NEW...DOLPHIN/SWAN..."questions and answers"...tips and hints!

[Mouseteacher]

It didn't affect the New England area, thankfully. I hope all who are affected are safe and doing well.

 

[disnurse]

We have power here in RI but neighboring CT is without. Good thing the power was on as it took me the better part of my day getting that worm virus off my laptop!!! Hadn't turned on my laptop in quite sometime so my anitvirus wasn't updated and the little bugger infected me. The good news is I was able to do it all on my own and makes me feel i'm getting pretty technologically advanced for an old timer.

DF glad to here the renovations are underway, sorry they are disturbing your slumber though. I also have no desire to stay a AKL its too far off the beaten path I like to be in the thick of things so I don't miss anything

 

[marymrg]

I was without power until the middle of the night. DD is at a friend's in Chautauqua.........can't reach her but I'm sure they're fine. They probably just had to rough it a little bit - which is always fun. When I called, they were most likely out boating/tubing. The city of Buffalo was fine but almost all of the suburbs and Ontario were/are out. My parents live in central NY and they had power but 1 hour east and west was without. I'm just glad I wasn't in NYCity. I couldn't imagine being stranded in the subway or a high rise. And, for us, it is always much worse when the power goes out in the winter. We always huddle around the fireplace - but it gets so cold! I just started a load of dishes........just in case it happens again today. It's supposed to be even hotter/more humid. This is great conditioning for Florida I found it all adventuresome but am hoping there weren't bad injuries, etc. as a result.
Mary

 

[Mouseteacher]

Happy to hear all is well with those without power. The humidity has finally left the Bosotn area but we are hot today -90. Our weather is supposed to cool to the 70s beginning of next week.

Ozzie and Disbug ~ This one's for you - my furbaby!

 

[Mouseteacher]

Okay - S/D fans - views from our balcony -

view from the dining area window-

Ahhh... the Heavenly bed-

 

[Mouseteacher]

mary~ I hope my pictures add to the anticipation of your trip.

 

[joshua4]

Mouseteacher -- loved the pictures. Remind me again, was that a jr. suite? What floor was it on? I seem to remember that you got a complimentary upgrade to that room -- did they give you cl as well? Also, cute dog!

Lauren

 

[ozziewags]

Hi mouseteacher,
Loved the pic of your pooch.....what a cutie! Almost looked like a stuffed toy!
Hope you are enjoying your day off.....we had a get-together at my principal's house last night....fun and good to see everyone and trade all those tidbits we missed out on over the summer.
I go back Aug. 25, a week later than usual, due to a new middle school opening up(last minute construction, etc).
To those going to S/D soon...have a wonderful trip.

 

[Mouseteacher]

Lauren, that was a comp upgrade to a Jr. Suite room 625 east wing. They offered us CL access at $50 and I turned it down. We fared very well without it since it was just the 2 of us. We used the Lobby Lounge to bring breakfast back to our "dining area" and enjoyed that very much - relaxing and reading the newspaper. Then, having a second cup of coffeee on the balcony.

ozzie ~ LOL I can't believe you said she looked like a stuffed animal - I was going to post that she is real and not stuffed just in case people thought she was! Everyone says she looks like a Muppet - FozzieBear.

Teachers return day after Labor Day for meetings and our cherubs return on the Wednesday. Many of my teachers tutor during the summer in the building so I have seen most of them.

 

[ozziewags]

mouseteacher.......I meant that in a GOOD way! She sat so still, with her ears propped up....adorable!

 

[dreamflight99]

Originally posted by Mouseteacher
Ozzie and Disbug ~ This one's for you - my furbaby!

I just want to HUG this little Sweetie~! What an ADORABLE pic!! BIG round eyes...perfect mouth and tongue...extremely EXPRESSIVE face...absolutely CUDDLY Airedale. Nice surroundings too...what's the runner on the table? Looks like one of my favs...Mary Engelbreit (?). Thanks for the cutie-patootie photo.

Hope everyone in the North, etc. were not too put-out by the blackout. We've been putting up with these for years...(Rolling blackouts...etc.), part of the reason Arnie (& everyone else) is running in the recall effort (Circus). My folks reside in the Western Upstate area (Horseheads), but are relaxing on the Cape through the 17th. Glad to hear NE was unaffected.

Yes, Canada (Le Cellier) has changed drastically. As mouseteacher agreed, the service & fare are just not up to par with the rest of the WDW eateries. I recall having FAB experiences there...but this one truly soured my desire for a future visit. We were "rushed" by our server, and the food was literally placed on top of one another (I enjoy a savoring moment between soup/entree...LOL). The Pasta dish we both had was the only one on the menu (Which does NOT describe the dishes appropriately...and the server doesn't help either). It was the most "peculiar" pasta dish I've ever ordered. BACON...does not sit well with SHRIMP. Sometimes, these chefs try too hard....and the "fancy~schmancy" selections are a mess (as a result).

