The Side effects of the AP-Trip#6 Oct 10 Final thoughts and some TMI

[Poolrat]

Trip dates Sept 4- 11 2010
Who Me and DS – 16 Chris

Yup a teenage boy, complete with attitude.
Where – POFQ
What else – Free Dining.
ADR’s
9/4 – Sat O’hana’s - have eaten here twice before. Once with DD for her 16th birthday trip and once with the Family on ’08. DD experience was magical. We had a tale by the window with a view of wishes and everything was great. Family in ‘08 not so much. Had a table almost by the bar and no service to speak of. For a family style service that has the meal pre-plated, there was no reason for it to be to be slow. This would be the tie breaker.
9/5 Sun WCC- ate here with family in ’08. We were seated away from the main part of the restaurant but we still had fun.
9/6 Mon Sci- Fi – we also ate here years ago and I thought we may try it again
OR
9/6 Mon Cape May – DS likes Crab legs so I thought I would give this a try – First time
9/7- Tues Teppan Edo – We love Japanese and it is usually DD choice but I gave DS the choice and he chose this. This was the last night Start Tours was open and I was not sure if this was too early if DS decided he wanted to be the last one on the ride without doing the special after hours event .
OR
9/7 Raglan Road – In case we find ourselves at DTD this night.
9/8- Wed LeCellier for lunch at 2:25- could not get dinner and this was the next best option. Hey steak for lunch.
9/9 – Thurs Kona 5pm First time
9/10 Fri- Park fare another first time – Looking at a fun time with the steps and maybe a little embarrassment.
9/11- Tusker house- Just in case we bail on others during the week.

If you count you will see I have too many ADR’s. I was thinking we may not make all of them due to being somewhere else or being in the middle of things or just not wanting a sit down at a particular time. This is my way of being flexible. I did end up cancelling a few as our plans solidified.

I was also planning a tour for DS. I wanted to find something he would enjoy. Being the teenager he is this was harder than I expected. I was leaning towards a Segway tour but they are expensive and I wanted to be sure he liked it. He is not always receptive to things that require practice to master. He expects to be able to hop on and go. I was going to wait until we got there and see if could do the free demo in Innoventions and based on that I would decide on the full tour. We had 3 to choose from. A 1 hour tour just in Future World , a 2 hour tour in World Showcase or an off road 2 hour tour at Ft. Wilderness.
Wishes was only being shown some nights and Night of Joy was 2 evening so I had to try and plan around those events.
DS also has some non- expiring “more” options left from the family08 trip. I loaded those tickets up in order to use them for another trip. He was planning to go to Disney Quest with those options and maybe a waterpark .
I had crazy list of things he might like to see for the first time and things I know he liked last time.
My hopes were for some Mother /Son bonding and I knew he would want to go off on his own. I was Ok with that.

Lets see how this all worked out.

 

[Poolrat]

I did actually notice it way before I asked. I just figured when you were ready to tell us you would.

I thought that might be it, one of the reasons I started changing it.


Not sure why this popped up so late- more than 20 minutes after the time stamp.

 

[glennbo123]

Yes, there are lots of ADRs there.

Hmmm, mother/son bonding time huh? Could be tricky, judging from that first picture. Just kidding, I'll bet you had some great moments together and also some alone time as well. It'll be interesting to see.

 

[Poolrat]

Yes, there are lots of ADRs there.

Hmmm, mother/son bonding time huh? Could be tricky, judging from that first picture. Just kidding, I'll bet you had some great moments together and also some alone time as well. It'll be interesting to see.

Free dining is how I got him to even go !!!! Teenage boy and eating, enough said.


Hey I won't sugar coat it, there were some memorable moments, some for great things that happened and some not so great and some just memorable because of the comedic value.

 

[MeMom]

16 Chris

Yup a teenage boy, complete with attitude.


My hopes were for some Mother /Son bonding and I knew he would want to go off on his own. I was Ok with that.

Lets see how this all worked out.

He's a good-looking boy, Pat. No surprise on the attitude. They all have it to some degree or another.

