City, Sand, and Savanna - New Fantasyland construction pictures (pg 145)

[glennbo123]

Originally Posted by PlutosRHM55

Ahhhh, gotta love the obligatory Disney store shop pics! For the amount of pictures we get on DisBoards in those places and the unintentional advertising we make, it is strange they haven't started paying us. Oh well... I'll just grab one of those Mickey ears on my next trip

We do provide a lot of content on here, I wouldn't turn down a Disney gift card or something in remuneration.

Originally Posted by PlutosRHM55

LOL @ the old-time swim suit for your Mom. I saw that coming just as I was scrolling down to see the picture. And I could definitely see Charlie Chaplin jamming it up with those shoes haha

Yeah, maybe I should have put in some spaces for it to be more of a reveal. That's okay, it's still funny.

Originally Posted by PlutosRHM55

Oh the sharktooth necklace class looked like lots of fun. They really do keep you busy at the non-Disney park resorts. I don't think $10 was much of a waste there... oh wait, you said for EACH person. Yeah, that does seem much. Well... it's Disney A completely legitimate excuse right there! Oh and the necklaces came out great. (:

Can't wait to read more!

Yeah, $30 for my kids to make some necklaces. Oh well -- it's still cheaper than taking the family to the movies!

Originally Posted by Poolrat

Late but still here and congrats Mark for the Judys.

That's the spirit.

Originally Posted by Poolrat

Nice activity and thanks for the shopping pictures.

Useful info, I hope.

Originally Posted by Stringbean&Wingnut

The shark tooth necklace activity looks like a fun activity/souvenir! I remember making those braided/woven bracelet things at camp - those look much better than my attempts though! (Plus they have the added bonus of a shark tooth!)

Yeah, craft items can be hit or miss! Fortunately Lauren knew a thing or two about this kind of thing.

I remember buying a shark's tooth at Myrtle Beach when I was a kid, so I know their desirability for that age group.

Originally Posted by MEK

Was Mark stalking the DIS boards this morning again?

Now who would do something like that?

Originally Posted by MEK

Cool activity. It's so great that you are taking advantage of all the fun activities the resort has.

Yeah, we definitely wanted to take advantage of some of the things they had to offer.

Originally Posted by MEK

And that James - teacher's pet!

It's always the kids from Middletown doing all the bullying (see Mark's comment earlier).

[Disneybuckeye]

A souvenir and an activity for $10 at anything realted to Disney sounds like a bargain to me. Your kids did a nice job with their necklaces. Thanks for sharing the pictuer.

[Squidgyness]

Great update, the necklaces look fantastic! Better than I could have done, I never was much good with practical stuff. Now, if you'd asked me to imagine one, it would have been pretty sweet :P

The shop seems to have a very impressive array of stock for its size, always good to have a decent supply of snacks nearby in case of a sudden snack emergency although I'm sure you planned ahead in that case :D

[MAGICFOR2]

Hi Glen! I finally have a minute with internet so I could catch up! I love how the fishing is so relaxing and ordinary, yet so vacationy. Great job on going right to the bass!

MaryAnn was a pretty busy lady. The necklaces turned out great - and the 4 Judys really did a great job of helping out!

Vero looks so laid back and chillaxing - much needed sometimes!

[brookelizabeth]

Originally Posted by glennbo123

Way back on page 33....

I'm sure someone mentioned this is the Intrepid, but did anyone notice the DISNEY MAGIC in the background too???

I didn't realize it, but the ladies must have been here around the same time we went on our Magic cruise out of NYC-they had just put the shuttle on and hadn't put it inside is $25 per person admission bubble.

Okay, I will catch up again, I will!

[glennbo123]

Originally Posted by Disneybuckeye

A souvenir and an activity for $10 at anything realted to Disney sounds like a bargain to me.

You know, that's a very good point!

Originally Posted by Disneybuckeye

Your kids did a nice job with their necklaces. Thanks for sharing the pictuer.

Thank you!

