"There must be more than this provincial life..."

[Normangirls]

Shared experiences. I love the WalMart commercial that aired on Christmas day – two neighbors, in their backyards, digging through the trash.
One asks, “What are you looking for?”
The other replies, “A hairbrush for a Rapunzel Barbie.”
Been there.

Writing a TR is about shared experiences. Enjoying someone else’s take on our favorite rides. Someone else’s perspective on Values versus Moderates. Relaxed versus commando. June versus December. Pull the kids out of school versus going during busy season. Paper versus plastic. Deal versus no deal.

:hyper2:

So this is just my little take on the experience of Walt Disney World.

Since I didn’t plan a TR, and have the short term memory of Dory, I can’t produce a day-by-day account of our trip. Instead it will be random ramblings of a troubled mind. Plus some hints I would share with anyone who is interested. Plus some commentary absolutely NO ONE should read, let alone take seriously. Consider yourself warned.

:upsidedow

This was my nineteenth trip to WDW, but this is my first trip report. I cannot promise to be as clever as some, or as entertaining as others, but I can promise my spelling will be meticulous.

I don't think I can come up with links to each installment. I am just not that capable. Holy Toledo, I’m somewhat surprised when I know how to ctrl-alt-del properly!

As for my title, we live in a very small town in rural Ohio. How much more provincial can you get? While we love it here, and wouldn’t raise our children anywhere else, we do sometimes yearn for a change of scenery.

Specifically, ::MickeyMo mouse-themed scenery.

:tinker:

[Normangirls]

It was so out of character for my parents to do something that crazy. To go on a two-week vacation somewhere they had never been? Both had grown up pretty sheltered, and were (and still) very naïve.

But a friend had been there, and told them all about it. And for some reason they decided to go camping at Fort Wilderness for two weeks in the winter of 1977.

That was the beginning. They have been a total of almost 50 times.

Each year we went about the same time, and other families apparently did, too, so we would run into the same kids each year. Remember, there was just the campground, the Contemporary (me to my Mom: “Someday I’m gonna stay there, Mom, even if it really does cost $100 a night!”), and the Poly. So there were fewer people staying on-site, and it was easy to make friends.

I was nine years old, and my parents let me run around not just the campground but the entire resort alone. Can you imagine?!?!

We went to the Magic Kingdom, and shopped at the Village (now Downtown Disney), and swam at River Country. We saved our Christmas money to rent a boat on Seven Seas Lagoon. We saw the Hoop-De-Doo-Revue and the luau.

We began going with friends, and would sometimes have four or five campsites in a row. My grandparents went with us, and I remember riding Small World over and over with my grumpy, crotchety, cantankerous Papa. He smiled the whole way.

Then I grew up and got married. DH had never been, and didn’t understand the appeal. But when DD13 was 2½ years old, we needed a vacation. Badly. Where else could you go with a small child (I reasoned to him)? :rolleyes1 Well, we might as well go to Disney World, of course. And he was hooked from day one. Sucker!

[Diamondintheruff]

As a kid my parents took me every March break to camp at Fort Wilderness too! We always went with an other family or two. I have great memories of getting off the boat to the MK and going for a swim right at the beach there before heading to our campsite. We loved the outdoor movies and the tetherball courts they had.

[hucifer]

Followed you over from Great Biscuit's TR.

I miss the old days! We never stayed at FW, but we did stay at the Poly and the Golf Resort. Remember that place?

[Normangirls]

As a kid my parents took me every March break to camp at Fort Wilderness too! We always went with an other family or two. I have great memories of getting off the boat to the MK and going for a swim right at the beach there before heading to our campsite. We loved the outdoor movies and the tetherball courts they had.

:welcome:

Thanks for posting -- I feel much less pathetic this morning!

My parents often still camp when we go, and my girls love the campfire and movie. We forgot our s'mores supplies once, but no worries -- someone is always offering to share.

Aren't you amazed we didn't get some horrible bacterial infection from swimming in that lake? Maybe I did, and it explains why I am the way I am today: :dance3:.

[Normangirls]

Followed you over from Great Biscuit's TR.

I miss the old days! We never stayed at FW, but we did stay at the Poly and the Golf Resort. Remember that place?

:welcome:

Thank you for coming over!

Isn't the golf resort where Shades of Green is now? Or was it over by the shopping center (Disney Village/Downtown Disney)?

[hucifer]

Isn't the golf resort where Shades of Green is now?

Yes! Great memory!

[eliz991]

We only went once as kids, but it was to Fort Wilderness and it was in 1977! And yes we loved swimming at the beach almost as much as the MK. Almost.

[Normangirls]

We only went once as kids, but it was to Fort Wilderness and it was in 1977! And yes we loved swimming at the beach almost as much as the MK. Almost.

:welcome:

Maybe they don't swim in the lake now because of alligators (not bacteria) but we never saw any of those, either!

We wanted swim no matter what, and it was pretty chilly sometimes. And the water itself was COLD. Even at River Country, if I remember right.

[Normangirls]

As I had told my mother, when I grew up I just had to stay at the Contemporary. It was beautiful. It was cool. It was contemporary (at least it was back then). What’s not to love? :lovestruc

And how I loved it! Back then we pool-hopped over there every chance we got (no flames – it was 30 years ago, so the statute of limitations has run out). We went to the arcade, and ate at the restaurants. We rode the monorail around and around just to go THROUGH the building. No, really, the monorail actually went through the building! It was crazy!

So get this: when DH and I decided to go, I called and made a reservation for a week. I paid rack rate. :sad2: I booked airfare out of Toledo all by myself, and didn’t know any better.

And I called my parents naïve? What a dork I was.

Not only had I not yet found the DIS, I didn’t even know about the other resorts (Moderates? Values? Huh?). I just knew I wanted to stay at the Contemporary, so we did.

Then, three years later I did it again. My husband had a conference in Orlando, so we took DD13 (then 5) and DD9 (then 6 months). I called Disney and paid rack rate at the Contemporary. We had a “garden view” room in the north wing, but I asked the guy at the desk for something special, and did he deliver! When we opened our drapes, we looked right over at Cinderella’s castle. :cloud9: I cried. DDthen5 fell asleep each night with the drapes open, looking at the lights of the Magic Kingdom. That’s good stuff, right there.

So finally my Mom mentions something called a Value resort. What is this Va-lue thing of which you speak? Maybe I should look into this. I get on the internet, and search for “Disney” and “value.” And I find the DIS. Cue light shining down from above, choirs singing the Alleluia Chorus, and doves dropping rose petals on my head. Ooh, isn’t this amazing!

Let me add this disclaimer: I am not usually that clueless, ignorant (blissfully or otherwise), oblivious, or unaware. On those two trips I did realize the number of resorts had grown somewhat since the 1970’s. I was just so happy to be there, with DH and our little princesses, at the Contemporary, that I paid very little attention to anything else. That’s what is so weird – it’s like (despite all my trips as a child) I was a newbie, until the DIS-lights came on. :idea:

And so I began to learn. :surfweb: It’s about the true meaning of the word value. It’s about discounts. It’s about codes. It’s about PINs. It’s about time!

And was I entertained! I discovered trip reports to read. If I found a good TR, I’d search for other TR’s from that person. Can I tell you how awesome it was to discover and read, almost start to finish, the Battle for My Wallet series?

Now I love the DIS. I love, love, love it. I like the people, the community, the appreciation as wonderful as Disney. Really, what else could we share with our children that is almost completely impervious to corruption? There are no false idols here. No athletic heroes whose imperfections only add to their personas. No movie actors who decide to preach their political opinions to us, like they are in some way qualified to do so. No, with Disney, what you see is what you get – it all started with a mouse and in many ways is still that simple.

O.K., off my soapbox now – just one last shout out to the people of the DIS who helped me rediscover Disney – THANK YOU!

[Diamondintheruff]

:moped:

In memory of ZZUB. I loved his reports too.

I came to the disboards through the unofficial guide book.

Since we are confessing here. I too paid rack rate for our disneymoon (I didn't know any better then either). I do now.

[Normangirls]

:moped:

In memory of ZZUB. I loved his reports too.

I came to the disboards through the unofficial guide book.

Since we are confessing here. I too paid rack rate for our disneymoon (I didn't know any better then either). I do now.

:welcome:

I wish I could say I aspire to write like ZZUB, but then we would all be let down!

[hucifer]

As I had told my mother, when I grew up I just had to stay at the Contemporary. It was beautiful. It was cool. It was contemporary (at least it was back then). What’s not to love? :lovestruc

And how I loved it! Back then we pool-hopped over there every chance we got (no flames – it was 30 years ago, so the statute of limitations has run out). We went to the arcade, and ate at the restaurants. We rode the monorail around and around just to go THROUGH the building. No, really, the monorail actually went through the building! It was crazy!

I too have a crazy fascination with the Contemporary and it's completely because of nostalgic reasons. I remember being fascinated with the resort that had a monorail riding right through it when I was a little girl and swore that one day I would stay there. I came back to Disney with three other girls on our senior trip and none of them were impressed at all. But I still love the CR.

As far as your pool hopping...I have done far worse and threw it in my trip reports. I haven't been flamed yet, so I wouldn't worry much. ;)

Oh, and I discovered the DIS because of my sister. We were both getting reacquainted with our Disney love at that time.

[Normangirls]

I too have a crazy fascination with the Contemporary and it's completely because of nostalgic reasons. I remember being fascinated with the resort that had a monorail riding right through it when I was a little girl and swore that one day I would stay there. I came back to Disney with three other girls on our senior trip and none of them were impressed at all. But I still love the CR.

So did you stay there on that trip?

[Normangirls]

To follow tradition (and make this look more like a real TR), here is my cast of characters.

:maleficen Me (“Look there she goes, that girl is so peculiar…”): mother, professional woman, and villain. At the Magic of Disney Animation, you can take a test to see which Disney character you are most like – I am Maleficent. And I like it that way. I am the bad cop in our little good cop / bad cop routine at home, and most of the time at work, too. I am a stickler for details, insist on following routines, and am a clean freak (read: germophobe). Good thing I am also so gosh-darned cute (not really, but I wanted to soften up my bio just a little).

