Maybe I'll do a trip report? Don't read! I haven't decided! NEW for 1/31! Read it!

[celerystalker]

We had such a good time in September of 06 that we decided to go back less than a month later.


But just for a day trip!


We’re not crazy or anything!

My company had a huge meeting in St. Petersburg Beach at the end of October.

Do you know how close you are to the Mouse when you’re in St Petersburg!

So close you just have to go, right?

The company was already paying for my hotel and flight and I had a free roundtrip from Southwest that Tammy could use.

And since Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party was still going on, it could be done cheaply!

I convinced Tammy, my friend Ben and his friend Lindsay that we needed to go.

Being awake for meetings and presentations is for losers, right?

Right.

So I had it planned down to the second.

The meeting was scheduled to be over at 12:30 on Friday.

We would leave by 1 PM, drive the hour to the Wonderful World of Disney and be there in time for our 2:15 Kona ADR.

Where we were going to try the trick of the great and all powerful Sher!

Oh yes.

Sher is one of those infamous people on the DIS.

Fun and fabulous and flirty and full of life.

In her trip report (you know the one!) she mentioned how she was able to convince the people at the counter service place at the Poly to make Tonga Toast for her even though it was past breakfast hours.

I asked for her advice.

Do you think Kona Cafe would do it too?

Sher’s answer?

Of course!

((big grin))

So, since Ben pretty much oozes charm.

And since I’m only charming when I drink.

Wait.

I only THINK I’m charming when I drink.

He was elected to sweet talk the server if she was female.

And I’d take it if he was male.

The other purpose was an illicit one.

We’re cheap.

We didn’t want to pay for parking.

And the Poly will let you self park for free if you have a dining reservation.

Which we did.

We just needed to go to MNSSHP right after.

 

[lexmelinda]

All caught up now, Cel!!!

It's a par-tay over here. Lots of sage tips and clever repartee from your posters.

And Celery.....Four trip reports in one! Bargain!

I don't know what you're talking about.....there's plenty of conflict and frustration! Plenty! You don't need little people for that!

I'm tired just reading about the mom/sister trip. How frustrating for a fast walker! I'm a fast walker too! A very fast walker...always 5 yards ahead of the fam. KEEP UP, PEOPLE!

Fudge on the pillow......classic!

And you skanked the mnsshp free parking at the poly? Beautiful!

Here's my sage tip for trip reporting....even if you have three installments ready to post...post them one at a time. Make them wait and take a week off from writing. OK..that's all I've got.

But*.....you're doing a wonderful job so far! Can't wait to hear whether Sher's advice worked and you got some Tonga Toast.

OK....you may now proceed.....

 

[celerystalker]

lex - I know! I'm resisting. I promise. But I wanna post everything now!!!!
And I've got something for every day up until August 20th.
So the rest of yous, start writing and let me know what day you want for your own pre trip fun.

Utah - thanks so much for the stroller advice.
the one we're taking (crap. No kids. Nevermind.)
See how hard this is?

 

[Minnie_Moo]

Nab! I didn't know you were surprising the kids!!! What a fun way to let them know. Hope it works out.

Hugs to poly if you're reading.

Moo Hoo, Cel, you've been a writin' fiend!!!

 

[celerystalker]

So. Our plan was in place.
The last speaker in our meeting was done at 12:30!
Let’s go!
Wait.
One of the meeting attendees is waving at me.

Hmmm.

I wave back and start moving to the door.

They start following me.

CRAP!

I know I needed to meet with her and the nurse manager from Connecticut.

But I SPECIFICALLY told her to schedule it for Saturday after our meetings.

I had no where to BE on Saturday.

Friday was booked for Disney.

Everyone knows I’m a Disney freak.

I even told a group that I was training the other day (after I said “Hi y’all!” to them for Utah’s sake!) that it’s mandatory for them to have Disney wallpaper on their computer.

Heh.

Everyone knew why I was ready to get out of that meeting!

But the stupid nurse manager couldn’t meet on Saturday.

WHY?

WHY, YOU ASK?

Because he had a tee time after the meeting.

WHAT!?!?!?!?!

Yep.

That’s right.

Golf is more important than the Mouse.

Grrrr.

Anyway, I met with him quickly.

