Will You Chill Out if I Sprinkle You With Pixie Dust? The End p136 *New TR Link* p138

[englishrose47]

Still keeping up Mary Ellen !!! I have to mark my spots !!

 

[Millie12591]

Your last evening with your nephews sounds like a good night. I love those kinds of nights while in the "World".

I wish I were a bigger fan of Illuminations, maybe I'm ADD and it just can't hold my attention, it's been that way since the first time I saw it. I also had a little one at the time who needed a potty break so that may have had something to do with not getting the feel for it the first time around.
Must give it another try next trip and make a truly educated decision.

How did the wedding turn out? Did you actually play during the 9/11 memorial service or just attend?
Sounds like a busy week, hope it all went well for you.

OH! Love the Dis meet pictures by the way. Such a great group of people!! I don't know if I'd be able to get my DH out to meet "a bunch of people from the internet". Good on Denny! He's a trooper.

 

[glennbo123]

Still keeping up Mary Ellen !!! I have to mark my spots !!

You're like a cat.

 

[Millie12591]

You're like a cat.

 

[TinkyCheeks]

I wish I were a bigger fan of Illuminations, maybe I'm ADD and it just can't hold my attention, it's been that way since the first time I saw it. I also had a little one at the time who needed a potty break so that may have had something to do with not getting the feel for it the first time around.
Must give it another try next trip and make a truly educated decision.

It's even better with a frozen margarita or grey goose slushie in hand. Adds to the magic!

 

[TinkyCheeks]

Tinkycheeks! I think this is your first post. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Thanks for the welcome! You're probably right. I've been reading for a while, but I may not have posted. I lurk a lot and am trying to get more involved. I was starting to feel like a stalker. By the time a TR is over, it's like I know these families...and they have no idea I've been there.

The boys were actually quite good at dinner and I think a lot of has to do with Nick being there. He has a calming effect on them.

Please tell me, where can I purchase a Nick?

I know. It choked me up too. Not so much at the time, because I couldn't let the words sink in , but as I was writing this I thought about what those words meant. It says a lot about what my brother projects on the outside and how much those kids really do notice.

That's probably a reminder many of us need. I know I do. But what a wonderful memory for the kids. They'll always remember their dad's smile after Soarin'. It'll probably be one of those stories they tell as adults.

Trust me, if you spend enough time on the TR boards you will definitely meet people. I used to spend more time on the other areas of the boards, but there are some people over there that just want to stir the pot and start arguments. Once I came over here, I rarely go back. I feel like I really get to know the people who post a lot on my reports and its fun.

I spend most of my Dis time on the TR boards. It's like getting to step into Disney for a moment everyday. It seems like there are some really great people around here!

 

[jeremysdisneymom]

Getting all caught up!

Yay for a dis meet! Looks like you had lots of fun and you can't beat cheesecake! That place is delicious.

We never catch Illuminations. I am going to try to in November. I have only seen it once.

Great day at Epcot. Glad your brother liked Soarin. It is my absolute favorite ride on property.

 

[MEK]

And Then There Were Two……..


also known as......The Update from Hell.

I have tried to do this portion of my update twice. Once, 8 days ago, and a second time on Friday night.

The first time I completely deleted the update and the second time I went to Photobucket hell. I could not get my pictures to upload off my phone.

So what does one do when their phone won't upload?

Why reboot it, of course.

When that doesn't work, what does one do next?

Well, this DISer decided to reload the app only to find out that I have the wrong operating system on my iphone for the latest photobucket app. OY!!!!!!

So, what happens next?

I spend the next hour and a half trying to figure out how to "jailbreak" my phone to upgrade the operating system.

Finally.....Never mind. I gave up.

So what happens next?

I try two other hosting site apps and finally decide on Flicker. I'm not sure I like Flicker all that much, but I have to use something. The whole idea is to be able to upload from my phone directly to the site. I want to cut out the middle man (ie the computer).

I hope this provides some logical explanation for why I haven't updated in over a week.

As for photobucket - the problem was with the site, not my app, and I was dumb enough to delete the app as part of my troubleshooting. DOH!

So - what's new with my trips.

Well, can I get a shout out for 1 month until food & wine.

I got my ME stuff on Thursday.


photo-4 by dvcmek1, on Flickr

I really do have it, Cynthia. I just haven't put your stuff in the mail yet. Please forgive me. Busy weekend.....soccer game, wedding, church music, and a trip up to see Denny's mom, who is in the hospital.

I didn't DIS for 72 hours.

So please forgive me if I am behind on your TR and if you just left me a comment, I promise I will answer it. Soon. Very Soon.


