Cafeen, DxDDP, CSR, and... A Sept 2010 PTR [Archive] - The DIS Discussion Forums

Cafeen

04-11-2010, 10:27 PM

Sooo.....How's it going?

Well, some of you may have read my last TR. If you did, thank you. If you didn't...

Now, those of you who did may remember me PTRing on there about a trip in Feb (4-11 as a matter of fact). And then, I randomly disappeared before Christmas. No TR, dropping of the feb ADR list, etc etc. There's reasons (and excuses!) for all of that, I promise.

Before I get too deep into this, I'll introduce you to myself. My name is Cafeen. It's not my real name, but you can probably figure out what it is (hint: look down ;)). I'm 31 and I work for a software development company in Mobile, Alabama. Officially, I am a Quality Assurance Analyst, but I also have the "Automation Specialist" and "Associate Developer" titles that I gave myself! I may not be as outwardly a Disneyphile as others are, but none of us ever judge on outward appearances do we?

Speaking of appearances...
http://www.disneybase.net/allanpics/23Sept-1690-500.jpg
I'm on the right, obviously

As far as personal stuff... well, there isn't much. I'm single and I don't particularly do much outside of work, PC gaming, and randomly starting website projects in my free time that I rarely finish (doh). I've been to Disney 10 (I think!) times. 9 of those 10 times were from 1980 through 1992ish. The 10th time was just last year after a 17 year hiatus (which, if your math skills are solid, tells you that it was my first time since I became this weird thing called an "adult").

So, that's me.

Now, possibly what you came here for, other than my crappy writing skills, my "plans".

Who: Well, me. And just me. This is a solo trip. My mom may make an appearance for a couple days, we haven't hammered that out yet, but mostly will just be me and my camera.
What: Um, my Disney trip.
Where: Disney of course. More specifically CSR (again). Well, this is a hope, as I have yet to book the actual package.
When: The plan is 23 Sept - 1 Oct. I've already made my ADRs, so I'm kinda locked into these dates :p.
Why: Because I want to... more detail in post #2 (unless someone ninjas a post between this one and that one... in that case, it'll be more detail in my 2nd post!)
How: That's why we're all here!

http://distickers.com/ticker/tickers/voty4agsdcnyfcz2.png (http://distickers.com/ticker/)
Note: My sig doesn't have room, and it's more fitting here. Deal with it :p

Table of Contents
The Why (Warning: Wall of Text) (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=36217975&postcount=2) - The reasons behind this planned trip. As the title says, it's a pretty big wall of text. You have been warned.
The ADRs... some semblance of a plan (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=36223659&postcount=3)
My mom hops on board and Day 1 plans (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=36239638&postcount=12)
Trip is booked! And Day 2 plans (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=36266055&postcount=14)
Day 3 Plans... slight alterations to ADRs (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=36300744&postcount=15)
Day 4 Plans - Epcot (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=36389228&postcount=19)
Day 5 - Magic Kingdom (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=36492246&postcount=23) (And some edits from the past week)
Day 6 - Hollywood Studios (bleh) (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=36632412&postcount=35)

Other Posts of Note:
Cafeen's Disney Dining Plan Cost Analysis Spreadsheet (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=36610049&postcount=32) - Shameless Self Promotion!

Background Posts
Daddy for a week, Emily's Special Trip to "Ally's Room" (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2304187) - My Sept 2009 TR. There's a considerable amount of background there.
Allow myself to introduce... myself... (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2243793) - This is my intro post, exciting, I know.

Cafeen

04-11-2010, 11:03 PM

So yes, I'm posting this immediately after posting the introduction. I could have included this in there, but I didn't. It deserves it's own post!

Now, before I go into detail on the reasoning behind this trip, we're going to take a quick step back...
(insert standard flashback effects...)

So, it's early Dec 2009 now, and I have a trip on the books for Feb 4-11. It's getting close to my 45 days out and I don't have the money yet to pay for said trip :(. You see, I was supposed to get overtime pay for work, but we ended up not needing to pull the hours, so my dreams went *poof*. It doesn't help that I spent extra money on Beth and Emily's Christmas stuff... that I was supposed to get back (more on that later).

At any rate, the end of December comes and goes, and my plans get canceled. I also drop off the face of the DISBoards at this time... no real reason for the initial drop, other than not really wanting to read about how my trip didn't go off.

So, that's that. Let's head back to the present...
(insert sub-standard flash-forward effects)

Well, now comes to the big why part. Since my last trip was canceled, I had planned on visiting before I came back in Feb 2011 (which is what Beth and I planned when we were there in Sept). I figured, another fall trip would work out great, since we always get OT in the summer, and I should be able to save whether or not, I get any. So, in late March, I started planning.

Still, I'm avoiding the actual "Why".

Well, let's just say that 2010 has NOT been a very good year to Cafeen. Early January comes, and I pick up a project at work to develop a new internal web site to assist us getting hotfixes* through beta testing and out the door. This is a great chance for me to step-up and show my stuff! However, the excitement of this is tempered by the loss of my grandmother in New Hampshire on the same day I picked up this project :(.

Memare (what I called her) had been sick with multiple cancers for awhile, I found out about that shortly after I returned from Disney last time. I had been meaning to head back up there and see her at the beginning of the year, but unfortunately, that didn't happen. I also felt a lot of guilt as I had no way to get up there for the funeral (and even more guilt as I had not gone to my Pepare's funeral 5 years ago when he passed).

Unfortunately, there wasn't much else I could do, so I dove into work. Between the first week of Jan and the last week of Feb, I worked 6 days a week, almost every week. The ones where I didn't work 6, I worked 7. One week I even pulled 101 hours (just don't check the books on that, my boss split the OT into two weeks ;)). At least this gave me a distraction...

At the time, I was also talking to Beth (see previous TR) almost every night. I had planned to head up there for Emily's birthday (late Feb), but she was going through a lot and didn't really want me up there. Heh. Anyway, I call her on Valentine's day, just to say Happy Valentine's day, and hit Voice Mail straight off. Thinking nothing of it, I leave a message and go on my way.

I keep calling for a couple days, leaving messages on the instant voice mail, and start to get worried. A few days later, it goes to the "The number you called is either temporarily disconnected, or has blocked you" message. :scared1:

So, I start to get worried, but not too bad yet. Over the next few weeks, I call every day, hoping to get through. I get nothing.

Now, in the beginning of March, I start to get sick. I get severe bronchitis every few years, and this year it was bad. I was out of work for 4 days, and nearly completely lost my voice for 2 weeks. My first day back from being sick (on a Friday, Mar 12), my mom calls me up during the day. Well, my other grandmother (this one in FL) has just passed.

So, out of a need to talk to Beth, I text her friend Tammy to get the lowdown (where the heck was she?). Well, for those who previously read my other TR... she went back to "The Jerk" (who had called DCYF on her before Christmas mind you, and who she had a Temporary Restraining Order on....) I managed to call his mom's number (because he had called me from that number before Christmas at about 3am, three times...) and she ended up calling me back. Let's just say that "angry" is an understatement. So, after much telling her that there's no way I can trust her anymore, and letting her know that our friendship was never going to be the same, and calling her out on me supporting her throughout the years while never asking for anything in return... yeah, it was done. (And, it was very hard to do with a minimal amount of voice... /shakefist at losing it!) Now, I can't blame her for making a decision for her daughter (again, see previous TR), but I can for not telling me and not thinking enough of me to let me know what was going on. This wasn't the first time either, but it will be the last.

So, after all that, I did manage to get to Grammy's funeral, so that was good. Since I live in Alabama and the rest of the grandchildren are up in New England, I felt it was important for me to show up and at least represent us.

And, my readers (if you exist!), that's where we leave off today.

Now, not everything was bad and horrible in 2010 so far. I finally got off my butt and signed up for health insurance... (something I was eligible for 5 years ago) and I built myself a nice new computer. AND the job is going really well so far, despite the massive hours I've put in. I've been impressing my boss with my programming skills and am working on carving out my own little niche in our group. So that's good. My programming skills are also getting considerably better, which is a very good thing.

*Hotfixes are what we call various bug fixes that we apply to our software between releases. We do a crap ton of these (which isn't something I agree with), so a tracking system more advanced than the old Excel sheet they've been using for years was really needed.

To Recap:
Bad Things: Lost both grandmothers :(, Broke off super-close friendship with someone I cared deeply about, Lost contact with a certain little girl who still has my heart, Had to cancel a birthday Disney trip, worked myself to sickness, Was sick for a week and voiceless for 2

Good Things: Impressed boss, built computer....

I still have two things left to do though. The first is the dentist :scared1:. I haven't been in some 18 years and it shows :(. This is one of three things that I promised myself I'd do before this trip. The next step will get working on getting my driver's license again. I had let my NJ one expire when I moved to NH (I think I covered that in my DISBoards intro post...) and never got it again. If I can complete those two goals, this trip will for sure be happening (the third was Health Insurance, but I took care of that one already).

So, there's the "Why"

Next up will be the basic rundown of my plans, but they're on an Excel spreadsheet at work, so that will come tomorrow!

And here's a couple random images from last year's trip...

http://www.disneybase.net/allanpics/21Sept-1014-500.jpg
Yup, I took that. Ain't I great?

http://www.disneybase.net/allanpics/21Sept-1030-500.jpg
A nice view of the CSR, can't wait to see that view again!

Cafeen

04-12-2010, 12:07 PM

Yup, I'm at work. It's lunch time though, so I can post (disboards, just disregard the reading I've done all morning...) or something.

At any rate, as promised, I have my ADRs here at work. So, away we go to Excel!

Thu - 23 Sept
Lunch: Most likely a CS place, as I plan to arrive in the mid-late morning.
Dinner: San Angel Inn @ 6:30pm

Fri - 24 Sept
Lunch: Liberty Tree Tavern @ 12:15pm
Dinner: Artist Point @ 7:00pm

Sat - 25 Sept
Breakfast: Tusker House @ 8:30am
Dinner: Boma @ 5:35pm

Sun - 26 Sept
Lunch: Le Cellier @ 11:30am
Dinner: Tutto Italia @ 6:05pm
(This looks like a filling day, the plan is for something lighter at Tutto)

Mon - 27 Sept
Lunch: Tony's Town Square @ 11:30am
Dinner: Citrico's @ 7:00pm

Tue - 28 Sept
Lunch: Sci-Fi Dine-In @ 11:40am
Dinner: The Yachtsman @ 6:40pm

Wed - 29 Sept
Lunch: No ADRs, probably just do CS
Dinner: Jiko @ 5:35pm

Thu - 30 Sept
Lunch: Rose & Crown @ 1:00pm
Dinner: Restaurant Marrakesh @ 6:30pm

Fri - 01 Oct
Lunch: The Plaza @ 11:50am

Now, you may notice that I didn't schedule breakfasts, well, despite it being "the most important meal of the day", I rarely (if ever) eat it. I do plan to use my 3 remaining credits to find some light breakfasts and snack credits for the others. Since I plan on staying at CSR, Maya Grill may have a couple visits from me as well (and it's typically dead in there, I got a walk up last year, at about 6pm for dinner, during Free Dining ;)).

Much of these places were on my list for the canceled Feb trip, most notably Artist Point and The Yachtsman.

Now, I'm not particularly concerned with milking the most I can out of the plan. It's more of a method to lock in the money for the food before I spend it on other stuff. It is about 70$ a night, so I know that I'll at least be somewhat close to breaking even. (I may want to take another look though...hmm). At any rate, I'm sure you can guess my plans per day from the above, but I'll go over them in some detail later!

airforcemomof2

04-12-2010, 01:14 PM

Cafeen

04-12-2010, 08:25 PM

Don't you hate it when people read your post, but don't say "hi"? So, hello there! I'm planning a family vacation for 5 the end of Aug/beginning of Sept and was reading the DIS boards instead of working :rolleyes1 and came across your post. Sounds like you have had a rough year! Good luck in your planning! :)
To be honest, it doesn't bother me... since I spend a lot of time lurking too ;).

But, without further ado, welcome! And thanks.

And.. trust me, I know all about reading the DIS instead of working.

---------
Well, that's odd. My domain name that I've had isn't being recognized, hence the pictures have disappeared (or changed into red X's if you're using MSIE)... The webspace behind it still exists, and the domain is still registered in my account (until 11 Jun 2010 when I have to renew). Wierd (my other domain doesn't work either, but my 3rd one does... internet strangeness)

mickeystoontown

04-12-2010, 08:42 PM

Just wanted to say I'm here. Now I'm going back to read the details.

rndmr2

04-13-2010, 10:19 AM

mickeystoontown

04-13-2010, 10:26 AM

First off, I am very sorry to hear that you lost two grandmothers. I know that it was hard on you. My sympathies to you and your family.

Second, I can't believe that Beth didn't even have the courtesy to contact you. What's up with her blocking your calls? Having worked in the legal field for as long as I have, I have seen quite a few cases like Beth's. They always want to give the Jerk (definitely not referring to you) another chance but it rarely, if ever, works out in the long run. I know that it hurt you more to lose Emily than it did Beth.

