Sheri Niklewski - Thanksgiving - November 20-26, 2012 - Offsite - Ramada Gateway

The Niklewskis Give Thanks

Turkey #1 - Sheri - age 50
Turkey #2 - Rich - age 52

We live northeast of downtown Atlanta, Georgia

Dates - a little longer than the normal Thanksgiving weekend - Tuesday, November 20 - Monday, November 26, 2012

"Resort" - Offsite - sigh, Ramada Gateway Kissimmee (7470 Irlo Bronson Highway)

Experience - Very experienced - somewhere around 60 or so trips

Introduction

I love going to Disney World for the Thanksgiving weekend but gave it up last year to visit Rich's mother in Maryland since it was the first holiday without my wonderful father-in-law, Ed. Even though my son and his family were there, I didn't have a great time. In fact, my daughter-in-law was texting me to get my butt up to Maryland as fast as possible before Rich and I were even out of North Carolina! Love my son and his family, love my mother-in-law but the rest of the family, eh, not so much. So, until my sister-in-law decides to become normal again, I'm avoiding going north for any holiday. That will probably be when hell freezes over.

Because of last year, I put my little 5-1/2 size foot down and said not only were we going to Disney World for this Thanksgiving, we were both taking off work the Wednesday before and the Monday after the four day weekend. I know Atlanta traffic is bad on any normal given day but driving anywhere that Sunday after Thanksgiving is worse than going through a holiday with my sister-in-law. Rich really didn't have much say as I just kept mentioning his sister's name. Really, who the heck brings a newt and a black widow spider over for Thanksgiving? I kid you not. But, back to the report.

Resort

We're staying offsite this time since Disney does not give out discounts during a holiday period and I'll be darned if I'm paying rack rate. We've stayed at the Ramada Maingate before and we're fine with things. I used Rich's Geezer Rate (AARP) but upgraded us from our usual fabulous parking lot view all the way up to. the next category of courtyard/pool view. There's also a tower view but Rich has this aversion to actually walking through a lobby to get to our room. He thinks the front desk people are looking for contraband or something. The rate is a very comfortable $48.80 plus $152 in taxes each night. Oh wait, no, it just seems that way. Add on another 13% for taxes. Jeez.

The Ramada is on the west side of I4 and there is a traffic light to get in and out of the place. It's a bit congested to get to Disney World from the side road but kind hearted people usually will let us out. Well, if I gently suggest to Rich to just stick Maxx's (the car) nose out a bit. I will mention Rich is the most milquetoast person when it comes to driving. Oh, he'll cuss out a driver but I'm more Tony Stewart and he's more the old guy who can barely see over the steering wheel and oblivious to the traffic stacking up behind him. You know, the people you seem to get behind when you are in a hurry. So I'm sure most mornings, I'll be saying "just go, they will let you out" and he'll sit there and wait for a big opening. Then after getting on the side road, we can to the left and up Sherberth Road to avoid World Drive.

The hotel also has two pools and a miniature golf course. It's a fairly large size complex and has a security guard so things should be fine. Although after our All Star Sports fiasco over Labor Day when there were extremely loud groups in the pool until 2:00 AM, I'm not sure I want the courtyard/pool view. I guess we'll see what happens when we are there but if pool rules are posted and people don't follow them, I will be really upset.

Meals

As is my custom, I made a lunch dining reservation for us for our Thanksgiving meal. On Friday. Thanksgiving is really one of my favorite holidays because I think humans need that gentle nudge to remember the people and things they should be thankful for. But let's face it, Thanksgiving dinner at Disney World can take more planning than the D-Day Invasion. And since I'm on vacation and relaxing, I just go for lunch the next day and it works. I have been trying to angle getting back to Chefs de France but Rich thinks the only thing there for him is a quiche and, well, Rich ain't a quiche kinda guy. I had him convinced to try it again with Remy and made a reservation for Saturday (Friday didn't have good times). He kept saying Rose and Crown would be great and darn it if a reservation didn't open up for Friday at 2:30 so that's where we are going.

All other meals will be counter service or offsite. With Rich's Old Folk Rate at Denny's, we will more than likely be there some night. And I'm sure there will be a Flipper's pizza delivered at some point.

Touring

We'll be at Disney World for four and a half days so our usual modus operandi is to visit a park once we get up and going and then switch over to Epcot for the rest of our day. I think we are actually going to make it over to Magic Kingdom this trip if to do nothing but just see the new Fantasyland stuff. We've also talked for years about getting a jet ski for an hour or so but we'll see about that. Rich can't really make any plans more than a day ahead of time so things will flesh out once we are there. We also have to factor in the weather which could be anything.

We renewed our Annual passports over Labor Day weekend. We don't have to pay for parking at the parks but I'm sure we will have interesting stories about all that. I've found what usually happens is we will get put allllllllllllllllllllllllllllll the way at the far end of a row. Or, there will be plenty of parking in one section but we'll get sent to an area in Pennsylvania. I haven't been on a Disney World tram in years and I highly doubt that will change with this trip. Rich and I agree that the day guest mentality is way too much for us to handle on certain occasions so we will usually walk to the front of a park. I am going to suggest we utilize the Epcot parking lot as much as possible since I know we will end up there at the end of every evening.

A Slight Change After Months of Discussion

Months ago, I suggested to Rich that we do our normal thing of leaving for the trip the night before after we're both home from work. We usually will get to Valdosta, about halfway between here and Disney World so it cuts down on the drive. Rich emphatically said no. Actually he said NO! I left it alone and then countered with going to Perry, GA which is just south of Macon so we'd only be driving a little over two hours Tuesday night. He still said no. Not as loudly and not as emphatically but it was still no. I tried again the week before the trip and finally by Friday, had him saying "check into it." The reason for Rich not wanting to leave Tuesday night is he doesn't get home from work until 5:30 at the earliest and that's after having to drive a very congested main artery home. Plus, the side road he uses from that artery is being repaved so he has to take alternative routes. It's not a pretty sight. I also finally got it out of him that he was concerned with the cost of an extra night. So, I knew I had to get something not too far away and for a decent price. I ended up with an AARP (love that we are considered "seniors" at the ripe old age of 50 - I still have at least 35 more years in me!) rate of $34 at a Knights Inn in Perry. Including taxes, the stay will be less than $40. I'm not a fan of Knights Inn but I'm sucking it up just to get the heck out of Atlanta before the Wednesday traffic hits.

Day One Tuesday, November 20, 2012

My Thankful Thought Im thankful I have a job, while challenging, is one I enjoy. I have a fantastic boss, wonderful co-workers and a very nice work environment. My company is a growing one which is very comforting in these economic times.

For once before a Disney trip, I was not in any hurry to leave work to get home for the drive. I knew we could leave at 7:00 PM and still arrive in Perry well before fatigue set in. So the day was a calm one. I left at my normal 4:30 and was home before 5:15 which wasnt bad. It did help that schools were out this entire week so most people had fled the city Friday evening (that commute was horrible). While I was waiting for Rich to arrive, I put as much into Maxx as I could and gave fresh water and more food to the cats. They would have our cat sitter, Kat (seriously, that is her name) come in for the duration of our absence. We do miss our fur-babies a lot. Once Rich was home around 5:45 or so, he did the litter boxes and we were pulling out of the driveway at 6:08. Way too detailed on the time there but Im just used to doing that for our departure time.

