Lurkyloo Does WDW: Solo Banzai Run for PassPorter’s Decade of Dreams!

[DisneyDmbNut]

Carrie - your anniversary is 6 months after mine..maybe we can do a joint VR..I am debating the WP or Poly beach...you can be my bridesmaid..or maybe my wedding planner!
I have 8 years to decide!!

 

[DisneyBrideToni]

Carrie I just realized you were tagged! I was tagged too. I guess the tag fairy finally stopped over to the wedding boards...LOL. Oh and I will post the chocolate pie recipe. Its yummy. I made it for Thanksgiving to do something a bit different than the regular pumpkin, apple stuff. It was a hit.

 

[rottiemom]

Holy Diver...I can't keep up with you, girl . I haven't even managed to finish your last TR and here you are with another PTR, planning a solo trip. I need to get my medication adjusted to whatever you've got (I know, I know, it's just clean living and all of that west coast sunshine ).

I'll try to keep up.

 

[lurkyloo]

The passporter party sounds like such fun. Wish I could be there! Loved your wedding report. Am tempted to purchase your passporter wedding book even though I don't have a wedding to plan... is that terribly weird?

That's not weird - I don't have a wedding to plan either, and I'd buy my book too!

Carrie - your anniversary is 6 months after mine..maybe we can do a joint VR..I am debating the WP or Poly beach...you can be my bridesmaid..or maybe my wedding planner!
I have 8 years to decide!!

Ooh! Ooh! You mean it? That would be so much fun! I think the only thing better than getting to be IN a DFTW would be getting to help plan one!

Carrie I just realized you were tagged! I was tagged too. I guess the tag fairy finally stopped over to the wedding boards...LOL.

Sweet merciful crap, you're right! I thought it would never happen. The second thing I learned when I discovered the DIS (after learning that lime green Crocs were THE best choice of footwear at WDW) was that it was a huge honor to be visited by the Tag Fairy. I have even seen people baiting/pleading with the Tag Fairy, but I never thought s/he would visit me.

...Now if only the Tag Fairy had picked something I wrote that was actually funny!

Oh and I will post the chocolate pie recipe. Its yummy. I made it for Thanksgiving to do something a bit different than the regular pumpkin, apple stuff. It was a hit.

That's a great idea! Can't wait for the recipe...

Holy Diver...I can't keep up with you, girl . I haven't even managed to finish your last TR and here you are with another PTR, planning a solo trip. I need to get my medication adjusted to whatever you've got (I know, I know, it's just clean living and all of that west coast sunshine ).

I'll try to keep up.

You're back! I was worried about you! So glad to see you again.

 

[lurkyloo]

OK, today's update is so I can sing the praises of a nifty little device I found for my trip.

I wanted to get a second charger for my iPhone, cuz I'm in big trouble if I lose the one I have. When I was researching, I discovered that they now make portable backup batteries for the iPhone 3G, which has a notoriously short battery life.

On my last two trips, I've had to limit the number of live blog updates I could do every day because my battery only lasts for about 7 hours when I'm power-using the phone, and you know how long our WDW days are. (Yes, that's right, that was a *limited* number of blog posts you saw )

Well, I found that the Kensington makes a battery pack that doubles as a charger, which perfectly solves both my problems.

I can charge the battery and the phone each night, then carry the battery with me during the day and juice up my phone in about 45 minutes or use it while it's charging. Because it connects to the phone by a cable instead of snapping right into the phone, I don't have to take my iPhone out of its case or figure out how to keep the two connected inside my backpack while the phone charges.

Also, the battery is slim and light - about the size of a candy bar, but thinner. Mmmm... candy bar....



Speaking of which, how 'bout some Cake of the Day?


In honor of Easter, here's a shot of what Sprinkles was serving for the holiday:

 

[MEK]

hmmmmm.... Nice charger. hmmmmmmm....Nicer cupcakes.

 

[jenna77]

Carrie, please tell me that the iPhone is worth it. DF keeps arguing with me about getting one, he thinks I'm connected enough to work already, but my job requires that I respond quickly to e-mails during work hours (or, um, the hours I'm supposed to be working) and I think it would be easier than lugging around the laptop and air card. How hard is it to type?

