"When I went it was all lights, and music, and Mickey doin' his magic." — Aug. '18 Disneyversary TR — Completed (Finally!!) August 20, 2021

Eventually we were discovered by a cast member who told us that we were absolutely not supposed to enter the park until we were met by a guide at the front gate. We all walked all the way back out of the park again, just to wait another five minutes for a guide who was running late, just to walk all the way back in again. #Disneyefficiency
I mean, really? They had the gate open, with nobody manning it... and then run you out of the park when you go in looking for an event that you have purchased access to? At least put up a sign or something so people know!
Balancing, it turns out, is one of the most important things when you're learning to surf. (Who woulda' thought!? :laughing:)
Hmm... go figure.
The first wave I took, I didn't know what to expect. After all, I'd never tried surfing before. I tried to pop up, failed, fell off the board, got tossed around a bit, and felt completely winded and exhausted
You say you don't know what to expect... I say that is exactly what I expect. :rotfl2:
The shore looked so far away, and by the time I got to dry land I felt tired, nauseas, and sure I wouldn't be trying again. But as I waited for my second turn, a funny thing happened. I started brainstorming about all the things I could have done differently to improve, and I started feeling determined to give it another shot. And I did! Each time I tried, I did a little better, had a little more of an adrenaline rush, and felt more and more excited to try again.
I'm glad you thought it through and gave it another shot. From the looks of your pictures it looks like you were starting to get it figured out!
There was a nice man who was there with his family but wasn't actually surfing. He had a camera and said he just enjoyed photographing the classes. At the end of the class, he offered to send us all his photos if we gave him our email addresses. I expected to receive a dozen photos or so, with maybe a couple of me and N. It ended up being hundreds! Some of his photos were very good, and most of what you see in this update is thanks to him.
That's awesome! I was starting to wonder where all the pictures came from.
After the class was done, I was a little peeved to find out that we weren't allowed to change out of our wet things before leaving. Apparently, since we hadn't bought a waterpark ticket, and the park was about to open, we had to be immediately escorted out and weren't given the courtesy of a quick visit to the changing rooms. We would just have to be a little soggy then when we headed to our next destination. Surfing works up quite the appetite, so we were on our way to one of our favourite breakfast spots...
Really? Not cool! I just wouldn't want to have to go somewhere all wet after being in the pool. Especially if that somewhere is a restaurant.
Our favourite server, Theresa, wasn't there that day, and I also wasn't able to get real maple syrup from the kitchen that day.
But you're Canadian, so you bring your own maple syrup everywhere you go right???
I decided I wanted a frozen lemonade, the ultimate summer Disney drink.
::yes:: Good call.
Before I could choose, N ruined my chances by picking general Disney for me, even though I know an awful lot about princesses! I didn't get the trivia question right (it had multiple correct answers to guess and I only came up with a few of them) but I think the CM took pity on me because she let me do the mystery trade anyway just for trying.
I guess N dodged a bullet. He'd have been buying some pins after picking the wrong trivia category if that CM didn't have pity on you.

What pin did you get? Was it a good one or a dud?
Our ride on AS2 (<-- lol)
That works too... :rolleyes1
When we got on the tram to go back to our car, there was a cranky mom sitting in our row with a small girl (maybe 5 years old?) who seemed to be upset and pouty that they were leaving the park. The mother seemed to be getting fed up and had reached the point of Mom-is-officially-done-coddling. She turned to the daughter, gestured to the people on the tram, and snapped, "There's nothing to do here! That's why everyone is leaving!" :laughing: It seemed that the daughter was upset that they would be going to Universal and not returning to DHS, because then the mother tried to drag us into the matter by asking if we'd ever been to Universal before, and which park was more fun. We mostly stayed out of it. :confused3
Ok... I'm a little mixed here. I feel for the parent, because I've been in the parks/left the parks with irrationally behaving children and that isn't fun.

But don't play this game. I'd have started going on and on about how awesome DHS is just out of spite. Have you seen Lightning McQueen's Racing Academy yet?? No? Turn around and get off this tram now, you can't skip that!!!!

Not to mention the fact that the 5 year old probably can't even ride 3/4 of the rides at Universal.
I did find, however, that because I had such high expectations of the Grand, I was probably more critical of our room/stay than I would have been elsewhere.
Rightfully so... if they want to bill it as their flag ship resort and charge the prices they charge, it should be held to a higher standard and should meet that higher standard!
Then he made me feel kinda guilty for not having told him earlier when he could have done something about it, but service had been so slow that I honestly hadn't really been interested in waiting for another steak to be cooked.
Ok, I'm typically non-confrontational. I'd have handled it the way you had. After that wait to get seated, get drinks, get food... yeah, I'm hungry and I just want to eat and I don't have any confidence in that point that I'd still be awake by the time I get a steak back.

