ThemeParkCommando

14 hours ago, mouseketab.....Carol said:

and believe it or not, it was toned down some over the years. The first year I heard it, I was at the Fort, and "felt it in here". I've heard from CMs, the first year, they were breaking things they were so powerful. When I saw it in Epcot later that trip, it was ....... just wow......... incredibly powerful.... and Walter Cronkite, what can I say 🙂

My 14 yo grandson, after watching Illuminations  on a mid December day said: "If that's what they do on a normal day, what do they do on an actual holiday?!"

I've not owned an RV before, but I've been in a few dog handler setups.  One of the neat ideas I saw, was where they changed the base of the dinette seats to be dog crates.  Worked well for the medium sized breeds.   Another option is here: http://www.doityourselfrv.com/thor-pet-friendly-motorhome/    This motorhome is less than 30 feet, and has some nice customizations for dog owners. 

22 hours ago, Travisma said:

I saw an article today saying the players have to pay for their own plane fare back home.

That's atrocious.  I got my game cancelled text from Ticketmaster yesterday.  At least they aren't holding back on the refunds.  I hope the season ticket holders get some recompense.  I didn't research it, but I think the AAF may be the shortest operating league that has come to San Antonio.  The other 12 all made it through a complete season, at least. 

yeah, I have tickets for Saturday's game  - Commanders vs Express.  Was looking forward to seeing Manziel play. I'm assuming that they will announce today or tomorrow if the game will go on.  Right now, it's not looking good.  The Commanders vacated the Alamodome yesterday, with all their gear. The players have been told not to speak with the media.

If you do decide to go up the coast to SF, you may want to plan an evening at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk.   This is the little amusement park you see in the movie ' The Lost Boys'.  It has a nice old wooden coaster, and newer metal coaster with a neat little drop that made me squeak ( and I'm a serious coaster rider, hardly anything scares me anymore),  a vintage haunted house with a fun tradition, and a lovely old carousel, with a brass ring machine that still works!   It's free to walk around, you pay for each ride you want to go on, or buy a wristband. 

https://beachboardwalk.com/

14 hours ago, Starbuc71 said:

This is how this thread started.  Us, being local, used to be able to do 1 week a year (spring break) and usually 5 days at thanksgiving.  We would get maybe 2 or 3 long weekend trips (3 day, 2 nights) back when availability was there. Now with the price and the availability issue.. we’re done.  Back where this thread started. 

Full circle!  It does look like the campground now has a three night minimum over the weekends.  I was able to get just about any date in September, as long as my reservation had 3 or more nights on it.   Looking for 2 nights, Fri/Sat or Sat/Sun,  was a no-go.   Thu-Sat or Fri-Sun worked just fine.  It would be nice if Disney's website explained about minimum stays. 

I don't think it needs an escape mechanism inside, but I do think the outside lock should be changed so that it cannot latch by itself.   My parents old 1960's coleman required you to turn a latch to seal it up.   Just bring that back. 

15 hours ago, AuburnChris said:

I just saw it in the San Antonio-Birmingham game. If you score and would want to do an onsides kick, they give you the ball, 4th-and-12, at your own 28. If you can get it to the 40, you can keep it. (Just like a normal onsides kick.)

Birmingham threw an interception, though, so game over. San Antonio wins 12-11.

It's a pretty interesting rule.  I don't understand the reasoning behind it, but I'm not a hard core fan of football.  That was a fun game to watch, though.  My husband gets aggravated with me because, while I do want my team to win, I'll cheer for ANY good play I see.   Birmingham did have some good plays!

One of the other interesting changes, that you see when you watch on TV, is that you do not miss any of the game due to commercials.  They split the screen, so the game is still televised on the left side of the screen, and the commercials play on the right side of the screen.  I kind of like that.  The game goes much quicker than an NFL game. 

I can see them all now, too.  I figured the reason I didn't see them before was because I didn't have an i-anything.

If River made it there, there would be a chipmunk massacre.  The feisty little squirrels in our neighborhood think teasing dogs is a great hobby.  They are faster than most dogs.  Some are not faster than River.  We do have a return visitor I have named Stumpy, since he's missing half his tail.  He seems to have decided that he will now torment River for the rest of her life, for the humiliation of now only owning half a tail.  But,  he never comes down onto the fence or into the yard anymore. 

I hope River gets to play in the FW Dog park some day.   It would be fun to go camping with her at the Fort. 

I went to the San Antonio Commanders game on Saturday.  It was fun, I've never been to a professional football game before.  Crowd was decent, but I did hear one person complain that our dome is too sound dampening, that you couldn't hear the crowd noise.   I tend to disagree, I heard a BUNCH of noise. 

