We Can Fly, We Can Fly, We Can Fly......We Flew Trip Report About This Page:

[oddboysmum]

Great TR so far ... And I have a Grumpy too, so I know how you feel LOL

[JoanneS]

Great start! I'm sorry Lenny was grumpy, it sounds like someone needed a nap!

[NurseLesley]

I love reading your reports I'm currently on our last day at CB and packing and already feeling post vacation depression so I wandered onto the boards and this is cheering me up

[nurse_mom]

Great start! I love reading your trip reports! Your font looks fine!

[CinderAbby]

Originally Posted by Huntermom

Darlene,

I know Lenny as some medical issues (I do too) and I personally know how grumpy they can make you. I am still at the point where I am learning how to cope with my dietary restrictions and have only eaten out a handful of times since I got sick. I have a couple of go to meals I can eat out. I cannot contemplate a Disney vacation right now because even thoguh I am learning to work with restaurants to make my meals acceptable, it is still very hard. I just spent an hour trying to figure out if I could get something at Qboda tonight.

I hope he doesn't have as many restrictions as me. I remember he's on more meds. Just the thought of trying to vacation makes me grumpy in addition to my "normal" illness related crankiness.

I have taken several Mother/Daughter trips before I got sick and they will always be very special.

Waiting anxiously for the next installment.

Luckily Lenny doesn't have much in the way of food restrictions (just a few - grapefruit is the biggest). Since this seems to be a constant thing for him - being really grumpy the first day - I think it's the combination of meds (his night ones make him really groggy in the mornings) with lack of sleep and anxiousness for the vacation thrown on top. Just hang in there and you'll eventually get there with figuring everything out.

Originally Posted by Jakesmom1118

Hooray you started!!! I'm glad to read that Lenny doesn't stay cranky. I hope it was just travel stress that made him that way. I get that way when traveling. It sounds like ASMu was a good pick! I hope it worked out for you guys this trip.

I'm so excited to read all about your trip!!! I'm sad to read that you may not be returning anytime soon but I understand too.

I hope your school year is off to a good start. My DS just started middle school today and he was so excited about the new lunch period and options (and eating with ALL his friends lol) and I thought of you and how much of a positive impact you have on your students. I also remember you were starting back to work not long after your trip. Hope all is well!!!

ASMusic was a great pick - and it dawned on me yesterday I didn't put too much in about the resort in my first installment. I'll make up for that somewhere though. I'm gald that you're enjoying this TR and I too am sad that it will be my last one for a while. We'll just have to live through other peoples TR's in that time then.

What a good memory you have about school. I went in today to open up the kitchen but the kids don't start until Tuesday. Today went well - the part timer called in sick though so I don't know what's going to happen with that. Today is a required work day so it'll be interesting to see what happens when she finally decides to come back.

Originally Posted by purplegal

Great start, looking forward to the rest and all the details.

If details are what you want, then details are what you'll get.

Originally Posted by mcneal

Glad to hear Grumpy Gus doesn't stick around for the entire vacay You deserve this vacation and am looking forward to hearing all about it.

Thanks. I'm glad you're looking forward to hearing more.

Originally Posted by Wolfy6688

Yay you started!!

Sorry Lenny was so cranky but I'm glad it didn't last. DBF was super cranky on our last day last trip and it put a damper on the whole end.

I can't believe how mature Abby looks!

I'm reading on my phone and the font is slightly smaller than most posts but it's still readable. And I can zoom in.

I'm glad you've joined in and can read it on your phone. Hopefully you can see the pictures okay too. As for Abby, I can't believe it either. She's as tall as me now . Where has the time gone. ?

Originally Posted by disneynina

So glad you have started your TR. Sorry your travel day wasn't magical and I'm glad to read Lenny's mood got better. With all of the delays yall experienced aren't you glad you didn't plan an ADR for arrival day? Can't wait to read more!

I cannot tell you how glad I am we had nothing planned for our first day - and the world didn't come to a screeching halt either . Nothing to tie us down is definitely the way to go from now on.

Originally Posted by hstrygrl

YAY! You inspired me to make time for mine I've been dying to, but now I guess I have to so that our paths cross again! Can't wait to read more.