Yeah for setting goals! And I think your goals are more than attainable for you. You'll have them all met in no time at all.

You've got some great restaurants listed in your line up. Some I've eaten at and some I want to eat at.

disneyyprincess

04-13-2010, 11:07 AM

Well hello!!!! Yay for my first post ever on the DIS!! Just wanted to let you know that your trip sounds absolutely amazing, and you most definitely deserve it! So far you've got the food covered and believe me you will be eating like a kinggg all week with those ADR's!

Can't wait to keep reading!

aprilisis

04-13-2010, 12:27 PM

Cafeen

04-13-2010, 12:35 PM

Glad to se you back on the Boards! I'm sorry about all the craziness you've been through the past few months, sounds like you'll really need that solo trip in Sept to get away from it all. Looks like you have some good ressies planned. We are eating at a couple of those when we go in a couple weeks, can't wait! :banana:
Thanks for reading :). It's been a rough start for sure, maybe the rest of the year will make up for it?

First off, I am very sorry to hear that you lost two grandmothers. I know that it was hard on you. My sympathies to you and your family.

Second, I can't believe that Beth didn't even have the courtesy to contact you. What's up with her blocking your calls? Having worked in the legal field for as long as I have, I have seen quite a few cases like Beth's. They always want to give the Jerk (definitely not referring to you) another chance but it rarely, if ever, works out in the long run. I know that it hurt you more to lose Emily than it did Beth.

Yeah for setting goals! And I think your goals are more than attainable for you. You'll have them all met in no time at all.

You've got some great restaurants listed in your line up. Some I've eaten at and some I want to eat at.
Thanks again.

As for Beth, yup. She didn't block my calls, it's just the same message when someone's number is temporarily disconnected. She still could have contacted me though, so it's no excuse. But, what's done is done and I've moved on.

The goals are pretty important. I'm not the most...ambitious of people out there. I figure if I can get these done, then it's a step toward being semi-normal :p

Well hello!!!! Yay for my first post ever on the DIS!! Just wanted to let you know that your trip sounds absolutely amazing, and you most definitely deserve it! So far you've got the food covered and believe me you will be eating like a kinggg all week with those ADR's!

Can't wait to keep reading!
Well, first off, Welcome to the DIS :). (This is my very first "This is my first post" post too!)

I'm really looking forward to the trip, especially the ADRs. There was a lot that I missed out on last Sept (TSM, Soarin', TT, EE, BTMRR, SpaceMtn, Boma, etc), so this will be a very nice way to get to do those things.

I am REALLY looking forward to the places I didn't even try for though, Artist Point, Yachtsman... pretty much all of the Signatures.

More stuff coming up ;).

Cafeen

04-13-2010, 12:46 PM

Well, I got off the phone with my mom last night, and she happened to ask me about my plans, so I told her.

She's going to try and come on the weekend and spend some time there too. It should be quite nice as the last time she went was with my bother, sister-in-law, and nephew a few years ago and they only spent a day there. This should be nice for her to get out and see a lot of the changes over the past few years, and eat some good meals to boot.

So, this will be a "partially" solo trip now :).

As far as the plans, like I said, you can probably guess by my ADRs what my overall plans will be, but since this is about 5 months away and I have nothing better to do until then...

Day 1 - Arrival and Epcot
I've researched flights from Mobile, AL to Orlando, and there's a pretty standard 10:30am arrival, so that's the one I plan to be on. Getting to MCO at 10:30 puts me into the resort by noonish. Plenty of time to enjoy part of the day.

So, with that said, I am to head to Epcot (which was always my favorite park, except the first couple times I went...when it wasn't open yet :p). Most of this day will just be spent meandering with my camera (/dreams of a DSLR by then...). I figure that I'll hit up one of the CS places in the WS for lunch (maybe the new Mexico CS if it's open by then, although..maybe not) and putter around until Dinner.

I have ADRs at San Angel Inn for this night (as you see above) and am really excited about them. I know, I know, reviews are all over the place for that restaurant, but pfft, I don't care. I remember eating there one of the last few times we went there as a family, and it was always my favorite WS pavilion. (Note: I'm also planning to stay at the CSR... there is a trend ;)).

After dinner, more meandering and riding whatever I feel like (isn't freedom grand).

I do plan to explore Mexico, Norway, and China at least pretty deeply. We missed out on getting into the nooks and crannies of these places in Sept (this is going to be a theme for this trip, I just know it), so I'm sure it'll be interesting.

And now, there is ice cream and cookies in the breakroom, so I must bid you all adieu for now.

(Don't you all just love when Email pop up comes up stating goodies, I know I do!)

Cafeen

04-13-2010, 05:45 PM

I'm really sorry for the loss of your grandmothers. That is just awful. I'm also sorry about the way things happened with Beth.
I hope you have a wonderful trip and that your year just keeps getting better & better. Your plans sound great so far. I wish our trips overlapped, but I miss you by only 3 days!!! :headache:
I'm subscribing!You snuck in there, sneaky little devil you.

Anyway, thank you for your concern with everything, it's truly appreciated. They both had been sick for awhile, so (as bad as this sounds to say) they are really better off at peace.

I'm really getting more and more excited by the day with the plans... I have to contain myself though, I still have about 5 1/2 months to go.

-----
In other news, looks like the OT will be a sure bet this summer, as I'm already feeling the crunch and it's only April. I've added it up and by the end of July (11 weeks), I have roughly 20-24 weeks worth of work to get done (I won't bore you with the details, yet). It's going to be hectic, but it will pay off with Disney money! Now, just to get through the next few months...

Thanks again to everyone for stopping by my little thread :) Hope I can continue to entertain.

Cafeen

04-15-2010, 08:51 AM

Since today was payday, I finally was able to put that 200$ down! Wee!

So yup, it's now officially booked for the dates and place I mentioned above (23 Sept - 1 Oct @ CSR)

Day 2 (Fri 24 Sept) - Magic Kingdom
So, for day two I am planning Magic Kingdom. It's open from 9-7 (at least, that's what it said when I made my spreadsheet :p), so I'm assuming it's MNSSHP night which should lower crowds a bit.

The plan is to arrive at rope drop (and without two late risers around, this won't be too difficult!) and putt around until lunch time. Knowing me, I'll probably hit up Adventure- and Frontierlands first, as they hold a bit more interest to me personally. Not a fan of walking around wet, so I'll probably put off Splash Mtn for now, but Jungle Cruise, PoTC, BTMRR will all be sure bets.

I have lunch ADRs at Liberty Tree Tavern. I had really been wanting to go here in Feb, but even before those plans fell through, this was the location that picked up the slack from a closed Crystal Palace. As such, they gave the "thanksgiving"-style meal for both lunch and dinner :(. Not what I was going there for (I'm a pretty picky eater, and turkey is not one of the things I enjoy). With the return to the normal lunch menus I can get something else.

After lunch, I'll most likely head over to Tomorrowland and see about Space Mtn. I've never done it (I was a bit of a wimp when I was younger), so it should be good. Either FP or just hang out in line, we'll see when we get there.

By about 5-5:30 I'll start heading out of the park and make my way to the WL. I have ADRs at Artist Point for 7pm. I'm really looking forward to here. I do like red meat, so the venison, buffalo, etc are all looking good. (Not a fan of fish either, so the salmon is out :p).

Now, I'm not exactly sure when my mom is planning on coming down. If it's this day, we'll more than likely meet for dinner and head back to the resort. It's also PM EMH @ Epcot (at least, as of the aforementioned scheduling copy), so that's also an option.

That's about it for today

Cafeen

04-17-2010, 05:58 PM

I made a slight ADR change today. Looking at my 26 Sept (Sunday), I was still annoyed at how close Le Cellier and Tutto were together. I checked online for an earlier Le Cellier and was lucky enough to nab an 11:30am for "2" (All my ADRs are for 2, since the system doesn't like the number one). This spreads it out a bit better. As an added bonus, with it being one of the first lunch times, I won't get stuck in the backlog from the 12-1 rush.

Still not sold on Tutto either, a couple things there I'll eat, but if Naples 45 (the new place being put up in Italy right now) is going to be open, and I get on the ADR quickly, then I'll swap it out.

On to the plans

So, day 2 left me visiting MK and then having dinner at Artist Point. Most likely my mom will either be with me this day, or arriving later that evening (it all depends on her work schedule and if/when she'll get the time off).

Day 3 will bring an Animal Kingdom "do-over".

If you remember my TR from last year, we did not have the best time at Animal Kingdom. It was very hot and we had not yet gotten into the groove of park touring. (I also played an epic game of phone tag!) Hopefully, this year will be better. I do plan on getting there at rope drop and heading toward the safari (since EE has a single riders line, that will be my most probable course of action). I have to remember to research my camera a bit more to find that elusive "sports mode" ;).

After the safari, I'll head through the trails and take pictures, making my way back over to EE. Basically just meandering and going on whatever I feel like!

I have ADRs at Yak & Yeti for noon, so I'll want to be sure that I'm in the area.

After lunch, I'll make an attempt to check out the shows. I'm not too huge on the shows and parades, but hey, gotta do what we gotta do right? The rest of the time there will be spent just doing whatever.

In the evening, I have ADRs for Boma at 6:45pm (I thought my ressies were for a lot earlier...like 5:30ish..). And now, after some wheeling and dealing... they are for 5:35 ;). (The wheeling and dealing consisted of me going to the online reservations and selecting the stuff I needed to select :p)

So as I was saying. In the evening, I have ADRs for Boma at 5:35pm. I figure I'll hop the AKL bus around 4:30-4:45 and have a little time to check out the resort before dinner. I'm sure we'll (I have changed midstream to including my mother, since I'm pretty sure she'll be around this day :p) also spend some after-dinner time checking it out as well.

Magic Kingdom is open until 11 that night, so that will be an option after dinner as well. (Figuring dinner should be done by about 6:30).

Now, here comes a question. Not sure if anyone knows (if not, I can check Cheshire Figment's ticket sticky), but my mom is a FL resident. I know you have to show FL ID to pick up FL resident tickets, but would I be able to buy them for her to pick up? Not going around the system, more of a surprise for her when she doesn't have to worry about them. If anyone knows, let me know, otherwise I'll just not be lazy and look it up :p.

aprilisis

04-21-2010, 11:52 AM

Cafeen

04-21-2010, 09:28 PM

Your plans sound great so far- Artist Point and Boma are on my agenda in October, too!! I ate at Tutto in January & I thought it was very good. I had the Canneloni & it was cooked perfectly.
I'm not sure about the FL resident tickets. :confused3
Yay, April turned my envelope red! Hehe :)

I am super excited for Artist Point. I've heard so much good stuff about that place. Not sure if my mom is going to go there with me or not, I haven't talked about which days she's coming down yet. If she does, I figure I'll either pay for her full meal and just happen to only eat half of my included app and dessert, or somehow split it up otherwise (since I estimate that I'll be paying about 20$ for myself :p, no sense letting her spend 40-50 just on an entree at a place she'd probably not pay OOP for).

Boma is another one that I'm really excited for. As you may remember (or you may not, either way, I'm going to tell you now :p) I had missed out on this place last trip, and it was one of two that I was really looking forward to myself. There's also a good chance that it'll be both of us that day, so that will be another nice dinner. Lastly, it's the only buffet that I booked for the whole trip.

As far as Tutto, I'm interested in it, but it's not as exciting to me as every other place. Hopefully the new restaurant will be opened by then and I'll be able to snag an ADR for that day. If not, with a heavier Le Cellier lunch, I'll most likely just have something lighter (the Penne "Caprese" sounds very good).

Also, on a subject that I know you'll enjoy ;). I've started looking into picking up a new camera. I'm a Canon fan, ever since the SLR I bought back in 1999. Most likely going for a low end Canon DSLR, but of course, this is all dependent on if I get done what I need to get done, and if I have the spare money. I'm crossing my fingers though, as it was on Amazon for about 550$ including a 18-55mm lens. And, if I get all the stuff done, I'll likely at least spend my weekends traipsing around Alabama taking photos and seeing the sights (I've lived here for a year now, will be nice to get out of my little corner of Mobile).

aprilisis

04-22-2010, 03:46 PM

Artist Point is SO good. I hate mushrooms and I LOVED the Portobello Soup!
Keep us posted on the Canon. I'm dying for the Rebel T1i...though, they just released the T2i. I can't keep up!:laughing:

Cafeen

04-24-2010, 01:01 AM

Day 4 Plans - Epcot
By this time of the trip, I'll have already scoped out some of WS in Epcot, had a day at MK and a day at AK. I guess it's time to head back to Epcot.

