DaveInTN

Now I am picturing a raccoon stashing starlight mints in a little nest made of sticks held together with Eternabond.  

It's a Festivus miracle!

Hmmm, I was hoping for

Onward to our At-Sea Day...
One thing I forgot to mention, is that we were able to book a Verandah cabin on this cruise.  Being our first cruise without kids, and more specifically our first cruise without Anna, this was a big deal for us.  I've never felt comfortable booking a verandah cabin with Anna....she's a bit too unpredictable.  But we had one this time.  And we really enjoyed it!  I loved getting up early and having coffee out there.  And as I usually do when cruising, I ordered coffee from room service every night before going to bed (quite possibly with cookies and Mickey bars too....but let's keep that quiet), and it stayed warm in the carafe all night.  No waiting for my first cup in the morning!  
After coffee, we hit Cabanas for breakfast, then began our day of leisure.  
We spent quite a bit of time on the adult deck.

Sorry for this one.  Oh, and those are BUBBLES on my nose!

That last pic may have come after a couple of beers.  Just maybe.  
Artistic shot while relaxing in lounge chair.

Ok, artistic may be a stretch.
We relaxed all day on the deck, and in the pool.  When we were thirsty we got some drinks.  Don't worry, some of them were non-alcoholic.  Have to stay hydrated, you know.  When we got hungry we grabbed food.  We found one counter that had tons of fresh sandwiches, fruit, salads, etc.  It was pretty decent.  Of course, I also had to try the pizza.  And fries.  And some ice cream.  LOL.  
By late afternoon, we headed back to the cabin to clean up.  I called room service and ordered a cheese plate, which we enjoyed on the verandah with some wine that we had brought onboard.  After getting ready for the evening, we headed back to the pub.  We may or may not have had some wings.  
And beer.

We went to that evening's show, which was Disney Dreams.  Like all the entertainment on DCL ships, this is a good show.  Disney sure is good at getting your emotions fired up.  
After the show, it was off to Tiana's Place!  
I was really looking forward to dining here since reading about the restaurant when we booked the trip.  Tiana's was a new restaurant added during the Fall 2016 dry dock.  I love Louisiana cuisine, and I also like The Princess and the Frog, so this was right up my alley.  
As proof that we did indeed dine with Tiana, I offer this.

Yep, that's Tiana all right.
Our dining companions from the previous evening were on hand, again in matching outfits.  And the couple missing the night before was with us tonight.  But I was a bit more comfortable snapping pics this night, having come to the conclusion that I didn't care what those losers thought of me.  
For my appetizer, I tried the boudin.  

I've had boudin in south Louisiana before.  Outstanding stuff.  Have any of you ever had Don's boudin?  


That boudin in the region around Lafayette is DEEE-licous!  Tiana's boudin balls were....a bit not delicious.  Dry, and not too tasty.  So, this started out on a disappointing note.
I also tried a second app....shrimp and grits.  This was a bit better than the boudin.  Not great, but enjoyable.

I don't recall what this soup was.  Or if it was good.  Must not have been too memorable.

In the meantime, while we were enjoying our meal, the floor show was underway.  This was a party, man!



I have to say, 70% of the reason I loved this restaurant was the atmosphere and entertainment.  Like many DCL meals, the food was good but wouldn't blow you away.  But the service, atmosphere and "show" put it over the top.  Tiana's was a blast!
Since it was my birthday, they brought this out.

We also tried the Bananas Foster sundae.

And bread pudding....and Beignets!!!

Like the boudin, I expected those beignets to be a pale comparison of the real deal.  But I was wrong!  Those were delicious little bombs of goodness.
I ate my weight at this meal, and was stuffed!!  It was a great birthday dinner! 
We practically closed the restaurant down, and being the late dinner seating, it was after 10 at this point.  But remember, this was Pirate night!  So the evening was young, and we had more to do.  And, since there is a late night buffet on Pirate night, we had more to eat too!
Pirate night is fun not only because of the party up on deck, but it's also when DCL shoots off fireworks....a rarity on the sea.  
We found a good spot up on the top deck to watch Pirates In The Caribbean.

