The Trip Cut Short but Thank Goodness Everything’s OK Trip Report

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Oh, and I meant to say that the photos are outstanding!

 

What kind of camera did Ray get?

 

TCD

[WannaBeImagineer 98]

Great report!

I'm curious to hear about Universal, I haven't been in years. Also are yall DVC owners I was wondering about using or buying points for Aulani but I can wait till you post that teip report.

I hope you visited Jellyrolls on the boardwalk. That is mine and my wife's favorite place to party at Disney when the kids are not with us (which isn't very often). They don't advertise this place much and many people don't know about it. This dueling piano bar has had the same entertainers here for years and your guaranteed to have a good time. I can't even imagine what the rates on your room was. I looked for rooms last week and saw them for over $600 a night...ouch. Gotta love camping :)

We're huge fans of Jellyrolls too! We've been going there for years and always have a blast! I always recommend it but you're right most people haven't heard of it.

WBI

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

The problem with Jellyrolls is, it's hard to get back to your resort from there at closing. Yes, there is bus service, and they WILL get everyone back, but it's convoluted. Especially after 1am.

 

PI was the better night time hangout because of direct bus service back to the resorts.

 

I've only been to Jellyrolls once, and it was a blast, but the trip to get back to my resort made it not worth it on a regular basis.  (And I WILL use the buses if I've had a few drinks, not driving, sorry).

[alexwyattmommy 181]

Like both Annie and Yvonne's dentist said....that girl is from Shake It Up.  That show is one of the reasons we got rid of our cable a couple years back.  

 

Your view is awesome....imagine being able to watch both fireworks from one balcony!  Nice.  

 

snort

[Starbuc71 162]

The problem with Jellyrolls is, it's hard to get back to your resort from there at closing. Yes, there is bus service, and they WILL get everyone back, but it's convoluted. Especially after 1am.

 

PI was the better night time hangout because of direct bus service back to the resorts.

 

I've only been to Jellyrolls once, and it was a blast, but the trip to get back to my resort made it not worth it on a regular basis.  (And I WILL use the buses if I've had a few drinks, not driving, sorry).

We have always had a DD on all our jellyrolls trips so transportation was never an issue

[AC in A2......Aaron 693]

I'm in. Looking forward to more.

What an outstanding view. DW and I love the Boardwalk.

Never stayed there though.

[WannaBeImagineer 98]

The problem with Jellyrolls is, it's hard to get back to your resort from there at closing. Yes, there is bus service, and they WILL get everyone back, but it's convoluted. Especially after 1am.

PI was the better night time hangout because of direct bus service back to the resorts.

I've only been to Jellyrolls once, and it was a blast, but the trip to get back to my resort made it not worth it on a regular basis. (And I WILL use the buses if I've had a few drinks, not driving, sorry).

After doing the connecting buses thing to DD once we started taking a taxi. It only cost $7 to $10 and after a late night it was well worth it.

Oh and a couple times when there wasn't a taxi out front there was a bus waiting that asked us what resort we needed to get to and he took us straight there! That was service!

WBI

[lklasing 16]

I'm in.   :pc:

 

Glad to have you!

 

The red headed girl in the red shirt is from Shake It Up.  Don't ask.  

 

The pictures are really good.  Does he like his camera?

 

Cool.  I won't ask about how you know Shake it up so well!  :)  And yes, Ray loves the camera!

 

According to my dds her name is Bella Thorne.

 

Looked her up - that's her for sure!  I had thought the toboggan girl was someone too but can't figure her out.

 

Yay! :jumpforjoy:  I am all in!

 

 

Beautiful view!!  That would have been a great TR name for sure!  But I have a feeling this story is going to get more ingteresting than it already is.

 

 

You look as lovely as ever! 

 

Hey Kim!  Glad to see you!  I loved seeing you and the other WW having so much fun on y'all's trip!  One day I'll make it for one of those trips...

 

I hope you visited Jellyrolls on the boardwalk. That is mine and my wife's favorite place to party at Disney when the kids are not with us (which isn't very often). They don't advertise this place much and many people don't know about it. This dueling piano bar has had the same entertainers here for years and your guaranteed to have a good time. I can't even imagine what the rates on your room was. I looked for rooms last week and saw them for over $600 a night...ouch. Gotta love camping :)

 

I totally intended to make it to Jellyrolls this time.  I ran by it on my run on Tuesday and really wanted to go.  But, that definitely wasn't in the cards this trip.

