I Told You Driving Was Bad For Your Health! 2/2 NEW TRIP REPORT LINK P102

HockeyMomR · Oct 6, 2013

Mary Ellen - Chuck and I have been to Disney and back. I have not been on the Boards since our return. I was just catching up and had to stop with your post about Max to say how sorry I am for your loss. He was a beautiful cat and sounds like much loved. Prayers for you.

Rebecca

HockeyMomR · Oct 6, 2013

Love your Epcot day / evening. And of course a Dis meet at BC, just perfect. Then the perfect ending of Illuminations. We did the FP+ for Illuminations viewing on our recent trip 2 weeks ago. Was terrific. :cloud9:

And I do believe in signs. :goodvibes

MeMom · Oct 7, 2013

rentayenta said:
Isn't amazing how this little ole place has brought so many wonderful people together?

This brought tears to my eyes immediately. So very, very true.

MEK, I remember seeing that FB picture and being so glad you guys all got to cross paths. :thumbsup2

The Epcot resort area is such a cool place.

My thoughts on heaven: It's everything we love times a bazillion.
For me it'll be
all the Disney we can handle
with all the people that we love,
for free,
never closing,
no lines,
and perfect weather.

nowellsl · Oct 7, 2013

HockeyMomR said:
Love your Epcot day / evening. And of course a Dis meet at BC, just perfect. Then the perfect ending of Illuminations. We did the FP+ for Illuminations viewing on our recent trip 2 weeks ago. Was terrific.

And I do believe in signs.

We had FP+ for Illuminations a few weeks ago but did't stay - was it over by the two stores when you went? I was wondering how crowded it was!

HockeyMomR · Oct 7, 2013

nowellsl said:
We had FP+ for Illuminations a few weeks ago but did't stay - was it over by the two stores when you went? I was wondering how crowded it was!

It was over by the two stores. Excellent view. It was crowded by the railing by the time we arrived, but a terrific CM gave us a hint to stand back By the stores. It is a slight incline and view was great! Would book this FP+ again.

afwdwfan · Oct 7, 2013

Looks like a great EPCOT day, even if rides were just an afterthought. That was neat that you all bumped into each other for a bonus Dis meet.

Great Illuminations pictures for not even stopping to watch the show.

I'm glad that you saw that white bird on your way out and got your sign. When you first mentioned it, I hoped that something else would happen. It seemed kind of anti climactic when you brought it up and nothing happened.

MEK · Oct 7, 2013

Pinkocto said:
The bird story brought tears to my eyes, what a beautiful moment. Way to go for Denny being open to that

It was a pretty amazing moment. After the fact I thought maybe I made it bigger in my mind than it really was. But when I think about how high up I needed to look and how erratically that bird was flying, well I totally think it was a sign.

Pinkocto said:
I'm right there with you regarding a perfect day not needing to be filled with rides. The more I go the more I just like being there, enjoying the atmosphere and food and going with the flow. I'm glad you noticed the time, it probably would have been quite a pain to get back to the car otherwise.

OMG - thank GOODNESS we noticed the time. As you know, we park at the BC a lot. So it hadn't occurred to me that we didn't. It was like one of those OMG moments.

It really was a fun day. I wouldn't have changed it for anything.

Wicket's Mom said:
MEK, I had the fish & chips, but it was like frozen fish fillets, greasy, blah taste. I'm very picky with my fish, theirs looks good in ads & when I see it live, but worry it will still be bad. I really do need try R&C another time for a real result. Any restaurant can have a bad day.

Really? Yuck. I had the surf and turf there once (small filet with the fish) and it was really good. I really enjoyed it. Sorry to hear it was yucky.

I do agree - any restaurant can have a bad day, but it seems silly to mess up a signature dish, one that is a staple.

englishrose47 said:
Just checking in!!!

Checking in and gearing up for your upcoming trip! Gotta love that! :cool1:

mickeystoontown said:
How wonderful it must have been to see the pretty white bird doing the 360s and enjoying the evening in Epcot. It surely was a sign from Tracy!

It was a really cool experience. When I think back on that night I realize I was truly mesmerized by what I saw. That bird was so cool.

mickeystoontown said:
As I told Kathy over on her report, we ate at Rose & Crown once several years ago and didn't care for it too much. But, we like a little pep/kick to ur food (love us some Louisiana spices) so it's probably just us.

