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

[afan]

Nothing exciting here, though we finally got some heat Up at my normal work time so I can get in an 8 mile training run before it gets hot (upper 90s tomorrow) and then a massage at 11. Otherwise enjoying that we have a/c when most around here don't so I can enjoy the weather but come inside to cool off. Oh and a fast pass planning phone call is scheduled for Sunday, not that park hours for November are even close to being finalized by disney and won't be before our date on the 5th I'm sure.

No word on the job, still thinking no news is good news. I'll email her Monday morning for an update since it'll be a week and a half since we talked and a week since she was supposed to meet with the exec dir.

 

[Callie]

Congrats to Jake getting his own apartment! My first off campus, non college one was at 20. Scary scary but exciting exciting

 

[dancin Disney style]

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

View attachment 188771

Now THAT is a VIEW . Absolutely stunning.

Please tell me you enjoyed a relaxing, stress-free, sunshiny holiday and have returned feeling fresh and rejuvenated. And because we're all dying to know....how did Grumpy Cat fare with the spotty wifi?

We have 15 days until our trip. I think we're going to try a date night at Toothsome (my parents are coming with this time so we can leave the kids with them.).

So a new lady in Jake's life. That's exciting.

15 days!! Oh, I am so jealous!

I can't wait to hear your thoughts on Toothsome. You'll have to order something sinfully yummy for dessert and post pics for us afterward. We will all be waiting .

Ah yes, a new lady . I roll my eyes, but she's okay. Quiet. Blonde. Quiet. Shy. Did I mention, quiet? And I hear she's afraid of me a little . I didn't think I was that scary, but maybe I put her off a little when I mentioned I wouldn't hesitate to dig her eyeballs out with my fingernails if she breaks his heart?

I didn't you were a GP vet. We went over to watch college football on a Saturday night when a lot of big games were on. They do hockey and basketball too. We checked out ICE too. I had my kids with me so we didn't hang around ICE long. Marriot owns Gaylord and my uncle runs Marriot Village so he hooked us up. That property is huge! Anyway, I know you and Steve will have a blast. I still laugh when I scroll through my pics and see this big guy...

Oh, that dang dolphin . Thank goodness we didn't move heaven and earth to get it home: it would have taken up half of Jake's tiny apartment .

I wouldn't say we're Gaylord Palms "vets", but we've seen enough that we're definitely wowed. I would love to spend a week there someday when our budget is nice and cushy. One of those atrium view rooms, especially during the holiday season, must be INCREDIBLE!

My life being the non-stop, wild and crazy, action packed thing that it is, I have so many amazing weekend plans. Oh wait, that's not me. Raise your hand if you're working, cleaning your house and doing laundry this weekend!!! Yup, that's me.

Oh, ME! ME! Well, everything you have listed applies to me but the working part: unfortunately, however, Steve's making up for that in spades. He's trying to grab a nap as we speak before heading into the plant for a midnight troubleshooting mission for one of the machines at the company he works for, and then they are sending him to their production facility in Michigan tomorrow so he can assist with their issues as well. Our weekend has officially gone to the dogs . Putting a positive spin on things: this means more overtime, which means more spare cash to cover some extras for December.

So: I will not complain. I will not complain. I will not complain. (but I may still grumble a bit )

After reading your report we're looking into maybe doing ICE as well.

YES!! I think you would love it! The exhibit is incredible and the atrium is worth a tour while you're there, too. You may want to consider one of their combo tickets and go snow tubing, too, just to round out your visit.

Thanks Gina Yes, losing money would have been the worst! At least we can use the tickets (plane and park) at some point soon hopefully.

Hmmmm......October would be nice . Say, between the 14th and 28th? Can you say......DISMEET?

So sorry to hear about your trip . If it makes you feel better at all we had to take dd to the walk in clinic once while at Disney for strep. The waiting room was packed full of screaming toddlers. The DR said that when the kids fly with bad colds they get bad ear infections. He said it was a large percentage of the patients he sees. So it could have gotten worse had you gone. Still a disappointment though .