 

[NotSoEvilStepmother]

Carrie, please tell me that the iPhone is worth it.

Double that.

 

[romymichelle21]

Jenna, it's totally worth it! DB and I both have one, and we couldn't live without them.

The typing takes about a day to adjust to - you have the option of using just your pointer finger(s), or thumb & pointer. Plus, the nifty thing is, even if you're getting bumped around a little (walking, in a car, etc) and make typos - it auto-corrects you! Sometimes the corrections are wrong and annoying (there are no curses in its vocabulary ), but mostly, it's very handy.

Carrie, do you have "Push" on all the time for different apps, or keep the screen at full brightness? I have astonishingly good battery life on mine... but I keep the screen down just a bit, and have it on 'manual' for stuff like email checking.

In fact, I use Stanza - the ebook reader - and can usually sit and read for hoooooours.

Oh hey, Jenna, that's another bonus! You can totally use your iPhone as a Kindle

And Carrie... have you seen the new DL app? It updates you with ride wait times and everything. I'm absolutely trying it next time we go.

 

[A-T-G]

The iPhone is SOOOOO worth it! I'm not even liveblogging like Carrie. My DH got it so I'd never get lost trying to get to a puppet show EVER again - this is the result of a very frustrating, infuriating, waste-of-my-between show travel time trip to do shows in Santa Rosa. DH got one too and we both love it. I NEVER thought I'd care about apps but, I can't get enough of the suckers.

There's a DL app? How did I not know this?! I will have to find that puppy quick.

Seriously, get the iPhone, it's life frickin' changing!

Now, if I only knew how to live blog....

 

[A-T-G]

Carrie - cool battery! And even yummier cupcakes!

 

[romymichelle21]

The DL app is called "Disneyland CA Planner" - search it in iTunes!

There's also the website here, where you can see a bunch of screenshots.

There's a hilarious comment in the reviews on iTunes - someone bought it for their WDW trip and was mad it wasn't more obvious that it was only for DL... with the Matterhorn on the icon, and "Disneyland CA" in the title!

 

[A-T-G]

Oh, romymichelle...that is awesome! That's gonna' keep me giggling until bedtime!

 

[Disneygrl36]

Another vote for the iphone........I am not a up to date technology person usually but DH wanted one & got me one too. It has saved me countless hours of boredom at my fill in job as a school nurse when I am sitting waiting for kids to come see me.

Cute bunny cupcakes!!!!!!!!!!

 

[DisneyDmbNut]

love the iphone!

I did a loser/wannabe live blog from Disney, but it wasn't nearly as entertaining as Carries!

 

[Jennifer48]

Carrie tell me, are Sprinkles cupcakes da bomb like some people make them out to be? Particularly Bridget from Girls Next Door

 

[inkedupmomma]

I NEED a charger like that for my phone!! and I also would love a cupcake, right now!

 

[lurkyloo]

hmmmmm.... Nice charger. hmmmmmmm....Nicer cupcakes.

Carrie, please tell me that the iPhone is worth it. DF keeps arguing with me about getting one, he thinks I'm connected enough to work already, but my job requires that I respond quickly to e-mails during work hours (or, um, the hours I'm supposed to be working) and I think it would be easier than lugging around the laptop and air card. How hard is it to type?

Double that.

I was spoiled by my first smartphone, the old-skool T-Mobile Sidekick (back before they started marketing it to rappers and kids). It had a full keyboard with little lighted, raised keys, and I loved it. The iPhone... not so much. The intuitive typing that RomyMichelle mentioned is almost always suggesting words I *don't* want, but that will decrease over time as it learns to suggest all my made-up words, like "prolly" and "shoulda" ....

I actually don't do a lot of typing on it right now because the email client won't give you a horizontal keyboard - just the squished vertical one. But apparently the update they're releasing in June will add the horizontal keyboard for all native applications, like the mail app. Plus, FINALLY, cut and paste - which means I'll be able to post pix on the DIS.

Don't get me wrong - I love having it, but for me, I can't do a lot of long-form communication on it, like typing up trip reports. Mostly I love it for the GPS searching (directions, finding nearby businesses and calling them, etc.) and the camera/live-blogging.

