Day 3 - The Day Of The Surprise Trip To Disney When My Sciatica Decided To Kick In

[caitlinsmummy]

Welcome to our trip report! I'll start off by introducing the family and a little about the name of the report in case you haven't read the pre-trippie.

We are a family of five and we returned from Orlando in November 2018. In September 2018 Virgin had a MASSIVE sale and I found a bargain for just over £300pp for direct flights, accommodation at Rosen Inn International and transfers for 9 nights! It was too good a deal to pass up so I booked it. I intended to tell everyone at Christmas but needed to tell Mr Grump earlier. We told the kids on Christmas morning and they were over the moon.

Find the Index HERE

Previous day is HERE

So this trip consisted of:

Myself (Kelly) - Chief planner and organiser ... none of the trip would have happened without me

Husband (Chris) - The laid back photographer one ... I guess it wouldn't have happened without him paying for it so I have to give him some recognition there

Caitlin (12) - total drama llama and pre teen one.

Thomas (10) - the cheeky brain box one.

Noah (6) - the cute one. Noah is autistic and struggles with change so holidays are quite often a challenge for him

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Day 3 - The Day Of The Surprise Trip To Disney When My Sciatica Decided To Kick In

So this morning I was wide awake at 6am I jumped in the shower and got sorted. I was all sorted by 6.30 and expected everyone else to be awake but they were all still fast asleep. So I decided to go for a walk around the resort. The sun was just coming up and it was beautiful. I'm no good with photos so I didn't take any I went and sat on a lounger on one of the beach areas near the food court. I did debate sitting in the hammock but knew for a fact I'd end up on the floor so decided against it

I sat myself on a lounger and phoned by best friend through WhatsApp ... it was almost 12pm back home after all We ended up chatting for over half an hour and I filled her in on the stolen cards drama of yesterday. She showed me the nice blue skies back home and how warm it was. Does anyone else get jealous when it's warm at home when your away

Once we finished the call I thought I'd head to the food court and pick up breakfast and take it back for everyone, this way we wouldn't be rushing as I was conscious time was getting on.

Centretown Market

It was relatively quiet in here and I was served quite quickly. Staying at Disney there's only one thing to have for breakfast ... Mickey Waffles! Everyone was still asleep so I headed to Centertown Market to get breakfast and bring it back to the room for everyone. I ended up having a chew with Chris's Revolut card (think he'd turned the location services off or something) so paid with my magic band.

Mickey-shaped Waffles - House-made Waffles served with Bacon - $8.79

Mickey-shaped Waffles - House-made Waffles served with Sausage- $8.79

We all really enjoyed this. The kids also had some cereal which we'd brought with us. Can't beat a Mickey Waffle, just a shame we couldn't have had more on this holiday

I returned around 7.45 and there was just Chris awake! I urged everyone up and we got sorted and were on our way to Magic Kingdom by 8.45am. We arrived shortly after 9 and made our way to the TTC. The queue for the monorail was huge so we opted for the ferry ... good choice as there was hardly any queue and it was just boarding I was secretly glad we were using the ferry as last year we had problems with the monorail nearly every time we used it!

Chris and the older 2 went upstairs whilst Noah and I stayed downstairs as he had the buggy. The queue at bag check and the turnstiles was a little busy, but not hugely. As soon as we entered we went to guest services to get the DAS pass for Noah. It was around 9.45am and we had a FP for Space Mountain 9-10am so we hotfooted it to Tomorrowland stopping at Buzz Space Ranger Spin for a DAS return time. Thomas and I went on first, Caitlin still didn't want to ride so waited with Mr Grump and Noah.

Thomas loved it again, I don't mind the ride but I was really struggling with rides this time round! We came off at 10.10am and Mr Grump and Thomas went on. Whilst waiting Noah and I played a game of eye spy, I then took a photo on snapchat as it was already roasting! In fact I had noticed that the snapchat weather number was always out by about 2 degrees, so it was probably more like 29 at 10.15am.

