The Empty Nesters Magical Mystery Tour *1/28* Link to New Girl's TR p141

[Nermel9]

Looks like a fun Dis dinner! Rose and Crown is so yummy, especially the fish and chips! And OMG your Illuminations pics! So perfect!

I admire the fact that your RUN on your Disney trips! I wish I could, but you know, my stupid painful heel problem kind of prevents that. Even going for a walk around the resort in the morning would be nice. I better get this stupid problem resolved by September!

Oooh, the Wave. I always hear that it's a good place for breakfast, but I haven't tried it yet!

 

[MEK]

What a great seat for Illuminations! And a DIS meet too! Looks like a fun time.

It was an awesome seat and an even better DIS meet! Everything worked out perfectly!

Good for you for running on vacation. I always bring my stuff with good intentions and then never use it.

I like starting my day with a run. It's not always easy to get going, but I usually feel better after I run so it works out. I love the sights around Disney so it makes for an interesting run.

I've got no guesses on the upcoming DIS meet...

Christine

It's a tough guess since neither have been on the boards in a while.

I was wondering if the boys were home for Easter. When are their school years done?

Nick finishes late - almost Memorial day because UD has a long winter session that lasts into February. I think Brian should be done around the third week of May. It was nice that they both could be home together.

Wow, love that shot of the palm trees- the colors are spectacular!

Thanks. I like that shot too. It really turned out well.

I also really like all of your Illuminations and globe pictures. What a fun dinner & a show.

Thanks! We had a great dinner, a fun meet, and Illuminations was awesome as usual. It all worked out perfectly.

As for your title "Dinner with a Saint"... which one is the saint? Bill or Grace (sorry, Bill)

Hmmmm - Can I get back to you on that? (Sorry Bill...)

Sounds like a fabulous Dis meet with Bill and Grace!!! I love your Epcot nighttime pictures! I love the parks any time of day but there's just something about nighttime at Disney that feels extra special.

I agree - night time at Disney is awesome no matter what park you are at. I was so happy that we all had dinner together and that we got such a great view of Illuminations. It was perfect.

I'm SO impressed that you run at Disney. I'm a runner myself but figure I log enough miles around the parks just walking each day that I can't be bothered! so major kudos to you!!!

Honestly, it's not that impressive. I usually only run a couple miles and I stop and take pictures. Believe me, I am not out there to break any records. I just enjoy that time of the morning after I've had my coffee.

Normally I'm so good at using two windows to do my replys so I can read and type at the same time. And then sometimes......I open up the wrong TR to reply to. Lol. What a doofus!

Props to you for reading several TRs at once. I always have multiple windows open on my TR but if I opened a second one - watch out! n No worries - I got a kick out of it.

What an awesome way to watch Illuminations!

Sounds like you had a great dinner - I love a DIS meet!

Dinner was great. Our DIS meet was tons of fun and watching Illuminations made it that much better!

Yeah, I have heard the weekend crowds at Food and Wine can be a little intense in more ways than one.

It is crazy there on the weekends with Saturday night being the worse. You always really need to drink so the crowds fade into he background. At least that's the way I deal with it. I don't think I could go in there and not have at least one drink.

Oh goodness, healthy or not, when in England you eat fish & chips.

Right on! I could go for some of them right now!

Illuminations. I know there are a lot of people that hate the globe, and I get it since it's so hard to make out. But when you see it up close like that, it really is beautiful.

It really is and watching it from the R&C really gives a great vantage point. I was surprised that the globe showed up as well as it did.

Are you kidding... I LOVED the photos, especially the up close of the globe opening up. Love that finale.

Thanks. I think its was just the initial firework ones that I didn't care for. they were too random. I definitely the ones at the end got better!

 

[MEK]

Happy Easter, Mary Ellen! Glad to hear the boys were home and you had a nice weekend, even if it was a little busy

Same to you! Hope you had a great day! It was really nice having both boys home for dinner, even if it was a short visit. We had a nice day at my brother's.

Great photos, I love that silhouette shot of the palm trees! (Ahhh palm trees! How I miss those!)

Thanks! I like that one, too! Lucky shot because I don't even remember taking it!

Wow, some pretty rowdy crowds, eh? My parents witnessed a similar incident and now they don't care to go for Food & Wine any more. I am glad to hear security had it settled so quickly.

I can see where witnessing a bar brawl in Epcot would be intimidating. It's just wrong on so many levels. I would have been curious to see it, but I'm also glad I missed it.

Great table for dinner and a DISmeet! What a view!! Sounds like such a nice time! And your IllumiNations pictures are great, especially the globe shots!

I was thrilled with our table. It was excellent! Before we knew it Illuminations was starting. I was so busy talking that I almost didn't want to bother with pictures, but you know I couldn't let THAT happen!

