A No Snooze Bar Christmas, Harry & Mickey are Waiting..it is done

[Disneychix]

Oh my! Have FUN!

But I will miss your updates

 

[Sara1Babe]

Aw my old stomping grounds. I went to prom at the Adams Mark Hotel (now Hyatt Regency, per Google, pretty sure its the brown building at the far left of the photo) a million years ago. I hope you have a great time at the conference

 

[Nalshersmom]

I am patiently awaiting the rest of your trip report! I hope you have a good time in St. Louis. Our family went last June and loved going to a Cardinals game, the
Arch, and the zoo. We were also impressed with their museums for children. We stayed at the Moonrise Hotel.

 

[pmama]

Just stumbled upon your TR. Thanks for the links, I was able to browse a few posts. Subbing so I can come back and read more. Love the detail! I too am a cammando trip planner as well as a Colorado teacher.

 

[momabaarjo]

It certainly has not taken me long to get back to normal after my week long trip to St. Louis. There is always laundry waiting to greet me, along with grocery shopping and just general house cleaning to get done. I am sitting here reflecting upon the last week and am going to give you a mini trip report where for 5 days I stayed up way to late every night, but got up way too early every morning ready to learn. Became great friends with the people I went with AND…..

Went on a Riverboat on the Mississippi River were I got to compare 2 different school groups of children...one from an American School and the other from a school in France. I must say that I would much rather be associated with the children from France, they were such a delight to watch and listen to as they practiced their Engligh and impecable manners!

Ressured several of my fellow teachers that we could handle making it up to the top of the arch in this "Mork Egg" that seats 5. Then enjoyed the view from the top.

Walked forever to eat at the Hard Rock Cafe...which according to the map was not that far.

Woke up to this awesome view each morning.

Pretended I did not know my group when we all got reprimanded by a transit conductor for taking pictures of one of the railway trains. Who knew that was against Homeland Security!

Lounged high above the street at the 360 Bar on the rooftop of our hotel overlooking Busch Stadium and one night watched a Cardinal game from the same place.

Convinced everyone to eat at a fancy place where our bill was nearly $1000 and then listened to them talk about how much they enjoyed the meal, what a great idea to treat yourself to something you would never do in real life.

Tailgated and networked before a Cardinals game on the hotel patio with fellow conference participants.

Watched a Cardinals game in Busch stadium, where I got to see the trophy that should be at the Ballpark in Arlington and bought my boys Cardinal shirts.

Rode in a fancy horse carriage around downtown where I learned one of the buildings was used in Ghostbusters.

Ate more than I thought possible outside of WDW...including Gooey Butter Cake, STL Style Pizza, a Cardinal-rita.

Went to a dueling piano bar where I laughed and sung into the wee hours of the morning. Actually I think the theme of the trip was laughing...I have not laughed this hard in years...almost to the point of wetting my pants on some occassions! The group I was with are a lot of fun!

Stood in the middle of what was the courtroom where the Dred Scott Case was heard.

And most of all….
Learned tons about how we SHOULD be instructing children in math and how we can be agents of change to meet the indivudal developmental needs of students in mathematics.

 

[momabaarjo]

We just got back from the Braves game. On Sundays, kids ages 4-14 can go on the field after the game and run the bases. They get a certificate and a free t-shirt. Lots of fun.

We will miss you this week but we will be waiting patiently.

Although we went to the game...I cannot say I saw much of it...too busy laughing.

Have fun! I took my girls to St Louis last year over Memorial Day weekend. We stayed in one of those hotels in the picture, too... and I shook with fear every time we went up the glass elevator. Going up in the Arch? Never happen for me, but I can see the attraction. Have fun!

Loved the arch, even the ride up and the view...

Oh my! Have FUN!

But I will miss your updates

Glad to be missed, had a great time!

Aw my old stomping grounds. I went to prom at the Adams Mark Hotel (now Hyatt Regency, per Google, pretty sure its the brown building at the far left of the photo) a million years ago. I hope you have a great time at the conference

We stayed at the Hilton at the Ball park...it was a great hotel and the bar on top was awesome!

I am patiently awaiting the rest of your trip report! I hope you have a good time in St. Louis. Our family went last June and loved going to a Cardinals game, the
Arch, and the zoo. We were also impressed with their museums for children. We stayed at the Moonrise Hotel.

Wanted to get to the zoo, but with the conference all day it just did not happen!

Just stumbled upon your TR. Thanks for the links, I was able to browse a few posts. Subbing so I can come back and read more. Love the detail! I too am a cammando trip planner as well as a Colorado teacher.

Where at in Colorado are you? I am a Colorado Native and a Texan by choice (moved here after college). Always glad to have another teacher around...welcome!

