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

[PrincessV]

Many, many thanks to everyone for your kind words. If you want to find me rambling on, I'll be here: http://vpanz.blogspot.com/

It won't all be Disney-related, but chances are some will be at least Disney-inspired. My first column is up and I'm not at all sure it's my best work, but it's a start and that's what I needed. It's dedicated to Jo and her family, who are on their way to see me right now!

 

[Jiminy'sGirl]

Just found this TR (can't even remember how I stumbled upon it), and I am really enjoying it. Anytime pool-thirty intersects beer-thirty I am one happy reader. And can I just say, Leo is PRECIOUS. I have a 7 year old son myself, so I know better than to ever say that to his face, but wowee - those eyelashes! the puppy dog eyes! He must be completely rotten because how could you say no to him with those big ole eyeballs looking up at you???

 

[GreatBiscuit]

Merry Christmas V & Leo. Haven't had a chance to ceck out the blog yet, but plan to tomorrow. (Gotta work Christmas Eve and it's sure to be SLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW.)

 

[PrincessV]

Hi there and thanks for reading! Leo's definitely tough to resist; he knows how to work those eyes, lol!

Just found this TR (can't even remember how I stumbled upon it), and I am really enjoying it. Anytime pool-thirty intersects beer-thirty I am one happy reader. And can I just say, Leo is PRECIOUS. I have a 7 year old son myself, so I know better than to ever say that to his face, but wowee - those eyelashes! the puppy dog eyes! He must be completely rotten because how could you say no to him with those big ole eyeballs looking up at you???

 

[PrincessV]

Hey GB! Hope your work day's an easy one. I'll be over to your TR to catch up and wish you a Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas V & Leo. Haven't had a chance to ceck out the blog yet, but plan to tomorrow. (Gotta work Christmas Eve and it's sure to be SLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW.)

 

[PrincessV]

Well, I got the Disboard's new E-ticket app and I'm using it to post right now! It has some oddities: no multi-quoting, can't copy/paste, and my replies wind up on top of quotes. But it's still pretty good, so I recommend it!

 

[lazydoxy66]

V,
I finally made it back to your TR.

I found Tutto to be a big surprise and I'm not Italian. Let's just say I am not a fan of Olive Garden and now, I never will be.

The picture of Leo at Mexico is absolutely precious.

That last try for MK was just a bummer. You are so good with improvising and making it work. The crowd thing does start to wear on one.

I love your ramblings!

Thanks for writing this TR. You know I'll be around if you write another.

 

[OhMari]

How much was the Ap, or is it free?

 

[PrincessV]

That last try for MK was just a bummer. You are so good with improvising and making it work. The crowd thing does start to wear on one.

Thanks, I try! Y'know, the crowds never bothered me much pre-Leo; it's an entirely different game with him in tow, mostly because he's not at all down with an entire day without rides. Go figure.

How much was the Ap, or is it free?

Sadly, it's pricey for an app - $5.99 I believe. And I can access all of the DIS for free on the iPhone web browser... but it takes forever to load. I decided that $6 was worth not needing a laptop on vacation (to WDW or anywhere else) in order to pop in the DIS!

 

[hucifer]

How did I miss your TR? This thing is hilarious! Next time, slap me on the back of the head and say, "Read my TR, dammit." And I will comply. I'm still waaaaaay behind (page 7 right now) and a dollar short. But I did bring beer.

When we got off, he was shaking like a leaf and trying desperately not to cry in front of his friends. I asked if he needed to be held, and he nodded “yes,” so I told the group we’d catch up and pulled him over to the side for some comforting.

Awww...the mom in me totally wanted to hug Leo myself. I love it when my boy needs a Mommy Moment. I live for those.

I’d like to think we were merely honoring our founding fathers through a little civil disobedience.

I love this line.

P.S.: Tracy made me do it.

I HATE it when friends shove my camera in my face and make me press the button and then force me to post it online. It makes me feel so powerless.

 

[hucifer]

>LL is MIA?
<She’s right behind you on Splash!
>Lol! Duh!

That one made me LOL.

Such fun would be pretty cool under any circumstances. But it was especially noteworthy in Leo’s case. See, only a week prior to our trip, Leo’s dad moved across the country. ALL the way across. We’ve been divorced since Leo was a baby, but up until this summer, Leo’d been seeing his dad regularly. He was, and still is, having a hard time with the idea that Daddy wasn’t going to be around any more.

Tony brought to Leo a much-needed dose of male adult-child bonding. Let’s face it ladies, no matter how much effort we put in, it’s just not the same as guy-time, right? As Leo reminded me when he asked me to try throwing him like Tony… and he basically just tipped forward into the water.

Later in the trip, when we all were at SSR, Andy, too, spent some quality pool time with Leo. Thank you both so very much for being the kind, caring men you are; you really, really made things better for my sad boy.

This brought tears to my eyes. My coworker saw me crying and blowing my nose and asked if I was okay.

I’m sorry to say that I wasn’t impressed with the food. It was fine, but not exceptional; nothing stood out as being particularly great. It was just “meh.”

