Saving Dole Whip Float Money (Update 2/27: TR Link Posted!)

[therussells08]

I am a terrible horrible no good very bad friend for not posting in so long. Please forgive me!

I'm so excited that you are going to AK! John and I always have such a blast there. We love riding Dinosaur, because I am always absolutely terrified of that giant carnotaurus or whatever you call it at the end so our picture ends up being hilarious.

We tried Flame Tree Barbecue once and for some reason I didn't really like it, but literally everyone else I know who has had it loved it, so maybe it was just me being weird? I would say it is definitely worth a try!

I love It's Tough to be a Bug, too. That is always so much fun!

As for EE, I think it is a very smooth ride. It's a lot of fun and it is pretty wild, but I like it because it doesn't throw you around and scramble your brains like a lot of roller coasters do. Plus, the yeti is so scary looking!

 

[RachelNinja]

LOL, I'd say that's a pretty good summary of what happens. You said the thing you don't like about Space Mountain is the jerkiness. That's really not an issue on EE...it is a MUCH smoother ride, but a lot faster! I'll add a few comments to what you've already said: (I had to watch a youtube video myself to remember a little bit more, haha!).

No real comments here, but this is where Dad and I always imagine Stacey saying "that's strange...there doesn't seem to be any track."

Yeah, it's pretty much just twists and turns and stuff. If I'm remember right, some of the backwards is almost like you are going UP backwards. The screaming is what makes it fun. hehe

This is the point where we usually say that was awesome and want to ride it again. haha

OK, after watching that video now I really want to go ride it for real. If you really want, maybe I should just come with you and accompany you guys on EE.

Thanks SO much for your added commentary! Haha, I really need a lot of prior knowledge and research done before getting on a new ride. I used to be a lot more daring when I was younger, but nowadays, I can't do it! I guess YouTube videos have made me feel like I need to know what's going to happens since I CAN know what's happening. Yesterday when Howard was over, we watched Dinosaur so that I would know when the big guy comes out and does the major scaring. Haha. I just like to be prepared. It's not so much the ride itself that might scare me but the nervousness before it!

I'm going to have think about that Stacey line because I watched that part on YouTube! And I don't know if I can scream if I'm nervous. My mouth and throat get SO DRY! At the end of the ride, I'll either be like, "Everyone was right, this ride was awesome!" or "Okay, once was more than enough!"

YES, it'd be a lot easier if you went with us! Come with us in February!!!

You're too funny! Yeah, I'd say you have it about right! My comments are in red below.

Thanks so much for your comments! I especially appreciate the "avoid the back of the train" thing. I was already thinking about being closer to the front because I would think it wouldn't whip us around as much even when we were going down the big drop.

Yay for adding AK - I think it's a great idea. It'll get you more excited and in the mood for your honeymoon stay at AKL

On the EE topic, I just wanted to add, that I HATE space mountain. When I leave I have to check to make sure my spine hasn't detatched and my legs still work. EE is nothing like that - it's a much smoother ride - more along the lines of Big Thunder, but less jerky and more exciting. If you hate SM, stay away from primeval whirl (it's the same type of motions that SM is)

You know how I feel about AK. I may have mentioned a time or two that it's my favorite

Ride wise, we always hit up Dinosaur and EE. Both are in my top 5 favorite Disney rides. The Safari and It's Tough to be a bug are every-other for us, but they're still fun. We like just slowly walking through and soaking in the atmosphere. It's so pretty.

It'll be fun to go to AK now because that means Howard and I will have a taste of ALL the parks before our honeymoon. Then there won't be any pressure of like, trying to figure out where to go and what to do as if it were our first time. Still so giddy about AKL!!!

Ooo, okay, it does make me feel better to know that EE is a very smooth ride. I think that might be more troublesome than the twists and turns even though the latter scares me a bit more! I remember riding Scream Machine at Six Flags Great Adventure. The loops actually weren't what made me feel sick. It was the fact that the ride wasn't smooth, so I was being rattled all over the place!