Love the run pictures the next morning too. Breakfast with DISers? No guesses here unfortunately!

They are DISers who haven't been on the board in awhile. I think meMom knows who they are but I'm guessing that most other people don't. Like meMom said, its said to see so many of the original DISers leave the boards.

Sounds like a great Dis Meet and what a wonderful view you guys had.

We had a great view. It's such a fun place to watch Illuminations from. I'm so glad we got to sit there during our dinner. It was a fun time!

I have no clue what that line is in your pictures. Never noticed it before. Speaking of pictures, as always, the pictures are fantastic.

I've given it some thought. I wonder if it was something hanging from the awning above us. I don't think so, but I guess you never know.

Thank you!

I'm finally caught up.

Yayayayay!

II like the film real border. May have to borrow that.

Do you use photo bucket? It's right there in the borders. Sort of a fun one for some pictures!

IThe fish n chips look delicious.

It was good and so was the Boddington's!

ILove the fireworks photos. Most excellent.

Thank you! :good vibes

IGood girl taking a run on vacation.

I enjoy running on vacation because its a great way to start the day. But sometimes I really have to force myself to get out there and going.

What a great evening and DISmeet. Your Illuminations photos are so impressive! Love them, perfect seating for the fireworks.

Thank you Karin! It was a really fun evening and I'm so glad we got to have dinner together. It was great finally meeting Bill after chatting with him for such a long time on the boards.

Can't wait to hear more about the DISmeet the next day.

Coming up next. It was another lovely duo that I really enjoyed meeting. Sadly, they are not on the boards anymore. Boo!

 

[scottny]

EE is fun.
Nice animal pics. Love the tigers.
Nice safari pics.
LOL the lions are animatronic.
Wasn’t that zoo the one that also fed the male giraffe to the lions?
I feel that way about Kali. Way too short.
No ponchos on water rides. Why ride them? The fun is getting wet but not too wet. LOL.
Nice walking out pics and PP pics.
Give YC some time and I am sure it will have DVC. They all seem to be getting it.
The chocolate creations are so cool.
The seminar looks like fun. Not a fan of Whiskey but could be fun.
The fish and chips look good.
Nice Illuminations pics.
Looking forward to the next meet.

 

[MEK]

Okay.....let's see that I'm posting this in the RIGHT place, shall we?

Yup - You have come to the right place!!!!

I am still determined to find a doggy potty spot.

It's pretty easy to find. Walk from TT to the IG and its right beyond the bathrooms closest to TT. You know - the ones that are always insanely crowded.

What a nice dinner you had and prime Illuminations viewing too.

We had a great meal, a great viewing seat, and even better company. It was a lot of fun!

Beautiful pictures of Illuminations! You really did get some great shots of the globe.

Thank you! I am happy with the way the globe pictures turned out.

Ooooohhh, on a side note! I made changes to our FP's on May 16th, so they all overlap with yours and Cynthia's. We can meet up at any time.

Awesome! I seriously can't wait! It's going to be a great trip!

Great pix of your foo t R & C , I have my eye on the Fish & Chips there too !! Loved the Illuminations pix !!

The fish & chips were really yummy. I know I could have gotten that at the counter service, but it's more fun with a Boddingtons a view of Illuminations.

No guesses or the Dis Meet But I do have agues for your next Dis Meet next month

I am very excited for our meet in May. I just hope to heck my flight is on time! Really looking forward to Crossroads and then Epcot on Monday!

Too funny that Danielle posted her response to my PTR here on your thread and you had to post her reply on the right thread. Danielle, this is what happens when you have multiple TR's of your own going and trying to keep up (that's why I stopped doing two TR's at a time).

OMG! I would be SOOOOOO confused if I had two TR's going on. I can barely keep track of one. I have to give Danielle props for trying to be efficient. Can't fault her for that. Posting on the wrong TR is SO something I would do.

MaryEllen, glad you had a great DIS dinner (I don't know that DISer but I have found that true of most of the DISer's I've met...feel like I've known them forever).

You don't know Bill? That must be about the only DISer you don't know. You would love him. And he would love you! I know what you mean though - I always feel like I have known them forever and I really thinks its because we communicate in writing. I think it establishes a deeper connection.

I'm glad you enjoyed your dinner at Rose & Crown and what ideal seats you got for Illuminations and terrific pictures too.

I loved our seats, our meal, and our company. It was the perfect evening!

I do love the Boardwalk area except for that hike to the car.

Tell me about it. Staying the the BC last month was awesome because of the parking lot.

I haven't a clue who you were having breakfast with.

You'll know them when you see them.

Did you break a DISmeet record on this trip? Did you even have one? If you did, I think you set a new record. Of course, next month you might break it again, but that's beside the point.

