Woe! Vacation Has Ended!

Offspring and I take a quick breather before riding the Maelstrom in Norway.

Juggling Freak meets his idol, Donald Duck. And, a Mexican Donald, at that!

We're back from Disney World, which was great as always, thanks for asking. We had a fairly successful onslaught against the teeming crowds -- the day we went to EPCOT was great. The weather was overcast and a bit windy, so it not only kept the crowds at bay, it also kept us from broiling like chickens. We started the day there with a ride on the newly refurb-ed Spaceship Earth, and then quickly on to Mission: Space and Soarin'. All rocked, I'm happy to report.

It was most crowded at Hollywood Studios (formerly MGM Studios) because everyone was attempting to ride Toy Story's Midway Mania. We rode it twice, and it was very entertaining. Juggling Freak won the family point spread the first ride through, and I won it the second go-round. My prize for winning was a virtual stuffed beaver. There's a joke in there, somewhere, but I'll be genteel, and not make it.)

Magic Kingdom day was good -- had very little wait time at Buzz Lightyear, and we got a Fastpass for Space Mountain that had us right on the ride, bypassing a 45 minute stand-by line. I love Fastpass! The update to Haunted Mansion was great! (It was closed for rehab when we went last year, so that was a bummer, but it was well worth the wait!) Other highlights of that day were Pirates (always a blast) and the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. The TTA used to be known as the People Mover, and I've always loved that ride.

Animal Kingdom was hot and humid, as always. Most of the time, riding Kilimanjaro Safaris is problematical -- the animals hide out when it's too hot. They search for any patch of shade, and get under it. I fully understand. I was looking for a shady spot to rest most of the day, myself. We saw few animals that particular day. Most of the ones we did see were sleeping. We also HAD TO ride Expedition Everest, and had a great lunch at The Yak and the Yeti. Offspring had a spicy Vietnamese dish called Pho, which impressed the waiter. He said most adults aren't adventurous enough to try that, much less a 12 year old.

We also spent a lovely day at Typhoon Lagoon, where JF and I swam with the sharks in the very cold 68 degree water. Offspring spent most of that day bodysurfing in the wave pool.

We encountered lots of families from the U.K. and a quite a lot of Chinese. We were surprised that there were so many Chinese vacationing with the Olympics going on, but as I pointed out, we flee our city like rats deserting the sinking ship any time there's a big to-do here, so what's to say the Chinese aren't the same? Plus, China's a pretty big place. There were also a lot of Chinese staff members who were working there, training for the opening of Hong Kong Disney.

We ended our trip with dinner at Chef Mickey's in the Contemporary Resort. Yum. Juggling Freak doesn't care for buffets, and even he was impressed. We all came away with aching tummies, and proceeded to sleep like the proverbial dead that night.

Juggling Freak took copious amounts of photos; we played, and spent lots of money; and we ate like complete gluttons. It was your typical Disney vacation.

Where Am I Again?

No sooner than CCW and family drove away from the liquid air we call "humidity" that envelops our city, Offspring and I had to go home and finish packing for a four-day Girl Scout trip that her troop was taking. I was going along as a chaperone/driver, and we had lots to get in the car before our 8am start.

We headed for Helen, Georgia, a small resort town in the Blue Ridge mountains, and what was supposed to be around a five-hour trip from home. We learned a great many things on this trip. Chief among them were:

*What is supposed to be a five hour trip with 13 twelve year old girls will take you eight hours with bathroom stops and lunch.

*We are confirmed flatlanders. Mountains kick our collective tails.

*We stayed at a state park in what was called The Squirrel's Nest. On one of our trips into the park's Trading Post, the ranger working the register asked what section of the park we were staying in. When we told her, she grimaced, and said, "You brave people." We should have known then what we were in for.

*Girls are quite capable as being completely disgusting and flippant about personal hygiene as boys are. I never knew that girls could stink quite that bad.

*We went river tubing, which sounds like it would have been a complete blast, but which turned out to be awful. So awful, I think Dante has it in one of the levels of Hell somewhere. The reason it sucked donkeys was that the area, along with much of the region, is having a drought and the river levels were way down. I became very intimate with every damn rock in the river. Mostly on my shins and knees. I look like I was viciously mauled by a toddler. Pictures don't do it justice. I scraped both palms raw, both knees raw, and bruises from what feels like stem to stern. Had it actually been the normal river level, I think I would have enjoyed that experience, but couldn't this way.