It'll definitely be a picture park for us!

Yay, I'm glad you decided to add AK to your parks! You're going to have fun.

I remember watching this video like 15 times for my trip back in '07, I was so excited to ride EE and I couldn't stop watching YouTube videos of it. It's my favorite: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Luy85Gkrjz0

I felt G-forces in the turns after the drop (which isn't bad at all even though it's an 80 foot one). Like every one esle said, EE is such a smooth ride, I think you'll like it!

HAHA, thanks for sharing that video of Dwight Howard! That was funny!

As long as it's not sustained G-forces, I think I should be okay. Hopefully ...

Okay first off let's tackle EE. I don't like the ride anymore because it makes me very motion sick. It's because the ride goes backwards and that makes me sick. I think there is only that one big drop and that's pretty much it as far as drops go. I like the ride, but I just can't ride it anymore because I get so sick. I've ridden it maybe 4 times, but I think I'm done with it. It is a fun ride though!

I la la love the Tusker House! It has the best food EVER! I was so impressed with it! They also feature African music all day there.

I loved the train ride that takes you to Rafiki's Planet Watch.

I love love loved the Lion King Show. I loved Dinosaur, it's really not that scary it's pretty much Indiana Jones but without the boulder and a giant T-Rex. I mean it's a little bit scary when he jumps out at you, but yeah not too bad. I personally like Indy better. Even though it's the same track. That Dinosaur whirl ride or whatever is really fun too! I hear Nemo is a good show but I was not about to battle with 5 years in a line, so we skipped it.

Do you get motion sick on a lot of rides or is it only EE? Going backwards on stuff like TTA used to be fun. Now I can't even deal with that anymore, so that's why I'm still not 100% about trying the ride. It also depends on how I feel that particular day.

Ooo, another train ride! We really enjoyed the MK train because it's just a nice way to get off your feet.

Haha, I think it's funny how you don't like the backwards part in EE, but you can ride Primeval Whirl without a problem! Just watching the videos of that makes me feel dizzy!

I'll just go and say ditto to what Sarah said

Haha, she did give such an extensive review, didn't she?

I am a terrible horrible no good very bad friend for not posting in so long. Please forgive me!

I'm so excited that you are going to AK! John and I always have such a blast there. We love riding Dinosaur, because I am always absolutely terrified of that giant carnotaurus or whatever you call it at the end so our picture ends up being hilarious.

We tried Flame Tree Barbecue once and for some reason I didn't really like it, but literally everyone else I know who has had it loved it, so maybe it was just me being weird? I would say it is definitely worth a try!

I love It's Tough to be a Bug, too. That is always so much fun!

As for EE, I think it is a very smooth ride. It's a lot of fun and it is pretty wild, but I like it because it doesn't throw you around and scramble your brains like a lot of roller coasters do. Plus, the yeti is so scary looking!

Aww Alexander, life gets busy! Haha, I understand why you've been absent. I've been absent from so many TRs and PTRs that I finally caught up with most of them this weekend! It was fun, however, reading a lot of updates at once!

I already watched the video of Dinosaur with Howard so I'd be prepared, haha. I'll watch it again (thank goodness for night vision!) before we go so that I can follow the narration and know when it'll show up!

Well, now we love this BBQ place in NJ called Big Ed's, so I'm wondering if Flame Tree is going to be as good! I definitely want to have onion rings though. They just look so delicious in the pictures.

For ITTBAB, I know I'm going to be kind of sitting forward to avoid the "stings" from the seat!

YES, no brain scrambling. That might be what makes me feel sick. STILL debating it!

 

[RachelNinja]

Added Cast!

On October 25th, the 4 of us (Danielle, Ray, Howard, and I) got this message on Facebook: SOOOOOO, IT'S OFFICIAL!!! NATHANIEL AND NICOLETTE ARE GOING TO SPEND A WEEK WITH YOU GUYS IN FLORIDAAAAAAA!! =] =] =]

YES, we have now added 2 people to our cast! Here's their brief introduction:

Nicolette (21) - My cousin / Danielle's sister!