 

You're right about the expense for BW, but thankfully we bought into DVC a couple of years ago.  Using that, we were able to stay on points that were already paid for.  No way we could shell out that kind of $ on a nightly basis.  Crazy thing though - the room we had this trip with that awesome view used exactly the same number of points as this beautiful view from last year.

 

 

Granted, the pool was closed and under construction last year, but it's crazy to me that those two views are the same number of points.

[lklasing 16]

Like both Annie and Yvonne's dentist said....that girl is from Shake It Up.  That show is one of the reasons we got rid of our cable a couple years back.  

 

Your view is awesome....imagine being able to watch both fireworks from one balcony!  Nice.  

 

Yup.  That was very cool!

 

That's a fuel boat. They use it to bring gas to all of the boats that they use around Epcot.  There are similar boats that travel around Bay Lake and the Seven Seas Lagoon.

 

 

I agree.  It's been a while since I've been to Jellyrolls, but it is a very fun place.  Much more fun than it sounds.

 

TCD

 

Thanks for the info about the boat.  It definitely looked like it was loaded with something important.  I had thought maybe it worked the fireworks somehow but toting fuel makes more sense.

 

Oh, and I meant to say that the photos are outstanding!

 

What kind of camera did Ray get?

 

TCD

 

Thanks!  He got a Canon EOS Rebel T5i.  I know less than nothing about camera, other than to know that he seems to really be enjoying it.  He used to be very much into photography, having a dark room and everything back in the old film days, so he is having fun getting back into it with this camera.  This trip was his first opportunity to really take some pictures.

 

Great report!

I'm curious to hear about Universal, I haven't been in years. Also are yall DVC owners I was wondering about using or buying points for Aulani but I can wait till you post that teip report.

We're huge fans of Jellyrolls too! We've been going there for years and always have a blast! I always recommend it but you're right most people haven't heard of it.

WBI

 

Thanks, WBI!  As noted above, we are DVC owners.  It has made our WDW trips a lot more frequent and less difficult to bear financially for each one.  It has also resulted in us trying different resorts than we had before, including Aulani!  :)

 

The problem with Jellyrolls is, it's hard to get back to your resort from there at closing. Yes, there is bus service, and they WILL get everyone back, but it's convoluted. Especially after 1am.

 

PI was the better night time hangout because of direct bus service back to the resorts.

 

I've only been to Jellyrolls once, and it was a blast, but the trip to get back to my resort made it not worth it on a regular basis.  (And I WILL use the buses if I've had a few drinks, not driving, sorry).

 

Next time we are there, especially at BW, we will definitely have to try Jellyrolls!

 

snort

 

:hah:

 

We have always had a DD on all our jellyrolls trips so transportation was never an issue

 

Smart plan!

 

I'm in. Looking forward to more.

What an outstanding view. DW and I love the Boardwalk.

Never stayed there though.

 

Thanks!  Glad you're here!

 

After doing the connecting buses thing to DD once we started taking a taxi. It only cost $7 to $10 and after a late night it was well worth it.

Oh and a couple times when there wasn't a taxi out front there was a bus waiting that asked us what resort we needed to get to and he took us straight there! That was service!

WBI

 

I love it when things like that happen.  Good Disney stuff.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

 

Thanks!  He got a Canon EOS Rebel T5i.  I know less than nothing about camera, other than to know that he seems to really be enjoying it.  He used to be very much into photography, having a dark room and everything back in the old film days, so he is having fun getting back into it with this camera.  This trip was his first opportunity to really take some pictures.

 

 

Thanks for sharing that.

 

TCD Twin #1 is quite the photographer, and has an older, less fancy Canon EOS Rebel.  We are looking at a new camera for her, and will probably be going with another Canon.  This one y'all are using on this trip takes great photos!

 

TCD

[Laura 17]

Also good to stick with Canon so she can use lenses from the old camera

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Also good to stick with Canon so she can use lenses from the old camera

 

That is definitely a factor in the decision. 

 

TCD

[lklasing 16]

Thanks for sharing that.

 

TCD Twin #1 is quite the photographer, and has an older, less fancy Canon EOS Rebel.  We are looking at a new camera for her, and will probably be going with another Canon.  This one y'all are using on this trip takes great photos!

