Twice As Nice & Double the Fun: an offsite October PTR where “2” is the magic number

[ArwenMarie]

I agree. It used to be worth it. I remember when I was a kid they gave out cookies and cider at the monorail resorts. They also had carolers and the Grand Floridian was actually roasting chestnuts on an open fire. When we went a few years ago the Poly had nothing, the Contemporary had a small gingerbread display near the gift shop and the Grand had the gingerbread house.

They did have a lot of gingerbread displays on the upper floor of the Land at Epcot though. Seems they moved everything over there that used to be in the hotels.

Oh wow, that all must have been neat. It's too bad they've scaled back so much. They even took the giant lit up Mickey wreath off the CR.

I agree, I think the parks are more worth it for the holidays...the castle, the parties, World Showcase, Candlelight Processional. Of course none of that is free!

 

[chicagoshannon]

When I was a kid they had the Candlelight Processional at Downtown Disney. I"m not sure if it was also in Epcot at the same time or not. The good ol' days.

If you are riding the monorail to Magic Kingdom I'd say it's still worth a quick stop at the Grand to see the Gingerbread house, but I wouldn't make a special trip.

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

We saw carollers at the YC, but that must be about 4 or 5 years ago now.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Oh, I am woefully behind in my replies . My apologies to you all: I had a challenging week this past week. Let's just say technology was not my friend . My cell phone needed CPR at Telus, my new laptop ended up going back to the store, and my work week was equally as irritating. We finally made it to Friday in one piece, and then Steve gets called in for overtime both last night and all day today. We self-medicated tonight with donuts .

Yep, I will be going to Aquadica, and thanks for the cabana tip. Will take advantage of that for sure, Hey, remember, we are northerners too, so even a starting temp of 62, did not stop us from enjoying the park. Our favorite ride was as warm as bath water, and that and a big pile of towels made the visit fun. Off to see if there is a Kona breakfast time that will mesh with our plans.

LOL, you're like us! If there's no ice on the water, its considered swimming weather . I hope you can take advantage of that cabana offer for the day you visit. Have you splurged on a caban rental before at AQ?

I hope you were able to get the Kona ADR that you were hoping for. We've been trying for a couple for December (Beaches & Cream and Hoop Dee Doo) but alas......we've come up empty. Good things come to those who wait though, right?

I kind of want to go back at Christmas time to Disney again. I got sick midway thru our last trip, and was miserable. I missed the GF gingerbread house and was so excited to see it, but I had gone back to our hotel to nap when the sister and mom went I ended up sick for almost two months til finally getting better.

Yikes, that's awful . Since it hung on so long, was it pneumonia or something similar? That's always one of my biggest fears.....getting sick while on vacation. So much planning and excitement can be ruined so, so quickly.

You should start planning now for Christmas 2017 (assuming this year is not an option). There is something incredibly magical about Christmas in Orlando......I think everyone should experience it at least once!

The closest airport would be Knoxville. That's a 30 minute drive to Pigeon Forge and maybe another 15 minutes to Gatlinburg.

Good to know . I just Googled the distance, and was surprised to see its only a 14 hour drive from home (LOL...."only" 14 hours ). That's doable, though. For some reason, I thought Tennessee was closer to Florida than it is. Back to Geography class for me .

I don't think visiting the monorail resorts just to see the decorations, even the GF, is worth it? I think it's ok if you are there for some other reason anyway, but I wouldn't make a separate trip out of it. The Contemporary doesn't have much, nor does the Poly. The gingerbread house is cute at the GF, but it takes about 5 minutes and then you're done. The trees are pretty there, but again, not worth a separate trip unless you dining somewhere on the monorail anyway or something like that. Just my 2 cents!

Well, we could make it a little more worthwhile if there were cupcakes involved, right?

http://www.****************/let-them-eat-cupcakes-part-2/

I agree. It used to be worth it. I remember when I was a kid they gave out cookies and cider at the monorail resorts. They also had carolers and the Grand Floridian was actually roasting chestnuts on an open fire. When we went a few years ago the Poly had nothing, the Contemporary had a small gingerbread display near the gift shop and the Grand had the gingerbread house.