Whilst waiting for Thomas and Mr Grump, Caitlin, Noah and I headed over to Joffrey's to get a refreshing drink. It was strawberry and mango I think. It was really refreshing and well enjoyed drinking it.

I paid cash for this and I can't find the receipt but I think it was around $6

As we were leaving Joffrey's we noticed a CM who was a cleaner doing something on the floor so we went over to investigate ... he'd made this

The kids were in awe. We seen him later in the day and he'd actually made more characters but I can't seem to find the photo!

We had a FP for 7DMT 10am-11am but we had our return time for Buzz Space Ranger Spin at 10.20am so we headed there first. We were on really quickly and were actually off the ride at 10.37am! We all really enjoyed this ride and Noah did so well on it to. He got over 15,000! He was so proud, as were we. I let Mr Grump win this one as I slaughtered him last year

Noah had taken his Scentsy Minnie Mouse with him to MK and had decided he wanted Minnie to go on EVERY ride with him today He thinks the reason he did so well on Buzz was because Minnie helped him he's honestly too cute!

We were on 7DMT by 10.54am and Noah decided to give Minnie her own special seat

Everyone loved this ride as usual although Noah told me to stop signing as Minnie didn't like it the cheek of her

Storybook Treats

We obviously need to try the new ice creams. So we got these to share.
The Lost Princess Cone - Glistening Lemon Soft-serve with Edible Flowers - $5.99

Peter Pan Float - Lime Soft-serve, Sprite® and a Chocolate Feather - $5.99

I don't like citrus flavours so I wasn't too keen although I did prefer the Peter Pan float as it was more refreshing. Thomas didn't like either, Noah only liked the cone and Caitlin ate the lemon ice cream bit of a snack fail but at least we got to try them.

These were $13.04 which were paid in cash.

Time was getting on and I had an ADR at BoG for lunch at 11.05am which I'd been trying tirelessly for months to change to later but couldn't. We hadn't managed It's A Small World last time so I really wanted to give it a go this time. We headed round to get a return time for the DAS pass and planned to go after BoG but the CM told us to go straight through.

Now this was just weird ... I really didn't like it and my head was battered with that song! The kids strangely enjoyed it.

It was almost 11.20am by the time we got off so we rushed round to BoG ... only we went the wrong way and ended up at The Haunted Mansion As we'd never ventured up this way last time we had no idea there was a shortcut to get there. We turned around and rushed to BoG. It was starting to get really busy now and the crowds were becoming unbearable. We arrived at BoG at 11.40am.

Be Our Guest Lunch

I had already pre-ordered lunch here as I knew what I wanted. Last trip Mr Grump declared Pecos Bills his favourite meal so planned to head here later for his lunch. The kids didn't like the lunch offerings in BoG last time so I planned to go to Pinocchio Haus for their lunch. The pre-order queue wasn't long at all and we found a table quite easily. We actually didn't find it too busy in here this time. We actually had a choice of tables and we choose to sit in the Library.

Croque Monsieur - Grilled Sandwich of Carved Ham and Gruyere Cheese and Bechamel with Pommes Frites - $15.99

This was so tasty. It was full of meat and I definitely couldn't have managed it alone. Mr Grump helped with the sandwich and the boys helped with the fries. I would definitely get this again as I really enjoyed it, it was probably one of my favourite meals alongside Longhorns. We all got some iced water to drink too.

We left BoG at 12.20 and it was 33C! It was sweltering and we could tell. We'd reapplied suncream in BoG before we left.

Pinocchio Village Haus

Whilst in BoG I pre-ordered some food for the kid's at Pinocchio Village Haus. Noah wanted plain pasta and fries and Caitlin and Thomas wanted a pizza. They shared the following:

Margherita Flatbread - Flatbread topped with Shredded Mozzarella, fresh Tomatoes, Mozzarella Pearls and Basil - $11.99

Pasta - Plain Pasta tossed in your choice of Marinara or Butter and served with choice of Sides and Beverage - $6.49

Noah's kids meal came with a drink and a yoghurt. Thomas and Noah shared the chocolate milk and Caitlin had the yoghurt. Thomas had pizza and fries and Caitlin had pizza and pasta. They all really enjoyed this and this was the first meal Noah actually really dug in to!

