We're driving 17 hours??? AGAIN??? Yes Dear, I'm THAT kinda guy.

[Emma's Dad]

You got some smart girls there! Won't be too long before they figure it out.

So... ummm... you're REALLY going to make me search for that thread?? (where are my angry eyes when I need them...) That's too cool! Hope you get to coordinate that phone call with the friend

 

[itJeff]

You got some smart girls there! Won't be too long before they figure it out.

So... ummm... you're REALLY going to make me search for that thread?? (where are my angry eyes when I need them...) That's too cool! Hope you get to coordinate that phone call with the friend

Didn't Mrs. Potato Head pack your angry eyes? She must be slipping.

Here's the thread about the phone numbers. Sorry, I don't know why it didn't occur to me to post a link.
UK phone booth telephone number(s)

 

[steelernut]

ItJeff - I was looking thru your graph of plans and it looks like we will be in AK on Wednesday & eating at Flame Tree too. I have read that Flame Tree is very good!!
Is it May 23rd yet???????

 

[FreezinRafiki]

Didn't Mrs. Potato Head pack your angry eyes? She must be slipping.

Yeah, she jambed them right up his...well, never mind.

ItJeff - I was looking thru your graph of plans and it looks like we will be in AK on Wednesday & eating at Flame Tree too. I have read that Flame Tree is very good!!
Is it May 23rd yet???????

It is! (Good food, I mean. Not May 23rd. Sorry)
I've been known to send wife and kids over to Pizzafari while I went to Flame Tree and carried a smoked 1/2 chicken over there to join them. You should have seen the looks (and drool) on the faces of the other guys there choking down Disney Pizza while watching me tear in mine like a lion on a gazelle. Mmmmm......

 

[itJeff]

ItJeff - I was looking thru your graph of plans and it looks like we will be in AK on Wednesday & eating at Flame Tree too. I have read that Flame Tree is very good!!
Is it May 23rd yet???????

Cool! Maybe we'll run into each other! I'll be the one surrounded by women.

Yeah, she jambed them right up his...well, never mind.


It is! (Good food, I mean. Not May 23rd. Sorry)
I've been known to send wife and kids over to Pizzafari while I went to Flame Tree and carried a smoked 1/2 chicken over there to join them. You should have seen the looks (and drool) on the faces of the other guys there choking down Disney Pizza while watching me tear in mine like a lion on a gazelle. Mmmmm......

Barry, I think you're the one that recommended Flame Tree to me. So, if it doesn't live up to it's reputation, then I'm holding you personally responsible. I'm just sayin.

 

[itJeff]

I think I've mentioned before that I've become quite the podcast junkie. I don't listen to very many, but I have become very addicted to a few. I started with the DIS-podcast, then found the WDW today podcast. I've also started listening to Betamouse, it's more of a geeky tech Disney hybrid podcast.

So, anyway I have been a fan of the Unofficial Guide (ding) since my first trip to The World. When I found out there was an associated podcast I knew it would be good. I actually went back and listened to the entire set of archives. Yes, I'm a nerd. So, about 200 podcasts in, I realize they do live shows and take calls from listeners. Sweet! I finally got caught-up on the podcasts a few weeks ago. Yesterday was a live show. What do you think I did last night?

Yep, you guessed it. I called in and got to talk to Mike Newell, Len Testa, Mike Scopa and the fabulous Anette Owens. Unfortunately, Matt wasn't there last night. But, there's always next month. Anywho, I probably sound like a fanboy now. I was a little excited to get to ask my questions to the professionals.

So, now I have some definite recommendations for an off-site hotel the night before our reservation, and a quick-get-away watching location for spectromagic. I actually have a couple other questions so I might call in next month too. We'll see.

