A Private, Romantic 30th Anniversary Trip- Just Ask My Friends! Last Afternoon: EP p. 37 9/19

[pbb&j]

If you have an email address you don't mind sharing with me, I can send you my mini review and pictures and provide you with my research info.

That would be SO WONDERFUL! I clearly haven't done any research at all, but you've really inspired me to make the most of this opportunity. Plus, booking excursions for only 1 instead of our usual 5 is quite a bargain! I'll send you an email.

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Sounds like you are doing great on living a healthier lifestyle and at $10 pr month the gym is definitely a worthwhile investment even if you don't use it much over the summer months. Amazing not to gain a lb on the cruise- I love all the photos/details of the tours your shared.
Cant wait for the next cruise with Teena and hey I'm thinking of celebrating that gals birthday in some style myself so you go for it!!
Oh my goodness I love the fireworks photos from the cruise
I've tried to talk my guys into a fireworks cruise a few times but then when it comes down to it we always skip it as no-one can agree on the when and the where
I know the answer to "what Ben forgot" so I'm not going to give the game away but I'm guessing a Jack Daniels and coke for Nate's 1st drink based somewhat on the fact that I too have a 19 year old (though not for much longer) son

 

[annie170]

Two cruises in a short time?! Lucky you! I hope Irma behaves herself and you have a safe and enjoyable trip.

Congrats on the weight loss! I lost 15 pounds the last half of 2016. The real challenge with weight loss is maintaining it. I don't deprive myself, but everything is in moderation. Being only five feet, one inch tall, the 15 pounds were almost two sizes lost. I treated myself to lots of new clothes and got rid of quite a bit of the larger sizes. I have to maintain it now!

You got some really good photos of the fireworks from the boat for not having the best view.

I'll guess Jack and coke for Nate's drink and that Ben forgot his passport.

 

[wdwnut61]

The Pirates & Pals cruise looks like fun especially meeting Captain Hook, Smee and Peter Pan. Even though you were in the back you got some great shots of the fireworks. Do they pipe in the music on the boat?
No wonder you both were exhausted I got tired just reading everything you did in one day

 

[Wood Nymph]

I'm going to guess that Ben forgot his cell phone. Does he even own a cellphone?
Nate looks so grown up now. It is amazing what college will do for you. I will say his first drink was a Manhatten. It is the right color and size glass. And it has a cherry. (My original answer was rum and Coke, but decided to change it when I took a closer look at the glass.) Both answers are probably wrong.

Your cruise to Alaska sounds wonderful. I'm glad that the boys enjoyed it, too. Now we have to hope that your cruise with Teena doesn't get ruined by Irma.

We cruised for a bit around Bay Lake, including a stop by the Grand Floridian. Our pirate leader told us to mock the people waiting to watch the fireworks by saying “Ha Ha! We’re in a boat”.

Now I know why a boat parks itself near the GF to watch fireworks. It's the Pirate;s cruise. It was a noisy bunch of people on the boat we saw.

Seeing the fireworks from the water was excellent, though, since we had a heads-on panoramic view to see all of the surrounding fireworks you miss when you are on Main Street in the MK.

That looks like a wonderful view. I bet you could feel the explosions, too. I assume they piped in the music.

 

[Tracy161]

The bus stopped for us!

Wow! In my experience, that rarely happens.

And since all I could get out of Mark for the Halloween party was matching shirts, I don’t think we would have pirated-up anyway.

Good point.

The guests: Families with kids in the preschool set, who were exhausted, overstimulated and cranky.

Wait. That describes us.

Seeing the fireworks from the water was excellent, though, since we had a heads-on panoramic view to see all of the surrounding fireworks you miss when you are on Main Street in the MK.

The pictures are fabulous!!! What a great vantage point.

 

[afwdwfan]

That definitely is a big day! I'm glad you had a chance to experience Hallowishes from the water though. It looks like a neat experience. I'm sure our kids would love to do it sometime. I just need to make a mental note to go easy on dinner so that I can stuff myself on Mickey ice cream bars though!

 

[amazingact21]

I hope Irma doesn't mess up your cruise plans! (My in-laws are supposed to be flying to Puerto Rico tomorrow for a cruise, don't think that's going to happen now.)

Okay, reading about your Pirates and Pals fireworks cruise has me convinced this is something my kids Must do on our next trip. Landon's favorite Disney movie is Peter Pan, and he was so bummed he couldn't meet Hook in July. And Evie, for some strange reason, loves Smee. Like, always insists on playing with the Smee figurine when they play Peter Pan together.

I'm sorry you were pretty exhausted for the whole event, though. Seeing Hallowishes from the water seemed pretty cool, despite the obstructed view. Definitely beat standing on Main St. with everybody else.
It's a shame you were too full to eat any snacks, too. However, I'm sure the Boma desserts were way better.

 

[SarahDisney]

HalloWishes really looks fantastic - despite the back row, it looks like you had a pretty decent view. Nice!

Wow, that really is a long day - I'm not at all surprised that you were exhausted!

