Canadian Buffoon's Exhausted Vacation - Update 09/01 - New TR link!

[pkondz]

I sent my DM and then totally forgot to comment here!!

Eye on the prize?

I LOVE the time and effort that must have gone into creating the chessboard pic. Awesome! I wish I knew how to photoshop

Thanks, Jackie!
As soon as I saw that
table (on another TR)
I knew what shot I wanted.

I'm looking forward to wandering through Batuu in December. Hoping we are able to get in and enjoy despite the insanity of Christmas crowds!
We do have an Oga's reservation, so at least I know we'll get into the land in general.

Getting in is not a problem.
There's plenty of room.
But if you don't have
a reservation (like you do at Oga's)
I doubt you'd get in to places like that.

 

[pkondz]

WOW what a great way to describe your day, that took a lot of imagination.

Thanks, Glenda!
It was a lot of fun to write.

Pretty much how I looked
when I walked out...

Great editing

Thanks!

 

[pkondz]

I would totally get up at 4am for some EEMH.

You and I seem to be in the minority!

I'm hoping they throw in a couple days for the opening of RotR, otherwise I don't know if I'm brave enough to go.

I imagine the lines will be
crazy long again when it
opens.
But isn't it slated for end of year?
Hopefully by the time you go,
things will have quieted just a bit.

Your pictures are amazing.

Thanks!

I cannot wait to see all this myself!

Hope you'll like it as
much as I did!

 

[buzzrelly]

I imagine the lines will be
crazy long again when it
opens.
But isn't it slated for end of year?
Hopefully by the time you go,
things will have quieted just a bit.

Yes, it’s slated to open on 12/5...and oh, did I not mention that I’ll be there??

I’m going to universal 12/1-12/4 for some training and then I have two nights 12/4-12/6 at Coronado all by myself! If they do the eemh that day, I’ll be there. Otherwise, I don’t know if I’m brave enough

 

[pkondz]

Yes, it’s slated to open on 12/5...and oh, did I not mention that I’ll be there??

I saw your ticker.

I’m going to universal 12/1-12/4 for some training and then I have two nights 12/4-12/6 at Coronado all by myself!

Nice!!

If they do the eemh that day, I’ll be there. Otherwise, I don’t know if I’m brave enough

Oh, go. Just do rope drop
and you'll be fine.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

My holo-clock woke me at 4:15am,
or prior to sunrise at this latitude
on Batuu.

Man, you weren't kidding about not getting any sleep.

Before I even had the app started,
a shuttle landed at my stop.
Always nice when you don't have
to wait. They advertise a shuttle
every 20 minutes, but zero is better.

I'm glad the Magic Bus Pass works off-planet as well.

But they did stop me to inspect
my tripod droid.
When I assured them that
it was a tripod,
(<wave> "This is not the
selfie-stick you're looking for.")

Nicely done.

The path we were following
narrowed and I felt myself
pushed up against the person
in front of me, while the entity
behind me was similarly pressed
up against me from the rear.
It was not a pleasant feeling and
I wondered what might happen
should someone stumble and fall.
I could see no way that they wouldn't
be trampled in the mad rush.

Well, that sounds like no fun whatsoever. At least you could defend yourself with the tripod.

As we passed the Falcon, I noted
that despite some wear and tear,
she seemed to be ready for action.

It looks pretty amazing. Feels like they got it exactly right.

People who ask too many
questions tend to find themselves
kicked out of airlocks without
spacesuits.

That would definitely suck.

or its official industry name Pure Boarding System (Pure BS))

Well done, sir. Standing ovation for that one.

The all-too-familiar holo-chess
board was being manned by
all-too-familiar faces.

That is a GREAT shot. Brilliant, even.

I started to whistle "Send in
the Clones" under my breath.

I can see why.

I relinquished control of the
pilot and co-pilot seats
and even grudgingly decided
to forego the gunners' seats
as I had a sneaking suspicion,
based on Hondo's reputation,
that the action would be fast
and furious and a skilled
engineer would be most needed.

