The 75% All New Trip! - All done! Bonus Material finished, Link to new TR!

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

No way the curtain is closing already? But I am looking forward very much to the river cruise.

I agree with others comments. You did well to commit and do what you did on the plant based diet.

Flying fish looks nice. It has a very interesting menu! But I didn't realise it was seasonal. That's neat maybe it goes with what's in season. Your dinner looks really nice. Yum to tuna!

Oh I love looking around WOD after dinner. Getting a new shirt what a treat. Your pink top sounds nice glad you both got things you liked.

 

[dolphingirl47]

That is a pain about the camera, but I am glad that you managed to get it fixed. Dinner looked really interesting and it was nice that you got another chance to take the photos you wanted.

Corinna

 

[rentayenta]

I'm back and way behind. Catching up now.

 

[rentayenta]

The opening show at MK looks like so much fun!

The Grand sure is Grand. Wjat a gorgeous resort.

How cute was that Alice at breakfast?

We take oranges too. Must check level of discreetness.

Yay for park time!

Thank you for the 7DMT pics. I can't wait to ride it.......someday.

8lbs to go? Thats not bad. Moderation lady. It won't stay off otherwise. I am so excited that your trip is coming up. Vacations are so hard when it comes to healhthy choices. Happily I can report I didn't gain a pound in Ecuador. The food was good, not great. Michael's friends aren't huge snackers so I found myself snacking on fruit. On vacation. The horror.

 

[jedijill]

Your dinner looked tasty! I wonder what they are going to do with FF after the remodel and the chef leaving. Boo for the last night!

You are doing great on your diet! It's not easy trying to lose the weight...lord knows I've been trying for 30 years.

Jill in CO

 

[rentayenta]

Your dinner looked tasty! I wonder what they are going to do with FF after the remodel and the chef leaving. Boo for the last night!

You are doing great on your diet! It's not easy trying to lose the weight...lord knows I've been trying for 30 years.

Jill in CO

Bold, italic is mine and same.

 

[mvf-m11c]

Dinner at the Flying Fish look very nice and the Christmas decorations looked nice as well at the cafe.

 

[Steppesister]

Loved your FF update! Can't wait for my Graduation Celebration Dinner there; but I guess I won't bother to really study the menu since it'll all most likely be different by the time I get there. And that's ok. I have still not read a BAD review of the place yet, no matter what season it is.

I hope that the moving work is done soon. What a long, hard chore! Especially if you're trying to cull junk at the same time. Yikes.

Don't give up on the weight loss! You're doing great and your long-term health will thank you. I know you'll be glad you did when you don't come home from that trip even heavier!

 

[chirurgeon]

Allison, I'm very late to the party. I had the chocolate soup at a dessert tasting. I didn't find mine spicy at all. Did your's have more heat? I loved it and I would have also licked the bowl clean if I dared.

Your photos in Space Ship Earth are great. I missed the lens you used, then had to replace, what are the specs on the lens? I might need that.

I'm guessing you're on the riverboat right now, hoping you and Fran are having a great time.

 

[franandaj]

Man! That's coming up fast!

I know and now it's a week from tomorrow, but more like a week from today because I'm really not going to be able to go to bed next Saturday, what with having to be at the airport at 3AM and on the by 5AM and all.

Keep going Alison. You're doing amazing!

Well, I've hit a plateau.

Why? In my experience, the bus is never more than 5 minutes away. And usually much less!

You are not normal!

Pretty. And I'm going to stop saying that because otherwise I'll quote all your pictures.

Aw shucks!

Sounds amazing.

She really liked it.

Oh! Did I tell you that I finally had one?

And how did you like it? How did you get fresh tomatoes in negative 20 degree weather?

Looks amazing too. I'm surprised that it was so filling though. Doesn't look like it would be.

Well the bottom part of the sushi was tempura battered and deep fried. I think that was a cucumber roll and then the raw tuna was neatly piled on the top.

One last bath for the road.

Totally!

Now that is an interesting comment.

Well she is wired differently and fully admits it herself. When she was three she didn't play with dolls, she had a tool kit and wanted to help her Dad build things and stuff. She also ran around in a cowboy outfit with jeans and a flannel shirt and boots. Much like she dresses today.

Huh. I'm impressed that you found someone to fix it... and that he could!

I was thrilled! And he was only 20-30 minutes away and right next to a pretty good Chinese restaurant. Yelp is my friend.

