Nory Report III: In the Third Person! After 3 Years, the Final Update! NEW 2/6

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Great World Showcase pics!!

We always seem to get the same little video at the end of Spaceship Earth too, despite trying to choose different options.

 

[norybell]

Hope you all had excellent Christmases! Ours was wonderful, if quick; we just flew back today after a few days at my parents' in WI.

To ease the pain of a too-short holiday trip, I've decided to take another too-short, two-night WDW trip sometime in January. Woo-hoo!

I hope to get another update up later this week...I'm bound and determined to work less, now that the busy season is over!

Good to see you, Nory. Hope you had a great Thanksgiving, but sorry work is still keeping you so busy.

Your evening pictures of Epcot are beautiful. Spaceship Earth has a special place in my heart as it was my dad's favorite ride.

Spaceship Earth is one of those rides that just feels like home, doesn't it?

Oooohh...a Nory update! Your pictures are beautiful. The two you took of Spaceship Earth are particularly stunning. And I love the shot of CSR at night. You're making me miss it there... Thanks for the great update.

Thanks, Tina!

Nice update Nory! I like your nighttime pictures, especially of Spaceship Earth and CSR.

Speaking of research....how's the book coming?

The book's coming along, slowly but surely (though more slowly than I'd like). I'm maybe close to halfway through the first draft. Yet another excuse to work less, right?

Hey Nory!

Wow, I'm seriously behind. I swear, I subscribe to these threads and then they disapper into cyberspace or something. I'm so glad to see you back. Not that you being gone this long is all THAT unusual or anything...

Once again, I'm loving the third person narration! It truly feels like I'm reading a book instead of a TR. Which is good for you of course. How's the book coming along?

Your pics are stunning as always. Particularly the Morocco ones, just gorgeous.

Would you believe I've never done Mission Space yet? I don't know why either. Weird.

I agree, Spaceship Earth is quintessentially Epcot! I love it, even the BBQ smell as you pass through Rome. My oldest DD hates that ride, she is convince it's an engineering nightmare and not the least bit safe. Strange child. What's scary about winding your way through a giant, steel framed golf ball?

Glad to hear you're doing well! Looking forward to the next update which will probably be around New Years, right?

It's so good to see you again, 3pp! (And you may have been right on about the timing of the next update...)

Great World Showcase pics!!

We always seem to get the same little video at the end of Spaceship Earth too, despite trying to choose different options.

Glad to know it's not only me!

 

[KatMark]

Good to see you back. I'll be there in January too...six days with MaryAz (she's here on the DIS) and her two adorable daughters.

 

[norybell]

Good to see you back. I'll be there in January too...six days with MaryAz (she's here on the DIS) and her two adorable daughters.

When are you going? I'm thinking the 19th...maybe we'll run into each other!

 

[KatMark]

When are you going? I'm thinking the 19th...maybe we'll run into each other!

We arrive in Florida the evening of the 26th and we depart early afternoon on the 31st.

 

[All7OfUs]

I NEVER get tired of seeing your photos, Nory!! Absolutely stunning! Strolling around EPCOT late at night is one of my most favorite past times EVER!

 

[3prettyprincesses]

Hope you all had excellent Christmases! Ours was wonderful, if quick; we just flew back today after a few days at my parents' in WI.

We had a wonderful Christmas as well. It always seems too short, I agree!

To ease the pain of a too-short holiday trip, I've decided to take another too-short, two-night WDW trip sometime in January. Woo-hoo!

Cool! You should change your screen name to "professional solo WDW traveler"! It's for though, right? Research for the book. Totally justified.

I hope to get another update up later this week...I'm bound and determined to work less, now that the busy season is over!

An update would be good. It's only been since what, October that you last updated? Just kidding! Real life has a way of interuppting disboard time, doesn't it? It does for me.

It's so good to see you again, 3pp! (And you may have been right on about the timing of the next update...)

