All Work and No Play makes Smee Grumpy: an Oct.'19 "work" TR *New PTR link 4/8*

Well we're back from our frighteningly freezing January WDW trip ❄❄ Seriously on Wednesday Steve looked at the sky in Tomorrowland and said it looked like snow because it DID. If you don't believe we were cold take a look at this pic from after hours Monday night with @Jenny Sanders and her DH Joe:

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Despite that we had a wonderful time with wonderful friends; the kind of friends you absolutely do not think you'll find via the internet and despite living all across the country, end up feeling like friends you've known for YEARS that you can share anything and everything with ❤❤
I won't be doing a TR for this trip since I still got this one going but I will be doing a dining report and hope to get that started soon! I'll let you all know when I do and if you want some other deets on what we did head over to @Jenny Sanders new TR "Besties, Booze and Brr!" because with the exception of her first couple days we were like all joined at the hip! Yeah I'd post a link to her TR but you all know about my tech skills. Let's just move on to an update!

DAY 4 OCTOBER 26TH
DAY 4 PART 2: WE'VE ONLY JUST BEGUN


When I left off before vaca we were touring Gran Destino, Toledo, and the really pretty and modern Dahlia Lounge across from Toledo on the top floor:

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You are welcome for the glaring picture of the framed Walt pics on the wall near the entrance:

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The "bells" in the partial wall design have some relation/significance to the "Destino" film but I cannot remember what it is so you're welcome for that also:

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There's a deck outside which you can kind of see to the left in the picture above. The doors were locked at that hour of the morning but the views, OMG! You can see Blizzard Beach? Typhoon Lagoon? I haven't been to either but I'm thinking BB so correct me if I'm wrong and take note of the sticker our guide told us they had just put there the day before. Wait, he told us the NEEDED to put there the day before :rolleyes:

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Beautiful AND unbelievable right??? They NEEDED to put IN WRITING not to climb that partition that is THAT high up???? People are $#@@@ crazy.

We went back down to exit and walked through a side door into a lounge-ish area that is for conferences:


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On the left of the picture were the conference rooms, one was open so we got to look in:

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Nothing exciting but something we don't all see usually unless of course we're there for a conference. What was super neat is all the way in the back of the previous picture; that's a little test kitchen!


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Underneath the island there was every type and size pot and pan and dish you could imagine for any conference that has to do with food, or for the occasional Disney chef to practice 👩‍🍳

It was really neat to tour this resort! Since then Steve and I have stayed in the tower and we liked it enough but it's not at the top of our "return to" list. The lobby was always always always busy with conventioners and other large groups. I know that's the basis of this resort and we'd stayed at CSR 3 or 4x previously when conventions were going on but they never seemed nearly as overrun. I also don't like that while the tower is technically the "best" location the bus stop there is the last stop so buses often show up full or standing room only.

On the flip side food options are plentiful and I've heard pretty good things about their club level! Let me know your thoughts if you've stayed at GD yet!

While we were done with our first resort we were FAR from done touring for today with five more resorts to go. Any guess where? I'll give you one clue, it's not any of the monorail or MK resorts 🏰 OH and I took this great example of non-professional photography at one of the resorts we toured:


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I PROMISE I won't bombard you with pics of all those resorts too but wanted to share Gran Destino since it's new. Next update soon!
 
Welcome back. :)
:thanks:
Huh. Dali? Not surprised it's strange.
Yeah it makes more sense when you attach Dali to the film.
Glad you had a great trip!
Thanks! But as I'm sure you're familiar with I now am jonesing for our next trip lol which is only one park day after our cruise in April!
And I wonder if it made a difference that they didn't offer the party pass for MVMCP and or sold less tickets! Because the crowds were definitely night and day between the two parties!
I guarantee those party passes made a huge difference! I won't do the Halloween party for the next couple years unless I hear that crowds aren't as bad but I'd do Xmas again and that's something I never thought I'd say since for the longest time I preferred MNSSHP.
 
