Canadian Buffoon's Disney With a Teen Vacation - 08/13 - The Wrap

[pkondz]

You're in big trouble with Lady H. I know we don't come to post very often, or as much as we would like to and used to; but you have always remembered an important date this time of year. Now you went and forgot. Lady H was a little sad this year and a little heartbroken cuz you didn't post anything.

Oh, crap crap crap crap!

Whoops! That should be
prac prac prac prac!

I was afraid of this.
I lost all my birthday reminders when my last iPod died.
(Didn't back that up. Don't know why.)

Do me a favour, Mike? Can you give me the actual date?
For future reference?

And tell her
(belated... crap!) from me!

 

[franandaj]

But I do know what you're saying about DCL.
I just don't know about the Character part of it.
Neither Ruby nor I are into the characters.

You can have an awesome cruise and not even bother with the characters at all. Just like the parks, if you don't wait in their lines you would t really be bothered. They are mostly in the lobby and you have to go specifically line 7p for them. We do because we like the pictures and pay in advance for the package, then we try to get the most of it by hitting as many photo ops as we can. However you can blow it off completely if that's not what you are into.

 

[Terra Nova guy]

Oh? Haven't heard.
What's going on with the Rivers of Light?

Well, officially Disney had said they would start that show this summer (and even did media preview of part of the show). But, according to the rumours on Disboards, the new show sank...literally. Apparently during the rehearsals/testing the barges began to sink. I think there have been some other technical issues with the water screens as well. That's why AK started the hastily cobbled together Jungle Book show. Last I heard is that Jungle Book finishes early September, but no official announcement on Rivers of Light yet.

 

[pkondz]

You can have an awesome cruise and not even bother with the characters at all. Just like the parks, if you don't wait in their lines you would t really be bothered. They are mostly in the lobby and you have to go specifically line 7p for them. We do because we like the pictures and pay in advance for the package, then we try to get the most of it by hitting as many photo ops as we can. However you can blow it off completely if that's not what you are into.

I understand that part. What about dining?
Like a 1900PF or CP kind of character dining?

Well, officially Disney had said they would start that show this summer (and even did media preview of part of the show). But, according to the rumours on Disboards, the new show sank...literally. Apparently during the rehearsals/testing the barges began to sink.

"No one told me the barges had to be waterproof!"

I think there have been some other technical issues with the water screens as well. That's why AK started the hastily cobbled together Jungle Book show. Last I heard is that Jungle Book finishes early September, but no official announcement on Rivers of Light yet.

Ah.

Either way, I don't think my schedule has me in AK in the evening.
With only three and a half days, I have to make tough calls.

 

[Mrs T 2009]

We took the DDs out of school in 2009.
We thought "It's the start of the year... what'll they miss?"
Just all the information that they'll need for the entire year.
Whoops!

YEAH... That is one reason we opt not to take trips during school time. Even though he is only going to be entering 3rd grade, it is still vital not to skip, unless needed lol

No, it's not.
But it is a trip!

Very True! And it will be our first trip going on a Disney Cruise! We can not wait!!!! I have so much to look into and get ready just for those 3 days!! haha
We will be at wdw parks for a few days beforehand, too. I am hoping we can keep the cruise a secret from our boys until we are at Disney world, then spring it on them that we get to go on a cruise, too! I hope they'll be as excited as we are!

 

[pkondz]

YEAH... That is one reason we opt not to take trips during school time. Even though he is only going to be entering 3rd grade, it is still vital not to skip, unless needed lol

At first it was "Yay! We're going to Disney!"

but then, for the rest of the year
(and even some of the next year)
"Why did you take us to Disney the first week of September!"

Very True! And it will be our first trip going on a Disney Cruise!

Oh, sure! Rub it in why don'tcha?

Just kidding. But I am jealous!
Maybe next year...

We can not wait!!!! I have so much to look into and get ready just for those 3 days!! haha

I hear that!
I was like.... "OMG. I know nothing about the cruise!"