A skilled engineer is always needed, but rarely appreciated.

I have no real memory of what
happened outside the cockpit
window.
I was too busy managing the
ship's systems and repairing
the damage my less-than
skilled co-smugglers couldn't
manage to avoid.

Don't ask me if the scenery
was beautiful or compelling
or intense or blasé.
I really have no idea.

Well, that stinks. Seems like a crucial portion of a "ride" is missing there.

I didn't have ready answers
for their questions, and I didn't
feel like wasting my credits on bribes.

Huh. Do you actually have to do that?

It's five o'clock somewhere
in the Galaxy, right?

Darn right!

It's amazingly Earth-like, with
only subtle differences that
aren't readily observable
under these suns' light.

Photos seem to back that up. I'll have to take your word for it.

Yes, I see you, Kandall Hornsplitter;
with your green, Fangsnarth blood
stained shorts and blade filled
side pack. Her bionic enhanced
eyes ceaselessly scanned for prey
or bounty.
I know when I'm outclassed.
I gave her a wide berth.
Spending my day disemboweled
was not my idea of a good day.

This poor lady has absolutely no idea.

Mmmm....carbonated brown sugar water...

People! Not even close!
I told you I gave you a major
clue. Did the title of the TR
not tell you anything???

After the lack of sleep leading up to this, I didn't believe you would do that to yourself.

Remember to PM your answers, only.

I feel like this was put here for a reason.

 

[pkondz]

Man, you weren't kidding about not getting any sleep.

My TRs are always 100% accurate.

Actually, that was the tough part
about writing this update.
I wanted to pass on the facts
(wake up and park entry times,
bus times, what I thought of SR
and SWGE in general, etc...)
while still being able to tell a "tale".

I'm glad the Magic Bus Pass works off-planet as well.

Resistance is futile..
But the Resistance VIP transportation
pass works really well!

Nicely done.

Well, that sounds like no fun whatsoever. At least you could defend yourself with the tripod.

And this is where I had the most trouble.
It was really disconcerting.
And I wanted to warn others,
especially those with claustrophobia
just how bad it was.
I really thought "Wow. If someone
falls here, they're getting trampled."
There was no stopping that mass
of people. I was pretty much forced
to keep moving, whether I wanted
to or not.

It looks pretty amazing. Feels like they got it exactly right.

I was really impressed with it.
I'm not sure if the scale is right?
Like maybe it's a fraction smaller?
But still, very impressive.

That would definitely suck.

I see what you did there.

Well done, sir. Standing ovation for that one.

Thanks!
Wasn't sure if anyone would
even read that little blurb.

That is a GREAT shot. Brilliant, even.

Thanks!

A skilled engineer is always needed, but rarely appreciated.

I would've been okay if they
hadn't needed one that time.
Makes me wonder what they'll
do when fewer than 6 want to ride.
Heck, when only one wants to ride.

Well, that stinks. Seems like a crucial portion of a "ride" is missing there.

Yeah.
I could've been home doing a
reflexes test on my computer
and it would've been the same.

Huh. Do you actually have to do that?

Which? Answer questions?
Or pay bribes?

This poor lady has absolutely no idea.

Don't tell her!

Mmmm....carbonated brown sugar water...

Whoa...
Having a case of deja vu here...

After the lack of sleep leading up to this, I didn't believe you would do that to yourself.

But... but... it's Disney!

I feel like this was put here for a reason.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Actually, that was the tough part
about writing this update.
I wanted to pass on the facts
(wake up and park entry times,
bus times, what I thought of SR
and SWGE in general, etc...)
while still being able to tell a "tale".

I meant to say, I really enjoyed the creativity in this update. That was a lot of fun to read.

Great photos, too!

 

[pkondz]

I meant to say, I really enjoyed the creativity in this update. That was a lot of fun to read.

It was fun to write, too.

Great photos, too!

Thanks!

 

[mustinjourney]

Once again, I am late to the party! But at least I'm here.

I'll ask you at the end of the
update if you've "seen it".

I saw it. It's right there in the sentence.

