Barrie took this photo too. Fantastic!!
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Rose Garden in Magic Kingdom
Here's where we met our friends to watch the Holiday Wishes!
Barrie took this picture. We're somewhere in that press of bodies!
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Sing it, Johnny!
John crooning "Mack the Knife" the way it should be! Karaoke at Kimonos lounge in the Swan.
This picture was taken by our friend, Barrie, from tagrel.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Gingerbread carousel
The gingerbread carousel at Disney's Beach Club. We met friends here for a gift exchange.
Here comes the airplane!
Erin's sister, Cathi, has to finish the food on her plate! We met friends for dinner at Mom's Prime Time Cafe.
Reflection in the mirror
An accidental picture: Erin caught our safari truck in the mirror. She's the one with the bright yellow T-shirt; it makes her easy to spot.
Mock webcam
Since I didn't have Internet access to set up the webcam, I took a few videos from the rear of our site as we sat around enjoying the breeze.
We looked into the canal and meadow area.
Elphie let a passing by dog know that the campground belonged to her and her sisters.
From Crackle:
Day 1 of fun!
Magic Kingdom - 12/06/07
We head up to the marina on the cart - me pointing out it's 626, Stitch's number; John rolls his eyes at that. - and see a number of decorated carts including one with a Santa Snoopy, and one with an entire Rudolph the Reindeer scene on the roof done with beanies! The camera batteries go dead - figures! - so I take video of it. The people who own it come up and ask if I really like it that much and when I go on about how great it is, I hear them say, "That makes all the work worth it!" as I walk away.
The boat comes right away and we sit on the bow. Right then, everything with a battery falls apart! Pal Mickey, my family radio, the camera! I brought one pack of batteries with me, but it's not enough! Unbelievable! For a little while, I'm frantically ripping out batteries and shoving in other things.
We dock at MK and Cathi teases me about all the paraphanalia I'm carrying, which is always fun with Disney security too. But at last: Main St! Decorated for Christmas!
And an immediate stop at the Emporium for batteries. :) Fortunately, this very nice CM tells me that I picked up the most expensive batteries - lithium -- which are 3 times the price of the regular. Since we have tons of batteries at the camper, I get regular and we're on our way.
50 million pictures of decorations and the castle later, John suggests Cosmic Ray's to get something to eat. We sit outside by the water and watch people crossing on the bridge as we eat. The CM at the register very nicely explained the dining plan to us once I told her it was our first time ordering with it. It made up for us having to wait while someone ordered their chili cheese fries with the toppings in separate containers, confusing the kitchen order.
We missed our first MouseFest meet while we get things set up at the campground, and we almost decided not to do the next one, but we headed for it and I'm glad we did. It was a short digital photography class given by the owner of MagicinPixels.com. I'm still rough with night photos, but I think I'm a little better. My speed shots still really suck. If nothing else, I hold the camera better. ;)
While we're sitting at the photo meet, the new ice lighting comes on for the castle. Someone yelled look and we turned to see it. Oh... my. Nothing describes seeing it in person. The man giving the class was very sweet about a bunch of us jumping out of our seats to go see it!
When that was over, we went into the new Laughter Comedy Floor attraction. We all enjoyed it, especially as John "fuzzy hat guy" (his Eagles Santa hat) had to get up an dance! The woman in front of us got such a kick out of it, she turned around to get an extra photo of John waving to her.
We then went around on the TTA (PeopleMover in my heart) where I proceeded to take a lot of very bad photos in trying to apply what I had learned. This got me frustrated and when we got off and John talked about going to Haunted Mansion, I felt more off. I felt we weren't doing anything special, and I had looked forward to doing something different and special since this was the Very Merry Christmas party. John pointed out that we would be doing more later and suggested we do Buzz since we were in Tomorrowland. That didn't quite hit the spot, especially when Cathi said she was going to find a restroom and wasn't interested in the ride, but when John started laughing and CHEATING, I felt a whole lot better. Captain Cheats-a-lot won, but by dirty means!
We then headed for Haunted Mansion, but I stopped to ask a CM why he was holding a lit up Mickey Snowman sign. I didn't get an answer, but when I told him I liked the snowman, he took a photo of us with it.