Some say our game was a snorer, due to low scoring, but I found it pretty exciting, since the score was tied most of the game.  First 3 / 3,  then 6/6, then finally the Commanders won out by a unanswered TD and 3pt Field goal.  15/6 final score. 

Some unusual rules in the new league.  They don't do kickoff plays.  After the coin toss, the teams just get on the 20 yard line of the appropriate team and start playing. 

Also,  they don't allow extra point kicks after touchdowns.  The team has to try for the 2 point conversion. There's also a special rule in place to replace the idea of an onside kick, but it's too complicated to worry about, I'll wait until I actually see it used. 

Is anyone else going to follow this new league?

https://aaf.com/

We are going to the inaugural game of the San Antonio Commanders this Saturday. 

What happens if I make a resort reservation, book my FP+ at the 60 day mark, and then hold the reservations and cancel at 29 days out?  Will the FP+ still cancel?  Is the resort room reservation still billable for the entire stay or just a one night penalty charge?  I thought that was the way folks were already doing it. 

Think Disney will try for a 3 tier system?   Standby, FastPass, Fastest Pass?  Pay for the third one?

2 hours ago, Travisma said:

Seaworld properties already have the quick queue passes that you pay for.

Yes, but SeaWorld never had any type of free Quick Queue passes.  They have always been for pay. 

It will be interesting to see if Aldi or LIdl can crack the HEB bubble in my neck of the woods.  HEB is a great chain, and South Texans are fiercely loyal to it.  The Aldi's chain is just starting to come into HEB territory.  The closest Aldi's to me is in Pflugerville, which is still a 2 hour drive.  HEB managed to push out the other major chain grocery stores in San Antonio.  If you don't shop HEB, you go to Walmart, SAMS, Costco, or the high end ones like Trader Joe's and Whole Foods. 

The open house will probably be at most of the naturist resorts around the country.  This is National Nude Weekend, and generally the time when the resorts accommodate the curious and try to entice new members.   I was a member of the Naturist society for a number of years.  The resorts are really nice, and there is not a 'bunch of hanky panky' going on, like most people try to infer. 

Once everyone is nude,  no one really cares.  It's not exciting or titillating, if everyone is doing it. 

My home resort had a lovely campground, cabins, a pool, clubhouse, volleyball courts and a full service restaurant.  Odd to be in a restaurant where the clientele are nude but the waiters are clothed.   On NNW once, they brought in a helicopter for rides, and a country western band for entertainment.  (Ok, it is HILARIOUS to see people wearing boots and cowboy hats, and nothing else!)  

By the time the day was done, the helicopter folks and the band had shed their clothes, too!  It's actually uncomfortable to be clothed, when most people around you are not.  Humans are a herd mentality, when in large groups. 

I encourage everyone even a little intrigued by this, to check it out!  It's a nice lifestyle. 

So, as a resort guest, will I pay for resort parking but still get free theme park parking? I always rent a car when there because I despise the busses.  This may drive me off the resorts.  I get a rate of 45 dollars a night at the hotel chain I retired from. Don't know if I love the Disney bubble that much anymore. 

Looks like another way to push down attendance.  I know my husband would refuse to give over his weapon to Disney's safekeeping.  But knowing how much gun violence is in the form of domestic disturbance, I can understand why you don't want armed people in a crowded campground, too.

On 12/23/2017 at 6:44 AM, Breezy2 said:

Glad to hear. We were at the Fort a week ago and since we are passholders and didn't carry any bags we weren't stopped for a security check at ANY of the parks OR even getting off the launch at the Magic Kingdom. At the launch landing we were directed to walk between the two scanners!  I'm sure there is a lot of undercover security around but it sure didn't give us a good feeling knowing we were never checked, not once, entering the parks. Made us a bit uneasy especially in the massive extended hours Magic Kingdom crowd. We avoided the hub and made sure we were close to the Cast Member exit by the Crystal Palace where they directed everyone backstage to exit. Rather scary experience since Main Street was totally blocked all the way to the hub and we kept thinking about the lack of security checks. How many others just walked right in???

This is such a sad statement of how people are being trained to accept intrusion by officials into their lives.  That you WANT to have your personal space invaded, and expect it, is terrifying. 

No one is ever safe from a person or persons that want and seriously plan to do major harm.  Allowing officials to search you as a requirement for entry is a necessary evil these days, but actually feeling unsafe because you were not searched is just wrong. 

I hate having to submit to searches.  I do it because it's required.  It makes people feel 'safe'.  But it's a lie.  There is no way to be safe.  All you can do is practice situational awareness, and stay away from big crowds of people.  If you want to participate in high profile events, you are always taking a risk that you may be involved in an attack. 

I always feel safe at Disney.  Heck, I always feel safe wherever I go, because I know my chance of being caught in a random attack is pretty damn low. That being said, I do always know the best exit, and the paths of highest risk. 

