It's August! It's HOT! It Rains! Wait, Where's Mikey?

[tazdev3225]

Missed one pic in the last update. After we were done with the Agent P mission we went over and saw Beauty and the Beast. Belle signed autographs while we waited for Beast to come out so it sped things up a bit.


Now back to the rain. Around 5:45 or so we realized the rain would not let up. I wrapped myself up in a poncho and Jen and I were off with the kids. I dryed off a little and took a picture of the ceiling for some reason.


While Jen was getting the kids into dry clothing we were buzzed to be seated.
We were up towards the rear in a corner although we were seated together. Jim and I had a small argument at this point. I hate being in the middle. I am claustrophobic and need an end seat. I have been like this the 34 years he has known me. What does he do? He demands the end seat. I almost didn't eat I was so mad at him. And knowing that I was paying OOP and trying to keep expenses down slightly he ordered a salad. Jen took pictures since she had a better angle she just takes lousy pictures.

On to the meal. Mike ordered the shrimp appy and shared it.


This was really good. The slaw had a little heat to it but was delicious. Mike also got a crab cake to share with Jay. They both loved it. Jim got a salad. I have no idea how it tasted or what it looked like because I was still mad at him.

Jim, Jay, Mike and I all ordered the steak dinner. Jay and Mike got FF's Jim and I got it as is.


It was steak. Very good but it was steak. There was supposed to be spinach with it but I swear it consisted of one strand. Jen, Ella and Mikey got pizza with FF's. I wish the waiter had been nice enough to point out that the FF's were extra as we paid for 2 order of fries that were thrown out.


It was pizza. Again what can you do wrong to it? Crystal had a kids meal portion of shrimp. That girl loves seafood. She loves calamari as long as their isn't a head attached. Can't blame her for that.

I let Jen take pics of the fish tank. I won't post them. They were bad!!! We did get one of some divers in the tank


When I made the reservations I made sure that we were celebrating Jays birthday on it. The waiter bought out a chocolate wave dessert for him.


Jay however had a feeling that something was up and left before it arrived. Crystal blew out the candles and we all shared it. The kids weren't asked if they wanted the dessert that was included with their dinners. The total for the meal was: $201.09, $13.08 tax, and $36.20 tip for a grand total of $250.37. Not that bad for 8 people.

After the dinner, and it was now after 7:30, we still had half of the countries to get too. What does my family do when there is a limited time? We shop. I got a picture of a bored Jay


Got a pic in Mexico. That was as far into the pavilion as I got however.


We did manage to get the passports signed in every country. I stopped in Italy to get some candy for Beth. It was a thank you for taking care of Nikki for me. She went over there twice a day and took her for walks. I got her 14 pieces of candy for a little over $10. She liked it so that was good.

We then found a spot for Illuminations. I wanted the kids to see fireworks at least once.






The girls were awed by them


Mikey hated the noise.


After Illuminations we made our way slowly towards the exit. Jen and her crew stopped at a shop or two to find an outfit for Crystal's Duffy Bear. I went to Guest services. It was a long shot but I was hoping that maybe somebody had found my camera and turned it in. I gave the CM a full description and was shocked when she came back over to me with the camera in hand. I really thought that it was gone forever. There really are some good people out there.

I chatted with a mother who had a toddler in a full leg cast. I had found out earlier that day that my nephew had a broken leg at 15 months old. It was the same type of fracture so it gave me a little insight into Owen's situation. They actually walk around quite well in those casts.

We headed out to the bus stop and with that our last day at the parks came to an end.

We actually did most of the goals here. Of course we did miss a lot of the countries but the kids got the stamps and saw characters. They found Agent P and had a great time with Gaston. All in all it was a great trip.

Up next check out and the drive home.

[PrincessAlways]

Gaston!!!!! That's a good addition!

You did have some rain!!

Love your Illuminations pictures.

[averill94]

HI! I was directed over here by Scotts pre trip report

Your grandkids are adorable.

I am in awe of you all driving straight through!!!!! I hope to do that one day.

I have a lot of reading to catch up on.

Thank you for sharing,
Margaret

[GeminiAngel]

We must always watch Mo'Rockin.

I LOVE the rain. But I also live in the desert where there is no rain.

