The $6,688.00 Disney World Trip - It's a wrap 6/30, Has it really been a year? 3/2 Link to new TR 4/18

[pkondz]

So it’s become even more crazy since the last time I updated.

Yep. And getting worse tomorrow. Ah well...

I’d like to say something about things “going back to normal.” But I don’t think that is ever going to happen. Sure, stores and restaurants will reopen, we will be allowed to go back to the beaches, go to concerts, gather together in groups, but I don’t think it will ever be “the same”.

I disagree. Yes there are still things in place from 9/11, but you might argue that they should have been in place before 9/11.
But a terrorist attack is quite different from a viral pandemic.
How many things affected you on a daily or even occasional basis after the pandemic of 1918? Maybe lessons from that were to wash your hands more... but that's been forgotten. We've already (pre-COVID) been teaching our children to cough into their elbows. Will there be changes? Sure. Many in the short term with more and more restrictions being lifted as time goes by. We'll all remember this, just as we remember other momentous occasions in our lives.

I’ve already had one DIS friend hospitalized due to this thing, and I hope she fights with everything that she’s got!

Oh, no. I'm sorry to hear that. I sure hope she gets well.

But Fran promptly woke me at 5:25AM.

Wait... What? Fran woke you?? FRAN??????

That day was here, the one I'd been training for.

Cue Rocky theme music.

this was my breakfast.

With the requisite V8.

When we were about to leave Fran noticed that I had plugged her scooter charger into the wall, but had neglected to plug the cord into her scooter.

Oh, shoot!

You know... that's the first time ever that I've seen that.
Not just with Fran... I mean with anybody.

Just a few of your closest friends.

By about 7:45 the lines for ToT and RnRC had stretched all the way out to the end of the street.

Whoa... Dudes! Just FP one!

Because of the trauma of getting a Boarding Group, I brought both phones on the trip and had them ready to go this morning.

Makes me think of all those movies where someone is holding two guns in their hands, ready for action. Matrix, perhaps?

At DL everyone in your party is automatically selected and you have to de-select those who aren't with you. On WDW's app you have to select your party much like the process of making FP.

I had no idea there were differences. Huh.

I don't remember exactly the rest but I hit whatever affirmative buttons I saw like "confirm" or "continue", and boom! Group 10!

Yuss!

we would be riding very soon and have the rest of the day to do whatever! Or so we thought….

Uh, oh...

somewhere around 8:30 the Back Up Groups sold out.

I'm actually surprised it took that long.

We followed the rest of our group and pretty soon we found out that a CM would be scanning our MB to give us a FP to come back anytime the ride was up and running.

Well, poop...

The ride had been down for over an hour now, and we decided to go get a pink donut.

Where is that available?

I checked the app again for the hundred thousandths time, and they were on boarding group 15! The ride had opened back up!

I'm a bit surprised you didn't get a text or something, but...

Since we had "recovery passes" and not a regular boarding group a different CM had to scan our MBs, and again we were on our way to join the resistance. By 11:30 we had finished our mission

Nice! Any differences between the two parks?

As we were going out and up a slight hill to the front of the Chinese Theater her scooter started to act up.

Oh, no...

I was able to get the scooter up the hill while Fran walked. Once we were on level ground, Fran rode the scooter to the Skyliner. I drove it up the hill and into the cars. We changed lines at CBR and when we got off at Riviera she got back on the scooter. Just as we got back into the hotel, it stopped again. She gave up and told me to ride it, and walked through the hallways back to the room. It barely made it, but we did get back to the room.

What an ordeal! You didn't have to push it again, did you?

I do know this much, over time a battery loses it's overall ability to hold a charge. Her scooter is bigger than mine, and she is heavier than me. Perhaps the combination of the larger scooter and extra weight caused the battery charge to go down more rapidly.

That could be? Are both batteries identical?

I played my Mahjong game for a few minutes and eventually also succumbed to the nap.

However I was rudely awakened by a phone call from one of those health care consultants who wanted to "take a few moments to discuss my health".

So annoying.

We unloaded at MK, made it through security and they actually got us on the monorail that was loading.

What do you mean? It was there and loading when you got to security?

We disembarked at the Poly and were checking in to Trader Sam's by 6:15. However they were quoting an hour to 75 minute wait to get in.

Yikes!

When we put in our names, I knew that it wouldn't be a full hour. I saw the hostess scroll through the guests on the list, and there were parties of 9 and 7 in there and people like that don't want to wait that long. It makes the wait for small parties like us much less.

Did not think of that. Good tip!

Her drink tasted a little funny. Neither of us could peg what it was, but wasn't bad enough to keep her from finishing it.

Sure. It probably had rum in it.

We went upstairs to the Tambu Lounge which was my main reason for coming here. I really wanted the 'Ohana Bread Pudding.

Have yet to have some.

I said that I would cancel it as long as I could have the bread pudding, so now I could cancel it. Even better, we found out that you can now get the noodles, potstickers and chicken wings from 'Ohana at the bar. So now we have a "thing". If there is a wait for Trader Sam's, we will come up to the Tambu Lounge, get some drinks and some appetizers, go to Sam's, have more drinks and appetizers, and come back for dessert. We'll call it the "Polynesian dinner!"

Oh! I might have to rethink things a bit...

So we waited probably a good 20 minutes for the next bus before we boarded. BTW, we were the only people who had to wait for the next bus.

Was the bus that you "missed" full?

