Wait, weren't you just at Disney World? An August '14 Pre-Trip Report *updated 8/24*

[annie170]

Belated Happy Father's Day and anniversary!

Olivia is a darling little ballerina!

No doubt that basket was popular! Glad to hear you had a good time.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Olivia is so cute! And clearly, from the pictures, we can tell she's talented I mean, it's obvious. You can't be that cute and not be super talented at dancing.

And the flowers are so sweet. I bet she felt awesome.

aw thanks! It's just so fun to see her so into something and taking in seriously! She was definitely in her glory with all the attention too!

I would love to read a mini-TR about the DISmeet. I need to get to one. I know there is one coming up in Nova Scotia but with flights and hotel to pay for the weekend we don't have the money (even standby it's like $150/pp? I can fly to the US standby cheaper.). But next year, I'm making it a goal to have the money set aside for a DISmeet

Also, congrats on the anniversary! (And Father's Day!)

I will be starting the mini-TR for the DISmeet, hopefully later today. We had a really nice weekend and I tried to take a tone of photos! Even will fit in a dining report or 2 ... oh, and chocolate - there was definitely a bit of chocolate involved

If you can ever get to a DISmeet I would definitely encourage it ... especially if you can tie it into a larger trip. I think to fly somewhere just for it might be a bit much but if it is a place you always wanted to go anyway and can spend some more time there so that the DISmeet is just part of the trip that would be awesome!

Congrats to Olivia on a successful performance! Glad she is enjoying dance.

Can't wait to hear about your DIS-meet weekend. Sounds like it's been really fun. And happy anniversary!

Thanks - she definitely is enjoying it!

Thank you - the meet was definitely fun! And than you - we had a very nice anniversary ... even if we did utilize the sans-kids evening to mostly just sleep

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Happy Father's Day Phil! and Happy belated Anniversary! What a great weekend.

I saw some of your GTKTW on FB so that was cool!

Olivia looks like a happy little ballerina! I'm sure she was thrilled with the flowers.

Thanks Brenda! And thanks for commenting on my Facebook post - it was cool to see how many people from totally different connections commented on it.

Olivia was very trilled with everything that happened that day

Loved seeing the Dance Recital - super cute!! Hope Hershey was awesome and you had a wonderful anniversary and father's day!

Thanks Lauren - the recital was very cute. They do a good job in choreographing the little kids. Hershey was definitely great and did have a wonderful anniversary. Father's day was nice, but mostly just driving back so I just think of more of the weekend/DISMeet being my Father's Day present

Belated Happy Father's Day and anniversary!

Olivia is a darling little ballerina!

No doubt that basket was popular! Glad to hear you had a good time.

Thank you! The basket did turn out to be popular which was great! Definitely had a good time!

 

[amberg93]

Hey, sleep is good whenever it happens I don't judge.

Also, I totally just saw you on the podcast (I'm watching late because I got distracted by chores around the house)! Now I feel like I know someone super famous. Way to go.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Hey, sleep is good whenever it happens I don't judge.

Also, I totally just saw you on the podcast (I'm watching late because I got distracted by chores around the house)! Now I feel like I know someone super famous. Way to go.

I agree - sleep whenever is good. We will definitely be feeling that in a few weeks when the baby is born

Aw thanks! I felt the same way when they mentioned your name the previous podcast!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Pre Trip Report: Part 17 - Hershey DISmeet: Part 1​

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When it was announced that this year there would be a Give Kids The World DISmeet in Hershey I was excited because that is close to where Judi's parents lived so thought we could combine a visit in with attending the event ... and I thought that would make it easier to talk Judi into going along with it

Oh, and did I mention that it was being held on our anniversary and the day before Father's Day? Yeah, a lot to get done this weekend. So much so that I wound up taking off from work the Thursday and Friday before ... which of course meant I went into work Friday morning

We then picked up Olivia from school around noon and were off to Pennsylvania!

After about 6 hours (and a half dozen bathroom breaks for Judi) we got to her parents house. Dropped the dogs off and were off to Hershey!