The new effects in Haunted Mansion are very good; John pointed out the gargoyles talking and how the sound now comes from different points in the room. But I'm so busy keeping an eye on the CM who is doing a very good job at being a creepy host that I miss the new hanging scene above us.
We take the few steps into Fantasyland and ride Peter Pan (a long time favorite), where Cathi says this is the start of the gator attacks, then Philharmagic (got to love it!!), and Pooh. Then it's time to get to the Rose Garden to watch Holiday Wishes.
We meet up with our buddies from Tagrel; they always amaze us with their friendliness, big hugs, and warmth! Dave set us up with lanyards and pins, Moley told us how much she's looking forward to the Lights the next night, John (WDWNJ) picks me up in a big bear hug, and everybody settles down for the fireworks! They're wonderful, and I hopefully get a few pics that'll turn out.
A bunch of us scoot up the side path to ride Small World together, hosted by Tacey. We jump into a couple of boats, making a big deal over the CMs, and cracking jokes like "What are the words to this song?" We're sitting in front of Suzy Q, her husband, and their little girl, Li Li. Li Li is wearing a Santa hat that keeps falling over her eyes!
Tacey is tossing candy bags to everyone, including from boat to boat, and one lands in the water. John shouts, "I guess it's okay to dump my mother's ashes now!" after the story of a woman who done that with her father's ashes.
When we get to the end and hear the last of the song, I yell "One more time!". People tell me I'm cut off from caffeine.
Li Li puts this on her list of acceptable rides for Grandma when she arrives on Sat.
We all hustle over to Frontierland Shooting Gallery to catch the parade. A few people point out my reindeer antlers saying they want a pair; I have to tell them that they're from 1995 and are no longer sold. Seeing our lanyards, they ask what's going on, and when we start to explain, they perk up: Is this MouseFest?! Is Deb Wills' here! Of course, Deb is widely known in the Disney Internet community with AllEarsNet.com -- probably more widely visited that the official Disney site -- but she had packed it in after being tired from the cruise and with a lot more ahead of her.
We stood enjoying the parade when John hugged me and said, "This is so much better than the Halloween party."
After the parade, people break up and we head back for Fort Wilderness. It's been a long day, but a great one. We have an early start the next day too. But as we reach Main St, the parade is still going full force there (with snow falling!), so we cut through the stores. We duck out of the Emporium to catch a glimpse of the toy soldiers and Santa again (still didn't get a good photo). I turned from doing that to see John had thrown an arm over Cathi's shoulders and they were talking and laughing together. It warmed me so much to see them like that.
As we're waiting for our boat to FW, I see a couple of people dancing to the music on the way to the monorail. I love happy guests.
When we get back to Fort Wilderness and head for the golf cart, I find out that after a day of insisting we have cart number 626, we have have 646!
Cathi & I walk the dogs and we hear a warbling sound. She teases that it's a gator, and I tell her that she's nuts, it's some kind of bird. After a while, I say, "Maybe it's a coral snake", sending her scooting back in the camper.
We get a lot of mileage out of that gator noise joke in the days to come.
Last of the travel log going to Florida
5:19 am
Yep, John "the bat" got us up again! That's what Cathi said: he's always up at night. She then told the dogs that "When we eat lunch at 6am, I'll give you a treat!"
Obviously, someone is too excited to sleep! That and he wants to be through Jacksonville before rush hour, and really to hopefully get in our site early.
We stop at the Hess station right outside the campground to fill up the tank and grab coffee.
5:46 am
Welcome to Florida!
Never entered the state in the dark before!
7:47 am
Turn off to I-4! I woke up just in time!
Weather is beautiful! Warm and sunny! And we understand that the snow stopped at home last night.
8:07 am
See billboard with "Vascectomy! No needles! No scapel!" John finished it with "We just use our teeth!"
Traffic jam. Thankfully we're going on Love Bug Rd (Rt 417) soon and will miss all this. We call it Love Bug Rd after the first time we went on it and it was love bug (they look like Jersey lightning bugs) mating season. Thousands of them were in the air!
8:15 am
Turn on to Love Bug Rd. Hopefully, traffic will be better.