 

[franandaj]

I suspect you're right about that. Still, human beings are built for relationships, and we're going to be longing to get out of the house and see other people!

Oh, totally. I just have a feeling that regulations will change in some way, like room capacity, table spacing at restaurants. Giant crowds may be discouraged.

This just seems like such an insane procedure to me. But I don't have any better ideas.

There is a thread on the Disneyland boards (and one for the DHS version of RotR), where people have proposed all kinds of ideas, and this keeps coming back as the best idea.

YES!

Winning!

D'oh.

I have heard that it breaks down frequently. The curse of new technology, I guess.

Well without giving too many spoilers, the last weekend we were out at Disney I was having a discussion with a friend and he gave me some good insight into the ride going down. There are quite a few components to the experience as it is much more than a ride. The final part involves a vehicle. To actually "start" the ride, evidently all the vehicles need to "have their ducks in a row." So to speak. So if a ride-downing-event does happen, they need to evacuate the persons on the ride, or ride them off, then they need to get all the vehicles back in place. Then they can run whatever diagnostics need to test out before they can start it again. That's usually why when it goes down, it is for at least an hour.

Nice! Glad you got to ride. Is it the greatest ride ever like they say?

Well, it is pretty darned cool! I was glad have been able to ride it in previews in January so I wasn't having FOMO when the hype started. This time was my second time on it, and I got to ride it two more times at DL before all this Quarantine happened. If you can go in without having any knowledge of what's to come (other than you are joining the Resistance), it's mind blowing the first time. After that, it's just super cool with lots of fun effects and seriously awesome scenes.

Seems as good a theory as any.

I can work with that.

Probably extra egg nog.

It was dairy free, but the strange taste was some kind of spice.

Cool, that's good to know! That would make for a quality dinner on its own.

It really could. I'm looking forward to going back some day and trying it.

Glad it was such a good day!

We did knock a few things off our "to-do" list!

 

[franandaj]

We love 'Ohana Bread Pudding! And since we discovered it at Tambu Lounge, we've never been back to 'Ohana for supper... Our family motto is Life is short, eat dessert first!!!

Fran likes that motto! At buffets she usually has breakfast first!

 

[franandaj]

It's definitely different. We also have a designated table for eating, a designated computer for surfing on a break, and a dedicated lazy boy recliner.

Is this for each team?

Unless I try to go shopping. That's completely different too, now.

Although I went to the store on Sunday and the meat counter looked almost normal. They had all kinds of cuts of meat, whereas several weeks ago I had to grind my own meat to make spaghetti sauce.

I get that. But... if you were to go out... but can't... you'd order, no?

We ordered take out the other night, but I don't think we'll be doing that again for a while. Just too expensive. I'm afraid that tenants will stop paying their rent.

Interesting. So it's basically like in-floor radiant heating but mounted in the ceiling. I presume the ceiling has to be plaster or stucco?

The ceiling is popcorn sprayed, probably plaster. And you know I don't mean real popcorn, right?

And some of your units don't have cooling? I would've thought that'd be a must for California.

Certain places it's a must, but Long Beach rarely gets so hot that you really need it. If you can open your windows the breeze is sufficient.

What do the tenants with radiant heat think of it?

They haven't told me.

Probably by me.
I know that until I mentioned it, it's like no one had heard of him.

That's so weird. How do you miss him?

Yep. And getting worse tomorrow. Ah well...

I had to employ my Canadian spy to crack this one, but now I get it.

I disagree. Yes there are still things in place from 9/11, but you might argue that they should have been in place before 9/11.
But a terrorist attack is quite different from a viral pandemic.

Unless the pandemic is a terrorist act. Let the conspiracy theorists discuss amongst yourselves....

How many things affected you on a daily or even occasional basis after the pandemic of 1918?

Well let's look at it this way....how many things in place in 2020 were in place in 1918?

We just watched a History Channel Mini Series, The Food That Built America, which chronicled some of the largest corporations growth throughout the end of the Civil War through the 1960s or 1970s. It was actually quite fascinating and covered the beginnings of companies like Heinz, Hershey's, Kellogg's, CW Post, M&M Mars, and later McDonald's and KFC.

One thing that they mentioned in that program was that prior to the great recession of the 1930s, normal people did not "go out" to dinner as a general rule. That was a Post WWII phenomenon. With the American GI Bill suburbia was born and with the newfound car culture an upwardly mobile new class of people developed. One with a somewhat disposable income and could enjoy dining out.

Then along came the whole car hop culture and two gentlemen in San Bernardino looking to increase their bottom line. They developed a new system of cooking/ordering that could put your meal in your hands within 2 minutes. Previously dining was a minimum 1 hour ritual since you had to be seated, place the order, etc.

So if you think about it, the entire restaurant culture, be it dine in or Fast food dine in, was not even born in 1918. The drive through (which is unchanged in Corona culture) will stay the same regardless. I think, at least in the litigious US culture, we will see a change in dine in restaurants after this is over.

Maybe lessons from that were to wash your hands more... but that's been forgotten. We've already (pre-COVID) been teaching our children to cough into their elbows. Will there be changes? Sure. Many in the short term with more and more restrictions being lifted as time goes by. We'll all remember this, just as we remember other momentous occasions in our lives.

I'm sure there will be all kinds of restrictions as we ease back into life, and they will get lifted slowly, but I really doubt we will go back to what we called normal six months ago. And I bet everyone is going to keep a larger amount of TP on hand in the future!

Oh, no. I'm sorry to hear that. I sure hope she gets well.

