Bouncing Back to the Bayou --- an August 2013 PTR

[Victoriasmom98]

JUST WHAT IS THIS ALL ABOUT, EH??


http://www.**************/id/1363935618.jpg

 

[Tink-erin-belle]

A new ticker!

 

[Nurse_Mommy4]

Hey! No fair...you have TWO tickers!

Are you holding out on us?!

 

[oboedm]

Signing on! Your daughter is beautiful and I can't wait to follow along with your plans for the next 10 months!

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[Victoriasmom98]

Well I was hanging around last Monday thinking, “Boy, I have nothing really to write about do I?” It was about 10:30 am when my daughter calls me to ask if we could do our annual Disney trip in March 2013 rather than August. She’s calling me from school and was nearly hyperventilating as she was explaining to me that she would really like to go see Playlist Live and that it’s being held at the Caribe Royale in Orlando in March. For those of you who don’t know what Playlist Live is (I didn’t have a clue), Playlist is a convention of people who have You Tube channels and make vlogs. Victoria has about 5 channels she subscribes to and her ultimate dream is to meet these individuals. Apparently there are meet n greets, performances, etc and she thought it would be so cool. There is also the same type of convention being held in Anehiem, CA in August and Victoria was bound and determined to try to go to that one. Well, airfare to CA is totally out of the question! But for a minute I was actually thinking, “Gee, we could go to Disneyland”. Peter had pretty much nixed that idea before it even got off the ground. I hung up the phone with Victoria and started researching different scenarios. Could we make this happen? Our August trip in March?? Then I came to my senses ---- Disney in March during High Season? Um, NO! First of all I am not going to pay high season prices and second of all, I am not going when it’s crowded. So, no, we are not going to change our August vacation to March.

Then the little bug in my ear went “but what about a quick weekend trip so that Victoria can enjoy this?” I mean while Victoria and her friend Kali are at the convention, Peter and I could do something else. We could hang around the pool, go shopping, be ALONE. So, I started playing around with different hotel ideas such as staying at POP, or one of the other values. We would only be staying for 3 nights, so even if free dining were offered in March (unlikely) we wouldn’t be eligible. I then started looking at other hotels but then Victoria and her friend would have to take a cab to the Caribe Royale and Peter did NOT like that idea (neither did I, really). Finally we decided on staying right there at the Caribe Royale. Playlist Live is offering a convention price of $144 per night and I know Mousesavers also offers a discount, so either way it won’t be that bad.

So, yes we will be going to Orlando and staying at the Caribe Royale from March 22 through the 25th. OMG!! OMG!!! I’m going to Disney twice in one year!! OMG!! Well, we aren’t going to the parks, but we will be going to Downtown Disney!!! We are going to try to make this as inexpensive as possible. As for food, I have enough MyCokeRewards points to get 2 $100 gift cards from restaurant.com and there are many restaurants in Orlando which take them, including Crossroads at the House of Blues in DTD. I also have a $50 gift card for Rainforest Café. The hotel provides free shuttles to all the Disney parks and DTD, but only at certain times. I just figure we can get to a park, take the bus to a Disney resort and catch another bus to DTD any time we wanted, so that will work out. We can even go to one of the restaurants in the Downtown Disney Good Neighbor Hotels on Hotel Blvd. For instance, there is a nice Italian restaurant at the Hilton on that road which is within walking distance. I’m thinking if we eat the buffet breakfast at the Caribe Royale at around 9am or 10am, we wouldn’t be hungry to eat again until 5pm, so our ressies can be for after that. The buffet is $15 per person, which is quite reasonable. I think we can get this done pretty cheaply. Again, the only really expensive thing is going to be the airline tickets.

Even with those we have earned enough airline points for 2 one way tickets, so it will be a matter of buying the others. I’ve looked on SW Air and one way tickets from Orlando to Manchester would be $160 per person, but I’m going to wait a while to see if they come down any. I know that’s pretty cheap already, but maybe it can come down more. March is a pretty expensive month, though. I’ll just have to wait and see.

So, do you all want to see pics of Caribe Royale?

So, there’s my news…..what do you all think??? Oh, and I didn't mention IT'S A SUITE!!!! So if the girls wanted to stay in the livingroom, the couch unfolds into a bed.....A SUITE, guys. How cool is that??!!!