 

[BrerMama]

Sounds like an amazing trip... not just for the travel stuff but also for the opportunity to learn. Looks like you enjoyed every minute of it.

 

[annmarieda]

The trip sounds amazing and productive all in one trip! That is so cool!

 

[lovethattink]

Sounds like you had an awesome time!! The pictures are great! What did you eat at the fancy restaurant?

 

[momabaarjo]

Sounds like you had an awesome time!! The pictures are great! What did you eat at the fancy restaurant?

It was Ruth Chris Steakhouse...I had a to die for fillet...I love steak! I also had a couple of glasses of some really good wine!

 

[partyof2]

I can’t believe I haven’t come across this TR before; I love reports that incorporate trips to Universal. I’ve read the whole thing in a day and am now fighting to keep my eyes open it’s so late.

We just booked for 2013 this week and we (read ‘we’ as ‘I’) decided on 14 Disney days onsite with a day trip or two to Universal. My original plan had been a week at Disney then a week on International Drive with better access to Universal. Seeing your pictures makes me long for Universal and now I’m wondering if I’ve done the right thing!

So many things in your report have cracked me up because EXACTLY the same thing has happened to me; I rode Forbidden Journey on an empty stomach then had to make a swift exit through the gift shop plus sacrifice riding the Hippogriff so I could compose myself just like Jeff! My ride photo is horrendous and I will NEVER share it with anyone.

Then I got soaked on rapids ride too, although nowhere near as bad as I did on Kali (never riding that again). I ended up just buying a dress from one of the stalls because I didn’t have patience for the People Dryer. Once I put the dress on I realised my undies were still wet so I had a very uncomfortable afternoon. (Plus I discovered the dress was hand wash only which is a real pain!! And it’s white, and I look awful in white.)

The service you received at Margaritaville was unbelievable! I can’t believe the manager didn’t offer you any type of discount, I was sure they’d give you the meal on the house. I’m a manager in a fast food restaurant and whenever a customer has a valid complaint I’ll refund because customer loyalty is mega important to my store; we need to keep them coming back. I had to laugh about ‘Juan’ at Mythos, I get that being a server is a high pressure job but remembering to bring the bread and drinks isn’t really rocket science.

I cringed for poor Ab when she jumped out on the wrong family, she must have been so embarrassed, poor girl.

I LOVE THE SIMPSONS RIDE!! It is up there with Forbidden Journey for me. I was nervous that you weren’t going to ride when your mentioned your dislike for the Simpsons earlier in the report, so glad you’re a fan.

The Seuss themed breakfast seems a lot of fun, Dr. Seuss isn’t big in the UK at all. In fact if it wasn’t for the Jim Carrey movie I think it would be pretty much unheard of. It’s a real shame. Loved you guys pictures from Seuss Landing.

I feel your pain every time something comes up and derails your touring plans slightly. I like to have everything planned right to the last second and when things don’t go my way it makes my head spin. Boyfriend tends to want to go with the flow but I’m the complete opposite. Earlier I asked him if he wanted to eat breakfast at the resort or at the park on our first Magic Kingdom day IN NOVEMBER 2013, he looked at me like I had lost it (he wants to see ‘how we feel on the day’) BUT I NEED TO KNOW!! Doesn’t he know that I want to plan where we’ll eat, what time we’ll eat at and exactly what I’ll be having!?

Wow this is a long comment, it’s 3:06AM in the UK and I tend to ramble late at night! I don’t talk this much in real life, HONESTLY.

 

[stepdisney]

Can't wait to read about the Disney portion of your trip! I'm a fellow teacher. What grade do you teach?

 

[Enchanted88]

Hey there! I'm still here, and reading along!! I hope you had a safe trip, and can't wait to hear about it! I'm enjoying every one of your updates! I'm sorry there was so much sickness during your trip! I hope everyone started to feel better soon!

 

[momabaarjo]

From East Coast to West Coast and Back Again​

After the cars, Goo wants to go shoot Aliens since Boo told him about MIB on Tuesday night so that is where we head and Jeff gets his first experience of the crazy ride lockers. The boys have a great time shooting aliens the first time around, that we go and do it a second time before returning to collect our things that we had stored away.

Next up we do Jaws, which Goo is not too crazy about and Ab makes him sit in the perfect spot to have Bruce pop up beside him. Let’s just say Goo was not impressed with his seating assignment and let her know it when we got off the ride.

We make our way through the San Fran area just looking at things, but no one wants to do Disaster…I knew that Boo would have loved being a part of the show but with just Ab and Goo, they are not interested. We continue to make our way into New York

where we find the Blues Brothers show playing and we stop to watch the show.

As we tour through New York Ab sees a sign for gelato and wants to stop, so Jeff and Goo find a table outside to relax at while Ab and I go and get some for us all to share. It was pretty yummy, but I found it to be sticky…which means it had been sitting around too long in the freezer!