I think it can be a hit or miss place. I've been happy with the food both times that I ate there, but I suspect I could try something I wasn't crazy about. I mean - Denny didn't love his. He liked it, but didn't love it.

mickeystoontown said:
I have got to get my family over to the Yacht & Beach Club and Boardwalk area. It looks so beautiful in pictures!

You totally do. It is a gorgeous area. I highly recommend a visit!

natebenma said:
We have never been to the Rose and Crown. Your choices look great. I love Disney salads! The trout and chicken curry would be a great combo for me and my husband to order to split. I don't think I would be able to resist trying the Scotch egg, though. That has always intrigued me.

I really need to try that Scotch egg. It was on my bucket list but I think I totally forgot about it after the frozen Kirin! :confused3

Next time!

natebenma said:
Loved your mega-DIS meet at the Beach Club for so many reasons!

It was great! So glad we decided to head over there in the evening. It's always so much fun to meet up with DISers!

natebenma said:
Isn't there a bible story about someone who couldn't resist looking over her shoulder???

Maybe! It would also help if I could learn to spell shoulder correctly and not spell it soldier. :rotfl2:

natebenma said:
And in mythology too- Orpheus and Euridice (Ben is currently rehearsing for his play "Myth Adventures" so it is all Greek to me these days)

But I'm glad you did, because those are some really interesting pictures of the fireworks!

Thanks! I really wasn't sure if those pictures were going to turn out at all. I'm so happy they did. Really - they looks better than what I remember seeing that night.

natebenma said:
That makes sense!

I think it does make sense! I mean, Tracy could have been anywhere when I asked for a sign! :laughing:

natebenma said:
Me, too!

It was a cool experience. Very surreal, but I can still picture that bird.

natebenma said:

It's almost sacrilegious, isn't it? :laughing:

englishrose47 · Oct 7, 2013

Yes in 10 days I will be in Disney!!!!! :dance3:

Tomorrow I start the Single Digit Dance :dance3:

jedijill · Oct 7, 2013

englishrose47 said:
Yes in 10 days I will be in Disney!!!!!Tomorrow I start the Single Digit Dance

I'm right behind you Rosie! I'll be in 11!

Jill in CO

MEK · Oct 7, 2013

norybell said:
Mary Ellen, I'm so sorry about Max. We had to put a cat down this year, as well...it's so hard.

Thanks Nory. Then you know how tough it is. I really miss Max. There is a calendar at work with animal pictures and when I changed the month to October there was the most beautiful black cat. It really made me miss him and I look at that picture everyday now. Sorry that you had to go through the same thing. I just hope my other cats stay healthy for awhile.

norybell said:
What a wonderful Epcot day! And everything about your bird is beautiful.

It was a great Epcot evening and the bird was really icing on the cake!

norybell said:
Seeing your info about the old Universe of Energy really took me back...we started visiting Epcot in '83 or '84, and I totally remember that opening movie, with the rotating cubes and the windmills! The dinosaurs totally freaked me out back then, though, I think I would spend most of that part of the ride with my eyes closed.

To be honest, the dinosaurs still freak me out a little!

I never saw that version, but I would certainly like to. It really looks cool. I'm sure the dinosaurs would freak me out too! :rolleyes1

HockeyMomR said:
Mary Ellen - Chuck and I have been to Disney and back. I have not been on the Boards since our return. I was just catching up and had to stop with your post about Max to say how sorry I am for your loss. He was a beautiful cat and sounds like much loved. Prayers for you.

Rebecca

Welcome back Rebecca! Did you guys have a wonderful time? Do I even need to ask that? :laughing:

I'm sure it was wonderful.

Thank you! Max was an awesome cat and I am so sorry we lost him, but his quality of life was declining. I knew something was going to happen to him once he became diabetics. He just had so many things wrong with him over the years.

HockeyMomR said:
Love your Epcot day / evening. And of course a Dis meet at BC, just perfect. Then the perfect ending of Illuminations. We did the FP+ for Illuminations viewing on our recent trip 2 weeks ago. Was terrific.

We did have a fun Epcot evening. Bucket list, dinner, DIS meet, and the tail end of Illuminations.

The FP plus does sound neat. I think I watched it from the viewing area once before and it was pretty cool!