Cathi and Casey were cuddle buddies in the chair, but Casey moved up here when I had pretzels. Now she and Elphie are sleeping side by side across my lap. It's funny when they lift their heads in unison to see something.
First toll plaza. Lose my lap buddies. :(
I smell garlic in the air. John says it's Old Lady smell. Cathi asks does he go around smelling old ladies?
9:00 am
We're here! Oh how great! So beautiful!
When we pull up to the guard post to explain that we're checking in, the CM discovered we frequently stay here. He waved his hand towards Fort Wilderness and said, "Welcome hom!" Oh, he made my whole trip with that!
We can't get on our site yet; the people who have been staying there haven't checked out, so we walk the dogs, use the restrooms, and relax. I'm so happy that I throw myself in John's arms and give him a huge hug as we walk into the lobby!
John wants a nap and sends Cathi & I to breakfast. We find a Hidden Mickey in the kennel sighn! And then take the bus to the Settlement where I am so busy pointing things out to Cathi that I walk right into one of those yellow poles! We both crack up and turn around to see the bus driver grinning and shaking his head.
We go to the gift shop and saw a great camper ornament on the tree. We took it down to get a price, but the CM told us, "Ma'am, this isn't for sale. It's a decoration." Cathi thanked me for getting her into trouble already! Getting arrested for stealing ornaments!
We go to Trails End and get the bad news that you can't get the buffet to go anymore! That stinks. So we sit down to eat and bring John breakfast back. Actually, I toast him a bagel, get some cornbread and other things, and we stuff them in Cathi's bag in case the CMs tell us we can't take them wil us. We felt like we stole it! Cathi thanks me for getting her in trouble yet again.
Cathi got a call from her in-laws while we were eating and we thought it was bad news. Thankfully, everybody is fine. Our waitress is from Cinnamonsin NJ!
We take the bus back to Outpost and get the same driver again. We check with the lobby and the people are still are in our site! Cathi passes time by reading the resort information and sees the small note that while everything is done to be safe, they can't guarantee something like a snake or gator isn't in the lake. She swears John has joined the list of brothers-in-law trying to kill her. ;)
It's not until 12:30 that we get clearance to go, and when we get there, the people are still there! But they're leaving, a mother and son, and we finally get to settle in.
We get site number 322, one of the ones we requested!
As we check out the site, we see Carol walking Zak and Zoe and stop to say hi. She tells us they've been watching out for us all day. Sharon and her husband are "up there somewhere", so it's Tagrel.com homeweek here in loop 300! We tell her our sister, Cathi, is in the van with our dogs.
While we're setting up, (Cathi nicely took the dogs for a walk while we backed up the camper), Gary stops by to say hello. He had sent a note to us before that Fort Wilderness is clearing out the brush around sites; a lot of it was messed up a few years ago with the storms, so they clearing out the ratty pieces of brush to replant with better brush. It makes sense, but it makes things look bare. One of the things we love about here is how the brush gives privacy to the sites; fortunately, our loop hasn't been cleared yet and the brush is fine.
Cathi & I go to Meadows to pick up the golf cart. Carol stops by on her bike and Cathi tells me how Carol has said hello to her while walking the dogs; she didn't know how Carol knew her name! Carol says she could move in a minute, and loves being back at Fort Wilderness again, but Cathi tells her how Gary said he still loved snow. She rolls her eyes.
We get the same bus driver again! Poor guy can't get away from us!
The CM at the Meadows Bike Barn asks if I had ever rented before and I say yes, realing off the rules of the electric carts: buses and traffic have right away, if I damage the cart, I'm screwed, etc. She laughs and says that saves a lot of explanation. I hear her say we have cart 626 which, being a Disney geek, I know is Stitch's experiment number so that'll be easy to remember! It also has a fold down windshield which will make John happy, and is a newer cart with a battery meter. It feels so great to be scooting around Fort Wilderness again with the warm breeze playing around and the serenity of the campground all around. Plus, the Griswolds are back in their spot at 301, and 303 is giving them a run for their money!
I'm so happy! This is the best part! It's all in front of us now.
