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

[KatGarcia]

The only good thing about staying home sick is actually catching up on great TR's like this!!! I am loving it so far , V!

 

[lovealldisney]

Umm... you were on page 4! We can't have that.

 

[PrincessV]

The only good thing about staying home sick is actually catching up on great TR's like this!!! I am loving it so far , V!

Thanks Kat - hope you're feeling better, though!

Umm... you were on page 4! We can't have that.

EEK, thanks for the save! It's been insane at home lately - I'm trying to get another installment going, but keep getting hit with new, less-fun projects!

 

[lazydoxy66]

V!!!!!

This is a great TR! I'm glad I finally got a chance to catch up.

As for the bathroom incident, I think that woman was in a lot more danger than Leo.

The picture of you and Leo at GF is terrific. I love the shots from Sci-Fi too!

Sniff-Sniff, I wish I could have joined all of you with the Lapus. It sounded like a very fun night!

 

[PrincessV]

V!!!!!

This is a great TR! I'm glad I finally got a chance to catch up.

As for the bathroom incident, I think that woman was in a lot more danger than Leo.

The picture of you and Leo at GF is terrific. I love the shots from Sci-Fi too!

Sniff-Sniff, I wish I could have joined all of you with the Lapus. It sounded like a very fun night!

Aw, thanks Kristel! I still can't get over that woman's nerve!

 

[PrincessV]

App of the Day: ExpenseIt Lite!

This is another app I found after the trip, but know will come in handy for future WDW excursions. With ExpenseIt Lite (“Lite” means it’s free but you’ll see ads. I work in marketing – I can ignore ads. ), I can set up a monthly budget and track expenses. OR, I can set it up for a one-time budget, such as with a Disney trip, and track expenses on it! Note that it does not have a Fuzzy setting. Yet.​

_____________________________________________________


First, I apologize for this installment coming out much later than previous ones. In the past two weeks…

I went to the Dr. with a massive sinus infection.
I had a massive adverse reaction to the antibiotics prescribed for said infection.
My Dr. pronounced my blood pressure to be massively high following said reaction.
I developed a massive aversion to modern medicine.

Also…

My HVAC system died. Massively.
On a day of massive, record-setting heat.
I swallowed a massive amount of debt to replace the dead AC.

And…

I breathed a massive sigh of relief upon signing the refinance docs to get me out of my current balloon mortgage.


A little TR writing would have relieved a LOT of stress, but there just wasn’t a lick of time. But things have settled down now and I’m ready to jump back in. If you’re still here for the ride, thanks for sticking around!




When I last left off, we’d enjoyed a fabulous night with fabulous friends. It wasn’t a terribly late night, but it wasn’t early, either, so I’d been sure to plan options for the following morning. This is the actual entry from The Plan:

MK? EP? Pool?

With nothing pressing at hand, I allowed us to sleep until we woke, minus any interrupting alarm. And now… I can’t remember when we woke up! I think we did sleep in a little, and I remember planning on a leisurely morning spent poolside.

But Leo had other ideas. And his ideas were firm. And resolute. And did not include any form of pool. Darn.

Leo was in dire need of this:

That’s right: shopping. He was quite clear on the subject; he wanted to “shop for a Transformer. Like Michael has. They’re in Japan. That’s in Epcot. Let’s go!”


I was in no mood to argue and had no real Plan anyway, so I humored him. But insisted on driving, heh heh. So we drove over to the Beach Club to valet my car FREE OF CHARGE TO DVC MEMBERS (not that I’m bitter about that little perk going away, ahem), and walked through EP’s back entrance. It was about 10 minutes before the World Showcase (WS) opened, so we were just going to sit down and wait. But then Leo spied the Kim Possible cart and asked if we could get a mission. What the heck – we had no Plan, right? We grabbed a ticket with a return time in about an hour or so and then headed over to Japan.

This was a very, very fun morning! I don’t think I’ve ever hit the WS at opening except during the Food & Wine Fest… it was EMPTY! What a different vibe there was; no bustling activity, just a mellow feeling that begged us to linger and take in the atmosphere before moving onto another area. I think we both embraced it; Leo took his time picking just the right Transformer and we explored every inch of the Japan pavilion…

I also had the brilliant idea of a Leo pic in every WS country, starting with Japan!

Konnichiwa!

Bonjour!

Salam alekoum!

Sadly, that’s as far as it lasted. But only because we got sucked into Morocco, where we spent a long time thoroughly exploring its pavilion, too…

Since we were already there, we decided to have lunch at Tangierine Café again. I really can’t get enough of that place! That cold couscous salad is da BOMB on a hot summer day, and the chicken wrap was a delicious as always. Leo enjoyed his usual burger.

