Dr. Jones and the Spitting Camel - Link to Alaska Cruise TR 9/18

[eandesmom]

Joining in! I found your TR the other day and have spent the last few days catching up. I'm hooked...can't wait to read more!

Hi and Yay for new readers!!!!!!!!

Just read your whole report!! Really enjoying it. Can't wait for more.

Melissa

Wow, more new readers, how exciting! ! Thrilled to have you here!

Just checking in so I don't get to far behind !!!

Hi Rosie!!!!!!!

New resort suggestion: Skate ramp with boards to rent! On 2nd thought can you imagine the insurance on that one?

seriously. The skating thing will come into play later....

 

[that's nice]

While you were eating a wonderful TS meal you should of made the teens stand outside the restaurant and look in through the window as punishment for using those TS credits.

I love how you just ignored the texts and kept on with your lunch.

I bet the rain felt awesome in that heat.

 

[All7OfUs]

There's a shoulder shrug smilie? I wanna see!

Dusting so far but we are supposed to get some. I really hope so to tell you the truth. I want a foot and the entire city shut down.

Seriously though. Some nice snow would go a long ways towards entertaining the kids during this mid winter break where everyone they know went somewhere warm and we are here doing....nothing.

Like true sledding, enough to build a snowman snow! It's possible....fingers crossed big time.

I was meaning that one.

Only a tiny trace of snow here. We got some good old fashioned flurries that stuck briefly, and ended up with only a 2 hour start delay for the kids on Thursday. Such a bummer after all the hype.

I guess, if we want to play hard, we'll have to drive up an hour to the east.

 

[eandesmom]

While you were eating a wonderful TS meal you should of made the teens stand outside the restaurant and look in through the window as punishment for using those TS credits.

Well, I fault the grandparents more than the teens on this one. Clueless wonders those two!

It did all work out but at the time was supremely annoying.

I love how you just ignored the texts and kept on with your lunch.

It seemed best for all involved!

I bet the rain felt awesome in that heat.

it was a perfect rain. Just a drizzle really. Lightening in the distance, hence the boats not running but for us, a lovely cooling mist to walk home in.

I was meaning that one.

Only a tiny trace of snow here. We got some good old fashioned flurries that stuck briefly, and ended up with only a 2 hour start delay for the kids on Thursday. Such a bummer after all the hype.

I guess, if we want to play hard, we'll have to drive up an hour to the east.

Seriously, that's about how it's been here this week. Maybe 1.5 inches total, over 2 days and not lasting long. We still have a little in the yard due to our elevation but it's kind of worthless snow. Apparently more maybe coming Sun-Tues but I'll believe it when I see it. E's had the whole week off so no snow days for them, K had one day off beyond the long weekend and was rather crabby she had to go today, without even a delay.

Ah well, it saves me a year of buying the E's new gloves...which they really do need! I'm thinking end of season clearance!

 

[cdotla]

Ahhh....I was laughing and of course annoyed for you at all the same time. I know from experience how difficult it can be to travel with a larger group, with people with different priorities and timetables, and of course, with people who have no concept on how to optimally use the Dining Plan.

Tell me someone else other than me plots and plans all the meals on the trip to get the best possible value for their credits. How frustrating to see that thrown away for no good reason and know you wld have to reach in your pocket to pick up the difference. Thank goodness the kids didn't have their keys!

Hopefully the pool calms everyone down and restores harmony. If any pool can do it, it would be Stormalong Bay!

 

[eandesmom]

Ahhh....I was laughing and of course annoyed for you at all the same time. I know from experience how difficult it can be to travel with a larger group, with people with different priorities and timetables, and of course, with people who have no concept on how to optimally use the Dining Plan.

Tell me someone else other than me plots and plans all the meals on the trip to get the best possible value for their credits. How frustrating to see that thrown away for no good reason and know you wld have to reach in your pocket to pick up the difference. Thank goodness the kids didn't have their keys!

Well I have to admit, I would have been a lot more upset were it my pocket that was going to be reached into but they were Sandie and Paul's credits so...their pocket!

Hopefully the pool calms everyone down and restores harmony. If any pool can do it, it would be Stormalong Bay!

In reality the only ones not calm and unharmonious were Jeff and I. The rest were clueless wonders. Which I must admit, must be a nice state to be in at times! Jeff was disappointed, I was annoyed but we did move on. I mean really, what else can you do?

