And This is Why They Added DOORS to the TRAM! - Nov. 12 TR *UPDATE 6/18 Pg. 14*

[MEK]

I was wondering why your trip was so short. And now I know. A little thing called work. sigh.

I always, and I mean ALWAYS, make Denny get the rental car. He totally has the lingo down too. NO NO NO and What part of NO don't you understand?

One time this guy was jonsing so bad for us to take an upgrade, because they ran out of mid size cars. So the guy says to Denny, "Now wouldn't your wife (that would be me) want a bigger SUV or van like you have at home (I have a honda).

Denny says, "Nope. Not MY wife" and we ended up with the big mini van and the satellite radio for the price of a mid sized.

I love the BWV. I hope you guys had a great stay. I have been very fortunate NOT to be at the end of one of those halls because I know exactly how long they are. You need a search party and a lantern to find your room.

Off to a great start!

[dramaqueenemj22]

Hi, I'm subbing I just finished reading your last TR with Farrell and figured I'd jump in on this one...can't wait to hear more.

[Nermel9]

Great update! Your kitty is too cute!

I like how Jeni flies! I wish I could just wrap myself up and go to sleep, but no matter how early the flight, I just can't seem to sleep on a plane!

Haha, gotta laugh at the lemmings! It's amazing how much people don't pay attention, they just follow the herd!

Ugh I absolutely dread picking up the rental car, because of all the stupid questions! They make you feel like you're committing a crime if you don't take the insurance. Luckily Brandon handles that, I just stand there with my head down, not making eye contact. Can you pick your own car with Thrifty?

Love your room at the Boardwalk!

[IheartDDuck]

Originally Posted by Dugette

I understand your accounting month-end travel woes! We always have to schedule around month-ends (and year-ends and budgeting...) However, you are lucky that you get Black Friday off! I normally have to work then...I only got out of it this year because I'm still on maternity leave!

Glad your travel day went smoothly. I've heard about those super-long hallways at BWV. Glad they weren't too much trouble.

Looking forward to more!

Haha, I know you definitely feel my pain with that kind of stuff. I always know my potential travel schedule based on the accounting calendar. I do love having Black Friday off though.

Originally Posted by marDgreen88

I love your cat.

Hooray for arriving! Glad you didn't have to eat your arm before you found your room.

Tigger is seriously the biggest stinker ever. But I love her to death.

I'm glad I didn't have to eat my arm either. Man, that would have been rough.

Originally Posted by jecskc

Yay for an update !!

I love your shower curtain, so cute !! My bathroom is blue and white, too. It matches all of my Delft tiles hanging around the room. I love it !!

LOL that Joaquin wouldn't hug you because of your hair. Kids are funny. I love your hair though. It really looks good on you !!

Joaquin was hysterical for a few days with the whole hair thing. He's just gotten over it.

Originally Posted by jecskc

Glad you got there OK and used mind power to get your plane to the jetway. Too bad we all can't have mind powers. I hate the drive down, but Disney is worth it to me. But sometimes I really wish I was the Genie from "I Dream of Jeannie" sitcom. Not only because I would love to look like her, but because I would love to be able to blink and nod my head and "bing" I would be there. Or Samantha on Bewitched. Just wiggle my nose and you are there. I hate the drive home even worse. For obvious reasons.

My mind powers are especially powerful when it comes to my desire to get to Disney ASAP. I wish I could be Jeannie too! That would be so handy. Driving home was always the worst when I was a kid. We used to drive down to Florida instead of flying.

Originally Posted by jecskc

We are staying at BWV in January and I am afraid we will get one of those all the way at the end of the halls rooms. I am still debating on renting a scooter for that trip. I am not sure I will be up to all of that walking still by then.

Somehow, I think I can guess where you went the next day and at least one person you got to meet. Can't wait to read about it !!

Honestly, the hallway wasn't that terrible. It was just really bad when we first got there and when we left because of all of the luggage and junk that we were lugging.

I wonder who I'll be meeting!

Originally Posted by bmldisney

I'm in too.

Another Clay Matthews fan here too!!! We will be staying at the Beach Club for our first time in June. Can't wait to hear more about your trip!

Woo hoo! I do love Clay Matthews, but I'm a Rodgers girl at heart.

Jealous that you're staying at the Beach Club. That is one of my favorite resorts!

[IheartDDuck]

Originally Posted by MEK

I was wondering why your trip was so short. And now I know. A little thing called work. sigh.