I'm so excited that Nik is going because she (along with Dani) is my bridesmaid! I grew up with Dani and Nik when we used to live in the same borough, so I was really upset when they moved 45 minutes away. Like Dani, I only get to see Nik on Sundays. Because we're both sopranos in the choir, I do get a chance to talk to her once in a while, but with so many things going on, we never really talk-talk like we used to because there are never enough hours in the day! When I asked Nik if she wanted to join us, I was really hoping she'd say yes because these two girls are my favorites! Nik and I have always taken a TON of pictures together, and we crack up over everything because we have SCS (Second Child Syndrome, something we made up and used to use as a reasoning for everything!). We also used to take a ton of food pictures as in, we'd be showcasing what we're eating by opening our mouths or putting a bite in it or something. I think it'll be necessary for us to do that at least once during this trip!

Anyway, I realize I didn't even give you any bio information. Haha, she's in her final year of college for hospitality management. She plays her bass guitar for church; its name is Eggplant because it's a dark purple. And one more thing you should know is that we're both afraid of many of the same things! Remember the bunny story from my April TR that's still not finished? She was the cousin who was with me!!!

Nathaniel (22 ... I think!) - "Nik's friend"

Haha, let me explain the quotation marks for that. We all know Nat because he's the cousin of our former pastor's son who used to go to our church. Nat has been to our church retreats and some of our events, so he's not a stranger. However, when we asked Nik to go, we kind of said that she needed to have a "friend" to come along because we didn't want her to feel like a 5th wheel. Plus, it's just easier with an even number on rides that seat 2 people and even on Amtrak! That's why Dani and I kept saying, "Nik, you gotta come with us, but you have to 'find a friend'!" Well, Nik and Nat have been close friends for quite some time, so that's why he's accompanying us! I'm glad that we're going to have a chance to get to know him better! He too is finishing up college, but I believe he's graduating in January. Oh, and I do realize that Nat's not holding food. Haha, I couldn't find one with food, so I chose that one instead!

Don't worry, we'll have updated photos for the trip report! It's funny to me because my hair is much shorter now since I cut it again in August to donate. Nik's hair is also shorter because she cut it months ago, but it's growing out now. It's so crazy how fast we change. I mean, just last week, we looked like this!

Nik, Rae, Dani

Haha, I'm obviously kidding, but now that the 3 of us are going, I'll be able to have some updates with old pictures and memories! Yay!!!

 

[LilAnn]

Sounds like you are going to have so much fun with your friends and family in February. I am quite the fan of taking photos pretending to take a huge bite of some food item, so can't wait to see those. Now that's November, we can that we are going back to Disney in 3 months!

 

[SoonerGirl]

How fun to be going with BOTH of your cousins! I love that picture of the 3 of you from last week Very sweet!

 

[Cat0727]

Yay, how fun that more people are coming along! I think it's a good idea you asked Nik to bring a friend. Being a third/fifth wheel would just be no fun, especially in MK, where most of the rides seat rows of 2.

 

[therussells08]

Yay! New members of your cast! That is so exciting! I have always wanted to go on a trip to WDW with a big group of people! I was really looking forward to going with my cousin and his GF in December, but I'm kind of glad they aren't going now because I am looking forward to spending a ton of time alone with John. But still, it would have been fun! I can't wait to read your TR!

You, Nik and Dani are all so beautiful! I love that picture of the three of you as little girls!

 

[klacey1]

More people will make the Amtrak ride that much more fun! Really opens up a lot more car games!

 

[RachelNinja]

Sounds like you are going to have so much fun with your friends and family in February. I am quite the fan of taking photos pretending to take a huge bite of some food item, so can't wait to see those. Now that's November, we can that we are going back to Disney in 3 months!

