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

[dizneeat]

All caught up, Mary Ellen! There is far too much to comment on, but St. Augustine brought back a lot of fond memories. Thanks for putting a smile on my face during the hassle that is the end of the school year.

 

[Ravens girl]

I think it will be fun meeting other DISers. We recently went to the Hershey Dis Mert for GKTW and met lots of other DISers.
Tim and I will be traveling alone. It would be great if you could join us.

 

[MEK]

All caught up, Mary Ellen! There is far too much to comment on, but St. Augustine brought back a lot of fond memories. Thanks for putting a smile on my face during the hassle that is the end of the school year.

I'm so glad you are enjoying the Saint Augustine pictures.

I really hope the end of school hassles are behind you very soon. Hang in there. Your summer is almost here!

I think it will be fun meeting other DISers. We recently went to the Hershey Dis Mert for GKTW and met lots of other DISers.
Tim and I will be traveling alone. It would be great if you could join us.

I did pm you about the cruise. It really does sound wonderful.

Do you have pictures from the Hershey DIS meet? Where did you guys meet? Was it somewhere in town or did you actually go to Hershey Park? Sounds fun!

 

[MeMom]

For some reason I thought you guys drove. I don't know why I thought that. I know you had a great time venturing off site last summer. I definitely think its cool to check out the surrounding attractions. We will be doing that in October. I think we are finally going to make it to Seaworld after all these trips!

Occasionally, but we usually fly. We did have a car last summer when we went to Vero. There are pros and cons to each - driving or flying. It's nice to have a car to get groceries easier and to see more of the area outside WDW, but it's also nice to be at MCO in under two hours and nicer not to have a long trip to deal with on the way home.

We enjoyed Sea World, but we only stayed until dinner time, and we didn't concentrate on rides. The only ride any of us did was the girls did a little merry-go-round. Most people would think we wasted our day, I'm sure, but we did a lot of the animal stuff, because you know that was perfect for our crew. We had the free dining deal, and that was excellent.

I was hauling things into the camp kitchen today in the sweltering heat, and I thought about how hot it is going to be in Florida in a few weeks. I was also thinking maybe I should have traded the summer trip for an October trip, when the weather is a bit more friendly.

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Hi Mary Ellen! I love the tour of St. Augustine. Thanks for all the detail That college is beautiful! I think the "special occasions" room reminds me of some scenes from "The Princess Diaries."

Looks like a really nice place to visit!

 

[MEK]

Occasionally, but we usually fly. We did have a car last summer when we went to Vero. There are pros and cons to each - driving or flying. It's nice to have a car to get groceries easier and to see more of the area outside WDW, but it's also nice to be at MCO in under two hours and nicer not to have a long trip to deal with on the way home.

I have never driven to WDW. I do love getting there in two hours by plane, but when you really figure out your travel time (time from leaving your home to finally arriving at your resort, its so much longer). Still, something is awesome about getting off a plane in two hours and feeling like you are home!

We enjoyed Sea World, but we only stayed until dinner time, and we didn't concentrate on rides. The only ride any of us did was the girls did a little merry-go-round. Most people would think we wasted our day, I'm sure, but we did a lot of the animal stuff, because you know that was perfect for our crew. We had the free dining deal, and that was excellent.

The shows and animals are a big part of the park. I don't think you wasted your day at all. In fact, your review of Seaworld is one that really sticks out in my mine as one that really stimulated my curiosity and desire to visit there.

I was hauling things into the camp kitchen today in the sweltering heat, and I thought about how hot it is going to be in Florida in a few weeks. I was also thinking maybe I should have traded the summer trip for an October trip, when the weather is a bit more friendly.

We had two days were it felt just like Florida here and it was pretty overwhelming. Still, on most days those late afternoon showers really clear the air and cool things down at night. I love that.

Hi Mary Ellen! I love the tour of St. Augustine. Thanks for all the detail That college is beautiful! I think the "special occasions" room reminds me of some scenes from "The Princess Diaries."

So glad you enjoyed the picture tour. Flagler college was just amazing! I can't imagine what its like to be a student there.

OMG - you are right. That room was just so elegant! I'm surprised they let us in.

Looks like a really nice place to visit!

It really was. I can't wait to go back to St Augustine. It's that amazing!

 

[khaleesi]

I never expected that reading Disney trip reports would let me go to OTHER places, too!! What a fun bonus!