 

TCD

 

Ray really loves it.  It's pretty easy to use, too (as evidenced by the fact that I successfully took several pictures myself).  Note - the pics that I'm about to post from Universal are with my old camera - it was rainy and we didn't want to take his new one.

 

Also good to stick with Canon so she can use lenses from the old camera

 

Yup!

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Thanks!  He got a Canon EOS Rebel T5i.  I know less than nothing about camera, other than to know that he seems to really be enjoying it.  He used to be very much into photography, having a dark room and everything back in the old film days, so he is having fun getting back into it with this camera.  This trip was his first opportunity to really take some pictures.

 

Funny, Jason just got a T5i too! He previously had an older Rebel. He was hoping to use it at Disney, but it rained the whole time. I do have some good Hoop Dee Doo Review pictures from it, but that's it. 

[lklasing 16]

Last entry!

 

On Wednesday, we got up early to head to Universal!  I had been last year over spring break, but Ray had never been.  I really wanted to take him, but he was definitely wary about leaving the Disney bubble.  But, he trusted me (either that, or I didn’t give him any option), so off we went!

 

The weather wasn’t nearly as good today – high of about 50 and intermittent rain and wind.  But, it was definitely so much better than the weather at home, so no complaining here!

 

 

We started with Islands of Adventure, where we found a wait of only 10 minutes for Forbidden Journey!  Of course, that’s where we started and Ray loved it.  We next went on Dueling Dragons, which really kicked Ray’s butt.  Turns out, he loves roller coasters, but isn’t crazy about that crazy of a coaster. But, he survived and we made our way around the rest of the park.

 

 

 

We both loved Spiderman, and then I rode Hulk single rider.  It was so quick that Ray was really surprised when I made it back as quickly as I did. 

 

IOA really didn’t have much else we were interested in doing.  I’m sure we missed some great attractions, but we wanted to go to the other park (Universal Studios? Is that the name?  That seems like that is the name of the whole place rather than just one of the parks), so we headed on out and across to the other park, whatever the name is.

 

This was my first time to this park, and of course Ray’s first time too, and we both loved it so much more than IOA.  IOA has the Harry Potter area, which is truly beyond compare on theming, etc., but other than that, IOA doesn’t do much for either one of us.  But Universal (or whatever-the-name-is) was great! We loved the Simpsons area and ride (Ray and I love the Simpsons!), Men in Black, and I absolutely loved Rip Ride Rockit (Ray wisely stayed grounded for that one).  We got to watch the Blues Brothers put on a great show in an alleyway and grabbed lunch at the Irish place, and then headed back to the Boardwalk.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And with that shot of the Blues Brothers, my fiends, that is the last of the pics I have from our trip to Orlando.  By the time we got back to the Boardwalk, it just became clear that between work and home, the winter storm had wrecked enough havoc and we needed to get back.  We would have even tried to get back on Wednesday but no planes took off or landed at our airport that day, and no one could travel by car anyway.  But by Thursday, we knew the temp was supposed to warm up and we would be able to make it home.  So we rebooked our flight and went home Thursday morning.

 

Just to give y’all a taste of what was going on at home, the storm took everyone by complete surprise.  The weathermen just missed it completely.  Everyone went to work and school on Tuesday, assured that there would only be that “dusting” referenced in the pic I included in my first entry.  So, when the snow began to fall around 10:00, everyone thought that was what was happening.  But within a half hour of the first snowflake, it was bad – sticking to roadways and sending cars into ditches and other cars.  By all accounts, it happened in the blink of an eye.  They announced around 10:30 that schools would close at 10:45, but by then, it was already too late.  Cars couldn’t drive anywhere successfully.  Kids slept at school, babies stayed at their daycares, and workers slept at the office.  Others stayed in the homes of generous strangers or with strangers in hotels.  My sister-in-law spent over 20 hours in her car stuck on the interstate.  The lucky ones were able to abandon their cars and make it home on foot.  Here are a couple of pics of the highway Ray and I travel every day heading to and from work:

 

 

 

A friend’s neighborhood:

 

 

Do y’all remember Claire and Kate?  They went with Jodi and I to WDW last spring break.  Thankfully, they live right by the school my girls go to and thankfully they were willing to open their home to my girls along with 7 other high school girls who made their way there.  There was no way my cousin could make it to my house so Danielle and Jodi stayed with Claire and other nearby friends for the two nights until we could get home.  I will be eternally indebted to Kate and her husband and all the others who helped so much until we made it back (including my next door neighbor, who took care of my two big dogs that I had just left outside that day, not knowing what would happen!).

