Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Cruise, Oct 30th,2010 Magical Western NewTR link 4/10

[ortholablady]

What a great family picture! Merry Christmas to you too!

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Hi Ellen! So sorry to hear your stove is broken. After all the baking I've done this week, and all the cooking to do tomorrow, I'd almost say Well Done! Hope you enjoy your Celebration anyway!

Your KW day looked like lots of fun!

The Ostrich Tail girl - maybe a Vegas dancer buying supplies?
I think the daytime crowd at KW would be more my style.
Oh shoot! If I knew you were going out, I would have had you pick up some pasties for me! I'm all out!
Love, Love, Love the sunset pics! That's one thing we miss by having early seating for dinner - we don't get to see sunsets much.

I'm glad the boys enjoyed the show. Enjoy your Christmas and don't forget to come back to us!

 

[dizneeat]

Merry Christmas, Ellen and family!

 

[kid-at-heart]

Happy Holidays Miss Ellen and Family!!!! What a beautiful family holiday photo!

Santa visited our house last night (yes, we are one of those families who celebrates several diverse winter holidays) and left nice presents for all, including treats for the pup. Rob received mainly tools (a bit of a hint from Santa to get back to work). Rob and Sarah both received zen clocks from me (so hopefully I will not be awaken by their buzzing alarm clocks any longer). Sarah received many books, cds, ... and a talking Toy Story Woody, who does not talk. Not a problem, the nice lady at the DisneyStore.com said another would be in the express mail right away. I received more Africian art and Grandma (my mother) received a "moving picture frame". Grandma was so excited with her present that we could not get her to stop looking at it while we opened the rest of the gifts. And while we all received welcome gifts, the best part, as always was being together and watching one another enjoy our tokens of love.

Off topic, I love the smell of AKL-Jambo and today I figured out what the smell is... wood smoke, I have been tending the fire this morning and my hands smell like Jambo.

Looking forward to hearing how you handled not having an oven for the holidays.

Kate

 

[CRdisMom]

As I log on here, I see your christmas card sitting on my counter. Ugh! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! love the photo

 

[englishrose47]

Merry Christmas a day late due to sickness !!! Great Family Pix Ellen !!!

 

[MEK]

Hi Ellen!

I wondered where your TR was. I am so glad I found it over here on the Cruise Boards. I read the whole thing from top to bottom.

Your first day on the boat sounds like a disaster. OMG - I am so glad you located your computer. How awful to be sailing away knowing it was missing.

And poor Timmy, smashing his finger like that. And then waiting and waiting for dinner.

I have to say, I am thoroughly impressed with the food. YUM!

And the reason I came over here is because Denny has agreed to a Disney cruise. It won't be for another year. But I think its just going to be the two of us. I am so excited, I can't wait. It looks like a blast!

 

[JKSWonder]

Oooh, Root 1....a favorite wine of mine!

We took the kids on the Olde Towne Trolley Tour and took the obligatory photo at the Southernmost point. In hindsight, Mike and I probably would've have enjoyed Key West more following a similar tour plan to yours. And I think the kids could have lived without Key West. Oh well, next time maybe!

 

[NikkiLovesWDW!]

Merry Christmas Ellen! Hope you and your family had a great holiday. I love your holiday card. Tyler looks like such a grown-up!!

I know EXACTLY where you were when you took this picture. The reason I know is because I spent the majority of my cruise sitting right there, with that exact view.

Sounds like a great day in Key West. Glad you had a wonderful, problem-free day!

 

[podsnel]

Ellen, once again I am behind with comments... I really loved your Key West posts, it sounds like you had a lot of fun. I was once on the Keys, but did not travel all the way to Key West. It is still one of those things I want to do one day. It looks like a very relaxed place.

But most importantly, I wanted to wish you and your family a Merry Christmas! I hope you will spend some wonderful time together over the holidays!

You are not THAT far behind! Key West is a very artsy, fun place. There is a great vibe there- it's very "What ever makes you feel good, please go right ahead and do it, we're all behind you!" There is not a whole lot of judgement there. It's a lot of fun! Hope you had a Merry Christmas, too, thank-you!!

merry christmas to all

Thank-you!! Merry Christmas to all of you, too!

this pic....... M-U-C-H better than the TOT pic (idea I thought up a few postings back) for your family Christmas card.

Thank-you!
Say.....Goofy ?:

Was it you who has attended a NY Yankee game??. If so, where wud u suggest I sit?? What section.....on the Yankees side??