After the fireworks, it was buffet time.  Keep in mind, we had just finished dinner.  A multi-course feast, with multiple appetizers and desserts.  Which itself had followed all you can eat wings.  I wasn't in the least bit hungry.  But, when cruising, you sometimes have to put on your big girls pants and dive in head first.  
Besides, they had crepes.  And turkey legs!
Just one little plate wouldn't hurt, would it?

I took it in full Pirate mode.....AARGH!

By this point, I was pretty much toast.  Over full.  Over tired.  It was time to turn in.  
We went back to the cabin, and discovered a towel rotisserie chicken hanging from the ceiling for some reason.  That cabin steward had a weird sense of humor. 

Before turning in, I called room service to order coffee for the next morning.  I may have ordered a Mickey bar, too. 
We collapsed into bed for a great night's sleep.  Tomorrow was already our last day....which is the problem with 3 night cruises.  But, it was going to be an EPIC day.  Castaway Cay!  Without kids!  Which means Serenity Bay.  Plus, we had one of the most BIZARRE Disney experiences of all time.  And if you've ever read my old trip reports, you know that is saying something.  I have a knack for stumbling into really strange situations.  And on Saturday, Feb 18, I stumbled into a doozy. 
 

Thanks for reading and commenting!!  The comments help keep me going.  
Yeah, that or a colossal disappointment.  
Thanks!  But shouldn't you wait to find out if I'm just going to post another picture of a cinnamon roll?  
I don't think I could look at that every day.  I'd always be hungry.  
Yes, I completely fell off the rails.  Don't worry...I'm finally getting back onboard.  Nearly a year later.  

I am glad none of my daughters are on this site.  

I hate boats, and always avoided cruises because I thought I'd be fearful being onboard one.  But I have no issues on a big ship, it turns out.  
The bus ride is about an hour, IIRC.

Take Z to the pub and let the boy fill up.  
I REALLY broke my diet on this cruise.  I never eat wings at home, but I did on the Wonder.  Which lead to eating further things I never eat at home.  Which lead to weight gain.  LOL.  
There you go, Kelly.  Take Z for some wings.  
And Nick, I like your style....using the boy to distract the female CM's while you scarf down some wings.  

Ok, we have now arrived at Thursday....day 2 of our Birthday cruise trip.  
We awoke at the Wilderness Lodge at our usual "somewhat early" time.  I don't recall exactly, but I never sleep until 7 so it was probably in the 6:30 range or so.  I'm always up first, so I made some hotel room coffee and drank it while waiting for INC to wake up.  By this point, it may have been 7:30 or so, so we had some time to kill.  Our meeting time for the DCL bus wasn't until 11:30, per this letter that was left in our room the evening before.  If anyone was ever curious about the procedure for taking the DCL bus from a Disney resort, including how the luggage is handled, here are your answers.

The first thing that jumps out at you is the 11:30 departure time.  On our previous cruises, we like being at the ship terminal by that time.  So we knew that we would not be boarding early.  That stressed me out just a bit, but it shouldn't have.  It all worked out perfectly fine.  But mainly because the Wonder doesn't have an Aqua Duck, so I wasn't missing out on any early rides.   
Anyways, we packed up and, per the above letter, tagged our bags and left them by the room door.  We then headed out to get some breakfast.  Since Roaring Fork was closed for refurb, we wandered back down to Geyser Point to check out their breakfast offerings.  We both got our usual oatmeal, which was actually very nice and served in a real bowl with real toppings.  I don't know if this is still the case now that RF is back open, but it was nice eating by the lake.  
We still had quite a bit of time to kill, so here was where my ulterior motive for choosing the Lodge came into play.  
We hopped a boat to the Fort!!

I got us some coffee from Trails End, and we assumed the position.

