A Magical Place at a Magical Time of Year

[swwake]

Even though we went to sleep with our elephant (?) towel animal, the ship actually stayed in Nassau until 6am. Then, we effectively had a day "at sea" the next day. We used it to nurse hangovers, work out, and take over the entire back corner of the ship (on the "serenity" deck) with our girl chatter and more cocktails. Let's just say that corner was not-so-much full of serenity. More than a few sweet couples decided to take the chairs next to our group, only to stay about 5 minutes then leave. I wonder why?

The next day was Freeport. This port was being touted by crew and passengers alike as "boring" and "there's nothing to do there". Well, let me just tell you, leave it to the Nutty Buddies to find something to do where there's nothing to do.

We took a cab ride to the shopping center, which was admittedly very small. Hung out for awhile and did some straw market shopping, then walked about a quarter mile to the beach.

Along the way, we did our Nutty Buddy imitation of the Beatles' Abbey Road.

Then we stumbled (literally, I think) across the police station. We committed many petty crimes in approximately 15 minutes in front of the police station. To no avail. The phrase of the day was "what's a girl gotta do to get arrested around here?"

So Elizabeth just waltzed right into the police station and waltzed right out with these guys. She had asked about handcuffs and received an "ohhhh no!" So the best we got was this photo.

We did have fleeting thoughts about pasting this to a post card and sending it home while we stowed away on the next cruise. Especially after our afternoon at the beach bar (see below).

Then, a few of us sunbathed and relaxed on the beach, again working off our hangovers. While others went parasailing and jet-skiing. I chose the beach.

That was literally the view from where I laid. Pristine.

After not too long, my sunburn from Nassau was getting the best of me, and I decided it was time for some shade and a Bahama Mama. Or a Rum Runner. I don't remember. But I found it. (Remember, this is in the place where "there's nothing to do").

I wandered up to the one and only beach bar and grill, where one of the girls was already 2 cocktails into the afternoon and the bartender was buying her shots of tequila. We made fast friends with him, and soon the rest of the girls joined us.

They had a sound system best described as Bahama Redneck. It consisted of a circa-1995 portable stereo with removable speakers, about the size of a Volkswagen with speaker cables that had a loose, scratchy connection and a CD that literally played 3 songs and skipped through 2 of them. So we had Rihanna, Black Eyed Peas, and Marley on repeat for about 3 hours. Classic.

But it didn't stop us from dancing. Or getting others to dance. Or making friends. Like Dave and Sandy.

Ahhh, Dave and Sandy. Lovers for 26 years, although he ran off and married someone for 5 of those years. And she had freshly shaved legs. And they had snuck into Atlantis at Nassau. And...well, we learned more than we ever wanted to know about Dave and Sandy.

But they were great fun to hang out with for an afternoon. Never to be seen again.

The ride back to the ship and that evening are all a blur. But I can assure you we all had a fabulous time.

Nighty Nite!

The next morning, it was time to leave the ship and leave our friends, until the next girls trip...

A couple more photos. Here are my cousin Kellye and me.

And the last one - Jennifer and me.

Trivia - WE ARE NOW IN OUR 30s!
40 days until Disney (39). As you make your way through the line at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, what company's "main building" do you enter?
a.) Tetak Logging Company
b.) Mojave Mining Co.
c.) Big Thunder Mining Co.
d.) MM Mining

Since nobody has answered the two previous days, I'll give the answers.

What theme park has the largest merchandise shop?
a.) Magic Kingdom
b.) Epcot
c.) Disney's Hollywood Studios
d.) Disney's Animal Kingdom

b. MouseGear is the largest merchandise store in any of the four WDW theme parks. However, it is not the largest merchandise shop on the property. Can you figure out where that is?

Can you name the boat moored on World Showcase Lagoon in front of The American Adventure pavilion?
a.) "The Adventurer"
b.) "Freedom"
c.) "The Golden Dream"
d.) "Miss Liberty"

Answer: c. You may not notice this ship, but it is docked out in the lagoon behind the America Gardens Theatre. "Golden Dream" is also the name of a song by Randy Bright and Robert Moline that is part of The American Adventure soundtrack. The song has been part of the attraction since it opened, but in 1992, it was given a new finale and the song lyrics were changed.

