Title Chosen: World of Friendship! October 2017 Girls Getaway: Aloha to the Poly/ MCO Hyatt p33-4

I've fallen behind again. I'm watching this thread, but I don't know why I never get the alerts.

I love the DisMeet photo with Kathy! I really miss her trip reports. I'm glad they're living in a warmer climate. We've had subzero temps and snow this past week in the Chicago area and this next week isn't looking much better. I'm starting to really dislike winter.

Your pictures of the fireworks turned out great! That was some great advice you NinjaMom gave you.

How is your dad doing? Is he still enjoying his living situation?

A happy and healthy 2018 to you and your family! I hope it's good for you!
 


I love having a full size coffee maker in the DVC room.

Whenever I travel with my mother, she brings a full sized coffee pot with her. She keeps a spare pot stored away in the garage specifically for vacations. :confused3:rotfl2: I always feel ridiculous, plugging in our own pot in a hotel room, but I will admit, it is nice to have multiple cups of the brand you prefer.


We asked for the front row.

Always! It's the best way to ride EE.


Fun morning so far. I loved the pictures of all you with Mickey and Minnie.
I haven't seen Devine out and about in a long time, either. She was probably brought out as a distraction technique against the masses headed to Pandora.

Okay, an AK tour AND Via Napoli dinner scheduled for this Disney day? I better go check in the mirror, pretty sure I'm green with envy right now. :rotfl:
 
Just joining in!

:welcome: to the report!

Sorry I took so long to greet you.

Thank you for reading along.

:goodvibes



I like Ninja’s advice of “Spray and Pray” for taking pictures of the fireworks.
Beautiful shots with your DSLR of the fireworks
Love your PP pics in AK
We love riding EE and the Jungle Trek
Looking forward to Walking with Elephants Tour

That's all you can do with the long exposure shots. I am glad that some of them came out ok.

It was awesome being with a group that WANTED to stop for Photopass pictures. So different than when I am traveling with family.

I missed the Jungle Trek on my first few visits to AK. Now it seems even more special. I love the Komodo Dragons and the bats and tigers. The colorful birds are awesome, too.

The Elephant tour will be a couple of posts away.

::yes::

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Wishing you and your family a happy and healthy New Year

Thank you!

Same to you and your family as well!

:goodvibes


Dee- your pictures are fabulous!

Wish I could have joined you. I can't believe you met MickiNicki. I've drooled over her dining reviews forever!

I miss Rebecca too


:wave2:

Thank you so much! I was able to take my time with a lot of the pictures since I didn't have my family go-go-going from one thing to the next.

Wish you were there too.

It was awesome meeting Kathy, who I have become very close with through trip reports and Facebook, and her dear friend Nicki. I used to obsess over her dining reviews. I'm not sure if she still does them or not. I am too busy on the FAQ thread and on the trip report boards to hang out on the restaurant forum.

:cool2:

Rebecca was definitely with us on the trip

:grouphug:
 
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I've fallen behind again. I'm watching this thread, but I don't know why I never get the alerts.

I love the DisMeet photo with Kathy! I really miss her trip reports. I'm glad they're living in a warmer climate. We've had subzero temps and snow this past week in the Chicago area and this next week isn't looking much better. I'm starting to really dislike winter.

Your pictures of the fireworks turned out great! That was some great advice you NinjaMom gave you.

How is your dad doing? Is he still enjoying his living situation?

A happy and healthy 2018 to you and your family! I hope it's good for you!

Happy New Year to you!


The alerts do not seem consistent. I find I miss a lot of updates unless I check.

Kathy's trip reports were great. I met a lot of friends through her. She and Mark are enjoying Florida. They get back to Ohio often. I think she works once a month and to visit family. Mark and Alisha are expecting another boy this spring.

~Ninja was very helpful with her advice and setting the functions for me.

Ahh... my dad... we are looking for a new place for him. He has a number of complaints. I think the price is the main one, the length of time for meals is another. There are lots of bells and whistles where he is- transportation and activities, but he is not really using those services. He doesn't have a stove/oven, so is limited in the meals he can prepare on his own.

We found an apartment he really likes, but his income is just over the limit to qualify.

We are revisiting an apartment on Monday. We toured it in October. It is older and to me, not as bright. More space in the new one- it is a 1 bedroom instead of a studio and there is a stove/oven. Less expensive too. So I think we will be moving him there within the next month.