Isn't that great??
It's good enough to be able to get away for a few days on a Disney Cruise, and to get to spend the night before the cruise at the Wilderness Lodge....but throw some FPT on top of it?  (That's Fort Porch Time for you newbies).  Priceless!
We relaxed for a while, soaking up what was a gorgeous central FL February morning.  The Fort was incredibly peaceful on this Thursday morning.  Of course, the Wild Womenz were scheduled to descend upon the place that weekend, so there was already an impressive array of law enforcement on standby in preparation for the mayhem.  We were fortunate that we missed that mess.  (ok, in reality I had hoped to see some of the womenz, but that didn't work out).  
We headed back to the Lodge to gather our personal items from the room and check out, then went to our meeting spot in the lobby for the DCL bus.  A DCL represenative met us there with her clipboard and her Julie the Cruise Director attire, and said that we would be delayed because of an "incident".  I asked if everything was ok, and she said that our bus was coming from the Poly, but it was held up due to emergency vehicles that responded to a personal injury situation.  It turned out that a woman tripped over a potted plant and fell down.  I could only guess that this had something to do with the Womenz, but regardless we were told she was ok and after about a 30 minute delay we were boarding our 2nd DEEE-LUXE motorcoach of the trip for our ride to the port.  

it wasn't too long and this came into view.

That sight never gets old.  

It sure is a pretty ship, isn't it??


On our first DCL cruise, we arrived by car and, after checking in, had some time to kill in the terminal before our boarding group was called.  This time, possibly since we were running late from the Womenz Incident, we walked off the bus, through security, checked in and immediately were directed to board.  So...no terminal pics.  Which is fine.  How many pictures of people posing in front of the giant Mickey ears do you need to see?
In just a few moments, were up on deck enjoying a beverage.  

Notice that snazzy lanyard around my neck?  Since this was our 2nd Disney Cruise, we received those Castaway Club lanyards.  I felt so superior to all the 1st timer schmucks walking around lanyard-free.  Losers.  
Then I realized all the Gold and Platinum lanyard people were looking down on me for only being Silver.  That damn Mouse and his unfair class systems.  Always making you want to spend more to keep up with the Jones'.  
Anyways, drink #2 of the cruise was soon in our hands.  

If I remember right, our first night dinner was at Animator's Palate.  I don't believe I have any pictures of that, but I do know what we did before dinner.    
Since we had the late dinner seating, we had some time in the early evening to have some drinks and see the show.  Our first stop was the the new English pub onboard.

Now, I have to tell you, this new pub ROCKS!  Yes, it's a very nice pub.  Yes, it has a good beer selection.  Yes, it has comfy seats, and the usual cruise ship trivia contests and activities.  But none of those reasons are why this place rocks.  
Would you like to know why it rocks??
It's because, every night of our cruise, they served ALL YOU CAN EAT WINGS!!!  
Now, keep in mind, I'm a Buffalo guy.  Born and raised...spent my first 35 years there.  So I know a thing or two about wings.  And having lived away from Buffalo for the last 15 years, I've seen my share of sub-par wings.  And even worse, wings served with ranch dressing of all things.  I've seen baked wings, soggy wings, undercooked wings, etc.  And let me tell you, these wings were top notch!  And unlimited!  And beyond that, they were served with real Bleu Cheese Dressing!!  And the bleu cheese wasn't served in little cups.  It was served in a giant vat....again, ALL YOU CAN EAT!  A GIANT VAT, I tell ya!
Let's just say we nearly ruined our dinner.  Only we didn't.  I did what any man does when faced with a situation like this.  I loosened my belt and sucked it up.  
No, really.  I got a straw and sucked up the last of my blue cheese.  
Anyways, as I said, we had the late dinner seating on this cruise, so we actually had some time to digest our wings while watching the Golden Mickey's.  And then we headed to AP for dinner.  This was our first time ever having table companions other than family on a cruise.  I have to tell you, it was weird.  I'm a fairly sociable guy I think, but dining with strangers put a little bit of a lid on my exuberance, so to speak.  I didn't take pictures that first night.  The 3rd couple was doing Palo that night, so it was just us and another couple that wore coordinating clothing....really, his polo shirt was the exact same color as her dress.  Every night.  But that's none of my business.  
Anyways, I think the food was pretty decent but honestly, nothing else on that ship could compare to those wings.  
I'll leave it at that.  The next day was my birthday, and it happened to be an at sea day, and more importantly, we were scheduled to dine at Tiana's Place, and it was also Pirate Night!  
Coming up.....
 

