Relax boys, the belly dancer does not want your singles! 9/2 final update p.87

[DisneylandForever]

I know you've been trying to sell me on the beauty that is MAC, but I don't think I'd even know how to turn one on!

Um, I think that's the one thing that Macs and PCs have in common. It's the little round button.

But clicking here should help!

And I don't think Nate's ever been called a homeboy before!

I popped his homeboy cherry?

Great updates, Keith love the pic of your niece can't wait for then next one...update that is I'm very jealous you have BC DVC, if we ever win the lottery that's where we'd book

Thank you! And I highly recommend the BCV! Best DVC resort by far, IMO.

Again, MGM is just not all exciting when all your son wants to do is ride Star Tours

The way you feel about DHS is the way I feel about AK. AK is a large waste of space to me! Actually, I think you like DHS more than I like AK, cuz you'll actually go to DHS!

While in line for TSM I got messages from Keith and Tracy and Jenna et al. We were to meet up right after the ride and we were so excited to all be together!!!!!

I will stop here so Keith can do he and Tracy’s day up to before we met and Jenna can tell all about the Shuttle Launch and share her photos………………..

Guess I'd better step on the good foot!

Well, we did a split stay b/w CBR and the GF. We were celebrating a few birthdays and my DD has always wanted to stay at the GF (refined taste for a soon-to-be-8-year-old) Anyway, I couldn't justify the cost of staying there for 8 nights so we did 4 nights at each.

I loved the GF! But after staying there once I'm in no hurry to stay there again. For the money the Poly is way more fun.

 

[winkers]

I think your dh has finally joined the dark side!!!

 

[rentayenta]

I popped his homeboy cherry?

Get posting!




That is about the funniest thing I have ever read!

The way you feel about DHS is the way I feel about AK. AK is a large waste of space to me! Actually, I think you like DHS more than I like AK, cuz you'll actually go to DHS!

I like MGM, I just like it the least of the 4 main parks.

I think your dh has finally joined the dark side!!!

And it's spectacular!

 

[DisneylandForever]

It was the next night of the trip that you grossed everyone out....even Nate!

It was so cool that we met & have gotten along so well! I knew Jenny & I would, but our husbands do too! And Keith & Tracy are just some of the nicest people! The kiddos love Keith....he is a big playground to them!

Hi Tracy! I am truly blessed to have met you guys! I just wish we weren't so far away!

The feeling is quite mutual!

You're not scaring me! I don't scare away too easy! Remember, I put up with Jenny!

Ditto!

The cheapest of the mods is Port Orleans FQ, Riverside, and CBR. They are all the same price. For some reason, CSR is more expensive. If we go cheap, I think we'll try FQ. Never stayed there before.

I love love love the FQ! Far and away my favorite moderate! I even like it better than a few deluxes.

What she said.

Don't worry, Keith and I have pictures!

True dat!

Oh my.... I wouldn't have been able to stand it! lol. Actually, Keith like to tease me about something similar. See, not only do I hate the turkey legs, I won't even eat chicken legs. Both gross me out to the point I don't want to touch them. Don't get me wrong, I will eat chicken and turkey, just not legs. It is that big.... tendon? vein? I don't what it is, but one look at it and my stomach just starts rolling. Anyhow, Keith always says he is going to make me eat a Turkey Leg Lady and the Tramp style and guess what the long piece of spagetthi that they eat from opposite ends is replaced with? He finds it funny that I will actually pale over the description. I know, he's a monster!

This is also true.

Oh, this sounds interesting. I can't wait to hear this story and see the pictures.

Good morning everyone! I'm off to catch up on the 15 or so pages I've missed--I can't wait to hear all about your adventures!

Welcome back!

 

[rentayenta]

Not liking the sudden theme of having to put up with me!!!

 

[DisneylandForever]

Not liking the sudden theme of having to put up with me!!!

LMAO!


Just teasing Jenny. You know we love you!

 

[rentayenta]

LMAO!


Just teasing Jenny. You know we love you!

I know you do but still.

