The Good, The Bad, & the Nuts! ...ANYONE GOING MAY 8-15?

[mom3sonstt]

Nice pictures Tanya! I like that Mickey that can close his eyes.

The Jack Sparrow guy looked pretty good, but it's too bad he didn't sound enough like the real deal.

I still need to visit OKW someday.

I think the sun was in Mickey's eyes!

Jack Sparrow was ok - looked the part, even sounded the part, kinda, but it was like he was on auto-pilot. He didn't have any ooomph to it.

OKW is a nice peaceful resort. And they have a community hall - don't remember if there is a foosball table for James, but I imagine there probably was.

Great Update Tanya !!I loved your pix of the Castle !!! Most of all I liked your news about your recovery

Thanks!

and Thanks!

 

[Flossbolna]

Hi Tanya, sounds like aou are still improving! Are you hoping that with the new kidney you will become more mobile again? It would be great if you could skip all that scooter trouble like at Philharmagic or the busses!

Lovely MK pictures! But I am sorry that this wasn't your day at the MK... But at least you got that vinyl... issue cleared up. The boat ride from OKW to DTD looks so relaxing. I never liked the decor at OKW, but I like the new colours much better. So perhaps I will stay at OKW at some point in the future.

 

[mom3sonstt]

Hi Tanya, sounds like aou are still improving! Are you hoping that with the new kidney you will become more mobile again? It would be great if you could skip all that scooter trouble like at Philharmagic or the busses!

Lovely MK pictures! But I am sorry that this wasn't your day at the MK... But at least you got that vinyl... issue cleared up. The boat ride from OKW to DTD looks so relaxing. I never liked the decor at OKW, but I like the new colours much better. So perhaps I will stay at OKW at some point in the future.

Improving more every day!

I am planning to rent a scooter this year. It will be less than 6 months post surgery, it will be august (HOT), and after a few years of being run down and fairly inactive I don't think I will be quite ready to go it alone. I am hoping to be able to go without it more often. My goal is to be able to not have to take it when we go to downtown Disney...that's the worst. World of Disney is a zoo when you are on foot....on a scooter it's a nightmare! Plus the busing to and from DD is the worst. Maybe next year I can do without it all together.

I'm so used to the old decor of OKW I don't know yet how I like the new decor. I do like how quiet and secluded it is. I don't like going there now because you have to bus every where. When I get rid of the scooter I imagine we will start staying there again.

 

[KatMark]

Tanya, it sounds like great progress is being made; glad to hear the staples are out (but sorry to hear about that crooked one).

Great pictures of the MK and Jack Sparrow.

 

[mom3sonstt]

Tanya, it sounds like great progress is being made; glad to hear the staples are out (but sorry to hear about that crooked one).

Great pictures of the MK and Jack Sparrow.

Thanks....once again, most of the pics are dannys......but I did break my camera out for Jack Sparrow.....priorities, ya' know!

 

[FauntleroyFAN07]

the jack we had when we went on our honeymoon i swear was the actual johnny depp...voice everything was perfect....it actually could have been because they had just starting doing the tutorials so maybe he did it for fun.

 

[mom3sonstt]

the jack we had when we went on our honeymoon i swear was the actual johnny depp...voice everything was perfect....it actually could have been because they had just starting doing the tutorials so maybe he did it for fun.

That would have been cool if it were! The "good" one I saw was before they built the stage and were on the schedule. In fact the first we heard of it, we were walking out to Toontown and a cm stopped dh to do a survey. After the survey she told us that if we went over to the pirate area at a certain time that there would be a sneak peek of the pirate show. I'll have to go find the pics from that trip and look a little closer!

 

[Flossbolna]

Improving more every day!

I am planning to rent a scooter this year. It will be less than 6 months post surgery, it will be august (HOT), and after a few years of being run down and fairly inactive I don't think I will be quite ready to go it alone. I am hoping to be able to go without it more often. My goal is to be able to not have to take it when we go to downtown Disney...that's the worst. World of Disney is a zoo when you are on foot....on a scooter it's a nightmare! Plus the busing to and from DD is the worst. Maybe next year I can do without it all together.

I'm so used to the old decor of OKW I don't know yet how I like the new decor. I do like how quiet and secluded it is. I don't like going there now because you have to bus every where. When I get rid of the scooter I imagine we will start staying there again.

That sounds very promising!! I guess it will involve lots of hard work as well since you will need to built up stamina again. I am just amazed what a lifestyle change the kidney transplant must be for you.