My decision to leave today was a brilliant one (Rich admitted this later). There was almost no slow downs, no stop and goes, nothing unusual. After our traditional rest stop outside of Macon, we were at the Knights Inn, went to Wendy's for dinner for take-out and were back in the room before 9:00.

Im trying to make this report positive and I will say the Knights Inn had a very good check-in person and we had two beds, four walls and a roof over our heads. I will also say that we watched NCIS: Los Angeles and Covert Affairs before turning in at 11:00 PM. All in all, a very nice and relaxing way to start our vacation (as long as I didn't look around the room all that much).

Day Two Wednesday, November 21, 2012

My Thankful Thought Im thankful I have the most wonderful husband in the world who lets me be who I am. Hes my best friend and Im his. We share everything. I think thats the perfect recipe for a marriage.

The alarm went off at 7:00 AM and we were pulling out of the gas station shortly after 8:00. We picked up some of the continental breakfast options at the Knights Inn which were prepacked pastries. We could have made off with everything as no one was manning the lobby so I just left the room keys on the desk and we absconded with our goodies which lasted quite a while since Rich loaded up. Maybe we made up for our bad stay with breakfast pastries.

The drive down I75 was utterly boring with a switch of drivers for the Florida border to Ocala section. Other than laughing at a smart car again and comparing it to a Matchbox car, I really want to forget that mind numbing five hours of my life. Although Rich did come up with a new acronym FOP Fear of Passing. Those were the drivers on the Turnpike who would have to pass an eighteen wheel truck and slow down until they completed the pass and then speed back up once cleared. That was our driving excitement for the day.

Once we were on Disney property, there was a stench from the landfill or whatever is back there on Western Drive. It was horrible. Worse than cow manure. Rich said "well, didn't the Food & Wine Festival just end? They probably had a lot of waste to get rid of." Fortunately, the air had cleared by the time we made it to Buena Vista Drive. Just hope the folks staying at Coronado Springs had the wind going the other way.

Rich had set up a 5:15 meet with two guys from one of his companys suppliers. This was to be at the Bahama Breeze on 535 so we only had a few hours which made the decision on where to go fairly easy. We were pulling into Epcots parking lot somewhere around 1:30.

Of course we were directed allllllllllllllll the way to one end of the parking row, the end the farthest from the tram but that was fine as we were next to the left walkway so we headed there. The people who parked next to us were going towards the tram when the father or grandfather (never can tell these days) said maybe these people know something we dont. I said we just walk and the guy said seems to be the thing to do so they followed us up to Epcot.

We figured wed just do a couple of walks around World Showcase but I suggested we go over towards Test Track to see if maybe there were some sneak peeks going with the opening date of December 6th coming up. On the way, we saw Mission:Space FastPasses were available for 3:40-4:40 which would work before the meet so we grabbed a couple of those. Although we were so dismayed to see the time had moved to 3:50-4:50. Ten whole minutes in the time to walk up to get the passes. I think we'll live, though.

Test Track was still buttoned up so no pixie dust for us there.

We stopped at the gift kiosk next to the Agent P Adventure since there was some Phineas and Ferb merchandise. Rich remarked that we might be the only 50ish year olds with no kids at home who love this show. Our grandson, Mitchell, introduced us to this a few years ago and we do watch it ourselves on occasion. And I finally found the Agent P pin! That's a must for me before we leave (never did get it).

Then we started out for our two walks around the World. We did the counterclockwise route first with Rich picking up a beer at Promenade Refreshments and me a wine in France. I stopped in at the Heritage Manor Gift Shop in America and sadly saw the Presidential trivia is totally gone. The blackboard has been replaced by photos. Sigh. I guess Epcot can't be used for education anymore. Although I still think it's because some kid didn't get the answer right and cried.

Rich wanted another beer at the Fife and Drum kiosk and queued up there but turned around with a huge look of disbelief. His precious Bud Light is now $6.50 back here! The same thing was only $6.00 at Promenade Refreshments! And all this after I had to endure the whole "it used to be $5.50" stuff. I told Rich to ask the Cast Member about the different but he said it best "if I say anything, they'll just raise the price at the other place!"

We saw there was some sort of new drinking place in Germany called Prost. Not sure if it's just for the holidays but there were 6 oz. wines for reasonable prices so I'll have to check that out on another visit. And I'm sure we will be at Epcot every day so no worries there.

A snack of some sort was in order and Rich decided on ice cream so he stopped at the Outpost Refreshment for that and I joined him for the treat. We both got swirl cones and enjoyed very much as we don't eat ice cream all that often. Rich thought his last cone was about two years ago.

I picked up another wine in Norway and I think Norwegians need to understand what white Zinfandel means as I always have to point to the bottle. Rich chuckled off to the side. From that point on, I ordered Chardonnay which was understood quite well. Probably because that glass was $1 more than white Zinfandel. I guess you can tell I'm very cheap.

Once we reached Future World again, we heard Off Kilter performing so went over there and did our new normal. I went to a bench while Rich stood and watched the band. I don't have to see the guys anymore, I can sit and look out over the lagoon and enjoy the music. And that's what I did. It was a beautiful day, I was at peace, the music is going and all was right with the world. Extremely nice moment for me.

We still had time before our Mission:Space FastPass time so we walked around the lagoon again, this time going clockwise. We didn't see anything really all that different and saw Off Kilter again at the end of the walk. By this time, our FastPass window had opened so we went to see Gary Sinise. Oh, and to do the attraction as well.

Our training unit had two female first timers who were part of a larger group in other units. Those two women had no idea of anything so it was kind of nice to see that innocence since we've gone to Mars so many times. One of the women was very concerned with hitting her buttons at the right time. No way was I going to ruin anything by telling her the mission would still work even if no one was sitting in that seat. But a good trip and we completed our training successfully.

During the walks around the Showcase, I asked Rich if he knew how to get to Bahama Breeze and he said "I thought you knew". Crap - I thought I did but wasn't sure so we had to pull out the phones and try to figure it all out. I finally was able to get the directions and was sure I knew how to get there. It was time to go for the meet so off we went for our adventure. Should be easy, right? Go out to I4, get off at exit 68, go to the right and do a U-turn and come back since it was on the other side. Right? Nope.

What we should have done was come off exit 68 and continued straight. I misread my navigator. So we went to the right onto 535, decided it was wrong (after a couple of miles), turned around, came back and finally saw Bahama Breeze and.. went right by it since we couldn't see where to turn into it. So we had to turn around again and come back. All I can say is the traffic was worse than anything we have seen in the Atlanta area. Long lights, lots and lots and lots and lots of cars. It was, to put it mildly, a freaking mess. But we made it shortly before 5:15. Whew. I wasn't driving but felt like I had won a battle.

Dave and John weren't there yet and Rich thought they would have re-confirmed the meet but hadn't so we weren't really 100% sure this was going to happen. Rich didn't have Dave's cell phone number either so there wasn't much we could do. We waited a bit in the lobby and then Rich finally gave into my suggestion to sit at the bar so we wouldn't look like we were losers. Just as we were walking up the stairs to the bar area, Rich's phone rang. Dave and John were stuck in the same traffic we just endured but were a mile away so they would be there soon.

Rich and I ordered drinks and shortly after Dave and John arrived. We had met Dave two years ago (at this same Bahama Breeze) but hadn't met John before. Rich talks to both of them on the phone all the time, though. Dave ordered a ton of appetizers - onion rings, tomato flatbread, Jamaican wings, and spinach dip. John is a vegetarian or I think there would have been more meat in there. I had one onion ring (which was huge) and the guys demolished the rest. Dave also insisted we have three rounds of drinks which was my downfall. Very good time, very good conversation, very good food and drink (which Dave paid for - very nice perk for Rich). The nice thing was even though this was a work meeting, the talk didn't center on work all that much.

