You bet your aft we had a good time! A Wonder trip report Update 12/30 p.59-611

[Pinkocto]

I forgot to say, glad you had a nice CA trip

Hopefully everybody's happy after todays hair appointment

 

[rentayenta]

I forgot to say, glad you had a nice CA trip Hopefully everybody's happy after todays hair appointment

You'll never believe this.....so we rush to SLC after school, the stylist says it'll take about 4 hours. I say, ok! Planning to grab a 1/2 price Frap at Starbucks, run to Trader Joes (that takes me 90 min easy), and then stop by a bar my gf owns. I get a call in the Sbux drive-thru. It's Chloe, who has a dance comp tomorrow and has to wear her hair up......with this process you have to leave your hair down, elastic/braid/washing/etc free for 4 days after. I wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. So I laughed.


We go back Thursday. I'm hell bound determined now to get her hair stick straight.



How's your grandmother doing? What are you doing this weekend?​

 

[4worlds1family]

Have been really enjoying your TR! We have booked our very first cruise for next year on the Wonder. We will be going on the Panama Canal cruise and I am in full planning mode already! Your tips are great and I love the pictures of your son. His smile is great, but the goofy faces remind me of our family trips when our three were younger. Keep up the posts and pictures, I'm loving this!!

 

[mvf-m11c]

Finally able to catch up on your trip report since last week. Nice to hear that you, Pam and Joshua had a great dinner. The food looks very appetizing.

It is also nice to read from the DLR thread that you and your family will be going back to the DLR during the holiday season in December.

Great update.

 

[twindaddy]

No, not at all. Glad to have you. I'm Jenny.

franandaj meant no harm at all. She's very sweet, very kind, and most of all respectful. Words without inflection are easy to misinterpret. I think you misunderstood her. She's a good friend, knows me well, and knows I guilt easily; it's the Jewish Catholic in me. She was simply reiterating that sometimes there are lags in updates in case you missed it.​

So true, very easy to misterpret things on the internet.

Enough of that, letting that issue go. I can only think of a few trip reports I have read that were posted all at once, I am looking forward to your next update! Whenever it might come is fine!



back to things that I need to do, like NOW.....

 

[Pinkocto]

You'll never believe this.....so we rush to SLC after school, the stylist says it'll take about 4 hours. I say, ok! Planning to grab a 1/2 price Frap at Starbucks, run to Trader Joes (that takes me 90 min easy), and then stop by a bar my gf owns. I get a call in the Sbux drive-thru. It's Chloe, who has a dance comp tomorrow and has to wear her hair up......with this process you have to leave your hair down, elastic/braid/washing/etc free for 4 days after. I wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. So I laughed.


We go back Thursday. I'm hell bound determined now to get her hair stick straight.



How's your grandmother doing? What are you doing this weekend?​

Oh my goodness At least you were able to laugh what a saga!


No change with grandma, thanks so much for asking.

Work today, bridal shower for a friend tomorrow. I'm pretty much packed for the trip so hopefully next week goes super fast!

How about you guys? Do you all go watch Chloe dance?

 

[rentayenta]

Have been really enjoying your TR! We have booked our very first cruise for next year on the Wonder. We will be going on the Panama Canal cruise and I am in full planning mode already! Your tips are great and I love the pictures of your son. His smile is great, but the goofy faces remind me of our family trips when our three were younger. Keep up the posts and pictures, I'm loving this!!

and thanks for joining us. You're going to love the Wonder. I don't have much to compare it to but a 25 y/o distant memory of a Carnival booze cruise way back when but the Wonder is gorgeous. The service was stellar and the food was good. Our cabin was very clean and it was probably one of the most relaxing vacations I've taken.

What have you got planned?​

Finally able to catch up on your trip report since last week. Nice to hear that you, Pam and Joshua had a great dinner. The food looks very appetizing.

It is also nice to read from the DLR thread that you and your family will be going back to the DLR during the holiday season in December.

Great update.

Bret. I have been catching up on your report and need to post.

We had a lovely dinner even with Pam's tough fish. Nothing a perfectly cooked baked potato can't remedy.

We'll be back in December but I have to tell you, my accommodation plans are stressing me out. I'll give more detail below. Will you be there in December? If so, let's meet. We'll be seeing Alison too.​

So true, very easy to misterpret things on the internet.