HockeyMomR said:
And I do believe in signs.

MeMom said:
This brought tears to my eyes immediately. So very, very true.

I agree - it IS so true. And its so unique. It's wonderful how the magic of Disney has affected our lives in such a positive way. I am always grateful for having met wonderful DIS friends from all over the country that have enriched my life. It's truly special!

MeMom said:
MEK, I remember seeing that FB picture and being so glad you guys all got to cross paths.

It was a really cool moment! I'm so glad it all worked out!

MeMom said:
The Epcot resort area is such a cool place.

I love that area so much and I am thrilled I will be staying at the Boardwalk in another couple weeks. :banana:

MeMom said:
My thoughts on heaven: It's everything we love times a bazillion.
For me it'll be
all the Disney we can handle
with all the people that we love,
for free,
never closing,
no lines,
and perfect weather.

You said that perfectly. :hug:

nowellsl said:
We had FP+ for Illuminations a few weeks ago but did't stay - was it over by the two stores when you went? I was wondering how crowded it was!

I think that's where it is.

HockeyMomR said:
It was over by the two stores. Excellent view. It was crowded by the railing by the time we arrived, but a terrific CM gave us a hint to stand back By the stores. It is a slight incline and view was great! Would book this FP+ again.

It IS the spot I thought it was. I watched from there once before. I was up near the front, but I had one kid standing in front of me and it made the view difficult. I can see where the back of the crowd would be good.

MEK · Oct 7, 2013

afwdwfan said:
Looks like a great EPCOT day, even if rides were just an afterthought. That was neat that you all bumped into each other for a bonus Dis meet.

It was a Bonus DIS meet! I'm so glad it worked out that way. It was perfect!

afwdwfan said:
Great Illuminations pictures for not even stopping to watch the show.

Thanks! I don't even remember taking half of those pictures. I guess I did a pretty good job multi-tasking! :laughing:

I

afwdwfan said:
'm glad that you saw that white bird on your way out and got your sign. When you first mentioned it, I hoped that something else would happen. It seemed kind of anti climactic when you brought it up and nothing happened.

To be honest - I totally forgot that I asked for a sign. So it came as a total surprise and I'm so glad that Denny noticed that cool bird. It really was a special sight! :goodvibes

englishrose47 said:
Yes in 10 days I will be in Disney!!!!!Tomorrow I start the Single Digit Dance

I am bummed that our trips aren't overlapping, but I am super excited for you. :woohoo:

And a bit jealous that you get to hang out with Pat!

jedijill said:
I'm right behind you Rosie! I'll be in 11!

Jill in CO

I'm bummed I am missing you too, Jill! But I am certain you are going to have a wonderful job. I will single digit dance for both you! :yay:

GoofyFan1515 · Oct 9, 2013

Love your Epcot update! You are so right, you may have only done two rides but it definitely looks like a full and perfect park day. Hoping to get a return trip and try Rose and Crown soon. It has gotten a lot of positive reviews lately so sounds like it is time to give it a try. :thumbsup2

MEK said:
Denny and I met Mark and Anita in the lobby and sat and talked for awhile. They were excited about their upcoming plans to visit Vero Beach with meMom and her crew.

While we were chatting look who came through the lobby.

DISmeets are so much fun, DISmeets at Disney even more fun, and surprise DISmeets just make it really special. So good you got to spend some time with Anita and Mark, and then have Kathy, Mary and the girls show up at the same time! Apparently Beach Club is a great place for that to happen! :yay:

MEK said:
What a perfect night

Certainly appears to be!!! :goodvibes

MEK said:
Further up the path

There is just something really great about the framing in this picture that makes it really cool to look at!

MEK said:

Hidden Mickey???

So great that you got to end your evening with special thoughts and memories!!! :goodvibes

eandesmom · Oct 9, 2013

MEK said:
If you guessed Rose and Crown, you are correct. For my last several trips I have made ADRs here and I have canceled each and every one. I was bound and determined to eat here this time. No cancellations allowed.

We got a lovely patio seat.

It was fairly empty outside when we sat down.

What a great view

So what did we order?

Well, in keeping with the beer theme I ordered a Boddington's. I love this beer!

I'm not sure what Denny ordered, but I believe he ordered beer as well.

