My very first PTR - Can you hear the music? ~ We're off tomorrow & it's MAYHEM here!

[SwansLoveDisney]

Yay! :banana: I can't wait to read all about your trip!

I'm sorry that you and the kiddos are sick. I hope you start feeling better soon!

[DisneyMomLiz]

Yay, you started :dancer:

:worship: You're so good, I'm still uploading pictures and trying to think of good title...like your's by the way, can't wait to hear that story. ;)

It was so great meeting you! I'll get mine started soon :rotfl:

Is that a new ticker I see? Did you book the bounceback?

I'm sorry that you and the boys are sick :( Hope you feel better soon!

[mommytothreeboys]

Hi Lisa and welcome back! I'm on board and ready to hear all about your trip!

[lisalonglash]

Departure day - part 1

Sept. 11th was a day of absolute mayhem! :laughing: I woke up at the ridiculous hour of 5am (no alarm, just woke up lol), so I finished the packing LOL Tigger also woke up ridiculously early 6am, so he "helped" me finish the packing :headache:

Eventually, Mickey woke up at a human hour and the three of us had some breakfast. It was a wierd day for me - not only were we going to WDW that evening, but my computer and Grumpy's computer had both been taken to the computer hospital the night before. Soooo weird not to have a computer at home :eek:

We spent the day getting the house in order (who wants to come home to a messy house, right?) and making sure we hadn't forgotten to pack something. Tigger must have checked the packing list five times :rotfl2:

At about 4pm, we all started to get really antsy and wanting to get on with it, but Grumpy wasn't due home until about 5pm. That last hour was, um, a test of my patience level :eek:

Well, Grumpy finally got home at about 5pm and we tossed all the bags in the truck - ok, well, *I* tossed the bags in the truck and Grumpy rearranged them to his satisfaction :lmao: - and we were off! :woohoo:

We only live about 5 minutes from two WA State border crossings, so we generally try to hit the one with lower wait times posted. Let's just say that whoever was updating those wait times must've been drinking heavily when they were inputting the wait times :mad:

We went to the duty-free and bought some Moet & Chandon champagne (my favourite - I love my Grumpy!). Now, usually, when you hit the duty-free, you're able to just zip into the line-up and have a minimal wait. Not this time. Our total time spent crossing the border (which usually takes us 5 minutes max) was TWO HOURS!!! So much for stopping for dinner on the way to the airport :sad1:

So, when we FINALLY got through the border, Grumpy was on a major mission - get us to SeaTac airport in time to catch our flight! We were now well over 1-1/2 hours behind schedule! Well, he loves a mission and got us to MasterPark (airport parking place) at about 8:45pm. The MasterPark shuttle got us to SeaTac by about 9pm and we checked in and got through security by about 9:30pm. We barely had time to grab something to eat at the airport before our flight started boarding.

Not the best way to start a trip :sad2:

However, things got better when we boarded...

[lisalonglash]

My eyes are better...things are getting back to normal here and I'm first:cool1:

Can't wait to read more!:yay:

Oh, I'm so glad you're feeling better, Janet! Hugs!

Yay! :banana: I can't wait to read all about your trip!

I'm sorry that you and the kiddos are sick. I hope you start feeling better soon!

Hey there, mama-to-be! Thanks, we'll be fine soon, I'm sure.

Yay, you started :dancer:

:worship: You're so good, I'm still uploading pictures and trying to think of good title...like your's by the way, can't wait to hear that story. ;)

It was so great meeting you! I'll get mine started soon :rotfl:

Is that a new ticker I see? Did you book the bounceback?

I'm sorry that you and the boys are sick :( Hope you feel better soon!

Hi Liz! It was sooooo great to meet you, your dh and your cutie-patootie ds! Shhh.... don't tell anyone, but yes, that is a new ticker and yes, we booked a FD bounceback (I kinda sorta forced Grumpy into it, but it still counts, right? LOL).

Thanks!

Hi Lisa and welcome back! I'm on board and ready to hear all about your trip!

Thanks! Update #1 is posted :goodvibes

[jcc0621]

[B]
me finish the packing :headache:

Awww, he was excited:goodvibes

Soooo weird not to have a computer at home :eek:

I would have been going crazy:scared1:

Let's just say that whoever was updating those wait times must've been drinking heavily when they were inputting the wait times :mad:

Oh no!

. Not this time. Our total time spent crossing the border (which usually takes us 5 minutes max) was TWO HOURS!!! So much for stopping for dinner on the way to the airport :

Blech!


However, things got better when we boarded...

Oh good!

Oh, I'm so glad you're feeling better, Janet! Hugs!

Thanks!:hug: Go back to the eye specialist next TUesday. Hopefully he will release me to go back to work!

[Diamondintheruff]

Welcome back!

I guess since you've started the trip report it is safe to say that the computers are home safe and sound and in working condition.

I can't believe the border crossing was so long. My BFF that lives in Langley goes across many times and I don't think she has ever waited longer than 5 minutes. Except for the time I crossed with her and was pulled in for questioning but that's another story.

[Gabrielsbigtrip]

Joining in:thumbsup2

[SwansLoveDisney]

Oh my Goodness! I can't believe it took two hours to get through the border crossing! That would have sent me into a nervous panic!

I'm glad that you made your flight though. And I can't wait to hear what happened on the plane that made it better!

[mickeystoontown]

Looking forward to reading about all of your Disney adventures!

Lisa

[cjackearl]

I've got to dash to a parents' meeting, but I'll be back to read. I'm so excited that you're home and starting your TR!!!:banana:

[aaaateamsgrandma]

Joining in too Lisa. I followed you over from the other Lisa's thread. Sounding good so far. Great to book a BB offer. Congrats.

Ginny

[jordanyosh]

here now!!!

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

:scared1: 2 hours at the border! :scared1:

Ugh, what a stressful way to start a trip.

[mommytothreeboys]

And you're off!! :banana::banana:

Sorry about the issues at the border, but nice driving Grumpy! :thumbsup2

[Mickey_Mom]

Hey Lisa :wave: I'm in! I'll go back and read tonite, just marking my spot!

[lisalonglash]

Awww, he was excited:goodvibes

I would have been going crazy:scared1:

Ok, we'll go with "excited" :lmao: Yes, I may have been going a teensy bit crazy and annoying Grumpy the driver just an iota :rolleyes1

Thanks!:hug: Go back to the eye specialist next TUesday. Hopefully he will release me to go back to work!

Oh, that's great news!!! I'm really so happy for you :hug:

Welcome back!

I guess since you've started the trip report it is safe to say that the computers are home safe and sound and in working condition.

I can't believe the border crossing was so long. My BFF that lives in Langley goes across many times and I don't think she has ever waited longer than 5 minutes. Except for the time I crossed with her and was pulled in for questioning but that's another story.

Thanks! Yes, they're home, but they're not fixed.:headache: Best Buy (we bought them there and purchased the service package, so anything we have done to the computers is free there) had our computer for 12 days and did NOT touch them! I don't care how busy they are, THAT is ridiculous! Grumpy informed them that he would be bringing the computers back this Friday evening and would be picking them up on Sunday afternoon - I'm sure he lived up to his DIS name while doing so :rotfl2:

Oh, the border was ridiculous :mad:

Joining in:thumbsup2

Welcome! :goodvibes

Oh my Goodness! I can't believe it took two hours to get through the border crossing! That would have sent me into a nervous panic!

I'm glad that you made your flight though. And I can't wait to hear what happened on the plane that made it better!

We couldn't believe it either - not the calmest way to start our vacation :laughing:

Next installment will be coming in the next day or two

Looking forward to reading about all of your Disney adventures!

Lisa

Hi Lisa! I hope you enjoy my little TR

I've got to dash to a parents' meeting, but I'll be back to read. I'm so excited that you're home and starting your TR!!!:banana:

Aww, how sweet are you?! :hug:

Joining in too Lisa. I followed you over from the other Lisa's thread. Sounding good so far. Great to book a BB offer. Congrats.

Ginny

Welcome, Ginny! I hope you enjoy it

here now!!!

Hi, dude! Go have a nap :thumbsup2

:scared1: 2 hours at the border! :scared1:

Ugh, what a stressful way to start a trip.

Yep, was scary!! And stressful!! :scared1:

And you're off!! :banana::banana:

Sorry about the issues at the border, but nice driving Grumpy! :thumbsup2

Thanks! I told him, he said "of course we made it! Never was an issue!" :rolleyes:

Hey Lisa :wave: I'm in! I'll go back and read tonite, just marking my spot!

Welcome!! I hope you enjoy it!

