Aloha, Happy Birthday and Merry Christmas

What a stark difference between the photos in the UK and Dubai. I thought of the same thing with the Great Hall how much it resembled the dining room at Hogwarts! The fountain show looked very impressive.

Yes, they are different worlds, but two different worlds that I happen to love. The fountain show is amazing.

Corinna
 
I thought I share this video that I found online. I am not normally that keen on this piece of music (Hello Tomorrow), but I think it really works as part of the fountain show.


Corinna
 
Dubai is just amazing! So much wealth went into developing it...its hard to believe.

Jill in CO
 
Dubai is just amazing! So much wealth went into developing it...its hard to believe.

Jill in CO


Dubai is truly amazing. Everything has to be bigger, better and more shiny, but it is a safe and friendly place.

Corinna
 


all of the pictures are just beautiful, and yet so different. I love the old world and new world...
 


I was going to post an update today, but I seem to be in a permanent state of exhaustion at the moment. So all I am going to say that by this time in two weeks I have hopefully arrived at the Disneyland Hotel.

Corinna
 
Oh my! Durham is stunning. Love the Great Hall. But that chapel is just stunning!!!!!

Dubai looks interesting. I think I'd love to see Atlantis!

And yay for 2 weeks.
 
That Chihuly chandelier is breathtaking!!! What a lovely unexpected mini vacation :) I would have done the indoor observation deck as well. That height is way too much for me!


I will definitely let you know when I plan a U.K. trip. I have been over there 3 times, all three trips very special. One was a semester in college. Another was a road trip with my father, we drove all around England and Scotland stopping at all the castles we found. The third was a trip with my English class in high school. I love it over there, it has been way too long.


13 days to vacation!!!
 
2 weeks, just 14 days! Happy for you!

13 day to Disneyland and 12 day until I am officially on vacation.

Oh my! Durham is stunning. Love the Great Hall. But that chapel is just stunning!!!!!

It really is. I had high expectations and they were exceeded many times over.

Dubai looks interesting. I think I'd love to see Atlantis!

The Atlantis is amazing, especially the waterpark. After I have experienced this, no other waterpark does cut it for me.

And yay for 2 weeks.

:Pinkbounc:Pinkbounc:Pinkbounc:Pinkbounc:Pinkbounc

That Chihuly chandelier is breathtaking!!! What a lovely unexpected mini vacation :) I would have done the indoor observation deck as well. That height is way too much for me!

It was a nice bonus and rekindled our love for Dubai. I love Chihuly pieces at the best of times, but this one is the most stunning one I have seen so far.

I will definitely let you know when I plan a U.K. trip. I have been over there 3 times, all three trips very special. One was a semester in college. Another was a road trip with my father, we drove all around England and Scotland stopping at all the castles we found. The third was a trip with my English class in high school. I love it over there, it has been way too long.

Looks like you had the chance to get a good impression of my home country. We need to get our heads together regarding meeting up at WDW.

Corinna
 
Just catching up! Newcastle is great isn't it and Gateshead. Oh yummy that Newcastle ale! Thanks for the photos.

Oh yes that ESTA is a pita! If you don't apply early and get refused although you can go to the American embassy and get a Visa via interview instead current wait time is 3 months! I know folks who left it too late and couldn't go on vacation!

Dubai oh what an interesting place. I haven't been in the summer I can't imagine the heat! Jo and I enjoyed it there and love The ATlantis.

I sm lookimg forward to seeing your MNSSHP outfits and jewellery. How neat you get to speak to the artist online!
 
Oh yummy that Newcastle ale!

This is really strange. I am not much of a beer drinker, but I really like Newcastle Brown Ale. Yet I did not have any while I was actually in Newcastle.

Oh yes that ESTA is a pita! If you don't apply early and get refused although you can go to the American embassy and get a Visa via interview instead current wait time is 3 months! I know folks who left it too late and couldn't go on vacation!

What a pain. Fortunately I only had to wait a couple of minutes before I got the ESTA confirmation.

I haven't been in the summer I can't imagine the heat!

I was really worried about this, but it was fine. I have struggled more in Florida and especially in California is less heat.

Jo and I enjoyed it there and love The ATlantis.

This trip has rekindled our love for Dubai. The Atlantis rocks.

I sm lookimg forward to seeing your MNSSHP outfits and jewellery. How neat you get to speak to the artist online!

The artist has become a good friend over the years. I now had a "work in progress" photo, which looks very promising.

Corinna
 
Looks like you had the chance to get a good impression of my home country. We need to get our heads together regarding meeting up at WDW.

Corinna

I absolutely love the U.K., no doubt about it! It's just simply been too long.