I took a trip with just Trent and Drew once. It was November shortly before Thanksgiving. It was different, because we all had different agendas. I wanted to take pictures and see shows, Trent wanted to relax and be away from the stress of work and school, and Drew wanted to hook up with some of his friends in Orlando and ride thrill rides. One things united us. We all wanted to eat. It was definitely different than doing a Disney trip with Jill and the girls, though.

 

[Poolrat]

He's a good-looking boy, Pat. No surprise on the attitude. They all have it to some degree or another.

Thanks for the compliment. He is a good boy. When the ego/attitude gets a bit much I make sure to bring him back to reality quick.

I took a trip with just Trent and Drew once. It was November shortly before Thanksgiving. It was different, because we all had different agendas. I wanted to take pictures and see shows, Trent wanted to relax and be away from the stress of work and school, and Drew wanted to hook up with some of his friends in Orlando and ride thrill rides. One things united us. We all wanted to eat. It was definitely different than doing a Disney trip with Jill and the girls, though.

This trip I think was more of us moving from our 2006 trip where he was essentially still a child to this trip where he functions more as adult/equal. You will see we get our rough spots out of the way early and give each other the space we want/need and always meet for dinner.

 

[Poolrat]

Let's at least get back on property today Ok?



Friday Sept 3rd 2010- I am desperately trying to check us in and having no luck. I would get all the way through only to be booted off the website. I try to do it with my phone too – no luck. I call to see what the problem is and they tell there is no problem.
My computer genius son tells me to just login using our desktop instead of my laptop. No why would that work? I keep banging my head against the wall and then finally give up and try it.


It works!!! I still have no idea why? Kudos to the computer genius son even though I don’t think he knows why it worked either.

Saturday Sept 4th Our flight was 10:30am so I figure we had to be in the terminal by 9:30 and out of the house by 8:30, just to be safe. Sat am so no rush hour. My alarm goes off at 5:30 - HOLY COW!! Why did I do that ? I reset it for 6:20 and then got up. Do the whole get ready thing and double check- do I have the park tickets, the paperwork etc. Check.

Chris asks if I have plane tickets. I run up and get the boarding passes and put them on the table to take. Gook thinking .
Finish loading the car and pull out of the driveway at 8:15am.

Chris forgets the MP3 player- Back in to get that.

Take 2- Chris wants to know where the planet tickets are. I try to explain the e-ticket thing. Have I mentioned he is an old man in a 16 year old body yet? He is.
I explain we essentially need nothing but already have our boarding passes. Wait we don’t I left them on the table. Back in the house. We only got down the block.

Take 3- Final pull out of the driveway 8:30.

Drive to airport is uneventful, except for the overturned car on the Hwy. Really?!? It is a nice sunny day how does your car end up on its roof ?

We get to the airport and all the long term lots are full. NOW WHAT? There is another overflow lot but it is not listed as being open but it should be if all the others are full. No dice. I go to the expensive daily lot- it is closed too. Ok what gives. Finally I go up to depart flights and ask the security dude and he directs me to the Daily North lot- Where is the Daily north lot? I finally find it and the lot is empty except for just a couple of cars. We just miss a shuttle. Is this how the whole trip is going to go???

As we are waiting for the shuttle I realize this is the remote lot. The remote lot was the OLD long term lot before we needed a long term lot. Then they built the long term lots that were are more “remote” than the remote lot so I guess they closed the remote lot and then reopened it as the Daily north lot so they could charge us more money to park.

We arrive at the terminal at 9:40am. That’s why I like to leave early. I plan for garbage like that to happen.

We take our big bag to the check in desk. I packed one big bag so we would not have to check 2 bags and have 2 luggage fees. We are flying Air Tran ( I bet you are not surprised after all the trouble I have had checking in and such) and usually when I check the luggage in using the special line a boarding pass will print. That’s why I did not sweat if I forgot it. Well it does not print.

The lady at the desk motions for me to put my bag up to be weighed. I comply and she informs me that the bag is over weight. It shows 52 lbs. HAHA on Airtran, I packed some shorts on the outside pocket just in case this happened. I pull them out and voila my bag is no longer over weight. TAKE THAT AIR TRAN.

