"Duck, Duck, Brown Anole!" The Newlyweds Visit Disney World...Again! 1/23/12-1/31/12

[DisneyKira]

Welcome to my TR! For those of you that did not follow my PTR, here is a little introduction.

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My husband and I got married May 15, 2011. We left for our Disneymoon the next day. There is a link to that TR in my siggie.

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My husband is the internet manager at a car dealership and I am a grooming assistant (AKA doggie bather) at a Petco grooming salon.

We currently live with two ball pythons (we just adopted a second one a few days ago), two corn snakes, a leopard gecko, a pacman frog, a russian tortoise, a cat, and a pacific giant salamander (who is currently not feeling very well). Here are some photos of our little zoo.

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We live in western Washington State, which is usually very wet.

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The week before we left for our January 2012 trip, we had a very nasty snow and ice storm. Which meant we were leaving this:

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For this:
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We were very pleased with the change :rotfl:. But more on that later...

For those of you following me from my PTR, sorry for the wait. I had to go to work the day after we got home. We landed at about 11:40 on 1/31/12 and I had to go to work from 1pm-9pm on 2/1/12 :scared1:. Then I had a full week of work, a busy weekend, and another (not-so-full) week of work. Thanks to a new policy at work stating that I do not have to go in to work if I don't have any dogs scheduled, I have the day off. So I thought I would get my TR started today.

[dizneeat]

I am here, Kira! popcorn::

[DisneyKira]

Reserved for chapters:goodvibes

[DisneyKira]

I am here, Kira! popcorn::

Welcome!

[DisneyKira]

I had to work until 7pm the night before our flight. DH and I stopped at target on our way home from work to pick up a few last minute things. Then we headed home to finish packing. The next morning, my mother gave us a ride to the airport. Our trip through the TSA checkpoint was pretty uneventful, but I did see an elderly woman receive a pat down. For some bizarre reason, she had lifted her shirt up (exposing her bra). I felt really bad for her. I wonder what kind of security threat she posed...

Anyway, we got through the checkpoint with plenty of time to spare. I bought a plate of biscuits and gravy. I also bought a little snack pack for the plane. It had salami in it :goodvibes. Josh wasn't hungry, so he just played on his laptop while I ate.

This was our first time flying southwest. I was a little confused by the numbers on the tickets. At first I thought that everyone was split up into "A" and "B" groups and then split up in half again. I thought one half lined up on the left side and the other on the right side. I didn't realize that the numbers on the tickets were on the individual metal poles. So when we lined up, we got in the back of the "second half" of the A group instead of the front of the second half (which is where we were supposed to be). It didn't really matter, thought, because the plane was pretty empty. We ended up getting an entire row to ourselves!

Our flight had a layover in New Mexico. We were both hungry and decided to get some lunch. Well, the food in the Albuquerque airport is expensive! A "regular" quiznos sub was like 8 dollars:scared1:! I ended up buying Panda express, which seemed to have the least inflated prices. Josh got some nachos at the booth next to Panda Express. Sorry, no pictures.

So I apologize for the lack of pictures in this update. I did manage to take a picture out the window of our second flight.
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Just before we were about to land, the most amazing thing happened. I have always wanted to see Disney World from our plane, but I have always been on the wrong side. As we were descending, I looked out the window and saw fireworks...and a castle! I quickly realized that it was 9pm. Time for Wishes! I got to watch a large chunk of the show from our plane. A perfect beginning to our trip :goodvibes

We landed in Orlando and went straight to baggage claim. I usually use the magical express bag service but they only sent us one tag (I originally thought that I may have lost the second one but more on that later). I decided to avoid the bag service and just get our own bags. Honestly, it was so much easier than waiting all night for our bags! We didn't wait more than 10 minutes or so. After we gathered up our luggage we headed towards Magical Express. We were in the wrong section, so we had to go back up the elevator, past the disney store, and back down the escalator to the ME area. When we got there, I went to the counter.

Here is why I only got one ME bag ticket. For some reason, our magical express reservation only had my DH's name on it! They didn't list me as a second person. The CM looked up our resort ressie, saw that we had two people in our party, and quickly printed us out a new ME ticket with both of our names on it. Problem solved :goodvibes. Oh, and we did get a REAL ME bus. Not an ugly Mears shuttle.

When we arrived at Pop Century, we were greeted with bubbles and a CM with a mickey glove. She said "Welcome home!" and sent us to the check-in desk with huge smiles on our faces. We got our room keys (the 90s section) and headed to our room. Here are a few picture of the room.

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DH was hungry so we headed to the food court for some food. We were on the DDP (the one with QS and TS credits). As most of you probably know, the refillable mugs are now included in all of the dining plans. So we picked out our mugs. I "paid" for them while DH got his food. A burger, cheese fries, and a water bottle.
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Mmmm....disney cheese

He didn't want his dessert, so I asked him to get me...a tie-dye cheesecake!

