Life is too short for self-hatred and celery sticks: final update 12/29, p.98

[franandaj]

Now...I could go for the Brita. Because I think Florida water smells like swamp.

I've oogled you on FB. (that sounds odd, no? ) So, I'd seen some of those THV pics. But, I needed another fix. I hope we get to stay there once. It seems sort of big for just 4 of us, but maybe for a night or two.

I couldn't possibly imagine who'd want to read our obsessive planning.

Yes I agree with you that Florida water smells like swamp!

We stayed in the THV with four people and did not feel at all guility. Fran and I had the master, my parents had the other bedroom. At the same price as a 2 Br we didn't feel at all guilty since there were only 2 bathrooms. I suppose you can get away with a 1 br so it's a stretch, but for us it was a no brainer. We weren't going to stay in anything but a 2 br with my parents so the THV were great.

Fran didn't like them because she got sick the second day and was down for a bit. She missed out on some park time and got cabin feever. I'm hoping we can try again once she forgets the cabin feever and gets off all her pain meds. I would love to sit out on the balcony enjoying an adult beverage, but it was too cold when we were there!

And would we want to read your obsessive PTR? Put it on the DVC boards and "they will come". Everyone LOVES to hear about planning and trips. We all live through each other's planning and reports!

 

[pooh'smate]

I love all the activities like the pool parties and the movies at night that Disney does. I love that picture of Chloe. Speaking of short people, Alexia is so excited for my mom to get here to see if she is taller than Nana. My mom is only 4 foot 8 inches and this year her feet and Lexi's are the same size. My dad is a little over 6 feet so I am at least taller then my mom.

Goofyluver, I would read your ptr.

 

[rentayenta]

I love all the activities like the pool parties and the movies at night that Disney does. I love that picture of Chloe. Speaking of short people, Alexia is so excited for my mom to get here to see if she is taller than Nana. My mom is only 4 foot 8 inches and this year her feet and Lexi's are the same size. My dad is a little over 6 feet so I am at least taller then my mom.

Goofyluver, I would read your ptr.

Your mom is tiny- too cute. I've got a cousin who is 4'9" and her husband was 6'3". They were so cute together. Are you short like me?

I love the activities too. They're so fun. Disney knows what they're doing that's for sure. Joshua loves the pool like I do so I always had a buddy to go with. The dynamics and ages of this trip were perfect. I'm almost scared to go back as to not tarnish it Each trip is amazing and different somehow.​

 

[rentayenta]

Alison, I didn't know Fran was sick during your THV trip? You definitely need a do over trip to them.

And Jen, of course you and UncleR are invited. It's a girls' trip!

Working on an update, I'll be back to respond too.......​

 

[pooh'smate]

Your mom is tiny- too cute. I've got a cousin who is 4'9" and her husband was 6'3". They were so cute together. Are you short like me?

I love the activities too. They're so fun. Disney knows what they're doing that's for sure. Joshua loves the pool like I do so I always had a buddy to go with. The dynamics and ages of this trip were perfect. I'm almost scared to go back as to not tarnish it Each trip is amazing and different somehow.​

I am 5'4" and Jon is about 5'7". All 3 of us love the pool. You always have such magical trips.

 

[Goofyluver]

Yes I agree with you that Florida water smells like swamp!

We stayed in the THV with four people and did not feel at all guility. Fran and I had the master, my parents had the other bedroom. At the same price as a 2 Br we didn't feel at all guilty since there were only 2 bathrooms. I suppose you can get away with a 1 br so it's a stretch, but for us it was a no brainer. We weren't going to stay in anything but a 2 br with my parents so the THV were great.

Fran didn't like them because she got sick the second day and was down for a bit. She missed out on some park time and got cabin feever. I'm hoping we can try again once she forgets the cabin feever and gets off all her pain meds. I would love to sit out on the balcony enjoying an adult beverage, but it was too cold when we were there!

And would we want to read your obsessive PTR? Put it on the DVC boards and "they will come". Everyone LOVES to hear about planning and trips. We all live through each other's planning and reports!

OMG. How am I roping myself into a PTR? LOL.

I think the best thing about Disney is that it's for everyone...and there are accomodations no matter your need. Here's hoping that you guys get to return to that balcony with an adult glass o' something good.

Yeah, for just the 4 of us, we don't need a 2 br, so justifying the points is hard. We have looked at doing a 2 br at OKW because the points there are so cheap! But, we know next to nothing about the resort.

