8/15/09-Eastern-Tortola Treasure Seekers #5

[caitlinsdad]

Ed, Did you let Carol know that it will be your birthday while we are on the ship??

Yes, it is noted on my infomation with Carol

 

[kritter]

Yes, it is noted on my infomation with Carol

 

[disneycrazzzy]

I am now in Florida working at our Tallahassee office (I normally work from home). I packed all of our bags. I left two bags for my sons to bring when they fly on Thursday and I checked two bags when I flew on Sunday. Each bag weighs 50 lbs. My carry on bag probably weighted 40 lbs. My backpack with laptop probably 25 lbs. Probably 90 lbs was just for FE gifts and magnets to give away (have I mentioned I have a lot of magnets to give away?). So if I exclude FE gifts and carryons that we wouldn't check even if it was free, our baggage weighs 150 lbs for the three of us (240 if I include FE gifts)....so 380 for five people isn't so much.

We bought a handheld luggage weigher that has become an invaluable tool when traveling. We pack each bag to 49.9 lbs. Everytime the check-in clerk at the airport says "you are good!" We believe you can actually pack up to 50.9 without being charged.

Can't wait to have the drive back down to Orlando on Thursday over. It was four hours by myself. A meeting was just scheduled for 3:30pm even though I said I wanted to leave at 2pm....sigh. My family gets in at 6:00pm. Luckily we are staying right there at the Hyatt, so my sister can check-in and relax before I arrive.

I still have a whole lot of magnets to cut out. Over the past weeks I've recruited both my mother-in-law and sister-in-law to help with the cutting. I have about 300-400 left...did I mention I have a lot of magnets to give away?

You should have seen the drama I caused at security when I brought a carryon with 40 lbs of magnets through....and three pairs of scissors. I was able to make it through with all my belongings intact after each of my bags was scanned, completely unpacked, searched thoroughly, inspected, re-scanned, and then given back to me to re-pack. It was kinda funny....only after it was over though. I had visions of hundreds of loose magnets falling out of my binders all over the security area....

I wonder what the housekeeper will think when he/she walks into my hotel room today and sees the magnets spread out over all the surfaces....I'm staying at a Marriott Townsuites and they actually have the nicest work area... It is a 5 foot wide desk with a book case above and a cabinet and file drawers to the side. It also has a table a little smaller than the desk that fits under so I can create a L-shaped work space. I have magnets stacked everywhere. I've invited one of the ladies from work to a magnet-cutting party!

Forgive my rambling....need to get back to my job that pays for this cruise.....

 

[jenanderson]

You should have seen the drama I caused at security when I brought a carryon with 40 lbs of magnets through....and three pairs of scissors. I was able to make it through with all my belongings intact after each of my bags was scanned, completely unpacked, searched thoroughly, inspected, re-scanned, and then given back to me to re-pack. It was kinda funny....only after it was over though. I had visions of hundreds of loose magnets falling out of my binders all over the security area....

I wonder what the housekeeper will think when he/she walks into my hotel room today and sees the magnets spread out over all the surfaces....I'm staying at a Marriott Townsuites and they actually have the nicest work area... It is a 5 foot wide desk with a book case above and a cabinet and file drawers to the side. It also has a table a little smaller than the desk that fits under so I can create a L-shaped work space. I have magnets stacked everywhere. I've invited one of the ladies from work to a magnet-cutting party!

Forgive my rambling....need to get back to my job that pays for this cruise.....

I was laughing so hard as I read the description of you, all your magnets and the scissors in security! So funny! Did you try to explain it to them or did you just smile and let them work?

 

[allardk46]

Hanna just woke up now and wants to paint.....Oh my gosh.....She just got up.....

And now she wants to make homemade banana muffins tooo....Oh the fun has begun......LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kristin - I used to cringe when my girls wanted to paint. Glad the girls had a good time at the beach. My two were telling their twin cousins about your girls.

I will be here too We don't leave until the 14th!

Great - I am glad I will have others to talk to.

I will; still be here to help out untill the 12th, but then updating from the road, I should be online until the morning I board. Then no internet for over a week , unless I break down and pay for some time on the ship

Ed - will be looking forward to the road blogging!!

