September '09, 22nd anniversary at Pop. FINAL THOUGHTS DECEMBER 3RD

[aaaateamsgrandma]

Happy Thanksgiving Dana

Ginny

 

[racefanof88]

Happy Thanksgiving Dana

Ginny

Thank you Ginny . It was pretty good, well except for me and my leg . I will find out tomorrow what the doctor thinks. I am kinda scared . NO NO wait, I am really scared. I keep hoping it gets better on it's own, but I don't think it is happening.

 

[longing2Batdisney]

Keeping you in my prayers, Dana... take care!

 

[racefanof88]

The time has come to finish up this TR .

Friday, October 2nd was to be our last day in the parks. We had decided to leave early Saturday morning to drive home. I had canceled our ADR at Sci Fi and made one for Grand Floridian Cafe for 1:50. We have found a new favorite restaurant. I give GFC a 9 out of 10 stars, the one being off for it being a kinda formal place. Dale doesn't like formal places, he says he doesn't fit in . The wait staff is GREAT, the atmosphere is really nice as is the view we had. The food was fantastic. Anyway, it was really nice and I wanted to eat there again. This was NOT to happen on this trip . At about 2 am I awoke feeling a little yucky, thinking maybe it was the crab cake I had eaten at the FandW festival or maybe it was the fact I had consumed different types of adult beverages the day before, that being a margarita, an orange slushy from France, a glass of wine from Ireland, and a sip of the dark beer from Germany. I went the bathroom and when I got back in bed Dallas said he was cold. I told him to snuggle up next to me because it was cold in the room because Dale likes icicles hanging from the ceiling . About 30 minutes or so later Dallas wakes me up and tells me his feet are freezing, he places his feet against my leg and they are HOT. I knew then that he had a fever, at this point I get kinda fuzzy about what happened. I can't remember if I gave him something for the fever or not? I know the one thing I forgot to pack was a thermometer . We went back to sleep and woke up around 7:30. Dallas said "Mom I don't feel so good. I think I am going to throw up". I told him to run to the bathroom. My poor baby, when he throws up the retching comes all the way from the bottom of his feet. He comes back and gets in bed, I had awaken Dale and told him Dallas was sick. Dallas asks, " What are we gonna do today since I am sick?" Dale and I both say "We are going home".

I dressed quickly, as did Dale, and we finished packing. We had already put one of our suitcases full of stuff in the car on Wednesday.

While we were getting everything together I took this.

You can see in his eyes that he isn't feeling well.

We had everything packed and in the car by 8:30. We headed to the front to check out and get on the road. I had to wait to check out and when I got to the desk, the CM was, how do I put this, not very outgoing or friendly, now he wasn't rude at all, just totally blah. I told him why we were checking out early and I got no response what so ever . I went to the food court and spent the rest of our credits, I got lots of juice, a couple croissants, Mickey rice crispie treats, and some cookies. I think that was about it. I got to the car and we pulled out of the parking lot at 9:05. We had found a new way in and out of Disney that bypassed I-4, it is SR-429. We will use it from now on. We ate our snacks and even being sick Dallas ate a croissant. When we got to Gainesville I called our Pediatrician to see if we could get in, this is where working with them comes in handy. I spoke with my friend Nancy, she is the phone nurse, and let her know what was going on. She went and got the appointment book and asked if we could be there by 4:30, I told her yes. She said to call if we didn't think we were gonna make it and she would talk to the doctor and let them know I was coming in. When we hit Lake City we stopped at Krystal and got a sack full. Dallas wanted a slushy so of course he got that. The H1N1 did not affect his appetite at all. We had to stop in Crestview, Fl and get some more Motrin and Tylenol because I had ran out. While I was in the store I found a neat thermometer(I thought) so I got it and got Dallas the movie Monsters and Aliens. We still had about 2 hours to drive. We were on the Bay Way (I-10) coming into Mobile when my cell rang, it was Nancy checking to see if we were going to make it. It was now 4 and I told her we would be there. At 4:29 I signed in. There was one other family waiting when we sat down. When we were put in a room I told the nurse ( I didn't know her) that I thought Dallas either had the flu or strep throat. She took a swab of his throat and one from his nose. When she came back she said they needed to move us to another room . I became suspicious at this and she confirmed a positive on the flu swab. At this point I started to get scared. A few minutes later Dr. Nobles came in the room and said it was positive. The look on her face scared me even more. She said we needed to watch Dallas close because of his asthma, like I didn't know this already. She asked if I had enough albuterol for his nebulizer as he needed to be taking breathing treatments at least every 6 hours. I told her I had plenty and she gave me the Rx for tamiflu. She told me to call her if Dallas started showing even the slightest signs of respiratory troubles. She also told me to alternate between the Motrin and Tylenol, which I always do anyway. The Tylenol is better at bringing down a fever and the Motrin is better at keeping it down.