And not too nicely (I ended up going to Connecticut a few months later to appease him on one of my “amnesty” missions. And I PROMISE I was super nice to him then.).
And high tailed it out of there!
We’d eaten up some of my travel time, but we could still make it.

So we hopped in the rental car and blasted Justin Timberlake (this one’s for you, Twinks! But we really did sing Justin the whole way there).
He’s sooooo dreamy!

We made it to the Poly guard station with time to spare.
I had the ADR number ready in case they needed it.
They didn’t.
They just waved us on through to our free parking (which was right across from the front door).

So we all had an adult beverage (I don’t think Tammy had one – she doesn’t really drink).

Whatever you’ve heard about how the Year of a Million Dreams Glowtini is yucky is utterly false!

That glowing blue drink is yummy!

We all got glow cubes to take home and add to our collection.

I’m so glad they added the button to turn them on.

The banging them on the table gets a little loud.

I highly recommend starting your own glow cube collection today.

Also fun are the plastic cups from Rainforest Café that light up.

I don’t know if they have them at the ones in Orlando, but they definitely sell them here in Nashville.

It makes your average ho hum rum drink feel so much more festive!

Well, any drink feels more festive when it lights up.

 

[punkin413]

So we hopped in the rental car and blasted Justin Timberlake (this one’s for you, Twinks! But we really did sing Justin the whole way there).
He’s sooooo dreamy! love: love:

i agree! he's definitely my guilty pleasure. and HBO is airing a JT concert on labor day.......justin in HD??? yes, please!

Whatever you’ve heard about how the Year of a Million Dreams Glowtini is yucky is utterly false!

That glowing blue drink is yummy!

bleh.....i totally disagree! that thing was nasty. i felt like i was drinking blue sugar water with a splash of rubbing alcohol. way too sweet for me......i guess that's cause i'm so sweet anyway!

 

[Minnie_Moo]

Cel, I see a table-full of festive drinks with blue glow cubes in our future at the Peep Meet!!!!!!!!!!!!

My friend bought a glow cube separately on New Year's Eve to take home to her son when we had dinner at Kona Cafe, so I think you can probably get one added to any drink.

 

[NAB]

Guess I better add that to my list, a glowing ice cube for the kids. We were to cheap last time to buy it extra at Prime Time.....it wasn't on the free dining plan.

Shhhh... Don't tell hubby. He isn't coming this time.

 

[celerystalker]

Hey Nab - I'll spring for a cube for each of them!
That way you can tel hubby they're free!

punkin - I doubt I could drink the glowtini this time. Or many of them. I could probably suffer through one.

Moo - I don't think Nab drinks, and I know Utah only drinks for medicinal purposes, so you and me and Marita will have to imbibe for everyone! Unless we can find smidgy and nebo.

 

[NAB]

I do drink, especially if I am not driving. But again not on the dining plan...

Plus do you think that I could get the kids in the bar.

I see you are going to be a bad influence.

 

[celerystalker]

nabbers! Tammy will always be a sober driver.
so we can always use her to take us (and the kids) places.
We do not allow drinking and driving.
And we will have an 8 passenger Honda Pilot!

 

[Disneyland_Mama]

She was drunk eating in the middle of the night and went to bed with fudge all over her face.

That's it! That's all I had to read. I'm so in! This is gonna be good skeeter, I can tell!

 

[UtahMama]

I have glow cubes! They add fun to any drink! I say.

You are welcome for my stroller opinion!
Do you want my sunscreen opinion? My Step by step instructions for making super cool autograph books? My opinion on families dressing alike vs. coordinating vs. mish-mash wardrobing? My opinion on leaving the park to nap? My opinion of people who don't enjoy rides such as Jungle Cruise? If Imuna hi-jack, I might as well do it right.

I love the trip down memory lane you are tripping down, Cel!
Well? Did you get the TT? I'm afraid of the mass quantity of sugar involved. Maybe just a taste of someone elses would satisfy my curiosity.

See? LOOK at your huge following! You have the makings of being hugely successful in TR writin'! Sure-nuff!

 

[eeyore45]

eCel - I DRINK!!! Of course I'm a redneck drinker - often I get the free slushy on the dining plan and add my rum under the table!! (You do know you can buy plastic flasks and load them up with cheap rum... cheaper than buying it at disney anyway!!)

Glow CUBES!!! I want one!! IKEA had some glowing disk to sit your drink on top of, those are fun!!

