145 Middle Schoolers: Wicked Awesome or Epic Fail???DeParting-Such Sweet Sorrow p. 76

[natebenma]

I have to say this would have really annoyed me! What was the point in2 adults waiting for 3 kids He could have at least offered to try and send the other chaperone back and then you might have got to ride

It was very kind of you to use your disney rewards to buy a snack for Q

I understood why- they both wanted to be with their sons- but it certainly wasn't behaviour that benefitted the greater good!

I only had a small rewards bonus built up, around $60 or $70. I used it to buy a couple of refill mugs, a few souvenirs and a couple of drinks for the kids and the snack for Q during the trip.

Uh Oh - a flare up at Flame tree? That does NOT sound good.

Bummer for not getting to ride Kali with your water proof camera. I would be a little upset about that because its such a great opportunity to get some different pictures.

Still, I love the pics you did take.

It was a small flare-up, but I think we had all been spending too much time together and everyone was getting tired.

A quote from one of the kids (not in our group) after the trip: "If the trip had been one more day, friendships would have ended"

I really hate not having Kali pictures to post, so what is a DISser to do?

I'll post some bonus pictures from past trips.

 

[natebenma]

The update from this year's trip appears a few posts before this one, Post 896.

From 2010:


When we arrived, about 10:30 at this point, Kali River Rapids had JUST opened up, we had about a 15 minute wait to ride.

Don't forget your Ziploc Big Bag

Ben got VERY wet!


From 2009:

Before

After

 

[jmskinner]

Sorry you didn't get to ride KRR and get any photos. That was silly for two people to wait for the boys.

I need to get a waterproof camera...probably shouldn't use my Iphone on KRR.

 

[eandesmom]

That would have been frustrating to me as well. I wonder if some folks, b/c they were chaperoning, just assumed they wouldn't be riding much or didn't want to and really didn't even consider that other adults might want to.

Sounds like a couple of paranoid dad's if you ask me but I guess since it was a school trip, you couldn't just leave the teens to ride and make their way to Kali on their own could you.

Still, you've got some pretty pictures!

 

[ddluvsdisney]

That stinks!!! Why would 2 people have to wait!!??? That would really annoy me that I couldn't do a ride I wanted.
Like the before and after pics of KRR. I got so soaked one year that I wanted to go back and change. I didn't wanna go on the following year.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[MickeyT]

Sounds like Q had his own personal 'rone' for balance of trip! With a gift card none the less. Oh the humanity.

For the non-Baggie masses. There are now lockers located at the entrance o KRR.

http://www.wdwmagic.com/attractions...rapids-now-offering-complimentary-lockers.htm

 

[natebenma]

Sorry you didn't get to ride KRR and get any photos. That was silly for two people to wait for the boys.

I need to get a waterproof camera...probably shouldn't use my Iphone on KRR.

I my waterproof camera(s). I think I have been exclusively using one since 2008. I'm pretty satisfied with the regular pictures I get from the camera. The only problem is that the cameras are subject to leaks, so I have had to replace 3 cameras since Feb 2010. I always need to be sure I have a backup just in case...

You can get an entry level Olympus waterproof for around $100-$150. There is also a Kodak sports line, but I don't know much about the cameras.

Most important piece of advice- get a floating strap!

That would have been frustrating to me as well. I wonder if some folks, b/c they were chaperoning, just assumed they wouldn't be riding much or didn't want to and really didn't even consider that other adults might want to.

Sounds like a couple of paranoid dad's if you ask me but I guess since it was a school trip, you couldn't just leave the teens to ride and make their way to Kali on their own could you.

Still, you've got some pretty pictures!

The closer we got to the end of the trip, the more the other chaperones on the trip zoned out on caring what the group wanted and were more concerned with making sure they were spending time doing what their child wanted.

Maybe my attitude is tinged with a bit of jealousy that some of the kids wanted to spend time with their parent, but that meant I ended up picking up some of the slack with the other students.

And of course, I heard a lot of "The important thing is for the kids to have fun", so was I being selfish to want to enjoy myself? In this case I don't think so, because I think I could have gone on KRR without depriving or inconveniencing another parent or any of the kids.