They did have a lot of gingerbread displays on the upper floor of the Land at Epcot though. Seems they moved everything over there that used to be in the hotels.

We were at the Poly last Christmas for breakfast at Ohana, and quite honestly we were quite surprised at how little Christmas decor was there. They had a few festive highlights, but far less than what we expected. Of course, in my opinion, you can't have too many Christmas decorations.....so I often wonder if my expectations are just too high LOL.

I'm finally here! I remember the roasted chestnuts. The contemporary used to have a band playing Christmas music too. Does anyone remember the Christmas dinner and show at the contemporary ballroom?
The yacht and beach club used to have incredible displays. Do they still have them?

Well, its about time you showed up (19 pages later ).

For those of you still wondering, this ^^^ is my partner-in-crime: my co-planner and my dearest friend. When you can hear the crickets chirping on this trip report thread, its probably because we're madly emailing back and forth as we discuss the latest idea one of us has for the upcoming Christmas trip.

I am so glad you've popped in, even if its just briefly. Hopefully we will see you here more often .

I don't know about the Yacht and Beach club. We didn't stop in the last time we were there. They did have excellent displays there too though. I would assume they stopped putting most of that stuff up too.

I wonder what year they stopped the extravagance. The last Christmas I was there when they had all of the great decor was 1998 and then I think it was 2012(maybe) when it was sparse.

I guess that's why I don't notice many of the cut-backs that other people do. We started visiting Orlando much, MUCH later than most of you folks. We've never known the Disney "good old days".....but by the sounds of things, we certainly missed some great times.

Hi Gina ~ I have been following your reports for quite a while (stalker-HA). Really just shy and quiet. Not sure what motivated me to post but here I am.

Perhaps it was the "gangster costume" - Have you given thought to just buying a real suit? Large pinstripe with large lapel. It would probably be comparable in cost. Also, do you have Goodwill or Salvation Army type stores up there in Canada that you could shop weekly. Might potentially find something you could put together yourself that way.

My name is Jane. I live in Massachusetts. I have two adult kids Pat - 30, Kate - 26 this year and 3 fur babies (dogs). I feel old typing that. Husband and I met in high school got married and still having fun. I am the FL lover he is not so much but beginning to enjoy too.

I enjoy reading about your trips so much you give some great travel advice and your style is fantastic and upbeat....

Aw, thank you Jane! to the thread! I am so glad you've decided to come out of lurkdom and join in the chatter. No need to be quiet or shy here.....we're all a fun and friendly bunch . I have the BEST, most awesome group of people who post on my report threads .

It's actually funny that you mention just buying a pin stripe suit for my Big Steve versus a plus-size costume: we discussed that EXACT thing last night as we grabbed a quick dinner together before he went back into work. I think we may hit the mall tomorrow to see what we can come up with. We have a Mr. Big & Tall store right here in town which means he could find something that fits (and hopefully in the pin-stripe style he is seeking). We have scoured both the Salvation Army and Value Village for second-hand options, but so far, nothing has turned up. His dimensions can be tough to fit. Thankfully, though, we still have some decent time to work with.....so hopefully persistence will pay off .

It sounds like you are blessed with a wonderful family . I hear you on the feeling old part, though: it makes me a little faint to know that grandchildren are a possibility within the next 5-10 years. I wonder how that's possible.....I don't feel a day over 29!

Oh wow, that all must have been neat. It's too bad they've scaled back so much. They even took the giant lit up Mickey wreath off the CR.

I agree, I think the parks are more worth it for the holidays...the castle, the parties, World Showcase, Candlelight Processional. Of course none of that is free!

When I was a kid they had the Candlelight Processional at Downtown Disney. I"m not sure if it was also in Epcot at the same time or not. The good ol' days.

If you are riding the monorail to Magic Kingdom I'd say it's still worth a quick stop at the Grand to see the Gingerbread house, but I wouldn't make a special trip.