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I was surprised by how much I liked it. I was expecting it to taste funny. But it was really good! I had to resist the urge to eat all of it by myself. So I packed it in my bag and saved the rest of it for later. As though I hadn't loaded myself up with enough sugar, I walked over to the petals pool bar while DH was eating and ordered myself my first Disney drink. A pina colava!

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It was pretty good. I thought it was a little too sweet. But I enjoyed it.

After dinner we decided to go to the pool. Our room was on the first floor right next to the computer pool :goodvibes

We splashed around for a bit before heading back to the room for a quick shower. I snapped one last picture that night.

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Minnie Toes! See the not-so-hidden mickey? And yes, my feet are that huge :lmao:

After unpacking a few things, we got ready for bed. We had a lot planned for the next day!

[dizneeat]

Your toes look awesome! :thumbsup2

Seems like you had a pretty nice travel day. We have never used ME, so it's always interesting to hear about it.
Your room at Pop looks pretty nice and so does your dinner! :goodvibes

Great start to your trip report.

[ronnmel]

I'm here! Going straight back to work after a vacation sucks, but how else would we pay for the next Disney trip? :rotfl:

We have always gotten our own bags at the airport and I do not find it difficult at all. Maybe I'll say a different thing when I'm traveling with young kids, but as a couple it usually goes really fast.

The 90s is not my favorite location at POP, but sounds like you enjoyed it! I hope being right in front of the pool did not get too noisy.

[MelMel11]

Count me in!!!

[KatMark]

Kira, I'm here. We were at a wrestling tournament all Friday night and all day Saturday until 9 p.m. and I am just catching up on the DIS.

Love the intro (I just love your wedding photos) and the picture from on the plane. And your Minnie toes are adorable.

Looking forward to more.

[danimaroo]

I'm here, too! We narrowly escaped that terrible storm here in Seattle (we were supposed to leave on the 18th, the day it began, but left a day early because we didn't want to not make it to Disney!), but then we were there the same time you were! :goodvibes

Looking forward to more! :thumbsup2

[shocky5]

I'm here! :wave: And all caught up on your TR. Now your mom's I'm certain will be a different story! :scared1:

But love your travel day update and your Minnie toes are so cute!!! I always paint my daughters like that when we go! I'm so boring with my own!

Glad getting your bags worked out for you! :thumbsup2

[Queila]

Signing up. LOVE the pedicure. ;)

Q

[DisneyKira]

Signing up. LOVE the pedicure. ;)

Q

Thank you and welcome! :goodvibes

I'm here! :wave: And all caught up on your TR. Now your mom's I'm certain will be a different story! :scared1:

But love your travel day update and your Minnie toes are so cute!!! I always paint my daughters like that when we go! I'm so boring with my own!

Glad getting your bags worked out for you! :thumbsup2

Haha! Yeah, I have trouble keeping up with my mom's TR, too (I lurk on hers, she lurks on mine).

I was going to paint my fingernails like that, too. But I got done with the red base coat on one hand and decided the red was just too bright for my fingernails.

I'm here, too! We narrowly escaped that terrible storm here in Seattle (we were supposed to leave on the 18th, the day it began, but left a day early because we didn't want to not make it to Disney!), but then we were there the same time you were! :goodvibes

Looking forward to more! :thumbsup2

Wow. So you didn't get to experience the storm at all? I bet you had fun coming home and seeing all the fallen trees. Crazy, right? My coworker was calling it "Treemagedon" and "The Toppling" :rotfl:

Kira, I'm here. We were at a wrestling tournament all Friday night and all day Saturday until 9 p.m. and I am just catching up on the DIS.

Love the intro (I just love your wedding photos) and the picture from on the plane. And your Minnie toes are adorable.

Looking forward to more.

Thank you and welcome! I love that first picture. Can you tell? I use it in like every intro :rotfl:

Count me in!!!

Yay! Welcome!:goodvibes

I'm here! Going straight back to work after a vacation sucks, but how else would we pay for the next Disney trip? :rotfl:

We have always gotten our own bags at the airport and I do not find it difficult at all. Maybe I'll say a different thing when I'm traveling with young kids, but as a couple it usually goes really fast.

The 90s is not my favorite location at POP, but sounds like you enjoyed it! I hope being right in front of the pool did not get too noisy.

I noticed that without a little one in tow, it is very easy to get your bags. We just had our carry ons and one bag each. When we traveled with my little sister, we always had a stroller. In the really old days, we also had a car seat to lug around. Not to mention my sister's bags that she (obviously) didn't carry. Which makes it feel like you have several extra bags to carry, plus the stroller, and the little one. :scared1: No wonder people use the ME luggage service!

I liked the 90s building. I was surprised by how quiet our room was. Now if we were right next to the hippy dippy pool, I am sure that would be another story.