Agreed.

 

[hucifer]

So we headed over to SSR to get our room assignment. I’d made my standard request: top floor. After spending a few sleepless nights below the Stomping Family on previous trips, I always, always request top floors.

Me too. My goodness, we're more similar than I thought...

I too suffer with low blood sugar issues and HAVE to eat on schedule. Sucks, doesn't it? My husband and I already noticed that Patrick acts like Mommy when he hasn't eaten...he's one cranky mo-fo.

I love, love, love doing laundry.

Okay, that's just weird.

Ghirardelli was calling, and we answered.

When ISN'T Ghirardelli calling? I mean seriously, V.

 

[DisneyJo]

It won't all be Disney-related, but chances are some will be at least Disney-inspired. My first column is up and I'm not at all sure it's my best work, but it's a start and that's what I needed. It's dedicated to Jo and her family, who are on their way to see me right now!

Awww I've just seen this and when I read the title a while back I did think of 2007 when we were arranging our first meet

 

[hucifer]

LL will vouch for me – he looked like that the ENTIRE meal! We had Zombie Boy in the front seat of our Buick. And he was the driver, no less!

 

[hucifer]

It began with a meeting in the parking lot, where The Mominators and V’s piled into the Mominator-mobile, which is NOT a minivan.

I'm discovering a pattern here.

Though he proclaimed MY broccoli at home to be better. Good lad.

I'm impressed that he eats broccoli. Good mom.

You look soooooo pretty here. And happy.

Hee hee, the kids were all headed to the Mousketeers Club for the night. Especially on these long trips, it’s just heaven for the kids to get away from us parents for a while and hang with their own crowd. They, of course, receive excellent supervision courtesy of the amazing WDW Recreation staff, but they seem to feel like they’re on their own for a while. This makes for some very happy campers.

How much does it cost to throw your kids in one of these clubs? Is it free? (Somehow I doubt it.)

The not-at-all-like-a-minivan Mominator-mobile brought us safely back to SSR

Yes, I definitely see a pattern.

 

[hucifer]

I cannot believe my brother's gut is posted on the internet! You remember the story of why he decided to hike up shirt, right? All the guys were teasing him for ordering a "chick" drink. So he decided to hit on Tony.

Seriously...THAT is freaking hilarious.

 

[hucifer]

Here’s my plate after stuffing myself silly:

Insane!

Insane in size, yes. But also looks insanely delicious.

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.

That made me tear up again. Your little Leo is such a doll.

 

[hucifer]

OMG, what a cutie pants.

Ditto. Ditto.

After that, Leo and I finally got our BTMRR in the dark fix… 3 times in a row! He’s so not scared of it anymore.

Aww...your little guy is growing up.

P.S. Now if I could just get that Boo to You music to stop playing in my head... over, and over, and over...[/SIZE]

It stays with you a long time. And yes, it is a FANTASTIC parade. I love love love those grave diggers too.

 

[hucifer]

Yeah. The pics stopped there.

LOVE this picture. And the caption.

And the meal… oooooh, the meal! Divine. Taking T’s recommendation from her earlier visit to Tutto, I ordered the grilled salmon, served with roasted vegetables. Simple, no? No. And yes. I’d call it sophisticated. The fish was cooked to perfection, flaking delicately with nary a spot of dryness. The flavor was light and citrusy, but with the aroma of fresh herbs ascending as I brought fork to mouth. As for the vegetables, they were still crisp, but hot and with just enough seasoning to bring out their own, earthy flavors.

This is now on my must-try list. Mama likes salmon.

 

[hucifer]

About 200 of our closest parking lot friends were waiting for the tram, too. In fact, there were more people waiting than could possibly fit in a single tram. Choosing not to fight our way through, we held back and allowed others to push and shove their ways onto the tram. Once it departed, Leo and I waited patiently another few minutes, our toes right up to the painted line that shall not be crossed until the tram arrives. Read: we were front and center to board the next tram.

Again, we were not alone.

In those few minutes, another 200 or so folks showed up and wanted to board the VERY NEXT tram to the MK. Apparently they wanted it more than we did: when the tram came to a full and complete stop in front of us, Leo and I took one step toward it before being – literally – pushed out of the way by a late-arriving family. The mom pushed her stroller in front of me and the grandfather gave Leo a stiff arm to move in front and board the tram before us. In the seconds that elapsed during this milieu, every single seat on the tram had filled.

No seats for you.

Wow. It's amazing (and pathetic) that there are people out there like this.

What a trooper!

Thank you so much for reading along, and especially for your comments. I know some of you have been there through every one of my trip reports; that you’ve continued to come back has meant a lot to me. It’s a good place, this DIS of ours. [/SIZE]

I am sooooooooo sorry that I missed your entire report, V...thus, you get a million replies in one page. I tend to make it to the parties late, though.

If you ever do write another report, please let me know early on! I really, really enjoyed reading about the adventures that you and Leo had with all of your DIS friends.