AKV CL PTR/TR - taking practically first timers -TR starts on P. 17 (completed)

[Pinkocto]

Originally Posted by dolphingirl47

That was a stroke of luck that Fastpasses for TSM were still available. I have to admit that I could not have resisted that ride being walk on. I am sorry about all the drama and confusion.

Corinna

I couldn't believe our luck that there were still FPs. I'm so glad R saw them.

I think one of the biggest things is that I'm a communicator and R is not. We would always discuss the next step as a group and then he went and upset the smoothness of things. Funny thing is whenever I talk with them they say how much they loved the trip and can't wait to go back. So I'm wondering if he even realized I was mad.

[Pinkocto]

Originally Posted by MEK

Happy NY's Pam!

No wonder you waited so long to write that update. Your brother? I just get the feeling he really didn't want to be there and as a result his planning was so poor.

Thank goodness RnR put a smile on everyone's face. And that picture of the RnR building turned out great!

Happy to see you updating again.

You are so right. Whenever an update contained one of the not so pleasant events I took ages to write about it. I don't think he knows himself enough to stay behind when he should. I'm glad we got some great rides in despite the drama but I really could have done without it.

I'll get another one in today. I really want to get his finished before the next trip. I can't remember any more drama so it should be smooth sailing from here.

Happy New Year!

[dgbg100106]

Originally Posted by Pinkocto

I'm sorry, I hope things slow down soon.

I hope so too....

[dgbg100106]

Originally Posted by Pinkocto

I couldn't believe our luck that there were still FPs. I'm so glad R saw them.

I think one of the biggest things is that I'm a communicator and R is not. We would always discuss the next step as a group and then he went and upset the smoothness of things. Funny thing is whenever I talk with them they say how much they loved the trip and can't wait to go back. So I'm wondering if he even realized I was mad.

It sounds like he was only concerned with his own, so maybe he never noticed...

[Pinkocto]

Originally Posted by dgbg100106

I hope so too....

[Pinkocto]

Originally Posted by dgbg100106

It sounds like he was only concerned with his own, so maybe he never noticed...

I'm sure that's correct. And while I'm not surprised it still makes me sad.

[hstrickland]

Hi there!! Happy New Year!! It's been almost 4 weeks since I've been on the Disboards Crazy around here! Yesterday I started getting caught up with some of the TRs.

Originally Posted by Pinkocto

I was able to book BCV at the seven month mark for my June trip. I had AKV-Savannah view booked as a back up since I really wasn't holding my breath that I could get BCV but I was able to snag it. Very excited to stay at an Epcot resort, and to try out SAB. I also decided to add a day to the beginning of the trip so will fly in late that night instead of early in the morning like I planned.

Not sure if I commented on this or not but it sparked my interest when I saw BCV. We've never stayed at an EP resort...I always book one then change it because I get cold feet Right now we're going to be at BWV, but BCV is my second choice simply because of SAB. And I think adding a day to your trip is perfect!! Bill gets irritated with me because my mom and I always add a day...maybe two...or three BCV will be a nice change of pace for yall.

Originally Posted by Pinkocto

I bought my premium annual pass before the deal stops which I'm very excited about.

I booked my March cruise's extras as soon as I could which was during my trip to OKW but somehow forgot to check in as well. So last night I'm checking on the reservations and see all the check in stuff says incomplete. I was annoyed with myself since apparently I completely forgot and thus didn't get an early arrival time like I wanted. Oh well, flights are so expensive the morning of the cruise I'm thinking of going down a day early but need to check with the boss to see if that's ok with work. I did get everything I wanted. Palo brunch and dinner, parasailing on CC, and an island tour on St. John.

I decided to cancel the sea lion excursion I booked for January. Since this will be the first time on the Wonder we're just going to enjoy the ship. I'll be back to Nassau in October and will make that excursion a must do. As for the we it will be another mother/daughter trip. No one else in my life shares my enthusiasm for Disney so it looks like she's my trip buddy when it comes to Disney. We have great fun together and I cherish the quality time.

I got an iPad mini for Christmas which will be so convenient for trips. I'm absolutely obsessed with it.

I must get this TR finished before the upcoming cruise, hopefully I can make it happen!

Have a great day everybody, I'll be back soon

All of the above sounds wonderful!!...well except for your minor glitch in reservations. Glad your mom enjoys Disney as much as you My parents did the parasailing on CC and LOVED it!!! Wish I had done it, too.