Your toes look awesome! :thumbsup2

Seems like you had a pretty nice travel day. We have never used ME, so it's always interesting to hear about it.
Your room at Pop looks pretty nice and so does your dinner! :goodvibes

Great start to your trip report.

Thanks! It was very yummy. I love disney cheese :love: I didn't try the burger, but it looked good!

[DisneyKira]

Day 1, Part 1: Disney Snail!

I didn't sleep very well the first night. I think it had to do with the lack of a warm furry cat at my feet. Dib sleeps with Josh and I every night at home, and it was weird sleeping without him. Despite my lack of sleep, I got up at 7am sharp and got ready for the day. I "woke" Josh up after I got out of the shower, just like I do at home. It usually takes a few tries to get him up, so I start early :lmao:. Eventually, he got ready and we headed to the bus stop.

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We were off to the Magic Kingdom!

We must have caught one of the first busses to the MK, because we were at the front of the turnstile. No one was in front of us! I took a quick picture for evidence.

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See? No one in front of us!

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A photo of Josh waiting at the turnstile.

They opened the turnstiles about 30 minutes before the park opened. We wandered all the way over to the left, so that we could be right in front of the tunnel but still see the show. As we watched people load into the park, Josh commented on how crowded it was getting. I wish I had snapped a picture of the LACK of people in the front area. When we went in May, it was shoulder-to-shoulder. On this day, there was plenty of space between families.

I people-watched for a bit. There was an older lady who wedged herself between the tunnel and the plants. She brought out a little book and started praying. Then there was a group of people (obviously from another country) who had brought a carry-on luggage bag. Once they found their spot (not too far from us), they started frantically unloading food from their luggage as though the park was going to open any minute. But we still had another 20 minutes or so. I snapped a picture of the sign while we were waiting.

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There still weren't that many people in the area, so I decided to wander over to the shop. I looked at the Disney stuff for a few minutes, then wandered back over to Josh. The crowds were so light that I was able to walk from the tunnel to the shop with minimal people-dodging. Mostly, I just had to walk around the family with the luggage.

We waited for a little bit before the rope drop ceremony started up. They were having trouble with the speakers, so the CM had to shout over all of the people to announce that Mickey was coming. I was surprised at how quiet everyone got when he started talking. The lack of people did help. But it was still nice to see that many people following instructions :goodvibes.

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I was sad that the rope drop ceremony didn't have any music, but at least we got to see Mickey. After the ceremony was over, we headed to Fantasyland.

We started out with the tea cups.

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Then headed to Snow White.

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After that we did Peter Pan, Small World, Philharmonic, and Winnie the Pooh. We finished up everything in Fantasyland except for the carousel in...1 hour! I love ridemax!

We decided to skip the carousel because the line was a little longer than we liked. From there, we walked over to Space Mountain to grab FPs. But the wait was less than 20 minutes, so we decided to just walk on. I think we went on it a few times but I can't really remember. When we were done with Space Mountain we decided that we needed to get some food. On the way, we saw a snail and just HAD to take pictures of it.

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I have a whole sequence of pictures where the snail slowly comes out of his shell :rotfl:

So after we met Mr. Snail, we continued our way towards one of Josh's favorite Disney foods...the Turkey Leg! Unfortunatly, the turkey leg stand wasn't open yet. So we went shopping for a bit (we bought nothing) and then we went to the Tiki Room.

I liked the new updated Tiki Room. Josh wasn't impressed (although he had never seen the version with Iago). After singing like the birdies sing, we headed back into Frontierland for our Turkey Leg. Once we got it, we went into Pecos Bill. Josh grabbed a few waters while I grabbed us a seat.

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For the majority of the time we were eating, we had to listen to a very loud tantrum. From a boy that looked to be about 8 or 9 years old. The boy was screaming in a different language and throwing things around. In between the kid chucking things across the table, the mom would pick him up and cradle him like an infant (I am not joking. She was rocking him back and forth on his back). Now, I am normally pretty tolerant of tantrums (both from kids and adults because let's face it, I have had my share of tantrums, too). But this one was making both Josh and I very upset. The tantrum went on for at least 20 minutes before the mom finally removed the child from the restaurant. Our turkey leg was almost gone by the time the kid was gone. While he was throwing his fit, I kept thinking "we should go somewhere else...but I am sure he will stop soon. Or at least the mom will take him out". But she didn't. Honestly, even if we had moved to another location within Pecos Bill, we still would have heard the child's screaming. Nine-year-olds have big lungs! I think we should have taken our Turkey Leg and gone away...far away :lmao:. But we didn't. Oh, well.

After our lunch, we had to work off the turkey leg. We decided to go to Tom Sawyer's Island for a walk and some good old fashioned critter hunting!

Now for those of you who read my honeymoon TR, you might remember that Josh never caught a brown anole. He managed to catch several on the island. Here are a few pictures of one that he caught.

