Healing at our Happy Place: making GOOD 2017 memories: Mar, May, Aug, Oct, Dec TRs (3/24 UPDATE)

I make my family do the pictures and I get eyes rolls from all of them, even my husband. But they do it them to get it over with or we will stand there and fight over it until they do. So you mine as well get it over with. But now we have a ton of nice family pictures. I just need to print them and hang them up around the house.

We never make to EMH because the kids just need to head to bed after the evening show. I am hoping the next time we go (they will both be in high school or close to it) we can stay up longer. It seems like you can really get a lot done in those few hours.

Yes it is nice to have all of those family photos at Disney, some of them are good and others are...meh but at least we are all in them instead of me taking photos of everybody else...or selfies of just me and my daughter, the only one okay with photos.

Yes the last few hours of the night are definitely good times to get things done, especially at MK where there is so much to do!


Hey what a fun first day!!!

I totally agree with you on this one...that would be such a nice walk if not for the smokers.

You did manage to get some stuff done on the first day and of course the GF is magical.

Yes we did have a good first few hours for sure. Sad about that walk but I understand why it's there. My MIL was a smoker for most of her life, so we had a few trips where she would have to disappear for a while to catch her smoke break.
 
AUGUST FAREWELL TO SUMMER - DAY 2

So we had completed a pretty good first few hours in Florida the night before. It was now time for our first FULL Disney day...and here was the plan:


THUR: This is an early entry day at EPCOT, and with so few ADRs this seems like a good plan. We can grab breakfast at our resort or wait to get to EPCOT. We should get in rides on Soarin' at least, and maybe Test Track as standby. We have a FP for Test Track later in the morning, as well as Living with the Land and even one for afternoon at Character Spot that we most likely won't use. If the weather is as hot as expected, I figure we do the parks until early afternoon then head back to the resort for some pool time. Dinner is at our resort at Citricos - a first for us but seemed like a good place to celebrate my husband's accomplishments. Afer dinner we can try for more MK time if we want.

Well I was not down with getting everybody up early, and our first FP was scheduled for 10:05am at Mission: Space, so I decided as long as we at least made that we would be good.

While getting ready we were debating breakfast ideas, and I was pulling up menus from our resort and they weren't that appealing to the group. I just had my fruit and tea, so it was up to the others. They finally decided on the Contempo Cafe, which is a favorite. So we hopped the monorail over there.

Oh this is the view from our room BTW:

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The Contempo Cafe was pretty packed, so it was tough to find seating for all of us, which was okay as only a few were really eating meals. I think I got some water and hard boiled eggs, my DH and oldest son split a breakfast sandwich and my daughter got Mickey waffles...so I had a bite of those.

As we were eating I finally took a good look at my youngest son...who is a bit fashion challenged and he was wearing a pair of plaid shorts with a striped shirt...and I pointed it out to him. For some reason he decided he wanted to go change, and since my kids are Disney transportation experts, I was fine with letting him hop back on the monorail to the room while the rest of us stayed behind to eat.

Yeah that didn't work out too well.

I can't remember if it was a call or text that I got from him...but he had managed to leave the room WITHOUT his MagicBand...and now he was stuck. Sure he could get back to us at the Contemporary...but getting into a park that day would be a challenge, even though I was trying to figure out a way to do that. Nope. So I told him to wait for me at the lobby at the GF, I would hop the monorail back over to him and in the meantime the rest of the family would continue on the monorail over to EPCOT and we'd meet up there. We were now very quickly closing in on our FP+ menu for Mission: Space.

I reached him at the lobby, we headed back to the room where we encountered a maintenance guy in our room painting. He was VERY apologetic about being there, no big deal I kept telling him, we grabbed what we needed and got back out of the room. However I decided at this point the monorail system was going to be too slow, and since I had a car I just grabbed the keys and we drove directly to EPCOT. I was hoping we could still make the Mission: Space fastpass, but I knew our chances were slim so I actually logged into MDE on my phone and tried to have my 13-yo son look into FP options as none were left for MS that day. I think he chose a SE one later in the day for both of us...and we wouldn't use it.