[inkedupmomma]

Departure day - part 1

Sept. 11th was a day of absolute mayhem! :laughing: I woke up at the ridiculous hour of 5am (no alarm, just woke up lol), so I finished the packing LOL Tigger also woke up ridiculously early 6am, so he "helped" me finish the packing :headache:

Eventually, Mickey woke up at a human hour and the three of us had some breakfast. It was a wierd day for me - not only were we going to WDW that evening, but my computer and Grumpy's computer had both been taken to the computer hospital the night before. Soooo weird not to have a computer at home :eek:

We spent the day getting the house in order (who wants to come home to a messy house, right?) and making sure we hadn't forgotten to pack something. Tigger must have checked the packing list five times :rotfl2:

At about 4pm, we all started to get really antsy and wanting to get on with it, but Grumpy wasn't due home until about 5pm. That last hour was, um, a test of my patience level :eek:

Well, Grumpy finally got home at about 5pm and we tossed all the bags in the truck - ok, well, *I* tossed the bags in the truck and Grumpy rearranged them to his satisfaction :lmao: - and we were off! :woohoo:

We only live about 5 minutes from two WA State border crossings, so we generally try to hit the one with lower wait times posted. Let's just say that whoever was updating those wait times must've been drinking heavily when they were inputting the wait times :mad:

We went to the duty-free and bought some Moet & Chandon champagne (my favourite - I love my Grumpy!). Now, usually, when you hit the duty-free, you're able to just zip into the line-up and have a minimal wait. Not this time. Our total time spent crossing the border (which usually takes us 5 minutes max) was TWO HOURS!!! So much for stopping for dinner on the way to the airport :sad1:

So, when we FINALLY got through the border, Grumpy was on a major mission - get us to SeaTac airport in time to catch our flight! We were now well over 1-1/2 hours behind schedule! Well, he loves a mission and got us to MasterPark (airport parking place) at about 8:45pm. The MasterPark shuttle got us to SeaTac by about 9pm and we checked in and got through security by about 9:30pm. We barely had time to grab something to eat at the airport before our flight started boarding.

Not the best way to start a trip :sad2:

However, things got better when we boarded...

I'm here here here!! So sad I missed you at Epcot :( That day was crazy, and right around both your and I dinner time I started getting a wicked migraine :( I heard you got to meet Sophia though!! which is awesome!! Did you book a bounce back by any chance????

Great first installment..I woulda had a heart attack waiting like that all day!! Let alone with no computer!!

[mousescrapper]

Hi Lisa,

I am so glad I noticed your new ticker in someone else's PTR....and glad I didn't miss much.

:scared1: on the running 1 1/2 hrs late....I would have been a nervous wreck on missing the flight. did you break out the champange in the car...:laughing:

well it's sounds like you got on the plane, so whew! Can't wait to hear the rest of the trip! and do you have a new adventure in the works already? must have been a good trip, to be going back in a year...:woohoo:

Scrappie J-

[jcc0621]

Oh, that's great news!!! I'm really so happy for you :hug:

Thanks! I'm just anxious for things to be back to normal now!

[PracPerfPatricia]

Hey :goodvibes...subbing on,

2 hours...sheesh...:confused3

Well I'm glad to hear you got some Moet out of it...:thumbsup2

Can't wait to hear all about it...popcorn::

[lisalonglash]

I'm here here here!! So sad I missed you at Epcot :( That day was crazy, and right around both your and I dinner time I started getting a wicked migraine :( I heard you got to meet Sophia though!! which is awesome!! Did you book a bounce back by any chance????

Great first installment..I woulda had a heart attack waiting like that all day!! Let alone with no computer!!

Hi Jenn!!! Aww, I'm sorry you had a migraine :hug: Hopefully, you were still able to enjoy the cruise!

I nearly did have a heart attack. Ask Grumpy, he'll tell ya :laughing:

Hi Lisa,

I am so glad I noticed your new ticker in someone else's PTR....and glad I didn't miss much.

:scared1: on the running 1 1/2 hrs late....I would have been a nervous wreck on missing the flight. did you break out the champange in the car...:laughing:

well it's sounds like you got on the plane, so whew! Can't wait to hear the rest of the trip! and do you have a new adventure in the works already? must have been a good trip, to be going back in a year...:woohoo:

Scrappie J-

Sorry, J, I meant to PM you, but my brain is broken. Am I forgiven? :flower3:

Nope, haven't opened the bubbly yet. We'll crack one open soon though - it's delicious!

Thanks! I'm just anxious for things to be back to normal now!

:cheer2:

Hey :goodvibes...subbing on,

2 hours...sheesh...:confused3

Well I'm glad to hear you got some Moet out of it...:thumbsup2

Can't wait to hear all about it...popcorn::

Hi Patricia, welcome! Yep, two bottles = happy Lisa! :dance3:

Second update coming right up!

[lisalonglash]

Departure Day - Part Deux

So, let’s recap our manic departure day so far:

~ The boys and I getting antsy to go while waiting for Grumpy to get home from work
~ Our usual 5min border crossing turning into a nightmarish 2 hours!
~ Someone (might have been me :rolleyes1) panicking that we were going to miss our flight from SeaTac and annoying Grumpy, who was on a driving mission to get us to the airport on time (hey, I needed something to do, right? :laughing:)
~ Not having enough time to actually sit down and eat something resembling a proper dinner due to the border line-up fiasco
~ Being at the departure gate just before they started boarding passengers

We had our boarding passes checked by the departure gate agent and we entered the jetway – by this point, Grumpy and I were just sooooo thankful that we were actually boarding the plane! Well, halfway down the jetway, a flight crew member happened to walk past us on the way to the plane, saw the boys and said….

“Hey, do you want to see my cockpit?” :eek: Yes, I know, but I did manage to hide my giggle. I’m sure he meant to say something a little less … um … giggle-worthy! :rotfl2:

Yes, it just happened that the flight captain was the guy who walked past us! I didn’t know that they even did that anymore in this post-9/11 world, but I was so glad that the flight was starting on a high note after our rocky start to our vacation! I wasn’t sure when the boys were supposed to go see the captain – Grumpy thought in-flight – so I asked the first flight attendant I saw. She said that they had to go now or they wouldn’t be able to go at all (evidently, only before a flight can children do this when invited – the cockpit doors must remain closed/locked during flight). Good thing I asked!

Here are Mickey and Tigger sitting in the Captain and Co-Captain chairs (at the Captain’s invitation):
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v484/lisalonglash/2009%20trip/001.jpg

Here they are with the very nice Captain of our flight to Atlanta:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v484/lisalonglash/2009%20trip/002.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v484/lisalonglash/2009%20trip/003.jpg

My opinion of Delta has gone up substantially with our experiences on the two flights we took with them this time (Seattle-Atlanta and Atlanta-Orlando). This wonderful treat for the boys was the first great thing that happened with Delta, I’ll get to the second thing in the next chapter. For now, we’ll just say that I am a completely braindead loser when I’ve been awake for more than 24 hours and Delta saved my bacon!

Our seats were a little different than our usual choice for both the Seattle-Atlanta and Atlanta-Orlando flights because I booked the tickets for the boys and me on delta.com and we used VISA points to book Grumpy’s flights. Therefore, I booked 3 seats together and he booked 1 seat. The original plan was to change the seats to 2 & 2 at the airport, but of course, we barely had time for anything at the airport, let alone having the time to wait for the agent to try and switch seats around kwim? So, on both of those flights, this is how we sat (plane seats were set up 3 seats and 3 seats):

Tigger – me – Mickey
Grumpy (2 rows back!)

I had Tigger chattering at me (he was trying not to fall asleep, I’m sure) and Mickey’s head on my leg for the first few hours (he was sleeping). Then I had Tigger’s head on my shoulder (he was finally sleeping) and still had Mickey’s head on my leg for the rest of the flight. Yeah, I slept not a wink. :headache:

When we landed, I woke the boys up, silently cursed Grumpy and his single seat two rows back (he had a fine sleep, of course :rolleyes:) and then waited for Grumpy to be able to make his way to our seats. I figured the least he could do was get all the carry-on bags out of the overhead bins. So, we made our way down the jetway and into the concourse – boy, that is one honkin’ big airport! Luckily, although they had changed both the arrival and departure gates from what I had been told the day before, both of the gates were in the same concourse, so it was easy to figure out. A good thing when you’ve been awake much longer than normal :rotfl:

So, we’re hanging out at the departure gate for our flight to Orlando when I notice something is missing…. :scared1:

[aaaateamsgrandma]

You so left me hanging. The boys looked like they enjoyed the captain's quarters. How fun for them. Did he give them wings? I don't know if they still do that or not. Grumpy was the lucky one on that flight for sure. Hope it works out better for you next time.

Ginny

[wdwtwins]

So far so good!
;-)

[jcc0621]

How cool that the boys got to check out the plane!:thumbsup2 but I would have giggled too==not that I am immature like that or anything:rolleyes1

Uh oh...what's missing. Hopefully not one of your off springpopcorn::

[jordanyosh]

What did you forget?:eek:

[wdwtwins]

It looks like fun! I hope you update soon! I'll be waiting....... :)

[DisneyMomLiz]

So COOL for Tigger and Mickey to go into the cockpit and sit in the captain/co-captain's chairs too boot!! :) Looks like they enjoyed it.

Oh boy a cliffhanger already...looking forward to the next update popcorn:: while procrastinating on starting my TR! :rotfl:

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

How cool that the boys got a tour of the cockpit, I also thought that these had stopped after 9/11.

Uh oh, you have me worried about what got left behind! :scared1:

[Mickey_Mom]

“Hey, do you want to see my cockpit?” :eek:

:lmao: :rotfl2:

So, we’re hanging out at the departure gate for our flight to Orlando when I notice something is missing…. :scared1:

Uh-oh.

[Diamondintheruff]

I hope it wasn't the cute stuffy I see in the pictures of the cockpit. (Even writing the word makes me giggle!).