The food picture thing started when I was still in high school. Nik and I were at a Chinese buffet where they had this green ball in the dessert section. We bit into it and we have a pic of it in our mouths! After that, we went on for years and years, but then we haven't done it recently since we can't seem to find food that we haven't already used!

Oh WOW, I can't believe it's so soon! Pretty soon, I'm going to be rushing trying to get everything settled. We have to type up lists of what to bring to decide who's bringing what (ex. we'll bring dry goods and such so that we don't have to buy that much from the supermarket).

How fun to be going with BOTH of your cousins! I love that picture of the 3 of you from last week Very sweet!

I'm thrilled! We were supposed to have a cousins trip way back when Nik STARTED college, but we didn't think about the fact that it'd be difficult to line up our breaks and vacations. We're going Presidents' Week because I have to go that way. I can't take off any other week. Dani and Howard are using their vacation time. Nat will be graduated by then. Haha, Nik and Ray are missing a week of school!

How fast we grew, right? Haha.

Yay, how fun that more people are coming along! I think it's a good idea you asked Nik to bring a friend. Being a third/fifth wheel would just be no fun, especially in MK, where most of the rides seat rows of 2.

I know that it would've been uncomfortable if we were a group of 6 because even if we went to eat out and we were at a rectangular table, someone would be sitting with no one across. I'm glad Nat can go! I'm just thrilled that we don't have to worry about seating arrangements on rides either!

Yay! New members of your cast! That is so exciting! I have always wanted to go on a trip to WDW with a big group of people! I was really looking forward to going with my cousin and his GF in December, but I'm kind of glad they aren't going now because I am looking forward to spending a ton of time alone with John. But still, it would have been fun! I can't wait to read your TR!

You, Nik and Dani are all so beautiful! I love that picture of the three of you as little girls!

I've gone to WDW with big groups of people, but it's always family things. It's actually usually with my dad's friend's family, and I never really enjoyed myself! This will be a first. I mean, Dani, Nik, and I have been to Disney before together, but that was a LONG time ago when Nik was only a few years old. We went around the same time again when I was in junior high, but we only went to one park together (we didn't stay together). This will totally be a new experience then!

I know Howard and I will definitely have the time to go alone once we get married! I'm just glad we have a chance to go again before we're married. And of course, we need the whole group of people to go with us since it's pre-wedding!

Awww, thanks! I think THEY'RE beautiful!

More people will make the Amtrak ride that much more fun! Really opens up a lot more car games!

Oh definitely! It'll be even more of an adventure! I'm sure we'll be cracking up all the way down. I'm glad that Nik will be there so that we won't come back and talk about memories that she won't know. She'll be part of them!

 

[Jennifer48]

The more the merrier, right?!

 

[oboedm]

I love that you were able to get two more people on board! How exciting! I am anticipating your trip report already!

 

[Dina Monster]

Yay glad it's going to be a best cousin trip too!

I get sick only from EE. I guess it's the backwards thing. I've never ever been sick on any of ride in the parks. Oppes wait the Tea Cups they make me pretty sick too. I guess the spinning from the tea cups and the backwards motion from EE really does me in.

 

[RachelNinja]

The more the merrier, right?!

Definitely! I'm purchasing card games for the Amtrak ride and for our rest days!!!

I love that you were able to get two more people on board! How exciting! I am anticipating your trip report already!

I'm happy that I don't have to go back to pics and put circles on their faces, haha.

Yay glad it's going to be a best cousin trip too!

I get sick only from EE. I guess it's the backwards thing. I've never ever been sick on any of ride in the parks. Oppes wait the Tea Cups they make me pretty sick too. I guess the spinning from the tea cups and the backwards motion from EE really does me in.

I'm thrilled that I'll have my best friends there with me!

I'll have to see how I feel on that particular day in terms of whether or not I'm willing to ride EE. Still kinda nervous, but I do want to experience it at least once!

