NiniMorris
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2008
- Messages
- 2,910
I have to agree! I really expected more issues with either the Magic Bands or the FP+ or even the DAS. This trip actually went much smoother than any of us thought it would.
Nini
Disney...by Land and Sea...Morris Style!
- Thread starter NiniMorris
- Start date
I have to agree! I really expected more issues with either the Magic Bands or the FP+ or even the DAS. This trip actually went much smoother than any of us thought it would.
Nini
NiniMorris
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2008
- Messages
- 2,910
Our FP+ for this park were not great
of course there is nothing really great to ride here except Soarin and Test Track. Our selections were:
Space ship Earth 11:10
Living with the Land 12:50
Soarin 1:50
Dinner at Tutto Italia 7:30
I did not get one for Test Track since I figured during the day Soarin was a longer line than Test Track, which we could catch at rope drop.
Our first ride of the day was Test Track. As usually, Miss B had the most efficient car while Mr D had the most powerful. Since it was still early and practically no wait, we rode only 4 to a car. As we left, we pulled a DAS pass and started towards Norway to ride Maelstrom because evidently I cant tell time and completely forgot that it is not open until 11am!!! So we turned back and went to TT and let the guys ride. Miss B had a headache and did not want to ride. We figured we would try again later in the afternoon for another ride. They got off the second TT ride at 9:32.
Since we had so much time to kill, we headed to Mr Ds favorite ride of all Figment. Then Miss B (for what ever reason I cant fathom) wanted to see Captain EO. After I rode it a year ago I said never again..it was the worst use of time I ever wasted! But ride it we did and it was still not much better than the first time. In fact, I almost fell asleep! After this we went towards Spaceship Earth to use our first FP+
This was a waste of a FP+, but there really wasnt a lot to put in its place. We used to go in the handicap entrance, but one the DAS came out they would not let us use that any more we had to use a FP+ or a DAS pass. I decided on a FP+ and of course they made us go to the handicapped entrance! Oh well!
Then we decided to have lunch at Sunshine Seasons and then Living with the land for our second FP+ . This is the first time we have done Living with the Land when there were actual people working in the greenhouses and an actual living with the seeds tour. I now have two kids and a husband that are begging for this tour on our next trip. Of course it has been one of my dreams for a long time to do this, but I figured if I suggested it no one would want to do it! SCORE! My birthday trip in October will now include this !!
We then rode Soarin at 2:14 with our last FP+, pulled a DAS pass for later and headed to the Seas. This is a place I could spend hours at, but the rest of the family not so much. We were fortunate enough to catch the tail end of the dolphin show that I did not know existed!
I decided since my vertigo was trying to raise its head I would pass on Soarin this time and found a place to sit that appeared to be quiet. What I didnt realize was it was one of the FP+ kiosks. No problem, I love to people watch. Unfortunately, what I witnessed was beyond being rude! When someone would walk up the two CMs would explain all about what the FP + was and how it made the whole trip so much better. It let you chose the time you wanted to ride a particular ride and was basically the greatest thing since sliced bread. Then they would ask for either Soarin or Test Track and she would smiling tell them they were too late for that but they could see O Canada or Captain EO.
As the guest would leave the CM would laugh and remark to the male CM she was trying to impress, that she just loved the look on peoples faces after she spent 5 minutes building up the d*** thing that there was nothing left for them except the dregs! (It was the least Disney could do for her since they paid her so little)
She then went on to complain about how little she makes and how Disney wants to run her life. She is not allowed to wear any body piercings or have any tattoos while she is working but she will show them she has tons of piercings (and would be glad to show the male Cm any time he wanted and the tattoos are not in places you can see unless she took her clothes off..
At one time she told a family that since they did not set up FP+ before they got there they couldnt set up anything for the next day so I showed them how to do it on their phone They were going to Magic Kingdom the next day and they wanted to make sure they got to ride BTMRR. So I showed them how to set one up and to get there at rope drop and ride it first thing and then have their FP+ for after lunch when the line was longer.
She was just too far from me to read her name tag, and I tried to glance over at it as we were leaving the area, but she was talking to someone and I could not get a good look .
Because there was a severe t storm warning out I wanted to charge my phone to keep up with the storm, so we headed to Starbucks. Hubby got him some coffee and we charged my phone.
Then proceeded to walk around the countries. No particular interest, just wanted to stop and see things we sometimes miss and to get some pictures of things we see but never stop to actually look at.
As we arrived in Italy, I saw the clouds looking very ominous. The radar indicated we should have storms within a few minutes so I asked it we could go to our ADR 2 hours early they said yes, and we barely made it in before the bottom fell out.
Food at Tutto Italia was great even if our server had such a thick accent it was hard to understand her, she was very helpful in trying to help us decide what we wanted.
The people behind us was horrible! I know kids can be a hand full, and they had 2 small kids. One who wanted to sing let it go during the whole meal (which was fine by me he actually had a pretty good voice for a 4 year old)
My problem wasnt with the kids, it was with the parents. The youngest one (probably about 2) got sick and threw up. There first concern was would the restaurant comp their meals since they didnt get to enjoy it fully. After the manager agreed, they proceeded to ask for dessert to go and finished every bit of their meal Mother even left a used diaper at the table so not only did they have to don gloves and thoroughly clean the mess, they got stiffed on the food bill as well as the tip! I am a Mom. I know things like this happen. Unless it is the food that makes the kids sick I would never have the nerve to ask for the meal to be comped! It was not the restaurants fault the kids got sick. More than likely just too much stimulation. But I would NEVER stiff a waiter or waitress a tip! Especially if I left them a larger mess to clean up than they were expecting.
After dinner, we managed to find the wheelchair (evidently someone though their stroller should be under the cover and moved our wheelchair out to the middle where it was drowned! We grabbed our ponchos, made a dry spot for Mr D to sit with an extra poncho I always carry extras! Made sure nothing was ruined from getting wet (always pack things in zip lock bags!)and decided to head out of the park. I had really wanted to see the fireworks, and eve though the storms had subsided to just a hard drizzle and the fireworks were still on, it was only 7 ish and we would have to wait another 2 hours for them to start. Since the area around Soarin and the Seas closed early for some function, the only real ride we care about was Test Track, and because of all the lightning in the area it was still closed we decided to head back to the room after a quick stop oro coffee at Starbucks!
This was the first day my husband noticed the Argentinean teenaged tour groups. He was not impressed. They attempted to take over the FP line for Soarin, and when they were all turned away because they did not have a FP+, they were very vocal and rude! He said they all seemed to learn English really fast as they started shouting expletives about Americans
And then while he was getting our lunch they got upset that their vouchers were not good for food unless their tour guide was with them to pay! Some of them got into a shouting match and the security had to escort them out!
All I saw of them that day was how rude they got when in mass. When there was just one or two or maybe four they were nice, but get them in a group of 50 or so and they took on a mob mentality. (and before anyone says anything I KNOW it has less to do with their nationality and more to do with their age!) I guess when we lived in Europe, we always stressed to our kids that we were ambassadors for our county. Whatever we did people would think all Americans were that way. But we did have quite a few teaching moments about manners and mob mentality!
Over all this was a successful day. While it was our first rain out at Disney, we still got to ride everything we wanted and had a great meal. Other than some rude teens and a horrible CM (and some just bad parents) It was a fantastic day!
Up next...our last day in the parks...
Nini
Space ship Earth 11:10
Living with the Land 12:50
Soarin 1:50
Dinner at Tutto Italia 7:30
I did not get one for Test Track since I figured during the day Soarin was a longer line than Test Track, which we could catch at rope drop.