That's funny, Janeanne! My one packing accomplishment this past weekend was having the family each prepare their pin lanyards!!! Too many pins to wear them all, so they picks some faves to display on their lanyards, plus I gave them each a few traders (DH included!). I love how even my 16yo son was studying his pins in earnest - he is insisting we bring our entire pin book, in case he want to show it off! I have agreed to indulge him on this!

Sounds like your DS and my DH need to get together

You should have seen the drama I caused at security when I brought a carryon with 40 lbs of magnets through....and three pairs of scissors. I was able to make it through with all my belongings intact after each of my bags was scanned, completely unpacked, searched thoroughly, inspected, re-scanned, and then given back to me to re-pack. It was kinda funny....only after it was over though. I had visions of hundreds of loose magnets falling out of my binders all over the security area....

I was also laughing as I read your post. Maybe you should invite the housekeeper at the hotel to help!!

Janeanne

 

[spoohs]

Great - I am glad I will have others to talk to.



And it will give Jessica and Amanda more time to email

 

[allardk46]

Great - I am glad I will have others to talk to.



And it will give Jessica and Amanda more time to email

I believe Jessica e-mailed Amanda last week. If she owes Amanda a note let me know.

Janeanne

 

[Melcatfish]

Hello Mel!

I am planning on still doing the 5K but I totally agree with your DH ... NOTHING on the vacation should be stressful and if I have to walk it all (very briskly), that is fine! I am planning on still doing it though because I worked so hard and I NEVER thought that I could run all that I have.

Ben LOVES to plan things out - especially when it is Disney. He is like me in MANY ways and it is pretty funny!

When do you leave Mel? It can't be long now. I should have made a chart on the website with all our departure dates (and dates that we will all be back home)


Jen

We leave home on Sunday morning for the airport. We are supposed to be doing "Twilight Check In" on Sunday so that all our bags are checked and we have our boarding passes and just do security on Monday. I did this last time we visited and it was great because the Orlando flight check in area in a UK airport during summer holidays is not a fun place to be on the morning of your flight - t is jam packed with hundreds of families with screaming, fed up, irritated kids!!!!

Unfortunately Virgin Holidays who we booked with have mucked up our tickets. Apparently they should have them ready to send in 2 - 3 days which means they may not get here in time if the post is not working so well! If they don't come I imagine they will do replacements for us to collect but if we do this we are not allowed to do Twilight check in - I will not be a happy lady if we can't as we booked a room at the airport hotel specifically so we could use this service.

Grrrrrrr !!!!!!!

My cousin who used to live with us and who was here a little over a week ago now has suspected swine flu and is feeling dreadful. Apparently we are unlikely to get it from her as it is more than a week since we last saw her and no symptoms in any of us... yet I hope she is feeling better soon but Tamiflu is not a fun drug to be taking I hear so I imagine she is still feeling dreadful. I will speak to her later.

Right, got to go and help put Olivia in the bath and then an early bed - she didn't sleep well at lunch and has been a little bit grumpy (understatement of the year!)

Back later
Mel
x

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

We leave home on Sunday morning for the airport. We are supposed to be doing "Twilight Check In" on Sunday so that all our bags are checked and we have our boarding passes and just do security on Monday. I did this last time we visited and it was great because the Orlando flight check in area in a UK airport during summer holidays is not a fun place to be on the morning of your flight - t is jam packed with hundreds of families with screaming, fed up, irritated kids!!!!

Unfortunately Virgin Holidays who we booked with have mucked up our tickets. Apparently they should have them ready to send in 2 - 3 days which means they may not get here in time if the post is not working so well! If they don't come I imagine they will do replacements for us to collect but if we do this we are not allowed to do Twilight check in - I will not be a happy lady if we can't as we booked a room at the airport hotel specifically so we could use this service.

Grrrrrrr !!!!!!!

My cousin who used to live with us and who was here a little over a week ago now has suspected swine flu and is feeling dreadful. Apparently we are unlikely to get it from her as it is more than a week since we last saw her and no symptoms in any of us... yet I hope she is feeling better soon but Tamiflu is not a fun drug to be taking I hear so I imagine she is still feeling dreadful. I will speak to her later.

