Think of All The Joy You'll Find When You Leave the World Behind- Nov 2018 TR-updated 09/22/19 RL

[Araminta18]

Fun morning! I love your husband's radiator springs tee shirt And stopping at the firehouse is a sweet way to honor your step-father.

Can't wait to hear about your AK evening!

 

[amberdc1987]

The books and series follow each other pretty well, but they do still have a character in the series that has already died in the books. I'm not giving anything away, but I encourage you to try to read them together. The books are really long and can be tedious so having the show as a companion helps.

I've been told I need to read them. It's on my list to do...eventually. LOL. And I hadn't heard that someone already died in the book. Geez...I don't know if I want to know who.

Great update. Your husbands Radiator Springs shirt was awesome!!! Y'all managed to get a lot accomplished that morning. Can't wait to hear more.

 

[buzzrelly]

In one of the podcasts we listened to on the way down, they were mentioning how people just stop by to get out of the heat, but they never really appreciate the attraction. We do.

Same! We wouldn't miss it!

 

[disneyAndi14]

You had my favorite kind of morning, CP breakfast, CoP, Philharmagic, and PM, I love these attractions, so very Disney!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Sounds like a great morning! I love Philharmagic! I heard a rumor that they would be updating it a bit before the anniversary. I hope that is true!

 

[kastoney]

We had an 8:15 PPO breakfast Crystal Palace. I've eaten meals here at every offering, but we prefer breakfast over lunch and dinner. While the choices aren't nearly as good as other breakfast buffet options such as 1900 Park Fare or Boma, I enjoy eating here.

Definitely a good choice to go with breakfast. We find that breakfast buffets are much more forgiving food wise than lunch or dinner.

Jason also wanted to show off his Radiator Springs shirt I had made so we stopped in front of the Fire Department. I'm not sure if I mentioned this before (forgive me if I have), but my step-father, who raised me from the age of 8, was a firefighter. He passed away in 2008 so we always stop by the fire station every trip just to take a few moments to remember and honor him.

What a sweet way to remember him. And nice job on the shirt. You are talented!

The Carousel of Progress.
In one of the podcasts we listened to on the way down, they were mentioning how people just stop by to get out of the heat, but they never really appreciate the attraction. We do. We sit right in the second row (we leave the front for those who need it) and sing along (quietly so as not to disturb others.) When we are circling around, we almost feel like Walt Disney is there singing along with us. It's so Walt, and we don't want that feeling to ever go away.

I've never heard of that Podcast, I'll have to check it out. We just got back from a 9 hour road trip and were in definite need of some good things to listen to.

Glad to hear you all enjoy COP. Its one of our favorites and even my little Casey with her vintage Disney soul loves it.

Sanaa was a good stop, though we were full to the gills. This was a full day without a break at our resort so after our meal, we hopped the bus to Animal Kingdom.

One of our favorites. Can't wait for your full dining review.

 

[skier_pete]

Geez, how can you be at your photo limit with 8 photos? Are they really big files?

Love Saana, but so soon after Crystal palace I would be sick from so much food. (CP is one of my fave but haven't been there in years because we just dont eat enough and the characters aren't as appealing with a sulky teen.)

From your previous post - you don't miss out on much with the DVC lounge. It's a nice place for a break, but it's nothing special.

Jason's shirt is amazing. Nice job!

 

[SweetSerenity]

Fun morning! I love your husband's radiator springs tee shirt And stopping at the firehouse is a sweet way to honor your step-father.

Can't wait to hear about your AK evening!

Animal Kingdom is moving on up in my rank of favorites!

I've been told I need to read them. It's on my list to do...eventually. LOL. And I hadn't heard that someone already died in the book. Geez...I don't know if I want to know who.

Great update. Your husbands Radiator Springs shirt was awesome!!! Y'all managed to get a lot accomplished that morning. Can't wait to hear more.

You don't want to know. If you're going to follow the series, you won't know the difference, but when you read the books you will be sadly disappointed.

Same! We wouldn't miss it!

Hope they never take it away!

You had my favorite kind of morning, CP breakfast, CoP, Philharmagic, and PM, I love these attractions, so very Disney!

Yes! Tried to make it leisurely and classic.

Definitely a good choice to go with breakfast. We find that breakfast buffets are much more forgiving food wise than lunch or dinner.


