There's an App for That! iDisney, July-Aug 2009. New 12/3: DONE!

[2xcited2sleep]

Well first of all, so happy to see the updates begin!

Second of all, I MUST get myself an i-phone. Except I get a blackberry from work and I don't *need* another phone. Can you get the same apps on an ipod touch? And most importantly can I tweet from the parks on an ipod touch? Because I really enjoyed your tweets.

Yeah for Leo being so brave on the slide! That pool with all the pirate stuff looks great!!

OK Shutters was never ever on my radar but the soup and the margarita sound delish!

I know just what you mean about DIS friends... aren't they the bestest?

Have fun on your trip up North!

 

[micandminforever]

Sorry the rain changed your outside plans, but it sounds like fun was still had by all.

 

[Disneyland_Mama]

App of the day: Calculator
With which I could have quickly and accurately calculated how much more I needed to add to the autmotaic 18% gratuity with a Tables in Wonderland discount to leave a full 20%. Could have used. But didn't. Ask anyone with whom I shared a meal.​

​

Dude, I completely forgot to buy my TIW card! D'oh!

To get from Jamaica to OPR, you cross over an island full of windy paths and pretty vegetation. I’ll admit though: it’s prettier in spring or fall, when things are blooming more.

Ooh ... it's pretty! And what a handsome guy!

Along the way, my phone rang and I got the message for which we’d been waiting…

LAURALEE AND MICHAEL HAD ARRIVED!!!

Did you guys break out in song with the Muppets "Together Again!"

Ah yes, in fine summer tradition, the storms moved in just in time for dinner. On a ranch, a bell rings the call to the table. In Florida, the thunder does that job.

So freakin' true!

Nah, there was plenty of catching up on things while we all shopped the aisles, but it really is always like reconnecting with your friend next door – none of that awkward, ‘do I still know this person?’ stuff. And ditto that for Leo and Michael, who were getting into all sorts of mischief together once more.

I know exactly what you mean!

And remember how I worried that Leo might struggle with the games?

Yeah, he definitely sucks. I don’t mean that meanly – it’s the honest truth.

But…

He had so much fun anyway! And I’ll admit that I did, too. In a remote corner of the arcade, I found me a Space Invaders. That’s vintage, baby. TFI, I’m still lousy. Like mother like son.

Psst... me thinks it's time to get a classic video game for the Wii. Toy Story Mania comes out in Sept.

Wondering what happens when Leo’s blood sugar drops? It’s ugly. U-G-L-Y, you ain’t got no alibi, UGLY. (NO Wildcats)

You ugly, you ugly, my momma says you ugly, HUH! Thanks, V. Now I'll be singing that all day!

Hmmm, challenged by the presence of TWO cameras? We need to work on that.

Bwahahaha!!! No joke!

Agave nectar makes V happy.

You look very... relaxed.

Next: The Pilot loses control

Were you guys on the same flight? ​

 

[kmartin555]

You just crack me up, V! Thanks for the extra update!

Have a wonderful time on your trip North!

 

[Lauralee131]

App of the day: Calculator
With which I could have quickly and accurately calculated how much more I needed to add to the autmotaic 18% gratuity with a Tables in Wonderland discount to leave a full 20%. Could have used. But didn't. Ask anyone with whom I shared a meal.​

Yep - never used it once the entire week...heh heh...​

And it's time for my daily wine with dinner...​

I want an iPhone...​

Aheam...where were we??​

No sooner did I get back from our WDW trip, and I’m gearing up for Week 2 of our summer vacation, this time heading up north. Which means I’ll be absent from the DIS for another week+. So I thought and extra installment might be in order this week.

​

Sweet!! But a little bit of pressure being felt by me to catch up. Just sayin'...​

Don’t get your hopes up. This twice-weekly gig isn’t likely to continue.

​

Bummer...I got all excited there for like a nanosecond...​

I’d requested a room in the Jamaica section with the thought that Jamaica was close enough to Old Port Royale (OPR), which houses the themed pools and food options, to walk in nice weather, but I could always drive if it was stormy. The sun was still shining, so we walked.

