lilmissdisney216
<font color=royalblue>Pawsitively Lovin a Labrador
- Joined
- Dec 15, 2007
Hello Fellow DISERS! Its been almost a month since my most magical adventure down to Disney World. It is so hard to believe how amazing the whole trip was, it still feels like a dream. So many magical things happend that its so hard for me to remember them in my mind. What better way to do this than to write a TR. So here it goes!
Chapter 1: You're bringing the dog.........
First off some intros:
Me- Missy (26). I am a HUGE Disney fan!!! My love for the mouse goes back to when I was about 7 years old. My dad worked for GM at the time (aka generous motors as he calls it) and was actually on the team that worked on the original Test Track (he helped design and set up all the computer systems that made the ride run and function). He would fly us down to the World for an amazing vacation that GM would pay for. I always looked forward to going whenever the opportunity presented its self. I had been to Disney in 2007 with my girl scout troop I was in, and then the mother of all trips was in 2011 when I was so very excited to be chosen to be apart of the Disney College Program Internship. I was placed in my dream role, a fairy godmother at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique and lived in the world of magic and dreams from February to August. I knew I would be back to the World eventually but just wasn't sure when. Now, I work as an assistant at an orthodontic office and I enjoy training my dogs (my kids if you will). Life has had its challenges for me (battling a severe anxiety/panic disorder, PTSD, and dodging kidney cancer) but now I've seen the bright side of the tunnel.
The Boy- Robert [Rob] (27). On the other side of the spectrum, Rob is a closet Disney fan. Not as open as I am but he really enjoys it. I cannot say how amazing and awesome this guy is. He's truly my prince charming and a dream come true. He has been in the United States Army Reserves for 8 years now and has served one tour of duty in Iraq. I am incredibly proud of everything that he's done and I can't wait to see what the future holds. When not doing Army things, he's an avid Dr Who fan, and works as a licensed practical nurse with pediatric patients. He's more calm and subdued compared to myself but we complement each other well. Having a nurse as a boyfriend can come in very handy (especially since I can be pretty klutzy at times). He's the most genuine and sweet person I have ever met. :swoon:
The Service Dog- Disney (2). Now onto one of the furriest and important piece of our family, Disney. She is a golden retriever and has been a lifesaver for myself (literally). Disney is a former Guide Dog in training that I had raised from 8 weeks old til she was about 1 year old. Unfortunately, not all pups want to take on the lengthy and tedious responsibility of being a guide dog. Disney came back to use about 2 months after I had returned her back to the school. She thoroughly enjoyed being a playful pet until I was diagnosed with severe anxiety/panic disorder and PTSD. It was not too soon after my diagnosis and with extensive work and planning with my medical team, it was decided that having a service dog was necessary in order to mitigate my disability. Now make no mistake, I was very hesitant to have Disney begin service training and work with me. I had fears of how she would react to being in the general public and having to go with me next to everywhere. Pushing my hesitations aside, I began training Disney as my service dog. I have had years of extensive study and work in dog training and have had experience through the guide dog school in my state of training for service work and Disney had had the working experience at the school so it wasn't hard to start building on what she already knew. Then I tailored her tasks to help to mitigate my disability. She has been amazing and our trip to Disney World would be a huge test of our handler/dog relationship. When she isn't working, Disney is a competitive agility dog, member of the Rock n Roll K9's Performance team (look them up on Facebook!), trick dog, and awesome cuddle buddy.
All introductions complete, its time for a run down of our itenarary. We opted to make the drive from Southfield Michigan all the way down to Orlando Florida. I don't mind driving but sometimes the motion will get the best of me. Luckily, we planned to pack as many motion sickness remedies that we could accomodate. Plus, it would be comfortable for me to be able to sleep through the rough spots so I wasn't as focused on my stomach.
Our itenerary was to be as follows
June 21: Leave Southfield around 3PM for Orlando. Drive through most of the night, have dinner in the car, and make stops to refuel. Stop in Tennessee to sleep and then continue on in the early morning hours.
June 22: Drive on into Orlando and arrive at Disney's POP Century Resort around 4 or 5 PM. Check into the room, get settled, and then hop on the bus to explore Downtown Disney. Pick up rapid fill mugs and either dinner or snack at Everything POP (depending on time we arrive back at resort in the evening from DTD).
June 23: Up at around 6AM to prepare for our 7AM ADR at Chef Mickey's. Plan to drive to Contemporary Resort rather than opt for the bus. Disney out to potty around 5:45AM. Head back to POP to explore the grounds and nap before heading to the parks around 5. Have late lunch/early dinner at POP and then head to MK around 545. Use FastPasses for Monsters Inc Laugh Floor, Its a Small World, and Space Mountain. Rider Swap would be needed on Space Mountain for Disney.