Originally Posted by Squidgyness

Great update, the necklaces look fantastic! Better than I could have done, I never was much good with practical stuff. Now, if you'd asked me to imagine one, it would have been pretty sweet :P

I'm with you Squidgy. Yarn and thread and string aren't my thing either. Now if it was to be made out of wood, I could've given it a shot.

Originally Posted by Squidgyness

The shop seems to have a very impressive array of stock for its size, always good to have a decent supply of snacks nearby in case of a sudden snack emergency although I'm sure you planned ahead in that case :D

You're right! We did not buy any food items at all in the gift shop, since we'd made a grocery store run.

Originally Posted by MAGICFOR2

Hi Glen! I finally have a minute with internet so I could catch up!

Great Tammie! Thanks! How's everything?

Originally Posted by MAGICFOR2

I love how the fishing is so relaxing and ordinary, yet so vacationy. Great job on going right to the bass!

It was a good morning activity; we had fun.

Originally Posted by MAGICFOR2

MaryAnn was a pretty busy lady. The necklaces turned out great - and the 4 Judys really did a great job of helping out!

Maryann was a great cast member...very friendly and helpful.

Yes, Judy helped James with his necklace, but Lauren was the one who knew the fancy braids and things.

Originally Posted by MAGICFOR2

Vero looks so laid back and chillaxing - much needed sometimes!

It is.

Judy used the word "chillax" in school the other day and the kids hadn't ever heard it. Who's teaching them their slang these days?

Originally Posted by brookelizabeth

Way back on page 33....

I'm sure someone mentioned this is the Intrepid, but did anyone notice the DISNEY MAGIC in the background too???

Oh my goodness....no, nobody caught that! What're these people looking at? Good catch!

Originally Posted by brookelizabeth

I didn't realize it, but the ladies must have been here around the same time we went on our Magic cruise out of NYC-they had just put the shuttle on and hadn't put it inside is $25 per person admission bubble.

Okay, I will catch up again, I will!

No problem. Thanks for swinging by!

[afwdwfan]

Originally Posted by glennbo123

Unfortunately, I didnt get a broader picture of the store in general because at this point I was taking a lot of flak from James. He was embarrassed that his dad was taking pictures of store refrigerators, apparently.

Well, at least you weren't making him pose in front of them. He could have just walked across to the other side of the store and pretended he didn't know the crazy guy with the camera.

Originally Posted by glennbo123

From there, we went back to our suite to have lunch. Sorry, again no pictures!

No harm. My food never sticks around long enough for pictures either.

Originally Posted by glennbo123

Lauren was mad because we hadnt thought to buy any mustard or mayo. We did have some Ranch dressing though, and we told her to try that. She said, Hey, this is pretty good! And I said, Were expanding your horizons one sandwich at a time, to which I got a .

She may roll her eyes, but she liked it!

Originally Posted by glennbo123

I texted it to my sister and said, Just found Grams suit ;-).

I was very relieved to read this story. I was a little concerned where this chapter was going, based on the title.

Originally Posted by glennbo123

Anyway, our instructor for the activity came in and it was none other than Maryann.

Wow, she's talented. Did she catch the sharks to get teeth for the necklaces too?

Originally Posted by glennbo123

I felt a little bad since my kids were older and didnt really need to do this activity, but hey, we signed up and they offer it pretty much every day, so she could catch it another time.

You snooze, you lose. No different than the parent that brings their kid to the parade as the first float is rolling by when you've been camped out on the curb for an hour.

Originally Posted by glennbo123

Judy took a cellphone picture of me with the kids to prove that I was there.

Well who else would have been camped out behind the camera the whole time?

Originally Posted by glennbo123

And they were the last to leave, but they made some nice necklaces, in my biased opinion.

Very nice!

[FauntleroyFAN07]

they should add a beach walk before the class to find your OWN shark tooth to put on the necklace, that would make for a Steal at 10 bucks.


did your kids find any teeth as they walked along the beach.

[glennbo123]

Originally Posted by afwdwfan

Well, at least you weren't making him pose in front of them.

You mean like I did when I found Jordan's favorite Epcot bathroom?

