It's A WONDERful 2015 - Feb Cruise, May WDW grand tour, and France/DLP! NEW 10/25 Nice & End!

[Imagineer5]

Just got word that I failed the 1 hour test Guess those sweets & carbs caught up to me after all. Now I have to follow some sort of diet and get the 3-hour sometime next week though not sure when. My failure number was 133 and their cutoff was 130 though (and doing some google searches for the 3 hour test info and I see most docs have 140 as their cut off, so that's annoying!).

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I'm not really a believer in that sort of thing, but man it was quite the coincidence to visit the Mayan goddess of fertility and get pregnant the next month after nearly 2 years of trying!

I'm not a believer in that either - at least directly. I do think your attitude and outlook on things can have an impact (guess kind of a placebo effect) so if someone truly believes it can help - well, maybe it can. And heck, whatever works right? .... and at the very least it makes for a great story!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Hope things work out and you are able to get into your apartment ... that would kinda suck to be stuck outside! (I am sure if will be find but definitely understand that you would like some final confirmation of things)

As an alternative that truffle lunch sounds like tons of fun and an amazing experience! I love truffles, but a little goes a long way so would be neat to learn the proper way to use it in different dishes. That's great that you can get a bottle of wine to take home

I actually really like the name Maya - Andrew has a HS friend named that though that we still see on occasion, so that sort of ruins it IMO. Cute idea though, it is a different spelling (hers is Maja but sounds the same).

It's funny how knowing people with a name can impact what name you want to use for your kids. For a while Emma was going to be Eleanore - but then we found out that one of Judi's good friends mother-in-law (who she hates) is named Eleanore - so there went that option

Sorry to hear about the glucose test - I know Judi always hated those with a passion and did have to take the 3 hour one with Emma. Hope it works out well though - knowing you were just at the 133 I would think you should be fine. Good luck!

 

[cindianne320]

Sorry you have to do the 3 hour! I had to do it twice. Passed once, failed once. I never had to change my diet for the test, just after I failed it.
They have you go in fasting and poke #1, then drink the sugar drink and after an hour do poke #2, wait another hour, poke #3, and finally another hour and poke #4. Then you can leave and eat! Good luck!

 

[Dugette]

Aria talks about Izzy too, I think it is so cute that they remember each other. LMK your thoughts on any 2016 trips (are you planning to renew your AP?). Right now I am tentatively planning the April/May trip (actually I just booked a ressie at Shades of Green yesterday, as I saw the rooms were already filling up!). My AP expires May 8th so the goal was to go before then - but Aria will have an AP starting Jan 30th so I'm sure I'd be up for going again, too.

I agree, it's adorable that they remember each other. Every so often lately, I think back on the June 2014 trip and how little they were (vs. now) and get all motivated to try to just pump out a whole TR in one sitting. Then I realize that I can't even keep up with the two I'm already writing, not to mention the ones I'm reading, and it doesn't happen. But I really want to have that for them to look back on - some of those pictures/videos are just so adorable!

Anyway, regarding future travel plans, I "feel" like 2016 is pretty empty. But then I realize that our plans could possible include hitting 4 Disney properties in a year (Aulani in January - definite, Disneyland in February - tentative, Disney Cruise in December - very tentative, and WDW in December - very tentative). So, I guess it's actually not so empty of a year, just a big gap between the beginning and the end. My AP expired in June and I did not renew. If all of these trips happen, I doubt there will be any others in 2016. For the tentative December land/sea - our initial thought was to do the cruise and stay at WDW resorts on either end, enjoying Disney Springs, resort meals, and a MVMCP - so, not getting park tickets. But with all the new things that might be up and running in the non-MK parks by then, that might be a tough task. Plus, as you know, we'd really love to do a week-long cruise vs. the 4-night we have booked - but that will eat up any possible WDW budget and then some. So, I guess this is all the long way of saying, "I don't know" on my 2016 travel plans, haha. Dug was just saying last night that it would be really fun to do the cruise with you guys, though - he likes the idea of having friends to meet up with and being able to go off on our own - and the girls having playmates.

I actually really like the name Maya - Andrew has a HS friend named that though that we still see on occasion, so that sort of ruins it IMO. Cute idea though, it is a different spelling (hers is Maja but sounds the same).