I love tourist-type towns. All that Spanish-style architecture is amazing. And the glass work? Stunning!! I love it!! I'm a little less impressed with the chairs with the faces. Not sure why that skeeves me out so much.

Look - a colonial clock (now that I know what to look for)

Very nice!!!

 

[MEK]

I never expected that reading Disney trip reports would let me go to OTHER places, too!! What a fun bonus!

I quickly found that one of the things I really enjoyed about Disney TR's was reading about other places. It's really cool - whether they are located in Florida or elsewhere.

I love tourist-type towns. All that Spanish-style architecture is amazing. And the glass work? Stunning!! I love it!! I'm a little less impressed with the chairs with the faces. Not sure why that skeeves me out so much.

Don't like those chairs much? You're not alone. Several people have commented that they feel the same way.

But the rest of the town and Flager College were pretty spectacular, so I am willing to overlook the chairs.

Very nice!!!

How cool is that clock? That whole mantle was really spectacular!

 

[MEK]

I hope everyone is having a great weekend. Hard to believe I started this TR in February and now its almost July! Where does the time go?

This will probably be another lengthy update as I am trying to finish up the Saint Augustine part of this trip report because I figure everyone probably can't wait to get back to Disney. Patience, my friends. Patience.

Just in case you were worried that there wasn't going to be any Disney in this update, check this out. Danielle (IHeartDDuck) posted these PP on her TR from our May trip.

From left to right: Danielle's mom Jackie, yours truly, Danielle's dad (the one and only Popadon), Danielle and Cynthia! We are just having TOO much fun!












How FUN are those pictures?????

I borrowed them all from Danielle's TR and if you are not subbed to her TR's you SHOULD BE! What are you waiting for????? Here's the link to her most recent.

OK, after all THAT excitement let's get back to the trip at hand!

We just finished a super yummy lunch and a free dessert and it was time to start walking back towards the car. A nice long walk is a great way to work off the Post Lunch Lethargy, don’t ya think?

We passed more sights on our way back towards the parking lot, which was conveniently located behind the Lightner Museum.

Once again, a flag at half mast, and I have NO idea why.



We passed the Casa Monica hotel



Check out this cute little inn near the Casa Monica



The Ghost train



I have to admit, I have always wanted to do a Ghost tour, but now that you can find one in just about every city in the United States, its sort of lost its appeal. I mean, come on, there can only be SO many ghosts.

We debated whether or not to pay the admission price for the Lightner Museum. Probably because we were still sort of sleepy from lunch, we decided against it. However, we were able to enter the Lightner Museum Antique Mall and Cafe Alcazar. This area of the Lightner Museum was formerly the Hotel Alcazar swimming pool. Built in 1889, it was the world's largest indoor swimming pool of its time.

This was cool



The other end



So can you tell where the pool was? The cafe is actually on the floor of what was once the pool. Clearly they added the steps later.

Here’s a crappy picture of a picture showing what the pool looked like. You get the idea.



Also along the former floor of the pool were a couple shops





This place was really dead. The cafe looked unique, but I would have felt really exposed and out in the open. Besides, I can eat inside any old day. When I’m in Florida I want to be OUT in the fresh air.

They also hold banquets and conferences along the second and third floors. We walked up there briefly, but it was dead.

Back outside I took one more picture of Flagler college



Once in the car we decided to go find the location of the restaurant had selected for dinner. I’m not really sure how or why we decided on this place, but it was called Creekside. We decided to scope it out in the daylight. I may have read on Trip Advisor that it was hard to find in the dark.

We passed this idyllic scene



and managed to find our way to the Creekside Restaurant



Like I said, people in the south seem to take their Halloween decorations very seriously





I wouldn’t want this failing off the roof on MY head! Yikes!



Since we drove all the way here we might as well go up to the front door and see if they have a menu posted, right?

Pardon me, sir!



I’m not sure if we ever found the menu, but we quickly discovered that the owner(s) were quite fond of felines

Posted by the front door





Gee fella, Did you forget your FACE?





Continued In Next Post

 

[MEK]

After deciding that Creekside would be our dinner destination, we went back to the condo to enjoy some afternoon sun.

Of course, the clouds decided to join us, but the air was still warm and it was a nice spot to relax.