Our first ride of the day was Test Track. As usually, Miss B had the most efficient car while Mr D had the most powerful. Since it was still early and practically no wait, we rode only 4 to a car. As we left, we pulled a DAS pass and started towards Norway to ride Maelstrom because evidently I cant tell time and completely forgot that it is not open until 11am!!! So we turned back and went to TT and let the guys ride. Miss B had a headache and did not want to ride. We figured we would try again later in the afternoon for another ride. They got off the second TT ride at 9:32.
Since we had so much time to kill, we headed to Mr Ds favorite ride of all Figment. Then Miss B (for what ever reason I cant fathom) wanted to see Captain EO. After I rode it a year ago I said never again..it was the worst use of time I ever wasted! But ride it we did and it was still not much better than the first time. In fact, I almost fell asleep! After this we went towards Spaceship Earth to use our first FP+
This was a waste of a FP+, but there really wasnt a lot to put in its place. We used to go in the handicap entrance, but one the DAS came out they would not let us use that any more we had to use a FP+ or a DAS pass. I decided on a FP+ and of course they made us go to the handicapped entrance! Oh well!
Then we decided to have lunch at Sunshine Seasons and then Living with the land for our second FP+ . This is the first time we have done Living with the Land when there were actual people working in the greenhouses and an actual living with the seeds tour. I now have two kids and a husband that are begging for this tour on our next trip. Of course it has been one of my dreams for a long time to do this, but I figured if I suggested it no one would want to do it! SCORE! My birthday trip in October will now include this !!
We then rode Soarin at 2:14 with our last FP+, pulled a DAS pass for later and headed to the Seas. This is a place I could spend hours at, but the rest of the family not so much. We were fortunate enough to catch the tail end of the dolphin show that I did not know existed!
I decided since my vertigo was trying to raise its head I would pass on Soarin this time and found a place to sit that appeared to be quiet. What I didnt realize was it was one of the FP+ kiosks. No problem, I love to people watch. Unfortunately, what I witnessed was beyond being rude! When someone would walk up the two CMs would explain all about what the FP + was and how it made the whole trip so much better. It let you chose the time you wanted to ride a particular ride and was basically the greatest thing since sliced bread. Then they would ask for either Soarin or Test Track and she would smiling tell them they were too late for that but they could see O Canada or Captain EO.
As the guest would leave the CM would laugh and remark to the male CM she was trying to impress, that she just loved the look on peoples faces after she spent 5 minutes building up the d*** thing that there was nothing left for them except the dregs! (It was the least Disney could do for her since they paid her so little)
She then went on to complain about how little she makes and how Disney wants to run her life. She is not allowed to wear any body piercings or have any tattoos while she is working but she will show them she has tons of piercings (and would be glad to show the male Cm any time he wanted and the tattoos are not in places you can see unless she took her clothes off..
At one time she told a family that since they did not set up FP+ before they got there they couldnt set up anything for the next day so I showed them how to do it on their phone They were going to Magic Kingdom the next day and they wanted to make sure they got to ride BTMRR. So I showed them how to set one up and to get there at rope drop and ride it first thing and then have their FP+ for after lunch when the line was longer.
She was just too far from me to read her name tag, and I tried to glance over at it as we were leaving the area, but she was talking to someone and I could not get a good look .
Because there was a severe t storm warning out I wanted to charge my phone to keep up with the storm, so we headed to Starbucks. Hubby got him some coffee and we charged my phone.
Then proceeded to walk around the countries. No particular interest, just wanted to stop and see things we sometimes miss and to get some pictures of things we see but never stop to actually look at.
As we arrived in Italy, I saw the clouds looking very ominous. The radar indicated we should have storms within a few minutes so I asked it we could go to our ADR 2 hours early they said yes, and we barely made it in before the bottom fell out.
Food at Tutto Italia was great even if our server had such a thick accent it was hard to understand her, she was very helpful in trying to help us decide what we wanted.
The people behind us was horrible! I know kids can be a hand full, and they had 2 small kids. One who wanted to sing let it go during the whole meal (which was fine by me he actually had a pretty good voice for a 4 year old)
My problem wasnt with the kids, it was with the parents. The youngest one (probably about 2) got sick and threw up. There first concern was would the restaurant comp their meals since they didnt get to enjoy it fully. After the manager agreed, they proceeded to ask for dessert to go and finished every bit of their meal Mother even left a used diaper at the table so not only did they have to don gloves and thoroughly clean the mess, they got stiffed on the food bill as well as the tip! I am a Mom. I know things like this happen. Unless it is the food that makes the kids sick I would never have the nerve to ask for the meal to be comped! It was not the restaurants fault the kids got sick. More than likely just too much stimulation. But I would NEVER stiff a waiter or waitress a tip! Especially if I left them a larger mess to clean up than they were expecting.
After dinner, we managed to find the wheelchair (evidently someone though their stroller should be under the cover and moved our wheelchair out to the middle where it was drowned! We grabbed our ponchos, made a dry spot for Mr D to sit with an extra poncho I always carry extras! Made sure nothing was ruined from getting wet (always pack things in zip lock bags!)and decided to head out of the park. I had really wanted to see the fireworks, and eve though the storms had subsided to just a hard drizzle and the fireworks were still on, it was only 7 ish and we would have to wait another 2 hours for them to start. Since the area around Soarin and the Seas closed early for some function, the only real ride we care about was Test Track, and because of all the lightning in the area it was still closed we decided to head back to the room after a quick stop oro coffee at Starbucks!
This was the first day my husband noticed the Argentinean teenaged tour groups. He was not impressed. They attempted to take over the FP line for Soarin, and when they were all turned away because they did not have a FP+, they were very vocal and rude! He said they all seemed to learn English really fast as they started shouting expletives about Americans
And then while he was getting our lunch they got upset that their vouchers were not good for food unless their tour guide was with them to pay! Some of them got into a shouting match and the security had to escort them out!
All I saw of them that day was how rude they got when in mass. When there was just one or two or maybe four they were nice, but get them in a group of 50 or so and they took on a mob mentality. (and before anyone says anything I KNOW it has less to do with their nationality and more to do with their age!) I guess when we lived in Europe, we always stressed to our kids that we were ambassadors for our county. Whatever we did people would think all Americans were that way. But we did have quite a few teaching moments about manners and mob mentality!
Over all this was a successful day. While it was our first rain out at Disney, we still got to ride everything we wanted and had a great meal. Other than some rude teens and a horrible CM (and some just bad parents) It was a fantastic day!
Up next...our last day in the parks...
Nini
DMGeurts
Never open texts with the "Hand Sewn Button" attac
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2008
- Messages
- 9,666
It sounds like you had a wonderful and full day at Epcot! Awesome!
That CM at Soarin' was rediculous - I wish you could have gotten her name! Very un-Disney-like. :/
It seems like your day really rolled along quite nicely with the use of the FP+ system, you were able to plan your day around those times and not overload yourselves with too much walking... I do like that about FP+...
It really sucks that someone moved Mr. D's wheelchair though- what were they thinking? I hope he didn't get too wet.
And those parents - seriously!? - How awful is that? I would NEVER ask for a meal to be comped as a result of my child's behavior, the only way I would EVER ask is if it was the restaurant's fault in some way! And then to leave a disaster & bio hazards behind in an eating establishment... Eeeew! And WRONG! That makes me so angry to think people are really like that - I would NEVER!
Kind of scary about the tour groups... I hope we never go at a time where we have to experience them.
I am excited to hear about your last day!