I'm sorry, could you please repeat the part about walking in nice weather??​

To get from Jamaica to OPR, you cross over an island full of windy paths and pretty vegetation. I’ll admit though: it’s prettier in spring or fall, when things are blooming more.

​

It is a cool little walk though...Jamaica was a good call!​

Along the way, my phone rang and I got the message for which we’d been waiting…

​

LAURALEE AND MICHAEL HAD ARRIVED!!! ​

Finally!! Seemed to take forever to get there!!​

They, too, were spending the first three nights at CBR. Tony, LL’s husband, would arrive the next day, so it was just us glas and our little guys for an evening.

We had all sorts of great plans – a little dip in the pool, a couple drinks poolside while the boys played, a lovely dinner eaten outdoors in a beautiful sunset…

And then the thunder struck.​

I have to say right now...again in my whiny voice, that I want a do-over. I was soooo looking forward to doing just that...pool...drinks...dinner...drinks...pool...drinks...ahhhh...a completely arm-flailing-neck-craning-free evening...LOL!!Just kidding...Love ya honey...​

Ah yes, in fine summer tradition, the storms moved in just in time for dinner. On a ranch, a bell rings the call to the table. In Florida, the thunder does that job.

​

Must be 5:00...it's thundering... ​

LL and Michael found us in the gift shop and many hugs were given all around. I think it’s sort of a testament to our level of friendship that when LL and I reunite, it’s like we never left off from the last visit; “Hi V!” “Hi LL!” “How’s the hotel?” “Fine. How was the drive?” “Okay.” “Ready to eat?”

​

Oh come on now...​

Nah, there was plenty of catching up on things while we all shopped the aisles, but it really is always like reconnecting with your friend next door – none of that awkward, ‘do I still know this person?’ stuff. And ditto that for Leo and Michael, who were getting into all sorts of mischief together once more.

​

It was fun...doing just that...browsing around the store...watching the boys playing...catching up...loved it, loved it...​

All of this was well and good, except that it was monsooning outside and all of our Day 1 plans involved outdoor pursuits. Remember how I was looking for some new things to do on this trip? Well, New Thing #1 came right then and there.

​

The game arcade was conveniently located next to the gift shop – indoors! – so we steered the boys that way and let them try a whole mess o’ stuff.​

Look – it’s the Tomorrowland Speedway in a box! “Wheee – BANG! – Wheee – BANG! – Wheee – BANG!”​

True that! What was worse that one or the jet ski ride? Before it...ummm...broke....​

And remember how I worried that Leo might struggle with the games?

​

Yeah, he definitely sucks. I don’t mean that meanly – it’s the honest truth.​

But…​

He had so much fun anyway! And I’ll admit that I did, too. In a remote corner of the arcade, I found me a Space Invaders. That’s vintage, baby. TFI, I’m still lousy. Like mother like son. ​

It was fun...the boys had a ball. I was digging the POTC pinball game...​

After blowing some time and money in the arcade, we decided on an early dinner. Yes, the monsoon showed no sign of abating, so all pool and playground activities were grounded until further notice.

​

Monsoon is a good word for it! Man oh man was it POURING out there!!​

Question – why is that every time it rains and we’re together at WDW, we feel the need for table service???

​

Somehow, we bypassed the counter service selections completely and found ourselves asking for a table at Shutters. Which was readily available. Yet, I was given a buzzy thingy… that promptly started buzzing after I took 3 steps away from the podium. Apparently it’s “policy” to issue a buzzy thingy.​

I don't recall how we ended up with table service - especially since we were admiring all the yummy choices in the food court...it was like we magically appeared at the podium....​

Anyway, it’s time to give you a little family history. My maternal family has some issues. Okay, a whole buncha issues. But I’m only talking about one for now. I come from a long line of people with low blood sugar problems. My great-grandmother, grandmother and mother all battled it, as do I. And so does Leo.