I know what you mean - it's so hard to find names that don't remind you of certain people. But, hey, you could always go with Ixchel, haha. So, I have to tell you that I was going to respond to this last night before bed, but was too tired - so, instead, it prompted me to dream of baby girl names. I only remember a couple of them now, but I'll share in case it's of any help. One was Dyna, which sounded much cooler in the dream than when I woke up - now all I can think of is "Someone's in the Kitchen with Dinah." However, I do kind-of like the other one - I'd never heard it before, but looked it up and it is a real name and sort-of musical like Aria: Lyra. So, there's my came-to-me-in-a-dream ideas for you.

Just got word that I failed the 1 hour test Guess those sweets & carbs caught up to me after all. Now I have to follow some sort of diet and get the 3-hour sometime next week though not sure when. My failure number was 133 and their cutoff was 130 though (and doing some google searches for the 3 hour test info and I see most docs have 140 as their cut off, so that's annoying!).

I'm sorry! For what it's worth, I've heard from many people that they failed the 1-hour, but had no problem passing the three hour. I hope that is the case for you. I was curious on the cut-off, so I checked my own records (so handy they are online these days!) and see that my tests had a <141 cutoff, like you were seeing on google. For what it's worth, the test I had about two months early was taken around 10am and I got 129, so would have just barely squeaked by your doctor's cutoff. The one I took at the normal point was at 5pm (when they told me most people fail) and I was eating low-carb that afternoon in hopes of making it and I got 118 - no wonder they were so stunned. I guess the cheese and nuts worked. Good luck with the 3-hour, I hope it isn't too bad.

I keep meaning to come back and comment more on the updates, but since I seem hopelessly behind again on my DIS-ing, I'll just say that I'm enjoying hearing about your excursion (though Dug would have wanted to do Tulum, because it's in Star Wars), it looks really cool. And your France plans continue to sound great. Very cool that you found the in-home class to do - great idea!

 

[Imagineer5]

I'm not a believer in that either - at least directly. I do think your attitude and outlook on things can have an impact (guess kind of a placebo effect) so if someone truly believes it can help - well, maybe it can. And heck, whatever works right? .... and at the very least it makes for a great story!

So true, it did play some mind games on me, too, just knowing that they Mayans used to believe it all this and did SO much to make the pilgrimage there.

Hope things work out and you are able to get into your apartment ... that would kinda suck to be stuck outside! (I am sure if will be find but definitely understand that you would like some final confirmation of things)

As an alternative that truffle lunch sounds like tons of fun and an amazing experience! I love truffles, but a little goes a long way so would be neat to learn the proper way to use it in different dishes. That's great that you can get a bottle of wine to take home

It's funny how knowing people with a name can impact what name you want to use for your kids. For a while Emma was going to be Eleanore - but then we found out that one of Judi's good friends mother-in-law (who she hates) is named Eleanore - so there went that option

Sorry to hear about the glucose test - I know Judi always hated those with a passion and did have to take the 3 hour one with Emma. Hope it works out well though - knowing you were just at the 133 I would think you should be fine. Good luck!

So I finally heard from the Beaune apt owner, phew! Seriously I messaged her July 13th and then again in August and hadn't heard back. I guess she's been traveling with limited internet, but should be there when we arrive.

Yes SO many people have impacted our name choices, usually for the worse just bc it reminds you of someone in high school or whatnot. In this case, I just don't really want her thinking we named our baby after her lol!

Sorry you have to do the 3 hour! I had to do it twice. Passed once, failed once. I never had to change my diet for the test, just after I failed it.
They have you go in fasting and poke #1, then drink the sugar drink and after an hour do poke #2, wait another hour, poke #3, and finally another hour and poke #4. Then you can leave and eat! Good luck!

Thanks for the info! My doc said he was mailing me some info on the diet I have to do for a few days beforehand, then take the test. It worried me because now I'm at less than 2 weeks until France! But hopefully I'll get it all done next week and be good to go. I won't be buying any more chocolate muffins next week though and already made a list of foods that I need to get to be healthier at work.

I agree, it's adorable that they remember each other. Every so often lately, I think back on the June 2014 trip and how little they were (vs. now) and get all motivated to try to just pump out a whole TR in one sitting. Then I realize that I can't even keep up with the two I'm already writing, not to mention the ones I'm reading, and it doesn't happen. But I really want to have that for them to look back on - some of those pictures/videos are just so adorable!