The plan is an early one. If things go right, my mom will still be down here, so we'll aim at hitting Epcot RD and heading straight for Soarin. Again, I missed this when we were down there last year (I think we went on 4 rides in Epcot total...) We may also FP it if we see it necessary. I'll continue my touring on this side of the place with Living with the Land (this little boat ride was a favorite of mine when growing up, I was sad last year when it was down for Refurb). After The Land, I'll most likely head to The Living Seas and check out there for a bit. Then, crossing over catching SSE and hitting up both MS and TT (and grabbing FPs for one or the other if either we didn't grab Soarin ones, or our window is open.)

Figuring about an hour in The Land and The Living Seas, 20-30 mins for SSE and then an hour combined MS and TT, I should be coming right up on my lunch ADR (hopefully, some of those times are way high, as that puts it around 11:30 right there, and that's the ADR time, will have to check post-SSE once in the park). So, I'll head on over to Canada for lunch at this point. I do have the 11:30 ADRs now for Le Cellier, which should be good. Although, I did notice that the DIS (wdwinfo.com) no longer lists the chocolate moose as a dessert... Hopefully they still have it and just missed it or something when entering in the information

After Lunch, depending on FP status and what I feel like doing, I'll either continue touring WS or head back to Soarin/TT/MS to pick up another FP and use the one I picked up earlier as well as ride any where the lines aren't too bad. If I go this way, I'll also hit up Journey into Imagination. Granted, I don't really like the new version, but I'll give it another shot.

I'll hang around doing whatever until about 5:30, when I'll have to head to Italy to check in for Dinner. I have 6:05 ADRs for Tutto as of now. I am hoping that the upcoming Pizza Restuarant will have been opened by then and that I'm able to snag an ADR here though. Tutto looks decent, but for an unadventurous eater such as myself, there really isn't that much to be had.

After dinner, it's more WS exploration and Illuminations to finish out the night.

On a side note, on a whim I just snagged an 8:30am @ Tuskerr House for Sat 9/25. I'll probably end up canceling Yak & Yeti for this day (not a big fan of the menu). I figure this would be fun for mom as well. Especially since most of our dining is a bit more serious and higher scale (when she's there we'll also be doing Artist Point, Citrico's, Boma, LTT lunch and Tony's).

Cafeen

04-24-2010, 01:24 AM

Artist Point is SO good. I hate mushrooms and I LOVED the Portobello Soup!
Keep us posted on the Canon. I'm dying for the Rebel T1i...though, they just released the T2i. I can't keep up!:laughing:
I am a fellow mushroom hater, so it may be worth a shot. Though I'm pretty sold on the bambi sticks (aka Venison Pot Stickers ;)). I have liked the venison I've had a couple of times. Maybe I can convince my mom to try that soup, and I "trade" some for some of my app ;).

Which leads me to another question that I'll have to figure out... they say no sharing is allowed between dining plan people and non-dining plan people. I wonder if they'd allow for us to share if we both ordered entree's though. As in, I give her some of my entree, and I take some of hers. Granted, I'm sure they couldn't control it even if we did... but I'm just wondering what the policy on that is. I'll have to pose that to the dining plan board and see what they have to say.

As far as the camera, a lot will depend on the other stuff I need to get done as well as what work throws at us. We are looking at about 2 full months of 8-7 shifts with most Saturdays covered in there, and I have more work on top of all that to get done (my boss has thrown 1 small testing project and another development project my way as well). I am looking at either the XS (10.1 MP) for 462$ or the XSi for 575$. Both come with 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 lenses, so I'd also want to look into getting a good solid low f-stop 50mm (they have a 1.8 for around 100$, or a 1.4 for 365$....) and a standard 55-200mm or so lens as well. Then a lightweight tripod... some extra batteries and SD Cards... a case.. some filters (UV & Polarizing at the very least)... This could turn real expensive quick :p

My brother has a relatively old Canon as well, but for the life of me, I don't know which one. I think he still uses some of his old 35mm SLR lenses with it though.

I think I'll plan it out as the trip is the reward for the dentist, and the camera for the license if I have the money. I'm liking this goal/reward setting thing I have going on. Maybe I am finally growing up! (nah)

leamom2princesses

04-24-2010, 01:50 AM

Hi Allan! I lurked on your TR from your trip with Beth and Emily. I really enjoy your sense of humor. Anywho, your plans look great so far and I look forward to reading more.

I have a 3 yr old Canon XTi. I love this camera. I, like your brother, use my old SLR lenses on it. That was a major reason I bought it. Didn't want to have to buy as many new lenses. It does take beautiful pictures. Hope to read you get one. You won't be disappointed. :goodvibes

Cafeen

05-01-2010, 11:38 PM

Well, I've been slacking. I suppose it's time to write some stuff on the trip, but my home life is rather boring, so there's not much other than plans (were are, for the most part, done ><)

Hi Allan! I lurked on your TR from your trip with Beth and Emily. I really enjoy your sense of humor. Anywho, your plans look great so far and I look forward to reading more.

I have a 3 yr old Canon XTi. I love this camera. I, like your brother, use my old SLR lenses on it. That was a major reason I bought it. Didn't want to have to buy as many new lenses. It does take beautiful pictures. Hope to read you get one. You won't be disappointed. :goodvibes

Thanks :). I'm sure the TR itself will be more interesting than the PTR, since on the trip I'll actually be doing stuff. It'll be a bit different this year without the girls, but oh well.

I've added something to my requirement to get my camera. This may make or break it... As of Thursday, I am attempting to quit smoking. I've already cut down from 2ish packs a day to 1ish (though, I've been bad today... since it's the weekend), but it's going to be a bit tough. For the longest time, I haven't had a desire to quit, now that I do, I'm going to have to not half-rear-end it. I did the math, and if I had quit after Thursday, I would have saved roughly 1500$ by the time Disney was here. That would virtually pay for the entire trip!

The excitement for the camera should really help it along though. While I don't have any of my old lenses anymore :(, the one I'm looking at comes with the 18-55, and then there's a cheapish 55-200 (I think). Those, plus filters (can't live without a polarizer!) should work for the majority of what I like to do. It'll give me something to do on weekends too other than sit at home.

At any rate, I suppose I should stop jabbering and write some stuff up...

Cafeen

05-02-2010, 12:08 AM

Day 5 - Magic Kingdom
So, after a week, we arrive at day 5 (time travel is neat-o). This brings me back to the Magic Kingdom. It also (most likely) brings me to a fully solo trip time.

Well, before I go forward, let's rewind a little... (more time travel, weee!)

I have made a few edits to the ADR list, you may notice them (or you may not, since I haven't ACTUALLY made the edits yet, so if you ninja-read the at midnight (Alabama time), then you aren't going to see them. If you're reading this after I made the edits, then ignore this entire aside), or you may not.

Also, I did mention that my mom was going to come along for a few days. We're still discussing the details, especially since I have so many dining plans that we'll want to work that out ahead of time. I can't say that she has to come and pay her way at all of them, since she's not going to be on a dining plan. I figure that she may skip one or two, I'll pay for one or two, and she'll get the rest. Should work out ok. We'll see what she says after I email her the PDF of my plans (funny, I'm not particularly organized at home or work, or even on other vacations, but come Disney and I'm writing up 10-15 page documents detailing the plans...).

Oh yeah, the actual days... most likely she'll be coming either Thursday (23 Sept) evening or Friday morning (which may put a damper on MK rope drop... but that's ok, that's why I have 2 1/2 days there!). I'm guessing that she'll most likely head out Sunday evening. Of course, this puts us not visiting her favorite park (MGM) while we're there... but oh well, this is my vacation :p

First off, Saturday 25 Sept: I have added a Tusker House breakfast here @ 8:30am. Yes, I scheduled a character breakfast for me and my mom. I figured it'd be a fun thing to do.

I will also be canceling my Yak and Yeti for this day. 3 Sit down meals will be a bit much (both food-wise and mom's OOP-wise), and Yak and Yeti wasn't really grabbing me.

I also changed the times on both Le Cellier and Boma to 11:30am and 5:35pm respectively. I figure the Le Cellier earlier would help get seated quickly (pretty sure that's the first seating) as well as spread out the lunch and dinner that day. Boma was more so I wouldn't have to fill almost 2 hours between AK closing and the original ADR time (6:45pm). This makes even more sense now for not doing Yak & Yeti for lunch too.

I'm also considering adding a 1900 Park Fare dinner in here while my mom's around. Chances are it'll be either on Friday (forcing me to move Artist Point) or Sunday (forcing me to cancel Tutto, which I'm ok with). Sunday may be an issue with the time she plans to leave though...

So... while I have solid plans for dining now, as you guys all know (erm.. both know? heh), they're never really set in stone :p.

So... now we fast forward again to "today" (or several months from today....).

So... I just wanted to start a 3rd paragraph like that. On Monday (Day 5 AKA 27 Sept for those keeping score at home), once again the plan is for Magic Kingdom. If I did rope drop on the previous Friday, I'll try to sleep in some (it's strange, I hate getting up before 9am at home... but at Disney, which is an hour ahead of me, I can't sleep past 6:30am...). I will walk around the Magic Kingdom for the morning with the goal of taking at least 50 pictures (and not of crap either!). This should keep me entertained for a bit, since I kinda have to entertain myself here. I'll hop on the rides I feel like doing and otherwise meander, putter, roam, stroll, etc around. Nothing much to add, I'm not going with a certain order to do things, I'm definitely not doing with a Touring Plans Schedule, I'm just going to figure it out as I get there.

So, after awhile, I'll be hungry. Good thing I made ADRs for lunch. This should give me something to do for awhile. I'm eating at Tony's Town Square at 11:30 (which gives more reason to possibly cancel Tutto the night before, 2 Italian meals in a row... like that's ever bothered me before though!)

After lunch, I'll play it by ear a bit until dinner time. I have ADRs at Citrico's for 7pm. I'll eat and then head back to CSR for the night (or back to MK... or wherever I feel like going!)

And that about sums up the day.

dizneeat

05-02-2010, 02:04 AM

OhioDisneyLover

05-02-2010, 07:23 AM

Sorry to hear about your losses. :sad2:

I'm enjoying reading about your plans so far. Epcot is our favorite park as well.

Your dining choices are great.

Looking forward to reading more.

mickeystoontown

05-03-2010, 09:00 AM

Well, if you've been slacking on posting installments, then I don't feel so bad about slacking on my reading. I swear I can't seem to get caught up here lately. Have no real excuse other than, simply, life.

Congrats on deciding to stop smoking. Not only will that help your pocketbook but that will be great for your health too.

I know you were wondering about people on the dining plan and not on the dining plan sharing entrees. I haven't had that exact experience but we always share entrees (on the dining plan) and haven't had anybody tell us that's a no-no. I don't see why it would matter if you are both paying customers.

trickiwoo

05-03-2010, 09:33 AM

Hopping on board for your PTR!

I hope you're able to get a DSLR before your trip! I'm going in Sept and it will be my first WDW trip taking a DSLR! Last year I chose to only bring a P&S because I really wanted to focus on going on rides since it was my very first time at WDW! But now that I've done most of the rides, for my next trip I'm planning on taking loads of pictures! So now I just have to figure out which cameras and which lenses to bring!

Cafeen

05-03-2010, 09:04 PM

So sorry to hear you lost both of your grandmothers! :sad2: So sorry you had to cancel your other trip but

:cheer2:

for the plans on your upcoming trip! Love the ADRs and daily plans! Helps with my own plans! :lmao:

Can't wait to hear more!
Thanks :) Glad that my strange, nearly obsessive behavior toward this one thing (since I only act this way toward Disney) can help someone out.

Sorry to hear about your losses. :sad2:

I'm enjoying reading about your plans so far. Epcot is our favorite park as well.

Your dining choices are great.

Looking forward to reading more.
Thanks to you as well :). I'm really liking MOST of the choices. Not sold on Tutto yet, but hoping for the new restaurant to be open by then, and have taken ADRs. If I can get that dinner there instead (or move R&C or Marrakesh around to get a dinner there at all), then they will be pretty much perfect.

I am having trouble moving things around to see about 1900 PF dinner though. I like having my ADRs near (or at) the park I plan to be at that day, so it looks like this plan may be kaput.

Well, if you've been slacking on posting installments, then I don't feel so bad about slacking on my reading. I swear I can't seem to get caught up here lately. Have no real excuse other than, simply, life.

Congrats on deciding to stop smoking. Not only will that help your pocketbook but that will be great for your health too.

I know you were wondering about people on the dining plan and not on the dining plan sharing entrees. I haven't had that exact experience but we always share entrees (on the dining plan) and haven't had anybody tell us that's a no-no. I don't see why it would matter if you are both paying customers.
When I fall behind on DISing, I just blame the boss. Even if it's over a weekend that I wasn't working, it's still the boss's fault.

The smoking thing will be tough, I was pretty good the first couple of days, but this weekend... not so much. I have made it through so far today on about 1/2 a pack, but I spent 3hrs sleeping after work (and about 2 hrs at the dentist this morning). If I do quit though, it will make for an easier time at Disney. I won't have to seek out those extra-hidden DSAs...

As far as the sharing, I know that we'd not be allowed to full on share, but who's going to say anything about her taking a bite of my appy, entree, or dessert? If all else fails, I'll just happen to only want about half of the appy or dessert and the restaurant police can hunt me down if they see the need!