Point tally:
Tammie - 46
Ann - 30
Ashley - 15
tankgirl - 12
Amy - 6
brandanobash - 1

 

[annmarieda]

Even though we went to sleep with our elephant (?) towel animal, the ship actually stayed in Nassau until 6am. Then, we effectively had a day "at sea" the next day. We used it to nurse hangovers, work out, and take over the entire back corner of the ship (on the "serenity" deck) with our girl chatter and more cocktails. Let's just say that corner was not-so-much full of serenity. More than a few sweet couples decided to take the chairs next to our group, only to stay about 5 minutes then leave. I wonder why?

The next day was Freeport. This port was being touted by crew and passengers alike as "boring" and "there's nothing to do there". Well, let me just tell you, leave it to the Nutty Buddies to find something to do where there's nothing to do.

We took a cab ride to the shopping center, which was admittedly very small. Hung out for awhile and did some straw market shopping, then walked about a quarter mile to the beach.

Along the way, we did our Nutty Buddy imitation of the Beatles' Abbey Road.

Then we stumbled (literally, I think) across the police station. We committed many petty crimes in approximately 15 minutes in front of the police station. To no avail. The phrase of the day was "what's a girl gotta do to get arrested around here?"

So Elizabeth just waltzed right into the police station and waltzed right out with these guys. She had asked about handcuffs and received an "ohhhh no!" So the best we got was this photo.

We did have fleeting thoughts about pasting this to a post card and sending it home while we stowed away on the next cruise. Especially after our afternoon at the beach bar (see below).

Then, a few of us sunbathed and relaxed on the beach, again working off our hangovers. While others went parasailing and jet-skiing. I chose the beach.

That was literally the view from where I laid. Pristine.

After not too long, my sunburn from Nassau was getting the best of me, and I decided it was time for some shade and a Bahama Mama. Or a Rum Runner. I don't remember. But I found it. (Remember, this is in the place where "there's nothing to do").

I wandered up to the one and only beach bar and grill, where one of the girls was already 2 cocktails into the afternoon and the bartender was buying her shots of tequila. We made fast friends with him, and soon the rest of the girls joined us.

They had a sound system best described as Bahama Redneck. It consisted of a circa-1995 portable stereo with removable speakers, about the size of a Volkswagen with speaker cables that had a loose, scratchy connection and a CD that literally played 3 songs and skipped through 2 of them. So we had Rihanna, Black Eyed Peas, and Marley on repeat for about 3 hours. Classic.

But it didn't stop us from dancing. Or getting others to dance. Or making friends. Like Dave and Sandy.

Ahhh, Dave and Sandy. Lovers for 26 years, although he ran off and married someone for 5 of those years. And she had freshly shaved legs. And they had snuck into Atlantis at Nassau. And...well, we learned more than we ever wanted to know about Dave and Sandy.

But they were great fun to hang out with for an afternoon. Never to be seen again.

The ride back to the ship and that evening are all a blur. But I can assure you we all had a fabulous time.

Nighty Nite!

The next morning, it was time to leave the ship and leave our friends, until the next girls trip...

A couple more photos. Here are my cousin Kellye and me.

And the last one - Jennifer and me.

Trivia - WE ARE NOW IN OUR 30s!
40 days until Disney (39). As you make your way through the line at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, what company's "main building" do you enter?
a.) Tetak Logging Company
b.) Mojave Mining Co.
c.) Big Thunder Mining Co.
d.) MM Mining

Since nobody has answered the two previous days, I'll give the answers.

b. MouseGear is the largest merchandise store in any of the four WDW theme parks. However, it is not the largest merchandise shop on the property. Can you figure out where that is?

Answer: c. You may not notice this ship, but it is docked out in the lagoon behind the America Gardens Theatre. "Golden Dream" is also the name of a song by Randy Bright and Robert Moline that is part of The American Adventure soundtrack. The song has been part of the attraction since it opened, but in 1992, it was given a new finale and the song lyrics were changed.