Yes, I posted a lot of Yankee pics last summer- we were fortunate to be get tickets twice, both times the seats were awesome!! They were field seats- the first time, we were in the premium seats where there is waiter service in right field. While that was nice, I preferred the other seats, which were right next to the bull pen in right field- that was where Nick Swisher ran up to us and we could watch Mariano Rivera warm up to close the game. And there is no Yankees side-it's Yankee Stadium, the whole thing is the Yankees side!

Sounds like you have an AWESOME year of vacations planned!! Are you doing ABD again??

And thanks for the card tip- not sure if I'll be sending Easter cards out...

Reason why I ask is I just booked a 6nght 7 day stay up at NYC - never been to the Big Apple & lookin' forward to it

But 1st.......I gotta get thru my adventure into the Emerald Aisle (June 11th).



Thanks for any input!


Have a great and safe weekend -




P.s. ok.......say.....what about that TOT pic for.......your family EASTER picture?.





T.T.F.N.

What a great family picture! Merry Christmas to you too!

Thank-you!

Hi Ellen! So sorry to hear your stove is broken. After all the baking I've done this week, and all the cooking to do tomorrow, I'd almost say Well Done! Hope you enjoy your Celebration anyway!

Yes, well- I ended up spending half the day running up and down the street to my neighbor's house and using her oven. A HUGE PITA!!! But I was soooooooooooo grateful to her for allowing me to do it!

Your KW day looked like lots of fun!

It was fun, thanks!

The Ostrich Tail girl - maybe a Vegas dancer buying supplies?
I think the daytime crowd at KW would be more my style.
Oh shoot! If I knew you were going out, I would have had you pick up some pasties for me! I'm all out!
Love, Love, Love the sunset pics! That's one thing we miss by having early seating for dinner - we don't get to see sunsets much.

I'm glad the boys enjoyed the show. Enjoy your Christmas and don't forget to come back to us!

Pasties are the BEST! Where would we girls be without them??

 

[podsnel]

Merry Christmas, Ellen and family!

Thank-you Karin (and Tom)!! Hope you had a happy one!!! I thought of you last night- The Sound of Music was on tv- I watched it with Sean (we had a blizzard here yesterday, got about 2 feet of snow dumped on us!! It actually snowed on Christmas in the south here in the US, which is VERY unusual- so cool they had a white Christmas in places like South Carolina!). Anyway- that movie is soooo beautiful- Austria is gorgeous!!

Happy Holidays Miss Ellen and Family!!!! What a beautiful family holiday photo!

Thank-you!

Santa visited our house last night (yes, we are one of those families who celebrates several diverse winter holidays) and left nice presents for all, including treats for the pup. Rob received mainly tools (a bit of a hint from Santa to get back to work). Rob and Sarah both received zen clocks from me (so hopefully I will not be awaken by their buzzing alarm clocks any longer). Sarah received many books, cds, ... and a talking Toy Story Woody, who does not talk. Not a problem, the nice lady at the DisneyStore.com said another would be in the express mail right away. I received more Africian art and Grandma (my mother) received a "moving picture frame". Grandma was so excited with her present that we could not get her to stop looking at it while we opened the rest of the gifts. And while we all received welcome gifts, the best part, as always was being together and watching one another enjoy our tokens of love.

That sounds like a great Christmas! I have a TON of friends who celebrate both Hanaukkah and Christmas, in this area of the country there are a lot of diverse holidays going on! We didn't (Pods & I) exchange much- my only gift was a Nick Swisher shirt- because of the BWV points we are waiting for.....to me, that's the BEST gift EVER- DVC points!

Off topic, I love the smell of AKL-Jambo and today I figured out what the smell is... wood smoke, I have been tending the fire this morning and my hands smell like Jambo.

It does smell that way- I think their scent also has cardamom in it- maybe you want to throw some spice on your logs!

Looking forward to hearing how you handled not having an oven for the holidays.

By running up and down the street for two or three hours to my neighbor's. UGH. It was still fun, though!!

Kate

As I log on here, I see your christmas card sitting on my counter. Ugh! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! love the photo

That's ok!!! I didn't have the addresses until after mine went out, so I never sent you yours, either! Next year!

Merry Christmas a day late due to sickness !!! Great Family Pix Ellen !!!

Merry Christams, Rosie!! Hope you are feeling better!! Sick for Christmas STINKS!! We ahve had MANY years when we had the stomach flu for Christmas- and we still hosted it. Because I didn't get it....although, there were years I had the flu, and still hosted...a couple of years where we cancelled and all came down, opened gifts, and then all marched back to bed afterwards....yuck.. sick on Christmas STINKS!!!

Hi Ellen!