:sulley: DH (“Just watch I’m going to make Belle my wife…”): best dad in the world, businessman and farmer. He is a good old country boy, and could support our family with what he grows and/or hunts. He is the good cop (meaning he is complete and total push-over for his three baby girls, and would move mountains to make them happy). He also enjoys volunteering, and is a natural-born leader; everyone's go-to-guy. He will end running for public office someday (no one will leak the contents of this TR to the press, will they?). My Beauty and the Beast quote for him is, paraphrasing, what he told his friends about me the day we met.

We are both 42 (good heavens, how did that happen?). We met in college when, I swear it is the truth, his fraternity was “conducting” a panty raid at my sorority house. Seriously. I was a born-and-raised city girl, and my parents still don’t believe I married a farmer (disbelief in a good way).

::MinnieMo DD13 (“With a dreamy far off look, and her nose stuck in a book…”): This child is smart, sweet, nurturing, polite, and just a good girl. She excels in school and loves 4-H (cough, cough, Ohio State Fair Grand Champion Hereford Steer, cough, cough). And is a very, very patient big sister – much more patient that I would be. Her favorite princess is Aurora.

:tink: DD9 (“Look there she goes, a girl who’s strange but special…”): This one is spunky and outgoing. Also very smart and a born leader like her Dad, we must make her use her powers for good and not evil. She starts showing in 4-H this year, so watch out – that 1200 pound steer doesn’t stand a chance against her. Her favorite princess is Cinderella.

:stitch2: DD4 (“Right from the moment when I met her, saw her, I said she’s gorgeous and I fell…”): We call her “Boo” because she surprised us. We tried a long, long time to have DD13, and then again to have DD9. So when I got pregnant with Boo we were beyond shocked. Even my doctor asked if I was kidding. For my fellow Steelers fans – she is our one for the thumb. She is ridiculously ornery and spoiled (she has all the rest of us at her beck and call) but loves her big sissies beyond belief. Her favorite princess is Ariel.

In case you hadn’t guessed, these girls are the loves of my life.

We usually go to WDW with my parents and sister, introduced below. I’m out of Belle quotes, so if you would please, just open another browser, bring up a You Tube clip of that song, and let it play in the background as you read the following. It’ll be worth it, I promise. Go ahead, I’ll wait. :rolleyes1

What? No? O.K. But we both know I’ve planted the song in your head for rest of the day. See? Maleficent.

pooh: DM: also known as Nana. She has five granddaughters (you’ll meet the rest soon) and loves them beyond anything. She is retired and likes to shop and have lunch with her friends. These hens (oops, I mean women) have known each other since forever, and still haven’t run out of things to talk about. And talk and talk and talk about. My mother drives me CRAZY, and is one of my best friends.

:moped:(NOZZUB) DF: also known as Papa. Retired from the automotive industry, and struggles with lots of health issues. We call him Scooter. A few trips ago he was struggling to walk and keep up with us – so DH disappeared and returned a bit later with a scooter (which Papa insisted he did not need, then used the rest of the trip and now owns one).

:music: DS: also known as Aunt T. She is mentally disabled, and lives with my parents. She loves WDW, and finds comfort in the consistency of it. She volunteers at a daycare center (it is her “job”), and the staff there loves her. Having her as part of our family has helped teach my children about compassion and acceptance, and I believe they are blessed to have her as their aunt.

Well, there we are, warts and all. We aren’t perfect, but we’re us. No one gets left behind. And all that stuff.

[Ellester]

I'm in! I also have three dd's (and a ds thrown in for good measure!). Totally agree on the shared experiences thing. It is so totally true. I've camped at Ft. Wilderness, swam at River Country, ridden the sky buckets. My dream was also to stay at the Contemporary one day. That happened in 2004, courtesy of my now ex-BIL's military service. Staying at the Contemporary on Shades of Green overflow pricing was awesome! Not the tower, but that was OK with me. Maybe we'll try for Bay Lake Towers one of these years.

Can't wait for the rest!

[Normangirls]

I'm in! I also have three dd's (and a ds thrown in for good measure!). Totally agree on the shared experiences thing. It is so totally true. I've camped at Ft. Wilderness, swam at River Country, ridden the sky buckets. My dream was also to stay at the Contemporary one day. That happened in 2004, courtesy of my now ex-BIL's military service. Staying at the Contemporary on Shades of Green overflow pricing was awesome! Not the tower, but that was OK with me. Maybe we'll try for Bay Lake Towers one of these years.

Can't wait for the rest!

:welcome:

Thanks for joining in! I forgot all about the sky buckets! I remember the loading area between Fantasy Land and HM (the building that is still there), but I forget where the other loading area was. Do you remember?

Anyway, I am now trying, for the first time, to add a picture to my TR. Not a big deal to most of you, but I've been working on it all day. Unless my boss is reading this, in which case I've been working on it during lunch and Company sanctioned break times only.


http://photopost.wdwinfo.com/data/1044/medium/Pictures_523.jpg

Wheeee! How do you like me now?

This is the girls (obviously) on our first day. It was hotter than anything, and as we headed for Goofy's Barnstormer it looked like rain. So we ducked into Mickey's house and ended up in line for pictures -- a perfect way to spend a quick Florida afternoon downpour.

[Ellester]

:welcome:

Thanks for joining in! I forgot all about the sky buckets! I remember the loading area between Fantasy Land and HM (the building that is still there), but I forget where the other loading area was. Do you remember?


Cute picture!

The other loading area was in Tomorrowland, just to the side of Space Mountain above the bathrooms.

[hucifer]

But we both know I’ve planted the song in your head for rest of the day. See? Maleficent.

No kidding! I've had that song stuck in my head since yesterday, thank you very much.

I love the characters so far! And you as Maleficent...awesome. I love a good villain.

ETA: and yes, I did get to stay at the CR with my husband...but it was in the North Wing (back when it still existed), so it only sort of counts. I guess.

[Normangirls]

That's all we ever stayed in -- first the south wing, then the north wing (NoWestWing).

But from the third floor of the north wing, from the right room, you had a MK view.

It was so awesome.

[mom2shayleeandlogan]

:surfweb:Found your TR,great start! Can't wait to read more

[hucifer]

Anyway, I am now trying, for the first time, to add a picture to my TR. Not a big deal to most of you, but I've been working on it all day. Unless my boss is reading this, in which case I've been working on it during lunch and Company sanctioned break times only.
:rotfl:


Your girls are adorable, BTW.

[Normangirls]

:surfweb:Found your TR,great start! Can't wait to read more

:welcome:

Glad to have you here!

Your girls are adorable, BTW.

Thanks!

[Pixie Princess]

I'm in! I was completely hooked just looking at the title. Beauty and the Beast is my favorite Disney movie!!!! And I have to echo your sentiments about the DIS. I was known as the Disney expert at work, and thought I knew a good deal about it until I found the DIS. I remember the first time seeing people writing about PIN.. what's a PIN, why does everyone want one so desperately? :confused3 Then I found out, and now I have one too and join in the excitement! :banana:

Can't wait to read more.

[Becky521]

I'm here for the ride.....don't sell yourself short - you are already quite entertaining.

[Normangirls]

I'm in! I was completely hooked just looking at the title. Beauty and the Beast is my favorite Disney movie!!!! And I have to echo your sentiments about the DIS. I was known as the Disney expert at work, and thought I knew a good deal about it until I found the DIS. I remember the first time seeing people writing about PIN.. what's a PIN, why does everyone want one so desperately? :confused3 Then I found out, and now I have one too and join in the excitement! :banana:

Can't wait to read more.

:welcome:

You have a PIN? What? When? How much? For Where? I'm dying for one here.

I'm here for the ride.....don't sell yourself short - you are already quite entertaining.

:welcome:

Thanks! But don't get used to it.

[Normangirls]

Here are some pics of my parents and Aunt T.

This is our last trip (2008):

http://photopost.wdwinfo.com/data/1044/medium/Pictures_367.jpg


And here's one of my favorites of my dad with DD4 (when she was about 15 months old):

http://photopost.wdwinfo.com/data/1044/medium/Pictures_353.jpg

You'll notice no pictures of me. I'm one of those who won't post pictures until I lose some weight, so you'll pretty much never see me!

Anyway, thanks everyone for reading. I'm working on an "update."

[Diamondintheruff]

You'll notice no pictures of me. I'm one of those who won't post pictures until I lose some weight, so you'll pretty much never see me!



So do what ZZUB did. Post the odd ankle or hand. It'll drive everyone crazy with the suspense.

[Normangirls]

So do what ZZUB did. Post the odd ankle or hand. It'll drive everyone crazy with the suspense.

I do have a great picture of my left ear I've been wondering what to do with...

[dismagiclover]

This looks like fun! I'm in!

[Normangirls]

After discovering the DIS, and very quickly becoming well-versed in discounts, I was like Scarlett O’Hara – I’ll never pay full price again!

We had gotten unbelievable rates for our 2008 trip (using a code available to the public), and it was the first time my parents stayed in the hotel. They usually stayed at Fort Wilderness, but the times they were a changin'.

First, my dad’s health has not been the best – he’s like a walking medical study. Diabetes, high blood pressure, back problems (back surgery caused us to re-schedule one trip already), open heart surgery, stroke. And a partridge in a pear tree. He’s also having mobility issues, and has quickly taken to using his scooter.

There’ve been times, you know what I mean, heading to the bus stop after Wishes, after opening and closing the MK, when I’ve been tempted to trick/bribe/push him off of the scooter and take it for myself.
“How much further?”
“I’m tired.”
“Will you carry me?”
“Why do we have to walk so far?”
“This isn’t fair.”
And that’s just me. The kids were tired, too.

So Papa wasn’t especially pumped up about driving the ol’ motorhome :drive: 20 hours to Orlando (of course, DH and I make it in 18 hours), setting up camp, walking to the washrooms, etc.

Then Mom and Dad lost their beloved dog Sadie, who had always traveled with them. They were both quite heartbroken, but it did free them up a little bit when it came to travel, and they started staying in hotels instead of camping. They found they enjoyed having housekeeping and clean towels. Then they discovered free continental breakfasts, and they were sold.