True. But I didn't know that applied to you!

Why should kids have the exclusive on bad behavior? I've seen plenty of adults do ridiculous things?

Last night of the trip already???? But the Mississippi cruise sounds amazing so it's exciting it's almost go time

It sure is, when I set my TR goals about two months ago, I said that the last installment should be posted by tomorrow. I also need to start putting stuff in suitcases. I have it all set aside for the most part.

I must be the only adult who reaches for the baubles in the Philharmagic. No, wait, mom does it too!

Dinner at Flying Fish looks great. That's never been on my radar. Glad you were able to find some yummy things when the menu didn't catch you right away.

I usually can. And I knew I was going to get the Tuna thing from before I walked in there.

I can't blame you there!

I'm still trying, but it was just too dang boring!

Hooray! Progress is always a good thing.

Even if it's slow, it's better than regressing.

I hear ya. We had finally re-claimed our basement, and now after cleaning out my father-in-law's house we have lots of crap down there again.

I know how that goes!

I hate it when that happens. We have a restaurant near us that does that all the time. Every time I find something I really love on the menu, it disappears.

At least it doesn't go out of business. About a month ago I was driving home from our old neighborhood and our favorite "greasy spoon" type of place had "For Lease" signs in the window. I was so mad!

I'm impressed you lasted as long as you did!

'

'Yeah, I actually was too. But the weight loss was very encouraging. Now that I'm on a plateau it doesn't feel all that worth it giving up eating meat. So I'm not.

Yeah, good luck with that...

I know. Every time we go over there, she has me bring a box of something back here. This house is now just a ton of boxes.

Yeah, I think that's probably more than adequate in a lot of situations. The problem is there's usually something from about every course of the menu that I really want.

That's usually the case for me, which is why sharing is a good idea. I can't eat as much as I used to but I still want to!

I like the lighting effect with the candle behind it. Looks like a glow cube or something.

Cool. I didn't even do that on purpose!

After one last bath, right?

Actually I'm usually too ancy on the last day being worried about packing and all that kind of stuff. But I did have to go back to the TR and check whether I did or not. Boy am I getting old! I'm suffering from CRAFT.

 

[pkondz]

what with having to be at the airport at 3AM and on the by 5AM and all.

Ew.
That is all.

Well, I've hit a plateau.

Hang in there.

You are not normal!

This I know.

And how did you like it? How did you get fresh tomatoes in negative 20 degree weather?

Well, the tomatoes are shipped in from somewhere warm,
but definitely not locally grown!

And yes... I liked it.

Well she is wired differently and fully admits it herself.

Heh. I like that.

Why should kids have the exclusive on bad behavior? I've seen plenty of adults do ridiculous things?

Unfortunately, this is only too true.

 

[franandaj]

No way the curtain is closing already? But I am looking forward very much to the river cruise.

Yup, and it's coming to an end right on schedule. Last update either today or tomorrow. Then packing!!!!!!

I agree with others comments. You did well to commit and do what you did on the plant based diet.

Yeah, thanks. Some of it wasn't so bad. I really like the Lentil soup that I made. In fact I think I will have a bowl this afternoon.

Flying fish looks nice. It has a very interesting menu! But I didn't realise it was seasonal. That's neat maybe it goes with what's in season. Your dinner looks really nice. Yum to tuna!

A lot of the high end restaurants do have a seasonal menu so that they can serve the freshest ingredients. I like that.

Oh I love looking around WOD after dinner. Getting a new shirt what a treat. Your pink top sounds nice glad you both got things you liked.

At first I really wanted the tyedyed one, but when I saw the pink one, I changed my mind.

That is a pain about the camera, but I am glad that you managed to get it fixed. Dinner looked really interesting and it was nice that you got another chance to take the photos you wanted.

Corinna

Dinner that night was very good. I have been finding that after eating such a bland plant based diet, even the littlest thing tastes amazing! And I'm so glad that he fixed the camera, plus he cleaned the lens. He asked, "Do you have a cat?" Evidently the strap was covered in cat hair and I suspect there was some in the machinery too!

I'm back and way behind. Catching up now.

Welcome back! I bet it was amazing!

The opening show at MK looks like so much fun!

It's a treat to catch it. They don't have anything like it at DL.

The Grand sure is Grand. Wjat a gorgeous resort.