How 4 prs of my shorts weigh 2.1 lbs is beyond me. What is more important is when I weight the bag at home it was 50 lbs so MY SCALE AT HOME IS 2 LBS OFF AND NOT IN THE GOOD WAY. OR THE AIRLINE SCALE IS OFF – Yup that must be it.

Finally going through security and my carry on has my computer in the front pocket. It keeps tipping over. Have I broken the computer ?

We get our Nathan’s hot dogs and head to our gate. A familiar gate.

Remember this boy?

See the people behind him? After I took this picture I realized I recognized them. I coached their daughters when I first moved to Charlotte and worked for the JCC. Sing it with me- It’s a small world….

My tag

My notes say hot dogs – the meal that keeps on giving. Ain’t that the truth. I guess I was feeling them the whole flight.

We finally board and the couple is seated behind us. We chat a bit more. They were not going to Disney but to visit relatives. A flight attendant then brings a Disney lanyard down the aisle and asks who lost it. A key card and park passes. ( is it bad when your notes have emoticons?) It belonged to the family one row in front of us. Now that would have been bad to lose. Why would you wear the lanyard on the plane? Too easy to lose. Mine was tucked away in the carryon.

As soon as we took off I realized I could not get to my book. I guess I wrote notes for most of the way instead of reading.

1hour 16 minutes from wheels up to landing in the happy place.

Upon landing the pilot asks us to put down all the shades. Well in the aisle across from since it was empty I put up that shade earlier, so I quickly get up and pull that shade back down. Next thing I know everyone is getting up and moving around. Then they come on the intercom and tell us to sit back down until we get to the gate.


Sorry that was me.


Off the plane and to the Faux monorail

We could probably play a Chris –do game. You see Chris could be Dash from the Incredibles. The rule is if you can’t find him look in front of you. He has always gone on ahead.

Prime example- Look for the blue carryon

We look for the signs

Walk right past these people

And get in this line

Our earlier luck is continuing. Fortunately the wait is short and we are on the bus soon.

We get moving around 12:30. Gerardo does a good job welcoming us and getting us under the arch safely.

Key West, Saratoga and then French quarter. Yikes.

We got the extra Donald’s vacation feature.

Finally

I check us in and the CM makes a Bday button for Chris. This is Sept and his Bday was back in March but we are still celebrating it. He does not wear the button and it is not until later in the week I notice his name is spelled wrong. Oh well.

French Quarter is small so I made no room request or building request. We end up in

Building 1. Not a far walk but I thought when I did online check in, if I don’t ask I will be put in either building 1 or 7. I’m Psychic. Of course with the bag we look for the elevator which not so conveniently on the other side from where our room is. The good news is we will only need this again when checking out so I will use the stairs otherwise.

What would our first park be? How do we get there?

 

[wigdoutdismom]

My goodness, Chris looks like you!
I really hope to keep up with this next trip, crazy as I am to even try with school starting, but this looks like a really fun one.

I can't believe you had to go back home three times.

So tell us, what are you looking at adding on with? I always have that itch, but with our next I'm stopping. I promised.

 

[Poolrat]

My goodness, Chris looks like you!
I really hope to keep up with this next trip, crazy as I am to even try with school starting, but this looks like a really fun one.

I can't believe you had to go back home three times.

It is always a joke that I can leave the house once. Usually I get out to the car and come back in at least once.
As obsessive as I am about making sure I have everything, I can't believe I had to back 3 times. At least once was not my fault.

This one had some fun times.

So tell us, what are you looking at adding on with? I always have that itch, but with our next I'm stopping. I promised.

The ink is barely dry on the BCV contract - waiting for the final word that closing is done and DVC has me in the system- I noticed a small 50 point for SSR. I dream of a stay in the treehouses. Despite calling twice to get it rolling I have not heard back on the offer yet. If it goes great, if not then I am OK with it.

 

[SoonerGirl]

HA! My teenage boy likes to walk ahead too, even when he has no idea where we are going. I like to make a turn and then just watch him as he tries to figure out where we've gone

 

[Poolrat]

HA! My teenage boy likes to walk ahead too, even when he has no idea where we are going. I like to make a turn and then just watch him as he tries to figure out where we've gone

Must be a guy thing. I am always reminding him, "How can you follow when you are out in front?"