Well the day after I posted that, she went home from the hospital so I hope that she continues to recover!

Wait... What? Fran woke you?? FRAN??????

I have a feeling that she did not sleep that night. That's how she is able to wake me up on the mornings when we fly.

Cue Rocky theme music.

That's kind of exactly what I was thinking when I wrote that!

With the requisite V8.

Got to keep my strength up!

Oh, shoot!

Yeah, important lesson learned.

You know... that's the first time ever that I've seen that.
Not just with Fran... I mean with anybody.

You mean the drive in cab?

Just a few of your closest friends.

And right now, in the current circumstances I'm like

Whoa... Dudes! Just FP one!

Well that was also when all the good rides at DHS were Tier 1 FP. So if you had RnRC, you'd have to rope drop ToT or SDD or TSMM.

Makes me think of all those movies where someone is holding two guns in their hands, ready for action. Matrix, perhaps?

I was thinking more spaghetti Western style, with six shooters. Never seen the Matrix.

I had no idea there were differences. Huh.

Very subtle. Only in the way you select your boarding party.

I'm actually surprised it took that long.

There were some days that it lasted until 10:30 or 11AM. Not in CA until the last couple days before COVID-19. Then they were lasting blasting the way until noon.

Well, poop...

Where is that available?

You know the street where the entrance to TSMM used to be? Right where you turn to enter TS land with the giant Woody? (Giant Woody ) There are two concession stands on the left where you enter TS land. One sells mostly coffee and hot chocolate, the other sells more pastries and such.

I'm a bit surprised you didn't get a text or something, but...

Then everyone would come flooding back. They do send a "push" notification when your original boarding group comes up.

Nice! Any differences between the two parks?

Not that I could tell.

Oh, no...
What an ordeal! You didn't have to push it again, did you?

No it limped slowly back to the room.

That could be? Are both batteries identical?

In theory, but it all depends how old they are. We keep forgetting to put a sticker with the date it was replaced on the battery case.

What do you mean? It was there and loading when you got to security?

No just when we were going up the hill. Usually we get to the top and they say, "We'll get you on the next one." But this was like, "C'mon! Hurry you can make it on this one!"

Did not think of that. Good tip!

Most people aren't patient enough to wait for their alcohol. They want to drink now and will go to the next easiest place to get it. Then when their name gets called they're like. "Nah, I'm good here." Fran and specifically want specialized alcohol!

Sure. It probably had rum in it.

Well of course!

Have yet to have some.
Oh! I might have to rethink things a bit...

This would be a great way to sample their dinner without being a solo diner.

Was the bus that you "missed" full?

I suppose eventually it filled up, but since there was already one scooter/wheelchair, they would have only been able to take one of us and we don't like to split up.

 

[DnA2010]

[

You would probably have to pick up something that could be reheated. We're going to try ordering a fried chicken dinner from one of our favorite places tomorrow night so we'll pick it up and come right home to eat it so it's good and hot.

We are pondering but will prob just scrap it for now and save the $$..we've got loads of food in the freezer to cook with and with an unknown future, prob best to just use that.

Chocolate is good, but cinnamon is my favorite!

Oh interesting! If I ever get to a regular store (we mainly get to Costco) will see if the have cinnamon out of curiosity

Yes very simple stuff.

We had grilled cheese and tomato soup for dinner last night- yum.

But Fran promptly woke me at 5:25AM.

Fran woke you? whaat?

Thousands of our friends were there with us as we waited in line.

Just a few people had the same idea eh?

Because of the trauma of getting a Boarding Group, I brought both phones on the trip and had them ready to go this morning.

Clever!

Double fisting it - I like it

boom! Group 10!

Score!!!!!

We wound our way through the queue, and about 8:59 we were stopped in line.

boooo...

Luckily I didn't have any problems through the rest of the trip.

That's good to hear.

I love brownies...sometimes they can look dry, but still be oh so good!

hey also had these pastries, but I liked the idea of brownie bites the best.

The hazelnut caramel ones look not bad...

Naked Jim and asked if he would pick them up when he fed the cats that night and bring them by and he said sure

Good old Naked Jim for the win!

Chicken Lettuce Cups as we were still a little hungry.

Yumm..maybe we will have lettuce wraps for supper

So after my Lapu Lapu

Pretty sure it was Lapu Lapu like drinks that we were enjoying at the Vegas Tiki Bar- man they were STRONG!

 

[pkondz]

Is this for each team?

One for both teams. They get sterilized when the teams switch.

Although I went to the store on Sunday and the meat counter looked almost normal. They had all kinds of cuts of meat, whereas several weeks ago I had to grind my own meat to make spaghetti sauce.

Our deli at the supermarket is closed... but the deli at the butcher is open. Odd.

We ordered take out the other night, but I don't think we'll be doing that again for a while. Just too expensive. I'm afraid that tenants will stop paying their rent.

Ohhhh... right. Yikes.

The ceiling is popcorn sprayed, probably plaster. And you know I don't mean real popcorn, right?

Had some at the old house.

Certain places it's a must, but Long Beach rarely gets so hot that you really need it. If you can open your windows the breeze is sufficient.

Ah!

That's so weird. How do you miss him?

By focusing on the go-go scientist.

Unless the pandemic is a terrorist act. Let the conspiracy theorists discuss amongst yourselves....

Not touching that on a public forum.