Point tally:
Tammie - 46
Ann - 30
Ashley - 15
tankgirl - 12
Amy - 6
brandanobash - 1

Your time with all the girls looks like soo very much fun! No men.. no kids...

and for todays trivia...

c.) Big Thunder Mining Co.
: At least that is my guess.

 

[swwake]

Hi y'all. So in trip planning news, this week I was looking at our budget and decided I may have under-budgeted for food. So I did an elaborate spreadsheet, trying to guess what each of us would eat at each meal and pricing it out. Then, for kicks, I compared it to adding the dining plan.

So, at the end of a long evening of Excel work, I determined that I indeed had under-budgeted, and that the dining plan is practically break-even for our group. After talking to Chris, we decided not to add the dining plan, since it involves all of the tracking of credits, and because I had been pretty conservative in my estimates, so there's a chance we won't hit that budget amount (high end).

We also decided to drop our California Grill reservation. This makes me a little sad, but it is super expensive, and puts us on a schedule, and since we are staying at the Poly, we know we can see the fireworks over the castle from a different perspective. So we will save a little money and we really don't think we'll be making any sacrifices on our experience.

I haven't canceled yet. (I have to admit it's hard to pull the trigger.) But if any of you want to try to nab it, let me know, and we'll coordinate the time I cancel with you trying to nab it. It's for 9:20pm on the 21st.

I will also be ordering 1-2 cases of bottled water from Garden Grocer to be delivered to our room. May order some snacks like granola bars too.

All of our other ADRs (except Biergarten Candlelight package) can be canceled without penalty, so we are going to just play all of those by ear.

In other news, Haley has a friend from Memphis (where we are all originally from) who will be in WDW the same time as we are and she's trying to figure out a meet-up. She was asking me what parks we will be in what day, and I broke the news to her that I had added a day several months ago and we will be in the Orlando area for 7 days and 6 nights. She was so excited.

Then I told her I have 2 MORE surprises for her and Katie. She can't imagine what they will be. I still don't want to say them publicly here, in case she gets back into reading and adding to the PTR. So if you're curious, PM me and I'll tell ya!

Tammie and I are now FB friends. Anyone else want to be FB friends?

36 days until Disney (35). Where is the largest fountain in WDW?
a.) Epcot's Future World
b.) Disney's Polynesian Resort
c.) Jim Henson's MuppetVision 3D
d.) Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa

Past question:

As you make your way through the line at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, what company's "main building" do you enter?
a.) Tetak Logging Company
b.) Mojave Mining Co.
c.) Big Thunder Mining Co.
d.) MM Mining

Answer: c. Listen to the safety spiel as you board your train for a ride through the rocky Southwest: "Howdy, folks! Please keep your hands and arms inside the train, and remain seated at all times... 'cause this here's the wildest ride in the wilderness?" Each of the six trains on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is named. They are I.M. Brave, I.M. Fearless, I.B. Hearty, U.B. Bold, U.R. Daring, and U.R. Courageous.

I am giving Ann an extra point, since she is the only one who answered.

Point tally:
Tammie - 46
Ann - 32
Ashley - 15
tankgirl - 12
Amy - 6
brandanobash - 1

 

[annmarieda]

I have spent much time looking over menus as well to determine how much I need to budget for food. For us the dp works well. BTW, you don't have to track credits since each receipt will show you how many you have left. I project before the trip so I have an idea of where I want to eat in any given day...but it isn't absolutely necessary. Plus, you can have them print out a detailed list of what you have used at your resort. Everyone has different needs though. I had thought about looking at the deluxe, but in the end there are so many counter service that I do want to eat at that it wouldn't save me money. For some though, it is the better option. For some, the quick service is better and then for some no dp at all. I guess it all depends on what you plan to eat.

As for trivia, I will guess a.