F&W is a great time for DIS meets. Totally not on a mission to break a record, its just worked out that way. So you, I think I achieved a PR!

Anyways, glad you enjoyed your dinner at R&C. You sure couldn't beat the seats. I love how you got up close shots of the IllumiNations globe. I normally don't see the globe very well, so that was sort of a nice change of pace.

Wonderful seats, wonderful meal, and wonderful company. It was really SO much fun! I am pleased with the globe pictures. They turned out great and the globe ended up being a lot closer than I thought it would.

Hmm, two more DISers. I don't know of any teachers in MD. I know one TA who's on the boards. (jenseib?) but I think she's still active so I don't believe it's her. Guess I'll just have to wait and see.

Not Jen. Unfortunately these two gals haven't been on the boards in awhile. It's sad. But I'm still FB friends with them so that's how we keep in contact.

Clearly I have focus issues.

It's like Kathy said - if I had two or three TRs going at once I would never be able to keep things straight. Two open windows is my limit. Just wait till your my age - then you'll understand.

 

[MEK]

I always say "If you can't dazzle 'em with your brilliance, you baffle 'em with your bull" and obviously I was doing some tall bafflin' that night if you thought you met a Saint...oh, wait a minute...you were probably talking about DW!

Hey - you said it. I didn't! To be fair - I think you are both saints!

For inquiring minds...I detected no lingering after effects of the bourbon tasting!

Good to know!

I was amazed how quickly and out of nowhere security appeared and had everything under control. The funniest part was the mother of one of the college aged participants helping him out in the fisticuffs!

That had to be crazy. Did you get any pictures of that? It makes me wonder just how many security people there are planted all around the world showcase. There's got to be hundreds. Pretty slick.

So true...so true about meeting y'all. No awkward lulls in the conversation; plenty of common topics to discuss; a VERY, VERY pleasant and enjoyable time for all.

It really was. The evening just flew. So much fun!

If you remember those stories, I KNOW you are talking about DW when you say "Meeting a Saint"! It has always amazed me that ANYONE that went to college during that time at Ole Miss, or lived in north Mississippi/south Tennessee and had access to a TV, will have heard of various activities that someone on the DISboards may or may not have participated in. Heck, I guess that "activity" went viral even before there was an internet!

Every time I read this I crack up. Seriously. that story was just TOO funny! You know - the one you may or many not have participated in.

All joking aside, I must say that meeting Denny and you was one of the highlights of our trip. DW is the shy one of us (imagine that with me around?!) and she repeatedly stated how much she enjoyed dinner with y'all. It seems we are going to miss each other during our 2014 trips so we need to do better planning for 2015 and do this again!!

I know. We had a great time and its really a shame we are just missing each other. I'm working on my 2015 itinerary now. I really want to go to DL so its possible we will only hit WDW once time in 2015. I am seriously zeroing in on the end of October into the beginning of November so I can get some Halloween AND some Christmas.

Uh oh....busted!!

Couldn't have said it better...the meet...great view of Illuminations...at Disney World...who could ask for anything more?

I wholeheartedly agree!

I know, and I am looking forward to the report of this meet. So many people have 'fallen away' from the DIS slowly as real life takes over with new jobs, second jobs, more kids, etc. A lot of them actually became travel agents after being here a while. I am not on nearly as much as I used to be. Sadly, I know I am missing out on making new friendships, as my family has made many, many friends through this venue in the past. I enjoy checking the few reports I have time to read right now. and maybe when school is out, I can pick up a little more DIS time.

I think the DIS fizzled out for some people as Facebook became more popular. I think FB is easier, much easier, than maintaining a TR and keeping up on subbed TRs. But I like the interaction on the DIS so much better. And I am overjoyed with the friendships I have made here. It's nice to know that I have friends in so many areas of the country. It takes me away from my little geographical confines and I love that. Even though DISing is time consuming I hope to keep up with it.

It is nice to meet people in person in WDW and be able to just begin talking without hesitation because you've already carried on many conversations here and/or on FB.

Exactly. And I really think its because we communicate here and on FB with the written word. I think that actually enhances communication.

I'm going to take a break here for a bit!

 

[Poolrat]

What a great DISmeet.

I LOVE your Illumination pictures. I am trying and sometimes get a good one but I think you consistently get great shots.

I applaud you for a morning run. I try and succeed sometimes but not nearly enough. I bailed this morning, just feeling blah, but I will try again in the morning.


Can't wait for you to reveal the Dismeet.

 

[MEK]

What a lovely dinner to share with disfriends!

It was a great evening. We had so much fun! I love meeting DISers in person and getting to hang out with them. It's awesome!

Your illuminations pics are amazing! Did you request that table or where just given some pixie dust?