But for the love of Mickey tell me it wasn't the lime green its-not-a-disney binder!!!!

[mommytothreeboys]

Sounds like you made out okay even with being so late. But I hate feeling rushed so I'm sure it was a relief to finally be on the plane and headed to WDW!

How cool that the boys got to tour the cockpit! (I would have giggled too! ;) ) and Grumpy really got a deal with the seat situation! I may have switched with him halfway!

Oh boy..something's lost. That sounds familiar! Hope you find it! :goodvibes

[mousescrapper]

Sorry, J, I meant to PM you, but my brain is broken. Am I forgiven? :flower3:





of course....glad we run in the smae circles ;)

Departure Day - Part Deux

“Hey, do you want to see my cockpit?” :eek: Yes, I know, but I did manage to hide my giggle. I’m sure he meant to say something a little less … um … giggle-worthy! :rotfl2:


hehehe:rotfl:



Here are Mickey and Tigger sitting in the Captain and Co-Captain chairs (at the Captain’s invitation):
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v484/lisalonglash/2009%20trip/001.jpg

that is beyond COOL! I have never heard anyone who have had an invite like this :thumbsup2



I had Tigger chattering at me (he was trying not to fall asleep, I’m sure) and Mickey’s head on my leg for the first few hours (he was sleeping). Then I had Tigger’s head on my shoulder (he was finally sleeping) and still had Mickey’s head on my leg for the rest of the flight. Yeah, I slept not a wink. :headache:

oh no....:faint:


So, we’re hanging out at the departure gate for our flight to Orlando when I notice something is missing…. :scared1:

UH OH..is it the Dis lost wallet curse :confused3

[cjackearl]

Yep, would have giggled too and embarassed my DH something awful. But its funny!:rotfl:

LOVE the pictures in the, um, cockpit (giggle, giggle). Those purple squiggles look suspiciously like heiroglyphics.

Oh no, I'm afraid its the puppy too.:eek: Tell us, tell us quickly!

[carissanboys]

Hey Lisa! I'll be back soon to get caught up. Just wanted to subscribe for now. :thumbsup2

[Queenofallthings]

WELCOME HOME

I can't believe you're on page 3 and I'm just tuning in now!!! Can't wait to read more....those border crossings can be brutal.

I'm a tad nervous about what's missing......staying tunedpopcorn::

[OhioDisneyLover]

I'm late but I am here. popcorn::

I am so glad we got to meet at Chef's. I am just bummed that I could not find you when we were leaving. :sad1:

[PracPerfPatricia]

OMG Lisa,

what a fabulous thing for the boys to get into the cockpit of the plane...I didn't know that they did that anymore either...what a magical memory before you even got to WDW!:goodvibes...

(Emily got to do this a long time ago-pre 9-11 (she's going to be 15 in a couple of weeks so she must have been 6 or so...) She still remembers it...;)

Nice deal grumpy got with the seat situation...hope for you that's remedied on the way home...:rolleyes1

[lisalonglash]

You so left me hanging. The boys looked like they enjoyed the captain's quarters. How fun for them. Did he give them wings? I don't know if they still do that or not. Grumpy was the lucky one on that flight for sure. Hope it works out better for you next time.

Ginny

Hi Ginny! Nope, no wings, just cool pictures!

So far so good!
;-)

Welcome!! I hope you enjoy my little TR!

How cool that the boys got to check out the plane!:thumbsup2 but I would have giggled too==not that I am immature like that or anything:rolleyes1

Uh oh...what's missing. Hopefully not one of your off spring

Nope, not that I'm immature like that or anything either :laughing:

What did you forget?:eek:

I forgot.... you're going to have to wait LOL

It looks like fun! I hope you update soon! I'll be waiting....... :)

I will be updating today, I think

So COOL for Tigger and Mickey to go into the cockpit and sit in the captain/co-captain's chairs too boot!! :) Looks like they enjoyed it.

Oh boy a cliffhanger already...looking forward to the next update popcorn:: while procrastinating on starting my TR! :rotfl:

They really did enjoy it - sooo cool! Start your TR, girl! Can't wait to read it!

How cool that the boys got a tour of the cockpit, I also thought that these had stopped after 9/11.

Uh oh, you have me worried about what got left behind! :scared1:

Yes, I was truly surprised - I didn't think they did that anymore either!

Uh-oh.

Oh yeah, BIG uh-oh!

I hope it wasn't the cute stuffy I see in the pictures of the cockpit. (Even writing the word makes me giggle!).

But for the love of Mickey tell me it wasn't the lime green its-not-a-disney binder!!!!

Nope, wasn't Rupert (yes, that's the bear's name LOL) and wasn't my binder :rotfl2:

Sounds like you made out okay even with being so late. But I hate feeling rushed so I'm sure it was a relief to finally be on the plane and headed to WDW!

How cool that the boys got to tour the cockpit! (I would have giggled too! ;) ) and Grumpy really got a deal with the seat situation! I may have switched with him halfway!

Oh boy..something's lost. That sounds familiar! Hope you find it! :goodvibes

Yes, I hate feeling rushed like that too! He sure did get a good deal with the seating!

of course....glad we run in the smae circles ;)

UH OH..is it the Dis lost wallet curse :confused3

Me too! :hug: You'll see....

Yep, would have giggled too and embarassed my DH something awful. But its funny!:rotfl:

LOVE the pictures in the, um, cockpit (giggle, giggle). Those purple squiggles look suspiciously like heiroglyphics.

Oh no, I'm afraid its the puppy too.:eek: Tell us, tell us quickly!

It IS funny, right? LOL Nope, it wasn't Rupert

Hey Lisa! I'll be back soon to get caught up. Just wanted to subscribe for now. :thumbsup2

Welcome, Car!!

WELCOME HOME

I can't believe you're on page 3 and I'm just tuning in now!!! Can't wait to read more....those border crossings can be brutal.

I'm a tad nervous about what's missing......staying tunedpopcorn::

Thank you, Queen - you too! Just wait, nervous is an understatement!

I'm late but I am here. popcorn::

I am so glad we got to meet at Chef's. I am just bummed that I could not find you when we were leaving. :sad1:

Hi Sophia!! Soooo glad I was able to meet you, your dh and your mom, even if it was just for a minute! Sorry we weren't able to meet up afterwards though :sad1:

OMG Lisa,

what a fabulous thing for the boys to get into the cockpit of the plane...I didn't know that they did that anymore either...what a magical memory before you even got to WDW!:goodvibes...

(Emily got to do this a long time ago-pre 9-11 (she's going to be 15 in a couple of weeks so she must have been 6 or so...) She still remembers it...;)

Nice deal grumpy got with the seat situation...hope for you that's remedied on the way home...:rolleyes1

Hi Patricia! It was really awesome! Yep, Grumpy is a lucky dude!

[eandesmom]

I'm here!

I've been trying to keep an eye out for your TR and somehow missed it. So I'm late, but here!

TWO HOURS?

Yikes.

Do you think it was the date that caused the hold up? I mean I know it was a friday night and all which I'd expect to be longer than 5 but...TWO HOURS?

Ugh. I've been there when it is that long and it is NOT fun!

The boys got to go in the cockpit! That is the coolest thing!!!!!!!!!

You poor poor thing. When we did that redeye in 04 I didn't sleep, none of us slept, it was rough morning but it ultimately paid off as it did get on the right time zone far faster.

Something missing....man I hope it isn't a wallet!

[carissanboys]

Thank goodness you still made your flight! How is it that the dads always end up getting to sit alone on flights? :confused3 I know Chuck lucked out on a few transatlantic flights to Australia and back. :sad2:

And very cool about the boys getting to see the cockpit! What an awesome experience. In all the flying we have done, I don't think they've ever offered to show my boys.

[lisalonglash]

I'm here!

I've been trying to keep an eye out for your TR and somehow missed it. So I'm late, but here!

TWO HOURS?

Yikes.

Do you think it was the date that caused the hold up? I mean I know it was a friday night and all which I'd expect to be longer than 5 but...TWO HOURS?

Ugh. I've been there when it is that long and it is NOT fun!

The boys got to go in the cockpit! That is the coolest thing!!!!!!!!!

You poor poor thing. When we did that redeye in 04 I didn't sleep, none of us slept, it was rough morning but it ultimately paid off as it did get on the right time zone far faster.

Something missing....man I hope it isn't a wallet!

So glad you found me! :goodvibes Yep, over two hours :headache: I'm still in a bit of shock that they were invited to sit in the pilot/co-pilot chairs - very cool!

I'm actually OK with not sleeping on the way there - for some reason, I seem to have no trouble adjusting to the time difference on arrival when I can't sleep on the way there (true for going to Europe for me too). It's not super fun, but I can live with it :laughing:

Thank goodness you still made your flight! How is it that the dads always end up getting to sit alone on flights? :confused3 I know Chuck lucked out on a few transatlantic flights to Australia and back. :sad2:

And very cool about the boys getting to see the cockpit! What an awesome experience. In all the flying we have done, I don't think they've ever offered to show my boys.

