Who knew choking each other would earn us fastpasses?

[MEK]

Congrats on booking your next trip. I love POR. Its so pretty!

I agree - go see Bob - he is a hoot!

 

[mickeystoontown]

Good morning everybody! I had the day off yesterday because of the sleet and freezing rain that blew through our area. I did get some house cleaning done and I caught up on my subscribed trip reports. However, I didn't write anything on mine but I am hoping to do that today since my boss has court this morning. I also made quite a few new backsacks to sell on ebay. I have some really cute ones....Minnie Mouse, a sailor Mickey, owls, peace signs, purple swirls and a flower power one too.

I told John last night that I would love to be a stay-at-home mother so I could have dinner cooked without being in a rush, our laundry would stay caught up, etc. etc. But, if we want to keep going to Disney every year, I'll keep on working like most of us have to do.

Let me get the boss off to court (which starts at 10:00) and I'll be back to post an installment.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Okay so I forgot something that happened during our "down day". Remember Hunter buying an almost $30 pack of magic cards? Well, by the time we got back to the resort and Hunter played around with them a little while, they were no longer "magic". They weren't rising like they were supposed to. We took out the instructions and it said that after a while the "magic" part might wear down a little and that you could replace it with a scrapbooking dot. Ummmm, no, we would not be replacing any of the magic with a scrapbooking dot. If anybody was going to be doing any replacing, it was going to be the magic shop we bought it from.

I told John that I was going back to Downtown Disney and make them give me a replacement deck. After all, we had the cards less than 24 hours and they weren't working any more. John and Mama said they would stay at the resort with Hunter and let him swim. Mama also wanted to wash some of her clothes and, since the laundry is beside the quiet pool, that would work out fine.

I walked over to the bus stop and lucked out when a DTD bus pulled up in less than 5 minutes. Lots of other folks were getting on and, because the majority of them were wearing bathing suits and/or cover-ups, I could tell they were going to Typhoon Lagoon.

This time, the driver said he would be stopping at both DTD bus stops so I waited and got off at the Pleasure Island stop so I wouldn't have so far to walk. I took pictures on my way over to the magic shop:

When I walked into the magic shop, there were only two people in the store and one of the guys recognized me. He asked if he could help me and I told him the problem that Hunter was having with the cards. He set up the little shield thingie so nobody could see what he was doing and then said "yep, these seem to be duds". And, without giving me time to show him my receipt, he gave me a new deck. But, not without trying them out first.

I thanked the guys and started walking back towards the bus stop. Like I said in my previous posts, the bus stops at DTD confuse the heck out of me. I can see the signs that say which bus stop is for which resort but I can never tell if I am supposed to stand behind that sign or in front of the sign or what. So, I usually stand kind of in between and wait for the bus to pull up.

While I was standing there, I called John to tell him that I was about to come back to the resort. I got no answer and I figured John had decided to take a dip in the pool too. Just as I was getting on the bus, he called back. No, he wasn't swiming, he was actually on the phone with his Mama checking in with them. I told him that I'd be back soon. I was all alone on the bus until one lady came running up and caught it too. Then, we had to make the stop through Typhoon Lagoon where a few others got on and then we were back at the CBR.

I took a picture or two as I walked to our building:

Just as I started towards the quiet pool, I see all of my bunch coming towards me:

***Okay, that's it for my "forgotten" moment of that day. I think I have also found a few more picture of the resort I took on my walk to the Custom House. I'll see where those are and then post them before moving on to Epcot.

 

[mickeystoontown]

You'll also remember that I said I thought I took more pictures in the Christmas Store at DTD. Well, that's because I did. Here they are:

 

[mickeystoontown]

And, while we are on the subject of "lost" pictures, here are more that I took while walking to the Custom House and back. I knew I took more pictures!

***Now that I have the lost pictures posted, I'm about to find my Epcot pictures so I can write a "real" installment.

 

[Practically_Perfect]

Sorry I haven't been on for a few days. I tend to Dis at work more than at home (shh....don't tell!!), and I was off sick all last week with a nasty head cold that I think turned into a sinus infection. But I'm better now!!

Well, as you can see from my ticker, we have decided on Port Orleans Riverside. I had the kids look at the pictures of the different resorts and that's the one they chose.

I think the thing that made the decision was the fact that, at Port Orleans, we would get a "two-fer"....you know, we can walk from one resort to the other and use both pools. And, another draw was the boat to Downtown Disney.

Yay - I'm so excited you decided to stay at POR! It's my favourite resort (so far)!

We have always hesitated on booking a stay at Port Orleans because we are afraid it will feel too much like home....Louisiana, that is. Hopefully, we won't be disappointed.

So the walk from Riverside to French Quarter wasn't bad? I'm glad to hear that.