Thanks! It's nice to see you around the boards again too. And clearly my words were prophetic here...

 

[norybell]

Though she slept wonderfully for the second night in a row, when the alarm went off the next morning, Nory had a sinus headache. Again. Someday she will finally go to an Ear-Nose-Throat doctor. Really, she will. In the meantime, she has resigned herself to a life of neti pots and saline nasal spray.

Luckily, her head wasn’t quite as bad as it had been the morning before, and she was able to drag herself out of bed without too much trouble. But it was bad enough to make her revise her plans as she swallowed a few Advil Cold & Sinuses. She’d planned to rush to the Animal Kingdom—a park she was just squeezing in, this time, only allotting a few hours for her visit—and then back to Coronado before check-out at eleven. Thanks to her headache, this seemed far too ambitious. Instead, she took her time getting ready. She felt a little overburdened as she walked to El Centro—suitcase in tow, heavy purse and computer bag over her shoulder, the handles of a pale blue Disney shopping bag and its untouched Pinot Grigio cutting into her palm. But it was a pleasant walk regardless; the weather was shaping up to be perfect yet again.

She handed her things over to Luggage Services and only waited about ten minutes at the El Centro bus stop before she was on her way to the park.

By 9:30, she was entering the lush, green world of Animal Kingdom.

Nory has mixed feelings about this park. It can’t be denied that it’s truly gorgeous, and she thinks the Tree of Life—the park’s landmark, a meticulously carved (and 100% fake) fourteen-story tree—rivals Cinderella’s Castle as the best park icon. But the poor layout of the paths and the attractions guarantees near-constant congestion, making it hard to absorb the beauty without being stepped on by a teenager or run over by a stroller. And the animals themselves are unpredictable: Nory could never be sure if she’d see lots of animals on a visit, or barely any. Her best time there had been on her solo trip the year before, when she’d spent an entire day, opening to closing. With no need to rush, she had felt like she truly appreciated the park for the first time. But she didn’t have the luxury of hours this time around.

With her limited number of days at Disney World and her need to spend most of them in the Magic Kingdom, she was really in the Animal Kingdom that morning for only one reason: Expedition Everest.

She rushed to the Asia section of the park, collected a fastpass for Everest, and jumped in the line. I wonder why there’s a line at all? she wondered. The October before, also at 9:30 in the morning, she’d been able to walk right on three times in a row without stopping. But luckily the wait was only around five minutes, and Nory didn’t mind at all, as it was the first time she’d really had the chance to linger in the queue. A detail-packed reproduction of a yeti museum deep in the Himalayas, it gave her plenty to look at while she waited.

In Nory’s opinion, Everest is Disney World’s best coaster. The moment when the “broken tracks” force the train rollicking backwards through the dark, and the moment when the cars exit the dark interior to go hurtling, forwards once more, down the slope of Disney’s highest mountain, really can’t be beat.

After her breathtaking first plummet down Everest, she decided to hop into the single riders’ line, which was a walk-on. Through sheer luck, she won the coveted front seat. She was seated next to a twenty-something man with a shaved head and tattoos covering his arms, and while they waited for the train and its passengers to pass the safety checks, Nory decided to start up a conversation.

“It’s pretty awesome that we get to sit in the front!” she said, cheerily.

The young man grunted in response.

“Though really, I think it might be better in the back row—the ride feels a lot faster back there. But we get the best view from here, so maybe it’s a toss up.”

The young man ignored her, so she decided to shut up. A young, pretty, female CM moved up to the control panel next to them.

Now, the twentysomething man started talking. To the CM.

“Which do you think is the best spot for this ride: the front row or the back one?”

He was clearly trying to be charming. The CM looked bored.

“Um, the back one, I guess,” she replied. “It’s a lot faster back there. But you’ll get the better view.” Then she turned back to the controls.

Nory chuckled to herself at the man’s failed conversational attempt. And then they were off.