Monday. Travel Day.
I hadn't really slept in the last
few days, but truth is...
I hadn't slept much for
the previous couple of weeks.
(Just some personal stressful
things that were going on
at the time were keeping me up.)
So you'd think by now I'd be
used to it!!!

that's brutal.

Then it was time for the
always popular
"Will the cab come on time
or will I miss my flight" game.

I love that one.
That feeling in your stomach
as the time gets closer and
there's still no cab, is second
to none!!

I have been using Uber lately and that's also fun to watch the car on the gps map as it approaches my house and somehow turns down the wrong street and/or makes several wrong turns getting to my house. I've had waits go from 5 mins to 15 mins b/c they miss the exit and have to go further down the interstate to U-turn...only to get stuck in really bad traffic.

4. I get one free checked bag.

That is... I get one free checked bag...
unless it's seven pounds overweight,
in which case it costs an extra $105.

The check-in attendant tells me:
"You'll have to take something out."

Listen, lady. If I could take something
out, I wouldn't be bringing it to Florida.

This is why I bring a backpack and a rolling carry-on with me in addition to my checked bag. I leave the carry-on relatively empty (I'll stuff my backpack in it), and if my checked bag is overweight, I can remove my backpack and start putting things in the carry-on.

I've also started putting at least one change of clothes and my swimsuit in the carry-on just in case the checked bag gets delayed or lost.

The agent pulled out two items.
A very sharp and stab-able pair
of scissors... length about three inches.
And a very dull, tiny (also about
three inches) screwdriver, that I'd
forgotten was even in there.

Guess which one was deemed
"okay" and which was tossed.

My favorite is when one security person says the round tip scissors are ok...only to have the next airport security treat me like a terrorist and tell me they are strictly forbidden.

They really don't want you
screwing with their airplanes.

Vanilla Bean Frappuccino
and a molasses cookie.
I hardly ever go to Starbucks,
mostly owing to the fact
that I don't drink coffee.
But there's no coffee in this
drink and those cookies?

so basically a breakfast milkshake.

There were a f... hecking lot
of books with similar titles!
What the f... heck is up with that?

this seems to be some foreshadowing for your connection.

Looks not so great,
but it didn't take too long
for me to get through it.
Maybe ten minutes?

My flight was scheduled
to depart at 9:45am.
I made it through
customs with time to spare!


At 9:37am.

yeah -- I can tell you that ain't going to cut it. They're usually already taxiing by the departure time. I found that one out the hard way on a connecting flight out of LaGuardia. didn't get home until almost 3 am that night.

But!!!
He then said. "Hang on."
And darted down the airtube
(Let's pick that one!)
I waited, nervously... and...
watched as the skybridge
(sure! this is fun!)
retracted from the aircraft.

Sucks that they couldn't delay it for like 30 seconds.

I did ask him why on Earth
would WestJet schedule
and sell a ticket for a connecting
flight that wasn't even
possible to make?

I don't remember what his
answer was but it amounted
to "I don't know."

And of course it wasn't his
fault, so I kept my mouth shut.
(I may have even told him
that it wasn't his fault... but
my memory is a bit hazy
about that and I didn't make
a note of it.)

Don't they know you're the great PKONDZ!?!

With a connecting flight. Their system should know you're at the airport for crying out loud.

Side note -- are there any flight options for you from Winnipeg to a US city (as opposed to layover in Toronto) that are comparable in price? That way you'd at least get through customs on the front end and shouldn't have as many issues.

And an hour or so later,
they announced that
WestJet's flight to Orlando
was now boarding!!!!

Not that it mattered...
I wasn't taking that one.
I had a four hour wait
for my flight.

I logged onto MDE and
tried to cancel my lunch ADR,
but because it was for the
same day, I had to phone instead.
Long distance.
And roaming charges.

I know this doesn't help you now...or then...but to avoid the fee without having to call in...you can actually MODIFY your existing reservation using the app to any time in the future that is more than a day away...and THEN cancel it using the app. I do this all the time. it works great!