The pool was almost empty. There was a couple there, who told us they had been there for the month and were getting ready to go home. All I can say is - It must be really hard to leave Florida after spending a month there.



For those of you who think the Disney pools are much too shallow, check this depth out!



A glance over to the tennis courts



Before we went in for showers we decided to take a walk on the beach











When we got back to Creekside it was completely dark out, and about to get darker because the time change would be upon us in a couple nights.




Love the way they decorated the lights.



I don’t remember his bride being there earlier in the afternoon,. Hmmm?



Inside the restaurant continued to carry the theme pretty well





On the wall



We decided to eat outside. Like I said - I can eat inside anytime I want. Outside is a treat for me.



The outside deck was pretty dead, but I imagine it gets fun out here on the weekends.

Although I don’t have any pictures, there were several cats milling around outside and making their home on the deck, If you don’t like cats, eating outside would definitely not be a good choice for you,



The special tonight was a whole Maine lobster



It was OK, but I just had to go for it.

It was a little chilly out, so we didn’t hang around too long after finishing dinner.
A few more pics from inside the restaurant,








Almost completely empty



Somebody had to get in on the action




It was an enjoyable meal and a nice way to spend our last night in St. Augustine. We went back to the condo where I did some packing and tried to get things organized for our departure in the am.

In the morning everyone went for a walk on the beach. Everyone but me. I decided to go for a run on the beach and I really struggled. I guess a complete week of vacation and over drinking and over eating had started to wear me down. I felt like total crap and I had to stop several times during my run just to catch my breath and feel OK again. Maybe I should have listened to my body and just done a leisurely walk.

No matter. My lack of athletic ability made it easier for me to concentrate on beach shots.

I present - the beach on the morning of october 31, 2014.





Continued In Next Post

 

[MEK]

Back at the condo I asked T what time we needed to be out. I figured it was 11:00, but she said, “no time”.

What? That did not make sense to me but I decided not to question it.

K&T brought out some champagne to toast Denny’s birthday and we all sat outside for a drink. Well, everyone but me because I really didn’t want any alcohol. I figured if i couldn’t finish my run I had no business drinking any alcohol this early in the morning.

So I sat there and took quite possibly the most surreal picture I have ever taken with my phone.

It looks like the bottle and glass are just floating



So we were sitting there all relaxed and its about 10am when we hear a knock on the door.

K gets up to answer it and, of course, it is the owner coming to clean the place.
No check out time T?

We politely ask them to give us another 30 minutes. Of course, no one is showered or ready to go. I looked around and thought, “We’ll never be out of here in 30 minutes”. Fun stuff, I tell ya!

Finally, at 10:40, we were all out the door!

K&T wanted to take Denny out for lunch for his birthday and they had the place already picked out. It was a little bar/local place just south of Flagler Beach. So we headed south along A1A and stopped to visit Flagler Beach, which is actually maybe 20-30 minutes or so below St. Augustine.

It was a small little town, but kind of cute and unique. We got out and walked around





There wasn’t much to the actual beach and the sand looked like quite grainy. I remember similar sand in Vero. It was quite a bit different from the St. Augustine Beach.



What a gorgeous day!



We walked past a bar that had a gigantic chalk board out front. T and I could not resist the urge to check it out since were really ARE kids at heart.



Denny & K walked ahead of us. T used this as an opportunity to leave a message for Denny, as we would have to walk back the same direction.



T is a Jersey girl, but someone else wrote this.



We continued our walk





A reminder, in case I forgot where I was.





Critter spotting



This is my favorite picture from the morning






We turned around and walked back. Imagine Denny’s surprise when he saw that someone had wished him a Happy Birthday.

Actually, I think he looks a little depressed about his milestone birthday in this pic. Poor Denny. Not!



Outside of a restaurant





We got back in the car and headed to our lunch destination. We got to the parking lot and noticed it was empty. We were greeted with this sign.



Seriously, bars close for Halloween? Who knew?

Back in the car. There wasn’t much else en-route between here and Daytona except for Ormond Beach. K directed us off A1A and into some state park areas. We pretty much stayed in the state park areas until we made our way back to civilization north of Daytona.

It was really lovely.





Continued In Next Post

 

[MEK]

As pretty as it was, I have to admit I was a little distracted. My work schedule had come out and the secretary from the office called and said I was on the schedule to work Monday night. That would be pretty impossible since I was flying HOME Monday night. Ugh. Work Drama.