We finally left after about an hour and a half to go to the Ramada Maingate. Check in was painless this late and we were in room 261 with a non parking lot view. It definitely was not a courtyard view. I won't be upgrading from a parking lot view anytime in the future. The wines were getting to me so Rich was a wonderful husband and did all the unloading of things while I stayed in the room and unpacked.

One thing I did was to set up all our electronic gear. Rich had his work laptop (just in case we got stranded but it's really because he wanted to play his Addiction Solitaire in the morning), I had my laptop for this glorious report, we both have smart phones, I have a video camera, I have a still camera. I bring an extension cord and a power strip for all our trips now and set things up at the table or desk and it's available for when we need to plug things in. Ramada really lost points as they don't have an outlet at the table! Thank goodness for my long extension cord so I could stretch it from over near the refrigerator.

It was only 8:30 but I had enough of the day (and wine) so I just took out the contacts and went to bed. Rich stayed up to watch TV as he couldn't really read anything since the light on his side of the bed was out. More on that later.

Day Three - Thursday, November 22, 2012 - Happy Thanksgiving!!!

My Thankful Thought - I am thankful for my truly fantastic son. He is the reason I know I have served a purpose in life. Knowing that I had a part in putting such a great person on this earth is something to be extremely thankful for.

The day didn't start very well as there was a kid outside at six freaking thirty in the flipping morning just yelling his head off. Well, maybe he was just doing kid talk but it sounded loud enough. Then another kid joined in and by 7:30, I had enough and opened the door. It turned out to be our neighbor kids, about age 3 and 5 just playing outside their room. I guess their parents didn't want to be bothered by the kids INside the room so they kicked them out. I was very proud of myself and just calmly asked them to keep it down as it was 7:30 AM and people were still sleeping. They either went inside or just didn't talk after that.

Rant mode - I grew up camping. We would take our trailer out about once every month so I know campgrounds and all of them have quiet hours. That's how I grew up so my thinking is the hours between 10 or 11 PM and 8 AM should be sacred and quiet as possible. Lower than normal volume should be used when talking outside and certainly not yelling down the hallway or across a courtyard. And don't get me started on people who start their lawnmowers before 8:00 AM. Rant off.

The sleep was really broken but Rich was able to catch a few more zzz's while I stayed in bed until about 8:30 or so. Since I had such an early night yesterday, I felt fine and dandy. As we would each morning, we took our time getting ready. Rich usually will have a couple of Diet Cokes for his breakfast, watch ESPN and I'll work on the trip report and watch ESPN until Sports Center starts repeating and then I'll get ready for the day. It's a well loved routine on trips.

After a couple of hours, we were ready to head out to Animal Kingdom. As predicted, Rich was very hesitant about turning out into traffic so I got a bit testy at him. He just will not do anything, and I mean anything, that will inconvenience any other driver in the near vicinity. Heck, he was probably thinking about drivers out on Route 27. But we finally made it out. This would be a routine every morning as well.

We parked in the Animal Kingdom lot and then walked up to the front, keeping our record of not taking the tram intact. Just felt good to walk. We went through the Rainforest Caf for entrance, not because it was crowded at the normal turnstiles but because Rich was hoping for some T-shirt sales. But there were only bargains on kids tees so we just entered the park the back way.

And I got a shock from this Cast Member. I'm hoping it's because today is a holiday and the subs were called in but a guest was asking the Cast Member about FastPasses. The Cast Member said "I think, but I'm not sure, that you can only have one FastPass." What? He made it seem to the guest that you could only get one FastPass PER DAY! I about fell over. The poor guest was really confused and this Cast Member did nothing to help out. Hopefully, the process was better explained later. Rich said "maybe that's why they put the guy way out here."

Rich suggested getting a FastPass for the Safari and led us in the direction of.Asia. I just chuckled and pointed him towards Africa. After 14 years, the man still cannot navigate this park. With our FastPasses in hand and about an hour to kill until the time (I was not looking at clocks that much during this trip), I mentioned going to visit Rich's goats at Rifiki's Planet Watch. Rich has this dream that we will win the lottery, buy a farm somewhere and he could have all the animals he wants and goats are high on the list.

We took the train back to Planet Watch and fought the urge to rush through the trail back to the Conservation Station building. There really is a lot to see along here but most people are in a hurry. Once at Conservation Station, I took my time to admire the amazing mural while Rich went around everyone muttering "I don't understand this, it's just a painting." Did I mention Rich is a very practical person? His idea of art is a baseball card and his notion of great literature is Reader's Digest.

There was a vet procedure going on which is one of the reasons I thought about coming back here at this time. I think it was around noon or before and the vets were giving a flamingo a check up. It was explained that this particular flamingo, who lives at the front of the Oasis, had his yearly check up last week but some blood work came back abnormal so they wanted to check on things again. The flamingo was under anesthesia, poor thing. But at least he was going to get healthy again. We watched for a while (a limp flamingo is a very unusual sight, I can tell you that) and then moved on. I wish we would have stayed put for just a minute more becausewe had Obnoxious Girl From Hell.

I was looking at a display of some bug or something and this girl, about eight or ten years old, said "excuse me!" I thought she wanted to get a picture but she shoved her way right up to the glass so she was touching it and then kept her hands on the glass so no one else could see and slowly moved along the displays. Her mother was behind us and OGFH kept talking to her all along the way. Very annoying as we could now barely see and were in between OGFH and Clueless Mother. I looked at Rich and said "this is annoying". OGFH and CM did nothing. I tried again when OGFH turned to talk to CM and I said "you are very obnoxious". Nothing. We had to miss some of the last displays because of this duo.

If this girl was in A Disney Zone, I could understand the behavior. If she was overly excited about the display, I would have been patient and maybe a little amused. But from the demeanor of the two of them, it seemed to be normal for them to do this. Rich, the very patient one (remember him trying to get out in traffic this morning), even got fed up with it and said "we have GOT to get away from these chicks".

So we soothed our nerves with Rich's goats. And sheep and, my new favorite, pigs. We spent a long time with the creatures and even got literally shoved aside by a goat who passed in between us. That guy really wanted some attention. I think I petted just about every goat out there and I think all the pigs' images live on my camera now. Can you tell we are animal lovers?

After arriving back in Harambi, it was time for our two week Safari via FastPass which I'm glad we had today. People sure are traveling and visiting Disney World as this Thanksgiving is the most crowded I've ever seen in all our holiday travels. Usually, the Safari FastPassers will just join up with the regular stand by line but today, the Cast Member was actually stopping the stand by line so us FastPassers could board.

We were seated right behind the driver and our companions in the row (only four of us, thank goodness) were an older women and gentleman. Our guide, Brent, was very good and filled in the time while we were stopped for a while by answering questions. The older gentleman in our row asked how many jeeps were out and Brent answered 44 and said that was a high count because of the anticipated crowds. I cannot fathom having to coordinate 44 jeeps on the Safari since there needs to be a certain amount of distance between the vehicles and things need to be synchronized. Then, throw in the uncertainty of an animal crossing the road, which is why we had to stop for a while, and it would drive me nuts.