June 24: EPCOT for Seas with Nemo and Friends, Living with the Land, and Soarin FastPasses. Rider Swap for Disney on Soarin. Have lunch at Sunshine Seasons. Head back to resort to relax before Teppan Edo dinner ADR.
June 25: Hollywood Studios for Rockin Rollercoaster, Star Tours, and Muppet Vision 3D Fastpasses. Lunch at Pizza Planet and Dinner at 50's Prime Time Cafe.
June 26th: Universal Studios for TNA Impact Wrestling, Breakfast at Art of Animation (AoA), and some personal time on our own wherever we choose. Disney to Best Friends Pet Care for a much deserved day off of relaxation.
June 27: Major park hopping bonanza! (last day!!!) Breakfast at Be Our Guest, Lunch at Coral Reef, and Dinner at Biergarten. Fireworks at either EPCOT or MK. Main Street Electrical Parade and EMH at MK. Head back to resort to pack and prepare for departure.
June 28th: Check out, head to DTD for last day shopping, on the road by 3 to head home to Michigan.
Whew!!! I'm tired just remembering everything that went on during that vacation! It sure was a alot, but it was worth it.
Now one thing unique to this trip was the fact that we would be travelling with a service dog. It sounds so easy, but it can be a bit complicated. First off, it was very important that we chose a resort that would have plenty of room for Rob, Disney, and myself to co exist comfortably in our room with out wanting to kill one another. Secondly, we planned most of our fastpass experiences so that we wouldn't be in the parks during heat of the day when Disney would risk burns to the paws or heat exhaustion. Lots of water and a misting fan proved to be our best friends on several of our vacation days. Lastly, we had to attempt to plan and figure out the ride swaps and figure out which attractions would have a crate for her to wait in should both of us want to ride. The perk of having a car while we were there is that we had the option to drive to the parks if we wanted an early escape and didn't want to wait for the bus or if we wanted to explore off property. Besides, we had planned to do TNA at Universal and that proved to be much easier with the car.
Let me just say, Disney went above and beyond when it came to accomodating my service dog. They did an amazing job of asking if we needed anything, bringing her water to drink, offering towels when it got a bit damp one day, and some other special magical moments that we didn't see coming. They were outstanding.
So first chapter is complete. Please let me know what you all think! Updates coming soon!
xoxo Missy, Rob, and Disney Service Dog
P.S. You can follow Disney's adventure to WDW and her other adventures on her FaceBook page. Search for Disney Service Dog and you will find her (her profile photo is the one featured in this chapter of my TR). Thanks friends!! She thanks you too!!!
**MOD: you can close my PTR thread on the PTR board thank you!!!
Chapter 1: You're bringing the dog.........
First off some intros:
Me- Missy (26). I am a HUGE Disney fan!!! My love for the mouse goes back to when I was about 7 years old. My dad worked for GM at the time (aka generous motors as he calls it) and was actually on the team that worked on the original Test Track (he helped design and set up all the computer systems that made the ride run and function). He would fly us down to the World for an amazing vacation that GM would pay for. I always looked forward to going whenever the opportunity presented its self. I had been to Disney in 2007 with my girl scout troop I was in, and then the mother of all trips was in 2011 when I was so very excited to be chosen to be apart of the Disney College Program Internship. I was placed in my dream role, a fairy godmother at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique and lived in the world of magic and dreams from February to August. I knew I would be back to the World eventually but just wasn't sure when. Now, I work as an assistant at an orthodontic office and I enjoy training my dogs (my kids if you will). Life has had its challenges for me (battling a severe anxiety/panic disorder, PTSD, and dodging kidney cancer) but now I've seen the bright side of the tunnel.
The Boy- Robert [Rob] (27). On the other side of the spectrum, Rob is a closet Disney fan. Not as open as I am but he really enjoys it. I cannot say how amazing and awesome this guy is. He's truly my prince charming and a dream come true. He has been in the United States Army Reserves for 8 years now and has served one tour of duty in Iraq. I am incredibly proud of everything that he's done and I can't wait to see what the future holds. When not doing Army things, he's an avid Dr Who fan, and works as a licensed practical nurse with pediatric patients. He's more calm and subdued compared to myself but we complement each other well. Having a nurse as a boyfriend can come in very handy (especially since I can be pretty klutzy at times). He's the most genuine and sweet person I have ever met. :swoon:
The Service Dog- Disney (2). Now onto one of the furriest and important piece of our family, Disney. She is a golden retriever and has been a lifesaver for myself (literally). Disney is a former Guide Dog in training that I had raised from 8 weeks old til she was about 1 year old. Unfortunately, not all pups want to take on the lengthy and tedious responsibility of being a guide dog. Disney came back to use about 2 months after I had returned her back to the school. She thoroughly enjoyed being a playful pet until I was diagnosed with severe anxiety/panic disorder and PTSD. It was not too soon after my diagnosis and with extensive work and planning with my medical team, it was decided that having a service dog was necessary in order to mitigate my disability. Now make no mistake, I was very hesitant to have Disney begin service training and work with me. I had fears of how she would react to being in the general public and having to go with me next to everywhere. Pushing my hesitations aside, I began training Disney as my service dog. I have had years of extensive study and work in dog training and have had experience through the guide dog school in my state of training for service work and Disney had had the working experience at the school so it wasn't hard to start building on what she already knew. Then I tailored her tasks to help to mitigate my disability. She has been amazing and our trip to Disney World would be a huge test of our handler/dog relationship. When she isn't working, Disney is a competitive agility dog, member of the Rock n Roll K9's Performance team (look them up on Facebook!), trick dog, and awesome cuddle buddy.