We were actually walking into EPCOT very close to 11am, which made me sad as it meant we truly probably could have made the Mission: Space FP that we had already cancelled.

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We touched base with the rest of the family and they were in line for Mission: Space so we figured we'd meet up with them at Test Track, which was our NEXT FP scheduled for 11:35am.

On our way over to TT, I saw something in the distance I had SO wanted to see and so I hurried my son along, even though he had no idea what I was heading towards...but it was this:
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Oh how I love the Muppets and especially these guys!

We watched their little show and I took photos and video of course. It was just finishing up but still cool.

Now we continued our walk to TT when I heard THESE guys, another favorite, also setting up:

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Thankfully we had just managed to grab ourselves some snacks:

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So we grabbed a spot nearby and watched the Jammitors jam out for a bit!

It was a quick show, and afterwards and made my kid go up and get me a sticker:

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Now we headed over to Test Track, which had a line, even for FP, out the door which I'd never seen!

So there was no rush since we were at the beginning window of our FP anyway. We wandered over to Mission: Space instead, and while Orange had a LONG wait, GREEN was pretty short (about 20 minutes I think) and since that was all new, I figured we'd catch that. As it turns out, the family was just getting out of the Orange side, so we met them at the front of the entrance to GREEN and they would ride with us.

They mentioned not liking the new opening of Mission: Green that much, even though it was pretty much the same with different people. They said the ride didn't seem different at all. Since I've never been a huge fan of the Orange side, I was looking forward to trying GREEN.

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It was a long line but it went quickly enough, and it was nice and cool there.

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We ended up waiting in this room for a VERY VERY long time. Definitely longer than I've ever waited there. I'm not sure what was happening but we were starting to wonder if the ride was even working as we were here well past the opening video.

I REALLY enjoyed the new GREEN ride. I think the family was okay with it overall. We emerged from here and went directly to Test Track, where the line was STILL out the door but we had our FPs to use and so we hopped into the out-the-door line. I think it moved fairly well, even though the kids were at this point already getting impatient of course.

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It was now getting closer to lunchtime and we were definitely hungry. We had another FP for Imagination, but the kids were okay with skipping it. The lines elsewhere were pretty long and the decision was made for lunch...but where?

Somehow the idea of sushi came up, as my oldest has really had a new liking for it. I knew the Poly had a sushi bar, but I was pretty sure it wasn't open until later. I believe DH checked and assured me it WAS open for lunch..and of course I didn't check myself. We had a car, so we drove over to the Polynesian.

The guard we encountered at the Poly wasn't exactly Disney friendly. He asked our purpose and I told him to eat lunch, I think I said Captain Cooks. He then proceeded to tell me how busy the resorts were, and asked me how long I planned to be there (I think I said about an hour) and he told me he would let me park there but I had to be gone in less than 2 hours. Wow. Ok I get it, but there truly was PLENTY of parking at the Polynesian when we got the lot and it was lunchtime and I had no intention of being there all day!

We walked up to the Sushi bar, which was of course CLOSED and not scheduled to open until dinnertime. However Kona Cafe was looking pretty empty, and we knew we could still get sushi there, so we walked up and asked if we could be seated and of course had a table in about five minutes.

I love the salads at Kona, so that was my choice. I can't remember this one in particular, but it had a light vinagrette dressing and was delicious:

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My daughter has a newfound love of the chicken noodle soup...so she got that. Then we just ordered some sushi to share among the table, and even my youngest, surprisingly, had some of it.

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It was all delicious of course and with my AP discount wasn't too horribly expensive.

Bellies full, we decided to head back to the Grand Floridian for some pool time. And yes, I think we were back out of the parking lot in just over an hour total.

UP NEXT: POOL, MORE FOOD, MORE PARK TIME








 
AUGUST FAREWELL TO SUMMER - DAY 2 (cont'd)

When we last left, we had enjoyed a delicious meal at Kona Cafe...and now we were finally going to enjoy some pool time.

We got changed and headed to the beautiful pool.