 

[jordanyosh]

Jenny from the Block,

You had asked in another thread what I thought of SSR.

Cons:
Really large complex.
Outdoor hallways which makes it feel kinda motelish.
Fewer restaurant choices even with DTD right there.

Pros:
Theming. It's Disney come on. Some of the pools have better theming than others, but one of the quiet pools has this great theme....
The dedicated 2 bedroom set up is nice.
If you have a car, you can park fairly close to your villa.
Proximity to DTD.
Spa on premises.
Larger fitness facilities.

 

[Marshay]

Thank you! And I highly recommend the BCV! Best DVC resort by far, IMO.

For the money the Poly is way more fun.

I agree with you -- I BCV. I wish we had bought there but of course, I want more years than they currently allow.

I've never understood the GF...I love Narcoosee and the GF Cafe wasn't bad either...but if I'm going to actually spend $$ for a room (as opposed to DVC), it's gotta be the Polynesian!

 

[jenna]

This is Nate's shuttle launch day as written by him:


Jon, Chris and I left OKW about 7:00 am to head for the Kennedy Space Center and the launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-125. Our entry pass stated that we needed to be at the Visitor's Center Parking Lot no later than 9:00am. Of course, at 8:55am we were within sight of our destination, sitting on the far side of the Merritt Island causeway draw bridge (raised ), in traffic with the fuel light on critical low. This occasion inspired me to ruin the otherwise perfect morning with my sons and yell some random profanities at the car load of idiots that caused us to be caught in drawbridge traffic. Why people need to take five minutes to ask directions from the securtiy check point guards on where to go on a one-way (well marked) roadway is beyond me. (insert profanity here)
Well, needless to say, we made it into the Vistor Complex with about negative two minutes to spare and were allowed to park. That is when we discovered the line of people literally 10 times that which one would expect to find waiting to ride BTMRR. I was not bothered by this since (A) I had five hours to waste til the launch at 2:00pm, (B) the man in line behind us was a professor of astrophysics and was enjoyable to converse with and (C) I felt I was paying my dues for the low amount of waiting versus riding I was doing back at the Island of Happiness (that is what I call WDW, especially when I have to leave the gate into the ---t hole surrounding it...such as this day). At any rate, we got into the Complex after about an hour and were free to roam. The hour wait was due to the fact that they take their body/baggage checks VERY seriously.

Our launch tickets were for the Main Vistor Center viewing area. After we scouted out the cafeteria lines (being that it was now lunch time) we decided to tour around the many different exhibits that are on hand there. In doing so, we literally turned a corner past the main cafeteria and discovered an event tent set up serving lunch...with no line! It seems that all the mindless sheep herded through the hour long gate wait hadn't had enough waiting in line and jumped straight into the next one they could find. With a
wait of nearly zero minutes, we had our lunch complete with beer (Jon and Chris were very thristy)!
After a good lunch together, we toured the facility. It was not a problem passing the day just at the Kennedy Visitors Center. Usually when we go to the Space Center, we spend most of our time taking the bus tours out to the launch pad viewing areas, the Vehicle Assembly Building, the Saturn V/Apollo Mission facility and the Space Station Preparation complex so it was nice to have some time somewhere we usually bypass. Besides the Shuttle Launch Simulator we really enjoyed the IMAX theater. The show was called Magnificent Desolation narrated by many different stars like Tom Hanks and Matthew McConaughey. It was in 3D, which initally I thought would take away from the film. As it turned out the 3D effect helped make the film. The 3D was way better than Philharmagic, and I am not being anti-Disney,
this film was just way ahead in 3-D tech. It also helped to have a nice cool place to sit and relax since it was now over 100 degrees outside.
After the IMAX we took a spot in the viewing area at around 1:45 pm.
It was blistering hot on the lawn. They had bleachers, but in this heat, sitting there would be willfully wanting to dehydrate yourself
(we tried it). So we took a spot on the lawn and watched the weather/wind direction plane circle high overhead. During the course of the
afternoon, different astronauts and scientists would come out on a stage set up in the front of the lawn area and tell about the current
shuttle mission and their own experiences in prior missions. To our right of this stage was a huge digital screen to show the shuttle out on the pad since it was not visible from our position. Being at the Visitor's Complex, we were approximatly 6 miles from the launch pad and thus there was no direct view of the launch tower. Kennedy does have seating that one can bus out to like at the VAB (where the "famous" countdown clock is) and Saturn V facility but we got our tickets too late to secure those seats. It honestly did not matter since the shuttle ends up coming into view within seconds and we could watch booster ingition better on the big screen anyway.