We will be at wdw parks for a few days beforehand, too. I am hoping we can keep the cruise a secret from our boys until we are at Disney world, then spring it on them that we get to go on a cruise, too! I hope they'll be as excited as we are!

Oh, cool! That'll be a huge surprise!

 

[MHSweb79]

You can squeeze a lot of Disney in 3 days. I went with two friends in March and we averaged 17,000-19,000 steps per day. But we saw everything we wanted to! (Of course, they both fell asleep on the fake-o-rail at Orlando Airport, but I attribute that to their being Disney newbies more than my commando style.)

I believe the Montreal Olympics were famous for Nadia Comeneche getting perfect 10's, a first for gymnastics. Also, here in America, Bruce Jenner became a hero, that time for his gold medals, not his gold earrings. (Sorry, it was just too easy....)

 

[SoccerDogWithEars]

Wow. I'd say you're lucky you didn't get a nice little bill with your rental!

Surprisingly, it didn't scratch. And there was a small concave spot that I couldn't ever decide if it was a ding or the way the bumper was. Clearly they decided it was part of a bumper.

Consider the source, though.

True.

That was the long way around.
Added a few hours to the trip.

I was lucky that both times I went, Atlanta was the end destination. And our route to Florida is just straight down I-95 (branching off at 4, of course)

Oh, I hear you... I hear you.
We'll let the dogs out... after making sure there are no cars around...
And then all of a sudden, Luna will start running all over the place...
just as a car shows up out of nowhere.

Heart attack. Every time.

I need to invest in some or those treats.

Luckily, there haven't been any cars when Belle gets loose. Which is a good thing, because I saw my neighbor's dog get hit and I've never gotten over it. But most of the time she likes to go on her walkabouts at night, and she's solid black. We did finally invest in a light up collar. It's really fun to set it on strobe and let her loose in the backyard.

(or you could elope)


What? Did I say that out loud???

Sigh. Sometimes I think it'd be easier. Especially since my future-MIL tends to push EVERY button I have when it comes to discussing wedding plans. After she finishes whining that we haven't told her anything about the wedding.

Speaking of....I do keep meaning to update my PJ, but somehow never make it upstairs to the laptop.

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

WARNING!! WARNING!!
EXTREME DULLNESS AHEAD!!!
WARNING!!

So it will be like reading one of my TRs, then.

That is when I get around to updating them

Trust me,
(as you always should.)

Are you running for some king of political office?

No, today I decided... to drive around
and pick up poker chips at Harley dealerships.

I go out of my way to see ships; you go out of your way to see Harleys.
I can deal with that.

It was located on Stanley street.
I remember thinking "What an odd name for a street."

Silly me, I’d have just assumed it was a family name with importance to the city.
Oh wait, technically it is, just through an object named for a person

Yeah. Okay. I'm an idiot.
(Would you please stop nodding in agreement!!)

Who me?
Nodding?
Nodding off, maybe but as for the idiot comment…
You’re in good company.

I snapped this picture of a train station.
Just for you.

Magnanimous of you.

Imposing, no?

Imposing yes…
In a nineteenth century penitentiary kind of way.

But I promise, if anyone's still reading,

Zzzzzzz…

Eventually, my car showed up
and we did the walk around thing.
You know, the one where they make a point
of ignoring any dings?

Not to worry, they’ll be far more thorough when you return it.

For those who've been following along
since my first TR...
(And for Gawd's sake... why?)

Remember… idiots… you said it yourself.
(Although I did join up a bit latter then that one, so I’m actually an unobservant idiot)

Betty... (Her full name is... uh... 'Itching Betty.
except her name is a tautogram.
And now you have something to Google.)

More like a bit of alliteration, add a couple more words to the name and it’d be more applicable.

Yeah, I’m being a smart-s** here, but that’s kind’a my job, so…

So... a two hour round trip for a poker chip.

But it’s a very nice poker chip.