So if you think about it, the entire restaurant culture, be it dine in or Fast food dine in, was not even born in 1918. The drive through (which is unchanged in Corona culture) will stay the same regardless. I think, at least in the litigious US culture, we will see a change in dine in restaurants after this is over.

Perhaps. I’ll wait and see what happens.

I'm sure there will be all kinds of restrictions as we ease back into life, and they will get lifted slowly, but I really doubt we will go back to what we called normal six months ago. And I bet everyone is going to keep a larger amount of TP on hand in the future!

Well the day after I posted that, she went home from the hospital so I hope that she continues to recover!

Good!!!

I have a feeling that she did not sleep that night. That's how she is able to wake me up on the mornings when we fly.

Oh. Not so great, then.

That's kind of exactly what I was thinking when I wrote that!

You mean the drive in cab?

A person on a scooter in a cab.

Well that was also when all the good rides at DHS were Tier 1 FP. So if you had RnRC, you'd have to rope drop ToT or SDD or TSMM.

That’s why I said “one”.

I was thinking more spaghetti Western style, with six shooters.

That’ll work.

Never seen the Matrix.

No? Interesting movie. Brand new film technique used. But that’s old now.

There were some days that it lasted until 10:30 or 11AM. Not in CA until the last couple days before COVID-19. Then they were lasting blasting the way until noon.

Really!

You know the street where the entrance to TSMM used to be? Right where you turn to enter TS land with the giant Woody? (Giant Woody )

There are two concession stands on the left where you enter TS land. One sells mostly coffee and hot chocolate, the other sells more pastries and such.

I think that’s where I got that dreaded key lime pie on a stick.

In theory, but it all depends how old they are. We keep forgetting to put a sticker with the date it was replaced on the battery case.

Gotcha. I was more wondering if they were the same voltage.

No just when we were going up the hill. Usually we get to the top and they say, "We'll get you on the next one." But this was like, "C'mon! Hurry you can make it on this one!"

Ah.

I suppose eventually it filled up, but since there was already one scooter/wheelchair, they would have only been able to take one of us and we don't like to split up.

Wish the busses could take at least 4 scooters. Don’t see why not.

 

[franandaj]

We are pondering but will prob just scrap it for now and save the $$..we've got loads of food in the freezer to cook with and with an unknown future, prob best to just use that.

Yeah, I think we are going to need to save some $$ for a while too. We had to have a little financial meeting yesterday and figure out how to pay our bills and which credit cards and how many to let a balance go until next month. We haven't had to do that for a while. Like ever.

Oh interesting! If I ever get to a regular store (we mainly get to Costco) will see if the have cinnamon out of curiosity

I went to Costco yesterday. Pretty surreal.

We had grilled cheese and tomato soup for dinner last night- yum.

I should put that on the dining rotation. We just bought more pasteurized processed cheese food at Costco. I like my grilled cheese with one slice of that and a slice of regular cheddar.

Fran woke you? whaat?

Whenever we need to get up she's the one who makes sure that we do. I think she doesn't sleep so she can make sure we get up and go.

Just a few people had the same idea eh?

I think some of them were there for other rides as well. MF:SR was not a FP ride then.

Clever!

Double fisting it - I like it

Score!!!!!

boooo...

That's good to hear.

I was a little worried but it never gave me any trouble on this trip.

I love brownies...sometimes they can look dry, but still be oh so good!

These brownies were very good, even a couple days later.

The hazelnut caramel ones look not bad...

I'm not a fan of hazelnut.

Good old Naked Jim for the win

For the most part, he's pretty reliable.

Yumm..maybe we will have lettuce wraps for supper

Hmmmm...I should look up a recipe for them....

 

[jedijill]

You have got the system down for getting boarding passes for RoTR! Too bad the ride broke down but that it was up far earlier than our DL experience last month!

Jill in CO

 

[Steppesister]

So it’s become even more crazy since the last time I updated. However, as others have pointed out, there isn’t all that much to do, so why not keep updating? I’d like to say something about things “going back to normal.” But I don’t think that is ever going to happen. Sure, stores and restaurants will reopen, we will be allowed to go back to the beaches, go to concerts, gather together in groups, but I don’t think it will ever be “the same”.

This speaks to the whole freedom vs. safety topic... we all have our opinions and own comfort zones. I for one would like the freedom to make my own well-informed and caluculated choices about my and those around me's safety. To have them chipped away brings me concern. But... maybe if I can get down your way again, we can have drinks and look back that this as a terrible memory and and embrace moving forward again.

Just like after 9-11, we can’t take beverages through security checkpoints anymore. You have to take your shoes off, unless you have been deemed worthy by some official government agency, and all that other stuff that changed. I think this is going to make some kind of profound change, although I don’t know what that will be, but it will be different. I think you’re going to hear phrases like, “Yeah that was Pre-Covid.” or “Don’t you wish we could still (insert banned behavior here)?”

This.

Hopefully this won’t last too long and we all come out of it OK. I’ve already had one DIS friend hospitalized due to this thing, and I hope she fights with everything that she’s got! So everyone stay safe, and if you haven’t already seen it, Google “Randy Rainbow I will Social Distance” for a good laugh. Don’t watch it with your kids, there are a few naughty words in there….

I'll have to take a peek!

Our driver was right on time and he loaded Fran into the car and we were on our way.

Here we goooo-ooo-oo...

Because of the trauma of getting a Boarding Group, I brought both phones on the trip and had them ready to go this morning.

You are prepared!! That is ninja level!