And If the server had tried to guilt me, that's when confrontational me would have come out and pointed out those very details. :rotfl2: I can only bottle it up so long. :rotfl:
I would be willing to give Yachtsman another shot in future, based on N's meal, and on the many positive reviews I've heard, but we haven't worked too hard to fit it into our plans again yet, and I definitely wouldn't do it at a time when I had anywhere else to be afterwards.
I'm sorry that it wasn't a great experience. Like you, I've only heard good reviews of this place, up to now anyway. I'm glad that N enjoyed his meal, but it really is a shame that you didn't get something better. And in any case, whether the food is good or not, waiting 30+ minutes after ADR time to be seated and another 30+ minutes to get drinks and bread service it isn't a good experience and a poor way to start things off.
 
we were on our way to Animal Kingdom Lodge to eat a stupid amount of breakfast at Boma!! :lovestruc
:laughing:
I also wasn't able to get real maple syrup from the kitchen that day.
:eek: What??? This is unacceptable!!!!!
a frozen lemonade, the ultimate summer Disney drink.
Yum! I need this in my life.
I even did my first pin trade at the "pin drum" inside the RnRC gift shop.
What is that?
I think the CM took pity on me because she let me do the mystery trade anyway just for trying.
No crying in Disney!
I really enjoy this show. It's a little silly at times, but in the best way. It does feel a little dated, but also nostalgic, and I think some of the stunts are really neat!
I like it too. It is getting pretty dated... but it's well done. :)
On the way, I photographed this adorable popsicle stick bench...
Love that. I've seen the popsicle stick wall by TSMM, but not that one.
But before we rode the ride, we had a run-in with a not-so-magical-feeling CM. She was telling us to do something in a bored-sounding tone with the queue line that we must misheard or misunderstood, because whatever it was she asked us to do, it seems that we didn't do it properly. Then she followed it up with a sassy, "...or not!" I couldn't believe it! That's the kinda thing I say in my head about dumb people all the time, but I can't imagine ever saying it out loud directed at a guest if I worked at Disney!
Huh. Um... perhaps she doesn't quite get the whole "CAST member" thing...
We made the stupid-long walk out of DHS (is this still a thing now!? I can't wait till this isn't a thing!)
This isn't a thing anymore!
She turned to the daughter, gestured to the people on the tram, and snapped, "There's nothing to do here! That's why everyone is leaving!"
:laughing:
Yep! We took you to Disney because there's nothing to do there.
It was a lovely spot to spend our nights, and it made us feel pretty bougie.
"bougie"? What does that mean? (Cut me some slack. I'm old.)
If we talked about enjoying steak at a place like Le Cellier, for example, we'd be told, "Oh my goodness, then you NEED to go to the Yachtsman Steakhouse! It's so much better!" That kind of thing. So perhaps, once again, I went in with too-high expectations. Maybe I was just cranky from my long day. I don't think, however, that those things were enough to account for how poorly I felt about our meal after we left.
:( Well that's a disappointment.
We were seated for our dinner late. I don't have the times written in my notes, but I know that it was at least a half hour late.
I get they're not reservations, but... that's getting a bit.. much.
We didn't receive our bread or drinks until we'd been at the restaurant for over an hour past our reservation time, meaning that we'd been seated for 30+ minutes.
Now that is unacceptable. Really. :sad2:
it was after 9pm, and I was hungry and tired. I was so hungry and tired, in fact, that I didn't bother telling our server that my steak was bland/under-seasoned, dry, and overcooked (around a medium well, when I'd ordered medium rare.)
:( And... I get this. You've had enough. Let's just get it over with so I can go home.
IPtOweU.jpg
I see some pink so I'd call that medium instead of medium well, but it's not medium rare.
On the flipside, N said his ribeye was one of the best steaks he'd ever eaten in his life.
Well, that's good at least. Gives some hope for the place.
When David brought the bill at the end of the meal and asked how things were, I gave a non-committal kind of okay-ish type of sound, and when he probed me, I mentioned the cook on the steak. Then he made me feel kinda guilty for not having told him earlier when he could have done something about it, but service had been so slow that I honestly hadn't really been interested in waiting for another steak to be cooked.
Yeah... I might (might!) have been tempted to say "Well since it took half an hour for just bread to arrive, I didn't dare order another steak. We have FPs for tomorrow that I don't want to miss."
 
Surfing sound like fun and a lot of work. I got tired just reading about it. So proud of you for sticking it out and doing so well. Really enjoyed the pictures. Sorry dinner wasn't great. We ate at Yachtsman's in 2015. We enjoyed out meal but I wouldn't say it was a stand out meal. Overall you had a really great day.
 
We had a similar blah experience at Yachtsman. I also had high expectations. Our server was odd. We had to wait as you did then sat at a table shoved up against the wall while there were several tables all around us available. ( and most were never used while we were there ) While our food wasn’t as bad as yours , it wasn’t as good as your husband’s. We had a much better experience at Shula’s on a prior trip . I will probably give it another try as I think maybe we just had an off night and the service didn’t help either ? Just not going to be on the top of my list .
 


I tried surfing in Hawaii - I totally sucked and it was so exhausting getting out to the waves, I couldn't even push myself up.
There was a nice man who was there with his family but wasn't actually surfing. He had a camera and said he just enjoyed photographing the classes. At the end of the class, he offered to send us all his photos if we gave him our email addresses. I expected to receive a dozen photos or so, with maybe a couple of me and N. It ended up being hundreds! Some of his photos were very good, and most of what you see in this update is thanks to him. (I wish I still had his name to give him photo credit, but if you happen to be reading this, kind sir, please make yourself known!!) Photopass was also there for the last bit of the class, so we got some photos from them as well.
How nice! Some awesome photos too!
 