Right, got to go and help put Olivia in the bath and then an early bed - she didn't sleep well at lunch and has been a little bit grumpy (understatement of the year!)

Back later
Mel
x

Remember to do online check in 24 hours before your flight do not rely on Twilight check in. Until then seat requests are 'requests; and not guaranteed.

Ask about a free upgrade!

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

They are 12, 12 and 16. I assume I still need to fill out paperwork - at least for the twins - once I get to the port for Ocean Quest? I would still like to be paged when they leave so I know where they are going - is this possible?

No need to register them, they are all old enough, they do it themselves..

 

[uncw89]

We will have a white board on our door also - please leave us a message if we miss you

The good news - we shipped all our stuff today!!

The bad news - how could we have 380 pounds of stuff?



And I did the super lightest packing that I ever have!

If you see a woman wearing the same clothes day after day - that will be me!

Was that all of your luggage? Is it cheaper to ship it ahead rather than check it on the plane? I always wondered how that worked.

Jen - your families excitment is contagious. My family does the same thing with maps, etc. My DH has just updated his binder with who has what pins - yes I said binder - he and the girls each have their own color dot to remember who has what. That binder becomes the bible in Disney and at night they trade pins to who needs what, etc. It is quite a show. LOL

I am sooo excited for you.

Kristin - seems like you and I will be the only two left on the boards after this week.

Janeanne

I will be here too We don't leave until the 14th!

No, I'll be here til the 14th too! It looks like there will be a few of us left. We are driving down from NC on Fri. Ed, we might pass each other on 95!
Only 10 more days til we leave!

 

[disneycrazzzy]

Did you try to explain it to them or did you just smile and let them work?

Well, at first I just tried to let them work. But when an officer lifted up my binder and my imagination had magnets strewn throughout the security area, I tried to say something. She kinda gave me attitude though, so I shut up. I later tried to explain that I wasn't questioning her need to check my bag, but trying to prevent a wholesale disaster. I could just see them trying to re-pack 100's of magnets that had been carefully sorted and organized. I didn't begin to try to explain what they were for....that is a whole other story that I tried to explain to my relatives when we visited and I was spending every spare moment cutting out magnets. Even my relative's eyes would glaze over when I tried to explain "fish extenders", "gift exchanges", and "magnet paper".....let alone "clipart", "powerpoint", "megapixels", etc.

 

[jenanderson]

Even my relative's eyes would glaze over when I tried to explain "fish extenders", "gift exchanges", and "magnet paper".....let alone "clipart", "powerpoint", "megapixels", etc.

Seriously, you are right! I don't even try to talk to most people about my Disney "problem"!

I did make these funny shirts with all the things to do on the front of the shirt and on the back of the t-shirt I put..."It's a Disney thing, you just wouldn't understand!"

 

[caitlinsdad]

Seriously, you are right! I don't even try to talk to most people about my Disney "problem"!

I did make these funny shirts with all the things to do on the front of the shirt and on the back of the t-shirt I put..."It's a Disney thing, you just wouldn't understand!"

Truer words were never spoken

 

[uncw89]

Truer words were never spoken

I agree!

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

For all of us flying soon:-


The saying "Getting there is half the fun" became obsolete with the advent of commercial airlines.


When you travel, remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you comfortable. It is designed to make its own people comfortable.

 

[purple66]

I just joined this. So I am newHope to meet some of you in the cruise. we are a party of six, 2 teens, 2 (20's) and hubby and me. Leaving to Orlando on Wed. Aug. 12.

 

[jenanderson]

I just joined this. So I am newHope to meet some of you in the cruise. we are a party of six, 2 teens, 2 (20's) and hubby and me. Leaving to Orlando on Wed. Aug. 12.

Welcome!!! Glad you found us...

Jen

 

[purple66]

Welcome!!! Glad you found us...

Jen

 

[gdulaney]

I just joined this. So I am newHope to meet some of you in the cruise. we are a party of six, 2 teens, 2 (20's) and hubby and me. Leaving to Orlando on Wed. Aug. 12.

Welcome!!!

Ginny