Enough of that, letting that issue go. I can only think of a few trip reports I have read that were posted all at once, I am looking forward to your next update! Whenever it might come is fine!



back to things that I need to do, like NOW.....

Laundry on a Friday night? We're living the same dream. Update tonight. ​

Oh my goodness At least you were able to laugh what a saga!


No change with grandma, thanks so much for asking.

Work today, bridal shower for a friend tomorrow. I'm pretty much packed for the trip so hopefully next week goes super fast!

How about you guys? Do you all go watch Chloe dance?

Shower for a friend? Fun! Hope work is painless.

Michael gets to take her Thursday again for this hair saga. The stylist was so sweet though and hot ironed straightened it for today. Her hair is much easier to braid when straight. I know your hair is pretty long, hers almost hits her butt. And its so thick.

Generally we all go but today it's not happening. Gabby works and Joshua has a soccer game. It's another day of scrambling. M is still in Carmel and comes home tomorrow. I'll text you some pics and post some here. We had the most amazing food in Santa Barbara, oh my goodness!

Anyway, it's just me today and my gf Sadee. She's coming over soon to braid Chloe's hair.

When will you be able to visit your sweet grandma again?

You're packed!!!! This week will fly by. I bet your mom is so excited too! What an amazing Mother's Day gift. Have you looked at the weather?





So here is my December Disneyland drama: I thought the GCV would be a snap after Thanksgiving and I was wrong. I am scrambling trying to piecemeal together different resort/hotel options. I wouldn't care so much if it was just my family but our friends want to go. I have made like 6 reservations all over town trying to come up with a viable split stay between on property and off. I know it's a super first world issue but darn I wasn't prepared for this. The options are affordable which is good but range from $39 a night to $120 a night with varying amenities. As of now, from what's available, we may be staying 3 nights at the Embassy Suites South and 3 nights in a GV. Can you imagine? Or even better, and cheaper, the first three nights at some Marriott with bare bones amenities. I need to discuss this with my gf this weekend and we are splitting the cost of the points and the GV is so spendy. I can't believe I am even thinking of using this many points on 3 nights but with them paying half in cash it doesn't seem as bad. This trip will literally use all of my 2014 and almost all of my 2015 points. I am not worrying about points for WDW 2015/2016 because we like SSR and those are almost always available. I really needed that GCV add on. I am surprised my guide hasn't called me with an update on the wait list.

It looks like smaller villas may be available but that would mean us on property and them off. I told them it wouldn't be a guarantee that I could get them a villa. In retrospect, I should have found someone to rent GCV points from for them but I had no clue the GCV wouldn't be wide open early December.

Ok.....I'll stop complaining.​

 

[Pinkocto]

How frustrating about the December accommodations. You don't want to spend the whole trip off property?

Hope you have a wonderful afternoon with Sadee my hair is a little longer than Chloe's. I have to brush it wet or it tangles something terrible. But mine is just wavy, I can't imagine dealing with curls. How nice of the stylist to straighten it for her I bet even that took a while.

Yes please send pics

My dad and I are going to try to go up on a regular basis to visit grandma now that the weather is better. But it was a super long day so we won't be able to go very often. Seeing her like that was so sad, I almost hope the end is near. Its so hard to see loved ones suffering.

Mom is getting pretty excited 6 days to go I haven't even thought about checking the weather, I'm just thinking its going to be super hot.

 

[MouseMomx2]

It looks like smaller villas may be available but that would mean us on property and them off. I told them it wouldn't be a guarantee that I could get them a villa. In retrospect, I should have found someone to rent GCV points from for them but I had no clue the GCV wouldn't be wide open early December.

Early December is the busiest time for DVC properties at WDW and DL. The combination of the lowest points season and holiday decorations causes the resorts to fill up quickly, often well before the 7-month window opens.

Have you thought about booking two smaller villas? It is often less points to to this than to book a GV. Just an idea.

I'm loving your TR and am looking for wars to the next installment.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Congrats on having plans for December and I'm sure you'll get your accommodation sorted out. Sounds like a lot of fun.

 

[franandaj]

I think you are taking things a tad too seriously. I am posting humorous, tongue in cheek posts waiting for the big reveal. The OP already told me she takes a while, I am not sure where you got the impression I was putting stress on her.

