Oh Come All Ye Faithful... DIS TR Addicts... UPDATE 4/19

[julezdisney]

That is an awesome tradition. Very very cool. Take a picture of yourself when you destroy it!

Jen- you MUST get one when you go!!!

 

[jenjolt]

That is an awesome tradition. Very very cool. Take a picture of yourself when you destroy it!

Jen- you MUST get one when you go!!!

I will definitely pick one up!! I read the story from the link Christine gave and I really enjoyed learning. Now to think what wish I will make!! Maybe I will wish to meet a certain Christine and a certain Julez in Dec LOL!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Lady Lallie]

That is such a cool tradition! I wish I had picked one up while I was down there, I could do with a wish coming true! Do you know what you are going to wish for?

 

[2xcited2sleep]

That is so awesome!!!! I love learning about different cultures and their wonderful traditions!!

Thank you for sharing Christine!!!

I'm glad you enjoyed!

Thanks, Happy New Year to you!

Thanks!

That's a really cool tradition, but I wouldn't want to throw it away afterwards.

Yeah, I'm not sure I'll be able to destroy it. But on the other hand I don't want anything to come between me and wish fulfillment.

That is an awesome tradition. Very very cool. Take a picture of yourself when you destroy it!

Jen- you MUST get one when you go!!!

Thanks. I'm glad you think so!

I will definitely pick one up!! I read the story from the link Christine gave and I really enjoyed learning. Now to think what wish I will make!! Maybe I will wish to meet a certain Christine and a certain Julez in Dec LOL!!!!!!!!!!

Awww... that's so sweet. I got it in the big Japanese dept store -- toward the back with all of the pottery. You can ask them for a little piece of paper they keep in a drawer by the register that explains the tradition.

That is such a cool tradition! I wish I had picked one up while I was down there, I could do with a wish coming true! Do you know what you are going to wish for?

Well you can get one in May! I'm not sure what I'm going to wish for. But I'm also very superstitious and isn't it a universal law that you can't tell people your wish or else it won't come true?

 

[TarzansKat]

That's a neat souvie! Hope you have a Happy New Year!

 

[retiredkid]

fantastic updates! great pics! thanks for sharing.
I am of two minds about DVC too. My reason for purchasing is EXACTLY the same as yours, for sharing with my family. (Right now, just my DD and her wonderful husband...no grandbabies yet ) Both DH and myself are retired 59 & 65, so wonder if perhaps that it a little too long in the tooth to purchase at this stage. Sorry to go on...... I am loving this report.

 

[punkin413]

Say what? The economy is bad? You’d never know it here!

that's exactly what i was saying our entire trip! it was way more crowded than i thought it would be and i'm going.....where are all these people getting this money from??? and i thought maybe a lot of the people we saw were from other countries where the economy is okay. but i really didn't notice a lot of foreign travelers either. no more than normal.

DVC will take you anywhere on resort property that you want to go but I decided to walk over to Downtown Disney for some dinner and shopping.

this is why i want to do a solo trip one day! i'm a people pleaser and no matter who i'm with, i want to make sure they're having fun. i just want to do what i want to do on a whim the entire time just once!

On my way out I explored the resort a bit. I thought it was beautiful!

i love SSR.....so pretty and peaceful. i want to go back some day.

Shorter than the walk from Boardwalk to Hollywood Studios, I’d say, but I didn’t actually time it or track it.

we stayed at congress park and it was awesome to be able to walk over to DTD whenever we wanted. we were in the building closest to the path and it took us less than 10 minutes.

Speaking of behavior. I have no photos of this but have to share. Was outside of World of Disney near that fiberglass/plastic statue of Cinderella. Know what I mean? Well there was this little boy. Not good at gauging ages but maybe 9? Anyway, no parents in sight. Or no parents who spoke up at what happened next. He proceeded to climb Cinderella. Literally. Such that he ended up with his little legs wrapped around poor Cinderella’s neck. So my first thought was not DIS/family friendly. But then I thought, this kid could get hurt. And where the heck are the parents???

another reason i say there should be testing before people are allowed to procreate.

Oh! Almost forgot! The best margarita ever. When I first arrived at Downtown Disney I went to the Margarita Shack by Captain Jacks (is that what it is called?). And I was hemming and hawing at the menu. They have a bunch of different types on the menu and I couldn’t really tell the difference (and I call myself a drinker!). Well the bartender was super nice and she totally hooked me up. Best. Margarita. Ever.

i'll have to remember this!

Did I mention I was loopy?????

Notice the full moon? It was very magical.

i got some pictures of this same moon with the christmas tree at epcot that night! you'll see them later on in my TR. did you notice the moon the next night? it was the biggest one of the year!

 

[2xcited2sleep]

That's a neat souvie! Hope you have a Happy New Year!

Thanks! I had a fun NYE and so far my New Years Day has been DIS'ing so yes, very good so far! I hope the same for you!

fantastic updates! great pics! thanks for sharing.
I am of two minds about DVC too. My reason for purchasing is EXACTLY the same as yours, for sharing with my family. (Right now, just my DD and her wonderful husband...no grandbabies yet ) Both DH and myself are retired 59 & 65, so wonder if perhaps that it a little too long in the tooth to purchase at this stage. Sorry to go on...... I am loving this report.

