***Official November 2013 - Part II*** (that's right....we're that popular!)

[aym4Him]

Yeesh. I had a busy weekend (DS is under the weather) and got behind on this thread! Missed you guys!

My nephew asked me to make him a Link hat from Legend of Zelda. He and my DS19 are going into Boston for some video game music concert of some sort. I'm so clueless. Anyway when I asked my DS about the colors of the hat and such, I added "Did you need me to make you one?" and he said "well since you asked, I'd really like one." Love how he is always worried about asking me to do something for him. He so misses that I love these little projects. The material was some I had in my stash and now the pieces are cut out and I just have to get to the sewing machine. I guess that will be tomorrow sometime as I have a church thing to go to shortly.

Distractions distractions. So glad I have them so I stop obsessing.

WOW! Your DS and nephew are lucky. I wish I could sew! (Just one of the many fantastic traits of my mom's that I sadly didn't inherit or cultivate..). By the way, I lost my mom to lung cancer, too in '03. It stinks

Unfortunately I am very familiar with Parkinson's. I was diagnosed with young onset parkinson's a little over a year ago. I am hoping that I will be able to get around like I normally do. But I have a fear I am going to have problems this trip.




I am so sorry about your cat.

I'm so very sorry to hear about your diagnosis! I hope that you have a really great trip and have no problems.

 

[FaerieFire]

I will probably post this on a main page but will ask here first...does anyone know if the cards they give it as starters for the sorcerers of the magic kingdom game are the same? I have two packets we had last year but we never ended up playing....If we have time and want to try it should we get new cards or use those?

The more cards you have, the better, so use those and get an additional pack per person every day you're in MK. They're mostly random in terms of what's in the pack (usually a couple more common ones and a couple rarer ones). Just keep using the same key card, so you can keep your progress in the game. If you get duplicate cards, they can be traded with other players.

 

[FaerieFire]

I think you have until 4 days before your arrival to upgrade dining.

I was told last year it was 10 days before arrival. I actually took our dining upgrade off ahead of the pay-off date and then added it back two weeks out, because of cash flow.

We find upgrading is a good deal for us, if only because we prefer table-service meals as our breaks in our park days and find it easier to get healthier meals. Actually, I'm raising a little foodie, so we upgraded to Deluxe, with a handful of signature meals and lots of regular table-service ones, including the character meals. And we'll use all those snack credits for F&W items and some take-home treats.

Whether it's a good deal for you depends on how your family eats. There's a spreadsheet out there that lets you estimate how much you'd spend OOP, vs. the cost of the plan. If you mostly eat the inexpensive items off the menu, it becomes less of a deal (though the upgrade to Regular costs so little, it's hard not to make it pay off). With our upgrade to Deluxe, even that makes sense for us, because we like the variety of tastes we get from appetizer and dessert options at each meal, even if we don't finish everything on the plate. But I know a lot of people are happy with an entree alone. We also order mid-range on most of the menus, so the numbers work for us, even for Deluxe.

If there's a question about whether it would save you money, do the spreadsheet and you'll get some hard numbers.

 

[FigmentChick]

What does fast pass to Illuminations get you?

Seating either in Germany or at the entrance to World Showcase. Either are great viewing areas. And a less crowded, I think.

 

[Sheilby]

We're all too familiar with Parkinson's Disease in my family. Both my uncle and oldest brother had it before they passed away. Currently one of my cousins (a daughter of that uncle) is living with Parkinson's. Also, one of our friends has Parkinson's and has been unable to drive for several years. With the help of his wife they are still able to live in their house but she keeps her eye out for what their options will be for future living accommodations. My husband picks up this friend twice a month to take him out to breakfast and a visit. He is still able to walk short distances with his canes and does not have the shoulder complications that your mother has. All this to say that I know that your attention and assistance in helping her to maintain as many of her previous interests and social situations is immensely appreciated.

Does your mother use the Internet for Email? If she does, & if you have a smart phone you could send Email photos to her of the kids each day. Also at EPCOT in both Innovations and at the end of the Spaceship Earth ride you can send those silly photos to her.