Cinderella Castle
The ice lighting cables really do blend in during the daytime so you don't see them.
John in Grumpy hoodie
John hanging out in Philharmagic, contemplating people going by. He's wearing his Eagles Santa hat that our friend, Becky, gave him last year.
John, Cathi, and me with snowman sign
Erin asked a cast member what the sign was for and that she liked it. So he took our photo with it! This was at the beginning of the Very Merry Christmas Party.
Golf Cart with Snoopy decorations
People at Fort Wilderness campground decorate their electric carts (ours had lights and a sign on the back with toy fox terriers). Here's one with a Santa Snoopy.
Toy Soldiers
From the parade during the Very Merry Christmas Parade. They've always been one of our favorites!
Castle with Ice Lighting
The castle is gorgeous with the new ice lighting! No matter how many times I saw it, it blew me away. I hope they keep it for every Christmas.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Grrr!! YouTube!
I just found out that YouTube only posted 1 of the videos I sent them! What a pain in the &(*^#@~!!!
See our PhotoPass photos!
Here's the one the Disney photographers took:
Our PhotoPass photos
I'll put this in the links box in the right hand column too.
We left Fl for this?!
We left Florida for this?! Cold and damp weather?! We're in North Carolina; how bad will it be when we get more north?
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Friday, December 14, 2007
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Monday, December 10, 2007
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Weather is gorgeous! We had
Weather is gorgeous! We had a great group photo done this morning and then I got John's Christmas present!
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Webcam is live! Trip Log for Dec. 5th
1:13 am
We're off! John didn't even have to wake us up! Cathi was up for a little while and I heard everyone moving around - plus Elphie jumping around. Nobody is stirring in the world but us. The bad wind from the day before is gone so we have cold, but smooth sailing weather.
It's funny how many people leave their holiday lights on all night. I said this out loud and my sister Cathi said, "They're probably like Martin (her son, my nephew) who forgot to turn them off even though you told him 4 times!"
2:30 am
Maryland! Listening to new comedy CD. Everybody's awake and excited -- except Casey who didn't care and laid down, until we opened a box of breakfast bars.
3:23 am
First stop, about 25 miles outside of DC. My fault really; since I didn't go back to sleep, I drank a bottle of water and required the stop. That'll teach me to stay awake. LOL!
Cathi has the grace of a gazel: she's tripped twice on the curb at the rest area! She lays down on the bed in the back and Casey snuggles with her.
John took the keys with him when he went to the rest room. Is that some guy thing? He does it a lot. So we're waiting for heat.
The trucks are backed up to the highway because the parking lot is full. John figures they're resting while they wait for the businesses to open so they can make their deliveries.
5:07 am
Stop for gas at marina station (Shell station at Exit 160, it has a boat marina next door, very pretty) but Cathi & I are sleeping... until John opens door & lets in light and cold! Back on road at 5:15.
8:00 am
Welcome to North Carolina! Cathi & I finally woke up after our nap. We walk the dogs and joke about them leaving messages for others. We switch seats so she's up front, and John says we'll stop soon for more of a real breakfast and gas.
Mile marker 159
First South of the Border sign!
Truck pulls in front of us with a ton of snow on his roof. It hits us like a storm! The road is so bumpy here; you have to wear a sports bra to ride in NC!
Casey made a nest out of a throw rug; Morgan & Elphie took over the bed. I'm sitting in the chair John put in the back. It's like a Capt Kirk chair and I tell John, "Ahead warp factor 1, Mr. Sulu."
With the daylight and having slept, I feel like we left yesterday.
9:12 am
Mile marker 121. Stopped for breakfast and gasoline. Back on road at 9:42. Whoa, the gas is expensive here. $3.15/gal
10:54 am
Lots of Porsches going by on trailers, must be a show nearby.
11:26 am
John's tired, so I'm going to take over driving at So. of the Border. I haven't pulled this camper before, so I joke that we all had to agree that wherever we crashed is where we stay for the night.
11:40 am
South of the Border! Doing great time!
A sign says the town of Lumberton; I thought I left work. I am so going to get in trouble for violating the dress code with what I'm wearing!
A fighter jet ROARED overhead, flames from the engines showing. WOW!