Anyway, regarding future travel plans, I "feel" like 2016 is pretty empty. But then I realize that our plans could possible include hitting 4 Disney properties in a year (Aulani in January - definite, Disneyland in February - tentative, Disney Cruise in December - very tentative, and WDW in December - very tentative). So, I guess it's actually not so empty of a year, just a big gap between the beginning and the end. My AP expired in June and I did not renew. If all of these trips happen, I doubt there will be any others in 2016. For the tentative December land/sea - our initial thought was to do the cruise and stay at WDW resorts on either end, enjoying Disney Springs, resort meals, and a MVMCP - so, not getting park tickets. But with all the new things that might be up and running in the non-MK parks by then, that might be a tough task. Plus, as you know, we'd really love to do a week-long cruise vs. the 4-night we have booked - but that will eat up any possible WDW budget and then some. So, I guess this is all the long way of saying, "I don't know" on my 2016 travel plans, haha. Dug was just saying last night that it would be really fun to do the cruise with you guys, though - he likes the idea of having friends to meet up with and being able to go off on our own - and the girls having playmates.


I know what you mean - it's so hard to find names that don't remind you of certain people. But, hey, you could always go with Ixchel, haha. So, I have to tell you that I was going to respond to this last night before bed, but was too tired - so, instead, it prompted me to dream of baby girl names. I only remember a couple of them now, but I'll share in case it's of any help. One was Dyna, which sounded much cooler in the dream than when I woke up - now all I can think of is "Someone's in the Kitchen with Dinah." However, I do kind-of like the other one - I'd never heard it before, but looked it up and it is a real name and sort-of musical like Aria: Lyra. So, there's my came-to-me-in-a-dream ideas for you.


I'm sorry! For what it's worth, I've heard from many people that they failed the 1-hour, but had no problem passing the three hour. I hope that is the case for you. I was curious on the cut-off, so I checked my own records (so handy they are online these days!) and see that my tests had a <141 cutoff, like you were seeing on google. For what it's worth, the test I had about two months early was taken around 10am and I got 129, so would have just barely squeaked by your doctor's cutoff. The one I took at the normal point was at 5pm (when they told me most people fail) and I was eating low-carb that afternoon in hopes of making it and I got 118 - no wonder they were so stunned. I guess the cheese and nuts worked. Good luck with the 3-hour, I hope it isn't too bad.

I keep meaning to come back and comment more on the updates, but since I seem hopelessly behind again on my DIS-ing, I'll just say that I'm enjoying hearing about your excursion (though Dug would have wanted to do Tulum, because it's in Star Wars), it looks really cool. And your France plans continue to sound great. Very cool that you found the in-home class to do - great idea!

I know, at least we have the photos to look back on! I feel like I would leave out so many details on the trip, but I'm game if you're ever in the mood to really start on it.

Oh yeah that is a big gap for trips, I can see something similar happening, although we are toying with a week in Seattle to visit family but also do touristy stuff, possibly a longer trip to Vermont since we usually just go for a weekend, etc. But I'd much rather do a Dec cruise that is nice that Dug would like us along, too!

Lyra is pretty, I have been wanting an L name (I have a name that I really like, Aria really likes, but Andrew is still hesitant about it). Lyra was from a book series too...trying to remember it now? I'll have to go look that up, but it was a good series.

My test was at about 1:30 yesterday, and I stopped at Wendy's for lunch at 12 because I was so busy at work I forgot to eat lunch and was starving and couldn't decide which would be better - to go on a totally empty stomach (and possibly get sick from the drink) or go in after eating a chicken sandwich...I should have gone hungry

 

[Imagineer5]

Back to the Cruise TR We had just left the ruins and were headed to the Discover Mexico park where we were going to have lunch. What I read online about the park was that they had a number of miniaturized buildings from around Mexico on display. Soon we arrived and entered and lunch was already set up and waiting for us.

This was nearby the lunch line



Lunch was set up as a Mexican buffet



The main options were Beef or pork, however, which was really disappointing for me. They had cheese quesadillas so I did that with chips, guacamole and salsa



We had about 15 minutes to relax and eat some lunch at our own individual table which was nice after touring with the group all morning, and then our tour guide set up a piñata for the kids and had them all go over. He made two lines with the smallest in front, and Aria was the youngest of the group!





So she got to swing first!



Now remember, she has never seen a piñata before, so when you don't know there is candy inside and you are not used to being told to hit things and destroy them, well you just don't really get what you're supposed to do!