I'm hoping we can stay there again after our cruise next year.

How cute was that Alice at breakfast?

I know, wasn't she?

We take oranges too. Must check level of discreetness.

I have no problem with grabbing and orange or banana for a snack later, it was the grabbing 10 or 12 of them. Blatantly!

Yay for park time!

I hope we get a little more park time this next trip. I enjoyed the decorations, but next time we gotta get more bang for our buck. Ji and alberto should help with that.

Thank you for the 7DMT pics. I can't wait to ride it.......someday.

Patience, grasshopper.

8lbs to go? Thats not bad. Moderation lady. It won't stay off otherwise. I am so excited that your trip is coming up. Vacations are so hard when it comes to healhthy choices. Happily I can report I didn't gain a pound in Ecuador. The food was good, not great. Michael's friends aren't huge snackers so I found myself snacking on fruit. On vacation. The horror.

Well I'm not really planning on moderation on a river boat cruise, nor in New Orleans. I will be good in the month in between that trip and WDW.

Your dinner looked tasty! I wonder what they are going to do with FF after the remodel and the chef leaving. Boo for the last night!

That's a good question. I knew that the place was having a remodel, but I didn't know the chef was leaving.

You are doing great on your diet! It's not easy trying to lose the weight...lord knows I've been trying for 30 years.

I've only really been working on it since around 2008, but it's been an on and off thing. Mostly off which is why I need to work on it so much now!

Bold, italic is mine and same.

 

[franandaj]

Dinner at the Flying Fish look very nice and the Christmas decorations looked nice as well at the cafe.

Thanks, it was a very pleasant evening.

Loved your FF update! Can't wait for my Graduation Celebration Dinner there; but I guess I won't bother to really study the menu since it'll all most likely be different by the time I get there. And that's ok. I have still not read a BAD review of the place yet, no matter what season it is.

I've always loved my meals there and we've been there at least three times that I can remember. You're a pretty ambitious eater, I'm sure you'll love it. But Jill pointed out there is going to be a new chef when it reopens. I hope it doesn't change a lot.

I hope that the moving work is done soon. What a long, hard chore! Especially if you're trying to cull junk at the same time. Yikes.

I see no light at the end of the tunnel, and there is A LOT of furniture left in there that we need to sell/donate, but we're taking a load to the thrift store.

Don't give up on the weight loss! You're doing great and your long-term health will thank you. I know you'll be glad you did when you don't come home from that trip even heavier!

Well, I'm going to keep trying, but this upcoming trip will be a big blip in the process!

Allison, I'm very late to the party. I had the chocolate soup at a dessert tasting. I didn't find mine spicy at all. Did your's have more heat? I loved it and I would have also licked the bowl clean if I dared.

You might eat spicy things on a regular basis. Jalapeno's are on my "do not touch" list, and anything hotter as well. To me tabasco sauce is hot.

Your photos in Space Ship Earth are great. I missed the lens you used, then had to replace, what are the specs on the lens? I might need that.

Thanks, for my dark ride photos I'm using a Sigma 1.4 35mm lens. It's pretty pricey and sort of a one trick pony as it has no zoom features, but it does really good with little light.

I'm guessing you're on the riverboat right now, hoping you and Fran are having a great time.

Actually not for another 9 days (well technically less than 9 by a few hours). We'll have just sailed away and I'll be in my room or on the patio with a glass of wine (which I just ordered to be delivered as a stateroom gift).

Ew.
That is all.

I know, kind of like your departure from WDW, but unfortunately it was either leave at an ungodly hour or arrive in Memphis at 11PM. I don't want to be arriving in a strange town that late. And probably starving.

Hang in there.

I'm trying.

This I know.

I didn't think you were going to argue.

Well, the tomatoes are shipped in from somewhere warm,
but definitely not locally grown!

And yes... I liked it.

Good. As you can tell they are among my favorite foods. I think I will make one this week.

 

[chirurgeon]

I am not a spicy person either. Mild Mexican is as far as I go. Which is why I was so surprised about the soup when I had it. My first sip was very tentative.

I have a 50mm 1.4. I also sprung for a 18-35 1.8. Still trying to get a handle on that. Hoping for some good fireworks shots and dark ride photos next go round.

 

[dhorner233]

I'm sorry there is still not light at the end of the tunnel with your other place. But at least you are taking a load to the thrift store!