What is it with Seniors and the free food thing? A good discount buffet will make them positively giddy. And don’t even get me started on the whole share-a-lunch-and-order-an-extra-salad thing. Look, I love food as much as anyone (again, why you won’t see pics of me here – I don’t want buns of steel, I want buns of cinnamon), but my parents seem to take it to a whole new level.

So, back in February DD9 got an e-mail – it was remarkable in that she does not use the computer and does not have an e-mail address. :confused:

It actually came to my e-mail at work, addressed to her, and I almost shot out of my chair.

A “free” dining PIN! Holy Toledo it’s a PIN! Sweet home Alabama, a PIN! Come to mama, baby, a PIN!

:jumping1:

I was bit excited.

I called DH, and spent 20 minutes explaining why he should be excited, too. He finally got it, and I moved on to my mom. She was thrilled (again with the “free” food!), of course, but a little peeved that, even though they had been going to WDW since 1977, they had never gotten a PIN.

I told her to get over it.

The PIN, my PIN, our PIN, our Precious (NOLordoftheRings) was good through October 3rd. Oh. Wow. That’s really, really interesting. First, we never go that time of year, and second, we’ve never been interested in a dining plan. But my precious little PIN had me thinking.

("A dangerous pasttime." "I know.")

We have a very tight window of opportunity when it comes to vacation. Spring and summer are pretty well out, because of farming and 4-H. Winter is DH’s busiest time at work. Then we have softball and basketball. Oh, yeah, and school.

So we’ve been going in late October. It’s a great time of year – perfect weather and not too crowded. And the girls’ teachers have been great about it.

But to take advantage of this PIN, we’d have to go a whole month earlier. School starts at the end of August, then our county fair is Labor Day week. Even if we went the very latest we could go to use the PIN, it would be late September/early October. Was that too soon after school started? Obviously we decided, heck no!

That’s about how much time I actually spent worry about that particular point. And moved on. Dot org.

Now, for the whole dining thing. We spend very, very carefully at WDW. We stay at value resorts, we drive instead of fly, we eat breakfast in our room, and we pack lunch/drinks/snacks every day to take to the parks. So our food costs are only a small part of our budget in the first place.

We also do not eat sit-down meals often. Why waste all that time in a restaurant when there are things to do? We are all commando, all the time. DDs have been taught John Wayne: “We’re burning daylight!”

But we do have a few favorites – Chef Mickey’s and CRT. And when I added up what we usually spent for just those two meals alone, I realized that just cost savings could justify the dining plan. :teacher:

I started to get a little excited. No bologna sandwiches for lunch! No half-crushed bags of chips! No soggy PB&J! No heavy coolers for pop and juice! Not that any of the kids had ever complained, but still.

(Do you sing the Oscar Meyer song when you type “bologna” like me?)

I began to ruminate over all the sit-down eateries we had never tried, like Le Cellier, 1900 Park Fare, and Biergarten. Old favorites we hadn’t been to in years, like Trail’s End, Crystal Palace and Kona. If you could suddenly eat anywhere you wanted at WDW, and do it for “free”, how could you say no? I, obviously, could not.

We decided to go for it. Our trip dates would be September 27-October 9. “Free” food for all!

While I am willing to ignore the fact that nothing is, indeed, really “free” at WDW, I still can’t help putting it quotation marks. Just to acknowledge that Disney will, one way or another, find a way to get that money out of me. Robbing Minnie to pay Mickey, as it were.

We booked our rooms, made our deposit, and started planning.

I was happier than a pig in mud. Than a banker at bail-out time. Than Rush Limbaugh with a piece of cake. “Free” cake. At a cardiologists’ convention.

Then it happened.

In July (Was it July? I think it was July. “Free” dining had not hit the general public yet, so it may have been earlier. Don’t you hate it when people digress like this? Like it somehow matters?). DH came to me and began asking questions. Unpleasant, dreadful, shocking little questions.

DH: Um, what are our Disney dates again?
Me: We arrive September 27th. Why?
DH: Well, when does the “free” dining expire?
Me: We have to arrive before 10/2. Why?
DH: So we can’t move it back a week? Or two?
Me: No. Why. Do. You. Ask?
DH: Well, I have this meeting in October…

:scared1:AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH(deep breath)HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!

It seems DH forgot about a meeting. One he absolutely, positively could not miss for any reason. His boss forgot about it, too, when she approved his vacation time. Her boss, however, was not sympathetic, and insisted DH had to attend.

I could have had a meltdown. Nobody here would blame me, right? For him to attend this meeting, we would have had to cut our trip short by three whole days.

Let me say that again: Three. Whole. Days.

(You have to picture me whining a little bit here.) This is Disney we’re talking about. It’s our “thing.” It’s what we look forward to all year long. We plan. We discuss. We dream. We obsess. Seriously, there are days when the anticipation is what keeps me going. A little sick, I know, but it’s important to me. Us. I mean us. You guys know what I’m talking about.

I admit, we’re spoiled. You know that feeling, when you’re checking out from your resort, and it’s so depressing you can’t hardly stand to look at the people who are checking in? I thought, if we stayed longer, long enough that when we finally left we would actually be ready to go home, well, problem solved!

So we started going for two weeks. Why not? If we were going to drive that far, why not make it worth our while?

We actually go for 13 nights – we drive down Saturday, check in on Sunday, and stay until the following Friday (our check out / drive home day). Another point to be made – this way we maximize our weekdays in the parks and minimize the weekend days. Less crowded, you know?

See how many arguments I can make for this?

I can justify it until the cows come home, but the bottom line is we want to go for as long as we possibly can – another duh, right? And the thought of losing those three days had me more discombobulated up than Captain Jack finding out all the rum is gone.

Isn’t it great spell check didn’t ding me for “discombobulated?”

So I did the obvious thing – I called Southwest Airlines and booked his airfare. I actually got a really good price ($189 round trip), and I didn’t even hesitate.

The meeting was October 8-9 in Columbus. I needed him back in Florida to help with the drive home, and on our checkout date (which was supposed to be the 9th) we leave early and drive straight through. I can’t do that by myself. I thought about getting DD13 driving lessons before we left, but my insurance apparently has a “problem” with that. :confused3

We decided he would fly to Columbus for the meeting the morning of the 8th, and fly back the evening of the 9th, and we’d head home the 10th. No one would miss any extra days of school, and the girls and I actually gained a day at WDW! Bonus!

Considering how DH hates to fly, he was a pretty good sport. And the girls and I didn’t let him see us doing the happy dance over getting that extra day. party:

We made him feel better by telling him we were going to spend the whole day shopping (which he hates), and we wouldn’t have any fun at all without him. BWAHAHA!

Love ya, babe. Mean it.

Crisis averted, we were finally, really this time, ready to go.

[Normangirls]

This looks like fun! I'm in!

:welcome:

I was going to put some self-effacing comment here about the "fun" part, but I'm too worn out from writing my last installment.

I may just start copying postings from other TR's. Change a few "DSs" to "DDs" and I'm done.

Anyway, glad to have you here!

[Normangirls]

Oh my goodness.

I just now realized that the PIN we got was the exact same bounceback offer they had when we went in 2008. Back then, I completely dismissed out of hand, because the dates were all wrong and we weren't interested in the dining plan.

D'oh! :headache:

So much for me being SUCH an expert.

Maybe receiving a PIN creates an altered state of mind:teleport:, so an offer you wouldn't normally consider suddenly makes perfect sense.

:rotfl:

[dismagiclover]

:welcome:

I was going to put some self-effacing comment here about the "fun" part, but I'm too worn out from writing my last installment.

I may just start copying postings from other TR's. Change a few "DSs" to "DDs" and I'm done.

Anyway, glad to have you here!

Hey that epistle you wrote would have tired me out as well. It all ended with such happy news though! An extra day at Disney:goodvibes I'm enjoying your report!

[Ellester]

That’s about how much time I actually spent worry about that particular point. And moved on. Dot org.

:lmao:

(Do you sing the Oscar Meyer song when you type “bologna” like me?)

Yup, I do. My kids sing it now too even though I don't think they've ever actually seen the commercial.

Just to acknowledge that Disney will, one way or another, find a way to get that money out of me. Robbing Minnie to pay Mickey, as it were.

So true! :laughing:

Isn’t it great spell check didn’t ding me for “discombobulated?”


I am suitably impressed!

Great installment! Can't wait until you actually get there! ;)

[Normangirls]

Since this thread will, undoubtedly, become an exercise in me spilling whatever ridiculous nonsense is going through my head, I thought I'd share this.

Yesterday, our pastor was talking about owning our imperfections and understanding we do not have to be perfect before we present ourselves to God -- he loves us just as we are right now.

He admitted to being a control freak, and said his wife would attest to this. He said she once asked him, "We're just going on vacation. Do you really need a binder with all of our plans mapped out? We're just going to Disney World!" And he told her yes, he really did.

That was the first time he got an "Amen!" from me!

[dismagiclover]

:rotfl: He would have gotten an Amen from me too!:rotfl:

[It'sWDW4me]

"We're just going on vacation. Do you really need a binder with all of our plans mapped out? We're just going to Disney World!" And he told her yes, he really did.

:confused3 I can't understand why anyone can't understand the importance of the Disney trip binder (mine is a plastic envelope with the string closure thingy, actually). :dance3:

I'm loving your TR (and the B&TB songs that are running through my head :cool1:). Keep it coming!

[Normangirls]

:confused3 I can't understand why anyone can't understand the importance of the Disney trip binder (mine is a plastic envelope with the string closure thingy, actually). :dance3:

I'm loving your TR (and the B&TB songs that are running through my head :cool1:). Keep it coming!

:welcome:

Thanks for joining in!

[disneylovin24]

Sounds like this is going to be a good trip reportpopcorn::

[Normangirls]

Sounds like this is going to be a good trip reportpopcorn::

As I've said before, seriously, don't get your hopes up. :dance3:


But,

:welcome:

[hucifer]

I am really enjoying this report. You are a great writer!

And thumbs down on you not posting pics of yourself. I need to put a face to the wit.

