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

[MEK]

I'm in and can't wait to read. We were there for some of the same days!

back Disneymaddness! Did you enjoy visiting the world at that time of year? I really enjoyed it. I thought the weather was just lovely!

Yay! for another trip to read about! This one sounds very interesting. That carriage house sounds wonderful. I love VRBO - we've used them a couple of times for cabins in the Smoky Mountain area.

back Darla!

I haven't read too many TRs with Gulf Coast visits and this visit is definitely different from the usual, so stayed tuned.

VRBO is great! I have had really great success using that site. I've rented all over the country and I wouldn't go any place else.

I'm excited about your new TR. We did an "escape the cold" trip last January.

back Sue! I have decided that an "escape the cold" trip is now a necessity, at least until I retire. After we both retire I hope that we will be snowbirds for Jan/Feb/ and possibly part of March!

I can't wait to read about the Tampa portion. I always learn a lot about the area from your reports.

We visited some interesting areas around the Tampa Bay area, so stay tuned for some fun!

Mary Ellen, I'm looking forward to hearing all about your quick trip. After working so hard, you deserved the trip.

back Lisa! I really needed that Feb vacation. It came at just the right time and we really enjoyed seeing a new part of Florida!

My brother in law and his family have stayed at All Stars Sports before and they really liked it. They are all sports fanatic and the theming was just what they were looking for.

The theme is great. It's really a very cute resort and I would not hesitate to stay there again. I honestly think the Hoops Hotel is one of the best themed areas in all of Disney. Pictures don't do it justice.

Yay, I'm really looking forward to hearing about your Tampa experience! as someone who calls the Gulf Coast her home, I always enjoy hearing what other people think of the place.

back Alicia! We really enjoyed all the fun and different places we toured on the Gulf Coast. I wasn't a fan of some of the traffic, but the beach areas are just amazing. Stay tuned for some fun stuff!

Checking in at midnight after a workday AND a flight? Rough stuff!

I always like to go to Florida that day before my trip "officially" starts and since I can't take that day off from work, traveling on the last flight out works. We will be doing it again next month. The excitement and adrenaline just keeps me going!

 

[tinacaplan]

Stopping by...subbing...saying hi! Really want to try and catch up!

 

[MEK]

Yeah, another MEK TR!!! Loved the start of this one, even with the delay.

back Karin! Glad you are home from vacation and back on the DIS!!!!!

Woohooo! Love the start!~

back Jen! And thanks!

Oh man, this winter was brutal. We left with really cold weather and came home to several inches of snow on the ground. That is definitely a rude awakening when you come back from Florida.

back Ashley! Our car was covered with snow when we got back, too! I was SO glad I brought my coat on the plane with me. I almost left it in the car. Thank goodness I didn't!

Can't wait to read this report!

Thanks!

I am here. Good start and sounds like you locked in an excellent adventure!

back Rebecca!!!! It really was an excellent adventure and a wonderful escape from the crapola weather we had.

IAnd of course I totally agree with you regarding the Maryland flag!!

Rebecca

As you should! It's just the best flag!

 

[MEK]

It was around 73 or so, give or take.

All I can say is poor Mrs. Knowitall! Oh, and back!!!!

How are you going to survive a snowstorm without french toast?

So let me get this straight - whenever there is a snow storm each person in New Castle County needs 8 slices of French Toast a piece. Ok then.....

We get one of those "real" storms every once in a while. But yes, usually we panic.

It's been awhile since we've had a really severe storm. It is kind of cool when it happens (if you can stay home and get out of your house in 24 hours). I have to go to work so its not cool at all unless its the weekend!

Nice!

It was pretty remarkable, actually. I was a tad worried since we usually don't go that way!

It is striking, and the fact that it is a coat-of-arms is pretty cool. However, I think we can all agree that it should not be made into a football uniform:

Yes - No - not really a fan of the flag on the helmet. Is that the University of Maryland's uniform? Really? Hmmmmmm.....

YAY for a Feb Trip quickie...

back Pat!

Funny how not knowing when your next trip is, or when you feel it is too far away makes you look at squeezing another one in.

Oh yeah - I totally needed to squeeze another one it. It became my mission until I had it all planned out!

Great job in sticking with it and making it work.

One thing I am good at is getting trip plans to work simply because there are always other options and I'm generally pretty flexible.

I have done that skid into vacation before and man you really appreciate the get away when you have to do that. Hate the days leading up to it and hate the days coming back but love the vacation.

