Something About Nothing.......part 2 (please join us)

[keishashadow]

I got him on the run...

naw, looks like he's having too much fun @ Discovery Cove...

that's one mad dolphin

 

[ky07]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hi2ObF5c51I

i still luvs the CR ; the view is worth putting up with a few germshttp://web.usna.navy.mil/~phmiller/en358/cruise ship big wave.JPG

 

[bubba's mom]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hi2ObF5c51I

i still luvs the CR ; the view is worth putting up with a few germshttp://web.usna.navy.mil/~phmiller/en358/cruise ship big wave.JPG

Well...you don't have to put up with the germs if you don't use the glasses....

Thanks for posting that story...didja post it on "the other side" ...seems some of them, just couldn't believe CR would do that ...too much dust in the eyes i guess

 

[ky07]

Well...you don't have to put up with the germs if you don't use the glasses....

Thanks for posting that story...didja post it on "the other side" ...seems some of them, just couldn't believe CR would do that ...too much dust in the eyes i guess

OOOO don't do that cause if the pixie dust clears Mickey comes out with his gloves on

 

[keishashadow]

Barb - Loved the pics of the party. The snow not so much! You guys make sure you keep all that stuff up north.


Got my sisters detox machine today. Mikey detoxed a little while ago. I took pics of the water. Will try to upload them after I do something about dinner so you all can see how disgusting it is. I know you really want to.

can't wait to see, fascinating stuff

barb great pics, what'd you have...a gazillion kids?

metro i was big on the combo bowling party/laser tag gigs for my DSs

penny - what, no poll for the AIFL? let's just say the RiverRats are going to win & call it a night...GO RATS . Mathematically, i believe they were out of it by the end of May last year...must root, root, root for the home team...let's go Bucs

always did have a thing for scurvy pirates; speaking of which...off to read the biker tales

 

[marciemi]

Hi all - just dropped Eric off at church and got him settled. Called for an "emergency" pianist to cover the Stations of the Cross mass this evening. Always fun to be asked at 4pm to play at 7pm! I would have gone with him to help out, but I have a husband in Detroit, a son in Chicago (they just left a bit ago for a jazz band competition), and 4 random teenagers evidently sleeping over and having a Rock Band party. They just converged here!

Okay, another "you know you've lived in Green Bay too long" story!

It got up to 24 today! Was driving home from working and thinking I was overdressed (in a sweatshirt and a winter coat). Picked up one son at school, who was waiting outdoors in a t-shirt and threw his coat in the car saying "Man, it's HOT out!" Just took Eric to the church just wearing a long sleeve shirt. I asked him if he needed a coat and he at me and said in a "DUH" voice, "Mom, it's like 25 degrees out!" Yup!

Tigers fan here!

Barb - the Laser Quest by you looks EXACTLY like the one in the Detroit area that we had several parties at and they did a lot of school functions at. Sure you weren't in Michigan?

 

[yankeepenny]

Marcie have you read your email?

 

[yankeepenny]

so far we got a huge variety of baseball team fans here.

yankees
pirates
coupla phillies
cardinals
tigers
lots of indians
and a devil ray

anyone else?????????????????

 

[marciemi]

Okay, and I need an opinion from you guys about help/recommendations for my friend who's going to Florida this July.

Short story - they have 4 kids, who will be 15, 13, 11, and 9 (3 boys and the youngest is a girl). They've NEVER been to Florida, Disney, or really any amusement parks except for one day we dragged them to Cedar Point back when the kids were in the 8 & under age ranges. This is, without a doubt, a once in a lifetime trip for them. They'll be going for 13 days and already rented a house.

Basically, coming down to money, they're deciding between two options. Either way they're doing Kennedy Space Center. However, they feel Disney has to be all or none. If they do Disney, they'll get the bare minimum 10 day passes, but have 10 full days to do everything, plus two days at KSC, which really fills the schedule there anyways. Especially since they're NOT the "get up and go early" types, and if I convince them to be there at some ropedrops, I guarantee two days in a row of that will be the max at a time. Oh, yeah, and they have family to visit for at least a day in Tampa, but don't want to do Busch Gardens.