Thanks so much! So you are pondering the big purchase too. It is a big decision, especially in this economy. I keep going back to adding up what I spent and plan to spend and it seems to make sense. And then once I 'break even' the rest is just icing on the cake. But I'm a ways from purchase, I think. Any DVC resort in particular that tickles your fancy?

that's exactly what i was saying our entire trip! it was way more crowded than i thought it would be and i'm going.....where are all these people getting this money from??? and i thought maybe a lot of the people we saw were from other countries where the economy is okay. but i really didn't notice a lot of foreign travelers either. no more than normal.

I agree. Maybe because it was holiday but the shops were crazy. Those lines were scary!

this is why i want to do a solo trip one day! i'm a people pleaser and no matter who i'm with, i want to make sure they're having fun. i just want to do what i want to do on a whim the entire time just once!

I bet you'd love a solo trip. I know you have other goals/plans for 2009 but keep it in the back of your mind as a someday possibility!

i love SSR.....so pretty and peaceful. i want to go back some day.

I'm going to have to try it. I remember your TR with the pictures of your little patio area and your view. It looked awesome!

another reason i say there should be testing before people are allowed to procreate.

i got some pictures of this same moon with the christmas tree at epcot that night! you'll see them later on in my TR. did you notice the moon the next night? it was the biggest one of the year!

Yes! The moon was very cool almost all week. Can't wait to see your pictures!

 

[retiredkid]

Thanks so much! So you are pondering the big purchase too. It is a big decision, especially in this economy. I keep going back to adding up what I spent and plan to spend and it seems to make sense. And then once I 'break even' the rest is just icing on the cake. But I'm a ways from purchase, I think. Any DVC resort in particular that tickles your fancy?

I was thinking about AK, mostly because my DD is such an animal lover. Like some of your family, they would probably never be able to afford trips to WDW. We took them in Sept '07, and she just loved it. He, DSIL, figures that he has seen it already. He has Noooooooooooo idea. I am looking at it now because they have a 'deal' going until mid Jan or so, before they increase.

But I may even look a little more closely at a resale too.

 

[2xcited2sleep]

I was thinking about AK, mostly because my DD is such an animal lover. Like some of your family, they would probably never be able to afford trips to WDW. We took them in Sept '07, and she just loved it. He, DSIL, figures that he has seen it already. He has Noooooooooooo idea. I am looking at it now because they have a 'deal' going until mid Jan or so, before they increase.

But I may even look a little more closely at a resale too.

I think the deals they are offering now (thru 1/15, I think?) are FANTASTIC. Certainly seem worth taking advantage of... if you love AK, can use 160 pts (can you believe I'm saying I can't??), and a Dec use year works for you...I say GO FOR IT!!! If I could have done a smaller contract, adjusted use year and maybe purchased Beach Club I would have done it in a heartbeat... hence resale. Good luck w/ your decision. Please let me know what you decide!

 

[2xcited2sleep]

So where were we? Ah yes, heading back to Pop via the bus from Downtown Disney. It was pretty crowded and it seemed like everyone had many more bags than usual what with the holidays and all. But I didn’t have to wait too long and I got a seat so that was good!

Couple of things I forgot to mention in the previous installment. I noticed that the scrapbooking store that had disappeared in October is back! I’m not a scrapper but it struck me as odd in Oct that they’d close a store like that when it seemed so popular. The Hanes make your own t shirt store was also open and looked pretty busy!

So it was back to Pop and thankfully not a long walk to my room. A couple more notes re: Pop. Do those toilets flush with atomic power or what? I swear I could hear every other one in the building flushing! Also, walls seemed a bit thin to me… I was near the elevator and could hear it dinging every so often and at 6am the next morning the family next door was up and moving around. Joy!

Nonetheless I stayed in bed until 8:30 or so. I was excited for this day – lots of fun planned. The photography walk around the Tree of Life, lunch at Brown Derby, WDW Today’s 500th episode in the Backstage Prop Shop area at Hollywood Studios and more!

So I got ready and headed to the bus stop to get to Animal Kingdom. I was thankful it was not raining. But it was COLD!!! So in my fleece and jeans with gloves in my bag, off I went. One other side comment- something I missed vs. being at Beach Club where you could easily stop back mid-day was that at both Pop and AKL you really had to “pack” for your whole day. Or maybe it was b/c it was Mousefest and there just wasn’t time to go back between events. Either way… I didn’t like packing everything. What will I do when I have to carry the “mom bag”?????

