All Work and No Play makes Smee Grumpy: an Oct.'19 "work" TR *New PTR link 4/8*

[Lesley Wake]

There's a deck outside which you can kind of see to the left in the picture above. The doors were locked at that hour of the morning but the views, OMG! You can see Blizzard Beach? Typhoon Lagoon? I haven't been to either but I'm thinking BB so correct me if I'm wrong and take note of the sticker our guide told us they had just put there the day before. Wait, he told us the NEEDED to put there the day before

I loved the view from up there! More than the view at Topollino! (And that was Blizzard Beach - hopefully the weather will cooperate to let me try it in February!)

What was super neat is all the way in the back of the previous picture; that's a little test kitchen!

Underneath the island there was every type and size pot and pan and dish you could imagine for any conference that has to do with food, or for the occasional Disney chef to practice

That is actually really smart!

In other good news our spring break Disney cruise is just over 2 months away! Other than Chris we are all getting excited; Ricky will turn 18 while we're on the ship Since the cruise is not solely FOR Chris or ABOUT Chris and the name of the ship isn't the Disney Chris, he's got better things to concern himself with Yes yes, I love him! The name of the ship we'll be sailing on is actually the Disney DREAM

Woohoo! Is this your first actual cruise, besides the tours?

And I've heard (unsubstantiated) rumors about MMRR getting FP from the start, but who knows!

Except that's not where we went next the picture just fit the story well here! But honestly, if you were with your family and saw this group walking by wouldn't you be like..................WHO MADE 100 WOMEN WITH VARYING BODY SHAPES AND SIZES WEAR WHITE BOTTOMS!!!!!! Seriously that was a nail in quite a few agents' foots - feets - bad choice of example here. But you get it, white jeans and shorts do not look good on everyone and yes we not only had to wear specific shirts for 3 days but were told what color bottoms to wear too and in some cases what styles we couldn't wear.

Yeah, that's just, yeah...

I guess at least if you are feeling uncomfortable you know about 100 other women are too! And you can just hide in the crowd!

As it was the end of October there was apparently a CM pumpkin decorating contest going on as we saw these at AOA and I did see others at another resort I can't remember:

So cool! I like the pumpkins more than the Easter Eggs - you can have more unique shapes and more difficult to work with!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

n good news Ricky now has gotten accepted to 4 of the 5 colleges he applied to! SUNY Corltand and Oneonta, Scranton and Quinnipiac which has long been his top choice. Because of the differences in programs right now he's mainly considering Quinnipiac or Scranton, both fine with me since they're under 2 hours away from home. I'm so proud and so not wanting August to come

AWSOME!!!!

Anyone care to guess which ONE resort will still be on my list after this??

I am trying to think... Is it Old Key West? Does that count?

 

[ariane37]

Ok a. that is clearly Expedition Everest. Sheesh I thought you were a travel agent. And b. What do you mean no climbing? Clearly that is there so I can climb over it on my very expensive vacation and traverse it like my very own everest

YOU are the reason TA's like me LOVE their job

So you are headed to the resort that is being overtaken by snakes

Yup AKA Kari's favorite resort

Will this be your first cruise?

Yes! And since I"m not a fan of water I'm both intrigued and slightly sick to my stomach every time I think about it! The ship tours have all been great but the ships weren't - you know - moving

You haven't stayed at Riviera yet

Exactly! After visiting the grounds a few weeks ago I don't know when we will either, neither of us were impressed with the lobby. The grounds were decent and I hear great things about the rooms but I'm not in a hurry to try it out.

At least you will be able to get your Magic Cookie bar without going to WL.

Best reason I can think of to try POR

We have never been to Caribbean Beach, but now that it has the Skyliner stop, it seems like we need to check it out.

I thought the grounds were really pretty! I'll get to my other thoughts soon lol

I would be a very unhappy guest if I saw 100 people ahead of me in line at Boma. It must have taken a while for them all to get through the line.