Gina, I have fun weekend plans. My Brother and SIL went to Niagara on the Lake for their anniversary and we get my one year old nephew for the weekend. He's a little sweet pea and it's a treat for all of us. They texted a little while ago and said they were most looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow as long as they wanted. Remember those days? I barely do now that my youngest is 12. I'm excited to get up at 5am with that little muffin.

Oh, you brave soul. I'm so far from those days I would have NO idea what to do with a wee baby anymore. You are one awesome auntie!! I hope you are having a blast and enjoying your baby fix!!

Nothing exciting here, though we finally got some heat Up at my normal work time so I can get in an 8 mile training run before it gets hot (upper 90s tomorrow) and then a massage at 11. Otherwise enjoying that we have a/c when most around here don't so I can enjoy the weather but come inside to cool off. Oh and a fast pass planning phone call is scheduled for Sunday, not that park hours for November are even close to being finalized by disney and won't be before our date on the 5th I'm sure.

No word on the job, still thinking no news is good news. I'll email her Monday morning for an update since it'll be a week and a half since we talked and a week since she was supposed to meet with the exec dir.

Still no news?!?! Well, I would definitely say that's a good sign: generally "no's" come pretty quickly. Here's hoping they don't make you wait too much longer for an answer.

Congrats to Jake getting his own apartment! My first off campus, non college one was at 20. Scary scary but exciting exciting

Thank you . I think he's still in the "excited" stage: the fright won't kick in until he's faced with his internet bill, his rent due, and his own grocery bill . All a part of growing up, though, isn't it? Hard for me to watch but I can't protect him forever.....much as I'd like to.

 

[Raeven]

We definitely would do the combo ticket and try the snow tubing too if we go!

 

[chicagoshannon]

Quiet is sometimes a good thing. She probably just needs time to warm up. She probably just wants to make a good impression, which means she really likes Jake.

I will let you know about Toothsome. I won't be getting a milkshake though ($12!) I will get one of the other desserts though. Hopefully other members of the family agree to go too. My bil and sister will now be joining us for part of the trip.

 

[afan]

I will let you know about Toothsome. I won't be getting a milkshake though ($12!) I will get one of the other desserts though. Hopefully other members of the family agree to go too. My bil and sister will now be joining us for part of the trip.

I'm also looking forward to seeing what you have to say about Toothsome. I cringed at the price of the milkshakes and some of the entree prices. There's a couple of things on the menu I would be ok having so we may end up there after one of our Universal days since the park closes at 7. Might just be for dessert depending on what I hear about the food.

 

[Monykalyn]

Sooo tried to make a bet with DH friday about where to go for spring break-he wouldn't take the bait unfortunately LOL (I would have won-was about where we saw Norah Jones in concert) So still no concrete plans-but the bug is planted. I would love to go to Williamsburg VA but I am afraid our spring break would be too early for many things to be fully up and running. Florida is starting to pull ahead in the running...

Exciting weekend plans? ah-no. Cleaning, cooking, making sure kids have homework done, but I did get to finish getting my garden ready and fall plantings in! After some...discussion...DH and I finally decided on design for deck expansion and where stairs would be. Hopefully that project will get going very soon. Backyard has been graded (and muddy) for a few weeks now. Our contractor is a friend who gives us good deals (and gives us good work) but he tries to space our projects for his slower times-which I am fine with as this is how we get a good price

Gorgeous weather this weekend! low humidity and not scorching hot.

 

[pigletto]

Well, it has been a productive week as far as trip planning goes. Not only did I cross payment of our December park-and-fly package and Christmas Eve hotel off the list, as well as the purchase of our annual travel insurance policy, today I was able to purchase our ICE! and Alpine Snow Tubing tickets for our day at Gaylord Palms, and the first of our two Preferred annual passes for Universal. Progress feels very, very good!