D~
That CM at Soarin' was rediculous - I wish you could have gotten her name! Very un-Disney-like. :/
It seems like your day really rolled along quite nicely with the use of the FP+ system, you were able to plan your day around those times and not overload yourselves with too much walking... I do like that about FP+...
It really sucks that someone moved Mr. D's wheelchair though- what were they thinking? I hope he didn't get too wet.
And those parents - seriously!? - How awful is that? I would NEVER ask for a meal to be comped as a result of my child's behavior, the only way I would EVER ask is if it was the restaurant's fault in some way! And then to leave a disaster & bio hazards behind in an eating establishment... Eeeew! And WRONG! That makes me so angry to think people are really like that - I would NEVER!
Kind of scary about the tour groups... I hope we never go at a time where we have to experience them.
I am excited to hear about your last day!
D~
babynala
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2007
- Messages
- 1,645
Sounds like you made the best of your "short" visit. Glad you missed the cold weather here but I can't believe you still had all that ice. As of yesterday afternoon we still had snow piles by the trash cans and on the roof where the sun must not hit, but still pretty surprising since it has been warm these last few days. My DH did shovel on Thursday afternoon when the "ice" started turning to slush before it could melt again. At least the roads were good for your travel.
I can't believe that the CMs are not given a better training about the DAS, it has been around awhile and it is a pretty significant change from the old system. How frustrating that they gave them a hard time at SM, and to be accused of trying to get around the system.
How do they determine the return time? During our visit it January they were basing it off the FP return time but I was wondering what they use now since that system is gone. I saw a mom getting her DAS filled out to come back later at the Little Mermaid ride, the CM was letting her pick her return time because the given time was too early (they had an ADR I think), which I thought was nice. I really hope that your conversation with some of the managers makes it to the powers that be. Feedback from the users of the system could go a long way to improving the system and making it easier for those with special considerations.
I can't even imagine that family at your ADR. It is hard to believe that there are people like this out in the world.
The tour groups didn't really bother us during our early January trip this year. There were a few groups but not a ton like we have experienced on other Jan trips. My parents actually commented that the foreign (mostly South American) tourists we encountered were more polite than their American counterparts. There were lots of family groups and the tour groups we did encounter were acting like normal teens having fun. Nothing like last year when my brother and I ended up on EE in the last car filled with a tour group - we didn't care for the chanting on the way up the hill! Of course once the first hill came it was screaming all around!!
Your AK safari rides sounds amazing. I never would have thought that was how they feed the animals. Can't wait to see your pictures.
Your visit to the fire station has me very concerned. I'm sure the stress of the day (SM and DAS issue) and the smoking didn't help but it does sound like it could be something more. Hope the doctors can give you an answer.
I can't believe that the CMs are not given a better training about the DAS, it has been around awhile and it is a pretty significant change from the old system. How frustrating that they gave them a hard time at SM, and to be accused of trying to get around the system.
How do they determine the return time? During our visit it January they were basing it off the FP return time but I was wondering what they use now since that system is gone. I saw a mom getting her DAS filled out to come back later at the Little Mermaid ride, the CM was letting her pick her return time because the given time was too early (they had an ADR I think), which I thought was nice. I really hope that your conversation with some of the managers makes it to the powers that be. Feedback from the users of the system could go a long way to improving the system and making it easier for those with special considerations. I can't even imagine that family at your ADR. It is hard to believe that there are people like this out in the world.
The tour groups didn't really bother us during our early January trip this year. There were a few groups but not a ton like we have experienced on other Jan trips. My parents actually commented that the foreign (mostly South American) tourists we encountered were more polite than their American counterparts. There were lots of family groups and the tour groups we did encounter were acting like normal teens having fun. Nothing like last year when my brother and I ended up on EE in the last car filled with a tour group - we didn't care for the chanting on the way up the hill! Of course once the first hill came it was screaming all around!!
Your AK safari rides sounds amazing. I never would have thought that was how they feed the animals. Can't wait to see your pictures.
Your visit to the fire station has me very concerned. I'm sure the stress of the day (SM and DAS issue) and the smoking didn't help but it does sound like it could be something more. Hope the doctors can give you an answer.
NiniMorris
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2008
- Messages
- 2,910
WOW! It has really been a week! Seems like as soon as we got back I got sick! I had a ton of stuff to do once I got back, then getting sick I put a lot of them on the back burner. That has resulted in needing to make a total of 12 phone calls this morning. None of them could be put off...plus I needed to do my taxes.
So, as my cell phone is charging for round two I thought I would come on here and catch up...and maybe try and get the report of the last day ready...we'll see!
LOL...
Those tour groups...I never really noticed them before. I think our second trip was during the same time period, but I don't remember seeing masses of people all dressed alike and chanting!
Mr D is still upset that he didn't get to miss school because of the snow! He doesn't understand that he wouldn't have missed any school even if we were home since we were out of school all week! But I did have to promise that our next trip would not be during a snow storm...since it is going to be in October I think I am safe in that promise! LOL..
Well, the good news is the 'episode' with the Fire Department turned out good. Although I was sufficiently chastised for not going to the ER, my doctor did say all it would have done was given me a two day stay in the hospital with tons of tests and no verdict! Since it did not recur,and did not get worse, the chances of it being cardiac related was practically nil. She is pretty sure it was an esophageal spasm. However if it EVER happens again I am to go straight to the ER!
The whole DAS really bothered me that night. I felt like the manager was patronizing me... almost like he was waiting for me to ask for something. He kept asking what he could do to make it up to me, and seemed surprised that all I kept saying just assure me the training would be corrected.
I do not complain to get monetary value...I complain to get a solution to a problem! I worked too many years in customer service to not know the value of customer feedback. It really bothers me that it has become so much of a sense of entitlement if something goes wrong you should get money for it...or tickets, or FP, or something! I just want it fixed!
After a doctor visit on Wednesday and a full 36 hours on the antibiotics I think I can finally say I feel like I am going to live through this bronchitis thing. One of the things I hate about being sick is that my house becomes a total dump. It is almost like they purposely know that I won't yell at them for leaving their junk in the living room so they do it just because they can.
Here is to a weekend spent cleaning the house...yuck...
On the trip front...
That is FUTURE trip.
I may have mentioned I was doing our taxes today. I am glad to say that despite the fact that there is a blip in the software, I can safely say my October extravaganza is going to be fully paid for by our tax refund! What makes this especially nice is the fact that this was husband's idea. Of course, once he discovers that the amount is not what he was expecting... he may change his mind a bit.
Up until today I was really afraid we would have to only do the cruise, and not the Animal Kingdom Lodge stay...now it looks like we can do both! Of course, my one fear is that husband will like the cruising part so much he won't want to do Disney every year!
Of course, we also have a beach trip in May. The whole family is renting a condo in Destin just after school gets out. Luckily we get out in May, so the summer rates are not yet in effect!
I am still having trouble believing we are actually getting 3 vacations this year...and none of them are in Missouri visiting inlaws!
Time to get back to the phone...hopefully an update on our DHS day will follow later today....
Nini
So, as my cell phone is charging for round two I thought I would come on here and catch up...and maybe try and get the report of the last day ready...we'll see!
LOL...
Those tour groups...I never really noticed them before. I think our second trip was during the same time period, but I don't remember seeing masses of people all dressed alike and chanting!
Sounds like you made the best of your "short" visit. Glad you missed the cold weather here but I can't believe you still had all that ice. As of yesterday afternoon we still had snow piles by the trash cans and on the roof where the sun must not hit, but still pretty surprising since it has been warm these last few days. My DH did shovel on Thursday afternoon when the "ice" started turning to slush before it could melt again. At least the roads were good for your travel.
