# Sharing the Disney Magic with Family & Friends-DL Diamond Anniversary-DCA F&W Fest Kiosks & The End!



## franandaj

* Sharing the Disney magic...with Naked Jim!
*
Newcomers to this thread, it has taken a completely different turn from the original thread. While eventually we will be “Sharing the Disney Magic with Naked Jim” for now I’m going to be reporting on my upcoming Birthday Celebration.  Feel free to read the introductions below because all the players on the original thread will be in attendance at the new thread.

This original trip was in the planning stages for quite a few years, but on Friday the 13th Fran had a fall and fractured bones in her ankle and leg so traveling a month later was just not an option.  It turns out that Jim’s Son and family had changed their WDW plans to coincide with our trip, so now he’s going to go and stay with them while we stay home and work on the healing process.  Because of that he needs to save up for another year to go back to WDW, so we’re really in the PTR stage again, and we’re looking at traveling between late April and May now.  I decided that I want to make it a birthday trip for me!

So now, I’ve turned this TR into a PTR/TR about my 50th Birthday party this year!  Click here to find the *new* first post of the TR!


DVC owners get it. Disney addicts get it. But unfortunately rarely do my friends in real life get it. If you're reading this you probably understand. People you know roll their eyes when you mention a trip to Disney. For me it's beyond that, the people I know give me a sympathetic look and a smile, as if I'm suffering from an affliction or touched in the head.

I do have one real life friend who truly understands. Before we even met he had an AP to Disneyland. He is not a big thrill ride person and often he says that he likes to visit the park to just sit on a bench and take it all in. That's not to say he is a huge fuddy duddy, in fact for those of you who read my last report. She said it wouldn't be boring. you know him as "Naked Jim". Let me introduce "Naked Jim". He is normally our cat sitter and friend who we car pool with to band practice. If you don't know how he got his nickname, here is his story, in his own words.

 “I brought some laundry over to work on while I was doing stuff at your house and hanging out.  When I came back for the evening feeding, after the alarm exercise, I decided to throw in another load.  This time it was dark perma-pressed clothes.  Well, I was wearing a pair of navy shorts which had gotten covered with cat hair when I was petting and holding cats in the morning visit.  So I decided to throw them in too.  While I was at it, I thought…well, why not wash the underwear too?  Then I can have a totally fresh start. 

It was dark outside by then and the cats promised not to tell, so off came the underwear.  Then I get to thinking, “Why not have a nice skinny dip in the jacuzzi while I’m waiting for the clothes to finish?”  So I go outside and turn on the jacuzzi so it can warm up.  So I go out the laundry room door and close it.  I start up the jacuzzi and go back in to feed the cats.  One small problem…the door locked!  I didn’t realize that the knob lock was engaged.  So here I am in the back yard, in the dark (no outside lights were on), surrounded by a 9’ fence, buck naked and locked out of the house.  I try all the doors and all are locked.  

After considering my situation from all angles, I find good news and bad news.  The good news is that the front door is still unlocked.  The bad news is that it is the front door.  Well, I had left a towel in the pool house, so I fetch the towel, wrap up my masculinity, open the electric gate to the front yard and creep around to the front door.  I get inside and all is well.  

So I dish out the food to the cats, check the laundry, unlock a couple of the rear doors and go back out to get into the jacuzzi.  I step down into the water to find that it is cold.  The heater didn’t kick on.  So I spread my beach towel on a chaise lounge chair, buck naked, in the dark, surrounded on all sides by a 10 foot wall and check email with my iPhone and talk with my daughter on the phone while I wait for my clothes to dry.  I’ve seen the scenario in movies before where a guy gets locked out of his house while naked, but never expected it to happen to me.  Fortunately, there were no cameras rolling.  So I gave up on the jacuzzi, folded up my laundry, got dressed and went home.  And that’s my little misadventure.

So you see?  If you are me, you don’t have to go on a cruise to have fun.  You can just go through each day with my Mr. Magoo moments.  Chaos all around, but I stumble blithely onward, none the worse for wear.”

Sincerely, 
Jim” 

And now some photos. Here we are at DCA about to ride RSR.





Jim is a lover of Disney. Back in the day long ago, he started going to Disney, using his annual pass for “date night”.  He plays in our concert band and is a retired music educator.  He grew up in the Midwest, but came out to California a long time ago. He has been to WDW but MK was the only park when he went, so we’re looking forward to showing him some of the changes that have taken place.





This is Jim with his granddaughter building some artwork after dinner out.





Since buying into DVC, we have wanted to take folks from California with us back to WDW. This upcoming trip with Jim has been in the works for almost two years now. We let him pick the resort, and after much deliberation we went with the Villas at the Wilderness Lodge. But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, let's introduce the rest of the players.

There’s my spouse Fran. She has been a Disney fan for many years.  I tried to find pictures of her from early Disney days, but she only took pictures of Mickey Mouse, the band, and other landmarks.  She was at the MK for it’s 10th Anniversary.  Our first trip to WDW was for the 25th Anniversary where they made this blunder.  (excuse the next few pictures, they are pictures of pictures from my photo album)





These are a few shots of Fran from that trip.













Getting her to pose for pictures is no easy feat, but here are a couple more recent shots of her. Those of you who know us will also know that Fran has a huge passion for antique and Classic Cars.  If there a museum anywhere near where we are going, she will find it and we will visit.  Sometimes we have taken trips just because there is a car museum in the vicinity!









And then there's me,  Alison, I am a certified Disney holic. 





Ever since Uncle Walt used to talk to us on Sunday evenings (even though I had no idea he was no longer alive), I was hooked on Disney.  My mom read me bedtime stories from these books.  Anyone remember these or had a set?





On my first trip to Disneyland I was probably 12 years old.  I’m the one standing next to the mouse.





I didn’t make it back until I was about 17 years old.  Then I moved to Southern California and visited a few times over the years, but being a poor college student, I couldn’t afford the tickets, and I didn’t live close enough (nor did I have a car) so an annual pass was out of the question.

As I got older, the frequency of my visits increased, but it wasn’t until I met Fran that we went out regularly.  I remember the transformation from being that commando who arrived as early as possible, and 10 minutes before the park closed, hopping in the line of the ride which I wanted one last go around. With Fran we would go for lunch, have a Monte Cristo, take a spin on Pirates or the Haunted Mansion and then hit the Emporium or the Jewelry store on the way home. 

When DCA opened, there was a whole new world of possibilities, and coming out to go shopping, have a glass of wine at the Golden Vine Winery and a corn dog became a somewhat common occurrence. Nowadays, unless we stay on property my longest Disney days are when DIS friends come to town and I go out to spend the day with them at the parks. But enough about me, let’s get on with the trip!

This trip has been in the planning stages for quite a few years. Originally we were going to go last year, but with our trip for SWW it would have been too much so we pushed it back a year, and that gave Jim some more time to save up for the trip. Since I booked the trip in May of 2014 and we had previously planned on traveling in March/Apr 2014 that means we had been talking about it since 2011 because it took a while for Jim to pick the resort.

I let him choose where we would stay, since I’ve stayed at each of the resorts, and will probably stay at each of them again. He liked the woodsy feel of the Wilderness Lodge, so that’s what we went with.  He is flying on real money and not points, so his flight is dictated by what’s more affordable and evidently that’s not American. So here’s how things we will be going.

*Sunday, April 12, 2015*
7:25PM Jim Departs Long Beach on Jet Blue, arrives Phoenix 8:52
10:05PM Jim Departs Phoenix

*Monday, April 13, 2015*
5:00AM Jim Arrives at MCO catches DME to resort.
8:00AM Alison & Fran Depart LAX on American 
4:00PM Alison & Fran arrive MCO and head to DME for VWL

5:30-6:00 Alison & Fran arrive at VWL, Owners Locker and Groceries awaiting us at Bell Services.  Alison Starts cooking dinner while Fran sleeps.

*Tuesday, April 14, 2015*
8:30AM Breakfast at Whispering Canyon
10:35AM Seven Dwarves Mine Train
11:45AM Pirates of the Caribbean
Back to resort
7:20PM 1900 Park Fare
9:40PM Wishes from the reserved viewing area.

*Wednesday, April 15, 2015*
Quick breakfast in the room
Rope drop at MK
Epcot for F&G
2:20-3:20 Mission Space
3:45 Behind the seeds Tour
5:30 - 6:30 Spaceship Earth
7:00 Garden Grill
8:45 Illuminations: Reflections of Earth

*Thursday, April 16, 2015 *
Hot breakfast in the room
Epcot for F&G
11:15-12:15 Test Track
1:20-2:20 Meet Disney Pals at Character Spot
2:20-3:20 Mission Space
Return to resort for a break
7:30 Artist Point Dinner

*Friday, April 17, 2015 *
Quick Breakfast in the room
10:00-11:00 Test Track
Graze at F&G
2:00 Chefs De France
3:00-4:00 Seas with Nemo & Friends
4:35-5:35 Spaceship Earth
Grill on the charcoal grills back at the resort

*Saturday, April 18, 2015 *
QuickBreakfast in the room
9:25-10:25 Kilamanjaro Safaris
11:30-11:50 Fesrival of the Lion King show
Lunch somewhere
1:20-2:20 Expedition Everest
Head back to room
6:15 Hoop De Doo Revue

*Sunday, April 19, 2015 *
Hot breakfast in the room
Head to DTD
Shop
We have no set plans, but after a bit of discussion we will probably get fish and chips at Cookes of Dublin but we'll see.
Then go to Ghirardelli for ice cream.
Back to room until about 4:00 ish
4:30-5:30 7DMT
5:30-6:30 Many Adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh
7:00 Be Our Guest Restaurant
8:30-8:50 Main Street Electrical Parade

*Monday, April 20, 2015 *
This is where our paths uncross. Jim will be catching DME to the airport to head back to California, while we take a shuttle to Port Canaveral. We have four nights on the Dream ahead of us. 

A little background: when we started cruising again back in 2012, the idea of reaching platinum sounded appealing. Not only the extra perks of being platinum level were appealing, but the road to getting there would be a lot of fun. She suggested that we tack on a few days cruise to some of our WDW trips to get there faster.  That’s also one of the reasons we have the B2B two and three day cruises booked in May.  After the April cruise we will have reached Gold level. By then end of the this year, we’ll only need two more cruises until we reach platinum. So back to the Itinerary…

We have no plans on the ship the first night, late seating for dinner, and we have never been on one of the larger ships, so I’m sure we’ll be interested in checking out the ship.

*Tuesday, April 21, 2015 *
Nassau
We’ll probably stay on the ship.
3:00PM Couples Choice at the Spa
5:00 Sail away

*Wednesday, April 22, 2015 *
Castaway Cay Day
Try snorkeling in the lagoon
Lunch at Serenity Bay
Back to the Ship to Clean up
6:00 Dinner at Remy

*Thursday, April 23, 2015 *
Day at Sea
11:50 Remy Champagne Brunch
2:00 Mixology

*Friday, April 24, 2015 *
Breakfast & Disembark
Disney Transportation back to MCO
1:50PM flight out of MCO via Charlotte
8:30PM arrival at LAX


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## franandaj

Table of Contents

Where we think we're going on a trip

Flower and Garden Menus Page 2 Post #25 - http://www.disboards.com/threads/sh...-new-trip-booked.3383483/page-2#post-53157634

Travel Day and First Full Day plans Page 3 Post #47- http://www.disboards.com/threads/sh...-new-trip-booked.3383483/page-3#post-53225989

Where it all goes South Page 3 Post # 60 - http://www.disboards.com/threads/sh...-new-trip-booked.3383483/page-3#post-53250437

Where I realize we aren't going on a trip Page 4 Post # 71 - http://www.disboards.com/threads/sh...-new-trip-booked.3383483/page-4#post-53253450

Where I know we're not going on a trip

1st ortho Update Page 5 Post 99- http://www.disboards.com/threads/sh...-new-trip-booked.3383483/page-5#post-53271801

The Cancellation Process Page 7 Post #127 - http://www.disboards.com/threads/sh...-new-trip-booked.3383483/page-7#post-53289415

We see the good Ortho Doctor Page 9 Post # 164 
Where it becomes a Birthday trip PTR Page 10 Post #186
Who's coming to the Party? Page 11 Post #202
Christmas Trip Booked for this year Page 14 Post #265
Plans for Saturday Page 14 Post #280
Beverage Plans Page 16 Post #304
Single digits!  Page 18 Post #353
Buffet Plan and Disney is in my Blood - Page 21 Post #408
Birthday Pedicure - Page 23 Post #441
Strawberry Shopping - Page 23 Post #458
Kicking off the Festivities - Page 26 Post #503
Arriving at the Hotel Part 1 - Page 27 Post #527
Arriving at the Hotel Part 2 - Page 27 Post #528
The Birthday Party - Page 27 Post #533
Saturday Morning Park & Spa - Page 30 Post #584
Steakhouse 55 Dinner - Page 32 Post #623 & 624
The Party's Over - Page 35 Post #681


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## jedijill

I'm here!  I can't wait to meet Naked Jim!!!!!  

I love the itinerary.  Will you be packing meat for the cross country trip again?!?!  

Jill in CO


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## kid-at-heart

I am here.  Thanks for the Facebook heads-up.

Kate


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## rentayenta

You had me at Naked Jim!


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## scottny

Here. Sounds like a fun trip.


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## mvf-m11c

Following along as well and it looks like you will be so busy.


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## ACDSNY

Oh the questions...

Will Alison be packing meat?  Will Naked Jim be packing clothes.   We'll stay tuned to see how the trip goes.


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## dolphingirl47

Checking in. Your plans sound great. This is going to be a little bitter-sweet as I had a very similar trip planned for this year, which is not going to happen. Still, it is all good. I get to go to Disneyland in September instead and I will appreciate your adventures even more.

Corinna


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## PrincessInOz

Did you know you could "watch" a thread without having to post a reply???  

Marking my spot in line anyway.


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## dgbg100106

I am here.  Looking forward to all the antics.  Wish we were going at the same time, but I am a little behind you and Fran on this one.


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## Captain_Oblivious

I'm in!  The Naked Jim story is still one of the funniest things I've ever read on the DIS.


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## Flossbolna

I am here and excited to read about your plans and how they then wirk out in reality!! Naked Jim seems like a fun guy, so this will hopefully be a fun filled trip for all of you! And I am excited to read about your stay at the Wilderness Lodge as this is one of my two home resorts and I have yet to stay there... And it will be fun to compare your experience on the Dream to ours on the Fantasy.

I really loved the part about your Disney history and the old pictures! Those books you had look really interesting. I wonder what kind of "Stories from Other Lands" were in that one book...


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## kaoden39

I'm here!! The trip is definitely of interest to me!! Plus I think Naked Jim might just be a kick to hear about.


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## Pinkocto

I'm marking my spot and must come back to read


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## Leshaface

Yes!  Made the first page!


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## Leshaface

Seriously, 12 days vacation?! Jealous.


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## afwdwfan

I'm here.

Poor Naked Jim.  He'll have that nickname for life now.


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## franandaj

jedijill said:


> I'm here!  I can't wait to meet Naked Jim!!!!!
> I love the itinerary.  Will you be packing meat for the cross country trip again?!?!
> 
> Jill in CO





You gals are going to love him. Most everyone does, he's a very funny and upbeat guy.  Of course I will be packing meat!  That's what the grilling night will be.  Originally we thought that his partner would be coming so when Rib eyes were on sale around Christmas we vacuum sealed a four pack of them to toss in the suitcase.  Then when it became just the three of us, we went out and bought more (at the last sale) and vacuum packed a set of three.  Now we have to invite over some friends and grill a bunch of Rib eyes since all four will need to thaw out together.  We usually split one of them as they are about 1 1/4 lbs each steak.



ACDSNY said:


> Oh the questions...
> 
> Will Alison be packing meat?  Will Naked Jim be packing clothes.   We'll stay tuned to see how the trip goes.






Yes!  I will be packing meat.  I sure hope Jim packs clothes, I don't think I want to "see" Naked Jim, it was far funnier hearing about him!



kid-at-heart said:


> I am here.  Thanks for the Facebook heads-up.
> 
> Kate





Thanks for coming over.  You were almost #!, but in Muppet's Most Wanted tradition, "You're #2"!



rentayenta said:


> You had me at Naked Jim!



  Yeah I would figure as much!  



scottny said:


> Here. Sounds like a fun trip.



  I suppose I should have given the previontius posters this tag.  I'm going to go back and do that!



mvf-m11c said:


> Following along as well and it looks like you will be so busy.



  I was thinking we had a rather relaxed itinerary.  



dolphingirl47 said:


> Checking in. Your plans sound great. This is going to be a little bitter-sweet as I had a very similar trip planned for this year, which is not going to happen. Still, it is all good. I get to go to Disneyland in September instead and I will appreciate your adventures even more.
> 
> Corinna



  Well I'm glad that your September trip is going to work out!



PrincessInOz said:


> Did you know you could "watch" a thread without having to post a reply???
> 
> Marking my spot in line anyway.





Yes I did.  Fran clued me into that, way back when....



dgbg100106 said:


> I am here.  Looking forward to all the antics.  Wish we were going at the same time, but I am a little behind you and Fran on this one.





Yeah, that's too bad, you miss me on the WDW end and the Birthday party.   some other time....



Captain_Oblivious said:


> I'm in!  The Naked Jim story is still one of the funniest things I've ever read on the DIS.





:   And he really enjoys being able to live it!



Flossbolna said:


> I am here and excited to read about your plans and how they then wirk out in reality!! Naked Jim seems like a fun guy, so this will hopefully be a fun filled trip for all of you! And I am excited to read about your stay at the Wilderness Lodge as this is one of my two home resorts and I have yet to stay there... And it will be fun to compare your experience on the Dream to ours on the Fantasy.
> 
> I really loved the part about your Disney history and the old pictures! Those books you had look really interesting. I wonder what kind of "Stories from Other Lands" were in that one book...





Yes, I am very interested in hearing about your Fantasy cruise!  Jim is going to make this a very fun trip, we get along very well with him.  It seems that we both like reading and writing about "history and backstories".  I don't know what the "Stories from Other Lands" book had in it.  That photo was from the Walt Disney Archives.  My mother got rid of my books years ago.  I always liked for them to read to me out the Fantasyland book.



kaoden39 said:


> I'm here!! The trip is definitely of interest to me!! Plus I think Naked Jim might just be a kick to hear about.



  Yes this trip is going to similar to your upcoming trip in a number of ways!



Pinkocto said:


> I'm marking my spot and must come back to read



  Glad you could make it over here!


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## franandaj

Leshaface said:


> Yes!  Made the first page!



   You're lucky on the old DIS you would have been top of page 2, but the new DIS lets you have 20 posts per page!



Leshaface said:


> Seriously, 12 days vacation?! Jealous.



Hmm....for some reason I thought it was only 11, but two are travel days, so those don't count!  



afwdwfan said:


> I'm here.
> 
> Poor Naked Jim.  He'll have that nickname for life now.



   Actually he kind of likes the name!


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## Leshaface

I just realized, you'll only be home for a week before you go on 'stay-cation'!  I couldn't live your life, you're schedule is packed!


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## dolphingirl47

franandaj said:


> Well I'm glad that your September trip is going to work out!



Me too. I still have not cancelled the leave for May nor the hotels that I had already booked just in case we can make this work, but I feel that the decision will be made within the next week. I am actually fine with this though as I have the Disneyland trip to look forward to. 

Corinna


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## rentayenta

One of my first trip reports was titled: Dirty Naked Barbies.  I had to change the name or the mods wouldn't post it. Glad to see times have changed.


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## franandaj

Leshaface said:


> I just realized, you'll only be home for a week before you go on 'stay-cation'!  I couldn't live your life, you're schedule is packed!



Yeah, that's pushing it a little bit.  I hadn't completely settled on the party when I booked the cruise.  In hindsight, we should have done the cruise first, but it'll work out.  Remember I don't have a day job with fixed hours. I'll have the weekend to recover and unpack, Monday and Tuesday to prepare for my parents arrival.  We'll have all the non perishable goods set aside before we leave, and Wednesday and Thursday to gather the perishables.  Friday to pack the car and go!  I'm serving all premade style Costco food on Friday, except I'll make Strawberry Soup, and that's easy.  The cake is being delivered to the hotel, and I've got two friends coming over Friday before we leave to help get everything packed in the car. I've made the list and checked it twice (well more times than that!) 



dolphingirl47 said:


> Me too. I still have not cancelled the leave for May nor the hotels that I had already booked just in case we can make this work, but I feel that the decision will be made within the next week. I am actually fine with this though as I have the Disneyland trip to look forward to.
> 
> Corinna



Where is the May trip?  Dubai?



rentayenta said:


> One of my first trip reports was titled: Dirty Naked Barbies.  I had to change the name or the mods wouldn't post it. Glad to see times have changed.



Well, that implies something entirely different!


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## franandaj

Well as soon as I posted the initial update, there were changes.  Since Jim is taking the red eye Sunday, he has decided to check out the rope drop show at MK Monday morning.  That was our main reason for going to the MK in the morning Wednesday. Instead we'll go to AK for EMH. That way we have a better chance of seeing the Lions active, as well as the other animals.  We'll be in and out of the park before noon with a little time to rest before heading to Epcot for the evening. 

There are still a few things left to sort out. We have our grocery list figured out, but I have yet to place the order. I still need to book our transportation from VWL to the port. I don't want to take the Disney bus because they arrive so late to the port. I've priced a number of services and I just have a few questions to resolve before I commit.

If you didn't see it in the replies, of course I will be packing meat!  One of the nights we plan on grilling rib eye steaks, and there is no way I'm paying the Publix price for steaks when I got these on killer sale.

Another thing I still have left to do is assemble my Fish Extender gifts.  This time I'm actually doing something halfway crafty instead of just buying stuff at the Dollar Store or giving out candy.  I'm not going to reveal what it is on the off chance that someone in my group stumbles over to my PTR and I'm also recycling the same gift for my May cruise as well.

And lastly the menus for the Flower & Garden Kiosks was released the other day. There are lots of things that I want to try and lot of others that are kind of meh.  I want to try something from every booth so that I can get more for my Golden Spoon award.  I'm hoping to get to 50% of the restaurants after this trip.  The things that sound good to me are typed in purple


*NEW! Botanas Botánico*
Seafood Ceviche — Shrimp, Scallops, and Grouper with mango and avocado
Cachapas with Farmer’s Cheese
White Corn Arepa with Braised Beef and Chayote Slaw
Coconut Tres Leches
Polar Beer, Caracas Venezuela
La Tizana
Classic Venezuelan Fruit Drink
Monte Paschoal Reserve Tannat
Monte Paschoal Natural Brut White Sparkling Wine


*Urban Farm Eats*
NEW! Kale Salad with Dried Cherries, Almonds, and Goat Cheese with White Balsamic Vinaigrette
NEW! Quinoa Vegetable “Naanwich” with Arugula Pesto and Oven-Dried Tomatoes
Ghost pepper-dusted tilapia with crisp winter melon slaw and mint oil featuring The Original Sauce Man’s Kick It Up Rub
NEW! Urban Mary: Spicy Tomato Juice, Lime Juice, and Worcestershire, with shot of Vodka (optional)
Cucumber lemon spa water, finished with a sprig of fresh mint
Hess Shirtail Creek Vineyard, Chardonnay
King Estate Acrobat Pinot Noir
Crispin Blackberry Pear Cider


*Pineapple Promenade*
NEW! Pineapple Dog – Spicy Hot Dog with Pineapple Chutney and Sriracha Mayo
Pineapple Soft Serve
NEW! Pineapple Soft Serve with Sammy’s Beach Bar Red Head Macadamia Nut Flavored Rum
Pineapple Soft Serve with Parrot Bay Coconut Rum
Frozen desert violet lemonade (non-alcoholic)
NEW! Ace Pineapple Hard Cider
Sparkling Pineapple Wine, Florida Orange Groves Winery, St, Petersburg,FL
Berry Tea Cocktail with Twinings Cold-Brewed Mixed Berry Tea


Fleur de Lys
Gnocchi Parisien à la Provençal – Parisian-style Dumplings with Vegetables and Mushrooms
Confit de Canard, Pommes de Terre Sarladaise – Pulled Duck Confit with Garlic and Parsley Potatoes
NEW! Macaron Guimauve à la Fraise, a Strawberry Marshmallow Macaron
NEW! Ice Pop Combination of French Peach Iced Tea, Grand Marnier Peach Raspberry Liqueur, and Vodka.
La Vie en Rose Frozen Slush – Vodka, Grey Goose Orange, St. Germain Liquor, and White and Red Cranberry Juice
Kir Imperial – Sparkling wine, Chambord and Black Raspberry Liquor
Kronenbourg Blanc 1664 – Fruity White Beer with Citrus Notes


*Taste of Marrakesh*
NEW! Falafel Pocket with Cucumber Tomato Salad and Tahini Sauce
Harissa Chicken Kebab with Couscous Salad
NEW! Pistachio Baklava
Mint iced tea
White sangria
Guerrouane red
Casa Beer
Desert Rose — Sparkling Wine with Pomegranate Liqueur


*Hanami*
Frushi – Fresh pineapple, strawberries and melon, rolled with coconut rice, topped with raspberry sauce, sprinkled with toasted coconut and served with whipped cream on the side
NEW! Teriyaki Curry Bun — Steamed bun filled with chicken, vegetables, curry and sweet sauce
NEW! Osaka Salmon Sushi – “Hako-sushi” Box style Sushi with Salmon and Rice, topped with Dynamite, Volcano and Eel sauce
Kirin Draft Beer
NEW! Strawberry Nigori
NEW! Daishichi Kimoto Sake


*The Smokehouse: Barbecues and Brews*
Pulled pig slider with cole slaw
NEW! Beef Brisket Burnt Ends Hash with White Cheddar Fondue and Pickled Jalapeños
NEW! Smoked Debreziner Sausage with House Made Kraut and Mustard
“Piggylicious” bacon cupcake with maple frosting and pretzel crunch featuring Nueske’s® Applewood Smoked Bacon
Billy’s Chilies, Twisted Pine Brewing Company (Boulder, Colorado)
Floridian Hefeweizen
Category 3 IPA
NEW! Maple Bacon Stout
Beer Flight
The Original Rib Shack Red Wine
NEW! Frozen Lemonade (with Palm Ridge Reserve Whiskey Optional)
NEW! R.C. Sweet Tea made with Twinings Cold-Brewed English Classic Tea


*Primavera Kitchen*
NEW! Fior di Latte, Prosciutto e Pane di Casa — Pinwheel of Mozzarella, Prosciutto, Ciabatta Bread
Cheese manicotti – Egg pasta stuffed with ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, tomato sauce and béchamel
NEW! Limoncello Panna Cotta — Lemon custard, limoncello liqueur, raspberries
Placido Pinot Grigio
Placido Chianti
Bosco del Merlo Prosecco
Corbinello
White peach bellini – Prosecco and white peach puree
Strawberry rossini – Prosecco and marinated strawberries
Frozen Italian primavera – Assorted fruit slushy with limoncello and vodka
Moretti Lager
Moretti La Rossa


*Lotus House*
Beijing-style candied strawberries
NEW! Kung Pao Chicken Bun
Vegetable Spring Roll
Oolong Peach Bubble Tea
Kung Fu Punch – Vodka and triple sec with mango and orange juice
South Sea Storm – Guava juice with light and dark rum
Plum wine
Tsing-Tao beer
Honey Mango Wine Cooler


*Jardin de Fiestas*
Tacos al pastor – Corn tortilla filled with achiote-marinated pork, garnished with grilled diced pineapple, onions and cilantro and salsa verde
Veggie Quesadilla – Flour tortilla filled with Monterey Jack Cheese and mixed veggies
Flan de queso con chocolate Abuelita – Mexican chocolate custard with whipped cream and cinnamon
NEW! Tecate Draft Beer with Patrón Citrónge
Mexican sangria
NEW! Blueberry Pomegranate Margarita on the Rocks
NEW! Tequila Liqueur Flight (flavored tequilas)


*Florida Fresh*
Watermelon salad with pickled onions, B&W Gourmet Farms baby arugula, feta cheese and balsamic reduction
Shrimp and stone ground grits with andouille sausage, sweet corn, tomatoes and cilantro
NEW! Florida Blueberry and Lemon Curd Tart
Watermelon passion fruit slush featuring Simply Lemonade®
Key Lime Sparkling Wine
Blonde Ale
Channel Marker Red Ale
Feast of Flowers Farmhouse Ale (Festival exclusive)
Jai Alai
Beer Flight: Blonde Ale, Channel Marker Red Ale, Jai Alai, Feast of Flowers Farmhouse Ale

*Espresso, Coffee and Pastries at The American Adventure*
Chocolate Stout latte featuring Monin chocolate, caramel and hazelnut with milk and espresso
Iced Bailey’s latte featuring Bailey’s Irish Cream liqueur, with milk and espresso over ice

*Intermissions Cafe*
Grapes
Fruit and Cheese Plate
Vegan Trio
Southwest Chicken Wrap
Tuna Salad with Pita
Side Salad
Asian Tuna Salad with Noodles
Hurricane Class 5 Florida White Sangria
Hess Shirtail Creek Vineyard Chardonnay
King Estate Acrobat Pinot Noir
Zonin Prosecco
Floridian Hefeweizen, Funky Buddha Brewery, Oakland Park, FL
Crispin Blackberry Pear Cider
Dasani Bottled Water
Dasani Lemon Sparkling Water
Coke
Diet Coke
Sprite

So on all the days we go to Epcot we have to try and eat our way through all these booths!


----------



## PrincessInOz

Ooh!  Look at all that food at the booths! 

Love what you highlighted, Alison.  I hope you get to try everything so that I can live vicariously through you.


----------



## jedijill

You've made some tasty selections!  I can't see you go wrong with anything!

Jill in CO


----------



## rentayenta

*NEW! Urban Mary: Spicy Tomato Juice, Lime Juice, and Worcestershire, with shot of Vodka (optional*)



The vodka is never optional.


----------



## ACDSNY

Is this the new spin on a Dole whip?  NEW! Pineapple Soft Serve with Sammy’s Beach Bar Red Head Macadamia Nut Flavored Rum

Looks like some yummy food and drinks.


----------



## Flossbolna

franandaj said:


> It seems that we both like reading and writing about "history and backstories".



 If you ever want to read a lot about my Disney back story, then head over to my 2010 PTR. In there I did kind of mini trip reports for various past Disney trips Katharina and I took - starting with the 1992 DL visit.



franandaj said:


> I don't know what the "Stories from Other Lands" book had in it. That photo was from the Walt Disney Archives. My mother got rid of my books years ago. I always liked for them to read to me out the Fantasyland book.



That's a shame that your books disappeared... I love old children's books, makes me wonder whether it might be worth it to try to track down a copy of those "Other Lands" stories. 

I hope you are more successful than I was with regard to trying food from the food booths. I got one thing from the cafe in the festival center, I think a cake that was not even very good... And then we just did not get around to buying anything.


----------



## dolphingirl47

franandaj said:


> Where is the May trip? Dubai?



No, this was supposed to be the big Florida trip: Beach Club for Flower and Garden; a four-nighter on the Dream; Vero Beach; Miami; Clearwater and Universal. Still, it will happen at some stage, just probably not this year.

Some of the offerings from the food kiosks sound really tempting. I would love to get my hands on the Dole Whip with the Macadamia Nut Rum.

Corinna


----------



## dgbg100106

franandaj said:


> Yeah, that's too bad, you miss me on the WDW end and the Birthday party.   some other time....
> 
> 
> !


I am not dealing very well with that either.  I so wanted to meet up with you and Fran


----------



## Pinkocto

I finally got back to read, life has been crazy busy lately! 

Your trip sounds marvelously fun. Did I meet Jim? He didn't come out to eat with us but was he at the concert? I'll look at my photos again if you remember. 

Lots of delicious things at F & G this year  for whatever reason I didn't realize how soon your trip was.


----------



## sager1969

Naked Jim rocks!  That story made me smile.  Hope you have great time!

BTW - the Disney archives was one of my favorite places I have ever been! I had that particular set of books,along with several other ones in that room.   My love for all things Disney started with a little tubby cubby.  I had a Winnie the Pooh room with a giant pooh head rug.  Then, I got to know Uncle Walt who came to visit once a week.   I finally made it WDW in 2008, but I made it DL last year.   My eyes were so leaky those few moments sitting in front of the castle before opening looking out as Walt must have every day.

I hope Naked Jim enjoys the World. I love taking people for their first time.  It is so much fun to share that.  Thanks for sharing!  I always enjoy your cruise reports.


----------



## afwdwfan

That looks like you have a lot of good options to pick from at the booths.  I envy you.

Good luck on getting to 50% on your Golden Spoon!


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

Wow, that's a lot of food options!  I'm sure you'll have a great time visiting the booths.

I think I'd probably be hanging out at the BBQ and pineapple stands, myself!


----------



## DnA2010

Since I have recently read your reports I immediatly thought "I wonder if Alison is going to pack some meat" 
The list of food and drink offerings sounds amazing, lots and lots of great things to try,especially that macadamia nut rum dome whip! Yummy!


----------



## kaoden39

All of the pineapple! I love all things pineapple!


----------



## RunnerMommyof4

Someone that departed from Long Beach...say it isn't so! I'm so homesick now! Glad I found your report even if I'm a WDW newbie. I grew up with an annual pass to Disneyland and worked at Knotts Berry Farm. Can't wait to keep reading !


----------



## franandaj

PrincessInOz said:


> Ooh!  Look at all that food at the booths!
> 
> Love what you highlighted, Alison.  I hope you get to try everything so that I can live vicariously through you.



We plan for two days of lunch grazing and one for morning grazing.  I hope that will be enough to fit everything in!



jedijill said:


> You've made some tasty selections!  I can't see you go wrong with anything!
> 
> Jill in CO



There's a couple booths where I'm really stretching it, but I want to get something from each one of them.



rentayenta said:


> *NEW! Urban Mary: Spicy Tomato Juice, Lime Juice, and Worcestershire, with shot of Vodka (optional*)
> 
> 
> 
> The vodka is never optional.



Exactly!   



ACDSNY said:


> Is this the new spin on a Dole whip?  NEW! Pineapple Soft Serve with Sammy’s Beach Bar Red Head Macadamia Nut Flavored Rum
> 
> Looks like some yummy food and drinks.



Yes, they did this at the last F&W we were at too.  I had one then, but it was a different Rum.



Flossbolna said:


> If you ever want to read a lot about my Disney back story, then head over to my 2010 PTR. In there I did kind of mini trip reports for various past Disney trips Katharina and I took - starting with the 1992 DL visit.



I wish I had the time to go back and read past reports.  I can barely keep up with the current ones!  Maybe once we get all moved in/out and have all our apartments rented, I can kick back!



Flossbolna said:


> That's a shame that your books disappeared... I love old children's books, makes me wonder whether it might be worth it to try to track down a copy of those "Other Lands" stories.
> 
> I hope you are more successful than I was with regard to trying food from the food booths. I got one thing from the cafe in the festival center, I think a cake that was not even very good... And then we just did not get around to buying anything.



I should put in a search on eBay for a set of those books.  It would supplement our book collection nicely.  I will be on a mission to taste as many things as I can!



dolphingirl47 said:


> No, this was supposed to be the big Florida trip: Beach Club for Flower and Garden; a four-nighter on the Dream; Vero Beach; Miami; Clearwater and Universal. Still, it will happen at some stage, just probably not this year.
> 
> Some of the offerings from the food kiosks sound really tempting. I would love to get my hands on the Dole Whip with the Macadamia Nut Rum.
> 
> Corinna



Ah yes, I remember you talking about taking your first cruise on one of the bigger ships to try it out.  I just didn't know when that was supposed to happen.


----------



## franandaj

dgbg100106 said:


> I am not dealing very well with that either.  I so wanted to meet up with you and Fran



I wish that back when we did our DC trip I was better with DISmeets.   I would have pushed for us to get together, but back then I was a little gunshy.  I know now that we would have had a great time meeting up!



Pinkocto said:


> I finally got back to read, life has been crazy busy lately!
> 
> Your trip sounds marvelously fun. Did I meet Jim? He didn't come out to eat with us but was he at the concert? I'll look at my photos again if you remember.



I'm pretty sure you did meet Jim.  I would have introduced you to him backstage as he is one of my best friends in the band. Back when, everyone was my best friend in the band.  It's sad.  When I turned 40 I think the whole band came to my birthday party, it was a murder mystery party on a reproduction of a Riverboat.  There were 96 people on the boat and our party made up half of the boat.  Only one table of 8-10 did not have band people.  That's like 30+ folks. 

My 50th involves about 20-25 folks, and less than 10 of them come from the band.  One third band, one third family, and one third DIS!  



Pinkocto said:


> Lots of delicious things at F & G this year  for whatever reason I didn't realize how soon your trip was.



I'm soooooo looking forward to it!



sager1969 said:


> Naked Jim rocks! That story made me smile. Hope you have great time!



  I'm glad you found the story funny.  I figured that since he shared it with me, and was willing to share it with others, it paints a great picture of what a free spirited and fun kind of guy he is.  Hence why we are going to have so much fun with him on this trip!



sager1969 said:


> BTW - the Disney archives was one of my favorite places I have ever been! I had that particular set of books, along with several other ones in that room. My love for all things Disney started with a little tubby cubby. I had a Winnie the Pooh room with a giant pooh head rug. Then, I got to know Uncle Walt who came to visit once a week. I finally made it WDW in 2008, but I made it DL last year. My eyes were so leaky those few moments sitting in front of the castle before opening looking out as Walt must have every day.



I couldn't believe all the treasures that we saw in the Disney archives.  But the books were amazing.  I especially remembered those.  Every Sunday we came in from playing to watch Uncle Walt and this was in the 70s so he was long gone.  I take it for granted all the things I get to experience, but I wouldn't trade it for the world.  I love living so close to the original park and I love sharing with other folks when they come to town!



sager1969 said:


> I hope Naked Jim enjoys the World. I love taking people for their first time. It is so much fun to share that. Thanks for sharing! I always enjoy your cruise reports.



Thanks about the cruise reports!  I hope to have a couple more this year, but I really hope that Jim enjoys this trip.  I know he will.  He is one of those guys who always sees the glass half full and makes the best out of everything.



afwdwfan said:


> That looks like you have a lot of good options to pick from at the booths. I envy you.
> 
> Good luck on getting to 50% on your Golden Spoon!



I'm sure we will have some good eats at the booths.  I just hope we can add enough walk up places to get that 50%!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Wow, that's a lot of food options! I'm sure you'll have a great time visiting the booths.
> 
> I think I'd probably be hanging out at the BBQ and pineapple stands, myself!



Yeah, those are the ones that I'm looking forward to, the others are kind of like, OK, what is there that I would possibly eat here.  If you noticed one of them, the only thing was the Bloody Mary!



DnA2010 said:


> Since I have recently read your reports I immediatly thought "I wonder if Alison is going to pack some meat"
> The list of food and drink offerings sounds amazing, lots and lots of great things to try,especially that macadamia nut rum dome whip! Yummy!



  Definitely packing meat this time!  I hope to try a lot of the great food offerings!



kaoden39 said:


> All of the pineapple! I love all things pineapple!



I love pineapple too, that and the Barbeque option!


RunnerMommyof4 said:


> Someone that departed from Long Beach...say it isn't so! I'm so homesick now! Glad I found your report even if I'm a WDW newbie. I grew up with an annual pass to Disneyland and worked at Knotts Berry Farm. Can't wait to keep reading !



Sorry you had to leave Long Beach, I definitely love living here and wouldn't trade it for anywhere else!


----------



## Flossbolna

franandaj said:


> I wish I had the time to go back and read past reports. I can barely keep up with the current ones! Maybe once we get all moved in/out and have all our apartments rented, I can kick back!



Oh, hopefully you get the house moved soon!! And not just that you can read my old reports...  Seems like you had a lot of far too stressful times in the last few years, you deserve some kicking back big time!!


----------



## dgbg100106

I too wish we had meet up in DC and yes we would have had a blast!  But we can have that fun in the future too.  David and I have to plan DL trip.


----------



## disney ny

I'm here and excited for your next report!


----------



## Dis_Yoda

I'm here!


----------



## franandaj

Flossbolna said:


> Oh, hopefully you get the house moved soon!! And not just that you can read my old reports...  Seems like you had a lot of far too stressful times in the last few years, you deserve some kicking back big time!!



Thanks, we're not going to get the house finished up anytime soon, but I do hope that this trip proves to be fun and relaxing.



dgbg100106 said:


> I too wish we had meet up in DC and yes we would have had a blast!  But we can have that fun in the future too.  David and I have to plan DL trip.



You really do need to plan a trip to DL!



disney ny said:


> I'm here and excited for your next report!



  I love your new Avatar picture.



Dis_Yoda said:


> I'm here!



  I'm glad you made it over here!


----------



## franandaj

Well we are now 33 days away from the trip. My owner's locker is scheduled to arrive at the VWL the day we get there. We have booked our transportation to the port. I have placed the grocery order. And I have completed the preliminary stage of my FE gifts.  I still have a few more things to do to them, but I got the main part done.

ETA: I forgot to add that I got Mickey Mail in the last couple days. Not only did I get my DME luggage tags, but we got the cruise tags as well! It's getting so real!

Another interesting twist to the trip, do you remember Jim’s granddaughter from the first post? Well it turns out that Jim’s son was planning to take his family and two daughters to WDW this year, and the son switched the dates of their trip to coincide with ours.  We tried to see if there was availability to add them to any of our reservations but I don’t think that it will work out. We may just meet up with them on some of our days and join them for some counter service meals and some kiddie rides.

And another quick life update.  On my last Trip Report I had hoped that we could have all our stuff moved out of the old house before going on this vacation, but I can see now, that won't happen. We have been bringing stuff back and packing it up, but not enough that it will be done in a month.

One reason we haven't been able to get moved is that the contractor is almost done with our property on 1st Street. All they have to do is install a dishwasher which was done today.  As a result, Darcy and I have been over there washing windows, scrubbing floors and drawers, and scraping adhesive off surfaces.  It's nice collecting the rents, but I always forget about this part of being a landlord. It's a big PITA.

But back to the trip, Naked Jim leaves a full 12+ hours before us. I am hoping that our bags are packed and we have a relaxing evening at home with our kitties.   Who am I kidding?   We will probably be gathering the last of Fran's stuff. Sometime after midnight I might get an hour or two of sleep before we leave at 5AM for our 8AM flight.

Luckily we used more miles to get the non-stop flight out of LA, so we touch down in Orlando at 4PM. Jim will have already been there for sometime. I modified the online check in so that he will receive the text when the room is ready.  Hopefully it's ready early and he can get a nap in while we're on the way.

The groceries should be there when we arrive and I'll get started on dinner. We'll be having Crescent Dogs, potato chips and Cole slaw for dinner that night.  Since I haven't had many pictures I'll add these here.













I think you all know what Potato Chips look like!  I’ll probably take a Jacuzzi tub and go to bed after that. After all we need to get going early in the morning.





Our first full day will be Tuesday April 14th. We are starting off slowly since we've been on West Coast time. It will seem like 5:30AM but we have breakfast scheduled at Whispering Canyon Café.  I’ve never been there before so that’s our first new place for the Golden Spoon.

After that we rush off to the MK to ride 7DMT













And Pirates














Inbetween the two rides, we may catch Mickey’s Philharmagic and check on the wait for the Haunted Mansion.  But I suspect that by this time we will be ready for some lunch and Fran will want to head down Main Street to shop on the way back to the resort for a nap. While Fran naps, perhaps Jim and I will go to the pool.





After some down time, it’s off to here!





For some of this!





(Strawberry Soup, if you didn’t know already) And hang out with these ladies.









Then it’s back to the MK for reserved seating for Wishes.





I’m sure by that point, we will be dead tired, and ready for sleep.  And we’re going to have an early morning the next day!


----------



## Pinkocto

Those crescent dogs look mighty tasty! I never thought to cook them with pickles  

Fun day planned. 

Whispering Canyon was a very delicious lunch, one of the best salmons I've ever had. But I've never been there for breakfast. I imagine it's delicious as well. 

Too bad you couldn't link any reservations with Jim's family, but fun that they'll be there too and he can share some excitement with his granddaughter


----------



## eandesmom

I am so here!!!! Thank you so much for the bat signal, I have been a traveling crazy person lately, it's "busy season" as I explained to my Aunt today.

I just love that story and can't wait to meet Jim. What are his plans post red eye before you guys get there?

I ate at Artists point this past trip which was a first and absolutely adored it. I need to go back when it's not the night before a race and I can really enjoy it.

Good call staying on the ship in Nassau

We enjoyed WCC for breakfast, very happy to see Fran will get her strawberry soup!


----------



## franandaj

Pinkocto said:


> Those crescent dogs look mighty tasty! I never thought to cook them with pickles



That was Fran's idea, it's really good!  Gives them kind of a crunch!



Pinkocto said:


> Fun day planned.
> 
> Whispering Canyon was a very delicious lunch, one of the best salmons I've ever had. But I've never been there for breakfast. I imagine it's delicious as well.
> 
> Too bad you couldn't link any reservations with Jim's family, but fun that they'll be there too and he can share some excitement with his granddaughter



I hope it's a fun day with not too much so we can acclimate to the new time zone.  I'm really wondering what I'll eat at Whispering Canyon with this new eating plan.  I may or may not stick to it, but will sort of try, so there is a lot I can't eat, we'll have to see how it pans out.

Yeah, I looked up expanding our reservations from three to seven, but every choice messed up our existing FP so it wasn't a go.  We have plenty of times that we are going to grab something at a QS so we can hopefully meet up with them during that period and ride a ride or two and then grab lunch.  His granddaughters are pretty young, so we might even have to do a rider swap, at which point I think Fran will choose to go shop and I might too. Jim can hang with his family and we will perhaps go back to the room.



eandesmom said:


> I am so here!!!! Thank you so much for the bat signal, I have been a traveling crazy person lately, it's "busy season" as I explained to my Aunt today.
> 
> I just love that story and can't wait to meet Jim. What are his plans post red eye before you guys get there?



I knew you were running ragged and decided to send you the bat signal when it had gone quite a while.  I know he wants to check out the MK rope drop show since we told him that it's cool and they don't have one at DL.  Other than that he is going to wander aimlessly (he's good at that) until getting the room text.  If nothing else he will sleep at the pool.

You will all love him when you meet him at the birthday party.  Jim is the funniest guy and his partner Alberto is also just a hoot!  We are going to be laughing and having a great time all weekend.  There are no party poopers (well at least among my friends) I hope that the other relations live up to the spirit of the event!



eandesmom said:


> I ate at Artists point this past trip which was a first and absolutely adored it. I need to go back when it's not the night before a race and I can really enjoy it.



We can't wait to have the mushroom soup and the Berry Cobbler!



eandesmom said:


> Good call staying on the ship in Nassau



Yeah we have massages booked at 3PM, so even if we get off the boat, we will be back well before sailing.



eandesmom said:


> We enjoyed WCC for breakfast, very happy to see Fran will get her strawberry soup!



I'm even planning on making it for the birthday weekend!  I just can't decide whether to make a double or triple recipe.  I'm thinking triple, but then I always go overboard!


----------



## Dis_Yoda

Seems like you plan on two busy first days!


----------



## PrincessInOz

Sounds like a fantastic busy couple of days.

YAY for nearly getting 1st street finished.


----------



## dgbg100106

Wow that first day after the flight is a busy one.  I am sure no one will have to rock you all to sleep.  
My golden spoon was so bad I refused to post it, so I am glad to hear that you are adding a new restaurant to it.

I am excited to see your picture from the reserved wishes spot.


----------



## rentayenta

I've never made crescent dogs but I agree with Pam, I like the pickle idea. 

That Strawberry Soup looks delicious every time I see. 

Why did it just occur to me we get to meet Naked Jim!? Can I call him Naked Jim?   

I can't believe your trip is so close.  Come to think of it, I can't believe I'll be in Disneyland in 19 days.  And then quickly after get you see some of you lovely ladies. 

Relaxing night with the kitties the night before your trip. I'm crossing my fingers for you!


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

franandaj said:


> I forgot to add that I got Mickey Mail in the last couple days. Not only did I get my DME luggage tags, but we got the cruise tags as well! It's getting so real!







franandaj said:


> I am hoping that our bags are packed and we have a relaxing evening at home with our kitties.  Who am I kidding?  We will probably be gathering the last of Fran's stuff.



  Spoken like the voice of experience.

Hope you enjoy WCC!  We like that one a lot, just for the fun of it.


----------



## afwdwfan

franandaj said:


> ETA: I forgot to add that I got Mickey Mail in the last couple days. Not only did I get my DME luggage tags, but we got the cruise tags as well! It's getting so real!


Mickey mail is always a good thing!  A good feeling once the trip starts to feel closer.



franandaj said:


> Well it turns out that Jim’s son was planning to take his family and two daughters to WDW this year, and the son switched the dates of their trip to coincide with ours. We tried to see if there was availability to add them to any of our reservations but I don’t think that it will work out. We may just meet up with them on some of our days and join them for some counter service meals and some kiddie rides.


That's great that they'll be there.  I hope you can work some things out to do together, but you're right... not worth missing out on ADR's or FP+ that you'd already obtained for the 3 of you.



franandaj said:


> And another quick life update. On my last Trip Report I had hoped that we could have all our stuff moved out of the old house before going on this vacation, but I can see now, that won't happen. We have been bringing stuff back and packing it up, but not enough that it will be done in a month.


Sorry you didn't meet your goal. 



franandaj said:


> We will probably be gathering the last of Fran's stuff. Sometime after midnight I might get an hour or two of sleep before we leave at 5AM for our 8AM flight.


   I love the realistic element you're adding to your PTR!



franandaj said:


> The groceries should be there when we arrive and I'll get started on dinner. We'll be having Crescent Dogs, potato chips and Cole slaw for dinner that night. Since I haven't had many pictures I'll add these here.


Mmm... looks good! 



franandaj said:


> I think you all know what Potato Chips look like!


I don't know... are they wavy?  Plain?  Sour cream & onion?  Cheddar?  BBQ?  



franandaj said:


> While Fran naps, perhaps Jim and I will go to the pool.


Love that pool.  And that view. 



franandaj said:


> I’m sure by that point, we will be dead tired, and ready for sleep. And we’re going to have an early morning the next day!


Looks like a fun filled first day!


----------



## eandesmom

franandaj said:


> I knew you were running ragged and decided to send you the bat signal when it had gone quite a while.  I know he wants to check out the MK rope drop show since we told him that it's cool and they don't have one at DL.  Other than that he is going to wander aimlessly (he's good at that) until getting the room text.  If nothing else he will sleep at the pool.



I've been known to sleep at the pool post red eye. Oh wait, I haven't even gotten to that tr yet. Lol!

Yes, running ragged is apt. Though Jeff does not have any sympathy for me as I torture him with pictures of food and drink porn. Bless his heart.



franandaj said:


> You will all love him when you meet him at the birthday party.  Jim is the funniest guy and his partner Alberto is also just a hoot!  We are going to be laughing and having a great time all weekend.  There are no party poopers (well at least among my friends) I hope that the other relations live up to the spirit of the event!



I can honestly say I have never been called a party pooper 




franandaj said:


> We can't wait to have the mushroom soup and the Berry Cobbler!



OMG

The mushroom soup. I had it and our CM brought the rest of the table a small sample so I wouldn't have to share.

If there was such a thing as mushroom soup crack..that would be it.



franandaj said:


> Yeah we have massages booked at 3PM, so even if we get off the boat, we will be back well before sailing.



Perfect! Nassau is nasty.




franandaj said:


> I'm even planning on making it for the birthday weekend!  I just can't decide whether to make a double or triple recipe.  I'm thinking triple, but then I always go overboard!



Ok remember it is YOUR birthday and you have an army of willing hands. I am fairly  decent in the kitchen, put me to work!


----------



## Victoriasmom98

Hello. I hope you don't mind me crashing in on this party! I absolutely love the Naked Jim story and can't wait to see all your adventures!!!


----------



## rentayenta

I am not great in the kitchen but I am a master bartendar.


----------



## franandaj

Breaking News!


This entire trip may be in jeopardy .  Today is our 30 day no penalty day for canceling DVC, and I have no idea what the cruise line policy is.  Last night Fran fell, she injured her ankle, whether it is broken strained or what we don't know.  I just sent her off to the ER with Non-Emergency Medical Transport.  She didn't need the paramedics, in fact she fell just around midnight and we were able to get her back into bed for the night.  This morning we called our Doctor who suggested calling an ambulance company to transport her and get the ankle checked out.

Because it could be hours before she even sees a Doctor, I stayed behind and will head up to the hospital in the next 30 minutes.  I'm not quite sure what to do with myself, so I might as well head up to the hospital and sit there and wait.  The suspense is killing me.  Wish us luck!


----------



## Dis_Yoda

Oh no!  Hopefully its just a strain for her ankle!  

As someone who is super prone to ankle issues - I've found some good braces to use.  As Fran uses an ECV, you should be ok if its just a strain with a good brace!


----------



## Pinkocto

I hope Fran's ok


----------



## ACDSNY

Oh my I hope it's not too serious.


----------



## PrincessInOz

franandaj said:


> Breaking News!
> 
> 
> This entire trip may be in jeopardy .  Today is our 30 day no penalty day for canceling DVC, and I have no idea what the cruise line policy is.  Last night Fran fell, she injured her ankle, whether it is broken strained or what we don't know.  I just sent her off to the ER with Non-Emergency Medical Transport.  She didn't need the paramedics, in fact she fell just around midnight and we were able to get her back into bed for the night.  This morning we called our Doctor who suggested calling an ambulance company to transport her and get the ankle checked out.
> 
> Because it could be hours before she even sees a Doctor, I stayed behind and will head up to the hospital in the next 30 minutes.  I'm not quite sure what to do with myself, so I might as well head up to the hospital and sit there and wait.  The suspense is killing me.  Wish us luck!



Oh no!


I hope Fran is okay!!!  And give her a hug from me.
Good luck with the Doctor.  I have everything crossed for you.


----------



## Flossbolna

Oh no! Poor Fran, I hope she is ok and will soon feel better! I you don't have to wait for ages until the doctor can see you!


----------



## dvc at last !

Loving what I have read so far (not all) will finish reading later today.
Your title got me !


----------



## dgbg100106

franandaj said:


> Breaking News!
> 
> 
> This entire trip may be in jeopardy .  Today is our 30 day no penalty day for canceling DVC, and I have no idea what the cruise line policy is.  Last night Fran fell, she injured her ankle, whether it is broken strained or what we don't know.  I just sent her off to the ER with Non-Emergency Medical Transport.  She didn't need the paramedics, in fact she fell just around midnight and we were able to get her back into bed for the night.  This morning we called our Doctor who suggested calling an ambulance company to transport her and get the ankle checked out.
> 
> Because it could be hours before she even sees a Doctor, I stayed behind and will head up to the hospital in the next 30 minutes.  I'm not quite sure what to do with myself, so I might as well head up to the hospital and sit there and wait.  The suspense is killing me.  Wish us luck!


Alison....

Oh my goodness, prayers for Fran.

Please let us know soon as you can.

Hugs my friend.


----------



## dvc at last !

Sending good thoughts and Pixie Dust to Fran !


----------



## rentayenta

Sending lots of healing vibes.


----------



## mvf-m11c

Hope Fran is doing alright.


----------



## franandaj

Hey folks!  Thanks for all the support and well wishes.  I'll be back to comment individually later, but I'll give you the gist of where things stand. Shortly after I made my post about what happened last night, I went up to the hospital.  It was over an hour after the Ambulance guys loaded Fran into the van, but the check in desk still didn't have her bed # in the system.  I texted this to her and she let me know the number so I went back up to the check in desk and this time they found her and sent me to security to escort me back there.  What did we do before technology?  I remember waiting for hours before being let in to an ER exam room!

By this time it was 12:22 because the first thing she did was make me give her a pain pill (I keep a small "pharmacy" in my purse for all her ailments), and she told me to start a log, in case the hospital asked about it.  A Practical Nurse came by to examine her and said that they would do some X-rays, etc. Then a Registered Nurse came by to say he would be taking care of her "needs".  Unfortunately the first thing he did was catch his stethoscope on the foot of her injured ankle and she let out a HUGE scream that cause the entire ER to stop what they were doing and look at her.  Turns out it was the scream "heard round the ER".  

The X-ray technicians were efficient and they had a portable X-ray machine that they brought to her little "bed" and took 3 X-rays of her foot.  I looked over their shoulders as they took them and saw the images as they were captured, and I didn't see anything, but I'm not a doctor. Boy things have come a long way, I remember when they had to "wheel you off to X-ray", now they come to you. Around 1:50ish the PN came back telling us that there was a hairline fracture in the ankle and that they would be splinting her and having her Primary Doctor refer her to a Orthopedic Surgeon, and they were going to do some more X-rays a little higher, just to rule out any other fractures.  By the time they were done explaining everything, DVC Member Services were open for another 20 minutes and I called to see if I could still cancel and get the points back.

They told me yesterday was the day.  So now if I cancel, the points go into holding.  Basically for those who aren't DVC Wizards, that means this.  I can only use these points to book a vacation that takes place four months or less from the day I book, AND the points expire at the end of the current Use Year, August 31, 2015.  So now I know where I stand with DVC. To cover my bases, I shot off an email to David's Vacation Rentals asking if they deal with "holding points". There is no way I can (or would) book a vacation at WDW in August, July or late June, and it looks as though the healing process may take a while. I would think about using them in California, but the VGC books up solid at 7 months, so there's not much luck of that either. I haven't DONE anything, just gathering information.  Anyone who might like a two bedroom Villa at the VWL from April 13 -20, there might be one going for relatively cheap! Or points to use at other resorts before August 31!

Then there is the cruise.  I have to check with DCL tomorrow what the cancellation policy is and what cruise insurance covers. So by this point, I realize that I'm famished.  That little bowl of gluten free, naturally sweetened cereal (remember the lovely doctor imposed diet from the last thread), that I had for breakfast is long gone.  I head over to the cafeteria to find some tomato basil soup.  Of course it has gluten, wheat, etc, but I DON'T CARE.  It's soup!  It's not a burger, a cheesesteak, a grilled ham and cheese, all those things I used to love to eat and were taken away from me.  I make a small salad from the salad bar, and my lunch is $3.07.  That's one thing I liked about this hospital when Fran was having all her joints replaced there.  You could get a really cheap meal at the cafeteria.  And it was always pretty decent.  Even those things I can't eat were pretty good as I remember.

I get back just in time for the Practical Nurse to deliver the next blow. They found a something with her Fibula. Now they're going to be splinting her entire leg. I've been at the hospital for three hours, in this medical dilemma since midnight last night and everyone is starting to sound like Charlie Brown's teacher. Plus I notice the battery on my phone is getting low and so is the one on my tablet (which is basically a solitaire and kakuro player.)  This is when I come to terms that unless some miracle comes through, we are rescheduling this whole trip, say to Food & Wine time.

The rest was awful.  When she was discharged, we have no friends who live in Long Beach, save Naked Jim. And he was in San Diego. Everyone else lives far away, at least half an hour for the closest person. We drive an Expedition.  Did I say that Fran can't put any weight on her broken leg? So she can't get in our car, we try for like 20 minutes to half an hour. So we call a cab. There are no "traditional" cabs in Long Beach. They send a Ford Escape. She can't get in that either. By this time it's after 6PM. Eventually we get a Prius and she lays in there like a dead animal with her back paws sticking up and out the open windows. Later it will be funny. But I think we are going to have to buy a car that she can get into to get through this, especially if the doctor prescribes physical therapy.  We can't be paying $35 a pop for months to get her places in town, and how does she get to band? We have a concert in a week!

Once we finally get home, I get her scooter and we get her into the house.  After I herd the outside cats, by this time it's after 8PM.  Through the use of scooters we get her to potty and to bed.  Somewhere in there I order food off Grub Hub and it gets here at 10PM.  I'm not eating until 10:30 and here I am finishing this up after I ate my food.  What did I get? Chicken Parmesan, nicely breaded and deep fried with gooey cheese and spaghetti!  I actually only ate one bite of the spaghetti, and didn't touch the garlic bread.  I was almost good, but after the day I had, I needed comfort food and I don't have a place that delivers good Mac and Cheese!  I wasn't going to make it!

What I did realize during the process of trying to get her into our bedroom (we actually had to go through the dining room to the Pool patio and in through the bedroom French doors as opposed to going down the regular hallways to the bedroom, see my house thread if you're confused), is that there is no way we can go on a trip with her not being able to bear weight on the foot.  Now if she gets a great Ortho who gives her a boot and she can bear weight then GREAT, we might be in business, but not with the way things are now.  Plus if her bones are healing, she can't go back on the RA drugs and no one wants to do a trip with Fran not on RA drugs.  She even agrees on that!

So here it is 11:30PM, I've finished my dinner (or as much as I'm going to eat), now I have to feed the cats, and who knows what adventures lie in wait tonight helping Fran get out of bed when she needs it.  I guess I'm a little like Mark and Julie, I now have my own Drew that wakes up in the middle of night and needs consoling!

I will keep you all posted on the plans, but it looks like we will be rescheduling this adventure for a later date (when it is temperate at WDW and not so dang hot!)

Thanks for listening!


----------



## Flossbolna

Alison, what a nightmare of a day!!! I guess the good news is that it is not a fracture that requires surgery. But with all the bad news you got that is really a very small thing to be happy about.

I am amazed that after that hellish day you still were able to sit down and write a long post for us here on the DIS. I hope it was at least a little therapeutic! 

What a horrible timing as well - points in holding really is no fun at all! I hope you can come out with a solution that lets you at least recover some of the cost of these points. It might be worth it to look into offering the reservation on the Rent/Trade forum here on the DIS. I know that usually renting out reservations is not allowed, but there is an exception for reservations that are closer than 30 days (I guess in order to help out people like you who would have to face holding points if they need to cancel).

Can you use holding points at the Disney Collection? Most likely not, I guess. But otherwise you could always look into blowing points by staying at the hotels at Disneyland. But then if Fran is not allowed to put weight on the foot that would not be a lot of fun either...

I hope both of you are getting some sleep tonight! And I think you did extremely well with sticking somewhat to your eating plan despite all the stress!!


----------



## kaoden39

franandaj said:


> Breaking News!
> 
> 
> This entire trip may be in jeopardy .  Today is our 30 day no penalty day for canceling DVC, and I have no idea what the cruise line policy is.  Last night Fran fell, she injured her ankle, whether it is broken strained or what we don't know.  I just sent her off to the ER with Non-Emergency Medical Transport.  She didn't need the paramedics, in fact she fell just around midnight and we were able to get her back into bed for the night.  This morning we called our Doctor who suggested calling an ambulance company to transport her and get the ankle checked out.
> 
> Because it could be hours before she even sees a Doctor, I stayed behind and will head up to the hospital in the next 30 minutes.  I'm not quite sure what to do with myself, so I might as well head up to the hospital and sit there and wait.  The suspense is killing me.  Wish us luck!



My thoughts and prayers are with Fran and you.

*Yikes! Poor Fran! Poor you! I hope her pain is better today and that you managed to get some rest.


----------



## rentayenta

Oh my gosh Alison, I hope youre both doing ok. Wish we were closer to help you. 

Have you thought about putting your DVC reservation on Facebook? I think you are part of a few different groups; might have some luck that way. I'm sorry you have to deal with that headache along with Fran's injuries. Can points in holding go towards rooms at the DLH or PPH? Just a thought. I know the GCV are impossible to get at 4 months but the hotels aren't. It's not the best bang for your buck but it's better than losing the points. 

You're in surprisingly high spirits considering that craptastic day you had my friend. Between you and me I'd have been drowning myself in a large pizza and beer. All things considered you did amazingly wel with your food choices.


----------



## dvc at last !

Sorry to read about all that has happened.  Hope all is well after the Orthopedic visit. 
Wish I could use your April vaca points, but it is the week after my Spring Break.
(Still paying for my week from my Presidents Week in WDW!)
Keep us posted after the Doctor appointment.
Good thoughts and prayers sent to the both of you.


----------



## PrincessInOz

Alison!!!


Firstly, hugs.  And lots of it!!    

Secondly.  OMG.  I was getting more and more horrified as I read about the whole hospital experience.  I am so sorry that Fran has fractured her ankle.  That is just awful!  Please tell her I wish her well and am thinking about the both of you.
Such a pity that you've had to cancel your F&W trip and reschedule for a later date.  But given the circumstances, it is the right thing to do.  I sure hope you manage to get something back for those points.

Above all else, make sure you take care of yourself as well as Fran.  If it means eating the occasional comfort food, don't feel guilty about it.

I really wish I were closer as well to help you out.

Take care!


----------



## franandaj

Dis_Yoda said:


> Oh no!  Hopefully its just a strain for her ankle!
> 
> As someone who is super prone to ankle issues - I've found some good braces to use.  As Fran uses an ECV, you should be ok if its just a strain with a good brace!



Well, so now we know it's a fracture and not a strain.  She can't bear any weight on it, but we're waiting now to go see an Ortho and see what they say about healing time and such.



Pinkocto said:


> I hope Fran's ok



Well OK is a relative term....



ACDSNY said:


> Oh my I hope it's not too serious.



Well, it could have been worse, she could require surgery, let's hope that's not the case.



PrincessInOz said:


> Oh no!
> 
> 
> I hope Fran is okay!!!  And give her a hug from me.
> Good luck with the Doctor.  I have everything crossed for you.



Thanks!



Flossbolna said:


> Oh no! Poor Fran, I hope she is ok and will soon feel better! I you don't have to wait for ages until the doctor can see you!



Well if I complained about her for the diet plan and her scare tactics, these are the situations where she really earns her salary.  She has been totally on top of our situation since we called her yesterday morning.  The Orthopedic Doctor, well that remains to be seen.



dvc at last ! said:


> Loving what I have read so far (not all) will finish reading later today.
> Your title got me !



The way it's looking, we may be postponing this trip for a while.  We'll know after we see the Ortho.


----------



## franandaj

dgbg100106 said:


> Alison....
> 
> Oh my goodness, prayers for Fran.
> 
> Please let us know soon as you can.
> 
> Hugs my friend.



I'll keep you folks updated.  It's my only little place of sanity right now.



dvc at last ! said:


> Sending good thoughts and Pixie Dust to Fran !



Thank you 



rentayenta said:


> Sending lots of healing vibes.



We could use them 



mvf-m11c said:


> Hope Fran is doing alright.



Thanks, she's miserable, but comfortably miserable.



Flossbolna said:


> Alison, what a nightmare of a day!!! I guess the good news is that it is not a fracture that requires surgery. But with all the bad news you got that is really a very small thing to be happy about.
> 
> I am amazed that after that hellish day you still were able to sit down and write a long post for us here on the DIS. I hope it was at least a little therapeutic!



That's the reason I did it.  I finally got Fran into bed and could sit down with my delivery dinner and have a glass of wine and just take it all in.  Writing about it helped me to get it out of my system and process it mentally.  It also helped me to come to terms that postponing the trip is probably going to be the most sane thing to do.  We have our Wonder B2B in May and hopefully by then, she will be able to bear weight on the foot and might really appreciate getting away. 



Flossbolna said:


> What a horrible timing as well - points in holding really is no fun at all! I hope you can come out with a solution that lets you at least recover some of the cost of these points. It might be worth it to look into offering the reservation on the Rent/Trade forum here on the DIS. I know that usually renting out reservations is not allowed, but there is an exception for reservations that are closer than 30 days (I guess in order to help out people like you who would have to face holding points if they need to cancel).
> 
> Can you use holding points at the Disney Collection? Most likely not, I guess. But otherwise you could always look into blowing points by staying at the hotels at Disneyland. But then if Fran is not allowed to put weight on the foot that would not be a lot of fun either...



You can use the holding points at the Disney collection, the last time I had holding points that's what ended up happening with them.  But we already have a stay in May booked and another one in July for the 60th.  Besides it's 350 points and that's a lot of days out at Disney!  David's has already gotten back to me and they feel that they can probably help me rent the points to a last minute traveler.  If they can, that will be a nice chunk of change in my pockets!



Flossbolna said:


> I hope both of you are getting some sleep tonight! And I think you did extremely well with sticking somewhat to your eating plan despite all the stress!!



I woke up at 9AM and was absolutely comatose.  After a little squabbling, we went back to sleep for another two hours and that made all the difference in the world.



kaoden39 said:


> My thoughts and prayers are with Fran and you.
> 
> *Yikes! Poor Fran! Poor you! I hope her pain is better today and that you managed to get some rest.



Thanks!  Her pain isn't much better but at least she is in her own bed with the kitties and we are somewhat managing the situation.



rentayenta said:


> Oh my gosh Alison, I hope youre both doing ok. Wish we were closer to help you.
> 
> Have you thought about putting your DVC reservation on Facebook? I think you are part of a few different groups; might have some luck that way. I'm sorry you have to deal with that headache along with Fran's injuries. Can points in holding go towards rooms at the DLH or PPH? Just a thought. I know the GCV are impossible to get at 4 months but the hotels aren't. It's not the best bang for your buck but it's better than losing the points.



Next year you can help us!    As I said above, we already have a couple stays out there.  The points expire at the end of August.  I hope that David's can help us out.



rentayenta said:


> You're in surprisingly high spirits considering that craptastic day you had my friend. Between you and me I'd have been drowning myself in a large pizza and beer. All things considered you did amazingly wel with your food choices.



Hey, when life gives you lemons....If I didn't have that attitude, I never would have made it this far.



dvc at last ! said:


> Sorry to read about all that has happened.  Hope all is well after the Orthopedic visit.
> Wish I could use your April vaca points, but it is the week after my Spring Break.
> (Still paying for my week from my Presidents Week in WDW!)
> Keep us posted after the Doctor appointment.
> Good thoughts and prayers sent to the both of you.



Thanks!  I will keep everyone here informed.  it's weird, people here seem to be more interested in me than many of my 3D friends, and many here ARE 3D friends!



PrincessInOz said:


> Alison!!!
> 
> 
> Firstly, hugs. And lots of it!!
> 
> Secondly. OMG. I was getting more and more horrified as I read about the whole hospital experience. I am so sorry that Fran has fractured her ankle. That is just awful! Please tell her I wish her well and am thinking about the both of you.
> Such a pity that you've had to cancel your F&W trip and reschedule for a later date. But given the circumstances, it is the right thing to do. I sure hope you manage to get something back for those points.



Thank you.  After all those other canceled trips at least I know what to do and how it works.  I will send her your best.



PrincessInOz said:


> Above all else, make sure you take care of yourself as well as Fran. If it means eating the occasional comfort food, don't feel guilty about it.
> 
> I really wish I were closer as well to help you out.
> 
> Take care!



The biggest thing for me is remembering to eat.  When  things get like this I usually forget to eat anything and then I have a worse problem.


----------



## ACDSNY

Oh my what a nightmare.  Would it be possible to use your points for the May cruises?


----------



## dvc at last !

This might be a silly question at this time, but what is a 3D friend  ?


----------



## franandaj

ACDSNY said:


> Oh my what a nightmare.  Would it be possible to use your points for the May cruises?



No they're already PiF. Plus I don't think holding points can be used for cruises. I might be able to apply some of the Dream Cruise to the October one though.



dvc at last ! said:


> This might be a silly question at this time, but what is a 3D friend  ?



3D friends are the ones you know in real life. We have a saying that friends here are 2D, sort of friends in a box, until we meet and make the connection as 3D friends. Several people on this thread I have met and had a meal/drinks etc with more often than folks that I see on a regular basis and know in my daily life. Sad but true.


----------



## ACDSNY

franandaj said:


> No they're already PiF. Plus I don't think holding points can be used for cruises. I might be able to apply some of the Dream Cruise to the October one though.



I forgot the May cruises were past their PIF date.  Darn.  I feel so bad for both of you as I know you all were so excited for this trip.


----------



## franandaj

ACDSNY said:


> I forgot the May cruises were past their PIF date.  Darn.  I feel so bad for both of you as I know you all were so excited for this trip.



Yeah and the thing is I was SO looking forward to my first Big Ship cruise and Castaway Cay. I'm going to look at rescheduling this for next Fall, but the cruise pricing may be through the roof by now. I haven't had a chance today to go online and look, so many other things I had to do.

Things are looking slightly up. It seems that my scooter (which is slightly smaller) will drive through the whole house  now that I have moved some of the cat boxes and furniture. She will be able to leave the bedroom when she feels up to it, but at least we can get her to the potty and back without too much work!


----------



## ACDSNY

franandaj said:


> Things are looking slightly up. It seems that my scooter (which is slightly smaller) will drive through the whole house  now that I have moved some of the cat boxes and furniture. She will be able to leave the bedroom when she feels up to it, but at least we can get her to the potty and back without too much work!



That's good news since I'm sure she'll get tired of being in only one room.  I hope Fran's Ortho appt. goes well and she doesn't get any more bad news.


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

Oh no!!!  What a nightmare.  I will confess to not understanding how DVC points work in the least (your quote about Charlie Brown's teacher applies to me here!) but I sincerely hope you can figure this out and it works out for the best.  More importantly, I hope Fran heals quickly with a minimum of pain and that you guys can work out her care.  I'm so sorry your plans were interrupted like that.  I hope she gets well soon.



franandaj said:


> I guess I'm a little like Mark and Julie, I now have my own Drew that wakes up in the middle of night and needs consoling!



I wouldn't wish that on anybody!


----------



## dgbg100106

Oh Alison and Fran,

So sorry to hear all of this  it was a true nightmare.  I wish we were closer we would help, too but we also don't have a car that someone could get into if their entire leg was braced.  Ughhh.

The boot would be so much easier, I hope it heals quickly, and that Fran is getting so relief.  

In a similar situation I have seen people be able to rent out their reservations on the DIS boards, under the rent/trade section.  Hope you are able to get all of that worked out.


----------



## cj9200

Oh carp!   I'd trade points with you but I am going to be out of town during your trip.  So sorry to hear about the fall, hospital treatment, and the trip issues.  Hugs to the both of you and hoping for a speedy recovery.  Give Fran my best and keep us posted.


----------



## sager1969

Gosh!  Hugs and prayers for fast healing.  I really hope you are able to get your points rented.   Good luck on staying healthy.  Sounds like you have worked hard at it and did a good job while dealing with the hospital.  Take care!


----------



## Pinkocto

Oh my goodness, what a nightmare! I'm so sorry  I hope the ortho appointment went well and no more bad news. Thats good you were able to get your smaller scooter down the hall.


----------



## jedijill

I got behind (stupid lack of updates) and Alison just gave me the heads up there was drama and she was right.  I'm so sorry this happened to Fran and you have to cancel your plans.  I hope Fran heals quickly so she can get back on her feet.  

Big hugs going out to both of you!

Jill in CO


----------



## dvc at last !

Glad the scooter is able to get thru the house.  It would be tough to say in a room all day.
And we know we need potty breaks !
What was the outcome at the Ortho today ?


----------



## franandaj

ACDSNY said:


> That's good news since I'm sure she'll get tired of being in only one room. I hope Fran's Ortho appt. goes well and she doesn't get any more bad news.



Well Fran can now traverse the whole house in the scooter, except for Olga's room, and I'll give you guys a spoiler for the House Thread.  Olga won't sleep in her room any more.  We've stopped the rotation stuff, about a week before the fall.  She has become a herd cat, thank goodness, so we're not doing that every other night thing any more.

And there was not Orthopedic Doctor that could see her today. She has two appointments for tomorrow.  At the same time.  I need to cancel one.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Oh no!!! What a nightmare. I will confess to not understanding how DVC points work in the least (your quote about Charlie Brown's teacher applies to me here!) but I sincerely hope you can figure this out and it works out for the best. More importantly, I hope Fran heals quickly with a minimum of pain and that you guys can work out her care. I'm so sorry your plans were interrupted like that. I hope she gets well soon.



Well, I'm now working on a number of options.  I just want to see the Ortho doctor and get some answers, how long do you think it will take to heal?  When do you think she can bear weight on it?  Just basic stuff, this is killing me when she can't even step on the other foot.  A trip to the bathroom takes 40 minutes!  With me being there helping to get up, get down the whole time.


Captain_Oblivious said:


> I wouldn't wish that on anybody!



Luckily she has been pretty good about sleeping through the night!



dgbg100106 said:


> Oh Alison and Fran,
> 
> So sorry to hear all of this it was a true nightmare. I wish we were closer we would help, too but we also don't have a car that someone could get into if their entire leg was braced. Ughhh.



She just wants a car she can lay in the back seat of!  I picked up a rental car today for the next week, we'll see how it works.



dgbg100106 said:


> The boot would be so much easier, I hope it heals quickly, and that Fran is getting so relief.



I do hope that they give her something like a boot like you had.  At least that would protect her ankle and fibula.  We'll just have to see tomorrow.



dgbg100106 said:


> In a similar situation I have seen people be able to rent out their reservations on the DIS boards, under the rent/trade section. Hope you are able to get all of that worked out.



I'll check into that before canceling, but most likely go with David's or another possible solution.



cj9200 said:


> Oh carp! I'd trade points with you but I am going to be out of town during your trip. So sorry to hear about the fall, hospital treatment, and the trip issues. Hugs to the both of you and hoping for a speedy recovery. Give Fran my best and keep us posted.



Thanks, I'll definitely check in post Ortho Doctor appointment, It's then that we will have some idea of course of treatment and what will be involved in the expectation of healing.  Thanks for the hugs, we need them right now!



sager1969 said:


> Gosh! Hugs and prayers for fast healing. I really hope you are able to get your points rented. Good luck on staying healthy. Sounds like you have worked hard at it and did a good job while dealing with the hospital. Take care!



  I'm sorry you had to come on board to such a dismal TR, but I guess if this thing gets postponed it will be a real bonafide PTR as we reschedule and rebook everything!



Pinkocto said:


> Oh my goodness, what a nightmare! I'm so sorry  I hope the ortho appointment went well and no more bad news. Thats good you were able to get your smaller scooter down the hall.



No Ortho appt yet, that will be tomorrow.  I did get a rental car and I hope we can put Fran in the back seat and drive her to the appt.  It's a much bigger back seat than the Prius, so we'll see how it goes.  Naked Jim should be back from San Diego and he said he would help if we needed it!


----------



## Leshaface

Oh my gosh, poor Fran!  And then the Doc hit her foot too?!   

Hopefully the appt goes well tomorrow! Prayers for both of you.


----------



## rentayenta

Wishing you tons of good luck today at the appointments! Please keep us posted. Text me if you're bored or want/need to chat in the waiting room.


----------



## dgbg100106

Glad you were able to rent a car for the next week, hopefully it will make traversing much easier.  

Hope you and Fran are doing better today


----------



## EJ4Disney

Alison and Fran,
I am SO sorry this has happened.  My thoughts and prayers are with you both.  I am really anxious to hear what the Ortho Dr. says.  Thanks so much for letting me know what was going on, I had no idea.  Bless you.

Please keep us posted.  I just wish I was close so I could help.  I would be there in a second!!


----------



## dolphingirl47

Goodness, this is not what I expected to find after being away for a few days. I am so sorry.  I am thinking of you and Fran. I hope the appointment goes well and they can figure out something that will make Fran more mobile. I am still keeping my fingers crossed for this trip. On a positive note though, it is wonderful that 1st Street is nearly finished.

Corinna


----------



## franandaj

ACDSNY said:


> That's good news since I'm sure she'll get tired of being in only one room. I hope Fran's Ortho appt. goes well and she doesn't get any more bad news.



Well Fran can now traverse the whole house in the scooter, except for Olga's room, and I'll give you guys a spoiler for the House Thread.  Olga won't sleep in her room any more.  We've stopped the rotation stuff, about a week before the fall.  She has become a herd cat, thank goodness, so we're not doing that every other night thing any more.

And there was not Orthopedic Doctor that could see her Monday. She had two appointments for Tuesday.  At the same time.  I canceled one, and went with the medical group that did her hip and knee surgeries.  The doctor she had for those retired at the end of 2014.  The guy we saw today was a complete waste of time.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Oh no!!! What a nightmare. I will confess to not understanding how DVC points work in the least (your quote about Charlie Brown's teacher applies to me here!) but I sincerely hope you can figure this out and it works out for the best. More importantly, I hope Fran heals quickly with a minimum of pain and that you guys can work out her care. I'm so sorry your plans were interrupted like that. I hope she gets well soon.



Yeah, this trip is not happening.  However, we still have no idea on how her treatment will go and what is happening based on the comment above.  I will hopefully elaborate later this evening.  I need it to vent.


Captain_Oblivious said:


> I wouldn't wish that on anybody!



Surprisingly she has been sleeping through the night and not needing to get up and have help going to the potty from me.  That may be different tonight.



dgbg100106 said:


> Oh Alison and Fran,
> 
> So sorry to hear all of this it was a true nightmare. I wish we were closer we would help, too but we also don't have a car that someone could get into if their entire leg was braced. Ughhh.



Well, the Toyota Camry isn't an ideal choice, she still rode with her foot out the window today, but not as far.  She was able to get it inside the car when she got cold.  We'll see how it goes when she has to ride on the freeway this weekend!  



dgbg100106 said:


> The boot would be so much easier, I hope it heals quickly, and that Fran is getting so relief.



They didn't think they could put a boot on her with the shape of her foot and swelling, but I'll get to that later.



dgbg100106 said:


> In a similar situation I have seen people be able to rent out their reservations on the DIS boards, under the rent/trade section. Hope you are able to get all of that worked out.



We're working on a solution, and if not I'll try David's, maybe the rent/trade section briefly before I totally cancel.



cj9200 said:


> Oh carp! I'd trade points with you but I am going to be out of town during your trip. So sorry to hear about the fall, hospital treatment, and the trip issues. Hugs to the both of you and hoping for a speedy recovery. Give Fran my best and keep us posted.



I don't think speedy recovery is going to be in the process, but you never know.



sager1969 said:


> Gosh! Hugs and prayers for fast healing. I really hope you are able to get your points rented. Good luck on staying healthy. Sounds like you have worked hard at it and did a good job while dealing with the hospital. Take care!



  I hope we are able to salvage something from this trip and then rebook with Jim and then I will be able to tell you all about it!



Pinkocto said:


> Oh my goodness, what a nightmare! I'm so sorry  I hope the ortho appointment went well and no more bad news. Thats good you were able to get your smaller scooter down the hall.



No the Ortho appointment didn't go well.  It didn't go bad, but I'll explain later.


----------



## franandaj

OK, so I'm popping in again and will reply to everyone that I've missed when I get a chance, but I wanted to let you know what happened today at the Ortho doctor.  When we called this group, I wanted to make an appointment with the doctor who did her hip and knee surgeries.  Unfortunately he retired at the end of 2014. So they set us up with his "replacement". Who was no replacement.  The old Doctor had years and years of experience and really knew his stuff.  This guy and his physician assistant were not all that.

First off, they actually showed me where on the X-rays the fractures had occurred.  That was helpful at least for me to know.  The ankle fracture is in that bone on the outside of your ankle where the little "bump" is located.  The other fracture is at the top of the fibula which is just below the knee.  This happens when a leg twists.  There are two bones in the leg, the tibia and the fibula.  The tibia is the large bone, often called the shin, the fibula is the smaller bone in back which balances the tibia.  Think about the part of a chicken wing that doesn't look like a mini leg, and you'll know what I'm talking about (why are all my references to food?). The fracture is completely cadicorner to the ankle fracture which makes perfect sense if you're twisting the leg during the fall.

Here's the part where this Doctor totally fell short.  I know that her foot was very swollen, but he totally passed the buck.  He referred her to another doctor in the Group who specializes in Feet, told her to take her diaretics, elevate the foot and come back in a week, to see if she needs surgery.  She got the idea that he was fat-phobic, he could have also been one of those "you're threatening my view of marriage" people, or he could have been an awkward doctor with no patient skills, who really didn't know what was going on with her.  Clearly he had no interest in treating her and that's where we were not happy.  However, he was also really young.  It's weird now that I'm becoming older and young doctors make me wary.  I'm glad we have been referred to someone else cause I didn't get a good vibe from him anyways.  

They wrapped up her foot in another "splint" similar to what the ER did, but they did a much better job of it.  So now she is in bed with her foot up and we're trying to get the swelling to go down.  I'm calling tomorrow to cancel the Dream Cruise, and we have to work out what to do with the VWL points.  The thing is if she has to have surgery (which the next doctor next week determines), then the B2B cruise on the Wonder is also in jeapordy.  This sucks.


----------



## dvc at last !

Wow - just Wow  !
This appointment did not go well.
Hope the next doctor and appointment will give you more help.
Good thoughts and prayers sent your way.
Do not forget to take care of yourself also.


----------



## ACDSNY

I agree that sucks.  I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that you'll be able to still go on your May cruises.

For some unknown reason, I have found most ortho specialist that are good at surgery have very poor people skills, I'm not sure why. Can you do alternating hot and cold compresses to get the swelling down?  Let's hope Fran's appt. goes better next week.


----------



## mvf-m11c

Sorry that the appointment and doctor didn't go so well.

Hope that Fran does gets better.


----------



## rentayenta

I'm sorry today didn't lend itself to much help but I'm glad you're getting a new doctor. I'm super sorry also that you're having to cancel your cruise.  It totally sucks.


----------



## franandaj

dvc at last ! said:


> Wow - just Wow  !
> This appointment did not go well.
> Hope the next doctor and appointment will give you more help.
> Good thoughts and prayers sent your way.
> Do not forget to take care of yourself also.



Well I did have a small moment of "self indulgence" today.  She wanted her computer in bed this morning, so after I fed the cats and made coffee. I actually made us an omelet Ala Embassy Suites or Beach Blanket Buffet. It had red onion, mushrooms, red pepper, ham, spinach, and chedear cheese. It turned out more like a scramble which was sad because my last 5-6 omelets have come out really good. In fact I've been able to that "buffet flip" and pull it off, but not today. It still tasted good though.

So at least I had a nice breakfast and then for dinner we had nice piece of baked cod with roasted asparagus, so at least I'm back to eating well and cooking for us. That's an important part of life. Now all I need is to plan the menu for a week in advance and life will be back to somewhat normal.

And then there is that whole thing about rebooking. The question now is F&W or Christmas....


----------



## mvf-m11c

If you have never been to WDW during Christmas season, I would go. I wanted to go back to WDW during the Christmas season but going during the Halloween/F&W is great as well.


----------



## franandaj

ACDSNY said:


> I agree that sucks.  I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that you'll be able to still go on your May cruises.
> 
> For some unknown reason, I have found most ortho specialist that are good at surgery have very poor people skills, I'm not sure why. Can you do alternating hot and cold compresses to get the swelling down?  Let's hope Fran's appt. goes better next week.



At this point, I'm not sure that the compresses would penetrate the cast like thing they put on her.  Well even the other Dr. who retired had a better bedside manner than this guy.  Maybe he won us over back when her father started seeing him and he took us aside (when he broke a vertebrae in his back) and said, "you know he is his own worst enemy".    I think that alone is what made Fran want him to work on her!  

Yeah, let's hope this guy next week is better, we have been through a lot of the doctors in this group between her and her father and most of them have been top notch.



mvf-m11c said:


> Sorry that the appointment and doctor didn't go so well.
> 
> Hope that Fran does gets better.



I sure hope so, because this is pretty much killing me!



rentayenta said:


> I'm sorry today didn't lend itself to much help but I'm glad you're getting a new doctor. I'm super sorry also that you're having to cancel your cruise.  It totally sucks.



Well, I guess it's money back in our pockets.  I just could have used the relaxation, I really don't want to have to cancel the B2B, but if she can't bear weight on the leg, there is no way.  Maybe we can add on a 2 day to the October one....


----------



## ACDSNY

Hang in there and just keep reminding yourself this too shall pass and your life will get back to normal.  Both of you need to take it one day at a time for a while.

Come here and vent all you want it's the least we can do for you.


----------



## franandaj

ACDSNY said:


> Hang in there and just keep reminding yourself this too shall pass and your life will get back to normal.  Both of you need to take it one day at a time for a while.
> 
> Come here and vent all you want it's the least we can do for you.



Weren't we saying this same thing about 2-3 years ago when she had the venus ulcers?  Ugh.  At least I have become a total expert at canceling trips.


----------



## franandaj

Leshaface said:


> Oh my gosh, poor Fran!  And then the Doc hit her foot too?!
> 
> Hopefully the appt goes well tomorrow! Prayers for both of you.



Well, if you read back, it didn't.  



rentayenta said:


> Wishing you tons of good luck today at the appointments! Please keep us posted. Text me if you're bored or want/need to chat in the waiting room.



Thanks.....you know the rest.



dgbg100106 said:


> Glad you were able to rent a car for the next week, hopefully it will make traversing much easier.
> 
> Hope you and Fran are doing better today



It definitely has made things easier. Her feet didn't stick nearly as far out the window.  



EJ4Disney said:


> Alison and Fran,
> I am SO sorry this has happened.  My thoughts and prayers are with you both.  I am really anxious to hear what the Ortho Dr. says.  Thanks so much for letting me know what was going on, I had no idea.  Bless you.
> 
> Please keep us posted.  I just wish I was close so I could help.  I would be there in a second!!



  I'm glad you made it over here, even if it wasnt' the best of circumstances.  As you can read, the Ortho Dr. today was a bust.



dolphingirl47 said:


> Goodness, this is not what I expected to find after being away for a few days. I am so sorry.  I am thinking of you and Fran. I hope the appointment goes well and they can figure out something that will make Fran more mobile. I am still keeping my fingers crossed for this trip. On a positive note though, it is wonderful that 1st Street is nearly finished.
> 
> Corinna



Yeah, I'm sure this was not what you expected.  I think she is going to get less mobile before more mobile.  If she requires surgery, she will be six weeks off the leg, before she has six weeks on limited weight bearing.  All this bodes not so well.  I am gearing up for the worst. 

I did check the 2 day cruise before the 5 day cruise and there is availability for the HA rooms, now to find out if we can keep the same room if we book....I may do that when I cancel the cruise tomorrow.  And book the 2 day....


----------



## ACDSNY

Good luck with your rebooking tomorrow.


----------



## dolphingirl47

I am so sorry that the appointment did not go too well. I hope that the next appointment is more positive and that no surgery is required. Adding the two nights to the October cruises sounds like a plan. I hope that works out for you. The Holiday season at Walt Disney World is truly magical. If you have not experienced this before, I would suggest that you consider this for the rebooked trip.

Corinna


----------



## Pinkocto

Ugh, the story gets worse.  I'm so sorry   Boo on that young doctor and making you feel like he didn't know what he was doing.  

I hope you don't have to cancel your B2B cruises.  


Is Jim going to still go and be with his grandchildren?


----------



## ShellB8585

Hi,

Have been a bit MIA on the boards recently so only just catching up. Sorry to see about Frans fall, hope she has a speedy recovery. Remember to look after yourself too. Sending positive thoughts and  your way!!


----------



## MAO

franandaj said:


> Here's the part where this Doctor totally fell short.  I know that her foot was very swollen, but he totally passed the buck.  He referred her to another doctor in the Group who specializes in Feet, told her to take her diaretics, elevate the foot and come back in a week, to see if she needs surgery.  She got the idea that he was fat-phobic, he could have also been one of those "you're threatening my view of marriage" people, or he could have been an awkward doctor with no patient skills, who really didn't know what was going on with her.  Clearly he had no interest in treating her and that's where we were not happy.  However, he was also really young.  It's weird now that I'm becoming older and young doctors make me wary.  I'm glad we have been referred to someone else cause I didn't get a good vibe from him anyways.



I know I'm coming in cold to this and you don't know me at all, but I stepped off the last step of my basement stairs (25? 30?) years ago and broke my lower leg (both bones, actually) and, since I lived alone, had to drag myself back upstairs and through the house to get to a phone. I, too, ended up waiting a week for the swelling to go down before they could see well enough what needed to be done. (Ultimately, I needed surgery as all that moving around had twisted the bone ends such that they were entangled in ... something. I dunno.) I'm not saying that you were wrong in getting a poor vibe from him, only that it's probably not uncommon to need to wait a while for the swelling to go down enough that they can 'see', in an x-ray, well enough to know what they need to do. Also, I think they like to give your system a chance to recover from the shock of whatever happened before they take you into surgery, if that is indeed what ends up being needed. (Hopefully not!) Good luck and good vibes to both of you!


----------



## Leshaface

Oh my gosh i'm so sorry for both of you.  I'm sorry that this happened to Fran and i'm sorry that all of your trips are falling apart.  It sounds like 2010 (or was it 2011?) all over again with the rescheduling.

Not gonna lie, as bad as it sounds, young doctors make me wary as well.  I pretty much insisted on an 'older' doctor for DS when I was researching.  

I hope you'll figure out something to do with those VWL points.

And here's to a speedy recovery for Fran


----------



## Malia78

Though I've read all your trip reports, I'm a new poster (one of those new 2D people). I just found this thread and was reading through all excited for you before hitting the spot where it sort of imploded. Just want to send you best wishes for Fran's recovery and your sanity as you rearrange everything and keep life afloat. Hope things move forward quickly in a positive direction. Standing by for following along on your future "fun" plans.

--Karilynn


----------



## dvc at last !

Just arrived home and had to check this thread.  
Fran is very fortunate to have you as a partner.  You are so caring and so organized.
All will work out fine when you reorganize things for the trips, but yes it is a bummer !
The F&W is a good time for WDW.  We will be in WDW November 5-11.  My son, daughter and her husband signed up for the
half marathon that weekend.  If you are there at that time it would be great to meet the both of you.

Rose


----------



## PrincessInOz

franandaj said:


> OK, so I'm popping in again and will reply to everyone that I've missed when I get a chance, but I wanted to let you know what happened today at the Ortho doctor.  When we called this group, I wanted to make an appointment with the doctor who did her hip and knee surgeries.  Unfortunately he retired at the end of 2014. So they set us up with his "replacement". Who was no replacement.  The old Doctor had years and years of experience and really knew his stuff.  This guy and his physician assistant were not all that.
> 
> First off, they actually showed me where on the X-rays the fractures had occurred.  That was helpful at least for me to know.  The ankle fracture is in that bone on the outside of your ankle where the little "bump" is located.  The other fracture is at the top of the fibula which is just below the knee.  This happens when a leg twists.  There are two bones in the leg, the tibia and the fibula.  The tibia is the large bone, often called the shin, the fibula is the smaller bone in back which balances the tibia.  Think about the part of a chicken wing that doesn't look like a mini leg, and you'll know what I'm talking about (why are all my references to food?). The fracture is completely cadicorner to the ankle fracture which makes perfect sense if you're twisting the leg during the fall.
> 
> Here's the part where this Doctor totally fell short.  I know that her foot was very swollen, but he totally passed the buck.  He referred her to another doctor in the Group who specializes in Feet, told her to take her diaretics, elevate the foot and come back in a week, to see if she needs surgery.  She got the idea that he was fat-phobic, he could have also been one of those "you're threatening my view of marriage" people, or he could have been an awkward doctor with no patient skills, who really didn't know what was going on with her.  Clearly he had no interest in treating her and that's where we were not happy.  However, he was also really young.  It's weird now that I'm becoming older and young doctors make me wary.  I'm glad we have been referred to someone else cause I didn't get a good vibe from him anyways.
> 
> They wrapped up her foot in another "splint" similar to what the ER did, but they did a much better job of it.  So now she is in bed with her foot up and we're trying to get the swelling to go down.  I'm calling tomorrow to cancel the Dream Cruise, and we have to work out what to do with the VWL points.  The thing is if she has to have surgery (which the next doctor next week determines), then the B2B cruise on the Wonder is also in jeapordy.  This sucks.






So sorry to read this.   I know you were really looking forward to being able to travel with Fran this year.  

I'm glad that you're going with a different doctor.  That youngling doctor sounds like an inexperienced twit.


----------



## franandaj

mvf-m11c said:


> If you have never been to WDW during Christmas season, I would go. I wanted to go back to WDW during the Christmas season but going during the Halloween/F&W is great as well.



We'll just have to see what is available when we decide to reschedule.  So much is up in the air right now.  I hate that!  I like to have everything figured out!




ACDSNY said:


> Good luck with your rebooking tomorrow.



Thanks, I didn't get to it, maybe tomorrow, but I have a full day. Hopefully I can wake up early and get out of bed.  Getting out of bed hs been hard for me lately.




dolphingirl47 said:


> I am so sorry that the appointment did not go too well. I hope that the next appointment is more positive and that no surgery is required. Adding the two nights to the October cruises sounds like a plan. I hope that works out for you. The Holiday season at Walt Disney World is truly magical. If you have not experienced this before, I would suggest that you consider this for the rebooked trip.





dolphingirl47 said:


> Corinna




I am really thinking about the holiday season, although I would love to go back for F&W as well!  I hope that we can get a B2B stateroom for the October cruise as I am thinking more and more that the May cruise won't happen either.




Pinkocto said:


> Ugh, the story gets worse.  I'm so sorry   Boo on that young doctor and making you feel like he didn't know what he was doing.





Pinkocto said:


> I hope you don't have to cancel your B2B cruises.
> 
> 
> Is Jim going to still go and be with his grandchildren?




That's one of the plans.  He is procrastinating and I'm thinking of asking him for his DiL's phone number so that I can call her and work out the details!

I hope we don't have to cancel the B2B, but healing time is 6 weeks all around with or without surgery and we're already within that time frame.  I can't see her on a ship trying to stand up with me holding her by a belt and keeping weight on only one leg.




ShellB8585 said:


> Hi,





ShellB8585 said:


> Have been a bit MIA on the boards recently so only just catching up. Sorry to see about Frans fall, hope she has a speedy recovery. Remember to look after yourself too. Sending positive thoughts and  your way!!




  I guess you're in time for the PTR for the Fall /Christmas TR!  Unfortunately I don't think she is in for a speedy recovery, but we can wish for the best!




MAO said:


> I know I'm coming in cold to this and you don't know me at all, but I stepped off the last step of my basement stairs (25? 30?) years ago and broke my lower leg (both bones, actually) and, since I lived alone, had to drag myself back upstairs and through the house to get to a phone. I, too, ended up waiting a week for the swelling to go down before they could see well enough what needed to be done. (Ultimately, I needed surgery as all that moving around had twisted the bone ends such that they were entangled in ... something. I dunno.) I'm not saying that you were wrong in getting a poor vibe from him, only that it's probably not uncommon to need to wait a while for the swelling to go down enough that they can 'see', in an x-ray, well enough to know what they need to do. Also, I think they like to give your system a chance to recover from the shock of whatever happened before they take you into surgery, if that is indeed what ends up being needed. (Hopefully not!) Good luck and good vibes to both of you!



 and thanks for your insight!  Fran has grown up in our "community" and is quick to cite homophobia in people that discount her, she also is quick to chalk people up to fat-o-phobia.  I am less likely to jump to these conclusions as many people are so involved in their own worlds that they can only be chalked up as idiots or "twits" as PIO pointed out. Either way, I'm glad we are seeing another doctor and hopefully the swelling will have gone done by the time we see the new Dr.  Unfortunately when she fell her whole body was swelled up and she was already taking the diaretics, but I think that was because she ate something that caused her to swell up.  I'm not going to tattle on her here.




Leshaface said:


> Oh my gosh i'm so sorry for both of you.  I'm sorry that this happened to Fran and i'm sorry that all of your trips are falling apart.  It sounds like 2010 (or was it 2011?) all over again with the rescheduling.





Leshaface said:


> Not gonna lie, as bad as it sounds, young doctors make me wary as well.  I pretty much insisted on an 'older' doctor for DS when I was researching.
> 
> I hope you'll figure out something to do with those VWL points.
> 
> And here's to a speedy recovery for Fran




I know, I'm totally having deja vu of 2011 & 2012 right now.  2010 was when you and I could have walked past each other at Epcot and not known it.  I'm sort of hoping we can work out something with Jim's family for the points.  I'd take a portion of the money we could get on David's, if I knew that someone I cared about was using the room, and enjoying it vs the crap shoot I'd take for renting the holding points on Davids.  He just doesn't get the uber planner that I am and still hasn't contacted his family!




Malia78 said:


> Though I've read all your trip reports, I'm a new poster (one of those new 2D people). I just found this thread and was reading through all excited for you before hitting the spot where it sort of imploded. Just want to send you best wishes for Fran's recovery and your sanity as you rearrange everything and keep life afloat. Hope things move forward quickly in a positive direction. Standing by for following along on your future "fun" plans.





Malia78 said:


> --Karilynn




 and thanks! I'm glad you have enjoyed my previous TRs and that you have come out of lurkdom.  We will rebuild!  I will make plans, and then this will be a real PTR before it becomes a TR!




dvc at last ! said:


> Just arrived home and had to check this thread.
> Fran is very fortunate to have you as a partner.  You are so caring and so organized.
> All will work out fine when you reorganize things for the trips, but yes it is a bummer !
> The F&W is a good time for WDW.  We will be in WDW November 5-11.  My son, daughter and her husband signed up for the
> half marathon that weekend.  If you are there at that time it would be great to meet the both of you.





dvc at last ! said:


> Rose




That's very nice of you to say, but I'm sure we won't be going that weekend.  I was wondering why everything was booked up, and the marathon is why.  I will be looking at other times.  Someday, I would love to meet up with you!




PrincessInOz said:


>





PrincessInOz said:


> So sorry to read this.   I know you were really looking forward to being able to travel with Fran this year.
> 
> I'm glad that you're going with a different doctor.  That youngling doctor sounds like an inexperienced twit.




Well the travel will just be different.  Until one of us dies, we don't have to stop planning.  Yeah that guy was a total twit!


----------



## franandaj

Hmmm....
The quoting and stuff on that last post worked out kinda funky.  Sorry folks....I'm too tired to correct it....


----------



## DnA2010

Oh Alison I am so sorry to read this :hugs: please tell Fran from one invalid to another I feel her pain! I don't know if I mentioed this on the other thread but am currently recovering from surgery as well (Achilles tendon surgery) and have been casted and non-weight bearing since Feb 13th.. I really know the awful feeling of not knowing about the future and the doctors not really seeming to know what's wrong. I Really hope you get some answers soon, hang in there


----------



## eandesmom

Arrgh!  Somehow this came off my watched threads feed, I cannot believe I missed the horrendous news.  I may be able to help with a points trade if that would help you, but it would have to be today as it's my day 31.  Check your email and call if you want   I am around all day and available.

You will get through this and we are here for you!  So sorry I missed this till last night.  HUGS to both of you.  Huge ones.


----------



## afwdwfan

Wow... I missed your updates over the weekend, but that is some horrible news.  I'm so sorry to hear about Fran.  It's definitely a disappointment that you had to cancel your trip because of it, but it sounds like Fran just needs to focus on getting herself better.  It doesn't seem like that's going to happen very quickly either with the way your dr. appointments are going.

I hope things go smoothly from here though and that she recovers as quickly as possible.


----------



## ACDSNY

franandaj said:


> Weren't we saying this same thing about 2-3 years ago when she had the venus ulcers?  Ugh.  At least I have become a total expert at canceling trips.



If nothing else the experience from 2-3 years ago will show this too will pass eventually and life will get back to normal.  Until then my friend don't forget to take care of yourself too.


----------



## dgbg100106

ACDSNY said:


> If nothing else the experience from 2-3 years ago will show this too will pass eventually and life will get back to normal.  Until then my friend don't forget to take care of yourself too.


Amen to that Sista


----------



## franandaj

DnA2010 said:


> Oh Alison I am so sorry to read this :hugs: please tell Fran from one invalid to another I feel her pain! I don't know if I mentioed this on the other thread but am currently recovering from surgery as well (Achilles tendon surgery) and have been casted and non-weight bearing since Feb 13th.. I really know the awful feeling of not knowing about the future and the doctors not really seeming to know what's wrong. I Really hope you get some answers soon, hang in there



Yikes!  I remember you joining in on the TRs, binge reading after your surgery.  I hope that the healing process is going well.  I really hope that we get some answers soon too!



eandesmom said:


> Arrgh!  Somehow this came off my watched threads feed, I cannot believe I missed the horrendous news.  I may be able to help with a points trade if that would help you, but it would have to be today as it's my day 31.  Check your email and call if you want   I am around all day and available.
> 
> You will get through this and we are here for you!  So sorry I missed this till last night.  HUGS to both of you.  Huge ones.



Thanks for the offer on the points trade, our lives are just too iffy at this point to involve other peoples points. But I appreciate the thought.



afwdwfan said:


> Wow... I missed your updates over the weekend, but that is some horrible news.  I'm so sorry to hear about Fran.  It's definitely a disappointment that you had to cancel your trip because of it, but it sounds like Fran just needs to focus on getting herself better.  It doesn't seem like that's going to happen very quickly either with the way your dr. appointments are going.
> 
> I hope things go smoothly from here though and that she recovers as quickly as possible.



Yeah, it's disappointing, but what else are we going to do.  I'm not going to risk her health and make her more miserable.



ACDSNY said:


> If nothing else the experience from 2-3 years ago will show this too will pass eventually and life will get back to normal.  Until then my friend don't forget to take care of yourself too.



Yeah, I just hate living through the parts when it's not normal.



dgbg100106 said:


> Amen to that Sista



I need to get a massage.


----------



## franandaj

So we’re part way through the cancellation process.  I have canceled the Cruise, I have canceled the Wilderness Lodge Reservation, the points are now listed at David’s Vacation Rentals.  The only upside to this whole thing is that I have the potential to put $3500+ in my wallet if they are all rented.

What’s still left to do is cancel the following:


Grocery Delivery
Transportation from VWL to the Port
ADRs
Hoop de Doo
Behind the Seeds tour
I’m holding off on canceling the ADRs because Jim is still going on the trip.  He is going to crash in the room with his son’s family, and they might possibly want to take one or two of my ADRs.  There are five of them and one is a toddler and I made all the reservations for four thinking that Jim’s partner was coming on the trip six months ago.

Because Jim is still traveling to WDW, this means that he won’t have enough money to make a second trip this year. He has had some extensive dental work this year which has depleted his savings, so “Sharing the Disney Magic with Naked Jim” is going to have to wait until about the same time next year.  I won’t be able to book the Wilderness Lodge for a week at 11 months because I used up all my points with this trip and then renting them out to a friend.  Now I can only afford four weeknights in Dream season (May 1-June 10) at 11 months, so the remaining nights will need to be at SSR at least until the 7 month booking window opens.

Since we are going on a Mississippi River Cruise in March, I thought it would be better to put a little more time inbetween that trip and our WDW trip with Jim. Besides points are still lower in May and we can make it a birthday trip for me in addition to the Flower & Garden Festival still going on.

I’m hoping to rebook another trip in the Fall or possibly Christmas and combine it with a Dream Cruise, but this time, I’m going to put the cruise in the middle of the trip and not at the end.  That way instead of having post cruise depression, we’ll have a day or two at WDW, then the depression can set it.

The reason I’m not sure if I want to do the trip in October or December is that I added the 2 night Cruise to Nowhere on to our 5 night cruise in October.  It is seeming more and more likely that I’ll have to cancel our 5 night B2B in May also.  When I canceled the Dream Cruise yesterday, 50% of the cruise fare went back on the gift cards that we paid for it with.  I have to apply to the Travel Insurance company to get the other 50% back. With a Doctor’s note saying that she has a fracture in her leg, I’m pretty sure we’ll get the money back.

Once we see the new Ortho Doctor on Tuesday, I should know whether or not we will be canceling the May cruise.  If I cancel before March 31, I only have to apply to the Travel Insurance company for the 20% deposit and not 50%.  At least I have one B2B to look forward to!

This also means that our trip to Indianapolis will likely be off this summer too.  I haven’t purchased any airfare, just made the hotel reservation and we both signed up for the conference.  There have been changes in this year’s conference in that instead of there being one band that plays the whole concert, they are splitting the groups up into two bands and each one will get to play half the concert.  I don’t want to spend a couple thousand dollars, two days of airline travel, and almost a week out of my time just to play 5 numbers on a concert, especially if Fran is recovering from surgery.

Looks like my whole year has just changed drastically!


----------



## twinsouvenirs

Total bummer  Here's hoping you get some extra pixie dust next trip!


----------



## franandaj

twinsouvenirs said:


> Total bummer  Here's hoping you get some extra pixie dust next trip!



  Thanks!  Well now you are in as we rebook and replan the whole thing!


----------



## franandaj

So I have a question for you all.....

My next exciting event is my 50th birthday at the VGC.  Should I hijack this TR to do a TR on that or should I start another one on the DL boards?  What do you folks think?


----------



## mvf-m11c

Sorry to hear that you will be canceling your upcoming trips. Hope you will be able to do those trips in the near future. 

I would do your report on this thread since you are staying at the VGC during your trip in May.


----------



## ACDSNY

I agree just change the title and use this one.


----------



## skier_pete

Somehow I missed out on your PTR until now. I'm so sorry that Fran is having such problems. I hope everything turns out OK. Health before everything else...prayers coming your way for both of you.

I didn't have time to read through this whole thread (and I'm a little drunk) but I did look at your first post. I have to tell you that WE have those books. (The four Disney Anthologies.) They are on DDs bookshelves. We actually have TWO copies of a couple of them. The full set was mine, and I Forget but one or two DW also had!

Hope you can reschedule things after Fran gets better, and hopefully you can find a doctor that can take care of things right!


----------



## franandaj

mvf-m11c said:


> Sorry to hear that you will be canceling your upcoming trips. Hope you will be able to do those trips in the near future.
> 
> I would do your report on this thread since you are staying at the VGC during your trip in May.



Point taken! I've already stared writing how the revision will go.



ACDSNY said:


> I agree just change the title and use this one.



Thanks for the vote!



********** said:


> Somehow I missed out on your PTR until now. I'm so sorry that Fran is having such problems. I hope everything turns out OK. Health before everything else...prayers coming your way for both of you.
> 
> I didn't have time to read through this whole thread (and I'm a little drunk) but I did look at your first post. I have to tell you that WE have those books. (The four Disney Anthologies.) They are on DDs bookshelves. We actually have TWO copies of a couple of them. The full set was mine, and I Forget but one or two DW also had!
> 
> Hope you can reschedule things after Fran gets better, and hopefully you can find a doctor that can take care of things right!



Well you weren't following when we had the whole thing with the Venus ulcers. That was really bad. This actually pales in comparison on an grossness scale, but this may be worse on a treatment scale. You can do me one favor @********** please take a picture of the table of contents for the "Other Lands Books" for @Flossbolna she was curious what was in those books and I'm not sure I ever ventured into that one, I was so intrigued with the Fantasy land stories, that might be the only one that I ever had my parents read to me from.


----------



## Pinkocto

Oh Alison, what a pain. I'm sorry about having to reschedule everything  but I'm glad Naked Jim is still going and will enjoy time with his family.

Were you able to get the same room for the second October cruise?

Hopefully Davids will be able to rent out your points and you'll be able to get the money back from the travel insurance.

No problem with the birthday TR here, whatever is easier


----------



## skier_pete

franandaj said:


> You can do me one favor @********** please take a picture of the table of contents for the "Other Lands Books" for @Flossbolna she was curious what was in those books and I'm not sure I ever ventured into that one, I was so intrigued with the Fantasy land stories, that might be the only one that I ever had my parents read to me from.



We are going away for the weekend right now, but I will do this when I get back!


----------



## Flossbolna

********** said:


> We are going away for the weekend right now, but I will do this when I get back!




Have a great weekend away - and I am very much looking forward to find out what is in that book! Thanks in advance!

Thanks, Alison, for thinking of me!!!


----------



## PrincessInOz

franandaj said:


> So we’re part way through the cancellation process.  I have canceled the Cruise, I have canceled the Wilderness Lodge Reservation, the points are now listed at David’s Vacation Rentals.  The only upside to this whole thing is that I have the potential to put $3500+ in my wallet if they are all rented.
> 
> What’s still left to do is cancel the following:
> 
> 
> Grocery Delivery
> Transportation from VWL to the Port
> ADRs
> Hoop de Doo
> Behind the Seeds tour
> I’m holding off on canceling the ADRs because Jim is still going on the trip.  He is going to crash in the room with his son’s family, and they might possibly want to take one or two of my ADRs.  There are five of them and one is a toddler and I made all the reservations for four thinking that Jim’s partner was coming on the trip six months ago.
> 
> Because Jim is still traveling to WDW, this means that he won’t have enough money to make a second trip this year. He has had some extensive dental work this year which has depleted his savings, so “Sharing the Disney Magic with Naked Jim” is going to have to wait until about the same time next year.  I won’t be able to book the Wilderness Lodge for a week at 11 months because I used up all my points with this trip and then renting them out to a friend.  Now I can only afford four weeknights in Dream season (May 1-June 10) at 11 months, so the remaining nights will need to be at SSR at least until the 7 month booking window opens.
> 
> Since we are going on a Mississippi River Cruise in March, I thought it would be better to put a little more time inbetween that trip and our WDW trip with Jim. Besides points are still lower in May and we can make it a birthday trip for me in addition to the Flower & Garden Festival still going on.
> 
> I’m hoping to rebook another trip in the Fall or possibly Christmas and combine it with a Dream Cruise, but this time, I’m going to put the cruise in the middle of the trip and not at the end.  That way instead of having post cruise depression, we’ll have a day or two at WDW, then the depression can set it.
> 
> The reason I’m not sure if I want to do the trip in October or December is that I added the 2 night Cruise to Nowhere on to our 5 night cruise in October.  It is seeming more and more likely that I’ll have to cancel our 5 night B2B in May also.  When I canceled the Dream Cruise yesterday, 50% of the cruise fare went back on the gift cards that we paid for it with.  I have to apply to the Travel Insurance company to get the other 50% back. With a Doctor’s note saying that she has a fracture in her leg, I’m pretty sure we’ll get the money back.
> 
> Once we see the new Ortho Doctor on Tuesday, I should know whether or not we will be canceling the May cruise.  If I cancel before March 31, I only have to apply to the Travel Insurance company for the 20% deposit and not 50%.  At least I have one B2B to look forward to!
> 
> This also means that our trip to Indianapolis will likely be off this summer too.  I haven’t purchased any airfare, just made the hotel reservation and we both signed up for the conference.  There have been changes in this year’s conference in that instead of there being one band that plays the whole concert, they are splitting the groups up into two bands and each one will get to play half the concert.  I don’t want to spend a couple thousand dollars, two days of airline travel, and almost a week out of my time just to play 5 numbers on a concert, especially if Fran is recovering from surgery.
> 
> Looks like my whole year has just changed drastically!






I hope David's works out for you.  That would be awesome.
And I look forward to hearing about what future trips you're booking.

I'm with Bret....would love to read all about your May trip.


----------



## Paula Sedley-Burke

Hi Alison. Sorry I am late to the party. I only just saw the link to the TR. On my re Fran you poor poor lambs. I am so sorry for Fran's pain, your stress and your cancelled cruise and stay. We had to cancel our May cruise on The Magic due to my sudden admission into hospital the other week. Very upsetting isn't it :-( 

I will follow to see what unfolds! Get well soon lovely Fran. Kisses and hugs to you both. It's very stressful for you too , you should see the state of Jo! Xxx


----------



## dvc at last !

I have not been here for a few days and I am impressed at all the things you have accomplished.
Looks like you have things under control.  
Good thoughts and prayers at the doctor appointment on Tuesday.
Take care.
Rose


----------



## dolphingirl47

I am glad that you are managing to get stuff sorted out. At least you managed the two night cruise for October.

I think this would be the perfect place to add the report for your birthday party.

Corinna


----------



## dvc at last !

franandaj said:


> So I have a question for you all.....
> 
> My next exciting event is my 50th birthday at the VGC.  Should I hijack this TR to do a TR on that or should I start another one on the DL boards?  What do you folks think?




Start fresh - let us know the link !


----------



## skier_pete

franandaj said:


> You can do me one favor @********** please take a picture of the table of contents for the "Other Lands Books" for @Flossbolna she was curious what was in those books and I'm not sure I ever ventured into that one, I was so intrigued with the Fantasy land stories, that might be the only one that I ever had my parents read to me from.



Here's the full Table of Contents from "Stories from Other Lands".  Didn't realize that "Bambi" was from some other country. Apparently it's Austrian.


----------



## Dis_Yoda

Sorry you are having to scrap all your plans!


----------



## eandesmom

Anywhere you put the TR, I will be there! It fits in this forum for sure really more up to you whether you want to start anew or not


----------



## PrincessInOz

dvc at last ! said:


> Start fresh - let us know the link !



I think this might be a good option.  You could put this PTR on the backburner until you reschedule the F&W.  
And a fresh start would mean that you won't be constantly reminded about having to scrap everything.  

But anywhere you put your TR, you know I'll be there to read along.


----------



## afwdwfan

Wow... all the cancellations, and trip insurance and considerations about what to do going forward just looks very frustrating.  And depressing.  I wish you both the best.  I hope she has a speedy recovery and you can move forward with some fun activities.


----------



## EJ4Disney

Alison
I am so sorry that Fran is hurting.  I hope all gets works out.  I am sure it will.  You know my thoughts and prayers are with you both.  Damn this just sucks!!
I vote to start your trip here but whatever you do let me know so I can read along!!


----------



## jedijill

Ugh, catching back up after my trip this weekend and I was hoping for some pixie dust.  That doctor sounds like a real jerk.  Hope you find a better one and get some good news.  I'm so sorry you guys have to cancel everything.  Big hugs and pixie dust headed West!  

Can't wait to see you guys next month!

Jill in CO


----------



## franandaj

Pinkocto said:


> Oh Alison, what a pain. I'm sorry about having to reschedule everything  but I'm glad Naked Jim is still going and will enjoy time with his family.
> 
> Were you able to get the same room for the second October cruise?
> 
> Hopefully Davids will be able to rent out your points and you'll be able to get the money back from the travel insurance.
> 
> No problem with the birthday TR here, whatever is easier



Yeah, it's a pain, but you know I'm sorta used to it.  Of course we have same room! I wouldn't have done it otherwise.  I couldn't believe it was still available!  Sorry I'll miss you and Jenny at the parks, but I hope you will come stay with us after thE cruise. We might even be able to give you a ride back.

So far I have two yes votes for TR here and a whatever.



PrincessInOz said:


> I hope David's works out for you.  That would be awesome.
> And I look forward to hearing about what future trips you're booking.
> 
> I'm with Bret....would love to read all about your May trip.



I was always planning to report on the b'day trip it was just a question of where. I noticed you did answer that in a later post.



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> Hi Alison. Sorry I am late to the party. I only just saw the link to the TR. On my re Fran you poor poor lambs. I am so sorry for Fran's pain, your stress and your cancelled cruise and stay. We had to cancel our May cruise on The Magic due to my sudden admission into hospital the other week. Very upsetting isn't it :-(
> 
> I will follow to see what unfolds! Get well soon lovely Fran. Kisses and hugs to you both. It's very stressful for you too , you should see the state of Jo! Xxx



 I'm  so glad you're feeling better! You can definitely understand our dilemmas as you face many similar ones.  Sorry you had to cancel your trip as well. I hope you have another one lined up. That is they key!



dvc at last ! said:


> I have not been here for a few days and I am impressed at all the things you have accomplished.
> Looks like you have things under control.
> Good thoughts and prayers at the doctor appointment on Tuesday.
> Take care.
> Rose



Thanks, I hope we gets some news and good would be even better.


----------



## Paula Sedley-Burke

I hope things are ok today and I wanted to say how much I love your Golden Spoon ticker! Roll on recovery Fran you have 60% to go!


----------



## ShellB8585

franandaj said:


> So far I have two yes votes for TR here and a whatever.



Alison if you don't post it here you'll have to share the link 

Hope you're both doing ok and Fran is starting to heal a little. Hope todays trip to the Doctors is a little better!!


----------



## Flossbolna

Hope your doctor visit today goes better than the one last week (at least I think you said Tuesday was the next appointment)!

I am looking forward to read all about your birthday bash! Wherever you post it! But if I were you I would prefer to start new and fresh and focus on the positive things in a new PTR.


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

franandaj said:


> The only upside to this whole thing is that I have the potential to put $3500+ in my wallet if they are all rented.



I hope that at least works out for you!



franandaj said:


> He has had some extensive dental work this year which has depleted his savings, so “Sharing the Disney Magic with Naked Jim” is going to have to wait until about the same time next year.



That stinks.  Hopefully you will all get to try this again sometime.



franandaj said:


> When I canceled the Dream Cruise yesterday, 50% of the cruise fare went back on the gift cards that we paid for it with. I have to apply to the Travel Insurance company to get the other 50% back. With a Doctor’s note saying that she has a fracture in her leg, I’m pretty sure we’ll get the money back.



Thank goodness you had the travel insurance!



franandaj said:


> Looks like my whole year has just changed drastically!



Yeah, to say the least!  So many cancellations...Ugh.  I just hope Fran can heal and get back on her feet so you two can start having fun again.  Hang in there, Alison!  It'll get better.



franandaj said:


> Should I hijack this TR to do a TR on that or should I start another one on the DL boards? What do you folks think?



Well, we're all here!  Why not just slap on a fresh coat of paint?


----------



## franandaj

dolphingirl47 said:


> I am glad that you are managing to get stuff sorted out. At least you managed the two night cruise for October.
> 
> I think this would be the perfect place to add the report for your birthday party.
> 
> Corinna



Thanks, I'll need to wrap up the cancelation process tomorrow morning. 



dvc at last ! said:


> Start fresh - let us know the link !



OK so we're three for here, a whatever and one for new so far. 



********** said:


> Here's the full Table of Contents from "Stories from Other Lands".  Didn't realize that "Bambi" was from some other country. Apparently it's Austrian.



Thanks for posting that Pete, I really didn't expect that to be what was in there!



EJ4Disney said:


> Alison
> I am so sorry that Fran is hurting.  I hope all gets works out.  I am sure it will.  You know my thoughts and prayers are with you both.  Damn this just sucks!!
> I vote to start your trip here but whatever you do let me know so I can read along!!



Thank you. That makes 4 here, 1 whatever and 1 new.



jedijill said:


> Ugh, catching back up after my trip this weekend and I was hoping for some pixie dust.  That doctor sounds like a real jerk.  Hope you find a better one and get some good news.  I'm so sorry you guys have to cancel everything.  Big hugs and pixie dust headed West!
> 
> Can't wait to see you guys next month!
> 
> Jill in CO



I really hope today's Doc is better! I can't wait until May gets here, I am in need of a big dose of fun!


----------



## franandaj

Dis_Yoda said:


> Sorry you are having to scrap all your plans!



Thanks. I really hate NOT having a plan.



eandesmom said:


> Anywhere you put the TR, I will be there! It fits in this forum for sure really more up to you whether you want to start anew or not



Thanks, I guess it now it's 4 here, 2 whatever and 1 new.



PrincessInOz said:


> I think this might be a good option.  You could put this PTR on the backburner until you reschedule the F&W.
> And a fresh start would mean that you won't be constantly reminded about having to scrap everything.
> 
> But anywhere you put your TR, you know I'll be there to read along.



OK, that makes it 4 here, 2 whatever, 2 new.



afwdwfan said:


> Wow... all the cancellations, and trip insurance and considerations about what to do going forward just looks very frustrating.  And depressing.  I wish you both the best.  I hope she has a speedy recovery and you can move forward with some fun activities.



Thanks. It is all those things. But I guess it could be worse. At least we can manage her care from home, it's just a PITA. Hopefully better times are coming soon.


----------



## scottny

We miss you by 2 weeks there. 


the plans look good for the first day.


Sorry to hear she fell.


That is too bad you had to cancel. DVC is tricky on how to cancel.


The chicken Parm sounds good. Sorry it is happened. I would think you could rent them out.


Glad you got a new doctor and I am sure it was for the best.


Hoping the other cruises can happen but her healing is most important.


Don’t forget to cancel Owners Locker, didn’t see it on the list.


Do the report here.


----------



## dgbg100106

Oh Alison, I am so sorry you are going through all of this.  And I am truly sorry for the pain and suffering that Fran is going through.   Hugs to both of you.

It looks like you are well on your way to rearranging everything and getting your $$ sorted out.  i really hope David's works out for you.

As for where to put the TR, I think a fresh start might be the right thing.  Let this one but the trials and tribulations, and a fresh PTR/TR for the Birthday plans.  That way there will not be as much negative material on a happy occasion.  Just my 2 cents worth.


----------



## Malia78

I'll read the TR where ever it ends up but a new start might feel better.


----------



## Leshaface

The appointment is today right?  Hopefully it goes well.

Ugh, so many changes i'm so sorry. I'm hoping someone will rent all those points you put on David's site and you get all that money for it.  That would be a huge plus!

Don't care where you put your 50th bday link, i'll be there! Or here maybe


----------



## franandaj

Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> I hope things are ok today and I wanted to say how much I love your Golden Spoon ticker! Roll on recovery Fran you have 60% to go!



I'd be happy just to get to 50%!



ShellB8585 said:


> Alison if you don't post it here you'll have to share the link
> 
> Hope you're both doing ok and Fran is starting to heal a little. Hope todays trip to the Doctors is a little better!!



Yes, it was hopefully I will get a chance to post about it.



Flossbolna said:


> Hope your doctor visit today goes better than the one last week (at least I think you said Tuesday was the next appointment)!
> 
> I am looking forward to read all about your birthday bash! Wherever you post it! But if I were you I would prefer to start new and fresh and focus on the positive things in a new PTR.



Yes, today was the appointment.  I hope I have time to post about it.  This makes 4 here, 3 whatever and 3 new.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> I hope that at least works out for you!



Yeah if we can't have the fun and experience, at least I want some financial reimbursement!  



Captain_Oblivious said:


> That stinks. Hopefully you will all get to try this again sometime.



Well I'm thinking a trip to WDW makes a great birthday present and the F&G Festival will still be going on.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Thank goodness you had the travel insurance!



Yeah!  Glad we got that!  For sooooo many of these cruises!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Yeah, to say the least! So many cancellations...Ugh. I just hope Fran can heal and get back on her feet so you two can start having fun again. Hang in there, Alison! It'll get better.



We did this same thing in 2011 and 2012, and 2013 and 2014 were good, I just hope this isn't an every two year thing.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Well, we're all here! Why not just slap on a fresh coat of paint?



This is by far my most favorite suggestion!  And not the reason I am going to do it this way, but I will explain why it makes sense in a future post!  *+1*


----------



## franandaj

scottny said:


> We miss you by 2 weeks there.
> the plans look good for the first day.
> Sorry to hear she fell.
> That is too bad you had to cancel. DVC is tricky on how to cancel.
> The chicken Parm sounds good. Sorry it is happened. I would think you could rent them out.
> Glad you got a new doctor and I am sure it was for the best.
> Hoping the other cruises can happen but her healing is most important.
> Don’t forget to cancel Owners Locker, didn’t see it on the list.
> Do the report here.



Too tired to respond to all of this, but thanks for the reminder about Owners Locker.  I forgot that one.  Tomorrow I will try to finish up all the canceling and contact the Travel insurance.



dgbg100106 said:


> Oh Alison, I am so sorry you are going through all of this.  And I am truly sorry for the pain and suffering that Fran is going through.   Hugs to both of you.
> 
> It looks like you are well on your way to rearranging everything and getting your $$ sorted out.  i really hope David's works out for you.
> 
> As for where to put the TR, I think a fresh start might be the right thing.  Let this one but the trials and tribulations, and a fresh PTR/TR for the Birthday plans.  That way there will not be as much negative material on a happy occasion.  Just my 2 cents worth.



Yeah it sucks.  But I have been through it before and need to know it could probably happen again.  I hope that David's works too.  And if anyone you know wants a last minute trip!



Leshaface said:


> The appointment is today right?  Hopefully it goes well.
> 
> Ugh, so many changes i'm so sorry. I'm hoping someone will rent all those points you put on David's site and you get all that money for it.  That would be a huge plus!
> 
> Don't care where you put your 50th bday link, i'll be there! Or here maybe



Yes the appointment was today and I hope to update you all.  I really hope you two can be there!  I saw on your TR that his MRI was today.  That sucks you have to wait until Thursday for the results!  I hope it's something easy and not the scary things that they were telling you at the Doctor's.


----------



## franandaj

Malia78 said:


> I'll read the TR where ever it ends up but a new start might feel better.



Somehow I missed this message in the last multi quote.    I'm glad to have you following along!


----------



## franandaj

OK, so we had the appointment today.  Let me say that this Doctor was so much better.  He was somewhat young too, but he didn't have that cocky attitude of the other Doctor and was up front, very knowledgeable and was willing to talk to us and answer questions.

Basically, he wanted an Xray to see if anything had changed since the day we were at the ER.  Fran did good, she didn't mess up her ankle any more since the last Xray and he said that this injury was a tricky one that didn't always require surgery.  I think he took into account her RA and lack of mobility and realized that surgery would not be in her best interest even if she might heal a tad bit better.  So he prescribed another 4 weeks of non weight bearing, giving her 2 weeks off for good behavior and said to come back in the third week of April.

He gave her a boot, and she feels a lot more supported although it is pinching at her ankle.  She will probably have to wear this for a while.  @dgbg100106 what do you do about clothing with this boot?  When we go to dinner for my birthday, she really shouldn't wear shorts, and I know she will feel self conscious.  Do we sacrifice a pair of dress pants and cut off the bottoms so they will go over the boot?  I'm NOT buying her bell bottoms to wear that night!

So we have another 4 weeks of me helping her up out of bed.  We will be canceling the B2B cruise in May and hopefully with notes from 3 doctors we can get our money back from the Travel Insurance.  We see her RA Doctor on Friday, so we will find out about the ramifications of her resuming her arthritis meds, and if she even can. 

This is actually better news than I expected!  Though she is off her feet for a while, it means that by my party she will be almost mobile. She may actually be able to enjoy the party. I hope.


----------



## ACDSNY

Yay for no surgery!


----------



## mvf-m11c

That is great news to hear that Fran doesn't need surgery. Good that this doctor was way better over the other one.


----------



## ShellB8585

Ah good news! I am glad this visit was a bit better and that Fran doesn't need surgery and is starting to heal.


----------



## dolphingirl47

I am glad that this doctor's visit went better, but a shame that you ended up having to cancel the May back to back cruise as well.

Corinna


----------



## Paula Sedley-Burke

Thanks for the update. Pleased to learn you saw a better doctor this time. That is good news no surgery right now. She needs that like a whole in the head! I have a pair of pants that have a velcro portion to under the knee and below. You can undo them and they kind of flap to go over a boot type device ( ski boots ). I got them for when my legs swell or need extra support in a boot. Something like this might work. They are actually hiking/skiing type trousers but they are quite smart you wouldn't know. Might be worth looking in sports shops. I got black and just wore a smart shirt. Nobody really noticed. I went to a michelin star restaurant in them in London!


----------



## Pinkocto

franandaj said:


> Yeah, it's a pain, but you know I'm sorta used to it.  Of course we have same room! I wouldn't have done it otherwise.  I couldn't believe it was still available!  Sorry I'll miss you and Jenny at the parks, but I hope you will come stay with us after thE cruise. We might even be able to give you a ride back.



Any chance we could do the 14th?  I know you now have your 2 night before the 5 night but I'm thinking maybe I should fly home from San Diego after the cruise?  It looks like it's a two hour drive back up to DL from San Diego.  I'm still trying to figure out logistics for everything.  

I'm sorry you have to cancel the B2B in May   but it sounds good that the doctor took into consideration if surgery would be best or not.  Hopefully the next 4 weeks aren't too bad.  Thanks for the update


----------



## jedijill

Sounds like you got better news!  I'm still sorry you had to cancel the B2Bs but glad Fran can avoid surgery.

Jill in CO


----------



## dgbg100106

franandaj said:


> OK, so we had the appointment today.  Let me say that this Doctor was so much better.  He was somewhat young too, but he didn't have that cocky attitude of the other Doctor and was up front, very knowledgeable and was willing to talk to us and answer questions.
> 
> Basically, he wanted an Xray to see if anything had changed since the day we were at the ER.  Fran did good, she didn't mess up her ankle any more since the last Xray and he said that this injury was a tricky one that didn't always require surgery.  I think he took into account her RA and lack of mobility and realized that surgery would not be in her best interest even if she might heal a tad bit better.  So he prescribed another 4 weeks of non weight bearing, giving her 2 weeks off for good behavior and said to come back in the third week of April.
> 
> He gave her a boot, and she feels a lot more supported although it is pinching at her ankle.  She will probably have to wear this for a while.  @dgbg100106 what do you do about clothing with this boot?  When we go to dinner for my birthday, she really shouldn't wear shorts, and I know she will feel self conscious.  Do we sacrifice a pair of dress pants and cut off the bottoms so they will go over the boot?  I'm NOT buying her bell bottoms to wear that night!
> 
> So we have another 4 weeks of me helping her up out of bed.  We will be canceling the B2B cruise in May and hopefully with notes from 3 doctors we can get our money back from the Travel Insurance.  We see her RA Doctor on Friday, so we will find out about the ramifications of her resuming her arthritis meds, and if she even can.
> 
> This is actually better news than I expected!  Though she is off her feet for a while, it means that by my party she will be almost mobile. She may actually be able to enjoy the party. I hope.




Does the boot go on and off with Velcro?  I tucked my pants into the boot,  The fabric helps with the rubbing of the boot too.  If I was wearing a dress or shorts, I would wear these big tube socks that I could pull over the top of the boot, this would help with the rubbing also.

My leg was so swollen, that my leg rubbed against the boot, so please make sure Fran does to rub too much, it created a sore on mine and the Dr. kind of got on to me about it.  I just don't want me to get a sore too.

Does the boot have these air pockets that they gave you a bladder thing to blow them up?  It keeps the foot/ankle in cushion so it will not move.


----------



## afwdwfan

I'm glad to hear that Fran is taking care of herself and being a good patient.  That's great that the Dr. seems to feel good about it being able to heal without needing surgery!

As for the boot, good luck.  I think the points above were pretty accurate.  I had to wear one a few years ago when I tore my Achilles. It probably wasn't as bulky as I'd assume Fran's is... the bulk on mine was down around the foot and heel area and as it went up my lower leg, it wasn't much more than a metal frame with Velcro straps to hold it all in place.  I could always put pants on, then put the boot on and roll pants down over it.  I don't know how tight the bottom of her pants are or whether that might even be an option or not.  Even if you can't roll them all the way down, that might be better than butchering a pair of pants.  I don't think anyone would be too offended by a rolled up pant leg given the circumstances.


----------



## Leshaface

franandaj said:


> I'm NOT buying her bell bottoms to wear that night!



Uh, what's wrong with bell bottoms?!  They're coming back in, she'd be super stylish!



franandaj said:


> This is actually better news than I expected! Though she is off her feet for a while, it means that by my party she will be almost mobile. She may actually be able to enjoy the party. I hope.



I'm so glad to hear that there wasn't anymore damage done between now and her last xray and that surgery doesn't need to happen.  Also glad that you were overall happy with this appointment!  Now for her to get better in time for your big celebration!


----------



## franandaj

ACDSNY said:


> Yay for no surgery!







mvf-m11c said:


> That is great news to hear that Fran doesn't need surgery. Good that this doctor was way better over the other one.



Yes, I was very pleased with this doctor.



ShellB8585 said:


> Ah good news! I am glad this visit was a bit better and that Fran doesn't need surgery and is starting to heal.



It is good news, now we just have to wait.



dolphingirl47 said:


> I am glad that this doctor's visit went better, but a shame that you ended up having to cancel the May back to back cruise as well.
> 
> Corinna



I somewhat expected this, which is why I booked the October Cruise as a B2B.  I'm just pleased that by my birthday party she will be released for weight bearing "as tolerated".  I know she won't be able to tolerate much, but at least, she will have been at it for 10 day prior to the birthday weekend.



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> Thanks for the update. Pleased to learn you saw a better doctor this time. That is good news no surgery right now. She needs that like a whole in the head! I have a pair of pants that have a velcro portion to under the knee and below. You can undo them and they kind of flap to go over a boot type device ( ski boots ). I got them for when my legs swell or need extra support in a boot. Something like this might work. They are actually hiking/skiing type trousers but they are quite smart you wouldn't know. Might be worth looking in sports shops. I got black and just wore a smart shirt. Nobody really noticed. I went to a michelin star restaurant in them in London!



Thanks for the tip on the pants!  I'm not going to worry about that one until we have some more time passing.  It's over a month away, and who knows, she might lose some weight in that time.  She can only eat what I'm feeding her, and I'm eating fairly healthy, so it stands to reason she might get a little smaller.  Also with keeping her leg up the swelling should continue to go down.



Pinkocto said:


> Any chance we could do the 14th? I know you now have your 2 night before the 5 night but I'm thinking maybe I should fly home from San Diego after the cruise? It looks like it's a two hour drive back up to DL from San Diego. I'm still trying to figure out logistics for everything.



Do what for the 14th, you mean you staying with us? Were you ever able to book the VGC?  I still have a room for you guys with my points, and if you don't need it, I'll go ahead and cancel it.



Pinkocto said:


> I'm sorry you have to cancel the B2B in May  but it sounds good that the doctor took into consideration if surgery would be best or not. Hopefully the next 4 weeks aren't too bad. Thanks for the update



I'm hoping the next four weeks go by uneventfully.  Now that our band concert is over, we don't have to worry about going to band (or me going to band) and she can just concentrate on healing.



jedijill said:


> Sounds like you got better news!  I'm still sorry you had to cancel the B2Bs but glad Fran can avoid surgery.
> 
> Jill in CO



  Avoiding surgery is the best part of it!  I'm on hold with DCL right now.  The 2016 Itineraries are out!!!!!!!


----------



## franandaj

dgbg100106 said:


> Does the boot go on and off with Velcro?  I tucked my pants into the boot,  The fabric helps with the rubbing of the boot too.  If I was wearing a dress or shorts, I would wear these big tube socks that I could pull over the top of the boot, this would help with the rubbing also.
> 
> My leg was so swollen, that my leg rubbed against the boot, so please make sure Fran does to rub too much, it created a sore on mine and the Dr. kind of got on to me about it.  I just don't want me to get a sore too.
> 
> Does the boot have these air pockets that they gave you a bladder thing to blow them up?  It keeps the foot/ankle in cushion so it will not move.



Yes, to everything you said here.  I don't think her pants would fit inside the boot, it's pretty tight on her leg. Hers looks just like what I remember the pictures you posted, except I think yours was black, hers is gray.



afwdwfan said:


> I'm glad to hear that Fran is taking care of herself and being a good patient. That's great that the Dr. seems to feel good about it being able to heal without needing surgery!



The main concern he had was that the ankle joint didn't shift.  It was still in place just as it was the day after the fall.  I don't think he realizes how well she does "stay off the foot".



afwdwfan said:


> As for the boot, good luck. I think the points above were pretty accurate. I had to wear one a few years ago when I tore my Achilles. It probably wasn't as bulky as I'd assume Fran's is... the bulk on mine was down around the foot and heel area and as it went up my lower leg, it wasn't much more than a metal frame with Velcro straps to hold it all in place. I could always put pants on, then put the boot on and roll pants down over it. I don't know how tight the bottom of her pants are or whether that might even be an option or not. Even if you can't roll them all the way down, that might be better than butchering a pair of pants. I don't think anyone would be too offended by a rolled up pant leg given the circumstances.



Thanks for the tips.  It sounds like everyone had the same kind of boot that she does.  I don't think that she could roll her pants up, just because her thighs are very tight on her pants.  I don't think it's a matter of anyone being offended, she is very self conscious.  She believes that wherever she goes people are looking at her, laughing and pointing.  It's a difficult phobia to work with.



Leshaface said:


> Uh, what's wrong with bell bottoms?! They're coming back in, she'd be super stylish!



She and I lived through them the first time around.    I remember wearing the "super flares"    The 70s were a really "funny" time.



Leshaface said:


> I'm so glad to hear that there wasn't anymore damage done between now and her last xray and that surgery doesn't need to happen. Also glad that you were overall happy with this appointment! Now for her to get better in time for your big celebration!



Yes, that was a big relief!  Now all we need is some good news about your DH!  Cynthia's comments were encouraging.


----------



## dvc at last !

Yeah   !
So happy to hear that the doctor appointment went well and that you like the doctor.
Staying off the leg/ankle is a must.
I am sure it is not easy for either one of you with all the help that is needed, but it must be done.
The planning and rearranging is a pita.
Continue to take care of yourself, too.


----------



## Pinkocto

franandaj said:


> Do what for the 14th, you mean you staying with us? Were you ever able to book the VGC?  I still have a room for you guys with my points, and if you don't need it, I'll go ahead and cancel it.



Yes, stay with you guys the 14th.  Jenny and family aren't arriving until the 15th and are going to stay off site.  I've waitlisted a studio, so you can cancel the 1BR.  I definitely don't need a 1BR for just me.  I'm sorry, I thought she told you.  




franandaj said:


> I'm on hold with DCL right now.  The 2016 Itineraries are out!!!!!!!



OOOOHHHHH, what did you see that caught your eye????


----------



## dgbg100106

franandaj said:


> Yes, to everything you said here.  I don't think her pants would fit inside the boot, it's pretty tight on her leg. Hers looks just like what I remember the pictures you posted, except I think yours was black, hers is gray.


 Mine was Gray also   So would yoga pants, black pants and long shirt be good?  They should be almost like tights?



franandaj said:


> The main concern he had was that the ankle joint didn't shift.  It was still in place just as it was the day after the fall.  I don't think he realizes how well she does "stay off the foot".


  I am glad that she stayed off it and no more damage was done.




franandaj said:


> Thanks for the tips.  It sounds like everyone had the same kind of boot that she does.  I don't think that she could roll her pants up, just because her thighs are very tight on her pants.  I don't think it's a matter of anyone being offended, she is very self conscious.  She believes that wherever she goes people are looking at her, laughing and pointing.  It's a difficult phobia to work with.


people are cruel, but there are so many people that love and respect Fran and support her.  I know it is hard to do somethings but she might feel better if she feel good when she goes out, and not care about others.  I think the tights and blouse/shirt might be very comfy and look very nice.


----------



## DnA2010

Yay for no surgery! On the pants front, for getting over my cast (hopefully moving to a boot tomorrow, have my next follow up) I've been living in yoga pants with a flair at the bottom- a dressy top and no one will know the difference. Did you book a cruise? We've never done DCL (just RC) as we just got into cruising...


----------



## PrincessInOz

Catching up!


YAY for no surgery and that the new DR has a much better attitude.
Hope Fran gets better with the no-weightbearing rest.

Is she gotten used to the boot now?


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

Hooray for a new doctor and no surgery!  Glad to hear a little good news.


----------



## franandaj

dvc at last ! said:


> Yeah   !
> So happy to hear that the doctor appointment went well and that you like the doctor.
> Staying off the leg/ankle is a must.
> I am sure it is not easy for either one of you with all the help that is needed, but it must be done.
> The planning and rearranging is a pita.
> Continue to take care of yourself, too.



Thanks, I'm hanging in there by a thread.  I need to book myself a massage!



Pinkocto said:


> Yes, stay with you guys the 14th. Jenny and family aren't arriving until the 15th and are going to stay off site. I've waitlisted a studio, so you can cancel the 1BR. I definitely don't need a 1BR for just me. I'm sorry, I thought she told you.



We can probably swing the 14th, you are only waitlisted?  What if you don't get it?



Pinkocto said:


> OOOOHHHHH, what did you see that caught your eye????



I wasn't able to see yesterday, only Gold and Platinum could book, but I found a thread on the Cruise boards which listed all the itineraries and nothing really caught my eye.  I can't wait to book a PC Cruise, but not the same year we do a Mississippi River Boat Cruise.  I will be rebooking on either the Dream or Fantasy at some point.



dgbg100106 said:


> Mine was Gray also  So would yoga pants, black pants and long shirt be good? They should be almost like tights?



     

OMG!  This had me laughing so hard!  Ask your DH to wear yoga pants, I'm sure he would love them!   I guess you don't know many butch lesbians.  She graduated High School in the early 70s when girls were forced to wear dresses as part of their uniforms.  When she finished school, she swore that she would NEVER put on another dress as long as she lived.  Jeans, a T-shirt, with a flannel overshirt.  That was the "uniform" back then and she has stuck to it.



dgbg100106 said:


> I am glad that she stayed off it and no more damage was done.



She is really good at staying off her leg!



dgbg100106 said:


> people are cruel, but there are so many people that love and respect Fran and support her. I know it is hard to do somethings but she might feel better if she feel good when she goes out, and not care about others. I think the tights and blouse/shirt might be very comfy and look very nice.



Well, everyone who will be there that night, likes and respects her, so that will help.  We're going to stick with the Dress Pants option.  She doesn't even own one piece of women's clothing.



DnA2010 said:


> Yay for no surgery! On the pants front, for getting over my cast (hopefully moving to a boot tomorrow, have my next follow up) I've been living in yoga pants with a flair at the bottom- a dressy top and no one will know the difference. Did you book a cruise? We've never done DCL (just RC) as we just got into cruising...



What's with the Yoga pants thing?    I had barely even heard of them before a month or two ago.  I didn't book anything, until we are a little more settled.  I can't book anything, we might just end up canceling again.



PrincessInOz said:


> Catching up!
> 
> 
> YAY for no surgery and that the new DR has a much better attitude.
> Hope Fran gets better with the no-weightbearing rest.



Well, she is taking it to heart.  Pretty much she just stays in bed.  Those visits to the Doctor just wear her out.



PrincessInOz said:


> Is she gotten used to the boot now?



Well the first thing she did this morning was have me take it off!  



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Hooray for a new doctor and no surgery! Glad to hear a little good news.



It was about time, now we just need for YOU to get some good news too!


----------



## franandaj

OK, so here we are with another life update.  I have canceled all our cruises and filed claims with the Insurance company for the Dream cruise in April and the two B2B Cruises in May. I cancelled our Owners Locker (thanks for the reminder Scott!), our grocery delivery, My Disney Experience has made it easy to cancel the ADRs, but I'm not quite sure on the FP+.  I can only figure out how to modify them, not cancel.   I still need to call up and cancel the Behind the Seeds tour. 

On the home front we are surviving.  I am back to planning meals, I'm not up to two weeks in advance, but I do have things planned through Monday and all the provisions on hand needed as well.  Those of you who know me pretty well, know that I like to have everything in order and planned out so I'm not wondering What's for Dinner!  I finally got to the cat food store, and now my cat food room is stocked, so we won't be wondering what they are having for dinner.





It looks like our property on 1st street will be rented, I have an appointment to sign the rental papers this Saturday.  I know not to count on anything until I have the check in my hand, so let's hope all goes as planned. Then we can concentrate on moving out of our old house and getting that fixed up to rent. So let's get on with this trip report and turn it into something happier!


----------



## dolphingirl47

That is a lot of cat food. How many kitties are currently in residence? I am keeping my fingers crossed that the rental goes through.

Corinna


----------



## franandaj

So now, I’ve turned this TR into a PTR/TR about my 50th Birthday!  

Let’s get to the nitty gritty on how this whole thing started!  I can’t remember how long I have been cooking up this idea, but I’m pretty sure that it started somewhere around 2011 when Disney canceled the Food & Wine Festival out West.  I have a lot of DVC points at the VGC and they were purchased with the thought of staying overnight during F&W.  Without that event happening in California, I wasn’t exactly sure how I would end up using my points at the VGC.  Thus far I really haven’t had a problem using them up, but I figured out a plan that would suck up a whole bunch of points this year, and allow me to celebrate my big birthday in grand style.

I decided that it would be a fantastic idea to rent the Grand Villa overlooking Paradise Pier and invite a whole bunch of people over for a party.  We could grill meats on the grills that are downstairs, play pool, drink some drinks and just have a rootin’ tootin’ good time!  I knew that my folks should be there, I should probably invite my sister and her family and once I had figured that out there was no room in the Grand Villa for any of my friends!  So I figured out that the family actually needed their own rooms.  

I got two studios, one for my parents and one my sister’s family.  In hindsight, I should have checked out a two bedroom villa because my Dad is still complaining about having to sleep in a Queen size bed, but at this point a little over a month out there is nothing that I can do.  But then a two bedroom costs quite a bit more than two studios, so there you have it.  

I’ve stayed in that Grand Villa once before and it was a blast!  We had reserved it for the night before our band performed at DCA and Fran and I invited some of the band members to come stay.  One of our band members is a Club 33 member and was able to book us into a dinner at the Club that night and many of the folks going to that dinner stayed in the room.  Here are some of the photos from that night.  

The living room is rather spacious








There is a full dining room and kitchen.













The master bedroom is similar to most other 1 or 2 bedroom master’s.





























Except that none of the other master bathrooms have a FREAKIN’ TV in the mirror!





The living room has a sleeper sofa, and there is a second floor to the villa (with an entrance upstairs too!





There is a bathroom off the living room and it is equipped with a shower.





Stairs take you to the second floor.  Let’s look back down.









There is a pool table on the landing at the top of the stairs.









Looking over the railing back to the living room.





There are two bedrooms on the upper floor, and each is equipped with two beds.





And their own bathroom attached.













The view from this suite is stunning.  I think we will enjoy watching World of Color from the room!









So that’s the first night. A big grilling party in the room.  The next day (Saturday) some people will go to the parks, I will relax in my spa tub.  Have lunch at one of the restaurants, either in DTD or DCA. Go to the Mandara Spa, and come back to the room to relax.  Happy hour will begin in the room around 4PM.  Around 5:30, we will all head over to Steakhouse 55 where we have the private dining room reserved, for a special meal cooked by Marcel St. Pierre (at least I hope he is there that night!).  If we’re not in a food coma after dinner, we can head back to the room and enjoy the view some more!

So that’s the plan for now.  I will be back with the players, and more specifics on the whole plan!


----------



## dolphingirl47

That looks and sounds amazing. If I had known that our May vacation would go the way of the dodo, I so would have been there. Still, we will get to meet again in September.

Corinna


----------



## Pinkocto

Oh my goodness, the grand villas is absolutely gorgeous!!!!


If the waitlist doesn't come through for October I'll stay with Jenny offsite. But they don't arrive until the 15th so I thought the 14th would be a great option to come see you, Fran, and the kitties. But I understand if you'll be getting ready to head down for your first cruise.

Sounds like life is getting a little back to normal.  For canceling the FPs you need to go in the 'modifying existing' button and from there it will allow you to cancel the whole day at once.


----------



## franandaj

dolphingirl47 said:


> That is a lot of cat food. How many kitties are currently in residence? I am keeping my fingers crossed that the rental goes through.
> 
> Corinna



I don't want to say, I really doubt that Long Beach Animal Control officers would be reading my TR, but you never know. We love our kitties and they are all so happy here.  I really hope it works out, there is a small glitch and I'm hoping that it doesn't prevent the rental from happening because there are other folks who would like to rent it and they are not as good a fit as the ones that I currently have.



dolphingirl47 said:


> That looks and sounds amazing. If I had known that our May vacation would go the way of the dodo, I so would have been there. Still, we will get to meet again in September.
> 
> Corinna



We will have a great time in September!  I can't wait to see you again, this time without me having to take off mid meet up, I hope!



Pinkocto said:


> Oh my goodness, the grand villas is absolutely gorgeous!!!!
> 
> 
> If the waitlist doesn't come through for October I'll stay with Jenny offsite. But they don't arrive until the 15th so I thought the 14th would be a great option to come see you, Fran, and the kitties. But I understand if you'll be getting ready to head down for your first cruise.
> 
> Sounds like life is getting a little back to normal.  For canceling the FPs you need to go in the 'modifying existing' button and from there it will allow you to cancel the whole day at once.



No the 14th would be fine.  The 15th will be our crazy night, so we would love to have you.  I'll make us something for dinner that we all will like and can eat and that will make me happy.  We can just sit around and chat, you can meet the kittles and we'll have a wonderful time enjoying each other.  Somehow, I thought you were going to spend a bit more time in So Cal and check out the sights, but I guess with moving to Alaska, you have somewhat changed that idea and abridged the California part of the trip.


----------



## ACDSNY

Your birthday bash sounds wonderful,  I'm sure you'll have a magical time.

I tried to set our May trip to be earlier,  but the couple going with us couldn't go that weekend.


----------



## afwdwfan

franandaj said:


> I got two studios, one for my parents and one my sister’s family. In hindsight, I should have checked out a two bedroom villa because my Dad is still complaining about having to sleep in a Queen size bed, but at this point a little over a month out there is nothing that I can do. But then a two bedroom costs quite a bit more than two studios, so there you have it.


Beggars can't be choosers!  Your plan makes sense.  And regardless of that, it is still a very generous gesture on your part.



franandaj said:


> ’ve stayed in that Grand Villa once before and it was a blast! We had reserved it for the night before our band performed at DCA and Fran and I invited some of the band members to come stay. One of our band members is a Club 33 member and was able to book us into a dinner at the Club that night


It is certainly a beautiful villa.  And trading a room in your villa for a meal at Club 33 seems like an excellent trade off!  



franandaj said:


> Except that none of the other master bathrooms have a FREAKIN’ TV in the mirror!


That's how you know you're moving up in the world.



franandaj said:


> The view from this suite is stunning. I think we will enjoy watching World of Color from the room!


Yeah, definitely a great view.  Do they pipe in music or is it just loud enough that you won't even need anything like that?



franandaj said:


> Go to the Mandara Spa, and come back to the room to relax. Happy hour will begin in the room around 4PM. Around 5:30, we will all head over to Steakhouse 55 where we have the private dining room reserved, for a special meal cooked by Marcel St. Pierre


That's how you do a birthday right there!


----------



## DisneyFirefly

Jeez  I'm sorry she fell and got hurt! I hope she heals up fast. Would palazzo pants work to go over her boot for your party? They're not bell bottoms, but they are wide legged.


----------



## mvf-m11c

It has been a shame that DLR is not doing the F&W Festival at DCA in the past ever since the DCA expansion project. The suite looks so amazing and huge. I know that you will have a great birthday event in May.


----------



## Dis_Yoda

Your birthday plans sound awesome!


----------



## Pinkocto

franandaj said:


> No the 14th would be fine.  The 15th will be our crazy night, so we would love to have you.  I'll make us something for dinner that we all will like and can eat and that will make me happy.  We can just sit around and chat, you can meet the kittles and we'll have a wonderful time enjoying each other.  Somehow, I thought you were going to spend a bit more time in So Cal and check out the sights, but I guess with moving to Alaska, you have somewhat changed that idea and abridged the California part of the trip.



I have the 14th - 25th off work. Since the flight home is pretty much going to take all day i was thinking I'd leave from San Diego after the cruise. But then I suddenly realized I wanted to try and see Alicia and family at some point too. Maybe I should come back up after the cruise. I could leave Sunday and get back late but fine for work Monday. Ugh, sorry to be all over the place. What are your thoughts?


----------



## EJ4Disney

Alison I am so glad there will be surgery for Fran.  This sounds like a better plan.

Your birthday bash looks amazing.  That view is just beautiful.  I would sit at that window and just stare. 

Good luck with the renters tomorrow.


----------



## dolphingirl47

franandaj said:


> I really hope it works out, there is a small glitch and I'm hoping that it doesn't prevent the rental from happening because there are other folks who would like to rent it and they are not as good a fit as the ones that I currently have.



I keep my fingers crossed for you. 



franandaj said:


> We will have a great time in September! I can't wait to see you again, this time without me having to take off mid meet up, I hope!



I can't wait to see you again either. I am sure all will work out. As this is a bonus trip, I will just take things as they come and as this is a solo trip, I will be totally flexible.

Corinna


----------



## DVCjj

I thoroughly enjoy your trip reports and was very sad to hear about her fall.  Last year I badly broke an ankle and had to cancel a Disney trip.
Even though I've been to Disney many times over 40 years, I was bawling my eyes out cancelling the resort, all plans and cried even to American Airlines (even with the Ortho Surgeon's info, American didn't care & I lost a lot of money).

I couldn't put weight on the ankle for 8 weeks and I have to say that it was one of the hardest experiences of my entire life.
The pain, the reliance on others, the depression (yes, depression), the cancellation of Disney, the cabin fever (it was Chicago winter).....everything. 
I know you need advice like a hole in your head, but please remind her to be very careful of her GOOD side.  The knee roller device was only marginally good for me because of radiated ankle pain and crutches made me fall so I did a lot of hopping and twisting on the GOOD side and now I'm paying the price with problems in THAT knee, hip and ankle.  Please just tell her to be very careful.

My heart goes out to you both and hope recovery is smooth.


----------



## franandaj

ACDSNY said:


> Your birthday bash sounds wonderful, I'm sure you'll have a magical time.
> 
> I tried to set our May trip to be earlier, but the couple going with us couldn't go that weekend.



I'm sorry you can't make it for the bash, but at least we can hopefully meet up.  I'd love for you to come out and see our house on one of your days off from the parks!



afwdwfan said:


> Beggars can't be choosers! Your plan makes sense. And regardless of that, it is still a very generous gesture on your part.



I know, I'm pretty amazed at my whole family, I'm putting them up at a resort that commands $400 per night rates and they are complaining?  



afwdwfan said:


> It is certainly a beautiful villa. And trading a room in your villa for a meal at Club 33 seems like an excellent trade off!



It did work out for a great night!



afwdwfan said:


> That's how you know you're moving up in the world.



Totally, I've seen those TV screens in the mirror on home renovation shows, but not in person!



afwdwfan said:


> Yeah, definitely a great view. Do they pipe in music or is it just loud enough that you won't even need anything like that?



Yes, I think it's channel 22 they pipe in the music so you can hear it on the TV as well as from the show.



afwdwfan said:


> That's how you do a birthday right there!



I think so!  



DisneyFirefly said:


> Jeez  I'm sorry she fell and got hurt! I hope she heals up fast. Would palazzo pants work to go over her boot for your party? They're not bell bottoms, but they are wide legged.



I don't know, do guys wear Palazzo pants? I have no idea what they are.  She doesn't wear women's clothes.  We shop in the men's department of Walmart pretty much, if she is feeling stylish we go to the Big and Tall store. She doesn't own anything from the women's department except for bras, other than that, she wears men's clothing.  I think you all are barking up the wrong tree. I think Andy, Mark, Pete and Bret would be better with the suggestions!



mvf-m11c said:


> It has been a shame that DLR is not doing the F&W Festival at DCA in the past ever since the DCA expansion project. The suite looks so amazing and huge. I know that you will have a great birthday event in May.



Thanks Bret, we have some great plans, sorry you weren't able to make the timing!



Dis_Yoda said:


> Your birthday plans sound awesome!





Pinkocto said:


> I have the 14th - 25th off work. Since the flight home is pretty much going to take all day i was thinking I'd leave from San Diego after the cruise. But then I suddenly realized I wanted to try and see Alicia and family at some point too. Maybe I should come back up after the cruise. I could leave Sunday and get back late but fine for work Monday. Ugh, sorry to be all over the place. What are your thoughts?



We can figure it out, we're flexible and have nothing going on before or after, ask Alicia what she thinks....After might be better for her since it's a weekend.



EJ4Disney said:


> Alison I am so glad there will be surgery for Fran.  This sounds like a better plan.
> 
> Your birthday bash looks amazing.  That view is just beautiful.  I would sit at that window and just stare.
> 
> Good luck with the renters tomorrow.



Actually there won't be surgery for Fran that is what is better.  I've had that view quite a few times, so I'm not as mesmerized, although the first couple times I sat there forever just watching.  I think though we will enjoy WoC from there the first night, maybe even the second.  I haven't checked to see if they have a second showing the Saturday night.



dolphingirl47 said:


> I keep my fingers crossed for you.
> 
> I can't wait to see you again either. I am sure all will work out. As this is a bonus trip, I will just take things as they come and as this is a solo trip, I will be totally flexible.
> 
> Corinna



I'm looking forward to this one, you need to send me the dates again so I don't re book our replacement trip during your trip.  I don't know when we're going to go, but it will be before the end of 2015.  And I am so looking forward to our girls night at the Melting Pot!



DVCjj said:


> I thoroughly enjoy your trip reports and was very sad to hear about her fall. Last year I badly broke an ankle and had to cancel a Disney trip.
> Even though I've been to Disney many times over 40 years, I was bawling my eyes out cancelling the resort, all plans and cried even to American Airlines (even with the Ortho Surgeon's info, American didn't care & I lost a lot of money).



OH my gosh, I'm so sorry to hear about that.  I know exactly how you feel because this isn't my first trip to cancel.  The good thing about American Airlines is that with points we don't lose them for a year.  I can't remember is it's from the date of booking or the date of flying, but as long as we go again soon (incentive to rebook!) we can still keep the miles!



DVCjj said:


> I couldn't put weight on the ankle for 8 weeks and I have to say that it was one of the hardest experiences of my entire life.
> The pain, the reliance on others, the depression (yes, depression), the cancellation of Disney, the cabin fever (it was Chicago winter).....everything.



That's awful, yes Fran is going through depression, do I say we have a therapist and she is even coming to the house, it is helping immeasurably.  I'm not sure if this is the hardest experience for her as the wound care a couple years ago was probably worse, but she is having cabin fever, she has begun coming out to the family room, it's gotten so bad.



DVCjj said:


> I know you need advice like a hole in your head, but please remind her to be very careful of her GOOD side. The knee roller device was only marginally good for me because of radiated ankle pain and crutches made me fall so I did a lot of hopping and twisting on the GOOD side and now I'm paying the price with problems in THAT knee, hip and ankle. Please just tell her to be very careful.



I will let her know about this.  The good thing is that she has a new knee and hip on this side, so hopefully it won't suffer to bad.



DVCjj said:


> My heart goes out to you both and hope recovery is smooth.



Thank you so very much and I'm not sure if I said it before so


----------



## PrincessInOz

Awesome plans for an awesome room.


Hmmm.....  I wonder if it really is too late to jump on a plane and head on over???


----------



## franandaj

PrincessInOz said:


> Awesome plans for an awesome room.
> 
> 
> Hmmm.....  I wonder if it really is too late to jump on a plane and head on over???



I'm sure that Jenny, Jill and Cynthia would welcome you in the room, there is one spot left!


----------



## franandaj

*The Players!*

Well of course you all know Fran and me!






We are the hosts and instigators.  Next up is my family.  Here we are for the first time all together in about 12 years, last Thanksgiving.  It was the first time I met my youngest nephew, and my niece has a DB that she is now living with.  My mother and sister are sitting on the couch on the left.  That’s obviously Fran and myself on the right.  Niece and oldest Nephew are sitting in the middle.  The back row from left to right is my Dad, my youngest Nephew, my nieces DB, and in the very back is my BIL.  Quite a motley crew, but you’re born with your family, ya gotta take em as they are.







So that’s the family component, then there is the friends component.  I’ll start off with the 3D friends.  This is Fran and myself with our friend Margaret.  We have known her for over 10 years, this was after an Oktoberfest gig we had with the band last year.







I know you all remember Naked Jim, here he is with his partner, both of them will be joining us for this weekend. Alberto doesn’t play in the band, but he sings in the chorus.







Just to show how “way back” we all go, here is a picture of all of them from my 40th birthday party.







Also from the same party, this is Leonard, he plays the trumpet and at one time also played the French Horn.







This is Dave and Donna, she isn’t in the band, but he plays the Timpani.







John and Suzie are also friends of ours.  They play in the band occasionally, but only on a “substitute” basis.  They went to the same music school as I did, but about 10 years later.  She plays woodwinds, mainly saxophone, and is a Middle school band director.  He plays the trumpet, but recently completed his law degree and is trying to work as a lawyer.







And our conductor Justin.  What can I say about him?  You have been warned, those who are coming along and will meet him.







He does clean up nicely.







If you couldn’t figure out by the descriptions of each person, I know all my friends from band. My cleaning lady Darcy who has also become a friend will be there, but she doesn’t let me take any pictures of her.


And last, but certainly not least are the DIS friends.  I cast a wide net inviting folks, and was pleasantly surprised at the number of people who actually took me up on the invitation.  The first one was Jill, she actually put it in her calendar last year when she visited Disneyland and kept on me for the dates.  She booked her flights pretty early on.  Here’s Jill and I with Bob Gurr at a Winemaker Dinner we were lucky enough to attend.







And in no particular order, next up Is Cynthia. I met her in person at the DLR last April.  It was that day with her when my fitbit hit 10,000 steps for the first time!  Seems appropriate!







This is me with Jenny and her bestie the first time that we met.







And the last two party attendees are Alicia & Daniel. Based on the good news that she posted on her TR, hopefully they will be able to make it down for the Saturday night part of the festivities.






So that's the guest list for the weekend.  Stay tuned for the menu and any other plans coming up!


----------



## PrincessInOz

AWww.  That's a GREAT cast and guest list.

I love the family picture, Alison.  Great looking crew.


----------



## ACDSNY

Great cast list for your birthday bash.

We should be able to come see you on 5/21 if you'll be around.   If that day doesn't work then let me know what works for you and I'll ditch my family.  Lol


----------



## dgbg100106

That villa looks amazing, and your plans sound great, spa, relaxing and dinner.


----------



## Pinkocto

What a fun guest list!!!!  You guys are going to have such a great time!!!!!!!


----------



## dvc at last !

First, Glad you are getting the cancelling taken care of.

Also, holy cow on the amount of cat food !

The Villas in California are beautiful and your family pics great, too !

Your Birthday Bash will be a good time with good people !
(When is it ?)


----------



## Paula Sedley-Burke

Love your Kitty store! I hope that you did manage to get your new tenants to sign on Saturday and that is one less thing to worry about. 

Oh my goodness your birthday plans! What a joy to read after the cancellations upset. I hope Fran is doing better. What a stress for you both. But this looks fabulous. That view from the Villa! I simply could not believe my eyes! That is amazing. How nice to rent that villa for your birthday and enjoy and share with family and friends. 

I did not realise that they cancelled F & W out West. What a shame. But better use of your points! I so look forward to reading about this! I love the Villa. A pool table! What an amazing Villa! 

I hope you both have the best time


----------



## Flossbolna

I love the plans for your birthday bash! Sounds like a fun group of people that will mix well (at leat the music and the Disney people)! 

The Grand Villa looks stunning! How do you know which view you will get, do they all have the same view?


----------



## afwdwfan

franandaj said:


> And our conductor Justin. What can I say about him? You have been warned, those who are coming along and will meet him.


 


franandaj said:


> He does clean up nicely.




Quite the before and after pictures...


You're really going all out for this party!!!  It looks like you'll be surrounded by loved ones and it should be a great time.  I'm impressed by all the Dis Friends you have coming too!  I think that is just incredible.


----------



## dolphingirl47

franandaj said:


> I'm looking forward to this one, you need to send me the dates again so I don't re book our replacement trip during your trip. I don't know when we're going to go, but it will be before the end of 2015. And I am so looking forward to our girls night at the Melting Pot!



I will be over between September 22nd and October 1st. I can't wait.