Sorry to hear your brother had some issues, but at least he got his popcorn The crowds still look ridiculously slim...which is great for yall. I could easily deal with the heat if there was little wait times for rides. And having a day to relax by the pool is a must do...JMO We usually do the same thing. The deluxe resorts have so much to offer...it's a shame not to take advantage of everything.

Yall have a great New Year's Day!
Heather

[dgbg100106]

Originally Posted by Pinkocto

I'm sure that's correct. And while I'm not surprised it still makes me sad.

I understand and I hate it for you...

Hopefully as he matures (you know men are always late to the party) it will get better.

[Pinkocto]

Day 5, Epcot Day:

We woke up around 8:40 and headed out to the CL. We couldnt quite figure out the espresso machine even though there's perfectly good directions posted to it and I had made it work previously... The very nice Robbie helped us. He was as pleasant as could be and always had a smile to share whenever we saw him. We took some breakfast down to the pool utilizing our very nifty cooler we received at the beginning of the trip.

The pool at Jambo House is my favorite on property so far. I just love the lush foliage everywhere.





Looks like a balloon snuck its way in.



We enjoyed the pool for a few hours and when noon came around and no word from R & M I started to get antsy. We decided to head off to Epcot without them and texted them to call when they woke up. We got to the park between 1-1:30 and went straight to Soarin to get FPs. Our plan was for R & M to use them when they showed up. After that we enjoyed a nice ride on LWTL which was a walk on and then headed outside to wait for them.

We enjoyed some snacks mom had brought from the CL and luxuriated in the sun. R & M had to wait ages for an Epcot bus and made it there around 2:15. They didnt want to use the FPs we got but wanted to go on the ride together so we had them get FPs as well and the time they overlapped was 3:20. So we had a little time to kill and went on LWTL again. Everyone enjoyed it. We still had some time to kill and we were all hungry so went to Sunshine Seasons.

Mom and I got the beet salad to split which was scrumptious.



And I had heard such good things about the strawberry shortcake I wanted to try it for myself. I have to admit I was a bit disappointed. It was a little dry.



R had a turkey sandwich and M had a chicken Caesar salad. I missed getting pictures and they didnt remind me for once. M enjoyed her salad. R felt like the bread on his sandwich was too thick.

Sorry this is grainy but I was trying to be inconspicuous with my phone instead of the big camera. At first I thought he was wearing a strange shirt until I realized they were gorgeous tattoos.



Off to Soarin to use our FPs. We still had a 15 minute wait inside, but that was better than a 50 minute standby wait. They loved it as expected.

Off to the World Showcase for some exploration. We skipped the movie in Canada. I think the timing was a bit off. Off to England where the three of them took some pictures in the photo booths. I went off for some fish and chips since the salad earlier was just not enough.



Mom came and found me and got some chips of her own. We sat in the little area behind the fish and chips shop where R & M found us. They had stopped for some beers at the pub.

We had a little relaxing break. Not like wed been over exerting ourselves already. I guess we were just in a slow mode that day. The ducks and birds in that area had gotten quite used to getting treats from the tourists. This duck was quite mad mom didnt share her chips with him and proceeded to press his foot against hers in protest. I wish wish wish I had gotten a picture of that. This was just afterwards.



These people were not helping the situation.



After a lovely little break we headed to France. We just missed the show so we went to the bakery for some goodies.

Mom had a crème brulee which she declared was one of the best shes ever had.



I had a chocolate mousse which was delicious but put me in sugar overload.



M also had a chocolate mousse and a coffee slushie. R had a strawberry slushie. As we were enjoying our treats a CM named Mark came by for a chat. He was very nice but had such a lisp we all had a bit of trouble understanding him. We did however all hear him tell M that if R didnt treat her good she could always go off with him. Oh my. Where was Mark yesterday? All in good fun but it was a taxing conversation since he was so hard to understand. We graciously made our exit by saying we needed to go see the movie and headed around the corner. Unfortunately we missed the next one so had to wait again. Everyone enjoyed the movie when we finally made it in.

When we came out it was raining cats and dogs. Thankfully R & M had the foresight to bring us all ponchos. I am so glad they thought to not only bring some for them but for us also. We traipsed off in the rain and stopped in Morocco. Mom, M, & I went directly to the shops and R went for a strawberry daiquiri. He said it was one of the best hes ever had. The CM seemed glad to have a customer and made it extra delicious. I found a lovely silver bracelet and mom found some incense.

It stopped raining as hard when we left the shop. Mary Ellen had given such a raving review of the lamb burger that I told R & M about them. Of course they had to try them and said they were absolutely delicious.