​

Basically, our blood sugar drops very fast when not properly fueled by food intake. This results in an overabundance of naturally-produced insulin. It’s basically insulin shock, as diabetics can suffer if they take in too much insulin. It can totally be kept in check by ensuring we eat when hungry, keep a good balance between carbs and proteins, and avoid refined sugars as much as possible.​

I’ll admit right here, I frequently fail my boy in this regard when we’re at WDW. He’s too busy to want to stop and eat healthy snacks, and I stupidly fall for his “No thanks, I’m not hungry” and let him skip snack times.​

Which is just what happened on Day 1. He’d had some Goldfish with his movie, but that was much earlier and utterly lacking any protein. So by the time we sat down for dinner, his blood sugar was way, way low.​

Well, I don't know about Leo, but even when I know M needs to eat, I can't force it down his throat, KWIM...​

Wondering what happens when Leo’s blood sugar drops? It’s ugly. U-G-L-Y, you ain’t got no alibi, UGLY. (NO Wildcats) LL and I asked both boys to put their spinny Mickey lollipops away when we sat down.

​

Ooh...I almost forgot about those things...​

Which Michael did quickly and without drama.

​

So the beatings are working?? I was actually surprised - he was so well behaved that night. I don't think I had to count or hissper once, did I?​

Leo… freaked out. He was MAD. And he let every one of us – including our very nice server – know it. I wasn’t having any of that and threatened all sorts of punishments if he didn’t knock off with the horrid behavior immediately.

​

Ok, outside-the-family-tree opinion...really...he wasn't that bad...he was pouting with a puss on his face...he was not flipping tables like Teresa on Jersey HW or anything...​

I should really know better given that I suffer in the same way, but it took a while before I figured out what he needed was food. Once he’d gotten some carbs in to soak up some of that insulin, he did a complete turn-around and we enjoyed the rest of our dinner.

​

Two boys, one dessert. No limbs were lost in this feat.​

They play so well together...they really do. And what a great job they did sharing that sundae...I was so proud of them both!​

Hmmm, challenged by the presence of TWO cameras? We need to work on that.​

OMG - I'm like 1/4 of a neck turn away from being Reagan on the Exorcist...​

In the middle of all this drama, the rest of us had a really, really nice meal. I wanted something light and went with a bowl of Chorizo-Black Bean soup with a salad. The soup was very good… which is saying something since I live in an area heavily populated with Cuban-Americans; I KNOW good black bean soup. This wasn’t quite as good as what I can get locally, but very close. The salad was yummy, but needed something… cheese. A little sprinkle of gorgonzola would have made it perfect. This situation was to be repeated, FYI.

​

Yep - dinner was yummy....Made even better by the good company...and....​

Also, I tried a new drink: an Agave nectar margarita.

​

O.

M.

G.​

It was like a party in my glass! I like margaritas in general, but hate anything sweet. This was absolutely, perfectly sour without the overwhelming taste of sour mix. It tasted like it was made with real lime juice. DE-LISH!​

The Nectar of the Gods...Nuff Said....​

Agave nectar makes V happy.​

Hmmmm....I'm guessing this won't be the last time we see this happy-faced V...heh heh​

After dinner, we were all pretty beat. Leo and I helped our friends get some breakfast items for the next morning and we said goodnight before walking back to Jamaica. We’d all be together again bright and early the next morning.

​

Next: The Pilot loses control​

You will at least work on an installment while you're gone, right??​

Dude, I completely forgot to buy my TIW card! D'oh!

​

I did too...well, I forgot-slash-blew it off....​

Did you guys break out in song with the Muppets "Together Again!"

I can name that tune in 2 notes...​

Psst... me thinks it's time to get a classic video game for the Wii. Toy Story Mania comes out in Sept.

I saw that...OMG - TSM would probably be THE deciding factor in me getting a Wii...​

You ugly, you ugly, my momma says you ugly, HUH! Thanks, V. Now I'll be singing that all day!

Me too...thanks V!!​

 

[puggymom]

Wow 3 Focker trips report started....

OK, go Leo on the slides, you are such an adorable little man!

HMMM, V is making me want an iPhone and maybe I need to go get some extra ponchos for next month while I'm at it....