This looks like quite a big party. I can't wait to read more about it.

Corinna


----------



## skier_pete

Looks like a great big group! I would think that will be a LOT of fun! Can't imagine being in a GV even for a night....looks wonderful.


----------



## franandaj

PrincessInOz said:


> AWww.  That's a GREAT cast and guest list.
> 
> I love the family picture, Alison.  Great looking crew.



Thanks!



ACDSNY said:


> Great cast list for your birthday bash.
> 
> We should be able to come see you on 5/21 if you'll be around.   If that day doesn't work then let me know what works for you and I'll ditch my family.  Lol



Well since we canceled the cruise, we should be around.  ALL. THE. TIME.



dgbg100106 said:


> That villa looks amazing, and your plans sound great, spa, relaxing and dinner.



Thanks, I'm really, Really, REALLY looking forward to it!



Pinkocto said:


> What a fun guest list!!!!  You guys are going to have such a great time!!!!!!!



All my guy friends are a riot, they're all crazy in their own special ways, and you know all the gals are just a hoot.  I'm not sure my family will know what hit them!



dvc at last ! said:


> First, Glad you are getting the cancelling taken care of.



Did the airfare just today.  I have until 2/26/15 to complete travel.  Now I'm going back and forth between an early September trip or a early December trip.  It's going to be based on a poll that they'll be taking at band tonight.



dvc at last ! said:


> Also, holy cow on the amount of cat food !
> 
> The Villas in California are beautiful and your family pics great, too !
> .



I like to be stocked up!  I won't have to go to the cat food store for a while.

The VGC are my favorite villas so far, I love all the wood and green and soft colors.



dvc at last ! said:


> Your Birthday Bash will be a good time with good people !
> (When is it ?)



One month from now.  



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> Love your Kitty store! I hope that you did manage to get your new tenants to sign on Saturday and that is one less thing to worry about.



I did get the tenants signed in they are moving tomorrow.  She got the power put in her name, so that's one less bill I have to pay.



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> Oh my goodness your birthday plans! What a joy to read after the cancellations upset. I hope Fran is doing better. What a stress for you both. But this looks fabulous. That view from the Villa! I simply could not believe my eyes! That is amazing. How nice to rent that villa for your birthday and enjoy and share with family and friends.



It is really a tremendous villa.  The three gals from the DIS that are coming without their DHs will stay in one room, and the four boys from the band will stay in the other.  Most of the couples are going to stay at other hotels, and join us for the parties in the room.



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> I did not realise that they cancelled F & W out West. What a shame. But better use of your points! I so look forward to reading about this! I love the Villa. A pool table! What an amazing Villa!
> 
> I hope you both have the best time



I was very upset when they canceled it.  I really enjoyed the Wine dinners and the celebrity chefs.  Now evidently they make more money on it with the Mad T Party.  Young kids spending their money on overpriced watered down drinks.



Flossbolna said:


> I love the plans for your birthday bash! Sounds like a fun group of people that will mix well (at leat the music and the Disney people)!
> 
> The Grand Villa looks stunning! How do you know which view you will get, do they all have the same view?



There are only two Grand Villas, one is Handicapped Accessible and one is not.  I requested the Accessible Villa and that one has the view of Paradise Pier!    The other villa has a view of the pool area.


afwdwfan said:


> Quite the before and after pictures...
> 
> You're really going all out for this party!!!  It looks like you'll be surrounded by loved ones and it should be a great time.  I'm impressed by all the Dis Friends you have coming too!  I think that is just incredible.



Yes, Justin is a hoot!

I have to!  For my 40th birthday she invited about 45 people and we did a murder mystery dinner on a River Style Paddleboat that cruised around Long Beach Harbor.  Our party made up half of the people who were on the ship that night.  This is a little smaller, but more intense!



dolphingirl47 said:


> I will be over between September 22nd and October 1st. I can't wait.
> 
> This looks like quite a big party. I can't wait to read more about it.
> 
> Corinna



I have taken this information into account in the replanning of my trip.  If I do it in September, I will go in the earlier part of the month.



********** said:


> Looks like a great big group! I would think that will be a LOT of fun! Can't imagine being in a GV even for a night....looks wonderful.



Last time we were only there for one night and we were having dinner out, so all we did was drink in the room before dinner.  I'm glad this time we get to enjoy having a party in the room, I've never used the grills there yet, so that will be fun, and we have the whole day before our dinner out to just soak it all in!

I am all out of VGC points until September and even then I have borrowed about 25% of my contract.


----------



## Flossbolna

franandaj said:


> Did the airfare just today. I have until 2/26/15 to complete travel. Now I'm going back and forth between an early September trip or a early December trip. It's going to be based on a poll that they'll be taking at band tonight.



Having just done the early December WDW time frame, I can very much recommend it! I loved it so much that I am hoping to repeat last year's trip in 2016 (also because of all the stress with Michael's father's health the trip was not nearly as relaxing as we would have hoped for). Also, I personally would prefer cooler December weather to the heat of September. Hope your band buddies come up with the right decision tonight! 



franandaj said:


> There are only two Grand Villas, one is Handicapped Accessible and one is not. I requested the Accessible Villa and that one has the view of Paradise Pier!  The other villa has a view of the pool area.



Ok, that makes sense! And it is nice to hear that they did not cut out people who need a HA room from getting the better view!


----------



## Paula Sedley-Burke

I missed the post about the cast! I loved that  seeing all the players. How nice to put names to faces. I am pleased your tenants signed and that they put the power in their name. 

Oh my goodness making more dough out of the apple juice tea at Mad Tea Party. So not the point is it. Invisible income you really don't want to upset us adults. We have lots lf pocket money too! Stop cancelling things Disney! 

But I see we have a Trader Sam's opening in WDW! 

Anyway birthday girl. I am very exciting for you. I was wondering do they do an accessible Grand Villa? I sure would love that pool table but those stairs oh my!


----------



## mvf-m11c

A very nice group of people for your Birthday Bash.


----------



## dolphingirl47

franandaj said:


> I did get the tenants signed in they are moving tomorrow. She got the power put in her name, so that's one less bill I have to pay.



I am glad that this has all gone through OK.



franandaj said:


> I have taken this information into account in the replanning of my trip. If I do it in September, I will go in the earlier part of the month.



I really do appreciate it. I finally got around to making a ticker for this trip.

Corinna


----------



## kid-at-heart

franandaj said:


> *The Players!*
> 
> Well of course you all know Fran and me!



Hi Alison and Fran, 

I finally have caught up enough with work to actually post a few thoughts.

You and your sister look alike.  You both have rosy cheeks and beautiful smiles.  Is your temperament similar?

I am sorry you had to cancel your trip with Naked Jim.  But hey, now we get to read about him in a different trip report.

Beth is a cutie, love her dimples.  Alberto looks sweet, cool hat.  I like Leonard’s hair, the little spike on top is adorable.

Are Dave and Donna a couple?  What is a Timpani?  Yea, yea, I could google it but it is easier to ask.

John and Suzie look like fun folks to party with.  Love John’s ears.  The ones on top of his head…

Justin looks like a hoot, another fun person to party with.  Again, yea, yea, I know I am not supposed to end a sentence with “with”.

Jill is a sweetie, I am glad she agreed to join your party.

I have read the trip reports of Cynthia, Jenny, and Alicia so I know you are going to have a blast with them helping celebrating your birthday.  Isn’t Disboards awesome?  It has connected so many wonderful folks who without it would have passed each other by with never making an impact on each others lives.

Off topic, I will be at a conference next door to Disney Land next April (conference is in the Hilton).  I am hoping to spend the conference nights in the Hilton and then transfer over to VGC (might be just wishful thinking since I will need to snag the room at 7 months) My family and a few friends will be traveling with me.  Can I pick your brain about where to go, what to see and do, Disney and non-Disney?  I have not been to the Anaheim since 1986 when we were in CA to see the Dead, Jerry Garcia went into a diabetic coma, the concert was cancelled and a zillion deadheads descended on Disney Land. 

Kate


----------



## Flossbolna

kid-at-heart said:


> transfer over to VGC (might be just wishful thinking since I will need to snag the room at 7 months)



I have been lucky twice by making sure to be on the computer and logged into my DVC account and already all the date entered into the online booking tool, just hitting search the moment the atomic clock (use a web site that you pull up on another computer or your phone) turns 8 am EST on your 7 months window. Sounds a bit like the strategies that were necessary to get breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table (I am sure that now it is Be Our Guest). But by being precise you might be that half second quicker than someone else.


----------



## eandesmom

franandaj said:


> OK, so we had the appointment today.  Let me say that this Doctor was so much better.  He was somewhat young too, but he didn't have that cocky attitude of the other Doctor and was up front, very knowledgeable and was willing to talk to us and answer questions.
> 
> Basically, he wanted an Xray to see if anything had changed since the day we were at the ER.  Fran did good, she didn't mess up her ankle any more since the last Xray and he said that this injury was a tricky one that didn't always require surgery.  I think he took into account her RA and lack of mobility and realized that surgery would not be in her best interest even if she might heal a tad bit better.  So he prescribed another 4 weeks of non weight bearing, giving her 2 weeks off for good behavior and said to come back in the third week of April.
> 
> He gave her a boot, and she feels a lot more supported although it is pinching at her ankle.  She will probably have to wear this for a while.  @dgbg100106 what do you do about clothing with this boot?  When we go to dinner for my birthday, she really shouldn't wear shorts, and I know she will feel self conscious.  Do we sacrifice a pair of dress pants and cut off the bottoms so they will go over the boot?  I'm NOT buying her bell bottoms to wear that night!
> 
> So we have another 4 weeks of me helping her up out of bed.  We will be canceling the B2B cruise in May and hopefully with notes from 3 doctors we can get our money back from the Travel Insurance.  We see her RA Doctor on Friday, so we will find out about the ramifications of her resuming her arthritis meds, and if she even can.
> 
> This is actually better news than I expected!  Though she is off her feet for a while, it means that by my party she will be almost mobile. She may actually be able to enjoy the party. I hope.



This is GREAT news!  Much better than I was expecting to, how outstanding!  I was in a boot for 6 weeks  in the early/mid 90's and I know I was able to wear really wide legged pants over it.  Granted they were kind of in back then, not "flares" per se but more like the whole Katharine Hepburn really wide legs. Biggest trick was not to step on them lol!  Although one thing to consider is that I did have to wear a shoe with a heel on it on the other side to be remotely level!  It does depend a lot on the kind of boot and she may well be out of a hard one and into a softer one by then which would free up more options.   I didn't see a picture of the boot so am not sure if it's the hard kind or the softer kind.  The hard one I was in was almost like a ski boot.   Although it does cause other issues I know, it may be a good thing that she isn't weight bearing too much in the boot.  I was and between the stiletto on one side and boot on another...I ended up all kinds of out of whack and in PT after to get set to rights.

She is going to be surrounded by people that adore her, she shouldn't be self conscious at all.



franandaj said:


> Thanks for the tips.  It sounds like everyone had the same kind of boot that she does.  I don't think that she could roll her pants up, just because her thighs are very tight on her pants.  I don't think it's a matter of anyone being offended, she is very self conscious.  She believes that wherever she goes people are looking at her, laughing and pointing.  It's a difficult phobia to work with.



I had no idea, I am so sorry, that is just horrible to try and live with and is heartbreaking that she feels that way.  I don't blame you for not wanting to buy bell bottoms per-se but if a wide legged pant made her more comfortable that might be an option?

And if I see anyone doing that, I'll take them out myself!

Which could be live entertainment right there.  



franandaj said:


> OK, so here we are with another life update.  I have canceled all our cruises and filed claims with the Insurance company for the Dream cruise in April and the two B2B Cruises in May. I cancelled our Owners Locker (thanks for the reminder Scott!), our grocery delivery, My Disney Experience has made it easy to cancel the ADRs, but I'm not quite sure on the FP+.  I can only figure out how to modify them, not cancel.   I still need to call up and cancel the Behind the Seeds tour.
> 
> On the home front we are surviving.  I am back to planning meals, I'm not up to two weeks in advance, but I do have things planned through Monday and all the provisions on hand needed as well.  Those of you who know me pretty well, know that I like to have everything in order and planned out so I'm not wondering What's for Dinner!  I finally got to the cat food store, and now my cat food room is stocked, so we won't be wondering what they are having for dinner.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It looks like our property on 1st street will be rented, I have an appointment to sign the rental papers this Saturday.  I know not to count on anything until I have the check in my hand, so let's hope all goes as planned. Then we can concentrate on moving out of our old house and getting that fixed up to rent. So let's get on with this trip report and turn it into something happier!



I am glad things are moving forward or, at least dealt with even if it isn't a fun kind of dealing to have.  Cat food heaven!  Out of curiosity, how long will that stash last you?  I know my poor Hank would love the wet stuff more but Melvin is so fat, he eats too much and they are impossible to separate.  One thing I had a hard time with was the sheer volume of cans and that was just for the 2.  Dry is just easier.



franandaj said:


> So now, I’ve turned this TR into a PTR/TR about my 50th Birthday!
> 
> I got two studios, one for my parents and one my sister’s family.  In hindsight, I should have checked out a two bedroom villa because my Dad is still complaining about having to sleep in a Queen size bed, but at this point a little over a month out there is nothing that I can do.  But then a two bedroom costs quite a bit more than two studios, so there you have it.



YAY PARTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The queens are nice, in some ways I think 2 studios are better than the 1 bedroom as the sofa bed is not great for adults if you can avoid it.  A 2 B is crazy points but then again VGC is high all around.  I also think that the bathroom in the studio is adorable!  At least compared to the 2nd bath in the 1b.

I am contemplating a November trip and right now the sunday night I want is still available, chances of it being there when it's booking time are slim but you never know!



franandaj said:


> There is a pool table on the landing at the top of the stairs.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And their own bathroom attached.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The view from this suite is stunning.  I think we will enjoy watching World of Color from the room!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> So that’s the first night. A big grilling party in the room.  The next day (Saturday) some people will go to the parks, I will relax in my spa tub.  Have lunch at one of the restaurants, either in DTD or DCA. Go to the Mandara Spa, and come back to the room to relax.  Happy hour will begin in the room around 4PM.  Around 5:30, we will all head over to Steakhouse 55 where we have the private dining room reserved, for a special meal cooked by Marcel St. Pierre (at least I hope he is there that night!).  If we’re not in a food coma after dinner, we can head back to the room and enjoy the view some more!
> 
> So that’s the plan for now.  I will be back with the players, and more specifics on the whole plan!



I love the pool table, it gives is such distinct personality!  The view is unreal, what a gorgeous room!  I swear that shower curtain makes me wish I had a room I could use one in...and that you could actually buy it.  Do you think the boys would mind if I redid their bathroom? 

Actually now that I think about it...that's not a bad idea at all....LOL!



PrincessInOz said:


> Awesome plans for an awesome room.
> 
> 
> Hmmm.....  I wonder if it really is too late to jump on a plane and head on over???



Nope!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Do it Do it Do it

LOL



franandaj said:


> I'm sure that Jenny, Jill and Cynthia would welcome you in the room, there is one spot left!



We most certainly would!




franandaj said:


> The Players!
> 
> Well of course you all know Fran and me!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> We are the hosts and instigators.  Next up is my family.  Here we are for the first time all together in about 12 years, last Thanksgiving.  It was the first time I met my youngest nephew, and my niece has a DB that she is now living with.  My mother and sister are sitting on the couch on the left.  That’s obviously Fran and myself on the right.  Niece and oldest Nephew are sitting in the middle.  The back row from left to right is my Dad, my youngest Nephew, my nieces DB, and in the very back is my BIL.  Quite a motley crew, but you’re born with your family, ya gotta take em as they are.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> So that’s the family component, then there is the friends component.  I’ll start off with the 3D friends.  This is Fran and myself with our friend Margaret.  We have known her for over 10 years, this was after an Oktoberfest gig we had with the band last year.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I know you all remember Naked Jim, here he is with his partner, both of them will be joining us for this weekend. Alberto doesn’t play in the band, but he sings in the chorus.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Just to show how “way back” we all go, here is a picture of all of them from my 40th birthday party.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Also from the same party, this is Leonard, he plays the trumpet and at one time also played the French Horn.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This is Dave and Donna, she isn’t in the band, but he plays the Timpani.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> John and Suzie are also friends of ours.  They play in the band occasionally, but only on a “substitute” basis.  They went to the same music school as I did, but about 10 years later.  She plays woodwinds, mainly saxophone, and is a Middle school band director.  He plays the trumpet, but recently completed his law degree and is trying to work as a lawyer.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And our conductor Justin.  What can I say about him?  You have been warned, those who are coming along and will meet him.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> He does clean up nicely.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> If you couldn’t figure out by the descriptions of each person, I know all my friends from band. My cleaning lady Darcy who has also become a friend will be there, but she doesn’t let me take any pictures of her.



What a fun cast!  You and your sister definitely look like sisters!  I am so excited to meet everyone but um, Justin may have moved up past Naked Jim in the list after that photo series.  LOL!  So so much fun!!!!



franandaj said:


> And last, but certainly not least are the DIS friends.  I cast a wide net inviting folks, and was pleasantly surprised at the number of people who actually took me up on the invitation.  The first one was Jill, she actually put it in her calendar last year when she visited Disneyland and kept on me for the dates.  She booked her flights pretty early on.  Here’s Jill and I with Bob Gurr at a Winemaker Dinner we were lucky enough to attend.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And in no particular order, next up Is Cynthia. I met her in person at the DLR last April.  It was that day with her when my fitbit hit 10,000 steps for the first time!  Seems appropriate!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This is me with Jenny and her bestie the first time that we met.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And the last two party attendees are Alicia & Daniel. Based on the good news that she posted on her TR, hopefully they will be able to make it down for the Saturday night part of the festivities.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> So that's the guest list for the weekend.  Stay tuned for the menu and any other plans coming up!



Soooo excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  And I get to spend time with all of you without the distractions of kids, parents or husbands!  LOL


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

franandaj said:


> I decided that it would be a fantastic idea to rent the Grand Villa overlooking Paradise Pier and invite a whole bunch of people over for a party.



I love this idea, and the grand villa looks amazing!  So jealous of everyone who will be there.



franandaj said:


> Quite a motley crew, but you’re born with your family, ya gotta take em as they are.



Truth! 



franandaj said:


> And our conductor Justin. What can I say about him? You have been warned, those who are coming along and will meet him.



Oh my goodness.  They say a picture is worth a thousand words...

This sounds like quite the bash!  I'm so glad you will be able to have so many good friends/family there.  Should be a great time.


----------



## franandaj

Flossbolna said:


> Having just done the early December WDW time frame, I can very much recommend it! I loved it so much that I am hoping to repeat last year's trip in 2016 (also because of all the stress with Michael's father's health the trip was not nearly as relaxing as we would have hoped for). Also, I personally would prefer cooler December weather to the heat of September. Hope your band buddies come up with the right decision tonight!



The band did good!  Our concert is on for December 20 which now clears me for an early December trip.  Now I just need some time to sit down and book it.  I think the Fantasy is out because there are no more staterooms with Verandahs left on the Dec 5 Cruise, so I'm back to the Dream.



Flossbolna said:


> Ok, that makes sense! And it is nice to hear that they did not cut out people who need a HA room from getting the better view!



I was pleased to find out that they gave the view to the "crips" (as Fran calls herself).



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> I missed the post about the cast! I loved that  seeing all the players. How nice to put names to faces. I am pleased your tenants signed and that they put the power in their name.



I'm hoping that Jenny, Jill, Cynthia and Alicia chime in about some of the crazy antics, because I don't put anything past Justin.  Although I don't think any of his jokes could be repeated on the DIS!  



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> Oh my goodness making more dough out of the apple juice tea at Mad Tea Party. So not the point is it. Invisible income you really don't want to upset us adults. We have lots lf pocket money too! Stop cancelling things Disney!



Yeah, I can't imagine they weren't making money on that festival, but maybe it was more hassle to pull off than the money that came in.



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> But I see we have a Trader Sam's opening in WDW!



I love the one in California, the one at the Poly should be fun too!



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> Anyway birthday girl. I am very exciting for you. I was wondering do they do an accessible Grand Villa? I sure would love that pool table but those stairs oh my!



You could always go out to the elevator, ride up to the fifth floor



mvf-m11c said:


> A very nice group of people for your Birthday Bash.



Thanks Bret!



dolphingirl47 said:


> I am glad that this has all gone through OK.



Last thing is to cancel the Behind the Seeds tour.  Maybe I'll ask Fran to do that one.



dolphingirl47 said:


> I really do appreciate it. I finally got around to making a ticker for this trip.
> 
> Corinna



Cool ticker!  I will be traveling in December now anyways, so September is wide open!


kid-at-heart said:


> Hi Alison and Fran,
> 
> I finally have caught up enough with work to actually post a few thoughts.
> 
> You and your sister look alike. You both have rosy cheeks and beautiful smiles. Is your temperament similar?



Hmmmmm, I never thought we looked alike.  We are nothing like each other in temperament or personalities.  But that what makes the world go round!  



kid-at-heart said:


> I am sorry you had to cancel your trip with Naked Jim. But hey, now we get to read about him in a different trip report.
> 
> Beth is a cutie, love her dimples. Alberto looks sweet, cool hat. I like Leonard’s hair, the little spike on top is adorable.
> 
> Are Dave and Donna a couple? What is a Timpani? Yea, yea, I could google it but it is easier to ask.



You would have got to read about this anyways....I'm not sure who you have renamed Beth.    Alberto is quite nice, he comes from Latin America and has a very thick accent, he's really funny, especially when he doesn't mean to be!  Leonard looks totally different, nowadays.  Dave and Donna are a couple, and Donald is playing the Timpani in this picture.







kid-at-heart said:


> John and Suzie look like fun folks to party with. Love John’s ears. The ones on top of his head…
> 
> Justin looks like a hoot, another fun person to party with. Again, yea, yea, I know I am not supposed to end a sentence with “with”.



John and Suzie are great fun, they're also marathon runners, and got their Coast to Coast earlier this year.  Justin is a total riot.



kid-at-heart said:


> Jill is a sweetie, I am glad she agreed to join your party.
> 
> I have read the trip reports of Cynthia, Jenny, and Alicia so I know you are going to have a blast with them helping celebrating your birthday. Isn’t Disboards awesome? It has connected so many wonderful folks who without it would have passed each other by with never making an impact on each others lives.



I'm so thrilled to have so many sweet ladies from the DIS joining me on this!  



kid-at-heart said:


> Off topic, I will be at a conference next door to Disney Land next April (conference is in the Hilton). I am hoping to spend the conference nights in the Hilton and then transfer over to VGC (might be just wishful thinking since I will need to snag the room at 7 months) My family and a few friends will be traveling with me. Can I pick your brain about where to go, what to see and do, Disney and non-Disney? I have not been to the Anaheim since 1986 when we were in CA to see the Dead, Jerry Garcia went into a diabetic coma, the concert was cancelled and a zillion deadheads descended on Disney Land.
> 
> Kate



I'll have to think about this.  Remind me with a PM on FB.  I didn't really you were a Deadhead.  I slightly followed them in early 90s just before Jerry died.



eandesmom said:


> This is GREAT news! Much better than I was expecting to, how outstanding! I was in a boot for 6 weeks in the early/mid 90's and I know I was able to wear really wide legged pants over it. Granted they were kind of in back then, not "flares" per se but more like the whole Katharine Hepburn really wide legs. Biggest trick was not to step on them lol! Although one thing to consider is that I did have to wear a shoe with a heel on it on the other side to be remotely level! It does depend a lot on the kind of boot and she may well be out of a hard one and into a softer one by then which would free up more options. I didn't see a picture of the boot so am not sure if it's the hard kind or the softer kind. The hard one I was in was almost like a ski boot. Although it does cause other issues I know, it may be a good thing that she isn't weight bearing too much in the boot. I was and between the stiletto on one side and boot on another...I ended up all kinds of out of whack and in PT after to get set to rights.
> 
> She is going to be surrounded by people that adore her, she shouldn't be self conscious at all.



This is the boot. We still have no idea what to do about pants.







eandesmom said:


> I had no idea, I am so sorry, that is just horrible to try and live with and is heartbreaking that she feels that way. I don't blame you for not wanting to buy bell bottoms per-se but if a wide legged pant made her more comfortable that might be an option?
> 
> And if I see anyone doing that, I'll take them out myself!
> 
> Which could be live entertainment right there.



Hopefully this is all in her mind.  It kills me when she talks about it.



eandesmom said:


> I am glad things are moving forward or, at least dealt with even if it isn't a fun kind of dealing to have. Cat food heaven! Out of curiosity, how long will that stash last you? I know my poor Hank would love the wet stuff more but Melvin is so fat, he eats too much and they are impossible to separate. One thing I had a hard time with was the sheer volume of cans and that was just for the 2. Dry is just easier.



That lasts a little under 2 months.  They get 5 cans twice a day, plus a can of Fancy Feast twice a day.  They never finish it all, but Fran says if they finish it all, I'm not feeding them enough.  They get three flavors of dry food too.



eandesmom said:


> YAY PARTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> The queens are nice, in some ways I think 2 studios are better than the 1 bedroom as the sofa bed is not great for adults if you can avoid it. A 2 B is crazy points but then again VGC is high all around. I also think that the bathroom in the studio is adorable! At least compared to the 2nd bath in the 1b.
> 
> I am contemplating a November trip and right now the sunday night I want is still available, chances of it being there when it's booking time are slim but you never know!



I do like the shower curtain in there.  You never know, stranger things have happened.



eandesmom said:


> Nope!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Do it Do it Do it
> 
> LOL
> 
> We most certainly would!



Wouldn't that be even more fun!



eandesmom said:


> What a fun cast! You and your sister definitely look like sisters! I am so excited to meet everyone but um, Justin may have moved up past Naked Jim in the list after that photo series. LOL! So so much fun!!!!



I do have to say that they are both characters.  Justin is a little more up front and vulgar.  Jim is crazy but refined.  Leonard will sneak up on you when you least expect it and come up with something totally left field.



eandesmom said:


> Soooo excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I get to spend time with all of you without the distractions of kids, parents or husbands! LOL



Well there will be kids, parents and husbands, just not your own!


----------



## franandaj

Captain_Oblivious said:


> I love this idea, and the grand villa looks amazing! So jealous of everyone who will be there.



We will toast you while we are there.



Spoiler: Food Post Coming Next



We aren't having burgers.





Captain_Oblivious said:


> Truth!







Captain_Oblivious said:


> Oh my goodness. They say a picture is worth a thousand words...
> 
> This sounds like quite the bash! I'm so glad you will be able to have so many good friends/family there. Should be a great time.



I had Naked Jim read the post the other day and he said that I captured the "essence" of each of the friends very well in the picture I posted of them.  That says quite a lot about Justin.


----------



## dvc at last !

Checking in to say hi !   Things are moving in the right direction.  Doctor you like,
cancellations, bookings being checked out, Birthday Bash planned, tenants and enough cat food for a while.
Now you just need to figure the boot/pants issue.  Just slit the pant leg as far up as needed.
Rose


----------



## eandesmom

franandaj said:


> This is the boot. We still have no idea what to do about pants.



Ok, so that is kind of in between soft and hard, do you think she will still be in that one for the party?.  If you can slide it under the pant leg after the pants are on, you can then hook up the velcro etc by pulling the pants down, )and then back up of course).  Can be easier than trying to push the pants up.  Another thought, if there is an older pair, is to simply rip open the side seam of the pant up to the height you'd need on that one leg, just make sure to close off the seam with a cross stitch of sorts as to prevent further unraveling of the seam.  Better than taking scissors to it although depending on the seam you might want to actually close them up with a hem type finish so it's super clean and not edges flopping around.  It would be super easy for any seamstress to do if you don't sew, just mark on the pant leg where you want it opened up to.  Nice thing about that option is that they could then be resewn back as they were before. 




franandaj said:


> Hopefully this is all in her mind.  It kills me when she talks about it.



Even if it is in her mind, that makes it real to her.  




franandaj said:


> That lasts a little under 2 months.  They get 5 cans twice a day, plus a can of Fancy Feast twice a day.  They never finish it all, but Fran says if they finish it all, I'm not feeding them enough.  They get three flavors of dry food too.



Ok that's not bad for the number of animals although I would probably disagree on the not finishing.  But, as long as they aren't fat, I wouldn't worry about it!  I can't free feed anymore thanks to big fat Melvin.  LOL




franandaj said:


> I do like the shower curtain in there.  You never know, stranger things have happened.



It is so cute!  I love all the art deco with the subtle Disney touch




franandaj said:


> Well there will be kids, parents and husbands, just not your own!



Exactly!!!!!!!!  It should be perfect, I'll be post vacation with my own and ready for someone elses.  LOL.


----------



## KathyM2

Catching up!!! Can't wait to hear more!


----------



## franandaj

dvc at last ! said:


> Checking in to say hi !   Things are moving in the right direction.  Doctor you like,
> cancellations, bookings being checked out, Birthday Bash planned, tenants and enough cat food for a while.
> Now you just need to figure the boot/pants issue.  Just slit the pant leg as far up as needed.
> Rose



Yes things are proceeding....now if I could only find time to sit down and rebook the trip.



eandesmom said:


> Ok, so that is kind of in between soft and hard, do you think she will still be in that one for the party?. If you can slide it under the pant leg after the pants are on, you can then hook up the velcro etc by pulling the pants down, )and then back up of course). Can be easier than trying to push the pants up.



She is going to be in that boot for quite a few months.  Probably until the doctor releases her fully.  Well, her pants are tight enough around the legs that I don't see this one working.



eandesmom said:


> Another thought, if there is an older pair, is to simply rip open the side seam of the pant up to the height you'd need on that one leg, just make sure to close off the seam with a cross stitch of sorts as to prevent further unraveling of the seam. Better than taking scissors to it although depending on the seam you might want to actually close them up with a hem type finish so it's super clean and not edges flopping around. It would be super easy for any seamstress to do if you don't sew, just mark on the pant leg where you want it opened up to. Nice thing about that option is that they could then be resewn back as they were before.



I think we'll take them to the tailor.  



eandesmom said:


> Even if it is in her mind, that makes it real to her.



That is true.



eandesmom said:


> Ok that's not bad for the number of animals although I would probably disagree on the not finishing. But, as long as they aren't fat, I wouldn't worry about it! I can't free feed anymore thanks to big fat Melvin. LOL



We only have one fat cat, and she stays outside during most of the day.  She doesn't seem to overeat, and the rest behave as if they have been starved for days, even when there is food in the bowls.  



eandesmom said:


> Exactly!!!!!!!! It should be perfect, I'll be post vacation with my own and ready for someone elses. LOL.



I'm so ready for a vacation! Wish I had one planned, oh yeah, it was going start 10 days from today.  Doh!



KathyM2 said:


> Catching up!!! Can't wait to hear more!



  Well I hope to have more coming soon!


----------



## franandaj

So I have some good news on the real life front. First off, David's Vacation Rentals was able to rent out the bulk of my points yesterday.  There wasn't much left there, so I let some friends use the rest towards a weekend getaway at DLR through the Disney Collection. We ended up getting about three grand for the points so I was satisfied with that. Now all the points have been used and they won't go to waste.

I'm about ready to book a trip in December, I just need to find the time to sit down and figure out all the components. I need to find days when our flyer miles will apply and then figure out which resort to stay at. Who am I kidding? My only option so far is SSR, at least until May. Then I can switch to a non home resort.

On the healing front Fran is getting ancy. She has less than three weeks until her follow up doctor appointment.  At that point she should be able to begin bearing weight on her leg. We had a small victory this week. Using the portable ramp that goes over our front step, she was able to get into the Expedition and drive to band this week. Jim and I were there to spot her, and I won't let her do it without two people there to spot her.  She's a little annoyed about that, but she doesn't always realize her limits. Besides we are so close to being through the toughest part of this, I wouldn't want to see her suffer a setback.

Going to band was great therapy. It really raised her spirits to see people, play her instrument and get a little bit of that "normal" feeling back. On the other hand it has really wiped her out and she has slept through most of the last two days. I suppose that's a good thing. It keeps her off her feet and gives her body more time to heal.

I've been able to get caught up on some projects around the house like hanging pictures and tidying up some things that have piled up over the last few weeks. Part of the party component takes place at the house and it will be a practice  housewarming so we want to get as much as we can into place. I've been neglecting my house thread and it's about time I post some pictures of the progress we've been making over the last couple months. But first I want to get in another update here, I just need to finish writing it!


----------



## ACDSNY

That's great Fran was able to get out and about for band.  I know it drives me crazy to be stuck at home doing nothing. 

Good luck with planning your December trip and Yay for the partial point rental.


----------



## franandaj

ACDSNY said:


> That's great Fran was able to get out and about for band.  I know it drives me crazy to be stuck at home doing nothing.
> 
> Good luck with planning your December trip and Yay for the partial point rental.



I can't even imagine what I would do if I were cooped up like that and unable to do stuff.  Yeah, if Fran would let me have some time, but for some reason she wants me to do things like clean up, get the house ready and not sit around on the computer planning trips and reading TRs!  As it is I have to sneak in my time on the DISboards while she is napping or in the bathroom!  Updates usually take me about a week to write, sneaking in a paragraph here and there!


----------



## franandaj

*Friday Night's Menu!*

So now that you know who is coming to dinner, time to reveal what we’re having for dinner. While I liked the idea of hosting a big party in the room, I never wanted it to be a big production.  But if any of you know, my idea of simple is most people’s idea of a big production. However for me keeping it simple means that I turn to my trusty local Costco in addition to a few home cooked items, which I find to be low maintenance.

The first thing is the proteins.  Who doesn’t love a Costco Chicken?  I plan on getting about four of these and reheating them in the villa’s oven.  Then there are the grilling items.  Costco used carry giant sized packages of Johnsonville Brats, however on my last trip there I didn’t see any. Maybe as we get closer to grilling season they will be back in stock.

The main star of the evening will be the grilled Tri Trip.  A couple years back I found out a very interesting fact about this cut of meat.  Most people on the East Coast and some in the Midwest have never heard to this cut of meat, so I did a little research.  It turns out that this is a California Specialty, specifically from Santa Maria, a somewhat rural area North of Santa Barbara known previously for ranching.

It seems that up until the 1950s this part of the cow was ground up for hamburger just like some of the other less desirable parts. But a special style of meat became popular called the “Santa Maria steak”.  It was given a dry rub and grilled over oak, in a rotissierie, or cooked in a smoker. Here in California we often have this cut for Memorial Day, Fourth of July or Labor Day Barbeques.  I hadn’t realized until we were planning our Gamers DISmeet in WDW that it was a regional favorite, as when I told folks what I was bringing to the potluck, they were like 

Here is where the cut of meat comes from.





Here are some seasoned TriTrips waiting to go on the grill





And here they are on the grill at the Beach Club Villas.  This will be the second DVC resort where I have grilled TriTip, should I try for all of them?  





Mmmmmm  Tri Tip….





But what about the vegetarians you ask?  Well, I plan to have Chips and Salsa available on the tables and the buffet counter.  First will be the Quinoa salad.  I think this will be eaten by mostly the ladies, and the healthy ones at that.





Then we’ll have Caesar Salad





And Chinese Chicken Salad





I’ll probably thrown in a Veggie platter too.  Next will be some fruit.









The one thing that I plan to prepare from scratch for this will be the famous Strawberry soup ala 1900 Park Fare.  I’ve made this before and it will be very easy to make the day before when I’m at home.  I’m going to make a triple recipe of this.  It should be really good!





For side dishes I have Potato Salad





But the thing that I am probably most looking forward to is the Macaroni & Cheese!  If you haven't had Costco's Mac and Cheese, give it a try, it's so tasty and creamy!





Then there’s desserts.  I’m sure many of you are familiar with Costco’s Brownie Bites, I’ll get those for the chocoholics, I’m a big fan of their Madeline’s so I’ll throw in some of those as well.  But the piece de resistance will be this.  I’m not sure how many of you are Food Network Fans.  A while ago there was a show on there called “Ace of Cakes”, it was a reality type TV show about a bakery in Baltimore called Charm City Cakes.  Recently they have opened Charm City Cakes West. Fran suggested that they make my birthday cake, so in February we visited their location for a consultation.  I got to pick six flavors to “test” and I chose the following.

Dulce de Leche
Lemon
Chocolate Raspberry
Mudslide
Strawberry Shortcake
Yellow









I’m going to leave it as a surprise as to which flavor I chose, but after the consult, these are the sketches they sent me for my cakes.  We are getting a sheet cake, to eat first and this is the basic idea.





This will be my real cake, and no one better slice into Mickey until Tiggr is gone!





So that’s the menu for the first night!  Now I’m going to really need to sit down and work out the guidelines for Marcel for the second night.  I like to give him almost complete freedom to choose something spectacular for us, but this time I’m going to give him some guidance of which courses where.  That will be my next update!


----------



## Flossbolna

franandaj said:


> I can't even imagine what I would do if I were cooped up like that and unable to do stuff.  Yeah, if Fran would let me have some time, but for some reason she wants me to do things like clean up, get the house ready and not sit around on the computer planning trips and reading TRs!  As it is I have to sneak in my time on the DISboards while she is napping or in the bathroom!  Updates usually take me about a week to write, sneaking in a paragraph here and there!



I think you need a big hug, Alison!! Seems like life really is giving you a hard time at the moment (again...)!

So sorry that you are not getting anywhere with the December trip at the moment. I have to say that I really liked our stay at SSR this December. But I can also see why it could be a bit more inconvenient for people relying on scooters to get around. 

I am so happy to hear that David's was able to rent out the bulk of your points!!  At least you won't suffer from that aspect.


----------



## Flossbolna

Oh, the food sounds delicious!! I read about the tri tip on your previous trip report and thought that it sounded really delicious! I am at the moment reading my new guide book for California and already came across a couple of restaurants where it says in the description that they were offering tri tip. I think I would really like it. I am not a fan of prime rib as it has too much fat for my liking, but this looks like a leaner cut of meat!

And that cake tasting!!  They all looked delicious! But I think I would have gone with lemon if it was halfway decent. Citrus desserts are just the best in my opinion!!


----------



## scottny

Good to hear surgery is not needed.

Bell bottoms might be fun. LOL.

You’re welcome for the reminder.

Nice view from the villa.

The plans sound fantastic. I think we will try Steakhousee 55 when we go.

The guest list looks like a fun bunch of people to share a weekend with. Cannot wait to read all about it.

Glad you rented all the points.

Good to hear she was good going to practice.

The food sounds so good. The cake flavors also and I would have chosen mudslide. Cute cake design.


----------



## DisneyFirefly

So is Mickey going to be a sculpted cake, or like a modeling chocolate figure on top of another cake?


----------



## dolphingirl47

I am glad that you got most of the points rented out. 

The menu sounds awesome. I really have to try Tri Tip at some stage when I am in California. Just the thought of the strawberry soup makes my mouth water. The cake samples look lovely. I am looking forward to find out after the event which flavour you went for.

Corinna


----------



## PrincessInOz

So happy to read that Fran managed to make it to band.  Hope that the 2 - 3 weeks goes quickly for her....and you.  

I vote that you go for the clean sweep where the resorts and tri-tip cooking is concerned.  I wish I could be there for ALL of them.
Your menu sounds wonderful.  As does the desserts....and the cakes!  A-MAZING!


----------



## mvf-m11c

The menu looks very interesting and delicious. The sketches for the cake looks great and I bet the cake will look amazing.


----------



## Pinkocto

Oh my goodness, the cake tasting sounds amazing!!!! Right now I'd go with strawberry but I really like all types of cakes. Except mint.

Hooray for David's!!!!!!  


That's wonderful Fran was able to get out and enjoy band 


I hope you can book your December trip soon. I was surprised how much I liked SSR and being right next to DTD. I mean really liked it! January was my second time and I appreciated it much more than the first.

That Friday I'll be driving seven hours to the wedding. I will be thinking of you guys!


----------



## skier_pete

Enjoy hearing all the good news....

...and now I hope I someday get invited to a tri-tip BBQ at a DVC resort!


----------



## franandaj

Oh my gosh!  I can't believe I forgot these in the post on the previous page!   I've edited the post to include these two items now, but for those of you who already read and posted, I put them here so you won't miss them!

For side dishes I have Potato Salad





But the thing that I am probably most looking forward to is the Macaroni & Cheese!  If you haven't had Costco's Mac and Cheese, give it a try, it's so tasty and creamy!


----------



## KathyM2

That mac and cheese looks delish!!! Can't wait to hear more!


----------



## ACDSNY

Love the sketches for the cake and the dinner sounds great.  Leave it to CA to be the starting point for tri-tips and of course Costco is a girls best friend for parties.


----------



## PrincessInOz

Ooh!  Mac and Cheese.  Love it!


----------



## DnA2010

So much to comment on but so glad things have turned around a bit. I'm really glad Fran didn't need ankle surgery, I'm in the boot, 7 weeks post op from my second, just starting a little bit of weight bearing, it's tough for sure. Tough as its my right, so no driving for me  it's hard to accept help and support sometimes when all you want is your independace, I sure know that. 

Love all the party details, you guys are going to have a blast, and yay for a December trip!


----------



## franandaj

Flossbolna said:


> I think you need a big hug, Alison!! Seems like life really is giving you a hard time at the moment (again...)!



Yeah, it seems to do that periodically.  Thanks!



Flossbolna said:


> So sorry that you are not getting anywhere with the December trip at the moment. I have to say that I really liked our stay at SSR this December. But I can also see why it could be a bit more inconvenient for people relying on scooters to get around.



I'm hoping that Sunday I will have all day to explore and book things.  Fran seems to like to have me work with Darcy and get things done, but since it's a holiday, it will just be the two of us and while she is sleeping perhaps I can book a trip!



Flossbolna said:


> I am so happy to hear that David's was able to rent out the bulk of your points!! At least you won't suffer from that aspect.



Yes, I was thrilled to get their email that someone wanted to use points in early May, that was perfect! And because they used up enough, I was willing to let the rest go to a good cause, just so that they were used up!

I was really happy to get that email.  I put aside my plans just to make sure I could do the reservation.  Not that I had big plans, I was going to pick up stuff at the pharmacy and get my cleaning lady.  Instead I was just late to get the cleaning lady and got the prescriptions while she cleaned.



Flossbolna said:


> Oh, the food sounds delicious!! I read about the tri tip on your previous trip report and thought that it sounded really delicious! I am at the moment reading my new guide book for California and already came across a couple of restaurants where it says in the description that they were offering tri tip. I think I would really like it. I am not a fan of prime rib as it has too much fat for my liking, but this looks like a leaner cut of meat!



With the TriTip the fat is all on the top of the meat (or the bottom depending on how you look at it).  The fat cooks out during the cooking process and usually seasons the meat, so that what you get on your plate is usually a very lean piece of meat.  It is also very flavorful



Flossbolna said:


> And that cake tasting!!  They all looked delicious! But I think I would have gone with lemon if it was halfway decent. Citrus desserts are just the best in my opinion!!



I'll give you all a hint, the lemon cake was my second choice!



scottny said:


> Good to hear surgery is not needed.



Yeah, we were really happy to hear that.



scottny said:


> Bell bottoms might be fun. LOL.
> 
> You’re welcome for the reminder.



I just don't like bell bottoms, I guess bad 70s memories, and yes I thank you for the reminder!  



scottny said:


> Nice view from the villa.
> 
> The plans sound fantastic. I think we will try Steakhousee 55 when we go.



You should request Chefs Table if you are there on a Th, Fri or Sat.



scottny said:


> The guest list looks like a fun bunch of people to share a weekend with. Cannot wait to read all about it.
> 
> Glad you rented all the points.



They will be a lot of fun and yes, I am SO glad we rented the points!



scottny said:


> Good to hear she was good going to practice.
> 
> The food sounds so good. The cake flavors also and I would have chosen mudslide. Cute cake design.



She had fun at band practice and another spoiler, we didn't pick mudslide, it wasn't nearly as good as I thought it would be.



DisneyFirefly said:


> So is Mickey going to be a sculpted cake, or like a modeling chocolate figure on top of another cake?



  figures the post about the cake made you come out of lurkdom!  It will be a sculpted cake.  Mickey will have a dowel inside him and they will give us a "manual" about cutting.  I'm curious how they will make the sax work, but they came up with this....



Pinkocto said:


> Oh my goodness, the cake tasting sounds amazing!!!! Right now I'd go with strawberry but I really like all types of cakes. Except mint.



And again, we thought strawberry might be a little strange even though we liked it.  There are only a few flavors left now!



Pinkocto said:


> Hooray for David's!!!!!!



Yes, Hooray for David's! If I can't have vacation, at least I can have money!

I was so thrilled to get that email!



Pinkocto said:


> That's wonderful Fran was able to get out and enjoy band



I think she really had a good time. And it gave her something to feel she accomplished.



Pinkocto said:


> I hope you can book your December trip soon. I was surprised how much I liked SSR and being right next to DTD. I mean really liked it! January was my second time and I appreciated it much more than the first.



We really liked our first trip at SSR, I'm just not sure what we want to do for this trip other than see the holiday decorations.  Maybe SSR will be perfect, and we'll just stay there.  I have some ideas for this trip and I just need time at the computer to work it out. I think Sunday will be the day. We don't have family or friends, and don't attend church so Easter will be the perfect time to do stuff, once we give Fran a shower.



Pinkocto said:


> That Friday I'll be driving seven hours to the wedding. I will be thinking of you guys!



Yikes, I'm not sure how far that gets you on the East Coast.  Here it would get you way past my parents house! Almost to the Northernmost part of California!



********** said:


> Enjoy hearing all the good news....
> 
> ...and now I hope I someday get invited to a tri-tip BBQ at a DVC resort!



Hey if our trips ever coincide, I will gladly invite your family to a Tri_tip BBQ!  I love sharing the joy!  I'm just not sure how often I'm going to bring a Tri Tip.  That depends on good weather, and grilling.  Prime Ribs are much easier to cook since they are indoor meats.  But I ill accept the challenge!  Hopefully I have a long life and my contracts go for a while, so I have a long time to try and grill Tri Tip at all the resorts!


----------



## Pinkocto

I didn't know Costco had that delicious looking mac/cheese!!!   

Hopefully you can book something on Sunday  

7 hours will take me up into New York, in the Adirondacks.  The venue is on a lake, it should be a fun wedding.  I'm just sad it coincided with your party.  You guys are going to have a blast!


----------



## Flossbolna

You know, I just thought that if you want to explore the Christmas decorations at the resorts, SSR might be the perfect place for you! You could just scooter (is that a word? would drive be correct here?) to the DTD bus stop and get a direct bus to a resort. I will have some beautiful fall/winter pictures of SSR coming up in my trip report. Michael commented on how much ch he liked the landscaping there as it was showing seasons. Being from Florida he loves seasonal changes in nature as he does not get them that much. For you Southern Californians that could be similar I would think.


----------



## franandaj

Pinkocto said:


> I didn't know Costco had that delicious looking mac/cheese!!!



It is sooooooo good! I'm sure it's full of calories! I hope I hit my 1st goal weight before the party so that I won't feel bad about going overboard for the weekend!



Pinkocto said:


> Hopefully you can book something on Sunday



I have the cruise picked out. I should just book that and do the rest when I can.



Pinkocto said:


> 7 hours will take me up into New York, in the Adirondacks. The venue is on a lake, it should be a fun wedding. I'm just sad it coincided with your party. You guys are going to have a blast!



Hmmmm, that doesn't seem like very far on a map, but it sounds lovely. I'm sure you will enjoy it.



Flossbolna said:


> You know, I just thought that if you want to explore the Christmas decorations at the resorts, SSR might be the perfect place for you! You could just scooter (is that a word? would drive be correct here?) to the DTD bus stop and get a direct bus to a resort.



That is a good point, it would make it easy to visit whichever resort we wanted to get to. We would use the verb "scoot".



Flossbolna said:


> I will have some beautiful fall/winter pictures of SSR coming up in my trip report. Michael commented on how much ch he liked the landscaping there as it was showing seasons. Being from Florida he loves seasonal changes in nature as he does not get them that much. For you Southern Californians that could be similar I would think.



Looking forward to seeing these. I used to joke that our seasons were Heat, Wind and Flood when I lived in the San Fernando Valley.  But with the drought we don't even get flood. In Long Beach we don't get wind either.


----------



## eandesmom

franandaj said:


> The main star of the evening will be the grilled Tri Trip. A couple years back I found out a very interesting fact about this cut of meat. Most people on the East Coast and some in the Midwest have never heard to this cut of meat, so I did a little research. It turns out that this is a California Specialty, specifically from Santa Maria, a somewhat rural area North of Santa Barbara known previously for ranching.
> 
> It seems that up until the 1950s this part of the cow was ground up for hamburger just like some of the other less desirable parts. But a special style of meat became popular called the “Santa Maria steak”. It was given a dry rub and grilled over oak, in a rotissierie, or cooked in a smoker. Here in California we often have this cut for Memorial Day, Fourth of July or Labor Day Barbeques. I hadn’t realized until we were planning our Gamers DISmeet in WDW that it was a regional favorite, as when I told folks what I was bringing to the potluck, they were like



I LOVE Tri Tip!  Despite being a west coaster, I had never heard of it until I went to a friends wedding.  He was from Santa Maria and she from Visalia, tri tip was all they could talk about, it was basically a requirement that it was the star of the dinner.  It is a bit similar to flank I think (and nearby each other on the cow).  Both are semi difficult to cook in the sense that if not done right, and cut right, they can be easily overcooked or horribly tough. But done right...YUM!!!!!

All of the salads look good.  I may fall under that healthy remark but sorry, put out tri tip, mac and cheese and potato salad and the poor quinoa is likely to get ignored.  LOL!



franandaj said:


> The one thing that I plan to prepare from scratch for this will be the famous Strawberry soup ala 1900 Park Fare. I’ve made this before and it will be very easy to make the day before when I’m at home. I’m going to make a triple recipe of this. It should be really good!



I am very much looking forward to this!



franandaj said:


> But the thing that I am probably most looking forward to is the Macaroni & Cheese! If you haven't had Costco's Mac and Cheese, give it a try, it's so tasty and creamy!



YUM!



franandaj said:


> Dulce de Leche
> Lemon
> Chocolate Raspberry
> Mudslide
> Strawberry Shortcake
> Yellow



Ok we know musdlide is out, and lemon was second....I am going with Strawberry Shortcake.  It just seems so californa and really suits the menu.

LOVE the designs!!!

Bell services may bring it all up but you'll have an army with you to help unload


----------



## kid-at-heart

franandaj said:


> I'm not sure who you have renamed Beth.



Opps, Margaret, not Beth.  

I am not a deadhead but I have seen about thirty shows, only because I dated a deadhead for six years and a lot of our "dates" involved following the dead...

I will message you via Facebook when we are closer to our trip.  The conference is not until late April 2016 so I have plenty of time for planning.


----------



## dgbg100106

Alison, that is great news about the points and about Fran being able to go to Band!  

I think I told you before that Duff made my wedding cake and grooms cake.  I got a different flavor for each layer!  Hint Hint.

Everything you have planned so far looks and sounds amazing.


----------



## Paula Sedley-Burke

Great news that Fran was able to score a bit of independance and drive to band. I agree it is a thin line between getting a bit of happy and setting yourself back! Well done for renting out points  

Your menu looks great! Costco is wonderful I agree. They do a brilliant lasagne here too like the mac n cheese. That always pleases the crowd. Oh my goodness I love the cake ideas. How lovely ace of cakes place opened up just in time


----------



## franandaj

eandesmom said:


> I LOVE Tri Tip! Despite being a west coaster, I had never heard of it until I went to a friends wedding. He was from Santa Maria and she from Visalia, tri tip was all they could talk about, it was basically a requirement that it was the star of the dinner. It is a bit similar to flank I think (and nearby each other on the cow). Both are semi difficult to cook in the sense that if not done right, and cut right, they can be easily overcooked or horribly tough. But done right...YUM!!!!!



I never cooked it until about eight years ago when we had a brief friendship with one of our longtime friend's family.  It was weird because we became friends following his death. But they taught me how to cook it properly.  I only knew how to sear things on the grill, now I can slow cook as well.



eandesmom said:


> All of the salads look good. I may fall under that healthy remark but sorry, put out tri tip, mac and cheese and potato salad and the poor quinoa is likely to get ignored. LOL!



Uh, oh, you were one of my prime candidates  but my mom was the #1 person I thought of. I also have some vegan friends who are coming. They have decided to eat meat for the weekend though, so they may be like you and gloss over it.



eandesmom said:


> I am very much looking forward to this!



I hope it's not too sweet!



eandesmom said:


> YUM!



I haven't had mac and cheese for two months, now and it will be three by the time it gets here!



eandesmom said:


> Ok we know musdlide is out, and lemon was second....I am going with Strawberry Shortcake. It just seems so californa and really suits the menu.
> 
> LOVE the designs!!!



I think it was Pam that I told no strawberry. It was good, just seemed odd.



eandesmom said:


> Bell services may bring it all up but you'll have an army with you to help unload



I already have a word doc with detailed instructions for each dish and what I want done with it when we get there.



kid-at-heart said:


> Opps, Margaret, not Beth.
> 
> I am not a deadhead but I have seen about thirty shows, only because I dated a deadhead for six years and a lot of our "dates" involved following the dead...



I sort of thought that was who you meant.  Yeah I wasn't a dead head either but fell into a group that had some and decided to go with it for a while.



kid-at-heart said:


> I will message you via Facebook when we are closer to our trip. The conference is not until late April 2016 so I have plenty of time for planning.



OK, I'll try and think of things between now and then.



dgbg100106 said:


> Alison, that is great news about the points and about Fran being able to go to Band!



Yes both were really uplifting last week.



dgbg100106 said:


> I think I told you before that Duff made my wedding cake and grooms cake. I got a different flavor for each layer! Hint Hint.
> 
> Everything you have planned so far looks and sounds amazing.



I thought about two flavors but decided against it in the end. It seemed strange to have Mickey one flavor and the saxophone a different one.



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> Great news that Fran was able to score a bit of independance and drive to band. I agree it is a thin line between getting a bit of happy and setting yourself back!



Exactly!



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> Well done for renting out points



I was rather pleased with the outcome.



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> Your menu looks great! Costco is wonderful I agree. They do a brilliant lasagne here too like the mac n cheese. That always pleases the crowd.



Never seen lasagne at ours, that sounds good too!



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> Oh my goodness I love the cake ideas. How lovely ace of cakes place opened up just in time



Yeah, I contacted some bakeries closer to home and none of them would do a copyrighted image. These people evidently do it all the time and had recently received praise from Disney via Twitter on a Frozen cake that they did.


----------



## Paula Sedley-Burke

That is fabulous that Ace of Cakes will do the Copyrighted image. I simply cannot wait to see the end product and what flavour you select. That is a sign of a good bakery getting praise from Disney! 

Where will the cake be on the birthday girl day or is it to be a surprise? In the Grand Villa is there a large table where you can spread all the glorious food? Sparkers on the cake too? I want to imagine it all there. But I might just have to wait....


----------



## afwdwfan

franandaj said:


> We ended up getting about three grand for the points so I was satisfied with that. Now all the points have been used and they won't go to waste.


I'm glad you were able to resolve that and put it behind you. 



franandaj said:


> Besides we are so close to being through the toughest part of this, I wouldn't want to see her suffer a setback.


Absolutely not!  I'm glad that she can get out, but I think your 2 spotter rule for her own good is probably a good thing. 



franandaj said:


> Going to band was great therapy. It really raised her spirits to see people, play her instrument and get a little bit of that "normal" feeling back. On the other hand it has really wiped her out and she has slept through most of the last two days. I suppose that's a good thing. It keeps her off her feet and gives her body more time to heal.


  I like it!  Get her tired so it keeps her out of trouble. 



franandaj said:


> The first thing is the proteins. Who doesn’t love a Costco Chicken? I plan on getting about four of these and reheating them in the villa’s oven.


I don't know... I've never had a Costco chicken.  



franandaj said:


> Most people on the East Coast and some in the Midwest have never heard to this cut of meat, so I did a little research. It turns out that this is a California Specialty, specifically from Santa Maria, a somewhat rural area North of Santa Barbara known previously for ranching.


Ok, I've heard of tri tip.  However, I didn't know it was a California delicacy.  Any beef that we've ever had custom butchered has had it ground up. 



franandaj said:


> I’m going to leave it as a surprise as to which flavor I chose, but after the consult, these are the sketches they sent me for my cakes. We are getting a sheet cake, to eat first and this is the basic idea.


Those look like some awesome cakes!  And that whole spread just looks pretty incredible!  I realize you're leaning heavily on Costco, but it still looks like quite the undertaking for your birthday!


----------



## jedijill

Sorry, late again but I'm here!  I CANNOT wait for your birthday party!!!  I've been looking forward to it for a year now and especially now with all the drama in my life.  I'm so happy Fran was able to get out to the car and drive to band!  What a relief it must have been for her to get out of the house and get back a bit to normal.

The food looks amazing!  I never buy that stuff at Costco since I live alone.  I can't wait to try it!   OMG!  You are getting an Ace of Cakes cake?!!?!?!?!?!?!?  And I get to eat it!?!?!?!?!??   

I'm so excited about seeing you guys, meeting Jenny, and seeing Cynthia for longer than 5 minutes.    The rest of your friends and family look like a blast too!  

I don't know if you are interested but I have an awesome baked bean recipe that can be made ahead and baked later.

Jill in CO


----------



## jedijill

And @PrincessInOz its not too late to book a flight!  There's plenty of room for you!

Jill in CO


----------



## PrincessInOz

jedijill said:


> And @PrincessInOz its not too late to book a flight!  There's plenty of room for you!
> 
> Jill in CO



Believe me.  I'm sorely tempted.


----------



## DisneyFirefly

franandaj said:


> figures the post about the cake made you come out of lurkdom!  It will be a sculpted cake.  Mickey will have a dowel inside him and they will give us a "manual" about cutting.  I'm curious how they will make the sax work, but they came up with this....



The sax might be rice krispie treat or modeling chocolate. I don't think cake would hold up well enough, but I'm sure they've got it sorted 

And hey, I've been reading, it's just been insane for me the last few days


----------



## jedijill

PrincessInOz said:


> Believe me.  I'm sorely tempted.



Do it, do it, do it!

Jill in CO


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

franandaj said:


> Now all the points have been used and they won't go to waste.



 Big load off the mind there!



franandaj said:


> On the healing front Fran is getting ancy.



I can't blame her.  It's hard to just sit and let things heal.  Boring, too.



franandaj said:


> This will be the second DVC resort where I have grilled TriTip, should I try for all of them?



Sounds like a worthy goal to me!



franandaj said:


> Mmmmmm Tri Tip….










franandaj said:


> If you haven't had Costco's Mac and Cheese, give it a try, it's so tasty and creamy!



Duly noted! I don't believe we've ever tried it.


----------



## franandaj

Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> That is fabulous that Ace of Cakes will do the Copyrighted image. I simply cannot wait to see the end product and what flavour you select. That is a sign of a good bakery getting praise from Disney!



I can't wait to see it live and in 3D as well!



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> Where will the cake be on the birthday girl day or is it to be a surprise? In the Grand Villa is there a large table where you can spread all the glorious food? Sparkers on the cake too? I want to imagine it all there. But I might just have to wait....



My birthday is the Friday night and we will definitely dig into the Tiggr sheet cake that night, I hope Mickey will be around to admire for a little while. We may take him back to the Sunday afternoon party at my house and dig into him there, or maybe Saturday....we'll see.  I plan to put all the food on the "bar counter" and have it wrap around to the stove and kitchen counter.  I am so OCD that I have actually written out (and plan to diagram) the food and the order it should go in!    I'm picky that way with buffets, as far as I am concerned there is an order, salads, fruits, mains, sides and a separate area for desserts.



afwdwfan said:


> I'm glad you were able to resolve that and put it behind you.



It was a relief and nice to get some actual cash for it.  It's already in the bank!    Well half of it, I get the rest when they check in.



afwdwfan said:


> Absolutely not! I'm glad that she can get out, but I think your 2 spotter rule for her own good is probably a good thing.



Thank you!


afwdwfan said:


> I like it! Get her tired so it keeps her out of trouble.



It seems to work.  Tonight is another night to get her all tuckered out!  Hopefully that gives me some DIS time in the next two days.



afwdwfan said:


> I don't know... I've never had a Costco chicken.



  Really?  They make a great meal for a picnic or a night when no one wants to cook!  And so tasty, I'm not sure if they season the skin with crack or what, but it's really good!  



afwdwfan said:


> Ok, I've heard of tri tip. However, I didn't know it was a California delicacy. Any beef that we've ever had custom butchered has had it ground up.



I just thought everyone ate it until planning our gamers meet.  It's really good.  I haven't had one in a while.  I've had four in my freezer since Labor Day (got them for $2.99/lb) and I'm saving three of them for this trip.  Maybe I'll have the other one for Memorial Day and then wait for them to go on sale again.



afwdwfan said:


> Those look like some awesome cakes! And that whole spread just looks pretty incredible! I realize you're leaning heavily on Costco, but it still looks like quite the undertaking for your birthday!



That's what I was saying in the opening part of the post, even though I'm trying to make it easy, somehow it still ends up to be a production, but I know I have lots of help and that will make set up a snap.  Then we can all just kick back and enjoy.



jedijill said:


> Sorry, late again but I'm here! I CANNOT wait for your birthday party!!!  I've been looking forward to it for a year now and especially now with all the drama in my life. I'm so happy Fran was able to get out to the car and drive to band! What a relief it must have been for her to get out of the house and get back a bit to normal.



I know!  I've been looking forward to it for long time too!  I hope your drama has calmed down by the time you get here and you can just relax.



jedijill said:


> The food looks amazing! I never buy that stuff at Costco since I live alone. I can't wait to try it! OMG! You are getting an Ace of Cakes cake?!!?!?!?!?!?!? And I get to eat it!?!?!?!?!??



I know!  I'm saying the same thing!



jedijill said:


> I'm so excited about seeing you guys, meeting Jenny, and seeing Cynthia for longer than 5 minutes.  The rest of your friends and family look like a blast too!



This is going to be so much fun with all of us hanging out.  I think everyone will get along really well.



jedijill said:


> I don't know if you are interested but I have an awesome baked bean recipe that can be made ahead and baked later.



I was thinking about some additional veggie/legume, but I have a feeling we already have too much food here!  



jedijill said:


> And @PrincessInOz its not too late to book a flight! There's plenty of room for you!



That would be so fun if you could make it, but I realize that the flight is almost as long as the party when you consider both legs of travel.


----------



## franandaj

DisneyFirefly said:


> The sax might be rice krispie treat or modeling chocolate. I don't think cake would hold up well enough, but I'm sure they've got it sorted
> 
> And hey, I've been reading, it's just been insane for me the last few days



I'm sure the sax will be cake because when we were discussing the possibility of two flavors, they suggested that Mickey could be one flavor and the sax could be another.  In the end I chose all one flavor.

I know your life has been crazy, but it's also exciting and bittersweet at the same time.  As you said in your thread, hopefully these four months will go by just as quick as the last fourteen.  I'm just sorry that I don't get to meet you in a week or so.



PrincessInOz said:


> Believe me.  I'm sorely tempted.





jedijill said:


> Do it, do it, do it!
> 
> Jill in CO






Captain_Oblivious said:


> Big load off the mind there!







Captain_Oblivious said:


> I can't blame her. It's hard to just sit and let things heal. Boring, too.



I can't imagine how bored she must be.  I would be spending all my time reading/writing TRs and planning future trips, but she doesn't even enjoy that.  She's just binge watching Game of Thrones waiting for the new season, and catching up on old Dr. Who episodes.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Sounds like a worthy goal to me!



I guess I'll have to get busy!



Captain_Oblivious said:


>



I got the Homer seal of approval!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Duly noted! I don't believe we've ever tried it.



I would think that would be a great "night off of cooking" for Julie, and I'm sure your crew would love it.  Is it Dave that eats either Quesadillas or Mac and Cheese?  He would probably really go for this!


----------



## franandaj

So it’s taken time and research, but I finally rebooked another trip to WDW.  I researched at least four possible itineraries, and for one reason or another (mostly band conflicts) only two worked out.  So I went with a Christmas trip, and I may miss a minor band concert, but at least we have something, and it will be new.  I have never been to WDW at Christmastime.  I’ve been to DLR plenty of times and it is really magical, but there is so much different at WDW and I’m glad that we will finally be able to see it.

It will be a 10 day trip with one day basically wasted with travel, the day traveling back at least we will still have a half day at WDW before returning.  So here’s the gist.  We fly to Orlando on December 6 and fly back to California on December 16. After thinking about our plans for the cancelled trip, I was not looking forward to having a great time at WDW, going on a cruise, and heading directly back to the ship. I wanted to end with a WDW trip not vice versa.

Since I wanted a Verandah and they were sold out on the Itinerary I wanted for the Fantasy, we ended up with a 4 night cruise on the Dream as we had before.  For the main reason that we get a day at sea, and hence can do the Remy Brunch with Champagne pairings. 

I have decided that it is easier to head back home after a trip to WDW, than it is from a cruise, so I wanted to do the WDW portion after the cruise. We discussed the options and decided that with the amount of time Fran is comfortable with being away from the cats and given the placement of the cruise (weekdays), going before and after would only give us two weekends (where the crowds would be heavy the entire time we would be at WDW).  We decided to only go to WDW after the cruise and while we would hit a weekend after the cruise, we would also get a couple weekdays as well.

So here’s the plan:  We’re going to fly to Orlando on December 6 and stay at the Hyatt inside MCO for that night.  Getting off the plane and going directly to the room sounds pretty appealing and the room rate was not bad at all. Thanks for this idea @Leshaface! The next morning we will book private transport to the port, and hopefully make a stop at a grocery store on the way to get Diet Mtn Dew, a few bottles of water and some wine for on board the ship.

We’ll board the ship hopefully close to noon and get acclimated to the new ship.  After 4 nights on the Dream, we will disembark on Friday the 11th and head to Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa.  We could change to another resort next month at 7 months, but we kind of decided that @Flossbolna had a good idea.  Staying at SSR we can scoot across the bridge to DTD and catch busses to any of the resorts very easily. Besides seeing the Osborne Lights, tasting the Christmas Kiosks at Epcot, the other thing I want to do is see the various resorts all dressed up for Christmas. 

We’re staying five nights at SSR before catching a late plane back to LAX, where we arrive around 7:30PM.  Because of the time of year it cost us an additional 10,000 frequent flyer miles per person, and because we were scheduled to come back on US Airways and on the original trip we had to pay an $82 change fee to have both legs on American.  I’d rather fly on American, and both are non stop flights, which is preferable.

So now we just have to keep Fran healthy enough to be able to go on this trip!  Today is two weeks from her next Ortho Doctor appointment where he will hopefully tell her that she can start bearing weight on the leg as tolerated, so we should countdown to that!  I might even make a ticker!


----------



## skier_pete

Yay for your new trip!  If you've never done WDW for the holidays, it's definitely worth it!  Especially if you've never seen the Osborne Lights or Candlelight Processional, the two biggest MUST DOs in my view.


----------



## afwdwfan

I think your plans look great!  I'm glad you'll get a chance to see WDW at Christmas.  I'm sure you'll love it.  It just seems extra magical that time of year!

Keep Fran off that leg so that it won't interfere with this trip!


----------



## jedijill

Oh, I'm so glad you found a combo that works out for you and its at the holidays!  WDW truly is magical!  I don't know if you are interested, but they offer a backstage holiday tour that goes to the big warehouse where they make and store all the decorations.  It's really cool.

Fingers crossed that Fran feels tons better by then!

Jill in CO


----------



## Paula Sedley-Burke

I don't think you are picky the devil is in the details! Congrats on your Christmas trip! Xx


----------



## KathyM2

Wow, that trip sounds so amazing!! I haven't ever seen SSR...I bet that will be fun too. And great idea about being able to resort hop easily from DTD! Yay!!


----------



## Flossbolna

Yeah!!!  New trip booked!!

Seems like you doing a kind of slightly shorter version of our trip last year! I think you will love it! I am so glad that I could give you an idea of how to make lemonade out of the lemons (or SSR points being the only ones available ). It will be fun to compare notes on our trips!

If you have never been to WDW during Christmas, I think you will love it. I was amazed how much I enjoyed the Osborne Lights. They are really much more prettier in person than on any picture or in any video. And I thought all the storytellers at Epcot were really wonderful. 

I think staying at the Hyatt at MCO is a very smart choice! It will make things so much easier for you! I know that if you take Disney transfers they even come up and collect the luggage in your room and you only see it again once you are on the ship. And I know that if you are staying at a Disney resort you can book the luggage transfer separately, even if you are taking other transportation to the port (not like it is with Magical Express where you need to be on the bus for you luggage to be transferred). It might be worth it it enquire if the same luggage transfer is available from the Hyatt. I think it is 35$ for up to 6 bags or so.


----------



## franandaj

********** said:


> Yay for your new trip!  If you've never done WDW for the holidays, it's definitely worth it!  Especially if you've never seen the Osborne Lights or Candlelight Processional, the two biggest MUST DOs in my view.



I really want to see the Osborne Lights. We've seen the Candlelight Processional at DL and while it was nice, it's not something we will need to do again.  There are more people who are clamoring to see it, so we'll probably leave it for them.



afwdwfan said:


> I think your plans look great!  I'm glad you'll get a chance to see WDW at Christmas.  I'm sure you'll love it.  It just seems extra magical that time of year!
> 
> Keep Fran off that leg so that it won't interfere with this trip!



I've been wanting to do a trip then ever since, we planned (and canceled) a potential trip there back in the last wave of canceled trips.



jedijill said:


> Oh, I'm so glad you found a combo that works out for you and its at the holidays!  WDW truly is magical!  I don't know if you are interested, but they offer a backstage holiday tour that goes to the big warehouse where they make and store all the decorations.  It's really cool.
> 
> Fingers crossed that Fran feels tons better by then!
> 
> Jill in CO



I'll keep that one in mind, I hope that she feels better in a few weeks!



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> I don't think you are picky the devil is in the details! Congrats on your Christmas trip! Xx



Thanks!



KathyM2 said:


> Wow, that trip sounds so amazing!! I haven't ever seen SSR...I bet that will be fun too. And great idea about being able to resort hop easily from DTD! Yay!!



A lot of people don't like SSR, but I think it has it's advantages, at least in this case, and when we rebook with Naked Jim.  I'll post details of that when I completely decide, but he wants to do a split stay which involves the Treehouses.



Flossbolna said:


> Yeah!!!  New trip booked!!
> 
> Seems like you doing a kind of slightly shorter version of our trip last year! I think you will love it! I am so glad that I could give you an idea of how to make lemonade out of the lemons (or SSR points being the only ones available ). It will be fun to compare notes on our trips!



Yeah, I guess we are, but no Thanksgiving where the fridge goes out!     However, it will be at our house this year.  We could have changed resorts at 7 months, but I've stayed at all the resorts (well now except for the Poly Bungalows), so it's time to go back to SSR.



Flossbolna said:


> If you have never been to WDW during Christmas, I think you will love it. I was amazed how much I enjoyed the Osborne Lights. They are really much more prettier in person than on any picture or in any video. And I thought all the storytellers at Epcot were really wonderful.



I really hope that they are still in the Streets of America, rumor has been that they would be moving to Epcot.



Flossbolna said:


> I think staying at the Hyatt at MCO is a very smart choice! It will make things so much easier for you! I know that if you take Disney transfers they even come up and collect the luggage in your room and you only see it again once you are on the ship. And I know that if you are staying at a Disney resort you can book the luggage transfer separately, even if you are taking other transportation to the port (not like it is with Magical Express where you need to be on the bus for you luggage to be transferred). It might be worth it it enquire if the same luggage transfer is available from the Hyatt. I think it is 35$ for up to 6 bags or so.



I'll definitely have to look into this!


----------



## PrincessInOz

Great work!  Sounds like an amazing reschedule.  I love Flossbolna's suggestion of staying at MCO before the cruise as well.  So glad it works for you.  And finishing off at WDW?  Pure Magic.


----------



## Flossbolna

PrincessInOz said:


> I love Flossbolna's suggestion of staying at MCO before the cruise as well.



Oh, I can't take credit for that!! That was @Leshaface! I just came up with the idea of inquiring about getting the luggage transferred.



franandaj said:


> Yeah, I guess we are, but no Thanksgiving where the fridge goes out!



Oh, yes, you better leave out that part!! And the part of a family member getting really sick (talking intensive care unit sick) just a few weeks before the trip. 

I kind of feel like I am sharing your excitement of booking as I just spend a long time on the phone with member services to add final touches to our DL reservation for the summer, we decided to add on one night at the Paradise Pier on points. Not a cheap option, but it will work for us to use points and be able to stay on property and let Disney handle the luggage. I just did not want to take the gamble of being able to get that one night via waitlist or through constant stalking of the website. This way we are now all set for the whole summer trip with the exception of the last night before I fly back! I have been spending the last few days reading my guide book and already realize that I need to plan three more trips to California before I will have seen everything I want to see (at least three, possible more!).


----------



## PrincessInOz

Flossbolna said:


> Oh, I can't take credit for that!! That was @Leshaface! I just came up with the idea of inquiring about getting the luggage transferred.



Yes, it was @Leshaface!

Sorry.  I did read her name when Alison typed it out but it was too early in the morning (it was around 7.30 am or so here).....my brain processed it as Flossbolna.  Hmmm.  I wonder if I need to be tested for dyslexia or something!


----------



## KathyM2

I was wondering about the treehouses....the descriptions sound pretty cool. I wonder what people don't like about SSR? Is it just the location?


----------



## ACDSNY

The December trip sounds awesome I really liked seeing the Osborne lights.


----------



## mvf-m11c

That is great that you will be going to WDW during the holiday season. I have done the holidays at WDW a couple of times and I wanted to go this year over the Halloween trip but it will be great to go back and enjoy the Halloween season & F&W Festival.


----------



## franandaj

PrincessInOz said:


> Great work!  Sounds like an amazing reschedule.  I love Flossbolna's suggestion of staying at MCO before the cruise as well.  So glad it works for you.  And finishing off at WDW?  Pure Magic.





Flossbolna said:


> Oh, I can't take credit for that!! That was @Leshaface! I just came up with the idea of inquiring about getting the luggage transferred.





PrincessInOz said:


> Yes, it was @Leshaface!
> 
> Sorry. I did read her name when Alison typed it out but it was too early in the morning (it was around 7.30 am or so here).....my brain processed it as Flossbolna. Hmmm. I wonder if I need to be tested for dyslexia or something!



OK, I'm glad the two of you worked this out while I was at band!



Flossbolna said:


> Oh, yes, you better leave out that part!! And the part of a family member getting really sick (talking intensive care unit sick) just a few weeks before the trip.



Well, if you saw my refrigerator, you would understand why it would be a problem to have it go out!  And definitely we don't anyone in the ICU!  We have had enough troubles with Wound clinics, Orthopedic surgeons, bionic hips and knees. It's time we get to relax and enjoy!



Flossbolna said:


> I kind of feel like I am sharing your excitement of booking as I just spend a long time on the phone with member services to add final touches to our DL reservation for the summer, we decided to add on one night at the Paradise Pier on points. Not a cheap option, but it will work for us to use points and be able to stay on property and let Disney handle the luggage. I just did not want to take the gamble of being able to get that one night via waitlist or through constant stalking of the website. This way we are now all set for the whole summer trip with the exception of the last night before I fly back!



I can understand that, I've never stayed there, but have heard it's pretty nice.  Can I ask where you are stopping staying in Northern California or on the way?



Flossbolna said:


> I have been spending the last few days reading my guide book and already realize that I need to plan three more trips to California before I will have seen everything I want to see (at least three, possible more!).



There are still places in California that I have yet to see!  We were sort of hoping to take a trip to Yosemite next May, but with the rescheduling of our WDW trip with Naked Jim, that makes May a very tight month.  We were hoping to go before June when the schools let out and the place gets mobbed with families.  There is so much to do in this great state!  You should check out PrincessInOz's thread on San Francisco, she covers so much more than just "the city".  She has probably seen more of California than I have and I have lived here since 1970!



KathyM2 said:


> I was wondering about the treehouses....the descriptions sound pretty cool. I wonder what people don't like about SSR? Is it just the location?



The tree houses are pretty cool, but they are also rather secluded, that can be a good or a bad thing.  What a lot of people complain about is that SSR is so huge, it goes on forever and there are like 4-5 different bus stops within the resort.  They find it "undisney like" and generic.  Those are the haters.  There are also folks who really love the resort, so it's all good.



ACDSNY said:


> The December trip sounds awesome I really liked seeing the Osborne lights.



I can't wait to see them in person.  Ever since that whole bout of canceling trips the last time, I got the bug in me to do a Christmas trip.  I just hope this trip isn't jinxed because it's planned on a canceled trip. 



mvf-m11c said:


> That is great that you will be going to WDW during the holiday season. I have done the holidays at WDW a couple of times and I wanted to go this year over the Halloween trip but it will be great to go back and enjoy the Halloween season & F&W Festival.



Thanks, I did want to go during F&W, but with our cruise to Baja and band commitments, it just won't work. So this is a good alternative!


----------



## franandaj

*Saturday Activities*

Many of the friends will be spending the day at the park.  I may go into the park and go on one ride, but I’m not making a day of it.  I’m planning on having lunch before heading to the spa and right now I have two places in mind.  The Paradise Garden Grill is a great place to get a Mediterranean style lunch.  You pick a meat and a sauce, and it’s served with rice and a pita, and a cucumber salad.  My choice is either the chicken or the kefta meatballs with tzatziki.









The other choice would be Uva Bar and Grill for a Lamburger.





I’d like to have lunch early in the day so I have all afternoon to work up an appetite for dinner!  Then it will be off to the Mandara Spa.  I think I will either do a Balinese Body Polish Massage or the Elemis Exotic Frangipani Body Nourish Wrap.  Either way I should be done by 3PM and will head back to the room to get ready for the evening.

I’ve told everyone to come gather at the room for Happy Hour at 4PM so that we can get ready for our evening!  Next post will be all about the libations, so you’ll have to wait until then.

I always love giving Marcel free reign on meals, he usually doesn’t disappoint.  Here we are a while back when life was happy.





First course will definitely be a soup.  He has served us mushroom soups.





This was a particularly interesting soup that he served us. I believe that this was also mushroom based, but what is odd is the tempura battered Jerusalem artichoke garnish.  It was pretty tasty though.





I know that these soups are not all mushroom based, but from my pictures it is starting to appear that way.  I guess he knows that mushroom soup is Fran’s favorite!





Here is a butternut squash soup





This lobster bisque was just exquisite!





I like to have a seafood course and a salad course.  Sometimes he combines the two like this.





He’s served us this meal on a number of occasions, and I really hadn’t realized how many times he has served this to us until I went back and looked through all my pictures from meals we have had with him.  I didn’t post all the instances, just two.





Other times he just goes with a salad









Sometimes they are rather unconventional.





And this spinach salad was prepared tableside for us.





His scallops are wonderful





And sometimes he even goes for a handmade pasta





We will be requesting Bison for the main course, but sadly I don’t have any pictures of the Bison that he has served us in the past.  He has made Weinerschnitzel for us.  One time he made us an entire German feast of five courses.





I’m not sure if I want a cheese course for this meal.





But I am going to request a dessert that is somewhat “cakelike”, although I saw a post from someone on another Disney board who was served a chocolate Death Star for dessert.  That might be nice as well!





This was one of his more interesting creations for us.





I love his soufflés, but that might be a little much for a party of 20+





This was also a great choice for dessert, a brownie topped with chocolate ice cream and chocolate sauce.





So here’s what I’m going to ask for:

5 courses – in any order: Soup, Salad, Seafood

Main Course – Bison with accompaniments (no truffle mashed potatoes)

Dessert – Something “cakeish”, doesn’t have to be cake, but would prefer that it’s not Crème Brulee, or another custardy based treat.

I will have to account for several folks with dietary concerns. I will remind him of my concerns: no organ meats, brains or other unusual cuts. No salmon, no Brussel sprouts, eggplant, peas or olives.

My sister’s family requests no: tomatoes, mushrooms, truffles, seafood, nuts, and pickles. My niece lists additional dislikes as horseradish, tartar sauce, wasabi, squash and blue cheese, but they should in no way effect our dishes, they can just have something off the main menu without any of these things.

Two last requests, one of the guests would like to know if it’s possible to substitute a Vegan or Seafood dish for the bison. She said the Ratatouille "Meatballs" on the appetizer menu sounded great. My mother would like a non chocolate dessert as it keeps her up at night.

Other than those guidelines/restrictions, we are looking forward to a tasty and memorable evening!

In addition to providing entertainment for my readers, this post has also allowed me to solidify my email to Chef Marcel about my requests for the dinner.  I shall send this off in the next week or so!


----------



## Dis_Yoda

Your dinner party sounds amazing!  It will be an awesome meal.  

Glad you set your dates for your scheduled Disney Trip.  I love WDW during Christmas time.  The Christmas Food Special Items are pretty much mostly desserts & a few of them are just offered at the normal kiosks, at least a couple years agp when I went.


----------



## dolphingirl47

I am glad that you managed to get this sorted out. The plans sound nice. I agree with not going home straight after a cruise. We did this a couple of times and since then I always plan at least a two days after the end of the cruise to enjoy.

I am glad that you get to see the Dream. It is a shame that the Fantasy did not work out, but this gives you more time at the parks. The Osborne Lights are truly magical and I do recommend the Candlelight Processional. I have done this twice now and loved it. I have seen videos from Disneyland and this seemed quite different. They offer dinner packages, which guarantee you a seat with minimal wait. I always go for the lunch as it is great value and you get to see the first show.

We have never stayed at Saratoga Springs as we own at Old Key West, but we spent some time just enjoying the resort in 2012 during our holiday season trip. We loved it and will definitely stay there at some stage in the future.

I normally much prefer Disneyland over Walt Disney World for a variety of reasons, but when it comes to the holiday season, Walt Disney World has the edge for me. I loved Disneyland during he holiday season last year, but I love the big scale events and the way the hotels are dressed up for Christmas at Walt Disney World. 

The plans for dinner at Steakhouse 55 sound great. Bison sounds an interesting choice. I have never tried this and wonder what it is like. I love the photos of past menus. The thought of a 5 course German menu has my mouth water.

Corinna


----------



## Paula Sedley-Burke

Food porn! Loving it. The lamburger gets my vote! That looks amazing. Great idea to have an early brunch/lunch so that you can really enjoy that amazing dinner that is lined up. Oh my Bison are you kidding me? Are you into cruelty or what lol. I could not believe what I was reading. Yum and double yum. Although the seafood course looks wonderful. Just look at that lobster! Pretty in pink. I would see the word Bison and the land would win.

Does he ever favour a land and sea option? Here it is popular to serve a kind of surf and turf. Both shell or fish dish and meat. Personally I prefer one or the other. Your menu sounds great. Death star! Loving it.

You are very considerate with your guests needs. How kind.


----------



## PrincessInOz

jedijill said:


> Do it, do it, do it!
> 
> Jill in CO



W-O-R-K will kill me if I run off now.


----------



## PrincessInOz

Okay.  All of the Dis-sers going to Alison's party......I will be HANGING out for the food porn.  This is going to be one amazing meal and party.


----------



## dgbg100106

Your plans for the Christmas trip sound wonderful, one of these days I want to do a resort only trip, where I just go and check out the resorts and spend all day looking at the decorations having tea and enjoying the spa, to me this sounds very relaxing.

The dinner party... OMG, I am so jealous...  I wish I was going to be there to share in your special birthday!  I know I will be toasting you from here!


----------



## jedijill

Dinner looks A-MAZ-ING! I can't believe I get to be a part of it!  I love bison and I'm happy you will be serving it.  @dolphingirl47  Bison is a lot like beef only much leaner.  It really is delicious if cooked correctly.  Artist Point at WDW serves an awesome bison steak (when its on the menu) and I like the bison burger at Ted's Montana Grill.

Jill in CO


----------



## Pinkocto

Hooray for booking a December trip!!!  Your plans sounds great    I know I said this before but I really liked SSR.  Being able to walk/scoot over to DTD is fabulous.  

WDW all decked out for the holidays is gorgeous.  And the Osborn lights are a sight to see!  

Oh my was my mouth watering with those food pictures!


----------



## jedijill

Alison,

Christmas party tickets went on sale today.  They haven't announced the DVC discount dates yet but I'm sure there will be discounted nights during your dates.

Jill in CO


----------



## KathyM2

Loving the food porn. I'll have the seafood and salad


----------



## mvf-m11c

Your plans during your birthday at the DLR is great. You can't go wrong with Paradise Grill or UVA Bar and Cafe. I have enjoyed those two places where you got me on them especially the UVA Bar. One of these days, I will have to go and eat at Steakhouse 55.


----------



## rentayenta

Okay, let me start by apologizing Alison for getting so terribly behind.  We went on vacation and my notifications stopped for this thread.

Thank you for warning me to eat before reading. HOLY MOLY!

Back to the order of updates. Admittedly I did not read the chatter in between updates or I'd never be caught up and with only a little over three weeks until the birthday bash weekend, I need to stay caught up. 

Sending good vibes that Fran's appointment next week goes well and yay to no surgery! 

Glad David's could rent most of your poins out. Most excellent news.

OMG the GV at the GCV!!!!!!!  

Love Jusitn already and Naked Jim of course and Cynthia and you and Fran and Jill. So looking forard to meeting your other friends and family. It's going to be a fabulous weekend!

Glad you were able to rent the 1st St place!

Your birthday cake will be amazing and can't wait to see taste what flavors you chose.

Love the WDW/cruise plans! I agree that leaving the cruise for home seems more harsh than leaving the parks for home.


----------



## afwdwfan

franandaj said:


> chocolate Death Star


Of all the things listed, this was the first to really grab my attention.  Delicious and awesome.  If it was my birthday, I know what I'd request!



franandaj said:


> This was also a great choice for dessert, a brownie topped with chocolate ice cream and chocolate sauce.


And this would be option number 2.  Clearly, I  have a slight addiction to chocolate!



franandaj said:


> In addition to providing entertainment for my readers, this post has also allowed me to solidify my email to Chef Marcel about my requests for the dinner. I shall send this off in the next week or so!


It looks delicious!  It has got to be hard to come up with a meal that will be acceptable to everyone in such a large party.  I think you've got a good plan in place, and having the alternative to just order from the regular menu if you don't like it would probably be the best plan of action!


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

franandaj said:


> So it’s taken time and research, but I finally rebooked another trip to WDW.







franandaj said:


> I have never been to WDW at Christmastime. I’ve been to DLR plenty of times and it is really magical, but there is so much different at WDW and I’m glad that we will finally be able to see it.



Awesome!  This is one of my bucket-list items too.



franandaj said:


> So now we just have to keep Fran healthy enough to be able to go on this trip! Today is two weeks from her next Ortho Doctor appointment where he will hopefully tell her that she can start bearing weight on the leg as tolerated, so we should countdown to that! I might even make a ticker!



Let's hope it's all good news!  Hoping she will be on her feet very soon.



franandaj said:


> kefta meatballs with tzatziki.



Uh huh.



franandaj said:


> Lamburger



Ok.



franandaj said:


> mushroom soups



Right.



franandaj said:


> tempura battered Jerusalem artichoke garnish



Whatever that is.



franandaj said:


> butternut squash soup



Sure.



franandaj said:


> lobster bisque



Whatever.



franandaj said:


> spinach salad



If you have to.



franandaj said:


> scallops



Yep.



franandaj said:


> Weinerschnitzel



Perking up...



franandaj said:


> cheese course



Better...



franandaj said:


> chocolate Death Star



Ok--wait, what??  Now THIS I gotta see!



franandaj said:


> I will have to account for several folks with dietary concerns. I will remind him of my concerns: no organ meats, brains or other unusual cuts. No salmon, no Brussel sprouts, eggplant, peas or olives.
> 
> My sister’s family requests no: tomatoes, mushrooms, truffles, seafood, nuts, and pickles. My niece lists additional dislikes as horseradish, tartar sauce, wasabi, squash and blue cheese, but they should in no way effect our dishes, they can just have something off the main menu without any of these things.



Wow, that's quite the list of demands there.  You're giving the chef a challenge!


----------



## dgbg100106

I was sharing your plans with DH and he said, "If you want to go, why don't you just do it"  Oh I wish I could....


----------



## eandesmom

franandaj said:


> Uh, oh, you were one of my prime candidates  but my mom was the #1 person I thought of. I also have some vegan friends who are coming. They have decided to eat meat for the weekend though, so they may be like you and gloss over it.



Oh I'll have some, I love quinoa, I'll just have everything else too!  I am an equal opportunity eater

LOL!



franandaj said:


> I already have a word doc with detailed instructions for each dish and what I want done with it when we get there.



Worker bee at the ready!



jedijill said:


> The food looks amazing!  I never buy that stuff at Costco since I live alone.  I can't wait to try it!   OMG!  You are getting an Ace of Cakes cake?!!?!?!?!?!?!?  And I get to eat it!?!?!?!?!??
> 
> I'm so excited about seeing you guys, meeting Jenny, and seeing Cynthia for longer than 5 minutes.
> 
> Jill in CO



I've had that Costco chicken, it's pretty darn good!  I've actually used it a few times to make homemade chicken noodle soup.

Seriously, that was ridiculous, like ships passing in the night.  I can't wait!



PrincessInOz said:


> Believe me. I'm sorely tempted.



DO IT



jedijill said:


> Do it, do it, do it!



What Jill said


franandaj said:


> I can't imagine how bored she must be. I would be spending all my time reading/writing TRs and planning future trips, but she doesn't even enjoy that. She's just binge watching Game of Thrones waiting for the new season, and catching up on old Dr. Who episodes.



Well, there are worse shows



franandaj said:


> I have never been to WDW at Christmastime.



You will LOVE it!  And it won't be during the horrible crowd season, sounds fabulous



franandaj said:


> Staying at SSR we can scoot across the bridge to DTD and catch busses to any of the resorts very easily.



Really good point!



franandaj said:


> Because of the time of year it cost us an additional 10,000 frequent flyer miles per person, and because we were scheduled to come back on US Airways and on the original trip we had to pay an $82 change fee to have both legs on American. I’d rather fly on American, and both are non stop flights, which is preferable.



All things considered, that's not bad at all



franandaj said:


> So now we just have to keep Fran healthy enough to be able to go on this trip! Today is two weeks from her next Ortho Doctor appointment where he will hopefully tell her that she can start bearing weight on the leg as tolerated, so we should countdown to that! I might even make a ticker!



Fingers crossed!



franandaj said:


> The Paradise Garden Grill is a great place to get a Mediterranean style lunch. You pick a meat and a sauce, and it’s served with rice and a pita, and a cucumber salad. My choice is either the chicken or the kefta meatballs with tzatziki.



I had the chicken one in August



franandaj said:


> The other choice would be Uva Bar and Grill for a Lamburger.



I'd probably vote for the lamburger.  I mean, it's your birthday and the chicken may be too healthy...it'll still be there.  



franandaj said:


> I think I will either do a Balinese Body Polish Massage or the Elemis Exotic Frangipani Body Nourish Wrap. Either way I should be done by 3PM and will head back to the room to get ready for the evening.



I had the Body Polish at Mandara in FL a few years ago.  AMAZING.  Scrub and Rub.  Can't say enough good things about it!



franandaj said:


> I’ve told everyone to come gather at the room for Happy Hour at 4PM so that we can get ready for our evening! Next post will be all about the libations, so you’ll have to wait until then.





franandaj said:


> First course will definitely be a soup. He has served us mushroom soups.



All of the soups look amazing!



franandaj said:


> I like to have a seafood course and a salad course. Sometimes he combines the two like this.



Wow!



franandaj said:


> And sometimes he even goes for a handmade pasta



That looks insanely good, all of it



franandaj said:


> We will be requesting Bison for the main course, but sadly I don’t have any pictures of the Bison that he has served us in the past. He has made Weinerschnitzel for us. One time he made us an entire German feast of five courses.



Jeff will be SOOOOOOOOOO jealous



franandaj said:


> I’m not sure if I want a cheese course for this meal.



We may not have room for cheese



franandaj said:


> But I am going to request a dessert that is somewhat “cakelike”, although I saw a post from someone on another Disney board who was served a chocolate Death Star for dessert. That might be nice as well!



Chocolate Death Star.  That is pretty darn cool



PrincessInOz said:


> W-O-R-K will kill me if I run off now.



not if they want you to come back!


----------



## scottny

WDW at Christmas time is so magical.

Love SSR. One of our faves.

Definitely take a day and visit the resorts.

Both of those choices for food looked good.

The 5 courses sound delicious.

The Death Star sounds like fun. Ask for that. LOL.


----------



## ACDSNY

Oh my Sebastian was on the plate!  Love the food porn and the five courses sound great.


----------



## franandaj

Dis_Yoda said:


> Your dinner party sounds amazing!  It will be an awesome meal.
> 
> Glad you set your dates for your scheduled Disney Trip.  I love WDW during Christmas time.  The Christmas Food Special Items are pretty much mostly desserts & a few of them are just offered at the normal kiosks, at least a couple years agp when I went.



I can't wait!  I just sent off my requests to the chef!



dolphingirl47 said:


> I am glad that you managed to get this sorted out. The plans sound nice. I agree with not going home straight after a cruise. We did this a couple of times and since then I always plan at least a two days after the end of the cruise to enjoy.



Unless the cruise is departing from a port close to home, I've always had at least one day after, going directly to the plane seems really depressing when I think about it.



dolphingirl47 said:


> I am glad that you get to see the Dream. It is a shame that the Fantasy did not work out, but this gives you more time at the parks. The Osborne Lights are truly magical and I do recommend the Candlelight Processional. I have done this twice now and loved it. I have seen videos from Disneyland and this seemed quite different. They offer dinner packages, which guarantee you a seat with minimal wait. I always go for the lunch as it is great value and you get to see the first show.



I think we're going to skip the CP.  It's a little to heavy on the choir part.



dolphingirl47 said:


> We have never stayed at Saratoga Springs as we own at Old Key West, but we spent some time just enjoying the resort in 2012 during our holiday season trip. We loved it and will definitely stay there at some stage in the future.



I thought about OKW, I love the Jacuzzi tubs there, but the ease of getting to DTD sounds really convenient.



dolphingirl47 said:


> I normally much prefer Disneyland over Walt Disney World for a variety of reasons, but when it comes to the holiday season, Walt Disney World has the edge for me. I loved Disneyland during he holiday season last year, but I love the big scale events and the way the hotels are dressed up for Christmas at Walt Disney World.



Seeing the hotels is going to be one of the big draws of this trip.  I think that's what we will do on the weekend days since the parks will probably be crazy busy.



dolphingirl47 said:


> The plans for dinner at Steakhouse 55 sound great. Bison sounds an interesting choice. I have never tried this and wonder what it is like. I love the photos of past menus. The thought of a 5 course German menu has my mouth water.



I just sent off my email to the chef, I look forward to hearing his response.  He is not one to chat a lot via email, but I hope he will be there that night and be able to accommodate my requests.



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> Food porn! Loving it. The lamburger gets my vote! That looks amazing. Great idea to have an early brunch/lunch so that you can really enjoy that amazing dinner that is lined up. Oh my Bison are you kidding me? Are you into cruelty or what lol. I could not believe what I was reading. Yum and double yum. Although the seafood course looks wonderful. Just look at that lobster! Pretty in pink. I would see the word Bison and the land would win.



The lamburger is sounding really good right now.  But I get the best of both worlds, a seafood course and a meat course!



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> Does he ever favour a land and sea option? Here it is popular to serve a kind of surf and turf. Both shell or fish dish and meat. Personally I prefer one or the other. Your menu sounds great. Death star! Loving it.



We usually have a sea course, then a land course.  I hope he can do the Death star!



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> You are very considerate with your guests needs. How kind.



I know my family.  They won't touch their plates if it has any of this stuff on it.



PrincessInOz said:


> W-O-R-K will kill me if I run off now.







PrincessInOz said:


> Okay. All of the Dis-sers going to Alison's party......I will be HANGING out for the food porn. This is going to be one amazing meal and party.



Counting down.  



dgbg100106 said:


> Your plans for the Christmas trip sound wonderful, one of these days I want to do a resort only trip, where I just go and check out the resorts and spend all day looking at the decorations having tea and enjoying the spa, to me this sounds very relaxing.



That does sound relaxing...



dgbg100106 said:


> The dinner party... OMG, I am so jealous... I wish I was going to be there to share in your special birthday! I know I will be toasting you from here!



I wish you were joining us too!


----------



## franandaj

jedijill said:


> Dinner looks A-MAZ-ING! I can't believe I get to be a part of it!  I love bison and I'm happy you will be serving it.  @dolphingirl47  Bison is a lot like beef only much leaner.  It really is delicious if cooked correctly.  Artist Point at WDW serves an awesome bison steak (when its on the menu) and I like the bison burger at Ted's Montana Grill.
> 
> Jill in CO



I'm really hoping he'll be able to serve us Bison, I haven't had it for a while.



Pinkocto said:


> Hooray for booking a December trip!!! Your plans sounds great  I know I said this before but I really liked SSR. Being able to walk/scoot over to DTD is fabulous.
> 
> WDW all decked out for the holidays is gorgeous. And the Osborn lights are a sight to see!



I haven't stayed there since 2008, I'm looking forward to it.


Pinkocto said:


> Oh my was my mouth watering with those food pictures!



I'm going to be happy to eat like that, even if it's only for one night!



jedijill said:


> Alison,
> 
> Christmas party tickets went on sale today.  They haven't announced the DVC discount dates yet but I'm sure there will be discounted nights during your dates.
> 
> Jill in CO



I think we're going to skip this one. We didn't think the Halloween Party was such a big deal, and I think I'd rather spend our money on a nice dinner somewhere.



KathyM2 said:


> Loving the food porn. I'll have the seafood and salad







mvf-m11c said:


> Your plans during your birthday at the DLR is great. You can't go wrong with Paradise Grill or UVA Bar and Cafe. I have enjoyed those two places where you got me on them especially the UVA Bar. One of these days, I will have to go and eat at Steakhouse 55.



I definitely like both, I'll see who I can get to come with me and where.



rentayenta said:


> Okay, let me start by apologizing Alison for getting so terribly behind.  We went on vacation and my notifications stopped for this thread.



You're excused.  



rentayenta said:


> Thank you for warning me to eat before reading. HOLY MOLY!



I meant it!



rentayenta said:


> Back to the order of updates. Admittedly I did not read the chatter in between updates or I'd never be caught up and with only a little over three weeks until the birthday bash weekend, I need to stay caught up.
> 
> Sending good vibes that Fran's appointment next week goes well and yay to no surgery!



I'm getting very busy so it won't be hard to keep up!  Not too many more updates left to post!



rentayenta said:


> Glad David's could rent most of your poins out. Most excellent news.



It sure was a big relief!



rentayenta said:


> OMG the GV at the GCV!!!!!!!



I know 19 more days!



rentayenta said:


> Love Jusitn already and Naked Jim of course and Cynthia and you and Fran and Jill. So looking forard to meeting your other friends and family. It's going to be a fabulous weekend!







rentayenta said:


> Glad you were able to rent the 1st St place!



Definitely a relief!



rentayenta said:


> Your birthday cake will be amazing and can't wait to see taste what flavors you chose.



I can't wait either!



rentayenta said:


> Love the WDW/cruise plans! I agree that leaving the cruise for home seems more harsh than leaving the parks for home.



The more I thought about the previous trip (now canceled) and the idea of going directly to the airport made me depressed.



afwdwfan said:


> Of all the things listed, this was the first to really grab my attention. Delicious and awesome. If it was my birthday, I know what I'd request!



I did request it!  We'll see what he replies!



afwdwfan said:


> And this would be option number 2. Clearly, I have a slight addiction to chocolate!



I'm not a chocoholic, but I enjoy it, and since my cake the night before isn't chocolate....



afwdwfan said:


> It looks delicious! It has got to be hard to come up with a meal that will be acceptable to everyone in such a large party. I think you've got a good plan in place, and having the alternative to just order from the regular menu if you don't like it would probably be the best plan of action!



Well they don't really get a choice.  I call this kind of meal Marcel Roulette, either eat it or don't!  



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Awesome! This is one of my bucket-list items too.



I've been tossing around the idea for at least the last four years, I hope it comes to fruition!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Let's hope it's all good news! Hoping she will be on her feet very soon.



She's getting more and more independent.  I really hope the doctor lets her bear weight on it in 9 days.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Uh huh.



Yup.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Ok.



I thought you might say that.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Right.



All Rightey then!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Whatever that is.







Captain_Oblivious said:


> Sure.







Captain_Oblivious said:


> Whatever.



If you say so.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> If you have to.



We do.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Yep.



And then some.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Perking up...



It's about time.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Better...



It is.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Ok--wait, what?? Now THIS I gotta see!



I just realized that I have had one of these before in honor of the reopening of Star Tours.







Captain_Oblivious said:


> Wow, that's quite the list of demands there. You're giving the chef a challenge!



Well he only has to do this for my sister's family, the rest of us eat plenty of things.



dgbg100106 said:


> I was sharing your plans with DH and he said, "If you want to go, why don't you just do it"  Oh I wish I could....



I wish you could too!


----------



## franandaj

eandesmom said:


> Oh I'll have some, I love quinoa, I'll just have everything else too! I am an equal opportunity eater
> 
> LOL!



Well the quinoa was nixed last night.  I am getting two of their mixed sushi plates instead.  My mom liked that idea better.



eandesmom said:


> Worker bee at the ready!



I'll need to wrap up that list!



eandesmom said:


> I've had that Costco chicken, it's pretty darn good! I've actually used it a few times to make homemade chicken noodle soup.
> 
> Seriously, that was ridiculous, like ships passing in the night. I can't wait!



At least there is another vote for the chicken!



eandesmom said:


> DO IT
> 
> What Jill said







eandesmom said:


> Well, there are worse shows



At least she's not watching "Here comes Honey Boo Boo!"



eandesmom said:


> You will LOVE it! And it won't be during the horrible crowd season, sounds fabulous



That's what I'm counting on .



eandesmom said:


> Really good point!



I thank Magdalene for that one.



eandesmom said:


> All things considered, that's not bad at all



I thought so.



eandesmom said:


> Fingers crossed!



Me too!



eandesmom said:


> I had the chicken one in August
> 
> I'd probably vote for the lamburger. I mean, it's your birthday and the chicken may be too healthy...it'll still be there.



I am leaning towards the lamburger, I would probably get the kefta meatballs instead of the chicken.



eandesmom said:


> I had the Body Polish at Mandara in FL a few years ago. AMAZING. Scrub and Rub. Can't say enough good things about it!



I've had the Body Polish quite a few times which is why I'm thinking of doing the other.



eandesmom said:


> All of the soups look amazing!



His soups are always amazing.



eandesmom said:


> Wow!



That's probably one of my most favorite dishes he makes.



eandesmom said:


> That looks insanely good, all of it



That's why we keep going back to Marcel.



eandesmom said:


> Jeff will be SOOOOOOOOOO jealous







eandesmom said:


> We may not have room for cheese



I don't think we will.



eandesmom said:


> Chocolate Death Star. That is pretty darn cool



I went ahead and asked for that.  It was just too cool not to.



scottny said:


> WDW at Christmas time is so magical.
> 
> Love SSR. One of our faves.
> 
> Definitely take a day and visit the resorts.



I can't wait to experience it, and it's about time to go back to SSR.



scottny said:


> Both of those choices for food looked good.
> 
> The 5 courses sound delicious.
> 
> The Death Star sounds like fun. Ask for that. LOL.



Definitely doing the Death Star if he'll make it for us.



ACDSNY said:


> Oh my Sebastian was on the plate! Love the food porn and the five courses sound great.



Now we just wait.  Requests have been made!


----------



## eandesmom

franandaj said:


> Well the quinoa was nixed last night. I am getting two of their mixed sushi plates instead. My mom liked that idea better.



oooh me too!



franandaj said:


> At least she's not watching "Here comes Honey Boo Boo!"



OMG I totally almost had a water spewing moment when I read that.  Too funny!



franandaj said:


> I am leaning towards the lamburger, I would probably get the kefta meatballs instead of the chicken.



I should try the meatball version at some point.



franandaj said:


> I've had the Body Polish quite a few times which is why I'm thinking of doing the other.



wraps wierd me out.  Granted I've only had one once but I got soooooo cold towards the end just lying there, all wrapped up....



franandaj said:


> I went ahead and asked for that. It was just too cool not to.



COOL!


----------



## franandaj

eandesmom said:


> oooh me too!



I went to Costco, (and Sam's and Walmart) on Friday and was looking around at various options, the sushi looked good and I figured it was a much better call than quinoa salad.



eandesmom said:


> OMG I totally almost had a water spewing moment when I read that. Too funny!







eandesmom said:


> I should try the meatball version at some point.



It's really good, but I can only eat one of the meatballs.



eandesmom said:


> wraps wierd me out. Granted I've only had one once but I got soooooo cold towards the end just lying there, all wrapped up....



I never have a problem with getting too cold, I'm usually always warm.



eandesmom said:


> COOL!



The more I thought about it, the more I wanted one.


----------



## franandaj

Of Libations

It wouldn’t be a party without festive beverages. I have plans for many of them. So lets begin with the basics. It is fair to say that there will be alcohol consumed over the course of the weekend, so the first and most important libation for the weekend will be water.  Lots of it.

There will be 11 people staying in the room, and as many as a dozen other folks who will joining us at various points throughout the weekend. I’m planning on bringing 4 cases of water, and I’ll bring three of them up to the room, we’ll reserve the fourth in case we end up needing it.

We’ll be bringing a supply of Diet Mtn Dew for Fran, Pepsi for Darcy, and an additional supply of Diet Sodas for everyone else.  Recently we purchased this beverage dispenser from Costco, we had been talking about getting one since we saw a similar one at Sur la Table.  But this one is acrylic and not glass, therefore not as heavy and not as breakable!    We’ll fill this with Costco lemonade.





Then there are the adult beverages.  At Sam’s Club the other day, I picked up six magnums of wine, three Chardonnay, three Pinot Grigio.  I like Barefoot as a “house” wine.  They are supportive of the LGBT community and it’s a very affordable and drinkable wine.





I’ve picked a dozen red wines from my cellar to bring for Friday night in the room and Happy Hour on Saturday. There’s a lot of wines from Beaulieu as I’m in their wine club, Petit Syrah, Zinfandels, Merlot, Dulcet. Also a few from Cakebread, Merlot, Rubiyat, Syrah and Zinfandel.









For Saturday night, I am bringing wine to pair with the Bison course, it will be a 2002 Beaulieu Georges de Latour Cabernet Sauvignon.  The remaining wines to pair with dinner will be provided by the restaurant.

I also have several bottles of Rosa Regale sitting around waiting to be drank.

I will be bringing an assortment of beers, probably a 12 pack of Heineken and a 12 pack of Corona.

Then there are the other spirits.  Of course we will be bringing Tequila and Margarita Mix!  Vodka and Bloody Mary Mix, Whiskey, Rum, Vermouth and other mixers.  I think that will be plenty!


----------



## jedijill

I am resting my liver in advance.  Vodka will pair nicely with the Costco lemonade and all that wine has my name on it!

Jill in CO


----------



## KathyM2

Now it's a party!!!


----------



## rentayenta

Ugh having to post from my phone as our wireless is being so choppy. 

I'd love to try the lamb burger. It's always on my list but never get around to it. 

The wine list sounds fabulous. 

I was a mean bartender in my day and will be more than happy to help mix drinks if anyone is interested. I make a crazy good homemade Bloody Mary. 

I'm resting my liver with Jill's aside from the Pacifico I'm drinking right now.


----------



## eandesmom

jedijill said:


> I am resting my liver in advance.  Vodka will pair nicely with the Costco lemonade and all that wine has my name on it!
> 
> Jill in CO



I'll need to dry out after Hawaii, LOL!



rentayenta said:


> The wine list sounds fabulous.
> 
> I was a mean bartender in my day and will be more than happy to help mix drinks if anyone is interested. I make a crazy good homemade Bloody Mary.
> 
> I'm resting my liver with Jill's aside from the Pacifico I'm drinking right now.



I was a mean wine bottle opener in my day!

I didn't rest my liver today...there was a beer garden at my half marathon.  LOL!  Tomorrow is a rest day.


----------



## Leshaface

franandaj said:


>



Woah!!!



franandaj said:


> It looks like our property on 1st street will be rented



Yay awesome!



franandaj said:


> Disney canceled the Food & Wine Festival out West.



I was so so sad when this happened.  I only went to 2 of them, but was so excited to go to the next one and then it was canceled.  Wonder if they'll ever bring it back??



franandaj said:


>



That view from the couch!



franandaj said:


>



I can already see you mixing up those cocktails 



franandaj said:


> There is a pool table on the landing at the top of the stairs.



So much fun!



franandaj said:


>





Definitely the best view in all of the GCH for sure!



franandaj said:


> Happy hour will begin in the room around 4PM. Around 5:30, we will all head over to Steakhouse 55 where we have the private dining room reserved, for a special meal cooked by Marcel St. Pierre (at least I hope he is there that night!). If we’re not in a food coma after dinner, we can head back to the room and enjoy the view some more!







franandaj said:


> The first one was Jill





franandaj said:


> next up Is Cynthia





franandaj said:


> This is me with Jenny



So excited to meet all of them and your family and band members too!



franandaj said:


> And the last two party attendees are Alicia & Daniel. Based on the good news that she posted on her TR, hopefully they will be able to make it down for the Saturday night part of the festivities.



Definitely coming 



franandaj said:


> So I have some good news on the real life front. First off, David's Vacation Rentals was able to rent out the bulk of my points yesterday. There wasn't much left there, so I let some friends use the rest towards a weekend getaway at DLR through the Disney Collection. We ended up getting about three grand for the points so I was satisfied with that. Now all the points have been used and they won't go to waste.



That's awesome news, glad to hear they didn't go to waste.



franandaj said:


> But if any of you know, my idea of simple is most people’s idea of a big production.



This is true



franandaj said:


> Who doesn’t love a Costco Chicken?



They do have great chicken!



franandaj said:


>



I just made a very delicious tri tip yesterday for dinner.  Unfortunately it was cooked to Medium well/Well done and not raw like yours   Still ate it though!



franandaj said:


> But what about the vegetarians you ask?



What are those?? 



franandaj said:


>





franandaj said:


>



Very very cool!



franandaj said:


> If you haven't had Costco's Mac and Cheese, give it a try, it's so tasty and creamy!



I actually haven't!  I'll pick one up next time.  



franandaj said:


> It will be a 10 day trip with one day basically wasted with travel, the day traveling back at least we will still have a half day at WDW before returning.





franandaj said:


> So here’s the plan: We’re going to fly to Orlando on December 6 and stay at the Hyatt inside MCO for that night. Getting off the plane and going directly to the room sounds pretty appealing and the room rate was not bad at all. Thanks for this idea @Leshaface!



Yay glad you got this all figured out!  And you'll love the convenience of the Hyatt for sure.



franandaj said:


>





franandaj said:


>



These plates are DELICIOUS!  These would be good choices for sure.



franandaj said:


>







franandaj said:


> I love his soufflés, but that might be a little much for a party of 20+



Oh no it wouldn't! 



franandaj said:


> 5 courses – in any order: Soup, Salad, Seafood
> 
> Main Course – Bison with accompaniments (no truffle mashed potatoes)
> 
> Dessert – Something “cakeish”, doesn’t have to be cake, but would prefer that it’s not Crème Brulee, or another custardy based treat.




Your menu looks wonderful.  So excited! 



franandaj said:


> I picked up six magnums of wine







franandaj said:


> Rosa Regale






Oh my gosh.  Your bday weekend is going to be so much fun, i'm excited for you!


----------



## franandaj

jedijill said:


> I am resting my liver in advance.  Vodka will pair nicely with the Costco lemonade and all that wine has my name on it!
> 
> Jill in CO



Hmmmmm   we may need more lemonade....



KathyM2 said:


> Now it's a party!!!



  



rentayenta said:


> Ugh having to post from my phone as our wireless is being so choppy.
> 
> I'd love to try the lamb burger. It's always on my list but never get around to it.



You gals may be "parked out" by Saturday, so please come along for lunch!  We could split one, that way I would be sure to still be hungry for dinner!



rentayenta said:


> The wine list sounds fabulous.
> 
> I was a mean bartender in my day and will be more than happy to help mix drinks if anyone is interested. I make a crazy good homemade Bloody Mary.



I was hoping to use the Bloody Mary Mix that Fran bought when Ralphs when out of business.  But I might think that mix is gross.  What ingredients would you need?



rentayenta said:


> I'm resting my liver with Jill's aside from the Pacifico I'm drinking right now.



Resting ones liver.  That's an interesting concept.  



eandesmom said:


> I'll need to dry out after Hawaii, LOL!
> 
> I was a mean wine bottle opener in my day!
> 
> I didn't rest my liver today...there was a beer garden at my half marathon.  LOL!  Tomorrow is a rest day.



We'll have to see, my Dad usually likes to have that honor....


----------



## franandaj

Leshaface said:


> I was so so sad when this happened. I only went to 2 of them, but was so excited to go to the next one and then it was canceled. Wonder if they'll ever bring it back??



Probably not, California is so strict with their food laws and such, it's way difficult to have anything like Florida does at Epcot. Evidently they make way more on the Mad Tea Parties selling watered down booze to millenials than they did with all the staging and hassle of the F&W.  I would be happy if they just brought back the Cooking School and Wine Dinners, but then Andrew Sutton is now spread so thin he probably doesn't have time to do the Cooking School in his own kitchen anymore.


Leshaface said:


> That view from the couch!



I hope you guys make sure you can make Happy Hour to enjoy it!  I have all the fixings for a Manhattan!



Leshaface said:


> I can already see you mixing up those cocktails



Jenny is going to be the bartender!  I forgot to post a picture of the glass I bought myself!  I'll have to do that tomorrow!



Leshaface said:


> So much fun!



I'm sure that pool table will be seeing some action!


Leshaface said:


> Definitely the best view in all of the GCH for sure!



I'm looking forward to seeing WoC from that view!  



Leshaface said:


>



You guys will definitely be there, right?



Leshaface said:


> So excited to meet all of them and your family and band members too!



It will be great for so many DISers to actually meet, and my band friends are really crazy fun.  I think everyone will have a good time!



Leshaface said:


> Definitely coming



Awesome!



Leshaface said:


> That's awesome news, glad to hear they didn't go to waste.


'

And we got some cash from them, so that was nice too.


Leshaface said:


> This is true



Sad but true, I'm not in denial that I'm a major production type.  Sometimes it creates problems for Fran and I at home.  What I think is an "easy dinner", she thinks is a total production.  I don't get it, I want to eat good food and don't mind the prep it takes to make it, but evidently sometimes she thinks I do too much.  Like tomorrow, I'm going to make a Prime Rib, mushrooms slow cooked in a red wine broth and roasted vegetables.  I don't think it's too much, but maybe the rest of you think otherwise.  I was going to make that tonight, but decided that Chicken Enchiladas Rancheras took more work, so I made that tonight when I didn't have work to do today. Tomorrow I chose the easy thing for dinner.



Leshaface said:


> They do have great chicken!



Yay!  Another vote for the chicken!



Leshaface said:


> I just made a very delicious tri tip yesterday for dinner. Unfortunately it was cooked to Medium well/Well done and not raw like yours  Still ate it though!



Mine wasn't raw!  But I am particular on how it is cooked, I will probably want to oversee the cooking.  I'll maybe make two my way and cook one a little longer.  They will cook a little more in the warming tray.



Leshaface said:


> What are those??







Leshaface said:


> Very very cool!



The Mickey cake will hopefully still be in tact when you guys come for Happy Hour.



Leshaface said:


> I actually haven't! I'll pick one up next time.



I have actually literally cut the tray in half and froze half of it so that it worked for two servings.  You have family that you can serve it to and could actually make the whole thing at once. You really should try it, so good!



Leshaface said:


> Yay glad you got this all figured out! And you'll love the convenience of the Hyatt for sure.



Thank you for the idea.  After reading your TR, I thought that it would be a lot easier to just stay there than go to a Disney Resort and try and get transport.  Plus it would be so much easier on Fran.



Leshaface said:


> These plates are DELICIOUS! These would be good choices for sure.



They would be, but I think I'm going to the Uva Bar for the lamburger.



Leshaface said:


> Oh no it wouldn't!



  Well I put in the request for the Death Star so we'll see how that goes.



Leshaface said:


> Your menu looks wonderful. So excited!



I'm sure you guys will love it!



Leshaface said:


>







Leshaface said:


> Oh my gosh. Your bday weekend is going to be so much fun, i'm excited for you!



I"m so glad you will be joining us!


----------



## Flossbolna

Oh, this is a large variety of drinks!! Seems like you have every taste covered! And I made a mental note of your recommendation of Barefoot. I am always at a total loss as to which wine to buy when I am in the US. I know my way around European wines, but I don't want to buy an Italian Pinot Grigio when I am in the US. Michael is no help at all in that regard, so I usually buy something with a pretty label and that is not the best way to pick a wine! I will keep Barefoot in mind!


----------



## PrincessInOz

What great libations.  It's going to be a very fun party.


----------



## rentayenta

Mary mix has a lot of ingredients so pre-mix is fine. If you're wanting homemade, I use Clamato, Worcestershire, celery salt, pepper, horseradish, Louisiana hot sauce (not Tabasco), green olives, celery, lemon. Oh and vodka!


----------



## afwdwfan

Wow... that's quite the list.  Both alcohol and non-alcohol.

I can definitely see quite a bit of that lemonade being used under both categories.


----------



## dolphingirl47

That sounds like a great selection. We can now get Barefoot wines in the UK and we rather like them. I may just be a touch jealous about the Rosa Regale. I have one bottle left and don't dare opening it just in case I won't be able to source any more.

Corinna


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

I won't even pretend to know anything about wine, but it sounds like you have the bases covered!


----------



## ShellB8585

Allison all of your plans sound wonderful! You will certainly be celebrating in style!


----------



## skier_pete

NOW it's a party!  WOO HOO!


----------



## franandaj

Flossbolna said:


> Oh, this is a large variety of drinks!! Seems like you have every taste covered! And I made a mental note of your recommendation of Barefoot. I am always at a total loss as to which wine to buy when I am in the US. I know my way around European wines, but I don't want to buy an Italian Pinot Grigio when I am in the US. Michael is no help at all in that regard, so I usually buy something with a pretty label and that is not the best way to pick a wine! I will keep Barefoot in mind!



I have a wide audience for beverages, so I think that it's good to have a variety.  I think a lot of people will be drinking wine though. Barefoot is really a decent and affordable wine.  There are lots of those sorts of wines here, but I'm liking Barefoot because they have been coming to the Pride Festivals for the past couple years and serving their wines as an alternative to the crappy beers and overpriced Seagrams cocktails that they offer.



PrincessInOz said:


> What great libations.  It's going to be a very fun party.



I hope so!  We've got a great cast, great food, I don't see why it shouldn't be awesome!



rentayenta said:


> Mary mix has a lot of ingredients so pre-mix is fine. If you're wanting homemade, I use Clamato, Worcestershire, celery salt, pepper, horseradish, Louisiana hot sauce (not Tabasco), green olives, celery, lemon. Oh and vodka!



Well, no offense, I'm a little afraid of Clamato, don't do olives, so I'm thinking that the mix will be fine, if I don't like it, I will have some V8 in the room.  I'm thinking a bloody mary on Saturday morning before hitting the park for a ride.  I wonder if Soarin will be having soft openings.... 



afwdwfan said:


> Wow... that's quite the list.  Both alcohol and non-alcohol.
> 
> I can definitely see quite a bit of that lemonade being used under both categories.



Yeah, I'm thinking we'll need some more lemonade based on these new revelations....



dolphingirl47 said:


> That sounds like a great selection. We can now get Barefoot wines in the UK and we rather like them. I may just be a touch jealous about the Rosa Regale. I have one bottle left and don't dare opening it just in case I won't be able to source any more.
> 
> Corinna



Wow! I didn't know Barefoot was available in the UK, that's great!  You know I bet you can find Brachetto D'Acquii which is pretty much what Rosa Regale is.  They used to have Magicale which was only available at Disney when Michael Jordan was the head Sommelier, but now that he's gone, they don't have that brand any more.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> I won't even pretend to know anything about wine, but it sounds like you have the bases covered!



You don't need to know about wine, I don't know all that much, I just know what I like from years of taste testing it and receiving shipments.  I have my few "goto" wines and other than that I really don't know much.



ShellB8585 said:


> Allison all of your plans sound wonderful! You will certainly be celebrating in style!



Thanks!  



********** said:


> NOW it's a party!  WOO HOO!



Yep it sure is!


----------



## rentayenta

No offense taken. That Mary mix is a labor of love and sometimes easier is better.  I hope Soarin' has a soft opening too.  Last time I checked Indy will be down but it may have changed.


----------



## eandesmom

franandaj said:


> Well, no offense, I'm a little afraid of Clamato, don't do olives, so I'm thinking that the mix will be fine, if I don't like it, I will have some V8 in the room. I'm thinking a bloody mary on Saturday morning before hitting the park for a ride. I wonder if Soarin will be having soft openings....



Love your train of thought!


----------



## dgbg100106

Well you certainly have the drinks covered!  All of that has the potential to make a very fun party.


----------



## cj9200

Just found the renamed thread and am caught up.  Sounds like quite a bash and I can't wait to see pictures of the merriment.


----------



## franandaj

rentayenta said:


> No offense taken. That Mary mix is a labor of love and sometimes easier is better.  I hope Soarin' has a soft opening too.  Last time I checked Indy will be down but it may have changed.



I just checked.  Indy is down on the 1st, but not listed as closed on the 2nd.  Soarin' comes off the closed list on May 15, so possibility of soft opening is pretty good.



eandesmom said:


> Love your train of thought!



You going to join in?



dgbg100106 said:


> Well you certainly have the drinks covered!  All of that has the potential to make a very fun party.



I picked up the beer today!  $9.99 for a twelve pack!



cj9200 said:


> Just found the renamed thread and am caught up.  Sounds like quite a bash and I can't wait to see pictures of the merriment.



Glad you're all caught up, we'll have to take pictures early on before anything becomes incriminating!


----------



## jedijill

Please let there be soft openings for Indy!  I haven't been on it since 2005!!!  It was closed last year!

I ended my liver rest today.  I will resume in anticipation of the festivities on Monday. 

Jill in CO


----------



## franandaj

jedijill said:


> Please let there be soft openings for Indy!  I haven't been on it since 2005!!!  It was closed last year!
> 
> I ended my liver rest today.  I will resume in anticipation of the festivities on Monday.
> 
> Jill in CO



According to the schedule, Indy should be open on Saturday.  It's Soarin' that we're hoping for the soft openings...


----------



## jedijill

Yay!

Jill in CO


----------



## franandaj

jedijill said:


> I ended my liver rest today. I will resume in anticipation of the festivities on Monday.



See my liver is in training!


----------



## franandaj

Well, I don't have much to report, but two weeks from tonight most everyone should be in the room eating drinking and carrying on.  I have a pile of stuff staging in my dining room.  Flippy bins filled with paper plates, plasticwear, napkins, wine, beer, lemonade, drink dispenser.  All the non perishable stuff that I can organize now. There's nothing I can really do until the week of, so at this point it's just wait and see.

Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock


----------



## PrincessInOz

YAY for 2 weeks tick tock, tick tock!


----------



## dolphingirl47

franandaj said:


> Wow! I didn't know Barefoot was available in the UK, that's great! You know I bet you can find Brachetto D'Acquii which is pretty much what Rosa Regale is. They used to have Magicale which was only available at Disney when Michael Jordan was the head Sommelier, but now that he's gone, they don't have that brand any more.



Yes, it is a fairly recent addition, but Barefoot is now available at most grocery stores around here. They are a bit more expensive than other Californian wines we can get here, but they also seem to be better quality.

I have searched for Brachetto D'Acqui before to no avail. I have the feeling that this is strictly produced for the non-European export market.

I never got to try the Magicale. On one of our first Disney cruises we tried to order this and were told that they did not have it. The next time we cruised after that, it was no longer on the menu.

Corinna


----------



## jedijill

I cannot wait until the party!  This time next week we'll be getting ready to hit the park while you enjoy the spa and then I'll be preparing myself for that wonderful dinner you have planned!

Jill in CO


----------



## rentayenta

Can't wait!!! Its the hurry up and wait game now... At least I got my pedicure; a week too early.  No clue what I was thinking....​


----------



## cj9200

franandaj said:


> Glad you're all caught up, we'll have to take pictures early on before anything becomes incriminating!



Mark and I pooled our resources and bribed one of the attendees to post the incriminating ones.


----------



## PrincessInOz

cj9200 said:


> Mark and I pooled our resources and bribed one of the attendees to post the incriminating ones.



Happy to share the costs of the bribe.


----------



## franandaj

PrincessInOz said:


> YAY for 2 weeks tick tock, tick tock!










dolphingirl47 said:


> Yes, it is a fairly recent addition, but Barefoot is now available at most grocery stores around here. They are a bit more expensive than other Californian wines we can get here, but they also seem to be better quality.
> 
> I have searched for Brachetto D'Acqui before to no avail. I have the feeling that this is strictly produced for the non-European export market.
> 
> I never got to try the Magicale. On one of our first Disney cruises we tried to order this and were told that they did not have it. The next time we cruised after that, it was no longer on the menu.



Wow, I had no idea, it was just for our market.  Very interesting.



jedijill said:


> I cannot wait until the party! This time next week we'll be getting ready to hit the park while you enjoy the spa and then I'll be preparing myself for that wonderful dinner you have planned!



13 days.  We'll be checking into hotel!



rentayenta said:


> Can't wait!!! Its the hurry up and wait game now... At least I got my pedicure; a week too early.  No clue what I was thinking....



I'm not even getting one....



cj9200 said:


> Mark and I pooled our resources and bribed one of the attendees to post the incriminating ones.



  Which one?   



PrincessInOz said:


> Happy to share the costs of the bribe.


----------



## rentayenta

Why aren't you getting a pedicure first? Every girl needs pretty toes especially for her birthday! 


I vote no phones during incriminating time i.e. after the first drink.  


​


----------



## jedijill

I'm getting my pedi the Tuesday before....gotta have pretty toes!

I can be bribed for photos.  . 


Jill in CO


----------



## franandaj

rentayenta said:


> Why aren't you getting a pedicure first? Every girl needs pretty toes especially for her birthday!
> 
> 
> I vote no phones during incriminating time i.e. after the first drink.
> 
> 
> ​



I've never had a pedicure in my life.  I'm not sure I've ever had a professional manicure.



jedijill said:


> I'm getting my pedi the Tuesday before....gotta have pretty toes!
> 
> I can be bribed for photos.  .
> 
> 
> Jill in CO



Steal Jill's phone!!!!!!


----------



## jedijill

Alison!  You must get a mani/pedi!  


(After enough wine I won't even know how to take a Pic!)


Jill in CO


----------



## sarahk0204

I got way behind on my trip reports and missed this until today. I am somewhere on page 14, but I wanted to comment.

Oh my goodness about the cancelled plans and Fran's leg.

Hooray for band rehearsal and band friends at the party! Band people are awesome, but I am biased.

Hooray for tri tip (and for meat in general)!

Hooray for a Christmas trip! Our first 2 holiday trips were at SSR, and we loved it there. Easy access to DTD is the best!


----------



## rentayenta

Jill!!! What happens in the GV stays in the GV.


----------



## rentayenta

Alison, pedicures are heavenly. I bet you can get one added to your spa day.


----------



## PrincessInOz

jedijill said:


> I'm getting my pedi the Tuesday before....gotta have pretty toes!
> 
> I can be bribed for photos.  .
> 
> 
> Jill in CO



Done!  Dinner?  I can owe you the bribe and pay up WHEN you come visit me in Oz.


----------



## ACDSNY

franandaj said:


> I've never had a pedicure in my life.  I'm not sure I've ever had a professional manicure.



I never wanted one before, but I broke down and had a pedicure at Aulani and it was heavenly.  GO FOR IT!!!!


----------



## Dis_Yoda

Get a pedicure.  

It is the most relaxing 45 to 60 minutes to have your feet pampered, dead skin removed and massaged!  Its one of the few things I keep in my beauty maintenance routine.  I may go 6 months between hair cuts - but if I go more than 2 months between a pedicure, something is very very wrong.  Ideally I like them every 3 to 4 weeks.


----------



## Flossbolna

I absolutely agree on the pedicure topic with all the previous posters: Get one!!

I have even started my father on getting regular pedicures! He has some old man toe nail issues and since he goes regularly for a pedicure the issues are gone!

There is no way I could ever make my feet look and feel as nice as a professional pedicure can do it! And the best thing is that pedicures are often rather affordable spa treatments!


----------



## franandaj

jedijill said:


> Alison!  You must get a mani/pedi!
> 
> 
> (After enough wine I won't even know how to take a Pic!)
> 
> 
> Jill in CO



I'm thinking about it. Good I don't want pictures I'll regret!



sarahk0204 said:


> I got way behind on my trip reports and missed this until today. I am somewhere on page 14, but I wanted to comment.
> 
> Oh my goodness about the cancelled plans and Fran's leg.



Yeah, not fun.



sarahk0204 said:


> Hooray for band rehearsal and band friends at the party! Band people are awesome, but I am biased.



My friends have always been band friends, being a music major and all...



sarahk0204 said:


> Hooray for tri tip (and for meat in general)!







sarahk0204 said:


> Hooray for a Christmas trip! Our first 2 holiday trips were at SSR, and we loved it there. Easy access to DTD is the best!



And I hear that they are opening some new restaurants there this Fall!



rentayenta said:


> Jill!!! What happens in the GV stays in the GV.







rentayenta said:


> Alison, pedicures are heavenly. I bet you can get one added to your spa day.



Not for $65, I cant! 



ACDSNY said:


> I never wanted one before, but I broke down and had a pedicure at Aulani and it was heavenly.  GO FOR IT!!!!



I'm definitely thinking about it. 



Dis_Yoda said:


> Get a pedicure.
> 
> It is the most relaxing 45 to 60 minutes to have your feet pampered, dead skin removed and massaged!  Its one of the few things I keep in my beauty maintenance routine.  I may go 6 months between hair cuts - but if I go more than 2 months between a pedicure, something is very very wrong.  Ideally I like them every 3 to 4 weeks.



Fran said I could get one.



Flossbolna said:


> I absolutely agree on the pedicure topic with all the previous posters: Get one!!
> 
> I have even started my father on getting regular pedicures! He has some old man toe nail issues and since he goes regularly for a pedicure the issues are gone!
> 
> There is no way I could ever make my feet look and feel as nice as a professional pedicure can do it! And the best thing is that pedicures are often rather affordable spa treatments!



Well I have been looking into locations.


----------



## Leshaface

rentayenta said:


> Mary mix has a lot of ingredients so pre-mix is fine. If you're wanting homemade, I use Clamato, Worcestershire, celery salt, pepper, horseradish, Louisiana hot sauce (not Tabasco), green olives, celery, lemon. Oh and vodka!



I never thought about using Clamato before!  I've only ever used V8 and the exact same ingredients as you, including a bit of olive juice   Love me a good Bloody Mary.



franandaj said:


> Well, no offense, I'm a little afraid of Clamato, don't do olives, so I'm thinking that the mix will be fine, if I don't like it, I will have some V8 in the room. *I'm thinking a bloody mary on Saturday morning before hitting the park for a ride. I wonder if Soarin will be having soft openings.... *



Smart, smart, smart! 



franandaj said:


> I've never had a pedicure in my life. I'm not sure I've ever had a professional manicure.



You must get one then, especially it being your first one, do it right at the Grand for sure.  I was never fond of the idea of people touching and scrubbing my feet, until I had one and it was really relaxing.


----------



## Flossbolna

Happy to read that you are considering getting one. But 65$ for a Disney one is indeed very steep! I am sure there are cheaper local options around. 

The big weekend is nearly there! I guess you are starting to be very busy with preparations!


----------



## franandaj

Leshaface said:


> I never thought about using Clamato before! I've only ever used V8 and the exact same ingredients as you, including a bit of olive juice  Love me a good Bloody Mary.



I've just gone with V8, tabasco and Vodka with a stick of celery in mine.  Don't know what they have when they come from the bar.



Leshaface said:


> Smart, smart, smart!







Leshaface said:


> You must get one then, especially it being your first one, do it right at the Grand for sure. I was never fond of the idea of people touching and scrubbing my feet, until I had one and it was really relaxing.



I love foot massages during my regular massages.  If they don't do a good job on my feet the tip goes way down, but I've always figured a pedicure was more about the polish, and I don't care what my toes look like.  I don't wear shoes where you can really see my toes.   And I'm not paying $65 at the Grand when I can get a mani and pedi at the intersection of 7th, PCH and Bellflower for $24. It gets good review on Yelp.  Besides my day at the Grand is becoming sort of Jam packed.  If I want a relaxed lunch, I need to start at 11:30 and be out of there by 12:30 to make it to the spa for my 1PM appointment.  It's 2 hours long, so I'll be out by 3PM and then people are gathering at the villa at 4PM, so boom, boom, boom, my afternoon is full!



Flossbolna said:


> Happy to read that you are considering getting one. But 65$ for a Disney one is indeed very steep! I am sure there are cheaper local options around.



Yeah, as I mentioned above there is a place near my house that does a mani and pedi for almost 1/3 the price of the Grand!



Flossbolna said:


> The big weekend is nearly there! I guess you are starting to be very busy with preparations!



Actually it's very frustrating, there is nothing that I can do until Monday or Tuesday of next week!


----------



## franandaj

So it's after midnight and so now we're down to Single Digits until the party starts!!!  

I thought I'd just share a few things with you.  Fran saw the Doctor today and as we hoped, he said that she could start walking on her leg again.  Not for long distances and only in small amounts, but she doesn't have to keep the scooter within 1-2 feet of her location any more.  Now she can park the scooter and walk to her chair, the bathroom, the bed.  We decided that for a little while, she will still use it to get around the house since it's a pretty big house.  (It takes me 97 steps to get from the kitchen to the bedroom and back).  But she can stand up, weigh herself on the scale, and do other tasks that she could previously not do when only able to stand on one foot. It's a big relief and she should be able to get around the Grand Villa without having to use the Scooter, however, she will get pretty tired and need to take some naps, probably especially while I'm at the spa.

So here's my staging area as of today, I only expect it to grow and even more rapidly as we get closer to the date.





And while we have encouraged folks NOT to bring gifts to the party as we really have just about everything we need.  Naked Jim found something that we don't have that we sort of can't live without for the party.

















So that's about it for now.  Single digits.  The parents arrive a week from tomorrow.  The DIS girls arrive a week from Thursday.  The Tri Tip starts thawing a week from yesterday.  I'm in a holding pattern until next week.  We'll get the KVC ready for my parents on Monday and until then I guess we work on moving out of De Soto.  We got 8 shotguns/rifles and 9 single action revolvers moved out of #2 and the gun case and guns moved to the new house.  Now we can clear out the bookcases and put them up on Craig's list.  I need to arrange for the piano to be moved, and we're getting really close to having that place ready to be worked on by the Contractor.  Progress is happening slowly!


----------



## Flossbolna

That bottle is hilarious!!!


----------



## dgbg100106

Love the bottle and what great news about Fran, I know she will love more independence!  

Looks like things are moving forward and the party will get started soon, I am so excited for you!


----------



## jedijill

Awesome news about Fran!  I love the bottle. 

I wouldn't pay $65 for a pedi either.  The cheaper places are just as good and then you can get them more regularly!

Congrats on getting stuff moved out of the other unit.  You are getting tons done!  Don't wear yourself out before the party!

See you in 9 days!

Jill in CO


----------



## afwdwfan

franandaj said:


> I thought I'd just share a few things with you. Fran saw the Doctor today and as we hoped, he said that she could start walking on her leg again. Not for long distances and only in small amounts, but she doesn't have to keep the scooter within 1-2 feet of her location any more.


Great news!!!  I'm glad that she's making some progress and can finally put some weight on it to walk!!! 



franandaj said:


> So here's my staging area as of today, I only expect it to grow and even more rapidly as we get closer to the date.


You did remember to rent the Uhaul truck so you can get all that stuff to GCV, right?  



franandaj said:


> And while we have encouraged folks NOT to bring gifts to the party as we really have just about everything we need. Naked Jim found something that we don't have that we sort of can't live without for the party.


That is awesome!!!!   



franandaj said:


> We got 8 shotguns/rifles and 9 single action revolvers moved out of #2 and the gun case and guns moved to the new house.


Is it legal to own that many firearms in the state of California?


----------



## skier_pete

Hippy Birthday? You don't look like a hippie? 

Glad to hear Fran is improving! Hope you have a great time with your party - are you going to livestream it anywhere for us DISers that can't attend?


----------



## rentayenta

Soon happy for the good news with Fran! 

Yay for naked Jim finding the perfect bottle. There is going to be so much booze and no camera phones.....JILL! 

That's a lotta guns. 

Yay for DeSoto! goodvibes:

The holding pattern is the worst for me. 

I agree, $65 is a lot for a pedicure. I can get one with shellac for $35 here. Without the shellac and regular polish, it's $20. My guess is there are quite a few local places you can go to.


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

franandaj said:


> Fran saw the Doctor today and as we hoped, he said that she could start walking on her leg again.



Hooray!  Glad to hear the good news.



franandaj said:


> It's a big relief and she should be able to get around the Grand Villa without having to use the Scooter, however, she will get pretty tired and need to take some naps, probably especially while I'm at the spa.



I'm sure having the scooter in the grand villa would have been a huge pain.  Sounds like all systems are go now.



franandaj said:


> So here's my staging area as of today, I only expect it to grow and even more rapidly as we get closer to the date.



Looks like you're loading up on the essentials.



franandaj said:


> Single digits. The parents arrive a week from tomorrow.



Single digit dance! 



franandaj said:


> We got 8 shotguns/rifles and 9 single action revolvers moved out of #2 and the gun case and guns moved to the new house.



Whoa.  Just what kind of party are you planning here? 



franandaj said:


> Naked Jim found something that we don't have that we sort of can't live without for the party.


----------



## Pinkocto

Awesome news about Fran!!!     


$65 is outrageous!  Just as good at a local place.  You don't have to get color polish on your toes, just get your feet scrubbed up and cleaned, that's always really nice.  I personally don't care for polish on my toes but a pedicure is a nice thing to do every once in a while.


----------



## Leshaface

franandaj said:


> I love foot massages during my regular massages. If they don't do a good job on my feet the tip goes way down, but I've always figured a pedicure was more about the polish, and I don't care what my toes look like. I don't wear shoes where you can really see my toes. And I'm not paying $65 at the Grand when I can get a mani and pedi at the intersection of 7th, PCH and Bellflower for $24. It gets good review on Yelp. Besides my day at the Grand is becoming sort of Jam packed. If I want a relaxed lunch, I need to start at 11:30 and be out of there by 12:30 to make it to the spa for my 1PM appointment. It's 2 hours long, so I'll be out by 3PM and then people are gathering at the villa at 4PM, so boom, boom, boom, my afternoon is full!



$65?!  Okay no, I wouldn't get it done either.  Max I thought would be at least 40 but dang 



franandaj said:


> So it's after midnight and so now we're down to Single Digits until the party starts!!!







franandaj said:


> But she can stand up, weigh herself on the scale, and do other tasks that she could previously not do when only able to stand on one foot. It's a big relief and she should be able to get around the Grand Villa without having to use the Scooter, however, she will get pretty tired and need to take some naps, probably especially while I'm at the spa.




Great news for sure!


franandaj said:


>



That is really cool!  Where did he get it?


----------



## rentayenta

@Pinkocto  I am thinking about getting my nails done that saucy blue/green you had on the cruise.


----------



## KathyM2

So exciting and lots of good news around there! That bottle is awesome!! Looking forward to hearing more about how the party goes!


----------



## dolphingirl47

I am glad that Fran is doing better and can now start to put weight on her leg. $65 for a pedicure is rather steep. 

Corinna


----------



## ACDSNY

Single digit dance time!

That's a great bottle Naked Jim found and good news on Fran.


----------



## franandaj

Flossbolna said:


> That bottle is hilarious!!!



It can be programmed to read at least six different phrases.  Happy Birthday is the appropriate one.



dgbg100106 said:


> Love the bottle and what great news about Fran, I know she will love more independence!
> 
> Looks like things are moving forward and the party will get started soon, I am so excited for you!



Thanks!  I can't wait!



jedijill said:


> Awesome news about Fran! I love the bottle.
> 
> I wouldn't pay $65 for a pedi either. The cheaper places are just as good and then you can get them more regularly!



Well I will schedule one or next Tuesday, but not sure how often I'll be able to get them again!



jedijill said:


> Congrats on getting stuff moved out of the other unit. You are getting tons done! Don't wear yourself out before the party!
> 
> See you in 9 days!



Well we're still not getting enough stuff done.  We really need to step up our game!



afwdwfan said:


> Great news!!! I'm glad that she's making some progress and can finally put some weight on it to walk!!!



It's really nice that she can get around.  It's getting much better.



afwdwfan said:


> You did remember to rent the Uhaul truck so you can get all that stuff to GCV, right?



Yeah, I wish, we're hoping that everything will fit into our Expedition and my Mom's car.



afwdwfan said:


> That is awesome!!!!



We're going to keep it going throughout the party!



afwdwfan said:


> Is it legal to own that many firearms in the state of California?



Well, there is only a waiting time on handguns, I don't think there is a limit on the number that you can own.  


********** said:


> Hippy Birthday? You don't look like a hippie?



Was I or was I not?











********** said:


> Glad to hear Fran is improving! Hope you have a great time with your party - are you going to livestream it anywhere for us DISers that can't attend?



I don't even know how to livestream, but perhaps we will post pics on FB!



rentayenta said:


> Soon happy for the good news with Fran!
> 
> Yay for naked Jim finding the perfect bottle. There is going to be so much booze and no camera phones.....JILL!







rentayenta said:


> That's a lotta guns.



Fran never does anything small.  But they are all locked up. She hopes to get back into Cowboy Action Shooting so we need a lot of guns to figure out which ones work for us.



rentayenta said:


> Yay for De Soto! goodvibes:



I hope to have it almost cleaned out when you see it in a week!



rentayenta said:


> The holding pattern is the worst for me.



I know, me too!  I don't know what to do between now and when I can start doing stuff!  I guess I should start packing!



rentayenta said:


> agree, $65 is a lot for a pedicure. I can get one with shellac for $35 here. Without the shellac and regular polish, it's $20. My guess is there are quite a few local places you can go to.



Yeah I found a place with good reviews, I just need to call them and make a reservation.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Hooray! Glad to hear the good news.



She is really happy to be walking around the house instead of using the scooter all the time.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> I'm sure having the scooter in the grand villa would have been a huge pain. Sounds like all systems are go now.



Well she still needs the scooter to get around outside the Grand Villa, but at least she can get from the bed to the bathroom and the kitchen to a place where she can eat without having to use the scooter, those scenarious will be a relief!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Looks like you're loading up on the essentials.



Most Definitely!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Single digit dance!







Captain_Oblivious said:


> Whoa. Just what kind of party are you planning here?



Those aren't for the party!  I just had to get them out of there before we showed the bookcases to folks on Craigslist, you know!



Captain_Oblivious said:


>



I like it!


----------



## franandaj

Pinkocto said:


> Awesome news about Fran!!!



Yeah, she's doing good, but walking is tiring her out and she has been snoozing most of today. I think she will go back and forth between moving and sleeping.



Pinkocto said:


> $65 is outrageous! Just as good at a local place. You don't have to get color polish on your toes, just get your feet scrubbed up and cleaned, that's always really nice. I personally don't care for polish on my toes but a pedicure is a nice thing to do every once in a while.



I was thinking something very low key, I need to make the appointment tomorrow.



Leshaface said:


> 65?! Okay no, I wouldn't get it done either. Max I thought would be at least 40 but dang



Yeah, between the time factor and cost, I'll do it before I go.  I just need to make the appointment tomorrow.



Leshaface said:


>







Leshaface said:


> Great news for sure!



I'm so glad!



Leshaface said:


> That is really cool! Where did he get it?



 I think he said Costco....



KathyM2 said:


> So exciting and lots of good news around there! That bottle is awesome!! Looking forward to hearing more about how the party goes!



We will try to keep people posted without the incriminating stuff!



dolphingirl47 said:


> I am glad that Fran is doing better and can now start to put weight on her leg. $65 for a pedicure is rather steep.
> 
> Corinna



Yeah, I plan on booking the place for $24 for a mani and pedi



ACDSNY said:


> Single digit dance time!
> 
> That's a great bottle Naked Jim found and good news on Fran.


----------



## Leshaface

franandaj said:


>



Please tell me you or someone is doing a photo collage of you from over the years to hang up at the villa?!


----------



## afwdwfan

franandaj said:


> Was I or was I not?


Well, they say pictures or it didn't happen.  So I guess it happened! 



Leshaface said:


> Please tell me you or someone is doing a photo collage of you from over the years to hang up at the villa?!


If so, you need to take pictures of them for the rest of us!


----------



## rentayenta

Leshaface said:


> Please tell me you or someone is doing a photo collage of you from over the years to hang up at the villa?!



That is such a great idea!!!!!!

I leave a week from today! It's almost party time Woody!

Glad you found a pedi place. You won't be sorry. And like Pam said, they can do clear or even a nice French manicure.


----------



## jedijill

I leave in a week too!  This time next week I'll be at the airport waiting to board!

Jill in CO


----------



## rentayenta

Likewise Jill! I'll have my Sbux in hand ready to board. 

This whole carry on thing is stressing me out.  I may have to suck it up and pay the $25. Hate that! That or rewear jeans which doesn't bug me at all.


----------



## jedijill

Ugh, we don't have Sbux at DIA so I'll hit the drive through on my way to the airport and have it drunk by the time I get to the airport.  Hopefully SNA has a Starbucks.  

I rewear jeans all the time!  Less washing makes them last longer!  

I'll probably check a bag...no reason not too when its free.   Plus it will give me more room to bring back souvies. 

Jill in CO


----------



## franandaj

Leshaface said:


> Please tell me you or someone is doing a photo collage of you from over the years to hang up at the villa?!



That would be so thoughtful. Unless anyone here volunteers it isn't happening.  I'm the only person in my family addicted to pictures.    I have plenty that are easily emailed.



afwdwfan said:


> Well, they say pictures or it didn't happen. So I guess it happened!







afwdwfan said:


> If so, you need to take pictures of them for the rest of us!



That I wouldn't find incriminating!



rentayenta said:


> That is such a great idea!!!!!!



Again, any volunteers? 



rentayenta said:


> I leave a week from today! It's almost party time Woody!



arty:



rentayenta said:


> Glad you found a pedi place. You won't be sorry. And like Pam said, they can do clear or even a nice French manicure.



Hopefully I will be able to get one. It sounds nice.



jedijill said:


> I leave in a week too! This time next week I'll be at the airport waiting to board!







rentayenta said:


> Likewise Jill! I'll have my Sbux in hand ready to board.



 



rentayenta said:


> This whole carry on thing is stressing me out.  I may have to suck it up and pay the $25. Hate that! That or rewear jeans which doesn't bug me at all.



There is also a washing machine in the villa,  you could throw in a load while.we are setting up. I don't want you to be stressed out!



jedijill said:


> Ugh, we don't have Sbux at DIA so I'll hit the drive through on my way to the airport and have it drunk by the time I get to the airport. Hopefully SNA has a Starbucks.



I'm pretty sure there is one there at least in the Southwest or American terminal. I don't remember which trip we flew out of there, but I know I got one.



jedijill said:


> I rewear jeans all the time! Less washing makes them last longer!



I used to rewear pants all the time, I can't seem to do it lately though I seem to be a klutz and spill something on them.



jedijill said:


> I'll probably check a bag...no reason not too when its free.  Plus it will give me more room to bring back souvies.



Totally makes sense.


----------



## franandaj

OK, total change of plans. Yesterday my dad was seeing his doctor and he passed out. They called 911 and took him to the ER where they admitted him to the hospital. He's having a pacemaker put in today so Fran and I are thinking of driving up there today. I'm waiting to hear back from my mom, but we may have an impromptu trip here.


----------



## jedijill

OMG, Alison!  I hope your dad is ok.  

Have a safe drive if you decide to go up.

Jill in CO


----------



## afwdwfan

Oh no!  I'm sorry to hear that.  I hope everything goes ok with your dad.


----------



## Flossbolna

franandaj said:


> OK, total change of plans. Yesterday my dad was seeing his doctor and he passed out. They called 911 and took him to the ER where they admitted him to the hospital. He's having a pacemaker put in today so Fran and I are thinking of driving up there today. I'm waiting to hear back from my mom, but we may have an impromptu trip here.



Oh no! I am so sorry! I hope all goes well! Did he pass out at the doctor's? At least he was in good hands immediately then.


----------



## Leshaface

franandaj said:


> That would be so thoughtful. Unless anyone here volunteers it isn't happening. I'm the only person in my family addicted to pictures.  I have plenty that are easily emailed.



I'll email you!



franandaj said:


> OK, total change of plans. Yesterday my dad was seeing his doctor and he passed out. They called 911 and took him to the ER where they admitted him to the hospital. He's having a pacemaker put in today so Fran and I are thinking of driving up there today. I'm waiting to hear back from my mom, but we may have an impromptu trip here.



OH my gosh, I hope everything is okay.  Prayers and drive safely!


----------



## franandaj

jedijill said:


> OMG, Alison!  I hope your dad is ok.
> 
> Have a safe drive if you decide to go up.
> 
> Jill in CO





afwdwfan said:


> Oh no!  I'm sorry to hear that.  I hope everything goes ok with your dad.





Flossbolna said:


> Oh no! I am so sorry! I hope all goes well! Did he pass out at the doctor's? At least he was in good hands immediately then.





Leshaface said:


> I'll email you!
> 
> 
> 
> OH my gosh, I hope everything is okay.  Prayers and drive safely!



Thanks folks.  I talked to my mother.  Evidently he passed out twice on Monday, but he wouldn't let my Mom call 911.  They made the Doctor appointment for yesterday and he passed out again while at the Doctor, so they called 911 and he got to the hospital around 4PM.  They didn't get him into a bed until 10PM and then all they gave him to eat was a pudding, and he couldn't eat after midnight.  My mom will keep me posted, but he still has to see all the different doctors who would be taking care of him.  She said not to come up.  He will just want to rest once he comes home and he doesn't really like to talk to people anyways.  This might also mean that my parents aren't coming down for the birthday bash.


----------



## KathyM2

Wow. I'm so sorry. I hope he is ok. 
Just have to say though...I LOVE those hippie pictures!! Wow!!


----------



## Flossbolna

It sounds like he is in good care. And this stubborn parents, who refuse to see a doctor when they pass out... I kind of know that scenario. 

Hope that all will go well with him and that he soon will feel better! What a shame if they can't come to your birthday bash!!

And I wanted to add that I also love those hippie pictures!! You were a cute hippie!!


----------



## dolphingirl47

franandaj said:


> OK, total change of plans. Yesterday my dad was seeing his doctor and he passed out. They called 911 and took him to the ER where they admitted him to the hospital. He's having a pacemaker put in today so Fran and I are thinking of driving up there today. I'm waiting to hear back from my mom, but we may have an impromptu trip here.



Oh no. I hope you makes a swift recovery. At least he is in good hands.

Corinna


----------



## rentayenta

Oh Alison, I am so sorry to hear about your dad.  Sending love and light and thoughts of strength.


----------



## mvf-m11c

I am sorry to hear about your father and hope he is okay.


----------



## disney ny

So sorry to hear this and not at all what you needed!  Sending thoughts and prayers your way~


----------



## Pinkocto

What is this refusing to call 911??? I'm glad he's in the hospital and hopefully they figure out what is going on ASAP! I'm sorry, these kinds of things are usually very stressful and scary.


----------



## Pinkocto

rentayenta said:


> @Pinkocto  I am thinking about getting my nails done that saucy blue/green you had on the cruise.




I love that color! I was thinking of doing the same thing for my upcoming vacation


----------



## ACDSNY

franandaj said:


> Thanks folks.  I talked to my mother.  Evidently he passed out twice on Monday, but he wouldn't let my Mom call 911.  They made the Doctor appointment for yesterday and he passed out again while at the Doctor, so they called 911 and he got to the hospital around 4PM.  They didn't get him into a bed until 10PM and then all they gave him to eat was a pudding, and he couldn't eat after midnight.  My mom will keep me posted, but he still has to see all the different doctors who would be taking care of him.  She said not to come up.  He will just want to rest once he comes home and he doesn't really like to talk to people anyways.  This might also mean that my parents aren't coming down for the birthday bash.



Scary stuff, I'm glad they have him in the hospital now where they can get him back on his feet.  Wishing your Dad a speedy recovery and your Mom some patience.

Hugs for you too since they'll be missing your special weekend!


----------



## franandaj

KathyM2 said:


> Wow. I'm so sorry. I hope he is ok.
> Just have to say though...I LOVE those hippie pictures!! Wow!!



He should be, thanks, I was about 20 years too late!



Flossbolna said:


> It sounds like he is in good care. And this stubborn parents, who refuse to see a doctor when they pass out... I kind of know that scenario.



From what I gather your Dad is just as stubborn, I don't get it.  Fran is that way too.



Flossbolna said:


> Hope that all will go well with him and that he soon will feel better! What a shame if they can't come to your birthday bash!!



I'm hoping it all goes well, and it seems that they will still be able to make the birthday bash.



Flossbolna said:


> And I wanted to add that I also love those hippie pictures!! You were a cute hippie!!



Thanks!  As I mentioned above I was about 20 years late.  I was hippie when everyone else was Preppie!



dolphingirl47 said:


> Oh no. I hope you makes a swift recovery. At least he is in good hands.
> 
> Corinna



I'm OK, I just hope that my Dad makes a swift recovery and feels up  to the birthday celebration.



rentayenta said:


> Oh Alison, I am so sorry to hear about your dad.  Sending love and light and thoughts of strength.



Thank you!  



mvf-m11c said:


> I am sorry to hear about your father and hope he is okay.



My Mom seems to think he will be, so let's hope she is correct!



disney ny said:


> So sorry to hear this and not at all what you needed!  Sending thoughts and prayers your way~



Yeah, exactly!  Thanks for your prayers!



Pinkocto said:


> What is this refusing to call 911??? I'm glad he's in the hospital and hopefully they figure out what is going on ASAP! I'm sorry, these kinds of things are usually very stressful and scary.



Yeah, I don't know.  Fran is just like that too.  My Mom now knows that when Dad says no, not to listen!



ACDSNY said:


> Scary stuff, I'm glad they have him in the hospital now where they can get him back on his feet.  Wishing your Dad a speedy recovery and your Mom some patience.
> 
> Hugs for you too since they'll be missing your special weekend!



I'm glad that they have him under wraps, and it seems that they will make the weekend.


----------



## franandaj

So Thank you all for your sentiments.  They have my Dad scheduled for 7AM surgery tomorrow morning.  My Mom will check in at 10AM.  Evidently the insertion of the pacemaker is minimally invasive so he will be out on Saturday and can resume his daily life.  They are still planning to come down for the Birthday Bash!  

We decided not to drive up there since my Mom didn't think that my Dad would appreciate company.  I might have gone anyways, but to be impulsive and drive 8 hours to not be completely welcomed, when they were driving 8 hours to come see us a week later sort of seemed a little bit much.  However, if my mother had not played everything down, we would have been up there in a heartbeat.

I'll have to keep this in mind as they age, because we should be ready to go up there in a heartbeat now that they are getting older.  Fran's parents hit "that age" when they were about 10 years older than my parents are now.  Anyways, one week until the out of state DIS gals fly in!  My parents will already be here.  A week from tomorrow we all check in to the VGC!


----------



## ShellB8585

Glad to see Fran is getting better and can now put some weight on the leg! Sorry to hear about your dad, hoping he makes a swift recovery.

Is your birthday on the Friday or the Saturday? Myself, brother and Sister are all May babies and all Taureans (all the best people are )


----------



## dolphingirl47

I hope the surgery goes well and I am glad that it still looks like they are going to be able to make your birthday bash.

Corinna


----------



## dvc at last !

Sorry to hear about your Dad.   Sending good thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery !


----------



## Flossbolna

Once again all the best for your Dad, I hopt the sugery goes well and he will recover quickly. And that is good news that they might be able to come to your birthday bash anyway. Things are starting to look better again with this hopefully working out well and Fran being able to put weight on her feet!


----------



## afwdwfan

I'm glad things are looking better now.  My Grandpa had a pacemaker put in a few years ago, and while anytime they do surgery on your heart is a big deal, it really isn't one of the more risky things they could be doing.  I'm sure it will turn out fine and I'm glad to hear that they'll still be able to attend the birthday bash!


----------



## rentayenta

Hoping the surgery goes well today.   Happy it's not super invasive.

A week from today is party time!  Glad your folks will be able to make it. Looking forward to meeting everyone!


----------



## Leshaface

How did the surgery go??  ​


----------



## ACDSNY

franandaj said:


> So Thank you all for your sentiments.  They have my Dad scheduled for 7AM surgery tomorrow morning.  My Mom will check in at 10AM.  Evidently the insertion of the pacemaker is minimally invasive so he will be out on Saturday and can resume his daily life.  They are still planning to come down for the Birthday Bash!
> 
> Anyways, one week until the out of state DIS gals fly in!  My parents will already be here.  A week from tomorrow we all check in to the VGC!



Good news!  I hope your Dad is home and resting comfortably.


----------



## franandaj

So before I get to responses, Dad is home now and everything went fine.  He is a little sore and very happy to be at home again.  It will be great to see them on Wednesday!


----------



## Flossbolna

I am so happy to read your update! Great to hear that he is home already. I hope he will get some rest and be ready to party (at least a little) next week with his daughter!!


----------



## franandaj

ShellB8585 said:


> Glad to see Fran is getting better and can now put some weight on the leg! Sorry to hear about your dad, hoping he makes a swift recovery.
> 
> Is your birthday on the Friday or the Saturday? Myself, brother and Sister are all May babies and all Taureans (all the best people are )



My birthday is on May Day.  Both Fran and I are Taureans, sometimes makes things difficult.  



dolphingirl47 said:


> I hope the surgery goes well and I am glad that it still looks like they are going to be able to make your birthday bash.
> 
> Corinna



Everything went fine, and hopefully they will make it down in time for us to go out to dinner on Wednesday.



dvc at last ! said:


> Sorry to hear about your Dad.   Sending good thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery !



Thanks!  He seems relieved to be home.



Flossbolna said:


> Once again all the best for your Dad, I hopt the sugery goes well and he will recover quickly. And that is good news that they might be able to come to your birthday bash anyway. Things are starting to look better again with this hopefully working out well and Fran being able to put weight on her feet!



Everything seems to be working out, not ideally, but not as bad as our trip to WDW.



afwdwfan said:


> I'm glad things are looking better now.  My Grandpa had a pacemaker put in a few years ago, and while anytime they do surgery on your heart is a big deal, it really isn't one of the more risky things they could be doing.  I'm sure it will turn out fine and I'm glad to hear that they'll still be able to attend the birthday bash!



It seems that he will feel better than he did before the pacemaker, I guess his heart had slowed down which affects your body overall.  With it going back at full speed, he should have more energy.



rentayenta said:


> Hoping the surgery goes well today.   Happy it's not super invasive.
> 
> A week from today is party time!  Glad your folks will be able to make it. Looking forward to meeting everyone!



A week from now, we'll be having Happy Hour in the room, getting ready for our fabulous dinner!



Leshaface said:


> How did the surgery go??  ​



It went pretty good.  



ACDSNY said:


> Good news!  I hope your Dad is home and resting comfortably.







Flossbolna said:


> I am so happy to read your update! Great to hear that he is home already. I hope he will get some rest and be ready to party (at least a little) next week with his daughter!!



Thank you!  He won't be "partying", but I'm sure we'll be drinking wine!


----------



## KathyM2

So glad to hear the surgery went well!!! Now you can go back to thinking about Disney!!!


----------



## cj9200

Glad to hear it went well.  OK, no more bad news for a while.


----------



## eandesmom

Oh my goodness!  I am just reading about all of this.  I was not on the DIS or really the computer at all while on vacation, I am so glad your Dad is ok!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## franandaj

KathyM2 said:


> So glad to hear the surgery went well!!! Now you can go back to thinking about Disney!!!



I sure hope so!



cj9200 said:


> Glad to hear it went well.  OK, no more bad news for a while.



Yeah, we wen through "that phase" with Fran's parents from 2004 - 2009.  My parents are 20-30 years younger and I'm hoping healthier so I'm hoping that we have a while more before "that time" comes.  Plus my parents aren't crazy, so it might be easier when it does hit.  I just hope that it doesn't come for a long time.



eandesmom said:


> Oh my goodness!  I am just reading about all of this.  I was not on the DIS or really the computer at all while on vacation, I am so glad your Dad is ok!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



I understand.  That's one reason I like to kind of keep up on vacation if I can.  Even if I don't comment, I try to read some threads and check in on FB. Being totally unconnected makes me crazy.  I hate when I come back and find out stuff that I would have wanted to know even if it would have bummed me out.  In this world while some people like to disconnect, I prefer to stay relatively connected, so I get no big surprises when I come home.


----------



## franandaj

So I'm at a loss of what to post, there is nothing new since my father is home and healthy.  I can't defrost any of the meat yet nor make the strawberry soup,  I've purchased stuff at the grocery store that we don't need from Costco as I don't want to have visit a grocery store before we go, but there isn't a lot to report.  So here is my diagram for the buffet.  I have specific instructions to go with it.  I apologize to the gals setting it up if it seems like the directions are set for morons, but Fran made me spell EVERYTHING out, so there was pretty much no questions.





And for those of you who are not FB friends, I have discovered that I have so much Disney in my blood that even my bruises come out Mickey shaped.





Other than this, less than a week until we all celebrate!

And another totally random thing, I noticed that my permalinks in the TOC post are working even though I've changed my title a few times.  Ye haw!  I'm going to go post a few more permalinks, after I get some beauty sleep!


----------



## ACDSNY

Enjoy your beauty sleep.


----------



## franandaj

As I look at the display stuff is missing. I will need to check the document before the party


----------



## dgbg100106

What a blessing, send prayers for strength and recovery.  



franandaj said:


> So before I get to responses, Dad is home now and everything went fine.  He is a little sore and very happy to be at home again.  It will be great to see them on Wednesday!


----------



## dvc at last !

The bruise is a hoot   !

Love the buffet arrangement - a little OCD ?          Me too      !


----------



## rentayenta

*You. Are. A. Jewish. Mother.*  We have a similar food floor plan so to speak that we use when planning the kiddish luncheon following the bar/bat mitzvah services.  Its even more detailed.  

So glad your dad is home and doing well.


----------



## jedijill

Glad to hear your dad is doing well!  

I love the diagram!  Can't wait to see everyone!  3 days of work and 4 more sleeps until Cali!

Jill in CO


----------



## dolphingirl47

franandaj said:


> So before I get to responses, Dad is home now and everything went fine.  He is a little sore and very happy to be at home again.  It will be great to see them on Wednesday!



I am glad that everything went well.

Corinna


----------



## mvf-m11c

That is great news to hear that your dad is doing well.


----------



## PrincessInOz

$65 for a pedi?  That's outrageous....even for Aussie pricing.

I've been MIA for a bit...so I think the weekend is even closer now!  Have a great time.  I am so envious!

Fantastic bottle.


----------



## PrincessInOz

franandaj said:


> So I'm at a loss of what to post, there is nothing new since my father is home and healthy.  I can't defrost any of the meat yet nor make the strawberry soup,  I've purchased stuff at the grocery store that we don't need from Costco as I don't want to have visit a grocery store before we go, but there isn't a lot to report.  So here is my diagram for the buffet.  I have specific instructions to go with it.  I apologize to the gals setting it up if it seems like the directions are set for morons, but Fran made me spell EVERYTHING out, so there was pretty much no questions.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And for those of you who are not FB friends, I have discovered that I have so much Disney in my blood that even my bruises come out Mickey shaped.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Other than this, less than a week until we all celebrate!
> 
> And another totally random thing, I noticed that my permalinks in the TOC post are working even though I've changed my title a few times.  Ye haw!  I'm going to go post a few more permalinks, after I get some beauty sleep!




Glad your Dad is well!

And hope that Mickey bruise is fading.


----------



## afwdwfan

franandaj said:


> So here is my diagram for the buffet. I have specific instructions to go with it. I apologize to the gals setting it up if it seems like the directions are set for morons, but Fran made me spell EVERYTHING out, so there was pretty much no questions.


Wow!  That certainly is detailed.  It looks like you've got your i's dotted and t's crossed for this one.  It should go pretty smoothly!



franandaj said:


> And for those of you who are not FB friends, I have discovered that I have so much Disney in my blood that even my bruises come out Mickey shaped.


Ouch.  I guess if you're going to have a bruise there are worse things it could look like!


----------



## skier_pete

Wow - I missed everything with your dad...glad to hear things came out OK. Brought back memories of my (step) dads recent rush to the hospital, which didn't come out OK. So very glad your dad is doing well.

Also - the Mickey shaped bruising is taking your fandom a little too far.


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

franandaj said:


> I apologize to the gals setting it up if it seems like the directions are set for morons, but Fran made me spell EVERYTHING out, so there was pretty much no questions.



This is pretty hardcore buffet planning.  I'd be lucky if all the food actually got on a plate and then on a table.  At some point you'd just be asked to find whatever you want in the fridge.



franandaj said:


> I have discovered that I have so much Disney in my blood that even my bruises come out Mickey shaped.



Sorry for the pain, but the bruise is pretty awesome!


----------



## eandesmom

Love the buffet schematic! I am all over that! I missed the where on the 65 dollar pedi but can assume it's at Mandara? Sigh. I hate the differential between a spa pedi and the cheap place around the corner. I don't mind paying for the extra wraps, creams, paraffin or massage but do often find the spread is just too large to justify it, not to mention the fact that the chapter ones seem to last longer on me! 

Still, it's your birthday and you should so whatever the heck you want!


----------



## dizneeat

*Thanks for the link! I am now going back to read and will report back once I am through. *


----------



## franandaj

ACDSNY said:


> Enjoy your beauty sleep.



Thank you.  I have been!



dgbg100106 said:


> What a blessing, send prayers for strength and recovery.



Thank you!  



dvc at last ! said:


> The bruise is a hoot   !
> 
> Love the buffet arrangement - a little OCD ?          Me too      !