I feel for you with the dieting. I struggle every day. I love to eat. Thank goodness there are no restaurants here where I live. But I'm going to Disneyland 2 weeks from today!!! I have reservations at Storytellers for Easter dinner (I'm hoping they will have a buffet at 1:40), Ariel's Grotto and Blue Bayou.

 

[Leshaface]

We were on the Monorail well before 9AM and our breakfast reservation wasn't until 9:30 and I remembered that Fran said the Poly gift shop got deliveries on M,W,&F, so I suggested we stop there and see about getting her a Trader Sams shirt. They had indeed restocked and she got what she wanted and we amazed the guy at the monorail when we showed back up so quickly

What i'm amazed at is that Fran knows the Poly's delivery schedule!

I'm always trying to get this shot without people too! I think i've succeeded once, but the angle is so gorgeous.

Don't you love that they have conversations with us adults as well and not just kids?!

How was this guy, was he fun to talk to??

Whole fruit? Nope not for me today. I was surprised however at the number of folks who were blatantly taking these and putting them in purses, backpacks, and other bags. One guy put no less than half a dozen oranges and the same number of apples, and even a few bananas in his backpack. At least do it discreetly!

For reals?! Cause bananas go bad so quickly in bags/purses anyway, why bother!

And mine and Fran’s favorite, the strawberry soup!

There it is!

I don’t remember this “Mexican flair” to the buffet, first there was tortillas

Salsa

DH is ALWAYS asking for tortillas! I had to show him your picture and tell him we need to eat here for breakfast next time just so he can get his tortillas....such a Mexican

Ah, the monstrosity sized castle.

Right?! It's like crazy big compared to DLR's!

As Fran approached the ride, she was approached by a British officer who asked to see papers for her conveyance. She explained that she was taking it to the Harbor master for transport, and at that he let her go.

This is awesome!!!

I decided to photoshop the little girl next to the pirate out of the picture. It was a fairly amateurish attempt, but how many of you would have known I did it if I told you? I know at least one.

Heck I wouldn't have known at all.

And oh my his eyes

As I reached to check the lens it fell completely off the camera and hit the ground. We tried for a good 10 minutes to no avail to attach it to the camera. My brand new much anticipated lens is likely dead.

That sucks!

This new lens? I’ve only used it that once, but it worked like a charm! No fighting, almost every shot came out. I can’t wait to get back out to DL and take more pictures on some of the Dark rides.

However, glad to hear that the replacement lens you found on Amazon is much better.

It was cute, but I really don't see why such a great movie only gets a bathroom.

Agree! Even DH enjoys watching that movie, it really is good.

While I enjoy the ride, I really would enjoy sharing it with someone.

This is how DH has felt recently. He never went on Space at WDW because I couldn't and DM refused to, so he just declined. He said it's just more fun being able to ride it with someone that enjoys it too.

We decided that we wanted a little snack and stopped at Casey's, but instead our "snack" turned into a full blown lunch

This is our problem too.

I pulled up our reservation on the computer and not only had the flight number completely changed our plane was leaving an hour and a half later!

Woah good thing you're observant and noticed the absence of the ME tags!

Oh this looks YUMMY! Technically sushi is on the 'do not eat' list but I ended up eating some at Trader Sams at the Poly BTW, what item were you looking at originally that was suggested to you by a DIS'er??

 

[pkondz]

I know, kind of like your departure from WDW, but unfortunately it was either leave at an ungodly hour or arrive in Memphis at 11PM. I don't want to be arriving in a strange town that late. And probably starving.

Given those two options, I'd do the same.

Good. As you can tell they are among my favorite foods. I think I will make one this week.

I'd like to, but I'll wait until my folks give me some of their tomatoes.

 

[franandaj]

I am not a spicy person either. Mild Mexican is as far as I go. Which is why I was so surprised about the soup when I had it. My first sip was very tentative.

Perhaps the heat level of the soup varies slightly depending on the day. I thought it was really good though.

I have a 50mm 1.4. I also sprung for a 18-35 1.8. Still trying to get a handle on that. Hoping for some good fireworks shots and dark ride photos next go round.

I rented a 50mm 1.4 and didn't like it. The focal area was just too small. The 18-35 1.8 sounds interesting. Maybe after a few years with this lens, I can justify another. My next purchase is going to be a professional model camera.

I'm sorry there is still not light at the end of the tunnel with your other place. But at least you are taking a load to the thrift store!

