistic expectation. What we ultimately ended up doing was going right to Liberty Square. It was only 8:06 but we got "our" spots for the parade. We asked Lenny if he minded waiting. He didn't so we left him and the wheelchair behind the rope while Abby and I hit a few treat trails. We went back to Lenny about 8:40 - my left foot and right hip were killing me and I needed to sit down. The parade spots were all filling in but the wheelchair section wasn't too bad. That was until the CM kept putting more and more people into it. She had told us she was going to try and squeeze in as many people as she could but it got to the point she needed to stop.

Just a few minutes before parade time, I thought I'd be nice. I folded up the wheelchair, made Lenny move forward on the scooter so I could park it behind him and I would stand on his left for the parade so the CM could fit one more family in the section. This family did NOT have anyone in a wheelchair so they should not have been put in the section to begin with and then they were miserable pretty much the whole time. First of all, the CM told them quite clearly as she put them to my left "all these people have been waiting here for an hour. They get to be in the front at the rope and you have to stay behind them." That was a problem because one of the kids HAD to sit so the CM let the kid sit on the ground between Lenny and the scooter on his right. This wasn't good enough as the kid wasn't with the family and they couldn't see the kid sitting there for her reactions to the parade. It wasn't a young kid - it if had been, I would have moved. I'm glad I didn't though because nothing made them happy. There wasn't enough room in the section for all of us so one person from that last family stood up on the wall and when repeatedly told by a CM he couldn't do that, he was really rude. Then the mother tried to film the parade and then complained she couldn't get any good view because she was "so far back." If anyone had a right to complain, it certainly wasn't them We were all squished in and I had more to complain about. I ended up having to sit on the ground because I couldn't stand anymore and the CM had taken the wheelchair away to park it elsewhere. All of this in a spot we got over an hour before the parade. NOT 5 minutes.

I don't really blame the CM. IMO she was a sweetheart. She kept walking by and talking to us, making sure we were okay, asking if we needed anything (although I don't know what she would have done if we did say we needed something). I think she was doing what she was told to do so I wasn't going to make it hard on her - unlike some people (that last family if I have to be specific).

I liked the parade but I didn't get any good shots of anything except the sign at the very beginning.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/wDCeUnn61dFSZc2AA

[CinderAbby]

I would have been willing to watch the second parade too but I was outvoted on that one. When the parade was over, the CM asked if we were going to see the stage show. We told her we were so she told us after the bridge to Main St. get over to the left and we would be shown the wheelchair viewing area for the stage show and we could watch the fireworks from there too. It took a few minutes to do it but we finally got there and unlike the parade, we were not packed in like sardines. We were nice and close to the stage too which was cool. As we waited for the fireworks - which would be done first - we talked with the people in front of us. They told us how they waited in line for the Tweedles for 2 hours and before it was their turn, the Tweedles left and they didn't get to see them. They also told us how they wanted one of the party snacks and actually waited in line for an hour to get it - but it wasn't worth the hour wait. I felt bad for them but it's what Disney has made it. It was a sold out party with 20,000 people (the number we heard several people mention), not enough snacks locations open, no "clones" of character (what CM's were saying - "we need to learn how to clone the characters") and not enough areas for people to spread out into.

After a while, we stopped talking with them and everyone went back to their own conversations. When the fireworks started for me it was kind of a weird view because we were so close. Some of the fireworks went off behind the castle and we didn't see much of them and others, like to the side, we saw the full burst. I didn't realize until we came home and saw some online videos how far to the side the fireworks went. I enjoyed them regardless. After the fireworks were over, we stayed in the wheelchair viewing area for the stage show that would be at 10:45. Being that close for the stage show was really cool. I liked how close we were and that we still had "elbow" room to watch it with. I have yet to see all of the "Hocus Pocus" movie but I've seen enough to know the characters on stage did a good job. I found it interesting too that some of the characters that are in the show are slightly different than when they have a M&G (Captain Hook and Jafar for instance are face characters in the show).

https://photos.app.goo.gl/6v88a2ocyZRL58DX7

When the stage show was over, it was something like 11:10 - really close to the second parade. Main St. was still really packed and maybe at that point in time we should have left but we didn't. We made our way through the crowd to go to the Cheshire Cafe for the restrooms. As we waited for Lenny to come out, the Queen of Hearts and the Tweedles walked by. Of course the picture came out blurry but we did see them.

