A Giraffe meets the Beach - A Hoilday Lights Extra - Updated 12/23

[TyRy]

Oh no!!!!!! That is not good news! What a hassle having to try to figure out all these alternate plans on a "what if" sorta deal...ugh. His time better get approved - and SOON!!!

I think we have plan (sort of...)

 

[TyRy]

Sorry I’ve been gone for so long, I was waiting to hear something and then life got crazy again with family – all is well there. We also saw “Rock of Ages” last week when it hit Chicago for the first leg of its tour. Anyone who was a teen in the 80’s and knew anything about the LA rock scene will absolutely LOVE LOVE this show. I cannot recommend it enough.

Well we have mixed news, but at least it is news. We’ll start with the bad (again.) Saw DFIL over the weekend, and he said he didn’t think he would be going with us. He was starting back at a PT job for the winter, and his first two weeks fall within our trip. I was sad, and told him my dad would be as well, but I understood. He then said maybe he could swing a couple of days, but wouldn’t know until he had his schedule. Either way is really fine with me, I just think my dad will be a bit sad not having his good friend with him (yes my mom will be there, but they adore my DFIL. )

Now the good news…DH talked to work and they said while they still won’t approve time off, his will be the first done. Not exactly sure what that meant, but DH said it meant he could go. The only thing that makes me nervous is he did not get that in writing and who knows if they could go back on it. So I’m holding out hope that all is well and we are moving forward.

Well, that was the plan – until DH came home sick from work with fever, chills, sore throat, and an earache. While I spent time this morning trying to get him to the doctor (reminded him he’d feel much better with meds) he was wanting to sleep and suffer. Normally I’d let him, but my sicknesses tend to follow a week or two behind his…and we leave in 17 DAYS! The longer he is contagious the worse it is for me! Yes – I’m being mean here , but I don’t want to get sick, and I know an antibiotic will work wonders for him. He then said he wasn’t going on vacation if he felt like this…ummm, it’s over two weeks away so I’d hope you’d be better by then. I just hope it’s not me who’s sick for this trip. Can we say Airborne and Zicam!

 

[If U Had Wings]

Hope the illness doesn't last too long, and that you don't catch it!

Glad to hear that your DH should be able to make it after all, but it's a shame about your FIL.

 

[TyRy]

Hope the illness doesn't last too long, and that you don't catch it!

He's still very stuffy, but the doc said no sinus infection, no ear or throat anything either. They did give him antibiotics just in case the fever came back.

Glad to hear that your DH should be able to make it after all, but it's a shame about your FIL.

I'm happy about DH too - wasn't looking forward to a plane ride by myself (and I'm sure the other passengers are happy too. ) I am sad about DFIL, but have to think maybe next time he'll be along.

 

[TyRy]

Just another quick update. Look what came today:

They are pretty plain this time, but DH insisted he wouldn't wear matching t-shirts as it was not a special occasion. He did say he really liked this design though. And since my dad was sad he did not get a t-shirt from the last trip (he didn't go) and seemed liked he wanted one, I decided he would win out over DH. Again, very simple and plain, but will be cute and probably the theme of the trip.

What really put me over the top was someone posted on the budget boards a few weeks ago that Zazzle was having a one day sale for 40% off . As soon as I saw that I knew I had to get them!!!

Oh - and the night before DH got sick my sis came by...and brought my super adorable niece with her.

And I'll also ask all my friends for a bit of pixie dust. I went to the dermatologist today for my regular check-up and she found another funky mole. I've had a couple of pre-cancerous ones removed so she was a bit concerned. She took it out right away so I wouldn't have to keep thinking about it the whole trip. Stitches will come out two days before we leave and I should have results next week. I just hope I can be lucky yet again with those results!

I also think I'm done (for the moment ) tinkering with our itinerary, so I can finally let everyone in on it.

 

[irish dancer]

So glad DH's work agreed to let him go. Hoping he feels better soon and that you don't get whatever he's got.

Cute Donald shirts! My DH is not a matching shirt person either but he usually agrees to it one day during the trip.

What a cute niece!! You are so going to love spoiling her and taking her to WDW!

 

[John's Mom]

And I'll also ask all my friends for a bit of pixie dust. I went to the dermatologist today for my regular check-up and she found another funky mole. I've had a couple of pre-cancerous ones removed so she was a bit concerned. She took it out right away so I wouldn't have to keep thinking about it the whole trip. Stitches will come out two days before we leave and I should have results next week. I just hope I can be lucky yet again with those results!

I also think I'm done (for the moment ) tinkering with our itinerary, so I can finally let everyone in on it.