I don't remember exactly the rest but I hit whatever affirmative buttons I saw like "confirm" or "continue", and boom! Group 10! Woohoo we would be riding very soon and have the rest of the day to do whatever! Or so we thought….

10!!!

They let us into the preshow room and when we left there, it was different than when we rode it at DL. We followed the rest of our group and pretty soon we found out that a CM would be scanning our MB to give us a FP to come back anytime the ride was up and running. They had stopped at BG 14.

And there it is.

Fran checked out the shops, naturally. When she had finally visited all of them, we exited to TS Land. At Woody's Lunchbox we ordered a Smoked Turkey Breakfast sandwich without the eggs and an order of potato barrels.

I haven't gotten to try Woody's yet. Sure would like to.

I switched the batteries back, hers now had a full charge, and then I downloaded the scooter manual to check the troubleshooting guide.

ugh.

However they were quoting an hour to 75 minute wait to get in. We put our name on the list and decided to figure out what we wanted to do.

That's about par for the course. Unless you "rope drop" it.
Even then we waited quite a while.

I said that I would cancel it as long as I could have the bread pudding, so now I could cancel it. Even better, we found out that you can now get the noodles, potstickers and chicken wings from 'Ohana at the bar. So now we have a "thing". If there is a wait for Trader Sam's, we will come up to the Tambu Lounge, get some drinks and some appetizers, go to Sam's, have more drinks and appetizers, and come back for dessert. We'll call it the "Polynesian dinner!"

What a stupendous plan!! I like this!!

And we will see what happens, you never know where we will be in July.

One can sure hope!

 

[franandaj]

One for both teams. They get sterilized when the teams switch.

Makes sense.

Our deli at the supermarket is closed... but the deli at the butcher is open. Odd.

I was actually talking about the butcher counter at the supermarket. One of the markets I shop at has a full butcher's area, also it's open like kitchens at some restaurants so you can see all that they do. Everyone who works the meat counter there is a certified butcher.

Ohhhh... right. Yikes.

So far we haven't had anyone say they can't pay rent, but I still haven't collected rent from three tenants. Hopefully today.

By focusing on the go-go scientist.

But I mean really how long does it take to see her and look the other way. Besides I'm usually looking in his direction when we get to the top there.

Not touching that on a public forum.

Perhaps. I’ll wait and see what happens.

I think we're gonna be waiting a long time.

I think that’s where I got that dreaded key lime pie on a stick.

Hmmm...I wouldn't have even given that a second thought, just not something that even sounds good to me. And from what I remember it wasn't.

Gotcha. I was more wondering if they were the same voltage.

Pretty much. We have bought them from a number of places, but now we're mostly sticking to the mobility store. We used to save money by getting them at a place that specialized in just batteries, but I got a bad set from them a few years back.

If I remember correctly there are two numbers. The first is the voltage and the other has something to do with amount of charge or how long they hold the charge for.

Wish the busses could take at least 4 scooters. Don’t see why not.

Can you imagine four novice scooter riders trying to park inside a bus?

 

[pkondz]

Makes sense.

And I was wrong... and so was the person who told us that. It's completely different.

I was actually talking about the butcher counter at the supermarket. One of the markets I shop at has a full butcher's area, also it's open like kitchens at some restaurants so you can see all that they do. Everyone who works the meat counter there is a certified butcher.

Yes, I got that. We have a butcher at our supermarket too. Similar set up, I'm sure. But for better selection, I go to a dedicated butcher shop.

So far we haven't had anyone say they can't pay rent, but I still haven't collected rent from three tenants. Hopefully today.

What are you going to do with those not paying?

But I mean really how long does it take to see her and look the other way. Besides I'm usually looking in his direction when we get to the top there.

I think she draws the eye, so people tend to stare at her until they're past.

I think we're gonna be waiting a long time.

yup

Hmmm...I wouldn't have even given that a second thought, just not something that even sounds good to me. And from what I remember it wasn't.

It was disgusting.
Well... if you peeled all the white chocolate off and threw it in the bin, it might've been okay.

Can you imagine four novice scooter riders trying to park inside a bus?

Disney's newest comedic attraction!

 

[tiggrbaby]

Finally caught up!

Great pics!

I definitely have to try Beaches and Cream for a meal some time. And getting the menu from 'Ohana at the bar - gamechanger!

Glad to hear that you both are doing well and sorry to hear one of your friends is ill. My DIL is an ER nurse in NJ and she says that things are surreal. Hundreds with the virus, and almost a quarter on ventilators. She is working 5 12 hour shifts a week.

 

[franandaj]

You have got the system down for getting boarding passes for RoTR! Too bad the ride broke down but that it was up far earlier than our DL experience last month!

Someday we will get to do it again. I hope.

That was a crazy experience at DL. I just wish we could go back.

 

[franandaj]

This speaks to the whole freedom vs. safety topic... we all have our opinions and own comfort zones. I for one would like the freedom to make my own well-informed and caluculated choices about my and those around me's safety. To have them chipped away brings me concern. But... maybe if I can get down your way again, we can have drinks and look back that this as a terrible memory and and embrace moving forward again.

I hope that one day we can look back on this and think we all came through it with poise and dignity. However I'm not sure we can say that for all of our leaders.

I'll have to take a peek!

Did you? What did you think?

You are prepared!! That is ninja level!

Thanks! I've done pretty good the times we did the whole BG thing.

10!!!

Best I've done so far!

And there it is.

The ride was pretty unreliable. I just hope I get to ride it again.

I haven't gotten to try Woody's yet. Sure would like to.