This is a terrible picture but you can see where we went next. Across the way there was a little Adornment museum of clothing and jewelry. The whole time I was in there I thought I needed to take pictures for you guys but totally failed my apologies. It was well laid out with some great items, definitely worth checking out.



Then off to Japan to continue our adventure. Mom wanted to show R & M the koi pond so I went to get a strawberry shaved ice with sweet milk on top. Absolutely delicious!



Then we all went into the shop to peruse the goods. I found some lovely things to add to my Ponyo collection. If you havent seen that movie its wonderful. Back out into the rain and we headed to Italy. R & M first stopped for some saki before leaving. They all stopped in Italy but I needed a bathroom and the closest one was in Germany so I headed that way. A CM had just wiped off some benches so I took a nice rest and waited for everybody.

[franandaj]

Originally Posted by dgbg100106

It sounds like he was only concerned with his own, so maybe he never noticed...

At least you were able to find some good times inbetween the drama. He probably behaves like that all the time and doesn't even notice that it effects others, much less how.

[Pinkocto]

Originally Posted by hstrickland

Hi there!! Happy New Year!! It's been almost 4 weeks since I've been on the Disboards Crazy around here! Yesterday I started getting caught up with some of the TRs.

Hi Heather! 4 weeks, whew! I hate when real life gets in the way of Disney Being away a few days and I'm way behind.

Originally Posted by hstrickland

Not sure if I commented on this or not but it sparked my interest when I saw BCV. We've never stayed at an EP resort...I always book one then change it because I get cold feet Right now we're going to be at BWV, but BCV is my second choice simply because of SAB. And I think adding a day to your trip is perfect!! Bill gets irritated with me because my mom and I always add a day...maybe two...or three BCV will be a nice change of pace for yall.

Now how can Bill get irritated with extra vacation? I'm really excited about BCV. My very first resort when I was 6 was BC and I have fabulous memories of the place. Of course I can't wait to see SAB. I think that trip will be about Epcot, waterparks, and SAB. Hopefully I'll get some mini golfing in too. From what I've seen of BWV it is absolutely gorgeous. I don't think you'll be disappointed with either one.

Originally Posted by hstrickland

All of the above sounds wonderful!!...well except for your minor glitch in reservations. Glad your mom enjoys Disney as much as you My parents did the parasailing on CC and LOVED it!!! Wish I had done it, too.

Well it ended up working out. I finally found a flight for $115 but it goes down the day before the cruise. So I 'had' to add another day to that trip as well. Oh the hardship of it all I booked VWL for that night.

I have offered my friends free trips if they ever want to join me but most have families and none have the zealousness about Disney that I do. As long as mom wants to go she's welcome. I'm really enjoying the memories we're making.

This just means you have to take another cruise so you can go parasailing! It was so amazing. I had an indescribable peacefulness up there.

Originally Posted by hstrickland

Sorry to hear your brother had some issues, but at least he got his popcorn The crowds still look ridiculously slim...which is great for yall. I could easily deal with the heat if there was little wait times for rides. And having a day to relax by the pool is a must do...JMO We usually do the same thing. The deluxe resorts have so much to offer...it's a shame not to take advantage of everything.

It was just too much. He was so rude about the whole thing.

Definitely worth the heat for those slim crowds. It was so fabulous.

That whole day was going to be a pool day but since we had done everything at MK the day before R & M had an extra day of tickets to use up. I figured why not just go back to HS and see what they had missed. Probably should have just let them rest and tried another day.

I agree, the deluxes have so much to do. I feel like I don't give the resorts their due time.

Originally Posted by hstrickland

Yall have a great New Year's Day!
Heather

Happy New Year!

[Pinkocto]

Originally Posted by dgbg100106

I understand and I hate it for you...

Hopefully as he matures (you know men are always late to the party) it will get better.

Well hopefully that happens one day. He'll be 28 in April. When these things happen I'm just sad for M. I can't imagine being married to someone like him.

[Pinkocto]

Originally Posted by franandaj

:: yes::

At least you were able to find some good times inbetween the drama. He probably behaves like that all the time and doesn't even notice that it effects others, much less how.

Thankfully time is softening the unpleasantness. Just rereading the journal and writing it here is reliving the situation.

I had asked them to watch Conner for me while gone in December and they were so sad they couldn't go too. So I'm sure he has no idea how he affects people.

[dgbg100106]

Originally Posted by Pinkocto

Well hopefully that happens one day. He'll be 28 in April. When these things happen I'm just sad for M. I can't imagine being married to someone like him.

My Brother is 34 and he is not there yet...

[Pinkocto]

Originally Posted by dgbg100106

My Brother is 34 and he is not there yet...

Oh no.