Also, I have to say, I'm glad you included the grumpiness. We had some on our trip too, and I thought it was just us. Glad that's normal for other families too, so that I didn't feel left out

I'm glad I've inspired you to do your own TR - I'll definitely be reading it when you start. I'm so glad too that you approached me that day and introduced yourself. I really do enjoy putting faces to names when at Disney.

It makes me feel better to when I hear we're not the only ones who have Grumpy on vacation with us. It happens but I suppose it's all in how you deal with it/how long it lasts that's more important. When it comes to Lenny, I try to ignore him the best can

[CinderAbby]

Originally Posted by DMA

Glad to be joining in from the beginning instead of playing "catch-up".
The first day always has so many unknowns even when you are an extreme planner. And timing is never a sure thing. Hopefully, you got all settled in and were able to start experiencing the magic real soon!

We did have a lot of unknowns but now I know what to plan for any future trips. Anything else you'll have to stay tuned for.

Originally Posted by omd

Welcome home Darlene! Glad you have started your TR. Sorry that
Lenny made the first day difficult, but glad to hear that he was better later. I look forward to the next installment.

Thanks Olive. I'll be doing the next installment soon - hopefully later today.

Originally Posted by bsblady01

more please

More coming soon.

Originally Posted by oddboysmum

Great TR so far ... And I have a Grumpy too, so I know how you feel LOL

Thanks. It's really nice to know I'm not alone in having a Grumpy, but as I said, he didn't stay that way.

Originally Posted by JoanneS

Great start! I'm sorry Lenny was grumpy, it sounds like someone needed a nap!

Thanks Joanne. He did need a nap despite getting some sleep on the plane but he didn't get one. I had planned on a really early night though but that never happened.

Originally Posted by NurseLesley

I love reading your reports I'm currently on our last day at CB and packing and already feeling post vacation depression so I wandered onto the boards and this is cheering me up

Thanks - I'm glad you enjoy them so much. I'm also glad it's helping to cheer you up. I totally understand that post vacation depression. It hasn't fully hit us yet - we're still "living" it because of my TR and going through photos but once all that is done, it'll really hit us hard.

Originally Posted by nurse_mom

Great start! I love reading your trip reports! Your font looks fine!

Thanks - I'm glad you also enjoy my TR's and that the font is good this time around. I won't change a thing from what I did with the first couple of posts.

[CinderAbby]

Despite having a long day on Friday, we got up about 6:30 on Saturday - even Lenny. I didn’t feel right and had a very bad headache so I was totally discombobulated. I couldn’t seem to find anything or do anything right. I was finally able to get it together and get ready for the day and we were out of the room by 8:15. We went to McDonalds for breakfast and just like at the airport, what we ordered wasn’t what we were charged for or what we received. Lenny ordered a meal plus an extra sandwich but the extra sandwich was never rung up. You all know Lenny well enough by now to know he blamed me for that so we had another morning that totally sucked.

If there was a bright spot that morning, it was being in SW by 9:30 (close enough to park opening for me) and getting in line to feed the dolphins . This was the one thing that was a "must do" for me. Abby loves dolphins and I thought for sure she would love feeding them. Well it turns out she didn’t like it all that much. She did it, she touched the dolphins and fed them but she was quite happy to go on and watch them instead in the underwater viewing area. You live and learn - and what I learned from this is if you get in line to feed the dolphins, everyone in line is charged for a tray of fish (there were 3 of us so I had to pay for 3 trays). The trays are $7 each, cash only, and they hold four fish each. For the amount of money spent, the experience was over almost before it started. I did it for Abby so I won’t complain but if we ever make it back, we might skip this.

These last three were Lenny’s view of the dolphin feeding.

　

[CinderAbby]

From the dolphins, we went to the sea lion show. The mime at the beginning was really, really funny with his antics. At one point in time, he stopped a family - mom, dad, 2 kids. Mom was wearing a backpack and holding one kids hand. Dad was carrying a folded up stroller and holding the other kids hand. The mime helped the mom take off the backpack and then turned to the dad and made him take it. He actually did, but he had to hold onto the strap with his teeth and he carried it all the way to their seats like that. Of course the audience laughed, clapped and whistled at that because it was funny to see. It certainly makes it more entertaining when people "play along" with the mime. The sea lion show finally started and it was funny but we were very glad when it was over. Abby had picked seats in the sun and where she wanted to sit (in the middle of the stage) we were unable to move back and sit in the shade as those seats were already taken.