Me too! Actually, I don't mind the days leading up to it because if I'm having a crappy work day I just start day dreaming about my trip. But coming back totally STINKS! I hate it!

Looking forward to hearing all about it. I lived in Clearwater for about a year right after college.

Really? I totally did not know that. Cool. Where did you go to college? Well, you will probably know all the places that we visited.

Great start to another trip! Can't wait to read about the rest of it.

back Jon! Glad you're still here!

 

[MEK]

Yeah, I definitely don't blame you for wanting to plan another trip after returning to 11 days of work.

back Andy!

And, yeah - the whole 11 days in a row was a big reason why I planned the Feb trip. I am so glad I don't have a work schedule like that right now!

The plans look good. Nothing wrong with All Star Sports... a room at Disney World is still a room at Disney World! And anything to make it budget friendly is a big plus.

I totally agree. I love all the Disney resorts. Even though I am a little spoiled by getting to stay DVC, I still love the values. I just think the themes are all so wonderful. Serious outside eye candy.

Looking forward to seeing how this carriage house thing works out for you too.

[/QUOTE]

Spoiler alert - It worked out really well. I loved the unit. I thought it was really cute and the bed was super comfortable!

Awesome report! Great wrap up too. You got so many nice pics.

back Danielle! Thanks! I appreciate the compliment.

We leave for our trip on Thursday! Can't wait, My last day of work was yesterday but I have a staff meeting tomorrow that I couldn't avoid since it is also a mandatory HIPAA/Corporate Compliance training (yearly educational thing that we used to do online or "self tests" but has to be live for some reason this year)

I just found your PTR. It looks like you are going to have a wonderful trip.

Our mandatory stuff is usually online, too! I guess having to go in for a staff meeting is probably not that terrible, especially with vacation on the horizon!

Going back now to read the new TR..

Great start! Sounds like it was in interesting trip, can't wait to read all about it!

Thanks! It was a really fun trip. Something totally different!

 

[MEK]

Great start! Except for the lack of sleep the night before

back Pam!!!!

Ugh - I don't know what it is for me and my GI tract, but I have the worst time right before a trip. Even when I don't feel stressed, I must be.

All those changes had my head spinning, I had to reread it several times was the rental car a better price with the same airport?

Don't feel bad - I had to reread it several times myself! I tried to make it less confusing, but it didn't work! *Sigh*

That was a terrible winter. And somehow people here have forgotten and say this year is going to be terrible

I keep hearing how terrible this winter is going to be. Do you think its just a rumor? I hope so. I really hated last winter because people get so weird when it snows. I can't stand all the hype and panic.

Great start for your Feb TR! Can't wait to hear all about it!

back Katie!

It was a really fun trip. Something very different, but still very fun!

Yay for your new TR!

back Alicia! I'm excited to tell the Feb story!

Ugh what's up with our stomach issues?! I get the exact same way when I stress out too.

I feel like that's all I talk about anymore. ..."and then my stomach kept me up all night...." I'm glad I'm not the only person who experiences their stress in their gut. It's definitely gotten worse as I've gotten older.

Looking forward to your next update

Coming this weekend!

Stopping by...subbing...saying hi! Really want to try and catch up!

TINA!!!!!!!!!!! Please come back to the DIS boards. I miss you!

 

[Disneymoon09]

Back for this one! We're hoping to go at the end of Feb in 2015, so I'll be interested to see how your weather was!

 

[Pinkocto]

I seriously hope they're wrong about this winter! I haven't heard anything official, just people saying they've heard it's going to be terrible. I say, last year was terrible. They've completely forgotten and say last year wasn't that bad.

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Geez Mary Ellen, thanks for the reminder of last winter, lol.

Bahaha, that half selfie had me cracking up.

Oh yes, and HERE for TR #2!!

 

[jedijill]

I'm in for your TR within a TR! That guy is scary looking but I like his hat.

Jill in CO

 

[MEK]

Back for this one! We're hoping to go at the end of Feb in 2015, so I'll be interested to see how your weather was!

Disneymoon! Thanks for joining in!

Spoiler alert - I really loved the weather in late February and early March. It was darn near perfect - low humidity and sunny skies!

I seriously hope they're wrong about this winter! I haven't heard anything official, just people saying they've heard it's going to be terrible. I say, last year was terrible. They've completely forgotten and say last year wasn't that bad.

I've seen people post a few things on FB that say its going to be terrible. I don't know whether that's just hype or not. Probably. But I did buy a new winter jacket that comes down over my butt better so I don't freeze walking in from the parking lot!