After this we headed to Mickey's Philarmagic as again we missed this last time. The CM was lovely with us here. She noticed Noah's ear defenders and led us to the front of the queue (there was only about 10 people there) she then took us to stand in front of the doors to the theater and said that we were to be the first in and if we needed to exit at any point to exit to the right which was lovely of her.

However ... whilst waiting to go in it began filling up more and more. A family came in with 2 teenage boys and were stood to the right of us. As I turned around to talk to Caitlin the 2 boys had pushed in front of Noah If you read the last report you'll know I don't deal well with conflict but this time I politely asked the boy if he could please not stand in front of my son as he'd been waiting patiently for a long time. The boy looked at me and for a moment I thought he was going to retaliate but he didn't, he then moved closer to his mum and heard them muttering something but I ignored them.

It really irks me people who think they are just entitled to walk up and take someone else's space, especially a child's! Chris was impressed I kept my cool as the heat was starting to get to me (my own fault as I was wearing my cardigan as I'd burnt my arms a little at DC yesterday!

Anyway we went into the theater and watched the show ... even Minnie got some glasses

We all really enjoyed this, Noah enjoyed it so much he wanted to go back on it but we told him we didn't have time as we had other rides to go on. As we left here we headed round to the Christmas shop where we bought this years Christmas bauble

We were heading round to BTM when my sciatica decided to kick in I had sciatica when pregnant with Noah and every now and then it kicks in again. I've also had a slipped disc in my lower back which plays up sometimes too and this was also playing up. It was certain ways I moved when walking that were making it worse so it ended up taking a lot longer to walk there Once we got there we got a return time which was in 40 minutes, so I thought it would be best to head to Pecos Bills for Mr Grump to get his lunch and us to have some iced water and cool down. Mr Grump opted to sit outside.

Pecos Bills

Chris loved Pecos Bills when we came last year so I knew he'd want to go here for food.

Beef Nachos - Tortilla Chips topped with Queso and Seasoned Ground Beef - $12.49

He didn't enjoy these as much as last time. This time they didn't put any guacamole on, when I went back in and looked it was now an extra $2 to add it on but it was included last time. I didn't have any of my strong painkillers in the bag so I had to make do with paracetamol and ibuprofen

Once Mr Grump had finished we headed over to BTM for our return time. I debated riding this as this was what jolted my back last time but when I said to Noah I wasn't going to go on he got really upset and wanted me to go on so I did ... big mistake I was in absolute agony when I got off. I had tried to hold myself rigidly to minimise the impact of the jerks which I think helped a little but I really shouldn't have gone on

The kids wanted to ride Splash Mountain so we headed over for a return time but the queue time was showing 85 minutes! I knew we couldn't wait around all that time as it was now almost 3pm and we had an ADR at The Plaza Restaurant at 3.45pm so we decided to skip it.

By this time the parade had started so we decided to stay and watch that instead. We hadn't intended on watching the parade due to not having much time but tbh we didn't have a choice as there was no where to walk! I wanted to do the least possible walking and ideally we needed to cross over the other side but couldn't due to the parade.

Once the parade finished they removed the barriers and allowed us to follow the parade. However, when we got to near the Hall Of Presidents we were told we couldn't follow any longer ... it was like a bottle neck, we had nowhere to go, it was hot, we were tired and sweaty and I was in agony, I just wanted to We eventually managed to get down to The Plaza restaurant. Noah wanted a photo with the parade as it went past.

Once it cleared we headed over for our reservation. It was so hot by now and we were so grateful of the air con!