We walked to the BW bakery this am, and enjoyed the GIANT Cinnamon bun fresh out of the oven. This is definitely worth the walk (for any who've never tried this), and the pastry is like biting into a "buttery Cinnamon cloud". We also saw some acquaintenances we have not seen in "4" years! They passed us on the people mover on E-Ride night, but lost sight of us after that. They recalled all the fun we shared at the S/D, and the numerous bus rides where we were entertained by their little boy (then 3). They have had a little girl since then, and we exchanged emails and promised to get together next summer. They are BOTH teachers (near Seattle), and now come every summer. They LOVE the teacher rate at the S/D, but are also DVC members...so they were at the BWV for this trip. Just part of the MAGIC of WDW.

I'll try to post a picture soon, as we snapped a GATOR in a lake on property. I walked over with DH to watch him fish, and share some time together...and this big reptile was lounging on the side of the lake in the sunshine! He saw us and "Rolled" right into the water. He was between 5-6 feet, and very healthy in appearance. I have had a wild "gator-encounter" every time I visit WDW. I nearly thought I wouldn't this time...as I had seen nothing previously. WOW...it's a little eery, but fascinating at the same time.

I must head into the WORLD with the family. We are going to All Star Sports for lunch (Best burgers/dogs and chicken pasta on prop), before selecting a park for the day (Most likely MGM...since it's closest). I'll post more later.

*mouseteacher...if we ever plan to be in the world again, we must pm/arrange a get-together! Sorry I missed you. I looked for you, but did not want to "stare" at everyone...LOL. ^_^

TTFN.... DF99

 

[Mouseteacher]

ozzie ~ no offense was taken that was not what I meant in my post- I was laughing b/c I suspected someone would think she's a stuffed animal - everyone tells me that! I just laughed b/c it happens every time I show a picture of her! I think she looks like a stuffed animal, too!

She sat like that b/c I was holding up her cookie aka dog bones.

DF ~ re:getting together - I told Disbug the same thing how I wished we had made arrangements prior to arriving even if for seconds to say HI. I guess timidity stopped me - and I sure would have loved meeting you, too. However, something to look forward to - when we go it is usually in the summer. Who knows - maybe next summer. I keep telling myself - "A dream is a wish your heart makes" .

BTW, the runner is from Home Goods and depicts roosters - I love roosters and have a few decorative ones in my kitchen.

 

[splashfamily]

Hi everyone,
Power finally came back this morning. Thank goodness it did not last much longer. The temperatures soared today to the upper nineties and we are still not suppose to use our AC. The power companies keep warning us that we might lose power again this evening. So far so good.
I am just glad it was just a black out and nothing else. Most people were a bit unnerved the first 45 minutes since all forms of communication were out. Once we found out that it was not a terrorist attack everyone calmed down and made the best of it.
The funny thing though we were suppose to leave for WDW today. We cancelled our trip a few weeks ago due to my DH not being able to take off from work. Otherwise, we'd probably still be waiting at the airport to departe. There are still major delay at the airports. I always say "things happen for a reason"
I hope those who were leaving today go down without too much trouble.

 

[Mouseteacher]

splash ~ I am glad you are now power-full. I am sure it was unnerving in the beginning.

I heard when I was leaving the hair salon and called home to see if it was terrorism and was Boston next to lose power. But, we had power so answers were immediate.

 

[Pkdcoastrs]

Hey!

We just came home now to northern NJ! Well all I can say this trip was good and bad at the same time. The flight down took forever after having delays on the first flight and missing our connecting flight. Add to this Delta loosing our luggage for almost two hours at 12am.

We finally got to the Dolphin and our luck didn't start at check-in. Since it was so late, no club-level rooms were available and the cast member told us our room was already assigned. Because it was so late, we were tired, and my parents were in a bad mood, we just went along. Our room was probally in the worst location but in the end we ended up liking it. To get to it, you had to go to Daisy's Gifts and make a left and follow that hallway. Our view was directly of the bus stop which was dissapointing but after much discussion, we told ourselves who cares. We only paid $65 for the room and would be spending only a few hours in it. We had a refurbished room and it was nice. I think of the new rooms at the Dolphin as 'mini-me' versions of the Portofino Bay hotel rooms. The tile floor when you walk in and the way the beds are reminded me of the PBH.

The parks were fairly crowded, E-Ride Night was HORRIBLE, new Tower of Terror is AMAZING!!!!!!! I chickened out on Mission: Space (so did my mom) because of our dislike for small spaces. My sister and dad went on....and they told us it wasn't bad at all. Neither of them felt sick, etc... after the ride.