On this Safari, the cheetah was actually up and walking around. That is the first time we've ever seen one of them moving. They are usually way out in the distance and difficult to see. Also, there were two female lions with the male and the male moved too! The guide said the dude was trying to get away from one of the females. The new ending with the zebras was nice and it was great not to hear from Warden Wilson. That guy was annoying. I didn't know that zebras are actually black with white stripes. You can tell by looking at their noses which are black. Kinda like looking at a "blond" with brown eyebrows. Rich later told me that the white stripes came from a natural evolution as a solid colored animal is easier to pick out than something with multiple colors.

We passed on the Pangani Trek since my stomach was growling. I had had some problems recently and my appetite was just beginning to pick up so a snack was in order. I mourned as we walked by what used to be the Animal Kingdom egg roll place that is now some sort of Asian vegetarian kiosk with healthy crap. Are edamame beans the new potato chip? Sigh. I have to settle on a soft pretzel now for my snack at this park. But the beer helped a bit as did the sit down at the Flame Tree BBQ area. We enjoyed the simple lunch and once Rich did a "time hack", I knew what was next. Yep, Flights of Wonder, here we come.

I had told Rich I needed to videotape this show again since the one instance I have on film is not with our normal Guano Joe. Glad I didn't bring the video camera today as this Guano Joe was, well, like Pooh sized if Winnie had eaten Eeyore, Rabbit and Roo. But he (Guano Joe, not Pooh or the other guys) was funny and the show was good, as usual. And I will also mention it seems as if the seating on crowded days is different. We were directed to the right side even though the left side was completely untouched. We followed the Cast Member's direction since that's where we normally sit anyway and took our bleacher seats in order to see the hawk on his flight and to have a great angle for Frasier Crane. I was happy to see that once the show started and the late comers were still being admitted, they were directed over to the left side so we had no annoying people creeping up and sitting right in front of us. Much more enjoyable time.

The show was almost completely full so that's the crowd level for today. After we left, we headed for the single riders' line at Expedition Everest which wasn't a very long wait at all. Longer than our last trip when we literally walked right onto the ride but not bad for the day. Rich and I were on the same train, separated by two cars. I was riding with a dad of two kids and he was very confused on why I would be sitting with him. The Cast Member had to explain the concept of filling in all the spaces but things were OK. Another nice visit to the Yeti. I love this attraction very much.

We decided to visit the tigers so headed for the Maharajah Jungle Trek after this. Kali River Rapids was not an option as we didn't want to get wet. The day was beautiful again with no clouds but the temperatures were in the low 70s and having to walk around being damp was not going to happen, especially since once the sun goes down, it gets cold. I really like the Trail but want to do this on my own in the future. I love the detail but Rich just walks by. Did I mention he's very practical? He sees no beauty in the prayer flags or the detail of the ruins. He could care less about the backstory while I wanted to read all about it. Sigh. But we compromised on the walk and each enjoyed what we could.

Dinoland remained undiscovered so I suggested just walking through there on the way out. I kinda wished I had kept my mouth shut. Robin Wilmot was right, man, she was right. Finding Nemo: The Musical was letting people in and Rich asked if we should see it. I replied "well, it's something we've never done so why not?" Oh boy. Rich was totally bored and I almost fell asleep. I knew you could see the puppeteers and all that but I thought it would be better. The songs were cheesy and we're just not into all that stuff. But, I have officially done every single attraction at Animal Kingdom now. I've even played in the Boneyard and spun around on a Triceratops. Rich needs to do the last two but we need another grandchild and a big shove from me in order for him to do that. Neither one will happen very soon.

After this rather lackluster end to Animal Kingdom, we headed out. In the Oasis, we saw the Babirusas which is like this big pig. I dunno - I think I'm a pig person. Not a fan of cows or horses but pigs are growing on me (no pun intended). Of course, I am a Piglet fan.

We hiked back to the car and drove over to *surprise* Epcot. The day was fading fast and with it, the temperatures. As would become our normal, I took along my lighter jacket and my thin wool gloves and put a heavier jacket into my backpack. Rich just took his light jacket. He stayed in shorts and I wore jeans the entire trip. Rich thinks the temperatures dropped about 10-15 degrees as soon as the sun went down and I have to agree. The days were gorgeous but the evenings were chilly.

Spaceship Earth had a reasonably short line and it moves continuously so we queued up for that. I reminded Rich to pick things that were totally different for what we would want as I'm tired of seeing that leisure is what we care the most about and we love pets and we want to live in the country and we like the ocean, etc, etc, etc. I also cannot go on this and not think about our grandson, Mitchell.

Then we did just one walk around World Showcase and headed out to get some dinner as we only had the shared pretzel earlier. We knew our choices tonight would be limited but, true to my earlier prediction, Denny's was quickly mentioned so we headed there. When in doubt, look for a Denny's, Perkins, or IHOP and you'll be fine. Rich did a Moon over My Hammy sandwich (that name just kills him to say it) while I did a make my own Grand Slam with eggs, toast, fruit and hash browns. Very nice meal and the restaurant was fairly crowded. Rich's Geezer rate basically paid for the tax - it's really nice getting 20% off things when you are barely over 50. Yes, I know I can become an AARP member too but why bother when I travel with Rich all the time and we can save the extra person fee. We are cheap.

Then back to the room since football was on. And where my visit to the Ramada took a very big nose dive. I went for ice for my wine and the machine was totally out. No one noticed this all day long? It's a big freaking machine! So I came back upstairs and called the front desk to report it. Then we noticed Rich's bed light was still out even after the note to the housekeeper this morning. And the TV was set to stadium which meant all the background noise was amplified and we could barely hear the commentators. The stadium setting is great with the proper speakers but we didn't have those in the room. Would be nice for the Ramada to do that but that ain't going to happen. So I called on the light and the TV. We did get an engineer there with a new light bulb so at least that was fixed. But we had to strain to hear any talk on the football game. I was not pleased at all. We finally caved and turned over to the syndicated NCIS and Castle episodes on USA. Still on stadium setting but not as bad as a sports show.

Day Four - Friday, November 23, 2012

My Thankful Thought - I am thankful for my amazing mother-in-law who provides not only for herself but for so many others. She does not keep a scoresheet and gives from her heart. You are always welcome in her house, and she has only relatives and friends, there are no just acquaintances. I have learned so much from her in the past thirty years and I can only hope I am a better person because of her example.

We slept in until after 9:00. Those kids of yesterday were gone, thank goodness. After this, our sleep would be wonderful and lengthy which is why we take vacations in the first place, right?

We did our normal thing of a few hours to get ready and found a problem with the internet. Rich was fine with sitting at the table near the window but I couldn't connect while on the bed. So much for having wireless access. But it did give me an excuse for not doing any work while on vacation. I did quickly check emails while Rich was in the shower but that was the extent of my work. The world is still spinning and our company hasn't crashed so I guess it didn't really matter in the long run.

Today was our Rose and Crown lunch seating so Rich decided the whole day would be Epcot but since we are in that park every single day, we weren't in any hurry at all to get moving today. We had seen all the glorified Florida cheesy touristy gift shops on Highway 192 so decided to check one out for their cheapo T-shirts and mugs. All I can say is "don't bother". The T-shirts were stained and the mugs were nowhere to be found. So ignore those tempting signs and continue with your vacation.

Then we (Rich) drove over to Epcot and were parked..alllllllllllllllllllllll the way at the end of the row farthest from the trams. Sigh. Oh well, we will walk yet again. I think Epcot is having the trams let people off on the left side of the entrance and not on the right. The right always seemed to be congested with having the trams left off, the buses on that side, and the monorail exit also there. Seems to be a balancing issue now. We just picked the least crowded side each day.