John jokes that he's putting his sunglasses on to bring out the sun.
1:05 pm
Stop for gas. The pleasant service that I receive in the mini-mart makes up for $3.09/gal. NOT! What a crank!
Munching on jalepeno Doritos. Yum!
3:13 pm
I just took a good nap! We're only 13 miles from Georgia. I tease that it's a good thing I got up because the dogs needed water.
John's sunglasses worked! It's sunny and warm!
3:26 pm
Georgia! Stopping at the Welcome Center.
I love the limbo section that you go through; you pass a sign saying you left SC and it's half a mile before the sign for Ga.
We end up staying longer than we wanted at the Welcome Center. For the second year in a row, we overpacked so much that we broke the brackets for the curtain rod in the closet! John had disappeared in the camper for so long, that I went to see what was going on. He fixed it though with a spare bracket and, of course, duct tape.
On the plus side, they had fresh baked cookies in the Welcome Center. Yum again!
Finally back on road at 4:09, so behind schedule now. Cathi says she's going to take a nap.
We pull off immediately at exit 109 for gas and lunch. I asked Cathi how she enjoyed her nap. ;)
I was so NOT popular at Subway. First, because I ordered more than 1 sandwich, and then because instead of doing all 3 at one station at a time, they kept sliding each one down, forcing me to have to answer and dart back & forth to all the stations. Then they wrapped up John's w/o asking me about dressing and I requested they unwrap it to finish it the way I wanted. You know they griped about me after I left. LOL!
We're at a Pilot gas station with much better price: $2.83/gal. But it and the last one cut you off on how much you can spend. For example, we're cut off at $50 here.
We plan to stop at exit 29 at a truck wash for the camper.
6:26 pm
Country Oaks! Our stop for tonight! Weather is beautiful! High 50s and clear. We were at least an hour behind schedule, but no problems. The Truck Wash had a very long line, so we skipped it.
Cathi got a text message from a co-worker saying: I hate you! It's snowing! We each call home; my mom said it started at 11:30 and was still snowing, already a couple of inches despite weather man calling for light snow. My nephew, Martin, said it's snowing like the dickens.
What a shame.... for them. We, on the other hand, are so thrilled we were way ahead of the storm and didn't get one bit of it.
Now for a quiet night of movie watching and hanging out.
Welcome to North Carolina! Got
Welcome to North Carolina! Got here a little bit ago after a nap! Now, breakfast.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Tomorrow!
We leave tomorrow!!!
By coincidence, our trip starts on Walt's birthday and ends on the anniversary of Walt's death. Cue Twilight Zone music!
Friday, November 30, 2007
Webcam page is ready!
Right now, I'm using webcam images from us decorating our tree on Friday night. Starting Dec 5th, it'll give you (hopefully!) a webcam during the trip! On Dec 5th, we'll have wireless access - for free! - so I want to put the webcam up then. And we're hoping to connect once or twice in Disney. I'll post when the webcam is up and the link to the page is in the right hand column under Links, and that page has a button in the top nav bar back to here.
Webcam page!
The trip is so close!
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Itinerary
• Our journey to Florida
• Leave home: 12/5 at 1:30 am
• Arrive at Fort Wilderness: 12/6 at noon
• Stay overnight at Country Oaks in Georgia
• Thurs, 12/6
• Set up site and decorate
• Pickup golf cart
• Take boat ride to Magic Kingdom
• Dole Whip meet at 7pm
• Magic in Pixels: digital photography tips and tricks
• Dinner at Columbia House or similar restaurant
• Small World meet
• Fri, 12/7
• Animal Kingdom in morning
• Morning safari
• Ride Everest
• Flame Tree BBQ or Pizzafari for lunch
• Walk the dogs and relax - view from dog walk
• Disney Studios
• Dinner at Mom’s Prime Time
• Host “Ho Ho Ho Lotta Lights” Christmas Light Party!
• First 100 attendees get free pin from us!