I honestly do not blame them at all for getting upset especially the ones with kids. It took us FOREVER to get through; by the time the last of us had gotten through once others were back up for their 2nd time through. Basically there were always at least 25ish agents on line. I understand why buffets were easier to seat us all at than a regular TS off the menu deal but just not ideal.

That epic trip was one of a kind.

It totally was

Congrats! That is so exciting!

Thank you it is! Just waiting for him to decide where he's going is exciting too!

OMG, this made me laugh. I wonder whose idea that was. I don't think I have ever worn white bottoms except to play tennis, when I was 7.

Um it was our agency owner's idea...................lol I do have a white skort that I only wear in Disney when it's hot and I don't love it. And I did have white capri's back when I was thinner!

Im sure you were glad for the FAM to be over and no more matching outfits

I was lol although I had to do it all over again like 6 weeks later in Universal Same style matching t's but luckily we just had 2 days and only black and denim bottoms. Easier!

And how exciting for your spring break cruise! I don't think I knew you were doing one. So fun! Wish it was the same one as me and Dan haha!

That would have been great if it was the same cruise!

 

[ariane37]

Congrats to Ricky on his acceptances!! That is amazing! Jamie and Stuart have decided to do a gap year and wait to apply to university until next fall. I'm glad they chose this route as I don't feel they are quite ready for the rigors of university life yet.

Thank you!!! And I think that's a great decision for your boys too! Not everyone is ready to go right out of high school and waiting a year or two has advantages.

We are spending our spring break in NYC this year and are SO excited! We are taking the train from Buffalo so will be going right through your neck of the woods. Then settling in the Hell's Kitchen area for five nights and doing all things New York. Any tips?

Nice! Wow where in Hell's Kitchen are you staying and do you plan to remain in the city the whole time or possibly venture outwards a bit?

I had a drink in the lounge Dahlia, we didn’t eat at Toledo, it sure is beautiful up there.

Isn't it? Going to try grabbing a drink there in July before our Toledo dinner

Your first picture looks like POFQ but I’m sure you have stayed there before?

The picture with all of us walking is Caribbean Beach! I've stayed at FQ twice and it's definitely my favorite mod.

As far as the last resort you haven’t stayed at I am going to guess AS sports

Good guess and if you didn't see a little bit upthread @Wood Nymph guess right with the Riviera! We did 2 nights at Sports back in 2012 before a week stay at BWV: we had friends that booked at Sports before we decided to go so we wanted to just do those additional 2 nights there with them. It was our first time at a value; the boys loved the theming and it wasn't bad but as you know we haven't spent much time at values since.............

’m not going to lie, I probably would have said a few choice words, under my breath if you all came into the buffet line

I would have too!

I am still bummed we had to cancel our Disney Dream Cruise

I know it's never fun cancelling any vacation But, just rebook soon lol!

following along

Hello and !! Glad to have you along!

This feels like a rule some man would come up with! Shame on any woman who was responsible!!

IT WAS A WOMAN!! And she did get some flack for sure! The worst part was that we were all told in like late Sept. and so in many parts of the country like NY you absolutely cannot find white bottoms anywhere, and pretty much no shorts or capris after July either! So anyone that didn't have them already like me had to order online and it was stupid to order something I'd never wear again

'm still SO sad we didn't stick around longer on this night!! Every time I see this picture, I'm like WHO NEEDS SLEEP!? Why did I go back to the hotel!!?

LOL it would have been nice to have you hang longer! I think it was probably because of the possibility of rain and in a way it was overwhelming too! Oh well, next time you know you just SLEEP AT HOME!!

I really have no desire to do Disney in that kind of cold. I live in the South for a reason!

So sorry! I hope you have all made a full recovery or close to it. Knock on wood, even though the flu has spread through my class like wildfire, we are all flu-free, so far. I am probably tempting fate with that statement though.