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And here is a picture of another one.

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They were all over the island. But we were hoping to find something a little more interesting than a brown anole. Unfortunately, all we saw were ducks, brown anoles, and squirrels.

It was getting a little hot and we were both a little sleepy, so we headed back to the hotel for a nap. We took the long way from the bus stop to the room, so we were able to see the Art of Animation resort. Here are a few pictures:

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After that we headed back to the room for a nice little nap :goodvibes

[dizneeat]

Great update, Kira! I love all the photos! And I can so relate to not being able to sleep in on your first day ..... we miss our cat too and have to fight the time change as well. ;)

[DisneyKira]

Great update, Kira! I love all the photos! And I can so relate to not being able to sleep in on your first day ..... we miss our cat too and have to fight the time change as well. ;)

Yeah. The time change isn't much fun, either. Although you would think it would make it easier for me to sleep in because 7am in FL=4am in WA :laughing:

[dizneeat]

Yeah. The time change isn't much fun, either. Although you would think it would make it easier for me to sleep in because 7am in FL=4am in WA :laughing:

I completely missed the fact that our time change is the opposite of yours :rotfl2: ...... we are 6 hours ahead, so 6am Orlando is noon for us! :lmao:

[ronnmel]

What? The rope drop show without music is so sad!

Wow, you guys did a lot in your first hour!

Seriously, rocking an 8-9 y.o.? I would not tolerate a tantrum like this for 20 minutes. If just removing him from the situation didn't work, I'd be dragging him kicking and screaming back to the room!

[Aussiesalad]

Woah you guys really powered through Fantasyland!

Excited to hear about this trip and all the advenures:goodvibes

[DisneyKira]

I completely missed the fact that our time change is the opposite of yours :rotfl2: ...... we are 6 hours ahead, so 6am Orlando is noon for us! :lmao:
Wow. And I thought I had a big time difference!

What? The rope drop show without music is so sad!

Wow, you guys did a lot in your first hour!

Seriously, rocking an 8-9 y.o.? I would not tolerate a tantrum like this for 20 minutes. If just removing him from the situation didn't work, I'd be dragging him kicking and screaming back to the room!

Yeah, I was sad that we missed the music. But I get to hear it all the time on the Disney radio, so I wasn't too disappointed.

As for that kid, DH and I agree. We think he may have been "special needs". Still, mom should have taken him out of the restaurant earlier in his fit. I don't know what happened after they left, but I hope that the mom took him back to the hotel for a nap (or a good old fashioned time out).

Woah you guys really powered through Fantasyland!

Excited to hear about this trip and all the advenures:goodvibes


The park was pretty dead and the weather was great, so we had a real easy time hoping from ride to ride. Fantasyland is so fun when it is empty :goodvibes

[shocky5]

I really need to bring you and Josh on our next trip so my boys can see some of the critters you are able to find!!! :thumbsup2

Great update! Love that you got so much done in such a short period of time! I was very impressed with ridemax, too, on our trip!!!

[DisneyKira]

I really need to bring you and Josh on our next trip so my boys can see some of the critters you are able to find!!! :thumbsup2

Great update! Love that you got so much done in such a short period of time! I was very impressed with ridemax, too, on our trip!!!

We do find lots of critters on out trips :lmao:

[KatMark]

Great update, Kira. You and Josh and your critters -- :goodvibes.

I wonder if the young boy you ran into at Pecos Bills was a "special" needs child? Some of them have problems with crowds, etc.

I didn't care for the new Tiki Room so much; not that I liked the Iago version, but this one still isn't true to the original.

Great photos...and what a way to start your first day.

[DisneyKira]

Day 1, Part 2: It Was the Bread!

So I forgot to share this picture on my last update.

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On our walk, Josh found a water snake hanging out in the lake. It is a really blurry photo because he couldn't get any closer and we were using our smaller camera (our other one has a much better zoom).

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After the walk and the nap, we headed back to the park. I was a little hungry, so we headed to Liberty Square to get a...

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Nutella waffle! I ordered it without bananas. It was sooooo yummy! I hope these stay on the menu!

After that we went on a few rides. I can't remember the exact order, but I think we saw the treehouse (AKA "the line ride") first. Then we finished off the rides in Adventureland (Pirates, Jungle Cruise, and the carpets). After that it was time for dinner!

We took the boat to the Polynesian, then went up the stairs to Kona. We were about 30 minutes early, but they were able to get us in right away. We started off with bread...

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And I got a virgin strawberry daiquiri (on the DDP)

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Before our entrees were out, the nice waitress brought us another thing of bread. Josh looooves the bread. And he would lick the macademia nut butter off the tray if I let him :lmao:. So the extra bread made him very happy. Then came our entrees...

Josh got the steak...

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And I got the Tuna Oscar.

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For dessert I ordered the white chocolate cheesecake...

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And Josh got the Kona Cone.