She congratulated me on the right answer and asked my name. It became a running joke: "Listen to Meghan! Don't Stand up!"
:laughing:

At the end of the class, he offered to send us all his photos if we gave him our email addresses.
How sweet! Those pictures were amazing! I loved the "action" shots :thumbsup2:rotfl:

Apparently, since we hadn't bought a waterpark ticket, and the park was about to open, we had to be immediately escorted out and weren't given the courtesy of a quick visit to the changing rooms.
:confused: Well that was unnecessary. After spending all morning (and no doubt a decent chunk of change), they couldn't have given you the courtesy of changing out of your wet things? :sad2:

Top left. Living his best life.

It does feel a little dated, but also nostalgic, and I think some of the stunts are really neat!
I couldn't agree more! I really enjoy this show, despite its age.

Then she followed it up with a sassy, "...or not!" I couldn't believe it!
:sad2: Very un-Disney. Thankfully it's rare, but it feels so disappointing when it does happen. Kinda bursts the bubble, huh? I had a horrible encounter with a CM on my last trip. She nearly bit my head off because I didn't have a FoP instruction card in my hand (that I wasn't given) and made me hold up the line to read it as she watched. Must have been bad days for both of them! It really left a sour taste in my mouth for a while after, I hate to admit.

We didn't receive our bread or drinks until we'd been at the restaurant for over an hour past our reservation time, meaning that we'd been seated for 30+ minutes.
:scared1: That is much too much waiting! Especially for a subpar meal. At least N's was good!
 
Fun! Did that a couple times with the kids in Hawaii.
Did it a "couple" times because it was too fun to do just once. :)

That sounds amazing!! I can definitely see why you went more than once. I think this is a "bucket list" item for Nathan, surfing in Hawaii.

"It was then we realized our designated arrival time was for... tomorrow."

I did wonder for a minute!!

Um... okay... Thanks for telling us? Maybe keep the door closed, then? Perhaps a small sign saying "Wait here"?

Right?? Would that really have been too much to ask??

Does anyone read those things???

I skimmed...a little...

This was not the way it worked in the ocean.


;)

:laughing: I bet it was not!

Awww... Meghan has a crush (or several).

Totally. One of the guys, especially, was very much your stereotypical cool surfer dude, who couldn't be bothered with something so trivial as making intelligent conversation, and yet there's something very magnetic about a tall, lean, glistening dude who's one with the waves! Nathan wasn't particularly amused whenever I gushed about the guy. But fortunately, he's still my favourite surfer dude.

Huh. I didn't know that. We were just given a board and that was it.

Yeah! I mean, I don't know that this is the case for all types of surfboards, but at least among the different sizes of this one particular type of soft foam board, that was the case.

I'm very impressed that you kept at it like that. Good for you!!

Thanks! I was quite proud of myself. And by the end it was a whole lot of fun!

Get. Out! I was sure it was a PP photographer. Wow! That was both lucky for you and very kind of him!

I was very impressed, and humbled by his kindness. It was so nice to get lots of photos from our morning! We did have some photopass photos as well, and a few of them are peppered into those updates, but most of them came from this man. And photopass was only there for maybe the last half hour or so, so they only got a couple of each of our runs.

What? That's.... Really weird. You'd think for sure hot showers and the chance to change would be an automatic. :confused3

That's what I figured, too. We ended up drying off as best we could, and changing when we got to the resort. But it wasn't how I would have liked to have done it.

Yum! I need this in my life.

Definitely. The experience of simultaneously tasting frozen lemonade while feeling hot sticky humid air on my skin has become a sensory experience that immediately feels like Disney to me now.

What is that?

In the gift shop there's a drum that's had the drum head replaced with cork, and it has trading pins on it. If a cast member has it out, or you ask to see it, you can trade for pins from it, just like trading from a cast member's lanyard, but with a few more options. It was pretty picked over when I got there, but I ended up finding a pin or two I liked. When Nathan got off the ride, I think he actually did his first pin trade there, too, for a Nightmare Before Christmas-themed pin shaped like a Mickey head.

(Google image...)
aZDfl5e.jpg


This isn't a thing anymore!

That's excellent news!!

"bougie"? What does that mean? (Cut me some slack. I'm old.)

"bougie" or "boujee": slang shortened from "bourgeoisie." It kind of refers to creating a sense of wealth around you, which may or may not actually be true. It can be kind of like a jab, but people also use it kind of ironically/satirically.

I see some pink so I'd call that medium instead of medium well, but it's not medium rare.

That's probably a fair assessment. The photo seems to show more pink than my memory serves. I probably could have gotten away with ordering it rare, since it's not a cut with much fat at all, (and maybe that would have helped because then maybe it would have ended up medium rare! :laughing:) There really was hardly any moisture left in it. Kind of like if someone made a pretend steak dinner out of brown and pink sand. tehehe :lmao:

Yeah... I might (might!) have been tempted to say "Well since it took half an hour for just bread to arrive, I didn't dare order another steak. We have FPs for tomorrow that I don't want to miss."