We made it to the Hershey Lodge, checked in and were handed 4 full size Hershey bars ... yeah, gonna be that kind of weekend.

We then headed down to the conference room where the evenings activities were being held and noticed Shawn and Craig from the DISUnplugged Podcast team in the hall and might have *squeed* a little inside

The event was Disney Bingo and they were airing video from one of the Disney Park Bench Cams. Only issue was that way more people showed up than they were expecting and there weren't initially seats for us. After driving for 6 hours this was not super happy smiley for us to hear. Fortunately the people at the table closes to us were sooooo nice and asked us to join them (one of them turned out to be Leah who apparently is reading this Pre-TR - but more on that later). They made Olivia feel so welcome and she was having a great time - and taking the bingo super serial:

Here is a view of the room so you can see a bit of the set up and the crowds:

Peter was having fun but didn't really want to stay seated so we went for a walk around the hotel a bit ... plus he found some escalators that we went up and down like 10 times. I mean, who needs Hershey Park when you have escalators?

One of the restaurants there is called the Bears' Dean - it's like a pub/sports bar and they have a bear statue our front as well as a large sign. Peter had me take like 20 pictures in front of them - here are just 2 of them:

We then went back to the room (after I got a drink - gotta love that all the bars at the Hotel had Troegg's on tap!) ... just in time to see Pete and Dustin from the podcast team:

... and the whole room basically did this:

Overall everyone had fun and Judi even won a Bingo round - and got a Minnie Mouse Beauty kit for Olivia that was really cute!

As we hadn't really had dinner so we decided to go ... to The Bears' Den! It was actually fun - the Stanley Cup Finals game was on and the whole place cheered big when the Rangers scored (fortunately we had left before the ultimately lost )

Forgot to take picture of the food (bad DISer, I know) but the burger I had was really good. Cocoa Jack Burger: Cocoa Espresso-rubbed Beef, Monterey Jack Cheese, Lettuce, Tomato and Onion on a Grilled Onion Brioche. It was probably the juiciest burger I have ever had and tasted really good.

Here is a picture of the place to give you an idea of the restaurant:

Oh, and I also got one of my favorite pictures of Peter ever:

We paid the bill - which came with about 20 Hershey Kisses instead of after dinner mints and went up to the room to go to bed - it had been a long day and we had a big day coming up.

This was also one of the first times that we have been, as a family, in a regular hotel room - meaning sharing beds. Peter was definitely over tired at this point and, with being off his schedule was a bit nutty. Eventually we got him down with the set-up of me sleeping in the bed with Peter and Olivia and Judi in the other bed. Oh well, do what you have to.

TTFN

 

[Leshaface]

I've never been to the lodge but have been to Hershey park a few times and I love it. So much fun! Uh, how cool is that that you're given 4 chocolate bars at check in. Amazing!

Awesome that Judi won a round.

Ooh ya you probably left at the right time on the Rangers game. That was a good game though. I really thought the Rangers were going to come back. That would have been a great series!

I imagine we'll be doing this 'sharing the bed' thing sooner than later, while on trips.

 

[amberg93]

Okay all this chocolate is selling me on Hersey Park

How kind of them to make you guys feel welcome. And yay for Judi winning bingo!

I'm sorry I can't be sorry about the Rangers losing. As I have an honor to my in-laws and their love of the Canadiens, we had to be happy that the Rangers lost (Personally, I tend to cheer for the Red Wings because Michigan Pride, but you know).

That is a great picture of Peter.

And I don't envy you sharing the bed with two small children.

 

[Dugette]

I love hearing about this DIS-meet! Someone in MN talked about organizing one a few years back (there are quite a few of us in the Twin Cities), but nothing ever happened (and that person disappeared from her DIS-fame ). Looks like yours was a good time! Looking forward to hearing more.

 

[KatMark]

I'm slowing trying to catch up again.

Okay, that's settled. I just want to go to Hershey for the kisses.

I have to say that I was cheering for the Kings...but only because they beat my Hawks and figured I'd rather lose to the champions.