She gave it a whack and then looked at me all upset she handed the stick back and I took her back to the line and stood with her. She was upset she hadn't broken it open! After watching a bunch of other kids all try and not break it open either, she felt better, and soon one of the big kids smashed it and candy went flying. Aria was a bit slow on the uptake there and so I ran over with her and helped her get some candy





All was right in the end, with a lollipop



It was a really cute experience, and now she loves piñatas and wants to do them. Wonder if we can have a piñata at the Y (I plan to do a swim birthday party for her in Jan).

From there we had about 30 minutes on our own to explore, so we went in search of these little Mexican sights.





There were not very many and most were very run down, with peeling paint and flooded from rains overnight? So we went into the shop instead and then went to sit on the bus. I would not return to Discover Mexico park, but lunch was fine.

Our last stop was the chocolate "factory" which was just down the road. We were given a little history on the Mayan chocolate, were able to sample a little bit, then had some Mayan hot chocolate which was set up as a buffet with toppings like honey and cinnamon. That was pretty fun, although bees were on everything and so we didn't stay too long.







We did spend more time in the shop though and ended up picking out some yummy chocolate bars to bring home with us. They had some dark chocolate chili, one with coconut and mint, and a few others. We ate them pretty quickly after getting home and they were delicious!

This concluded our tour. Our bus dropped us off on the other side of the touristy shopping area so we had to walk back through that. I wanted to do some shopping but Aria needed to nap (it was about 2:30 at this point), and I didn't really feel comfortable staying behind by myself. So Andrew stayed behind to shop while I took aria back to the boat. On the way, there was a stand with these air brushed pictures of the Disney Wonder cruise ship and Mickey/Minnie (along with other characters). Aria saw it and so I stopped and haggled a price for it - it was perfect for her new big girl room which is painted purple & cream. I got it for $20 so pretty happy about that - I'll have to take a photo tonight and upload it!

Then we really did head back to the ship! After a quick x-ray of our purchases, we were back in the room and Aria went to sleep on her bed this time. I decided to peruse the Navigator and ordered the much anticipated fruit tray and cheese tray from room service which I had read so highly about! Once it arrived Aria was asleep and I snuck past her to sit out on the balcony with a glass of wine and relax. A really beautiful way to spend the afternoon!!



Views from the balcony:





The gorgeous water color



Soon Andrew came back with some purchases. He got a couple t-shirts, some alcohol at the duty free shop, and then handed me a little bag with a cute Cozumel t-shirt (which was too small, but I appreciated that he thought it would fit me, as it looked tiny even to me) and some beautiful earrings! I'll point them out if I'm in any future pics with them on, I know I didn't take those off for a few months though! They are round, silver, with small blue gemstones in the middle.

After he joined me for some cheese and fruit we took some showers and then Aria woke up. Coming up a fun evening on board!

 

[Imagineer5]

Once we were all cleaned up and dressed we headed upstairs. We had some time before dinner but not enough to do much so we decided to check out the areas of the ship we hadn't seen much of yet, including the recreation area on Deck 10 (highest deck above the pools).







Oh wait, we did actually see the rec area but there were just a bunch of teenagers playing basketball so instead we took pics instead!

Then we headed down to dinner. For those of you who don't know, Triton's is the nicest rotational restaurant on the Wonder. We had dinner there the night before but it was the Pirate night menu, so tonight we'd actually get to have Triton's menu.



Aria was also cough (and fever) free all day and was in a great mood tonight!



I had the drink special of the day, and Aria had her favorite, chocolate milk BTW she has asked me if there is chocolate milk in France. I told her she will be having a lot of new but delicious food, so don't plan on any chocolate milk there! I'm sure they will have some but just in case, I don't want her to be upset!



My appetizer was the breaded and deep fried brie, and it was pretty good.



Aria started with a soup and then had pasta w/ meatballs as her main dish. Thankfully they are good about bringing out kid's meals early! You can also see Andrew's French onion soup here.



For my main, I had the Lobster macaroni which had white truffle oil in it. Overall it was really good, although the lobster was a bit chewy for my taste (but Andrew ate it)



Their other options were Rack of Lamb, Duck or Filet, so I have no idea what Andrew ordered as he loves all of those.

But for dessert, I was excited for the soufflé. I will say, I really love a chocolate soufflé and this was the original style grand marnier, but it was still very good.