I was tempted to say something similar to that, myself. I don't tend to say things that could be perceived as too sassy in situations like that, not because I don't want to be rude, but because I find it tedious to deal with the conflict that could follow. But I kinda wish I'd said something about it. Also, selfishly, so the server would know that our tip was a bit low because of the service we felt we received, and not just because we're poor tippers.
 


What a great day! I would love to try the surfing class. It looked like so much fun!

Your meals all looked delicious!

Yay for staying at the Grand Floridian!!!

You should definitely give it a try sometime! It was such a fun adventure. We were wiped out afterwards, but we had a blast.

Staying at the Grand definitely makes a trip feel special :goodvibes

Surfing sound like fun and a lot of work. I got tired just reading about it. So proud of you for sticking it out and doing so well. Really enjoyed the pictures. Sorry dinner wasn't great. We ate at Yachtsman's in 2015. We enjoyed out meal but I wouldn't say it was a stand out meal. Overall you had a really great day.

Oh my goodness, it was so much fun, but so much work, too! Thanks—I was really proud that we stood our ground and kept trying. Sorry to hear you had less-than-spectacular meal at Yachtsman. I think a lot of the time people have really great dinners there. But we've had much better meals at other places. All in all it was a great day!

We had a similar blah experience at Yachtsman. I also had high expectations. Our server was odd. We had to wait as you did then sat at a table shoved up against the wall while there were several tables all around us available. ( and most were never used while we were there ) While our food wasn’t as bad as yours , it wasn’t as good as your husband’s. We had a much better experience at Shula’s on a prior trip . I will probably give it another try as I think maybe we just had an off night and the service didn’t help either ? Just not going to be on the top of my list .

I'm glad I'm not crazy with the experience I feel like we had at Yachtsman! Though I'm sorry you also had a less-than-awesome meal there. I feel exactly the same about trying it again someday, but not being in a rush to get back. Our meal at Shula's was also much much better!

I tried surfing in Hawaii - I totally sucked and it was so exhausting getting out to the waves, I couldn't even push myself up.

It's so hard, oh my goodness!! When the instructor told us that we'd be balancing on a foam board on our bellies careening through the water and then we'd have to do a full push-up, I was like EXCUSE ME!? I have pretty poor upper body strength, and at home on solid ground I can do maybe 10 push-ups on my knees and none of them the full right way, so I definitely struggled a bit with that, too. I can only imagine how much more tiring it would be if you were out in the ocean paddling through the waves!

How nice! Some awesome photos too!

It really was so nice of him! Awesome to have those photos to remember it :)
 
That sounds amazing!! I can definitely see why you went more than once. I think this is a "bucket list" item for Nathan, surfing in Hawaii.
You could do worse for a bucket list item!
Right?? Would that really have been too much to ask??
Nope!
I skimmed...a little...
Yeah...

"Whereas the first party of the second party agrees that the third party shall hereafter, ipso facto..."

Where do I sign?

Totally. One of the guys, especially, was very much your stereotypical cool surfer dude, who couldn't be bothered with something so trivial as making intelligent conversation, and yet there's something very magnetic about a tall, lean, glistening dude who's one with the waves! Nathan wasn't particularly amused whenever I gushed about the guy. But fortunately, he's still my favourite surfer dude.
:laughing:
You better tell Nathan to get surfing... and get (more) buff!
Yeah! I mean, I don't know that this is the case for all types of surfboards, but at least among the different sizes of this one particular type of soft foam board, that was the case.
It makes sense, though. Bigger board, harder to tip over.
Thanks! I was quite proud of myself. And by the end it was a whole lot of fun!
You should be proud of yourself! Way to go Meghan!
That's what I figured, too. We ended up drying off as best we could, and changing when we got to the resort. But it wasn't how I would have liked to have done it.
:sad2: What if it had been cold... heck, it's cold on the busses... I can imagine being on a freezing cold bus ride back to the resort.
Definitely. The experience of simultaneously tasting frozen lemonade while feeling hot sticky humid air on my skin has become a sensory experience that immediately feels like Disney to me now.
:laughing:
In the gift shop there's a drum that's had the drum head replaced with cork, and it has trading pins on it. If a cast member has it out, or you ask to see it, you can trade for pins from it, just like trading from a cast member's lanyard, but with a few more options. It was pretty picked over when I got there, but I ended up finding a pin or two I liked. When Nathan got off the ride, I think he actually did his first pin trade there, too, for a Nightmare Before Christmas-themed pin shaped like a Mickey head.
Okay! Now I know. :)
I don't do pins, so... that explains my ignorance.