 

[eandesmom]

As we finished our impromptu photo shoot at the Beach Club, the four of us headed up to the rooms to change and hit SAB. I was really looking forward to a nice afternoon of pool time. Despite attempts to make it to the pool every day, I, personally, had been a bit thwarted in my attempts.

8/11. I unpacked while the gang hit the pool. It was a downpour when I got there. I got everyone lunch, waited for it to stop, it didn’t. No pool time.

8/12. TL day. Ok, I had “pool” time but as we all know, a water park isn’t exactly the same as lounging by the pool, umbrella drink in hand. And. It did rain.

8/13. Rained out. Great balcony reading, storm watching, rum and coke time with some leftover chai cream but….no pool. We did hit the “beach” only to be sent away. Darn lightening! No WL pool for me this trip 

8/14. Move day. After unpacking I did at least get IN the pool and hit the “swirlies” with Eric and some water volleyball with Kendall. Not lounging in a chair with an umbrella but hey, vastly better than nothing! Not remotely long enough.

8/15. A quick rushed attempt to cool us off. Hit the spot but was as much of a tease as anything. A second dip after melting at Fantasmic in the quiet pool was sadly unrefreshing. Warm water right before bed and now covered in chlorine. Would have been better to just take a shower.

Which brings us to…..8/16. Would I get my lazy pool time, drink in hand, grandparents entertaining teens?

We all changed as quickly as possible and headed down.

As we walked towards the entry we saw it.

The mass exodus only the threat of lightening can bring.

Seriously?

Now that lightening was far away and…sporadic. According to our friendly entry gate lifeguard/CM it has to be “threat free” for 20 minutes before they get the all clear to let folks back in. Ok. We can wait. But what to do DO while we wait? Well, fill up our mugs for one thing!

At first we decided to sit by the pool and wait it out and enjoy our drinks.

Someone was eying Evan

Evan wanted to play.

And then the rain showed up. What now? The obvious of course. Bribe children. With ice cream. From the counter at Beaches and Cream! Which, was great for K&T. The rest of us were stuffed. Well, Jeff and I were stuffed, the E's found room of course despite just inhaling giant brownies. I confess to being annoyed about it. I mean, they’d blown us off for lunch, been treated to a sit down version at a restaurant I really wanted to try and knew I wouldn’t get to and….they were getting rewarded with ice cream. Plus I really wanted ice cream from B&C too, but just couldn't fit it in. Silly to be annoyed about that but I didn't know if I'd get another chance and so that made me a wee bit grumpy. Not that one thing had to do with another but…whatever. Thankfully I kept my childish thoughts to myself. It is a great use of snack credits!

Ice creams in hand we wandered out and decided to partake in the lovely porch near the entry to the BC. Eric enjoyed his map, more than the ice cream obviously, sitting there on the side. Not sure where he planned to go but he was planning!

Kendall enjoyed her ice cream while the big boys seemed to have a deep conversation about something

Clearly I did something to get their attention

But not for long

I can’t compete with ice cream

And the boys lost interest

About this time, I started to feel bad. Sandie had planned to pack some gin and I’d ordered them some tonic so they too could make drinks in their cups. Alas, with the ER visit and all that, the gin had been the one thing that hadn’t made it’s way into the suitcase. So off I went to the BC Marketplace to get gin, and some cards so we at least had something to do while we tried to wait out the rain, and the lightening and still make it to dinner on time.

So I did. And went up to the room and made up a couple of nice gin and tonics for Sandie and Paul, arriving back with drinks and cards just in time for….SAB to open up.

With such lovely drinks in hand, and a fabulous porch spot, Sandie and Paul decided they’d much rather stay there, than go to the pool, they could watch us from there. And so it was…another lazy lounge chair moment, interrupted by real life, never to be had after all. We did have pool time. Some very nice pool time if memory serves. Not lazy lounging pool time but a much needed dip and playtime with the kids which is always priceless. And hey, Sandie and Paul had a lovely Gin and Tonic, we had lovely rum and cokes and most importantly, the kids all got to get wet after all. I spent most of it swirling with Eric or playing volleyball with Kendall which means…no pictures. We did have 7:10 reservations for dinner at Tusker and did really want to try and get there before hand to at least hit a couple of things as even though it was EMH, with a 9pm closing and Tuskers rep for running late, I didn’t think we’d have much time after for rides, if any. What that meant in practical terms was that we finally got into the pool at around 3:30 and would have to start getting people out after only an hour or so as none of us really wanted to pay for a cab again.

Would we make it? Would Sandie, Paul K&T actually make it to a park this day? And even if they did, would they do more than just eat there? I wasn’t so sure….