While we sat on the lawn, the boys and I observed a huge thunderhead rolling into the area from the northwest. It was only minutes before the launch that NASA officals warned that this storm cell may cancel the launch and we might all get soaked. They told us that they could postpone the launch before the last 30 seconds, but after that they were committed to go. Jon, Chris and I sat impatiently waiting for those 30 seconds since it seemed now like the storm was right on top of us. With about T-minus 2 minutes and counting the field of people started to stand and the excitment started to build. Finally we hit the last 30 seconds and the excitment, for me at least, was intolerable.

When the engines finally lit the crowd went nuts! When the shuttle finally rose over top of the trees ahead of us and the noise reached
us it was like nothing I have ever seen before! My feeble attempt to film was pretty much forgotten by the awe I was stricken with. The shuttle would not have been hard to see if it weren't for the tower of blinding flame pouring out of the solid rocket boosters. I couldn't imagine the pilot's thrill in trying to manuever that much power...his whole life coming down to this moment! As soon as the vehicle cleared the trees he was moving. Instead of a big lumbering craft going straight up like I expected to see from years of watching the launches on TV, this was like watching a meteor leaving the atmosphere heading more out and away over the Atlantic than up. And the sound...when he turned out over the ocean and the exhaust was pointed in our direction, everything shook. When asked what it was like I have and will always answer: It was like watching a tornado of fire, truly the most powerful thing I have ever seen before...and I can personally vouch for knowing the power of a tornado.

The shuttle was literaly there and then gone! I did not expect it to move so fast. I was not disappointed however, my hands shook and my
heart pounded for at least 10 minutes afterwards. We watched the screen to see the shuttle make it fully in orbit as all the people started to disperse. Jon, Chris and I then milled around the Complex while the traffic broke up outside. We went to find some 'gators in the nearby ponds (which we did) and visit the memorial to all the astronauts lost in pursuit of space exploration. After about an hour we headed back to the "Island" of WDW, again getting caught in traffic and watching a huge wildfire rage to the north of us while we sat. With the ash of burnt pines falling into the open windows and the heat of the fire drifting our way, we watched the temperature spike to about 124 degrees. We even got to watch a lighting strike start a small fire a few miles to the north of us and then be dosed out by the following heavy rains east of Orlando Int'l. We sat on that damn highway a long, long time!
Finally we returned back to WDW and the rest of our family somewhere around 7:00pm. I told my boys that I had to take them and myself to see at least one shuttle launch before the program ends sometime in the next year or two. I had not realized until I heard that the program was going to be discontinued that much of my life could be defined in this era of man using a space shuttle to grow and advance ourselves. Until now the thought never occurred to me that that could possibly end...but it will like everything else I suppose.

I am so glad I got to see a launch first hand with my sons and that they were inspired by it enough that they still talk about it and exploring space.
Sitting in that traffic with the heat and the rain and setting sun, listening to Jon and Chris talk about their dreams of the future in space on our way back,
I guess I was able to silently say my goodbyes to an old frined of sorts. I then realized why my hands were shaking hours before. It was a very good day.
Sorry for the emotional "long windedness" of this report, but this is how I roll DISers!

 

[Marshay]

Wow!!!

Thank you so much for providing this report on the shuttle launch.

I really enjoyed reading it and actually felt like I was there taking part in the tornado of fire! How awesome!

I didn't know that the program was going to be discontinued. Every trip we take to WDW, my DH always checks the flight schedule to see if we can see one.