 

[swwake]

I have spent much time looking over menus as well to determine how much I need to budget for food. For us the dp works well. BTW, you don't have to track credits since each receipt will show you how many you have left. I project before the trip so I have an idea of where I want to eat in any given day...but it isn't absolutely necessary. Plus, you can have them print out a detailed list of what you have used at your resort. Everyone has different needs though. I had thought about looking at the deluxe, but in the end there are so many counter service that I do want to eat at that it wouldn't save me money. For some though, it is the better option. For some, the quick service is better and then for some no dp at all. I guess it all depends on what you plan to eat.

As for trivia, I will guess a.

Well, we've already got the money saved up and sitting in savings, so it will be easy to just charge to the room and pay it all off on the credit card the next month.

Since I'm an accountant, I don't want to have to worry about tracking anything (not even credits on the receipts) during the trip. We have a 2-TS dinner (Biergarten) and I'd have to control who is using their room key for that dinner and using credits and make sure they do, and control them using or not using credits at other places throughout the week. And I can foresee Katie and Haley, for example, running to get ice cream bars and using only one of their room keys to pay for both (2x snack credits) then the other is left with 2 credits and I just don't want to have to figure it all out each night or at the end of the week. We'll let them charge whatever and whenever they want on their room keys during the trip - probably will work best for us.

But I get it that other families like to do the DP and have it pre-paid from the get-go and not have to worry about it...

 

[shocky5]

Oh my goodness! I had missed your six weeks of updates somehow!

Love the way you can tell a story! I'm glad Chris' Memphis birthday party went off without too much of a hitch, and I'm so jealous of the picture of you all in Vegas - Eiffel Tower with the Bellagio fountains going in the background... those mesmerized us when we were there! Beautiful!

What a fun college trip to see Katie! I'm with Tammie - not a big CU fan... I do live in Oklahoma, after all.

And the cruise... I was rolling in my office while reading all of that! From Dave and Sandy to the dude in Senor Frog! What a great time and memories you made!

I'm going to try to find you all on facebook....

 

[swwake]

Oh my goodness! I had missed your six weeks of updates somehow!

Love the way you can tell a story! I'm glad Chris' Memphis birthday party went off without too much of a hitch, and I'm so jealous of the picture of you all in Vegas - Eiffel Tower with the Bellagio fountains going in the background... those mesmerized us when we were there! Beautiful!

What a fun college trip to see Katie! I'm with Tammie - not a big CU fan... I do live in Oklahoma, after all.

And the cruise... I was rolling in my office while reading all of that! From Dave and Sandy to the dude in Senor Frog! What a great time and memories you made!

I'm going to try to find you all on facebook....

You only missed 1 week of updates. It's just 6 weeks of real life.

That cruise - 7 of us girls (the 8th didn't like us very much) are STILL re-living it on Facebook, remembering things we had forgotten. There are so many stories. Maybe I can tell a few here. The G-rated ones. I guess that's just a few - haha

I might be hard to find on FB. PM me if you need to.

 

[annmarieda]

Well, we've already got the money saved up and sitting in savings, so it will be easy to just charge to the room and pay it all off on the credit card the next month.

Since I'm an accountant, I don't want to have to worry about tracking anything (not even credits on the receipts) during the trip. We have a 2-TS dinner (Biergarten) and I'd have to control who is using their room key for that dinner and using credits and make sure they do, and control them using or not using credits at other places throughout the week. And I can foresee Katie and Haley, for example, running to get ice cream bars and using only one of their room keys to pay for both (2x snack credits) then the other is left with 2 credits and I just don't want to have to figure it all out each night or at the end of the week. We'll let them charge whatever and whenever they want on their room keys during the trip - probably will work best for us.

But I get it that other families like to do the DP and have it pre-paid from the get-go and not have to worry about it...