We're getting there! I'm better and Ricky finally did a full day in school today - well the 6 periods he stays for lol. I hope you don't end up with the flu!

 

[ariane37]

May was soooo awesome!!! Great group of friends!!!!!

The best!

Quinnipiac is awesome, my daughter is graduating from there this Spring. Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns.

Well first congrats to your daughter!! And thank you; we go to Scranton Sunday and then he'll decide if he wants to return to Quinnipiac once more before making a decision We know a couple people who have graduated from there in the last 4/5 years and they loved it! I think the campus is so pretty but I wasn't a huge fan of the dorms lol especially compared to a few of the SUNY schools. But I don't have to live there so guess that part doesn't matter!

I loved the view from up there! More than the view at Topollino!

I agree it's prettier up there than at Topolinos!

And that was Blizzard Beach - hopefully the weather will cooperate to let me try it in February!)

Ooh I hope you get to. I now it's closed the next couple days but when we went last Feb like mid month it was definitely warm enough for a water park

And I've heard (unsubstantiated) rumors about MMRR getting FP from the start, but who knows!

We've heard a few different things so who knows? But I wish they'd announce it asap regardless!

I guess at least if you are feeling uncomfortable you know about 100 other women are too! And you can just hide in the crowd!

lmao true. There were a few who you could tell were NOT uncomfortable at all and totally rocked their white bottoms I myself was NOT one of those!

AWSOME!!!!

I know and thank you!!!!

I am trying to think... Is it Old Key West? Does that count?

Very good guess and yes lol it would count! We did stay there once, actually our first onsite stay in 2007! Not surprisingly the one resort I will still have to try after POR in April is the Riviera! We almost actually booked there for our July trip but decided we rather do club at BWV

 

[Lesley Wake]

We've heard a few different things so who knows? But I wish they'd announce it asap regardless!

You’ll have to keep me updated! I’m going to be on the cruise on the actual opening day but have 3 Disney days post-cruise! I just want to know how I need to plan things!

 

[suse66]

Nice! Wow where in Hell's Kitchen are you staying and do you plan to remain in the city the whole time or possibly venture outwards a bit?

We are at Homewood Suites on West 39th. Our train comes in to Penn station and the hotel is only a five minute walk away. We are doing an Improv show, seeing a Broadway play ( haven't picked which one yet though), going to the Met, Natural History museum, the Guggenheim, Empire State building, 9/11 memorial and the Statue of Liberty. It will be jam packed! We are in town for St Patrick's day which I think will be lots of fun. Stuart wants to check out the big Nintendo store and of course I have to go to the Disney store in Times Square. Bill can't come with us as he is slammed with work that time of year so it will be a Mum and boys trip! Do you ever get into the city during the week?

 

[kastoney]

Your Boma experience sounds absolutely horrible. I so would have just left and went over to Jiko and grabbed something at the bar. With 100 people who would have known someone was gone

Glad Geyser point redeemed the night for you, though I'm confused at how anyone could not be a lounge or WL person. Blasphemy!

 

[Wood Nymph]

After visiting the grounds a few weeks ago I don't know when we will either, neither of us were impressed with the lobby. The grounds were decent and I hear great things about the rooms but I'm not in a hurry to try it out.

We toured Riviera in January and weren't impressed enough to stay there. It didn't help that we got lost and locked out of the building when trying to find the counter service restaurant. We thought that those private balcony sitting areas with comfy seats were really nice. But the counter service restaurant lacked variety and service was slow. We had breakfast there after getting a boarding group at DHS.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

POR in April is the Riviera!

duh! I should have known...

 

[ariane37]

You’ll have to keep me updated! I’m going to be on the cruise on the actual opening day but have 3 Disney days post-cruise! I just want to know how I need to plan things!

I will! I wish they'd let us all know because not only do I have a bunch of client FP's I'm going to have to adjust but we're trying to figure out what park we want to do the day after our cruise in April!