Well, I want to relax, during the set up process, not stress out and be asked a thousand questions.  This way I can sit back and help out, but not feel like I'm running around like a chicken with my head cut off.


rentayenta said:


> *You. Are. A. Jewish. Mother.*  We have a similar food floor plan so to speak that we use when planning the kiddish luncheon following the bar/bat mitzvah services.  Its even more detailed.
> 
> So glad your dad is home and doing well.



I figure this way it will go the way I want it to and I don't have to behave like (and I haven't heard this term in forever and you brought up the Jewish part.... ) a Jewish American Princess!   



jedijill said:


> Glad to hear your dad is doing well!
> 
> I love the diagram!  Can't wait to see everyone!  3 days of work and 4 more sleeps until Cali!
> 
> Jill in CO



Now we're down to two more sleeps until you guys get here!   



dolphingirl47 said:


> I am glad that everything went well.
> 
> Corinna



Thank you!  



mvf-m11c said:


> That is great news to hear that your dad is doing well.



It sure is!



PrincessInOz said:


> $65 for a pedi?  That's outrageous....even for Aussie pricing.
> 
> I've been MIA for a bit...so I think the weekend is even closer now!  Have a great time.  I am so envious!
> 
> Fantastic bottle.



Yeah, that's GCH pricing for you, the treatment that I'm getting would normally be around $125 at Burke Williams, but I think its like $200 at the Mandara.  Crazy.



PrincessInOz said:


> Glad your Dad is well!
> 
> And hope that Mickey bruise is fading.



My Dad is doing better, but no, the bruise is only getting deeper.  I will probably still  be sporting it at my birthday.



afwdwfan said:


> Wow! That certainly is detailed. It looks like you've got your i's dotted and t's crossed for this one. It should go pretty smoothly!



I'm hoping so!  Plus I have some great help!



afwdwfan said:


> Ouch. I guess if you're going to have a bruise there are worse things it could look like!



  



********** said:


> Wow - I missed everything with your dad...glad to hear things came out OK. Brought back memories of my (step) dads recent rush to the hospital, which didn't come out OK. So very glad your dad is doing well.



Thank goodness everything did come out OK.  I'm sorry yours didn't work out as well.



********** said:


> Also - the Mickey shaped bruising is taking your fandom a little too far.


----------



## Leshaface

franandaj said:


> So before I get to responses, Dad is home now and everything went fine.  He is a little sore and very happy to be at home again.  It will be great to see them on Wednesday!



This is such great news! 



franandaj said:


> So I'm at a loss of what to post, there is nothing new since my father is home and healthy.  I can't defrost any of the meat yet nor make the strawberry soup,  I've purchased stuff at the grocery store that we don't need from Costco as I don't want to have visit a grocery store before we go, but there isn't a lot to report.  So here is my diagram for the buffet.  I have specific instructions to go with it.  I apologize to the gals setting it up if it seems like the directions are set for morons, but Fran made me spell EVERYTHING out, so there was pretty much no questions.



Woah!!!  This will definitely help those that will be setting up everything, so there's no confusion.  Great idea Fran!



franandaj said:


> And for those of you who are not FB friends, I have discovered that I have so much Disney in my blood that even my bruises come out Mickey shaped.


http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/Mickey bruise.jpg.html

Cool!  But ouch 





franandaj said:


> And another totally random thing, I noticed that my permalinks in the TOC post are working even though I've changed my title a few times.  Ye haw!  I'm going to go post a few more permalinks, after I get some beauty sleep!



Has this always happened since the DIS got upgraded??  Cause i've been changing the name of my title also, while adding links to my ToC too.  So I have to go back and check my links is what you're saying?!


----------



## franandaj

Captain_Oblivious said:


> This is pretty hardcore buffet planning. I'd be lucky if all the food actually got on a plate and then on a table. At some point you'd just be asked to find whatever you want in the fridge.



I tend to be pretty hardcore when it comes to food planning. I don't know why but it really irks me when a buffet line is poorly set up, like when they put utensils at the end instead of the beginning, or salad is after the hot food.   I sound like a crazy person!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Sorry for the pain, but the bruise is pretty awesome!



I just can't believe that it formed so perfectly like that. 



eandesmom said:


> Love the buffet schematic! I am all over that!



It's pretty simple. As far as I see it everything should be in the order that normal courses of dinner. Appetizers, salad, soup, hot food/meat, side dishes, dessert.



eandesmom said:


> I missed the where on the 65 dollar pedi but can assume it's at Mandara? Sigh. I hate the differential between a spa pedi and the cheap place around the corner. I don't mind paying for the extra wraps, creams, paraffin or massage but do often find the spread is just too large to justify it, not to mention the fact that the chapter ones seem to last longer on me!



Yeah the $65 was at the Mandara. I have an appointment at 3:00 at a local place today for $24. We'll see how that goes!



eandesmom said:


> Still, it's your birthday and you should so whatever the heck you want!



I plan to!



dizneeat said:


> Thanks for the link! I am now going back to read and will report back once I am through.



  I'm glad you made it over here!



Leshaface said:


> This is such great news!



My Mom and I are going to chat tonight, so I'll find out how he's doing.  He was grumpy about it when we talked Saturday, but that's par for the course for him.



Leshaface said:


> Woah!!! This will definitely help those that will be setting up everything, so there's no confusion. Great idea Fran!



She's good with the ideas!



Leshaface said:


> Cool! But ouch



Yeah, you'll probably see it first hand this weekend. It's still darkening. 



Leshaface said:


> Has this always happened since the DIS got upgraded?? Cause i've been changing the name of my title also, while adding links to my ToC too. So I have to go back and check my links is what you're saying?!



@MEK was mentioning this in her TR. I did notice that I had to fix my signature after the upgrade. When I started putting chapter links in the second post, I stopped putting links after I read they weren't working. I just put post numbers. I need to go back and put in the links now that they work.


----------



## jedijill

2 more sleeps until DL!  This is going to be an epic weekend.  I'm so happy you invited me to be a part of it!

Jill in CO


----------



## rentayenta

Post a pic of your toes after!

I agree with Jill. Its going to be such a total blast and I am happy to be included. P.S. @jedijill we are still hiding your phone.


----------



## Flossbolna

The bruise might look cute, it still looks painful! 

I love the buffet diagram. I think that is a great idea: delegating only works if you are good at giving instructions. So, what better way to give instructions than a diagram. When my sister @nodnol first moved in with her DH she put a diagram on the inside of the kitchen cupboard door where they stored their pots so that he knew how to put the pots in after doing the dishes.  I thought it was a very smart idea!

However, I had to laugh when you said that you hate it when the utensils are at the end of the buffet line. I am the total opposite. Why should I have to hold on to my fork and knife while holding a plate and trying to put food on it. Far easier to just have the plate to worry about and once all the food I want is on it, I can go and pick up the cutlery.


----------



## Flossbolna

Oh, and I hope you will love your feet after the pedicure!!


----------



## Pinkocto

I'm so glad everything went well with your dad, that's fabulous news!!!


----------



## eandesmom

franandaj said:


> @MEK was mentioning this in her TR. I did notice that I had to fix my signature after the upgrade. When I started putting chapter links in the second post, I stopped putting links after I read they weren't working. I just put post numbers. I need to go back and put in the links now that they work.



Mine have seemed to work all along, I know @MEK had a bunch of issues but hopefully that is resolved?  Lucky her, she gets to update the TOC on that TR. Which is a good thing or there would never be updates.



rentayenta said:


> Post a pic of your toes after!
> 
> I agree with Jill. Its going to be such a total blast and I am happy to be included. P.S. @jedijill we are still hiding your phone.



Yes! Toe pictures.  I painted my own tonight.  Does that count?

Ok, I am missing something....why do we have to hide @jedijill 's phone?



Flossbolna said:


> However, I had to laugh when you said that you hate it when the utensils are at the end of the buffet line. I am the total opposite. Why should I have to hold on to my fork and knife while holding a plate and trying to put food on it. Far easier to just have the plate to worry about and once all the food I want is on it, I can go and pick up the cutlery.



Ok this is funny.  Jeff wants it at the beginning as otherwise he will entirely forget to grab them.  I like it at the end for your reason above.

Of course I might still forget to grab it!  What I dislike more than anything is if it is in a separate area than the food and plates, like a side table as you walk out.



Flossbolna said:


> When my sister @nodnol first moved in with her DH she put a diagram on the inside of the kitchen cupboard door where they stored their pots so that he knew how to put the pots in after doing the dishes.  I thought it was a very smart idea!



I should do that!  Jeff has to put the dishes away and after 10 years in this kitchen...there are still things he puts away wrong or simply leaves out for me to do!

I was just speaking of @nodnol the other day.  My folks are planning to go to Berlin late summer/early fall (I forget the exact dates) and I was hoping between the two of you to give them some tips on where to go!


----------



## franandaj

jedijill said:


> 2 more sleeps until DL!  This is going to be an epic weekend.  I'm so happy you invited me to be a part of it!
> 
> Jill in CO


My parents arrive tomorrow and then you all Thursday! 



rentayenta said:


> Post a pic of your toes after!
> 
> I agree with Jill. Its going to be such a total blast and I am happy to be included. P.S. @jedijill we are still hiding your phone.



There's something about that. 

 Definitely hiding the phone.



Flossbolna said:


> I love the buffet diagram. I think that is a great idea: delegating only works if you are good at giving instructions. So, what better way to give instructions than a diagram. When my sister @nodnol first moved in with her DH she put a diagram on the inside of the kitchen cupboard door where they stored their pots so that he knew how to put the pots in after doing the dishes.  I thought it was a very smart idea!



That is a good idea!



Flossbolna said:


> However, I had to laugh when you said that you hate it when the utensils are at the end of the buffet line. I am the total opposite. Why should I have to hold on to my fork and knife while holding a plate and trying to put food on it. Far easier to just have the plate to worry about and once all the food I want is on it, I can go and pick up the cutlery.



I guess everyone is different!



Flossbolna said:


> Oh, and I hope you will love your feet after the pedicure!!







Pinkocto said:


> I'm so glad everything went well with your dad, that's fabulous news!!!







eandesmom said:


> Mine have seemed to work all along, I know @MEK had a bunch of issues but hopefully that is resolved? Lucky her, she gets to update the TOC on that TR. Which is a good thing or there would never be updates.





eandesmom said:


> Yes! Toe pictures. I painted my own tonight. Does that count?



Sure that counts!



eandesmom said:


> Ok, I am missing something....why do we have to hide @jedijill 's phone?



Because she has been bribed by Captain Oblivious and cj9200, plus PIO to post incriminating pictures of us once the alcohol starts!  



eandesmom said:


> Ok this is funny. Jeff wants it at the beginning as otherwise he will entirely forget to grab them. I like it at the end for your reason above.
> 
> Of course I might still forget to grab it! What I dislike more than anything is if it is in a separate area than the food and plates, like a side table as you walk out.



I like it at the beginning so that I don't forget it as well!


----------



## jedijill

Hey, in my defense, PiO offered to cook me a meal when I visit her in Australia!  

1 more sleep!  I actually started packing my suitcase last night!

How was the pedicure Alison?  I got mine last night and it was fabulous.

Jill in CO


----------



## franandaj

jedijill said:


> Hey, in my defense, PiO offered to cook me a meal when I visit her in Australia!



She would cook you a meal regardless!    Didn't you see her TR when she visited me and cooked all the meals in and out of my house! 



jedijill said:


> 1 more sleep! I actually started packing my suitcase last night!



My parents arrive today and you and Jenny tomottow.



jedijill said:


> How was the pedicure Alison? I got mine last night and it was fabulous.



I'll try and get pics up today and an explanationwhen Fran isn't  looking.


----------



## ShellB8585

It's nearly here, you must be getting excited! May Day is my Brothers birthday too I will be sure to have a glass of wine in your honour


----------



## Flossbolna

franandaj said:


> I'll try and get pics up today and an explanationwhen Fran isn't looking.



Had to laugh about this one. So Fran would not approve of you posting pictures of your feet???  

I am pretty sure Michael would also think that I have totally lost it if I started posting pictures of my toe nails!


----------



## franandaj

ShellB8585 said:


> It's nearly here, you must be getting excited! May Day is my Brothers birthday too I will be sure to have a glass of wine in your honour



I am getting excited!!!!



Flossbolna said:


> Had to laugh about this one. So Fran would not approve of you posting pictures of your feet???
> 
> I am pretty sure Michael would also think that I have totally lost it if I started posting pictures of my toe nails!



She doesn't care what I post pictures of, she just gets mad at me for spending time on the DIS. She is constantly saying, "get your head out of the phone" or "can't you stay off your computer?" Now keep in mind I'm not the one draining our savings accounts with online purchases, but evidently keeping up with friends is not an acceptable use of time.


----------



## rentayenta

Pedicure deeeeets are needed! 

I am debating getting my nails done. I don't want a manicure but would like shellac.


----------



## Flossbolna

franandaj said:


> Now keep in mind I'm not the one draining our savings accounts with online purchases, but evidently keeping up with friends is not an acceptable use of time.



Ah, sorry... 

At least you will have plenty of friends around in person as of tomorrow, so you can enjoy their company without having to look at a screen. Fran should be pleased about that!


----------



## franandaj

OK, it's going to be quick, but here's my take on the Pedicure.  It wasn't all that, it was OK, but I'm not sure how willing I would be to make it part of my routine.  Perhaps it was the place that I did it, but I found parts of it to be uncomfortable and sometimes painful.  Maybe I have neglected my toes for so long that they really needed some TLC, but the scraping, filing and other stuff was not at all relaxing.  When she finally got to the massage part, I really couldn't relax much because I was kind of tense from all the callous removal and the like.

Anyways here I am in the salon while my toes were supposedly drying.





She gave me some fake flip flops to wear and sent me on my way.  I really wish she would have just sat me down for an additional few minutes and made me wait until they fully dried because as soon as I got in the car, evidently I scuffed my left big toe on the car door and screwed up the polish.  I didn't notice until I was all the way home.





I don't really think that I have time to go back and have her touch it up, so oh well. I may try and do it again at another salon and see if it's any more relaxing.  The fact that they didn't really speak English well did throw me off a little.  They were plenty nice, and really willing to please, but that whole lack of ability to communicate clearly really did put a damper on things.  Plus the salon owner handed me all these magazines like People, and other Fan related stuff filled with celebrities who I've never heard of, or couldn't give a darn about what's going on in their live.  And Bruce Jenner was on the cover of half of them.  While I respect the individual and understand that it is a HUGE struggle.  I watched the interview, and that's all I need to hear on the subject.  I finally found a Cooking Light magazine and while there was nothing interesting recipe wise, at least it kept my mind occupied while I was wincing from the poking and prodding she was doing to my feet.

On other news, I finally submitted the Travel Insurance documents, so if they approve it we should get back $1500 from all three cruises.  My parents should be leaving their house by noon today and arrive sometime just before 8PM.  We'll be going out to dinner as I am DONE cooking until Friday night.  Jenny arrives tomorrow as does Jill and if we get everything we want done today, perhaps we can have lunch out somewhere tomorrow before we make our big Costco run. The Tri Tips are thawing in the fridge.  I am just about to get the Strawberries out of the freezer for the Strawberry soup.  I'll be making that tomorrow!  The plan is coming together!  54 hours until check in at the Grand Villa!


----------



## dgbg100106

Wow, sorry your pedicure experience was not more what you were looking for.  David and I really enjoy ours, but of course we can speak with ours and they do a great job.  Everything is coming together nicely and your party is going to be great, I am so jealous.


----------



## disney ny

I so want to be there and be a part of all the fun.  I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!!


----------



## jedijill

Sorry the pedi wasn't as relaxing as it could have been.  I've found if there is a lot of exfoliation it is more uncomfortable and it does get better with regular "maintenance."  Not all nail techs are created equal as well.  When I find a good one, I stick with them. 

I've already checked into my flight...I am getting my hair cut/colored tonight and then need to finish packing.

Jill in CO


----------



## Leshaface

I didn't want to say it.  But I probably should have.  Some of the Chinese owned nail salons just aren't good.  At all.  I used to pay extra when I wanted to actually be comfortable and have a conversation with the nail tech, so i'd make an appointment with one of the ladies where I get my hair done and it's probably $35/40.  But the experience is soooo much better, and I feel their equipment is cleaner.  Next time, make an appointment at one of nicer hair/nail salons in Long Beach, there are some good ones there!


----------



## franandaj

rentayenta said:


> Pedicure deeeeets are needed!
> 
> I am debating getting my nails done. I don't want a manicure but would like shellac.



OK you got it.....



Flossbolna said:


> Ah, sorry...
> 
> At least you will have plenty of friends around in person as of tomorrow, so you can enjoy their company without having to look at a screen. Fran should be pleased about that!



Hopefully I have convinced her that lunch with Jenny and Jill is in order.  Looking forward to going to Costco.  I know I'm weird.


----------



## dolphingirl47

I am sorry that the pedicure did not really work out for you. I have a love hate relationship with them. My feet are very sensitive and they do hurt me, but I want pretty toes for the summer. Now manicures are a different matter. I love those. I love the colour, but what a shame that one toe got scuffed up. That is why Shellac/ Gellish, etc is so great. They are instantly dry.

Corinna


----------



## dvc at last !

No Mickey Heads on the nails  ?  Shame on you   !
Have a blast this weekend for your Birthday - you deserve it !
Looking forward to more .......


----------



## Leshaface

dvc at last ! said:


> No Mickey Heads on the nails  ?  Shame on you   !
> Have a blast this weekend for your Birthday - you deserve it !
> Looking forward to more .......



Actually Alison, this is a great idea!  Put Mickey heads on your big toes to cover up the scuff!


----------



## rentayenta

I really think if a pedicure was something you did regularly you may enjoy it. When you get them regularly the callouses are almost non existent for me anyway. I like the color even with the smudge and nobody but you will see the smudge especially with sandals on. And after the second glass of wine even you won't notice. 


Yay for tomorrow!!! I have almost finished packing and I think I will be able to squeeze it all in a carry on. I brought both wrap dresses depending on how bloated I feel after 2 days on vacation. 

ETA: hair products are over 3 oz. UGH!!!!


----------



## PrincessInOz

Pedi's are great with the right person doing it.  I do enjoy them....but it isn't a regular part of my routine either.  

Have a great weekend!  Enjoy.

And Happy Birthday!


----------



## eandesmom

franandaj said:


> Because she has been bribed by Captain Oblivious and cj9200, plus PIO to post incriminating pictures of us once the alcohol starts!



Ah hah! I missed that part



jedijill said:


> Hey, in my defense, PiO offered to cook me a meal when I visit her in Australia!



that's a very good bribe!



jedijill said:


> 1 more sleep! I actually started packing my suitcase last night!



I am packed!



jedijill said:


> How was the pedicure Alison? I got mine last night and it was fabulous.



Yay!


franandaj said:


> She would cook you a meal regardless!  Didn't you see her TR when she visited me and cooked all the meals in and out of my house!



Oh that food looked amazing!!!!!!!  Quite the feast.



franandaj said:


> My parents arrive today and you and Jenny tomottow.



and me!  me too!  I arrive tomorrow 



franandaj said:


> I'll try and get pics up today and an explanationwhen Fran isn't looking.



LOL, that was me on the DIS last night



Flossbolna said:


> Had to laugh about this one. So Fran would not approve of you posting pictures of your feet???
> 
> I am pretty sure Michael would also think that I have totally lost it if I started posting pictures of my toe nails!



Jeff already thinks I've lost it when he sees me taking pictures of them in the lounger on vacation



rentayenta said:


> I am debating getting my nails done. I don't want a manicure but would like shellac.



How can you get a shellac without getting a manicure?



franandaj said:


> Maybe I have neglected my toes for so long that they really needed some TLC, but the scraping, filing and other stuff was not at all relaxing. When she finally got to the massage part, I really couldn't relax much because I was kind of tense from all the callous removal and the like.



Sigh.  It really can vary depending on where you go, the full spa route might have been better for a first outing.  Parts can be painful for sure



franandaj said:


> I don't really think that I have time to go back and have her touch it up, so oh well. I may try and do it again at another salon and see if it's any more relaxing. The fact that they didn't really speak English well did throw me off a little



You could pop into a different one and just ask for a polish change.  Bring your own flip flops and make them put them on your feet before they start painting, then you don't have to worry about trying to get them on while things are still smudgeable



franandaj said:


> I finally found a Cooking Light magazine and while there was nothing interesting recipe wise, at least it kept my mind occupied while I was wincing from the poking and prodding she was doing to my feet.



Ugh.  First rule of mani/pedi's is bring a book or the smartphone to keep you entertained.  I often forget that rule tough.
h


franandaj said:


> Jenny arrives tomorrow as does Jill



And me.  LOL!  I do get in later than they do though.



Leshaface said:


> Some of the Chinese owned nail salons just aren't good.



No, they aren't.  Up here they aren't chinese but a variety of different asian salons.  It's hard.  Some are fabulous and others, horrible.  Unless you go on a regular basis and check it out, it's kind of luck of the draw.  There is a reason that the nicer salons cost more...



rentayenta said:


> ETA: hair products are over 3 oz. UGH!!!!



Boo!  This is why I check.  Liquids!


----------



## KathyM2

I love the colour - sorry the pedi wasn't that relaxing. But I do think you should give it another try because it totally DOES depend on the salon and the tools they use etc. One place I've gone to that I really like has this thing...like a wand with a brush on the end that spins around? And they do that instead of a lot of the scraping and filing? I find it way more relaxing....maybe check out a few places until you find one you like. Because there is nothing like a good pedi in my books ) But your trip is sooo close!!!


----------



## rentayenta

@eandesmom I don't like the soak and lotion part. Basically a polish change but with shellac polish.


----------



## franandaj

dgbg100106 said:


> Wow, sorry your pedicure experience was not more what you were looking for.  David and I really enjoy ours, but of course we can speak with ours and they do a great job.  Everything is coming together nicely and your party is going to be great, I am so jealous.



I think it was also the fact that my feet have never been "nurtured".  I have a feeling that there was a lot of stuff there that needed to be cleaned out and that was the painful part.



disney ny said:


> I so want to be there and be a part of all the fun.  I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!!



I wish more of my DIS friends could have made it, but it's a long trip for a lot of people and then there are things like having your own life to deal with.  



jedijill said:


> Sorry the pedi wasn't as relaxing as it could have been.  I've found if there is a lot of exfoliation it is more uncomfortable and it does get better with regular "maintenance."  Not all nail techs are created equal as well.  When I find a good one, I stick with them.
> 
> I've already checked into my flight...I am getting my hair cut/colored tonight and then need to finish packing.
> 
> Jill in CO



That's why I think it's worth trying again before I write it off.  And maybe sooner rather than later so all the callouses and stuff don't build back up.

Yay for being checked in!



Leshaface said:


> I didn't want to say it. But I probably should have. Some of the Chinese owned nail salons just aren't good. At all.



These people got fantastic reviews on Yelp.  And everything was very clean, I just didn't realize it was going to be such a language barrier.  Strange that these people live and work here and still have such a poor command of the English language!



Leshaface said:


> I used to pay extra when I wanted to actually be comfortable and have a conversation with the nail tech, so i'd make an appointment with one of the ladies where I get my hair done and it's probably $35/40. But the experience is soooo much better, and I feel their equipment is cleaner. Next time, make an appointment at one of nicer hair/nail salons in Long Beach, there are some good ones there!



You'll have to clue me on where some of these are.  I have a hairstylist, but I'm not sure if they do nails, and if they do I think it's up a flight of stairs.  I don't want to deal with that!


----------



## PrincessInOz

Soon!  So soon now.  YAY.


----------



## franandaj

dolphingirl47 said:


> I am sorry that the pedicure did not really work out for you. I have a love hate relationship with them. My feet are very sensitive and they do hurt me, but I want pretty toes for the summer. Now manicures are a different matter. I love those. I love the colour, but what a shame that one toe got scuffed up. That is why Shellac/ Gellish, etc is so great. They are instantly dry.
> 
> Corinna



I can also be very ticklish, especially when the person working on my feet has a light touch.  I rarely see my toes so it has never mattered for me.  I don't bother with manicures, I bite my nails, and I know if they had polish on them I wouldn't, but Fran does not seem to like the idea of me having manicured nails.   



dvc at last ! said:


> No Mickey Heads on the nails  ?  Shame on you   !
> Have a blast this weekend for your Birthday - you deserve it !
> Looking forward to more .......



I never even thought of Mickey heads on the nails.  I even saw people on my cruise (which I didn't go on) who posted Mickey manicures.  It just never occurred to me!



Leshaface said:


> Actually Alison, this is a great idea!  Put Mickey heads on your big toes to cover up the scuff!



Where the heck would I get them?  



rentayenta said:


> I really think if a pedicure was something you did regularly you may enjoy it. When you get them regularly the callouses are almost non existent for me anyway. I like the color even with the smudge and nobody but you will see the smudge especially with sandals on. And after the second glass of wine even you won't notice.



I can understand that it would get better if they didn't have to dig through all that other foot stuff.  I don't even notice now!  



rentayenta said:


> Yay for tomorrow!!! I have almost finished packing and I think I will be able to squeeze it all in a carry on. I brought both wrap dresses depending on how bloated I feel after 2 days on vacation.



I am done packing MY stuff.  Fran has a T-shirt and socks packed.  I have a feeling Friday morning while our friends are loading the food, Fran will be trying on pants and shirts for Steakhouse 55.    I don't think she has been paying attention when I have been discussing the schedule RIGHT IN FRONT OF HER FACE!



rentayenta said:


> ETA: hair products are over 3 oz. UGH!!!!



I don't even know what hair products are!    



PrincessInOz said:


> Pedi's are great with the right person doing it. I do enjoy them....but it isn't a regular part of my routine either.
> 
> Have a great weekend! Enjoy.
> 
> And Happy Birthday!



Thanks, maybe next time it will be better.



eandesmom said:


> Ah hah! I missed that part



Yeah, we need to watch out for the double agents!  



eandesmom said:


> that's a very good bribe!



But I think even without the bribe, it would have been on the table.  



eandesmom said:


> I am packed!



Me too!



eandesmom said:


> Oh that food looked amazing!!!!!!! Quite the feast.



I'd love for her to come back and make that one wide noodle dish.  I have to get up the courage to try it.



eandesmom said:


> and me! me too! I arrive tomorrow



I know, but you get in too late for me to see you before we crash after the Costco run!



eandesmom said:


> Sigh. It really can vary depending on where you go, the full spa route might have been better for a first outing. Parts can be painful for sure



I need guidance!



eandesmom said:


> You could pop into a different one and just ask for a polish change. Bring your own flip flops and make them put them on your feet before they start painting, then you don't have to worry about trying to get them on while things are still smudgeable



It wasn't putting on the flip flops, though I don't own any, it was actually getting in the car that did it.



eandesmom said:


> Ugh. First rule of mani/pedi's is bring a book or the smartphone to keep you entertained. I often forget that rule tough.



I did have my smart phone, but I needed something with a wider spread.  I didn't want to watch what she was doing to my feet it kind of really hurt.  



eandesmom said:


> And me. LOL! I do get in later than they do though.



Yeah, I think you get in that night.  We  plan to be home eating delivered sushi and thai.



eandesmom said:


> No, they aren't. Up here they aren't chinese but a variety of different asian salons. It's hard. Some are fabulous and others, horrible. Unless you go on a regular basis and check it out, it's kind of luck of the draw. There is a reason that the nicer salons cost more...



Yeah, they could have been Thai, I have no idea.  we have the largest collection of Thai folks in the US so that makes more sense than Chinese, but I don't really know.



eandesmom said:


> Boo! This is why I check. Liquids!



We can never travel light enough to only have a carry on so it's never a problem.  Since we usually fly on miles our bags end up being free.  Although on our Thanksgiving trip we did end up paying for bags.



KathyM2 said:


> I love the colour - sorry the pedi wasn't that relaxing. But I do think you should give it another try because it totally DOES depend on the salon and the tools they use etc. One place I've gone to that I really like has this thing...like a wand with a brush on the end that spins around? And they do that instead of a lot of the scraping and filing? I find it way more relaxing....maybe check out a few places until you find one you like. Because there is nothing like a good pedi in my books ) But your trip is sooo close!!!



Well they definitely didn't have that wand.  Maybe I will find a high end place and try it to see if I like it.  We have Burke Williams Gift Certificates, and then I can decide.  If I weren't so stressed about them and their pricing, I would do one there.


----------



## franandaj

So here's my last pathetic update hopefully before I start to update with DISmeets and fun!  We bought the strawberries to garnish the soup, but I think we're going to have to stop and get more.  We have this chain that has stands that sell strawberries around town and they are by far the tastiest strawberries.





We bought what I thought was a flat, but we may need some more by Friday as we have been digging in a little more than we intended.





Tomorrow we see Jenny and Jill and start the experiences in the park!  Cynthia arrives later


----------



## Flossbolna

Those strawberries look wonderful!!! Reminds me of Berlin, there is a strawberry producer that has stands all over time in the strawberry season and those stands look like giant strawberries. They sell the best fruit, picked that morning and always sweet and delicious!

Sorry about your pedicure experience. Here in Germany I only ever experienced the "wand" method and I think it is far preferable. One lady in Germany once told me that it is kind of required here as it is much less likely to cause injury. For me the big bonus of the manicure is that I get rid of the excessive dry skin on my heels which tends to crack, however much lotion I use... I just have very dry skin and that helps producing callouses.

Have a fantastic Birthday Weekend!!


----------



## dolphingirl47

Those strawberries look delicious. I can't wait for the strawberry season to start here.

Corinna


----------



## Dis_Yoda

It really does depend on the salon.  The place I usually go to here serves champagne or wine while they are working on your toes & is still kinda affordable at $35 pretip.  I went to a different one the other weekend as I had time to kill between my movie and when I could pick the dogs up from the groomers & I left annoyed as the lady wouldn't stop talking to me! 

Have a great trip this weekend!


----------



## afwdwfan

I'm sorry your pedicure was a little bit of a letdown.  That's really all I can say about that, because it isn't like I know anything about pedicures. 

Might as well get more strawberries, because you can never have too many.  They do look good! 

It will be here fast now!  Enjoy your friends and family and have a great birthday weekend!


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

Well, I'll echo Andy's comment in that I'm sorry the pedicure wasn't a great experience, and if I say anything else I will prove that I have no idea what I'm talking about on the subject.

Have a great time and happy birthday!


----------



## Pinkocto

Those strawberries look scrumptious!!!!  

Sounds like there's fun starting today, oh how I wish I was coming   I'll be thinking of you guys this weekend!!!


----------



## eandesmom

franandaj said:


> I can also be very ticklish, especially when the person working on my feet has a light touch. I rarely see my toes so it has never mattered for me. I don't bother with manicures, I bite my nails, and I know if they had polish on them I wouldn't, but Fran does not seem to like the idea of me having manicured nails.



I can be very ticklish too, I just have to suffer through that part.  I used to have my nails done on a regular basis and I did love it but oh, the time to keep it up.  Bleh.  Now I just get a pedi maybe 2-3x a year and keep up the polish on my own.  For my hands I have started painting them again recently as oddly enough, I had a flight delay about 6 weeks ago and splurged on a mani/pedi at the place at he airport.  I loved the color on my nails and it stayed on forever, way longer than usual for me.  So I bought a bottle and just keeping them painted is helping them grow and not break as easy but we will see how long i can keep it up.  It doesn't last nearly as long when I do it. But as Jeff pointed out, that's because I'm not on a work trip and am doing dishes and cooking lol.  I wonder why Fran doesn't like manicured nails. Maybe it's the super long fake ones?  Clear polish is pretty unobtrusive but could help with the biting?  Is she ok with the toes?



franandaj said:


> I never even thought of Mickey heads on the nails. I even saw people on my cruise (which I didn't go on) who posted Mickey manicures. It just never occurred to me!



That would be cute



franandaj said:


> Where the heck would I get them?



Bottle of black polish I'd think and just paint it on.  Or a sticker.



franandaj said:


> I am done packing MY stuff. Fran has a T-shirt and socks packed. I have a feeling Friday morning while our friends are loading the food, Fran will be trying on pants and shirts for Steakhouse 55.  I don't think she has been paying attention when I have been discussing the schedule RIGHT IN FRONT OF HER FACE!



That is SO how Jeff packs.  Drives me nuts.  I just have to leave the room or go run errands.


franandaj said:


> I don't even know what hair products are!



LOL!

Actually all I use is hairspray or I'd be the queen of static but that's over 3 oz.



franandaj said:


> Yeah, we need to watch out for the double agents!



I have been warned!



franandaj said:


> I'd love for her to come back and make that one wide noodle dish. I have to get up the courage to try it.



That one sounded amazing, I'd love to try it, need to go back and dig up the recipe.  My family would love it.  I made up a new noodle dish last night that was a big hit, I need to tweak it but I think it's keeper.



franandaj said:


> I know, but you get in too late for me to see you before we crash after the Costco run!



That is true, I don't land till 4:40 or so.



franandaj said:


> I need guidance!



Unfortunately a lot of it is trial and error at the cheapo places. I do like Yelp for reviews before checking one out.  The nicer salons are safer for sure.



franandaj said:


> It wasn't putting on the flip flops, though I don't own any, it was actually getting in the car that did it.



I have done that.  Or, when starting the car dinged a fingernail turning the keys



franandaj said:


> I did have my smart phone, but I needed something with a wider spread. I didn't want to watch what she was doing to my feet it kind of really hurt.



Ah, makes sense



franandaj said:


> Yeah, I think you get in that night. We plan to be home eating delivered sushi and thai.



Yum!



franandaj said:


> We can never travel light enough to only have a carry on so it's never a problem. Since we usually fly on miles our bags end up being free. Although on our Thanksgiving trip we did end up paying for bags.



I hate paying for bags. I have been spoiled on Alaska. We had to pay on Hawaiian last week and it made us cranky! I was upgraded for today's flight, very happy about that.



franandaj said:


> So here's my last pathetic update hopefully before I start to update with DISmeets and fun! We bought the strawberries to garnish the soup, but I think we're going to have to stop and get more. We have this chain that has stands that sell strawberries around town and they are by far the tastiest strawberries.



YUM!



franandaj said:


> We bought what I thought was a flat, but we may need some more by Friday as we have been digging in a little more than we intended.



LOL, that's what would happen at my house



Flossbolna said:


> Here in Germany I only ever experienced the "wand" method and I think it is far preferable.



I don't think I have ever had the wand method.  Either they file/buff or they actually shave or a combo but never a wand



Dis_Yoda said:


> I left annoyed as the lady wouldn't stop talking to me!



I cannot stand that!  If it's a regular person you go to, that's one thing but random service provider making small talk, unless you click, can get old.  I try to really focus on what I am reading and give one word answers so they stop bugging me.  LOL.  It is harder when it's your fingers though as at a certain point you can't use the phone or turn a page.


----------



## ShellB8585

franandaj said:


> Where the heck would I get them?



I am not at all good with varnish or anything but have just done mine - just a bottle of black varnish and use the tip of the brush to make the circles. It's fairly easy. They're not perfect but I like them


----------



## Leshaface

franandaj said:


> I never even thought of Mickey heads on the nails. I even saw people on my cruise (which I didn't go on) who posted Mickey manicures. It just never occurred to me!



I got Mickey nails too from a past trip!





franandaj said:


> Where the heck would I get them?



Do you have white or black nail polish??  Any polish that will stand out really, and just make two dots for the ears and place one larger dot for the head!  Super easy


----------



## dgbg100106

Those Strawberries look amazing.

I hope you have the most magical of Birthday's, and please know that I will be thinking of you and wishing the best.

It is so close now.


----------



## KathyM2

Those strawberries look so awesome....can't beat fresh strawberries!! Thinking of you this weekend!!


----------



## dvc at last !

The strawberries do like delish  !
I had some today in my yogurt at lunch.
I have never had strawberry soup - you need to share how to make it ( when you have time - after the Birthday Celebration) !


----------



## cj9200

Don't expect to hear from you over here because you will be doing fun stuff.  Just wanted to wish you an early happy birthday and have a blast this weekend.  Can't wait to hear about the festivities.  Oh, and make sure you make a good wish when you blow out the candles.  No of that peace on earth.... stuff.


----------



## franandaj

OK, so I'll be back (probably after the weekend for replies), but it's TOMORROW!  We had lunch with Jenny and Jill and maybe I will post a pic if I get a chance otherwise it will be later.  But after we left them at the parks, we went to Costco, Sam's Club, Smart & Final, Acapulco and Ralphs.    I was about ready to die when I got home, but we still needed to work out ordering dinner with my parents.

We got an order together for sushi and stuff done online and then I went to work making the Strawberry Soup and the onion dip that was supposed to be made yesterday.  It goes with the potato chips.  I think we're good the only surprise is that we need to go pick up a cooler from the old house.  If I had been thinking I would have picked it up today when I was there with Jenny, but I forgot.  Other than that we will be good to go to load stuff tomorrow morning and on our way.


----------



## Leshaface

franandaj said:


> OK, so I'll be back (probably after the weekend for replies), but it's TOMORROW!  We had lunch with Jenny and Jill and maybe I will post a pic if I get a chance otherwise it will be later.  But after we left them at the parks, we went to Costco, Sam's Club, Smart & Final, Acapulco and Ralphs.    I was about ready to die when I got home, but we still needed to work out ordering dinner with my parents.
> 
> We got an order together for sushi and stuff done online and then I went to work making the Strawberry Soup and the onion dip that was supposed to be made yesterday.  It goes with the potato chips.  I think we're good the only surprise is that we need to go pick up a cooler from the old house.  If I had been thinking I would have picked it up today when I was there with Jenny, but I forgot.  Other than that we will be good to go to load stuff tomorrow morning and on our way.



What a day!  So excited to see everyone on Saturday and hope it all goes smoothly tomorrow taking things over to the Villa and setting up.


----------



## Flossbolna

It is midnight in California, so your birthday has officially started!

Happy Birthday Alison!



Have a fantastic bash with all your friends!


----------



## Paula Sedley-Burke

Happy Birthday!  I love the Costco drinks dispenser what a neat idea! Much easier. That is a nice array of drinks. Thoughtful selection and inclusive. Hey good for Barefoot. Three gay cheers for them.

Have a super day! 

We are off to Disney next Wednesday  xxx very excited.


----------



## ShellB8585

Hope you have a wonderful weekend celebrating


----------



## dolphingirl47

Happy birthday. Looks like you had a busy, but productive day yesterday.

Corinna


----------



## dvc at last !

Happy Birthday !


----------



## skier_pete

Happy Birthday! Hope you have fun and don't wear yourself out!


----------



## Leshaface

Happy happy birthday! 

Hopefully you're not frantically running around and everything is going smoothly


----------



## franandaj

Hi everyone!  Just checking in before we head out! The car is fully loaded, we're over two hours ahead of schedule!


----------



## Flossbolna

franandaj said:


> Hi everyone!  Just checking in before we head out! The car is fully loaded, we're over two hours ahead of schedule!



That's great! What a wonderful start! 

I hope the buffet diagram works out!


----------



## afwdwfan

Happy Birthday!!!  

I just hope you aren't passed out in the villa somewhere while everyone else enjoys the party.


----------



## PrincessInOz

YAY!  Ahead of schedule sounds like a fantastic start.

I know you're all having a great time.


----------



## franandaj

Wow! Last night was a lot of fun. Unfortunately there weren't many cameras out. Maybe fortunately.  I did make sure we got a documentation shot.  The girls (for the most part) passed out really early, but we did close down the place. There's tri tip and chicken left for lunch as well as plenty if strawberry soup! Me though? I'm going for the lambuger!


----------



## KathyM2

Happy birthday!! Can't wait to hear about how it all goes!


----------



## eeyore45

Happy Birthday indeed - My guess - - a good time was had by all!


----------



## franandaj

Just checking in again!  We are back home, and had a wonderful time.  Having fun is a lot of work!  I'll be back with replies and then to tell the whole tale of the party.  We did have an epic fail on the incriminating pictures Friday night!    I also learned an important lesson, when you're planning an evening of eating with lots of wine pairings and drinking, don't get a spa treatment that includes two detoxifying wraps.  I probably feel better over all, but thankfully to my DIS girlfriends, they got me out of there and back to the Villa, without me falling down on my face!  I'm hoping that the only incriminating photos that I have are mine and no one else took any!

I'll need to gather photos from other party attendees before I can fully post the TR pics, but any of you following along who were there, please send me your pictures!

It was soooooooo much fun and even though I am totally wiped out and ready for bed like you wouldn't believe, I would do it all over again if I turned 50 again.  In fact Fran had so much fun that she is talking about renting the Grand Villa for her 65th, but I think we might ramp down the food a bit, I think we went a bit overboard this time!


----------



## Flossbolna

This sounds like it was all around a successful weekend! And I was really happy to hear that Fran enjoyed it so much that she wants to repeat it for her own birthday!! I know that you mentioned that she was feeling a bit insecure about the weekend because of wardrobe troubles with the boot!

Sounds like you successfully re-toxicated your body at that dinner!  I would have never thought that those spa treatments could have that much of an effect!

Looking forward to see plenty of pictures!


----------



## KathyM2

Can't wait to hear all about it!!!


----------



## Pinkocto

Awesome that you had such a good time, I knew you would! Can't wait to hear all about it!!!!!


----------



## franandaj

PrincessInOz said:


> Soon!  So soon now.  YAY.



And now it's done.  



Flossbolna said:


> Those strawberries look wonderful!!! Reminds me of Berlin, there is a strawberry producer that has stands all over time in the strawberry season and those stands look like giant strawberries. They sell the best fruit, picked that morning and always sweet and delicious!



They were wonderful sweet and juicy!



Flossbolna said:


> Sorry about your pedicure experience. Here in Germany I only ever experienced the "wand" method and I think it is far preferable. One lady in Germany once told me that it is kind of required here as it is much less likely to cause injury. For me the big bonus of the manicure is that I get rid of the excessive dry skin on my heels which tends to crack, however much lotion I use... I just have very dry skin and that helps producing callouses.



Hmmmmm, I'll have to find another place to try, but it doesn't sound like that wand is very common here in the US.



Flossbolna said:


> Have a fantastic Birthday Weekend!!



Thanks!  It was a blast!



dolphingirl47 said:


> Those strawberries look delicious. I can't wait for the strawberry season to start here.
> 
> Corinna



It's been going on here for quite a few months.  I guess we are lucky here.


----------



## dgbg100106

So excited for you, and glad to hear that is a great time.  Can't wait for the photos.


----------



## franandaj

Dis_Yoda said:


> It really does depend on the salon.  The place I usually go to here serves champagne or wine while they are working on your toes & is still kinda affordable at $35 pretip.  I went to a different one the other weekend as I had time to kill between my movie and when I could pick the dogs up from the groomers & I left annoyed as the lady wouldn't stop talking to me!
> 
> Have a great trip this weekend!



Champagne and wine with the pedi sounds nice.  I don't mind talking to people as long as it's something that I know or give a rat's a** about it.  If it's stupid stuff or celebrities, I would get annoyed quickly.



afwdwfan said:


> I'm sorry your pedicure was a little bit of a letdown. That's really all I can say about that, because it isn't like I know anything about pedicures.







afwdwfan said:


> Might as well get more strawberries, because you can never have too many. They do look good!



We did and they were very tasty!



afwdwfan said:


> It will be here fast now! Enjoy your friends and family and have a great birthday weekend!



It was so much fun.  I need to get some rest now!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Well, I'll echo Andy's comment in that I'm sorry the pedicure wasn't a great experience, and if I say anything else I will prove that I have no idea what I'm talking about on the subject.
> 
> Have a great time and happy birthday!



Thanks for your sentiments!  We had a ton of fun!



Pinkocto said:


> Those strawberries look scrumptious!!!!
> 
> Sounds like there's fun starting today, oh how I wish I was coming   I'll be thinking of you guys this weekend!!!



I'm sorry you couldn't make it, but I hope you had fun at the wedding you attended!


----------



## franandaj

eandesmom said:


> I can be very ticklish too, I just have to suffer through that part. I used to have my nails done on a regular basis and I did love it but oh, the time to keep it up. Bleh. Now I just get a pedi maybe 2-3x a year and keep up the polish on my own. For my hands I have started painting them again recently as oddly enough, I had a flight delay about 6 weeks ago and splurged on a mani/pedi at the place at he airport. I loved the color on my nails and it stayed on forever, way longer than usual for me. So I bought a bottle and just keeping them painted is helping them grow and not break as easy but we will see how long i can keep it up. It doesn't last nearly as long when I do it. But as Jeff pointed out, that's because I'm not on a work trip and am doing dishes and cooking lol. I wonder why Fran doesn't like manicured nails. Maybe it's the super long fake ones? Clear polish is pretty unobtrusive but could help with the biting? Is she ok with the toes?



I think Fran doesn't want to PAY for manicured nails.  She doesn't care if I paint my nails at home.



eandesmom said:


> Bottle of black polish I'd think and just paint it on. Or a sticker.



I'm just not that talented!



eandesmom said:


> That is SO how Jeff packs. Drives me nuts. I just have to leave the room or go run errands.



I wish I could leave, but I'm the one who has to physically put it in the suitcase for her, so I have to just wait until she is ready to do it.  Luckily this time we did it Friday morning and got it done before Darcy and Margaret arrived.



eandesmom said:


> That one sounded amazing, I'd love to try it, need to go back and dig up the recipe. My family would love it. I made up a new noodle dish last night that was a big hit, I need to tweak it but I think it's keeper.



It was good.  I need to try and make it since I know where to get the ingredients.



eandesmom said:


> I have done that. Or, when starting the car dinged a fingernail turning the keys



When I try to do it at home, I have to do some of them over again because I can't sit still long enough for the polish to dry and I usually end up typing on the computer and ruining it.



eandesmom said:


> I hate paying for bags. I have been spoiled on Alaska. We had to pay on Hawaiian last week and it made us cranky! I was upgraded for today's flight, very happy about that.



We're spoiled flying First class on American and being able to take three bags free.



ShellB8585 said:


> I am not at all good with varnish or anything but have just done mine - just a bottle of black varnish and use the tip of the brush to make the circles. It's fairly easy. They're not perfect but I like them



That is so cute!  I love it!



Leshaface said:


> I got Mickey nails too from a past trip!
> 
> View attachment 91590
> 
> 
> 
> Do you have white or black nail polish??  Any polish that will stand out really, and just make two dots for the ears and place one larger dot for the head!  Super easy



That too!  I barely have pink polish!  And I think that it is still at the other house.



dgbg100106 said:


> Those Strawberries look amazing.
> 
> I hope you have the most magical of Birthday's, and please know that I will be thinking of you and wishing the best.
> 
> It is so close now.



Thank you!  It was so much fun!



KathyM2 said:


> Those strawberries look so awesome....can't beat fresh strawberries!! Thinking of you this weekend!!



It was a great weekend.  I need to get to the replies so I can start telling you all about it!



dvc at last ! said:


> The strawberries do like delish  !
> I had some today in my yogurt at lunch.
> I have never had strawberry soup - you need to share how to make it ( when you have time - after the Birthday Celebration) !



Here is the recipe:


Strawberry Soup


2 ½ pounds Strawberries
16 oz Heavy Cream
2 oz Sour Cream
3 oz Yogurt
½ pound fresh Strawberries


1) Mix Strawberries, heavy cream, sour cream and yogurt

2) Beat Slowly until well mixed and a smooth consistency

3) Chill, shake well before serving.

4) Garnish with fresh strawberry halves.




cj9200 said:


> Don't expect to hear from you over here because you will be doing fun stuff.  Just wanted to wish you an early happy birthday and have a blast this weekend.  Can't wait to hear about the festivities.  Oh, and make sure you make a good wish when you blow out the candles.  No of that peace on earth.... stuff.



Thank you very much.  We actually didn't do the whole candle thing, so I didn't get to make a wish.


----------



## dolphingirl47

I am glad that you had a good time. I loved your birthday cake. 



franandaj said:


> It's been going on here for quite a few months. I guess we are lucky here.



Here the strawberry season does not start until June.

Corinna


----------



## Leshaface

franandaj said:


> Just checking in again!  We are back home, and had a wonderful time.  Having fun is a lot of work!  I'll be back with replies and then to tell the whole tale of the party.  We did have an epic fail on the incriminating pictures Friday night!    I also learned an important lesson, when you're planning an evening of eating with lots of wine pairings and drinking, don't get a spa treatment that includes two detoxifying wraps.  I probably feel better over all, but thankfully to my DIS girlfriends, they got me out of there and back to the Villa, without me falling down on my face!  I'm hoping that the only incriminating photos that I have are mine and no one else took any!
> 
> I'll need to gather photos from other party attendees before I can fully post the TR pics, but any of you following along who were there, please send me your pictures!
> 
> It was soooooooo much fun and even though I am totally wiped out and ready for bed like you wouldn't believe, I would do it all over again if I turned 50 again.  In fact Fran had so much fun that she is talking about renting the Grand Villa for her 65th, but I think we might ramp down the food a bit, I think we went a bit overboard this time!



Oh my gosh, DH and I (and everyone!) had the best time ever!  Such great food at S55, lots of wine and laughter.  I have some pics that i'll email you!  Can't wait to see the pictures you got though.  Yeah, you were pretty much done by the time the entree came I think   And I didn't even think about the spa treatments and alcohol   I'm shocked you made it through the appetizer actually.


----------



## rentayenta

Best. Weekend. Ever! 

So nice meeting Alicia and all of your 3D friends Alison. And guess who is my new Facebook friend? Naked Jim!!!!


----------



## Pinkocto

The wedding was great, but a lot of driving. I thought of you Friday, I hope you got my birthday text


----------



## franandaj

Leshaface said:


> What a day!  So excited to see everyone on Saturday and hope it all goes smoothly tomorrow taking things over to the Villa and setting up.



It was great seeing you Saturday night!



Flossbolna said:


> It is midnight in California, so your birthday has officially started!
> 
> Happy Birthday Alison!
> 
> 
> 
> Have a fantastic bash with all your friends!



Thank you very much!  We all had a great time!



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> Happy Birthday!  I love the Costco drinks dispenser what a neat idea! Much easier. That is a nice array of drinks. Thoughtful selection and inclusive. Hey good for Barefoot. Three gay cheers for them.
> 
> Have a super day!
> 
> We are off to Disney next Wednesday  xxx very excited.



Have a great time at Disney!  Everyone enjoyed the variety of selections!



ShellB8585 said:


> Hope you have a wonderful weekend celebrating



Thank you!  We did!



dolphingirl47 said:


> Happy birthday. Looks like you had a busy, but productive day yesterday.
> 
> Corinna



It was exhausting as was the next day, but we powered through....



dvc at last ! said:


> Happy Birthday !



Thank you!  



********** said:


> Happy Birthday! Hope you have fun and don't wear yourself out!



I did and I did!  



Leshaface said:


> Happy happy birthday!
> 
> Hopefully you're not frantically running around and everything is going smoothly



Actually we were only running around somewhat frantically, but not to a point of freaking out.  We got everything done well ahead of time and as a result we were able to relax a little before the party started.



dgbg100106 said:


> So excited for you, and glad to hear that is a great time.  Can't wait for the photos.



Hopefully soon!


----------



## franandaj

Flossbolna said:


> That's great! What a wonderful start!
> 
> I hope the buffet diagram works out!



I'll give you a spoiler, I mis-estimated the size of the counter....  



afwdwfan said:


> Happy Birthday!!!
> 
> I just hope you aren't passed out in the villa somewhere while everyone else enjoys the party.



I'm not one who passes out....usually.



PrincessInOz said:


> YAY!  Ahead of schedule sounds like a fantastic start.
> 
> I know you're all having a great time.



Yes, it was a fantastic start!



KathyM2 said:


> Happy birthday!! Can't wait to hear about how it all goes!



Hopefully I can start telling you all soon!



eeyore45 said:


> Happy Birthday indeed - My guess - - a good time was had by all!



  Yes!  We all had an awesome time!



Flossbolna said:


> This sounds like it was all around a successful weekend! And I was really happy to hear that Fran enjoyed it so much that she wants to repeat it for her own birthday!! I know that you mentioned that she was feeling a bit insecure about the weekend because of wardrobe troubles with the boot!



The wardrobe trouble was the least of her worries, but she seemed to do OK overall.



Flossbolna said:


> Sounds like you successfully re-toxicated your body at that dinner!  I would have never thought that those spa treatments could have that much of an effect!



Well pretty much since I took all the toxins and moisture out of my body, Cynthia said it was like I was drinking on an empty stomach even though I'd had some lunch.  It didn't take nearly as much as it normally would have to put me completely out, but we will get to that in due time!  



Flossbolna said:


> Looking forward to see plenty of pictures!



I'm hoping that friends will kick in and send pictures.  We didn't do so good on the picture taking front.



KathyM2 said:


> Can't wait to hear all about it!!!



Coming up soon!



Pinkocto said:


> Awesome that you had such a good time, I knew you would! Can't wait to hear all about it!!!!!



With all those ladies, how could we not have such a good time?



dolphingirl47 said:


> I am glad that you had a good time. I loved your birthday cake.
> 
> Here the strawberry season does not start until June.
> 
> Corinna



The birthday cake was very cool.  I'm still not sure what to do about it!



Leshaface said:


> Oh my gosh, DH and I (and everyone!) had the best time ever!  Such great food at S55, lots of wine and laughter. I have some pics that i'll email you! Can't wait to see the pictures you got though.



I'm so glad you had a good time. I can get started without your pictures since you didn't come in til the second night.  I'd love to have everyone's photos to help tell the story!



Leshaface said:


> Yeah, you were pretty much done by the time the entree came I think  And I didn't even think about the spa treatments and alcohol  I'm shocked you made it through the appetizer actually.



I had no idea that it was such a detoxing treatment.  A massage usually doesn't do me in like that, but that wrap was crazy good and detoxing!  I was still somewhat conscious through the dessert course.  It was after that when things started to go south!  



rentayenta said:


> Best. Weekend. Ever!
> 
> So nice meeting Alicia and all of your 3D friends Alison.



I'm so glad you had such a good time!  I did too!  



rentayenta said:


> And guess who is my new Facebook friend? Naked Jim!!!!



He shared the photo of all of us to his timeline so that he could friend you all when he decided to come back to FB.  I guess he decided to come back sooner rather than later.  He usually doesn't read anyone's posts.



Pinkocto said:


> The wedding was great, but a lot of driving. I thought of you Friday, I hope you got my birthday text



Yes I did!


----------



## eandesmom

franandaj said:


> Wow! Last night was a lot of fun. Unfortunately there weren't many cameras out. Maybe fortunately. I did make sure we got a documentation shot. The girls (for the most part) passed out really early, but we did close down the place. There's tri tip and chicken left for lunch as well as plenty if strawberry soup! Me though? I'm going for the lambuger!



Well there is a stair shot from Friday night.....although the one Leonard posted isn't all that incriminating...

I think the incriminating photos would have happened outside the villa with some certain boys who had to run to their car.  LOL!



franandaj said:


> I also learned an important lesson, when you're planning an evening of eating with lots of wine pairings and drinking, don't get a spa treatment that includes two detoxifying wraps. I probably feel better over all, but thankfully to my DIS girlfriends, they got me out of there and back to the Villa, without me falling down on my face! I'm hoping that the only incriminating photos that I have are mine and no one else took any!



It's a funny thing but I think a wrap is a totally different animal than a rub or a massage in that way.  It literally leaches fluid out of your body and it's like you have to over hydrate with other stuff first.

Next party should be a massage I think.  



The only incriminating picture I have is of Jim!  And that's pretty tame.  And that's what friends are for 



franandaj said:


> I'll need to gather photos from other party attendees before I can fully post the TR pics, but any of you following along who were there, please send me your pictures!



I have some.  Not a ton but some and will definitely send.  I know the whole table has food porn and cake porn from Friday.  LOL



franandaj said:


> It was soooooooo much fun and even though I am totally wiped out and ready for bed like you wouldn't believe, I would do it all over again if I turned 50 again. In fact Fran had so much fun that she is talking about renting the Grand Villa for her 65th, but I think we might ramp down the food a bit, I think we went a bit overboard this time!



She definitely said that!  I heard her, twice.

Maybe one cake....and yeah, probably about half the food.  So yummy though.  Especially the strawberry soup, cake, mushroom soup and Death Star!

Oh and the wines at Steakhouse 55.  Drool worthy!



Leshaface said:


> Oh my gosh, DH and I (and everyone!) had the best time ever!



Daniel was hilarious!  I'm just bummed I didn't get to talk to you more



rentayenta said:


> Best. Weekend. Ever!



What she said!



rentayenta said:


> And guess who is my new Facebook friend? Naked Jim!!!!



LOL!

Justin is mine...haven't heard from Jim yet.



franandaj said:


> I'll give you a spoiler, I mis-estimated the size of the counter....



Hey, it made for some creative furniture rearranging!



franandaj said:


> I'm not one who passes out....usually.



And, you didn't pass out.  



franandaj said:


> Well pretty much since I took all the toxins and moisture out of my body, Cynthia said it was like I was drinking on an empty stomach even though I'd had some lunch. It didn't take nearly as much as it normally would have to put me completely out, but we will get to that in due time!



Yep.  Wraps I think may be the worst for this.  They always warn about it with treatments but I've never really noticed a thing other than the one wrap I had.



franandaj said:


> The birthday cake was very cool. I'm still not sure what to do about it!



Can you freeze any of it?  Take some to band practice? OMG it was SO yummy and spectacular!



franandaj said:


> He shared the photo of all of us to his timeline so that he could friend you all when he decided to come back to FB. I guess he decided to come back sooner rather than later. He usually doesn't read anyone's posts.



I didn't see that picture!

All of your friends were SO much fun!  A hoot and a half.


----------



## franandaj

So the party sort of began on Thursday.  I picked up Jenny (@rentayenta) at the Long Beach Airport and after a field trip we headed over to her hotel for one night to pick up Jill (@jedijill).  The three DIS ladies would be spending the first night at the DoubleTree Orange where Jenny got an awesome rate.  We decided that the four of us (Jenny, Jill, Fran and I) would get some lunch and we would drop the two of them off at the parks.  Cynthia (@eandesmom) would be arriving later that afternoon.

We had wanted to lunch at the Pinks location at Knott’s Berry Farm.  About 18 months ago Fran and I had dinner there before Knott’s Scary Farm, and it was good. The night before through texts and things we all decided that Pink’s at Knott’s was a go.  So we headed over there only to find that it had closed.  So we ended up at Mrs. Knott’s Chicken dinner restaurant.  

See we really were with Jenny and Jill!





My chicken and dumplings came with a salad and biscuits.





The Chicken and Dumplings were phenomenal!  But way too much.  I should have just split Fran’s meal.





However Olga really seems to like the Chicken and Dumplings.  Fran got the three pieces of chicken meal





Jenny and Jill split the two pieces of Chicken meal and ordered the all white meat so that they got two breasts and mashed potatoes.  They split the salad and cabbage side a proclaimed it perfect for the two of them.  

We took them to the parks and were able to get Jill a park pass.  I found out that I can help out of towners buy park passes at whatever the So Cal discount rates are, so I’m happy to help out folks from out of town get the current specials like a So Cal two day discounted pass hopper.  So if you’re coming out and there is a special for So Cal residents, I can buy up to five of them!  

We went into DCA and there was no one at the Pals statue so we took a pic with the PP photographer.





And then they went on their way and I went back to the car where Fran was waiting.  We had a mission at Costco. And then after we unloaded all the groceries, we ordered food from a local Thai/Sushi place.  My parents had gone out to Disneyland and met up with my sister and family.  They got back just as we got home, so they helped carry in and then we ordered dinner.  We got a lot of sushi and didn’t finish it all (go figure).  While we were doing this the girls were at Trader Sams.  





I’ll give them a chance to post some of their pictures if they want from this night before I get to the next day!


----------



## Pinkocto

Tons of fun being had already!  And the girls got to go in the park already, I'm green with envy


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

franandaj said:


> The night before through texts and things we all decided that Pink’s at Knott’s was a go. So we headed over there only to find that it had closed.



D'oh!



franandaj said:


> So we ended up at Mrs. Knott’s Chicken dinner restaurant.



Oh, all right, if you have to.



franandaj said:


> I found out that I can help out of towners buy park passes at whatever the So Cal discount rates are, so I’m happy to help out folks from out of town get the current specials like a So Cal two day discounted pass hopper. So if you’re coming out and there is a special for So Cal residents, I can buy up to five of them!



You're always so helpful to those out-of-towners!



franandaj said:


> We had a mission at Costco. And then after we unloaded all the groceries, we ordered food from a local Thai/Sushi place. My parents had gone out to Disneyland and met up with my sister and family. They got back just as we got home, so they helped carry in and then we ordered dinner. We got a lot of sushi and didn’t finish it all (go figure). While we were doing this the girls were at Trader Sams.



Hmmm...I'm thinking they got the better end of this deal.


----------



## franandaj

Pinkocto said:


> Tons of fun being had already!  And the girls got to go in the park already, I'm green with envy



I was a little envious too, it would have been nice to stick with them, but I had people to feed the next day!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> D'oh!
> 
> Oh, all right, if you have to.



It wasn't a bad trade off!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> You're always so helpful to those out-of-towners!



Thank you!   



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Hmmm...I'm thinking they got the better end of this deal.



  Me too.....


----------



## franandaj

So I'm having a dose of reality here.  Today is the first day back in my regular life.  Once my parents left yesterday we couldn't help but run out the door to go celebrate "May the Fourth be with you" out at the park.  We picked up all our special merchandise, and lucky we got there when we did!  They were selling out of that stuff quick!  XL T-shirts were already gone, and they were running low on many of the other sizes too!  After getting our stuff we had some lunch and rides.

Today, I'm doing laundry, dishes, paying bills and I even need to go to the grocery store.    And I'm back on my crappy eating plan as of this morning.  I thought that I could milk it another few days, but unfortunately some of the blood work on my last tests was either ordered incorrectly or the lab ran the wrong tests on it, so I have to go back and run some more tests.  I'm giving it a week for all the whatever I did to get out of my system!

So now all that is left of the Happy Birthday weekend is reliving it here, telling it to you all!


----------



## dolphingirl47

franandaj said:


> So we ended up at Mrs. Knott’s Chicken dinner restaurant.



Oh, it is years since I last had a meal there. What a nice place for lunch.



franandaj said:


> We went into DCA and there was no one at the Pals statue so we took a pic with the PP photographer.



I love this photo. I wish we had taken a group photo there in November. 

Corinna


----------



## dolphingirl47

franandaj said:


> Once my parents left yesterday we couldn't help but run out the door to go celebrate "May the Fourth be with you" out at the park.



That sounds like a lot of fun.



franandaj said:


> I thought that I could milk it another few days, but unfortunately some of the blood work on my last tests was either ordered incorrectly or the lab ran the wrong tests on it, so I have to go back and run some more tests. I'm giving it a week for all the whatever I did to get out of my system!



I hope that all the test results will be positive.



franandaj said:


> So now all that is left of the Happy Birthday weekend is reliving it here, telling it to you all!



Relieving it all is part of the fun.

Corinna


----------



## KathyM2

Do share more!!! So far it sounds great. That was a LOT of mashed potatos though!!! And that salad and biscuits even looked good!


----------



## PrincessInOz

Checking in to celebrate this birthday bash vicariously.

It looks like a ton of fun and food already!


----------



## Leshaface

franandaj said:


> See we really were with Jenny and Jill!



Such fun girls they are!



franandaj said:


> The Chicken and Dumplings were phenomenal! But way too much. I should have just split Fran’s meal.



Ugh, these look delicious! 

Okay, is this the restaurant located directly outside of Knotts?  I remember when we had done Knotts Scary Farm (BTW, NEVER doing that again!) we had gone to such a delicious restaurant, that I thought may have been outside of the park but on the same grounds.  



franandaj said:


>



Great picture!  Still haven't seen the pals statue 



franandaj said:


> So I'm having a dose of reality here. Today is the first day back in my regular life. Once my parents left yesterday we couldn't help but run out the door to go celebrate "May the Fourth be with you" out at the park. We picked up all our special merchandise, and lucky we got there when we did! They were selling out of that stuff quick! XL T-shirts were already gone, and they were running low on many of the other sizes too! After getting our stuff we had some lunch and rides.
> 
> Today, I'm doing laundry, dishes, paying bills and I even need to go to the grocery store.  And I'm back on my crappy eating plan as of this morning. I thought that I could milk it another few days, but unfortunately some of the blood work on my last tests was either ordered incorrectly or the lab ran the wrong tests on it, so I have to go back and run some more tests. I'm giving it a week for all the whatever I did to get out of my system!
> 
> So now all that is left of the Happy Birthday weekend is reliving it here, telling it to you all!



Ooh, I want to see what you got from the SW merchandise!  And huge blah to the diet.  But I giggled at "i'm giving it a week for the whatever I did"


----------



## franandaj

dolphingirl47 said:


> Oh, it is years since I last had a meal there. What a nice place for lunch.



Brunch, lunch or dinner, it's a great place overall!



dolphingirl47 said:


> I love this photo. I wish we had taken a group photo there in November.



We should have definitely taken one there.



dolphingirl47 said:


> That sounds like a lot of fun.



It was crazy packed. We ended up leaving relatively early cause we were exhausted. 



dolphingirl47 said:


> I hope that all the test results will be positive.



Me too!



dolphingirl47 said:


> Relieving it all is part of the fun.







KathyM2 said:


> Do share more!!! So far it sounds great. That was a LOT of mashed potatos though!!! And that salad and biscuits even looked good!



I'm working on it! It's tough finding time with all the chores I have been behind on!



PrincessInOz said:


> Checking in to celebrate this birthday bash vicariously.
> 
> It looks like a ton of fun and food already!



The kitties just polished off the last of Mrs. Knott's cooking yesterday.



Leshaface said:


> Such fun girls they are!







Leshaface said:


> Ugh, these look delicious!
> 
> Okay, is this the restaurant located directly outside of Knotts? I remember when we had done Knotts Scary Farm (BTW, NEVER doing that again!) we had gone to such a delicious restaurant, that I thought may have been outside of the park but on the same grounds.



Yes, it's outside the park in the "Marketplace" area. And I totally agree with you on NOT doing the scary farm again.



Leshaface said:


> Great picture! Still haven't seen the pals statue



How can you have missed it? 



Leshaface said:


> Ooh, I want to see what you got from the SW merchandise!  And huge blah to the diet. But I giggled at "i'm giving it a week for the whatever I did"



I'll post some pics of the merchandise. I'm not doing very well on the diet. We have a coffee shop type place here that features a different cuisine each night of the week. Our favorite is Wednesday German Night, I had Rouladen and hash browns with a side of spaetzle, not exactly diet food.


----------



## Flossbolna

franandaj said:


> Our favorite is Wednesday German Night, I had Rouladen and hash browns with a side of spaetzle, not exactly diet food.



I know I am behind on commenting, but just had to jump in and say that I approve this dinner choice!!! And the Rouladen and hash browns are gluten free! 

Loved the pictures from the Knott's restaurant! I know you already recommended it to me for our next trip and I think we will make sure to visit it! The food looks delicious!


----------



## rentayenta

I am so sorry I haven't checked in since we have been home but life has been crazy! I was thrown three very big unexpected curve balls at work and am in the process of making some BIG career decisions. I hate making those. 


Love the pics so far. Happy to have bought the kitties lunch.  Mrs. Knott's was good but not as great as The Plaza Inn which sadly we missed this trip. It was a fun lunch! It was nice to meet Jill and Alisha (later during the trip) finally and catch up with you and Fran.  And of course see Cynthia again!

I have LOTS of pics from Trader Sam's but mostly of the booze.  It's a hella fun bar for those that haven't been!


----------



## mvf-m11c

Nice to see some pictures from your birthday weekend and with the DISers. You are off to a nice start during the trip. 

I will have to stop at Mrs. Knott’s Chicken dinner restaurant one day. The same thing with Jenny and saying that I should go to Super Mex. I will have to decide on what places to try when I am in SoCal.


----------



## dolphingirl47

franandaj said:


> I'll post some pics of the merchandise. I'm not doing very well on the diet. We have a coffee shop type place here that features a different cuisine each night of the week. Our favorite is Wednesday German Night, I had Rouladen and hash browns with a side of spaetzle, not exactly diet food.



It may not be diet food, but this is truly the food of the Gods.

Corinna


----------



## EJ4Disney

I can't wait to hear all about it. I sure thought of all of you.


----------



## afwdwfan

I'm glad you had such a fun birthday celebration and I can't wait to hear all about it!  Seems like it must have been quite the epic weekend for all involved.

Lunch looks great.  Even if it wasn't the first choice.  Nice of you to arrange transportation and help with getting park tickets!

I'm sorry you're back to the regular day to day stuff now, but at least you got some good food and quality time with friends and family.  Again, I can't wait to hear all about it and I really hope some of those incriminating photos find daylight.


----------



## MEK

Alison - your birthday celebration looked like such fun!  I have to admit that I enjoyed each and every FB post and picture.  What a wonderful way to celebrate.  Looking forward to hearing all about it with more pics!


----------



## Pinkocto

rentayenta said:


> I am so sorry I haven't checked in since we have been home but life has been crazy! I was thrown three very big unexpected curve balls at work and am in the process of making some BIG career decisions. I hate making those.



This doesn't sound good, I'm sorry friend   I hope everything turns out ok


----------



## rentayenta

Pinkocto said:


> This doesn't sound good, I'm sorry friend   I hope everything turns out ok





Thank you friend.  Its not tragic but its far from perfect. I am not a big fan of change. Basically my position now, because I am part therapy and part UR would be moved from behavioral health to case management which would mean a new boss and immediate new co-workers. I love my position now because its 32 hours and it's not ALL therapy which can be totally overwhelming on a locked acute adult psych floor. My options are to go with the move which would mean moving offices which sounds silly but I love my office location and office mates; stay under behavioral health and do ALL therapy and be a 40 hour a week employee which keeps me in the same office and same department but like I said, 40 hours a week on the psych floor can be taxing; or find a new job which I have been looking and have a final interview this Tuesday.  I did the typical pros/cons list and don't see a pronounced winner. I came home to this news on Monday and have been struggling with a decision ever since.

Sorry to hijack Alison.


----------



## PrincessInOz

rentayenta said:


> Thank you friend.  Its not tragic but its far from perfect. I am not a big fan of change. Basically my position now, because I am part therapy and part UR would be moved from behavioral health to case management which would mean a new boss and immediate new co-workers. I love my position now because its 32 hours and it's not ALL therapy which can be totally overwhelming on a locked acute adult psych floor. My options are to go with the move which would mean moving offices which sounds silly but I love my office location and office mates; stay under behavioral health and do ALL therapy and be a 40 hour a week employee which keeps me in the same office and same department but like I said, 40 hours a week on the psych floor can be taxing; or find a new job which I have been looking and have a final interview this Tuesday.  I did the typical pros/cons list and don't see a pronounced winner. I came home to this news on Monday and have been struggling with a decision ever since.
> 
> Sorry to hijack Alison.



  I hope it works out for the best.


----------



## franandaj

Somehow I missed commenting on this post. I think you snuck it in while I was doing an update.



eandesmom said:


> Well there is a stair shot from Friday night.....although the one Leonard posted isn't all that incriminating...
> 
> I think the incriminating photos would have happened outside the villa with some certain boys who had to run to their car. LOL!



OMG! I totally forgot about THAT!



eandesmom said:


> It's a funny thing but I think a wrap is a totally different animal than a rub or a massage in that way. It literally leaches fluid out of your body and it's like you have to over hydrate with other stuff first.
> 
> Next party should be a massage I think.



I even drank like 32 oz of water before the "drinking" started that night. Plus I had a bunch before the spa as well.



eandesmom said:


> The only incriminating picture I have is of Jim! And that's pretty tame. And that's what friends are for



He likes incriminating photos and has been known to post his own on FB!



eandesmom said:


> I have some. Not a ton but some and will definitely send. I know the whole table has food porn and cake porn from Friday. LOL



What I want is people pictures!



eandesmom said:


> She definitely said that! I heard her, twice.



And she says don't believe something unless she say it three times. She said it once again at the "after party" at my house on Sunday.



eandesmom said:


> Maybe one cake....and yeah, probably about half the food. So yummy though. Especially the strawberry soup, cake, mushroom soup and Death Star!



It's been so long since I threw a party I forgot how to manage food proportions and I didn't want anyone to go hungry!



eandesmom said:


> Oh and the wines at Steakhouse 55. Drool worthy!



I still have two bottles of "the good stuff" not to mention 20 or 30 in my cellar. I need friends to drink great wine with!!!



eandesmom said:


> Hey, it made for some creative furniture rearranging!



Or a lack of the real PITA rearranging!



eandesmom said:


> And, you didn't pass out.



There are some fuzzy bits from that night. . But I didn't worship any gods, or drive any busses of a certain stone like nature!  



eandesmom said:


> Yep. Wraps I think may be the worst for this. They always warn about it with treatments but I've never really noticed a thing other than the one wrap I had.



Normally I'm fine after a massage but I usually don't come home to five courses with wine pairings.



eandesmom said:


> Can you freeze any of it? Take some to band practice? OMG it was SO yummy and spectacular!



There will be a post about what happened to everything...



eandesmom said:


> I didn't see that picture!
> 
> All of your friends were SO much fun! A hoot and a half.



I thought you posted it. Maybe it was Jenny.


----------



## franandaj

Flossbolna said:


> I know I am behind on commenting, but just had to jump in and say that I approve this dinner choice!!! And the Rouladen and hash browns are gluten free!



It was really good! And I justified it by telling myself that it was Gluten free!



Flossbolna said:


> Loved the pictures from the Knott's restaurant! I know you already recommended it to me for our next trip and I think we will make sure to visit it! The food looks delicious!



I hope you make it there, the food is very good and they have more than just chicken. That's just what everyone usually gets. The biscuits are wonderful.



rentayenta said:


> I am so sorry I haven't checked in since we have been home but life has been crazy! I was thrown three very big unexpected curve balls at work and am in the process of making some BIG career decisions. I hate making those.



I'm sorry you had to come back to that mess.



rentayenta said:


> Love the pics so far. Happy to have bought the kitties lunch.  Mrs. Knott's was good but not as great as The Plaza Inn which sadly we missed this trip. It was a fun lunch! It was nice to meet Jill and Alisha (later during the trip) finally and catch up with you and Fran.  And of course see Cynthia again!
> 
> I have LOTS of pics from Trader Sam's but mostly of the booze.  It's a hella fun bar for those that haven't been!



Overall it was a heck of a lot of fun. Terrible to come down from that high.  

Post away. But I'm hoping to get the next update in the next 24 hours. If I don't do it in the next hour it will be tomorrow then.



mvf-m11c said:


> Nice to see some pictures from your birthday weekend and with the DISers. You are off to a nice start during the trip.
> 
> I will have to stop at Mrs. Knott’s Chicken dinner restaurant one day. The same thing with Jenny and saying that I should go to Super Mex. I will have to decide on what places to try when I am in SoCal.



Thanks Bret! You have quite a few off site recommendations to check out!



dolphingirl47 said:


> It may not be diet food, but this is truly the food of the Gods.
> 
> Corinna







EJ4Disney said:


> I can't wait to hear all about it. I sure thought of all of you.



Thanks Ellen, I have it ready to go just need the time to catch up and them post it!


----------



## franandaj

afwdwfan said:


> I'm glad you had such a fun birthday celebration and I can't wait to hear all about it! Seems like it must have been quite the epic weekend for all involved.



It was quite a fun weekend! I'm sure you'll hear all about everyone's remembrances throughout the weekend.



afwdwfan said:


> Lunch looks great. Even if it wasn't the first choice. Nice of you to arrange transportation and help with getting park tickets!



I didn't realize that I could buy park passes for out of town folks with the local discount! That changes things cause I can really hel o people since they are always having specials in the off season!



afwdwfan said:


> I'm sorry you're back to the regular day to day stuff now, but at least you got some good food and quality time with friends and family. Again, I can't wait to hear all about it and I really hope some of those incriminating photos find daylight.



Yeah regular life around here kinda sucks, it just means that I do lots of laundry, clean the kitchen, feed the cats, etc. I don't get to do cool things like drive a tractor. 



MEK said:


> Alison - your birthday celebration looked like such fun!  I have to admit that I enjoyed each and every FB post and picture.  What a wonderful way to celebrate.  Looking forward to hearing all about it with more pics!



  We had so much fun! I hope that I can communicate all the fun through this TR!



Pinkocto said:


> This doesn't sound good, I'm sorry friend   I hope everything turns out ok





rentayenta said:


> Thank you friend.  Its not tragic but its far from perfect. I am not a big fan of change. Basically my position now, because I am part therapy and part UR would be moved from behavioral health to case management which would mean a new boss and immediate new co-workers. I love my position now because its 32 hours and it's not ALL therapy which can be totally overwhelming on a locked acute adult psych floor. My options are to go with the move which would mean moving offices which sounds silly but I love my office location and office mates; stay under behavioral health and do ALL therapy and be a 40 hour a week employee which keeps me in the same office and same department but like I said, 40 hours a week on the psych floor can be taxing; or find a new job which I have been looking and have a final interview this Tuesday.  I did the typical pros/cons list and don't see a pronounced winner. I came home to this news on Monday and have been struggling with a decision ever since.
> 
> Sorry to hijack Alison.





PrincessInOz said:


> I hope it works out for the best.



Hijack is OK. I'm glad you explained for everyone what you're going through. It sounds like an awful decision that you will have to make.


----------



## franandaj

Friday morning we were up relatively early (for us) and the night before I had realized that our three coolers were not going to be sufficient for transporting all our perishable goods to the hotel.  I knew we had at least one other cooler easily accessible at the old house (I know that I have two more that I can’t find). And there was another cooler at one of our rentals in the garage.  After putting the rub on the meat, Darcy and I headed over to the various locations to get the coolers.







Then it was time to load up all the coolers.  We had a lot of cold goods and for some reason everyone just sort of stood around and watched me load them.  Well not completely, Margaret and Darcy began to move all the items I had staged in the dining room to the foyer by the front door.  We had also picked up a bunch of bankers boxes and they started to load the bottles and other strange shaped items into the boxes.  The thought on this process was that the boxes would stack neatly in the car and make loading and unloading easier.  Once everything was staged by the door we began the loading process.  It went relatively quickly and we had the whole car loaded before noon!







I was expecting to leave by 2PM but we were good to go before noon, so we took off. We stopped by the strawberry stand and picked up another half flat of strawberries and then headed out to the Grand.  I’m not sure when we arrived, but we were helped out by the Bellman and these were our carts that they brought for all our stuff.












We all checked in and the rooms were not ready, so we decided to go get some lunch.  I had planned on dining at the Uva Bar on the next day, so we decided on Ralph Brennan’s for lunch.


Fran got an order of their garlic bread for the table.







Fran ordered the Chicken Po-Boy and I split this with her.







My mom got some sort of Shrimp Salad that had apples and all sorts of other stuff in it.







Margaret got the Philly Cheesesteak with fries








Darcy got a Cheeseburger plain.







Dad got the soup of the day, which was a Tomato Artichoke Bisque.







I got the Gumbo which was very good.  I ended up eating all the Andouille Sausage out of it since Fran didn’t want much of the soup after she ate her half a sandwich.







Here are some ambience shots of the room.












One of the reasons that we didn’t order much for lunch was because we wanted dessert.  My Dad was all over the Bread Pudding.







Fran and I were all over the Beignets.  Only my parents had any idea what Beignets were, and the others at the table were really reluctant to try them.  Darcy wouldn’t even give them a try.  But we did end up polishing them off.  I can’t believe it was such a hard sell!







After we finished lunch at Brennan’s we decided to kick it at the Concierge Lounge until our room was ready.  I got some chocolate covered strawberries and decided that an extra strong cappuccino would be a good idea.






[Continued Next Post]


----------



## franandaj

[Continued from Previous Post]

It wasn’t long after we arrived in the lounge that we got the text that the room was ready.  So we finished up our goodies and headed over to the room.  I quickly snapped these shots before we trashed the room.
































Looking up to the upstairs:







The Master Bedroom

















The Master Bathroom



























The Foyer







Foyer Bathroom







Going up the stairs







The pool table







Finally a shot of Darcy







The Girl’s Bedroom












Girl’s Bathroom












Heading over to the Boy’s room now

















Another shot of Darcy showing off the bedroom.







The boy’s bathroom

















We had a great view of the park!







We called down to Bell Services to have our three carts of luggage and groceries brought up.  They came up one at a time, the alcoholic beverages cart came first.







Next up came the coolers..  As you all know, I had a very detailed diagram of how to set up the buffet, I also had some very specific directions for how to get thee food prepared.  We unpacked the coolers, and everyone took on a job.  Jenny, Cynthia and Darcy were the “ice girls”.  They took the coolers down to the ice machine (which I’m sure had a sign reading, “please do not fill coolers from this machine”) and filled every last one of them!    Each trip they deduced that the ice machine was still OK, since it wasn’t emitting smoke or anything.


They were able to successfully make separate coolers for Wine, Beer, Sodas and Water, plus the fifth cooler was just for ice to use in mixed drinks.  We commandeered a couple “bench style” tables that we placed at the back of the living room to make a bar.  I believe that Cynthia masterminded that, but I’m sure Jenny gave her some help, at least I think so.    I don’t have any pictures of that from Friday night, but eventually I’ll have picture of that one.


Meanwhile, Jill simmered the Brats in beer and onions and cut up the chicken.  I continued to unpack the coolers, work on the queso, and just try to keep things organized.  I started to place things in their respective spots to see if we would have enough counter space.  One thing was that I had brought a number of metal bowls from home.  The Villa had three metal bowls and I didn’t want to get them confused with mine and accidentally take them home!  We were able to get by without using the Villa’s bowls and I kept them in the cupboard so they didn’t get confused with the metal bowls that I brought.







We put the chicken and Mac n Cheese into the oven, and by this time the cake was supposed to arrive. Fran went down to the lobby to meet the cake delivery person, but unfortunately traffic was awful and she was severely delayed.  During this time, my parents (for whom I rented a studio, were having key problems) had to go deal with the front desk.  It took them two times around to get the keys to work, so they were gone for a while.  In the meantime my friends John and Suzie had showed up, and Suzie is a lot like me and doesn’t feel right at a party if she isn’t cooking or somehow put to work, so she went ahead with the strawberries, and prepared them for garnish for the strawberry soup. 


I had warned folks that if they wanted to help they could show up anytime after 4PM, but if they didn’t want to be helpful they shouldn’t show up until 6PM.  The cake was supposed to be there at 5:30, but it was probably 6:30 before it actually arrived.  I didn’t want to go down to the Barbeques until the cake was there and set up and Fran was back in the room so everything was all set up except for the salads.  Once the cake was done and Fran was back, I gave my mom instructions on tossing the salads and putting out the last of the stuff and we headed down to the Barbeques to cook things.


Everything was in the works, we just needed to pull it all together!


----------



## Flossbolna

What a huge operation!!! I would die if I had to organize something like that - and on my birthday!!! You are a hero! But it sounds like you had plenty of competent helpers around.

Everything looks great, I am really looking forward to pictures of the buffet once everything is up! 

Why was someone simmering the brats? Do you eat them boiled?

I wonder how often these Grand Villas are being used for parties and how much the bellmen are used to people showing up with a car full of food? I would guess it is more common at Disneyland than at WDW. I would love to rent a Grand Villa one day, but then I would have to use far too many of my points and I really don't see that I will ever have a group large enough to make sense for a Grand Villa... But I am pretty happy with one-bedrooms for Michael and me. Feels pretty luxurious already!


----------



## KathyM2

Wow...what a lot of work!! It all looks amazing though!!! I'm looking forward to seeing all the food too!! It does look like a really amazing place for a party and to stay!!


----------



## rentayenta

We laughed our butts off getting that ice!  It was collaborative effort between the ice girls. It was a lot of work setting up for dinner but also lots of fun! Cynthia did a great job organizing the bar and Jill was up to her elbows in chicken carcasses.  So glad I didn't have that job.  I am sure I would have lost at least a finger trying to cut them up.  

Our view was incredible!  That villa was something else. There was so much room. I really loved the girls' room too!


----------



## franandaj

Flossbolna said:


> What a huge operation!!! I would die if I had to organize something like that - and on my birthday!!! You are a hero! But it sounds like you had plenty of competent helpers around.



I've been dreaming about this since before the Villas opened back in 2009!  Now I have a beautiful home where I could do this at my house, but when I first came up with this idea I never knew that we would be moving into a beautiful home made for entertaining.  I love entertaining and feeding people and I came up with this plan back when the Grand Californian Villas owners and lovers thread was on the first thread.  I remember ACDSNY and I were talking about it before we became 3D friends.

You should see what I do over Christmas and Thanksgiving when there is only four of us!



Flossbolna said:


> Everything looks great, I am really looking forward to pictures of the buffet once everything is up!



I'm working on that!



Flossbolna said:


> Why was someone simmering the brats? Do you eat them boiled?



If you put the raw brats directly on the grill, the outsides will char before the insides cook to a proper temperature.  I learned that the hard way years back when we bit into raw sausages.  I actually had to Google the proper way to cook them.  I never would have come up with the beer and onions, but it gives them extra flavor.



Flossbolna said:


> I wonder how often these Grand Villas are being used for parties and how much the bellmen are used to people showing up with a car full of food? I would guess it is more common at Disneyland than at WDW. I would love to rent a Grand Villa one day, but then I would have to use far too many of my points and I really don't see that I will ever have a group large enough to make sense for a Grand Villa... But I am pretty happy with one-bedrooms for Michael and me. Feels pretty luxurious already!



I have a feeling that all the Villas are used by folks to do parties like this.  I've heard, on the VGC owners thread, multiple stories of folks who bring in their local families to entertain even in the 1 bedroom villas.  Probably because they are so nice and spacious, you can usually fit more people in a Villa than most people's small apartments.

Also the Bellmen, didn't seem at all surprised, although they did seem to think we had quite a bit of alcohol!



KathyM2 said:


> Wow...what a lot of work!! It all looks amazing though!!! I'm looking forward to seeing all the food too!! It does look like a really amazing place for a party and to stay!!



There was a lot of chopping of fruit and some cooking, but really we were pretty much set at 6PM other than the cake hadn't arrived, so we couldn't move ahead with the rest of the stuff.  I didn't want the salads tossed until just before we eat, so that they wouldn't be wilted.  It only took about a little over an hour to set it all up with about eight people helping.



rentayenta said:


> We laughed our butts off getting that ice!  It was collaborative effort between the ice girls. It was a lot of work setting up for dinner but also lots of fun!



You ladies were a hoot!  Jill and I were just glad we weren't the ones draining those ice machines!



rentayenta said:


> Cynthia did a great job organizing the bar and Jill was up to her elbows in chicken carcasses.  So glad I didn't have that job.  I am sure I would have lost at least a finger trying to cut them up.



In hindsight, I bought way way way too much chicken, but the tri tip and brats were probably about just right! Thank you so much Jill for your skills with the knife! I never would have thought of cutting the breasts in half, but it made total sense once you thought of it!



rentayenta said:


> Our view was incredible!  That villa was something else. There was so much room. I really loved the girls' room too!



I loved our room.  Even with 11 people staying there, I never felt like anyone was on top of each other.


----------



## franandaj

So last we left you, the cake had been delivered and a group of us were headed down to the barbeque grills.  It took a team to tackle the grills because we were carrying three tri tips, a dozen brats, onions, and two kinds of squash, and not to forget our “grilling juice”!  I took on the Tri Tip and onions, Suzie took care of the Brats and Squash.  Once we had the grills going, we kicked back and chatted.















It was a perfect evening, and we had a great view.





I wasn’t very familiar with the grills so it took a little longer to cook everything properly.  Suzie and I both ran out of grilling juice, and we decided to call it done.  I didn’t have my instant read thermometer so I had to judge the tri tip with the method of touching it for springiness.  Not sure how many are familiar with this method of checking, but I’m just starting to get actually good at it.  Think I cooked the meat properly?





After slicing the Tri Tip, I quickly documented our buffet before everyone insisted that I take the first serving.










We started off the buffet line with serving utensils and Chips & Queso









Then there was sushi





And veggie platter, I think people were munching on the chips and veggies while waiting for the rest of the food, which is fine!





There was Caesar Salad





Chinese Chicken Salad





Fruit (salads)










Strawberry Soup, oh yeah and the girls worked really hard to make these little cards so everything was well labeled!





There was plenty of Chicken





Mac and Cheese (I didn’t buy too much of that either!)





Tri Tip





Brats, complete with rolls, and BTW Suzie grilled these to perfection, just the right amount of char on them!










Squash, also perfectly grilled by Suzie!





Potato Salad





And Potato Chips with Onion Dip





And though we had birthday cake, there were other sweet treats to nibble on.















And to introduce the star of the evening, my Mickey Cake!





However, to save Mickey, we ordered a Tiggr Sheet cake so that we could admire Mickey for a while longer.





Here was my first plate





And I had picked up a special treat for me at the grocery store, on the clearance rack of all places!  There was no one was confused about which wine glass was mine.





I did have a bowl of strawberry soup and I think I might have had another small plate of food, but I just wasn’t able to eat nearly as much as I wanted.  I was a little bummed that I couldn’t enjoy more of the food.  This was the only picture for the DIS that we actually took that night.





The rest of the night was spent having loads of fun!  Around quarter to 9:00 we had the birthday cake.





Then a bunch of us went over to the lounge to watch the DL fireworks at 9:25.  Sorry no pics.  Then we hightailed it back to the Villa and caught the 9:45PM World of Color show.  We had the music blaring on all the TVs and everyone was out on their balconies enjoying the show.





This is probably the most incriminating photo of me (from that night), but I'm still able to go up and down the stairs!





After this, we cleaned up the food, and packed it up for later.  Cynthia put Jenny and Jill to bed, I guess they sort of overdid it at Trader Sam’s the night before.  And Cynthia, Naked Jim, and I think someone else helped us put away all the food.  I was still standing and still able to enjoy my glass of wine for the birthday girl.  I think it was sometime around midnight when we all called it a night!


----------



## KathyM2

Wow. What a buffet!! Looked amazing!!! and so gourmet!!! Making me hungry even though I just ate!! And that view...incredible!!


----------



## PrincessInOz

Okay.  Can I just say that that is a LOT of coolers to be bringing?  Wow!  Now I'm truly sorry I couldn't make the trip across the ditch.

That's one heck of a party of food!  Looks like you had enough to feed an army there.  
I love the cakes.  The Mickey is pretty special but I bet that the Tigger cake tasted fantastic.


----------



## mvf-m11c

That all looks amazing and crazy from all of the coolers/boxes that you brought. The meal from eating at Ralph's Brennan and in the room food looks all great. It would have been nice to go down that weekend but I was all busy with work. The cakes looks very nice. It was fun to read your adventures that night.


----------



## Dis_Yoda

That party looks like it was so much fun!  That cake is amazing!  Glad your birthday went so well!


----------



## skier_pete

Man, I can't believe there aren't more incriminating photos than that! I think you just know better than to post such things on the internet, right?


----------



## afwdwfan

I need to have you cater my next birthday party.  



franandaj said:


> Then it was time to load up all the coolers. We had a lot of cold goods and for some reason everyone just sort of stood around and watched me load them. Well not completely, Margaret and Darcy began to move all the items I had staged in the dining room to the foyer by the front door. We had also picked up a bunch of bankers boxes and they started to load the bottles and other strange shaped items into the boxes. The thought on this process was that the boxes would stack neatly in the car and make loading and unloading easier. Once everything was staged by the door we began the loading process. It went relatively quickly and we had the whole car loaded before noon!


Definitely a well played game of car Tetris.  Your skills are impressive. 



franandaj said:


> Fran got an order of their garlic bread for the table.


Looks delicious!



franandaj said:


> Fran and I were all over the Beignets. Only my parents had any idea what Beignets were, and the others at the table were really reluctant to try them. Darcy wouldn’t even give them a try. But we did end up polishing them off. I can’t believe it was such a hard sell!


Even if you don't know what they are, what is there to not like?  Dough, sugar... heck yeah, I'll try one!



franandaj said:


> It wasn’t long after we arrived in the lounge that we got the text that the room was ready. So we finished up our goodies and headed over to the room. I quickly snapped these shots before we trashed the room.


I'm glad it didn't take too long.  But having the lounge to hang around in and wait would be a nice bonus.



franandaj said:


>


Looks like someone got comfortable quickly!



franandaj said:


> We had a great view of the park!






franandaj said:


> We called down to Bell Services to have our three carts of luggage and groceries brought up. They came up one at a time, the alcoholic beverages cart came first.


I'm glad to see the Bell Services people have the right priorities!



franandaj said:


> They were able to successfully make separate coolers for Wine, Beer, Sodas and Water, plus the fifth cooler was just for ice to use in mixed drinks.


Well organized!  I'm glad to see that.  I'd hate to grab a soda when I wanted a beer! 



franandaj said:


> Once we had the grills going, we kicked back and chatted.


The best part of grilling.  Throw the meat on, grab a drink, and kick back. 



franandaj said:


> Not sure how many are familiar with this method of checking, but I’m just starting to get actually good at it. Think I cooked the meat properly?


Looks good to me! 



franandaj said:


> Brats, complete with rolls, and BTW Suzie grilled these to perfection, just the right amount of char on them!


  Great job all around!  The entire buffet looks great!



franandaj said:


> And to introduce the star of the evening, my Mickey Cake


Wow.  Very impressive.  Both cakes, actually!



franandaj said:


> Then a bunch of us went over to the lounge to watch the DL fireworks at 9:25. Sorry no pics. Then we hightailed it back to the Villa and caught the 9:45PM World of Color show. We had the music blaring on all the TVs and everyone was out on their balconies enjoying the show.


Fireworks and WoC?  Wow.  That's how you do it, right there!



franandaj said:


> This is probably the most incriminating photo of me (from that night), but I'm still able to go up and down the stairs!


  Still upright and you don't look any worse for the wear!


----------



## kid-at-heart

What a fantastic party!  A great way to welcome in a new decade.  As I get older I realize, as we walk through life, the only thing that really changes in a person is one's body.  The thoughts, desires, personality and so forth, stay the same. For example, hearing a song today which was popular during one's teens will evoke the same emotions as it did during the person's teen years.  I have a feeling you were a sweet, nurturing teen just as you are a sweet, nurturing adult. I can tell that you were trying to make sure that not only you had a great time at your party but that everyone else also had a great time.  I think you succeeded.


----------



## dolphingirl47

franandaj said:


> It went relatively quickly and we had the whole car loaded before noon!



That sounds like an achievement especially looking at the amount of stuff you had to shift.



franandaj said:


> I’m not sure when we arrived, but we were helped out by the Bellman and these were our carts that they brought for all our stuff.



That is an impressive haul.



franandaj said:


> Margaret got the Philly Cheesesteak with fries





franandaj said:


> I got the Gumbo which was very good. I ended up eating all the Andouille Sausage out of it since Fran didn’t want much of the soup after she ate her half a sandwich.



This looks delicious. I may have to give this a try in September.



franandaj said:


> After slicing the Tri Tip, I quickly documented our buffet before everyone insisted that I take the first serving.



The tri tip and the buffet look amazing.



franandaj said:


> And to introduce the star of the evening, my Mickey Cake!



I love this cake.



franandaj said:


> However, to save Mickey, we ordered a Tiggr Sheet cake so that we could admire Mickey for a while longer.



This cake looks rather nice, too.



franandaj said:


> hen we hightailed it back to the Villa and caught the 9:45PM World of Color show. We had the music blaring on all the TVs and everyone was out on their balconies enjoying the show.



That view looks amazing. I can't wait to get to see World of Color again, but of course it will be the new version. I am just hoping that they are doing a better job with this then they did with World of Color Winter Dreams.

Corinna


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

franandaj said:


> We had a lot of cold goods and for some reason everyone just sort of stood around and watched me load them.



 I can make you all honorary state workers!



franandaj said:


> Only my parents had any idea what Beignets were, and the others at the table were really reluctant to try them. Darcy wouldn’t even give them a try. But we did end up polishing them off. I can’t believe it was such a hard sell!



Seriously??  It's fried dough and sugar, what's not to like?



franandaj said:


> I quickly snapped these shots before we trashed the room.



Yep, still looks amazing.



franandaj said:


> We had a great view of the park!



Absolutely stunning view!



franandaj said:


> They took the coolers down to the ice machine (which I’m sure had a sign reading, “please do not fill coolers from this machine”) and filled every last one of them!







franandaj said:


> I had warned folks that if they wanted to help they could show up anytime after 4PM, but if they didn’t want to be helpful they shouldn’t show up until 6PM.



So you would have expected me at 6 p.m., then?



franandaj said:


> Think I cooked the meat properly?



Looks yummy to me...



franandaj said:


> The rest of the night was spent having loads of fun!



Looks like a great spread and party!  I'm jealous!



franandaj said:


> Then we hightailed it back to the Villa and caught the 9:45PM World of Color show.



Another awesome photo.  The lights look amazing.


----------



## ACDSNY

OMG how did I get so far behind.  I'm so happy your birthday bash was everything you'd dreamed of, I know you've been planning this for such a long time.  Your buffet looked awesome and you looked so cute in your red dress.  Both cakes looked amazing.  You really know how to throw a party! 

I can't believe my bad planning that I missed it by a few weeks.  DH cousin was committed to showing her crafts on the first weekend of May so we thought we picked a slower week.  Now it's turned into a crazy week and I'll be running back home for a conference on Tues/Wed next week.  I need to see what I can salvage of the week.


----------



## disney ny

All caught up now.  Looks like you had a fabulous time with lots of great friends and family. Who could ask for more?


----------



## eeyore45

Awesome!  Love all the hard work everyone did to get the party started!  Love the pictures!


----------



## eandesmom

UGH!  I started a reply today and somehow lost it!  I hate it when that happens.



rentayenta said:


> Basically my position now, because I am part therapy and part UR would be moved from behavioral health to case management which would mean a new boss and immediate new co-workers. I love my position now because its 32 hours and it's not ALL therapy which can be totally overwhelming on a locked acute adult psych floor.



Does this all have anything to do with the reason you were "denied"?

UGH!



rentayenta said:


> My options are to go with the move which would mean moving offices which sounds silly but I love my office location and office mates; stay under behavioral health and do ALL therapy and be a 40 hour a week employee which keeps me in the same office and same department but like I said, 40 hours a week on the psych floor can be taxing; or find a new job which I have been looking and have a final interview this Tuesday.  I did the typical pros/cons list and don't see a pronounced winner. I came home to this news on Monday and have been struggling with a decision ever since.



Well...that new job has better long term opportunities...yes?  Even though it IS change and you hate change, you will have to deal with it at some point in the not to distant future.  Yes?

Commute is a con though on that one, though huh.



franandaj said:


> OMG! I totally forgot about THAT!



LOL!  Looks like you found the picture.

That was when I came out and yelled at the boys for being too loud (I felt like the house mom lol!) they woke up Jenny and Jill.  It was pretty funny.  I'm glad you didn't fall down the stairs (you were fine, not in danger of falling)




franandaj said:


> I even drank like 32 oz of water before the "drinking" started that night. Plus I had a bunch before the spa as well.



Sometimes you can do everything right and it just hits you wrong.  I think many of us have been there.  Heck, that happened to me in my race on Mothers day.  Not the same thing hitting wrong but the impact was pretty significant and its super frustrating when it's something you've done before, you think you know how your body will react and it doesn't do what you expect it to!



franandaj said:


> He likes incriminating photos and has been known to post his own on FB!



that does not surprise me in the least.



franandaj said:


> What I want is people pictures!



I will try to get you some as soon as I can!  I am lame but need to just plug in the phone direct to the laptop and email them over.  It will probably be thursday.  Email me a reminder?



franandaj said:


> And she says don't believe something unless she say it three times. She said it once again at the "after party" at my house on Sunday.



That makes three!



franandaj said:


> It's been so long since I threw a party I forgot how to manage food proportions and I didn't want anyone to go hungry!



We were not hungry!



franandaj said:


> I still have two bottles of "the good stuff" not to mention 20 or 30 in my cellar. I need friends to drink great wine with!!!





franandaj said:


> There are some fuzzy bits from that night. . But I didn't worship any gods, or drive any busses of a certain stone like nature!



No you didn't!  Thank goodness 



franandaj said:


> Normally I'm fine after a massage but I usually don't come home to five courses with wine pairings.



True.  And they were lovely full glasses!



franandaj said:


> I got the Gumbo which was very good. I ended up eating all the Andouille Sausage out of it since Fran didn’t want much of the soup after she ate her half a sandwich.



I love gumbo, that looks delish!



franandaj said:


> Fran and I were all over the Beignets. Only my parents had any idea what Beignets were, and the others at the table were really reluctant to try them. Darcy wouldn’t even give them a try. But we did end up polishing them off. I can’t believe it was such a hard sell!



that's just wrong, I'd have eaten their share!



franandaj said:


> Jenny, Cynthia and Darcy were the “ice girls”. They took the coolers down to the ice machine (which I’m sure had a sign reading, “please do not fill coolers from this machine”) and filled every last one of them!  Each trip they deduced that the ice machine was still OK, since it wasn’t emitting smoke or anything.



No sign but we were seriously amazed it kept up with us.  We really expected it to run dry/empty



franandaj said:


> We commandeered a couple “bench style” tables that we placed at the back of the living room to make a bar. I believe that Cynthia masterminded that, but I’m sure Jenny gave her some help, at least I think so.



Yes, bringing the one from the loft area down was definitely a 2 person job!

And I just realized we left a lamp that we moved on top of the TV cabinet in the main LR.  LOL!



franandaj said:


> I had warned folks that if they wanted to help they could show up anytime after 4PM, but if they didn’t want to be helpful they shouldn’t show up until 6PM.



Ok that is a riot, I didn't know about the "unhelpful" part!  Explains all the boys arriving later.



rentayenta said:


> We laughed our butts off getting that ice!  It was collaborative effort between the ice girls. It was a lot of work setting up for dinner but also lots of fun! Cynthia did a great job organizing the bar and Jill was up to her elbows in chicken carcasses.  So glad I didn't have that job.  I am sure I would have lost at least a finger trying to cut them up.



Oh my goodness, the funniest part is how directionally challenged we were EVERY time trying to find the ice and then our way back to the villa.  And at that point in the day we had one drink each...at lunch!



rentayenta said:


> Our view was incredible!  That villa was something else. There was so much room. I really loved the girls' room too!



The view was insane,  WOC from that balcony was something I'll never forget.  A gift.



franandaj said:


> You ladies were a hoot! Jill and I were just glad we weren't the ones draining those ice machines!



It was our arm workout for the day.  Or week.  LOL!



franandaj said:


> In hindsight, I bought way way way too much chicken, but the tri tip and brats were probably about just right! Thank you so much Jill for your skills with the knife! I never would have thought of cutting the breasts in half, but it made total sense once you thought of it!



It was all fabulous



franandaj said:


> I loved our room. Even with 11 people staying there, I never felt like anyone was on top of each other.



I agree!



franandaj said:


> Strawberry Soup, oh yeah and the girls worked really hard to make these little cards so everything was well labeled!



Oh the cards, that was so funny!  We used up every postcard in the villa, hit up each desk!



franandaj said:


> Mac and Cheese (I didn’t buy too much of that either!)



YUM!  I had a nice serving of that



franandaj said:


> This was the only picture for the DIS that we actually took that night.



YAY!



franandaj said:


> After this, we cleaned up the food, and packed it up for later. Cynthia put Jenny and Jill to bed, I guess they sort of overdid it at Trader Sam’s the night before. And Cynthia, Naked Jim, and I think someone else helped us put away all the food. I was still standing and still able to enjoy my glass of wine for the birthday girl. I think it was sometime around midnight when we all called it a night!



LOL, they put themselves to bed.  Yes, it was around midnight, not too bad all things considered I don't think!  We got everything put away and dishwasher loaded, with just "your" items in the sink for handwashing so they didn't get mixed up.  It was in pretty decent shape when we went to bed I think.


----------



## ShellB8585

Hi Alison,
Just catching up after returning from Disneyland Paris. Looks like you had a great birthday bash! I am really glad you enjoyed it after all the recent ups and downs


----------



## Leshaface

franandaj said:


>



Did you have a schematics for the car too?!  Holy moly you did a good job of squeezing everything in there.



franandaj said:


>



  What I want to know is, how did the CM's face look when he saw all the alcohol?! 



franandaj said:


>



This place is really fun!  I first went when we met up with Pam in 2013 and it was fun.



franandaj said:


> Fran and I were all over the Beignets. Only my parents had any idea what Beignets were, and the others at the table were really reluctant to try them. Darcy wouldn’t even give them a try. But we did end up polishing them off. I can’t believe it was such a hard sell!



What the heck, these things are delicious!  Their loss I guess!



franandaj said:


> We had a great view of the park!



The view is seriously amazing.  DH and I were talking about this and figured you'd know, is this the best view in the entire hotel?  Or does the lounge have a better view?



franandaj said:


>



Aw love this pic!



franandaj said:


>



You in your element with camera in hand!


And can I just say, we were so bummed that we could not make it for this evening.  You totally outdid yourself!



franandaj said:


>



Shoot, never saw this.  But the Mickey cake was fabulous, they did a great job!



franandaj said:


>





franandaj said:


> I did have a bowl of strawberry soup and I think I might have had another small plate of food, but I just wasn’t able to eat nearly as much as I wanted. I was a little bummed that I couldn’t enjoy more of the food. This was the only picture for the DIS that we actually took that night.



I think that happens when you're cooking and preparing the food all day, by the time you go to eat yourself, you're kind of full from just looking at all the food.



franandaj said:


>



So gorgeous!



franandaj said:


> This is probably the most incriminating photo of me (from that night), but I'm still able to go up and down the stairs!



Hmm   I want to know what you were doing.



franandaj said:


> Cynthia put Jenny and Jill to bed, I guess they sort of overdid it at Trader Sam’s the night before



  I can already see Cynthia helping them into bed!


----------



## MEK

I'm speed reading to catch up.  

Wow oh wow - that villa looks AMAZING!  And that view.  The night time picture is even more spectacular than the day time pic (if that's possible).  

Your dress is adorable.  

That cake is amazing.  

And that spread of food!  Wow - I am getting seriously hungry looking at that.

What a fabulous party!  Just wonderful.  

I also wanted to add that I think its great that you and Fran are in a concert band.  I am in a marching band, but would much rather to sit to play.   I play the flute (piccolo for marching).  Would love to hear your band sometime!


----------



## rentayenta

Fun fun fun! 

, Jill and especially me  had our share of rum at Trader Sam's the night before but I'm a morning person not a night person and was on MST. 10:30 seems early but it was 11:30 at home. I wake up at 6 am everyday so rarely party at night. Great time though!

The food was outstanding! Alison out did herself for sure and we ate like kings.

@eandesmom The *denied* was actually an error that came with an oddly sweet apology. I need to email and catch you up. But your insight is spot on and I need to look at the bigger picture and long term options. 

I forgot how we turned the wrong way out of the ice room almost every time!  Too funny. I laughed so hard during that hour.

The Tigger cake was so delicious though I was stuffed and couldn't eat more than a bite.

Love that pic of the four of us.


----------



## franandaj

KathyM2 said:


> Wow. What a buffet!! Looked amazing!!! and so gourmet!!! Making me hungry even though I just ate!! And that view...incredible!!



Thanks!  What part of it is gourmet?  Just curious....In my mind, I was purposely going for foods that I would consider to be more every day and "comfort like".



PrincessInOz said:


> Okay. Can I just say that that is a LOT of coolers to be bringing? Wow! Now I'm truly sorry I couldn't make the trip across the ditch.



The number of coolers was needed due to the size of Costco packaging mostly.  And the sheer amount of food.



PrincessInOz said:


> That's one heck of a party of food! Looks like you had enough to feed an army there.
> I love the cakes. The Mickey is pretty special but I bet that the Tigger cake tasted fantastic.



I probably could have fed twice as many people as were there!    The Tigger cake was really yummy!



mvf-m11c said:


> That all looks amazing and crazy from all of the coolers/boxes that you brought. The meal from eating at Ralph's Brennan and in the room food looks all great. It would have been nice to go down that weekend but I was all busy with work. The cakes looks very nice. It was fun to read your adventures that night.



Thanks!  It was lots of good food all day!



Dis_Yoda said:


> That party looks like it was so much fun!  That cake is amazing!  Glad your birthday went so well!



It was great fun.  I felt bad about finally digging into that cake.



********** said:


> Man, I can't believe there aren't more incriminating photos than that! I think you just know better than to post such things on the internet, right?



Rarely do I ever get into incriminating circumstances and I sure wouldn't post any on the internet!


afwdwfan said:


> I need to have you cater my next birthday party.



  I'm not cheap!



afwdwfan said:


> Definitely a well played game of car Tetris. Your skills are impressive.



Thank you very much!



afwdwfan said:


> Looks delicious!



It was! Full of garlic!



afwdwfan said:


> Even if you don't know what they are, what is there to not like? Dough, sugar... heck yeah, I'll try one!



I know!    Fran and I couldn't understand it.



afwdwfan said:


> I'm glad it didn't take too long. But having the lounge to hang around in and wait would be a nice bonus.



It would have been even better if we weren't all stuffed from the lunch at Brennan's.



afwdwfan said:


> Looks like someone got comfortable quickly!



Yeah, my Dad tends to do that!



afwdwfan said:


> I'm glad to see the Bell Services people have the right priorities!



We were able to chill the beverages that much more quickly.  



afwdwfan said:


> Well organized! I'm glad to see that. I'd hate to grab a soda when I wanted a beer!



Precisely!  I hate digging through tons of soda to find what I want.



afwdwfan said:


> The best part of grilling. Throw the meat on, grab a drink, and kick back.



  And the need for a "team", so that there were people to kick back with.



afwdwfan said:


> Great job all around! The entire buffet looks great!



Thanks!



afwdwfan said:


> Wow. Very impressive. Both cakes, actually!



They do good work!



afwdwfan said:


> Fireworks and WoC? Wow. That's how you do it, right there!



Totally!



afwdwfan said:


> Still upright and you don't look any worse for the wear!



Well, I kind of do, but it's not obvious probably except to me.



kid-at-heart said:


> What a fantastic party!  A great way to welcome in a new decade.  As I get older I realize, as we walk through life, the only thing that really changes in a person is one's body.  The thoughts, desires, personality and so forth, stay the same. For example, hearing a song today which was popular during one's teens will evoke the same emotions as it did during the person's teen years.  I have a feeling you were a sweet, nurturing teen just as you are a sweet, nurturing adult. I can tell that you were trying to make sure that not only you had a great time at your party but that everyone else also had a great time.  I think you succeeded.



Well, not as a teen.  I was actually a very confused, and unbeknownst to me probably depressed.  It wasn't until I was in college that I started this love of cooking and entertaining.  I was trying to ensure that everyone had a good time as well as myself, and as far as I can tell it worked out that way!


----------



## KathyM2

I guess when I say "gourmet" I just meant really good...and much better than I could make at home lol. And way better than your average buffet where you bring all the food! And with sushi and such...It's a classy comfort food buffet


----------



## franandaj

dolphingirl47 said:


> That sounds like an achievement especially looking at the amount of stuff you had to shift.



I was totally astonished at how quickly it went.  I thought that it would take us a couple hours just to get the stuff into coolers.  Instead we got the coolers and car loaded in the time frame that I allotted to just the coolers.



dolphingirl47 said:


> That is an impressive haul.



I had been amassing it for weeks before, and I still have to put the remnants away.



dolphingirl47 said:


> This looks delicious. I may have to give this a try in September.



I get the gumbo almost every time we go to Brennan's.  We usually just get appetizers and then dessert.  I've never tried any of the entrees until this trip with the sandwich that I ate half of.



dolphingirl47 said:


> The tri tip and the buffet look amazing.



Thanks!



dolphingirl47 said:


> I love this cake.



I did too, it was so sad to finally cut into it and throw the remnants away.



dolphingirl47 said:


> This cake looks rather nice, too.



It was so tasty.  I said on FB that it was Dulce de Leche, but never actually posted it here.  It was delicious!



dolphingirl47 said:


> That view looks amazing. I can't wait to get to see World of Color again, but of course it will be the new version. I am just hoping that they are doing a better job with this then they did with World of Color Winter Dreams.



I never saw that one, but this one seemed to be the same thing that I remembered from whenever I saw it last.  I hope to see it again sometime. But with Fran not really liking it that's hard.  I have to catch it with friends.  I think she had gone to bed by this point.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> I can make you all honorary state workers!



Well not me!  I was the one working!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Seriously?? It's fried dough and sugar, what's not to like?



I know!    That's what Fran and I were saying!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Yep, still looks amazing.



It was so cool.  I hope I find a reason to go back there!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Absolutely stunning view!



Definitely the best of all the Villas.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> So you would have expected me at 6 p.m., then?



Actually all the guys were expected at or after 6PM, mostly because they all had day jobs, but there was a specific reference that I'm not mentioning here just because.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Looks yummy to me...



Thanks!  I like my meat mooing!  Most other people do too.  I told the well done folks where they could find those sorts of cuts.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Looks like a great spread and party! I'm jealous!



Sorry you couldn't make it, but I know with a family and job, you have lots of duties and it's a long way away.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Another awesome photo. The lights look amazing.



It was such a surreal view and do cool!



ACDSNY said:


> OMG how did I get so far behind. I'm so happy your birthday bash was everything you'd dreamed of, I know you've been planning this for such a long time. Your buffet looked awesome and you looked so cute in your red dress. Both cakes looked amazing. You really know how to throw a party!



Thanks!  I'm glad that I still remember how to throw a party!  It's been a long long time!



ACDSNY said:


> I can't believe my bad planning that I missed it by a few weeks. DH cousin was committed to showing her crafts on the first weekend of May so we thought we picked a slower week. Now it's turned into a crazy week and I'll be running back home for a conference on Tues/Wed next week. I need to see what I can salvage of the week.



Well I hope we can meet up during your trip down here at some point.  I'd love for you to come by and see the house!



disney ny said:


> All caught up now. Looks like you had a fabulous time with lots of great friends and family. Who could ask for more?



We did have a great time!  It took quite a while to actually recover from the weekend.  we were exhausted for quite a while from all the fun we had!


----------



## franandaj

eeyore45 said:


> Awesome!  Love all the hard work everyone did to get the party started!  Love the pictures!



  It was a great team effort!



eandesmom said:


> UGH! I started a reply today and somehow lost it! I hate it when that happens.



I hate when that happens too!



eandesmom said:


> LOL! Looks like you found the picture.
> 
> That was when I came out and yelled at the boys for being too loud (I felt like the house mom lol!) they woke up Jenny and Jill. It was pretty funny. I'm glad you didn't fall down the stairs (you were fine, not in danger of falling)



OK, I'm a little fuzzy, but I'm guessing I was with the boys when they were making too much noise and you being the house mom sent them back to their room and me back to mine.  I also didn't have a glass of wine my hand either.



eandesmom said:


> Sometimes you can do everything right and it just hits you wrong. I think many of us have been there. Heck, that happened to me in my race on Mothers day. Not the same thing hitting wrong but the impact was pretty significant and its super frustrating when it's something you've done before, you think you know how your body will react and it doesn't do what you expect it to!



I was pretty wiped when I came back from the treatment, so I should have known to go lightly, but perhaps I never learn.



eandesmom said:


> that does not surprise me in the least.



He is quite a character!



eandesmom said:


> I will try to get you some as soon as I can! I am lame but need to just plug in the phone direct to the laptop and email them over. It will probably be thursday. Email me a reminder?



Done and thanks!



eandesmom said:


> That makes three!



Yeah, and now she says she was only doing it for being "social".



eandesmom said:


> We were not hungry!



No we certainly were not!



eandesmom said:


> No you didn't! Thank goodness


----------



## franandaj

ShellB8585 said:


> Hi Alison,
> Just catching up after returning from Disneyland Paris. Looks like you had a great birthday bash! I am really glad you enjoyed it after all the recent ups and downs



Thanks!  I hope you had a great time at DLP.  We have plans to get there someday!



Leshaface said:


> Did you have a schematics for the car too?! Holy moly you did a good job of squeezing everything in there.



I was lucky that we had my parents car as well.  We were able to get all the coolers, boxes and out luggage in our car, and then we put the booze in my parent's cars trunk.



Leshaface said:


> What I want to know is, how did the CM's face look when he saw all the alcohol?!



I don't think it was that unusual.  I mean most of the Valets know us, and they were more like "what time is the party?"  We told them to come up and join us, but none of them did.  I have a feeling that lots of locals use the Villas as a party location.



Leshaface said:


> This place is really fun! I first went when we met up with Pam in 2013 and it was fun.



I've eaten there quite a few times, and it's always been great.  I love going there!



Leshaface said:


> What the heck, these things are delicious! Their loss I guess!



I know!  I couldn't believe it was such a hard sell!  Fran and I ended up splitting the last one.  Their loss!



Leshaface said:


> The view is seriously amazing. DH and I were talking about this and figured you'd know, is this the best view in the entire hotel? Or does the lounge have a better view?



There isn't a lounge with that view.  This is the Villa that is the farthest to the center of a WoC view.  By far the best view you can get.



Leshaface said:


> Aw love this pic!



I did clean up nice!



Leshaface said:


> You in your element with camera in hand!
> 
> 
> And can I just say, we were so bummed that we could not make it for this evening. You totally outdid yourself!



I was bummed you couldn't make it either, but glad you made the second night!



Leshaface said:


> Shoot, never saw this. But the Mickey cake was fabulous, they did a great job!



Yeah, it was tucked away in the fridge, we didn't even finish half of it that night.  Tigger was still in tact when we took the cake home.



Leshaface said:


> I think that happens when you're cooking and preparing the food all day, by the time you go to eat yourself, you're kind of full from just looking at all the food.



I also have no appetite any more.  It's just sad.  I guess that happens as you get older.  



Leshaface said:


> So gorgeous!



Awesome view!



Leshaface said:


> Hmm  I want to know what you were doing.



I'm not sure what I was doing, but evidently I had been up to no good with the boys!


Leshaface said:


> I can already see Cynthia helping them into bed!



She says they put themselves to bed....



MEK said:


> I'm speed reading to catch up.
> 
> Wow oh wow - that villa looks AMAZING! And that view. The night time picture is even more spectacular than the day time pic (if that's possible).



That seems to be the consensus.  I love either view!



MEK said:


> Your dress is adorable.



Thank you!



MEK said:


> That cake is amazing.



They do a great job!  You could probably get one from the original location if you wanted!



MEK said:


> And that spread of food! Wow - I am getting seriously hungry looking at that.



It will be a while before I put on a spread like that again!



MEK said:


> What a fabulous party! Just wonderful.



Thanks!  I think we all had a great time!



MEK said:


> I also wanted to add that I think its great that you and Fran are in a concert band. I am in a marching band, but would much rather to sit to play.  I play the flute (piccolo for marching). Would love to hear your band sometime!



I used to play flute and piccolo, but a car accident made it impossible for me to do the left arm stretch to continue to play flute.  I now have one of those head joints like they make for little kids who can't make the reach, except mine is solid silver and has a gold lip plate.  It still hurts to play flute so I could never do it for a living or on a regular basis, but for an occasional small ensemble or sometimes I choose to play flute at the National Band Conferences so I don't have to schlep the saxophone.



rentayenta said:


> Fun fun fun!
> 
> , Jill and especially me  had our share of rum at Trader Sam's the night before but I'm a morning person not a night person and was on MST. 10:30 seems early but it was 11:30 at home. I wake up at 6 am everyday so rarely party at night. Great time though!



I'm the opposite!  I am rarely up before 8AM and usually closer to 9AM and we got to bed after 11PM in most cases.  Last weekend we were up until 2AM Saturday night and that about killed us!



rentayenta said:


> The food was outstanding! Alison out did herself for sure and we ate like kings.



Thank you very much!



rentayenta said:


> I forgot how we turned the wrong way out of the ice room almost every time!  Too funny. I laughed so hard during that hour.



I'm glad you all had such a good time, I appreciated you getting all that ice.  so did Fran!



rentayenta said:


> The Tigger cake was so delicious though I was stuffed and couldn't eat more than a bite.
> 
> Love that pic of the four of us.



I ate the whole piece!  That was a good pic of us!


----------



## ACDSNY

franandaj said:


> Well I hope we can meet up during your trip down here at some point.  I'd love for you to come by and see the house!



Well let's see what time we can match up in both of our schedules, I'll send you an email.


----------



## franandaj

KathyM2 said:


> I guess when I say "gourmet" I just meant really good...and much better than I could make at home lol. And way better than your average buffet where you bring all the food! And with sushi and such...It's a classy comfort food buffet



OK, that makes sense.  I always go above the bar.  I learned about good food at an early age and my mom always served us pretty good dinners.  Things like TV dinners, McDonald's or sandwiches were never options in my Mom's house, so I just became accustomed to eating well.  We only got fast food as a "treat" say on nights my parents went "out" and we had a babysitter or I was the babysitter.

I guess I took those habits into my adult life and once I learned to cook in college, I constantly tried to recreate my favorite restaurant meals.  To me gourmet food is when you make something individually for each guest and plate it or if you slave over it hours in the kitchen. Since all these things were made within the time of check in to serving that didn't seem like gourmet, but I can see where you are coming from.


----------



## rentayenta

Why were you up at 2 am?


----------



## franandaj

rentayenta said:


> Why were you up at 2 am?



We went to a 10PM screening of Tomorrowland  at DTD so we didn't get home until around 1AM and we never walk in the door and go straight to bed, so by the time we checked our computers, fed the cats, it was 2AM.


----------



## jedijill

Checking in and catching up!  As soon as I got home from LA I immediately had to finish packing since I closed on my house on Friday and started moving in on Monday.  I'm exhausted!

The weekend was soooo much fun!  Thanks again for inviting me!  

Jenny and I were on a mission to drink all the rum drinks on the Trader Sam's menu. I think we came close!  We had a blast!  You guys cannot understand the precision of depth of Alison's planning for the buffet.  I've seen military exercises planned with less detail!    The cake was amazing as was all the food.  

I'll pull off my pictures and send to you once I get my computer set up this weekend.

Jill in CO


----------



## eeyore45

franandaj said:


> I used to play flute and piccolo, but a car accident made it impossible for me to do the left arm stretch to continue to play flute. I now have one of those head joints like they make for little kids who can't make the reach, except mine is solid silver and has a gold lip plate. It still hurts to play flute so I could never do it for a living or on a regular basis, but for an occasional small ensemble or sometimes I choose to play flute at the National Band Conferences so I don't have to schlep the saxophone.



I'm sorry to hear about the accident - and I think I may have chuckled at the thought of schlepping a saxophone.  Flute it is!

(and I had no idea how easy it is to quote just a piece of a post!)


----------



## franandaj

jedijill said:


> Checking in and catching up! As soon as I got home from LA I immediately had to finish packing since I closed on my house on Friday and started moving in on Monday. I'm exhausted!



Well I'm glad that you're all moved in, now to get settled.



jedijill said:


> The weekend was soooo much fun! Thanks again for inviting me!



Thanks for coming! 



jedijill said:


> Jenny and I were on a mission to drink all the rum drinks on the Trader Sam's menu. I think we came close! We had a blast!



That's quite a mission.  I usually stop after two drinks there.



jedijill said:


> You guys cannot understand the precision of depth of Alison's planning for the buffet. I've seen military exercises planned with less detail!  The cake was amazing as was all the food.



  



jedijill said:


> I'll pull off my pictures and send to you once I get my computer set up this weekend.



Cool, I'm trying to work on more updates, but there have been complications.



eeyore45 said:


> I'm sorry to hear about the accident - and I think I may have chuckled at the thought of schlepping a saxophone.  Flute it is!
> 
> (and I had no idea how easy it is to quote just a piece of a post!)



Well an alto sax is still pretty easy to schlep.  It fits in the carry on space of an airplane, you just have to use up one of your carry ons to take it.  If we go to Indianapolis this Summer, I will be bringing my saxophone, however, we may REALLY not be going now.


----------



## dolphingirl47

franandaj said:


> I never saw that one, but this one seemed to be the same thing that I remembered from whenever I saw it last. I hope to see it again sometime. But with Fran not really liking it that's hard. I have to catch it with friends. I think she had gone to bed by this point.



This would still have been the original version. The new version does not start until May 22nd. Graham does not rate it either and says it is far too long, but I could happily watch it every day when I am at Disneyland.

Corinna


----------



## franandaj

dolphingirl47 said:


> This would still have been the original version. The new version does not start until May 22nd. Graham does not rate it either and says it is far too long, but I could happily watch it every day when I am at Disneyland.
> 
> Corinna



I figured it was the standard one.  Hopefully at some point we can see the new one once it starts.


----------



## franandaj

So I was working on an update for our trip this coming December, when all of a sudden it became clear that a life update was more in order.

Since coming back from the birthday weekend (which I intend to finish), life took a while to get back to normal.  It was a fun and exhausting weekend and a lot of things went by the wayside while leading up to it (laundry, bills, etc).  

In addition we had made some decisions about our old place.  You see we used to live in two adjacent apartments in a building that we owned.  We put a connecting door in between the two units and had one giant five bedroom, three bath, two kitchen household. We had always planned to restore them to two separate units (2 bed-1 bath and a 3 bed-2 bath) after we got all our stuff out. The two bed unit (Olga’s place) is still actually in pretty good shape.  It doesn’t need all new counter tops, refaced cabinets, new appliances, and a total makeover.  It will be fine with a new coat of paint on the walls, some new carpeting, and a couple ceiling fans. Wash the windows, appliances and wipe out the cabinets and it will be good to go.  Oh yeah and patch up that door leading to the three bedroom apartment.

Other than that, we can have it ready by August for when we have prospective tenants to move in.  We told the Contractor about this plan the Monday after birthday weekend, and he said he would be in touch with us in two weeks to see how we were doing on getting out stuff out of there.  So a frenzy of work began on mine and Darcy’s part, and I do have to say that we have made great strides in our progress over there. But two weeks is tomorrow and we are certainly not ready for him to start work over there.

 Fran has been resting.  She went off her arthritis drugs the week before my birthday in preparation for the study drug which she is scheduled to start taking Monday morning. The longer she is off the drugs the more stiffness she experiences.  Her hands curl up to a point where she can’t move or straighten out her fingers.  The pain creeps back into every joint in her body, and she is in agony. She has ramped up the pain pills to a point that most people would be comatose, and frankly sometimes she is. But yesterday her right (dominant) hand was hurting more than normal and it was very swollen. She had been having difficulty holding her clarinet at band rehearsals for the last week, but yesterday the pain was just excruciating. She got the doctor to refer her to an X-ray for her right wrist and hand just to rule out the fact of whether or not she had done something to injure her hand.

Unfortunately it didn’t rule it out, instead it confirmed that she has a chip fracture and subluxation at the first metacarpal joint space. The doctor suggested that we go to an Urgent Care facility and see if they could wrap it with a splint. Well they directed us to the ER, and neither of us wanted to spend 7 to 9 hours waiting for a sub par splint which we would probably remove once we got home (based on our past experience) or spending all that time in a place with sick people. So we just headed home and had a lousy evening.

She is just resting in bed at this point, taking pain pills every three hours.  However, at this point she is questioning the decision to go through with the drug study, and is considering going back to the expensive pills that are taken twice daily. The drug study has no guarantee on how soon it will give her any relief from the RA. The expensive pills show progress within 1-2 days. We have a call into her RA doctor, but he’s on a plane right now, so we’re hoping to hear something back from him tomorrow so she can make a decision what to do.

Never a dull moment.


----------



## PrincessInOz

Alison!!! Poor Fran....and poor you.  I hope Fran gets some relief for her RA and soon!  Very Gentle Hugs to her and please pass on my best wishes to her.  I'm thinking of you both often here.  Can I ask what the plans are for her chip fracture?  If it is not getting a splint, what are the other options?

Good luck with getting the old place finished.  I do fondly remember Olga's place.


----------



## franandaj

PrincessInOz said:


> Alison!!! Poor Fran....and poor you. I hope Fran gets some relief for her RA and soon! Very Gentle Hugs to her and please pass on my best wishes to her. I'm thinking of you both often here. Can I ask what the plans are for her chip fracture? If it is not getting a splint, what are the other options?



Well the main option is to get her in to see the Hand Specialist.  He treated her many years back when she needed a carpal tunnel release on each of her hands. But the thing is that we didn't get the results of the X-ray until 5:30PM on Friday.  We just barely made it into the X-ray place before they closed.  I believe they closed at 4:30 and it was 4:20 when we were leaving.

The Hand Doctor's office won't open up until 8:00AM on Monday and she is supposed to be at the RA doctor at 8:30 for the drug study, if she is going to go through with it.  So much is up in the air right now and it always happens like this on a weekend.  She also has a follow up with the foot surgeon on Tuesday and at this point she wants to reschedule that because getting in and out of the car is a tremendous ordeal.



PrincessInOz said:


> Good luck with getting the old place finished. I do fondly remember Olga's place.



At this point, it doesn't look fond at all! It's just a mess with things strewn everywhere, boxes of this and that, and piles of stuff we need to go through.  Each day I work there I hit a proverbial wall after a couple hours. I just can't figure out what to do next and just become overwhelmed.  There is still so much to get out of there or sell either at the garage sale or on eBay, and don't even get me started on Apartment #1!


----------



## jedijill

I'm sorry that Fran is feeling so bad again.  I hope everything works out and she gets some relief.  Good luck with the cleaning of the apartment.  Unpacking my stuff this week has exhausted me.  

Jill in CO


----------



## PrincessInOz

franandaj said:


> Well the main option is to get her in to see the Hand Specialist.  He treated her many years back when she needed a carpal tunnel release on each of her hands. But the thing is that we didn't get the results of the X-ray until 5:30PM on Friday.  We just barely made it into the X-ray place before they closed.  I believe they closed at 4:30 and it was 4:20 when we were leaving.
> 
> The Hand Doctor's office won't open up until 8:00AM on Monday and she is supposed to be at the RA doctor at 8:30 for the drug study, if she is going to go through with it.  So much is up in the air right now and it always happens like this on a weekend.  She also has a follow up with the foot surgeon on Tuesday and at this point she wants to reschedule that because getting in and out of the car is a tremendous ordeal.



I hope that you and Fran figure it out.  Maybe you could call the hand doctor on the way to the RA doctor to see if you can get an appointment.  Is there a way to get all the appointments on the same day so that she can stay home on the Tuesday?

Poor Fran.  






franandaj said:


> At this point, it doesn't look fond at all! It's just a mess with things strewn everywhere, boxes of this and that, and piles of stuff we need to go through.  Each day I work there I hit a proverbial wall after a couple hours. I just can't figure out what to do next and just become overwhelmed.  There is still so much to get out of there or sell either at the garage sale or on eBay, and don't even get me started on Apartment #1!



Oh dear.  I so wish I were living closer so that I could offer some help.


----------



## Leshaface

I'm so sorry that you're dealing with all of this and all at once too.  At least the apartment only needs a few new improvements and not needing a whole new makeover. 

And poor Fran.  Does she have the opportunity in the future to try the drug study?  I hope she gets the relief she needs fast!


----------



## franandaj

jedijill said:


> I'm sorry that Fran is feeling so bad again.  I hope everything works out and she gets some relief.  Good luck with the cleaning of the apartment.  Unpacking my stuff this week has exhausted me.
> 
> Jill in CO



I'm just worried about the hand fracture.  If she has an eight week recovery like the leg fracture that means she will miss two concerts and then we really shouldn't be attending the conference in Indianapolis, but who am I to say.



PrincessInOz said:


> I hope that you and Fran figure it out. Maybe you could call the hand doctor on the way to the RA doctor to see if you can get an appointment. Is there a way to get all the appointments on the same day so that she can stay home on the Tuesday?
> 
> Poor Fran.



Well if the RA doctor can call us back tomorrow (we called his service) maybe we can work out whether or not she should continue with the Drug Trial.  If not she could take the pills, she was ready to take the pills when I cane home from the grocery store today, but I convinced her to consult the doctor. I think she is resenting me for that.



PrincessInOz said:


> Oh dear. I so wish I were living closer so that I could offer some help.



Thanks, it would be nice if we had anybody that wasnt  $20 per hour help.  I'd like to get over there and do stuff on my own but there is so much to do at the house I never get there on my own.


----------



## franandaj

Leshaface said:


> I'm so sorry that you're dealing with all of this and all at once too. At least the apartment only needs a few new improvements and not needing a whole new makeover.



Yeah its probably a cost difference of 10-20K so it's good. We don't need to spend that kind of money now. Fixing up #1 is going to cost "bank" so we need the money for that when it comes around.



Leshaface said:


> And poor Fran. Does she have the opportunity in the future to try the drug study? I hope she gets the relief she needs fast!



Well she told me that the main reason she went for the study was because the drug is "paid for" and that the alternative drug is so expensive. I told her that it didnt matter the cost of the drug and she could take whatever she preferred. But I said that she should consult with the doctor before she went ahead and took the oral drug as it would make her ineligible for the study. So we are waiting to hear back from the RA doc as to whether or not she should bail on the study and go back to the oral medication.


----------



## PrincessInOz

franandaj said:


> Yeah its probably a cost difference of 10-20K so it's good. We don't need to spend that kind of money now. Fixing up #1 is going to cost "bank" so we need the money for that when it comes around.
> 
> 
> 
> Well she told me that the main reason she went for the study was because the drug is "paid for" and that the alternative drug is so expensive. I told her that it didnt matter the cost of the drug and she could take whatever she preferred. But I said that she should consult with the doctor before she went ahead and took the oral drug as it would make her ineligible for the study. So we are waiting to hear back from the RA doc as to whether or not she should bail on the study and go back to the oral medication.



I hope you hear back from the RA doc soon.


----------



## franandaj

PrincessInOz said:


> I hope you hear back from the RA doc soon.



Yeah well hopefully he actually replies to his service and doesn’t just Ignore it


----------



## rentayenta

I am sorry Fran is in so much pain and I hope you hear back from the doc soon. Tough decision between the drug study and immediate relief. Hang in there lady.


----------



## Flossbolna

Oh, how horrible for Fran! I hope you hear back from your doc soon!


----------



## Dis_Yoda

Hope you hear back from the doctor soon!  Fran needs to feel better!


----------



## franandaj

rentayenta said:


> I am sorry Fran is in so much pain and I hope you hear back from the doc soon. Tough decision between the drug study and immediate relief. Hang in there lady.





Flossbolna said:


> Oh, how horrible for Fran! I hope you hear back from your doc soon!





Dis_Yoda said:


> Hope you hear back from the doctor soon!  Fran needs to feel better!



Thanks ladies!

Well the RA doctor called a few minutes ago.  He said that the Drug Study wouldn't interfere with the healing of the fracture.  He also said that with the study drug they have been seeing results within the first one to two weeks. So she has decided to wait out the next 20 and a half hours until the she gets the study drug. She's a little disappointed that she can't get the instant gratification with the pills, but in the long run, hopefully this medication will work out better, plus she gets paid every time that she goes into the doctor's office.

Now we just need to address the fracture in her thumb.


----------



## dgbg100106

So sorry Fran is hurting so much, I cant begin to imagine what that feels like.  Sending positives thoughts and prayers for strength and healing.

Glad to hear that Dr called and that she has decided to stick it out,  I hope Monday comes soon enough.


----------



## KathyM2

Oh no!! Sorry about the pain/RA issues!! I hope the new meds really help her out!


----------



## dolphingirl47

That is good news that the smaller of the apartments only needs minimum work doing to it once it has been cleared. I wish you good luck with this process. I also wish that I lived closer and could be of help.

I am sorry that Fran has such a rough time. I am glad that the doctor got back to you and I hope that the trial drug will provide quick relief. Is the hand injury related to her fall? I hope that she will heal quickly.

Corinna


----------



## franandaj

dgbg100106 said:


> So sorry Fran is hurting so much, I cant begin to imagine what that feels like. Sending positives thoughts and prayers for strength and healing.



I can't imagine what it feels like, but I know from over the years that she can hardly move at all when she is off her drugs.  She needs help with every aspect of life, more so than usual.  Over a week ago I adjusted our dinners so that everything we ate didn't need a knife and fork, things that could be eaten with a spoon or just a fork, or just fingers.  That's pretty hard when you are confined to the crappy food that I can eat and then limit them to protein that doesn't need slicing with a steak knife.



dgbg100106 said:


> Glad to hear that Dr called and that she has decided to stick it out, I hope Monday comes soon enough.



She wanted to take the easy way, but I think she is also concerned at the expense of the pills.  Since the study gives us money and free drugs, she's biting the bullet and taking the longer route.  She really is strong that way.  I hope she gets relief soon.



KathyM2 said:


> Oh no!! Sorry about the pain/RA issues!! I hope the new meds really help her out!



I just hope that they kick in quickly!



dolphingirl47 said:


> That is good news that the smaller of the apartments only needs minimum work doing to it once it has been cleared. I wish you good luck with this process. I also wish that I lived closer and could be of help.



Yeah, Darcy gets expensive, but she does work work work.  We're back tomorrow at work hopefully once I get Fran home from the infusion.



dolphingirl47 said:


> I am sorry that Fran has such a rough time. I am glad that the doctor got back to you and I hope that the trial drug will provide quick relief. Is the hand injury related to her fall? I hope that she will heal quickly.



The hand is not related to the original fall.  But we have no idea where it came from.  Last Saturday at band rehearsal she was having a hard time holding her clarinet, her hand hurt. She said it was even worse on Tuesday.  She said it hurt so hard she was having trouble not crying.  But even so, we have no idea what she could have done to injure it.  There is no instance that stands out where she fell or banged up her hand that we can remember.  It's really weird.  She's afraid that her bones are getting brittle.  She keeps breaking things, and that's odd.


----------



## DisneyFirefly

I really hope she starts feeling better soon  That really is odd about the break in her thumb. Does she have osteoporosis as well as the RA?


----------



## franandaj

Saturday morning came more quickly than I expected. But as late as I had stayed up, I was able to get up relatively early.  I don’t remember when I got up, but I know that I was watching one of the news programs (which run between 5AM and 9AM here in So Cal).  At some point, I got into the Jacuzzi tub, and I love the fact that they have the window that opens to the bedroom so I could do like I do at home, watch the news while in the tub and watch the closed captions on the TV. 

After my tub, I got a text from the boys that they were heading up to the lounge for breakfast. That was around 9AM.  





I fixed myself a Bloody Mary and headed up to meet them.  I’m sure breakfast looked something like this.





After breakfast we decided to head into the park and do a few rides before I headed over to my massage. Justin had to leave for the rest of the weekend, he’s an aspiring film composer and had quite a few projects in the works. Alberto had to leave for a yard sale for one of his non-profit groups, so it was just Jim, Leonard and I.  We did Radiator Springs Racers.





Then we went on Tower of Terror.





Leonard needed to find a shirt to wear for dinner that evening, so we all went out to World of Disney to check on apparel.  It was getting late, so I said, “goodbye” and headed back to the Villa to check on Fran.  Unfortunately I ate too much at breakfast to want anything for lunch, so instead I just went to the Villa to see how she was doing before heading to my massage. She owes me a make up for my birthday lamburger at the Uva Bar.

She was fine taking her nap, I got her another soda and headed over to here.





I checked in and was promptly lead to this familiar locker room.





Though this was not my treatment room, after dressing in my robe and enjoying the steam room for a while, I was led to a similar room.





This was the treatment I signed up for:

*Elemis Aroma Spa Seaweed Massage*
Combining the richness of sea plants and Marine Algae with Aromatherapy, this treatment is deeply detoxifying at all levels for women and men. A warm seaweed body mask containing a synergy of cleansing Essential Oils is applied to your body before you are cocooned in a comforting foil wrap. Let your thoughts drift away and relax with a scalp massage and foot massage while letting the active ingredients work to detoxify, decongest and stimulate your body systems. Then we follow with a full body massage focusing on the main areas of tension. 

Evidently I had a little bit more than the standard treatment described above.  First I was wrapped with the seaweed mask and I rinsed off in the shower.  She rubbed me with another type of polish, more of a gel, and I had another cocoon.  Then I showered off again, and then I had the full body massage.  It was blissful and wonderful.

While I was enjoying the spa, the ladies were enjoying this:





After a refreshing shower I headed back to the Villa. I could feel that my body was a tad bit drained, but I didn’t worry about it too much.  I drank several bottles of water while I ate half a tri tip sandwich and some potato chips. I didn’t want to fill up before dinner, but I didn’t want to be drinking on a completely empty stomach.  I went into the bedroom to get ready for dinner as it was approaching 4PM, the time I instructed everyone to show up for Happy Hour!

Somewhere while folks were arriving Jenny took a shot of my shoes that I got at the Disney outlet in Miami after our last cruise.





People began to arrive starting shortly after 4PM.  Alicia had put together an awesome photo collage for me, and a lot of technical engineering went into the hanging of this collage. Finally dental floss was the material used to suspend this here.

[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/50th%20Birthday%20Party/IMG_9642.jpg.html']
	
[/url]


Yay Alicia!

Another thing I want to point out in the picture above is Cynthia’s prowess at setting up the bar.  I planned the food with what Jill called “more precision than some military operations”, but for some reason I just thought the bar would “build itself”.  That was certainly not the case.  One of the benches was stolen from the pool table room, the other was taken from the foyer.

If you look closely underneath the collage you can see the bar set up. On the left you see the lemonade dispenser, to the right of that are wine glasses, margarita glasses, red solo cups, and napkins.  Further to the right are red wines and a corkscrew, and then there’s the booze and mixers.  We had Whiskey, Rum, Vodka, Tequila and Vermouth.  Guess what was gone at the end of the weekend. Hint: Think Jack, and I don’t mean Daniels.

Since there are no incriminating photos here, I don’t mind showing close ups of those collages.  I want to thank everyone who sent pictures!  I couldn’t believe how many of you out there sent photos of us from our meets!  I knew pretty much exactly who sent which pictures (obviously from who was in them!) but it was such an emotional experience to look closely at the collages and see all the happy memories.  Not only the ones that I had sent, but all the others reminding me of how many great people I have met here on the DIS!

You can see the pictures in this Mickey head pretty well, so I don’t need to post the close ups.

[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/50th%20Birthday%20Party/DSC09902.jpg.html']
	


Same for the 0.





The 5 was a little more elusive in photographing so in addition to the zoomed out, I also zoomed in on the various parts of the collage.

























While they were hanging the collage, I felt it was my duty to be a good hostess.  Last Summer when I had visited the parks with Alicia and her DH, we ended the day with some drinks, and he got a Manhattan with one of those nifty ice spheres. Besides the fact that it became one of his favorite drinks instantly, he really enjoyed that with each subsequent drink even though his ice cube got smaller, the drink was always filled to the brim of the glass. 

On one of our TRs Alicia mentioned that her DH was looking forward to having another Manhattan. While I couldn’t get him the cool ice sphere, I did look up how to make the drink and had the ingredients on hand to make him one.  I mixed him up a drink, and at first he taste he said his mouth was going to be on fire!  But after a few sips, he was claiming that it was a “Man’s drink”, and when it came for a second one (or maybe it was the third), he wanted to know how to make it so he could repeat it at home!  

With the collage successfully hanging above the couch, we decided it was time to take the photo for the DIS to document our meeting.





We hung out in the room enjoying our adult beverages for a while longer before it was time to head over to the restaurant.

Up next an awesome Dinner where the Force is strong![/url]


----------



## franandaj

DisneyFirefly said:


> I really hope she starts feeling better soon  That really is odd about the break in her thumb. Does she have osteoporosis as well as the RA?



Well the report on her thumb had some references to osteoarthritis, but she has not been technically diagnosed with osteoarthritis.  Perhaps we should ask the doctor about that when she goes in for the trial, just for informational stuff.


----------



## PrincessInOz

Awesome!  Awesome!  Awesome!  

Am I repeating myself?


What a great weekend this turned out to be.  That's a wonderful sounding spa treatment.  I would have so totally indulged in that as well.  And then the massage. WOW!
And that collage!  Well done Alicia.  It looks amazing and I've been sitting here scanning all the pictures you have of them to try and see all the details.  I have to remember Dental Floss as a hanging thread.  
Love the Mickey shoes!

YAY for Cynthia setting up the bar.

Looking forward to the dinner.


----------



## dgbg100106

Your massage sounds wonderful and relaxing and a perfect way to pamper ones self.
The collage is truly beautiful!

Everything looks like so much fun.


----------



## afwdwfan

franandaj said:


> Never a dull moment.


Oh wow.  Seems like this birthday weekend getaway was a much needed break from reality for a few days.  Hopefully things calm down for you guys.  Fran just can't seem to catch a break. 



franandaj said:


> After breakfast we decided to head into the park and do a few rides before I headed over to my massage.


Not a bad way to start the day!  I'd go for RSR and ToT anytime!

I'm glad that you enjoyed your spa time too.  Even if it left you a little too detoxified, maybe. 



franandaj said:


> People began to arrive starting shortly after 4PM. Alicia had put together an awesome photo collage for me, and a lot of technical engineering went into the hanging of this collage. Finally dental floss was the material used to suspend this here.


That really is awesome.  Nice job, @Leshaface !



franandaj said:


> Guess what was gone at the end of the weekend. Hint: Think Jack, and I don’t mean Daniels.










franandaj said:


> Since there are no incriminating photos here, I don’t mind showing close ups of those collages. I want to thank everyone who sent pictures! I couldn’t believe how many of you out there sent photos of us from our meets! I knew pretty much exactly who sent which pictures (obviously from who was in them!) but it was such an emotional experience to look closely at the collages and see all the happy memories. Not only the ones that I had sent, but all the others reminding me of how many great people I have met here on the DIS!


Very nice!  I'm glad that it was able to be pulled together.  What's a milestone birthday celebration without a lifetime of memories? 



franandaj said:


> On one of our TRs Alicia mentioned that her DH was looking forward to having another Manhattan. While I couldn’t get him the cool ice sphere, I did look up how to make the drink and had the ingredients on hand to make him one. I mixed him up a drink, and at first he taste he said his mouth was going to be on fire! But after a few sips, he was claiming that it was a “Man’s drink”, and when it came for a second one (or maybe it was the third), he wanted to know how to make it so he could repeat it at home!


Very nice of you.  I mean, it isn't like you didn't already have enough on your plate to put together the meal and open bar, but that's really going above and beyond to do something nice for him.  I'm glad he appreciated the gesture.  And the drinks.   

By the way, I actually had my first Manhattan a couple of months ago... and I like them too.  I can see why he felt that way about them. 



franandaj said:


> We hung out in the room enjoying our adult beverages for a while longer before it was time to head over to the restaurant.
> 
> Up next an awesome Dinner where the Force is strong!


Happy hour looks like a good time with good friends.  I can't wait to see how dinner went!


----------



## KathyM2

What an awesome party!! And that spa treatment...heaven...I could go for one right now!


----------



## mvf-m11c

A very nice day after your birthday by going to the park. The spa treatment must be amazing.

Very nice job Alicia on the collage.  I am amazed of the hard work you did to put that together. I see some photos that I am familiar with.

Looking forward to reading your next update.


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

franandaj said:


> Justin had to leave for the rest of the weekend, he’s an aspiring film composer



That would be a cool job!



franandaj said:


> She owes me a make up for my birthday lamburger at the Uva Bar.



Sounds fair to me.



franandaj said:


> Combining the richness of sea plants and Marine Algae with Aromatherapy, this treatment is deeply detoxifying at all levels for women and men.



I'm glad you enjoyed it, but as soon as you mentioned the word "seaweed", I would have been out.  

"Wait, I'm paying you to put seaweed on me?"



franandaj said:


> People began to arrive starting shortly after 4PM. Alicia had put together an awesome photo collage for me, and a lot of technical engineering went into the hanging of this collage. Finally dental floss was the material used to suspend this here.



Nice work @Leshaface !



franandaj said:


> Since there are no incriminating photos here, I don’t mind showing close ups of those collages. I want to thank everyone who sent pictures! I couldn’t believe how many of you out there sent photos of us from our meets! I knew pretty much exactly who sent which pictures (obviously from who was in them!) but it was such an emotional experience to look closely at the collages and see all the happy memories. Not only the ones that I had sent, but all the others reminding me of how many great people I have met here on the DIS!



Found mine!  There was really only one we could use. 



franandaj said:


> With the collage successfully hanging above the couch, we decided it was time to take the photo for the DIS to document our meeting.



Oh good, I'm glad it actually happened.


----------



## Leshaface

franandaj said:


>



I didn't get to meet Justin but your friends were so nice and so stinkin' hilarious! 



franandaj said:


>



5-0!



franandaj said:


> She owes me a make up for my birthday lamburger at the Uva Bar.



Definitely! 



franandaj said:


> *Elemis Aroma Spa Seaweed Massage*
> Combining the richness of sea plants and Marine Algae with Aromatherapy, this treatment is deeply detoxifying at all levels for women and men. A warm seaweed body mask containing a synergy of cleansing Essential Oils is applied to your body before you are cocooned in a comforting foil wrap. Let your thoughts drift away and relax with a scalp massage and foot massage while letting the active ingredients work to detoxify, decongest and stimulate your body systems. Then we follow with a full body massage focusing on the



This sounds just amazing.  And long. I'd probably fall asleep.



franandaj said:


>



  Good job ladies!



franandaj said:


>



These look super comfortable.



franandaj said:


>



I really had a fun time making it and looking through all the photos.  I printed off close to 150 pics!



franandaj said:


> Another thing I want to point out in the picture above is Cynthia’s prowess at setting up the bar. I planned the food with what Jill called “more precision than some military operations”, but for some reason I just thought the bar would “build itself”. That was certainly not the case. One of the benches was stolen from the pool table room, the other was taken from the foyer.



Your bar was super impressive.  Probably just as loaded as the Hearthstone Lounge!



franandaj said:


> You can see the pictures in this Mickey head pretty well, so I don’t need to post the close ups.



I loved the pictures that make up the ears.



franandaj said:


> On one of our TRs Alicia mentioned that her DH was looking forward to having another Manhattan. While I couldn’t get him the cool ice sphere, I did look up how to make the drink and had the ingredients on hand to make him one. I mixed him up a drink, and at first he taste he said his mouth was going to be on fire! But after a few sips, he was claiming that it was a “Man’s drink”, and when it came for a second one (or maybe it was the third), he wanted to know how to make it so he could repeat it at home!



  After you showed him how to make it, he ended up making another one for him and Naked Jim!  Jim agreed, definitely a 'Man's Drink' 



franandaj said:


>



Stealing this.  I thought one of the girls posted this to their FB accounts but when I went in search of it (aka stalker status) I couldn't find it.  Thanks for posting it!



franandaj said:


> Up next an awesome Dinner where the Force is strong!


----------



## franandaj

PrincessInOz said:


> Awesome! Awesome! Awesome!
> 
> Am I repeating myself?



That's OK even if you are! It was awesome!



PrincessInOz said:


> What a great weekend this turned out to be. That's a wonderful sounding spa treatment. I would have so totally indulged in that as well. And then the massage. WOW



It was so relaxing. It turns out that I had a therapist who had treated me before and she remembered me. The wrap parts we chatted like old friends and then during the massage I slept like a baby.



PrincessInOz said:


> And that collage! Well done Alicia. It looks amazing and I've been sitting here scanning all the pictures you have of them to try and see all the details. I have to remember Dental Floss as a hanging thread.



She has brought quite a few things to attach the collage, but in the end Leonard came up with the idea.  He noted that yarn would stretch and them I would have a saggy 50! 



PrincessInOz said:


> Love the Mickey shoes!



Thanks, first time I got to wear them. I meant to wear them at our Disney performance last November bit forgot.



PrincessInOz said:


> YAY for Cynthia setting up the bar.



She did a great job and took a lot of responsibility off of me.



PrincessInOz said:


> Looking forward to the dinner.



Me too!


----------



## franandaj

dgbg100106 said:


> Your massage sounds wonderful and relaxing and a perfect way to pamper ones self.



It totally was, just in hindsight not the best choice for that particular day.



dgbg100106 said:


> The collage is truly beautiful!



She did a great job!



dgbg100106 said:


> Everything looks like so much fun.



It totally was. There was so much laughter in that Villa!


----------



## franandaj

afwdwfan said:


> Oh wow. Seems like this birthday weekend getaway was a much needed break from reality for a few days. Hopefully things calm down for you guys.



It was a great getaway and definitely took a few days recovery time. I need another weekend this time with more calm and less drinking!



afwdwfan said:


> Fran just can't seem to catch a break.



Au contraire, that seems to be all she can catch lately! 



afwdwfan said:


> Not a bad way to start the day! I'd go for RSR and ToT anytime!



And especially with a Bloody Mary at breakfast, it gave the rides a whole new spin!  



afwdwfan said:


> I'm glad that you enjoyed your spa time too. Even if it left you a little too detoxified, maybe.



 



afwdwfan said:


> That really is awesome. Nice job, @Leshaface !







afwdwfan said:


>



Exactly! 



afwdwfan said:


> Very nice! I'm glad that it was able to be pulled together. What's a milestone birthday celebration without a lifetime of memories?



I'm glad she came up with the idea and ran with it. I'm going to keep these things until they fall apart.



afwdwfan said:


> Very nice of you. I mean, it isn't like you didn't already have enough on your plate to put together the meal and open bar, but that's really going above and beyond to do something nice for him. I'm glad he appreciated the gesture. And the drinks.



Since he indicated a preference, I was happy to oblige. Everyone else seemed happy to just pour their own sickly sweet beverages from all the mixes we had on the table.



afwdwfan said:


> By the way, I actually had my first Manhattan a couple of months ago... and I like them too. I can see why he felt that way about them.



I haven't had one before, but from the ingredients, I can imagine it has a kick. I'm a vodka Gibson kind of girl.



afwdwfan said:


> Happy hour looks like a good time with good friends. I can't wait to see how dinner went!



  Dinner was great and fuzzy.


----------



## franandaj

KathyM2 said:


> What an awesome party!! And that spa treatment...heaven...I could go for one right now!



Thanks! After everything that has been going on, I'm about ready for another spa day or at least a good massage!



mvf-m11c said:


> A very nice day after your birthday by going to the park. The spa treatment must be amazing.



I think it was a fun and balanced day there!



mvf-m11c said:


> Very nice job Alicia on the collage.  I am amazed of the hard work you did to put that together. I see some photos that I am familiar with.



It was great work and see pictures that could have come from either you or PIO.



mvf-m11c said:


> Looking forward to reading your next update.



That one will be bittersweet because there won't be a lot more to update on this weekend after that! Although I do have some post script updates to this weekend's festivities.


----------



## franandaj

Captain_Oblivious said:


> That would be a cool job!



This is one of his current projects.








Captain_Oblivious said:


> Sounds fair to me.







Captain_Oblivious said:


> I'm glad you enjoyed it, but as soon as you mentioned the word "seaweed", I would have been out.
> 
> "Wait, I'm paying you to put seaweed on me?"



It's actually quite relaxing. It's more like just a green lotion. And yes you're paying to be slathered in seaweed lotion. A Lot.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Nice work @Leshaface !







Captain_Oblivious said:


> Found mine! There was really only one we could use.



I think there might have been one from Space Mtn as well. I thought you sent it but when I went back and looked it was Leshaface's.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Oh good, I'm glad it actually happened.


----------



## eandesmom

Sorry to be (again) MIA.  Just back from our SF getaway, we surrvived Bay to Breakers.

You know it's not a serious race when the first question you get asked, by anyone who notes that you ran it (wearing a T is a giveaway lol) is "did you finish"?.  LOL  Not because it was hard but because well...a lot don't!  They have "sobering stations" along the course.  Too funny.  VERY entertaining.

I am SOOOO sorry about Fran's thumb!  Does she take anything to help with bone density or strength at all?  That would be worrisome for sure.  I am glad that she decided to tough it out and hopefully the new meds will kick in soon and make a difference...at a better price but how awful to deal with in the interim, for all of you, and trying to get the apartments done too.



franandaj said:


> At some point, I got into the Jacuzzi tub, and I love the fact that they have the window that opens to the bedroom so I could do like I do at home, watch the news while in the tub and watch the closed captions on the TV.



I think that is great you took advantage of it, I never use ours at home or the one on vacation!  I'd skip the TV though but a bath is just lovely!



franandaj said:


> I fixed myself a Bloody Mary and headed up to meet them. I’m sure breakfast looked something like this.



Yum!  The lounge has lovely offerings, what a neat benefit to be able to use that.  



franandaj said:


> After breakfast we decided to head into the park and do a few rides before I headed over to my massage. Justin had to leave for the rest of the weekend, he’s an aspiring film composer and had quite a few projects in the works. Alberto had to leave for a yard sale for one of his non-profit groups, so it was just Jim, Leonard and I. We did Radiator Springs Racers.



I am so glad you got to go on some rides that morning!  We were definitely crazy rope drop people and hit MK hard before the pool.  I did get in some rides I'd not been able to in the past.  Nemo (always closed, hadn't been on it since it was 20,000 leagues...made my day right there!) Storybook boats and Alice (also not since a child).  



franandaj said:


> Leonard needed to find a shirt to wear for dinner that evening, so we all went out to World of Disney to check on apparel. It was getting late, so I said, “goodbye” and headed back to the Villa to check on Fran. Unfortunately I ate too much at breakfast to want anything for lunch, so instead I just went to the Villa to see how she was doing before heading to my massage. She owes me a make up for my birthday lamburger at the Uva Bar.



Did Leonard ever buy a shirt?  That is kind of funny, I expect those of us who travel to have to buy things we forget but not the locals.  She does owe you a lamb burger!



franandaj said:


> Evidently I had a little bit more than the standard treatment described above. First I was wrapped with the seaweed mask and I rinsed off in the shower. She rubbed me with another type of polish, more of a gel, and I had another cocoon. Then I showered off again, and then I had the full body massage. It was blissful and wonderful.



Blissful and wonderful, exactly what a spa treatment should be!



franandaj said:


> While I was enjoying the spa, the ladies were enjoying this:



Oh it was heavenly by the pool!  For me, it was the first time I could really enjoy the pool there, when I was there with the boys last year they were NOT interested in it at all so it wasn't very relaxing either time.  This was just lovely, thank you for the opportunity!



franandaj said:


> People began to arrive starting shortly after 4PM. Alicia had put together an awesome photo collage for me, and a lot of technical engineering went into the hanging of this collage. Finally dental floss was the material used to suspend this here.



I think it got hung while we were dressing, I had no idea it was dental floss!  that's a riot.  @Leshaface did such a great job with the collage, it was fabulous!



franandaj said:


> Another thing I want to point out in the picture above is Cynthia’s prowess at setting up the bar. I planned the food with what Jill called “more precision than some military operations”, but for some reason I just thought the bar would “build itself”. That was certainly not the case. One of the benches was stolen from the pool table room, the other was taken from the foyer.



It was so funny, a  couple of days later I realized that not only did we not put the table back at the end (which I don't think was a big deal), the lamp we had moved to make more room on the bar was probably still on top of the TV unit in the main LR.  Oops!

I'd thought one table would work originally...it was quite the bar, we ended up with 3 tables total dedicated to it!



franandaj said:


> On one of our TRs Alicia mentioned that her DH was looking forward to having another Manhattan. While I couldn’t get him the cool ice sphere, I did look up how to make the drink and had the ingredients on hand to make him one. I mixed him up a drink, and at first he taste he said his mouth was going to be on fire! But after a few sips, he was claiming that it was a “Man’s drink”, and when it came for a second one (or maybe it was the third), he wanted to know how to make it so he could repeat it at home!



LOL!



franandaj said:


> With the collage successfully hanging above the couch, we decided it was time to take the photo for the DIS to document our meeting.



YAY!  There we are.  I look like an amazon.  LOL



franandaj said:


> Well the report on her thumb had some references to osteoarthritis, but she has not been technically diagnosed with osteoarthritis. Perhaps we should ask the doctor about that when she goes in for the trial, just for informational stuff.



Oh I hope that isn't it but yes, I would ask.


----------



## Paula Sedley-Burke

Just got home from WDW had a blast. Just catching up. Oh my poor poor Fran. I take plastic cutlery in my purse and Jo has to cut up my meals so I know what that feels like :-( poor love. 

Your massage oh divine! What can I say! The whole weekend just looks exactly the magic you deserve. That collage is the works I love that. So many memories to treasure with family and friends. I bet you will be on cloud 9 for a while. I hope so anyway. 

I hope Fran sorts out her drugs. Thanks for sharing your birthday.


----------



## dolphingirl47

franandaj said:


> She's afraid that her bones are getting brittle. She keeps breaking things, and that's odd.



That does not sound good at all. Has she had a bone density scan?



franandaj said:


> We did Radiator Springs Racers.



What a nice way to start the day. I can't wait to ride it again in September.



franandaj said:


> Unfortunately I ate too much at breakfast to want anything for lunch, so instead I just went to the Villa to see how she was doing before heading to my massage.



What a shame that you never got your birthday burger.



franandaj said:


> Elemis Aroma Spa Seaweed Massage



I had this on the Wonder in the past and this is amazing.



franandaj said:


> She rubbed me with another type of polish, more of a gel, and I had another cocoon.



That sounds really nice.



franandaj said:


> Somewhere while folks were arriving Jenny took a shot of my shoes that I got at the Disney outlet in Miami after our last cruise.



Those shoes are really cute.



franandaj said:


>



What a fantastic idea. I really like this.

Corinna


----------



## Pinkocto

I'm just getting home from my trip and catching up. 

Oh my goodness, the birthday spread looks amazingly scrumptious!!!    I kept looking for the cake flavor and finally saw dulce de leche. Oh me oh my! 

Very odd the donuts were such a hard sell... The garlic bread looks so yummy! 

Fun fun evening! And the fun continues! 

I sorry Fran is in such pain  any news on that front?


----------



## Pinkocto

rentayenta said:


> Thank you friend.  Its not tragic but its far from perfect. I am not a big fan of change. Basically my position now, because I am part therapy and part UR would be moved from behavioral health to case management which would mean a new boss and immediate new co-workers. I love my position now because its 32 hours and it's not ALL therapy which can be totally overwhelming on a locked acute adult psych floor. My options are to go with the move which would mean moving offices which sounds silly but I love my office location and office mates; stay under behavioral health and do ALL therapy and be a 40 hour a week employee which keeps me in the same office and same department but like I said, 40 hours a week on the psych floor can be taxing; or find a new job which I have been looking and have a final interview this Tuesday.  I did the typical pros/cons list and don't see a pronounced winner. I came home to this news on Monday and have been struggling with a decision ever since.
> 
> Sorry to hijack Alison.



I'm sorry, I'm just getting back from vacation. Has any progress been made? How did your interview go?


----------



## rentayenta

Pinkocto said:


> I'm sorry, I'm just getting back from vacation. Has any progress been made? How did your interview go?




How was vacation?? 


 No real progress. I am almost ending 3 weeks in limbo. My interview went well. I have made 1,000 pros/cons lists and I am truly torn. I have been offered one but the offer was low so I countered. I interviewed for another as full time therapist only but my fear is it will be a decrease in pay which I just can't swallow right now. I can change dept and my income will stay the same but my dept will change as will my immediate boss and coworkers. I want to win the lottery.  I can't begin to explain how totally stressful this has been.


----------



## jedijill

rentayenta said:


> How was vacation??
> 
> 
> No real progress. I am almost ending 3 weeks in limbo. My interview went well. I have made 1,000 pros/cons lists and I am truly torn. I have been offered one but the offer was low so I countered. I interviewed for another as full time therapist only but my fear is it will be a decrease in pay which I just can't swallow right now. I can change dept and my income will stay the same but my dept will change as will my immediate boss and coworkers. I want to win the lottery.  I can't begin to explain how totally stressful this has been.




Hang in there.  When I win the lottery we are having one heck of a girls trip!

Jill in CO


----------



## Pinkocto

rentayenta said:


> How was vacation??
> 
> 
> No real progress. I am almost ending 3 weeks in limbo. My interview went well. I have made 1,000 pros/cons lists and I am truly torn. I have been offered one but the offer was low so I countered. I interviewed for another as full time therapist only but my fear is it will be a decrease in pay which I just can't swallow right now. I can change dept and my income will stay the same but my dept will change as will my immediate boss and coworkers. I want to win the lottery.  I can't begin to explain how totally stressful this has been.



I'm sorry things have been so stressful    I hope they resolve soon   what a pain in the rear.


----------



## Flossbolna

It has been far too long since I last commented!! First of all, I hope that Fran is doing better by now and that the infusions do what they are supposed to do. What a horrible illness that must be! I always wonder whether those stories about mean step mothers and scary old women don't have some truth in them as these were women who were suffering from arthritis (and similar things) and they were just in constant pain. Everyone gets grumpy when they are in pain all the time.

I love reading about your wonderful birthday party. The day after really is off to a great start! I love the picture of you and the DIS ladies, you all look so happy and festive in the picture! I am just surprised that Cynthia is the tallest of you all. I kind of seem to remember thinking how tiny she is when I met her! You can never tell from pictures and if she was the tallest of you, then I think I must be a full head taller than you!  I never feel particularly tall, but somehow nearly all the DIS ladies I have met are not tall...

I love the 50 made out of pictures, what a wonderful memory! 

Looking forward to reading all about the dinner! Michael and I are thinking about a meal at Steakhouse 55, but since we already want to eat at Napa Rose, it might be a bit much (don't want to use up all of our food budget in the first week of the trip!).


----------



## rentayenta

Pinkocto said:


> I'm sorry things have been so stressful    I hope they resolve soon   what a pain in the rear.




Thanks friend.  How was vacation?


----------



## PrincessInOz

rentayenta said:


> How was vacation??
> 
> 
> No real progress. I am almost ending 3 weeks in limbo. My interview went well. I have made 1,000 pros/cons lists and I am truly torn. I have been offered one but the offer was low so I countered. I interviewed for another as full time therapist only but my fear is it will be a decrease in pay which I just can't swallow right now. I can change dept and my income will stay the same but my dept will change as will my immediate boss and coworkers. I want to win the lottery.  I can't begin to explain how totally stressful this has been.


----------



## franandaj

Leshaface said:


> I didn't get to meet Justin but your friends were so nice and so stinkin' hilarious!



Justin would have had you in stitches as long as you weren't at all with a conscience!



Leshaface said:


> Definitely!



I'm hoping in a week or two once her meds kick in we can go out and see WoC and grab dinner at the UVA bar then I will get my make up Lamburger.



Leshaface said:


> This sounds just amazing. And long. I'd probably fall asleep.



I did, during the massage it was wonderful!



Leshaface said:


> These look super comfortable.