After I worked out that mistake, she called me back and I found out that I would return to a 11 day work stretch complete with 3 overnight shifts. OMG! I was so stressed just thinking about it. Back then I had only been in my job for 4 months and I still felt like I was walking on egg shells every day. (Spoiler alert - Presently I am back to a more normal work schedule now that we have hired several new people). Looking back I just can’t forget how stressed I felt that afternoon and how many times I felt like bursting into tears because I was so afraid I wasn’t going to make it through that long stretch. Way to ruin a vacation.

But enough of that. Here are some more scenery pics.










Pulling into Daytona





Up Next - Where would you finally eat lunch and heading back to the world. AKL here we come!

 

[jenseib]

I am loving all these beach pictures. I am trying to figure out how I can plan to go to a place like this. I think I need to get away from the Disney bubble too, but it's so darn hard!

 

[MEK]

I am loving all these beach pictures. I am trying to figure out how I can plan to go to a place like this. I think I need to get away from the Disney bubble too, but it's so darn hard!

I think you would love Saint Augustine! I know what you mean about how hard it is, but it was totally worth it. And I absolutely loved the beach. It was a lot like the beach at HHI - nice hard packed sand which was super easy to walk and run on.

 

[IheartDDuck]

It's totally awesome that you stole the pictures! You are welcome to anytime. They turned out so awesome, when I first saw them I'm not gonna lie, I literally died laughing. They are the epitome of having a good ol' time!

Awww, you're so awesome, thanks for the shout out.

Walking is a great way to work off post lunch lethargy. Sleeping works too.

I'm not as interested in the Ghost Train as I am about that tiny vehicle that was following it. What on earth?!

OMG that spider! There are two things in life I'm terrified of. Spiders and bees. Eeekkk!

7 foot depth, wahoo! I miss the 10 foot depth pools of my youth. That's how I learned to swim. My Pop (loving man that he is) would coax me to the edge when I was three and say "jump in I'll catch you!" and I would. And he would catch me, let me go immediately, and then yell "swim swim swim swim!" Hey, it totally worked.

What an absolutely lovely night! Looks beautiful.

Woah. That bottle totally does look like it's floating!

Oh no, that stinks about the work drama. Can't escape it, can we? I'm glad at least now you're on a normal schedule, because 11 days straight? No thanks. I used to do that when I managed in retail. Not fun by any means.

 

[eandesmom]

that is the worst! A last run on the beach and it's sucky. I so totally know what you mean and how it feels after overdoing it. Bleh! I remember the checkout drama, that is so funny. And not. What a drag about the lunch re-route though. Gorgeous picutres as always.

Reading about this now I remember the work drama, gosh I was stressed reading about it on FB at the time but really it sounds even worse now. I am so glad it is more settled now. It is SO hard to start over somewhere no matter how experienced or senior you are I think it's hard both to acclimate and not be paraoid. Heck I still have those moments.

YAY for being on your way to AKL!

I think Pat should be sending our PP pretty soon, those were some of my favorite pictures for sure, you can just feel the fun!

 

[dawnbu40]

Love the photopass pics! They are so adorable and its obvious how much fun you were all having

Gorgeous beach pictures! St Augustine looks like a lovely little town!

Thanks for the update

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Awww, the only thing better than seeing those PP photos with you all is seeing them again!!! Love it!!

Well, there are a lot of dead people, so Ghost Train for all, lol. I too want to do one of these though.

You know it really amazes me how much people get into Halloweeen now. Here it seems people go more out for Halloween than Christmas. I mean I LOVE Halloween, but

Hmmm, I wonder if the mystery bride that showed up at night had been waiting in line for Anna and Elsa?

Ugh, what horrible news to get that work schedule on vacation. I would so hate that.

 

[MEK]

It's totally awesome that you stole the pictures! You are welcome to anytime. They turned out so awesome, when I first saw them I'm not gonna lie, I literally died laughing. They are the epitome of having a good ol' time!

Awww - you're so nice! I laughed when I saw them too! They are just so freaking awesome! Best PP pics EVER!

Awww, you're so awesome, thanks for the shout out.

Anytime! Your TR's are so much fun to read!

Walking is a great way to work off post lunch lethargy. Sleeping works too.

Yes it does. And whenever I have to do paperwork right after lunch it never ends well.

