Springtime is the Best Time- Flower & Garden, a taste of Dapper Days and Earth Day -April 2024

[vamassey1]

I want to be a Walt Disney Historian yes please! I think I will ask about this in May! I did not that. I love going in One Man’s Dream

I hope you do it!

I think a dinner at Mama Melrose and Fantasmic afterwards is a perfect evening. RIP Mama Melrose

I'm going to miss this so much! We're planning to end a night in July at Fantasmic but can't decide on dinner.

I haven’t had the carrot cake cookie in a long time. It is a favorite of mine!

Might be time to get another one.

 

[vamassey1]

It certainly did. I don’t know where it is either.

Me either.

Which one is which?

We really do look alike don't we?

Cool!
I’ll need to remember this.

Give it a try.

I’ve had her. She’s great.

She really is!

Lady… I live with enough snow during the year that I really don’t need more.

I can understand that, but at least SNOPE isn't cold and you don't have to shovel it.

I’ve experienced this.

Are you going to miss it too?

New elements?

They dropped the Pocahontas stuff and added Moana, Mulan and Frozen scenes. There might be some other small things but that's the big changes.

Whoa. Does that ever look decadent.

I'm hoping to get another one next week.

 

[Stacybaeasm]

That's a Wednesday so she's off. She is also is a huge fan of FOTK too and knows it by heart. She did theater in High School, so she's a proud theater nerd. My favorite performance she did was Gladys in "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever". She was a great Kate in "Taming of the Shrew" too.

I LOVE that she was a theatre kid! And hey - if she wants to see Fantasmic that night I'm happy to meet up. I'm hoping my friend/one of my former students is able to trade shifts that night and be friends with Ariel (and the rest of that performance track) that night.

 

[pkondz]

We really do look alike don't we?

I can understand that, but at least SNOPE isn't cold and you don't have to shovel it.

This is true.

Are you going to miss it too?

Of course.

 

[vamassey1]

I LOVE that she was a theatre kid! And hey - if she wants to see Fantasmic that night I'm happy to meet up. I'm hoping my friend/one of my former students is able to trade shifts that night and be friends with Ariel (and the rest of that performance track) that night.

I'll check with her and see if she had any plans that night.

I hope you enjoy the show and get to see Ariel.

 

[Stacybaeasm]

I'll check with her and see if she had any plans that night.

I hope you enjoy the show and get to see Ariel.

BTW - I also get it if she is weirded out about meeting a stranger that reads her mom's trip reports on the internet! LOL. No pressure either way.

 

[vamassey1]

Well, this week sure has gone by fast. I was hoping to get another update in but just have not had time. I'm almost packed up and hope to finish when I get home from work. We were planning to leave for 5 am but I will need to wait until after I do our ADRs for our July trip. I'm hoping we settle on what they will be tonight. Nothing like waiting until the last minute. We still don't know what parks we'll be doing once Dennis is free from his convention. We have also made lots of changes.

So originally this was going to be another laid back trip with just Dennis, Danielle and I. Due to Dennis have convention obligations and Danielle working I was planning to do some alone touring for Sunday and Monday with some time with just Danielle on Tuesday, her day off. I was also planning on working 1/2 a day Monday and Tuesday remotely. That has changed. Michelle and Gia are now joining us starting on Monday. They will be driving all day Monday and staying with Danielle on Monday and Tuesday and moving with us to the Disney Resort on Wednesday. Gia has not been with to Disney with Michelle since 2020. We had a reservation at Riverside in a 5th sleeper so we had room, although it would be tight. I had Danielle check to see if Caribbean was available to switch to since we really wanted to have access to the Skyliner. It was not. She was doing this yesterday afternoon. We needed to get them added to our reservation so Michelle could make a dining ADR for Teppan Edo for just the 2 of them. This was the only request Gia had. She did not have access to CBR, but she did come back with Art of Animation for $188 a night. I texted back asking if this was for a Little Mermaid room, because that would not work for 5 people. NO, it was for a Cars Suite! We were booked for a Alligator 5th sleeper without Michelle and Gia on the reservation for $190 a night. OMG! The Cars suite was cheaper per night and included them. This was what we had last year and the price for last year was a lot more. I guess Disney is hurting. We could not pass up having 2 bathrooms, more beds and the Skyliner, so now we're staying in a Cars suite again. Would I have preferred a Lion King suite, yes but I'll take what I can get.

We still don't have park days worked out and any other ADRs besides what the ADR for Teppan Edo. Fingers crossed we work that out tonight. Danielle did get off the Thursday and Friday of that week to go with her normal Tuesday and Wednesday off, so we'll all be together. We have a lot of conflicting wants and needs. Michelle and Gia want to just ride the rides and spend as much time in the parks. Dennis wants to eat and take things slower, and Danielle doesn't want to not spend as much time in the parks either. I'm a mixture of both but know I'll have Sunday and half a day Monday to do whatever I want. Guess we'll see how it all works out.

 

[vamassey1]

BTW - I also get it if she is weirded out about meeting a stranger that reads her mom's trip reports on the internet! LOL. No pressure either way.

She has meet some of my Dis Friends, but it's always been with me. I have often warned her she may gave someone she doesn't know say hello to her because of these reports and she's not terribly shy.