Well we're back from our frighteningly freezing January WDW trip ❄❄ Seriously on Wednesday Steve looked at the sky in Tomorrowland and said it looked like snow because it DID. If you don't believe we were cold take a look at this pic from after hours Monday night with @Jenny Sanders and her DH Joe
It was soooooooo cold. Never in my life did I ever think I would have to wear mittens in the Magic Kingdom. :confused3

Despite that we had a wonderful time with wonderful friends; the kind of friends you absolutely do not think you'll find via the internet and despite living all across the country, end up feeling like friends you've known for YEARS that you can share anything and everything with ❤❤
I won't be doing a TR for this trip since I still got this one going but I will be doing a dining report and hope to get that started soon! I'll let you all know when I do and if you want some other deets on what we did head over to @Jenny Sanders new TR "Besties, Booze and Brr!" because with the exception of her first couple days we were like all joined at the hip! Yeah I'd post a link to her TR but you all know about my tech skills.
Ain't that the truth!!!!!!!! Honestly, Joe and I say it all the time...Our DIS group of friends are soooooo wonderful and we feel like we have known you all for YEARS! It's so nice to feel so comfortable and at home with our little group. You are all so special and (cue the sappy music) I get teary-eyed just thinking about how grateful I am that we became friends. You and Steve are top notch and I can't wait to plan our next vaca. LOL!!!😘
 


It was soooooooo cold. Never in my life did I ever think I would have to wear mittens in the Magic Kingdom. :confused3
I hated having to do it last January and just hoped I wouldn't have to again this year lol!
Our DIS group of friends are soooooo wonderful and we feel like we have known you all for YEARS! It's so nice to feel so comfortable and at home with our little group. You are all so special and (cue the sappy music) I get teary-eyed just thinking about how grateful I am that we became friends. You and Steve are top notch and I can't wait to plan our next vaca. LOL!!!😘
❤ ❤ ❤
 
Glad your trip was a fun one with friends, despite it being so cold!

The "bells" in the partial wall design have some relation/significance to the "Destino" film but I cannot remember what it is so you're welcome for that also:

The main character keeps turning into bells throughout the short. It's only 6 minutes long; give it a try. :)
 


Well we're back from our frighteningly freezing January WDW trip
I was watching the weather and I was so sorry to see that you got freezing cold weather. Did you have warm enough clothes? It feels much colder in Florida than in places that have central heat and insulated buildings. We had a January trip once that was freezing cold the entire time and it seemed like we never got warm.

It looks like you had a great time in spite of the cold. :)
 
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Well we're back from our frighteningly freezing January WDW trip ❄❄
So glad you had such a great time, despite the cold. I've been to Disney twice in the past when it was just insanely cold. A few Januarys ago, I had - no joke - two pairs of leggings under a pair of jeans along with a sweatshirt and winter coat and STILL froze my you-know-what off! Now we're both New Yorkers so we know cold, but I think Florida cold is a humid cold and just really gets into your bones maybe? :confused3 Because here in NY I walk around with a bleeding nose all winter long because of the dryness :sad2: :laughing:

Anyway... I so appreciate all your "your welcomes" - I use that phrase constantly because, well, there's so many occasions to do so to the people around me :rotfl2:
 
There's a deck outside which you can kind of see to the left in the picture above. The doors were locked at that hour of the morning but the views, OMG! You can see Blizzard Beach? Typhoon Lagoon? I haven't been to either but I'm thinking BB so correct me if I'm wrong and take note of the sticker our guide told us they had just put there the day before. Wait, he told us the NEEDED to put there the day before :rolleyes:
Gorgeous view but WHY in the world would anyone climb up there? Definitely "special friends"!
Despite that we had a wonderful time with wonderful friends; the kind of friends you absolutely do not think you'll find via the internet and despite living all across the country, end up feeling like friends you've known for YEARS that you can share anything and everything with ❤❤
So happy you had an incredible time with such lovely friends! :goodvibes
 
Hi Ariane! Well, I've been playing catch up around here. I've had quite a month.