I can't believe that the CMs are not given a better training about the DAS, it has been around awhile and it is a pretty significant change from the old system. How frustrating that they gave them a hard time at SM, and to be accused of trying to get around the system.
I can't even imagine that family at your ADR. It is hard to believe that there are people like this out in the world.
The tour groups didn't really bother us during our early January trip this year. There were a few groups but not a ton like we have experienced on other Jan trips. My parents actually commented that the foreign (mostly South American) tourists we encountered were more polite than their American counterparts. There were lots of family groups and the tour groups we did encounter were acting like normal teens having fun. Nothing like last year when my brother and I ended up on EE in the last car filled with a tour group - we didn't care for the chanting on the way up the hill! Of course once the first hill came it was screaming all around!!
Your AK safari rides sounds amazing. I never would have thought that was how they feed the animals. Can't wait to see your pictures.
Your visit to the fire station has me very concerned. I'm sure the stress of the day (SM and DAS issue) and the smoking didn't help but it does sound like it could be something more. Hope the doctors can give you an answer.
Mr D is still upset that he didn't get to miss school because of the snow! He doesn't understand that he wouldn't have missed any school even if we were home since we were out of school all week! But I did have to promise that our next trip would not be during a snow storm...since it is going to be in October I think I am safe in that promise! LOL..
Well, the good news is the 'episode' with the Fire Department turned out good. Although I was sufficiently chastised for not going to the ER, my doctor did say all it would have done was given me a two day stay in the hospital with tons of tests and no verdict! Since it did not recur,and did not get worse, the chances of it being cardiac related was practically nil. She is pretty sure it was an esophageal spasm. However if it EVER happens again I am to go straight to the ER!
The whole DAS really bothered me that night. I felt like the manager was patronizing me... almost like he was waiting for me to ask for something. He kept asking what he could do to make it up to me, and seemed surprised that all I kept saying just assure me the training would be corrected.
I do not complain to get monetary value...I complain to get a solution to a problem! I worked too many years in customer service to not know the value of customer feedback. It really bothers me that it has become so much of a sense of entitlement if something goes wrong you should get money for it...or tickets, or FP, or something! I just want it fixed!
What a great day at Epcot and the way to enjoy a short trip to Disney.
I'm sorry you are not feeling well (saw it on FB); I hope you are better really soon.
After a doctor visit on Wednesday and a full 36 hours on the antibiotics I think I can finally say I feel like I am going to live through this bronchitis thing. One of the things I hate about being sick is that my house becomes a total dump. It is almost like they purposely know that I won't yell at them for leaving their junk in the living room so they do it just because they can.
Here is to a weekend spent cleaning the house...yuck...
On the trip front...
That is FUTURE trip.
I may have mentioned I was doing our taxes today. I am glad to say that despite the fact that there is a blip in the software, I can safely say my October extravaganza is going to be fully paid for by our tax refund! What makes this especially nice is the fact that this was husband's idea. Of course, once he discovers that the amount is not what he was expecting... he may change his mind a bit.
Up until today I was really afraid we would have to only do the cruise, and not the Animal Kingdom Lodge stay...now it looks like we can do both! Of course, my one fear is that husband will like the cruising part so much he won't want to do Disney every year!
Of course, we also have a beach trip in May. The whole family is renting a condo in Destin just after school gets out. Luckily we get out in May, so the summer rates are not yet in effect!
I am still having trouble believing we are actually getting 3 vacations this year...and none of them are in Missouri visiting inlaws!
Time to get back to the phone...hopefully an update on our DHS day will follow later today....
Nini
NiniMorris
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2008
- Messages
- 2,910
Day 4 DHS
Our Fp+ for the day were:
Tower of Terror 9:15
Star Tours 10:55
Toy Story 12:25
Hollywood and Vine 6:20
At rope drop we headed to Tock N Roller Coaster. The family rode both this and Tower of Terror while I shopped a bit. As they were leaving Tower of Terror, they pulled a DAS pass for it as well. Since they gave them only a 10 minute return time, they dropped off Miss B (who only wanted to ride once) to shop a bit with me and they rode their second time.
After some window shopping, we headed over to Toy Story. The wait was unbelievable so we pulled a DAS pass and went to watch the Muppets. It has been a few years since we visited them, and while the show is old and the story a bit lame, it was very enjoyable!
We then headed over to Star Tours (which still had less than a 5 minute wait...meaning we wasted another FP+). I have to say this and Toy Story remain my two all time favorites at this park. If I can ride both of these I feel my day was worth it and every thing else is gravy!
Since it was now 11 we decided to grab lunch at the BackStage Lot. Unfortunately, they were not open yet so we grabbed a place to sit and Husband stood in line. After a while he called me and told me to come and help. It was 11:30, but they still were not open. The line was out the door! I have never seen lines like this here except for when we visit during the busy time it seems that while they were more than ready to open, the computers were not running and they had to reset them. By the time they had the computers up and running I was famished! I guess it was really, really close to 12 before they actually opened. The food was good (or we were to hungry to notice)
After lunch we took a leisurely stroll over to Toy Story and rode our FP+. Then we rode our DAS pass at Toy Story. Unfortunately, the guys won both times by less than 100 points each time! One of these days we will really beat them good!
Magic of Animation is next on our agenda while the family enjoys this ..it is not my cup of tea so I sat and people watched in the character meet and greet area. Miss B did a really cute Mickey Mouse, while Mr D and Dad worked on a dragon! Mr D said it was the only thing he could make .and refused to try!
Miss B decided her souvenir of the trip was to be a drawing kit with details on how to make the Pixar characters. I wish I would have thought of that for her a Christmas present I will be searching for one of the classic Disney characters for her this year.
By now we decided to grab a Star Tours DAS pass and since it had only a 20 minute wait, we decided it was a good time for a Mickey bar! Yum. After another successful Star Tours mission we headed to back to Rock N Roller Coaster. While Mr D and Dad rode we found a place to charge my phone and had another snack (shh dont tell). While they were supposed to pull a DAS pass for it, Dad texted me to say the wait was only 5 minutes and they would just stay there.. At this point I sort of lost count seems the CMs let Mr D ride multiple times back to back to back and then they headed over to Tower of Terror and the CMs allowed the same I really lost count and I think they did too! Mr D was ecstatic! This would go down as his favorite day of rides at Disney! After the disappointing trip in December where he cried because we spent so much time sitting between rides, this more than made up for it to him!
After they got back Mr D decided he needed a drink, so while he grabbed a bottle of water, I went back to the shopping see I hadnt actually bought anything yet! I found a cute cover for my Kindle, and then Mr D joined me to find his girlfriend a cute pink Mickey Head key chain.
As we walked along we did a bit more shopping to get some things for my older kids and then stopped. We still had an hour until dinner and we were ready to go! I decided sine we had had so much luck getting in early at our ADRs I would try especially since it was DEAD there! While I waked up to the podium a couple was standing in front of me they were trying to get a walk up they told them it was a 20 minute wait. Good! Maybe they could take us in an hour early Yup in fact the couple got in while I was still checking in! We were in and seated within 5 minutes.
So far this was turning into a fantastic last day at Disney. I knew the packing tonight would be easy as pie since it was pretty much done..thanks to my packing cubes! All of our clean clothes (what there was of it) were sitting in the packing cubes which would take a minute to combine them all . And our dirty laundry was already deposited into the large piece of luggage we brought. All it would take is throwing the rest into the smaller bag and we were off!
Unfortunately what happened next was enough to send me into a tail spin!
So, what DID happen next?