When Lenny came out of the bathroom, Abby wanted to check out the lighting effects at the Tea Cups. I don't think there was any line for it and I know when we rode there were quite a few empty tea cups. Lenny tried to film it the best he could but he seemed to have trouble keeping track of us.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/KXCXVDe1seyZTUjZA

After we got off the ride, we didn't have nearly enough candy already so we went to Cosmic Rays next for the treat trail. When we left the restaurant, Abby noticed the Speedway was still a 10 minute wait and wanted to ride again. I think it was a little bit longer because it was getting late and the CM's were trying to shut down one of the two lanes that were open. Lenny once again chose not to ride and just waited for us. Once off the ride, Abby wanted to hit the Monsters Inc treat trail one last time before leaving the park. It was just about midnight and we were all tired.

On the way out of the park, we took a couple last photos and had the one Photopass photo taken that we really wanted (the Headless Horseman).

https://photos.app.goo.gl/BAratUByzgfu9oMB7

When we arrived at the ferry dock, CM's were letting people know that it was going to be about 20 minutes before the ferry would arrive. This didn't make any of us happy but I didn't feel like dealing with the buses or the monorail so we just continued to the dock. It made Abby really unhappy and she started to have a meltdown. "I told you I didn't want to come to this party It's stupid. The characters had such long lines that we couldn't see them." I totally agreed with her about the characters but I think up until needing to wait for the ferry, Abby did have a good time. Hoping it would help, I had Abby sit in the wheelchair we were allowed to take to the parking lot. After a few minutes, like switch had been flipped, Abby was fine and telling me her ideas to improve MNSSHP (which she is going to share after this TR). She was fine all the way to the hotel - which we finally got back to about 1 am - and after she helped put the scooter together, she was going to start with another meltdown. I handed her some of our stuff and sent her ahead to the room. I made sure the car was completely cleaned out before Lenny and I headed to the room ourselves.

Abby was already in bed by the time we got there even though it had been maybe 10 minutes at the most. I don't think we did any organizing when we got to the room. I think we just dumped the stuff on the table to deal with later on. Somewhere between 1:30 and 2 we went to bed.

[DMA]

Wow! that was a long night! But it seems, for the most part that you had a good time at the party. I find that the parades are one of the most stressful things at MK! The crowding, the waiting and then, of course the last minute push from folks who think they are entitled to be up front.
The Headless Horseman shots are very cool!

[NanaTink]

Cool! Love the Headless Horseman shots! Very neat!
Sounds like a looooong day, but still fun. I am interested on what Abby thinks Disney can do to improve the parties. I agree with her, there is definite things they can do. You should send her ideas to the Parks department of Disney.

[SuperDave]

Quite an active day at the MK and you accomplished, saw and did so much! Good idea going to Contempo and the time you did as still lunch time but not the prime time for it!

[purplegal]

It’s such a shame that the lines are insanely long for all the characters, Disney really should re-evaluate how they run this special event. Your pictures of the stage show turned out really well.

[clio]

Sorry it was so crowded at the Halloween party and the lines were so long. It was the same way when we went on Sept. 9th. In fact, we're thinking of skipping it on our next trip. We've gone ever since they started having it but the crowds have gotten to be too much. It wasn't bad during our trips to the parks, just at the Halloween party.
Liz

[Colexis Mom]

Just getting caught up again! Glad you had a great day at Epcot and got to meet Meg! Bit, what a long last day. You guys are troopers! Glad you enjoyed MNSSHP! Sorry it’s all completely by to an end! Happy Birthday to Lenny!

[Ashli]

MNSSHP's capacity used to be 20,000. It has gone up though. They are very hush hush about the actual amount of tix sold, but a Disney travel agent who runs a fb group I am in said she was told the new capacity for MNSSHP is closer to 40,000, having gone up over the last several years. I can personally say that while I don't know the numbers for certain, we have gone every year since 2006 and the sold out party nights have become significantly more crowded. (Fortunately we got really lucky this yr and our party - 9/23 - was not crowded at all.)

[CinderAbby]

Originally Posted by DMA

Wow! that was a long night! But it seems, for the most part that you had a good time at the party. I find that the parades are one of the most stressful things at MK! The crowding, the waiting and then, of course the last minute push from folks who think they are entitled to be up front.
The Headless Horseman shots are very cool!