After her second ride, Nory meandered over to the Maharajah Trail. She really enjoys the animal trails at the Animal Kingdom, but usually they’re too packed with people to truly appreciate. This time, since it was only ten in the morning, the trail was blessedly deserted, and Nory took her time walking through.

Nory stood there, frozen, as a bat rapidly moved down its wire, straight toward her head, squawking loudly the whole way. She’d never seen the bats so active before!

Then she noticed it was feeding time.

The tigers, on the other hand, weren’t active at all.

Nory finds the bird enclosure to be a very satisfying challenge: Forcing herself to be still, and patient, always pays off eventually.

After some quality time spent with the flora and fauna of Asia, Nory decided she was ready to use her Everest fastpass.

This time, she ended up sitting next to a woman her own age from the single riders’ line.

“Have you ridden this one before?” the woman asked.

“Oh yes,” Nory replied. “I think it’s my favorite roller coaster on property!”

“Do you hold up your arms when you’re going down the big hill?”

“Every time,” Nory said, a bit confused at the turn the conversation was taking.

The woman had clearly been testing Nory’s devotion to the mountain. Because now she shared a secret: “This time, pick up your feet, too.”

Nory must have looked confused.

“Just trust me,” said the woman. “Clench your stomach muscles, and pick up your feet.”

Nory was baffled. But in the moment before the train was about to go hurtling down the steep slope, as she raised her arms, she also obediently raised her feet a few inches from the train floor.

A second later: weightlessness.

Nory was laughing hysterically by the time they reached the bottom.

“See?” said the woman, “Didn’t I tell you? Doesn’t that make it even better?”

All Nory could do was laugh. It really worked! She had felt totally weightless, making the hill even more exciting. What a great tip! As they disembarked, she thanked the woman for sharing, and considered riding one more time.

But she decided not to.

There was something wonderfully liberating about coming into a park, riding only one ride, and leaving an hour later. She picked up an iced chai on her way out, and waited only ten minutes for a bus back to Coronado Springs.

***

 

[Poolrat]

Because now she shared a secret: “This time, pick up your feet, too.”

Nory must have looked confused.

“Just trust me,” said the woman. “Clench your stomach muscles, and pick up your feet.”

Nory was baffled. But in the moment before the train was about to go hurtling down the steep slope, as she raised her arms, she also obediently raised her feet a few inches from the train floor.

A second later: weightlessness.

Nory was laughing hysterically by the time they reached the bottom.

“See?” said the woman, “Didn’t I tell you? Doesn’t that make it even better?”

All Nory could do was laugh. It really worked! She had felt totally weightless, making the hill even more exciting. What a great tip! As they disembarked, she thanked the woman for sharing, and considered riding one more time.

***

How fun. I can't wait to try this next time.

 

[glennbo123]

What a tip! Did you feel like you were going to go flying out of the car? Oh wait, there I go again -- I mean, did Nory feel like she was going to go flying out of the car?

 

[norybell]

How fun. I can't wait to try this next time.

You have to try it! It makes a huge difference!

What a tip! Did you feel like you were going to go flying out of the car? Oh wait, there I go again -- I mean, did Nory feel like she was going to go flying out of the car?

Nory did feel like she was going to go flying out of the car. In a good way!

 

[eandesmom]

Though she slept wonderfully for the second night in a row, when the alarm went off the next morning, Nory had a sinus headache. Again. Someday she will finally go to an Ear-Nose-Throat doctor. Really, she will. In the meantime, she has resigned herself to a life of neti pots and saline nasal spray.

Luckily, her head wasn’t quite as bad as it had been the morning before, and she was able to drag herself out of bed without too much trouble. But it was bad enough to make her revise her plans as she swallowed a few Advil Cold & Sinuses.