As we were walking into Epcot, we had a very excited child behind us. She kept repeating "where are we going? Where are we going?" over and over and over and over and over again. I kind of laughed and wanted to turn around and tell the dad "just say anything because she's in the Disney Zone and probably doesn't care!" Rich was amused as well. We had a bathroom break and when we joined up, we just looked at each and said "where are we going?" I guess you had to be there but it was funny.

We checked out FastPasses for Soarin' but they were gone for the day and the standby was a whopping 120 minutes so that ain't happening. It's our excuse but we're sticking to it - we started for a walk around World Showcase again. Rich grabbed a beer at the Promenade Refreshments while I got a glass of wine from France. As we were walking after my wine, Rich all of a sudden diverted over to a trash can and stopped. His mother had returned his phone call from yesterday.

We don't usually talk to relatives while on vacation and if we do, it's because something has happened. And if we have to talk on the phone, we do it off to the side. So that's why we were standing with our drinks on top of a trash can while Rich was on the phone. Rich and Bobbie talked for a while (she had missed his call thanks to a new answering machine at the house) and we got the news on his aunt who is suffering from dementia (but she doesn't realize it and it's not funny but it's true). We also were caught up on our son's life since he and his family are visiting there for Thanksgiving. We might have a small family unit but we are all there together for each other.

After the phone chat, we continued on with our walk and I wanted to taste the German wines that were out for the holidays. I got the Gluwine (I think that's what it's called) and after I had it, Rich kind of groaned. It's a heated red wine and he knew I wouldn't like it and I didn't. This is the wine we had gotten my father-in-law for Christmas one year and I didn't like it then and it was worse now. The only good thing is it came in a nice handled plastic mug so I kept that for back in the room. Eventually, I took Rich's beer and he finished my wine. Note to self - don't get this again.

We had enough time before our seating at Rose and Crown to enjoy Off Kilter so we joined the unusually crowded seating area. Turned out most of the people were there to listen to Nowell, the Canadian storyteller (he's a lumberjack). It's important to note that not every country has a "Santa". In fact, Rich and I had a conversation about one guy's really loud comment earlier. He said Santa Claus should NOT be in Canada (he wasn't, it was Nowell) and that Santa was really French and he was Pere Noel. This guy was almost livid. I wanted to tell him Pere Noel WAS in France but I thought it was pointless. During our trips around the world we also saw two different very exuberant ladies telling about Kwanzaa and the Monkey King in China as well. We saw no true Santas this year and it was nice seeing all the different customs.

And I will digress here - this is why I love Epcot during the holiday season. It's all about everyone on Earth. Not just Americans. Everyone. We all have our own customs and traditions and it's living together to make it all work out in peace. My only regret is that most of us think only about these things during the holiday season and not all year long. Digression off.

Off Kilter was good even without the keyboardist. Our lunch seating was for 2:30 but we really didn't have anything else to do so I was getting our buzzer around 2:00 or so. When I checked in, I said we were two people and while the hostess was getting our reservation pulled up, a guy behind me said "Excuse me but you are just two people?" I'm thinking the guy wants to share a table which was fine (Rich thought the same thing) and said "yes". Then the guy asks if we had been on Soarin' that day. When I said no, he pulled out two FastPasses for 3:00-4:00 which would fit in perfectly for after lunch and said that since he and his friend had been on it earlier, they didn't need those. Awesome! We profusely thanked the guy for the pixie dust.

We sat for a few minutes on the benches outside and then noticed a performance going on so walked over there to see that. Just as we got situated, the buzzer went off so only a five minute wait, if that. We were led way back on the patio and were right along the lagoon so excellent for the day. Where we were would be a prime seat for viewing Illuminations but I'm glad we don't worry about the stuff since we have an excellent spot with no hassles (as you will see tomorrow).

Rich pondered getting the English Breakfast Burger which was a burger topped with an egg but when he asked the server if the eggs would be "squishy" and she responded in the affirmative, he switched to his normal fish and chips. I had also considered the burger but changed to the Ploughman's Lunch which had Rich and me laughing. Way back when our son was young, we had lunch here and Chris ordered the Ploughman's Lunch. We have always had Chris order his own food and for this one, he called it the "Pluffman's Lunch". It was all I could do not to say "Pluffman's Lunch". The American English language can be difficult to say the least.

As usual, Rich liked his fish and chips and I made little sandwiches with the ham, chicken and rolls. There was no way in the world I would be able to eat everything on that platter but it was a decent bargain and we really, really, really enjoyed our seating spot. Just a gorgeous day, excellent food, good wine (for me) and a cider for Rich. Yeah, I was getting really spoiled on this trip and it's what was needed for both of us. We have to go back and realize we work to live, not live to work but it's been stressful.

Our newly acquired Soarin' FastPass were in the window (thanks so much to that anonymous guy!) so we went to California for a while. I know this might be a "you've got to be kidding moment" for some but Soarin' is not high (no pun intended) on my list of favorite attractions. I like it but don't love it. It's OK, that's all. But we had free FastPasses so why not.

After flying for a while, I offered up yelling at Nemo for a while. Just kidding but we do have a cat named Nemo who is the most rambunctious of the four so going through The Living Seas and saying "no, Nemo, no!" is fun for us. Plus, I wanted to get that awful memory of the Musical out of my head. So we did the attraction and then were able to see manatees chowing down on lots of lettuce. Man, how do those guys stay so big on just that?

With us being educated on lots of sealife with the various displays, we wandered out into the cold. Yes, it was cold. We took a break and headed out to our car for nighttime gear. There was no way I was going to survive without a jacket and gloves and neither was Rich. We hiked to the car, got warm with our coats and then did what I didn't think we would do - took the tram back to the front gate. It was sitting there waiting for us. I don't like the doors on the cars as the guest has to open it themselves. I can imagine some less than skilled people not knowing how to do that and boarding taking forever. But it was quick for us and a ride up to the front.

We came back in for another walk around the World Showcase. I honestly think we walked about 13-15 miles each day but it didn't really bother us (well, once we were home it might have but we were in the Disney Zone and the Aleve we took twice a day helped a lot).

The night was probably one of the more crowded ones but we took our time and I used the opportunity to get a couple of magnets. I've been trying to get a magnet from each of the World Showcase countries so tonight picked up the ones from Canada and Norway. Rich spotted the unique Norway one and I had hunted for a Canadian one earlier while we were waiting for Off Kilter. Now I just need China (cannot find one to save my soul), Morocco (expensive), and Italy (definitely the one with pizza on it).

On the way out a fountain show was going on and Rich asked to stop and watch it. I've seen the shows a number of times and they are one of my mother-in-law's favorite things but it seemed like this show was longer and it featured Christmas music. We stood there for almost twenty minutes just soaking things up as other scurried by us.

I had to use the restrooms and I have to say I have never waited for a stall at Disney World. I visited two different bathrooms before throwing in the towel and waiting until we were leaving to finally being able to walk right in. Tonight was cold and crowded. Time to head out - we are on vacation so no need to stress out about things.

Rich drove us back to the hotel where we relaxed and watch The Simpsons as the TV channels here might be more limited than Disney's since Disney upgraded. But we were content.

Day Four - Saturday, November 24, 2012

My thankful thought - I'm thankful for my father and everything he has given me. My sarcastic charm, my thick head of hair, my sense of humor and being able to navigate just about anywhere. And I'm thankful to my stepmother for making my dad happy for the past 20 years.