Pro-tip -- this also works with hotel reservations at most every hotel. Inside cancellation window? Modify the reservation to another date and then cancel while you're outside the cancellation window.

I don't remember what the
hold-up was, but we wound
up taking off about an hour
later than scheduled.

Sure! Why not!

The flight itself was uneventful
and after not very long,
at approximately 4:30pm,
we landed in...

New York City.

On the bright side,
my next flight out wasn't
for two and a quarter hours,
and without customs or
security to fight through,
there was a better than
50/50 chance I'd make it!

Hooray for airports!!!

Can you guess what score
I gave them???

Is minus 10 an option?

I couldn't believe it.
I was stunned, frankly.
I'm ticked because of
the lousy scheduling
and they apologize
for not having food?
And that I should have
brought my own???

definitely tone deaf.

I replied thusly:

"Is this insulting email supposed to be funny???
What the hell! I’m stuck nowhere near my destination and you focus on the only thing I didn’t complain about? For real????"

Perhaps not my finest hour,
but I was a tad... cranky by then.

coming from a Canadian that is like defcon 2 or 3.

The flight was uneventful
and we landed at MCO
right on time at 9:09pm.

I have to admit that I was
not as thrilled as I normally
am when I first ride
the fake-o-rail to the
main terminal.

I can imagine why your excitement level would be drastically reduced. That's a lot of little things that all add up to a not so magical experience. I'm hoping things get better.

There was no waiting
for a bus as one was
sitting idle as I approached.
I boarded at 9:35pm,

See? That pkondz bus pass is working! You just needed to get into the disney bubble.

but the bus didn't leave
the terminal until 9:50pm.

Ok -- well, the DME is technically not run by Disney -- so you're not quite in the bubble yet, so it doesn't count.

Actually... dreams would
be really nice right about now...
Still... Sight for sore eyes.

it does make things seem so much better, doesn't it?

The good news?
She discovered that Delta had
indeed, at some point, been in
possession of my bag.

that's good news at least!

One thing I'm surprised about though, is that I would have expected your bag to get thrown on your original connecting flight. I actually figured your bag would have beat you to the room.

The CM took my hesitation for
displeasure, rather than confusion
and upped the offer to $100.

While $100 doesn't go very far at the gift shop for clothing options, it is nice that Disney did that for something that had nothing to do with them. Glad to know they try and help as much as possible.

 

[mustinjourney]

My holo-clock woke me at 4:15am,
or prior to sunrise at this latitude
on Batuu.

Is holo-clock another word for alarm? I'm not up to date with all the SW lingo. I'm shocked you were dedicated enough to follow through after that day.

My trip a few weeks ago -- I arrived Saturday night and had a plan to ride all the rides on Sunday -- only problem was that I found out a podcaster was going to be in town sametime, and Saturday evening was only time we could meet up...so I stayed out until midnight, and then didn't get to bed until 1 am b/c I was getting everything ready for the next day's run.

I set my alarm for 6 am so that I could be at MK by 7 am (I was staying at VGF).

Alarm went off -- I hit snooze...or so I thought.

Woke up at 7:15 am on my own...shot out of bed. Showered, drank a protein shake and got to the front gates at MK and was on main street vehicles at 7:40 am. Pretty damn good timing all things considered, but that 40 minutes threw my schedule behind by about 1.5 hours in total. Needed to finish MK by 12:30 or 1 pm at the latest and didn't finish until 2 pm. So rather than kill myself in a likely fruitless attempt (I had another run planned for tuesday), I called it quits and went back to the room for a quick nap.

Definitely a smart decision on my part.

And I did finish my Tuesday run with 1 hour and 15 minutes to spare!!!

Always nice when you don't have
to wait. They advertise a shuttle
every 20 minutes, but zero is better.

that bus pass is now in full effect.

Tell me if it's unreasonable
of them to confiscate selfie-sticks.
Or do you agree with the First
Order upholding this rule?

it is reasonable for everyone but me.

While I'd like to have one for myself -- I can't imagine how insufferable it would be walking around that place and everyone would be filming themselves.

