Geeks go for broke! Updated 2/17: Wrap-up

[zweihund]

I added something to our reservation.

After looking over our activities this morning, I decided it looked a little.....well, it seemed to be missing......ok. Lets just say that there was a lack of Erica pampering.

Yes, I will be in the Rainforest every day. Yes, we will be at Palo many times. Yes, there is the Rasul, the champagne breakfast in bed, and the rose petals strewn across the stateroom. But something was just not there. What was it?

My brain whispered something to me.

Pssst! Hey, Erica. Yes, you with the short poofy hair. No, I don't want to hear excuses about the humidity in Florida, just listen for a minute. YOU. NEED. A. MASSAGE. No, not that chair you gave Lionel for his birthday, I'm talking a REAL MASSAGE.

You know that commercial where the hand orders mittens from the cell phone while its body sleeps? Well, in no time flat I had booked a Cabana massage for 2pm on our last day at Castaway Cay. I looked up at Lionel, feeling remotely guilty.

"Um, you don't care if I have one more spa treatment, do you?"

He rolled his eyes at me and pretended not to notice as I ogled the screen with our new itenerary for the next ten minutes.

So, here is the new plan. Unless, of course, it changes when we add Mat and Sarah to dinner and brunch:

Saturday, Port Canaveral: no active plans
Sunday, Castaway Cay: Two Day Getaway Package, Palo Dinner
Monday, Sea Day: Exotic Rasul, High Tea
Tuesday, Grand Cayman: Rum Point Beach (and Tortuga Rum Cake Bakery)
Wednesday, Cozumel: Eco Park and Snorkel
Thursday, Sea Day: Palo Brunch
Friday, Castaway Cay: Two Day Getaway Package, Cabana Massage
Saturday, Port Canaveral: many, many tears

I think it looks pretty good! Now, we plan to get to the Rainforest Room for at least a little time every day. I'm thinking, unofficially, that we may arrange our champagne breakfast in bed for the first Sea Day. We also want to make sure we book the galley tour, which will most likely be on Thursday, as soon as we can at guest services. But other than that? Done.

Now, on to other things. Like making a fish extender.

 

[MagicMe]

Erica - love the addition!!! You so deserve it after all this planning!!

 

[ears4all!]

Great pre-trip Erika! I love it!

 

[TheDisneyGirl02]

We also want to make sure we book the galley tour, which will most likely be on Thursday, as soon as we can at guest services. But other than that? Done.

Do you think you will be able to book the galley tour before getting on board? I know my DBF would LOVE that tour so I want to make sure he doesn't miss it!

 

[chepic]

The bad news? Well, it won't let us put Mat and Sarah in our Palo dining plans because their booking window is not open yet. How crappy is that? So I booked anyhow, figuring we can change it at the 90 day mark if need be.

You would think that my mostly-successful reservation fiasco would have my adrenaline pumping, but in truth I can barely move my hands to type anymore. Therefore I am off to bed. I'm sure I'll be chattier in the morning.

'night, DIS.

If you book the vow renewal... ....you get upgraded to consierge, and then you tell your consierge person you want them added, and it will be done!!!

cheryl

 

[zweihund]

Erica - love the addition!!! You so deserve it after all this planning!!

Great pre-trip Erika! I love it!

Thank you both!

Do you think you will be able to book the galley tour before getting on board? I know my DBF would LOVE that tour so I want to make sure he doesn't miss it!

You can book it at guest services only, but the passporter says you can book it when you get onboard. Apparently it isn't always listed in the navigator? So I have read. I have no idea if that's true or not. My advice is to head to guest services immediately and book. It's free!

If you book the vow renewal... ....you get upgraded to consierge, and then you tell your consierge person you want them added, and it will be done!!!

cheryl

I can see us doing a vow renewal now.....

"How long have you been married?"

"Oh, it will be four years in November......"

 

[Brena]

You can book it at guest services only, but the passporter says you can book it when you get onboard. Apparently it isn't always listed in the navigator? So I have read. I have no idea if that's true or not. My advice is to head to guest services immediately and book. It's free!

Man, that passporter sounds like it really comes in handy! Either I need to get my own or spend all my days hanging out at the Starbucks!

 

[anc22]

I just broke down and added a couple's cabana massage for our first stop at Castaway Cay.....

I also just stopped to add up all of the expenses that are already going to be on our bill as soon as we board..............

Sounds like you are going to have the same problem

 

[zweihund]

Man, that passporter sounds like it really comes in handy! Either I need to get my own or spend all my days hanging out at the Starbucks!

Or both!

I just broke down and added a couple's cabana massage for our first stop at Castaway Cay.....

I also just stopped to add up all of the expenses that are already going to be on our bill as soon as we board..............

Sounds like you are going to have the same problem

Yes, I tallied up "the number" the other night, and while it was not as bad as it could have been, it made me do a double-take!

 

[Disneygrl36]

I'm here for the party.
Glad I found the trippie before it got too far along. the Passporter!!!!!!!!!!
Sounds like a great plan so far.

 

[zweihund]

I'm here for the party.
Glad I found the trippie before it got too far along. the Passporter!!!!!!!!!!
Sounds like a great plan so far.

Thanks Melanie!

Alrighty, all. I will be away for the weekend on a course in Miami. We are staying in a hotel on the bay front so I can watch the ships coming in and out from the rooftop pool.

Oh, the things I must put up with for work.

See you Monday!

 

[flower91882]

Have fun in Miami!

 

[Disneygrl36]

Oh......I bet they have all kinds of fun drinkies in Miami. Have fun.

 

[podsnel]

OoooH! I'll be celebrating my 22nd anniversary with Pods this weekend in NYC- we'll be toasting, I know you'll be joining us!!! Have a blast-

 

[zweihund]

Have fun in Miami!