I had booked the Plaza Restaurant for 2 reasons, first was the air con, second was the Mickey and Minnie Pants Sink. Now I didn't realise that these aren't actually on the menu! The server brought us the menu's and I couldn't find them. When he came back I asked if we could order them and drinks and the server said that was fine although I think he was a little put out.

Plaza Restaurant
Mickey and Minnie Kitchen Sink Sundaes - your choice of Hot Fudge, Peanut Butter or Caramel topped with Whipped Cream, two Cherries and your choice of two Hand-scoops of Ice Cream

We got the Mickey and Minnie pants as we wanted to bring them home. We opted for fudge sauce on both, one had vanilla and strawberry ice cream, the other had cookies and cream and vanilla. We barely made a dent in them we probably managed one full one between us. Caitlin doesn't like ice cream so only ate the cream and Thomas declared he didn't like ice cream anymore either so it was left to Chris, Noah and I We did a good job but not good enough! We also ordered drinks here.

The server explained that they weren't allowed to clean the kitchen sinks but there were some restrooms round the corner where we could do this so Caitlin and I went to do this whilst Chris and the boys went to the toilet. I emptied the sinks out then cleaned them with water and paper towels. I also cleaned around the sink as it was covered in ice cream too. Now the CM that was in here was muttering about making a mess. Being in the pain I was in I turned around and said 'It's rude to mumble and actually I've cleaned the sinks round as I've finished so there's no mess for you.' then I turned and walked away. Chris said I shouldn't have been so sharp ... maybe I shouldn't but she could clearly see I was cleaning the sink with hand towel as she watched. Now I understand it can be quite frustrating when people leave messed up sinks off emptying the ice cream out but she could quite clearly see I was cleaning it! I was going to put a complaint in but I just couldn't be bothered. We headed off down mainstreet and I popped into Pandora as I wanted another Park Exclusive charm for my bracelet. Being a budget trip I knew I couldn't go on a spending spree like last time so I just got the one. I haven't got a picture of mine but this is the one I got which is very fitting as I love Fantasia and Fantasmic

Noah wanted to see Minnie with his Minnie so we went to meet them. This took about 20 minutes so not too bad, again we used the DAS pass for a return time but were sent straight through. I was so glad we did this when we did as when we came out the queue was up to 60 minutes!

Mickey and Minnie were great with the kids and Minnie made a fuss of Noah and Minnie which was lovely. Mickey fussed over Thomas as he had the Mickey and Minnie birthday card that we'd got before we came in

It was 5.15pm by now and we needed to go to Hollywood Studios so we left MK with a quick look back at the castle I cried, partially because I couldn't believe the day was almost over and because I was in so much pain.

We opted for the ferry again. Once we got off Mr Grump suggested we go back as I was in so much pain but I didn't pay as much as I did to leave early so I was determined to power on through it! Mr Grump then suggested we could go back to the hotel get my tramadol and come back but time was getting on so I said no.

We got to Hollywood Studios for around 5.45pm and headed straight to SDD for a return time. The time was over 100 minutes and we were asked to return at 7.30pm. Instead of sitting and waiting we decided to go and wait for TSM which was a 30 minute wait. In the queue Noah had a few kick offs especially as we'd left the bag with the buggy and it had the kids books in. The notebooks were a god send this holiday. When waiting in queues the kids would just sit and draw, write or play hangman, it was great! We all really enjoyed TSM again although the pics aren't great I won again as usual

We went to the restrooms and had a rest before going for our SDD return time.

We headed round to ToT. This was Noah's favourite ride last year so I really wanted to do it again this time. The wait time was showing at 90 minutes baring in mind it was almost 8pm. We got a return time which was 9pm. We sat on a seat near RnR and got some water whilst we decided what to do. I really wanted to take Noah on ToT and that was one of the reasons I'd planned HS but 9pm would mean we would miss Fantasmic and that's my favourite!