Our Fp+ for the day were:
Tower of Terror 9:15
Star Tours 10:55
Toy Story 12:25
Hollywood and Vine 6:20
At rope drop we headed to Tock N Roller Coaster. The family rode both this and Tower of Terror while I shopped a bit. As they were leaving Tower of Terror, they pulled a DAS pass for it as well. Since they gave them only a 10 minute return time, they dropped off Miss B (who only wanted to ride once) to shop a bit with me and they rode their second time.
After some window shopping, we headed over to Toy Story. The wait was unbelievable so we pulled a DAS pass and went to watch the Muppets. It has been a few years since we visited them, and while the show is old and the story a bit lame, it was very enjoyable!
We then headed over to Star Tours (which still had less than a 5 minute wait...meaning we wasted another FP+). I have to say this and Toy Story remain my two all time favorites at this park. If I can ride both of these I feel my day was worth it and every thing else is gravy!
Since it was now 11 we decided to grab lunch at the BackStage Lot. Unfortunately, they were not open yet so we grabbed a place to sit and Husband stood in line. After a while he called me and told me to come and help. It was 11:30, but they still were not open. The line was out the door! I have never seen lines like this here except for when we visit during the busy time it seems that while they were more than ready to open, the computers were not running and they had to reset them. By the time they had the computers up and running I was famished! I guess it was really, really close to 12 before they actually opened. The food was good (or we were to hungry to notice)
After lunch we took a leisurely stroll over to Toy Story and rode our FP+. Then we rode our DAS pass at Toy Story. Unfortunately, the guys won both times by less than 100 points each time! One of these days we will really beat them good!
Magic of Animation is next on our agenda while the family enjoys this ..it is not my cup of tea so I sat and people watched in the character meet and greet area. Miss B did a really cute Mickey Mouse, while Mr D and Dad worked on a dragon! Mr D said it was the only thing he could make .and refused to try!
Miss B decided her souvenir of the trip was to be a drawing kit with details on how to make the Pixar characters. I wish I would have thought of that for her a Christmas present I will be searching for one of the classic Disney characters for her this year.
By now we decided to grab a Star Tours DAS pass and since it had only a 20 minute wait, we decided it was a good time for a Mickey bar! Yum. After another successful Star Tours mission we headed to back to Rock N Roller Coaster. While Mr D and Dad rode we found a place to charge my phone and had another snack (shh dont tell). While they were supposed to pull a DAS pass for it, Dad texted me to say the wait was only 5 minutes and they would just stay there.. At this point I sort of lost count seems the CMs let Mr D ride multiple times back to back to back and then they headed over to Tower of Terror and the CMs allowed the same I really lost count and I think they did too! Mr D was ecstatic! This would go down as his favorite day of rides at Disney! After the disappointing trip in December where he cried because we spent so much time sitting between rides, this more than made up for it to him!
After they got back Mr D decided he needed a drink, so while he grabbed a bottle of water, I went back to the shopping see I hadnt actually bought anything yet! I found a cute cover for my Kindle, and then Mr D joined me to find his girlfriend a cute pink Mickey Head key chain.
As we walked along we did a bit more shopping to get some things for my older kids and then stopped. We still had an hour until dinner and we were ready to go! I decided sine we had had so much luck getting in early at our ADRs I would try especially since it was DEAD there! While I waked up to the podium a couple was standing in front of me they were trying to get a walk up they told them it was a 20 minute wait. Good! Maybe they could take us in an hour early Yup in fact the couple got in while I was still checking in! We were in and seated within 5 minutes.
So far this was turning into a fantastic last day at Disney. I knew the packing tonight would be easy as pie since it was pretty much done..thanks to my packing cubes! All of our clean clothes (what there was of it) were sitting in the packing cubes which would take a minute to combine them all . And our dirty laundry was already deposited into the large piece of luggage we brought. All it would take is throwing the rest into the smaller bag and we were off!
Unfortunately what happened next was enough to send me into a tail spin!
So, what DID happen next?
KatMark
DIS Legend
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- Aug 5, 2007
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- 42,443
Sounds like a great day at DHS. Love that they got back to back rides. And who says there is anything wrong with having more than one snack? You are at Disney after all!!! 
I fear what happened at H&V. We ate there twice and NEVER again. I would rather eat McDonalds for a month straight than ever go back to H&V.
for the tax return paying the trip off.
I fear what happened at H&V. We ate there twice and NEVER again. I would rather eat McDonalds for a month straight than ever go back to H&V.
for the tax return paying the trip off.NiniMorris
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2008
- Messages
- 2,910
DHS part 2
First a word about Mr D. Due to his brain injury he has tons of problems dealing with what he sees as failures. That can mean his failures or someone elses. One of the things he does is runs. He is a runner. It is always a fear of mine that he will get upset and take off running. We have worked very hard on giving him different coping skills to prevent his feeling the need to run.
As we were enjoying our dinner, Miss B and I went to get seconds. We always get a few bites of things and then go back to get what we really enjoy Dad and Mr D fill up their plates to overflowing and enjoy each bite!
When we got back, the waiter was there with towels, and Dad was there covered in soda and Mr D was gone. Dad was flustered and knew I was upset that Mr D had left .and wasnt able to say much of anything. After what seemed like hours (but in reality was only a few seconds) he told me that Mr D had accidently knocked over Dads drink and got so upset he ran out of the restaurant. Dad didnt see it as a big deal because he was sure that he was sitting on the porch cooling down and would be right back in.
At home, I stress the need to let him go off on his own to calm down and then he rejoins the family and we talk about what happened.
I went to the porch to try and see if he was ok (because he also doesnt do well with crowds, and the porch was pretty full) He wasnt there. I ran all over the place trying to find him and must have looked pretty scared, because the hostess asked me what was wrong.
I explained that my son was missing, that he was mentally handicapped and was non verbal to strangers. I explained that he is a runner and I was worried. She immediately called security and I described what he was wearing and what he looked like. They suggested I go back inside and wait while they tried to put eyes on him. If he came back on his own we needed to be sitting where he left us
I go back in but there is no way I can eat. At this point I realize the tears are flowing and I cant stop them. My husband goes out and starts to look. He had no better luck and came back in after about 10 minutes. I decide as long as one of us in there, I can go out and look the hostess sees me about to leave and came to tell me they had found him. As I look at the door he is coming through as I run to grab and hug him he saw that I was crying and asked me why I was crying. I told him because I thought we had lost him. He touched my cheek and asked me to stop crying and told me he was sorry. He told me not to worry because he saw on tv that if you get lost to hug a tree and that is what he was doing!
After I see he is fine, I send him to the table to eat and of course he is starving!
I then had a chance to speak to the hostess they did indeed find him, he was a couple streets over in a tree planter. They were watching him and not approaching him waiting on me to come and get him. That is when I saw the security guy (in plain khakis and a polo shirt) who followed him back to the restaurant to make sure he made it ok.
I have always wondered how well Disney would react to something like this. I mean I know I witnessed a man having a heart attack and later died when he got to the hospital, and his grandkids only knew that the Disney ambulance came and took him to the hospital with Mom and Dad, and a lovely CM stayed there so that one of the cousins could do the Jedi thing and then gave them Mickey Bars while they waited for the uncle to get all the details and take the kids to their resort.
But a running child I know the whole park is under constant camera surveillance, but never realized just how helpful that could be in the event of a lost child. I am forever grateful for the Hostess, the security guys, and the lovely Disney!
Anyway, after dinner we went straight back to the resort to pack up. And yes, I give him an extra hug every day!