Originally Posted by afwdwfan

He could have just walked across to the other side of the store and pretended he didn't know the crazy guy with the camera.

Yeah, good point. I guess he hasn't caught on like the girls have, yet. Notice they were nowhere near me.

Originally Posted by afwdwfan

No harm. My food never sticks around long enough for pictures either.

I know what you mean. But I think I was afraid my family would think I was even more than they already thought.

Originally Posted by afwdwfan

She may roll her eyes, but she liked it!

Exactly!

Originally Posted by afwdwfan

I was very relieved to read this story. I was a little concerned where this chapter was going, based on the title.

I know. I thought I'd give you a real scary teaser, and then let you down easy. My attempt at suspense.

Originally Posted by afwdwfan

Wow, she's talented. Did she catch the sharks to get teeth for the necklaces too?

I wouldn't have been a bit surprised if she had!

Originally Posted by afwdwfan

You snooze, you lose. No different than the parent that brings their kid to the parade as the first float is rolling by when you've been camped out on the curb for an hour.

I completely agree and that's why we stayed put, but it's still a little heartbreaking to see a kid have to leave disappointed.

Originally Posted by afwdwfan

Well who else would have been camped out behind the camera the whole time?

You're right. I have a hard time getting anyone else to take any pictures!

Originally Posted by afwdwfan

Very nice!

Thank you.

Originally Posted by FauntleroyFAN07

they should add a beach walk before the class to find your OWN shark tooth to put on the necklace, that would make for a Steal at 10 bucks.

That'd be good, but the trick would be getting that wire thingee on it so that it's ready for a necklace.

Originally Posted by FauntleroyFAN07

did your kids find any teeth as they walked along the beach.

Why, it's funny you should ask....stay tuned!

[glennbo123]

Although I didnt reveal it in the last chapter, Judy and Marlene left the Sharktooth Necklace activity a little early because they had another appointment to get to -- a pedicure at the spa. Im not sure why Lauren declined, but she did. Just to keep us guessin, I suppose. On our way back to the suite, James, Lauren, and I decided to take a look at the spa. We stepped in and told the cast member at the counter that we had some family members getting pedicures. She said that they were just back the hallway to the left and we were welcome to look in on them.

So, gentlemen, get ready. This is something that we dont normally see&women, in their natural habitat:



Yeah, not all that exciting really.

Judy said that she had seen us through the window and had just told her pedicurist, My family is walking by!, but didnt expect us to come in. We stayed long enough to nod our heads a couple times and say, Soooo, this is what its all about, huh? Then we continued on to the suite.

The day that had started out nasty, and then turned nice, had turned nasty again. So, we watched some TV while it rained. I worried about this evenings Turtle Walk because the weather forecast for the evening wasnt any better than what we were experiencing already. Would the walk be cancelled due to rain? Would we have to break out our park ponchos before even getting to Disney World? Are mama turtles persnickety about the weather when theyre in an egg-laying mood? All of these questions would be answered in time, but unfortunately at the moment, I didnt have too much else to do to take my mind off of it.

Judy and Marlene came back to the suite, but James was bored and wanted to go to the beach. Since the rain had mostly let up, I said Id take him. It was about 2 oclock.

At the Green Cabin rental shack at the beach entrance, I took a picture of the Rental Rates sign to post for anyone planning a Vero Beach vacation:



The water wasnt at all inviting, so James and I just looked for shells and sharks teeth. James was able to find one, but I wasnt. Ive found several in my day, but not on this occasion. But if only one of us could find one, Im glad it was him.

After a bit, Marlene found us since she was bored too. Lauren was watching TV and Judy was napping.

I decided to grab some cellphone pictures.







We were just kind of making our way north. Heres the Inn, as seen from the beach.



Another turtle nest.



We got to the public beach access just north of the resort and the kids decided to make a little sand castle.



Its always fun to make them at just the point where the highest waves reach, to see if you can build them to survive the occasional flood.