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When we were done, the waitress came to take our desserts away. She noticed that Josh barely ate his cone and pointed it out to him. He told her that he filled up on steak. And she said, "Nooooo! It was the bread!" :rotfl:

When she came to take our check, she brought us each a pineapple coconut macaroon. Josh hates coconut, so I got to eat both of them :goodvibes. Here is a picture of one...

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I know the picture makes it look like something a seagull would leave behind, but it was really good!

Now this is the part I am not so excited about reporting. For some reason, my itinerary said that the park closed one hour after our dinner ressie. That meant that we would have about an hour of bus/monorail time to get our butts back to the resort. Well, MK actually closed when our reservation began. And we took about an hour and a half for dinner. Since the monorail only runs for an hour after park closing, that meant that we just barely missed the last monorail back to the park. We tried to get on a boat, but the boats weren't running either. This part was totally my fault. I should have doubled checked to make sure the park was closing when I thought it was.

So we decided to take a bus to either DTD or Epcot (which closed two hours after our ADR). Well, since all of the parks closed so dang early, everybody and their dog was heading to DTD. The busses from the poly to DTD were insanely full. We waited at the bus stop for awhile. A DTD bus came first and was already very full. The bus driver said he had standing room only. No one volunteered at first. Josh said, "oh, we can stand" pretty quietly to me. We didn't move because there were people that had been waiting longer than us. However, some cranky lady obviously heard Josh. She shoved past me and yelled at me, "SOME OF US HAVE BEEN WAITING LONGER THAN YOU!" and dragged her poor daughter onto the bus. Annoying, right? But it gets better!

So we wait another 15 minutes or so. An epcot bus finally pulls up (no other DTD busses yet). Obviously no one steps forward to get on the bus because at this point, epcot had just closed. So I go up to the bus driver and very politely ask, "Do you know if Epcot is still running busses to Pop?" he gets on his little intercom thingie, says a few words and then tells us that yes, epcot is still running busses. Keep in mind, Epcot JUST closed. So we happily board the nearly empty bus and he drives off to his next stop. The Contemporary. When we stop at the contemporary, a lady asks the bus driver the same thing for a different resort. Again, he asks the bus dispatcher guy. Then he turns to the lady and says that all resort guests are being transferred to DTD. He turns to us and tells us to get off, and that we had to take the DTD bus.

So we followed instructions, despite my instinct telling me to just go to Epcot. A little side note here, Epcot usually runs their busses two hours after park closing because of the number of late ADRs at WS. We were pretty sure we were being rerouted to DTD because they wanted us to go shopping in DTD. Disney loves money, after all.

Anyway, so we were kicked off of the bus. We had to wait for who knows how long before a DTD bus came with room on it. We boarded the bus (I got a seat, Josh stood up). I happily talked to a little girl for a little while. Josh and I were both a little annoyed at the busses, but at least we were on our way to DTD. Unfortunately, on the bus ride I looked at my phone. I had a text from my mom saying that my kitty had an accident. When I called her to see what happened, she said that our maintenance guy had closed the bathroom door.

Now, maintenance is supposed to respond within 24 hours. Because of the storm, they were busy chopping trees down the day I called. I just needed my bathroom sink unclogged and told the apartment assistant that I was fine with them getting to it later, as long as it was done by our vacation. Well, they didn't get around to it before we left (3 business days later). I had asked her to note that we had a cat in the apartment. I assumed that anyone with half a brain could see the litter box in our bathroom, see the word "cat" on the apartment notes, and realize that a door that was left open should remain open. But I guess that new maintenance guy was just too dumb to figure that puzzle out.

Josh and I were livid. So when we stopped at DTD, I decided to call the apartment myself to complain. Josh had to run to the bathroom really quick, so that gave me some time. The office had just closed a few minutes ago, and they did not answer the phone. Now, they had just changed office staff. We had some problems with the new staff recently, so this was a "last straw" kind of thing. I left them a pretty angry message (no swearing or anything, just a message explaining what had happened in a very angry tone). I felt better, and Josh and I went to the bus stop. We waited through several full busses before we were able to get on. But eventually we were on our way.

When we got back to the hotel, I saw an epcot bus at the pop bus stop. That was the last straw. I wanted to tell someone about that bus driver that kicked us off the bus. So I walked over to reception and waited at the check-in line for about 10 minutes. Well there are two check in lines. A family walked up to the second one just as the CM became available, and cut in front of me :headache:. So I went to the shop. Trying very, very hard to not look like this: :mad: with steam coming out my ears, I walked up to the register and said through gritted teeth, "I need to see a customer service person now. Not 20 minutes from now. Now!" Then I added a please for good measure :laughing:. A CM in a black shirt swooped down and started talking to me.