 

[Mr._The_King]

Cel!! I found your pre-trip/trip report and I am loving it! You might be my favorite poster! I will need a poem I think? I have never, ever been on the dining plan. Am I missing out?

 

[smidgy]

"do you want to see the parade? ... so I left her somewhere between africa and asia, on the parade route"
we have no kids anymore. we're straight and NOT alcoholics (really, we don't like manhattans at all! ) we are now DINKS (dual income, no kids) we live in the chicago area and used to be DITKAS (dual income, two kids arguing)
I am SUCH a fast walker, I always leave my nebo behind.. then have to turn around and backtrack. that's why I walk twice as much as he. so why am I the one who's overweight?
reading and loving it!!!

 

[lexmelinda]

Which is more important......a tee time or Disney World?

Such an easy question. The noive of the nurse manager!

Glad you made it to the Poly on time and thanks for the glow cube reccommendation. We didn't get any of those last time?!?!

Now I know you have the next 15 installments ready but you gotta stretcccchhhh this thing out for 50ish more days.

 

[WheatThins]

Great report. Thanks for sharing.

BDG

 

[celerystalker]

So with our drinks in hand, the charm fest began.

Ben explained to the loverly server that we were only at WDW for the afternoon.

And that he had heard SUCH good things about Tonga Toast.

And that I was soooo looking forward to it.

Would there be any way possible for us to order some?

She said she’d check.


When she came back, she said they had two they could cook for us and they’d already begun!

We told her we were only planning on buying one to share, so she threw in the second one for free!

So we not only got Tonga Toast outside of the proper hours, we got Free Tonga Toast!

Everything tastes soooo much better when it’s free.

Between the four of us, we split two orders of tonga toast as our appetizer.

Heh.

Then we each ate a full meal.

And a few more drinks.

When we were full and tipsy, we were ready to go to Mickey’s Not so Scary but really cool and a cheap way to do the park Halloween Party!

Oh! Along the way, we began the quest for the elusive pin.

Mrs Silly had mentioned how she saw a pin in the parks that she wanted, but she didn’t buy it and now she was worried that the next time she was there, it’d be gone. (It’s this really cool Mickey self portrait pin that looks like Norman Rockwell’s self portrait. So it shows Mickey at an easel, looking in a mirror, drawing Walt. Awww! I’m looking at mine right now!)

So we looked at the Poly.

Then we stopped at the Grand Floridian.

Eventually, I think we found it somewhere in the park.

So I was able to send it to Mrs. Silly!

Yay!

I love making people happy.

I have a present for UtahMama sitting on my desk right now staring me in the face.

I’m just too lazy to go upstairs and actually mail it.

Argh.

I will before too much longer, I promise!

So anyway, if there’s something in the parks that you REALLY REALLY want, let me know and I’ll see what I can do.

Have y’all noticed how I say “so” and “Anyway” over and over again? Does it get on your nerves?
It kind of gets on mine.
Hmm.

 

[celerystalker]

Disneyland_Mama - Hi! Welcome! Are you related to UtahMama and Twinkiemama?

utah - Yes! I need to know all of that! I'm debating the nap thing hardcore! And does spray on sunscreen work? And I like to coordinate clothes, but I just don't know!

eeyore - I always carry water bottles into the park. Maybe this time I'll carry a "special" water bottle. Hehehehe. White rum has been my drink lately. It looks JUST like water.

Mrs. Mr. The King - Wait. Is it the Mrs? Anyway. Hi! thanks for reading. I will write you a poem eventually. I have to think on it a bit.
And if you love food and love eating, you are definitely missing out by not getting the dining plan.
Even if you have to pay for it, it's a good deal.
And so refreshing knowing you can order whatever you want!

smidgy - Hi! Thanks for coming on over! I'm not an alcoholic either - those people are quitters!!!
I'm a social drinker.
Me and my personalities get together and have fun!

lex - Glow cubes are such fun! Bring wipes to clean them off with and a baggy to put them in.
I was thinking last night that I might bring my stash down with me so we'd have extra!
One or two are getting close to dying.

WT - B! Hi! Thanks for gracing my report with your presence! Stick around. You have a cameo coming up on the 28th.

Yes, I'm a dork. I already have each episode dated and ready to go.
Heh.