I say down with work! But then I remember that I have to pay for things. D'oh!!!!!

Originally Posted by MEK

I always, and I mean ALWAYS, make Denny get the rental car. He totally has the lingo down too. NO NO NO and What part of NO don't you understand?

Ugh, it's so annoying. It's a good thing that I'm persistent and really good at saying no.

Originally Posted by MEK

One time this guy was jonsing so bad for us to take an upgrade, because they ran out of mid size cars. So the guy says to Denny, "Now wouldn't your wife (that would be me) want a bigger SUV or van like you have at home (I have a honda).

Denny says, "Nope. Not MY wife" and we ended up with the big mini van and the satellite radio for the price of a mid sized.

When my Mom and I went to Disneyland one year, she fell for the upgrade speech. We got a convertible, which we thought was cool. However, on the hour and a half ride from LAX (stupid LA traffic), I got sunburned. Not such a great upgrade idea!

Originally Posted by MEK

I love the BWV. I hope you guys had a great stay. I have been very fortunate NOT to be at the end of one of those halls because I know exactly how long they are. You need a search party and a lantern to find your room.

Off to a great start!

Jason and I had a perfect location when we went last February, so I had a feeling that it had to be in the stars for us to have a bad location.

Originally Posted by dramaqueenemj22

Hi, I'm subbing I just finished reading your last TR with Farrell and figured I'd jump in on this one...can't wait to hear more.

Glad to have you along. I hope you enjoyed my TR with Farrell.

Originally Posted by Nermel9

Great update! Your kitty is too cute!

I like how Jeni flies! I wish I could just wrap myself up and go to sleep, but no matter how early the flight, I just can't seem to sleep on a plane!

My kitty is cute and is an absolute booger. Hahaha. But I love her.

I have absolutely no problem flying at all, so it was different for me being with Jeni. I'm just like "okay, let's read a book!"

Originally Posted by Nermel9

Haha, gotta laugh at the lemmings! It's amazing how much people don't pay attention, they just follow the herd!

It actually became a joke for us on the trip, every time we would blindly follow someone, we would say how we were just following the lemmings, and that it's never a good idea!

Originally Posted by Nermel9

Ugh I absolutely dread picking up the rental car, because of all the stupid questions! They make you feel like you're committing a crime if you don't take the insurance. Luckily Brandon handles that, I just stand there with my head down, not making eye contact. Can you pick your own car with Thrifty?

Love your room at the Boardwalk!

Yes, you can pick your own car at Thrifty now. They are like Alamo now, where you just get your category and then they send you out to pick it out. I liked that. I do love the Alamo self service kiosk though. I hate having to deal with the rental folks.

[Pixie Princess]

Originally Posted by IheartDDuck

Anyone who has not stayed at the Boardwalk should take note that the Villas there consist of a Labyrinth of halls. I was fully expecting David Bowie to jump out and start singing the Magic Dance.......

In addition to the fish-on-the-hook smiley, there should be a spit-take smiley. That made me howl with laughter, and lose some perfectly good tea down my chin and onto my shirt. I've never stayed at Boardwalk, but the visual in my head from the description...

We don't fly when we visit WDW, but flown to MCO a number of times for conferences and meetings on my last job (boy, do I miss that gig!), and it always amazes me how many people don't pay attention and end up in the wrong baggage pick up or what have you. Honestly that airport isn't that complicated.

I also had a cat that had a love affair with licking the shower walls for water when I got in there. Apparently fresh water in her bowl just wasn't satisfying enough. She was also enamored with dipping her paw in my daughter's bath water and licking her paw until she ended up in the bath herself one day. That was hilarious. That poor cat, she was a hot mess. I miss her.

[IheartDDuck]

Originally Posted by Pixie Princess

In addition to the fish-on-the-hook smiley, there should be a spit-take smiley. That made me howl with laughter, and lose some perfectly good tea down my chin and onto my shirt. I've never stayed at Boardwalk, but the visual in my head from the description...

Hahahaha, glad I could get you to have some tea dribble. I think you're the only person who caught my Labyrinth reference. Man I love that movie.

Originally Posted by Pixie Princess

We don't fly when we visit WDW, but flown to MCO a number of times for conferences and meetings on my last job (boy, do I miss that gig!), and it always amazes me how many people don't pay attention and end up in the wrong baggage pick up or what have you. Honestly that airport isn't that complicated.

I am constantly amazed by the fact that people just don't pay attention to things in general. I just don't know how they get along in life.