Oh......I bet they have all kinds of fun drinkies in Miami. Have fun.

OoooH! I'll be celebrating my 22nd anniversary with Pods this weekend in NYC- we'll be toasting, I know you'll be joining us!!! Have a blast-

Well, we didn't go crazy with the drinking, but we did enjoy some time at the rooftop pool. Not a bad way to spend a working day, eh? Here's my mini-TR from Miami.....

The view from the room....nice, huh? If you stand on your tiptoes you can see the harbor.

We got the room at this bayfront hotel for $220 total, for all four nights. Normally, it is upwards of $150 per night. How did we do this, you ask? HOTWIRE. We ended up with a rate of $62 per night. I guess this is the room you get for that view. But hey - we weren't there for the room. We were there for the rooftop pool!

Oh, and a work conference. Right. Ahem.

I could get used to this job.

We drove down on Thursday, and arrived a few hours before we had to be at the course. My buddy and I looked at each other, grabbed our books and headed up to the pool without a word spoken aloud. There we sat until we had only 20 minutes to spare before we had to leave. Ah......it was great!

More pool shots:

The course was wonderful, exhausting and relaxing at the same time. It was on manual therapy, which is like the therapist version of massage. Very localized massage. That kind of hurts. But helps pain and corrects bad posture. Yes, for four days I sat at the pool and got massaged. And I got paid for it. Being an OT rocks!

Our course was at Jackson Memorial Hospital, which was about two miles from the hotel. Two miles through what my buddy referred to as the "cultural district" - and by cultural district, I don't mean a place you go to have new exotic foods and learn new words for common items and mingle with the locals. I mean places where you pray that the traffic light does not turn red, because those big, burly guys standing on the corner are giving you the stink-eye. I'm pretty sure we witnessed a few drug deals going down as we drove past, trying to look confident and like we belonged in Miami.

I said to my buddy as we passed a basketball court full of people, but where no basketball or any other kind of ball was to be found, "nothing good is going on over there, so let's just gun it through this yellow light, ok?"

Another interesting thing about Miami is that NO ONE CARES. About you. About customer service. About being friendly. Nope. No one likes you, and you are inconveniencing EVERYONE simply by being present in their hotel/shop/parking garage. Maybe it's because Orlando isn't really a big city, but I was really surprised by the attitudes there. My buddy asked a guy in the sandwich shop (Au Bon Pain, which ROCKED by the way) where the bathroom was, and he shrugged and said "pfffft, I dunno" and walked off.

Nice.

On Sunday, which was our last day, I watched three cruise ships come in to the harbor. I did this standing on my toes so that I could see over the air conditioner vents. THAT was pretty neat. It doesn't look that deep, but it must be in order to allow a giant boat to swing around 180 degrees and then parallel park. I saw two Carnival and one Royal Carribean. Cool.

I'm back in way-too-hot Central Florida again, and we leave in just over three months. Time to get working. We need:

• a bigger memory card for the camera
• a waterproof housing for the camera (watching ebay for this)
• a fish extender (also watching ebay, sewing will be a last resort)
• an evening gown for me
• a less formal suit for Lionel

That's about it, really! I am toying with the idea of a new bathing suit, but really.....I have FOUR. I am also thinking about new Crocs sandals, but really.....I have TWO PAIRS already. I hate to say it, but I think that budget cruise ruined me!

 

[chepic]

Which hotel were you in? When we left out of Miami on the EOS we stayed in a Mariott the night before and it had the pool on the roof and we had pretty good views of the harbour....were you at the same one? We could watch the draw bridge go up and stop traffic for 45 minutes with people blaring their horns in annoyance....your right, they really don't care!!

And your right about something else....Therapist's rule!!!!

cheryl

 

[Mozart]

Which hotel were you in? When we left out of Miami on the EOS we stayed in a Mariott the night before and it had the pool on the roof and we had pretty good views of the harbour....were you at the same one? We could watch the draw bridge go up and stop traffic for 45 minutes with people blaring their horns in annoyance....your right, they really don't care!!

And your right about something else....Therapist's rule!!!!

cheryl

My therapist isn't that good. She says that she's unable to help me because I won't acknowledge that I have a problem. Then she gives me medicine.

 

[chepic]

My therapist isn't that good. She says that she's unable to help me because I won't acknowledge that I have a problem. Then she gives me medicine.

Some people just can't be helped no matter what you do....did you ever think that it's your mother's fault?!?!?!?

che

 

[Disneygrl36]

Ok, I'm skeert of Miami now. Cool that you got paid to hang out by the pool to get massged. I knew I should have been an ot or pt instead of an RN.

 

[zweihund]

Which hotel were you in? When we left out of Miami on the EOS we stayed in a Mariott the night before and it had the pool on the roof and we had pretty good views of the harbour....were you at the same one? We could watch the draw bridge go up and stop traffic for 45 minutes with people blaring their horns in annoyance....your right, they really don't care!!

And your right about something else....Therapist's rule!!!!

cheryl

Therapists DO rule!
We were at the Bayside Hilton (or is it Hilton Bayside?), and the pool was actually on the roof of the LOBBY, which wasn't EXACTLY what I was expecting since it has something like 20 floors, ya know? So our room actually had a better view of the bay! crazy.

My therapist isn't that good. She says that she's unable to help me because I won't acknowledge that I have a problem. Then she gives me medicine.

Some people just can't be helped no matter what you do....did you ever think that it's your mother's fault?!?!?!?

che

I'm staying clear of this one

Ok, I'm skeert of Miami now. Cool that you got paid to hang out by the pool to get massged. I knew I should have been an ot or pt instead of an RN.

Hehe - therapists have all the fun! But you guys get those awesome 3x12 hour work weeks, so I guess we break even