 

[pkondz]

We were planning to leave for 5 am but I will need to wait until after I do our ADRs for our July trip.

First world problems.

Michelle and Gia are now joining us starting on Monday.

Great!

We could not pass up having 2 bathrooms, more beds and the Skyliner,

Nice little score there.

Danielle did get off the Thursday and Friday of that week to go with her normal Tuesday and Wednesday off, so we'll all be together.

Lots of good news.

 

[amazingact21]

Yay for landing a Cars suite! That's an amazing price for all that space.

Good luck with the ADRs. Always a stressful morning.

Going with so many different people who want to do a bunch of different things can really make trip planning a challenge. Hope you can figure out a schedule that gives everybody what they want!

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Hurray for nabbing a Cars Suite at such a fantastic price and for Michelle and Gia joining the party plus Danielle getting more days off. Hopefully you are able to work out some plans that suit everyone
I was thinking of you at lunch yesterday. Can you guess why?

 

[Steppesister]

I loved my Cars Suite a few years ago! I think you've got a good mixture of having some alone time and some good family time too. Having extra family there will definitely change the dynamic of the trip, but sounds like it (slowly) taking shape to be a good one.

 

[vamassey1]

First world problems.

Aren't they the best kinds.

Great!

We're excited.

Nice little score there.

The more space the better.

Lots of good news.

All around good news at that time .

 

[vamassey1]

Yay for landing a Cars suite! That's an amazing price for all that space.

That was my thought.

Good luck with the ADRs. Always a stressful morning.

It really is and it went well.

Going with so many different people who want to do a bunch of different things can really make trip planning a challenge. Hope you can figure out a schedule that gives everybody what they want!

I'm sure this will prove to very interesting as it unfolds.

 

[vamassey1]

Hurray for nabbing a Cars Suite at such a fantastic price and for Michelle and Gia joining the party plus Danielle getting more days off.

We did have a stoke of good luck.

Hopefully you are able to work out some plans that suit everyone

Fingers crossed it works out.

I was thinking of you at lunch yesterday. Can you guess why?

I know it has to be Disney related.

 

[vamassey1]

I loved my Cars Suite a few years ago

We enjoyed it last year too. I'm looking forward to the space.

I think you've got a good mixture of having some alone time and some good family time too. Having extra family there will definitely change the dynamic of the trip, but sounds like it (slowly) taking shape to be a good one.

I'm hoping it will all work out too.

 

[vamassey1]

I'm sorry if it looks like I just disappeared but life has been busy and stressful. We drove back home on Monday the 26th , getting in around 5:30 and then I had to turn around and be in the office for 8 am. I'm surprised I did as well as I did. I usually have a day buffer between getting back and going back to work. I think it helped that we didn't push ourselves too hard on our last park day, Sunday.

Life has been stressful since right before out trip. The Thursday before we left we had an all hands on deck office meeting. We were told the company was being purchased effective June 1st. I work for is an Independent Insurance Agency. The current owner would be staying on as the manager and we would all have jobs. That was all good news but of course it also meant everything was changing. We were bought by a large corporation out of Texas so lot of changes coming and what our jobs will look like is still evolving. Not the best news to hear right before vacation.

I'm also headed to the airport in a bit to catch a flight to Orlando. I'm headed down to take care of Danielle for the next week. She has surgery in the morning. I will be in the Disney area but will not be doing anything Disney.

I do want to share that we did have a good trip and Epic Opening Day was EPIC. My only disappointment was not seeing Gerald Butler. I saw later he was in the park. The tickets for opening day were limited so it was not crowded. Rides did go down but we still rode what we wanted. The food was great and the Team Members were all fabulous. We did get a refund on our Express Pass since we did not use it or need it. I think once I'm back home again I'll go ahead and do a post for just that day to help anyone who might be going in the future.

 

[PittypatBR]

Sorry for all the stress. Uncertainty can steal your joy and your peace of mind for sure. Hope it all goes well and easily. And even more so I hope Danielle's surgery goes extremely well whatever it is. Glad you are able to be there and take care of your girl. I am glad your trip itself well well. Epic really looked terrific! Safe travels!

 

[pkondz]

Aren't they the best kinds.

I suppose they are.

We're excited.

The more space the better.

All around good news at that time .

Uh, oh... foreshadowing?

We drove back home on Monday the 26th , getting in around 5:30 and then I had to turn around and be in the office for 8 am.

I will assume that's 5:30pm and not 5:30am? Or is it?

We were told the company was being purchased effective June 1st.

Not the best news to hear right before vacation.

It certainly isn't! Glad you all still have jobs, though.

I'm also headed to the airport in a bit to catch a flight to Orlando.

Saw that on IG.

I'm headed down to take care of Danielle for the next week. She has surgery in the morning.

Oh! I hope it's nothing serious and she recovers well.

Epic Opening Day was EPIC.

Great!

We did get a refund on our Express Pass since we did not use it or need it.

You did! I'm surprised they'd do that! Huh!

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

I know it has to be Disney related.

Not quite
I ate at Popeye’s for the first time and really enjoyed it though the grandkids kept saying their fries were “spicy”. They also kept eating them so obviously not too spicy