*We're not real fond of being attacked by gigantic moths in the bathhouse while we shower. Just sayin'.

*When you have a Girl Scout who needs desperately to go to the bathroom at 3am, it is best to not critique your appearance in the mirror just then. Yes, your hair looks like crap -- it's 3am, and you're wearing a miner's headlamp. Get over yourself.

Despite all that, it was a fun trip. A lot of fun was had, and the girls all seemed to have a great time. I feel fricking old, but that didn't seem to faze them any.

Now, I have about a 24-hour turnaround time to wash clothes, catch up on saved TiVo programs, and repack for an 8am Saturday departure to Disney World. I'll post at some paint, but I can't tell you when.

A Question For Y'all

Many of you long time readers may recall that I get very motion sick. And, when I say "motion sick", I mean that I drive everywhere our family goes because I get nauseous even riding a couple of blocks as a passenger. (Offspring takes a kind of fiendish delight in getting me on the Teacups at Disney World and spinning as fast as possible, trying *purposefully* to make me sick. She must get that vicious streak from her father's side of the family.)

Bearing my unfortunate propensity for mal de mer in mind, JF and I are quite excitedly considering a Disney Cruise for our next year's vacation. This would be a once-in-a-lifetime kind of trip for us. JF is due to come in to some money (God willing and the creek don't rise) this fall that would finance this venture. We would never be able to afford it under other circumstances.

The cruises available are: a) the four night Bahamas cruise; which goes to Nassau and Disney's island, Castaway Cay, b) the seven night Eastern Caribbean; where the stops are St. Maarten, St. Thomas, and Castaway Cay, and c) the seven night Western Caribbean; which goes to Key West, Grand Cayman, Cozumel, and Castaway Cay. If we book a seven night cruise, and I'm seasick, I have to endure an entire week of Vacation From Hell that I shelled out big bucks for. On the other hand, the seven night cruise is not that much more expensive, and if I manage to do well on anti-nausea meds, we'd much rather take the longer (and more diverse) itinerary. I think the family consensus is that we'd like to do the Western Caribbean.

The only thing that's holding us back (other than not having the money until late fall, that is) is my motion sickness. Now, I take over the counter meds (Dramamine) to get through each vacation, and on most days, I feel pretty well, but let me ride Mission: Space a couple of times in a row, and I might get a bit green around the gills. I would think that anything a doctor would prescribe would be much more effective than any over the counter med might be, and think I would be able to muddle through. But -- and here's the main sticking point -- if I am sick, we're at sea, with no escape until we dock. In that instance, would I prefer seven nights of torture, or four?

What would you do? Have you ever been seasick on a cruise, or have a family member who has been? How did you/they cope? Do the prescribed meds work better than the over the counter meds? Most people would just say, "don't go!", but it's something that the whole family would enjoy, and why not partake of something we would all benefit from? And there's only a CHANCE that I would be ill on top of whatever medication the doctor would give me.

Here is our breakdown of the pros and cons:

PROS:
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* We'll actually have the money, and not be putting ourselves into debt in order to go.
* None of us have ever been on a cruise.
* It will be the first time JF and Offspring have ever traveled outside the US, and I'd like to make that happen for them both. Not to mention that *I'd* love it.
* We might convince other family members to join us.
* It would be something a little more culturally enriching for ALL of us.
* I think we'd all have a really good time.

CONS:
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* This will likely be the ONLY time we are able to afford such a trip, so it's now or never.
* The aforementioned seasickness. What if I'm miserable the whole trip? We've wasted a TON of money so I can throw up every hour for four to seven days.
* The time schedule would be difficult to arrange, with school and work, but we'd manage.
* The four night cruise vs. the seven night cruises. Which one?
* We'd have to get passports, so I'd have to start planning that this fall in order to get them in a timely manner before the voyage.

I've got to figure that if this is all that's worrying me lately, then I am very fortunate, indeed. This would, more than likely be what JF and I give each other for our upcoming 15th wedding anniversary. I would like to hear what you guys think. Any input would be appreciated.