What a great experience to have with your sons!

 

[jenna]

Waiting to get through security check:

Stage at the viewing area of the Visitor's Complex:

Rocket Garden:

Thunderstorm that almost threatened the launch:

Shuttle exhaust trail:

The boys during & after the launch:

Shuttle trainer jet:

Full size models of shuttle craft, fuel tank, & solid rocket boosters:

Boys looking for gators:

Astronaut Memorial:

Gator found:

Thunderstorm on our way back:

Traffic due to an accident:

 

[jenna]

My parents were in DHS this same day. During the shuttle launch they were at the Stunt Car show theater and folks were told they could stay after the show was over and Disney would broadcast the launch on their big screens.

So they got to watch the jet trails in the sky and also watch it on the screens. Pretty cool!

That's awesome that they did that! We might have seen your parents and not even known it!

That sounds really cool. I can't wait to see Jenna/Nate's Shuttle pics.

They are now posted!

Wouldn't it be awesome if Disney built a broadway-scale theatre at DTD & had a big show there....I'm sure it would be a money-maker. Wonder why they haven't done it...seems like lots of you are interested in seeing the Broadway shows but just don't come to NY.

Ok Disney upper management, we know you're lurkin' here....produce a show at DTD please

That really would be awesome! They have Cirque de Soleil which I've heard is fabulous, but right now I have no desire to see it. However, I would gladly pay good money to see one of the Broadway productions w/o the hassle of going to NYC.

Sometimes Plus there's me of course

So Jenna and Jenny what ya planning????

We are always planning something!

It was really great. I am so in love with DL, I can't even believe it. I wasn't going to do a TR, but I think I will because of the many weird and cool times. I'll probably get it done before I finish my December WDW one.


Congrats on the DVC membership -- the Treehouse Villas in December sounds like a great option!

Hi everyone!

Welcome home! Glad to hear you had a great trip!

 

[jenna]

Um, I think that's the one thing that Macs and PCs have in common. It's the little round button.

But clicking here should help!

Ha ha ha! I've actually seen that commercial before. I like when she says, "I'm a Megan."

I popped his homeboy cherry?

That's one way to put it!

The feeling is quite mutual!

Awwwwww!!!!

Ditto!

Uh oh, you'll be in trouble for that one......

love love love the FQ! Far and away my favorite moderate! I even like it better than a few deluxes.

That's good to know! That one is high on the list of possibilities!

Not liking the sudden theme of having to put up with me!!!

See what I mean, Keith?!

LMAO!


Just teasing Jenny. You know we love you!

What he said!

Wow!!!

Thank you so much for providing this report on the shuttle launch.

I really enjoyed reading it and actually felt like I was there taking part in the tornado of fire! How awesome!

I didn't know that the program was going to be discontinued. Every trip we take to WDW, my DH always checks the flight schedule to see if we can see one.

What a great experience to have with your sons!

Thanks Marshay! I'll tell Nate you enjoyed it. They are supposed to run the shuttle program through the end of 2010. Then they are going to concentrate on the lunar missions. I hope they get the funding to continue running the shuttle program though.

 

[rentayenta]

Jenny from the Block,

You had asked in another thread what I thought of SSR.

Cons:
Really large complex.
Outdoor hallways which makes it feel kinda motelish.
Fewer restaurant choices even with DTD right there.

Pros:
Theming. It's Disney come on. Some of the pools have better theming than others, but one of the quiet pools has this great theme....
The dedicated 2 bedroom set up is nice.
If you have a car, you can park fairly close to your villa.
Proximity to DTD.
Spa on premises.
Larger fitness facilities.

Don't be fooled by the rocks that I got. for your POV. I cannot wait to stay there!