Option 2 is pretty much everything else. Get the Orlando Flex passes and have 2 weeks at Uni/IOA, Sea World, Wet & Wild, and still squeeze KSC in. We priced it all separately and together, and the Flex pass is the cheapest way to go. However, it's not that much cheaper than Disney - like less than $100 total for the 6 of them.

What would you recommend? I know this is a Uni board, but can you see skipping Disney completely if you know this would be their only chance to do it? She was asking about maybe doing option 2 and trying to just hit one day at the MK, but that seems like the worst case option to me since it'll add another $400 and they really won't get a chance to appreciate Disney at all.

I also feel better that if I get them to Disney, I can use my TGM and UOG expertise to work them up a good game plan for each day. At Uni, I just don't think I can do much other than "get there for opening". There's no possibility that they'll stay onsite, especially since with a family of 6 they'd need 2 rooms.

I spent a good couple hours on the phone with her today. They're literally completely clueless. Like "I don't know if we want to go to Disney, because it's all stuff like It's a Small World and my kids will think that's cheesy" and "we wouldn't get Fast Passes at Disney because we can't afford to pay any more than we're already paying and I hate how they nickel and dime you on everything"!

Okay, I've got 5 months to get them squared away, but we need to start with where they're going! Thanks for any help!

 

[marciemi]

Marcie have you read your email?

I just checked it. If you sent me one, I'm sorry, I didn't get it. I was thinking maybe I had my old email here, but that can't be since I get some email notifications. You can try again or just PM me and I'll make sure you have the email right!

Based on how the boards & email notifications are running, I'll probably get it a week from Thursday!

 

[yankeepenny]

i sent you a message from here to your email.

 

[yankeepenny]

regarding your question, with kids that age, maybe they should just do uni. if they go to MK, some stuff might be lame for the age group of a couple of them. mgm and ak are great parks too, but i did not do a lot of rides at mgm, too much for me. i loved MK, but that is me. yes- i rode dumbo at age 39, and LOVED it.


every kid we saw of every age loved uni and seaworld.

 

[RVGal]

Barb - Loved the Bubba Party Pics! Looks like everyone had a great time. Will you throw me my next birthday party?

Marcie - Wow. I can't imagine having to make that choice. Once in a lifetime? How can you not do Disney? But how can you miss out on all the other stuff? I've been to everything so many times and I love it all, I just can't imagine saying I'll only be there once so what should I do.

I know I'm falling behind again, but I'm still not up to full steam. I'm off to get everyone in bed so I can collapse too. I'll try to get more up on my trip report tomorrow. Night!

 

[Sharon G]

Hi guys,

I'm stuck home on a boring, snowy Friday night.

Did you know you can buy eyeglass frames on ebay?

My DD needed a new pair of glasses. She showed me where the size is marked on her old pair. She liked the way they fit, so she found an ebay store that sells the brand she wanted and bought them for about 1/3 of the price at lenscrafters.

They arrived in the mail the other day, and she took them to lenscrafters and they made up her perscription lenses.
Easy peasy!

So....I needed a new pair too. Just went to the eye doc yesterday after work. I wear contacts 75 percent of the time, but in the evenings at home I wear my glasses.
He told me it was time for bifocals....
I was having a hard time knitting when wearing my glasses. When I wore my contacts, I could use my reading glasses.

So....I ordered the same style lenses that DD did, but in another color.

We can be twins!

 

[bubba's mom]

Barb - the Laser Quest by you looks EXACTLY like the one in the Detroit area that we had several parties at and they did a lot of school functions at. Sure you weren't in Michigan?

They have LQ all over the place....I was not in Michigan...and believe me, I think there's enuf snow there that I'd remember

so far we got a huge variety of baseball team fans here.

yankees
pirates
coupla phillies
cardinals
tigers
lots of indians
and a devil ray

anyone else?????????????????

what a motley crue!

Okay, and I need an opinion from you guys about help/recommendations for my friend who's going to Florida this July.

Thanks for any help!

Here's my thot's.....

If it's a once in a lifetime, why don't they do Disney for 6 or 7 days, (at least 1 day each park) and then UO/SW etc another 2-3 days and KSC? If they don't want to do that....go with Disney. Sure the kids are older and might be bored, but imho, you need to experience WDW at least once in your lifetime. That said, doing UO/SW etc... should NOT be out of the question for them. With the prices UO and the Flex ticket are, and if they stay offsite at UO, they should be able to afford a vacation there for a week... Something like that is in NO way AS expensive as WDW. And, staying offsite, they could get 2 rooms nearby, making that cheaper than getting a house. I just feel they shouldn't write 'going to Florida on vacay' off as a 'once in a lifetime' deal....UO is so much cheaper than Disney....much more affordable to do later. Heck, it's so affordable, we go every year!