Yeah, there is still soooooo much stuff in there. If we could just get the small stuff, we could start working on the big stuff. Like putting the furniture on Craigslist.

I feel for you with the dieting. I struggle every day. I love to eat. Thank goodness there are no restaurants here where I live. But I'm going to Disneyland 2 weeks from today!!! I have reservations at Storytellers for Easter dinner (I'm hoping they will have a buffet at 1:40), Ariel's Grotto and Blue Bayou.

Yeah, we leave in 6 days and then all bets are off! I just wish that I could get off of this plateau. But at least I'm holding solid and not going up.

What i'm amazed at is that Fran knows the Poly's delivery schedule!

When we were there on Saturday she asked when their next delivery would be and that's when she learned the schedule.

I'm always trying to get this shot without people too! I think i've succeeded once, but the angle is so gorgeous.

I bet there's a lot of people who try for this. On Saturday people just kept going and standing right there. And they weren't even looking at the Atrium.

Don't you love that they have conversations with us adults as well and not just kids?!

Yes, I don't even feel funny going to character breakfasts without kids. The characters are totally cool with it.

How was this guy, was he fun to talk to??

As far as Mad Hatters go, he wasn't the funniest, but he was definitely fun. Lots of others were taking shots of them all sticking out their tongues.

For reals?! Cause bananas go bad so quickly in bags/purses anyway, why bother!

:

There it is!

Of course

DH is ALWAYS asking for tortillas! I had to show him your picture and tell him we need to eat here for breakfast next time just so he can get his tortillas....such a Mexican

That's funny, why not just order them with your groceries?

Right?! It's like crazy big compared to DLR's!

Finally someone who agrees with me!

This is awesome!!!

She can be quick sometimes.

Heck I wouldn't have known at all.

Well cool!

And oh my his eyes

Hmmm, I didn't notice.

That sucks!

However, glad to hear that the replacement lens you found on Amazon is much better.

Yes, all in the end, it worked out.

Agree! Even DH enjoys watching that movie, it really is good.

It's one of my favorites!

This is how DH has felt recently. He never went on Space at WDW because I couldn't and DM refused to, so he just declined. He said it's just more fun being able to ride it with someone that enjoys it too.

I'm used to riding by myself, but it would be nice to have a companion.

This is our problem too.

It's hard not to over order. Especially when it comes to hot dogs!

Woah good thing you're observant and noticed the absence of the ME tags!

I wanted to know what time they were going to give us, and when there wasn't one on the door, I started to panic!

Oh this looks YUMMY! Technically sushi is on the 'do not eat' list but I ended up eating some at Trader Sams at the Poly BTW, what item were you looking at originally that was suggested to you by a DIS'er??

Good to know that they have sushi at Trader Sams. We plans a few visits there next trip! That Tuna dish was the one that I saw on someone else's TR. It was just as good as I imagined it would be!

 

[franandaj]

So here we are at the last update for this trip and I’m coming in right on schedule. We leave in six days, and I haven’t even started packing yet! Well here it is, I’m not sure if I’ll do any updating while we’re on the Riverboat trip so it might be until April before I start posting about the trip. However you never know. To all of you out there with Trip Reports, I have been keeping up on my phone, but it’s such a pain to post from there, I have the next five days to catch up and post in between packing and cleaning the house!

I woke up around quarter to 5 and knew that was way too early to get up, so I opened the curtains so that light would come in as the sun rose. We had the TV on to the ABC affiliate station and I slept lightly because I had dreams which incorporated the news stories as well as random folks from the DIS. I woke up at 7AM which I knew because GMA had just started. This was actually a little longer than I wanted to sleep so I got up and dressed quickly. I had laid out the clothes I wanted to wear today (mostly because I packed the rest of my clean clothes the night before.) I finished up the first suitcase, made coffee and started to pack the second. Somewhere in the process Fran woke up and got dressed, she asked if I wanted help or for her to stay out of my way. I told her she could work on her carry on bag.

Meanwhile I fixed us some breakfast from our leftovers. She had a meatloaf sandwich and I ate what was left of the Mac and cheese as well as a chunk of meatloaf. Once her bag was packed she climbed back into bed and I finished packing. When I was ready to seal up the owner's locker it was only 9:15!!!!!