Hopping on board for your PTR!

I hope you're able to get a DSLR before your trip! I'm going in Sept and it will be my first WDW trip taking a DSLR! Last year I chose to only bring a P&S because I really wanted to focus on going on rides since it was my very first time at WDW! But now that I've done most of the rides, for my next trip I'm planning on taking loads of pictures! So now I just have to figure out which cameras and which lenses to bring!
Very nice :). When in Sept are you going?

It's been so long since I've gone shooting, that I don't really have advice to give. I do know that if you have a fast lens, you should be able to get some decent dark ride pics (without a flash). There was a guy over on the photography boards who brought a 50mm f1.4 (I think...) and those pics were insanely good.

--------------------------------------
(That line separates out the responses with my own stuff.... so does this descriptive aside)
--------------------------------------
(And that one for good measure)

So, the dentist was today... it was as much "fun" as I remember it. Get my teeth scraped and gums all poked to heck and back, and then told that I shouldn't drink my soda anymore. At least they said I brushed well and that the only problems was due to the excessive amounts of sugary soda I drink. It'll take some work to right it 100%, but nothing beyond cavities in there after 15 or 16 years (ok, some of them are real bad and will likely require the removal of the tooth... but still, it could be worse.)

BTW, I hate the dentist... I was all shaking after she finished the cleaning part. Guess I probably should have accepted the nitrous...

And on the smoking front, as mentioned, I've been bad. Still an improvement over this time last week, but not as good as Thurs and Fri. I have found myself smoking less of a cigarette each time I smoke (typically 1/2 - 2/3), but I'm going outside at work nearly twice as often... Oh well, it's a process. I just gotta keep the XSi in my thoughts...

And lastly, Free Dining and 30% room discounts came out today (30% Value/Mod, 40% Deluxe/Villa). I was going to call Disney after work to see if I could take advantage and how much each option would be.. but I fell asleep. I'll call tomorrow during one of my breaks.

Post-lastly, I have to find a way to get some Mickey heads. Without a car, heading to Home Depot is tricky since I don't have a car, nor will really ever need anything at Home Depot. And asking my friends from work may be strange... as they wouldn't quite get the concept of the LGMHs... I suppose I'll figure that out too.

And even post-er-lastly... I need to start working on my photo assignments for Disney. I figure, being solo that it'll give me something to do. Whether I'm still using my P&S (Canon Powershot A1000IS 10MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Grey).. yes, I copied that from the Amazon link in my past orders...) or I get the new one, either way will work. I'll start getting this organized and then likely ask for help for ideas ;).

KatMark

05-05-2010, 09:57 PM

leamom2princesses

05-05-2010, 11:41 PM

Well, I've been slacking. I suppose it's time to write some stuff on the trip, but my home life is rather boring, so there's not much other than plans (were are, for the most part, done ><)

Thanks :). I'm sure the TR itself will be more interesting than the PTR, since on the trip I'll actually be doing stuff. It'll be a bit different this year without the girls, but oh well.

I've added something to my requirement to get my camera. This may make or break it... As of Thursday, I am attempting to quit smoking. I've already cut down from 2ish packs a day to 1ish (though, I've been bad today... since it's the weekend), but it's going to be a bit tough. For the longest time, I haven't had a desire to quit, now that I do, I'm going to have to not half-rear-end it. I did the math, and if I had quit after Thursday, I would have saved roughly 1500$ by the time Disney was here. That would virtually pay for the entire trip!

The excitement for the camera should really help it along though. While I don't have any of my old lenses anymore :(, the one I'm looking at comes with the 18-55, and then there's a cheapish 55-200 (I think). Those, plus filters (can't live without a polarizer!) should work for the majority of what I like to do. It'll give me something to do on weekends too other than sit at home.

At any rate, I suppose I should stop jabbering and write some stuff up...I COMPLETELY understand the pain of quitting smoking. I'm happy to say I will be hitting my 3 year quit anniversary on 6/3. I couldn't believe how much money I had left each week after I quit. I had a habit like yours and only name brand cigs for this girl so lots of $$$. Hope you do quit so we can see some pics with your new Xsi! You've got this, your a smart guy just put your mind to it. ;)

Cafeen

05-06-2010, 07:07 PM

Allan, I was on mickeystoontown pre-trip report and saw you posted so I found the link to your pre-trip report. I am so glad I found it as I so much enjoyed last year's trip report.

First, I am so sorry about you losing both of your grandmother's, and so very sorry about the issues with Emily's mother; I know how much you love that little girl. :hug:

I am so glad you are going back to CSR for your solo trip. As you saw in my PM to you, we are going back too...but we will miss you by two or three days...this makes me very :sad2:

I have a pre-trip report going as well if you would like to join in.

But I'm here for the duration.
Hey Kathy :). I've actually been lurking on your PTR too :p. I don't post nearly enough outside of my "comfort zone" (Dining Boards mostly, not sure why but I seem to know a lot about that process :confused3), but I've been reading along :).

The Emily thing, yeah, it sucks. It's gotten easier over the past couple of months. It was really difficult at Grammy's funeral, not so much missing Beth at that point, but Emily was constantly in my thoughts. At least they're doing alright, from what I hear and that's what matters most.

And, CSR, I just love it. I've always been a fan of the Southwestern/Mexican style, ever since I took a special class in grade school about it. (Yeah, I was a nerd :p)

I COMPLETELY understand the pain of quitting smoking. I'm happy to say I will be hitting my 3 year quit anniversary on 6/3. I couldn't believe how much money I had left each week after I quit. I had a habit like yours and only name brand cigs for this girl so lots of $$$. Hope you do quit so we can see some pics with your new Xsi! You've got this, your a smart guy just put your mind to it. ;)
Thanks for the support. I've been getting better, but still far from where I need to get. I suppose the fact that the Circle K right near my house always knows what to get me isn't helping. Going to make a real effort this weekend though (and the rest of this week). I figure that if I stop for at least a week or two, that'll be enough to get my camera (not money-wise of course, not even I smoke that much :p), which will then reinforce it some more. We shall see.

Cafeen

05-11-2010, 02:35 PM

Ok, this isn't particularly PTR related (at least for myself...), but in helping someone else look at their DxDDP plans over on the restaurant boards I got inspired to come up with a very strong DDP cost analysis spreadsheet.

I'm still considering it "in beta", but it's fully functional and such. (Well, I haven't converted it to other formats, but the Excel 2007 version is :p). There's more detail over on my website (http://www.allansanschagrin.com/disney-dining-plan-cost-analysis-spreadsheet/). If any of you feels like they want to look it over, please feel free and let me know what you think and if there's stuff that needs to change.

Just for reference, here's what it looks like (and real data from my upcoming trip ;))
http://www.allansanschagrin.com/files/ddpspreadsheet/Summary.jpg

I'll be back on later this evening to continue my (not-so-)epic planning.

Also, for those who may not have seen it yet, in my signature I also wrote up an ADR tutorial (well, I didn't write it up in my signature, that would end up being WAY over the line limits! But, the link to the write up is there.)

rndmr2

05-12-2010, 11:02 AM

So, I'll head on over to Canada for lunch at this point. I do have the 11:30 ADRs now for Le Cellier, which should be good. Although, I did notice that the DIS (wdwinfo.com) no longer lists the chocolate moose as a dessert... Hopefully they still have it and just missed it or something when entering in the information

FYI, My DH had the Chocolate Moose for dessert when we ate there this past Thursday (5/6)

Sounds like your plans are shaping up. Good luck with quitting smoking.

Cafeen

05-13-2010, 08:29 AM

FYI, My DH had the Chocolate Moose for dessert when we ate there this past Thursday (5/6)

Sounds like your plans are shaping up. Good luck with quitting smoking.
Well, that's a relief, although that double chocolate cake thingy they have also looks good. It'll be a tough choice!

Cafeen

05-13-2010, 08:54 AM

Ok, so I've been slacking at this thing. I've been busy or something! At anyrate...

Day 6 - Hollywood Studios (bleh)
Ok, if you read my last TR, you know this isn't my favorite park. If you didn't read, well, you know because you just read the last sentence. So yup, I don't particularly enjoy "HS" too much. When we were there in September, it didn't help things that we barely did much of anything.

http://www.disneybase.net/allanpics/25-Sept-1803-500.jpg

http://www.disneybase.net/allanpics/25-Sept-1804-500.jpg
I hate that hat. It looked so much better with the Chinese Theater as the backdrop :(.

So, with all that said, the plan for the day is Rope Drop to TSM. Since I had to imaginarily (no, it's not a real word, deal with it!) rip up last year's fast passes (see the end of this post (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34082853&postcount=146)), I need to do this at least once. (Well, twice if I get my camera, once to ride, once to photograph ;)). So, since it's my higher priority, I will become part of the "Mad Dash" to TSM for a ride then a FP. Of course, being solo, I don't have to worry about dragging the rest of the crew along with me!

http://www.disneybase.net/allanpics/25-Sept-1825-500.jpg

After the first TSM ride (depending on FP return!), I'll stroll down to RnRC and ToT. I used to be a HUGE (imagine that in 48pt font!) ride wimp when I was younger. I never did the trill rides, all until the day I went to King's Dominion with the Boy Scouts on our return home from a trip to DC (Hm, since when is VA on the way home from DC... when home is NH? I may have to revisit this) and I rode the big wooden coaster there. After that, a few rides on the local park's woodie (Yankee Cannonball at Canobie Lake Park in Salem, NH) and I was good to go.

http://www.disneybase.net/allanpics/25-Sept-1815-500.jpg
If the same random people are in my shots this coming trip, that would just be odd.

http://www.disneybase.net/allanpics/25-Sept-1816-500.jpg

So, RnRC and ToT are on my list for this year. As is Space Mountain (yes, this is my 11th trip and I've never been on it, it was closed last year), but this isn't about Magic Kingdom.

...Where was I? Other than rambling along? Hm... So anyway, at around lunch time I have ADRs for Sci-Fi. (11:40am to be approximate). I'm looking forward to a decent burger and some onion rings. Nothing too fancy.

After lunch, we'll see how things go. Lots of photography and meandering around. If I get too bored, I'll head over to Epcot /shrug.

Dinner is around 7pm at Yachtsman. This is one of the "I'm very much looking forward to eat here" places (Like Artist Point and LTT lunch). Not that I'm not looking forward to the other places (well, except Yak and Yeti, which is why I'm canceling it), but this is above that. You guys know what I mean.

After some yummy steak and getting to see a large bill that I only have to pay 20-25% on ;), I'll head somewhere. I don't really know yet. Either back to Epcot for some end of night stuff, or some how manage to get back to CSR or whatever. Being solo is nice :).

KatMark

05-13-2010, 09:10 AM

Cafeen

05-13-2010, 09:15 AM

Great update, Allan. The Studios is my least favorite park as well. We do the Walt Disney Story (you really ought to do this), TSM, Tower of Terror, Rock & Roll Roller Coaster (only Mark though...this is one coaster that I just can't do anymore), Muppets and the Great Movie Ride (although both of these REALLY need updates). If we hit it right we will do Beauty & the Beast Show as well.

How's the quitting smoking going?
Man, I forgot about GMR, I remembered it way back when the park opened and loved it then. Didn't get a chance to go on in Sept (of course, looking back, that seems to be the theme of that trip...).

Also forgot about the Walt Disney Story too! /gasp. One of the main reasons that I was doing the park at all (well, besides TSM, ToT, RnRC, GMR, and the Indy show (another old favorite that I forgot to mention). Star Tours would be on there too (what can I say, I liked it when it first came out too), but it will likely be closed :(.

I'm not really a fan of the other shows though. I'm just not really a show and parade type of guy /shrug.

As far as the smoking, it's best we don't talk about it :(. Too much of my personal craving triggers are tied to using the computer, and since I spend all day at work on it, and then all evening at home... it's tough. Last night wasn't so bad and hopefully today will be better.. we'll see.

KatMark

05-13-2010, 09:27 AM

Man, I forgot about GMR, I remembered it way back when the park opened and loved it then. Didn't get a chance to go on in Sept (of course, looking back, that seems to be the theme of that trip...).

Also forgot about the Walt Disney Story too! /gasp. One of the main reasons that I was doing the park at all (well, besides TSM, ToT, RnRC, GMR, and the Indy show (another old favorite that I forgot to mention). Star Tours would be on there too (what can I say, I liked it when it first came out too), but it will likely be closed :(.

I'm not really a fan of the other shows though. I'm just not really a show and parade type of guy /shrug.

As far as the smoking, it's best we don't talk about it :(. Too much of my personal craving triggers are tied to using the computer, and since I spend all day at work on it, and then all evening at home... it's tough. Last night wasn't so bad and hopefully today will be better.. we'll see.