We are at Homewood Suites on West 39th. Our train comes in to Penn station and the hotel is only a five minute walk away. We are doing an Improv show, seeing a Broadway play ( haven't picked which one yet though), going to the Met, Natural History museum, the Guggenheim, Empire State building, 9/11 memorial and the Statue of Liberty. It will be jam packed! We are in town for St Patrick's day which I think will be lots of fun. Stuart wants to check out the big Nintendo store and of course I have to go to the Disney store in Times Square. Bill can't come with us as he is slammed with work that time of year so it will be a Mum and boys trip! Do you ever get into the city during the week?

Not during the week; no way will I drive there lol and I don't really like going by myself. When we go it's on the weekend and usually to see a show! may I suggest Aladdin? Truly amazing as is Rock of Ages and also A Bronx Tale but that might be lost on the boys being unfamiliar with the Bronx lol. You have a great jam-packed itinerary! Our boys STILL haven't been to the Statue of Liberty or Ellis Island and I want to take them there so bad; last time I went was with my dad over 21 years ago. When something is so close and easy to get to you take it for granted and don't go as often as you should! Ellis Island is wonderful and so full of history too.

I so would have just left and went over to Jiko and grabbed something at the bar. With 100 people who would have known someone was gone

That would have been better! And I wasn't afraid to leave that's for sure, as demonstrated when I went solo to Crew's Cup the night before. It's also not the last time I left the group somewhat illegally for FOOD!

Glad Geyser point redeemed the night for you, though I'm confused at how anyone could not be a lounge or WL person. Blasphemy!

IDK and am always a bit taken aback when adults who know so much about Disney say they've never experienced any lounges. But then again they didn't get my Smee shirt so......................

We toured Riviera in January and weren't impressed enough to stay there. It didn't help that we got lost and locked out of the building when trying to find the counter service restaurant. We thought that those private balcony sitting areas with comfy seats were really nice. But the counter service restaurant lacked variety and service was slow. We had breakfast there after getting a boarding group at DHS.

The private sitting areas are cute and Toppolino's breakfast was great! I've heard a few good things about the food at Bar Riva but nothing about service either way and I've not actually looked at the menu. Overall though it wasn't a resort that screamed "Disney" to me at all

 

[ariane37]

Just another little college update! We went to University of Scranton yesterday and while walking through the dorms saw this hanging on the wall in the hallway:



Disney all over! Not quite enough to sway Ricky to pick a college for but hey, it made me smile.

And I wanted to share a couple of my purchases from our trip last month!



Yup, now not only can the boys be surrounded by Disney when looking at pretty much every wall and shelf in the house and the shirts I wear like 4 days a week but every time they eat Then I grabbed this little baby:



Tower of Terror is on the front! I wanted this as soon as I saw it released and went for a much smaller purse than I usually get since I only have the one Dooney cross body (the HM one I'm using in that picture) and it's perfect for the parks. I also did get the "I'm sorry for what I said when I was hangry" hippo shirt in AK that I posted earlier! Finally other than odds and ends for the kids and our granddaughter I got this shirt for myself and Ricky:



You know I love Jock's and so do the boys. I'd wanted this before but always forget to get it when we're actually there. Ricky told me he wanted me to "surprise him" with something and that's rather hard to do for an almost 18 year old boy so when we saw this DS I sent him the pic and he sent me a I think he'll draw the line at us wearing them together in July though.................


That brings us to Day 5 and a little something different!

DAY 5 OCTOBER 27TH
DAY 5 PART 1: FOOD IS MY FANTASY

As of last night, our "work" trip was officially over. I can't say I was sad; while going to WDW for work sounds great and is much better than going to a conference somewhere and being stuck in a room day after day learning boring stuff going to WDW for work isn't quite the same as going for you. It may be because I'm old and cranky and set in my ways, but it is super hard to be somewhere you're familiar with and LOVE and not be able to maneuver it the way you're used to. I know, that saying #firstworldproblems fits here but as huge lovers of all things Disney I think some of you would feel the same. It wasn't even that I didn't spend time in the parks, because over the last few years the majority of our trips are just Steve and I and the parks aren't our main focus unless the boys are with us.