Doesn't that feel great Gina?! I would say you are doing a great job! The weather is starting to turn a little bit, and while I'm sure there are more hot days ahead.. it's started to feel like our trips are getting close isn't it? 68 days to go for my family.

I just called moments ago and paid the remaining 50% of our package off. So air, seat selection, Cabana Bay Family Suite, and rental car are paid in full. I bought the tickets quite some time ago, and I paid for our park and fly hotel on Friday. I have enough saved for $1000 of our spending/food money. We'll change that over this week. I hope to bring $1500 USD, so I still have a little way to go for that one. I'll try to get that done as quick as I can because from all we've heard, that dollar is more likely to get worse come Fall.
It feels good to have this all taken care of!

I forgot to mention your backyard is beautiful!!! But I can certainly see why you have so much raking to do.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

We definitely would do the combo ticket and try the snow tubing too if we go!

I can't help but laugh at the irony of us making the pilgrimage to Orlando to enjoy a warm and sunny Christmas in the south, and opting to go snow tubing while we're there (something we would avoid like the plague when we're at home ).

Quiet is sometimes a good thing. She probably just needs time to warm up. She probably just wants to make a good impression, which means she really likes Jake.

Yeah, you are probably right. I'm doing my best to make her feel welcome and included, but its tough with such a shy and reserved girl. We are definitely NOT shy or reserved so I'm sure she thinks we are creatures from another planet LOL!

I will let you know about Toothsome. I won't be getting a milkshake though ($12!) I will get one of the other desserts though. Hopefully other members of the family agree to go too. My bil and sister will now be joining us for part of the trip.

I'm also looking forward to seeing what you have to say about Toothsome. I cringed at the price of the milkshakes and some of the entree prices. There's a couple of things on the menu I would be ok having so we may end up there after one of our Universal days since the park closes at 7. Might just be for dessert depending on what I hear about the food.

Do either of you have a link to the Toothsome menu that you could share? I have seen pictures of the many desserts, but can't seem to find much information on the entrees that they will be offering. I tried googling but came up empty.

Sooo tried to make a bet with DH friday about where to go for spring break-he wouldn't take the bait unfortunately LOL (I would have won-was about where we saw Norah Jones in concert) So still no concrete plans-but the bug is planted. I would love to go to Williamsburg VA but I am afraid our spring break would be too early for many things to be fully up and running. Florida is starting to pull ahead in the running...

Exciting weekend plans? ah-no. Cleaning, cooking, making sure kids have homework done, but I did get to finish getting my garden ready and fall plantings in! After some...discussion...DH and I finally decided on design for deck expansion and where stairs would be. Hopefully that project will get going very soon. Backyard has been graded (and muddy) for a few weeks now. Our contractor is a friend who gives us good deals (and gives us good work) but he tries to space our projects for his slower times-which I am fine with as this is how we get a good price

Gorgeous weather this weekend! low humidity and not scorching hot.

Ooooh, a new deck! Lucky girl! Will we get before and after pics of the project?

I wish I had "handier" friends. Finding a good contractor that we can both trust AND afford is always a challenge. We are thinking of replacing our shed with a new, larger structure in the spring and I cringe at the thought of trying to find a good price on quality work.

 

[afan]

Do either of you have a link to the Toothsome menu that you could share? I have seen pictures of the many desserts, but can't seem to find much information on the entrees that they will be offering. I tried googling but came up empty.

Someone posted it on the USO board - http://www.disboards.com/threads/wh...uding-menus-updated-regularly.2681315/page-97

There's a link to a fb page first but if you keep going down someone posted the photo's in the thread on the page I linked to. There's a thread too that I'm going to watch for reviews that's there too.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Doesn't that feel great Gina?! I would say you are doing a great job! The weather is starting to turn a little bit, and while I'm sure there are more hot days ahead.. it's started to feel like our trips are getting close isn't it? 68 days to go for my family.