It might be a little "too close to home", but it would probably depend on which side you stay on (AB or Mansions). And, of course, Disney does theming so well no matter what. I stayed in Mansions (Acadia House) and absolutely loved it . I just couldn't get into the theming of AB - though I know others absolutely love it. You'll be there in May, which (I think) is when they plan to start rehabbing POR, since they're scheduled to finish POFQ in April. As fas as I understand, they're planning to work their way "downriver" - meaning they'll start with the mansion closest to POFQ and work their way into AB.

I'm sure it's probably been mentioned to you before, but check out www.portorleans.org - it's a website by another diser (I believe Andre Wiley) and it's got a ton of information about both PO resorts.

I have fun news too - I've got a trip booked for April 7-12. I had a PIN that was 5% better than the GP offer, and had to book by Dec 31, so I went ahead and booked at Pop. Now I'm thinking I might switch over to All-Star Music in the Broadway section...decisions, decisions....

 

[ddstratton]

I am LOVING the lost Caribbean Beach pictures!!! I am so excited that we're heading back there this year. Your pictures are just amping up the excitement!

 

[natebenma]

You have some really awesome pictures of the resort!

What a wonderful mom to go back to DTD and replace the magic cards! Sounds like you did well with the buses to/from. The DTD buses always seem to be the worst!

I was reading your report on my phone on the commuter train last week (I was taking my dad to see a Treasures of the Forbidden City exhibit at the Peabody Essex Museum) and I said "I'm going to wait until I get home to see the pictures on my computer screen" Yikes! The pictures are gone!

Looking forward to your EPCOT day!

 

[mickeystoontown]

Sorry I haven't been on for a few days. I tend to Dis at work more than at home (shh....don't tell!!), and I was off sick all last week with a nasty head cold that I think turned into a sinus infection. But I'm better now!!


Yay - I'm so excited you decided to stay at POR! It's my favourite resort (so far)!

It might be a little "too close to home", but it would probably depend on which side you stay on (AB or Mansions). And, of course, Disney does theming so well no matter what. I stayed in Mansions (Acadia House) and absolutely loved it . I just couldn't get into the theming of AB - though I know others absolutely love it. You'll be there in May, which (I think) is when they plan to start rehabbing POR, since they're scheduled to finish POFQ in April. As fas as I understand, they're planning to work their way "downriver" - meaning they'll start with the mansion closest to POFQ and work their way into AB.

I'm sure it's probably been mentioned to you before, but check out www.portorleans.org - it's a website by another diser (I believe Andre Wiley) and it's got a ton of information about both PO resorts.

I have fun news too - I've got a trip booked for April 7-12. I had a PIN that was 5% better than the GP offer, and had to book by Dec 31, so I went ahead and booked at Pop. Now I'm thinking I might switch over to All-Star Music in the Broadway section...decisions, decisions....

I do most of my Dising at work too. It's so much easier than doing it at home. Glad to hear that you're feeling better. We've all been stuffy nosed too...probably 'cause the weather goes from 75 to 30 in two days time.

I have the Port Orleans website saved as a favorite and have been watching the updates.

I'm excited to hear that you received a pin. I still haven't gotten one. When we were thinking about changing resorts, I really liked the look of All Stars Music. I looked at all the pictures on allearsnet and it looked so fun.

I am LOVING the lost Caribbean Beach pictures!!! I am so excited that we're heading back there this year. Your pictures are just amping up the excitement!

I was actually thinking about you when I posted those pictures because you will be headed back there again too.

You have some really awesome pictures of the resort!

What a wonderful mom to go back to DTD and replace the magic cards! Sounds like you did well with the buses to/from. The DTD buses always seem to be the worst!

I was reading your report on my phone on the commuter train last week (I was taking my dad to see a Treasures of the Forbidden City exhibit at the Peabody Essex Museum) and I said "I'm going to wait until I get home to see the pictures on my computer screen" Yikes! The pictures are gone!

Looking forward to your EPCOT day!

Wonderful mom wasn't about to let $30 go to waste! The bus stops at DTD confuse me to the nth degree.

I hate that you didn't get to see the other pictures before I exceeded the bandwidth. I hate that about Photobucket!

 

[mickeystoontown]

First off, I know that a lot of you are going to laugh when you see the next pictures I took. But, I ask that you keep in mind that we live in the Deep South.....at the top of Louisiana and we hardly ever see any winter precipitation of any kind.

In the wee hours of Sunday morning, the sleet and freezing rain started. Not much of it stuck because last week our temperatures were in the mid to high 70s. It kept sleeting and raining all day long with a little snow mixed in and finally some stuck to the trees and to the bridges and overpasses. Everybody in Louisiana starts to freak out when we get any kind of Winter weather and schools and businesses shut down on Monday.