Sounds like the start to a fun weekend and DISmeet.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I've never been to the lodge but have been to Hershey park a few times and I love it. So much fun! Uh, how cool is that that you're given 4 chocolate bars at check in. Amazing!

Awesome that Judi won a round.

Ooh ya you probably left at the right time on the Rangers game. That was a good game though. I really thought the Rangers were going to come back. That would have been a great series!

I imagine we'll be doing this 'sharing the bed' thing sooner than later, while on trips.

Yeah, you can't take liek 3 steps without someone trying to give you chocolate - not that that is a bad thing!

Yeah, I am not a huge Rangers fan but have a lot of friends that are - I just like being in a bar/pub when a game is on and the crowd is in to it.

Yeah - it was an experience. Makes me more glad that we will have that extra bed in the Contemporary as it will likely be Judi with the baby in one bed, me with one other kid in the 2nd and then the last kid (probably Olivia) in the extra bed - but who knows

Okay all this chocolate is selling me on Hersey Park

How kind of them to make you guys feel welcome. And yay for Judi winning bingo!

I'm sorry I can't be sorry about the Rangers losing. As I have an honor to my in-laws and their love of the Canadiens, we had to be happy that the Rangers lost (Personally, I tend to cheer for the Red Wings because Michigan Pride, but you know).

That is a great picture of Peter.

And I don't envy you sharing the bed with two small children.

There seriously is so much chocolate there ... heck, the street lights are shaped like Hersey Kisses!

It was really nice and made the evening so much better. We were a bit tired and on no food so Judi was getting a bit upset at first that they didn't have enough seats, etc. so I was so glad that Leah and others made us feel welcome

I am not a huge hockey fan (grew up on Long Island so marginally root for the Islanders - which is kind of a lost cause) but have friends that are big Ranger fans ... plus I just wanted it to be a better series. Oh well.

Thanks! He knows how to push our buttons and then he will go and do something super cute and be back in our good graces.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I love hearing about this DIS-meet! Someone in MN talked about organizing one a few years back (there are quite a few of us in the Twin Cities), but nothing ever happened (and that person disappeared from her DIS-fame ). Looks like yours was a good time! Looking forward to hearing more.

That would be cool if they did one near the Twin Cities as it does seem like there are a lot of DISers in that area. I know there is one in Indianapolis but that's probably not all that close

oh, there is more coming - I think it will be 4 updates in total, but we shall see

I'm slowing trying to catch up again.

Okay, that's settled. I just want to go to Hershey for the kisses.

I have to say that I was cheering for the Kings...but only because they beat my Hawks and figured I'd rather lose to the champions.

Sounds like the start to a fun weekend and DISmeet.

Hershey is really fun - we didn't even get to the park with Judi being pregnant but have been there a bunch before. There are a lot of really cool rides there. Plus, instead of Mickey and Minnie you can meet a giant Hershey Bar or Reeses Peanut Butter Cup with a smiling face on it ... and it isn't nearly as creepy as it sounds!

It was a long day with lots of driving but we made it and it was a good start - and things only got better beyond that!

 

[missangelalexis]

Sounds like a fun first night! Awesome that Judi won something!

All that Hershey chocolate doesn't sound so bad either

 

[Imagineer5]

What a fun first day!! Kind of funny to be at a DIS meet at a non-DIsney park?! But, can't go wrong with Hershey, I definitely want to plan a trip out there (we might sooner rather than later, now with my friend Lynda living not terribly far from it). Wasn't sure how the sleeping situation would go but glad you got it settled! Looking forward to hearing about your time in the park! And yum on all the chocolate, that is super fun!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Sounds like a fun first night! Awesome that Judi won something!

All that Hershey chocolate doesn't sound so bad either

It turned into a fun night - although Peter was definitely overtired and more all-over-the-place than normal making

What a fun first day!! Kind of funny to be at a DIS meet at a non-DIsney park?! But, can't go wrong with Hershey, I definitely want to plan a trip out there (we might sooner rather than later, now with my friend Lynda living not terribly far from it). Wasn't sure how the sleeping situation would go but glad you got it settled! Looking forward to hearing about your time in the park! And yum on all the chocolate, that is super fun!