We did request to sit outside with a view of Illuminations. What's amazing is that we didn't have to wait long at all! Last time I requested outside I know I waited a good half hour. Score!

You got some great pictures during your morning run.

Thanks!

The bride... she is cute. Looks a bit worried... poor dear.

She certainly isn't smiling, is she? I'm sure she was probably feeling the nerves right about then.

Can't wait to hear about breakfast. I would not even venture to guess who you will be dinning with.... but I am anxious nonetheless.

It's a hard guess since neither are on the boards anymore, which is sad. But I am FB friends with them. :good vibes

Nice DISmeet pic!

Thanks!

I am glad to hear your DISmeet was fun! Very cool view of the globe!

It was so much fun. We really had a nice dinner! And the view was amazing!

I plan on going to the Epcot area on my days off and running around that area It's so pretty in the morning!

I don't blame you one bit. That's a wonderful place to run. There are quite a few options for different runs and all of them are scenic.

Can't wait to hear about your next DISmeet!

Coming up soon!

I think you got nice Illumination pictures. It's hard to get good ones.

Thanks! I agree that its difficult. But I did like that location for taking pictures of the globe. I feel like it was right in my lap.

Nice Dis meet too! Glad Denny had a good time. I had a meet with a passporter board person our last trip and Skip was a long and was basically a bump on a log.

Ugh - I'm sorry Skip didn't have a fun time on your DIS meet. Denny used to be reluctant to go on DIS meets, but he's gotten a lot better about it. Having a few drinks doesn't hurt either.

It was nice to see both boys and go see my brother's family and my mom for Easter. Fun day!

I actually would have liked to have seen that... Not necessarily to see a brawl, but to watch the security response and then laugh and point at the morons as they're being escorted through a back door somewhere.

I get they had those people out of there SO fast there wasn't even time to laugh and point.

I don't know what it is, but it is my personal experience that the UK brings out the worst in drunk people at World Showcase.

I think because its really the only place that has an actual bar. I suspect its a little too easy to hang out in there and drink. Not like I've had any personal experience with that.

And you should know! I'm glad you had yet another great Dismeet.

We had a great meet, a great dinner, and a great view of Illuminations. I couldn't ask for more.

Glad you agree.

It is Tink's... er uh... nevermind, wrong fireworks.

You almost had me there!

I agree. Interesting angle.

I would have loved to have my real camera with me over there. That could have been a great shot.

Always the mark of a good MEK TR...

Hey - it's what I do. One can never pass up an opportunity to stalk a bride!

Well... I can safely eliminate myself...

Yes you can!

 

[MEK]

Aw, when you said it was a Saint, I was hoping it would be Drew Brees.

Sorry to disappoint. But Bill & Grace are big Saints fans so they probably wish THEY were having dinner with him instead of Denny and I.

Amazing how that works! I'm glad you all could meet up and had a good time.

We had a great time. Great company, great food, great view, and great show!

They look fine to me.

Thanks. Some of them are just a little helter skelter, for lack of a better word (or words)

It wouldn't be a MEK TR if there wasn't a little bride-stalking going on!

You got that right! I need to find at least one bride to stalk for every trip! It's part of the adventure.

I know - it's a tough one. I think the only people who probably know are meMom and Cynthia and she's away now so no guesses from her.

Lovely dinner with Bill & Grace! Seems like a really wonderful way to spend an evening with a fellow DISer...dinner & IllumiNations viewing!

We had such a nice evening together. I was so excited to meet both of them and get to spend time together with great conversation, great food, and an amazing view!

I would totally be bride stalking too! I think a Disney wedding would be so amazing! Maybe I need to start planning a vow renewal...

OMG - you should! A friend of mine whose been married 10 years did a vow renewal - just her and her DH. She looked stunning. She didn't tell anyone she was planning it. Her pictures look wonderful. It makes me want to do one. It looks so cool.

Looks like a fun Dis dinner! Rose and Crown is so yummy, especially the fish and chips! And OMG your Illuminations pics! So perfect!

I really enjoyed the fish & chips. It was such a yummy meal. We had a great dinner together and it was so much fun. Perfect view of Illuminations.

I admire the fact that your RUN on your Disney trips! I wish I could, but you know, my stupid painful heel problem kind of prevents that. Even going for a walk around the resort in the morning would be nice. I better get this stupid problem resolved by September!

Have you seen a foot doctor or a sports medicine doc. I really think you have plantar fasciitis. You might be a good candidate for a steroid injection. I really do hope you get it resolved. I have PF and its horrible when your feet hurt. Just horrible.

Oooh, the Wave. I always hear that it's a good place for breakfast, but I haven't tried it yet!

I have had breakfast there twice now. They have a nice, very reasonably priced breakfast. Plus you probably really don't need a reservation most of the time.