She was awesome! She listened to my story about the busses. She was really, really nice. She was pretty amazed at how long it took us to get back. It was after midnight, and we were done with dinner at 9. She said that it sounded like I had a pretty good plan with the epcot thing, and that the bus driver should not have kicked me off of the bus. She wrote down the times so that she could try to "track down" the bus driver that kicked us off. And then she gave us a few FPs for the next day. Awesome customer service! Not once did she make me feel like I did something wrong. The staff at our apartment could seriously learn a thing or two (or 50) from this disney CM. Just wait until you hear how my apartment handled my complaint.

So that was it for our first full day. Not the best ending to be sure, but at least we had the rest of our vacation ahead of us :goodvibes

[DisneyKira]

Great update, Kira. You and Josh and your critters -- :goodvibes.

I wonder if the young boy you ran into at Pecos Bills was a "special" needs child? Some of them have problems with crowds, etc.

I didn't care for the new Tiki Room so much; not that I liked the Iago version, but this one still isn't true to the original.

Great photos...and what a way to start your first day.

That's what I thought at first, too. But then, don't most parents of "special needs" children understand how to handle their outbursts a little better? I don't know. I think the kid and the mom were both overwhelmed. I hope their vacation went better after that incident.

Thanks! I think we had an awesome start to the day. Not so awesome finish, though :sad2:

[dizneeat]

You had me scared at ....... WATERSNAKE!!!!!!!!!!!! :rotfl2: I am pretty thankful you cannot see too much of it! :scared1:

Your dinner looks yummy and Josh is not the only one who loves that bread - it is just so good!

But every time I read one of those bus "horror" stories I am even more happy we drive to the parks! I would have long taken a taxi and had a little "tantrum" myself, had it taken me three hours to get back to my resort - and then to see the Epcot bus :scared1:

[DisneyKira]

You had me scared at ....... WATERSNAKE!!!!!!!!!!!! :rotfl2: I am pretty thankful you cannot see too much of it! :scared1:

Your dinner looks yummy and Josh is not the only one who loves that bread - it is just so good!

But every time I read one of those bus "horror" stories I am even more happy we drive to the parks! I would have long taken a taxi and had a little "tantrum" myself, had it taken me three hours to get back to my resort - and then to see the Epcot bus :scared1:

I am just glad josh didn't dive into the water to try to get it!

Kona was awesome as usual. Not a thing I ordered that I didn't like.

Yeah, I am just glad that CM handled my little tantrum so well. I was about two seconds away from throwing myself down on the ground :rotfl:. Add that to the drama from my stupid apartment and I was a wreck. But no tears were shed...yet. She did a good job of making me feel better. And hey, at least we didn't have a flight to catch!

[dizneeat]

I am just glad josh didn't dive into the water to try to get it!

Kona was awesome as usual. Not a thing I ordered that I didn't like.

Yeah, I am just glad that CM handled my little tantrum so well. I was about two seconds away from throwing myself down on the ground :rotfl:. Add that to the drama from my stupid apartment and I was a wreck. But no tears were shed...yet. She did a good job of making me feel better. And hey, at least we didn't have a flight to catch!

Oh my gosh, reading your bus dilemma I completely forgot about your cat ...... hope she was still safe! We have a cat of our own and she had to go to a cat "hotel" while we were on our DREAM cruise. Not that she doesn't like it there and isn't well cared for, but it breaks my heart having to hand her over to someone else. ;)

[DisneyKira]

Oh my gosh, reading your bus dilemma I completely forgot about your cat ...... hope she was still safe! We have a cat of our own and she had to go to a cat "hotel" while we were on our DREAM cruise. Not that she doesn't like it there and isn't well cared for, but it breaks my heart having to hand her over to someone else. ;)

My mom took good care of him, as always. It was just that stupid maintenance guy. It kills me to think that my poor cat was even more stressed out because he couldn't get to his potty. His accident was right in front of the bathroom door :sad2:. But at least he wasn't hurt. We are lucky that dumb guy didn't let him out.

[annmarieda]

My mom took good care of him, as always. It was just that stupid maintenance guy. It kills me to think that my poor cat was even more stressed out because he couldn't get to his potty. His accident was right in front of the bathroom door :sad2:. But at least he wasn't hurt. We are lucky that dumb guy didn't let him out.

I know.. I don't normally post to your TR... but I just had to say. :eek: I didn't even think about how Dibb could have been let out and then I would have been so stressed out about finding him. It was bad enough one of your critters ended up dead.:rolleyes:

[dara00]

joining in...you guys are very cute and I like how you look for animals while you're at the parks! that is so annoying about the buses, I would have been very angry too.

[ronnmel]

3 hours to get back to your resort?!? :headache: I am so glad we "splurged" on a cab and didn't have to go through that headache. You should seriously consider taking a cab next time you eat late at a resort. It really isn't that expensive, and so worth the time saved!

[KatMark]

Ooooh....Kona looks yummy (we've never done dinner, only breakfast).