Yesterday morning, it was still really cold (to us) and I didn't bundle up and get out. I did venture out around 1:30 p.m. or so to let Oddball out, get some firewood and walk around. I took some pictures of what was left of the ice. Again, don't laugh....it's a big deal to us Louisiana residents:

As you can see, the ice was mostly just on the trees and not on the ground. It was nice to have at least a little bit of Winter looking weather around our part of the country.

Since I'm sharing random pictures, look at these sky pictures I took on the way home the other day:

I thought they were kinda cool.

I've just about got my Epcot pictures in order so I can write another installment.

 

[natebenma]

Those are really beautiful ice pictures. Any school or work cancellations or disruption of power or cable? We sometimes lose one or the other when the trees get heavy with ice like that.

They have already called off school in our district for tomorrow! Expecting a foot or more of snow.

I hear you on Photobucket! I had to upgrade to Pro within a few days of offering to take over the maintainence of the Yacht & Beach Club FAQ thread in the resort forum.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Those are really beautiful ice pictures. Any school or work cancellations or disruption of power or cable? We sometimes lose one or the other when the trees get heavy with ice like that.

They have already called off school in our district for tomorrow! Expecting a foot or more of snow.

I hear you on Photobucket! I had to upgrade to Pro within a few days of offering to take over the maintainence of the Yacht & Beach Club FAQ thread in the resort forum.

The schools were closed and the City and District Courts closed but it was mostly because there was ice on the overpasses. We've had some really bad ice storms years back where there was no power for days. Thankfully, we didn't have any of that.

I would just have a fit if there was a foot or more of snow here. The entire State of Louisiana would shut down for sure.

Photobucket drives me nutso. I guess I just need to break down and pay to go pro but that cuts into my Disney money.

 

[racefanof88]

I love the ice pictures!! It got cold here, but we didn't have any ice. I'm starting to get jealous about your May trip. I know we are going in March, but I'm gonna miss the May gang. We have been there in May since '08, and seeing your CBR pictures, makes me nostalgic for last year.

 

[jusero]

The ice can make for some beautiful photos. Terribly dangerous roads, but beautiful trees.

Also, is it just me being a total Disney freak, or are those hidden Mickeys on the top of that power/satellite tower?

 

[deedeew80]

Wow Lisa! That is extreme for down there. Currently it is snowing her yet again, for the 3rd time within a week! We are getting another 8 inches! Fun times! I'm so tired of it! This time last year was even worse! Below are pictures from Jan/Feb of 2010. I have yet to take any this year.

 

[jusero]

We are getting some snow here too. Just a couple inches, though ... I hope. I pray we don't see anywhere near what we got last year. And this pic is just of round one. A couple days later we got another 12 or so inches. Sheesh! And that lump in the background is the DH's full-sized SUV!

 

[Practically_Perfect]

First off, I know that a lot of you are going to laugh when you see the next pictures I took. Yesterday morning, it was still really cold (to us) and I didn't bundle up and get out. I did venture out around 1:30 p.m. or so to let Oddball out, get some firewood and walk around. I took some pictures of what was left of the ice. Again, don't laugh....it's a big deal to us Louisiana residents:


As you can see, the ice was mostly just on the trees and not on the ground. It was nice to have at least a little bit of Winter looking weather around our part of the country.

No laughing from me!! Though we can get cocky at times, us Canadians from way up North have a healthy respect for snow and ice. Just before Christmas there was a section of a highway in Southern Ontario (close to northern Michigan, Ohio and Western New York) that shut down for close to 2 days because of a very bad snowstorm. Emergency services couldn't get to people with their vehicles, so they were going out on snowmobiles. There was a very sad story of someone who left his car, and succumbed to the elements only 100 yards from the front door of his office building.

Even with all the danger that can come with these storms, in the calm that follows one can get some beautiful pictures. Love the ones you took!!

 

[jusero]

BTW Lisa, it looks like we are just barely going to miss each other in May.

 

[Kathy Jetson]

Hi Lisa i'm still here. I'm having computer issues AGAIN I haven't been able to get online in almost 2 weeks so I went and bought a lap top but for some reason I can't get my photo bucket pictures to post. I'll have to wait until the desk top comes back from the computer doctor.

I can see your pictures on the last 2 pages but not from page 118 and up. I'll keep checking back.

I'm so sorry to hear about Lacy's Jeep but I'm glad she has some one looking out for her!

I didn't laugh at your ice pictures. I'm from South Carolina so I know how you feel. It looks like you had a little more ice then we did but I thought it looked like a winter wonderland too.

I can't wait to hear more of your trip and I hope I get to see the pictures.

 

[natebenma]

Not to turn this into the weather thread or anything, but our weather forecaster just mentioned that there is currently snow in 49 of the states- Florida is the only one with no snow.