I love all the activities like the pool parties and the movies at night that Disney does. I love that picture of Chloe. Speaking of short people, Alexia is so excited for my mom to get here to see if she is taller than Nana. My mom is only 4 foot 8 inches and this year her feet and Lexi's are the same size. My dad is a little over 6 feet so I am at least taller then my mom.

Goofyluver, I would read your ptr.

I love tiny people...since I am one.

And thank you!

Alison, I didn't know Fran was sick during your THV trip? You definitely need a do over trip to them.

And Jen, of course you and UncleR are invited. It's a girls' trip!

Working on an update, I'll be back to respond too.......​

 

[rentayenta]

Keith!!!!! Where is he nowadays? He's clearly a genius. Because BCV is awesome.

We have "our room", which is overlooking the quiet pool. Not an A+ view, and there's no zebras or giraffes...but what you're lacking in view, you make up for a million times with the fabulosity of the resort. Yes, I said fabulosity.

There's no million mile walk to your room, to an elevator, or to the buses. If you want a refill in your trusty mug, it's just right there. And it's a 5 minute leisurely walk to EPCOT for booze. BOOZE!!!!! From any country you want.

Also, the pool OMG. That sandy bottom baby is like the prime rib of pools. It is awesome. And the slide is full of fun.

And it's quiet. Like...so quiet that you can relax at Disney...but you know BOOZE is 5 mins away.

Jon and Big C don't know we're going yet. We think we're telling them at Christmas. But they'll be so excited to not only go once, but twice in the next year.

Please do let UncleR and I know when we should show up for the girl's trip. We are invited, no?

And to my lovely wife...just some water and diet coke, please?

I saw Chloe's costume on FB, but tell her that she is just too dang gorgeous! And I LOVE that costume. Also, we're practically the same size, so I should be able to borrow it next year.

He is great. He's writing a pretty cool blog called The Disney Project. We're hoping he'll come visit this winter. It's been ages since we've seen him. He loves the BCV.

One of these days we'll have to try an Epcot resort. Booze from any country in 5 minutes? I'd love to stay near MK too but BLT holds no appeal to me. If the Poly ever gets DVC, I'll be all over it. The GF DVC might be a future possibility though I can imagine thier points higher than BLT's.

And two trips? Lucky! I say keep it a Christmas surprise. They're the best! Are you BCV both trips? I'm assuming you're going to get the discounted DVC APs? I love all of our new fun perks.

You and Chloe are almost the same size. I'll let her know. She's so cute with that thing. She wears it everywhere aside from school. We're taking her and Joshua to see Wreck it Ralph tonight and she'll wear it.​

I am 5'4" and Jon is about 5'7". All 3 of us love the pool. You always have such magical trips.

5'4" is average I think. My dad is 5"7". Michael is almost 6' but slim slim, my kids will all stay small I think.

They have been pretty magical, I agree.​

OMG. How am I roping myself into a PTR? LOL.

I think the best thing about Disney is that it's for everyone...and there are accomodations no matter your need. Here's hoping that you guys get to return to that balcony with an adult glass o' something good.

Yeah, for just the 4 of us, we don't need a 2 br, so justifying the points is hard. We have looked at doing a 2 br at OKW because the points there are so cheap! But, we know next to nothing about the resort.



I love tiny people...since I am one.

And thank you!

I love OKW. I'd stay there again easy. My goal is to keep trying new DVC WDW resorts each trip but I don't know how we'll stay away from AKV. My crew is whipped!


Did you all read that starting next week, Nov 6 I think, we can book our own RCI resorts through the DVC member site? That's very good news for me. We used it for Cabo, as you all know and I'd love to trade out again. So would Michael.



June is looking slim for Disneyland but August isn't. I haven't approached Michael yet. We're going to do our holiday budget this weekend. It's like a game of Let's Make a Deal. Honestly. Disneyland tickets would make a great gift...just sayin'....


Happy Friday! I know it's date night for some, PIO is with Alison, anyone else doing anything fun this weekend?

My update is coming but it'll be tomorrow. ​

 

[pooh'smate]

Jon is giving me a night out tonight so I am going to go Christmas shopping and finish up Lexi and probably go to the movies, I don't know what I am going to see, I don't even know what is playing except Wreck It Ralph.

 

[rentayenta]

Jon is giving me a night out tonight so I am going to go Christmas shopping and finish up Lexi and probably go to the movies, I don't know what I am going to see, I don't even know what is playing except Wreck It Ralph.