We finally saw Illuminations! It was great, though I had expected it to have a little more ground action (other than the fireworks and fire...).

Weather was so WEIRD! It didn't rain until yesterday! The first two days were in the 80's, second in the 90's, third in the upper 80's.

I won't even go into too much detail on how HORRIBLE Delta employees were for the most part on this trip.

Add to all that was the loss of power up here in NJ (and all the other states). Our flight which we had switched from 7am to 1pm was the first out of the day to LGA. If we hadn't switched it, we were told that this Tuesday was the next available flight!

I probally forgot a lot! Cast Members at the Dolphin were great! Nice, saying hi, etc...

Check out my other post a bout Space Mountain!

PS- Sorry for the spelling errors, just got home!

 

[Disbug]

~mouseteacher! What a great dog! DD8 says she will pet sit for you! I love his expresssion..."Hey, I AM looking happy! Can I get that dog cookie now?"

I'm getting goosebumps with the Home Goods and the roosters, here! (My kitchen is blue and white with ROOSTERS!) And our Home Goods is just about THE most awesome accessory store!

I am loving your pictures....you are such a good shot with your camera! THESE are the type pictures I wish I had taken!

DF and mouseteacher...Wish we all could have met, while we were there! I'm thinking cappucino, grande lattes, or maybe...well, you know those cinnamon bun thingies sounded pretty good, too!

disnurse, marymrg, and splashfamily! Glad to know power is coming back on up north! We feel for you and your AC withdrawal!

pkdcoastrs! OOh, boy! Sounds like you had a time. Hope the good memories will help outweigh the bad ones. Sometimes, I think the stress alone makes things worse! Glad you made it back home. Post a trip report when you're able!

 

[Mouseteacher]

Disbug ~ I am a terrible photographer most of the time. LOL Sometimes I get lucky! DH took a few, too. The camera is the Kodak Digital throw-away. You get a free CD Rom when ordering prints. We didn't want to carry our digital camera this trip. On our other trips, DH is the videographer. This trip he took a break from all video-ing and picture taking.

Hey, let's take a quick trip down while DF is still there and share that caffe latte or... something stronger!!! Wishful thinking,huh?

This is a picture we took of our room from below. The room was the last balcony on the outer left end one down from the top - you can see the 3 windows and slider that wraps around the end of the wing-

 

[Disbug]

That sure sounds like a plan! This has been such a busy, busy day! Usually off on Fridays, I had to work today and three people call in sick! This being a holy day, I rush to meet family for Mass, but OOPS! last one was at 12:15 not 6 PM! Yes, Father, I did read the bulletin. The AM vs PM obviously didn't register! (So off to another church! LOL!) Then DH leaves me with the kids so he can go to the Jaguars first pre-season home game! Now, if I can get my income tax extension filed before midnight, I'm good!

Cool view looking up to your room! DD14 and I kept arguing which window was ours until I pointed out that our room was on the very edge of the covered drive for valet parking. We kept saying we were going to have one of us run up and flash the lights on and off to be sure!

I see why you were so delighted with your room! It looked "picture perfect"!

 

[#1hockeymom]

I AM BACKKKKKKKKK!!!

We lost power..... then we got it for about an hour and I even was here and read a few posts before...... BOOM! lost it again! We had it though this morning, which was nice for getting ready.. then.... BANG lost it again! I was at work for today's on and off. NO water though, in Flint, since its Detroit water and it was under boil only warning. No ac anyways. It was HOT! A 1/2 mile south of my house, no power. A 1/2 mile east, no power. My little town is over run with cars since we have power, and GAS! They ran out last night, but then the power went too. I think when they regained power they called in new tankers to fill them up, and the word got out fast!

My little town was lucky compared to the rest of southeast michigan. Even north of me an hour lost power! We were a little pocket that kept coming back on, no matter what! Reminds me of "The Little Engine that Could"!

Despite all the problems many of have been having.... I HAVE A JOB! I am very happy! I am ready for my first day(with the angels) on Monday!

I LOVE the dog picture! I had to look twice. YES, I thought it was a stuffed animal! He's so precious!

I am going to go reread all the posts. I flew through them since I was worried the power is going to go again. So far so good! Have a great weekend everyone! If you're in the world, please say hi to Mickey for me!

Debbie

 

[Disbug]

Glad you're back, #1hockeymom! I wondered if that was the case when we hadn't heard anything from you for awhile! Is there anything worse than no water no electricity? (esp AC!)

Have fun with the cherubs! I am "sweating" whether DH will return from the football game in time to sign this tax extension form!! I thought I could do it over the phone (telefile) or the computer, but can't find the instructions so I'm trying to get it to the post office before midnight. (This needs BOTH signatures!) Next year... HE's doing the taxes! LOL!