We slept in again but when Rich went to turn on the TV, it didn't work. I was getting so frustrated with the Ramada on this stay. I was ready to report this latest screw-up but Rich unplugged the TV and then plugged it into our power cord and it worked so the outlet was fried. I was not a happy camper at all. I think the TV was fixed somewhat and we did have ice last night so that was taken care of but should a guest have to point these things out to maintenance? I think it should be an industry standard that when housekeeping comes into a room to clean, that person should check all the lights and the TV and make sure things are working correctly. I know from experience that housekeepers usually will have the TV on so anything out of the ordinary should be reported. And we weren't checking out until Monday but nothing was ever done with the TV so the housekeeper was totally clueless. No, not happy with Ramada.

Today was our Hollywood Studios day but we needed some supplies from Publix so headed out to Xentury City down Highway 192 after our morning routine. We had a very hesitant woman in the car in front of us to make the right turn onto the highway. She was even worse than Rich so you can imagine how I was seething in the passenger seat. But we eventually made our way down to Publix, turned in and *oh my gosh*. This Publix is completely closed. Shocked might be an overstatement but it was close to what I felt. I have no idea what the Publix people are thinking but this was a perfect place for Disney guests to come for groceries and now it's gone. And we had to do the one thing I didn't want to do - go to the freaking Wal-Mart on 535. I really don't like that place as it's usually crowded and not relaxing. If I wanted that, I could have stayed home and gone to my local Wal-Mart on a Saturday afternoon. Grumble, grumble.

But we made up for it as Rich was able to replace his 90's swimsuit with something from this century for only $12 plus he got a cheap T shirt and I picked up a couple more pairs of thin wool gloves for $1.50 (for both of them) and we got more beer and wine. A bit of a pain to travel since the Publix was so much more accessible but we have to deal with it.

Even though we were going to the Studios, we parked in the Epcot lot and ended up in the same row as yesterday but closer to the tram side although we walked to the entrance. And then we walked all the way through Epcot and out the International Gateway where we boarded the Friendship boat and made our way to the Studios. This was my vacation and a 30 minute boat ride seemed to be in order.

Once at the Studios, we made our way down Sunset Boulevard and checked out the FastPass situation for both Twilight Zone and Rock N Roller Coaster. Twilight Zone was better so we picked up a couple for that attraction, thinking we would try the single riders line for Rock N Roller Coaster later.

There were two things of importance at this park today. Rich wanted to see Lights, Motors, Action and I wanted to get my Pressed Tucson Deli sandwich at the Studio Catering Company so those were our focus.

Lights, Motors, Action was starting at 1:20 and it was getting close to that time (we don't do rope drops and love it) so we tried for a beer somewhere to take in with us. We easily eliminated Fairfax Fare near Twilight Zone as those Cast Members move slower than my dad when he's not in his wheelchair. I said something about the place at the lake so Rich took us to Min & Bill's. That's his idea of "the place by the lake". We stood there for a very long time while no one left the line so I said to forget about this and we'll move on. To where *I* thought about. The Oasis Canteen which is in front of Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular. This place only has ice cream, drinks, and funnel cakes. Min and Bill's has sandwiches and that slows things down quite a bit. I think I am becoming an expert on Disney counter service. Yes, I am very proud of myself. At least we got our two Bud Lights before our six year old grandson became a father.

Then back to Lights, Motors, Action and I will say the reasons I was doing this was (1) I love my husband and (2) I was going to record the whole thing on the video camera so the next time Rich says he wants to see it, I can just show him this and I'll get an hour back of my life. I do not like dealing with cars and all their problems and I'll also mention that Maxx's "check engine" light had come on during the drive down. It's off now so no idea why the darn thing went on in the first place. Cars and this woman do not get along.

I videoed everything and it was the first time I was seeing it with Lightening McQueen which had the kids in the audience going crazy. And as with Flights of Wonder, we were directed to one area (to the left) while the right side was remaining open until right before the show started so we didn't have people climbing up and sitting right in front of anyone. This might be a crowded situation policy but I sure wish it was done all year long.

After the torture, I mean, the show, it was time for my treat - lunch! Maybe everyone had the same idea but the Studio Catering Company was the most crowded I have ever seen it. But I didn't care - I wanted my Pressed Tucson Deli sandwich by gum! Rich was going to get the Buffalo Chicken Sandwich but then at the register saw a special Sloppy Joe sandwich with some sort of chipotle sauce so got that instead. At least he made his switch BEFORE I got to the register instead of standing there debating while people were waiting behind us. Pet peeve but moving on.

We had to take our tray way out towards the AFI store as there were many people without food sitting at tables waiting for their loved ones to show up with the treats. Rich and I had discussed this before leaving and he thought people should be able to sit whenever and wherever they wanted while I was in favor of Disney's sometime policy of not allowing anyone to sit before they had food. Let's just say Rich and I are on the same page now. There was even a family right next to us who were enjoying their meals brought from home (since I highly doubt Disney serves anything in Tupperware containers). They were there when we sat down and were there when we left. There was also a woman who held down a table alone for almost our entire time of eating. Only then did her partner show up. Yeah, I'm a fan of getting your food and then sitting down.

But lunch was enjoyable and I pushed off the bad stuff from my mind. Trying to stay positive. I really have to figure out how to make this Tucson Deli sandwich at home. I know it's not the most inventive thing in the world but I love it.

We each had a bathroom break and I saw three 20 oz bottles of Coke products sitting right outside the bathroom near a trash can. Two of the bottles were empty and the third was just about done. But, they all had the Coke Rewards caps on them! I figured if they were there when I came out of the bathroom, I'd give Rich a treat. He was giddy with joy. He has collected these points ever since the beginning of the program. He's never cashed them in but, what can I say, he's a collector and it makes him happy and that makes me happy. He does make sure to put the bottles in the recycle containers and we even keep his never ending supply of driving Diet Coke empties for either recycling at a rest area or putting them in our bin at home.

Our window for Twilight Zone had opened up and Rich suggested getting another FastPass for Star Tours so we headed for that and the time was very reasonable so we took one for about an hour or so in the future (I was not paying attention to times). Then off to get terrorized.

Rod Serling introduced us to our adventure and the only thing I can really remember about the trip up to the 13th floor was reciting "please don't go up first, please don't go up first". In my opinion, that's the worst of the possible trips. Fortunately, we didn't go up and I didn't curse so that was good. Although I think Rich and I have given up getting any future photos of the two of us on attractions. Because someone will put up their hands to show they are fearless and block us out of anything. Oh well, I can use that money on something else.

Then we checked out the single riders line at Rock N Roller Coaster and were on there in an easy time. We were in the same limo and I proclaimed myself done with thrill rides for the day. This coaster just bangs my head around way too much.

I was approached for a survey after this ride and answered all the questions but I still think I skew the results since I've been here so often. And I cringed when asked where I was staying.

Our window for Star Tours was open and we went towards there. But it was tough to get to as the parade was going to start so the only people allowed that way were Star Tours people. It was a mess and we encountered this on an earlier trip when we just gave up. There has got to be a better way for non-parade people to get around in a park when the parade is going on. Animal Kingdom is just as bad and I won't even mention Magic Kingdom. But we made it to the attraction and had Yoda tell us to protect our rebel spy.