The peds office is in the hospital where I work and we have a pharmacy we can use to fill Rxs so we got the tamiflu filled and I gave Dallas one right away. I feel like we were really blessed to get everything done in less than 12 hours. Within 2 days Dallas was feeling much better and I was starting to feel really bad . I went to the doctor the following Tuesday and was confirmed and given tamiflu.

Looking back I know we did everything we possibly could have to avoid getting sick. I had hand sanitizer, Lysol spray and wipes, I had antibacterial hand wipes and we washed our hands more times than I can count. The problem comes in with people who do NOT cover when they cough or sneeze, going to the parks when they are obviously sick or taking their kids to the parks when they are sick, and being in tight enclosed places with people who are sick. I can understand why people do it, a Disney trip is expensive and they want to squeeze every dime out of it, but by doing so they are putting others at risk.

Now, that being said, do I think the CDC and WHO are blowing the H1N1 way out of purportion? Yes, I do. Do I think it is a scare tactic? Yes, I do. Is the vaccine safe and effective? I don't know, I don't believe it is, but I wasn't going to get it either way. There have been a couple of cases where people who have had the flu got it again, so if natural immuinity doesn't protect someone from it, then I don't think something made in a lab will either. At this point I will step off my soap box .

 

[racefanof88]

Keeping you in my prayers, Dana... take care!

Thank you so much Connie. My leg is really hurting today. I am trying to keep my mind off of it by posting on here and playing games.

 

[aaaateamsgrandma]

Poor Dallas. He looked ill in that picture for sure. I know you feel very fortunate he had no repercussion from the flu.

Keep us posted tomorrow.

Ginny

 

[racefanof88]

Poor Dallas. He looked ill in that picture for sure. I know you feel very fortunate he had no repercussion from the flu.

Keep us posted tomorrow.

Ginny

Thank you Ginny. His eyes always give him away. I am so thankful to God for all of his blessings.

I will let ya'll know what I find out. I should know something in about 12 hours.

 

[aprilisis]

It can't be over!!!
I can't believe the person at the check out desk didn't even say ANYTHING when you explained why you were checking out early. You should have at least gotten a "that's too bad" or an "I hope he feels better soon".
I'm glad you guys are all feeling better, too. I am sad that your TR is over.

 

[racefanof88]

It can't be over!!!
I can't believe the person at the check out desk didn't even say ANYTHING when you explained why you were checking out early. You should have at least gotten a "that's too bad" or an "I hope he feels better soon".
I'm glad you guys are all feeling better, too. I am sad that your TR is over.

Thanks April. I hate that the report is over too, but that gives me more time to devote to my PTR. I don't know what was going on with the CM at check out. He was like a robot. It was like he had no emotion at all. I am going to post a final thought about this trip so come back and read that .

 

[racefanof88]

Since my daily report is over I am going to give a final thought on this trip.

We made the reservation for this trip as soon as free dining was announced. It was pretty soon after we got home from our May trip. Amanda was not able to go on this trip with us and Tyler didn't want to go. We had the DDP on our May 2008 trip, but we didn't care for at that time. We had decided we would only do it if we got it free. I never totally unpacked everything from our May and July trips, so packing was pretty easy.

The day came for us to go and even though I was nervous about leaving Amanda and Tyler home alone we were excited about heading to see our best friend. So after much ado here is my take on our September '09 Anniversary at Pop.


HOTEL AND RESTAURANT RATINGS


HOTEL
Pop Century----------Good hotel. We loved the theming, location and layout. Our room was in a good location in the building as it was on the corner of the building. We were near the Computer pool and next to the elevators. Mousekeeping was good and we had 3 different towel animals. Very cute. I would rate Pop an 8 out of 10. 2 off only because it was a hike to the food court and the food court was WAY too crowded and unorganized. We will stay here again.