Here's hoping for good results!

Kathy

 

[brookelizabeth]

Okay you cannot, I repeat CANNOT be sick at Disney AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



DH, get better.

Germs, STAY AWAY!

Prayers and pixie dust to you!!!!!! for both this and the mole. I had one removed a few years ago, thankfully it came back fine. I have a kinda weird one on my arm I should probably have checked out too.

Very glad to hear the plan is a go! He will be better. He will be better. He will be better. You will not get sick. You will not get sick. You will not get sick. (like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, say it 3 times and it happens )

 

[TyRy]

Sorry for not being around much and being on everyone's threads as well. DH has been using my computer at home for hours on end. I can't drag my laptop home thanks to my stiches. If he would get better, I could get my compter back!

So glad DH's work agreed to let him go. Hoping he feels better soon and that you don't get whatever he's got.

Cute Donald shirts! My DH is not a matching shirt person either but he usually agrees to it one day during the trip.

We never did the matching shirts either until my DMIL surprised us in 2004 with them when we went with both sets of parents. Her favorite (just like DH) was Donald, so it's a tiny piece of her that I can have with us.

What a cute niece!! You are so going to love spoiling her and taking her to WDW!

Thank you - every time she cries, I tell her if she quiets down I'll take her to WDW without her parents!

Here's hoping for good results!

Kathy

Thanks Kathy - I think we are all still a bit paranoid at even the smallest thing after what happened to DH's mom. Plus I have that nasty history.

Okay you cannot, I repeat CANNOT be sick at Disney AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



DH, get better.

Germs, STAY AWAY!

Prayers and pixie dust to you!!!!!! for both this and the mole. I had one removed a few years ago, thankfully it came back fine. I have a kinda weird one on my arm I should probably have checked out too.

Very glad to hear the plan is a go! He will be better. He will be better. He will be better. You will not get sick. You will not get sick. You will not get sick. (like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, say it 3 times and it happens )

I've been clicking my heels and chanting that every hour!!

I'm forcing DH to go back to the doc today as he is still icky sick!

Go get it your mole checked out - and DH just said he also needs to go. It's probably nothing, but better to just know.

 

[TyRy]

ACK – DH is still sick and coughing all over anything and everything, but insists he is getting better. I think he’s getting worse. I also advise everyone to buy stock in Zicam as I am chewing them like a crazy person since I felt something coming on. I REFUSE to be sick as this should be a good trip!!!!

Why will it be a good trip – well, we’ve looked forward to staying at Beach Club for a long time. Our Alderwoman at home has been telling is to stay there for the last few years as that’s where she and her family always stay. I want to be able to run into France and grab a slushie , then go back and relax at SAB.

Barring sickness, hurricanes or me being thrown off a plane , here’s what we have planned.

Arrival Day: Hopefully arrive at BCV by 12:30ish. Guessing room will not be ready, so we have a couple of options…we could hop in Epcot, activate our AP’s and get our TIW, then snack at F&W or lunch at Chef’s for the yummy soup, or head off property. However, I want to be at DHS in time to see the 3:00parade, since I’ve only seen an abbreviated version. Dinner that night will probably be at Cape May.

Day 2: Lunch at T-Rex. This was one of the best meals we had. And since we’ll be at DTD for lunch, I’ll be hitting up the Christmas store! That night will either be Epcot or MSEP at the MK…as long as the weather is good, I want to see MSEP. Always afraid that if I wait, we might end up with crummy weather the next time we try and see it. I didn’t make any ADR’s for that night since we were soooo stuff after T-Rex, I could see us just snacking.

Day 3: Breakfast at BC, DHS for parade if we don’t make it on our first day. Dinner will be at Shula’s that night. We have one here at home and have never been. What swung us going to the Orlando one is that we can now use our TIW there. Can’t ask for a better discount than that!

I would like to point out that other than a couple of ADR’s and quick jumps into parks for parades or drinks , I have planned NOTHING! Those of you who have read my other TR’s know I probably overplan each trip…this one is supposed to be relaxing, so I left a LOT of time for sitting around SAB.

The parents will arrive next……………..

 

[brookelizabeth]

Shulas. Drool. So, so good! Sometimes Restaurant.com has $25 gift certificates for them on their website, and you can generally get them for a few bucks if you search online for a discount code. Not sure if you can combine that with the TIW or not though.

The plans are lookin' good! Nice idea to have a "back-up" day for the things you really want to see.

