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

[DisneyKid4Life]

That's so nice to hear that Tusker House was so accommodating of your situation. I wouldn't expect any less, but it's still nice to hear.

Well I for one love the character pictures you're in.

Oh my, I LOVE this picture.

Hmmmm. I may have to come up with a concept for that "Don't feed the animals" design.

Interesting that you had to leave Animal Kingdom to see a cougar.

One of these days I going to drag myself away from the Voices to see the American Adventure. I didn't realize there was so much to it.

Illuminations is so beautiful I always get goosebumps when the buildings light up.

 

[Wood Nymph]

We had an hour to kill before our Via Napoli reservation last October so we went to the American Experience. I know that a lot of people avoid this attraction but it really was interesting, especially since we hadn't seen it in at least a decade and had forgotten most of what was in it.

 

[cstorm65]

I understand on Tusker House, and Disney character buffets in general, the price is pretty high at lunch and dinner. We just seem to always do them for breakfast as you still get the character experience without the huge price tag. I guess $25 is still high for breakfast, but it beats $40 for lunch and the big breakfast usually takes the place of having to eat lunch.

Stormalong Bay sounds good right about now in the middle of the cold winter! And the weather looks gorgeous at Epcot, even though it started raining.

 

[dizneeat]

​

ALL caught up! Boy, I was WAY behind.

Happy to hear that you were not "more" insured and that the manager at TH was so nice. Your food looked good too!

Your view at the BCV is awesome. We had a similar one in 2013 and loved it. I was lucky and my waitlist for BCV (for only one night) came through and so we will be staying there in April again.

I just LOVE all your photos of Epcot. So beautiful! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Dugette]

Great updates. So many beautiful and interesting pictures, as usual!

I love that there is a little girl photobombing your shot with Daisy.

Ahhh, BCV and Stormalong Bay! We have at least one night there in May (wait listed for 3 more) - can't wait!

It's been quite some time since I've seen the American Adventure, and I never see TR photos of it, so that was really a nice reminder of the show!

 

[Steppesister]

It is an overwhelming amount of information when you first hear it, but with time it won't seem quite as overwhelming. Assimilating all that information is part of mastering it for your state boards. Hang in there! You are doing great so far!

I do appreciate how there seems to be quite a lot of overlap with each new content. If there is one thing to say, the scope and sequence meshes really well with what they follow with. For example, last term they introduced a few lab values that we had to memorize; this term they will scaffold on top of that with acid-base balance and reading an ABG. That is only one small example.... And yes, while the State Boards is super important, and not passing would be pretty horrible, killing someone, or making them sicker, would be nightmarish. I want to practice safely. I read somewhere once that a lot of the younger students are too focused on passing the NCLEX, while we older ones tend to focus on "doing no harm".

You are absolutely right. It's going to be a great journey getting there. I look forward to reading all about it!

Wow - that's close to half the class not passing. That's sort of a red flag for me. It makes me wonder what the material is like and how is it being presented. Is the problem the material or the students or a bit of both. Does the student have the opportunity to take the class over?

I do think some higher level questions, perhaps at the level of the
College Board of Directors, need to be asked. I think, but this is certainly going off of very limited and perhaps biased information, that it's a combination of factors. I've heard the instructors treat the students very disrespectfully (pt's were actually complaining), but yet, the students were using some ineffective study habits and were challenging the program and test questions disrespectfully as well. Who knows... But yes, nearly 1/2 of the class failing out the first term of 2nd year is startling any way you look at it. If there is room next year (meaning enough of US flunk out or leave) they can re-enter during the term they fell out of. I think another factor is that the college boasts a 100% pass rate at the NCLEX, so they are ruthless at weeding out ANYONE they think may not pass. However, ALL of those students have told me that they can take any number of NCLEX practice tests and score 100%, and yet can't make heads or tails out of the program test questions.

Having a great study group is definitely a good thing!

We have a lot of fun, and seem to know what we're doing. As a whole our group passed (all 6 of us) with 88% or higher. Plus 3 of the 6 of us are on the student leadership board (out of 4 positions- I am pinning ceremony chairperson) so we are in the position to influence change to the small degree that we can.

 

[Steppesister]

So many pretty night pix at EPCOT! Despite the rather strong Marg! The jalepeno one is definitely on my list.

Were you shooting in manual or autofocus??

 

[KatMark]

Mega update...love it.

I'm sorry you still weren't feeling well, but delighted that Tusker House was so gracious in offering to let you rest and check in when ready. I have to admit, our breakfast at Tusker House in May was a huge disappointment after two great visits and we won't be back for quite some time either (way too expensive for mediocre food).

I'm glad you got your camera out and started taking pictures at AK and Epcot (oh, love your room photos...they look different than when I stayed there a couple of years ago with Mary).

