Kristen K. #NeverSayCancel - Day 1 Report In Progress (Arrival, Lunch, Bus, Disney Springs)

Advanced Dining Reservations

With our new hotel location ( ) I made a few changes to our dining reservations. I've got tons of firsts for me in the plan. As of this week all of my ADRs are made, and I don't think that should change again. Also I finally decided that we will absolutely be doing the Deluxe Dining Plan because my indecisiveness was giving my son anxiety.

Here is where we're eating now:

Tuesday: - Monorail Bar Crawl (Cash) - Trader Sam's Grogg Grotto (1st visit, Cash) - Homecoming Florida Kitchen (1 Credit)

Wednesday: - Be Our Guest Breakfast (1st visit for breakfast, 1 Credit) - Food & Wine Marketplace Booths Lunch (Chew Collective, Wine & Dine Patio, 6 Snack Credits) - Epcot Quick Service Dinner - Katsura Grill? (1st visit, 1 Table Service Credit)

Thursday: - Trolley Car Cafe Breakfast (1st visit, Cash) - Mama Melrose Lunch (1st visit, 1 Table Service Credit) - Tiffins Dinner (1st visit, 2 Table Service Credits)

Friday: - Unknown Breakfast (1 Credit) - Many many new Disney Springs Snacks (1st visit, Cash) - Frontera Cocina Lunch (1st visit, 1 Table Service Credit)

Everything is all set - now I just have to finish paying for everything and I'll be good to go!

Thanks for asking.

No, it will be a year before they consider it all healed. It's just 3 months next week since my injury. This is a very slow process. I'm finally off of bedrest as of last week, I've started physical therapy, and I can walk with crutches limiting the weight I put on my left leg to 25%. I'm still in a cast, but I can take it off when I'm in bed now. The physical therapist is in awe of how much damage I actually did by simply missing the curb. However, she says that my recovery is coming along very well. Next week I'm supposed to go up to 50% weight bearing. She hopes that by the end of July I will be walking on my own, yet still in the cast. Re-learning how to walk is frustrating, because my brain knows what it's supposed to do, but my foot/ankle have forgotten.

My goal is to be both crutch and cast free by August so I can go to the gym and build up a little bit of strength and endurance before September. When the cast comes off is up to the doctor though, and he's very cautious. I will absolutely be using an ECV in Disney for distance, but I want to be able to transfer easily and leave it outside of shops and restaurants.

Woot woot! I just booked a night at the DVC Member Safari Party for this trip.
I'm excited and looking forward to see what it holds, there isn't much information out about it yet.

The DVC Member Safari Spectacular is a complimentary special event happening on select nights in September at Animal Kingdom. More or less it's 3 more Park hours at DAK with light refreshments, entertainment, a dance party, and a couple of rides open. You can find out more on the member website here:

https://disneyvacationclub.disney.go.com/discounts-perks-offers/member-events/safari-spectacular/

Tuesday, September 6
Tuesday, September 13
Thursday, September 22
Tuesday, September 27

60 Days and counting!

It's Fastpass+ Day, and logging in 3 hours after my window opened up, I missed the Frozen Ever After passes. So, I immediately tried to get a breakfast reservation before Park Opening at Akershus (which was available two days ago) and everyone else obviously had that thought too. It's the rope drop dash for me! Oy. I'm not sure that I really like that idea but I think it may be my only choice to not end up with a 3 hour wait.

I was able to snag a Soarin' Around The World FastPass+, everything else I picked is sort of superfluous.

46 Days and counting!

As of today I am off of crutches, and out of any sort of brace on my ankle. I'm free walking, though I'm a bit wobbly still. I rented a scooter for Disney, but that's something I do anyhow. I think I'll be just fine transferring onto the rides, I'm just a little worried about the moving walkways and may have to ask for them to be slowed down for me. I hate doing that though, so I'll be working hard the next 46 days to become more stable. I'm switching over to part-time Aqua PT starting next week, so I'll do one day on land and one day in the water.

I think that all of our plans are pretty set, my son wants me to make him a reservation at the Art of Shaving, and I still need to pay for the dining plan, but there's plenty of time.

#NeverSayCancel

I'm starting to feel like this trip is bipolar, it's on - it's off - it's on! I'm doing this - wait no I'm not - let's do something else! I'm working - I'm vacationing - I'm working only lighter so I can vacation too? I'm just about 30 days out and decided to futz with all my plans and rearrange meals again. This is so unlike me when it comes to Disney, I usually have a plan and that's that.

While my physical therapy is going great, I'm still working on recovery from my broken leg. My walk is still a bit limpy and I wear out pretty easily. I've got my ECV secured though and that will help quite a bit. Still, our plans were go-go-go and I'm not sure I can manage that. Kirk and Becks both think I'm putting too much pressure on this trip (that was originally an all work trip) and that I need to relax, slow down and just have a good time.

Yesterday I was sitting in the car waiting to pick my daughter up from work, thinking about how much I had to do still, and stressing out over life in general. When suddenly I realized that from someplace in another part of my brain, I was humming. It was the ride music to Pirates of the Caribbean, the first battle scene with the canon balls going off around you. A metaphor perhaps. But I decided right then and there that I every fiber of my being needs a vacation.

I really, really need a vacation.

So - anyway. I paid for the Deluxe Dining plan today. I also canceled Tea at Garden so that we could make better use of our DDP. I moved up our Homecoming Florida Kitchen reservation which will give us enough time to get back to the Hotel for Hallowishes and relatively early to bed on the first night. Probably important since will will be up at 4am that day.

I'm also toying with the idea of packing food in the suitcase (peanut butter, bagels, pop tarts) and doing breakfast in the room on two days. Not because we need to, but because it's going to shave an hour off of our days allowing us to sleep in a bit longer in the mornings.

Hahahaha I feel like round and round and round she goes, where she stops, nobody knows!

17 Days to go!

Packing for this trip has been driving me crazy. I knew that I had some packing OCD when I travel, but I have discovered this week how truly bad it is. And while I appreciate that this OCD is a serious illness, mine usually is only noticeable when I travel, so I tend to just give in to it to make things easier. Which! I have done once again as I've finally gotten together my vacation wardrobe into staging. Generally this would have been completed 2 weeks ago, but as I've mentioned before this trip has issues.

So - what are *MUSTS* for me to be happy with what I pack?
1) There must be an overarching color scheme that coordinates throughout the trip.
2) All separates must mix and match so that I can change my mind on any given day.
3) I have to pack at least one dress. Special occasions can pop up unexpectedly.
4) I need to have at least one scarf, because I get cold at night.

I have a few things left to figure out, like jewelry and a second pair of shoes to take. I'm really trying to get the swelling down in my left foot so that I can slip in to my favorite sandals. Overall though I think I'm ready to pack!

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If I win the lottery, I totally promise.