 

[TyRy]

Shulas. Drool. So, so good! Sometimes Restaurant.com has $25 gift certificates for them on their website, and you can generally get them for a few bucks if you search online for a discount code. Not sure if you can combine that with the TIW or not though.

This is probably the meal I'm looking forward to the most. I did look into the certificates, but saw somewhere you could not combine them with TIW. the TIW will save us more that the certificate so that's why we're going with that.

The plans are lookin' good! Nice idea to have a "back-up" day for the things you really want to see.

I've got all the backups on my excel sheet, so when you look at it, it really does look like we will be crazy busy running around. I'm going to hide it from DH (or make one less crazy) so he doesn't think I have every minute planned. I just have backups to all my plans.

 

[brookelizabeth]

I've got all the backups on my excel sheet, so when you look at it, it really does look like we will be crazy busy running around. I'm going to hide it from DH (or make one less crazy) so he doesn't think I have every minute planned. I just have backups to all my plans.

like any good planner, you are doubly prepared!

 

[TyRy]

like any good planner, you are doubly prepared!

And that is what I'm going to tell him!

 

[TyRy]

Before I continue, I’d like to congratulate a couple of friends on this PTR – If U Had Wings and DisneyBride ’03 both ran in the half marathon this past weekend. I don’t know if I could ever do that, and just wanted to send KUDOS to them both.

So – day 4: I’m sure I’ll be up at the crack of dawn on day 4. I’m one of those crazy people that liked to be checked in early, so that’s what will probably happen while DH continues sleeping. I’ll head over to AKV and get us all checked in and head back to BCV. I’m not sure what will be happening early afternoon since I know DH will want to head to ESPN to watch the Bears game. I love football and watch it every week, but when I’m at WDW I want to be doing something else, like laying in the pool. It’s also not my idea of fun to be squished into the ESPN bar and just standing for three hours. So I’m not sure what I’ll do yet.

My mom and dad will take ME to the resort and probably get there about 4:30ish. I have to be at AKV at three to meet the scooter company for my dad, so they can show me how to take it apart and put it back together again. I’ll then take the time to show them around the resort and DH should be getting back about then as well. We’ll head to the Poly for dinner that night.

Hopefully my parents won’t be too exhausted from travelling.

Day 5: While I’d like to say we’d be up early, I think you all know how that goes. I’m betting my parents will still be up by 9ish and I’ll let them get DH up. Today is really our only full day at the parks. We’ll be at Epcot all day. They both have been talking about the F&W Fest, so we’ll be sure to hit that. Not sure if they’ll find enough to eat (they have gotten pickier than me!) so we can always lunch at the bakery in France. My p’s actually own a teeny weensy tiny stake in a couple of racehorses, so we’ll bring them over to SSR that night. I think they are really going to enjoy that.

Day 6: I allowed a bit of sleep in time, but we’ll head over to FW for breakfast. This is truly one of the hidden gems and we love the breakfast. The day is wide open after that. As long as the weather is nice, we’ll do the MNSSHP that night.

Day 7: This is our DHS day. I’d love to get my p’s on TSSM as I know my dad would enjoy it, but I’m sure it will depend on what time we arrive. I also want them to see LMA as they will enjoy that. Not sure what else they will like, as they won’t do thrill rides, so maybe I can send them off to see another show. I hate to say it, but DHS is becoming a half day park for me. DH still thinks it’s one of the best, but I could almost do without it now. We have lunch at 50’s Prime Time, but I’m still a bit unsure about this one. My mom is mostly deaf and I don’t know how much she’ll enjoy the antics. Although she requested it, which is why I made the ressie.

I’d also like to finally make Welcome Home Wednesday at BW that afternoon. I’ve tried each of the trips since we’ve been members and have never made it over. Hoping to change it this time. Dinner will be at the GF.

Day 8: This will probably be a pretty full day for DH and I, and maybe not so much for my p’s. We will head to AK today and we now LOVE this park. Them, not so much, so they’ll kind of see what that are feeling and maybe leave us to go back to the hotel. I did reserve breakfast with Donald at DH’s request, until he found out it was at Tusker House. A couple of trips ago we had the most disgusting lunch ever at this place. It was before they turned it into a sit-down. I had a chicken that was slimy, gross, and to this day has turned me off rotisserie chicken. DH’s chicken in his salad wasn’t much better. I’ve tried to convince him it will be fine for breakfast, but we’ll see.

Day 9: This is my p’s last day and it’s wide open for whatever they want to do. No real plans at all, EXECPT I want to see Night Ranger at Epcot, so we may head back there for that.