Carrie, do you have "Push" on all the time for different apps, or keep the screen at full brightness? I have astonishingly good battery life on mine... but I keep the screen down just a bit, and have it on 'manual' for stuff like email checking.

I think the only thing I have on push right now is my email, and I should just switch it to manual cuz I'm allways refreshing it hoping for new messages anyway! I think what's killing my battery is taking pix, uploading them to the blog, surfing the blog, etc.

And Carrie... have you seen the new DL app? It updates you with ride wait times and everything. I'm absolutely trying it next time we go.

The thing about it is, the ride wait times are based entirely on user reports. So right now, they are not very accurate or updated frequently cuz not enough people are using the app yet. I'm in wait-and-see mode on that one.

The new Disney app I have that I love is WDW Dining, which has all the menus at WDW!

Seriously, get the iPhone, it's life frickin' changing!

Now, if I only knew how to live blog....

I second the life-changing. It just gives you so much more info right at your fingertips!

Live blogging is easy!

1) Set up a free blog on Blogger.com.

2) Take a pic with your iPhone and forward it to post@iPhoneslide.com

3) Click on the link it sends back to your email

4) Tell iPhone slide which blog you want to upload to (you only have to enter your blog username and password the first time), and voila!

The DL app is called "Disneyland CA Planner" - search it in iTunes!

There's also the website here, where you can see a bunch of screenshots.

There's a hilarious comment in the reviews on iTunes - someone bought it for their WDW trip and was mad it wasn't more obvious that it was only for DL... with the Matterhorn on the icon, and "Disneyland CA" in the title!

Oh my....

Another vote for the iphone........I am not a up to date technology person usually but DH wanted one & got me one too. It has saved me countless hours of boredom at my fill in job as a school nurse when I am sitting waiting for kids to come see me.

Cute bunny cupcakes!!!!!!!!!!

So how was your bunny cake? Tasty?

love the iphone!

I did a loser/wannabe live blog from Disney, but it wasn't nearly as entertaining as Carries!

I don't know about that, but I do think you just need to have more bad stuff happen to you - food poisoning, horse doots in the street - that kinda thing!

Carrie tell me, are Sprinkles cupcakes da bomb like some people make them out to be? Particularly Bridget from Girls Next Door

Yes, yes they are. Some flavors. Some are dry, I think, but the red velvet is always good.

I NEED a charger like that for my phone!! and I also would love a cupcake, right now!

Me too! WHY is Sprinkles so far away - WHY?! Sigh....

 

[lurkyloo]

So today I found out TripIt finally has an iPhone application!

I've been using TripIt.com as a sort of online version of my paper PassPorter. It creates an itinerary with all your travel info automatically - all you have to do is forward the emails you get with receipts for airline tickets, car rental, hotels, OpenTable reservations, etc. Then you can ask it to generate maps between your destinations and add in other activities, like concert times or meetings with friends.

Unfortunately, it isn't compatible with Disney's ressie system or ADRs, so those you have to enter by hand. But it still saves a lot of time, and then you have all the info in one place - and, if you have a Web-enabled phone, with you at all times.

I had been accessing TripIt through my phone's web browser, but it was slow and a drag. Now I can go straight there using the app! Hooray for technology!


**********

Cake o' the Day!

Here's another fancy one I saved in my wedding idea file. I don't know if I woulda gone with these colors, but I loved the details!

 

[lurkyloo]

I just found out that the magazine that ran a story about our wedding, Destination Weddings & Honeymoons, is featuring us as "Wedding of the Week" on their website. (Talk about re-purposing content! )

The cool part is, they're using pictures and info that they didn't run in the magazine article - 10 pages' worth!

Here's a link to the editor's blog, which has a ton of pix. From there you can scroll to the bottom for a link to the expanded 10-page version of our article - it's LurkyloOverload!

http://blog.destinationweddingmag.com/2009/04/real-wedding-carrie-and-patrick-orlando.html

My favorite part is the teaser on the magazine's homepage: "Disney weddings aren't all Mickey Mouse and princess-themed. Check out this colorful and festive affair at Epcot's Morocco Pavilion."