While the kids were doing that, I called my parents to see how their packing and preparations were going. I took the opportunity to give some more Magical Express instructions to them. I still wasnt sure that theyd be able to find Magical Express in the airport, or get off the bus at Kidani versus Jambo House, but I tried. Another time will tell situation!

We went back to the suite and Judy was starting work on dinner. In the meantime, she asked me to call Maintenance about a couple of issues with the room -- a lightbulb next to the bed was out (her side, of course), and our dryer wasnt working. Now which of those two would you think would be the easier fix? Changing a light bulb, right? Nope, it wasnt just a light bulb. The poor guy (who arrived very promptly, by the way) had to make a couple of trips back and forth to the shop, or wherever it is they keep spare parts and stuff, before he was able to get it to work. And now that theyve converted to the fluorescent bulbs, they dont really fit well and he had to take the whole shade off to get the bulb in and out. It was kind of a pain. The dryer on the other hand, was a cinch. He took the lint trap out, turned it a half-turn, put it back in and said, Somebody just put this in wrong. It looks okay, but makes the door stick out just enough to not allow it to run. I was hoping thats all it was, otherwise wed have to bring you up a whole new unit. Anyway, my hats off to the maintenance guy and Im sorry that I didnt get his name for the trip report.

We had a call from the state park where our Turtle Walk was going to be held. They wanted to make sure that we were coming, because they had a waiting list of people who wanted to take our place if we werent. And, the walk would be held even if it was raining. (One question answered.) I said that wed be there, and hoped that the rain would hold off.

Dinner was pasta shells with vodka sauce, meatballs, and salad. Tasty, even if unphotographed. I took a little siesta afterward, since wed be up late tonight with the turtle walk.

At 8:30 we left to drive to Sebastian Inlet State Park This is a state park a few miles north of the Disney resort and offered a free turtle walk, but the best thing about it (although free is hard to beat) was that you could register ahead of time. Getting through on the phone on the day registration opened was a bit like getting a Cinderellas Royal Table ADR, but with perseverance I had secured our spots. Anyway, we arrived a few minutes before the 9 oclock start and had a chance to look around. The place was quaint, even if not much to look at (ie. state-funded!). There were some displays on the history of commercial fishing in the area and a small gift shop. The gift shop had some trinkets and things, and before they closed at 9 they made sure to tell everybody that they were closing, in case anyone wanted to make a last-minute purchase of bug-repellent before the turtle walk. Judy and I looked at each other and decided that wed rough it. (You can cue the ominous music, but it wont be necessary. )

We arrived early enough that we were able to get some sweet rocking chairs for the program wed watch before the walk. Score!



So, the way it works is, a park ranger gives the group a 45-minute PowerPoint presentation on sea turtles. In the meantime, volunteer turtle guides are out walking the beach, looking for any nesting turtles coming onto the beach. If they find one, they radio back to the rangers who walk the group directly to the turtle. If they dont find one, well walk the beach as a group after the presentation.

The park ranger gave his presentation and it was actually very informative. We learned that there are basically three types of sea turtles that nest along Floridas coast: the Green, the Leatherback, and the Loggerhead. Loggerheads were the only kind that they were allowed to observe, and they could only observe one. If more than one was sighted, theyd have to pick one and stick with it.

We also learned that only about 1 in 1,000 baby sea turtles make it to adulthood. (If my memory is correct.) When the eggs hatch, the little dudes essentially have to run the gauntlet to get to safety, 20+ miles out in the Atlantic, in the seaweed of the Sargasso Sea (much of which wed seen washed up on shore back at the resort!). They have to get past animal predators, obviously, but they may also have to deal with things as simple as lights that confuse them and draw them inland rather than out to sea, or tire tracks in the sand with ruts too big for the little dudes to crawl over, and litter impeding their path to the ocean.