This is Nate's shuttle launch day as written by him:


Jon, Chris and I left OKW about 7:00 am to head for the Kennedy Space Center and the launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-125. Our entry pass stated that we needed to be at the Visitor's Center Parking Lot no later than 9:00am. Of course, at 8:55am we were within sight of our destination, sitting on the far side of the Merritt Island causeway draw bridge (raised ), in traffic with the fuel light on critical low. This occasion inspired me to ruin the otherwise perfect morning with my sons and yell some random profanities at the car load of idiots that caused us to be caught in drawbridge traffic. Why people need to take five minutes to ask directions from the securtiy check point guards on where to go on a one-way (well marked) roadway is beyond me. (insert profanity here)
Well, needless to say, we made it into the Vistor Complex with about negative two minutes to spare and were allowed to park. That is when we discovered the line of people literally 10 times that which one would expect to find waiting to ride BTMRR. I was not bothered by this since (A) I had five hours to waste til the launch at 2:00pm, (B) the man in line behind us was a professor of astrophysics and was enjoyable to converse with and (C) I felt I was paying my dues for the low amount of waiting versus riding I was doing back at the Island of Happiness (that is what I call WDW, especially when I have to leave the gate into the ---t hole surrounding it...such as this day). At any rate, we got into the Complex after about an hour and were free to roam. The hour wait was due to the fact that they take their body/baggage checks VERY seriously.

Our launch tickets were for the Main Vistor Center viewing area. After we scouted out the cafeteria lines (being that it was now lunch time) we decided to tour around the many different exhibits that are on hand there. In doing so, we literally turned a corner past the main cafeteria and discovered an event tent set up serving lunch...with no line! It seems that all the mindless sheep herded through the hour long gate wait hadn't had enough waiting in line and jumped straight into the next one they could find. With a
wait of nearly zero minutes, we had our lunch complete with beer (Jon and Chris were very thristy)!
After a good lunch together, we toured the facility. It was not a problem passing the day just at the Kennedy Visitors Center. Usually when we go to the Space Center, we spend most of our time taking the bus tours out to the launch pad viewing areas, the Vehicle Assembly Building, the Saturn V/Apollo Mission facility and the Space Station Preparation complex so it was nice to have some time somewhere we usually bypass. Besides the Shuttle Launch Simulator we really enjoyed the IMAX theater. The show was called Magnificent Desolation narrated by many different stars like Tom Hanks and Matthew McConaughey. It was in 3D, which initally I thought would take away from the film. As it turned out the 3D effect helped make the film. The 3D was way better than Philharmagic, and I am not being anti-Disney,
this film was just way ahead in 3-D tech. It also helped to have a nice cool place to sit and relax since it was now over 100 degrees outside.
After the IMAX we took a spot in the viewing area at around 1:45 pm.
It was blistering hot on the lawn. They had bleachers, but in this heat, sitting there would be willfully wanting to dehydrate yourself
(we tried it). So we took a spot on the lawn and watched the weather/wind direction plane circle high overhead. During the course of the
afternoon, different astronauts and scientists would come out on a stage set up in the front of the lawn area and tell about the current
shuttle mission and their own experiences in prior missions. To our right of this stage was a huge digital screen to show the shuttle out on the pad since it was not visible from our position. Being at the Visitor's Complex, we were approximatly 6 miles from the launch pad and thus there was no direct view of the launch tower. Kennedy does have seating that one can bus out to like at the VAB (where the "famous" countdown clock is) and Saturn V facility but we got our tickets too late to secure those seats. It honestly did not matter since the shuttle ends up coming into view within seconds and we could watch booster ingition better on the big screen anyway.

While we sat on the lawn, the boys and I observed a huge thunderhead rolling into the area from the northwest. It was only minutes before the launch that NASA officals warned that this storm cell may cancel the launch and we might all get soaked. They told us that they could postpone the launch before the last 30 seconds, but after that they were committed to go. Jon, Chris and I sat impatiently waiting for those 30 seconds since it seemed now like the storm was right on top of us. With about T-minus 2 minutes and counting the field of people started to stand and the excitment started to build. Finally we hit the last 30 seconds and the excitment, for me at least, was intolerable.