(I warned you... I warned you!
Have your eyes glazed over yet?)

Huh, what?
Ummmm, no…
No, not at all…
It’s not like I was looking at other web sites during this part of something like that
<<quickly hits Alt-Tab>>

I wanted something cold,
and a little sumptin-sumptin
to gnaw on.

Oooooo, I like where this is going…
Oh, wait, you just talking about food.
Never mind.

And I knew just the place.
Heck every Canadian knows just the place.
And by now, you probably do too.

I wouldn’t be betting against it.

3. It takes credit cards... At $12 a pop, it better!

Must be some high class parking based on that price.

I stopped what I was doing
and looked... really looked at the machine.


oh


It wasn't obvious,
but for that one question,
you were supposed to push somewhere else.

I hate it when software developers do << insert swear word of choice here>> like that…
Be consistent people! Sheeeese….
Especially if you want folks to give up 12$ bucks just for parking.

Wait? What is that in US, I haven’t looked at the exchange rate lately?

That's the Olympic Stadium in the background.
Well... part of it.
Actually, what you can see,
is the tallest inclined tower in the world.

Cool, huh?

Looks like some kind of three-eyed alien robot preparing to vomit on all the terrified humans below.
So yeah, very cool indeed!

Built for the 1976 Olympics,
the stadium is still the largest seating
capacity stadium in Canada.

Wasn’t the tower itself not yet completed when the games started?
Trying to remember back to my early teens here, so I may be wrong about that.

Or the "Big Owe" for what it cost.

I do remember something about it bankrupting the city.
But then again, that’s common for most Olympic host cities

As I approached the ticket booth,
my eye fell upon this sign.
I picked it up, put it back in its socket

Are. You. Frickin'. Kidding. Me?????

Bend over s'il vous plait.

It cost me $12 to park my car for 5 minutes.

The Big Ow.

As I drove off in disgust, I sadly shook my head.
Guess you know what that means, don't you?

You’re headed to the Musee des Beaux-Arts instead?

Well, too bad! We're off to another Harley store!

Same thing…
If you consider motorcycles to be Beaux-Art

Until I reached for my iced lemonade.
The one that I'd had maybe a quarter of.
The one that I left on top of the #$&^#* ticket machine!!!

I passed the Botanical Garden again.
You know. Just to rub salt in the wound.

That actually speeds the healing, ya’ know.
Hurts like a….
But still.

Apparently, in Montreal, rush hour means
every man (or woman... or uber... or Tesla...)
for himself (or herself.)

Not unlike many metropolitan areas.

Maybe it's because I'm from a relatively small city.

I find that fact does make me a bit spoiled at times…

It's a lateral game of chicken.

Or bumper cars…

If I lived there I’d be tempted to hang old tires off the side of the car like tug boats have been known to do. Then you can get out there and jostle around a bit…
<<wham>> got back over there ya’ moron!

I don't remember what we rented,
only that we couldn't watch it.
The TV had so much static,
that it rendered the movie un-watchable.

Most current films are neigh unwatchable in the first place.
The static may have been an enhancement.

Still reading?

<<alt-tab>>
What?
Did you say something?

First. Luna.

You're gonn’a need a bigger cone-of-shame

"SHE GOT OUT OF HER LEASH!! CAN SOMEBODY HELP ME!!

Surprise, surprise, surprise…

Maybe we'll be lucky and she'll be okay.
Today, she seems fine. No limping.

I’ve got my money on: y’all got lucky and she’s good.

I had an idea a few days ago, to simplify things a bit.

Rube Goldberg would not approve.

But... dang...
What is with this dog and cones/collars/leashes?

Seems pretty normal as critters go.

Thanks to everyone for the kind words
not only in reference to Luna,
but to the cancelled trip as well.

That was unfortunate

Well.... maybe we can try next year on the cruise.
Gives me more time to research it, anyway.
And... <puts on flame suit> maybe a Disney cruise
isn't the best option for us.
Maybe it is... maybe it isn't.