 

[Victoriasmom98]

HOLY BUTTONS, BATMAN!!!!! I am 6 days late for making our ADR's for our March trip. Ugh! Not much time to think of these.........but we have the Rainforest Cafe on the 22nd and House of Blues for the 23rd. Whew!!!!

 

[Tink-erin-belle]

Thank goodness Coy doesn’t know about Playlist, or we would be there too! He subscribes to several YouTube channels as well and makes a few of his own videos. Actually, Coy would probably get a lot out of a convention like that, and I’m sure Victoria will too! That is so cool that you squeezed in this trip for her! Too bad it wasn’t Disneyland, but it is sooooooooooooo expensive to get out there! for going to DTD and staying at the Caribe Royal! That looks like a pretty cool hotel and the pool is nice! A suite? Sweet! That will make all of the difference. I’m glad you got the ADRs you wanted

 

[Victoriasmom98]

Oh Wow Ann! I'm excited to hear about your NYC trip! I bet that will be so much fun to be on the parade route, especially if it's freezing and you can watch from your window...makes me think of Ferris Bueller's Day Off!

I think it's FABULOUS that you are starting to prepare already, I think it makes it less stressful for all those last minute details...and more fun throughout the year as well!

SCORE on the suitcase! That's a great deal and you fixed it right up! I have no idea what kind of machine that is, but it looks like lots of fun and good exercise!

Wow..it's been a while since I've done replies, hasn't it?? yes Karen, I am very excited about my NYC trip. I've read a little more online today and I think I would like to take a sightseeing bus tour of the different tourist points. We'll see. I was very excited that I was able to repair the suitcase.

I thought I commented on your PTR already about the FastPass + but apparently I didn’t! I read the article when you first posted it and I had mixed emotions about it. On the one hand, I think it takes enough planning to do ADRs, so to have to plan something else on top of that seems like a bit much! Then again, it might be cool to have an ADR for Crystal Palace knowing that you have a scheduled FastPass right after that for Peter Pan. I like the Minnie bag that you made! You are so talented! Peter’s suitcase looks like new after you repaired it! Your “That Guy” shirt is cool too! You are really well on your way with your projects for this trip. I can’t believe you have your tip envelopes done, but that is a good idea to have them ready now so that you can stuff them with cash all year long.

I also agree with the whole fast pass plus thing. I already stress out about planning a trip. This would make it that much more difficult. Thank you for the compliment on the bag. I think it's perfect and I thought the tshirt came out good, too

Hi Ann!

Yay for bouncing back!! Love the name of your PTR!!

I've spent the last couple months comparing moderate resorts and I think we are leaning towards trying POR next trip! It looks so beautiful! Which is why I'm so excited to read your PTR! Sounds like your plans are coming along nicely.

for NYC! It sounds like a fun trip.

Yay!!! Angie's here!!!!!

Hey! No fair...you have TWO tickers!

Are you holding out on us?!

Now you know!!!! Hee hee!!!!

Signing on! Your daughter is beautiful and I can't wait to follow along with your plans for the next 10 months!

Welcome to the report and thank you so much for the compliment on Victoria. I think she's kind of special.

 

[Breagh]

Following along! I love the bag you made! It's fantastic Can't wait to read some more updates from you!

 

[OhioDisneyLover]

Subbing.....

 

[Victoriasmom98]

Well, you would think that with only 36 more days until our NYC trip, I would have done a lot more research and have our trip organized to a T! It’s really my Mom’s trip and I want to let her take the lead! Since we are flying in on Wednesday, doing the Thanksgiving parade and dinner on Thursday, and flying out Saturday, that would only give us Friday to really do anything. I think we will just be hanging around the hotel on Wednesday evening. I would love to catch a Broadway show (Rock of Ages) but we are trying to save money and I can always watch the video, although I know it won’t be the same. I’ve only ever been to one Broadway show in my entire life and that’s when I was in Junior High during a trip with my dance troop.