Actually they have no arch support.  I wore my good shoes to walk over and then changed back into those shoes



Leshaface said:


> I really had a fun time making it and looking through all the photos. I printed off close to 150 pics!



It was so cool. Thank you very much!



Leshaface said:


> Your bar was super impressive. Probably just as loaded as the Hearthstone Lounge!



Just not as high quality booze as they stock.



Leshaface said:


> I loved the pictures that make up the ears.



Did you have themes for the different pieces, like you put your favorites on the ears?



Leshaface said:


> After you showed him how to make it, he ended up making another one for him and Naked Jim! Jim agreed, definitely a 'Man's Drink'



I think that was when I was showing him how to make it that he made one for Jim.



Leshaface said:


> Stealing this. I thought one of the girls posted this to their FB accounts but when I went in search of it (aka stalker status) I couldn't find it. Thanks for posting it!



I know that Cynthia posted it to her FB account.  But I'm glad you have a copy.


----------



## Pinkocto

rentayenta said:


> Thanks friend.  How was vacation?



Oops, sorry, forgot to comment.  Vacation was absolutely amazing, 11 wonderful days.  And now I'm back at work.... My work woes are nothing compared to yours so I won't complain, but I'm very glad to be moving next year.


----------



## rentayenta

Pinkocto said:


> Oops, sorry, forgot to comment.  Vacation was absolutely amazing, 11 wonderful days.  And now I'm back at work.... My work woes are nothing compared to yours so I won't complain, but I'm very glad to be moving next year.




11 days? Fabulous! Tell us more.........

Feel free to complain!  I am so excited for you and that you're moving. How wonderfully exciting for you.


----------



## eandesmom

rentayenta said:


> How was vacation??
> 
> 
> No real progress. I am almost ending 3 weeks in limbo. My interview went well. I have made 1,000 pros/cons lists and I am truly torn. I have been offered one but the offer was low so I countered. I interviewed for another as full time therapist only but my fear is it will be a decrease in pay which I just can't swallow right now. I can change dept and my income will stay the same but my dept will change as will my immediate boss and coworkers. I want to win the lottery.  I can't begin to explain how totally stressful this has been.



HUGS!  I can only imagine how stressful.  We've had a ton of drama at work and I just want to hide half the time and pretend I don't know things I do but the idea of even looking again gives me hives.



Flossbolna said:


> I love reading about your wonderful birthday party. The day after really is off to a great start! I love the picture of you and the DIS ladies, you all look so happy and festive in the picture! I am just surprised that Cynthia is the tallest of you all. I kind of seem to remember thinking how tiny she is when I met her! You can never tell from pictures and if she was the tallest of you, then I think I must be a full head taller than you!  I never feel particularly tall, but somehow nearly all the DIS ladies I have met are not tall...



I am what I would consider "average", 5'6 1/2".  The others are tiny, more in the 5'2-5'3 range and while I was in heels and most of the girls had flats or low heels...I am pretty sure lovely Alicia had heels on.  She's a tiny thing! I never think of myself as tall at all but I seem to be when it comes to DISmeets in general



franandaj said:


> I know that Cynthia posted it to her FB account. But I'm glad you have a copy.



Yes and if you want me to email you the original @Leshaface  just let me know!



Pinkocto said:


> Oops, sorry, forgot to comment. Vacation was absolutely amazing, 11 wonderful days. And now I'm back at work.... My work woes are nothing compared to yours so I won't complain, but I'm very glad to be moving next year.



Welcome back, I am glad it was amazing but yay for moving.


----------



## franandaj

eandesmom said:


> Sorry to be (again) MIA. Just back from our SF getaway, we surrvived Bay to Breakers.
> 
> You know it's not a serious race when the first question you get asked, by anyone who notes that you ran it (wearing a T is a giveaway lol) is "did you finish"?. LOL Not because it was hard but because well...a lot don't! They have "sobering stations" along the course. Too funny. VERY entertaining.



I'm surprised that with everything on your plate that you have time to make it to the DIS at all!



eandesmom said:


> I am SOOOO sorry about Fran's thumb! Does she take anything to help with bone density or strength at all? That would be worrisome for sure. I am glad that she decided to tough it out and hopefully the new meds will kick in soon and make a difference...at a better price but how awful to deal with in the interim, for all of you, and trying to get the apartments done too.



Well we saw a hand specialist and evidently the radiologist at the X-ray center misread the X-ray.  The hand doctor found no instance of fracture.  He did say he saw Osteoarthritis, but that was it.  Her pain also moved to another part of her hand.  We have been having a really bad pain day today.  Not that I am having pain, but I have to deal with the aftermath when she can't move.  I had hoped to do some work on the apartments, but she couldn't have me gone more than an hour at a time.



eandesmom said:


> I think that is great you took advantage of it, I never use ours at home or the one on vacation! I'd skip the TV though but a bath is just lovely!



I use them at home and on trips.  I have a TV in my bathroom so I can watch the TV on closed caption while I'm in the tub.



eandesmom said:


> I am so glad you got to go on some rides that morning! We were definitely crazy rope drop people and hit MK hard before the pool. I did get in some rides I'd not been able to in the past. Nemo (always closed, hadn't been on it since it was 20,000 leagues...made my day right there!) Storybook boats and Alice (also not since a child).



I'm glad you all got on some rides.  I'm guessing that you three and me, Leonard and Jim, we were the only people who actually went into parks that day.



eandesmom said:


> Did Leonard ever buy a shirt? That is kind of funny, I expect those of us who travel to have to buy things we forget but not the locals. She does owe you a lamb burger!



Yes, he wore it to dinner that night, you'll see in pictures in the next update.  Hopefully she will feel better in the next two weeks and maybe then I could get my lamburger.



eandesmom said:


> Oh it was heavenly by the pool! For me, it was the first time I could really enjoy the pool there, when I was there with the boys last year they were NOT interested in it at all so it wasn't very relaxing either time. This was just lovely, thank you for the opportunity!



I'm glad you got to have fun and relaxing time at the pool!



eandesmom said:


> It was so funny, a couple of days later I realized that not only did we not put the table back at the end (which I don't think was a big deal), the lamp we had moved to make more room on the bar was probably still on top of the TV unit in the main LR. Oops!
> 
> I'd thought one table would work originally...it was quite the bar, we ended up with 3 tables total dedicated to it!



Yeah, I'm sure they are used to people coming in there and moving stuff around.  At least everything was still in the Villa and they didn't have to go looking for it elsewhere.



eandesmom said:


> YAY! There we are. I look like an amazon. LOL







Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> Just got home from WDW had a blast. Just catching up. Oh my poor poor Fran. I take plastic cutlery in my purse and Jo has to cut up my meals so I know what that feels like :-( poor love.



I'm so glad you had a good time.  She isn't dealing well with not being able to do things.  It makes her frustrated and then she lashes out due to her frustration.  I don't know if she will ever be able to cope with her new limitations.



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> Your massage oh divine! What can I say! The whole weekend just looks exactly the magic you deserve. That collage is the works I love that. So many memories to treasure with family and friends. I bet you will be on cloud 9 for a while. I hope so anyway.



Thank you!  Everything about that weekend was just fabulous.  I could use another one right now.



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> I hope Fran sorts out her drugs. Thanks for sharing your birthday.



Well today she broke down and took the oral medication, so she'll have to tell them Tuesday that she has disqualified herself from the study.



dolphingirl47 said:


> That does not sound good at all. Has she had a bone density scan?



She has a prescription for one, but she thinks it's in an MRI tube and is afraid to take it.  Darcy told me that they just scan you with a wand, but either way she hasn't been up to taking the test.



dolphingirl47 said:


> What a nice way to start the day. I can't wait to ride it again in September.



We can ride it multiple times in September.  That is if they haven't mucked things up with FP+



dolphingirl47 said:


> What a shame that you never got your birthday burger.



I know.  But there is plenty of time left to go back.



dolphingirl47 said:


> I had this on the Wonder in the past and this is amazing.



I would definitely do it again, but not on a night where I'm going out.



dolphingirl47 said:


> Those shoes are really cute.



Thanks, I finally got to wear them!  I had been waiting for a suitable occasion!



dolphingirl47 said:


> What a fantastic idea. I really like this.



Alicia came up with it, such a fun project.  I enjoyed looking at all my old photo albums again.  Until I met Fran though I hardly took any pictures of myself.  Mostly scenery.  I rarely even took pictures of my friends!  Funny how things change.


----------



## rentayenta

I am with you @eandesmom mom. But I am looking. It sucks! I have been with the hospital 12 years. I remember our chats this weekend about when the time is right it's presents itself and it just might be that time for me.


----------



## Flossbolna

eandesmom said:


> I am what I would consider "average", 5'6 1/2". The others are tiny, more in the 5'2-5'3 range and while I was in heels and most of the girls had flats or low heels...I am pretty sure lovely Alicia had heels on. She's a tiny thing! I never think of myself as tall at all but I seem to be when it comes to DISmeets in general



I just converted my height into feet and such. And it turns out that I am exactly 5 feet, 6.5 inches tall (170cm). So, we are equally tall and I just remember you being petite because you are less voluminous than I am. 



franandaj said:


> Well we saw a hand specialist and evidently the radiologist at the X-ray center misread the X-ray. The hand doctor found no instance of fracture. He did say he saw Osteoarthritis, but that was it. Her pain also moved to another part of her hand. We have been having a really bad pain day today. Not that I am having pain, but I have to deal with the aftermath when she can't move. I had hoped to do some work on the apartments, but she couldn't have me gone more than an hour at a time.



Fran, this all sounds not good at all. I am very sorry! I wish there were something we could do to help!


----------



## dolphingirl47

I am sorry that Fran is still having such a rough time. 



franandaj said:


> She has a prescription for one, but she thinks it's in an MRI tube and is afraid to take it. Darcy told me that they just scan you with a wand, but either way she hasn't been up to taking the test.



It is a few years ago since I had mine and it definitely did not include a MRI tube. I would have freaked. It was a wand set up and actually pretty quick.



franandaj said:


> We can ride it multiple times in September. That is if they haven't mucked things up with FP+



That sounds like a plan. I can't wait until September.



franandaj said:


> Until I met Fran though I hardly took any pictures of myself. Mostly scenery. I rarely even took pictures of my friends! Funny how things change.



I have no photos of me from my childhood and apart from my wedding photos, I really only have photos of myself from the last 7 or 8 years.

Corinna


----------



## jedijill

I'll have you know 5'3" is average!  LOL  

I'm sorry Fran (and you) are having so much pain.  

@rentayenta   I hope the job situation sorts itself out.  I know how it feels to be in the situation you are in and its not fun.  

Jill in CO


----------



## eandesmom

franandaj said:


> Well today she broke down and took the oral medication, so she'll have to tell them Tuesday that she has disqualified herself from the study.



Oh no, I am sorry to hear that but am hopeful that by taking it she will see relief soon.



Flossbolna said:


> I just converted my height into feet and such. And it turns out that I am exactly 5 feet, 6.5 inches tall (170cm). So, we are equally tall and I just remember you being petite because you are less voluminous than I am.



I didn't recall you as being any taller so the whole thing was funny.  Then again I wasn't in heels.  And I am not at all less voluminous that is for sure!



jedijill said:


> I'll have you know 5'3" is average!  LOL
> 
> Jill in CO



Ummm.  No.  5'4" for all Americans and 5'5" for "non hispanic white amercians"  which is an odd way to break it out (there are other categories of course lol).  But either way I guess I'm a bit taller than average.  Shortest in my house though!


----------



## jedijill

eandesmom said:


> Ummm.  No.  5'4" for all Americans and 5'5" for "non hispanic white amercians"  which is an odd way to break it out (there are other categories of course lol).  But either way I guess I'm a bit taller than average.  Shortest in my house though!



Dang it, my whole life has been a lie!  LOL

Jill in CO


----------



## franandaj

Pinkocto said:


> I'm just getting home from my trip and catching up.
> 
> Oh my goodness, the birthday spread looks amazingly scrumptious!!!    I kept looking for the cake flavor and finally saw dulce de leche. Oh me oh my!



I'm glad you had a nice trip.  And yes the cake was delicious.  I'm considering going off plan and baking a cake to make me feel better.  But then I won't lose those last three pounds before I get to set a new goal weight.



Pinkocto said:


> Very odd the donuts were such a hard sell... The garlic bread looks so yummy!



I thought so too.  What's not to like?  The garlic bread was awesome!



Pinkocto said:


> Fun fun evening! And the fun continues!



And even more fun coming up!



Pinkocto said:


> I sorry Fran is in such pain  any news on that front?



Well she did the infusion on Monday, but she was in such horrible pain yesterday, she gave in this morning and took one of the pills.  So she should see results in another day.  I just hope there isn't a bad interaction with the drug that she got on Monday.



rentayenta said:


> No real progress. I am almost ending 3 weeks in limbo. My interview went well. I have made 1,000 pros/cons lists and I am truly torn. I have been offered one but the offer was low so I countered. I interviewed for another as full time therapist only but my fear is it will be a decrease in pay which I just can't swallow right now. I can change dept and my income will stay the same but my dept will change as will my immediate boss and coworkers. I want to win the lottery.  I can't begin to explain how totally stressful this has been.



Sorry to hear about this.  



Flossbolna said:


> It has been far too long since I last commented!! First of all, I hope that Fran is doing better by now and that the infusions do what they are supposed to do. What a horrible illness that must be! I always wonder whether those stories about mean step mothers and scary old women don't have some truth in them as these were women who were suffering from arthritis (and similar things) and they were just in constant pain. Everyone gets grumpy when they are in pain all the time.



Well the infusion gave her some relief on Tuesday, the second day.  Mainly because there was a steroid in there and it gave her an extra boost.  However, by Saturday she was in even more pain than the week before.  She couldn't move her arms at all.  I had to hold her soda up to her mouth so she could drink it with a straw.  She managed to feed herself a bowl of macaroni and cheese, but that's all she ate all day because it hurt to move her hands to her mouth.  She gave in and took the oral medication this morning, and is ready to throw the study out the window.



Flossbolna said:


> I love reading about your wonderful birthday party. The day after really is off to a great start! I love the picture of you and the DIS ladies, you all look so happy and festive in the picture! I am just surprised that Cynthia is the tallest of you all. I kind of seem to remember thinking how tiny she is when I met her! You can never tell from pictures and if she was the tallest of you, then I think I must be a full head taller than you!  I never feel particularly tall, but somehow nearly all the DIS ladies I have met are not tall...



I think you and Cynthia are probably just Amazon women!



Flossbolna said:


> I love the 50 made out of pictures, what a wonderful memory!



I'll keep it as long as it stays together.  I have it in one of my closets so I can sneak a peek at it when I want to.



Flossbolna said:


> Looking forward to reading all about the dinner! Michael and I are thinking about a meal at Steakhouse 55, but since we already want to eat at Napa Rose, it might be a bit much (don't want to use up all of our food budget in the first week of the trip!).



Without giving away too much of your travel plans, as far as I know besides Anaheim, there are only two other cities with any hopes for fine dining, unless you plan to eat at the hotel where Ellen and her family stayed in your Northernmost destination.  I would say you should try the Steakhouse, you can email Marcel in advance and tell him about what both of you don't eat, and if you go there on a Thurs, Fri or Sat, that's when he does the "Chef's Table" meals.  With as many nights as you have in Anaheim, you could blow your food budget in the first two weeks instead of just one!    Also in the other two cities, there are plenty of affordable awesome locations to dine.  I hope you have had a chance to check out Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives website.



Flossbolna said:


> Fran, this all sounds not good at all. I am very sorry! I wish there were something we could do to help!



The only thing that would help is people bringing me prepared meals and cleaning my kitchen and taking out the trash!  I think it would be a hard sell.    We have someone covered to take care of the littler boxes.




jedijill said:


> I'm sorry Fran (and you) are having so much pain.



Thanks.  It can only get better right? 



eandesmom said:


> Oh no, I am sorry to hear that but am hopeful that by taking it she will see relief soon.



I hope so too.



eandesmom said:


> I am what I would consider "average", 5'6 1/2". The others are tiny, more in the 5'2-5'3 range and while I was in heels and most of the girls had flats or low heels...I am pretty sure lovely Alicia had heels on. She's a tiny thing! I never think of myself as tall at all but I seem to be when it comes to DISmeets in general





Flossbolna said:


> I just converted my height into feet and such. And it turns out that I am exactly 5 feet, 6.5 inches tall (170cm). So, we are equally tall and I just remember you being petite because you are less voluminous than I am.



See you two are Amazons!



jedijill said:


> I'll have you know 5'3" is average! LOL





eandesmom said:


> Ummm. No. 5'4" for all Americans and 5'5" for "non hispanic white amercians"



That's "Non-Hispanic White Americans, 20–39" I don't fall into that category.  So 5'3" is average!


----------



## eandesmom

franandaj said:


> That's "Non-Hispanic White Americans, 20–39" I don't fall into that category.  So 5'3" is average!



Well, none of us fit that category but unless we've shrunk since all of us turned 39 (and I can't officially say that Jill doesn't actually fit that category...Alicia does for sure, she can be in the 20-29 category lol) I think the 5'4" is probably the best average out there.  I'd always heard 5'4-5'5.


----------



## franandaj

jedijill said:


> Dang it, my whole life has been a lie!  LOL
> 
> Jill in CO



We can say that we are average height women in the 19th century!



eandesmom said:


> Well, none of us fit that category but unless we've shrunk since all of us turned 39 (and I can't officially say that Jill doesn't actually fit that category...Alicia does for sure, she can be in the 20-29 category lol) I think the 5'4" is probably the best average out there.  I'd always heard 5'4-5'5.



In our band photos they always line us up from tallest to shortest.  Then the put the tallest on the top row, the next group in the middle row and shortest in the front row.  Only two ladies made the second row and I'm not in the middle of the front row (where they put the shortest people).





I'm right in the middle of my half of the row, so I'm sticking with "average" height!  Yup that's my story and I'm sticking to it!  Besides, forget all this chitter chatter, lets have an update!


----------



## franandaj

So we headed off to the restaurant right around 5:30.  It may have been a little late, but you know what it’s like herding cats.  I’m not sure exactly when we got everyone herded up, but we did get going.  After an incredibly awkward trip in the elevator where my friend Donna seemed to be overly flirting with my Dad we were on our way to the restaurant.   





Steakhouse 55 has an old school feel to it, like a classy restaurant of by gone era.









We had the private room in the back reserved for us.





We quickly took our seats and began to peruse the menu.





















Our servers for the evening.  Sorry about the blurry pic!





Leonard took some pictures around the room for me.

















We were served some delicious bread. But I needed my camera back to take pictures of the bread.





















Now this was the only downside of the evening.  We arrived at 6PM, we ordered fairly soon after we sat down, but it wasn’t until 7PM that our first course was served.  I think because there was a choice for the first course, they couldn’t pre-prep anything in the kitchen, so that delayed our dinner. Here was the first glitch. Because it took so long for our dinner to arrive the wine that they served us with the first course was running low in my glass, so I asked for more wine here.  Keep in mind that we had some wine in the Villa, and I did walk over to the restaurant with a red solo cup.

The first course arrived, I ordered the scallops and they were cooked to perfection.





The other choice was a fresh pasta with a sauce of Cherry Tomatoes.  I was told that this was very good as well.





Remember the dietary restrictions for the sister and her family?  I don’t know what my DSis and BIL had for this course, but my niece and her BF evidently passed on this course entirely.

The next course was salad.  Normally I don’t like salads full of weeds, but this one was pretty good.  Perhaps the carrots and the raspberry vinaigrette gave it a little sweetness.  Of course the blue cheese is always a hit with me!





Again the Niece and her BF struck out with this one, but they were able to substitute a Caesar Salad from the regular menu.





Between the Salad and soup courses, it was time to take some selfies and other pictures.













I can’t tell you what I’m doing in this picture, other than I am playing “air drumset” with a traditional grip.





Fran suggested that I order the mushroom soup.  She ordered a mushroom soup and an Onion soup.  I started off with the mushroom soup, but I only ate a few bites.  I traded with Fran for the Onion Soup, and I actually liked that one better, however, I was starting to get kind of full, so I only ate a few bites of this one too, trying to save some room for the main course.









There was a choice for dinner, I was surprised at the number of people who actually chose the Ratatouille meatballs.  Jim was one of them, and it became a running joke for the evening.  First Naked Jim, then it was all about Jim’s Balls.





Most people went for the Bison.  It was flavorful and tender, but by this time I was getting really full.  I had brought some really good wine to go along with this course as well.  It was really yummy too!





*[Continued in Next Post]*


----------



## franandaj

*[Continued from Previous Post]*

This is the part of the evening where it starts to get fuzzy. If you can’t tell from my expression that I’m feeling the fuzzy.





Chef Marcel came out to deliver our desserts.









Now I lucked out and got two sugar light sabers with mine.  Everyone else only got one.

















Jim was the only person with enough forethought to take a picture of the fork.





And lick his plate.





Now here’s when things get super fuzzy.  I know by this point it was obvious that I had too much wine and too much detoxification to be able to walk back to the hotel.  Well to get up out of my chair and even walk out of the hotel or even the restaurant.  Fran and I agreed that she would hang out and take care of the bill while I rode back to the hotel with the DIS ladies.  Thank god there aren’t pictures!  At least I hope this is not where they all start popping out!

Now correct me if I’m wrong on any of this because this is the fuzzy wuzzy part. Jenny and Jill literally picked me up and carried me out of the restaurant while I believe that Cynthia went ahead to hail us a cab.  I remember the first step because my knees literally buckled underneath me and if they hadn’t been holding me with each one with an arm under each of my shoulders, I would have been a puddle on the floor. They got me into the cab with some amount of difficulty. And that concludes my recollections for the night.

I know that Fran told me to remember to take my glasses off before climbing into bed.  I did wake up in my bed and wasn’t wearing the clothes that I had on that night, so I had that going for me.  And so as not to leave you hanging, what makes me think that my inebriated state was more due to the detoxing spa treatments and not a complete overindulgence in alcohol was that I woke up feeling just fine. I had no sign of a hangover, but the rest is source material for the next update!


----------



## Dis_Yoda

Your dinner looks amazing!  I love the choices you had and that dessert is right up my alley!   Getting a detox the same day you are going to drink a lot of wine is probably not a smart choice   but at least you for know for next time.  You guys look like you had such a great time!


----------



## PrincessInOz

What a fab looking meal.  I was looking at the menu going....wow.....that's hard to pick what I would want for each course.  I think I would have liked to have a degustation of EVERYTHING!  Fantastic.

Sounds like you had a great time at the dinner....detox, wine and all.  Glad you made it back to the room safely.


----------



## jedijill

The dinner was amazing!  The chocolate Death Star was by far my favorite!  The wine was amazing as well...I really loved the selection you brought.  It paired extremely well with the bison.

What happens between the cab and the room, stays there. 

Jill in CO


----------



## dolphingirl47

franandaj said:


> We had the private room in the back reserved for us.



That looks very nice.



franandaj said:


> We quickly took our seats and began to peruse the menu.



The menu looks lovely. Apart from the appetizers, I would have happily eaten anything on there.

Corinna


----------



## eandesmom

franandaj said:


> After an incredibly awkward trip in the elevator where my friend Donna seemed to be overly flirting with my Dad we were on our way to the restaurant.



I missed that!!



franandaj said:


> Steakhouse 55 has an old school feel to it, like a classy restaurant of by gone era.



Very swanky!



franandaj said:


> We had the private room in the back reserved for us.



LOVED the back room



franandaj said:


> We arrived at 6PM, we ordered fairly soon after we sat down, but it wasn’t until 7PM that our first course was served. I think because there was a choice for the first course, they couldn’t pre-prep anything in the kitchen, so that delayed our dinner. Here was the first glitch. Because it took so long for our dinner to arrive the wine that they served us with the first course was running low in my glass, so I asked for more wine here.



I think part of theproblem was they didn't pour the first wine until the first course was served, or right before and folks may have consumed it quickly as a result.  After that they caught up in spades on the wine and some of us ended up with a backlog for a bit



franandaj said:


> Remember the dietary restrictions for the sister and her family? I don’t know what my DSis and BIL had for this course, but my niece and her BF evidently passed on this course entirely.



I am sorry but that made me cranky there were plenty of options.  What exactly were their restrictions anyway?  Some of us suspect their extra items might have been the real cause for the delay of the first course but who knows.  I just, oh, I don't know.  Someone invites you to an amazing dinner and you have to have your own special thing?  I don't get it.  



franandaj said:


> Again the Niece and her BF struck out with this one, but they were able to substitute a Caesar Salad from the regular menu.



Clearly not a gluten or dairy restriciton



franandaj said:


> Fran suggested that I order the mushroom soup. She ordered a mushroom soup and an Onion soup. I started off with the mushroom soup, but I only ate a few bites. I traded with Fran for the Onion Soup, and I actually liked that one better



I had the mushroom, it was amazing!  I heard the onion was equally so.



franandaj said:


> There was a choice for dinner, I was surprised at the number of people who actually chose the Ratatouille meatballs. Jim was one of them, and it became a running joke for the evening. First Naked Jim, then it was all about Jim’s Balls.



Susie said they were fabulous!



franandaj said:


> Most people went for the Bison. It was flavorful and tender, but by this time I was getting really full. I had brought some really good wine to go along with this course as well. It was really yummy too!



It was also HUGE!  Oh my goodness, the portions were insane.  Very flavorful and tender.  I have a pretty big appetite and couldn't finish it.  



franandaj said:


> Jim was the only person with enough forethought to take a picture of the fork.



Ok, what's the deal with the fork?  Your dad was taking picutres...or using his phone to light it up and inspect it and for the life of us we couldn't figure out what he was doing?

Jim licking the plate was a riot.  The deathstar was also huge but SOOOOO yummy!



franandaj said:


> Now correct me if I’m wrong on any of this because this is the fuzzy wuzzy part



Close enough   Important thing is you made it back, slept well and woke no worse for the wear.


----------



## skier_pete

I really, really want to try Steakhouse 55. We ate breakfast there on our trip out there with the BSM group. We tried to eat dinner there but it was closed for a private party. (I suspect the whole Tony Baxter thing that was going on while we were there!) 

It's nice when you can have such a good time that your friends have to help you home, yet you wake up without a hangover. I've been taking some drugs for back pain and went to a concert last Sunday where my friend had a good friend in the band, so we hung out with the band until 2 AM. I didn't have a DROP of alcohol and came to the next day with a splitting headache! I complained all day about having the hangover without having the fun!


----------



## dvc at last !

All I can say is WOW !
A Beautiful Birthday Bash !
You had a fab celebration.
Loved seeing the menu from dinner it looks very posh.  Great people and the Villa with the view and all the food you brought and cooked, too. 
Your cakes were so amazing.
Your shoes and dress adorable.
Good Times and Good People - you are blessed !

Hope all is well.


----------



## Paula Sedley-Burke

Firstly I am sorry to hear about Fran :-( send her our best wishes. 

Oh my re the flirting with your Father. We had that once with Jo's step dad. Super embrassing. 

Steakhouse 55 looks the works. I love the style of the restaurant. You describe it well. The theme is very classy but fun. Pitched just right for signature dining. 

Love the menu and the table laid out like that. 

Scallops , salad yes yes get me to that bison... Oh my meatballs seriously? No way would I have opted for that. Look at that slab of fabulous meat. Cooked to perfection. The Death Star! What an ending it would be to Star Wars that the Death Star was consumed into a 50 year olds digestive system. I love that dessert. Looks amazing.

Perfect menu, setting and you all look nice. Sounds like somebody was a little tipsy hick.. Lol..

Why not! It's your birthday! Glad it went so well.


----------



## rentayenta

Stealing the pic of @Leshaface and I!


----------



## Leshaface

eandesmom said:


> Well, none of us fit that category but unless we've shrunk since all of us turned 39 (and I can't officially say that Jill doesn't actually fit that category...Alicia does for sure, she can be in the 20-29 category lol) I think the 5'4" is probably the best average out there. I'd always heard 5'4-5'5.



@eandesmom   You made my day thinking i'm still in my 20's! I'm 31 and 5'4"   Yay for being average! 



franandaj said:


>



In this pic, @eandesmom @rentayenta and @jedijill started singing DH's absolute favorite song by Alanis Morissitte "Ironic" and totally joined in with the girls! 



franandaj said:


> Now this was the only downside of the evening. We arrived at 6PM, we ordered fairly soon after we sat down, but it wasn’t until 7PM that our first course was served. I think because there was a choice for the first course, they couldn’t pre-prep anything in the kitchen, so that delayed our dinner. Here was the first glitch. Because it took so long for our dinner to arrive the wine that they served us with the first course was running low in my glass, so I asked for more wine here. Keep in mind that we had some wine in the Villa, and I did walk over to the restaurant with a red solo cup.



Even though it was a bit of a wait, I think everyone enjoyed themselves with all the company (and extra glass of wine! )



franandaj said:


> The first course arrived, I ordered the scallops and they were cooked to perfection.



Loved the scallops!  So glad I picked this.


OH!  And remember the convo that @rentayenta was having with Fran.  "There should be no 'Or' on the menu.  It should be 'And'" 



franandaj said:


> The other choice was a fresh pasta with a sauce of Cherry Tomatoes. I was told that this was very good as well.



@rentayenta let me have a bite and as good as it was, i'm so glad I didn't order it.  It was a surprisingly large portion that would have filled me up immediately!



franandaj said:


> Of course the blue cheese is always a hit with me!



The blue cheese was delicious!



franandaj said:


> Fran suggested that I order the mushroom soup. She ordered a mushroom soup and an Onion soup. I started off with the mushroom soup, but I only ate a few bites. I traded with Fran for the Onion Soup, and I actually liked that one better, however, I was starting to get kind of full, so I only ate a few bites of this one too, trying to save some room for the main course.



This was SO GOOD!  I had the onion soup but I think I stole a bite, yet again, from Jenny.  And I think Leonard ended up stealing some of Fran's soup when she left to use the restroom!



franandaj said:


> First Naked Jim, then it was all about Jim’s Balls.






Also, not sure if you remember all the Bison jokes DH and Jim were throwing out  



franandaj said:


> Now I lucked out and got two sugar light sabers with mine. Everyone else only got one.





Also, I missed seeing Chef Marcel   Jenny and I were in the restroom 



franandaj said:


> Now here’s when things get super fuzzy. I know by this point it was obvious that I had too much wine and too much detoxification to be able to walk back to the hotel. Well to get up out of my chair and even walk out of the hotel or even the restaurant. Fran and I agreed that she would hang out and take care of the bill while I rode back to the hotel with the DIS ladies. Thank god there aren’t pictures! At least I hope this is not where they all start popping out!
> 
> Now correct me if I’m wrong on any of this because this is the fuzzy wuzzy part. Jenny and Jill literally picked me up and carried me out of the restaurant while I believe that Cynthia went ahead to hail us a cab. I remember the first step because my knees literally buckled underneath me and if they hadn’t been holding me with each one with an arm under each of my shoulders, I would have been a puddle on the floor. They got me into the cab with some amount of difficulty. And that concludes my recollections for the night.



That's what friends are for!  To allow you to let go and have fun on your birthday.  And yeah, there was no way you could have made the walk back to the room.  The rest of the group had a fun walk back though!



franandaj said:


> I know that Fran told me to remember to take my glasses off before climbing into bed. I did wake up in my bed and wasn’t wearing the clothes that I had on that night, so I had that going for me.







franandaj said:


> I had no sign of a hangover



That is pretty amazing.  Seriously, I think I would have been seeing the toilet all night.  So a huge  from me!



rentayenta said:


> Stealing the pic of @Leshaface and I!



Do it!


----------



## afwdwfan

franandaj said:


> So we headed off to the restaurant right around 5:30. It may have been a little late, but you know what it’s like herding cats.


I totally feel you.  Herding cats is never fun. 



franandaj said:


> After an incredibly awkward trip in the elevator where my friend Donna seemed to be overly flirting with my Dad we were on our way to the restaurant.


Well, the booze was certainly flowing at the pre party. 



franandaj said:


> We had the private room in the back reserved for us.


That room looks incredible!  Heck of a place for a birthday party!



franandaj said:


> We quickly took our seats and began to peruse the menu.


Your own personal menus???  I hope you got to keep one!



franandaj said:


> Now this was the only downside of the evening. We arrived at 6PM, we ordered fairly soon after we sat down, but it wasn’t until 7PM that our first course was served. I think because there was a choice for the first course, they couldn’t pre-prep anything in the kitchen, so that delayed our dinner.


I can understand that.  Trying to serve that many people all at once would be a little bit difficult.  Oh well, more time to socialize together! 



franandaj said:


> Here was the first glitch. Because it took so long for our dinner to arrive the wine that they served us with the first course was running low in my glass, so I asked for more wine here. Keep in mind that we had some wine in the Villa, and I did walk over to the restaurant with a red solo cup.


And drink a little bit more... 



franandaj said:


> I was surprised at the number of people who actually chose the Ratatouille meatballs. Jim was one of them, and it became a running joke for the evening. First Naked Jim, then it was all about Jim’s Balls.


    



franandaj said:


> Now I lucked out and got two sugar light sabers with mine. Everyone else only got one.


Well, the birthday girl should get 2!



franandaj said:


> And lick his plate.


If that Death Star is half as good as it looks, I'd be licking my plate too! 



franandaj said:


> Now here’s when things get super fuzzy. I know by this point it was obvious that I had too much wine and too much detoxification to be able to walk back to the hotel. Well to get up out of my chair and even walk out of the hotel or even the restaurant. Fran and I agreed that she would hang out and take care of the bill while I rode back to the hotel with the DIS ladies. Thank god there aren’t pictures! At least I hope this is not where they all start popping out!


Oh... more incriminating pictures, please! 



franandaj said:


> Now correct me if I’m wrong on any of this because this is the fuzzy wuzzy part. Jenny and Jill literally picked me up and carried me out of the restaurant while I believe that Cynthia went ahead to hail us a cab. I remember the first step because my knees literally buckled underneath me and if they hadn’t been holding me with each one with an arm under each of my shoulders, I would have been a puddle on the floor. They got me into the cab with some amount of difficulty. And that concludes my recollections for the night.


Those are some good Disfriends right there.  And if they don't post incriminating pictures, they're some really good Disfriends.  



franandaj said:


> I know that Fran told me to remember to take my glasses off before climbing into bed. I did wake up in my bed and wasn’t wearing the clothes that I had on that night, so I had that going for me. And so as not to leave you hanging, what makes me think that my inebriated state was more due to the detoxing spa treatments and not a complete overindulgence in alcohol was that I woke up feeling just fine. I had no sign of a hangover, but the rest is source material for the next update!


Moral of the story... go to the spa then get hammered.  You'll wake up feeling great! 

 Got it!

 

Looks like a fun evening.  Even if the memories are a bit fuzzy.  The room and meal look like they were top notch.  Not a bad way to celebrate with some good friends and family.


----------



## afwdwfan

Leshaface said:


> In this pic, @eandesmom @rentayenta and @jedijill started singing DH's absolute favorite song by Alanis Morissitte, "Ironic" and totally joined in with the girls!


  Why didn't you catch that one on video?????? 



Leshaface said:


> Also, not sure if you remember all the Bison jokes DH and Jim were throwing out


Do share...  



Leshaface said:


> That's what friends are for! To allow you to let go and have fun on your birthday. And yeah, there was no way you could have made the walk back to the room. The rest of the group had a fun walk back though!


I'm sure that was a quiet walk.


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

franandaj said:


> It may have been a little late, but you know what it’s like herding cats.



With my kids?  No, no idea what you're talking about.



franandaj said:


> Because it took so long for our dinner to arrive the wine that they served us with the first course was running low in my glass, so I asked for more wine here. Keep in mind that we had some wine in the Villa, and I did walk over to the restaurant with a red solo cup.



Foreshadowing...



franandaj said:


> Normally I don’t like salads full of weeds, but this one was pretty good.



I'll take your word for it.  No weeds for me!



franandaj said:


> I can’t tell you what I’m doing in this picture, other than I am playing “air drumset” with a traditional grip.



Hey, it's your birthday.  Knock yourself out!



franandaj said:


> First Naked Jim, then it was all about Jim’s Balls.



 This poor guy.  I'm surprised he still shows his face.



franandaj said:


> If you can’t tell from my expression that I’m feeling the fuzzy.



Uh oh...well, just start making crap up for the rest of the TR.  That's what I'd do.



franandaj said:


> Now I lucked out and got two sugar light sabers with mine. Everyone else only got one.



So awesome!



franandaj said:


> Now here’s when things get super fuzzy.



Any pink elephants yet?



franandaj said:


> Thank god there aren’t pictures! At least I hope this is not where they all start popping out!



No photos?  I don't know if I should be proud of your friends or disappointed.


----------



## eandesmom

Leshaface said:


> @eandesmom  You made my day thinking i'm still in my 20's! I'm 31 and 5'4"  Yay for being average!



31 is close enough to 29.  At least from someone old enough to be your mother. YIKES!  LOL.



Leshaface said:


> In this pic, @eandesmom @rentayenta and @jedijill started singing DH's absolute favorite song by Alanis Morissitte "Ironic" and totally joined in with the girls!



I forgot about that!  We were.  I think it was playing in the hallway?  Jenny started it.  LOL.



Leshaface said:


> OH! And remember the convo that @rentayenta was having with Fran. "There should be no 'Or' on the menu. It should be 'And'"



Susie and I had that same conversation but we were told in no uncertain terms we could not have both soups by our server.  LOL.  Which was a good thing as despite the fact I wore a tent for a dress that night, I might have burst out of that and not made a dent in the bison at all.


Leshaface said:


> Also, not sure if you remember all the Bison jokes DH and Jim were throwing out



hmmm....something about the piece of meat being as big as your DH's personality?


----------



## franandaj

Dis_Yoda said:


> Your dinner looks amazing!  I love the choices you had and that dessert is right up my alley!   Getting a detox the same day you are going to drink a lot of wine is probably not a smart choice   but at least you for know for next time.  You guys look like you had such a great time!



Live and learn. I won't male that mistake again.  It was a good time though.



PrincessInOz said:


> What a fab looking meal. I was looking at the menu going....wow.....that's hard to pick what I would want for each course. I think I would have liked to have a degustation of EVERYTHING! Fantastic.



Jim and Alberto got each thing and shared when there was a choice.



PrincessInOz said:


> Sounds like you had a great time at the dinner....detox, wine and all. Glad you made it back to the room safely.







jedijill said:


> The dinner was amazing!  The chocolate Death Star was by far my favorite!  The wine was amazing as well...I really loved the selection you brought.  It paired extremely well with the bison.
> 
> What happens between the cab and the room, stays there.
> 
> Jill in CO



Everything was great, I just wish I had another stomach.



dolphingirl47 said:


> That looks very nice.



The room was just perfect! 



dolphingirl47 said:


> The menu looks lovely. Apart from the appetizers, I would have happily eaten anything on there.



He did a great job with the choices.


----------



## MEK

Catching up again. 

What a great day starting with breakfast with the boys and then some spa time!

Love the collages that Alicia made. How fun! 

Love your Mickey shoes. They are super cute. 

I remember the girls posting that picture from the pool.  I was SO jelly, probably because it was still freezing here. 

A manly Manhattan????  too funny!  

Back to read more.


----------



## MEK

Wow - what a lovely room for your amazing dinner.  And all the food looks absolutely delish!

As for the fuzzy wuzzy - hey - your deserve it!  What a great birthday celebration.  Glad you made it back to the villa WITHOUT turning into a puddle on the floor and - the best part - NO Hangover!  I love red wine but it is notorius for not agreeing with me after a few too many glasses. 

Fantastic Celebration.  Thanks for sharing!


----------



## franandaj

eandesmom said:


> I think part of theproblem was they didn't pour the first wine until the first course was served, or right before and folks may have consumed it quickly as a result. After that they caught up in spades on the wine and some of us ended up with a backlog for a bit



I seem to remember having the glass of wine for a while before the course arrived, but we've already seen that my memory is not quite perfect from this night.  I just know that the glass was down a ways by the time the first course arrived.



eandesmom said:


> I am sorry but that made me cranky there were plenty of options. What exactly were their restrictions anyway? Some of us suspect their extra items might have been the real cause for the delay of the first course but who knows. I just, oh, I don't know. Someone invites you to an amazing dinner and you have to have your own special thing? I don't get it.





eandesmom said:


> Clearly not a gluten or dairy restriciton



No, they're just picky.  Here was their list that they filled out on the survey I sent out for dietary restrictions.  The main reason that I did that survey was to get them to tell me all their things they wouldn't eat.  I knew that most of the stuff that would be served would be on their "we don't like it" list.  Most of the questions on the survey could have been answered by an email asking if you'd by there both nights and did you need a ticket? But I thought it would be more delicate if I made it seem like I was asking everyone the same questions.  Here's what they wrote verbatim:

Elinor & Gregg - No tomatoes, mushrooms, truffles, seafood, brains, organs, nuts

Stephanie – No tomatoes, seafood, animal organs, brains, any form of testicles, mushrooms, olives, horseradish, tartar sauce, squash, wasabi, bleu cheese

AJ - I dislike tomatoes, and brains and internal organs, and pickles



eandesmom said:


> I had the mushroom, it was amazing! I heard the onion was equally so.



They were both awesome.



eandesmom said:


> Susie said they were fabulous!



If I could eat eggplant without my skin itching, I would probably like it a lot. She and her husband normally eat Vegan, so they went "off program" for the party.



eandesmom said:


> It was also HUGE! Oh my goodness, the portions were insane. Very flavorful and tender. I have a pretty big appetite and couldn't finish it.



Yeah, come to think of it, the steaks I've seen on regular customer's plates were half that height.



eandesmom said:


> Ok, what's the deal with the fork? Your dad was taking picutres...or using his phone to light it up and inspect it and for the life of us we couldn't figure out what he was doing?
> 
> Jim licking the plate was a riot. The deathstar was also huge but SOOOOO yummy!



I have no idea why they were taking pictures of the fork!



eandesmom said:


> Close enough  Important thing is you made it back, slept well and woke no worse for the wear.







********** said:


> I really, really want to try Steakhouse 55. We ate breakfast there on our trip out there with the BSM group. We tried to eat dinner there but it was closed for a private party. (I suspect the whole Tony Baxter thing that was going on while we were there!)



Marcel wasn't working there then, but now it's an awesome place to dine, we love it there.



********** said:


> It's nice when you can have such a good time that your friends have to help you home, yet you wake up without a hangover. I've been taking some drugs for back pain and went to a concert last Sunday where my friend had a good friend in the band, so we hung out with the band until 2 AM. I didn't have a DROP of alcohol and came to the next day with a splitting headache! I complained all day about having the hangover without having the fun!



Sorry you had that happen!



dvc at last ! said:


> All I can say is WOW !
> A Beautiful Birthday Bash !
> You had a fab celebration.
> Loved seeing the menu from dinner it looks very posh.



Thanks!  It was a lot of fun.



dvc at last ! said:


> Great people and the Villa with the view and all the food you brought and cooked, too.
> Your cakes were so amazing.
> Your shoes and dress adorable.
> Good Times and Good People - you are blessed !



It was so great!  I would love to relive it again!  



dvc at last ! said:


> Hope all is well.



Well sort of, when I can get through responses, I'll post another life update.


----------



## ACDSNY

I'm now home and caught up.  I can understand why Fran gave up on the study medication and went back to the oral meds, she needed to get some relief.

Love the update on the birthday bash.


----------



## franandaj

Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> Firstly I am sorry to hear about Fran :-( send her our best wishes.



Yeah, she now has some special challenges because of her choices, I'll update when I can.



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> Oh my re the flirting with your Father. We had that once with Jo's step dad. Super embrassing.



Yeah, I guess that's what happens when your friends span multiple generations, and you don't realize that your parents are also fair game!  



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> Steakhouse 55 looks the works. I love the style of the restaurant. You describe it well. The theme is very classy but fun. Pitched just right for signature dining.
> 
> Love the menu and the table laid out like that.



It was so cool, after the casual night in the room, this was a great "night out" for all of us!



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> Scallops , salad yes yes get me to that bison... Oh my meatballs seriously? No way would I have opted for that. Look at that slab of fabulous meat. Cooked to perfection. The Death Star! What an ending it would be to Star Wars that the Death Star was consumed into a 50 year olds digestive system. I love that dessert. Looks amazing.



Everything was just awesome!  We love every bite!



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> Perfect menu, setting and you all look nice. Sounds like somebody was a little tipsy hick.. Lol..
> 
> Why not! It's your birthday! Glad it went so well.



Yes, I was definitely tipsy, but I blame most of it on the massage, but a bit could have been on the wine, I'm not discounting that!



Leshaface said:


> In this pic, @eandesmom @rentayenta and @jedijill started singing DH's absolute favorite song by Alanis Morissitte "Ironic" and totally joined in with the girls!



Since I have no idea of this song, I totally missed this.



Leshaface said:


> Even though it was a bit of a wait, I think everyone enjoyed themselves with all the company (and extra glass of wine! )



I know you all were totally going off and having your own convos, for a while, I didn't know who to talk to because I couldn't understand what Alberto was saying with his thick accent.



Leshaface said:


> Loved the scallops! So glad I picked this.
> 
> OH! And remember the convo that @rentayenta was having with Fran. "There should be no 'Or' on the menu. It should be 'And'"



I loved the scallops, and I'm sure they had the convo, but I don't remember it.  



Leshaface said:


> @rentayenta let me have a bite and as good as it was, i'm so glad I didn't order it. It was a surprisingly large portion that would have filled me up immediately!



I'm sure it would have filled anyone up, that looked like some hearty dense pasta!



Leshaface said:


> The blue cheese was delicious!



I think it made the salad!



Leshaface said:


> This was SO GOOD! I had the onion soup but I think I stole a bite, yet again, from Jenny. And I think Leonard ended up stealing some of Fran's soup when she left to use the restroom!



That doesn't surprise me!  Both soups were so good!  I loved them both, but dinner at S55 is so filling you can't eat everything!  That's what I love about it.  You definitely don't leave hungry!



Leshaface said:


> Also, not sure if you remember all the Bison jokes DH and Jim were throwing out



You'll definitely have to remind me, (if it's DIS friendly)  this is where the fuzziness started to kick in.



Leshaface said:


> Also, I missed seeing Chef Marcel  Jenny and I were in the restroom



I'm sorry, he's such a nice guy!  I wish that we could actually see him more, we did in his previous job, he and I used to actually talk about cooking and stuff, but he's so busy now all he can do is pop in and out.



Leshaface said:


> That's what friends are for! To allow you to let go and have fun on your birthday. And yeah, there was no way you could have made the walk back to the room. The rest of the group had a fun walk back though!



I've never had friends like that before, so it was actually so cool to be transported back to the room.  I'm glad you all enjoyed the walk back.



Leshaface said:


> That is pretty amazing. Seriously, I think I would have been seeing the toilet all night. So a huge  from me!



I'm hoping I didn't have any unexpected visits with the garden that I don't remember, and no one is telling me about.  But if I did that might explain why I felt OK the next day.  Or it could be that I have a lot of training under my belt.  Either way, it seems that my integrity is being kept in tact.  And I'm thankful for that.


----------



## mvf-m11c

Finally caught back up on your latest report and what an amazing dinner and the backroom at the Steakhouse 55 looks great. All of your food choices from the menu look amazing.


----------



## Pinkocto

What an absolutely amazing dinner!  Great company, great food, what else could you need.  That menu is too cool, I hope they gave you one to take home.  

And the restaurant is beautiful, love the room you were in.  

I'm sorry Fran is having such a hard time    I know we've still got 4 months but would it be better if I didn't stay over on the 14th?  I can just come over for dinner and visit and go to DL.


----------



## Pinkocto

rentayenta said:


> 11 days? Fabulous! Tell us more.........
> 
> Feel free to complain!  I am so excited for you and that you're moving. How wonderfully exciting for you.



I had yesterday off and I'm in the office today, so no complaining necessary today, but I'm ready to move  

It was a 5 night cruise on the Magic, and then 5 nights at Vero Beach.  It was amazing.  Totally relaxing but we did tons of stuff. It was exactly what we both needed.  Sat on the beach, played in the ocean, saw lots of movies on the ship, ate lots of delicious food.  Perfect vacation  

Any news about your job situation?  





eandesmom said:


> Welcome back, I am glad it was amazing but yay for moving.



I'm so excited to move!  January 28 will be my last day working here, and several vacations inbetween.  Hopefully I can make it without too much stress.


----------



## franandaj

Captain_Oblivious said:


> With my kids? No, no idea what you're talking about.







Captain_Oblivious said:


> Foreshadowing...







Captain_Oblivious said:


> I'll take your word for it. No weeds for me!



Too bitter!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Hey, it's your birthday. Knock yourself out!







Captain_Oblivious said:


> This poor guy. I'm surprised he still shows his face.



Actually he just loves it!  The more he can put himself out there, the more he loves it!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Uh oh...well, just start making crap up for the rest of the TR. That's what I'd do.







Captain_Oblivious said:


> So awesome!







Captain_Oblivious said:


> Any pink elephants yet?



Just Heffalumps and Woozels!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> No photos? I don't know if I should be proud of your friends or disappointed.



 



MEK said:


> Catching up again.
> 
> What a great day starting with breakfast with the boys and then some spa time!



It was very nice and relaxing.



MEK said:


> Love the collages that Alicia made. How fun!



Weren't they great?



MEK said:


> Love your Mickey shoes. They are super cute.



I was so glad to find a place to wear them!



MEK said:


> I remember the girls posting that picture from the pool. I was SO jelly, probably because it was still freezing here.



I couldn't take that kind of weather.  It's dark and overcast here today and has been every morning for the past week.



MEK said:


> A manly Manhattan???? too funny!
> 
> Back to read more.



He really enjoyed it.



MEK said:


> Wow - what a lovely room for your amazing dinner. And all the food looks absolutely delish!



It was so nice and we all felt so special!



MEK said:


> As for the fuzzy wuzzy - hey - your deserve it! What a great birthday celebration. Glad you made it back to the villa WITHOUT turning into a puddle on the floor and - the best part - NO Hangover! I love red wine but it is notorius for not agreeing with me after a few too many glasses.
> 
> Fantastic Celebration. Thanks for sharing!



I need another one about now!



ACDSNY said:


> I'm now home and caught up. I can understand why Fran gave up on the study medication and went back to the oral meds, she needed to get some relief.
> 
> Love the update on the birthday bash.



Yeah, I know WHY she did it, but I wish she would have consulted with the Doctor.  She has now placed her immune system at terrible risk for the next three months.  We probably can't go on the band trip now because of it.



mvf-m11c said:


> Finally caught back up on your latest report and what an amazing dinner and the backroom at the Steakhouse 55 looks great. All of your food choices from the menu look amazing.



It was a great dinner!



Pinkocto said:


> What an absolutely amazing dinner! Great company, great food, what else could you need. That menu is too cool, I hope they gave you one to take home.
> 
> And the restaurant is beautiful, love the room you were in.



It was so much fun!  I did get to take one home, but most other people forgot to take them.



Pinkocto said:


> I'm sorry Fran is having such a hard time  I know we've still got 4 months but would it be better if I didn't stay over on the 14th? I can just come over for dinner and visit and go to DL.



It's up to you.  I'm sure she will feel better by then, but whatever you are comfortable with.  We will be spending 5 nights together on the cruise, you are still going aren't you?


----------



## Pinkocto

franandaj said:


> It's up to you.  I'm sure she will feel better by then, but whatever you are comfortable with.  We will be spending 5 nights together on the cruise, you are still going aren't you?



Yes, I'm still going on the cruise. And VERY EXCITED!!!!   No matter that I'll be at WDW the week before... It was the best time for a friend to go and she hasn't been for 22 years.  

I have a waitlist in for VGC for the 15th-18th, but if it doesn't come through by August I'm going to book PP or the DL Hotel.  I don't want to stress Fran at all though.  I'll ask again as it gets closer.


----------



## rentayenta

@Pinkocto and @franandaj I am SO glad you ladies are all still cruising. I am so sad we'll miss. Hopefully I'll see both of you that week in October in So Cal!


----------



## franandaj

Pinkocto said:


> Yes, I'm still going on the cruise. And VERY EXCITED!!!!   No matter that I'll be at WDW the week before... It was the best time for a friend to go and she hasn't been for 22 years.
> 
> I have a waitlist in for VGC for the 15th-18th, but if it doesn't come through by August I'm going to book PP or the DL Hotel.  I don't want to stress Fran at all though.  I'll ask again as it gets closer.



Did you want to make a brunch and / or dinner reservation at Palo?  We should double check and see that our dining reservations are still linked after Jenny canceled. 



rentayenta said:


> @Pinkocto and @franandaj I am SO glad you ladies are all still cruising. I am so sad we'll miss. Hopefully I'll see both of you that week in October in So Cal!



I hope we can all meet up before Fran and I get on the 2 day cruise!


----------



## rentayenta

Pinkocto said:


> I had yesterday off and I'm in the office today, so no complaining necessary today, but I'm ready to move
> 
> It was a 5 night cruise on the Magic, and then 5 nights at Vero Beach.  It was amazing.  Totally relaxing but we did tons of stuff. It was exactly what we both needed.  Sat on the beach, played in the ocean, saw lots of movies on the ship, ate lots of delicious food.  Perfect vacation
> 
> Any news about your job situation?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm so excited to move!  January 28 will be my last day working here, and several vacations inbetween.  Hopefully I can make it without too much stress.






Job situation resolved!  I posted about in my thread. 


I am sooooooo happy for you. Have you found a place or is it much too early? 


What a fabulous vacation!  How was vero? Are you doing a report? Did you stay DVC?  How was the cruise? Funnelvision? Pizza? Late or early dining? What ports? 


​


----------



## Pinkocto

rentayenta said:


> @Pinkocto and @franandaj I am SO glad you ladies are all still cruising. I am so sad we'll miss. Hopefully I'll see both of you that week in October in So Cal!




Things have been so crazy I'm sorry we haven't been able to catch up on the phone. Yes absolutely and definitely we'll catch up at DL.  Have your dates changed on when you're going to get there? I remember the 15th. I know you included me in the offsite hotel but I think I'm going to splurge and do onsite. I had to cancel a trip and have points to use up. Does that mess you up? 




rentayenta said:


> Job situation resolved!  I posted about in my thread.
> 
> 
> I am sooooooo happy for you. Have you found a place or is it much too early?
> 
> 
> What a fabulous vacation!  How was vero? Are you doing a report? Did you stay DVC?  How was the cruise? Funnelvision? Pizza? Late or early dining? What ports?
> 
> 
> ​



I am soooooo happy for you about that job! I just posted on your thread. That sounds like a great resolution!!!! 

Too early about the move, I won't know where I'm moving specifically until I get a job, I'm not limiting myself to a certain area.  The time is just flying by now, 7 months to go 

No report for this last trip, life is just too hectic right now. We stayed at Disney's Vero Beach Resort, same that I did last year after our cruise. It was amazing. Mom fell in love with the place, I knew she would. There's nothing like being right on the ocean. Oh definitely Funnelvision, lots of Funnelvision. Frozen and Hercules come to mind but there were others. Of course pizza!  the ship stopped at Key West, Nassau, and Castaway Cay but we only got off at Castaway. It was amazing! Less than a month ago but it seems like ages  I wish I hadn't given my job so much time but I've got to stick to my word. Each week is a headache, some days are good but others are quite bad.


----------



## Pinkocto

franandaj said:


> Did you want to make a brunch and / or dinner reservation at Palo?  We should double check and see that our dining reservations are still linked after Jenny canceled.
> 
> 
> 
> I hope we can all meet up before Fran and I get on the 2 day cruise!



 I was trying to check if we were still linked, I couldn't tell. I think I'm going to skip Palo, mom and I did this last trip and we were perfectly content. Not to mention my belly was happier. But we must have  regular dinners together if you're ok with that


----------



## rentayenta

Pinkocto said:


> Things have been so crazy I'm sorry we haven't been able to catch up on the phone. Yes absolutely and definitely we'll catch up at DL.  Have your dates changed on when you're going to get there? I remember the 15th. I know you included me in the offsite hotel but I think I'm going to splurge and do onsite. I had to cancel a trip and have points to use up. Does that mess you up?




Heck no! Splurge girl! I would if I could.  







> Too early about the move, I won't know where I'm moving specifically until I get a job, I'm not limiting myself to a certain area.  The time is just flying by now, 7 months to go




I am soon excited for you! How does your mama feel about it? 







> No report for this last trip, life is just too hectic right now. We stayed at Disney's Vero Beach Resort, same that I did last year after our cruise. It was amazing. Mom fell in love with the place, I knew she would. There's nothing like being right on the ocean. Oh definitely Funnelvision, lots of Funnelvision. Frozen and Hercules come to mind but there were others. Of course pizza!  the ship stopped at Key West, Nassau, and Castaway Cay but we only got off at Castaway. It was amazing! Less than a month ago but it seems like ages  I wish I hadn't given my job so much time but I've got to stick to my word. Each week is a headache, some days are good but others are quite bad.





Life is NUTS right now; I hear ya. Vero looks incredible.  I am trying to talk Michael into a DVC no parks vacation like Aulani or Vero. 


Funnelvision is my favorite. So glad you got to enjoy it again. How was the water in CC? I am dying to go when the water is warm. 

Sorry about the job headache. You are very kind for giving so much time. Any way they'll release you early? Could you leave earlier and still use them as a good reference?


----------



## dvc at last !

We keep saying we will go to Vero for a day or two when at WDW, but that has not happened yet
We have been to Hilton Head and it was a great relaxing vaca.


----------



## franandaj

Pinkocto said:


> I was trying to check if we were still linked, I couldn't tell. I think I'm going to skip Palo, mom and I did this last trip and we were perfectly content. Not to mention my belly was happier. But we must have  regular dinners together if you're ok with that



OK. I'm trying to figure out whether to dress up for one of the pirate nights.  Evidently on the 2 nighter one is a special night (like Golden Mickeys) so with the B2B we get two pirate nights. We will go to Palo on one of the pirate nights and one of the sea days. Are you planning to dress up?


----------



## franandaj

OK, so enough of hijack Alison's thread to talk about jobs and vacation.  I understand, but perhaps we could shift this discussion over to Jenny's TR and get back to the business of wrapping up my birthday weekend and getting on with the PTR of Naked Jim!


----------



## franandaj

*Brief Life Update*

So life has been crazy lately. There was all the stuff with Fran and her meds, the ongoing move out from our old place, and then the band got uprooted from our home of 17 years.

Fran was going to participate in the drug study, but the drug just didn't give her pain relief soon enough. A week after the first infusion she was so stiff that she couldn't even bring a can of soda to her mouth. She could barely eat, and I had to hold a can of soda with a straw for her to sip from. It was the middle of Memorial Day weekend and she felt like she had no options. So she started taking the pills which give results within 24-48 hours. 

By Monday she was feeling much better and called the Doctor's office Tuesday to let them know what she did. Wednesday we got a call back that he wanted to see her the next day and to stop the pills immediately. At the appointment Thursday she rode her scooter and tried to appear as pathetic as possible. Eventually he did say that she could continue with the pills but she was going to have some restrictions. 

For those not wanting an RA lesson you can skip ahead, but this is what's going on in her body. RA causes your immune system to attack the joints in your body. So the premise behind RA medicine is that it supresses elements of the users immune system. The study drug suppresses "B" cells in the bloodstream. The "B" cells are the ones that make antibodies to fight viruses. The pill that she is currently taking, Xeljanz, is a Janus-Kinase inhibitor.  Janus kinase (JAK) is a family of intracellular, nonreceptor tyrosine kinases that transduce cytokine-mediated signals, in English I believe that this means that it causes her body not send the signals to deploy certain virus fighting elements. These are completely different than the B cells which are also being surpressed. 

So if we look at this as a war on Fran's body. She's got two heavy hitters battling the RA, but that leaves the back door open to guerilla forces like the common cold, bronchitis, or even pneumonia.   She will be in this double whammy situation from her immune system until September at which point she can resume normal behavior, but this means that the band convention in Indianapolis in August will be a no go. We were considering whether or not to do this or the Star Trek convention (same weekend), but that's a no go as well.  Also a no go is the D23 Expo. We had already poo poo'ed it when we didn't get Sorcerer's tickets, but now we know she shouldn't be around large crowds carrying potential diseases. We will cancel our reservations at the Hilton for sure. Luckily the study drug will have worn off by the time we go on our cruise in October.

So that's where we stand as far as medications and trips go, no real big trips for a while but we have a few local things coming up in July. On the next front is our move from our old house. We have a potential tenant to move in August 1st. I always say "potential" because I have learned that until you have the first check and a signed rental agreement in hand, you can't count on anything, though I have a good feeling about this one. We aren't doing the whole granite counter tops and replace all the appliances because everything is in good condition and pretty new.  We are just doing paint, carpets, ceiling fans and blinds. I think this will be a good one since I have a connection.  Feel free to chime in if you feel comfortable.

The contractor should be starting on there later this week, provided we can get rid of the 12 bookcases that are in there. We have them listed on Craigslist and already two people have responded saying that they would like four of them, but again until they are gone and I have the money in hand.... We have just a few things left to get out of there. Today we should have that all wrapped up.

Here's the thing that has been killing us. About three weeks ago a guy from the church where our band has rehearsed for some 17 years came into the rehearsal. He was grumpy and not a very nice man. He took our conductor Justin aside and told him that they would be renovating soon. There is a VERY BAD mold problem in one of our storage rooms and we had to throw away a lot of memorabilia as it was damaged beyond repair. It is so bad that if you spend any time in that room your lungs feel like they are on fire. The people at the church said that they had the room inspected and that there was no mold.  You tell me, I took this picture yesterday while we were packing up.





It's so bad the plaster is peeling off the walls.





During the renovations we would not be able to use the room for rehearsal and all our stuff would need to be removed from the building.  After the renovation they would be "reevaluating all rental contracts." Basically we're getting tossed out for an indefinite amount of time and if we come back we would be paying through the nose.

Luckily we had been in negotiations with the church where we have been performing our concerts to move our rehearsals there. The main problem with the new church was they had less storage space to offer us, but with this new development it made sense to move our location. Plus the new church is about to build a new wing on some land they recently aquired. If we could hold out for a year or so, they could offer us the same if not more storage, sans mold and for the same monthly rent.

This will be a good move for us. Once we make their church our home base, not only will they give us a better deal on our rental rates for the hall where we play our Spring and Fall concerts, but we will be in good company. The Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles and Vox Femina (women's chorus) both rehearse there, as well as several other community music groups. The church wants to make their complex a hub for music and culture in Los Angeles. They have the largest church pipe organ in the world and hold organ concerts often as well.

The new church is giving us enough space to store the percussion instruments that we use each week. The largest and most valuable asset that the band owns is the library.  It's held in 12 file cabinets jam packed full of music.  Because Fran doesn't trust anyone to care for it properly she has volunteered us for the job. I'm OK with that, but I just wish that it wasn't happening at a time when I am so swamped with trying to get #2 ready for the contractor. So we have spent our last few weekends, boxing up the music at the church and filling our Expedition with bankers boxes full of music to bring to the garage at our old house.  These are all empty.





I have equally as many boxes in my garage.





During the week, I have been spending time refiling the music into our file cabinets.  We already had eight file cabinets in the garage from when we had the sheet music business, so it’s been a relatively easy move.  I needed three of the band’s large file cabinets (two of which we have already moved), and another guy will be bringing three smaller cabinets in another week. I have to move stuff in the garage around to make space for the three small cabinets.

We hope to have our first rehearsal in the new church on June 30th.  I hope to have the contractor working in #2 later this week.  Then we can relax a bit (relatively).

On the good news end, this TR is back to being a PTR for our trip with Naked Jim!  Last week I booked our temporary accommodations for our “redo” of the Naked Jim trip.  Because I am somewhat out of points, we can now only stay for three nights at the Wilderness Lodge, so I booked us in for April 29-May 1.  For now I have us staying the next four nights in an Accessible Treehouse Villa from May 1- May 5, but at 7 months, I hope to change that to add one more night at the VWL, and then three nights in a Bungalow at the Poly!   Doesn't that sound cool?





Up next!  we wrap up the weekend at the Grand Villa!


----------



## dolphingirl47

franandaj said:


> then the band got uprooted from our home of 17 years.



Oh no.



franandaj said:


> She will be in this double whammy situation from her immune system until September at which point she can resume normal behavior, but this means that the band convention in Indianapolis in August will be a no go.



That is seriously scary that a single dose of a drug can have such a prolonged effect. I am sorry that your travel plans hit another roadblock.



franandaj said:


> Luckily the study drug will have worn off by the time we go on our cruise in October.



I am glad that at least the cruise is safe.



franandaj said:


> We have a potential tenant to move in August 1st.



That is wonderful news.



franandaj said:


> I think this will be a good one since I have a connection.



Oh, I think I have an inkling what this may be and if it is, this will be amazing for everybody involved.



franandaj said:


> he contractor should be starting on there later this week, provided we can get rid of the 12 bookcases that are in there. We have them listed on Craigslist and already two people have responded saying that they would like four of them, but again until they are gone and I have the money in hand....



I keep my fingers crossed that everything goes according to plan.



franandaj said:


> We have just a few things left to get out of there. Today we should have that all wrapped up.



What a relief. Well done.



franandaj said:


> You tell me, I took this picture yesterday while we were packing up.



That definitely looks like mould to me.



franandaj said:


> Basically we're getting tossed out for an indefinite amount of time and if we come back we would be paying through the nose.



That does not sound good at all.



franandaj said:


> Luckily we had been in negotiations with the church where we have been performing our concerts to move our rehearsals there.



I am glad that you have a plan B.



franandaj said:


> Plus the new church is about to build a new wing on some land they recently aquired. If we could hold out for a year or so, they could offer us the same if not more storage, sans mold and for the same monthly rent.



This sounds like a much better fit. Just a shame that you will have to wait for a year until you can fully move in.



franandaj said:


> The new church is giving us enough space to store the percussion instruments that we use each week.



That is at least something.



franandaj said:


> I hope to have the contractor working in #2 later this week.



That is great news. I had no idea that you are getting so close to that.



franandaj said:


> Doesn't that sound cool?



That definitely sounds amazing. I hope that everything will come together.

Corinna


----------



## Pinkocto

How can they say there's no mold???  

Very exciting to be doing a redo trip with Naked Jim  

Is Fran starting to feel better?  What a terribly frustrating situation


----------



## afwdwfan

Wow.  Just wow.  You've definitely got plenty going on. 

I'm sorry the study drug didn't work out so well for Fran.  That's definitely disappointing, but at least she was able to get some relief from her other drug.  Hoping for the best for her going forward.  Definitely makes sense to stay away from crowds until her immune system recovers.

The whole band eviction/move sounds like a pain in the rear.  And Fran went and volunteered you to do move the sheet music?    I totally understand it though.  If you want something done right, do it yourself.  But still...  

I like the tentative plans for the Naked Jim trip.  I really hope the part about the Poly Bungalow happens.  I can't wait to see how they are!!!


----------



## basketlacey

I'm sorry about the recent stress you are dealing with!  But, wow, what an awesome birthday weekend!  It looked like a blast!


----------



## Dis_Yoda

I totally agree with canceling all those travel plans with there being such a risk of her getting sick from those two medications!  I do hope it gives her some relief though.  

No idea how they can claim that isn't mold but I hope the new place ends up working out well for you all!


----------



## dvc at last !

Your life is sure busy ! 
Hope Fran feels better soon. 
The mold issue is a problem.
But the Poly with Naked Jim will be a great time - and something to look forward to !


----------



## rentayenta

I'm good! Gabby and her two friends will be renting the second apartment.   It's pretty much a sure thing and I am so glad you posted because I have been DYING to post a pic of the front of the place.  The timing is good for all involved and sometimes the Universe does what it's meant too.  I think it will work out for everyone. Good kids, good landlord, happy mom.  The location can't be beat. She'll be at the Seal beach Starbucks but it's still only 5 miles away. The apartment is 4 blocks from the beach.  

Ok, that Poly bungalow is insanely amazing! I looked at the points, puked, then closed the DVC book.  

I am sorry about the church drama but glad you have a new space. 

Glad the cruise is solid too. Still so bummed we had to cancel. I'll have to live through you ladies.


----------



## sarahk0204

Bummer about the current rehearsal space, but yay for the new space!

A night in a Poly bungalow? I shall have to live vicariously through you for that one, I think!


----------



## Paula Sedley-Burke

Sorry to hear about Fran and her period of being careful. Totally understand this. Just had a bad case of cellulitis myself for the same reason. Got a cut on my ankle and that is the result. But these drugs bring relief! So it's worth it for her in the end I hope. Well you both. It's about quality of life.

Fab news about the Poly bungalow. They look amazing. No plunge pool for Fran without a super scrub Alison and clorox!  ... Or cellulitis! 

Oh my re the mould good job too. Imagine that on Frans lungs right now. Glad you have plans for Another location and fingers crossed for signing of your tenant. 

Sounds like you have your plans cut out for you....


----------



## PrincessInOz

I'm glad that Fran is getting what she needs.  Shame about having to put all the trips on hold but if that means Fran is taken care of, that's the main thing.

Here's to having all of the reno's and band things out of the way.  Here's to getting it all done and having a reliable tenant in.

The Poly bungalows look so tempting.


----------



## jedijill

Holy cow lady, you've been busy!  Glad Fran found some relief but sad her immune system is so compromised right now.  Hopefully she avoids any nasty bugs!

That is some serious mold!  Glad you guys found a new home for the band.  Good luck getting the apartments ready!  

I'm jealous of the bungalow!  So cool!

I tried to get on the waitlist for VGC today through DVC.  They won't even add me to the waitlist to buy points.   Oh well, guess it will save me money!

Jill in CO


----------



## franandaj

dolphingirl47 said:


> That is seriously scary that a single dose of a drug can have such a prolonged effect. I am sorry that your travel plans hit another roadblock.



The thing that would have been nice about that drug was that two doses would have lasted her for six months.  No having to remember to take a pill twice a day.  It just didn't work out for her.



dolphingirl47 said:


> I am glad that at least the cruise is safe.



Thank goodness!  I really need a trip right now!



dolphingirl47 said:


> That is wonderful news.
> 
> Oh, I think I have an inkling what this may be and if it is, this will be amazing for everybody involved.



I think you do, especially now that she posted here!  



dolphingirl47 said:


> I keep my fingers crossed that everything goes according to plan.



Thanks!



dolphingirl47 said:


> That definitely looks like mould to me.



I know, right?



dolphingirl47 said:


> I am glad that you have a plan B.



If we had not been working on moving already, we would have been in serious trouble!  We've been talking to them about it for almost a year now, and the time seemed right.



dolphingirl47 said:


> This sounds like a much better fit. Just a shame that you will have to wait for a year until you can fully move in.



That's why we kept dragging our feet.  At the old church we had two rooms for storage, we can only have one smaller room at the new church.  So obviously the things we need weekly will be stored there. It will be nice when we have a place for everything, all in one place.



dolphingirl47 said:


> That is great news. I had no idea that you are getting so close to that.



I just have a small load of kitchen stuff (spare crock pot, rice cooker and a few other little odds and ends) to bring back.  I'm going to see if the contractor and his guys can help us work out a solution to the bookcases.  They're just not selling fast enough on Craigslist.


----------



## franandaj

Pinkocto said:


> How can they say there's no mold???



:  I have no idea!  The previous Pastor completely admitted it, but was candid with me that until they repaved the parking lot (slants into the wall where the mold is growing), fixing the wall would do no good.  Of course we haven't had rain now for how many years?  He retired last year and I guess the current rulers of the church are in denial.



Pinkocto said:


> Very exciting to be doing a redo trip with Naked Jim



We've been talking it about it for a while, and I was just waiting for the 11 month window to open up.



Pinkocto said:


> Is Fran starting to feel better? What a terribly frustrating situation



She feels less stiff, and her joints don't hurt so bad, but she is having other problems.  She's asleep practically 16 hours a day.  It's almost 2PM and she is still in bed trying to wake up and get in the shower.  Every time I go in there she asks for another 20 minutes, 30 minutes...I really want to talk to her about some things to move forward with the apartment and she can't stay awake long enough to have a conversation.



afwdwfan said:


> Wow. Just wow. You've definitely got plenty going on.



Well at least we got everything but a few kitchen knick knacks out of #2.  Now all I need is a plan for the bookcases, and the contractor can get started.



afwdwfan said:


> I'm sorry the study drug didn't work out so well for Fran. That's definitely disappointing, but at least she was able to get some relief from her other drug. Hoping for the best for her going forward. Definitely makes sense to stay away from crowds until her immune system recovers.



Yeah, I guess it's good that she is mostly staying home sleeping.



afwdwfan said:


> The whole band eviction/move sounds like a pain in the rear. And Fran went and volunteered you to do move the sheet music?  I totally understand it though. If you want something done right, do it yourself. But still...



Well, for a while when we were in charge of everything, we worked hard to purchase a lot of the music in that library.  The current librarian is actually making a worse mess of the whole thing.  We don't have day jobs, and can spend a lot of time messing with it, and organizing it properly.  It just means that nothing else we need to do gets done, because now that #2 is ready for work, #1 is a HUGE mess of stuff that we need to get organized, sold and cleared out!  



afwdwfan said:


> I like the tentative plans for the Naked Jim trip. I really hope the part about the Poly Bungalow happens. I can't wait to see how they are!!!



I do too!  I don't see us traveling there with other folk any time soon, so this will be the only time in a while we need a two bedroom, so I'm going to try for it!



basketlacey said:


> I'm sorry about the recent stress you are dealing with!  But, wow, what an awesome birthday weekend!  It looked like a blast!



   Thanks!  It sure was!  Great friends, lots of food, and tons o fun!



Dis_Yoda said:


> I totally agree with canceling all those travel plans with there being such a risk of her getting sick from those two medications! I do hope it gives her some relief though.



She is definitely not in nearly as much pain as two weeks ago.  We've been through worse spells.  At least I'm not cleaning an open wound or giving her doses of Vancomyacin through an IV.



Dis_Yoda said:


> No idea how they can claim that isn't mold but I hope the new place ends up working out well for you all!



I think they're just hoping we will quietly go away without suing them.  What they are doing is totally illegal, but the band management has changed so many times since we began at the church, no one has the original documents and rental agreements.


----------



## mvf-m11c

Good to read that Fran getting what she needs and hopefully she will get better. I am sorry to hear about all of your trip cancellations and hopefully you will be able to go on future trips with no issues. I am still planning on going to the D23 Expo in August and if there is something you want from the Expo, just message me and we can work it out.

The picture of the mold looks very serious and sometimes I see that at my workplace which is not good. It was good to find another place for the equipment.

The Poly Bungalow looks amazing.


----------



## franandaj

rentayenta said:


> I'm good! Gabby and her two friends will be renting the second apartment.  It's pretty much a sure thing and I am so glad you posted because I have been DYING to post a pic of the front of the place.  The timing is good for all involved and sometimes the Universe does what it's meant too.  I think it will work out for everyone. Good kids, good landlord, happy mom.  The location can't be beat. She'll be at the Seal beach Starbucks but it's still only 5 miles away. The apartment is 4 blocks from the beach.



I'm trying my best to move this thing along as quick as possible.  It's hard when I can't get her to be awake enough during the day when people actually accomplish things, but we'll do our best to hit your timeline.



rentayenta said:


> Ok, that Poly bungalow is insanely amazing! I looked at the points, puked, then closed the DVC book.



This totally made be laugh!  LOL!  I even read it back over to Fran.  Sickening isn't it?  It's one more point per night than the Grand Villa we stayed in on my birthday.



rentayenta said:


> I am sorry about the church drama but glad you have a new space.



It will be a nice new place to rehearse, sort of opening a new chapter for the band.  The only thing is that it is one of the worst parts of LA.  Good news is that it has a big fence around it and a 24/7 security guard.



rentayenta said:


> Glad the cruise is solid too. Still so bummed we had to cancel. I'll have to live through you ladies.



Well nothing is solid until we set foot on board, but I'm sure hoping.



sarahk0204 said:


> Bummer about the current rehearsal space, but yay for the new space!







sarahk0204 said:


> A night in a Poly bungalow? I shall have to live vicariously through you for that one, I think!



Well, let's see if I can get it at 7 months!



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> Sorry to hear about Fran and her period of being careful. Totally understand this. Just had a bad case of cellulitis myself for the same reason. Got a cut on my ankle and that is the result. But these drugs bring relief! So it's worth it for her in the end I hope. Well you both. It's about quality of life.



Ugh, she had cellulitis for a bit a few years back, not fun.  I hope you are all better.



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> Fab news about the Poly bungalow. They look amazing. No plunge pool for Fran without a super scrub Alison and clorox! ... Or cellulitis!



Well we haven't actually GOT the Poly yet, only hoping for right now.



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> Oh my re the mould good job too. Imagine that on Frans lungs right now. Glad you have plans for Another location



Yeah, we don't let Fran into that storage room.



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> and fingers crossed for signing of your tenant.
> 
> Sounds like you have your plans cut out for you....



First we have to get the place fixed up.  Calling the contractor later today to work out a plan with the bookcases.



PrincessInOz said:


> I'm glad that Fran is getting what she needs. Shame about having to put all the trips on hold but if that means Fran is taken care of, that's the main thing.



Well, I wasn't looking so forward to the Band Trip, what with breaking us down into two bands to each play half a concert.  Traveling all that way and spending a couple thousand dollars for half a concert.  But I would have like to go to the Star Trek Convention.  D23 would have been nice if we got Sorcerer's tickets.



PrincessInOz said:


> Here's to having all of the reno's and band things out of the way. Here's to getting it all done and having a reliable tenant in.



At least if they do anything wrong, I can "tell her mother."



PrincessInOz said:


> The Poly bungalows look so tempting.



They do, totally spacious and luxurious!



jedijill said:


> Holy cow lady, you've been busy! Glad Fran found some relief but sad her immune system is so compromised right now. Hopefully she avoids any nasty bugs!



We're trying to keep her in a "bubble" and avoid the nasty bugs.



jedijill said:


> That is some serious mold! Glad you guys found a new home for the band. Good luck getting the apartments ready!



Yeah, it's been there for years.  Scary!



jedijill said:


> I'm jealous of the bungalow! So cool!



I have to get in there first!



jedijill said:


> I tried to get on the waitlist for VGC today through DVC. They won't even add me to the waitlist to buy points.  Oh well, guess it will save me money!



That bites!  They really need another DVC option in California!


----------



## Pinkocto

I might have to add on again if they do another CA property


----------



## Leshaface

franandaj said:


> Fran was going to participate in the drug study, but the drug just didn't give her pain relief soon enough. A week after the first infusion she was so stiff that she couldn't even bring a can of soda to her mouth. She could barely eat, and I had to hold a can of soda with a straw for her to sip from. It was the middle of Memorial Day weekend and she felt like she had no options. So she started taking the pills which give results within 24-48 hours.



Oh my gosh poor Fran, I can't imagine how painful that is.  I have tendonitis and cooking (cooking and stirring) really makes my hands hurt towards the end of the meal, but that's no where near what Fran is experiencing.  



franandaj said:


> She will be in this double whammy situation from her immune system until September at which point she can resume normal behavior, but this means that the band convention in Indianapolis in August will be a no go. We were considering whether or not to do this or the Star Trek convention (same weekend), but that's a no go as well. Also a no go is the D23 Expo. We had already poo poo'ed it when we didn't get Sorcerer's tickets, but now we know she shouldn't be around large crowds carrying potential diseases. We will cancel our reservations at the Hilton for sure. Luckily the study drug will have worn off by the time we go on our cruise in October.



Ugh i'm so sorry for all these cancelations.  Especially the Expo, I know you always have fun with that and lots of people always look forward to your TR's.  



franandaj said:


> There is a VERY BAD mold problem in one of our storage rooms and we had to throw away a lot of memorabilia as it was damaged beyond repair. It is so bad that if you spend any time in that room your lungs feel like they are on fire.



Oh wow that is really bad!



franandaj said:


> It's so bad the plaster is peeling off the walls.



YUCK!!!



franandaj said:


> They have the largest church pipe organ in the world and hold organ concerts often as well.



That is really cool!



franandaj said:


> On the good news end, this TR is back to being a PTR for our trip with Naked Jim! Last week I booked our temporary accommodations for our “redo” of the Naked Jim trip. Because I am somewhat out of points, we can now only stay for three nights at the Wilderness Lodge, so I booked us in for April 29-May 1. For now I have us staying the next four nights in an Accessible Treehouse Villa from May 1- May 5, but at 7 months, I hope to change that to add one more night at the VWL, and then three nights in a Bungalow at the Poly!  Doesn't that sound cool?



Yay i'm so glad this trip is in the planning stages again!  At 3 nights in the new Bungalows?!  Heck yes!!


----------



## dgbg100106

Alison,

Sorry I have been away too long lots to catch up on.

I hate to hear the Fran was doing so bad that she decided to go back on her other meds.

That is one amazing looking meal! All of the food was presented beautifully.  The double light saber was a crowning touch.

So glad to hear that you had no ill effects the next morning

The drugs that Fran is taking sounds pretty scary, and all the things that she could get.  Prayers for health.

Umm that looks like Mold to me, how could they say that?  Seems very underhanded to me. I am glad you guys have another place to rehearse and store your stuff.

As for staying in a Poly Bungalow, Oh Yeah!!


----------



## PrincessInOz

rentayenta said:


> I'm good! Gabby and her two friends will be renting the second apartment.   It's pretty much a sure thing and I am so glad you posted because I have been DYING to post a pic of the front of the place.  The timing is good for all involved and sometimes the Universe does what it's meant too.  I think it will work out for everyone. Good kids, good landlord, happy mom.  The location can't be beat. She'll be at the Seal beach Starbucks but it's still only 5 miles away. The apartment is 4 blocks from the beach.
> .



I wondered if it was Gabby!  So glad that the timing worked out for all concerned.  Its a great location.


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

franandaj said:


> Fran was going to participate in the drug study, but the drug just didn't give her pain relief soon enough. A week after the first infusion she was so stiff that she couldn't even bring a can of soda to her mouth. She could barely eat, and I had to hold a can of soda with a straw for her to sip from.



Yikes!  That sounds awful!  I hope she can flush that drug out of her system and recover quickly.



franandaj said:


> The people at the church said that they had the room inspected and that there was no mold.



Um...what?  Oh, never mind, that's not mold.  It's dried blood. 



franandaj said:


> Because Fran doesn't trust anyone to care for it properly she has volunteered us for the job.



Yay!  Looks like a lot of fun!



franandaj said:


> For now I have us staying the next four nights in an Accessible Treehouse Villa from May 1- May 5, but at 7 months, I hope to change that to add one more night at the VWL, and then three nights in a Bungalow at the Poly!  Doesn't that sound cool?



Sounds awesome!  Although I have to admit, I'm a little miffed that the view of Wishes from the Poly beach is no more.


----------



## franandaj

mvf-m11c said:


> Good to read that Fran getting what she needs and hopefully she will get better. I am sorry to hear about all of your trip cancellations and hopefully you will be able to go on future trips with no issues. I am still planning on going to the D23 Expo in August and if there is something you want from the Expo, just message me and we can work it out.



I hope that she gets better too.  Right now she is totally off on her sleep cycles, she'll sleep for hours during the day and then be up until 3 in the morning, and then not be able to get up at a normal time in the morning.  It makes for a very difficult "normal" routine.  I think we're better off not buying anything from the Expo.  We estimate that not getting Sorcerer's tickets has saved us over $10,000!  



mvf-m11c said:


> The picture of the mold looks very serious and sometimes I see that at my workplace which is not good. It was good to find another place for the equipment.



It is pretty gross.  I'm glad we're almost out of there.  One moving day tomorrow, one rehearsal and two more moving days and we're done.



mvf-m11c said:


> The Poly Bungalow looks amazing.



I sure hope that we can get it!



Pinkocto said:


> I might have to add on again if they do another CA property



I can understand that!



Leshaface said:


> Oh my gosh poor Fran, I can't imagine how painful that is. I have tendonitis and cooking (cooking and stirring) really makes my hands hurt towards the end of the meal, but that's no where near what Fran is experiencing.



I can't even imagine either, but I know it's really bad.  I was completely sore earlier this week from all the moving and cleaning.  I got a deep tissue massage yesterday which really helped it, but for her even something you would think might help is really painful.



Leshaface said:


> Ugh i'm so sorry for all these cancelations. Especially the Expo, I know you always have fun with that and lots of people always look forward to your TR's.



Well the Expo pretty much got nixed last summer when we couldn't get the Sorcerer's tickets.  We can't wait in long long lines and that's what we'd have to do to see the presentations that we really want to see, so we'll take a break this year.



Leshaface said:


> Oh wow that is really bad!







Leshaface said:


> Yay i'm so glad this trip is in the planning stages again! At 3 nights in the new Bungalows?! Heck yes!!



I just hope we can get in at 7 months, but at that point cost, I can't imagine people are banging down the doors to get in!



dgbg100106 said:


> Alison,
> 
> Sorry I have been away too long lots to catch up on.
> 
> I hate to hear the Fran was doing so bad that she decided to go back on her other meds.



You've had a lot going on, but at least she is getting some relief if not everything she needs.



dgbg100106 said:


> That is one amazing looking meal! All of the food was presented beautifully. The double light saber was a crowning touch.
> 
> So glad to hear that you had no ill effects the next morning



It was so good, I just wish I had a bigger appetite.  Well, I was somewhat exhausted, but I think that had more to do with the massage and excitement of the weekend than hangover.



dgbg100106 said:


> The drugs that Fran is taking sounds pretty scary, and all the things that she could get. Prayers for health.



When you're taking mostly experimental drugs, that's sort of how it is.  She has always been taking drugs at the forefront of arthritis treatment.  I guess she is just that severe of a case and her Doctor is always in the know for new upcoming drug studies.  Hopefully another better one will come along soon.



dgbg100106 said:


> Umm that looks like Mold to me, how could they say that? Seems very underhanded to me. I am glad you guys have another place to rehearse and store your stuff.



This church was good to us for a long long time, but no more.  The good people have left and it seems those who are left are just interested in gauging folks for all that they can.



dgbg100106 said:


> As for staying in a Poly Bungalow, Oh Yeah!!



I just hope we can get in there at 7 months!



PrincessInOz said:


> I wondered if it was Gabby! So glad that the timing worked out for all concerned. Its a great location.



 It should work out well for all.  She's a good kid (as we know from reading Jenny's TRs) so I'm not worried that she and her friends will turn out like those Aussie gals we rented to a few years back.  



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Yikes! That sounds awful! I hope she can flush that drug out of her system and recover quickly.



It will just take time.  She did a blood test Wednesday and has another in two weeks.  They will continue to monitor her situation and let her know when the B cells are back to where they should be.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Um...what? Oh, never mind, that's not mold. It's dried blood.



 



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Yay! Looks like a lot of fun!



Well, I'm about a quarter of the way through filing it in our cabinets.  



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Sounds awesome! Although I have to admit, I'm a little miffed that the view of Wishes from the Poly beach is no more.



I thought they still left some of the beach for other folks.  Didn't Cynthia watch Wishes from the Beach even after construction had begun?  I hope they didn't take all of it away, that would just not be right.  Although I am looking forward to the idea of watching wishes from my lanai at the Bungalow.


----------



## franandaj

There isn’t much more to report here, so I’ll just kind of wrap it up in this post.

I woke up and took another tub.  (Sorry water shortage!) I think that helped to make me feel better too.  I went up to the lounge to have some breakfast, and Fran requested a Bagel with Cream cheese.  I met the girls up there and they were not happy about leaving.





I think Cynthia gave me this pic of her plate.





It’s so nice being able to have access to the Craftsman club.  I doubt that next stay, we’ll have that privilege.





After I left, the girls enjoyed their coffee on the balcony.





Then began the chore of packing up the supplies.  It took us all the way until 11AM to pack up the coolers with the leftovers, and get everything ready for a bellman.  When we called down to Bell Services, they told us that it was going to be at least half an hour until they could send someone up.

I was worried that we wouldn’t be able to get everything into the cars to get it home, but there was no problem.  We drove slowly so as not to damage Mickey on the way home.  Margaret met us at the house and we unloaded everything and brought it in the house.  Everyone prepared themselves a plate of leftovers and then David and Donna showed up, and later Jim and Alberto. 

It was a beautiful day and we sat outside on the patio chatting. Sorry I have no pictures from that day, we were all very low energy and just sort of chilled and chatted.





My father and David, laid down on these chairs and took a nap for about an hour.





I was glad that I put 1-5PM in the invitation because everyone in my family was getting tired from the activities of the weekend, and we were wanting to just relax and not “be entertaining”.  Once everyone said goodbye, we tried to settle in on a dinner choice that would use up some of our many leftovers.  I ended up making us some Fried Rice.





Following dinner we all went to bed, it was a fun but exhausting weekend.

My parents left around 11:00AM the next day, and we sort of couldn’t wait for them to leave, because it was the unofficial Star Wars holiday, May the Fourth be with you.  We made a dash to the park and Fran had done online research as to what merchandise was available and where.  We headed right to the “Little Green Men” store and got in line.  They were already out of XL T-shirts for the “May the 4th”, so we got some 2X and 3X, but she got a “Revenge of the 5th” in a few different sizes for later sale on eBay.









We got several of this strange little Ewok guy.





And a few of the Limited Edition Pins






Then we decided to get some lunch.  We were going to get a Corn Dog, but the little Red Wagon was so darned packed that we just went over to Casey’s and got some dogs.  Fran got a regular one, but I got this beauty!





After that I rode Star Tours and Space Mountain and we decided to call it a day.  On our way out we saw Chip and Dale stalking this guy.





And then we left the parks and went home.  I made us Chicken Nachos for dinner, that used up leftover chips, queso, and chicken. But we weren’t even putting a dent in all that leftover food.  So the big question is what was the fate of Mickey?

Well we talked about shellacking him and preserving him, but he was just too large, and that’s a lot of sugar to have laying around, so we took him to band on Tuesday night and had at him.

Here I am studying how I will chop him up.





Justin wanted to have a go at it.









And there you see it.









And that’s all I got.  I thought I had a picture of him with a full lobotomy, but I guess not.  So that wraps up the last of the birthday weekend.  Stay tuned for next year when we celebrate it at WDW with Naked Jim!


----------



## kaoden39

The bungalows sound heavenly!

Is that hotdog as good as it looks?


----------



## dolphingirl47

What a wonderful weekend, but I am kind of sad it is over. That hotdog photo makes my mouth water. I happened upon this shortly before the end of our last trip and really enjoyed it. I definitely need another one of those in September. I was surprised that the Mickey completely survived your birthday weekend.

Corinna


----------



## Pinkocto

Thank you for sharing with us. What a fabulous birthday weekend!!!

What flavor was Mickey?


----------



## jedijill

I'm so sad to see Mickey get chopped up...he was truly cool!  

It was so sad to leave.  It was great to spend time with everyone and finally meet Jenny in 3D and  spend more than 5 minutes with Cynthia!  Thanks so much for inviting us!  It was a blast celebrating with you!

Jill in CO


----------



## PrincessInOz

So sad to see this party wrapped up.  

Even worse to see the lobotomy!!!!  I was wincing here.  


Thanks for sharing a wonderful birthday with us.


----------



## ACDSNY

I'm with Jenny on the bungalows I took one look at the point chart and said to rich for me.  

They'd be wonderful to stay at.


----------



## mvf-m11c

franandaj said:


> I hope that she gets better too.  Right now she is totally off on her sleep cycles, she'll sleep for hours during the day and then be up until 3 in the morning, and then not be able to get up at a normal time in the morning.  It makes for a very difficult "normal" routine.  I think we're better off not buying anything from the Expo.  We estimate that not getting Sorcerer's tickets has saved us over $10,000!



That must be very difficult to have an odd time period of when she gets up. Hoping that she gets better. I understand. It will be very odd not seeing you and Fran at the D23 Expo this year. DAF and I were about to purchase the Sorcerer's tickets for this years Expo but we didn't get lucky. After thinking about it for a while now, I am glad that we didn't get the tickets this year. $10,000 is a lot just for a three day event.  


I would have not cut that cake and kept it as it but it was a nice cake.


----------



## rentayenta

Poor Mickey!  I am so glad I didn't have to witness the slaughter. 

It was a fabulous weekend. I still need to post my Club 33 lunch with Cynthia and Jill but holy I am overwhelmed. 

Thank you for the invite and for hosting such a fabulous birthday weekend.


----------



## MEK

Oh Wow!  You have had a lot going on lately with Fran's RA med trial and the move from your old rehearsal space to your new space.  OMG - I can just imagine how much work that is to move all the music.    Wow!  But I believe that all things happen for a reason and I hope the new church ends up being a wonderful home for you.  

Loved reading about the end of your birthday weekend.  It sounds exhausting, yet so much fun!  

Those last pictures cracked me up - attack of the giant Mickey head.    Once again - what an amazing cake. 


 have very tentative plans to make it to DL at the end of May next year.  Denny and I are teaming up with another couple and trying to pull together a 10-14 California trip.  Watch out!!!!


----------



## franandaj

So I'll be back with replies, but today Leonard and I realized that he didn't send me all the pictures from Mickey's Lobotomy.  He sent me these few more so you can see the true carnage...

















There you have it the full carnage!


----------



## mvf-m11c

Talk about full carnage of the Mickey cake.


----------



## jedijill

Brains!

Jill in CO


----------



## afwdwfan

Alison, I never knew you were a zombie!!!

It certainly seems like it was a fun, busy and exhausting weekend.  But well worth it.  Time with family and friends celebrating can't be beat.  I'm glad that you were able to have this epic birthday weekend and none of the problems leading up to it really interfered with the final outcome. 

It's a shame that you had to cut Mickey up.  But he's a cake.  If you didn't want to cut it up and eat it you should have had them make it out of something less delicious.


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

Full lobotomy!

I don't have a ton of time to DIS as I'm getting ready to leave on vacation.  But I'm glad you were able to get the birthday celebration together with so many friends and family!  It looks like it was a great time!


----------



## dgbg100106

Mickey was a beautiful cake, and I am glad that you got to enjoy him.  he looks delish!


----------



## Flossbolna

First: the "slaughtered" Mickey pics are hilarious! 

But it looks like it was more show than cake in that one? 

I am very sorry that Fran has to deal with such horrible side effects from her medication!! You would think that someone should have explained that beforehand that taking both medications at the same time has such consequences! I am sorry that this report is wrapping up, but I am looking forward to your next pre trip report!


----------



## franandaj

kaoden39 said:


> The bungalows sound heavenly!
> 
> Is that hotdog as good as it looks?



I'm really crossing my fingers for the bungalows!  The mac wasn't as cheesy as I would have liked, but it was still pretty darned good!



dolphingirl47 said:


> What a wonderful weekend, but I am kind of sad it is over. That hotdog photo makes my mouth water. I happened upon this shortly before the end of our last trip and really enjoyed it. I definitely need another one of those in September. I was surprised that the Mickey completely survived your birthday weekend.
> 
> Corinna



I was so sad when it was finally over.  I had been planning it for so long, but it was great fun.  I'll join you in one of those hot dogs!  



Pinkocto said:


> Thank you for sharing with us. What a fabulous birthday weekend!!!
> 
> What flavor was Mickey?



Mickey was also Dulce de Leche, but the Tigger cake was actually tastier, the black fondant, wasn't as good as the icing on the Tigger cake.



jedijill said:


> I'm so sad to see Mickey get chopped up...he was truly cool!
> 
> It was so sad to leave.  It was great to spend time with everyone and finally meet Jenny in 3D and  spend more than 5 minutes with Cynthia!  Thanks so much for inviting us!  It was a blast celebrating with you!
> 
> Jill in CO



I had a hard time doing it, but what was I going to do with that much cake and sugar coated Styrofoam sitting around.  It was so much fun to spend time with you all, I hope we can do something like that again, especially after @rentayenta moves back.  Hint Hint.



PrincessInOz said:


> So sad to see this party wrapped up.
> 
> Even worse to see the lobotomy!!!!  I was wincing here.
> 
> 
> Thanks for sharing a wonderful birthday with us.



And just think, this was posted before I found the pictures fully documenting the carnage!


----------



## franandaj

ACDSNY said:


> I'm with Jenny on the bungalows I took one look at the point chart and said to rich for me.
> 
> They'd be wonderful to stay at.



Yeah, this is going to be a one time only stay, if we get it!  But heck, we pretty much have points, might as well use them!



mvf-m11c said:


> That must be very difficult to have an odd time period of when she gets up. Hoping that she gets better. I understand. It will be very odd not seeing you and Fran at the D23 Expo this year. DAF and I were about to purchase the Sorcerer's tickets for this years Expo but we didn't get lucky. After thinking about it for a while now, I am glad that we didn't get the tickets this year. $10,000 is a lot just for a three day event.
> 
> 
> I would have not cut that cake and kept it as it but it was a nice cake.



It will be strange not to be at the D23 Expo, but it would have been a four day event with Sorcerer's tickets.  That would have cost $4,000, but the other $6,000 is what Fran would spend being around all that merchandise.  Also they might release another necklace that would tempt me.  Actually you could check the jewelry and send me a picture of any new necklaces from the Dream collection.  If I really like it, we could buy day tickets and come down to get it!  



rentayenta said:


> Poor Mickey!  I am so glad I didn't have to witness the slaughter.
> 
> It was a fabulous weekend. I still need to post my Club 33 lunch with Cynthia and Jill but holy I am overwhelmed.
> 
> Thank you for the invite and for hosting such a fabulous birthday weekend.



Go ahead and post away when you find the time.  As I said to Jill, when you move here, we should do more get togethers and invite DIS ladies to come have fun with us!



MEK said:


> Oh Wow! You have had a lot going on lately with Fran's RA med trial and the move from your old rehearsal space to your new space.



Today I finally had a day to do laundry, do the dishes, and tend to the bills (and catch up on the DIS)  



MEK said:


> OMG - I can just imagine how much work that is to move all the music.  Wow! But I believe that all things happen for a reason and I hope the new church ends up being a wonderful home for you.



I hope we enjoy the new rehearsal space, because it sure is in a crummy part of town.  Moving the music is not hard, but putting it all back in file cabinets in order, that's hard!



MEK said:


> Loved reading about the end of your birthday weekend. It sounds exhausting, yet so much fun!
> 
> Those last pictures cracked me up - attack of the giant Mickey head.  Once again - what an amazing cake.



It was so much fun!  And exhausting.



MEK said:


> have very tentative plans to make it to DL at the end of May next year. Denny and I are teaming up with another couple and trying to pull together a 10-14 California trip. Watch out!!!!



What do you mean 10-14 California Trip?  Do you mean 10-15?



mvf-m11c said:


> Talk about full carnage of the Mickey cake.







jedijill said:


> Brains!
> 
> Jill in CO







afwdwfan said:


> Alison, I never knew you were a zombie!!!







afwdwfan said:


> It certainly seems like it was a fun, busy and exhausting weekend. But well worth it. Time with family and friends celebrating can't be beat. I'm glad that you were able to have this epic birthday weekend and none of the problems leading up to it really interfered with the final outcome.



It was a total blast!  I haven't had that much fun in a long long time!



afwdwfan said:


> It's a shame that you had to cut Mickey up. But he's a cake. If you didn't want to cut it up and eat it you should have had them make it out of something less delicious.



True dat!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Full lobotomy!
> 
> I don't have a ton of time to DIS as I'm getting ready to leave on vacation.  But I'm glad you were able to get the birthday celebration together with so many friends and family!  It looks like it was a great time!



I'm surprised you even found the time to visit here before you left.  I'm sure you'll have a great time, and Jill is a lot of fun.  Enjoy your time with her!



dgbg100106 said:


> Mickey was a beautiful cake, and I am glad that you got to enjoy him.  he looks delish!



It was great, but now I'm spoiled!  I'll want CCCW to make all my epic cakes!



Flossbolna said:


> First: the "slaughtered" Mickey pics are hilarious!
> 
> But it looks like it was more show than cake in that one?



It was more show than cake.  I was a little bit disappointed by that, but it still looked really cool, and since we had Tigger to eat it all worked out in the end.



Flossbolna said:


> I am very sorry that Fran has to deal with such horrible side effects from her medication!! You would think that someone should have explained that beforehand that taking both medications at the same time has such consequences! I am sorry that this report is wrapping up, but I am looking forward to your next pre trip report!



She wasn't supposed to take both medications at the same time.  She should have consulted the doctor before "self-prescribing" herself the Xeljanz, he would have prescribed some kind of steroid to get her through the pain until the Rituxin kicked in.  I'm almost done with the next installment of the Pre Trip Report!


----------



## mvf-m11c

franandaj said:


> It will be strange not to be at the D23 Expo, but it would have been a four day event with Sorcerer's tickets.  That would have cost $4,000, but the other $6,000 is what Fran would spend being around all that merchandise.  Also they might release another necklace that would tempt me.  Actually you could check the jewelry and send me a picture of any new necklaces from the Dream collection.  If I really like it, we could buy day tickets and come down to get it!



You are right about that. I forgot that the tickets cost $2,000 each. I forgot to say four days which the Sorcerer tickets get Thursday as the extra day to go shopping at the Dream Store. I have been looking everyday when Disney is going to release more of the merchandise that will be for sale at the Dream Store. So far nothing yet except for a few that have been announced on the D23 website. I did saw a website last year that showed the merchandise what was going to be available and it gave me an idea what was going to be at the store. If you know where I can find online what Dream Store merchandise will be available during this year, I can make my plan and I could also look for the jewelry you are thinking from the Dream Collection.

Thank you Alison.


----------



## franandaj

mvf-m11c said:


> You are right about that. I forgot that the tickets cost $2,000 each. I forgot to say four days which the Sorcerer tickets get Thursday as the extra day to go shopping at the Dream Store. I have been looking everyday when Disney is going to release more of the merchandise that will be for sale at the Dream Store. So far nothing yet except for a few that have been announced on the D23 website. I did saw a website last year that showed the merchandise what was going to be available and it gave me an idea what was going to be at the store. If you know where I can find online what Dream Store merchandise will be available during this year, I can make my plan and I could also look for the jewelry you are thinking from the Dream Collection.
> 
> Thank you Alison.



Let me know when you get that information.  I can figure out if I want the necklace and maybe we can get you gift cards to buy it if I want it.


----------



## EJ4Disney

Alison,
Thanks so much for your wonderful birthday report.  For those of us not able to be with you, this was the next best thing.  I really really enjoyed every word of it.


----------



## franandaj

EJ4Disney said:


> Alison,
> Thanks so much for your wonderful birthday report.  For those of us not able to be with you, this was the next best thing.  I really really enjoyed every word of it.



I'm glad you enjoyed reading about it, we had a great time.


----------



## franandaj

Caution! Long post ahead, sorry about the lack of pictures!

So now that the b'day TR is all wrapped up, we're back to this as a PTR for next Spring's trip to WDW with Naked Jim. As that is still a ways away, I hope you don't mind indulging me in using this forum as a PTR for my upcoming cruise to Baja California, my cruise / WDW vacation in December, and my various day visits to DLR during the Diamond Anniversary.  By that time the trip with Naked Jim should be in full planning mode, and I'll have two other TRS either in progress or under my belt.

The cruise is still four months away and there is nothing I can do about reservations or excursions until July 18. The two night cruises seem to start off with pirate night, and I am seriously considering packing our pirate garb, since we are driving to the port and don't have to worry about luggage restrictions like one would when flying. 

I'm hoping to get  Palo brunch for the day at sea because that's always a great way to start off a first morning on the ship. Concierge has already started booking and Platinum opens Thursday, so I hope there is something left when us poor silver sailors can book. It won't be until the next cruise that have yet to book that I will finally be able to take advantage of being a gold member, as I turn gold only about 45 days before our December cruise.

We'll probably do a tasting later that day, and I'm sure we will do some relaxing in the room on the verandah. We'll dine in the main dining room and then revel in the fact that we do not need to pack up our suitcases and get ready to leave the ship!

From what I hear, we are among the last to leave the ship and B2B cruisers wait in one of the bars and are escorted off the ship once all the other passengers have disembarked. Then once the ship is cleared we are the first to board, even before the family of the day. We'll see how we spend our day up until the muster drill, but following the muster drill, I plan on having my own little sail away party in the spa in the form of Alone Time!

Other than that I haven't really thought through the cruise very far. I haven't looked into the excursions.  We have port stops in Cabo San Lucas and Ensenada. We'll have to see if Fran is able to tender in Cabo. The seas can be rough and the tender boats are tricky.

I know I will be making a reservation at Palo for dinner on Pirate Night and for Brunch on the last sea day. That's as far as I have planned for this trip.

While my December trip is not right around the corner, the window for ADRs came last weekend. I gave a lot of thought to where we want to eat. I wanted to keep a balance between our old favorites and my desire to up my Golden Spoon percentage. For the cruise part of the vacation, DCL reservations won't happen until September 8th so I have a while to figure out what night is Pirate Night and when we'll go to Remy.  

You all know how the first part of the trip goes:

Fly to MCO Sunday, December the 6th, stay at the Hyatt at the airport. Monday morning we head to port for four glorious nights at sea. Due to my good planning we won't have to suffer post cruise blues because we're going to WDW afterwards, and that's the planning I need to do there!

You're off the ship pretty early since they practically throw you off by 9:30AM. With transport to WDW we should be arriving at our resort before noon. It's highly unlikely that our room will be ready, but stranger things have happened. With this in mind my plan is to head to Epcot after we check our bags with Bell Services. I'm interested in checking out the mini F&W Christmas stands that they have during the holiday season as well as grabbing some lunch. 

Friday, December11, 2015

I've decided for this day not to make any ADRs, if we want a sit down lunch my plan is to go with either Marrakesh  (which can usually be a walk up), Katsura Grill (CS) or the Fish and chips place in the UK.  In addition we will supplement our lunch with desserts from the Holiday Kiosks around World Showcase.  

Once we get the text that our room is ready we can head back to the resort and relax. I'm planning on cooking us something low key for dinner but haven't decided quite what yet. This will not be a trip where I am packing meat, so we’ll be ordering from WeGoShop.  Maybe I will do something homey like Meatloaf or Chicken Florentine. I have until I place my grocery order to decide.

Saturday, December 12, 2015

We’ll have breakfast in the room, something simple and easy. Today our plan is to hit the Epcot resorts to check out the decorations.  We have lunch a 1:30 reservation at Beaches and Cream.  Most likely we’ll split an entrée so that we have enough room to split a Sundae as well.  I’m sure we’ll do a little shopping on the Boardwalk.  Who knows we may even check out the decorations at the Swan and Dolphin too. Then it will be back to the room for a nap, maybe a Jacuzzi tub, and then we will head over to DTD for Dinner at Wolfgang Puck’s Grand Café, the Dining Room at 7PM.

Sunday, December 13, 2015

This may be a good day for a lazy morning.  Those of you who have read my previous TRs know that I like at least one day for a “Bacon and Eggs” breakfast in the room and we don’t go rushing off right away. It’s usually a small breakfast, so we don’t get too full, and I’ll make breakfast by 9AM so that we will at least be hungry for lunch.  After we get going, we will head up towards the Monorail resorts.  Depending on our timing, we will probably head to lunch first and then the resorts.  Today’s plan is to have lunch at Ft. Wilderness, Trail’s End restaurant at 12:00 noon.  We can either take the trail to the Wilderness Lodge or take the bus up to MK and hop on the Monorail.

Once we have seen enough of the decorations, it will be time to head back to SSR and spend another quiet evening in the room.  I’m thinking that I will plan for Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and Tomato Soup. We’ll already have the bread and cheese on hand and the soup is non perishable in case we change our minds and decide to head out to Splitsville for dinner instead of fixing it in the room. . If that doesn't work there's always Wolfgang Puck Express close by.

Monday, December 14, 2015

Today we resume going back to the parks.  I wanted to avoid them on the weekend days only because the crowd levels are usually higher.  Besides that will give us ample opportunities to take advantage of the viewing the resort decorations.  Today we will be venturing out to Epcot.  Breakfast will be light again as we’ll want to get an early start.

Today’s lunch ADR will be at the San Angel Inn at 12:30.  So far all the restaurants that I’m planning are new to us, and this one is as well.  I’m hoping we can hit some of the special Holiday Kiosks again on this day.  I’m thinking we’ll get there early and do the rides in Future World until World Showcase opens.  Do a little browsing around the World and then head to lunch.  

We can go back to the room for our afternoon nap, and then head out to DHS for the Osborne Lights.  Dinner will be at 7:50 at 50’s Prime Time Café, and then that will conclude our “new” restaurants for this trip.

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

This will be our last full day of the trip and we’ll be back to our tried and true dining favorites.  A WDW trip would not be complete without a visit to the Strawberry Soup restaurant, and this time it will be for Breakfast.  Not that there aren't plenty of other tasty items, but the soup is a favorite. Our reservation at 1900 Park Fare is at 9:30AM.

After breakfast we'll head over to the MK for a few hours. Hopefully we can get FP+ for 7DMT, I also hope to ride CoP & Peoplemover, two I missed on the last trip. Around mid day we'll go back to the room to pack and rest. Our last reservation is at Flying Fish Café. There is an appetizer that I saw on @podsnel's TR quite a few years ago that I have been dying to finally try. It might be enough for my meal!

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Wednesday is our departure day, but we don't have to be on the ME until 1-2PM. We can play this by ear, but I have one or two thoughts. Last trip we had breakfast at WPE and it was outstanding.  If we get our act together early enough we could do that again.  If we are moving slowly we will possibly go to Cooke’s of Dublin instead.  And then it will be time to catch DME back to the airport.

We have a trip down the Mississippi next March, but I haven’t made any plans towards that trip, so for now we’ll skip over that one. 

Moving on to the trip with Naked Jim, we came to a decision today. Before arriving on Disney property, we will be spending two nights at “the park which shall not be named”.  We’ll spend two nights at the Loews Royal Pacific Hotel before moving on to Disney property.  It’s not until the end of September that I can start playing around with our room reservations again, so that’s it for now regarding our plans!

Oh yeah, tomorrow we are going out to the park to see the fireworks, so maybe I’ll have some pictures from our afternoon out at Disneyland!


----------



## dolphingirl47

Your plans all sound great and I hope that they all come together. I can definitely recommend checking out the decorations at the Swan and Dolphin. One of them has a Christmas tree made up of white poinsettia plants. I don't think I had ever seen something so stunning before.

Corinna


----------



## jedijill

I love your plans!  

As for the park that cannot be named, let me look  to see if I can get any discounts for you. 

Jill in CO


----------



## Pinkocto

How did I just realize we'll be overlapping in December!   I'm going with a lady from work and her husband, the original plan was the weekend before so I was going to miss you completely. But they had to change dates and now I'll be there the 10th-14th. I'll be with them most of the time but hopefully we can do something together


----------



## rentayenta

Sail away party in the spa? Sounds heavenly! 

Will you stay on the ship in Ensenada?

I think Marrakesh is over looked by many. Good choice! We really like the food and atmosphere.

A trip without packing meat is no trip at all!  

We really enjoyed 50's. If it's possible to request a server, request Loukili. I don't remember many servers names but he may be the best server we have ever had; even outside of Disney. You won't regret it. But be ready to play.


----------



## rndmr2

Started this report a couple days ago, caught up now, that party looked like a lot of fun, what a great way to celebrate your 50th!

Your plans for the upcoming trips look fun, sorry you had to cancel your spring trips.

Sorry Fran is going through all those issues, hopefully now she can get some relief. 

WDW is really beautiful at Christmas time. I have been a few times over actual Christmas a few years ago, but it's really crowded.  They say that the earlier part of December is a great time to go with the lower crowds.  I would love to go during that time of year again someday because I haven't seen the Osborne Lights (they weren't there when I was there last) and I have yet to see the Candlelight Processional, which I would love to see.


----------



## mvf-m11c

franandaj said:


> Let me know when you get that information.  I can figure out if I want the necklace and maybe we can get you gift cards to buy it if I want it.



I will pm or email you when I find the information. 


Your plans for your December trip look very interesting and well plan.

I really wanted to go back to the Christmas season at WDW but it will be nice to go back during the Halloween/F&W Festival this year.

Hope you have a great time at the DLR tomorrow and to be able to see Paint the Night and Disneyland Forever.


----------



## afwdwfan

Well, you've certainly rallied back from the canceled trips and uncertain plans of a couple of months ago!  All the plans look great, and I'm glad to see you've got some fun trips coming up. 

I really want to take your lead and try some new places on our next trip.  It's just always so hard to avoid re-visiting the old favorites though!

I don't fault you a bit for going to "that other park."  In fact, I think it is a great idea!  I love Universal... and I can't remember when exactly the Naked Jim trip is planned for, but will it be after the new King Kong Skull Island area opens in IOA?  I think it is set to open next summer sometime.


----------



## Malia78

A lot of fun planning in the works--sounds like a great series of trips.


----------



## mvf-m11c

The Dream Store merchandise for the D23 Expo for the Sorcerer pre-order was put online today and here is the link to it. https://www.disneynow.com/profile/web/index.cfm?PKwebID=0x782436243&varPage=home

There are quite some nice stuff for this year Dream Store.


----------



## PrincessInOz

Fantastic plans for December.  Here's to the time going quick...and Fran back to feeling great!


----------



## rentayenta

The kids had a blast Thursday night. Braden loved Star Tours! Your lamb burger on FB looked INSANELY delicious. I have got to get my hands on one of those.


----------



## ACDSNY

Nice plans Alison.  I don't know your TR won't be the same without you packing meat. Lol

Bret, thanks for posting the link to the Dream Store items now I'm going to want the DB cross body DL purse when I go back in October.


----------



## franandaj

dolphingirl47 said:


> Your plans all sound great and I hope that they all come together. I can definitely recommend checking out the decorations at the Swan and Dolphin. One of them has a Christmas tree made up of white poinsettia plants. I don't think I had ever seen something so stunning before.
> 
> Corinna



We will have to see about our tiredness level, but I remember seeing your pictures of that pointsettia tree and it was really pretty.



jedijill said:


> I love your plans!
> 
> As for the park that cannot be named, let me look  to see if I can get any discounts for you.
> 
> Jill in CO



Thanks!  Anything helps!



Pinkocto said:


> How did I just realize we'll be overlapping in December!   I'm going with a lady from work and her husband, the original plan was the weekend before so I was going to miss you completely. But they had to change dates and now I'll be there the 10th-14th. I'll be with them most of the time but hopefully we can do something together



Awesome!  Let's talk about it when you're here in October!



rentayenta said:


> Sail away party in the spa? Sounds heavenly!



I did it on the Cruise out of Miami and it was a great way to spend the sail away!



rentayenta said:


> Will you stay on the ship in Ensenada?



I have no idea, we haven't talked about it yet, but we probably will stay on the ship in Nassau.



rentayenta said:


> I think Marrakesh is over looked by many. Good choice! We really like the food and atmosphere.



I love Moroccan food, in fact I've put Cous Cous with Chicken and Merguez on the menu for this week.



rentayenta said:


> A trip without packing meat is no trip at all!







rentayenta said:


> We really enjoyed 50's. If it's possible to request a server, request Loukili. I don't remember many servers names but he may be the best server we have ever had; even outside of Disney. You won't regret it. But be ready to play.



I'm not sure how much we'll be ready to play, I better make sure Fran has had her nap and a pain pill!



rndmr2 said:


> Started this report a couple days ago, caught up now, that party looked like a lot of fun, what a great way to celebrate your 50th!



  I'm glad you made it over here!



rndmr2 said:


> Your plans for the upcoming trips look fun, sorry you had to cancel your spring trips.



Thanks, I'm really getting ancy for a trip.  At least we are going up the Coast in 18 days.



rndmr2 said:


> Sorry Fran is going through all those issues, hopefully now she can get some relief.



She's starting to feel better as the drug is saturating her system.



rndmr2 said:


> WDW is really beautiful at Christmas time. I have been a few times over actual Christmas a few years ago, but it's really crowded. They say that the earlier part of December is a great time to go with the lower crowds. I would love to go during that time of year again someday because I haven't seen the Osborne Lights (they weren't there when I was there last) and I have yet to see the Candlelight Processional, which I would love to see.



We've been to DL many times at Christmas and it's great, but I can't wait to see all the different resorts all decked out.  From the pictures I've seen the WDW resorts do it up much bigger than Disneyland.


----------



## franandaj

mvf-m11c said:


> Your plans for your December trip look very interesting and well plan.
> 
> I really wanted to go back to the Christmas season at WDW but it will be nice to go back during the Halloween/F&W Festival this year.
> 
> Hope you have a great time at the DLR tomorrow and to be able to see Paint the Night and Disneyland Forever.



It's hard to choose which time to go, for us it came down to timing of our Wonder Cruise and band concerts.



afwdwfan said:


> Well, you've certainly rallied back from the canceled trips and uncertain plans of a couple of months ago! All the plans look great, and I'm glad to see you've got some fun trips coming up.



I try!  We're not getting any younger, and after all the years we spent not traveling because her parents were ill, and then all the canceled trips for various medical maladies, I keep a steady stream of trips planned!



afwdwfan said:


> I really want to take your lead and try some new places on our next trip. It's just always so hard to avoid re-visiting the old favorites though!



I know what you mean, but try taking the Golden Spoon Challenge and see how many places you actually have been.  I thought I'd eaten at a lot of places until I took that and realized I really needed to branch out my horizons!



afwdwfan said:


> I don't fault you a bit for going to "that other park." In fact, I think it is a great idea! I love Universal... and I can't remember when exactly the Naked Jim trip is planned for, but will it be after the new King Kong Skull Island area opens in IOA? I think it is set to open next summer sometime.



We've been twice before, it's not like Disney because we just don't like the rides as much, but Hogwarts was amazing, I can't wait to see what they have done with Diagon Alley.  We're going in Spring, so unless they are having a soft opening, we'll miss that.  That's OK, we saw King Kong last night and while the island was cool, would you take your daughter there?  I'm just like her.  Ewwww bugs!



Malia78 said:


> A lot of fun planning in the works--sounds like a great series of trips.



Thanks!



mvf-m11c said:


> The Dream Store merchandise for the D23 Expo for the Sorcerer pre-order was put online today and here is the link to it. https://www.disneynow.com/profile/web/index.cfm?PKwebID=0x782436243&varPage=home
> 
> There are quite some nice stuff for this year Dream Store.



Thanks for posting this!



PrincessInOz said:


> Fantastic plans for December.  Here's to the time going quick...and Fran back to feeling great!



Thanks, yeah it's always better when she feels better.



rentayenta said:


> The kids had a blast Thursday night. Braden loved Star Tours! Your lamb burger on FB looked INSANELY delicious. I have got to get my hands on one of those.



I'm glad they had fun.  It was a good night, full report coming up.  Just no pictures to confirm we met.



ACDSNY said:


> Nice plans Alison. I don't know your TR won't be the same without you packing meat. Lol



The stateroom would never be the same if we put meat in the "cooler" for four nights, and then carried it with us on the bus.


----------



## mvf-m11c

ACDSNY said:


> Bret, thanks for posting the link to the Dream Store items now I'm going to want the DB cross body DL purse when I go back in October.



Your welcome. It has been a while to look for the Dream Store merchandise to be posted online and now I'm still trying to look for the Mickey's of Glendale and Disney Store for the D23 Expo.




franandaj said:


> It's hard to choose which time to go, for us it came down to timing of our Wonder Cruise and band concerts.



I know what you mean. It is hard with all the different plan events and trips that you have to work it around another date.


----------



## franandaj

About four weeks ago Disneyland began it's Diamond Anniversary celebration.  With everything that had been going on and Fran's mobility level, we hadn't been able to make it out there until Thursday. We couldn’t leave until after my haircut, and we were on our way by 2:30.

The first stop was the Uva Bar and Cafe in DTD for the "make up" of my Lamburger. It was yummy. 





Fran got the French Dip, she seemed happy with her choice.





Look at all that yummy goodness! 





After our late lunch/ early dinner, we decided to head into DCA. We cut through the lobby of the Grand Californian and they had this on display.  I wasn’t sure if it was a cake or not, but you couldn’t get close to it as it was roped off.









I wanted to check out Soarin with its refurb and all. Fran wanted to look at Off the Page and Elias and Company. So we agreed to meet up after my flight. 

I noticed that the Carthay was all decorated for the 60th.





They redid the area where Soarin is located and made it kind of “National Parky”.  It’s going to take some getting used to, but it’s OK, I kind of liked it.





The new Smokejumpers Grill





And Soarin’ redesigned. 









This CM doesn’t appear to be having a very magical day.





I don’t remember this picture from before.





At least they didn’t change a whole lot.





I was seated in an entire row of newbies. At first the outbursts of the young girl next to me were slightly annoying,  but when I recognized her awe at the ride in general I found it refreshing.  Everyone around me was gasping and “oooing” and “aaaahhhhing”.  It was kind of neat to experience their awe

I do have to say that they really cleaned up the film nicely.  That black spot that used to be in the bottom left of the projection is gone, and so is the phasing that the old film showed.  The images were crisp and clear just like I remember it being the first time that I rode it.  The Mickey head on the golf ball was really easy to spot and nice and clear.

After that we were off to DL. 





We checked out the Disneyana Store, but luckily there wasn’t anything there that we couldn’t live without.  For $2000 you too could have one of these 24 Mickey ear hats.





These watches are a slightly better deal at $1000 each.









It was four hours before the parade was about to begin and people had already begun staking out their spots along the parade route, they came with blankets, and everything they needed to entertain themselves for hours.

We checked about viewing and confirmed that we had some time that we could kill, so I decided to go on Star Tours.  Just as our Starspeeder was getting ready to take off I got a text from Fran that read “buying figures”.  I also got a text from Jenny’s daughter saying that she and her BF had arrived on campus and where should they meet us.

I got three of my favorite scenes on ST.  The non vader opening, the Wookie Planet, Yoda came to talk to us, and then we went to the water planet.  After exiting the ride I found Fran at the counter purchasing these figures.  Gabby and her BF showed up just then and we decided to go on ST again while the clerk unwrapped all her figures to check them for damage.





Once we finished the ride, I let them go do what they wanted and they planned to meet back up with us at 8:30.  I wanted to go on Space Mtn next, but as soon as I tried to enter the queue, they announced it was down.  As I walked back to meet Fran, my fitbit went off telling me that I had reached 10,000 steps.  That was only the beginning!  I eventually walked almost 14,000 steps that day, over 5 ½ miles.

Since I couldn’t ride the ride, we did one of the next best things, got Mickey bars.









We watched a couple families of ducks while we ate our treats.  One family had children, the other family had teenagers.  The mother of the children didn’t want the teenagers around her kids and chased them away.





We still had an hour to kill and I decided to ride Big Thunder, the stand by wait was only 20 minutes!  Fran enjoyed a Mickey Pretzel.













I love all the critters along the route.












As always it was a fun ride.  As we pulled into the station, I noticed this between the two sets of buildings.  I never noticed it before.







By this time, I was ready for a break, my legs were getting tired, so we settled in for the evening, waiting to be entertained.







Up next: Paint the Night Parade


----------



## ACDSNY

No the ship refrigerator would not keep any meat cold enough it just seems strange.


----------



## ACDSNY

Nice spot to settle in for the parade and fireworks.


----------



## PrincessInOz

What an awesome way to start the D60 celebrations.....with an Uvabar Burger.  

Glad to read that Soarin' is all cleaned up.
You and scottny are tempting me with your pictures of the Mickey bars.  Sadly, I can't get one as easily as you two can.
What an AWESOME spot for the parade and fireworks.


----------



## dizneeat

*Hm, I thought you had not updated in a long time ....... just to find out that you HAD and I never got any notifications. *



franandaj said:


> On the good news end, this TR is back to being a PTR for our trip with Naked Jim! Last week I booked our temporary accommodations for our “redo” of the Naked Jim trip. Because I am somewhat out of points, we can now only stay for three nights at the Wilderness Lodge, so I booked us in for April 29-May 1. For now I have us staying the next four nights in an Accessible Treehouse Villa from May 1- May 5, but at 7 months, I hope to change that to add one more night at the VWL, and then three nights in a Bungalow at the Poly!  Doesn't that sound cool?



*I am all in for all your trips - your plans so far sound awesome!
Your hotel choices are wonderful - and a bungalow at the Poly - green with envy!  We saw the bungalows in April and they look SO cool. I am sure this is gonna be a great trip.*



franandaj said:


> Here I am studying how I will chop him up.



*NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *



franandaj said:


> And that’s all I got. I thought I had a picture of him with a full lobotomy, but I guess not. So that wraps up the last of the birthday weekend. Stay tuned for next year when we celebrate it at WDW with Naked Jim!



*You ATE Mickey!!!!!!!!!!!!!  That is one awesome cake!*



franandaj said:


>



*Where's the smilie covering its eyes? *



franandaj said:


> I hope you don't mind indulging me in using this forum as a PTR for my upcoming cruise to Baja California, my cruise / WDW vacation in December, and my various day visits to DLR during the Diamond Anniversary. By that time the trip with Naked Jim should be in full planning mode, and I'll have two other TRS either in progress or under my belt.



*Love it to have so much planning and so many TR to look forward too. I am ALL in!*



franandaj said:


> Since I couldn’t ride the ride, we did one of the next best things, got Mickey bars.


----------



## dolphingirl47

franandaj said:


> After our late lunch/ early dinner, we decided to head into DCA. We cut through the lobby of the Grand Californian and they had this on display. I wasn’t sure if it was a cake or not, but you couldn’t get close to it as it was roped off.



That looks stunning. Yes, it is a cake. I saw the recipe posted somewhere.



franandaj said:


> I noticed that the Carthay was all decorated for the 60th.



I really like this.



franandaj said:


> They redid the area where Soarin is located and made it kind of “National Parky”. It’s going to take some getting used to, but it’s OK, I kind of liked it.



I really like the area now, but of course I have only seen photos. I always felt that Condor Flats did not really fit in with the surrounding areas.



franandaj said:


> I eventually walked almost 14,000 steps that day, over 5 ½ miles.



Well done.



franandaj said:


> We still had an hour to kill and I decided to ride Big Thunder, the stand by wait was only 20 minutes!



That is what I call a result.

Corinna


----------



## skier_pete

Catching up! Your WDW plans look great. I may be dumb, but I didn't see where you said what resort you are staying at...I am assuming based on your plans it's BCV, but I wasn't sure. Cool that you are still adding new restaurants. We have 4-5 new ones on our upcoming trip.


----------



## dgbg100106

Your cruise plans sound awesome
The DL day - that lamburger looks very yummy and juicy.  14K steps, way to go..


----------



## Flossbolna

Well done on the 14000 steps!! I hope you did not feel too bad afterwards, you mentioned that too much time on your foot is not good for your body!

I have read that they did not only clean the Soarin film, but instead digitalized it. So, there really should not be any issues with black spots anymore! Having it in digital projection will make the changeover to the new film (due to debut in Shanghai next year and then come to all the other Soarins afterwards as well) really easy. They could even offer different films on different days if they wanted to, but I can't see them doing that.

I really love all the anniversary decorations they put up! Can't wait to see them in person.

Looking forward to read your view about the parade and the fireworks!


----------



## jedijill

Those are some pricey souvenirs!  Yay for getting 14K steps in...that's great!  

I really really really want to see the 60th stuff but not sure if I can swing it with my dog's surgery today.  

Jill in CO


----------



## mvf-m11c

What a nice start of the day going to the DLR by having lunch at the UVA Bar and Cafe. After seeing your Lamb Burger, now I will have to go there and get one even I have to eat there solo.

The model, cake or something like at at the GCH looks very nice. Nice pictures around the DLR during the 60th Diamond Celebration. Glad that you were able to go on Soarin that day and experience the new HD screen. The quality of the video is so amazing and clear where it does make a big difference when experiencing Soarin. 

Even though we are now in mid June, guests are still staking out spots on MS 4 hours until the first Paint the Night parade. Now I am wondering what it will be like when DAF and I get to DL in August during the D23 Expo and see if I do have to wait at least 4 hours or less. 

Congrats of the 14K steps that day. 

Looking forward to seeing your pics of Paint the Night Parade.


----------



## afwdwfan

franandaj said:


> I was seated in an entire row of newbies. At first the outbursts of the young girl next to me were slightly annoying, but when I recognized her awe at the ride in general I found it refreshing. Everyone around me was gasping and “oooing” and “aaaahhhhing”. It was kind of neat to experience their awe


I always enjoy riding Soarin with first time riders.  It's amazing the range of responses you see, from amazed to terrified.  Actually more like starting out terrified and ending up amazed. 



franandaj said:


> I got three of my favorite scenes on ST. The non vader opening


Vader isn't one of your favorites???  I love that one!



franandaj said:


> Since I couldn’t ride the ride, we did one of the next best things, got Mickey bars.


Mickey Bars are always a great fall back plan.



franandaj said:


> By this time, I was ready for a break, my legs were getting tired, so we settled in for the evening, waiting to be entertained.


I'm really enjoying this mini-TR.  I love seeing the extra touches in place for the 60th.  I really wish we could have experienced some of that while we were there!!!


----------



## Pinkocto

Fun update!  All the 60th decorations look great.  I hadn't read that they were giving Soarin a facelift, that's great about the picture quality.  

I love the figurines Fran bought!  

Yes, let's talk about December in October   I went ahead and booked a hotel for the night of the 14th, so I can be at the parks the next morning.  But I definitely still want to either come over and visit or go out to dinner. Whatever works best for you guys.  I'll have a car so can meet you anywhere.


----------



## Leshaface

franandaj said:


> I woke up and took another tub. (Sorry water shortage!)



This made me giggle.  I've stopped taking baths   My one and only relaxing thing that I can give myself is gone!  Have you guys had to reduce your water usage?  Visalia just mandated that everyone needs to cut back by 30%.  We haven't had that yet, but i'm sure it's coming.



franandaj said:


>





franandaj said:


>



I love these!  I especially love the Goofy one, how cool is that!



franandaj said:


>



  I neeeeeed to have this.



franandaj said:


>



You look extremely hesitant about cutting into poor Mickey



franandaj said:


>



And Justin has no problem! 




franandaj said:


>



Not his butt! 



franandaj said:


>



Yikes, that's a little creepy 



franandaj said:


> for my upcoming cruise to Baja California



Is this Oct 16-18?  



franandaj said:


> While my December trip is not right around the corner



It's actually creeping up pretty fast.  Can't believe July is next week! 



franandaj said:


> my desire to up my Golden Spoon percentage.



Atta girl 



franandaj said:


> Beaches and Cream.





franandaj said:


> Trail’s End restaurant





franandaj said:


> San Angel Inn





franandaj said:


> 1900 Park Fare



Yep these are all new to me.



franandaj said:


>



It looks nice, but I miss the look of Taste Pilots Grill



franandaj said:


>



Okay,  I like this change!



franandaj said:


> This CM doesn’t appear to be having a very magical day.



I think he misses Taste Pilots Grill too 



franandaj said:


> That black spot that used to be in the bottom left of the projection is gone



Yay!  I thought they were changing the entire film??  It's the exact same thing, only more clear??



franandaj said:


> These watches are a slightly better deal at $1000 each.



Alison, I can actually see you with that watch!  Even the Mickey ears!   Just get them.



franandaj said:


> Since I couldn’t ride the ride, we did one of the next best things, got Mickey bars.



That is definitely the next best thing.



franandaj said:


> I eventually walked almost 14,000 steps that day, over 5 ½ miles.



Good for you, that's awesome!


----------



## franandaj

ACDSNY said:


> No the ship refrigerator would not keep any meat cold enough it just seems strange.



Exactly why we are not bringing meat from home on this trip!



ACDSNY said:


> Nice spot to settle in for the parade and fireworks.



It worked out very nice for us!



PrincessInOz said:


> What an awesome way to start the D60 celebrations.....with an Uvabar Burger.
> 
> Glad to read that Soarin' is all cleaned up.
> You and scottny are tempting me with your pictures of the Mickey bars.  Sadly, I can't get one as easily as you two can.
> What an AWESOME spot for the parade and fireworks.



I've been waiting for that Uva burger for over a month!

Soarin' was awesome!
I'm sorry you can't get Mickey bars there in Australia. I hope to have pictures coming up soon, but we know how life goes, it may take a while!



dizneeat said:


> *Hm, I thought you had not updated in a long time ....... just to find out that you HAD and I never got any notifications. *



I don't trust notifications.  I just go to Unread Watched Threads and everything that I'm following shows up there.



dizneeat said:


> *I am all in for all your trips - your plans so far sound awesome!
> Your hotel choices are wonderful - and a bungalow at the Poly - green with envy!  We saw the bungalows in April and they look SO cool. I am sure this is gonna be a great trip.*



I really hope that we get into the Poly Bungalows!


dizneeat said:


> *NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *



It was difficult to cut into his head!  



dizneeat said:


> *You ATE Mickey!!!!!!!!!!!!!  That is one awesome cake!*



The tigger cake tasted better, honestly, but it was fun to have such a piece like that at the party.



dizneeat said:


> *Where's the smilie covering its eyes? *







dizneeat said:


> *Love it to have so much planning and so many TR to look forward too. I am ALL in!*



Great!  I've been really working on planning for the Mississippi River Cruise, that one is a lot harder since I've never been to Memphis or New Orleans.  When I have it worked out, I'll post the details!


----------



## rentayenta

Ok, I thought I replied to this. I truly am losing it.  

That lamburger looks insanely delicious. YUM!

G;ad you guys had amazing spots for the parade and fireworks. Gabby said that she and Braden had fun! Glad you rode Star Tours with them.

Those diamond Ears are unreal. I'd love them and never ever wear them.

Those figures are cute as can be.

Pretzels and ice cream bars? Heaven.


----------



## franandaj

dolphingirl47 said:


> That looks stunning. Yes, it is a cake. I saw the recipe posted somewhere.



I have since found a post about it, and you're right, it's a cake!



dolphingirl47 said:


> I really like the area now, but of course I have only seen photos. I always felt that Condor Flats did not really fit in with the surrounding areas.



I think it looks like a great change to the area. You'll see it soon!



dolphingirl47 said:


> That is what I call a result.







********** said:


> Catching up! Your WDW plans look great. I may be dumb, but I didn't see where you said what resort you are staying at...I am assuming based on your plans it's BCV, but I wasn't sure. Cool that you are still adding new restaurants. We have 4-5 new ones on our upcoming trip.



The December trip we are staying at SSR.  It will work well because we can get to DTD and take the buses to the resorts for the Saturday and Sunday resort visits.  We haven't stayed there since 2008 or 2010 when we stayed in the THV.  The April/May trip will hopefully be VWL and PVB, but if not it will be VWL and THV.



dgbg100106 said:


> Your cruise plans sound awesome
> The DL day - that lamburger looks very yummy and juicy. 14K steps, way to go..



Thanks!.  I loved finally getting my limburger!  I'm surprised that the 14K steps didn't kill me, but I was tired the next day!



Flossbolna said:


> Well done on the 14000 steps!! I hope you did not feel too bad afterwards, you mentioned that too much time on your foot is not good for your body!



I was exhausted the next day, but actually now that you points it out, my foot must be much improved because I could walk the next day



Flossbolna said:


> I have read that they did not only clean the Soarin film, but instead digitalized it. So, there really should not be any issues with black spots anymore! Having it in digital projection will make the changeover to the new film (due to debut in Shanghai next year and then come to all the other Soarins afterwards as well) really easy. They could even offer different films on different days if they wanted to, but I can't see them doing that.



That's interesting to know. No wonder it looked so good!



Flossbolna said:


> I really love all the anniversary decorations they put up! Can't wait to see them in person.
> 
> Looking forward to read your view about the parade and the fireworks!



It will be soon!  I hope I can find the time to get the next installments posted!



jedijill said:


> Those are some pricey souvenirs! Yay for getting 14K steps in...that's great!



I couldn't believe the souvenirs.  I'm not surprised that that they haven't sold out yet.



jedijill said:


> I really really really want to see the 60th stuff but not sure if I can swing it with my dog's surgery today.



If you have the time, we have the place and the means to get you in, you just need to get here!


----------



## Flossbolna

franandaj said:


> I was exhausted the next day, but actually now that you points it out, my foot must be much improved because I could walk the next day



That is great!! 



franandaj said:


> That's interesting to know. No wonder it looked so good!



I am so much looking forward to seeing Soarin without any dust issues! I once read that DL was better than WDW anyway as they had a proper "clean room" (i.e. sealed against dust) which they were too stingy to put in at Epcot as well. When I experienced Soarin for the first time in 2005 at DCA, I don't remember any dust issues at all. I have also read that the digital version now is much more crisp, I even read one complaint about how you can now see the rather "cheap" or "old" CGI effects so much better because of that. I guess I will just be happy to fly through those wonderful landscapes!!


----------



## franandaj

mvf-m11c said:


> What a nice start of the day going to the DLR by having lunch at the UVA Bar and Cafe. After seeing your Lamb Burger, now I will have to go there and get one even I have to eat there solo.
> 
> The model, cake or something like at at the GCH looks very nice. Nice pictures around the DLR during the 60th Diamond Celebration. Glad that you were able to go on Soarin that day and experience the new HD screen. The quality of the video is so amazing and clear where it does make a big difference when experiencing Soarin.



Everyone needs one of those Lamburgers once in a while!  I did find out that it was a cake.  Someone posted a link to the Disney Blog on the GCH Superthread.



mvf-m11c said:


> Even though we are now in mid June, guests are still staking out spots on MS 4 hours until the first Paint the Night parade. Now I am wondering what it will be like when DAF and I get to DL in August during the D23 Expo and see if I do have to wait at least 4 hours or less.
> 
> Congrats of the 14K steps that day.
> 
> Looking forward to seeing your pics of Paint the Night Parade.



Hopefully by August the hype will die down.  I think a lot of it is locals who are coming in just to see the parade.  A lot of people brought blankets and stuff like picnics from home.



afwdwfan said:


> I always enjoy riding Soarin with first time riders. It's amazing the range of responses you see, from amazed to terrified. Actually more like starting out terrified and ending up amazed.



That was pretty much how it was, it was pretty cool.



afwdwfan said:


> Vader isn't one of your favorites??? I love that one!



I like the little droid who shakes the star speeder better and the way that R2D2 get you out of there.



afwdwfan said:


> Mickey Bars are always a great fall back plan.



Totally!  I could use one now!  But I'll have to wait a week, that's the next time I'll get out there.



afwdwfan said:


> I'm really enjoying this mini-TR. I love seeing the extra touches in place for the 60th. I really wish we could have experienced some of that while we were there!!!



It really is neat out there right now.  When I went for our annual February overnight trip, it was sort of sad so much was walled off.



Pinkocto said:


> Fun update! All the 60th decorations look great. I hadn't read that they were giving Soarin a facelift, that's great about the picture quality.
> 
> I love the figurines Fran bought!



I had thought they were releasing the new film, but I guess that is later.  We need to put them in the case with the other SW figures she got last year.



Pinkocto said:


> Yes, let's talk about December in October  I went ahead and booked a hotel for the night of the 14th, so I can be at the parks the next morning. But I definitely still want to either come over and visit or go out to dinner. Whatever works best for you guys. I'll have a car so can meet you anywhere.



Sounds like we worked out October on Jenny's thread.  We can go out to dinner after you see the house, or I could make us dinner.



Leshaface said:


> I love these! I especially love the Goofy one, how cool is that!



I can't wear black T-shirts, they're just too hot for me, so I got the Mickey one.  I wish they put images on lighter colored shirts sometimes because I don't buy a lot of really cool shirts cause they only come in black.



Leshaface said:


> I neeeeeed to have this.



That hot dog was really good, but I had to eat it with a knife and fork!



Leshaface said:


> You look extremely hesitant about cutting into poor Mickey



I totally was!


Leshaface said:


> And Justin has no problem!



He was literally grabbing the knife out of my hands!  



Leshaface said:


> Not his butt!
> 
> Yikes, that's a little creepy



It really was!



Leshaface said:


> Is this Oct 16-18?



That's the first cruise, then there's the 5 night from October 18-23


Leshaface said:


> It's actually creeping up pretty fast. Can't believe July is next week!



I know!  I can't wait because we have two mini trips in July that we didn't cancel!  



Leshaface said:


> Atta girl



The sad thing is that even with the new restaurants in December, I still won't get over 50%. However the trip with Naked Jim should allow me to change my signature spoon to 50%



Leshaface said:


> Yep these are all new to me.



1900 Park Fare is the only one that is a repeat.  Must. have. strawberry. soup.



Leshaface said:


> It looks nice, but I miss the look of Taste Pilots Grill



I never really liked Taste Pilots.



Leshaface said:


> Okay, I like this change!



Yeah, me too!



Leshaface said:


> I think he misses Taste Pilots Grill too







Leshaface said:


> Yay! I thought they were changing the entire film?? It's the exact same thing, only more clear??



I did too, but as Magdalene points out below, I guess they are doing that when Shanghai opens.



Leshaface said:


> Alison, I can actually see you with that watch! Even the Mickey ears!  Just get them.



Fran asked if I wanted the Mickey Ears, but they're such a waste of good money.  I would rather go on a cruise!



Leshaface said:


> That is definitely the next best thing.



I know, I really want a Mickey bar right now!


----------



## franandaj

rentayenta said:


> Ok, I thought I replied to this. I truly am losing it.



Actually you replied after Gabby gave you "her" update to the evening, but I hadn't posted my pictures yet!  



rentayenta said:


> That lamburger looks insanely delicious. YUM!



It is, and I'm starving right now, but waiting for dinner to eat.



rentayenta said:


> G;ad you guys had amazing spots for the parade and fireworks. Gabby said that she and Braden had fun! Glad you rode Star Tours with them.



As I look at my parade pictures, they are OK, but it was awesome for the fireworks.  Next Sunday we are going back and I hope to see the later parade with no waiting, or minimal waiting.  I hope to get better pictures for that one.



rentayenta said:


> Those diamond Ears are unreal. I'd love them and never ever wear them.



I'd put them in one of our glass cases and never touch them!



rentayenta said:


> Those figures are cute as can be.
> 
> Pretzels and ice cream bars? Heaven.



I need to put those in a glass case, and yes, pretzel and Mickey bar would hit the spot.  As I said, I'm starving, but how else do I lose weight? 

That was rhetorical.  I don't need anyone to post about lifestyle ideas and weight watchers and all that then.  Two meals a day is working for me.  



Flossbolna said:


> That is great!!



I couldn't do it for multiple days in a row, but it worked for that one day.  My foot does still bother me on occasion.  I noticed the other day that it was definitely hurting.



Flossbolna said:


> I am so much looking forward to seeing Soarin without any dust issues! I once read that DL was better than WDW anyway as they had a proper "clean room" (i.e. sealed against dust) which they were too stingy to put in at Epcot as well. When I experienced Soarin for the first time in 2005 at DCA, I don't remember any dust issues at all. I have also read that the digital version now is much more crisp, I even read one complaint about how you can now see the rather "cheap" or "old" CGI effects so much better because of that. I guess I will just be happy to fly through those wonderful landscapes!!



It was very much improved.  I'm looking forward to riding it with you!


----------



## franandaj

Sometime before the parade began, Gabby and her BF rejoined us.  





He left to get them a corn dog, and we thought he got lost, but not only did he return with the Corn Dog, but a Sundae.  What a sweetie!  The sun began to set and we were anticipating the arrival of the parade.  





The lights dimmed and the parade began.  We could see the parade working it’s way down from Fantasyland.





They also did some projections on the Castle during the parade, but I focused mostly on the parade after that.





The parade was still rather far away when I took this one, I had to zoom in quite a bit for this shot.





Fairies preceded the parade.



 

The “Title” float













I would never have realized that these are the characters that used to roam the crowds in the early days of World of Color, but Bret pointed it out in his TR and now I remember.









Next came Sulley









Then there was Mack





There were projections on the trailer, but I happened to snap a photo right in the time when things were refreshing.





Next was Ariel













Then the Toy Story characters came along





















Beauty….









More princesses





Anna and Elsa









And then came the classic Disney Characters








[/URL
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[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_9746.jpg.html'][URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_9747.jpg.html'][/URL]
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[/URL][/URL]
[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_9747.jpg.html'][URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_9746.jpg.html'][URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_9747.jpg.html'][/URL]
[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_9746.jpg.html'][URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_9747.jpg.html']And Mickey closes out the parade.[/URL]
[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_9746.jpg.html'][URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_9747.jpg.html'][/URL]
[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_9746.jpg.html'][URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_9747.jpg.html'][URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_9749.jpg.html']
	
[/URL][/URL]
[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_9747.jpg.html'][URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_9746.jpg.html'][URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_9747.jpg.html'][/URL]
[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_9746.jpg.html'][URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_9747.jpg.html'][URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_9753.jpg.html']
	
[/URL][/URL]
[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_9747.jpg.html'][URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_9746.jpg.html'][URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_9746.jpg.html'][URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_9747.jpg.html'][/URL]
[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_9746.jpg.html'][URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_9747.jpg.html'][/URL]
[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_9746.jpg.html'][URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_9747.jpg.html']Next up: Fireworks![/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL]


----------



## mvf-m11c

You had a nice seating spot close to the Hub for Disneyland Forever fireworks that night and you were able to get some nice shots of Paint the Night parade.


----------



## dgbg100106

Your spot for the parade was excellent, and you got some very nice shots.

The parade is beautiful as ever.


----------



## afwdwfan

franandaj said:


> They also did some projections on the Castle during the parade, but I focused mostly on the parade after that.


Cool!  It would definitely be hard to pay attention to the projections and watch the parade at the same time, but it seems like a neat idea. 



franandaj said:


> There were projections on the trailer, but I happened to snap a photo right in the time when things were refreshing.


Naturally!  Never fails that you try to take a picture and get that instant in between.  



franandaj said:


> [URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_9746.jpg.html'][URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_9747.jpg.html']And Mickey closes out the parade.[/URL][/URL]


[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_9746.jpg.html']Looks like a great parade!  It looks like they really did a great job on this parade![/URL]


----------



## Leshaface

franandaj said:


> I did too, but as Magdalene points out below, I guess they are doing that when Shanghai opens.



Thanks for pointing that out.  



franandaj said:


> Fran asked if I wanted the Mickey Ears, but they're such a waste of good money. I would rather go on a cruise!



Okay so the good news it that you're already taking TWO cruises!!!  Now you have that 'free' money to get the ears!!!   Can't wait to see you in them! 



franandaj said:


> I would never have realized that these are the characters that used to roam the crowds in the early days of World of Color, but Bret pointed it out in his TR and now I remember.



Really?  That's cool, I never knew that!  What I what to know is, how were they able to walk through the crowds with everyone being so tightly packed in 

You had a great view of the parade!  People have been really happy with this parade and i'm hoping I'm able to catch it soon.


----------



## rentayenta

Wow on the photos girl! Amazing. Where do you suggest I camp out to see both?

I knew I replied. 

No diet adbice from this girl.  Do what works.

I'm glad your car club trip is a go but sorry we'll miss you.


----------



## dizneeat

*OMG what a great spot to view the parade. And it looks so different to anything I have ever seen. We are so excited that we will have a chance to see it next year. Thanks for sharing your great pics. *


----------



## Pinkocto

franandaj said:


> Sounds like we worked out October on Jenny's thread.  We can go out to dinner after you see the house, or I could make us dinner.




Can we play this by ear? I'm hoping to arrive at 1:00, so a late lunch might be better, unless you want me to go check in first and then come over. I'll let you know as soon as I book flights. I usually never leave flights this late but I'm having to time things carefully.


----------



## Pinkocto

This parade looks totally gorgeous! I can't wait to see it!!!! Do you like the music better than the MSEP?


----------



## rentayenta

I heard it's similar to the MSEP.


----------



## mvf-m11c

franandaj said:


> I would never have realized that these are the characters that used to roam the crowds in the early days of World of Color, but Bret pointed it out in his TR and now I remember.



The Genie, Lumiere and Tigger were three of the original five puppets during the World of Color Pre-Show back in 2010 during WoC debut year. I remember those so well before WoC started and this show was trying to get the crowd all energetic for the show. The other two were Sebastian & Mike Wazowski which isn't part of Paint the Night parade. When I saw my video of the puppets back in 2010, they are very close to similar to the PtN parade characters.




Leshaface said:


> Really?  That's cool, I never knew that!  What I what to know is, how were they able to walk through the crowds with everyone being so tightly packed in



People do forget about the puppets during the debut year of WoC while it is the first entertainment before WoC started. I still remember back in June 2010 during the first weekend of WoC and it was super busy and people were all squished in the viewing area to see the new show.

I still have my old videos of the WoC Pre-Show on the debut night during my June trip













rentayenta said:


> Where do you suggest I camp out to see both?



Just depends on where you want to see the parade and fireworks. If you want to see the parade and fireworks (on MS where the buildings will be projected for Disneyland Forever fireworks) spot, I would suggest watching it from MS by the Coke Corner or somewhere around that area. You can also see Matterhorn Mountain where it will be projected for the fireworks. Then you will be able to see SB Castle, MS and Matterhorn during DF fireworks. The only thing is that it will require wait time which can be very high in the 2+ hour range. You can also watch it from IASW Plaza which has the least amount of wait time but you won't get to experience DF way more over on MS or in front of SB Castle. But you will be able to see the IASW facade all projected during DF fireworks.


----------



## Leshaface

mvf-m11c said:


> People do forget about the puppets during the debut year of WoC while it is the first entertainment before WoC started. I still remember back in June 2010 during the first weekend of WoC and it was super busy and people were all squished in the viewing area to see the new show.
> 
> I still have my old videos of the WoC Pre-Show on the debut night during my June trip



That is AWESOME that you were there the first weekend it opened!  How early did you get there to get a good spot?

Thanks for the vids!


----------



## dolphingirl47

franandaj said:


>



The castle looks absolutely stunning in this light.

Paint the Night looks amazing. I can't wait to see this for myself.

Corinna


----------



## rentayenta

mvf-m11c said:


> Just depends on where you want to see the parade and fireworks. If you want to see the parade and fireworks (on MS where the buildings will be projected for Disneyland Forever fireworks) spot, I would suggest watching it from MS by the Coke Corner or somewhere around that area. You can also see Matterhorn Mountain where it will be projected for the fireworks. Then you will be able to see SB Castle, MS and Matterhorn during DF fireworks. The only thing is that it will require wait time which can be very high in the 2+ hour range. You can also watch it from IASW Plaza which has the least amount of wait time but you won't get to experience DF way more over on MS or in front of SB Castle. But you will be able to see the IASW facade all projected during DF fireworks.




Thanks Bret! Like grab a table at Coke Corner? Or a bench? I am thinking more like 3+ hours which pains me but I want to see both Paint the Night and the DF Fireworks. Guess I can bring my portable phone charger and have the girls come give me a potty break every now and then. LOL! I like watching the fireworks from IASW or while on BTMRR but only if I have seen them. I like a really good view the first time. Thanks for the tips. I really appreciate it. So 6:30 sounds about the right time. Tough decision. We'll be back in August but there is no way my boys will go for a 3 hour wait for anything.


----------



## mvf-m11c

Leshaface said:


> That is AWESOME that you were there the first weekend it opened!  How early did you get there to get a good spot?
> 
> Thanks for the vids!



On the first day WoC opened to the public was on June 11th, 2010. DAF and I actually went to the DLR early that morning in order to get a FP. We waited right by the bus loading zone area from 5am to when DCA opened at 7:30am. We waited almost 3 hours just to get FP's for the first show of F! and we got the blue section. So much has changed over the time where there were four fastpass sections that have designated viewing areas I believe. W got there at least 2 hours in the viewing area but there were at least a hundreds of people waiting to get in. Back then to get in the viewing area was chaos. I understand why since it was all new to Disney back then while now it is better control where at times it doesn't seems like it.

Your welcome.




rentayenta said:


> Thanks Bret! Like grab a table at Coke Corner? Or a bench? I am thinking more like 3+ hours which pains me but I want to see both Paint the Night and the DF Fireworks. Guess I can bring my portable phone charger and have the girls come give me a potty break every now and then. LOL! I like watching the fireworks from IASW or while on BTMRR but only if I have seen them. I like a really good view the first time. Thanks for the tips. I really appreciate it. So 6:30 sounds about the right time. Tough decision. We'll be back in August but there is no way my boys will go for a 3 hour wait for anything.



Your welcome. I would not grab a table at Coke Corner since there will be people standing during the show by the curbside unless you will want to watch the parade with people in front of you. You can also get a bench at MS Hub or Town Square but that will require even longer wait time which can be higher than 3+ hours. It's almost like you have to be their before the 4pm Mickey's Soundsational parade begins. I have read that people tried that by getting a table at the Coke Corner or the Plaza Inn which they are only able to see the top of the floats. For the first time seeing it, I would watch it from the first row or second row on MS since the first row has to sit down while the guests on the behind the people that are sitting on the curb will have to stand up. If you are in the front row on the curb, you have to sit down and can't stand up during the parade. Waiting 3+ hours can be no fun, but I have learned over the years by waiting for shows to bring stuff to do and also you can talk to the other people right next to you which is fun to do as well. Good idea to bring a portable phone charger and something to read to kill the time. The good thing about your group is that you can have one or two watch your spot for the parade while the others can do their own things and you can do what you want to do while they watch the spot. I know that you love to watch the fireworks from BTMRR a lot and for seeing DF the first time, I would watch it from MS and after that anywhere at DL. 6:30pm for the first PtN parade at 8:50pm sounds right for a spot behind guests that area on the curbside on MS around the buildings. Are you planning on watching it during your July trip or your August trip? With the local AP's blocked out for most of the month of July and August, there will be some guests willing to stake out to see the parade. During late May and mid June, most of guests that waited were locals that had the SoCal AP & Select. So it should not be as bad like it was during the first two months. But it would be safe to plan in advance if something like that happens especially with the two new nighttime shows.


----------



## franandaj

mvf-m11c said:


> You had a nice seating spot close to the Hub for Disneyland Forever fireworks that night and you were able to get some nice shots of Paint the Night parade.



Thanks Bret!



dgbg100106 said:


> Your spot for the parade was excellent, and you got some very nice shots.
> 
> The parade is beautiful as ever.



It really was a neat parade.



afwdwfan said:


> Cool! It would definitely be hard to pay attention to the projections and watch the parade at the same time, but it seems like a neat idea.



Yeah, I'm going to have to see it a few more times from different vantage points to catch it all.



afwdwfan said:


> Naturally! Never fails that you try to take a picture and get that instant in between.







afwdwfan said:


> [URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_9746.jpg.html']Looks like a great parade! It looks like they really did a great job on this parade![/URL]




They really did, the pictures really don't do justice to all the lights and stuff.



Leshaface said:


> Okay so the good news it that you're already taking TWO cruises!!! Now you have that 'free' money to get the ears!!!  Can't wait to see you in them!



Well actually three cruises, but I'm saving that money for a Fantasy Cruise when they open the next batch of dates!



Leshaface said:


> Really? That's cool, I never knew that! What I what to know is, how were they able to walk through the crowds with everyone being so tightly packed in



I think they had pathways carved out in the viewing areas that had to be kept clear, there was a whole preshow that started at 8:30 to entertain the crowds who had been there for hours waiting.



Leshaface said:


> You had a great view of the parade! People have been really happy with this parade and i'm hoping I'm able to catch it soon.



I hope you get to see it soon too!



rentayenta said:


> Wow on the photos girl! Amazing. Where do you suggest I camp out to see both?



I think Bret answered this question for you....



rentayenta said:


> I knew I replied.



See you're not as crazy as you thought.  



rentayenta said:


> No diet adbice from this girl.  Do what works.



I just keep doing the same and hopefully it will keep working, I'm on goal #2 now.



rentayenta said:


> I'm glad your car club trip is a go but sorry we'll miss you.



We're still on the fence about that one.  We keep going back and forth.  She really feels lousy and has an awful cough.


----------



## dvc at last !

The parade pics are great - nice work !


----------



## rndmr2

Beautiful pictures of the new parade, looks like a really nice one. 
Hope they can bring a version of it or a similar new one to Florida. (although I would love to just have SpecroMagic Back but I know that can't happen)


----------



## rentayenta

Goal #2! Good for you!!!! So proud of you. 

I hope you decide to go; I know how much you are looking forward to getting out of town. Keep me posted!


----------



## PrincessInOz

What an amazing place to watch the parade from.  Lucky you!


----------



## franandaj

dizneeat said:


> *OMG what a great spot to view the parade. And it looks so different to anything I have ever seen. We are so excited that we will have a chance to see it next year. Thanks for sharing your great pics. *



I hope that the same parade is still playing for your trip next year.  Disney does try to get all it can out of something when it celebrates and anniversary.



Pinkocto said:


> Can we play this by ear? I'm hoping to arrive at 1:00, so a late lunch might be better, unless you want me to go check in first and then come over. I'll let you know as soon as I book flights. I usually never leave flights this late but I'm having to time things carefully.



Of course we can play it by ear.  But I would definitely want you to check in first before coming over.  I know what you mean. I am dying that we haven't booked our flights for the Mississippi River Boat trip.  SW still hasn't released flights for March 20 next year, they just did them through March 8 and it's looking doubtful that they will have a direct flight with no plane changes.  We may have to pony up and use miles, which we didn't want to do, but we're still too large to fly cattle class that long.  Maybe by then we will be small enough.



Pinkocto said:


> This parade looks totally gorgeous! I can't wait to see it!!!! Do you like the music better than the MSEP?



The music didn't annoy me, so I guess I did like it better than MSEP.



rentayenta said:


> I heard it's similar to the MSEP.



No, it was real music and not synthesized crap.



mvf-m11c said:


> The Genie, Lumiere and Tigger were three of the original five puppets during the World of Color Pre-Show back in 2010 during WoC debut year. I remember those so well before WoC started and this show was trying to get the crowd all energetic for the show. The other two were Sebastian & Mike Wazowski which isn't part of Paint the Night parade. When I saw my video of the puppets back in 2010, they are very close to similar to the PtN parade characters.



I would have never remembered if you didn't point it out in your TR.



dolphingirl47 said:


> The castle looks absolutely stunning in this light.
> 
> Paint the Night looks amazing. I can't wait to see this for myself.
> 
> Corinna



We should get planning on our meets for your trip!



rentayenta said:


> I like a really good view the first time. Thanks for the tips. I really appreciate it. So 6:30 sounds about the right time. Tough decision.



We aren't going to the car club meet.  I'm going to talk to Fran and we should text.



dvc at last ! said:


> The parade pics are great - nice work !



Thanks!  



rndmr2 said:


> Beautiful pictures of the new parade, looks like a really nice one.
> Hope they can bring a version of it or a similar new one to Florida. (although I would love to just have SpecroMagic Back but I know that can't happen)



Thanks, it is a nice one.  I'm sure eventually they will bring a version to WDW, but with the original MSEP there, that still draws some good crowds.



rentayenta said:


> Goal #2! Good for you!!!! So proud of you.







rentayenta said:


> I hope you decide to go; I know how much you are looking forward to getting out of town. Keep me posted!



Canceled the hotel yesterday.    But we still have our Disneyland 60th trip, granted it's only two nights, but it's something.



PrincessInOz said:


> What an amazing place to watch the parade from. Lucky you!



It was a pretty good spot!  Hoping to get some better pictures tomorrow night.


----------



## dolphingirl47

franandaj said:


> We should get planning on our meets for your trip!



I am all for that. Time will now just fly. I have one upcoming business trip to Germany in just under two weeks and then another business trip to Dubai about a month before this trip. I am also now planning a December trip so I am going to be good and busy.

Corinna


----------



## Flossbolna

franandaj said:


> The music didn't annoy me, so I guess I did like it better than MSEP.





franandaj said:


> No, it was real music and not synthesized crap.



I thought I was the only person (well together with my sister) who found the MSEP music annoying!! We saw it during our first DL visit in 1992 and were totally amazed how this beautiful park would have something with such cheap sounding music - and that people seemed to love it!! Somehow MSEP seemed to follow us around on our future trips as we had the good luck to encounter it again in DLP several times. For us it always meant that this was the best time to go and ride rides!


----------



## Pinkocto

I sorry you had to cancel the car show trip


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

Hey Alison, I think I'm all caught up!

Sounds like you're back in full vacation-planning mode, which is great to see!  The trips you have lined up sound pretty exciting.  I'm glad you have something to look forward to.

I know this will shock you, but I like the "National Park" theme in DCA.  Of course, that's right in my wheelhouse.


----------



## franandaj

dolphingirl47 said:


> I am all for that. Time will now just fly. I have one upcoming business trip to Germany in just under two weeks and then another business trip to Dubai about a month before this trip. I am also now planning a December trip so I am going to be good and busy.
> 
> Corinna



It does sound like you are going to be busy!!  I think in addition to a day at the park, we were talking about a girls trip to The Melting Pot, are we still on for that one?



Flossbolna said:


> I thought I was the only person (well together with my sister) who found the MSEP music annoying!! We saw it during our first DL visit in 1992 and were totally amazed how this beautiful park would have something with such cheap sounding music - and that people seemed to love it!! Somehow MSEP seemed to follow us around on our future trips as we had the good luck to encounter it again in DLP several times. For us it always meant that this was the best time to go and ride rides!



It came out when I was in the height of my Music Major Snob phase and right at the time when electronic music was putting real musicians out of business.  Nowadays with Hip Hop, Rap and all that other garbage people don't even notice that they're not listening to music anymore, but I hated it with a vengeance back then.  Now I appreciate the parade for the lights and photographic quality and I just tune the music out.  But I used to always go on rides when the parade came out.  I actually saw it for the first time on my trip last May in 2014.



Pinkocto said:


> I sorry you had to cancel the car show trip



Me too, but now I can go and spend tonight at DL with Jenny and her girls.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Hey Alison, I think I'm all caught up!



Welcome Back!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Sounds like you're back in full vacation-planning mode, which is great to see! The trips you have lined up sound pretty exciting. I'm glad you have something to look forward to.



I hope so, it seems that every time we get excited for something, I end up canceling it.  I am sooooo looking forward to October and the Cruise!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> I know this will shock you, but I like the "National Park" theme in DCA. Of course, that's right in my wheelhouse.



Go figure!  I thought of you guys when I saw the new Soarin area!


----------



## franandaj

And for the Grand Finale of the night, we present you with, Fireworks!







OK, so it actually started with lights on the Castle and there were projections going on throughout the entire fireworks sequence.







Evidently they “projected” for quite a while before the actual fireworks began.







They brought it back to Uncle Walt and how everything began.







It took me quite a while to get the proper settings before I was able to get any decent shots.  Next time I will be sure to bring a tripod. (Which may be sooner than I had expected.)  We were well into the show by the time I finally got some shots of the fireworks that weren’t blurry.












By this time we were on “Up”












They were also projecting onto the Matterhorn as well, but it was hard to get shots of both the castle and the Matterhorn. So I mainly focused on the Castle.












Julie Andrews narrated the opening and they continued to travel through various animated adventures from Walt and beyond Walt.  There was really no order to the various features.  And from my pictures, I can’t really tell which feature we are in at this point.  Next time I see it, I will try to keep better track.

















I think this is the Jungle Book.












And now we’re on The Little Mermaid, I see Sebastian on the Castle.







As the Nemo segment began the Matterhorn became part of the Ring of Fire.







You can see Nemo swimming around the Castle here.







Then it was off to Arendelle.


----------



## franandaj

And then we return home to Sleeping Beauty’s Castle for the Grand Finale








































































And that’s it!  I had to hustle to get this post finished today because in a few hours I am heading back out to meet up with Jenny at the park and we’re going to see the fireworks again.  This time I will bring my Tripod, so I hope to have even better pictures!


----------



## dolphingirl47

Disneyland Forever looks amazing and your photos have come out really well. Thanks for sharing.



franandaj said:


> It does sound like you are going to be busy!! I think in addition to a day at the park, we were talking about a girls trip to The Melting Pot, are we still on for that one?



Yes, I will be. Graham is currently working at the opposite end of the country so I will make a couple of trips over there as well when I have days off during the week.

I am definitely still up for The Melting Pot. I am not so patiently waiting on some announcement for the Halloween season and the parties specifically. Once I know when they are, I can start looking in the rest of the trip. Sue is also cruising around Europe at the moment so when she is back, we can hopefully start planning this.

Corinna


----------



## dgbg100106

Love the fireworks photos, and exciting that you are going back out again.

Have a wonderful time.


----------



## PrincessInOz

What a great set of firework shots!  You know....I think if I'm lucky to see this show, I think handheld might be an option given the projections on the castle.  

I wonder how long it will take you to get a tripod??


----------



## jedijill

Love the fireworks!  Hope you had fun with Jenny and the girls!


Jill in CO


----------



## Pinkocto

For whatever reason I can't see most of the pictures, I'll have to come back. 

Have fun with Jenny and the girls!!!


----------



## franandaj

dolphingirl47 said:


> Disneyland Forever looks amazing and your photos have come out really well. Thanks for sharing.



Thank you!



dolphingirl47 said:


> Yes, I will be. Graham is currently working at the opposite end of the country so I will make a couple of trips over there as well when I have days off during the week.
> 
> I am definitely still up for The Melting Pot. I am not so patiently waiting on some announcement for the Halloween season and the parties specifically. Once I know when they are, I can start looking in the rest of the trip. Sue is also cruising around Europe at the moment so when she is back, we can hopefully start planning this.
> 
> Corinna



OK, I have nothing going other than I think we'll visit my parents in early September, but we're wide open in the end of September so once they announce the parties and Sue gets back, let the planning begin!



dgbg100106 said:


> Love the fireworks photos, and exciting that you are going back out again.
> 
> Have a wonderful time.



We had a lot of fun, didn't do a ton, but had fun being together.



PrincessInOz said:


> What a great set of firework shots! You know....I think if I'm lucky to see this show, I think handheld might be an option given the projections on the castle.



After last night and the shots that I took, I completely agree.  There are good and bad points to these shots and the ones I got last night.


PrincessInOz said:


> I wonder how long it will take you to get a tripod??



Well I have three tripods.  The one I brought Sunday night with Bret was worthless, so I got my good one on Monday when I met Jenny over at the old house.  I had the best TriPod last night for the fireworks, and it worked towards me and against me, but you'll see that when I post the pictures from that night.



jedijill said:


> Love the fireworks!  Hope you had fun with Jenny and the girls!
> 
> 
> Jill in CO



We had a blast!



Pinkocto said:


> For whatever reason I can't see most of the pictures, I'll have to come back.
> 
> Have fun with Jenny and the girls!!!



I hope you can see the pictures when you come back!