No flames…
You can do very well for less bucks on other lines.
DCL is wonderful, and hands down, maybe the best at it.
(Especially for those of us with the Dis bug), but for a couple of reasons they are pricey.
In any case, I’m willing to bet that once you try cruising, you’ll be hooked.
It’s quite addictive.

"Well, maybe we can do something around here?" She said.
"Maybe Banff?"

Cool!
I won’t be getting up that way any time soon, so I’d love to read about that one.

I mean... if I just zipped down for a couple or three days...
on my own....
wouldn't cost that much.
I have a pin code for the resort....
Got a discount code and WestJet dollars for the flight...

Oh?

Ruby said do it.
"You've been working so much. You need this."

You married well above you pay grade, sir.
(which is true for most guys, actually)

I fly out on September 14th, arriving that afternoon.
Spend a few days in Disney.
Fly home on the 18th.
It's all booked.

Good for you.

As of right now, we’ll be arriving on the 18th.
I’ll wave at you as we pass one-n-other at the Welcome Gate.

 

[Mrs T 2009]

At first it was "Yay! We're going to Disney!"

but then, for the rest of the year
(and even some of the next year)
"Why did you take us to Disney the first week of September!"

Yeah. I remember taking a trip when I was in highschool and one of my younger sisters teachers yelled at my mom because we were gone during testing time and my sister sets the curve ( she's a smart cookie!)
We never went on another vacation during school time again!!

Oh, sure! Rub it in why don'tcha?

Just kidding. But I am jealous!
Maybe next year...

Fingers crossed!!!!!

I hear that!

I was like.... "OMG. I know nothing about the cruise!"

Right! I have been reading up on some things, but I need to get deep into the research soon!!!!! March will be here before we know it!!

Oh, cool! That'll be a huge surprise!

Well, that is the plan. Only time will tell!!

 

[Thumper_Man]

Oh, crap crap crap crap!

Whoops! That should be
prac prac prac prac!

I was afraid of this.
I lost all my birthday reminders when my last iPod died.
(Didn't back that up. Don't know why.)

Do me a favour, Mike? Can you give me the actual date?
For future reference?

And tell her
(belated... crap!) from me!

Wish her a Happy Birthday from you huh. Oh sure, leave me to do your dirty work. And here I thought we were friends. Is the part they say keep your friends close and your enemies closer?

Ok. I'll tell her. Wish me luck.

July 18th is her birthday.

 

[franandaj]

I understand that part. What about dining?
Like a 1900PF or CP kind of character dining?

I think the cruise has to be at least a week long to have character breakfasts. On my recent cruise they sort of messed up my breakfast plans because of character breakfast, but I survived.

 

[cindianne320]

I think the cruise has to be at least a week long to have character breakfasts. On my recent cruise they sort of messed up my breakfast plans because of character breakfast, but I survived.

Character Breakfasts only occur on the 7+ night cruises, and they are completely optional. So no worries there!

 

[pkondz]

You can squeeze a lot of Disney in 3 days.

Oh, I know! I've done it several times.


One of these days, I'm going to stay
for more than 3-5 days and see what that's like.

I went with two friends in March and we averaged 17,000-19,000 steps per day. But we saw everything we wanted to!

(Of course, they both fell asleep on the fake-o-rail at Orlando Airport, but I attribute that to their being Disney newbies more than my commando style.)

Disney is one of those places you come home
from needing a vacation.

I believe the Montreal Olympics were famous for Nadia Comeneche getting perfect 10's, a first for gymnastics.

There are a few other things that stood out.
Unfortunately, one of them was:
"First summer games host country not to win a gold medal."

But along with Jenner and Comaneci,
there was Sugar Ray Leonard (and Leon and Michael Spinks.)

And Princess Anne (the Queen's daughter)
competed with the equestrian team.

Also, here in America, Bruce Jenner became a hero, that time for his gold medals, not his gold earrings. (Sorry, it was just too easy....)