Mikey super cute plugging his ears.

Fantastic price for 8 ppl at Coral Reef.

Awesome on the camera recovery. In 2009 Nova's brand new High School Musical hoodie was stolen out of our friends stroller while we were on Nemo.

[tazdev3225]

Originally Posted by PrincessAlways

Gaston!!!!! That's a good addition!

You did have some rain!!

Love your Illuminations pictures.

He really was a great addition. Mikey had so much fun with him.

And yes that was a LOT of rain. The kids liked it though.

Thank you I love taking pics.

Originally Posted by averill94

HI! I was directed over here by Scotts pre trip report

Your grandkids are adorable.

I am in awe of you all driving straight through!!!!! I hope to do that one day.

I have a lot of reading to catch up on.

Thank you for sharing,
Margaret

Thank you so much I think they are pretty cute but them I am a little prejudiced.

I will say I slept more than drove. My DH loves the drive and somehow manages to stay awake. It always amazes me as he falls asleep on the couch all of the time.

Originally Posted by GeminiAngel

We must always watch Mo'Rockin.

I LOVE the rain. But I also live in the desert where there is no rain.

Mikey super cute plugging his ears.

Fantastic price for 8 ppl at Coral Reef.

Awesome on the camera recovery. In 2009 Nova's brand new High School Musical hoodie was stolen out of our friends stroller while we were on Nemo.

I don't know if I could deal with the desert. But then again I am not fond of rain. I had to work in it for 14 years and a cold rain is worse than snow.

He does not like loud noises but he finds a way to deal with it and have fun at the same time.

It actually wasn't a bad price for all of us. I think the Coral Reef may be skipped next visit as I won't have Jay. I want to try more restaurants.

I was so shocked to find the camera. I thought for sure that whoever found it would have just kept it. It's waterproof so always a plus in the rain and on wet rides. That stinks about Nova's hoodie. I don't understand why people do that type of thing.

I know you have all been patiently waiting to read about the long ride home. I just got back from my happy place yesterday and averaged 5 to 6 hours sleep a night. It's Disney who wants to sleep? No sleep hit me today now that I'm home. I'll be finishing this in the next day or so and then off to start a new TR.

[GeminiAngel]

Sorry your home. That just doesn't sound right, lol. You know what I mean.


Oh, I forgot. Nova is in love with Jay.

I can't let her see this post. lol

[tazdev3225]

Originally Posted by GeminiAngel

Sorry your home. That just doesn't sound right, lol. You know what I mean.


Oh, I forgot. Nova is in love with Jay.

I can't let her see this post. lol

I know what you mean. I am having Disney withdrawal right now. But I do have 1 maybe 2 trips to plan for next year so that is helping.

I can't blame Nova, Jay is a cute boy. I will be posting some pics of him on FB so she can see him there too. I won't tell her that you told me.

[tazdev3225]

Time to end this trip.

I was up at 6:30, showered, dressed and loading things into my van before anybody else even moved. After the first trip to the car and making enough noise Jim finally got up. I woke up Mikey and then Jennifer and the rest of her crew, left Jay for last. He's a teenager - nuff said.

Mikey and I headed to the food court for breakfast. He only wanted cereal. I got the Bounty breakfast, just bacon. As I finished eating Jim arrived and got his breakfast. I left Mikey with him to go to the gift shop to pick up the last few things I wanted. I try to get a year ornament and magnet especially every trip. Picked up a few small things for the other grandkids and a book for my nephew. I really wanted to get the water bottle on a strap because my brother goes hiking BUT: it's plastic - no plastic unless it is absolutely free of something, it's made in China - another no, and it was painted. I spent enough money, it adds up fast, to get the backpack offer. I can never have enough backpacks.

By this time Jen had fed the girls and also did some last minute shopping. While Jay, Jim and Mike packed the truck and van we took the kids to the Toy Story courtyard.












And one last shot of the kids in Disney World


I then headed back to the food court and used our last 7 credits on grilled ham and cheese sandwiches and sodas for the trip home. We also had quite a few snack credits between us so we got snacks for the car also. Heat and rain combined made us forget to eat sometimes.