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It is too cool to sit by the pool and watch the monorail go by...

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I was totally enjoying my pool time:
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We had about an hour or two of pool time, and I just enjoyed listening to them play the Disney trivia there and realizing how much Disney movie knowledge I do NOT have...but that's okay.

We headed back to the room one by one, to get cleaned up for dinner at Citricos for the evening. This was our first experience there.

We arrived in plenty of time since it was at our resort...and we had the best waiter. I don't recall his name sadly. The kids were a little bit frightened by the menu, but my daughter ordered her chicken noodle soup (again) and my youngest son got some kind of pasta/shrimp appetizer that worked out perfectly for him. My DH and oldest got the short ribs which they both LOVED:
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I got the fish...can't recall what it was...but it was recommended by the waiter and it did not disappoint:
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This was my husband's celebration dinner, so we had my daughter take a photo of us...of course she took plenty of selfies first:
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And tried to get her brother to cooperate for a photo:
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And then got a few of us:
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Even though we were all pretty full from dinner, we were seated too close to where they were making the desserts and we had already decided from the time we smelled and saw them we needed one or two...or three. So yes I think we got 3 desserts to share...two were this one:
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OMG was it good and that chocolate crown was both pretty and yummy. My younger two kids shared this and fought over that.

You could have rolled us out of the restaurant, but that's okay..it was totally worth it and with our 30% discount...even better.

Now it was time for a few more hours at the park, so we went back to the room to change and hit up the Magic Kingdom!

My only goal for this evening was to FINALLY catch Happily Ever After in it's entirety, so we arrived to a pretty packed MK with probably an hour before the show...maybe a little less. The boys had no interest in camping out at a spot with us, so they went off to ride HM while my DH, DD and I staked out a spot on the ground:

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and a few more pics:
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Not long before the show was ready to begin, we had to stand up but I think we had some pretty decent seats in the hub area. I did enjoy this show...but I do miss Wishes. The castle projections, as always, are so fun to watch.

They boys had texted right before the show to ask where we were...as if we could actually describe that to them! Anyway, once the show ended we texted them that we'd meet them at Pirates...and then started our swim like salmon upstream to make our way over to the ride.

As you can tell from the photo below, we were staring at the new screen and having NO clue that our photo was being taken:

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Fun ride as always, and not much time left in our evening. We decided that we really wanted to ride Splash Mountain while we could (it will be on refurb on our next trip) but the boys had no interest. I think they decided to make their way back to the room without us while we headed for Splash.

I believe there was about a 20 minute wait at the time...not too bad and it moved quickly.

For some reason, as they were loading the boat they asked us if we wanted to go 3 to a seat...and for some reason we said yes. Now I'm not saying we are large people...but we aren't that small either, even if my 14yo daughter is pretty small. This was a tight fit and I think I was hanging off one cheek half of the ride but we managed:

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Evening now complete, we made our way to the exit. I think we decided to skip the monorail, much to my daughter's dismay, and rode the boat back. As we were sitting at the dock to leave, the evening water boat parade was happening...I love that! We watched from our boat as we made our way back to the resort to end our evening.

And so a GREAT first full day commenced!
 


When we last left, we had enjoyed a delicious meal at Kona Cafe...and now we were finally going to enjoy some pool time.

I love Kona...soooo good!!! Glad you got to go there. The pool at the GF looked fantastic!! Also I'm sure much needed relaxation after a busy morning with lots of running around thanks to forgotten magic band lol

As we were sitting at the dock to leave, the evening water boat parade was happening...I love that!

This made me laugh. The water parade was cute...the first time...and the second time....but when we stayed at the CR and could see it out our window...let's just say by about night 5 we were all...here goes that dang water parade again lol
 
First, we had a similar experience at the guard station at the Poly, and we HAD reservations. The guy was totally rude, couldn't find our reservation and wouldn't let us in. So, we swung the car around and I pulled the reservation up on my phone. He was still reluctant to let us pass, but he did. It left a bad taste in our mouths.>:(

Second, I am so glad you enjoyed your meal at Citricos. We have reservations there for the first time in November, and I am so excited to try it out...:D
 
Enjoying your trip/pre-trip report. Hope you are healing and taking care of yourself.