I was really worried we were going to miss our flight - soooooo glad we didn't! So it's not just Grumpy that gets the good seat on flights then? :lmao: This is the second time they've been able to do that, I think. The first time was a few years ago on a British Airways flight from Vancouver to London - the captain just showed them around though, he didn't tell them to sit in the two seats. This time was tres cool!

[lisalonglash]

OK, I have my computer back again (it was in the shop for the weekend), so it must be time for an update!

Let's see... I left off with me realizing that something was missing, right? OK.

So, we're sitting in the departure lounge at ATL, relaxing for a while until our flight to Orlando (we had a two hour stopover). We were putting all our carryon luggage beside our sitting area when I happened to notice that something was missing. Tigger's hat. Which normally wouldn't be a big deal, but he'd already lost his alternate hat at the Seattle airport in the washroom :sad2: So, I tell Grumpy that I'm going back to the terminal we arrived through to see if I could get his hat off the plane, as it had only been like 20 minutes since we'd entered the airport.

Off I went to the arrival terminal, walking briskly. Suddenly, I had a true moment of panic. You know those moments when you think of something and your heart races, you break into a cold sweat and all sorts of awful things run through your head? You see, I'd just realized that not only had we left Tigger's hat on the plane, I had left my messenger bag as well. My bag. With ALL of our passports. Left it on the plane. :scared1: and :eek: and :scared1: some more!

So much for briskly walking after my realization. I bloody near ran to the terminal, scanning the employees everywhere to see if I recognized the arrival gate employees. As I got within eyeshot of the right terminal, I started waving at the gate employee standing there (I'd recognized her, thank God!). She starts calling my full name and I'm nodding and trying REALLY hard not to run to her :laughing: She had my bag. With ALL of our passports. That I left on the plane. In my sleep-deprived stupor :headache:

She made a little joke, trying to lighten the mood after seeing my panic-stricken face no doubt, handed me my bag and started to walk with me. At that point, I am proud to say that I actually remembered to ask her about Tigger's hat :rotfl2: She was so sweet - she took me right onboard the plane to our seats and let me look for his hat (it was still there). Of course, I'd ALSO forgotten my puzzle book on the plane (must've been under the seat in front of Mickey), but didn't realize that until an hour later LOL! I didn't care - I had my bag back and Tigger had his hat back. :woohoo:

I have to say the Delta gate agent was super! She not only let me onto the plane to get Tigger's hat, she'd been waiting for me and had intended to bring the bag to me if I hadn't shown up, as her next gate assignment was right next to our departure gate! Another massive check mark next to Delta in my head! :thumbsup2

So, crisis over, I walked much more leisurely back to the departure gate while trying to bring my panicked breathing back to normal, clutching my bag and Tigger's hat to my chest :rotfl:

When I arrived back, I told Grumpy the story (honestly, why can't I just keep my mouth shut? He wouldn't have been able to harass me about it later! LOL). After plopping myself down in the pretty darned comfy chairs (way better than the Seattle airport departure lounge chairs!), I sent Grumpy and Tigger off to get us some breakfast.

I was hoping for a proper southern breakfast, but alas, it was just not to be. They came back with Pizza Hut breakfast! Did you know that Pizza Hut sells breakfast sandwiches and hash brown patties? I sure didn't and I wish I had never found out - it was gross :sick:

Finally, we boarded our flight to Orlando and, an hour later, we finally heard the sweet sound of the pilot informing us that we had landed in Orlando :dance3:

Time to go find the ME counter again!

[aaaateamsgrandma]

omg. I can just imagine your panic. We were in the Kansas City airport early one morning going to Vegas and I had a little bag with lots of $$$$$, purse with all credit cards and the works. Don had forgotten something in the car so went back to get it while I sat in a chair and waited. They are getting ready to board the plane and I cannot find the bag. We went to everyone we could spot. No luck. So I decide to backtrack my steps while waiting for Don and went to the chair I had sat in. There it was hanging on the back of that chair. It is the most awful feeling. Let's say I felt your pain.

So glad everything was found. It is so hard to get good breakfast food in an airport.
Who would have thought Pizza Hut would have breakfast. I will remember not to eat it.

I hope now that you are in Orlando your trip becomes very magical.

Ginny

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

:scared1: I would have had a heart attack realizing that the passports had been left on the plane. So glad that the Delta staff were on the ball and had the bag waiting for you.

[Mickey_Mom]

:scared1: Holy crap, what a heart pounding start. Very impressive what they were doing to get your bag back to you!

I had no idea Pizza Hut had a breakfast menu.... blech.

popcorn::

[jcc0621]

:faint:

Good job Delta!:thumbsup2

[oregonmommyof2]

Hi Lisa! Just signing on!

I would have FREAKED out if I would have left my bag on the plane!!!

[jordanyosh]

:scared1: Holy crap

:rotfl2:

It's exactly what I was thinking.

I'm glad it all worked out in the end!

Props to Delta!

Man, I would still be freaking a bit even after retrieving said messenger bag.

[cjackearl]

:scared1: I'm so glad you got your bag back. Hurray for Tigger and his forgetfulness which made you remember that bag.:rotfl:

[WDWRocksMySocks]

Hey Lisa!! I hope you guys had a wonderful trip. So happy to be catching up on your TR. It sounds like you had quite an "exciting" first day! I'm so glad that you guys didn't miss your flight. I can't imagine being stuck at the border for 2 hours. Eeeek!! :scared1:

That is so neat that your boys got to see the cockpit. It looks so cool!! Glad you got pictures.

Oh my gosh, when I was reading the part about you losing your stuff I had that awful lump in my throat feeling for you! I hate when you first realize you've lost something like that. I'm glad it all turned out well. Phew!!

Can't wait to hear more!:goodvibes

[Diamondintheruff]

Oh my! It does happen to the best of us. I'm glad it turned out alright.

But Pizza Hut breakfast does NOT sound good. I'd rather have a piece of their pizza than their breakfast offerings. The good news is that it will make Disney food seem so much better.

[inkedupmomma]

see! that is exactly something I would do! that puts another check mark next to driving for me :rotfl: That is awesome that they had it though!! John left our camera on board a plan once and they said no it wasn't there.. he knew exactly where he left it as well! oh well.

Ok.. pics.. come on!

[PracPerfPatricia]

:scared1: Holy crap, what a heart pounding start. Very impressive what they were doing to get your bag back to you!


Exactly what she said...:scared:...O.M.G....

you so deserve for the rest of your trip to go as smooth as silk...:hug:

[mickeystoontown]

Oh my Lisa! I would have been in a state of panic too! Thank goodness you were able to get your bag back! Please tell me this isn't how the rest of the trip goes!

Lisa

[lisalonglash]

omg. I can just imagine your panic. We were in the Kansas City airport early one morning going to Vegas and I had a little bag with lots of $$$$$, purse with all credit cards and the works. Don had forgotten something in the car so went back to get it while I sat in a chair and waited. They are getting ready to board the plane and I cannot find the bag. We went to everyone we could spot. No luck. So I decide to backtrack my steps while waiting for Don and went to the chair I had sat in. There it was hanging on the back of that chair. It is the most awful feeling. Let's say I felt your pain.

So glad everything was found. It is so hard to get good breakfast food in an airport.
Who would have thought Pizza Hut would have breakfast. I will remember not to eat it.

I hope now that you are in Orlando your trip becomes very magical.

Ginny

Whoa, Ginny, I'm so glad you found your bag too - that kind of panic is really something, hey? Nope, don't have PH breakfast :sick: Thanks! :hug:

:scared1: I would have had a heart attack realizing that the passports had been left on the plane. So glad that the Delta staff were on the ball and had the bag waiting for you.

Yep, nearly did have a heart attack :laughing:

:scared1: Holy crap, what a heart pounding start. Very impressive what they were doing to get your bag back to you!

I had no idea Pizza Hut had a breakfast menu.... blech.


Big checks on the plus side for Delta this trip, I assure you! :thumbsup2

:faint:

Good job Delta!:thumbsup2

Indeed! :goodvibes

Hi Lisa! Just signing on!

I would have FREAKED out if I would have left my bag on the plane!!!

Welcome back and welcome to my little TR :hug: Oh, trust me, I was freaking out BIG-TIME on the inside! :scared1:

:rotfl2:

It's exactly what I was thinking.

I'm glad it all worked out in the end!

Props to Delta!

Man, I would still be freaking a bit even after retrieving said messenger bag.

J, between you and me, I continued to freak out a little for some time afterwards :rotfl2:

:scared1: I'm so glad you got your bag back. Hurray for Tigger and his forgetfulness which made you remember that bag.:rotfl:

Thanks! So true! What a great way to look at it - thanks! :hug:

Hey Lisa!! I hope you guys had a wonderful trip. So happy to be catching up on your TR. It sounds like you had quite an "exciting" first day! I'm so glad that you guys didn't miss your flight. I can't imagine being stuck at the border for 2 hours. Eeeek!! :scared1:

That is so neat that your boys got to see the cockpit. It looks so cool!! Glad you got pictures.

Oh my gosh, when I was reading the part about you losing your stuff I had that awful lump in my throat feeling for you! I hate when you first realize you've lost something like that. I'm glad it all turned out well. Phew!!

Can't wait to hear more!:goodvibes

Thanks! The plane pictures were cool - the boys still talk about that! :cloud9: Thanks - that lump in the throat feeling took quite a while to go away completely LOL

Oh my! It does happen to the best of us. I'm glad it turned out alright.