I wondered where your TR was. I am so glad I found it over here on the Cruise Boards. I read the whole thing from top to bottom.

Your first day on the boat sounds like a disaster. OMG - I am so glad you located your computer. How awful to be sailing away knowing it was missing.

And poor Timmy, smashing his finger like that. And then waiting and waiting for dinner.

I have to say, I am thoroughly impressed with the food. YUM!

And the reason I came over here is because Denny has agreed to a Disney cruise. It won't be for another year. But I think its just going to be the two of us. I am so excited, I can't wait. It looks like a blast!

Hey MEK!! I have been wondering where you YOU were....but I know you have been very busy with your NEW kitchen! I am so excited for you, that Denny agreed to do the cruise!!! It's my favorite vacation....I keep hoping for those NYC itineraries to come out- I would love to cruise to Canada or Bermuda on a DCL ship! What cruise do you think you'lll take?

 

[podsnel]

Oooh, Root 1....a favorite wine of mine!

We took the kids on the Olde Towne Trolley Tour and took the obligatory photo at the Southernmost point. In hindsight, Mike and I probably would've have enjoyed Key West more following a similar tour plan to yours. And I think the kids could have lived without Key West. Oh well, next time maybe!

I'm glad to hear you enjoy that wine- I just picked up a Sauvignon Blanc and a red (not CS) to try, all because of our cheese tray!

And yes- Key West is the one the kids can live with out, which is actually a good thing because it's a very adult place. I think we were very glad that they came with us last time, with the electric car and taking a pic at the southernmost point is a must-do, but they couldn't care less about any of the rest of it (although they did love a little store on Duval that had teeny tiny puppies that looked like wind-up toys in the window) and they were THRILLED to stay on the ship and hangout with all the kids.

Merry Christmas Ellen! Hope you and your family had a great holiday. I love your holiday card. Tyler looks like such a grown-up!!




I know EXACTLY where you were when you took this picture. The reason I know is because I spent the majority of my cruise sitting right there, with that exact view.

Sounds like a great day in Key West. Glad you had a wonderful, problem-free day!

Tyler does look like sucha grown-up- I HATE IT!!!!!!! Especially because Timmy is 2 years behind him...it makes me realize that Timmy is going to become a MAN in the next 2 years...I HATE IT!!!! Although, Timmy has promised me he will always be my little boy....but we'll see how he feels once the tsetosterone kicks in.

I hope you all had a great Christmas, too!!!

 

[englishrose47]

Hi Ellen !!Yes our babies do grow up toooooo fast !!!Mine is 36 but I still have Kyle !!I will be sad to see him no longer Gramma little boy!!

 

[dvc4life]

Just getting caught up again with all of your fun. I haven't been on here since before Christmas, been hectic and busy around here, and am trying to catch up.

First off, glad you had a Merry Christmas. Your Christmas card was a very nice family photo. You have four very handsome guys in your family.

Your ToT looked like it turned out awesome. Thanks to people like Jen and yourself, you made the cruise even better than it could have been. We had someone do something similar on the Halloween Cruise we did. So a big SHOUT OUT to you who go above and beyond to make everyone elses cruise so special.

Key West. What can I say. That has been me and DH's most favorite port we have ever been too. And we weren't even supposed to go there. We were cancelled out of Grand Cayman so they diverted us to Key West. We were actually quite happy it worked out this way. We did spend time in Kevin's Irish Bar. What a hoot. Bob still talks about it to this day. We had a really good time while we were there. And we were really glad the girls stayed on the ship this day. Lots of language they shouldn't have been hearing. We loved Margaritaville. I would go there again for a rita in a heart beat.

Your sunset pictures are beautiful. Thanks.

Hope all is well with all the snow you have gotten out your way. Stay safe and I can't wait for the next update!

 

[dallastxcpa]

Soooo relaxing on that balcony.......

WOW!!! These pictures are gorgeous. Dave and I are going on a trip to Miami in two weeks. It is a trip I won from Disney. Anyway our plan is to make a day trip down to Key West on Sunday. I am not sure what time we will head back to Miami. I would love to see that sunset but I am not sure about how late I want to get back. I guess I need to look up the sunset time for that day.

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Congrats on winning a trip, Dallastxcpa! I hope you get to enjoy that beautiful sunset!

 

[podsnel]

Hi Ellen !!Yes our babies do grow up toooooo fast !!!Mine is 36 but I still have Kyle !!I will be sad to see him no longer Gramma little boy!!

I know they have to grow up, but does it have to be overnight???

Just getting caught up again with all of your fun. I haven't been on here since before Christmas, been hectic and busy around here, and am trying to catch up.