Let that be a warning to the unwary,
or those afflicted with claustrophobia.
This march is definitely not for you.

I did that march during my Tuesday all ride run --- except I went to TSL first b/c the walk is shorter and thus saves overall time. Definitely a controlled chaos to it all.

cool shot.

And I was right.
I have no real memory of what
happened outside the cockpit
window.
I was too busy managing the
ship's systems and repairing
the damage my less-than
skilled co-smugglers couldn't
manage to avoid.

Don't ask me if the scenery
was beautiful or compelling
or intense or blasé.
I really have no idea.

My first time doing this ride, I did single rider, so I got stuck with the engineer role. Not a fan at all. I tried to watch the screen but they were so bad at flying the damn thing i was constantly messing with buttons.

We managed to complete the
mission and return safely,
so I guess that's all that really
matters.
But the next time I fly this
bird, I want to be either a
gunner or a pilot.
I was too far back and too
distracted to really enjoy the
ride... If one can say they
"enjoyed" a smuggler's run.

Agreed. I did pilot with my dad a few days later and it was much more enjoyable.

 

[Jules76126]

Definitely glad selfie sticks are not available. I think that they are a pain as you are constantly trying to avoid getting hit with them. Not really a star wars fan, but excited to check it out nevertheless as the theming seems really well done. Your pictures are great, especially the one at the chest table.

 

[pkondz]

Once again, I am late to the party! But at least I'm here.

Not late at all.
You're right on time!
to the TR!

I saw it. It's right there in the sentence.

that's brutal.

Secret's out.
Now you know why I'm
so dull.

I have been using Uber lately and that's also fun to watch the car on the gps map as it approaches my house and somehow turns down the wrong street and/or makes several wrong turns getting to my house. I've had waits go from 5 mins to 15 mins b/c they miss the exit and have to go further down the interstate to U-turn...only to get stuck in really bad traffic.

So you're saying you
need to move.

This is why I bring a backpack and a rolling carry-on with me in addition to my checked bag. I leave the carry-on relatively empty (I'll stuff my backpack in it), and if my checked bag is overweight, I can remove my backpack and start putting things in the carry-on.

I've also started putting at least one change of clothes and my swimsuit in the carry-on just in case the checked bag gets delayed or lost.

Good idea. Might have to
appropriate that idea.

My favorite is when one security person says the round tip scissors are ok...only to have the next airport security treat me like a terrorist and tell me they are strictly forbidden.

Yeah... can we get just
a little standardization?

so basically a breakfast milkshake.

Soooo good.

this seems to be some foreshadowing for your connection.

I was f*'d.

yeah -- I can tell you that ain't going to cut it. They're usually already taxiing by the departure time. I found that one out the hard way on a connecting flight out of LaGuardia. didn't get home until almost 3 am that night.

I still haven't quite figured
out what the departure time is.
Is it push back, taxi or actual
wheels-up time?

Sucks that they couldn't delay it for like 30 seconds.

I think at that point they'd probably
already done their door close and
cross checks.

Don't they know you're the great PKONDZ!?!

Right?????

With a connecting flight. Their system should know you're at the airport for crying out loud.

Yeah, but...
I guess their system couldn't
tell them I was stuck at customs.

Side note -- are there any flight options for you from Winnipeg to a US city (as opposed to layover in Toronto) that are comparable in price? That way you'd at least get through customs on the front end and shouldn't have as many issues.

I checked.
I picked a date at random
and there were about 35
flights from YWG - MCO.
Not one of them had a first
destination in the US.
One even had a crazy
YWG - Saskatoon - Toronto - YYZ flight!

I know this doesn't help you now...or then...but to avoid the fee without having to call in...you can actually MODIFY your existing reservation using the app to any time in the future that is more than a day away...and THEN cancel it using the app. I do this all the time. it works great!

Pro-tip -- this also works with hotel reservations at most every hotel. Inside cancellation window? Modify the reservation to another date and then cancel while you're outside the cancellation window.