 

[pkondz]

Surprisingly, it didn't scratch. And there was a small concave spot that I couldn't ever decide if it was a ding or the way the bumper was. Clearly they decided it was part of a bumper.

You're lucky there, that's for sure.

I was lucky that both times I went, Atlanta was the end destination. And our route to Florida is just straight down I-95 (branching off at 4, of course)

Ours takes us through on I-75.
I don't think there's a shorter way
that avoids Atlanta.
We could go via Birmingham,
but it adds time.

Luckily, there haven't been any cars when Belle gets loose. Which is a good thing, because I saw my neighbor's dog get hit and I've never gotten over it.

Oh, man. I'm sorry.
That's not something anyone would want to see.

One of Ruby's co-workers just saw her dog
get hit and killed about a week or two ago.

But most of the time she likes to go on her walkabouts at night, and she's solid black. We did finally invest in a light up collar. It's really fun to set it on strobe and let her loose in the backyard.

Now that's hysterical!
I called Kay over and read that to her.

Sigh. Sometimes I think it'd be easier. Especially since my future-MIL tends to push EVERY button I have when it comes to discussing wedding plans.

Deep breaths. Deeeeep breaths.
Wedding planning can be stressful,
but if you do that... it makes for
an (hopefully) unstressful wedding day.

After she finishes whining that we haven't told her anything about the wedding.

Been there. Done that.

Speaking of....I do keep meaning to update my PJ, but somehow never make it upstairs to the laptop.

Okay, so now I'm going to sound dumb.
But since that's never stopped me before...


What the heck does PJ stand for, anyway??
Pre-wedding Jitters?

 

[pkondz]

So it will be like reading one of my TRs, then.

Pretty much.

That is when I get around to updating them

Are you running for some king of political office?

Depends. Will you vote for me?

I go out of my way to see ships; you go out of your way to see Harleys.
I can deal with that.

Everybody's gotta have a hobby.

Silly me, I’d have just assumed it was a family name with importance to the city.
Oh wait, technically it is, just through an object named for a person

Who me?
Nodding?
Nodding off, maybe

Hey! Wake u.... uh.... nevermind.
Go back to sleep.
You ain't missing much, here.

but as for the idiot comment…
You’re in good company.

Good to be part of the club!

Magnanimous of you.

Of course. I'm always thinking of you guys.

Actually.... I really am.
I find myself thinking:
"That would be good in the TR!"

Imposing yes…
In a nineteenth century penitentiary kind of way.

Zzzzzzz…

Keep on snoozin'
Nuttin' to see here.

Not to worry, they’ll be far more thorough when you return it.

Actually, I don't think they were.
I parked the car, walked inside
and handed the keys over.
Got a receipt... left.

If there had been damage,
what could they have done after I left?

Remember… idiots… you said it yourself.
(Although I did join up a bit latter then that one, so I’m actually an unobservant idiot)

Good to know.

More like a bit of alliteration, add a couple more words to the name and it’d be more applicable.

Yeah, I’m being a smart-s** here, but that’s kind’a my job, so…

Are you sure? I couldn't find
a minimum word count for a tautogram.
And isn't every tautogram an alliteration
(but every alliteration isn't a tautogram)?

Huh, what?
Ummmm, no…
No, not at all…
It’s not like I was looking at other web sites during this part of something like that
<<quickly hits Alt-Tab>>

Oh, go right ahead.
No matter what's on that other tab,
it's got to be more interesting than this!

Oooooo, I like where this is going…
Oh, wait, you just talking about food.
Never mind.

Okay.
Now I've got to know
what you were thinking of!

Must be some high class parking based on that price.

Oh absolutely!
There were lines painted on the concrete
and everything!

I hate it when software developers do << insert swear word of choice here>> like that…
Be consistent people! Sheeeese….
Especially if you want folks to give up 12$ bucks just for parking.

Wait? What is that in US, I haven’t looked at the exchange rate lately?