We were always taught not to eat yellow snow.  Nobody said anything about green though.  

We were always taught not to eat yellow snow.  Nobody said anything about green though.  

We woke up to -2 this morning.  It's not the temp itself that bothers me, having lived my first 35 years in Buffalo, but below 0 in Tennessee is stupid.  And the horses are ticked off.  Charlie was stomping his foot this morning.  It took me a minute, but I finally figured out he was using Morse Code to tell me "let's move further south".     

You people can cry all you want, but Colston isn't coming back.  

Happy New Year!!
It's hard to believe 2017 is over, and 2018 is here.  For a variety of reasons, 2017 was a bit of a tough year around the DIT ranch.  I got off-line to focus on more important things.  We were incredibly busy at home, and at work.  But we did have some fun too, along the way.  And in looking back at my photos from 2017, I had to chuckle when I realized that INC and I made FIVE trips to central Florida during the year!  And for some unknown reason, despite my hatred for Disney, at least one of those trips involved a visit to see the Mouse.  
Maybe more than one.  
So I figured that maybe I'd share some of those pictures with you.  At least I'll try.  Hopefully life doesn't get in the way.  And hopefully the photo linking works for me.  I haven't tried that in a long time.  
Before I get going with the report, I'll test some photo posting....to see if the linking works, and to give you a hint of what's to come.  





 
I guess it works!!
So, I'll get writing.  And hopefully a few of you are interested.  Bear with me.  The first trip was nearly a year ago.  I need to get this old brain working and try to remember what was what.  
Coming up.....a Birthday Cruise on the Disney Wonder!!!!

Probably so.  Ok, it's not the beach at the Fort.  But it is coming up fairly soon in this report.  
I don't think the Mouse needs any help coming up with money making schemes.
Thanks Dave.
We really have enjoyed our visits there this year.
DVC at the Lodge would be pretty nice.  If you were into Disney, that is.  
Oh yes....that is always good.
I know.  I have a feeling I'll be helping out your family outfit a lot more this year too. 
Oh, there will be plenty of examples of why I hate Disney.  Isn't that already obvious?  

Trip Number One:  A Birthday Cruise on the Disney Wonder
So a little over a year ago, INC and I started to think about how to celebrate my birthday.  As it falls in the "dead" of winter, a trip to a warm locale sounded good.  We are blessed at this point to have adult children that can step in to watch the younglings on occasion, giving us a bit of a respite.  We love our girls, but a break now and then, especially from caring for Anna, is very welcome.  That kid is a handful...LOL. 
I had considered perhaps heading to the JW Marriott that we enjoy in Orlando, but there is no guarantee that the weather in February will be warm in central FL.  Warmer than Tennessee, for sure, but possibly not warm enough for relaxing in the sun poolside.  So my gears began turning in my head, or at least what is left of my gears, and I started to research cruise options.  We could not get away for more than 4 nights total, so it would have to be a short cruise.  And since I like to travel the day before embarking on a cruise in the event there are travel issues, that meant we could only book a 3 night cruise.  That seemed entirely too short.  Would it be worthwhile?  More to come on that.  
I quickly decided that DCL was a must.  We'd cruised on the Dream once previously (our first ever cruise), and then did a Royal Caribbean cruise with INC's family a couple of years after that.  RCCL was enjoyable, and when booking for a large family the price difference is a major factor.  However, for just the two of us, and such a short cruise, price became less of a factor.  So 2 DCL cruises jumped out as possibilities for our schedule....3 nighters on the Dream or on the Wonder.  Since we'd done the Dream before, and the Wonder has just recently been refurbished at that point, we decided that the Wonder sounded like a Winner, and booked the 3 nighter out of Canaveral.   
I used points to book flights on Southwest to MCO, arriving the day before we boarded the Wonder.  So what to do with our non-cruise night?  Well, the logical thing seemed to be booking a hotel at Cocoa Beach.  But logic was quickly thrown out the window when I realized we could stay at WDW!  And considering we could use DME to get to the hotel, and DCL cruise transports to get to the ship, it was somewhat logical.  Really, it was.  And we got a halfway decent rate at the Lodge, to boot, which happens to be my favorite WDW hotel.  
Enough backstory....let's get to some pics!  
Before heading to the airport in Nashville, we had some time to go out for breakfast at our favorite local diner that's just down the road from our house.  This was a birthday celebration after all!  So this called for a selfie.  (I apologize in advance....there may be several selfie's in this TR.  Deal with it.)  