After starting a new job in December and having a heavy schedule with training (I've worked 33 twelve hour shifts in the last 39 days!!!), on top of that I had to live through the blizzard of the century.
If you have time, I'm adding some links here to the posts I did about it in "the boys club". Needless to say things are just getting back to normal now.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/ddc-xxxiv-the-original-home-of-the-disdads.3358596/post-61447733

https://www.disboards.com/threads/ddc-xxxiv-the-original-home-of-the-disdads.3358596/post-61451079

https://www.disboards.com/threads/ddc-xxxiv-the-original-home-of-the-disdads.3358596/post-61453147

https://www.disboards.com/threads/ddc-xxxiv-the-original-home-of-the-disdads.3358596/post-61460294

https://www.disboards.com/threads/ddc-xxxiv-the-original-home-of-the-disdads.3358596/post-61471603
 
Beautiful AND unbelievable right??? They NEEDED to put IN WRITING not to climb that partition that is THAT high up???? People are $#@@@ crazy.

hah people are Crazy! All types of crazy because yes it needs to be in writing because people are also dumb!

This resort Does look so pretty! It’s not on the top of my list either.... but it’s on it haha
 
Well we're back from our frighteningly freezing January WDW trip
Yikes. I saw that. It made the news up here... because Florida was supposed to be colder than parts of Canada... in winter...
Despite that we had a wonderful time with wonderful friends
:goodvibes Glad to hear that!
You are welcome for the glaring picture of the framed Walt pics on the wall near the entrance:
Pictures without glare in them are just... pictures.

Wait...
The "bells" in the partial wall design have some relation/significance to the "Destino" film but I cannot remember what it is so you're welcome for that also:
:laughing: Thanks for that in depth commentary!
The doors were locked at that hour of the morning but the views, OMG! You can see Blizzard Beach?
Cool! (Yes, Blizzard Beach.)
take note of the sticker our guide told us they had just put there the day before. Wait, he told us the NEEDED to put there the day before :rolleyes:
:sad2:
Beautiful AND unbelievable right??? They NEEDED to put IN WRITING not to climb that partition that is THAT high up???? People are $#@@@ crazy.
I wonder if they had to grab someone before they plummeted to their death or just had to ask them to get down?
On the left of the picture were the conference rooms, one was open so we got to look in:
Like the light.
What was super neat is all the way in the back of the previous picture; that's a little test kitchen!
No way! How cool is that?
The lobby was always always always busy with conventioners and other large groups.
Ew... that would jar me out of my Disney bubble.
wanted to share Gran Destino since it's new.
Thanks!
 
the kind of friends you absolutely do not think you'll find via the internet and despite living all across the country, end up feeling like friends you've known for YEARS that you can share anything and everything with ❤❤

I love this, and it's so true. Hey lots of people meet their mates or significant others on the internet, so why not best friends? You get to learn all about people before you meet them and already know you have something in common!
 
Glad your trip was a fun one with friends, despite it being so cold!
It was! And when we go in July I'll be posting about how disgustingly sweaty we were lol
The main character keeps turning into bells throughout the short. It's only 6 minutes long; give it a try. :)
Ah that makes sense!
We'll watch it soon, I do want to see it especially after your comments
Did you have warm enough clothes? It feels much colder in Florida than in places that have central heat and insulated buildings.
We were a bit short on warm shirts so we were wearing like a long sleeve shirt with 2 t shirts over it and then a sweatshirt lol and did have to do laundry once. And I bought a hat and gloves because I totally forgot to bring them this year!
A few Januarys ago, I had - no joke - two pairs of leggings under a pair of jeans along with a sweatshirt and winter coat and STILL froze my you-know-what off!
I remember you writing that in your TR 🥶 We were there last January and it was cold then too; I'd hoped this year wouldn't be as bad but it was WORSE!
Now we're both New Yorkers so we know cold, but I think Florida cold is a humid cold and just really gets into your bones maybe? :confused3
THIS exactly! Steve and I were saying the same thing, the cold there was way different than here in NY and it definitely got into my bones. On Wednesday which was the coldest day it was 38 when we got to the park and I didn't warm up until I got in my own bed at night. I ate soup for lunch at the Plaza and we cranked up the heat in the car when we got back but I couldn't lose the chill.
Anyway... I so appreciate all your "your welcomes" - I use that phrase constantly because, well, there's so many occasions to do so to the people around me :rotfl2:
Gorgeous view but WHY in the world would anyone climb up there? Definitely "special friends"!
 