[disneyaddicted]

I like you, you're really funny and I am really looking forward to more of your TR.

[Diamondintheruff]

Even so called Disney "Experts" miss stuff sometimes. Like when we went to morning EMH at AK and tried to do Kali River rapids first. We soon found out they aren't part of the EMH experience. Opps!

I would be boring if we were perfect all the time.

[Normangirls]

I like you, you're really funny and I am really looking forward to more of your TR.

:welcome:

I'm so happy to have you here!

Thanks to everyone who has joined my ramblings. I'm working on an update soon.

[Normangirls]

(WARNING: I just read through this one last time, and realized I am completely insane. :crazy: So I will apologize ahead of time for the whining, and for, in some cases, the complete lack of sentence structure.)

Whew. We got our PIN, we got our reservations, and we managed an emergency-landing-on-the-Hudson save (have we turned that into a pop culture phrase yet?) by forcing DH to fly home for his meeting. The worst is behind us right?

Would I say that if it didn’t get worse?

Years before, after learning about CRT and 180 day ADRs (yea, DIS!), I had quickly become a self-proclaimed expert. I had it down. I knew when to call, what number to call, what buttons to push, and what to ask for (14079393463, say “reservations,” say “no,” say “IneedCRTforOctober6at8:00pleaseandthankyou!”). And then three things happened.

One – Disney went to 90 day ADRs.
Two – Disney opened free dining up to the public (so much for my exclusive little Precious).
Three – they introduced on-line ressies.

All this combined made for the absolute WORST experiences of my life with Disney. (NOTE: I know, if this is the worst thing I ever have to experience, I really have nothing to complain about – there are obviously worse things out there people have to deal with every day. Wearing a mullet, listening to Miley Cyrus “sing” live, and ending up on peopleofwalmart.com come to mind as examples. I’m just saying, if Disney really wants to be my happy place, then nothing about it should be this hard.)

First, I prepped for the new 90-day ADRs. Everyone on the DIS was talking about how it was MUCH worse than the 180-day system. I loved the 180-day system. Yes, I still obsessed about calling at 7:00 a.m. on my date, and yes, I would practice the night before so I knew how to get through the telephone prompts faster, but it wasn’t a race. Well, actually it was a race – it was like a marathon. You could have a loose plan, buckle down, and be ready to get through the process. You could change things, switch things around, and just keep on working to the goal.

The 90-day window made it a sprint. Shoot out of the gate, just barrel through, don’t look around, don’t slow down for any reason. Go, go, go, go! There were too many people, calling all at once, all for the same dates. Free dining to the public made this even worse. I had to bring my A-game, to be the Jesse Owens of ADRs (had to get my Ohio State reference in there).

Can you tell I was getting a little obsessive? Nothing new, just a little more pathetic when you understand that we’re talking about restaurant reservations. Not heart transplant surgery. But I couldn’t stop myself from letting my planning consume me. DH threatened to take away my internet privileges, but I reminded him he’s not the boss of me.

Since we were staying on-site, we had the 90+10 thing going for us. And I really over-thought this and came up with a plan. Since we could get ADRs up to 10 days into our stay, and most people do not stay that long, then on my call date (June 29th) most people would be asking for dates for the first week after 9/27. But fewer people would be asking for dining dates toward the end of my stay. So I would try for CRT and Le Cellier on days nine and ten. I was one Smarty-McFarty.

We planned out all the other places we wanted to try, and then I ran into the when-are-they-going-to-release-park-hours thing (Hamm from Toy Story: “They can’t be serious!”). In the end I only had September hours to go with. In the past, park hours were pretty predictable, following the same pattern from year to year. But, of course, Disney decided to mix it up a little bit (to whatever Stephen Hawking Cast Member who decided that: thanks.), and they did not seem to be following the same pattern as 2008, so I couldn’t be certain what to do with my October dates. I had never cared before, since our only ADRs in the past were CRT and Chef Mickey’s – I would just pick a date for each, and we could work around it. Not so easy when you have 13 free dining credits to schedule (oh, poor me:charac2:). What if I scheduled Crystal Palace on a day we absolutely HAD to be at EPCOT? Curse you, free dining! O.K., not really.

O.K., I was not going to lose my head over this. Deep breaths. I would just plan it out, and see what happens. What else could go wrong?

How about the introduction of on-line ADRs?

I should have paid more attention when this was launched, but it wasn’t until the week before D-day that I realized I needed on-line ressies to be part of my plan if I were going to pull off the precise execution I wanted. Time to learn something new!

It’s really a shame none of these skills can go on my resume, you know?

So I learned the system. (I’m not making this up) I spent a lot of that weekend at the office, on the computer, perfecting my game. :surfweb: I spent more time on this than I did on childbirth classes, including the refreshers. But I was ready to go.

You think all this is sad? Here’s where it gets really pathetic. I couldn’t sleep the night before. I kept waking up, worrying I’d miss my alarm clock. Worrying that our computers at work would go down. Worrying that I’d planned too much, and wouldn’t be able to make any changes if I needed to. Worrying about park hours. Worrying that I needed to feed the cat. Worrying about CRT. What if I can’t get CRT? I love CRT. I love eating in the castle. I want to live in the castle.

(OFFTOPIC: I wonder if it is true that Tom, Katie and Suri stayed in the castle suite recently. That would be awful. It would kind of cheapen it, you know? They don’t “deserve” that anymore more than many, many other people. What about letting people from our armed forces stay there? Or, auction it off for charity? O.K., off my soapbox. And has anyone ever actually seen a “soapbox” these days? We need a new phrase. How about “on my blog/rant” for 2010? O.K., this time I’m really done.)

I got up on time. I got to the office on time. My secretary was on vacation that day, so I put a sign on my closed door that said “On a conference call – do not disturb.” I was ready. I logged on at 6:00 a.m., and hit the ground running. First up, CRT. Got it! Yeah, WDW dining, in your face! Then Le Cellier – got it! Woo hoo! This was too easy. Then I tried for Chef Mickey’s on our check-in date. Nothing. We always eat at CM our first evening, so this threw me for a loop. I went ahead and booked Crystal Palace for a 3:30 dinner (lunch + dinner = linner? Dunch? Aaahhh! Stay focused!).

And so it went. It quickly became a struggle to find anything open when or where I needed it. :badpc: Some of my easier to-get ressies I had planned for our first few days, so those went O.K. I even stumbled on a slot at 1900 Park Fare for one evening, so I snatched that up, too. But my arch-nemesis turned out to be the Hoop-de-doo Revue. For that one (and for CRT, too, in case you care) you had to give a credit card number to hold the ressie. That slowed me down. Can’t have that. Got to keep going. Go, go, go! I went through it, and realized I had reserved the 9:00 p.m. show. Are. You. Kidding? This is a place for families, and they think anyone really WANTS to eat at 9:00?

I was working the on-line system like it was an angry bull and I was a rodeo clown (there you go – with no pictures of me posted, just picture a rodeo clown:clown:), and by now it was 7:00. Yes, I had spent an hour on the computer and was not done yet. With my problem with the HDDR, I went ahead and called 407-WDW-DINE. I called at exactly 7:00, was put on hold, put the phone on speaker to wait, and kept plugging away on-line.

For the record, with my door closed and blinds pulled, no one could see me in my office slowly losing my freakin’ mind.

I was on hold for 53 minutes. If I had to wait 53 minutes, how many people had called, with me, at exactly 7:00 and beat me to the punch by 0.0038 seconds? Or did they only have four people working the phones? Finally a charming young lady who obviously HATED her job (and me personally) answered. And told me she could not make any reservations, as her computer was down. :faint: After 53 minutes on hold, you’re telling me you can’t do anything for me? Then why did you answer your phone?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Rather than debate with her the logic of answering a phone when you are unable to do ANYTHING (I’m still carrying a bit of residual anger. Can you tell?), I hung up and called again. That time I was on hold for 72 minutes. I’m not exaggerating, I have a little timer on my phone. By the time the young man answered, I was exhausted. I had run both the marathon and the 100-meter dash, it was after 9:00, I was out of coffee, and had absolutely not sense of humor left.

(ANOTHER SIDE NOTE: I was a stressed out Human Resources Manager with no secretary to run interference for me the rest of the day – not a stellar moment in my career, and to Craig, who came in that day to ask about his vacation time, I’m really, really sorry about my comment about your stupid Michigan shirt. And about throwing that stapler at you.)

So this CM talked me down. He was like my very own Disney crisis counselor. He soothingly talked to me about my HDDR ressie, and cancelled it for me. He patiently reviewed everything I had done so far to make sure I wasn’t double-booked. He even praised my excellent dining choices (“Who’s a good girl with her ADRs? You are! Yes you are!”:dogdance:). He may have even suggested I try some yoga and a nap.

And after all this complaining and moaning, I ended with some great ADRs.

9/27 Crystal Palace 3:35 p.m.
9/28 Biergarten 5:35 p.m.
9/29 Kona 10:20 a.m.
9/30 Crystal Palace 8:30 a.m.
10/1 Boma 9:20 a.m. and Trails End 5:50 p.m.
10/2 1900 Park Fare 6:00 p.m.
10/3 ESPN (no ressie)
10/4 Chef Mickey’s 5:00 p.m.
10/5 Tony’s 5:00 p.m.
10/6 CRT 8:05 a.m.
10/7 Le Cellier 4:55 p.m.

We did change some of our plans later, and cancelled a few things, but overall I felt like we were really poised to take full (and I do mean FULL) advantage of free dining.

As for the actual dining experiences, I have to say I felt a little let down. You’ve heard the complaints about changed menus, sub-par food, and the overall decline in the quality of the food and experience at Disney, and I agree with all of it. The two places with which I have the most experience, CRT and CM, were both a let down. That's why I didn’t name this installment “And a dinner here is never second best…”

But it was "free."

We also learned that we are, in fact, a family that doesn’t like being tied down with an inflexible plan. And we don’t like spending so much time at sit-down meals.

Now watch: for the rest of my life all I'll ever get is a stupid free dining PIN.