A few people have mentioned that.
And I actually do know it...
But in my sleep deprived state,
it didn't occur to me.

Is minus 10 an option?

I wish... grrrrr...

definitely tone deaf.

Tone deaf... that's the
word(s) I was looking for!

coming from a Canadian that is like defcon 2 or 3.

I can imagine why your excitement level would be drastically reduced. That's a lot of little things that all add up to a not so magical experience. I'm hoping things get better.

Things got much better.

See? That pkondz bus pass is working! You just needed to get into the disney bubble.

I thought the same.

Ok -- well, the DME is technically not run by Disney -- so you're not quite in the bubble yet, so it doesn't count.

Nope. Still counts.
I only count wait time
for the bus. Not on the bus.

it does make things seem so much better, doesn't it?

One thing I'm surprised about though, is that I would have expected your bag to get thrown on your original connecting flight. I actually figured your bag would have beat you to the room.

I don't think they do that
anymore for security reasons.
They always want your bag
with you if possible.
Pan Am 103 (Lockerbie disaster)
taught them that.

While $100 doesn't go very far at the gift shop for clothing options, it is nice that Disney did that for something that had nothing to do with them. Glad to know they try and help as much as possible.

Very true. I was surprised
that she offered it.

 

[MinnieWebster]

I still haven't quite figured
out what the departure time is.
Is it push back, taxi or actual
wheels-up time?

My DH is of the opinion that departure time means wheels-up time. Seems like for most of our flights though it's closer to push back time

 

[mustinjourney]

So you're saying you
need to move.

or maybe the "professional" drivers need to learn how to follow GPS better.

Good idea. Might have to
appropriate that idea.

feel free to use it.

Seriously -- for free.

Unlike the airlines, I won't charge you.

I still haven't quite figured
out what the departure time is.
Is it push back, taxi or actual
wheels-up time?

I've often wondered this myself. I used to think it was when they shut the door...but as I mentioned before, I quickly found out that wasn't the case (I actually got to the gate about 4 or 5 minutes before departure time and was very confused to find no plane there. I had never seen a plane actually leave the gate before departure time -- but apparently that is a thing.

In a google search -- it would appear that departure time and landing times are based when the parking brake is released and applied, respectively...which basically means that departure is when they leave the gate and arrival is when they reach the gate.

https://travel.stackexchange.com/qu...he-plane-leaves-the-gate-or-when-it-takes-off

I think at that point they'd probably
already done their door close and
cross checks.

still -- what is another 30 seconds? I get not waiting for some random person that showed up late -- but if you're stuck in customs b/c they can't clear bags fast enough -- seems like they could make some sort of accommodation. They can easily make up the time in the air.

Yeah, but...
I guess their system couldn't
tell them I was stuck at customs.

so their IT is worse than Disney's?

I checked.
I picked a date at random
and there were about 35
flights from YWG - MCO.
Not one of them had a first
destination in the US.
One even had a crazy
YWG - Saskatoon - Toronto - YYZ flight!

So you're saying you need to move?

Just looked on google -- there's some airline called Swoop that has direct flights that are ridiculously cheap ($118 for RT) -- but looks like they charge for bags and possibly breathing.

Things got much better.

I don't think they do that
anymore for security reasons.
They always want your bag
with you if possible.
Pan Am 103 (Lockerbie disaster)
taught them that.

Probably the case for international travel (if you haven't gone through customs already)...but in my missed flight from LGA to HOU, my bag got on the flight without me (I had a 2.5 hour layover in LGA coming from Montreal....and I had already passed through customs in Montreal when arriving at LGA). So I'm guessing with domestic travel, they WILL separate your bag from you. They had no way of knowing I wouldn't make that connecting flight, so that makes sense. I'm wondering if your bag just didn't make the plane either given the delay by customs.


Reason I was late to my flight was b/c the united club lounge I had been hanging out was outside the security bubble...and since I'm not used to that being the case, I didn't give myself enough time to get through security and to the gate. Another reason I will avoid LGA if possible.

 

[pkondz]

Is holo-clock another word for alarm? I'm not up to date with all the SW lingo.