Cynthia could relate to Nory's problems, she was all too familiar with the morning sinus headaches and the magical properties of Advil Cold and Sinus . In fact, she often wondered and worried that she took more than anyone should. She also wondered why it worked so much better than anything else, it was a little disturbing to her at times. Something about OTC medicine needed on an almost daily basis, just didn't seem quite right. She couldn't travel without it. And yet, her doctor assured her it was fine. Cynthia's husband on the other hand, didn't agree and pressured her to do something about it. "Why?" she would ask. "It's not that big of a deal and the Advil almost always helps". She always had a lot of responses for her husband. "What would an ENT tell me that multiple doctors haven't already looked at?" "I'm sure it's just seasonal allergies". "I think it's the recycled air on the plane and in the hotel room, compounded by the pressure when flying" She hadn't always had headaches but they'd certainly gotten worse, and more frequent over the past couple of years. Sure, she sneezed and coughed a lot every morning, didn't everyone? Maybe the headaches weren't as seasonal as they used to be, or even seasonal at all anymore, but it really wasn't that bad.

Cynthia kept taking her Advil Cold and Sinus as needed, grumbling about the price and the fact that it had become necessary to actually pick it up at the pharmacy window and provide her drivers license just to get a pack. Life had been so much simpler when it was in the drugstore aisle and she could buy a big box so she wouldn't run out. Now they couldn't even sell more than one box to anyone and the boxes were smaller. Cynthia was pretty busy and felt pharmacy thing was a pain she didn't really have time for. Since she rarely went to the drugstore on a normal basis, she was out of the Advil more often than not. She knew they sold it at Costco but the line at the pharmacy there gave her hives just thinking about it. She stashed ocean spray in her car, her office and all over the house. It helped. Some. Sometimes. She slept great though. Almost every night. Even when she couldn't turn her neck she slept like a rock and woke up feeling rested.

Cynthia's husband was relentless. "Have you made an appointment yet?".

"No, not yet".

"When are you seeing the ENT?"

"I haven't called yet"

One day after Cynthia realized that not only had her deductibles long been paid thanks to her injury prone tween, she figured she'd just take care of every pesky little thing medically she could and for the first time in her memory focus on doing it before her new year started. In a way, she felt bad. It wasn't like her to work the system, but then again, she was overdue for lots of things. She visited the chiropractor. She went to Physical Therapy. She even saw the dentist, the eye doctor and...the lady doctor. She was awfully proud of herself. Not only was she almost current with all that stuff she was "supposed" to do all along, she could turn her neck again and it didn't feel like her head would snap off! Her husband was so proud.

"So, when are you going to see the ENT?".

"Uh....."

Cynthia finally gave up. It was easier, she thought, to get the appointment over with and get her husband to shut up. She'd only bothered with the neck because well, it had become unsafe to drive and that really wasn't acceptable. The sinus headache, she could live with. She really really was over the doctors appointments. She'd been "released" from PT and was excited to get back to the land of the healthy and mobile and hit the gym hard. She had a clean bill of health everywhere she went. Sure, she'd had a cold for 4 weeks and now her throat just wouldn't heal but the dry cough was just from the dry throat. She felt fine other than that. Better than fine even! As she went in, she really felt like she was milking this system, almost uncomfortably so. Her ENT wanted a sinus CT scan before he'd even talk to her. That felt over the top to Cynthia, those things were expensive! How would he know that it was even warranted? But...her husband was driving her nuts. So she did it, feeling like a fraud the entire time. Maybe she did have a sinus infection this time, they seemed to happen every 3 years or so and that's why the throat wasn't getting better. If nothing else, maybe he'd confirm that and give her some antibiotics that might clear it up. As the doctor came in and quizzed her about her symptoms he looked at her like she was mentally ill. "You aren't much help are you?". "Let's go look at some pictures"

He brought up her picture and then drove around her sinuses, making her dizzy as he zoomed in and out, circled things and pointed at things.


"You have a deviated septum".


"And............................."