So you do take the bus at OKW? I just always felt like it was as resort built for people with cars?

the jack we had when we went on our honeymoon i swear was the actual johnny depp...voice everything was perfect....it actually could have been because they had just starting doing the tutorials so maybe he did it for fun.

Well, Johnny Depp did visit a school class in London recently while he was filming in England for the newest Pirates movie - in full Jack Sparrow costume! I guess he likes surprising people.

 

[mom3sonstt]

That sounds very promising!! I guess it will involve lots of hard work as well since you will need to built up stamina again. I am just amazed what a lifestyle change the kidney transplant must be for you.

So you do take the bus at OKW? I just always felt like it was as resort built for people with cars?

I am so looking forward to see how things change with this new kidney. My mother received one 13 years ago - but she had never gotten to the point that she needed to do dialysis, so she hadn't gotten as run down as I had. My brother received a kidney 2 1/2 years ago, but passed away less than a month later so we didn't get a chance to see how it changed things for him. And yes, we have a genetic disorder. It is polycystic kidneys. Our kidneys are just filled with cysts that destroy the good kidney and replace it with worthless cysts.

We always takes buses, even when we drive to WDW. We are very content to unload the car and park it and not have to mess with it until it is time to load it up again. We would take the car to the water parks, especially if we were taking a cooler with our lunch in it. But I don't think we have ever driven to the theme parks. Yes, we complain about the wait for the buses, but to us it beats dealing with traffic, parking, getting a good spot back at the resort again.

Well, Johnny Depp did visit a school class in London recently while he was filming in England for the newest Pirates movie - in full Jack Sparrow costume! I guess he likes surprising people.

I remember reading that at the time. How cool for that class!

 

[mom3sonstt]

I don't understand some people. I have a Facebook friend who posted for hints and suggestions regarding a Disney trip. He got a few people congratulating him on the trip, and some questions about when he was going. But then there were a couple people trying to basically talk him out of going. One went the last week of July for 3 days. They bought 3 day tickets without hoppers and told him that he would be the only English speaking people there, that 1 person would holds spot in line and then 8 more would jump in with them at the last minute and the cast members wouldn't do a thing about it. Then she told him to google park rides or something like that to get a "plan of attack" for hitting the rides....that it was by age. And she said not to mess with fast passes because they aren't worth the cost, and that they are only good for certain rides at certain times.

Then another guy chimed in that they were there last week....and that it was crowded and they only went to magic kingdom and that their kids couldn't wait to leave, that it was crowded and the lines were crazy....then he said "of course, it was spring break, but still".

Both of them also made a comment that their kids preferred the beach/ocean. I'm thinking the parents preferred the relaxing beach vacation and not the chaos that is Disney. But one person was there one day during spring break, and the other for 3 days in the middle of summer and after going at extremely busy times and not allowing enough time, they try to discourage a dad from taking his daughter?!

I told him we go annually if not more, and have for over 20 years. He hasn't posted since. Fortunately some other people offered positive advice.....I was just so disappointed in what the 2 of them wrote.

My fb friend is a guy who was a year ahead of me in school.....we were never really friends, but he wound up being best man at my wedding. The 2 negative ones...the woman is the wife of a guy a year behind me in school, they are active in my sons youth group, the other guy is also a year behind me in school. They lost their 2nd daughter at just a few months old from something she had at birth. They have since had a 3rd daughter, and have a scholarship foundation in the 2nd daughters name, and are very active in their church.

Knowing what I do about both families (I know them enough to say hi when I see them, but not really much more than that) I am surprised t how vehemently negative they were.

 

[Flossbolna]

Tanya, I can understand how much it hurts when people seem to unfairly dismiss something that you love. Sorry for that unpleasant FB discussion.

One thing I noticed in internet discussions is that people tend to be much more harsh in what they write than they ever would be in a face to face conversation. I think to a degree this is because in a conversation you see how your opposite is reacting and when you see that they disagree you will be much less opiniated in order to avoid confrontation. On the internet this is missing, you are all alone with your opinion and are only reaffirmed by what you are writing. So, my advice would be to not take it personal and just try to let it go. Sometimes it is very easy to be drawn into your own negativity about something.

I am very sorry that these families did not enjoy their vacations at WDW, but as you and I know many others do. And I agree with you: they should not talk it down to someone who wants to go there with such stupid exagerations: they were the only ones who spoke English???? I hope your FB friend will realize that he can get valuable information from veterans like you and will avoid stupid mistakes such as thinking that FP is costing money!!