We did have a good time with what we got accomplished. Yes, we would have like to have done more but I knew going in that might not be possible. The parades are stressful. Even the regular day time one can be but I've never experienced crowding like we did for MNSSHP. We think the Headless Horseman shot is cool too. It was really the one shot Lenny absolutely wanted us to get.

Originally Posted by NanaTink

Cool! Love the Headless Horseman shots! Very neat!
Sounds like a looooong day, but still fun. I am interested on what Abby thinks Disney can do to improve the parties. I agree with her, there is definite things they can do. You should send her ideas to the Parks department of Disney.

Thanks. It was a semi long day but we did have fun. I'm going to post Abby's ideas. Some I'm sure other people have thought of, others not so much but I will share. I will think about sharing but while I think some of her ideas are good, I'm not so sure Disney will - unless they like the fact that some of her ideas would incur and additional cost

Originally Posted by SuperDave

Quite an active day at the MK and you accomplished, saw and did so much! Good idea going to Contempo and the time you did as still lunch time but not the prime time for it!

It was and we did more than I thought we would have. It was actually Lenny's idea to have a resort meal before entering the park and it was a good one. I just don't remember if it was him or me that suggested the Contempo Cafe. I was so happy that it wasn't super busy there either.

Originally Posted by purplegal

It’s such a shame that the lines are insanely long for all the characters, Disney really should re-evaluate how they run this special event. Your pictures of the stage show turned out really well.

IMO it's not a matter of should but need. They really need to reevaluate it. I know they sent me a survey and while I was nice in how I worded what I said, I told them in no uncertain terms there were far too many people, the lines were far too long and because of that, it wasn't equal opportunity for everyone to enjoy all aspects of the party. Thanks. I enjoyed the stage show more than I thought I would and it's nice I have some good (clear) memories of it.

Originally Posted by clio

Sorry it was so crowded at the Halloween party and the lines were so long. It was the same way when we went on Sept. 9th. In fact, we're thinking of skipping it on our next trip. We've gone ever since they started having it but the crowds have gotten to be too much. It wasn't bad during our trips to the parks, just at the Halloween party.
Liz

I'm sorry to hear it was really crowded for you and you're thinking of not going again. It's a shame Disney has allowed so many people to enter they're taking the fun out of it, especially for long time goers.

Originally Posted by Colexis Mom

Just getting caught up again! Glad you had a great day at Epcot and got to meet Meg! Bit, what a long last day. You guys are troopers! Glad you enjoyed MNSSHP! Sorry it’s all completely by to an end! Happy Birthday to Lenny!

Thanks Marnie. Epcot was great and for the most part so was MNSSHP. Even though it was sold out and as busy as it was, I didn't come home with any regrets, I will pass along the birthday wishes to Lenny.

Originally Posted by Ashli

MNSSHP's capacity used to be 20,000. It has gone up though. They are very hush hush about the actual amount of tix sold, but a Disney travel agent who runs a fb group I am in said she was told the new capacity for MNSSHP is closer to 40,000, having gone up over the last several years. I can personally say that while I don't know the numbers for certain, we have gone every year since 2006 and the sold out party nights have become significantly more crowded. (Fortunately we got really lucky this yr and our party - 9/23 - was not crowded at all.)

WOW!! I'm glad the night you went wasn't crowded but that just seems excessive to me to let almost 40,000 people into the park for it. If only Disney actually realized if they did a much lower number, they'd probably "make up" the loss of profits in ticket sales by an increase in snacks, food and souvenirs. We wanted food and snacks but refused to wait in the lines. We did get a couple of souvenirs but the store was so crowded we were all getting overwhelmed and couldn't wait to get out of the store.

[CinderAbby]

Despite falling asleep so late the "night" before, Saturday morning my eyes popped open at 7. I got ready for the day and then I started packing up the rest of the stuff. When I was done with that, I sorted through all the candy we had gotten. Only a few pieces had to be thrown away due to being melted or mangled. The rest got put into ziploc bags. A couple of them we would keep, the rest were going to be given away.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/WeBrQqwNFxbW7rUQA



The give away bags would ultimately go with Lenny to work where he put it in their "cashier café" - a small area with coffee, water and snacks for the cashiers to enjoy while working. I don't know what time Abby got up but I woke Lenny up at 8. While he was trying to wake up and get ready Walker called about 8:20. They were early and were wondering if we were done with the scooter. We were so I unplugged it and took it to them. Once I got back to the room, Lenny and Abby finished getting ready and then we finished all the packing and cleaning that we needed to do. With the help of Abby and the wheelchair, we got stuff down and into the car. By 10, we were done with the room and ready to leave. We didn't have to rush though.