Well... it explains it on this particular subject.
"bougie" or "boujee": slang shortened from "bourgeoisie." It kind of refers to creating a sense of wealth around you, which may or may not actually be true. It can be kind of like a jab, but people also use it kind of ironically/satirically.
Thanks! I'm all edumacated now!
There really was hardly any moisture left in it. Kind of like if someone made a pretend steak dinner out of brown and pink sand. tehehe :lmao:
Yuck. Dry flavourless steak.
I was tempted to say something similar to that, myself. I don't tend to say things that could be perceived as too sassy in situations like that, not because I don't want to be rude, but because I find it tedious to deal with the conflict that could follow. But I kinda wish I'd said something about it. Also, selfishly, so the server would know that our tip was a bit low because of the service we felt we received, and not just because we're poor tippers.
Well... I probably would've done the same, tbh. :rolleyes:
 
I mean, really? They had the gate open, with nobody manning it... and then run you out of the park when you go in looking for an event that you have purchased access to? At least put up a sign or something so people know!

Right? That's what I thought, too. Would it really have been so hard?

I'm glad you thought it through and gave it another shot. From the looks of your pictures it looks like you were starting to get it figured out!

By the end of the morning, we really were starting to get the hang of things! At least enough to make us feel like we'd accomplished something and catch a bit of the bug.

That's awesome! I was starting to wonder where all the pictures came from.

It was so nice of him, and we love having those photos now! We really lucked out that he happened to be there for the same class we were.

Really? Not cool! I just wouldn't want to have to go somewhere all wet after being in the pool. Especially if that somewhere is a restaurant.

That's what I thought, too. Not cool.

But you're Canadian, so you bring your own maple syrup everywhere you go right???

Now I expect that this was a joke...but...yes? Often. :rotfl: I do bring individual syrup packs with me when I travel a lot. But ironically, last time I bought them, they were actually Vermont syrup. (Nathan turned up his nose at those since his family owned a maple sugarbush and he's very picky about Canadian syrup.)

I guess N dodged a bullet. He'd have been buying some pins after picking the wrong trivia category if that CM didn't have pity on you.

What pin did you get? Was it a good one or a dud?

Haha this is a good point! I don't remember what the pin was, which probably means it wasn't of any real interest to me and I probably traded it again to someone else. But the experience was fun, which makes a difference :)

Ok... I'm a little mixed here. I feel for the parent, because I've been in the parks/left the parks with irrationally behaving children and that isn't fun.

Totally. I can imagine what this would be like, and I don't envy her.

But don't play this game. I'd have started going on and on about how awesome DHS is just out of spite. Have you seen Lightning McQueen's Racing Academy yet?? No? Turn around and get off this tram now, you can't skip that!!!!

100%. We were very neutral and just gave some pros and cons about both parks, and that didn't seem to impress the mom very much. I think she thought we'd help her out and convince her daughter, but...

Not to mention the fact that the 5 year old probably can't even ride 3/4 of the rides at Universal.

...this. I couldn't imagine her daughter would really have all that much to love at Universal. I could be wrong. :confused3

Rightfully so... if they want to bill it as their flag ship resort and charge the prices they charge, it should be held to a higher standard and should meet that higher standard!

Agreed.

Ok, I'm typically non-confrontational. I'd have handled it the way you had. After that wait to get seated, get drinks, get food... yeah, I'm hungry and I just want to eat and I don't have any confidence in that point that I'd still be awake by the time I get a steak back.

And If the server had tried to guilt me, that's when confrontational me would have come out and pointed out those very details. :rotfl2: I can only bottle it up so long. :rotfl:

:rotfl: Part of me wishes I'd done this! I considered it.

How sweet! Those pictures were amazing! I loved the "action" shots :thumbsup2:rotfl:

It really was so kind of him! And lucky for us that he happened to be there for our particular class! Some pretty entertaining photos for sure :laughing:

:confused: Well that was unnecessary. After spending all morning (and no doubt a decent chunk of change), they couldn't have given you the courtesy of changing out of your wet things? :sad2:

I thought so, too. It only would have taken a few minutes. It's not like we were going to try to sneak into the park or anything. I just didn't wanna drive to breakfast in a wet bathing suit. Oh well.

Top left. Living his best life.

Oh my goodness! :goodvibes

:sad2: Very un-Disney. Thankfully it's rare, but it feels so disappointing when it does happen. Kinda bursts the bubble, huh? I had a horrible encounter with a CM on my last trip. She nearly bit my head off because I didn't have a FoP instruction card in my hand (that I wasn't given) and made me hold up the line to read it as she watched. Must have been bad days for both of them! It really left a sour taste in my mouth for a while after, I hate to admit.

I'm sorry to hear that!! You're right that it's very rare, but when it does happen it really leaves a bad feeling. CMs are people, and you never know what's happened to them leading up to those moments, but it doesn't make it feel any better when it happens.

:laughing:
You better tell Nathan to get surfing... and get (more) buff!

I think he could get behind that if it meant he had an excuse to play in the ocean all the time! He really should have been born a merman or something. He's been working away on the "buff" thing, to his credit! I need to get to the gym a little more often if I want to keep up with him :)

:sad2: What if it had been cold... heck, it's cold on the busses... I can imagine being on a freezing cold bus ride back to the resort.

::yes:::cold:

Okay! Now I know. :)
I don't do pins, so... that explains my ignorance.

Well... it explains it on this particular subject.

:laughing:

Thanks! I'm all edumacated now!

You're welcome! At your service!
 