That stinks!!! Why would 2 people have to wait!!??? That would really annoy me that I couldn't do a ride I wanted.
Like the before and after pics of KRR. I got so soaked one year that I wanted to go back and change. I didn't wanna go on the following year.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

The sad thing is, I really like KRR, but my DH isn't thrilled about getting soaked, so I figured this would be an opportunity to ride without worrying about making him uncomfortable, since he wasn't there.

I didn't see anyone in our group who got soaked on this ride.

Sounds like Q had his own personal 'rone' for balance of trip! With a gift card none the less. Oh the humanity.

For the non-Baggie masses. There are now lockers located at the entrance o KRR.

http://www.wdwmagic.com/attractions...rapids-now-offering-complimentary-lockers.htm

Mike- thanks so much for posting that about the lockers!!! I had not seen the news posting.

I have been so busy since the start of school activities- parent group, flag football, play practice etc. that I am barely keeping up with the BC/YC board!

The funny thing is, Q was not even the most difficult kid to chaperone. And I'm not talking behavior. There was one boy who needed a 1:1 and there were two of us who kind of shared that duty for the trip. It's complicated!

.

 

[MHTeacher]

Sorry you missed out on KRR this trip!

 

[emmysmommy]

Hi Dee! I think I'm caught back up. Heck, those 2 dads awaiting 3 kids sure messed up the chaperone to student ratio when they decided to await their own kids... doesn't make much sense.

Thanks for sharing your KRR photos of days gone by! You are so clever to put your shoes & socks in a big zip-lock bag.

You've got the hook out for your next post with the Flame Tree happenings!

 

[natebenma]

Sorry you missed out on KRR this trip!

Me too!

It was even worse when I saw that nobody got drenched- being wet and uncomfortable is the only downside to KRR and that was avoided by our group.

Hi Dee! I think I'm caught back up. Heck, those 2 dads awaiting 3 kids sure messed up the chaperone to student ratio when they decided to await their own kids... doesn't make much sense.

Thanks for sharing your KRR photos of days gone by! You are so clever to put your shoes & socks in a big zip-lock bag.

You've got the hook out for your next post with the Flame Tree happenings!

The third kid in the group on EE was mine. Maybe I should have waited too?

You want a hook? The Flame Tree contains a minor flare up, but the real drama occurs in the post after that "A Teen Reduces Me to Tears"

Stay tuned!

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

The third kid in the group on EE was mine. Maybe I should have waited too?

You want a hook? The Flame Tree contains a minor flare up, but the real drama occurs in the post after that "A Teen Reduces Me to Tears"

Stay tuned!

I would have loved to have seen the other parent's reactions if you'd suggested waiting for your kid too Might have been worth it just to see how they solved that problem!

Kinda looking forward to your next update even though I dread to think what caused the tears. I think you've been a real trooper so far so I'm thinking it must have been pretty big (or was it a culimination of all the small things)?

 

[DrMomof3]

I had fun on Kali with my waterproof camera in August!

Amanda

 

[natebenma]

I would have loved to have seen the other parent's reactions if you'd suggested waiting for your kid too Might have been worth it just to see how they solved that problem!

Kinda looking forward to your next update even though I dread to think what caused the tears. I think you've been a real trooper so far so I'm thinking it must have been pretty big (or was it a culimination of all the small things)?

Well, you have one more update to read before I get there- I plan on posting that tomorrow morning. The other one is written, so I'll post that sometime next week.

I had fun on Kali with my waterproof camera in August!

Amanda

can't wait to see the pictures!

BTW- I told you you would have no problem staying dry on Kali, right???

 

[Pastina Noodle]

I hope you don't mind if I pop in and say how much I am enjoying your reports. Now that things have settled down at Storm Along Bay I feel like I have the time to figure out this New fangled phone and finally keep up with the comings and goings of all the folks that love the Beach and Yacht Clubs. Hopefully the rest of the gang and I will be seeing you and your boys back at the Beach Club soon.
Love, Pastina Noodle, Polyethylene CM at Storm Along Bay

 

[natebenma]

I hope you don't mind if I pop in and say how much I am enjoying your reports. Now that things have settled down at Storm Along Bay I feel like I have the time to figure out this New fangled phone and finally keep up with the comings and goings of all the folks that love the Beach and Yacht Clubs. Hopefully the rest of the gang and I will be seeing you and your boys back at the Beach Club soon.
Love, Pastina Noodle, Polyethylene CM at Storm Along Bay

Glad to have you along. I can understand how you could be having difficulty with the phone.