She asked for 10 more minutes and promised she would call the bellman after that. I weighed the suitcases and all but one were under 50 lbs and the one was just a hair over. We found out before we left on the trip that bags only need to weigh in under 70 lbs, so we were good.

After placing our call, the bellman was at our door promptly. He took our five checked bags, owner's locker, and our carry ons that we would be leaving with Bell Services for the afternoon and soon we were off to the airport check in. On our way Fran got a call from the Yellow Scooter company, wow! They did actually know our phone number! They wanted to know if we still wanted to have the scooter picked up at 1:30 today. We told them that our flight had been delayed an hour and a half and could they get it at 2:45 instead? They said sure and we continued on our way. I guess she didn't feel the need to chew them a new one at this time. However, she told anyone who would listen NEVER to rent from Yellow Scooter.

Riding our scooters to the lobby building we actually beat the bellman but not by much. And soon our bags were checked through to LAX. Then we visited the concierge to get our DME paperwork and change a $20 bill for some tip money. I took these pictures of the SSR lobby while we took care of that business.







It was only 10:30 so we decided to give Fran's battery a break and we took the bus to Disney Springs. I like to take pictures of how they strap us in on the busses, but it made the bus driver nervous that he wasn’t doing something right!







We had scooted past this cute little sleigh topiary so many times, I finally took a picture of it.



With all the construction for Disney Springs, this bridge was new. I thought I would take a picture of it. If you aren’t going to World of Disney or Ghiradelli you can cut off a good chunk of walking by using this bridge.



When we got there we still had 15 minutes until our reservation so we stopped in the hat shop. While they had some nice hats, the prices were pretty outrageous so we passed on buying anything and instead just went to lunch.

When we were seated we were some of the only folks in the room as it was pretty early. By the time we left it was fairly full and with some larger parties who were obviously celebrating something.













I didn't recognize any of the oysters on the menu, but our server made an excellent recommendation and I got an order of three oysters to start.



Fran really enjoyed these rolls which were absolutely delicious. Our server called them "Hawaiian rolls on crack" which about sums it up. I thought they were good too.



We decided to split a New England Lobster Roll for our entrée and it was a perfect choice. The Lobster meat was so tender and perfectly cooked and there was a lot of it. Our server said that each sandwich had an entire tail and claws from a 1 lb lobster. The French fries were fresh cut thin potatoes and really tasty too.



Fran was too full for dessert, but I couldn't resist the Caramel Whiskey Corn Cake with berries and whipped cream.



I had a Irish Coffee to go along with it and that certainly hit the spot. She did help.me out with dessert and I was pleasantly full when I left but not stuffed.



After we left the Boathouse we went to the Ganachery which had opened only the day before. We picked out a few specialty chocolates to take home with us and we're on our way.



They make the specialty chocolates in the cases in house.



These candies were outsourced.



They are trying to give the place a sort of Apothecary feel.



We got one of these Mickey pops and it was really good.



I think I might like to try these next time.



But these babies were really the main event. I don’t’ remember which flavors we got, but they were really rich and tasty. Sorry about the blurry picture.







We went all the way to end of the Westside before turning around and going back. Look at how long the line for the Ganachery had become while we went to the other end of Disney Springs!



Fran made one more stop at WoD while I waited at the spitting stitch. We grabbed one last Margarita from the stand before taking the path back to SSR.







We made a potty stop in the lobby and I came out to find Fran standing there with only one scooter and the scooter she had been using all weekend was "riding off into the sunset" so to speak it was just barely past 2:30. These people didn't return any of her phone calls all weekend, but yet when it came to picking up the scooter they were impatient and hunted her down. I wonder if it had a GPS tracker on it? Kind of reminded me of a certain lyric from David Bowie's Song Suffragette City!

At this point we would have been sitting around the resort for about an hour waiting for our bus. I went to get our carry ons from Bell Services so I could work on my TR while I waited. As I picked up the bags, I noticed a DME bus leaving the resort. I asked how often they come and the next one would be there at 3PM. On a previous trip we had been able to get on am earlier bus when we were just sitting there, so when the next bus arrived we asked about the possibility. He said he couldn’t take us because he would have to remove seats and prepare the bus, and we're like

He thought Fran needed the scooter lift! We explained that she could do the stairs, and all he needed to do was stow the scooter underneath. So he said "sure!"