Happy New Year Dee cute Meercat ears

Thank you! I made the ears a couple of years ago when a friend and I performed Hakuna Matatata in front of more than 600 middle school students, teachers and parents!


Hakuna1.JPG


you rebel:cool2:

I have my moments!


Glad you liked the comment!

I can't help myself!

:lmao:



Great PP pictures and pictures with Mickey & Minnie! Nice way to start the day :)

Great pics from EE too!


We had fun with the group Photopass pictures!

I think those are my best EE pictures ever.

::yes::


Whenever I travel with my mother, she brings a full sized coffee pot with her. She keeps a spare pot stored away in the garage specifically for vacations. :confused3:rotfl2: I always feel ridiculous, plugging in our own pot in a hotel room, but I will admit, it is nice to have multiple cups of the brand you prefer.

I totally get that!

I bring a coffee maker if I am staying someplace that doesn't have one in the room. I did that for a family trip at All Star Music (and passed along the coffee maker to another guest checking in after me) and I brought a coffee maker for the class trips when we stayed at All Star Movies.

:coffee:


Always! It's the best way to ride EE.


Fun morning so far. I loved the pictures of all you with Mickey and Minnie.
I haven't seen Devine out and about in a long time, either. She was probably brought out as a distraction technique against the masses headed to Pandora.

Okay, an AK tour AND Via Napoli dinner scheduled for this Disney day? I better go check in the mirror, pretty sure I'm green with envy right now. :rotfl:

I usually take what I get, but ~Ninja had definite preferences on ride position.

I liked watching Devine- as evidenced by the number of pictures I posted (which are not even a drop in the bucket of the number I took)- with all 3 of my cameras: DSLR, point & shoot and phone camera!

Yup, elephant tours and hot Italian waiters! It was quite a day!

:goodvibes

I do plan to thoroughly read this report and properly comment on it, but i can't wait to leave this comment.

:lmao::lmao::rotfl2::rotfl2:

You get to experience my quirky sense of humour all over again!

:rotfl:
 
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First Peek at Pandora


Before our Caring for Giants tour that was starting at 11, we had a Fast Pass for Na’vi River Journey, so we had a little bit of time to check out Pandora.


The first thing I noticed as we walked into the land was the sound. There was a background of, I guess, insect noises, in the background. And pretty, exotic landscaping- both real plants and some imagined ones.


Avatarland is incredibly themed. Interesting things to see wherever you look.


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Na’vi River Journey

The Fast Pass Day for this trip was in mid August, a day after I returned from my family cruise in Alaska. I spent a lot of the plane ride on the way to Seattle trying to figure out our plans. The biggest hurdle I encountered was that Rivers of Light was only scheduled a couple of nights of our trip, and the Happily Ever After fireworks show had limited showing due to the number of Halloween parties.

I made Fast Passes for the 4 in our group and for Sue and her husband. I was not able to get FP for Flights of Passage for this day (Thursday), but we were able to book it for Saturday afternoon of our trip, and Sunday morning as well. Saturday worked because we could watch Rivers of Light that night, too. Unfortunately, that conflicted with the opportunity to watch Happily Ever after with our friend Teena.


For today, I made a Fast Pass for Na’vi River Journey. And that’s it! It was really strange for me to leave Fast Passes on the table, but we didn’t know what we would be doing after the elephant tour and before heading to EPCOT for our dinner plans, so we didn’t schedule anything.


The six of us boarded a boat for a short, but sweet ride.

As others have described, the ride is visually stunning, but there is not a discernible storyline. Very relaxing and zen.


I took a few pictures, not many. Most did not come out well. This is all I have.


And I’m not sure if this is a picture of the ride or of Pandora at night…


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I liked the ride- it is worth riding, but only if the wait is not too long.


While we were in Pandora, we got a few Photopass pictures.



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It was time for Caring for Giants, so we had to end our time in Pandora. But we will be back again.


Next Up: An Elephantastic Tour!
 
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Pandora looks so beautiful! I hope by the time I finally get there, the crowds won't be quite so bad... (wishful thinking!). Looking forward to hearing about your elephant tour!
 
We really enjoyed exploring Pandora during our November trip. I’m glad you were able to get FOP and Na’vi river ride.
What great PP pics with everyone.
 
It's always strange only booking one Fastpass. You feel like you're depriving yourself of ride time, but I understand why you went that route. You didn't want to feel compelled to rush to another attraction before/after the tour simply because you had them on hand.