Arriving at Disney World

Since some of you have requested more info into our annual installment of slavering devotion to that juggernaut of commercial and ritualized enjoyment otherwise known as Disney World, I figured that I would indulge you. Plus, I got nothing else interesting happening right now. You know, all in all - a typical summer.

(Actually, that's not quite true. We are going on a mini-vacation the first weekend of August. This is only the second time in our marriage that JF and I have been lucky enough to take two vacations in one summer. We may get the occasional jaunt to the CityofMyBirth to visit my relatives, but that's not exactly what we call "vacation." That's more in the realm of "hell on earth." (Especially if my extended family is involved.) At any rate, we're quite excited, and are planning a trip to Asheville, North Carolina to visit the Biltmore Estate. I went at least once as a small child, and I have very fond memories of the place. JF has never been, and Offspring's never even been in the state of North Carolina. We got a great deal for the weekend, and we can't wait to go. Offspring is obsessively watching "The Private Eyes" to ready herself for the experience. If anyone lives near Asheville, and wants to meet up for lunch or dinner over August 3rd or 4th, drop me an email.)

We started off at The World of Disney, pictured with Offspring above. We always arrive in Orlando the day before we check into whatever Disney resort we've booked that year. That way, we don't waste half a day's worth of tickets in transit. We stay at a cheap off-site hotel for the night, and wake up early to head to the resort and check in. If your room isn't ready (and it usually isn't), you can stow your bags with concierge, grab your tickets, and head out for the parks. We like to arrive in the parks early in the morning so that there's at least three or four rides we can knock out without having to wait 2 hours in line.


We are very spoiled by the wonderful service of Disney hotels, so we save like squirrels hoarding nuts for winter to afford them. Juggling Freak's favorite hotel, hands down, is Coronado Springs. (He's a sucker for the southwestern theming.) This is one of what Disney calls their "moderate" resort. (We're also extremely spoiled by the moderate resorts.) We like staying there because the price per night isn't that much more, but the extra amenities make it so worth it. For example, the "value" resorts (cheaper in price and usually not as opulently themed) don't normally offer a full-service restaurant; they only offer a food court. After a hard day slogging through the parks, not everyone is ready to have to go fetch their own food and bus their own tables. Usually, that would be us. The moderate resorts offer a food court AND a full-service restaurant, plus lots of other things that swing the balance in their favor.

This year, I really pushed for us to stay at a moderate that we hadn't yet tried: Port Orleans French Quarter. When this resort was built, it was very small and intimate. It only has about 800 rooms, compared to the 1600 - 1900 most of the other Disney hotels offer. Because it was so small in comparison, Disney merged what was the Port Orleans resort with its next door neighbor resort, Dixie Landings. This made one large resort, called Port Orleans French Quarter and Port Orleans Riverside respectively. We had stayed at Dixie Landings (now Port Orleans Riverside) on our very first trip to Disney World, back when Offspring was 18 months old. Back then, she was so small that we did not have to pay for her, and we arranged to have a portable crib in the room for her. My, how times have changed. We play rock, paper, scissors now to see who has to sleep with the thrashing Offspring, and she is considered an "adult" as far as Disney ticket pricing goes. Oy. Don't give the girl any ideas. Adult. Riiiight.

FQ was not really what I thought of as JF's style. I was worried that he would not care for the surroundings and ambiance. To my surprise, he rated FQ in second place, right behind his very favorite, Coronado. I was delighted that he was happy with the place, as I found it charming and was the one who'd pushed for it in the first place. We were placed in Building Three, which was only a moment's walk from the main building with the lobby, store, lounge, and food court. It was only another moment's farther walk to the pool, the playground, and most importantly for me -- the hot tub. It was quiet, serene, and lovely.



We arrived at FQ at 8:30 am, and were delighted to find that our room was ready and waiting for us. Usually, we tend to look at the hotel room as a convenient place to crash after a long trek through crowded theme parks in the scorching Florida summer sun, but staying at FQ was a nice change of pace -- lazy and relaxed while still being the height of luxury. The theming of FQ was great -- the sidewalks were done up like streets, complete with street signs and lampposts. We almost didn't want to leave to visit the parks. Almost.

If I haven't bored you to tears yet, I'll add more posts about this year's pilgrimage.