I just called moments ago and paid the remaining 50% of our package off. So air, seat selection, Cabana Bay Family Suite, and rental car are paid in full. I bought the tickets quite some time ago, and I paid for our park and fly hotel on Friday. I have enough saved for $1000 of our spending/food money. We'll change that over this week. I hope to bring $1500 USD, so I still have a little way to go for that one. I'll try to get that done as quick as I can because from all we've heard, that dollar is more likely to get worse come Fall.
It feels good to have this all taken care of!

I forgot to mention your backyard is beautiful!!! But I can certainly see why you have so much raking to do.

I really, really don't want to admit it....but I can definitely feel the first hints of autumn in the air. There's a definite change in the wind tonight, and tomorrow they're only calling for a high of 20 (that's around 70 degrees Fahrenheit for my American friends). The days are noticeably shorter, too .

Congrats on paying off the balance of your package!! What a GREAT feeling that is . Don't you find you can get twice as excited for a trip when the expenses are all covered? I hadn't heard the projection for our dollar to fall even further this fall but now you've made me feel much better about my obsessive need to cover as many expenses as possible this far in advance. Gosh darn it, though, aren't we due for a little break where the dollar is concerned?!?!?

Much as I complain about the ridiculous amount of autumn leaves, its nice to have the privacy that we do with the convenience of city living. It is definitely one of the things I love most about my neighbourhood.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Someone posted it on the USO board - http://www.disboards.com/threads/wh...uding-menus-updated-regularly.2681315/page-97

There's a link to a fb page first but if you keep going down someone posted the photo's in the thread on the page I linked to. There's a thread too that I'm going to watch for reviews that's there too.

Fabulous! Thank you!

Off to read.....and drool .

 

[Raeven]

You're right we would never do that here! But it's so much better when you can go out into the warm weather after

 

[pigletto]

I wouldn't count my third hand anxiety driven opinion too much when predicting the dollar. I read a few posts that made sense that it would drop a bit more after this brief recovery. So I figure I will exchange as much as I can now because it climbed a little and hope for the best. But it's still anyone's guess.

And that menu looks AMAZING. The whole place looks fun. We too are a basketball family so I will miss NBA city, but this goes a long way to making me feel better.

 

[chicagoshannon]

Toothsome is supposed to open today at 4pm so I"m sure we'll see more reviews of the place very soon.

I'm still waiting for the sign ups at Sea World for bring a friend for free. I'm getting frustrated! 12 days to go!

 

[dancin Disney style]

Now THAT is a VIEW . Absolutely stunning.

Please tell me you enjoyed a relaxing, stress-free, sunshiny holiday and have returned feeling fresh and rejuvenated. And because we're all dying to know....how did Grumpy Cat fare with the spotty wifi?

LOL....I posted that pic from the airport in Santa Clara while waiting for the flight home. It took 21 minutes to upload. That was the only somewhat stable internet we got the entire week. We arrived at the resort on Saturday around 5pm and the internet was down until Wednesday evening after 8pm. We got on then for about 10 minutes and then it cut out. I did manage to have a short conversation with DD at home. GC needed to post some birthday wishes to a friend and got that accomplished via Facebook. After that I think she managed to get online once until we got to the airport on Saturday. Basically, she could use Facebook but none of her other stuff....ie: Instagram and Snapchat. She actually wasn't that bothered by the situation I guess because she was expecting it.

The holiday was fantastic. We had a 10 minute rain shower once and other than that it was a little overcast here and there which was actually a good thing. It was high of 33 and low of 28 over night. So, constantly hot. It was Florida in August humid in the morning but that would go away before noon when the trade winds would come in and keep it comfortable. I think I got a little food poisoning on Tuesday night but once dinner made it's reappearance I was good to go again. The funny thing was GC and I had had the exact same thing for dinner. Luckily, I got the bad plate not her. If she had been up sick that night I don't think I could have taken the drama. The Cuban people are INCREDIBLE!!!! We met so many wonderful, friendly staff members there. DH found his new BFF. He ended up giving the guy the shirt off his back...literally. I was so impressed by the fact that they all speak nearly perfect English and French. They took a lot of time to teach us about Cuban culture and explain about life in Cuba. I loved learning all these things.