I would love for my family to come and visit yours sometime soon at my favorite hangout!

 

[natebenma]

Flashback:

Prior to this trip, I had only been to the Flame Tree once. The experience wasn’t great, but again, it had more to do with my family than the restaurant itself. From reviews on the DIS, I knew I wanted to try it out.

Unfortunately, I didn’t pay attention to exactly where the restaurant was located. I thought it was in Africa. So after a long, hot walk from Asia to Africa, not finding the place we were looking for, we finally consulted a map and discovered that the Flame Tree was on Discovery Island.

Everyone was pretty grumpy at this point. Nate was an extremely picky eater at the time, and the only thing that appealed to him was fruit. I don’t even remember what the rest of us ordered.

On subsequent trips, my family has dined at Tamu Tamu (aka “The Restaurant that Guests forgot” since nobody ever talks about the place).

I was excited to try out the Flame Tree again. I knew that there was seating that overlooked Everest. How cool is that? Teens love BBQ. What could go wrong???

There was a fairly long line for placing lunch orders. I told one of the other chaperones exactly what I wanted, I grabbed everybody’s bags and backpacks and I reserved tables by the water with an incredible view. An added bonus was that the space was covered, and the sky was looking dark, so I was very pleased with our spot.

One of the issues with the location was to that our seats were to the right and down a set of stairs, so I was afraid that the first few people in our group wouldn’t be able to find me, and I didn’t really want to leave our stuff unattended. Finally, after a long while, I saw a couple of kids in our group and I directed them to our area. Then I went to alert the others where to find us.

On the way, I saw a couple of subgroups of our group sitting elsewhere. I told them that I had seating for everyone in another area, but they refused to move and join us. My son was in one of these groups.

Once again, I was getting agitated that we were all separated. Granted, we were all at the same restaurant, but the seating areas are on different levels and it was impossible to see the others from where we were.

A minor flare-up, mostly internal on my part, but that perhaps is the worst kind of all.

I heard rumbles of thunder in the distance and that just intensified my frustration that the others weren’t listening to me.

Let it rain on them! Serves them right!

But the rain didn’t come.


How was the food?

So-so. I debated between the ribs and the pulled pork sandwich. The ribs were really fatty and the portion was too big. I hate leaving food behind, I am a compulsive finisher, but I did have ribs leftover. The ice in my ice tea had melted by the time I started drinking. The beans and coleslaw were fine, I think. The chocolate mousse was good, but a little melty when it was time for dessert.

Overall, another meal that did not live up to my expectations.

But my view, however, was spectacular!

Next up: A Teen Reduces Me To Tears


.

 

[333disneymom]

Great pics again! I would be really frustrated with the seating situation too. I hope the teen that reduces you to tears is not your son.

 

[jmskinner]

I've been in that situation as a chaperone where one group sits separately from the rest. I was frustrated too.

I've eaten at Flame Tree, but I never saw that pool of water, love those pics!

And I think you sat where we did because I remember being covered and having that view of EE.

 

[JanetMom]

Beautiful pics of your seating view.

I think the experience didn't stand a chance once you had to break out the map to find the place. With teens, you make one false move and everything after can be doomed.

The meal looked good. It is always frustrating when ribs don't live up to how good they look. Beans however, are always reliable. (I'm sure there is a joke to be inserted here, but it is too early in the morning to come up with one.)

 

[MEK]

I think its hard to get good ribs. Sorry that weren't all that great. It's been years since I've eaten there, mostly because its always hot when I visit Disney world and I ate to eat outside in the heat (yet we did in June, go figure).

I had no idea you could find tables with such a remarkable view of Everest (probably because the last time I ate there was pre-Everest ). You got some great pictures and now I want to visit, if for no other reason than to take pictures.

Don't blame you for getting frustrated when you tried so hard to get good seating and the kids go and do their own thing. ugh!