How was your night? Did you finish some shopping? What movie did you see? Wreck It Ralph was so good. Clever, cute, great message. We really enjoyed it.

Does it make me a dork that when they run the Castle pic during the opening, my eyes water? Every time. And every time my family looks at me with that *oh mom* look.

Michael and I did a little holiday gift budget talking. Always a good time right there. We seem to be on the same page. It's bittersweet with the kids getting older.

Set to be a beautiful weekend here, 64* which is almost unheard of this time of year.

Happy Saturday everyone! Soccer, soccer, and more soccer today. Utah moves it to indoor do there's never a break- yay me.​

 

[rentayenta]

After some time get acquainted with our fabulous THV it was time to leave for DHS. We were so excited to meet up with Jenna and the fam. We had ADRs for 50's PrimeTime and my mouth was watering for a Dad's Electric Lemonade. It had been almost 2 years since we'd seen our friends and like I've said, there's just something extra special when our families do Disney together.

While the kids had some down time, I hadn't so please excuse the Louis Vuitton luggage under my eyes. This girl needed some sleep. It was also EMH for DHS that night. Bonus!

We were on our way. Again, I have no issues with the transportation system when at WDW. I think it's a huge perk. Not having to drive makes me hap hap happy. Maybe it's because I drive all week?

We got there in no time. Got a call from our friends and who did we see before entering the DHS? Our buddies! Do I have a group shot? Nope. We were all too busy hugging to take a photo. I did get my TiW card at Guest Services right outside of DHS. $100 well spent.

We chatted and headed to 50's. We had never been there and I had read nothing but great things. It did not disappoint. It was bar none the BEST service we've ever had at Disney and as a former server and bartender, that's saying a lot. We checked in our party of 11 and headed to an already packed waiting/bar area.

First up Dad's Lemonade:

Even with an ADR we had a good 20 minute wait but that's okay because there was lots of catching up to do. 50's is adorable in terms of theme. From the old Avon type candy holders to the vinyl furniture, I really felt like I was at my grandma's old house on South Street in Long Beach, CA. Now its gangville but then, it was charming.

We were seated. We were stoked. Spirits were running high:

A goofy panoramic group shot:

So before I post more pics, I have to ask if ANYONE if they can read the servers name to please let me know. I need to write a letter to Disney and give this guy major props. He was unreal. Schtick without being offensive, attentive without bugging. Funny as hell too. At one point during the meal Gabby was texting, he grabbed her phone, and dialed the boy she was texting. Yes, he did. He was from the middle east and had a decent accent which made it more funny because he called the boy on Gabby's phone, Mason, and told him that he was Gabby's dad, and laid into him. It was the funniest thing ever. Like tears streaming down our faces funny. He nailed us and our humor. Called me high maintenance, called Michael *Poppy* which is so funny because I call him Poppy (insert a sexy Selma Hayak accent when I do this), he made Jenna put her nose to the wall, he was in cahoots with Joshua who narced us all off for bad behavior, he teased the girls endlessly, he made Jenna's boys wash their hands and tell him what color the bathroom soap was, made the kids serve other tables, went outside and peered at us through the blinds, made an uber long straw and poked me with it from the table behind us, and he made the girls carry their dirty dishes to the kitchen (sexist). HILARIOUS! He somehow knew that Jenna et al were from PA so right when we were seated he sang the word Pennsylvania to the tune of the opening song in the Lion King. He said they were from Jersey or PA. I'm going to post all of the pics. Its easy to tell whats going on.

If you knew Jon (above), you'd know how funny him serving complete strangers is!

Reading Gabby's texts:

Calling and speaking with Mason:

Chloe guarding her phone:

And away they go with dirty dishes:

This photo has his name. But I still can't make it out. Anyone?

I'll be back with the rest of the evening but I cannot tell you what total magic this was. One of the trip highlights and like I said, the best service ever. In between shenanigans, our drinks remained full and our food was served hot. But because of all of the fun, I missed getting food shots. The pot roast and fried chicken were delicious. Boys said the beer was cold.


​

 

[pooh'smate]

His name looks like Loukili. Now I am going back to read rest the rest of your post.

 

[Pixiedust530]

WOW!!! It looks like 50's was a super fun time!!! I was cracking up at some of the pictures. I can't believe he took Gabby's phone and called the boy...was she completely mortified?

I zoomed way in on the photo and it looks like his name is Loukili. Now....who knows how in the world you pronounce that, but at least you have the correct spelling now.

OH...and Dad's Lemonade looks yummy! I have a thing for blue drinks!