As the doctor proceeded to go on and on about the various sinus routing and blockage issues she apparently had, Cynthia sat dumfounded thinking "Huh. Go figure." She'd been expecting a prescription for yet another nasal spray that didn't work. To be told to irrigate, irrigate, irrigate. Maybe, just maybe, antibiotics. This, this had not been on her radar. At all. Given that she'd broken her nose twice, one might think it should have been but Cynthia trusted her primary care physicians over the years that had all heard her whine every now and then, even make specific appointments about the issue, to try to address the headaches, and the sneezing and the coughing and...the drainage.

"I can fix that" he said. "I can give you about a 65% improvement"

Cynthia thought it was kind of an odd number to throw out. And then she thought again. 65%? 65% less headaches? 65% less of all the other things? Really? Huh. Who knew.

-----
Cynthia had sinus surgery last week, I'll make sure she lets Nory know how it turns out.

This time, she ended up sitting next to a woman her own age from the single riders’ line.

“Have you ridden this one before?” the woman asked.

“Oh yes,” Nory replied. “I think it’s my favorite roller coaster on property!”

“Do you hold up your arms when you’re going down the big hill?”

“Every time,” Nory said, a bit confused at the turn the conversation was taking.

The woman had clearly been testing Nory’s devotion to the mountain. Because now she shared a secret: “This time, pick up your feet, too.”

Nory must have looked confused.

“Just trust me,” said the woman. “Clench your stomach muscles, and pick up your feet.”

Nory was baffled. But in the moment before the train was about to go hurtling down the steep slope, as she raised her arms, she also obediently raised her feet a few inches from the train floor.

A second later: weightlessness.

Nory was laughing hysterically by the time they reached the bottom.

“See?” said the woman, “Didn’t I tell you? Doesn’t that make it even better?”

All Nory could do was laugh. It really worked! She had felt totally weightless, making the hill even more exciting. What a great tip! As they disembarked, she thanked the woman for sharing, and considered riding one more time.

What a GREAT trip! I can't wait to try that. Slightly scared but excited.

 

[tinacaplan]

Amazing Animal Kingdom pictures! Truly. You do take some of the best pictures on the boards...and that's saying a lot because there a lot of really talented photographers around here. I feel somewhat similarly to you about AK. When I went the first time around, it was just my husband and I and it had been a cold and grey day. Didn't add much to the atmosphere. I convinced my husband to get in line for EE, not letting on that I was scared out of my mind. Having never ridden it before, I figured anything that went up THAT high had to come back down again at an equally steep angle. Yeah, well...we all know how that turns out.

We had a great time there with my son the first time we took and then a not so good time this past July, when I'm pretty sure I got sick at Tusker House (which had been my favorite character meal six months earlier), missed EE because the single rider line wasn't open, and Max had decided he was too afraid of all the fire to go back to FOLK. Between all of that AND the Brazilian Tour groups, I was ready to get outta there and quick!

 

[norybell]

Cynthia could relate to Nory's problems, she was all too familiar with the morning sinus headaches and the magical properties of Advil Cold and Sinus .

Cynthia, I love your sinus story! (Though am sorry to hear that you, too, have had to deal with sinus-related frustrations, the story itself was awfully fun to read!) I hope the surgery takes care of things.

I'm happy to report that since the time of this trip, I have almost completely weaned myself off of Advil Cold & Sinus. I spent a few months taking really good care of my sinuses -- lots of supplements, neti pots, steam, saline spray, etc. -- and it worked. It seemed to restore some sort of balance I'd lost (quite possibly from overdoing it with the Advil). Since then, I'd say my sinuses are 95% better. Now I only use the Advil when I'm flying, mostly to avoid painful pressure on the plane. I can't believe I used to take it so regularly!

Amazing Animal Kingdom pictures! Truly. You do take some of the best pictures on the boards...and that's saying a lot because there a lot of really talented photographers around here. I feel somewhat similarly to you about AK. When I went the first time around, it was just my husband and I and it had been a cold and grey day. Didn't add much to the atmosphere. I convinced my husband to get in line for EE, not letting on that I was scared out of my mind. Having never ridden it before, I figured anything that went up THAT high had to come back down again at an equally steep angle. Yeah, well...we all know how that turns out.