If you ever encounter a delicious chocolate soufflé please let me know - that and the bananas flambé are my two must-not-miss desserts!

According to my navigator, there was a dance party tonight in Studio Sea, similar to that Disney Jr dance party! I told Riley's family about it and they decided to check it out too. So after dinner we all headed over there and Aria and Riley had a ball dancing.









Video (not very exciting but here you go)





When it was over I ran back to the room for some treats - I had packed some theater-style candy boxes to bring with us to the nighttime shows. So far we had missed the first two shows, but with Aria feeling great and it being Toy Story, the Musical tonight we were finally heading to a show in the Walt Disney Theater!



No photos during the show, so that was the last one I took today but the show was really great and just the right length for a 3-year old at the end of a long day! (50 minutes). They had booster seats for smaller kids so that the seats don't flip up on them (this is an issue at movie theaters, Aria can't sit in those seats because they just flip her up) so that was really nice.

Afterwards it was bed time for all of us! Tomorrow we had our 2nd (and last ) at sea day, with a brunch at Palo! I had been worried about this bc of how Aria was feeling & sending her to the Kid's club, but now I wasn't worried anymore. I also placed an order for room service breakfast (we were trying out all the options!!) before going to sleep.

 

[jeni16]

Sorry to hear about your glucose test. I had gestational diabetes & now have Type 2 diabetes. Apparently my body produces very little of it's own insulin & probably has for some time. It is not fun. Especially with the very strict diet I was on when I was pregnant. The good thing is though that because of the diet, I didn't gain any extra weight during my pregnancy & was back in normal clothes within a week. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

 

[Dugette]

Sounds like a fun day, even if the little Mexican village place was a bit disappointing. Ha, Izzy's never done a piñata either, so I don't know if she'd have a clue. Glad Aria got a lollipop! And the chocolate you got at the next place sounds good.

I want to see the picture you got for her big girl room!

Mmmm, the cheese tray! We only got it once, but it was very good - and even better on the verandah!

Glad that Aria was feeling better! She was sure enjoying that chocolate milk. Izzy has yet to have chocolate milk - I think if she learns that it exists, we may have issues with her demanding it all the time.

Well, the Palo dinner is known for it's chocolate souffle. And it was very good! I think you just did the brunch there, so I'm guessing no chocolate souffle at that?

Cute dance party. And that Toy Story show sounds great (we just watched Toy Story 3 today - again). I don't remember seeing those booster seats on our cruise. Maybe I just missed them.

Looking forward to hearing about your Palo brunch!

 

[Imagineer5]

Sorry to hear about your glucose test. I had gestational diabetes & now have Type 2 diabetes. Apparently my body produces very little of it's own insulin & probably has for some time. It is not fun. Especially with the very strict diet I was on when I was pregnant. The good thing is though that because of the diet, I didn't gain any extra weight during my pregnancy & was back in normal clothes within a week. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

Thank you! I haven't really gained much so far, though I do still have about 14 weeks to go. Not sure when this week I'll do the 3 hour but just hoping it's negative - I just don't want to be too restrictive in france and have to check my blood levels so much

Sounds like a fun day, even if the little Mexican village place was a bit disappointing. Ha, Izzy's never done a piñata either, so I don't know if she'd have a clue. Glad Aria got a lollipop! And the chocolate you got at the next place sounds good.

I want to see the picture you got for her big girl room!

Mmmm, the cheese tray! We only got it once, but it was very good - and even better on the verandah!

Glad that Aria was feeling better! She was sure enjoying that chocolate milk. Izzy has yet to have chocolate milk - I think if she learns that it exists, we may have issues with her demanding it all the time.

Well, the Palo dinner is known for it's chocolate souffle. And it was very good! I think you just did the brunch there, so I'm guessing no chocolate souffle at that?

Cute dance party. And that Toy Story show sounds great (we just watched Toy Story 3 today - again). I don't remember seeing those booster seats on our cruise. Maybe I just missed them.

Looking forward to hearing about your Palo brunch!

I thought about taking a pic yesterday while Aria was napping, then promptly forgot. I will try to remember tonight!

Aria only gets it while on vacation (or at Grammy & Papas or out to a restaurant ... lol ... so maybe once every 2 weeks while we are home?) - it's a treat but she certainly looks forward to it.

