The ABC's of Sauntering Through WDW- J is for: Just Like That, It's Judiciously Ended! (4/23)

[suse66]

Glad that you are home and well. Looking forward to hearing all the details of your trip!

 

[Steppesister]

Welcome home!! All your details sound awesome and I can't wait to hear all about them Well, the medical incident doesn't sound awesome, but still want to hear about it!

Thanks, Ariane! It was such a fantastic trip!

Glad you’re here to share in the fun.

 

[Steppesister]

Glad that you are home and well. Looking forward to hearing all the details of your trip!

Thanks!! I have loads of fun stories to share!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Well, as they say, all good things must come to an end. And the end of a Disney vacation especially sucks.

True. But you know, all bad things come to an end too.

--- With no small amount of drama, I got my first AP!! Trust me.... it was not supposed to be that hard. I also got my first TIW card. WOOHOO!!

Nice! The Holy Grail of Disney!

--- I went on a photo scavenger hunt personally crafted by Yours Truly. Was I successful in finding an A-Z in every park? Stick around and find out!

Knowing how determined you are about these things, I'm sure you were successful.

--- A staggering line up of 7 (not a typo) new restaurants hosted my widening figure. (I'd fit right into the HM elevator if the room stretched sideways.)

But calories don't count on vacation!

--- Generally a healthy person, I was rather surprised?, disturbed?, upset?, embarrassed? that I was privileged to experience a first medical incident. It was not fun. Or funny. But makes for an entertaining TR.

Yikes. That sounds terrible.

It's a saunter, not commando.

Says you.

Man, he's really going to hate walking down the jetway.

 

[Rista1313]

Just joining in... whew that was a long pre-trip!

 

[Steppesister]

True. But you know, all bad things come to an end too.

That is very true. The flu, a first day back at work after vacation, and the Kavanaugh Drama all come to mind.

Nice! The Holy Grail of Disney!

Boy Howdy!!!!

Knowing how determined you are about these things, I'm sure you were successful.

..... but at what expense?

But calories don't count on vacation!

Again, true. And yet, my thighs defy that logic.

Yikes. That sounds terrible.

Patience, Deary.

Says you.

Pulling a Mom-ism out of my hat, "Cuz I said so!"

Man, he's really going to hate walking down the jetway.

Nah, he gate checks those and then prays he sees them again.

 

[Steppesister]

Just joining in... whew that was a long pre-trip!

A giant to you!! I'm tickled you're here with all of us. It's a fun crowd that hangs out here.

It was.... I like to get the party started early!

 

[Terra Nova guy]

Welcome back Liesa! (I suppose I shouldn't be too excited that you're not in Disney anymore, but at least now we get to read about it!). You certainly know how to tease us for your report. Sounds like plenty of excitement!

 

[Steppesister]

Welcome back Liesa! (I suppose I shouldn't be too excited that you're not in Disney anymore, but at least now we get to read about it!). You certainly know how to tease us for your report. Sounds like plenty of excitement!

Thanks, Jeff!

And yes, as soon as I can work on photos a bit and write up the first chapter we’ll get going! Thrills and chills await!

 

[amazingact21]

Welcome back! Sounds like you had a wonderful trip with lots of stuff to share with us DISers.

While it wasn't my first MNSSHP, I did quite a few new things this year. Super-de-duperdee excited to share those photos.

Yay! Can't wait to see how the Headless Horseman attempt went.

I went on a photo scavenger hunt personally crafted by Yours Truly. Was I successful in finding an A-Z in every park? Stick around and find out!

Looking forward to it.

--- Generally a healthy person, I was rather surprised?, disturbed?, upset?, embarrassed? that I was privileged to experience a first medical incident. It was not fun. Or funny. But makes for an entertaining TR.

Uh oh! That doesn't sound good.

 

[amiskell28]

Coming along for what sounds like an interesting ride. I've read a couple of your other trip reports and really enjoyed them, and this one sounds pretty epic!

 

[pooh'smate]

Welcome home. I am looking forward to reading all about your trip.

 

[Steppesister]

Friends,

There are certain unwavering truths in life:

The Oregon State Beavers will always suck, my mom will always make better lasagna than anyone on the planet, and coming home from vacation is a craptastic reality.

21 hours in 2 days. Yuck. Two more of those 10’s still to go this week. Ugh!

The bad news is that tomorrow Zach gets his wisdom teeth out; the good news is that in between being mom-nurse I can try to catch up a bit more on your threads and start editing photos. The first chapter is the ever-boring travel chapter and I intend to keep it short. So bear with me as I struggle BIG time with jet lag (Is it just me or is coming back West harder?!) and try to readjust to real life.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

21 hours in 2 days. Yuck. Two more of those 10’s still to go this week. Ugh!

Hang in there! This too shall pass.

(Is it just me or is coming back West harder?!)

I always felt it was easier going west. I figure I can stay up "late" to adjust. Coming back east, I'm never tired when it's bedtime, and then the morning feels like it's perpetually 4 a.m.