I don't drink margaritas, but I know you've had those in the past...sorry it was so strong.

Rain! God, I hate the rain. But glad Illuminations went off as you go some awesome pictures...even just phone pictures. They are really great.

A DIS meet the next day? I wonder who. Can't wait to read all about it.

 

[MEK]

I LOVE your pictures of the black swan and the spoonbills. If not for the smell I could watch those guys for ages.

I guess I didn't notice. I didn't know they were super smelly. Ugh! See what happens when I take lots of pictures. I ignore other things, which can be a good thing from time to time!

Too bad Tusker House wasn't as good as you remembered. But the manager seemed to be top notch.

He was very nice! I appreciated that.

Oh my about the cougar at the pool.

Maybe I was being a little too hard on her, but I could definitely tell she liked the attention. Oh the things we notice....

I love being able to walk back to the resort from Epcot, that is just he best.

Totally the best. I am glad I will be able to do that in both February and June.

That's so nice to hear that Tusker House was so accommodating of your situation. I wouldn't expect any less, but it's still nice to hear.

The manager was super nice. I really appreciated his kindness and flexibility.

Well I for one love the character pictures you're in.

Awww thanks Rob!

Oh my, I LOVE this picture.

Thank you! I just love this view. I love it in everyone's pictures!

Hmmmm. I may have to come up with a concept for that "Don't feed the animals" design.

You totally need to do that for your AK day(s). It's perfect!

Interesting that you had to leave Animal Kingdom to see a cougar.

Good one Rob!

One of these days I going to drag myself away from the Voices to see the American Adventure. I didn't realize there was so much to it.

I really like the American Adventure. It's very well done. The animatronics are great and the story of early America is very inspiring. I'm surprised more people don't take the time to see it.

Illuminations is so beautiful I always get goosebumps when the buildings light up.

I love the way the buildings light up. It really is lovely.

We had an hour to kill before our Via Napoli reservation last October so we went to the American Experience. I know that a lot of people avoid this attraction but it really was interesting, especially since we hadn't seen it in at least a decade and had forgotten most of what was in it.

I love it. We see it about every second or third trip. I always get a little misty when they get to the civil war part and one of the boys disappears indicating that he had been kills. *sniff sniff* I am surprised more people don't take the time to watch it.

 

[jenseib]

I am glad you started to feel better.
Lunch with characters at Tusker was added a litlle while ago and now dinner is going to have them as well.

Loving all the pictures as always!

 

[ddstratton]

I had fallen a bit behind in my trip-report-reading, but I'm all caught up with you again! Love your pictures - you do such a great job! Glad to hear that you were feeling better after getting whacked with those bars. Ahhh... Just sitting in the Florida sun does sound like bliss. Especially right now. It's a whopping 17 degrees right now

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Happy New Year Mary Ellen!

I think I'm all caught up. I'm glad you started to feel better after the gate incident. And you really got some spectacular photos at AK and Epcot, strong margarita or no.

 

[englishrose47]

Hi Mry Ellen

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Excellent pictures as always, Mary Ellen!

I especially love all the shots on Expedition Everest, your GREAT pictures of the lion, and your nighttime shots around Epcot. All beautiful!

Gosh darn it, I'M GOING TO LA CAVA DURING MY NEXT VACATION. It's going near the top of my "must-do new experiences" list.

 

[afwdwfan]

I'm glad that you recovered from the bar to the chest. I understand why they charge to keep people from pulling a no-show, but after you went through the effort to show up and explain yourself, I'm kind of surprised that they weren't willing to waive the fee and let you out of it. At least not without sending you to get checked out first... At least it seems like the manager treated you well, so I guess that isn't all so bad.

Your afternoon/evening looks like fun too! I want to stay at Beach Club sometime just because I want to have Stormalong Bay at my disposal. That cougar story was hilarious.

So... was the margarita stronger than the drink that was in your mug?

 

[MEK]

I understand on Tusker House, and Disney character buffets in general, the price is pretty high at lunch and dinner. We just seem to always do them for breakfast as you still get the character experience without the huge price tag. I guess $25 is still high for breakfast, but it beats $40 for lunch and the big breakfast usually takes the place of having to eat lunch.

I really agree with you on the breakfast versus lunch. I really enjoy a late breakfast. It tends to fill me up really well and keep me full until dinner, plus its a better bargain. I don't remember how much the buffet was, I just remember having a little sticker shock when we got the bill.

Stormalong Bay sounds good right about now in the middle of the cold winter! And the weather looks gorgeous at Epcot, even though it started raining.

What I wouldn't give to be at SAB right now ...or any Disney pool for that matter. We had our first little sprinkle of snow today and its really cold. Even looking at my own pictures warms me up.