I had no idea about your blood sugar, I am the same way, I know how Leo feels when I don't eat I get down right nasty, I always tell people to shove food at me when they see going into witch mode! Of course feel free to shove food at me anytime, but especially when I'm getting mean. My poor Dad would see it coming on and would get my mother to feed me, I think I scared him

I find a big breakfast and a big lunch with some snacks are good for me, but a very small dinner and I'm fine. Also, and I know this will sound strange, but a glass of chocolate milk to start the day, I always feel it if I don't have it. I get the fat free Nestle when I can.

Looking forward to reading more...

 

[lazydoxy66]

I'm lovin' this V!! Thunder, good drinks, a child's tirade - It's the makings of a great start to another great TR!

 

[aprilisis]

Your report is great so far- I love it! That margarita sounds very good, too. I'm looking forward to more of your report.

 

[Sooze]

Yay! I'm not TOO far behind on your TR. I think it's good that you went on vacation, now I can stay caught up!

Loving the first two installments. So glad your little man keeps getting braer and braver by the trip. So.. were you treading water while you took those pictures!?!

The dinner bell/thunder reference... perfect!!

Looks like you and LL got to spend a nice time together with the boys, even tho it wasn't what you had planned. It's fun to see her comments about your time together, too!

 

[Welshcakes]

Stop the ride i'm jumping aboard!

Just finished your TR, caught up with your 1st day and am looking forward to the rest of your holiday.

I'm joining you from Tom Jones land - All the way from WALES He He (he's soooo great

Can't wait for more x

 

[Sleepingbooty]

Well, I guess I'm too late for the tweets, but I can't wait to hear more about your trip! Guess I'll go back and read your PTR to tide me over!

 

[TheDISneyFamily]

It has begun... and I'm behind already. Sorry I'm late again... still getting back into the swing of things and battling post-Disney depression & partial empty nest syndrome... sigh... our recent purchase has helped a bit, though!

Congrats to Leo for conquering the big slide! What a cutie. I know what you mean about the 1st day - it's so hard to switch gears and relax. That's where I was at when I got to see you guys the 1st time. CBR isn't so bad... the CR wasn't all that, either. You did the right thing by staying at CBR & saving money. Thunder... yep. We heard that a lot...

So glad you had LL & M there on your 1st night! You all look so happy! Sorry about the rain... but, we're Fockers... we adapt, we regroup, we overcome! I actually managed to use my TIW card each & every time we ate! (I get a gold star!) But, alas, I did not give an extra tip on top of the 18%... I'm lazy... well, I take that back, I did at CG & Chef's 'cause our French sever was really cute.

I'm trying to picture Leo in an angry snit and I just can't. He's so stinkin' cute! Boys are a joy no matter what age they are... just wait... teenage years are right around the corner!

I've made a note - must try Agave nectar margarita!

So many drinks... so little time... and money.

 

[debraW76]

Hi V. Just catching up. Poor Leo and the low blood sugar issues. If only I had an excuse like that for my kids when they got cranky But nope, I think mine just get cranky because I have spoiled them.

The pool at CBR looks like a lot of fun. And for Leo going down the slide!!!

 

[disneymomof2boyz]

Just finished your PTR, and now I'm along for this ride! Love your writing!

 

[GreatBiscuit]

And I thought, y’know, “gas and Disney” really do go together! A Tom Jones tune happened to be playing at the time and I thought “Gas and Disney… go together like… Tom Jones and panties!”

Right. Well, it seemed funny at the time.

Trust me, it still is!

Post-lunch, we booked on over to the splash pool, a so-very-cool pirate-themed little slide-y area that Leo adores!

That pool area looks awesome!

Leo conquered his first pool slide of the trip: the tube one in the splash pool. Way to go Leo!

WOOHOO!

HE DID IT!!!

My baby boy finally made it down a big, scary water slide and swam out without drowning! It was a happy day for us both.

Time to break out the happy V dance!

Apparently his little toes were hurting from the pool bottom and, since he refuses to wear water shoes – “They’ll get WET Mommy!”

No sooner did I get back from our WDW trip, and I’m gearing up for Week 2 of our summer vacation, this time heading up north. Which means I’ll be absent from the DIS for another week. So I thought and extra installment might be in order this week.