You can qualify your response all you want, but you took the thread to a dark place. I invite you to quote me where I "tried" to put stress or guilt on her, like you claim. Show me where I had a specific, clear intent to do that.

If I did so unintentionally (quite possible), I apologize...but you claim a level of malice that is not there in any way, shape, or form.

To the OP (sorry, I do not know you well enough to call you by your first name), I love your trip report so far and am looking forward to your updates, whenever life allows them to come. I will keep posting my funny posts unless you would prefer I stop. If "you cant hang in" comment is your way of telling me to **** and wait, I can do that too.

I'm sorry that I misinterpreted your post. I don't know you well enough to understand your sense of humor, but I know Jenny well enough to know that she goes to that guilty place very quickly.

I have some other friends on the DIS who were intimidated out of doing TRs because their readers put undue pressure on them. One person whose reports I adore almost stopped doing them a couple years ago but she came to terms with it by setting a schedule of days that her readers could expect to find updates that worked with her overall schedule. Thankfully she has continued to post reports because they are quite pleasurable and I wouldn't want Jenny or other readers to feel pressured to the point that they stop sharing with us.

As far as my quoting a point where you "invite you to quote me where I "tried" to put stress or guilt on her", just knowing and understanding Jenny I can see it. I haven't know her for a LONG time, but long enough and we have met in person enough that I know her guilt factor, and any implication of guilt, she "freaks out" (sorry Jenny). Let's just realize that you were only being humorous and I was only trying to be a Mama bear (which I rarely do).

I've seen you post on some other threads, but not enough to know you very well. Let's just put it behind us and I will realize that you are joking in your posts. But also using emoticons might help to convey your meaning as well.

Can't we just all get along?

 

[twindaddy]

I'm sorry that I misinterpreted your post. I don't know you well enough to understand your sense of humor, but I know Jenny well enough to know that she goes to that guilty place very quickly.

I have some other friends on the DIS who were intimidated out of doing TRs because their readers put undue pressure on them. One person whose reports I adore almost stopped doing them a couple years ago but she came to terms with it by setting a schedule of days that her readers could expect to find updates that worked with her overall schedule. Thankfully she has continued to post reports because they are quite pleasurable and I wouldn't want Jenny or other readers to feel pressured to the point that they stop sharing with us.

As far as my quoting a point where you "invite you to quote me where I "tried" to put stress or guilt on her", just knowing and understanding Jenny I can see it. I haven't know her for a LONG time, but long enough and we have met in person enough that I know her guilt factor, and any implication of guilt, she "freaks out" (sorry Jenny). Let's just realize that you were only being humorous and I was only trying to be a Mama bear (which I rarely do).

I've seen you post on some other threads, but not enough to know you very well. Let's just put it behind us and I will realize that you are joking in your posts. But also using emoticons might help to convey your meaning as well.

Can't we just all get along?

Fair enough. I know my sense of humor can be hard to decipher in message boards, I need to keep that in mind.

Filing that away, looking forward to the rest of the trip report. Sorry to hear others have stopped posting them. The DIS is such a wonderful place, so much better than cruise critic which is full of nastiness.



On with the show!

 

[ACDSNY]

So here is my December Disneyland drama: I thought the GCV would be a snap after Thanksgiving and I was wrong. I am scrambling trying to piecemeal together different resort/hotel options. I wouldn't care so much if it was just my family but our friends want to go. I have made like 6 reservations all over town trying to come up with a viable split stay between on property and off.

I wonder if the mid-November Avenger's marathon has caused some to move their trips to December. I hope your VGC waitlist comes through, ours eventually did.

 

[Misskitty3]

I am really enjoying your trip report! Looks like such an awesome Mother/son trip!! We are big on trips and experiences in lieu of parties with our kids too! Love it!!

 

[rentayenta]

Freak out? Me? Alison, I was going to say mama bear but since you're only 4 years older, I didn't know if you'd like that. I adore you my friend! Thank you for having my back.​

How frustrating about the December accommodations. You don't want to spend the whole trip off property?

No, not really. I looked today and later in December is opening up. We have to be home by Dec 16 for sure as our friends arrive the 17th. I am so excited to see them. The friends we are going to Disney with are flexible and said to do whatever I need to; they are game for anything. I wouldn't mind 3 nights off and 3 nights on but not all off. I want to use my DVC. ​

Hope you have a wonderful afternoon with Sadee my hair is a little longer than Chloe's. I have to brush it wet or it tangles something terrible. But mine is just wavy, I can't imagine dealing with curls. How nice of the stylist to straighten it for her I bet even that took a while.