 

[Shazzasmd]

Enjoying your report. That looks like one great time at 50's!

 

[eandesmom]

I'll let you know for sure. At this point August is looking more realistic for three reasons. First we'd have to make our GCV reservation in 2 weeks which were not ready to do. Second, because of the storm we don't know exactly when Jenna's kids will be finished with school so we're not sure when they'll arrive here. And third Gabby and Josh have camp in Colorado in late June. We'd have to be back by June 22 at the latest because they leave for camp June 24th. Jenna and I want a night in Vegas prior to Disneyland so it make the time so crunched.

You'll have points to rent? That's VERY wrong. Why not bank them?

Makes sense. We will see what happens but I'm not sure I can get Jeff to do drl and WDW in a 6m span much as I'd like it.

I can't bank as they are already banked but they will have to be used before our NYE trip as I'm a Dec use year. I've lots of time to figure out how best to use them, it's not a ton of points so the options are limited.

I excited about the RCI online as that may well be what I do with them. Love the idea of being able to explore my options without calling member services.

District championship game tonight and then off to state!

 

[Uncle Remus]

You're totally excused for not posting the food pics, your photos of family and friends are the best!!

Oh, my ribs are hurtin'.

 

[Goofyluver]

He is great. He's writing a pretty cool blog called The Disney Project. We're hoping he'll come visit this winter. It's been ages since we've seen him. He loves the BCV.

One of these days we'll have to try an Epcot resort. Booze from any country in 5 minutes? I'd love to stay near MK too but BLT holds no appeal to me. If the Poly ever gets DVC, I'll be all over it. The GF DVC might be a future possibility though I can imagine thier points higher than BLT's.

And two trips? Lucky! I say keep it a Christmas surprise. They're the best! Are you BCV both trips? I'm assuming you're going to get the discounted DVC APs? I love all of our new fun perks.

You and Chloe are almost the same size. I'll let her know. She's so cute with that thing. She wears it everywhere aside from school. We're taking her and Joshua to see Wreck it Ralph tonight and she'll wear it.​

Tell Keith hi from us. He needs to stop in here for a visit. I read his blog. VERY cool, but I wouldn't expect anything less from him.

We have no desire to do BLT either. And GF DVC may be a possibility...but it's very sterile. And Jen and UncleR don't really do sterile.

Yes, we're getting the discounted DVC AP's. We justified them by doing a 2nd trip. And we were originally thinking about DDP, but now we're thinking TIW. You'll have to let me know how well you did with it.

BCV for both of our trips. We just can't get away from it.

How was the movie?

I love OKW. I'd stay there again easy. My goal is to keep trying new DVC WDW resorts each trip but I don't know how we'll stay away from AKV. My crew is whipped!


Did you all read that starting next week, Nov 6 I think, we can book our own RCI resorts through the DVC member site? That's very good news for me. We used it for Cabo, as you all know and I'd love to trade out again. So would Michael.



June is looking slim for Disneyland but August isn't. I haven't approached Michael yet. We're going to do our holiday budget this weekend. It's like a game of Let's Make a Deal. Honestly. Disneyland tickets would make a great gift...just sayin'....


Happy Friday! I know it's date night for some, PIO is with Alison, anyone else doing anything fun this weekend?

My update is coming but it'll be tomorrow. ​

Hmmmm...what fun this weekend?

I made marshmallows and fudge!

​

Jenna!!! What did you DO????

This place is on our list for next summer, I hope. Now I can't wait. What happens if you resist going to time-out? ​

 

[kid-at-heart]

We also have a Britta pitcher in our OL.

Yep, us too, in our owner's locker, a Britta pitcher and a bottle of wine - because you never know when you might have a late flight and not arrive until after the stores close.

Kate

 

[kid-at-heart]

​

I love her costume, she is such a cutie!

 

[rentayenta]

His name looks like Loukili. Now I am going back to read rest the rest of your post.

That's what Joshua said too. Thank you! I'm going to email Disney today. Wonder what address I send it to? He was the funniest guy ever. He must make a fortune there.​

WOW!!! It looks like 50's was a super fun time!!! I was cracking up at some of the pictures. I can't believe he took Gabby's phone and called the boy...was she completely mortified?

I zoomed way in on the photo and it looks like his name is Loukili. Now....who knows how in the world you pronounce that, but at least you have the correct spelling now.

OH...and Dad's Lemonade looks yummy! I have a thing for blue drinks!