----------



## franandaj

OK, one last follow up to the fireworks.  After we left the viewing area, we headed to the Jolly Holiday Bakery to get some treats to take home.  It wasn’t really on my eating plan, but Fran twisted my arm, so I complied.  I ended up choosing this one.  The Pineapple upside down bundt cake.  I was a little disappointed as it really didn’t have any pineapple on the top. There was hint of flavor, but they really should have placed a ring of pineapple in the bottom of the Bundt on the top of the cake.





Fran ate the other two snacks while I wasn’t around and she didn’t tell me if she liked them or not.  I guess she did since she didn’t throw them away, one was the 60th Anniversary cupcake, the blurry one was the Red Velvet Moon pie.









Now that completely wraps up that night a couple weeks ago, next up, dinner and a parade.


----------



## mvf-m11c

You had a nice view of Disneyland Forever fireworks that night. Hopefully you were able to use a different tripod that night since the one you used on Sunday had some problems. From your shots, it looked like there were people standing in front of you. I don't know if people do sit on the ground or stand. In the past, Disney always makes the guests stand during the fireworks and there were times where the guests were sitting on the ground in front of the castle. 

Jolly Holiday Bakery has some good treats even the 60th Anniversary ones as well.


----------



## dolphingirl47

franandaj said:


> OK, I have nothing going other than I think we'll visit my parents in early September, but we're wide open in the end of September so once they announce the parties and Sue gets back, let the planning begin!



That sounds like a plan,



franandaj said:


> OK, one last follow up to the fireworks. After we left the viewing area, we headed to the Jolly Holiday Bakery to get some treats to take home. It wasn’t really on my eating plan, but Fran twisted my arm, so I complied. I ended up choosing this one. The Pineapple upside down bundt cake. I was a little disappointed as it really didn’t have any pineapple on the top. There was hint of flavor, but they really should have placed a ring of pineapple in the bottom of the Bundt on the top of the cake.



That looks so good. What a shame that the taste did not quite live up to this. I have to go back to the Jolly Holiday Bakery in September. I see a lunch in my future consisting of grilled cheese with tomato sauce followed by a Matterhorn macaroon.

Corinna


----------



## Flossbolna

I have to admit that I scrolled through your fireworks pictures - knowing that I am going to see them in person so very soon I did not want to get any spoilers. 

I wonder whether you will have perfected your picture taking for the fireworks by the time we meet. I will then happily "borrow" pictures from you as I intend to not even try. My little point and shoot does not do fireworks well at all. So, I will just enjoy!

The baked goods look delicious! What a shame that the cake did not live up to its promise. I am always annoyed when I splurge on something and then it turns out to not be worth the splurge.


----------



## Pinkocto

I could see the pictures this time   I'm very excited to see them in person!  

And all those treats look fabulous!  




franandaj said:


> Of course we can play it by ear.  But I would definitely want you to check in first before coming over.  I know what you mean. I am dying that we haven't booked our flights for the Mississippi River Boat trip.  SW still hasn't released flights for March 20 next year, they just did them through March 8 and it's looking doubtful that they will have a direct flight with no plane changes.  We may have to pony up and use miles, which we didn't want to do, but we're still too large to fly cattle class that long.  Maybe by then we will be small enough.



I went ahead and booked my flights, prices were coming down and I didn't want to miss out.  So I'll be arriving at LAX at 1:00 pm, grabbing a rental car, and should check in first you said?  We can plan a time for me to come over whenever you want, I'm completely free that day.


----------



## jedijill

Those treats look delicious!  Much better than my current breakfast. 

Jill in CO


----------



## afwdwfan

Wow.  Just wow...

Those fireworks look incredible.  SOOOOO much better than the ones I saw.  And I'm pretty sure you have provided photographic evidence of at least 3 more explosions than we saw in the entire show when we were there.


----------



## MEK

I have gotten pretty far behind - AGAIN - but I just loved the castle pictures.  Outstanding!  I know the castle is supposed to be on the smaller side, but it looks large in all those pics.  What a lovely show.

Of course, its just about lunch time here and I am drooling overthose gorgeous cupcakes!


----------



## Leshaface

franandaj said:


>



Love seeing his face on the castle.



franandaj said:


>



That is SO COOL that they incorporated the Matterhorn to do this!



franandaj said:


>



Gorgeous shot!



franandaj said:


>



Even better shot!  



franandaj said:


> And that’s it! I had to hustle to get this post finished today because in a few hours I am heading back out to meet up with Jenny at the park and we’re going to see the fireworks again. This time I will bring my Tripod, so I hope to have even better pictures!



 I'm excited to see how those pics turn out using the tripod!



franandaj said:


> he Pineapple upside down bundt cake. I was a little disappointed as it really didn’t have any pineapple on the top. There was hint of flavor, but they really should have placed a ring of pineapple in the bottom of the Bundt on the top of the cake.



So more like Pineapple-flavored Upside Down Cake Yeah I would have been disappointed too.


----------



## franandaj

mvf-m11c said:


> You had a nice view of Disneyland Forever fireworks that night. Hopefully you were able to use a different tripod that night since the one you used on Sunday had some problems.



Yes, I got my best tripod from the old house. It is so much easier to use.



mvf-m11c said:


> From your shots, it looked like there were people standing in front of you. I don't know if people do sit on the ground or stand. In the past, Disney always makes the guests stand during the fireworks and there were times where the guests were sitting on the ground in front of the castle.



I think they did make the guests stand up. We were on benches at the hub, similar to the set up we had on Sunday, but unlike Sunday where no one was in front of us, there were people in the street area between the hub and the castle.



mvf-m11c said:


> Jolly Holiday Bakery has some good treats even the 60th Anniversary ones as well.



That was my first time in there. I would enjoy trying something else from there another time.


----------



## franandaj

dolphingirl47 said:


> That looks so good. What a shame that the taste did not quite live up to this. I have to go back to the Jolly Holiday Bakery in September. I see a lunch in my future consisting of grilled cheese with tomato sauce followed by a Matterhorn macaroon.



Sounds like a plan!



Flossbolna said:


> I have to admit that I scrolled through your fireworks pictures - knowing that I am going to see them in person so very soon I did not want to get any spoilers.



I'll admit that I did the same thing in Bret's TR.  But then I went back and looked at the pictures after having seen the parade in person and realized what great pictures that he takes as well.



Flossbolna said:


> I wonder whether you will have perfected your picture taking for the fireworks by the time we meet. I will then happily "borrow" pictures from you as I intend to not even try. My little point and shoot does not do fireworks well at all. So, I will just enjoy!



Well, I noticed a big difference between the pictures that I just posted and the ones that I took earlier this week.  I have a couple more posts before I get to those pictures, but having the tripod allowed me to take longer exposure shots, but in hindsight, I don't think these Fireworks lend themselves to the longer shots.  You'll have to look at the pictures after we see the fireworks, which is less than a month now!  



Flossbolna said:


> The baked goods look delicious! What a shame that the cake did not live up to its promise. I am always annoyed when I splurge on something and then it turns out to not be worth the splurge.



And now it makes me want to make my own Pineapple Upside Down Cake!



Pinkocto said:


> I could see the pictures this time  I'm very excited to see them in person!
> 
> And all those treats look fabulous!



I'm glad you could see the pictures!



Pinkocto said:


> I went ahead and booked my flights, prices were coming down and I didn't want to miss out. So I'll be arriving at LAX at 1:00 pm, grabbing a rental car, and should check in first you said? We can plan a time for me to come over whenever you want, I'm completely free that day.



Hmmmm.....why did I think you were flying in to John Wayne Airport.  Maybe if you're flying into LAX it would be better to stop on the way to the hotel.  You practically drive past our house on the way there.  The room won't be ready yet.  We should think about this.  Also you're only checking into PP for one night right?  it won't be critical to get there early and have a good view.  :



jedijill said:


> Those treats look delicious! Much better than my current breakfast.



Much better than I eat on most days.



afwdwfan said:


> Wow.  Just wow...
> 
> Those fireworks look incredible.  SOOOOO much better than the ones I saw.  And I'm pretty sure you have provided photographic evidence of at least 3 more explosions than we saw in the entire show when we were there.



When I saw them on Tuesday night, it really hit me just how many explosions there were going on in the show.  They really pulled out all the stops for this show, and to think that they are doing it every night.  It's crazy, but so so impressive.


----------



## franandaj

MEK said:


> I have gotten pretty far behind - AGAIN - but I just loved the castle pictures. Outstanding! I know the castle is supposed to be on the smaller side, but it looks large in all those pics. What a lovely show.



The Castle is much smaller in comparison to Cinderella's Castle as that structure is massive and the spires stick up so high that you can see the top from almost anywhere in the park. Sleeping Beauty's Castle is a little over two stories tall.  You can see it walking down Main Street, but it's not so huge that the spires are visible from everywhere in the park.  We were pretty close and I zoomed in on it in the pictures.  It was a great show.



MEK said:


> Of course, its just about lunch time here and I am drooling overthose gorgeous cupcakes!



I would love to have a cupcake, but I'm back to being good after a few days of playing hookey.



Leshaface said:


> Love seeing his face on the castle.



I love it how DL makes so much about Walt and that it was HIS park.



Leshaface said:


> That is SO COOL that they incorporated the Matterhorn to do this!



They did a lot more on the Matterhorn, it was just too hard to take pictures of.



Leshaface said:


> Gorgeous shot!
> 
> Even better shot!



Thanks!



Leshaface said:


> I'm excited to see how those pics turn out using the tripod!



They came out pretty good, but this show has challenges that I didn't expect.  You learn something every day.



Leshaface said:


> So more like Pineapple-flavored Upside Down Cake Yeah I would have been disappointed too.



Yeah, I guess I'm going to have to make my own, but after the gingerbread cake splurge, my next update and Plaza Inn with Jenny, I need to go back to being good and drop the 3-4 pounds I gained.


----------



## franandaj

OK folks, this is where I feel blessed.  Even though I have canceled, I don’t want to count how many trips this year, I was just going over my Disneyland day trip calendar for the next three months and I hope that I can keep up on the TRs from my trips out there!  I’ve been there every week, just about for the last three weeks, and I’m going to be there for two nights next week, another day trip the following week, and then in August I’m going at least five times.  I don’t even know how many in September, so at least I’m going to make up for the last few months of Disney deprivation!


For those of you who follow Disneyland closely, you may know that in 2014 the “secret” restaurant Club 33 went down for some serious renovations and opened a little less than a year ago.  Fran and I have been lucky enough to dine there quite a bit prior to the rehab, and we have actually been there post rehab.  Unfortunately we have not been impressed which is why you find us raving about Steakhouse 55 where the former chef from Club 33 now dazzles us with his creations.

However, we keep hoping that someday something will turn around and the menu will become appealing to us and we will find something we really enjoy eating, so we arranged for a reservation to try the menu yet again for dinner last Sunday evening.  However since I can’t resist a day enjoying the park, we got out there around 4PM to do some shopping and go on a ride or two.

Our first stop was to pick up a 60th Anniversary figure of Mickey Mouse.  She had only seen it at Off the Page, when we were there a couple weeks ago, at this point, it is everywhere, but back then it was only available at Off the Page, so we went there first and purchased the figure and had it sent to package pick up so we didn’t have to ride around with it.





I hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast (which was just a small bowl of cereal) and was trying to hold out until dinner, but I was starting to feel faint. We decided to head over to the Cozy Cones for a snack.  The Pixar Play Parade was just beginning. We always get caught up by the Play Parade, so we decided to head away from it and high tailed it out of Hollywoodland, past Grizzly Peak to Carsland completely avoiding the parade.

They had a new cone here, it was a pulled pork with cole slaw and a pickle.  Fran had that one.





I got my Chicken Chile Verde cone, which is very tasty and as long as I don’t eat the cone, it’s on my eating program!





They have replaced the souvenir cone cups with Dinoco oil can cups, so we couldn’t resist.





Once my head was no longer spinning from hunger, we decided to check out the 60th Anniversary Merchandise.  I found a Tiara and a T-shirt and Fran found a couple other items.  While she was paying for them, I got a text from Bret that he was approaching the park.  He met up with us inside the store and we decided to head over to DL and ride Star Tours.  It was pretty much a walk on.  I snapped some photos in the queue.  While we rode, Fran purchased some more of the Star Wars figures and had them sent to package pick up at the front of the park.

























After that we said, “Goodbye, for now.” To Bret and headed over to Club 33.  We started off in the lounge with a drink.













After relaxing and enjoying our drinks, we were led into the main dining room, or as they call, Le Grand Salon.


----------



## franandaj

We were seated at a table in the middle of the room, and I was astonished that at 7:30 there were only three other tables occupied.  The server did tell us that holiday weekends in the summer usually have low attendance for dinner, but I’m wondering if that’s just what they tell people or if the place is now a ghost town.  If you haven’t read the article just google, “The Man Who Turned Club 33 Upside Down” this explains a LOT about what has been going with Club 33.









We got our menus, and as I suspected it was fairly similar to the last time we were there.  I had a hard time selecting the various courses, in fact there was nothing on the second course that I wanted at all, but luckily they let you pick anything from the first three courses, for your first three, the main, cheese course and dessert and pretty much set.

















This amuse bouche really impressed me, and gave me high hopes for the meal.  It was a quail egg benedict.









My first course was new on the menu according to our waiter.  It was the Sauteed Asparagus with Ricotta Cheese Dumplings, Lamb Bacon and Asparagus Nage. While everything sounded really good, the Dumplings were a little too dense for my tastes, I couldn’t find any of the Lamb Bacon and the Asparagus taste was really overpowering. I’m not saying I didn’t eat it, I just wasn’t sopping up the juice with the bread.  Oh yeah, because they still hadn’t brought us any bread!





Fran ordered the Lobster Rockefeller with Crispy Oysters and Lemon Hollandaise.  I think she liked it.  She ate everything, but she did agree that it didn’t have that WOW!  Factor.





For the second course I had somewhat of a problem.  There was absolutely nothing there that I wanted.  As I mentioned earlier, luckily they let you shift things around a bit, and courses 1-3 are somewhat interchangeable.

I went with the Roasted Lobster Sausage with Black Eyed Pea Cassoulet and Lobster Sauce.  This was not at all what I expected.  It had a very Creole taste to it, for some reason I was expecting something much lighter.  I ate the three pieces of sausage, but actually preferred the Black Eyed Pea mixture over the sausage.





Fran went with the Salad of Frisee, Coastal Strawberries, Avacado, Pistachio and Buttermilk Dressing.  I guess she liked it, she ate it all.





For the third course, Fran had the Lobster Sausage and I went with the Grilled Diver Scallop with Corn Flan, Succotash, Pedron Pepper and Lobster Chorizo.  The scallop was cooked perfectly and it was very tasty.  The rest of the stuff on the plate was just weird.  I tried both the yellow stuff (I think that was the corn flan) and the green stuff and they were just slimy and strange tasting.  Now you folks know that I’m a pretty adventurous eater, more adventurous on the carnivorous side than the herbivore side, but still here I am striking out on most of these dishes with the exception of the amuse bouche.





We were served a palate cleanser before the main course which was very nice.  I definitely enjoyed this.





Then we were served our Main courses.  Fran went with the Petit Angus Filet Mignon with Tasso Ham Scalloped Potatoes and Collard Greens Pesto.  Again, she must have liked it since she ate it.





I had the Colorado Rack of Lamb with Spring Garlic, Mushrooms and Syrah Sauce.  The lamb was very tasty, but somehow I felt it was lacking a little something, if I had to guess, it needed a little more salt.  That’s really odd because I am not very heavy handed with the salt, in fact I’m supposed to have a reduced sodium diet, so I’m very careful with it when cooking at home.  That’s not to say I hated the dish, I just wish I enjoyed it more.





By this time Fantasmic had started.  It was about 9:15 and we had the entire restaurant to ourselves.





We had a very obstructed view of the show.





Then the cheese course arrived.  This was about my favorite course of the evening.  Everything on this plate went so well together, my favorite was the honeycomb and blue cheese combination.  Fran skipped the Cheese Course.





We both ordered the dessert and agreed that this was also one of the best parts of the meal.  Mississippi Molten Chocolate Cake, Vanilla Bean Marshmallows and Café au Lait Ice Cream.





We were also given Petit Fours, but in our haste, I forgot to take a picture of them.  We gobbled those up really quickly!  And then we headed out.









The Court of Angels is so pretty when it is lit up and night.  It’s a shame that they made it so that not everyone can enjoy this space any more.





After all that food and wine, what did I do?  Went on Big Thunder Mountain of Course!  Sorry, no pictures!  And then we were off to meet back up with Bret to see the Parade!


----------



## dolphingirl47

I love the Mickey figurine. I would have loved to see a photo of the tiara. What a shame that Club 33 was such a ghost town. I have to say looking at the menu, only three things appeal to me: the palate cleanser, the cheese course and Valrhona Dark Chocolate Five Nut Tart from the dessert menu.

Corinna


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## franandaj

dolphingirl47 said:


> I would have loved to see a photo of the tiara.


----------



## franandaj

dolphingirl47 said:


> What a shame that Club 33 was such a ghost town. I have to say looking at the menu, only three things appeal to me: the palate cleanser, the cheese course and Valrhona Dark Chocolate Five Nut Tart from the dessert menu.



I think it just speaks volumes about the menu.  While it is rather upscale and pleasant enough, I think folks really liked the more standard fare that was served before.  It was still upscale and had a few weird ingredients for sure, but you knew you could get a good chunk of steak, a piece of fish and you weren't worrying if there was going to be something on there you liked.


----------



## Dis_Yoda

That article is very interesting about the changes that were made to the club.  I understand allowing others to have access to the club but its ashamed if they took so much of an advantage of it for 400 reservations a month!  

That menu looks ok to me - I think I can figure something each course I would like but its also not a good thing if you aren't wow'd when you are spending that much per person.  

That's crazy that there were only 4 tables taken at 7:30pm at night!


----------



## dizneeat

*I am all caught up here - again, FINALLY!  The end of the school year is to blame for my lack of posting.

Have to add that I just adored your fireworks pics - they make me even more excited for next year. Your meal at Club 33 looks good, even though reading through the menu was not as exciting as I had hoped it to be. 
Some of your dishes looked VERY yummy though I have to ask and I would have loved to try your dessert.  Thanks for doing it for me. 

The diamond merchandise looks awesome so far. Love the Mickey statue and the Tiara looks great too! Thanks for sharing.*


----------



## Pinkocto

How fun to be getting out to DL so often! I know you're close but life often gets in the way. You need some fun interspersed in there  

Your Club 33 meal looked great! Here is one place that I would have found plenty to eat on the menu. Too bad it didn't live up to par  

Fun that you met up with Bret. 





franandaj said:


> Hmmmm.....why did I think you were flying in to John Wayne Airport.  Maybe if you're flying into LAX it would be better to stop on the way to the hotel.  You practically drive past our house on the way there.  The room won't be ready yet.  We should think about this.  Also you're only checking into PP for one night right?  it won't be critical to get there early and have a good view.  :



Well, I was hoping to fly into John Wayne but when I was ready to buy tickets they were $100 more each way. And I can do LAX as a nonstop. I don't like having to get a shuttle to the car rental but that was the downside. I'll be at PP for four nights, but I'm not worried about the view. No, I don't think the room would be ready that early anyway. I'm ok to stop on the way


----------



## mvf-m11c

I can understand why you are at Steakhouse 55 over Club 33 with the chef over at SH55. I will have to dine there one day and would do the Chef's Table.

The menu at Club 33 looks okay but not as good before the post renovation. The food looks appetizing that night.

I had a fun time last Sunday with you and Fran. It was nice to make a last second trip after Anime Expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center. I was thinking of not going on Sunday and only go part of the day on Monday until I head home that day. Anime Expo took a lot out of me. It didn't took too long to go through the queue of Star Tours that day.


----------



## rentayenta

I'm here, back, unpacked, and super behind! Had so fun with you.


----------



## ACDSNY

I'm finally caught up again.  That's great you're having so many DL meet ups.  I was amazed one member at Club 33 would think that was appropriate and then file a suit when the gig was up.  I could sure go for your Mississippi Molten Chocolate Cake right now.


----------



## dolphingirl47

franandaj said:


>



That looks really pretty.

Corinna


----------



## franandaj

Dis_Yoda said:


> That article is very interesting about the changes that were made to the club. I understand allowing others to have access to the club but its ashamed if they took so much of an advantage of it for 400 reservations a month!



It's one thing to make reservations for friends or even acquaintances, but 400 a month!!!!  That is clearly abuse.  And to think that the member is responsible for the behavior of their guests too!  No wonder they chose not to renew his membership!



Dis_Yoda said:


> That menu looks ok to me - I think I can figure something each course I would like but its also not a good thing if you aren't wow'd when you are spending that much per person.



That pretty much the point, not that there isn't a lot to choose from, I could have chosen two or three items from all the courses except the second.  My only complaint is that each of the times that I've eaten there I'm not thinking, "Wow!  I'm coming back for this!" or doing the Happy Food Dance as I take each bite.



Dis_Yoda said:


> That's crazy that there were only 4 tables taken at 7:30pm at night!



I know!  You would think that the place would be at least half full.



dizneeat said:


> I am all caught up here - again, FINALLY!  The end of the school year is to blame for my lack of posting.



Real life can do that to you!



dizneeat said:


> Have to add that I just adored your fireworks pics - they make me even more excited for next year. Your meal at Club 33 looks good, even though reading through the menu was not as exciting as I had hoped it to be.
> Some of your dishes looked VERY yummy though I have to ask and I would have loved to try your dessert.  Thanks for doing it for me.



Thanks!  I think a lot of people feel that way.  I don't know why it's like that. Sutton's other restaurant, Napa Rose, has lots of wonderful things that I would gladly go back and order over again.  Even the Plaza Inn, makes me do the Happy Food Dance. I just wish that this place had the same effect on me.  The dessert was very good!



dizneeat said:


> *The diamond merchandise looks awesome so far. Love the Mickey statue and the Tiara looks great too! Thanks for sharing.*



I'll have to post some of the items that we have picked up.  And they will have even more stuff on the actual day of the 60th Anniversary.



Pinkocto said:


> How fun to be getting out to DL so often! I know you're close but life often gets in the way. You need some fun interspersed in there



Yeah, it got in the way from March until Mid June.  Fran always feels guilty when we're not working, but I have to convince her that we need some fun. What good is life if we can't enjoy it?



Pinkocto said:


> Your Club 33 meal looked great! Here is one place that I would have found plenty to eat on the menu. Too bad it didn't live up to par



Don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad, it was nice, just not O.M.G. nice.



Pinkocto said:


> Fun that you met up with Bret.



It was nice to see him again, plus he gave me some good tips for capturing the parade on my camera.



Pinkocto said:


> Well, I was hoping to fly into John Wayne but when I was ready to buy tickets they were $100 more each way. And I can do LAX as a nonstop. I don't like having to get a shuttle to the car rental but that was the downside. I'll be at PP for four nights, but I'm not worried about the view. No, I don't think the room would be ready that early anyway. I'm ok to stop on the way



If your plane lands at 1:00PM, with picking up your luggage, and getting the rental car, it should take you about 40 minutes to get here at that time of day, so probably between 2:30 and 3:00PM.  I can give you the Nickel tour and make us something for dinner.


----------



## Flossbolna

Loved seeing the pictures from your meal and everything looked delicious to me. I also thought the menu sounded really good. What a shame that the taste was not as good as everything sets it up to be. One thing I noticed is that a lot of the dishes sound very contrived. As if there is too much going on in them. Sometimes simpler is better. I don't know why it falls flat compared with Napa Rose. Maybe the chef isn't there as much as is overseeing so many places and the delivery is off? Isn't Andrew Sutton responsible for the Carthay Circle as well?

I read that article you linked to and was quite in shock. I had read a bit about rule changes for Club 33 in the past, I think Mouseplanet (ok, my computer does not like that website and wants to autocorrect it into houseplant!! ) and Miceage have reported on it now and then and I read both of them for Disney news on and off. It was quite obvious that some of the rule changes were to curb abuse by members, but really that one person would be going so overboard with it is quite amazing!! I would have been embarrassed in his position.  But I guess there are always people who try to take advantage and in the end they spoil it for everyone...

It's great that you are getting more Disney time again! Living so close and with a profession where you don't have to adhere to strict office hours, it would be a shame if you did not use those freedoms! I know that some of your future plans include me and I am really looking forward to meeting you at DL!

I know that I owe you an email! Will write soon!


----------



## franandaj

mvf-m11c said:


> I can understand why you are at Steakhouse 55 over Club 33 with the chef over at SH55. I will have to dine there one day and would do the Chef's Table.
> 
> The menu at Club 33 looks okay but not as good before the post renovation. The food looks appetizing that night.



I definitely like the S55 menu better (even though I never order off the menu there!)



mvf-m11c said:


> I had a fun time last Sunday with you and Fran. It was nice to make a last second trip after Anime Expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center. I was thinking of not going on Sunday and only go part of the day on Monday until I head home that day. Anime Expo took a lot out of me. It didn't took too long to go through the queue of Star Tours that day.



I'm glad you were able to come down that night.  Not only was it fun to see you but I appreciated your tips with the camera, and the pictures I will post in my next update will hopefully show the pointers you gave me.



rentayenta said:


> I'm here, back, unpacked, and super behind! Had so fun with you.



Sometimes you have to chug!  



ACDSNY said:


> I'm finally caught up again. That's great you're having so many DL meet ups.



It is!  It seems that some years more people just flock to the parks, last year was slow, but the year before that and this year, I'm seeing a ton of DISers!



ACDSNY said:


> I was amazed one member at Club 33 would think that was appropriate and then file a suit when the gig was up.



I know, I knew about the suit, but until I read that article I had no idea that someone could abuse the system that much!



ACDSNY said:


> I could sure go for your Mississippi Molten Chocolate Cake right now.



That can also be ordered a la carte in the Lounge.... you're coming back this Fall, right?



dolphingirl47 said:


> That looks really pretty.
> 
> Corinna



Thank you!


----------



## rentayenta

Sometimes you do have to chug! 


And I have to say that Alison looks fabulous! I sent Michael the pic of us chugging and first thing he said was: Alison looks great. I'm so proud of you lady.


----------



## Flossbolna

Oh - and totally forgot to comment on your drink!! Is that a diamond ice cube in it? I had read about them, but I think this is the first picture I see of it! The glass looks so elegant and the diamond ice cube makes it even better! Was it tasty?


----------



## franandaj

Flossbolna said:


> Loved seeing the pictures from your meal and everything looked delicious to me. I also thought the menu sounded really good. What a shame that the taste was not as good as everything sets it up to be.



Looking at the different courses, I agree that it does look delicious, and I really wanted it to live up to the looks.



Flossbolna said:


> One thing I noticed is that a lot of the dishes sound very contrived. As if there is too much going on in them. Sometimes simpler is better.



I think you have hit it right on the head here.  At least that is what was going on in the sausage dish.  I would have never guessed that it was a lobster based sausage.  It could have been pork, chicken or calamari, the spices were so overpowering that the meat flavor did not come through at all.



Flossbolna said:


> I don't know why it falls flat compared with Napa Rose. Maybe the chef isn't there as much as is overseeing so many places and the delivery is off? Isn't Andrew Sutton responsible for the Carthay Circle as well?



Yes, Andrew Sutton also oversees Carthay.  We have eaten there twice and didn't really care for it as much as Napa Rose.  My two favorite dishes at Napa Rose are the Scallops with the Lobster sauce, and the Crying Tiger Salad.  As you pointed out above, they are both incredibly tasty, and generally simple.  The mushroom soup is also one of my favorites there.



Flossbolna said:


> I read that article you linked to and was quite in shock. I had read a bit about rule changes for Club 33 in the past, I think Mouseplanet (ok, my computer does not like that website and wants to autocorrect it into houseplant!! ) and Miceage have reported on it now and then and I read both of them for Disney news on and off. It was quite obvious that some of the rule changes were to curb abuse by members, but really that one person would be going so overboard with it is quite amazing!! I would have been embarrassed in his position.  But I guess there are always people who try to take advantage and in the end they spoil it for everyone...



I had heard rumors of people who were abusing the system, but I never imagined that it was so severe.  I could not even believe someone would go that far.  Like you said, I would have been embarrassed to be doing something that blatant.



Flossbolna said:


> It's great that you are getting more Disney time again! Living so close and with a profession where you don't have to adhere to strict office hours, it would be a shame if you did not use those freedoms! I know that some of your future plans include me and I am really looking forward to meeting you at DL!



Quite a few of those future plans include you!  But also quite a few others are coming, Jenny will be back the week before you arrive. We have two nights at the VGC for the actual 60th Anniversary, and some of the few 3D friends I have in town that like Disney and I are planning at day in 10 days.



Flossbolna said:


> I know that I owe you an email! Will write soon!



Looking forward to it!   



rentayenta said:


> Sometimes you do have to chug!



For those not understanding this "inside joke". All will be revealed when I post the update on the trip to DL with Jenny and her girls.



rentayenta said:


> And I have to say that Alison looks fabulous! I sent Michael the pic of us chugging and first thing he said was: Alison looks great. I'm so proud of you lady.







Flossbolna said:


> Oh - and totally forgot to comment on your drink!! Is that a diamond ice cube in it? I had read about them, but I think this is the first picture I see of it! The glass looks so elegant and the diamond ice cube makes it even better! Was it tasty?



That is the Diamond Martini.  It can be made with either Vodka or Gin, I choose Vodka. The funny thing is that it was on the old menu, and now it isn't on the new drink menu.  They still can make it though.  It's my favorite drink to get there, but if I ever have more than one, I will try one of the specialty drink on the new menu.


----------



## ACDSNY

Yes, I'm looking forward to my nice long vacation in the Fall, the DL portion will be 10/24 - 10/28, hopefully we can squeeze into your schedule.


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## franandaj

ACDSNY said:


> Yes, I'm looking forward to my nice long vacation in the Fall, the DL portion will be 10/24 - 10/28, hopefully we can squeeze into your schedule.



We get back from our cruise the day before you arrive so hopefully we can find a day to meet up during your time at DL.


----------



## ACDSNY

franandaj said:


> We get back from our cruise the day before you arrive so hopefully we can find a day to meet up during your time at DL.



Great.  I was thinking your cruise was really close to our trip.  Come on October for all of us!


----------



## mvf-m11c

franandaj said:


> I'm glad you were able to come down that night.  Not only was it fun to see you but I appreciated your tips with the camera, and the pictures I will post in my next update will hopefully show the pointers you gave me.



Your welcome. Even though it wasn't great tips but at least some of them helped you out that night. I will look forward to your pics from PtN.


----------



## PrincessInOz

That's one heck of a meal.  Looks delish from here.


----------



## afwdwfan

Well, I'm trying to catch up and I lost everything I tried to multi quote...

I'm sorry that you've had to cancel so many trips, but I'm jealous of all the time you're getting to spend at DL to enjoy the 60th celebration.

The Dinoco drink can looks cool!  And the cones look delicious.

I'm glad you get to check out Club 33 from time to time.  I'll have to check out that article about the downfall of Club 33 that you mentioned.  I'm definitely surprised that there was nobody there when you went, but I guess that's part of it being an exclusive club too.  Not everybody can go.


----------



## franandaj

ACDSNY said:


> Great.  I was thinking your cruise was really close to our trip.  Come on October for all of us!



Sort of....I have lots of great plans for the next four weeks, so I don't want those to go by too fast!  



mvf-m11c said:


> Your welcome. Even though it wasn't great tips but at least some of them helped you out that night. I will look forward to your pics from PtN.



I thought it was great tips!  My pictures came out pretty good, much better than the previous batch!



PrincessInOz said:


> That's one heck of a meal.  Looks delish from here.



It certainly looks delish, I just wish the flavor held up to how pretty everything looked.



afwdwfan said:


> Well, I'm trying to catch up and I lost everything I tried to multi quote...
> 
> I'm sorry that you've had to cancel so many trips, but I'm jealous of all the time you're getting to spend at DL to enjoy the 60th celebration.
> 
> The Dinoco drink can looks cool! And the cones look delicious.



I have to make up for the cancellations somehow, and since we have APs, it really only costs us food and souvenirs (and gas).  I want to get the other two cans as well.  I love that Chicken Chile Verde Cone, so tasty!



afwdwfan said:


> I'm glad you get to check out Club 33 from time to time. I'll have to check out that article about the downfall of Club 33 that you mentioned. I'm definitely surprised that there was nobody there when you went, but I guess that's part of it being an exclusive club too. Not everybody can go.



It's not quite the downfall of Club 33, it's more about how one member could bend the rules and push things so far that the other members had perks taken away and restrictions got imposed.  I've been there a number of times when the place was just hoppin', I'm not sure whey it's such a ghost town now.


----------



## franandaj

I'm going to try and completely re do this post


----------



## franandaj

Once we found Bret and our spot, we decided to get settled in.  I had brought a Tripod, but it was being very pesky.  It was my first time using it and while it conveniently could be carried in a nice little bag, it was probably my last time using it, as I had to fight with it to get it set up.

I couldn’t resist taking a picture of the Castle with the Partners statue right in front as we had such a perfect view.





And then we waited, but it didn’t take long and soon the parade was heading directly for us!





There was some talk of the music for the parade earlier on my thread, and I can thank Jenny’s daughter Chloe for that.  Most of the parade uses, “When Can I See You Again?” By Owl City from Wreck It Ralph.  The original MSEP theme is played over this song sort of like an obbligato as the initial parade floats pass by.


Spoiler: for those not musically inclined

An obbligato section; a prominent countermelody, often written to be played or sung above the principal theme (in a higher pitch range).


































Here are the figures from World of Color’s inaugural season.








[/URL
]

Monsters Inc was up next and I didn’t notice if the music changed here, but the doors here, were really cool as the images they displayed kept changing.

[URL=http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_0100.jpg.html]
	














Next up was Cars, and I think they played “Life is a Highway” by Rascal Flats.  Next time I see the parade, I’ll pay better attention.





















This time I was able to catch the Light Show on Mack

















I’m guessing that when Ariel and her bunch came along, they were playing “Under the Sea”, but again, I need to pay better attention.






















[Continued Next Post][/URL]


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## franandaj

[Continued from Previous Post]





Nemo makes a quick appearance here, and I think the music went back to the original song from Wreck It Ralph.





























By this point, I have no idea what music was playing. I want to say “Beauty and the Beast”, but I just don’t know.





























Then we get a few more princesses.

















What I didn’t notice (until Bret pointed it out) is that the Frozen float was missing from this parade.  Evidently something was malfunctioning on the float or Anna and Elsa caught a cold.  However, it didn’t affect my enjoyment of the parade, in fact I didn’t even notice until Bret pointed it out.

Now we are nearing the finale of the parade.









Here come the Fab Four

















And Mickey closes out the Parade, as it should be.






























That’s all folks!


----------



## Leshaface

franandaj said:


> I’ve been there every week, just about for the last three weeks, and I’m going to be there for two nights next week, another day trip the following week, and then in August I’m going at least five times. I don’t even know how many in September, so at least I’m going to make up for the last few months of Disney deprivation!



 So jealous!!!



franandaj said:


>



This is awesome!



franandaj said:


> I hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast (which was just a small bowl of cereal) and was trying to hold out until dinner, but I was starting to feel faint.



 There's no way I could do that.  First, being at Disneyland and NOT eating is just hard.  But there's no way, I would have been very faint by early afternoon!




franandaj said:


>



Did she like it?  I would try this.



franandaj said:


>



This looks amazing!  And that's really cool that you're able to partake in Disney food while still maintaining your diet



franandaj said:


>



I saw this on Bret's TR and loved it!  It's reusable right??  I need one.  



franandaj said:


> The server did tell us that holiday weekends in the summer usually have low attendance for dinner



Wow, i'd think that would be the busiest time!



franandaj said:


> The Man Who Turned Club 33 Upside Down” this explains a LOT about what has been going with Club 33.



I just read it!  Good grief



franandaj said:


>



This looks delish!

Sorry that dinner was just okay. 



franandaj said:


>



Woah. I bet this was kind of nice though!



franandaj said:


> Fran skipped the Cheese Course.



How does one skip a cheese course   But more for you



franandaj said:


>



I always get so excited when I see honeycomb on the cheese menu   like stupid, excited 



franandaj said:


>







franandaj said:


> It was my first time using it and while it conveniently could be carried in a nice little bag, it was probably my last time using it, as I had to fight with it to get it set up.



Haven't you used a tripod before for shots?  I could have sworn you've set one up either at DLR or WDW



franandaj said:


> “When Can I See You Again?” By Owl City from Wreck It Ralph.



I love this song!  I just recently got to rewatch Wreck it Ralph over our road trip (I packed it for DS with the intent that it was mainly me that was going to watch it ) and the song got stuck in my head.



franandaj said:


>



Love when you catch them looking directly at you.


----------



## dolphingirl47

franandaj said:


>



That photo is absolutely stunning.



franandaj said:


> It was my first time using it and while it conveniently could be carried in a nice little bag, it was probably my last time using it, as I had to fight with it to get it set up.



What a pain that the tripod was so difficult to set up.



franandaj said:


> By this point, I have no idea what music was playing. I want to say “Beauty and the Beast”, but I just don’t know.



I think you are right. I just heard a short section of the soundtrack from Paint the Night and there was definitely Beauty and the Beast in there.

I really hope that I get to see Paint the Night. With it being off season in September, I am worried that this will only be shown on weekends.

Corinna


----------



## mvf-m11c

It was difficult to set up that tripod that night where it did took a while to get the legs extended and then we had trouble folding it back up. 

Your pictures from Paint the Night turned out really good. I did say that using lower ISO will affect the shots with the performers that are not on the float as well as on Main Street. The float shots are not that bright and this is good not to use high ISO and still have fast shutter speed. The characters on the floats turned out really well and clear. I had a fun time watching the parade with you and Fran that night and glad that the tips helped you during your shooting of PtN.

I also videotaped the show from that night and here is my video of Paint the Night 7/5/15 at 11pm.


----------



## ACDSNY

Great shots Alison of the castle and PTN parade.  I guess the Frozen float was frozen in place that day and didn't thaw out in time for the parade.


----------



## skier_pete

I had previously read that article about Club 33...it was very interesting, but I don't really understand how things got so out of hand such that Disney had to change the rules for everyone. It a shame when someone abuses the system to that extent, but I don't understand how Disney couldn't just ban the person. It's a private club after all, and abuse of privileges seems like a perfectly valid reason to drop a membership. 

It seemed like you weren't all that impressed with the meal, but it looked pretty good to me! Of course I would just be excited to be there! I would definitely have no problem finding stuff off that menu, but I am an adventurous eater that will try anything as long as its not raw. 

Paint the Night looks like a great parade. How far in advance did you have to stake a spot to try and get a decent view of it? We are only two days away from booking our (hopefully) DVC stay at VGC next February - 1-bedrooms still available - cross fingers! - and this is probably the first piece of lots of advice I will be asking from you! I am hoping they will still be running the parade in February. I noticed LAST February both Fantasmic and WoC were down at that time, and of the two, I would be seriously bummed if we don't get to see WoC. I also really hope to get to see PtN and the new fireworks show. Your pictures really make me want to see it. I miss Spectromagic at WDW, MSEP just doesn't cut it for me.


----------



## dgbg100106

Alison, all the shots are great and you are getting better all the time.  

Club 33 was always on my bucket list, but with the tightened rules, I guess that will not happen!  Oh well, I will live.

I glad to hear that you are enjoying SH55, do you think the Restaurant Manager is hearing and seeing the decline?  Do you think they will do a better job with the chef and the menu?


----------



## Paula Sedley-Burke

Just catching up. Love the photos if the light parade. I just adored the Beauty and the Beast float. Nice you meet up with Brett and you are no stranger to the gates of DL at the moment. 

I love that souvernir mug! Those cones treats look delightful. I thought when you said going for cones an ice cream would be on the menu. How neat to have a savoury option. 

Shame about menu changes at Club 33. But good you gave it another try. Always hard to know what to do with somewhere that is ok but doesn't set the sky alight. We have have had that dissapointment at places too. 

I hope all is well with Fran at the moment and you of course.


----------



## rentayenta

Great shots Alison!


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

franandaj said:


> Unfortunately we have not been impressed which is why you find us raving about Steakhouse 55 where the former chef from Club 33 now dazzles us with his creations.



Well, that stinks.  I wonder if Disney has noticed.



franandaj said:


> I got my Chicken Chile Verde cone, which is very tasty and as long as I don’t eat the cone, it’s on my eating program!







franandaj said:


> They have replaced the souvenir cone cups with Dinoco oil can cups, so we couldn’t resist.



Love it! I think the Dinoco cups are kinda cool, actually.



franandaj said:


> We were seated at a table in the middle of the room, and I was astonished that at 7:30 there were only three other tables occupied.



 Surely they would notice that!  I wonder if Steakhouse 55 was full at the same time.



franandaj said:


> She ate everything, but she did agree that it didn’t have that WOW! Factor.



Well, it's not like there was a 50/50 Burger on the menu.



franandaj said:


> The rest of the stuff on the plate was just weird. I tried both the yellow stuff (I think that was the corn flan) and the green stuff and they were just slimy and strange tasting.



And people wonder why I don't trust "gourmet" meals.  If I can't identify it, I ain't eating it. 



franandaj said:


> By this time Fantasmic had started. It was about 9:15 and we had the entire restaurant to ourselves.



 



franandaj said:


> After all that food and wine, what did I do? Went on Big Thunder Mountain of Course!



Excellent choice!


----------



## jedijill

Dinner looked great, I'm sorry you didn't enjoy it more!

Have fun with all your Dismeets over the next few weeks!  You deserve it!  Hope Fran is feeling better.

Jill in CO


----------



## ShellB8585

Hi Alison,

Haven't been on here a lot recently so just catching up and I am loving your DL updates! we are going for our second time in October and I cannot wait. I just wanted to say I love this picture in particular


franandaj said:


>



Thank you for sharing with us you're making me even more excited for our upcoming trip


----------



## MEK

Caught up again.  

Your meal at 33 looks amazing.  Sorry that some of the courses did not have the wow factor.  Boo!  I can't believe how empty the restaurant was.  

Outstanding pictures of the parade.  Just lovely.  That parade really looks amazing!  Wow...just Wow!  

So, I have nailed down two weeks next May to do the crash California road tour starting in San Francisco and ending in San Diego.  There will obviously be several nights in DL - I am hoping for 3 total.  We are traveling with another couple so its all about negotiation, but if my estimates are correct we should be there around May 16-18, 2016!  Very excited!!!!!!!  Any suggestions you have for touring California would be appreciated.  We are visiting San Fran, Napa, Yosemite, Caramel and the Pacific highway, DL, and San Diego.


----------



## PrincessInOz

What a fantastic position!

Great shots of the parade.  Wish I could see it.


----------



## Pinkocto

franandaj said:


> Yeah, it got in the way from March until Mid June.  Fran always feels guilty when we're not working, but I have to convince her that we need some fun. What good is life if we can't enjoy it?



Exactly!  



franandaj said:


> If your plane lands at 1:00PM, with picking up your luggage, and getting the rental car, it should take you about 40 minutes to get here at that time of day, so probably between 2:30 and 3:00PM.  I can give you the Nickel tour and make us something for dinner.



Sounds good to me   I just saw that they posted the Halloween parties, and one is on the 14th, I'm thinking of doing that.  But there's plenty of time to see you and Fran and get over to the resort.  And I was able to snag VGC for the night of the 14th, which I'm over the moon about!  

I have to come back and read your update.


----------



## afwdwfan

franandaj said:


> It was my first time using it and while it conveniently could be carried in a nice little bag, it was probably my last time using it, as I had to fight with it to get it set up.


 Well, it was a good idea, anyway.



franandaj said:


> I couldn’t resist taking a picture of the Castle with the Partners statue right in front as we had such a perfect view.


Awesome view!  Great picture. 



franandaj said:


> This time I was able to catch the Light Show on Mack


Cool!  I'm glad it worked out better this time.



franandaj said:


> Anna and Elsa caught a cold


  Ok, that just cracked me up. 

I'm sorry you missed A&E the second time around... or rather maybe you didn't exactly miss them.  But great pictures.  It kind of cracked me up seeing all your comments about not remembering the song playing at different points during the parade.  I'd expect more from a musician!!!


----------



## franandaj

I'm going to apologize here for not getting to replies before posting this update, but we're packing up to head back out to Disneyland for two nights and I have this update all ready to go so I thought I would post it, and I will try to get back to replies as soon as we return, if not on my phone while waiting in line or waiting on something else!

Our next trip to the parks was only two days later than the previous one posted, but I think a little life update is in order before we move on to that day.  I think the last time I updated, we were wrapping up the second apartment trying to get it ready for the contractor and the band was moving out of our old home. Both of those items have been completed.  

The Band as already had a rehearsal at the new place.  There are two types of music that need to be filed, and I am on the letter “T” of the Concert Band music.  Once I get that finished, I’ll hold a “File the Marching Band Music” party to get the rest of that done, and so I don’t have to do it all alone.

Fran has been getting over her cold. The arthritis drugs seem to be working, and now our biggest challenge is getting the rest of our stuff out of apartment #1.  I’ve already taken two “Expedition loads” to storage, but it hasn’t even made a dent in what we still have left.  I guess we need to just keep plugging forward.  Writing TRs and going to Disneyland doesn’t help, but it does give me a bit of an outlet in between the days of hard work. So for now, we just move ahead as best we can.  Which I guess means essentially, “just keep swimming.”

With respect to Apartment #2, the contractor has been working for almost a month, and we hope that they will have everything all wrapped up within less than a week.  The painting is all done, they are installing tile in the kitchen and bathroom this week. The appliances can go back in the kitchen, faucets installed, etc. By the time Disneyland’s 60th Anniversary has come and gone, there should be carpeting installed.  And all that will be left is to put up the blinds and clean the place. Last Monday we met Jenny and her kids at the apartment, and they saw the progress on the place.  Everything should be ready for when they arrive to move in at the end of the month.

And one last thing, we finally pulled the plug on our airline tickets to Memphis for our Mississippi River Cruise.  We ended up booking a one way ticket on American with Airline miles.  We were hoping to hold out for Southwest to release their flight information for the last half of March, but I started to get nervous, and besides for the months preceding March there were no flights that would get us into Memphis before 9PM.  The American flight we booked leaves LAX at 5:00AM and arrives in Dallas at 10AM.  Then we leave Dallas at noon and arrive in Memphis around 2:00PM. My research tells me that it will take about an hour to get to the hotel once we pick up our bags, so that will put us at the hotel in just enough time to grab an early dinner and go to bed.

So back to the Trip Report.  We met in the lobby of the Grand Californian and decided on Radiator Springs Racers as our first ride, while Fran decided to go shopping for DL 60th Anniversary merchandise and check on an item that she had seen on Sunday at the Disneyana store. On the way to RSR, Jenny insisted that we get Margaritas!  Who am I to argue?





We got into the FP line with our margaritas, thinking that we had plenty of time. I mean the line for RSR is notoriously long, how could we not have plenty of time?  However, things moved quickly and soon we found ourselves in the line which merges with the regular queue on our way to being placed in our own race car.  Soon we began chugging our margaritas.





We were chugging them all the way up to the part where they sort you into lines for your cars.  The cast member finally had to pry the cups out of our grubby little hands, and we both got brain freezes trying to finish those margaritas!

We talked about our next ride, and I really had only thing that I wanted to do.  It has been years since I rode the train and after Andy talked about the Dinosaurs I really wanted to see them again.

The only problem was that I wanted to take pictures, and Fran had the DSLR camera. By this time she had moved from the Disneyana Store to the Disney Showcase.  They had some super cute items that I couldn’t resist.  This T-shirt.





A toothpick holder.  C’mon, who are we kidding? We all know it’s a shot glass.





I got this hat.





Jenny had to convince Fran to get this hat and tell her that it wasn’t too blingy.





We had been eyeing these sets of Truffles since our visit in June, and finally broke down and got them.

























And a few other little trinkets we admired.





The store was decked out for the 60th as well.









We left Fran in the store sure that she was plenty capable of making the purchases, and headed off to the Train Station.





After a short wait we were able to board the second train that came by, we had to split up into two groups, but we were seated and didn’t have to wait until the next train.





On another TR there was some discussion about how fast the train goes.  All I can say is that I’m not posting any pictures that I took from the train because it went so fast that most of my pictures came out blurry.  I have a feeling though that it goes a little bit slower through the Grand Canyon and Primeval World, which was my goal on this train trip.  Enjoy





































After our trip back in time, we were all famished and decided it was time to head to our chosen Dinner Spot, the Plaza Inn.  How can anyone resist this tasty Cobb Salad, it has bacon and blue cheese!





The fabulous Fried chicken!  Now after my not so satisfying meal of the other night.  This meal had me doing my Happy Food Dance and digging for more until I was stuffed!





Unfortunately this cake looked better than it tasted, and the little diamond on top was hollow white chocolate.





Fran also got this souvenir mug with her soda, they actually gave her a paper cup so that she didn’t need to run around the park with a dirty cup.





We lingered at our table for a while before heading over to our spot for the fireworks.  It was so much fun just sitting and chatting with Jenny and Gabby. The other two girls ran off to ride Star Tours.

Next up more Fireworks!


----------



## jedijill

What a fun day!  Love your 60th merchandise.  Those truffles look a-maz-ing!

Jill in CO


----------



## Pinkocto

Great update!  Fun 60th purchases  

Oh my about chugging frozen drinks, brain freezes are the worst!  

I absolutely loved all your parade pictures!  I look forward to that.  

Great that you managed a train ride


----------



## dolphingirl47

Looks like you are having a really busy, but productive time. I love all the photos of the 60th anniversary merchandise. I am going to have such a hard time to resist all those treasures. Apart from two of the Disney Dooneys, I am trying to restrict myself to a pin and a sweatshirt. I love that souvenir cup. I am glad that you managed to ride the train. I had to smile about the line at Radiator Springs Racers moving quicker than you had anticipated. Brain freeze however is no fun.

Corinna


----------



## Leshaface

franandaj said:


> Fran has been getting over her cold. The arthritis drugs seem to be working



So glad to hear this!



franandaj said:


> Last Monday we met Jenny and her kids at the apartment, and they saw the progress on the place. Everything should be ready for when they arrive to move in at the end of the month.



Uh, I must have missed this.  Is Jenny's daughter the one moving into the apartment?! 



franandaj said:


> We were hoping to hold out for Southwest to release their flight information for the last half of March, but I started to get nervous



I hate that they release them so late too.  They release the last half of March/early April on August 11 if you're able to cancel your AA flight if it's cheaper through SW 



franandaj said:


> Jenny insisted that we get Margaritas! Who am I to argue?



She is one smart cookie.



franandaj said:


> Soon we began chugging our margaritas.



The only proper way to drink Margs of course



franandaj said:


>



I love this!



franandaj said:


> A toothpick holder. C’mon, who are we kidding? We all know it’s a shot glass.







franandaj said:


>



The Pistachio and Strawberry one sounds interesting.  And all the others, i'd of course down in no time.



franandaj said:


> The fabulous Friend chicken!



Which friend did you fry?!

You always get the fried chicken, i'm going to have to give it another try sometime.  I remember ordering it years ago, BC (before calvin ) and I shared it with DM.  



franandaj said:


>



That is way cool!


----------



## franandaj

Well folks, we've been out here at DLR for a little over 12 hours, we've shopped till we dropped, even caused a fraud alert with the credit card company!   rode a ride, ate enchiladas like there was no tomorrow and enjoyed my share of adult beverages.  Tomorrow is the real 60th and we plan on being line for baggage check by 6:30AM so that we can for sure make the castle show at 10AM and get the free cupcakes!  But while I wind down I thought I would do a few replies!



Leshaface said:


> So jealous!!!



I know you have a life in the Central Valley, but you really need to come back down here!



Leshaface said:


> This is awesome!



We need to get him out of his box and in a cabinet!



Leshaface said:


> There's no way I could do that. First, being at Disneyland and NOT eating is just hard. But there's no way, I would have been very faint by early afternoon!



That's how I've been losing my weight.  Small breakfast, don't eat until dinner.  Not healthy, but it's working for me.



Leshaface said:


> Did she like it? I would try this.



She did like it better than mine.



Leshaface said:


> This looks amazing! And that's really cool that you're able to partake in Disney food while still maintaining your diet



This cone is so good!  I love it!  Even with them having a Mac and Cheese Cone, I'm happy to get the "on program" one because it is really tasty!



Leshaface said:


> saw this on Bret's TR and loved it! It's reusable right?? I need one.



I haven't figured out how to get the lid off.  I rinsed it out through the straw hole, but someone said that you can get it open, but it's really hard.



Leshaface said:


> Wow, i'd think that would be the busiest time!



I would too, but evidently not.



Leshaface said:


> I just read it! Good grief



I know.  I had no idea someone would go to such lengths!



Leshaface said:


> This looks delish!
> 
> Sorry that dinner was just okay.



The amuse bouche was really good, I was hoping that the rest of the meal would be as good, it wasn't bad.  But it was like the others, just not "wow" inspiring.  Like I've said there are "wow" dishes at Napa Rose, why don't they have things like that at the club?  Or do I just not like New Orleans cuisine?  We'll find out next March when we go there.



Leshaface said:


> Woah. I bet this was kind of nice though!



It was kind of cool to be the only ones in there.  I didn't feel self conscious getting up to watch F! or the fireworks, but I felt bad for the staff who wasn't working because no one was there.



Leshaface said:


> How does one skip a cheese course  But more for you



She would have received a plate just like I had if she had ordered it, I had that all to myself.



Leshaface said:


> I always get so excited when I see honeycomb on the cheese menu  like stupid, excited



The honeycomb was really really good!  I think that's one of my favorite things about the meals there is that they have honeycomb on the cheese course!



Leshaface said:


> Haven't you used a tripod before for shots? I could have sworn you've set one up either at DLR or WDW



I have only used the tripod at band concerts and that was for the video camera.  I haven't used it at Disney for any of my shots.  Remember it was just last April that I started to get back into playing with the ISO, F-stop and shutter speed after not having done it since the 7th or 8th grade?  And back then you had to use a light meter because you actually had to develop your film before you knew what your pictures looked like!    Now you can adjust on the fly, which is an incredible luxury!



Leshaface said:


> I love this song! I just recently got to rewatch Wreck it Ralph over our road trip (I packed it for DS with the intent that it was mainly me that was going to watch it ) and the song got stuck in my head.



I've found that I like this song too, but haven't found much use for it other than it drones on in my head over and over again.



Leshaface said:


> Love when you catch them looking directly at you.



I think she was just looking in my general direction.  I was too far away for her to have actually seen me.



dolphingirl47 said:


> That photo is absolutely stunning.



Thanks!  



dolphingirl47 said:


> What a pain that the tripod was so difficult to set up.



Yeah, in fact it is still in my living room not completely torn down.



dolphingirl47 said:


> I think you are right. I just heard a short section of the soundtrack from Paint the Night and there was definitely Beauty and the Beast in there.
> 
> I really hope that I get to see Paint the Night. With it being off season in September, I am worried that this will only be shown on weekends.



I'm sure you will, they have invested so much in that parade that they will be showing it for a long long time, and they need to show it two times a night so that it can "get back home".



mvf-m11c said:


> It was difficult to set up that tripod that night where it did took a while to get the legs extended and then we had trouble folding it back up.



I know.  Jeez it was a pain in the a**,  I still haven't bothered to put it back into it's bag.



mvf-m11c said:


> Your pictures from Paint the Night turned out really good. I did say that using lower ISO will affect the shots with the performers that are not on the float as well as on Main Street. The float shots are not that bright and this is good not to use high ISO and still have fast shutter speed. The characters on the floats turned out really well and clear. I had a fun time watching the parade with you and Fran that night and glad that the tips helped you during your shooting of PtN.



I think I got a good balance between the various characters on the street vs the floats.  You were right, I didn't need nearly as high an ISO for the floats as the characters on the street.



mvf-m11c said:


> I also videotaped the show from that night and here is my video of Paint the Night 7/5/15 at 11pm.



Thanks for posting this!  I was able to watch it again and I was definitely wrong on some of the music, but right on some of the others!


----------



## Paula Sedley-Burke

Save yourself time Alison don't comment on my post. I don't mind just enjoy DL. That is great you are up to filling T with the groups music. With schools on holiday there must be somebodies child to exploit for a box of candy! 

I am pleased to hear that Fran is responding to her drugs and the cold is improving. Yeah to apartment 2 being 1 week from finishing. I think it's great you called it on your flight tickets. We do that too. Why make snow in winter. There is enough stress raining down on us if you can remove a variable grab it! 

Your day in DL with Jenny looks fun. I had that brain freeze experience with Butterbeer in Harry Potter. Line was nowhere near as long as I thought. It felt like I was wearing one of those old goldfish bowl type helmelts they use to use for diving. 

I love the merchadise! Great hats. Love the truffles oh my they would make wonderful gifts. How nice they give you a paper cup so you don't spoil your souvenir cup.

I just adore the 60th Anni display. I would love to know if they auction those of after. I wonder if you have a store in LA like Theme Park Design is it in Orlando. I can imagine that sign at your house! Ssshhh don't tell Fran she will go bid on it.


----------



## jedijill

Have a wonderful time today!  Tell DL happy Birthday from me!  I'm super jealous!


Jill in CO


----------



## Leshaface

franandaj said:


> even caused a fraud alert with the credit card company!



That means it was a successful shopping day! 



franandaj said:


> I know you have a life in the Central Valley, but you really need to come back down here!



What life are you talking about that I don't know of?!But we've been talking about the next time we can get down there just yesterday.  Dan's parents are trying to take their immediately family and grandkids (about 9 not including us 3) down in October for the October birthdays so we may be headed down there.  BUT because my SIL wants to take my nephew for his first time in December, DH was thinking it may just be best to purchase AP's    It's been at least 5 years since I was an AP holder.  



franandaj said:


> That's how I've been losing my weight. Small breakfast, don't eat until dinner. Not healthy, but it's working for me.



A few weeks back I was reading about Intermittent Fasting on a body building website, where you eat for 8 hours and fast for 16.  So if you start eating at Noon, you must stop at 8pm and start over again the next day.  And you don't eat less during that 8 hour period, you still eat healthily and what you would normally eat.   It's very new to me so i'm not sure about scientific studies or anything about how safe it is, but I guess it's worked for lots of people.  This sounds like something that you could possibly look into?


----------



## PrincessInOz

Looks like great progress with real life.  #2 seems to be moving right along, the band filing appears to be getting there.....and you're getting through #1 as well.  Great job!

What a fun update at DLR.  Love the D60 merchandise and I hope you have a great time with the celebrations!


----------



## franandaj

ACDSNY said:


> Great shots Alison of the castle and PTN parade.  I guess the Frozen float was frozen in place that day and didn't thaw out in time for the parade.







********** said:


> I had previously read that article about Club 33...it was very interesting, but I don't really understand how things got so out of hand such that Disney had to change the rules for everyone. It a shame when someone abuses the system to that extent, but I don't understand how Disney couldn't just ban the person. It's a private club after all, and abuse of privileges seems like a perfectly valid reason to drop a membership.



That's how Disney does things.  They never single out a person (unless they have absolute evidence against them, like the sexual predators they have arrested at the parks, and people skimming credit card numbers, etc) for fear of a lawsuit.  In the few times that they have gone to court they have been pretty assured that they will win.



********** said:


> It seemed like you weren't all that impressed with the meal, but it looked pretty good to me! Of course I would just be excited to be there! I would definitely have no problem finding stuff off that menu, but I am an adventurous eater that will try anything as long as its not raw.



In pictures it looked really good to me too.  I probably have a pretty high standard and unless something makes me dance in my chair (when I'm paying that much), I can be disappointed.  Spoiler Alert:  I will have a different review/opinion in the near future.



********** said:


> Paint the Night looks like a great parade. How far in advance did you have to stake a spot to try and get a decent view of it? We are only two days away from booking our (hopefully) DVC stay at VGC next February - 1-bedrooms still available - cross fingers! - and this is probably the first piece of lots of advice I will be asking from you! I am hoping they will still be running the parade in February. I noticed LAST February both Fantasmic and WoC were down at that time, and of the two, I would be seriously bummed if we don't get to see WoC. I also really hope to get to see PtN and the new fireworks show. Your pictures really make me want to see it. I miss Spectromagic at WDW, MSEP just doesn't cut it for me.



I'm sorry you didn't get into the VGC initially, but hopefully the waitlist pixiedust will come through for you!  Maybe I should have booked a 1 bedroom, so that I could cancel and you could snatch it up!



dgbg100106 said:


> Alison, all the shots are great and you are getting better all the time.



Thanks!  



dgbg100106 said:


> Club 33 was always on my bucket list, but with the tightened rules, I guess that will not happen! Oh well, I will live.



You never know what can happen.  



dgbg100106 said:


> I glad to hear that you are enjoying SH55, do you think the Restaurant Manager is hearing and seeing the decline? Do you think they will do a better job with the chef and the menu?



I don't think so.  It might have to do with the decline in Cosgrove guests and they are writing it off to that.  There are plenty of people who seem to still enjoy the place, I just don't like the regular menu.  I think Magdalene (Flossbolna) hit it on the head, it is too contrived and too many things going on.  As you will see soon, simpler is better!



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> Just catching up. Love the photos if the light parade. I just adored the Beauty and the Beast float. Nice you meet up with Brett and you are no stranger to the gates of DL at the moment.



It is nice that we are getting out there often, unfortunately it is most definitely draining our bank account!  



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> I love that souvernir mug! Those cones treats look delightful. I thought when you said going for cones an ice cream would be on the menu. How neat to have a savoury option.



There are five cones, one has ice cream, one has the Chili cone carne, there is the Popcone, the one that has a cone with pretzel bites and one has churro bites.  So three are savory and two are sweet!



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> Shame about menu changes at Club 33. But good you gave it another try. Always hard to know what to do with somewhere that is ok but doesn't set the sky alight. We have have had that dissapointment at places too.



We will continue to give it a try, I'm not sure if that constitutes the definition of insanity, "doing the same thing over and over, hoping for a different result".  But we are hopeful that someday we will like the food there.



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> I hope all is well with Fran at the moment and you of course.



We are good other than the fact that she over did it again this "weekend" and is napping in bed while I have been shopping, working on dinner and deleting files from our overloaded media cards.  We had pictures from 2013 left on one of the cards!  LOL!


----------



## franandaj

rentayenta said:


> Great shots Alison!



Thanks!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Well, that stinks. I wonder if Disney has noticed.



If they have, I'm not sure that they care.



Captain_Oblivious said:


>



I love that cone, it's one of my favorite things to eat since I don't have to feel guilty!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Love it! I think the Dinoco cups are kinda cool, actually.



I like them too!  I want one of each!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Surely they would notice that! I wonder if Steakhouse 55 was full at the same time.



You would think, but since S55 is public and the Club is private they can attribute it to that.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Well, it's not like there was a 50/50 Burger on the menu.



Yeah, if you really pushed it, you could probably get a couple of these, look in the left hand side of the picture, but they aren't 50/50.







Captain_Oblivious said:


> And people wonder why I don't trust "gourmet" meals. If I can't identify it, I ain't eating it.



In this case, I am with you!



Captain_Oblivious said:


>



We were shocked, but kind of enjoyed the freedom!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Excellent choice!



Probably not for my stomach though.  



jedijill said:


> Dinner looked great, I'm sorry you didn't enjoy it more!



If our eyes were our tastebuds, it would have been great!



jedijill said:


> Have fun with all your Dismeets over the next few weeks! You deserve it! Hope Fran is feeling better.



I still have a few more weeks, but we actually had some 3D friend meets that took us off guard this "weekend".



ShellB8585 said:


> Haven't been on here a lot recently so just catching up and I am loving your DL updates! we are going for our second time in October and I cannot wait. I just wanted to say I love this picture in particular



I'm glad you are enjoying the updates.  When is your trip?  Maybe we can meet up and say "Hi!"



ShellB8585 said:


> Thank you for sharing with us you're making me even more excited for our upcoming trip



I'm glad I can help with the excitement!



MEK said:


> Caught up again.
> 
> Your meal at 33 looks amazing. Sorry that some of the courses did not have the wow factor. Boo! I can't believe how empty the restaurant was.



As I have said, if we ate with our eyes, it would have been incredible.  However, my taste buds didn't agree!  It was a little weird to have the place so empty, but we dealt with it.



MEK said:


> Outstanding pictures of the parade. Just lovely. That parade really looks amazing! Wow...just Wow!



The parade is amazing!  We saw it from yet another angle this time and it was even more incredible!



MEK said:


> So, I have nailed down two weeks next May to do the crash California road tour starting in San Francisco and ending in San Diego. There will obviously be several nights in DL - I am hoping for 3 total. We are traveling with another couple so its all about negotiation, but if my estimates are correct we should be there around May 16-18, 2016! Very excited!!!!!!!



That's good to know, I'll put it in my calendar and maybe we can arrange a meet up!



MEK said:


> Any suggestions you have for touring California would be appreciated. We are visiting San Fran, Napa, Yosemite, Caramel and the Pacific highway, DL, and San Diego.



First of I would not call it "San Fran" nor "Frisco".  Locals call it "The City", I haven't been to Napa in over 15 years, and never to Yosemite, but I have only eaten Caramel, but if you're going to Carmel rotfl2, I saw something on either Triple D or another travel channel show where they recommended an awesome seafood place.  DL I could go on forever.  Not sure how far you are going down PCH, but I know a bit of it.  San Diego, I know some, we have a few favorite places.


----------



## franandaj

Pinkocto said:


> Exactly!



I just wish it wasn't so hard to convince her to have fun.  She wasn't like this 18 or so years ago....



Pinkocto said:


> Sounds good to me  I just saw that they posted the Halloween parties, and one is on the 14th, I'm thinking of doing that. But there's plenty of time to see you and Fran and get over to the resort. And I was able to snag VGC for the night of the 14th, which I'm over the moon about!
> 
> I have to come back and read your update.



Hmmmm...the party starts at 4PM so I guess we could hang out for a few and then you could be on your way.  Whatever you like, it's up to you.  I don't want to stop you from what you want to do....


----------



## franandaj

dolphingirl47 said:


> Looks like you are having a really busy, but productive time. I love all the photos of the 60th anniversary merchandise. I am going to have such a hard time to resist all those treasures. Apart from two of the Disney Dooneys, I am trying to restrict myself to a pin and a sweatshirt. I love that souvenir cup. I am glad that you managed to ride the train. I had to smile about the line at Radiator Springs Racers moving quicker than you had anticipated. Brain freeze however is no fun.
> 
> Corinna



Fran picked up a hoodie sweatshirt that night while I was riding around on the train.  I had her jacket in my bag and she was getting cold, at least that was her excuse.  We had a good laugh about the line at RSR, it never goes fast enough when you want it to, but when you are counting on it to be slow, it never is!



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> Save yourself time Alison don't comment on my post. I don't mind just enjoy DL. That is great you are up to filling T with the groups music. With schools on holiday there must be somebodies child to exploit for a box of candy!



What fun would it be if I didn't comment on your post!



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> I am pleased to hear that Fran is responding to her drugs and the cold is improving. Yeah to apartment 2 being 1 week from finishing. I think it's great you called it on your flight tickets. We do that too. Why make snow in winter. There is enough stress raining down on us if you can remove a variable grab it!



We still have our return flight to book, but I'm not as concerned about that one.  We can always take a later flight home, oh darn, more time in New Orleans!



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> Your day in DL with Jenny looks fun. I had that brain freeze experience with Butterbeer in Harry Potter. Line was nowhere near as long as I thought. It felt like I was wearing one of those old goldfish bowl type helmelts they use to use for diving.



Yeah, brain freeze is no fun.



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> I love the merchadise! Great hats. Love the truffles oh my they would make wonderful gifts. How nice they give you a paper cup so you don't spoil your souvenir cup.



The truffles were delicious.



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> I just adore the 60th Anni display. I would love to know if they auction those of after. I wonder if you have a store in LA like Theme Park Design is it in Orlando. I can imagine that sign at your house! Ssshhh don't tell Fran she will go bid on it.



No, there isn't a Theme Park Connection in LA, I wish there was.



jedijill said:


> Have a wonderful time today!  Tell DL happy Birthday from me!  I'm super jealous!
> 
> Jill in CO



It was a fun day, different than most trips to DL, but fun.



Leshaface said:


> That means it was a successful shopping day!



Totally!



Leshaface said:


> What life are you talking about that I don't know of?!But we've been talking about the next time we can get down there just yesterday. Dan's parents are trying to take their immediately family and grandkids (about 9 not including us 3) down in October for the October birthdays so we may be headed down there. BUT because my SIL wants to take my nephew for his first time in December, DH was thinking it may just be best to purchase AP's   It's been at least 5 years since I was an AP holder.



Well you have a family up there, people to celebrate the holidays, have parties and barbeques and fun stuff like that.  I would consider that a life.  We have a pretty much solitary life, the two of us celebrate things with just the two of us.  There are the rare occasions that my parents come visit, but it's not the same as family close by.

Congrats on the APs!  I hope you can make a lot of trips down here!



Leshaface said:


> A few weeks back I was reading about Intermittent Fasting on a body building website, where you eat for 8 hours and fast for 16. So if you start eating at Noon, you must stop at 8pm and start over again the next day. And you don't eat less during that 8 hour period, you still eat healthily and what you would normally eat. It's very new to me so i'm not sure about scientific studies or anything about how safe it is, but I guess it's worked for lots of people. This sounds like something that you could possibly look into?



That's almost what I do, except that I am eating less during the 8 hour period.  I pretty much have breakfast between 10:30 and noon, and then I have dinner around 7 or 8PM.  I'm not a snacker or a sweets person, but the calorie problem for me is pasta and wine.  Now that I can't eat real pasta, wine is the problem!



PrincessInOz said:


> Looks like great progress with real life. #2 seems to be moving right along, the band filing appears to be getting there.....and you're getting through #1 as well. Great job!



Well, not really getting on with #1, but at least the other two are coming along.



PrincessInOz said:


> What a fun update at DLR. Love the D60 merchandise and I hope you have a great time with the celebrations!



We had a great time and are now recovering at home.


----------



## rentayenta

How in the friggedy frack did I miss this update?

I didn't know Fran bought the truffles too. :cloud: Love both the hats!

I am mad I didn't get Chloe the antenna topper for her car. Hopefully they'll still have some in two weeks.  I still wish I loved the 60th Ears. They sort of dropped the ball on those.

That day was so much fun; so relaxed. Glad you finally got on the train! And next time we'll get Fran and Michael Margaritas too. 

Gabby is packing. I might die.  The boxes are sending me over the edge.

Plaza Inn was perfect.  It's my favorite Disneyland meal. I agree, it was nice to just sit and chat.


----------



## franandaj

rentayenta said:


> How in the friggedy frack did I miss this update?



You've been busy lady!



rentayenta said:


> I didn't know Fran bought the truffles too. :cloud: Love both the hats!
> 
> I am mad I didn't get Chloe the antenna topper for her car. Hopefully they'll still have some in two weeks.  I still wish I loved the 60th Ears. They sort of dropped the ball on those.



I grabbed the truffles and put them in her basket just before we left.  I'm sure they will have the antenna balls when you get back.  They had plenty.



rentayenta said:


> That day was so much fun; so relaxed. Glad you finally got on the train! And next time we'll get Fran and Michael Margaritas too. :lmap:



I hope that Fran decides to go with us.  We'll have to get her a margarita!



rentayenta said:


> Gabby is packing. I might die.  The boxes are sending me over the edge.



I can't imagine what it's like to be a Mom, and have the first one leave the nest.  



rentayenta said:


> Plaza Inn was perfect.  It's my favorite Disneyland meal. I agree, it was nice to just sit and chat.



I have too many favorite meals around Disneyland!  I love it when we can just sit back and relax and not have to run, run, run!


----------



## franandaj

So where I left you, we were chatting after dinner at the Plaza Inn. Eventually we moved into our spot for the fireworks and posed for a picture.





Jenny and her crew are always so much fun!  Soon the parade started.  Since I’ve already posted two rounds of photos from the parade, I sat this one out, and just enjoyed the parade.  Then we settled in a waited for the fireworks to begin. This time I had my tripod, and not the pesky one.  This time it was my tried and true, sturdy and easy to assemble (although somewhat larger than the compact, difficult one).





Again we are reminded of Walt and his vision.





Excuse me a moment for you non-photographers while I engage in some photo babble. For the first part of the show I had my camera set at ISO 3200 or 6400 (alternating back and forth), aperture 4.0  Shutter Speed 1/80 to 1/100. This is a good setting for the projections on the castle, but doesn’t allow for the long firework trails as I have seen in PIO’s and Bret’s pictures.





After Julie Andrews reminds us of Walt’s Dreams we launch into a variety of productions from Disney over the years.  Tinkerbell flies around the castle to “You can fly” from Peter Pan.





There she is!





While the explosions rest, we are treated to the Chimney Sweeps projected on the Castle to “Step in Time.”  And then quickly we are transported to a magical kingdom through “I See the Light.”





























And then we drift off into sleepland with Winnie the Pooh.  Note to the photobabble folks.  Here I switched to ISO 100 or 200, not sure what aperture, but it was smaller than 4.0, maybe about 5.6 or 7, and the Shutter speed was 2-4 seconds.









And then the Heffalumps and Woozels came along


----------



## franandaj

Then we traveled on to the more serene Pride Lands of Africa and the Circle of Life.









And then we moved from the Pride Lands to the Jungle, “I Wanna Be Like You.”













From the Jungle, we ventured “Under the Sea.”









And from the Little Mermaid, we move on to another adventure with our underwater friends.  Soon Nemo will be risking himself at the Ring of Fire. Now here is where the camera settings backfire a little bit.  While the 2-4 second exposure time gives the nice long trails of the fireworks, but if you look in the picture below, Nemo appears as a blur to the left of the Castle.





He comes close to the Ring of Fire, sorry didn’t get the Matterhorn this time.





And again in this picture Nemo appears as a large blur behind the spires of the Castle.





And then of course what would a 2015 Disney fireworks show be without Frozen and reminding us to “Let it Go”.













Then there was the Grand Finale. Disney really went all out on these fireworks and every time that I see them, I can’t help but wonder how much it costs every night for this many fireworks!





























And that was it.  Everyone really enjoyed the show.  I took a few minutes to take some long exposure shots of the castle.  Because of the nature of long exposure shots, they all had some light trails in them.  This one looked like the best of them to me.





After this we said our “goodbyes”.  Jenny and family had been up since around 4:30 or 5:00AM, Fran and I made a stop in World of Disney, and it was 1:00AM before we finally arrived home!


Next up, our 60th Anniversary Celebration Adventure!


----------



## PrincessInOz

Alison!  Welcome to the PhotoBabble World!  LOVE it!  


What great shots of the projection show AND the fireworks.  I had seen the youtubes of this show and had wondered which would be better....long shutter speed for the fireworks; or quicker shots to get the projections.  I think you did EXCELLENT to get both in.  I kinda suspect that if I get the chance, I would hope to catch at least two fireworks shows to do both!  Lucky you and Bret being able to get there and have multiple opportunities to shoot this show.

What a wonderful night with Jenny and her crew.


----------



## rentayenta

Wow! Your photos are incredible. I can see why you wanted the right equipment. They turned out amazing! Mind if I borrow one? Might need it for my FB cover photo. 

I agree, Disney really outdid themselves with the fireworks. The floating later projections brought me to tears. I teared up a few times actually. Just awesome. 

 friend. We always enjoy our time with you too.


----------



## jedijill

Fantastic fireworks!  Your photo skills are getting better and better!  What a fun day.  

Jill in CO


----------



## Pinkocto

Beautiful beautiful firework photos!!! 



franandaj said:


> I just wish it wasn't so hard to convince her to have fun.  She wasn't like this 18 or so years ago....



Is she pretty much hurting all the time? I'm sorry, that must be very tough  




franandaj said:


> Hmmmm...the party starts at 4PM so I guess we could hang out for a few and then you could be on your way.  Whatever you like, it's up to you.  I don't want to stop you from what you want to do....



I thought the party started at 6:00?  That's why I figured it would be perfect. Spend 3-4 hours with you and Fran and head to the park.  I definitely want to enjoy plenty of time with you lovely ladies.  And we're getting together with Jenny and family on Thursday right?


----------



## skier_pete

Great shots of the fireworks. I hope when we visit in February they don't decide that it's too slow a time of year and not show them (and the parade). I would be bummed.


----------



## Paula Sedley-Burke

Thank you for taking the time to comment on my posts. I don't know anything about photo speak but I do know a good set of pictures when I see them. Oh my they are wonderful well worth the effort and tripod set up. I love with the Mickey ears and face one and also where you can see the projection on the Castle. Thank you for sharing those. That must have been a fun day.


----------



## ShellB8585

franandaj said:


> I'm glad you are enjoying the updates. When is your trip? Maybe we can meet up and say "Hi!"



If you're about that would be lovely! We will be in Anaheim October 17th - 21st then we're heading to San Diego before our cruise. I think we will be having Disney days 17th, 19th and 20th. Not sure what we will do on the 18th yet apart from DH really fancies a ice hockey match so will likely go to the Ducks game.


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

franandaj said:


> Soon we began chugging our margaritas.





franandaj said:


> The cast member finally had to pry the cups out of our grubby little hands, and we both got brain freezes trying to finish those margaritas!



 Right before you went for a drive.  Good work!



franandaj said:


> A toothpick holder. C’mon, who are we kidding? We all know it’s a shot glass.



 Man, you're on a roll here.



franandaj said:


> I have a feeling though that it goes a little bit slower through the Grand Canyon and Primeval World, which was my goal on this train trip. Enjoy



Thanks!  I had meant to see this and just didn't have the time when we were there.



franandaj said:


> The fabulous Fried chicken! Now after my not so satisfying meal of the other night. This meal had me doing my Happy Food Dance and digging for more until I was stuffed!










franandaj said:


> Eventually we moved into our spot for the fireworks and posed for a picture.



Great shot of everyone!



franandaj said:


> Excuse me a moment for you non-photographers while I engage in some photo babble.



Thanks!  This is helpful.  We keep trying to dial in our settings.



franandaj said:


>





franandaj said:


>





franandaj said:


>



Great shots!  These are the ones that caught my eye.


----------



## dizneeat

franandaj said:


>



*LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!*



franandaj said:


>



*..... and I love TinkerBell flying!*



franandaj said:


>



*AWESOME!!!!*





franandaj said:


>



*AWESOME!!!!*



franandaj said:


>



*I just love those kinds of fireworks ... and with the projections you can watch them again and again!*





franandaj said:


>



*Now, that is what I call a postcard shot!!!

Thanks for sharing - these are just breathtaking.*


----------



## mvf-m11c

Finally caught up to your latest. Nice. That you were able to spend time with Jenny and the girls. That is slot of nice goodies.

Glad to read that you were able to ride the DLRR that night and got some good pictures as well.

Your Disneyland Forever firework shots turn out really good that night. It is nice that you are using the tripod more and more at nigh. I will have to watch it in front of SB Castle one day.


----------



## dolphingirl47

Your photos have turned out amazing. They make me even more excited about the fireworks than I am anyway.

Corinna


----------



## franandaj

PrincessInOz said:


> Alison!  Welcome to the PhotoBabble World!  LOVE it!
> 
> 
> What great shots of the projection show AND the fireworks.  I had seen the youtubes of this show and had wondered which would be better....long shutter speed for the fireworks; or quicker shots to get the projections.  I think you did EXCELLENT to get both in.  I kinda suspect that if I get the chance, I would hope to catch at least two fireworks shows to do both!  Lucky you and Bret being able to get there and have multiple opportunities to shoot this show.
> 
> What a wonderful night with Jenny and her crew.



I was pleased with what I learned between the two different photo shoots.  I was also intrigued when I saw that you used shutter openings of 3-4 minutes.  I would think with the sheer volume of the Disney fireworks that would be impossible there.  I have many shots where they are grossly overexposed due to the amount of the pyrotechnics going off at once.



rentayenta said:


> Wow! Your photos are incredible. I can see why you wanted the right equipment. They turned out amazing! Mind if I borrow one? Might need it for my FB cover photo.



Thanks, go ahead.  I have one of them for my FB cover photo!



rentayenta said:


> I agree, Disney really outdid themselves with the fireworks. The floating later projections brought me to tears. I teared up a few times actually. Just awesome.
> 
> friend. We always enjoy our time with you too.



I can't wait until our next get together!



jedijill said:


> Fantastic fireworks!  Your photo skills are getting better and better!  What a fun day.
> 
> Jill in CO



Thanks! 



Pinkocto said:


> Beautiful beautiful firework photos!!!



Thank you very much!



Pinkocto said:


> Is she pretty much hurting all the time? I'm sorry, that must be very tough



Either she's in pain or she's falling asleep.  Like right now, she's asleep.



Pinkocto said:


> I thought the party started at 6:00? That's why I figured it would be perfect. Spend 3-4 hours with you and Fran and head to the park. I definitely want to enjoy plenty of time with you lovely ladies. And we're getting together with Jenny and family on Thursday right?



Well, the tickets gets you admission after 4:00PM.  Technically the party really starts at 7:00PM when they start asking guests without a wristband to leave.  I think we talked about going out to lunch Thursday.  I sure hope that we are all packed by that day.  I need to start coming up with a packing list and what clothes I'm going to bring.



********** said:


> Great shots of the fireworks. I hope when we visit in February they don't decide that it's too slow a time of year and not show them (and the parade). I would be bummed.



I hope so too!  It was a drag this winter that they didn't show the fireworks more than half of the week.



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> Thank you for taking the time to comment on my posts. I don't know anything about photo speak but I do know a good set of pictures when I see them. Oh my they are wonderful well worth the effort and tripod set up. I love with the Mickey ears and face one and also where you can see the projection on the Castle. Thank you for sharing those. That must have been a fun day.



Of course!  Thank you for the compliments on the pictures!


----------



## franandaj

ShellB8585 said:


> If you're about that would be lovely! We will be in Anaheim October 17th - 21st then we're heading to San Diego before our cruise. I think we will be having Disney days 17th, 19th and 20th. Not sure what we will do on the 18th yet apart from DH really fancies a ice hockey match so will likely go to the Ducks game.



Well I guess our best bet will be to try and catch a glimpse of each other while you're waiting to board the ship and I am getting off the ship!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Right before you went for a drive. Good work!







Captain_Oblivious said:


> Man, you're on a roll here.







Captain_Oblivious said:


> Thanks! I had meant to see this and just didn't have the time when we were there.



I'm amazed at everything that you accomplished when you were there!  Sorry you missed that one.



Captain_Oblivious said:


>



I got the Homer seal of approval!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Great shot of everyone!



I have to credit that one to Jenny, I stole that shot from her!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Thanks! This is helpful. We keep trying to dial in our settings.



Anything I can do to help!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Great shots! These are the ones that caught my eye.



That last one is my cover photo on FB now.



dizneeat said:


> *LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!*
> 
> *..... and I love TinkerBell flying!*
> 
> *AWESOME!!!!*



Thanks!



dizneeat said:


> *AWESOME!!!!*
> 
> *I just love those kinds of fireworks ... and with the projections you can watch them again and again!*
> 
> *Now, that is what I call a postcard shot!!!
> 
> Thanks for sharing - these are just breathtaking.*



Thanks!  I'm glad you enjoyed them!



mvf-m11c said:


> Finally caught up to your latest. Nice. That you were able to spend time with Jenny and the girls. That is slot of nice goodies.



We had a great time with them, and yes we did score some goodies!



mvf-m11c said:


> Glad to read that you were able to ride the DLRR that night and got some good pictures as well.



I've been wanting to do that for a while, I'm glad that Jenny and the kids were willing to indulge me!



mvf-m11c said:


> Your Disneyland Forever firework shots turn out really good that night. It is nice that you are using the tripod more and more at nigh. I will have to watch it in front of SB Castle one day.



Thanks, you and PIO have inspired me to try and get my best pictures possible.



dolphingirl47 said:


> Your photos have turned out amazing. They make me even more excited about the fireworks than I am anyway.
> 
> Corinna



Thanks!  It is a great fireworks show.  The last time I watched it, I just sat back and enjoyed.  It was really nice.


----------



## franandaj

It was the day before the actual 60th Anniversary and our plan was to get out to the park as early as possible for us. We knew that the room wouldn’t be ready, but we had some shopping to do.  I had read online that Monday they would be releasing certain limited edition merchandise, but due to the nature of the merchandise, I knew that it wouldn’t be selling out any time soon.

I was too tired Wednesday night to finish packing and load the car, so we got up early (for us) and started on it in the morning. By 9:30 we were all packed and ready to go, all I had to do was catch Milo.  It was a challenge, but I was able to finally get him to into the house, and then we were on the way. We made it to the resort by about 10:30AM, after check in we were on our way into the park.  My first goal was to pick up the LE jewelry that was on offer. We went to Elias and company first and they had no idea about the necklace I was looking for.  But they had one that I had never seen before, and obviously didn’t own, so we picked that up before heading across the way to Disneyland.





The middle one in this picture is the new one I got at Elias and Company.  The one on the bottom is the 55th Anniversary pendant.





These were the two pendants that I was looking for.





We left the store and went to browse some more of the merchandise that was released when I noticed an email from Capital One.  They suspected Fraud on our credit card, so while Fran purchased another couple figures, I spent the next 20 minutes on the phone with Capital One.  Not only did they think that we didn’t make the purchases, I had paid off the credit card that morning so that we had plenty of room to buy what we wanted, but they weren't going to credit the account until the following day.  We had essentially maxed out the credit card, so once they applied the payment from that morning, we were back in business. We are hoping to build up purchases on this card to use their “purchase eraser” to make our upcoming Disney cruises essentially free.  That problem solved, it was time for lunch.

We were trying to meet up with some of our 3D friends who were also in the park with their son.  We had been texting back and forth and we told them where we were heading for lunch.





They met up with us just as we were looking for a table, between the confusion of finding a table for five, and my hunger, I forgot to take pictures until we were almost completely finished with the meal. Our plates were pretty much decimated so I don’t have any pictures. Sorry!

I had the Cheese Enchiladas which came with three of them, rice and refried beans.  Mine was really really good!  I’m going to keep this place in mind for a definite return!  Fran had the baked fish tacos which were mahi mahi, and she proclaimed that battered Fish Tacos are the only way to go.

After lunch we split up with our friends and I went to ride Space Mountain while Fran did more shopping. 





When I caught up with her, we picked up some more of the 60th celebration merchandise. She had ordered this Annual Passholder shirt online the night before.





But I wanted this ladies T-shirt, she might have ordered the other T-shirt online as well.





We also picked up some pins and the pint glasses that you see in this picture.





We were both still a little hungry and I was having a craving for a hand dipped ice cream treat, so we headed over across to DCA.  They had set up this screen in anticipation of the ceremony on the 60th Anniversary.





















I went with the vanilla ice cream, dipped in milk chocolate and doused in Mickey head sprinkles.





We were hoping that our room would be ready soon, and the chocolate covered strawberries were going to be disappearing, so we decided to get some of those before they left.  My plate.





Fran’s plate.





The room.





And and artsy shot with my hat.





I decided that I could have a glass of wine since all we had to do that night was have dinner.





I already knew our room number because I had seen it on the check in form that morning.  I was tempted to just go over there and just stick the key in the door when we got the phone call that our room was ready.


----------



## franandaj

I know I’ve posted tons of pictures of our one bedroom units, but I can’t get over them, so if you’ve already seen enough of these pictures you can just ignore them and move on to the next post.

Entry, kitchen, and living room.





























Bathroom off the hallway.









Looking back into the living room from the bedroom.





The master bathroom.













Master bedroom.













The Patio




[/URL
]

And the view.

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[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/DSCN0033.jpg.html']
[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/DSCN0036.jpg.html']
	
[/URL]
[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/DSCN0033.jpg.html']
[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/DSCN0035.jpg.html']
	
[/URL]
[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/DSCN0033.jpg.html']
And stalking the room where we stayed only two and a half months ago.  I overheard some people from the Disneyana Fan Club saying that they were staying there, and I saw some pictures online that they threw quite the star studded celebrity party as well.  

After I finished taking pictures, Fran laid down for a nap, and I decided to respond to some of the posts on the DIS, while enjoying another glass of wine.[/URL][/URL][/URL]


----------



## jedijill

Oooh, I love the merchandise!  Those necklaces are pretty.  Love your room....I'm in love with the GCH.  I'm sad DVC has closed the waitlist for points.  I'll just have to wait until I can afford to pay cash for resale.

Jill in CO


----------



## mvf-m11c

Now after seeing all your pics during the DL 60th Anniversary during your trip, I really want to be there then here in Las Vegas. How did Fran ordered those AP merchandise from? I would guess from the DL AP website. You made my day after seeing all those 60th merchandise.

The room at the GCH looks amazing.


----------



## ACDSNY

Nice view and the necklaces are so cool.


----------



## dizneeat

franandaj said:


> We went to Elias and company first and they had no idea about the necklace I was looking for.



*Isn't it just so funny that us guests know more than some of the CMs? *



franandaj said:


> But they had one that I had never seen before, and obviously didn’t own, so we picked that up before heading across the way to Disneyland.



*OMG that is one gorgeous necklace! And those others look might nice too! Lucky girl being there for the 60th anniversary. *



franandaj said:


> I went with the vanilla ice cream, dipped in milk chocolate and doused in Mickey head sprinkles.



*Are these pre made ones or can you decide what you want? They did something similar (no Mickey sprinkles) in Italy once and they sold like crazy. you picked your "raw" ice cream bar and they would dip it in either white, milk or dark chocolate and they had several things to put on - can't remember what they were. I remember having pistacchio ice cream with dark chocolate - YUMMY.*



franandaj said:


> I was tempted to just go over there and just stick the key in the door when we got the phone call that our room was ready.



*I have always wondered what would happen if you just tried your door when we were able to spy our room number. But then I am too chicken for that. *


----------



## dolphingirl47

The jewellery looks amazing. I am glad that you got what you wanted. What a pain about the issues with the credit card though. I am glad that you got this sorted out. I really love that annual passholder shirt. The ice cream bar and the strawberries look delicious. I think the decor at the Grand California really works better in the larger units. I always find it a bit oppressive in the studios. Your view is amazing.

Corinna


----------



## ShellB8585

franandaj said:


> Well I guess our best bet will be to try and catch a glimpse of each other while you're waiting to board the ship and I am getting off the ship!



I will keep my eyes peeled  

More great pictures, you're spoiling us. We have only made it out to California once before - our Honeymoon in 2010 and I am trying to figure out how to spend our 3 days so this is really helpful. Also love reading your TRs anyway so thank you for sharing


----------



## Paula Sedley-Burke

Well imagine my dissapointment bordering on tantrum when I was denied the photos of the purchases! But I reloaded my ipad screen and they appeared! I love the necklace too. Plus the t shirt and bag. All the food looks yummy. Those bedroom units look so good. The showers are lovely. I like your hat!


----------



## rentayenta

The one bedroom is so luxurious. I missed having the full kitchen in the Studio and the extra bathroom. I am just too old to share a bathroom with more than 2 people. 

And the view never gets old!


----------



## Pinkocto

franandaj said:


> Either she's in pain or she's falling asleep.  Like right now, she's asleep.



Could she be on too many meds?  I know she's in pain but too many pain meds will definitely cause extra sleepiness.  




franandaj said:


> Well, the tickets gets you admission after 4:00PM.  Technically the party really starts at 7:00PM when they start asking guests without a wristband to leave.  I think we talked about going out to lunch Thursday.  I sure hope that we are all packed by that day.  I need to start coming up with a packing list and what clothes I'm going to bring.



Well seeing you and Fran is the priority for Wednesday afternoon.   Unless you want to focus on packing on Wednesday so you can see Jenny and family on Thursday.  You know I'm totally go with the flow.  Whatever you want/need to do we'll do. 




Loved all the pictures you just posted.  The merchandise is too cool. Did you find the necklaces you were after? The one you got is so pretty!  Your room view is awesome!!!


----------



## dgbg100106

Alison, the fireworks shots are beautiful!  Great Job!
Love the update with all the 60th anniversary merchandise, and how wonderful to get a meet up!


----------



## PrincessInOz

What lovely jewellery!  Glad you got it sorted with the CC company.

I'm envious about the merch.  They look amazing.
Great view and great room.


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

franandaj said:


> We left the store and went to browse some more of the merchandise that was released when I noticed an email from Capital One. They suspected Fraud on our credit card, so while Fran purchased another couple figures, I spent the next 20 minutes on the phone with Capital One.



I thought purchases from Disneyland would be a standard item on your statement!



franandaj said:


> We also picked up some pins and the pint glasses that you see in this picture.



Looks like some quality swag there.



franandaj said:


> I know I’ve posted tons of pictures of our one bedroom units, but I can’t get over them, so if you’ve already seen enough of these pictures you can just ignore them and move on to the next post.



I like seeing these.  It gives me a chance to see more Places I'll Never Stay.


----------



## franandaj

jedijill said:


> Oooh, I love the merchandise!  Those necklaces are pretty.  Love your room....I'm in love with the GCH.  I'm sad DVC has closed the waitlist for points.  I'll just have to wait until I can afford to pay cash for resale.
> 
> Jill in CO



Thanks!  I don't want to take off the 60th one, but I want to wear the Blue Mickey too!  First world problems!    You can't beat the view from the 6th floor!  I'm sorry to hear they have closed the waitlist for the points.  Hopefully they will come up on the resale market, or maybe they will build another DVC there.



mvf-m11c said:


> Now after seeing all your pics during the DL 60th Anniversary during your trip, I really want to be there then here in Las Vegas. How did Fran ordered those AP merchandise from? I would guess from the DL AP website. You made my day after seeing all those 60th merchandise.
> 
> The room at the GCH looks amazing.



She said that the merchandise was on the Disney Store.  I'm glad I could help to make your day.



ACDSNY said:


> Nice view and the necklaces are so cool.



Thanks!  I still have unpack it all.



dizneeat said:


> *Isn't it just so funny that us guests know more than some of the CMs? *



I know!  



dizneeat said:


> *OMG that is one gorgeous necklace! And those others look might nice too! Lucky girl being there for the 60th anniversary. *



Thank you!  I bet they will still have some of them for a while, the prices were pretty steep.



dizneeat said:


> *Are these pre made ones or can you decide what you want? They did something similar (no Mickey sprinkles) in Italy once and they sold like crazy. you picked your "raw" ice cream bar and they would dip it in either white, milk or dark chocolate and they had several things to put on - can't remember what they were. I remember having pistacchio ice cream with dark chocolate - YUMMY.*



No, they are made to order, you pick the chocolate, milk or dark and the sprinkles.  They only have vanilla ice cream though.  You can get other ice cream in scoops, but not in the dipped bars.



dizneeat said:


> *I have always wondered what would happen if you just tried your door when we were able to spy our room number. But then I am too chicken for that. *



I haven't done it either, but I bet you would just walk in on a maid or dirty room.



dolphingirl47 said:


> The jewellery looks amazing. I am glad that you got what you wanted. What a pain about the issues with the credit card though. I am glad that you got this sorted out. I really love that annual passholder shirt. The ice cream bar and the strawberries look delicious. I think the decor at the Grand California really works better in the larger units. I always find it a bit oppressive in the studios. Your view is amazing.
> 
> Corinna



You would think they would know that we sometimes spend large amounts, but I guess I'm glad they are looking.  There was a couple times when it was fraud, but mostly not.  I don't like the studios layout at all.  I'm glad we have enough points to stay in 1 bedrooms.



ShellB8585 said:


> I will keep my eyes peeled
> 
> More great pictures, you're spoiling us. We have only made it out to California once before - our Honeymoon in 2010 and I am trying to figure out how to spend our 3 days so this is really helpful. Also love reading your TRs anyway so thank you for sharing



I'm glad that I can help you out with touring plans.  Hopefully when you are arriving it will be the slow season.


----------



## mvf-m11c

franandaj said:


> She said that the merchandise was on the Disney Store.  I'm glad I could help to make your day.



I am really looking forward to getting back to NorCal tomorrow afternoon which I have been in Vegas for almost 2 weeks.


----------



## franandaj

Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> Well imagine my dissapointment bordering on tantrum when I was denied the photos of the purchases! But I reloaded my ipad screen and they appeared! I love the necklace too. Plus the t shirt and bag. All the food looks yummy. Those bedroom units look so good. The showers are lovely. I like your hat!



I'm glad you were eventually able to see the photos! The Swag was all great!



rentayenta said:


> The one bedroom is so luxurious. I missed having the full kitchen in the Studio and the extra bathroom. I am just too old to share a bathroom with more than 2 people.



I know the 1 bedroom is totally luxurious!  I find it hard sometimes even to share a bathroom between me and Fran!    I love that in the VGC we have two bathrooms, I feel like we live there now and the one in the master is her bathroom and the one in hall is mine.  Much like at home, we have just sort of adapted that way.  It's cool and creepy in a nice sort of way.



rentayenta said:


> And the view never gets old!



The 6th floor view never gets old!



Pinkocto said:


> Could she be on too many meds? I know she's in pain but too many pain meds will definitely cause extra sleepiness.



Well of course she is on too many meds, the ones she is on are so powerful, it's no wonder they put her to sleep.  Especially if she does anything the day before, then she is destined to sleep. 



Pinkocto said:


> Well seeing you and Fran is the priority for Wednesday afternoon. Unless you want to focus on packing on Wednesday so you can see Jenny and family on Thursday. You know I'm totally go with the flow. Whatever you want/need to do we'll do.



We'll see how it goes,  she is pretty good right now.  Saturday she worked us to death so we had to rest today.  I was tired, and did only minimal work.



Pinkocto said:


> Loved all the pictures you just posted. The merchandise is too cool. Did you find the necklaces you were after? The one you got is so pretty! Your room view is awesome!!!



Yes I did get the necklaces I wanted.  We lucked out and got the 6th floor rooms!



dgbg100106 said:


> Alison, the fireworks shots are beautiful!  Great Job!
> Love the update with all the 60th anniversary merchandise, and how wonderful to get a meet up!



Thanks, I'm getting better on my learning with the fireworks shots.  Actually the meet ups were with everyday friends which was an unusual situation!



PrincessInOz said:


> What lovely jewellery!  Glad you got it sorted with the CC company.
> 
> I'm envious about the merch.  They look amazing.
> Great view and great room.



Thanks!  Yeah, it was annoying to get the whole thing sorted out, but glad I did.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> I thought purchases from Disneyland would be a standard item on your statement!



You would think!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Looks like some quality swag there.



Totally!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> I like seeing these. It gives me a chance to see more Places I'll Never Stay.



  but on the other hand I would hope that you did get the chance to stay here.  Maybe someday you will win the lottery and we can work out a points rental situation.


----------



## MEK

Beautiful firework pictures!  Love them!!!!!  

Fun picture with Jenny, etc!  

That villa is just absolutely gorgeous!  And the view, of course, is to die for!  Perfection!


----------



## dhorner233

Hi  I just found this thread and have a lot of catching up to do! The pictures of your suite/room at the Grand Calif. Villas is my idea of what heaven will look like  Hope Fran is feeling better!


----------



## DnA2010

Just getting caught up! I have to admit I skipped past the celebration fireworks and pics a bit, as we are tossing around an Oct trip but sounds like you have been having a lot of fun times! Apologies as I haven't had a chance to go back and see, but how is Fran's ankle progressing? I very much feel her pain and frustration as the better part of the last year has been spent on crutches, in casts etc, and our May Fantasy trip included some major wheelchair time for me. 
Glad you have lots of fun plans on the horizon!


----------



## afwdwfan

franandaj said:


> Fran has been getting over her cold. The arthritis drugs seem to be working, and now our biggest challenge is getting the rest of our stuff out of apartment #1.


I'm glad she's doing better!



franandaj said:


> On the way to RSR, Jenny insisted that we get Margaritas! Who am I to argue?


You really can't argue with that logic. 



franandaj said:


> We were chugging them all the way up to the part where they sort you into lines for your cars. The cast member finally had to pry the cups out of our grubby little hands, and we both got brain freezes trying to finish those margaritas!


Oh yeah... couldn't have picked a worse drink to have to chug really fast!  Nothing worse than brain freeze!



franandaj said:


> We had been eyeing these sets of Truffles since our visit in June, and finally broke down and got them.


60th anniversary chocolate???  As if you really need a reason for chocolate, but it seems like a good purchase to me!



franandaj said:


> I have a feeling though that it goes a little bit slower through the Grand Canyon and Primeval World, which was my goal on this train trip. Enjoy


Cool pictures!  And thanks for the research you did regarding the myth of the forward facing seats!



franandaj said:


> Then there was the Grand Finale. Disney really went all out on these fireworks and every time that I see them, I can’t help but wonder how much it costs every night for this many fireworks!


These fireworks just look so amazing.  I really wish I could see them!



franandaj said:


> And stalking the room where we stayed only two and a half months ago. I overheard some people from the Disneyana Fan Club saying that they were staying there, and I saw some pictures online that they threw quite the star studded celebrity party as well.


They may have had more "celebrities" but I highly doubt that they had near the spread you provided!


----------



## rentayenta

*Tomorrow! *

See ya real soon! 




​


----------



## PrincessInOz

rentayenta said:


> *Tomorrow! *
> 
> See ya real soon!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ​




Have a great trip.


----------



## Leshaface

franandaj said:


>



Okay so I enjoyed all the pictures of the fireworks but this one is my absolute FAVORITE!!!  Seriously, got the Mickey head fireworks, 60th dead center of the castle, just perfect



franandaj said:


> We left the store and went to browse some more of the merchandise that was released when I noticed an email from Capital One. They suspected Fraud on our credit card, so while Fran purchased another couple figures, I spent the next 20 minutes on the phone with Capital One



Ugh, this happened to us in Vegas.  Very annoying that I had to use a different card that we never use instead of building up air miles.



franandaj said:


>



I always forget about this place!  Have eaten here twice I think, but both times have been excellent.  Need to keep this open as an option more often.



franandaj said:


> We also picked up some pins and the pint glasses that you see in this picture.



Yep, love those glasses.



franandaj said:


>



That is cool!



franandaj said:


> I know I’ve posted tons of pictures of our one bedroom units, but I can’t get over them, so if you’ve already seen enough of these pictures you can just ignore them and move on to the next post



I can't get over them either!  And oh my gosh, is there a trick to ever getting a room at the VGC because I can never get anything! 



franandaj said:


>



These views never get old.



franandaj said:


> After I finished taking pictures, Fran laid down for a nap, and I decided to respond to some of the posts on the DIS, while enjoying another glass of wine.



That sounds super relaxing.  That would be an ideal day - wine and DIS'ing.


----------



## jedijill

Have a safe drive!  

Jill in CO


----------



## franandaj

MEK said:


> Beautiful firework pictures!  Love them!!!!!
> 
> Fun picture with Jenny, etc!
> 
> That villa is just absolutely gorgeous!  And the view, of course, is to die for!  Perfection!



Thanks!  Jenny and her crew are so much fun!  I just love the Grand Californian, my favorite DVC property, and the 6th floor is the best view you can possibly get!



dhorner233 said:


> Hi  I just found this thread and have a lot of catching up to do! The pictures of your suite/room at the Grand Calif. Villas is my idea of what heaven will look like  Hope Fran is feeling better!



 Denise!  I'm glad you made it over here.  Fran is doing much better than the last time we saw each other.



DnA2010 said:


> Just getting caught up! I have to admit I skipped past the celebration fireworks and pics a bit, as we are tossing around an Oct trip but sounds like you have been having a lot of fun times! Apologies as I haven't had a chance to go back and see, but how is Fran's ankle progressing? I very much feel her pain and frustration as the better part of the last year has been spent on crutches, in casts etc, and our May Fantasy trip included some major wheelchair time for me.
> Glad you have lots of fun plans on the horizon!



Sorry to hear that your ankle is still giving you problems.  Her ankle and leg have healed all the way up and she is doing much better now.  I'm looking forward to getting back to doing some fun plans.  I can't wait to get on the Wonder!



afwdwfan said:


> I'm glad she's doing better!



Yes, it's about time!



afwdwfan said:


> You really can't argue with that logic.



Certainly not!



afwdwfan said:


> Oh yeah... couldn't have picked a worse drink to have to chug really fast! Nothing worse than brain freeze!



I know but it makes a great story!  



afwdwfan said:


> 60th anniversary chocolate??? As if you really need a reason for chocolate, but it seems like a good purchase to me!



And it was very good chocolate too!  I think I want some more boxes.



afwdwfan said:


> Cool pictures! And thanks for the research you did regarding the myth of the forward facing seats!



Happy to do it!



afwdwfan said:


> These fireworks just look so amazing. I really wish I could see them!



I'm sure you would really enjoy them.



afwdwfan said:


> They may have had more "celebrities" but I highly doubt that they had near the spread you provided!



Awww thanks!



rentayenta said:


> *Tomorrow! *
> 
> See ya real soon!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ​



I'm counting the hours now and waiting for your text!



Leshaface said:


> Okay so I enjoyed all the pictures of the fireworks but this one is my absolute FAVORITE!!! Seriously, got the Mickey head fireworks, 60th dead center of the castle, just perfect



I never even noticed it was a Mickey!



Leshaface said:


> Ugh, this happened to us in Vegas. Very annoying that I had to use a different card that we never use instead of building up air miles.



Right now we're building up Capital One purchase eraser miles, and really want to get as much on that card as we can so I'm glad they worked it out.



Leshaface said:


> I always forget about this place! Have eaten here twice I think, but both times have been excellent. Need to keep this open as an option more often.



That was our first time and we really liked it.



Leshaface said:


> Yep, love those glasses.



Now I need to unpack them!



Leshaface said:


> That is cool!







Leshaface said:


> I can't get over them either! And oh my gosh, is there a trick to ever getting a room at the VGC because I can never get anything!



Owning there and booking at 11 months!



Leshaface said:


> These views never get old.



Love the sixth floor!



Leshaface said:


> That sounds super relaxing. That would be an ideal day - wine and DIS'ing.



Well, I only got about an hour of it as you will see soon.


----------



## franandaj

So I thought I would give you another trip update.  Last week my 90 day booking window for the Cruises opened up. For those not addicted to Disney cruises, this means that Silver Cruise passengers can schedule port arrival time and book onboard activities and port adventures. I also reserved our parking at the Wyndam Hotel across from the Port.

For our 2 night cruise to nowhere I’m trying to convince Fran to dress up for Pirate night the first night of the cruise.  Since we’re driving to the port, we can bring as much luggage as we won’t and don’t have to worry about the airplane. After lunch in Parrot Cay, we’ll get settled into our room for the next week. I’ll probably have a sail away party in my room before we check out the merchandise in the stores.  Then we’ll get dressed up for pictures, and go out for dinner. For the next day at sea, I booked Palo Brunch at 10:30AM. In the afternoon we will probably do a liquor tasting and just enjoy the ship, maybe catch a movie. Again our dinner will be in one of the main dining rooms.

Since we’re doing B2B cruises when the other passengers are disembarking the following day, we will be exiting the ship, only to return within an hour or two. I’m not sure if we’ll do the lunch in Parrot Cay again, we might choose one of the upper deck options instead because we won’t be lugging around our carry ons. I may even check out the pool if Fran wants to take a nap. After the muster drill, I am going to the spa for Alone Time which will be my second sail away party!

The second day of the cruise we dock in Ensenada at 7:45AM and we didn’t find any Port Excursions that interested us, so we may or may not even get off the ship, All abord is at 2:45, so that’s not a very long day. The third day of the cruise is at sea, and we have absolutely no plans for that day, so we’ll see what they offer for drink tastings when we board. The fourth day is in Cabo, because this is a tendering port, Fran can not bring her scooter.  We’ll see if we get off the ship.  All Abord is at 3:30PM. Our focus is not visiting the ports, but being pampered on the ship. It’s Pirate night and we have a 6PM reservation at Palo. Maybe we’ll have room for the Pirate buffet, but I doubt it. The fifth day is our last and another day at sea. I’ve got another Palo Brunch booked for 10:00AM that day, and I’m sure we’ll have a tasting or two. 

There are a few other things I hope to do on the cruises that are unscheduled as of yet. There will be a Halloween dress up night and so far we only know that it isn’t the fourth night. Our FB group has organized a Mixology class, and that will be on one of the sea days. I want to have lunch at Triton’s at least once if not twice, and I’d also like to have breakfast there at least once. Plus I like to eat breakfast at Beach Blanket Buffet because I can have eggs over easy.  Not that I can’t have them at home, but they’re better when someone else makes them for you! 

One other thing.  We paid for the cruises with our Capital One Credit card and they offer a "purchase eraser".  I had Fran pay in $100 & $200 increments, so as we build up our miles, I am "erasing" a few of those charges here and there.  I have three months to do so.  This week I erased half the cost of the 2 night cruise, we'll see how far we can get before the charges expire. So far that’s the plan for the cruise, not much more left to plan, just to do it!


Back to the 60th Anniversary Celebration report: We finally got notification that our room was ready and headed over there and had the bags brought up by the Bellman. While Fran napped, I responded to some of the posts on my thread on the DIS, checked some other things on the computer and then decided to check out Happy Hour at the lounge.  They usually have a hot appetizer, today was sausage calzones and peperoni rolls.  I didn’t try the pepperoni item, but I did get a sausage calzone.  It was not very good.  There was hardly any filling so I only ate the side of the crust that had filling on it.  In addition to grabbing a coke for Fran I got myself a glass of wine.





After her nap, Fran was refreshed and ready to go out to eat.  Neither of us was ravenous since we had snacked our way through the park and lounge after lunch. We headed over to Tortilla Jo’s and were seated after a brief wait. I sat underneath this wall of Tequila.









The room.





We were brought chips and Salsa.





And we both ordered margaritas.





The tableside Guacamole is fantastic here.





We asked for mild (no jalapenos) and no cilantro and our prep cook got to work. We watched her scoop out the Avocados, serve up the onions, add the tomatoes, and put in the leafy green stuff.





“Uh, what is that leafy green stuff that you just put into our bowl?”  I asked.

“Oh, you asked for no cilantro, didn’t you?  Sorry.”

OK let’s start this over.

Scoop out the Avocado.





Squeeze out the lemon juice.





Add the tomatoes





Add the onions and salt





And Stir









Our Guacamole





We decided to split the Enchiladas Suizas.  I had already removed my serving when this picture was taken, but it worked out perfect for us.  We were both plenty full after the guac and enchiladas.





This was my plate, and as I said it was just enough to completely fill me up.





Now the next event was among the most strange events for Fran and myself.  Normally it’s just the two of us at the parks.  If we meet someone, it’s usually a DISer, but tonight was different. We had met up with our friends earlier in the day and said if we wanted to get a drink later they would be happy to buy us one, so we texted and agreed to meet up after dinner.  While Fran was napping another friend from our band sent me a FB message asking if we were in the park.  We had just checked into the room, but we kept messaging back and forth throughout the evening. She was with her parents (Mom plays in the band too) and we all agreed to meet up the whole group of us and have some drinks!  Not only were we meeting up with 3D (or as the kids say nowadays IRL) friends, but we had a group of eight of us!  Party on Fran and Alison!  I didn’t get pictures of all of us and not sure if they would want me to post their pics online, but here are our drinks and us.  Hurricaine





Diamond Vodka Martini





US!





We had a great time sitting around chatting.  We were seated near a window that had a view of F! and then the fireworks were also visible out the window as well.  My friend from band and her parents were so stoked about being able to see the fireworks and just hanging out having drinks that she even posted on FB the next day that we “made her day”.  She leaves for her second round of college in a couple weeks (just completed her Jr College degree in music and moving on to a 4 year university).  

I took a couple photos of the treats that we had picked up that day.  Fran purchased them while I was ordering our ice cream bar.





I ate the Smores treat before I went out on the balcony to take pictures.





By the time we got back to the room, it was pretty late and we missed World of Color, but I did take these long exposure shots off the balcony.









And we crawled into bed because we were going to have an early morning for the actual 60th Anniversary!


----------



## dhorner233

Love your update! Your pictures are great! That guacamole is incredible and so is the view from your balcony!!! And you guys look great too!


----------



## mvf-m11c

You have a nice plan for your DCL trip.

Very nice meal at Tortilla Jo's. I have enjoyed eating at Tortilla Jo's that this is DAW favorite restaurant at the DLR since she like Mexican food. I know that she will want to go there again in the near future. The treats always look very nice especially with the Diamond Celebration one's. Your view of DCA is very nice. I can always enjoy getting up every morning and going outside and see DCA.


----------



## dolphingirl47

Your plans for your cruises sound great. Do they no longer over the wine country tour in Ensenada. That was hands down the best port adventure I ever did and it was dirt cheap to boot.

Tortilla Joe's was never really on my radar, but having seen the photos, this may have to change. It looks like you had a really nice evening.

Corinna


----------



## Paula Sedley-Burke

Wohhooo I am with you there on the excitment of your cruise and a B2B in the offering! How neat. Have you done one before? They seem ideal. We are less interested these days in getting off the ship what with my mobility and all the ships have to offer. Jo keeps saying might as well do the transatlantic! 

Your mexican supper looked nice. I just adore salsa. Just hand over the bowl right! 

DL stay looks super. How nice to meet up with your friends. I love your anniversary sweet treats Fran got. I always marvel over the photos of DL I think the big Mickey wheel looks so fabulous. So iconic. Not having one at WDW it really sets the parks at a difference which I like. It's such a pretty big wheel. That's what we call them here in England. We use to have them a lot on seaside piers and funfairs.

I am so excited for you for your cruise! You must dress up for Pirate Night! No 'swag' restrictions me hearties why not! They should have a Pirates League on the ships!


----------



## Dis_Yoda

Your plans for your B2B cruise sound great and relaxing!  Its always great how much luggage you can get away with when you are driving - my husband & I are totally spoiled with that on this coast.  Luckily his new car gives me a ton more room to overpack.


----------



## skier_pete

Ugh - you're room picture of the 1-bedroom makes me so depressed that I wasn't able to snag one at 7-months for our trip. I really, really, hope my waitlist comes through - even for only 2 nights. I would take one that looked out on a brick wall - but THAT VIEW! Too cool.


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

franandaj said:


> After the muster drill, I am going to the spa for Alone Time which will be my second sail away party!



I remember how much you enjoyed being in the spa for that previously!



franandaj said:


> This week I erased half the cost of the 2 night cruise, we'll see how far we can get before the charges expire. So far that’s the plan for the cruise, not much more left to plan, just to do it!



Excellent work!



franandaj said:


> We headed over to Tortilla Jo’s and were seated after a brief wait.



Mmmm...Tortilla Jo's...



franandaj said:


> She was with her parents (Mom plays in the band too) and we all agreed to meet up the whole group of us and have some drinks! Not only were we meeting up with 3D (or as the kids say nowadays IRL) friends, but we had a group of eight of us!



Sounds like a fun impromptu get-together.



franandaj said:


> My friend from band and her parents were so stoked about being able to see the fireworks and just hanging out having drinks that she even posted on FB the next day that we “made her day”.







franandaj said:


> By the time we got back to the room, it was pretty late and we missed World of Color, but I did take these long exposure shots off the balcony.



Gorgeous shots!


----------



## dizneeat

franandaj said:


> Last week my 90 day booking window for the Cruises opened up.



*Yeah, it's always a good day when it is time to book excursions and dining for a cruise! *



franandaj said:


> I also reserved our parking at the Wyndam Hotel across from the Port.



*Is your cruise sailing out of San Diego? I just looked up the Wyndham Bayside as a potential overnight hotel before our PC cruise. Thanks for the hint.* 



franandaj said:


> The third day of the cruise is at sea, and we have absolutely no plans for that day, so we’ll see what they offer for drink tastings when we board.



*Before you book anything .... keep in mind that usually on the first sea day there is the Castaway Club reception. It will not be advertised anywhere, but you will find a letter with the information the first night of the cruise. Since this is your 6th cruise you should be invited! Free drinks and lovely snacks!* 



franandaj said:


> It’s Pirate night and we have a 6PM reservation at Palo. Maybe we’ll have room for the Pirate buffet, but I doubt it.



*Laughing because I thought if we had a 6pm dinner we would be able to go to the pirate buffet .... NO way. *



franandaj said:


> Plus I like to eat breakfast at Beach Blanket Buffet because I can have eggs over easy. Not that I can’t have them at home, but they’re better when someone else makes them for you!



*I am sure you could order eggs over easy at Triton's as well, but I am so with you - ALL food tastes so much better if you do not have to make it yourself.* 



franandaj said:


>



*WOW!!!!!!! What an awesome view. I guess I would not leave the room for quite some time if I had  view like this. *


----------



## rentayenta

Love your cruise plans and still bummed we're not going but it'll be great to see you and Pam! 

No cilantro? Blasphemy!


----------



## Leshaface

franandaj said:


> Our focus is not visiting the ports, but being pampered on the ship



Especially with those stops, I'd rather stay on the ship too!



franandaj said:


> Our FB group has organized a Mixology class,



That's cool!  Like a private class?



franandaj said:


> but they’re better when someone else makes them for you!



Absolutely



franandaj said:


> I sat underneath this wall of Tequila.



Can you imagine if there was an earthquake and that was your seat?! 



franandaj said:


> The tableside Guacamole is fantastic here.



OH my gosh it is the best!  This and just margaritas would be perfect for me 



franandaj said:


>



Ugh, yes.



franandaj said:


>



What a pretty glass.



franandaj said:


>



What is in the packaging?  It looks like a broken up s'more.



franandaj said:


>



I absolutely love seeing RSR backdrop at night from the rooms.  So gorgeous and different!


----------



## MEK

Your cruise plans sounds so fun!  Doing a Back2Back must be really fun!  Too bad you actually have to get off the boat and get back on. There needs to be a way to eliminate that step.   

What a fun dinner - tableside guac and sitting below all the cool tequila bottles.  Fun!  

How nice that you got to spend the evening with some of your band friends.  Perfect ending to the day!


----------



## dvc at last !

I had many pages to read to catch up on things in your busy and exciting life. I did like the pics of the fireworks and the Paint the Night Parade.
(Saw those on a Disney site.)
Interesting 33 menu - sorry it was not very enjoyable.
Love the 60th merchandise and all the purchases made - nice jewelry.
Glad Fan is doing great with the meds. 
The cruise will be here before you know it -love your planning skills.


----------



## ACDSNY

Cruise plans sound great and it will be time to set sail soon.


----------



## PrincessInOz

Keep building those miles!  I might actually see the two of you here in Australia!!!


Cilantro???  She gave you cilantro????   
Glad she made you a new batch!!


----------



## afwdwfan

The cruise plans look great.  I hope you can convince Fran to go along with the pirate night costumes. 

Looks like a lovely evening at Tortilla Jo's and having drinks.  I really regret not eating there when we were out there.  It always smelled so good, but it just didn't work out that we were nearby when we were looking for food.  Your pictures look delicious!


----------



## franandaj

dhorner233 said:


> Love your update! Your pictures are great! That guacamole is incredible and so is the view from your balcony!!! And you guys look great too!



Thanks!  Both the guac and the view were things that were awesome about this particular visit!



mvf-m11c said:


> You have a nice plan for your DCL trip.
> 
> Very nice meal at Tortilla Jo's. I have enjoyed eating at Tortilla Jo's that this is DAW favorite restaurant at the DLR since she like Mexican food. I know that she will want to go there again in the near future. The treats always look very nice especially with the Diamond Celebration one's. Your view of DCA is very nice. I can always enjoy getting up every morning and going outside and see DCA.



I'm really looking forward to the DCL trip!  Tortilla Jo's is fast becoming a favorite of mine out there!



dolphingirl47 said:


> Your plans for your cruises sound great. Do they no longer over the wine country tour in Ensenada. That was hands down the best port adventure I ever did and it was dirt cheap to boot.



They do offer the wine country tour.  It's funny we did that almost 20 years ago when we took a Carnival Cruise to the region.  We just didn't want to opt for that tour as it had about an hour of walking and scooters aren't allowed, so Fran didn't think she could walk/stand that long.



dolphingirl47 said:


> Tortilla Joe's was never really on my radar, but having seen the photos, this may have to change. It looks like you had a really nice evening.



We are starting to really like it.  Both the meals we had here this year were very good!



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> Wohhooo I am with you there on the excitment of your cruise and a B2B in the offering! How neat. Have you done one before? They seem ideal. We are less interested these days in getting off the ship what with my mobility and all the ships have to offer. Jo keeps saying might as well do the transatlantic!



This is our first B2B and I'm really looking forward to it!  Same thing for Fran and her mobility, but we remembered that we want to get off the ship in Ensenada if nothing else to visit the Pharmacy!  



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> Your mexican supper looked nice. I just adore salsa. Just hand over the bowl right!



It was very tasty!



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> DL stay looks super. How nice to meet up with your friends. I love your anniversary sweet treats Fran got. I always marvel over the photos of DL I think the big Mickey wheel looks so fabulous. So iconic. Not having one at WDW it really sets the parks at a difference which I like. It's such a pretty big wheel. That's what we call them here in England. We use to have them a lot on seaside piers and funfairs.



We had a great time staying over at DL.  I'm sorry that we don't have plans in the near future to do it again, although Fran is happy that we are only going out for day trips.  Me, I like staying overnight!



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> I am so excited for you for your cruise! You must dress up for Pirate Night! No 'swag' restrictions me hearties why not! They should have a Pirates League on the ships!



I think I can convince her to do it!



Dis_Yoda said:


> Your plans for your B2B cruise sound great and relaxing!  Its always great how much luggage you can get away with when you are driving - my husband & I are totally spoiled with that on this coast.  Luckily his new car gives me a ton more room to overpack.



I'm hoping that we can bring enough so I won't have to do any laundry on the ship this time!  Great that your new car affords you that luxury as well!



********** said:


> Ugh - you're room picture of the 1-bedroom makes me so depressed that I wasn't able to snag one at 7-months for our trip. I really, really, hope my waitlist comes through - even for only 2 nights. I would take one that looked out on a brick wall - but THAT VIEW! Too cool.



I still have my fingers crossed for you!  I really hope that the waitlist comes through!


----------



## dolphingirl47

franandaj said:


> We just didn't want to opt for that tour as it had about an hour of walking and scooters aren't allowed, so Fran didn't think she could walk/stand that long.



They must have changed it then as when I did it in 2012, there was not a great deal of walking involved. 

Corinna


----------



## franandaj

Captain_Oblivious said:


> I remember how much you enjoyed being in the spa for that previously!



It was absolute heaven.   



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Excellent work!







Captain_Oblivious said:


> Mmmm...Tortilla Jo's...







Captain_Oblivious said:


> Sounds like a fun impromptu get-together.



It was fun and unusual for us!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Gorgeous shots!



Thanks!  



dizneeat said:


> *Yeah, it's always a good day when it is time to book excursions and dining for a cruise! *



It makes it start to seem real!



dizneeat said:


> *Is your cruise sailing out of San Diego? I just looked up the Wyndham Bayside as a potential overnight hotel before our PC cruise. Thanks for the hint.*



People on my FB page recommended that as the closest parking and that works for me!



dizneeat said:


> *Before you book anything .... keep in mind that usually on the first sea day there is the Castaway Club reception. It will not be advertised anywhere, but you will find a letter with the information the first night of the cruise. Since this is your 6th cruise you should be invited! Free drinks and lovely snacks!*



Thanks for the hint!  What time do they usually hold the reception?  On our Dream Cruise in December I want to do the Remy Champagne lunch at noon, will we miss the reception?


dizneeat said:


> *Laughing because I thought if we had a 6pm dinner we would be able to go to the pirate buffet .... NO way. *



We tried to enjoy the Pirate Buffet on our last cruise, and even with not eating much dinner at the Pirate menu, we still had no room!



dizneeat said:


> *I am sure you could order eggs over easy at Triton's as well, but I am so with you - ALL food tastes so much better if you do not have to make it yourself.*



That's good to know, but I like having the Eggs Benedict at Triton's!  Like you!



dizneeat said:


> *WOW!!!!!!! What an awesome view. I guess I would not leave the room for quite some time if I had view like this. *



It's been a long time since we have had the sixth floor view!



rentayenta said:


> Love your cruise plans and still bummed we're not going but it'll be great to see you and Pam!
> 
> No cilantro? Blasphemy!



At least we can have lunch the day before, but I'll miss having you all on the cruise!



Leshaface said:


> Especially with those stops, I'd rather stay on the ship too!



With the exception of prescriptions in Ensenada, we probably will just stay on the ship.



Leshaface said:


> That's cool! Like a private class?



Basically.  It will be scheduled before we set sail and we'll know when it takes place when we book anything on board.



Leshaface said:


> Absolutely






Leshaface said:


> Can you imagine if there was an earthquake and that was your seat?!



The thought did occur to me....



Leshaface said:


> OH my gosh it is the best! This and just margaritas would be perfect for me



It probably would have been enough, but I really wanted the enchiladas too.



Leshaface said:


> What a pretty glass.



I have one at home.



Leshaface said:


> What is in the packaging? It looks like a broken up s'more.



The "new" thing at Disney is different kinds of "bark".  This is S'mores bark, so tasty!



Leshaface said:


> I absolutely love seeing RSR backdrop at night from the rooms. So gorgeous and different!



I know it's so cool to look at!  Especially lit up at night!


----------



## dizneeat

franandaj said:


> What time do they usually hold the reception? On our Dream Cruise in December I want to do the Remy Champagne lunch at noon, will we miss the reception?



*It's usually 11 or 11.30 - can't remember, and it sometimes changes as well, BUT - if you have a noon reservation you can easily do both!!!  The CC reception only takes about half an hour and if it comes to the "worst" - you can always "sneak" out and head up to Remy! 
*
*Is it the first time you are doing the Remy lunch? We have done it several times and I prefer it to dinner. *


----------



## franandaj

MEK said:


> Your cruise plans sounds so fun! Doing a Back2Back must be really fun! Too bad you actually have to get off the boat and get back on. There needs to be a way to eliminate that step.



It would be nice....if customs wasn't involved perhaps they could do that.



MEK said:


> What a fun dinner - tableside guac and sitting below all the cool tequila bottles. Fun!
> 
> How nice that you got to spend the evening with some of your band friends. Perfect ending to the day!



It worked out for an overall great day.  Not too much hustle and bustle and lots of good food and drink!



dvc at last ! said:


> I had many pages to read to catch up on things in your busy and exciting life. I did like the pics of the fireworks and the Paint the Night Parade.
> (Saw those on a Disney site.)



Glad you are caught up, and happy that you enjoyed the pictures.



dvc at last ! said:


> Interesting 33 menu - sorry it was not very enjoyable.



It gets better.



dvc at last ! said:


> Love the 60th merchandise and all the purchases made - nice jewelry.
> Glad Fan is doing great with the meds.
> The cruise will be here before you know it -love your planning skills.



Thanks, I can't take my necklaces off, I keep alternating between them!  Fran is definitely feeling better and I really hope the cruise gets here soon!  I need it!



ACDSNY said:


> Cruise plans sound great and it will be time to set sail soon.



I keep hoping!



PrincessInOz said:


> Keep building those miles! I might actually see the two of you here in Australia!!!



Well the miles right now are erasing cruise fees, but we are doing good on Airline miles, I'm just not sure we can use them to get to Oz.  This one will take planning, but we WILL get there!



PrincessInOz said:


> Cilantro??? She gave you cilantro????
> Glad she made you a new batch!!



I know!  Can you believe it!



afwdwfan said:


> The cruise plans look great.  I hope you can convince Fran to go along with the pirate night costumes.
> 
> Looks like a lovely evening at Tortilla Jo's and having drinks.  I really regret not eating there when we were out there.  It always smelled so good, but it just didn't work out that we were nearby when we were looking for food.  Your pictures look delicious!



I can usually convince her, I think it will be fun.

You really need a redo at DL, now that you did a Banzai rides trip, you need to go and enjoy the other stuff, like that Pistachio ice cream or at least a Dole Whip!



dolphingirl47 said:


> They must have changed it then as when I did it in 2012, there was not a great deal of walking involved.
> 
> Corinna



Well, I don't remember it being that long back when, but we don't want to risk it.  We can tour wineieres anywhere, I'd probably rather just check out the pharmacy and then go back to the ship and eat in the restaurants there and enjoy the pool while people are off the ship!



dizneeat said:


> *It's usually 11 or 11.30 - can't remember, and it sometimes changes as well, BUT - if you have a noon reservation you can easily do both!!!  The CC reception only takes about half an hour and if it comes to the "worst" - you can always "sneak" out and head up to Remy!
> *
> *Is it the first time you are doing the Remy lunch? We have done it several times and I prefer it to dinner. *



That's good to know.  The cruise in December will be our first time on either of the Big Ships, so far we have been on the Magic once and the Wonder three times.  The next cruise will make five Wonder Cruises.  I have yet to book the Fantasy!


----------



## dolphingirl47

franandaj said:


> Well, I don't remember it being that long back when, but we don't want to risk it.



I completely understand. It is not worth the risk.

Corinna


----------



## franandaj

On the day of Disneyland’s 60th Anniversary our wake up call came in at 5:30AM.  We had planned to be grabbing breakfast at 6AM and then being out the door by 7AM when they would supposedly be letting folks into DL.  But we had been done in by our activities of the day before.  Both of us were having severe heartburn or GERD type feelings and dared not leave the hotel room for fear of creating a public nuisance.

Instead we took some Pepcid Complete and crawled back into bed.  I think it was around 7:00 or 7:30 when I came back to consciousness.  I’m not going to say that I felt “good”, but I didn’t feel nearly as bad as I did a couple hours ago, and I was ready to get dressed and face the world.  Fran was not quite as much so, but she was willing to get up and out of bed after I had some food and she felt a little better too.

My breakfast.  I managed to eat this and not get sick, and came back to get Fran dressed and ready to go.





I think it was about 9:00AM when we finally got going and left the hotel.  We had seen a couple posts on FB from our friends that the park was pretty empty so we were pretty happy about that since we had gotten such a late start.  By the time we got inside the park it was almost 9:30 and Fran suggested that we just park ourselves in front of the TV on Main Street since we could get a spot in the shade and we probably wouldn’t be able to get a spot anywhere near the hub and it certainly wouldn’t be in the shade.  I figured it was as good a spot as any and went with it.

When we first sat the place was fairly empty.





We had a good view of City Hall.





And though we couldn't actually see it, Walt’s Apartment was right there.





I could zoom in nicely on the screen.





Already our spot was beginning to fill up fast.  By the time 10:00 arrived the entire space next to us was packed as well as the area in front of us all the way up to the screen.





Disney encouraged folks to dress up like 1955 that day.  A lot of people gave it the old college try and a lot pulled it off quite well.  I took pictures of anyone I saw who was trying.





















And then our area started to become really crowded, so much so that I thought no one was going to be able to walk through and eventually I was right.





The performance that we were waiting for, finally began.  





We were treated to a performance by Richard Sherman and Ashley Brown (Mary Poppins fame). 





And then all the characters came out to say, “Happy 60th Birthday!”





But even better is to watch it for yourself.






Then we were on another mission.  Our friends John and Suzie had told us about the cupcakes on the 50th Anniversary, and various CMs had confirmed that they would have cupcakes for the 60th as well.  So we went out in search of the cupcakes. We heard that one of the locations was Big Thunder Ranch.









They were really good cupcakes!  Evidently they planned on serving them until 8PM that night.





On our way out, I saw this girl dressed up in this cute skirt that her mom had made for her.





And then we were off to our next destination, a very special Anniversary lunch!


----------



## jedijill

How fun to be there on the exact day!  Those cupcakes look yummy. 

Jill in CO


----------



## mvf-m11c

Very nice day on July 17th. I wish I was there on that day. The cupcakes look nice.


----------



## dolphingirl47

What a shame that you both felt unwell early in the morning. I am going to have to come back to watch the video over the weekend. The cupcakes look very nice.

Corinna


----------



## dhorner233

How exciting that you were there on THE DAY!! I'm looking forward to "following you around" the whole day!! Thanks for the video. The cupcakes look kind of small but yummy.


----------



## dvc at last !

Thanks for sharing the 60th Birthday Party pics and loved seeing the video also of the ceremony.
Glad you felt better as the morning progressed - you and Fran could not have missed the ceremony - and you had great seats, too !
Cupcakes looked nice.
Was that your new necklace ?
You both matched the blue theme.


----------



## PrincessInOz

What a great kick-off to the 60th.  Thanks so much for sharing it with us.

Those cupcakes look delicious!


----------



## MommyJKM

I recognized you and Fran from your previous TR (somewhere on this board) and waved this day and you looked at me like "Do I know you?" and smiled waved back! HA! Do you remember that? My poor husband was like "Stop waving at strangers" and I said "I know her, her  name is Allison." and he just glared at me and kept walking.


----------



## Pinkocto

You look great in that dress Alison! 

How fun to be there on the actual day. Very special. 

Bummer you started off not feeling well, glad it didn't last.


----------



## franandaj

dolphingirl47 said:


> I completely understand. It is not worth the risk.
> 
> Corinna



Besides, I think we will enjoy our time on the ship just as well.



jedijill said:


> How fun to be there on the exact day!  Those cupcakes look yummy.
> 
> Jill in CO



It was great to be there on the day.  As you'll see we didn't do a lot, but it was nostalgic.



mvf-m11c said:


> Very nice day on July 17th. I wish I was there on that day. The cupcakes look nice.



I think you would have really enjoyed being there on that day too!  



dolphingirl47 said:


> What a shame that you both felt unwell early in the morning. I am going to have to come back to watch the video over the weekend. The cupcakes look very nice.
> 
> Corinna



Yeah, it wasn't how either of us wanted to feel that day, but it eventually went away.  The cupcakes were tasty.



dhorner233 said:


> How exciting that you were there on THE DAY!! I'm looking forward to "following you around" the whole day!! Thanks for the video. The cupcakes look kind of small but yummy.



We actually didn't do very much that day as you will find out in the next update.  The cupcakes were actually the perfect size. Any bigger and it would have been too much!



dvc at last ! said:


> Thanks for sharing the 60th Birthday Party pics and loved seeing the video also of the ceremony.
> Glad you felt better as the morning progressed - you and Fran could not have missed the ceremony - and you had great seats, too !
> Cupcakes looked nice.



I'm glad we parked it there.  We were in the shade and had good view of the screen.  Anywhere else I'm pretty sure we would have been miserable and not had as good of a view.  The hub was pretty much blocked up with the VIPs and stuff.



dvc at last ! said:


> Was that your new necklace ?
> You both matched the blue theme.



I was wearing the new necklace.  We didn't try to match the theme although Fran was wearing her Diamond Anniversary Polo shirt.



PrincessInOz said:


> What a great kick-off to the 60th.  Thanks so much for sharing it with us.
> 
> Those cupcakes look delicious!



Thanks!  



MommyJKM said:


> I recognized you and Fran from your previous TR (somewhere on this board) and waved this day and you looked at me like "Do I know you?" and smiled waved back! HA! Do you remember that? My poor husband was like "Stop waving at strangers" and I said "I know her, her  name is Allison." and he just glared at me and kept walking.



You know I think I remember that moment.  Fran waved to you and I was looking at you like "huh?"  I'll have to remember that folks recognize me at Disney so I need to be more friendly!


----------



## franandaj

Pinkocto said:


> You look great in that dress Alison!
> 
> How fun to be there on the actual day. Very special.
> 
> Bummer you started off not feeling well, glad it didn't last.



Thanks!  It was a new one.  It was pretty cool to be there on the day.  Fran had me reserve the rooms 11 months in advance so we could be sure to be there.  I just wish we didn't feel icky upon first waking up. At least it did get better!


----------



## franandaj

For the 60th Anniversary, we were lucky enough to get a reservation at a Wine Maker Dinner/Luncheon with Silverado Winery, the one owned by Diane Disney Miller and her husband Ron Miller.  We were able to attend the earlier version, but the same meal was also served during dinner.  We arrived early, but were led upstairs and immediately served glasses of wine.  I believe that it was a Chenin Blanc.





Shortly before noon, we were lead to our table.





I was one of the first to enter the room.





The Menu





And a copy that you can read.









Our first course was absolutely delicious!  According to the Menu it read, Salad of Little Gem Lettuce, Marinated Scallop in Lemon, Pistachio and Silverado EVO and Fennel Dust (at least I think that’s what it said.)  But in plain English it was a miniature grilled romaine heart, and a scallop cevice.  This was soooo good!  The meal was promising, so far!





Our next course was Sauteed Black Bass on Lobster Agnolotti with Chanterelle Mushroom Minestrone and Basil Pesto.  And this one totally knocked it out of the park!





They poured the sauce tableside. Here’s the after picture. For those not familiar, Agnolotti is just a fancy word for a kind of “ravioli”. These little pillows of goodness were filled with incredible lobster filling.  I was doing the “Happy Food Dance” in my chair, so much so that Fran gave me one of hers!





Next came the Blackberry Braised Pork Pot Roast with Blackberry Relish and Roasted Brentwood Corn.  My mother gets Brentwood Corn at the farmer’s market when we visit in the summer, so I knew how special this was. The pork was melt in your mouth tender and this dish also was spot on!  I wanted to lick the little tureen.





Keep in mind that each one of these dishes came with a glass of wine.  Fran had a couple sips of her wine, but not a lot, she was letting me finish off her glasses, so by this point, I think I was up to eight glasses.  Luckily they weren’t full pours!





Our main course was Grilled Prime Beef Delmonico with Shaved Truffles, Beef Cheeks and Grilled Kumquat and Rhubarb Jam.  The steak was flavorful and perfectly cooked.  I didn’t really care so much for the Beef Cheeks, but I was also pretty full from all the other courses, so that was OK, the cats really liked them.





After the main meal we relocated to another room, the lounge, for a presentation from Ron Miller and his family. But first we all served ourselves dessert from a dessert bar.  They had a selection of cheeses, Crème Brulee, Opera Cake, and Cheesecake.  I ended up eating about half a dozen of the little Crème Brulees!





Then the presentation started.  Ron Miller talked about how he and Diane Disney were introduced via Blind Date, and they hit it off immediately.  Walt gave him a job, and Ron talked about how difficult it could be working for Walt because his expectations were always so high, and once you did something well, he always expected you to do the next job even better.













Some of Walt’s grandchildren from Diane and Ron were there, and they talked about what it was like growing up in the spotlight.  Walt Disney loved to showcase his grandchildren and they didn’t always appreciate being put on the spot for ride openings and appearing with Walt in front of huge crowds.  The oldest son said that it was a little daunting to kids under 10 years old.





They showed lots of family photos with Walt and I don’t remember all the details of each of the photos, but it was fun to listen to him tell various stories about his time with Walt.





Here is a photo of the family enjoying the apartment above the firehouse on Main Street.





These were the kinds of events that Walt would have his grandkids present for “ribbon cutting” ceremonies and the like.





While the kids may not have appreciated having to be celebrities at ribbon cutting ceremonies, they did agree that Grampa Walt sure had some of the best toys that they got to test out!





And getting to test new rides with Grandpa wasn’t bad either!





And try new restaurants.





All in all they agreed that having Walt as a FIL/Grandpa was really pretty cool when it came down to it!





These were very special times that all of them remembered and cherished even today.





And they concluded with this memory of Walt Disney.





It was around 2:30PM when we were finished and after all that great food and many many glasses of wine, there was only one thing that we could do and that was go back to the room and take a nap.


----------



## dizneeat

*The meal looks awesome!
Lots of wine - awesome!
Silverado, my favourite - awesome!
And all those great photos - awesome!
Taking a nap afterwards - awesome!

Can you see the trend? Reading your TR and being able to share your experiences - awesome! Absolute best thing to read on a lazy Sunday morning!

Thanks for sharing! *


----------



## PrincessInOz

Wow!  Wow!  Wow!

What a great night.  

I have nothing else to say except Wow!!!!!


----------



## Dis_Yoda

That event looks awesome!  I loved how they gave you such a great presentation!  The meal looks like it was put together nicely as well along with some nice wines.


----------



## dolphingirl47

The meal looks delicious and the whole event looks amazing. 

Corinna


----------



## mvf-m11c

The meal look so amazing as well as the presentation with Ron Miller. That must have been a fun and exciting time.


----------



## alohamom

Thank you soooo very much for sharing all of this! I feel like I was kind of there with you. The food looked divine but all those special photos were incredible to see. Thank you, thank you, thank you!


----------



## MEK

Glad you both were able to overcome your heartburn even if you missed your original wakeup call.  

How fun to see everyone dressed in their 50's garb.  What a nice touch.

Your lunch looks freaking amazing!  That presentation sounds amazing.  I would have loved that.  How very cool and what a special tribute to Walt!  

Yup - that lunch with all that wine - I would be heading out for a nap, too!


----------



## dvc at last !

Seeing the menu I thought sounds delish, but seeing the presentations - they looked super !
How did you even make it through all that wine and not nod off during the family speeches ?
The table settings were beautiful also.
Nice touch going to another area for dessert.
You and Fran are living the life - and that is a good thing !
Thanks for sharing.
How interesting that someone recognized you from the DisBoards - love it !


----------



## rndmr2

That dinner really looked good! I would have eaten everything on the menu which is unusual for me.

That presentation sounded nice that must have been cool to see the family and hear all the memories of Walt.


----------



## jedijill

OMG, what a special event!  Absolutely amazing.  The food looked amazing too. 

Jill in CO


----------



## dhorner233

What a nice photo presentation! My mouth was literally watering looking at the delicious food and a tear always comes to my eye seeing pictures of Walt. Those lucky grand kids!!! I just wish he had lived a lot longer!


----------



## dgbg100106

franandaj said:


> So I thought I would give you another trip update.


I love the cruise plans, and the B2B with 2 day to nowhere, sounds really nice, and makes it a great cruise overall.  I think dressing up for pirate night and the no airline is really sweet.






franandaj said:


> Back to the 60th Anniversary Celebration report: We finally got notification that our room was ready and headed over there and had the bags brought up by the Bellman. While Fran napped, I responded to some of the posts on my thread on the DIS, checked some other things on the computer and then decided to check out Happy Hour at the lounge.  They usually have a hot appetizer, today was sausage calzones and peperoni rolls.  I didn’t try the pepperoni item, but I did get a sausage calzone.  It was not very good.  There was hardly any filling so I only ate the side of the crust that had filling on it.  In addition to grabbing a coke for Fran I got myself a glass of wine.


I hate snacks that are all about filling you up and not really providing anything other than fried bread. 




franandaj said:


> After her nap, Fran was refreshed and ready to go out to eat.  Neither of us was ravenous since we had snacked our way through the park and lounge after lunch. We headed over to Tortilla Jo’s and were seated after a brief wait. I sat underneath this wall of Tequila.



yummy tequila wall




franandaj said:


> And we both ordered margaritas.



Oh yeah... Margaritas





franandaj said:


> Our Guacamole


Now that looks good enough to eat.  I would fill up on that alone.




franandaj said:


> Now the next event was among the most strange events for Fran and myself.



You guys look great and so do the drinks.  So glad you had a great time.  Fran looks like she is feeling better, I hope it lasts a good lone while now with these drugs.


----------



## afwdwfan

franandaj said:


> Disney encouraged folks to dress up like 1955 that day. A lot of people gave it the old college try and a lot pulled it off quite well. I took pictures of anyone I saw who was trying.


Cool!



franandaj said:


> But even better is to watch it for yourself.


Thanks!  Looks like a neat celebration.  I didn't even realize they did that... although, it doesn't really surprise me. 



franandaj said:


> Then we were on another mission. Our friends John and Suzie had told us about the cupcakes on the 50th Anniversary, and various CMs had confirmed that they would have cupcakes for the 60th as well. So we went out in search of the cupcakes. We heard that one of the locations was Big Thunder Ranch.


You can't have an anniversary without cake!!!! 



franandaj said:


> For the 60th Anniversary, we were lucky enough to get a reservation at a Wine Maker Dinner/Luncheon with Silverado Winery, the one owned by Diane Disney Miller and her husband Ron Miller.


Oh wow...  You must have some great connections. 



franandaj said:


> Then the presentation started. Ron Miller talked about how he and Diane Disney were introduced via Blind Date, and they hit it off immediately. Walt gave him a job, and Ron talked about how difficult it could be working for Walt because his expectations were always so high, and once you did something well, he always expected you to do the next job even better.


Dinner alone looked great, but this would be the ultimate... sitting in the same room as Ron Miller and listening to stories about Walt!!!! 

It's sad to say it, but it won't be long before the people telling stories about Walt won't have that first hand experience of knowing and working with him. 



franandaj said:


> They showed lots of family photos with Walt and I don’t remember all the details of each of the photos, but it was fun to listen to him tell various stories about his time with Walt.


This is really just amazing.  I'd have been in awe of the entire presentation!



franandaj said:


> All in all they agreed that having Walt as a FIL/Grandpa was really pretty cool when it came down to it!


I certainly can't argue that point!

Thanks for sharing!  I got goosebumps just reading about and seeing the pictures of the Disney/Miller family presentation.  I can only imagine how awe inspiring it must have been sitting there in the room with them!


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

franandaj said:


> Both of us were having severe heartburn or GERD type feelings and dared not leave the hotel room for fear of creating a public nuisance.
> 
> Instead we took some Pepcid Complete and crawled back into bed. I think it was around 7:00 or 7:30 when I came back to consciousness.



Ugh.  Sorry you weren't feeling well.



franandaj said:


> Already our spot was beginning to fill up fast. By the time 10:00 arrived the entire space next to us was packed as well as the area in front of us all the way up to the screen.



Looks like you chose wisely, staking your spot early!



franandaj said:


> And then all the characters came out to say, “Happy 60th Birthday!”



Seems like a fairly brief show.



franandaj said:


> Our friends John and Suzie had told us about the cupcakes on the 50th Anniversary, and various CMs had confirmed that they would have cupcakes for the 60th as well. So we went out in search of the cupcakes.



Mmmm..cupcakes...



franandaj said:


> We arrived early, but were led upstairs and immediately served glasses of wine.



Just what you needed after all that Pepcid!



franandaj said:


> According to the Menu it read, Salad of Little Gem Lettuce, Marinated Scallop in Lemon, Pistachio and Silverado EVO and Fennel Dust (at least I think that’s what it said.) But in plain English it was a miniature grilled romaine heart, and a scallop cevice.



Thanks for the translation.



franandaj said:


> For those not familiar, Agnolotti is just a fancy word for a kind of “ravioli”.



You were thinking of me when you wrote these, weren't you? 



franandaj said:


> Walt gave him a job, and Ron talked about how difficult it could be working for Walt because his expectations were always so high, and once you did something well, he always expected you to do the next job even better.



I heard he wasn't very generous with compliments, either.



franandaj said:


> While the kids may not have appreciated having to be celebrities at ribbon cutting ceremonies, they did agree that Grampa Walt sure had some of the best toys that they got to test out!



It's always interesting listening to the truth of living behind the scenes!


----------



## DnA2010

Wow! Just wow! Thank you so much for the great details and photos of such an amazing event! How fantastic to hear about the adventure from the kids side!


----------



## rentayenta

ok wow! That event looks and sounds ah-mazing! 8 glasses of wine? Atta girl!


----------



## Pinkocto

That event sounds amazing.  How fun to hear stories from Walt's family.  I imagine it is bittersweet for them at these celebrations though. 

I don't think I'd have been able to eat anything past the first two courses, but the meal looks scrumptious.  I've recently discovered I'm intolerant to gluten, so all regular breads and pastries are out the window...


----------



## Paula Sedley-Burke

Wow what neat updates! First of all that's harsh you woke up that day feeling sick. Sorry for you both. Those cupcakes looked nice and very impressed with that lass and her skirt her Mom made! How cute. Wow that restaurant and that menu! Check that out. I love opera cake! The beef looks good. I am with you on the cheeks. Happy kitties though! The other courses superb! How nice you got a talk like that. What a lovely day!


----------



## Leshaface

franandaj said:


> And though we couldn't actually see it, Walt’s Apartment was right there.



That is actually the best spot!  And somewhat within eye shot of Walt's apartment



franandaj said:


>





franandaj said:


>



Such great costumes!  I've always wanted to visit during Dapper Days but i'm not sure I could pull off that look.  I'd need some help.



franandaj said:


>



Perfect viewing location!



franandaj said:


>



How awesome that they were giving these out for FREE!  Disney and free is a rarity.



franandaj said:


>



Good shot with the wine and logo



franandaj said:


>



The tablescape is beautiful!



franandaj said:


> I was doing the “Happy Food Dance” in my chair, so much so that Fran gave me one of hers!



You enjoyed every dish!  Amazing!



franandaj said:


> I think I was up to eight glasses



My hero.



franandaj said:


> but I was also pretty full from all the other courses, so that was OK, the cats really liked them.



Man, my cat would be so jealous of your cats



franandaj said:


>



Yum!



franandaj said:


>





franandaj said:


>



I love seeing old pictures like this.  So cool.


----------



## franandaj

dizneeat said:


> *The meal looks awesome!
> Lots of wine - awesome!
> Silverado, my favourite - awesome!
> And all those great photos - awesome!
> Taking a nap afterwards - awesome!
> 
> Can you see the trend? Reading your TR and being able to share your experiences - awesome! Absolute best thing to read on a lazy Sunday morning!
> 
> Thanks for sharing! *



You're welcome, it was a really good day!



PrincessInOz said:


> Wow!  Wow!  Wow!
> 
> What a great night.
> 
> I have nothing else to say except Wow!!!!!



Glad it wowed you so much, we haven't even made it to night yet! I think that it was like 3:30 in the afternoon and I was already passing out!  



Dis_Yoda said:


> That event looks awesome!  I loved how they gave you such a great presentation!  The meal looks like it was put together nicely as well along with some nice wines.



That was the best post renovation meal we have had there.



dolphingirl47 said:


> The meal looks delicious and the whole event looks amazing.
> 
> Corinna



It was great!



mvf-m11c said:


> The meal look so amazing as well as the presentation with Ron Miller. That must have been a fun and exciting time.



We really enjoyed it!


----------



## PrincessInOz

franandaj said:


> Glad it wowed you so much, we haven't even made it to night yet! I think that it was like 3:30 in the afternoon and I was already passing out!



It was lunch????  OMG!  I skipped ahead a whole half a day and didn't realise???  I really must pay more attention to what I'm reading!


----------



## franandaj

alohamom said:


> Thank you soooo very much for sharing all of this! I feel like I was kind of there with you. The food looked divine but all those special photos were incredible to see. Thank you, thank you, thank you!



  I'm glad you enjoyed this post!



MEK said:


> Glad you both were able to overcome your heartburn even if you missed your original wakeup call.
> 
> How fun to see everyone dressed in their 50's garb. What a nice touch.



We didn't miss the call, we just said, "forget it!" and went back to sleep.  At least it prompted us to take the medicine so we felt better when we did finally get up. 

I thought about dressing up, but I couldn't come up with something that would be comfy and cute, so I just went with comfy.



MEK said:


> Your lunch looks freaking amazing! That presentation sounds amazing. I would have loved that. How very cool and what a special tribute to Walt!
> 
> Yup - that lunch with all that wine - I would be heading out for a nap, too!



It was all great!  Even the nap!



dvc at last ! said:


> Seeing the menu I thought sounds delish, but seeing the presentations - they looked super !
> How did you even make it through all that wine and not nod off during the family speeches ?



I'm not exactly sure.    Because I almost fell asleep on the way back to the room!  



dvc at last ! said:


> The table settings were beautiful also.
> Nice touch going to another area for dessert.
> You and Fran are living the life - and that is a good thing !
> Thanks for sharing.



It was cool to switch venues, seeing the screen was much easier than doing it from a dining table.  For the last month, yes, we have been burning it at both ends.



dvc at last ! said:


> How interesting that someone recognized you from the DisBoards - love it !



There has been a lot of that going around.



rndmr2 said:


> That dinner really looked good! I would have eaten everything on the menu which is unusual for me.



I'm usually not very picky, but this was a great mix of tastes!



rndmr2 said:


> That presentation sounded nice that must have been cool to see the family and hear all the memories of Walt.



It was really nice and a great tribute to the 60th Anniversary.



jedijill said:


> OMG, what a special event!  Absolutely amazing.  The food looked amazing too.
> 
> Jill in CO



It was 



dhorner233 said:


> What a nice photo presentation! My mouth was literally watering looking at the delicious food and a tear always comes to my eye seeing pictures of Walt. Those lucky grand kids!!! I just wish he had lived a lot longer!



I think we all wished he did.



dgbg100106 said:


> I love the cruise plans, and the B2B with 2 day to nowhere, sounds really nice, and makes it a great cruise overall. I think dressing up for pirate night and the no airline is really sweet.



I am so looking forward to it.  Only two months now!



dgbg100106 said:


> I hate snacks that are all about filling you up and not really providing anything other than fried bread.



Yeah, they have had better snacks, these were pretty weak.



dgbg100106 said:


> yummy tequila wall



Too bad they weren't offering tastings!



dgbg100106 said:


> Oh yeah... Margaritas







dgbg100106 said:


> Now that looks good enough to eat. I would fill up on that alone.



I almost did!



dgbg100106 said:


> You guys look great and so do the drinks. So glad you had a great time. Fran looks like she is feeling better, I hope it lasts a good lone while now with these drugs.



Hopefully these drugs will not cause her problems, she seems to have managed the twice daily pills.


----------



## franandaj

afwdwfan said:


> Cool!
> 
> Thanks! Looks like a neat celebration. I didn't even realize they did that... although, it doesn't really surprise me.



They do all kinds of celebrations that only people in the park know about.  If they advertised things, they park would be overrun!



afwdwfan said:


> You can't have an anniversary without cake!!!!



Totally!



afwdwfan said:


> Oh wow... You must have some great connections.







afwdwfan said:


> Dinner alone looked great, but this would be the ultimate... sitting in the same room as Ron Miller and listening to stories about Walt!!!!
> 
> It's sad to say it, but it won't be long before the people telling stories about Walt won't have that first hand experience of knowing and working with him.
> 
> This is really just amazing. I'd have been in awe of the entire presentation!



I've really been fortunate over the years to sit in some rooms with really talented and special people.  I just never have the guts to walk up to them and say anything!



afwdwfan said:


> I certainly can't argue that point!
> 
> Thanks for sharing! I got goosebumps just reading about and seeing the pictures of the Disney/Miller family presentation. I can only imagine how awe inspiring it must have been sitting there in the room with them!



It is really cool to be in the room with them.  I sort of "pinch myself" every time I find myself in one of those situations.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Ugh. Sorry you weren't feeling well.



It happens.  



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Looks like you chose wisely, staking your spot early!



It really crowded up quickly, I'm glad we stopped when we did.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Seems like a fairly brief show.
> 
> Mmmm..cupcakes...



Short and sweet because everyone wanted to go get their cupcakes!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Just what you needed after all that Pepcid!



That's why we took the Pepcid!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Thanks for the translation.
> 
> You were thinking of me when you wrote these, weren't you?



You know, perhaps I was....



Captain_Oblivious said:


> I heard he wasn't very generous with compliments, either.
> 
> It's always interesting listening to the truth of living behind the scenes!



Yes, all the folks that I've heard talk about him said that he never gave you a compliment to your face, but he would tell others (sometimes) when you did a good job.



DnA2010 said:


> Wow! Just wow! Thank you so much for the great details and photos of such an amazing event! How fantastic to hear about the adventure from the kids side!



I'm glad you enjoyed it!



rentayenta said:


> ok wow! That event looks and sounds ah-mazing! 8 glasses of wine? Atta girl!



And the eight glasses of wine was before the Main Course, it was 12 by the end of lunch!  



Pinkocto said:


> That event sounds amazing. How fun to hear stories from Walt's family. I imagine it is bittersweet for them at these celebrations though.



it's always great to hear stories from people who knew Walt.



Pinkocto said:


> I don't think I'd have been able to eat anything past the first two courses, but the meal looks scrumptious. I've recently discovered I'm intolerant to gluten, so all regular breads and pastries are out the window...



They did come around before the meal asking if anyone had any allergies or dietary restrictions, so I think they were prepared to make substitutions.



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> Wow what neat updates! First of all that's harsh you woke up that day feeling sick. Sorry for you both. Those cupcakes looked nice and very impressed with that lass and her skirt her Mom made! How cute.



At least we got over the early sickness, there were some very creative outfits there that day.



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> Wow that restaurant and that menu! Check that out. I love opera cake! The beef looks good. I am with you on the cheeks. Happy kitties though! The other courses superb! How nice you got a talk like that. What a lovely day!



It was a great day, and even more coming up!


----------



## franandaj

Leshaface said:


> That is actually the best spot! And somewhat within eye shot of Walt's apartment



Worked for us!



Leshaface said:


> Such great costumes! I've always wanted to visit during Dapper Days but i'm not sure I could pull off that look. I'd need some help.



I know, I started looking for costumes too late.  Everything I found would have arrived a week too late from shipping.



Leshaface said:


> Perfect viewing location!



We liked it!



Leshaface said:


> How awesome that they were giving these out for FREE! Disney and free is a rarity.



Totally, I can't remember the last time I got something free at Disney!



Leshaface said:


> Good shot with the wine and logo



Thanks, it took a few tries!



Leshaface said:


> The tablescape is beautiful!
> 
> You enjoyed every dish! Amazing!



Everything about this event was top notch, almost like things pre-remodel.



Leshaface said:


> My hero.



And I still sucked down four more.  



Leshaface said:


> Man, my cat would be so jealous of your cats



They are spoiled little brats. 



Leshaface said:


> I love seeing old pictures like this. So cool.



I can't get enough of them!



PrincessInOz said:


> It was lunch????  OMG!  I skipped ahead a whole half a day and didn't realise???  I really must pay more attention to what I'm reading!



Yeah, we still have all night to go!  Hopefully coming up soon!


----------



## franandaj

So I’ve been kind of MIA this past week.  Today I’ve been trying to get caught up on people’s TRs and that includes my own.  Since last Sunday it’s been kind of crazy.  We were at Disneyland both Sunday and Monday, and Tuesday was spent running around.  

For those who don’t know, even though we got Jenny’s daughter and roomies all checked in at the end of last month, we had another tenant in that building move out.  They didn’t trash the place, but a tenant never leaves the place as clean as we want it for a new renter.  I spent the Friday and Saturday before last weekend working on the apartment, and we were back Wednesday and Thursday to wrap everything up.  It was grueling work literally scrubbing the floors, and cleaning 2nd story windows in additional to regular mundane cleaning.

Through the connection of a new found friend, we ended up going to the D23 Expo Friday.  We rationalized going, by saying that we would avoid small spaces (ie the presentations in the smaller rooms where you are in close quarters with 800-7,500 of your closest friends.)  Instead we did some shopping and stayed in the main pavilion, afterwards we had dinner with DISfriends, so today we woke up feeling like we had been run over by a truck.

Tomorrow we are back out at the park to have dinner with our art dealer.  We’ve talked to him on the phone for several years, but have never met in person, so we’re looking forward to that.  ETA: Turns out we will not be going out to the park, he has to catch a plane at 5PM to SF.  He got a contract with the Walt Disney Family Museum and needs to be there for a meeting Monday Morning.  Next time I guess.

Then we have about a month where things will calm down for a while before we get back into Disney crazy mode, when Corinna, Scott, Jenny and Pam come to town (but not all together, thank goodness!)

Today, Long Beach had a record high temperature of 99 degrees, so I have been hiding in the Air Conditioned house catching up on bills, old mail, and TRs.  I thought I would share one little “non-update”, but I think it’s kind of cute.  Perhaps you remember this picture from earlier in the TR.





Notice the landscaping on the Mickey.  Disney had chosen this color scheme for the 60th Anniversary.  I have a section of my front yard where the annuals need to be replaced every few months.  I snapped this picture during the weekend that I’m currently reporting on and gave it to my gardener.





He planted the area a couple weeks ago and in the last few days the Petunias just started flowering.  Here’s a shot of the whole area.





But if you can’t see the colors, here are some up close shots.









Not much else to report on the home front, which is a good thing.  That means everything is proceeding smoothly with no major bumps or changes.


When I last left you on the TR, we were off to the room to take a nap.  Fran was out immediately, the last thing I remember was all those cars going up in flames on the I-15 in that horrific fire as I dosed off.  Our wake up call came in around 6:30PM and I was so disoriented that I thought it was the next morning and I had slept through the night.  I didn’t and we were good to go for the evening’s festivities.

We headed out to Disneyland and while it was crowded, it never reached the capacity of the 50th Anniversary and we had no problem getting a spot for the night.  Since I had taken pictures of both the parade and fireworks twice in the last three weeks, I just sat back and watched, but Fran took pictures this time.





The parade came before the fireworks.









She really liked the Frozen Float, I’ve only included one of each picture, but she took a whole lot more of Anna, Elsa and Olaf.

















We had a pretty good spot for the fireworks, but Fran decided not to take any pictures and just sat back and enjoyed.  After the fireworks, we decided to stay for the second version of the parade, but decided that we would move to a more premium location for viewing.  We moved right to the east spoke of the hub and were right in the front row.  Once the crowds settled down again, I went over to the little red wagon and got us each a corn dog and potato chips.





Soon the parade started again.

















See she really liked Anna, Elsa, and Olaf.

























After the parade we slowly made our way out of the park and back to our room to go to bed.


----------



## franandaj

The next morning I headed up to the lounge and had a substantially larger breakfast than the previous day.





I brought Fran a bagel, and I packed up our stuff.  We had packed two extra empty suitcases to accommodate all our loot.  One thing I forgot to mention was that Fran had been shopping at various different locations throughout the trip and shipping all the merchandise back to the resort.  It took an entire Bell cart to bring up our bags of stuff.  I proceeded to pack the small stuff inside of our suitcases and smaller down some of the bags and packaging.  Then we called Bell Services to take all of our luggage down and hold it.

We hadn’t been on many rides, so I asked if we could go on one before we left.  On our way into the park, I couldn’t resist the smell of fresh popcorn.





We stopped to enjoy our popcorn, and saw Goofy all dressed up in his 60th finest.





Then we headed to our ride, and barely waited at all.





I think this was my best game ever.  Not quite sure what Fran’s score was, but it wasn’t zero.









We decided that a Mickey bar was in order and noticed that the skies were beginning to get very very dark.









We had one more errand to run.  We had seen people with these Chernabog sipper cups, and Fran had to have one.  So we picked it up and exited the park.  It really looked like rain.





We loaded up the car and something made me think that I should put Fran’s scooter inside the car instead of on the rack on the back of the car.  Jim was feeding the cats when we got home and he helped me get the luggage inside the house, but we left the scooters in the back of the car.

After Jim left, the skies opened up, I could have sworn we got a ton of rain, but the weather reports the next day said that it was only about ¼ inch.  Regardless it was enough rain to set records for July in Los Angeles, and I was glad that the scooters were safely inside the car.  Another fun trip in the books!


----------



## PrincessInOz

I love the night shots of the parade.  And the corn dog....and the popcorn...and the Mickey Ice Cream.
But what I love the most?  Pictures of your garden bed looking like Disneyland!  


Thanks for sharing this trip with us.  Hope you enjoyed the time at D23 and that you had a great time with the DisMeet.  YAY for the new found friend! 
September is going to be even busier if all those Dis-sers are coming to visit you!


----------



## mvf-m11c

That is great that you were able to go back to the parks and watch PtN and DF. I always enjoy your pictures and it will be nice to see more and more from your mini TR's. Never get tired of those Corn Dogs from the Little Red Wagon.


----------



## Leshaface

franandaj said:


> They didn’t trash the place, but a tenant never leaves the place as clean as we want it for a new renter. I spent the Friday and Saturday before last weekend working on the apartment, and we were back Wednesday and Thursday to wrap everything up. It was grueling work literally scrubbing the floors, and cleaning 2nd story windows in additional to regular mundane cleaning.



Ugh that sucks.  I don't understand why people wouldn't at least attempt to clean up after they move out.  I remember I was so concerned about us getting the deposit back that we spent half a day cleaning and renting a steam cleaner for the rugs.  Needless to say, we didn't get our deposit back because one of our friends was super drunk (2 NIGHTS before moving out) and getting mad at everyone  and kicked down the gate that leads up to our house Ah, good ol' college days.



franandaj said:


> Tomorrow we are back out at the park to have dinner with our art dealer. We’ve talked to him on the phone for several years, but have never met in person, so we’re looking forward to that.



That will be fun!



franandaj said:


> Then we have about a month where things will calm down for a while before we get back into Disney crazy mode, when Corinna, Scott, Jenny and Pam come to town (but not all together, thank goodness!)



Yay!  I imagine you'll be seeing a lot more of Jenny these days 



franandaj said:


>





franandaj said:


>



I love it!  They're going to look great in a few months.    



franandaj said:


> he last thing I remember was all those cars going up in flames on the I-15 in that horrific fire as I dosed off



So sad



franandaj said:


> Our wake up call came in around 6:30PM and I was so disoriented that I thought it was the next morning and I had slept through the night.



I HATE THAT! When I was 19, I was working 3 jobs and was going to school, so the days were long and i'd sometimes get a few hours in the afternoon to nap.  Multiple times i'd wake up disoriented, grabbing my uniform for my morning job when it was time for my night job and my parents would have to reassure me it was PM.  



franandaj said:


>



Gaw I miss these beautes!



franandaj said:


>



No souvenir popcorn bucket?!   Not like you at all.



franandaj said:


>



Love it!



franandaj said:


>



Aw now every time I see these, i'll think of the day me and you had one while watching Mickey and the Magical Map


----------



## Paula Sedley-Burke

I just adore you having those colours from DL Anniversary growing. What a neat idea! How exciting you have all those lovely visitors lined up. 

It always throws me we differ in chips. For us chips are fries. So you said corn dog and chips I my mind imagines fries then looking at your corn dogs photo I remember! Those are your chips! We call those crisps. 

Fran took some neat photos of the parade. I love the Frozen ones! 

Entering the park,and smelling that fresh popcorn. i love that moment. Everybody has their when do they feel they are in Disney moment. For me at WDW that's that second. Tony's to my right. Guest services to the left. The train in the station and the popcorn smell! 

Hope you enjoyed your purchases! I would go crazy for that anniversary gear.


----------



## dolphingirl47

franandaj said:


> Then we have about a month where things will calm down for a while before we get back into Disney crazy mode, when Corinna, Scott, Jenny and Pam come to town (but not all together, thank goodness!)



I don't know Scott, but it is a shame that I am not over at the same time as Jenny and Pam. At least I should get to meet Pam at Walt Disney World.



franandaj said:


>



That looks great. I hope they are still going strong when I am over.



franandaj said:


> We stopped to enjoy our popcorn, and saw Goofy all dressed up in his 60th finest.



I love Goofy in his new costume.

I really enjoyed all the photos of Paint the Night. Just 37 days until I hopefully get to see this myself.

Corinna


----------



## rentayenta

Love your flowers that match Disney's.  Looks terrific.

You think you're behind? You look on top of it compared to me.  I basically check in here because I know I'll catch everyone here. I do need to find Jill's though.