I'm not as interested in the Ghost Train as I am about that tiny vehicle that was following it. What on earth?!

I know. How cute was that? I have no idea what it was, but it looked like a great way to get around town!

OMG that spider! There are two things in life I'm terrified of. Spiders and bees. Eeekkk!

Snakes are my least favorite thing. I am totally freaked out by them. Of course, I'm not too fond of spiders either. Surprisingly, bees don't really freak me out!

7 foot depth, wahoo! I miss the 10 foot depth pools of my youth. That's how I learned to swim. My Pop (loving man that he is) would coax me to the edge when I was three and say "jump in I'll catch you!" and I would. And he would catch me, let me go immediately, and then yell "swim swim swim swim!" Hey, it totally worked.

Well, I suppose that's ONE way to learn how to swim! Probably wouldn't be my first choice of methods.

What an absolutely lovely night! Looks beautiful.

It really was a lovely night! The weather the whole time we were there was just perfect. Couldn't have been any nicer!

Woah. That bottle totally does look like it's floating!

How crazy is that? I have no idea how that happened, but its pretty cool.

Oh no, that stinks about the work drama. Can't escape it, can we? I'm glad at least now you're on a normal schedule, because 11 days straight? No thanks. I used to do that when I managed in retail. Not fun by any means.

I just remember at the time feeling like my vacation was coming to a screeching halt with this knowledge that I was going to be walking my "you know what" off when I got home.

that is the worst! A last run on the beach and it's sucky. I so totally know what you mean and how it feels after overdoing it. Bleh! I remember the checkout drama, that is so funny. And not. What a drag about the lunch re-route though. Gorgeous picutres as always.

I was so bummed that my run was so bad. In fact, I started to wonder if there was something wrong with me.

The checkout was a bit of drama, but what the worst was the check-in and my emergency text messages to you. OMG - clearly I was NOT having the best day all the way around.

Reading about this now I remember the work drama, gosh I was stressed reading about it on FB at the time but really it sounds even worse now. I am so glad it is more settled now. It is SO hard to start over somewhere no matter how experienced or senior you are I think it's hard both to acclimate and not be paraoid. Heck I still have those moments.

Yeah - when you first start you are just trying to give 110% and establish a good working rapport with everyone. I had reached a point where I felt I had established that, but I didn't expect to go back to and have to work so many days in a row. I had just finished a 12 day stretch prior to leaving. It was crazy.

YAY for being on your way to AKL!

I absolutely LOVED it there! So awesome! So different from the Boardwalk, yet equally as lovely but in completely different ways.

I think Pat should be sending our PP pretty soon, those were some of my favorite pictures for sure, you can just feel the fun!

You can definitely feel the fun! They are awesome. I'm so glad we have them. Fun stuff for sure!

 

[MEK]

Love the photopass pics! They are so adorable and its obvious how much fun you were all having

I just wish you guys had been with us when we got the pictures. That would have been one heck of a great picture!

Gorgeous beach pictures! St Augustine looks like a lovely little town!

Thanks and it was. It's probably my favorite town in Florida. It so much like the deep south, but its Florida. If you ever get a chance to visit you definitely should.

Thanks for the update

You're welcome!

Awww, the only thing better than seeing those PP photos with you all is seeing them again!!! Love it!!

They are really great pictures! I was so excited to meet Danielle, but it was also such a bonus to meet her wonderful parents. They are all such lovely people. And having my picture taken with Popadon - well, there are NO words!

Well, there are a lot of dead people, so Ghost Train for all, lol. I too want to do one of these though.

I may do one in Williamsburg. I think my interest is rekindled. I just want it to be a good tour, not something lame.

You know it really amazes me how much people get into Halloweeen now. Here it seems people go more out for Halloween than Christmas. I mean I LOVE Halloween, but

I totally agree. There is a neighborhood across the street from me where I swear they all try to outdo one another. They put up some really legit decorations. Halloween is cool because of the spooky factor, so I kind of get why people love it so much.

Hmmm, I wonder if the mystery bride that showed up at night had been waiting in line for Anna and Elsa?

hahahaha! I should have asked! That would be enough to kill someone.

Ugh, what horrible news to get that work schedule on vacation. I would so hate that.

I almost wish I had gotten when I got back. Well, actually, no time would have been good. At least I had time to wrap my head around it and get mentally ready.