No we didn't do the Palo dinner - I was too afraid to skip out on a nice meal. I think next cruise I'd do Palo on Pirate night bc that menu wasn't that great. It's tough with dining rotations and not knowing which restaurant you are skipping (I'd hate to miss Animator's Palette or Tritons!).

The booster seats were right by the doors as you enter - I actually missed them at first but the people behind us were using them so I went to get one for Aria.

 

[JulieODC]

And once again, I was pretty far behind!


Embarkation day is always a little crazy, but it sounds like things went well even with the little delay. We loved our balcony too – so nice to have that extra little space.


I went to France in high school, and we did Giverny – it was amazing! A highlight of the trip, and somewhere I’ve always wanted to back and visit again. Your France trip sounds absolutely amazing!!


Ellie was just a little under the height requirement for the slide when we went, and I was bummed – I know she would have loved it!


Note to self, be careful of wasabi masquerading as avocado!! What a cute cake – but sort of strange that he had her bite right from it!?


Looks like a fun day in Cozumel! We loved our stop there – but we did have the hour time change. Not a big difference, but it would have been nice not to have to worry about it! The photo of the bored kids on the tour made me laugh J


I’d love to be sitting on my cruise ship balcony with wine and cheese right about now!


By the way, I love Aria’s red outfit in Mexico – so cute!


Hope your 3-hr glucose test goes well!!

 

[cindianne320]

I love those booster seats- good to know they have them on the cruise line. We use them all the time at our local movie theater.

I hope your test goes well this week!

 

[Imagineer5]

And once again, I was pretty far behind!


Embarkation day is always a little crazy, but it sounds like things went well even with the little delay. We loved our balcony too – so nice to have that extra little space.


I went to France in high school, and we did Giverny – it was amazing! A highlight of the trip, and somewhere I’ve always wanted to back and visit again. Your France trip sounds absolutely amazing!!


Ellie was just a little under the height requirement for the slide when we went, and I was bummed – I know she would have loved it!


Note to self, be careful of wasabi masquerading as avocado!! What a cute cake – but sort of strange that he had her bite right from it!?


Looks like a fun day in Cozumel! We loved our stop there – but we did have the hour time change. Not a big difference, but it would have been nice not to have to worry about it! The photo of the bored kids on the tour made me laugh J


I’d love to be sitting on my cruise ship balcony with wine and cheese right about now!


By the way, I love Aria’s red outfit in Mexico – so cute!


Hope your 3-hr glucose test goes well!!

Aw glad to hear you loved Giverny! I thought with it being outside the city and needing something to do before we can get into the apartment, that it would work out to get some fresh air. I can't believe we leave NEXT WEEK now! ahh!

Aw that is too bad about Ellie being unable to ride the slide. Yes the hour time change wouldn't have been too bad but I remember every day of the cruise used to be one hour ahead or behind so it seemed like we'd constantly be watching the clocks, but thankfully didn't have to do that.

Her red outfit is Well Dressed Wolf. If you want an even deeper hole than Matilda Jane, then check them out. They are impossible to cart so market value goes way up LOL. I have a few pieces for France - one called the Parisian Beverly and I can't wait for her to wear it in Paris!

Thank you, it's scheduled for Thursday!

I love those booster seats- good to know they have them on the cruise line. We use them all the time at our local movie theater.

I hope your test goes well this week!

I wish our local theater had them, aria has finally gotten to the point where she keeps her seat down for the most part but I think she'd still appreciate the boosters if they had them. Thanks!

 

[Imagineer5]

Just over a week until our France trip and I still have two stops to talk about!

So our next stop for 2 nights is just outside Avignon in Provence. From Beaune, this would be a 4.5 hour drive but we are splitting it up with a morning/lunchtime in Lyon which is just about halfway.

I don't have a particular destination in mind in Vieux Lyon other than to walk around and take in the atmosphere.

This area is apparently home to the largest number of Renaissance buildings anywhere in Europe. There are Troubadours which are little passageways through residential buildings that locals know about and use - I am looking into possibly booking a tour to make the most of our short time here. Lyon is also known for their food, but I haven't booked a lunch reservation anywhere just in case we end up arriving late or leaving early. Totally open ended day!

Anyway from Lyon we will continue on to our Chateau for the next 2 nights!! When looking at the accommodations we've booked, I realized I had zero in the quant B&B department - and no chateau's either - ha, so I found this one.

It is an 18th century estate surrounded by vineyards. Once I saw the Red Room with a sleeping area for Aria I thought it was perfect!