Pam and I will be there at the same time but I think she arrives a day earlier. I'm checking hotels right now for that. We're booked but I am always looking for a better deal.

12 glasses?


----------



## franandaj

PrincessInOz said:


> I love the night shots of the parade. And the corn dog....and the popcorn...and the Mickey Ice Cream.
> But what I love the most? Pictures of your garden bed looking like Disneyland!



Those are all classic treats that I was so happy to get to eat.  I really like coming and going from the house now that the flowers have started blooming.  It makes me think of the park every time I go in and out of the house! 



PrincessInOz said:


> Thanks for sharing this trip with us. Hope you enjoyed the time at D23 and that you had a great time with the DisMeet. YAY for the new found friend!
> September is going to be even busier if all those Dis-sers are coming to visit you!



It was a great time this week.  I have lots more to share. Luckily all those DISers are coming in September and October so it won't be quite as hectic and busy.



mvf-m11c said:


> That is great that you were able to go back to the parks and watch PtN and DF. I always enjoy your pictures and it will be nice to see more and more from your mini TR's. Never get tired of those Corn Dogs from the Little Red Wagon.



Thanks Bret!  I'm glad you enjoyed the pictures.



Leshaface said:


> Ugh that sucks. I don't understand why people wouldn't at least attempt to clean up after they move out. I remember I was so concerned about us getting the deposit back that we spent half a day cleaning and renting a steam cleaner for the rugs. Needless to say, we didn't get our deposit back because one of our friends was super drunk (2 NIGHTS before moving out) and getting mad at everyone and kicked down the gate that leads up to our house Ah, good ol' college days.



Actually these tenants cleaned the place better than most.  I gave them pretty much a full refund, except for the holes in the wall that needed to be patched/painted from the cords from their DirecTV and Internet.  The things we had to clean was the dust on the baseboards, wash the windows, reseal the granite countertops, and just wiping down the walls and doors where one wouldn't realize that there was dirt.  Especially cleaning the switches.  No one thinks about the dirt in the light switches.  The floor scrubbing was actually the landing outside the front door.  It's shared between apartments 3 & 4, and over the course of a year and a half the outside got filthy and had ground in dirt.  That was the hardest part about cleaning.

I take it you didn't get your deposit back as the landlord had to rebuild the gate?  



Leshaface said:


> That will be fun!



Except that he had to cancel.  So now I'm playing on the DIS and wondering what we're going to have for dinner.  



Leshaface said:


> Yay! I imagine you'll be seeing a lot more of Jenny these days



I hope so!  



Leshaface said:


> I love it! They're going to look great in a few months.



I hope within a couple weeks!



Leshaface said:


> So sad



That was tragic.



Leshaface said:


> I HATE THAT! When I was 19, I was working 3 jobs and was going to school, so the days were long and i'd sometimes get a few hours in the afternoon to nap. Multiple times i'd wake up disoriented, grabbing my uniform for my morning job when it was time for my night job and my parents would have to reassure me it was PM.



I guess that's why I don't usually take naps in the daytime. I always wake up disoriented.



Leshaface said:


> Gaw I miss these beautes!



I know!  I really want a hand dipped corn dog.  We don't even have a Hot Dog on a Stick nearby to get one.



Leshaface said:


> No souvenir popcorn bucket?!  Not like you at all.



We already have two Darth Vader ones at home, I suppose I could have gotten a princess carriage, but I don't think this cart had any.



Leshaface said:


> Aw now every time I see these, i'll think of the day me and you had one while watching Mickey and the Magical Map



  That was good times!



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> I just adore you having those colours from DL Anniversary growing. What a neat idea! How exciting you have all those lovely visitors lined up.



I do what I can, it will be fun to have friends in town.



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> It always throws me we differ in chips. For us chips are fries. So you said corn dog and chips I my mind imagines fries then looking at your corn dogs photo I remember! Those are your chips! We call those crisps.



You and the Aussies.  We call those things "French Fries".  



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> Fran took some neat photos of the parade. I love the Frozen ones!



She took at least a dozen of Anna and Elsa each time and just as many of Olaf.



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> Entering the park,and smelling that fresh popcorn. i love that moment. Everybody has their when do they feel they are in Disney moment. For me at WDW that's that second. Tony's to my right. Guest services to the left. The train in the station and the popcorn smell!
> 
> Hope you enjoyed your purchases! I would go crazy for that anniversary gear.



Me, it's looking up at Walt's apartment!  



dolphingirl47 said:


> I don't know Scott, but it is a shame that I am not over at the same time as Jenny and Pam. At least I should get to meet Pam at Walt Disney World.



Scott has been MIA around here.  He moved to Florida and seems to be more on FB than on the DIS lately.  Too bad you won't get to meet Jenny this time, but once she moves back here....



dolphingirl47 said:


> That looks great. I hope they are still going strong when I am over.



They should be doing really when you get here!



dolphingirl47 said:


> I love Goofy in his new costume.
> 
> I really enjoyed all the photos of Paint the Night. Just 37 days until I hopefully get to see this myself.



I'm sure you will enjoy it!



rentayenta said:


> Love your flowers that match Disney's.  Looks terrific.
> 
> You think you're behind? You look on top of it compared to me.  I basically check in here because I know I'll catch everyone here. I do need to find Jill's though.



You have reminded me that I need to go find Jill's as well!



rentayenta said:


> Pam and I will be there at the same time but I think she arrives a day earlier. I'm checking hotels right now for that. We're booked but I am always looking for a better deal.
> 
> 12 glasses?



Uh-oh, I thought you arrived the day that Pam does.  We might not be having lunch before we have to leave on the cruise.   We leave at 6AM on Friday morning.  Pam gets in on Wednesday, so that means you arrive Thursday.


----------



## Dis_Yoda

You guys really are the biggest Disney shoppers I know!  Its great always seeing what you end up picking up during your trips.  

The paint the night parade looks really nice - I hope we end up seeing it in January.  

I find that Buzz is a lot harder at Disneyland than WDW but that could be because I know the spots at WDW and you can just keep the button pressed there rather than having to keep pressing it at Disneyland.


----------



## franandaj

Dis_Yoda said:


> You guys really are the biggest Disney shoppers I know! Its great always seeing what you end up picking up during your trips.



It's mostly Fran, I'm really trying to remember what all we picked up on this trip.  I know there were a couple of things that were special, but some were just T-shirts, and then there was the limited merchandise that they released that week.  But yeah, Fran buys more than anyone I know.  Although if you had seen some of the posts from the Expo of some people and their loot, they gave her a run for her money!



Dis_Yoda said:


> The paint the night parade looks really nice - I hope we end up seeing it in January.



I'm sure it will still be there in January, it's a great parade.  World of Color, probably going to be gone after they do the Winter Dreams version.  In fact they may release that one early as "Celebrate!" is getting some really bad reviews.  I kinda liked it, but I'm weird.



Dis_Yoda said:


> I find that Buzz is a lot harder at Disneyland than WDW but that could be because I know the spots at WDW and you can just keep the button pressed there rather than having to keep pressing it at Disneyland.



I think it's because you know the spots at WDW.  I find Buzz in DL easier since you can take it out of it's holster.


----------



## dvc at last !

The flowers at your house look great.
Thanks for sharing the Paint The Night Parade pics
I always have a Mickey Bar also.
Fran is the shopper !


----------



## franandaj

We left off with a rainy summer day in Southern California. Oddly enough, the next day was a repeat of the previous, so we just hid inside the house watching the DVR and me posting on the DIS. But mostly Fran was napping, three days in the parks really wiped her out and she slept all day Sunday.  

If you remember this was when we were still getting the place ready for Jenny’s daughter to move in.  Carpeting was laid over the weekend while we were at Disney, and the contractor still had to put in the dishwasher and hang the blinds (which I still had to buy).  Monday we opened up the box from the brand new dishwasher only to find it had a huge dent in the front door. Tuesday morning the contractor went to return it and all they could do was refund my credit card, not issue a replacement.  When I went to find a replacement, I was dismayed to find out that Lowe’s, Home Depot, and Best Buy could not deliver a dishwasher before the second week of August.  Jenny’s daughter would be moving in on the 31st of July!  

I spent Tuesday fetching the blinds from Lowe’s and fretting over the dishwasher while Fran still had been wiped out and sleeping all day Monday and most of Tuesday.  Finally I remembered about the Sears outlet where they sell items that had been returned by customers and now were listed at a discount.  Luckily we found a perfectly good Dishwasher and we picked it up on our way to band rehearsal Tuesday night (even though the store was about 20 miles out of our way the opposite direction of Los Angeles, where we rehearse).  After this crazy day, I was totally ready to out to the park and spend a day with John, Suzie and their son Elwood!

We agreed to meet up at 10:30AM, and I let Fran stay home.  If it took her three days to recover from our 60th Anniversary escapades, she didn't want to be out for another few days because she spent more time at Disney.  After I dropped off the dishwasher at the old apartment I was on my way.  I showed up a couple minutes late, but not too bad, and pretty soon we were on our way.  Our first ride was the Jungle Cruise.

















The backside of water never gets old.










Next we went on Indiana Jones.  I didn’t take any pictures on the ride, but I took this one of the sign to remind me what we did.





Then we went on to Pirates of the Caribbean.  It was on this ride that I realized that I need to get a lens to use strictly for pictures on Disney Dark Rides!  These Blue Bayou shots barely came out.









I’m including this one only because you can see how bad it is here.





My favorite harpsichord that I have been watching since college.













I got the redhead!









Unfortunately during most of the ride, the camera wouldn’t even take pictures.  I was lucky to get the few that I did.













 

At least this one at the end of Captain Sparrow came out pretty well.  Now I hope that you paid attention during these pictures because in a few more posts there will be a test!  





After Pirates (notice, no need to spell out the whole name of ride @Leshaface) we went over to the Haunted Mansion, but once they put us in the stretching room, the ride went down, so we decided to come back later. Elwood proclaimed that he was starving so he got a Mickey pretzel (sorry no picture) and he inhaled it.  I guess that’s what 4-year olds do!  So we headed to Buzz Lightyear next.  Since I had recently rode Buzz (4 days ago), I was more interested in shooting of a different kind!





















































I think I’m going to wrap this one up here, and post the next update when I get a chance.  I’m on a roll right now!  More rides and stuff to come!


----------



## franandaj

dvc at last ! said:


> The flowers at your house look great.
> Thanks for sharing the Paint The Night Parade pics
> I always have a Mickey Bar also.
> Fran is the shopper !



You snuck in while I was posting!
Thanks for the compliments on the flowers!
I wasn't up to taking pics that night, so I'm glad she was.  Yes Fran is the major shopper.  I like my jewelery, but other than that I can do without figurines, we have enough already!


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

franandaj said:


> Through the connection of a new found friend, we ended up going to the D23 Expo Friday. We rationalized going, by saying that we would avoid small spaces (ie the presentations in the smaller rooms where you are in close quarters with 800-7,500 of your closest friends.) Instead we did some shopping and stayed in the main pavilion, afterwards we had dinner with DISfriends, so today we woke up feeling like we had been run over by a truck.



It must have been cool to be there, even though it was exhausting!  I enjoyed hearing all of the news this weekend.



franandaj said:


> Today, Long Beach had a record high temperature of 99 degrees, so I have been hiding in the Air Conditioned house catching up on bills, old mail, and TRs.



99?! 



franandaj said:


> He planted the area a couple weeks ago and in the last few days the Petunias just started flowering. Here’s a shot of the whole area.



What a cool idea!



franandaj said:


> See she really liked Anna, Elsa, and Olaf.



Apparently so.



franandaj said:


> It took an entire Bell cart to bring up our bags of stuff.



 You know this is just more crap to have to move later on. 



franandaj said:


> When I went to find a replacement, I was dismayed to find out that Lowe’s, Home Depot, and Best Buy could not deliver a dishwasher before the second week of August. Jenny’s daughter would be moving in on the 31st of July!



Sounds like it's time for some good ol-fashioned hand-washing.



franandaj said:


> The backside of water never gets old.



Agreed.



franandaj said:


> Next we went on Indiana Jones. I didn’t take any pictures on the ride, but I took this one of the sign to remind me what we did.



Sigh...



franandaj said:


> Now I hope that you paid attention during these pictures because in a few more posts there will be a test!



 What?!  I should have studied!


----------



## afwdwfan

franandaj said:


> Through the connection of a new found friend, we ended up going to the D23 Expo Friday.


Cool!  Did you see anything noteworthy while you were there?



franandaj said:


> Turns out we will not be going out to the park, he has to catch a plane at 5PM to SF. He got a contract with the Walt Disney Family Museum and needs to be there for a meeting Monday Morning. Next time I guess.


Well, I guess if he's gonna stand you up, at least that's a good excuse. 



franandaj said:


> He planted the area a couple weeks ago and in the last few days the Petunias just started flowering. Here’s a shot of the whole area.


Nice job, but it doesn't look like Mickey! 



franandaj said:


> Once the crowds settled down again, I went over to the little red wagon and got us each a corn dog and potato chips.


That corn dog looks amazing!



franandaj said:


> See she really liked Anna, Elsa, and Olaf.


All the kids do!



franandaj said:


> On our way into the park, I couldn’t resist the smell of fresh popcorn.


This update is killing me.  I need a snack.



franandaj said:


> We decided that a Mickey bar was in order and noticed that the skies were beginning to get very very dark.


And now ice cream and chocolate!!!  Oh man...



franandaj said:


> We had one more errand to run. We had seen people with these Chernabog sipper cups, and Fran had to have one.


Those cups look really cool! 



franandaj said:


> After Jim left, the skies opened up


It doesn't rain in southern California... 



franandaj said:


> Luckily we found a perfectly good Dishwasher and we picked it up on our way to band rehearsal Tuesday night (even though the store was about 20 miles out of our way the opposite direction of Los Angeles, where we rehearse). After this crazy day, I was totally ready to out to the park and spend a day with John, Suzie and their son Elwood!


That was a lucky break!  Crazy that it was going to take a couple of weeks to get one delivered from any of the stores.  I can't believe that they wouldn't be able to get one to you sooner than that.



franandaj said:


> We agreed to meet up at 10:30AM, and I let Fran stay home. If it took her three days to recover from our 60th Anniversary escapades, she didn't want to be out for another few days because she spent more time at Disney. After I dropped off the dishwasher at the old apartment I was on my way. I showed up a couple minutes late, but not too bad, and pretty soon we were on our way. Our first ride was the Jungle Cruise.


You're lucky.  Just a normal day.  You know.  Run a few errands.  Swing by Disneyland for a few hours. 



franandaj said:


> Elwood proclaimed that he was starving so he got a Mickey pretzel (sorry no picture) and he inhaled it. I guess that’s what 4-year olds do!


They either inhale it or waste it.


----------



## Pinkocto

Yes, I'm getting there Wednesday and Jenny on Thursday. Unless she changed but the last thing I knew was Thursday. 

How fun that you got to D23!!!  Maybe I can plan on next year's. If I get the job I want in Alaska I'll be working one week on and one week off. That will be convenient to pop down to CA and not take any vacation time. 

Your garden looks great! 

Fun times at DL all around


----------



## dhorner233

Wow, I got way behind! You have been busy!!! I can't wait to get a corn dog and watch the light the night parade!!! 

I'll be there Sept. 20-25. Will anyone else be around then?


----------



## dolphingirl47

franandaj said:


> World of Color, probably going to be gone after they do the Winter Dreams version. In fact they may release that one early as "Celebrate!" is getting some really bad reviews.



I know that the original plan was that Winter Dreams would not come back this year. I hated Winter Dreams with a passion last year, but loved Celebrate when I watched the video. I can't wait to see it in person.



franandaj said:


> When I went to find a replacement, I was dismayed to find out that Lowe’s, Home Depot, and Best Buy could not deliver a dishwasher before the second week of August. Jenny’s daughter would be moving in on the 31st of July!



What a pain.



franandaj said:


> Luckily we found a perfectly good Dishwasher and we picked it up on our way to band rehearsal Tuesday night (even though the store was about 20 miles out of our way the opposite direction of Los Angeles, where we rehearse).



I am glad that you got it sorted.



franandaj said:


> Then we went on to Pirates of the Caribbean.



Unfortunately it looks like Pirates will be down while I am at Disneyland. It may reopen just before I leave.

How nice that you got some more Disney time. For the most part, your photos have come out  really great. I am sure Jennifer can give you a few pointers as to lenses, etc. if you are interested when we meet up. I am not sure if you know, but she is a professional photographer. This is how we originally met. She was the photographer for my vow renewal and then we became really good friends.

Corinna


----------



## PrincessInOz

Sounds like you're all ready for a dark ride lens.


----------



## Leshaface

Wow what a nightmare with the Dishwasher!  Glad that you found one though, even if it was a bit out of the way.



franandaj said:


> We agreed to meet up at 10:30AM, and I let Fran stay home. If it took her three days to recover from our 60th Anniversary escapades, she didn't want to be out for another few days because she spent more time at Disney.



I was going to say, that's a LOT of time for Fran to be in the parks like that, i'm not surprised it took her that long to recover.



franandaj said:


> After Pirates (notice, no need to spell out the whole name of ride @Leshaface)



Thanks for this!


----------



## rentayenta

@Pinkocto and @franandaj Our plans have changed somewhat. Because the kids don't want to miss the entire week of school the followingg week and my work demands are high we will be flying out, without Michael, on 10/16- we arrive that evening. We fly home mid afternoon on 10/20. I won't be able to meet up before for lunch  but will see you Pam once we arrive.  Our passes are good every day and we'd like to squeeze in a beach day if you're feeling like it.


----------



## dolphingirl47

dhorner233 said:


> I'll be there Sept. 20-25. Will anyone else be around then?



I overlooked this the other day. Our trips overlap. I will be at Disneyland for a solo trip from September 22nd to October 1st.

Corinna


----------



## Pinkocto

rentayenta said:


> @Pinkocto and @franandaj Our plans have changed somewhat. Because the kids don't want to miss the entire week of school the followingg week and my work demands are high we will be flying out, without Michael, on 10/16- we arrive that evening. We fly home mid afternoon on 10/20. I won't be able to meet up before for lunch  but will see you Pam once we arrive.  Our passes are good every day and we'd like to squeeze in a beach day if you're feeling like it.


 
Your kids are better than I was!  Give me an opportunity to miss school and I was gone


----------



## franandaj

Captain_Oblivious said:


> It must have been cool to be there, even though it was exhausting! I enjoyed hearing all of the news this weekend.



We didn't even do any of the panels.  I would have loved to have had the stamina to wait it out for the ones where they released information.  Darned Sorcerer passes we didn't get!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> 99?!



I know normally the ocean keeps it cool here, but not last week!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> What a cool idea!



Thank you!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Apparently so.







Captain_Oblivious said:


> You know this is just more crap to have to move later on.



Unless it happens to sell on eBay.  



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Sounds like it's time for some good ol-fashioned hand-washing.



You kidding?  I bet they don't even use the kitchen!  



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Agreed.







Captain_Oblivious said:


> Sigh...



You really need a Disneyland redo.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> What?! I should have studied!



You can always go back for the answers!



afwdwfan said:


> Cool! Did you see anything noteworthy while you were there?



I'll be posting a report of what I saw...I let you determine if it was noteworthy.



afwdwfan said:


> Well, I guess if he's gonna stand you up, at least that's a good excuse.



Yeah, we're trying for a redo this next week.



afwdwfan said:


> Nice job, but it doesn't look like Mickey!



We're going with the Diamond Anniversary theme colors, my yard isn't big enough for Mickey!  



afwdwfan said:


> That corn dog looks amazing!



It is!  I could go for one now.



afwdwfan said:


> All the kids do!



Even the big ones!



afwdwfan said:


> This update is killing me. I need a snack.



Me too!



afwdwfan said:


> And now ice cream and chocolate!!! Oh man...



Nothing beats a Mickey bar.  When am I going to be back?  



afwdwfan said:


> Those cups look really cool!



I have a display of Disney mugs on a shelf in my kitchen, he stands proudly there next to the Iron Man mug.



afwdwfan said:


> It doesn't rain in southern California...



It doesn't!



afwdwfan said:


> That was a lucky break! Crazy that it was going to take a couple of weeks to get one delivered from any of the stores. I can't believe that they wouldn't be able to get one to you sooner than that.



I couldn't believe it either!  Not that there weren't other stores I could have checked, but we didn't want to pay an arm and leg, the Contractor had already taken one of each of those!



afwdwfan said:


> You're lucky. Just a normal day. You know. Run a few errands. Swing by Disneyland for a few hours.



Yup!  Wouldn't have it any other way!  I love living this close!



afwdwfan said:


> They either inhale it or waste it.







Pinkocto said:


> Yes, I'm getting there Wednesday and Jenny on Thursday. Unless she changed but the last thing I knew was Thursday.



It has changed, as you know now.  We might want to revisit our plans...I'll email you.



Pinkocto said:


> How fun that you got to D23!!! Maybe I can plan on next year's. If I get the job I want in Alaska I'll be working one week on and one week off. That will be convenient to pop down to CA and not take any vacation time.



Next one is in 2017.  That sounds like an interesting job.  I'll look forward to hearing about it when you visit.



Pinkocto said:


> Your garden looks great!
> 
> Fun times at DL all around



Thanks! I've had quite a few in the past weeks.   Taking a break right now for a while.


----------



## franandaj

dhorner233 said:


> Wow, I got way behind! You have been busy!!! I can't wait to get a corn dog and watch the light the night parade!!!
> 
> I'll be there Sept. 20-25. Will anyone else be around then?



I think we're pretty much set now!  We'll all be around!  



dolphingirl47 said:


> I know that the original plan was that Winter Dreams would not come back this year. I hated Winter Dreams with a passion last year, but loved Celebrate when I watched the video. I can't wait to see it in person.



I think the word is that Celebrate is being received with such poor reviews that they are bringing back Winter Dreams so that they can phase out Celebrate and bring back the regular World of Color.



dolphingirl47 said:


> What a pain.
> 
> I am glad that you got it sorted.



It just took a little bit of finagling and creativity.



dolphingirl47 said:


> Unfortunately it looks like Pirates will be down while I am at Disneyland. It may reopen just before I leave.



That's too bad.  I was looking forward to going on it again.



dolphingirl47 said:


> How nice that you got some more Disney time. For the most part, your photos have come out really great. I am sure Jennifer can give you a few pointers as to lenses, etc. if you are interested when we meet up. I am not sure if you know, but she is a professional photographer. This is how we originally met. She was the photographer for my vow renewal and then we became really good friends.



I got quite a bit of Disney time in the last couple weeks. I'll be posting about it until you arrive!   I know WHAT lens I want, I just have to go out and look what is available and in my price range.  I remember she had quite a nice camera last year.  I was too exhausted to deal with pictures on your last visit with all the stuff going on with Fran and her meds, plus flying out to Seattle the next day.  This year I should be a lot more rested when you arrive.


PrincessInOz said:


> Sounds like you're all ready for a dark ride lens.



I'm pretty sure that I want a 35mm F1.4.  Bret recommended a Sigma lens.  In a few posts, I'll have an update on my test rental and how I felt about that one.



Leshaface said:


> Wow what a nightmare with the Dishwasher! Glad that you found one though, even if it was a bit out of the way.



It was in Santa Ana.  Not that far, but not right around the corner either.



Leshaface said:


> I was going to say, that's a LOT of time for Fran to be in the parks like that, i'm not surprised it took her that long to recover.



Yeah, we need to get to the gym so we have more stamina for more Disney time!  



Leshaface said:


> Thanks for this!



You're welcome!



rentayenta said:


> @Pinkocto and @franandaj Our plans have changed somewhat. Because the kids don't want to miss the entire week of school the followingg week and my work demands are high we will be flying out, without Michael, on 10/16- we arrive that evening. We fly home mid afternoon on 10/20. I won't be able to meet up before for lunch  but will see you Pam once we arrive.  Our passes are good every day and we'd like to squeeze in a beach day if you're feeling like it.



Well bummer that I'm going to miss you this trip.  We will have already boarded the ship by the time that you arrive, so we'll definitely miss you.
 by 


dolphingirl47 said:


> I overlooked this the other day. Our trips overlap. I will be at Disneyland for a solo trip from September 22nd to October 1st.
> 
> Corinna



I think we're all set!


----------



## franandaj

So we last left off with riding Buzz, I didn’t do so good on the scoring, but I think I did OK on the “shooting” at least for the lens that I was working with.  

Photobabble ahead: This was the trip that realized I’ll need to get a “dark ride’ lens if I want to get any decent pictures on Disney dark rides.  I think that I go often enough that I can invest in a lens that is specific for Disney Dark Rides. I’ve been experimenting and you’ll see the results in a few posts.  I think I’ve made some decisions, but I have to stew on it.

Back to the TR.  I believe that next we went on the Matterhorn.  I didn’t take any pictures because it was too jarring.  In fact it was so jarring that I decided that I didn’t need to go on it again for quite some time.  This is terrible because I used to love the Matterhorn, but since they replaced the cars it became so much more jarring that I can’t stand it.  This is a sign that I’m getting old  BTMRR in MK is too jarring for me and Matterhorn is like 20 times worse.  It will be a while before I ride this again.  So sad.  

Then we decided to go on It’s a Small World.  I’m not sure who made this decision, but when I go with friends, I’m OK with all their decision. 

I’m not sure I have been on this ride in the MK, I love that our ride loads outside and that there are all these topiaries around.













Here we go!









Sing with me!





It’s a world of laughter, 





A world of tears.





It’s a world of hope





And a world of fears.





There’s so much that we share





That it’s time we’re aware





It’s a small world after all.








It’s a small world after all.

http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random Disney/IMG_0326.jpg.html




It’s a small world after all.

[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_0333.jpg.html']
	
[/URL]
[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_0326.jpg.html']
It’s a small world after all.

[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_0334.jpg.html']
	
[/URL]
[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_0326.jpg.html']
It’s a small small world.

[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_0335.jpg.html']
	
[/URL]
[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_0326.jpg.html']
There is just one moon

[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_0337.jpg.html']
	
[/URL]
[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_0326.jpg.html']
And one golden sun

[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_0338.jpg.html']
	
[/URL]
[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_0326.jpg.html']
And a smile means friendship

[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_0339.jpg.html']
	
[/URL]
[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_0326.jpg.html']
To everyone

[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_0340.jpg.html']
	
[/URL]
[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_0326.jpg.html']
Though the mountains divide

[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_0341.jpg.html']
	
[/URL]
[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_0326.jpg.html']
And the oceans are wide

[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_0343.jpg.html']
	
[/URL]
[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_0326.jpg.html']
And the mountains divide

[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_0344.jpg.html']
	
[/URL]
[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_0326.jpg.html']
It’s a small world afterall

[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_0345.jpg.html']
	
[/URL]
[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_0326.jpg.html']
It’s a small world afterall

[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_0347.jpg.html']
	
[/URL]
[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_0326.jpg.html']
It’s a small world afterall

[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_0350.jpg.html']
	
[/URL]
[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_0326.jpg.html']
It’s a small world afterall

[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_0353.jpg.html']
	
[/URL]
[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_0326.jpg.html']
It’s a small small world

[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_0355.jpg.html']
	
[/URL]
[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_0326.jpg.html']
[/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL]


----------



## franandaj

It’s a small world afterall





It’s a small world afterall





It’s a small world afterall





It’s a small small world





Sing it again! It’s a small world afterall





It’s a small world afterall





It’s a small world afterall





It’s a small small world





And we’re almost done!









Whew!  Bet you’re glad that’s over!


We decided to take the train back to New Orleans square to see if the Haunted Mansion was back up and running.  I tried yet again to capture pictures of the Grand Canyon and Primeval World, but definitely need that dark ride lens. But first one last glimpse of IASW.





Now onto the Grand Canyon.
















[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_0380.jpg.html']
	
[/URL]
[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_0379.jpg.html']
[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_0381.jpg.html']
	
[/URL]
[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_0379.jpg.html']
And dinosaurs.

[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_0386.jpg.html']
	
[/URL]
[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_0379.jpg.html']
[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_0391.jpg.html']
	
[/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL]


----------



## kaoden39

Hi, it never fails I fall behind, way behind, way way behind. I was singing along with you. For better or worse it's running through my head now.  

We will be in Disneyland 9/14-9/18 if you're going to be around. We're flying for the first time and we are flying into Long Beach airport. This should be fun, I'm used to driving.


----------



## franandaj

kaoden39 said:


> Hi, it never fails I fall behind, way behind, way way behind. I was singing along with you. For better or worse it's running through my head now.
> 
> We will be in Disneyland 9/14-9/18 if you're going to be around. We're flying for the first time and we are flying into Long Beach airport. This should be fun, I'm used to driving.



We are actually in your neck of the woods (kind of) until the 14th.  We are driving back on the 13th or the 14th.  I'm not sure what will be up with that week, but we should keep in touch to see if I can make it out there that week.


----------



## kaoden39

franandaj said:


> We are actually in your neck of the woods (kind of) until the 14th.  We are driving back on the 13th or the 14th.  I'm not sure what will be up with that week, but we should keep in touch to see if I can make it out there that week.



How fun! I hope our nice weather from this week holds for you! Sounds great! I'd love it if the girls and I got a chance to visit with you!


----------



## ACDSNY

Now I  have that song stuck in my head.  I use to drive my family nuts with a watch I had that played the music from IASW.

Flowers at home look fabulous.

I can't sit back it the seat anymore on the Matterhorn or my back is shot.  I guess I'm getting old.


----------



## mvf-m11c

When we were walking at the D23 Expo last week, I remember you talking about getting a prime lens for the dark rides at the park. I know what you meant about improving on the images of your pictures. I have said that you should look at the Sigma prime lenses like the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC Art Lens for Canon. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/918894-REG/sigma_30mm_f_1_4_dc_hsm.html I have read Tom Bricker website and he likes the old Sigma 30mm f/1.4 lens http://www.disneytouristblog.com/sigma-30mm-f1-4-lens-review/. I have been looking at a f/1.4 prime lens after I get the telephoto lens. The Canon 50mm is nice but it doesn't have the wide angle like the 35mm or 30mm which is the ideal length for using on the dark rides at the parks.

I haven't rode the updated Matterhorn with the new Abominable Snowman but just as you said that I am also not a fan of the new bobsleds.


----------



## dolphingirl47

franandaj said:


> I'm pretty sure that I want a 35mm F1.4



That is the kind of lens I am in the market for next.



franandaj said:


> I was too exhausted to deal with pictures on your last visit with all the stuff going on with Fran and her meds, plus flying out to Seattle the next day. This year I should be a lot more rested when you arrive.



That was a crazy day. 



franandaj said:


> I think we're all set!







franandaj said:


> In fact it was so jarring that I decided that I didn’t need to go on it again for quite some time.



I was hoping that they may have tweaked it a little. I ended up with a few price bruises in November. There is nothing for it though. I need to do this at least once to see the new special effects.

Corinna


----------



## afwdwfan

franandaj said:


> This is a sign that I’m getting old BTMRR in MK is too jarring for me and Matterhorn is like 20 times worse. It will be a while before I ride this again. So sad.


Wow!  If you think BTMRR in MK is too jarring, what do you think about that version of SM? 



franandaj said:


> Then we decided to go on It’s a Small World. I’m not sure who made this decision, but when I go with friends, I’m OK with all their decision.


  Well, I guess you might as well ride it!  You get plenty of opportunities to try everything once in a while. 



franandaj said:


> Sing with me!


NO!



franandaj said:


> Now onto the Grand Canyon.


Those dioramas really are interesting.  Such a cool and unexpected touch.


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

franandaj said:


> In fact it was so jarring that I decided that I didn’t need to go on it again for quite some time. This is terrible because I used to love the Matterhorn, but since they replaced the cars it became so much more jarring that I can’t stand it.



Well, that stinks.  Maybe they'll have a refurb sometime that will make it smoother.



franandaj said:


> Here we go!



Say what??



franandaj said:


> Sing with me!



NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!



franandaj said:


> It’s a small world afterall



You're really testing your readers' patience here.



franandaj said:


> Sing it again! It’s a small world afterall



Seriously?  I'm thisclose to skipping the chapter.



franandaj said:


> Now onto the Grand Canyon.



Aaaaahhhh...I barely hung on there! 

And I don't think these photos turned out too badly.


----------



## Pinkocto

That was just plain cruelty!!! 

Looking forward to your email. I'm up for anything, but I definitely want to get together


----------



## franandaj

kaoden39 said:


> How fun! I hope our nice weather from this week holds for you! Sounds great! I'd love it if the girls and I got a chance to visit with you!



We'll see how we feel after we get home from the Bay Area, I might have the strength to come out there for a day or part of a day.



ACDSNY said:


> Now I  have that song stuck in my head.  I use to drive my family nuts with a watch I had that played the music from IASW.
> 
> Flowers at home look fabulous.
> 
> I can't sit back it the seat anymore on the Matterhorn or my back is shot.  I guess I'm getting old.



I was pushing a fine line, with that song!    I think we're all getting old.



mvf-m11c said:


> When we were walking at the D23 Expo last week, I remember you talking about getting a prime lens for the dark rides at the park. I know what you meant about improving on the images of your pictures. I have said that you should look at the Sigma prime lenses like the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC Art Lens for Canon. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/918894-REG/sigma_30mm_f_1_4_dc_hsm.html I have read Tom Bricker website and he likes the old Sigma 30mm f/1.4 lens http://www.disneytouristblog.com/sigma-30mm-f1-4-lens-review/. I have been looking at a f/1.4 prime lens after I get the telephoto lens. The Canon 50mm is nice but it doesn't have the wide angle like the 35mm or 30mm which is the ideal length for using on the dark rides at the parks.



That was the one you were talking about.  I need to take some time and look around.  I just been busy with other things lately.



mvf-m11c said:


> I haven't rode the updated Matterhorn with the new Abominable Snowman but just as you said that I am also not a fan of the new bobsleds.



I guess I didn't notice the new Abominable Snowman, or perhaps I was so worried about my back!



dolphingirl47 said:


> That is the kind of lens I am in the market for next.



I want to be able to get good dark ride pictures.



dolphingirl47 said:


> That was a crazy day.



Hopefully the upcoming one will be better!



dolphingirl47 said:


> I was hoping that they may have tweaked it a little. I ended up with a few price bruises in November. There is nothing for it though. I need to do this at least once to see the new special effects.



I'm not surprised you had some bruises!  I'm pretty sure I sat that one out last year, for the same reason.



afwdwfan said:


> Wow! If you think BTMRR in MK is too jarring, what do you think about that version of SM?



I won't ride that one either!    I think it was three trips ago I rode it and liked DL's so much more, I decided to save it for there.



afwdwfan said:


> Well, I guess you might as well ride it! You get plenty of opportunities to try everything once in a while.



I hadn't been on it since I rode it in November with Corinna, and I tend to go on the same rides over and over when I go out.  RSR, ST, SM, and Soarin' so it was a good change.



afwdwfan said:


> NO!



Oh, but why not?  



afwdwfan said:


> Those dioramas really are interesting. Such a cool and unexpected touch.



It has always been one of my favorite parts of the parks!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Well, that stinks. Maybe they'll have a refurb sometime that will make it smoother.



I wish, but somehow, I don't think so.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Say what??



Oh, come on...



Captain_Oblivious said:


> NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!



You too?  



Captain_Oblivious said:


> You're really testing your readers' patience here.



I was a little afraid of that.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Seriously? I'm thisclose to skipping the chapter.



  



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Aaaaahhhh...I barely hung on there!
> 
> And I don't think these photos turned out too badly.



Thanks for sticking it out.  I only posted the good ones.  Most of the shots, the camera wouldn't even release the shutter.



Pinkocto said:


> That was just plain cruelty!!!
> 
> Looking forward to your email. I'm up for anything, but I definitely want to get together



I'll try and get the conversation started today.  Mainly I want to get the next update up because I know how evil and cruel the last one was!


----------



## franandaj

We lucked out and the Mansion was back up and running!














I love the stretching room!






























Then we stepped into the corridor.


[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_0400.jpg.html']
	
[/URL]
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[/URL]
[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_0402.jpg.html'][URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_0402.jpg.html'][URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_0402.jpg.html'][URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_0402.jpg.html'][URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_0402.jpg.html'][URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_0402.jpg.html'][URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_0402.jpg.html']I was able to get a few pictures of the loading area.
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## kaoden39

franandaj said:


> We'll see how we feel after we get home from the Bay Area, I might have the strength to come out there for a day or part of a day.



I really hope that you can. It looks like I will be spending time in the parks 9/13-9/18. So, maybe in that time. I hope you guys have a wonderful trip to the bay area!


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## franandaj

OK, the DIS is freaking out on me, so I'm reposting the second part of that last post in a new post.

I was able to get a few pictures of the loading area.









But my camera would not take another picture throughout the ride.  This is where I got really frustrated at my lens.  Not even a blurry picture!  I was certainly set on a dark ride lens!

Once we got off the ride everyone was starving.  We had been going for quite some time and only Elwood had a pretzel so the rest of us were ready for lunch.  We ended up at the French Market.  It was hot out and I was trying to be good, so I went for the Chicken Caesar Salad.





Normally Suze and John eat Vegan, and she found a pretty good choice although she pointed out to me during lunch where it could possibly not be on the Vegan diet, but they go with the flow and don’t care on vacation, which they started that day.  





Elwood had the Mac-n-cheese





And John went for the Jambalaya, I think that’s what this is, either that or Red Beans and rice with sausage.





They also ordered these desserts.  Elwood really wanted the chocolate cake, but in the end didn’t like it so much.





We all tried this cobbler and it wasn’t nearly as good as it looked, and it doesn’t look all that good.  So it was a wash out.





Regardless, we were all full and ready to Embark on the rest of our day!  And since BTMRR was so close by we decided to make a stop there.





Whoooeeeeee!









And we climb





I just love all the wildlife out here!













And it’s back to town.





Where do we go next?


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## mvf-m11c

franandaj said:


> That was the one you were talking about.  I need to take some time and look around.  I just been busy with other things lately.



The Sigma prime lenses have good reviews but haven't tried them yet. I had problems with the Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 last year when I rented/bought it where there were focusing issues. But that was from a zoom in and out lens while these are set at 30mm/35mm. I don't know what other prime lenses are good for Canon but there could be something good at a lower price. I remember that you have been so busy with a lot of things lately.

Good that you were able to ride the HM and BTMRR that day. That was very odd that you couldn't take any pictures when riding HM. Sorry to hear that you weren't able to take photos during the ride on HM. Nice to see that yo had lunch at the French Market.


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## rentayenta

Sing it again!  Thank you for the IASW ear worm. Your photos are awesome. I just realized that on my last trip, I didn't ride IASW.  

I'm sorry we'll miss you too. We'll be back out Nov 27/28-Dec 5/6!


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## franandaj

kaoden39 said:


> I really hope that you can. It looks like I will be spending time in the parks 9/13-9/18. So, maybe in that time. I hope you guys have a wonderful trip to the bay area!



We'll see how it goes and I'll be in touch.  Normally trips to my parents are low key, but we still have to drive all the way up there and back.



mvf-m11c said:


> The Sigma prime lenses have good reviews but haven't tried them yet. I had problems with the Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 last year when I rented/bought it where there were focusing issues. But that was from a zoom in and out lens while these are set at 30mm/35mm. I don't know what other prime lenses are good for Canon but there could be something good at a lower price. I remember that you have been so busy with a lot of things lately.



I hope I'll have some time to look into the lenses soon.  Things are calming down a little bit.



mvf-m11c said:


> Good that you were able to ride the HM and BTMRR that day. That was very odd that you couldn't take any pictures when riding HM. Sorry to hear that you weren't able to take photos during the ride on HM. Nice to see that yo had lunch at the French Market.



Evidently my camera senses when there isn't enough light to take pictures and even if I press on the shutter it won't take a picture if there isn't enough light.  It's super annoying.  I would rather get a totally dark picture than nothing at all, but it just won't take the picture.  



rentayenta said:


> Sing it again!  Thank you for the IASW ear worm. Your photos are awesome. I just realized that on my last trip, I didn't ride IASW.
> 
> I'm sorry we'll miss you too. We'll be back out Nov 27/28-Dec 5/6!



You're welcome!  I hadn't been on it over six months, so it was OK to do, but I don't need to ride it for a while.  I may do it in FL if we have time just because I'm not sure that I ever have rode it there.

That's just before we fly out for our December trip, let's try and meet up early in your trip.  My parents are down for Thanksgiving, but maybe we can get together for a day before they leave.


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## rentayenta

We might drive out Thanksgiving Day; leave the night before, stay over in Vegas, and arrive to So Cal early afternoon. What day do you fly out for your December trip?


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## franandaj

rentayenta said:


> We might drive out Thanksgiving Day; leave the night before, stay over in Vegas, and arrive to So Cal early afternoon. What day do you fly out for your December trip?



My parents will stay until the 30th. We fly out the morning of the 6th.


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## rentayenta

We overlap a ton! Hopefully you'll be able to squeeze us in.  You've got so many great trips coming up.  

Your BTMRR pics are making me miss Disneyland!


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## mvf-m11c

rentayenta said:


> I'm sorry we'll miss you too. We'll be back out Nov 27/28-Dec 5/6!



That is nice to read that you might be down there the same time when I go the first weekend of December during the CP on the 5th/6th.




franandaj said:


> I hope I'll have some time to look into the lenses soon.  Things are calming down a little bit.
> 
> Evidently my camera senses when there isn't enough light to take pictures and even if I press on the shutter it won't take a picture if there isn't enough light.  It's super annoying.  I would rather get a totally dark picture than nothing at all, but it just won't take the picture.



Tom Bricker just wrote a new article on Top 10 Lenses for Disney Photography for people that are on budgets which helps a lot. Another lens that you might want to think about is the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 which PiO has as well. But you did say that you want to get a prime lens. I have read that the new 30mm f/1.4 ART lens is something that you might want to consider over the old model which has control issues.

Another option is by choosing manual mode over the auto mode so it will take pictures if you auto focus or not.


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## jedijill

Catching back up!  Looks like you had a great few days at the 60th.  Love that you have 60th inspired flowers at your house!

I'm contemplating coming out that first week of December to hang with Jenny and crew.  Its not for sure yet but I'm trying to make it work.

Jill in CO


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## rentayenta

Looking forward to maybe meeting you @mvf-m11c 

I think you should meet us @jedijill


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## jedijill

rentayenta said:


> Looking forward to maybe meeting you @mvf-m11c
> 
> I think you should meet us @jedijill



Enabler. 

Jill in CO


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## mvf-m11c

rentayenta said:


> Looking forward to maybe meeting you @mvf-m11c
> 
> I think you should meet us @jedijill



That will be nice if we can meet up during that trip. I will be there on the 4th to 6th but I will be flying instead of driving so the only way to meet up is at the parks.


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## PrincessInOz

Awesome pictures of IaSW (afterall).

I'd look at the Sigma 30 mm f/1.4.  For Disney, I think the extra width would be better.  
The alternative is the Canon 24 mm, f/1.4.  
Canon also make a 35 mm, f/1.4.  

Both Canons are $$$.


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## Pinkocto

The loading area in HM looks quite different than at WDW. I'm not excited about the overlay, but I'm gad I'll get to experience the differences. 

Too bad the cobbler wasn't too good.


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## DnA2010

Another great set of updates! This TR is so exciting as we've just booked to get back to the DL in October! 5 years has been way too long! Getting lots of tips and may need to pick your brain on some stuff. We are doing a week as with my crap walking (ankle surgeries in Nov and Feb) will need to take it down a notch and ditch the commando touring. Really looking forwarding to slowing down and enjoying the details of things. 5 days plus a Halloween party should be great. Looking forward to the next updates


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## franandaj

rentayenta said:


> We overlap a ton! Hopefully you'll be able to squeeze us in.  You've got so many great trips coming up.
> 
> Your BTMRR pics are making me miss Disneyland!



During the week is going to be the best time.  By Saturday we'll be crazy trying to get packed.



mvf-m11c said:


> Tom Bricker just wrote a new article on Top 10 Lenses for Disney Photography for people that are on budgets which helps a lot. Another lens that you might want to think about is the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 which PiO has as well. But you did say that you want to get a prime lens. I have read that the new 30mm f/1.4 ART lens is something that you might want to consider over the old model which has control issues.
> 
> Another option is by choosing manual mode over the auto mode so it will take pictures if you auto focus or not.



I'll have to check that out.  I'm not saying we have money to burn, but Fran will let me get whatever lens I want.  I just need to see what's out there and how much I'm willing to spend.  I definitely want something with a wider focus than 50mm.

I was using the manual mode, and it still wouldn't take the pictures.  I've been using the manual mode for dark light photography ever since my Road trip last year, when I retaught myself all the stuff I learned in Jr High photography class.



jedijill said:


> Catching back up!  Looks like you had a great few days at the 60th.  Love that you have 60th inspired flowers at your house!
> 
> I'm contemplating coming out that first week of December to hang with Jenny and crew.  Its not for sure yet but I'm trying to make it work.
> 
> Jill in CO



I love my 60th flowers!  You should really come out in the first week in December!  That would be great fun!



PrincessInOz said:


> Awesome pictures of IaSW (afterall).
> 
> I'd look at the Sigma 30 mm f/1.4.  For Disney, I think the extra width would be better.
> The alternative is the Canon 24 mm, f/1.4.
> Canon also make a 35 mm, f/1.4.
> 
> Both Canons are $$$.



I was going to ask you what $$$ was to see if we were on the same page, and then I just googled it.    We are on the same page.  It is $$$.  I don't mind spending $500 on a lens, even $750-900 could be justifiable, but when you're talking over $1200 that starts to get into the "how bad do I really want it?" realm, and the prices I found on the Canon 24mmf/1.4 are like, "I'm only going to get this if Fran can find it on a killer sale!"

ETA: I just looked on eBay and found some at half the price!  Now I have to figure out why and if anything is wrong with them.  That's a job for Fran!



Pinkocto said:


> The loading area in HM looks quite different than at WDW. I'm not excited about the overlay, but I'm gad I'll get to experience the differences.
> 
> Too bad the cobbler wasn't too good.



As I started to think about it, I don't know what the loading area for IASW at MK looks like which really makes me think I've never been on it before.  I was very disappointed that the cobbler didn't taste better, but at least I wasn't tempted to eat it!



DnA2010 said:


> Another great set of updates! This TR is so exciting as we've just booked to get back to the DL in October! 5 years has been way too long! Getting lots of tips and may need to pick your brain on some stuff. We are doing a week as with my crap walking (ankle surgeries in Nov and Feb) will need to take it down a notch and ditch the commando touring. Really looking forwarding to slowing down and enjoying the details of things. 5 days plus a Halloween party should be great. Looking forward to the next updates



I'm glad that I am helping you plan your October trip.  When will you be there?  I'm always up for coming out for a DIS meet!  Taking it easy is the only way to go now.  I'm getting too old for the commando stuff!


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## DnA2010

(Still on reading about DL at Halloween time!) 
We are arriving on the 18th and leaving on the 25th. I would love to meet up if you have some time during that week- I feel like I know you both from reading your TR's, they are in my group of favourites (along with Dizneet, Diznee Luver, danimaroo, and IheartDDuck- you guys kept me from going insane when I was stuck on my back from surgery) 

My last 2 park days have been from a wheelchair as we did MK before a RCL cruise last summer just after I got hurt (just the DH and I), and then we did MK after our fantasy cruise this past May with DD11 when I was still getting over surgery and just started walking...
 I have read/showed them both parts of your TRs  and they enjoyed your fireworks pictures especially, and DH enjoys especially the specialty dinners at C33 and Napa and that.


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## rentayenta

@franandaj We are totally open so what ever works best for you.


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## PrincessInOz

franandaj said:


> I was going to ask you what $$$ was to see if we were on the same page, and then I just googled it.  We are on the same page. It is $$$. I don't mind spending $500 on a lens, even $750-900 could be justifiable, but when you're talking over $1200 that starts to get into the "how bad do I really want it?" realm, and the prices I found on the Canon 24mmf/1.4 are like, "I'm only going to get this if Fran can find it on a killer sale!"
> 
> ETA: I just looked on eBay and found some at half the price! Now I have to figure out why and if anything is wrong with them. That's a job for Fran!




Keep an eye on that Sigma 35mm f/1.4 and the Canon 35 mm f/1.4.  There are rumours that Canon will release the 35mm f/1.4 Mark II.  I noticed that as soon as those rumours came out, there was an immediate deal on the Sigma 35 mm.  It dropped by about $100 - $150...so I think you might find it around that $750 mark on Amazon.  If Canon do release a Mark II, the Mark I might drop in price.


You or Fran might want to sign up to CanonPriceWatch.com.  They send out regular alerts when there are deals and they do issue regular street price alerts as well....for Canon equipment and any other lenses that would fit on Canon bodies.


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## dizneeat

*We are back from vacation and I am all caught up again. Took me quite a while being 5 pages behind and there is just TOO much to comment on, so I'll keep my mouth shut for once. *


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## afwdwfan

franandaj said:


> Once we got off the ride everyone was starving. We had been going for quite some time and only Elwood had a pretzel so the rest of us were ready for lunch. We ended up at the French Market. It was hot out and I was trying to be good, so I went for the Chicken Caesar Salad.


Ok, I'm not typically one to want a salad, but that actually doesn't look too bad.



franandaj said:


> Elwood had the Mac-n-cheese


Forget that... I'll take some grapes and mac & cheese.  That looks awesome!



franandaj said:


> We all tried this cobbler and it wasn’t nearly as good as it looked, and it doesn’t look all that good. So it was a wash out.


That's always a disappointment.  Nothing worse than a dessert that looks delicious and only ends up being a disappointment.


----------



## franandaj

DnA2010 said:


> (Still on reading about DL at Halloween time!)
> We are arriving on the 18th and leaving on the 25th. I would love to meet up if you have some time during that week- I feel like I know you both from reading your TR's, they are in my group of favourites (along with Dizneet, Diznee Luver, danimaroo, and IheartDDuck- you guys kept me from going insane when I was stuck on my back from surgery)



Well that's a bummer.  You are there the week that I am on a cruise to the Mexican Riviera!  I'm glad that my TRs could help through your recovery!



DnA2010 said:


> My last 2 park days have been from a wheelchair as we did MK before a RCL cruise last summer just after I got hurt (just the DH and I), and then we did MK after our fantasy cruise this past May with DD11 when I was still getting over surgery and just started walking...
> I have read/showed them both parts of your TRs  and they enjoyed your fireworks pictures especially, and DH enjoys especially the specialty dinners at C33 and Napa and that.



I hope that you're able to walk a little more on this trip.  Taking it slow isn't a bad thing though.  Sometimes you can even enjoy things more that way.



rentayenta said:


> @franandaj We are totally open so what ever works best for you.



I'll work it out with you and Jill!  "thumbsup2



PrincessInOz said:


> Keep an eye on that Sigma 35mm f/1.4 and the Canon 35 mm f/1.4. There are rumours that Canon will release the 35mm f/1.4 Mark II. I noticed that as soon as those rumours came out, there was an immediate deal on the Sigma 35 mm. It dropped by about $100 - $150...so I think you might find it around that $750 mark on Amazon. If Canon do release a Mark II, the Mark I might drop in price.



Fran has got robot searches going, looking for various lenses.  I think Canon already did release the Mark II.  I just need to have the new lens before my trip in December, but it would be nice to have it before Corinna arrives in September.



PrincessInOz said:


> You or Fran might want to sign up to CanonPriceWatch.com. They send out regular alerts when there are deals and they do issue regular street price alerts as well....for Canon equipment and any other lenses that would fit on Canon bodies.



I sent her the link.  Hopefully she subscribed to it.



dizneeat said:


> *We are back from vacation and I am all caught up again. Took me quite a while being 5 pages behind and there is just TOO much to comment on, so I'll keep my mouth shut for once. *



I hope you had a great trip to Italy and I will look forward to the Mini TR in your TR.



afwdwfan said:


> Ok, I'm not typically one to want a salad, but that actually doesn't look too bad.
> 
> Forget that... I'll take some grapes and mac & cheese. That looks awesome!



The salad was good, but I bet the Mac and Cheese was better!



afwdwfan said:


> That's always a disappointment. Nothing worse than a dessert that looks delicious and only ends up being a disappointment.



A lot of the Disney desserts are that way.  I find the stuff from the Candy stores and the Ice Cream are usually the safest bets.


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## franandaj

OK, it’s been a little while, but I really want to finish up this day, because I have a whole lot more days to report on, I’ve just gotten behind.  This is a pretty picture heavy update so feel free to scroll fast if you want.  At least I won’t make you sing “It’s a Small World” in this update!

We hopped on over to California Adventure and made a beeline for TSMM.  I suck at this ride and am forever destined to be a beaver.





Then we headed over to Radiator Springs Racers.  This is another ride that I would love to get pictures inside!





















































After that, John, Suzie and Elwood rode Mader’s Junkyard Jamboree.  That ride spins a little too much for me so instead I went looking in the shops.  I had dropped one of my iced coffee sippy cups on the ground and it cracked, so I was looking to replace it, but no luck today.  So I just met up with them after the ride.

Around that time a friend of mine sent me a text that he was in the park and did we want to join him at 1901.  We said, “sure!” and headed over there.

I like my Carthy Martini, but they don’t do the ice sphere any more. Now they do a Diamond Ice Sphere (which you can’t see), but I guess it doesn’t give off as much water as the other one.




[/URL
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Unfortunately I have no idea what these drinks that John and Suzie ordered were, but they look good!

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[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/DSCN0003_1.jpg.html']
We were again starving so we ordered the queso fundido, and it was awesome!

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[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/DSCN0003_1.jpg.html']
I think these things were called Arepos.  They had pulled pork and some other veggies.  I was skeptical about this one, but I liked the half I ate very much.

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[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/DSCN0003_1.jpg.html']
This was some kind of flatbread.  It was very good and we liked it quite a bit.

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[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/DSCN0003_1.jpg.html']
These are the Vietnamese tacos.  They are very good, but spicy.  I have to watch my intake on these as they can cause “problems”.  Evidently eating one is OK.  

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[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/DSCN0003_1.jpg.html']
This was the Chicken Spring Roll and this thing was loaded with cilantro.  I took one bite and that was my last!

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[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/DSCN0003_1.jpg.html']
We had ordered an order of these pigs in a blanket for Elwood at the beginning, but decided we needed another order since none of the adults got any of the first order!






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By the time we polished off all these appetizers, we were pretty full and considered this as dinner.  We had one more destination.  John and Suzie had never seen WoC and I had not seen this incarnation of WoC.  In the end I was sad this was their first WoC, while I enjoyed it I heard some very bad reviews like it “was a marketing ploy on behalf of the WDC and nothing more than an advertisement for the WDC that included Neal Patrick Harris and ended with a Frozen cap off”.  I’m not sure I agree, but I can see this point.

We did stop at the Golden Vine Winery to get a nightcap to tide us over until the show started, and then we were set.  I began trying to take pictures using the Manual mode on my camera.  I had the ISO set fairly high, but the camera wouldn’t allow me to take one picture.  I tried adjusting all sorts of things, the shutter speed, making the ISO smaller, changing the aperture.  Finally I just gave up, and put the camera on Auto, no flash, and that’s how I got these pictures.

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The show is a tribute to Walt Disney’s accomplishments, or a big giant commercial about Disney, depending on how you look at it.

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It began with Snow White.

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I suppose this was part of the montage of Disney films.  Many of the pictures I took in between these two (15 to be exact) did not come out well.

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It was neat how they used the Mickey overlay for extra projections.

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Continued in next Post

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## franandaj

Here come the obligatory “Frozen” scenes.

























After a reminiscing about the movies the Disney studios have produced, Neil Patrick Harris is back to talk about accomplishments at Disneyland.





Recognize that castle?





The Dreamer himself





Opening day.





Then they showed the various attractions that Walt worked on at Disneyland.













And then some attractions that Walt had not seen coming.









And some of the last that he had some input.





















And where he had a great deal of influence.





And then this came out of the blue. Now that I try and go back and explain it to you, my good readers, it does seem pretty all over the place and just one big marketing commercial.






















Continued in Next Post


----------



## franandaj

And then we are reminded that it was all started with a mouse.













And Snow White.









And this man.

























Wow!  This does go on and on!













And now Walt walks off into the sunset with Mickey Mouse.









The End.





And with that we made our way slowly out of the park.  We had intended to get a picture of the group of us, but it never happened.  Next time, I guess.


----------



## dolphingirl47

franandaj said:


> We hopped on over to California Adventure and made a beeline for TSMM. I suck at this ride and am forever destined to be a beaver.



You did much better then I can ever hope to do. I can't wait to getting to practise again though.



franandaj said:


> I like my Carthy Martini, but they don’t do the ice sphere any more.



What a shame. This was so special.



franandaj said:


> In the end I was sad this was their first WoC, while I enjoyed it I heard some very bad reviews like it “was a marketing ploy on behalf of the WDC and nothing more than an advertisement for the WDC that included Neal Patrick Harris and ended with a Frozen cap off”. I’m not sure I agree, but I can see this point.



I really cannot understand why this is getting such bad reviews. I watched a video when it first came out and found it very moving. I can't wait to see it for myself. 

Corinna


----------



## Dis_Yoda

Your 1901 Meal looks great!  Diamond Ice sounds cool especially if it doesn't overly melt.  

I see why that World of Color gets that type of review.  I never got to see the old version either as it was down last year.


----------



## Flossbolna

I am back! And up to date on your thread now!

I have to say that I belong into the category of people who give the current WoC a bad review. We nearly did not see it because we kept wanting to go back to Disneyland for Paint the Night and Disneyland Forever - they are just so wonderful. But then we lucked out with a bonus evening and saw it and we're so disappointed. To me it felt like a bad TV documentary. To me it was lacking emotion and heart. The technology is still amazing and fun to look at, but I was even a bit bored at times...


----------



## afwdwfan

Ok, I can see how it seems like a marketing ploy.  But I also think it seems like a really cool show.  I'm all about the history of the company and seeing Walt's influence on things.  I think a tribute to Walt would be an incredible show to see.  And I guess I really don't care what version it is, I just want to see WoC.


----------



## dhorner233

Great pictures Alison! I'm sorry you didn't get the round ice cube at 1901. That was cool. Such a nice quiet oasis right in the middle of Calif. Adventure! And those "pigs in a blanket" look very tasty!! 

I think you did a great job of the pictures of WoC! I always have a hard time getting a decent shot of pictures on water. I like that they have that little screen and I think I'm going to like the new WoC better than the old one. You had a great view point but, that light thing on the right was distracting. Were you in a reserved or handicapped area? I have never gotten good shots of WoC and I think yours came out great!

Can't wait to see it all myself in just a little over 2 weeks!!


----------



## mvf-m11c

Sorry to hear that you didn't get your round ice cube at 1901. The food look very appetizing.

Very nice pics from WoC - Celebrate that night. There have been a lot of reviews about WoC - Celebrate getting bad reviews. Since I have seen it plenty of times, I have enjoyed it a lot and like the song "Forever Young". I understand why those people criticized this show over the original WoC which doesn't have that story telling show like WoC where WoC - Celebrate talks about the history of Walt Disney and his famous work. Trying to surpass the original WoC is going to be very difficult where WoC: Winter Dreams during the holiday season is a nice addition. I remember Winter Dreams when it debut in 2013 got criticized heavily over Celebrate. The way it is, the original WoC will be better over the others.


----------



## Pinkocto

I thoroughly enjoyed all your WoC pictures, they came out great. And a tribute to Walt and his accomplishments sounds very fitting. 

Your medley of appetizers looks scrumptious!!!


----------



## PrincessInOz

Say hello to that friend of yours!  
Looks like interesting food options.  Cilantro?  So sorry for you.
Your WoC pictures look great.


----------



## dvc at last !

Catching up and saying Hi !
Always love your posts and pics !


----------



## Leshaface

franandaj said:


> I believe that next we went on the Matterhorn. I didn’t take any pictures because it was too jarring. In fact it was so jarring that I decided that I didn’t need to go on it again for quite some time. This is terrible because I used to love the Matterhorn, but since they replaced the cars it became so much more jarring that I can’t stand it.



I was going to say, you used to love this ride!  I've always 'liked' this ride but have always thought it had been jerky even before the new cars got put in.  Still fun to ride every once in a while.



franandaj said:


> Then we decided to go on It’s a Small World. I’m not sure who made this decision, but when I go with friends, I’m OK with all their decision.



Yeah, with friends, i'm down to ride it.



franandaj said:


> A world of tears





franandaj said:


> And a world of fears.



Many tears and fears.



franandaj said:


> Sing it again! It’s a small world afterall



Agh No thanks!!!



franandaj said:


> Whew! Bet you’re glad that’s over!







franandaj said:


>



You were able to get this dark shot, wonder why you couldn't get any others.



franandaj said:


> It was hot out and I was trying to be good, so I went for the Chicken Caesar Salad.



Boo to being good at Disneyland!



franandaj said:


>



I was craving this a few weeks ago so made my own version.  They do it better though!



franandaj said:


> At least I won’t make you sing “It’s a Small World” in this update!



Thank goodness!



franandaj said:


>



Cool perspective shot!



franandaj said:


>



I recognize that lady in the front seat. Well you of course, but the other one 



franandaj said:


>



Woah what kind of drink is that?





franandaj said:


> It was neat how they used the Mickey overlay for extra projections.



I could not figure out how Andy's picture was there, I had missed your quote before the picture 



franandaj said:


>





franandaj said:


>





franandaj said:


>



Love all these with Walt, but the last one is amazing!


----------



## franandaj

dolphingirl47 said:


> You did much better then I can ever hope to do. I can't wait to getting to practise again though.



I know.  I'm looking forward to it too!



dolphingirl47 said:


> What a shame. This was so special.



I used to really enjoy watching the ice cube get made, I hope they start it again once the Diamond Anniversary is over.



dolphingirl47 said:


> I really cannot understand why this is getting such bad reviews. I watched a video when it first came out and found it very moving. I can't wait to see it for myself.



I have mixed feelings.  I liked the show, but I really can't stand the song Forever Young.  Not sure if they wrote the song for the show, but it's used in the commercials as well, and it really grates on me every time that I hear it.



Dis_Yoda said:


> Your 1901 Meal looks great!  Diamond Ice sounds cool especially if it doesn't overly melt.
> 
> I see why that World of Color gets that type of review.  I never got to see the old version either as it was down last year.



Sometimes it's great to make a meal of just appetizers.  I'm still trying to work out if I think it's mostly marketing or a nice tribute to Walt.  Sorry you never got to see it.  Are you hitting the parks in your whirlwind trip to CA?



Flossbolna said:


> I am back! And up to date on your thread now!



Welcome home!  I can't wait to hear all about your trip!



Flossbolna said:


> I have to say that I belong into the category of people who give the current WoC a bad review. We nearly did not see it because we kept wanting to go back to Disneyland for Paint the Night and Disneyland Forever - they are just so wonderful. But then we lucked out with a bonus evening and saw it and we're so disappointed. To me it felt like a bad TV documentary. To me it was lacking emotion and heart. The technology is still amazing and fun to look at, but I was even a bit bored at times...



It was you and Michael who really got me rethinking my thoughts on this show, although Michael's friend (whose name now escapes me) started my doubts.



afwdwfan said:


> Ok, I can see how it seems like a marketing ploy.  But I also think it seems like a really cool show.  I'm all about the history of the company and seeing Walt's influence on things.  I think a tribute to Walt would be an incredible show to see.  And I guess I really don't care what version it is, I just want to see WoC.



I keep going back and forth on this.  I had some teary moments, so it definitely moved me, but it was also kind of all over the place.  Maybe I need to see it again, but I don't see that happening anytime soon.  Fran doesn't really like the show.



dhorner233 said:


> Great pictures Alison! I'm sorry you didn't get the round ice cube at 1901. That was cool. Such a nice quiet oasis right in the middle of Calif. Adventure! And those "pigs in a blanket" look very tasty!!



Thanks! It is a nice place to stop and relax in the middle of a hectic park.  The pigs in a blanket were very tasty, that was puff pastry that they were wrapped in!



dhorner233 said:


> I think you did a great job of the pictures of WoC! I always have a hard time getting a decent shot of pictures on water. I like that they have that little screen and I think I'm going to like the new WoC better than the old one. You had a great view point but, that light thing on the right was distracting. Were you in a reserved or handicapped area? I have never gotten good shots of WoC and I think yours came out great!



Thanks, I'm hoping when I finally get a new lens, I can get some even better ones.


dhorner233 said:


> Can't wait to see it all myself in just a little over 2 weeks!!







mvf-m11c said:


> Sorry to hear that you didn't get your round ice cube at 1901. The food look very appetizing.



Yeah, I hope that they bring back the round ice cube.  The food was good, except for the one that was full of cilantro.



mvf-m11c said:


> Very nice pics from WoC - Celebrate that night. There have been a lot of reviews about WoC - Celebrate getting bad reviews. Since I have seen it plenty of times, I have enjoyed it a lot and like the song "Forever Young". I understand why those people criticized this show over the original WoC which doesn't have that story telling show like WoC where WoC - Celebrate talks about the history of Walt Disney and his famous work. Trying to surpass the original WoC is going to be very difficult where WoC: Winter Dreams during the holiday season is a nice addition. I remember Winter Dreams when it debut in 2013 got criticized heavily over Celebrate. The way it is, the original WoC will be better over the others.



You reminded me about the song.  it really grates on my nerves, but I'm glad that you like it.  You're right, it's not a storytelling show, it's showing all the great things that Walt and Disney has done.  I never saw Winter Dreams, so I can't say much about it.  I am glad I got to see the original one over my birthday.


----------



## franandaj

Pinkocto said:


> I thoroughly enjoyed all your WoC pictures, they came out great. And a tribute to Walt and his accomplishments sounds very fitting.
> 
> Your medley of appetizers looks scrumptious!!!



The reason the pictures came out great is because I only showed you the ones that were decent.  There are five times as many that were blurry and horrible!  



PrincessInOz said:


> Say hello to that friend of yours!
> Looks like interesting food options.  Cilantro?  So sorry for you.
> Your WoC pictures look great.



Tons of cilantro!    Thanks!



dvc at last ! said:


> Catching up and saying Hi !
> Always love your posts and pics !



  back atcha!



Leshaface said:


> I was going to say, you used to love this ride! I've always 'liked' this ride but have always thought it had been jerky even before the new cars got put in. Still fun to ride every once in a while.



Like I said, I'm probably good for a year or so....



Leshaface said:


> Yeah, with friends, i'm down to ride it.
> 
> Many tears and fears.
> 
> Agh No thanks!!!



  



Leshaface said:


> You were able to get this dark shot, wonder why you couldn't get any others.



Comparatively it's pretty light in this room.  I've been noticing more and more that the Mansion is really really dark inside.



Leshaface said:


> Boo to being good at Disneyland!



I've got 50 pounds to lose!  I can't afford to totally blow caution to the wind!  But an occasional splurge is OK, which I did that night.



Leshaface said:


> I was craving this a few weeks ago so made my own version. They do it better though!



I'll have to try this sometime, it looks pretty good, and I remember you liked it a lot.


Leshaface said:


> Thank goodness!



  



Leshaface said:


> Cool perspective shot!







Leshaface said:


> I recognize that lady in the front seat. Well you of course, but the other one







Leshaface said:


> Woah what kind of drink is that?



I have no idea!  I think it had gin in it though.



Leshaface said:


> I could not figure out how Andy's picture was there, I had missed your quote before the picture



They did quite a bit with that Mickey head.  I saw it up there a few weeks before and didn't quite understand why they were covering up the logo there, but now I get it.



Leshaface said:


> Love all these with Walt, but the last one is amazing!



I think this was part of the show that I thought was especially hard to hold back tears.


----------



## franandaj

It’s been a few weeks since I’ve given you a life update and Pre Trip Report so I thought now would be a good time. Last we left off we had just finished cleaning the vacant apartment.  

It went up on the market Friday August 22, and as of September 2, it has been rented.  This means that the only unit left to renovate and get rented is the front unit where we used to live.  The bad news is that it is still packed full of stuff, a lot of which we still want to keep, Disney figurines and such.  However our entire old bedroom is packed full of stuff that we want to sell at a garage sale.  I have convinced Fran to have a small sale relatively soon just to clean out that bedroom, then we will have some breathing space.  We can use that to work with the rest of the stuff and figure out if we want to keep it or sell it on eBay.

Speaking of eBay, we have been doing quite well selling all kinds of random stuff. We’re not making a fortune, but we are getting rid of some junk, as well as some cool stuff.  We even have a picture that sold.

Last night we had a Pool and Burger Grilling Party, the problem, our pool was green about five days ago.





I got to know the guys at the local pool store really well, and they sent me home with all kinds of chemicals and I got educated about all kinds of things like PH, Alkaline, Acid and Conditioner.  And seven shock treatments, 4 gallons of Chlorine, various Algaecide and Clarifier treatments later, the pool looks like this.





My friend David cooked the burgers for us, while Fran and I made all the side dishes and appetizers.  His lady, Donna, baked the buns from scratch. I made a molten chocolate cake in the crock pot which is a definite repeat, but next time a double recipe is in order.  Here was my dinner.





As far as trips we are 40 something days out for our Wonder Cruise.  I need to finish up my Fish Extender Gifts, and decide what clothes I’m bringing. We just found out yesterday that there are no formal nights on the cruise.  Oh well.  I would start to put stuff in my suitcase, but next week we are going to my parent’s house for the weekend.  I need to pack for that before I can worry about the cruise.

Day after tomorrow marks 90 days for my Dream Cruise/WDW vacation which means that I can book spa treatments and Remy dining.  I plan on trying one dinner and the Brunch.  Dizneet highly recommends the Brunch and it looks like something we would really enjoy.  I will miss Palo on that trip, but I’m sure I will enjoy Remy.

Lastly we have been making arrangements for our Mississippi River Cruise.  Finally we chose a hotel, and bit the bullet on our flight home. With all the great food options in New Orleans, we really didn’t necessarily want a hotel that included breakfast because we plan on getting Beignets from Café du Monde and probably trying a few other hot spots.  However, the old tried and true Hampton Inn won out again, just because of convenience and good pricing.  We also bought three seats on a direct Southwest flight so that we will not have be uncomfortable and squished into two seats and have to share a row with someone.

That’s about it on the news front for now. 

I have a really short update here on Disney trips!  This happened in the first week of August.  Jenny had just moved her daughter in to her new place and whole family came for the event, and of course packed some Disney time in as well!  We met them out at the park a little after noon, and Disneyland was completely packed, so we hopped on over to DCA after I picked up a few items that may or may not become Halloween costumes (almost identical) for myself and another DISer.  

We didn’t do a lot of photo documenting, but we did hit quite a few rides.  If I’m not mistaken we did Soarin’, RSR, and CA Screamin’  I rode with Josh on that one. Somewhere in there we had some lunch at the Pacific Wharf.  Everyone got something different.  Fran and I had the Beef Tacos with beans and roasted Vegetables.





Jenny and Josh split the Bread Bowl.





I guess the rest of the crew split this Turkey sandwich and sides.





We got Margaritas and beers, but no pics.  

We all had to be home by sundown.  Our kitties were still outside and since our new neighborhood has coyotes, all the kitties have to come in by sundown.  Jenny and family had another obligation to her BFF, so before we all left the park we took a picture.  I just noticed the photobomber in the background.  I should have photoshopped her out!





And that ended a fun day with friends at the park!


----------



## Dis_Yoda

I'm already home from my whirlwind trip!  I didn't get to Disney - I did the Paramount After Dark Tour & the Universal Hollywood VIP Experience as my entertainment options during the trip.  I had a lot of fun but I'm glad I have tomorrow to relax before work on Tuesday.  

Glad you have everything rented outside of the one unit!  Hope you get a decision made on the garage sale soon 

You will love the Remy Brunch!  So much better than Palo!  I enjoyed it so much last year.  Its also worth it to spend the extra $25 for the champagne pairings.


----------



## jedijill

Yay for making plans!  I agree...Remy Brunch is FANTASTIC!   It's making me sad I cancelled my October cruise but I'll get another DL trip instead. 

You guys are making great progress on selling stuff and renting out apartments!  Your pool looked scary but glad you figured out how to fix it!  Dinner looked fantastic...wish I was closer for the pool party!

So glad you got to spend the day with Jenny and her crew!  I can't wait to meet the rest of them along with you guys in December!

Jill in CO


----------



## sarahk0204

franandaj said:


> It’s a small world afterall
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It’s a small world afterall
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It’s a small world afterall
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It’s a small small world
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sing it again! It’s a small world afterall
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It’s a small world afterall
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It’s a small world afterall
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It’s a small small world
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And we’re almost done!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Whew!  Bet you’re glad that’s over!
> 
> 
> We decided to take the train back to New Orleans square to see if the Haunted Mansion was back up and running.  I tried yet again to capture pictures of the Grand Canyon and Primeval World, but definitely need that dark ride lens. But first one last glimpse of IASW.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Now onto the Grand Canyon.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And dinosaurs.



IASW is my absolute favorite! Yes, I know that I am probably in the minority.   I tell my children that it was my favorite when I was 6, and it is still my favorite now. Hopefully, I will make it to Disneyland next year and ride it there!


----------



## PrincessInOz

Love the update.  Congrats on getting nearly 100% occupancy!  Here's to getting #1 cleared out as well.  And yay for getting travel plans sorted out.

That pool looks much better after the shock treatment and the burger and homemade buns.....WOW!  Wish I could have been there.

What a cool day with Jenny and her clan.  Again....so jealous.  Wish I could have been there.  Those taco's look amazing.


----------



## mvf-m11c

That is good to read that one of your apartments is clean. I remember you talking about how much cleaning you had to do last month. There is a lot of stuff that I have and need to get rid of but I just don't like to part ways with some stuff that I like to keep.

The pool did look a little scary. Good that you were able to take care of the cleaning of the pool.

Great news on the travel plans. I still have to make my plans for FP+ at WDW next month which is tough where you don't stay on-site. 

Very nice that you were able to spend time with Jenny and her family.


----------



## Pinkocto

All your plans sound great   You're going to love Remy!!!!

Congrats on getting the other apartment rented. 

Glad you fixed the pool! 

Exciting about the river cruise plans. 

Fun times with Jenny and crew


----------



## dhorner233

Nice job on fixing the pool!  How nice to have a pool! Home made hamburger buns! Yum!

You have so many fun trips planned that day trips to Disneyland don't even make the list! I'm looking forward to seeing you when I'm out there in 2 weeks!


----------



## dolphingirl47

franandaj said:


>



That pool looks very tempting. I am glad that you managed to get this sorted as it did look a little scary before.



franandaj said:


> We just found out yesterday that there are no formal nights on the cruise




What a shame.



franandaj said:


> Day after tomorrow marks 90 days for my Dream Cruise/WDW vacation which means that I can book spa treatments and Remy dining.



I hope you get everything booked what you would like to do.







That looks yummy. I think that may need to go on the list for my upcoming trip.



franandaj said:


> Lastly we have been making arrangements for our Mississippi River Cruise. Finally we chose a hotel, and bit the bullet on our flight home.



I am glad that things are falling into place.


----------



## ACDSNY

Hmm, I think I know whose costume will be like yours. 

Your pool looks great and the hamburgers look amazing.


----------



## franandaj

Dis_Yoda said:


> I'm already home from my whirlwind trip! I didn't get to Disney - I did the Paramount After Dark Tour & the Universal Hollywood VIP Experience as my entertainment options during the trip. I had a lot of fun but I'm glad I have tomorrow to relax before work on Tuesday.



That sure was a quick trip, but it sounds like you packed it in!



Dis_Yoda said:


> Glad you have everything rented outside of the one unit! Hope you get a decision made on the garage sale soon



It's a definite relief to have everything rented. Not to mention that I don't have to drop everything to show a place, but it's nice to know the money is coming in!  



Dis_Yoda said:


> You will love the Remy Brunch! So much better than Palo! I enjoyed it so much last year. Its also worth it to spend the extra $25 for the champagne pairings.



I'm definitely getting the champagne pairings!



jedijill said:


> Yay for making plans! I agree...Remy Brunch is FANTASTIC! It's making me sad I cancelled my October cruise but I'll get another DL trip instead.



I can't wait to try it!



jedijill said:


> You guys are making great progress on selling stuff and renting out apartments! Your pool looked scary but glad you figured out how to fix it! Dinner looked fantastic...wish I was closer for the pool party!



We are selling stuff, but also buying it just as fast.    I wish you were closer for the pool party too! We had a blast and ate way too much!



jedijill said:


> So glad you got to spend the day with Jenny and her crew! I can't wait to meet the rest of them along with you guys in December!



We will have a great time.  I need to text you all and work out a day for us!



sarahk0204 said:


> IASW is my absolute favorite! Yes, I know that I am probably in the minority.   I tell my children that it was my favorite when I was 6, and it is still my favorite now. Hopefully, I will make it to Disneyland next year and ride it there!



I can take it or leave it.  Plus that earworm gets stuck in my brain for a long long long time afterwards.



PrincessInOz said:


> Love the update. Congrats on getting nearly 100% occupancy! Here's to getting #1 cleared out as well. And yay for getting travel plans sorted out.



Thanks, I hope that we can get #1 done by the end of this year.  I need to wrap up that chapter of our lives.



PrincessInOz said:


> That pool looks much better after the shock treatment and the burger and homemade buns.....WOW! Wish I could have been there.



I swear I learned way more about pools than I ever wanted to know.  I pay a pool service for a reason!  I also ruined a favorite pair of shoes adding the chlorine.  Lessons Learned.



PrincessInOz said:


> What a cool day with Jenny and her clan. Again....so jealous. Wish I could have been there. Those taco's look amazing.



It was very fun.  I wish you didn't live a days flight away.  It would be nice if you could join us more often and for less money.



mvf-m11c said:


> That is good to read that one of your apartments is clean. I remember you talking about how much cleaning you had to do last month. There is a lot of stuff that I have and need to get rid of but I just don't like to part ways with some stuff that I like to keep.



The day you met us there, we were wrapping it up on the cleaning.  It's a real PITA, but we want good tenants, so we need to offer a clean and well fixed up place.  I know what you mean about stuff, but we have so much we have to start making hard decisions about what to keep and what to let go.



mvf-m11c said:


> The pool did look a little scary. Good that you were able to take care of the cleaning of the pool.



That other pool service is totally fired.  They have dropped the ball too many times, and this time I had to fix their mess.  Not to mention, the chemicals were also pretty expensive.  



mvf-m11c said:


> Great news on the travel plans. I still have to make my plans for FP+ at WDW next month which is tough where you don't stay on-site.
> 
> Very nice that you were able to spend time with Jenny and her family.



Good luck with your FP+!  I can imagine that it's tough when you are not staying on site!



Pinkocto said:


> All your plans sound great  You're going to love Remy!!!!



Thanks!  I hope so!



Pinkocto said:


> Congrats on getting the other apartment rented.



I'm glad it rented so quick!



Pinkocto said:


> Glad you fixed the pool!



Yeah, I don't want to have to get that involved in my pool anymore!



Pinkocto said:


> Exciting about the river cruise plans.



It was more about the after the cruise plans.  I was afraid that we would be staying somewhere totally overpriced and not where we wanted to be, so I'm glad we nailed it down.  We're in a good location and not too expensive.  I'm not sure if we got a good deal on flights since we haven't actually paid for flights (except for the flights to Seattle last year) in many years.  We got the flights to Seattle at the last minute so we paid quite a bit, I think we got a pretty decent deal for non stop flights, and thank goodness we bought the whole row of seats.  I was so uncomfortable after the two hour flight home from Seattle where we had Economy class seats.  I don't think I could have handled a 4 hour flight in those conditions.  With three seats between the two of us, we should be good and comfortable.



Pinkocto said:


> Fun times with Jenny and crew



I'm sorry we're going to miss them in October, but at least we can meet back up in December.


dhorner233 said:


> Nice job on fixing the pool!  How nice to have a pool! Home made hamburger buns! Yum!



I like the pool, but as it is only heated by the sunlight, we have limited usage.  Fran plans to buy a heater for the pool so we can use it year round, but it still requires some work like railings so she can get in and out without falling. As it is, I am unsteady getting in and out without a railing, so I will appreciate it too!



dhorner233 said:


> You have so many fun trips planned that day trips to Disneyland don't even make the list! I'm looking forward to seeing you when I'm out there in 2 weeks!



I can't wait for our day at the park in 2 weeks.  We were there today and it was hot and packed.  I can't wait for the off season to get here!



dolphingirl47 said:


> That pool looks very tempting. I am glad that you managed to get this sorted as it did look a little scary before.



It did clear up, but was not nearly as warm as I would have liked.



dolphingirl47 said:


> What a shame.



I know, I love dressing up on cruises.  At least I can dress up for Palo.



dolphingirl47 said:


> I hope you get everything booked what you would like to do.



Well, I thought it was tomorrow, but while I was doing replies, I popped over to the DCL site and it turns out that I could book it today.  So I got all the things I wanted!



dolphingirl47 said:


> That looks yummy. I think that may need to go on the list for my upcoming trip.



We had it once before and I remembered that we liked it.  I'm not a fan of Spanish Rice, so the roasted veggies were a great substitute!



dolphingirl47 said:


> I am glad that things are falling into place.



Me too!


----------



## franandaj

ACDSNY said:


> Hmm, I think I know whose costume will be like yours.
> 
> Your pool looks great and the hamburgers look amazing.



Yup!  I bet you do!  I got a headband to go with it as well!

I just wish it was a little warmer, the hot tub was much more popular than the pool.


----------



## franandaj

Last update we had a quick park day with Jenny and her family.  This time it was less than a week later that Fran, Magdalene and I got together for lunch.  All in all we were a party of seven, but for those of you who read her reports, you know that her significant other does not like to have his picture posted on the internet.  The others in our party feel the same way as well, so they are not pictured here.  The company was lovely and we all had a great time that day, but you’ll have to live with these pictures of Fran, Magdalene and myself.









Magadalene and her friends had never been to this particular dining establishment, and I was able to get us a reservation so we jumped on the opportunity to experience this Disneyland gem.  As you know I have been somewhat lukewarm about my meals here, but the previous lunch was really spectacular, and I have to say that things have been slowly changing.  The lunch that we had was just wonderful.  They have made small adjustments like making the portions just a tad bit larger, and menu items seem a bit more simple, but still complex in flavor.  Everyone enjoyed each of their courses of this meal, but I’m getting ahead of myself!  Our table.









The menu.













I thought that the drink menu was very pretty.





And the bar where they store the wines poured by the glass and wine glasses is really pretty.





My first course was the Warm Blue Crab and Artichoke Gratin with Lemon Chervil Glacage.  This was SO good!  Lots of big chunks of Crab in there and creamy with the Gratin.  It was just perfect over the toast points!









I believe that Fran ordered the Sauteed Asparagus with Black Truffle Brown Butter Vinaigrette and Fennel Coulis.  She seemed to think it was pretty good.





Several people in our party ordered the Country Sausage and Pate Maison with Apricot Mustard and Rhubarb.  I admit to having envy over this one.  For the second course, I didn’t like any of the salad options, so I ordered two from the first course and it wasn’t this one, I was a little bummed because it looked really good and everyone who ordered it really liked it.





Drinks were also brought to the table, and one of our party (actually quite a few) ordered Mint Juleps, the real Mint Julep and not the virgin ones that they serve downstairs at the stand outside the French Market.





I don’t’ remember what this drink was, but it looked interesting as well.





The bread service arrived around this time as well.





Then it was time for the second course.  I ordered a second appetizer as opposed to the soup/salad option.  This was the Grilled BBQ Quail with Figs and Corn Velvet.  Fran is always afraid to order quail as it may be too full of bones, but this was mostly deboned, and very tasty.  There was quite a bit of meat here.





Fran went with the salad of Frisee, Coastal Strawberries, Avocado, Pistachio and Buttermilk Dressing.





All of our party ordered a combination of that, or some got what Fran and I termed the “Weed Salad”, and we had some good laughs about that.  The only other unique item was the Summer Garden Pea Soup with English Pea, Poached Leeks, Fava Beans and Petit Mint.  It was poured tableside.





When the entrees came, they were very dramatic about it.  We all had our plate concealed under domes, and it took four waiters all at once to reveal our plates to us.





I had the Iron Seared Fish, Royal Red Shrimp in a Sungold Tomato Broth.  The biggest different I noticed with this entrée, is that previously I would have only been served one piece of fish.  They have definitely become more generous with the portions, as there were two pieces of fish.  I couldn’t finish it all, but Olga benefitted from that transaction.





Quite a few people in our party ordered the Petit Filet Mignon, Tender Haricot Verts, Cabernet Jus. They all seemed to enjoy it.





Fran got the Soup and sandwich combination.  Open faced Smoked Chicken Sandwich with Grilled Peach, Arugula and Melted Gouda, it came with a side of soup and French fries.  I did steal some of her fries as these are really good.





Then it was time for dessert. I got the Organic Chocolate Marquise, Passion Fruit Sorbet, and Pecan Brittle.  This was really pretty good.  I enjoyed it and it was very chocolatey.





Fran repeated the Mississippi Molten Chocolate Cake, Vanilla Bean Marshmallows and Café au Lait Ice Cream that we both had a few weeks before.





And drizzled in the chocolate.





Several people tried the Sweet Corn Crème Brulee with Blueberry Compote, Blueberry Ginger Soda and Peach Madeline, and declared it delicious.





We adjourned to the lounge for another round of beverages before saying good night.  We had to be home before Sunset to let the kitties in before the Coyotes come out, besides, it was only a few more hours until we met up again!


----------



## Flossbolna

Alison, so wonderful to read your report on our amazing lunch!! I am full of envy of the beautiful pictures you got! Will comment more in detail later today!

And the creme brulee was indeed the best one I ever had in my life!


----------



## dolphingirl47

franandaj said:


> So I got all the things I wanted!



That is great news.



franandaj said:


>



That is such a nice photo.



franandaj said:


> The lunch that we had was just wonderful.



I am glad that lunch was a success



franandaj said:


> I thought that the drink menu was very pretty.



It is pretty and I liked the look of what was on the main menu, too.



franandaj said:


> Drinks were also brought to the table, and one of our party (actually quite a few) ordered Mint Juleps, the real Mint Julep and not the virgin ones that they serve downstairs at the stand outside the French Market.



That sounds delicious. I am not normally keen on mint, but I do love the virgin Mint Juleps so I think I would love this.

Corinna


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

franandaj said:


> It went up on the market Friday August 22, and as of September 2, it has been rented.



 That's not a bad turnaround time.



franandaj said:


> Last night we had a Pool and Burger Grilling Party, the problem, our pool was green about five days ago.



Well, uh...it's natural.



franandaj said:


> And seven shock treatments, 4 gallons of Chlorine, various Algaecide and Clarifier treatments later, the pool looks like this.



Wow!  Nice work!



franandaj said:


> However, the old tried and true Hampton Inn won out again, just because of convenience and good pricing.



Hard to beat that one.



franandaj said:


> I just noticed the photobomber in the background. I should have photoshopped her out!



Then your photoshop skills are better than mine!



franandaj said:


> And that ended a fun day with friends at the park!



Looks like a good one!



franandaj said:


> The others in our party feel the same way as well, so they are not pictured here. The company was lovely and we all had a great time that day, but you’ll have to live with these pictures of Fran, Magdalene and myself.



That's ok.  We can imagine that the others look like Matt Damon, Reese Witherspoon, etc.



franandaj said:


> As you know I have been somewhat lukewarm about my meals here, but the previous lunch was really spectacular, and I have to say that things have been slowly changing.



Glad to hear it!  So glad you could meet up with Magdalene and company.  I'm sure it was a great time!



franandaj said:


> All of our party ordered a combination of that, or some got what Fran and I termed the “Weed Salad”, and we had some good laughs about that.



Keep your weeds, and give me the filet!


----------



## afwdwfan

Good luck in your continuing effort to clear out and rent out the old place.  I'm glad ebay is being good to you!

The pool/burger party looks like a good time.  I'm glad you were able to clear up the green water for it.

Once again, I'm jealous of your random visits to Disneyland.  I'm glad you got to have a fun afternoon with Dis friends though.

ETA- Missed the Club 33 update at first.  Lunch actually looks really good.  Again, I'm jealous of your visits to Club 33.  And I thought the food looked fantastic.


----------



## dhorner233

It's so nice that you can just pop over to Disneyland for the day or lunch!  Glad Fran felt up to joining you.

The food was so fancy! But, your pictures literally had my mouth watering!!


----------



## DnA2010

franandaj said:


> Well that's a bummer.  You are there the week that I am on a cruise to the Mexican Riviera!  I'm glad that my TRs could help through your recovery!
> .





Oh drat! Next time! 
Yes, being laid up was very boring- I enjoyed back reading TR's and got to know a lot of Dis'ers.
With this next trip  I'm looking forward to taking it slow and really enjoying details. 
Maybe we will catch you guys on the next trip, I bet you will have a blast on the cruise, we'd like to try one of the classic ships sometime.


----------



## DnA2010

Whoops should have multi quoted but oh well!

Great update, green pools can be sooo frustrating- my inlaws have a pool at their ranch where we spend a lot of time and help maintain, they can really drive you crazy!
Your lunch looks yummy, can't beat homemade buns  

Wow that C33 Lunch menu is fab, so many great dishes! DH and I would order very similar to you and Fran actually! Someday...


----------



## jedijill

Mmmm, lunch looked incredible and what a fun group of folks!  Glad the menu/portions are getting better!

Jill in CO


----------



## ACDSNY

franandaj said:


> Yup!  I bet you do!  I got a headband to go with it as well!



Hmm, I might need to look for the headband once I get there.

Your lunch is making me drool, I'm glad you're seeing some improvement in your meals there.


----------



## Pinkocto

Lunch looked absolutely delicious!  I would have gone with Fran's first two choices and then your fish.  My mouth is watering!


----------



## rentayenta

It was a fun dy at the park!  I'm sure I have pics but holy crap, I have NO time to post. The beer and margaritas were delicious as was lunch. Always such a nice time when we get together.

Your _other _lunch looks amazing as well. We also had the crab appetizer and it was TO DIE FOR! Rich and gooey goodness. I had the pea soup and really enjoyed it.

Glad you got the pool blue again. What a pain. That burger looks so good. I haven't eatne breakfast today and your updates aren't helping. 

I can't believe we are going to miss you in October.


----------



## Paula Sedley-Burke

Just catching up! Congrats on letting out the apartment. The Wonder cruise sounds great. No formal night! Dress up anyway many folks do. That is what is great about DCL. The flexibility. 

The Dream great! I hope you get your Remy brunch. 

Your C33 lunch looks top notch. How neat the quail was deboned. I am with Fran to fiddly otherwise. How exciting about getting a new lense. Have fun with that! You had some nice meet ups with great folks and the weather looked smashing.


----------



## mvf-m11c

The lunch look very appetizing. All the food looks amazing and good to read that it is improving.


----------



## PrincessInOz

What an amazing looking C33 meal.  It does look delicious!  Thanks for sharing.


----------



## franandaj

Flossbolna said:


> Alison, so wonderful to read your report on our amazing lunch!! I am full of envy of the beautiful pictures you got! Will comment more in detail later today!
> 
> And the creme brulee was indeed the best one I ever had in my life!



It was a very amazing day, and I was so thrilled that the club finally had turned around back to a place that enjoyed visiting.



dolphingirl47 said:


> That is such a nice photo.



Thanks!  It was the only one that we got to prove we met up!



dolphingirl47 said:


> I am glad that lunch was a success



After many frustrating experiences, I was pleased that it was so enjoyable.



dolphingirl47 said:


> It is pretty and I liked the look of what was on the main menu, too.



That's good, maybe you might want to order some of it sometime.



dolphingirl47 said:


> That sounds delicious. I am not normally keen on mint, but I do love the virgin Mint Juleps so I think I would love this.



You'll have to try one!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> That's not a bad turnaround time.



That's our best so far since I've been working in the apartment business.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Well, uh...it's natural.



Natural swamp.  



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Wow! Nice work!



Much better!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Hard to beat that one.



It was cool!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Then your photoshop skills are better than mine!



Removing unwanted folks is easy, adding new ones in, now that's beyond my skill level.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Looks like a good one!



Definitely was.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> That's ok. We can imagine that the others look like Matt Damon, Reese Witherspoon, etc.



Or not.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Glad to hear it! So glad you could meet up with Magdalene and company. I'm sure it was a great time!



They were all a lot of fun.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Keep your weeds, and give me the filet!



Hey, I didn't have the weeds either!



afwdwfan said:


> Good luck in your continuing effort to clear out and rent out the old place. I'm glad ebay is being good to you!



Yeah, about that.   It's been a while since we've done anything on that.  



afwdwfan said:


> The pool/burger party looks like a good time. I'm glad you were able to clear up the green water for it.



We probably have time (seasonwise) for one more this year.  Not that we can't still hang out in the yard, but since the pool is heated by the sun, it won't get hot enough to heat the pool.  The hot tub is always good year round!  



afwdwfan said:


> Once again, I'm jealous of your random visits to Disneyland. I'm glad you got to have a fun afternoon with Dis friends though.



It's one of my favorite things about living in Southern California.



afwdwfan said:


> ETA- Missed the Club 33 update at first. Lunch actually looks really good. Again, I'm jealous of your visits to Club 33. And I thought the food looked fantastic.



It was a really good lunch, the first of quite a few good meals!



dhorner233 said:


> It's so nice that you can just pop over to Disneyland for the day or lunch!  Glad Fran felt up to joining you.
> 
> The food was so fancy! But, your pictures literally had my mouth watering!!



That is one of the best things about living where we do, I have a few more days similar to that to post, but not all with such elegant meals!



DnA2010 said:


> Oh drat! Next time!
> Yes, being laid up was very boring- I enjoyed back reading TR's and got to know a lot of Dis'ers.
> With this next trip  I'm looking forward to taking it slow and really enjoying details.
> Maybe we will catch you guys on the next trip, I bet you will have a blast on the cruise, we'd like to try one of the classic ships sometime.



I know!  I was bummed when you posted your dates and they're the same dates that I'm gone!  Maybe next time.  I've only been on the Classic ships, my first time on the new ones will be in December.



DnA2010 said:


> Whoops should have multi quoted but oh well!
> 
> Great update, green pools can be sooo frustrating- my inlaws have a pool at their ranch where we spend a lot of time and help maintain, they can really drive you crazy!



I'm not supposed to have to worry about the pool. That's why we pay people to do it!



DnA2010 said:


> Your lunch looks yummy, can't beat homemade buns
> 
> Wow that C33 Lunch menu is fab, so many great dishes! DH and I would order very similar to you and Fran actually! Someday...



The dinner was great as was the Club 33 lunch.  The menu has become a lot better, maybe the menu hasn't changed, but the dishes seem a lot better.


----------



## dolphingirl47

franandaj said:


> That's good, maybe you might want to order some of it sometime.



You never know.



franandaj said:


> You'll have to try one!



I think I may have to.

By this time next week, I am hopefully all checked in at the Disneyland Hotel and then I get to meet you the day after.

Corinna


----------



## franandaj

jedijill said:


> Mmmm, lunch looked incredible and what a fun group of folks!  Glad the menu/portions are getting better!
> 
> Jill in CO



It was a great lunch and we laughed almost the whole time. I'm so glad the experience had improved. I'm looking forward to my next trip there!



ACDSNY said:


> Hmm, I might need to look for the headband once I get there.



The store next to the Gumbo stand.  



ACDSNY said:


> Your lunch is making me drool, I'm glad you're seeing some improvement in your meals there.



Me too. As I said above I'm really looking forward to my next meal there. 



Pinkocto said:


> Lunch looked absolutely delicious!  I would have gone with Fran's first two choices and then your fish.  My mouth is watering!



It was really good, she was a little heavy on the veg, but I imagine that's what you liked! The fish was so good!


----------



## franandaj

rentayenta said:


> It was a fun dy at the park!  I'm sure I have pics but holy crap, I have NO time to post. The beer and margaritas were delicious as was lunch. Always such a nice time when we get together.



It's not that you have no time to post, it's that you choose to spend your time off work with your family and friends.  Since we don't have any nearby, I have plenty of time to post when I'm home!



rentayenta said:


> Your _other _lunch looks amazing as well. We also had the crab appetizer and it was TO DIE FOR! Rich and gooey goodness. I had the pea soup and really enjoyed it.



That crab appetizer was so totally good!  I would go back and have that alone in a heartbeat!



rentayenta said:


> Glad you got the pool blue again. What a pain. That burger looks so good. I haven't eatne breakfast today and your updates aren't helping.



I don't want to have to deal with the pool again. If this pool service doesn't work out, I'm at my wits end.  We are on our third pool service.  At least this one we can go into the store and complain if they screw up!



rentayenta said:


> I can't believe we are going to miss you in October.



I know, I'm so bummed.  I wish you guys were still on the cruise.  



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> Just catching up! Congrats on letting out the apartment. The Wonder cruise sounds great. No formal night! Dress up anyway many folks do. That is what is great about DCL. The flexibility.



I'm going to at least dress up for the Palo night, you should see the skirt that I have, you will in the pictures on the TR!



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> The Dream great! I hope you get your Remy brunch.



I did!  Now I'm in charge of organizing a private mixology class, so far we have 12, I hope we get enough to book one!



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> Your C33 lunch looks top notch. How neat the quail was deboned. I am with Fran to fiddly otherwise. How exciting about getting a new lense. Have fun with that! You had some nice meet ups with great folks and the weather looked smashing.



Well, the quail was not completely deboned, but mostly.  I still haven't gotten the new lens.  We are still looking and working on what Fran is willing to spend, at least that is what I am thinking is holding her back.  The one I want is $1500, but even I can justify that.



mvf-m11c said:


> The lunch look very appetizing. All the food looks amazing and good to read that it is improving.





PrincessInOz said:


> What an amazing looking C33 meal.  It does look delicious!  Thanks for sharing.



You're welcome!



dolphingirl47 said:


> You never know.
> 
> I think I may have to.
> 
> By this time next week, I am hopefully all checked in at the Disneyland Hotel and then I get to meet you the day after.



We'll have to see what transpires!  I hope that your plans all go as you hope!


----------



## skier_pete

Sorry, getting back in the loop after our WDW vacation - looks like you had some good days in the park this past month! The meals look delicious!


----------



## franandaj

********** said:


> Sorry, getting back in the loop after our WDW vacation - looks like you had some good days in the park this past month! The meals look delicious!



We had a few more as well that I'm still working on!  This month has been a little lean, but I'll make up for that next week!


----------



## franandaj

We left off with a great lunch and I know that our companions ended up back in the park enjoying some rides while Fran and I went back home so that we could make sure our cats were not torn in half by Coyotes running the neighborhood after dark.  

I headed back to the park the following day to meet up with Magdalene and friends.  I think our first ride was Soarin, but I’m not exactly sure.  Radiator Springs Racers was right up in there for the top of the list, and while I had rented a cool lens that was supposed to be able to take great dark ride pictures, somehow, I had turned it from Auto focus to whatever, and none of my pictures on RSR came out.  It wasn’t until the ride was over that I figured it out. I did get a picture of us all in the car, but since no one wanted to be pictured in the red neck shot, I cropped it for just Magdalene and me.





We may have gone on CA Screamin, and I think there was some sort of big delay on that ride which really slowed us down.  I know we headed over to TSMM, but by this point, but we wanted to see a specific show of Aladdin. One of the friends in our tour group knew the puppeteer for Iago in the show we were trying to make.  We ended up bailing on the TSMM ride in order to make the particular show of Aladdin. 

We got great seats, up front in the 3rd row.  I finally got to make good use of the lens that I was renting.  It worked out really well for how close we were to the stage, but I really did find the fixed length rather limiting in this case.  I was able to capture some scenes that I would have been unable to shoot with my other lenses.

































The Genie always steals the show, and this time was no exception.





I just love this scene.  I am really going to miss this show when it is replaced by Frozen.

















Our close location to the stage gave us a great view of the Prince’s procession.













Then there’s the romantic and touching moment.  I didn’t get any shots of the flying carpet, but it’s nice to see that they have brought back this element. Probably with more straps and secure cables.














http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random Disney/IMG_5951.jpg.html

And then the story takes a turn for the worse.


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The effects in this show are great!  Love the demise of Jafar!

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And then we have the happy ending.

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By the time we reached the happy ending, I was so pleased with the lens in this setting that I was taking pictures of rapid movement in low light, just because I could.

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Final Curtain Call.

[URL='http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random%20Disney/IMG_5984.jpg.html']
	
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## franandaj

After the show, we were all hungry, but we were waiting on the friend from the show who puppeted Iago.  We left the guys to wait for the friend, and Magdalene and I went on Tower of Terror.  By this time, the group was ready for lunch. We headed to Flo’s V8 Café.  This was a new one for me, so I was happy to try something new.













They had these cute little screens like Juke Boxes at every ordering counter.









Most people in our party ordered the   Roast Beef and Cheddar. I got this and it was pretty good.  I was surprised because I was able to eat the entire meal.  I must have worked up quite and appetite.





One person ordered the Citrus Turkey Salad.  I didn’t get a review of this one, but it looked pretty good.





A couple people in our party ordered this Turkey Dip.  I think this was enjoyed because everyone seemed to finish it all.





I did forget to take a picture of Magdalene’s Ribs.  They looked really good and I’m not sure why I missed it.  I did take a few shots of our view during lunch.









And then we were on the move again, but where to next?  You’ll have to wait and see!


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## jedijill

I'm going to cry when Aladdin goes away!  Its such a great show!  Guess I need to go see it on Broadway and the cruise!  

Looks like a fun day...so cool someone knew the puppeteer!  The food at Flo's looked great...I haven't eaten there yet either!

Jill in CO


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## mvf-m11c

It is going to be sad when Aladdin goes away for another Frozen show. It is an amazing show especially with the Genie. I remember sometime back around 2009 when Disney announced that Toy Story the Musical was going to replace Aladdin but it never happened. Nice that you were able to do a lot of rides that day with Magdalene and their friends. From the shots you posted with the rented lens, I would guess that it is a 50mm f/1.8 prime lens. You took nice pictures from the Aladdin show.

I haven't been to Flo's V8 Cafe in a long time since I didn't enjoy the food. Maybe it might have improved since 2012. The food looks nice.

Very nice update.


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## Pinkocto

I do NOT like that Frozen is taking over everything. Sure, a few things here and there but things have gotten too much. IMHO. But I do love Olaf so I'm not totally against it. 

Great pictures  cool about Iago's handler. 

The outside eating area looks really cool with RSR in the background.


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## dolphingirl47

It looks like you had another lovely day in the park. The photos from Aladdin came out great. In November, we were in the first row of the second section and the process passed right in front of us. This was quite something. How neat to get to meet one of the people in the show. Lunch looked lovely.

Corinna


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## afwdwfan

franandaj said:


> I just love this scene. I am really going to miss this show when it is replaced by Frozen.


Such a disappointment.  This literally is the best theme park show I've seen and it is a shame that it will be going away.  I haven't followed this story closely.  Are they replacing it with a new Frozen show, or are they just going to move the Frozen Sing Along into that building?

And then will Muppets come back? 



franandaj said:


> Most people in our party ordered the Roast Beef and Cheddar. I got this and it was pretty good. I was surprised because I was able to eat the entire meal. I must have worked up quite and appetite.


I really thought all the meals there looked good.  It was one of my favorite Disney counter service places on either coast.  I enjoyed it and I'm glad you did too!



franandaj said:


> I did forget to take a picture of Magdalene’s Ribs. They looked really good and I’m not sure why I missed it.


They were awesome!  Thanks for not getting a picture because I'd probably try to lick the screen.


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## skier_pete

I am a little sad about the Aladdin show leaving because I only got to see it once and was looking forward to it being there in February when we go. I get why they would want to change the show after so long, but I really wonder if Frozen will have the repeatability for locals to keep it popular and full.

Actually there's one thing I'm a little nervous about for our February trip (and excuse me for bringing this up on your thread), and that's how many things will possibly be down for refurb. I know this past winter they had a LOT down in preparation for the 60th anniversary, but we are going to only be there during the weekdays, and I am concerned that not only will they have a lot shut down, they will also not do the nighttime shows. I would be so disappointed if we don't get to see World of Color and also Paint the Night. Do you know was last year more the exception that they had all these shows down? I am less concerned about the fireworks, which I know often only go on weekends, but without World of Color running I am almost wanting to change our plans.


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## rentayenta

Lunch at Flo's looks YUM! I have had their chili verde breakfast and really enjoyed it. We'll have to try it for lunch. We always end up on the Wharf.


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## franandaj

jedijill said:


> I'm going to cry when Aladdin goes away!  Its such a great show!  Guess I need to go see it on Broadway and the cruise!
> 
> Looks like a fun day...so cool someone knew the puppeteer!  The food at Flo's looked great...I haven't eaten there yet either!
> 
> Jill in CO



I've got to see it at least three more times before it goes away.  I have one planned for next week, and that gives me three months to see it two more times.



mvf-m11c said:


> It is going to be sad when Aladdin goes away for another Frozen show. It is an amazing show especially with the Genie. I remember sometime back around 2009 when Disney announced that Toy Story the Musical was going to replace Aladdin but it never happened. Nice that you were able to do a lot of rides that day with Magdalene and their friends. From the shots you posted with the rented lens, I would guess that it is a 50mm f/1.8 prime lens. You took nice pictures from the Aladdin show.



It will be sad when it goes away.  I hope there is a huge backlash and the same thing happens like when they were going to replace it with Toy Story.  There is too much Frozen going on.  Yes it was a 50mm 1.8 Prime Lens, it was OK for Aladdin, but I would prefer a 35mm.



mvf-m11c said:


> I haven't been to Flo's V8 Cafe in a long time since I didn't enjoy the food. Maybe it might have improved since 2012. The food looks nice.
> 
> Very nice update.



I think the menu has changed since 2012, I remember there being open faced sandwiches on the menu, and those were gone, so I think the menu changed a bit since the place opened.



Pinkocto said:


> I do NOT like that Frozen is taking over everything. Sure, a few things here and there but things have gotten too much. IMHO. But I do love Olaf so I'm not totally against it.



I have had enough of Frozen as well, I hate that it is taking over everything.  Everywhere you turn in the park, you see a little Anna or Elsa.  Olaf is cool though, I just don't want to see it take over completely.



Pinkocto said:


> Great pictures  cool about Iago's handler.
> 
> The outside eating area looks really cool with RSR in the background.



Thanks, it was a nice backdrop for lunch.



dolphingirl47 said:


> It looks like you had another lovely day in the park. The photos from Aladdin came out great. In November, we were in the first row of the second section and the process passed right in front of us. This was quite something. How neat to get to meet one of the people in the show. Lunch looked lovely.
> 
> Corinna



That's actually my favorite spot to sit in, but the folks who knew Iago's handler wanted to be up really close to see him.  I'm looking forward to seeing it again next week.



afwdwfan said:


> Such a disappointment. This literally is the best theme park show I've seen and it is a shame that it will be going away. I haven't followed this story closely. Are they replacing it with a new Frozen show, or are they just going to move the Frozen Sing Along into that building?
> 
> And then will Muppets come back?



I'm not sure what is going on.  I think it's a full on musical show of Frozen, not just the Sing Along.  I'm hoping with the Muppets and their new show that they are working on a new Muppet attraction.   That old one is very dated.  I remember seeing it in 1993 at Disney/MGM Studios, so it's time for a new one!



afwdwfan said:


> I really thought all the meals there looked good. It was one of my favorite Disney counter service places on either coast. I enjoyed it and I'm glad you did too!



I think it deserves a revisiting, I'll try the ribs next time, and I think I want to try the Mac and Cheese as well.



afwdwfan said:


> They were awesome! Thanks for not getting a picture because I'd probably try to lick the screen.


----------



## franandaj

********** said:


> I am a little sad about the Aladdin show leaving because I only got to see it once and was looking forward to it being there in February when we go. I get why they would want to change the show after so long, but I really wonder if Frozen will have the repeatability for locals to keep it popular and full.



I'm a lot sad about the Aladdin show leaving and I have seen it numerous times.  They tried to change it a few years back to Toy Story the musical, and never did.  I can't imagine Frozen having the draw that this musical does.  So many people are over it, and it's a lot of young kids who cling to it. Not the best audience for a stage show.



********** said:


> Actually there's one thing I'm a little nervous about for our February trip (and excuse me for bringing this up on your thread), and that's how many things will possibly be down for refurb. I know this past winter they had a LOT down in preparation for the 60th anniversary, but we are going to only be there during the weekdays, and I am concerned that not only will they have a lot shut down, they will also not do the nighttime shows.



Last year was a total exception.  We go every year in February and yes there are some closures for refurb, but this year was crazy with how many things were down.  I doubt that in 2016 they will close so many things since just about everything was fixed last year.



********** said:


> I would be so disappointed if we don't get to see World of Color and also Paint the Night. Do you know was last year more the exception that they had all these shows down? I am less concerned about the fireworks, which I know often only go on weekends, but without World of Color running I am almost wanting to change our plans.



I can see the fireworks not running while you are there, but so far they have still been scheduling them for the evening during the week.  At least for September.  I can't see Paint the Night going down except maybe a brief rehab.  Even then, they could do one float at a time and still run the rest of the parade.  I have no idea about WoC, but it had such an extensive rehab last year it should be good for a long long time.



rentayenta said:


> Lunch at Flo's looks YUM! I have had their chili verde breakfast and really enjoyed it. We'll have to try it for lunch. We always end up on the Wharf.



Flo's was good, I'm willing to do it again.  The Wharf is a good place because of all the choices.  I do have to go back and try the ribs and Mac and Cheese.


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## dhorner233

Great pictures of the Aladdin show! You had great seats! I can't wait to see it - next week  I wish they would keep it too. Everything is Frozen, Frozen, Frozen!


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## franandaj

dhorner233 said:


> Great pictures of the Aladdin show! You had great seats! I can't wait to see it - next week  I wish they would keep it too. Everything is Frozen, Frozen, Frozen!



yes!  We will be seeing it next week!  I can't wait!


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## PrincessInOz

Add me to the list of those who are truly sad that Aladdin is being replaced.  I love that show and it's one of the reasons I love going to DCA.  I don't know if Frozen will be as big a hit....we'll see.

Great use of the rental lens!  Which one was it?

And would you eat at Flo's again?


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## dizneeat

*All caught up again. As much as I love going on vacation, catching up here is hard to do.

And please count me in to those who are sad to see Aladdin leaving. We saw it in 2006 and LOVED it. It is the one show I never miss on the Fantasy.




*


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## rentayenta

PrincessInOz said:


> Add me to the list of those who are truly sad that Aladdin is being replaced.  I love that show and it's one of the reasons I love going to DCA.  I don't know if Frozen will be as big a hit....we'll see.
> 
> Great use of the rental lens!  Which one was it?
> 
> And would you eat at Flo's again?




I know everyone is nuts over Frozen but I think they should keep Aladdin. I _liked_ Frozen but I liked Tangled better. I enjoyed many other movies more. I guess maybe now that the girls are older, Frozen isn't something we'll see necessarily. Joshua has a PG13 name for the ladies of Arendelle.  He thinks they have taken over. I tend to agree.


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## dolphingirl47

franandaj said:


> Yes it was a 50mm 1.8 Prime Lens, it was OK for Aladdin, but I would prefer a 35mm.



Graham surprised me with a 35mm 1.8 prime lens when he joined me in Dubai. I so  love this lens. Mine is Nikon though.



franandaj said:


> That's actually my favorite spot to sit in, but the folks who knew Iago's handler wanted to be up really close to see him.



I am keeping my fingers crossed that we get this spot next week.



franandaj said:


> I'm looking forward to seeing it again next week.



Me, too.

Corinna


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## mvf-m11c

franandaj said:


> It will be sad when it goes away.  I hope there is a huge backlash and the same thing happens like when they were going to replace it with Toy Story.  There is too much Frozen going on.  Yes it was a 50mm 1.8 Prime Lens, it was OK for Aladdin, but I would prefer a 35mm.
> 
> I think the menu has changed since 2012, I remember there being open faced sandwiches on the menu, and those were gone, so I think the menu changed a bit since the place opened.



I understand why Disney is doing this especially with Frozen being so popular even to this day and with the Frozen Fun earlier this year. There is the Frozen Sing-Along show and I wonder what Disney will do with that show or return it to Muppets Vision 3D. The 50mm f/1.8 prime lens is okay for shows while the 35mm is the ideal for rides. I tried the 50mm before and I didn't like it on the rides.




dolphingirl47 said:


> Graham surprised me with a 35mm 1.8 prime lens when he joined me in Dubai. I so  love this lens. Mine is Nikon though.
> 
> I am keeping my fingers crossed that we get this spot next week.



That is nice that you got a 35mm f/1.8 lens Corinna. You will enjoy it especially for the dark rides.

Hope you are able to get a good spot for the Aladdin show. It will depend on how long you are willing to wait for the show.


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## Captain_Oblivious

franandaj said:


> I did get a picture of us all in the car, but since no one wanted to be pictured in the red neck shot, I cropped it for just Magdalene and me.



Well, it looks like the two of you are having a good time!



franandaj said:


> I just love this scene. I am really going to miss this show when it is replaced by Frozen.



I was disappointed to hear the Aladdin show was going away, too.  I've heard such great things about it.  Wish I could have seen it when I was there.



franandaj said:


> By the time we reached the happy ending, I was so pleased with the lens in this setting that I was taking pictures of rapid movement in low light, just because I could.



I think these turned out really well!

Flo's looks pretty tasty.  Another place I'll have to go back for.


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## rentayenta

Have fun in the parks today ladies! Can't wait to see pics.


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## franandaj

PrincessInOz said:


> Add me to the list of those who are truly sad that Aladdin is being replaced. I love that show and it's one of the reasons I love going to DCA. I don't know if Frozen will be as big a hit....we'll see.



I can't see how Frozen is going to be nearly as popular as this show has been.  



PrincessInOz said:


> Great use of the rental lens! Which one was it?



It was an F1.8 50mm Canon lens.  Next post you will hear some of the things I didn't like so much.



PrincessInOz said:


> And would you eat at Flo's again?



Sure, I wouldn't make a point of it, but it was good.



dizneeat said:


> *All caught up again. As much as I love going on vacation, catching up here is hard to do.
> 
> And please count me in to those who are sad to see Aladdin leaving. We saw it in 2006 and LOVED it. It is the one show I never miss on the Fantasy.*



I can't wait to get behind due to being on vacation!



rentayenta said:


> I know everyone is nuts over Frozen but I think they should keep Aladdin. I _liked_ Frozen but I liked Tangled better. I enjoyed many other movies more. I guess maybe now that the girls are older, Frozen isn't something we'll see necessarily. Joshua has a PG13 name for the ladies of Arendelle.  He thinks they have taken over. I tend to agree.



You'll have to text it to me!  



dolphingirl47 said:


> Graham surprised me with a 35mm 1.8 prime lens when he joined me in Dubai. I so love this lens. Mine is Nikon though.



How nice!  Too bad you couldn't have used it for the DL part of your trip!



dolphingirl47 said:


> I am keeping my fingers crossed that we get this spot next week.
> 
> Me, too.



Good thing you kept them crossed!



mvf-m11c said:


> I understand why Disney is doing this especially with Frozen being so popular even to this day and with the Frozen Fun earlier this year. There is the Frozen Sing-Along show and I wonder what Disney will do with that show or return it to Muppets Vision 3D. The 50mm f/1.8 prime lens is okay for shows while the 35mm is the ideal for rides. I tried the 50mm before and I didn't like it on the rides.



I hope that Disney does a new Muppets 3D show now that the new series is on.  Frozen has taken over everything though, I don't like it.  I didn't like the 50mm on the rides either.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Well, it looks like the two of you are having a good time!



we were!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> I was disappointed to hear the Aladdin show was going away, too. I've heard such great things about it. Wish I could have seen it when I was there.



I think most everyone is disappointed.  I don't know anyone who is happy about it.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> I think these turned out really well!
> 
> Flo's looks pretty tasty. Another place I'll have to go back for.



The pictures in the show came out pretty good, and so did some of the rides, I just think they could be better with a different lens.  Flo's was pretty good.  I would definitely eat there again.



rentayenta said:


> Have fun in the parks today ladies! Can't wait to see pics.


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## franandaj

Our next move was to hop over to Disneyland.  My memory is becoming fuzzy and all I have is pictures to remember by, but my next pictures are from the Haunted Mansion, so I have to assume that was our next ride.

I’ve had good luck in the stretching room before, but something tells me that these pictures came out a little better with the rented lens.

















I have never been able to capture pictures of the lenticular portraits in the hallway, only the ones at my own house!









This shot of the loading area came out much better than the previous shots.





And then I was able to get some pictures on the ride itself, which is a first!





Even though it’s blurry, I did get this one of Madame Leota.





The ballroom scene was my most successful.









And the Black Widow Bride.





These are not very good shots, but they are the only ones that I have ever been able to take in the graveyard.













I’ve never been able to get a shot of this gal, even a blurry one, so this isn’t bad.





Next we went over to Pirates of the Caribbean.  This was another ride, I was hoping for some good luck on the pictures.  Here we are on the Bayou.





And the diners at the restaurant.





Remember when I told you to pay attention because there would be a test later?  Notice how much better this shot of the pirate came out than my picture from weeks before.





In case you weren’t paying that much attention, I’ll show you here to remind you.





I was able to get quite a few more pictures in the ride and they were much more clear than with my other lens.

















*[Continued in Next Post]*


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## franandaj

*[Continued from Previous Post]*

This is the first time I have captured the pirate ship on film (or whatever you call it these days).





















I finally got the kitty kats!

















This is the first time that I’ve been able to get the guys in the jail cell.





Or their little dog too!









And the ones I got of Jack were fairly reasonable too.









After this ride my mind is a little bit fuzzy.  I don’t remember if we rode Big Thunder Mountain or not.  Seems to me I would have taken pictures, but maybe not.  I know we headed over to the Matterhorn where I chose not to ride.  Instead I futzed with my phone because I hadn’t received and email or a text message all day and that just seemed strange to me.  Also I was getting error messages when trying to access Facebook or the DIS.  So while the others were on the Matterhorn, I restarted my phone.  Once it synced back up with the cell towers and services, it went kind of crazy, a jillion text messages came in.  Mostly from Fran, most of them things like “Are you there?”  “Why aren’t you answering?”  “hello….”  “Have you lost your phone?”

It turns out that my nephew (who was staying with my parents) had suffered a seizure and was taken to the hospital by the paramedics.  I’m not sure what everyone else was doing, but I ended up calling my parents and trying to figure out what was going on, even though there was absolutely nothing I would be able to do.  Eventually I talked to my father who told me they were at the hospital awaiting results of tests that they had run, and there was no news, so I went back to my life in the present.  It was time to ride Finding Nemo submarines.

I was hoping for a better outcome on the photography front.  These shots were all taken in the exposed lagoon.









































And then that was it for photos.  My camera wouldn’t take any shots in the dark part of the ride. 

After that I think we rode Space Mountain and we were done for the day.  Well except for the nighttime activities!


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## Flossbolna

Finally getting around to catch up on replies!! 



franandaj said:


> The company was lovely and we all had a great time that day, but you’ll have to live with these pictures of Fran, Magdalene and myself.



I loved our outing with the large group! And those are some fantastic pictures of the three of us! I need to get those files from you somehow!



franandaj said:


> The menu.



Oh, I am so happy that you got a picture of the menu. I totally failed in that regard. Not sure why, I guess I was overwhelmed by how wonderful everything was!



franandaj said:


> Several people in our party ordered the Country Sausage and Pate Maison with Apricot Mustard and Rhubarb. I admit to having envy over this one.



Yes, I ordered that. It was quite wonderful! I hope you get another chance to try it some time!



franandaj said:


> I don’t’ remember what this drink was, but it looked interesting as well.



This is my drink. It was a Gin Fizz. It was supposed to be made with egg white, but they had run out of egg white and I got it without. It had gin, lemon and cream. And something sweet. And it was quite tasty!



franandaj said:


> The only other unique item was the Summer Garden Pea Soup with English Pea, Poached Leeks, Fava Beans and Petit Mint. It was poured tableside.



Before the trip I had emailed with you about which foods I liked for that other big meal that we had together and I remember that I told you that I did not like soups that much. So, it was really funny that I ended up being the only person ordering the soup. But it did even convince the not so much a soup lover! But I love fresh peas, so I had high hopes which were not disappointed!



franandaj said:


> When the entrees came, they were very dramatic about it. We all had our plate concealed under domes, and it took four waiters all at once to reveal our plates to us.



It was really impressive with the whole table having domes on their plates! And it is funny how in your picture you can see everyone taking pictures at the same time! I am holding my camera and your neighbor is holding a camera as well! 



franandaj said:


> Quite a few people in our party ordered the Petit Filet Mignon, Tender Haricot Verts, Cabernet Jus. They all seemed to enjoy it.



I absolutely loved it!!



franandaj said:


> Several people tried the Sweet Corn Crème Brulee with Blueberry Compote, Blueberry Ginger Soda and Peach Madeline, and declared it delicious.



Our server highly recommended it and I was just intrigued by the idea of sweet corn in a dessert. It was such a fantastic combination!



franandaj said:


> We adjourned to the lounge for another round of beverages before saying good night.



The drinks in the lounge were a fantastic way to end that meal! We also got some spicy nuts with our drinks (not that we were hungry...). I was so happy that everyone seemed to get along so well!


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## mvf-m11c

I'm sorry to hear about your nephew and hope he is doing alright. 

You did quite a lot of rides that afternoon. The pictures turned out nice during your experience. The one that I liked was the Talking Skull. Sorry to hear that you are having problems when taking shots in the dark parts of the ride. Even though the 50mm f/1.8 is a nice lens but it doesn't have that extra wide angle like the 35mm which does make a difference when going on rides.


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## rentayenta

I'll text it right now. 

That picture of Darla made me jump. Hahaha!!!!

How's your nephew doing?  Seizures are scary things. I was with Chloe during many of hers. Press frightening. I hope they figure it out soon. 




I know you have lots of fun things before December but I am really looking forward to our Disney day with Jill. We'll be there a full week so hopefully we can go to dinner too.


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## PrincessInOz

Oh no!  I hope your nephew is okay!

I like a lot of your pictures in the HM, Pirates and the submarine.  I'm guessing it wasn't wide enough for you.


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## jedijill

Hope your nephew is doing ok!  

You got some great pics!  Like Jenny said, I'm looking forward to our Disney day too!  

Jill in CO


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## dolphingirl47

I really liked all the photos. They have come out great. I hope your nephew is OK.

Corinna


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## franandaj

Flossbolna said:


> I loved our outing with the large group! And those are some fantastic pictures of the three of us! I need to get those files from you somehow!



It was a lot of fun.  I can either email them to you one at a time, or if you have a dropbox account I could send them to you that way.



Flossbolna said:


> Oh, I am so happy that you got a picture of the menu. I totally failed in that regard. Not sure why, I guess I was overwhelmed by how wonderful everything was!



No problem, I can send that one too if you like!



Flossbolna said:


> Yes, I ordered that. It was quite wonderful! I hope you get another chance to try it some time!



I want to go back for lunch, they don't have that on the dinner menu and I'd like to try it, provided it is still on the menu.



Flossbolna said:


> This is my drink. It was a Gin Fizz. It was supposed to be made with egg white, but they had run out of egg white and I got it without. It had gin, lemon and cream. And something sweet. And it was quite tasty!



Thanks for solving that mystery!



Flossbolna said:


> Before the trip I had emailed with you about which foods I liked for that other big meal that we had together and I remember that I told you that I did not like soups that much. So, it was really funny that I ended up being the only person ordering the soup. But it did even convince the not so much a soup lover! But I love fresh peas, so I had high hopes which were not disappointed!



It's funny after all the figuring on the dinner (later to come). I had completely forgotten about all the various preferences, I forgot you weren't a soup person, but I'm glad you enjoyed it.  Peas are on my "don't eat" list.



Flossbolna said:


> It was really impressive with the whole table having domes on their plates! And it is funny how in your picture you can see everyone taking pictures at the same time! I am holding my camera and your neighbor is holding a camera as well!



I didn't notice all the cameras!  How funny!



Flossbolna said:


> Our server highly recommended it and I was just intrigued by the idea of sweet corn in a dessert. It was such a fantastic combination!



That's another one that I need to go back and try!



Flossbolna said:


> The drinks in the lounge were a fantastic way to end that meal! We also got some spicy nuts with our drinks (not that we were hungry...). I was so happy that everyone seemed to get along so well!



It was a nice way to end a great meal.  It was a fun and relaxing way to end lunch.  However, everyone was keen to get changed and run off to do more rides!



mvf-m11c said:


> I'm sorry to hear about your nephew and hope he is doing alright.
> 
> You did quite a lot of rides that afternoon. The pictures turned out nice during your experience. The one that I liked was the Talking Skull. Sorry to hear that you are having problems when taking shots in the dark parts of the ride. Even though the 50mm f/1.8 is a nice lens but it doesn't have that extra wide angle like the 35mm which does make a difference when going on rides.



The nephew is doing OK as far as I know.  They never found anything, so hopefully it doesn't happen again.

I definitely want the 35mm.  Fran says she has ordered it, so we'll see when it arrives!



rentayenta said:


> I'll text it right now.
> 
> That picture of Darla made me jump. Hahaha!!!!
> 
> How's your nephew doing?  Seizures are scary things. I was with Chloe during many of hers. Press frightening. I hope they figure it out soon.



As I said to Bret, I guess he's OK,  Further tests showed nothing, so I guess we go with that.



rentayenta said:


> I know you have lots of fun things before December but I am really looking forward to our Disney day with Jill. We'll be there a full week so hopefully we can go to dinner too.



Maybe this would be the week to plan a trip to 555.  



PrincessInOz said:


> Oh no! I hope your nephew is okay!



I guess he's OK, further tests have been inconclusive.



PrincessInOz said:


> I like a lot of your pictures in the HM, Pirates and the submarine. I'm guessing it wasn't wide enough for you.



Yes, not wide enough.  Denise had the same complaint, she kept saying she wanted to take a "picture wider than an eyeball."


----------



## mvf-m11c

franandaj said:


> I definitely want the 35mm.  Fran says she has ordered it, so we'll see when it arrives!



That is good news to read that Fran ordered the 35mm lens. I just got the f/4 in today which I am happy with.

It should be fun for Jenny and Jill to have a nice Disney day. Interesting that your trips as well as mine will cross each other in December. I will have to try 55 one day but that is during the weekend of the CP.


----------



## franandaj

jedijill said:


> Hope your nephew is doing ok!



As they say no news is good news.



jedijill said:


> You got some great pics! Like Jenny said, I'm looking forward to our Disney day too!



I'm thinking Wednesday for our Disney day. We should plan a cool dinner out as well. I have two bottles of wine burning a hole in my cellar from what we didn't finish at my birthday party. They kind of demand a steakhouse!



dolphingirl47 said:


> I really liked all the photos. They have come out great. I hope your nephew is OK.
> 
> Corinna



Thanks. As far as I know there have been no further incidents.



mvf-m11c said:


> That is good news to read that Fran ordered the 35mm lens. I just got the f/4 in today which I am happy with.
> 
> It should be fun for Jenny and Jill to have a nice Disney day. Interesting that your trips as well as mine will cross each other in December. I will have to try 55 one day but that is during the weekend of the CP.



I hope I like the new lens. I don't know when you will arrive, but I suspect it will be after we have our day in the park.


----------



## jedijill

franandaj said:


> I'm thinking Wednesday for our Disney day. We should plan a cool dinner out as well. I have two bottles of wine burning a hole in my cellar from what we didn't finish at my birthday party. They kind of demand a steakhouse!



Works for me...I love steak.   Can't wait to see you guys again!  If you or Fran want anything from F&W in WDW let me know!

Jill in CO


----------



## dhorner233

You are right about my lens. It was great for pictures of food and flowers but, on the dark rides I got pictures like this:









Which are great but, I wanted to zoom out too. Now I guess I want a 1.4 35mm lens. I learned a lot from you Alison and your friend Jennifer 

Only 2 weeks now until your cruise!


----------



## rentayenta

Love the 555 idea.

Wednesday sounds great for our Disney day. It looks like Michael will fly in Mon/Tues and then out Friday so I'm happy he won't miss it.  Poor fella misses out on lots.


----------



## franandaj

mvf-m11c said:


> That is good news to read that Fran ordered the 35mm lens. I just got the f/4 in today which I am happy with.



I'm glad you are happy with your new lens!



mvf-m11c said:


> It should be fun for Jenny and Jill to have a nice Disney day. Interesting that your trips as well as mine will cross each other in December. I will have to try 55 one day but that is during the weekend of the CP.



Do you arrive on Friday?  We leave Sunday morning, so I imagine by then I will be panicking and frantically packing!

Your post here makes me chuckle.  You definitely need to try steakhouse 55 someday, but now I realize how confusing all these numbers can be.  We were talking about the 555 steakhouse in Long Beach where Jenny's daughter's BF works!  All these numbered steakhouses get confusing!



jedijill said:


> Works for me...I love steak.   Can't wait to see you guys again!  If you or Fran want anything from F&W in WDW let me know!
> 
> Jill in CO



You would definitely like this place we are talking about.  Funny, Fran already sent Corinna with a gift card to pick up items at F&W!  Glad to know we have two personal shoppers.  I would like one of those molten chocolate cakes from Ireland, but you'll also have to eat it for me because it won't survive the trip back!  



dhorner233 said:


> You are right about my lens. It was great for pictures of food and flowers but, on the dark rides I got pictures like this:



Those are great pictures!



dhorner233 said:


> Which are great but, I wanted to zoom out too. Now I guess I want a 1.4 35mm lens. I learned a lot from you Alison and your friend Jennifer



You're right though, it's nicer to have a wider focal point.



dhorner233 said:


> Only 2 weeks now until your cruise!



I know I can't wait!!!!!



rentayenta said:


> Love the 555 idea.
> 
> Wednesday sounds great for our Disney day. It looks like Michael will fly in Mon/Tues and then out Friday so I'm happy he won't miss it.  Poor fella misses out on lots.



Maybe Wednesday Disney, Thursday Steak?  We wouldn't want Michael to miss out!


----------



## franandaj

So it’s two weeks until we set sail on our cruise! I can’t even begin to tell you how excited that I am to be going on a vacation, and one where we do nothing but be pampered and eat and drink.  For me exploring is rather overrated right now, I would love to just sleep in, lay back with a drink in my hand, waiting for my massage!  I’m almost packed for the trip and yesterday Fran and I packed up our Fish Extender gifts.  They aren’t anything special, but it’s fun to participate in and I hope that the other families like their gifts!

As far as the December trip, it’s almost time to make our FP+.  I made one change to ADRs. On the Sunday instead of going to Trail’s End at Fort Wilderness for lunch, we are having Brunch at Narcoosee’s.  It’s something new that they started and I’m looking forward to that.  I’m also really thinking about making a reservation at the Boathouse in Disney Springs, but we’ll see.

For the April/May trip, I was able to modify our reservation for four nights at the VWL in a 2 bedroom lock off Villa, and now we have three nights in a THV.  However, tomorrow I am going to wake up at 6AM and call Member Services to see if I can get that switched over to a Bungalow at the Poly!  I’ve been checking every day and the accessible Bungalow is still available for our three nights! Keep your fingers crossed!

Nothing has changed for our Mississippi River trip, and I still have another 47 days until I can book our F&W 2016 trip.  On other exciting news we are looking into 2017 for our trip to DLP.  It was going to be last month, but the whole moving thing sort of threw a wrench into that plan.  We are hoping that by spring of 2017 we will be all moved out of the old place and it will be rented out and everything.  How are we progressing on that one?  Well, we’re at about the same place we were the last time you asked!  I guess we better get cracking on that one.  We have been making progress on the current house.  For those of you not following along on the house thread, I just posted an update over there of how we are doing with decorating, we’re finally getting some of the pictures that have been in storage for many years up on the walls for us to admire. Feel free to check it out:

http://www.disboards.com/threads/th...-its-about-time.3151682/page-64#post-54491482

Back to your regular trip report!

We quickly found ourselves a place to view the parade a fireworks and planted ourselves there firmly for the evening.  We didn’t have any real plans for dinner, I skipped it entirely, one of the folks in our group got a child’s togo plate from the Plaza Inn, Magdalene and Michael shared some snacks, and I’m not sure what Michael’s brother did, but no one starved. Soon the parade started, and here I was taking pictures from yet another vantage point.















 































 

I hope I’m not boring you with all these parade pictures.









































































*[Continued in Next Post]*


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## franandaj

*[Continued from Previous Post]












[/URL
]












*
http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random Disney/IMG_6222.jpg.html

Wow! That was a lot of pictures!

So after the parade, we just waited a few more minutes for the fireworks to start.  We had a pretty good view, but compared to my previous views and the fact that I didn’t have a tripod, I only took a few pictures before putting away the camera and just sitting back to enjoy the show.

*http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random Disney/IMG_6222.jpg.html















http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random Disney/IMG_6222.jpg.html*

After a long and very fun day, we said our goodbyes, but only temporarily as we had more plans for the week!


----------



## jedijill

So happy you guys are back in vacation mode!  The cruise is just what the doctor ordered!  You have a lot of great trips in the pipeline!

Your parade pics turned out awesome! ETA Your fireworks pictures are great too. 

Jill in CO


----------



## rentayenta

Love your parade pics! 

Sounds like a plan. Michael likes his steak and wine for sure.  

I'm caught up on the house thread. 

I'm SO happy you're getting to cruise and you're going to just relax! It's well earned that's for sure. 

Guinness is all set for the kennel in Oct and Dec!


----------



## mvf-m11c

franandaj said:


> I hope I like the new lens. I don't know when you will arrive, but I suspect it will be after we have our day in the park.



I don't know how good the Canon lens is since I use Nikon but I will look forward to your pics.




franandaj said:


> I'm glad you are happy with your new lens!
> 
> Do you arrive on Friday?  We leave Sunday morning, so I imagine by then I will be panicking and frantically packing!
> 
> Your post here makes me chuckle.  You definitely need to try steakhouse 55 someday, but now I realize how confusing all these numbers can be.  We were talking about the 555 steakhouse in Long Beach where Jenny's daughter's BF works!  All these numbered steakhouses get confusing!



I have rented the f/4 and I like it where it will be nice to have my own telephoto lens.

Yes, I will arrive at the DLR on Friday the 4th around 8am. I will be coming along with DAW (not DAF that you have met) which we will be flying on SWA. If you are in the park that day, that will be nice but if you can't, i understand since you have your trip coming up.

I will eat at Steakhouse 55 one day but I got to convince DAF to go there one day. She was considering it for the Nov trip but she would rather eat at the EDPN Zone. When I saw 555 is that correct or is it from another restaurant in SoCal. I was going to ask you the same thing if you wanted something from the F&W festival when I leave in a few weeks.

That is good that you get to go on a cruise for relaxation.

Very nice pics from PtN parade as well at DF.


----------



## rentayenta

Since I haven't kept up with my trip report but plan to resume at some point.....Michael will arrive Nov 30 and fly out Dec 4 so our plans of Disney day on Wed and 555 on Thursday look great!


----------



## ACDSNY

I managed to catch up again.  Nice pics.

I can understand wanting to be pampered on your cruise.  I've only had my patient for 3 weeks and I'm already tired since we're up every 2 hours at night.


----------



## PrincessInOz

franandaj said:


> I hope I’m not boring you with all these parade pictures.



You're kidding, right?????




franandaj said:


> I definitely want the 35mm. Fran says she has ordered it, so we'll see when it arrives!



The Canon 35mm, f/1.4?  That's a GREAT lens.  I wonder if you got the original or the new one?  I'm totally envious.  



Love the pictures of PtN and the fireworks.  Wish I were there!


----------



## dhorner233

Nice shots of the parade! Especially Ariel and Sully! They were hard to get with the lighting.

Thank you for the link to your house thread! Loved seeing all your Disney art displayed!


----------



## afwdwfan

franandaj said:


> Remember when I told you to pay attention because there would be a test later?


Uh oh...



franandaj said:


> Notice how much better this shot of the pirate came out than my picture from weeks before.


Whew, that one was easy!  Nicely done! 



franandaj said:


> This is the first time I have captured the pirate ship on film (or whatever you call it these days).


Film... pixels floating in some tiny space... whatever. 



franandaj said:


> Once it synced back up with the cell towers and services, it went kind of crazy, a jillion text messages came in. Mostly from Fran, most of them things like “Are you there?” “Why aren’t you answering?” “hello….” “Have you lost your phone?”


Sucks when that happens, doesn't it? 



franandaj said:


> It turns out that my nephew (who was staying with my parents) had suffered a seizure and was taken to the hospital by the paramedics.


Oh no!!  Sorry to hear!  I hope everything turns out well!



franandaj said:


> So it’s two weeks until we set sail on our cruise! I can’t even begin to tell you how excited that I am to be going on a vacation, and one where we do nothing but be pampered and eat and drink.


I know you'll enjoy every minute of it!



franandaj said:


> After a long and very fun day, we said our goodbyes, but only temporarily as we had more plans for the week!


Looks like it was definitely a lot of fun.  And thanks for all the parade and fireworks pictures!


----------



## franandaj

jedijill said:


> So happy you guys are back in vacation mode!  The cruise is just what the doctor ordered!  You have a lot of great trips in the pipeline!
> 
> Your parade pics turned out awesome! ETA Your fireworks pictures are great too.
> 
> Jill in CO



I feel like it has been so long since we've had one.  Wait!  It's been almost a year!     I can't wait to take more pictures once the new lens arrives!



rentayenta said:


> Love your parade pics!
> 
> Sounds like a plan. Michael likes his steak and wine for sure.



Thanks!  We'll keep that in the plan!



rentayenta said:


> I'm caught up on the house thread.
> 
> I'm SO happy you're getting to cruise and you're going to just relax! It's well earned that's for sure.
> 
> Guinness is all set for the kennel in Oct and Dec!



Glad you have everything under control!  I just hope the cruise comes through!



mvf-m11c said:


> I don't know how good the Canon lens is since I use Nikon but I will look forward to your pics.



Actually, I decided against the Canon lens.  I wish the new one would get here!



mvf-m11c said:


> I have rented the f/4 and I like it where it will be nice to have my own telephoto lens.



I definitely like our telephoto, it just doesn't work well enough for dark rides.



mvf-m11c said:


> Yes, I will arrive at the DLR on Friday the 4th around 8am. I will be coming along with DAW (not DAF that you have met) which we will be flying on SWA. If you are in the park that day, that will be nice but if you can't, i understand since you have your trip coming up.



I will probably miss you on that trip, but who knows we might be by in November.  Who I am kidding?  Marathon weekend.  Probably going to avoid the place like the plague.  We didn't even sign up to play there that weekend.  I think it was our last choice.



mvf-m11c said:


> I will eat at Steakhouse 55 one day but I got to convince DAF to go there one day. She was considering it for the Nov trip but she would rather eat at the EDPN Zone. When I saw 555 is that correct or is it from another restaurant in SoCal. I was going to ask you the same thing if you wanted something from the F&W festival when I leave in a few weeks.



555 is a steakhouse in Long Beach.  You should convince DAF to go there, although as I remember she doesn't eat red meat.  They did have these Vegan Ratatouille meatballs that many people at my party really liked.



mvf-m11c said:


> That is good that you get to go on a cruise for relaxation.
> 
> Very nice pics from PtN parade as well at DF.



I sure hope we get some relaxation on the cruise!  



rentayenta said:


> Since I haven't kept up with my trip report but plan to resume at some point.....Michael will arrive Nov 30 and fly out Dec 4 so our plans of Disney day on Wed and 555 on Thursday look great!







ACDSNY said:


> I managed to catch up again.  Nice pics.
> 
> I can understand wanting to be pampered on your cruise.  I've only had my patient for 3 weeks and I'm already tired since we're up every 2 hours at night.



Ugh, yes I remember the being up, well not every two hours, but close.  I'm so glad Fran can take care of herself when she needs to.  Not that I wouldn't do it if she needed it, my life is less complicated having to worry about two people!



PrincessInOz said:


> You're kidding, right?????



Well, I wasn't sure.  By this time *I* was getting a little tired of the parade, having seen it what five times already.....



PrincessInOz said:


> The Canon 35mm, f/1.4? That's a GREAT lens. I wonder if you got the original or the new one? I'm totally envious.
> 
> 
> 
> Love the pictures of PtN and the fireworks. Wish I were there!



Actually not the Canon, I was leaning towards the new one, but when I read a couple reviews of the Sigma at half the price and some even said that they had both the Canon and the Sigma, and that the Sigma blew circles around the Canon, that cemented it in my mind.  Now I'm checking the front doorstep five times a day waiting for it to arrive!



dhorner233 said:


> Nice shots of the parade! Especially Ariel and Sully! They were hard to get with the lighting.



Thanks! But once you know about the ISO and can change that on the fly, the pictures come out a lot better!



dhorner233 said:


> Thank you for the link to your house thread! Loved seeing all your Disney art displayed!



You're welcome!



afwdwfan said:


> Uh oh...
> 
> Whew, that one was easy! Nicely done!



See, I wouldn't make it a hard quiz, I'd lose all my readers!



afwdwfan said:


> Sucks when that happens, doesn't it?



Yeah, I think you know about that!



afwdwfan said:


> Oh no!! Sorry to hear! I hope everything turns out well!



Well, I haven't heard any more other than they couldn't find anything wrong with him once he got home, so I guess that's good news.



afwdwfan said:


> I know you'll enjoy every minute of it!



I sure hope so!  I am so ready for that first Drink of the Day!



afwdwfan said:


> Looks like it was definitely a lot of fun. And thanks for all the parade and fireworks pictures!



You're welcome


----------



## mvf-m11c

franandaj said:


> Actually, I decided against the Canon lens.  I wish the new one would get here!
> 
> I definitely like our telephoto, it just doesn't work well enough for dark rides.
> 
> I will probably miss you on that trip, but who knows we might be by in November.  Who I am kidding?  Marathon weekend.  Probably going to avoid the place like the plague.  We didn't even sign up to play there that weekend.  I think it was our last choice.
> 
> 555 is a steakhouse in Long Beach.  You should convince DAF to go there, although as I remember she doesn't eat red meat.  They did have these Vegan Ratatouille meatballs that many people at my party really liked.
> 
> I sure hope we get some relaxation on the cruise!



Which lens did you decided on?

I know what you mean by the telephoto lens for the dark rides since it is hard to auto focus on the ride. There were a lot of misses with it when I used the f/4 & 2.8. 

No problem. DAW and I are planning on having a great time during the CP weekend in which it will be busy. We also made a ressie for the Carthay Circle Restaurant on Friday. I don't think you will want to go during the Avengers Marathon Weekend. Last year was crazy when DAF and I went and I would guess that it will be the same next month.

When I looked on google map and saw where the restaurant was located, I remember that restaurant which is close to the Long Beach Convention Center. When I was at the LBCC for an event a few years ago and tried to look for any good restaurants in the area, this was one of them. But the restaurant was full that night. If there are some non meat food at 555 East American Steakhouse then DAF will might want to try it. They do have seafood, pasta and chicken which is good. 

You and Fran will. I will have to try a DCL one day.


----------



## franandaj

We left off with a full day at the park on Monday.  It took me the rest of the week to recover from that, well not really.  In fact I think I spent Wednesday and Thursday that week cleaning the vacant apartment.  But Friday was the opening day of the D23 Expo.  As many of you know in the past, Fran and I went every day, all day, and in 2013 we had Sorcerer passes which got us exclusive access into all kinds of seminars, shopping and other special activities.  You can bet we weren’t all that happy about not being able to purchase those tickets for 2015, in fact we were almost going to boycott the Expo.  However at the last moment, we got a great deal on some tickets, and decided that it couldn’t hurt her immune system to go for one day, provided we stay out of the enclosed sessions where you are stuck in a room with hundreds of people carrying who knows what germs.

We also decided that we were not going to get ‘too invested” in this thing, meaning we were not going to have high hopes and expectations of what we could do.  There were going to be long long lines and we didn’t want to worry about whether or not we would get in somewhere, we were just going to go with the flow.  That being said, we didn’t even wake up that morning until well after 8AM, in fact it might have even been 9AM before we got out of bed.  There were people already inside the show and some had been waiting for over 11 hours at that point!

We took our time heading over to Anaheim, and sure enough all the lots at the Convention Center were full, but there is an overflow Disney parking lot off Harbor just in front of the street to the Convention Center and with our APs, we were able to park for free.  Soon we were on our way to find the line to get into the convention center.  That took some doing!  The line stretched almost all the way to Katella Blvd, and this was at 11:15AM 2 hours after they started letting in D23 members. Our first stop was the Dream Store.  There was a pretty big line to get in, so we got in line and it was about half an hour before we were inside the store.









I should have taken more pictures inside.  This is where Fran got the cat picture (from the house thread) that features all the Disney cats.  It’s hanging on the wall with the Aristocats pictures.  I got a couple T-shirts and this really cool phone case.





I don’t remember what all else that we purchased, oh yeah, Fran bought another one of those jackets that lights up.  When we were talking to the guy who makes them, it turns out he totally remembers us, and shared a touching story with us about how, he has just recently beaten cancer.  It’s amazing how many nice people there are out there in the Disney family.

While Fran was checking out, I saw this interesting costume.





We met up with Bret after leaving the store and I wanted to head to the Imagineering pavilion where they were showing the plans for Shanghai Disney.  But on our way, we found the exhibit of the shirts of John Lasseter.  Fran was enthralled, in fact I think she took pictures of each one her cell phone.





While she admired the shirts, I looked at these Star Wars costumes that were on display.













I never did get to this Pixar Display.





Waiting in line to get into the Shanghai exhibit.









From what I remember, instead of Main Street you will enter the park to find Mickey Avenue.





This display was showing some of the eatery options that there would be on Mickey Avenue.  You have Chip and Dale’s Treehouse Treats.  There will also be a Barber shop.





I believe this will be the sign over the Treehouse Treats.





This is a maquette of Gusteau whose head will appear over Remy’s Pastisserie





Adventure Isle sounds like a really cool area, this is also where the new Soaring ride will be.





Treasure Cove is another land where there is a very heavy Pirates theme going on.













They have a Pirates ride, but it’s going to be somewhat interactive.  I don’t remember all the details, but I remember thinking it sounded really really cool.





Fantasyland will have some familiar favorite rides as well as some new ones.





















Here is a model of the castle that will be the gateway to Fantasyland.





And some examples of the Cast Member Costumes.





There is going to be a ride based on the movie Tangled.  Which may be the Crystal Grotto Ride.





I imagine that these mosaics will be in the castle similar to WDW, but I could be mistaken.









The Gardens of Imagination will explore the joy of imagination.









Tomorrowland is going to have a heavy Tron influence.





And that wrapped our viewing of the pavilion.  They had another section about the DTD like area and hotels, but I didn’t take any pictures of that.


----------



## PrincessInOz

How cool to score tickets late!
WOW!  You captured a lot of the planned Shanghai rides.  I wanna go just for Pirate Cove.  I think that sounds real cool.  
I wonder what the Tangled ride would be like.


----------



## Paula Sedley-Burke

Just catching up! Bit behind. Sending hugs for your poor nephew. Oh they are such a worry. Hope he will be ok.

Very impressed with photos. Love the photo of the pirate ship! Lunch at Flo's looked just the ticket.

As many others have stated we enjoyed Frozen but the Disney imagineers are as out of control as Elsa herself covering the parks in ice! Aladdin is one of my fav movies and the show top notch by the look of it. Another one bites the dust...

But you know you can now pay more for your annual pass to see all these changes woohoo! Holy moly did you see the price increase? Plus block out dates. And Tables in Wonderland 50% increase what!

The Expo looks good. I love the Star Wars displays. Too cool. Nice you picked up the all cats picture. Cute. Careful you don't get it home , unwrap it and see it is actually multiple photos of Elsa and Anna dresses as cats lol..


----------



## Paula Sedley-Burke

Btw loved the little girl ewok plushy at the expo!


----------



## Dis_Yoda

I'm loving the expo photos!  I'm glad I'll probably never go to one as I could see that being super mean to my bank accounts as I would want so much.  The Disneyland plans for their new park look so awesome!


----------



## jedijill

I need to go to Shanghai now!  Those attractions are going to be amazing!  Anyone want to go with me?  

Jill in CO


----------



## mvf-m11c

It was very nice to see both of you at the D23 Expo that Friday with the late tickets you got. I know that you wanted to get the Sorcerer tickets a lot where I was trying to get them as well but they went by so quickly on the first day of sale. I remember that Friday morning where it was busy even though DAF and I were there since 5am in Hall E queue but I was told by a friend that came late that morning was outside right next to the Arena which was crazy. They had those snake lines outside which was crazy. Glad that we were able to walk around the show floor that Friday and Fran bought a lot of stuff at the Dream Store. 

The John Lasseter Reyn Spooner Hawaiian shirts were very neat to see all the different ones based on a different movie. 

The Shanghai Disney Resort pavilion was very nice as weell to see art work, props, models of the new Disney park coming to Shanghai next year.


----------



## Flossbolna

franandaj said:


>



Great to see a picture of inside a store! We were far too impatient to get in line for that! 



franandaj said:


> But on our way, we found the exhibit of the shirts of John Lasseter. Fran was enthralled, in fact I think she took pictures of each one her cell phone.



I remember Fran and one of our friends talking quite a bit about these shirts. He claims to have everyone of them. But Michael and I looked at all the shirts and there were plenty of them which had never seen him wear. So we doubt that he really has every single one. And some really were not that pretty. Did Fran get the one they sold at D23. I was not a huge fan of that pattern. However, the Inside Out one is absolutely wonderful!



franandaj said:


> There is going to be a ride based on the movie Tangled. Which may be the Crystal Grotto Ride.



Actually, it is not just Tangled. It is all different fairytale movies. I think it is kind of a combination of It's a Small World and Storybook Land. I actually talked with an imagineer working on this and he said that the figures would be animatronics. Sounds really like a wonderful ride. It will be inside the castle.



jedijill said:


> I need to go to Shanghai now! Those attractions are going to be amazing! Anyone want to go with me?



My boyfriend is totally keen on going there and I was always hesitant. After seeing the exhibit at D23, I am totally sold. It is going to be an amazing park. Once it is finished. Rumors seem to indicate that they are horribly behind schedule and that's why they still haven't announced an opening date... But I think some of our future travel plans will bring us to Shanghai! And if you want to see more pictures, I will have quite a few in my current trip report at some point!  (Can't leave out this wonderful opportunity for a shameless plug!! ).


----------



## skier_pete

Very cool. I want to get out to D23 someday. Currently thinking maybe 2019. We'll see. Looks like you got to see a lot of stuff even if you didn't show up first thing.


----------



## dhorner233

Sounds like you had an easier time of it than Bret did but still! So many lines! Lines to get into the Convention Center. Lines to get into the store!

This sounds like something I would love: It is all different fairytale movies. I think it is kind of a combination of It's a Small World and Storybook Land. I actually talked with an imagineer working on this and he said that the figures would be animatronics. Sounds really like a wonderful ride. It will be inside the castle.

But I'll never go to Shanghai. And I'm not happy about all the Star Wars stuff. Not happy about how they are cutting up Rivers of America, Tom Sawyer's Island and the Disneyland Railroad for the new Star Wars land


----------



## PrincessInOz

jedijill said:


> I need to go to Shanghai now!  Those attractions are going to be amazing!  Anyone want to go with me?
> 
> Jill in CO



Me!


----------



## PrincessInOz

Flossbolna said:


> Rumors seem to indicate that they are horribly behind schedule and that's why they still haven't announced an opening date... But I think some of our future travel plans will bring us to Shanghai!



They are behind.  I believe they were originally supposed to open late 2015 because I remember a bunch of Aussies looking at that date to go.


----------



## franandaj

PrincessInOz said:


> How cool to score tickets late!
> WOW!  You captured a lot of the planned Shanghai rides.  I wanna go just for Pirate Cove.  I think that sounds real cool.
> I wonder what the Tangled ride would be like.



I know!  The Pirate Cove was one of the ones that got us, but there were many others as well!



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> Just catching up! Bit behind. Sending hugs for your poor nephew. Oh they are such a worry. Hope he will be ok.



I'm guessing my nephew is OK, I haven't heard any adverse news.



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> Very impressed with photos. Love the photo of the pirate ship! Lunch at Flo's looked just the ticket.



Thanks!  I liked the way the pictures came out, kind of.  And lunch at Flo's was very good!



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> As many others have stated we enjoyed Frozen but the Disney imagineers are as out of control as Elsa herself covering the parks in ice! Aladdin is one of my fav movies and the show top notch by the look of it. Another one bites the dust...



I love Aladdin, in fact "Friend Like Me" is my default ring tone on my phone.  I am not looking forward to Frozen taking over.  When we come back from the cruise, I plan on a date night which includes Aladdin, dinner at Thunder Ranch and a VIP seating at Fantasmic.



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> But you know you can now pay more for your annual pass to see all these changes woohoo! Holy moly did you see the price increase? Plus block out dates. And Tables in Wonderland 50% increase what!



I can't wait to find out what our price increase will be!



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> The Expo looks good. I love the Star Wars displays. Too cool. Nice you picked up the all cats picture. Cute. Careful you don't get it home , unwrap it and see it is actually multiple photos of Elsa and Anna dresses as cats lol..



The Expo is always a great time.  I'm sorry we missed the big shows, it's the first time since it started that we did, but we just couldn't justify the wait time and we were too miffed at not getting the passes we wanted.  We were also really tired that day after the first one and slept most of the next two days!



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> But you know you can now pay more for your annual pass to see all these changes woohoo! Holy moly did you see the price increase? Plus block out dates. And Tables in Wonderland 50% increase what!



Yeah, it was pretty incredible.  I'm waiting to see what is in store for us as far as price increase!



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> The Expo looks good. I love the Star Wars displays. Too cool. Nice you picked up the all cats picture. Cute. Careful you don't get it home , unwrap it and see it is actually multiple photos of Elsa and Anna dresses as cats lol..



Oh we already have it on the wall.  No worries about Anna and Elsa!



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> Btw loved the little girl ewok plushy at the expo!



Glad you liked it!



Dis_Yoda said:


> I'm loving the expo photos!  I'm glad I'll probably never go to one as I could see that being super mean to my bank accounts as I would want so much.  The Disneyland plans for their new park look so awesome!



The Expo is definitely a bank account drain.  In addition to the great Disney store offerings, they have so many vendors with stuff you want it's hard to walk away empty handed!



jedijill said:


> I need to go to Shanghai now!  Those attractions are going to be amazing!  Anyone want to go with me?
> 
> Jill in CO



I know!  We will go with you to Shanghai!  I never wanted to go to China, but with this park, I can't resist, it sounds so cool!


----------



## Paula Sedley-Burke

Premier Pass will be $1439 please madam... Cha ching.... That's a little bit more of the Frozen attraction paid for...


----------



## jedijill

PrincessInOz said:


> Me!





franandaj said:


> I know!  We will go with you to Shanghai!  I never wanted to go to China, but with this park, I can't resist, it sounds so cool!



I'm seeing a China Dis-trip forming!  I'm in!

Jill in CO


----------



## DnA2010

Caught up again.
I so wish we were able to meet up with you guys on our upcoming trip, but so happy to hear about your relaxing cruise coming up- sleeping in, drink and spa sounds fabulous.
Enjoyed the Expo update, we look forward someday to visiting the other Disney parks- DLP would be exciting for sure, nice that you have it on the horizon. 

Any "must do" tips for our upcoming trip? it's been 5 years since we've been to DL so going to be a busy week for sure!


----------



## Pinkocto

I'll meet you guys in Shanghai Disney! Let's start planning!!!  

Great updates Alison. I enjoyed seeing more of the parade and fireworks. But I understand seeing it 5 times you were getting ready for a break. 

The Expo looks too cool as always. Glad you were able to do some things even though you didn't get the tickets you wanted. I'm super excited about Shanghai Disney, loved seeing all the details. 

Looking forward to seeing you next week!


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

Sorry I've been MIA for so long!  I've been swamped at work lately.

I have to say, I'm fascinated by the displays for Shanghai DL.  The Pirate-themed land and new ride looks so cool!  I can't wait to see what they actually do with it.  And the idea of the Tron-cycle coaster is really intriguing, too.  What's the cheapest way to get to China?  Swimming?


----------



## PrincessInOz

Captain_Oblivious said:


> What's the cheapest way to get to China? Swimming?



I always thought it was a slow boat to China. 
But there's always the long detour via Australia to get there.


----------



## ACDSNY

I'm enjoying the Expo shots too.


----------



## franandaj

mvf-m11c said:


> Which lens did you decided on?
> 
> I know what you mean by the telephoto lens for the dark rides since it is hard to auto focus on the ride. There were a lot of misses with it when I used the f/4 & 2.8.



I ended up deciding on the Sigma 1.4 35mm lens.



mvf-m11c said:


> No problem. DAW and I are planning on having a great time during the CP weekend in which it will be busy. We also made a ressie for the Carthay Circle Restaurant on Friday. I don't think you will want to go during the Avengers Marathon Weekend. Last year was crazy when DAF and I went and I would guess that it will be the same next month.



I think I just saw you are adding a surprise trip this weekend.



mvf-m11c said:


> When I looked on google map and saw where the restaurant was located, I remember that restaurant which is close to the Long Beach Convention Center. When I was at the LBCC for an event a few years ago and tried to look for any good restaurants in the area, this was one of them. But the restaurant was full that night. If there are some non meat food at 555 East American Steakhouse then DAF will might want to try it. They do have seafood, pasta and chicken which is good.
> 
> You and Fran will. I will have to try a DCL one day.



Yes the steakhouse is really close to the LBCC, I'm pretty sure they have seafood and I know we brought a vegetarian friend and she ate spinach, mashed potatoes and something else like asparagus.  Not that exciting, but I think they do have seafood on the menu as well.



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> Premier Pass will be $1439 please madam... Cha ching.... That's a little bit more of the Frozen attraction paid for...



That's a lot of money.



jedijill said:


> I'm seeing a China Dis-trip forming! I'm in!



Well the park needs to open before we schedule a trip!



DnA2010 said:


> Caught up again.
> I so wish we were able to meet up with you guys on our upcoming trip, but so happy to hear about your relaxing cruise coming up- sleeping in, drink and spa sounds fabulous.
> Enjoyed the Expo update, we look forward someday to visiting the other Disney parks- DLP would be exciting for sure, nice that you have it on the horizon.



I know, We come back on the 23rd, and I don't see us being able to get out there soon, but will you have a wireless connection?  You never know what could happen!

We are actually really starting to look into France, not only DLP but Paris and I really want to visit the Loire Valley.



DnA2010 said:


> Any "must do" tips for our upcoming trip? it's been 5 years since we've been to DL so going to be a busy week for sure!



I would say see Aladdin, eat at Big Thunder Ranch, and make sure to see Fantasmic!  We plan on doing a "date night" with all three once we get back from the cruise.  All of them will be gone come January.



Pinkocto said:


> I'll meet you guys in Shanghai Disney! Let's start planning!!!



Well as I said to Jill, the park needs to open first!  They are behind schedule so no planning until it actually opens.  I don't want my heels getting stuck in the asphalt!



Pinkocto said:


> Great updates Alison. I enjoyed seeing more of the parade and fireworks. But I understand seeing it 5 times you were getting ready for a break.



I hope you enjoy it as much as I have this past summer, I did get a little over immersed, but I think I may have seen it more than 5 time, that might have been the count prior to this trip.



Pinkocto said:


> The Expo looks too cool as always. Glad you were able to do some things even though you didn't get the tickets you wanted. I'm super excited about Shanghai Disney, loved seeing all the details.



It is really cool.  I'm glad we went just for one day. I also would have hated to have NOT been to all of them after having been to all the previous ones.



Pinkocto said:


> Looking forward to seeing you next week!



Definitely looking forward to seeing you again next week!  We're cleaning the house like crazy!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Sorry I've been MIA for so long! I've been swamped at work lately.
> 
> I have to say, I'm fascinated by the displays for Shanghai DL. The Pirate-themed land and new ride looks so cool! I can't wait to see what they actually do with it. And the idea of the Tron-cycle coaster is really intriguing, too. What's the cheapest way to get to China? Swimming?



You have been swamped at work and home!  I completely understand!  I hope that you found some folks to help you clean out the FIL's house!

There are so many things that sound cool at Shanghai Disney.  I think you need to put aside some funds from your father in law's place and you and Julie should just splurge and check it out.  You deserve it!  And actually fly, not the slow boat to China! 



PrincessInOz said:


> I always thought it was a slow boat to China.
> But there's always the long detour via Australia to get there.



I think they each deserve their own trips.  I'm hoping to put ours to Australia on the books soon!


----------



## franandaj

After we viewed the Shanghai pavilion, we headed out into the Vendor area, which was HUGE this year.  They had three separate sections in each of the Halls.





Fran really hit this booth hard at the last Expo, but didn’t find much this time.





We had barely begun browsing when I ran across something that I HAD to have.  It turns out that the booth we found was the jewelry booth, and the dresses they had on display were clear across the convention center, like we were in Hall C and they were in Hall A.  Anyone who has been to the Anaheim Convention Center will know that this is quite a trek!

Fran wanted to continue looking at the booths where she was so Bret and I hightailed it over there.  We saw these along the way.  Many people were climbing inside for photo ops, but I didn’t want to take the time.





I had dresses to buy!





It turns out that they didn’t have dresses large enough to fit me.  I was able to zip the dresses up to the waist, but I guess I’m just a lucky girl in that respect, so I went with the light saber skirt.  I plan on wearing it to Palo for dinner on my cruise.  Instead I also picked up an Iron Man (girl) dress, and an Agent Carter T-shirt.  All in all, not a bad haul!

Bret and I found Fran and we said our goodbyes to him.  He had been in line since almost 5AM, and had done what he wanted.  It was time for lunch, I think it was almost 3PM by that time and we had breakfast around 10AM.  There was a food stand which was a knock off of a catering truck that I have always wanted to try.  The Grilled Cheese Truck.  They were all out of the sandwich that Fran wanted so instead she just ordered a plain grilled cheese.





I got  mine with bacon.





We went back into the Expo (the lunch was in a courtyard outside) and headed over towards the Archives exhibit.  You definitely see a lot of cool costumes at the Expo.  I didn’t really take pictures of many of them this year, but this was plain out odd.





Just a few random shots as we made our way over to the archives.

















Once we got to the Archives, we got in line, because that’s what you do at the Expo.





It took me several passes through the line to realize that this costume was worn by one gal.  I would see Bert and then I would go the other way, in the queue and see Mary.  I thought that there were two people until I looked really close.





After about half an hour we were let into the display.





I took a lot more pictures than I’m posting here.  Many just didn’t come out as I expected or are rather boring to show you.  This display of Walt’s nametag was pretty cool.  As you can see he was employee #1.





The entire exhibit was dedicated to Disneyland, so there were costumes from history, and prototypes for various rides and other such props.  They had this display of some of the extra designs for Pirates of the Caribbean.





And these from Alice and Wonderland’s refurb in 1982 and then in 2015.









Many of you may have heard of the “secret” restaurant at Disneyland called Club 33, lately it has become a cash cow and obviously is no longer a secret.





This was from back when the cars were comfy and I thought the ride was fun.





I used to love this ride!





This parade has begun to grow on me, now that I’m interested in taking night pictures again.





I took a few more costume pics before we exited the exhibit.





After we left the Archives, we got in line for the Disney store.  I saw this picture of Yoda that they were creating at the Jelly Belly booth.  He’s only half done, but they are recreating Yoda with Jelly Bellys!





We waited about half an hour in line to get into the store.  Just as we reached the front of the line quite a few people we knew came by and we sat there talking to a bunch of friends, including Magdalene and Michael (who will be making an appearance later, sort of).

We were let into the store and I was getting really tired by this point.  I only took these two pictures of the displays inside.









And then we got into the line to purchase our goods.  I’m not sure how long we waited, but I was starting to get ancy at this point.  We had checked our purchases from the Dream store at the package check in the front of the Convention Center.  The Expo closed at 7PM and they told us to come back before then otherwise there would be (yet another) line to get our stuff.  We had an 8PM dinner reservation at the DL Hotel, and it was around 6PM and we were still at the back of the checkout line.  When we finally got to the front, there was something about Fran’s order that she had asked for the Disney Visa Card discount, but some of her items were not eligible, so they had to re ring her up.  By this time it was 6:30, so we worked it out that she would pay for the remaining things, and I would go get the rest of the stuff from package check.  By about quarter to 7 we were on our way back to the cars. I wish we had taken pictures because we were quite the sight!  Two gals on scooters with more packages than we could hold, a large picture in a box, and bags spilling off everywhere!  But we made it, got the car all loaded up, and were even on time for our reservation!


----------



## franandaj

Now you’ll have to believe me that our dining companions were Magdalene and Michael because we don’t have real photographic evidence.  I do have a shot of Michael’s hands, but I won’t be posting that out of respect for him.  I do have a shot of his (covered) midriff, that will make an appearance.  However, if you follow Magdalene’s report, eventually she will have pictures of the exact same food porn to back up my story!  (another shameless plug!  Plus after Disney she is going to a lot more interesting destinations than you will find in this report!)

Those of you who have been following along know that I love to dine at Steakhouse 55 because the chef there knows us and is willing to prepare special meals that are catered to our favorite flavors and ingredients.  It was fun and tricky to work things out between the four of us because while all of us will eat almost anything we have our “dislikes” and many of them do not overlap.  Michael doesn’t eat seafood, we all decided that we wanted steaks for the main entrée, and the vegetables we all liked had a small window of overlapping, as we each had something in there we didn’t really like.  All in all, Chef Marcel came up with a wonderful meal that we all enjoyed, so let’s get to it!

The Bread service.  Not spectacular, but still very tasty!





I don’t remember specifically what this Amuse Bouche was, but I believe it was a savory little crepe with crème fraiche.  @Flossbolna are your notes any better?





This next course was kind of funny, it was a watermelon salad served with prosciutto and arancini.  Arancini are one of my most favorite things on the planet.  They are little balls of Arborio rice filled with something, normally cheese, like these were. But I have also had them filled with a meatball, or mushroom paste or other delicious stuff.  What made it funny is that Michael doesn’t like watermelon, but he didn’t put it on the list because he never thought that he would be served watermelon at a Steakhouse!  However, this was the tastiest, juiciest, and most flavorful watermelon that I’ve had in a long time!  Everything else on the plate was terrific too!





The next course was an asparagus soup, plated in a Yin and Yang style with both white and green asapargus, drizzled with a balsamic reduction.  We just love his soups, they are so rich and creamy and packed full of flavor!