And last year was terrible - it wasn't a lot of inches of snow but it was super cold and it snowed more days than usual. Hard to forget that.

Geez Mary Ellen, thanks for the reminder of last winter, lol.

Sorry! I bet it was REALLY COLD where you live!

Bahaha, that half selfie had me cracking up.

Glad you liked!

Oh yes, and HERE for TR #2!!

So this is your official back to my TR and welcome back from the world, where it is obvious that you had a fabulous time!!!!!! Can't wait to hear all about it.

I'm in for your TR within a TR! That guy is scary looking but I like his hat.

Jill in CO

back to my Feb TR and welcome back from the cruise. How was it???? Will there be a TR??? I can't wait to hear all about it!

 

[saintstickets]

Been away from the DISboards for 10 days and you start a new TR?!? And now I'm going to be gone for two weeks so I'll have to catch up when I get back. Looking forward to reading more.

 

[khertz]

I came to finish up your October TR and got the bonus of starting your Feb TR! Great start so far, but I bet it had to be annoying to have your flight pushed back, especially when you're already leaving late in the day. Can't wait for more!

 

[MEK]

Been away from the DISboards for 10 days and you start a new TR?!? And now I'm going to be gone for two weeks so I'll have to catch up when I get back. Looking forward to reading more.

back Bill! I have you are going somewhere really good! And you know how slow I right so I'm sure you will catch right up!

I came to finish up your October TR and got the bonus of starting your Feb TR! Great start so far, but I bet it had to be annoying to have your flight pushed back, especially when you're already leaving late in the day. Can't wait for more!

back Kristy! I hope your trip was fab!!!!! Please send out bat signal when you start. I can't wait to read all about it!

It was mildly annoying, but everything is annoying when you fly late at night. I just try to keep my eye on the prize and that's arriving to Disney in time to start a brand new day!

 

[MEK]

The Great February Freeze Escape - Hollywood Studios Do-over!

Welcome back everyone!

Can you believe its under 3 weeks to my next trip!

Can I get a collective “woo hoo”?

I can’t wait!

And did anyone know that you can kayak at Fort Wilderness? Apparently you can rent canoes and kayaks at the bike barn. I think I figured out what we are going to do on our first day. Originally I thought we were going to Celelbration, but their Octoberfest isn’t until the evening.

So once we check in to VWL we’ll head over to FW and rent some kayaks. I think we’ll have lunch over there and then head somewhere for pool time (since the WL pool is closed). I’m thinking of maybe heading to CSR and then there’s a part of me that would like to go visit CBR (shout out to Lisa).

Our evening plans are now DTD. Maybe we’ll eat at EOS or Cookes of Dublin. Cookes has been on my bucket list for while. I'd also like to make a stop at the Hole in the Wall Bar.

Then we are going to meet up with Dawn and Dale (and hopefully Caitlin later) and go see Yee Haw Bob! So excited to see them again!

But wait- back to the Feb Freeze TR.

As you may recall, we flew to Orlando on a Thursday night and woke up Friday morning at AS Sports (the cheapest room to be had on property).

Even though I wanted to get right to HS - you know - the park we NEVER went to in October , I still wanted to go out for a quick run.

So I ran around AS Sports and then over to Music where I took a picture of one of my favorite quiet pools on property.

In case you don’t recognize it, its the piano pool



You see I have three most fav quiet pools on property - the SSR quiet pool that overlooks DTD, the Boardwalk Inn quiet pool, AND the piano pool at ASMu. Can’t help it - it just holds a special place in my heart.

This is a terrible picture, but it was early and I was in a hurry. You really can’t tell its a piano, but you can see Ariel!



I also took a picture of the Broadway section because I stayed here on a mother-son trip with Nick when he was 12. Good memories there!



That’s all the pictures I took because I just wanted to run and get done. That is until I got back to the Hoops Hotel, which I totally think is one of the coolest value resort areas on property. I know AoA and Pop is super cool, but so is the Hoops Hotel!



I know you probably aren’t impressed just seeing it in pictures, but if you have ever visited it in person, well, it is just WOW! Those basketballs look like they are just suspended in air. I just love it!



I mean, what’s not to LOVE about a giant whistle and basketballs floating in the air?





One thing I definitely noticed was that there were tween sports groups staying there.