I knew that some of The Waldos were at EP that day, so I dropped T a text while we were eating… and it turned out they were headed our way. So Leo and I stayed put and chilled with The Waldos while they had their lunch.

Chilled.

Did you know there’s air conditioning in the far back seating area of Tangierine?! I sure didn’t. Thanks for that tip T!

After lunch, we split up; T and Maddie joined Leo and I for our Kim Possible mission, while the rest of The Waldos… went somewhere else. Future World, maybe? We couldn’t leave Morocco without one item, though. Leo had seen the Moroccan CM’s rocking out earlier to some mean drum and stringed instruments they sell in the pavilion. And he “needed” one of those stringed instruments in the worst way. I was weak that day, and let him talk me into buying him a $14 Moroccan guitar.

Know what?

He loves that thing. Plays with it often, and frequently serenades me with it. And remembers aloud where and when we bought it. It was a good choice.



Back to the WS, our KP Mission took place in the UK. Again, I won’t spoil the fun with details, but this was even more fun than the mission in China!

It was a terrific morning at EP, but it was getting hot and was starting to sprinkle, and we were ready to head back to the hotel. The Waldos had separate plans that night, but we knew we’d all see each other bright and early the next morning. Ahem.


Leo and I got as far as the International Gateway turnstiles when the monsoon broke. I didn’t even take a picture – it was insane! We crouched back into the recess of the locker wall and waited it out. We waited and waited and waited. It was coming down so hard, it soaked through the giant awning that covers the ticket window queues and poured down into the benches. All boats were halted due to near-zero visibility and frequent lightning.

I watched what was happening in real time on my iPhone’s Weather Channel app. When it looked like the worst was past us, we made a run for the boat dock, and then to the nearest Beach Club entrance. I love my apps!



If the rain stopped, we probably all met for Pool-Thirty. If it didn’t, Leo and I probably watched a movie. Another one I just don’t remember. Which is actually kind of neat… by that point, it had really become one of those big family-style vacations in which the days begin running together and the focus is on relaxation and fun. I think the length of that stay contributed to the feeling, but I also think it had a lot to do with the company; we all just plain enjoy being together, whether it be in the pool, doing a KP mission, or savoring a meal.

Which made that night’s meal a little hard to swallow. So to speak.

Continued in next post.

 

[PrincessV]

The V’s were meeting The Mominators for dinner at T-Rex Café, and it was to be our final meeting before parting ways. It was our very own Last Supper. And it would ironically end in a most fateful way.

First off, we looove T-Rex. And both Leo and I were super excited for Michael to finally get there, too! So the walk from the bus stop to the restaurant had to have been a long one for them. Especially given that we made a couple pit stops along the way for, er… shopping.

But we did get there and settled in for our Jurassic adventure.

Poor Michael. Maybe he was hungry; maybe he wasn’t feeling well. But he wasn’t real into T-Rex.

Leo, on the other hand, was being overly dramatic and, well, annoying.

So we adults did the only thing we could… we ordered up some ginormous margaritas. Heh heh. FYI, “ginormous” seems to be the only size available at T-Rex. Check this out – this is the nachos appetizer I ordered as my meal:

I put the crayon in there to give you a feel for proportion.

Here’s my plate after stuffing myself silly:

Insane!

Anyway, we finished up and let the boys play in the dig pit for a while, which perked them up considerably.

We strolled around DTD some after that, hitting up the Lego Store’s outside play area and people watching. Ooo, and it was a GOOD night for that last one! Look…

Really? Really?! I learned by age five not to wear patterned underwear under white bottoms. Please.



Everything seemed to be going smoothly, and I think we were all enjoying our final night together. And then disaster struck.

Leo wanted to buy “something.” But he couldn’t find “something” he wanted. He started getting rather nasty about it in World of Disney, so I took him outside, where Tony was waiting for us. Tony and I were having a discussion about cell phone plans when, out of nowhere, Leo turned around and hit me.

HIT. ME.




Let me assure you, that has never happened before or since. So retribution was swift and just; I walked him over to a quiet spot out of the way and told him he was in Time Out - there would be no purchase and he was being punished. Leo proceeded to kick the wall, sob and generally act horrifically. I knew we had no choice but to leave and go back to the hotel. I didn’t understand what his problem was, but it wasn’t showing any sign of stopping and couldn’t be allowed to continue.

And so, when LL and Michael came out of the store, we said the worst goodbyes ever in our WDW history. Leo refused to speak to anyone and I nearly broke down in sobs on poor LL’s shoulder. I hate, hate, hate that our joint trip ended in such a terrible way, but I’m so very grateful for friends like The Mominators, who hugged me and reassured me that I was doing the right thing, and that Leo and I would be just fine. You guys are the best – thank you!