Another thing I hope to try again...

That's about par for the course. Unless you "rope drop" it.
Even then we waited quite a while.

We haven't had long waits most of the time, but you do need table stalking skillz.

What a stupendous plan!! I like this!!

I hope that we can employ this someday in the future.

One can sure hope

But at this point, I doubt July is even a reasonable expectation. When they bring the firefighters back to work at DL them we can have a reasonable expectation they plan on opening. Today was their last day of work before furlough. I stand corrected, today is the last day.

 

[franandaj]

And I was wrong... and so was the person who told us that. It's completely different.

Ooops.

Yes, I got that. We have a butcher at our supermarket too. Similar set up, I'm sure. But for better selection, I go to a dedicated butcher shop.

I'm not sure we have any of those, wait! We had this discussion a few years ago and the closest ones were in Fullerton or Torrance. So Stater Bros. is our best bet.

What are you going to do with those not paying?

Well luckily, I didn't have any of those this month.

I think she draws the eye, so people tend to stare at her until they're past.

Not me, I'm looking at everything around me.

It was disgusting.
Well... if you peeled all the white chocolate off and threw it in the bin, it might've been okay.

Disney's newest comedic attraction!

Or most dangerous!

 

[franandaj]

Finally caught up!

Great pics!

Thanks!

I definitely have to try Beaches and Cream for a meal some time. And getting the menu from 'Ohana at the bar - gamechanger!

Yes you should! The only thing you can't get is the skewers, and I'm OK with that.

Glad to hear that you both are doing well and sorry to hear one of your friends is ill. My DIL is an ER nurse in NJ and she says that things are surreal. Hundreds with the virus, and almost a quarter on ventilators. She is working 5 12 hour shifts a week.

Well luckily, she was released the day after I posted that. She is recovering at home and seems to be doing pretty good.

 

[pkondz]

I'm not sure we have any of those, wait! We had this discussion a few years ago and the closest ones were in Fullerton or Torrance. So Stater Bros. is our best bet.

They're not everywhere. But... I can think of 4 around town just off the top of my head.

Well luckily, I didn't have any of those this month.

That's good! Hopefully it'll stay that way.

Not me, I'm looking at everything around me.

You're observant.

Or most dangerous!

meh. Shins, ankles... over-rated. Who needs 'em!

 

[franandaj]

Sorry I haven’t been around much. My workload has not diminished with this shutdown, in fact it’s gotten worse. Our house helper’s husband freaked out when she said that she was coming to do some cleaning around our house, so I have no one to help with the chores for potentially the next 18 months or whenever this whole thing blows over. That means I am doing all the cleaning she used to do, in addition to all the other household tasks she used to help with like laundry, dishes and other things.

In addition our eBays are going steady, so I’m packing up music and old Disney collectibles pretty much every day. We make our daily jaunt to the PO and sometimes Fed Ex. Fran drives me around like a Chauffeur and we get to listen to our book while we run errands.

A bit of good news is that we finally rented our old place. It had been sitting vacant since the beginning of September. And this time I think the family who rented it will be staying for a while. At least I hope so.

The apartment I rented back in February went vacant at the beginning of this month. I had to clean the carpets, but beyond that it was easily turned around. I’m hoping that one rents out before the end of the month. A two bedroom is a lot easier to rent out than a three bedroom.

While we have been hunkered down, in all my spare time I’ve been working on my online cookbook. Well there will also be a printed version, but they are being produced in tandem. If you’re interested in checking it out you will find it at http://www.longproperties.biz/cookbook.html It’s about halfway done, I still have several categories to add, and a few more recipes to the existing ones.


Anyways, let’s get back to the TR!


Day 6


This morning I woke up a couple times, but 7:30 was when I finally woke for good. I was close to getting caught up on most of your TRs so I decided to work on replies to my own TR this morning. Fran started to wake up too and she was hungry. Me? I didn't want to eat anything so as not to spoil my appetite.

I made her an English Muffin and put some of the strawberry jam she stole from Captain Cooks on it. She also had a glass of V8. I did make myself a cup of coffee, and we just kind of sat around in bed watching some home renovation show. We didn't like any of the stuff she did. At least the end staging stuff.

We got showered and dressed and finally left the room at 10:30 just as planned. We decided that trying to get on RotR was way too much work. We didn't want to have to get up that early again this trip. The whole hassle of needing to get a taxi, it was only $15, but we didn't need another day of that kind of stress this trip. Besides we were planning on doing it again at home in two weeks and then again in another week.

We had Brunch at Le Cellier today, so this meant another trip on the Skyliner. Nothing eventful happened. No cranky trips to guest relations to complain about security, we were in the park half an hour early for our reservation.

We dawdled for another ten minutes and just went ahead and checked in.

They were able to seat us within just a couple minutes. We were seated in the Quebec region of the restaurant. They showed us the menu, but I had perused it online so many times I already knew what I would be ordering.



They took our drink orders and Fran got the mimosa and Thanks to @pkondz I knew that the Bloody Caesar was the drink to order! She got the Mimosa.



They brought us the bread basket first, I ate that little apple pastry, she had the chocolate croissant and we ate the pretzel bread throughout our meal.



along with the maple yogurt and granola.



Our waiter was kind enough to offer to take our picture.





We got the cheese soup as an extra cause neither of us can resist that.



For our appetizers, Fran got the Deviled eggs.



I got the Steak Tartare. I couldn't even finish the portion, but it was so tasty!