I hurried back to the room to shower and post something on FB. When I did I saw that DISmomAmy (who isn’t on the boards anymore) posted that she was here with her family. Well, not at AS Sports, but at Disney. We pm'd back and forth and I told her our plans were for HS. And guess what??? So where hers! Can you say awesome impromptu DIS meet in the works? Well, I can!

And with that we were packed up and heading to the car.

Our room was actually on the opposite side of the building, away from all the cute theming, so I insisted that Denny walk through the courtyard of the Hoop’s Hotel. And I took a few pics with my real camera!









One last look!

And, I note - it was not easy taking those pictures while dragging my suitcase in one hand, but I did it for you guys!

You’re welcome.



Here we are in line to enter the HS parking lot. And our talkative CM never gave us a parking permit so we had to whip out the old AP and prove that we got free parking.



We weren’t too far away, so we walked to the entrance.



And it looked crowded, but doesn’t HS ALWAYS look crowded at park opening?



We power walked to our first destination. We didn’t have a FP+ for this ride, so we hustled to get here!



Favorite pre ride queue!



How about a stretch? No. Make that a super stretch!

I love that line!



I actually left my camera out to take a few pictures!

Ready. Set.




GO!!!!!!



Next



Go time!



This is located at the loading area, across the track



Continued In Next Post

 

[MEK]

Also at the loading area on the other side of the track





And just because I wasn’t sure if the first one would turn out.




Uhmmmm, yeah, not the best ride photo. I look like I am paralyzed!



A few T-shirt shots







Love this one for the guitar aficionado



Yeah, I know, I should have taken this picture BEFORE the ride, but, hey, I was in a hurry!



We had a FP for this little beauty



but I needed to sit for a minute.

You see - I love RnR! I really do, but I don’t do well in any of the last 4 seats from the back. It’s a bit too much of a head banger for me. Of course, that is where we were placed - 3rd seat from the back. Denny encouraged me to just stay there and not ask for a different seat. I did, but after the ride I was still a little “swimmy”, for lack of a better word.

I waited until my equilibrium returned and then we headed on ToT!













The line moved pretty fast, so I didn’t get as many inside shots as I normally do.













Love this lamp



This one is pretty cool too



Continued In Next Post

 

[MEK]

In the boiler room







Aren’t you proud of me? I normally put my camera away by now!





I worked and worked to lighten this up but no go!



Finally it was time to ride and I actually kept my camera out!

Check this out.





This is definitely one of the coolest parts of the ride.



I think they are waving at me!



Wait! Are they disappearing? Ohhhhhh Noooooooo!



No! They are being zapped by lightning!



Bye Guys! It’s Go time!



I didn’t take any more pictures, because I am a chicken. The whole dropping thing unnerves me a bit. Sorry. What can I say? I’m a whimp!

But here’s a riveting picture of the end of the ride!



Here’s our ride photo. Yours truly’s hair is still standing on edge! Gotta love that!



Are you ready for the close-up?

OMG!

Am I in pain or WHAT?????



In the dump shop I took some more T-shirt pics!



Bwahahahaha



Band Bling



Steamboat!



After Tot we posed for a PP pic!



But where to next?

Stay tuned for more DHS and a DIS meet! Oh yeah - and a check off the bucket list.

 

[Poolrat]

Yes those 1 night stays especially with a late check in can be brutal- drag the luggage in and then drag it right back out again.


Boo on the talkative CM that forgot your parking pass.

YAY for an impromptu DISmeet and a cross something off the bucket list. Hmmmmm

Nice for 2 rides right away.

 

[MEK]

Yes those 1 night stays especially with a late check in can be brutal- drag the luggage in and then drag it right back out again.

Yup - that's pretty much how it went because all my makeup is in my checked bag so that HAD to come in. It was less pretty going in at night in the dark.

Boo on the talkative CM that forgot your parking pass.

I realized it when I got to the car, but really didn't feel like going back inside to get one since we weren't staying.

YAY for an impromptu DISmeet and a cross something off the bucket list. Hmmmmm

That will be coming up NEXT!

Nice for 2 rides right away.

Major score to be off both rides by 10am!

 

[KatMark]

I'm slowly trying to catch up on my leisurely night sitting with a drink on the patio listening to the fish plop in the channel.

Nice job of picture taking while dragging your luggage. I am quite impressed.

I forgot what Rock & Roll looked like inside because it's been years since I've been on it. I must say no matter what seat I sit in, I have a headache, neck pain and a backache after riding and why I gave it up.

Great pictures on TOT! I kept my camera out too much to my surprise (you'll see when I get around to starting my TR.

Oh and to your trip being just three weeks away.