I like blue drinks too. 50's was such a good time. I couldn't have asked for a better first real meal.

Gabby was dying, it was hysterical. I can't believe the kid stayed on the phone with him that long either. I would have hung up for sure. He must have talked to him for 5 minutes. Mason still thinks it was Michael calling him. He's met him and Michael doesn't have an accent. He was asking what was he doing with his daughter, what his intentions were.....​

Enjoying your report. That looks like one great time at 50's!

Glad you are enjoying it.​

Makes sense. We will see what happens but I'm not sure I can get Jeff to do drl and WDW in a 6m span much as I'd like it.

I can't bank as they are already banked but they will have to be used before our NYE trip as I'm a Dec use year. I've lots of time to figure out how best to use them, it's not a ton of points so the options are limited.

I excited about the RCI online as that may well be what I do with them. Love the idea of being able to explore my options without calling member services.

District championship game tonight and then off to state!

I have no issues planning 2 years ahead of time so I think the RCI things is nifty too. I can't wait to check out the site and fool around. With a 2 year booking wondow, that gives just enough time for me to plan.

I'm assuming it's Kendall's game so wishing her and her team good luck. Like Gabby's team says: let's kick some grass.

Maybe rent them out. Sometimes people just need a few points? You're going to WDW NYE? This NYE or next?

Yeah, Disneyland is proving harder to plan than I'd like. With our recent return it's hard to bring up another trip, ya know? I have to let the shock wear off for Michael.​

You're totally excused for not posting the food pics, your photos of family and friends are the best!!

Oh, my ribs are hurtin'.

Thank you! They sure are fun to post and I love retelling the stories.​

Tell Keith hi from us. He needs to stop in here for a visit. I read his blog. VERY cool, but I wouldn't expect anything less from him.

We have no desire to do BLT either. And GF DVC may be a possibility...but it's very sterile. And Jen and UncleR don't really do sterile.

Yes, we're getting the discounted DVC AP's. We justified them by doing a 2nd trip. And we were originally thinking about DDP, but now we're thinking TIW. You'll have to let me know how well you did with it.

BCV for both of our trips. We just can't get away from it.

How was the movie?

Hmmmm...what fun this weekend?

I made marshmallows and fudge!

Jenna!!! What did you DO????

This place is on our list for next summer, I hope. Now I can't wait. What happens if you resist going to time-out?

Wreck It Ralph was so good. Very cute, good for all ages. Some funny inside adult humor- Disney hides it from the kids so well. The moral is relative and no one jerks the tears like Disney.

You've got to go and ask for our server. Jenna didn't resist but he was quite insistent. I'm sure they'd make you do something even more embarrassing. He started in the second we sat down. We did well with the TiW card. The DDP is okay but you know you like your appetizers. And sharing is so much fun.

You made marshmallows? I love marshmallows. I don;t know that I've ever had a homemade one. And fudge? Tell me it had nuts of some sort. I'm the only one who likes nuts in my fudge so we usually end up with nutless fudge.

No me gusta sterile either. I know people love BLT and it's proximity but it looks like an Ikea ad. I'm too for BLT. I haven't been to the GF but it sure looked purdy across from MK.

I will tell him hi. He's all over the FB, you should *friend* him.​

Yep, us too, in our owner's locker, a Britta pitcher and a bottle of wine - because you never know when you might have a late flight and not arrive until after the stores close.

Kate

I love her costume, she is such a cutie!

When she wanted that Jedi robe I laughed and thought: there's goes $50 but I'll tell you, she's got so much use out of it. Halloween, the entire trip after she bought it, and she wears it at home. My guess is that it'll get a lot of use during winter too.​

 

[pooh'smate]

What a great meal at 50's PTC. I really wanted to eat there but Jon and Lexi waned to eat at Sci-Fi so we did. Next time for sure we going. I love your friends blog. I also loved his tr on visiting Marceline and Jon and I planing to go there sometime next year (the museum is only open from April-Oct). I did go and see Wreck It Ralph and I loved it. I too love seeing the Castle, though I do still miss seeing Walt before Disney, call me sentimental. I finished my Christmas shopping. Jon and I are just buying a blu-ray player as our dvd player has died so that was easy. Alexia is getting something she wants, something to wear, something she needs, and something to read for Christmas. We are going to make a donation to the local homeless shelter where Jon and I used to work. Lexi has plenty of toys and she will still get lots of gifts from family so we are going to do that this year. I am going to make homemade gifts (baked goods) for the other people we give presents to.