Good luck and let us know what they decide.....

 

[bubba's mom]

Barb - Loved the Bubba Party Pics! Looks like everyone had a great time. Will you throw me my next birthday party?

sure.....

Let's see...invites for all the homies....we'll need a limo (cuz I ain't drivin').... have to stop by the store for alcohols.... ....lots to do!

Hi guys,

I'm stuck home on a boring, snowy Friday night.

Did you know you can buy eyeglass frames on ebay?

My DD needed a new pair of glasses. She showed me where the size is marked on her old pair. She liked the way they fit, so she found an ebay store that sells the brand she wanted and bought them for about 1/3 of the price at lenscrafters.

They arrived in the mail the other day, and she took them to lenscrafters and they made up her perscription lenses.
Easy peasy!

So....I needed a new pair too. Just went to the eye doc yesterday after work. I wear contacts 75 percent of the time, but in the evenings at home I wear my glasses.
He told me it was time for bifocals....
I was having a hard time knitting when wearing my glasses. When I wore my contacts, I could use my reading glasses.

So....I ordered the same style lenses that DD did, but in another color.

We can be twins!

I'm home too....been home all day SNOW day!!

I had NO idea that glasses came in "sizes" let alone you could buy them on ebay! But, hey...if you can save some bux...go for it!

You and Amanda are like 'buds' anyway...may as well look the part

 

[ky07]

They have LQ all over the place....I was not in Michigan...and believe me, I think there's enuf snow there that I'd remember



what a motley crue!




Here's my thot's.....

If it's a once in a lifetime, why don't they do Disney for 6 or 7 days, (at least 1 day each park) and then UO/SW etc another 2-3 days and KSC? If they don't want to do that....go with Disney. Sure the kids are older and might be bored, but imho, you need to experience WDW at least once in your lifetime. That said, doing UO/SW etc... should NOT be out of the question for them. With the prices UO and the Flex ticket are, and if they stay offsite at UO, they should be able to afford a vacation there for a week... Something like that is in NO way AS expensive as WDW. And, staying offsite, they could get 2 rooms nearby, making that cheaper than getting a house. I just feel they shouldn't write 'going to Florida on vacay' off as a 'once in a lifetime' deal....UO is so much cheaper than Disney....much more affordable to do later. Heck, it's so affordable, we go every year!

Good luck and let us know what they decide.....

I agree with you Barb UO is nowhere as expensive as Disney cause myself and pretty sure every homie here knows that the only way we afford our vacations is thru what we get back from our taxes and we only had one of those once in a lifetime trips and that was in 2005 with DFIL paying for it all and reason I say that was once in a lifetime is we went to Disney , UO for a week and no way we could afford $ 8000.00 that he spent and never will so that why I think they would be able to do it all if they switch to a cheap hotel and they all are not dumps but have stayed at pool home in Kissimee that was a dump.

 

[Sharon G]

Barb -

I'm in the market for a new hairstyle. Do you know of any websites that show hairstyles? I googled hairstyles, but didn't find anything to interesting.

 

[marciemi]

i sent you a message from here to your email.

I'll let you know if I get it.

Marcie - Wow. I can't imagine having to make that choice. Once in a lifetime? How can you not do Disney? But how can you miss out on all the other stuff? I've been to everything so many times and I love it all, I just can't imagine saying I'll only be there once so what should I do.

That's exactly how I feel. But I find it hard to tell her "not" to do one or the other. Personally, I'd go with Disney. In a heartbeat. Without a doubt. I enjoyed Universal and am sure we'd enjoy Sea World, but I'd still consider them something to do after Disney (have I been kicked off the thread yet?

But...I really think a lot of that for me is pure nostalgia. Going to Disney brings back all the trips with my family - back when I was 12 going with my little brothers for the first time, going on our honeymoon, taking our kids as toddlers for the first time, and everything in between. Anywhere else just doesn't have the same atmosphere to me. And I'm certain never will. However, judging it from her point of view, none of them have ever been to either. They won't know what they're missing, and all the parks down there have pros and cons.