All right, I'm anxiously awaiting your next update...:rolleyes1:rotfl:
 
We watched Devine until it was time to leaf.

:laughing:


Uh oh!!

We were really hoping to catch a glimpse of the two newborn tiger cubs, but alas, they were not spotted.

Indeed, you're correct. They were not spotted, but rather, striped.

:rotfl:I'm here all week!


I agree with you about the River Journey ride. I really liked it and I think it's beautiful, but not really any plot, and I wouldn't wait long for it.
 
Happy New Year :)
Fabulous pictures. Your puns along the way always make me laugh :goodvibes
Loving all the recent updates and looking forward to the next one immensely :thumbsup2
 
All right, all right! I got the memo. Working on the Caring for Giants update now. I will try to post later today.

:dumbo:

Pandora looks so beautiful! I hope by the time I finally get there, the crowds won't be quite so bad... (wishful thinking!). Looking forward to hearing about your elephant tour!

Yes, I hope the crowds calm down there soon. 3-4 hours wait for a ride, especially one that experiences frequent breakdown, is outrageous. The good news- my friend Teena just returned from a trip the first week in January and she and her granddaughter were able to ride Flights of Passage 5 times without Fast Passes. She posted that they waited 45 minutes one morning. I'm not positive, but I'm guessing that was the longest they waited for the ride.

::yes::


We really enjoyed exploring Pandora during our November trip. I’m glad you were able to get FOP and Na’vi river ride.
What great PP pics with everyone.

This was a short, but sweet, visit to Avatarland. I have a few more visits coming up in subsequent days.

:thumbsup2


Great PP pics in Pandora! I'm glad you enjoyed the land and Navi River Journey!

Thank you.

Pandora is beautiful! There are so many intriguing things to look at.

:goodvibes


It's always strange only booking one Fastpass. You feel like you're depriving yourself of ride time, but I understand why you went that route. You didn't want to feel compelled to rush to another attraction before/after the tour simply because you had them on hand.

All right, I'm anxiously awaiting your next update...:rolleyes1:rotfl:


I'm still a bit disoriented at having only booked that single FP that day! It was the correct move, but still...

There were some definite go-with-the-flow moments on this trip, including a major revision of plans on Friday and Saturday!

:eek:


:laughing:


Indeed, you're correct. They were not spotted, but rather, striped.

:rotfl:I'm here all week!

That's good! I can use someone to laugh along with me!

:lmao:

I agree with you about the River Journey ride. I really liked it and I think it's beautiful, but not really any plot, and I wouldn't wait long for it.

Loved @pkondz description: It's A Small Moon

It has been years since I have seen the movie though, so I am not up on my Pandoralore- Moon? Planet? Satellite? or something else?


:magnify:


Happy New Year :)
Fabulous pictures. Your puns along the way always make me laugh :goodvibes
Loving all the recent updates and looking forward to the next one immensely :thumbsup2

Happy New Year to you and your family!

I love my captive audience! I'm glad you appreciate my puns.

:rotfl2:
 
Loved @pkondz description: It's A Small Moon

It has been years since I have seen the movie though, so I am not up on my Pandoralore- Moon? Planet? Satellite? or something else?


:magnify:

I think I heard that name also from Andy? (@afwdwfan) and I've latched onto it since then! And yes, I'm not an expert or anything either, but Pandora is a moon of a gas-giant-type planet from what I understand.
 
I think I heard that name also from Andy? (@afwdwfan) and I've latched onto it since then! And yes, I'm not an expert or anything either, but Pandora is a moon of a gas-giant-type planet from what I understand.

Oh, maybe it was Andy. Did I fail in giving credit where credit is due??? :blush:

ETA: Yup- Thanks for setting me straight! That was the title of one of Andy's chapters! Now it is going to look like I am trying to lure pkondz here under false pretenses!

Hi pkondz!

:wave2:


I am also fond of "It's A Small Mexico" or "Slow Boat to Mexico" for the ride in the pyramid. Who gets credit for that one?

:scratchin
 
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Oh, maybe it was Andy. Did I fail in giving credit where credit is due??? :blush:

ETA: Yup- Thanks for setting me straight! That was the title of one of Andy's chapters! Now it is going to look like I am trying to lure pkondz here under false pretenses!

Hi pkondz!
<sloooowly reels in the line... Yank! Caught!>

Hi Dee! Didn’t even know this was here! Only 6 pages to catch up on, though. :)
 

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