So here's my trip report.....
Sunday....massive qualities of Rum in the pool
Monday....massive qualities of Rum and Tequila on the beach
Tuesday....massive qualities of Rum in the pool
Wednesday....not enough Rum, trip to the market and a ride in a 1955 Bel Air taxi
Thursday....made up for the previous lack of Rum and Tequila
Friday....several naps on the beach
Saturday....early bus back to the airport as my liver said that it hurt
There were daily naps at the pool and beach, ice cube spitting contests(won), dancing, trivia contest that the Cuban family at the bar beside me fed me the answers, pool Olympics (lost), pool volleyball and sneaking beers to the pool activity staff.

Didn't take very many pictures because most of the time I kept forgetting the camera. I hardly ever had my phone because I couldn't use it. So not many pics. I've got a couple that I will post later from my phone. It was actually very nice to walk around with no phone, no bag....nothing.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

You're right we would never do that here! But it's so much better when you can go out into the warm weather after

So true!

I wouldn't count my third hand anxiety driven opinion too much when predicting the dollar. I read a few posts that made sense that it would drop a bit more after this brief recovery. So I figure I will exchange as much as I can now because it climbed a little and hope for the best. But it's still anyone's guess.

And that menu looks AMAZING. The whole place looks fun. We too are a basketball family so I will miss NBA city, but this goes a long way to making me feel better.

I am actually super impressed by the new Toothsome menu: its far, far more extensive than I had expected it to be. The desserts look ah-mazing and the entrees are surprisingly varied. I was also quite impressed at the price point of the entrees: they are less expensive than I had anticipated for a themed/unique dining location. I assume annual passholders will receive their customary discount here as well, which just sweetens the deal! (pardon the pun )

How did you make out with your Auntie duties over the weekend? Did you get your fill of baby snuggles?

Toothsome is supposed to open today at 4pm so I"m sure we'll see more reviews of the place very soon.

I'm still waiting for the sign ups at Sea World for bring a friend for free. I'm getting frustrated! 12 days to go!

I love SeaWorld, but I hate the way they are so SLOW at rolling out info on upcoming special events and offers. They seriously need me (and my red-hot OCD) on staff: I'd keep them on track, on time, and AHEAD of schedule!

LOL....I posted that pic from the airport in Santa Clara while waiting for the flight home. It took 21 minutes to upload. That was the only somewhat stable internet we got the entire week. We arrived at the resort on Saturday around 5pm and the internet was down until Wednesday evening after 8pm. We got on then for about 10 minutes and then it cut out. I did manage to have a short conversation with DD at home. GC needed to post some birthday wishes to a friend and got that accomplished via Facebook. After that I think she managed to get online once until we got to the airport on Saturday. Basically, she could use Facebook but none of her other stuff....ie: Instagram and Snapchat. She actually wasn't that bothered by the situation I guess because she was expecting it.

The holiday was fantastic. We had a 10 minute rain shower once and other than that it was a little overcast here and there which was actually a good thing. It was high of 33 and low of 28 over night. So, constantly hot. It was Florida in August humid in the morning but that would go away before noon when the trade winds would come in and keep it comfortable. I think I got a little food poisoning on Tuesday night but once dinner made it's reappearance I was good to go again. The funny thing was GC and I had had the exact same thing for dinner. Luckily, I got the bad plate not her. If she had been up sick that night I don't think I could have taken the drama. The Cuban people are INCREDIBLE!!!! We met so many wonderful, friendly staff members there. DH found his new BFF. He ended up giving the guy the shirt off his back...literally. I was so impressed by the fact that they all speak nearly perfect English and French. They took a lot of time to teach us about Cuban culture and explain about life in Cuba. I loved learning all these things.