I think you have a good plan. I know that when I had the two teenage boys it made me nervous thinking they may go over their allotment when they were not with me. Luckily, it turned out fine...but I really worried at times. However, You do know that the credits are not per KTTWC, right? So even if one person took 2 credits... it would deduct it from the total of your room. You get one credit per person per night, but... it looks like a total on your room account. So in theory, for a family of 4 staying 7 nights...one person could use all 28 snack credits in the first day. Anyway...just a thought to tuck away in case in the future you consider the dp. Some time, I think I may end up going with a TIW card and just doing what you are doing(running the tab and paying at the end) I think it would save me more and in the end be less hassle (you are reminding me how frustrating it is to try and make sure everyone knows how many snacks they are allowed a day)

 

[swwake]

Oh I didn't know that they just put them all on the room. That makes more sense - as long as we just have one room - like this trip. That is good info to know. I had no idea.

 

[lilpixiebabe101]

I'm guessing A as well!

Sorry you might be cancelling some ADR's. Least you'll still be in the World!

I found Tammie, Ann, and Heather on FB. My info is Ashley Goudeau, Louisiana. My profile picture is my little girl in a purple and gold LSU cheer uniform.

 

[shocky5]

You only missed 1 week of updates. It's just 6 weeks of real life.

That cruise - 7 of us girls (the 8th didn't like us very much) are STILL re-living it on Facebook, remembering things we had forgotten. There are so many stories. Maybe I can tell a few here. The G-rated ones. I guess that's just a few - haha

I might be hard to find on FB. PM me if you need to.

I PM'd you - easier that way!

 

[momabaarjo]

I PM'd you - easier that way!

Then you better PM me too!

 

[momabaarjo]

From what I understand with the Dining Plan and my past experience is that all credits are lumped into 1 large sum...and deducted as you use them, not alloted by single days...and they work all on all keys to the kingdom. After each transaction you get a print out of what is used and what is remaining...so if I wanted to eat my entire allotment of Mickey Ear Ice Cream in 1 day and use all 10 snack credits I could all at once...but then I would be paying OP for the rest of my trip.

It is actually pretty easy to manage...if you plan out your TS & QS before you go you know how many credits are spent before you even go.

I was wondering about what your niece was talking about on FB the other day about extending the trip...I was going to post something about joining the club "ADD ANOTHER DAY" that I think Ann originally started and Amy & I joined...trying to get Heather to join!!!

I am dying to know what the other part of the surprise is...might just be PMing you!

I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY...no REALLY loved the view of Wishes from the California Grill...the food was okay but not worth the price...but then again I am a good burger type of girl!

 

[tankgirl427]

Your cruise sounds amazing! How nice to have so much fun and still thinking about all the good times! Imagine if you guys took over Disney during Food & Wine.

 

[swwake]

Sorry you might be cancelling some ADR's. Least you'll still be in the World!

I found Tammie, Ann, and Heather on FB. My info is Ashley Goudeau, Louisiana. My profile picture is my little girl in a purple and gold LSU cheer uniform.

Oh, I don't think it's a bad thing we're canceling CG (and I still haven't pulled the trigger! ). It will get us off of a schedule and save us money. No worries.

I PM'd you - easier that way!

I think we're all set over on FB now!

Then you better PM me too!

You found me first!

From what I understand with the Dining Plan and my past experience is that all credits are lumped into 1 large sum...and deducted as you use them, not alloted by single days...and they work all on all keys to the kingdom. After each transaction you get a print out of what is used and what is remaining...so if I wanted to eat my entire allotment of Mickey Ear Ice Cream in 1 day and use all 10 snack credits I could all at once...but then I would be paying OP for the rest of my trip.

It is actually pretty easy to manage...if you plan out your TS & QS before you go you know how many credits are spent before you even go.

I was wondering about what your niece was talking about on FB the other day about extending the trip...I was going to post something about joining the club "ADD ANOTHER DAY" that I think Ann originally started and Amy & I joined...trying to get Heather to join!!!

I am dying to know what the other part of the surprise is...might just be PMing you!

I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY...no REALLY loved the view of Wishes from the California Grill...the food was okay but not worth the price...but then again I am a good burger type of girl!

I guess I never really had a full understanding of how the DP worked, since we've ruled it out every trip so far. Good info to know for the future!

So you caught that Haley had posted about the extension. She was super excited. She is just trilled over-all to be gong to Disney.