What a sweet way to remember him. And nice job on the shirt. You are talented!

I used poor verbage. I am not talented. Someone else is. I had it made is what I meant to say. Girl, I can't even draw stick figures, much less make a shirt like that.

I've never heard of that Podcast, I'll have to check it out. We just got back from a 9 hour road trip and were in definite need of some good things to listen to.

I will be happy to get you a list of Podcasts that we listened to. Some of them were very interesting. One of them was an interview with the hat lady over at The Rose and Crown Pub. I can't remember her name right now.

Glad to hear you all enjoy COP. Its one of our favorites and even my little Casey with her vintage Disney soul loves it.

Her vintage Disney soul is special and perfect.

One of our favorites. Can't wait for your full dining review.

One of us is willing to go back and the other isn't.

Geez, how can you be at your photo limit with 8 photos? Are they really big files?

Yes, and I don't know how to fix it. I'm not tech savvy at all. Basically, I have a Google phone so my pics upload to Google, I save them to a file, and directly upload them to Disboards. I've tried to resize them to no avail.

Love Saana, but so soon after Crystal palace I would be sick from so much food. (CP is one of my fave but haven't been there in years because we just dont eat enough and the characters aren't as appealing with a sulky teen.)

You are right, thus the problem we ran into with 27 dining credits on the DxDP. We definitely learned our lesson, but I planned the meals out the best I could. It may not seem like it, but there was about a 6 hour gap between the meals. Still, we barely made a dent in all that food. Had we been paying OOP, we could have easily split those meals and still would have been way too full. Live and learn though, right?

Jason's shirt is amazing. Nice job!

Alas, I am a deceiver. I worded that very poorly. I had the shirt made by a company in that I picked out the color of the shirt and text. It is someone else's design. I do have a friend that talented, but it's not me. Apologies for the deception. It was early in the morning when I wrote that update so when I was typing along I was thinking I was saying "I had it made" when I should have just said I ordered it. Sadly, my only talent in this situation was seeing a design and deciding which colors worked best with it. I fixed it in my post.

 

[Dis_Yoda]

That looks like a nice morning! I love Philharmagic but I've skipped it too many times recently. I need to fix that going forward. Glad you enjoyed your morning around MK! You got a decent amount of stuff done!

 

[SweetSerenity]

We Shall Be Best Friends Forever and Ever and Ever- Day 5, Part Two


We waddled onto a bus for Animal Kingdom. When we got there, it seemed so empty from the outside. We stopped to take a PP photo before entering. Our first order of business was to use our FP for Dinosaur. We have not ridden this in a really long time. 2008? 2009? Not sure. While it's not our favorite attraction, I was looking forward to revisiting it. We made our way toward the ride, but we saw two CMs standing in front of the archway. The ride was down, and they weren't sure when it was going to come up again. If we watched our app, our FP would turn in to the anytime pass and we could use it at any other attraction except, well, Pandora.

I was disappointed, and we weren't sure where to go next. While we debated, we saw a relatively short line for Daisy in her fortune teller outfit.

After our visit with Daisy, we decided to go to Primeval Whirl to use the FP. Again, we hadn't done this in close to a decade. I remember not being a huge fan, but we already had FPs for EE and FOP for the evening, and I didn't want to waste it on a show so we used it. It was just as rickety and jerky as I remembered, but we had fun on it.

We left Dinoland to return to Pandora. It was getting close to dusk, and I knew that the plants were going to come to life so I captured as many photos as I could. I think most of them I had taken already
except for this one.


It was time to reconnect with my Ikran. This time, my Avatar was male and Jason's was female. Just like last time, I let myself be fully immersed into the magic of the moment. We were flying again, she and I. We breathed in sync. It was so amazing yet again.

This is where I did something dumb.
Back in the early days of our dating, Jason and I used to frequent the Renaissance festival nearby because that's what he did with his friends in Texas. Ours isn't nearly as good, but every time we went the guy would be set up with those realistic looking cat and dragon puppets that were around $300.00. They were remarkable, and there were times I was so close to being persuaded into getting one, but what was I going to do with it? Nothing. What did a grown woman need with one of those? Again. Nothing.