Quicksilver wasn't going to pick us up until 11:30 so we decided to go to the food court and use up the last of our QS credits. I had packed away the camera so there are no pictures but both Lenny and Abby got the breakfast burger. It was a hamburger on a bagel with a fried egg (but no runny yolk), cheese and bacon. I got the bounty platter - scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, potatoes and a Mickey waffle. I also got three chocolate croissants to use up the very last credit. We were done eating around 10:30 and as I headed to the bathroom to wash up, I had to walk by Guest Services. As soon as I did, I remembered I never got our boarding passes for our flight. I did have the reservation number in my pocket so obviously at some point in time that morning I had remembered I needed to do it - I just never got that far.

I opted to do EBCI for our flight home and what a difference it made in boarding pass numbers. Going to Disney, checking in at 24 hours I got all c's. Coming home with EBCI added only a month out, I got A 39, 40 and 41. Wow. We pre board so it didn't really make a difference. I added the EBCI so I didn't have to worry about checking in while we were at MNSSHP. With my boarding passes in hand, I went to find Lenny and Abby so we could go to the car. Once there, I just double checked really quick to make sure nothing would be left behind and we headed to the gas station.

We got to the gas station by the CCC about 11 and one of the first things I noticed was the Quicksilver van parked off to the side. I thought it kind of funny that our time was switched from 11 to 11:30 but yet there was the van. We didn't rush as we still had 30 minutes before our pickup time. Once the car was filled with gas, we went over to Alamo and unloaded the car. An employee finally came over to check us out (it was quite busy there at that time) and then we just stood there on the sidewalk to wait. We didn't have long to wait as at 11:20, the Quicksilver van pulled up to get us. It was a quick and easy ride to the airport and we were there by noon time. We left our checked bags with curbside and while the person we had wasn't rude or grumpy, I noticed he was just a bit nicer and had a smile when I thanked him and have him a tip. We still had time before we had to be at our gate so Abby and I went through the Disney Store while Lenny waited with the bags. Abby then stayed behind so I could push Lenny through the store. We didn't buy anything though and with nothing else that we wanted to see or do, we got in line at security.

Picture this. It was the three of us at security. Lenny was in the wheelchair holding two bags on his lap. Abby had two bags plus a backpack on her back. I had a backpack on my back plus the boarding passes and ID's in one hand while I was trying to push Lenny. We got up to the TSA agent who proceeded to tell me "one boarding pass at a time" as I tried to hand him everything (I've done it this way since we started flying). So I grabbed the pass on the top of the pile and handed it to him. As I was trying to look at the other two to see which ones I still had, I hear "I need a valid ID with this." I wanted to be snappy as the guy was clearly being a jerk but I simply said "Yes, I know that but I needed to look to see which ID you need first."

We finally got past him and there was quite the line for the screening and even though it took awhile just to put our bags up, it was easy compared to the grumpy guy - and even Providence with the "I can't give you your cane back" person. I know a TSA agent took Lenny and the wheelchair closer to the screening machine and once all of our stuff was on the rollers, I sent Abby to join him. When our stuff was actually on the belt and moving, I went through. As it came through the x-ray machine, I started grabbing all of our stuff and was looking at everything. One bag was missing. Abby noticed it behind the x-ray machine and I noticed something like four or five other bags with it. There were only two people doing the additional screening and unlike a couple of the people around me that tried to tell the TSA agents what to do, what not to touch, etc, I just stood there nice and patient. We still had plenty of time to get to the gate. At one point in time, I was asked if I was waiting for a bag and when I said the blue one, I was told it would be a few minutes. I said it wasn't a problem When the same agent got to my bag, he point blank said he needed to look at the batteries. As he took the package out of my suitcase, he looked at it, then at me and I told him "I shoved tissues in there so they wouldn't move around." He brought the package over to me saying "I will let you break the seal and open it for me." I laughed to myself - it wasn't even sealed. The label was just sticky enough to keep it closed but I opened it and took out the tissues. He looked at them and told me I was all set. He put the batteries back and I thanked him.