It was kind of like.............having strangers move into your "home" for a period of time and rearrange things without your input!

So this morning I was excited that was over and looking forward to the day; we did have a group event but come 4:00 Cathy and I were on our own! But rather than more WDW training we were going with only 48 other agents to Port Canaveral to tour the Disney Fantasy:



For this we weren't chosen but there were only 50 spots, so the first 50 of us who were able to stay an extra day were in. Our flight originally left at 5pm and we were going to do the F&W festival so we switched to a morning flight the next day in order to give us a little evening time.
Being the end of the official "work" trip also meant our resort work rate was over so Cathy and I were moving resorts. We did ask if WL had availability for the rest of our trip - wasn't available when we booked - but they said they were totally full. So we were up and packed and dropped our bags with bell services to be moved to our next resort and here's where the fun started which continued later on......................

Cathy had never had bell services transfer bags to another resort and was nervous; I told her no problem. When we checked them she asked what time they'd be at our 2nd resort and we were told NOT before 4pm. Ok, sounds good. We're usually told it'll be mid to late afternoon when our luggage is transferred and we wouldn't be to the resort before 5 anyway so we were good, I thought.

We grabbed a quick breakfast at Roaring Fork, said good-bye to the Lodge and boated to the CR to bus to Port Canaveral! Now I've never been to PC; I've toured the Disney Magic as well as a few Royal Caribbean and Norwegian ships but all in NY so I was super super excited and I was also interested to see the differences between the Magic and Fantasy. If you don't know the Magic and Wonder are the smaller of the ships while the Fantasy and Dream are larger.

We arrived, were given our badges (above) after trading in our licenses, and walked through this:



The ship was all decorated for the Halloween on the High Seas cruises as was the Magic when I toured it:







Each ship has a character statue in the lobby; Dream has Admiral Donald, Magic has Helmsman Mickey the Wonder has Ariel and we have Madamoiselle Minnie in vintage dress with steamer trunk and parasol here:



There was also this in the lobby:




If you must find me I'm up towards the top like right across from the hanging "Halloween on the High Seas" sign. I look absolutely thrilled to be taking GROUP PHOTO #45!
As you see most of us were a little dressed up as the dress code today was "business casual". This always causes a ton of confusion amongst all of us as to what qualifies as business casual and coming from all over the country it does vary. One agent who works in NYC said business casual to her is heels a skirt and a blazer (blazer, yes I'm old but she's not) while others said denim capris with a nice blouse (again) and sandals is. Whatever the case for you Cathy and I had on basic sundress type dresses and flip flops but this will come in to play later.

We were divided into 4 groups and each of us had a guide - one group of agents who had sailed on the Fantasy, those that had never ever been on a Disney cruise ship , those that had been on just the Magic and Wonder and those who had never been on any cruise ship. We'd had lots of guides during our trip and all work for Disney and some were better than others; for instance the day before on our resort tours our guide was awesome, fun and filled with little facts about the resorts and he knew the answers to all questions without hesitation. Today we were in for a different type of guide and while it was annoying on one hand it was kind of funny on the other. Stay tuned as we tour the Fantasy!

 

[missjackiemcg]

If you must find me I'm up towards the top like right across from the hanging "Halloween on the High Seas" sign. I look absolutely thrilled to be taking GROUP PHOTO #45!

You look thrilled beyond belief!!!!

I think it's a good idea that they split up your groups that way. I wish they offered something similar for the ship tours they offer on board. Our family decided to check that out on our embarkation day before the sail away party....we literally walked down two hallways and were told the names of the clubs and theaters...and not much else that you couldn't have already figured out from the first navigator while waiting to board the ship. I wanted/expected something more interesting, I guess!