But Pizza Hut breakfast does NOT sound good. I'd rather have a piece of their pizza than their breakfast offerings. The good news is that it will make Disney food seem so much better.

Thanks! Nope, PH breakfast is NOT good - it is, in fact, horrible :sick:

see! that is exactly something I would do! that puts another check mark next to driving for me :rotfl: That is awesome that they had it though!! John left our camera on board a plan once and they said no it wasn't there.. he knew exactly where he left it as well! oh well.

Ok.. pics.. come on!

LOL! Yes, Delta rocks! I'm working on it :goodvibes

Exactly what she said...:scared:...O.M.G....

you so deserve for the rest of your trip to go as smooth as silk...:hug:

Awww, how sweet, Patricia - thank you :hug:

Oh my Lisa! I would have been in a state of panic too! Thank goodness you were able to get your bag back! Please tell me this isn't how the rest of the trip goes!

Lisa

Hi Lisa! Yes, HUGE sigh of relief that day!

[OhioDisneyLover]

Oh Lisa, I can only imagine what you were feeling like! I was getting a bit anxious reading your post. I actually read ahead to see if you were able to get them and then went back to read the rest!

[mousescrapper]

Hi Lisa :wave2:

I feel like I am MIA on the boards lately and have had your TR open for 2 days to catch up....:sad2:

I am so GLAD you realized what you forgot and that it was found and handled so wonderfully...YIKES I would have been :scared1: right w/ you!

Glad the 2nd flight went well and can't wait to "hear" the smiles of arriving at WDW!

Scrappie J-

[mommytothreeboys]

Oh goodness Lisa! I hate those moments of panic! :scared1: I'm glad yours turned out so well!

On to WDW!!! :banana::banana:

[lisalonglash]

Oh Lisa, I can only imagine what you were feeling like! I was getting a bit anxious reading your post. I actually read ahead to see if you were able to get them and then went back to read the rest!

Awww, sorry to freak you out :flower3: I still freak out everytime I remember it LOL

Hi Lisa :wave2:

I feel like I am MIA on the boards lately and have had your TR open for 2 days to catch up....:sad2:

I am so GLAD you realized what you forgot and that it was found and handled so wonderfully...YIKES I would have been :scared1: right w/ you!

Glad the 2nd flight went well and can't wait to "hear" the smiles of arriving at WDW!

Scrappie J-

Hey J! I feel the same - every time I manage to get on the DIS, something or someone interrupts me :headache:

Thanks! Update coming up as soon as I get our homeschooling reports done and submitted (will be today or tomorrow)

Oh goodness Lisa! I hate those moments of panic! :scared1: I'm glad yours turned out so well!

On to WDW!!! :banana::banana:

Thanks! I so dig the dancing banana! :banana::banana:

[Queenofallthings]

When I first started reading your last installment I thought, "Oh thank goodness it's just a hat, she can at least buy another one" then I continued reading and when I saw the words "all of our passports" I had a little vomit in the back of my throat....no way to pretty it up.....I was sick for you....moment was over and everything is fine....but man, I don't know what I would have done. I am going to point out to Peg though, this is exactly why I check 17 times for our passports everytime I have to have them outl.:lmao:

Can't wait for more my friendpopcorn::

[praisehisname]

Hi, Lisa! I just found your report and am reading along. Great job so far!

Denise

[wdwtwins]

I would have FREAKED OUT!:sad2:

[lisalonglash]

When I first started reading your last installment I thought, "Oh thank goodness it's just a hat, she can at least buy another one" then I continued reading and when I saw the words "all of our passports" I had a little vomit in the back of my throat....no way to pretty it up.....I was sick for you....moment was over and everything is fine....but man, I don't know what I would have done. I am going to point out to Peg though, this is exactly why I check 17 times for our passports everytime I have to have them outl.:lmao:

Can't wait for more my friendpopcorn::

Thanks, Queen! :hug: Yep, that's about how I felt LOL Feel free to use me as the reason for frequent passport checking :rotfl2:

Hi, Lisa! I just found your report and am reading along. Great job so far!

Denise

Welcome, Denise!! I hope you enjoy my little TR :goodvibes

I would have FREAKED OUT!:sad2:

I DID freak out, but mostly inside :lmao:

[lisalonglash]

When I left off last update, we had just landed in Orlando – with our carry-on luggage intact! :laughing: As soon as all those way-too-slow people ahead of us in the plane deplaned, we were off that plane and on the way to Magical Express faster than was safe, probably LOL.

We found the ME counter with no problem and were happy to see that the line-up was minimal (pretty impressive for 9:30am on a Saturday!):thumbsup2. While Grumpy did the ME paperwork thing, I took the boys and our carry-ons outside. No way was I going to wait one minute more than necessary to get out into that gorgeous climate!!! Grumpy soon joined us and we waited not more than 3 minutes for our bus to ASMusic! I was secretly a teensy bit disappointed that our ME bus was a cruise line bus and not an actual ME bus, but I got over it in a second or two. With our carry-on bags loaded under the bus by our very friendly drive and all of us in our comfy ME seats, we were finally off to the resort! :banana:

I don’t know about you, but I enjoy the ME bus movie. It’s like the official start of vacation when that movie begins :woohoo:. During our drive to the resort, I spent most of my time swivelling my head between the movie and the palm trees outside! I can’t even tell you how much I love palm trees. I’m thinking of getting another tattoo – if I do, it will be a French palm tree with Tink flying over it. Yes, I love palm trees THAT much! :love:

Grumpy was starting to perk up, knowing that the journey to WDW was nearly over and that he would not have to drive again until we returned to the SeaTac Airport. The boys were very excited about seeing Disney again. I was excited just to be there with my family. :cloud9:

The ME bus went straight to ASMusic (yay!) and we happily got off. The driver got our carry-ons out of the bus for us and off we went to the registration desk. I got Grumpy and the boys organized in the TV area and went to the “Online Registration” line. Guess what?! There was a significant line-up for regular registration, but NO LINE for the online registration! Score! :yay: They had the folder ready for me, but I wasn’t happy with the room they’d assigned for us (even though the room was ready) and I asked for a room in the area I’d wanted. The very nice CM was happy to change our room, but told me that the new room wasn’t yet ready so they would text me on my cell phone when it was. Fine with me!

Our plan had always been to check in, store our stuff with luggage services (we just assumed our room wouldn’t be ready) and hop the bus to Downtown Disney. Going to DTD on our arrival day and our departure day is something we’ve done both of our Disney trips – I guess I’d call it a tradition for us (can you still call something a tradition if it’s only happened twice? :lmao:).

I went to the loo to freshen up (aka trade my capris and hoodie for shorts and a tank!) and went back to the TV area to sort out which bags we’d be storing at Luggage Services until our room was ready. Well, while I was in the loo, turns out that they had already texted us that our room was ready! Like, 5 minutes after I’d checked in – pretty darned impressive, especially for a Saturday morning! Score again! So, change of plans.

Grumpy and I gathered children and carry-on luggage and off we went to find our room. For us, this was a perfect room location – facing the Calypso pool and in the second section of Calypso 10 building, ground floor. I know many DISsers much prefer top floor, but, for me, ground floor is absolutely critical to my vacation enjoyment. You see, we live with my sister-in-law in a house – we live upstairs and she lives downstairs. Now you understand why having a ground floor hotel room is important, right?

We loved our room – those who don’t like pool area noise probably wouldn’t dig our room location, but we were so tired at the end of every day that it just did not impact our sleep at all. Speaking of pool noise, I have to say that the daily pool activities and the evening pool movies were sooooo much fun! Tigger was in his element each evening – he participated in most of the pool activities we were there for, and we saw some of the evening movies too. Our experience with the activities was so positive that we would definitely pick ASMu to stay at again, no question. :dance3:

Here are a couple of craptastic pictures (to borrow Jenn's phrase LOL) of the lovely Calypso pool:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v484/lisalonglash/2009%20trip/119.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v484/lisalonglash/2009%20trip/120.jpg

Oh, how I miss that pool with it’s palm trees!!!! :sad1:

So, we went to our room, dumped all our stuff and took off for the bus stop. Only 11am or so and we were checked in, in our room and then off to Downtown Disney!
:cheer2:

[jordanyosh]

some good mojo for sure!

those pix feel like vacation! warm weather, palm trees, a pool......

[aaaateamsgrandma]

I don't know about you but I wish I were there right now for sure. It would be hard to leave that pool. How lucky to get your room so early. Sure beats your flight to Orlando. Well deserved after your airport experience.

Ginny

[MouseKTeer]

Joining in popcorn::

After your scare with the messenger bag, hope things went well from then on!

[jcc0621]

You're there. You're there:woohoo:

We always do DTD on our last day too:cloud9:

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

:woohoo: for the room mojo!

[Mickey_Mom]

I love that ME movie too. It is the perfect thing between getting to the Orlando airport and getting to your resort.... :cloud9:

Craptastic photos.... :lmao:

[inkedupmomma]

:lmao: "craptastic" is a great word, isn't it?? I try to use it as often as possible!