Finally we were packed and on our way at 10:15 AM. I had hoped for 8:30. Oh well it's a long trip either way.
Parking area and the first really nice sky all week


Bye All Star Movies




Bye Disney World but I'll be back in 6 weeks.


We had filled the tanks before check-in and never used the cars again that week so we didn't need gas for awhile.


Our first stop was for gas in Richmond Hill, GA. Traveled 288 miles, 13.8 gallons of gas at $3.58 a gallon, $50 total.

Somewhere in Georgia. There is a bridge in the background that I have a pic of from the sky


We then stopped in Dillon SC for gas because it was cheap here. Traveled 218 miles, gas was $3.41 per gallon for a total cost of $39. Back on the road we saw a lot of utility vehicle caravans headed south, including some from PECO - our electric company. I have a friend who works for PECO and he confirmed this for me. He has been laid up with knee surgery and wasn't happy. They make BIG!!!! money doing this.


About 20 miles south of the Virginia border we ran into a real problem. Jennifer called to tell us that the truck had a blow out. Thankfully Mike was able to handle it and we pulled over to the shoulder. It was around 9:45 PM, pitch black and the road was only 2 lanes each way, maybe 3. The tire did not blow out but was evidently a retread that Jim had no idea about. When the tread blew it actually took a piece of the rear fender area and trim with it. Jim still isn't happy about that. Either way the tire wasn't driveable. Thankfully right before we left Jim got a spare tire. The man has owned this truck for 5 years, bought it with retreads and no spare. Literally he didn't even have the rim for a spare. We have taken this truck on vacations and he knew he had no spare. Who does that? OK rant over.

We do have AAA so we called them. Then we had another problem - we had absolutely no idea where we were other than northbound on I 95. We had 3 phones, my GPS and my tablet all trying to figure out our location but we weren't getting a decent signal. We finally figured we were north of exit 263? and south of the VA border. The driver was a wonder. We were marked priority because of the location and he found us within 15 minutes of calling. Had the tire changed in 10 minutes and we were on our way. We hit the VA border within 10 minutes and we were at Emporia VA. I HATE!!! Emporia. Last year my car battery died there.

We got gas one last time in Richmond VA. We had driven another 278 miles, gas was $3.59 a gallon for a total of $45. With no further incident we arrived home at 4:45 AM to a very happy dog.

The time breakdown was:
Left ASMo - 10:15 AM
GA border - 1:15 PM
SC border - 3:15 PM
NC border - 6:25 PM with a 25 minute emergency stop
VA border - 10:45 PM
slept through MD and Delaware
Home at 4:45 AM for a total trip time of 17 1/2 hours.

So there you have my Hot, rainy, August trip where we lost Mikey a few times but had an absolutely great time. Mikey has ddecided that his parents should bull doze the house so they can move to Disney World. I think he had fun.

Thanks for reading along and join me for my next TR starting soon.

[averill94]

Thanks so much for a great report!!!!! You make driving sound SO easy, we might really give it a try!

Hope you just had another great trip.
Margaret

p.s.- Your husband has two speends, slow and stopped. I still think that is hysterical. After 18 years I thought we found some kind of middle ground....glad to know I am not the only one.

[jmskinner]

Sorry about the tire. Sounds like we both had hard times in NC on I-95. Had that same problem when we were calling the police. Hopefully next time I will remember the Onstar button.

Hopefully leaving a little later meant you missed some of that Orlando traffic. They really need a bypass just to get to WDW from I95, I can't stand driving through Orlando.

I can't believe the waiter didn't warn you the fries would be extra? Makes me when they do things like that.

We always have lots of snacks left when we do the meal plan.

Thanks for sharing your report and look forward to the next one!

[tazdev3225]

Originally Posted by averill94

Thanks so much for a great report!!!!! You make driving sound SO easy, we might really give it a try!

Thank you. Driving isn't that bad but then again I sleep through a lot of it. Seriously we are planning a trip for next year, just the 2 of us and are most likely driving. Airfare is just too much compared to the cost of driving. The key is making sure you stop for a break every now and then.