Well, they got me. Those darn Banshees started calling out to me: "Shannon, dear, come here, you gullible lady! Pet us! Buy us! Waste your money because we are adorable!" And like someone in a trance, I listened. This is the point where Jason should have stopped me, but he said "You have a gift card and you haven't bought yourself anything. If you want it, get it." Okay.

The CM took me over to their little lair. She was good. Really good. She, like me, remembered the puppets from Ren Faires. Unlike me, she already had a Banshee, but she interacted with hers daily. I spent a good amount of time wearing the Banshee and before I knew what I was doing, I told her I wanted one. What the. . . what did they put in my food at Sanaa?

His name is Theo, short for Theodore, and I do not have a picture of him because he lives in his box. In my closet. Seriously. What did this grown woman need with a Banshee? Nothing. I was just fulfilling something from long ago and spent $60.00 instead of $300.00. I do, secretly, adore him, though. I have plans to keep him on a perch in my bedroom where my dogs cannot terrorize him. Oh, well, Disney brings out the child in all of us. Lesson learned again.

We left Pandora to go see Festival of the Lion King and be giraffes. This is such a good show. I get so emotional when the birds are dancing and she starts soaring through the sky. I think it's one of the best shows in the parks. Definitely better than Finding Nemo in my opinion.

It was finally time for our very last FP of the evening: EE. It was dark by now, and we did not realize the mistake we had made by choosing a FP so close to ROL. We saw the last 10 seconds of the show before we were thrown into the throng of people both trying to exit and line up for the next show. It was one of the worst bottlenecks we have experienced at a park.

We finally made it on to face the Yeti. We both felt like we could tolerate the ride better at night than in the day. Not sure why. I was even able to keep my eyes open for a bit this time.


I forgot to mention that we always stop to visit these little guys: the Muntjaks. We fell in love with them back in 2008 because they reminded us of our little Dixie. We call her a Moon-yak from time to time.

It was around 8:00 and we were about to be eating again. The park was closing so the crowds were thinning out. With virtually no one else around, AK was exquisite. The lights glimmered off the water and twinkled down the streets. I could have spent all night walking the park. Animal Kingdom was certainly casting some kind of spell on me because it was moving up the ranks from #3 to #2 favorite park, replacing Epcot.

Dinner was at Tiffin's. We had never eaten there before, but I loved the way it was set up for the lounge. I felt like I was transported to Africa in the late 1800s, and I was searching for diamonds. It was quite lovely.

I was slightly worried when we left that the buses would no longer be running, but I needn't be. The Epcot resort buses were sharing that night, which was fine, because there may have been about 10 people on board. There was a family that had just gotten on a random bus and then started panicking about how to get back to All Stars Music. The driver agreed to take them over there.

Overall, it was a lovely night. It was the last time we would be going to AK for the remainder of the vacation, but I felt like we had enjoyed it to the very max.

Up next: The dreaded bad day that sneaks up on you. Something goes amiss at home, and we have one of the worst dining experiences in our history of dining at Disney.

 

[Araminta18]

Sounds like a lovely night indeed! I'm glad you got the banshee--it may not be a need, but if it makes you happy (and you already kind of budgeted the money), why not?

Ooh, those Tiffin pictures look so yummy! I really need to book there. I love the "happy anniversary" plate!

 

[xlsm]

My kids wanted all these soaps, lol

Your shirt is so pretty!!

my step-father, who raised me from the age of 8, was a firefighter. He passed away in 2008 so we always stop by the fire station every trip just to take a few moments to remember and honor him.

Aw, this is sweet. I was the same age when my mom married my step dad, and he raised me too

haha! I love how Pooh is just lounging on your husband

Afterwards, we went to the Poor Man's Toy Story Mania- a.k.a. Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. I don't like this. It bores me.

Nooooo!!! I'm a big Space Ranger Spin fan. My oldest admitted that he likes TSMM better this trip and a little piece of my soul died. I like them both for different reasons. Spin is nostalgic for me (don't worry, logically I get that one may or may not be slightly better But this holds a special place in my heart and is a must do for me!)

This is Jason's face every single time we ride this.

this made me laugh, my DH always has the same look on this ride in his photos too. We call it his concentration face. I even told him this time the picture was coming up, don't make the face...guess what happened?? LOL! It's just a reflex I guess!