OK. Finally. On my way to AK. I went over there a couple of times and it never failed to crack me up that the bus still stopped at Blizzard Beach despite the fact that it was maybe 40 degrees! One time there was not a car in the lot! OK, now we're here. AK and Tree of Life. I was really looking forward to this as I’ve admired other DIS’ers pictures but never really been up close and personal on the trails. Well… I made up for it. TONS of pictures. Tim Devine from Magic In Pixels was very nice and offered lots of helpful tips before we headed off on the trails. There were quite a few people there. Wide variety of cameras. I saw some people with point and shoots; there were some like mine that were primarily point and shoot that could go manual and then there was some hard core equipment. I was sorry I’d missed the Photography 101 meet the day before due to the weather. It seemed like most people there had attended. So Tim led us around the trails and took lots of time pointing out the various animals carved in the tree. It was AWESOME. And without further ado, here are my pictures:

I spy an eagle, camel, coyote, spider.

All of the above plus a gator and an armadillo

I think this one may be my favorite. At first your eye goes to the porcupine but then you realize there is a tiger there too!

I’ve always been afraid of sharks… ever since Jaws.

To be continued... trust me PLENTY more photos!

 

[punkin413]

beautiful pictures of the tree of life!!!! very cool. this is the day we went to DHS and it was FREEZING that day! what in the heck was mother nature doing those two days? first a monsoon and then this cold weather in florida? we got there around 10:00 and as we were riding the tram in from the car, we were soooooo cold. me and ray were just cracking up laughing because we were all huddled up, hoodies and gloves on and we were in florida!

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Do you see the walrus?

I love monkeys!

I love this little guy... a hedgehog?

So two things cut this very fun meet short for me. One the batteries died on my camera. And two, I had a 12:30 ADR over at Hollywood Studios I had to get to. So with reluctance, I left the group and headed out. Overall it was a really great meet. We had fun pointing out various animals we saw in the tree... a grown-up version of I Spy. And I don't know if I would have ever known the trails were even there were it not for the DIS!

 

[2xcited2sleep]

beautiful pictures of the tree of life!!!! very cool. this is the day we went to DHS and it was FREEZING that day! what in the heck was mother nature doing those two days? first a monsoon and then this cold weather in florida? we got there around 10:00 and as we were riding the tram in from the car, we were soooooo cold. me and ray were just cracking up laughing because we were all huddled up, hoodies and gloves on and we were in florida!

Thanks! Mother Nature was definitely having fun with us that week. Later that night at Illuminations I could literally see my breath. Not supposed to happen in Florida!!! And of course a few days later I was lounging at the pool. A miracle I didn't get sick! Those mickey bars must have healing properties.

 

[punkin413]

Thanks! Mother Nature was definitely having fun with us that week. Later that night at Illuminations I could literally see my breath. Not supposed to happen in Florida!!! And of course a few days later I was lounging at the pool. A miracle I didn't get sick! Those mickey bars must have healing properties.

yeah, we stayed at DHS all day and you'll see that later that night we were all bundled up at the osborne lights. that snow could've been (almost) real! then two days later at MVMCP i had my sweater wrapped around my waist all night because it was nice out.

by the way, are those trails you walked down to get all those pics open to the public or do you have to be with a special group to access them?

 

[2xcited2sleep]

yeah, we stayed at DHS all day and you'll see that later that night we were all bundled up at the osborne lights. that snow could've been (almost) real! then two days later at MVMCP i had my sweater wrapped around my waist all night because it was nice out.

by the way, are those trails you walked down to get all those pics open to the public or do you have to be with a special group to access them?

Totally open to the public-- just not marked! One is by the entrance to Bug's Life and another you go around the corner a bit. I'll have to see if I can find a map online to show you...

It was VERY cool. I would really have never have known it!

 

[Donald is #1]

Awesome pictures!!!!

 

[Charleston Princess]

Very cool pictures of the Tree of Life! I need to learn to take photos like that!

 

[Lady Lallie]

Those are absolutely AMAZING photos. I really want to go to photo meet, how fun is that!?!

I had to call in Marc to show him and he said that he is so excited to go to Animal Kingdom in May.

I totally agree with you about Pop, the fact that you would have to plan better and it seemed like such a trek to make it back for a break. I am worried that's how we are going to feel about Riverside. WL was not like that at all for the days we were there.

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Awesome pictures!!!!

Thanks!

Very cool pictures of the Tree of Life! I need to learn to take photos like that!

Thanks so much! The Tree of Life is pretty great subject matter. If I can take these anyone can do it! If you haven't checked out those trails, you must in June! I thought of your family when I saw the bat... you and your bat poses!

Those are absolutely AMAZING photos. I really want to go to photo meet, how fun is that!?!

I had to call in Marc to show him and he said that he is so excited to go to Animal Kingdom in May.

I totally agree with you about Pop, the fact that you would have to plan better and it seemed like such a trek to make it back for a break. I am worried that's how we are going to feel about Riverside. WL was not like that at all for the days we were there.

Thanks so much! The meet was funny. I don't know how many people... more than 20, all with their cameras up taking pictures like nuts. We looked like an odd group, I'm sure.

I bet Riverside will be great. You're working afternoon breaks into your plan, right? I think it'll work out fine! I think it was a combo of the Pop buses always being very crowded and the busy nature of Mousefest and actually needing to be certain places at specific times that made it so tough. I can't wait to hear about Riverside!