We were all together in the Atlanta airport trying to make a tight connection when his dad wanted to teach him a lesson and just let him go. I was like - a lesson, yes, but not here, not now. Really?!?!?

 

[glennbo123]

Well at least you didn't have to ask the pilot to make a trip back to your house for one last item. Fortunately, the trip wasn't too eventful, and you got to your room all right.

 

[Poolrat]

Well at least you didn't have to ask the pilot to make a trip back to your house for one last item. Fortunately, the trip wasn't too eventful, and you got to your room all right.

Oh I reach the point of no return pretty quickly. Once I am out of our neighborhood I rarely turnaround.

With kids I have learned I can always find a store to buy what was forgotten.

Let's see over the years- shoes ( yup can you believe it? ), Socks, toothpaste, the whole toiletry bag ( not me, it was packed but someone forgot to put it in the car, and a bottle/can opener.

On Friday I left my work blackberry at home. I realized half out of the neighborhood. No I did not turn around and go back. Now if it was my personal cell phone, I probably would have gone back. My blackberry is so useless, even my staff uses my personal cell to text me on.

 

[Poolrat]

My goodness, Chris looks like you!

Wait until I find a picture of my DD. she is pretty much my clone.

 

[Poolrat]

Lets take it from the top please.

 

[Poolrat]

We arrived at our room and were greeted with this.

Pictures of the room pre refurb.

Do you see the HM?

We drop our stuff, rearrange other things and head out to catch a bus. We are heading to MK.
We meet this guy in the lobby.

He seems to be there most days, greeting everyone and giving magic coins.


We are at the bus stop at 1:40 and wait. A few minutes go by and an EPCOT bus comes. I ask Chris would rather take a bus to EPCOT and monorail it over to MK . We hop on the EPCOT bus at 1:50.
This bus will hit FQ and then all the bus stops in PORS. We finally get to EPCOT at 2:15.

Transfer and to MK via Tronorail.

Almost there.

I see some work is being done.

More work on Exposition hall.

I love seeing those fall decorations.

It is just before 3pm and you know what happens at 3pm don’t you.

First order of business is to go into Guest Services and upgrade Chris’ ticket. We talk to Crystal and she is happy to help us. As the parade starts to go by I see that she is singing along. I know she must hear that every day if she is in Guest services but it makes me smile that she sings along.

I took this much later but I find it so funny that when I upgrade Chris’ ticket this is who he gets.

Coming up - a missing child and a meltdown.

 

[MeMom]

I love seeing those fall decorations.

Coming up - a missing child and a meltdown.

The next chapter is not sounding good.

I love the fall decorations, too, and I look very forward to seeing them again in not too terribly long. I need to go count the days.

That car makes me long for the Stars and Cars Motor Parade to come through again.

 

[Poolrat]

The next chapter is not sounding good.

We get our drama out of the way early.

I love the fall decorations, too, and I look very forward to seeing them again in not too terribly long. I need to go count the days.

I think I may like fall the best. Even better than Christmastime. I will get excited about my fall trip when I know what resort I am switching to.

That car makes me long for the Stars and Cars Motor Parade to come through again.

That is one parade never caught at DHS( MGM). Because of that I now make sure I see a parade at least once because you never know when it will be gone.

 

[glennbo123]

It is just before 3pm and you know what happens at 3pm don’t you.

Um, CMs pants start to sag in the back?

I took this much later but I find it so funny that when I upgrade Chris’ ticket this is who he gets.

Back a couple years ago when we got Annual Passes, I got the same one. Out of 5 tickets, mine was the only one with a female character.

 

[Poolrat]

Um, CMs pants start to sag in the back?

Looks like she forgot hers and the ones they could find were 2 sizes too big.

Back a couple years ago when we got Annual Passes, I got the same one. Out of 5 tickets, mine was the only one with a female character.

I swear the CM has some control over that. My first annual pass was Mickey and I had to get a replacement ( I guess I used it too much ) and it was Donald. Go figure.