Lost on Safari

 

[brookelizabeth]

Denied again! I hope you manage to fit in some lazy pool time at some point! Otherwise, MAY!!!!!!!

and it just figures SAB would open the minute you get back.

Despite all upheaval of plans, it does sound like a great way to spend the afternoon. Perhaps similar to one I'll have here in just a few days...if our plane ever arrives! (we are delayed 1.5 hours. Sigh)

 

[cdotla]

Cynthia, you are SO due for a SAB do-over trip in May!

I better hear about lots of sunning, relaxation and partaking of adult umbrella drinks in May. Stick with Christine, and I am sure she will show you the way to do SAB!

 

[Native NYer]

I'm happy to hear that you got some pool time.
And I'm hoping you had another opportunity to get ice cream from B&C.

So smart to pack rum. I need to figure out how to pack a bottle of Grey Goose and Riesling.

Can't wait to read about your Tusker House dinner.

 

[All7OfUs]

Finally a bit of pool time! YAY! But I suspect a bit short for what you really wanted. Sigh...

I'll bet you paid a bit more for that gin than I did for my toothbrush. A little.

I can totally see how you'd get cranky about something you'd wanted to do for awhile. I guess the package that was attached to it- being the whole lunch affair- would have exacerbated those grumpy feelings.

 

[glennbo123]

Well, maybe it was a lazy, lounging time at the pool, but at least you were allowed to get in the water after a wait.

Gin and tonic is the ol' standby for me too. When I don't know what other drink to order, I can always count on it.

 

[mrsksomeday]

I would have been a mess if someone would have used 4 TS credits when they were all planned out. I wouldn't have been answering texts either .

Great photopass shots, especially the ones with the brownie face, too cute.

As for the cranky teen, why do they do that whining to other family members? Drives me nuts, have had that happen to me too.

I think it is only human to be annoyed at what had happened that day, I know I would have been .

I am so happy you got some pool time. Between you and Nebo, you have me thinking I need to bring some booze with us on the next trip .

I feel for you not knowing how things are going to go, I had that happen a lot when we took my son and his family, they didn't get we needed to be at certain places at certain times. I can't wait to read more.

 

[englishrose47]

Well a little pool time !!! Hope you fit in some more!!!

 

[that's nice]

I can feel your stress all the way over here. By going with friends last year, I know how stressful it is to get everyone on the same page. Add teens into that mix and forget about it. I would be drinking a lot more than rum and coke!

Your pool time sounds fun though. I hope you make it AK early for some rides.

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Sorry your pool plans didn't quite come together, but it looks like you found a way to have some family time, and salvage a little of it - drinks on the porch at WDW - sounds good to me!

 

[Charleston Princess]

Love the thought of hanging out on the porch of the Beach Club while it rained, but what a bummer that you were denied lounging time AGAIN. Now I understand the comments over on the F&G PTR about having to make up for your pool time this summer.

 

[Happydog]

Yes, a major redo is in order!!! You'll get it in may I am sure! Try the Tangerine Dream, they have it in the slushie machine... They are my favorites!!!! Still, I agree with CP, playing cards and hanging out is what vacation is all about and so it does seem that it was a "win" of an afternoon even still!

 

[eandesmom]

Denied again! I hope you manage to fit in some lazy pool time at some point! Otherwise, MAY!!!!!!!

and it just figures SAB would open the minute you get back.

Despite all upheaval of plans, it does sound like a great way to spend the afternoon. Perhaps similar to one I'll have here in just a few days...if our plane ever arrives! (we are delayed 1.5 hours. Sigh)

Well....I think it was a great way for most of us to spend the afternoon. I actually didn't get to sit down with them, or play cards mind you as I was busy getting drinks and buying the cards, but I think they had fun. Cards didn't get used until we got home from our trip! They are pretty though and do make me smile.

Cynthia, you are SO due for a SAB do-over trip in May!

I better hear about lots of sunning, relaxation and partaking of adult umbrella drinks in May. Stick with Christine, and I am sure she will show you the way to do SAB!

I am sure she will!!!!!!!!!!

I'm happy to hear that you got some pool time.
And I'm hoping you had another opportunity to get ice cream from B&C.

So smart to pack rum. I need to figure out how to pack a bottle of Grey Goose and Riesling.

Can't wait to read about your Tusker House dinner.

We did finally get wet, which was a good thing! It was another hot day. Buy plastic bottles of whatever it is and use bubble wrap. Worked like a charm! I also put a bag around it, or ziploc if it was small enough on the off chance that it leaked.