 

[natebenma]

Cruise? No Cruise?

This has been quite a whiplash of a week!

As the news about Hurricane Irma started to become clearer, Teena and I became more and more concerned about our September 9 sailing on the Disney Fantasy.

She was sending me updates on the storm by email several times a day. Not quite hourly. But close.

Tuesday morning of this week I finally managed to pack.

I went from this:



To this:





Took me 2 and a half hours. Teena wisely suggested we pack our clothes in plastic bags in case the suitcases got wet at the pier.

Our flights were originally scheduled to arrive Friday afternoon, we would meet up at the airport and take a shuttle to a hotel at Port Canaveral.

Tuesday afternoon, I got a call from Teena that Southwest was letting people change flights to and from selected airports, including Orlando, at no charge (even if the flights were more expensive). We changed our flights to arrive on Thursday to make sure we could get into Florida.

At 7:30, Disney posted on the cruise website that they were cancelling the cruise.

I broke the news to Teena. This has been the longest time she has not been on a cruise in 15 years or so. She really needed some happy-place-time at Castaway Cay.

We discussed rebooking but between her schedule and mine there were only a few opportunities to rebook this fall and winter was out, mostly due to Teena's commitments/travel.

This morning, she called Disney. We are now booked on the September 30, Fantasy Western itinerary.

I am excited to be getting back the week I will spend with my friend on board, but it is combined with a sadness when I see what has happened so far in the Caribbean and with fear for what is still to come for people in the path of this huge, destructive storm.


You would think with the "free time" I now have since I did not fly out today, I could get caught up here, but no.

Hopefully tomorrow!

Have a good night all.

 

[Wood Nymph]

This morning, she called Disney. We are now booked on the September 30, Fantasy Western itinerary.

That is great news. I'm glad that you'll be cruising together after all.

Were you able to change your flights at no extra cost?

 

[SarahDisney]

I'm glad you guys were able to reschedule! Irma has already caused so much trouble, between the cruise cancellations (which while sad, are not the worst thing in the world) and the horrible devastation in the Caribbean. This is going to be another rough one.

 

[natebenma]

That is great news. I'm glad that you'll be cruising together after all.

Were you able to change your flights at no extra cost?

Yes and no. They allowed us to change from Friday to Thursday with no fee. We cancelled on Tuesday and banked the airfare. When I rebooked yesterday, my flight home is $125 more than it was, so I had to pay that. If I had changed right to that, or maybe even if I called, they may have waived the extra. Not sure. But the wait times on the Southwest phone line was over 100 minutes yesterday. Not surprisingly.

Teena booked her flights yesterday morning and by last night, the airfare had doubled.

 

[natebenma]

That would be SO WONDERFUL! I clearly haven't done any research at all, but you've really inspired me to make the most of this opportunity. Plus, booking excursions for only 1 instead of our usual 5 is quite a bargain! I'll send you an email.

 

[natebenma]

Sounds like you are doing great on living a healthier lifestyle and at $10 pr month the gym is definitely a worthwhile investment even if you don't use it much over the summer months. Amazing not to gain a lb on the cruise- I love all the photos/details of the tours your shared.
Cant wait for the next cruise with Teena and hey I'm thinking of celebrating that gals birthday in some style myself so you go for it!!
Oh my goodness I love the fireworks photos from the cruise
I've tried to talk my guys into a fireworks cruise a few times but then when it comes down to it we always skip it as no-one can agree on the when and the where

Well, that birthday drink will have to be celebrated at home! But as I posted we are back on board!

There was some creative cropping on the photos, but the view was not too bad. During the panoramic finale, there was someone right in my shot. But we booked last, and we are adults, so it was only fair that kids and families who had booked the trip first got better seats.

The Illuminations fireworks cruise is tempting!

Two cruises in a short time?! Lucky you! I hope Irma behaves herself and you have a safe and enjoyable trip.

Congrats on the weight loss! I lost 15 pounds the last half of 2016. The real challenge with weight loss is maintaining it. I don't deprive myself, but everything is in moderation. Being only five feet, one inch tall, the 15 pounds were almost two sizes lost. I treated myself to lots of new clothes and got rid of quite a bit of the larger sizes. I have to maintain it now!

You got some really good photos of the fireworks from the boat for not having the best view.

I am very fortunate, indeed!

The cruise is going to have to wait a couple more weeks. We are sailing September 29 instead of tomorrow.

Thanks and congratulations to you, too. Maintaining it is the struggle and I am only 5 feet tall, so I know what you are talking about. I have some clothes that went out of rotation and I'm thrilled that they fit comfortably now! I did cheat and have a wee bit of ice cream the night the cruise was cancelled. It was a long night!

Thanks! I was pretty happy with the fireworks photos- used my big girl camera.

The Pirates & Pals cruise looks like fun especially meeting Captain Hook, Smee and Peter Pan. Even though you were in the back you got some great shots of the fireworks. Do they pipe in the music on the boat?
No wonder you both were exhausted I got tired just reading everything you did in one day

It was fun meeting the characters- especially Hook and Smee. (We skipped Peter). My boys were in a production of Peter Pan so that story is particularly meaningful to us.