 

[MEK]

Finally all caught up!! I hope that you and your family had a wonderful Easter :good vibes

Yikes. I almost skipped you. So glad I didn't, I always worry that is going to happen.

We had a great Easter. I hope you did as well. It was a lovely weekend and Easter Sunday could not have had better weather. Just perfect!

What a gorgeous afternoon by the quiet pool! I love quiet pools and it is so nice to take a break from the busy parks.

I love every quiet pool on property - some more than others. They really are so relaxing. I definitely enjoy my pool time and the Boardwalk is a great place for pool time.

It is so great that you can take so many trips to the same parks and always end up with different photos of the same things, like you did with EE.

Thanks! I think its easy to find new pictures at the AK. Sometimes its tough in the other parks, but AK is always an adventure in photographer. That's not to say that I don't have plenty of duplicates from that park.

You got a great table at Rose & Crown! And I think that your fireworks shots look great

Thanks. We had such a perfect table. It really couldn't have gotten any better. Good food, great company, and a great fireworks show. Loved it.

EE is fun.

I love EE. It's definitely one of my favorite rides in all the parks!

Nice animal pics. Love the tigers.
Nice safari pics.

Thanks! Those tigers are pretty darn amazing. Love seeing them up close like that.

LOL the lions are animatronic.

Well they are, aren't they?

Wasn’t that zoo the one that also fed the male giraffe to the lions?

Yes. Ugh. How awful was that? Still makes me sick.

I feel that way about Kali. Way too short.

Way too short. It could be such a great ride if it was just a bit longer.

No ponchos on water rides. Why ride them? The fun is getting wet but not too wet. LOL.

And there in lies the problem. Yes - its fun to get wet, but I really don't like running around the parks drenched. What can I say? I'm a sissy.

Nice walking out pics and PP pics.

Thanks!

Give YC some time and I am sure it will have DVC. They all seem to be getting it.

That does seems to be the trend, doesn't it? But where the heck would they put it? I know they could convert over some regular rooms, but that doesn't seem like a great way to add the rooms.

The chocolate creations are so cool.

Aren't they awesome!!!

The seminar looks like fun. Not a fan of Whiskey but could be fun.

It was fun. I enjoyed it. There's a lot of interaction going on with the audience.

The fish and chips look good.

It was a really yummy dish. A definite good choice for the evening.

Nice Illuminations pics.

Thanks!

Looking forward to the next meet.

Coming up soon!

 

[MEK]

What a great DISmeet.

It really was. It was a great meal with great DIS friends and a great show. I'm so glad we were able to arrange it!

I LOVE your Illumination pictures. I am trying and sometimes get a good one but I think you consistently get great shots.

Thanks Pat. I am happy with the globe pics, but I really want to learn to take a firework picture where the fireworks look like one continuous straight line. I haven't figured out how to do that and I know it really works better with a tripod.

I applaud you for a morning run. I try and succeed sometimes but not nearly enough. I bailed this morning, just feeling blah, but I will try again in the morning.

I probably never really feel like going out on a run, so most of the time I literally force myself. I just always know I am alwas going to feel better when I get back. So I soldier my way through.

Can't wait for you to reveal the Dismeet.

Ooh - you should know these DISers. They were part of the original DIS town.

 

[Leshaface]

I just don't understand fighting...especially at WDW. I mean, what could you possibly be fighting about?? I remember standing right behind a fight once at the trams at Disneyland. It was two grown adult men, maybe in their early-mid 40's, arguing about where to stand because of their strollers and who's loading first and they actually started pushing each other! FOR REALS?! In front of your children!? I felt bad for those kids.

What a fun DIS meet! Did you say that was your first time ordering F&C's? You mean at Rose and Crown or first time ever at Epcot??

Ooh breakfast at the Wave! Can't wait to hear about that. And i'm not even going to attempt a guess at the DIS'ers since i'm not so present anymore either

 

[annmarieda]

We did request to sit outside with a view of Illuminations. What's amazing is that we didn't have to wait long at all! Last time I requested outside I know I waited a good half hour. Score!

I don't even have an ADR planned for Rose and Crown...but with your view of illuminations,I might have to try and get one and request to sit outside. So to be clear...request when you check it at the restaurant and then be prepared to wait, yes?

How cool that you didn't have to wait long this time!!!

It's a hard guess since neither are on the boards anymore, which is sad. But I am FB friends with them. :good vibes

I was just thinking about how sad it is that there are people with whom I made connections with way back when I first started doing my reports/reading reports that are no longer on here. Luckily, some I am fb friends with...but some just completely are off of dis. If I happen to check out one of my older threads and see one of them... I am almost always teased with a ticker that has some sort of trip coming up. I suspect that they are just hold over tickers.

 

[MEK]

I just don't understand fighting...especially at WDW. I mean, what could you possibly be fighting about??