Still, I was mad. And sad. And feeling very, very bad. Leo was giving me the silent treatment all the way to the bus stop, where, mercifully, an SSR bus was waiting for us.

We got on, found two seats… and next thing I knew, Leo’s head was on my lap, sobbing his little heart out until he fell asleep.

My poor little boy. He was tired. And worn out physically. And, though I’d done all I could to assuage it – still reeling from the news of his dad moving far away. He’d had a tough few weeks and it was catching up to him.

By the time we returned to our room, all was forgiven and it was my angel-boy who said “I’m sorry Mommy,” and “I miss Michael,” before falling fast asleep in my arms.


Next: “They’re SLEEPING IN?!?!”

 

[DisneyJo]

Awwwww poor Leo, we all know how much he loves Michael so he must have been so exhausted!

I can't wait to try Kim Possible, it looks so much fun and your whole morning looks great too

 

[GreatBiscuit]

First, I apologize for this installment coming out much later than previous ones. In the past two weeks…

I went to the Dr. with a massive sinus infection.
I had a massive adverse reaction to the antibiotics prescribed for said infection.
My Dr. pronounced my blood pressure to be massively high following said reaction.
I developed a massive aversion to modern medicine.

Also…

My HVAC system died. Massively.
On a day of massive, record-setting heat.
I swallowed a massive amount of debt to replace the dead AC.

And…

I breathed a massive sigh of relief upon signing the refinance docs to get me out of my current balloon mortgage.


A little TR writing would have relieved a LOT of stress, but there just wasn’t a lick of time. But things have settled down now and I’m ready to jump back in. If you’re still here for the ride, thanks for sticking around!

Whoa! Sounds like it’s been a massive bummer of a 2 weeks. Hope things get better soon!

This was a very, very fun morning! I don’t think I’ve ever hit the WS at opening except during the Food & Wine Fest… it was EMPTY! What a different vibe there was; no bustling activity, just a mellow feeling that begged us to linger and take in the atmosphere before moving onto another area.

I got to spend some time here last summer just after WS opened. It is DEFINITELY the perfect time to tour.

I also had the brilliant idea of a Leo pic in every WS country, starting with Japan!

Good call. Even if you didn’t get all of them in, you can continue the montage the next time around.

Leo and I got as far as the International Gateway turnstiles when the monsoon broke. I didn’t even take a picture – it was insane! We crouched back into the recess of the locker wall and waited it out. We waited and waited and waited. It was coming down so hard, it soaked through the giant awning that covers the ticket window queues and poured down into the benches. All boats were halted due to near-zero visibility and frequent lightning.

Been there, done that, got the poncho.

It was our very own Last Supper. And it would ironically end in a most fateful way.

Uh-oh….

So we adults did the only thing we could… we ordered up some ginormous margaritas. Heh heh. FYI, “ginormous” seems to be the only size available at T-Rex. Check this out – this is the nachos appetizer I ordered as my meal:

HOLY FRIZBANG! That looks good!

Really? Really?! I learned by age five not to wear patterned underwear under white bottoms. Please.

and then I and then I and then I and then I

Leo wanted to buy “something.” But he couldn’t find “something” he wanted. He started getting rather nasty about it in World of Disney, so I took him outside, where Tony was waiting for us. Tony and I were having a discussion about cell phone plans when, out of nowhere, Leo turned around and hit me.

HIT. ME.




Let me assure you, that has never happened before or since. So retribution was swift and just; I walked him over to a quiet spot out of the way and told him he was in Time Out - there would be no purchase and he was being punished. Leo proceeded to kick the wall, sob and generally act horrifically. I knew we had no choice but to leave and go back to the hotel. I didn’t understand what his problem was, but it wasn’t showing any sign of stopping and couldn’t be allowed to continue.

And so, when LL and Michael came out of the store, we said the worst goodbyes ever in our WDW history. Leo refused to speak to anyone and I nearly broke down in sobs on poor LL’s shoulder. I hate, hate, hate that our joint trip ended in such a terrible way, but I’m so very grateful for friends like The Mominators, who hugged me and reassured me that I was doing the right thing, and that Leo and I would be just fine. You guys are the best – thank you!



Still, I was mad. And sad. And feeling very, very bad. Leo was giving me the silent treatment all the way to the bus stop, where, mercifully, an SSR bus was waiting for us.

We got on, found two seats… and next thing I knew, Leo’s head was on my lap, sobbing his little heart out until he fell asleep.

My poor little boy. He was tired. And worn out physically. And, though I’d done all I could to assuage it – still reeling from the news of his dad moving far away. He’d had a tough few weeks and it was catching up to him.

By the time we returned to our room, all was forgiven and it was my angel-boy who said “I’m sorry Mommy,” and “I miss Michael,” before falling fast asleep in my arms.