Now, aren't you glad I visited today so you'd remember all the things you forgot? ;)

And hang in there with the smoking...you can do it! :cheer2::cheer2::cheer2:

KatMark

05-13-2010, 03:04 PM

Allan, the latest on Star Tours as I found on Facebook:

Update on Star Tours closures - Star Tours to close September 8, 2010 at Walt Disney World

aprilisis

05-13-2010, 03:33 PM

Cafeen

05-14-2010, 05:52 PM

Now, aren't you glad I visited today so you'd remember all the things you forgot? ;)

And hang in there with the smoking...you can do it! :cheer2::cheer2::cheer2:

Allan, the latest on Star Tours as I found on Facebook:

Update on Star Tours closures - Star Tours to close September 8, 2010 at Walt Disney World
Yup, knew about Star Tours (though, I may have forgotten when I wrote the post (doh). Just found out (from your PTR!) that IASW will also be closed :( (1 Aug - 22 Oct). Would have been real nice to test the new camera (erm, assuming I get one :p) on it. (I'm thinking of going for the faster normal lens rather than the 55-200mm first, so it would work well in there).

Like I posted over there as well, we should be good with TSM, it's schedueled to reopen on 4 Sept, so even if it's a little bit late, there's lots of leeway.

Going to try and make an effort this weekend again. It's a very rough and busy time at work right now though, and I'm working through this weekend on stuff that got pushed back by other stuff (I've been bouncing between 4 different projects lately, with another 2 or 3 on my plate for this summer...). At least I have a job and we don't want for stuff to do. We'll see how it goes.

That's exactly what we do there, too! :)
Allan- I hope you get your camera. :) I wish our trips overlapped- we are eating at a lot of the same places!
Yup, it would be nice to meet up and hang. I was supposed to head up to RI (would have extended that to visit a few places up there) at the end of June, but that's not going to happen :(. WAY too much stuff to get done and not anywhere near enough time to do it. Our summers are our busy times, as the software we produce is used by school districts (and private schools) across the country, so the summer is the best time to put out our large updates.

KatMark

05-15-2010, 09:26 AM

:woohoo::woohoo::woohoo: to TSM opening on September 4. This is great news; Mark is going to be limited to what he can ride due to his back surgery and we LOVE this ride.

Cafeen

05-18-2010, 06:13 PM

Day 7 - Animal Kingdom
Well, since HS is my least favorite park, and I have 2 1/2 days planned at both Epcot and MK, I figured I'd toss in this 2nd day at Animal Kingdom.

Now, you may remember last year's TR. AK day was not really a good day. 95 degrees, humid as a sauna, and I was woefully unprepared for the park itself. Not so much this time though!

The plan is to get there "whenever". Eventually, I'll get myself out of bed (heh, at Disney that means around 6:30am!!) and head on over.

http://www.allansanschagrin.com/TripReportPics/Sept2009/22Sept-1507-500.jpg

Now, a lot of what I end up doing will depend on what I did on the previous Saturday, but, if I get there for RD it will be the Safari first. Besides that, there really isn't much in the works for a touring plan. I figure I can single rider EE pretty easily and there will be a lot of walking around and taking pictures.

Depending on a couple of factors (Did I bring a ziploc bag for my stuff, is it sweltering out, did I remember to wear clothes that dry quickly?) I may also hit up Kali.

At around 4:30ish, I'll start heading out of the park to hit up AKL again. This time it's for Jiko. Fillet and Macaroni and Cheese please :) (what can I say, I'm real adventurous :p).

After Jiko, it's fairly open and will depend on what time I finish dinner. I'll hit up MK or Epcot if it's early enough (the ADR is 5:35, so it shouldn't be too bad), or I'll just head back to CSR.

KatMark

05-18-2010, 07:54 PM

Cafeen

05-23-2010, 02:05 PM

Allan, your day sounds perfect. That is one reason I don't like these "short" trips of only four days as we have to give up a park and it is AK again this year (unless our touring plans completely change if we do the Mickey's Halloween Party.
I really wanted to like AK last year, but between the heat, the phone-tag, and grumpy/late rising travel companions, it didn't happen. There's so much potential there though, especially in the "little" details.

----
Not too much else has changed though, my company is cracking down on non-essential internet usage though :(. Seems some IP phones were having bandwidth issues. Of course, I am in good with the IT guys, so it shouldn't be too much of a problem, but I do have to limit it quite a bit (no more playing games all day :p)

I'll be along in awhile with another update, I gotta string this along a bit as I'm on day 7 of the plans, of a 9 day trip ><.

I am struggling a bit today trying to redo my incomplete website. I really need to get it up and running (or at least in the coding process) to keep my skills sharp as I do other things at work (my website(s) for work are done in PHP while testing doesn't require any coding, my automation is done in a different language (VB/VBScript)). I want to be able to script most of my database calls into stored procedures (which are basically database calls (queries) that are stored in the database. This is to improve both performance and security vs calling them in the code). It may be a lost cause though :( (I can write them just fine for work, since we use a different database platform).

So yeah, that's a bit of nerdy talk there, just know that I'm wracking my brain trying to figure out something that's not working right :p. (What's scary... this is what I do for "fun"...)

KatMark

05-23-2010, 02:23 PM

mickeystoontown

05-24-2010, 11:09 AM

I read the updates but then don't get a chance to post a reply. I do remember all the phone tag and the heat that you experienced at Animal Kingdom. Hopefully, this trip to the park will be better for you.

Sorry to hear that about work cutting down on internet time. Don't they know that you simply MUST get in your Dis time?

Cafeen

05-31-2010, 11:02 PM

Hey, Allan. That's too bad about work--but good you are in with the IT group. That chocolatey thing are you are talking about at LeCellier -- that would be my FAVORITE dessert in all of Disney -- the Chocolate on Chocolate Whiskey Cake:

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb136/Luvwrestling/IMG_2384.jpg
Mmmm that cake looks super good, and I bet it tastes even better than that!

I think one of the IT guys is around these parts, at least he used to be. He mentioned the Disboards before I went last year (I had already found them by then :p). Of course, that could be bad if he sees my posts and noticed the time stamp is when I'm sitting right down the hall... I better bookmark them on my phone so I can claim I was using the 3G connection instead of our network! And, um, now that I said that.. .umm... yeah.

I read the updates but then don't get a chance to post a reply. I do remember all the phone tag and the heat that you experienced at Animal Kingdom. Hopefully, this trip to the park will be better for you.

Sorry to hear that about work cutting down on internet time. Don't they know that you simply MUST get in your Dis time?
I think it'll be better. Last year was abnormally hot for the time of year, it was my first time there, I had two people in tow, and all sorts of other things conspired against me! This year it'll be just me and my mom on the first day, and then just me on the 2nd. Even if the 2nd day doesn't work out, I can get to Jiko from any park I end up in, so that's not going to be an issue.

And yeah really, those IT guys will learn that I need to DIS. What would my restaurant board followers do without my walls of text explaining stuff to death that they don't care about? (See recent post on the 2011 dining plan changes for an example). Don't they know that my random information is time-sensitive and I simply can't wait until I get home? Geesh, it's like they expect us to do work or something there :p.

---------------
Now, you may notice that I've been updating slowly. It's mostly because I don't have much to add. I don't "do" packing lists (I pack a bunch of clothes, toiletries, and.. that's about it), I don't do shopping lists (the only thing I want ahead of time is a new camera ;)), my ADRs are done (for now :p), and... well, a multitude of other reasons. So, I don't want to burn through the PTR and be done by mid June with 3 months to go...

With that said, I have started looking at flights again. If I fly out of Mobile, it'll cost me about 450$ :(. (Stupid little regional airport...) If I fly out of Pensacola, it'll be about 220$. BUT, we all know my issues with transportation, making Pensacola a bit more difficult.

I'm going to ask another friend from work about giving me a ride down after work on the Wednesday before I head out, and then possibly picking me up either that Friday evening or sometime on the Saturday after I get back (which may not be necessary if I get my license before the trip, as I'll likely have a car to drive back). If I can secure those rides, I'll stay at a cheapie hotel Wednesday night (for about 60$) and call a cab to the airport (probably around 15$). So, even with hotels and cabs on both ends, it'll be far cheaper to head out of Pensacola. But, it all hinges on me getting a ride down there. (I thought about renting a car too if I get my license, but I'd still have to get a room as I'm looking to fly out at about 6am).

And, while typing this up, I decided to see what it would actually take to get the license again. Here in Alabama, it's pretty straight-forward. I'd technically be a "new" driver, since it's been over a year without a valid license (my NJ one expired in 2004). So, it's just getting the documents (I always lose my birth certificate, so ordering yet another one) and taking the tests (written, vision... I may need new glasses, driving). I have also had a few people offer to take me down to the DMV for it, so yeah, let's see how we do with this.

Lastly, I began to work on my DisneyBase v2 (v1 was never finished :p) this weekend. Still working on some basic layout and design work, but it's shaping up to be a nice little site. (Assuming I can actually program it all...)

I'll get another, more trip related, update out eventually.

trickiwoo

06-02-2010, 04:52 PM

KatMark

06-02-2010, 07:00 PM

Airfares are a killer. Mark and I got a really good fare -- $398 total for both of us (it was over $400 each flying United or American). However, we have to fly out of Midway Airport (as opposed to O'Hare) and fly Airtran. I now know why I NEVER fly out of Midway or Airtran. They've already changed our return flight twice and the second time it became a one-stop flight which infuriates me to no end (you have to know that I HATE flying and going up and landing once going or coming is more than I can handle; now I have to fly up in the air in Ft. Meyers, land in Atlanta and then fly up and land then in Chicago. If it wouldn't cost me a fortune to change the flights, I would. Next time, I don't care what the airfare is, I'm flying out of O'Hare and either United or American.

I know what you mean about the "slow" updates. We're only going for four nights/four days so I'm trying to stretch mine out as well.

How's the smoking thing going?

Cafeen

06-02-2010, 10:48 PM

It's been almost a month since I've been on the DIS! But I'm back and got caught up on your PTR!

I hope you get your camera before your trip!!!!!!!

Are you looking to get a brand new DSLR or a used one? Out of the three DSLRs I own, I bought 2 of them used and they're in amazing condition! Buying used is a great way to save money!!!
Good thing there wasn't much to catch up on ;).

I've been looking at new cameras, and the TSi (I think? checking amazon right now) T1i :p is going for about 700$ with the same 18-55mm lens that the XSi I was looking at earlier. That XSi is back up to 710$ though, so the T1i would likely be a much better deal. It's still a lot of money though, so I'm thinking it'll be off to EBay (or B&H website, or Adorama, etc) I go for it.

I'm also thinking of that Sigma 50mm f1.... um, 1.8? or was that the cheap Canon one? may have been f1.4 lens. Picking that up would be pretty amazing.

Airfares are a killer. Mark and I got a really good fare -- $398 total for both of us (it was over $400 each flying United or American). However, we have to fly out of Midway Airport (as opposed to O'Hare) and fly Airtran. I now know why I NEVER fly out of Midway or Airtran. They've already changed our return flight twice and the second time it became a one-stop flight which infuriates me to no end (you have to know that I HATE flying and going up and landing once going or coming is more than I can handle; now I have to fly up in the air in Ft. Meyers, land in Atlanta and then fly up and land then in Chicago. If it wouldn't cost me a fortune to change the flights, I would. Next time, I don't care what the airfare is, I'm flying out of O'Hare and either United or American.

I know what you mean about the "slow" updates. We're only going for four nights/four days so I'm trying to stretch mine out as well.

How's the smoking thing going?
It's funny too about the airfare. 440$ for a flight from Mobile, AL to Orlando, FL. Seriously? It's not like it's that far, and being able to save over 220$ by driving (erm, getting a ride :() about 45-60 minutes east of here really makes me scratch my head. And it's not like Pensacola Regional airport is much bigger... Maybe I'll just take Greyhound :p . Next year, I'll be driving (it's only about 9hrs or so) 2 tanks of gas will be far less than 500$...

The "cheap" fare is Airtran too, which I am a bit sketchy about. There's been quite a few reports of randomly changed and canceled flights. I suppose, like ADRs, the ones who have normal service just simply don't announce it as it's boring and only the extremes really get noticed.

The smoking thing, well, I keep telling myself that I'm done. I don't really enjoy it anymore, but I keep doing it. I'm not very good at following through on things, so this may be tougher than I thought.

Not a whole lot else is going on at the moment. I've been making a nerdy name for myself on the ADR boards concerning the new system and playing my QA role there. Work is work, one of my projects got pushed up, so I have to complete testing on the one by 14 June (I just got it today, so it's going to be a crunch) to start work on the other one to finish by the end of June to start work on my automation stuff for our flagship product to be out by the middle of July to enable me to have time to work on my development project to update it in time for school starting... The OT will be nice though ;). And at least I'm working and enjoying it (for the most part)

trickiwoo

06-03-2010, 09:41 AM

Good thing there wasn't much to catch up on ;).