RESTAURANTS
Plaza--------------Nice place for a sandwich and great desserts. We like to eat at Plaza because it is a nice nostalgic eatery with very good wait staff. 7 out of 10. It loses the 3 for limited menu, crowded dining area, and bathroom being outside. We will eat here again.

'Ohana-------------We chose 'Ohana for a character breakfast because I wanted to try it. I would rather have had dinner, but we couldn't get an ADR. Beautiful view, good character interaction, food was OK as far as breakfast food goes. 6 out of 10. It loses 4 for overbooking, slow wait staff, inattentive wait staff and too many tables crowded together with the characters trying to get around. We are going to try it for dinner in May.


Crystal Palace---------This is our 3rd time to eat at CP. The food is good and being able to get in the park early is always a plus. Seeing the castle in the early morning without the crowds is awesome. I give CP a 7 out of 10. It loses 3 for very slow character interaction, decor needing an update(Tigger, Pooh planter in center) tables being too close together. We will eat here again, but it isn't in the plans for May.


Grand Floridian Cafe--------This is a great restaurant and it would have to be one of Disney's best kept secrets. The theming is again very nice with great views of the grounds. It was not crowded at all and even though it has that formal look it isn't stuffy. The wait staff is second to none and the waiter will go over the menu with you and make suggestions. My suggestion is to get the strawberry salad...........OMG to die for. Our steaks were so tender we could cut them with our forks. They were accommodating to Dallas' food allergies. I give GFC a 9 out of 10. One off because they don't take the TIW card at dinner, only at breakfast and lunch. Here are a couple of pictures from the Dis boards info page.

Kona-------------We ate here in May of '08 and wasn't impressed, but I wanted to try the Lapu Lapu. This time I was impressed. The food was delicious. I would give Kona an 8 out of 10. It loses 2 for atmosphere and decor. It has the feel of a Woolworth's . We will eat here again.


Le Cellier------------We ate here for the first time in May and we really enjoyed the food. I chose a different steak this time and I should have stuck with the fillet. I did get the chocolate cake and it was yummy. The wait staff was good. I give Le Cellier an 8 out of 10. It loses 2 for difficulty obtaining an ADR and the dank feeling of being in "The Cellier".

This was a great trip, we had a wonderful time, wait times were very manageable and we were able to do things we had never done before. MNSSHP was fun even though it was super hot. I still say the Pirate and Princess Party was more fun. I may plan a trip for September next year too, but we will see. I hate the reason we had to end our trip a day early, but that is just how the cookie crumbles. Now that all is well I look back and realize just how special a Disney vacation can be.

I hope everyone enjoyed my TR and I hope I kept everyone entertained and maybe someone was able to glean a little useful information. I look forward to seeing everyone on my May 2010 PTR.

THANKS FOR READING

 

[aaaateamsgrandma]

Love your final thoughts on your trip. It helps to know the reasons of liking or not liking the eating areas. Wish I was going back soon so I could be preplanning.

We loved Ohana breakfast. We had a good server but like you, they overbook. The character interaction was the best. Our only other character meal was Chef Mickeys.

Hope you had a good day.

Ginny

 

[racefanof88]

Thank you Ginny. I too like it when someone gives a reason for why they rate things the way they do. I may have been more generous than others would have been, but I think the majority of CMs at Disney go out of their way to make sure everyone is happy.


I am still waiting to hear when I can get my MRI .

 

[aaaateamsgrandma]

Thank you Ginny. I too like it when someone gives a reason for why they rate things the way they do. I may have been more generous than others would have been, but I think the majority of CMs at Disney go out of their way to make sure everyone is happy.


I am still waiting to hear when I can get my MRI .

I so agree with you. It's hard to remember that CM's are people just like everyone else. Some days it is really hard to have a constant smile but they do well.

How was your day yesterday being out so much? Did you get any sleep?

 

[racefanof88]

I so agree with you. It's hard to remember that CM's are people just like everyone else. Some days it is really hard to have a constant smile but they do well.

How was your day yesterday being out so much? Did you get any sleep?

I was really tired after all the running around. Walking on the crutches just wears me out. Even though it ws cold outside I was sweating from walking on the crutches. I got some sleep, but when I woke up my leg was hurting pretty bad .

We may get some snow here tonight into tomorrow. I hope so because Dallas has never seen snow. I hope you have good day.