Next up was the Mummy, I knew that we would have to be using rider swap for this one if Ab wanted to ride, and she did. Outside the wait time was posted at 140 minutes and when we entered the express line we were actually shocked to see a line, and our wait was nearly 30 minutes.

Jeff took Goo back to the child swap room, while Ab and I rode. Talk about being nervous, although they call this an indoor roller coaster, it really is just a jerky ride in the dark…there is one area where there are a few little drops (but in the dark they feel huge) that Ab grabs me and freaks out, but over all she comes off disappointed “that’s it, pretty lame).

Next up is Jeff and Ab’s turn to ride, as we switch off he complains about the child swap room and it does not take me long to agree with him and gasp for fresh air…child swap does not mean diaper swap. The two of them come off the ride and we spend some time having fun in the gift shop.

I am feeling guilty about Boo back in the room alone, when Ab says she is tired and would like to go back for a cat nap. I agree that it is a good idea, since I want us to come back tonight for the Macys Parade…Goo is delighted because that means he can ride the water taxi back to the room and we leave the park hoping to find Boo well rested and feeling better in the room!

 

[momabaarjo]

I can’t believe I haven’t come across this TR before; I love reports that incorporate trips to Universal. I’ve read the whole thing in a day and am now fighting to keep my eyes open it’s so late.

Wow...I am shocked and humbled that someone would read the whole thing and stay up late to do it!

We just booked for 2013 this week and we (read ‘we’ as ‘I’) decided on 14 Disney days onsite with a day trip or two to Universal. My original plan had been a week at Disney then a week on International Drive with better access to Universal. Seeing your pictures makes me long for Universal and now I’m wondering if I’ve done the right thing!

I think spending time at both places it the best plan...especially if you are a Potter fan...but seeing that your are from Scotland HP is in your back yard. Love my Scottish hertiage...we belong to the clan McDaniel the tribe Macetheran (not sure how to spell it) from an island off the coast!

So many things in your report have cracked me up because EXACTLY the same thing has happened to me; I rode Forbidden Journey on an empty stomach then had to make a swift exit through the gift shop plus sacrifice riding the Hippogriff so I could compose myself just like Jeff! My ride photo is horrendous and I will NEVER share it with anyone.

We did not even look at the ride photos!

Then I got soaked on rapids ride too, although nowhere near as bad as I did on Kali (never riding that again). I ended up just buying a dress from one of the stalls because I didn’t have patience for the People Dryer. Once I put the dress on I realised my undies were still wet so I had a very uncomfortable afternoon. (Plus I discovered the dress was hand wash only which is a real pain!! And it’s white, and I look awful in white.)

What a great place to put a clothing cart! I had not planned this ride...so I guess I got what I deserved!

The service you received at Margaritaville was unbelievable! I can’t believe the manager didn’t offer you any type of discount, I was sure they’d give you the meal on the house. I’m a manager in a fast food restaurant and whenever a customer has a valid complaint I’ll refund because customer loyalty is mega important to my store; we need to keep them coming back. I had to laugh about ‘Juan’ at Mythos, I get that being a server is a high pressure job but remembering to bring the bread and drinks isn’t really rocket science.

We had pretty rotten luck with restaurants. I am sure that I am ever in the area I will stop again at Margaritaville...but this time something to go with my shaker of salt!

I cringed for poor Ab when she jumped out on the wrong family, she must have been so embarrassed, poor girl.

Thank goodness it was in the dark...but we heard them laughing the whole way down the path over our fits of laughter!

I LOVE THE SIMPSONS RIDE!! It is up there with Forbidden Journey for me. I was nervous that you weren’t going to ride when your mentioned your dislike for the Simpsons earlier in the report, so glad you’re a fan.

I loved the ride on my first trip...remembering it was my favorite but nothing compares to FJ!

The Seuss themed breakfast seems a lot of fun, Dr. Seuss isn’t big in the UK at all. In fact if it wasn’t for the Jim Carrey movie I think it would be pretty much unheard of. It’s a real shame. Loved you guys pictures from Seuss Landing.

I feel your pain every time something comes up and derails your touring plans slightly. I like to have everything planned right to the last second and when things don’t go my way it makes my head spin. Boyfriend tends to want to go with the flow but I’m the complete opposite. Earlier I asked him if he wanted to eat breakfast at the resort or at the park on our first Magic Kingdom day IN NOVEMBER 2013, he looked at me like I had lost it (he wants to see ‘how we feel on the day’) BUT I NEED TO KNOW!! Doesn’t he know that I want to plan where we’ll eat, what time we’ll eat at and exactly what I’ll be having!?