I've been looking at new cameras, and the TSi (I think? checking amazon right now) T1i :p is going for about 700$ with the same 18-55mm lens that the XSi I was looking at earlier. That XSi is back up to 710$ though, so the T1i would likely be a much better deal. It's still a lot of money though, so I'm thinking it'll be off to EBay (or B&H website, or Adorama, etc) I go for it.

I'm also thinking of that Sigma 50mm f1.... um, 1.8? or was that the cheap Canon one? may have been f1.4 lens. Picking that up would be pretty amazing.

You might want to check out Photo4Less.com. A brand new XSi with a 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens is $675. Unfortunately it is currently out of stock... but they may get more in stock before you're ready to purchase your camera anyway.

The Canon XTi is in stock and is for sale for $545 for the body only and $645 for the camera with the 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens. Even with shipping it still comes out to under $700.

They also have great deals on lenses!

I buy from them all the time! Batteries, lenses... I even bought my Nikon D300 from them. I have had a fantastic experience every time! Their shipping is the fastest of any website I've ever purchased from! Every time I place an order with Photo4Less, my package comes like a day or two later! I've rarely had to deal with their customer service, but when I have had to I was very impressed! Customer service is very friendly and very helpful! You can read more reviews here (http://www.resellerratings.com/store/Sigma_4_Less) and here (http://www.nextag.com/Photo+4+Less~1080415zzzreviewsz1zmainz17-htm)

If you're looking to buy used, B&H and Adorama both have used sections on their website. I'm looking at Adorama now. They have a used XSi for $349 and a used XTi for $354. (Both are body only.) Ah, and they have a used XSi with 18-55 IS lens for $479. (They also have a used XT with 18-55 lens for $299) All are in excellent condition.

Cafeen

06-11-2010, 11:41 PM

Phew, I'm beat. Worked 50 hours last week (in 5 days) and then another 60hrs or so this week (including tomorrow's plan). I walked into work twice (about 2 1/4 miles each way) and walked home every day but today (ok, twice I only walked half way). On top of that, I banged up my ankle walking into work yesterday (stepped in a hole), so that wasn't fun. This is how June is in my industry (minus the walking of course :p), and I've been doing it for almost 9 years, but that doesn't make it any easier.

At least next week is back to normal before we go back on mandatory OT for another couple of weeks. And.. at least this will help with the Disney trip. And, at least my normal ride will be around again (he was on a cruise this week, no, not Disney)

Which, speaking of, I may have a line on some extra cash for it too. Friend of mine may have some side work to do with his company. It involves some stuff I've done for him before, mostly test question content creation, math question graphic creation, and some QA work. Things are still up in the air, but he'll keep me posted. Don't know if it'll hit before Disney or not (especially since I couldn't start anything until mid-July due to current work schedule), but we'll see.

You might want to check out Photo4Less.com. A brand new XSi with a 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens is $675. Unfortunately it is currently out of stock... but they may get more in stock before you're ready to purchase your camera anyway.

The Canon XTi is in stock and is for sale for $545 for the body only and $645 for the camera with the 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens. Even with shipping it still comes out to under $700.

They also have great deals on lenses!

I buy from them all the time! Batteries, lenses... I even bought my Nikon D300 from them. I have had a fantastic experience every time! Their shipping is the fastest of any website I've ever purchased from! Every time I place an order with Photo4Less, my package comes like a day or two later! I've rarely had to deal with their customer service, but when I have had to I was very impressed! Customer service is very friendly and very helpful! You can read more reviews here (http://www.resellerratings.com/store/Sigma_4_Less) and here (http://www.nextag.com/Photo+4+Less%7E1080415zzzreviewsz1zmainz17-htm)

If you're looking to buy used, B&H and Adorama both have used sections on their website. I'm looking at Adorama now. They have a used XSi for $349 and a used XTi for $354. (Both are body only.) Ah, and they have a used XSi with 18-55 IS lens for $479. (They also have a used XT with 18-55 lens for $299) All are in excellent condition.
I did check out Photo4Less, and I disliked their site from the start :p. This is the computer geek in me talking, but their listing system is horrible. I managed to swallow that and did searches on the models I'm looking at though. In all, the XSi and T1i were both more expensive there than Adorama's used department. Adorama currently has the XSi w/18-55mm in stock for $479 as well. I also found a Canon brand 50mm f1.4 for about $250 (new). It's cheaper than the Sigma, and also would use the same filter size as the kit lens (saving further money as I wouldn't have to double up on filters, except the standard UV one), the Sigma would use 72mm filters while the Canon uses 58... Of course, I don't know how (if) the filter size translates into quality (bigger front element giving better image due to more information hitting the sensor?)

With the possible extra income, I'm really looking into picking it up with this coming paycheck... especially since I'm working from home next Friday so I could have it delivered then and save money on shipping (as compared to needing Saturday delivery which I don't think Adorama even offers).

We'll see how the finances are.

Man, I think I've forgotten most of what I new about this stuff over the past years :(. (That, and the switch from 35mm to Digital is also throwing me for a loop... oh well, I learn quick).

----
ETA: My images are temporarily gone. It seems my webspace got attacked and had malicious code injected into all 3 websites I host there (not the pictures, but a bunch of the actual pages). Now, it seems as though the folder that contained my personal blog site is hosed, and thus all the pictures aren't showing up. I have backups of the pictures, but not the content (though, theoretically, the content should still be in the database, so that's not a big deal either). I'll just have to rebuild and reupload everything to fix it, and then ship a notice off to google for them to review it to pull off their "Reported Attack Page" notification. (Note, as soon as I found out, I pulled down all 3 sites and replaced the default pages with a quick and dirty message, and it doesn't appear anyone got infected).

ETA Some more:
I shouldn't do this stuff at 4am. I had the folder that my blogsite was in set to a certain attribute that didn't allow me to open it ><. I fixed that and everything is still there, I just have to remove the malicious code from about 15ish files. Heh. (I also removed the download package that was dumped on my webspace which caused this mess in the first place).

Cafeen

06-16-2010, 09:14 AM

Ok ok, I know what you're thinking. "Big green text... is this an ACTUAL trip related post?"

Yup, it certainly is!

I was talking with mom last night, and she's decided that she'll likely come from Thu (23 sept) through Mon (27 Sept). Well, now, that changes things. This extra day would normally have been my 2nd MK day, but I know my mom's favorite is DHS (well, technically her favorite is MGM, I don't think she's been to DHS yet ;)). So, without much futher ado (there was some), I decided to swap my Monday and Tuesday around so we could go to her favorite (and my least :p) park.

So, mentally rearrange everything above to the proper locations.

I also had to adjust dining a bit. I now have:

27 Sept

Sci-Fi Dine In @ 11:35am (formerly Tony's Town Square @ 11:30am)
Yachtsman @ 6:35pm (formerly Citrico's @ 5:45pm)

28 Sept

Maya Grill @ 8:45 am (formerly nothing :p)
No scheduled lunch (formerly Sci-Fi @ 11:40am)
Citricos @ 5:45pm (formerly Yachtsman @ 7pm)

So, you may notice that Tuesday's dinner is considerably earlier than previous right? There's a reason for this. Tuesday is MNSSHP night at Magic Kingdom. I haven't decided yet, but I'm leaning toward actually going to it. Since it's (relatively) not that much more as I only have to buy 1 ticket, it may be worth it. I know timing is a bit tight, but I figure that if I go, I can ask the server to rush the courses a bit (they aren't going to argue about flipping a table faster). Since I'll be alone anyway, it'll make a bit more sense as well. I figure that if seated on time I should be out of there by 6:45-7:00 and monorailing to the party (if I go), missing out on only a little bit.

Well, that's about it for today. I'll hopefully start going on the day-by-day plans again soon. Work's been brutal.

mickeystoontown

06-16-2010, 09:23 AM

At least you were able to change up your ADRs with relative ease. I like Hollywood Studios but it's not my favorite park either.

KatMark

06-16-2010, 09:23 AM

Cafeen

06-16-2010, 10:27 AM

At least you were able to change up your ADRs with relative ease. I like Hollywood Studios but it's not my favorite park either.
The ADRs for those dates weren't really "in-demand" ones. I did have issues finding an earlier lunch at MK on the 28th (more than likely due to the party that night), but that's ok, I wanted to try Maya Grill breakfast anyway :).

First, lucky you that you were able to change your ADR's! :)

I know the Studios is your least favorite; you can't talk mom out of it, huh? Did you tell her Star Tours is closed?

We're thinking of doing the Halloween Party ourselves...haven't made up our mind yet.
She doesn't know my plans yet ;). I figured that we're going to my favorite park twice (assuming she comes on Thursday), so the least I can do is to suck it up for a day in DHS. It also allows her to see all 4 parks in the time she's down there, something she hasn't done in awhile.

I was also planning to go to DHS anyway, so it's not a big deal, just squishes my 2nd (out of 2 1/2-3) MK day down by 2hrs (assuming I don't go to the party).

That said, I'm already starting to get phyched about the party. It may seem a little strange for a 30something single guy to attend it, but hell, it may seem a little strange to outsiders about going to Disney (mostly) solo in the first place :p. So, if things work out the way I think they will, I'll likely be putting in an appearance. I am a bit concerned about the Citrico's timing.. I may want to look into redoing that ADR for as early as possible (though, I'm thinking about 5:30 is the best it gets) to avoid missing out on too much.

And, speaking of which, I better update my word doc that I'm writing for her of my plans...

Cafeen

06-17-2010, 05:58 AM

Day 8 - Epcot (Thu 30 Sept)

So, We're now at Day 8 after magically switching days 5 and 6. By this time I should have done the following:

Spent time with Mom at all 4 parks (and Epcot 1 1/2 times)
Eaten at lots of good places (Artist Point, Yachtsman, Jiko, Citrico's)
Taken several hundred photos
Roamed around aimlessly for at least 20 miles total or so ;)
Gone on everything that I wanted to (that was open... /shakefist at Star Tours, ISAW, and One Man's Dream :()

So, what's next?
http://www.allansanschagrin.com/TripReportPics/Sept2009/23Sept-1604-500.jpg
Epcot yet again!

This will be my last day at Epcot :( and my last full day in the parks (well, depending on the situation, I may spend a full day at MK as well, if I'm driving home).

There isn't really much on the plan for this day, hit up all those things I either missed or want to hit up again and just take it all in.

Plans for today include:
Rose & Crown @ 1pm
Restaurant Marrakesh @ 6:30pm

However, we'll see how those stay come July/August when Via Napoli and Hacienda de San Angel dining reservations are suggested to open. (I want to try both new places).

Strangely enough, I don't think there's much else on the slate for this day... While I'm a lighter planner than most folks around here, it still feels weird to just have ADRs planned and nothing else needing done.

Cafeen

06-17-2010, 06:09 AM

And on to the non-trip specific stuff...

I still haven't heard from my friend regarding the contracting work, though I suppose it will take some more time (they were in talks about the content stuff that I would be doing). I still have to get my system here set up for it too (I stopped halfway through my Adobe install, gotta restart that and get it working right).

On my "real" work front, things are busy as always. I should be finished up my first pass of my #2 application Saturday (Yes, working for a 3rd Saturday in a row :() and then I get to jump back to my #1 application next week for retesting and stuff. Summer is just way too busy for us. Then again, down in QA we really don't ever have a "slow" season. Our "slow" is only having about 45 hours worth of work to do a week...

I am struggling getting my VPN up and running on my home system. It's a pain for me to have to use my work laptop at home (15" laptop screen vs a setup with both a 22" and a 25.5" monitor on my home system... :p). Remind me to talk with IT today to see if they have any ideas.

On other fronts...
If I get what I expect to get in my next paycheck, I should be able to pick up my camera. I still have another 2 months to finish paying off Disney, so this overtime I'm getting now can go toward both. I also have to make an appointment to get my eyes checked this weekend which should then open up the plan to get my license again. I've also tossed some feelers out about getting a ride to Pensacola the night before I leave for my trip. No official takers yet, but I'm sure I'll find something. If all else fails, if I have my license by then, I should be able to rent a car one way and still save considerable money as opposed to flying out of Mobile.

And lastly, my websites are back up and running. It took me a little while to fix the pages and the security holes, and doing it at 4-5am was not a good idea. They're all fixed now and there's no more warning from Google, so that's a good thing. I'm sure the 2 or 3 people that use the one are happy :p.

Well, that's about it for now.

trickiwoo

06-17-2010, 09:01 AM

Aww! How nice of you to rearrange your schedule so your mom can go to her favorite park!

I love Hollywood Studios... even if it does have my least favorite ride! (Tower Of Terror... it makes me cry! And I still sometimes have nightmares about it!) But it does have my favorite restaurant! (Sci-Fi!)

Cafeen

06-25-2010, 01:51 PM

Just a quick nerd-based reply for now...

Unless something else changes, I will now be saving about 9.95 per day while remaining on the internet at Disney :p. I figured out tethering through my phone (Motorola Droid) and coupled with my unlimited data plan, I should be good to go to be online for nothing (well, effectively nothing).

In fact, it's even faster than my network at work, and I can DIS without them knowing ;).