BTW, I was born in NJ, grew up in PA (right across the Delaware) and moved to MI when I got married at age 19. People here still laugh at the way I pronounce a few words

She doesn't have internet in her apartment, and she doesn't seem to have a desire for it. She is still living alone despite my misgivings. When I suggest an assisted living facility she says she would kill herself first. I will of course take her in if it comes to that, but it will be a huge strain on us all. I home school my boys and we are out a couple of days a week in co-ops and on exploration trips. When I go out I like to get all my errands done at once so that on our days home we don't have to go anywhere. When she is up (at minimum 5-6 days every month), she wants to be taken to a store every day and she expects me to be home to provide her with 3 meals. Plus she loves her junk food, and she is constantly giving the kids it. My kids gain weight easily (except my middle guy) so this is a real problem for me. I live a little over an hour from her so if she comes here she would have to leave her friends.

So, do you still say cawfee and dawg? I was shocked to find out that log and dog were supposed to rhyme, they don't in NJ.

Gazebo and play ground was Short sands. There is an arcade, shopping and places to eat. Also is York Wild Kingdom. Nice little zoo.
Sheilby might want to google search that too. The two beach areas are connected with a short ride or bit of a walk.
That is a limited time to go. Off season is kind of extra quiet and cold.
Season is I believe end of June up through Labor day.
Sheilby, if you decide to come North, PM me and I"ll give you more options to look into if those June-Sept months are the months you are considering.

It's not Disney but when you can't get to Disney it's nice. My inlaws own a cottage up in Long Sands area.

Ok I'm gonna dance to 26 1/2 days to go here.

My nephew asked me to make him a Link hat from Legend of Zelda. He and my DS19 are going into Boston for some video game music concert of some sort. I'm so clueless. Anyway when I asked my DS about the colors of the hat and such, I added "Did you need me to make you one?" and he said "well since you asked, I'd really like one." Love how he is always worried about asking me to do something for him. He so misses that I love these little projects. The material was some I had in my stash and now the pieces are cut out and I just have to get to the sewing machine. I guess that will be tomorrow sometime as I have a church thing to go to shortly.

Distractions distractions. So glad I have them so I stop obsessing.

Thanks, I do love it up North so it is definitely an option.

I have to get sewing too, my oldest wants to be a Yeti for Halloween. He is a little annoyed that Disney got the color wrong on its Yeti.

Unfortunately I am very familiar with Parkinson's. I was diagnosed with young onset parkinson's a little over a year ago. I am hoping that I will be able to get around like I normally do. But I have a fear I am going to have problems this trip.

Oh no, I'm so sorry to hear that. My mom's first cousin's wife got diagnosed with Parkinson's at the same time she did, but she was younger. She is doing a lot better than my mom and I credit a lot of that not only with youth, but with a better attitude. She is determined to still live the best life she can and it shows. My mom on the other hand focuses on everything that has changed and everything she can no longer do. She also spends a lot of time dwelling on how rough she had it with my dad (he died back in 1996) and my brother.

I hope you have a fabulous trip and I am sure that staying active and having a lot of fun will help you stay healthy for years to come.

You might want to look into but I think I saw special wheelchairs that go in the sand that you can rent in myrtle beach.

There are, I read about them in the link Rejoyce sent me. I had never heard of those before. Very cool.

 

[Kathy Z]

She doesn't have internet in her apartment, and she doesn't seem to have a desire for it. She is still living alone despite my misgivings. When I suggest an assisted living facility she says she would kill herself first. I will of course take her in if it comes to that, but it will be a huge strain on us all. I home school my boys and we are out a couple of days a week in co-ops and on exploration trips. When I go out I like to get all my errands done at once so that on our days home we don't have to go anywhere. When she is up (at minimum 5-6 days every month), she wants to be taken to a store every day and she expects me to be home to provide her with 3 meals. Plus she loves her junk food, and she is constantly giving the kids it. My kids gain weight easily (except my middle guy) so this is a real problem for me. I live a little over an hour from her so if she comes here she would have to leave her friends.

So, do you still say cawfee and dawg? I was shocked to find out that log and dog were supposed to rhyme, they don't in NJ.

I'm going to send you a private message regarding your family situation.