[CinderAbby]

We went to the tram and made it to our gate about 1:15. I called home and talked with mom for a bit, I made notes, we ate our chocolate croissants from the food court. I think I even texted Kate. The time actually seemed to go pretty quickly. At one point in time I went back to the food court and got us some sandwiches, chips and drinks to eat on the plane for dinner. About 45 minutes before boarding time, Lenny saw someone else coming over in a wheelchair so he had me push him into the preboard area. He was first in line. As it got closer to boarding time, there were four other people in line behind Lenny. About 5 minute before boarding time, someone was pushed right up to the podium and then left there. I'm sure you can see where this is going. He was the last one to show up for pre boarding but was the first one let on the plane. Adding insult to injury, he took the seat Abby always wants to sit in. The minutes she saw that, she started with her meltdown. I was tired and not in the mood for it - we had PLENTY of seats to choose from - so I just yelled at her to sit down and shut up. The guy wasn't going to move and the third seat would give her the same view as the second. It must have surprised her because she did sit down and while she was still upset, she wasn't crying. The guy meanwhile must have been completely deaf or totally uncaring . If I had been in his shoes, hearing what was going on, I would have moved from the seat.

We stowed our stuff, we took our seats and I continued to help Abby calm down and get past someone taking "her" seat. Again. It made me wish SWA had assigned seating. Abby did try to look out the window - she likes to see the luggage get put on - but it was entirely too bright so she put the shade back down again. She was fine by the time we took off. Coming home we napped, ate the subs and used the devices. The flight was relatively smooth too. It got a little bit bumpy in Providence but we were going through a storm. I expected the turbulence to be much worse than what it was.

We landed only about 5 minutes early and after stopping at the bathroom, we headed to baggage claim. Mom wasn't there waiting but she did come in a minute or two after we arrived there. The luggage started coming out and we were waiting and waiting but saw nothing. Just in case something happened again, I did go to the SWA office but none of the bags there were ours so I went back to the belt where we waited some more. Finally, I saw one of our bags. Woohoo. Soon after, all the others followed. It was the first time in I don't know how many years all our luggage was on the carousel. We moved all our bags outside and because it was raining mom went and brought the car closer. Once we were all loaded up, we headed home. The trip was quiet. I don't know if it was due to it raining and mom paying attention or if we were receiving the silent treatment for some unknown reason. Mom did talk with Abby a little bit whe she spotted a double rainbow out the car window during the drive. We got home about 8 pm and after all the stuff was out of mom's car and taken upstairs, I showed mom what we got for souvenirs and she wasn't happy there was nothing for her. She said she didn't want anything so we didn't bring her anything.

Other than that comment and "don't you have enough towels" when I showed her the new ones we got, she still didn't have much to say. Around 8:30 she decided to go to bed so we went upstairs where our bedrooms are. Abby went to bed and I went and started unpacking. I sent Kate a quick text to let her know we were home and somewhere around 11 I'd had enough and went to bed. I had decided to take Sunday off from the station so anything I didn't get done could wait until then.

[CinderAbby]

So there you have it. The highs and lows of our vacation. Was it as Incredible as we were hoping? Honestly? No. We had incredibly frustrating moments - Lenny and his meltdowns, the app not always working. We had some incredibly fun moments - 3 days with Kate, Abby's interactions with characters. We had incredible heat and humidity to deal with - I don't know what it truly was because my device lied and told me it was sunny and 92 every day. Will the frustrations and the meltdowns keep me from going back? No. Will I avoid going in the summer because it seemed so bad this year? No. When will we go back? I have no idea. It all depends upon how long it takes to save the money but we will go back. Even with bad moments, Disney is just a place that even if it takes a few days for it to happen, the magic just draws us in and we want to return to it time and again. Thank you to all who had the patience to wait for me to start it this year - much later than I have in the past - and I hope it was worth the wait. My final thoughts and Abby's ideas on how Disney should "improve" MNSSHP are below this wrap up to the actual TR if you would like to continue reading.