 

[peterpanlover96]

That was a lot to look at (since I havent been Dising lately!) but wow two more members on the trip? WOOHOO! I bet you'll have an awesome time!

 

[chunkymonkey]

Your trip sounds like it's gonna be so much fun! I think you guys will have a blast. The more the merrier, right?

 

[RachelNinja]

That was a lot to look at (since I havent been Dising lately!) but wow two more members on the trip? WOOHOO! I bet you'll have an awesome time!

Haha, and you also saw that you haven't missed any Character Scrambler rounds! I don't have time to update the PTR part of it, and the game took so much longer to make! I'll probably pick up on doing it when we get closer to the trip. Right now I'm in my teacher crunch week (report cards, first formal observation of the year, and parent teacher conferences).

Your trip sounds like it's gonna be so much fun! I think you guys will have a blast. The more the merrier, right?

We are SO SO SO excited! I love that there are 6 of us now because it'll really be an adventure!

 

[RachelNinja]

Vacation Purchases and Other Fun Things

I'm terrible and haven't been writing for my PTR or TR in ages! I just don't seem to have the time for it. When I do have the time, I'm just too exhausted to do much of anything. I only tutor twice a week now instead of three times, but my body is in need of a longer vacation. Two days off for Thanksgiving just wasn't enough especially since we're in the report card grades + parent teacher conferences part of our school calendar.

I have been having fun playing Bananagrams online though! Haha. Oh, and of course, I've been making purchases! The reason why I decided to write about some recent purchases is because Howard and I decided to splurge (well, technically HE splurged on it) on something else for our trip. I have to write about the older things before I write about the thing that came in the mail today!

A few weeks ago, Howard and I went to NJ with my mom and brother. I forgot why we went, but here are some of the things we bought! From Five Below, I bought this awesome DVD.

Yes, I do think Blades of Glory is a crazy, hilarious movie! I think it's so funny that Will Ferrell and Napoleon Dynamite (haha, I mean Jon Heder) skate in those costumes! I used to love watching ice skating mainly because I had this big project in the 2nd grade on the winter olympics ('91). I loved Kristy Yamaguchi and Nancy Kerrigan. Anyway, I watched this movie when I borrowed it from the library and I was sick on the recliner. I loved that I was able to buy it for just $5!

I also bought this game called Befudiom, which is about common idioms! It looks similar to Cranium in that you can act or draw depending on what comes up on the die. I like word games because they're fun to me and because I can use them at school with my students. This was also $5.

Here's the back of the box. I haven't played it yet.

The last thing that I wanted, but Howard bought for me (I was being all like, "Why should I waste a dollar on it? But it's so cute! But it'd be wasting a dollar ..."). How CUTE are these window clings? The plan was to put them up in school on my windows, but I haven't done so yet. Then I was going to put them up in my room at home, but I haven't done that either. Maybe I'll put them on the window on the door for my classroom if it fits.

We also hit the mall where Howard and I enjoyed the Disney Store! I know I have one at my mall, but this one's a litle bigger and it also has a sale section! There wasn't anything there that we could get, but we did buy 2 shirts instead! They had the organic tee sale 2 for $24. This is the shirt that Howard got!

He was so excited that they finally had a shirt with Lightning on it. The coloring isn't like the actual Lightning, but it might be better (at least I think so) because then it doesn't look as young.

The one I picked is the one that I saw on the website and on Joni's PTR! I think it's so pretty! I also like how it screams Disney if you know the castle, but it's different than a shirt with a Mickey on the front (I've got those too!).

I was thinking about whether or not I should get it because my prince already came! Hehe. But then Howard ended up buying this shirt for me, and my mom said it makes sense because HE is my prince!

Anyway, we both already wore our shirts, which I'm happy about because otherwise I would've been extra upset to see that during Black Friday, the shirts were $10. Ahhh, between the two of us, we bought 4 shirts lately that cost $48 (3 for me, 1 for him - I posted the pics of the other 2 last time). If I had waited, it would've only been $40. Oh well. I can't do anything about it now, and I did wear 2/3 of mine already before I saw the sale. I purchased it then because they typically don't drop in price, and I didn't want to risk going back and not finding my size.