From the show, we went to see the seals and we saw a mom nursing her baby. Abby didn’t seem too interested so we went to see the Pets Ahoy show. At least that one is inside so we could cool off for a bit. This show is Abby’s favorite but we all enjoy it and it was over far too soon.

I knew if we didn’t stop and get some lunch since we were out of the show, someone would get really cranky so we went to the pizza/pasta buffet. Lunch was okay - it wasn’t totally fantastic but it wasn’t terrible either. It was pizza, pasta and salad. The last time we ate here, Lenny complained at the lack of pasta salad. This year, in addition to the pizza and green salads, there was pasta salad as well which Lenny appreciated. He said it was a "welcome addition" because it was another cold food option at the buffet for the hot day. The best thing about lunch was this year, SW had Coke products instead of Pepsi so we could have Fanta orange with lunch .

After lunch we went to the Shamu underwater viewing. This was closed the last time we were here and compared to the dolphin underwater viewing, this one was "sad" looking. It looked exactly like what it is - a big pool. The dolphins at least have rocks and stuff so it doesn’t look like a pool.

　

[CinderAbby]

As we made our way from Shamu to the Wild Arctic exhibit, I felt a couple of rain drops. Right after we got our umbrellas up and the scooter controls covered, the skies just opened up. Everyone else ran for cover but we continued on our way. We did the non-moving version of Wild Arctic and for some reason, I really think the movie is really silly. When the movie was done, we explored the exhibits. When we got to the underwater portion of the beluga whales, I turned around to find Abby and I couldn’t find her. Lenny didn’t see her either. I headed to the exit in case she went that way. She wanted to see the Alure show at 3:30 so I was thinking maybe she headed that way. I got to the gift shop and didn’t see her so I went back to the exhibits calling her name. Lenny went to the gift shop and waited there while I continued looking. Two different families asked me if I was looking for someone and when I said yes, they said they saw someone running towards the beginning of the attraction.

I walked back through most of the exhibit and found her at the overhead viewing area of the beluga whales talking with a CM . Abby was actually very calm which surprised me. Mitch (the CM) said Abby told him she couldn’t find her parents and he told her "we’ll stay right here and wait." Of all the times I’ve told Abby to pay attention to what I tell her, this is the one time she did exactly what I’ve told her to do. Mitch was very good - he kept Abby calm and he kept talking to her about the whales I think to make sure she wasn’t upset or scared that she had been "lost." I know this is the wrong way to describe it but Mitch made it into a "positive" experience. I obviously don’t want Abby to get lost again but Mitch definitely reinforced what I’ve been telling Abby - the CM’s are there to help us. All you have to do is let them know how they can help.

Having Abby back with us, we went to watch Alure. I didn’t get the story line they were trying to tell us - it was all music and very little dialogue - but it was enjoyable. We then went next door to the shark encounter. There were a lot of people going in and Lenny asked if I really wanted to go in. I responded by saying "you have to see sharks on shark week."

It took a few minutes to get through there but we finally made it out. By this time, it was around 4:30 and we wanted to see the Shamu show so we went to the stadium. We got there and as we wandered around trying to enter the stadium, we came across a shush machine with all sorts of Fanta Flavors. Abby got Orange, Lenny got Blue Raspberry and I got grape. We wandered some more wondering why we couldn’t get in to pick seats - it was only about 15 minutes before show time - or so I thought.

The ropes were finally taken down close to 5 and we went up the ramp. All the wheelchair spots had bleacher seats clearly marked "soak zone" and I was surprised. I know I had either read online or been told "do not park in soak zones" with a scooter so I knew we shouldn’t sit there. I did finally find an employee to ask and he told me "you won’t get wet there." I was doubtful but there was no place else to get to with a scooter so we picked seats right in the middle where the whales come out of the water. I then grabbed my park map/times guide to see when the show was. I thought it was at 5 but it turns out it was at 5:30. Our seats were in the shade and we had our fans, wet towels and ice waters with us so we were good to wait. A few minutes later, I did ask someone else about the soak zone and he gave a little more information. "We don’t soak people like that anymore. If you get wet, it’ll only be a couple of drops at most." Much more comfortable now with where we were, we just waited.

The show started at 5:30 to a packed stadium making me glad we had gotten there early. Before we left home, I had seen some of this online and for some reason, I wasn’t impressed but seeing it in person? Wow! It was a good show.