When the engines finally lit the crowd went nuts! When the shuttle finally rose over top of the trees ahead of us and the noise reached
us it was like nothing I have ever seen before! My feeble attempt to film was pretty much forgotten by the awe I was stricken with. The shuttle would not have been hard to see if it weren't for the tower of blinding flame pouring out of the solid rocket boosters. I couldn't imagine the pilot's thrill in trying to manuever that much power...his whole life coming down to this moment! As soon as the vehicle cleared the trees he was moving. Instead of a big lumbering craft going straight up like I expected to see from years of watching the launches on TV, this was like watching a meteor leaving the atmosphere heading more out and away over the Atlantic than up. And the sound...when he turned out over the ocean and the exhaust was pointed in our direction, everything shook. When asked what it was like I have and will always answer: It was like watching a tornado of fire, truly the most powerful thing I have ever seen before...and I can personally vouch for knowing the power of a tornado.

The shuttle was literaly there and then gone! I did not expect it to move so fast. I was not disappointed however, my hands shook and my
heart pounded for at least 10 minutes afterwards. We watched the screen to see the shuttle make it fully in orbit as all the people started to disperse. Jon, Chris and I then milled around the Complex while the traffic broke up outside. We went to find some 'gators in the nearby ponds (which we did) and visit the memorial to all the astronauts lost in pursuit of space exploration. After about an hour we headed back to the "Island" of WDW, again getting caught in traffic and watching a huge wildfire rage to the north of us while we sat. With the ash of burnt pines falling into the open windows and the heat of the fire drifting our way, we watched the temperature spike to about 124 degrees. We even got to watch a lighting strike start a small fire a few miles to the north of us and then be dosed out by the following heavy rains east of Orlando Int'l. We sat on that damn highway a long, long time!
Finally we returned back to WDW and the rest of our family somewhere around 7:00pm. I told my boys that I had to take them and myself to see at least one shuttle launch before the program ends sometime in the next year or two. I had not realized until I heard that the program was going to be discontinued that much of my life could be defined in this era of man using a space shuttle to grow and advance ourselves. Until now the thought never occurred to me that that could possibly end...but it will like everything else I suppose.

I am so glad I got to see a launch first hand with my sons and that they were inspired by it enough that they still talk about it and exploring space.
Sitting in that traffic with the heat and the rain and setting sun, listening to Jon and Chris talk about their dreams of the future in space on our way back,
I guess I was able to silently say my goodbyes to an old frined of sorts. I then realized why my hands were shaking hours before. It was a very good day.
Sorry for the emotional "long windedness" of this report, but this is how I roll DISers!

What an amazing experience. Michael and I have read this a few times tonight and I think he is regretting not going. And that's how you roll. You guys live too f&*^ing far away!!! Excellent description of the day. I think you should register on the DIS. I have a few names in mind:

• Dippin' Dots
• Brer Rabbit Hates You
• Smothering the Goldman
• Nate Major

 

[rentayenta]

Waiting to get through security check:

Stage at the viewing area of the Visitor's Complex:

Rocket Garden:

Thunderstorm that almost threatened the launch:

Shuttle exhaust trail:

The boys during & after the launch:

Shuttle trainer jet:

Full size models of shuttle craft, fuel tank, & solid rocket boosters:

Boys looking for gators:

Astronaut Memorial:

Gator found:

Thunderstorm on our way back:

Traffic due to an accident:

Awesome shots as usual Nate Major!!!!

 

[rentayenta]

We are always planning something!

Ain't that the truth! Too many vacations, not enough points!

 

[jordanyosh]

Jenna,

Those shuttle launch pics are awesome.

 

[2ScottishPrincesses]

Phenominal report Nate...your descriptions really brought your experience to life for me

 

[soulmates]

We are looking at August 6th through the 9th. I have priced annual pass rates on rooms for these days since I'm out of points. Nate was leaning toward staying at the WL which I . Of course today he is just being total pants and wants the total price of this trip. Men! I will gladly stay at a cheaper resort if it is the difference of going/ not going!

We'll be there!! We're staying at the WL the 2-8th!