Love it...I planned not only the places but the meals too pouring over the menus! After a couple of ADR check ins and people leaving mad because they could not get in...dh understood why!

Wow this is a long comment, it’s 3:06AM in the UK and I tend to ramble late at night! I don’t talk this much in real life, HONESTLY.

Love your rambling! I am so thankful to have people along for my ramblings!

Hey there! I'm still here, and reading along!! I hope you had a safe trip, and can't wait to hear about it! I'm enjoying every one of your updates! I'm sorry there was so much sickness during your trip! I hope everyone started to feel better soon!

As you can see you have not missed much...4 days has taken me 4 months to write!

 

[lilpixiebabe101]

And about you comment about your 4 days of ramblings taking up 4 months of time from ^^^ there.

WE LOVE IT!!!!!!! lol We said we all have to drag our reports out till October.. Well except Ann since she needs a PTR. I honestly can't believe she hasn't caved and started one

Love the update. I can't wait to do Universal. Never been before

 

[BrerMama]

I missed your reports! Sounds like a fun time with MIB and the Mummy. I'm so afraid of the Mummy. I manage Big Thunder, Everest, and Space once each. Am I going to be OK with Mummy?

 

[lovethattink]

Loving the updates. Hurray for the water taxi! I'm glad he got to ride it.

I think we are going to Universal this weekend. Haven't been there since March 2011 so our APs are going to waste.

Do you know if we can take a water taxi to check out a resort or are they only for guests staying at the resorts?

 

[momabaarjo]

Loving the updates. Hurray for the water taxi! I'm glad he got to ride it.

I think we are going to Universal this weekend. Haven't been there since March 2011 so our APs are going to waste.

Do you know if we can take a water taxi to check out a resort or are they only for guests staying at the resorts?

I don't think there would be any problem using the water taxi...they do not ask for a resort key.

 

[momabaarjo]

Everyone Loves A Parade, Right?​

We make it back to the room where we find Boo laying in bed, not moaning but actually sleeping. Ab lays down with a book and Goo gets his wish of cartoons on the TV. Jeff and I discuss plans for tonight before I too decide that a cat nap sounds good. At 6 pm I try to get everyone up and moving and I am shot down, all the sudden Ab is not feeling well and they all want to lay around. I suddenly go to into a touring plan pout that my family just wants to sit in a hotel room, instead directing my pout at them all I decide to get everything packed up for our move tomorrow morning. I think Jeff must have finally sensed that I was upset and suggested that we leave the kids and he and I go see the parade, but of course I shoot that down because I want to do things as a family and I don’t like the idea of leaving them here alone (even though Ab baby-sits all the time at home). Boo also senses my mood and decides he wants to go see what he missed this afternoon. So pulling up my big girl panties I pull my 3 boys out the door and back to USO just in time to find a spot for the parade with about 20 minutes to spare.

There is no room left in the reserved section for hotel guests so we find a place on the curb where the parade will turn and go down the main street of NY, I am thinking not a bad spot, but during the parade it was a different thought…bad place because we get the side look of all the performers as they are focused on the turn and not the crowd at that point. Before the parade there were your normal vendors selling all kids of lighted ware…Goo convinced his dad to buy him…which after about 5 minutes stopped working and I wanted to say told you so, but instead Jeff went and found the vendor and got it replaced.

The parade was nice, I was disappointed…I thought Macys and what I knew about parades at Disney and expected to be wowed, which I wasn’t.

The balloons were nice and at the end there were the “Rockettes” and being the good mom I am, made the boys pose with one of them for a picture in front of the tree (some day they will thank me).

Afterwards we decided to ride the Mummy when we got to experience the worst in people trying to leave the parade area. We skirted our way around a mom with a stroller who was yelling at a group of people that apparently cut her off from her other children and she was letting them have it. I guess after a long day in the park you lose your holiday spirit, the boys were in shock with the language that was coming out of her mouth, with her kids around. We made it to the Mummy and this time the line was much shorter (about 10 minute wait) and I opted to sit in child swap first and let Jeff ride with Boo…let me tell you the smell was not much better.

I fully expected to ride with Boo a 2nd time, but he was disappointed and wanted to do something else. I had heard that Jaws neat at night with all the special effects, so with everyone agreeing but Jo we go and do Jaws. Yep, I think at night is a lot better! The time is quickly slipping way and the park closes in about 45 minutes, the one thing I wanted the boys to do that we had not done was Terminator so we head back for Beverly Hills for the show.

We made it just in time for the last show and my boys loved every bit of it…I knew they would. Afterwards in the gift shop we found

and Goo bought himself a terminator arm before we were ushered out the park so they could close…I can’t believe we shut down the park and what an early morning we have! So we depart USO vowing "I'll be Back (someday)" and shouting …”We’re Going to Disney World!"