Back to Disney - Final Thoughts

Some final thoughts from our Back to Disney trip -
- There is nothing better than taking things slowly. Mind you, we had no choice due to DH's sprained ankle and our younger son's Type I diabetes. But taking things slowly meant noticing and cherishing meeting lovely guests and cast members in the AKL lounge sharing laughs and experiences, enjoying the brass band while riding Dumbo, seeing my younger son's beaming smile as he watched Olaf on the Frozen ride and watching my older son overcome his fears and dance with performers during the Lion King show, seeing the boys delight in water slides at the lodge and DH enjoy an African liquor in the evenings and my four year old son inform me that eating carrots while looking out at the savanna "is the life!" (How true!). The kindness of cultural representatives who taught us so much, the staff in the Medical Aid Center at AK who helped us, the Cast Members who drove the Minnie Vans and gave us great tips. The beautiful flowers at Epcot and great bands playing at the different international pavilions. So much to see and enjoy!
- The club level was expensive (somehow justified by receiving a pin code!) but wow, they set up all of our requested ADRs and Fast Passes beforehand, signed for a medical device shipped to the resort, provided breakfasts and desserts and wine, etc. We were totally spoiled and the trip just felt easier, if this makes sense.
- Next time we plan to forego a rental car especially since the new resort parking fees will apply to us and since we won't need a booster seat for our younger son use Uber/Lyft as needed, the busses and the Minnie Van when tight on time to the Parks.
- Il Mulino, Biergarten, Ohana, Liberty Tree Tavern, Tusker House were our favorite meals. Eating at Bahama Breeze offsite was a great too! There are many wonderful restaurants on property and it was good to try Ohana for the first time. We also ate at Be Our Guest for dinner. It was nice to experience the Castle and meet the Beast and the food was fine, but we don't feel the need to return. My favorite food everywhere was bread pudding. I have been home for a couple of weeks now and wow I need to lose some bread pudding pounds!
- I was less impressed with the Grand Floridian and more impressed with the Polynesian if we ever could afford to stay at a monorail resort. Really, it is just about what vibe feels comfortable to any particular guest. The Polynesian resort feels so exotic. Next time I'd love to spend time at Fort Wilderness Resort.
- Next time we'd like to alternate park days with resort days so that we feel more rested. Park days for me are really tiring. The Day We Ditched Our Plans was a great idea, and your responses were encouraging which helped me let go of the original plans!
-Traveling with medical stuff - our first time on a plane since our younger son's diagnosis three years ago - is doable! We had only one negative experience with TSA which was when we were leaving Orlando, otherwise we were fine. We are ready for more adventures now that we've done it.
We will be back in a few years. In the meantime looking forward to reading your posts!

So glad that you had a great trip. When my friend's daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at the age of 2, I told her to just break it down into small steps. 8 years later, when she is feeling overwhelmed, I just tell her to look back and see how far she has come. You took the step of going to Disney World and handled it fine. In a few years, you'll look back and see how far you've come and feel like pros at travelling and handling it well.

Sounds like a great trip! I dream of both using Club Level and staying at the Poly. It's my dream trip resort.

I'm so glad this trip worked out for you especially since you had some unexpected challenges such as husband's sprain to contend with!! Thanks for your reports - I've enjoyed reading them.

Great report!!