In the meantime Noah noticed a CM and wanted to swap pins, so the kids all went and swapped them. When they got back Mr Grump and the older 2 went to get more water and some popcorn for Fantasmic. Whilst they were there Noah wanted to go change his pin again but he wanted to go himself The CM was only about 10m from where we were sat so I said he could go do it. He was absolutely over the moon he could do it himself and it was so lovely to watch. A mixture of the heat, emotions and pain made me cry watching him. Noah has always been a runner, hence the backpacks with reins or the buggy so this was a huge deal for both of us ... must admit I did half expect him to run in the opposite direction after he got the pin but he didn't

When the others returned we had a sprite, water and popcorn to share. When we finished this we went to ToT at 8.45pm. I really hoped they'd let us in earlier than the 9pm so we could still do Fantasmic. Caitlin didn't want to ride so she waited with the pushchair. Noah also brought Minnie again

He even strapped her in with him As usual the boys loved it ... for a change me not so much but I think it was because of the pain of the stupid sciatica. When we come out we rushed round to Fantasmic, I told Chris and the kids to go on ahead as I couldn't keep up with them. We were in and seated by about 9.05/9.10pm. We were seated on the far right hand side. We all really enjoyed it although I must say we preferred the dining reservation seats we had last year as they were right in the middle.

Once it finished we headed for the exit and the drive back to Rosen Inn International where we arrived at back by 10pm and everyone was fast asleep by 10.30pm!

It was fab to be in the Disney bubble again and we had a lovely but tiring day. I don't feel we made the most of our time in Disney but it was nice to have little strolls around even if they were unintentional It was also the day we did the most walking with almost 20,000 steps

Tomorrow is the day we go to Islands of Adventure and our stay at Hard Rock Hotel x

[GezzasGem]

You did so much! Such a shame you were in pain for a lot of it 🙁 even more impressive 😉 Minnie had a good day too! And those pics of Noah getting his pin - so cute 😊 hope your sciatica improved for the next day x

[Minnie Mum]

Great day but poor you being in pain😣hope it improved.

[caitlinsmummy]

Originally Posted by GezzasGem

You did so much! Such a shame you were in pain for a lot of it 🙁 even more impressive 😉 Minnie had a good day too! And those pics of Noah getting his pin - so cute 😊 hope your sciatica improved for the next day x

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I was so disappointed but I was determined to not let it ruin things for me ... not at the price of those day tickets

I think Minnie had an awesome day, she got to ride so many rides and she also got lots of Noah's food to share too

I wish I'd got clearer photos, his little face when he came back he was so excited and proud (as was I!)

Sadly it affected me for quite a few days but I took it a lot easier after the Disney day and made sure I had my pain meds with me xx

Originally Posted by Minnie Mum

Great day but poor you being in pain😣hope it improved.

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Thank you, the pain is awful when it kicks in and I could have just sat and cried but I powered on through and it was worth it to see Noah's face on ToT and the kid's faces at Fantasmic again

Thank you for reading xx

[jothp]

What a shame that you were in pain for so much of the day. you still managed to get loads done in Disney though. Fantasmic is my favourite too. I hope your back got better quickly.

[Goldia]

That pandora charm is so cute! I want one! Such a shame about your back, it sounds like it was really painful and you certainly could have done without it on a day like today. Even so you managed to keep going like a real trouper. I cant believe how much you crammed in. What an amazing day.

I love the start of it all with you so excited and up early laying in the sun on the beach at CBR. It must have been lovely chatting to your friend. The mickey waffles for breakfast was a great start.

I also really loved Noah and the pin trading. The look on his face, how cute was that, he looked so proud of himself.

A really magical day.

[collybird]

It is nice that you were able to get up early and enjoy the resort a bit before checking out. It makes up a little for the disastrous evening yesterday.

Your bauble is so pretty! I’ll have to look out for one like it in October.

So sorry to read about your back, it is so frustrating that your Disney time was supposed to be the most magical but you were really cursed with bad luck.

Love the charm you chose, I do like the dangly ones.