Yes, I should probably edit in that the soundtrack of Hallowishes is played on the boat.

Another busy day and it finally caught up with us!

Now we have to hope that your cruise with Teena doesn't get ruined by Irma.

Now I know why a boat parks itself near the GF to watch fireworks. It's the Pirate;s cruise. It was a noisy bunch of people on the boat we saw.

That looks like a wonderful view. I bet you could feel the explosions, too. I assume they piped in the music.

Well, our cruise was not exactly ruined, but changed. I feel so very sorry for our fellow cruisers who had invested so much effort for this particular trip- making friends with other cruisers, producing Halloween and cruise specific fish extender gifts, beautiful costumes. Teena and I didn't really have anything connecting us to this particular cruise, so our disruption was minimal. So far.




It was great to see the panorama perspective of fireworks that you don't see from Main Street. Seeing them from one of the MK hotel beaches might have worked, but we were more centered as passengers on the boat.

Yes, music was piped in.

Wow! In my experience, that rarely happens.


The pictures are fabulous!!! What a great vantage point.

We had pretty good experiences with the buses on this trip.

Center on the castle and from the water was a wonderful spot for the fireworks show!

That definitely is a big day! I'm glad you had a chance to experience Hallowishes from the water though. It looks like a neat experience. I'm sure our kids would love to do it sometime. I just need to make a mental note to go easy on dinner so that I can stuff myself on Mickey ice cream bars though!

Your kids would LOVE this experience!

I hope Irma doesn't mess up your cruise plans! (My in-laws are supposed to be flying to Puerto Rico tomorrow for a cruise, don't think that's going to happen now.)

Okay, reading about your Pirates and Pals fireworks cruise has me convinced this is something my kids Must do on our next trip. Landon's favorite Disney movie is Peter Pan, and he was so bummed he couldn't meet Hook in July. And Evie, for some strange reason, loves Smee. Like, always insists on playing with the Smee figurine when they play Peter Pan together.

I'm sorry you were pretty exhausted for the whole event, though. Seeing Hallowishes from the water seemed pretty cool, despite the obstructed view. Definitely beat standing on Main St. with everybody else.
It's a shame you were too full to eat any snacks, too. However, I'm sure the Boma desserts were way better.

Oh, wow! What is happening with your Florida family? I'm assuming their cruise is off and hopefully they have safely evacuated.

Your family would love this!

I didn't pay enough attention to the details, but there were a lot of interactive activities for the kids and they all got some gifts (booty) throughout the evening!




We could barely eat all of the Boma desserts we wanted to sample THEN they brought us 2 cupcakes and champagne! There was no way we could have consumed anything at the Pirates and Pals party without becoming sick!

HalloWishes really looks fantastic - despite the back row, it looks like you had a pretty decent view. Nice!

Wow, that really is a long day - I'm not at all surprised that you were exhausted!

HalloWishes is a fantastic show! I was shocked how much Mark loved it and how desperate he was to see it a second time during that trip.

No Rest At Disney!!!

 

[natebenma]

I'll try to get to the post about the start of the trip to Seattle/Alaska later today and answer the burning questions of what Ben forgot and what Nate had to drink.

Still time to put in guesses if you haven't yet!

I'm going to share the story about Ben with you all because you are friends, but it doesn't put him, or our parenting skills, in the best light.

Off to get ready for work. I only worked 3 days over the summer since a lot of our programs are field trips and school programs. My weekly preschool group starts up this morning, so I look forward to seeing some of the regular kids and meeting new ones to the class. And seeing the animals!

 

[wdwnut61]

I'll try to get to the post about the start of the trip to Seattle/Alaska later today and answer the burning questions of what Ben forgot and what Nate had to drink.

Still time to put in guesses if you haven't yet!

I'm going to share the story about Ben with you all because you are friends, but it doesn't put him, or our parenting skills, in the best light.

Off to get ready for work. I only worked 3 days over the summer since a lot of our programs are field trips and school programs. My weekly preschool group starts up this morning, so I look forward to seeing some of the regular kids and meeting new ones to the class. And seeing the animals!

Looking forward to hearing about your cruise.
You have the best job

 

[annie170]

I forgot to guess! Jack and Coke for Nate's drink and did Ben forget his passport?

Good to hear that the cruise was rescheduled. I hate watching the news these days. I tell my students to think about others before you start complaining about something minor. Of course, I'm always amazed by the number of high school kids who have no idea what is going in the world!

 

[natebenma]

OK, I'm going to give everyone a quick hint. It was not Ben's passport. I'll give everyone another guess.

Good luck!

 

[Wood Nymph]

OK, I'm going to give everyone a quick hint. It was not Ben's passport.

Good luck!

I didn't guess passport because I figured that you were holding on to those so that no one would forget them. I hope I'm right about that.