Have a good trip!

And then the thunder struck.

Yikes! Sounds strangely familiar….

Ah yes, in fine summer tradition, the storms moved in just in time for dinner. On a ranch, a bell rings the call to the table. In Florida, the thunder does that job.

Feel free to send it our way. My grass is 5 shades of brown.

Look – it’s the Tomorrowland Speedway in a box! “Wheee – BANG! – Wheee – BANG! – Wheee – BANG!”

In a remote corner of the arcade, I found me a Space Invaders. That’s vintage, baby.

Totally Tubular! Now if they had Galaga, it’d have been all over.

Somehow, we bypassed the counter service selections completely and found ourselves asking for a table at Shutters. Which was readily available. Yet, I was given a buzzy thingy… that promptly started buzzing after I took 3 steps away from the podium. Apparently it’s “policy” to issue a buzzy thingy.

In our office, one of my coworkers has a poster which reads “It’s not logical, it’s just our policy.”

Once he’d gotten some carbs in to soak up some of that insulin, he did a complete turn-around and we enjoyed the rest of our dinner.

Glad to hear he was okay!

Also, I tried a new drink: an Agave nectar margarita.

O.
M.
G.

It was like a party in my glass!

Party on V…party on.

Next: The Pilot loses control

Is that an obscure Star Tours reference I’m detecting? Cause you know I’m all about the Star Tours!

 

[jordanyosh]

I am glad you are away so i could catch up!

I am beginning to enjoy pool time as much as I enjoy the parks. I'm happy to hear that Leo made the jump to the big pool, little slide

that drinks sounds awesome! I love a good black bean soup...mmmmm........

 

[PrincessV]

Can you get the same apps on an ipod touch?

I'm not positive, but I think yes.

And most importantly can I tweet from the parks on an ipod touch?

Nope. There's no Wi-Fi in the parks, but I can connect to the Internet via the 3G phone part (whatever the heck THAT is!) The touch doesn't have the phone plan, so you'd have to have Wi-Fi.

OK Shutters was never ever on my radar but the soup and the margarita sound delish!

It almost consistently gets lousy reviews, but we really enjoyed it!

I know just what you mean about DIS friends... aren't they the bestest?

Sorry the rain changed your outside plans, but it sounds like fun was still had by all.

We definitely did! After 3 summers at WDW, I think we've gotten pretty good at altering The Plan for rain, lol!

Dude, I completely forgot to buy my TIW card! D'oh!

NO?!?!

Psst... me thinks it's time to get a classic video game for the Wii. Toy Story Mania comes out in Sept.

What I really, really, REALLY want is Dr. Mario!

You ugly, you ugly, my momma says you ugly, HUH!

I loved that movie!

You just crack me up, V! Thanks for the extra update!

You're welcome - and thank you!

I'm sorry, could you please repeat the part about walking in nice weather??

It happened a couple times!

It was fun...doing just that...browsing around the store...watching the boys playing...catching up...

...enabling each others' purchases... heh heh.

I don't recall how we ended up with table service - especially since we were admiring all the yummy choices in the food court...it was like we magically appeared at the podium....

I was actually surprised - he was so well behaved that night. I don't think I had to count or hissper once, did I?

Nope, M was such a good boy!

Yep - dinner was yummy....Made even better by the good company

Ditto that!

I had no idea about your blood sugar, I am the same way, I know how Leo feels when I don't eat I get down right nasty, I always tell people to shove food at me when they see going into witch mode! Of course feel free to shove food at me anytime, but especially when I'm getting mean. My poor Dad would see it coming on and would get my mother to feed me, I think I scared him

LOL, my dad never believed there was a problem - he expected me to go 8+ hours at the beach without freaking eating! I'm sure you can imagine what THAT looked like.

I find a big breakfast and a big lunch with some snacks are good for me, but a very small dinner and I'm fine.

Yep, we HAVE to have a good breakfast, and I prefer a big lunch/small dinner too.

I'm lovin' this V!! Thunder, good drinks, a child's tirade - It's the makings of a great start to another great TR!