 

Thankfully, once everyone was somewhere safe, they were able to have some fun.

 

 

 

 

Some of you will recognize extra girls in this pic.  In addition to my two girls, Claire (from last spring break) and Michelle (from a TR from 2011-ish) are there.  I just love that these girls have stayed friends through the years!

 

 

By the time we made it home on Thursday, there was a good bit of mess still left from abandoned cars, etc., but life quickly got back to normal.  And this weekend, just a few days after the snow fell, I wore sandals and everyone enjoyed some nice sunny skies and much warmer weather.

 

So, there you have it!  A quick report of an unexpectedly short trip.  I’m glad we went, but I’m so glad we came home when we did.  It was definitely the right call.  And thankfully, we will definitely be back to WDW hopefully before too long!

 

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Thanks for sharing that.

 

TCD Twin #1 is quite the photographer, and has an older, less fancy Canon EOS Rebel.  We are looking at a new camera for her, and will probably be going with another Canon.  This one y'all are using on this trip takes great photos!

 

TCD

 

You can find some excellent deals on them that will really save you money. Message me before you buy and I'll find out where Jason got his. He loves it. 

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Glad you did the report, even though it was a short trip, and especially glad you made it home safe! 

 

Someday we need to make it over to those other parks, but I have a boy who loves roller coasters and is too short to ride those, so it wouldn't be a good experience for us yet. 

[DaveInTN 3,247]

That's the same Canon that my DD16 bought in December.  It also has excellent video capabilities.  

 

Sorry your trip was cut short, but glad everyone was safe back home.  

[PureTcrazy...rita 380]

Love all the pictures and glad y'all got at least a short trip with a great view! I'm also thankful that your girls were safe and sound in such a bad situation.

[dvccamper 32]

Too bad you had to cut the trip short but glad you got home safely and everyone was okay. I would have done the same thing.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Wow.  You have a very good attitude about all this!  It's good that you kept everything in perspective.

 

You and Ray deserve a do-over trip.

 

Thanks for sharing this report.

 

TCD

[AC in A2......Aaron 693]

Another great report!

Thank God for great friends and neighbors.

[lklasing 16]

Glad you did the report, even though it was a short trip, and especially glad you made it home safe! 

 

Someday we need to make it over to those other parks, but I have a boy who loves roller coasters and is too short to ride those, so it wouldn't be a good experience for us yet. 

 

Wait until he is tall enough and a real adventure rider - the coasters over there are serious, but fun!

 

Enjoying your TR!  Glad y'all made it down safely!

 

That's the same Canon that my DD16 bought in December.  It also has excellent video capabilities.  

 

Sorry your trip was cut short, but glad everyone was safe back home.  

 

Thanks - me too!

 

Love all the pictures and glad y'all got at least a short trip with a great view! I'm also thankful that your girls were safe and sound in such a bad situation.

 

Yup - a short trip is better than none!  Thanks for reading.

 

Too bad you had to cut the trip short but glad you got home safely and everyone was okay. I would have done the same thing.

 

It really was an easy decision.  And definitely the right one.

 

Wow.  You have a very good attitude about all this!  It's good that you kept everything in perspective.

 

You and Ray deserve a do-over trip.

 

Thanks for sharing this report.

 

TCD

 

I'm definitely trying to figure out when the do-over may be.  Even though this was short, it burned a fair amount of the money I had set aside for this trip, but I'm already scheming for the next one!

 

Another great report!

Thank God for great friends and neighbors.

 

You got that right!

 

Thanks to everyone for reading!  :)

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

Great TR. awesome pix. Thank goodness for great friends. Glad everyone was ok. When are you going to use your unused points for a do over trip?

[lklasing 16]

Well, the sad thing is that we lost those points. Once we checked in, they were all deemed used. So even though we left, that fabulous room with that fabulous view sat unused from Thursday through Sunday, and the points are gone.

We've still got some points we can use for a trip this year or next, but I've got to save some cash before we can get back down there.

My next trip on the horizon is now Desoto next month - I really can't wait! Here's hoping for good weather.