After checking in, we may check out the pool on the property and hopefully enjoy a few hours exploring. We have reservations at a nearby quaint restaurant which has a nice garden setting and a children's menu and it's only about 10 minutes of windy roads away.

Friday 9/18

This is our only full day in the Avignon area. I wish we had more time for Provence, but maybe it'll spur inspiration to just make a Provence trip some day! Our first order of business will be the included breakfast which I hear is wonderful! (yay for not having to cook!). Then we'll be off, our first stop will be the Pont Du Gard.

This is a Roman Aqueduct built in 1st century AD, and is the highest of all aqueducts and one of the best preserved! There is a museum at one end so we will probably check that out, and do some walking around the aqueduct before heading out. The museum opens at 9, so I'd like to see the aqueduct around 8:30, and be ready to leave by around 10.

Nearby there is the Haribo museum - yes a CANDY MUSEUM! so that is our next stop. The reviews are pretty iffy but Aria doesn't care and will have a ball picking out some candy and seeing how it's made.

My guess is we'll be pretty quick through the museum and shop, leaving with a baggie of candies (please, pleaseeeee pass tomorrow's 3 hour glucose test! ) and then on our way to Avignon. Our next stop is the town of Avignon! One of the main "attractions" here is the Palais des Papes - which housed the Pope for a period of time when they left Rome during unrest - they occupied Avignon from 1305-1377 and then returned to Rome.

Otherwise while in Avignon we will just enjoy the atmosphere. It's a walled city and cars are not allowed in the historical area, so that will be nice just to walk around. In the afternoon either before Aria's nap or afterwards we'll head back to our rooms. I do have a plan for dinner tonight at a Canalside restaurant. I will say restaurants in this area seem way less stuffy than in Paris! They don't have a kid's menu but they said Aria is definitely welcome.

While in this quaint town there is also a well reviewed chocolate shop we may have to visit. SEE this is where my head is at! I really don't know what I'll do if I'm told to avoid sweets.

I do hope we will be able to push off Aria's nap until 2 or so, then head back to the chateau (15 min drive) and have her sleep there while we enjoy the beautiful room and grounds, and maybe a dip in the pool. Either way we'll have a few hours there as dinner isn't until 7:30 (most restaurants don't open until 7 or 7:30, phew!).

Up next: our final stop in France - Nice! THIS is the villa Andrew is most looking forward to out of the whole trip!

But in the meantime I'll work on updating the cruise TR!

 

[cindianne320]

Those sound like a relaxing few days, filled with awesome places and beautiful sights! (And yummy food!)

The thing that confused me about Gestational Diabetes was that I HAD to eat a certain amount of carbs per meal/day. For example, for dinner I had to include 60 grams, while breakfast was only 30. I was under the impression I had to cut them all out, but it wasn't that way at all...

 

[khertz]

The excursion to the Mayan ruins looks exactly like something I would enjoy doing! I like stuff like that a lot more than sitting out on the beach for a day. That picture of the kids not paying attention is too funny though. I can imagine the novelty wears off quickly for them!

All of the plans for France look so amazing. It seems like y'all are going to have so many fun & interesting experiences!

 

[Dugette]

I know, at least we have the photos to look back on! I feel like I would leave out so many details on the trip, but I'm game if you're ever in the mood to really start on it.

I do have some notes in my phone too. Not tons of detail, but between everything we can hopefully put some things together. Whenever we get to that.

Aria only gets it while on vacation (or at Grammy & Papas or out to a restaurant ... lol ... so maybe once every 2 weeks while we are home?) - it's a treat but she certainly looks forward to it.

Totally understand that and once Izzy figures out it exists, I can see us doing that too. Speaking of toddler beverages, I just had to mention that one of my co-workers popped into work with her newborn baby and her toddler (a week younger than Izzy) the other day. Her toddler was demanding Dr. Pepper and she got him some. Sounds like he's an addict and not even three yet! My mind was blown that her kid got frequent Dr. Pepper!

No we didn't do the Palo dinner - I was too afraid to skip out on a nice meal. I think next cruise I'd do Palo on Pirate night bc that menu wasn't that great. It's tough with dining rotations and not knowing which restaurant you are skipping (I'd hate to miss Animator's Palette or Tritons!).