PM me if you want to know the scoop on the other 2 surprises.

We also loved Wishes from CG. We decided that we can go up there for cocktails at the bar (maybe) if we end up wanting to change our plans back. Still saving money. I guess the only thing that would stop us is if the restaurant/bar is at fire code capacity.

Your cruise sounds amazing! How nice to have so much fun and still thinking about all the good times! Imagine if you guys took over Disney during Food & Wine.

Oh we had a ton of fun. And yes! Disney Food & Wine might have to be the next girls trip!

 

[swwake]

Battery is dying, so an update will have to wait, but, since many of us are Facebook friends, are you catching my daughter Katie freaking out?

She texted me yesterday and asked if we can go to Harry Potter World. So last night we had family poker night at our house with my sister and Haley (and the rest of their family) and we were all laughing about how disconnected Katie is from reality (being all the way in Boulder, and focused on college).

So today my sister posted "can we go to Epcot?" and I said it's not in the time or financial budget. Katie posted "wait really?"

 

[annmarieda]

Too funny!

 

[swwake]

Too funny!

I know, right?!

 

[swwake]

Well, my ticker is moving on to the right! So exciting seeing it so close to the end. And in 3 days there won't be anymore "1 month.." stuff. (Thanks, Ann, for sharing that obsession with me! )

We got Mickey Mail last week - just our Magical Express booklet (which we will only use for the return trip) and luggage tags (which we won't NEED at all, and I have to decide whether we want to USE them just for kicks.)

Now that we're all FB friends, is anyone on Pinterest? I have a whole board where I'm collecting tips for the trip. Let me know if you want to follow me and can't find me.

Since I'm out of travel stories, I am going to post pics from past trips. Maybe I'll follow Ann's lead and add this to my little game. You will get a point for location, point for the subject, and points for other things you can point out (or guess) about the photo.

Today's trivia:
33 days until Disney (32) Who is honored with a statue near the rear of the piazza in the Italy pavilion in Epcot?
a.) Caesar
b.) Neptune
c.) St. Jude
d.) Frank Sinatra

And because I love the answer to yesterday's question, I will share it with you.
34 days until Disney (33). In The Haunted Mansion, what is the first scene in which you see a ghost?
a.) The ballroom scene
b.) The attic
c.) The seance room
d.) The graveyard

And past trivia:

Where is the largest fountain in WDW?
a.) Epcot's Future World
b.) Disney's Polynesian Resort
c.) Jim Henson's MuppetVision 3D
d.) Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa

Answer: a. The Fountain of Nations, located in Innoventions Plaza in Future World - and operational since Epcot's opening day - is WDW's largest fountain. More than 108,000 gallons of water flow through its pipes, and its 304 nozzles can shoot water over 150 feet into the air (nearly as high as the Spaceship Earth globe!). Throughout the day, the fountain comes to life to dance to musical selections. It took Disney Imagineers three months to program the dancing waters and their music. At night, 1,068 lights create a rainbow of colors to complement the ballet score. The fountain was designed by a team of Imagineers, one of whom went on to found WET Design, the company for such magnificent fountains as the one in front of the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas.

I like the Vegas reference.

Points to Ann and Ashley

Point tally:
Tammie - 46
Ann - 33
Ashley - 16
tankgirl - 12
Amy - 6
brandanobash - 1

 

[swwake]

Today I got a whim and pre-purchased the PhotoPass CD.

Followed by an emphatic email to the girls telling them they BETTER take LOTS of Photopass pictures while we're there!

I think that is the very last thing I have to do for this trip, other than packing. I can't think of anything else.

Except that one little thing about canceling the California Grill reservation...

Since nobody has had a chance to answer yesterday's photo and trivia contest, I will give you another day.

Today's trivia:
32 days until Disney (31) Where can you buy a Beaver Tail?
a.) DinoLand, U.S.A.
b.) Camp Minnie-Mickey
c.) Canada pavilion
d.) Tom Sawyer Island

Today's photo:

Remember, points for location, subject, and any other tidbits/details about the photo.