Thanks so much!

I love Kona...soooo good!!! Glad you got to go there. The pool at the GF looked fantastic!! Also I'm sure much needed relaxation after a busy morning with lots of running around thanks to forgotten magic band lol

This made me laugh. The water parade was cute...the first time...and the second time....but when we stayed at the CR and could see it out our window...let's just say by about night 5 we were all...here goes that dang water parade again lol

Yeah Kona is one we have been to many times actually. We've done dinner probably at least 4 or 5 times (maybe more) and lunch...I think this was our 2nd or 3rd time for lunch. I think we have only done breakfast once, and that was DH and I...then we learned we could just get Tonga Toast at Captain Cooks! We have always enjoyed our meals there.

I can totally understand that about the water parade. We stayed in one of the wings of the CR years ago when the kids were small, and having to listen to the music outside at night when kids needed to be asleep...yeah I get it. I still love it though.



First, we had a similar experience at the guard station at the Poly, and we HAD reservations. The guy was totally rude, couldn't find our reservation and wouldn't let us in. So, we swung the car around and I pulled the reservation up on my phone. He was still reluctant to let us pass, but he did. It left a bad taste in our mouths.>:(

Second, I am so glad you enjoyed your meal at Citricos. We have reservations there for the first time in November, and I am so excited to try it out...:D

Wow...gotta wonder if it was the same guard! I mean he did at least let us park without ADRs but VERY reluctantly. I was tempted to swing by once we were done just to give him an "I told you so" that I didn't park there for too long! :)

Yes this was our first Citricos experience and I think we'd love to return there again. The service for sure was outstanding and the food was very good as well, especially that dessert!
 


DECEMBER UPDATE

Yes I know I have yet to finish the May or the August updates...hopefully soon. However I have to say that after spying some crazy good flight prices for our December trip on Friday, and then checking again on Saturday only to found they had increased...well I went ahead and booked them because they were just too good to pass up. One-way from MD to Florida for under $100 each is always good, I'm usually happy with under $100, happier if it's under $75 and this was less than that.


Of course I have yet to book the flights home, but at this time it looks like I'm going to book a late Sunday night flight home. I debated early Monday, but the kids will already be missing school Thursday for this December trip (albeit it's a 2-hour early dismissal day so not a FULL day) and I don't want them missing too much. So the flights Sunday night are a bit more expensive, and would have us in late (after 11pm) and the kids would NEED to drag themselves to school Monday morning...but it would be worth it to have a full day at the parks on Sunday.

Oh and we actually still don't have a place to stay for that time. I'm on two DVC waitlists but don't know the chances of those happening. I have considered booking offsite at the same hotel where my daughter and I stayed in March but DH will not even HEAR of me booking offisite, even if it may mean switching to two different Resorts on-site AGAIN for just a total of 4 nights. We'll see what shakes out but it looks like we may be at one resort Wednesday night (which is fine since we have a late arrival anyway) and then another resort Thurs-Sunday.

I'm still HOPING to convince my FIL to travel with us on this trip, but I dare not bring it up quite yet. There is still time to try to talk him into it and he's slowly getting a bit better and being more social, at least with us, so we'll see. Another month or so just might give him time to think about it.
 
December is such a magical time at Disney. I love all the Christmas decorations!

I know...me too! I love seeing the castle lit up and I am looking forward to seeing the Candlelight Processional as we haven't done that in YEARS...and I know a dining package for it for this trip.

Wow, so much fun!! Another trip so soon is awesome. And what a deal on flights!!

I know...I know...and yes I've learned that can be dangerous those flights.
 
Yes I know I owe you another trip update. It's been a busy week and I've been having some late post final treatment new side effects that have me down for the count a bit. I think I'm bouncing back a bit now though.

So about my previous comment...the DANGERS of having Southwest points, viewing cheap flights and having annual passes...yes it's not good.