Her's is just like yours but curly, she has to comb it wet too. It stayed straight for dance yesterday. She did really well. Two of her group dances got 1st and one got 2nd. The studio as a whole had an amazing competition.​

Yes please send pics

Done. Should I post them here?​

My dad and I are going to try to go up on a regular basis to visit grandma now that the weather is better. But it was a super long day so we won't be able to go very often. Seeing her like that was so sad, I almost hope the end is near. Its so hard to see loved ones suffering.

Its so hard my friend. I am sorry you're all having to suffer though this. The end is a tricky thing, so many mixed emotions. Its okay to feel them all. ​

Mom is getting pretty excited 6 days to go I haven't even thought about checking the weather, I'm just thinking its going to be super hot.

Super hot rocks! Cannot wait to see those pics. What color are your nails?​

Early December is the busiest time for DVC properties at WDW and DL. The combination of the lowest points season and holiday decorations causes the resorts to fill up quickly, often well before the 7-month window opens.

Have you thought about booking two smaller villas? It is often less points to to this than to book a GV. Just an idea.

I'm loving your TR and am looking for wars to the next installment.

I'd prefer smaller villas but they aren't available. My original idea was 2 studios (the cheapest). My ideas correlate with the lowest cost.

Istallment should be today. My plan was last night but ended up with a 17 girls post dance comp house full of girls. ​

Congrats on having plans for December and I'm sure you'll get your accommodation sorted out. Sounds like a lot of fun.

Thanks for the vote of confidence. I need some major pixiedust. We'll have a place to stay and some really inexpensive off property hotel options but I am being a baby and want to stay at the Grand! ​

I wonder if the mid-November Avenger's marathon has caused some to move their trips to December. I hope your VGC waitlist comes through, ours eventually did.

Maybe that's it, not sure. Yours came through, what dates? Congrats!





I apologize for the delay. ​

 

[rentayenta]

I am really enjoying your trip report! Looks like such an awesome Mother/son trip!! We are big on trips and experiences in lieu of parties with our kids too! Love it!!

Misskitty! Good to have you. Yeah, we started planning that first bat mitzvah party and I was like xxxx for a party? We can vacation for that! ​

 

[mvf-m11c]

Bret. I have been catching up on your report and need to post.

We had a lovely dinner even with Pam's tough fish. Nothing a perfectly cooked baked potato can't remedy.

We'll be back in December but I have to tell you, my accommodation plans are stressing me out. I'll give more detail below. Will you be there in December? If so, let's meet. We'll be seeing Alison too.​

I'm hoping that it works out well for you and your group for your December trip. I have never stayed at the Embassy Suites South but my mom have stayed there in the past and they did enjoy staying at the ES South even though it is a little away from the DLR. It has been a long time since I have stayed on-site and it will be nice to stay there one day. But with the rates today it will be awhile until I stay on-site.

Right now, I have my planned holiday trip to the DLR in mid November. Now I am having second thoughts of going in mid November with the Avenger's Marathon going on that weekend and I don't want to go when it is happening. I am still looking at all other options including December if I have too. The only problem with me in December is my basketball season is at it's highest and I can't find a week to get away. I have been going a lot in November since it won't affect my basketball season. It would be great to meet you in person one day and maybe it will.

 

[Pinkocto]

Yes, post those pics here, they're beautiful!


Congrats to Chloe and her studio!!!

I totally understand about wanting to use your DVC. I hope you're able to book something soon

Yes, I'm a mess with the feelings about grandma, thank you my friend

 

[ACDSNY]

Yours came through, what dates? Congrats! ​

Sorry I thought you were talking about the waitlist for purchasing VGC points. We went on the list in Jan 2013 and they came through in May 2013,

 

[rentayenta]

I'll be back to reply but wanted to get this update posted. The kids are in the mood for spaghetti which means I have to relearn how to boil water.









After an amazing night's sleep, I woke up to a faint knock at the door. It was room service. I highly suggest this. It just feels so vacationy!

Sorry it's on it's side.