 

[Flossbolna]

I am with @Captain_Oblivious on going west being easier. But then that’s usually the direction I travel to start a vacation, so this might play a role.

 

[Chrystmasangel]

Malia78 ha

IMO it is because going east you have a whole vacation to look forward to and the Adrenalin is pumping... ON the way back west, you know you are heading home and jumping back in to real life so there is not the Adrenalin pushing you to be excited and your body just dumps on you.

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Looking forward to reading about your trip!

 

[pkondz]

Well, as they say, all good things must come to an end. And the end of a Disney vacation especially sucks.

Especially.

Yep. Who wants reality? Give me the fantasy, any day.

Luckily for us, the good news is that there are ways to cope and one of them is by sharing all of the wonderful adventures I had with all of you.

Yay! Can't wait!

With no small amount of drama, I got my first AP!!

Congrats!
Doubt I'll ever get one. Can't see myself doing Disney more than twice in a year... and even that is a very large stretch.

While it wasn't my first MNSSHP, I did quite a few new things this year.

Love MNSSHP. Can't wait to read about your new things!

I ate embarrassing amounts of small plates at F&W trying an unparalleled 12 new dishes (in addition to a couple of repeats)!! A round of applause might be in order.

Holy crap! In one day???? Surely not!

Was I successful in finding an A-Z in every park? Stick around and find out!

I'm gonna say yes. I bet against you last time. Won't do that again.

A staggering line up of 7 (not a typo) new restaurants hosted my widening figure. (I'd fit right into the HM elevator if the room stretched sideways.)

Still... not bad. 7 new ones, you say? Looking forward to that too.

I visited a brand new park area and had a first ride on a new ride.

Has to be TSL and Slinky. Unless you're like Jeff and rode AS2 instead. (So much more PC than calling it A.S.S.)

Generally a healthy person, I was rather surprised?, disturbed?, upset?, embarrassed? that I was privileged to experience a first medical incident. It was not fun. Or funny. But makes for an entertaining TR.

Uh,oh.... This doesn't sound good.
Hope you're okay?

Please fill in all the available space, move all the way to the end of your row, cozy up with one of the fleece throws and make yourself comfy.

Thanks! Can I kick off my shoes and put my feet up too?

No one's in a hurry here. It's a saunter, not commando.

This time.

Sorry to disappoint you.

poop.

Who is that? Where was that?

Friends,

There are certain unwavering truths in life:

The Oregon State Beavers will always suck, my mom will always make better lasagna than anyone on the planet, and coming home from vacation is a craptastic reality.

21 hours in 2 days. Yuck. Two more of those 10’s still to go this week. Ugh!

I totally get that.
I drove 11.5 hours yesterday. Got home around 10:30pm or so. Had a bunch of running around to do and then work. I'm beat.

The bad news is that tomorrow Zach gets his wisdom teeth out; the good news is that in between being mom-nurse I can try to catch up a bit more on your threads and start editing photos. The first chapter is the ever-boring travel chapter and I intend to keep it short. So bear with me as I struggle BIG time with jet lag (Is it just me or is coming back West harder?!) and try to readjust to real life.

Take your time. Rest up. We'll be here waiting and ready to read when you're up to it.

 

[Steppesister]

J is for: Just Getting Started...​

My usual style is to write my chapters NON-chronologically preferring to use a more topical approach. It gives me more creative license. However, having said that, I will get the pre-Disney portion of my travels out of the way, so to speak. That way, once we get rolling with The House of Mouse we can stay there. Mostly. I did take a pretty massive diversion this time, as you will soon see.

The day started, well…. at night. Most flights east depart in the wee bits of morning, which means you leave your house in the dead of night for those all too early check-ins. It super sucks. But, I did have a nice gesture of kindness offered to me at the last minute which softened the blow. I had been determined to save money on lesser fun things (like parking), so had decided to leave after work on Monday and sleep in the car in the long-term parking lot until I had to catch the 4:00 AM shuttle. I wasn’t going to sleep much anyway, so why not pocket the $150 I'd have spent on the inevitable crappy night's sleep at an equally crappy hotel? A friend thought that was not the safest or most comfortable option, so offered to drive me up at 3:15 AM to PDX. There is yet a ray of hope for the human race. Kindness still exists. Bleary eyed, but functional, we made the uneventful drive up to Portland where I was dumped curbside.

Security was a mob scene but the world was made a safer place after (only) my left ankle was given a through pat down. After my limited groping, I made a beeline for a morning latte. That way, I could make sure that after I chose my window seat I could be primed for having to climb over my neighbors a few times during the flight to Denver. I had completely forgotten to check in during my Monday’s 10-hour shift before leaving, so was shafted with a C boarding group. Which meant I was almost 100% sure to be left with the back of the plane. Imagine my shock when just as boarding began my name was called to approach the podium. Ummm…!!! What the…?! Just as I stood up, the gate dude came over to me and said I had early bird check-in and was supposed to be in A group. NICE! Some airline pixie dust. I was confused but took it!