​

Thanks Karin! Same to you! You always have the cutest pictures!

ALL caught up! Boy, I was WAY behind.

Yay! As far as being behind - I know that feeling all too well right now!

Happy to hear that you were not "more" insured and that the manager at TH was so nice. Your food looked good too!

I was fine and that manager was very nice about everything. It made me feel a lot better, honestly. It immediately put me at ease.

Your view at the BCV is awesome. We had a similar one in 2013 and loved it. I was lucky and my waitlist for BCV (for only one night) came through and so we will be staying there in April again.

Yay for your waitlist coming through. We are staying there for 3 nights in March and I'm really looking forward to it as well. I think Denny really liked it there. I feel fortunate that we have been able to get both the BC and BWV on so many occasions. They are great resorts.

I just LOVE all your photos of Epcot. So beautiful! Thanks for sharing.

Thank you! :good vibes

Great updates. So many beautiful and interesting pictures, as usual!

Thanks! I am really trying to wrap up this TR because I want to start on my new one! I actually have two new ones I need to start!

I love that there is a little girl photobombing your shot with Daisy.

Little kids make the BEST photobombers!

Ahhh, BCV and Stormalong Bay! We have at least one night there in May (wait listed for 3 more) - can't wait!

I really hope your waitlist comes through. We are staying there for 3 nights in March (end of Feb) and I am thrilled. I think my DH, Denny, really liked it there, so it will be fun to head back.

It's been quite some time since I've seen the American Adventure, and I never see TR photos of it, so that was really a nice reminder of the show!

I really love the American Adventure. For an original, its really done very well and its a poignant tale of our countries humble beginnings. I really feel patriotic when I walk out of there!

 

[eandesmom]

I had no idea Tusker was a character lunch. I've only eaten there once and well...it's a buffet. Not that there was anything wrong with it but it didn't wow me either. Then again it takes a lot for any buffet to wow me.

I totally agree on Disney desserts. As you know I'm not much of a dessert person anyway but they are generally bland and tasteless (or sometimes downright bad!) and full of calories. No thanks, I'll take that rita for dessert instead.

Speaking of, that happened to us once at the Ditch. The first time we ever went there. When the CM, as he was pouring goes "you wanted them strong right?" and did a whole extra float of tequila. Yowza!

I can't believe Denny has never stayed at BCV! So, what did he think?

Besides the fact that there was a cougar floating around.

MEOW!

 

[MEK]

I do appreciate how there seems to be quite a lot of overlap with each new content. If there is one thing to say, the scope and sequence meshes really well with what they follow with. For example, last term they introduced a few lab values that we had to memorize; this term they will scaffold on top of that with acid-base balance and reading an ABG. That is only one small example.... And yes, while the State Boards is super important, and not passing would be pretty horrible, killing someone, or making them sicker, would be nightmarish. I want to practice safely. I read somewhere once that a lot of the younger students are too focused on passing the NCLEX, while we older ones tend to focus on "doing no harm".

I went to nursing school right out of high school and I remember thinking it would be terrible if I didn't pass, but I was always afraid of making a mistake and causing harm. And I still am. When I stay overnight in the ICU and manage those patients overnight I still get butterflies in my stomach because I constantly fear making a bad judgment call.

I do think some higher level questions, perhaps at the level of the
College Board of Directors, need to be asked. I think, but this is certainly going off of very limited and perhaps biased information, that it's a combination of factors. I've heard the instructors treat the students very disrespectfully (pt's were actually complaining), but yet, the students were using some ineffective study habits and were challenging the program and test questions disrespectfully as well. Who knows... But yes, nearly 1/2 of the class failing out the first term of 2nd year is startling any way you look at it. If there is room next year (meaning enough of US flunk out or leave) they can re-enter during the term they fell out of. I think another factor is that the college boasts a 100% pass rate at the NCLEX, so they are ruthless at weeding out ANYONE they think may not pass. However, ALL of those students have told me that they can take any number of NCLEX practice tests and score 100%, and yet can't make heads or tails out of the program test questions.

I think I understand the philosophy of the instructors. When I first started in nursing you always respected the instructors and even when you didn't like test questions, you accepted the answer and tried to learn from the way the question was asked so you could apply that critical thinking to future questions. When students are too aggressive and fight too much about the type of questions that have been asked FOR YEARS, its got to be frustrating for the instructors and program directors. Plus, its potentially a sign that the individual is going to have difficulty working in a team situation. So I get IT!

We have a lot of fun, and seem to know what we're doing. As a whole our group passed (all 6 of us) with 88% or higher. Plus 3 of the 6 of us are on the student leadership board (out of 4 positions- I am pinning ceremony chairperson) so we are in the position to influence change to the small degree that we can.