The next course was completely up to the chef.  I had requested a soup and a salad, but said surprise us with the third course.  He did completely.  This was a Roasted Butternut Squash Ravioli with a Brown Butter Sauce, topped with I believe a Ricotta Cheese Sauce.  Now I’m not usually a big fan of butternut squash, I don’t make it at home, and I was a tad bit skeptical, but this was so good, that I savored every. single. bite.  I think I even cut each ravioli in to four pieces so as to prolong the flavor explosion!





I didn’t get a great picture of the steak, but it was a tasty cut of meat!  I know I didn’t finish it all, and since it’s been a while, I don’t know if I ended up eating the leftovers, or if Olga lucked out.  This was also my first experience with Bone Marrow.  I know it’s a delicacy and some people really love it, but I think I might leave it to them.  It wasn’t my favorite part of the meal.  However, there was more than enough steak to fill me up!





We had some sides with dinner as well.  The truffled Mac and Cheese.





I don’t remember what this side was, maybe grits? Creamed Corn?  I think Magdalene really liked this one….





Or maybe it was this one that she really liked.  I think this was flash fried spinach.





For our dessert, three of us got the Souffle, Grand Marnier for Magdalene and myself and Chocolate for Fran.  The truffles were also delicious.





Michael preferred something a little lighter and found this on the regular menu.  He made a special request for this dessert, Sorbet with seasonal berries.





We really enjoyed our time with Magdalene and Michael and hope to see them again sometime in the future whether it be in California, Florida or even Germany!  We said our goodbyes, but hopefully they were only temporary and someday in the future we can have some fun times together again.


----------



## PrincessInOz

OMG!  I can't work out which one I WANT more.....  
One of those Star Wars dresses or the Steakhouse 55 dinner.





That's a great set of pictures you have of the memorabilia.  I love that Club 33 nook they set up.  Guess it's no longer so secret anymore.


----------



## franandaj

PrincessInOz said:


> OMG!  I can't work out which one I WANT more.....
> One of those Star Wars dresses or the Steakhouse 55 dinner.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> That's a great set of pictures you have of the memorabilia.  I love that Club 33 nook they set up.  Guess it's no longer so secret anymore.




You are too funny!  I wish they would have fit my gals!  I so would have bought the dresses. 

Yeah, the Club 33 thing was more like an ad than anything else.  "Please check with us how you can drop your next $45-60,000 dollars that you're not planning on using elsewhere, we have a place for it!"


----------



## mvf-m11c

franandaj said:


> I ended up deciding on the Sigma 1.4 35mm lens.
> 
> I think I just saw you are adding a surprise trip this weekend.
> 
> Yes the steakhouse is really close to the LBCC, I'm pretty sure they have seafood and I know we brought a vegetarian friend and she ate spinach, mashed potatoes and something else like asparagus.  Not that exciting, but I think they do have seafood on the menu as well.



That is good news that you got the Sigma 35mm 1.4. You will enjoy that lens and I will have to get one one day to replace the Nikon 35mm f/1.8.

That is correct. I am leaving today to SoCal and I should be in there this afternoon. This is one of those last second trips which is good to go down. Glad to go down and see the Halloween decorations and to ride the DLRR, Mark Twain and Tom Sawyer Island until they are closed next year for SWL. The weather will be hot this weekend but I don't mind that.

That is good news.


There were a lot of different stands that sold different merchandise and the Star Wars dresses were very nice. Glad that you were able to go and walk through the Disneyland the Exhibit that Friday where there were a lot of neat Disneyland collectibles. I thought the Disneyland #1 ticket was the neatest of the exhibit. I should have stayed longer but it was a long day where I was tired and DAF was not with me. The Disney Store was one of the stores that I missed out and I still regret of not going in on that day but this is where you have to choose what you want to do during the Expo.

SH55 dinner looked amazing. After seeing your pics, I will have to consider it.


----------



## jedijill

Those Star Wars dresses are super cute!  

Your dinner looks amazing!  It's so nice that Chef Marcel takes care of you so well!  You had great dinner companions as well.

Jill in CO


----------



## ACDSNY

Ah the memories of Inner Space and the Electrical Parade, I miss them.

Dinner at Steakhouse 55 looked great.


----------



## Pinkocto

Please don't clean the house on my account!

Cute Star Wars skirt.

What big picture did you get?  On that note what was in all the bags??? 

That Tsum Tsum dress must have weighed a ton!

The Disneyland exhibit looked very nice.

Dinner looked mighty scrumptious.


----------



## dhorner233

I enjoyed the Archives exhibit. I really liked some of the stuff they have discontinued. Like the Electric Light Parade. I know they had to update it to include the newer movies but, I walk around singing the song from the Electric Light Parade. I can't remember the tune to the Light the Night Parade and I saw it twice.

Those were some interesting costumes; the Mary/Bert, how clever and the Tsum Tsum dress. I can't see buying all those stuffed animals and then doing that with them but, very creative! 

And the meal at Steakhouse 55!! I wish I could have eaten every bite of that meal!!! I wanted to go there this time but, ran out of time. Only had 4 days. We ate at La Tratorria for the first time, had to get my Monte Cristo and we did the Plaza Inn and the Story Tellers at the Grand Calif. I love their breakfast!! I still haven't done SH 55 or Napa Rose!


----------



## Paula Sedley-Burke

Yeah the lightsaber skirt was the best garment anyway it is super cool. How great to wear it to Palo's! Perfect. Swish swish. Imagine if when you walked it had the sound of the light sabers swishing...

I love Walts badge. Grilled cheese lunch with bacon sounds nice. Yum to dinner looks just up my alley. That costume is funny with both chatacters on it!


----------



## DnA2010

Aladdin def we will see, we loved it on our last trip and for sure want to see it before it's gone.

I booked the the Fantasmic dinner package at BB for the 24th (only day during the stay that it is playing) as we have never seen it! 

Internet on our trip-  ugg I need to figure this out - our Canadian cell plans are highway robbery when we travel- I need to figure out what the options are stat tho! I can always text, I don't think that is too ridiculous 

Love the light sabre skirt! SH55 looks as fab as always

Can't wait to read about your cruise!


----------



## dolphingirl47

franandaj said:


> On the Sunday instead of going to Trail’s End at Fort Wilderness for lunch, we are having Brunch at Narcoosee’s.



I would have loved to do this. What a shame that this was not available in time for our trip.



franandaj said:


> On other exciting news we are looking into 2017 for our trip to DLP.



You will have to keep me posted on this.



jedijill said:


> I need to go to Shanghai now! Those attractions are going to be amazing! Anyone want to go with me?



This is definitely on my to do list.



franandaj said:


> It took me several passes through the line to realize that this costume was worn by one gal. I would see Bert and then I would go the other way, in the queue and see Mary. I thought that there were two people until I looked really close.



We saw the same costume or at least a very similar one at Mickey's Halloween Party on September 30th.

Corinna


----------



## rentayenta

Dinner looks amazing! Steakhouse 55 is really something special.

In case I miss you before Pam arrives and the cruise: Bon voyage! Have a wonderful drink filled fabulous cruise!


----------



## afwdwfan

Ok... I know I quoted more than this but the Dis was being buggy with me.  And I'm lazy.  So we'll go with what I've got.

Anyway, I'm glad you managed to make it over to D23, even if just for one day and not attending any sessions.  And thanks for the quick photo tour!



franandaj said:


> There was a pretty big line to get in, so we got in line and it was about half an hour before we were inside the store.


Wow... half an hour just to get into the store!!! 



franandaj said:


> While Fran was checking out, I saw this interesting costume.


That.  Is.  Awesome.

HEY!!!  You and Fran should turn your scooters into an X-Wing and a TIE Fighter and follow each other around making laser gun noises!!! 



franandaj said:


> From what I remember, instead of Main Street you will enter the park to find Mickey Avenue.


I kind of like that.  I mean, I wouldn't want them to change Main Street USA into this or anything.  But I think it is kind of a neat idea and I'd like to see a park designed like this.



franandaj said:


> Here is a model of the castle that will be the gateway to Fantasyland.


Ok.  I'm a Disney fan, but I don't know my castle architecture 100%.  Is that a version of Cinderella castle? 



franandaj said:


> There is going to be a ride based on the movie Tangled. Which may be the Crystal Grotto Ride.


Seriously?  That movie gets a ride over there but all WDW can do is a stinkin' restroom?



franandaj said:


>


That Rapunzel mosaic just looks odd.  I mean it looks like she's projectile vomiting. 



franandaj said:


> It took me several passes through the line to realize that this costume was worn by one gal. I would see Bert and then I would go the other way, in the queue and see Mary. I thought that there were two people until I looked really close.


That costume is pretty cool too! 



franandaj said:


> Many of you may have heard of the “secret” restaurant at Disneyland called Club 33, lately it has become a cash cow and obviously is no longer a secret.


I have no idea what you're talking about.  

Your dinner looks great.  I'm glad that Chef Marcel took good care of you, as usual.


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

franandaj said:


> I was able to zip the dresses up to the waist, but I guess I’m just a lucky girl in that respect, so I went with the light saber skirt.



I like that skirt a lot!  Very cool.



franandaj said:


> I got mine with bacon.



Excellent work.



franandaj said:


> I would see Bert and then I would go the other way, in the queue and see Mary. I thought that there were two people until I looked really close.



Allrighty then.  



franandaj said:


> Many of you may have heard of the “secret” restaurant at Disneyland called Club 33, lately it has become a cash cow and obviously is no longer a secret.



Say what?!  There's a restaurant in there??



franandaj said:


> This was from back when the cars were comfy and I thought the ride was fun.



I still thought it was fun...



franandaj said:


> He’s only half done, but they are recreating Yoda with Jelly Bellys!



Awesome!  That's an art project I can fully support.



franandaj said:


> Now you’ll have to believe me that our dining companions were Magdalene and Michael because we don’t have real photographic evidence.



Sure they were...



franandaj said:


> The next course was an asparagus soup










franandaj said:


> Now I’m not usually a big fan of butternut squash, I don’t make it at home, and I was a tad bit skeptical, but this was so good, that I savored every. single. bite.



Good for you!  I have to admit, squash is one of those foods I just can't get down.  Tasteless goo.  Yuck!



franandaj said:


> We said our goodbyes, but hopefully they were only temporary and someday in the future we can have some fun times together again.



I'm glad you were able to meet them both and have a great time with them!


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

PrincessInOz said:


> I always thought it was a slow boat to China.
> But there's always the long detour via Australia to get there.



If I stopped in Australia, I might never continue on!


----------



## PrincessInOz

Captain_Oblivious said:


> If I stopped in Australia, I might never continue on!



And the problem is????  















Oh wait!!  I remember.  You're on your way  to China!


----------



## franandaj

I don’t have much time and I’m sorry for not getting to replies before posting this, but I’m short on time because I’m going on a cruise in about 37hours.  I just wanted to bring you guys up to date.  With all the cancelled trips this year, I am over the moon about booking new ones!  

Disney Cruise Line released their new 2017 itineraries earlier this week and some of you might have known that I was looking to get on the Fantasy for an Eastern Caribbean Cruise (we’ve been to Grand Cayman and Cozumel twice in the past few years and would like a change, especially after the last Grand Cayman trip!).  Plus on the Fantasy we get a trip to Castaway Cay, and three sea days.  I love sea days!  I can’t wait to try Remy on the Dream and I’m looking forward to going on a ship where I can go to Remy and Palo and not have to skip any of the other dining rooms!  When will this happen?  Well we booked this trip for Feb 25, 2017.  It will involve a short WDW stay only because I have learned that I don’t want to get off a ship and go right back home, so we’ll go from the airport to the cruise if all works out on our December trip and then go to WDW for a few days afterwards before we go home.

This means that we are looking at June maybe May of 2017 for our trip to DLP.  We would like to visit other areas of France on our journey, but we are finding out that the there is no ADA in France so this will take some careful planning, we need to get on that right away!

As far as upcoming trips, we have booked FP+ for the December trip.  I’m not sure how much we are actually going to utilize them.  I realized while booking them that when we go to WDW, we aren’t going so much for the rides as we are for the different experiences in the pavilions at WS and seeing the decorations.  So while I do have FP+, for every day, there are some that may go by the wayside.  I enjoy the rides, but there are other things I might rather do during my trip, so we’ll see how that pans out.  I am also looking at making a reservation at the Boathouse for one of the nights we have no plans. They have a great menu and I think I would really love to try that place. Fran want to try Morimoto Asia, so we have some negotiating our future!

Lastly on our trip with Naked Jim for our redo, I was able to book our trip just as we wanted.  We have a 2 bedroom lock off at the VWL for 4 nights, and then we got a Poly Bungalow for three nights after that.  My birthday will be spent at the VWL and I think we will be dining at the Artist Point that night, but I haven’t even thought our ADR’s through that far!  Now that we know we have our Poly Bungalow, we need to plan lots of time in the room and at least one or two nights watching Wishes from our Balcony!  Trader Sam’s should definitely be in the mix as should O’hana, but early so we make it back to the room for fireworks.  I need to get thinking on this, but once we get back from the cruise!

And then there is the Riverboat Cruise!  Oh my! We have so many great trips planned!  I just hope that they all come to fruition!  Our luck has not been so good, so let’s just all keep our fingers crossed that everything comes together!

See you on the other end and I will have link to a new TR when we come back!  Yay! Finally something other than just our run of the mill DLR photos (although I do have some more of those with some new twists to posts when I come back!).


----------



## PrincessInOz

franandaj said:


> Well we booked this trip for Feb 25, 2017.



YAY!  Congratulations.




franandaj said:


> Lastly on our trip with Naked Jim for our redo, I was able to book our trip just as we wanted. We have a 2 bedroom lock off at the VWL for 4 nights, and then we got a Poly Bungalow for three nights after that.



Great news!  Glad it worked out.






franandaj said:


> And then there is the Riverboat Cruise!



I'm looking forward to this one a LOT!






franandaj said:


> See you on the other end and I will have link to a new TR when we come back!



Have a great trip.  Catch you at the other end.


----------



## dvc at last !

catching up ........

have a great trip/cruise !


----------



## dvc at last !

Love the sabre skirt !


----------



## afwdwfan

Enjoy your cruise!!!


----------



## ShellB8585

Have the best time cruisin' and look after the Wonder for us


----------



## dgbg100106

Well I was only 12 pages behind....  Vacations are so much fun, but so much to catch up on upon return.

So much happened in those 12 pages, I cant begin to comment, but you sure had a lot of fun!

Enjoy your cruise, and i will catch you back on the return.


----------



## Pinkocto

Congrats on the 2017 cruise! I love booking things! Make sure you look at rebooking onboard to get the OBC and discount. 

Have a fantastic cruise!!!!


----------



## jedijill

Have a great cruise!

You have some great trips coming up...can't wait to hear all about them!

Jill in CO


----------



## apple9117

Awesome, thanks for sharing!


----------



## dizneeat

*You have got some AWESOME trips in the making!! Can't wait to hear all about it. Where is your river cruise? 

Have a great cruise and enjoy your vacation! *


----------



## Flossbolna

Wishing you an amazing vacation here as well!! I am looking forward to hearing lots of stories of blissful relaxation on your cruise!!


----------



## rentayenta

Have a magical cruise ladies!


----------



## Malia78

I'm so glad all these plans are coming together--I'm excited for you. One of the times, I hope to overlap a trip or two with you...


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

I think you might have already left, but I hope you have a great time!


----------



## skier_pete

Geez - somehow I missed you were leaving on your cruise. 

Oh well belated Bon Voyage!!!


----------



## Flossbolna

I think they are boarding around now! 

 

This is a screenshot of the San Diego harbor webcam from right now with the Wonder! 

http://sundiegolive.com (the image is changing around, sometimes it shows other areas of the harbour...)


----------



## franandaj

We're onboard!  Finished lunch and just chillin for another 20 minutes until the stateroom is ready. Then it's time for a DotD!


----------



## Dis_Yoda

Enjoy your cruise!


----------



## Flossbolna

franandaj said:


> We're onboard!  Finished lunch and just chillin for another 20 minutes until the stateroom is ready. Then it's time for a DotD!



Sounds like a perfect start to the cruise!! Enjoy the Drink of the Day!!! And go and buy it at the pool bar at the adult pool. There they make it fresh and are usually generous with the alcohol!!


----------



## jedijill

Have a fantastic cruise!

Jill in CO


----------



## mvf-m11c

Hope you and Fran have a great time on the cruise.


----------



## dhorner233

Glad you are off to a great start on your Dream cruise! 

You have so many fabulous trips planned. I can't wait to see all of your pictures. So nice of you to let us "tag along".


----------



## dolphingirl47

I hope you are having a fantastic time on your cruise. Congratulations on getting the Poly bungalow and on booking a cruise on the Fantasy. Have you given up on the idea of a Panama Canal cruise in 2017. We did Trader Sam's once Graham had joined me at Walt Disney World. We liked it, but it is very different from the one at Disneyland. It is completely outdoors and we were all by ourselves for most of our time there.

Corinna


----------



## ACDSNY

Have a wonderful time this week.  Looks like we miss you by a month on the Fantasy.


----------



## rndmr2

Have a great Cruise!!


----------



## Steppesister

Ok, found ya! Will do my best to visit as I can.... Meantime, BON VOYAGE!!!


----------



## rentayenta

Can't wait to see cruise pics.......


----------



## franandaj

mvf-m11c said:


> That is good news that you got the Sigma 35mm 1.4. You will enjoy that lens and I will have to get one one day to replace the Nikon 35mm f/1.8.



The sad part is I'm still waiting for it.



mvf-m11c said:


> That is correct. I am leaving today to SoCal and I should be in there this afternoon. This is one of those last second trips which is good to go down. Glad to go down and see the Halloween decorations and to ride the DLRR, Mark Twain and Tom Sawyer Island until they are closed next year for SWL. The weather will be hot this weekend but I don't mind that.



It was nice seeing you!



mvf-m11c said:


> There were a lot of different stands that sold different merchandise and the Star Wars dresses were very nice. Glad that you were able to go and walk through the Disneyland the Exhibit that Friday where there were a lot of neat Disneyland collectibles. I thought the Disneyland #1 ticket was the neatest of the exhibit. I should have stayed longer but it was a long day where I was tired and DAF was not with me. The Disney Store was one of the stores that I missed out and I still regret of not going in on that day but this is where you have to choose what you want to do during the Expo.
> 
> SH55 dinner looked amazing. After seeing your pics, I will have to consider it.



That's the thing with the Expo.  You have to pick and choose. No way to do it all.



jedijill said:


> Those Star Wars dresses are super cute!
> 
> Your dinner looks amazing!  It's so nice that Chef Marcel takes care of you so well!  You had great dinner companions as well.
> 
> Jill in CO



I really wished I could have fit into the other two dresses, but as you will see on the cruise TR, I have a number of other cool dresses too!  Can't wait to go back and have another meal with Marcel, but that will have to wait a few pounds.  



ACDSNY said:


> Ah the memories of Inner Space and the Electrical Parade, I miss them.
> 
> Dinner at Steakhouse 55 looked great.



Inner space was such a cool ride!  At least you can still see MSEP at WDW.  I'm going to need to cook my own means for a while, but yes S55 was great!



Pinkocto said:


> Please don't clean the house on my account!
> 
> Cute Star Wars skirt.
> 
> What big picture did you get? On that note what was in all the bags???



Well, we didn't!    And you saw the picture, yourself!



Pinkocto said:


> That Tsum Tsum dress must have weighed a ton!



That's what I was thinking.



Pinkocto said:


> The Disneyland exhibit looked very nice.
> 
> Dinner looked mighty scrumptious.



The DL exhibit was very cool, and it was very scrumptious!



dhorner233 said:


> I enjoyed the Archives exhibit. I really liked some of the stuff they have discontinued. Like the Electric Light Parade. I know they had to update it to include the newer movies but, I walk around singing the song from the Electric Light Parade. I can't remember the tune to the Light the Night Parade and I saw it twice.



I love  the song from the new parade!  I totally go around singing it in my head!  But then I couldn't stand the theme from the old parade.



dhorner233 said:


> Those were some interesting costumes; the Mary/Bert, how clever and the Tsum Tsum dress. I can't see buying all those stuffed animals and then doing that with them but, very creative!



There were lots more creative costumes, I just forgot to take pictures. Much like on my cruise!



dhorner233 said:


> And the meal at Steakhouse 55!! I wish I could have eaten every bite of that meal!!! I wanted to go there this time but, ran out of time. Only had 4 days. We ate at La Tratorria for the first time, had to get my Monte Cristo and we did the Plaza Inn and the Story Tellers at the Grand Calif. I love their breakfast!! I still haven't done SH 55 or Napa Rose!



I think that is the hardest part of DL, not fitting in all the rides, but fitting in all the food.  There are so many great places to eat for such a small place!



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> Yeah the lightsaber skirt was the best garment anyway it is super cool. How great to wear it to Palo's! Perfect. Swish swish. Imagine if when you walked it had the sound of the light sabers swishing...



That would be so cool if they could build in that effect!



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> I love Walts badge. Grilled cheese lunch with bacon sounds nice. Yum to dinner looks just up my alley. That costume is funny with both chatacters on it!



It was all great!



DnA2010 said:


> Aladdin def we will see, we loved it on our last trip and for sure want to see it before it's gone.
> 
> I booked the the Fantasmic dinner package at BB for the 24th (only day during the stay that it is playing) as we have never seen it!



I hope that you enjoyed your trip!  I really would have loved to come out and meet you, but being gone and all.  Yesterday I was so tired, and I still haven't finished unpacking!



DnA2010 said:


> Internet on our trip- ugg I need to figure this out - our Canadian cell plans are highway robbery when we travel- I need to figure out what the options are stat tho! I can always text, I don't think that is too ridiculous



I didn't realize you were from Canada, so that makes a difference as your cell phone plans don't work in our country.



DnA2010 said:


> Love the light sabre skirt! SH55 looks as fab as always
> 
> Can't wait to read about your cruise!



I've already written the first couple updates!  Just need to catch up here before starting another TR!  I think I've caught up on everyone else's TRs!



dolphingirl47 said:


> I would have loved to do this. What a shame that this was not available in time for our trip.



That's too bad.  I can't wait to try it!  I have so many great meals planned for that trip, and I just booked a couple more!



dolphingirl47 said:


> You will have to keep me posted on this.



Most definitely!



dolphingirl47 said:


> We saw the same costume or at least a very similar one at Mickey's Halloween Party on September 30th.



I wouldn't be surprised if she was a local, and if I made a costume that cool, I would want to get all the mileage I could out of it!



rentayenta said:


> Dinner looks amazing! Steakhouse 55 is really something special.
> 
> In case I miss you before Pam arrives and the cruise: Bon voyage! Have a wonderful drink filled fabulous cruise!



It really is a great restaurant now that Marcel is in charge.  We did have a wonderful cruise.  And it was full of drinks!  



afwdwfan said:


> Ok... I know I quoted more than this but the Dis was being buggy with me. And I'm lazy. So we'll go with what I've got.
> 
> Anyway, I'm glad you managed to make it over to D23, even if just for one day and not attending any sessions. And thanks for the quick photo tour!



You seem to be having a lot of trouble with the whole multi quote thing!  Glad you enjoyed the quick photo tour of the Expo.



afwdwfan said:


> Wow... half an hour just to get into the store!!!



That's the thing with the Expo, there is a line for everything.  Pretty much.



afwdwfan said:


> That. Is. Awesome.
> 
> HEY!!! You and Fran should turn your scooters into an X-Wing and a TIE Fighter and follow each other around making laser gun noises!!!



  I like that idea!  



afwdwfan said:


> I kind of like that. I mean, I wouldn't want them to change Main Street USA into this or anything. But I think it is kind of a neat idea and I'd like to see a park designed like this.



I think it also has to do with the cultural differences in Asia.  For Americans we all relate to the Main Street USA concept, but I think they felt they needed to change it up for Shanghai since they obviously have different frames of reference than we do.



afwdwfan said:


> Ok. I'm a Disney fan, but I don't know my castle architecture 100%. Is that a version of Cinderella castle?



I'm not sure.  Magdalene seemed to know a lot more about this as she spoke to one of the imagineers.  She mentioned that the ride with the Tangled scene was going to be inside this castle.



afwdwfan said:


> Seriously? That movie gets a ride over there but all WDW can do is a stinkin' restroom?



  I still have yet to visit the Tangled Tinkle Spot.



afwdwfan said:


> That Rapunzel mosaic just looks odd. I mean it looks like she's projectile vomiting.



I had similar thoughts.



afwdwfan said:


> I have no idea what you're talking about.
> 
> Your dinner looks great. I'm glad that Chef Marcel took good care of you, as usual.



  He always takes great care of us.  And my growing waistline.  



Captain_Oblivious said:


> I like that skirt a lot! Very cool.



Me too.  Sad story though.  I must have eaten too much at S55.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Excellent work.



Thanks!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Allrighty then.



Right-O!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Say what?! There's a restaurant in there??



Before you could have said that, but now with the floor to ceiling windows highlighting the diners going to and fro.  Not so much.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> I still thought it was fun...



It is.  As long as you enjoy whiplash.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Awesome! That's an art project I can fully support.



I would have liked to have seen it once complete.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Sure they were...



She will have to confirm.


Captain_Oblivious said:


>



Figures.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Good for you! I have to admit, squash is one of those foods I just can't get down. Tasteless goo. Yuck!



That's one of my favorite vegetable families!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> I'm glad you were able to meet them both and have a great time with them!



We did.  I hope to do it again in the future, maybe in Europe!


----------



## dolphingirl47

franandaj said:


> The sad part is I'm still waiting for it.



Goodness this feels like forever. I suppose it is not that long ago since I was in California, but it must have been about a month since Fran ordered the lens.

Corinna


----------



## franandaj

PrincessInOz said:


> YAY! Congratulations.
> 
> Great news! Glad it worked out.



Both trips are going to be great, and hopefully even more!  We have a lot of canceled trips to make up for!



PrincessInOz said:


> I'm looking forward to this one a LOT!



Me too!  A whole bunch of books on New Orleans arrived while we were gone so we need to start working on planning that one!



PrincessInOz said:


> Have a great trip. Catch you at the other end.



I'm baaaaaack!



dvc at last ! said:


> catching up ........
> 
> have a great trip/cruise !



Thanks!  We did!



dvc at last ! said:


> Love the sabre skirt !



Me too!  But my waist doesn't.  



afwdwfan said:


> Enjoy your cruise!!!



Thanks! 



ShellB8585 said:


> Have the best time cruisin' and look after the Wonder for us



We took good care of her!



dgbg100106 said:


> Well I was only 12 pages behind....  Vacations are so much fun, but so much to catch up on upon return.
> 
> So much happened in those 12 pages, I cant begin to comment, but you sure had a lot of fun!
> 
> Enjoy your cruise, and i will catch you back on the return.



Well you had a great trip!  I saw it on FB!  Welcome back!  Be sure to join me on that TR, which will be coming up soon!



Pinkocto said:


> Congrats on the 2017 cruise! I love booking things! Make sure you look at rebooking onboard to get the OBC and discount.
> 
> Have a fantastic cruise!!!!



Of course we did, there will be more on that later!



jedijill said:


> Have a great cruise!
> 
> You have some great trips coming up...can't wait to hear all about them!
> 
> Jill in CO



I can't wait to take all these great trips!



apple9117 said:


> Awesome, thanks for sharing!



Anytime!  Thanks for stopping by!



dizneeat said:


> *You have got some AWESOME trips in the making!! Can't wait to hear all about it. Where is your river cruise?
> 
> Have a great cruise and enjoy your vacation! *



Thank you and especially for all the tips!  Our riverboat Cruise is down the Mississippi from Memphis to New Orleans.  This is going to be a totally new and great experience!



Flossbolna said:


> Wishing you an amazing vacation here as well!! I am looking forward to hearing lots of stories of blissful relaxation on your cruise!!



Thank you very much!



rentayenta said:


> Have a magical cruise ladies!



Thanks so much Jenny!



Malia78 said:


> I'm so glad all these plans are coming together--I'm excited for you. One of the times, I hope to overlap a trip or two with you...



One of these days hopefully it will work out!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> I think you might have already left, but I hope you have a great time!



I think I saw this before the ship actually took off!  Thanks so much!



********** said:


> Geez - somehow I missed you were leaving on your cruise.
> 
> Oh well belated Bon Voyage!!!



Well, stuff happens, but we had a great trip, now to tell all about it!



Flossbolna said:


> I think they are boarding around now!
> 
> View attachment 129249
> 
> This is a screenshot of the San Diego harbor webcam from right now with the Wonder!
> 
> http://sundiegolive.com (the image is changing around, sometimes it shows other areas of the harbour...)



This was really cool to see just before leaving port!



Dis_Yoda said:


> Enjoy your cruise!



Thank you very much!



Flossbolna said:


> Sounds like a perfect start to the cruise!! Enjoy the Drink of the Day!!! And go and buy it at the pool bar at the adult pool. There they make it fresh and are usually generous with the alcohol!!



I ended up having quite a few of these!



jedijill said:


> Have a fantastic cruise!
> 
> Jill in CO



Thanks!!!!!!!


----------



## franandaj

mvf-m11c said:


> Hope you and Fran have a great time on the cruise.



Thanks!


dhorner233 said:


> Glad you are off to a great start on your Dream cruise!
> 
> You have so many fabulous trips planned. I can't wait to see all of your pictures. So nice of you to let us "tag along".



Actually the Dream Cruise is in December!  This was our Wonder Cruise!  Link should be coming up shortly!



dolphingirl47 said:


> I hope you are having a fantastic time on your cruise. Congratulations on getting the Poly bungalow and on booking a cruise on the Fantasy. Have you given up on the idea of a Panama Canal cruise in 2017. We did Trader Sam's once Graham had joined me at Walt Disney World. We liked it, but it is very different from the one at Disneyland. It is completely outdoors and we were all by ourselves for most of our time there.
> 
> Corinna



We ended up changing things all around.  We were supposed to go to DLP last month and when that didn't happen, all the major trips sort of got all stirred up.  So no PC in 2017, but maybe 2018 if the Wonder is still doing them then.  Everything is so screwy with the Canal being behind schedule and all.  They keep putting off the major rehabs to the Wonder so it can still go through the canal. 

Trader Sams doesn't sound nearly as fun as the one here, but we'll still have to try it!



ACDSNY said:


> Have a wonderful time this week.  Looks like we miss you by a month on the Fantasy.



Yup.  You'll have to warm her up for us! 



rndmr2 said:


> Have a great Cruise!!



Thank you!



Steppesister said:


> Ok, found ya! Will do my best to visit as I can.... Meantime, BON VOYAGE!!!



  I hope you find the time in between your studies to drop by!



rentayenta said:


> Can't wait to see cruise pics.......



Jenny, Jenny, Jenny, always jumping the gun!    The cruise TR is coming, but you won't be happy for a few updates.  We didn't get many pictures of ourselves until the cruise you were supposed to be on, and the weather for the 1st sailaway was crappy.  



dolphingirl47 said:


> Goodness this feels like forever. I suppose it is not that long ago since I was in California, but it must have been about a month since Fran ordered the lens.
> 
> Corinna



You're telling me!  We need to call them again.  The first time we called they said it should be here around the 13th of October.  That came and went, but we were too busy getting ready for the cruise to worry about it.  Now, I want my lens!


----------



## franandaj

Well I’m back and all caught up on replies and I believe that I’m also caught up on everyone else’s Trip Reports!  Thanks for not posting too many updates while I was gone, catching up wasn’t too bad.  I did keep up a little bit on the cruise as we bought the internet package and so I was able to do a little bit of reading while we were relaxing at the pool or in the room.

So before I start the next trip report, I thought I would bring you folks up to date with the current plans on upcoming trips.  Only 41 days until the next vacation!  Woohoo!  I say next vacation because we are actually only 9 days away from the next trip.  I’m not sure if I told you folks, but when we went up to visit my parents last summer, Fran arranged to purchase a guys Disney collection from his storage unit.  Sight unseen.  There were about 50 boxes and we crammed it all into a rented storage van to drive it home.  Well all but about 10 boxes.













So next week we are going up to get the last 10 boxes.  It also gives us a chance to see my parents and we’ll be there over my Dad’s birthday.  I’m not sure he’ll want to do much to celebrate.  He’s not a big celebrating kind of guy, but at least we’ll be there.

So back to 41 days until next vacation.  If you remember, this is us rescheduling the April trip except I switched it up.  We are taking the Cruise on the Dream first then going to WDW.  It’s all working out. We get to use up the airfare that we had “purchased” for the April trip, and I’ll get to see the last incarnation of the Osborne Lights.  I’ve made a few changes.  Mostly to our dining reservations.  I added a few, and now I just have to make a few more decisions.  I wanted to try and get a reservation at the Boathouse on Friday night instead of cooking dinner in the room, but try getting a Friday night reservation in Disney Springs.  What was I thinking?  Instead I made a lunch reservation for the day that we leave.  Here is what the plan looks like

*Sunday, Dec 6* – Fly to MCO, stay at the Hyatt

*Monday, Dec 7* – Disney transportation to the Dream, 4 night cruise with stops in Nassau and Castaway Cay. We’ll be trying Remy Dinner and Brunch for the first time on this cruise.

*Friday, Dec 11* – Disembark and head to SSR at WDW.
Lunch at Epcot, TBD
Hopefully meet up with Mark and Julie
FP+ for SE, TT, and MS
Dinner back in the room

*Saturday, Dec 12*
FP+ at DHS, ST, ToT, TSMM, RnRC will be single rider line
1:30 Beaches & Cream, check out Epcot Resort decorations
Naptime
7:00 Wolfgang Puck Grand Café

*Sunday, Dec 13*
10:15 Brunch at Narcoosee’s
Check out decorations at Monorail Resorts, or if we want FP+ HM, PotC, 7DMT
7:30PM Dinner at Morimoto Asia

*Monday, Dec 14*
FP+ Character Pals, SE
12:30 San Angel Lunch
FP+ TT
Naptime
Check out Osbourne Lights
7:50PM 50’s Prime Time Café

*Tuesday, Dec 15*
9:30AM Supercalifragilistic Breakfast at 1900 Park Fare
FP+ PotC, HM, 7DMT (This is the real day that I wanted them)
Naptime 
7:30PM Flying Fish Café

*Wednesday, Dec 16*
Check out of the hotel and send luggage to the airport
11:30 The Boathouse Lunch
2PM DME back to the airport

I feel like the cruise that we just went on was an appetizer for this vacation!  Now we got the rest that we needed so we’ll have fun in a little over a month!

And just 146 days away is our trip down the Mississippi River on a Steamboat!  We spend one night in Memphis before boarding the boat for seven nights cruising down to New Orleans.  Every day there is a new stop with interesting sights to see and historical places.  Then we get three days and nights in the Big Easy.  We haven’t planned much of what we’re going to do there, but we have a whole bunch of guide books to sort through over the next few months!

Then there is the Naked Jim redo trip.  We are rapidly approaching our 180 day mark, so I need to nail down where we want to eat and when!  Next weekend I can make those reservations.  And in less than a month, I can book my F&W 2016 trip to WDW.

Now you all know about the Fantasy Cruise that we booked for 2017, but while we were on the Wonder, we stopped by the Future Cruise desk to see what they could do for us. Turns out, we were able to get a $400 discounted rate off the price that I paid on opening day, plus a $200 OBC!  That’s an overall savings of $600.  We got the room next door to the room I originally booked. For some reason they couldn’t get the exact room, but that’s OK.  I’ve never been on the Fantasy, so I don’t have favorite rooms like I do on the Wonder.

But here’s the BIG news!  You can book one future cruise per sailing, but since we were on a B2B we could book two different cruises, so we’re going to Alaska in July of 2016, AND we booked a room for my parents to come along too!  They haven’t actually confirmed that they do want to come along, but they have until March to make up their minds.  We told them the cruise was on us, all they had to do was get to Vancouver.

So there you have it our whole BFP for the next year and a half, should be a fun one!  I’ll be back with a link to the new TR as soon as I get it posted!


----------



## franandaj

And here it is!  The moment you've all been waiting for.


(well maybe not)

The link to the new TR!

http://www.disboards.com/threads/just-relaxin’-on-the-wonder-–-nowhere-nothing-nada.3458469/

Now the sooner you all join in the sooner I will post the first real update.  I want to give everyone ample change to make the first page, so no updates until we get to page 2 folks, and no double posting to bump it along!


----------



## dhorner233

Was there anything interesting in the guy's boxes of Disney collection? 50 boxes!? Must be like Christmas!

You just came home from a cruise and only 41 days until your cruise on The Dream!! and trip to DW in Dec.!!! That is a great time to go to DW, before the kids get out for winter/Christmas break.  Glad you will get to see the Osborn lights. So sad they are discontinuing that. I went last Dec. and saw it for the first - and only time. Are they taking out the Streets of America with all the changes to HS? Aren't they changing the name to that park too?

Then the Mississippi cruise?! I'm a big fan of Mark Twain and think I would enjoy that trip.

Then the Flower and Garden show in April? Am I getting all this straight?

Then a cruise to Alaska. Is that a Disney cruise?

AND a cruise on Disney's Fantasy in 2017? Congratulations on saving $600! 

What a great life you have! Can't wait to see the pictures from your cruise!!


----------



## franandaj

dhorner233 said:


> Was there anything interesting in the guy's boxes of Disney collection? 50 boxes!? Must be like Christmas!



There was plenty of interesting stuff.  We actually sorted through all the boxes before driving down.  He didn't pack the stuff very well, at least for driving.  We had to wrap things in another layer of newspaper.  We ended up using all my parents newspaper and then some.  We are going to sell a lot of it, but we need to get more educated in Disneyana.  Some of the stuff sold for a couple hundred dollars on eBay (someone else sold), and that was for one set (a Beauty and the Beast tea set).  There was some really cool stuff and some junky stuff too.  We'll have to go through it once we're back from my parents, and when we get the old house cleaned out.



dhorner233 said:


> You just came home from a cruise and only 41 days until your cruise on The Dream!! and trip to DW in Dec.!!! That is a great time to go to DW, before the kids get out for winter/Christmas break.  Glad you will get to see the Osborn lights. So sad they are discontinuing that. I went last Dec. and saw it for the first - and only time. Are they taking out the Streets of America with all the changes to HS? Aren't they changing the name to that park too?



Well we have to make up for no trips for the last year!  You're not going to like why they are taking out the Streets of America.  You're already complaining about it at DL.  



dhorner233 said:


> Then the Mississippi cruise?! I'm a big fan of Mark Twain and think I would enjoy that trip.



I'm not sure how much of Mark Twain stuff gets covered, but we are major Civil War people, and there is a lot of those sites covered on this route.



dhorner233 said:


> Then the Flower and Garden show in April? Am I getting all this straight?



Yup.  You've got the gist of it!



dhorner233 said:


> Then a cruise to Alaska. Is that a Disney cruise?



Of course, how else could we have booked it at the Future Cruise deck!



dhorner233 said:


> AND a cruise on Disney's Fantasy in 2017? Congratulations on saving $600!



That will make ship #4 in my sailings.



dhorner233 said:


> What a great life you have! Can't wait to see the pictures from your cruise!!



We have 2001-2006 to make up for.  If you know what went on then, you wouldn't think it was such a great life.  I just hope my parents age more gracefully than Fran's did.


----------



## mvf-m11c

franandaj said:


> The sad part is I'm still waiting for it.
> 
> It was nice seeing you!
> 
> That's the thing with the Expo.  You have to pick and choose. No way to do it all.



That is a while since you ordered it a few weeks ago. Hopefully you will get it shortly.

It was nice seeing you a few weeks ago. Hope you and Fran enjoyed the tails. What way did you cook them?

True. You have to select what you want to do especially you can't do everything at the Expo.

I can't wait to hear your adventures on the DCL. It won't be to long until your WDW trip. It is nice to be back but it want the same.


----------



## Paula Sedley-Burke

Thanks for the link! Your December plans look good. We are coming out on the 14th December going on the Dream on 24th Dec for a 4 night cruise over Christmas. Can't wait. Is yours a Christmas themed one too? We also can't wait to see the resort decs. Did you see new The Osborne lights dessert party? Plus the new Magic Bands you can design yourseld in TL in MK? Too cool. We are doing a Minnie's HollyWood and Vine as well. You got to get in the spirit of it! Well done for bagging a Beaches and Cream. I haven't managed to get one of those. If we were at SSR like we usually are we would swing by and say hello. We are at the VWL those 3 nights we managed to get waitlisted. Then at SSR after you leave.


----------



## afwdwfan

franandaj said:


> Fran arranged to purchase a guys Disney collection from his storage unit. Sight unseen.


Any good surprises out of that collection?  I see there were a few Mickey waffle makers.  



franandaj said:


> It also gives us a chance to see my parents and we’ll be there over my Dad’s birthday. I’m not sure he’ll want to do much to celebrate. He’s not a big celebrating kind of guy, but at least we’ll be there.


So there won't be some kind of full blown, weekend long celebration in a villa somewhere?  



franandaj said:


> We haven’t planned much of what we’re going to do there, but we have a whole bunch of guide books to sort through over the next few months!


It's New Orleans.  You drink and fill in the gaps with historic stuff.  Right?   



franandaj said:


> Now you all know about the Fantasy Cruise that we booked for 2017, but while we were on the Wonder, we stopped by the Future Cruise desk to see what they could do for us. Turns out, we were able to get a $400 discounted rate off the price that I paid on opening day, plus a $200 OBC! That’s an overall savings of $600. We got the room next door to the room I originally booked. For some reason they couldn’t get the exact room, but that’s OK. I’ve never been on the Fantasy, so I don’t have favorite rooms like I do on the Wonder.


Wow!  That's awesome!  I'm glad they were able to do that for you.



franandaj said:


> But here’s the BIG news! You can book one future cruise per sailing, but since we were on a B2B we could book two different cruises, so we’re going to Alaska in July of 2016, AND we booked a room for my parents to come along too! They haven’t actually confirmed that they do want to come along, but they have until March to make up their minds. We told them the cruise was on us, all they had to do was get to Vancouver.


Sounds like fun.  I mean if they don't want to go, I think I could afford a flight to Vancouver.


----------



## jedijill

You've got some great travel plans!  Whoo Hoo for the savings on the 2017 cruise!  

Jill in CO


----------



## Malia78

franandaj said:


> We ended up changing things all around. We were supposed to go to DLP last month and when that didn't happen, all the major trips sort of got all stirred up. So no PC in 2017, but maybe 2018 if the Wonder is still doing them then. Everything is so screwy with the Canal being behind schedule and all. They keep putting off the major rehabs to the Wonder so it can still go through the canal.



This is kind of exciting to read because I have mentally penciled in the the 2018 WBPC cruise on my calendar...


----------



## dolphingirl47

franandaj said:


> We ended up changing things all around. We were supposed to go to DLP last month and when that didn't happen, all the major trips sort of got all stirred up.



Well, if you have any questions or want me to find out any information, let me know. I will be at DLP in just over two weeks.



franandaj said:


> So no PC in 2017, but maybe 2018 if the Wonder is still doing them then. Everything is so screwy with the Canal being behind schedule and all. They keep putting off the major rehabs to the Wonder so it can still go through the canal.



Well, I think this time it may actually be happening. As far as I am aware all the locks have now been flooded.



franandaj said:


> Trader Sams doesn't sound nearly as fun as the one here, but we'll still have to try it!



We still had fun and do not regret going.

All the plans sound fantastic.

Corinna


----------



## IowaTater

D23 Expo looks amazing!  I can definitely see why you wouldn't be able to do it all.  I'm pretty sure my bank account would take a horrible beating as well. 

I've subscribed to the cruise TR but I haven't had a chance to read it yet.  (I'm so far behind on all of my PTR & TRs)

I'm glad things are looking bright for you guys.  I might have missed it but when are you going for F&W 2016?  We will be there Oct. 19-26.


----------



## franandaj

mvf-m11c said:


> That is a while since you ordered it a few weeks ago. Hopefully you will get it shortly.



It finally arrived on Friday. We had a busy weekend and with the trip to my parents on Wednesday I won't have a chance to get out there until after we get back.



mvf-m11c said:


> It was nice seeing you a few weeks ago. Hope you and Fran enjoyed the tails. What way did you cook them?



We did. I steamed them.



mvf-m11c said:


> True. You have to select what you want to do especially you can't do everything at the Expo.



Even without all the lines I think it would be impossible to see everything there is. So much going on and a lot of it overlaps.



mvf-m11c said:


> I can't wait to hear your adventures on the DCL. It won't be to long until your WDW trip. It is nice to be back but it want the same.



It's nice being back, but I just need things to calm down. Unfortunately they are going to ramp up quite a bit before anything slows down.



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> Thanks for the link! Your December plans look good. We are coming out on the 14th December going on the Dream on 24th Dec for a 4 night cruise over Christmas. Can't wait. Is yours a Christmas themed one too?



We need to get together at least for a small chit chat this time! It was so nice that last time. Ours is a Christmas themed one as well.  I just got the little booklet with the luggage tags Saturday.



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> We also can't wait to see the resort decs. Did you see new The Osborne lights dessert party? Plus the new Magic Bands you can design yourseld in TL in MK? Too cool. We are doing a Minnie's HollyWood and Vine as well. You got to get in the spirit of it!



I hadn't heard about any of that. There is just so much to do, you really have to pick and choose.



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> Well done for bagging a Beaches and Cream. I haven't managed to get one of those. If we were at SSR like we usually are we would swing by and say hello. We are at the VWL those 3 nights we managed to get waitlisted. Then at SSR after you leave.



We'll be up near MK the day after you arrive. Maybe we can stop by VWL and see you and the decorations.



afwdwfan said:


> Any good surprises out of that collection? I see there were a few Mickey waffle makers.



There were actually some pretty valuable pieces in there.  After the New Year, hopefully we'll be moved out of the old house, and then we'll really get crackin' on our new "ebay store".  Not only do we have the stuff from that storage locker, but our attic in the old house has about 50 boxes of our  own filled with Disney memorabilia.



afwdwfan said:


> So there won't be some kind of full blown, weekend long celebration in a villa somewhere?



Ha!  No, but who knows, next year is his 75th!  Mom says we'll just go out for a nice dinner.



afwdwfan said:


> It's New Orleans. You drink and fill in the gaps with historic stuff. Right?



Food, can't forget the food!



afwdwfan said:


> Wow! That's awesome! I'm glad they were able to do that for you.



Yeah, that worked out nicely!



afwdwfan said:


> Sounds like fun. I mean if they don't want to go, I think I could afford a flight to Vancouver.



It sounds like my parents are getting excited.  My Dad even asked about information on the wonder, ship plans, amenities and stuff.



jedijill said:


> You've got some great travel plans!  Whoo Hoo for the savings on the 2017 cruise!
> 
> Jill in CO



And you can't beat $200 in OBC!



Malia78 said:


> This is kind of exciting to read because I have mentally penciled in the the 2018 WBPC cruise on my calendar...



We'll have to see if everything else falls into place, but I will be definitely putting it on the radar.


----------



## franandaj

dolphingirl47 said:


> Well, if you have any questions or want me to find out any information, let me know. I will be at DLP in just over two weeks.



Other than maps, I can't think of much of anything right now. Do you know if allears.net has the menus online?



dolphingirl47 said:


> Well, I think this time it may actually be happening. As far as I am aware all the locks have now been flooded.



Good to know. I wonder if they will bring other ships across once the wider locks are opened.



dolphingirl47 said:


> We still had fun and do not regret going.
> 
> All the plans sound fantastic.



Thanks. I'll definitely have to try it out.



IowaTater said:


> D23 Expo looks amazing! I can definitely see why you wouldn't be able to do it all. I'm pretty sure my bank account would take a horrible beating as well.



Ours took a huge beating two years ago. We did pretty good this time. 



IowaTater said:


> I've subscribed to the cruise TR but I haven't had a chance to read it yet. (I'm so far behind on all of my PTR & TRs)



That's oK. I seem to be going rather slowly. I haven't even posted past day 1 although I am well into writing day 2.



IowaTater said:


> I'm glad things are looking bright for you guys. I might have missed it but when are you going for F&W 2016? We will be there Oct. 19-26.



We are going to be there Oct 18-28. I see a DISmeet potential for the future!


----------



## dolphingirl47

franandaj said:


> Do you know if allears.net has the menus online?



No, unfortunately not. I have been frantically trying to find menus online, but to no avail. The only ones I found are about 6 or 7 years old.



franandaj said:


> Good to know. I wonder if they will bring other ships across once the wider locks are opened.



I think the timing is pretty perfect. If I remember correctly, Port Canaveral is using its exclusive rights to the Dream next year and to the Fantasy in 2017.

Corinna


----------



## Flossbolna

@franandaj and @dolphingirl47 this website has the best DLP menus in my opinion: http://www.dlpguide.com/planning/dining/restaurant-menus/

Some are not that up to date, but many are rather recent. Since DLP just redesigned their website and app to look like the American ones, I hope that menus might appear on the official website in the future...


----------



## dolphingirl47

Flossbolna said:


> @franandaj and @dolphingirl47 this website has the best DLP menus in my opinion: http://www.dlpguide.com/planning/dining/restaurant-menus/
> 
> Some are not that up to date, but many are rather recent. Since DLP just redesigned their website and app to look like the American ones, I hope that menus might appear on the official website in the future...



Thanks. I am going over there now to check it out.

Corinna


----------



## franandaj

dolphingirl47 said:


> No, unfortunately not. I have been frantically trying to find menus online, but to no avail. The only ones I found are about 6 or 7 years old.



Well, it's good we had this discussion here since Magdalene came to our rescue!



dolphingirl47 said:


> I think the timing is pretty perfect. If I remember correctly, Port Canaveral is using its exclusive rights to the Dream next year and to the Fantasy in 2017.



So what you're saying is that when the new locks open up there is the possibility that the Dream and Fantasy will be released from their contracts that they can possibly travel to the West Coast?



Flossbolna said:


> @franandaj and @dolphingirl47 this website has the best DLP menus in my opinion: http://www.dlpguide.com/planning/dining/restaurant-menus/
> 
> Some are not that up to date, but many are rather recent. Since DLP just redesigned their website and app to look like the American ones, I hope that menus might appear on the official website in the future...



Thanks!  I will have to check out that link when I have some time!


----------



## franandaj

So over on the Cruise thread I alluded to the fact that it was 180 days from my trip with Naked Jim and his partner Alberto, and that I made some ADRs.  Actually it was the second set of ADRs.  Since we are doing a split stay, I was able to make my first set and most of the ADRs on Sunday morning.  Today I made the last three.  Here is how the trip is looking so far.

Wed Apr 27 
Fly to Orlando
Stay at Loew’s RPH 
Dinner at Rick’s American Café

Thurs Apr 28
US/IoA for Gringott’s at Diagon Alley
Hogwarts Express to Hogsmeade
Dinner at Palm Steakhouse

Fri Apr 29
Park to be determined
Check into VWL
Hopefully Alberto will cook us an early dinner with a Latin Flair
FP+ for Illuminations?

Sat Apr 30
9AM Breakfast at Whispering Canyon
Spend the day checking out Disney Springs
6:15 PM Hoop de Doo Review

Sun May 1
Happy Birthday to me!
Epcot FP+ will be made
Epcot Flower & Garden Festival lunch grazing at the booths
7PM Dinner at Artist Point

Mon May 2
Lazy morning at the resort
1:00PM lunch at Sanaa
AK for night time activities

Tues May 3
Resort switch day
12:00 Behind the Seeds tour(?)
2PM lunch at Chef’s de France
Check into Poly Bungalows
Cook dinner in the room
Wishes on the patio!

Wed May 4
9AM Rope Drop MK
10:40AM 1900 Park Fare
??? Whatever we want
6:40PM O’Hana
Back to the room for more fireworks from the balcony!

Thurs May 5
Whatever we didn’t do for the last week.
6:40PM Be Our Guest

Fri May 6
Travel Home

We haven’t booked our flights yet, nor have we actually reserved the rooms at Universal.  We have some time on that one still.

And only 31 days until the next WDW/Cruise trip!


----------



## dolphingirl47

franandaj said:


> So what you're saying is that when the new locks open up there is the possibility that the Dream and Fantasy will be released from their contracts that they can possibly travel to the West Coast?



Yes, it is a possibility. Whether or not they choose to exercise that option, remains to be seen.



franandaj said:


> And only 31 days until the next WDW/Cruise trip!



That is scary. I am still nowhere near to getting a concrete plan for December.

Corinna


----------



## Steppesister

franandaj said:


> Sat Apr 30
> 9AM Breakfast at Whispering Canyon
> Spend the day checking out Disney Springs
> 6:15 PM Hoop de Doo Review



Now THAT is the perfect non-park day! Nicely planned!



franandaj said:


> 7PM Dinner at Artist Point



Please, double please take good notes; I'm looking forward to your review of this place!



franandaj said:


> Wishes on the patio, from our Jacuzzi!!!!!!!



Bliss. 



franandaj said:


> Back to the room for more fireworks from the Jacuzzi!!!!!



Let me repeat myself!!


----------



## Flossbolna

Love your plans, it sounds like a wonderful relaxed trip!!

I was trying to make fun of you on your TR because you said that you made 180 reservations - you left out the days. And at first I was really confused why you were making plans for 180 meals! 

You are aware that the Poly Bungalows only have a plunge pool, not a jacuzzi on the patio?? So, if you want bubbles, you need to use the one inside. I am really excited that we are planning to get a one-bedroom for our stay at VWL and I finally get one of those lively DVC jacuzzi tubs to try out!!


----------



## skier_pete

Looks like a great trip.

Flossbolna beat me to it, but the Bungalows for all their wonder don't have a jacuzzi on the deck. It's a "plunge pool" and it looks pretty small, plus there's a good chance that big railing they put around the deck might block the fireworks view from someone sitting IN the pool. 

However, you will most assuredly have a world class view of the fireworks. Our recent stay at the Poly we saw the fireworks every night, and twice watched it from the end of our building of Moorea - which is directly behind the bungalows. I was amazing how HUGE the fireworks look from there versus what you see inside the park. My only complaint was you couldn't really hear the music. Hopefully you Bungalow dwellers get the luxury of music being piped in.


----------



## franandaj

dolphingirl47 said:


> Yes, it is a possibility. Whether or not they choose to exercise that option, remains to be seen.



It should be interesting to see what happens!



dolphingirl47 said:


> That is scary. I am still nowhere near to getting a concrete plan for December.



I hope it works out for you!



Steppesister said:


> Now THAT is the perfect non-park day! Nicely planned!



Thanks! 



Steppesister said:


> Please, double please take good notes; I'm looking forward to your review of this place!



I will take many pictures and notes!



Steppesister said:


> Bliss



Except I just found out its a plunge pool, not a jacuzzi. Cool but not quite as cool as a warm jetted tub.



Steppesister said:


> Let me repeat myself!!



If nothing else, enjoying a glass of wine from the balcony.



Flossbolna said:


> Love your plans, it sounds like a wonderful relaxed trip!!



Thanks. I hope so!



Flossbolna said:


> I was trying to make fun of you on your TR because you said that you made 180 reservations - you left out the days. And at first I was really confused why you were making plans for 180 meals!



I know you were! I was so excited for making them and getting what I wanted that I was leaving words out of my sentences!



Flossbolna said:


> You are aware that the Poly Bungalows only have a plunge pool, not a jacuzzi on the patio?? So, if you want bubbles, you need to use the one inside. I am really excited that we are planning to get a one-bedroom for our stay at VWL and I finally get one of those lively DVC jacuzzi tubs to try out!!



No, I wasn't aware that it was a plunge pool. Well, if it's hot that will be nice. I love my jacuzzi tub in the DVC one bedrooms! The ones at VWL are extra big and comfy!



********** said:


> Looks like a great trip.
> 
> Flossbolna beat me to it, but the Bungalows for all their wonder don't have a jacuzzi on the deck. It's a "plunge pool" and it looks pretty small, plus there's a good chance that big railing they put around the deck might block the fireworks view from someone sitting IN the pool.
> 
> However, you will most assuredly have a world class view of the fireworks. Our recent stay at the Poly we saw the fireworks every night, and twice watched it from the end of our building of Moorea - which is directly behind the bungalows. I was amazing how HUGE the fireworks look from there versus what you see inside the park. My only complaint was you couldn't really hear the music. Hopefully you Bungalow dwellers get the luxury of music being piped in.



Bummer that they are not Jacuzzis, but nice that we'll still have a good view. Hopefully there will be a TV channel where they pipe in the music.


----------



## jedijill

Your plans are really coming together!  I'm jelly of the Poly bungalow. 

Jill in CO


----------



## rentayenta

Love you plans. What a FUN group of people. It's going to be a great trip. Is Alberto a good cook? I loooooooove that I know who you are talking about. 

Poly bungalows!!!!!!!! I can't wait to read all about that. I about barfed when I saw how many points they are per night.


----------



## franandaj

jedijill said:


> Your plans are really coming together!  I'm jelly of the Poly bungalow.
> 
> Jill in CO



I really hope that this time they go through!  I need some serious "make up" trips!



rentayenta said:


> Love you plans. What a FUN group of people. It's going to be a great trip. Is Alberto a good cook? I loooooooove that I know who you are talking about.
> 
> Poly bungalows!!!!!!!! I can't wait to read all about that. I about barfed when I saw how many points they are per night.



Actually, I'm not sure I've ever had Alberto's cooking. But I know he makes Thanksgiving every year for a huge crowd over at Leisure World and Jim says that he does most of the cooking at their house.  I'm just please that someone else will do it and I don't have to!

They look so nice, and I know.  I can't believe that they cost just as much as the Grand Villa we all stayed in, and there will only be four of us!


----------



## PrincessInOz

WOW!  180 day mark....already?  Looks like the re-do is going to be a fantastic trip with those ADRs and plans.
Enjoy the Poly Bungalows.  I'm totally envious.


----------



## dhorner233

Sat Apr 30
9AM Breakfast at Whispering Canyon
Spend the day checking out Disney Springs
6:15 PM Hoop de Doo Review

Sounds like a great day! Love the breakfast at Whispering Canyon! Haven't seen the Hoop de Doo since the 1980's 

Sun May 1
Happy Birthday to me!
Epcot FP+ will be made
Epcot Flower & Garden Festival lunch grazing at the booths
7PM Dinner at Artist Point

What a great way to spend your birthday!!!  I can't wait to hear about Artist Point. That's on my next visit's "must do" list.

Mon May 2
Lazy morning at the resort
1:00PM lunch at Sanaa
AK for night time activities

How nice to have a lazy morning at the resort! What night time activities do they have at the AK?

Tues May 3
Resort switch day
12:00 Behind the Seeds tour(?)
2PM lunch at Chef’s de France
Check into Poly Bungalows
Cook dinner in the room
Wishes on the patio!

Lucky you staying at the new Poly Bungalows! I can't wait to see the pictures! It's as close as I'll ever get!

Wed May 4
9AM Rope Drop MK
10:40AM 1900 Park Fare
??? Whatever we want
6:40PM O’Hana
Back to the room for more fireworks from the balcony!

I have got to go to 1900 Park Fare too!! I never get to the resorts enough. And it must be heaven to watch the fireworks from your bungalow! 

Thurs May 5
Whatever we didn’t do for the last week.
6:40PM Be Our Guest

You must have been very organized to a dinner reservation for Be Our Guest or is it still the hardest reservation to get at DW?


----------



## franandaj

PrincessInOz said:


> WOW!  180 day mark....already?  Looks like the re-do is going to be a fantastic trip with those ADRs and plans.
> Enjoy the Poly Bungalows.  I'm totally envious.



I'm hoping so! And I'm really glad that Alberto plans to join us, he is a total hoot!  Not that Jim isn't but the combination is a lot of fun!  I can't wait to slow down some at the bungalows, enjoying our own meals and having WDW and the water pageant and fireworks right outside.  I doubt we're ever going to experience that again!



dhorner233 said:


> Sounds like a great day! Love the breakfast at Whispering Canyon! Haven't seen the Hoop de Doo since the 1980's



I've never done either so I'm looking forward to a day of new experiences!


dhorner233 said:


> What a great way to spend your birthday!!!  I can't wait to hear about Artist Point. That's on my next visit's "must do" list.



That one has been on my radar for years, so I'm glad we're finally going to get to it.  And it will be a little more subdued than last year's B'day!



dhorner233 said:


> How nice to have a lazy morning at the resort! What night time activities do they have at the AK?



I love lazy mornings at the resort, and this one is beautiful!  They are launching a whole new series of events to boost nighttime attendance at AK.  I think there is a parade, a "WoC"ish show, and some other stuff.  Don't remember exactly what it was, but we googled it while Jim was over and we were talking ADRs and he said it sounded fun. Fran was the one who suggested it as she subscribes to almost every Disney email source out there!



dhorner233 said:


> Lucky you staying at the new Poly Bungalows! I can't wait to see the pictures! It's as close as I'll ever get!



I know I can't believe we got it.  1) because we need an H/A room and there are only a limited number of those and 2) I don't own there, so luckily no disabled folks who own there wanted to stay on our dates!  




dhorner233 said:


> I have got to go to 1900 Park Fare too!! I never get to the resorts enough. And it must be heaven to watch the fireworks from your bungalow!



It's one of our favorites, the strawberry soup is one of the best things they have there!



dhorner233 said:


> You must have been very organized to a dinner reservation for Be Our Guest or is it still the hardest reservation to get at DW?



Actually I think it's easing up.  I didn't get up at 3AM to get that reservation so maybe it's not as hard as it was two years ago.


----------



## Steppesister

franandaj said:


> Except I just found out its a plunge pool, not a jacuzzi. Cool but not quite as cool as a warm jetted tub.



Well, that stinks!!


----------



## dizneeat

*Great plans and ADRs! Great! Great ....... for all of us, who will be enjoying the TR and pics. *


----------



## Pinkocto

Great plans! I wouldn't want to leave that bungalow, it looks gorgeous! Fun that Alberto is joining you this time.


----------



## franandaj

Steppesister said:


> Well, that stinks!!



Yeah, well I guess it's OK to not have a Jacuzzi on the balcony as long as we have a view of Wishes.



dizneeat said:


> *Great plans and ADRs! Great! Great ....... for all of us, who will be enjoying the TR and pics. *



Thanks!



Pinkocto said:


> Great plans! I wouldn't want to leave that bungalow, it looks gorgeous! Fun that Alberto is joining you this time.



I know it will be hard to want to go to the parks when we have such a great place to stay!


----------



## franandaj

About two months ago, we had plans to go out with friends for dinner and see the fireworks, but his plans changed on the spot and that morning we got a call that he was flying out at 4PM and wouldn’t be able to make dinner.  Our choice was to cancel and pay a $50 per person cancellation fee, or have just the two of us go to dinner, and pay about $200 for our dinner. So what the heck we decided to go have dinner by ourselves!

Here I am having my favorite Martini.





And Fran’s Margarita





Our Amuse Bouche was a Citrus crusted Hamachi with cream cheese





I started off the Prime New York of Beef Seared Black and Blue with Tarragon Roasted Garlic Puree. It was rather tasty and a nice sized portion.





Fran ordered the Cornbread Crusted Chanterelle Mushrooms with Salsify Puree and Chimichurri





Our next course we both ordered the same thing.  It was a seasonal item and also new to the menu. Yellow Tomato Gazpacho and with a sorbet (can’t remember the flavor).  We both liked this, but found the sorbet a tiny bit out of place in the dish.





Since I liked it so much when we dined with Magdalene, I ordered this one again. Iron Seared Fish with Crayfish Hoppin John and Potato Leek Stew.  This was cooked to perfection and again a perfectly sized portion.





We got the palate cleanser next and I really enjoyed this too, it was sort of a lemon sorbetish flavor.





For the Main Entrée, I always have a hard time resisting a piece of lamb when it is on the menu and tonight was no exception.





Fran on the other hand tends to go for the filet, which is interesting since her real preferred cut is a rib eye, either way both entrée’s were quite good and neither one of us regretted our choices.





I got the cheese course and it was really good!  They have stepped up their portions enough here that I gave some of it to Fran in case I couldn’t eat my dessert.





For dessert I got some sort of peach tart deconstructed.  I don’t remember exactly what it was (or most of this I am constructing from previous visits or memory, teach me not to take a photo of the menu!). But I do remember that it was really good and light, but also satisfying as a dessert.





Fran got the same thing we had about a month and a half before, totally decadent chocolate cake doused with other chocolate and served with cappuccino ice cream, I think.





After that we went to watch the fireworks, but first took a picture.





After the fireworks (go back a few pages or 10 if you want to see pictures) we took a few pictures inside the Grand Californian hotel.  I had just got this new dress, it’s based on art from Mary Blair and wanted to get some pictures.  Hoping for possibly a new FB photo or something.









And then we headed home.  I think by this point it was close to midnight and were tired!


----------



## dizneeat

*Yummy dinner - good choice going on your own! The dress is super cute! *


----------



## dhorner233

Love your Mary Blair kitty dress!  And Fran's Olaf shirt! You have so many cool Disney things!


----------



## Pinkocto

What a fun evening, glad you decided to still go. 

Dinner looked quite delicious. 

Cute pictures of you both


----------



## mvf-m11c

Good decision to go and dinner looks great. Very nice picture of the two of you at the DLR.


----------



## jedijill

Too bad plans changed but your dinner looked yummy!  Loved your dress and Fran's shirt!  You have the coolest Disney clothes!

Jill in CO


----------



## franandaj

dizneeat said:


> *Yummy dinner - good choice going on your own! The dress is super cute! *



I'm glad we did!  It was a very good dinner.  Thanks!  I like that dress a lot.



dhorner233 said:


> Love your Mary Blair kitty dress!  And Fran's Olaf shirt! You have so many cool Disney things!



Thanks!  I thought our outfits went well together!



Pinkocto said:


> What a fun evening, glad you decided to still go.
> 
> Dinner looked quite delicious.
> 
> Cute pictures of you both



Thanks, it was a fun evening!



mvf-m11c said:


> Good decision to go and dinner looks great. Very nice picture of the two of you at the DLR.



Dinner was very nice. We had a good time.



jedijill said:


> Too bad plans changed but your dinner looked yummy!  Loved your dress and Fran's shirt!  You have the coolest Disney clothes!
> 
> Jill in CO



It's too bad we didn't get to meet those friends, maybe next month.  Thanks, we seek out Disney clothes!


----------



## dolphingirl47

Dinner looked lovely. I think this was just before I came to Disneyland.

Corinna


----------



## Paula Sedley-Burke

Just catching up. Got home after landing myself in hospital again. Only 7 days this time...

Be nice if I do make it for Christmas which is up in the air now to see you quickly at VWL. 

Love your plans for April /May next year. I love that name Roberto! Omg that meal. I need to look at that once more I could not believe my eyes... 

Looks amazing. Where is this place?


----------



## PrincessInOz

Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> Just catching up. Got home after landing myself in hospital again. Only 7 days this time...
> 
> Be nice if I do make it for Christmas which is up in the air now to see you quickly at VWL.
> 
> Love your plans for April /May next year. I love that name Roberto! Omg that meal. I need to look at that once more I could not believe my eyes...
> 
> Looks amazing. Where is this place?



Glad you're well enough to be online.  Hope you're okay.


----------



## PrincessInOz

I've made the cardinal mistake of checking in one of your threads when I'm feeling hungry.

OMG.  I really want that meal right now.  It looks delicious!
Love the MB dress.  Looks great on you.


----------



## IowaTater

Very nice dress & I love how you & Fran are color coordinated.  Was that planned?  I especially liked the photo of you leaning on the piano.  I hope that's the one that made the FB profile pic. 

What an amazing dinner! That filet looks so tasty as does the cheese course.  I do love some good cheese.


----------



## afwdwfan

Looks like another great meal!  I think you made the right call to go ahead and keep that reservation.


----------



## franandaj

dolphingirl47 said:


> Dinner looked lovely. I think this was just before I came to Disneyland.
> 
> Corinna



This was actually about a month before you arrived.  I have one more dinner to post before the pictures of our days.



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> Just catching up. Got home after landing myself in hospital again. Only 7 days this time...
> 
> Be nice if I do make it for Christmas which is up in the air now to see you quickly at VWL.



Well, I'm glad that you're back home safe and sound again.  I hope that you are well enough to travel and we can meet up, even if it is only briefly.



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> Love your plans for April /May next year. I love that name Roberto! Omg that meal. I need to look at that once more I could not believe my eyes...



Thanks!  It was a fantastic meal.  I need to go back and do it again!



PrincessInOz said:


> I've made the cardinal mistake of checking in one of your threads when I'm feeling hungry.
> 
> OMG. I really want that meal right now. It looks delicious!



You should know better than that!  Pretty much all my travels lately have been through food!



PrincessInOz said:


> Love the MB dress. Looks great on you.



Thanks!  I needs to do something where that dress would be a good thing to wear again.



IowaTater said:


> Very nice dress & I love how you & Fran are color coordinated. Was that planned? I especially liked the photo of you leaning on the piano. I hope that's the one that made the FB profile pic.



Actually, no we didn't plan it that way.  It just worked out.  I haven't tried it as a profile pic on FB, but I should do that.



IowaTater said:


> What an amazing dinner! That filet looks so tasty as does the cheese course. I do love some good cheese.



I had the lamb and it was pretty tasty!  Fran liked the filet.  The cheese course was excellent!



afwdwfan said:


> Looks like another great meal!  I think you made the right call to go ahead and keep that reservation.



I think so too.  In fact part of me wants to go back again.  However with the holidays, I better watch it on the big meals.


----------



## franandaj

A couple weeks later, Fran wanted to do some shopping.  I don’t know what we were thinking because it was Labor Day and it was HOT!  But we were hankering for a corn dog, so we headed down Main Street to the little Red Wagon.  We split up, I think Fran stopped at the Disneyana Store while I went ahead to get in line. But when I got there, the Red Wagon was closed because it was too hot, and there were CMs directing us back to the Stage Door Café for a Corn Dog.  I remember trying to text and call Fran to tell her that I would be waiting in the Air Conditioned Photo Store, but she never picked up.  Eventually she showed up and we reconnected and headed over to get our Corn Dogs.  They were quite yummy 









The park was realty busy.  We couldn’t even find a table, so we just parked our scooters here and ate right there.





The line for the stage door café was out the door!





We did some shopping at Star Traders and a I really wanted a chocolate milk shake. However everywhere that we went there were huge lines and crowds.  So we tucked into a little out of the way spot for some air conditioning and a cold beverage.

















My adult chocolate shake.





And this is us on our way out of the park with our loot.









We got stuck in some traffic due to an accident on the Freeway, and didn’t make it home until after dark.  Luckily, the cats were not eaten by coyotes!


----------



## PrincessInOz

Ooh!  Loot and food.  What a great update.

That looks like a great adult chocolate drink.  I might be tempted to try that one.


----------



## dhorner233

Are you allowed to post a link to your e-bay store on here? I got the first 3 Disneyland Decades prints while I was there and am trying to find the other 3. 

I love Disneyland corn dogs. Corn dogs and churros are a couple of my "must dos/eat"


----------



## mvf-m11c

As always, Fran brought home a lot of goodies.

The Corn dogs at Stage Door Cafe are nice. I also like Corn Dog Castle at DCA which have the hotlink corn dogs. I have a hunch that you will be at DL next Monday during Star Wars Season of the Force opening day which I have now push back my schedule to accommodate that day.


----------



## afwdwfan

franandaj said:


> A couple weeks later, Fran wanted to do some shopping. I don’t know what we were thinking because it was Labor Day and it was HOT! But we were hankering for a corn dog, so we headed down Main Street to the little Red Wagon.


Seriously.  This, I just can't get over.

Hey, I want a corn dog.

That sounds good, let's go to Disneyland!



franandaj said:


> And this is us on our way out of the park with our loot.


I think you need to get a trailer for your scooter.


----------



## skier_pete

franandaj said:


> We got stuck in some traffic due to an accident on the Freeway.



This quote followed behind your pictures has my imagination seeing you and Fran stuck in traffic on your scooters loaded with boxes.


----------



## afwdwfan

********** said:


> This quote followed behind your pictures has my imagination seeing you and Fran stuck in traffic on your scooters loaded with boxes.


That image might have popped into my head as well.


----------



## dolphingirl47

franandaj said:


> The line for the stage door café was out the door!



That is what it looked like when I went there in September.



franandaj said:


> My adult chocolate shake.



This looks divine.

Corinna


----------



## Paula Sedley-Burke

How nice to have a shopping day. You are really helping me get better here! What on earth is that lucious corn dog item? We don't have those in the UK. It looks so good! I look forward to be able to eat an item like that once more. Is it like a hot dog wrapped in corn bread? All I can eat is white things at the moment! Mash, chicken, fish, white bread and corn flakes. I wonder if I colour it white am I allowed? Lol. 

That adult chocolate shake isn't that cute! Nice photos. Does it come in white! Theme park connection bags cool.


----------



## Steppesister

OH BOY! Corn dogs! Casey's is a MUST-DO for us. Those little corn dog nuggets of Heavenly status. Come to Mama, Little ones!


----------



## EJ4Disney

As always, I am late to this party.  But I just had to comment on your darling dress.  Just beautiful, and Fran's shirt was great.  You 2 look so cute.
I want one of those adult chocolate shakes right now.


----------



## dolphingirl47

Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> Is it like a hot dog wrapped in corn bread?



This is precisely what it is. It is a hotdog dipped in a cornbread mixture and deep fried. This is truly the food of the gods.

Corinna


----------



## Paula Sedley-Burke

dolphingirl47 said:


> This is precisely what it is. It is a hotdog dipped in a cornbread mixture and deep fried. This is truly the food of the gods.
> 
> Corinna



That is one dog I would like to take for a walk. To my mouth!


----------



## jedijill

dolphingirl47 said:


> This is precisely what it is. It is a hotdog dipped in a cornbread mixture and deep fried. This is truly the food of the gods.
> 
> Corinna



Agree 10000%  Plus food on a stick just tastes better!

Jill in CO


----------



## franandaj

PrincessInOz said:


> Ooh!  Loot and food.  What a great update.
> 
> That looks like a great adult chocolate drink.  I might be tempted to try that one.



Other than the heat, it was a fun day!  Next time you come, let's do it!



dhorner233 said:


> Are you allowed to post a link to your e-bay store on here? I got the first 3 Disneyland Decades prints while I was there and am trying to find the other 3.



Right now we don't have anything but DVDs that she is reselling up there, but I know we don't have those.  I'll let you know when we list some good stuff.  I also owe you some links to our concert band performances.



dhorner233 said:


> I love Disneyland corn dogs. Corn dogs and churros are a couple of my "must dos/eat"



I'm not sure I've had their churros, but I love the corn dogs.



mvf-m11c said:


> As always, Fran brought home a lot of goodies.
> 
> The Corn dogs at Stage Door Cafe are nice. I also like Corn Dog Castle at DCA which have the hotlink corn dogs. I have a hunch that you will be at DL next Monday during Star Wars Season of the Force opening day which I have now push back my schedule to accommodate that day.



You were right, but we didn't clean up on the merchandise that night, but we sure did the day before!  I like the Corn Dog Castle too, I like their Cheese dog!



afwdwfan said:


> Seriously. This, I just can't get over.
> 
> Hey, I want a corn dog.
> 
> That sounds good, let's go to Disneyland!



Pretty much.  We have been known to do the same thing with a Monte Cristo as well.



afwdwfan said:


> I think you need to get a trailer for your scooter.



Don't put it past us!



********** said:


> This quote followed behind your pictures has my imagination seeing you and Fran stuck in traffic on your scooters loaded with boxes.



I think we would be cited for not going the minimum speed limit!   



afwdwfan said:


> That image might have popped into my head as well.







dolphingirl47 said:


> That is what it looked like when I went there in September.



I never noticed it much before, usually we eat at other places in the park.



dolphingirl47 said:


> This looks divine.



It was and perfect on a hot day.



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> How nice to have a shopping day. You are really helping me get better here! What on earth is that lucious corn dog item?



I see that Corinna has explained it to you.



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> We don't have those in the UK. It looks so good! I look forward to be able to eat an item like that once more. Is it like a hot dog wrapped in corn bread? All I can eat is white things at the moment! Mash, chicken, fish, white bread and corn flakes. I wonder if I colour it white am I allowed? Lol.



There is such as thing as white cornmeal, I don't know if you can get it in the UK, and if you could get some German Weiss Wurst, that would qualify it.  All you have to do is get Jo to cook it for you!



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> That adult chocolate shake isn't that cute! Nice photos. Does it come in white! Theme park connection bags cool.



That's a good question, you could make it with vanilla ice cream but I think the booze in there is a no no for you as well.



Steppesister said:


> OH BOY! Corn dogs! Casey's is a MUST-DO for us. Those little corn dog nuggets of Heavenly status. Come to Mama, Little ones!



I'm already craving another one, but tomorrow we're going out there for the Big Thunder BBQ, you know they are shutting it down for good in January.  



EJ4Disney said:


> As always, I am late to this party.  But I just had to comment on your darling dress.  Just beautiful, and Fran's shirt was great.  You 2 look so cute.
> I want one of those adult chocolate shakes right now.



Well I'm glad that you made it over here!  Too bad you can't "stop by" while you're in Arizona!



dolphingirl47 said:


> This is precisely what it is. It is a hotdog dipped in a cornbread mixture and deep fried. This is truly the food of the gods.
> 
> Corinna



Perfect description!  I chuckled when I read this!



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> That is one dog I would like to take for a walk. To my mouth!







jedijill said:


> Agree 10000%  Plus food on a stick just tastes better!
> 
> Jill in CO



Absolutely and fried food on a stick can't be beat!


----------



## franandaj

I'm going to apologize to anyone who I have not yet visited or commented on your thread.  It's been a crazy week and a half since I got home from my parent's house.  But it's all first world problems, so I really can't complain.  After I get caught up on posting on everyone's thread, I'll give an update on the cruise thread of what's been going on, and have another update there.  I need to get that one wrapped up as I leave on another trip in 18 days!  Plus the first world time problems I've been having means I have a TON more stuff to post over here!  One more update that is pre cruise and then I can share what's been going on for the last week!

Our next little trip to Disney was not supposed to happen.  It was Wednesday, two days after Labor Day and we were supposed to be driving to my parent’s house that day.  I’m not sure what came over Fran, but she decided that we were going to a Wine Dinner that night.  Normally it would have been fine to alter our plans, but my mother had purchased tickets for a special prescreening of the Walt Disney Documentary that they aired last September on PBS.  It was being held on Thursday at the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco and it started at 5:30PM.

From our house to my parents, it is a 365 mile drive and The City is another 45 minutes to an hour from their house.  The only way this was going to work was if we started driving after the dinner, stopped for the night somewhere north of Los Angeles (so we didn’t have drive through LA in rush hour traffic) and then get an early start Thursday morning so we would arrive in time to leave for the city at 4:00PM.  Yikes!  But evidently she wanted to go to this event bad enough to do something that crazy, and so it was done.

The dinner was with the Royal Tokaji Winery which is a Hungarian Wine Producing region. 





It has a very interesting history.  From Wikipedia

Tokaji wine became the subject of the world's first appellation control, established several decades before Port wine, and over 120 years before the classification of Bordeaux. In 1920, following the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, a small part of the Tokaj wine region (approx. 1.75 km²) became part of Czechoslovakia due to the Treaty of Trianon, while the rest remained part of Hungary. After World War II, when Hungary became a Soviet-influenced state, Tokaji production continued with as many as 6,000 small producers, but the bottling and distribution were monopolized by the state-owned organization. Since the collapse of the communist regimes in 1990, a number of independent wineries have been established in the Tokaj wine region. A state-owned producer continues to exist and handles approximately 20% of the overall production.

It was a very popular wine in the 18th Century and was enjoyed at the Court of Versailles, and also by many of history’s great composers, as well as Emperors and Monarchs throughout Europe. Tokaji wine has received accolades from numerous great writers and composers including Beethoven, Liszt, Schubert, Goethe, Heinrich Heine, Friedrich von Schiller, Bram Stoker, Johann Strauss II, and Voltaire. The composer Joseph Haydn's favorite wine was Tokaji.

But back to our evening.

We were served a cocktail made with the wine.





And an amuse bouche, and oops my bad.  A couple weeks ago we ate at the same restaurant and I said that the Amuse Bouche was a Citrus crusted Hamachi with cream cheese, when that’s actually what we had tonight!





This is the wine that was used in the cocktail.  We also had a glass of the wine.





This gentleman gave us a history of the region (similar to what I found on Wikipedia) before we had our dinner.

















These were some of the wines that we would be enjoying over the course of the evening.













They were offering purchases of the wines that evening.  Needless to say we did not buy any bottles.  I will say, especially if you are not a fan of wines, these are VERY accessible wines.  They are all sweet and late harvest style, hence the costly nature of the wines.  But if someone else is buying, I would say that you shouldn’t pass up the opportunity try these wines of royalty!





The first course was not listed on the menu.  It included caviar over a bed of creamy mashed potatoes.  I’m not a big caviar person, but the potatoes!  They were to die for!  We were given a mother of pearl spoon to eat the caviar because evidently if you eat it with metal it might impart an undesirable flavor.  I know, I know some of you are thinking, “they’re fish eggs? How could they have a desirable flavor?” But I’m just going with what they told us.





Here is the entire dish that it was served with.  I’m not sure why it was in such a big bowl filled with salt for such a tiny serving in the middle.





Here’s the wine we paired it with.





And a close up of the caviar.





There was this little potato cake on the side of the plate, it was really good.





But see how creamy the mashed potatoes underneath it were?





This was the wine we had with the first course listed on the menu.





It was a Last of Summer Garden Melon and Goat Feta Cheese salad with Virginia Ham and Arugula.  I have to say the flavors here were really tasty and went very well with the wine.





Our next course was a Roasted Maple Leaf Farms Duck Breast, stuffed Grape Leaf and Brown Butter Pan Sauce.  This was exquisite!





I don’t have a picture of the wine paired with it, but I showed you all the wines that we would be drinking earlier.  And by the way, if you think we might have been getting drunk at all tonight. With the prices of these bottles? They were pouring barely an ounce per glass, maybe 1 ½ but wine pairings are normally a standard 2 ½ ounce pour, but not these, not even close.

Our Main Course was a Filet Mignon Paprikash with Suzie’s Farms Pepper and Golden Raising Freekah.  They told us when this dish was served that they were trying to prepare “twists” on standard Hungarian dishes and this was their modern take on a “pepper steak”.  It was also very good!





Our last dish was dessert.  It was an interesting dessert as it combined aspects of sweet and savory. Since all the wines were very sweet for the entire evening, it was quite a challenge to pair meals with them.  I figured out about halfway through dinner why Fran wanted to come to this dinner so much.  She is a HUGE fan of sweet wines. 

Our dessert wine deserves a little explanation.  Now throughout the night our host was telling stories, either that or the chef was explaining the next dish, but none of those really bear repeating and I don’t really remember anyways. But this story is rather interesting and I can’t even find it anywhere on the Internet, so who knows if it’s true!  This wine is incredibly high in residual sugars. So much so that it can be stored over 200 years and not spoil. To put this in perspective, I’m going to use German wines as it’s the best one I know and I have some folks of German descent reading along. A Trockenbeerenauslese has a 150-154 measure of residual sugar.  This is about the sweetest of German wines. The Hungarian Eszencia has a measure of over 450. And because of this is can only be drank in small quantities hence the serving vessel.





The story behind this wine, is slightly fuzzy to me as it was over two months ago, but I’ll give it my best shot. The wine was created in the 1600's completely by accident. The region was a wine growing region, however during the harvest season somewhere in the mid 1600s the region was under attack.  There was no time to complete the harvest so they just left the berries in their 37 gallon barrels and headed off for war.  When they came back they were sure that the harvest had been ruined.  Instead they found a delectable sticky juice that had formed at the bottom of the barrel.  According to Royal Tokaji’s website, “This juice that accumulates at the bottom of a vat by the gentle pressure of the grapes’ own weight is sticky and pours like rich honey. Because sugar levels can be as high as 85 percent, the juice ferments extremely slowly; it took the 2003 Essencia seven years in Royal Tokaji’s cellars to reach only 2.23 percent alcohol.”  This was the vintage that we were served.

Our dessert was Crispy Robiolina with Stewed Peaches and Honey Comb.  I have to assume that the Robiolina was the rolled cheese on the plate here. This was so good, the combination of cheese, peaches and honey comb all together was the perfect balance for this ultra sweet wine!





And that was it.  We didn’t stay to purchase any wines, and really had to get going as we had a good 60 or more miles to drive once we got back home.  Besides due to events of the day I still hadn’t even loaded the car up for the drive north!


----------



## franandaj

But on our way our, I was captivated.  The last time I was in the park it was all 60th Anniversary.  Now only two days later it had been transformed into a Halloween Wonderland!

The castle was beautiful.





And these little pumpkins adorned the hub.





























It’s such a magical feeling leaving the park when it’s almost empty.  I don’t think it was closed, but hardly anyone was there.

















The 60th Anniversary merchandise was still there.





And then we left the park and were on our way home.


----------



## dvc at last !

I love your reports.  You explain things well and also include beautiful pics.  Thanks for the wine history, too.
Excellent update !


----------



## Steppesister

Beautifully presented wine dinner! I don't LOVE late harvest wines so much- a bit too sweet for me, but it looks like it was all paired well and delicious. I"m one of those weirdos who actually like caviar in MODERATION! And believe it or not, I inherited some mother-of-pearl spoons, but never knew what they were for! WHO KNEW!? 

Lovely update!


----------



## dhorner233

Yes please send me some links to your concerts!! I played a mini concert this evening at an assisted living place in town. Just the string ensemble. (I play viola with them.) This Sat and Sun is our little community theater's concert. I'll be playing with the string ensemble and then French horn with the brass ensemble and clarinet in the band. Clarinet, just like Fran! Some where I saw a picture of the two of you on stage like before a concert. All dressed up. Your band must be so good! I can't wait to hear you!

What a cool dinner/wine tasting. Very interesting. Who knew you could mess up the taste of fish eggs!

And yes, please let me know if you start listing stuff on e-bay.


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## PrincessInOz

What a great dinner and wine tasting!  I totally get why Fran wanted to go.  

Awesome pictures of a near empty park on the way out.  Love the Halloween touches.


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## Flossbolna

loved the report from your dinner!! The food looks amazing and I have had Tokaj before. My father was in Hungary once on some kind of official function and was given a set of small bottles of different varieties of those wines. I think there was one that was 15 years fermented or so. They were amazing, more like a grape liqueur than a wine.


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## Paula Sedley-Burke

Very interesting report. That was a generous portion of the sweet wine! Here they serve it in much smaller qualities. When I could drink I just adored a good sweet wine. When we were in your fine state we did a wine tour. A limo took us around many estates. We tasted one sweet wine that I feel for never had before and I regretted not getting it! Do you know this was the wine! I recall the story! 

The amuse bouche yum. The food is wonderful. Like you say difficult to pair food with sweet wine. In the UK we call them dessert wines we only serve them with dessert.

That Duck! I want to grab it. The beef! That dessert... I am jumping into my ipad. 

Great update. Love the photos of the fireworks too.


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## jedijill

What a cool wine dinner!  I don't love the super sweet wines anymore but those sound really interesting.  That castle is so beautiful.  Can't wait to see it soon!

Jill in CO


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## afwdwfan

franandaj said:


> From our house to my parents, it is a 365 mile drive and The City is another 45 minutes to an hour from their house. The only way this was going to work was if we started driving after the dinner, stopped for the night somewhere north of Los Angeles (so we didn’t have drive through LA in rush hour traffic) and then get an early start Thursday morning so we would arrive in time to leave for the city at 4:00PM. Yikes! But evidently she wanted to go to this event bad enough to do something that crazy, and so it was done.


Seems like a good plan... I hope the next part all works out.  The pre-screening of the PBS documentary would have been something that I'd have jumped all over!  I was excited to finally see it when it came out. 



franandaj said:


> It was a very popular wine in the 18th Century and was enjoyed at the Court of Versailles, and also by many of history’s great composers, as well as Emperors and Monarchs throughout Europe. Tokaji wine has received accolades from numerous great writers and composers including Beethoven, Liszt, Schubert, Goethe, Heinrich Heine, Friedrich von Schiller, Bram Stoker, Johann Strauss II, and Voltaire. The composer Joseph Haydn's favorite wine was Tokaji.


So... yeah, this really puts it into perspective about how long this wine has been around and how highly it is regarded.



franandaj said:


> They were offering purchases of the wines that evening. Needless to say we did not buy any bottles. I will say, especially if you are not a fan of wines, these are VERY accessible wines. They are all sweet and late harvest style, hence the costly nature of the wines. But if someone else is buying, I would say that you shouldn’t pass up the opportunity try these wines of royalty!


Wow.  Definitely a little bit above my price range.  I'm not even a big fan of wine to begin with.  I'll stick which choking down a $10 bottle from a local winery if I feel the need to drink wine.


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## dolphingirl47

That dinner looked amazing. I can understand why Fran was so keen to attend this even though it through a spanner in the works in terms of your other plans.



franandaj said:


> She is a HUGE fan of sweet wines.



I am with her on that.



franandaj said:


> A Trockenbeerenauslese has a 150-154 measure of residual sugar. This is about the sweetest of German wines.



I think that honour goes to Eiswein. I quite like Trockenbeerenauslese, but Eiswein is a bit too much for me.



franandaj said:


> The Hungarian Eszencia has a measure of over 450.



I think the technical term for this is syrup ;-)



franandaj said:


> This was so good, the combination of cheese, peaches and honey comb all together was the perfect balance for this ultra sweet wine!



This looks and sounds absolutely delicious.

I loved the nearly empty park photos.

Corinna


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## mvf-m11c

What a great evening with dinner and wine tasting. All of the food and wine looks very nice.

Very nice of the pics at DL during the Halloween season that night.


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## Pinkocto

What a delightful dinner, I understand why Fran wanted to go.  The only wine I have ever enjoyed was a raspberry wine, so I think I might have enjoyed this event.  Did you like the one that was paired with the dessert?  I'm glad you were able to make it work 

The park at night is so pretty!!!


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## franandaj

dvc at last ! said:


> I love your reports.  You explain things well and also include beautiful pics.  Thanks for the wine history, too.
> Excellent update !



Thanks!  I'm glad you enjoy my details!  It makes me happy, I actually researched it after the event to write this.  I don't take very good notes when I'm drinking wine and it helps to have Wikipediea to supplement what I remember they said!



Steppesister said:


> Beautifully presented wine dinner! I don't LOVE late harvest wines so much- a bit too sweet for me, but it looks like it was all paired well and delicious. I"m one of those weirdos who actually like caviar in MODERATION! And believe it or not, I inherited some mother-of-pearl spoons, but never knew what they were for! WHO KNEW!?
> 
> Lovely update!



Well I'm glad that I could help you figure out what to use your Mother Of Pearl spoons for.  After you get your nursing degree buy some caviar an celebrate since you like it!



dhorner233 said:


> Yes please send me some links to your concerts!! I played a mini concert this evening at an assisted living place in town. Just the string ensemble. (I play viola with them.) This Sat and Sun is our little community theater's concert. I'll be playing with the string ensemble and then French horn with the brass ensemble and clarinet in the band. Clarinet, just like Fran! Some where I saw a picture of the two of you on stage like before a concert. All dressed up. Your band must be so good! I can't wait to hear you!
> 
> What a cool dinner/wine tasting. Very interesting. Who knew you could mess up the taste of fish eggs!
> 
> And yes, please let me know if you start listing stuff on e-bay.



I will try to send you those listings, this stuff I have aluded to on the other TR with to busy, and I keep forgetting when I am at home.  Then there are times like now when I am too tired to find the links.  I know they are easy to find, but I'm tired and am not exactly sure where to look.



PrincessInOz said:


> What a great dinner and wine tasting!  I totally get why Fran wanted to go.
> 
> Awesome pictures of a near empty park on the way out.  Love the Halloween touches.



Thanks! Yeah, the wines were pretty exceptional.



Flossbolna said:


> loved the report from your dinner!! The food looks amazing and I have had Tokaj before. My father was in Hungary once on some kind of official function and was given a set of small bottles of different varieties of those wines. I think there was one that was 15 years fermented or so. They were amazing, more like a grape liqueur than a wine.



Yes, I'm sure it was like a liqueur except that the wines only have a tiny alcohol content.  It's kind of crazy, they were so good. Anyways I'm glad I had the experience to try them.  I'm glad you have tried them as well. They are interesting and tasty.  They are now on the menu at a special restaurant so we can have them if we want.


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## dizneeat

*What an awesome meal!! Tokaji is pretty well known around here, even though I have to admit I do not really like it. But then I only have a handful of wines I really enjoy. 
I still need to catch up on your other trip. Guess it's time for it now. *


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## ACDSNY

Caught up again.  Everything looks tasty.


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## Kwaschitz

Oh my gosh! I haven't really been on here in a while and sat down this evening with my first thought being "I hope there's a franandaj trip report!" Click to this section et voila  Now to read!!


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## dgbg100106

franandaj said:


> About two months ago, we had plans to go out with friends for dinner and see the fireworks, but his plans changed on the spot and that morning we got a call that he was flying out at 4PM and wouldn’t be able to make dinner.  Our choice was to cancel and pay a $50 per person cancellation fee, or have just the two of us go to dinner, and pay about $200 for our dinner. So what the heck we decided to go have dinner by ourselves!
> 
> Here I am having my favorite Martini.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And Fran’s Margarita
> 
> 
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> 
> Our Amuse Bouche was a Citrus crusted Hamachi with cream cheese
> 
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> I started off the Prime New York of Beef Seared Black and Blue with Tarragon Roasted Garlic Puree. It was rather tasty and a nice sized portion.
> 
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> 
> Fran ordered the Cornbread Crusted Chanterelle Mushrooms with Salsify Puree and Chimichurri
> 
> 
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> 
> 
> Our next course we both ordered the same thing.  It was a seasonal item and also new to the menu. Yellow Tomato Gazpacho and with a sorbet (can’t remember the flavor).  We both liked this, but found the sorbet a tiny bit out of place in the dish.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Since I liked it so much when we dined with Magdalene, I ordered this one again. Iron Seared Fish with Crayfish Hoppin John and Potato Leek Stew.  This was cooked to perfection and again a perfectly sized portion.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> We got the palate cleanser next and I really enjoyed this too, it was sort of a lemon sorbetish flavor.
> 
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> 
> For the Main Entrée, I always have a hard time resisting a piece of lamb when it is on the menu and tonight was no exception.
> 
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> Fran on the other hand tends to go for the filet, which is interesting since her real preferred cut is a rib eye, either way both entrée’s were quite good and neither one of us regretted our choices.
> 
> 
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> 
> I got the cheese course and it was really good!  They have stepped up their portions enough here that I gave some of it to Fran in case I couldn’t eat my dessert.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> For dessert I got some sort of peach tart deconstructed.  I don’t remember exactly what it was (or most of this I am constructing from previous visits or memory, teach me not to take a photo of the menu!). But I do remember that it was really good and light, but also satisfying as a dessert.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Fran got the same thing we had about a month and a half before, totally decadent chocolate cake doused with other chocolate and served with cappuccino ice cream, I think.
> 
> 
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> 
> 
> After that we went to watch the fireworks, but first took a picture.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> After the fireworks (go back a few pages or 10 if you want to see pictures) we took a few pictures inside the Grand Californian hotel.  I had just got this new dress, it’s based on art from Mary Blair and wanted to get some pictures.  Hoping for possibly a new FB photo or something.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And then we headed home.  I think by this point it was close to midnight and were tired!



Dinner looked amazing, all that food pron, but honey that dress and you are gorgeous.


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## dgbg100106

franandaj said:


> A couple weeks later, Fran wanted to do some shopping.  I don’t know what we were thinking because it was Labor Day and it was HOT!  But we were hankering for a corn dog, so we headed down Main Street to the little Red Wagon.  We split up, I think Fran stopped at the Disneyana Store while I went ahead to get in line. But when I got there, the Red Wagon was closed because it was too hot, and there were CMs directing us back to the Stage Door Café for a Corn Dog.  I remember trying to text and call Fran to tell her that I would be waiting in the Air Conditioned Photo Store, but she never picked up.  Eventually she showed up and we reconnected and headed over to get our Corn Dogs.  They were quite yummy
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> The park was realty busy.  We couldn’t even find a table, so we just parked our scooters here and ate right there.
> 
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> 
> 
> The line for the stage door café was out the door!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> We did some shopping at Star Traders and a I really wanted a chocolate milk shake. However everywhere that we went there were huge lines and crowds.  So we tucked into a little out of the way spot for some air conditioning and a cold beverage.
> 
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> My adult chocolate shake.
> 
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> And this is us on our way out of the park with our loot.
> 
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> 
> We got stuck in some traffic due to an accident on the Freeway, and didn’t make it home until after dark.  Luckily, the cats were not eaten by coyotes!




Those boxes....  lots of shopping I see.  So how was the adult chocolate drink, what was in it?


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## dgbg100106

franandaj said:


> I'm going to apologize to anyone who I have not yet visited or commented on your thread.  It's been a crazy week and a half since I got home from my parent's house.  But it's all first world problems, so I really can't complain.  After I get caught up on posting on everyone's thread, I'll give an update on the cruise thread of what's been going on, and have another update there.  I need to get that one wrapped up as I leave on another trip in 18 days!  Plus the first world time problems I've been having means I have a TON more stuff to post over here!  One more update that is pre cruise and then I can share what's been going on for the last week!
> 
> Our next little trip to Disney was not supposed to happen.  It was Wednesday, two days after Labor Day and we were supposed to be driving to my parent’s house that day.  I’m not sure what came over Fran, but she decided that we were going to a Wine Dinner that night.  Normally it would have been fine to alter our plans, but my mother had purchased tickets for a special prescreening of the Walt Disney Documentary that they aired last September on PBS.  It was being held on Thursday at the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco and it started at 5:30PM.
> 
> From our house to my parents, it is a 365 mile drive and The City is another 45 minutes to an hour from their house.  The only way this was going to work was if we started driving after the dinner, stopped for the night somewhere north of Los Angeles (so we didn’t have drive through LA in rush hour traffic) and then get an early start Thursday morning so we would arrive in time to leave for the city at 4:00PM.  Yikes!  But evidently she wanted to go to this event bad enough to do something that crazy, and so it was done.
> 
> The dinner was with the Royal Tokaji Winery which is a Hungarian Wine Producing region.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It has a very interesting history.  From Wikipedia
> 
> Tokaji wine became the subject of the world's first appellation control, established several decades before Port wine, and over 120 years before the classification of Bordeaux. In 1920, following the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, a small part of the Tokaj wine region (approx. 1.75 km²) became part of Czechoslovakia due to the Treaty of Trianon, while the rest remained part of Hungary. After World War II, when Hungary became a Soviet-influenced state, Tokaji production continued with as many as 6,000 small producers, but the bottling and distribution were monopolized by the state-owned organization. Since the collapse of the communist regimes in 1990, a number of independent wineries have been established in the Tokaj wine region. A state-owned producer continues to exist and handles approximately 20% of the overall production.
> 
> It was a very popular wine in the 18th Century and was enjoyed at the Court of Versailles, and also by many of history’s great composers, as well as Emperors and Monarchs throughout Europe. Tokaji wine has received accolades from numerous great writers and composers including Beethoven, Liszt, Schubert, Goethe, Heinrich Heine, Friedrich von Schiller, Bram Stoker, Johann Strauss II, and Voltaire. The composer Joseph Haydn's favorite wine was Tokaji.
> 
> But back to our evening.
> 
> We were served a cocktail made with the wine.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And an amuse bouche, and oops my bad.  A couple weeks ago we ate at the same restaurant and I said that the Amuse Bouche was a Citrus crusted Hamachi with cream cheese, when that’s actually what we had tonight!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This is the wine that was used in the cocktail.  We also had a glass of the wine.
> 
> 
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> 
> This gentleman gave us a history of the region (similar to what I found on Wikipedia) before we had our dinner.
> 
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> These were some of the wines that we would be enjoying over the course of the evening.
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> 
> They were offering purchases of the wines that evening.  Needless to say we did not buy any bottles.  I will say, especially if you are not a fan of wines, these are VERY accessible wines.  They are all sweet and late harvest style, hence the costly nature of the wines.  But if someone else is buying, I would say that you shouldn’t pass up the opportunity try these wines of royalty!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The first course was not listed on the menu.  It included caviar over a bed of creamy mashed potatoes.  I’m not a big caviar person, but the potatoes!  They were to die for!  We were given a mother of pearl spoon to eat the caviar because evidently if you eat it with metal it might impart an undesirable flavor.  I know, I know some of you are thinking, “they’re fish eggs? How could they have a desirable flavor?” But I’m just going with what they told us.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here is the entire dish that it was served with.  I’m not sure why it was in such a big bowl filled with salt for such a tiny serving in the middle.
> 
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> Here’s the wine we paired it with.
> 
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> And a close up of the caviar.
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> There was this little potato cake on the side of the plate, it was really good.
> 
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> But see how creamy the mashed potatoes underneath it were?
> 
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> This was the wine we had with the first course listed on the menu.
> 
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> 
> It was a Last of Summer Garden Melon and Goat Feta Cheese salad with Virginia Ham and Arugula.  I have to say the flavors here were really tasty and went very well with the wine.
> 
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> 
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> 
> Our next course was a Roasted Maple Leaf Farms Duck Breast, stuffed Grape Leaf and Brown Butter Pan Sauce.  This was exquisite!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I don’t have a picture of the wine paired with it, but I showed you all the wines that we would be drinking earlier.  And by the way, if you think we might have been getting drunk at all tonight. With the prices of these bottles? They were pouring barely an ounce per glass, maybe 1 ½ but wine pairings are normally a standard 2 ½ ounce pour, but not these, not even close.
> 
> Our Main Course was a Filet Mignon Paprikash with Suzie’s Farms Pepper and Golden Raising Freekah.  They told us when this dish was served that they were trying to prepare “twists” on standard Hungarian dishes and this was their modern take on a “pepper steak”.  It was also very good!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Our last dish was dessert.  It was an interesting dessert as it combined aspects of sweet and savory. Since all the wines were very sweet for the entire evening, it was quite a challenge to pair meals with them.  I figured out about halfway through dinner why Fran wanted to come to this dinner so much.  She is a HUGE fan of sweet wines.
> 
> Our dessert wine deserves a little explanation.  Now throughout the night our host was telling stories, either that or the chef was explaining the next dish, but none of those really bear repeating and I don’t really remember anyways. But this story is rather interesting and I can’t even find it anywhere on the Internet, so who knows if it’s true!  This wine is incredibly high in residual sugars. So much so that it can be stored over 200 years and not spoil. To put this in perspective, I’m going to use German wines as it’s the best one I know and I have some folks of German descent reading along. A Trockenbeerenauslese has a 150-154 measure of residual sugar.  This is about the sweetest of German wines. The Hungarian Eszencia has a measure of over 450. And because of this is can only be drank in small quantities hence the serving vessel.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The story behind this wine, is slightly fuzzy to me as it was over two months ago, but I’ll give it my best shot. The wine was created in the 1600's completely by accident. The region was a wine growing region, however during the harvest season somewhere in the mid 1600s the region was under attack.  There was no time to complete the harvest so they just left the berries in their 37 gallon barrels and headed off for war.  When they came back they were sure that the harvest had been ruined.  Instead they found a delectable sticky juice that had formed at the bottom of the barrel.  According to Royal Tokaji’s website, “This juice that accumulates at the bottom of a vat by the gentle pressure of the grapes’ own weight is sticky and pours like rich honey. Because sugar levels can be as high as 85 percent, the juice ferments extremely slowly; it took the 2003 Essencia seven years in Royal Tokaji’s cellars to reach only 2.23 percent alcohol.”  This was the vintage that we were served.
> 
> Our dessert was Crispy Robiolina with Stewed Peaches and Honey Comb.  I have to assume that the Robiolina was the rolled cheese on the plate here. This was so good, the combination of cheese, peaches and honey comb all together was the perfect balance for this ultra sweet wine!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And that was it.  We didn’t stay to purchase any wines, and really had to get going as we had a good 60 or more miles to drive once we got back home.  Besides due to events of the day I still hadn’t even loaded the car up for the drive north!



That wine region sounds very interesting, and the food presented along with it and the pairing I find exciting.  I love caviar (back when I ate those kind of things), when we were in Russia, they served it with porcelain spoons.  Have you been able to find those wine in your local stores?  If the price point was lower would you buy them?  Just asking it is worth me to look for them?


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## franandaj

Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> Very interesting report. That was a generous portion of the sweet wine! Here they serve it in much smaller qualities. When I could drink I just adored a good sweet wine. When we were in your fine state we did a wine tour. A limo took us around many estates. We tasted one sweet wine that I feel for never had before and I regretted not getting it! Do you know this was the wine! I recall the story!



Hmmmm  I was thinking the portions were really small!  I'm glad you enjoyed your tour of our state!



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> The amuse bouche yum. The food is wonderful. Like you say difficult to pair food with sweet wine. In the UK we call them dessert wines we only serve them with dessert.



Normally I think these wines are only served as dessert wines. They did mention that it was a challenge to pair them with dinner.



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> That Duck! I want to grab it. The beef! That dessert... I am jumping into my ipad.
> 
> Great update. Love the photos of the fireworks too.



It all sounds really good right now!  Thank goodness that it's a holiday and we have a big meal planned.



jedijill said:


> What a cool wine dinner!  I don't love the super sweet wines anymore but those sound really interesting.  That castle is so beautiful.  Can't wait to see it soon!
> 
> Jill in CO



I'm not a huge fan of the super sweet wines either, but I could appreciate them for what they are.  I was glad to have tried them.



afwdwfan said:


> Seems like a good plan... I hope the next part all works out. The pre-screening of the PBS documentary would have been something that I'd have jumped all over! I was excited to finally see it when it came out.



It was really neat.  Floyd Norman was there and we got to speak with him at great length in the preshow reception.  He was such a nice man and so neat to talk with him.  It was interesting to see some of the clips in advances and hear the people in the film talk about them.



afwdwfan said:


> So... yeah, this really puts it into perspective about how long this wine has been around and how highly it is regarded.



Yup, sure does!



afwdwfan said:


> Wow. Definitely a little bit above my price range. I'm not even a big fan of wine to begin with. I'll stick which choking down a $10 bottle from a local winery if I feel the need to drink wine.



I'm a fan of wine, but it doesn't have to be pricey for me to enjoy it.  I can appreciate a good wine, and on a day like today we will enjoy some very nice bottles of wine with our dinner, but for the most part, I'm OK with a $5 bottle of wine. Unless I'm celebrating something special, mostly my wine comes out of a box!



dolphingirl47 said:


> That dinner looked amazing. I can understand why Fran was so keen to attend this even though it through a spanner in the works in terms of your other plans.



It all worked out so that was good.



dolphingirl47 said:


> I am with her on that.







dolphingirl47 said:


> I think that honour goes to Eiswein. I quite like Trockenbeerenauslese, but Eiswein is a bit too much for me.



I like Eiswein, but in small doses and with a dessert.



dolphingirl47 said:


> I think the technical term for this is syrup ;-)



I think that's what they called.



dolphingirl47 said:


> This looks and sounds absolutely delicious.
> 
> I loved the nearly empty park photos.



It was delicious and I love being the park when it is nearly empty.



mvf-m11c said:


> What a great evening with dinner and wine tasting. All of the food and wine looks very nice.
> 
> Very nice of the pics at DL during the Halloween season that night.



It was a great evening.  Halloween season at the park is great!  Now it's all decked out for Christmas, but you know that of course.



Pinkocto said:


> What a delightful dinner, I understand why Fran wanted to go.  The only wine I have ever enjoyed was a raspberry wine, so I think I might have enjoyed this event.  Did you like the one that was paired with the dessert?  I'm glad you were able to make it work
> 
> The park at night is so pretty!!!



I enjoyed all the wines, I just wished that they would have poured slightly larger glasses!



dizneeat said:


> *What an awesome meal!! Tokaji is pretty well known around here, even though I have to admit I do not really like it. But then I only have a handful of wines I really enjoy.
> I still need to catch up on your other trip. Guess it's time for it now. *



I would imagine it would be well known since the region is relatively close to you.  I've rarely met a wine that I didn't enjoy!



ACDSNY said:


> Caught up again.  Everything looks tasty.



Glad you're keeping up!



Kwaschitz said:


> Oh my gosh! I haven't really been on here in a while and sat down this evening with my first thought being "I hope there's a franandaj trip report!" Click to this section et voila  Now to read!!



  I hope that you have been enjoying!  This report has been quite full of ups and downs!



dgbg100106 said:


> Dinner looked amazing, all that food pron, but honey that dress and you are gorgeous.



Thank you.  



dgbg100106 said:


> Those boxes....  lots of shopping I see.  So how was the adult chocolate drink, what was in it?



The adult chocolate shake was awesome.  It had chocolate sauce, vanilla ice cream, Bailey's, Vodka, and a couple other liquers.



dgbg100106 said:


> That wine region sounds very interesting, and the food presented along with it and the pairing I find exciting.  I love caviar (back when I ate those kind of things), when we were in Russia, they served it with porcelain spoons.  Have you been able to find those wine in your local stores?  If the price point was lower would you buy them?  Just asking it is worth me to look for them?



I haven't looked for them in the stores. There are plenty of other wines that I would go for before those, only because they are so expensive, and I could find a wine from California that would be almost as tasty, but much less costly.


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## franandaj




----------



## franandaj

I had one more day at Disney before we left on our cruise. Corinna had a coast to coast Disney trip planned and we had planned to spend a day tripping around the parks. She had several friends in Southern California who also wanted to come along and I had a DIS friend who was going to be visiting the parks that same week, so we all decided to spend the day touring the parks together. We all met in the lobby of the Grand Californian since that was the easiest thing to do, and set out on our day.

Our first ride was The Little Mermaid and I only had my point and shoot camera that day.  It made me painfully aware of why I needed a good dark ride lens. Next we hustled our bustles over to TSMM and rode that one as well. Still a beaver.





We headed on over to Radiator Springs Racers and finally got a few shots with the group of us.

















It was a lovely day.





And we got Ramon’s side.

















Sadly this was the only shot that I got of all of us that day.





The rest of the bunch went on Mader’s Junkyard Jamboree while I sat it out.  The spinning kind of gets to me.  It was actually a pretty light day in the parks. I can say this because I was just there three days ago and it was WAY more crowded than this!





We went on Monster’s Ince, and then saw the Aladdin show.  After that it was time for lunch. We ate at Smokejumpers Grill. I had a cheeseburger and cole slaw. While it is not my first choice (burgers are something I can have anywhere), it wasn’t bad at all.  In fact they have one of those “salad bar toppings bar” where you can make a salad out of the lettuce, onion, and tomatoes.  They even had Thousand Island dressing and you didn’t have to make your own from mayo, ketchup and relish!  





Another former DISer was in the park that day.  He is now only on facebook and has moved his TRs to a private forum.  Sadly I just can’t seem to find the time to hop to private forums.  I barely have time to keep up on the DIS so I haven’t been following his reports any longer.  It’s too bad, I used to enjoy his picture skills and commentary.





Then we hopped over to Disneyland and started off with Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters..





I suck at this one too.





Then we went on Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy.





Then over to BTMRR.





And then we did the HM with the overlay.





And after that we all pretty much hit the wall.  Going from ride to ride like that is really exhausting and we decided that we needed to just chill and relax, it had been a pretty hot day and we were done with rides.  It was necessary for a couple of us to pick up these really cute popcorn buckets.





And then we needed to really chill.  Corinna and I both had a Diamond Martini, she went with Gin, I went with Vodka.  I also needed the Ibuprofen you see here.





I know one of these is a Hurricane, and hopefully Denise will chime in with what she ordered.





I had been wanting to try this meal for a while and I knew that I could coax Corinna into it as she is a meat and potatoes kind of gal.  It turns out that almost everyone in our party ended up ordering this either splitting it or for themselves. I brought home half of it for Fran and she enjoyed it as well.  I can say that this was a tasty way to finish off the evening.





I believe we all left the park and said our goodbyes, but several of us had plans to meet back up.  This next part is not Disney related, but I’m going to share the food porn as it was a fun night with some of the same friends from the Disney day.


----------



## franandaj

The plan for this night was launched about a year ago when PIO and her family visited.  She and I both posted about our visit to the Melting Pot and Corinna was more than interested, this was something that she really fancied, but her husband would not really get on board with.  Since this was a “girls only” sort of trip we decided to plan a trip to the Melting Pot. She had also wanted to visit my house since we have a little bit of Disney touches to our house so she found a bus that took her directly from Disney to a location very near our house.  I’m glad to know that there is a bus that is that quick and direct from here to there.

We spent some time at the house while she bonded with our cats, checked out the artwork and other stuff, and generally enjoyed each other’s company chatting and the like before we left for dinner.

Our first course included cheese, bread, apples, celery, carrots, cauliflower and did I say cheese?







 







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Then we got our salad.  I think I might have paid an upcharge for the wedge salad, but maybe not.





This was the regular garden salad





And the Caesar salad





Then we got the main course, we got one pot of oil and a pot of bouillon.








I don’t remember who got which entrée, but everyone got something with a bunch of choices.  I think this first one was mine as I was not interested in a ton different meats and stuff.











They also brought these bowls of potatoes and veggies, we could have as many of these as we wanted and I think we asked for one or two extra.  They were really good and added to the meats nicely.





Then for dessert we got to choose chocolate items to be melted in the pots.  This is what they brought us to dip in the chocolate.





I don’t remember exactly what we chose for our two different chocolate offerings, but they were both awesome and we thoroughly enjoyed our meal.







And that was the conclusion of our wonderful night out.  We dropped Corinna off at the hotel on our way home and bade goodbye.  She had a few more days and a Halloween party to attend, but that was our last time to visit until next May when we hope to see her again!


----------



## mvf-m11c

That is nice that you were able to hang out with Corrina, her friends and a DIS friend when she was in town. You really did quite a lot of different rides at the DLR. Very nice pictures from that day.

Melting Pot looks like a very nice place to eat at. What a great day to be at the parks and eating at the Melting Pot.


----------



## Dis_Yoda

Your meet up that day looks really packed and got a lot accomplished!  Looks like you had the VIP tour guide as well?  Such a nice treat with all 4 of you to get everything done!  

The diamond martini looks awesome!  Melting Pot is such a nice treat - I'm glad you were able to take Corrina with you since she hadn't been able to enjoy it before!  So much food!


----------



## dhorner233

It was so nice of you to let Daphne and me tag along with you on the VIP tour!! Very impressive!! Here are a couple of my pictures from that day.













That was a chocolate martini that I had at Club 33.


----------



## Paula Sedley-Burke

Enjoyed the update but I couldn't view photos I don't know why. I can see the one Denise posted! I feel robbed. I will visit again maybe it's my ipad resource issue.


----------



## dgbg100106

Looks like the day was a big success!

Paula - I was able to see the pics.


----------



## PrincessInOz

Oh wow!  I'm totally envious.  Really wish I could just pop over and visit you *just like that*.  But at least I get to catch up in 2D.





franandaj said:


> Another former DISer was in the park that day. He is now only on facebook and has moved his TRs to a private forum. Sadly I just can’t seem to find the time to hop to private forums. I barely have time to keep up on the DIS so I haven’t been following his reports any longer. It’s too bad, I used to enjoy his picture skills and commentary.



I miss him on the Dis too.  I don't follow his TRs on the private forum either.  






franandaj said:


> Denise will chime in with what she ordered.



So cool!    Hi Denise.  Looks like you had an awesome time with the group!






franandaj said:


> our visit to the Melting Pot and Corinna was more than interested



I still dream of that Melting Pot meal!  It was a great meal.  Looks like you had another fantastic time there as well.






franandaj said:


> she found a bus that took her directly from Disney to a location very near our house. I’m glad to know that there is a bus that is that quick and direct from here to there.



Oooh!  I need to find out the bus route and number!


----------



## Pinkocto

What fun!!! All those great rides, and great company to boot   and the Melting Pot dinner looked scrumptious.  We would do regular fondue dinner with my grandparents when they lived down here.  I have very fond memories of fondue


----------



## dhorner233

PrincessInOz said:


> So cool!    Hi Denise.  Looks like you had an awesome time with the group!



Hi Princess!  I did enjoy the VIP tour and what a treat seeing the renovated Club 33!!! I love my Fairy Godmother!


----------



## PrincessInOz

dhorner233 said:


> Hi Princess!  I did enjoy the VIP tour and what a treat seeing the renovated Club 33!!! I love my Fairy Godmother!



Lucky you!  Well deserved.


----------



## franandaj

mvf-m11c said:


> That is nice that you were able to hang out with Corrina, her friends and a DIS friend when she was in town. You really did quite a lot of different rides at the DLR. Very nice pictures from that day.
> 
> Melting Pot looks like a very nice place to eat at. What a great day to be at the parks and eating at the Melting Pot.



It worked out to be a great couple days!



Dis_Yoda said:


> Your meet up that day looks really packed and got a lot accomplished!  Looks like you had the VIP tour guide as well?  Such a nice treat with all 4 of you to get everything done!
> 
> The diamond martini looks awesome!  Melting Pot is such a nice treat - I'm glad you were able to take Corrina with you since she hadn't been able to enjoy it before!  So much food!



Yes we were able to get VIP tour guide which is why we were able to get in so many rides. The Diamond martini is my favorite there! Yes, and I'm glad Corinna was able to get to the Melting Pot with us, we all enjoyed it very much!



dhorner233 said:


> That was a chocolate martini



Good to know! I didn't remember!



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> Enjoyed the update but I couldn't view photos I don't know why. I can see the one Denise posted! I feel robbed. I will visit again maybe it's my ipad resource issue.



I hope you can see the photos now!



dgbg100106 said:


> Looks like the day was a big success!
> 
> Paula - I was able to see the pics.



It was a great day, we had a lot of fun!



PrincessInOz said:


> Oh wow! I'm totally envious. Really wish I could just pop over and visit you *just like that*. But at least I get to catch up in 2D.



I wish you could too!  It would be much more fun!



PrincessInOz said:


> I miss him on the Dis too. I don't follow his TRs o  I n the private forum either.



I know so many folks who have left the DIS to write TRs elsewhere and I just don't have the time to follow folks if they don't show up in my "watched threads".  I can't even keep up with my watched threads.


PrincessInOz said:


> So cool!  Hi Denise. Looks like you had an awesome time with the group!



Thanks for posting Denise, we DID have a great time!



PrincessInOz said:


> I still dream of that Melting Pot meal! It was a great meal. Looks like you had another fantastic time there as well.



Yes we did, it is always an awesome meal.  As long as you are really hungry!



PrincessInOz said:


> Oooh! I need to find out the bus route and number!



I think it was 52, but it's really easy to find.  It goes right from Katella outside the Paradise Pier hotel to the VA hospital across the street from that Ralphs that went out of business shortly after your visit.



Pinkocto said:


> What fun!!! All those great rides, and great company to boot   and the Melting Pot dinner looked scrumptious.  We would do regular fondue dinner with my grandparents when they lived down here.  I have very fond memories of fondue



We had a great day and it was so nice to get together again so shortly afterwards for a fun dinner.



dhorner233 said:


> Hi Princess!  I did enjoy the VIP tour and what a treat seeing the renovated Club 33!!! I love my Fairy Godmother!



I'm glad you enjoyed it!


----------



## PrincessInOz

franandaj said:


> I think it was 52, but it's really easy to find. It goes right from Katella outside the Paradise Pier hotel to the VA hospital across the street from that Ralphs that went out of business shortly after your visit.




52?  That's a good route and close!


Hmmm.  Knowing me, I'm more inclined to get on the 42 by mistake!  (....Life, the universe and all that!!).


----------



## Paula Sedley-Burke

Yeah this morning I am gifted with sight and photos! Man I hate missing out on photos. Looks like a lovely day at DL. Do I see a flash of plaid with the lovely Corinna? Nice photo of you Alison on TSMM. I am and will always be a beaver! Us beavers need to stick together. But you know it's still my favorite ride! 

Melting pot holy moly. Yes please. Great pics.


----------



## afwdwfan

franandaj said:


> Next we hustled our bustles over to TSMM and rode that one as well. Still a beaver.


At least you're consistent.



franandaj said:


> I suck at this one too.






franandaj said:


> And after that we all pretty much hit the wall. Going from ride to ride like that is really exhausting


What??  That's the only way to do it!!  



franandaj said:


> I had been wanting to try this meal for a while and I knew that I could coax Corinna into it as she is a meat and potatoes kind of gal. It turns out that almost everyone in our party ended up ordering this either splitting it or for themselves. I brought home half of it for Fran and she enjoyed it as well. I can say that this was a tasty way to finish off the evening.


It certainly looks delicious.

I'm glad you got to spend some more time together at the Melting Pot.  Doesn't necessarily look like my type of thing, honestly.  It would be great for dessert, but I'd rather just let the chef prepare my meal.  If it is supposed to have cheese on it, put cheese on it.  Don't make me figure out what it is supposed to be!


----------



## franandaj

PrincessInOz said:


> 52?  That's a good route and close!
> 
> 
> Hmmm.  Knowing me, I'm more inclined to get on the 42 by mistake!  (....Life, the universe and all that!!).



Well you normally hire a car when you visit so no need to worry!



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> Yeah this morning I am gifted with sight and photos! Man I hate missing out on photos. Looks like a lovely day at DL. Do I see a flash of plaid with the lovely Corinna? Nice photo of you Alison on TSMM. I am and will always be a beaver! Us beavers need to stick together. But you know it's still my favorite ride!
> 
> Melting pot holy moly. Yes please. Great pics.



It was a lovely day. I hope you are doing OK! Is your trip still on or has it been postponed / canceled?



afwdwfan said:


> At least you're consistent.



Well I have that going for me.



afwdwfan said:


> What?? That's the only way to do it!!



No, there is the locals way of doing it where you do not tire yourself out and become super exhausted.



afwdwfan said:


> It certainly looks delicious.
> 
> I'm glad you got to spend some more time together at the Melting Pot. Doesn't necessarily look like my type of thing, honestly. It would be great for dessert, but I'd rather just let the chef prepare my meal. If it is supposed to have cheese on it, put cheese on it. Don't make me figure out what it is supposed to be!



You know one of my other favorite restaurants is a Shabu Shabu place.  Same concept different continent of origin.  It's Japanese and they put you in front of a pot of boiling water, serve you a plate of raw meat, vegetables and some sauces/seasonings. You cook the meat yourself and in the process create a delicious soup.


----------



## Flossbolna

Sounds like you had a lovely time with Corinna and co. And the Melting Pot has been on my list for quite some time now since I first read about it in a trip report from WDW many years ago. I love fondue in all its variations (actually chocolate is my least favorite), but I am not sure about having different types in one day. We often have a fondue for New Years Eve at home, it is a bit of a German tradition to have it for New Years Eve or Christmas Eve. I guess it is more of a modern tradition that started in the 70s when fondues became popular.


----------



## Paula Sedley-Burke

We cancelled the cruise part of our vacation Alison but we are still hoping to come to WDW. Consultant did not like the idea of being out to sea! We are very sad at loosing the cruise but it's getting better that matters Jo tells me. Jo managed to phone and get the cruise date nights at accomodation at WDW. She got the last accessible room left at Disney so we were lucky. All Stars. 

We are just hoping now I am ok to fly. We are packing for it in the hope! Thanks for asking.


----------



## EJ4Disney

Oh I am loving all of your updates.  And the Melting Pot - one word - YUM!!


----------



## dolphingirl47

I am all caught up again. I spotted this the other day, but wanted to wait until I had time to properly enjoy it. I am now officially on vacation so today was the day.



franandaj said:


> Still a beaver.



I am still aspiring to be a beaver. I think I will stay a bunny in all eternity.



franandaj said:


> We headed on over to Radiator Springs Racers and finally got a few shots with the group of us.



That is a really nice photo.



franandaj said:


>



When I saw this, I was amused that all of our Disney Dooneys are in the photo.



franandaj said:


> The spinning kind of gets to me.



I was actually surprised that it did not get to me. Even Toy Story Mania makes me a little queasy. I do really enjoy it though.



franandaj said:


> Then over to BTMRR.



The t-shirts all together look great.



franandaj said:


> And then we needed to really chill. Corinna and I both had a Diamond Martini, she went with Gin, I went with Vodka.



This may well be by favourite drink. I wish I could have one now.



franandaj said:


> I had been wanting to try this meal for a while and I knew that I could coax Corinna into it as she is a meat and potatoes kind of gal.



I did not need any coaxing. I love a good steak and this was amazing.



franandaj said:


> I believe we all left the park and said our goodbyes, but several of us had plans to meet back up.



First we had the pleasure of the parade and the fireworks.



franandaj said:


> Since this was a “girls only” sort of trip we decided to plan a trip to the Melting Pot.



I am so glad that I had this opportunity.



franandaj said:


> she found a bus that took her directly from Disney to a location very near our house. I’m glad to know that there is a bus that is that quick and direct from here to there.



This was actually a stroke of luck. When I initially researched this, it looked like it was quite a hike from anywhere at Disneyland to the closest stop on that route and then it turned out that there was a stop right across the corner from Paradise Pier.



franandaj said:


> We spent some time at the house while she bonded with our cats



It was so nice to get some kitty cuddles. I especially seem to have bonded with Samantha. 



franandaj said:


> And the Caesar salad



This was so good.



franandaj said:


>



Sue and Jenn had this.



franandaj said:


>



This was Fran's and my choice and it was utterly delicious.



franandaj said:


> I don’t remember exactly what we chose for our two different chocolate offerings, but they were both awesome and we thoroughly enjoyed our meal.



We had milk chocolate with Baileys and milk chocolate with peanut butter.



franandaj said:


> And that was the conclusion of our wonderful night out. We dropped Corinna off at the hotel on our way home and bade goodbye. She had a few more days and a Halloween party to attend, but that was our last time to visit until next May when we hope to see her again!



This was a very sad moment as this was the last time I would seen Sue and you on this trip. I really hope that we will see each other again in May.



dhorner233 said:


> Here are a couple of my pictures from that day.



Thanks for sharing the photos. I need to sort through all my photos and share them.



PrincessInOz said:


> Oooh! I need to find out the bus route and number!



It was the number 50 bus, which comes from Orange and terminates at Channel and 7th in Long Beach right across the street from the VA Hospital.



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> Do I see a flash of plaid with the lovely Corinna?



Indeed.



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> We cancelled the cruise part of our vacation Alison but we are still hoping to come to WDW.



What a shame that you had to cancel the cruise, but hopefully you will get to go to WDW.

Corinna


----------



## rndmr2

Looks like you had a great day at DL! Love the pics from RSR! I really want to get there so I can go on that someday.

I LOVE the Melting Pot! everything looks so good! 

I miss Him on the DIS too, i did join the private forum to keep following his Europe TR but I haven't been able to keep up lately. I do follow him on his Facebook page that he made for WDW stuff. 

I have noticed quite a few have disappeared from the DIS, but I don't know if they went anywhere else or not.


----------



## rentayenta

Fun update and love the pics!  

Great seeing you last week. You're well on your way into your vacation. Have a blast!


----------



## jedijill

Looks like a fun day with Corrina and crew!  So glad I got to hang with you last week!  Have a fantastic trip this week!

Jill in CO


----------



## Steppesister

Making the rounds, so to speak, and boy am I sure glad I ended with this tonight! YUMMMMMMMERS! I've always wanted to try the Melting Pot (we have one in Portland) but haven't done it. I actually may remedy that very soon when I do my annual date night with my Girls. We always do a Yearly Broadway show and a VERY special dinner out as their Christmas gift. So I was very grateful for all the food pix and story of how it works. 

What an enjoyable night you all had. I think it's really precious that while Disney brings people together, they can become friends outside of that and have so much more. The common interest of Disney is only a starting point- I've made so many wonderful, wonderful, friends here.


----------



## franandaj

dolphingirl47 said:


> I am all caught up again. I spotted this the other day, but wanted to wait until I had time to properly enjoy it. I am now officially on vacation so today was the day.



And now you are really on vacation!  Enjoy!



dolphingirl47 said:


> I am still aspiring to be a beaver. I think I will stay a bunny in all eternity.



That's how I feel about being a beaver.  I need to research online some of the tricks of the game.



dolphingirl47 said:


> That is a really nice photo.



I like it!



dolphingirl47 said:


> When I saw this, I was amused that all of our Disney Dooneys are in the photo.



I know, isn't it cute?



dolphingirl47 said:


> I was actually surprised that it did not get to me. Even Toy Story Mania makes me a little queasy. I do really enjoy it though.



That's why I sit this one out.



dolphingirl47 said:


> The t-shirts all together look great.



They do!



dolphingirl47 said:


> This may well be by favourite drink. I wish I could have one now.



I think Fran and I need to go back and have one after this vacation.  I've only had one or two proper drinks on this trip!



dolphingirl47 said:


> I did not need any coaxing. I love a good steak and this was amazing.



I'm glad, and now I've learned you can substitute this as an entrée in the Main dining room as well.



dolphingirl47 said:


> First we had the pleasure of the parade and the fireworks.



Oh yeah!  I forgot about that, perhaps it was the Martinis!



dolphingirl47 said:


> I am so glad that I had this opportunity.



Me too!



dolphingirl47 said:


> This was actually a stroke of luck. When I initially researched this, it looked like it was quite a hike from anywhere at Disneyland to the closest stop on that route and then it turned out that there was a stop right across the corner from Paradise Pier.



I knew there was a bus stop right outside the hotel.  After you mentioned it via email, I remembered seeing it on my way there in the past.



dolphingirl47 said:


> It was so nice to get some kitty cuddles. I especially seem to have bonded with Samantha.



I'm glad you enjoyed the kitties



dolphingirl47 said:


> This was so good.



Everything was good!



dolphingirl47 said:


> Sue and Jenn had this.
> 
> This was Fran's and my choice and it was utterly delicious.



OK, I'm glad you remember who had what.  It all looks good to me and I would have eaten any of them, but I think I was feeling simple that night.



dolphingirl47 said:


> We had milk chocolate with Baileys and milk chocolate with peanut butter.



Makes sense and sounds delicious!



dolphingirl47 said:


> This was a very sad moment as this was the last time I would seen Sue and you on this trip. I really hope that we will see each other again in May.



I'm sure we can work it out for May.  I'm not going anywhere once I get back on the 7th.



dolphingirl47 said:


> Thanks for sharing the photos. I need to sort through all my photos and share them.



I can't wait to see that!



dolphingirl47 said:


> It was the number 50 bus, which comes from Orange and terminates at Channel and 7th in Long Beach right across the street from the VA Hospital.



Thanks for clarifying.



rndmr2 said:


> Looks like you had a great day at DL! Love the pics from RSR! I really want to get there so I can go on that someday.



We had a super fun day.  I hope you get out here sometime.  Let me know and I'll come meet you and we can have a blast together!



rndmr2 said:


> I LOVE the Melting Pot! everything looks so good!



It's a great place as long as you don't mind cooking your own food.  I really like it!



rndmr2 said:


> I miss Him on the DIS too, i did join the private forum to keep following his Europe TR but I haven't been able to keep up lately. I do follow him on his Facebook page that he made for WDW stuff.
> 
> I have noticed quite a few have disappeared from the DIS, but I don't know if they went anywhere else or not.



I wish I had time to follow other forums, I can barely keep up with what shows up in my Watched Threads.  A lot of people disappeared and many of them are just not posting anymore except maybe on FB. That's just not as much fun.



rentayenta said:


> Fun update and love the pics!
> 
> Great seeing you last week. You're well on your way into your vacation. Have a blast!



It was great to see you too!  I can't wait until you're here all the time!  We're having a good time.  Fran is getting rest time and I'm getting a chance to get caught up here when we aren't running around doing stuff!



jedijill said:


> Looks like a fun day with Corrina and crew!  So glad I got to hang with you last week!  Have a fantastic trip this week!
> 
> Jill in CO



Great to hang with you as well, looking forward to seeing you in March!



Steppesister said:


> Making the rounds, so to speak, and boy am I sure glad I ended with this tonight! YUMMMMMMMERS! I've always wanted to try the Melting Pot (we have one in Portland) but haven't done it. I actually may remedy that very soon when I do my annual date night with my Girls. We always do a Yearly Broadway show and a VERY special dinner out as their Christmas gift. So I was very grateful for all the food pix and story of how it works.
> 
> What an enjoyable night you all had. I think it's really precious that while Disney brings people together, they can become friends outside of that and have so much more. The common interest of Disney is only a starting point- I've made so many wonderful, wonderful, friends here.



I hope you and your gals make it to the Melting Pot. I saw pics from your Korean BBQ jaunt last year.  Same concept different country.  I think you would love it!  I've met so many great people here, and we originally met up at Disney, but so many we have taken the friendship beyond just visiting the parks together.  I've had people visit my house, share meals, stay overnight, the friendships are more than just revolving around the parks anymore, we have become true friends on so many occasions, its a beautiful thing!


----------



## franandaj

On November 13, there was a studio tour event going on and we were lucky enough to sign up for it. We arrived early about 10:40AM for the 11:00 event. Though they said no one would be let in before 11:00, we were welcomed and checked in.  Then they let us loose in the studio store. Fran bought quite a bit of stuff, more watches, pins, a hoodie, her third Mickey Director plush, not exactly sure what else. I got the last pairs of Frozen earrings (Fran always like to buy me two pairs in case I lose one, I still have another set.) And I got a cute Mickey top. 













I took our loot out to the car in the parking lot and then came back to join Fran and some of our friends.

















Because we started so early we were done well before time for the next event so we just sat around talking with some of our friends and enjoying the beautiful day. This is the Commissary where we would be having lunch later.









Eventually we were led to a private function room at the commissary where a prepared lunch was waiting for us. 









I had the turkey sandwich and caprese sandwich. There was also a chicken sandwich but it had Chipotle mayo and me and chipotle don't get along.  There were two salads, I tried the arugula, edamame, quinoa and olive oil and it was pretty bland. But it sounded better than the broccolini, fig, walnut, and tarragon dressing. All in all the potato chips were the best part of the lunch. They also had some fruit and desserts available at another station. I'm glad we got everything all at once the desserts disappeared pretty quickly.





After lunch we were escorted to the main theatre for a presentation by

Dave Bossert 
Randy Thornton
Russell Merrit


















On the Silly Symphonies. They started off by showing us The Old Mill and then an 8 minute documentary that I think was recorded for the D23 Expo last summer. It featured the gentlemen giving the presentation as well as a few others. They talked about the process of restoring these classic films and what they meant to the company in general.

Evidently one of the things that was so monumental about these films was the precision with which the sound was synced up to the video. It's something that today we take for granted. Back then when a movie was shipped off to a theatre the movie reel was accompanied by a set of sheet music. The "house orchestra" which could have been a single pianist or an entire group of musicians, would play the sound track to the movie reel. Like the pirate code, the soundtrack was "merely a guideline."  However for Walt this wasn't good enough. He wanted the music to be precise with the video. A perfect example of this is The Skeleton Dance. The movement of the skeletons is very precise to the sound of the marimba, and the use of the marimba is to simulate the sound of clacking on the bones of the skeletons. 

One conductor that Walt worked with thought he could do exactly what was needed on his own and after two unsuccessful takes he reluctantly agreed to use a device that Walt had urged him to use to begin with. Today studio musicians regard the "click track" as a regular part of the job. When I was in music school, we got to participate in a mock studio recording and we were able to play with a cartoon on screen and we stayed in sync using the click track in our headphones.

There were two main in house composers of the silly symphonies and this came about because Walt became more and more frustrated with the process of trying to license songs and popular music of the day. The studio had its first big hit with the three little pigs and "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?" Dave Bossert told us that if we thought "Let it Go" was huge, that was nothing compared to this tune. With America stuck in the Great Depression the Big Bad Wolf was personified as all things bad in society and the nation rallied behind the song feverishly.

About 3-4 years into production of the Silly Symphonies they began to experiment with Technicolor and then the multiplane camera. You can see the progression of the techniques as they are improved upon with every new short. The material for the symphonies was taken from fables, folklore and allegories. They panelists joked that Walt must have been working through all kinds of issues and resolving inner conflict as he and the animators told these stories. They said you could probably teach an entire semester of psychology analyzing these shorts.

We were told that we would be given this record set of the remastered Silly Symphony Soundtracks for Three Little Pigs and Skeleton Dance.





There was a brief Q&A before they sent us on to the next part of our day. 

We were divided into four groups and we were going to visit various areas of the studio. Our first stop was the ADR studio. Fran made a joke about Advanced Dining Reservations and got a chuckle out of a few people. Actually it stands for Automated Dialogue Replacement. This is the location at the studio where actors go to rerecord segments of dialog which may have been obscured by a plane flying over the filming location, when a suit of armor is so thick the mic couldn't pick up what was said or any other situation where the dialog on the original film is inaudible.









We got to do some dialogue from Inside Out. About five of us got a chance to do it individually and then we did a group scene with one man and a bunch of ladies. 









I did one on my own and it was actually a lot harder than I thought.  





The first couple times, I didn't speak the words fast enough, and the "director" sort of chastised me, but the gal standing next to me said, "He's just giving you constructive criticism like he would any actor in here,"









In the Q&A our host talked about how he can't watch any show where the dialogue is off from the lips. They explained an number of situations why that could happen ie they actually change the words or just bad sync of dialogue. However that's why the timing is so important in the room. As long as you say it as fast as the lips do, they can move it around on the computer screens and put it in the right place. Timing is everything.

He also brought out a $12,000 microphone like Frank Sinatra used to like to use. 





The mics on the boom stand in the pictures where I was dubbing dialogue were only about $6000 and $3500 each.

After that we went on to out next segment which was the studio lot tour. Our tour guide was named Drew and he was quite friendly and knowledgeable.  He talked about this sign which was installed for The Reluctant Dragon and just never taken down. 





Notice in this picture, the round circular building underneath the word “Dopey”.  This is The Rotunda, where we would be having dinner that night.  Evidently it is a very special place and only people at “Director” level in the studios can reserve dining experiences there.  Our guide Drew seemed very impressed when some of us mentioned that was where we would be having dinner.





There is a fire hydrant on this corner and soon the employees began referring to it as Pluto's Corner so a couple years ago it was officially named and these paw prints were put in the cement.  









Notice there are only three pawprints as the fourth is, shall we say busy?

We walked down Mickey Blvd to the original Animation building. He explained the hierarchy that Walt designed the building in an H so that most everyone had a window and natural light in their offices. The directors were on the top or third floor, story boarding took place on the second floor and the actual animators were on the ground floor.

There is a tunnel in the basement which leads to the Ink and paint building so that drawings could be carried there without the potential for damage by weather.  There must not have been a drought back then. Drew said we could take pictures inside the building, as long as we didn’t post them online, so what would be the point?

We walked through the tunnel to the other building and our guide told us a story of how Roy Disney (not sure which one, perhaps the one still living) told him how they would slide down the steep slope of the tunnel on the used cells from the pictures. Nothing like a several thousand dollar sled. The slope was so steep, Fran's scooter konked out on the ride up. I had to put it in neutral and push it up the hill and then reset the circuit. It was a bit unnerving as it had brand new batteries!

He pointed out Walt's office. It took up the whole floor as he had an apartment up there, a formal office and a working office. The piano was also up there and that's where Richard Sherman would go on Fridays and Walt would say, "Play it for me" And he meant "Feed the Birds". He also pointed out Roy's office across the way on the second floor. Not sure if there was merit to the saying but they used to say, "Walt could look down on Roy, but Roy couldn't look up and see Walt."





We passed this building on our way to our next stop, but didn’t go in. I had done that on a previous tour though. 





And here’s another look at the Rotunda.





That concluded our studio lot tour and we were handed off to tour Soundstage #6 & 7 where the Muppets film.  I'll have details on that and the rest of the tour in the next update!


----------



## franandaj

,On our Studio tour, we had just finished a short tour of the grounds and we left off on our way to the Muppets Soundstage. This was probably the coolest part of our tour, because we watch the current Muppet show, but we weren't allowed to take any pictures. 

Here is the iconic water tower.









The Muppets stage is raised several feet off the floor to accommodate the puppeteers.  We got to stand on the stage for Late Night with Miss Piggy.  The Producer of the show led us around the set. They had just wrapped up filming the day prior.  Christmas decorations were up in the production office set. 

We got to visit the bar set. This was my favorite part of the tour.  We were some of the only people in our group who watched the show regularly.  Fran and I were asking all kinds of questions from the Producer and he was genuinely please that we liked the show so much and paid so much attention to the goings on.  After the tour I took a picture in from of the other entrance.





Then we went to the archives. Walking over the archives we got another glimpse of the water tower.





Star Wars was everywhere in the studios, if you hadn’t figured that out already.













The exhibits at the archives are constantly changing. They had this exhibit of an “Animator’s workspace” set up here this time. Last time I was there the cabinet from Narnia was in this spot.













After the archivist showed us a few items that she had taken out for us, and gave us a little history lesson on the archives themselves, we were allowed to roam around.  Here were the items currently on display.

































They let us take pictures with this Oscar statue.





There is the multiplane camera in the hallway outside the archives.









After that it was back to the theatre. It was 75 years to the day when Fantasia was released. We were served popcorn and water.













They started us off with watching the Sorcerer's Apprentice. It turns out that was just another Silly Symphony until it went wildly over budget.  

To recoup some of the money they decided to add on a few more shorts and make it a full length feature.  They also talked about how Mickey became even more pliable and realistic in this feature. He got whites and pupils in his eyes and a more defined body shape.

Originally there were nine pieces featured in Fantasia but before the final release Clair De Lune was cut from the movie. They showed us the short that was cut from the film and talked about it for a little while. Then they went into the "Fantasia concept" which was that Walt intended the movie to be continually updated. A segment could be added another removed but that never really happened. Then in the 90s they began to revisit that idea, they had planned to do about three new shorts and put those together with some of the originals, but as they kept trying the vibe and execution of the older shorts just did not fit well with the newer modern animation styles so when Fantasia 2000 was finally released it had all new animation.  One really funny story they told us was about how Michael Eisner had just been to his son's graduation and really wanted them to use Pomp and Circumstance. The animators were not really happy about that, nor were they happy when Eisner suggested that they make it about all the princes and princesses have a procession to get their babies

When they screened the film the animators who were currently employed by Disney were there as well as the surviving members of the 9 old men. Though they knew that this project was an awful idea wrong on Soooooo many levels, as Eric Goldberg pointed out, they wanted to keep their jobs so they really couldn't speak their minds. But the retired guys could! Leave it to Ward Kimball who stood up after the video was over and said, "That's a @$!/*& #&$!@! commercial!" And the idea died right then and there. The music still made the cut but they ended up going with Noah's Ark and the animals boarding in pairs instead.

Now I really wish I had taken pictures of this because the last time we saw it no pictures were allowed, when I saw this at the D23 75th anniversary presentation. However, this is what I posted from what I found online and it is the best explanation.

Fantasia 2000 Pomp & Circumstance. So I’m going to defer to an article that I found on the internet to explain this bizarre piece of never completed Disney Animation.

”a college graduation ceremony (that inspired) the choice of music (for this sequence in the film). The Walt Disney Company Chairman Michael Eisner listened as graduates received their degrees. " 'Pomp and Circumstance' probably has more pleasant associations in people's minds than any other piece of music, because it is always being played when you or someone you love are achieving something," reflects Eisner.”

So obviously when Disney's Big Cheese comes in and says "I think that you should consider using 'Pomp and Circumstance' as part of 'Fantasia Continued,' ' the people who were then working on this ambitious animated feature immediately gave Eisner's suggestion some very serious thought. Because - as an employee of a massive multi-national corporation - it always pays to try & make the guy who signs your paycheck happy.

But that said ... It was the second half of Eisner's "Pomp and Circumstance" suggestion (i.e. that this number in "Fantasia Continued" be built around a stately procession of Disney Princesses and their princes) that gave this film's production team pause.

"You have to understand that every other sequence that we were considering for 'Fantasia Continued' at that time was art for art's sake. We were always looking to marry a great piece of music with stunning visuals to then create this memorable movie-going experience," Bossert explained. "And what Michael was asking us to do with 'Pomp and Circumstance' was kind of out of step with the rest of this film. His Disney Princess procession idea was almost nakedly commercial."

But - again -- because it was their then-Boss who suggested this idea, the "Fantasia Continued" production team gave it the old college try. George Scribner (best known as the director of Disney's 1988 animated feature, "Oliver and Company") was assigned to develop a story of the Disney Princess version of "Pomp and Circumstance." And from what David tells me, George did the very best that he could with this concept. Creating a pretty entertaining storyreel.

"As I recall, this sequence was set outside. And the Disney Princesses that were supposed to appear in 'Pomp and Circumstance' started with Snow White and then went all the way up to Princess Jasmine in 'Aladdin (Disney Special Platinum Edition) ,' " Bossert continued. "And as they all marched along with their princes and their children, you'd then get these quick cameo appearances by other famous Disney characters."

Which brings us to the other gimmick that was supposed to have been associated with this Disney Princess-based version of "Pomp and Circumstance." In that this proposed sequence was going to be the part of "Fantasia Continued" which would have featured scenes that were animated by genuine Disney Legends.

To be specific, Disney wanted to recruit the surviving members of the Nine Old Men (which - at that time - were Marc Davis, Ollie Johnston, Ward Kimball and Frank Thomas) to come work on "Pomp and Circumstance." With the idea that each of these legendary animators would animate one short scene which starred their signature Disney character.

"As I recall, Marc was going to animate a scene featuring Tinker Bell. Ward was supposed to animate a scene with Jiminy Cricket. They wanted Frank to do something with the Fairies from 'Sleeping Beauty. And I don't remember what Ollie was supposed to have done," Dave continued.

Now these scenes that were to be animated by the surviving Nine Old Men were then supposed to be folded in with footage that had been created by the modern masters of Disney hand-drawn animation. We're talking about super-talented people like Glen Keane and Andreas Deja, who'd create cameos for the most famous Disney characters that they'd ever worked on, like Ariel from "The Little Mermaid" and Scar from "The Lion King."

"A lot of the comedy in this version of 'Pomp and Circumstance' was to have come from Donald Duck. Who was wreaking havoc behind-the-scenes because he was attempting to get his hands on that magic hat that Mickey wears in 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice,' " Bossert said. "But if I'm remembering this storyreel correctly, there was a quick scene where you got to see the Fab Five all standing together. And another one where you saw a number of the Villains observing this Disney Princess processional from a distance."

Now you have to admit that the idea of a musical number -- which was supposed to be animated by the very best animators, past and present -- that featured every animated Disney character ever created does sound kind of cool. So why didn't this version of "Pomp and Circumstance" actually go into production?

To answer that part of the question ... I must now launch into a somewhat adult story. Which I want to stress that I DID NOT hear from David Bossert. But - rather - from someone who was actually in the room when the Disney Princess version of 'Pomp and Circumstance' hit the skids.

To Explain.: When the folks at Walt Disney Animation Studios decided that they seriously wanted to pursue this idea of having the surviving Nine Old Men come in & work on "Fantasia Continued," they then staged this elaborate pitch meeting. Where Marc, Ollie, Ward and Frank were all limoed onto the Disney Lot and then taken into this room that was loaded with concept art for the "Fantasia" follow-up.

And given that Michael Eisner had come up with the original Disney Princess / "Pomp and Circumstance" concept ... Well, he made a point of sitting in on this particular pitch meeting as well. 

Anyway ... After everyone was served a light lunch, the formal pitch for this proposed "Fantasia Continued" sequence began. And at some point, the lights were turned down and the Disney Princess "Pomp and Circumstance" storyreel was shown. Afterwards, the room was deadly silent. Marc, Frank and Ollie shot each other sidelong glances, wondering what they should say. 

But leave it to the always bombastic Ward Kimball to break the silence. Who reportedly said to the entire room: "That's the stupidest ef*ing idea I've ever heard."

Needless to say, the idea of bringing the surviving Nine Old Men back on the Lot to work on this project died that afternoon. And shortly after this infamous story pitch, the "Fantasia Continued" production team began casting around for an entirely new story concept for this film's "Pomp and Circumstance" sequence.

"But you have to understand that this is how the development process at Disney Animation works. Not every idea that we come up with works. But we keep refining things, trying different ideas, different combinations of characters until we eventually do come up with something that works," Bossert stated. "I honestly don't know if we would have come up with the idea of making Donald Duck Noah's assistant - which is the concept that we eventually used for 'Pomp and Circumstance" in the final version of 'Fantasia 2000' - if we hadn't first explored that idea of Donald being the character who was causing all of those problems behind-the-scenes during the Disney Princess processional version of this sequence."

The other thing that's great about Disney is that - while an idea may not always work out for feature animation - it can eventually find new life in another part of the Company. Do you recall that Donald-trying-to-get-his-hands-on-the-magic-hat-from-the-Sorcerer's-Apprentice story thread? Does that concept sound familiar? It should. WDI took that idea and ran with it while it was developing "Mickey's PhilharMagic" for the Parks in the early 2000s.

And - yes - just in case you're wondering. It was George Scribner who not only developed the storyreel for "Mickey's PhilharMagic," but he also wound up directing this 3D Theme Park Productions film.

So - in the end - things all worked out. Michael Eisner got what he wanted. Which was "Pomp and Circumstances" in "Fantasia 2000." And Bossert & the production team of this ambitious animated feature got what they wanted. Which was a version of "Pomp and Circumstance" that was much more in sync with all of the other new sequences that WDFA had created for this "Fantasia" follow-up. Which weren't crassly commercial. But -- rather -- married stunning visuals with memorable music to create a truly memorable movie-going experience.

But that said ... You still have to wonder how this Disney Princess processional sequence would have been received by the public. Well, David actually found out. Sort of. You see, as part of a "Fantasia" - themed presentation that Bossert gave on the Disney Cruise Line back in 2009, he screened this version of the "Pomp and Circumstance" storyreel. And the results were ... Well, mixed.

"Some people in the audience laughed because they were really enjoying what they were watching. But then there were these laughs that came in very weird places. Which meant that there were people out in the audience who were laughing AT the movie. Rather than laughing with it," David said.

But this is why you should always go out of your way to try & catch a David Bossert presentation. He always screens the most amazing things. Which David usually uncovers while digging deep down into the vaunted Disney Vault.”



So I’m sad that I didn’t take pictures of this screening.  Obviously the last time we couldn’t take them otherwise I wouldn’t have inserted this article in my previous report, but at least I have this information.


----------



## franandaj

Next we watched the Rhapsody in Blue segment from Fantasia 2000. This was produced by Eric Goldberg and his wife. The interesting thing to me was the discussion after we saw it about how the names of the various animators who worked on the piece were woven into the animation.  Some places it was obvious like the woman with the dog exited the "Hotel Goldberg" in the beginning of the piece. But there were other instances they mentioned where the names were actually part of the drawings. They mentioned that an awning of one of the buildings was made completely from the letters of the animator's last name.

They told us that we would be receiving a CD with music from both Fantasia movies. 





After that they took a few questions and let us go for our dinner. Our dinner was in another buiding

I know it’s blurry, but looking back here is the theater.





And there are Mickeys in the carpeting.





On our way to dinner.









Here is a few shots of us in the room.









And the room













Fran really liked these salt and pepper shakers, they were really cute!





They had a plate of cheese and crudité out for us to take some appetizers. Here is my plate.





And then once everyone was seated we were served a salad.





We had preordered entrees, I went with the Barramundi.





Fran had the chicken and roasted vegetables.





We both went with the flourless chocolate cake.



 


The tour went well over the allotted time and lots of people bowed out before desert was even served.  We stayed until almost the bitter end and walked out with another crowd. The Disney Studios were already moving on to the next activity, setting up for the premiere of a new cartoon series that was going to be screened in the theater. We were escorted to the parking lot (so that we did run off amok) and we went home.  Another fun day.


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## Dis_Yoda

That looks like such a fun event!  Its awesome you got to go on the set for the Muppet Show (I watch it as well) All your history on Fantasia was really interesting!  Eisner definitely had some strange ideas for the Fantasia 2000 (aka he cray cray) I remember reading the book Disney War in college and your story was definitely inline with what was happening in that book during his reign as CEO.


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## skier_pete

That looks like a great tour. Sounds somewhat similar to the one we took with the Backstage Magic tour. (They even mentioned riding the carts down that steep hallway!) Of course, we didn't get to eat in the rotunda, and most disappointingly we didn't get to go on any of the soundstages - just walk around outside.

Doing the ADR stuff would've been cool. (I am a bit of a movie production nerd - so when I first heard the term ADR used for Disney Dining, I actually thought "what does that have to do with voice recording?") 

I would've been going NUTS to see the Muppets set. I love the new show - I think it is very in the spirit of the old show and find it very funny. I think I would've BEGGED them to let me take ONE picture on the set. It's kind of too bad that Disney doesn't offer public tours. WB and Paramount still do, and we are planning on doing the WB studios tour when we come in February - they've changed it quite a bit from 2013 when we last came, and I think our daughter will get a big kick out of the behind the scenes stuff.


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## jedijill

What a cool experience!  So much history and I love the presentation on Fantasia!

Jill in CO


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## dhorner233

Very interesting tour! I think my favorite part was the archives with all the 3 Little Pig stuff and about how popular that cartoon and song were!


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## rndmr2

Really cool tour! Lots of great info.


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## mvf-m11c

Nice that you were able to go to the WD Studios for that tour. It is always nice to see pictures of the WD Studios and actually go there where it is amazing. I would definitely enjoyed the Fantasia presentation.


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## Flossbolna

I loved the report on the tour, thank you so much for sharing this. It was truly fascinating!

And a quirky comment: I love the outfit you wore that day and in a way it looks like you were Disneybounding as Yoda. Not like a costume and as I said, the dress looks lovely, so not in a frumpy way, but somehow it reminds me of Yoda. In a good way!!


----------



## dizneeat

*That was one cool tour! Thank you for sharing. I love all the detail.*


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## EJ4Disney

WOW!!  That was wonderful.  Thank you SO much for all of the detail about the tour.  I totally felt like I was right there.  Again, Thanks.


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## afwdwfan

franandaj said:


> All in all the potato chips were the best part of the lunch.


This speaks volumes...   I'm sorry lunch wasn't better.  But hey, at least it was at WDW studios so it can't be all bad.



franandaj said:


> We were told that we would be given this record set of the remastered Silly Symphony Soundtracks for Three Little Pigs and Skeleton Dance.


Cool!



franandaj said:


> Our first stop was the ADR studio. Fran made a joke about Advanced Dining Reservations and got a chuckle out of a few people.


I can't imagine why a room full of Disney fans would chuckle about this... 



franandaj said:


> The first couple times, I didn't speak the words fast enough, and the "director" sort of chastised me, but the gal standing next to me said, "He's just giving you constructive criticism like he would any actor in here,"


Did he tell you you'll never work in this town again? 



franandaj said:


> The mics on the boom stand in the pictures where I was dubbing dialogue were only about $6000 and $3500 each.


Well then, I'm glad they didn't give you one of the expensive ones.  



franandaj said:


> Notice in this picture, the round circular building underneath the word “Dopey”. This is The Rotunda, where we would be having dinner that night. Evidently it is a very special place and only people at “Director” level in the studios can reserve dining experiences there. Our guide Drew seemed very impressed when some of us mentioned that was where we would be having dinner.


Wow.  You're really getting the red carpet treatment!



franandaj said:


> Notice there are only three pawprints as the fourth is, shall we say busy?






franandaj said:


> The slope was so steep, Fran's scooter konked out on the ride up. I had to put it in neutral and push it up the hill and then reset the circuit. It was a bit unnerving as it had brand new batteries!


  Yikes!  I'm glad that it reset and worked ok. 



franandaj said:


> This was probably the coolest part of our tour, because we watch the current Muppet show, but we weren't allowed to take any pictures.


That stinks that you couldn't take pictures.  It would be really neat to get to explore an actual working TV set like that!



franandaj said:


> After the archivist showed us a few items that she had taken out for us, and gave us a little history lesson on the archives themselves, we were allowed to roam around. Here were the items currently on display.


That's a lot of cool stuff to see, but I've got to say that some of those old toys just look creepy.  I think I can understand why Mickey, Donald and the rest of them have evolved a bit over the years.  



franandaj said:


> There is the multiplane camera in the hallway outside the archives.


Wow!  I've heard of the multiplane camera, but I don't think I've ever seen it before to understand what it was exactly.  That's a whole lot of camera!



franandaj said:


> But leave it to the always bombastic Ward Kimball to break the silence. Who reportedly said to the entire room: "That's the stupidest ef*ing idea I've ever heard."


One of those things that having "Old men" in your title just gives you the authority to say.  



franandaj said:


> But that said ... You still have to wonder how this Disney Princess processional sequence would have been received by the public. Well, David actually found out. Sort of. You see, as part of a "Fantasia" - themed presentation that Bossert gave on the Disney Cruise Line back in 2009, he screened this version of the "Pomp and Circumstance" storyreel. And the results were ... Well, mixed.
> 
> "Some people in the audience laughed because they were really enjoying what they were watching. But then there were these laughs that came in very weird places. Which meant that there were people out in the audience who were laughing AT the movie. Rather than laughing with it," David said.


You know, the concept doesn't sound all that laughable.  Is it a big Disney commercial?  Of course.  But as time has gone, Disney has been getting really good at doing the commercialization and cross promotion angle.  It might actually fit better within the company now than it did back then. 

I think it all comes down to execution though.  I'd be interested to see this sequence of all the princesses and other characters from the Disney archives, and I think it could be a very good film.  But then again, I can see how they could make it totally laughable if it isn't done well.  I guess we'll never know. 



franandaj said:


> The tour went well over the allotted time and lots of people bowed out before desert was even served. We stayed until almost the bitter end and walked out with another crowd.


Yeah... you're in the studios getting a VIP type tour and treatment.  They'd have to drag me out of there.   



franandaj said:


> We were escorted to the parking lot (so that we did run off amok) and we went home. Another fun day.


Looks like a pretty awesome experience.  I'm glad you were able to go!


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## Pinkocto

What an amazing day!!!   The Fantasia 2000 squabble was fascinating.  Too cool to be able to do the ADR stuff.  And the Muppets show, awesome!  So much fun all around!!!


----------



## rentayenta

Wow, what an amazing update. Truly so much history and interesting info. I am going to have to re-read it to take it all in. 

Two things: LOVE the your brown woven belt. And I am not a chipotle fan either. I thought I was the only one on the planet.


----------



## franandaj

Dis_Yoda said:


> That looks like such a fun event!  Its awesome you got to go on the set for the Muppet Show (I watch it as well) All your history on Fantasia was really interesting!  Eisner definitely had some strange ideas for the Fantasia 2000 (aka he cray cray) I remember reading the book Disney War in college and your story was definitely inline with what was happening in that book during his reign as CEO.



It was a great event!  I love when Dave Bossert speaks, he has so much information and it's just so much fun. I got the idea that definitely during his reign as CEO, there was a lot of cra cra going on there!



********** said:


> That looks like a great tour. Sounds somewhat similar to the one we took with the Backstage Magic tour. (They even mentioned riding the carts down that steep hallway!) Of course, we didn't get to eat in the rotunda, and most disappointingly we didn't get to go on any of the soundstages - just walk around outside.



I've been on at least four tours now that I remember, and all have been somewhat similar. There is usually a visit to the archives and they let you take a picture with an Oscar. This was the first time that I got on one of the sound stages.  It was really cool!



********** said:


> Doing the ADR stuff would've been cool. (I am a bit of a movie production nerd - so when I first heard the term ADR used for Disney Dining, I actually thought "what does that have to do with voice recording?")



It was neat to try that.  I didn't realize how hard it was just watching the others do it until I tried and evidently didn't speak fast enough.



********** said:


> I would've been going NUTS to see the Muppets set. I love the new show - I think it is very in the spirit of the old show and find it very funny. I think I would've BEGGED them to let me take ONE picture on the set. It's kind of too bad that Disney doesn't offer public tours.



I really like the new show too, but I'm pretty sure that no matter how much you begged, they still would have said "no".  Crew members aren't allowed any pictures in any production areas, and I know that they are super strict about that.



********** said:


> WB and Paramount still do, and we are planning on doing the WB studios tour when we come in February - they've changed it quite a bit from 2013 when we last came, and I think our daughter will get a big kick out of the behind the scenes stuff.



I did the WB one with @jedijill last year, and it was a blast. I want to do it again now that we watch Big Bang Theory and I would love to see one of their sets.



jedijill said:


> What a cool experience!  So much history and I love the presentation on Fantasia!
> 
> Jill in CO



It was very cool.  I love the presentations where they give you all that great information.



dhorner233 said:


> Very interesting tour! I think my favorite part was the archives with all the 3 Little Pig stuff and about how popular that cartoon and song were!



Thanks, it was a great way to spend the day.  So much history and we got to see and do a bunch!



rndmr2 said:


> Really cool tour! Lots of great info.



Thanks!  I had a great time that day.



mvf-m11c said:


> Nice that you were able to go to the WD Studios for that tour. It is always nice to see pictures of the WD Studios and actually go there where it is amazing. I would definitely enjoyed the Fantasia presentation.



It was so much fun that day. I loved all the presentations and seeing all the sets and stuff was amazing.



Flossbolna said:


> I loved the report on the tour, thank you so much for sharing this. It was truly fascinating!
> 
> And a quirky comment: I love the outfit you wore that day and in a way it looks like you were Disneybounding as Yoda. Not like a costume and as I said, the dress looks lovely, so not in a frumpy way, but somehow it reminds me of Yoda. In a good way!!



Well I'm glad you liked the outfit.  I've had that one for a while now, and I really like it.  In fact you may see it again soon in another TR!



dizneeat said:


> *That was one cool tour! Thank you for sharing. I love all the detail.*



You're welcome.  I'm just glad that I had a long wait at the vet the next day and in the waiting room I wrote up everything I could remember on my phone.  I never would have remembered it all if I had waited any longer before writing it up.



EJ4Disney said:


> WOW!!  That was wonderful.  Thank you SO much for all of the detail about the tour.  I totally felt like I was right there.  Again, Thanks.



I'm glad you enjoyed my write up about it.



afwdwfan said:


> This speaks volumes...  I'm sorry lunch wasn't better. But hey, at least it was at WDW studios so it can't be all bad.



Yeah, truthfully none of the food was all that great, but I wasn't there for food!



afwdwfan said:


> Cool!







afwdwfan said:


> I can't imagine why a room full of Disney fans would chuckle about this...



I know, I was surprised that more people didn't get it, but these people are hard core Disneyland freaks and many wouldn't even dream of going to WDW so 



afwdwfan said:


> Did he tell you you'll never work in this town again?







afwdwfan said:


> Well then, I'm glad they didn't give you one of the expensive ones.



You notice that the guy talking to us was holding the mic.  It never left his hands, nor did he let any of us get near him with it.



afwdwfan said:


> Wow. You're really getting the red carpet treatment!



I know it was pretty awesome.



afwdwfan said:


> Yikes! I'm glad that it reset and worked ok.



I've had to troubleshoot these things for years.  It's rare that we have a mishap as bad as we did on the cruise last month.



afwdwfan said:


> That stinks that you couldn't take pictures. It would be really neat to get to explore an actual working TV set like that!



They are very strict about now letting out any secrets. I remember one tour that the liason told the Disney person, if she so much saw a phone or camera come out of our pockets, they had the right to destroy it.



afwdwfan said:


> That's a lot of cool stuff to see, but I've got to say that some of those old toys just look creepy. I think I can understand why Mickey, Donald and the rest of them have evolved a bit over the years.



I know!  If you've seen any old photos of the characters in Disneyland in the 50's they are really creepy looking!



afwdwfan said:


> Wow! I've heard of the multiplane camera, but I don't think I've ever seen it before to understand what it was exactly. That's a whole lot of camera!



It's a really fascinating concept they have one at the Walt Disney Family Museum, and a whole display about it.  When it saw it there, I think that's the first time that it really dawned on my how it actually worked, and how the various cells were placed literally on separate planes to give the depth to the scene that had never been done before.



afwdwfan said:


> One of those things that having "Old men" in your title just gives you the authority to say.



I don't think Ward Kimball needed that to speak his mind. He has some great stories that I've heard about him.  He was a pretty crazy guy!



afwdwfan said:


> You know, the concept doesn't sound all that laughable. Is it a big Disney commercial? Of course. But as time has gone, Disney has been getting really good at doing the commercialization and cross promotion angle. It might actually fit better within the company now than it did back then.
> 
> I think it all comes down to execution though. I'd be interested to see this sequence of all the princesses and other characters from the Disney archives, and I think it could be a very good film. But then again, I can see how they could make it totally laughable if it isn't done well. I guess we'll never know.



I really wish I had taken pictures because when you saw it (although it was just sketches, no real animation), it really was crazy and corny.  Plus it violated all kinds of "Disney space time continuum laws".



afwdwfan said:


> Yeah... you're in the studios getting a VIP type tour and treatment. They'd have to drag me out of there.



That was kind of how I felt.  I wasn't leaving until they made me go!



afwdwfan said:


> Looks like a pretty awesome experience. I'm glad you were able to go!



I am too.  Living in So Cal, we do get opportunities to do things like this more often than lots of people, but still, getting to spend time on the Studio lot is not something that happens every day!



Pinkocto said:


> What an amazing day!!!   The Fantasia 2000 squabble was fascinating.  Too cool to be able to do the ADR stuff.  And the Muppets show, awesome!  So much fun all around!!!



It really was pretty fascinating. There are all kinds of stories like that out there.  It's so much fun to go to these kinds of things and listen to these guys talk.  I can't wait for more D23 events to come up!



rentayenta said:


> Wow, what an amazing update. Truly so much history and interesting info. I am going to have to re-read it to take it all in.
> 
> Two things: LOVE the your brown woven belt. And I am not a chipotle fan either. I thought I was the only one on the planet.



It was a great day and so much information!  The belt actually came with the outfit, I only wear it with that one, but glad you like it.  I have never liked chipotle since the very first time I tried it.  They tried to serve it to me with mayo on a burger and I wanted to spit it out. I asked the server to bring it on the side, she convinced me to put it on the burger saying she would have them make me a fresh one if I didn't like it.  They made me a fresh one!


----------



## franandaj

Sunday after the Studios event we had been able to get VIP seating for F!  It was the last time that the show was on the schedule for at least the next month, and with it going away in January, we wanted to make sure that we got to see it before it went away for a long time. It was Sunday of marathon weekend, so not my choice of days, but since we had no guarantee of when it would be back again, we took it. Bret was down that weekend, so we invited him to come along with us.

We met up at the French Market Café where we had dinner. Fran and Bret both had the French Dip sandwich with potato chips.