It’s a long story folks, but yours truly can be a real bona fide moron sometimes. Flashback to a few weeks ago….

When I started to look at my confirmations and get my ducks in a row, I panicked and couldn’t find my Ressie ANYWHERE! So I bought another ticket thinking I didn’t have one. Turns out I actually did. So, after a long phone call with SWA, I had one of those tickets cancelled and refunded. Long story just as long, (and I’m still not sure what really happened, nor will I ever) the first leg of my journey DID have early bird, and then SW changed their minds and the 2nd leg didn’t. Which meant I scored a sweet bulkhead seat to Denver and a back of the plane seat from Denver to Nashville. My seatmates were only crawled over twice on that 2nd flight. Lucky for them, I cut myself off after that 1st latte.

The whole thing is a mystery… why would it let me check in and get a C group at the airport if I’d indeed had early bird?

So weird, and I still have a brain ache from trying to figure it all out, so I’ve given up. I still need to call though and make double sure that I indeed was refunded for that 2nd flight I’d mistakenly booked including the early bird upgrade I’d added.

I grabbed the King of All breakfasts in Denver- the ever-consistent, yet mediocre, Egg McMuffin and then it was time to board (without early bird, so yeah, the C group). It was then I experienced the most idiotic of policies in place on the planet. Yes, we all know we’re limited to 2 carry-ons. Fine, I get it. Generally, I am a to-the-letter rule follower. However, when I got to the front of the line, I had a VERY (wallet-sized) purse on, my laptop bag, and my rolly carry-on. The gate Nazi literally tells me that I have to put my purse into my laptop bag so I only have 2 total before I can board. So, I take off my jacket, take it off my shoulder, put it on top of my laptop, put my jacket back on, hold up the line, and hand her my boarding pass. I was salty. Still am. I walked about 5 feet down the ramp stopped (yes, I made sure to block the way since holding up the line was obviously no problem), pulled it back out, and put it back on my shoulder still WELL thinner than 99% of the other folks getting on board. Seriously, it’s about space, People. Perhaps there are bigger fish she could fry to be useful. Yes, I understand there are plenty of people out there more than happy to take advantage of the rule that necessitated it in the first place, but it is too much to ask to have people in authority exercise even the tiniest bit of common sense? I had it inside my jacket and was still thinner than everyone else on the plane. I had my purse beside me IN the seat and still didn’t invade my neighbor’s space. It’s dumb. And that’s how I really feel.

I’ll jump ahead to the highlights of my time in Bowling Green with Mom and Dad- the first half of my vacation. It’s always delightful to spend time with them. They love to eat out, so we did a fair amount of that, but one night, Dad grilled some delightful steaks. Not once, but twice, I was treated to gorgeous sunsets. It’s a running joke that as much as I LOVE a good thunderstorm, there is NEVER one while I’m there. I haven’t gotten to see one in Orlando the last few times I’ve been there either. Go figure. I suppose when I order the VIP Weather Package, it excludes the short thunderstorm upgrade.







I took time out to get a mani-pedi as well and made sure to get my fingers done so they’d theme well with my Halloween costume. One can never be too spooky! I think you’ll agree they were just right when I get to that chapter. The toes were a generic Disney thing with Mickey heads on red. Kinda liked it too. I even got to sport them not once but twice on this trip, so consider that $$ well spent.





Did you wonder exactly what vacation looks like?



Hmmm, let’s see… I took time out to fill a prescription, get my brows done, and buy some water shoes. I was pleasantly surprised when I found some on sale for $10. Pays to shop for those at the end of the warm season.

One evening I treated my mom and dad to a night out at a piano bar where we all enjoyed a gorgeous charcuterie, a plate of sliders, a mule for me (when in Kentucky…) and a glass of Oregon Moscato for Mom and Dad. Ironically, it is their very favorite wine of all time that they discovered on their last trip to visit us, and we had a nice chuckle over that.











All too soon it was time to say our good-byes and head to the airport for another flight.



This one wasn’t too crazy, there was no drama, I did not use the drink coupons I got as a parting gift last time I flew SWA, and was on ME within 10 minutes.

Hello, Mickey! Hello, Minnie!





I like your new buses. Take me to your people...

 

[Steppesister]

Welcome back! Sounds like you had a wonderful trip with lots of stuff to share with us DISers.

Thanks, Alicia! I really did have so much fun!

Yay! Can't wait to see how the Headless Horseman attempt went.

I think I might be pleased with the results but haven't looked at those photos on my laptop yet.

Uh oh! That doesn't sound good.

The drama!

Coming along for what sounds like an interesting ride. I've read a couple of your other trip reports and really enjoyed them, and this one sounds pretty epic!

A very big and warm to you!! I hope I can entertain along the way! Please feel free to comment along the way and join in the chatter which always makes TRs a lot more fun.

Welcome home. I am looking forward to reading all about your trip.

Thanks!! I'll try to get chapters up as I can with all the craziness of life going on right now.