 

[FauntleroyFAN07]

reminds me of a guy i work with, when he goes it is just a day trip from visiting his family...and he says it is not worth it.

well lets break it down.

he stays about an hour away...gets there about 11. family is hungry so they get lunch. now it is after 12. they decide to ride about 2 kid rides. then try and wait for another.

walk around not knowing where things are.

leave by 6

yeah i would hate that experience as well...so take peoples advice and do it right.

i think that is the major problem with some people who never go. they dont want your advice on what to do or how to make it a great trip. they just try on there own and dont have a good time...then there kids suffer because they dont go back and there kids never really know the true magic they can experience there.

which is why i dont even try to explain to them how we can go back so often and have such a great time.

 

[Flossbolna]

walk around not knowing where things are.

reminds me of a family we met at DLP: they were about to leave the Disneyland park to head over to the Walt Disney Studios at 9am after having spent one hour at Disneyland park's EMH there. They had no idea that the studios won't be open until 10am and that not everything was open at Disneyland Park yet. I suggested that they should get a guide map and pointed them into the direction where they could find them. Instead they headed past them straight to the exit.

Well, at least they arrived early...

 

[mom3sonstt]

Fortunately for my "friend" and his daughter - the positive posts outnumbered the negative ones. But the negative ones were the longest and most detailed. I do understand that Disney is not for everybody (gasp ) But I do believe everybody should try it for themselves - not let somebody's negative experience influence them into dismissing it altogether. Obviously if it is so crowded there, there must be a lot of people who DO enjoy it.

I did also comment that he needed to take this time before his trip to research and plan, because just "showing up" is overwhelming. Other people referred him to some books (Disney for Dummies???) and somebody else offered to get together with him and share her experiences from her last 2 trips. I assume she lives closer to him (he lives in Texas now - originally from Illinois).

My parents, well my mother, is one of the ones who doesn't "get it". After we bought in to DVC several years ago I was talking about a trip we had planned. She asked me "How much longer do you have to keep going there?" Like we are being forced I told her that we "get" to keep going until 2041 (or whatever the date was....even longer now that we bought at Saratoga too!). In 70 years she's been twice. Once when it was only Magic Kingdom and I think we only went one day. And again with us in 1996 for 6 or 7 days - and that was before Animal Kingdom opened. I know Dad would like to see Animal Kingdom - they had a preview movie of it playing at Magic Kingdom and he thought it sounded pretty cool. We have asked them repeatedly to go back with us and she would never agree to go. I finally gave up asking.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

It's sort of like when you really love a movie, or a book, and recommend it to everyone you know. Then they come back and say, "I hated it. I walked out of the theater after 20 minutes." Some people are just different, and don't understand what you see in something.

Of course they're completely wrong, but that's beside the point.

 

[mom3sonstt]

Been waiting for mark to decide whether he is going to take his friend with us to Florida this year. If he does I would fly home, if he doesn't, then there would be room in the car for me to ride home with them. While waiting for that answer I've been keeping an eye on the flights. Well today the flight I've been watching in particular went from 147 to 104.... So I booked it!

This means, I will arrive aug 3 rd at night, and will have the 4th and 5th to myself before they arrive on the 6th around noon. Then they will leave the evening of the 13th and I will still have the 14th and the morning of the 15th. The flight leaves around 2:30 so I imagine magic express will pick me up around 11. I'll be able to get up, pack what little I have left, go eat breakfast somewhere, and relax around the resort before they take me away. I'll probably have to have my folks pick me up at the airport. Danny thinks if they make good time that they could maybe pick me up, but I don't want them to rush....plus summer is construction season so who knows what kind of mess they could get caught up in...then I would be stranded at the airport.

I think marvs trip will overlap, is anybody else going to be braving the hot august sun this year?

 

[marvali]

Plus your next trip you just might get to meet Marv! Now how in the world would you ever explain that to those who think it isn't worth the time and effort to go to Disney???


Some people will NEVER get it, no matter what!!!

 

[mom3sonstt]

Plus your next trip you just might get to meet Marv! Now how in the world would you ever explain that to those who think it isn't worth the time and effort to go to Disney???


Some people will NEVER get it, no matter what!!!

But a marv meeting is a rare event and can't be counted on, so it wouldn't be fair to include that in Disney recommendations! I mean what if they plan a trip just because of the possibility of a marv sighting and he isn't there?

 

[FauntleroyFAN07]

i wonder if a personal marv sighting is as hard to find as a ali do sighting is to find.

 

[mom3sonstt]

i wonder if a personal marv sighting is as hard to find as a ali do sighting is to find.

Well, I'm hoping to find out in august.....so I'll let you know.