[hucifer]

(WARNING: I just read through this one last time, and realized I am completely insane. :crazy: So I will apologize ahead of time for the whining, and for, in some cases, the complete lack of sentence structure.)
At least the spelling is correct.

Would I say that if it didn’t get worse?
True dat.

I really have nothing to complain about – there are obviously worse things out there people have to deal with every day. Wearing a mullet, listening to Miley Cyrus “sing” live, and ending up on peopleofwalmart.com come to mind as examples.
True, true, and true.


I was one Smarty-McFarty.
So you were both smart and offensive?


Curse you, free dining!
I say that every time we go to the World. Every. Time.


I put a sign on my closed door that said “On a conference call – do not disturb.”
Way to take advantage of the system.


I was on hold for 53 minutes. If I had to wait 53 minutes, how many people had called, with me, at exactly 7:00 and beat me to the punch by 0.0038 seconds? Or did they only have four people working the phones? Finally a charming young lady who obviously HATED her job (and me personally) answered. And told me she could not make any reservations, as her computer was down. :faint: After 53 minutes on hold, you’re telling me you can’t do anything for me? Then why did you answer your phone?!?!?!?!?!?!?
Yep, I'd be furious too.


He even praised my excellent dining choices (“Who’s a good girl with her ADRs? You are! Yes you are!”:dogdance:).
:lmao:


That's why I didn’t name this installment “And a dinner here is never second best…”
I'm surprised you haven't run out of lines from the movie yet.

Now watch: for the rest of my life all I'll ever get is a stupid free dining PIN.
That is more than likely. And you'll have the same mishaps next time, too.

I loved this installment! I giggled throughout the whole thing.

[Normangirls]

So you were both smart and offensive?

NOZZUB!




Glad you liked it!

I am having to search more and more to find a good Belle quote that fits. I can't quite figure out what to do with, "I use antlers in all of my decorating!"

Or, "And every last inch of me's covered with hair!"

[It'sWDW4me]

Oh. My. GOD.

I almost passed out!!! Reminder - stop laughing, deep breath, double over screaming with laughter, and repeat! Too freakin' funny. :lmao::rotfl2::worship:

It can't be so funny because I do the same danged thing prepping for my ADR day (2/16/10 here I come baby!), can it?

[Normangirls]

Oh. My. GOD.

I almost passed out!!! Reminder - stop laughing, deep breath, double over screaming with laughter, and repeat! Too freakin' funny. :lmao::rotfl2::worship:

It can't be so funny because I do the same danged thing prepping for my ADR day (2/16/10 here I come baby!), can it?

It's all about the strategerie!

Are they back to the 180 days? If so, you're going in August, right? I'm jealous.

[Diamondintheruff]

Reading your last installment about booking ADR's totally brought me back to the first time I did my ADR's. Only I wasn't on hold or had to deal with the switch to online systems or the 90 days. But I still feel your stress.

Joining TGM really stressed me out. I got to the point where I envied "them". "They" didn't know what they were missing out on. "They" were oblivious in their wanderings. I know too much to be "them" but there is something to be said for spur of the moment plans. ADR's do not make for spur of the moment plans. But there has to be a happy in between somewhere. That's what I strive for now.

[Ellester]

Oh my! I so needed to read that installment! We've been on sick kid duty here (stomach virus, sinus infections, and the "worst ear infection I've seen in a while" says the pede) and I really needed a good laugh! I mean, not to laugh at your misfortune of being on hold for half your life, but that was one great post! Thinking about ending up on peopleofwalmart.com just makes me shudder. :scared1::scared1::scared1::scared1: And I hope poor Craig has figured out his vacation on his own and doesn't have any questions about his health care coverage! :rotfl2:

[Normangirls]

"They" didn't know what they were missing out on. "They" were oblivious in their wanderings.

You know ignorance is bliss, but all those blissful people also end up eating at the Plaza.

Oh my! I so needed to read that installment! We've been on sick kid duty here (stomach virus, sinus infections, and the "worst ear infection I've seen in a while" says the pede) and I really needed a good laugh! I mean, not to laugh at your misfortune of being on hold for half your life, but that was one great post! Thinking about ending up on peopleofwalmart.com just makes me shudder. :scared1::scared1::scared1::scared1: And I hope poor Craig has figured out his vacation on his own and doesn't have any questions about his health care coverage! :rotfl2:

Well, good heavens! I hope everyone is feeling better.

Craig is doing just fine -- you can hardly see his stitches anymore.

[disneyaddicted]

NOZZUB!




Glad you liked it!

I am having to search more and more to find a good Belle quote that fits. I can't quite figure out what to do with, "I use antlers in all of my decorating!"

Or, "And every last inch of me's covered with hair!"
I've always liked the part "I'm especially good at expectorating" gross as it is, it's still funny, it's a classy way of saying "Yea, I spit and I'm good at it, so what?"

Your post was funny. I had the same issues making my ressies, I was hooked on the T.V show lost at the time and all my Disney dreams were intertwined with lost.

[Normangirls]

I've always liked the part "I'm especially good at expectorating" gross as it is, it's still funny, it's a classy way of saying "Yea, I spit and I'm good at it, so what?"

Your post was funny. I had the same issues making my ressies, I was hooked on the T.V show lost at the time and all my Disney dreams were intertwined with lost.

O.K., how would someone like Gaston know that word? Just saying.

[hucifer]

I am having to search more and more to find a good Belle quote that fits. I can't quite figure out what to do with, "I use antlers in all of my decorating!"

Or, "And every last inch of me's covered with hair!"

I'll be most impressed if you can fit those two lines into your report...but hopefully that second one doesn't refer to you. :scared:

[Normangirls]

I'll be most impressed if you can fit those two lines into your report...but hopefully that second one doesn't refer to you. :scared:

I do have a post coming up about my brother...

[disneyaddicted]

O.K., how would someone like Gaston know that word? Just saying.I know right!? it's a contradiction of his character, expectorating is spitting with class and we all know Gaston is lacking in all social graces, but still...expectorating? I just love that word, which sounds better?

(this is me talking to my 17 year old son)

Jimmy quit spittin!
or
Jimmy stop expectorating!

[Pixie Princess]

:rotfl2: That's me reading your ADR experience. I have done the same thing.. office door closed, blinds shut, do not disturb sign on door and dialing finger ready to go! If I want HDDR on the day I arrive, I gotta do what I gotta do!

[Normangirls]

O.K., my brother isn’t mean, coarse or unrefined, but what an excellent title!

I had experienced some weird ups and downs planning this trip, and was (I thought) finally on the downhill slide into the land of magic, dreams, and “free” dining.

The summer was slipping away, and Labor Day weekend my family descended upon my house like it was a freakin’ Red Roof Inn. They all like to get away, and I’m the only one who lives “away” so there they were. Amid all the craziness of having seven houseguests, and the start of the county fair (where DD13 was showing her 4-H projects all weekend long), DB and DSIL wanted to talk to me privately about something.

Which DSIL followed up with immediately with, “I am not pregnant!” :rotfl2:

When we finally got a moment alone, they sprung it on me that they wanted to go to WDW with us!

I had a number of reactions.

Shock – we’ve always wanted to go together, but it just never seemed to work out.

Dismay – they wanted to keep it a secret from their two girls. Did you ever hear the theory that, since there are so many spiders in the world, you are never more than seven inches from a spider? That was how my house was that weekend – you were never more then seven inches from a person you were hiding a secret from. :crowded:

Joy – our daughters are like peas and carrots, so this would be like Christmas, birthdays and Arbor Day all rolled up in one (What? Don’t you celebrate Arbor Day? Send Arbor Day cards? Have the traditional Arbor Day feast of circus peanuts, asparagus, and liverwurst sandwiches?). This would also be a truly excellent surprise for Nana’s upcoming 70th birthday.

Panic – did I mention that this was less than one month from the day we were to leave? DB hadn’t been to WDW since we were kids, so he was clueless. Flashes of resort reservations, park tickets and ADRs were sparking through my brain like a bad 80’s music video (“Take on me, take me on, I’ll be gone, in a dreeeeeam…”).

Now, DB and DSIL are the kind of people who tend to change their plans. A lot. So I was first curious to see if they would stick to it and really do this. They did.

So, some more introductions:

DB – older, much older, than me. He survived his wild youth, became an architect, and then a successful entrepreneur. He is a dork.

DSIL – also a former architect, she and DB run their business together. She is very artistic, and I couldn’t ask for a better “in-law.” I’ve told them many times, if they ever broke up, I’m keeping her and sending DB back to her family.

DNiece8 – she and my DD9 are the bestest of best friends. They can spend hours, days, together, and nothing makes them happier. DD9 spends a week with them every June, and it is the highlight of her summer.

DNiece3 – she is just a few months younger than my DD4, and they are at that funny stage where they want to play together but are too young to figure out what to do with each other. Usually they are very content watching a movie, or just playing in the same room.

I explained that we needed to get crackin’. They needed to decide on dates so we could start with resort reservations. They were honestly amazed that the resort could, possibly, be full. They picked some days, and couldn’t get in. I had them tweak their dates a little, and still no go. Finally we called (instead of making reservations on-line) and talked to a super helpful CM, and got dates worked out. Good – room reservations done.

The next few weeks are a bit of a blur to me, and kind of hard to explain in any coherent way. I was super busy at work, trying to finish up a few projects in record time before vacation. DB and DSIL were super busy, too, since they had just decided to shut down their business for most of a week to go with us. We talked as often as we could, e-mailed a lot, and I explained some of the following things over and over and over:

1. No, “free” dining is not free, and a room discount may save you more money.
2. Yes, ADRs are hard to get under the best of circumstances, even more so with “free” dining and your travel dates a mere three weeks away.
3. Yes, Disney would certainly offer you “free” dining even if it is next to impossible for you to get in to any of the table-service restaurants.
4. No, I really cannot add you to our CRT reservations, although I am calling and trying to do so every single day.
5. Yes, there is a difference between the quick-service plan (which was their “free” offering) and the regular dining plan (which was what we got), but if you cannot get any reservations, why do you think you should upgrade?

This went on and on and on. Over and over.