So what else is new with my trip - well..... I wanted to mention that I had to change my HHI dates to April 7th. We pushed it the trip back three weeks because Denny will be too involved in a work project next March. Right before I rebooked it, I heard from our friends who said they did want to go to HHI. Perfect timing, is all I can say. So I ended up booking a 2BR for 5 nights. That made my point expenditure go up from 50 points to 165 because of changing the villa size and changing the dates. Yikes. Now I will be scrimping for points for my October 2013 trip. Oy Again!

As far as cruise updates, I learned that you can actually find some stateroom reviews here on the DIS. So I went to see if my assigned stateroom had a review. It did not. But I found a room in the same 6A category that got a great review and now my new stateroom is #9668. Here’s the review.

Everything about room was great. It was spotless, had a great view of Castaway Cay at Port. We had 4 suitcases and stored 3 under bed and one in closet. Convenient to Cabana's, just take the elevator up to 11.

Yes, it has a whitewall verandah, but I think I will live. I'm over 18 inches tall. I can see over it.

I’ve been spending some time trying to decide what excursions I would like. My TA sent me these. Yeah – I know the trip planning video says 2012. Whatever?


photo-3 by dvcmek1, on Flickr

In terms of excursions, the one that appeals to me is actual the dolphin swim, but I am also thinking of doing the Discovery Cove Dolphin swim. At least I was until I saw that I can get a premium AP for $399 that I can activate for next October. This will allow Water Park access, which would be really nice to take advantage off. I still really want to do Discovery Cove. Denny said to go ahead and get the AP vouchers while I am there next month, so that's exactly what I am going to do. Yeah!

I have read that some people don’t even get off the boat because Nassau is nasty. Well, I, at least, have to see some of the city. I found some touristy things to do in trip advisor. One is called the Queen’s Stairs and the other is a tour of an old fort. From both vantage points you get an unbelievable view of the cruise ships. If you know me, then you know I can have just as much fun doing the local tourist scene as I can on a big excursion. Decisions. Decisions.

Here's a link to the trip advisor reviews.

I have heard that you can go to the Sheraton or Hilton and pay a reasonable fee for a beach pass to use their pools/beach/kayaks for the day. That might be fun.

So, if you have a good idea for an excursion, give me a shout. I would love to hear how you spent you day in Nassau.

Besides the excursions, the only major thing undecided regarding the cruise is whether the other couple we invited is going. My girlfriend did not want to ask her DH for the deposit for the cruise yet. I have decided that I will let my GF bring up the cruise, because, quite honestly, including other people in my travel plans is getting old....really old.

Shall we move on to my update.

Well, let's see. It is Day 7 of my trip....Friday, June 15th 2012. And its the day that my brother and his family are due to leave. And with them they are taking home one extra teenage boy. Who might that be? Well, if you guessed Nick you are correct. Nick did not want to stay in Disney for another 4 days and I agreed that he could go home early.

I had planned for months that Nick would be leaving early, but I didn't make any arrangements for him until I knew my bro's plans (and we know how long that took ). That started the dilemma of plane versus train. Nick said he didn't care and the more I thought about it, the more the train made sense. I wasn't really comfortable having him fly alone in the evening and the day time flights were more expensive than the train (or at least a similar price). Plus, there was no guarantee that I could find him a ride home from the airport and if I had to pay for ground transportation, well things would turn even less budget friendly. So we all agreed that the train would be a good solution and the nephews were thrilled.

On check-out day I was up bright and early. I was pretty much packed, but I wanted to do a little laundry and send the rest of the dirty clothes home with Nick. Of course, every time I tried to do laundry, my SIL was already doing hers. This morning would be no different. Somehow I managed to drop in a few necessary items.

Denny I and decided to go to the Health Club since it was our last day there. We ran over and back. The facility itself is very nice with multiple treadmills, bikes, and elipticals. I think I decided to ride the bike and then work out with some weights.

On the way out I took some pictures of the waiting room for the spa


Untitled by dvcmek1, on Flickr


Untitled by dvcmek1, on Flickr


Untitled by dvcmek1, on Flickr


Untitled by dvcmek1, on Flickr


Untitled by dvcmek1, on Flickr

Denny's finger is just to the right of our villa


Untitled by dvcmek1, on Flickr

You can never have too many pictures of this horse, right?


Untitled by dvcmek1, on Flickr


Untitled by dvcmek1, on Flickr
After our visit to the health club, and a few outside pictures, we ran back to the villa. It was around 8:30 ish so I went out to take some pictures with my regular camera. These would be my last SSR pics of the trip.