The thing that was hard for me and Lenny though is you sit there and watch this amazing show but in the back or our minds, we were remembering different Discovery Channel shows we’ve seen. Some have shown the "true" nature of Killer Whales where they kill things only because they can, not because they want it for food. We tried not to think of that aspect of the whales during the show so we could enjoy it but we did talk about it some after the show.

[CinderAbby]

Other than wanting to see the shows today, Abby didn’t request anything up until this point in time. Now she asked to ride the Atlantis ride. Lenny didn’t want to ride with us so we went to the entrance to find out where he should wait. Marquette, the CM, said everyone ends up in the gift shop. Lenny said ok then pointed out the line was 50 minutes long. Even though Abby was there to hear it, I told her again it would be 50 minutes. She said okay but must have made a face or something because Marquette then asked if Lenny was going with us. I said no but then I know somehow Abby’s Autism came up (I didn’t make notes so I’m not sure how, I just know it did). Marquette then did something I didn’t expect - she told us to use the quick queue line and to say "Marquette said it was okay" if we were questioned. I thanked her, left Lenny in the gift shop then headed to the quick queue line with Abby. We had no problems when we mentioned Marquette and in no time we were on the ride. It was worth the amount of time we spent in line but I don’t think it’s worth the 50 minutes that was posted.

We went back to the gift shop, got Lenny and a few souvenirs and went back to thank Marquette again. We then made our way to the new Antarctica exhibit for Abby. IMO, this really needs to have access to just the penguins that doesn’t involve the ride. Because it doesn’t, Lenny threw a fit about the wait time of 60 minutes. Ultimately we ended up getting out of line - with me totally embarrassed by Lenny’s behavior. He maneuvered the scooter like he’s never used one before - hitting poles, almost hitting people - and we just decided to leave the park completely. By that time, it was around 7 so it really was time to go anyway. It had been so unbelievably hot in the park. So much so we stopped several times during the day for drinks. Normally what we take into the park covers us all day. Not this vacation though (you’ll see as this TR goes on).

On the way out of the park, we made two stops. One was in the Manta Aquarium but we didn’t stay in there too long. We kind of just walked through and were done in only a couple of minutes.

　
The other stop was to see our photos that had been taken. I couldn’t decide which ones to get so I asked for the phot CD one the photographers had told us about. For $74.99 plus tax, I got a CD with all the photos taken plus over 50 SW stock photos. Since I love Photopass, I liked that SW offered a photo disc as well.

When we finally got back to ASMu, I called and talked to mom for a few minutes. Then we went to the food court where we all got burgers and fries this time. Abby and I got the bacon cheeseburgers and Lenny got the bacon mushroom swiss burger. The burgers were all good and after dinner, we went to the "cool pool with the fountains." I went swimming again and it was fun. The reason? It was after 9 and the nightly movie - Tangled - was playing. We all liked the movie so we stayed in the shallow end watching the movie. For me, it was great because we were all in the water cooling off as a family instead of Lenny and Abby off swimming with me failing miserably to keep up. I eventually left the pool because I got a chill and then ended up working on my receipts/money spent/etc. Lenny and Abby came back after the movie was over and Abby went right to bed. Lenny and I were in bed by midnight and it didn’t take long to fall asleep.

[mfirst]

Very cool pictures of the dolphins! What kind of camera? Mine doesn't take really good pictures through glass, but your camera took great pictures! I'm sorry the morning started out rough again. What is it with McD's and orders? They never get our order correct

[bsblady01]

sounds like you had a great day at sea world

[KMB733]

Looks like you did and saw a lot at Sea World! Love the pictures of Abby feeding the dolphins!

[DMA]

I think you should let Lenny order next time you go to McDonald's!
Sounds like you had a good day at SW, and got quite a bit accomplished.

[taylan1]

Great update! Love all your Sea World pictures. I have been wanting to go back to SW but the cost has gone up so much that we have not done it. I am with you on the not going into the parks on arrival day, it is just too much to deal with that it stresses you out and you don't enjoy it as much. We are even thinking of not going into a park on the second day either on our next trip, we were forced to do it that way on our recent trip due to our son's ear infection and we actually found that we liked it.

Abby had gotten so tall, wow! It is amazing how much they grow up in such a short time. Sorry that Lenny was so cranky on your arrival day. I can not wait to read more.