Moving on ... we weren't done yet! We also stopped by Walmart. I know there are many people on DIS who either really love the place or hate the place. I'm one of those who loves it because they do often have Disney things! I really wanted to go because I wanted some travel things. I saw stuff at Five Below, but I didn't love it because they weren't that well made (some edges were sharp). I figured I wasn't in a rush, so I knew I could just buy it elsewhere or return later on. The Walmart trip was a successful one though!

I got a travel soap container because I've realized it's easier to shower with a bar of soap than body wash. I normally always have body wash because it's more portable (no messy or wet dish to pack at the end of the trip). However, the loofah is kind of annoying to deal with. Also, no matter how much I try, the body wash (and shampoo) don't really lather that well because of Florida's hard water. I figured I'd feel cleaner and have less of a hassle if I just brought bar this time.

I also got these 2 squeeze bottles! How great!!! I needed a new bottle for shampoo because I normally always use Garnier Fructis on vacation (I have the little travel bottle for that), but now I switched shampoo. It's much easier to deal with a bottle that can be squeezed. It's also perfect for my face wash because normally I have to hold it upside down and wait for it to slowly travel down the inside of the bottle! Simple things that make my life easier get me excited.

The last travel item I bought was these two little containers. Haha, notice how most of the stuff is pink? I was going to do different colors, but it does match my toiletry bag. Plus, pink represents me (pink and green are our colors). This will be for my eye make-up remover pads. I use the Neutrogena ones, but I cut up each pad to become 10 or 12 smaller ones since it's only for eyeliner. Haha, I love it because then my container of 30 pads lasts much longer! Anyway, I usually put it in a little ziploc snack bag, but they dry out faster. I decided to get this so that they'd last longer ... and because it's pink!

My last purchase, which is also trip-related, is Pictionary the Card Game. Howard and I went to the toy section. While he was obsessing over the Lego sets, I went to the board game section (haha, it's what we usually do). I saw this and decided to get it since it was only $5ish. I think it'll be perfect for Amtrak! It doesn't actually require drawing. You can see on the front that there are cards that have things drawn on them. You use them to act out the word. I already played it with my 7th graders and my 8th graders. The 7th graders really enjoyed it and got all excited as they shouted out answers (it's 2 teams against each other). Half of the 8th graders liked it while the other half just weren't into it because they started losing, haha.

Howard picked up Toy Story 3 because the Walmart version had extra Pixar shorts on it or something. We watched it 2 weeks ago (my parents and brother joined in!). Oh man, now I understand what everyone was saying about Lotso!

That was it for that day! That doesn't mean that I don't have more things to show you because I've been buying more things for our trip! Oh, and I already have am Amtrak snack idea in mind! Until next time!

 

[wdwgirl03]

Yay, an update! I've been so bad about updating my TR/PTR too. Only 3 weeks left until winter break. haha

Great trip purchases. I like the shirt you got for yourself. It is cute with the castle and hearts and all! LOL, I was even going to say, don't you already have your prince?

That pictionary game sounds kind of fun. Might have to look into that myself.

So what did you think of Toy Story 3?

 

[LilAnn]

Yay for trip purchases! I love getting things for vacation. I really like that castle tee you got. I debated so long on getting more tees during the Black Friday sale online for DD, but then forgot a bit and just missed out altogether. Oh well.

Funny thing about your post, I was planning on heading to Five Below or Christmas Tree Shops to look for some stocking stuffers today.

 

[chunkymonkey]

I love your t-shirt! It's so cute, with the castle and hearts! I'm gonna have to look for that now!

I too am obsessed with any travel containers. I have a bunch of them. They are so convenient and a great way to use up products. I like how yours is pink too! Very cute.