We had a great time there with my son the first time we took and then a not so good time this past July, when I'm pretty sure I got sick at Tusker House (which had been my favorite character meal six months earlier), missed EE because the single rider line wasn't open, and Max had decided he was too afraid of all the fire to go back to FOLK. Between all of that AND the Brazilian Tour groups, I was ready to get outta there and quick!

Thanks for the complement, Tina! If only I was inspired to practice photography when I wasn't at WDW...but for some reason, nothing at home ever seems to catch my eye.

Yeah, AK is real hit or miss for me, too. It's the park I'm most likely to skip if I'm at WDW for a really short trip. I do love it in the mornings, though, before the crowds descend.

 

[Poolrat]

Cynthia could relate to Nory's problems, she was all too familiar with the morning sinus headaches and the magical properties of Advil Cold and Sinus . In fact, she often wondered and worried that she took more than anyone should. She also wondered why it worked so much better than anything else, it was a little disturbing to her at times. Something about OTC medicine needed on an almost daily basis, just didn't seem quite right. She couldn't travel without it. And yet, her doctor assured her it was fine. Cynthia's husband on the other hand, didn't agree and pressured her to do something about it. "Why?" she would ask. "It's not that big of a deal and the Advil almost always helps". She always had a lot of responses for her husband. "What would an ENT tell me that multiple doctors haven't already looked at?" "I'm sure it's just seasonal allergies". "I think it's the recycled air on the plane and in the hotel room, compounded by the pressure when flying" She hadn't always had headaches but they'd certainly gotten worse, and more frequent over the past couple of years. Sure, she sneezed and coughed a lot every morning, didn't everyone? Maybe the headaches weren't as seasonal as they used to be, or even seasonal at all anymore, but it really wasn't that bad.

Cynthia kept taking her Advil Cold and Sinus as needed, grumbling about the price and the fact that it had become necessary to actually pick it up at the pharmacy window and provide her drivers license just to get a pack. Life had been so much simpler when it was in the drugstore aisle and she could buy a big box so she wouldn't run out. Now they couldn't even sell more than one box to anyone and the boxes were smaller. Cynthia was pretty busy and felt pharmacy thing was a pain she didn't really have time for. Since she rarely went to the drugstore on a normal basis, she was out of the Advil more often than not. She knew they sold it at Costco but the line at the pharmacy there gave her hives just thinking about it. She stashed ocean spray in her car, her office and all over the house. It helped. Some. Sometimes. She slept great though. Almost every night. Even when she couldn't turn her neck she slept like a rock and woke up feeling rested.

Cynthia's husband was relentless. "Have you made an appointment yet?".

"No, not yet".

"When are you seeing the ENT?"

"I haven't called yet"

One day after Cynthia realized that not only had her deductibles long been paid thanks to her injury prone tween, she figured she'd just take care of every pesky little thing medically she could and for the first time in her memory focus on doing it before her new year started. In a way, she felt bad. It wasn't like her to work the system, but then again, she was overdue for lots of things. She visited the chiropractor. She went to Physical Therapy. She even saw the dentist, the eye doctor and...the lady doctor. She was awfully proud of herself. Not only was she almost current with all that stuff she was "supposed" to do all along, she could turn her neck again and it didn't feel like her head would snap off! Her husband was so proud.

"So, when are you going to see the ENT?".

"Uh....."