Originally Posted by Pixie Princess

I also had a cat that had a love affair with licking the shower walls for water when I got in there. Apparently fresh water in her bowl just wasn't satisfying enough. She was also enamored with dipping her paw in my daughter's bath water and licking her paw until she ended up in the bath herself one day. That was hilarious. That poor cat, she was a hot mess. I miss her.

I'm not exaggerating, she's NEVER done that before, until very very recently. It just came out of the blue. Now, don't get me wrong, she's got all of her other quirks, this was just weird.

I'm sorry about missing your cat. I lost my other cat about two years ago and I'm still torn up about it.

[amazingact21]

Glad you guys made it to WDW with no issues and got to BWV in a reasonable amount of time. I had no idea about the hallways and am not sure I'd like that. Trekking around the park all day, then trekking all the way to your room seems like a lot of work. Then again, I'm pretty lazy.

[IheartDDuck]

Originally Posted by amazingact21

Glad you guys made it to WDW with no issues and got to BWV in a reasonable amount of time. I had no idea about the hallways and am not sure I'd like that. Trekking around the park all day, then trekking all the way to your room seems like a lot of work. Then again, I'm pretty lazy.

Hahaha. It actually wasn't so bad, but we never got to the point where we were so tired that we felt like we couldn't make it.

[TinksThree]

I am here! A little late to the party but I will get caught up!!

[Disney9.9.10]

Caught up! Your writing style is so funny! (In a good way - makes the TR enjoyable!) I love the boardwalk, but I've never stayed there - sounds a bit confusing. Looking forward to reading more!

[IheartDDuck]

Originally Posted by TinksThree

I am here! A little late to the party but I will get caught up!!

That's okay! You're here now. I was a little late to your party too.

Originally Posted by Disney9.9.10

Caught up! Your writing style is so funny! (In a good way - makes the TR enjoyable!) I love the boardwalk, but I've never stayed there - sounds a bit confusing. Looking forward to reading more!

Thanks! I try to just write the way that I talk to make things more enjoyable.

[IheartDDuck]

"Well Sinead O'Rebellions....Shock Me Shock Me Shock Me with That Deviant Behavior...."

Gina - Empire Records

Day 1 - Thursday November 22, 2012

Woo Hoo! First day in Disney! Everyone get excited now. The fun is about to start. Now.

When I wake up.....which occurred at about 7:30am. Now, let me tell you. That is impressive considering that I did not go to bed until 1:30am. I'm an old fart. Even in WDW I can have trouble getting up in the morning when I haven't had much sleep.

Jeni actually woke up right after me. Unlike many of my other travel partners (*cough* Jason and Farrell *cough*), Jeni gets up with virtually no trouble at all. We made quick work of getting ready. We decided that since our lunch reservation was going to be so early, we would just stop to get some coffee first.

Now....I am not a fan of WDW coffee. I think that the NesCrappe that they serve is definitely not the best. I like the idea of the Starbucks. But, I am really a Dunkin' Donuts girl at heart. Because come one. Everybody runs on Dunkin'.

This morning, I was going to be running on....not Dunkin'. So, it was entirely a possibility that my engine would start sputtering at some point. Let's hope that didn't happen.

We were out of the room at 8:30am. Man, my absolute favorite thing about the Boardwalk is it's location in relation to Epcot. You don't need to get out all early to wait for transportation. Oh no. You can use the private entrance. Which we did. Because we are famous people! Famous!

First, we headed to Boardwalk Joe's though to get some coffee.

Hi Boardwalk. I miss you so.





Hi random person!!!



So we make it over to Boardwalk Joe's and the trend for the few days starts. I go up. I buy our two coffees. Jeni goes over to fill our coffees. And after one coffee is filled....the caffeinated coffee is done.

Cry with me. Cry with me now. Because I did....in the middle of the Boardwalk. If you were in the area, I hope you didn't slip in the puddle of tears that I created. It's entirely possible.

I had to drink unleaded coffee. Because I'm a nice person and I gave Jeni the coffee with the diesel.

Coffee in hand, we headed over to our private entrance. Our first thing was to get Jeni's Premium Annual Pass. Mom purchased it for her since we were going in July as well, so it would make sense.

Rewind....esnes ekam dluow ti os, llew sa yluJ ni gniog erew ew ecnis reh rof ti desahcrup moM.

