The Official #$@% Cancer Trip: It's All About Mom PTR/Live-TR - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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The Official #$@% Cancer Trip: It's All About Mom PTR/Live-TR
greetings, all!
it's been a loooong time since i even attempted a PTR or a TR. but this trip calls for both. because i'd like as many people to be cheering for us as possible. seriously, that would help.
short version of back story: mom and i had to cancel our annual mother's day trip this year because she was diagnosed with breast cancer (stage 3 metastatic). she had a mastectomy two weeks before our initial trip should have been, and has been getting chemo every three weeks since. her last treatment was this past friday. she's had this coming disney trip booked for longer than she's been in treatment, and making it there is her singular goal. so we are going, no matter what.
side note: when she had to cancel our may trip (with DVC) she called and explained and they let her keep/roll over her points even though she should not have been able to do so. this gave her so much to look forward to--so many disney stays in the coming months--that i credit that with a lot of her recovery. i will tell this story over and over again to as many people as i can, because it is awesome. thank you, disney.
anyway...i put off looking forward to this trip until the very last minute because neither of us were sure it would happen. but we leave in ten days, and it is looking like it really *is* going to happen. thus, i want to start a pre trip report and merge that into a live trip report. because i will have time to post during the trip, while mom sleeps. and i will require some virtual moral support, as this will be the first time i've ever had to take care of someone else. but i'm so committed to making this an amazing trip for her that i'm convinced i can do it. right? right.
so starting in my next post, you will find all of the traditional PTR stuff. lodging plans, meal plans, and touring plans. and then next week, i will begin sharing our trip here, live. because one of my mom's favorite sayings is: 'happiness shared is doubled'. so i'm going to share our happiness with all of you. that should multiply it by a lot.
final note on the title of this post: we are calling this trip...that. i sincerely hope i did not offend anyone with my use of symbols-for-letters.
when: sunday, october 18 - thursday october 22 (leaving early friday morning)
where: i'm kind of excited about our lodging for this trip. because a. mom will be in a scooter and b. she has a lot of DVC points, we will be staying at two different resorts based on their proximity to things. the first three nights we will be in a one bedroom villa at the boardwalk, and for the final two nights we move to a one bedroom...at the grand floridian! unbeknownst to me, mom now 'owns' at the GF, which is super awesome. i'm excited about my FIRST visit there!
basic plans: this should be fun to follow along with, because while we have plans (which i am about to outline) EVERYTHING is subject to change based on how mom is feeling. so tune in when i report back, live, to see how this all turns out!
sunday: mom arrives at MCO at 10am, but unless i can get on standby on her flight, i won't arrive until noon. the plan is for her to use that time to get settled in at the boardwalk and (i hope) take a short nap before i arrive. she has the fantasmic package thing booked for an early dinner at the brown derby, followed unsurprisingly by fantasmic. i'm hoping this works out in her scooter. i'm not sure exactly where the handicapped seating is...?
monday: because we are at the boardwalk and because it is food and wine fest and because it is monday, this will be our epcot day. mom's only goal is to ride soarin and then take a spin around world showcase. she has some weird taste issues right now because of the chemo, but she's decided that she really likes...sausage (of all things). i've scoured the festival map and determined that there are sausage dishes in germany, poland, and...oh man. i forget. canada! yes. canada. she also made dinner reservations at monsieur paul, though i feel this is probably not going to happen (nor should it, really, what with wine and food fest) but hey, maybe i'll be surprised. if/when she retires early, i plan to return to epcot to catch illuminations (and likely eat some more.)
tuesday: this will be animal kingdom day, and the only day that she will need to get the scooter on and off of a bus. we also have dinner reservations at...i'm going to say blue zoo? one of the restaurants at the swolphin. because she can scoot there from the boardwalk. if i have any free time this day, i want to hit up under-construction disney springs and check out the new morimoto (spelling?) restaurant. i'm really all about food.
wednesday; we move from the boardwalk to the floridian tonight, so after checking out we will be making our way to the magic kingdom, either through world showcase and onto the monorail or via bus, depending upon what time it is. this will be the first of two full days at the magic kingdom. mom made reservations for the hula show at the poly for this night. i am not psyched about that, but oh well. it's her trip. (if someone could GET me psyched up about it, i'd super appreciate it! thanks!) the magic kingdom is open until 1am tonight, so i will likely go back into the park after dinner and after mom has gone to bed. because why not?
thursday: second magic kingdom day, ending with dinner at california grill to watch hallowishes.
Signing on!! Yes, #%&@#*€ Cancer!!!! Yeah to Peggy for kicking its butt!!
Things to get excited about for the 'hula show' - pineapple bread!!! Plus the shirtless guy twirling fire!
I recall enjoying brats in Germany last year at F&WF. Funny what the taste buds like and don't. A dear friend could only eat super spicy Indian food during and right after her chemo. My dad was addicted to Werthers candies, as he swore that was the only thing that made the metallic taste go away. Whatever works, I say!
A suggestion for your time at the GF--listening to the pianist in the lobby who plays from 4:00 until 7ish when the little swing band takes over until 10:00-11:00. Either is so relaxing and enjoyable, IMO.
Your mom may be too exhausted to be there around 9:00 p.m. when 1900 PF is closing. The Wicked Stepsisters sometimes come out to the lobby to dance to the music and have fun with the kids. Watching them twirling zanily can be amusing.
Not to worry about getting her scooter onto and off the bus. The new buses lower on the side nearest the curb and have a nice wide ramp that extends to the sidewalk. She'll just wheel up the ramp, and the driver will show her how to position the chair for it to be strapped in place. Usually, she can remain with the scooter, first to board, which enables you to get a seat near her.
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“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.” —Winnie-the-Pooh
Great plans and how cool to discover your mom owns at the Grand Floridian!
right? i don't know why i was not aware of this. i mean, i was (previously) traveling for work 100% of the time, so i missed a bunch of things. but that's kind of big news, right???
Quote:
Originally Posted by pamcarey
Awesome plans! I hope it is a wonderful trip for both of you!
thanks!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by cubfancolleen
Signing on!! Yes, #%&@#*€ Cancer!!!! Yeah to Peggy for kicking its butt!!
Things to get excited about for the 'hula show' - pineapple bread!!! Plus the shirtless guy twirling fire!
ohmygod. yes. both of those things! yes! excited now! (it's like you know me or something )
A suggestion for your time at the GF--listening to the pianist in the lobby who plays from 4:00 until 7ish when the little swing band takes over until 10:00-11:00. Either is so relaxing and enjoyable, IMO.
Your mom may be too exhausted to be there around 9:00 p.m. when 1900 PF is closing. The Wicked Stepsisters sometimes come out to the lobby to dance to the music and have fun with the kids. Watching them twirling zanily can be amusing.
Not to worry about getting her scooter onto and off the bus. The new buses lower on the side nearest the curb and have a nice wide ramp that extends to the sidewalk. She'll just wheel up the ramp, and the driver will show her how to position the chair for it to be strapped in place. Usually, she can remain with the scooter, first to board, which enables you to get a seat near her.
thanks for the GF tips! even is she is exhausted, i may check that out. because i will likely also be too exhausted to get any farther than the lobby!
and good to know about the new busses.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DMA
Signing on! I always enjoy your TRs! Your plans sound great!
thanks! and glad you like my trip reports. it's been a REALLY long time!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tara O'Hara
Your plans sound wonderful!! I hope you have a magical trip!!
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