First off, glad you had a Merry Christmas. Your Christmas card was a very nice family photo. You have four very handsome guys in your family.

Thank-you so much!! ITA!

Your ToT looked like it turned out awesome. Thanks to people like Jen and yourself, you made the cruise even better than it could have been. We had someone do something similar on the Halloween Cruise we did. So a big SHOUT OUT to you who go above and beyond to make everyone elses cruise so special.

NO NO NO!!! Not thanks to me- thanks to HER!!! I did NOTHING!!!!!! Whenever I asked if she needed help she said she was fine- Jen is INCREDIBLE!!!

Key West. What can I say. That has been me and DH's most favorite port we have ever been too. And we weren't even supposed to go there. We were cancelled out of Grand Cayman so they diverted us to Key West. We were actually quite happy it worked out this way. We did spend time in Kevin's Irish Bar. What a hoot. Bob still talks about it to this day. We had a really good time while we were there. And we were really glad the girls stayed on the ship this day. Lots of language they shouldn't have been hearing. We loved Margaritaville. I would go there again for a rita in a heart beat.

I would have to agree on the liking Key West better than Grand Cayman....I have many friends who love it there, and I am glad I have been, but it is not "all that" to me- I think maybe because of all the cranes. As in there is all construction everywhere. In two years it looked the same. I think if we were divers (which we have gone scuba diving before several times, but we are not certified, so can't do it on a cruise visit) we might love it more- I think the real beauty of that island is beneath the ocean.

Your sunset pictures are beautiful. Thanks.

Thanks!

Hope all is well with all the snow you have gotten out your way. Stay safe and I can't wait for the next update!

We got pounded- over 2 feet of snow! Kind of nice to be snowed in, though....

WOW!!! These pictures are gorgeous. Dave and I are going on a trip to Miami in two weeks. It is a trip I won from Disney. Anyway our plan is to make a day trip down to Key West on Sunday. I am not sure what time we will head back to Miami. I would love to see that sunset but I am not sure about how late I want to get back. I guess I need to look up the sunset time for that day.

WON A TRIP????? How? That's so WONDERFUL!!!! I would definitely vote for staying in KW for the sunset- you need to watch it from Mallory Square...there is all kinds of stuff going on there to celebrate the sunset every day. How long is your trip for? It's winter, so wouldn't sunset be pretty early in the day?

Congrats on winning a trip, Dallastxcpa! I hope you get to enjoy that beautiful sunset!

I hope she does too!!!!

 

[nenner1]

I hope you aren't waiting on me...

 

[podsnel]

Soooo....while our boys were eating chicken fingers etc from Pluto's, we were having something a little fancier- tonight was our Reservation at Palo. Yummmmmm! It occured to me that since it was Halloween, and I had already complied with my boys by sporting a stache in the MK for ToTing, I could wear something more my speed for Halloween at Palo...no mustache required! On the way we saw-

DH & I arrived and were asked to take a seat...

Gotta love it when you have just the right hat to wear to a fancy Halloween dinner!

Although I gladly would have worn this mask if they would have let me!

We were seated in no time- right next to Jen and Ron(nenner1 & livingis2me) AND Beth & Steve (Tinkerbelltwins). So funny! We were given the antipasto-Prosciutto, Bresaola, Parmesan Reggiano, Marinated Olives and Sun-dried Tomatoes

Yummy Palo breads-Freshly-baked Bread in our Pizza Oven, served with Palo's Famous Dips. Grissini Sticks, Olive Rolls, Ciabatta Rolls and Six Grain Wholemeal

The chef came out to say hello!

Of course, Jen & I had to say hello back!

Then it was time for apps! Pods had grilled shrimp-

And I had this lovely thing...and I have no idea what it was now!! Maybe this?-Grilled Portobello Mushroom and Polenta with a Roasted Shallot Sauce
A light creamy Polenta served with Grilled Portobello and Parmesan shaving

We decided to get a pasta course-Pods had-Lobster and Mascarpone Ravioli
Freshly prepared served with a light Truffle Beurre Blanc

It was TDF!! I had-Pumpkin and Broccoli Gnocchi served with a Shrimp and Grappa Sauce
Two types of Gnocchi and the unique Grappa Fragrance

Pods was the clear winner on that course. Now it was time for an intermezzo of sorbet. It was very refreshing.

Then...even more food!! I was having-Grilled Sea Scallops with Borlotti Beans and Pancetta
Served with a Tomato Borlotti Bean Sauce

They were heavenly! Cont'd next post..

 

[tinkmom2]

Yum!