I get so emotional when the birds are dancing and she starts soaring through the sky. I think it's one of the best shows in the parks. Definitely better than Finding Nemo in my opinion.

Oh, me too!! I always cry during that part. It's by far my favorite show. I don't care for the Nemo show at all

Ugh, I'm sorry you've got an at home stressor coming up in the next update. We had one too...it's always something!!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Oh no about Dinosaur! It’s my favorite in Animal Kingdom!

Too funny about the Banshee but if you wanted it! No shame in that! Disney is the place to buy something silly and impractical !

 

[kastoney]

I used poor verbage. I am not talented. Someone else is. I had it made is what I meant to say. Girl, I can't even draw stick figures, much less make a shirt like that.

You and me are firmly together in that camp. I order well, but have not a crafty bone in my body

I will be happy to get you a list of Podcasts that we listened to. Some of them were very interesting. One of them was an interview with the hat lady over at The Rose and Crown Pub. I can't remember her name right now.

If you could message them to me I would love that. I listen to the DIS one but that is about it.

This time, my Avatar was male and Jason's was female. Just like last time, I let myself be fully immersed into the magic of the moment. We were flying again, she and I. We breathed in sync. It was so amazing yet again.

Funny I don't think I could ever tell if they were male or female. Maybe mine were just androgynous

Those darn Banshees started calling out to me: "Shannon, dear, come here, you gullible lady! Pet us! Buy us! Waste your money because we are adorable!" And like someone in a trance, I listened. This is the point where Jason should have stopped me, but he said "You have a gift card and you haven't bought yourself anything. If you want it, get it." Okay.

This is way too funny! Glad you at least only spent $60 instead of $300 so I'll call that a good purchase already. Casey is dying for one of these, but the prospect of spending $60 of her own money on one has kept her at bay thus far.

 

[buzzrelly]

His name is Theo, short for Theodore, and I do not have a picture of him because he lives in his box. In my closet.

We've all been there! We have a "Pal Mickey" stuck in a drawer somewhere from 2006 and I want to say he was about $60 then so I think you got a bargain

Animal Kingdom was certainly casting some kind of spell on me because it was moving up the ranks from #3 to #2 favorite park, replacing Epcot.

It's moved up for me as well and now comes in at #3 after MK and DHS. EPCOT just isn't doing it for me lately. Maybe once all the new attractions open it'll get better.

 

[disneyAndi14]

What do you mean you fell for Disney’s merchandise on a trip, lol! The banshees look very cute in an ugly sort of way!

I have seen many a person walking around with one on their shoulder, it didn’t look very comfortable to me but very cool!

I love Dinosaur, sorry it was down, it has been down a lot and just went through a refurbishment!

 

[Terra Nova guy]

I'm not sure if I mentioned this before (forgive me if I have), but my step-father, who raised me from the age of 8, was a firefighter. He passed away in 2008 so we always stop by the fire station every trip just to take a few moments to remember and honor him.

That is a wonderful tradition. I'm glad you got some nice pictures - the fire house was under scrims for the whole of my August trip, good that they were down for you.

When we are circling around, we almost feel like Walt Disney is there singing along with us. It's so Walt, and we don't want that feeling to ever go away.

I like CoP too. And I might sing along from time to time. I certainly hope they don't take it away, although it's hardly the thrill ride that most guests go for these days.

Afterwards, we went to the Poor Man's Toy Story Mania- a.k.a. Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. I don't like this. It bores me. I don't know. I love TSM because it's just fun and upbeat.

I prefer TSM too. But I like Buzz well enough. I just wish the gun would come off, I think my aim would be better. I can never figure out where my little red dot is.

Well, they got me. Those darn Banshees started calling out to me: "Shannon, dear, come here, you gullible lady! Pet us! Buy us! Waste your money because we are adorable!" And like someone in a trance, I listened. This is the point where Jason should have stopped me, but he said "You have a gift card and you haven't bought yourself anything. If you want it, get it." Okay.

I never went to look at those banshees. I was afraid one might come home with us - if not me then my youngest DD may have convinced me to get one. It seems like something she would go for - and probably have it sit in a box too!

 

[Jenn_28]

I am loving your description of FOP! It is definitely one of our family's favorites for sure. And your banshee holds a special place in your heart for your trip, so money well spent in my opinion,

 

[SweetSerenity]

That looks like a nice morning! I love Philharmagic but I've skipped it too many times recently. I need to fix that going forward. Glad you enjoyed your morning around MK! You got a decent amount of stuff done!