We had enough of the Studios so off to Epcot we go. Rich wanted to do the walk (he actually didn't think we were walking enough this trip!) so we took the path and once at the Boardwalk, I mentioned maybe doing something we hadn't done in a long time. Getting some beverages at the Boardwalk pizza window so Rich got a beer and I did a sangria (expensive sangria) and took a time out from the trip. We had one more day left but I didn't feel rushed but more relaxed as we weren't hurrying around all that much.

After our break, we walked through Epcot and right out again to the car to get loaded up for the night. I really wanted to see the holiday Illuminations and since Rich didn't want to stay out very late tomorrow night, this was it. It turned out to be the warmest of the cold nights, if that makes sense.

On the way back into Epcot, we saw the line for Spaceship Earth was manageable so we did another ride for Mitchell. I let Rich pick things this time and he put us as being from Nunavut, Canada and we took our health seriously and didn't care about pets. I think we wanted to live in space too.

I suggested Ellen's Energy Nightmare, I mean, Adventure next so we could keep out of the elements so we had a good time going back billions of years in time and then learning all about energy. And seeing Ellen win over Stupid Judy, of course (although we love Jamie Lee Curtis).

It was still a bit early to stand around for Illuminations so we took another walk around World Showcase. I'm still amazed at the crowds for the Candlelight Processional (Geena Davis was the narrator for our entire trip). We've seen the performance once but there is no way in heck I could get Rich to do this again. He says it's just singing and talking. Did I say he's the most practical person I know? I might have to take a trip down here by myself once to see the Processional again or just leave him at the Fife and Drum Tavern kiosk where he can enjoy some beers while Im watching the show. Hummmm. I'm not religious but I think I would like to see this again.

I think it was on this walk where I shamed my husband into getting me a bracelet from the stand in the African section. The beads are supposedly made from recycled Disney park maps by women of some village in some country in Africa. I have very small wrists so I have to get elastic bracelets and that's what these were. There's also a female who works there with whom Rich has a special relationship. When this stand first opened, I was looking at things and Rich started chatting with the female. I forget where she's from (she's not American) and Rich asked her a question about her home country. She was amazed he knew where she was from. Rich said "um, it's on your nametag". So they have a laugh about that every time we see her. Yeah, my husband flirts at Disney World in full view of me.

Anyway, the bracelet is very nice and the female helped me find one of the smallest ones they had. I wear it every day now since it's all white so it goes with everything. Plus, the price was a very reasonable $10. I told Rich that was my Christmas present and I'm a very cheap date. He didn't disagree at all.

And then it was time for my favorite nighttime show (actually, the only one I watch) but with an extra boost for the holiday. We claimed our favorite spot and talked to a mom with her young daughter who thought she wouldn't be able to see that much. We assured her she had one of the best places around the lagoon and talked for a while. It was only a half hour before the start and that's why she was concerned because no one was where we were. We just told her she stumbled onto a secret. It's perfectly legal, it's not hidden, anyone can access it but people just overlook it.

Of course, the show was wonderful and we did have to tell the little girl that things would pick up after the slow part. She really wanted to leave and I said she wouldn't be disappointed. So after every single firework in the state of Florida went off, the mother thanked us because she was going to take the girl out but it was worth it. I think we can enjoy the show better with guests like this rather than fighting off people who get there and think they are entitled to the perfect spot with no regard to others. OK - positive thoughts, positive thoughts.

Then the long walk back to the car and it was really easy to get out of the parking lot and back to the Ramada. I crashed with the longer night. Quite honestly, I am rarely awake past 10:30 at home and it was later than that when we finally were back. Getting older and having a demanding job sucks.

Day Five - Sunday, November 25, 2012

My Thankful Thought - I am thankful for my daughter-in-law who not only is a great wife to my only child but a wonderful mother to my two grandchildren. She is not "just" a daughter-in-law but a friend and we can talk about anything. I am so grateful my son found her.

This is our last day at Disney World for 2012 and I picked Magic Kingdom for our visit. I thought people would be leaving for home today so the parks would be less populated. Would I be proved correct?

We again parked at Epcot (Rich going to the right out of the hotel without a turn challenged person in front of him so not that bad) for our trip. Rich was very happy to see we were "in front on the trees!" so the crowds were lower than the past three days. We took the monorail over to the Magic Kingdom and then switched to the ferry boat as it had just pulled up and made for extremely easy boarding. I videotaped the entire ride. Too bad I can't package up the smell of the boat. Is that diesel? Just smells like Disney World to me.

Rich wanted to do Space Mountain while my focus was Splash Mountain. What could we do? Along Main Street, I took a photo of the Main Street Bakery sign since that will soon be a Starbucks. Personally, I don't really care as I have never drunk a cup of coffee in my life. And there is so much product placement and sponsorship in the world today that it doesn't bother me. Once sports teams started slapping corporate names on bowl games and stadiums, I quickly lost interest.

We went over to Space Mountain for a FastPass for a few hours in the future. I was fine with not doing Splash Mountain but we were just going with the flow. The crowds were diminished so that was really nice. Yep, we are going to take the Monday after Thanksgiving off every year. Rich saw Buzz Lightyear was only 10 minutes or so but it was basically a walk-on so he did the spinning while I attempted to not be embarrassed. I think I hit a 50,000 mark as my score jumped from 19,600 up to 69,600 very quickly. I have no idea what I'm aiming at in this attraction and prefer the far superior Toy Story Mania but have no desire to get up at the crack of dawn and fight thousands of people for a FastPass.

The People Mover was a walk on so we did that and I videotaped all of that as well. I suggested taking the "secret path" over to the Fantasyland Expansion but Rich vetoed that saying "if you want to see things, we should be walk the normal way". And so onto the new Fantasyland.

OK - I'm sure people will have issues but I don't see that much that will interest us. I do see improvements which were great and I'd like to try out Under the Sea but not today. This was strictly a recon mission. But other than that, nothing there for us. I guess the Seven Dwarves Mine Train will be a good addition but that's not for quite a while. We did check out the inside of Gaston's Tavern and Rich was astounded to see the limited menu. He said "that's all they have? Pork?" We couldn't even get near the Be Our Guest restaurant as it had a line coming out of it. Yeah, it was a "soft opening" but there is no way I'm standing in a line to have lunch or just to look around (if you can even do that). I find it amusing that humans just flock to the most recent restaurant and think it's all wonderful. Just not me.

I hadn't had anything to eat today so I had to stop for a Mickey pretzel which Rich shared with me. Then onto Splash Mountain for a FastPass so I can be really happy with the day. Then BACK over to Space Mountain for that time window. And I regretted this and Rich thought I would. I haven't been on this since at least 2005 and (1) it was in the dark and (2) I was very concerned about the jerkiness and my neck so (3) I was not comfortable the entire ride. I survived so maybe next time I can relax a bit more. I just told Rich "I didn't like that" and we moved on.

Since we had experienced the new Fantasyland, we used the walkways near the castle to get back and forth across the lands. We tried to get on Pirates of the Caribbean but it was down so we thought we would try that on the way out. The Splash Mountain window was open so we went on my favorite Magic Kingdom attraction and I really enjoyed my laughing place. This is one of the best themed attractions ever. Just wish Disney would get off their high horse about the movie. Or maybe it's just not Disney but others in our country.