My speech is sort of a combination Philly/south Jersey. I think dog and log have always rhymed. The first word that gave me difficulty in MI to the point of my co-workers not knowing what I was saying was the word for H2O. I grew up like the rest of my family saying "wuh-ter"; here it sounds like "waa-ter". Then, when I was narrating the Christmas story of Jesus' birth for the children's choir at church they all began laughing when I said "dunk-ey" (the animal Mary sat upon for the journey to Bethlehem) instead of "don-key". Fortunately, this was in rehearsal and the choir director, from Philadelphia originally, giggled and told them not to make fun of me because that was the way she grew up pronouncing it also. And that one I've said correctly ever since.

 

[RejoyceoverDisney]

I'm going to send you a private message regarding your family situation.

My speech is sort of a combination Philly/south Jersey. I think dog and log have always rhymed. The first word that gave me difficulty in MI to the point of my co-workers not knowing what I was saying was the word for H2O. I grew up like the rest of my family saying "wuh-ter"; here it sounds like "waa-ter". Then, when I was narrating the Christmas story of Jesus' birth for the children's choir at church they all began laughing when I said "dunk-ey" (the animal Mary sat upon for the journey to Bethlehem) instead of "don-key". Fortunately, this was in rehearsal and the choir director, from Philadelphia originally, giggled and told them not to make fun of me because that was the way she grew up pronouncing it also. And that one I've said correctly ever since.

Went to a training in Colorado and my Massachusetts accent floored all the people there from the Southern states. One of the programs was called "Heart Spa" and what I was told it sounds like I was saying was "Hot Spahr".
Now I'm trying to take some conversational Spanish classes and the whole R thing is not working so well. I can roll it as long as it's in the right place of the words and still can't figure that right place and why sometimes it works and other times..... LOL

Never heard the RI version of log and dog before. But did hear Coffee. LOL

 

[Sheilby]

I'm going to send you a private message regarding your family situation.

My speech is sort of a combination Philly/south Jersey. I think dog and log have always rhymed. The first word that gave me difficulty in MI to the point of my co-workers not knowing what I was saying was the word for H2O. I grew up like the rest of my family saying "wuh-ter"; here it sounds like "waa-ter". Then, when I was narrating the Christmas story of Jesus' birth for the children's choir at church they all began laughing when I said "dunk-ey" (the animal Mary sat upon for the journey to Bethlehem) instead of "don-key". Fortunately, this was in rehearsal and the choir director, from Philadelphia originally, giggled and told them not to make fun of me because that was the way she grew up pronouncing it also. And that one I've said correctly ever since.

Thanks, I'll be on the lookout for it.

Well you are way ahead of me if log and dog have always rhymed for you. I only found out they were supposed to rhyme after we started home schooling. I definitely say water like a Jersey girl and I totally pronounce the animal as dunk-ey. Too funny about the Christmas pageant.

Went to a training in Colorado and my Massachusetts accent floored all the people there from the Southern states. One of the programs was called "Heart Spa" and what I was told it sounds like I was saying was "Hot Spahr".
Now I'm trying to take some conversational Spanish classes and the whole R thing is not working so well. I can roll it as long as it's in the right place of the words and still can't figure that right place and why sometimes it works and other times..... LOL

Never heard the RI version of log and dog before. But did hear Coffee. LOL

Oh the Massachusetts accent always makes me smile, and I'm sure it would sound like you were saying "hot spahr" to me too. I do not have an ear for foreign languages (or a mouth for it either). When I took French I was able to read it and write it with ease, but when someone spoke it I was lost.

 

[OneBadApple]

Sending you healthy trip vibes and hoping you stay healthy for a long, long while.

I'm so very sorry to hear about your diagnosis! I hope that you have a really great trip and have no problems.

Oh no, I'm so sorry to hear that. My mom's first cousin's wife got diagnosed with Parkinson's at the same time she did, but she was younger. She is doing a lot better than my mom and I credit a lot of that not only with youth, but with a better attitude. She is determined to still live the best life she can and it shows. My mom on the other hand focuses on everything that has changed and everything she can no longer do. She also spends a lot of time dwelling on how rough she had it with my dad (he died back in 1996) and my brother.

I hope you have a fabulous trip and I am sure that staying active and having a lot of fun will help you stay healthy for years to come.

Thanks to you all for the well wishes.