I'm holding up the mug because the restaurant is called The Country Boy, and was founded in 1968.  The same as this country boy.  LOL.  
Oh, and I got one of those mugs from my oldest DD for my birthday.  
After breakfast we headed to BNA for our flight.  Jackpot!  The peanuts were Honey Roasted on this flight!  I find that you only win that lottery on around 25% of SW's flights, so this was getting off to a good start!

Southwest sends me way more drink coupons than I can ever use, so I put a couple of those to good use too. 

After a flight that was barely over 90 minutes long, we arrived at MCO and soon enough, were boarded onto our DEEEE-LUXE motorcoach for transit to the Wilderness Lodge!!

DME Selfie....

This was our first ever experience with DME, and overall it was great.  It certainly takes longer than Uber or renting a car, but not having to worry about any details, and being "free", was great.  Also, not having to get our own bags and drag them around was pretty cool.  
We arrived at the Lodge by mid-afternoon, and stopped for a Lobby selfie.  Yes, I know, too many selfies.  But I'm married to the most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes on, and I want to constantly document it in case I ever wake up.  

We checked in and went to our room, which was at the end of the "left hand" wing of the hotel, facing out toward the boat dock.  Since the Lodge was under some major construction at that time, including Roaring Fork being shut down, Geyser Point just having been completed, all the DVC work plus major work around the pool, we got this surprise when we entered our room.


Pretty cool!!
We settled into the room, then decided to head out to check out all the changes around the resort.  And there was one major change we were excited to see, that had literally just opened a couple of days prior.  Geyser Point!  
We'll head there in the next update....
 

Happy New Year!!
It's hard to believe 2017 is over, and 2018 is here.  For a variety of reasons, 2017 was a bit of a tough year around the DIT ranch.  I got off-line to focus on more important things.  We were incredibly busy at home, and at work.  But we did have some fun too, along the way.  And in looking back at my photos from 2017, I had to chuckle when I realized that INC and I made FIVE trips to central Florida during the year!  And for some unknown reason, despite my hatred for Disney, at least one of those trips involved a visit to see the Mouse.  
Maybe more than one.  
So I figured that maybe I'd share some of those pictures with you.  At least I'll try.  Hopefully life doesn't get in the way.  And hopefully the photo linking works for me.  I haven't tried that in a long time.  
Before I get going with the report, I'll test some photo posting....to see if the linking works, and to give you a hint of what's to come.  





 
I guess it works!!
So, I'll get writing.  And hopefully a few of you are interested.  Bear with me.  The first trip was nearly a year ago.  I need to get this old brain working and try to remember what was what.  
Coming up.....a Birthday Cruise on the Disney Wonder!!!!

Happy New Year!!
It's hard to believe 2017 is over, and 2018 is here.  For a variety of reasons, 2017 was a bit of a tough year around the DIT ranch.  I got off-line to focus on more important things.  We were incredibly busy at home, and at work.  But we did have some fun too, along the way.  And in looking back at my photos from 2017, I had to chuckle when I realized that INC and I made FIVE trips to central Florida during the year!  And for some unknown reason, despite my hatred for Disney, at least one of those trips involved a visit to see the Mouse.  
Maybe more than one.  
So I figured that maybe I'd share some of those pictures with you.  At least I'll try.  Hopefully life doesn't get in the way.  And hopefully the photo linking works for me.  I haven't tried that in a long time.  
Before I get going with the report, I'll test some photo posting....to see if the linking works, and to give you a hint of what's to come.  