This is information on a Sightseeing Tour I would like to go on:
Gray Line Night Tour
Prices- Adults: $44.00 Children (Ages 5-11): $34.00
Tickets for this tour can be purchased below and picked up at the Piccolo Gift Shop location selected below -----
Experience the magic of New York City from the open top of a Double-decker bus or a luxurious coach. Hop-on and Hop-off at all your favorite attractions uptown or downtown, day or night in the city that never sleeps. Let our expert tour guide reveal exciting and little-known facts about our amazing city. See it all on the "All Loop Tour." The tour includes spectacular views from the Empire State Building, plus your ferry ticket and visit to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Choose from 50 Hop-On, Hop-Off stops along the way. When the sun goes down, you`ll be dazzled by the magic of New York at night, from Times Square to the Brooklyn Bridge. Shorter one-day and two-day tours are also available. You can also take a one-day trip to Atlantic City, Niagara Falls, Washington DC or Woodberry Commons-a discount factory outlet, featuring 220 stores. Special Gospel tours of Harlem are available on Wednesdays and Sundays. Explore this legendary neighborhood, and visit one of Harlem's church services noted for it's gospel music. Your tour takes you through a rich and diverse Harlem-from grand row houses of Striver`s Row, to the cobblestone streets of Sylvan Terrace; also viewing the Apollo Theater along the way. Private tours and multi-language tours are available.

Night Tour

Frequent departures: 5:30pm
Frequent departures from Gray Line Visitors Center @ 777 8th Avenue (between 47th & 48th Streets) AND Time Square (Broadway & 47th Street); Valid for 24 hours

See New York when it sparkles - the Empire State Building, Greenwich Village, SoHo, Chinatown, the Lower East Side, Rockefeller Center, Manhattan Bridge, Brooklyn and more. Not hop-on, hop-off.
Tour Length: Approximately 2+ Hours

Departure Times: 5:30 pm (time subject to change due to season)

Days of Week: Daily

It sounds pretty cool, huh? We’ll see. I would kind of like to see the sights during the day as well. I’ll have to see if there are any other options for a 2 or 3 hours daytime tour.

That Friday will also be “BLACK FRIDAY” --- the busiest shopping day of the year. I believe to me it will already be crowded so a day where it’s especially going to be crowded? I don’t know if this country girl can handle that! My Mom also wants to go for a horse and carriage ride in Central Park. That will be nice, provided it’s not pouring out! I hope the weather is nice.

The hotel itself does have dining options:
Dining
The Premier Choice Among Restaurants near Central Park…
Enjoy award winning Mediterranean cuisine at the beautifully renovated Molyvos. From noon each day traditional Greek dishes and grilled fish specialties are served. The new menu also offers lighter fare. In addition, Molyvos now offers Greek brunch from 11am until 3pm each Saturday and Sunday. Monday through Friday lunch is served from 12noon to 230pm. Dinner begins daily at 530pm. Molyvos is located on the lobby level.
For casual dining, the Park Café serves breakfast, lunch, dinner and after theatre snacks from 6am to 1am. PLEASE NOTE: until further notice while the Park Cafe is being renovated the temporary hours of operation will be 6am to 11pm.
Room Service is available from 6am until midnight every day. PLEASE NOTE: Temporary Room Service hours are 6am to 11pm.

Oh, I think I forgot to mention we are also going to Radio City Music Hall for the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular. Yep, that’s another one of my Mother’s dreams. I think that will be a beautiful show! So, here I am thinking out loud that since this show is Friday evening, we definitely won’t be doing a Broadway show and the sightseeing tour will definitely have to be a day one on Friday. See? I just worked all that out, didn’t I? Thanks for listening to the ramblings…..Erin is right ---- it does help to write it all down and figure it out on paper! Thanks Erin!

I’ve looked online for photos of the Wellington, but there wasn’t much, so I’m posting what I have found for you…..

 

[Victoriasmom98]

Following along! I love the bag you made! It's fantastic Can't wait to read some more updates from you!

Hi and thanks for joing me on this journey. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it!!

Subbing.....

Awesome!!! Love having you along for the ride....