LOL, thanks - there'll be more of all those things!

Your report is great so far- I love it! That margarita sounds very good, too. I'm looking forward to more of your report.

Thank you! I still can't get over how good that drink was.

So.. were you treading water while you took those pictures!?!

Hee hee, nope - by then I'd figured out where I could stand!

Stop the ride i'm jumping aboard!

Just finished your TR, caught up with your 1st day and am looking forward to the rest of your holiday.

Welcome! Gotta love a fellow Tom Jones fan!

Well, I guess I'm too late for the tweets, but I can't wait to hear more about your trip! Guess I'll go back and read your PTR to tide me over!

Thanks for coming along - I'll get back to writing soon, I promise!

It has begun... and I'm behind already.

Don't worry - so am I!

I know what you mean about the 1st day - it's so hard to switch gears and relax. That's where I was at when I got to see you guys the 1st time.

I figured you were, so thanks again for meeting us for a drink and tour!

So many drinks... so little time... and money.

Amen to that!

Hi V. Just catching up. Poor Leo and the low blood sugar issues. If only I had an excuse like that for my kids when they got cranky But nope, I think mine just get cranky because I have spoiled them.

LOL! In general Leo's pretty well-behaved, but he has his moments, too, and they're not always attributable to low blood sugar.

Just finished your PTR, and now I'm along for this ride! Love your writing!

Yay, thank you!

 

[PrincessV]

Trust me, it still is!

Thanks GB!

Feel free to send it our way. My grass is 5 shades of brown.

So's ours... only it's due to being water-logged here, lol!

Totally Tubular! Now if they had Galaga, it’d have been all over.

They DO!!!

In our office, one of my coworkers has a poster which reads “It’s not logical, it’s just our policy.”

Do you work in government too?!

Is that an obscure Star Tours reference I’m detecting? Cause you know I’m all about the Star Tours!

Nope, stay tuned!

I am beginning to enjoy pool time as much as I enjoy the parks.

Me too - I could happily skip the parks most days and just lounge!

 

[PrincessV]

App of The Day: Email

Yeah, I know – how lame is “email” as an app?! But trust V – the iPhone took email to a whole new level! See, I’d made all my Plans in Excel, with multiple pages for Ridemax plans, ADRs, daily plans, etc. I emailed The Plan to myself from work so I could print it at home. On my way home, stopped at a never-ending red light, I decided to open that email and its attachment on my iPhone and see how much could be seen.

HOLY APPS BATMAN – LOOKYTHAT!!!

Not only was I able to open the attached spreadsheet system, I could view each tab on my iPhone screen! Not a single piece of paper was used to keep track of my Plan. No binder. No index cards. Just me and my iPhone. It’s enough to make this tree-hugger shed a tear or two.​

__________________________________________________________


Day Two – Epcot!

Back in Jamaica, Leo and I got ourselves out of bed, fed and into the parking lot to meet LL and Michael for an Epcot morning. I begged to drive, knowing we’d be parked pretty close, and LL agreed. Sure enough, we scored a super close-to-the-entrance spot and walked on in!

Wait, no we didn’t. Walk on in.

LL and Michael needed to get their new Annual Passes first. And Leo and I didn’t mind waiting on them one bit.

Firstly, they’re our friends and we don’t mind waiting for friends.

Also, LL was using one of my Pass-Along Savings cards, which netted her a 10% discount and ME a $25 gift card per AP purchased!

But mostly because we just plain enjoy their company, even while buying tickets.

We didn’t quite make rope drop, but we were close. Close enough for the Ridemax plan to work perfectly!

MISSION: SPACE!!!

Neither Leo nor I had ever been on that one; Leo was only just tall enough to ride recently, and was too intimated to try on previous trips.

Not so this time. He not only rode it – he LOVED it!

True, he didn’t play his role of Pilot very well. He never touched a single control. But we didn’t hold it against him and the auto-pilot handled things fine, so we took celebratory photos and conducted many high-fives in his honor.

Wait… is this “Yay for Leo!” or “Power to the People!”???