Poor little guy! We’ve noticed with our oldest that when she gets overly exhausted, she first gets hyper, then has a meltdown. Feeling your pain!

 

[cmp1111]

Note that it does not have a Fuzzy setting. Yet.

(not that I’m bitter about that little perk going away, ahem),

No, not at all, I can tell.

He loves that thing. Plays with it often, and frequently serenades me with it. And remembers aloud where and when we bought it. It was a good choice.

Awesome!

So we adults did the only thing we could… we ordered up some ginormous margaritas.

Sounds perfectly reasonable to me!

Leo turned around and hit me.

HIT. ME.

I'm so sorry.

My poor little boy. He was tired. And worn out physically. And, though I’d done all I could to assuage it – still reeling from the news of his dad moving far away. He’d had a tough few weeks and it was catching up to him.

Poor kiddo.

 

[jcc0621]

Great morning! Japan at the Transformers area is exactly where Jimmy would want to go too

Poor Leo and poor mommy

 

[jordanyosh]

Those pictures from the Japan pavilion are awesome and I'm not just saying that because of my heritage.

I think hitting the World Showcase at least once during the trip right at 11am si the way to go. People are still getting their groove on in Future World and you basically have the whole park to yourself for a few hours especially if you start at the International Gateway. You're a couple pavilions ahead of everyone.

Sorry about the meltdown, poor timing, but you are very good at reading why it happened. That's a good mom.

 

[Disneyland_Mama]

I put the crayon in there to give you a feel for proportion.

Here’s my plate after stuffing myself silly:

Insane!

Dude, you weren't kidding!

Really? Really?! I learned by age five not to wear patterned underwear under white bottoms. Please.

OMG, I think I saw that girl. Or someone just as stupid.

We got on, found two seats… and next thing I knew, Leo’s head was on my lap, sobbing his little heart out until he fell asleep.

My poor little boy. He was tired. And worn out physically. And, though I’d done all I could to assuage it – still reeling from the news of his dad moving far away. He’d had a tough few weeks and it was catching up to him.

By the time we returned to our room, all was forgiven and it was my angel-boy who said “I’m sorry Mommy,” and “I miss Michael,” before falling fast asleep in my arms.

Ok, somehow I missed my quotes on the first installment, but let me just say Tangeriene Cafe is the BEST! Meet me there in say 70ish days?

Next: “They’re SLEEPING IN?!?!”

Who's sleeping in???!!!

 

[englishrose47]

Poor Leo with the meltdownKyle just had to have asword and shield from UK and I ended up having to go back to get it as he wouldn't shut up about it !!

The World Showcase is my favorite place I could spend DAYS there!

 

[sharkB8HooHaHa]

Is there an app to help you keep track of your apps?


Kim Possible is a must do for us in January. In fact, right now that's the only thing that is part of the plan.

Poor Leo. And poor V. That must have been heart breaking. I hope he got a good night sleep and was up and ready to go the next day. What day are you on anyway? Thursday?

 

[jcc0621]

Is there an app to help you keep track of your apps?

 

[PrincessAlways]

What do you mean that there's no "Disney Fuzzy Math" app???? How can that be????????

I've got to remember to try KP with my nieces! Sounds like it was fun!! They'd probably love doing it.

We never eaten at T-Rex. Looks good! Is is a LOUD place????


Sorry that poor Leo had a bad time near the end. Poor kid! Hope things are better for him by now.

 

[Sooze]

Ok, V... You are going to listen to me and do exactly what I say.

Click on this link:

PICTURE OF THE DAY THREAD

Now post some of your pictures.

Got it? Do it... NOW!! That thread would LOVE your stuff... and I mean LOVE it!

Ok.. now... onto the response to your update...

Isn't it great when, every once in a while, you can find a souvenir that actually gets USED?! Great purchase!

Wow.. to the white shorts and patterned panties!
Wow.. to the humungous nacho plate
Wow.. to Leo's meltdown!

You had quite a day for having nothing planned!
Ready for more!

 

[praisehisname]

Oh, poor Leo (and Mommy)! I got a little misty-eyed.

Those nachos at TRex were huge!

If you like (virtual) people watching, check out www.peopleofwalmart.com

Denise

 

[shebaxric]

Hi PrincessV,
I found your TR from the recommendation of Great Biscuit. I have to say he gave a great tip when he gave this recommendation! I have enjoy the writing and format of your updates very much (thank you for putting links into the front of your report, BTW). A couple of my favorite moments:

"I want to be brave, Mommy". That is one of the cutest, most precious things I've heard in a long time!

Rude woman barging into your literal personal space! Some people have no boundaries!

Your Adult night out! That's always a great idea!

I look forward to your next update and thanks for writing!