Hellobee

Disney is a huge part of my life. I am one of those people for whom Disney movies bring escapism and magic. There’s nowhere I would rather vacation to than Disney World. The first time I went was in 2nd grade; then again in 5th grade; high school; and the spring after my first year of college. Mr. Snowflake and I went to Disney World and then on a Disney cruise for our honeymoon, and had an amazing time. Now, we relish taking Snowy there and having her fall in love with the place like we did.

day trip we did with Snowy when she was about 9 months old

We live in a small town in Ohio, almost a full day’s drive from Orlando and much farther from Disneyland in California. So a trip is a big deal for us. The last time we went to Disney World was in 2016, when my daughter was 2.5. We also went when she was not yet one, but that was only a quick overnight, day-and-a-half trip while we were with my mother-in-law in southern Florida.

Our 2016 trip was magical, but it also held hard parts. The main thing that was hard was my physical limitations and that I hadn’t accepted them yet. In October 2016, I was still months away from being diagnosed with my major condition, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a collagen disorder that causes pain and joint dislocations. I have a fairly severe case and cannot walk long distances without lots of pain. Disney has a ton of walking. I finally, a few days in, started using a wheelchair, but I was so bitter about it. I felt like people would judge me, and in a lot of ways I was judging myself. I thought I “should” be like other people, and my attitude around my disabilities soured much of the trip.

Now that I am more accepting of my disabilities and limitations, I am looking forward to making this a different trip. It will be a celebratory trip: we will be going just a few weeks before my birthday and our wedding anniversary, and I hope to be celebrating my chronic illnesses in more of a symptom remission as well (though that’s obviously just a dream at this point!). I’m in the hospital right now, and thinking about planning this Disney trip is one of the things that’s keeping me positive. We haven’t been on a vacation other than to Michigan since that 2016 trip, so thinking about this Disney trip keeps me thinking about something I really enjoy. Having something in the future to plan and look forward to keeps me happier despite my hard situation right now.

I don’t have exact dates yet, but we are definitely planning for Spring 2020, so just under a year from now. I know for sure we want to go in the spring. I absolutely love the Flower and Garden festival at Epcot, which stretches though the spring and features both elaborate topiaries (I love topiaries!). We went during Food & Wine Festival in 2016, and it was nice, but I like Flower and Garden better. Plus the weather tends to be really nice in April and May. When we went during October we missed our last park day because of a hurricane that shut down all the parks, but ended up not being devastating, luckily.

Flower and Garden Festival, 2010

Planning this far out definitely has its benefits. Right now I’m just at the “dreaming” stage, but we also have a goal of when to go in mind, which is my favorite part of planning any trip!

Snowy is a pretty great age to travel with right now, and while it was a ton of fun with her at 2.5, I’m even more excited for our trip when she’s 6.

As a multiply chronically ill, disabled mother of an active, healthy child, who will be six when we go, I know there will be a lot of logistics for our trip that will be different than other family’s logistics. Luckily, Disney is an awesome place to go as a disabled person. I know I will have a lot of dietary restrictions, and will be in a wheelchair, and Disney is awesome at accommodating both. They expanded queue lines so people in wheelchairs can wait with their families; they also have Guest Assistance services for people with higher needs. Also, unlike some zoos and other locations we visit, Disney is extremely ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant. It’s super easy to get around in a wheelchair!

We plan to stay in the Hilton at Disney Springs (formerly Disney Springs), because Mr. Snowflake has reward points from work. Disney Springs’ hotel guests now get most of the benefits of a guest at one of the Disney-owned hotels. We will probably fly down because it’ll be a shorter vacation, a week or less, and it takes about 2 days each way with driving. Probably not the best choice with a 6-year-old , though she did surprisingly well when she was 2.5. I have a friend who is a Disney travel agent, and she can book the Disney Springs hotels as well, so I will be working with her to book our trip, make our restaurant and fastpass reservations, etc. We went though a travel agent for our honeymoon and it was fantastic! Plus it’s free to use a Disney travel agent. Packages for 2020 will open this summer, so we will book then.

Once I get further into the planning process (when I’ve actually booked things!), I’ll definitely write another post as an update.

How far out do you plan your vacations? Does having a vacation in the future help you get through some of the drudgery and not-so-fun daily tasks now?