Day 10: My p’s leave at the crack of dawn (literally) so I’m sure I’ll be up to say goodbye. Hopefully I’ll be able to get back to sleep. Today is also wide open, EXCEPT – it’s EMH at the MK tonight and they will be open until 3am! I’d love to be there until 3am, but DH is still trying to nix that idea. I’m still working on him though.

Day 11: Our last Disney day. This means I’ll probably start freaking out about the flight home if I haven’t done so already. Traditionally, on our last day we park at the TTC to hop the monorail to Epcot, then come back to the MK to say goodbye. But, the Bears will be on so DH will probably head to ESPN. I may hit Epcot again, but we’ll see. The day is wide open.

Day 12: We leave on a morning flight back home…just enough time for me to be awake and start freaking about the flight. Hopefully all will go well and we’ll be back home in the early afternoon.

So what do you guys think? Any suggestions? Typing it out it seems busier than I had planned in my excel sheet, but we’ll be very laid back and just see what people are feeling during the park days.

 

[Flossbolna]

I finally made it over to your PTR! You started it just when my DIS time dissappearred. But I am up to date now and really love your plans! It does sound relaxed to me - but then like you I am someone who can't really relax at WDW! How are you feeling? I hope you did not catch your DH's cold!!

 

[TyRy]

I finally made it over to your PTR! You started it just when my DIS time dissappearred. But I am up to date now and really love your plans! It does sound relaxed to me - but then like you I am someone who can't really relax at WDW! How are you feeling? I hope you did not catch your DH's cold!!

to the new PTR Flossbolna. I'm glad you like the plans, hopefully everything will work out as it should. And you are right...I have a hard time relaxing at WDW...I always feel like we should be doing something.

So far (knock on wood) I'm ok. I thought I was catching something, but took a bunch of Zicam, Airborne, and repeated the words "I will not get sick" as Brook prescribed and am ok so far. If it's going to hit, I want it to hit now and not in the next two weeks!

 

[brookelizabeth]

I think your plans sound VERY relaxing. You only have 1 day that is a full-park day, everything else is more chill and just do a whatever you are feeling. Joe would love these plans.

Is Trail's End at breakfast the buffet? I looked at their menu for dinner last night and it's not a buffet anymore, just when I was thinking it might be nice for dinner - taking the boat from BLT over there. But maybe breakfast would be even better!

I hope your DH loves Tusker House! It always gets such great reviews. Too bad Donald doesn't circulate with everyone - it's so silly that they have it that way.

 

[Flossbolna]

I was thinking about your comment wether your mother would enjoy 50's PTC. I think even the decoration might be fun for her, a bit nostalgic? And if you make sure she has a view of the room, she could still see the antics going on at other tables? I think that could still be a nice experiece for her.

Also, I read on the Disney Parks Blog some time ago that they introduced these new devices that give you the text to the attractions. They are made for people who can't hear. Did you look into that? This might make WDW in general more enjoyable for her?

 

[TyRy]

I think your plans sound VERY relaxing. You only have 1 day that is a full-park day, everything else is more chill and just do a whatever you are feeling. Joe would love these plans.

Mark saw my index cards on the table last night and almost jumped out of his seat. He wanted to know why I had my cards if it's a "relaxing" trip. I informed him it was mostly tips about things I didn't know that I learned in a book someone gave me. I think he accepted that.

Is Trail's End at breakfast the buffet? I looked at their menu for dinner last night and it's not a buffet anymore, just when I was thinking it might be nice for dinner - taking the boat from BLT over there. But maybe breakfast would be even better!

Yep - it's the breakfast. The choices are more limited than some of the other buffets, but it's always been yummy and I think it's still under ten bucks a person. A steal by Disney standards.

I hope your DH loves Tusker House! It always gets such great reviews. Too bad Donald doesn't circulate with everyone - it's so silly that they have it that way.

We'll see if he goes, he loves Donald, but says he can't get the picture of the worst chicken ever out of his head with that place.

I was thinking about your comment wether your mother would enjoy 50's PTC. I think even the decoration might be fun for her, a bit nostalgic? And if you make sure she has a view of the room, she could still see the antics going on at other tables? I think that could still be a nice experiece for her.

That's what I'm thinking too, that it may be the nostalgic aspect for her more than anything. We may just see how crazy it is that day.

Also, I read on the Disney Parks Blog some time ago that they introduced these new devices that give you the text to the attractions. They are made for people who can't hear. Did you look into that? This might make WDW in general more enjoyable for her?

Thank you - I printed that out from one of the sites and it does list all the attractions. I'm going to see if she is interested in that or not.