 
I guess it works!!
So, I'll get writing.  And hopefully a few of you are interested.  Bear with me.  The first trip was nearly a year ago.  I need to get this old brain working and try to remember what was what.  
Coming up.....a Birthday Cruise on the Disney Wonder!!!!

Trip Number One:  A Birthday Cruise on the Disney Wonder
So a little over a year ago, INC and I started to think about how to celebrate my birthday.  As it falls in the "dead" of winter, a trip to a warm locale sounded good.  We are blessed at this point to have adult children that can step in to watch the younglings on occasion, giving us a bit of a respite.  We love our girls, but a break now and then, especially from caring for Anna, is very welcome.  That kid is a handful...LOL. 
I had considered perhaps heading to the JW Marriott that we enjoy in Orlando, but there is no guarantee that the weather in February will be warm in central FL.  Warmer than Tennessee, for sure, but possibly not warm enough for relaxing in the sun poolside.  So my gears began turning in my head, or at least what is left of my gears, and I started to research cruise options.  We could not get away for more than 4 nights total, so it would have to be a short cruise.  And since I like to travel the day before embarking on a cruise in the event there are travel issues, that meant we could only book a 3 night cruise.  That seemed entirely too short.  Would it be worthwhile?  More to come on that.  
I quickly decided that DCL was a must.  We'd cruised on the Dream once previously (our first ever cruise), and then did a Royal Caribbean cruise with INC's family a couple of years after that.  RCCL was enjoyable, and when booking for a large family the price difference is a major factor.  However, for just the two of us, and such a short cruise, price became less of a factor.  So 2 DCL cruises jumped out as possibilities for our schedule....3 nighters on the Dream or on the Wonder.  Since we'd done the Dream before, and the Wonder has just recently been refurbished at that point, we decided that the Wonder sounded like a Winner, and booked the 3 nighter out of Canaveral.   
I used points to book flights on Southwest to MCO, arriving the day before we boarded the Wonder.  So what to do with our non-cruise night?  Well, the logical thing seemed to be booking a hotel at Cocoa Beach.  But logic was quickly thrown out the window when I realized we could stay at WDW!  And considering we could use DME to get to the hotel, and DCL cruise transports to get to the ship, it was somewhat logical.  Really, it was.  And we got a halfway decent rate at the Lodge, to boot, which happens to be my favorite WDW hotel.  
Enough backstory....let's get to some pics!  
Before heading to the airport in Nashville, we had some time to go out for breakfast at our favorite local diner that's just down the road from our house.  This was a birthday celebration after all!  So this called for a selfie.  (I apologize in advance....there may be several selfie's in this TR.  Deal with it.)  


I'm holding up the mug because the restaurant is called The Country Boy, and was founded in 1968.  The same as this country boy.  LOL.  
Oh, and I got one of those mugs from my oldest DD for my birthday.  
After breakfast we headed to BNA for our flight.  Jackpot!  The peanuts were Honey Roasted on this flight!  I find that you only win that lottery on around 25% of SW's flights, so this was getting off to a good start!

Southwest sends me way more drink coupons than I can ever use, so I put a couple of those to good use too. 

After a flight that was barely over 90 minutes long, we arrived at MCO and soon enough, were boarded onto our DEEEE-LUXE motorcoach for transit to the Wilderness Lodge!!

DME Selfie....

This was our first ever experience with DME, and overall it was great.  It certainly takes longer than Uber or renting a car, but not having to worry about any details, and being "free", was great.  Also, not having to get our own bags and drag them around was pretty cool.  
We arrived at the Lodge by mid-afternoon, and stopped for a Lobby selfie.  Yes, I know, too many selfies.  But I'm married to the most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes on, and I want to constantly document it in case I ever wake up.  

We checked in and went to our room, which was at the end of the "left hand" wing of the hotel, facing out toward the boat dock.  Since the Lodge was under some major construction at that time, including Roaring Fork being shut down, Geyser Point just having been completed, all the DVC work plus major work around the pool, we got this surprise when we entered our room.


Pretty cool!!
We settled into the room, then decided to head out to check out all the changes around the resort.  And there was one major change we were excited to see, that had literally just opened a couple of days prior.  Geyser Point!  
We'll head there in the next update....
 