• Gift exchange at Yacht and Beach Club
• Sat, 12/8
• Terry and Jennifer arrive
• Epcot
• Dogs go to kennel since we’re here all day
• Brunch at the Ball - Electric Umbrella
• Mega Meet for John - Erin goes shopping for John’s present and see
decorations at the Yacht Club and at the Beach Club (click links for decoration photos)
• Start viewing holidays celebrations in other cultures
• Walk Dogs
• Mexico! For the World Showcase Hidden Mickey tour!
• Dinner at new Italian restaurant - Tutto Italia
• Dog and relaxation break - view from dog walk
• Karoake at Kimonos lounge at the Swan hotel
• Sun, 12/9
• Magic Kingdom
• Columbia Harbor House or similar for lunch
• Capture the Magic: photo scavenger hunt
• Dog and relaxation break - view from dog walk
• Dinner at Whispering Canyon in Wilderness Lodge
• Special dessert café seating for Illuminations - afterwards, Deb Wills, who is hosting this party through her famous site, All Ears Net, has asked to stay around for 'extra magic'. We can't wait to see what that means!
• Mon, 12/10
• Animal Kingdom
• Tour Christmas decorations - if we're lucky, we'll be picked for the parade!
• Lunch at Pepper Market
• Dog and relaxation break - view from dog walk
• Dinner at Boma in Animal Kingdom Lodge
• Pleasure Island
• Tue, 12/11
• Do what you’d like to morning!
• Erin on Fort Wilderness Segway tour
• John - ?
• Lunch is up in the air!
• Dog and relaxation break - view from dog walk
• Epcot in afternoon?
• Dinner at Le Cellier in Canada
• Pleasure Island
• Wed, 12/12
• Disney Studios - morning
• Lunch at Raglan Road
• Dog and relaxation break - view from dog walk
• Animal Kingdom for evening Extra Magic Hours
• Pleasure Island
• Thurs, 12/13
• Animal Kingdom
• Dog and relaxation break - view from dog walk
• Dinner at Jiko in Animal Kingdom Lodge
• Pleasure Island
• Fri, 12/14
• Magic Kingdom
• Dinner at Tony’s Italian Restaurant
• Dog and relaxation break - view from dog walk
• Pleasure Island
• Trip home
• Leave Fort Wilderness: 12/15 at 11 - noon
• Arrive home: 12/16 at 1pm
• Stay overnight in North Carolina/South Carolina border area
• Cry. A. Lot.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Keep the kids busy! It's a long drive!
John surprised me with 3 new DVDs to watch on the way to Florida!
- History Channel's Walt Disney World: Modern Marvels - the cover alone is gorgeous!
- Pixar's collected shorts
- Ratatouille
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
A sweet place to spend the night
We're stopping at Country Oaks Campground on the way down. We stayed there last year and it's a great little campground. The main house with it's big wraparound porch is wonderful, and any place that has a campground dog is fine our book.
Monday, November 12, 2007
We're set!
I have my video widgets figured out. Nothing did everything I wanted: wiremob lets me do by phone and posts immediately, but their widget only shows the last video. YouTube will do cellphone and Blogger gives me a good widget, but YouTube takes forever for videos to show up in search. Flickr is immediate but it only does photos.... but now I have photos and videos all set. The videos that are posted as of today are naturally just test ones.
Of course, if I could just have wireless while in Florida.... sigh. But still, I think this will be a lot of fun!
Now watch me be so exhausted every day that I'll end up not sending a thing. ;)
I hope you like the theme. I played around a lot with basic layouts and then customizing them. I'll probably play some more, but I like this. Thanks to Disneyland's commercial for the Snowman and Wallyspam on Flickr for the castle photo.
My next task for this trip blog: getting a cable so 
camcorder and my 
laptop talk to each other because right now, they don't!
Meanwhile, it's time to get some content together! Such as, what we've been doing to prepare for the trip. After all, we have most of our packing done. ;)
Friday, November 9, 2007
Hi!
What do you do when you get a new wireless notebook so you can send vacation photos and videos, maybe even have a webcam? You go somewhere without wireless! Whoo hoo!
So that's when I started looking into other venues and found the Wiremob widget and Blogger. I'm hoping I can share our vacation with everyone back home here. And then we'll have to read and view when we get home!
Bear with me as I set everything up. We'll get to more interesting things very soon.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