Then they brought me the Cinnamon Roll French Toast Bread Pudding with Whiskey Caramel Sauce. This was so good and fantastically rich. I ate less than half of it.



Fran got the eggs Benedict with beef striploin. She ate all of it and even some of mine, but we ended up taking part of mine home.



Dessert was Maple Creme Brulee for her.



The Donuts and coffee for me. The donuts had a little too much pecan for me, and I did my best on the espresso chocolate mousse, but there was just way too much food overall and while she persevered and finished her Creme brulee, I had no chance.



We went back to one of the art stands to buy a piece of art that she had her eye on since Thursday.



It was hot and crowded so we headed directly out of the park. We had never planned on sticking around. We hate weekends in the parks. They are just so crowded. As we left we encountered what felt like a wall of people converging on us. No one seeing us down so low and people practically trampling us. Definitely time to get out of there.

We made our way back to the Skyliner, and watched a guy in a scooter who was clueless of the boarding process go up the regular boarding line.

They stopped him at the top of the ramp, and luckily they let Fran and I go before him. But I noticed him trying to turn around. He didn't have any clue how to turn his scooter down to a lower setting and he was zipping around bumping into the railings and everything else. Definitely someone you need to avoid in the parks. I was glad to board my Skyliner car and get away from him.

We made it back to the room and Fran went right to bed. I wasn't really tired and ended up working on my TR and updating the DIS. Originally she had talked about going to WoD before dinner, but in the end she opted for the "more sleep" option.

I started getting her up at 5:30PM, but she moved so slowly we didn't get out the door until 6:30 and ended up being late for our dinner reservation. It wasn't a big deal and they seated us right away, but we did not have the lovely dinner experience that we had the last time we were here.

The first big difference was the loud DJ thumping music that they were playing. It was hard to carry on a conversation. The next was that I ordered the same drink that I enjoyed so much the last time I was there. In October our server took the care to meticulously pour the tonic as to preserve the integrity of the little cucumber, lemon, lime, peppercorn sculpture.



This server poured the tonic over the whole thing as if it were some giant storm thus destroying the cute structure and flooding out all the cute ingredients.



I suppose they are all meant to co-mingle, but he didn't have to completely destroy it as soon as it was placed on the table.

When Pam mentioned her gluten allergy, I asked if the Papas Bravas were OK for her. I said that we were not ordering them, but wanted to know if they were OK. He said he would bring her a menu of what was OK and so we waited.

Next thing we know an order of the potatoes shows up with the sauces on the side.



A far cry from this that we had last fall.



We also loved the Gazpacho in October.



We ordered two bowls, and this is what they served us. Evidently they added beets to the recipe. Even Pamela who loves beets didn't like it. Jeanette thought it was lovely, so she finished theirs and took ours home togo.



We had this shrimp dish in October as well. The preparation was far superior at that time.



Maybe because it was a Saturday night and busy they couldn't grill/toast the bread like before. And while the shrimp were indeed tasty, so far everything was not living up to what we remembered.



Our last dish that we ordered was the Jamón Serrano. It was very good, but everything kind of came backwards. I sort of wanted to start with that and finish with the shrimp and potatoes.



Pamela ordered this salmon, and said that it was quite lovely.



Jeanette wanted something a little more and got these cones filled with goat cheese and tomatoes.



At this point we all decided that the check was in order so we asked for it and paid. Pam had picked us up a few groceries that I didn't realize were needed until we got here so we stopped by their car in the parking garage on our way back to the bus stop. We made a plan for the next day, and said our goodbyes.

There was a bus to the Riviera at the stop when we arrived, but they had just finished loading an ECV. We don't like to split up, so we decided to wait. Of course we were the only ones waiting once the bus left. I didn't keep track of the time, but I'm sure we waited the usual 20 minutes between buses. I just kept plugging away at the TR notes while we waited.

Because neither of us ate very much, we were still hungry when we got home. We finished off the last two brownie bites, she ate the last of the raspberry pastry, and then we polished off the macarons from the French kiosk.

I was still hungry after that so I fixed myself up this little plate of leftovers from the Yachtsman.



And that was just perfect. It was nearly midnight by now, and I was definitely ready for a bath and then a good nights sleep once I made it back to the bed.

 

[pkondz]

My workload has not diminished with this shutdown, in fact it’s gotten worse. Our house helper’s husband freaked out when she said that she was coming to do some cleaning around our house, so I have no one to help with the chores for potentially the next 18 months or whenever this whole thing blows over. That means I am doing all the cleaning she used to do, in addition to all the other household tasks she used to help with like laundry, dishes and other things.

Yeah, I can see that would keep you busy! Explains the absence!

Fran drives me around like a Chauffeur

Do you call her "Jeeves" from the back seat?

A bit of good news is that we finally rented our old place.

Hey! That's great! I was really wondering about it in this economy. Did you rent it to the family you mentioned?

The apartment I rented back in February went vacant at the beginning of this month. I had to clean the carpets, but beyond that it was easily turned around. I’m hoping that one rents out before the end of the month. A two bedroom is a lot easier to rent out than a three bedroom.

Good luck with it!

I didn't want to eat anything so as not to spoil my appetite.

That bodes well.

the strawberry jam she stole from Captain Cooks on it.

What! Thief!!!

Wait... No one cares.

She also had a glass of V8

There it is!

we just kind of sat around in bed watching some home renovation show

I've been watching some older ones from a few years back. Still really good though. Doubt you would've heard of it, though.