Yesterday DH and I actually had a conversation about taking a ONE day trip to Walt Disney World next month for our anniversary. We were seriously talking about leaving one morning early and coming back late one night...in a day. We also discussed maybe just staying ONE night instead. We didn't book it...but put it on hold because I need to consult with a doctor on Monday about my next phase of treatment and get a scheduled for that.

It's a good thing because YESTERDAY I was finally able to schedule a surgery I've been trying to do before my radiation treatments...and that is now NEXT Tuesday. So I had to last-minute schedule my pre-op physical...for TODAY for that. That means the very little time off I currently have from work...will now be less.

PLUS I talked to my dad for the first time yesterday since we visited him last month. He was about to send me an email (that's how my dad rolls most days) but I caught him before that, which is good because his emails cause me PTSD (honestly) because so many of them have been extremely painful to read as they've had to do with his current relationship...or ours. I've cried so much in the last 7 months since my mom died, mostly after reading his emails. So yeah...phone call was slightly better.

Turns out dad is coming into town...today I think? He's staying with his girlfriend who also lives her in MD like I do (dad lives in NC) and spending a few days with her. Then they are heading back to his house in NC where they will then go on a trip together the following weekend, one (as dad mentioned) with a group of folks that he and my mom used to take together. ANYWAY...I'm learning to accept that, but he also wanted to try to get together for dinner with me. And so, I have invited him AND his girlfriend to dinner at our house on Saturday. This is a HUGE step...for me especially. I've met the GF once, at dinner last month, but that was even a bit awkward and now...she will be in my home. I haven't told my daughter yet, though she will probably see it on the calendar, as she especially has a hard time accepting this new person because she ADORED my mother...from the day she was born she preferred my mom over me almost always. This may be tough for her. It may also be tough for me...but mom has now been gone for 7 months and I'm trying my best to continue a relationship with my dad and accept his new relationship. I also haven't told my brother about this yet, which may be tough for him to think about because we both struggle with how to accept all of this. We are trying.

ANYWAY I had plans to visit my dad at his house in October as well, perhaps for a long weekend as part of a celebration that my family members have done there to remember one of my deceased uncles (dad's brother) and I was contemplating NOT going and doing this one-night Disney trip instead...but after dad talked about having this work done at his house before my arrival...well now I feel I should do my best to visit him. It may not be too much longer before eventually has has his girlfriend living there with him, which he has mentioned already, and we've asked for him to wait at least until after the New Year. I know she stays there frequently but at least when my brother or I stay there he makes plans for her to stay elsewhere, and that SHOULD be the case for my trip...or else I probably won't stay with him.

So then I have already looked at alternative dates for a quick trip. I'm considering another holiday (Veterans Day) for a quick trip for DH and myself...and I'm even considering a very quick TWO-NIGHT trip for Thanksgiving with the kids. I haven't booked any flights (because SWA website just started erroring out on me) but I did book a room at a nearby non-Disney resort for those two nights, one we have stayed in before. We'll see if that sticks.

I know...it's crazy...but that's what happens when you have APs I guess. :)
 
ANOTHER DECEMBER UPDATE

So I'm getting nervous about the lack of rooms for December for our long weekend trip. I've tried a few times in the past week to book a room at CBR via the Disney website, but when I try to submit the payment it won't go through. Finally last night I just decided to call (like the website suggests when it fails) and (GASP!) talk to a human.

Oh this poor Disney Reservations person...I don't think she realized who she was dealing with obviously. For starters, when I told her what I wanted (room only) she was trying to hard-sell me on a dining plan. Excuse me? What the heck? I declined and she tried to continue the push...when I had to decline again. UGH! I've never had that dining plan hard sell happen to me...what is that all about?

Then when I mentioned what I had planned to book (CBR) she mentioned she had access to "other" reservations that the website did not...really? Ok so I let her give it a shot for my dates, and even the one date (my arrival) that is currently not available anywhere unless I want to pay over $500 a night...no thank you. Eventually she ended up coming back to the exact same room I could not book online, for the same passholder rate price, for the same nights. I'll continue to stalk various websites to see if I get that first night at a Disney resort...or if I can get all FOUR nights at Shades of Green, as right now SOG only has the first two nights. So for now, we have ONE night booked at SOG (our arrival) and 3 nights in a preferred room at CBR. Considering we spend so little time in the room anyway, this should be fine for us, even if we would prefer not to switch at all.