Of course, right now I can't connect to the internal sites, and considering that's what I'm testing, it may be an issue :p.

At anyrate, that's about it for now. More stuff to come tomorrow most likley.

Cafeen

06-27-2010, 07:54 PM

Ok, I'm still slacking on this thing. Nothing with the trip has really changed and I forgot where I left off (I'll go back and check after this post :p). However, that's not to say I haven't been busy.

Besides work (which has been 12hr days + Saturday again... ), I've started getting a bit heavier into my website design. I took this weekend to do some real work on it, and really got a nice layout going. I'm proud of this thing :p

I have what I've completed so far up on my web hosting. But it's rather limited, most of the work I did has been on layout and design rather than functionality and content.

Background
(Hmm, forgot that this just came out of the blue :p)
This idea came about when I was planning for the last trip. I was trying to copy and paste all the menus for the locations we were eating at to send up to Beth. This drove me batty though as there was simply nothing nicely formatted or really up to date (note: both AllEars and WDWInfo have been better lately). So that's when I started V1. I did a lot of work on it, but eventually it got left to the side. I recently picked it back up to create the v2 with a lot of the stuff I've learned doing this type of work for.. um, work.

The intention is a bit more than just a menu display (AllEars and WDWinfo cover that quite well, although it's certainly part of it), but rather provide the information in a timely and well formatted manner. By creating a database for all the menu items available, it will also be able to provide various statistics on the restaurants and the items served in them. It will also enable quicker updating due to the way that the stuff is stored.

I also really enjoy this type of thing (I was up until 4am last night doing it) and it's a good method to keep my skillset growing.

At any rate, here's some images:
http://www.allansanschagrin.com/files/disneybasev2_homepage.jpg
While the content of this page is pretty weak :p, I'm really liking the layout I designed. It's clean and simple, but still has a unique look to it. Note that in later versions, there will only be 1 "Account" section in that navigation bar. Both are showing as they will change based on the user's logged-in status.

http://www.allansanschagrin.com/files/disneybasev2_restaurant-list.jpg
I'm not entirely sold on this blue for this table. It just seems to be a bit too much blue on that page. There's really not many sets of colors to use though, so I'm rather limited. In other tables I use orange, purple, and green, so I don't really want to go for a 5th color-set...

http://www.allansanschagrin.com/files/disneybasev2_restaurant-detail.jpg
I'm also really happy with how this turned out. The red heading boarders behind the image frame look really good in my opinion. (And ignore that blue thing on the r in there. I guess I had highlighted some text when I took the screenshot and didn't notice....)

As a side bonus, I got the site working in IE as well as my trusted Firefox :p. (IE does some real funky things with layout stuff. At one time whenever I shrunk the window, it would move pieces around on the page...)

If you've read this far, then you must be as bored as I tend to get. If you're that bored, you can see this for yourself at the DisneyBase.Net v2 site (http://v2.disneybase.net/). Let me know if you have any suggestions or areas where I can improve. (Especially with those tables... like I mentioned, I'm not entirely happy with the color schemes they are now.)

And yes, my little dragon avatar makes his appearance. I've grown attached to that little guy ever since I copied a piece of Clip-Art and changed the colors :p.

Cafeen

06-27-2010, 08:14 PM

I debated on doing this now... since it's the last day of the trip. Oh well...

So, day 9 will dawn bright and early at sometime between 6 and 10 am. (Pfft, think I actually know what time the sun comes up?)

The plan for this day is to hit MK up one last time before it's time to leave. Depending on transportation, I intend to at least spend half a day here, if not more.

So, I'll get into the MK walk up Main St. and head on over to whatever I feel like doing. After that is done, I'll head on over to something else that I feel like doing. (Man, planning this way is easy! :P)

After all of that doing whatever I feel like doing, it'll likely be time for lunch. Taking a cue from Kathy, I've made reservations at The Plaza as my goodbye to Disney World lunch. (See, I remembered that from my Feb plans that never happened!)

Now, as for the rest of the day, we're going to go ahead and assume that I'm back to normal in the license department...

Should this not be the case, I'll likely be flying into Mobile later in the evening (leaving around 4:30-5.. which puts me on ME at about 1:30ish).

The plan is to then leave MK in the mid-afternoon or later evening (I'll manage to avoid the Orlando rush hour) and drive up to Beverly Hills, FL where my mom lives. I probably won't do much else other than visit them on Friday.

Day 10
On Saturday, I plan to head over to visit my Granpa at his place (he's moved into assisted living since my Grammy passed). And, speaking of that, I just realized that they are up north in RI (or MA, not sure) this weekend for my Grammy's memorial service up there. :(.

At anyrate, I'll spend some time visiting there, and then head back to Mom's for a bit. I plan to leave there in the late-afternoon to early evening and begin the ride up to Mobile. I'll likely spend the night at a little hotel along the way and finish it all up on Sunday...

And that's the end of the plans. Hm. Packing list is "done"... it consists of "Clothes, Camera, Laptop, Book", so it's not like it's tough.

Guess the rest of this PTR will be about me getting ready :p.

KatMark

06-27-2010, 09:23 PM

[SIZE=3]IAfter all of that doing whatever I feel like doing, it'll likely be time for lunch. Taking a cue from Kathy, I've made reservations at The Plaza as my goodbye to Disney World lunch. (See, I remembered that from my Feb plans that never happened!)
[COLOR="Red"]YEAH!!!! You remembered. I really think you are going to love The Plaza. I'll be interested to know which dessert you end up with. :)

Day 10
On Saturday, I plan to head over to visit my Granpa at his place (he's moved into assisted living since my Grammy passed). And, speaking of that, I just realized that they are up north in RI (or MA, not sure) this weekend for my Grammy's memorial service up there. :(.

I'm sure they all know that you are there in your heart. :hug:

mickeystoontown

06-28-2010, 10:52 AM

You're good! I can barely pull up something on my computer much less do something as extraordinary as you've done. I like the colors, the layout, the pictures, everything. Fantastic job all the way around!

We ate dinner at The Plaza during our last trip and the meal was great. I had forgotten how good the food was there. It's simple but tasty.

Cafeen

07-20-2010, 08:18 PM

Ok ok, it's been almost a month. Man how quickly time goes when working 50-60hrs a week.

I'm sure they all know that you are there in your heart. :hug:
They all had as good a time as they could, given the circumstances. From what my mom was saying, my grandfather (he'll be 91 in.. August I think?) did great with the travel. The house they rented was nice and everyone enjoyed seeing everyone.

And yup, I certainly remembered. I had planned the same thing for that Feb trip that never happened, I knew I had to do the same this time!

You're good! I can barely pull up something on my computer much less do something as extraordinary as you've done. I like the colors, the layout, the pictures, everything. Fantastic job all the way around!

We ate dinner at The Plaza during our last trip and the meal was great. I had forgotten how good the food was there. It's simple but tasty.
Thanks. It just takes a lot of practice and a ton of Google, same as any other creative process. The fact that I work in the industry for a living helps too, talking programming with other developers who actually get paid to do that is a great thing (even if we use different languages, a lot of bits are very similar). I've made quite a bit of headway recently on it too, though it's still very far from being releasable (it'll never be "done").

I'm looking forward to the Plaza a ton. After 8 days of DxDDP overeating, it'll be nice to have something lighter.

-----------
In other news, I should be paying off almost half of my remaining balance by the end of this month (need to make sure that I have enough to carry me into next month of course), with the remaining balance to follow over the next two paychecks! :yay: Then, it'll really be official!

My other stuff hasn't been going so well, but let's not dwell on that.

And lastly, some updated images of what I do for fun. Yup, I'm a nerd. Good thing I like me that way!

I'm liking the new color scheme for this table here, and you can also see a bit of moment of some other elements.
http://www.allansanschagrin.com/files/disneybasev2_restaurantlist_20Jul2010.jpg

Detailed view of the "tooltip" (this displays when you hover the mouse cursor over the information icons on the page, it's a nice trick to push more visible data in a smaller space)
http://www.allansanschagrin.com/files/disneybasev2_restaurantlist_tooltipdetail_20Jul201 0.jpg

I've created the basic portion of the Ratings and Reviews page (though, I still have to hook it up and create the reviews portion). I'm not entirely sold on this layout just yet, but I think that's going to be the final (maybe realign the other sites' ratings a bit...)
http://www.allansanschagrin.com/files/disneybasev2_restaurantrating_20Jul2010.jpg

And, lastly, I've created the image gallery display.
http://www.allansanschagrin.com/files/disneybasev2_restaurantgallery_20Jul2010.jpg

I really like how the individual image display turned out.
http://www.allansanschagrin.com/files/disneybasev2_restaurantlist_gallerydetail_20Jul201 0.jpg

Now, I didn't do this all on my own (per se), but I picked up some guy's code and used that to do the tooltips, rating stars, and the image gallery. I also use a library (that is a collection of code, basically) to do some other stuff on the site. (Remind me to pay the licensing fees for those first 3 things though, once this site is out of development :p)

There is still a ton of work to be done, but I'm really liking what I have so far. It runs smooth and quick and the design is likely the strongest that I've done so far.

Ok, done nerding it up for now.

mickeystoontown

07-21-2010, 08:48 AM

Doesn't it make you feel good when you know that the trip is close to being paid off? I'm still lovin' all of the designs for your website. Very very cool.

trickiwoo

07-21-2010, 02:43 PM

In other news, I should be paying off almost half of my remaining balance by the end of this month (need to make sure that I have enough to carry me into next month of course), with the remaining balance to follow over the next two paychecks! :yay: Then, it'll really be official!

I hope you're able to pay off your trip soon! And that you're not too too broke after you do so! I know my bank account was pretty empty between the time I paid off my trip and when I got my next paycheck!

MEK

07-21-2010, 04:52 PM

Cafeen -

I just stumbled on your PTR while checking Katmark's. I am so excited that you have a trip coming up in September. I am so sorry that you lost contact with Beth and Emily. I could always tell how much you loved them both. I hope you trip planning is going well and that you are getting some breaks from your heavy work schedule. Really looking forward to reading your TR.

Cafeen

08-23-2010, 10:59 AM

Phew, it's been just over a month since I posted on this thing. Not a whole lot has changed as far as the trip is concerned. It's now 31 days away (exactly a month) and it's all paid off. Still going to need to book a flight home, but that's fine.

Work has been hectic to say the least. Still going on OT and don't see an end for awhile. Been running myself ragged for the past 3 months so far :(. At least it's only another month until I can get away.

Hm, not a whole lot else going on. I did make reservations for Via Napoli when they opened up, so instead of my Sunday being Le Cellier and Tutto, it's now Le Cellier and Via Napoli :). I'm also hoping that Hacienda will open on time and be available for my trip. I've been keeping busy here by keeping up with the new restaurant information and it looks like Hacienda will likely open around 16 Sept, with reservations starting for 15 Oct, so it'll have to be walk up for me.

Well, that's about it. Until next time :)

mickeystoontown

08-23-2010, 11:18 AM

KatMark

08-23-2010, 11:21 AM

Cafeen

08-31-2010, 04:31 PM

It's good to see you posting again. From the way it sounds, you'll be more than ready for your Disney vacation! Overtime is good in some ways (able to make more Disney dollars) and bad in others (extreme exhaustion by the time you get home every evening).

I can't wait to read your dining reviews. I've been pondering whether or not to book the new Mexico and Italy restaurants.
I've kept up posting, just didn't have much time outside of the dining boards. Funny how quickly you can become an "expert" at things when you hang around them enough and are good at computers and logic heh. If only they knew that this "expert" has been to Disney once in the past 18 years :p.

The OT is still running, up to about 120hrs of pure OT since 1 Jun. This has been the absolute worst summer we've had since I've worked for this company. I love doing what I do, but this summer has made me question it quite a bit. I am so ready for 23 Sept to roll around at this point. In fact, I figured it out, and I worked 28 of 31 days in August...

Good to hear from you...I've missed youa round here. Good for you --I'll be curious as to what you think of Via Napoli. Good for you on the OT money wise; but bad for how exhausted you must be. Pretty soon...and you'll be at the Happy Place. :woohoo:
Yup, surely exhausted and definitely burnt out. Doing this type of work takes a lot out of you and I know my focus is completely shot. (And in reality, work around the whole QA department is suffering right now, as we're all overloaded).

-----

I'm really looking forward to both Via Napoli and Hacienda. Hacienda will be opening up on 16 Sept for walkups, so I'm keeping my Marrakesh reservation for now and will cancel when the time comes.

I also finally decided (after a sizable paycheck ;)) to go ahead and get a ticket for the MNSSHP on 28 Sept. Of course, going as a solo 31 year old guy may seem strange to outsiders, but pfft, there are no outsiders here! Should be a good time to roam around and get pictures and do all that sort of thing.