I got the Jambalaya.





We also got this Jack Skellington Cake.  It was one of the better special desserts that I’ve had.









After we ate, we went over to Tomorrowland.  The next day was the opening of Season of the Force.  Bret had already been on the soft opening of Hyperspace Mountain, and there was a rumor that they were already showing the new scene in Star Tours, so we went over to see if we could get on that.  Fran wanted to see if she could get any more of the figures with Disney characters as Star Wars characters. They didn’t have any of those as they have transitioned away from all those figures, however she did get a really cool light saber. She also wanted an almost life size storm trooper, but we couldn’t see carrying him around the park all night.  We decided to get him when we came back the next day.

We did get to ride Star Tours and the new scene was pretty cool. Unfortunately Hyperspace Mountain had way to long a line for us to ride it before F! started, so we headed back to the viewing area to get set up.

Bret was really helpful to me and my photography that night. Often my camera will not take photos of certain scenes. He explained to me that it has to do with the Auto focus, and because there are so many things at varying depths, the camera can’t tell what to focus on. If I switch the lens to Manual focus mode, it won’t fight me on taking the picture. That means that occasionally I am ending up with more blurry pictures since the auto focus doesn’t always work before switching it to manual. But at least I am getting more pictures, and some of them are turning out pretty good! Here is an example of a shot that it wouldn’t take in auto mode, but it got a clear enough focus that when I switched to manual, it was already close enough in focus that it came out OK.





Light settings adjusted, we sat back and waited for the show.

























The projections on the water screens are still really difficult to shoot, no matter what you do.













































































And then the Evil Queen tries to take over his Dreams.

















*[Continued in Next Post]*


----------



## franandaj

*[Continued from Previous Post]*

Then Mickey comes back to take over his own Dream.













































































After that we said “goodbye” to Bret and headed out. We stopped in the WoD Disney store again looking for figures.  I can’t remember if she found any, but we did find our Stormtrooper and it was a much shorter trip to the car from this store, so we got him!





Eventually he is going to go in the Foyer of our house, but we haven’t had the chance to get the pedestal ready for him.  He will be accompanied by an almost life size R2D2!


Next we return the next day for Season of the Force!


----------



## skier_pete

franandaj said:


> I did the WB one with @jedijill last year, and it was a blast. I want to do it again now that we watch Big Bang Theory and I would love to see one of their sets.



They took us on the Big Bang set back in 2013. It was in the summer so they were on hiatus, but it was still pretty neat. The two apartments and the staircase are all one big set and of course the main one. Any other sets are set up off to the side. I thought the coolest part of that tour was they took us on a talk show set (Ellen) a 3-camera sitcom set (BBT) and a single camera drama (The Mentalist) so you got to see the difference between the three.

It's nice that you went to see Fantasmic! With it being down for the next two years I would bet it's going to be extra crowded in the next few weeks.


----------



## dhorner233

Nice coverage of Fantasmic! Lucky you getting photo tips from Bret! I have problems with my camera's auto focus but don't trust my manual focusing......


----------



## ACDSNY

Great updates.  Weren't you a brave one at the Sound Studio.

I was checking out the Storm Trooper and Darth Vader at the store a few nights ago.


----------



## mvf-m11c

We had a great time that Sunday night at DL from Star Tours and seeing F! one more time before it goes down for over a year for SWL. Glad that we were able to see it that night. It was a pleasure to help you out that night. I do have trouble at times with my DSLR where it tries to auto focus on a certain point when taking pictures where it can be annoying. With the DSLR set at manual mode which can get you the shots without the camera trying to focus on that spot. Just as you said that it can get out of focus at times when you are in manual mode. Glad that you were able to get the pictures during F! that night. Very nice pictures from F! that night. Thank you again for inviting me to see F! with you and Fran. It was a shame that Disneyland Forever didn't run that night due to high winds. I know that you wanted to do the long exposure for the fireworks that night.


----------



## afwdwfan

Your F! pictures look like they turned out very well to me!  I love the sword battle on the Columbia, and those pictures look like they came out well.

Congratulations on your new Storm Trooper!  I've seen those things around and thought I'd like to have one, but I've just got nowhere to put it.


----------



## Steppesister

I'm all caught up again, and I must say, that tour is something I'd give almost anything to see. What a treasure of fun info and such a great experience! I have a cousin who was an animator in the late 60s and early 70s and it'd be fun to see where he may have worked someday. Are those open to the public or how exactly does that even work??


----------



## PrincessInOz

Catching up!  Sorry I've been MIA.

WOW!  What amazing pictures from F!  Awesome Bret, for helping you out.  (Love the food porn as well!)

That tour/event was a LOT of fun to read and work my way through.  Lucky you for being able to attend such functions.  Thanks for sharing.


----------



## Pinkocto

How fun to spend the evening with Bret   I still have not seen Fantasmic at DL.  There's always so much to do!


----------



## rentayenta

Love the F! photos. I haven't seen it properly in many years. 

Lunch looks delicious!

That stormtropper is about the collest thing ever!


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

Too much to comment on individually, but I did get caught up!  The tour of the studios looked amazing--how cool to be on those grounds.  And great photos of Fantasmic!  That show looks so much better in DL.


----------



## dolphingirl47

franandaj said:


> And now you are really on vacation! Enjoy!



I am back again and I did enjoy the trip very much.

The studio tour looked amazing. I would have very much enjoyed this. As far as that Fantasia segment that was scrapped is concerned, Eisner did kind of have the last word on this. I was lucky enough to attend a couple of presentations by George Scribner on our last Panama Canal cruise, one of which was on Mickey's PhilharMagic. He shared some of the initial storyboards with us and on those, Tinkerbell was the character that ran through all the scenes. He told us that there was a meeting where his team had to pitch the idea for Mickey's PhilharMagic to a number of executives including Eisner and it was at this meeting that Eisner suggested that Donald should take the role that Tinkerbell was meant to have.

I am glad that you did manage to see Fantasmic one last time. The photos have come out really well. That French Dip sandwich looks amazing. I think I have to try this next year.

Corinna


----------



## franandaj

********** said:


> They took us on the Big Bang set back in 2013. It was in the summer so they were on hiatus, but it was still pretty neat. The two apartments and the staircase are all one big set and of course the main one. Any other sets are set up off to the side. I thought the coolest part of that tour was they took us on a talk show set (Ellen) a 3-camera sitcom set (BBT) and a single camera drama (The Mentalist) so you got to see the difference between the three.



That's really cool. I'd like to go back and do the tour again, if I could see that set. We didn't get to see any except the Friend's set. I didn't even watch that show. Something to do when friends come to visit.



********** said:


> It's nice that you went to see Fantasmic! With it being down for the next two years I would bet it's going to be extra crowded in the next few weeks.



I'm glad we got to see it. We haven't been to Disney West in weeks now. I'm afraid of what it will be like between now and New Years. We do have plans to go on the 2nd though. I hope it's calmer by then.



dhorner233 said:


> Nice coverage of Fantasmic! Lucky you getting photo tips from Bret! I have problems with my camera's auto focus but don't trust my manual focusing......



Thanks, I was glad to see it again. My manual focusing is awful, especially on moving rides!


----------



## franandaj

ACDSNY said:


> Great updates.  Weren't you a brave one at the Sound Studio.
> 
> I was checking out the Storm Trooper and Darth Vader at the store a few nights ago.



Thanks!  I noticed that someone in your FB pictures was standing next to Darth Vader, so I'm guessing you did more than check him out!



mvf-m11c said:


> We had a great time that Sunday night at DL from Star Tours and seeing F! one more time before it goes down for over a year for SWL. Glad that we were able to see it that night. It was a pleasure to help you out that night. I do have trouble at times with my DSLR where it tries to auto focus on a certain point when taking pictures where it can be annoying. With the DSLR set at manual mode which can get you the shots without the camera trying to focus on that spot. Just as you said that it can get out of focus at times when you are in manual mode. Glad that you were able to get the pictures during F! that night. Very nice pictures from F! that night. Thank you again for inviting me to see F! with you and Fran. It was a shame that Disneyland Forever didn't run that night due to high winds. I know that you wanted to do the long exposure for the fireworks that night.



I'm glad we were able to spend that time together.  I had forgotten that we were going to watch Disneyland Forever, but that it was canceled.  I hope to see you on your next trip down here.



afwdwfan said:


> Your F! pictures look like they turned out very well to me!  I love the sword battle on the Columbia, and those pictures look like they came out well.
> 
> Congratulations on your new Storm Trooper!  I've seen those things around and thought I'd like to have one, but I've just got nowhere to put it.



I like the sword fight on the Columbia too, one of the things I really like about DL's F! is the use of the two ships on the RoA. Such classic ships and they use them perfectly in the whole scheme of things.  We really need to dig out from all the packages in our foyer from being gone two weeks ago and get him out there to greet people!



Steppesister said:


> I'm all caught up again, and I must say, that tour is something I'd give almost anything to see. What a treasure of fun info and such a great experience! I have a cousin who was an animator in the late 60s and early 70s and it'd be fun to see where he may have worked someday. Are those open to the public or how exactly does that even work??



This was a special tour that I'm sure most people would never get to experience.  The closest thing to open to the public they have for these types of things is for D23 members there are "A Day at the Studio" trips you can book. They are offered sporadically, but I've heard they are pretty cool.



PrincessInOz said:


> Catching up!  Sorry I've been MIA.
> 
> WOW!  What amazing pictures from F!  Awesome Bret, for helping you out.  (Love the food porn as well!)
> 
> That tour/event was a LOT of fun to read and work my way through.  Lucky you for being able to attend such functions.  Thanks for sharing.



You've been very busy!  I hope that your time over the holidays allows some relaxing. 



Pinkocto said:


> How fun to spend the evening with Bret   I still have not seen Fantasmic at DL.  There's always so much to do!



Hopefully next time you come out I won't be leaving on a cruise and we can spend more time together. Although F! won't be showing again until sometime in 2018 so you have some time.



rentayenta said:


> Love the F! photos. I haven't seen it properly in many years.
> 
> Lunch looks delicious!
> 
> That stormtropper is about the collest thing ever!



This was the first time since probably 2013 that we have seen it.  Such a great show!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Too much to comment on individually, but I did get caught up!  The tour of the studios looked amazing--how cool to be on those grounds.  And great photos of Fantasmic!  That show looks so much better in DL.



You've been kind of busy lately.  I hope you are feeling better.  The show in DL is much better than at DHS, the seating, not so much, but the show itself is way better.



dolphingirl47 said:


> I am back again and I did enjoy the trip very much.
> 
> The studio tour looked amazing. I would have very much enjoyed this. As far as that Fantasia segment that was scrapped is concerned, Eisner did kind of have the last word on this. I was lucky enough to attend a couple of presentations by George Scribner on our last Panama Canal cruise, one of which was on Mickey's PhilharMagic. He shared some of the initial storyboards with us and on those, Tinkerbell was the character that ran through all the scenes. He told us that there was a meeting where his team had to pitch the idea for Mickey's PhilharMagic to a number of executives including Eisner and it was at this meeting that Eisner suggested that Donald should take the role that Tinkerbell was meant to have.
> 
> I am glad that you did manage to see Fantasmic one last time. The photos have come out really well. That French Dip sandwich looks amazing. I think I have to try this next year.
> 
> Corinna



Now that you mention it, they did talk about how this sort of morphed into ideas for Mickey's Philharmagic.  I had forgotten that part, they talked about so much that day.

The French Market is a little Gem that I had forgotten about. I've eaten there quite a bit on some of my trips over the last year or so and I've had something different and delicious each time!


----------



## Steppesister

franandaj said:


> This was a special tour that I'm sure most people would never get to experience. The closest thing to open to the public they have for these types of things is for D23 members there are "A Day at the Studio" trips you can book. They are offered sporadically, but I've heard they are pretty cool.



Well crap. I'll have to be happy with having experienced it vicariously through you.


----------



## franandaj

Steppesister said:


> Well crap. I'll have to be happy with having experienced it vicariously through you.



I'm glad I could be there for you.


----------



## franandaj

Monday November 16 was the start of Star Wars Season of the Force, and as soon as we had our chores finished, we headed over to Disneyland.  I think it was probably already around 1:30 by the time we got there. We were going to try and meet up with Bret, but he had to leave that day to drive home to NorCal.





It was a long time since we had breakfast, but I wanted to hold out for lunch because I hadn’t eaten here in a long long time, and Fran gave me my choice for lunch (she usually does). Red Rocketts Pizza Port.





My favorite.





We also got our BB8 Sipper cup that day.





After lunch, I went to ride Hyperspace Mountain and Star Tours while Fran checked out the Launch Bay.  We have yet to see this little movie. Maybe next week.





She took these pictures inside the Launch Bay of some of the exhibits.  Now that we’ve seen the movie, I think we need to go back and check it out again.































*[Continued next post]*


----------



## franandaj

*[Continued from Previous Post]*

I had finally received my new F1.4 lens and I was anxious to try it out on some dark rides, so we headed over to the Haunted Mansion to ride.





































































This was about the best I could get for the Hatbox Ghost.





And we had the good fortune to be stopped right in front of Jack for quite a long time.  I got quite a few shots of him, but only a couple actually came out.









These last two weren’t great, but the best I got in the graveyard and on the way out.













*[Continued in Next Post]*


----------



## franandaj

*[Continued from Previous Post]*

By this time we were ready for a drink and it was almost time for our dinner reservation.





The place was practically a ghost town.





















This was our Amuse Bouche which was a sweet potato fritter with lamb bacon and blood orange jelly.





I went with the Prime Beef Tartare Poached Quail Egg and Autumn Mustard.  It was fantastic!





Fran had the Cornbread Crusted Chanterelle Mushrooms, Fennel Puree and Chimmichurri





We both got the Harvest Acorn Squash and Apple Broth with Andouille Sausage and Cranberry Beans. This is how it got served.





And then they poured the broth over the soup.









And we both agreed on the Seafood course as well, the Poached Lobster “Paella” with Saffron Rice and Roasted Tomato Broth. 





We both liked this well enough, but agreed that if nothing else they could have added a tad bit more rice just to beef up the dish a bit.





Before our main course, we got a palate cleanser.  Ever since my first meal as a kid when we were served one of these, I always liked restaurants that served them.  It makes me feel like I am somewhere swanky.





We were really in sync that night because we both also ordered the Zinfandel Braised Angus Beef Short Rib, Celery Root Puree and Apple Slaw.





This was wonderful and tender, melt in your mouth like.





I love a good cheese course, and this totally was.  Fran knows enough not to order one of these because I will never be able to finish it, now that that portions have become larger.  So she finished what I couldn’t here.





For dessert I got the Citrus Tart with Passion Fruit Merengue and Huckleberry Syrup.  This was really good and not too sweet. I ate pretty much every bite.





Fran got the Pumpkin Beignets stuffed with Pumpkin Cheese Cake and a Pumpkin Parfait.  She thought it was really good.  I’m not a big fan of Pumpkin so I wasn’t as thrilled with it as she was.





After dinner, we headed out and back home.


----------



## dhorner233

Wow! Each serving of food was a work of art! And you _are_ in a swanky place if they serve you a palate cleanser!


----------



## Steppesister

franandaj said:


> This was a special tour that I'm sure most people would never get to experience. The closest thing to open to the public they have for these types of things is for D23 members there are "A Day at the Studio" trips you can book. They are offered sporadically, but I've heard they are pretty cool.



I've never researched at ALL D23, so don't know much about the perks or the why of joining. Someday, when I have cash to spend I may look into it more...


----------



## franandaj

dhorner233 said:


> Wow! Each serving of food was a work of art! And you _are_ in a swanky place if they serve you a palate cleanser!



We very much enjoyed this dinner, and the swanky place!



Steppesister said:


> I've never researched at ALL D23, so don't know much about the perks or the why of joining. Someday, when I have cash to spend I may look into it more...



I think once you have some extra spending money, D23 is something you might like to join. It's the official Disney Fan Club. They have lots of events in So Cal and if you can get some cheap flights here, there are lots of things a Disney fanatic would enjoy participating in.  Plus they have a magazine and some traveling events as well.


----------



## franandaj

So I was trying to wait, but I couldn't resist.  New Trip Report!

http://www.disboards.com/threads/the-75-all-new-trip.3470766/#post-54896312


----------



## afwdwfan

franandaj said:


> She took these pictures inside the Launch Bay of some of the exhibits. Now that we’ve seen the movie, I think we need to go back and check it out again


Cool!  Looks interesting, but I'm not sure if I want to take the time to see it at DHS or not.  It's going to be a busy day.

So what did you think of the movie??? 



franandaj said:


> And we had the good fortune to be stopped right in front of Jack for quite a long time. I got quite a few shots of him, but only a couple actually came out.


I think it would be interesting to see this overlay.  Definitely different, but looks interesting. 



franandaj said:


> The place was practically a ghost town


Wow! 



franandaj said:


> Before our main course, we got a palate cleanser. Ever since my first meal as a kid when we were served one of these, I always liked restaurants that served them. It makes me feel like I am somewhere swanky.


That's because it is swanky!  I mean it is an exclusive club!



franandaj said:


> This was wonderful and tender, melt in your mouth like.


I can tell from the picture.  Mouth watering!


----------



## mvf-m11c

It was a shame that I didn't spent some time with you at DL that Monday but I had to go back to NorCal that day. I still appreciate the time with you and Fran on Sunday. Hyperspace Mountain was fun along with Launch Bay. Nice to see that you were able to eat at Redd Rockett's Pizza Port for lunch and get the new dish along with the BB-8 sipper. Those are very nice pictures from HMH with the Sigma lens. Dinner looked good.


----------



## Steppesister

Did I post my last response at the same time you put up the Club 33 Chapter? You must have, since I'm sure I"d have commented if I'd seen it! 

Regardless, it's another AMAZING looking meal at my Dream Place. Oh, so wonderful looking! Someday.... someday. Maybe. Each course looks delectable and so pretty to boot! WOWZA!


----------



## dolphingirl47

Star Wars Launch Bay looks amazing. I don't consider myself a Star Wars fan, but I am looking forward to seeing this.

Lunch looked lovely. Pizza Port has never been on my radar, but I think this needs to change.

Dinner was amazing. There is hope for me yet. When I looked at the menu, there was at least one thing per course that I would eat and sometimes two.

Corinna


----------



## IowaTater

franandaj said:


> Notice there are only three pawprints as the fourth is, shall we say busy?



That is so cute!  That tour looks like a good time.  I love learning about the history & backstories of things like that.  And those parting gifts were pretty cool, too!



franandaj said:


> We also got this Jack Skellington Cake. It was one of the better special desserts that I’ve had.



That looks really good.  I love the decoration on top.  It looks like it was a chocolate layer cake??



franandaj said:


> Fran got the Pumpkin Beignets stuffed with Pumpkin Cheese Cake and a Pumpkin Parfait. She thought it was really good. I’m not a big fan of Pumpkin so I wasn’t as thrilled with it as she was.



Totally what I would have gotten.  I love pumpkin.  

Did you shoot all of F! in manual mode?  I've been such a chicken when it comes to the manual mode.  I need to just put on my big girl panties and try it out. 

Since you're so kind to share pictures of your furbabies, I thought I would share Christmas greetings from mine (he's the one who is now on a special diet). 

 

Yep, he pretty much hated me for about an hour.


----------



## Pinkocto

Yes, what did you think of the movie??? I'm trying to wait until seeing it on the ship next month but all these amazing reviews are making it hard! 

Yummy and beautiful dinner!  Wow!


----------



## Pinkocto

franandaj said:


> Hopefully next time you come out I won't be leaving on a cruise and we can spend more time together. Although F! won't be showing again until sometime in 2018 so you have some time.


 
That's such a long time to not have F!  what new area are they putting there?


----------



## PrincessInOz

Love the SW display!  Wish I could see it in person.

Your food looks amazing.  I would have been totally in sync with the Lobster and Beef and one of the desserts!

Hope your lens works out!  The HM shots look like a good way to start.


----------



## franandaj

afwdwfan said:


> Cool! Looks interesting, but I'm not sure if I want to take the time to see it at DHS or not. It's going to be a busy day.
> 
> So what did you think of the movie???



It didn't take much time to go through it for us.  It was cool, but not as much to see in DHS as I think there is at DL.

I thought the movie was really good.  I can't "rate" it compared to other SW movies because I saw the first three as a kid and was totally blown away by the original.  But I was not at all bored, my mind didn't wander and I was totally "into" what was going to happen next, so I think that's pretty good.  We don't see a lot of movies in the theater, and the last one was pretty riveting as well. But there were several points where I was totally crying and really enjoyed the air battle scenes and other special effects.  The plot was decent as well.  In case there is anyone out there who hasn't seen it, I don't want to say too much.  We will go back and see it in IMAX, probably next week.



afwdwfan said:


> I think it would be interesting to see this overlay. Definitely different, but looks interesting.



It's pretty cool, we now have it what seems like almost half the year, so it's not so much of a novelty for us since they've done it for a long time now.



afwdwfan said:


> Wow!
> 
> That's because it is swanky! I mean it is an exclusive club!



True.  We're going back to celebrate the new year (on the second) and I have a feeling we may be among the only ones there again.



afwdwfan said:


> I can tell from the picture. Mouth watering!



Definitely delicious!  I would order it again, but then again the lamb is pretty good, although I am fixing that for our dinner tonight on NYE.



mvf-m11c said:


> It was a shame that I didn't spent some time with you at DL that Monday but I had to go back to NorCal that day. I still appreciate the time with you and Fran on Sunday. Hyperspace Mountain was fun along with Launch Bay. Nice to see that you were able to eat at Redd Rockett's Pizza Port for lunch and get the new dish along with the BB-8 sipper. Those are very nice pictures from HMH with the Sigma lens. Dinner looked good.



I'm sorry we couldn't get out of the house sooner that day, but Fran seems to have this idea that we need to accomplish things around the house and then there is our old apartment we're still moving out of...

Actually that dish has been on the menu since the place opened.  I really liked it then and still do now.  Yeah. Sigma lens...  



Steppesister said:


> Did I post my last response at the same time you put up the Club 33 Chapter? You must have, since I'm sure I"d have commented if I'd seen it!
> 
> Regardless, it's another AMAZING looking meal at my Dream Place. Oh, so wonderful looking! Someday.... someday. Maybe. Each course looks delectable and so pretty to boot! WOWZA!



I think you were posting right about the same time that I posted that update.  I'm so glad that complaints were hopefully heard, the first year they were really working out the kinks.  Portions were tiny, I mean they are still small and that's OK but leaving hungry from a meal that you spend over $100pp is not cool.  And now through small changes in the menu there are lots of things that I actually find delicious, in the beginning it was just a little weird.  Now there are things that are very tasty on the menu.



dolphingirl47 said:


> Star Wars Launch Bay looks amazing. I don't consider myself a Star Wars fan, but I am looking forward to seeing this.



They haven't said how long it will be there, but I hope that they keep it up for a while. I'm not sure how often we're going to get there over the next few months.



dolphingirl47 said:


> Lunch looked lovely. Pizza Port has never been on my radar, but I think this needs to change.



That's the one dish that I really love there.  The rest is pizza and salads, and while I like those well enough, there are so many other foods in the parks that I like. The Chicken Fusilli pasta is awesome though.



dolphingirl47 said:


> Dinner was amazing. There is hope for me yet. When I looked at the menu, there was at least one thing per course that I would eat and sometimes two.



I also found out about a week later, you can substitute that strip loin steak as your main that we had in the lounge as well!



IowaTater said:


> That is so cute! That tour looks like a good time. I love learning about the history & backstories of things like that. And those parting gifts were pretty cool, too!



It was a very fun day, and so much information!



IowaTater said:


> That looks really good. I love the decoration on top. It looks like it was a chocolate layer cake??



It was.  Just a simple chocolate cake with layers, much tastier than the Diamond Celebration cake which was actually a mousse.



IowaTater said:


> Totally what I would have gotten. I love pumpkin.



I'm not a pumpkin fan, so I'm glad there is something for everyone.



IowaTater said:


> Did you shoot all of F! in manual mode? I've been such a chicken when it comes to the manual mode. I need to just put on my big girl panties and try it out.



Manual focus on the lens or manual on the exposure/aperture?  I always shoot on manual in the dark for exposure and aperture, but for the focus, I use Auto focus on the lens.  However the trick that Bret showed me was to let the lens "find the focus" with the lens's autofocus and then to switch the lens to manual mode so that it doesn't keep refocusing as your position and focal point changes.  Sometimes I got blurs and sometimes I got great shots.



IowaTater said:


> Since you're so kind to share pictures of your furbabies, I thought I would share Christmas greetings from mine (he's the one who is now on a special diet).



What a cutie!



IowaTater said:


> Yep, he pretty much hated me for about an hour.



That's pretty much how my cats would be if I did that to them.



Pinkocto said:


> Yes, what did you think of the movie??? I'm trying to wait until seeing it on the ship next month but all these amazing reviews are making it hard!
> 
> Yummy and beautiful dinner!  Wow!



OK, if you haven't seen it yet, I won't give any spoilers.  It's definitely worth seeing.  Riveting and able to keep you on the edge of your seat throughout most of the movie.  However for me in some ways, it brought up even more questions than it answered.  If you've seen any trailers you'll know that the main characters are a white girl and an African American guy.  I liked the new characters, but now I'm looking forward to the next installment even more so.



Pinkocto said:


> That's such a long time to not have F!  what new area are they putting there?



Here is a good explanation, the best that I've found.  Star Wars Land



PrincessInOz said:


> Love the SW display! Wish I could see it in person.



I can't wait to go back and see it in more detail. Maybe Saturday.



PrincessInOz said:


> Your food looks amazing. I would have been totally in sync with the Lobster and Beef and one of the desserts!



They were really good. But hoping they have something new and interesting in a couple days.



PrincessInOz said:


> Hope your lens works out! The HM shots look like a good way to start.



Yeah.   I'm hoping things work out to get in some more shots before the train closes.  Fingers crossed.


----------



## franandaj

We were certainly having one Disney of a week! Friday at the studios, Sunday F!, Monday, Season of the Force, Wednesday we saw Beauty and the Beast live on stage at the Pantages, and here it was Thursday and we were headed back to the park yet again. You see January 10 about 10% of Disneyland is closing down to make way for the new Star Wars land. Some things are closing temporarily and others permanently.  Plus they are replacing Aladdin with Frozen, so we had to see that again as well.

We arrived fairly close to the time when we needed to queue up for the show so Fran hustled over and got in line. I wanted to try my new lens again and just six weeks before had been rather disenheartened by my inability to take pictures on Monsters Inc: Mike and Sulley to the rescue. Since the ride was very close to the Hyperion Theater this was a perfect opportunity. 

















































After saving monstropolis from the 1 child, I met Fran in line and soon we had our seats. I had been much closer the last time I shared pictures of this show.  We got the front row just behind the first aisle in the theater. This is my favorite spot for the show, as you have a good view of the entire stage area, and things that go on in the theater.

Granted I was closer last time which worked better for the lens that could not zoom in, but I was able to cover the entire stage and not just up close and personal with the characters.  Note, if you’re not interested please just fast forward through all this, I’m posting it more for my own benefit and ability to look back when it’s gone than anything else.





There goes that street rat.





At it again.





That’s a big knife you got there buddy!





Love the effects!





At least the street rat is generous with his stolen goods.





Even if the damsel in distressed was the Princess in disguise.





So the “Diamond in the Rough” heads into the Cave of Wonders.





“Touch only the Lamp”





Oops!  Touched a little bit more than the lamp!





Since he doesn’t speak carpet, with a hint from the audience Aladdin decides to rub the lamp.





And who appears, but Genie!





And he launches into one of my favorite Disney songs ever!





And then my favorite scene of this musical starts to come together.





Wait for it…..





My favorite scene, and this would have made Bugsy Berkeley proud.









Princess Jasmine finds out that her “Street Rat” has disappeared.





Only to enter in Prince Ali…

















Whom she rejects as quickly as her other suitors. Not discouraged so easily, Aladdin rushes to her chamber for a second chance.









*[Continued in Next Post]*


----------



## franandaj

*[Continued from Previous Post]*

While Jafar and Iago plot his demise.









They go on a magic carpet ride, and she has a change of heart.













Aladdin is taken prisoner and the Genie has a new Master.

Who wishes to be made Sultan and then an all powerful sorcerer.





http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random Disney/IMG_8817.jpg.html




When Aladdin reminds him that the Genie is still more powerful than he, Jafar uses his last wish to become an all powerful Genie.





http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random Disney/IMG_8817.jpg.html


Then they put him back in the lamp and toss him to the Cave of Wonders.





The Genie gets his Freedom and he takes a magic carpet to Disneyland.





Aladdin and Jasmine have a spectacular wedding and everyone lives Happily Ever After!




http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random Disney/IMG_8817.jpg.html



http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random Disney/IMG_8817.jpg.html




The cast takes their curtain calls.




http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random Disney/IMG_8817.jpg.html



http://s915.photobucket.com/user/franandaj/media/2015/Random Disney/IMG_8817.jpg.html




And Genie still gets the last laugh.





I’m really going to miss this show!  Even if you just skimmed through the last update, I really did it more selfishly for myself to have something to remember this by when it’s gone.  The costumes the staging, everything about it is just so great, I’ve seen it more than half a dozen times and still every time it’s a fantastic show.  The Genie is so funny and keeps his jokes topical, you always want to know what he’s going to come up with next. I will go see the Frozen show when it opens, but I doubt that I will keep going back like I have with this show.  Thanks everyone for indulging me with all these pictures!

So after Aladdin we had another thing to tick off our list that will be closing now in less than two weeks.  I tried to get another reservation in for the next week, but every single day is booked solid for both lunch and dinner.  Big Thunder Ranch Barbeque.  It’s all you care to eat.  They have a show going on while you’re dining under the stars.





You’re served Ribs, Chicken, and Kielbasa in the little bucket.  We had them bring back more ribs, but you can have them bring you whatever you like or all of it. They also bring you beans, cole slaw, and cornbread.





My first plate.





I didn’t take any pictures of subsequent plates. Not included with dinner, but I had been told it was not to be missed. They have skillet desserts here and this was the S’mores. There was a brownie underneath with marshmallows browned on the top, they stuck graham crackers in the marshmallows and then poured chocolate sauce on top!  





We tried but we couldn’t finish it off, at least in that sitting. Fran took care of that for me in the middle of the night after we got home, either that night or the next day, but unfortunately I never saw this dish again.  And never will as they are completely booked up until closing on January 11th. 

We thought about doing something else, but the park was closing at 8PM and it was pretty much 8PM at this time. Turns out KOST 103FM had booked the park for one of their “parties”. I think it started at 9PM because we were in the Disneyana shop when folks started “pouring” into the park.  It was pretty obvious that most of these folks were only there because they won tickets and were really not Disney officianados, so even if we could have sneaked back in the park there is nothing that I would want less is to be in a park full of Disney neophytes. We made our way out of the park, and back to our car and on our way home knowing that we would be back in less than 60 hours.


----------



## Steppesister

OH, I will DEFINITELY miss that show. A lot. When I was last there with my aunt who passed away shortly after our trip, we laughed a ton in there. Such a quality presentation. 

I'm sure they'll do a great job on Frozen as well, but I'll miss Aladin for sure. Thanks for chronicle-ing it for us!


----------



## dizneeat

*Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the photos of Aladdin! I was heartbroken when I heard it would be gone and you just let me relive it again. Thank you again.
Not sure about Frozen yet, as I have not even seen the movie, yet. *


----------



## Pinkocto

Thank you for the great photos   That was a great show!  I'm sad that I completely forgot about it when I was there in October  

I really enjoyed meeting the animals at the Big Thunder Ranch.  I'm still in shock that they're taking out an area that has been there so long.


----------



## rentayenta

@Pinkocto Ugh we did forget Aladdin in October.  


Great update! Glad you got to enjoy things that will either be gone or will go into hiding during the upcoming years. We have never eaten at Big Thunder BBQ. I have never seen the Osbourne Lights either (I know it's WDW). 

Not sure I told you but we ended up renewing our APs; just Deluxe so we have major holiday black out dates but I am still really happy! 

Monsters Inc is one of our favorites. I'd love to get pictures of the memos they have. Michael is always hoping the ride will stop so he can read them.


----------



## dolphingirl47

The photos turned out great, both of the ride and the show. I am glad that you managed to see the show again. I was certainly happy that I got another chance to see it when I was over the September.

What a bit of luck that you managed to have one last dinner at Big Thunder Ranch Barbeque. I had heard that getting a reservation there has been an absolute nightmare recently. 

Corinna


----------



## dvc at last !

Thanks for your update and pics - loved seeing them.
You have the most amazing trips. Thanks for including us !
Where will the next trip be this year ?


----------



## Dis_Yoda

I'm sad I never got to try the Big Thunder Ranch Barbeque!  The food there looks pretty good!  At least I got to see Aladdin last year.

Glad you got in two of your disappearing enjoyments in!


----------



## Pinkocto

rentayenta said:


> @Pinkocto Ugh we did forget Aladdin in October.


 
I had it on my mind before the trip but then completely and utterly forgot   and I also forgot to do the animators area, I think where they draw cartoons?  They've taken that area out of WDW. 

Congrats on renewing your APs!!!


----------



## PrincessInOz

I'm so going to miss that show as well.


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

All caught up!  Season of the Force looked like fun--I especially loved checking out the Star Wars retrofit on Space Mountain on Youtube.  That looked amazing!

Really wish I'd seen the Aladdin show.  It looks and sounds amazing as well.


----------



## jedijill

Catching back up!  I love that Storm Trooper!  Fantasmic at DL is so much better but I love Florida's seating.  

I'm going to miss Aladdin...I'm kicking myself for forgetting to see it one last time in December. 

Jill in CO


----------



## afwdwfan

franandaj said:


> We were certainly having one Disney of a week! Friday at the studios, Sunday F!, Monday, Season of the Force, Wednesday we saw Beauty and the Beast live on stage at the Pantages, and here it was Thursday and we were headed back to the park yet again.


Wow!  You're really getting a lot of Disney in your life.  I can think of worse things to do!



franandaj said:


> I’m really going to miss this show! Even if you just skimmed through the last update, I really did it more selfishly for myself to have something to remember this by when it’s gone. The costumes the staging, everything about it is just so great, I’ve seen it more than half a dozen times and still every time it’s a fantastic show. The Genie is so funny and keeps his jokes topical, you always want to know what he’s going to come up with next. I will go see the Frozen show when it opens, but I doubt that I will keep going back like I have with this show. Thanks everyone for indulging me with all these pictures!


I appreciated it!  I've only seen the show once, but I thought it was incredible!


----------



## EJ4Disney

I am so loving this report of your day to day in Disney.  How lucky you are.  Thanks for the Aladdin pictures, they were wonderful.


----------



## IowaTater

Thank you for all the Aladdin pictures!  Since I've never made it to that coast, I've never seen the show. It sounds like it was amazing and lots of people are going to miss it. I understand they have to "keep up with the times" but it's still sad when an attraction or eatery closes.


----------



## dhorner233

I've only gotten to see the Aladdin show 3 times and it was always great! Nothing in Frozen will be as good as the Genie!


----------



## franandaj

Steppesister said:


> OH, I will DEFINITELY miss that show. A lot. When I was last there with my aunt who passed away shortly after our trip, we laughed a ton in there. Such a quality presentation.
> 
> I'm sure they'll do a great job on Frozen as well, but I'll miss Aladin for sure. Thanks for chronicle-ing it for us!



I'm glad you have such happy memories of that show.  I'm sure Frozen will be a good show, but it won't be something that I will go back to see over and over again.  My default ring tone on my phone is the song "Friend like Me" and I absolutely LOVE that routine in the show.  There is nothing that will be better than that in my eyes!



dizneeat said:


> *Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the photos of Aladdin! I was heartbroken when I heard it would be gone and you just let me relive it again. Thank you again.
> Not sure about Frozen yet, as I have not even seen the movie, yet. *



I'm so glad that you enjoyed my photos!  I did it mostly for myself, but I'm glad that others are happy to see it again!



Pinkocto said:


> Thank you for the great photos   That was a great show!  I'm sad that I completely forgot about it when I was there in October
> 
> I really enjoyed meeting the animals at the Big Thunder Ranch.  I'm still in shock that they're taking out an area that has been there so long.



I'm sorry you missed the Aladdin show. I guess it's a sign of the times that animals are replaced by a galaxy far far away.



rentayenta said:


> @Pinkocto Ugh we did forget Aladdin in October.
> 
> Great update! Glad you got to enjoy things that will either be gone or will go into hiding during the upcoming years. We have never eaten at Big Thunder BBQ. I have never seen the Osbourne Lights either (I know it's WDW).
> 
> Not sure I told you but we ended up renewing our APs; just Deluxe so we have major holiday black out dates but I am still really happy!
> 
> Monsters Inc is one of our favorites. I'd love to get pictures of the memos they have. Michael is always hoping the ride will stop so he can read them.



I'm glad that I got to "say goodbye" to all the attractions.  They have been reporting on the news that the park has been mobbed these last two days.  We went out Friday morning and left by 4PM to get home to let the cats in. Evidently crowds have been INSANE since we left.

When we saw the Osborne lights crowds were similar.  That's all I'll say so I don't ruin the trip report.  I'm glad you renewed your APs so we can go back together!



dolphingirl47 said:


> The photos turned out great, both of the ride and the show. I am glad that you managed to see the show again. I was certainly happy that I got another chance to see it when I was over the September.
> 
> What a bit of luck that you managed to have one last dinner at Big Thunder Ranch Barbeque. I had heard that getting a reservation there has been an absolute nightmare recently.
> 
> Corinna



Yeah, we never got back to either Aladdin or Big Thunder BBQ, but I did ride the Train last Friday.  Evidently it's been an nightmare line all weekend.



dvc at last ! said:


> Thanks for your update and pics - loved seeing them.
> You have the most amazing trips. Thanks for including us !
> Where will the next trip be this year ?



The next trip is actually not Disney, it's a trip down the Mississippi River on a Riverboat from Memphis to New Orleans. It should be quite an interesting trip.



Dis_Yoda said:


> I'm sad I never got to try the Big Thunder Ranch Barbeque!  The food there looks pretty good!  At least I got to see Aladdin last year.
> 
> Glad you got in two of your disappearing enjoyments in!



I'm sorry you never got to Big Thunder because it was so good.  That was our first time there, and I'm really sad we never got back there again as it was so good.  We did see Aladdin quite a few times, but I'm sad that we didn't get one more time to see it again.  I saw so many of my friends on FB who went to see it tonight.  At least I rode the train on Friday.



PrincessInOz said:


> I'm so going to miss that show as well.



I'm really going to miss it too!


----------



## franandaj

Captain_Oblivious said:


> All caught up!  Season of the Force looked like fun--I especially loved checking out the Star Wars retrofit on Space Mountain on Youtube.  That looked amazing!
> 
> Really wish I'd seen the Aladdin show.  It looks and sounds amazing as well.



I'm glad they have it on YouTube, it's really cool and for people who might not see it otherwise, it's great you can see it in virtual reality! Aladdin was great may it Rest In Peace.



jedijill said:


> Catching back up!  I love that Storm Trooper!  Fantasmic at DL is so much better but I love Florida's seating.
> 
> I'm going to miss Aladdin...I'm kicking myself for forgetting to see it one last time in December.
> 
> Jill in CO



Yeah seating for the CA F! sucks, but the show is so much better!  I'm sorry you missed the show when you were here.



afwdwfan said:


> Wow! You're really getting a lot of Disney in your life. I can think of worse things to do!



Exactly!  We haven't been quite as lucky lately but we did make it out there to see the train before it closed!



afwdwfan said:


> I appreciated it! I've only seen the show once, but I thought it was incredible!



That's great that at least you got to see it!



EJ4Disney said:


> I am so loving this report of your day to day in Disney.  How lucky you are.  Thanks for the Aladdin pictures, they were wonderful.



I'm just glad we get out there as often as we do.  I wouldn't know what to do if we didn't live so close.  I've gotten very used to getting out there rather often!



IowaTater said:


> Thank you for all the Aladdin pictures!  Since I've never made it to that coast, I've never seen the show. It sounds like it was amazing and lots of people are going to miss it. I understand they have to "keep up with the times" but it's still sad when an attraction or eatery closes.



I'm so sad this one is closing.   Frozen will never be as good as Aladdin.  The genie totally made it.  Unless they can make Olaf as funny as the genie (which will be tough), it just won't be close.



dhorner233 said:


> I've only gotten to see the Aladdin show 3 times and it was always great! Nothing in Frozen will be as good as the Genie!



I totally agree. I saw it at least 10 times, maybe more, I have no idea, but every time it was great.  I can't imagine wanting to see Frozen that often.


----------



## dvc at last !

The Mississippi River Boat sounds interesting - have seen/looked at that info.
When is the trip   ?
How many days on the boat ?


----------



## franandaj

dvc at last ! said:


> The Mississippi River Boat sounds interesting - have seen/looked at that info.
> When is the trip   ?
> How many days on the boat ?



It's a week long trip. We leave March 20 and stay in a hotel on the riverfront included in the cruise in Memphis.  We board around 4PM the next day and it's a week long trip. We stop everyday along the way and seem to be in port for quite a bit of the day. There are a number of included excursions as well as premium excursions available for purchase.  I don't think we'll be doing any of those as they are rather long and Fran appreciates her nap time mid day.


----------



## dvc at last !

Sounds like a great vaca - hope you report !


----------



## franandaj

dvc at last ! said:


> Sounds like a great vaca - hope you report !



I do plan on doing a report.  It will probably be over on the Community Board, unless anyone has any better suggestions on where to put it.


----------



## franandaj

So it was Thursday one week before Thanksgiving that we were at the park for Aladdin and Big Thunder Barbeque, both of which had their final call earlier this week.  The following Sunday was our annual “Band Concert in the Park” where for a 30 minute performance, the entire band gets a one park pass into the parks.  Our performance time was 12:00 noon which meant that we needed to be dressed and ready to go at the backstage entrance by 10:30. Those of you who know the area will be familiar with the entrance to DL off of Ball Road, and the next street to the west leads to a Cast Parking structure which is where we park. For the most part everything went smoothly, except that about ¼ of the band didn’t understand that “be dressed and ready at the backstage entrance by 10:30” actually meant just that. So as most of the band is sitting on a tram at 10:45 waiting to be shuttled to the backstage area of DCA, a herd of stragglers comes rushing up because they were all late in arriving and security held them at the gate.  To put even more stress on our poor conductor one guy didn’t listen to any of the instructions and he was standing on the Esplanade with his clarinet wondering where everyone was!  

It all worked out, we had a great audience who loved our show, and then we all got our tickets into the parks.  Here’s a few shots from that day.













By the time we finished playing, changed our clothes and moved our cars out of the cast parking, it was almost 3:00 when we entered the parks.  We were completely starving as we hadn’t had anything since breakfast which was before 10:00AM.  We decided on Flo’s V8 Café.





Which is right across from the Cozy Cone Motel.





I had the Ribs, which were fall off the bone tender and very tasty. I did struggle with this decision as I had eaten ribs only three days ago, but in the end, ribs are good so why not?





I also got a side of macaroni and cheese, this was REALLY good!  I now have a go to snack for in the parks.  This was perfect for just a bite to eat when I don’t want a $7-8 meal.





Fran got the Roast Beef and Cheddar Sandwich, she really liked it, plus she finished off what I couldn’t eat of my ribs.





We split this chocolate shake, and it was really good too!





Our friend Leonard from the band was with us and he also got the ribs.  After we ate, we decided to ride a couple rides while Fran shopped.  First we went on Radiator Springs racers, then we went over to Disneyland and rode Hyperspace Mountain, and Star Tours.  Fran did some shopping.  By this time it was getting late, and it was dark, so we decided to call it a day.  We all had a really good time without wearing ourselves out.  Leonard is not a Disney die hard, so he liked that we just had a few hours of fun and then left so he wasn’t totally exhausted and overwhelmed.


Don’t worry, we’ll be back again soon!


----------



## dolphingirl47

The concert sounds like a great thing to be involved in. I had to smile that somebody ended up in completely the wrong place. You lunch looked delicious. I agree that sometimes it is a lot of fun to just spend a short time in the parks. I really enjoyed the couple of hours that I spent in the parks at the end of my travel day in September.

Corinna


----------



## dvc at last !

Your Band looks very professional - nice work !
Your food looks yummy !
I have never been to DLC - maybe someday.


----------



## dvc at last !

franandaj said:


> I do plan on doing a report.  It will probably be over on the Community Board, unless anyone has any better suggestions on where to put it.


I do not know what the Community Board is - how do I find it ?


----------



## dhorner233

I don't care where you put your Mississippi River trip report as long as you post a link to it on your other threads. I am looking forward to that trip!

I love your band. So envious. Wish I could play in a band in Disneyland!!!! 

I love the ribs at Flo's. They are one of my must do's when I'm in CA Adventure!


----------



## jedijill

Another great concert at CA!  Too bad some of the members couldn't follow directions!    Those ribs looked tasty!

Jill in CO


----------



## rentayenta

Lunch looks fab! I might have to try the ribs.


----------



## PrincessInOz

Your band always has an appreciative audience because it's soooo good!

What an awesome afternoon at Disney and Flo's.


----------



## mvf-m11c

That is great that you were able to perform at DCA with your band. I enjoyed seeing your performance two years ago.

Looks like the food has been changing over at Flo's since I ate there a few years ago. Maybe it will be time to eat there one day.


----------



## afwdwfan

franandaj said:


> To put even more stress on our poor conductor one guy didn’t listen to any of the instructions and he was standing on the Esplanade with his clarinet wondering where everyone was!


  There's one in every group.



franandaj said:


> It all worked out, we had a great audience who loved our show, and then we all got our tickets into the parks. Here’s a few shots from that day.


As if you needed tickets... 



franandaj said:


> I had the Ribs, which were fall off the bone tender and very tasty. I did struggle with this decision as I had eaten ribs only three days ago, but in the end, ribs are good so why not?


Absolutely!  I really enjoyed the ribs there.  Definitely not bad for a counter service meal. 



franandaj said:


> I also got a side of macaroni and cheese, this was REALLY good! I now have a go to snack for in the parks. This was perfect for just a bite to eat when I don’t want a $7-8 meal.


Yes!  I had some of DD's when we ate there.  It was very good.  I'm glad you enjoyed your meal at Flo's!  I really thought it made for a fantastic counter service experience.


----------



## Steppesister

Well, poop. I was absolutely sure I'd commented on your last update with the band performance photos. Shoot!

Anyway, it does look like enormous loads of fun! And, there's always a few in every group who don't listen to directions and have no clue what's going on. It's true everywhere.

YUM! Ribs and coleslaw: hard to beat that combo right there!


----------



## Flossbolna

I love it that you keep going back to Flo's now!! 

I am impressed that they keep having those bands to perform in the park, what a fantastic experience  for everyone involved and the theme park guests, too. But what is wrong with people to not understand clear directions about where to be and when? You think this is specific to your band or do they have to deal with that with every band that comes?


----------



## Pinkocto

What fun to be able to play in the parks!!! Poor guy waiting for everyone else in the completely wrong place... And much stress waiting on all the other folks as well. 

Glad you enjoyed the rest of your day and got some rides in.  I loved seeing Carsland with the decorations


----------



## Leshaface

I am embarrassingly behind (can't even find my last post within the last 9 pages) so i'm just commenting on your last update.



franandaj said:


> except that about ¼ of the band didn’t understand that “be dressed and ready at the backstage entrance by 10:30” actually meant just that. So as most of the band is sitting on a tram at 10:45 waiting to be shuttled to the backstage area of DCA, a herd of stragglers comes rushing up because they were all late in arriving and security held them at the gate. To put even more stress on our poor conductor one guy didn’t listen to any of the instructions and he was standing on the Esplanade with his clarinet wondering where everyone was!



   Not sure if I should feel bad for him or give him a lecture on being on time!  



franandaj said:


> I also got a side of macaroni and cheese, this was REALLY good!



YES!  I decided to share a kids meal with DS in December cause I was pretty nauseous and this tasted SO good to me.  I think I only gave him one bite of it blush: - yes i'm that selfish parent, don't judge)



franandaj said:


> rode Hyperspace Mountain



I was so, so bummed I couldn't ride this   Was it really good?


----------



## Steppesister

Looks like you've hit a "busy" streak. Hope all is well in your world, Alison!


----------



## franandaj

dolphingirl47 said:


> The concert sounds like a great thing to be involved in. I had to smile that somebody ended up in completely the wrong place. You lunch looked delicious. I agree that sometimes it is a lot of fun to just spend a short time in the parks. I really enjoyed the couple of hours that I spent in the parks at the end of my travel day in September.
> 
> Corinna



It's one of my favorite concerts every year.  Back when Fran and I came back to the band about 15 years ago, that was the first thing we did was get the Disneyland concerts going again.  Everyone in the band loves it too!



dvc at last ! said:


> Your Band looks very professional - nice work !
> Your food looks yummy !
> I have never been to DLC - maybe someday.



Thanks. We recently changed our concert dress and I don't like it. I liked the tuxedos but now we wear solid black.



dvc at last ! said:


> I do not know what the Community Board is - how do I find it ?



Actually I changed my mind on that. I'm actually just going to tack it on to my TR, the 75% All New Trip. I mean everyone's there already.  No hunting it down.



dhorner233 said:


> I don't care where you put your Mississippi River trip report as long as you post a link to it on your other threads. I am looking forward to that trip!



Even easier, you're already following the one where I'm going to tack it onto!



dhorner233 said:


> I love your band. So envious. Wish I could play in a band in Disneyland!!!!



If you can plan a last minute trip, maybe you could! Didn't you say you play French Horn? We were desperate for horn players this last concert. We lost half our horn section about two weeks before this concert. We are still short on horns.



dhorner233 said:


> I love the ribs at Flo's. They are one of my must do's when I'm in CA Adventure!



This was only my second time eating here and the first time I had them. They were really good!



jedijill said:


> Another great concert at CA!  Too bad some of the members couldn't follow directions!    Those ribs looked tasty!
> 
> Jill in CO



It was a great show and I loved the ribs!



rentayenta said:


> Lunch looks fab! I might have to try the ribs.



You really should!



PrincessInOz said:


> Your band always has an appreciative audience because it's soooo good!
> 
> What an awesome afternoon at Disney and Flo's.



Well thank you. You're very sweet.


----------



## dvc at last !

the 75% off thread - thanks !


----------



## dhorner233

Yes! I do play French horn! I wonder if I could get a French horn on an airplane as a carry on. I'd be scared to put it in with the luggage. What a great fantasy! But, I'd have to rehearse with you guys. It would be tough to pull off. 

Is your Mississippi trip next? Then DW. Then the Alaskan cruise?


----------



## franandaj

mvf-m11c said:


> That is great that you were able to perform at DCA with your band. I enjoyed seeing your performance two years ago.
> 
> Looks like the food has been changing over at Flo's since I ate there a few years ago. Maybe it will be time to eat there one day.



Thanks!  I was so grateful to you for recording the performance as well!

Yeah, I remember that originally Flo's had open faced beef and turkey sandwiches.  I was surprised when I first went there and they had regular sandwiches.



afwdwfan said:


> There's one in every group.



I know.   Thank goodness it's only one.  



afwdwfan said:


> As if you needed tickets...



Well, we didn't, but most of our friends do.  Believe it or not, but we really don't have friends that want to go to Disney.  However, we are slowly breaking their resistance.  Tonight we went out to the park, ate dinner at the Plaza Inn, rode Indiana Jones and then watched the parade and fireworks, then we went home.  Everyone agreed that this was a great night and not running around all day from ride to ride made for an enjoyable time at Disney.



afwdwfan said:


> Absolutely! I really enjoyed the ribs there. Definitely not bad for a counter service meal.



I'd say awesome for a counter service meal.



afwdwfan said:


> Yes! I had some of DD's when we ate there. It was very good. I'm glad you enjoyed your meal at Flo's! I really thought it made for a fantastic counter service experience.



It's definitely up there on the list, but really hard to beat the Fried Chicken from Plaza Inn.



Steppesister said:


> Well, poop. I was absolutely sure I'd commented on your last update with the band performance photos. Shoot!



I hate when your posts disappear into the ether!



Steppesister said:


> Anyway, it does look like enormous loads of fun! And, there's always a few in every group who don't listen to directions and have no clue what's going on. It's true everywhere.



It's so fun to do a concert at Disney.  They do all the heavy lifting, we just show up and play.  No set up, tear down, and then we just change our clothes and go have fun in the parks! 

It always amazes me because we go over the procedure EVERY WEEK at rehearsal for like a month.  We have a whole Q&A time.  I stand up and explain the whole thing from start to finish about how we meet backstage, they take us through security, you need to give us your name as it appears on your driver's license as then will check that before they let you through.  Bomb sniffing dogs will check your instrument case, no pictures backstage, yadda, yadda, yadda.  We go over this for three to four weeks every Tuesday night before the day of the performance, and still there are people who don't get it.  



Steppesister said:


> YUM! Ribs and coleslaw: hard to beat that combo right there!



Yup.  Perfection!



Flossbolna said:


> I love it that you keep going back to Flo's now!!
> 
> I am impressed that they keep having those bands to perform in the park, what a fantastic experience  for everyone involved and the theme park guests, too. But what is wrong with people to not understand clear directions about where to be and when? You think this is specific to your band or do they have to deal with that with every band that comes?



It is a great experience.  But our band is a little different from most of the other bands who play there.  Most of the groups are school age children who arrive on their bus.  I'm not sure if you were following eandesmom's TR when she used to be on the boards, but her kid had a much more typical experience except they did "Magic Music Days" which is a "pay to play" experience.   The kids also get some kind of clinic as part of their experience.  We participate in the "Community Arts Showcase" which is only open to musical and dance groups who are in counties that border Orange County.  The Community Arts Showcase is only open during November through February.

Anyways, most groups are usually school based and the kids are coming in from their schools on a bus of some sort. Usually they arrive early in the morning, the kids go into the park for a few hours and then they meet their guide at a designated spot in the park at a certain time and they are taken backstage.  The bus pulls up backstage and they all get their costumes and instruments off the bus and prepare for their performance.  They play and then change back out of their clothes and go back out to the park until their bus goes back to their school and they go home.

I suppose there is still room for error when someone doesn't meet at the designated spot for the concert or even worse when it's time to go home.  The difference with our band is that we all arrive in our personal vehicles. We have to park in the Cast parking structure off Ball Road (where you were when the fireworks started on the night that you went to Umami burger).  There is more of a chance for people to be late since we are driving from various places around Los Angeles.

I did hear a very funny moment with a school band while we were waiting for the rest of our band to come backstage.  The Director was addressing his band who had just come in from the parks and he explained to them that they needed to change into their uniforms, but "Disney has standards and a changing room, you can't just drop your pants right here backstage to put on your uniform." 

You may think that is strange and awful, but band people sometimes have to change at the drop of a hat, and most folks have no modesty when it comes to getting changed into uniform as it can be more important to change more quickly than to worry about who is watching.  It brought me back to High School and college when marching band people would do things like the director described without giving it a second thought!


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

franandaj said:


> For the most part everything went smoothly, except that about ¼ of the band didn’t understand that “be dressed and ready at the backstage entrance by 10:30” actually meant just that.



What else could it possibly mean??



franandaj said:


> To put even more stress on our poor conductor one guy didn’t listen to any of the instructions and he was standing on the Esplanade with his clarinet wondering where everyone was!







franandaj said:


> After we ate, we decided to ride a couple rides while Fran shopped. First we went on Radiator Springs racers, then we went over to Disneyland and rode Hyperspace Mountain, and Star Tours.



BBQ and Star Wars experiences...hard to top that!


----------



## franandaj

Pinkocto said:


> What fun to be able to play in the parks!!! Poor guy waiting for everyone else in the completely wrong place... And much stress waiting on all the other folks as well.



It's been something fun that Fran and I have always set up.  I just found out right now, I have been relieved of my duties as Band Manager and Fran and I are now solely Librarians, so we'll see if we continue to play at Disney.



Pinkocto said:


> Glad you enjoyed the rest of your day and got some rides in. I loved seeing Carsland with the decorations



It is pretty cute how they dress it up!



Leshaface said:


> I am embarrassingly behind (can't even find my last post within the last 9 pages) so i'm just commenting on your last update.



You have been pretty far behind. That's OK, this thread is mostly about chatter.



Leshaface said:


> Not sure if I should feel bad for him or give him a lecture on being on time!



I know.  If I knew him better, I would have hassled him, but there are so many new people, I hardly know anyone there anymore.



Leshaface said:


> YES! I decided to share a kids meal with DS in December cause I was pretty nauseous and this tasted SO good to me. I think I only gave him one bite of it blush: - yes i'm that selfish parent, don't judge)



  



Leshaface said:


> I was so, so bummed I couldn't ride this  Was it really good?



I thought it was!  Hopefully they will keep it around until after you have your next son.



Steppesister said:


> Looks like you've hit a "busy" streak. Hope all is well in your world, Alison!



Yes, I did hit a busy streak!  Trying to stay afloat!



dvc at last ! said:


> the 75% off thread - thanks !







dhorner233 said:


> Yes! I do play French horn! I wonder if I could get a French horn on an airplane as a carry on. I'd be scared to put it in with the luggage. What a great fantasy! But, I'd have to rehearse with you guys. It would be tough to pull off.



I wonder if it fits in the overhead bin?  That's one instrument that we don't have a loaner for.  We used to do a Saturday rehearsal the day before, but our new conductor nixed that idea.  Now it's just our normal Tuesday nights.



dhorner233 said:


> Is your Mississippi trip next? Then DW. Then the Alaskan cruise?



  Yup!  you get and "A" for paying attention.  After that is F&W at WDW in October and then Palm Springs for the National Band Convention meeting in the first weekend in November.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> What else could it possibly mean??



I dunno, exiting the freeway at 10:30.  Standing outside your car in the parking lot putting on the last of your tux.  Getting a Latte at Starbucks.     I was Manager of the Band for 15 years.  Just found out today I have been "relieved" of that duty "so I don't get too stressed out" having to do the librarians job. But I digress.  I could never understand why people couldn't make it somewhere on time. We always added in an extra 15-30 minutes and the prompt ones had to suffer being on time and waiting for all the stragglers.  Our current conductor doesn't believe in "padding" the time and look where it got him.  All stressed out.



Captain_Oblivious said:


>



Some people never listen.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> BBQ and Star Wars experiences...hard to top that!



Nope.  Pretty great way to top off an otherwise good day.


----------



## Pinkocto

What do you mean you've been relieved of being band manager??? That does not sound good


----------



## franandaj

Pinkocto said:


> What do you mean you've been relieved of being band manager??? That does not sound good



Ehhh.  I'm not going to sweat it.  Since Fran and I left the Board all kinds of things have changed.  There is a guy who attends the church where we are doing our concerts (where you saw us play) and he has been liasing with them on our concerts.  The new board just decided that since Fran and I are being the Librarians now, we should let the other guy be Band Manager, since he goes to the church and sees the venue manager more often.   I just don't think he has any idea what he has gotten himself into and I could "give him my files" but unless he understands Microsoft Access and my brain and how I've set them up they will be useless to him.  He is going to need to reinvent the wheel to do my job.  Now that I've been "relieved" I'm not going to do any part that they took away from me.  He needs to do it all on his own.  Like I said, I don't think he knows what he has gotten into.


----------



## franandaj

So a week after our band played at Disneyland was the Sunday after Thanksgiving.  Having cooked every day for the past few days, we thought it would be nice to take a break from that and let someone else do the cooking, so we arranged to have lunch out at the park with my parents.

I never know how early my father is going to get up, so we were able to set our lunch reservation at 1:00PM, and lo and behold he got up really early and was all dressed and ready to go by 9AM.  My mom on the other hand is always up and even has had breakfast long before the rest of the house is stirring. Even Fran and I weren’t ready yet as we weren’t expecting that! I don’t remember what time we got there, but we had time to hit up Radiator Springs Racers when we arrived.

Stanley was dressed up in his Santa Hat.





Soon we were in our race car.





I was still having trouble with the dark ride lens.





We got new tires.





And started the race.





I forget who won, but we enjoyed our trip through tail light caverns.









Stanley also had his Santa Bag.





I believe after that we rode Soarin’ over California. Then we headed off to lunch.










I started off with my usual Diamond Martini.





When Fran got up to use the Rest Room, they folded her napkin for her.  So cute!





There wasn’t a lot of variety in the choices at our table.  My parents went with the Skana Bay Salmon Tartare, Capers, Crème Fraiche, and Black Bread Croutons.





Fran and I ordered the Warm Blue Crab and Artichoke Gratin with Lemon Chervil Glacage.  This was just as wonderful as the last time I ordered it!





Look at all that lump crabmeat in there!





For the second course, I think everyone but me went for the Harvest Acorn Squash and Apple Broth with Andouille Sausage and Cranberry Beans. It was served with the “stuff” in the bowl.





Then they poured the broth over the rest.





I went for something that I had been envying since our visit in August.  Several folks got the Country Sausage and Pate Maison, Apricot Mustard and Persimmon.  I was totally happy with this choice, but it was a lot of food.





For our entrees, Fran and I went for the Veal Scaloppini, Apple. Sweet Potato Salad and Lemon Thyme Jus.





My parents had the Citrus Lobster Salad, Tender Greens, Cucumbers and Southern Orange Vinaigrette.



 

For dessert we did try a few different things.  My Mom & Dad went for the pumpkin beignets that Fran had a couple weeks ago.





I’m guessing that my Fran went for this Warm Chocolate Fudge Pecan Brownie, Caramel Sauce, and Coconut sorbet.





And I went for the All American Apple Pie with Fiscalini White Cheddar Ice Cream which I debated about having two weeks before and decided against.  This was the better choice!





I got a glass of wine from the Royal Tokaji Winery with my dessert.





And then I had a cup of coffee after my dessert.





Donald and Pluto were out in the lobby and I got to meet with them. My Dad made a huge faux pas calling Pluto Goofy!  





After lunch we rode Indiana Jones, and my father and I rode Hyperspace Mountain.  At that point, my mom was getting cold and tired and I was thankful because I was cold and tired long before that, but my Dad was good to go.  I don’t normally get that kind of time with my Dad so I wasn’t going to stop it, but we had a good time on Hyperspace Mountain. After that we headed out of the park.  Tired and ready to go home.


----------



## afwdwfan

Not necessarily the typical Thanksgiving dinner, but it looks great!  I'm glad you were able to get an ADR and go to the park with your parents so that you didn't have to cook.

That's great that your dad was in rare form... up and ready to go and wanting to have some fun and quality time with you in the park!


----------



## jedijill

Mmmm, your lunch looked amazing!  Glad you had fun with your dad!

Jill in CO


----------



## Steppesister

You guys have the GREATEST looking meals, ALL the time!! WOW! Not your typical fare for TDay, but I'd pick what you showed any day of the week. 

So special to have some concentrated time with your dad; hard to beat quality time with special people.


----------



## franandaj

afwdwfan said:


> Not necessarily the typical Thanksgiving dinner, but it looks great!  I'm glad you were able to get an ADR and go to the park with your parents so that you didn't have to cook.
> 
> That's great that your dad was in rare form... up and ready to go and wanting to have some fun and quality time with you in the park!



Well this was three days after Thanksgiving.  We cooked a traditional meal on the day, made a pork loin the day after and I don't remember now what we had on the Saturday, but it may have been a Prime Rib.

I modified the text above so that it was hopefully clear that Mom came along too, but we never have a problem with her waking up in time.  In fact she is always up before everyone. Usually having eaten breakfast and done the crossword puzzle before anyone it out of bed.



jedijill said:


> Mmmm, your lunch looked amazing!  Glad you had fun with your dad!
> 
> Jill in CO



Thanks!  As I mentioned above, Mom was there too, it's just we didn't worry about her getting up, she wakes up earlier than all of us.



Steppesister said:


> You guys have the GREATEST looking meals, ALL the time!! WOW! Not your typical fare for TDay, but I'd pick what you showed any day of the week.
> 
> So special to have some concentrated time with your dad; hard to beat quality time with special people.



We only eat like that maybe once or twice a month (if we're lucky) or on vacation.  I'm actually going to post our T'day meal just so you all don't think that's what we had on Thanksgiving day.  We had the traditional meal, but four days later we were done cooking every night and decided to go out.  Not that I don't like cooking with my Mom, but after three or four nights of cooking every night it gets tiring!  And just to note, it wasn't just my Dad that was there, my Mom was too, I only called out my Dad because he is the one we worry about getting up.  My Mom gets up way before any of us so we don't worry about her. So we had both my Mom and Dad for this lunch.


----------



## franandaj

So because after posting about our lunch on the Sunday after Thanksgiving and folks seemed to think that's what we did for the actual Thanksgiving, I decided to post the pictures I took on my phone of what we had for Thanksgiving. I also edited my post on the Sunday to make it a little more clear.

This was our appetizers.  Naked Jim put together this cute crudité plate.  My parents had all kinds of cheese, and I'm not sure who provided the champagne.





This is our main course serving.  In the back you'll see a sweet potato casserole, there's dressing and turkey in the middle (BTW we actually deep fried the turkey, it was delicious!), green bean casserole and potatoes and gravy in the foreground.  Also my Dad is pouring the wine.





Here are the desserts that we served on Thanksgiving.  There were brownies, a chocolate fudge cake, apple cinnamon cupcakes, cinnamon bun cupcakes, and the things in the foreground are Reece's squates, they were good!


----------



## afwdwfan

Sorry, I might have missed some detail when I read it.  That happens.  I did realize your mom went along, but it just seemed that your dad maybe had a little more pep in his step and you were having some special moments with him. 

Both meals look great though.  Thanksgiving day and Sunday.  Love me some fried turkey...


----------



## franandaj

afwdwfan said:


> Sorry, I might have missed some detail when I read it.  That happens.  I did realize your mom went along, but it just seemed that your dad maybe had a little more pep in his step and you were having some special moments with him.
> 
> Both meals look great though.  Thanksgiving day and Sunday.  Love me some fried turkey...



No problem. I think I must have worded something awkwardly as well. Both you and Liesa came to the same conclusion so I edited the original post and put up these pics I had taken on my phone from Turkey day. I had posted them on "that other social media site". We're lovin' our turkey fryer! II think I'm going to make another one in the next couple weeks.

Also my Dad has changed a lot in the last 15-20 years. Growing up he used to be much less acessible personally, so I guess I have been having better times with him. Not sure if it's me getting older or him just opening up.more.


----------



## jedijill

Your Thanksgiving dinner looked delicious as well!

What cruise are you doing in Feb 2017?

Jill in CO


----------



## franandaj

jedijill said:


> Your Thanksgiving dinner looked delicious as well!
> 
> What cruise are you doing in Feb 2017?
> 
> Jill in CO



We have an Eastern Caribbean on the Fantasy.  Includes Tortola, one other Island group and CC. 3 days at sea. Feb 25.


----------



## jedijill

franandaj said:


> We have an Eastern Caribbean on the Fantasy.  Includes Tortola, one other I land group and CC. 3 days at sea. Feb 25.



I'm plotting.   I need to break up the winter and I have a cruise itch. 

Jill in CO


----------



## dizneeat

*All caught up again. FAR too much to comment on individually, but I just wanted to say that I really enjoy following you around. And all that food really made me hungry. Going to have some dinner now. *


----------



## dhorner233

I'm sorry to hear you are not the Band Manager any more and that that means you may not play at DL any more! I have a friend/former student who is way better than me on French horn and we were fantasizing about playing with your band! We play in our little community band up here but.......

Your meal at the Club was beautiful as always. They are so artsy the way the present the food. All those dots and drizzles. :

Yes, I know your Mom was there too - but it's nice you had some quality time with your Dad. I have some fond memories of my Dad at DL/DW. He loved to ride the roller coasters. My Mother was there too but she never liked the parks as much as my Dad and I did.


----------



## dvc at last !

Thanksgiving looks delish - we have Thanksgiving at a sister and they have been deep frying the bird for a few years - it is good !

Your lunch out looks amazing and so perfectly served.

Glad you and Dad had a great time !


----------



## Pinkocto

Sunday after Thanksgiving looked amazing!  Lots of delicious choices on the menu   and extra fun to have park time with your parents 

the desserts at Thanksgiving are mouthwatering!


----------



## PrincessInOz

What great Thanksgiving meals.  Now I want dessert!

Sounds like you had a wonderful visit with your folks.


----------



## dolphingirl47

franandaj said:


> I forget who won, but we enjoyed our trip through tail light caverns.



In all the times I have done this ride now, I have never noticed this. How pretty.



franandaj said:


> I started off with my usual Diamond Martini.



That looks so good right now. Lunch looked lovely, too.



franandaj said:


> Donald and Pluto were out in the lobby and I got to meet with them. My Dad made a huge faux pas calling Pluto Goofy!



What a bonus to have the characters there.



franandaj said:


> I don’t normally get that kind of time with my Dad so I wasn’t going to stop it, but we had a good time on Hyperspace Mountain.



It is great that you got to spend some quality time with your dad.



franandaj said:


> This was our appetizers. Naked Jim put together this cute crudité plate. My parents had all kinds of cheese, and I'm not sure who provided the champagne.



That crudité plate looks amazing and the rest of dinner also looks delicious. I cannot imagine what fried turkey would taste like, but I know a lot of people love it.

Corinna


----------



## mvf-m11c

The Thanksgiving meal looks amazing. Glad that you had a great visit with your folks.


----------



## franandaj

jedijill said:


> I'm plotting.   I need to break up the winter and I have a cruise itch.
> 
> Jill in CO



We would love to have you come along!  I wish you had a travel companion to help you out with the costs!  On our American Queen Cruise they actually have "single" rooms.



dizneeat said:


> *All caught up again. FAR too much to comment on individually, but I just wanted to say that I really enjoy following you around. And all that food really made me hungry. Going to have some dinner now. *



Well the next update will not be quite as hunger inducing!



dhorner233 said:


> I'm sorry to hear you are not the Band Manager any more and that that means you may not play at DL any more! I have a friend/former student who is way better than me on French horn and we were fantasizing about playing with your band! We play in our little community band up here but.......



It doesn't necessarily mean we won't play at DL anymore, it just means I'm not in charge of it so I can't necessarily make sure it happens when I want it to.



dhorner233 said:


> Your meal at the Club was beautiful as always. They are so artsy the way the present the food. All those dots and drizzles. :



They do a great job, and I'm glad they final stepped it up because that first year was a little bit sad.



dhorner233 said:


> Yes, I know your Mom was there too - but it's nice you had some quality time with your Dad. I have some fond memories of my Dad at DL/DW. He loved to ride the roller coasters. My Mother was there too but she never liked the parks as much as my Dad and I did.



It's funny we took them to WDW six years ago and about two years back we were talking about the possibility of going back, my Dad was gung ho, but my Mom was like, "maybe in about 10 years."  



dvc at last ! said:


> Your lunch out looks amazing and so perfectly served.
> 
> Glad you and Dad had a great time !



Thanks, it was a very nice day and not too much.



Pinkocto said:


> Sunday after Thanksgiving looked amazing! Lots of delicious choices on the menu  and extra fun to have park time with your parents



It was a very nice day, and not too exhausting either!



Pinkocto said:


> the desserts at Thanksgiving are mouthwatering!



Thanks!  We spend that day and the day before baking.  We handed out plates of treats to the various folks that take care of us throughout the year.



PrincessInOz said:


> What great Thanksgiving meals.  Now I want dessert!
> 
> Sounds like you had a wonderful visit with your folks.



Yeah, I'm glad we don't have any desserts like that around here right now.  I have about 20 pounds to drop!


----------



## franandaj

dolphingirl47 said:


> In all the times I have done this ride now, I have never noticed this. How pretty.



You must be so flustered after the race part. This sections goes by really quickly.



dolphingirl47 said:


> That looks so good right now. Lunch looked lovely, too.



Yeah, I could go for one of those Martinis!



dolphingirl47 said:


> What a bonus to have the characters there.



I think it's a Sunday afternoon thing.



dolphingirl47 said:


> It is great that you got to spend some quality time with your dad.



It was fun.  And very different.



dolphingirl47 said:


> That crudité plate looks amazing and the rest of dinner also looks delicious. I cannot imagine what fried turkey would taste like, but I know a lot of people love it.



Jim made the crudité plate.  I can't take credit for that one.  Fried turkey is great, it's really juicy and the skin is crispy and tasty.



mvf-m11c said:


> The Thanksgiving meal looks amazing. Glad that you had a great visit with your folks.



Thank you, we always tend to do it up with plenty of food for our little family.


----------



## franandaj

December in the parks finds us visiting with DISers from out of town who came to see Disney at Christmas in the 60th Anniversary.  Jenny and her family were in town as well as Jedijill, so we all planned a day that we would meet up together at the parks.  We met in the lobby of the Grand Californian and I snapped a picture of the Gingerbread House.  While WDW has a long tradition of building Gingerbread houses in the hotel lobbies, this is only the second year that there has been a Gingerbread house at the Grand.  I didn’t think to take a look at the other hotels and see if they had Gingerbread houses.





We started off our Day at Paradise Pier.  First we rode California Screamin’





Then it was on to Toy Story Midway Mania





We headed over to Radiator Springs Racers next, but we stopped for a group photo op.





















We got tires!

















Here we go!





























I think we went over to Grizzly River Rapids after this.  I don’t like to do water rides, so I think I sat this one out with a few others.  Then we headed over to lunch.  I really wanted to eat at the Paradise Garden Grill, I hadn’t had their Kefta Meatballs in quite some time.  Imagine my surprise when we got there and it had been converted to a Mexican restaurant for the Christmas Holiday.  So I went for meatballs of another kind at Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta.





Jill ordered this Pasta with Chicken.





Jenny shared some of her Chicken Caesar Salad with me.





It worked out to be a decent well rounded lunch even though it was not what I wanted at the time.

We went on Tower of Terror next, that was a fun one!  





Then we all decided to hop over to Disneyland.  I can write about this now because it has all happened, but as we were crossing Jenny’s husband approached me about helping the kids buy her a Christmas present. With my Premier AP I get a 20% discount and with the purse that they were looking at this would make a big difference.  Everyone wanted to ride Splash Mountain, but as I had pointed out earlier, I don’t do water rides. So they all went on ahead to ride Splash and Michael and I stayed behind on Main Street where they were selling the purse the kids wanted to buy for her.  Covert operation complete, we headed to the Haunted Mansion to meet up with them.

I rarely go through the actual queue on this ride. Normally with Fran we take the accessible entrance, but this time we used the queue and I was thrilled to be seeing this graveyard.

















*[Continued in Next Post]*


----------



## franandaj

*[Continued from Previous Post]*

Soon we were seeing Jack’s handiwork inside the Mansion.






























And then we boarded our “Black Christmas Sleigh”, Zero was hard at work.













































Our next ride was Pirates.  I wasn’t having the best luck with my lens.













































At that point we were pretty much done, so all the adults ordered some drinks.





Jill and I split an order of sliders and fries.





Before we all said goodnight, we took some pictures.









And then we all said goodbye.  We had dinner with Jill the following Friday and I just had breakfast with Jenny the other day where she showed me her purse!  We’re going to have to do it all again sometime!


----------



## dhorner233

What a nice day at the parks! 



franandaj said:


> It doesn't necessarily mean we won't play at DL anymore, it just means I'm not in charge of it so I can't necessarily make sure it happens when I want it to.



Well let me know if you ever need a French horn!


----------



## Dis_Yoda

Which purse did you pick up for Jenny?  

Looks like it was a successful day in the park!  Boardwalk Pasta seems to be a nice option, even if it wasn't exactly what you wanted.  Still a nice step up from a normal counter service with the real plates and silverware!  

The Haunted Mansion overlay looks awesome!  You are getting better with your dark lens


----------



## afwdwfan

franandaj said:


> December in the parks finds us visiting with DISers from out of town who came to see Disney at Christmas in the 60th Anniversary. Jenny and her family were in town as well as Jedijill, so we all planned a day that we would meet up together at the parks. We met in the lobby of the Grand Californian and I snapped a picture of the Gingerbread House. While WDW has a long tradition of building Gingerbread houses in the hotel lobbies, this is only the second year that there has been a Gingerbread house at the Grand. I didn’t think to take a look at the other hotels and see if they had Gingerbread houses.


You chose a great place to meet up!  I like how the Gingerbread house looks like it is themed similar to the GCH.

I'm glad you all had a chance to get together and head to the parks.  It looks like it was a fun day!



franandaj said:


> I really wanted to eat at the Paradise Garden Grill, I hadn’t had their Kefta Meatballs in quite some time. Imagine my surprise when we got there and it had been converted to a Mexican restaurant for the Christmas Holiday.


Hmmm... that seems kind of like an odd seasonal menu change. 



franandaj said:


> With my Premier AP I get a 20% discount and with the purse that they were looking at this would make a big difference. Everyone wanted to ride Splash Mountain, but as I had pointed out earlier, I don’t do water rides. So they all went on ahead to ride Splash and Michael and I stayed behind on Main Street where they were selling the purse the kids wanted to buy for her. Covert operation complete, we headed to the Haunted Mansion to meet up with them.


I'm glad that you were able to help them out!  20% can make a huge difference on the price of a Disney purse.


----------



## jedijill

I had such a fun day with you and Jenny and her family!  It was so cool seeing the holiday overlay on IASW and HM.  

@afwdwfan  The area was redone for the Feliz Navidad celebration so the Mexican theme made sense. 

Jill in CO


----------



## rentayenta

jedijill said:


> I had such a fun day with you and Jenny and her family!  It was so cool seeing the holiday overlay on IASW and HM.
> 
> @afwdwfan  The area was redone for the Feliz Navidad celebration so the Mexican theme made sense.
> 
> Jill in CO




So much fun! I had NO idea about the bag either. We get 10% with our APs so the extra 10% was awesome.  Thank you to and Alison for helping to pull off such a fabulous surpise. 

Love the pics Alison. I hadn't seen that one of Michael and I.


----------



## afwdwfan

jedijill said:


> @afwdwfan The area was redone for the Feliz Navidad celebration so the Mexican theme made sense.


Ok, that makes sense then.  I just couldn't quite make the connection between Christmas and Mexican food.


----------



## mvf-m11c

Very nice meet with Jill, Jenny and her family. 

Your photos on the dark rides are getting better and better with the Sigma Lens.


----------



## PrincessInOz

What an awesome DisMeet!  Like always, I really wished I lived closer so that I could join in some of the fun.
You're such a generous friend.  That discount would have been significant for the purse.

Everything looks amazing, as always.


----------



## dvc at last !

Your pics and reports are always amazing !


----------



## Pinkocto

What a fun day!!! I know I was just at DL but I want to go back  and with all that fabulous company too!!!


----------



## franandaj

dhorner233 said:


> What a nice day at the parks!



I love it when friends come to town so we can go to the parks.



Dis_Yoda said:


> Which purse did you pick up for Jenny?



It was this one







Dis_Yoda said:


> Looks like it was a successful day in the park! Boardwalk Pasta seems to be a nice option, even if it wasn't exactly what you wanted. Still a nice step up from a normal counter service with the real plates and silverware!



You're the second one who has mentioned about the real plates and silverware at counter services in Disneyland.  I never really realized it, but there are quite a few restaurants in DL that serve on real plates and silverware.



Dis_Yoda said:


> The Haunted Mansion overlay looks awesome! You are getting better with your dark lens



Thank you!



afwdwfan said:


> You chose a great place to meet up! I like how the Gingerbread house looks like it is themed similar to the GCH.
> 
> I'm glad you all had a chance to get together and head to the parks. It looks like it was a fun day!



I really liked the gingerbread house theming.  We had a great day together.



afwdwfan said:


> Hmmm... that seems kind of like an odd seasonal menu change.



Yeah, they had the whole "Feliz Navidad" Celebration going on, but I see that Jill explained that already.



afwdwfan said:


> I'm glad that you were able to help them out! 20% can make a huge difference on the price of a Disney purse.



It really did make a big difference in the price.



jedijill said:


> I had such a fun day with you and Jenny and her family! It was so cool seeing the holiday overlay on IASW and HM.



I'm glad we all were able to make it that day it was so much fun!



rentayenta said:


> So much fun! I had NO idea about the bag either. We get 10% with our APs so the extra 10% was awesome.  Thank you to and Alison for helping to pull off such a fabulous surpise.



You're welcome and I'm glad that you liked it!



rentayenta said:


> Love the pics Alison. I hadn't seen that one of Michael and I.



I really like the one of you and Michael, so cute!



mvf-m11c said:


> Very nice meet with Jill, Jenny and her family.
> 
> Your photos on the dark rides are getting better and better with the Sigma Lens.



Thank you very much! 



PrincessInOz said:


> What an awesome DisMeet!  Like always, I really wished I lived closer so that I could join in some of the fun.
> You're such a generous friend.  That discount would have been significant for the purse.
> 
> Everything looks amazing, as always.



I wish you were closer too!  Hopefully the next time you come over Jenny will also be a local so we can have another big DISmeet!



dvc at last ! said:


> Your pics and reports are always amazing !



Thank you very much!



Pinkocto said:


> What a fun day!!! I know I was just at DL but I want to go back  and with all that fabulous company too!!!



We all talked that day about having a girls weekend, but we haven't talked further about it. That would be great to have a whole weekend of fun!


----------



## Steppesister

franandaj said:


> No problem. I think I must have worded something awkwardly as well. Both you and Liesa came to the same conclusion so I edited the original post and put up these pics I had taken on my phone from Turkey day.



Nah, I did know your mom was there too, just picked up that you got some extra special time you seemed to be having with your dad.  A couple years ago just me and my dad went to the drag races in Bowling Green and it was one of the best time I can ever remember with him. It's great that you have them in your life still and are still making great memories with both! As they age, I crave more and more time with my folks. 

How delightful you got to meet with Jenny and Jill! What a great time you all had! There are some fun photos of scenes I've never seen, esp at Christmas. Neat!!!


----------



## PrincessInOz

Nice score for Jenny!


----------



## franandaj

Steppesister said:


> Nah, I did know your mom was there too, just picked up that you got some extra special time you seemed to be having with your dad. A couple years ago just me and my dad went to the drag races in Bowling Green and it was one of the best time I can ever remember with him. It's great that you have them in your life still and are still making great memories with both! As they age, I crave more and more time with my folks.



Yeah, we have a whole week with them on a cruise to Alaska this summer.



Steppesister said:


> How delightful you got to meet with Jenny and Jill! What a great time you all had! There are some fun photos of scenes I've never seen, esp at Christmas. Neat!!!



We did have a blast, it was great fun!



PrincessInOz said:


> Nice score for Jenny!



She really liked it!


----------



## franandaj

To kick off the new year, we decided to have ourselves a nice meal. Since we like to avoid crowds, we chose the 2nd of January so that all the New Year’s revelers would be long gone.  It turns out that my point and shoot camera was low on battery so I had to shoot the first part of the meal on my phone.  I had a portable charger in my purse, so as soon as I realized the battery was dead, I began to charge the camera so at least the last half of the meal it was able to take pictures.

The menu.













I went to the restroom and asked Fran to order my drink for me.  Normally here I order the Diamond Martini, but I’m sure she recited my normal drink that I get anywhere else, Belvedere Gibson Up. 





Our Amuse Bouche was Smoked cobia with fingerling potatoes





Again I went with the Prime Beef Tartare, Poached Quail Egg and Autumn Mustard.





We are nothing if not creatures of habit as Fran ordered the Cornbread Crusted Chanterelle Mushrooms with Salsify Puree and Chimichurri





One of the other reasons that we came on a Saturday night was also that we heard they occasionally have specials on weekends.  I decided to try the “special” which was a carpaccio of yellow tail, albacore, and sea urchin with caviar.  The urchin was kind of nasty, but the rest was pretty good.  





Fran went with the soup, which was an Apple and Chestnut Soup with Duck Confit and Truffle Oil.





Fran had the Poached Lobster Paella with Saffron Rice and Roasted Tomato Broth, as usual it was good.





I had the Iron Seared Fish, French Bean Root Vegetable Ragout in a Light Broth Accented with Garlic. This was really good, but filling.





Before the main course we were served a palate cleanser.





I had the Colorado Rack of Lamb with Spring Garlic, Mushrooms and Syrah Sauce, and it was fantastic!





Fran had the Zinfandel Braised Angus Beef Short Rib, Celery Root Puree and Apple Slaw, she enjoyed this.





I had the cheese course, but this time Fran didn’t luck out as I was able to pretty much polish this off.





I had the All American Apple Pie with Fiscalini White Cheddar Ice Cream and it was quite delightful.





Fran had the Pumpkin Beignets stuffed with Pumpkin Cheese Cake and Pumpkin Parfait obviously she likes these since she’s ordered them a third time.





Another great night out! 

Later that week we went back out to the park with a specific goal in mind.  On January 11, the train was scheduled to close down for a year or longer. We decided on January 8th that we would head out so that I could get one last ride on the train and take pictures with my dark lens. Not to give away upcoming posts in my December TR, but lets just say that a problem with the new dark lens comes up and I’m deprived of it’s use for a period of time. This Friday the 8th of January was my first opportunity back out at DL for picture taking.

It was probably around 11AM that we arrived out at the park that day, and my first stop was the train in Tomorrowland.









We started off our journey in the Grand Canyon.

































And then we step back further in time….










*[Continued in Next Post]*


----------



## franandaj

*[Continued from Previous Post]*





























































And then we were magically transported back to Main Street USA.









And New Orleans Square…













We traveled through Splash Mountain…





And then we traveled through Frontierland….This whole part will be gone in the refurb.

























And then we were approaching Toon Town Station









And then passing by It’s a Small World….













And we reapproach Tomorrowland Station…










And that concludes my ride around the park until probably 2018.


----------



## Dis_Yoda

Such a nice final ride around the park!  Nice to take all the photos to look back until all the construction is over in a few years!


----------



## dhorner233

What a fancy meal! I liked your entrees and deserts the best! 

Glad you got to ride the train one last time. I'm so sorry they are changing this iconic Disney attraction. I guess the poor old Native American is waving goodbye  You got some great shots in the diorama section. I love the old school, low tech features at Disneyland.


----------



## afwdwfan

Looks like you had another very nice dinner at Disneyland!  Not a bad way to kick off the new year, and I have to believe that waiting until the second was probably a good idea. 

I'm glad you had a chance to get one last photo session on the train before it went down for refurb.  It will be interesting to see what becomes of it and what views will be offered going forward, but it really is sad that the frontier scenes will be missing from it.  I know that the old steam engines traveling through the frontier was something that was near and dear to Walt.


----------



## jedijill

Your dinner looked mighty tasty!  I love the DL train and the diorama due to its connection to the 1965 World's Fair and the Mustang exhibit!  

I'm going to text you about meeting up on 3/11.

Jill in CO


----------



## mvf-m11c

Dinner looks great. 

That was good that you were able to ride the Disneyland Railroad one more time when it goes down till the sometime in mid 2017. It is a shame that Disney is doing this but I can understand why. It is going to be disappointing to not see the trains run but it will be good to walk on over towards the other side of the New Orleans Square Station and see the steam engines up close. Your shots during the Grand Canyon and Primeval World are nice.


----------



## dolphingirl47

Dinner looked very nice again and your photos of the Grand Canyon are stunning. Nice that you got to ride the Disneyland Railroad one last time.

Corinna


----------



## rentayenta

Thanks for the RR trip around Disneyland. Still one of the best!

Your meal looks heavenly. I think the lamb there is so good; some of the best I have had. I am a terrible carnivore though.  

Thank you for posting a pic of my purse. I love love love it! The color is just perfect.  

Jealous you and @jedijill get to meet up in March. I will just miss her on her way back. We arrive 3/26 and she'll be there 3/25.


----------



## jedijill

I'm sad to miss you too @rentayenta !  

Jill in CO


----------



## Pinkocto

Your meal looks mighty delicious!  Great idea to wait until January 2.  Fun to get a last ride on the train for a while.  Sad that they're changing things so much though.


----------



## Steppesister

OH thank you for the roundtrip circuit on the train! I have such fond memories of riding it as a young girl and again in 2011 with my aunt. I love all the scenes in it, and hope they don't change much!


----------



## Malia78

Excellent Grand Canyon shots!


----------



## PrincessInOz

What an amazing meal!

Love the Grand Canyon pics.


----------



## franandaj

Dis_Yoda said:


> Such a nice final ride around the park!  Nice to take all the photos to look back until all the construction is over in a few years!



I hope that the train reopens sooner than Star Wars Land!



dhorner233 said:


> What a fancy meal! I liked your entrees and deserts the best!
> 
> Glad you got to ride the train one last time. I'm so sorry they are changing this iconic Disney attraction. I guess the poor old Native American is waving goodbye  You got some great shots in the diorama section. I love the old school, low tech features at Disneyland.



I hope that they don't change it too much.  I know that they have to completely reroute the tracks between Critter Country and Toontown.  They are bringing it in closer to the Rivers of America which will also be rerouted.  I hope that the Indian gets to stay.



afwdwfan said:


> Looks like you had another very nice dinner at Disneyland! Not a bad way to kick off the new year, and I have to believe that waiting until the second was probably a good idea.



It was a nice way to start the new year, especially since our NYE turned out to be pretty cruddy (Fran got sick as in worshipping the god, but without the alcohol part.) So having a nice dinner I didn't have to cook turned out to be very nice.



afwdwfan said:


> I'm glad you had a chance to get one last photo session on the train before it went down for refurb. It will be interesting to see what becomes of it and what views will be offered going forward, but it really is sad that the frontier scenes will be missing from it. I know that the old steam engines traveling through the frontier was something that was near and dear to Walt.



Well hopefully they won't take out the Frontier scenes, maybe just modify them a little bit.  It will be sad though that the train will no longer circle the whole park.  Star Wars land will be outside of the train tracks from the map that I saw.



jedijill said:


> Your dinner looked mighty tasty!  I love the DL train and the diorama due to its connection to the 1965 World's Fair and the Mustang exhibit!
> 
> I'm going to text you about meeting up on 3/11.
> 
> Jill in CO



Huh.  I didn't realize that they rode around in Mustangs.  I knew it was a Ford exhibit, but thought it was different cars.  Makes sense I believe that was the year the Mustang was introduced.



mvf-m11c said:


> Dinner looks great.
> 
> That was good that you were able to ride the Disneyland Railroad one more time when it goes down till the sometime in mid 2017. It is a shame that Disney is doing this but I can understand why. It is going to be disappointing to not see the trains run but it will be good to walk on over towards the other side of the New Orleans Square Station and see the steam engines up close. Your shots during the Grand Canyon and Primeval World are nice.



I was so sad when I went out there last week and the train was just parked there in front of Main Street station. Not going anywhere for a year or more.



dolphingirl47 said:


> Dinner looked very nice again and your photos of the Grand Canyon are stunning. Nice that you got to ride the Disneyland Railroad one last time.
> 
> Corinna



Thanks, I'm glad that I got one last ride.  It got crazy busy that last weekend with everything that was closing down.  People were flocking there for one last chance.  I'm glad I did it early because I despise crowds.



rentayenta said:


> Thanks for the RR trip around Disneyland. Still one of the best!



Hopefully when we do it again you will be a resident of So Cal and we can go out together when it reopens!



rentayenta said:


> Your meal looks heavenly. I think the lamb there is so good; some of the best I have had. I am a terrible carnivore though.



I really liked the lamb too.  I think it's getting high time I get another nice meal!



rentayenta said:


> Thank you for posting a pic of my purse. I love love love it! The color is just perfect.



I'm glad that you love your purse and I could help in getting it for you!  



rentayenta said:


> Jealous you and @jedijill get to meet up in March. I will just miss her on her way back. We arrive 3/26 and she'll be there 3/25.



Well at least we will get to meet up.  Hopefully for either lunch or something out at the park for F&W!



Pinkocto said:


> Your meal looks mighty delicious!  Great idea to wait until January 2.  Fun to get a last ride on the train for a while.  Sad that they're changing things so much though.



Thanks!  It was delicious!  At least we know that Walt always wanted Disneyland to keep growing and changing.



Steppesister said:


> OH thank you for the roundtrip circuit on the train! I have such fond memories of riding it as a young girl and again in 2011 with my aunt. I love all the scenes in it, and hope they don't change much!



It's mostly the part between Critter Country and Toon Town.  They have to make the Rivers of America loop smaller to accommodate Star Wars Land.  As a result the train track has to come in a little smaller as well.  From the artist rendering that I saw they will be brining the train right up on the water's edge and adding some "falls" like effects next to it.



Malia78 said:


> Excellent Grand Canyon shots!



Thanks!


----------



## franandaj

PrincessInOz said:


> What an amazing meal!
> 
> Love the Grand Canyon pics.




Thank you!


----------



## skier_pete

I really missed the Railroad this trip, particularly the Diorama. Of all the things shut down when we were visiting, this is probably the thing I missed the most. (I also like it as a form of transport to get around the park on aching feet!) GRR would've been nice also on our first day, as it was like 89 degrees that day.


----------



## franandaj

********** said:


> I really missed the Railroad this trip, particularly the Diorama. Of all the things shut down when we were visiting, this is probably the thing I missed the most. (I also like it as a form of transport to get around the park on aching feet!) GRR would've been nice also on our first day, as it was like 89 degrees that day.



I can't tell you how heartbroken I was to enter the park the day with you and see the train just parked at the station.  Going nowhere.  It was just sad.


----------



## DnA2010

Your meal looks lovely 

We did a few laps on the train during our Oct trip, I wanted to make sure I could remember it as it was. 

Excellent Grand Canyon shots, DD was reading over my shoulder and signed and said, "boy it was magical seeing the Canyon, those pictures are like being back"


----------



## Steppesister

Hi Alison! Just visiting everyone and saying howdy.


----------



## Paula Sedley-Burke

Enjoyed catching up! Espically Thanksgiving as we don't celebrate that it is a wonder to me to see photos of all the lovely food! I am glad you enjoyed your time with your parents.

Great photos in the dark. How nice to dismeet and I love Jenny's purse! 

Going a day later to avoid the crowds is a spot on idea. Meal looks great.


----------



## franandaj

DnA2010 said:


> Your meal looks lovely
> 
> We did a few laps on the train during our Oct trip, I wanted to make sure I could remember it as it was.
> 
> Excellent Grand Canyon shots, DD was reading over my shoulder and signed and said, "boy it was magical seeing the Canyon, those pictures are like being back"



I'm glad you got your "last trip" around the park. And I'm glad your DD enjoyed the pictures too.



Steppesister said:


> Hi Alison! Just visiting everyone and saying howdy.



Thanks for stopping by! Sorry I've been so lax on this thread.



Paula Sedley-Burke said:


> Enjoyed catching up! Espically Thanksgiving as we don't celebrate that it is a wonder to me to see photos of all the lovely food! I am glad you enjoyed your time with your parents.
> 
> Great photos in the dark. How nice to dismeet and I love Jenny's purse!
> 
> Going a day later to avoid the crowds is a spot on idea. Meal looks great.



Thanks for the compliments. Thanksgiving is a special American holiday. The only goal is to eat, a lot! Sorry you don't have it!

We had a great time and Jenny loved her purse. Hopefully I'll keep up better on this thread I only have 5 updates left!


----------



## kaoden39

Hi,

This is my first time on in a long time and I wanted to stop and say hi. I hope all is well with you both.


----------



## franandaj

kaoden39 said:


> Hi,
> 
> This is my first time on in a long time and I wanted to stop and say hi. I hope all is well with you both.



I'm glad to see you stop by.  We're doing OK, hope all it well with you too!


----------



## franandaj

So it’s been a good while since I’ve been on this thread.  With trying to wrap up the Christmas Disney trip and keeping the Mississippi river cruise current, I don’t think I’ll be done with that one by the time that we take off for WDW with Naked Jim!

Anyways, if you remember, we had just taken the train around the park for the last time in quite a few years.  I had another thing that I wanted to accomplish which was finally check out the Star Wars Launch Bay in detail and not have to go rushing through there.





I was actually working on these pictures right about the same time that I was working on similar pictures from the DHS Launch Bay.  What I discovered was that both of them have many similar pieces.





























However, I do not believe that Rey’s costume was displayed at WDW, nor was her speeder.









The rest of the exhibits were mostly from the previous six Star Wars movies.



















































































*[Continued Next Post]*


----------



## franandaj

*[Continued from Previous Post]*

The exhibit room spilled out into a replica of the Cantina.  I’m not sure if it was because it was a weekday or if they just don’t have the jawas walking around.  I missed that from the DL version, but at WDW it was crazy to get a picture with them, the lines were long.













After the Cantina we went to see the 10 minute film that we had skipped at WDW.  I was glad we didn’t take the time while at WDW, it was nice, but not anything special and it was the same thing at both parks.  I’d rather take the time for things like that at DL than WDW (where I have limited time.)

At the entrance to the exhibit, I waited a long time to get this shot without people walking through it.





Then we headed over to the gift shop.  We were on a mission, again something we had spied at WDW, but didn’t want to pay for shipping





We didn’t need any lifesize Stormtroopers or Boba Fett.









At SWW two years ago, Fran got this lamp for her nightstand.





We discovered at WDW that they also have “resistance” lights, so I got one of those for my nightstand.





They had tons of merchandise available.

















This costume was pretty crazy!













I waited forever to get this photo without people.





Over here you could design your own cell phone case or something.





We checked out and loaded up all of our loot, and decided it was time for a little bit of lunch.  Where is the best place for lunch in Disneyland?  Plaza Inn of Course!













As usual it was DE-licious!  It was about 3PM and we decided that we better get back home as people were starting to pour into the park for the last weekend of the train. However it was still Christmastime and there were a number of special treats that were still available. We stopped in at the Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor for a Candy Cane Ice Cream.  We split it between the two of us and it completely hit the spot!





After that we headed out of the park and back home.  It would be next month and a very different day the next time I returned.


----------



## DnA2010

Oh wow those lamps are awesome! Do you remember how much they were?


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

franandaj said:


> On January 11, the train was scheduled to close down for a year or longer. We decided on January 8th that we would head out so that I could get one last ride on the train and take pictures with my dark lens.



I like the way you think!  Thanks for the photo tour.



franandaj said:


> And then we traveled through Frontierland….This whole part will be gone in the refurb.







franandaj said:


> And then passing by It’s a Small World….



The best way to see it!



franandaj said:


> And that concludes my ride around the park until probably 2018.







franandaj said:


> After the Cantina we went to see the 10 minute film that we had skipped at WDW. I was glad we didn’t take the time while at WDW, it was nice, but not anything special and it was the same thing at both parks. I’d rather take the time for things like that at DL than WDW (where I have limited time.)



Makes total and complete sense.



franandaj said:


> We discovered at WDW that they also have “resistance” lights, so I got one of those for my nightstand.



I sense a conflict brewing...a disturbance in the Force.



franandaj said:


> Where is the best place for lunch in Disneyland? Plaza Inn of Course!



Agreed!


----------



## Mywishes3

Love your reports, so much so I'm going to plan a trip to Disneland, I've gotten such great information from your reports - thank you!


----------



## mvf-m11c

Nice to see you go back to Launch Bay and it looks like nothing much has changed. I haven't been in there for a while not even during the last two trips. Can never get tired of the fried chicken from the Plaza Inn.


----------



## Steppesister

franandaj said:


> It's mostly the part between Critter Country and Toon Town. They have to make the Rivers of America loop smaller to accommodate Star Wars Land. As a result the train track has to come in a little smaller as well. From the artist rendering that I saw they will be brining the train right up on the water's edge and adding some "falls" like effects next to it.



This makes me so incredibly sad; at the same time "falls effects" are pretty cool! It'll be very interesting to see how it all pans out. 



franandaj said:


> Thanks for stopping by! Sorry I've been so lax on this thread.



No worries. It's hard to keep up everywhere and stay afloat.


----------



## Pinkocto

I thought the Launch Bay was so cool.  All those awesome outfits and replicas.  Both Rey's outfit and speeder are at WDW.  The Cantina at DL is much better than at WDW, it was much too small I thought, and the 'bar' was very small with only two glasses on it.


----------



## jedijill

Launch Bay is Star Wars heaven!  That candy cane ice cream looks delicious too!

Jill in CO


----------



## dolphingirl47

The Launch Bay looks really cool. I am glad you got your lamp.

Corinna


----------



## afwdwfan

Thanks for the tour of the DL version of Launch Bay.  They definitely appear to be very similar experiences. 

I like your lamp!  I'm glad you posted a picture after talking about them in your other TR.


----------



## kaoden39

franandaj said:


> I'm glad to see you stop by.  We're doing OK, hope all it well with you too!



Thank you. I'm kind of blue and I knew that Disboards just might pick up my spirits and it has. I'm glad to hear you're okay. My husband Scott is in a cast for his plantar faciitis so he's been off work. He's going nuts being stuck at home and basically immobile. The kids are great, which is good! I'm enjoying your thread like I usually do. Thank you for it.


----------



## rentayenta

Great update! Plaza Inn always looks soon good.


----------



## dgbg100106

ok the candy cane ice cream and that cake looks amazing.


----------



## PrincessInOz

Catching up!

Launch Bay looks like my kind of place.  I love looking at all that memorabilia.
Hope I get to visit the Cantina at some stage.
YUM! For lunch.

And I LOVE those lamps.


----------



## ACDSNY

Cool Launch Bay update.


----------



## franandaj

DnA2010 said:


> Oh wow those lamps are awesome! Do you remember how much they were?



I think that they were $99 each.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> I like the way you think! Thanks for the photo tour.



You're welcome!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> The best way to see it!



You're funny!  



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Makes total and complete sense.



Thank you.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> I sense a conflict brewing...a disturbance in the Force.



As the lights are in our bedroom, I'll just leave it at that!  



Mywishes3 said:


> Love your reports, so much so I'm going to plan a trip to Disneland, I've gotten such great information from your reports - thank you!



Well thank you very much!  Please feel free to ask any questions, I'll give you the information if I ca help.


----------



## franandaj

mvf-m11c said:


> Nice to see you go back to Launch Bay and it looks like nothing much has changed. I haven't been in there for a while not even during the last two trips. Can never get tired of the fried chicken from the Plaza Inn.



Well that was back in January, but I can't see how they are going to change it much until the next movie is about to come out.  You're right the Plaza Inn Chicken never gets old!



Steppesister said:


> This makes me so incredibly sad; at the same time "falls effects" are pretty cool! It'll be very interesting to see how it all pans out.



I'm sure it will look pretty good, but I also hate to see the original stuff go.



Steppesister said:


> No worries. It's hard to keep up everywhere and stay afloat.



Tell me about it!  Now that we're serious about getting out of the old house, we have not time.



Pinkocto said:


> I thought the Launch Bay was so cool.  All those awesome outfits and replicas.  Both Rey's outfit and speeder are at WDW.  The Cantina at DL is much better than at WDW, it was much too small I thought, and the 'bar' was very small with only two glasses on it.



Funny, I thought WDW's Cantina bar was better!  



jedijill said:


> Launch Bay is Star Wars heaven!  That candy cane ice cream looks delicious too!
> 
> Jill in CO



I hope you get to see it!  The ice cream was so good!  I love peppermint flavor ice cream!



dolphingirl47 said:


> The Launch Bay looks really cool. I am glad you got your lamp.
> 
> Corinna



It was pretty cool.  I enjoyed seeing it.  



afwdwfan said:


> Thanks for the tour of the DL version of Launch Bay.  They definitely appear to be very similar experiences.
> 
> I like your lamp!  I'm glad you posted a picture after talking about them in your other TR.



They are pretty similar, so I'm glad that I got to see the one at DL taking my time and not having to rush through it.


----------



## franandaj

kaoden39 said:


> Thank you. I'm kind of blue and I knew that Disboards just might pick up my spirits and it has. I'm glad to hear you're okay. My husband Scott is in a cast for his plantar faciitis so he's been off work. He's going nuts being stuck at home and basically immobile. The kids are great, which is good! I'm enjoying your thread like I usually do. Thank you for it.



Sorry to hear about Scott but I hope everything else is going well. Just counting down the days until my WDW trip!



rentayenta said:


> Great update! Plaza Inn always looks soon good.



I wouldn't mind some of that today, but instead I'm roasting a turkey.



dgbg100106 said:


> ok the candy cane ice cream and that cake looks amazing.



The ice cream was so good! I would love some peppermint flavor ice cream right now!



PrincessInOz said:


> Catching up!
> 
> Launch Bay looks like my kind of place.  I love looking at all that memorabilia.
> Hope I get to visit the Cantina at some stage.
> YUM! For lunch.
> 
> And I LOVE those lamps.



It's a neat display and gift shop. I like the lamps too, and the give good light!



ACDSNY said:


> Cool Launch Bay update.



Thanks!


----------



## kaoden39

franandaj said:


> Sorry to hear about Scott but I hope everything else is going well. Just counting down the days until my WDW trip!
> 
> 
> 
> I wouldn't mind some of that today, but instead I'm roasting a turkey.
> 
> 
> 
> The ice cream was so good! I would love some peppermint flavor ice cream right now!
> 
> 
> 
> It's a neat display and gift shop. I like the lamps too, and the give good light!
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks!



I'm looking forward to your WDW trip too! Everything is okay, as long as I can keep Scotty healthy. He got his cast off yesterday and we were back at the ER not 5 hours later. He was doing yard work and almost cut off a couple fingers.


----------



## rentayenta

Mmmmmm......turkey. What's the occasion? Full freezer?


----------



## franandaj

kaoden39 said:


> I'm looking forward to your WDW trip too! Everything is okay, as long as I can keep Scotty healthy. He got his cast off yesterday and we were back at the ER not 5 hours later. He was doing yard work and almost cut off a couple fingers.







rentayenta said:


> Mmmmmm......turkey. What's the occasion? Full freezer?



Just eating down the freezer, got to have all the turkeys gone by November!


----------



## kaoden39

franandaj said:


> Just eating down the freezer, got to have all the turkeys gone by November!



I need to invest in bubble wrap for him. But, my chances are he'd suffocate.  Turkey sounds wonderful! Must look when I go grocery shopping!!


----------



## franandaj

So I’m going to combine February and March visits in to one update because other than the different company, it was almost the same dang trip!  

In February @********** was visiting Southern California with three generations of his family and we had been planning for quite some time that I would come out to the park and meet them.  We could do a few rides, catch the parade and fireworks and everything would be hunky dory.  Right?

Well he and his family had kind of a long day before I even arrived, but if you want to read about that you can head over to his TR and check it out.  I’m picking up the story where I came into it.

They had just got back to their lovely one bedroom villa at the Grand Californian and were doing laundry, getting comfortable and all that fun stuff.  When I arrived, the weather apps were saying that rain was approaching.  In fact while we were chatting in their hotel room, I got a text from Fran saying that it was pouring rain in Long Beach. (In California, weather systems normally move from West to East and travel South from the PNW and Northern California.)  It wouldn’t be long before it hit Anaheim.

Pete’s Teen Age daughter did not want to go back to the parks and preferred to chill out with the iPad, so we decided to take advantage of some adult time. Our first stop in the park was Big Thunder Mountain.  It was just starting to sprinkle at this point and it was kind of fun to feel the soft raindrops hit your face as we whipped around the tracks.  However once we got off the ride, it started to really come down so we decided that maybe it was a good time to have a couple drinks, and I knew just the spot!





I got my usual Diamond Martini.





I ordered the Beef Tartare, it was excellent.  They even brought me additional crostini so I didn’t have pile it on.





Pete and his wife split the sliders, which I’m sorry to say are no longer on the menu.





We sat for probably two hours chatting about all kinds of things and finally decided that if we were going to check and see if the parade was still going to happen that night, we should probably go and check it out.  However, when we arrived at the hub, one of the CMs told us that the parade was definitely canceled.  By this point it was “Southern California raining”, which means it wasn’t really raining, but there was a sort of a mist in the air.  Eventually you get wet, but it takes a while out in the outside to get really soaked.

Earlier in the day, Pete had pulled regular FPs for Indiana Jones, so we decided to ride that, and of course it was fun!

Then we went back to the hub to see if the fireworks would be happening.  No one had made an executive decision yet, but it was almost 8:00 and if they were going happen, we would have to wait another 30 minutes, in the rain.  It had picked up again and was raining somewhat harder.  We decided that we would rather have some tropical drinks from Trader Sam’s instead.  

We dropped off Mom at the Grand Californian Hotel and walked on over to the Disneyland hotel and Trader Sam’s in the pouring rain.  I met one of the Disneyland cats who was being overly friendly and trying to keep dry.





We pondered the menu.













I went with the Piranha Pool, Pete had the Passionate Python, and his wife I think went with the Lost Safari.





And again we sat and chatted for about an hour or a little more before deciding it was time for bed.  It was raining even harder now, and we trudged back to the Grand.  My shoes were soaked, the bottoms of my pants were soaked and by this time I was becoming miserable.  Pete and his wife were true upstate New Yorkers, he was in shorts, and she had on a mini skirt.  Definitely not wimpy Southern Californians!  I bid them goodbye and even though it was a wet and crazy day, I had fun!


So it was only about three weeks later when @jedijill came to town on her way Down Under.  We hadn’t seen a drop of rain since that fateful day with Pete.  I got to the DL Resort at about 10AM maybe a little later and we both decided that taking it easy was going to be the way of the day.  We decided to take a spin on Radiator Springs Racers (good thing I have the photographic evidence, otherwise I wouldn’t have remembered!)





We hopped over to Disneyland Park and I was sad to see the train stopped here, not going on any rides for maybe another two years.





And then we decided to hit Hyperspace Mountain.





After that we both decided that was enough adrenaline rush.  Plus my Weather Kitty app said that the rain was coming in soon, and we decided that we should get out of the rain before I got soaked like the last time.

We started off with some drinks, my Diamond Martini and she got a Hurricaine.





We both ordered the onion soup with bacon and gouda.  Neither one of us expected what we were about to receive, but it was incredibly good.  We both wanted to lick the bowl!













Then we both split two appetizer dishes, the Crab au Gratin





And the Charcuterie plate.





At that point when we ordered the sliders were still on the menu, but later that day the new menu was released and instead of three sliders for $20, they now offer a full size burger for $33.

Evidence of our meet.





We both got dessert, mine was calling my name from the moment I saw it on the menu!  It was some kind of coffee/chocolate/pecan cake with an espresso sauce.  It was so good, but I couldn’t finish it all!





Jill got some kind of Strawberries with Chantilly cream and some sort of biscuit in there, perhaps it was a strawberry shortcake. She really liked it.





We were pretty full by this point and we had ordered more drinks after the initial ones, so we were both feeling somewhat happy.  We decided to head out for a bit.  Jill needed a few last items from a drug store, so we found a CVS and she got some cold medication and scotch tape.    Two necessary items for a trip down under!  

After our little trip to the store, we stopped in at Trader Sams.  This is where the pictures stop.  We wanted to sit inside and see all the whacky stuff that goes on.  We had to wait about 15-20 minutes for a table to clear and then we were able to sit down.  I’m going to guess I had a couple Piranha Pools, while Jill had a couple drinks that I don’t remember!  No pictures, no memory!  We were just having fun chatting and enjoying the adult beverages.

Her shuttle to the airport was due to pick her up around 6:20 so a little before 6PM, we packed it up and headed back over to the Grand so that she could pick up her bags and be ready for the shuttle.  Another fun and rainy day drinking at DL.


----------



## franandaj

kaoden39 said:


> I need to invest in bubble wrap for him. But, my chances are he'd suffocate.  Turkey sounds wonderful! Must look when I go grocery shopping!!



Good luck on finding a turkey!  We buy them all at Thanksgiving and then defrost about one a month (or every other) so we can have them all year.


----------



## Dis_Yoda

That onion soup looks good enough to lick through the screen!  I love me some onion soup and bacon and gouda added to it?  Yum!!!

You sure do love your Diamond Martinis   Its like me and my standard manhattan at WDW!  \

Glad you had some nice Disney meets even if its was mostly drinking and talking!  Always the best guide of meet


----------



## jedijill

You forgot that it was starting to sprinkle when we were leaving DL and at about the Mercantile, the skies opened up and POURED!  I stopped and got a poncho and then we stopped at WoD so I could pick up my new HM Dooney.   The drive to the drugstore was in pouring rain with palm fronds on the roads everywhere!  I stepped in a puddle on the way to Trader Sam's and soaked my shoe and sock!  I had to change socks and shoes before my shuttle came...no way was I setting in for a 15 hour flight with wet feet!  BTW, I got masking tape so I could hang Flat Stanley up and take pictures.

We had a great time!  Loved hanging out with you again and we could get together before your trip.  

I have to finish my Flat Stanley book for my niece and then I can get my trip report started!

Jill in CO


----------



## kaoden39

Great update! I think that I might cry if I saw the train at the Main Street Station and not moving. 



franandaj said:


> Good luck on finding a turkey!  We buy them all at Thanksgiving and then defrost about one a month (or every other) so we can have them all year.



Maybe I can find a turkey breast that I can roast. Not quite the same but, tasty just the same. I wish I had bought a bigger freezer when I replaced our old one after the fire. I was concerned with saving money. If I had I've room to buy a bunch. 

Five days you must be getting excited! Which resort are you staying at?


----------



## dizneeat

*Great update! I love that you are meeting so many friends when they come to visit Southern California = Disneyland.  Food always looks yummy and so do all those drinks! *



jedijill said:


> I have to finish my Flat Stanley book for my niece and then I can get my trip report started!



*Could you please PM me when you start your TR? I'd love to read along, but I am lazy when it comes to go to the TR board itself and look for things (in other words I forget)*


----------



## rentayenta

So sorry I missed the meet with you and Jill. Looks like a total blast!


----------



## skier_pete

Hey excellent I made one of your updates! 

We had a great time despite the rain. I give you a lot of credit for sticking with us all night. Even for Northerners it got pretty miserable there towards the end. (And you have to remember it was -15 when we left Buffalo. So ,yeah it was still shorts weather!)

One thing you didn't mention, we totally made the right call on the parade and fireworks. They ended up canceling BOTH of them - so we definitely wouldn't have had fun standing in the rain waiting for them. In the end DW and I ended up catching them the next night, but unfortunately my mom decided not to stay out so late, so it was just the two of us.

Thanks again for taking the time to come meet with us!


----------



## dolphingirl47

It sounds like two great days despite the weather.



franandaj said:


> We both ordered the onion soup with bacon and gouda. Neither one of us expected what we were about to receive, but it was incredibly good. We both wanted to lick the bowl!



That sounds and looks to die for. This would be right up my street.



jedijill said:


> we stopped at WoD so I could pick up my new HM Dooney.



Congratulations on your HM Dooney.

Corinna


----------



## Pinkocto

More fun times with friends, I love it! Sorry about all the rain though. Thanks for sharing  

Your trip is coming up soon!!!


----------



## ACDSNY

Alison - the Crab au Gratin and Onion soup were making me drool tonight, they looked so good.  Looks like both meets were fun.

Hope you don't mind me picking **********'s brain Alison for our Fall trip...



********** said:


> Even for Northerners it got pretty miserable there towards the end. (And you have to remember it was -15 when we left Buffalo. So ,yeah it was still shorts weather!



@********** - We're Northern Californians (not wimpy SoCal) thinking about running up to Niagara Falls the first of November for a couple of days, are we crazy weather wise?


----------



## PrincessInOz

What amazing DisMeets!  Wish I were there for both of them.  It would have been nice to catch up with @********** and his family....and to accompany @jedijill to Oz.    Oh well....I had my own DisMeet with Jill after yours.


----------



## skier_pete

ACDSNY said:


> @********** - We're Northern Californians (not wimpy SoCal) thinking about running up to Niagara Falls the first of November for a couple of days, are we crazy weather wise?



Well, that time of year can be pretty variable - anywhere from 60s and sunny to 30s and rainy. Average high 1st of November is 53 F. Fall here in Western New York can be quite beautiful, even late fall like that. (You will be past peak leaf season.) Snow is unlikely but not impossible. I don't think it is a crazy time to come. Crazy time is Dec-March. Early November should be OK, just bring a jacket. PM me if you have any other questions - happy to answer but I don't want to hijack @franandaj thread.


----------



## dgbg100106

Your update was wonderful and that is my kind of trip, fun, and drinks.

That potato soup really looks good, and licking the bowl is a good idea right?  It is a nod to the chef that you really liked it.


----------



## mvf-m11c

That is nice that you were able to meet up with Jill and @********** during those two months and had fun.


----------



## afwdwfan

franandaj said:


> In fact while we were chatting in their hotel room, I got a text from Fran saying that it was pouring rain in Long Beach.


So...  about .1" of rain?   



franandaj said:


> Pete and his wife split the sliders, which I’m sorry to say are no longer on the menu.


That's a shame.  They look delicious!



franandaj said:


> We dropped off Mom at the Grand Californian Hotel and walked on over to the Disneyland hotel and Trader Sam’s in the pouring rain. I met one of the Disneyland cats who was being overly friendly and trying to keep dry


Cool!  I've heard of the cats, but I never did see one. 



franandaj said:


> We hopped over to Disneyland Park and I was sad to see the train stopped here, not going on any rides for maybe another two years.


At least they have it out on Display.  Isn't that the Lilly Belle car? 



franandaj said:


> We started off with some drinks, my Diamond Martini and she got a Hurricaine.


That hurricane looks fantastic. 



franandaj said:


> I’m going to guess I had a couple Piranha Pools, while Jill had a couple drinks that I don’t remember! No pictures, no memory! We were just having fun chatting and enjoying the adult beverages.


Well, you were drinking some memory erasing drinks there...


Looks like a couple of fun, laid back visits.  Even if you did get a little wet.  Nice to spend some time connecting with friends and enjoying a beverage or 2.


----------



## Steppesister

So much fun! Lots of adulty kinds of stuff going on- perfect for rainy days. That's one of those things I love about Disney: you can never step foot in a park and still have a simply wonderful time. By they way, this gets me all kinds of excited for my visit to Trader Sam's!


----------



## jedijill

Steppesister said:


> So much fun! Lots of adulty kinds of stuff going on- perfect for rainy days. That's one of those things I love about Disney: you can never step foot in a park and still have a simply wonderful time. By they way, this gets me all kinds of excited for my visit to Trader Sam's!



Trader Sams is awesome!  I drink the Krakatoa.  It's a yummy mix of juices and rum!  And it may or may not trigger a special effect. 

Jill in CO


----------



## franandaj

Just an FYI....I will be back here to respond to replies and post a couple more update, but I've started the new TR

http://www.disboards.com/threads/we-took-the-kids-to-wdw.3510327/

Bat signals will start going out tomorrow!


----------



## franandaj

Dis_Yoda said:


> That onion soup looks good enough to lick through the screen! I love me some onion soup and bacon and gouda added to it? Yum!!!



It was really good! I wonder if it's still on the menu.  They change it up seasonally. I might have a chance to go back there next week, and if they still have it, I'll order it!



Dis_Yoda said:


> You sure do love your Diamond Martinis  Its like me and my standard manhattan at WDW!



Yeah, and it's been a while now since I've had one!



Dis_Yoda said:


> Glad you had some nice Disney meets even if its was mostly drinking and talking! Always the best guide of meet



For me I don't mind. I just hope that people who don't get out there as often as I do are OK with not riding so many attractions and stuff. At least the last two were both OK with it.



jedijill said:


> You forgot that it was starting to sprinkle when we were leaving DL and at about the Mercantile, the skies opened up and POURED! I stopped and got a poncho and then we stopped at WoD so I could pick up my new HM Dooney.



You're right! Thanks for pointing that out. My memory is not what it used to be! 



jedijill said:


> The drive to the drugstore was in pouring rain with palm fronds on the roads everywhere! I stepped in a puddle on the way to Trader Sam's and soaked my shoe and sock! I had to change socks and shoes before my shuttle came...no way was I setting in for a 15 hour flight with wet feet! BTW, I got masking tape so I could hang Flat Stanley up and take pictures.



The palm fronds in the street was normal for when it rains. Those are always falling off in the winds. That wouldn't even phase me, but I can see where it was interesting for you to see.

Another pitfall of rain in So Cal is that rain has nowhere to go, especially when it falls as heavy as it did. I guess I always look for puddles because the ground is so dry heavy rains take a long time to soak in. Sorry about your wet shoe!



jedijill said:


> We had a great time! Loved hanging out with you again and we could get together before your trip.



We need to do it again sometime!



jedijill said:


> I have to finish my Flat Stanley book for my niece and then I can get my trip report started!



So how's that coming along? 



kaoden39 said:


> Great update! I think that I might cry if I saw the train at the Main Street Station and not moving.



And I forgot to ride the train in WDW. It's closed when I'm back there in October.  



kaoden39 said:


> Maybe I can find a turkey breast that I can roast. Not quite the same but, tasty just the same. I wish I had bought a bigger freezer when I replaced our old one after the fire. I was concerned with saving money. If I had I've room to buy a bunch.



Did you ever cook a turkey breast? I have three freezers and two of them are pretty big. They are packed full of meat! I need to have a party to get rid of some of the food! 



kaoden39 said:


> Five days you must be getting excited! Which resort are you staying at?



Since you have subbed into the new TR I probably answered this question over there!


----------



## franandaj

dizneeat said:


> Great update! I love that you are meeting so many friends when they come to visit Southern California = Disneyland.  Food always looks yummy and so do all those drinks!



And pretty soon I will be meeting you out there!



dizneeat said:


> Could you please PM me when you start your TR? I'd love to read along, but I am lazy when it comes to go to the TR board itself and look for things (in other words I forget)



Done, and done!



rentayenta said:


> So sorry I missed the meet with you and Jill. Looks like a total blast!



We did!  It was a mellow day (except for the buckets of rain), and we laughed a lot.  That's important!



********** said:


> Hey excellent I made one of your updates!
> 
> We had a great time despite the rain. I give you a lot of credit for sticking with us all night. Even for Northerners it got pretty miserable there towards the end. (And you have to remember it was -15 when we left Buffalo. So ,yeah it was still shorts weather!)



Yes you did!  I don't know how you folks deal with weather like that!



********** said:


> One thing you didn't mention, we totally made the right call on the parade and fireworks. They ended up canceling BOTH of them - so we definitely wouldn't have had fun standing in the rain waiting for them. In the end DW and I ended up catching them the next night, but unfortunately my mom decided not to stay out so late, so it was just the two of us.



Yes you're right, it would have been awful if we sat there in the drizzle waiting for the call on the fireworks.  Instead we were sipping tropical drinks!



********** said:


> Thanks again for taking the time to come meet with us!



You're very welcome, we will see about doing it again in October!


----------



## franandaj

dolphingirl47 said:


> It sounds like two great days despite the weather.



I think all my partners in crime were wise enough not to want to spend a lot of time in the rain!



dolphingirl47 said:


> That sounds and looks to die for. This would be right up my street.



I hope it's still on the menu when I am back next!



Pinkocto said:


> More fun times with friends, I love it! Sorry about all the rain though. Thanks for sharing
> 
> Your trip is coming up soon!!!



And now the trip is done!

Are you going to Disney before your PC cruise?



ACDSNY said:


> Alison - the Crab au Gratin and Onion soup were making me drool tonight, they looked so good. Looks like both meets were fun.



They are both very tasty! Worthy of a repeat!



PrincessInOz said:


> What amazing DisMeets!  Wish I were there for both of them.  It would have been nice to catch up with @********** and his family....and to accompany @jedijill to Oz.    Oh well....I had my own DisMeet with Jill after yours.



Yes, you and Jill seemed like you had a blast!



dgbg100106 said:


> Your update was wonderful and that is my kind of trip, fun, and drinks.
> 
> That potato soup really looks good, and licking the bowl is a good idea right?  It is a nod to the chef that you really liked it.



I wonder if the chef would take it that way? 



mvf-m11c said:


> That is nice that you were able to meet up with Jill and @********** during those two months and had fun.



We had a lot of fun on both occasions!


----------



## franandaj

afwdwfan said:


> So... about .1" of rain?



More like .3"



afwdwfan said:


> That's a shame. They look delicious!



I know. At first they were tiny and a total rip off. They finally made them a decent size and they took them off the menu. Now they have a $30+ burger that I would never be able to finish!



afwdwfan said:


> Cool! I've heard of the cats, but I never did see one.



My next update has another one too!



afwdwfan said:


> At least they have it out on Display. Isn't that the Lilly Belle car?







afwdwfan said:


> That hurricane looks fantastic.



And now that I've had the real deal, I need to see how that one lives up to it!



afwdwfan said:


> Well, you were drinking some memory erasing drinks there...



  must have been!



afwdwfan said:


> Looks like a couple of fun, laid back visits. Even if you did get a little wet. Nice to spend some time connecting with friends and enjoying a beverage or 2.



It really was, and in unique settings. Looks like my next trip there might be similar as well!



Steppesister said:


> So much fun! Lots of adulty kinds of stuff going on- perfect for rainy days. That's one of those things I love about Disney: you can never step foot in a park and still have a simply wonderful time. By they way, this gets me all kinds of excited for my visit to Trader Sam's!



We always have an adulty time, but this time was more so! 



jedijill said:


> Trader Sams is awesome!  I drink the Krakatoa.  It's a yummy mix of juices and rum!  And it may or may not trigger a special effect.
> 
> Jill in CO



Krakatoa is a good one!


----------



## franandaj

So if you have been following the Bonus Material on the 75% All New thread you'll know that both Fran and I returned from that trip on the Mississippi feeling beat up and under the weather. However, as bad as we felt and even though the two of us were coughing up a storm, we were not going to miss out on the celebrity chef experience that we had paid for several weeks before! 

You may also know that after a five year hiatus DCA brought back their Food & Wine festival. This is particularly great for me as I purchased two different DVC contracts at the VGC so that we could stay there during the festival. Combined together, those two contracts make up 1/3 of my total DVC points. You should have heard the scream I let out back in the Fall of 2010 when they announced that there would be no F&W in DCA for 2011&12. To throw salt on my already open wounds, the press release stated that they would "reevaluate" the possibility of bringing back the festival once Buena Vista street and Carsland were completed. For a couple years I held a glimmer of hope, but by last year, I had sort of forgot about the possibility. I was resigned to having to find random reasons to go out and use up my points. I even thought about, renting out my VGC points. 

And then one day in (February), my FB and texts started exploding! Everyone but me heard the news first that DCA had announced the return of the F&W Festival! 

When they announced some of the events, we sprung for the VIP Experience which included a meet and greet with photo and autograph session for the celebrity chefs. The website said that starting 1 hour prior to the event check in would begin, so 4PM. This was the first event of the Festival (with the exception of the 1PM show) and I was pretty sure people were going to be lining up for it. I wanted to leave the house at 1PM, but we got out a little later, but we were still there in plenty of time. We both brought our scooters when I normally wouldn't bring mine for such a specific event that entails mostly sitting down. However because of the head cold I was feeling very strange. Riding through the park felt almost like an out of body experience as if I was watching myself. I was glad I wasn't walking as I felt like I might be tripping and bumping into people.

I don't remember exactly what time we got to the check in area, but there was no one there, so we took pictures of the sign and waited in the shade.










The Event was going to take place in Stage 17.  This is a multi purpose location that they can use for large assemblies.  We have been in this location for quite a few different types of events.  This is where they used to host the Taste events back when the F&W Festival was really going.





Eventually some folks came to the table and started to set up for check in. We approached the table but they said they weren't ready for us yet. That was probably around 3:30, just before 4PM, they gave us the wave to come over and we were the first in line!









If you don't know who Robert Irvine is, he is a Food Network Celebrity with big muscles and even bigger heart. His first show, Dinner Impossible was a fun show, but his second show, Restaurant Impossible is even better. He takes a failing restaurant and puts them practically through boot camp while redecorating the dining room. What he does for these people is so special and life changing I always end up crying at the end of the show.

But enough of that!  Around 20 to five they started to let us into soundstage 17. They still had the Frozen Fun façade set up in the background of the kitchen. We were seated in the very front. See Fran sitting down on the left?









Looking at the other side of the room…





Bret and his DA had also attended the presentation. He got the fourth table row where the first three rows were for the VIP package.

Once everyone was seated an emcee came out to introduce Robert Irvine. They did a whole little gag where the emcee went backstage to "check on" Robert. He immediately became irate and chased the camera man out of backstage.









(Photo courtesy of Bret) 





This continued to be a running joke throughout the presentation, he gave the camera guy an excessive amount of grief, but he took it good naturedly which makes me think it was all set up in advance for show.

They showed some clips from his Food Network shows from Dinner Impossible and Restaurant Impossible.









Here he is giving the camera man some more grief.





The first thing he did was mix us up a cocktail.  





It was quite tasty and very refreshing.  It included

Kefir Vodka 
Lemon Juice
Agave
Ice

And then once he poured it into the glass he added a topper of Triple sec.

Then he garnished it with a lime slice. While he made the drink onstage the servers began to bring us drinks from backstage.





It was very tasty! I liked that one a lot!

He took a little time to talk to the audience and took a few questions. Unfortunately in my haze I didn't take notes other than what he put in the food so I don't remember any of them.

Then he started to work on the next item which was an Ahi Tuna salad.





The ingredients include

Diced raw tuna





S&P
Sriracha 
Lemon Juice 
Soy sauce 
Tad of sesame oil 
Topped with crispy onions and unsalted peanuts

On a bed of julienned

Celery
Green papaya 
Carrot
Cucumber 
Tossed in fish sauce, lemon juice and S&P
With a dollop of creamed avocado













Evidently the powers at Disney told him not to give the samples that he made to audience members. So he handed his tuna salad to the camera man and had him give it to one of the audience members. 

*[Continued in Next Post]*


----------



## franandaj

*[Continued from Previous Post]*

While we ate, he took more questions from audience members. A young girl (or maybe it was her mother) asked a question about becoming a chef and Robert invited the girl to join him onstage and help with the next dish.  





He was going to be making a rack of lamb. By the way, even though the audience samples were prepared in the back and brought out to us, he really did make every single dish in front of us.

I don’t think she liked the idea of lamb.





He seasoned the lamb with salt and pepper and then seared the lamb on the cooktop. 





While the lamb was searing he took these ingredients,

Lemon grass
chillies
shallots
grape seed oil

And pureed them in a blender to make a paste.

After the lamb was properly seared he had his helper cover it with the Lemon grass paste and placed it in the oven. 









Then he started to prepare the side dish for the lamb. It was a seared Cauliflower, not my favorite, but I did try it. 

He made a mix of capers, parsley, pepper, onion, cucumber, green tomatoes, salt pepper, lime juice, and tamarind paste which he tossed the cauliflower in to coat it.

Robert is a fan of grapeseed oil instead of olive oil. It has a very high smoke point and almost no flavor. To demonstrate, he had this guy come up on the stage and he shot both kinds of oil into his mouth! 





We were served a Malbec with our lamb. I must have been out of it as I didn’t even take a picture of the wine!  Ours was prepared in the back so it was ready before the demo version was ready.





While Robert's lamb was in the oven, he talked to the audience some more. He took some questions from the audience. His wife and daughters were there and someone asked a question to them. I think it was something like, does he cook like this at home? We got a somewhat non committal answer with a lot of giggling on the part of the kids.

Once his lamb was cooked he sliced it and showed us that it was perfectly cooked.  He then gave it to someone else to give to an audience member so he could truthfully say that “he did not give any food to the audience.”





Before wrapping it all up, he talked about the Robert Irvine Foundation.  It is a non-profit whose  primary focus is on giving-back and servicing our military personnel (active, retired, and veterans); striving to create awareness throughout the community of the sacrifices made by our military personnel and their families; and, inspiring community support for the men and women defending our freedom.

He came off the stage quite a few times and walked around the room. In this picture, if you look in the monitor, you can see Fran and me in the front row. Fran is just watching while I'm taking a picture!





After he talked it was over for most of the room. Those of us who purchased the VIP package were able to stay in Stage 17 to meet Robert Irvine up close and take pictures with him.

Fran was not going to take a picture with him, but he insisted that she come over and take a picture.









For me there was plenty of food for me to call it dinner, and I was pleasantly full.  We started on our way out of the park, when we stumbled upon Francisco. This was our first time meeting him and Fran googled to find out his name.  He was very friendly and even let me pet him for a while.


----------



## PrincessInOz

I hope you and Fran are over the Mississippi cough!


OOH!  What an amazing experience.  That would have been worth every cent!!!  I have to try and make a DCA F&W sometime.
I was salivating over every picture.
How awesome of Robert Irvine to make sure Fran got a picture as well.  Love the one of you and him.
Francisco is a beautiful Disney cat!


----------



## franandaj

PrincessInOz said:


> I hope you and Fran are over the Mississippi cough!
> 
> 
> OOH!  What an amazing experience.  That would have been worth every cent!!!  I have to try and make a DCA F&W sometime.
> I was salivating over every picture.
> How awesome of Robert Irvine to make sure Fran got a picture as well.  Love the one of you and him.
> Francisco is a beautiful Disney cat!



By Thursday of that week I started to feel human again.  It took Fran another week or more to feel all better, but the cough lingered awhile for both of us.

It was really a great time.  He is such a great guy!  He is just like you see him on the TV show.  I wanted to bring a picture of me with him several years back, and I even sent it to Costco, but we didn't have time to go get it.  When I told him that, he told me I could send it to him and he would sign it and send it back.  I didn't do that, but it was nice of him to offer.

Isn't Francisco just so pretty?  We looked for him the following week, but didn't find him then.


----------



## jedijill

I'm so jealous!  I love Robert Irvine!  I saw him signing books one year at F&W in WDW but didn't get to attend his demo.  

Francisco is adorable!

Jill in CO


----------



## IowaTater

OH wow!  Robert Irvine!  I watched both of his shows too.  We even went to one of the restaurants here that was featured on Restaurant Impossible (it closed down about a year or two after the show).  I can't help it but as I was reading your description of what he was cooking, I completely had his voice in my head. 

Glad you were feeling well enough not to miss it but I'm with you.  I don't think I would have missed it for the world either.


----------



## Malia78

Sounds like a really fun event! Hopefully the return of F&W in DCA was successful enough to continue to return. I've already been penciling in possible trips to DL for my 40th B-day in April 2018.


----------



## mvf-m11c

The Celebrity Kitchen seminar with chef Robert Irvine was well worth every penny. We both had a great time and it was nice to attend one of his seminars especially at the DCA F&W Festival. His two dishes were good while I enjoyed the lamb dish the most. Even though I don't drink, the drinks (lime vodka and Malbec) were not that bad but it is hard for me since I don't drink alcohol. I remember well that you went there early that day where we got there about an hour until it started and was about 10 people in front of us. IT did seem like it was well worth the extra wait time to get the first table and close to the stage. Nice pic with chef Robert Irvine.

He is a great guy and have a big heart with his charities and military service. I still remember that you said to him about if there was any fishermen during the event and I didn't say anything LOL. Technically I am not a fisherman like my other family members or friends.

That is neat that you found Francisco at the parks. It is interesting to see cats at the parks.

Very nice update.


----------



## afwdwfan

franandaj said:


> But enough of that! Around 20 to five they started to let us into soundstage 17. They still had the Frozen Fun façade set up in the background of the kitchen. We were seated in the very front. See Fran sitting down on the left?


Well, I guess if you can repurpose a set...



franandaj said:


> After he talked it was over for most of the room. Those of us who purchased the VIP package were able to stay in Stage 17 to meet Robert Irvine up close and take pictures with him.


This really looks like an interesting event.  I'm glad that you were able to go and enjoy it, even if feeling a little bit under the weather still. 



franandaj said:


> For me there was plenty of food for me to call it dinner, and I was pleasantly full. We started on our way out of the park, when we stumbled upon Francisco. This was our first time meeting him and Fran googled to find out his name. He was very friendly and even let me pet him for a while.


What???  They have names???  And you can Google them???


----------



## EJ4Disney

WOW!!  Ok I am officially jealous - I love Robert Irvine.  You lucky little duck!!  Thanks for sharing with us.


----------



## dizneeat

*All caught up again here! How awesome that you got to meet Robert Irvine! Lucky lady! Not to mention that the food looks yummy too. *


----------



## franandaj

jedijill said:


> I'm so jealous!  I love Robert Irvine!  I saw him signing books one year at F&W in WDW but didn't get to attend his demo.
> 
> Francisco is adorable!
> 
> Jill in CO



He's probably my favorite celebrity chef. He's such a nice guy, and from what I can tell what you see on TV is really how he is.



IowaTater said:


> OH wow! Robert Irvine! I watched both of his shows too. We even went to one of the restaurants here that was featured on Restaurant Impossible (it closed down about a year or two after the show). I can't help it but as I was reading your description of what he was cooking, I completely had his voice in my head.



He hasn't revamped too many places in CA, so I haven't had the chance to try one, but it sounds like an interesting idea.



IowaTater said:


> Glad you were feeling well enough not to miss it but I'm with you. I don't think I would have missed it for the world either.



I would have had to have been really bad off not to go. Not to mention we paid a ton of money for it too!



Malia78 said:


> Sounds like a really fun event! Hopefully the return of F&W in DCA was successful enough to continue to return. I've already been penciling in possible trips to DL for my 40th B-day in April 2018.



Fran read somewhere that they ordered what they thought was enough food for the kiosks for three weekends and after the first weekend they sold out of most things. On Bret's TR he reported that a lot of things were sold out on Saturday the first weekend of the Festival. I hope they expand it next year and have even more events like this, such as wine dinners and the cooking school.


----------



## Steppesister

I guess I hadn't heard (absolutely ZERO DISTime lately) that you guys returned sick.  BOO! I knew that the weather was a bummer on the Cruise, but sick too. 

I"m glad you didn't skip out on the VIP Chef thing though. Looked like a fun event with plenty of delicious food and drink. I'd have been upset too if I'd bought DVC points for specifically for F&W and then have them cancel it for several years afterwards as well. Glad it's back for you!! I may someday join you...


----------



## Pinkocto

Yay for the return of the F & W!!!  

Your event looks like great fun. So glad you were feeling well enough to go.


----------



## franandaj

mvf-m11c said:


> The Celebrity Kitchen seminar with chef Robert Irvine was well worth every penny. We both had a great time and it was nice to attend one of his seminars especially at the DCA F&W Festival. His two dishes were good while I enjoyed the lamb dish the most. Even though I don't drink, the drinks (lime vodka and Malbec) were not that bad but it is hard for me since I don't drink alcohol. I remember well that you went there early that day where we got there about an hour until it started and was about 10 people in front of us. IT did seem like it was well worth the extra wait time to get the first table and close to the stage. Nice pic with chef Robert Irvine.



I'm glad you enjoyed it as well.  Robert Irvine is always entertaining!



mvf-m11c said:


> He is a great guy and have a big heart with his charities and military service. I still remember that you said to him about if there was any fishermen during the event and I didn't say anything LOL. Technically I am not a fisherman like my other family members or friends.



Well you're more of a fisherman than anyone else I know!



mvf-m11c said:


> That is neat that you found Francisco at the parks. It is interesting to see cats at the parks.
> 
> Very nice update.



In the last couple months, I have seen more Disney cats than I have ever seen before!



afwdwfan said:


> Well, I guess if you can repurpose a set...



Why not?  



afwdwfan said:


> This really looks like an interesting event. I'm glad that you were able to go and enjoy it, even if feeling a little bit under the weather still.



It was!  I really love the F&W events especially when I know the chefs from their TV shows.



afwdwfan said:


> What??? They have names??? And you can Google them???



They have a FB page, someone has set up a Twitter account...they are quite tech savvy!



EJ4Disney said:


> WOW!!  Ok I am officially jealous - I love Robert Irvine.  You lucky little duck!!  Thanks for sharing with us.



This is the second or third time I've got to meet him, but the first where I got to taste his food! 



dizneeat said:


> *All caught up again here! How awesome that you got to meet Robert Irvine! Lucky lady! Not to mention that the food looks yummy too. *



The food was especially yummy and he is such a nice guy!



Steppesister said:


> I guess I hadn't heard (absolutely ZERO DISTime lately) that you guys returned sick.  BOO! I knew that the weather was a bummer on the Cruise, but sick too.



Not sure if you read the final update on the Mississippi River trip.  I didn't want to give it away until I got there on that TR.



Steppesister said:


> I"m glad you didn't skip out on the VIP Chef thing though. Looked like a fun event with plenty of delicious food and drink. I'd have been upset too if I'd bought DVC points for specifically for F&W and then have them cancel it for several years afterwards as well. Glad it's back for you!! I may someday join you...



For the pricetag, I wasn't skipping it!!!!  At least with the cancellation, I had a ton of points to burn last year which allowed me to afford the Grand Villa for my birthday celebration.  Now I'm going to use up all my points that I have booking the 4 weekends after Easter!



Pinkocto said:


> Yay for the return of the F & W!!!
> 
> Your event looks like great fun. So glad you were feeling well enough to go.



Thanks for your enthusiasm!  I wasn't really feeling well enough to go, but I still did.


----------



## franandaj

So I told you about our event with Robert Irvine, the next Saturday we had a double header. At 1PM Chef Sutton of Napa Rose fame would be doing a demo. 













Our health had greatly improved since the previous week, which was a relief! We were both still coughing, but the haze that I was underneath the previous week had finally lifted.

We arrived at the same location in DCA as last week. It was before noon and this time there was already a line! We were probably about 15 people back in line. They started checking us in at about 12:15, and the real queue started to form. For those who don't know, when Club 33 got its makeover in 2014, Andrew Sutton was made head chef of that restaurant as well. It wasn't surprising that everyone in line with us was sporting some kind of Club 33 Bling, purses, baseball caps, Polo shirts, jackets, etc.

They barely started to let us in by 1:00. There were definitely more people attending this seminar than the Robert Irvine seminar the previous week. We were in the second row back. Still a pretty good spot.





The emcee announced Chef Sutton and he came out on stage. 





Almost as soon as he came out the servers started bringing out glasses of Pinot Gris. (At least I think that’s what it was)





He was stewing a broth with zucchini blossoms on the cooktop. 





He continued to make the soup for us, while servers brought it out to us. He added yellow tomatoes, and quite a few other ingredients.





And then used an immersion blender (or boat motor as I like to call it.) 





When it was finally served to us, he had added some cream cheese and sour cream. It was pretty good and very light.





Then he went on to make the Main Course, which was going to be Cuban inspired.  He talked about how Cuba being open to US residents was making it the hottest thing around and everyone would be jumping on the Cuban bandwagon. Well I hate to say it, but after the next dish, I want off! 

He showed us some huge steaks and said that these were "steaks for sharing". 









Then he admitted that he felt a little out of place giving a demo amongst all the celebrity chefs, so to make up for that he told us he was just going to feed us a lot of good food, and hopefully we would remember that. 

I think that I took notes on this presentation but I can't seem to find them. No matter. He put a bunch of stuff into a bowl which included several kinds of peppers. One of them was super hot. As I glance at the Scoville scale, the Carolina Reaper sounds about right and Fran agrees with me. The Carolina Reaper registers at 2,200,000 whereas a Habanero is 350,000, and a Jalapeño pepper is only 10,000. 

There was rum, probably garlic, and onions, a whole bunch of stuff.





He suggested seasoning meat about half an hour to an hour before cooking so as to give plenty of time for the seasoning to absorb into the meat and not just season the surface.  He seared the steaks on the cooktop and finished them in the oven, but he suggested grilling them would be ideal.

Soon our plates were brought out to us along with a Zinfandel wine. 





As much as we normally like Andrew Sutton's food this didn't do it for us. Neither of us cared for the Cuban Sauce and we both tried to scrape the sauce off the meat. The steak itself was good, but neither of us care for Spicy foods.





He took some time to answer some questions.  The only one that I remember was that someone asked what he makes at home for his family. Evidently his daughters don't like salmon so he was sad that he can't cook that for him. I don't remember what he actually said he cooks, and maybe he didn't. He did say that he gets inspired for what to cook when he goes to the store that day. He checks what is fresh and in season. Monday is his night off from the restaurant so that's his night to cook for the family.

His last creation was dessert. He told us that this was by far his favorite dessert because of its simplicity. I had never heard of a buckle before this and after a little googling I was able to find out what differentiates this from other baked fruit and pastry desserts. In a buckle the pastry is on the bottom and fruit is on top. As the pastry cooks, the weight of the fruit causes it to "buckle", hence the name.













It was tasty enough, and I ate the whole thing, but in my book I think I prefer cobblers and crumbles. But if I don't have to make it, I'll be happy to eat whatever dessert you put I'm front of me, as long as it doesn't have coconut! 

Like last week after the presentation we had the opportunity to take a photo with the chef and he would sign two items. We all received a complimentary apron as we entered the room and most people were having the chefs sign their aprons. When I got to talk to Andrew, he asked what happened to Fran, she didn't want to get roped into any more pictures like Robert Irvine made her do, so she went back to her scooter as soon as the presentation was over. I asked him if there were any plans to bring back the Napa Rose Cooking School, and he said that he was totally up for it, but they didn't mention it this year. 









After our photo, I went back to meet up with Fran. We still had another presentation that day!


----------



## dizneeat

*You are killing me girl!  All those presentations look awesome! And you seem to be on really good terms with all the chefs! Love the photo of you and chef Andrew!*


----------



## Flossbolna

I am so happy that you were able to enjoy the F&WF at DCA so much!! When I heard of the announcement my first thought was: Now Alison can use her VGC points again for herself!! I guess you are already booked for next year again?

I have heard really good things about the festival as a whole and your presentations sound really wonderful. And the food did not look bad either! ;-)

Interesting info about the buckle. In Germany there are a lot of cakes that are made that way. But then in Germany cake is not something that is served for dessert. Cake has its own distinct meal: Kaffee und Kuchen (I know that you understand this, but for everyone else: coffee and cake). This takes place some time in the afternoon between 2:30pm and 5pm.


----------



## Pinkocto

I had the exact same thought when I heard the F & W was coming back to DL, now Alison can use her points!  

That spicy sauce doesn't sound like something you'd do for a big group though, not everyone likes spicey. And Cuban definitely does not have to be spicey.


----------



## franandaj

dizneeat said:


> *You are killing me girl!  All those presentations look awesome! And you seem to be on really good terms with all the chefs! Love the photo of you and chef Andrew!*



Both of those two were great and I have one more really good one to post. Chef Robert is just a really nice guy, he's on good terms with everyone.  I have been on good terms with Chef Andrew ever since I did his first cooking school.  I did it for three years, plus we dined at Napa Rose often enough for him to recognize us by face.



Flossbolna said:


> I am so happy that you were able to enjoy the F&WF at DCA so much!! When I heard of the announcement my first thought was: Now Alison can use her VGC points again for herself!! I guess you are already booked for next year again?



Well, I have one weekend booked.  F&W is traditionally after Easter which is April 16, 2017 so only two weekends are available to me now.  I've booked the second weekend already, but the first is really expensive.  I want to be sure it's a weekend that I will be going for sure so that I book with my banked points first.  The weekend after Easter is the highest point season, so I'm not sure I'll keep both nights.



Flossbolna said:


> I have heard really good things about the festival as a whole and your presentations sound really wonderful. And the food did not look bad either! ;-)



I didn't get to see much of it (or as much as I would have liked), but I liked what I did do.  I'll plan to be around more next year.



Flossbolna said:


> Interesting info about the buckle. In Germany there are a lot of cakes that are made that way. But then in Germany cake is not something that is served for dessert. Cake has its own distinct meal: Kaffee und Kuchen (I know that you understand this, but for everyone else: coffee and cake). This takes place some time in the afternoon between 2:30pm and 5pm.



Sort of like English Tea I take it.  Sounds good!  I could go for Cake and Coffee right now!  It's 3:30PM!


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## franandaj

Pinkocto said:


> I had the exact same thought when I heard the F & W was coming back to DL, now Alison can use her points!



Since I've been saving them after last year's birthday party, I've got 409 points for next year.  I plan to book Friday and Saturday nights for the weekends after Easter.  I'll know by February which weekends I need to cancel and I don't have bank my points until the end of April so I'll have plenty of time to figure out what I'm going to do.



Pinkocto said:


> That spicy sauce doesn't sound like something you'd do for a big group though, not everyone likes spicey. And Cuban definitely does not have to be spicey.



Well he made it for a room of about 150 people.  I'm not sure if we are the only ones who didn't like it.  I know Cuban food doesn't have to be spicy, but I think most people feel that way.


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## franandaj

We were done with our presentation with Andrew Sutton before 3PM and headed right back outside to get in the queue for the 5PM seminar.  Guy Fieri was doing this one and he was the only presenter that I know that completely sold out. They were selling his cookbook in the F&W Festival Store so I picked up a copy for him to sign. At 4PM they started checking us in and handing out the lanyards and wristbands. Once Fran had hers, she headed off to the restroom. When she came back, she was holding a Peach Margarita for us to share! While waiting in line it started to sprinkle a tiny bit. They had put up some giant patio style umbrellas in anticipation of the weather and most people in line were covered. I was surprised that at 4:30 the line was still pretty short for a sold out show. However by 10 til people started showing up I'm droves.

We were about 7th or 8th in line so when they finally started letting us in, we got a pretty good spot. Guy was definitely as loud and boisterous as he appears on TV. 





He threw T-shirts out to the audience if people got answers to questions correct.









He was energetic and was really out to have fun! 











The first thing he made us was a Bananas Foster Milkshake. OMG this was so good! He started off by sautéing sliced bananas in butter.





Then he added brown sugar and cinnamon. 





When they were done he added some banana liqueur, vanilla and a pinch of salt. Then he let the mixture cool.





He brought his son Hunter along so that he could make him do all the hard work. He was just finishing his Freshman year at Guy's Alma Mater, UNLV also majoring in Hospitality.

In a blender he combined vanilla ice cream, Meyer's Dark Rum, and cooled banana mixture.









Makes me want some right now!  In fact I wrote this about a week ago, purchased all the ingredients and finally made it the other night!  Whew!  The Rum was strong!  I don’t think they put as much rum in there as the recipe calls for!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/guy-fieri/bananas-foster-milkshake.html





He took a few questions and noticed that this gal in the front had a dress made of material with his head all over it.





Then he was all about getting down to business once we had a nice stiff drink. His next dish featured corn. He said that it was one of the under respected foods and it doesn't get nearly the credit it deserves.





He put the corn on the grill in the husks. He had hunter remove the silk before grilling. He suggested this would be a great thing for a summer barbecue as you could have a toppings bar and let people fix their corn up the way they liked it.





This was his serving suggestion.





This wasn’t very practical to serve everyone an ear of corn, so he showed that you could also cut it off the ear.





And this is how we were served our corn.





He was really funny in the way he addressed the audience. He would cuss and use a lot of non-Disney words. And funniest of all he was so easily distracted, he'd be in the middle of one story and he would be like, "squirrel!" 

He took questions from the audience and one couple asked him if he had a preference for cooking a turkey on the stove top or in the oven, and he was like "what????" I think most everyone in the audience had a similar reaction.  He was so blown away by the fact that anybody would cook a turkey on a stove top I think he told them he would get back to their question. He did tell us what he does for his turkey. I believe he said that he makes at least two because they have so many folks over. Basically he butchers the entire turkey, and reserves the wings for stock.  He butterflies the breast, grill or roasts the breast and thighs. Then he cooks the legs confit style.  That means it is slowly cooked, supposedly in it’s own fat, but I think he said that he uses olive oil as there is not enough fat in the turkey to cook it that way.  Interesting concept, but it sounds like a lot of work!

They started slow braising some pork at this point, I believe that it was shoulder meat.  And then he got on a roll.  The event was supposed to go up until 6:30PM, but I think it was 6:15 and he had just started the last dish.  After I took this picture, the battery in my camera died.  





I had one of those boost chargers in my purse, so I charged the camera while I took this margarita picture with my phone.





He went on for quite some time talking about various things that had happened to him since becoming a celebrity chef.  One thing was that he never wore a chef’s coat, totally hated them, but the Food Network required him to wear one. He had a friend design him the denim style ones like he was wearing with his corporate logo “Knuckle sandwich” on the back.

He talked to us for the next half an hour to 45 minutes about all kinds of things.  He kept stressing that his son Hunter was available, so if there were any young ladies out there, and the poor boy kept blushing.  He also mentioned about how all his buddies always stop by at the house, so they need to keep lots of provisions on hand, and they’re always whipping up something good, usually on the grill.  He made an offhand comment about how his wife loves that! I don’t remember what all else he talked about, but no one seemed to mind that he was almost an hour over the time for the presentation.

He talked long enough that my camera got some life in it. He turned the braised pork into Bahn Mi tacos, which is weird because that means “bread” in Vietnamese, so maybe I have remembered it wrong.  He used the braised pork and topped it with a Kim Chi slaw.













I was actually so full from the previous demo, the milkshake, and the corn, that I could only eat one of the tacos, but they were delicious.  Then the folks in the celebrity experience portion were set loose while those of us who sprung for the VIP experience, waited for our turns to get autographs and pictures.  Fran sat this one out as well.









After the seminar we headed back out of the park, we looked for Francisco, but he wasn’t there that night. So we headed home and to bed.


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## Pinkocto

What a fun seminar!!! You portrayed his excitement fabulously! Sounds like he was enjoying himself as well, telling stories, going over the time. Cool that he brought his son with him.


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## rndmr2

Love the Food and Wine culinary demonstrations, so great that you got to see Guy Fieri! He does seem like he would put on a fun presentation, so cool that he brought his son.


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## dizneeat

*You were right when you said you had another great presentation to post. This looks awesome and I guess I need to research that recipe for the milk shake as this is totally something Tom would like.
And that corn looks delish! Thanks for sharing. *


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## Flossbolna

franandaj said:


> Basically he butchers the entire turkey, and reserves the wings for stock. He butterflies the breast, grill or roasts the breast and thighs. Then he cooks the legs confit style. That means it is slowly cooked, supposedly in it’s own fat, but I think he said that he uses olive oil as there is not enough fat in the turkey to cook it that way. Interesting concept, but it sounds like a lot of work!



You know what, I always thought that roasting that whole turkey kind of really did not do the bird justice. And I see that Mr Celebrity Chef (I think I have heard his name, but have no clue who he is besides what I just read about him in your update) kind of agrees with me there: Most parts need different ways of cooking them in order to make the most of it. Like who would grill a whole cow?

(To be honest, we Germans do at the Oktoberfest: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oktoberfest_tents#Ochsenbraterei "Ox on a skewer" is popular on other fairgrounds, too...)



franandaj said:


> I had one of those boost chargers in my purse, so I charged the camera while I took this margarita picture with my phone.



That was smart of you!! But what is this mystery margarita? Is this the one from when you were in line or did they give you margaritas after the milk shake? The milk shake sounds absolutely amazing btw!!



franandaj said:


> He talked to us for the next half an hour to 45 minutes about all kinds of things. He kept stressing that his son Hunter was available, so if there were any young ladies out there, and the poor boy kept blushing. He also mentioned about how all his buddies always stop by at the house, so they need to keep lots of provisions on hand, and they’re always whipping up something good, usually on the grill. He made an offhand comment about how his wife loves that! I don’t remember what all else he talked about, but no one seemed to mind that he was almost an hour over the time for the presentation.



I think this guy sounds absolutely amazing and a lot of fun. I am normally not at all a fan of cooking shows, but I can see why his show was the one that was sold out.


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## dolphingirl47

The seminars all looked amazing. I am glad for you that the Food and Wine Festival has finally returned to California Adventure. Francisco looks really cute.

Corinna


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## dgbg100106

All of the seminars looked like tons of fun, so excited that it came back this year and that y'all go to go.  I might have to try that banana milkshake


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## rentayenta

Love Guy Fiere! He drives Michael nuts but I love how over the top and engaging he is. Cute pic of the two of you. And next trip, we'll meet up for those Bananas Foster milkshakes.


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## Steppesister

That banana drink looks unbelievable amazing! I'm so gonna try that recipe. I'm a banana hater, but that looks divine! Everything else looks so yummy too. I've never been to a cooking show, but they sure look fun!


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## afwdwfan

Wow!  Looks like a couple of more good seminars!  You guys really do this F&W thing right!  I'm glad that you were able to go and enjoy them. 




franandaj said:


> His next dish featured corn. He said that it was one of the under respected foods and it doesn't get nearly the credit it deserves.




I'm not a foodie by any stretch of the imagination, but I was pretty pumped to see that he grills corn the same way I do.  But I don't get the toppings part... I mean, what do you really need besides butter???  And not serving it on the cob?  That's just un-American!


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## skier_pete

Those are very cool experiences - thanks for sharing. While I know who both those chefs are, we really only watch Guy Fieri and Triple-D. While we appreciate a fine meal, we are more of a "good home cookin'" type and enjoy his show and try to stop at the restaurants he visits if we get a chance. (We've been to most of the ones in Buffalo that he has visited.) He can be a little annoying at times, but enjoy his shtick.


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## franandaj

Pinkocto said:


> What a fun seminar!!! You portrayed his excitement fabulously! Sounds like he was enjoying himself as well, telling stories, going over the time. Cool that he brought his son with him.



Thank you. It's hard to portray someone else's excitement. He seems like the kind of guy who has a good time wherever he goes. His whole family was there actually but the oldest son was doing all the dirty work onstage.



rndmr2 said:


> Love the Food and Wine culinary demonstrations, so great that you got to see Guy Fieri! He does seem like he would put on a fun presentation, so cool that he brought his son.



He was really a fun presenter.



dizneeat said:


> *You were right when you said you had another great presentation to post. This looks awesome and I guess I need to research that recipe for the milk shake as this is totally something Tom would like.
> And that corn looks delish! Thanks for sharing. *



The milkshake was great. I need to refine mine. A little less rum, more ice cream and banana.


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## franandaj

Flossbolna said:


> You know what, I always thought that roasting that whole turkey kind of really did not do the bird justice. And I see that Mr Celebrity Chef (I think I have heard his name, but have no clue who he is besides what I just read about him in your update) kind of agrees with me there: Most parts need different ways of cooking them in order to make the most of it. Like who would grill a whole cow?



I do agree that there are better ways to cook a chicken or turkey, but both of these are among the few animals that lend themselves to cooking the whole animal at once.



Flossbolna said:


> (To be honest, we Germans do at the Oktoberfest: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oktoberfest_tents#Ochsenbraterei "Ox on a skewer" is popular on other fairgrounds, too...)



Interesting. In Hawaii they cook a whole pig.



Flossbolna said:


> That was smart of you!! But what is this mystery margarita? Is this the one from when you were in line or did they give you margaritas after the milk shake? The milk shake sounds absolutely amazing btw!!



He gave us a margarita to go with the tacos, but he talked so much, everyone drank them before the tacos arrived. This was a traditional margarita. I believe that he said there was Tequila, Lime juice, triple sec and a pinch of salt in the drink.



Flossbolna said:


> I think this guy sounds absolutely amazing and a lot of fun. I am normally not at all a fan of cooking shows, but I can see why his show was the one that was sold out.



He's also (controversially) one of the hottest chefs in America right now.



dolphingirl47 said:


> The seminars all looked amazing. I am glad for you that the Food and Wine Festival has finally returned to California Adventure. Francisco looks really cute.
> 
> Corinna



They were great. I have one more post for this TR from F&W. That should be coming up this weekend.



dgbg100106 said:


> All of the seminars looked like tons of fun, so excited that it came back this year and that y'all go to go.  I might have to try that banana milkshake



They were all great seminars. I have no doubt that I would have enjoyed the others if I had gone, but they were too pricey to do all of them.



rentayenta said:


> Love Guy Fiere! He drives Michael nuts but I love how over the top and engaging he is. Cute pic of the two of you. And next trip, we'll meet up for those Bananas Foster milkshakes.



I think he's fun too. A lot of people don't like him. Definitely do the milkshakes next time!



Steppesister said:


> That banana drink looks unbelievable amazing! I'm so gonna try that recipe. I'm a banana hater, but that looks divine! Everything else looks so yummy too. I've never been to a cooking show, but they sure look fun!



I'm not a huge banana person, but this one was really great!


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## franandaj

afwdwfan said:


> Wow! Looks like a couple of more good seminars! You guys really do this F&W thing right! I'm glad that you were able to go and enjoy them.



Me too!  



afwdwfan said:


> I'm not a foodie by any stretch of the imagination, but I was pretty pumped to see that he grills corn the same way I do. But I don't get the toppings part... I mean, what do you really need besides butter??? And not serving it on the cob? That's just un-American!



I think the "toppings" is a California/Mexican sort of thing. There are folks on the street who push little carts and sell corn on the cob.  You can pick all kinds of seasonings to go with them.  I like mine with butter, salt and pepper.



********** said:


> Those are very cool experiences - thanks for sharing. While I know who both those chefs are, we really only watch Guy Fieri and Triple-D. While we appreciate a fine meal, we are more of a "good home cookin'" type and enjoy his show and try to stop at the restaurants he visits if we get a chance. (We've been to most of the ones in Buffalo that he has visited.) He can be a little annoying at times, but enjoy his shtick.



We like all kinds of food, but Fran is encouraging me to get more interested in Triple-D type places.  We have been to a number of the places he's been too, but none in So Cal.  He seems to visit very eclectic places here and we're not quite as interested in the ones locally, but when travelling we always look up to see if he has been anywhere in the area.


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## PrincessInOz

Two super fun seminars.  Thanks for sharing.

At least I brought my lunch into this thread before reading it.  Sadly, my lunch wasn't a patch on licking the screen!!!


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## franandaj

PrincessInOz said:


> Two super fun seminars.  Thanks for sharing.
> 
> At least I brought my lunch into this thread before reading it.  Sadly, my lunch wasn't a patch on licking the screen!!!



They were definitely a lot of fun and really good food!  Good job on remembering to have some food, you'll want to do that on the next one too!


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## franandaj

So on April 2nd and 9th we went out to the park to see several celebrity chefs give demos. These were paid demos and we got to taste the food they made in the demo, plus as part of the VIP Experience we got a meet and greet with the chef. 

Actually as part of the Festival there were many other experiences. Daily, chefs were performing 3-4 demos a day on another stage, however samples were not available at those. They also had a "lifestyle" stage, not sure what sort of presenters were there, and then various artists were also showcased at Off The Page throughout the festival.  At the Biergarten area of the winery, they were hosting three beverage seminars a day, all priced around $15pp and booked in advance online. Of course there was merchandise available, but the other thing that made me excited was the kiosks!

It was April 15th that Jim and I ventured out to visit the kiosks. I finally was feeling all the way better from the upper respiratory infection and we considered this a warm up for the F&G Festival coming up in a couple weeks. We left my house around 11AM and were inside the park before noon. 





We didn't waste a moment and dug right in with LA style. 









We had decided that we would just split everything so we got to try more things.

We ordered one of everything and definitely loved each one. 





I mean who wouldn't like a pork belly taco? 





The tuna was very good. 





And this Milk Chocolate Caramel Tart with Almond Brittle and Sea Salt was by far my favorite of the whole festival, but how was I to know when we were just starting out.





We stopped for a photo op.









The next booth included wine flights as well as food. 









I got Cabernet flight because I thought it would go better the Zinfandel braised Wagyu beef and BlackBerry Tart. 

















Both of these were very tasty, but I thought that braising really was a waste of Wagyu beef.  We also got the yellow beet salad, but I wasn't a fan. I let Jim finish this.





Jim got the Chardonnay flight.





BTW we carried our little cardboard trays around from stand to stand with us to save on waste.

Next up was Viva Fresca! 









We only got one thing here, the fried shrimp soft taco. It was really good.





We hit the motherlode at Gold Rush!









We got one of each!





The triple cheese mac with smoked chicken was creamy and delicious.





The artichoke chips were great, the aioli was a little spicy for my taste. 





The Apple Bacon Whoopie pie was a complete surprise! It was great!





At this point we needed a break. It was hot and we were getting sort of full. We went inside the Blue Sky cellar to have a seat and enjoy the air conditioning.  They were offering this passport where you paid X amount of dollars and it included six samples. Well by this point we were more than halfway through so it wouldn't help us now! They did give us these buttons and a recipe card.





Back out into the heat to try The Farm. 









Here we went for one of the Grilled Beef Tenderloin Sliders and the Meyer Lemon Macaroon along with a glass of the Rodney Strong Cabernet and the Trimbach Gewurtztraminer, both of which are favorites of mine.





By this point, I couldn’t finish the slider, it was just way too much food for me.  However I couldn’t resist at least trying the Macaroon.





Look at the center of the Macaroon, all full of blueberry marmalade.

And then we hit the last booth. 









We were really struggling to eat at this point. But we pushed on and ordered a white cheddar Ale & Bacon soup, which was very good.

And a chilled shrimp and snow crab cocktail which was only meh.





Then we decided to go home. We were both way too full to go on any rides.  I was so glad that Jim drove because I was in a total food coma, not only everything we ate, but from the heat as well.  In hindsight a tan top and capris would have been a more appropriate outfit for that day.

When I got home, Fran was still in bed.  I crawled in too and went to sleep for a while, I was so bloated and overfull for the rest of the evening that I didn’t eat any dinner at all!  I’m glad we had this test run, because after that day, I was surely not going to be overeating at the Flower and Garden Festival in Epcot the next month.



This concludes this trip report!  After over a year of dragging out my visits to the park, I will now be including them inbetween regular updates on the trip report with Jim and Alberto at WDW.  See ya over there!


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## dolphingirl47

That looks like a real varied range of food. I would have loved to try some of them. Others are too adventurous for me, but that this the joy of a Food and Wine Festival - you can just pick and choose.

Thanks for sharing. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading along.

Corinna


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## Pinkocto

What a fun and delicious outing  not bad lines either which is great.  I know this was in April, but did I see on the news you guys are getting a heat wave? Is that affecting your area?

Those macaroons are to die for! And lucky for me made with almond flour so they're gluten free. I hope you had the raspberry chocolate at Epcot


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## Flossbolna

I loved to explore all the food offerings with you! I have to say most of it sounded far more interesting than a lot of the offerings at Food&Wine at WDW.

Thanks for taking us along for a whole year on your adventures! I always loved coming here and reading about what you have been up to!


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## mvf-m11c

Glad that you were able to do the Chef Andrew Sutton and Guy Fieri Celebrity Cooking Experience that same day. After reading your two seminars, it seems like the Robert Irvine seminar was better over those two. 

That was good that you were able to go to those different kiosks at DCA for the F&W Festival. The Grilled Beef Tenderloin Slider and White Cheddar Ale & Bacon soup were my favorite dishes at the F&W Festival.


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## dgbg100106

i loved your adventures and so glad they brought it back to CA.


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## PrincessInOz

This time, I've come in after dinner.  

What an amazing array of food.  Looks like you and Jim had a great time!


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## Steppesister

Lovely, lovely trip report, Alison. So, what you showed: is that a good idea of portion sizes and variety at F&W? If so, I'm likin' it! 

Thanks for all the fun chapters and photos!


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