I mentioned the outbound flights are booked, but not the return flights yet. I'm holding out on those because I don't think they will really change much and most likely they will be very late night SWA flights.

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So that's the current status of the December trip, and the only other thing I'm dealing with is a panic over our rental for October. See we booked a 12-passenger van for a week, but now I need to return it a day early. Rebooking increases the current cost by about $900+ dollars...yes that is correct. I've read that perhaps returning it less than 24 hours early won't be a big deal. I also have a backup plan of another van booked but I'd have to return it on Sunday, to the airport, then turn around and rent something else for the day only on Monday...and that is overall cheaper than taking the hit on rebooking the 12-passenger van. I've asked the rental company via email of the penalty...no response yet...so I'll keep coming up with other solutions here.


I've also been working through some details with guests that we are sponsoring at SOG arriving earlier than us and clarifying their options. I think I have that resolved for now.

We are down to 33 days until our next trip! Yay!
 
When should I start to look for flights for August? We will most likely drive to Florida like we always do but if I can find cheap flight I think my husband will go for it.
 
When should I start to look for flights for August? We will most likely drive to Florida like we always do but if I can find cheap flight I think my husband will go for it.

I think SWA will release some August flights in November. Some airlines do book 11 months in advance...the major ones...so you could check now for those.
 
Sorry about all the family drama...so funny though that you were thinking of doing a one day trip lol. I can not imagine!! It would be crazy but pretty exciting....who knows. I can't believe you are planning several more trips already anyway, what fun!!! I don't know how you keep it all straight though!
 
Sorry about all the family drama...so funny though that you were thinking of doing a one day trip lol. I can not imagine!! It would be crazy but pretty exciting....who knows. I can't believe you are planning several more trips already anyway, what fun!!! I don't know how you keep it all straight though!

Thanks....I'm slowly adjusting to the family drama and it appears that perhaps I misunderstand my dad's plans of having dinner with us...because this weekend he showed up alone...no girlfriend. So that was nice, just to have a few hours with him here while he is spending nearly a week in Maryland. He made time to come up and have dinner with us without his girlfriend (slight sarcasm here) before he then travels back to his house in NC (with her) and they go on a multi-day trip together. :crazy2::rolleyes:
 
COUNTDOWN: 28 days!!

Hard to believe we are so close now! So what have I done lately?


During my last update I mentioned my rental vehicle drama. I really had no real way to resolve this, even posted something on the boards here about it, and so finally I just decided to (YIKES) CALL and speak to a live person at the rental car place!

Well I guess it was a rental agent, but basically she modified my drop-off and pick-up times, and notified me of the new amount...which YAY was actually pretty much the same price! WHEW! This was a good thing since I learned this weekend we would now be transporting two additional people from the airport to their resort so we could no longer even get away with a minivan for our travel party. I had volunteered this transportation option to these people earlier, but they had planned to take Magical Express since they were staying at Pop Century Resort.

And so now...we have at least a 12-passenger van booked at the airport for the correct dates and times. There will be a total of 9 of us coming in on the flight from Baltimore, with 7 of us staying at Shades of Green Resort and 2 staying at Pop Century. Nobody is checking luggage, so I've informed them all of the drill. We get OFF the plane, we find the nearest restroom and take turns getting that done for those needing it, then we proceed directly to the rental car place, no passing GO, no collecting $200, and we are ON OUR WAY! Let's hope I am okay driving this monster of a car, though I drive our Toyota Sequoia from time to time, I expect this will be a different beast!

We will drop our 2 passengers off at Pop Century, then head directly to Shades of Green, perhaps a quick stop to check in and drop off our luggage, then hoping to hit Magic Kingdom that night for a few hours!