I made it up.

I did do a fair amount
or research to get some
SW names.
But some things...
Is there a SW term for alarm clock?
I doubt I'd be able to find it
if there is one, so...

I'm shocked you were dedicated enough to follow through after that day.

I actually do similar to that
(Get to sleep around midnight
and up at 5am) once a week
for work.
So doing it here wasn't that
out of the norm.
(Yes, even less sleep, but
not a lot less.)
What made it more difficult
was the lack of sleep
the previous few days.

My trip a few weeks ago -- I arrived Saturday night and had a plan to ride all the rides on Sunday -- only problem was that I found out a podcaster was going to be in town sametime, and Saturday evening was only time we could meet up...so I stayed out until midnight, and then didn't get to bed until 1 am b/c I was getting everything ready for the next day's run.

I set my alarm for 6 am so that I could be at MK by 7 am (I was staying at VGF).

Alarm went off -- I hit snooze...or so I thought.

Woke up at 7:15 am on my own...shot out of bed. Showered, drank a protein shake and got to the front gates at MK and was on main street vehicles at 7:40 am.

Quite the story!
I hate when I oversleep,
for anything.
I do it extremely seldom,
but it has happened.
Hmmm... twice?
Maybe just once.

Pretty damn good timing all things considered, but that 40 minutes through my schedule behind by about 1.5 hours in total. Needed to finish MK by 12:30 or 1 pm at the latest and didn't finish until 2 pm. So rather than kill myself in a likely fruitless attempt (I had another run planned for tuesday), I called it quits and went back to the room for a quick nap.

Definitely a smart decision on my part.

I'll have a comment on that
in an update or two.

And I did finish my Tuesday run with 1 hour and 15 minutes to spare!!!

Not bad!
What's the record?

that bus pass is now in full effect.

Ya got that right!

it is reasonable for everyone but me.

While I'd like to have one for myself -- I can't imagine how insufferable it would be walking around that place and everyone would be filming themselves.

I am so happy they banned
those things.
If one or two people had them,
then it wouldn't be so bad.
But for a while, everyone had them!

I did that march during my Tuesday all ride run --- except I went to TSL first b/c the walk is shorter and thus saves overall time. Definitely a controlled chaos to it all.

This was different.
I've done the TSL march...
and others too.
This is the first time I felt
pushed along and not
in control of my own speed/direction.

cool shot.

Thanks!

My first time doing this ride, I did single rider, so I got stuck with the engineer role. Not a fan at all. I tried to watch the screen but they were so bad at flying the damn thing i was constantly messing with buttons.

Yeah.
I have no idea if they were doing
well or not, if the lights
are programed to come on
or if it's a result of flying.
I didn't see how well
(or poorly) they were flying, so...

Agreed. I did pilot with my dad a few days later and it was much more enjoyable.

Good to hear.
I hope to do that next time.

 

[pkondz]

Definitely glad selfie sticks are not available. I think that they are a pain as you are constantly trying to avoid getting hit with them.

Totally agree. Far too many
people have them.
I would hate to try to fight
my way through a forest of them.

Not really a star wars fan, but excited to check it out nevertheless as the theming seems really well done.

I'm not a big Star Wars fan either.
I've seen the movies... but most
I've only seen once.
I haven't seen any of the cartoons,
or read any books/comics.

But...

The area is really well done.
And it's fun to let yourself
immerse into it.

Your pictures are great, especially the one at the chest table.

Thank you!

 

[pkondz]

My DH is of the opinion that departure time means wheels-up time. Seems like for most of our flights though it's closer to push back time

That's been my observation too.
The next time Air Canada or
WestJet call me, I'll try to remember
to ask them.
But they don't call every day,
so remembering might be a challenge!

 

[pkondz]

or maybe the "professional" drivers need to learn how to follow GPS better.

And learn how to find weird things.
Like... where a hotel lobby might be.
Or where a major theme park is.

feel free to use it.

Seriously -- for free.

Unlike the airlines, I won't charge you.

Woot!