It's just such a nice break! It's my favorite 3-d show.

Sounds like a lovely night indeed! I'm glad you got the banshee--it may not be a need, but if it makes you happy (and you already kind of budgeted the money), why not?

Ooh, those Tiffin pictures look so yummy! I really need to book there. I love the "happy anniversary" plate!

We're not big spenders on souvenirs for ourselves. Traditionally, I get some kind of t-shirt and we both get mugs. I've been collecting salt and pepper shaker sets since 2008, but they didn't have any so this was my big gift I suppose.

Tiffins, ah, Tiffins. . . If only, if only.

My kids wanted all these soaps, lol

They were pretty clever!

Your shirt is so pretty!!

Thank you! One of my favorite stores was having a BOGO on clearance so I got it for free!

Aw, this is sweet. I was the same age when my mom married my step dad, and he raised me too

'Ohana means family and family doesn't just mean blood.

haha! I love how Pooh is just lounging on your husband

Ha! I know! Tigger was fun, too.

Nooooo!!! I'm a big Space Ranger Spin fan. My oldest admitted that he likes TSMM better this trip and a little piece of my soul died. I like them both for different reasons. Spin is nostalgic for me (don't worry, logically I get that one may or may not be slightly better But this holds a special place in my heart and is a must do for me!)

I just get bored on it. Admittedly, I'm not very good at aiming with the gun there.

Oh, me too!! I always cry during that part. It's by far my favorite show. I don't care for the Nemo show at all

It's just so good!!!!

Ugh, I'm sorry you've got an at home stressor coming up in the next update. We had one too...it's always something!!

Luckily, everything worked out!

Oh no about Dinosaur! It’s my favorite in Animal Kingdom!

I know, dang it!

Too funny about the Banshee but if you wanted it! No shame in that! Disney is the place to buy something silly and impractical !

This is true. Where else can grown adults sport tiaras and wands without looking out of place?

You and me are firmly together in that camp. I order well, but have not a crafty bone in my body


If you could message them to me I would love that. I listen to the DIS one but that is about it.

Yes! I'll get a list together of what we had.

Funny I don't think I could ever tell if they were male or female. Maybe mine were just androgynous

Haha, I think it was in the facial features.

This is way too funny! Glad you at least only spent $60 instead of $300 so I'll call that a good purchase already. Casey is dying for one of these, but the prospect of spending $60 of her own money on one has kept her at bay thus far.

I've probably spent more on less practical items like orthodics that I don't wear. At least Theo is fun.

We've all been there! We have a "Pal Mickey" stuck in a drawer somewhere from 2006 and I want to say he was about $60 then so I think you got a bargain



It's moved up for me as well and now comes in at #3 after MK and DHS. EPCOT just isn't doing it for me lately. Maybe once all the new attractions open it'll get better.

I remember those, but we never got one! They're dead technology now, though, right?

We're still Epcot fans, but that is primarily because of WS. I think my husband will enjoy HS more after Galaxy's Edge opens.

What do you mean you fell for Disney’s merchandise on a trip, lol! The banshees look very cute in an ugly sort of way!

I have seen many a person walking around with one on their shoulder, it didn’t look very comfortable to me but very cool!

I love Dinosaur, sorry it was down, it has been down a lot and just went through a refurbishment!

His little talons aren't comfortable, but maybe that's the point?

I didn't know it was refurbed. I've heard it's been having problems, though.

That is a wonderful tradition. I'm glad you got some nice pictures - the fire house was under scrims for the whole of my August trip, good that they were down for you.

Yes, we were lucky and got some good shots!

I like CoP too. And I might sing along from time to time. I certainly hope they don't take it away, although it's hardly the thrill ride that most guests go for these days.

I think you're just honoring the attraction if you sing along. Kind of like Tiki Room.

I prefer TSM too. But I like Buzz well enough. I just wish the gun would come off, I think my aim would be better. I can never figure out where my little red dot is.

Totally agree! I can't find the dot either.

I never went to look at those banshees. I was afraid one might come home with us - if not me then my youngest DD may have convinced me to get one. It seems like something she would go for - and probably have it sit in a box too!