First a word about Mr D. Due to his brain injury he has tons of problems dealing with what he sees as failures. That can mean his failures or someone elses. One of the things he does is runs. He is a runner. It is always a fear of mine that he will get upset and take off running. We have worked very hard on giving him different coping skills to prevent his feeling the need to run.
As we were enjoying our dinner, Miss B and I went to get seconds. We always get a few bites of things and then go back to get what we really enjoy Dad and Mr D fill up their plates to overflowing and enjoy each bite!
When we got back, the waiter was there with towels, and Dad was there covered in soda and Mr D was gone. Dad was flustered and knew I was upset that Mr D had left .and wasnt able to say much of anything. After what seemed like hours (but in reality was only a few seconds) he told me that Mr D had accidently knocked over Dads drink and got so upset he ran out of the restaurant. Dad didnt see it as a big deal because he was sure that he was sitting on the porch cooling down and would be right back in.
At home, I stress the need to let him go off on his own to calm down and then he rejoins the family and we talk about what happened.
I went to the porch to try and see if he was ok (because he also doesnt do well with crowds, and the porch was pretty full) He wasnt there. I ran all over the place trying to find him and must have looked pretty scared, because the hostess asked me what was wrong.
I explained that my son was missing, that he was mentally handicapped and was non verbal to strangers. I explained that he is a runner and I was worried. She immediately called security and I described what he was wearing and what he looked like. They suggested I go back inside and wait while they tried to put eyes on him. If he came back on his own we needed to be sitting where he left us
I go back in but there is no way I can eat. At this point I realize the tears are flowing and I cant stop them. My husband goes out and starts to look. He had no better luck and came back in after about 10 minutes. I decide as long as one of us in there, I can go out and look the hostess sees me about to leave and came to tell me they had found him. As I look at the door he is coming through as I run to grab and hug him he saw that I was crying and asked me why I was crying. I told him because I thought we had lost him. He touched my cheek and asked me to stop crying and told me he was sorry. He told me not to worry because he saw on tv that if you get lost to hug a tree and that is what he was doing!
After I see he is fine, I send him to the table to eat and of course he is starving!
I then had a chance to speak to the hostess they did indeed find him, he was a couple streets over in a tree planter. They were watching him and not approaching him waiting on me to come and get him. That is when I saw the security guy (in plain khakis and a polo shirt) who followed him back to the restaurant to make sure he made it ok.
I have always wondered how well Disney would react to something like this. I mean I know I witnessed a man having a heart attack and later died when he got to the hospital, and his grandkids only knew that the Disney ambulance came and took him to the hospital with Mom and Dad, and a lovely CM stayed there so that one of the cousins could do the Jedi thing and then gave them Mickey Bars while they waited for the uncle to get all the details and take the kids to their resort.
But a running child I know the whole park is under constant camera surveillance, but never realized just how helpful that could be in the event of a lost child. I am forever grateful for the Hostess, the security guys, and the lovely Disney!
Anyway, after dinner we went straight back to the resort to pack up. And yes, I give him an extra hug every day!
babynala
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2007
- Messages
- 1,645
After that story I want to give Mr. D a big hug too. What a sweetheart: "He touched my cheek and asked me to stop crying and told me he was sorry. He told me not to worry because he saw on tv that if you get lost to hug a tree and that is what he was doing!"
I can't even imagine how scared you must have been. It is such a good feeling to know that the hostess was paying attention and was so helpful to get security right away. The plain clothes security guard following him back to the restaurant gives me a warm fuzzy. I am impressed that they didn't approach him because I would have wanted to reunite him with you ASAP, which would have probably turned out worse for Mr. D.
So I guess he would call that a tiny glitch in an otherwise perfect park day. Of course I would have been in full panic mode. He is lucky to have such a wonderful mom to take such good care of him. Obviously if your health scare was heart related dinner at H&V would have sent you right back to the "firehouse".
What a night!
I can't even imagine how scared you must have been. It is such a good feeling to know that the hostess was paying attention and was so helpful to get security right away. The plain clothes security guard following him back to the restaurant gives me a warm fuzzy. I am impressed that they didn't approach him because I would have wanted to reunite him with you ASAP, which would have probably turned out worse for Mr. D.
So I guess he would call that a tiny glitch in an otherwise perfect park day. Of course I would have been in full panic mode. He is lucky to have such a wonderful mom to take such good care of him. Obviously if your health scare was heart related dinner at H&V would have sent you right back to the "firehouse".
What a night!NiniMorris
DIS Veteran
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Oh, Nini. How scary that must have been for you? I would have been besides myself.
I'm so glad to see that Disney was on top of it and handled it beautifully. These are the things that set Disney apart.
Yes, and when people ask us why we keep going back to Disney...THIS is why. I know that part of the problem is that Mr D feels comfortable at Disney. Almost as comfortable as he does in his own neighborhood. Over the past 10 years we have had other stories about how Mr D was treated, or helped...it is the only place we go that he feels really comfortable enough to soar...(just wish he didn't try to take that literally!)
After that story I want to give Mr. D a big hug too. What a sweetheart: "He touched my cheek and asked me to stop crying and told me he was sorry. He told me not to worry because he saw on tv that if you get lost to hug a tree and that is what he was doing!"
I can't even imagine how scared you must have been. It is such a good feeling to know that the hostess was paying attention and was so helpful to get security right away. The plain clothes security guard following him back to the restaurant gives me a warm fuzzy. I am impressed that they didn't approach him because I would have wanted to reunite him with you ASAP, which would have probably turned out worse for Mr. D.
So I guess he would call that a tiny glitch in an otherwise perfect park day. Of course I would have been in full panic mode. He is lucky to have such a wonderful mom to take such good care of him. Obviously if your health scare was heart related dinner at H&V would have sent you right back to the "firehouse".
I have no idea where he heard to hug a tree from...but we have had a couple of discussions about how that only works if you are in the woods and lost...and that it means you stay put and let the people who are looking for you find you...He still does not think this is what the saying means!
I found it odd and comforting at the same time that he had no idea that anyone was watching him. They do such a good job of hiding the actual security at Disney.
I agree....that was one of the reasons I decided the doctor was right..it could not be heart related. (and the fact that an attack came on last night almost as severe as the one at Disney kind of shown me that as well...but when I read up on the tests they want to do there is NO WAY they are doing that to me!!!)
Only one more half day to update...and then it is back to the pre-planning...although not a lot has been happening on that front.
Nini
DMGeurts
Never open texts with the "Hand Sewn Button" attac
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- Feb 25, 2008
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- 9,666
It sounds like your last day was a fantastic one indeed! With everyone getting rides on their favorite rides multiple times and Mickey bars too... It just sounds wonderful!
How Scary about Mr. D... I cannot imagine the pure terror that must have been going through your mind. It is such a relief to hear how quickly Disney reacted and how they handled the situation. Those minutes must have felt like hours... I love the ending though, I am sure there had to be a smile behind those tears... What a sweet thing for Mr. D to say and from his perspective - I think it made perfect sense. So relieved for you that he made it back safely. (((Hugs)))
Also... Very happy that your refund pays for your Birthday celebration trip! Very excited for you!
D~
How Scary about Mr. D... I cannot imagine the pure terror that must have been going through your mind. It is such a relief to hear how quickly Disney reacted and how they handled the situation. Those minutes must have felt like hours... I love the ending though, I am sure there had to be a smile behind those tears... What a sweet thing for Mr. D to say and from his perspective - I think it made perfect sense. So relieved for you that he made it back safely. (((Hugs)))
Also... Very happy that your refund pays for your Birthday celebration trip! Very excited for you!