Sunday, I also called 407-WDW-TOUR to get some info about the Family Magic Tour. I found out that it is $34 per person, and there is a 15% AAA discount, if I have a AAA diamond vacation card... which I don't. So, I emailed my AAA TA and asked about it. It seems it does come with the package I booked through AAA, so that's a plus! Now I just have to figure out if I have to have it BEFORE I can book the tour, or if I can get the discount without it. Why can't these discount things be easy? "Sure, you can save $5 ga-zillion dollars. But, you'll have to water-ski on your left arm backwards, jumping through 5 hoops of fire before launching yourself to the top of a 10 person pyramid floating on a barge of Styrofoam peanuts." Hmmm.... okay, I'll get back to you on that.

 

[FreezinRafiki]

Barry, I think you're the one that recommended Flame Tree to me. So, if it doesn't live up to it's reputation, then I'm holding you personally responsible. I'm just sayin. [/QUOTE]

Oh. Um. You don't know where I live, do you?

I think I've mentioned before that I've become quite the podcast junkie. I don't listen to very many, but I have become very addicted to a few. I started with the DIS-podcast, then found the WDW today podcast. I've also started listening to Betamouse, it's more of a geeky tech Disney hybrid podcast.

As far as Disney Podcasts, I only listen to the DIS unplugged. I tried a few others, but didn't like any of them. I looked into Betamouse and I like the premise of it. I downloaded all 8 episodes and I'll start them on my way home tonight.

 

[steelernut]

Paid off our trip the other day, now just counting down the days!!!!
Took the minivan in last weekend for transmission service too.

 

[itJeff]

Oh. Um. You don't know where I live, do you?


As far as Disney Podcasts, I only listen to the DIS unplugged. I tried a few others, but didn't like any of them. I looked into Betamouse and I like the premise of it. I downloaded all 8 episodes and I'll start them on my way home tonight.

Yes, I believe I could find you.
What do you think of Betamouse? It's uber geeky. Yet, I find myself continuing to listen....

Paid off our trip the other day, now just counting down the days!!!!
Took the minivan in last weekend for transmission service too.

I paid off our trip today!

So, we have a place to stay, food to eat and park tickets. Now we just need to get there!

45 days and counting....

 

[FreezinRafiki]

Yes, I believe I could find you.
What do you think of Betamouse? It's uber geeky. Yet, I find myself continuing to listen....

I've only got through the first 2, but so far it's not too bad. Quality could be better, but it's hard to justify big $$ for equipment for a product that you give away for free.

I paid off our trip today!

So, we have a place to stay, food to eat and park tickets. Now we just need to get there!

45 days and counting....

 

[steelernut]

Got our docs yesterday!! We are so ready to go!!!!!!

 

[itJeff]

Whew! The semester is over. Finals are done.

We went to the AAA travel agent yesterday and picked up our travel docs. We're down to 14 days!

The girls have known for a while now what the picture is. But, they are still excited to get a new piece to put on each day.

Now that life is a little less hectic, I hope to finish putting the final touches on our plans. I picked up a power converter today for the car, so that we can watch movies on the laptop on the drive down. I figure a bigger screen is always a plus with three kids trying to watch. There are still many items on the 'to get' list.

One of the 'extras' that come with booking with AAA is a character story-time. I need to research this a little to see what it's about. It's in Epcot, but not on the days we will be at Epcot. hmmmmm. What are the chances that I would change our plans, yet again?

 

[jundland]

Hey, they're just plans...right, more like a guideline but not set in stone maybe?

No matter what you do, you will be on your way VERY soon, have a great trip.

 

[itJeff]

Hey, they're just plans...right, more like a guideline but not set in stone maybe?

No matter what you do, you will be on your way VERY soon, have a great trip.

Thanks!

I need to look into this "not set in stone" idea of yours.

This is the current version of the itinerary. You might notice (and you might not) that we dropped the Sci-Fi Dinner reservation, in order to do Teppan Edo in Epcot. DW and I ate at a Japanese steak place for our anniversary, and realized how much fun the DDs would have. So, we added a lunch ressie in Epcot on the 29th for TE. But, we still wanted to experience Sci-Fi, so we have an ADR there on the 25th. We plan to get some dessert or something.... just to say we've been there. I think once the girls get a little older they wouldn't enjoy it as much... and I hear the food isn't that great.