Oooohhh......the Candlelight Processional. That's on my to-do list for the next, next Christmas vacation . Steve's only Epcot experience....way back in 2009....left him cool at best (let's just say he missed getting bitten by the Epcot bug), but I know he'd enjoy some of their holiday events. How I wish that the CP was still featured at Downtown Disney......that would have been amazing!

We saw carollers at the YC, but that must be about 4 or 5 years ago now.

Nothing says Christmas to me like old-fashioned carolers. I can't carry a tune in a bucket, but I do love to hear others sing!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Oh, and I almost forgot! We have officially crossed into

68 days to our October trip .

132 days until our December trip .


With time passing by (relatively) quickly, I was gutted to hear this yesterday:

http://ca.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idCAKCN10G29I

I know other Canadians are feeling the pain in their wallets just as much as we are. I had so, SO hoped to see some recovery in our dollar by the time our autumn vacation rolled around. That's looking less and less likely every day .

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

Still looking for HDDR for December 29th, but booked Trails End today just in case we never get it. That day my DD is volunteering at GKTW for the day from 07.30 to 15.45, so after we pick her up we are going to spend the evening at FW. Your days are speeding along Gina

 

[pigletto]

I wasn't too excited about the CAD$ news either, Gina.
It's not as shocking to me as it was last winter/early Spring because I expect it a little bit more now I guess, but it stinks.
I'm even more thankful now that our upcoming trip was the AirTransat package in Canadian funds . However, I still have ALL of our food and spending money to convert, and had wanted to do some outlet shopping. We will be ditching the shopping I think.

I wish we had a full kitchen to offset the meal costs more. We do have the family suite at Cabana Bay and that will be fine for breakfasts and there is the microwave and mini fridge that will be good for snacks and maybe some lunches. That way we can go out for dinner every day. With four of us it adds up quick, so I will make a more frugal plan than I had planned originally. We will splurge at the new Toothsome Chocolate Emporium if it is open by then, but otherwise stick to offsite dinners I think. I plan to make a budget with DH this morning and then make it work. I'm grateful to be able to go again this year after having been at Disney in May, so I need to remember this is all a bonus and not fret about the things being cut.

Thank goodness the party tickets are already purchased for MNSSHP and we already bought the Express Passes for dh and dd's HHN. Just have to buy those actual party tickets there. The kids have their own spending money as we told them to save because this was a bonus trip. So I plan to offer them a very attractive exchange rate at the bank of mom. The current deal is if I gave birth to you, CAD/USD is at par.

 

[ArwenMarie]

Seems attendance in Orlando is really down this summer due to lots of things including the foreign currency. I hope it looks up for you guys before your trips. I already choke on some of the prices just paying American.

 

[afan]

With time passing by (relatively) quickly, I was gutted to hear this yesterday:

http://ca.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idCAKCN10G29I

I know other Canadians are feeling the pain in their wallets just as much as we are. I had so, SO hoped to see some recovery in our dollar by the time our autumn vacation rolled around. That's looking less and less likely every day .

That sucks for you guys, but it reminded me to look at the Canucks schedule and finally the Sharks play a Saturday game there in Feb. Maybe I'll have to take an overnight trip for the game. I've never been to an NHL game in Canada, just WHL in Kelowna and to the NHL draft when it was in Calgary in 2000. It would also be nice to add another arena to my short list - San Jose, LA, Boston and Detroit.

On a trip note, tickets for WDW & USO are purchased Last things off our list will be to pay off the room, memory maker and friend's flights. Only the room left for me though since I got our MVMCP tix she's getting MM. Nice to spread the costs out over the year.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Still looking for HDDR for December 29th, but booked Trails End today just in case we never get it. That day my DD is volunteering at GKTW for the day from 07.30 to 15.45, so after we pick her up we are going to spend the evening at FW. Your days are speeding along Gina

Great minds think alike.....we've done exactly the same thing! Trails End is booked just in case, but we're still looking regularly for a Hoop Dee Doo ADR. I am virtually certain it will come up at some point, but until then....the waiting stinks!

What an awesome experience it will be for your DD at GKTW. I bet that will be some of the best memories from her trip .