Awesome news on the getting a room where you want and ready in no time! and yes, I call something a tradition the minute I decide that i want it to be just that! So yes, that is your tradition!!

Can't wait to hear how the rest of your day/ night went!

I also agree that the pool activities/movies are AWESOME! That was one thing we missed at CSR this year!

[Sunset Cliffs]

I'm subbing in! :goodvibes

Your travel day was ROUGH! I can't believe all of the things that happened to you in a short amount of time. I would have been in full panic mode too! So glad that you arrived and the pool pictures are wonderful!

[mommytothreeboys]

Wow...great luck with the room situation! Good for you!

Those pool activities sound like fun. I hope you are going to share more pictures and stories about those later!

Yay for being at Disney! I always feel like I just have to take a deep breath and look around me a few times before I really believe I'm finally there!!

Can't wait to hear more! popcorn::

[praisehisname]

It sounds like things really moved smoothly for you on arrival day! :thumbsup2 Looking forward to hearing about DTD!

Denise

[lisalonglash]

some good mojo for sure!

those pix feel like vacation! warm weather, palm trees, a pool......

It was! Thanks, I miss that pool something fierce! :sad2:

I don't know about you but I wish I were there right now for sure. It would be hard to leave that pool. How lucky to get your room so early. Sure beats your flight to Orlando. Well deserved after your airport experience.

Ginny

Oh, me too, Ginny! Thanks :hug:

Joining in popcorn::

After your scare with the messenger bag, hope things went well from then on!

Welcome!!!!:flower3: I hope you enjoy my little TR! Thanks, yes, everything afterwards was an improvement - well, mostly everything :laughing:

You're there. You're there:woohoo:

We always do DTD on our last day too:cloud9:

I WISH I was still there, J! So, I'm in good company with our last day at DTD then :goodvibes

:woohoo: for the room mojo!

Thanks, Lessa!

I love that ME movie too. It is the perfect thing between getting to the Orlando airport and getting to your resort.... :cloud9:

Craptastic photos.... :lmao:

So glad you agree - thought it was just me! :rotfl2:

:lmao: "craptastic" is a great word, isn't it?? I try to use it as often as possible!

Awesome news on the getting a room where you want and ready in no time! and yes, I call something a tradition the minute I decide that i want it to be just that! So yes, that is your tradition!!

Can't wait to hear how the rest of your day/ night went!

I also agree that the pool activities/movies are AWESOME! That was one thing we missed at CSR this year!

It is a great word - thanks for letting me borrow it! :rotfl: OK then, so that's our tradition! :thumbsup2 Isn't ASMu so much fun!? I wanna live there - wahhhhh :sad1:

I'm subbing in! :goodvibes

Your travel day was ROUGH! I can't believe all of the things that happened to you in a short amount of time. I would have been in full panic mode too! So glad that you arrived and the pool pictures are wonderful!

Welcome!!!:flower3: I hope you enjoy my little TR! Yes, looking back at our trip to WDW, I can't believe everything that happened either - I'm just glad we survived it all :rotfl: Thanks!

Wow...great luck with the room situation! Good for you!

Those pool activities sound like fun. I hope you are going to share more pictures and stories about those later!

Yay for being at Disney! I always feel like I just have to take a deep breath and look around me a few times before I really believe I'm finally there!!

Can't wait to hear more! popcorn::

Thanks! :hug: I will share everything I can remember (and everything Tigger and Mickey can remember) about the awesome pool activities :thumbsup2

I feel exactly the same way! Soooooo happy to be there :banana:

It sounds like things really moved smoothly for you on arrival day! :thumbsup2 Looking forward to hearing about DTD!

Denise

Thank you! Yes, DTD will be my next update. Suffice it to say that the Lego store is our "black hole" - hard to extract our boys from there :rotfl:

[eandesmom]

Off I went to the arrival terminal, walking briskly. Suddenly, I had a true moment of panic. You know those moments when you think of something and your heart races, you break into a cold sweat and all sorts of awful things run through your head? You see, I'd just realized that not only had we left Tigger's hat on the plane, I had left my messenger bag as well. My bag. With ALL of our passports. Left it on the plane. :scared1: and :eek: and :scared1: some more!

I have to say the Delta gate agent was super! She not only let me onto the plane to get Tigger's hat, she'd been waiting for me and had intended to bring the bag to me if I hadn't shown up, as her next gate assignment was right next to our departure gate! Another massive check mark next to Delta in my head! :thumbsup2

I was hoping for a proper southern breakfast, but alas, it was just not to be. They came back with Pizza Hut breakfast! Did you know that Pizza Hut sells breakfast sandwiches and hash brown patties? I sure didn't and I wish I had never found out - it was gross :sick:


I had a similar experience with Delta...I left my laptop bag in the upper bin, forgot I'd put anything up there as I often don't. So glad it all worked out! talk about stress.

I thought of you this morning as I perused hotel rates in Vancouver for thanksgiving weekend, DH and I are headed up there for an anniversary getaway!

Actually I priced Banff too but I can't justify it! Killer deals though!


The ME bus went straight to ASMusic (yay!) and we happily got off. The driver got our carry-ons out of the bus for us and off we went to the registration desk. I got Grumpy and the boys organized in the TV area and went to the “Online Registration” line. Guess what?! There was a significant line-up for regular registration, but NO LINE for the online registration! Score! :yay: They had the folder ready for me, but I wasn’t happy with the room they’d assigned for us (even though the room was ready) and I asked for a room in the area I’d wanted. The very nice CM was happy to change our room, but told me that the new room wasn’t yet ready so they would text me on my cell phone when it was. Fine with me!

Our plan had always been to check in, store our stuff with luggage services (we just assumed our room wouldn’t be ready) and hop the bus to Downtown Disney. Going to DTD on our arrival day and our departure day is something we’ve done both of our Disney trips – I guess I’d call it a tradition for us (can you still call something a tradition if it’s only happened twice? :lmao:).

I went to the loo to freshen up (aka trade my capris and hoodie for shorts and a tank!) and went back to the TV area to sort out which bags we’d be storing at Luggage Services until our room was ready. Well, while I was in the loo, turns out that they had already texted us that our room was ready! Like, 5 minutes after I’d checked in – pretty darned impressive, especially for a Saturday morning! Score again! So, change of plans.
For us, this was a perfect room location – facing the Calypso pool and in the second section of Calypso 10 building, ground floor. I


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v484/lisalonglash/2009%20trip/119.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v484/lisalonglash/2009%20trip/120.jpg



I had the same experience at ASMusic after the red eye...it was a beautiful thing and is what sold us on staying on property forevermore in the future. We all went straight to bed! And ended up with a great park day that we'd assumed would be a wash as a result.

I love the look of that pool. Our room wasn't really near it but we walked by it!

[lisalonglash]

I had a similar experience with Delta...I left my laptop bag in the upper bin, forgot I'd put anything up there as I often don't. So glad it all worked out! talk about stress.

I thought of you this morning as I perused hotel rates in Vancouver for thanksgiving weekend, DH and I are headed up there for an anniversary getaway!

Actually I priced Banff too but I can't justify it! Killer deals though!

Whoa, so glad you got your laptop back!!

If there's anything I can help you with for your anniversary trip, just let me know :goodvibes

I had the same experience at ASMusic after the red eye...it was a beautiful thing and is what sold us on staying on property forevermore in the future. We all went straight to bed! And ended up with a great park day that we'd assumed would be a wash as a result.

I love the look of that pool. Our room wasn't really near it but we walked by it!

That pool is sooooo much fun! I soooooo miss it!!

[lisalonglash]

So, we arrived at ASMu, were checked in and were able to put our stuff in our room by 11:30am. Jenn says I’m allowed to call this a tradition, so I’m going to – our tradition is to go to DTD on our arrival day LOL :laughing:

We caught the DTD bus in front of the resort and were on our way! Of course, I spent most of my time admiring the palm trees :love:, while Grumpy and our boys spent most of their time deciding which store to visit first! We arrived at the Marketplace and, although Grumpy and I were trying to look in other stores, the boys were impatiently trying to steer us to “the money vacuum”, “the black hole that sucks our boys in and brainwashes them into thinking that they never want to leave”:headache:. Yes, I do mean the Lego Store. I didn’t take many pictures the first day (yes, I know, hit me later), but if you like, I could post links to the several sets of Legos the boys purchased with their money that day. Yes, I said several.:rotfl:

After we managed to extract the boys from the money vacuum, we wandered around and admired the many stores and restaurants. We went to DTD twice last year too, but somehow we just felt like we had more time to relax and just take everything in this time kwim? Other than the black hole, there are certain places we “must” go when at DTD – these include Magic Masters, Goofy’s Kitchen, Mickey’s Mart and Team Mickey.

Magic Masters was fantastic, as usual. The two guys working there (I don’t think they’re CMs, are they?) were great – they performed various magic tricks, engaging those of us in the store. Tigger took a price sheet (if anyone would like to see the price list, I will post it after I get my camera to work again so I can take pictures of it) to peruse at his leisure. Smart boy, as last year, he got overexcited and spent his money on a trick with little parts that were promptly separated, making the purchase useless. He actually did not end up purchasing anything at Magic Masters this trip, but I’m sure he’ll remedy that another time. :3dglasses

We decided to bypass Goofy’s Kitchen this day, as we wouldn’t have a fridge until the next day and we knew from experience that there was no way the treats would stay nice without refrigeration. Mickey’s Mart was quite a letdown this time – we looked through most of it, but the items for sale there were pretty much garbage quality. Team Mickey was a fun store – Grumpy spent a fair bit of time trying to find an Arsenal (British football/soccer team) shirt here, to no avail (he’s since found the shirt here at home, so now he and Tigger both have one LOL).