Happy New Year!!
It's hard to believe 2017 is over, and 2018 is here.  For a variety of reasons, 2017 was a bit of a tough year around the DIT ranch.  I got off-line to focus on more important things.  We were incredibly busy at home, and at work.  But we did have some fun too, along the way.  And in looking back at my photos from 2017, I had to chuckle when I realized that INC and I made FIVE trips to central Florida during the year!  And for some unknown reason, despite my hatred for Disney, at least one of those trips involved a visit to see the Mouse.  
Maybe more than one.  
So I figured that maybe I'd share some of those pictures with you.  At least I'll try.  Hopefully life doesn't get in the way.  And hopefully the photo linking works for me.  I haven't tried that in a long time.  
Before I get going with the report, I'll test some photo posting....to see if the linking works, and to give you a hint of what's to come.  





 
I guess it works!!
So, I'll get writing.  And hopefully a few of you are interested.  Bear with me.  The first trip was nearly a year ago.  I need to get this old brain working and try to remember what was what.  
Coming up.....a Birthday Cruise on the Disney Wonder!!!!

Happy New Year!!
It's hard to believe 2017 is over, and 2018 is here.  For a variety of reasons, 2017 was a bit of a tough year around the DIT ranch.  I got off-line to focus on more important things.  We were incredibly busy at home, and at work.  But we did have some fun too, along the way.  And in looking back at my photos from 2017, I had to chuckle when I realized that INC and I made FIVE trips to central Florida during the year!  And for some unknown reason, despite my hatred for Disney, at least one of those trips involved a visit to see the Mouse.  
Maybe more than one.  
So I figured that maybe I'd share some of those pictures with you.  At least I'll try.  Hopefully life doesn't get in the way.  And hopefully the photo linking works for me.  I haven't tried that in a long time.  
Before I get going with the report, I'll test some photo posting....to see if the linking works, and to give you a hint of what's to come.  





 
I guess it works!!
So, I'll get writing.  And hopefully a few of you are interested.  Bear with me.  The first trip was nearly a year ago.  I need to get this old brain working and try to remember what was what.  
Coming up.....a Birthday Cruise on the Disney Wonder!!!!

Happy New Year!!
It's hard to believe 2017 is over, and 2018 is here.  For a variety of reasons, 2017 was a bit of a tough year around the DIT ranch.  I got off-line to focus on more important things.  We were incredibly busy at home, and at work.  But we did have some fun too, along the way.  And in looking back at my photos from 2017, I had to chuckle when I realized that INC and I made FIVE trips to central Florida during the year!  And for some unknown reason, despite my hatred for Disney, at least one of those trips involved a visit to see the Mouse.  
Maybe more than one.  
So I figured that maybe I'd share some of those pictures with you.  At least I'll try.  Hopefully life doesn't get in the way.  And hopefully the photo linking works for me.  I haven't tried that in a long time.  
Before I get going with the report, I'll test some photo posting....to see if the linking works, and to give you a hint of what's to come.  





 
I guess it works!!
So, I'll get writing.  And hopefully a few of you are interested.  Bear with me.  The first trip was nearly a year ago.  I need to get this old brain working and try to remember what was what.  
Coming up.....a Birthday Cruise on the Disney Wonder!!!!

You people can cry all you want, but Colston isn't coming back.  

You people can cry all you want, but Colston isn't coming back.  

Bottom line is that it's a free market; Disney can do what they want with their assets within the confines of the law, and we can spend our dollars how we best perceive the return for our families lies.  I haven't been inside a WDW park since our Christmas 2014 trip, and I don't see the parks holding enough value for me to bring my family back until possibly SW land opens, and then I'm not even sure as we just don't do well with huge crowds.  But the Fort still provides enough value to be worth my money, at least once a year or so.  We all are blessed to be in that position of deciding how we spend our money.  If anyone disagrees with the direction management is taking Disney World, vote with your dollars.    

Why not just move it over to International Drive into a Shoney's?  Throw some characters into Shoney's and no one could tell the difference.