I wasn't too excited about the CAD$ news either, Gina.
It's not as shocking to me as it was last winter/early Spring because I expect it a little bit more now I guess, but it stinks.
I'm even more thankful now that our upcoming trip was the AirTransat package in Canadian funds . However, I still have ALL of our food and spending money to convert, and had wanted to do some outlet shopping. We will be ditching the shopping I think.

I wish we had a full kitchen to offset the meal costs more. We do have the family suite at Cabana Bay and that will be fine for breakfasts and there is the microwave and mini fridge that will be good for snacks and maybe some lunches. That way we can go out for dinner every day. With four of us it adds up quick, so I will make a more frugal plan than I had planned originally. We will splurge at the new Toothsome Chocolate Emporium if it is open by then, but otherwise stick to offsite dinners I think. I plan to make a budget with DH this morning and then make it work. I'm grateful to be able to go again this year after having been at Disney in May, so I need to remember this is all a bonus and not fret about the things being cut.

Thank goodness the party tickets are already purchased for MNSSHP and we already bought the Express Passes for dh and dd's HHN. Just have to buy those actual party tickets there. The kids have their own spending money as we told them to save because this was a bonus trip. So I plan to offer them a very attractive exchange rate at the bank of mom. The current deal is if I gave birth to you, CAD/USD is at par.

That's a sweet deal you're extending to your kiddos . Too bad the deal requires a blood relation, because I was almost ready to ask if you'd like to adopt me .

I agree with you completely: the dismal dollar is no longer a surprise. I guess I was hoping we had hit the bottom.....at the very least, that it would get no worse. Thankfully we still find vacations in Orlando to be good value (for the most part) even with the exchange rate factored in. I know that there would, at some point, be that proverbial line in the sand where that's no longer the case.....but I just hope we never have to discover what that point would be .

Seems attendance in Orlando is really down this summer due to lots of things including the foreign currency. I hope it looks up for you guys before your trips. I already choke on some of the prices just paying American.

I had heard that it has been a pretty quiet summer thus far. I am just hoping the masses don't have a late year reconsideration and decide to all go around Halloween and Christmas instead. If that's the case...... its going to be crowded on our next two vacations!

That sucks for you guys, but it reminded me to look at the Canucks schedule and finally the Sharks play a Saturday game there in Feb. Maybe I'll have to take an overnight trip for the game. I've never been to an NHL game in Canada, just WHL in Kelowna and to the NHL draft when it was in Calgary in 2000. It would also be nice to add another arena to my short list - San Jose, LA, Boston and Detroit.

On a trip note, tickets for WDW & USO are purchased Last things off our list will be to pay off the room, memory maker and friend's flights. Only the room left for me though since I got our MVMCP tix she's getting MM. Nice to spread the costs out over the year.

It is DEFINITELY a good time for our American friends to visit: your dollar will go so incredibly far when our Loonie is so weak. We Canadians are very passionate about our hockey, so I think you'd love an NHL game on the north side of the border. You should totally try to make it happen!

Yay for the ticket purchases being scratched off the to-do list . I share the same approach as you: book early, pay all the expenses off a little at a time, and have the whole trip paid in full by the time we travel. It's so much more enjoyable that way! You don't have much left to go .

Any news or updates since your interview?

 

[chiamarie]

What the efff?! I clearly don't get on here enough these day; I find this and there's already TWENTY pages?!

Not gonna lie, I'm too tired to read through them....I glanced at the first few pages; so I'm sorry if this was mentioned elsewhere.

The Terrace BBQ is no longer. The closed it in June (or maybe the beginning of July). And honestly, you weren't missing much. Voaygers is better IMO when it comes to the BBQ place in the park.

I need to relook at your dates of MNSSHP. I know I"m going twice, one date is September 2nd (I'm still in shock that they are starting parties nearly two months before Halloween....and that I"m going to it) the other is gonna be a random Tuesday that my friend picks; she asked me to go with her and her nearly 4 year old. Should be fun!

 

[afan]

Any news or updates since your interview?

Probably nothing before the 15th because that's when the woman I interviewed with meets with the executive director. I think the only reason I would hear something earlier is if they found a great local candidate since that's the strong preference at the moment.