Hi Ariane! Well, I've been playing catch up around here. I've had quite a month.
Hey Jeff!! Always great to see you!
After starting a new job in December and having a heavy schedule with training (I've worked 33 twelve hour shifts in the last 39 days!!!), on top of that I had to live through the blizzard of the century.
WOW! Well congrats on the job - I do hope your hours have calmed down and straightened out! And that you're happy there :goodvibes
f you have time, I'm adding some links here to the posts I did about it in "the boys club". Needless to say things are just getting back to normal now.
Thanks! Going to go take a look as soon as I have a chance!
This resort Does look so pretty! It’s not on the top of my list either.... but it’s on it haha
Honestly I was fine NOT staying there BUT my goal is to stay at all the resorts so I kind of needed to knock it off my list ✅ So now I'm down to 2 resorts since they opened the Riviera and also POR which I'll knock off in April!
Yikes. I saw that. It made the news up here... because Florida was supposed to be colder than parts of Canada... in winter...
That's crazy that it was supposed to be colder than Canada! I mean they did show the "iguanas falling from trees" warning on local news while we were there but it wasn't like below 0 or anything!
Pictures without glare in them are just... pictures.

Wait...
:laughing: 🤔
I wonder if they had to grab someone before they plummeted to their death or just had to ask them to get down?
I wondered that too. You know it could have been like someone was jumping up and down right around the railing or leaning over too far; still dumb moves but not quite as dumb as actually climbing. Who knows but nothing would surprise me!
I love this, and it's so true. Hey lots of people meet their mates or significant others on the internet, so why not best friends? You get to learn all about people before you meet them and already know you have something in common!
I was telling the group when we were down there how my SIL met her 2nd husband and now here current BF online and they 're both great guys. And I also said just what you said about already having something in common! And then you meet and in some cases you think someone is nice enough to say hello to when your trips overlap; some you think are weird lol; and then there are those you know immediately can become lifelong friends :hug:
 
Well we're back from our frighteningly freezing January WDW trip ❄❄

Welcome back and yikes! I saw warnings all over FB about iguanas falling out of trees because it was so cold in Florida! I thought it was a joke at first!

OMG! You can see Blizzard Beach?

Yup BB- that's pretty cool!

Wait, he told us the NEEDED to put there the day before :rolleyes:

What on earth :confused3 :confused3 I wonder if it was a "Hold my beer" situation (we see the results of a lot of those in the ER lol)

Underneath the island there was every type and size pot and pan and dish you could imagine for any conference that has to do with food, or for the occasional Disney chef to practice 👩‍🍳

Oo that sounds like the kinda conference I'd like to go to!
 
That's crazy that it was supposed to be colder than Canada! I mean they did show the "iguanas falling from trees" warning on local news while we were there but it wasn't like below 0 or anything!
Heard about the iguanas...
I think Calgary was getting a Chinook (Warm air sweeping down the side of the mountain) and they were above zero.
I wondered that too. You know it could have been like someone was jumping up and down right around the railing or leaning over too far; still dumb moves but not quite as dumb as actually climbing. Who knows but nothing would surprise me!
Wouldn't surprise me either.

Darwin award contender.
 
Welcome back and yikes! I saw warnings all over FB about iguanas falling out of trees because it was so cold in Florida! I thought it was a joke at first!
LOL no joke! Last year one of my fellow agents posted a picture from her street (she's local) and those iguanas had indeed fell from trees!!
I wonder if it was a "Hold my beer" situation (we see the results of a lot of those in the ER lol)
:sad2: IDK and I can only imagine what you see in there............................have you ever seen "Sex Sent Me to the ER"? I'd like to think you get some of those fun ones!
I think Calgary was getting a Chinook (Warm air sweeping down the side of the mountain) and they were above zero.
And as happens often on the DIS I learn something new! Have heard of a Chinook but had no idea what one was so :worship:
 
I wish I was back at the Gran Destino, lovely resort!
It was really cold for a couple days this trip!
It was nice to say hi to you all!
 

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