Sheilby, thanks for your encouragement. I am trying to have a positive attitude and to keep active, but at times that is tough. I have a strong support base at home and with my family and friends so that helps a great deal.

 

[aym4Him]

Being from the South, I've had my fair share of misunderstandings due to how I pronounce words.

Hey, is anyone going to try meeting the new Talking Mickey at MK?
I think today is his debut!! I'm interested to know what kind of lines will be involved and if I need to use a FP+ for it. I can't decide if DS4 will love it or flip out . http://www.insidethemagic.net/2013/...n-conversations-daily-in-town-square-theater/

 

[Tltorrez]

Being from the South, I've had my fair share of misunderstandings due to how I pronounce words. Hey, is anyone going to try meeting the new Talking Mickey at MK? I think today is his debut!! I'm interested to know what kind of lines will be involved and if I need to use a FP+ for it. I can't decide if DS4 will love it or flip out . http://www.insidethemagic.net/2013/10/talking-mickey-mouse-makes-official-debut-at-walt-disney-world-now-carrying-on-conversations-daily-in-town-square-theater/

I think I'm going to pass. My understanding is that they went with the pre-recorded lines option (they tested several variations) and that sometimes it's really awkward and obviously canned. Used to be you could get in to see Mickey with a 5 min. Wait but I expect that will change.

I think we'll check out the new (but still horrible) backgrounds at Epcot Character Spot.

 

[Tltorrez]

10 days! Woo hoo!

Actually I think I'd be in panic phase now if I weren't in heads-down, get-things-done, try-not-to-get-sick mode. Fortunately I really don't have a ton to do to get ready.

 

[Sheilby]

Sheilby, thanks for your encouragement. I am trying to have a positive attitude and to keep active, but at times that is tough. I have a strong support base at home and with my family and friends so that helps a great deal.

I can imagine it must be rough. From your picture you look so young and vibrant, it must be hard to deal with your body betraying you. I'm trilled you have a great support base though. My mom's cousin is still doing terrific and she was diagnosed at least 6 years ago.

I think I'm going to pass. My understanding is that they went with the pre-recorded lines option (they tested several variations) and that sometimes it's really awkward and obviously canned. Used to be you could get in to see Mickey with a 5 min. Wait but I expect that will change.

I think we'll check out the new (but still horrible) backgrounds at Epcot Character Spot.

I didn't know they changed the backgrounds. I don't think we will do the Character spot since we have so many character meals, but we didn't do Mickey at the town theater last time so I am a bit curious.

 

[ammag]

My Dd is 6 and I THINK she thinks the characters are real, so would be nuts if we saw mickey who talked and Minnie who doesn't! Oh well....would be fun to see

 

[MamaJessie]

My Dd is 6 and I THINK she thinks the characters are real, so would be nuts if we saw mickey who talked and Minnie who doesn't! Oh well....would be fun to see

I agree I think if Mickey talks my little ones will expect all of them to talk. We'll skip it.

 

[aym4Him]

I think I'm going to pass. My understanding is that they went with the pre-recorded lines option (they tested several variations) and that sometimes it's really awkward and obviously canned. Used to be you could get in to see Mickey with a 5 min. Wait but I expect that will change.

I think we'll check out the new (but still horrible) backgrounds at Epcot Character Spot.

Aww. Pre-recorded is no fun!

Have they changed from last year? Just wondering.

 

[BwoZoo22]

I just got the most amazing thing, Mickey Mail! The email telling me, "It's time to confirm your address and choose your MagicBands."

Except, I received my customized MBs two or more WEEKS ago. If I weren't an overly-informed DW fan, this would be an exciting email.

 

[aym4Him]

Yes, thank goodness for the DIS!! Without it, I don't know what I'd do!

Well, DS just watched the talking Mickey video and said, "Oooooh!! I wish I could meet THAT Mickey Mouse!" Guess we'll be adding that to our "must do" list! Canned or not, he's all in!

 

[Promomx2]

I think I will go crazy. It's not close enough to pack but all the planning is done. I'm sooooo bored.

 

[Jrabbit910]

Oh boy... I haven't been on dis all weekend (my sister had to go and get married) lol... I missed so much!

Today I got my bands yay!!! They seem so stiff.. I think I'm gonna get rid of the gray around mine. If I do peel it away is there anyway to get it back on?