Yeah, I guess it is a little weird for the meet-up to be based in a place with a non-Disney park but hey, whatever works.

We actually wound up not going to the actual park at all - with Judi being pregnant and just timing as we needed to head home fairly early Sunday, it just didn't work out. We did make it to the Hershey Gardens though -which were really cool, and I will cover in the next update

 

[MarbleBob]

Loved reading your first day at the DisMeet. Sounds like a lot of fun!!!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Loved reading your first day at the DisMeet. Sounds like a lot of fun!!!

Thanks Matt - and things only got better the rest of the weekend! ... which you can read about - well, basically now as I am working on the next update as we speak, er, type/read!

 

[MarbleBob]

The future was now... LOL

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Pre Trip Report: Part 18 - Hershey DISmeet: Part 2​

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Despite being active late into the evening Peter still woke up early - not sure how this kid keeps doing this! We got ready and went down to get some food. We decided to just get some food from the quick service location rather than one of the table service areas to save some time. It was pretty hectic as there were a lot of people on the move - I think there was a soccer tournament or something as a lot of kids seemed to have jerseys on.

So no pics as it was a bit rushed/chaotic - but Peter and I split a sausage egg and cheese on a bagel, Olivia had a yogurt parfait that Judi also has some of along with a chocolate croissant (I mean, you can't go a meal there without chocolate right?) Judi got a Latte, I got a coffee and the kids, not surprisingly, had chocolate milk

And then we were off ... well, not before a picture in front of a chocolate bar character sign (the cup Olivia is holding we got the previous night with dinner and then put her new chocolate milk in):

Ah, but where were we off too? Well, as part of staying at the Hershey Lodge we got free tickets to use at either the Hershey Museum or the Hershey Gardens. Since we had a little time before needing to get the kids to Judi's parents' house we decided to use some of these free tickets and went to .... The Hershey Gardens! (which this blurry picture can confirm):

We didn't know that much about the Gardens but did know they had a children's gardens area so figured it would at least be a bit of a time killer. But I must report that the Gardens were really amazing. We only wound up getting to see like a third of it but we would definitely go back!

Here is a pic of the kids running down the walkway after you first get in towards the actual gardens:

This is a view from that pavilion you can see on the right side of the above picture where you can see Hershey Park:

And this is a close up from that same spot on one area of the park where you can see the tracks for 4 different roller coasters:

We then were off to see the Rose Garden - as you can tell from Olivia and, sortof, Peter pointing out the sign to:

and then here are the kids in the actual Rose Garden - Olivia is posing and Peter is, well, showing us his tummy for some reason:

We then made our way to the Children's Garden, as this sign clearly shows:

They had these out front which would periodically shoot water/mist out of them. Peter is checking this out - (un)fortunately he didn't get hit in the face though:

They had a number of these benches around and Olivia thought they were really neat - since, you know, butterflies!

Speaking of butterflies, part of the Children's Garden was a Butterfly House ... and since it had been weeks since we had been in one, we had to check that out!

Inside they also had a fish pond that Peter thought was cool (and we just hoped he would not try to climb into - which he didn't thank goodness):

And now a bunch of butterfly pictures!

These butterflies were also very friendly as a couple of times I had one land on me:

and Judi had one too:

Once out of the Butterfly House we saw a pond that had a fountain that would push the pink ball into the air a bit. This pond was apparently modeled on the one that Milton Hershey had at his house:

They had a number of play things for the kids to climb on, such as this boat:

as well as a number of musical instruments the kids could bang on and play:

Love this picture of the kids jumping on this musical platform area - each square played a slightly different note:

We then came to the Alphabet Garden where they had a path that had plants that started with each letter of the alphabet:

They had a bunch of other areas, but we needed to head out (which is good since I am getting to my picture limit)

We had a blast at the Gardens - not bad for a free activity!

We then drove the kids up to Judi's parents' place and then out to the location for the actual DISmeet / podcast recording. But that will be the next update

TTFN

 

[missangelalexis]

The Gardens look really awesome! Beautiful butterfly pictures!