What amuses me is that we have 3 sit-down ADRs for days 1, 2 and 3. But, for days 6, 7, and 8 - we have 5 sit-down ADRs. How did that happen? Talk about going from famine to feast. Someone didn't do a very good job of spreading things out. Oh, well.

On a more depressing note...
DW's job has taken a turn for the worse over the past couple of months. She does medical transcription, working from home. The company she contracted with about a year ago has been a nightmare. She is always getting paid late, the manager is scatterbrained, and the owner is a bully. They have really mistreated and "used" her. We finally had enough this past week. She is supposed to get paid on the 1st and the 15th of the month. Well, she never got a check from the 1st. When she emailed the owner about it, the only answer she got was "I'll have to check with the accountant". But, never any real answer as to when she would get paid. After the check was 11 days late, she emailed the owner and told her that she would not be turning in any more work until she was paid, and if needed she would continue seeking legal counsel.
That got the owner's attention. She tried to bully her a little more, telling her that the law says contractors only have to be paid every 30 days, and if she held on to her work then she wouldn't get paid, blah blah blah, etc. DW let her know that most of what she was telling her were lies, and that if she wasn't willing to pay her what she was owed then she would continue with legal action.
The owner let her know that she wouldn't be sending her any more work, and to submit an invoice for the remaining work she had done. After it was all counted, DW is owed over $1600.00! You can imagine what kind of strain this is on her. She knows that we were counting on that for spending money for the trip, as well as some things we "needed" before we left. Like, a DVD player for the car (We decided to get an adapter to be able to charge the laptop, and just watch movies on it). Supposedly she will be getting a check for around $400 next week before we go. We still have no idea when the remained will be paid to her.

All of that to say... we probably will end up not doing some of the extra stuff that we had planned on doing, like the Family Magic Tour. But, hey... the package is paid for and we'll still be able to have a good time!

Now, it's time to start packing..... not really. But, we are starting to get things gathered up. Just 8 days until we leave!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Ok, I'm just stumbling in here for the first time. Not sure how I missed it earlier. In any case, you're ALMOST THERE! And I'm still jealous.

 

[itJeff]

Ok, I'm just stumbling in here for the first time. Not sure how I missed it earlier. In any case, you're ALMOST THERE! And I'm still jealous.

Sorry things are so cluttered around here.... I thought about cleaning up, but then realized that I'll be ditching this thread in about a week.

 

[FreezinRafiki]

Sorry things are so cluttered around here.... I thought about cleaning up, but then realized that I'll be ditching this thread in about a week.

Yup, and starting a TR shortly after!

Sorry to hear about DW and the job. That's got to be rough.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

I'm also sorry to hear about DW's struggles on the job. Not cool. I hope you guys are able to enjoy yourselves anyway--sounds like you need the break!

 

[steelernut]

ItJeff - I hate to hear about your DW's job. People just don't care about each other anymore and have no integrity.

Any plans on a hotel near Orlando the night before?? Have you set an arrival time on the 23rd?? We are doing MK Sunday afternoon & evening. Eating at Chef Mickeys that night.

 

[itJeff]

Thanks! We're determined to enjoy our trip even more now.

Any plans on a hotel near Orlando the night before?? Have you set an arrival time on the 23rd?? We are doing MK Sunday afternoon & evening. Eating at Chef Mickeys that night.

The hotel for Saturday is booked. We are staying at the Orlando Vista Hotel. It is "within walking distance of Downtown Disney". I'm not so sure who's doing the walking, but we'll probably drive over. Map

It is supposed to be fairly nice, and I got a good AAA discount. It was recommended by Len Testa when I called into "that other podcast". So, we'll see how we like it. Hey, there's a big pineapple out front... it can't be all that bad, right?

We will probably check into POR really early Sunday morning and try to make it to Epcot by the time the park opens. I am traveling with 4 females, so we'll see how that pans out.

steelernut - sounds like you're hitting the ground running! We do Chef Mickey's on the 28th. Can you tell him to have lots of desserts ready for us that night? Thanks!