Continued in Next Post.......

 

[MEK]

When I got back to the villa my nephews were getting ready for the pool and I managed to get my laundry in the dryer.

I put my bathing suit on and decided I could spare about 15 minutes in the pool before I needed to shower and get out the door.

The boys were enjoying their morning in the pool


Untitled by dvcmek1, on Flickr

Check out time was 10am. Do you think we made it? No. We tried and I think we were only 10 or 15 minutes late getting out the door. It just seemed like my Bro and SIL's things kept multiplying. The car was completely packed to the gills. I was surprised Nicholas even fit in there.

Their plan was to go to Walmart for souvies and then back to DTD for lunch at WPE. By then it would be time to drive back to Sanford to catch the train.

That was their plan, but Denny and I had a decidedly different plan and it didn't include Walmart or WPE.

Our chariot awaits.......

Up Next....Where do Mek and Denny spend the day?

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

I've used Flickr for a few years now and I really like it! If you do keep using it, you will probably have to upgrade to Pro, I'm not sure how many photos you're allowed to have on there without it, but with Pro, you're allowed unlimited photos (and it really doesn't cost that much per year).

Yay for yours and Denny's portion of the vacation beginning! I'm sure you were happy for a little bit more quiet after so many people around! (And easier access to the laundry! )

 

[dawnbu40]

All your 2013 travel plans sound wonderful! And for 1 month until Food and Wine!

The SSR pictures all look so peaceful and lovely

Looking forward to hearing about the rest of your trip!

 

[MEK]

My intention is to start tonight. It was hard getting back into the work mode, I didn't have a buffer day

Re-entry is always hard, isn't it? Ugh. But I see you are already well into your TR, so you go girl!

Hello my friend!! I am all caught up now and am going to do my best to keep it that way! What a crazy 4 weeks it has been around our house! \

Welcome back to the DIS boards stranger! I know things must have gotten pretty darn crazy for you to be MIA for so long. I suspect you finally updates, so I promise to check it out.

I loved the post about Denny agreeing to eat with strangers you met on the internet. We always laugh and say "we're doing what we tell our children never to do"

Exactly! That's exactly what Brian said when we told him about our DIS meet. He wanted to know exactly what was wrong with us. The worst thing was, I didn't have a plausible answer for him.

Still keeping up Mary Ellen !!! I have to mark my spots !!

I FINALLY updated!!!! Yeah!

Your last evening with your nephews sounds like a good night. I love those kinds of nights while in the "World".

It really was a great last night in so many ways. The weather was perfect, everyone was happy, and Illuminations was the first night time show they are got to see.

I wish I were a bigger fan of Illuminations, maybe I'm ADD and it just can't hold my attention, it's been that way since the first time I saw it. I also had a little one at the time who needed a potty break so that may have had something to do with not getting the feel for it the first time around.
Must give it another try next trip and make a truly educated decision.

I have had to watch Illuminations quite a few times before I was finally able to "get it". Now that I do understand it, I enjoy it so much more. So I recommend a "do-over".

How did the wedding turn out? Did you actually play during the 9/11 memorial service or just attend?
Sounds like a busy week, hope it all went well for you.

The wedding went well. Phew! I think they were happy with the music and I enjoyed doing it.

For 9/11 my marching band actually plays a few patriotic songs. I like to attend because we are one of the few small towns that still has a service. It's very moving.

OH! Love the Dis meet pictures by the way. Such a great group of people!! I don't know if I'd be able to get my DH out to meet "a bunch of people from the internet". Good on Denny! He's a trooper.

That DIS meet was so much fun. I am so glad we all got a chance to get together.

You're like a cat.

Rosie - you set yourself up for that one!

Ditto!

It's even better with a frozen margarita or grey goose slushie in hand. Adds to the magic!

Amen to that Sister! My personal fav is one of the ritas from the Ditch. Yummy!

Thanks for the welcome! You're probably right. I've been reading for a while, but I may not have posted. I lurk a lot and am trying to get more involved. I was starting to feel like a stalker. By the time a TR is over, it's like I know these families...and they have no idea I've been there.

Yeah - that is kind of stalkeresque! I'm glad you coming out of lurking. It is really fun to get to know the people on the boards.

Please tell me, where can I purchase a Nick?

Sorry. He's not for sale.

That's probably a reminder many of us need. I know I do. But what a wonderful memory for the kids. They'll always remember their dad's smile after Soarin'. It'll probably be one of those stories they tell as adults.

I know LJ will, that's for sure. You're so right - that will always have that memory and that's why I think vacations are so special. My best memories as a kid were some of my summer vacations.