This was a very difficult situation, and I was not handling it as well as I should have.

CONFESSION TIME: :maleficen I was excited to have DB and DSIL traveling with us, but I was also being quite selfish about my ADRs. The reasons we went with the “free” dining was because we knew it would allow us, this one time, to eat at places we had never experienced. And they decided to come at a point of our trip when I had CRT, Chef Mickey’s, and Le Cellier scheduled. I couldn’t add them, and I didn’t want to cancel. They completely understood and told me they had no problem with us going to our dinners and meeting up with them later. Of course, since they were being so nice about it I felt even worse.

We had a family powwow (over the phone) and I explained how I was feeling, and everyone talked it over and all was good. So we would be together when we could, split up when we needed to, and still be together. As it should be.

So our grand Gathering grew to be really, really grand, and all we had to worry about was keeping 12 people happy. Twelve very different people. Some of whom are all commando all the way, and some of whom seemed to think vacation was for, oh, I don’t know, relaxing or something (nut jobs).

“You walked in, and oops-a-daisy!”

Jumping ahead a bit, we did not tell any of the kids what was going on. DB and DSIL surprised their kids on DN8’s birthday, but we were already in Florida at that point, so my girls were still clueless. The day they arrived, we made sure we were back at the hotel that afternoon. DD9 had been making comments all week about how she wished DN8 could be there, and she wanted to buy this for her and that for her (they really are best friends). We went down to the gift shop to browse around (actually waiting for the Magical Express), and again DD9 was picking out stuff for DN8. I saw them come in the door, and I said to DD9, “You know, you can’t seem to decide what to get for her. Why don’t you just ask her yourself?” And I turned her around.

Those little girls saw each other, screamed, ran together, and wrapped their arms tight around each other. :hug: They were laughing and talking at the same time, and all we could is smile. I looked around, and saw a few people, strangers in the lobby, tearing up just a little. One of our best Disney moments ever.

[Diamondintheruff]

What a wonderful disney moment. I can just imagine the screaming and the jumping that went on.

I don't blame you about being selfish about your ADR's. You had planned months in advance and done the homework. I wouldn't be willing to just give them up either.

[Ellester]

So sweet! I would have loved to see a picture or video of that little reunion! After all that frustration of getting your ADR's I'm sure you were a bit panic-y after your brother's announcement. What a fun addition to the trip though. Looking forward to more! popcorn::

[hucifer]

O.K., my brother isn’t mean, coarse or unrefined, but what an excellent title!
I thought he was hairy.

(What? Don’t you celebrate Arbor Day? Send Arbor Day cards? Have the traditional Arbor Day feast of circus peanuts, asparagus, and liverwurst sandwiches?).
So that's what I've been missing all these years.

DB – older, much older, than me. He survived his wild youth, became an architect, and then a successful entrepreneur. He is a dork.
And covered with hair.

I’ve told them many times, if they ever broke up, I’m keeping her and sending DB back to her family.
I wish I had ONE in-law I could say this about.

CONFESSION TIME: :maleficen I was excited to have DB and DSIL traveling with us, but I was also being quite selfish about my ADRs.
I wouldn't expect any different. Not that I'm slamming your character (because I'm sure it's a perfectly nice one), but I would have done the same thing. Let's face it, ADRs are gold during Free Dining Days.

Those little girls saw each other, screamed, ran together, and wrapped their arms tight around each other. :hug: They were laughing and talking at the same time, and all we could is smile. I looked around, and saw a few people, strangers in the lobby, tearing up just a little. One of our best Disney moments ever.
I actually teared up myself when I read it! What a wonderful surprise. :cloud9:

I love your TR!

[Normangirls]

So sweet! I would have loved to see a picture or video of that little reunion! After all that frustration of getting your ADR's I'm sure you were a bit panic-y after your brother's announcement. What a fun addition to the trip though. Looking forward to more! popcorn::

Yes, very fun. After the panic-y part!



I thought he was hairy.

And covered with hair.

Not that I'm slamming your character (because I'm sure it's a perfectly nice one), but I would have done the same thing.

Youk know, he is kind of hairy, not that you have me thinking about it. Eeew.

As far as my character, well, you know, :maleficen.


Thanks for playing along, guys!

[mom2cobysyd]

Hi Fellow Buckeye!

Loving your TR so far. I am glad that I am not the only ocd one when it comes to reservations, adr's, so on, and so on. :) Can't wait for the next installment.

[Normangirls]

Hi Fellow Buckeye!

Loving your TR so far. I am glad that I am not the only ocd one when it comes to reservations, adr's, so on, and so on. :) Can't wait for the next installment.

:welcome:

Go Bucks!

Glad to have you here, and I am working on an update soon.

[hucifer]

I am working on an update soon.

You better.

[Normangirls]

You better.

Can't do it now -- I'm too busy reading your update!

[DisneyDreamerMom]

Stumbled onto this and it is the funniest TR ever. I actually laughed out loud, which was bad because I'm at work! Hope you don't mind if I lurk (I'm the one crouched in the corner, just ignore me and go about your business)...

[Normangirls]

just ignore me and go about your business)...

Move it along people, nothing to look at here.

:welcome:

[hucifer]

Can't do it now -- I'm too busy reading your update!

Sweet! You found my trip report!

Careful...we bite over there.

[MrsSpratt]

I love this report.

(I think my favorite is "good girl" for the ADR's - oh, and the CM recommending yoga....:rotfl2:)

More, PLEASE!

[Normangirls]

:welcome: MrsSpratt!

I am working on an update, just trying to pare it down to make it more digestable (How much do you really want to read about rain in Kentucky, or bladder problems? You're about to find out!).

[Normangirls]

I am cheap.

Not buy-my-wedding-dress-at-Walmart cheap, but I definitely know how to stretch a dollar until it screams for mercy. And I ask you, is it wrong to feed your kids generic brand cereal? To re-use aluminum foil? To steal extra shampoo from the mousekeeping cart? To buy your pregnancy tests at the dollar store? If that’s wrong, baby I don’t want to be right.

But I’m also lazy. My motto is: why stand if you can sit, and why sit if you can lie down and take a little nap? I’m often trying to reconcile my cheap side with my laziness, and that’s how I end up working a few extra hours so I can pay a cleaning lady, so I can take a nap on Saturday afternoons. That whole conundrum is getting easier as the girls get older and can handle more chores around the house (“DD13, go throw in a load of laundry, would you? Mama can’t get up off the couch. And hand me the remote on your way out of the room.”).

OFF TOPIC: Please don’t get all outraged and post about child labor laws. I’ve stopped making them chop firewood, and I rarely ask them to drive to town to get me cigarettes anymore, O.K.?

I’ve just learned that there are things I will pay for, and things I won’t. I will pay for a trip to Disney, but I won’t pay for a deluxe resort. I will pay for a preferred room, but I won’t pay over a thousand dollars for us to fly to Orlando. I will pay for tickets to Blizzard Beach, but I won’t pay $8 for a little plate of eggs and toast for breakfast. If these things don’t make sense to you, well, you should start a support group with my DH. And you definitely should stop reading this right now, and go do your taxes or something.

How a Cheap Person Chooses a Resort

:teacher:

After our first few trips (Rack rate at the CR? Seriously?) and after discovering the DIS, I realized with better planning we could go back the WDW more often. DH, bless his little heart, was right on board with that, as were the girls (duh).

So we started our odyssey of trips to the All Start Resorts. We found ourselves in the minority of people that love All Start Sports, and we usually splurge on a “preferred” room. It is a little piece of heaven, after watching Wishes and waiting in line for 7 hours and 45 minutes for a bus, to know we are just a few steps from our room.

I know when we check in at Sports, no one says “Welcome home!” But it feels like home. Especially the out-of-date pictures on the walls (you know, the sports “stars” from, like, 1992...just like home). With Nana and Papa along, we put one of the girls in their room and we have plenty of space for everyone (not that I would ever consider putting five people in a room that allows only four, oh no, not me, no sir). We always get a room looking over the pool and close to the laundry room (easy access for DD13).

We also like the food court, another thing that puts us in the minority. But I think the variety is great, the prices are livable, and we can watch T.V. while we eat (just like home).

DD13 and I were shopping in the GF one time, and she came up and whispered, “Mom, this is the same stuff we have in the shop at our hotel, but why does it feel like it is more expensive? Let’s just go back to our hotel, like the good little rednecks we are.” That’s my girl!

So, All Start Sports (cheap) preferred room (lazy). Check!

How a Cheap Person Saves on Airfare

:teacher:

Driving (cheap, but requires effort) versus flying (not cheap, but much easier, and we can pack as much junk as we want) was harder to decide. But we’ve come up with a system, and to save $1000 we can live with it. I come home from work Friday evening and go to bed, while DH finishes loading the car, feeds the kids, does baths, and gets them to bed (I like this part of the plan – I sleep while he works). We get up and leave around 2:00 in the morning, with me driving. :drive: If I really haul butt, I can have us in Tennessee by the time they all wake up. We get some breakfast, I crawl in the back of the van, and DH takes over. I sleep until lunchtime in Atlanta. Then we cruise through the rest of Georgia (Bor. ing.), and hit Valdosta by dinner. We stop for the night, get up early, and get to WDW before noon. No muss, no fuss. Until this year.

We got up, as usual, and hit the road. Everyone (expect for me) fell back to sleep, I fired up the iPod, and set the cruise control. And it started to rain. Not cute little “drip, drip, drop, little April showers” but more like “the rain, rain, rain came down, down, down” thunderstorms. And the windshield wipers weren’t working. You know, when they leave that really wide strip of rain directly in your line-of-sight? I was suddenly driving like I was 95 years old, terrified of every little splash and noise. But I couldn’t slow down! We have a plan! Atlanta by lunch time! Have. To. Keep. Driving. I thought they were going to have to surgically remove my hands from the steering wheel, I was gripping it so hard.

Then, out came the raccoons. (DO NOT read on if you have a weak stomach, or are a member of PETA). Driving on backroads in the middle of the night, I swear I hit seven raccoons on the road this year. It was disgusting, and I made a mental note to get out and make sure we didn’t have roadkill stuck to the front of the van before the girls got out.