We did Palo on Pirate night as I understood it to be the least exciting menu and also the night that you duplicate a dining room (on the 4-night Dream, at least - only 3 dining rooms). We actually did go to the dining room with Izzy so she could eat and we had appetizers before heading off to a late dinner at Palo. Worked great!

My guess is we'll be pretty quick through the museum and shop, leaving with a baggie of candies (please, pleaseeeee pass tomorrow's 3 hour glucose test! )

While in this quaint town there is also a well reviewed chocolate shop we may have to visit. SEE this is where my head is at! I really don't know what I'll do if I'm told to avoid sweets.

I will be crossing my fingers for you tomorrow! I hope you are cleared to enjoy all these wonderful things on your trip!

Plans sound great - you are making me wish we had a European trip on the horizon.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

The rest of the tour seemed a little of a let down, but the hot chocolate bar seemed nice and that was nice that Andrew got you the shirt and the earings. We love getting some local art on our trips so sounds like a perfect painting you got for Aria's new room!

And wonderful that you got to get your fruit and cheese plates and have that with some wine on the balcony!

Dinner sounds quite nice and glad that you got along with your table mates enough to go to the dance party together. The show sounds good too - and glad you made it

 

[Imagineer5]

Those sound like a relaxing few days, filled with awesome places and beautiful sights! (And yummy food!)

The thing that confused me about Gestational Diabetes was that I HAD to eat a certain amount of carbs per meal/day. For example, for dinner I had to include 60 grams, while breakfast was only 30. I was under the impression I had to cut them all out, but it wasn't that way at all...

Yeah I am not as worried about the carbs as the sweets lol! Still waiting on the results but I'm sure I'll have to see a nutritionist before I leave if I failed.

The excursion to the Mayan ruins looks exactly like something I would enjoy doing! I like stuff like that a lot more than sitting out on the beach for a day. That picture of the kids not paying attention is too funny though. I can imagine the novelty wears off quickly for them!

All of the plans for France look so amazing. It seems like y'all are going to have so many fun & interesting experiences!

It was a fun day and so nice to do something different. You can go to a beach anywhere (we do it all summer long here) so I don't want to spend a cruise day at the beach.

I do have some notes in my phone too. Not tons of detail, but between everything we can hopefully put some things together. Whenever we get to that.


Totally understand that and once Izzy figures out it exists, I can see us doing that too. Speaking of toddler beverages, I just had to mention that one of my co-workers popped into work with her newborn baby and her toddler (a week younger than Izzy) the other day. Her toddler was demanding Dr. Pepper and she got him some. Sounds like he's an addict and not even three yet! My mind was blown that her kid got frequent Dr. Pepper!


We did Palo on Pirate night as I understood it to be the least exciting menu and also the night that you duplicate a dining room (on the 4-night Dream, at least - only 3 dining rooms). We actually did go to the dining room with Izzy so she could eat and we had appetizers before heading off to a late dinner at Palo. Worked great!




I will be crossing my fingers for you tomorrow! I hope you are cleared to enjoy all these wonderful things on your trip!

Plans sound great - you are making me wish we had a European trip on the horizon.

Andrew gives Aria sips of soda ever so often and she LOVES the stuff. Soda grosses me out in general, and seeing her drink it really makes me sick. That said, she has never had more than 2-3 sips in a day and I can't imagine giving her an entire Dr Pepper! (esp since it's caffeinated to boot, which I don't let Andrew give her). Yuck!

Glad that pirate night Palo plan worked out for you, I am looking forward to reading about your cruise when you get to it in your TR. I think that is what we would do too.

The rest of the tour seemed a little of a let down, but the hot chocolate bar seemed nice and that was nice that Andrew got you the shirt and the earings. We love getting some local art on our trips so sounds like a perfect painting you got for Aria's new room!

And wonderful that you got to get your fruit and cheese plates and have that with some wine on the balcony!

Dinner sounds quite nice and glad that you got along with your table mates enough to go to the dance party together. The show sounds good too - and glad you made it

Overall it was a fun day so I wouldn't say let down. It was only about 20 minutes of perusing poorly made little Mexico scenes and the rest was still fun. Aria's first piñata IN mexico is something we'll never forget! I am not entirely sure I would deem Aria's picture "local art" as it is an airbrushed Disney cruise ship with characters. Not exactly Cozumel or Mexico related at all but it works for a 3 year old's room. I do love getting art on trips though, we got a few pieces on our big Italy trip a few years ago and our bedroom has them all displayed.