It's the booze. You figure in a crowd that size there has to be multiple people who react that way when they drink. It really does stink because its a family place and no one needs to have see that during their vacation.

I remember standing right behind a fight once at the trams at Disneyland. It was two grown adult men, maybe in their early-mid 40's, arguing about where to stand because of their strollers and who's loading first and they actually started pushing each other! FOR REALS?! In front of your
children!? I felt bad for those kids.

Yeah - kids do NOT get that at all. It really is a shame. That just sounds like two jerks who probably didn't really want to be there and no they are acting like nut jobs.

What a fun DIS meet! Did you say that was your first time ordering F&C's? You mean at Rose and Crown or first time ever at Epcot??

First time EVER at Epcot. I'm serious. It's always been one of those things I wanted to try but I just never got around to it, at least before this. I really enjoyed the fish & chips. Good stuff!

Ooh breakfast at the Wave! Can't wait to hear about that. And i'm not even going to attempt a guess at the DIS'ers since i'm not so present anymore either

The Wave has a pretty yummy breakfast buffet and its never really crowded.

It's a bummer that there are so many people who don't hang out here anymore.

I don't even have an ADR planned for Rose and Crown...but with your view of illuminations,I might have to try and get one and request to sit outside. So to be clear...request when you check it at the restaurant and then be prepared to wait, yes?

That's all you do!

How cool that you didn't have to wait long this time!!!

I was prepared for a long wait and was really thrilled when the wait was short, especially since there were SO many people around that night.

I was just thinking about how sad it is that there are people with whom I made connections with way back when I first started doing my reports/reading reports that are no longer on here. Luckily, some I am fb friends with...but some just completely are off of dis. If I happen to check out one of my older threads and see one of them... I am almost always teased with a ticker that has some sort of trip coming up. I suspect that they are just hold over tickers.

Probably right about the tickers. Yup - there are a lot of people who I wish would come back to the boards. I know that TR's are a lot of work, but I enjoy reading a TR much more than reading FB. There is so much depth and substance to them and you always learn or see something you haven't seen or didn't know before.

 

[tazdev3225]

Caught up again. Baseball is keeping me busy.

I really enjoy Rose and Crown but I am partial to the black and tan. Never tried Fish and Chips, it looks really good I'm just not a fan of fish.

You all did look like you were having a lot of fun.

The pictures of the globe were really amazing. One day I am going to take a trip and bring my tripod. Then get a really GOOD spot even if I have to wait hours. I always end up with a tree or a light in my way.

I don't run, I'm lucky I can walk with my ankle, but I do love to wander around early in the morning. I think I will be doing a lot of that this trip coming up. Staying at AKL and my friend takes forever to get ready in the morning. I get coffee and wander. When I get back to the room an hour later she is close to ready. I do admire all of you that get there early for your run.

 

[saintstickets]

Aw, when you said it was a Saint, I was hoping it would be Drew Brees.

Sorry to disappoint. But Bill & Grace are big Saints fans so they probably wish THEY were having dinner with him instead of Denny and I.

Are you kidding?!?! I wouldn't have passed that DISmeet up for anything! Now if Saint Drew and DW Brittany along with their 3 1/2 (Yes...a 4th is on the way and this time it's finally a girl) rug rats could be there too....I'm just sayin'.....WHO DAT!!!

 

[emmysmommy]

Ha Ha was Bill wearing a Saints polo shirt? True fan indeed!

How awesome that you guys were able to get together for dinner and what better spot in order to view Illuminations? Great photos Mary Ellen! Your photo of the globe is like it is in hi def! Great shot. Definitely not too many photos of Illuminations.

I like your photo of ToT from the Swan? Or was it the Dolphin. Very cool shot since you don't see that angle often or ever.

And another Dismeet coming up? Looking forward to hearing about that.

 

[MEK]

Caught up again. Baseball is keeping me busy.

At least we are finally getting some decent weather! I hope baseball is going well without many game cancellations. Hope you didn't play last night. It was icky here!

I really enjoy Rose and Crown but I am partial to the black and tan. Never tried Fish and Chips, it looks really good I'm just not a fan of fish.

Fish n chips is probably not the thing to try if you don't like fish! Thumbs up to a black and tan!

You all did look like you were having a lot of fun.

We had a great evening! It was really perfect between the food, the company, and the view!

The pictures of the globe were really amazing. One day I am going to take a trip and bring my tripod. Then get a really GOOD spot even if I have to wait hours. I always end up with a tree or a light in my way.

I hear ya on that. I am not much for waiting around. I took my tripod once. I was a pain to pack it and then even more of a pain to carry it around. I guess if we ever drive I'll take it, but otherwise its just too much work cause its awkward.