And the fog rolled in. How can it be foggy and rainy at the same time? Doesn’t seem possible, but I drove through pea soup from Dayton to breakfast time.

Speaking of Dayton, that’s where the construction began. Not little two lane back ups, but “we’re completely demolishing the entire interstate” construction where you have high concrete walls on either side of you. Yep, just me and the semis, which I couldn’t see clearly through the rain-covered windshield and the fog. It lasted, off an on, all the way through Ohio and Kentucky. :sad:

And DH and the princesses slept away. Buttheads.

But we had a schedule to keep, so I kept driving, and driving, and driving.

“Through the mist, through the woods, through the darkness and the shadows…”

DH woke up around 7:30, and asked, “How are thing going?” I wanted to bludgeon him with the iPod, but I couldn’t unfurl my hands from the steering wheel.

As soon as he woke up I was done. I took the next exit, pulled into a gas station, got out of the van, and walked away. In the rain. Took a few deep breaths, and maybe let out a little scream of relief. I felt better, and DH had the usual talk with the girls about how Mama is a little crazy, but that’s O.K. because we love her, yadda, yadda, yadda. He has to do that once in a while.

I went into the gas station and asked if there was an Auto Zone nearby, and the clerk told me there was one right around the corner. God love her. DH dropped us at a Burger King, and went to Auto Zone for new wiper blades. He asked them for the best, most expensive pair they had, and for the love of God, make it quick because we had a schedule to keep.

After breakfast and potty, we got back on the road. I was in the back, with a beautiful, fabulous little bed all set up, and as I drifted off the sleep, I noticed that it stopped raining. Seriously.

(ANOTHER WARNING: way too much information ahead. I’m not apologizing or anything, but you should be warned.)

I woke up as we crossed into Georgia. Oh, and what is this? What other delights do we have in store for us today? I know that feeling. I have a bladder infection. :sick: Yes, I can tell, just like that. So I got on the phone with my doctor’s office. They have Saturday morning hours, but apparently Nurse Ratched wasn’t happy about having to work that day and took it out on me. She didn’t think the doctor would call in a prescription for me without seeing me, and where would he call it into anyway? I told her all about my trip binder, conveniently stocked with a list of Walmart pharmacies all along our driving route, so I could give her the number for one in Atlanta – which we would be passing in about 90 minutes. She sighed, and said fine, she would call me back. She didn’t call (I knew she wouldn’t). After a while I called her, and she said yes, the doctor was going to call something in for me. And reminded me that he really shouldn’t be doing this. She really didn’t get it when I told her to have a magical day as we hung up! :tongue:

We got into Atlanta, and stopped at Walmart. And the pharmacy was closed for lunch. :headache: So we browsed through the store (like we haven’t spent enough of our lives inside a Walmart) and took a little potty break.

NOTE: It is so unfair that, because we have three girls, DH can make a pit stop in about 45 seconds, while I am in there for 25 minutes minimum. If you didn’t think I was weird before, this should convince you: I travel with my own little bathroom cleaning kit – paper towels, cleaner, rubber gloves, the whole bit. Before my little princess’ bums hit that seat, it has been scrubbed clean. One time we were at a gas station (EEWWW!) and I was doing my obsessive-compulsive cleaning thing, and another lady came in. I told her the other stalls were open, but she said no, she wanted to wait and use ours since she knew it would be clean. :rotfl2:

At 1:00 on the nose, I was first in line at the pharmacy. The clerk was a doll. She told me the doctor called this prescription in himself, and told them to make sure to have it ready because we had a schedule to keep! Soon we were off like a prom dress, with me properly and happily medicated.

Of course at this point, the schedule was pretty well shot, and we limped into Valdosta around 7:00, which I consider a complete failure.

Oh, yeah, driving seems like a REALLY good idea now!

In the morning, we got up and hit the road. We began to notice how hot it was (a foreboding sign of things to come). Once we got on the highway, we realized the air conditioning wasn’t working. So we drove the next two hours with the windows cracked until we finally stopped at this dumpy little gas station that advertised 24-hour repairs. As soon as we turned the van off and the on again, the air started working. We had done something to the system with the automatic start that caused the problem. Brilliant!

Fortunately, that was the end of the drama for the trip down, and we drove under that beautiful welcome sign just before lunch.

:cloud9:

[Dizneydawn]

I am so in love with you it hurts! :love:

Minus the OCD srub a dub a thons you do...right down the the UTI's and knowing your body better than an CT scan....we are the same person!

I have read the whole thing in one sitting and I cracked up and laughed till it hurt.

I am so excited to keep reading this and I love your whole family and your outlook on travel!

Okay - I will creep back to my stalker shadows! :cool2:

So glad you posted the other day (ahemmm...I mean you might have posted if it was tsill there but it is not so it is a banquised post so does that still count? Did your ticker deplete one?)

Can't wait for more!!! :lovestruc:yay::dance3:

[Normangirls]

I am so in love with you it hurts! :love:

Minus the OCD srub a dub a thons you do...right down the the UTI's and knowing your body better than an CT scan....we are the same person!

I have read the whole thing in one sitting and I cracked up and laughed till it hurt.

I am so excited to keep reading this and I love your whole family and your outlook on travel!

Okay - I will creep back to my stalker shadows! :cool2:

So glad you posted the other day (ahemmm...I mean you might have posted if it was tsill there but it is not so it is a banquised post so does that still count? Did your ticker deplete one?)

Can't wait for more!!! :lovestruc:yay::dance3:

HEY! It's Disneydawn!

:welcome:

I don't mind being deleted, but darn it, I still better get the credit for the post!

Anyway, thanks for coming over, and for not calling me the weirdo I am.

[kschafer]

Dawn told me I just HAD to come and check out your TR so here I am...

Good stuff :thumbsup2 6 pages and you just drove under the welcome sign :rotfl2:

[Normangirls]

Dawn told me I just HAD to come and check out your TR so here I am...

Good stuff :thumbsup2 6 pages and you just drove under the welcome sign :rotfl2:

:welcome:

Isn't it like the trip itself, months and months of planning and anticipation, and then poof! it's here, then it's over.

Anyway, thanks for reading!

[MrsSpratt]

Sorry about the UTI - YAY for the Doc!

[Normangirls]

Sorry about the UTI - YAY for the Doc!

I was happy that he called that in, but I was also happy to prove Nurse Ratched wrong. In you face!:snooty:

[praisehisname]

Joining in! I am so totally loving your report!!! :love:

Denise

[Normangirls]

Joining in! I am so totally loving your report!!! :love:

Denise

:welcome:

And I am so totally loving having you here! Please feel free to join in, comment, or pull me back from the ledge if I really start to lose it alltogether!

[hucifer]

I swear you're getting funnier with each update.

And I ask you, is it wrong to feed your kids generic brand cereal? To re-use aluminum foil? To steal extra shampoo from the mousekeeping cart?
No, no, and not really.

To buy your pregnancy tests at the dollar store?
Wrong? No. Cheap? You betcha.

Please don’t get all outraged and post about child labor laws. I’ve stopped making them chop firewood, and I rarely ask them to drive to town to get me cigarettes anymore, O.K.?
What's wrong with that?

DD13 and I were shopping in the GF one time, and she came up and whispered, “Mom, this is the same stuff we have in the shop at our hotel, but why does it feel like it is more expensive? Let’s just go back to our hotel, like the good little rednecks we are.” That’s my girl!
So, it's hereditary.

Then, out came the raccoons. (DO NOT read on if you have a weak stomach, or are a member of PETA). Driving on backroads in the middle of the night, I swear I hit seven raccoons on the road this year. It was disgusting, and I made a mental note to get out and make sure we didn’t have roadkill stuck to the front of the van before the girls got out.
Okay...:rotfl:
This is one hilarious visual you planted in my head. You, terrified 95-year-old woman, gripping the wheel and your teeth as the sound of splattering raccoons hit the grill while your family dozes peacefully in the back.


Took a few deep breaths, and maybe let out a little scream of relief. I felt better, and DH had the usual talk with the girls about how Mama is a little crazy, but that’s O.K. because we love her, yadda, yadda, yadda. He has to do that once in a while.
Did he do The Talk before or after cleaning off the van's grill?

One time we were at a gas station (EEWWW!) and I was doing my obsessive-compulsive cleaning thing, and another lady came in. I told her the other stalls were open, but she said no, she wanted to wait and use ours since she knew it would be clean.
:lmao:

[Kewz1]

I'm absolutely LOVING your TR!! :thumbsup2:rotfl::woohoo:

Can't wait for the rest. :rolleyes1 Don't keep us waiting too long!

Kristen

[GreatBiscuit]

Well I'm all caught up and loving your TR! The "driving the van in the rain in the middle of the night" story brought back flashbacks. :scared1: on the last minute travel companions, but :cool1: that they were ok with not having you cancel all your hard earned ressies.

Looking foward to more!

[Diamondintheruff]

Oh I've done that driving down south while it's raining cats and dogs things myself too. Only our wipers malfunctioned. THey stopped mid air. I had to drive on the shoulder with my head out the open window.

I get bladder infections too. Once you've had a few-you just know it. You don't need to waste the doctor's time with an appointment. Silly nurse. Is it wrong to wish one on her?

[floydfamily4]

I love your report! Love it. Not sure if its the opening scene (this is playing like a movie in my head) or the scene with racoons :lmao: Or maybe it is the look of disbelief with you brother and SIL. I got it! Its the whole thing:cool1::cool1:

[Normangirls]

I'm absolutely LOVING your TR!! :thumbsup2:rotfl::woohoo:

Can't wait for the rest. :rolleyes1 Don't keep us waiting too long!

Kristen

:welcome:

So glad to have you here! I'm working on an update, but life keeps interfering. We're off to Columbus for a funeral this weekend, but more next week, I promise. Thanks for reading!


Well I'm all caught up and loving your TR! The "driving the van in the rain in the middle of the night" story brought back flashbacks. :scared1: on the last minute travel companions, but :cool1: that they were ok with not having you cancel all your hard earned ressies.

Looking foward to more!