[caitlinsmummy]

Originally Posted by jothp

What a shame that you were in pain for so much of the day. you still managed to get loads done in Disney though. Fantasmic is my favourite too. I hope your back got better quickly.

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We did and looking back the pain was worth it ... although at the time it really wasn't it took a few days ... in fact it still wasn't 100% when I got home! X

Originally Posted by Goldia

That pandora charm is so cute! I want one! Such a shame about your back, it sounds like it was really painful and you certainly could have done without it on a day like today. Even so you managed to keep going like a real trouper. I cant believe how much you crammed in. What an amazing day.

I love the start of it all with you so excited and up early laying in the sun on the beach at CBR. It must have been lovely chatting to your friend. The mickey waffles for breakfast was a great start.

I also really loved Noah and the pin trading. The look on his face, how cute was that, he looked so proud of himself.

A really magical day.

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It's lovely and you should definitely get some THIS MONTH it's so exciting to say that for you! I was determined to get my money's worth

I kind of wished I'd done that last year at POR as I was almost always up before everyone else! I'll try and remember next time.

I wish I'd got better photos to show his face, he wa super proud and it was such a milestone for us both, me letting go of my anxiety and allowing him to do it and him for actually doing it as he does really struggle with the social aspects of life as part of his Autism bless him.

I don't think we could have asked for a better day (minus the sciatica!) x

Originally Posted by collybird

It is nice that you were able to get up early and enjoy the resort a bit before checking out. It makes up a little for the disastrous evening yesterday.

Your bauble is so pretty! I’ll have to look out for one like it in October.

So sorry to read about your back, it is so frustrating that your Disney time was supposed to be the most magical but you were really cursed with bad luck.

Love the charm you chose, I do like the dangly ones.

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It does and that was a distant memory and luckily it didn't impact on the rest of the holiday, apart from Mr Grump moaning that he had to drive everywhere

I love it, Mr Grump choose last years so I choose this year's it was a little extra to have it personalised with 2019 but I didn't like any of the pre made 2019 ones so I didn't mind too much.

It's just my luck to be honest, everything that happened:

Noahs ear defenders and bag
Leaving my bag on the plane
Stuck in the queue leaving MCO
Losing my cards
Sciatica

My friend said she wouldn't expect any less as it's just my luck haha.

I love my charm and it fits on my bracelet so well too

Thank you all for reading Xx

[walt4it]

You have added so many items to the must buy list! The Christmas bauble in particular looks fab - why do you always have to get one with the date Must buy for us every time. The Minnie ice cream is another one to bring home and gather dust with the Mickey one in our kitchen
You may need to remove the Pandora charm before Mrs walt4it spots it

Sorry to hear about your Sciatica - as a fellow sufferer it is so painful when it strikes , it really does need as many strong painkillers as you can get.

Great photos today and you all did so well to go from such an early start to such a late finish.
A well deserved by you all.

[caitlinsmummy]

Originally Posted by walt4it

You have added so many items to the must buy list! The Christmas bauble in particular looks fab - why do you always have to get one with the date Must buy for us every time. The Minnie ice cream is another one to bring home and gather dust with the Mickey one in our kitchen
You may need to remove the Pandora charm before Mrs walt4it spots it

Sorry to hear about your Sciatica - as a fellow sufferer it is so painful when it strikes , it really does need as many strong painkillers as you can get.

Great photos today and you all did so well to go from such an early start to such a late finish.
A well deserved by you all.

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I do like a good shop ... unfortunately there wasn't too much shopping on this trip this time with it being a budget one Aww I love the date ones, mainly because my memory is horrendous so at least in future I will know when I got them

Ours is exactly the same! Both are in the kitchen window just gatherine dust until I can decided what to do with them

I think that charm would be a lovely addition to Mrs wait4it's braceley

It really does doesn't it, I did probably overdose on ibuprofen and paracetamol, then the tramadol and dehydracoedine when we got back but it really was worth it. Having only 1 day at Disney I really wanted to pack everything in and we all did so well

Thanks for reading! Xx