Following Ridemax’s instructions, we got our Sorain’ Fast Passes, (which noted a return time completely in synch with Ridemax’s prediction – eerie…), took a spin on the Veggable Ride (that’s Living With the Land for those who don’t speak Leo), and found ourselves a couple of Clamobiles (that still sounds dirty).

The boys were itching for some unsupervised ride time, and now that they’re both over 7, they get that privilege from time to time. The Seas was one of those times, and we let them share a Clamobile (it’s not improving with additional use) all to themselves. Were they excited about that?

Just a little.


Now here’s a little complication with Ridemax Id like to share: The Seas with Nemo is listed as one attraction, while the aquariums in The Seas with Nemo is listed separately. You have no way of indicating that you’d like to do them in tandem, so every Ridemax plan I tried separated them into two different time slots.

Have you tried to drag a sea life-loving boy out of there immediately following a Clamobile ride?! (ewww… “Clamobile ride”) It ain’t easy. But there’s power in pairs, and between LL and I, we wrangled the boys out without too much trouble.

Why?

Because Ridemax said to.

According to The Plan, we had a date with Spaceship Earth, a much-loved favorite of us four.

We all soared over California, and then our morning was complete. Thanks to a couple restroom stops along the way, we were a little behind schedule, but we were very, very close to Ridemax’s prescribed end time of 11:27am. Like within minutes.

Which meant that it was time for a temporary “goodbye” while Leo and I went to our lunch ADR and LL and Michael did their thing. That’s one wonderful thing about traveling with DISers; we all understand and respect that we’ll each have some different wants and needs for our WDW vacation and have no problems separating groups as needed. Try THAT with non-DIS family and friends.



So Leo and I headed on over to the Coral Reef for lunch. We’d never been there before, and I was hesitant about trying at all. Have you read the reviews? Not so good. But I thought my little Aquaman would really enjoy the ambiance and what better time to give it a try then summer – when a hard-to-screw-up soup and salad would feel good?!

Yep, that’s what I had – Creamy Lobster soup and a salad. For the second day in a row, the salad was lovely, but missing the crucial element of CHEESE. What’s going on there? Cost reductions by eliminating cheese??? Urrgh. Overall, though, my soup and salad was yummy, as was Leo’s pizza.

Our view…. meh. We were seated on the top tier, which would have been fine had we not also been right next to the peak of a “wave” in the balustrade. Leo had to kneel to look past it and spot fish. Still, we had a good time matching the picture list we’d been given with the actual swimmers in the tank.

Will we eat at Coral Reef again? I doubt it. While the food was fine, and the ambiance interesting, the place was LOUD. We really, really need a break from the noise when we eat at WDW, so that’s a big negative for Leo and me. Our WDW approved-dining list grows ever sparser.


Continued below...

 

[PrincessV]

With lunch complete, we headed on back to CBR. For…

POOL-THIRTY!!!

In what was to become a daily occurrence, the plan was to meet up with our friends for an afternoon swim before dinner. At some point I called LL and found out that Leo and I had somehow managed to have an entire table service meal and get back to our hotel before LL and Michael had eaten their counter service meal and gotten a bus back to CBR! Power of the car, baybee.

They weren’t too far behind, though, and we were soon all together in the great big, pirate-y CBR pool. The boys went down slides and swam and LL and I kept them from drowning. And took silly underwater pictures.

When the boys were all swimmed-out, we stopped for a “snack.”

Pool-Thirty frequently intersects Beer-Thirty.

As well as Slushy-Thirty.



Meanwhile, LL’s husband Tony had arrived, so we went our separate ways to clean up before our Epcot evening.

Please allow me to give myself a little pat on the back here: while Leo took a shower and rested some, I… worked out! Yep, I threw in a quick upper-body workout before my shower and it felt soooo good! But – would I stick with it the rest of the trip? Stay tuned.


With everyone neat and pretty, we met the Mominators (LL and family, remember?) at the bus stop.



Yes, the bus stop.

I’m pretty sure someone used a Vulcan mind meld on me, because I’d sworn off the WDW bus system after endless waits on previous trips.

Yet, there I was, umbrella in hand as the thunder crashed (it was, after all, dinner time), waiting for a bus to Epcot.