Emerging from the sea, the mama turtle can be pretty skittish. If she sees something or senses that something isnt right, she may turn right around and go back into the ocean. These are called a false crawl. If all goes well, shell crawl up the beach, past the high tide line to prevent the eggs from getting washed away. There, shell dig a nest with her hind feet. At this point, theres almost no turning back for her, so people can approach and she wont deviate from her task. (This is the point when the park rangers will bring the group to watch.) Then shell deposit around 100 ping-pong ball sized eggs, which will land softly because the shells are kind of soft and leathery at this point, but will harden later. Also, the sex of the turtle is determined by where the egg is in the nest, high or low. So, remember that, any of you would-be parents, trying for a boy, or girl.

Anyway, the presentation ended and the radio traffic wasnt good. No sightings so far. They asked us to just hang out for a little while. I think they preferred that than to have us traipsing up and down the beach in the dark.

After standing around for a while, the girls found some rocking chairs. I guess because they were in rocking chairs, they started rockin out.



After waiting a while longer, probably until 10:30 or so, the rangers decided theyd take us to the beach. We got in our cars and followed each other to a beach access area a little further south. Judy asked me if Id brought the night vision goggles that shed gotten me for Christmas. Doh! It never occurred to me, since I was thinking of them for animal viewing at Kidani. Oh well. At least it wasnt raining though, so that was one prayer answered. We assembled and stood for a moment to let our eyes adjust to the moonlight. We wouldnt be permitted to take flashlights or flash photography because of the turtles sensitivity to the light, although the rangers would have lights with red filters over them, which the turtles could tolerate. Then we walked to the beach and turned to walk south. They asked us to walk single-file as much as possible, so that we could avoid turtle nests that had been marked. Occasionally wed come upon one, and they were very difficult to see in the darkness, when your eyes are concentrating on the area ahead, hoping to see a sea turtle emerging from the surf or crawling up the sand. If there was a nest directly in our path, the ranger would have someone stand in front of it, directing people around it, and then get in line at the end, which was a good system. Also, there was a sharp 1 to 3-foot drop-off along most of the way that we walked. I wondered how the turtles were expected to climb that, or if theyd nest when they reached it.

We walked further and further. At one point we reached another beach accesss and saw a couple of flashlights, moving quickly back toward the highway. The rangers yelled and gave a short chase; it was probably a couple of young people trying to see some turtles, but the rangers said, I hope you all locked your cars. We kept walking, although we knew that with every step our hope of seeing a turtle was dwindling. And to turn back would mean that our chances were even less, since wed be covering ground where wed already been. Sometimes thered be some walkie-talkie traffic between the rangers and the turtle guides, but no luck.

Eventually we did turn back, and walked and walked back to the beach access where we had started. The ranger asked if anyone wanted to walk north along the beach, area that we hadnt covered yet. Most of us did, including my family of course, but a couple of families decided that theyd had enough, including one poor dad who was carrying a little boy who was fast asleep, draped over his shoulder.

So we walked north for 10 or 15 minutes more before turning back again. No luck. Wed struck out. It turned out that we were in fact, just traipsing up and down the beach in the dark.

Near midnight we got back in our van and proceeded back down the highway, dejected. All the kids were disappointed, but James most of all. They reaaaally wanted to see a nesting sea turtle. All I could offer was that the next morning the resort would offer a lottery to go on another turtle walk the following night. Wed give that a shot and see.


Up next: The Lottery
Link to next chapter

[marvali]

If I was playing I would guess 2 Judy's

[marvali]

Women in their natural habitat..............

Ouch, you are going to get some fun remarks on that one!!!

What are the "etchings" in the sea wall in the turtle's nest picture???

[Poolrat]

I am playing and say 2 Judy's. One at the spa and another in the state park room.

[FauntleroyFAN07]

well even if you didnt see them sounds like you still had some really good information that you learned.

thanks for sharing with us.

i knew that not many of them made it back to see, but didnt realize the number was that low...

[MissLiz]

Great update!

We just recently watched a show on tv that showed baby sea turtles making their way out of the nest and to the ocean. The seagulls were swarming and grabbing the babies. It was so disturbing to me! I kept yelling at the little guys on the screen to hurry up. I can believe 1 in 1000.

Sorry you didn't get to see any turtles on the first beach walk. Hopefully you won the lottery and were able to see some later.