So here's my trip report.....
Sunday....massive qualities of Rum in the pool
Monday....massive qualities of Rum and Tequila on the beach
Tuesday....massive qualities of Rum in the pool
Wednesday....not enough Rum, trip to the market and a ride in a 1955 Bel Air taxi
Thursday....made up for the previous lack of Rum and Tequila
Friday....several naps on the beach
Saturday....early bus back to the airport as my liver said that it hurt
There were daily naps at the pool and beach, ice cube spitting contests(won), dancing, trivia contest that the Cuban family at the bar beside me fed me the answers, pool Olympics (lost), pool volleyball and sneaking beers to the pool activity staff.

Didn't take very many pictures because most of the time I kept forgetting the camera. I hardly ever had my phone because I couldn't use it. So not many pics. I've got a couple that I will post later from my phone. It was actually very nice to walk around with no phone, no bag....nothing.

I am so glad to hear you had a relaxing and enjoyable trip . I'm also happy to have you back on northern soil: this trip report has been a little quiet without you. @bankr63 must still be enjoying the fresh northern air from the campsite, hopefully staying dry in the recent (and much-needed) rainstorms.

With such a positive report on your Cuban all-inclusive, does this mean Disney officially has some serious competition where your vacation dollars are concerned?

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Monday seems like a good time for a countdown update:

52 days until we leave for our October trip

116 until our Christmas vacation

There are very few trip planning updates from the weekend: other than some renewed hope that we may soon be able to snag a Hoop Dee Doo ADR for December (a few folks on the restaurant boards have noted that after months of waiting, they have finally been able to secure reservations for December dates.....I am hoping that we can soon be able have the same success!), there's little else going on.

I am running car rental quotes for our dates (both trips) on a daily basis, but so far the reservations I currently have are by far less expensive than current rates. With just over 7 weeks until our October vacation, I am wondering if the reservation we booked WAY back in the spring ($292 including taxes for the full 15 days) might just end up being the winner .

Steve is still in Michigan. He called me a short while ago to let me know there's no way he will be coming home tonight: one of the machines he was called to troubleshoot has blown a part, so he has to wait for the new piece to arrive, oversee its installation, and ensure he press is running good parts before he begins his journey home. I am kind of bummed about that, but....I'm just going to have to suck it up. Hopefully tomorrow.

In the meantime, I am spending some time pondering an upgrade to my phone. I am able to keep my same plan with Telus (which is super cheap thanks to some long-time customer loyalty discounts) and upgrade my device for free to the Samsung Galaxy S6 or Galaxy S6 Edge. From what I have researched, these two phones boast one of the best in-cell cameras on the market, which is a HUGE draw for me: I would love not having to drag a bulky camera into the parks when we travel. It would mean transitioning from my old iPhone 5c (yes, its a dinosaur from a technology standpoint) back to an android, so I am wiffle-waffling on what to do. After last week's dreadful dealings with Apple over Jake's phone (a 6+ still warranted under his Apple Care), I'm none too inclined to purchase another iPhone. Unfortunately, I don't know anyone who has an S6 or S6 Edge so I'm woefully lacking on personal feedback. Feel free to chime in with your thoughts and advice: I need some help getting off the fence and making a decision.

 

[vrajewski10513]

I was FINALLY able to switch our 8:30 HDDR reservation in October to the 6:15 show today! We had to upgrade to the Category 1 seating, but it was only $5 a person so no huge loss. We're definitely not late dinner people so we would have been gnawing our arms off by dinner at 8:30-9pm lol There was category 3 seating that opened up too which I thought was peculiar that both became available for a group of 9 just today. Which leads me to believe that there were reservations that weren't released prior to. I could be wrong, but that's just my opinion. Anywho, just keep hanging on I'm almost positive they should be releasing something soon. Especially with the fact there's only 2 of you I'm sure you will find something!

On the cell phone front, my mom has the Galaxy S6 Edge and she LOVES it. My husband also have the Note 5 and has no complaints. I'm a die hard Apple user, but I can definitely say the cameras on both the Galaxy and the Note are much better than The camera on my iPhone 6s+. Samsung has been putting out some high quality phones the last few years.