Holy Toledo, GB is here! :welcome: I'll keep writing if YOU keep writing!!!


Oh I've done that driving down south while it's raining cats and dogs things myself too. Only our wipers malfunctioned. THey stopped mid air. I had to drive on the shoulder with my head out the open window.

I get bladder infections too. Once you've had a few-you just know it. You don't need to waste the doctor's time with an appointment. Silly nurse. Is it wrong to wish one on her?

Not wrong at all. If I'm ever really wishing someone gets what they deserve, I always make sure it's something not serious and treatable with antibiotics. :maleficen

And driving with your head out the window? In the rain? Priceless.


I love your report! Love it. Not sure if its the opening scene (this is playing like a movie in my head) or the scene with racoons :lmao: Or maybe it is the look of disbelief with you brother and SIL. I got it! Its the whole thing:cool1::cool1:

:welcome: I can't claim no animals were harmed in the making of this trip report, because they just went SPLAT! Thanks for reading along!

[PrincessV]

Oh good - when I started reading, I worried that maybe I was late. Like, too late. That all the good stuff was said and reported and I'd just be left feeling sad at the end that I'd missed out on yet another great TR. :guilty:

Nope. You're on a roll and this is flipping FANtastic! :banana::banana::banana: I had all sorts of things to quote yesterday... but apparently that doesn't carry over overnight. D'OH! :headache: Sorry; I'm now subscribed and ready for action, though! :thumbsup2

[Normangirls]

Oh good - when I started reading, I worried that maybe I was late. Like, too late. That all the good stuff was said and reported and I'd just be left feeling sad at the end that I'd missed out on yet another great TR. :guilty:

Nope. You're on a roll and this is flipping FANtastic! :banana::banana::banana: I had all sorts of things to quote yesterday... but apparently that doesn't carry over overnight. D'OH! :headache: Sorry; I'm now subscribed and ready for action, though! :thumbsup2

:welcome:

Thank you for coming to the dark side.

You know, if they'd just quit giving me WORK to do (yeah, like that matters) I could get my updates done. Still, thanks everyone for reading and I promise a post soon!

[hucifer]

Oh good - when I started reading, I worried that maybe I was late. Like, too late. That all the good stuff was said and reported and I'd just be left feeling sad at the end that I'd missed out on yet another great TR. :guilty:
I'm glad you discovered this too. Normangirls is one funny chick.

Still, thanks everyone for reading and I promise a post soon!
Man, you're worse than me about posting. I just updated, so it's your turn. Let's go!

[AimKo]

just found your TR and really enjoying it!!! Looking forward to more :thumbsup2

Aim

[Normangirls]

just found your TR and really enjoying it!!! Looking forward to more :thumbsup2

Aim

:welcome:

Thanks for the positive reinforcement, and welcome!



I'm glad you discovered this too. Normangirls is one funny chick.


Man, you're worse than me about posting. I just updated, so it's your turn. Let's go!

Hmmm, should I write an update, or read yours? Sorry, but I'm just a girl who can't say no to a good truck school report. Maybe I'll write tomorrow.

[Peter Panic Attack]

Normangirls, you are a hoot.....which means Hucifer was right......which leaves me a little muddled.

Nevertheless, great TR....I'd insert a popcorn muncher here but I had a bad experience with a smilie as a child. Don't ask....too painful.

[Normangirls]

Normangirls, you are a hoot.....which means Hucifer was right......which leaves me a little muddled.

Nevertheless, great TR....I'd insert a popcorn muncher here but I had a bad experience with a smilie as a child. Don't ask....too painful.

:welcome:

But I have to ask. Is it just popcorn? What about sweet corn? Creamed corn? Corn bread? Caramel corn? Just trying to make sure I stay away from painful subjects.

[Peter Panic Attack]

:welcome:

But I have to ask. Is it just popcorn? What about sweet corn? Creamed corn? Corn bread? Caramel corn? Just trying to make sure I stay away from painful subjects.

Thank you for your kind concern. However, it's not about the popcorn....it's smiley faces in general. Ever since....the incident, I am incapable of using emoticons. Ironically, I also have issues with creamed corn....but that's another story all together.

[Normangirls]

Thank you for your kind concern. However, it's not about the popcorn....it's smiley faces in general. Ever since....the incident, I am incapable of using emoticons. Ironically, I also have issues with creamed corn....but that's another story all together.

:rotfl2:

Oh my goodness, welcome aboard!!!!!!!!!

[hucifer]

Oh my goodness, welcome aboard!!!!!!!!!

Yes, PPA is one strange bird. Also, try to ignore the emoticon in his signature. :rolleyes1

Missy, still waiting on your next update!

[Peter Panic Attack]

Yes, PPA is one strange bird. Also, try to ignore the emoticon in his signature. :rolleyes1

Missy, still waiting on your next update!

I have no recollection of how that emoticon got there.....and thank you so much for bringing up such a painful subject. While you're at it Hucifer, why don't you give me a nice papercut and pour lemon juice on it?

p.s. Hucifer is right about one thing....we are still waiting for that next update.....Missy.

[lynn71092]

Subscribing!
Better late than never.:surfweb:

[Normangirls]

Subscribing!
Better late than never.:surfweb:

:welcome: Glad to see you here!



Hi, guys! I'm recuperating from a ridiculous week-long bout of the flu, and Disney Dawn almost sent me back to the hospital with the picture of her boys on Space Mountain, but I am doing better now.

I really appreciate everyone following along, and I'll get an update done soon.

[hucifer]

I really appreciate everyone following along, and I'll get an update done soon.

We'll be waiting. Impatiently, of course.

:bored:

[kbheap]

Your TR is GREAT!! I just read the entire thing through. My boss keeps coming in to check on me to see if I am all right!

[Normangirls]

Your TR is GREAT!! I just read the entire thing through. My boss keeps coming in to check on me to see if I am all right!

:welcome:

What we really need is a way to disguise DIS pages on the computer so they look like very, very important legal documents that require lots of review. Then we could sit here all day, looking not only busy but also quite serious. And read away to our hearts content.

[hucifer]

What we really need is a way to disguise DIS pages on the computer so they look like very, very important legal documents that require lots of review. Then we could sit here all day, looking not only busy but also quite serious. And read away to our hearts content.

Dang, I could use that.

[NMAmy]

I thought I might be late to the party but we've just barely passed under the Welcome gates! I'm enjoying this so far--I always have windshield wiper issues, too.

[hucifer]

I thought I might be late to the party but we've just barely passed under the Welcome gates! I'm enjoying this so far--I always have windshield wiper issues, too.

Yay! Amy's here too!

Now if only Normangirls would show up once in a while, we'll be all set.

[NMAmy]

Yay! Amy's here too!

Now if only Normangirls would show up once in a while, we'll be all set.

:lmao: I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that she finishes!

[Normangirls]

HEY! I will finish this. Even if it kills me. Which it might. But I will finish -- I am not Mel Happyhaunt (I love making shout outs to the old timers).

And I can't post right now -- I 'm busy reading about Hucifer's solo trip and truck school. That sounds like a redneck strip mall: Hungry Henry's Hair Salon, Urgent Care, Oil Change Express, and Truck School.

[Normangirls]

And I forgot:

:welcome: NMAmy!!!!!!!!!!!!

[GreatBiscuit]

HEY! I will finish this. Even if it kills me. Which it might. But I will finish -- I am not Mel Happyhaunt (I love making shout outs to the old timers).

And I can't post right now -- I 'm busy reading about Hucifer's solo trip and truck school. That sounds like a redneck strip mall: Hungry Henry's Hair Salon, Urgent Care, Oil Change Express, and Truck School.Now that's funny. I miss Mel. I wanted to hear how the trip of the meaty lobby ended up. AND you reminded I need to go check Hucifer's TR for an update.

[hucifer]

HEY! I will finish this. Even if it kills me. Which it might. But I will finish.

You read it here first, folks.


:bored:

[Dizneydawn]

ok - I am willing to do a road trip and beat your hinny if you do not get an update done.

I have toured the corners of the earth and put 3 updates in since I left and you...well you and Richard Simmons must be sweating to the oldies.

That is the only plausible reason I can come up with for lack of post.

I mean if you were blind after staring at his back hair for 30 sweaty, bad music moments with intense viewing horror of his gyrating, Wonder Woman daisy dukes, you could be in therapy and your eyes in traction.

I mean that could possibly be the ONLY reason you do not have a smidge of an update.

Just sayin!

I mean..geesh...

And if you were still removing the daggers you self inflicted to your eye sockets to not watch his gorilla-ish flailings, you could have learned braille by now and gotten a specialized keyboard.

So really...no excuses!

So chop chop wickie wickie sister! :lmao:

[Disneybuckeye]

I just found your TR and a shout our from a fellow buckeye. I only visited the world once while growing up for one day and also thought only rich people stayed there. Even though we went to Europe multiple times, we were not rich enought to go to Disney World and stay in that amaizing hotel that the monorail went through. Go figure. Fast forward to my now being a parent and my kids, 21, 20, and 17, will tell you that we go to Disney World all the time. I am also cheap so we stay offsite at a timeshare for under $700 per week (plus we like space since we live in a 6000 sq foot house at home and have more tvs and bathrooms than people), but I splurge to fly as I can't sit in a car that long. DH and I will have our first trip on property at the Boardwalk in March 2011 thanks to an RCI exchange. A one bedroom for under $800 for the week fit my thrift side. I think we are going to pay for the dining plan as we like to eat sit down. That is our other splurge since we do quite a few meals in our condo.

Looking forward to the next update!

[GreatBiscuit]

:bored:

[Twingle]

Such a fun TR! I hope you come back to entertain us some more :)

[fairytalesfireflies]

Oh please come back! This was way too great of a report to let it die!

[GreatBiscuit]

Where be ye lass?

[AGPrincess]

So I just found this TR today (the Beauty and the Beast reference pulled me in :thumbsup2), and totally enjoyed every update. Great writing, we need more!! Your ADR saga was hilarious, and I loved the little sneak peek about your DD seeing her cousin in the gift shop - so adorable! Hope all is well with you and puh-lease don't abandon us. :goodvibes