Cynthia finally gave up. It was easier, she thought, to get the appointment over with and get her husband to shut up. She'd only bothered with the neck because well, it had become unsafe to drive and that really wasn't acceptable. The sinus headache, she could live with. She really really was over the doctors appointments. She'd been "released" from PT and was excited to get back to the land of the healthy and mobile and hit the gym hard. She had a clean bill of health everywhere she went. Sure, she'd had a cold for 4 weeks and now her throat just wouldn't heal but the dry cough was just from the dry throat. She felt fine other than that. Better than fine even! As she went in, she really felt like she was milking this system, almost uncomfortably so. Her ENT wanted a sinus CT scan before he'd even talk to her. That felt over the top to Cynthia, those things were expensive! How would he know that it was even warranted? But...her husband was driving her nuts. So she did it, feeling like a fraud the entire time. Maybe she did have a sinus infection this time, they seemed to happen every 3 years or so and that's why the throat wasn't getting better. If nothing else, maybe he'd confirm that and give her some antibiotics that might clear it up. As the doctor came in and quizzed her about her symptoms he looked at her like she was mentally ill. "You aren't much help are you?". "Let's go look at some pictures"

He brought up her picture and then drove around her sinuses, making her dizzy as he zoomed in and out, circled things and pointed at things.


"You have a deviated septum".


"And............................."

As the doctor proceeded to go on and on about the various sinus routing and blockage issues she apparently had, Cynthia sat dumfounded thinking "Huh. Go figure." She'd been expecting a prescription for yet another nasal spray that didn't work. To be told to irrigate, irrigate, irrigate. Maybe, just maybe, antibiotics. This, this had not been on her radar. At all. Given that she'd broken her nose twice, one might think it should have been but Cynthia trusted her primary care physicians over the years that had all heard her whine every now and then, even make specific appointments about the issue, to try to address the headaches, and the sneezing and the coughing and...the drainage.

"I can fix that" he said. "I can give you about a 65% improvement"

Cynthia thought it was kind of an odd number to throw out. And then she thought again. 65%? 65% less headaches? 65% less of all the other things? Really? Huh. Who knew.

-----
Cynthia had sinus surgery last week, I'll make sure she lets Nory know how it turns out.

Pat can relate too. I had a similar surgery and it was so worth it. Right now she has a little congestion ( from peas she thinks ) but this is the worst it has been since surgery a few years ago. Being able to breathe out of both sides of her nose is priceless.

 

[Poolrat]

After trying to post for 10 minutes all Pat got was 2 successful posts.

Another 30 minutes trying to edit a duplicate post

 

[eandesmom]

Cynthia, I love your sinus story! (Though am sorry to hear that you, too, have had to deal with sinus-related frustrations, the story itself was awfully fun to read!) I hope the surgery takes care of things.

I'm happy to report that since the time of this trip, I have almost completely weaned myself off of Advil Cold & Sinus. I spent a few months taking really good care of my sinuses -- lots of supplements, neti pots, steam, saline spray, etc. -- and it worked. It seemed to restore some sort of balance I'd lost (quite possibly from overdoing it with the Advil). Since then, I'd say my sinuses are 95% better. Now I only use the Advil when I'm flying, mostly to avoid painful pressure on the plane. I can't believe I used to take it so regularly!

I have a weird phobia about taking much medicine at all so it really would only be one in the morning. But when it became almost every morning, regardless of season or travel at a certain point I hit the wall. It was almost a relief to find out that in fact things were pretty messed up, up there and it wasn't just me being a baby. There was a very good reason things weren't draining and no amount of saline would fix it by itself. Too early to say if the surgery will help, right now I'm in the midst of recovery and thanks to the splints it feels like I have a horrible headcold and have quite a bit of sinus pressure (and can't take the Advil Cold and Sinus lol!). But they come out on Monday and then we will start to see. I'm so glad yours are so much better!

 

[MEK]

I love EE and I am very glad you shared the feet lifting tip. I am definitely going to try that. Too bad I didn't know about it last month when I was there.

I love that picture of the bat. Very cool. I actually love all your pics. Beautiful.

Great morning in AK!

 

[norybell]

Wow, it's been a whole month since my last update (I know, I know, what's new?). And over a year since this trip actually happened! Crazy to think that I've actually been back to WDW five times since then! I think, with the update to come after this one (I promise it won't take another month to get there), I will finally be getting to the two days that made this trip the best WDW trip ever for me. And who knows, maybe I'll finish up in another year or so!