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And that's our plan so far. This week has been busy with doctor appointments for me. Monday I had myself "mapped" for my radiation treatments, which involved getting me lined up and scanned and 6 new "dot" permanent tattoos on me for radiation which begins October 9th. My doc is aware of my trip, so I'll squeeze in a treatment the day that we leave for vacation, then resume them daily when we return. This puts me on track to finish right before Thanksgiving.

Yesterday I had surgery to remove my medical port, which was put into my chest back in June. That went very quickly and smoothly and I'm still sore and recovering, but I'm told I can resume playing tennis and lifting things in two weeks.

So I get a little bit of a break until I resume medical treatments. After 3 surgeries in 4 months, and chemotherapy, and so many appointments here and there, I'm ready for this year to be over. I so look forward to my vacations to escape, even this one with such a large group to plan for which will be a bit crazy but hopefully in a good way!

Let's just hope this crazy hurricane season is well over by the time we leave. I can't help but feel for all of those people in the path of this weather again and again with no break. It's sad.
 
AUGUST FAREWELL TO SUMMER - DAY 3

After a fabulous first full day, it was time for another full Disney park day. Here was the plan:
  • FRI: This is an EMH morning at MK, so seems like a good time to hit that park. We can spend the better part of the morning and afternoon here, once again doing as much as possible Standby. Perhaps we can head over to our next resort, Animal Kingdom, for the afternoon if our room is ready by that time. This way we can spend some time at the pool there and take advantage of the club food for a bit. We have dinner at JIKO in case the lounge doesn't fill us up. We have FPs that evening at Hollywood Studios so that's where we will head until it closes. With so few rides even open, we should be able to knock out quite a bit with our 3 FP+ reservations and a few other rides.

So how did we do?


I will say the 8am EMH wasn't happening at all. However we were up and out not long after that. We had to be checked out of the lovely Grand Floridian today. I think we packed up suitcases and ran them out to the car, and then walked back into the GFR and hopped the monorail over to the Magic Kingdom.

Ok so here we are on the monorail headed to the Magic Kingdom:
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I love walking down Main Street while the performers are there! We had not time to stop so I snapped some photos and video on the move:

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Since it was early, we decided to take on ONE ride first thing...despite having starving people. Not the best of ideas. We hopped in line for Peter Pan and rode that one quickly. The line moved well, and I had a small snack in my purse of some tangerines. I love that Disney sells that 3-pack of tangerines in the parks and resorts. So we were standing in line, and I was peeling my "breakfast", when the guy behind us was telling his group in amazement "wow...it even smells like oranges in here" to which I had to pop his bubble and apologize that it wasn't Disney magic...but me responsible for that! Oops!


Soon we were flying:
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Though I offerred some of my snack while in line, nobody took me up on it, and now we REALLY had to get food into some hangry people! Now many years ago our go-to food place was the Main Street Bakery...because of those massive cinnamon rolls of course! I miss that place, but I knew Gaston's was supposed to have something equally as tasty and we had NEVER eaten at Gaston's, so off we went!
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THE FOOD:
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So one kid wanted the cinnamon roll all to himself of course. Grumpy non-morning teen at first wanted NOTHING (oh joy) and then somehow decided a cupcake would do for her. I got the chocolate croissant (far left) and that small package of macarons so I could finally try them...I think had one and each of the boys had one. My DH and oldest son split some kind of breakfast filled thing (far right) which they said was okay. We all got FREE cups of water to drink, except I think DH got coffee (which I believe he said tasted like water).

Bellies content, we had to decide on another ride now with NO Fastpasses (they were all booked for the evening at HS).

We decided to head in the direction of one of our favorite mountains:
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The line wasn't too bad here at all...and we took our time to read some of the signs!

And some selfies:
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Soon we were ready to ride:
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YAY!
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After the ride, they had somebody taking photos in front of the mountain, and we'd never had one done here, so reluctantly the family agreed to let them take our photo. I'd love to share it here...but I've reached my max of photo upload storage here at the DIS so now I must go in search of how to share it elsewhere.

(P.S. Anyone know how to DELETE photos from the DIS albums here? I haven't had luck figuring that out yet!)
 
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