12/20-12/27 - 4WAGS - Turning Sadness into JOY - pretrip

[wedoada]

4WAGS - Turning Sadness into JOY

Cast:
Randy (Me) 45 DH - Wheelchair user
Chris 39 DW
Alex 11 DS
Reagan 5 DD

Four pale New Englanders trying to escape winter and bad memories into the magical world of Disney at Christmas.

Background:

We are all Christmas nuts and Disney junkies (imagine!). We made our first trip in 2006 via Amtrak and stayed with friends at an off-site rental house.

A year ago this month (12/10/08) my mom passed away after a long struggle with a physical disability and years of kidney failure and dialysis. Two months later in February of 2009 my dad passed away VERY unexpectedly. They had been married for 47 years and I think he died of a broken heart (corny but true). Needless to say Christmas and winter in general was a sad time for our family last year. Sooo for the last year we have been dealing with two estates (think SMALL) in probate and the cleanout and sale of my parent’s house and all of their possessions.

Chris (DW) and I decided to take the small life insurance check that we received and use it to build some happy Christmas memories so we contacted Wendy at Magical Journeys and booked a Disney Christmas vacation. We will be at WDW December 20 – 27, 2009 – Staying at the BLT (WC Accessible - Bay View - 1 BR) and on the Deluxe Dining Plan. Now we know that this is probably one of the busiest weeks of the Disney year but as magical as WDW is normally we can’t imagine how magical it must be on Christmas.

We’ve packed a box with a tabletop tree and some decorations for the room, reserved a scooter for me (Buena Vista Scooters), a stroller for DD (Orlando Stroller Rental) and scheduled “Kids Night Out” to watch the kids while DW and I have dinner one night for our 20th Anniversay.

Speaking of dinner, I called for ADR’s at the 90 day mark and we got EVERYTHING that we wanted. We are taking full advantage of the DDP but tried to space our ADRs out so it doesn’t feel like we’re running from meal to meal. We got the Princess Breakfast in Epcot, Hoop Dee Doo, dinner at the GF with Cinderella and even LeCellier for Chris and I. DD will be visiting the BBB and DS will be joining the Pirate’s League on one of our MK days. We’ll be doing the Candlelight Procession dinner package on Christmas Eve and having Dinner on Christmas day at the Wilderness Lodge. It should be a truly magical vacation if everything goes as planned. (But we ALL know how likely THAT is right? LOL)

Because of the unpredictable New England weather we are driving to Boston and staying over on the night before our flight. There is an IMAX 3D theater across the street so we’re going to see Disney’s “A Christmas Carol” after dinner to get everyone in the Disney AND Christmas mood. The hotel has a “stay and park” deal so we can leave our car in their parking garage during our trip. **We will be arriving back in Boston late on our return and don’t want to risk having to drive 2 hours in a storm in the dark so we’re also staying over on the night we get home.

*UPDATE: 12/04/09 – called and confirmed all of our ADRs, just in case. They also asked about celebrations so we added DS’s & DD’s birthdays and DW and my 20th wedding anniversary dinner.

Our Magical Express documents arrived a few weeks ago and I took great care in “putting them somewhere safe”….in English that translates to “we will never find this envelope again”. AAUUGGHHH !!!! When our Disney Travel documents arrived yesterday I went to where I thought the ME tags were…nope…so I went to my strong box….nope….the safe….nope…GREAT !!! LOL

I got on the phone and called Magical Express to admit my stupidity and luckily it was not the first time that someone had called with a similar situation. Our new packet should be here in the next week and I am leaving it in plain sight this time. LOL

We plan to update our TR as we count down and as I unwind in the room each night. Thanks for listening !

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

I hope you have a GREAT trip, you most certainly deserve it. Sounds like you're all set, and I can't wait to hear about the trips itself.

[DisneyBarb]

Being a fellow New Englander... that is a smart move to go to Logan the night before.. enjoy the movie! I'm sorry for your losses and hope that you have a happy magical holiday

[KylesMom]

Randy, it sounds like your family is in need of some Disney holiday magic. Hopefully with the memories you make on this trip, Christmas will truly become a happy holiday for you again. You've got some great plans set - enjoy the time and your family at Disney. Be sure to let us know all about the magic upon your return!

[RedSoxFan]

Sorry for your losses. My FIL died two months ago today from a long battle with cancer. It's a very hard thing to go through --- losing a parent. I hope you and your family have a wonderful trip.

[Genie1953]

So sorry to hear about your losses. You have a great trip planned so you should have a great time. I was there at Christmas time 11 years ago with our high school band....it was my first trip there and it was definitely crowded but it was also truly magical. It was on that trip that I fell completely in love with Disneyworld. I know you will have fun.

[MizMissy]

Sounds like a wonderful trip! And,it sounds like you guys really deserve it. Hope you make some really magical memories this Christmas.
As a side note, my 7 and 10 year olds found The Christmas Carol to be a bit frightening. I don't want to scare you off of your plans, but thought you might want a heads up, at least to prepare your 5 year old.

[gauvin4]

Sorry to hear about your loss. We went through a similar thing in 2007. We lost my wonderful Mother -in-law in March of that year. We decided to go to WDW that christmas to take our minds off the fact that it would have been our 1st Christmas without her. We found ourselves saying "Grammie would have loved this!", alot. I believe she was there with us. It made getting through the holidays easier for us.

Hope you have a wonderful trip!

[mouseketeer mom]

What a sweet pre-trip report! I loved it.
From my heart I wish you a joyful holiday in WDW. May this be a start to new happy memories of the holidays! Peace and Magic to your family!

[BluewaterBrad]

Man, I hope you guys have a truely Magical Christmas!! Have fun. The crowds are insane though!!

[faline]

Hope you have a magical trip!

I understand what it is like to lose your parents one after the other like that! In October of 2008, my father passed, quite unexpectedly. Less than two months later, in December of 2008, we lost my mother. She had been ill for quite some time so we had expected a loss but still had thought it might be a year or two before that loss would be a reality.

I'm sorry for your sorrows and hope the new year will bring much happiness to your and your family!

[DisneyorBust]

So sorry for your loss. This trip appears to be the right ticket for some happy family memories.
Have a safe trip and a wonderful vacation!

[bouncer]

I hope you and your family have a wonderful trip making new memories!!