I don't run, I'm lucky I can walk with my ankle, but I do love to wander around early in the morning. I think I will be doing a lot of that this trip coming up. Staying at AKL and my friend takes forever to get ready in the morning. I get coffee and wander. When I get back to the room an hour later she is close to ready. I do admire all of you that get there early for your run.

Have you already stayed there before? If not, you are going to love AKL.It's such a great resort and wandering around in the morning sounds absolutely perfect. It's a great way to stay relaxed while you are waiting for someone to get ready!

Are you kidding?!?! I wouldn't have passed that DISmeet up for anything! Now if Saint Drew and DW Brittany along with their 3 1/2 (Yes...a 4th is on the way and this time it's finally a girl) rug rats could be there too....I'm just sayin'.....WHO DAT!!!

You are too funny!

Ha Ha was Bill wearing a Saints polo shirt? True fan indeed!

Nope. Bill looked just like everyone else. But if he had been there when we visited in March and EVERYONE had on their Saints stuff, well I'm sure he would have been all decked out!

How awesome that you guys were able to get together for dinner and what better spot in order to view Illuminations? Great photos Mary Ellen! Your photo of the globe is like it is in hi def! Great shot. Definitely not too many photos of Illuminations.

Thanks! And, yes, it worked out to be a great evening. Great food, great beer, great company, great conversation, and a great view! We had such a wonderful time!

I like your photo of ToT from the Swan? Or was it the Dolphin. Very cool shot since you don't see that angle often or ever.

I get those two resorts so confused, but I'm pretty sure I took it from the entrance of the Swan. I don't even really remember stopping there, but something must have caught my eye so I figured, why not?

And another Dismeet coming up? Looking forward to hearing about that.

Coming up right now!

 

[MEK]

So. before I start my update I want to know if any DVCers have purchased the PAP through the current offer that expires at the end of this month?

I have looked at it over and over and I can't decide. The last time we purchased our PAP's it was just over $800 for the two of us with tax. Now it's $1000! The price went up that much in 18 months????? It's crazy!

Denny and I do have a trip coming up in October, but I wasn't going to purchase a pass because we are: (1) going on a cruise (2) going to MNSSHP (3) going to Universal Studios for 2 days (4) have water park tickets.

Will I totally regret not having a park ticket? If I purchase the ticket will I cancel my US plans? If I purchase the ticket, but don't activate it, I will have to go back by Jan 31st 2015 to activate it. Do I want to go back in January when I really want to go to DL in spring 2015? Is it worth buying the PAP if I only use it for two trips and not three?

So many questions and I'm actually leaning against it. I just don't want to have regrets.

OK - moving on to my latest update!

What a Woman!

I have this friend named Chuck. You many know him since he has made several guest appearances in my TR’s. I’ve known him for a long time. Before he was married, whenever he met a girl he liked or was attracted to he would always say, “That _________ (insert girl’s name here) What a Woman!”

Seriously, he did this so much it became very predictable and occasionally annoying.

I haven’t heard him use this phrase in a while. I guess people do mellow with age.

So why am I telling you this story. Well, its because our DIS meet produced a "What a Woman” moment for Denny.

So who were these secret DISers we were meeting for breakfast?

Michelle and Jen. Honestly, its been so long since they have been on the boards that I don’t even recall their DIS names. I have been wracking my brain for days, but its just not coming.

Denny and I actually arrived late to breakfast. We had a 9:30 ADR at the Wave. We have absolutely no excuse for being late, except perhaps we miscalculated the long walk to our car? Maybe one of us left something in the room and had to go back? Who knows.

So Michelle and Jen were already seated and perusing the menu when we finally arrived.

We may or may not all have gotten the buffet. I’m sorry I don’t have any pictures of what anyone ate. But I can tell you that this is a good, reasonably priced buffet with plenty of selections. And my favorite breakfast food of all time is on this buffet. No, not Mickey waffles, although they are yummy, too. My favorite is nova lox and bagels with cream cheese, tomato, and onions. I discovered this yumminess when I grew up not far from a Jewish deli. If I could eat this every day I would be a happy girl!



I borrowed that picture from the internet, since I didn’t take a picture of my food. All I can say is this is the best stuff on earth. So good!

We had a lovely meal with Jen and Michelle. In fact, it didn’t take long for Denny and Jen to start a conversation about her various international travels and her upcoming trip to Peru. Machu Picchu, Peru to be exact. If I’m not mistaken, she just returned from that trip.

Denny is one of these guys who watches the history channel, the discovery channels, the war channel (is there one of those?), and news channels to the exclusion of everything else. So he was instantly entertained and, dare I say, spell bound by Jen. So while he was yacking it up with Jen, Michelle and I were probably talking about having high school seniors going away to college.

So here we are, the happy trio.