 

[Jenny Sanders]

The silverware is adorable!!!! Now that I've finally seen it, I want it too!!!!!! Good choice!
Joe has the same Hangar Bar tee but it may be a little too snug on him right now...

 

[KathyM2]

That would be so much fun to tour the Fantasy! Can't wait to hear more about the tour guide!!

 

[Lesley Wake]

Just another little college update! We went to University of Scranton yesterday and while walking through the dorms saw this hanging on the wall in the hallway:

Disney all over! Not quite enough to sway Ricky to pick a college for but hey, it made me smile.

I love it!

I think he'll draw the line at us wearing them together in July though.................

Well... then you don't let him know you packed yours. And when you see him wearing his, you make sure to throw yours in the purse. Make a bathroom stop once you are away from the room! And voila, he has no choice but to be matching! Just make sure he's near a photopass photographer or else you'll never get proof!

We were divided into 4 groups and each of us had a guide - one group of agents who had sailed on the Fantasy, those that had never ever been on a Disney cruise ship , those that had been on just the Magic and Wonder and those who had never been on any cruise ship.

That's a nice way of dividing it. So the tours can be more focused.

 

[suse66]

Just another little college update! We went to University of Scranton yesterday and while walking through the dorms saw this hanging on the wall in the hallway:

Love it!

Yup, now not only can the boys be surrounded by Disney when looking at pretty much every wall and shelf in the house and the shirts I wear like 4 days a week but every time they eat Then I grabbed this little baby:

It's so cute!

Tower of Terror is on the front! I wanted this as soon as I saw it released and went for a much smaller purse than I usually get since I only have the one Dooney cross body (the HM one I'm using in that picture) and it's perfect for the parks. I also did get the "I'm sorry for what I said when I was hangry" hippo shirt in AK that I posted earlier! Finally other than odds and ends for the kids and our granddaughter I got this shirt for myself and Ricky:

Love your latest Dooney! It's such a great print!

You know I love Jock's and so do the boys. I'd wanted this before but always forget to get it when we're actually there. Ricky told me he wanted me to "surprise him" with something and that's rather hard to do for an almost 18 year old boy so when we saw this DS I sent him the pic and he sent me a I think he'll draw the line at us wearing them together in July though.................

Great shirt!

Cathy had never had bell services transfer bags to another resort and was nervous; I told her no problem. When we checked them she asked what time they'd be at our 2nd resort and we were told NOT before 4pm. Ok, sounds good. We're usually told it'll be mid to late afternoon when our luggage is transferred and we wouldn't be to the resort before 5 anyway so we were good, I thought.

Uh oh.......

We were divided into 4 groups and each of us had a guide - one group of agents who had sailed on the Fantasy, those that had never ever been on a Disney cruise ship , those that had been on just the Magic and Wonder and those who had never been on any cruise ship. We'd had lots of guides during our trip and all work for Disney and some were better than others; for instance the day before on our resort tours our guide was awesome, fun and filled with little facts about the resorts and he knew the answers to all questions without hesitation. Today we were in for a different type of guide and while it was annoying on one hand it was kind of funny on the other. Stay tuned as we tour the Fantasy!

Sounds like it was an interesting experience.

 

[Wood Nymph]

Dana has a Hangar Bar tee shirt, too.

I would love to tour one of the Disney ships. It is nice that they broke you into groups based on experience.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Disney all over! Not quite enough to sway Ricky to pick a college for but hey, it made me smile.

It's a sign!!! Literally and Figuratively!!!!

 

[ariane37]

Hi all! I'll be back soon to answer everyone but wanted to let you know I started a dining report for our trip last month! It's not in my signature yet since as you know I have no tech skills and it'll take me hours to work that out; but here is the link which may or may not work. Giving it a try!

https://www.disboards.com/threads/h...-friendly-january-2020-dining-report.3790526/