On the work front, my boss has decided to "send" me to a training the 2nd week of Sept. So, I get to learn the ins and outs of a new reporting framework/utility we'll be using. I know, I know, you all (erm, both?) can't hold back the excitement for this and the envy, but you'll have to deal with it! :p. At any rate, it should be informative and maybe entertaining. I do like this sort of thing, and it'll look good come review time. "Send" is in quotes as well, as I'll be sent 1 door down and across the hall to our Engineering Conference Room, so it's not like I really get to go anywhere. I'm also fast becoming the Spanish "expert" in QA (mainly because I'm the only one who can read it!). I can't speak it worth a damn, but I can at least read and understand it. Since we're starting to do some translations of our apps over to Spanish, it will surely come in handy.

Um, not a whole lot else going on. 23 (22 by Lisa's count! and maybe even 21 since I'll likely be leaving the 22nd since I have a 6am flight from Pensacola).

KatMark

08-31-2010, 08:03 PM

Good to hear from you. We're down to 17 days because I am NOT counting today. Mark and I are doing MNSSHP as well and I don't care if people find it weird that two 50+ people are going or not.

Cafeen

09-13-2010, 07:35 AM

10 days! - I've been counting down since... well, since before I booked it, but it seems like just yesterday I was hitting the "double digits", now I'm about to hit singles!

In recapping, I've made quite a few dining changes:
Thu 23 Sept - Scratch San Angel Inn, Add Maya Grill @ 7:45. Mom got a 4 day non-hopper ticket and to upgrade to 5 days would be 50 or so extra dollars (it's one of those special FL Resident tickets). So Dinner moved to the resort. I really liked Maya Grill both times we went last year, so it works.

Thu 30 Sept - Scratch Rose & Crown, add San Angel Inn @ 11:30am. Ok, I really wanted San Angel this trip :p. R&C was mostly a place-holder for Via Napoli or Hacienda (this was before I knew Hacienda was Dinner only). I will try for Hacienda that night as well. Yes, that means two mexican places in a day, but that doesn't bother me (I ate at Sabor-a-Mexico (the little Mexican place right down the street from me) on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and will probably go there today for lunch too. I'm weird like that :p.

As mentioned, MNSSHP ticket is in hand for Tue 28 Sept. After reading a bunch of information about it, I'm much more "calm" (not that I was ever anxious, but it's as good a word as I can think of today) about doing it. My 5:35pm Citrico's reservation should work out as well, especially if I can tell the server to rush it a little bit. (Hmm, faster table turnover, I don't think they'd really mind :p)

My PTR never really made it to my blog-thingy. Just didn't have the time to redo the whole thing. I will be "live" reporting from there though (gives me something to do). With the aforementioned ability to get internet on my laptop through my phone, I won't even have to pay the 10$/24hr fee! Yay. Picture uploads will be slow, but at least I can get a few. (Warning though, some language to be seen on that blog when it concerned my former World of Warcraft guild-site being hacked...)

On the "pre-trip goals" front. I did half of them. No license (way too busy at work this summer...) and still a smoker, but my front teeth are fixed and am working with the dentist on the rest of the issues (note to those with young kids, Mt. Dew is bad, especially if they don't go to the dentist for 20 years...). I also randomly received a check for 400$ or so for my 2004 tax return. Guess I never got it in the first place, not a bad little discovery. I do still need a haircut (next weekend) and to find a ride from Mobile to Pensacola on Wednesday (going to nab a cheap hotel room in Pensacola Wed, as my flight out is at 6am...)

Also sent out my plans to my mom last week, after having them written, and re-written, and edited and tweaked for the past couple of months.

So, the finalized plans are:
Wed 22 Sept - Head out to Pensacola in some manner. I'm sure paying a co-worker $50 or so should do it. It's only about 45minutes or so away. Since I don't have a flight until the next day, it also can be at any time, which makes things easy.
Thu 23 Sept
6am flight from PNS for 10:30am arrival @ MCO then ME to CSR (guessing I'll arrive around noon)
Epcot for lunch and some early touring (Lunch likely @ Cantina de San Angel)
Mom to arrive @ CSR around 5-5:30pm, I'll head back around that time or so
Dinner @ Maya Grill @ 7:45 (though, it's likely we can walk in a little early)

Fri 24 Sept - MK for the day. Lunch @ LTT @ 12:15pm. Dinner @ Artist Point @ 7pm. I may hit up Epcot EMH after dinner, I may not.
Sat 25 Sept - AK for the day. Breakfast @ Tusker House @ 8:30am. Dinner @ Boma @ 5:35pm.
Sun 26 Sept - Epcot day. Lunch @ Le Cellier @ 11:30am, Dinner @ Via Napoli @ 7pm. Illuminations after
Mon 27 Sept - HS day. Lunch @ Sci-Fi @ 11:40am. Mom likely to leave around 6pm. Dinner @ Yachtsman @ 6:35pm.
Tue 28 Sept - "Late Start" day @ MK. Breakfast @ Maya Grill @ 8:35am. Head to MK sometime in the mid-late morning. Dinner @ Citrico's @ 5:35pm. MNSSHP @ night :) (no, I'm not dressing up, sorry :p)
Wed 29 Sept - AK day. Dinner @ Jiko @ 5:35pm. May hit up something else after, may not
Thu 30 Sept - Epcot day 2 1/2. Lunch @ San Angel Inn @ 11:30am. Dinner @ either Hacienda or Marrakesh (@ 6:30pm)
Fri 1 Oct - MK in the morning, Lunch @ The Plaza @ 11:45am (erm, I think). Leave MK by 3 for 4:30 (guessing) ME pickup. Fly home @ 7:30pm and then... well, that's it :( (start planning the next one perhaps? hehe)

aprilisis

09-13-2010, 07:58 AM

KatMark

09-13-2010, 08:50 AM

Allan, your plans sound absolutely great. The only bad thing I can see in the whole plan is that we are missing you by one stinking day. :sad2: I will look forward to your TR.

mickeystoontown

09-13-2010, 10:42 AM

Just 10 days to go? Hip Hooray!:yay:

I was happy to read that you scrapped the plans to eat at Rose & Crown. We didn't care for it at all but I figured it was because we were from Louisiana and like our things spicy. The food at R&C definitely had no spice or other umph to it.:rolleyes:

Maybe you could stop smoking at the Happiest Place on Earth. At least you could keep your mind on other things besides smoking.

Wow! Good to hear that you got an extra $400 that you weren't expecting.

KatMark

09-22-2010, 01:01 PM

Allan, hope you have a GREAT time on your trip and another magical stay at the CSR.

Cafeen

09-22-2010, 01:24 PM

Yay! :yay: 10 Days will be over before you know it. Your itinerary sounds great!!! I can't wait to read your TR- I am actually going to WDW 3 days after you get home. Have a great trip & safe flights. :goodvibes
And the 10 days are over :). It's almost like I threaded a needle between you and Kathy and meant to miss both of you :(, I swear I didn't! Honestly hehe.

Allan, your plans sound absolutely great. The only bad thing I can see in the whole plan is that we are missing you by one stinking day. :sad2: I will look forward to your TR.
I'm really liking them the more I look them over.

Just 10 days to go? Hip Hooray!:yay:

I was happy to read that you scrapped the plans to eat at Rose & Crown. We didn't care for it at all but I figured it was because we were from Louisiana and like our things spicy. The food at R&C definitely had no spice or other umph to it.:rolleyes:

Maybe you could stop smoking at the Happiest Place on Earth. At least you could keep your mind on other things besides smoking.

Wow! Good to hear that you got an extra $400 that you weren't expecting.
I was actually looking forward to R&C a little bit, but not as much as the other places. The $400 check is still sitting in my laptop bag though, but that $400 can go to better things than Disney (well, more important may be a better term.) (My bank is located in NJ/PA and I'm really bad at remembering to mail things... that's why bills are all online :p).

Allan, hope you have a GREAT time on your trip and another magical stay at the CSR.
Thanks Kathy :). I'll have internet while I'm there (<3 my Driod) so if there's any pictures or whatnot you need for the CSR thread, just let me know.

-----
As far the impending TR, I'm sure I'll be doing on once I come back (what better way to extend the trip huh). I'll also be attempting (if I remember and stuff) to do it "live" on my blog thingy below. Of course, this all hinges on a) if I remember, and b) if I actually feel like it.

I picked up 5 books to bring with me, the 4 Imagineering Field Guides for the 4 parks and a Hidden Mickeys book as well. We'll see how they work at keeping me occupied during lines/waits/meals/etc. I'm also planning to do a bit of work on my other website that I've been creating off and on for awhile (hey, I enjoy doing it so it doesn't count at "work", plus I'm not getting paid for it, so even less counting as "work" right?).

In all, I'll be heading down to Pensacola at about 4pm today (2 1/2 hours! wee) and am very ready for it. (Heck, I was "ready" for this trip 6 months ago).

And lastly, a co-worker of mine has decided to take her mom and her 2 sons to Disney... except they are going mid April. The week before Easter. I've already made sure that she knows about the dining reservations thing and how important they are, I have yet to educate her on exactly how busy it will be (though I've already mentioned that it'll likely be pretty packed, but that was before I knew exactly when Easter was..).

Um, now I'm just rambling and procrastinating. But really, who gets any work done on the day they leave? (Or the days before they leave... or the weeks leading up to those days...)

KatMark

09-22-2010, 01:28 PM

Allan, we left our beloved CSR yesterday (we're now on Marco Island for eight days). If you have time (and only IF you have time) someone asked for pics of the Casitas fountains for when I redo the "FAQ" thread. I ran out of time and just couldn't do it, so if you can that would be great.

mickeystoontown

09-22-2010, 01:31 PM

I was just thinking about you today. Actually, I think about you all the darn time. Noooo, not what you are thinking.:laughing: I keep getting stupid pop up error message thingies on my computer that says "connect or continue to work offline" and I have to go to tools to reconnect. Anyways, I was wishing I knew how to stop that from happening. And....that's when I think about you 'cause I know you'd know what to do being Mr. Computer Geek and all.:rotfl:

I hope that you and your mother have a fantastic time at Disney World. Take lots and lots of pictures and come back with fun stories to tell us all. Be safe!

heathers4um

09-22-2010, 03:26 PM

HI! :wave:

I'm Heather and I just read your TR from last year and caught up with this PTR just in time!! Your itinerary sounds heaveny! :cloud9:

Have a magical time and I will be waiting for your TR! popcorn::

Cafeen

10-01-2010, 11:12 PM

Ok, I know you've all (yes, all 4 or so of you!) have been eagerly awaiting my return. Sadly, that return has come.

Well, not really that sadly, I'm happy to be home and I still have the weekend to unwind.

I'll go over in more detail in my upcoming TR, but I actually came in under-budget! (Ok, my budget was "leave enough to pay rent for this month", so it wasn't difficult... but still :P).

Lots of pics, a MNSSHP (awesome btw!), sore feet (stupid crocs with no socks on my first full day :(), and some great memories with Mom who hasn't been in several years.

Oh, and forgot, lots of food, pretty much every ride I wanted to try, and some great attention to detail! (Though, I forgot to take a picture of the Hidden Mickey in the CSR walkway :()

Allan, we left our beloved CSR yesterday (we're now on Marco Island for eight days). If you have time (and only IF you have time) someone asked for pics of the Casitas fountains for when I redo the "FAQ" thread. I ran out of time and just couldn't do it, so if you can that would be great.
Kathy, I took a bunch of pictures of all 3 Casitas fountains. Some in "magic hour" light (the twilight between sunset and the time it actually gets dark, very good for shooting) and some in normal day time light. You should have plenty now for the thread :).

I was just thinking about you today. Actually, I think about you all the darn time. Noooo, not what you are thinking.:laughing: I keep getting stupid pop up error message thingies on my computer that says "connect or continue to work offline" and I have to go to tools to reconnect. Anyways, I was wishing I knew how to stop that from happening. And....that's when I think about you 'cause I know you'd know what to do being Mr. Computer Geek and all.:rotfl:

I hope that you and your mother have a fantastic time at Disney World. Take lots and lots of pictures and come back with fun stories to tell us all. Be safe!
I'm sure (at least I hope!) the computer issue has been solved by now, but it sounds like either a NIC (Network Interface Card) or router/modem issue. If it's still happening, see if you can check the drivers for the network card. Alternatively, try turning the modem and router off for a few minutes than turning them back on (yes, it does solve stuff sometimes).

I did take quite a few pictures, even with some characters :). I don't have the laptop booted up (just got home about 30mins ago) but I think the grand total is right around 1,000. Good thing we have digital now a days, I'd have to forego the next vacation just to get those developed if not! (would be 42 rolls of 24 exposure, or 28 rolls of 36... )

HI! :wave:

I'm Heather and I just read your TR from last year and caught up with this PTR just in time!! Your itinerary sounds heaveny! :cloud9:

Have a magical time and I will be waiting for your TR! popcorn::
Hey Heather, thanks for joining in. I'm back now (and the itinerary worked out pretty well) and will be starting my TR in a little bit. I have to decompress (literally in the case of my feet) a little bit. Rest assured there should be quite a few stories and quite a few more pictures!