I think he could get behind that if it meant he had an excuse to play in the ocean all the time!
Especially if that particular patch of ocean was in Hawaii?
He really should have been born a merman or something. He's been working away on the "buff" thing, to his credit! I need to get to the gym a little more often if I want to keep up with him :)
Good for him!
You're welcome! At your service!
:laughing:
 
Hi, friends! Just sharing a life update/PTR-type update here:

Now that I'm done my internship, N and I have been travelling for his work, and we ended up around Toronto for a couple of weeks. Toronto is a Canadian city in the province of Ontario that I suspect many of you are probably actually familiar with, based solely on the fact that whenever I tell someone I'm from Canada, they typically either ask whether I'm from Toronto, or Vancouver/British Columbia. Along with N's work, we also have had the opportunity to do a few fun leisure-type things.

N and I finally got out to see the live-action Aladdin movie the other day. I had mixed feelings about it, but I'm glad we got the chance to see it in the theatre. On the topic of movies, I also went to see Toy Story 4 recently with a friend, and I really enjoyed it! I still maintain that Toy Story 2 is the best Toy Story movie. Obviously! And I do see it as kind of separate to the first three movies, which made up a cohesive and complete trilogy. But I still thought it was a quality movie, with a great story, funny bits, and loveable characters old and new. I found it really entertaining, it gave me the feels, and I left the theatre a total Bo-Peep fan. (I didn't know how much I missed her until I saw her again! Bo = #myhero #swoon.)

While we were near Toronto, we decided to go in to the city for an afternoon to see the touring production of Come From Away. N had never seen a professional show of that calibre before, so he was really blown away. I've seen a handful of Broadway shows, however, and I was equally astounded. For Americans and Canadians alike, (especially for eastern Canadians like me and N,) this show is so touching and meaningful. It manages to be very funny, but still grave and respectful, and the music was fabulous. If you're not familiar with the story, Come From Away is inspired by the story of the 38 flights that were grounded in Gander, Newfoundland, on 9/11, and it explores the stories of some of the folks who came to be referred to as the "plane people," as well as the residents of the town. I expected to like it, but I ended up loving it. If you ever get the chance, don't pass up an opportunity to see it.

While we were in the area, I also had an appointment in the city to attend! I had been looking to get a Disney tattoo for some time now, and I bounced some different ideas around in my brain until I finally found the artist I wanted to design it. The artist, Keegan, was originally from close to where I live, but as many Canadians artists who want to live in a cultural hub and make a living with their art tend to do, he moved away to a larger centre. Keegan was able to take all my ideas and put them together in a beautiful and cohesive tattoo, and this is what he came up with!

b6hGL0K.jpg


If you want to check out his other stuff, you can find Keegan's work on Instagram: @keeganink

After nearly 5 hours sitting for my first tattoo, it was nearly finished and looked like this:

3Be1Lmj.jpg


I'm so pleased with this design, and it seems to be healing up quite nicely so far. Keegan managed to blend two of my EPCOT loves, Spaceship Earth, and Illuminations, into one beautiful and seamless globe, which is exactly what I asked him to do. He incorporated nods to Flower and Garden, and the Canada Pavilion, and even hid a little Hidden Mickey for me. I love that this tattoo shows my love for Disney parks, but more than that, it's a symbol of progress, human resilience, and new life. Fingers crossed, it should basically be fully-healed by the time we get to WDW next month, so I can't wait to show it off once in a while at EPCOT under copious amounts of continually-reapplied sunscreen! 🌞 😎

Speaking of our WDW trip next month! I chose not to do a pre-trip report for that trip, or even to really insert much of a mini-PTR into my other reports, so I haven't shared too much about what's happening on that trip. I thought I'd throw in a few little details here now. :goodvibes

What prompted me to write about this trip is that just yesterday, like many of my other DISfriends, I was able to secure an annual passholder preview slot for Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge! I'm excited to get the chance to see the new land, and to marvel at the staggering feat of imagineering that I know it will be, but I've never been a particularly enthusiastic Star Wars fan. N, however, is over the moon. He has loved Star Wars for the better part of his life, and this will, no doubt, be an incredibly magical experience for him. Our preview is from 11am-3pm on Aug. 21st. I'm a little concerned that I booked a slot in the hottest part of the day, but it was the time that worked best with our trip schedule, so we'll just have to make due and hydrate well.

Other things to share about this trip... so we will be arriving, likely, on August 20th at some point (depending on how quickly we can drive down from Canada.) We will leave to drive back home sometime by lunchtime on Sept. 1st. We're staying for the first half of the trip at my grandmother's timeshare off-site, and the second half of the trip at the Beach Club on a particularly good travel agency deal that we've used on past trips around this time of year.

Another exciting "first" for this trip will be that I get to attend Food and Wine for the first time! N has been before on a work trip, but I've never managed to get there. We'll also be trying a few new restaurants (e.g. Morimoto Asia, Flying Fish, Mama Melrose, and the Storybook Dining meal at the newly-reimagined Artist Point.) We're doing a some tours, including the UnDISCOVERED Future World Tour (repeat for me, and new for N,) and the Segwey tour at Fort Wilderness. We're doing a Halloween party, trying out a "glow" party at Typhoon Lagoon, and maybe even checking out the pianos at Jellyrolls, or the karaoke at Kimonos. I'm hopeful that I will also get the chance to meet up with a few other DISfolk who will be down there at the same time. I expect that it's gonna be a pretty exciting time when all is said and done, and if I ever manage to finish this trip report, then I'll be sure to start another one to tell you all about it!
 