I was craving some greens and this really hit the spot

English Chicory and Watercress Salad - with apples, blue cheese, candied walnuts nuts and Craisins Dried cranberry vinaigrette $7.99

Oh that looks lovely! I think I need that salad in Dec. Very excited to finally go there myself.

MEK said:
During dinner I decided to text Anita (wigdoutdismom). I knew she and her husband Mark were leaving at the end of the week to go to Vero Beach. On the spur of the moment I thought - hey if they are over at the BC now why not go over and say hi.

Amazingly Anita was there. She had just woken up from a nap but agreed to meet us in the lobby. We decided to walk over to the BC by way of the BW.

And this was our FB picture

Getting to see Kathy, Mary, and the girls again was a total bonus.

What a fun meet and a surprise bonus!

MEK said:
I was walking happily along. As we approached SSE Denny said, "there's your sign."

"Huh. What?"

"Your sign. Look up there".

I looked straight up and saw a lone white bird flying high. It was over the palm trees, but not quite as high as the top of SSE. It was a medium sized bird and it was flipping over on its back and doing 360's. I had to careen my neck back as far as it would go and spin around to watch the birds path. The bird almost glowed in the light of SSE. It was moving so quickly in a rather erratic pattern. The bird looked happy, if that's possible. Almost like she was showing off.

At the time I remember thinking that this white bird was definitely a sign from Tracy. I was so excited and really impressed that Denny saw "my sign" which I almost missed. I guess I'll never know for sure, but I'll always believe her spirit is alive and well in Epcot.

Aww....

I think her spirit is! I bought one of the Alex and Ani MK bracelets that she wore but need an AK and Epcot one (if they make an Epcot one, not sure about that) to round it out. Makes me think of her, I wear it all the time.

emmysmommy · Oct 9, 2013

Hi Mary Ellen! What a lovely reminder of Tracy's spirit with that bird. :goodvibes

We cancelled R&C last trip so I still have not tried it. I believe it is still on the list for December so I'm excited to try it. Your patio view was fabulous.

What timing you had with your Dismeet and the added bonus of Kathy, Mary and the girls! :thumbsup2

That photo looking back at Illuminations with the illuminated globe framed in the center with bursts of fireworks on either side is brilliant! The other bursts that you captured are awesome as well. I know we've tried to exit before the show starts to beat the crowds but I can't resist a peek back to see the show and then before you know it I'm standing there taking photos, walking a few steps forward, and then stopping again! :lmao:

Looking forward to hearing more.

MEK · Oct 9, 2013

GoofyFan1515 said:
Love your Epcot update! You are so right, you may have only done two rides but it definitely looks like a full and perfect park day. Hoping to get a return trip and try Rose and Crown soon. It has gotten a lot of positive reviews lately so sounds like it is time to give it a try.

It was a great Disney day. It's not all about the rides anymore for me. It's about the overall experience.

R&C was really fun. I look forward to going back in a few weeks. It's just got a great atmosphere and the food was really good.

GoofyFan1515 said:
DISmeets are so much fun, DISmeets at Disney even more fun, and surprise DISmeets just make it really special. So good you got to spend some time with Anita and Mark, and then have Kathy, Mary and the girls show up at the same time! Apparently Beach Club is a great place for that to happen!

I was really happy that I got to meet with Marc & Anita and thrilled I got to see Kathy, Mary, and the girls again. It was really fun to see everyone!

GoofyFan1515 said:
Certainly appears to be!!!

The weather was great. I just love the view from the BC and it's especially nice when the weather is perfect.

GoofyFan1515 said:
There is just something really great about the framing in this picture that makes it really cool to look at!

I would love to photoshop out that monorail tract, but I guess you're right - it adds some kind of perspective to the picture.

GoofyFan1515 said:
Hidden Mickey???

I guess it could be! :thumbsup2

GoofyFan1515 said:
So great that you got to end your evening with special thoughts and memories!!!

It was a really neat way to end the night. That bird was really something to see.

eandesmom said:
Oh that looks lovely! I think I need that salad in Dec. Very excited to finally go there myself.

That salad was really good. I totally enjoyed it. I wanted the Scotch egg but my love of greens won out!

eandesmom said:
What a fun meet and a surprise bonus!