That's awesome!

So many pretty night pix at EPCOT! Despite the rather strong Marg! The jalepeno one is definitely on my list.

Thanks! The jalapeño rita is really good. That and the cucumber are my favorite. Usually the drink is just the right amount of strong. This time - WOOOOOOOO!

Were you shooting in manual or autofocus??

Auto. I always use auto unless I am inside in the dark (like HM dark). I really need to upgrade my camera because my auto focus can definitely lag.

 

[MEK]

Mega update...love it.

Thanks!

I'm sorry you still weren't feeling well, but delighted that Tusker House was so gracious in offering to let you rest and check in when ready. I have to admit, our breakfast at Tusker House in May was a huge disappointment after two great visits and we won't be back for quite some time either (way too expensive for mediocre food).

They were very accommodating there and I enjoyed the food. It just wasn't as good as I remember the first time we ate there several years ago. Denny has raved about it ever since, but even he had sort of a low key impression. I just think that some of the Disney food is not quite as good as it once was.

I'm glad you got your camera out and started taking pictures at AK and Epcot (oh, love your room photos...they look different than when I stayed there a couple of years ago with Mary).

Did they redo the rooms? I stayed there with Cynthia in 2011 and I don't really remember. I just know that we really enjoyed our one night there and we are looking forward to going back.

I don't drink margaritas, but I know you've had those in the past...sorry it was so strong.

Well, about a 1/3 of the way in it didn't really matter anymore.

Rain! God, I hate the rain. But glad Illuminations went off as you go some awesome pictures...even just phone pictures. They are really great.

Fortunately it wasn't a super long rain and by the time Illuminations started it was barely drizzling. So it all worked out great except for being held up in the Mexican pavilion a little longer than we wanted.

A DIS meet the next day? I wonder who. Can't wait to read all about it.

Gee - I wonder WHO it could be?

I am glad you started to feel better.
Lunch with characters at Tusker was added a litlle while ago and now dinner is going to have them as well.

Thanks! I really felt a lot better after eating, even though I had originally I had lost my appetite.

So characters for dinner now too? No comment.

Loving all the pictures as always!

Thanks! :good vibes

I had fallen a bit behind in my trip-report-reading, but I'm all caught up with you again! Love your pictures - you do such a great job! Glad to hear that you were feeling better after getting whacked with those bars. Ahhh...

Yay for getting caught up again! That's a great feeling, isn't it? And thanks for the compliment on the pictures.

Getting whacked in the chest was so NOT fun!

Just sitting in the Florida sun does sound like bliss. Especially right now. It's a whopping 17 degrees right now

OMG - I know - doesn't it? It's really cold here today. I hate it, especially now because the heat is always set to go down at night and I am FREEZING!

 

[tazdev3225]

Accomplishing one New Years goal and getting caught up on TR's. I pretty much stopped reading them all in November. My dad was diagnosed with cancer and I just couldn't handle happy for awhile.

I'm not sure where I left off so read the last trip up to date.

I don't do Rock N Roller coaster, not a huge fan of coasters anyway.

I love Sci Fi and I agree it is very much like my memories of them. I really miss the drive ins

I have decided one day I am going to DHS just to get pics of the Street Performers. One of the best memories I have of a trip with my DGS was with them. He talked about it for months afterwards.

The Tarpon Springs part of the trip looked like so much fun. I spent time in St. Petersburg many years ago and don't have fond memories of it. The city was nice but some things happened while there that ruined it for me.

Tarpon Springs reminded me of the movie Beyond the Twelve Mile Reef. It was about sponge divers and starred a very YOUNG Robert Wagner.

The kayaking looked like a lot of fun especially seeing the manatees but doubt I would ever do it. My brother has tried to get me to go out on the Delaware with him, he actually was a kayaking instructor for a few years, but not going to happen. I can't swim and I'm not really a water person.

The Skyway Bridge is terrifying. Really high and so low in spots it looks like the Bay will come right over the edge. I was on it years ago and couldn't wait to get off. My SIL is from St. Pete and had to cross it in a hurricane.

Love the Eagles nest pics. We have one here in Philly not far from my house but it really is hard to get good shots of them because the area is roped off and protected. I'll have to head down again next month and hope the babies are visible.

Shell Beach looks like a collector's heaven. My DGD just started collecting shells and she would love it there. All we can find down the Jersey shore are clam and mussel shells.

Sorry to hear you got hit with the gate but your pics on the safari were awesome, especially the lions and cheetahs. Glad you weren't injured too badly.

OK tipsy and amazing pics of Illuminations. Maybe I need to start drinking before taking pictures. You make me feel like a really bad amateur.

I am now caught up.