 

[Tink-erin-belle]

Oh. My. Gosh! I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO jealous that you are going to see the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall!!!!! I have dreamed of doing that! I used to want to be a Rockette! <<<That was the closest I could get to a high-kick smiley Oh no! My rambling is contagious! It does help to get it out of your head and see it in front of you That hotel looks gorgeous! It looks like it is in a great location, too. It sounds like you have some wonderful plans. I can’t believe that you are going to see the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade! That will be so cool! I hope the weather holds up for you. Have you thought of seeing Santa at Macy’s? I heard that they have really good Santas there. Friday will definitely be a madhouse, but maybe Wednesday? Whatever you all do, I’m sure you’ll have a fantastic time!

 

[Victoriasmom98]

Real life updates……

Morning all. There’s been lots happening in our lives since I’ve last posted. Back on the 18th Victoria, my mother and I went to the Pediatric Endocrinologist who confirmed that Victoria does indeed have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. Although I was expecting this result, I was still not prepared for it. They took blood and depending on the hormone levels we will have an action plan. The results should be back this week. In the meantime Victoria needs to start living by the 5-2-2-1-0 healthy living concept. The major changes we’ve made is drinking V8 Fusion to get her fruits and veggies in to her and to also take Calcitrate to give her body extra calcium. She will basically be given medication that will enduce a period. We just aren’t sure what medication it will be yet.

It was also recommended that Victoria enter counseling. Ugh. I think it will be good for her, but I just feel like a failure that I can’t help her with her needs. She basically admitted that she is thinking of self-harming. Really? Again, this is just sending me into my own depression. What am I doing so wrong that she would feel this way? I was even told to lock up my medication so she couldn’t get her hands on it. I just am at a loss. This is surreal to me. Maybe once Victoria’s hormone levels get back to normal, these self-harming thoughts will go away. I just never thought we would be going through this. But, we’ve got to soldier on, right? Not much else we can do…

Our NYC trip is coming right up! 24 more days. That doesn’t seem real, either. My mother has no idea that Victoria wants to self-harm so it’s going to be a bit stressful to try to keep this from her. I just don’t want her to worry about us. Hopefully we will be having so much fun and be so busy that it won’t come up at all. I hope it’s a good trip. I really don’t have much interest in going somewhere other than Disney, but I’m sure I’ll have fun. There is a Disney Store close to our hotel so you can bet I will be going there at one point. I’m debating on whether to make Housekeeping envelopes for this trip. It’s just not the same as Mousekeeping envelopes. I am just hoping to get more excited as the trip gets closer.

Speaking of trips, I really, really, really want to stay on Disney property for our trip in March. Peter is all concerned about Victoria and Kali being on their own at the Caribe Royale during the convention as they are not “city girls” and what if something happens. I’m thinking, geez, something could happen when they walk the dog around here, so what’s the difference? As far as the taxi thing goes, we could rent a car for 2 days for less money than having a taxi. That would give us even more choices for activities during the convention. That way Peter wouldn’t have to worry about the girls taking a taxi with a stranger. The benefits of staying on Disney property is well, for one, it’s Disney! Another one is the refillable mugs! Now we are heavy Diet Coke drinkers so I can just imagine how much money we will be spending on soda if we have to continuously purchase from the vending machine. Also, we would save money by using Magical Express! Round trip transfers from Caribe Royale to MCO are like $120! It’s the whole safety thing for Peter. It’s my child and you would think I would be more concerned with her than he is. I just don’t think there is anything to worry about. She will be 15 years old, she has a cell phone, and she will be with a buddy. I call that pretty safe. She knows there are bad people in the world and she knows how to be safe. Since the prices are just about even between the two hotels I think my only hope would be for Disney to offer a pin code to me for a RO discount for those dates. My plan would be to stay at the All Star Sports. I like the fact that the non-preferred buildings (The Touchdown section) is extremely close to the food court and Surf’s Up pool. Gotta be close to the drink station to take advantage of the mugs, you know! Disney is just home! It’s just where I want to be, but I have to make a really good argument for it. Oh, did I mention I now have enough Restaurant.com coupons for $300 worth of meals by using my MyCokeRewards points? Yep, I’ve been busy entering all those codes in! You can also use the codes for getting a discount on the Hertz rental cars, so I’ll keep on typing them in. So, everyone, please pray for Pixie Dust for me to get a pin code for a RO discount!!!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Ann, I'm so sorry you are having to worry so much about Victoria. She'll make it through this stuff, just do what you can to give her lots of love and understanding and you guys will make it through.