Toronto is a Canadian city in the province of Ontario that I suspect many of you are probably actually familiar with,
because it's in the very center of the Universe!!!!!
N and I finally got out to see the live-action Aladdin movie the other day. I had mixed feelings about it, but I'm glad we got the chance to see it in the theatre.
It took me a while to get used to Will Smith, but was okay with him after a while.
On the topic of movies, I also went to see Toy Story 4 recently with a friend, and I really enjoyed it!
I did too. :)
While we were near Toronto, we decided to go in to the city for an afternoon to see the touring production of Come From Away.
Oh! Wasn't that great??? I loved it!
For Americans and Canadians alike, (especially for eastern Canadians like me and N,) this show is so touching and meaningful.
::yes::
After nearly 5 hours sitting for my first tattoo, it was nearly finished and looked like this:
Wow! That can't be your first tattoo, though. Not that big, surely?
A lot of symbolism in it. Any reason for the African continent/Mediterranean?
I was able to secure an annual passholder preview slot for Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge!
Nice!
the second half of the trip at the Beach Club on a particularly good travel agency deal that we've used on past trips around this time of year.
Also nice. :)
Another exciting "first" for this trip will be that I get to attend Food and Wine for the first time!
You'll love it! Love the food offerings. Hopefully you'll have good luck with it.
 
I never knew there was a surfing class at TL, how cool! It looks like you had so much fun. I love all the pictures!

Womp womp on the crabby CM! Disney has had some bad reviews lately, I hope it is not going to be the normal there!

Sorry the YS dinner was not good for you!

I do love staying at the GF, the beds are queen size, to bad you didn’t get your King room!
 
It took me a while to get used to Will Smith, but was okay with him after a while.

Me too. It was a different take on the genie, but not a bad one. He might not have been the actor I would have chosen if they'd asked me—not sure why they didn't, since my opinion is obviously very important—but I ended up being cool with it.

Oh! Wasn't that great??? I loved it!

It was soo great!

Wow! That can't be your first tattoo, though. Not that big, surely?
A lot of symbolism in it. Any reason for the African continent/Mediterranean?

Yep! Go big, or go home! :laughing: Originally I'd figured I'd get something small and test the waters first, but then I got a cool idea that I just couldn't forget about, and it needed something larger and more complicated to do it justice. It covers most of my shoulder blade, but fortunately it will also be easy to cover with a t-shirt if I ever need to for some kind of job or something.

No particular significance with the inclusion of Africa, though I'd love to travel there someday, and giraffes live there which is pretty cool. That was just the landmass that Keegan chose when he was drawing it, maybe because it's easily recognizable and that would make it evident that it was supposed to be a globe? Or maybe because it fit better physically in the design that a different part of the world would have? But when he showed it to me I liked it, so we just went with that.

You'll love it! Love the food offerings. Hopefully you'll have good luck with it.

I'm really looking forward to it! There should be quite a few offerings that I can try (even more if I decide I'm willing to cheat a bit with some of my dietary stuff and possibly suffer the consequences! :laughing:) And Nathan was a big fan when he went, too, so I think he's looking forward to trying a few new things/things he didn't have stomach space for last time around.

I never knew there was a surfing class at TL, how cool! It looks like you had so much fun. I love all the pictures!

Womp womp on the crabby CM! Disney has had some bad reviews lately, I hope it is not going to be the normal there!

Sorry the YS dinner was not good for you!

I do love staying at the GF, the beds are queen size, to bad you didn’t get your King room!

They really don't advertise the surfing class very much, so I kinda had to dig a bit to find it. But it's totally worth it! We had a lot of fun. :)

I agree that I hope the service and demeanour of cast members isn't taking a turn in that direction. The customer service and positive attitude of CMs is part of what really sets Disney apart. I still find that I'm still having lot of neutral-to-positive experiences with cast members, so I hope that these are just exceptions to the rule.

The GF is so magical! Years ago I wouldn't have pegged it as likely to be one of my favourite resorts, but it really does just feel wonderful to be there.
 