 

[Callie]

So lucky with your trip coming up so quick! Less than 60 days til I'm in DC...but its not Florida lol

 

[Joanna71985]

The Terrace BBQ is no longer. The closed it in June (or maybe the beginning of July). And honestly, you weren't missing much. Voaygers is better IMO when it comes to the BBQ place in the park.

Permanently?? For some reason I thought it was temporary

 

[dancin Disney style]

We have been tossing around the idea of a tour of the monorail resorts, too: I'd especially like to see the gingerbread house at the Grand Floridian. It's on the "possible" list but hasn't quite made it on the planning spreadsheet just yet .

We did a tour of the resorts on our Dec. trip. I have to say I was kind of disappointed. The gingerbread house was neat to see but much smaller than I expected. The GF does have an enormous Christmas tree that was probably the highlight of the tour. The other resorts really don't have much. The POLY had nothing special and the CR had a gingerbread display but it was actually not worth the time. Décor has been scaled way back right across the board from the resorts to the parks. With all the cuts due to Shanghai I think it's quite possible that there will be a little less again this year.

I think we only spent about 90 minutes visiting the three resorts and the bulk of that time was spent in the gift shop.

I am so glad you stopped to check in! I was planning on emailing you by the end of the week if you didn't soon surface. I was wondering if I had either (a) bored you enough that you jumped ship, (b) somehow managed to insult you (is that even possible? I think you have the most fun sense of humour of anyone I know) or (c) that things had unravelled with your DH's job. I didn't like ANY of those options so I was waiting it out and hoping for the best. Now that you're here (or were here, as the case may be) I feel so much better .

Well, somewhat better. I am sorry that your Beloved is suffering from high blood pressure . Not what either of you needed before your vacation (be sure to get some good out of country medical coverage, just in case). And I am gutted to hear that things at his job have not settled down since we last chatted. Rotten all around. We've been thinking of you guys and sending lots of good vibes your way, but obviously we need to kick it up a notch.

I hope you plan to use the spotty Cuban wifi to check in every now and again: we'd all love a beach selfie or two. You are certainly due for a relaxing, peaceful, uninterruped week in the sun. I hope Grumpy Cat is helping to get you guys excited about your impending departure, despite all the other stuff that's muddying the waters on a personal level.

I have to ask, though.......isn't it awkward to have a doctor who you had a friendship (or at least, was aquainted with) before your relationship expanded to a medical level? Or am I just weird? (nevermind....don't answer that )

A)nope
B)not possible
C)slightly calmer but nothing settled
D)you couldn't get rid of me if you tried

I will certainly pop in from Cuba if we manage to get a little WiFI. In a way I'm looking forward to going off the grid but not thrilled with being totally incommunicado. I hope that I can message DD#1 at least once. Grumpy Cat is mildly excited. She thinks that the immigration folks in Cuba will give her and her dad a hard time because of their last name. I do not use that name on may passport so I'm safe. For those that wonder what the heck I'm talking about our family name is similar to Castro and people occasionally ask if we are any relation to Fidel Castro. Anyway, I don't know what she thinks is going to happen, I would think if anything they wold roll out the red carpet At this point I have deluded myself into thinking that I have nothing to do to get ready but throw some clothes in a bag.

It's not weird at all knowing the Dr. prior to her being my Dr. Now maybe if it were a male Dr. it would be weird but girls are always good with each other. She's been my Dr. now for well over 20 years. She was a client of mine before that. Over the years it has proved to be a very valuable relationship. She calls me personally with test results, she shares her own experiences with things and once got involved on my behalf when GC was in a hospital out of province.

 

[dancin Disney style]

I would prescribe a week of utter relaxation for your DH somewhere warm and sunny. Must be fate! Does wonders for my BP...

Enjoy a mojito for me...

I will enjoy MANY mojitos for you.

Unfortunately, the BP issues are genetic. It's been a waiting game for several years. Not sure if a week on the beach will help with that or not. Worth trying though.