I think you'll have a great time in NY! I want you to take lots of pics! As for the March trip, you know what I'm going to say...ONSITE ONSITE ONSITE!!!! Absolutely! You'll save money with the mugs, you'll have some Disney magic, and I'm sure it will be fine with Victoria! She'll have a friend with her and her phone, I totally think it's fine. I took cabs ALL THE TIME when I was younger, I think she'll do great!

 

[Breagh]

So sorry to hear about all the troubles in your life right now. I can't imagine what it feels like to see your daughter go through all of that, as I'm not a mother myself. I can only imagine how frustrating it must be for you feeling like you can't help her with her needs, but don't think it's because you've done anything wrong. I used to self harm and it had nothing to do with anything my mom had done, or done wrong. I knew my mom loved me, cared about me, supported me and all of that. It may be something that she's going through that's causing these thoughts. Just try to stay strong for her and remind her that she can talk to you about anything.

Have an awesome trip in NY, and I'm rooting for you to be able to convince Peter to stay on property at Disney in March! I'm sure you can convince him

 

[Tink-erin-belle]

Oh, Ann, I'm sorry to hear about what's going on with Victoria I don't think a mom could ever be prepared to hear a serious diagnosis, but at least you all have a very good plan in place I'm so very sorry that Victoria admitted to thinking about self-harming, but thank goodness she was open about it! Please don't put the blame for her feelings all on yourself! It's so hard not to, but try. I know because I did the same thing with Coy. I just knew that I was at least partially at fault for his anxiety issues. I felt that if I had just done something different, he wouldn't have these problems. I couldn't let that go until his psychiatrist told me that it wasn't anything I did that caused him to feel how he did. Medication didn't work for Coy, but therapy definitely helped. It's a process and I'm sure Victoria will be much better once she can start to talk all of this out. Which brings me to another point: I also felt like a failure when I realized Coy needed counseling. I thought, "Why can't he just talk to me?" but I soon saw that his counselor had a very different way to get through to him. She was able to give him tools to help him cope. He still has a way to go, but there has been some change. I truly hope things work out well for Victoria in counseling.

I'm so excited for your NYC trip I hope you, Victoria and your mom have a great time!

I hope you can convince Peter to stay onsite in March! I think you gave a pretty compelling argument right there! Just have him read that post! Staying at All Star Sports makes perfect sense to me. But I'm a Disney addict. I'm biased :

 

[Victoriasmom98]

Hi all!!! I just wanted to share some Halloween pictures from last night. Yep, at 14 my lovely child and her friend Kali wanted to go trick or treating. Hey, whatever! So, Victoria went as Mother Nature and Kali was Spiderman. They only stayed out for about an hour, but thankfully it was so warm and nice out. It was just a perfect night for candy!!!

We really did have a really fun night!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Yay! I'm so glad you had a fun Halloween! I kept telling people last night (as some of the kids in our group are getting older too) that you are NEVER too old to trick-or-treat! Seriously...candy is for everyone, there should be no limit on dressing up and having candy, that's what I say!!

 

[Tink-erin-belle]

Aww! Victoria looks so cute as Mother Nature! I’m glad that she and her friends don’t think they are too old for trick or treating yet. I was happy that Coy went out last night. There were quite a few kids out there who were older than him, so I am hoping the kids will keep trick or treating for a while. How else will I get my bite sized candy fix?

Yay! I'm so glad you had a fun Halloween! I kept telling people last night (as some of the kids in our group are getting older too) that you are NEVER too old to trick-or-treat! Seriously...candy is for everyone, there should be no limit on dressing up and having candy, that's what I say!!

Sorry, Karen, I have to disagree with you there! Last night, we saw a grown man (facial hair and everything) dressed up as Spiderman and carrying a little plastic pumpkin! At first, I thought he was the dad with a group of kids that were there, but no! He was alone! It was either very creepy or very smart! He could have had the decency to wear his mask so that people wouldn’t know how old he was I’ll have to admit, though, that I have considered dressing up and wearing a mask so that I could get candy too but he actually did it!