Hope you just had another great trip.
Margaret

I did and am in the process of getting pics in order but will be starting a new TR soon.

p.s.- Your husband has two speends, slow and stopped. I still think that is hysterical. After 18 years I thought we found some kind of middle ground....glad to know I am not the only one.
Normally he does only have 2 speeds except on the open highway - then he goes 80 to 90 miles an hour. It does cut down on travel time but I worry about a ticket and my car. The car does fine and FOP (Police officer) plates really cuts down on the risk of a ticket.

Originally Posted by jmskinner

Sorry about the tire. Sounds like we both had hard times in NC on I-95. Had that same problem when we were calling the police. Hopefully next time I will remember the Onstar button.

I don't have onstar. That would have made things so much easier. I was just thankful that my DH had the forethought to get a spare, and more thankful that DSIL could handle the truck. He normally drives a Hyundai Sonata so a little car. I want to avoid the NC/VA border from now on. Two return trips and two problems.

Hopefully leaving a little later meant you missed some of that Orlando traffic. They really need a bypass just to get to WDW from I95, I can't stand driving through Orlando.

We actually did hit very little traffic. And what we did hit went at a very steady pace. Jim drives through Philly traffic every day so traffic doesn't bother him.

I can't believe the waiter didn't warn you the fries would be extra? Makes me when they do things like that.

I was angry about it because the kids barely touched the fries so that was a lot of money just thrown away. One order would have been fine for all of them. I was a waitress when I went to college and I always gave people a heads up when they wanted an ala carte item. I hate that you can't adjust your tip when you have over 6 people at a table. He was a nice guy but no kids desserts and the fries would have definitely had me thinking about 15% instead of 18%.

We always have lots of snacks left when we do the meal plan.

It is just too much food. But the left over snack credits give me a cheap present for the grandkids. They love the Mickey gummy bears.


Thanks for sharing your report and look forward to the next one!
Thank you for reading along.

I had a lot of fun sharing my trip and am in the process of sorting out my pics and notes from my last trip to my happy place. I will have a new report up soon. Still working on the title too.

[GeminiAngel]

No great trip is complete without some kind of automobile breakdown!
Can't wait for Scotty's IP-Dip TR. They come home tomorrow. Felt like a really long time! But I guess 13 days is long.

Did anyone ever end up meeting hooking up with Buzz and Linnie?

[tazdev3225]

Originally Posted by GeminiAngel

No great trip is complete without some kind of automobile breakdown!
Can't wait for Scotty's IP-Dip TR. They come home tomorrow. Felt like a really long time! But I guess 13 days is long.

Did anyone ever end up meeting hooking up with Buzz and Linnie?

I may rent a car next year. At least that way I don't have to pay for repairs.
Jim and I are going down right after Thanksgivine and he wants to drive. I may give in since he most likely won't get his summer trip this year.

I have put my TR off so that I can at least coincide with his first week. I would love to go for 13 days but I'll have to wait for Jay to make the big leagues. He promised me a DVC membership when he becomes a pro ball player. I can dream.

I don't know if Scott ever met up with them or not. I'm glad I at least got to meet them 2 years ago. Maybe next year. Kristel and I are debating a long weekend trip for Ip Dip as we have bigger plans in the works, if she ever wants to travel with me again. My Grumpy shirts fit my mood some days because of the ankle.

[GeminiAngel]

Originally Posted by tazdev3225

I may rent a car next year. At least that way I don't have to pay for repairs.
Jim and I are going down right after Thanksgivine and he wants to drive. I may give in since he most likely won't get his summer trip this year.

I have put my TR off so that I can at least coincide with his first week. I would love to go for 13 days but I'll have to wait for Jay to make the big leagues. He promised me a DVC membership when he becomes a pro ball player. I can dream.

I don't know if Scott ever met up with them or not. I'm glad I at least got to meet them 2 years ago. Maybe next year. Kristel and I are debating a long weekend trip for Ip Dip as we have bigger plans in the works, if she ever wants to travel with me again. My Grumpy shirts fit my mood some days because of the ankle.

That's what it would be for us. A long weekend. Kevin will most likely come with us to the next one. He wants to golf with Buzz.

[tazdev3225]

Originally Posted by GeminiAngel

That's what it would be for us. A long weekend. Kevin will most likely come with us to the next one. He wants to golf with Buzz.

I am really hoping we can work it out to come next year. I know Jim won't come down. He doesn't golf and he is saving his vacation time for December.