Having been involved in the world of hotels and the world of dogs,  I'm wondering what Disney's response will be to the people who try to dodge the pet fee,  by not declaring they have a pet, and then sneaking the dog into the resort.  Happens all the time in the standard hotels.  Once you have your key, no one will know you have a 'undeclared' dog until the maid comes to clean your 'non pet approved' room.   This will mean dog dander in supposedly clean rooms.  

Then you will have the issue with the 'sneaky' guests taking their dog with them in the car, and leaving it in the car, while they go to the parks.   You'd hope they would not do this.. but people are stupid.

I'm happy that Disney will allow me to bring my dog now, if I want to,  but I'd be happier if they required the dog to have an identifying feature so the CM's could tell at a glance that the dog was a 'registered' guest.  A tag on the leash or something.

Following along happily!  Great TR, I love your take on things and your writing. 

We also used to have a great balloon meet some years ago in San Antonio.  I woke up one morning to the oddest 'whooshing' noise near my house.  Looked out my back door to see multiple low flying balloons.   One pilot yelled to me to grab as many people as I could and chase them to a nearby field.  Their crews were lost. 

I threw open the door to my van and grabbed all neighborhood kids and adults who were outside.   There were about 12 of us in that van. 

We drove to the field, and basically tackled the balloon baskets.  We had no training, we were told to 'grab on and be ballast!' by the pilots. 

it was a lot of fun, and caused me to spend a lot of time at the balloon grounds in the days following. 

One competition was a 'target flight', where the balloons had to leave the grounds,  go at least 2 miles away and launch their balloons.  They had to fly back to the grounds and drop a flour filled bag onto a big 'X' on the ground.  Closest hit won. 

Watching the pilots drive out and then launch helium balloons to judge the winds at various altitudes was very enlightening.   After we helped a balloon launch,  we drove back to watch the fun.   One pilot had a great wind about 400 feet up.. he then opened the envelope of his balloon to descend to almost ground level (if your basket hit ground on the target area, you were disqualified.)   I swear he was just about a foot off the ground.   He leaned out of his basket, dropped his sack right on the cross of the X, and then hit his burners and bounced back into the sky.  It was an amazing feat of skill. 

On ‎9‎/‎15‎/‎2017 at 0:35 PM, Beckers said:

Themeparkcommando- your husband and beef, any chance he had a tick bite? There's a certain tick that causes an allergy to red meat and the reactions vary from stomach issues to full blown  anaphylaxis  

Well, we know about the lone star tick bite issue, but his symptoms are not life altering enough for him to feel the need for testing.  We just don't eat a lot of beef, and when he does want a steak or something, we know what to expect. 

1 hour ago, twiceblessed....nacole said:

Yes, that's been checked out.  I want to say this past spring.  Thank you.

Umm....thank you!  I've suggested that to him.  But, I'm not a doctor... just his wife   I'll keep pushing for that.  Right now, I want to make sure his pancreas is not the danger (I'm pushing for some tests).  Yes, gallbladder has been tested.

Well, you can do a sneaky backwards food reactivity check.   Every time he has pain,  ask him what he last ate & drank for his last 2 meals and when.   Keep a record of it.   After 5 or six bouts of pain,  check to see if there is anything in common.   Then you can start removing suspect foods from his diet,  OR you can make a specific food you think is suspect, and see if he has an episode of pain.

Has he tried to do a food reactivity test?  Pancreatitis and diverticulitis are often brought on / made worse by diet. The test is no fun, but it helped me identify foods that make me react.    Basically,  have him fast for a day.  During that day, drink only clear liquids ( can be any clear liquids, but have him monitor himself for any reactions.)

The next day,  he starts eating simple foods, one type at a time,  a different food per meal.   Example:  Breakfast - Eggs.   Lunch- Rice, Dinner - Beef.

The next day,  if no bad reactions,  add to them.  Breakfast - Eggs and bacon.   Lunch - Beef on Toast,  Dinner - Chicken and rice.

Keep adding one food at  a time, and monitoring how he feels.   He should react to a food within 1 to 2 hours of eating it,  so he will know what caused it.   He needs to keep a notebook of what he ate, so he can identify what caused the reaction.

My husband reacts badly to beef.   He knows if he eats it, he will have issues.  He has non-alcoholic fatty liver syndrome, too. 

I had huge issues with my gallbladder that cause major amounts of pain in my stomach and right side area.  Have they checked his gallbladder?  Mine, over the course of six months of worsening stomach attacks, simply died.  I had no stones or anything.  The doctors had trouble trying to figure it out, since it was not inflamed or anything.  On my last attack, I almost called an ambulance the pain was so bad.   A HIDA scan found the problem.  I had no reaction to the drug used to contract the gallbladder.  It did nothing.

I hope your husband's issue is found quickly.