Notice the hot water and coffee. Joshua's been into this whole mint tea kick. I ordered decaf but they brought coffee. They must have noticed because room service was back within minutes with decaf. Sadly it was still terrible even with the splash of chocolate milk. I tried literally everything I could think of to make the coffee palatable without any luck. We ordered fruit, juice, a bagel, and an English muffin. The fruit was delicious and Joshua enjoyed the toasty bagel with cream cheese. My English muffin was rubbery almost as if it had been nuked not toasted, super odd texture. I didn't eat it.

I set us up on the verandah, of course. As I turned to walk in Joshua YELLS: dolphins!!! Sure as heck there were dolphins right below us. Unfortunately I wasn't able to secure a good photo but my goodness, they were beautiful. What a treat for us. We were very stoked to see dolphins swimming right by us on our first sea day.

Here at my attempts. At least I tried. They swam by us for a good 3 minutes. Joshua was in awe and really enjoyed it.

We poured over the Navigator and decided what we wanted to do. Photos:

And the insert:

Sorry, I'm doing laundry and stripped my bed and took the photos on the pillow top cover. LOL!

We planned with Pam, the evening before, to attend the DVC Celebration presentation at 9:30 am in Diversions. I read they give away great swag and indeed they did. Love free DVC swag.

There was a Disney trivia challenge that we wanted to attend at 12:15 pm in the Promenade Lounge, same place where our FB/DIS meet was held. Joshua and I have been known to kick some Disney trivia butt poolside DVC.

Our private ladies only Mixology class for our DIS/FB group was planned for early afternoon (2 pm) in the Cadillac Lounge. How this came to happen was I had suggested it as I had read very cool things about Mixology classes. We got lucky because one of our meet members was staying concierge. She was able to have it set up, fairly pain free. It was closed to 25 guests but I think we went over by a few and it cost $15 per person. I was really looking forward to this.

Originally Pam and I had Palo dinner planned for this evening at 8 pm. Past Navigators indicated Pirate Night would be on our Cozumel day but we soon found out that it had been changed to our first sea day. We cancelled Palo and I'm glad we did. Joshua wasn't loving the Clubs and it didn't feel right to ditch him for dinner. It all works out how it supposed to. Plus we couldn't miss our first Pirate dinner and party.

On with the day........we had some time before our DVC meeting so we wandered up to Beach Blanket Buffet to see if anything looked good. Joshua wasn't hungry but I was. My few bites of fruit didn't do much for my hungry vacation belly.

Random cool artwork on the way:

My kid. We sat outside. Love him.

And my tray. Look Alison, I got the separated kid's tray. It reminded me of the old school lunch days.

Nothing looked all that great so I opted for a little corn beef hash, it was canned. A sausage and a chocolate croissant. I took a bite of each and trashed it.

It was nearing 9:30 (we got a lot done already) so we headed to Diversions. I just loved the big bold signs- so fun!

We arrived to the DVC meeting which was hosted by John (I hope I remember his name) and 2 other DVC folks who we spoke to throughout the week. Very nice people. I grabbed us seats and one for Pam. I was served a Mimosa (free). Pam showed up right before it started I think. She slept in as she should: we're on a Disney cruise.

The presentation consisted of various audience participation as well as resort info.

Now on to the swag. Not pictured is the cool DVC tumbler we received as well as a nice pleather notebook with paper and DVC pen. The rest is as follows.

Cute DVC hats. We ended up getting 3 and gave them to M and the girls as souvenirs. Best free re-gift ever!

Drawstring backpacks, again, great quality and we grabbed two:

And more DVC lanyards.

I enjoyed the presentation, Joshua thought it was boring.....I have him the option to do whatever he wanted though.

Okay, so here it gets a little blurry so I am hoping Miss Pam will correct me if my turn of events is mixed up.

We said bye to Pam after the DVC meeting but invited her to join us for trivia at 12:15.

Joshua was now hungry, me too, and also wanted to check out the sports deck. Guess what he wanted to eat? More pizza!!! I think we ate our money's worth in pizza.

A pic of the outside of the arcade on the way up to the sports deck.

We played a little ping pong which proved a little challenging with the wind:

We really had fun playing this. I hadn't played in years and it was a good time. We got some good mom/son bonding time in. We really didn't know what to expect out of a sea day. We were very pleased thus far.



Up next.....some Disney trivia, lunch at Tritons, and getting drunk with Jesus!





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