 

[Ruthie5671]

We self-medicated tonight with donuts .

Funny you said that - I was driving down the interstate over the weekend and behind me for several miles was a Krispy Kreme truck. I told hubby that if we were going to be in some kind of "stranded on the interstate" situation, I want to be right in front of that vehicle!

Good to know . I just Googled the distance, and was surprised to see its only a 14 hour drive from home (LOL...."only" 14 hours ). That's doable, though. For some reason, I thought Tennessee was closer to Florida than it is. Back to Geography class for me .

14 hours is nothing - just a teeny little drive! And an adventure! After retirement, hubby and I want to rent an RV and drive from coast to coast. My furthest venture out west is Oklahoma. There is an entire half of the country I still need to see. It will happen someday.

I'm down to 118 days!

 

[pattyw]

I will enjoy MANY mojitos for you.

Have a few for me too
Hope you have a relaxing, fun trip!! Can't wait to hear all about Cuba!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

What the efff?! I clearly don't get on here enough these day; I find this and there's already TWENTY pages?!

Not gonna lie, I'm too tired to read through them....I glanced at the first few pages; so I'm sorry if this was mentioned elsewhere.

The Terrace BBQ is no longer. The closed it in June (or maybe the beginning of July). And honestly, you weren't missing much. Voaygers is better IMO when it comes to the BBQ place in the park.

I need to relook at your dates of MNSSHP. I know I"m going twice, one date is September 2nd (I'm still in shock that they are starting parties nearly two months before Halloween....and that I"m going to it) the other is gonna be a random Tuesday that my friend picks; she asked me to go with her and her nearly 4 year old. Should be fun!

Well, hello there you hard working young lady! It's a good thing I keep up with you on Facebook because I don't see you much here on the boards these days . Glad you finally found us and have decided to join in the discussion. And just think: you have 19 whole pages just waiting to fill the void on a rainy day (after the Olympics are over, of course ).

Our MNSSHP dates are October 16th and 23rd, both Sundays. We plan to be at SeaWorld on October 15th and 19th, Aquatica on the 25th and 27th, and Discovery Cove on the 22nd and 26th. You'll have to let me know where we might be able to meet up with you over those two weeks, because if my memory serves me correctly, we owe a certain someone a Shamu sundae .

Probably nothing before the 15th because that's when the woman I interviewed with meets with the executive director. I think the only reason I would hear something earlier is if they found a great local candidate since that's the strong preference at the moment.

Then we shall say, No News Is Good News. The month is racing by.....the 15th is only a week away. Hopefully you won't have to wait too long beyond that for an update.

So lucky with your trip coming up so quick! Less than 60 days til I'm in DC...but its not Florida lol

DC may not be Florida, but it sure looks like an interesting place to visit all the same. What highlights are you planning for that trip? And how long are you staying? 60 days puts you travelling in....early October?

Permanently?? For some reason I thought it was temporary

I had assumed that, too.......summer just seemed like an odd time to shutter a dining location. I wonder what plans they have for that space? Surely they will replace it with something else. You locals will have to be my eyes and ears and keep me up to date.

We did a tour of the resorts on our Dec. trip. I have to say I was kind of disappointed. The gingerbread house was neat to see but much smaller than I expected. The GF does have an enormous Christmas tree that was probably the highlight of the tour. The other resorts really don't have much. The POLY had nothing special and the CR had a gingerbread display but it was actually not worth the time. Décor has been scaled way back right across the board from the resorts to the parks. With all the cuts due to Shanghai I think it's quite possible that there will be a little less again this year.

I think we only spent about 90 minutes visiting the three resorts and the bulk of that time was spent in the gift shop.


A)nope
B)not possible
C)slightly calmer but nothing settled
D)you couldn't get rid of me if you tried

I will certainly pop in from Cuba if we manage to get a little WiFI. In a way I'm looking forward to going off the grid but not thrilled with being totally incommunicado. I hope that I can message DD#1 at least once. Grumpy Cat is mildly excited. She thinks that the immigration folks in Cuba will give her and her dad a hard time because of their last name. I do not use that name on may passport so I'm safe. For those that wonder what the heck I'm talking about our family name is similar to Castro and people occasionally ask if we are any relation to Fidel Castro. Anyway, I don't know what she thinks is going to happen, I would think if anything they wold roll out the red carpet At this point I have deluded myself into thinking that I have nothing to do to get ready but throw some clothes in a bag.