And then we were on our way to the airport. We had a lot of beverages left, 2-3 half full bottles of Diet Mtn Dew and a couple bottles of water. But Fran had one unopened bottle of Dew that she found after we sent our suitcases on their way, so she got the brilliant idea of stuffing it deep in her carry on and hope they didn't notice on the TSA screening. On the flight to Orlando she got away with a bottle of hand sanitizer that was well over 3oz in her carry on.

I don't recommend trying this on your next trip. Her bag was taken aside. She had to wait while the lady in front of us had her bag searched because she had two 4oz boxes of juice. When that was done, Fran got the royal treatment. They took EVERY. SINGLE. THING. out of her bag. Swabbed every surface, and this was one of those special air travel bags with like a hundred pockets for each and every little thing. About half an hour later they finally packed her bag back up and let her go. "That was fascinating!" She says to me as she rides up with her bag in tow. We still had over an hour until boarding began otherwise I would have killed her right then!

We took the fake monorail to our satellite terminal, found the gate and got the scooter all checked in. The man said he had at least five other wheelchairs on the flight so be back no later than 5:45.

We got some new beverages, she ate some potato chips and I had a Quinoa & chocolate bar for a snack. And then we settled in at the gate.

They took her scooter at the gate and had her walk down the gangway, at least we were the first to board the plane. I got us all settled and was happy to see we had the video monitors on this trip as well. I had planned to get this TR started on the plane because I promised Fran no more home cooked extravagant dinners until we get the old house all cleaned out and in the hands of the contractor. I know I was saying the exact same thing a year ago, but this time I mean it!

The plane was boarded and of course it was a full flight and of course the overhead bins filled up so the poor saps who boarded late with giant suitcases that don't fit under the seat were relegated to gate checking their bags. When we finally pulled away from the gate, the pilot said we would be first in the take off line. Then something went wrong and "our numbers weren't coming up" or something to that affect, so he said we would be making a U-turn and getting back in line. About 8 minutes later we were finally in the air. Only 20 minutes late.

While waiting for the go ahead to use my computer, I decided to go ahead and watch Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery. I had forgotten how many bad sexual innuendo jokes there were in this movie. However since I saw it last, we had "studied up" on James Bond movies for the car club meet event, "The Car who Loved Me". I understood a lot more of the subtleties of the movie having seen the first 7-10 Bond movies in the last three years. Eventually I was able to get out my computer and get a good portion of the first day of the TR written. They served us dinner of (supposedly) filet, and lobster mac and cheese. There was a "wedge" salad and a sort of caprese antipasto kind of salad.



I had a couple glasses of wine which helped me handle the turbulence although it was not nearly as bad as the flight to Orlando. They brought us some vanilla ice cream which was nice, and once Austin Powers was over I put on Caddyshack. That movie ended as we were preparing for landing, so I just turned on the in flight navigation so I could watch the progress of the plane.

Getting off the plane was no big deal, but one thing that had happened on the flight to Orlando was that when Fran got her scooter back from the attendants, her headlight wasn’t on, we were so tired upon arrival there that we didn’t do anything about it. So when we were back in LA, she went to the desk and filed a claim for a broken headlight. Then I finally left her curbside with the bags, I picked up the car and came back to get her and we were on the way home. The kitties were even happy to see us! It was well after midnight when we got home, and I don’t think we even got out bed the next day we were so exhausted.

 

[franandaj]

Wrap up

What about the headlight? Well American Airlines arranged for us to have it looked at by one of the local mobility stores. Since it was easier for us to bring it to them than wait around for someone to come to our house, we took it down there a couple days after we got home. We explained that when we got the scooter back from the airline that the light was no longer lit. The gentleman at the store walked over to the scooter, flipped a switch on the tiller and the light came on. Both of our jaws hit the floor, and we said in unison, “There’s a switch?”



Well if you’ve come to this point in the TR, that means that it’s almost time for our river cruise on the Mississippi, but first a few words to wrap up this trip.

There was a lot of “new” on this trip especially the first five nights. So let’s see how things measured up. Staying at MCO the night before the cruise? Best decision ever! In fact we have already decided to do it for our cruise next February on the Fantasy.

What about the Dream you ask? The ship itself is nice. However, a four night cruise is not nearly long enough and until the Dream offers longer itineraries or more interesting ports, I’m not in any hurry to go back. Remy was the highlight of the voyage, but since the Fantasy offers an option to dine there as well, I may be more inclined to sail on the Fantasy instead. I didn’t mind the larger ship so much, but there were quite a bit more children on the ship than I am normally comfortable with. Also the adult areas did not feel as secluded and adult as the ones on the Wonder. We’ll see how I like the Fantasy next February, but I am perfectly content sticking with the classic ships now having experienced one of the newer ships.