How long did we wait LL? 30 minutes? An hour? Eternity? Every stinking other place had bus representation but Epcot. When one finally arrived, it contained a sick-looking teenager sitting across from us.

She looked dry and feverish. She laid her head down on her mother’s lap and fell asleep.

LL leaned over and whispered in my ear: “Swine Flu.”

ROTFLMAO!!!! She knew that ALL I’d been dealing with at work before this trip was freaking Swine Flu! It was all over our news and the only topic of conversation for weeks around here. I’d pulled Leo out of a Swine Flu-infested camp several days before we went to Disney. I’d HAD it with Swine Flu.

And there it possibly was, coughing across the aisle from me.

Oh, the irony.




By the time we finally got to Epcot, the rain was down to a drizzle and we were starving. Remember my earlier comment about rain making us want table service? Well, it happened again.

That night was planned as a counter service dinner. Until, on the bus, LL expressed an interest in table service. A notion I promptly seconded. Within a few minutes, LL put her mad skillz to work, called Dining and scored us an ADR at Nine Dragons. Woo hoo!!!

Leo, Gramma and I had our Thanksgiving dinner at Nine Dragons last year and it was wonderful! I talked it up big time with the Mominators and hoped it would live up to expectations.



It did!!!

I can’t remember what the Mominators had, but they seemed pleased, so I felt validated. As for me, following the ever-delicious Dragon Pearl cocktail, I enjoyed my Vegetarian Stir-Fry once again; the tofu was cooked perfectly! Leo really enjoys Nine Dragons, too. He’s a master of chopsticks and is very, very big on dragons.

With full bellies and mostly dissipated rain outside, it was time for another meeting… the Waldo family was in the house! I don’t think I mentioned this is the introductions, but The Waldos were traveling with the WHOLE family this year – Tracy, her husband Andy, their kids Maddie and Evan, T’s dad Waldo, mom TE, plus T’s brother Rick, his wife Debbie and their boys Michael and Max. I was so excited to see all of those Waldos again!

Supposedly, they were in Norway, so that’s where we went. No Waldos in sight. I believe LL and I joked that maybe they were on Maelstrom – you know it’s a Fast Pass?! – but quickly laughed and said “No way!”

Oops!


Sure enough, the male Waldos were on Maelstrom! But where were the girls? As I looked around, I got a text message from T:

“I’m watching you Focker.”


I still don’t know where she’d been, but we were quickly reunited and all was well in our World once more!

Hey look – we’re all looking at the same camera! Imagine that.

Mostly. Mostly all was well in our World. Save for the fact that we were missing a family – the HooHaHas. Okay, we were missing a lot of DIS friends, but the absence of SharkB8HooHaHa – or Kate for short – was particularly poignant. Over the preceding months, there’d been many changes in travel dates and many ins and outs of our parties. At one point, I think only T was going. We’d all four spent a LOT of time talking and planning for this trip. Ultimately the HooHaHas made the grown-up decision that it just wasn’t a good time for them to take a Disney trip. It was a hard, hard pill for me to swallow; I can only imagine what it was like for Kate and family. They were missed terribly throughout the trip, as you’ll see, but I have nothing but respect and extreme admiration for their decision. You guys did the right thing and we WILL all make it happen in the future!


After our partial family reunion, we all headed to Japan. Why? I have no idea. But it was a good call; the kids went shopping with the guys:

L to R: Evan, Michael, Andy, Maddie, Leo, Tony

And us girls went here:

SAKE!!!

Which may or may not have contributed to this:

With a little help from the iPhone, we drunk-emailed this shot to Kate, to show her how sad we were without her.



I’m thinking she took one look and said to Mr. HooHaHa, “Yep, we made the right decision alright.”





I don’t remember if we made any other stops at Epcot. We were all tired – the Waldos especially, since they’d just arrived that morning – and ready to go back to our hotels.

No drawn-out goodbyes that night, though. That evening at Epcot was the aperitif; the full meal would come the following day, and it was gonna be GOOD!

Next: Somebody's got a BIRTHDAY!!!