D~
NiniMorris
DIS Veteran
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I LOVE that Mr D feels comfortable enough at Disney to not think twice about leaving my sight...but I also HATE that Mr D feels comfortable enough at Disney to leave my sight!
I was VERY impressed at how Disney handled it! As soon as they knew there was a problem they found him. Even more astonishing is the fact that they knew not to approach him....
I have only had one other time a child has wondered off..and we were in Germany. My oldest daughter (Miss Mia's mom) was in Kinder and she and her best friend started walking around the block. We lived in a Military housing area off post. There were farm roads behind the housing area and they thought it was OK to walk there as well. They heard music and went to the nearby town! We called the Military Police and had all our neighbors looking for them! It was dark by the time they wandered home....they were gone for about 3 hours! Talk about scarey!
Nini
NiniMorris
DIS Veteran
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Friday, Valentines Day, and our travel day
We had worried all week about how bad the roads would be going back home. Since the majority of the schools around us were closed, we had hoped to stay an extra day, or to maybe spend a day at the beach and go back either Saturday or Sunday. Since it was a holiday weekend there was NOTHING available at Disney! Even with all the discounts we could find, there was nothing that would work so after checking with several sources at home we decided to make a go of it and if the roads started looking bad we could stop for the night.
Friday morning, we get up bright and early. Packing took me about a minute seriously! It took me longer to pack up the laptop than it did to get the rest of the stuff done. Hubby was in charge of getting it to the car I was in charge of making sure everything was packed.
I found it odd that I did not have the familiar envelope hanging on my door that morning. I wanted to make sure all the room charges were right . But it was not there, so actual face to face check out was needed. So, while leaving husband to pack the car, I took the wheelchair to the front. We used Walker Mobility again and they pick it up from you at the front so I walked around to drop it off. As I walked through the lobby, I decided to ask for a print out of the room charges They did not have it ready .because they have us checking out on Saturday! Really?
About that time, my phone rings and the pickup guy is 5 minutes away so I head out to drop off the wheelchair. While I was waiting I saw someone come to ask for a taxi they were late but the interesting part was I recognized the bag she was carrying I KNEW it was D~ original, but she was really frazzled and in a hurry they were late for an appointment at the Richard Petty Driving experience (I admit, I snapped a quick picture of the bag to make sure I was right and I was .it was Ariannas cousin!)
Anyway I went back to the front desk to check on what was going on. Since I got a different CM I decided to play dumb. She was very puzzled about why I would be checking out early! Even though the dining plan was only 4 days, they had us done as 5 nights even though we only paid for 4 nights! It had something to do with the way they had to trick the system to get the dining plan added to the package after checking with a manager; sure enough we had the room for an extra night. If only I had known that BEFORE we packed up the car!
Even though they did not charge us for the extra night, as far as their system was concerned, the room was paid for an extra night and would be vacant if we left. They could not re-assign the room to anyone else. All that worrying I did trying to find a room for us and it was ours all along! LOL!
After a quick breakfast, we left Disney. I got that familiar pang in my tummy as we drove out. Even though I knew our plans were to head back in October, I really was more upset about leaving Disney than I had been on any other trip. Maybe because it was such a short trip, maybe because I knew that I could have stayed another day, or maybe because I just miss Disney!
The drive home was extremely uneventful, although the closer we got to home the more ice and snow we saw on the sides of the road. I was very strange to arrive home and have almost 2 feet of snow on the sidewalk and on the roof, but it was in the 50s!
So .now that we have arrived safe at home it is time to get the October trip planned I have a ton of shirts to get ready!
We had worried all week about how bad the roads would be going back home. Since the majority of the schools around us were closed, we had hoped to stay an extra day, or to maybe spend a day at the beach and go back either Saturday or Sunday. Since it was a holiday weekend there was NOTHING available at Disney! Even with all the discounts we could find, there was nothing that would work so after checking with several sources at home we decided to make a go of it and if the roads started looking bad we could stop for the night.
Friday morning, we get up bright and early. Packing took me about a minute seriously! It took me longer to pack up the laptop than it did to get the rest of the stuff done. Hubby was in charge of getting it to the car I was in charge of making sure everything was packed.
I found it odd that I did not have the familiar envelope hanging on my door that morning. I wanted to make sure all the room charges were right . But it was not there, so actual face to face check out was needed. So, while leaving husband to pack the car, I took the wheelchair to the front. We used Walker Mobility again and they pick it up from you at the front so I walked around to drop it off. As I walked through the lobby, I decided to ask for a print out of the room charges They did not have it ready .because they have us checking out on Saturday! Really?
About that time, my phone rings and the pickup guy is 5 minutes away so I head out to drop off the wheelchair. While I was waiting I saw someone come to ask for a taxi they were late but the interesting part was I recognized the bag she was carrying I KNEW it was D~ original, but she was really frazzled and in a hurry they were late for an appointment at the Richard Petty Driving experience (I admit, I snapped a quick picture of the bag to make sure I was right and I was .it was Ariannas cousin!)
Anyway I went back to the front desk to check on what was going on. Since I got a different CM I decided to play dumb. She was very puzzled about why I would be checking out early! Even though the dining plan was only 4 days, they had us done as 5 nights even though we only paid for 4 nights! It had something to do with the way they had to trick the system to get the dining plan added to the package after checking with a manager; sure enough we had the room for an extra night. If only I had known that BEFORE we packed up the car!
Even though they did not charge us for the extra night, as far as their system was concerned, the room was paid for an extra night and would be vacant if we left. They could not re-assign the room to anyone else. All that worrying I did trying to find a room for us and it was ours all along! LOL!
After a quick breakfast, we left Disney. I got that familiar pang in my tummy as we drove out. Even though I knew our plans were to head back in October, I really was more upset about leaving Disney than I had been on any other trip. Maybe because it was such a short trip, maybe because I knew that I could have stayed another day, or maybe because I just miss Disney!
The drive home was extremely uneventful, although the closer we got to home the more ice and snow we saw on the sides of the road. I was very strange to arrive home and have almost 2 feet of snow on the sidewalk and on the roof, but it was in the 50s!
So .now that we have arrived safe at home it is time to get the October trip planned I have a ton of shirts to get ready!
babynala
DIS Veteran
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- Jun 27, 2007
- Messages
- 1,645
Sad your TR is over but so happy that you have another trip in the works!
Can't believe you had an extra night and didn't get to stay. Glad you had an uneventful ride home even if you did come home to all that snow and ice.
Looking forward to hearing the plans for your Oct trip and your shirt ideas, of course!
Can't believe you had an extra night and didn't get to stay. Glad you had an uneventful ride home even if you did come home to all that snow and ice.
Looking forward to hearing the plans for your Oct trip and your shirt ideas, of course!
NiniMorris
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2008
- Messages
- 2,910
Yup...it was very sad coming home as well...but...at least now I can devote more time to planning the birthday trip!
I have only about 8 weeks until it is time to do our dining reservations! For some reason, the park portion of this trip is giving me fits. I am having problems dealing with the number of days we will be in the parks. Originally we were planing on only 2 days in the parks, and after our last trip, husband decided he wants to go ahead and spend each day in the parks! This will translate into the kids actually missing some school...see, we are only planning on being at the World for 4 days, 5 if we need to add 5 days for the free dining.
The best parks on these days are not what I want...see I want to spend my birthday IN Magic Kingdom! I want to eat at Be Our Guest...after all I only turn 60 once...not like the many times I turned 30! LOL!
In order to make it what I want, we have to add a few days! The whole reason of going during this time was so that we would not have to take the kids out of school! I may have to convince my daughter to come with us for part so they can take Miss B back to school !