All introductions complete, its time for a run down of our itenarary. We opted to make the drive from Southfield Michigan all the way down to Orlando Florida. I don't mind driving but sometimes the motion will get the best of me. Luckily, we planned to pack as many motion sickness remedies that we could accomodate. Plus, it would be comfortable for me to be able to sleep through the rough spots so I wasn't as focused on my stomach.
Our itenerary was to be as follows
June 21: Leave Southfield around 3PM for Orlando. Drive through most of the night, have dinner in the car, and make stops to refuel. Stop in Tennessee to sleep and then continue on in the early morning hours.
June 22: Drive on into Orlando and arrive at Disney's POP Century Resort around 4 or 5 PM. Check into the room, get settled, and then hop on the bus to explore Downtown Disney. Pick up rapid fill mugs and either dinner or snack at Everything POP (depending on time we arrive back at resort in the evening from DTD).
June 23: Up at around 6AM to prepare for our 7AM ADR at Chef Mickey's. Plan to drive to Contemporary Resort rather than opt for the bus. Disney out to potty around 5:45AM. Head back to POP to explore the grounds and nap before heading to the parks around 5. Have late lunch/early dinner at POP and then head to MK around 545. Use FastPasses for Monsters Inc Laugh Floor, Its a Small World, and Space Mountain. Rider Swap would be needed on Space Mountain for Disney.
June 24: EPCOT for Seas with Nemo and Friends, Living with the Land, and Soarin FastPasses. Rider Swap for Disney on Soarin. Have lunch at Sunshine Seasons. Head back to resort to relax before Teppan Edo dinner ADR.
June 25: Hollywood Studios for Rockin Rollercoaster, Star Tours, and Muppet Vision 3D Fastpasses. Lunch at Pizza Planet and Dinner at 50's Prime Time Cafe.
June 26th: Universal Studios for TNA Impact Wrestling, Breakfast at Art of Animation (AoA), and some personal time on our own wherever we choose. Disney to Best Friends Pet Care for a much deserved day off of relaxation.
June 27: Major park hopping bonanza! (last day!!!) Breakfast at Be Our Guest, Lunch at Coral Reef, and Dinner at Biergarten. Fireworks at either EPCOT or MK. Main Street Electrical Parade and EMH at MK. Head back to resort to pack and prepare for departure.
June 28th: Check out, head to DTD for last day shopping, on the road by 3 to head home to Michigan.
Whew!!! I'm tired just remembering everything that went on during that vacation! It sure was a alot, but it was worth it.
Now one thing unique to this trip was the fact that we would be travelling with a service dog. It sounds so easy, but it can be a bit complicated. First off, it was very important that we chose a resort that would have plenty of room for Rob, Disney, and myself to co exist comfortably in our room with out wanting to kill one another. Secondly, we planned most of our fastpass experiences so that we wouldn't be in the parks during heat of the day when Disney would risk burns to the paws or heat exhaustion. Lots of water and a misting fan proved to be our best friends on several of our vacation days. Lastly, we had to attempt to plan and figure out the ride swaps and figure out which attractions would have a crate for her to wait in should both of us want to ride. The perk of having a car while we were there is that we had the option to drive to the parks if we wanted an early escape and didn't want to wait for the bus or if we wanted to explore off property. Besides, we had planned to do TNA at Universal and that proved to be much easier with the car.
Let me just say, Disney went above and beyond when it came to accomodating my service dog. They did an amazing job of asking if we needed anything, bringing her water to drink, offering towels when it got a bit damp one day, and some other special magical moments that we didn't see coming. They were outstanding.
So first chapter is complete. Please let me know what you all think! Updates coming soon!
xoxo Missy, Rob, and Disney Service Dog
P.S. You can follow Disney's adventure to WDW and her other adventures on her FaceBook page. Search for Disney Service Dog and you will find her (her profile photo is the one featured in this chapter of my TR). Thanks friends!! She thanks you too!!!
**MOD: you can close my PTR thread on the PTR board thank you!!!