[CinderAbby]

My final thoughts I want to share


Snacks. I took snacks into the park with us every single day because I had bought quite a few of them. Going forward, I have to buy less of them. We did end up throwing some stuff away because we just got tired of dealing with them and eating them. We're not huge snack eaters anyway so I think at this point in time, it won't hurt us to take less into the park and "splurge" by buying something in the parks if we really want. We typically share anyway so it's not like it's going to add a huge expense to do that. It would also give us a good excuse to try more new snacks.


Less time in the parks. I have to be better in this, I really do. In past years, we've gone into the parks, typically, from 8 am to 8 pm. That's 12 hours just in the parks. This does not account for getting up and ready, getting to the park, getting back to the hotel. That adds at least 2 hours to the day. 14 hours is a long day. While for me personally it might be difficult to leave a park while it's still sunny out, I think it would benefit us all to do it. The benefit for Lenny and Abby? They would be able to swim more frequently - something they love to do there. The benefit for me? Hopefully no "I'm tired, we should have left earlier" meltdowns from either one of them. I'm sure they're emotionally taxing for whoever is having it but it's emotionally taxing for me too. If by leaving early we can prevent them, then I have to at least try.


Vacation length. We still like the two weeks. I don't forsee us changing this


Animal Kingdom. Regardless of what length of time we spend in the other parks, this park is a MUST leave early. The past two trips, the worst meltdowns I've had to deal with have been on this park day. I don't know if it's the park itself, if it's the day we choose to go (Thursday for both trips) or what it is but no more. I will not stay in this park late. There isn't enough to do, it gets too hot and the night show IMO is just not worth staying for.


MNSSHP. Other than the over crowding in the wheelchair section, I did enjoy what we did. Abby has all sorts of ideas that she will share for her ideas to "improve" the experience for people. We know Disney doesn't take ideas but wouldn't it be nice though if they did? I know they send out the surveys but who knows if those actually influence their decisions.


Asking for the time off for Lenny. I can usually plan our trips well and for this trip, I didn't completely fail but I did make a mistake that would impact it. When asking for the time off for Lenny, I only planned on the time he would need for the trip. This resulted in him working 7 days in a row before leaving. I need to look further ahead and start requesting other days to prevent too many days together. It doesn't help that his work week goes from Monday to Sunday so he needed time off in 3 separate work weeks. The time I ask for actually requires me to print out a calendar page for the weeks leading up to vacation and make notes so it's not really a simple process. I know going forward though that I have to plan that portion better than I did. Maybe by the time we go back, he'll have more paid vacation time which will also help.


Asking for time off for me. It's rare that I do it but I'm so glad I asked for that one day off from my second job. It might not have been much but it was a help so despite how much I know the owner won't like it, I'll do it again. My town job I won't ask for more time off though. I don't need to.


Mobile ordering. I did like it but the thing I liked most was being able to customize some of the stuff we ordered. You can't do that with everything - and some things don't need it - but it was nice to know some things we could leave off the order completely. It was also nice to know what we could choose for sides too. Sometimes it had to be the fries but when it wasn't, it was nice to have other options.


Our Crystal Palace breakfast ADR. I love Disney, don't get me wrong, but getting to and from the MK is just getting frustrating. Lenny needing the scooter doesn't help any and this year not once but twice our only option to get to the park from the TTC early in the morning was the resort monorail. I don't know whether to keep doing the 8-8:15 ADR but leave the hotel earlier than we do (we currently leave the hotel at 7 to get to the MK for 8) or if we should continue to leave at 7 but try for 8:30 to 8:45 times. My concern over this is the later it gets, the less likely we are to be seated on time or see the characters in a timely fashion. I could drop the CP breakfast completely and stick with just BoG. Since there are no characters, it doesn't matter what time I get and we pre order our meals so that cuts down on the time too. I have to think on this one.


Kate joining us on our trip. That was a lot of fun. I'm really glad she wanted to do it. If we weren't friends outside of the boards, it might have been different, but we are. I know she wants to join us on a future trip and I'm all for that. We just need to figure out when that might possibly be.


The wheelchair. Once again it was well worth the money to get the wheelchair every day and have it with us. Although one CM did kind of have a snarky comment when he saw me pushing it with the backpack in it, I chose to ignore him and his comment. Walk in my shoes and understand why I have it before you say something.

[CinderAbby]

The next two posts are Abby's ideas. While she and I brainstormed together the ideas, she typed up everything herself in her words. She only sent me the file so I could spell check it and then put it here for you guys to read.