In a google search -- it would appear that departure time and landing times are based when the parking brake is released and applied, respectively...which basically means that departure is when they leave the gate and arrival is when they reach the gate.

Huh. Interesting, and...
makes sense.
Although in my job,
ETD is wheels up time.
But I'm not necessarily
seeing the same time the
passengers are seeing.
Hmmm... you know, I've
never looked at that.
I'll have to look at
some flight plans and compare
to what they have on their website.

still -- what is another 30 seconds? I get not waiting for some random person that showed up late -- but if you're stuck in customs b/c they can't clear bags fast enough -- seems like they could make some sort of accommodation. They can easily make up the time in the air.

so their IT is worse than Disney's?

This is not possible.

So you're saying you need to move?

Of course I am.

Just looked on google -- there's some airline called Swoop that has direct flights that are ridiculously cheap ($118 for RT) -- but looks like they charge for bags and possibly breathing.

Hmmm... I can't actually comment
on that, but...
Let's just say that I'd like to
see any airline get a bit more
established before I'd trust
my money to them.

Probably the case for international travel (if you haven't gone through customs already)...but in my missed flight from LGA to HOU, my bag got on the flight without me (I had a 2.5 hour layover in LGA coming from Montreal....and I had already passed through customs in Montreal when arriving at LGA). So I'm guessing with domestic travel, they WILL separate your bag from you. They had no way of knowing I wouldn't make that connecting flight, so that makes sense. I'm wondering if your bag just didn't make the plane either given the delay by customs.

But if they know which flight
you're going to be on,
as was my case since I missed
(and my bag did too).
I think they put it on the
same flight(s) I was on.
Otherwise they'd have put
it on that earlier flight,
that I wasn't booked on. No?

Reason I was late to my flight was b/c the united club lounge I had been hanging out was outside the security bubble...and since I'm not used to that being the case, I didn't give myself enough time to get through security and to the gate. Another reason I will avoid LGA if possible.

Whoops!

 

[mustinjourney]

Quite the story!
I hate when I oversleep,
for anything.
I do it extremely seldom,
but it has happened.
Hmmm... twice?
Maybe just once.

what's crazy is that I actually had a dream/nightmare where I overslept the morning of my run. First time a dream of mine has come true like that.

Not bad!
What's the record?

if you're following all of the parkeology rules, the record is something like 14.5 hours I think. I've done it in 13.75 hours...but it is all ride dependent on which rides are open. prior to TSL and SW:GE, it was possible to do DHS in less than an hour...now it is about 1 hr 45 mins...and that's with mild jogging and 6 am EEMH.

MK can be done in about 5.5 hours.
Epcot on Tuesday evenings can be done in about 2 to 2.5 hours
DAK is about 3 hours. So you're looking at about 12 hours in the parks an at absolute minimum (as in you have FPs for every ride and don't experience any downed rides), plus time for park hopping. Some people are really good at park hopping. Not sure exactly how they do it, aside from running and using preferred parking -- but I've seen reports where people are clocking out of MK and clocking into DAK in like 20 minutes. That's crazy fast. Even illegally parking at contemporary for MK, that is still pretty fast jogging and driving.

Let's just say that I'd like to
see any airline get a bit more
established before I'd trust
my money to them.

I'd be more worried about life and limb compared to a few hundred bucks.

Otherwise they'd have put
it on that earlier flight,
that I wasn't booked on. No?

They had no way of knowing you didn't make that flight until the very end. They don't hold bags to wait for people to get on the plane though. Think about it, you always see the bags get loaded onto the plane as you're sitting there in the terminal waiting to board. My guess is that your bag didn't make the original flight b/c it was too delayed in customs to make that flight. After that, it got rerouted to be on whatever flights you were going to be on.

I suppose they could have put it on the next flight to MCO -- but it's probably policy that it go with the passenger whenever possible.

As an aside, I have had an instance where my bag showed up to the destination before I got there. I had a long layover one time, and they put my bags on the flight ahead of mine. I had to pick my bags up from the airline baggage people.