That is absolutely horrible about the buses. They reallloy need to do something about the transportation issue. I must say that even thought it costs us a few hundred dollars more, I'm so glad we have a car and drive most of the time.

I hope the next day is better.

[ronnmel]

With all that talk about the bus problems, I totally forgot about THE BREAD!!!!!!! Yummy yummy wonderful sweet bread. :lovestruc Next time I go to Kona I'm kinda planning on filling up on bread, an appetizer and dessert. No space for an entree! :rotfl2:

[swwake]

Kira - just letting you know I'm here and reading along. What a bus nightmare! I hope the rest of your trip is better.

[shocky5]

I'm really sorry about the bus issues and apartment issues! But how about that cone from Kona?? Was that cotton candy??? (yes, my DH calls me Doug often from the movie UP) But seriously... was that cotton candy? :goodvibes

[annmarieda]

I'm really sorry about the bus issues and apartment issues! But how about that cone from Kona?? Was that cotton candy??? (yes, my DH calls me Doug often from the movie UP) But seriously... was that cotton candy? :goodvibes

:rotfl: Your enthusiasm made me giggle... I don't mean to hijack my dd's TR... but can you believe that is in fact cotton candy?

[shocky5]

:rotfl: Your enthusiasm made me giggle... I don't mean to hijack my dd's TR... but can you believe that is in fact cotton candy?

YUM! That is officially on the 'must have' for next trip! :thumbsup2

[DisneyKira]

I cannot believe we have been home for almost two months!

Work has been beyond crazy lately. That is why I haven't really been on. Here is the story for those who are interested...

I received my six-month review a few weeks ago. It went very, very well. The manager really had nothing negative to say about me. I even brought up a few things that I thought I could improve on and was told not to worry and that I was doing a great job. Later that week, the store had a visit from the "higher-ups". They picked through everything in the salon. They found several minor mistakes made by everyone (including myself). But they were really angry with the grooming manager and general manager of the store.

Flash forward to last Thursday. I was called into the office by the general manager of the store and the grooming manager. Keep in mind, both of them are under fire from the higher ups and have the strong potential to loose their jobs. I was told several hurtful things. The general manager actually said that my quality of work was what they would expect from someone who had only been working there a month. When I asked why these issues were not on my review, the only explanation he could give me was that "they wouldn't have been on your review". And yet the manager kept saying that none of the issues he was brining up were recent (some of the issues were months old)!

Along with that nonsense, I was told that several coworkers had been complaining that they were "helping me too much". That made me very, very angry because 1) no one had actually had the guts to tell this to my face and 2) I am always helping my coworkers. I finish their dogs when they are stressed or want to go home early, I stay late so that I can help them finish their tasks so they don't have to go home so late, I wash the groomer's dogs, I hold dogs, and the list goes on and on.

So I was a very unhappy person during this "meeting". The GM asked me (with a smile on his face, I might add) if I wanted to work there anymore and I said no. He "gave me the option" of staying for two-weeks or leaving that day. I said I would give my two-weeks. He then handed me a piece of paper and told me to write my two-weeks . He wanted me to write down that I felt I was unable to meet expectations, but I refused to give him the satisfaction. After I handed him the paper, he asked me if he needed to get someone to cover my shifts because, "most people who give their two-weeks just stop showing up". By this point, I had regained my composure and so I was the one with the smile on my face. I told him that I would show up for my shifts, and that I would "work just as hard as though I hadn't quit".

So that is the story. I am still really sore about what happened. But there is a silver lining to all of this. I am looking into going back to school :goodvibes I am currently looking into a state online college. They have a good early childhood education program. It would make it easy for us to stay near Josh's work if we didn't have to move close to a four-year college. And depending on the way the classes are set up, I may be able to start soon and "take time off" (meaning finish my assignments early) so I can go on our Disney trip in September!

[DisneyKira]

joining in...you guys are very cute and I like how you look for animals while you're at the parks! that is so annoying about the buses, I would have been very angry too.

Welcome! Yeah, we love the animals. The busses...not so much.

3 hours to get back to your resort?!? :headache: I am so glad we "splurged" on a cab and didn't have to go through that headache. You should seriously consider taking a cab next time you eat late at a resort. It really isn't that expensive, and so worth the time saved!
Yeah, we probably should have done that. But I was just being stubborn. Next time, taxi for sure.

With all that talk about the bus problems, I totally forgot about THE BREAD!!!!!!! Yummy yummy wonderful sweet bread. :lovestruc Next time I go to Kona I'm kinda planning on filling up on bread, an appetizer and dessert. No space for an entree! :rotfl2:

Mmmm. Bread :goodvibes

Ooooh....Kona looks yummy (we've never done dinner, only breakfast).

That is absolutely horrible about the buses. They reallloy need to do something about the transportation issue. I must say that even thought it costs us a few hundred dollars more, I'm so glad we have a car and drive most of the time.

I hope the next day is better.