I spend most of my Dis time on the TR boards. It's like getting to step into Disney for a moment everyday. It seems like there are some really great people around here!

It really is the closest thing to being there. That's how I got so hooked on TRs. They really are interactive.

Getting all caught up!

Yay for a dis meet! Looks like you had lots of fun and you can't beat cheesecake! That place is delicious.

Yum. the food was great and so was the company. It's definitely going on the top of my list and I might suggest it to Nick for his b-day. I think he would love it there.

We never catch Illuminations. I am going to try to in November. I have only seen it once.

You totally need to try it again. If you are like me then it will take you a few views before you start to really enjoy it and "get" it. It really is a good show.

Great day at Epcot. Glad your brother liked Soarin. It is my absolute favorite ride on property.

It is one of my favs, too. It really is good for such a large number of guests and its done on such a grand scale. Love it!

 

[Wicket's Mom]

We made it back & I'm all caught up with your TR. Yeah for alone time with Denny.

I need to down load my photos, I didn't take as many as I should, but so be it!

 

[CandleontheWater]

Resort switch day is always tough, isn't it. No matter how often we do it and how easy Disney makes it with luggage transfer, it always seems to eat up half our day. I'm glad you guys were still able to get some fun in at the fitness center and the pool.

Looking forward to hear about the "couples only" portion of your trip!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

I will give you a BIG shout out for one month!!! I'm right there with you and I can't wait to meet you!

Such pretty pictures around SSR Treehouses. I'm glad you were able to squeeze in a little laundry.

Yay for you and Denny time!!

 

[eandesmom]

The first time I completely deleted the update and the second time I went to Photobucket hell. I could not get my pictures to upload off my phone.

So what does one do when their phone won't upload?

Why reboot it, of course.

When that doesn't work, what does one do next?

Well, this DISer decided to reload the app only to find out that I have the wrong operating system on my iphone for the latest photobucket app. OY!!!!!!

As for photobucket - the problem was with the site, not my app, and I was dumb enough to delete the app as part of my troubleshooting. DOH!

UGH! Wanna hear my trick? I'm trying to avoid the middle man too but do like to bulk upload and the iphone isn't great for that even when your app works. We have an external drive that we back up our laptops too. I use it as a storage device for the photo's so I know they are backed up, but aren't taking up hard drive space on my limping along laptop. I just drag and drop from the memory stick to the external drive and then upload to PB from there. IMHO since you are already paying for pro on PB I'd stick with it.
Still it's a pain no matter what you do. Phone time stamps not matching the camera (remind me to change the time on my camera night one will you?????) and then upside down pictures...lol!

Well, can I get a shout out for 1 month until food & wine.

I got my ME stuff on Thursday.


photo-4 by dvcmek1, on Flickr

I really do have it, Cynthia. I just haven't put your stuff in the mail yet. Please forgive me. Busy weekend.....soccer game, wedding, church music, and a trip up to see Denny's mom, who is in the hospital.

I didn't DIS for 72 hours.

So please forgive me if I am behind on your TR and if you just left me a comment, I promise I will answer it. Soon. Very Soon.

You are totally off the hook! I am not remotely worried about it to be honest. I'm more excited about the 30 days. I mean 29!!!!!!!! At least that's what my countdown says.

I got the groceries about set too so owe you an email.

Yes, it has a whitewall verandah, but I think I will live. I'm over 18 inches tall. I can see over it.

Ok that's funny! Is the whitewall really only 18 inches?

In terms of excursions, the one that appeals to me is actual the dolphin swim, but I am also thinking of doing the Discovery Cove Dolphin swim. At least I was until I saw that I can get a premium AP for $399 that I can activate for next October. This will allow Water Park access, which would be really nice to take advantage off. I still really want to do Discovery Cove. Denny said to go ahead and get the AP vouchers while I am there next month, so that's exactly what I am going to do. Yeah!

I have read that some people don’t even get off the boat because Nassau is nasty. Well, I, at least, have to see some of the city. I found some touristy things to do in trip advisor. One is called the Queen’s Stairs and the other is a tour of an old fort. From both vantage points you get an unbelievable view of the cruise ships. If you know me, then you know I can have just as much fun doing the local tourist scene as I can on a big excursion. Decisions. Decisions.

I have heard that you can go to the Sheraton or Hilton and pay a reasonable fee for a beach pass to use their pools/beach/kayaks for the day. That might be fun.

We went to the Sheraton. I don't want to do too many spoilers though but I will totally fill you in on our experience and thoughts on the city itself as well.

