Summer Disney Adventure: Day 8

Our final day was long but pretty great! We spent the morning in our room packing up, and bell services came just before 11:00 am to pick up our luggage and all of the medical equipment my mom had rented. 

Our Magical Express departure time was 1:00 pm, so we just spent a couple of hours hanging out at the resort. As I previously mentioned, Disney Transportation is utilizing a lot of random charter buses, so we didn't get a cute Magical Express bus for our ride to the airport, but we were both ready for some of the comforts of home, so we didn't really mind.

We got the to the airport, checked our bags, and made our way through security. We had even decided to have my mom not use a wheelchair, since that seemed to set off some red flags last week, but it turns out that the wheelchair was not the issue, but rather just the usual nonsense of TSA. Both my mom and I got a full pat down and they swiped/swabbed just about every surface possible on my mom and her portable oxygen concentrator. So absurd given the obnoxiously lax "screening" going on for others.

Once we got through that aggravating experience, we went to the gate area, and ultimately lined up in the pre-board section around 3:40, having been told boarding would begin at 3:45 for our 4:15 flight.

Long story short? That flight left almost three hours later.

Why? The daily afternoon thunderstorm! The bane of our existence this week!

There is a silver lining, however…our flight was oversold and Southwest was looking for two volunteers to give up their seats, receive compensation, and be put on the 8:30 flight. I quickly realized that was only about 90 minutes after our original flight was supposed to finally leave, and for the money that was being offered, I suggested to my mom that we volunteer!

We were put on the 8:30 flight and we did get a very generous amount in compensation, so we are calling this day a win! Our flight left about 30 minutes late, but we had an empty middle seat between us, which were absolutely would not have had if we'd stayed on the original flight, and we made it home safely! B1 picked us up and although I had plans to drive home tonight, I've decided to stay at my mom's because of our late arrival time and the fact that I am pretty wiped out from the trip!

last passengers off the plane!

I'm not going to lie – there were challenging moments and we faced limitations and situations that I've never considered for people in wheelchairs and scooters. It was an eye-opening experience for me. I'm impressed with how accommodating WDW is and I am so proud of my mom for facing any challenges head on: getting answers as to what was and wasn't allowed; navigating machines and equipment; planning, planning, and more planning so she was always prepared with what she needed; and dealing with the heat and humidity which makes breathing so difficult for her. Honestly, she was a rock star and I'm beyond lucky to have spent all of this time with her!

love her!

Happy Tails to you!