Yeah, no kidding.

And, uh... that'd be about $9 US.
But it doesn't matter.
If I make $10/hr and you make $10/hr,
and then we both spend $10 for a movie...
The value is the same, no?

Looks like some kind of three-eyed alien robot preparing to vomit on all the terrified humans below.
So yeah, very cool indeed!

Never looked at it like that before!

Wasn’t the tower itself not yet completed when the games started?
Trying to remember back to my early teens here, so I may be wrong about that.

I don't remember that.
I think the problem was with the retractable roof not working properly.

I do remember something about it bankrupting the city.
But then again, that’s common for most Olympic host cities

Yep.

Thank you.
I'm here all week.

Bend over s'il vous plait.

The Big Ow.

Very good.

You’re headed to the Musee des Beaux-Arts instead?

You're so close!

Same thing…
If you consider motorcycles to be Beaux-Art

There. See?
Close.

<sigh> yeah....

Or bumper cars…

If I lived there I’d be tempted to hang old tires off the side of the car like tug boats have been known to do. Then you can get out there and jostle around a bit…
<<wham>> got back over there ya’ moron!

I like that!
Actually, I'd love to rent/borrow an old junker.
"Want to play chicken? I'm not as scared of a dent as you are!"

Most current films are neigh unwatchable in the first place.
The static may have been an enhancement.

Good point.
I was just mentioning that to Kay.

I was talking about some movie
and saying how you used to have to have
a bit of intelligence to "get it".
Now they mostly seem to play to
the lowest common denominator.

<<alt-tab>>
What?
Did you say something?

Nope. Go back over there.

You're gonn’a need a bigger cone-of-shame

I’ve got my money on: y’all got lucky and she’s good.

So far, so good.
Doesn't seem to have suffered
any ill effects.
The vet (plus x-rays) will tell us.

Rube Goldberg would not approve.

He wasn't consulted.

He does tend to go on and on...

Seems pretty normal as critters go.

Pretty much.

No flames…
You can do very well for less bucks on other lines.
DCL is wonderful, and hands down, maybe the best at it.
(Especially for those of us with the Dis bug), but for a couple of reasons they are pricey.
In any case, I’m willing to bet that once you try cruising, you’ll be hooked.
It’s quite addictive.

That's what I'm afraid of!!

Cool!
I won’t be getting up that way any time soon, so I’d love to read about that one.

I have to write about that too??!?!??!?

You married well above you pay grade, sir.
(which is true for most guys, actually)

Yes.
To both statements.

As of right now, we’ll be arriving on the 18th.
I’ll wave at you as we pass one-n-other at the Welcome Gate.

Ah, crap.
Would've been nice to meet up.

 

[pkondz]

Yeah. I remember taking a trip when I was in highschool and one of my younger sisters teachers yelled at my mom because we were gone during testing time and my sister sets the curve ( she's a smart cookie!)
We never went on another vacation during school time again!!

See? See? There ya go!

Right! I have been reading up on some things, but I need to get deep into the research soon!!!!! March will be here before we know it!!

First it's "I've got all year to figure this out."
then it's "I've got six months."
then it's "I've got six weeks."

Then it's "So I'm on this cruise
and I know nothing about it."

 

[pkondz]

Wish her a Happy Birthday from you huh. Oh sure, leave me to do your dirty work.

Well, I sure as heck ain't gonna risk it!!

And here I thought we were friends. Is the part they say keep your friends close and your enemies closer?

Who, me?

Ok. I'll tell her. Wish me luck.

Don't forget to duck, afterwards.

July 18th is her birthday.

Got it! Thanks.

I think the cruise has to be at least a week long to have character breakfasts.

On my recent cruise they sort of messed up my breakfast plans because of character breakfast, but I survived.

Character Breakfasts only occur on the 7+ night cruises, and they are completely optional. So no worries there!

Thanks guys!

 

[Steppesister]

One of these days, I'm going to stay
for more than 3-5 days and see what that's like.