For WDW, our plan is to be at Epcot Friday the 2nd, and MK Saturday the 3rd. I think you had mentioned being at MK on the 3rd as well, but that was a while ago. I can't remember if that changed. We're also going to Universal so that chops up the available days, and my friend won't have a hopper ticket. We are also going to go to AK, but we're not sure which day that will be.
 
For WDW, our plan is to be at Epcot Friday the 2nd, and MK Saturday the 3rd. I think you had mentioned being at MK on the 3rd as well, but that was a while ago.

That matches my plans exactly. I am also planning to be at Epcot on the 2nd and eat and drink my way around the Food and Wine Festival. As Graham does not arrive until the next day, I am also planning to stay for Illuminations. On the 3rd, I will be at MK. I will have to leave mid afternoon as I need to be back in the hotel when Graham gets there.

Corinna
 
Well, the two week mark for both when I am officially on holiday and when I arrive at Disneyland have come and gone and I am now rapidly approaching the single digit mark. This has kind of focussed my mind to sort out the last odds and ends.

I eventually managed to get my ticket for the additional Halloween Party at Walt Disney World booked. I was slightly amused that the website had no issue accepting my rainy day credit card, but was refusing to accept the cards I use all the time. I did not even think at the time that this means I will go to a Halloween party two days running, but I am happy with this.

IT issues seem to be a bit of a theme this year. I finally got around to contacting DVC Member Services to book the two new member programs that they offer at Disneyland: Fitness in the Park (Pilates/ Stretching at California Adventure plus a complimentary smoothie at Jamba Juice and a workout towel to keep) and Neighbourhood Powerwalk (a brisk early morning walk at California Adventure plus a complimentary smoothie at Jamba Juice and complimentary chair massage at Mandara Spa). I am neither an early bird as a rule nor am I a fitness fanatic, but the idea of getting to be in an empty park with a maximum of 10 other people definitely appeals to me. Anyway, when I called to book this, the cast member confirmed that this was offered on the dates I am there, but could not book it for me as the reservation system was down. I had to call back the next day and then got it booked without a hitch.


Yesterday, I hit the next snag. Before I went to Dubai, I had ordered a free Pay As You Go SIM to complete the unlocking of my phone. This is a bit of a roundabout way of doing things, but unfortunately this is how it has to be done when it comes to iPhones. With this done, I decided to activate my US SIM card as it is just under one month before I leave the USA again. This proved easier said than done, as the T Mobile USA website was down. I finally managed to get this done this morning and now have a US phone number and a generous data and text allowance. I "only" get 100 minutes for calls, but I am sure that will be plenty.


I also hit another snag that for once had nothing to do with IT, but it was KLM throwing a spanner in the works. Before I left for Dubai, I had submitted my application for a special kind of standby ticket that we could get once a year that was an extremely sweet deal. On Wednesday it transpired that KLM has discontinued this offer. The last departure date on this offer is the 15th September, which is exactly a week too early. Still, I just booked a normal standby ticket today, which is a little more expensive, but still with KLM and it gives me more control. In a way, I am quite relieved about this turn of events.


One thing that caused considerable amusement is that on 3rd September, I could order my lunch for Be Our Guest. I would suspect that most people would struggle to know what they want to eat on a given day a month in advance. However, I love the braised pork there and really want to try the Grey Stuff, which comes in the shape of His Master’s Cupcake. So there was never any doubt what I would have.


Last week also presented me with one of the best customer service experiences I had in a long time. As our trip has involved so much, I ended up making a bit of a pig’s ear of our reservation for Disney’s Magical Express. Graham also gets into Florida a couple of days after me and after our reservation starts and we started wondering if he could still use Disney’s Magical Express on arrival. So I decided to give them a call. I was a little surprised that there was a UK number to call. It turned out that can only add Disney’s Magical Express to bookings, but do not have enough access to make any changes. However, the cast member I spoke to offered to get hold of somebody who can help me. I was on hold for a while, but as I was calling a free phone number and got treated to music from the Disney attractions, I did not mind. I then spoke to a very nice cast member in Florida, who sorted my reservation out in no time at all and Graham can use Disney’s Magical Express when he gets there.


So as far as the holiday is concerned, I am pretty much there. I even have already done online check in for my flight to Amsterdam and printed off my documents. Over the weekend, I will put together a spreadsheet with dates, times and confirmation numbers so that I have everything in one place. I will also start organizing stuff I want to take like my The Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom spell cards, my trading pin lanyard and any accessories. I also need to work out all the bells and whistles of my point and shoot camera. Supposedly it is WiFi capable. Then it is just a question of packing the day before I leave for Amsterdam and doing online check in for Graham and me 24 hours before our respective departures. I wish I was that far advanced with the things I still have to get done at work.
 
The Dubai pics are very impressive! And your plans have come together nicely:thumbsup2! So soon!:cool1:
 

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