I took each person's favorite restaurant and put that in the mix. So far we have:
Tusker House
Coral Reef
Be Our Guest
Rainforest Cafe
I have to admit...Rainforest Cafe is not a favorite. Husband chose it because he enjoyed going to different places this past trip and wants to try this one! If he had his way we would be going to all new spots this trip!
Now for shirt ideas... I have decided I will make 4 cruise shirts. Each morning, they get to choose their shirt. That way, there is no actual 'shirt of the day' so we might not be wearing matching shirts.
This is my concession to a daughter who does not want to wear matching shirts. Although one pirate shirt will be the same...as we all have pirate night at the same time! LOL!
Park shirts will be matching...but then I need to know which parks we are visiting and when so I can make the shirt decisions!
I am looking for something over the top for the actual birthday shirt! It is my birthday and i can embarrass everyone I want to...Hear that 13 year old daughter?
Anyone have any ideas for matching shirts for a Magic Kingdom day that includes a significant birthday?
Nini
DMGeurts
Never open texts with the "Hand Sewn Button" attac
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2008
- Messages
- 9,666
I love hearing about the plans for your next trip...
I hope the shirt idea works for DD - I gave up on Alli... I don't even bother anymore. She won't wear them - she barely wears the bags I make - so I won't make too much of an effort to make her anything new for this trip.
I did have a birthday shirt idea for us - but now, I can't remember what the heck it is. Sigh. I will try to wrack my brain today to see if I can remember what it is. LOL
I hope you have a great day today!
D~
I hope the shirt idea works for DD - I gave up on Alli... I don't even bother anymore. She won't wear them - she barely wears the bags I make - so I won't make too much of an effort to make her anything new for this trip.
I did have a birthday shirt idea for us - but now, I can't remember what the heck it is. Sigh. I will try to wrack my brain today to see if I can remember what it is. LOL
I hope you have a great day today!
D~
babynala
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2007
- Messages
- 1,645
More days in the park is always a good thing, unless you have to miss school. I know Miss B is worried since she will be in HS.
Is there not any other restaurant you have not eaten at besides Rainforest Cafe? That place just does not appeal to me, I guess since they have them in places besides Disney I like to think I'm saving going there for when we are not at Disney. Although I could see myself eating at the one in AK. The DTD location just seems so noisy and overwhelming whenever we walk by. There are always tons of people waiting outside with their fussy kids (I have fussy kids of my own so I'm not judging). I can only imagine how things are going inside. Of course having never eaten there I should keep an open mind. I will have to wait for your review.
Be Our Guest for your 60th Birthday sounds perfect!
Birthday shirt ideas ..... you should put something on the back too, just not sure what you should put on there.
Celebrating 60 With Mickey would be a good title for a TR but you need something dazzling for your shirt. I am picturing fireworks!!!! Anything I think of seems too wordy: I may be 60 but I'm always a kid at the Magic Kingdom
Who is currently scheduled to come on this trip with you guys?
Is there not any other restaurant you have not eaten at besides Rainforest Cafe? That place just does not appeal to me, I guess since they have them in places besides Disney I like to think I'm saving going there for when we are not at Disney. Although I could see myself eating at the one in AK. The DTD location just seems so noisy and overwhelming whenever we walk by. There are always tons of people waiting outside with their fussy kids (I have fussy kids of my own so I'm not judging). I can only imagine how things are going inside. Of course having never eaten there I should keep an open mind. I will have to wait for your review.
Be Our Guest for your 60th Birthday sounds perfect!
Birthday shirt ideas ..... you should put something on the back too, just not sure what you should put on there.
Celebrating 60 With Mickey would be a good title for a TR but you need something dazzling for your shirt. I am picturing fireworks!!!! Anything I think of seems too wordy: I may be 60 but I'm always a kid at the Magic Kingdom
Who is currently scheduled to come on this trip with you guys?
NiniMorris
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2008
- Messages
- 2,910
I love hearing about the plans for your next trip...
I hope the shirt idea works for DD - I gave up on Alli... I don't even bother anymore. She won't wear them - she barely wears the bags I make - so I won't make too much of an effort to make her anything new for this trip.
I did have a birthday shirt idea for us - but now, I can't remember what the heck it is. Sigh. I will try to wrack my brain today to see if I can remember what it is. LOL
I hope you have a great day today!
D~
I am still running blank on ideas...
As for Miss B wearing the matching shirts...I don't really give her a choice. This last trip she wore a hoodie every single day...no matter how hot it was! In October it will be a bit more difficult to do that! LOL!
For the cruise I am making 4 cruise specific shirts. Each morning she can choose which shirt she wears. She does not have to match us...but at the parks she does. She is not happy with me at the moment!
More days in the park is always a good thing, unless you have to miss school. I know Miss B is worried since she will be in HS.
Is there not any other restaurant you have not eaten at besides Rainforest Cafe? That place just does not appeal to me, I guess since they have them in places besides Disney I like to think I'm saving going there for when we are not at Disney. Although I could see myself eating at the one in AK. The DTD location just seems so noisy and overwhelming whenever we walk by. There are always tons of people waiting outside with their fussy kids (I have fussy kids of my own so I'm not judging). I can only imagine how things are going inside. Of course having never eaten there I should keep an open mind. I will have to wait for your review.
Be Our Guest for your 60th Birthday sounds perfect!
Birthday shirt ideas ..... you should put something on the back too, just not sure what you should put on there.
Celebrating 60 With Mickey would be a good title for a TR but you need something dazzling for your shirt. I am picturing fireworks!!!! Anything I think of seems too wordy: I may be 60 but I'm always a kid at the Magic Kingdom
Who is currently scheduled to come on this trip with you guys?
I really don't have an opinion one way or the other on Rainforest Cafe...except that I agree that it is available at other places other than Disney... we would definitely do the one at Animal Kingdom...but I really wanted to try Yak and Yeti table service... but since everyone got to choose one...I have to keep the one he chose...
On the birthday trip it will more than likely be just us. I was hoping my daughter and her family would want to come, but they are waiting until Mia is 3...and if all goes according to plan she will be pregnant at that time and not want to go. My son and his wife are saving to buy a house and my other son and his fiance are well... not big on family type things and neither have ever been to Disney... I am sure they both consider Disney to be for kids! They will learn one day...
I just made a few entries in my calendar for the upcoming things I have to do...Oh my! I have two custom orders...one Birthday quilt, one Minnie Mouse dress for that birthday girl (Miss Mia), an Easter Dress for Miss Mia, and two beach dresses for photographs for the Grand Princess and Miss Mia, and two other Easter dresses for customers...plus I have to do two sets per month of 4 shirts each. All of this has to be done within 6 weeks.
Plus I have to embroider some tote bags for a wedding party (which is 7 weeks away) I am not 100% sure how many bags this will include but at last count it was 12...
I think I am going to be just a bit busy in the next few weeks!
Plus..... we are in talks with the contractor about putting in a pool! We have an above ground pool that needs to have the liner replaced this year. Unfortunately the manufacturer no longer makes this size...so it has to be special ordered. The price is almost double the price of a new above ground pool! (because of the way it is made a generic one will not work). We had talked about and toyed with the idea of putting in an inground pool for several years. Hopefully we will have an answer this coming week! I am so excited!!!
Originally we had said we were going to wait and redo the kitchen at the same time as we put in the pool. I think we will wait on the kitchen (just do a repaint and freshen up) and do the pool now. Of course, husband said I would have to give up a Disney trip in order to get it....but it will not be the one in October! LOL!
Six weeks from today will be my ADR date.... I am really getting excited for this!
Nini
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