Just catching up on the chit chat.

I know everyone has their style, but for us, it just seems to be best to go for a LONG trip (like 10 days) and slow down a bit (still busy, but doing less line standing and more of the "off the beaten path" stuff). Then we can also do other trips too and see more than just Disney. GASP! I know... But yeah, there is more than Disney vacations.

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

Depends. Will you vote for me?

Beats a large number of my other choices.

Vouch for me and maybe I could immigrate up that way…
That might be a significantly better option.

Good to be part of the club!

Everyone! Join in for our official Club Cheer!

I!
D!
Ten!
T!

I!
D!
Ten!
T!

I!
D!
Ten!
T!

Duuuuuuuuuuh!

Of course. I'm always thinking of you guys.



Actually.... I really am.
I find myself thinking:
"That would be good in the TR!"

I do the same…
And then I get around to not writing about it.

Are you sure? I couldn't find
a minimum word count for a tautogram.
And isn't every tautogram an alliteration
(but every alliteration isn't a tautogram)?

You’re probably correct, but part of being a smart-a** is focusing on trifling, mundane, and irrelevant details in order to draw attention away from one’s deficiencies in understanding.

There are those who regularly give grandiose and long winded speeches every couple years down this way that prove the point.

Oh, go right ahead.
No matter what's on that other tab,
it's got to be more interesting than this!

But they’re some very nice poker chips…

Okay.
Now I've got to know
what you were thinking of!

Ummmm…

Well…

Ok, take the notion of a little bit of nibbling combined with the potential phraseology implied by “sumptin-sumptin” and…

Well…
You know, family board and all…


Ok, I’ll go over and stand in the corner for a while.

Oh absolutely!
There were lines painted on the concrete
and everything!

Cool! We got those down here as well.
Do the folks up that way park so as to cover up as many of those lines with a single car as possible like they do here?

And, uh... that'd be about $9 US.
But it doesn't matter.
If I make $10/hr and you make $10/hr,
and then we both spend $10 for a movie...
The value is the same, no?

Probably, If I thought it though.
I was really interested in how far off that was for any other type of event parking that I might normally encounter. $9 is pricey, but parking along the coast of SC can vary from $5 up to $15 (US) for a day and depending on the city and area, that might even be an hourly rate. Parking in downtown Atlanta is comparable to what you experienced as well. It’s really the fact that it was all for not that made it painful.

I don't remember that.
I think the problem was with the retractable roof not working properly.

Since it stuck in my mind I did go do some quick wiki research (not definitive but relatively reliable of general topics). The tower wasn’t finished at the time the games opened and the tower and roof weren’t completed until 1987.

I found a shot of the opening ceremonies where you can see the base of the tower with the construction crane overhead.

I was talking about some movie
and saying how you used to have to have
a bit of intelligence to "get it".
Now they mostly seem to play to
the lowest common denominator.

That’s similar to my take as well.

Humor has also changed since I was a young man.
It’s become all about being awkward, purposely embarrassing others and drawing that pain out for excruciatingly long periods of time. To me, stuff like that isn’t funny, it’s just bullying and I don’t laugh so much as just feel awful for seeing it.

And I’ve yet to hear an acceptable explanation as to why super “heroes” are fighting each other rather than serving the common good.

That's what I'm afraid of!!

What we learned very quickly is that longer is better. Three days is only enough to make you want more. Five is really about the shortest cruise that is satisfying, but don’t give up on a random 3-4 day if the price is right.

I really should make myself restart that TR I began on out last DCL trip.

I have to write about that too??!?!??!?

Pbfffft!
Like you weren’t already planning it out in your mind.

Pa-lease…

Ah, crap.
Would've been nice to meet up.

Win some loose some…

When are you leaving that Sunday?
We hope to be On-World by mid-morning and have a 1:30 lunch reservations at Raglan Road.
Likely too late, but if you were to drop by I’d gladly offer ya' a drink for the road.