Finally a bit of pool time! YAY! But I suspect a bit short for what you really wanted. Sigh...

I'll bet you paid a bit more for that gin than I did for my toothbrush. A little.

I can totally see how you'd get cranky about something you'd wanted to do for awhile. I guess the package that was attached to it- being the whole lunch affair- would have exacerbated those grumpy feelings.

The Gin wasn't cheap but wasn't as bad as I'd expected either. $15 for a small one. still saved money if you think about it, I'm guessing they got about 6 drinks out of it and didn't even finish it but 6 of those at bar prices would probably be twice that.

I was probably more cranky about the whole pool closure than anything as that drove everything else.

Well, maybe it was a lazy, lounging time at the pool, but at least you were allowed to get in the water after a wait.

Gin and tonic is the ol' standby for me too. When I don't know what other drink to order, I can always count on it.

Getting wet is good. Clearly I had unrealistic expectations of the grandparents. Normally I don't expect to be able to be lazy and relax but somehow had in my mind that with them there, that might happen. NOT!

I can't drink Gin so it was kind of funny to buy it. I think it's more Sandie's standby than Paul's, it's definitely my mom's drink as well.

 

[eandesmom]

I would have been a mess if someone would have used 4 TS credits when they were all planned out. I wouldn't have been answering texts either .

We weren't a mess but weren't happy either

Great photopass shots, especially the ones with the brownie face, too cute.

As for the cranky teen, why do they do that whining to other family members? Drives me nuts, have had that happen to me too.

I think it is only human to be annoyed at what had happened that day, I know I would have been .

We were so surprised with the whining, he just doesn't usually do that kind of thing at all, it probably bothered us more than if his sister did it, who'd we'd been expecting to! The brownie pic cracks me up

I am so happy you got some pool time. Between you and Nebo, you have me thinking I need to bring some booze with us on the next trip .

I feel for you not knowing how things are going to go, I had that happen a lot when we took my son and his family, they didn't get we needed to be at certain places at certain times. I can't wait to read more.

Packing the rum saved us a small fortune....I credit Mary Ellen with the idea!

Well a little pool time !!! Hope you fit in some more!!!

I can feel your stress all the way over here. By going with friends last year, I know how stressful it is to get everyone on the same page. Add teens into that mix and forget about it. I would be drinking a lot more than rum and coke!

Your pool time sounds fun though. I hope you make it AK early for some rides.

Honestly after this day I really tried to give up on hopes for the same page and to be determined to be as flexible as possible, within reason. We were far more annoyed than actually stressed though.

Sorry your pool plans didn't quite come together, but it looks like you found a way to have some family time, and salvage a little of it - drinks on the porch at WDW - sounds good to me!

Well, the family had fun! I was running to the BC marketplace for gin, the gift shop at the YC for cards, up to the room to make the drinks and then back. I didn't actually get to sit on the porch myself, all I did was take pictures and then take off. It really did look like a lovely place to hang out, I wouldn't have minded that at all!

Love the thought of hanging out on the porch of the Beach Club while it rained, but what a bummer that you were denied lounging time AGAIN. Now I understand the comments over on the F&G PTR about having to make up for your pool time this summer.

Unfortunately I didn't actually get to hang out. I was running to the BCM, then to the YC gift shop, then to the room and back and when I got back, they opened up the pool. So no cards were actually played. I do think the family enjoyed having their ice cream on the porch and chatting, they all sure looked content! Maybe in May I can have a porch redo as well!

Yes, a major redo is in order!!! You'll get it in may I am sure! Try the Tangerine Dream, they have it in the slushie machine... They are my favorites!!!! Still, I agree with CP, playing cards and hanging out is what vacation is all about and so it does seem that it was a "win" of an afternoon even still!

Except I wasn't actually hanging out or playing cards. I was running around. I think Sandie and Paul really needed those drinks so it was worth it. Being in their shoes I think has it's own stress, with teens trying to play them. I could see how much the appreciated my getting the Gin and making the drinks and honestly that eased the grumps quite a bit. I do think everyone else really enjoyed the porch, just hanging and chatting, it was a great save given the pool "hold".

We do have a really cool souvie card deck as a result. It didn't get used until we got home though but has had lots of play time since. I remember thinking about trying the Tangerine Dream but didn't. Probably as I had my rum and coke (which by then I was starting to get sick of). I did get one or 2 margaritas from HH later on in the week, Jeff may have gotten a beer but I think that's all we tried.