Good choice.

I am loving your description of FOP! It is definitely one of our family's favorites for sure. And your banshee holds a special place in your heart for your trip, so money well spent in my opinion,

You are so right, thank you!!! He is a special memory! I feel better now!

 

[SweetSerenity]

I'm Not Feeling Very Beachy Today- Day 6- Epcot​

My updates have almost ceased to exist these days. We are short two medical staff at work so I'm working over most days to help cover. It should, in theory, get better in about a month or so. I guess there is no better time to work extra than in the dreary doldrums of winter. Because of that, I've sadly neglected my dining report until I can get a little extra time to catch up. I miss sharing our stories with you all! Back to it.

Day 6th- Tuesday, November 6th

This did not start as a good day nor did it really end on a good note either. The middle was surprisingly pleasant. With that being said, you're all welcome to skip the entirety of this day. I really don't want to write about it, but it happened and it's a part of the story so I have to include it. Without further ado:

We were going to sleep in today because I had booked a last minute reservation to try The Plaza's new breakfast menu and spend the early part of the morning at The Magic Kingdom. I woke up at 6:00 a.m. When I checked my phone for the time I noticed an abundance of text messages and tags on Facebook. That's never a good sign.

The initial text was from a friend that didn't realize we were in Florida. She just said she was praying for us and hoping we were safe. The tags on FB were also concerns for our safety. My first thought was that something disastrous had happened in Florida. Upon further investigation, it turns out tornadoes had struck the main road where my subdivision is located. I didn't know how far away it was, but I have several friends who live very closeby. They were all okay and had minimal damage. There was a terrible fatality. My mom had been staying with my girls, but she had decided to stay home that night with her ill significant other. I went into panic mode. Was my house okay? Were the girls okay? Were they terrified?

I asked my coworker to stop by my house on her way to work to make sure it was still standing. It was then that I finally got the answer that the tornado had missed our home by about half a mile in the other direction. I called my mom begging her to go to my house. I got up and started throwing things together. What was I going to do, she asked? Forfeit the rest of our vacation when there was nothing I could do at home? She told me to calm down and stay.

Back in 2010, our little old dog (who was not so old back then) ran away from my grandmother's house while we were in Disney. We were sitting across from The Plaza when I had the feeling something was wrong, and my mom told everything was fine. It was only the next day, after they had found her, that she confessed the truth. Since then, I have terrible anxiety about leaving them at home, but even more so about boarding them.

Jason woke up and asked me what was happening. I told him I couldn't go to the Plaza, that I just didn't have it in me to get dressed and go to a park when so much was going on. He understood. I called the reservation line and explained the situation to the CM. She, kindly, waived the cancellation fee and found us a later morning reservation for Cape May Cafe. We had never been there, and I was totally okay with it since the proximity was close and we would be going to Epcot later. I thanked her profusely.

We dressed slowly and drove to The Beach Club. My friends and coworkers continued to text me because they are like family, and they cared about the welfare of the girls. Mom notified me that she was stuck behind a wreck, and the roads have been closed down. I had to text permission to the police officers for her to even pass so she could get to my house. At around 11:00 a.m. she finally made it. Everything was okay, but it was so scary being so far away. All I could think about was Ellie and her anxiety and how petrified she must have been with the howling of the winds and the storm. Ugh.


Thrilled, isn't he?

This was my first time at the Beach Club, and I wished I had had more time and the spirit to enjoy it. It was lovely, and I would like to stay there one day.

Our server started out friendly, but she must have thought she was meeting resistance when she saw us. Admittedly, I looked a mess. My face was red and splotchy from all the crying, and Jason was in shutdown mode. We were quite the pair. We barely felt like interacting with the characters and while we took a lot of pictures, I'm not going to share any of me.




I ate too much. Stress eating.

Finally, the CM looked like she had had enough of us. I apologized to her for our lackadaisical demeanor and explained to her what was going on even though I'm not the type to usually indulge that way. I just didn't want her to think she had done anything wrong to cause our quiet attitudes. She said she could tell something was amiss, and told us to give it to God and everything would be okay. I thanked her for her understanding. After that, she perked up, and so did we.

We left Cape May, and did something we had not done yet ever: we drove ourselves to Epcot.

Coming up, the day gets a little better in the middle!