Me too. It was a different take on the genie, but not a bad one. He might not have been the actor I would have chosen if they'd asked me—not sure why they didn't, since my opinion is obviously very important—but I ended up being cool with it.
Okay... so who would you have picked for the Genie? I kinda like Dwayne Johnson.
Yep! Go big, or go home! :laughing: Originally I'd figured I'd get something small and test the waters first, but then I got a cool idea that I just couldn't forget about, and it needed something larger and more complicated to do it justice. It covers most of my shoulder blade, but fortunately it will also be easy to cover with a t-shirt if I ever need to for some kind of job or something.
:eek: Holy cow! You is one
brave
chickee! :worship:
No particular significance with the inclusion of Africa, though I'd love to travel there someday, and giraffes live there which is pretty cool.
Ah yes. I do recall your love of giraffes.
That was just the landmass that Keegan chose when he was drawing it, maybe because it's easily recognizable and that would make it evident that it was supposed to be a globe?
::yes::
Or maybe because it fit better physically in the design that a different part of the world would have? But when he showed it to me I liked it, so we just went with that.
Sure!
I'm really looking forward to it! There should be quite a few offerings that I can try (even more if I decide I'm willing to cheat a bit with some of my dietary stuff and possibly suffer the consequences! :laughing:) And Nathan was a big fan when he went, too, so I think he's looking forward to trying a few new things/things he didn't have stomach space for last time around.
I love just strolling along and... "Hey, that looks good... let's try that."
But...
You soon run out of tummy room doing that! I stroll... but I also have a list of things that I want to try. i.e. "if I eat these, I won't have room for that... and I really want that."
 
Love the new Tat. Very unique and beautiful design. I agree with you on Aladdin and Toy Story 4. I disagree on part of it because Toy Story 3 is the best. OBVIOUSLY hehe

I've heard so many amazing things about Come From Away. I didn't pay much mind to it since it came out around the time of Dear Evan Hansen which I was way more into, but I really think I want to look into it. It seems like such a beautiful story.

If you come to Jellyrolls, you should go on a Sunday night. Don't ask why just... trust me. It's the best night to go. I'll also probably be there so we can meet up!

So excited for you for what sounds like a fabulous trip! Hopefully I'll see you around either on other worlds or Batuu.
 
Okay... so who would you have picked for the Genie? I kinda like Dwayne Johnson.

I could potentially get behind that suggestion. I like Dwayne Johnson quite a lot. But I skipped over him in my mind because of his recent other Disney engagements, like Maui, and Jungle Cruise.

I liked the idea of Terry Crews, actually. I also thought the actor who played genie in the recent Broadway production would have been an excellent pick, James Monroe Iglehart. This also would have solved my issue with Will Smith's singing. Not that he can't sing, just not in the style and to the level I would have expected of the genie. But I tend to be really critical of the music in these movies no matter what. It comes from having a music degree, I guess. I had similar qualms with parts of the live action Beauty and the Beast movie, even though it was reasonably pleasant, musically.

Another heavy-hitter would have been Bill Murray—I think he could have been pretty cool. I also think it could have been neat to play with a female genie, but I don't think Disney would have gone that route. I remember reading somewhere that someone suggested Amy Sedaris, and I think she would have done a really wonderful and unique interpretation.

:eek: Holy cow! You is one

brave

chickee! :worship:

giphy.gif


I love just strolling along and... "Hey, that looks good... let's try that."
But...
You soon run out of tummy room doing that! I stroll... but I also have a list of things that I want to try. i.e. "if I eat these, I won't have room for that... and I really want that."

This is a good strategy! I'll definitely plan to make some notes before we go. Our plans might allow us to pop over a couple of times, which would be nice.
 
Love the new Tat. Very unique and beautiful design.

Thanks! I'm pretty proud of it :goodvibes

I agree with you on Aladdin and Toy Story 4. I disagree on part of it because Toy Story 3 is the best. OBVIOUSLY hehe

We can agree to disagree :lmao:

I've heard so many amazing things about Come From Away. I didn't pay much mind to it since it came out around the time of Dear Evan Hansen which I was way more into, but I really think I want to look into it. It seems like such a beautiful story.

Dear Evan Hansen is another I wish I'd had the chance to see. It was in Toronto until last weekend, but I was busy through the end of the day Sunday, and then it was gone. :sad1: A guy I went to theatre camp with way way back in the day was actually on the prod team for the original show and went along with them when they got to Broadway. But yes, Come From Away is a really beautiful special story. Definitely recommend!

If you come to Jellyrolls, you should go on a Sunday night. Don't ask why just... trust me. It's the best night to go. I'll also probably be there so we can meet up!

Good tip! I'll see what we can do! It sounds like a pretty fun spot. I love me a good piano player! My college roommate was an awesome pianist and I miss listening to him improv whatever we asked him to play. I assume some nights are busier than others? And it's probably harder to get a table if you're not there early in the night some nights?
 
I liked the idea of Terry Crews, actually.
Not bad!
I also thought the actor who played genie in the recent Broadway production would have been an excellent pick, James Monroe Iglehart.
Him, I don't know.
This also would have solved my issue with Will Smith's singing. Not that he can't sing, just not in the style and to the level I would have expected of the genie.
Yeah, I wondered about that initially. "Will Smith? Can he sing?? Wait... his career started as a singer!" lol
But I tend to be really critical of the music in these movies no matter what. It comes from having a music degree, I guess. I had similar qualms with parts of the live action Beauty and the Beast movie, even though it was reasonably pleasant, musically.
I can see that. ::yes::
Another heavy-hitter would have been Bill Murray
:eek:
I never would've thought of him! Holy smokes!
This is a good strategy! I'll definitely plan to make some notes before we go. Our plans might allow us to pop over a couple of times, which would be nice.
::yes:: I was able to skip a few places that I knew I wasn't interested in and focus on what I really wanted to try.
 

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