Without further ado:

***

Nory climbed off the bus at the Casitas stop, even though it was too late to get back into her room. She wanted to take a full lap around the resort and explore each of its three areas. It was by far her favorite moderate resort thus far; maybe next time, she’d want to request a different section.

She breezed through the already-familiar Casitas, with their fountains and plazas and faintly-aristocratic facades.

She trekked through the Ranchos section, surrounded by squat adobe and cacti and rocks, everywhere rocks. It was incredibly peaceful, not another soul in sight. (Well, other than the group of workmen, still busy tossing rocks, one at a time, from one rock bed to another.)

Has there ever been a quieter quiet pool?

She climbed the stairs to the Dig Site pool, and saw the slide hidden in a Mayan temple.

Slowing down, she ambled past the white sand beaches and quaint two-story buildings of the Cabanas area. This section impressed her the least, architecture-wise. But she did love the beaches, and the hammocks.

Finally she was back at El Centro, having decided that the Casitas were, by far, her favorite section of Coronado Springs, but also knowing she’d be happy staying in any of them.

A bit overheated from her walk, she decided to eat indoors at the Pepper Market.

She wasn’t quite sure what to expect at this restaurant, which seems to inspire a vast amount of controversy on the Disney message boards, with its unconventional system of having a hostess seat you, a waitress take your drink order, various buffet stations where you get your own food, and a mandatory ten percent tip. But Nory liked it just fine. She ordered a quesadilla, and the man who cooked it for her was perfectly friendly. He flipped his spatula a few times, and when Nory commented on his deft utensil-juggling, he explained he’d learned such tricks in the army.

Her quesadilla was cheesy, warm, and satisfying, just as a quesadilla should be.

After lunch, Nory retrieved her bags from Luggage Storage and went to Bell Services to ask for a taxi.

Bell Services told her to go outside and ask there for a cab. As she walked outside, a man followed her.

“I have a taxi. I’ll take you, I have a taxi,” he said.

Now, Nory has been trained never to get into an unmarked taxi, or to take rides from pushy limo drivers at airports. Not so much because she’s worried she’ll be kidnapped, or anything like that. But because, apparently, these people usually rip you off.

“No thanks,” she said to the man. “I’ll just get one from the desk up here.”

“No, you come with me,” said the man. “I have a taxi, I work with Disney all the time.” He grabbed her rolling suitcase from her hand.

Nory’s brain was telling her to protest more loudly. But she was tired, and didn’t feel like arguing, and he had her suitcase. So she followed, mutely, until he walked up to an unmarked white van.

No way was she getting into an unmarked white van with a stranger. She peeked inside, and couldn’t see a meter.

“No, I need a metered taxi,” she said firmly.

“I take you to the airport, fifty dollars,” he said.

By now, Nory was irritated. She shouldn’t have to be arguing with this man.

“Give me my suitcase,” she said. “I am not going to the airport. I am going to the Polynesian.”

She took her suitcase and walked away. She could hear the man muttering at her in frustration.

Whatever, man, she thought. That’s what you get for trying to bully a woman traveling alone!

With the help of the CMs standing in front of the hotel, she got in a proper cab with a perfectly nice driver, and was walking into the Poly in no time at all.

***

 

[tinacaplan]

Oh, how you make me miss CSR. Your pictures are beautiful. We stayed in both the Casitas and in Cabanas. I loved Casitas for its lovely architecture, but Cabanas location couldn't be beat; we were super close to bus stop four and steps from the pool, which worked for what we needed that trip. I think Pepper Market is just fine, don't know what all the fuss is about on here.

Now...just curious...how would say that bus service there compared with your POR experience?

I can't believe what a bully that cab driver was, nor can I understand why he's even allowed inside the gates of the resorts.

Can't wait for more Poly pictures, though. We'll be there a week from Monday!