As far as the WDW portion of the trip, it was nice to get back to SSR. Last stay was in 2010 and that was the treehouses, before that it was 2008. It’s not the most exciting resort, but it was relaxing and the location close to Disney Springs couldn’t be beat. We ate a lot of meals there and it was very convenient just to cross the bridge to get there. It was also great coming home from dinners at other resorts and not having to switch buses at a theme park or DTD.

As far as visiting at Christmastime? As much as I enjoyed seeing the Christmas decorations at WDW, I’m not sure that is a big draw for me in the future. It may have been the fact that the Osborne lights were in their final year and everyone decided to flock to WDW to see them. But there were way too many people for my taste. Everyone always said that the first two weeks in December the crowds are lower. Really? If that’s the case, I’m not sure that I really want to go back at that time. I’ve found that January, May and October are actually much lower crowd times than we experienced on this last trip. I know that Walt Disney World is magical at Christmastime, but so is Disneyland and it’s much closer. I can leave if the crowds are too big and come back on another day. I don’t see us planning a trip to WDW around Christmastime anytime in the near future. There’s just other times of the year that I enjoy visiting more. I don’t need a special season to visit WDW, just a season when not many other people will be there, that’s more important than what’s going on.

What else? The 75% new? Well obviously everything on the ship was new, and not new in a way. The venues were different, but the menus were very similar to the Wonder so while the actual location where we dined was different, the menu was very familiar. While all the restaurants and accommodations on the ship were new, we had a fair amount of new restaurants on the WDW portion as well. Marrakesh, Beaches & Cream, The Dining Room at Wolfgang Puck Café, Morimoto Asia, San Angel Inn, 50’s Prime Time, and The Boathouse. A little less than half of those definitely demand a return visit in the near future, in fact one of those has made the list for our next trip! None made the “never going back list”, but the bottom four won’t be making the “return list” in any of our trips over the next year. However, I think the other two which aren’t on the April/May trip list are definitely going on the October trip list! If I were running a contest I would give points to anyone who could tell me which one is on for the April/May trip and correct guesses for the October trip!

Some of you have noticed that we tend to pack quite a bit of stuff. On occasion it has led to joking, and on another TR it was a point of discussion when I saw how a couple other folks conducted their packing. Now granted in most cases, guys and gals pack very differently, but I realized in reading their packing philosophies how wildly different theirs were to my own and promised to share those here.

This is applicable to most of my trips, but since I am currently in the middle of this process for my Mississippi trip, I can tell you exactly what is going through my mind. Normally for a trip to WDW we aren’t talking about a climate change from home, so I mostly need to just bring the same kind of clothes that I would wear at home. In this case I just turn to my planning spreadsheet where the ADRs, resort plans, and suggested parks are. I add another section where I fill in wardrobe choices. Usually I need to bring along one or two fancy outfits for some of our dinner choices. Into the spreadsheet I type daily wardrobe options. For a DVC trip, I know I’ll have a washer and dryer so I only pick out clothes for the first half of the trip. Then I plug the same outfits into the second half of the trip to make sure I’m not going to be wearing something inappropriate at a fancy restaurant.

On a cruise trip, there are a few considerations such as, I can not repeat an outfit during the cruise. I wouldn’t want anyone to think that I’m wearing the same clothes several days in a row! With a week long cruise coming up, I’m going to need to pack quite a bit. Plus the cruise on the Mississippi is going to take me to places where the climate is similar to where I live, at it’s coldest time of year! This winter I purchased all new cold weather clothes with the intention of taking them on our trip in a few days, and then again this summer in Alaska.

We did receive our paperwork for the cruise back in the first week of March and we are definitely limited to two checked bags, 50 lbs each, so we’ll see how that one goes. I’ve got almost everything worked out for what I plan to pack, the next step will be to start putting it together and making sure we have everything we need. Fran is an entirely different situation. I’m lucky if I can get her to pick out clothes to pack three days before the trip. So you’ll have to wait and find out how the packing goes for this trip! I’ll be back sometime in the next two weeks with a new Trip Report! Just follow along here!