We had entirely too much fun with something I’d decided we were doing this year. Last year, the boys did the “make your own light saber” thing at Once Upon a Toy, along with the “fit as many Lego pieces as you can inside the little bin” thing. This year, we were going to do the Mr. Potato Head parts! Yes, the boys are technically too old to play with Mr. Potato Head, but don’t tell them that – they and I have entirely too much fun with Mr. Potato Head, Mrs. Potato Head and their tater buddies! It must’ve been a riot to watch me, Tigger and Mickey going around and around the bins looking for just the right pieces, then handing said pieces to Grumpy (the master box packer, dontcha know? LOL) and hoping to fit “just one more” piece in the box :lmao:. Is it bad that not only did we buy two boxes worth on this day, we also filled another box on another day at MK? :rolleyes1 The Potato Head People here now have a lot of stuff to look “just right” for any occasion. :woohoo:

We had our very first ADR of this trip coming up. We took a bus directly from DTD to the Wilderness Lodge. We wandered around some and admired the theming and amenities there (to be honest, this theme doesn’t appeal to Grumpy or me, but that’s probably just because of our easy access to areas and facilities that are similar). Now, we did something that we probably shouldn’t have, seeing as we’d never been to this resort before. We split up to go see different things – Tigger and I went to see the beach area, Mickey and Grumpy went to check out the lobby some more. Guess what? We lost each other :lmao: Tigger and I returned to the lobby, couldn’t find Grumpy or Mickey, walked all around the resort again looking, to no avail. We returned to the lobby, figuring that we’d just missed them walking around and we decided to wait for them. Well, Tigger got a little impatient with this waiting thing, so I sent him down to the beach area to see if Grumpy and Mickey had gone to the little playground. I have been working on giving Tigger more freedom and independence – I figured a Disney resort was a good place to let him stretch his comfort zone. So, off he went. A couple of minutes later, Grumpy and Mickey wandered over to me. Turns out, they’d been in the lobby THE WHOLE TIME! I dunno, Tigger and I BOTH looked in the lobby and didn’t see them :confused3 So, now we were waiting for Tigger to return. Finally, he showed up with a CM! Turns out that he’d gone to the playground at the beach, then gotten a little anxious, so he’d found a CM to walk him back to the lobby. Good thinking, son! :hug: So, now that we’re finally all together again, we were ready to go enjoy our first ADR of the trip. I’ll bet you can guess where we were going….

[eandesmom]

If there's anything I can help you with for your anniversary trip, just let me know :goodvibes



I'd love dinner recommendations! It's been years since we stayed there. We usually drive through it on the way to Whistler and do lunch at Stanley park picnic style or on granville Island (which we love!).

We just booked at the Fairmont :cool1:

[lisalonglash]

I'd love dinner recommendations! It's been years since we stayed there. We usually drive through it on the way to Whistler and do lunch at Stanley park picnic style or on granville Island (which we love!).

We just booked at the Fairmont :cool1:

Oh yes! Our absolutely favourite restaurant downtown is Hy's Steakhouse, no question. The food and ambiance there are perfect! It's expensive (here's a link to a PDF of the menu: http://www.hyssteakhouse.com/menus/hys_dinner_vancouver.pdf and a link to the website: http://www.hyssteakhouse.com/hys-vancouver-menus.html), but it's totally worth it for a super special occasion.

Within walking distance for you there is also the William Tell, Five Sails at the Pan Pacific (where the cruise ships dock), a decent Keg steakhouse, Kamei Royale japanese restaurant, etc.

These are all restaurants we've enjoyed (I lived in the West End for years before dh and I got married), but we haven't been to anything other than Hy's for a few years (we go to Hy's on our anniversaries!).

:goodvibes

[OhioDisneyLover]

Yay for an update!!!

I love DTD too. Joe and I try and go at least twice each trip. It's nice to just sit back and people watch sometimes too. I tend to shop like crazy when I go there and Joe ends up carrying the packages!:rotfl2:

[eandesmom]

Oh yes! Our absolutely favourite restaurant downtown is Hy's Steakhouse, no question. The food and ambiance there are perfect! It's expensive (here's a link to a PDF of the menu: http://www.hyssteakhouse.com/menus/hys_dinner_vancouver.pdf and a link to the website: http://www.hyssteakhouse.com/hys-vancouver-menus.html), but it's totally worth it for a super special occasion.

Within walking distance for you there is also the William Tell, Five Sails at the Pan Pacific (where the cruise ships dock), a decent Keg steakhouse, Kamei Royale japanese restaurant, etc.

These are all restaurants we've enjoyed (I lived in the West End for years before dh and I got married), but we haven't been to anything other than Hy's for a few years (we go to Hy's on our anniversaries!).

:goodvibes

Thanks! All I remember is some great place we had breakfast at on Robson and it was so long ago I don't have a clue what it was called! We were debating between the Fairmont Waterfront, 4 Seasons and the Fairmont Vancouver. So many nice options!

I was actually looking at Olympic ticket prices today, yikes! I don't like the way it's all packages but in all fairness, we didn't try earlier and should have.

We are considering a hockey quarterfinal...

[Mickey_Mom]

I could post links to the several sets of Legos the boys purchased with their money that day. Yes, I said several.:rotfl:

:laughing: Alex bought several Lego sets on our 2006 trip, the Milenium Falcon (the HUGE one!) and an airplane. Fun times bringing those back home I'll tell you..... but he still plays with them!

Yes, the boys are technically too old to play with Mr. Potato Head, but don’t tell them that – they and I have entirely too much fun with Mr. Potato Head, Mrs. Potato Head and their tater buddies!

You're never to old to play with Mr. Potato Head! We still do! When we bought our box of parts, we'd go to the counter and the CM would stuff everything in. Just when we thought we'd stuffed to the brim, she'd re-arrange them and find more room for us! :rotfl:

Turns out that he’d gone to the playground at the beach, then gotten a little anxious, so he’d found a CM to walk him back to the lobby.

Good job! :goodvibes

[eandesmom]

the boys were impatiently trying to steer us to “the money vacuum”, “the black hole that sucks our boys in and brainwashes them into thinking that they never want to leave”:headache:. Yes, I do mean the Lego Store. I didn’t take many pictures the first day (yes, I know, hit me later), but if you like, I could post links to the several sets of Legos the boys purchased with their money that day. Yes, I said several.:rotfl:

I'm not sure how I escaped that last trip, they had no interest. Whew1

Team Mickey was a fun store – Grumpy spent a fair bit of time trying to find an Arsenal (British football/soccer team) shirt here, to no avail (he’s since found the shirt here at home, so now he and Tigger both have one LOL).
I'm surprised, they seemed to have a decent selection of jerseys when we were there.

Is it bad that not only did we buy two boxes worth on this day, we also filled another box on another day at MK? :rolleyes1 The Potato Head People here now have a lot of stuff to look “just right” for any occasion. :woohoo:

You are never too old for Mr Potato head!

Well, Tigger got a little impatient with this waiting thing, so I sent him down to the beach area to see if Grumpy and Mickey had gone to the little playground. I have been working on giving Tigger more freedom and independence – I figured a Disney resort was a good place to let him stretch his comfort zone. So, off he went. A couple of minutes later, Grumpy and Mickey wandered over to me. Turns out, they’d been in the lobby THE WHOLE TIME! I dunno, Tigger and I BOTH looked in the lobby and didn’t see them :confused3 So, now we were waiting for Tigger to return. Finally, he showed up with a CM! Turns out that he’d gone to the playground at the beach, then gotten a little anxious, so he’d found a CM to walk him back to the lobby. Good thinking, son! :hug: So, now that we’re finally all together again, we were ready to go enjoy our first ADR of the trip. I’ll bet you can guess where we were going….

Great choice Tigger! I can see getting turned around there, one would only hope DS10 would make as good of a choice, he too wants to be "stretched"

:)

Great first day, looking forward to dinner!

[jordanyosh]

After we managed to extract the boys from the money vacuum

I read your update.. but couldn't get past this comment...:rotfl2::rotfl2::rotfl2:

[oregonmommyof2]

Oh Lisa you are so right about boys and the Lego store... Alec was ready to blow his entire Disney stash at the Lego store...

[Diamondintheruff]

Remember the days when we used to cram as many people as we could into a phone booth or a car and take a picture just for fun? It's really the same skill involved in squishing the Mr. Potato head parts in the jar. Both scenarios end up with arms and legs sticking out everywhere.

I bet you're heading for Whispering Pines.

[lisalonglash]

Yay for an update!!!

I love DTD too. Joe and I try and go at least twice each trip. It's nice to just sit back and people watch sometimes too. I tend to shop like crazy when I go there and Joe ends up carrying the packages!:rotfl2:

It's fun there, isn't it?! :goodvibes

:laughing: Alex bought several Lego sets on our 2006 trip, the Milenium Falcon (the HUGE one!) and an airplane. Fun times bringing those back home I'll tell you..... but he still plays with them!