Kona is always yummy. I heard they are going to test some new high-capacity busses (the ones with the accordion thingy in the middle). I hope they help!

Kira - just letting you know I'm here and reading along. What a bus nightmare! I hope the rest of your trip is better.

Welcome!

I'm really sorry about the bus issues and apartment issues! But how about that cone from Kona?? Was that cotton candy??? (yes, my DH calls me Doug often from the movie UP) But seriously... was that cotton candy? :goodvibes

Yep. That is cotton candy. And it is the best flavor of cotton candy...BLUE! Haha! I love blue cotton candy :goodvibes

[shocky5]

Bummer on the job, Kira! But yay for school! :goodvibes Love your silver lining ending!!

Just so you know you are 'not alone' in your experience - I had one when I was 19, and in college. The asst manager had asked me out several times of which I politely declined each time - I think he was 21-ish. Anyway - conveniently - I was fired for poor customer service the next week and had I been 'more smart' back then (in other words if I'd known then what I know now) I still would have left but I wouldn't have signed the paper that he pushed under my nose when he told me. Anyone that knows me knows I am a 'helper' by nature and could talk to a brick wall... :rotfl: Lesson learned and I STILL didn't go out on a date with him. ;) You are wise to stick out your two weeks and take the "I resigned" road. Something better will come along and be more deserving of your talents! :hug:

[DisneyKira]

Bummer on the job, Kira! But yay for school! :goodvibes Love your silver lining ending!!

Just so you know you are 'not alone' in your experience - I had one when I was 19, and in college. The asst manager had asked me out several times of which I politely declined each time - I think he was 21-ish. Anyway - conveniently - I was fired for poor customer service the next week and had I been 'more smart' back then (in other words if I'd known then what I know now) I still would have left but I wouldn't have signed the paper that he pushed under my nose when he told me. Anyone that knows me knows I am a 'helper' by nature and could talk to a brick wall... :rotfl: Lesson learned and I STILL didn't go out on a date with him. ;) You are wise to stick out your two weeks and take the "I resigned" road. Something better will come along and be more deserving of your talents! :hug:

Thanks. That situation was really yucky! I am sorry you had to go through that.

I definitely think there was something fishy going on at my work. Josh thinks that the general manager and salon manager wanted me to quit to take the pressure off of them. If someone leaves and things magically get better, then it looks like that person was the source of the trouble. Even if that wasn't the case, I don't deserve to be treated like that. Don't tell me I am an awesome worker one week and then tell me I suck (and have always sucked) the next week. Anyway, thanks for the support :goodvibes

[KatMark]

Kira, sorry to hear about the job. Totally unacceptable turnaround on their part. I think they were trying to find a scapegoat for their faults. Good luck with the class search. When in September are you going to Disney?

[DisneyKira]

Kira, sorry to hear about the job. Totally unacceptable turnaround on their part. I think they were trying to find a scapegoat for their faults. Good luck with the class search. When in September are you going to Disney?

Thanks. I am going with my mom, sister, and sister-in-law at the end of September-beginning of October. I am so excited for food and wine!

[KatMark]

Thanks. I am going with my mom, sister, and sister-in-law at the end of September-beginning of October. I am so excited for food and wine!

Yes, I remember your Mom and I talking about that. I'm going to miss you guys by about five days. :sad2:

[dizneeat]

Oh Kira, that is so totally unfair! :scared1:
But I think sticking it out there shows them a lot about you! I'll keep my fingers crossed for you going back to school though! :worship:

[DisneyKira]

Yes, I remember your Mom and I talking about that. I'm going to miss you guys by about five days. :sad2:

Does that mean you're missing food and wine, too? :sad2:

[ronnmel]

Aww man! This seems to be the day of bad news on the Dis today! :sad2: I'm really sorry about the job situation, but good for you for taking the higher road. And also, good luck on going back to school!

[__disneygirl]

Hey there, I just found your report and I love it! Your home mini zoo is amazing! We also look for salamanders, newts, snails, bunnies, ducks, etc at Disney. They always seem to be around and we love it! I didn't even know that little guy was called an anole. Very interesting!

Your food pics made me very hungry. I just love those Turkey Legs so much. I'm so mad I didn't know about the nutella waffles until after our latest trip. That is on my must do list for next time.

I can't believe it took you 3 hours to get from the Poly to Pop. That's ridiculous, and I'm so glad you got good customer service from Disney & free FPs. We used to rent a car for our Disney trips but free transportation just seems so much better than paying $250 for that. Plus I love the Disney busses... when they don't take forever, that is.

Sorry about your work situation... I hope everything works out for you and you can go to Disney in Sept! That's when we are hoping to go as well. The F&W fest is our fave. :thumbsup2

[KatMark]

Does that mean you're missing food and wine, too? :sad2:

Yes; we arrive on the 15th and leave on the 21st for Marco Island.