You'll just have to wait 29 days!

OMG I SO need this trip. 29 days 29 days 29 days!!!!

Besides the excursions, the only major thing undecided regarding the cruise is whether the other couple we invited is going. My girlfriend did not want to ask her DH for the deposit for the cruise yet. I have decided that I will let my GF bring up the cruise, because, quite honestly, including other people in my travel plans is getting old....really old.

Absolutely. If they book, the book. If not, oh well. I am just SICK about the new AP price. I bought mine in August as I was upgrading a one day base ticket. I would have saved even more by waiting. I can only hope and pray they do something similar next year...but that won't even help as it would be past my renewal date. Arrgh.

Bummer about the increase in points for the HH change. But fun that your friends are going!!!

The boys were enjoying their morning in the pool


Untitled by dvcmek1, on Flickr

Check out time was 10am. Do you think we made it? No. We tried and I think we were only 10 or 15 minutes late getting out the door. It just seemed like my Bro and SIL's things kept multiplying. The car was completely packed to the gills. I was surprised Nicholas even fit in there.

CUTE pics in the pool! Love the frogs.

10-15 isn't bad. We weren't on time for ANY of our villa check outs. That would have driven me nuts, going to do laundry and finding it full. Heck that happens here all the time (E's do their own)

 

[amandaw]

Woo Hoo!! You'll be back in Disney before you know it!!

I would say that Nassau is worth checking out.....once. We didn't get off the Dream last year but that was because Ed & I had been there in 2004. We did the Queen's Stairs & the fort tour. Both were neat & we did some nice pictures. But, we didn't stay long. We also went to the pirate museum which was neat and visited the Straw Market. We didn't spend the whole day there.

Can't wait to hear how the rest of the trip went with just the 2 of y'all.

 

[natebenma]

I have to run off to school for the morning- training volunteers for school copying, so I didn't get through your whole update. Which was hard-fought! When you said Update from Hell, I was afraid you were describing something bad that happened from the trip, but the troubles you had getting us your update really stunk!

Anyway, I stopped reading when I got to your update about the cruise excursions. As you know, I never finished my Atlantis report I will. Someday. But we took some time out to do a tour of Nassau which included the Queen's Staircase and one of the forts. Not a bad excursion, and I'll feed you some info and pictures sometime soon-ish.

 

[MEK]

I've used Flickr for a few years now and I really like it! If you do keep using it, you will probably have to upgrade to Pro, I'm not sure how many photos you're allowed to have on there without it, but with Pro, you're allowed unlimited photos (and it really doesn't cost that much per year).

The thing I really like about Flicker is I can see the pictures here at work. That is a huge bonus, which means I could probably even do an update from here without a firewall. But, I already have a pro account on photobucket and there is no way I am going to move all those pictures. I'll just use Flicker for my cell pictures for right now. I like the app.

Question - do you know how to make the size bigger? I'll have to search around for the function. Also, I'm not sure how to organize in albums, although I usually just keep cell pics in one album.

Yay for yours and Denny's portion of the vacation beginning! I'm sure you were happy for a little bit more quiet after so many people around! (And easier access to the laundry! )

LOL on the laundry. That was just a tad frustrating. At least I managed to get the last little bit of detergent. I had a lot of the little boxex left over from different villa stays, so I brought them all. They were all used up this trip.

All your 2013 travel plans sound wonderful! And for 1 month until Food and Wine!

Can't wait for Food & Wine! Can't believe its only a month away. Yeah! And I am really looking forward to my 2013 plans. I feel really lucky and blessed to have so many great vacations to look forward to.

The SSR pictures all look so peaceful and lovely

I really loved hanging out there on the bridge and taking pictures of the stream and the scenery. I felt so far away from all the hustle and bustle. I can only imagine how lovely it would be to visit during the cooler weather and go on long walks around the entire property.

Looking forward to hearing about the rest of your trip!

I hope I get another update in soon. Feels like I am struggling right now and its becoming a bit of a chore. Hopefully my next update won't feel so forced.

We made it back & I'm all caught up with your TR. Yeah for alone time with Denny.

Welcome Back! I can't wait to hear all about your trip. Please pm me when you start your TR. Can't wait.

I need to down load my photos, I didn't take as many as I should, but so be it!

I'm sure you have plenty of nice photos to tell your story. I hope you both had a wonderful time!

 

[jeremysdisneymom]

The laundry situation would have aggravated me. I get aggravated when someone fills all the machines up in the resort and then leaves but never comes back forever!! I had that happen at the BW some at Easter. It was soo frustrating.

I bet you head to the resort!!!!