If it's a once in a lifetime, why don't they do Disney for 6 or 7 days, (at least 1 day each park) and then UO/SW etc another 2-3 days and KSC? If they don't want to do that....go with Disney. Sure the kids are older and might be bored, but imho, you need to experience WDW at least once in your lifetime. That said, doing UO/SW etc... should NOT be out of the question for them. With the prices UO and the Flex ticket are, and if they stay offsite at UO, they should be able to afford a vacation there for a week... Something like that is in NO way AS expensive as WDW. And, staying offsite, they could get 2 rooms nearby, making that cheaper than getting a house. I just feel they shouldn't write 'going to Florida on vacay' off as a 'once in a lifetime' deal....UO is so much cheaper than Disney....much more affordable to do later. Heck, it's so affordable, we go every year!

Good luck and let us know what they decide.....

Barb - your suggestion is certainly what they WANT to do, but about double the cost. Don't know if you've priced MYW, but I know when we bought our Disney tickets, the cost (around $1500 total for all of us) difference between 4 and 10 days was like $55 TOTAL. So if you're staying 4, you might as well stay 10! Similar to Uni - you all know it's the same price if you go 2 days or 7. And they REALLY want to do KSC and Sea World.

Guess right now I'm trying to convince them they could do Disney and just one day at SW. But there's no way they're doing Disney and Uni.

I guess all I can do is make sure they're informed. I just gathered up maps of all the parks (Disney & Uni) and my 2007 Birnbaums and am going to send that out tomorrow. I'm REALLY annoyed that I can't find my Uni book. It was in one place for 6 months before we went and probably 6 months after, then we cleaned a month or so ago, and of course it's gone. I have NO idea where it went - looked through every bookcase and can't believe I would have just tossed it! But my friend's not really a "reader" either, so I didn't bother sending my UOG. I guess I just want to make sure they know that WDW is more than just things like it's a small world!

Oh, and as far as staying, they got a 3 bedroom house with a pool and game room (which they wanted) in Oak Island Cove for about $100 a night. I checked hotels and didn't find many too much cheaper than that, and I think with 4 kids and 2 weeks, they'll more than make up a small difference just on being able to eat a couple meals a day in the house.

I'm glad you guys think you can do it cheap, but our experience proved otherwise. Won't say how much we ended up paying, and yeah, I know we did everything, but it was WAY over twice what we'd originally guessed we'd spend. And that original guess was over $5000.

There's no way they're doing this again. I can't believe they're doing it now. I was shocked when she told me today they'd bought air and booked the house. I thought she'd look into everything and decide no way. I don't know where the money's coming from because they literally live paycheck to paycheck. They're not poor, but the usual annual vacation for them is 3-4 days at a cheap hotel a couple hours away, and maybe say a beach or a waterpark for a day. According to her, this is last years (they didn't go anywhere because she'd just started a new job), this years and next years all rolled into one, plus the tax rebate and probably still quite a bit of debt. Guess that's why I just feel so bad to miss Disney totally.

Thanks for all the input - I'll welcome some more!

 

[tarheelmjfan]

I don't have time to reply to everyone tonight, but thought I'd give Marcie some input on her question. I'll catch the rest tomorrow.

As much as we love UO, I'd have to go with WDW for a once in a lifetime trip. Mostly because everyone grows up wanting to go to WDW. Plus, I think UO is best enjoyed, when staying onsite. (If staying onsite, I'd probably choose UO. I know my DS & DH would.)I can see why they want to go with 10 days tickets. Adding days to WDW tickets is very reasonable.

Question.... why are they so set on KSC? With kids that age, I'd choose UO over KSC anytime, even if I was staying offsite. Having said that, KSC is nice, & I can see them wanting to go there even more, if they've never seen the Atlantic Ocean & want to see it. Naturally, it's a must for anyone who's really interested in space travel. I definitely wouldn't make the drive over from Orlando twice though. JMO

BTW, your friend is lucky to have someone "in the know" helping them plan their once in a lifetime trip.

ETA: I forgot to address the Tampa part of your question. I'm not sure what their looking for, but if you'd like to share a bit more info, I'd be glad to help them out with it.