We decided that trying to get on RotR was way too much work.

First TR I've seen where I've read that!

We had Brunch at Le Cellier today,

Yum!
I would like to do that some day.

so this meant another trip on the Skyliner. Nothing eventful happened. No cranky trips to guest relations to complain about security, we were in the park half an hour early for our reservation.

phew!

We were seated in the Quebec region of the restaurant

Huh. I didn't know there were regions. Just thought it was one big dining room.

They showed us the menu, but I had perused it online so many times I already knew what I would be ordering.

Okay... without looking at what followed, this was my order:
Very difficult choice between the mimosa and the Caesar. Like both.
It would depend on the time, and how I felt, I think. Early enough and I want OJ, so the mimosa would've won.
Bit later and the Caesar wins.
Deviled eggs. Love those.
Eggs Benedict. Can't not order those.
Crème Brulee.

Thanks to @pkondz I knew that the Bloody Caesar was the drink to order!

Glad you liked it enough to order it.

Our waiter was kind enough to offer to take our picture.

Nice photo, too!

We got the cheese soup as an extra cause neither of us can resist that.

For our appetizers, Fran got the Deviled eggs.

Fran is smart.

I got the Steak Tartare. I couldn't even finish the portion, but it was so tasty!

I just can't do it. I know it's not just regular ground beef, but... I find the smell off-putting.

Then they brought me the Cinnamon Roll French Toast Bread Pudding with Whiskey Caramel Sauce. This was so good and fantastically rich. I ate less than half of it.

Whoa! I stopped reading when I saw Bennies, but... I think I'll order that instead!

Fran got the eggs Benedict with beef striploin.

Fran is smart.

Dessert was Maple Creme Brulee for her.

Fran is...

I think you get the picture.

We went back to one of the art stands to buy a piece of art that she had her eye on since Thursday.

I can see how that would appeal to you.

We made our way back to the Skyliner, and watched a guy in a scooter who was clueless of the boarding process go up the regular boarding line.

Whoops!

I noticed him trying to turn around. He didn't have any clue how to turn his scooter down to a lower setting and he was zipping around bumping into the railings and everything else. Definitely someone you need to avoid in the parks.

Oy. I can feel my shins getting destroyed from over here.

we did not have the lovely dinner experience that we had the last time we were here.

You didn't say where you were (or at least I didn't see it), but figured it out as Jaleo, yes?

This server poured the tonic over the whole thing as if it were some giant storm thus destroying the cute structure and flooding out all the cute ingredients.

Then why go to the trouble of making a nice presentation in the first place?

Careless. Or not well trained.

When Pam mentioned her gluten allergy, I asked if the Papas Bravas were OK for her. I said that we were not ordering them, but wanted to know if they were OK. He said he would bring her a menu of what was OK and so we waited.

Next thing we know an order of the potatoes shows up with the sauces on the side.

I knew that was going to happen.

A far cry from this that we had last fall.

That's... abysmal presentation. I mean... awful.

We had this shrimp dish in October as well. The preparation was far superior at that time.

You're batting 1,000 here...

Jeanette wanted something a little more and got these cones filled with goat cheese and tomatoes.

Okay... Those look pretty neat.

I didn't keep track of the time, but I'm sure we waited the usual 20 minutes between buses.

You know... While I rarely wait for busses... I'm okay with 20 minutes. That's what they advertise, so if that's what I get... that's what they promised.

We finished off the last two brownie bites, she ate the last of the raspberry pastry, and then we polished off the macarons from the French kiosk.

Yum!

I was still hungry after that so I fixed myself up this little plate of leftovers from the Yachtsman.

Holy cow! What a feast!

 

[DnA2010]

We had Brunch at Le Cellier today, so this meant another trip on the Skyliner. Nothing eventful happened. No cranky trips to guest relations to complain about security, we were in the park half an hour early for our reservation.

Yay for an easy trip.
I have early memories of the skyliner that went through the Matterhorn.

We were seated in the Quebec region of the restaurant.

Did they ask you to speak french

Yummm! That's a good looking menu!

the Bloody Caesar was the drink to order!

Dorian is a huge ceasar fan!

She got the Mimosa.

This is more up my alley

along with the maple yogurt and granola.

I'd prob skip this...I like maple, but it's not my fav...

We got the cheese soup as an extra cause neither of us can resist that.

I'd much rather have this!

or our appetizers, Fran got the Deviled eggs.

That's a decent serving!

Then they brought me the Cinnamon Roll French Toast Bread Pudding with Whiskey Caramel Sauce. This was so good and fantastically rich. I ate less than half of it.

Dannng that looks sooo good!

Fran got the eggs Benedict with beef striploin. She ate all of it and even some of mine, but we ended up taking part of mine home.

And sooo does this! I don't know how I would decide, as Dorian wouldn't want to share much of this beauty

Dessert was Maple Creme Brulee for her.

Maple again!

The donuts had a little too much pecan for me, and I did my best on the espresso chocolate mousse

Yumm, espresso chocolate mousse! Perfect! Chocolate and coffee, two of my favs!

In October our server took the care to meticulously pour the tonic as to preserve the integrity of the little cucumber, lemon, lime, peppercorn sculpture.

Gin drink? Love their tonics

At this point we all decided that the check was in order so we asked for it and paid

Pretty mehh hey! Your other meal looked like it was a lot better.

the macarons from the French kiosk

I JUST found out we have a new french pastry shop that does macaroons..will have to check it out!