It's not weird at all knowing the Dr. prior to her being my Dr. Now maybe if it were a male Dr. it would be weird but girls are always good with each other. She's been my Dr. now for well over 20 years. She was a client of mine before that. Over the years it has proved to be a very valuable relationship. She calls me personally with test results, she shares her own experiences with things and once got involved on my behalf when GC was in a hospital out of province.

We're all gonna miss you when you're away. Fingers crossed that the wifi is better and more reliable than you are expecting. Other than the clothes, seriously all you need is your toothbrush, some good conditioner for your hair and a new bottle of sunblock. Easy-peasy . I hope you get some spectacular weather and that the mojito man is easy on the eyes .

Funny you said that - I was driving down the interstate over the weekend and behind me for several miles was a Krispy Kreme truck. I told hubby that if we were going to be in some kind of "stranded on the interstate" situation, I want to be right in front of that vehicle!

14 hours is nothing - just a teeny little drive! And an adventure! After retirement, hubby and I want to rent an RV and drive from coast to coast. My furthest venture out west is Oklahoma. There is an entire half of the country I still need to see. It will happen someday.

I'm down to 118 days!

Amen to the Krispy Kreme stranding!! If you ever find yourself in that situation, please call ME to help rescue you. I'll PM you my phone number .

14 hours is quite doable. We're not big road trip people (I think its an impatience thing.....we like to get where we're going, fast!) but in some cases, driving straight there is less hassle than driving to the airport, flying somewhere, then still having to drive to our destination. I think, too, that it will be more enjoyable to do a road trip vacation now that its just us two adults: taking kids out of the equation definitely simplifies things a lot.

118 days.....you're not far from double digits!! It can't some soon enough, can it?

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Well, since @Ruthie5671 has me counting....

66 days until we leave on our October trip .

130 days until our Christmas trip .

Not much new to report over the last couple of days. Our attempts to build a gangster costume for Steve made some small steps over the weekend. He now has the right pants and shoes, and we're picking up his fedora from the costume store tomorrow, which mostly just leaves us his top to figure out. Our attempts to find him a vest at the mall were a bust (unless we wanted to pay $110 plus tax for one at Mr. Big & Tall...ouch!) so we're hoping that our costume store lady.....who is also a seamstress by trade......will be able to help us build one for him. We actually found a 4X one at Value Village on our travels which fit really quite nicely, but the fabric panels at the front were a hideous Aztec-style print and definitely didn't scream out 20's mobster. I am hoping that Claire (the costume goddess) might be able to replace the Aztec print panels with a black pinstripe material (surely they carry such a thing at Fabricland) and then all he would need is a dress shirt and tie to complete the ensemble.

I also hope she has a dress that fits my impossible criteria: something that doesn't make me look too old, too fat, too short, or too risqué. Yes, I know its a flapper costume and risqué is the general goal, but let's just say I'm not 25 any more . I need a great costume that I'm not afraid to be seen in, and that covers enough of me that those in the immediate vicinity are not horrified . LOL....here I said Steve was the tough one to accommodate .

I called today and booked a golf cart for our Fort Wilderness night in December: after dinner (currently Trails End, but hopefully that will change to Hoop Dee Doo if Disney ever gets their act together and releases ADRs for the latter part of the year ) we will tour the resort via the golf cart and check out all the decorations that the campers have put up. Kerry also managed to snag us a reservation for one of our nights at Beaches & Cream, so I am super excited to give that a try for the first time, too. This trip is shaping up to have more Disney components than any other vacation we've taken in Orlando, save for our first trip (an onsite, Disney-only getaway) back in 2009. I think someone is having a good influence on me .

Cross your fingers that tomorrow brings us success with the vest at the costume shop, and a dress that I don't hate. I will keep y'all posted!