It was a fun meet. The whole entire meet was a bonus because it was so spur of the moment.

eandesmom said:
Aww.... I think her spirit is! I bought one of the Alex and Ani MK bracelets that she wore but need an AK and Epcot one (if they make an Epcot one, not sure about that) to round it out. Makes me think of her, I wear it all the time.

I bet it does. Those bracelets are pretty cool. I can see why they would definitely bring back great memories. It's so hard to believe it's been almost a year since we saw her last.

emmysmommy said:
Hi Mary Ellen! What a lovely reminder of Tracy's spirit with that bird.

That bird was so cool. I'm so glad I got a chance to see it. I almost completely missed it and that would have been terrible. It was really special.

emmysmommy said:
We cancelled R&C last trip so I still have not tried it. I believe it is still on the list for December so I'm excited to try it. Your patio view was fabulous.

The view was fabulous. I love eating outside there, although the inside of the restaurant is pretty cool too. It just has a great atmosphere.

emmysmommy said:
What timing you had with your Dismeet and the added bonus of Kathy, Mary and the girls!

It worked out perfectly. I am so thrilled I got a double DIS meet. It was really fun! And special! Aren't all DIS meets special?

emmysmommy said:
That photo looking back at Illuminations with the illuminated globe framed in the center with bursts of fireworks on either side is brilliant! The other bursts that you captured are awesome as well. I know we've tried to exit before the show starts to beat the crowds but I can't resist a peek back to see the show and then before you know it I'm standing there taking photos, walking a few steps forward, and then stopping again!

That's exactly what happened. I couldn't miss the pull of Illuminations so it was like three steps forward and stop then repeat. :laughing:

It was a cool perspective.

emmysmommy said:
Looking forward to hearing more.

I've got another update almost done! :woohoo:

MEK · Oct 9, 2013

Yeti Land!

It's a New Day and time to hit the parks early!

But first - a little workout. Denny decided to join me and we went to the health club. I didn't take any pictures. It wasn't much of a facility. A couple treadmills, a bike, and an elliptical. There were also some free weights. Thank goodness it was just the two of us.

Despite the sparsity of equipment we both managed to get a decent workout. That's really all that matters.

Walking outside the villa

Like I said - it was early!

The hot tub near our condo (which we did use a couple times in the evening)

Crappy picture of the lobby on the way to work out.

So where to today? Why, Land of the Yeti, of course.

Parking without the AAA parking pass.

Seriously? THAT'S the line?

I just love the AK entrance. It's so festive yet so relaxed at the same time!

Nope, no special tour for us. Oh well.

Once inside we walked right up to see the Yeti.

Wooo! What is this? A mega line?

Not a good sign.

I think I had a bio break while Denny got in that line (before it got that long). He returned with two FP's and we got in the standby line, which move pretty quickly.

Not your average house cat.

Yeti foot

Yeti Brands

Loading up. So did we wait for front row?

Heck Yeah!

He was nice, even though he looked a little bored!

Continued In the Next Post

MEK · Oct 9, 2013

Nothing quite like the front row.

Not the best picture

It's hard to put you hands in the air when you are holding onto your camera for dear life.

Continued In the Next Post

MEK · Oct 9, 2013

Not sure where we headed next - maybe these pictures will be telling

I see we got our picture taken. OK

Perhaps over to Dinosaur

Dinosaur indeed

Another photo-op

You can see it wasn't very crowded.

Why Doctor Marsh

Time Rover - with coordinates safely locked on the Cretaceous period.

Dr Seeker - who is a heck of a paleontologist

Oh brother - Someone is in trouble -tsk tsp Dr Seeker. Haven't you learned by now that can't send guests to the end of the Cretaceous Period when the meteor that killed all the dinosaurs hit?

Clearly we survived! And there's one passenger in the front row who is a little over exuberant about the whole thing.

I Told You Driving Was Bad For Your Health! *2/2* NEW TRIP REPORT LINK P102

DIS Veteran

DIS Veteran

DIS Legend

<font color=purple>my car finds out everytime I ha

DIS Veteran

DIS Dad #460

DIS Legend

DIS Legend

Chiefs fan living in Bronco country

DIS Legend

DIS Legend

DIS Dad #174

I'm with Beast

DIS Veteran

DIS Legend

DIS Legend

DIS Legend

DIS Legend

DIS Legend

DIS Legend

I Told You Driving Was Bad For Your Health! 2/2 NEW TRIP REPORT LINK P102