You're never to old to play with Mr. Potato Head! We still do! When we bought our box of parts, we'd go to the counter and the CM would stuff everything in. Just when we thought we'd stuffed to the brim, she'd re-arrange them and find more room for us! :rotfl:

Good job! :goodvibes

If he still plays with them, they were worth it :thumbsup2 I love Mr. Potato Head LOL Yes, I was proud of him for doing the right thing :cloud9:

I'm not sure how I escaped that last trip, they had no interest. Whew1

Lucky you! LOL

I'm surprised, they seemed to have a decent selection of jerseys when we were there.

Oh, they had other jerseys, just not Arsenal jerseys

You are never too old for Mr Potato head!

I agree!

Great choice Tigger! I can see getting turned around there, one would only hope DS10 would make as good of a choice, he too wants to be "stretched"

They do surprise us in good ways sometimes!

:)

Great first day, looking forward to dinner!

Thanks!

I read your update.. but couldn't get past this comment...:rotfl2::rotfl2::rotfl2:

I'm tellin' ya, it's TRUE! :laughing:

Oh Lisa you are so right about boys and the Lego store... Alec was ready to blow his entire Disney stash at the Lego store...

See, Jordan?! It's not just my boys :rotfl:

Remember the days when we used to cram as many people as we could into a phone booth or a car and take a picture just for fun? It's really the same skill involved in squishing the Mr. Potato head parts in the jar. Both scenarios end up with arms and legs sticking out everywhere.

I bet you're heading for Whispering Pines.

Very true and accurate analogy, J! :rotfl2:

[eandesmom]

Remember the days when we used to cram as many people as we could into a phone booth or a car and take a picture just for fun? It's really the same skill involved in squishing the Mr. Potato head parts in the jar. Both scenarios end up with arms and legs sticking out everywhere.



and somehow all that comes to mind is Chinese Fire Drill.....

Or the clown car.

[inkedupmomma]

I heart dtd! I am dreading that age when Jack decides he must buy legos... he best build me a master piece like I see there!!

More more more...and pics ;)

[eandesmom]

DH liked the look and menu of Hy's so we have ressies :)

Thanks so much for the tip, I will let you know how it goes! No to figure out if we should figure anything else out at all or just take it as it comes while we are there.

[aaaateamsgrandma]

Ya gotta love the Lego store. Or not. It loves all my money too. My grandsons have been Lego builders from way back. Austin who is now 18 has most all the big things he has made on the top shelf of hes mom's closet. He just can't part with them. His last big toy was the USS Missouri he got in Pensacola at the Navy museum. Alex the 11 year old had a blast. I just threw money at him and left him with Austin to guide him. I just spent $150 from Toys R Us last week for his birthday on MORE Legos. I have a 5 gallon bucket in my garage that I still dig out for the boys to do when they have get togethers.

We so enjoyed DTD when there in May. I managed a lot of shopping. We used the delivery service and it worked great. Saved our poor husbands backs.

Your report is so enjoyable.

Ginny

[carissanboys]

We love Mr. Potato Head!

Are you going to Whispering Canyon Cafe?? :cool1: :cool1:

[Queenofallthings]

Hey Lisa

I've been a bad Disser this week so this morning I'm going to try and catch up. We had snow yesterday and last night..this happens every year, without fail, so why do people forget how to drive? Anyhoo, hopefully it'll be gone in a few days, makes for a horribly long winter when it stays this early.

Great update....I love DTD, it's our arrival day tradition too!! Do you know I have never been in the lego store, Jasmine was never into it. Sounds fun though.

Can't wait for morepopcorn::

[praisehisname]

Sounds like you had fun in DTD. I'm seriously considering starting a Mr. Potato Head collection when we go!

Denise

[Diamondintheruff]

and somehow all that comes to mind is Chinese Fire Drill.....

Or the clown car.

I actually edited out the clown car out of my post. I didn't think anyone would get the association. I guess I should have kept it in.

But what is the Chinese Fire Drill?

[PracPerfPatricia]

Happy day...you finally made it to ASMu:worship:you must have been so relieved...after the day you had...

I think your "craptastic" photos are pretty cute actually...:goodvibes

Ah the Lego store...it really is a vortex of sorts...calling out to boys...buy me...buy me...ah well at least they are good quality and hold up...We have a ton of Lego and I think there is probably a lot more in our future...:confused3

Mr. Potato Head is awesome-it does disturb me how much I enjoy putting him in his different outfits...hmmm...maybe I should think about that....

All your Vancouver talk is giving me a hankering to get on up there...I've been wanting to for a while...have to plan a trip there...:rolleyes:

[eandesmom]

I actually edited out the clown car out of my post. I didn't think anyone would get the association. I guess I should have kept it in.

But what is the Chinese Fire Drill?

Ah well, I'm older than you, I get the association :)

Something you really don't want your teens doing.

You all pile in the car, clown car like. At a stop light EVERYONE gets out, including the driver and switches seats. While running around the car screaming like crazy people.

[Diamondintheruff]

Ah well, I'm older than you, I get the association :)

Something you really don't want your teens doing.

You all pile in the car, clown car like. At a stop light EVERYONE gets out, including the driver and switches seats. While running around the car screaming like crazy people.

Okay I have heard of that only we didn't have name for it. I plead the fifth on whether I ever partook in such an event.:rolleyes1

Regardless of chronological age you are young at heart! Actually I was going to ask how you knew how old I was as I momentarily forgot I broadcasted it over the disboards. :upsidedow

[wdwtwins]

:laughing::lmao:That sounds so FUNNY!!!:lmao::laughing:

[mommytothreeboys]

Ya gotta love DTD! Luckily, the Lego store no longer draws my boys in. Now it's the pin store! :rolleyes1

[cjackearl]

Oh, how I love our Mr. Potato Heads! We bought the big potato head that you stuff with parts and I, I mean we, love to dress our potatos.:lovestruc

I've never heard of the magic store. Sounds fun!

[aaaateamsgrandma]

Ah well, I'm older than you, I get the association :)

Something you really don't want your teens doing.

You all pile in the car, clown car like. At a stop light EVERYONE gets out, including the driver and switches seats. While running around the car screaming like crazy people.

I am 60 and we still do it.

[mousescrapper]

A the famous Potato Parts Box! :thumbsup2

I'm definetly going to take a new part inventory before we go next yr and take a peek to see if there is anything new!

not to long ago, I was picking up toys in the basement and found myself pausing to dress up Mr. P!

I especially enjoy watching Margaret (almost 3) putting the parts on one, her arm placement usually cracks me up.

[GreatBiscuit]

Excellent start to your TR! I would have freaked running back to the plane! I'm glad all your stuff was still there! I'm glad you guys enjoyed DTD. Oh and for the record, you are NEVER too old to play with Mister 'Tater Head (as we call him in Texas). Can't wait to see how dinner turns out.


Subscribing. :surfweb:

[we3are1]

More more more
I can't wait to hear more!

[aaaateamsgrandma]

I'm still here waiting for more. Very patiently too. Well, for me, patient.

Ginny

[lisalonglash]

Sorry everyone, life has been stressful and busy here. Things are starting to calm down (and I hope it stays calm!!!!). I will be updating as soon as I can. Thank you all for your amazing patience :love:

[Queenofallthings]

Sorry everyone, life has been stressful and busy here. Things are starting to calm down (and I hope it stays calm!!!!). I will be updating as soon as I can. Thank you all for your amazing patience :love:

I thought you had temporarily lost your mind and then I realized that I chatted with you on facebook....whose loosing their mind...I think me!!!:confused3

[aaaateamsgrandma]

Sorry everyone, life has been stressful and busy here. Things are starting to calm down (and I hope it stays calm!!!!). I will be updating as soon as I can. Thank you all for your amazing patience :love:

Hope things are well with you Lisa.

Ginny

[jordanyosh]

take your time

[mickeystoontown]

It seems like everybody has had a stressful time lately. Don't worry, we'll be here when you get the time.

[OhioDisneyLover]

Looking forward to reading your update. Will be waiting.popcorn::

[inkedupmomma]

Lisa, i misssssss youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu..wahhhhhhhh:guilty:

[mousescrapper]

Ok Lisa,

I thought maybe I had gotten behind again in your report cause I haven't remember reading anything lately...so I practically re-read the whole thing and starting feeling like "this sounds famliar" :confused3

Duh...then I come across my reply post...I had fun enjoying your DTD moment again :rotfl:

I hope things are well and Happy Thanksgiving!

PS I :love: Palm Trees too....it's always the first thing on my list that I look forward to when going to WDW!

J~

[GreatBiscuit]

Hey Lisa! Hope all is well. Merry Christmas!

[eandesmom]

Lisa, I wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas and thank you for the dinner recommendation, we really enjoyed Hy's!

The ambiance was incredible, especially with the Christmas decorations!

[DisneyMomLiz]

Hi Lisa,

I hope you and your beautiful family are doing well. Belated Holiday Greetings!

I just got back on the boards myself, it's been crazy here too! Never did start my TR?!?

Liz
:)

[OhMari]

Bump to the front.