Me, Michelle (center front) and Jen

Unfortunately, all good things come to an end and our breakfast and banter were over. We said our goodbyes with hugs all around.

Denny was reluctant about this DIS meet since it was heavy on the estrogen, but I dare say this was one of his favorites.


In fact, on the way to the car Denny may or may not have said, “That Jennifer. What a Woman”. So those may not have been his actual words, but clearly he was impressed and he recounted parts of their conversation. I was thrilled that Denny had such a great time because I figured after meeting “the Saints” the night before and meeting Jen & Michelle this morning, he might finally be over his trepidation regarding DIS meets.

When we got back out to the car I realized we had some unaccounted time without any actual plans. How the heck did that happen? Probably because originally I thought this might be a good time to swing over to the Vera Bradley outlet, but quite honestly I just didn’t feel like it. I need to be in the proper mood to shop and for some reason I wasn’t. I know -blasphemy!

So we drove back to the Boardwalk. We actually had FP+’s at HS for later that afternoon. If my memory serves me correctly, at some point Denny called his brother or his brother called him. Actually, I think his brother called me, since Denny NEVER answers his phone. Truth. But I won’t go down that rant right now. Denny’s brother told us that they were spending the morning at HS but they planned to head over to Epcot in the afternoon.

You know what that meant?

We were now going to Epcot instead of HS.

And I was OK with that.

All except for the FP +, because I needed to change things and, well, we all know how that goes on the phone. I couldn’t really tell whether the changes I made had stuck. Ugh.

Oh well, not the end of the world. I would figure it out when we got into the park. Not sure why I didn’t just log onto my computer. I guess that would have made too much sense.

Walking back to the villa.



It was another gorgeous day!





And look who was in the lobby waiting to greet us.

Todd


Paul


Or is it the other way around? I can never remember. Pat?

Since Denny’s brother and family weren’t going to be in Epcot for at least another hour, I decided to visit the pool for awhile.











After my brief, yet relaxing break at the clown pool, I headed back to the room, got dressed, and off we went.

Since FP+ was relatively new there were CM’s milling around willing to help. I told one of them that I tried making changes on my phone, but I wasn’t sure if they worked.

So my band was scanned and here was the result.

Who the HECK is anonymous?



Oh, yeah, right, that must be me!

The CM said not to worry because it really would be tied to my band even though that wasn’t my name.

So check out those new FP+ times - pretty great. Right? We certainly couldn’t have done that with the old system.

I knew we would skip MS because we would still be with the family and neither of us are huge MS fans, mostly because the orange side makes me too dizzy, which stinks. But I knew would would hit Soarin & TT.

So, enough of that. Time for an adult beverage.

Ahh - France



This is what you get when you walk and try to take pictures at the same time. Not the best perspective, but clearly it was France.



And while in France why not stop for a F&W only adult beverage.



This drink was seriously yummy! Two thumbs up!



But it was here that I had a mishap. In my attempt to balance my camera bag, my camera, my phone, my adult beverage, I let the lens cap from my short lens fall on the ground and roll away.

Yup - that’s right. It rolled and rolled and rolled and…… well, you get the picture. And I never found it again. Not kidding. Gone! Just like that. So now I only had one lens cap for two lens. Great!

I have since remedied this problem and all my lens caps have those little attachable do-dads so they can’t ever roll away again.

One last shot of my seriously yummy drink



So what time was it





Clearly I was going through one of those “side way” picture moods.



And because it was so crowded I was trying to shoot above the heads of people.



No body here



What a simply gorgeous day!




At this point the rest of the family was in the park and we headed over to Germany where the beer flows.



Continued In Next Post

 

[MEK]

Ahh - yes - here come the samplers



I intentionally left out M’s head because I didn’t know how many times I could put her face in my TR without feeling guilty for not asking.

More samplers



Denny’s brother was clearly fair game for a picture since I could always say I thought it was Denny!



While everyone else was going with the samplers I picked the one beer I raved about last year. The amazing grapefruit beer. OMG! I LOVE THIS! SO GOOD!



Originally we were all standing around some trash cans, but we got seriously lucky and a picnic table near the water cleared out.

Perfection!



Ok - is THAT an orb?????? You know I believe that stuff.



If it is - I KNOW its Manntra (Tracy).

More view from our seating area








We timed it just right to see the barges come out for Illuminations









It was cool watching them bring everything out and position everything into its correct place.



And then all was calm again



And the skywriter was back at work





I probably could have stayed at that table for eternity, but the family had more Epcot instant FP’s burning a hole in their pocket and Denny and I had an upcoming date with TT.

I tried to convince my nephew’s wife to let Denny and I watch the kids while they all went on TT and then we could go with our FP’s

Would I be convincing enough?

Stay tuned for that and more in my next update!