Okay, so when Jeni was coming on this trip instead of Mom, we talked about getting her an AP instead of a regular park ticket since we are going on the family trip in July. Mom floated the money to them so it could be purchased so last minute, and it will be paid back. When we bought the ticket, it was in Mom's name. Now, I'm computer savvy, and I didn't see where we could change the name. But it gave me pause. So I called the ticket line and explained it. They said "absolutely! It's no problem at all, just have her write down who it's for, sign it, and make sure you have the original purchasing credit card".

Works for me.

Okay, now we're back.

So we go to the ticket booth to get her ticket. And the guy at the booth says it has to be for Jacqueline. I said "um....no....she purchased it for her, but there was no place to change the name. I called the ticket line and they said it wasn't a problem. I have the original purchasing credit card, and if you look here, she's signed it saying who it's for..."

The CM was nice, don't get me wrong, but I had to explain the world. Then, after all this is said and done, he says to me "is she a business?"

Huh? Okay......

I said "no...she's my Mom...and her mother-in-law."

After all that.....it literally only took him like 2 seconds to change the name. Really?! Really?! No really.

The funny part of this is that there was a line developing behind us at Guest Relations. Well, immediately behind us, there was a crotchety old guy. So Jeni busts out her license to get the pass issued. Her license is old, because Wisconsin issues them for like 8 years, so it's peeling a little bit. So we're joking about the peeling and the fact that it's 8 years old, and crotchety old guy goes....

"DUI."



I thought....for real....that I was losing my mind or that I was hearing things. So I just continued on, getting Tables in Wonderland. We head into the park and start talking and Jeni goes....

"Did that guy say 'DUI' when I pulled out my license?!"

Okay, clearly I wasn't crazy. Because she heard it too.

I'm telling you, this was hysterical. We could not stop laughing about it. Note to crotchety old guys....don't go thinking you know something and then bust someone out to try to tell their business! Because you know, that's exactly what we want....people to think we've had a DUI.

FINALLY! We were in. I know that this exchange seems like it took like hours....No....it was 9am on the dot.

Who doesn't love a private entrance that leads straight into France?



We had a mission though folks. We had to get to Soarin' to get some fastpasses!



So, we're walking into the Land, up the neverending hill (you know you all feel that way).

You know when someone grabs your shoulder, but they grab it in a way that normally only comes from people you know? (Go with it...I do have a point). So we're walking up the mountain, and I feel someone grab my shoulder. I turn thinking "clearly I know this person, because they grabbed my AAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I DON'T KNOW YOU, I DON'T KNOW YOU!!!!!!!!!"

Strange lady's hand still firmly planted on my shoulder, she whispers in my ear (no seriously WHISPERS in my ear), "Go Pack."

I was wearing my "Drafted by the Green Bay Packers" hoodie. Apparently she was a Packer fan.

Lady: Are you from Wisconsin?

Me: No, Illinois.

Lady: Oh. You're not a Bears fan though?

Me:..............clearly.........

Really? How random! And then POOF! She was totally gone. Well, I got my random scare for the day there. Puts life into you, I tell you.

We made it in, down the stairs, grabbed the Iguanadon......dangit! Wrong park, wrong park......

We hopped in line for our fastpasses, all excited. And my Donald AP that was working so well in the morning? Did not want to work at the FP machine.

It felt like it took forever, and then the CM that was there was totally oblivious helping only the people in the line he was at. I could feel the hot breath of the angry mob building behind me. I could tell they were thinking that this ditzy blonde can't seem to operate this stinking machine!

I was framed, I was framed! By Donald. My favorite angry duck, but man, he let me down. Finally, Captain Oblivious CM decides he's going to come and help me out. Thanks. So very much....for almost sacrificing me to the angry mob of people behind me. I could have died! Well, that's an exaggeration. I could have had people angry at me. It's kind of the same thing!

After we were able to climb out of the Land....it was off to our first ride of the trip. But not without taking a picture first.



Beautiful. Love it. Miss it right now.

Get ready for some excitement people. Our first ride was....



YEEEEEEEE HAAAAAAWWWWW!

Of course, there was no line, and after walking through the 1,548,904 mile queue, we were boarding our clammobile.

Jeni thought the ride was really cute.



"In the bigggggg blluuueeeee wooorrrrllllllddddd!"

Cha!





Up Next: A Turtle, A Dragon, and A DISmeet.

[marDgreen88]

Basically what I got from this update was this: yall had a WEIRD morning!

[DVCWDWMEMBER]

I want more Tell me what happened next