After Brer Rabbit outfoxed Brer Fox (pun intended) and Brer Bear, Rich suggested a ride on the railroad so we boarded that and rode around to the front of the park. Not sure what Rich was thinking but he was surprised I thought we would just get off at Main Street. But we did and then hunted around at the exit for our brick we bought way back when those were first offered. We did not find it at all. I think one of these days, we'll have to get the exact location again. It used to be so easy but now it's at the exit with all the security things. Although Rich kept saying, "they probably removed it". The man is a conspiracy theorist, I swear.

Another boat ride was in order so we moved over to take the Polynesian small boat over there. And then I watched as we walked up as one had just merrily sailed away to the Grand Floridian. The regular ferry over to the Transportation and Ticket Center was also just pulling out so we were stuck. Oh well, we're not in any hurry, we'll just wait. I used the opportunity to pull out my phone and check on one of the most important issues of the day. Would the Atlanta Falcons go 10-1? They were playing Tampa Bay and some of me wanted to go back to the room and watch (thinking Tampa Bay was a local team) but the phone was a fine substitute today. Darn, game tied at 10-10. *crosses fingers*.

And this was when I found out I lost my reading glasses. This is a new issue with me in the past month and I had the glasses in an outer pocket of my very small bag. I knew it was a risk doing that, even in the open case. I think those glasses found a nice thud somewhere on Space Mountain. And that is why buying these things at Wal-Mart for less than $6 is a great idea. Rich has reading glasses as well so I just borrowed his until I could get replacements.

The launch finally arrived (I swear the captain took a long break along the way) but we finally were heading for the Polynesian marina via the Grand Floridian for our walk over to the Transportation and Ticket Center and the monorail over to Epcot. We had an annoying problem, though. There was a "princess" on board who had just had her birthday lunch at Cinderella's Castle. That was fine but the parents had purchased (or were given) a huge Princess balloon that proceeded to bap onto Rich with the boat movement. The dad tried to control it but he also had to deal with the "princess" (who was about two) and a huge stroller while the mom dealt with the leftover birthday cake. I know parents want their kids to have a very special birthday experience but this was kind of overboard in my opinion. The kid was going to turn two or three or whatever no matter what.

Once at the Polynesian (the "princess" and family got off at the Grand Floridian, thank goodness), we probably took the long way around but finally made it there and onto our new transportation. There was dancing by the pool and Michael Jackson's "Thriller" was playing (nice song for the creepy, I guess) and I was amazed that this about 10 year old girl knew all the words to the song. That album came out the same year my son was born so I guess it's still relevant today.

I kept checking the Falcons game score along the way. Yeah, I was one of those people looking at their phone but at least I didn't do it while walking along a crowded theme park.

We stopped by the car to get our jackets for the evening. Rich said "you seem to be packing up for a long night." I had to remind him that he's comfortable in shorts well into December while I'm ready to crank up a fire in October. I finally had to use some harsh words to get him to shut up. Sorry but I'm not touring Disney World while my hands are freezing and all I can think about is getting warm.

Inside Epcot, we did a walk around World Showcase again but stopped for some attractions for once. We did Maelstrom and stayed for the movie which had me saying that I would love to visit Norway but only if it wasn't that cold. I was born and raised in Pennsylvania, lived just outside of Washington, DC for three years and Chris was raised in Nebraska for 11 years but I think I'm done with cold weather for the rest of my life.

Then onto a ride with Donald, Jose, and Panchito. We had talked about dinner and our former New York Pizza World is now back open and called New York Pizza and More so that was offered but then Rich said he'd rather do pizza at home tomorrow night and suggested Lotus Blossom Caf which was fine with me so we headed there for some grub. I did the pot stickers and egg rolls while he finally got the Orange Chicken.

After our simple meal (and it was very good), we continued our clockwise walk with a stop in America for some drinks and a check on the football game. Yes! Falcons are 10-1! But then the trip was over. Sad thought but it was cold and we still had to pack so back to Maxx and the hotel to get that done.

Packing wasn't all that terrible as Rich hadn't unpacked and all I had to do was throw my unused clothes into my suitcase and I was done. We have a pop-up clothes hamper so that was taken care of as well. Anything we needed to use in the morning would be tossed into a bag and we'll be ready to go. A relaxing evening in the room watching football. The stadium sound was still there but not as bad as before.

Day Six - Monday, November 26, 2012

My Thoughtful Thought - I am thankful for the four cats who allow us to share their lives. Gus, Belle, Meeko and Nemo each have different personalities and they enlighten each and every day. I'm also thankful to the other animals who have since crossed the Rainbow Bridge. So thanks to Tippy, Fanny, Nikki, Snookie, Todd, Tyler, Genny, Bear, and Tundra. That's 50 years of adult life and just about all of those years had an animal as a friend. They aren't just pets, they are family.

We allowed ourselves the luxury of setting the alarm for 8:00. Rich had done a backwards calculation of the Atlanta traffic situation and thought we could be through before the madness of 5:00. Even if we did hit rush hour, it would not be as bad as yesterday would have been. I shudder to think of what yesterday and driving through Atlanta would have been like.

While Rich was showering, I was taking things down to the car so all we had to do was pack up the last minute items and that was it. Of course, we had to deal with checking out and I made Rich do the speaking with the person about things. All Rich did was mention the TV outlet was fried. Did I mention he's mild mannered about things? He later said he didn't think the person would understand the stadium setting on the TV, the ice machine was fixed, the light bulb was replaced so what was the big deal? Um, the fact that *I* had to tell them about it all? I think that TV outlet is still fried but that was on the next guest, not us. Shake it off, Sheri, shake it off.

We did the normal stop at McDonald's and Target on 429 and then headed back to the cats. Utterly boring drive but at least traffic free until right before our exit on I85 where someone managed to go off the road on the southbound side. Of course, everyone on the northbound side had to slow down and look at the pretty cop lights. We were home shortly before 5:00 with one stop at our local Wal-Mart for two pairs of reading glasses for me. I'm taking both on the next Disney World trip! Then we had pizza, went through the mail (Kat had collected all that as well as the newspapers), put a load of laundry in and chilled with the cats. Said cats were glad to see us and I think they are, after almost 10 years, getting used to our adventures. I just have to wonder what adventures *they* had while we were gone. They aren't talking, though.

And A Summary -

I wasn't that thrilled with the Ramada this time but I think I will use them in the future for offsite visits. The commute is not bad and the price is good. I think we got a sucky room though, and I should have asked to be moved. I will not get an upgraded view and it wasn't that big of a deal and not worth even the extra few dollars it cost. I just think a parking lot view might be a better quality choice.

Knights Inn is totally off my list of places to stay with the Wyndham Rewards program which is why I chose the place to begin with. But I should have known better since they are the lowest listed class of hotels.

I thought I would have a problem with needing to drive to the parks each day but for this trip it worked out because we could make the visit back to the car to get our evening attire. I didn't have to lug around a backpack with all that stuff in it and Rich could simply pick up and put on his jacket. Most of the time, we toured with just my very small bag while Rich went bagless (and yes, he gleefully went through the no bags line, son of a gun). I could leave my video camera in Maxx if I was done with recording for the day.

I was amazed we had no pizza on this trip until our return from home. That might be a record for us. The lunch was Rose and Crown was great and I got my Tucson Pressed Deli sandwich so all was right with the World.

We did the parking lot tram once and didn't like it. You can only have five people per row and you have to open and close the doors yourself. Ever see a hyper person trying to do that and direct the others in the party to do the same? Not very pretty. I don't know enough about the logistics but having trams that would open and the close the doors automatically would be a nice thing. But then again, the only reason for the trams to have the darn doors is because humans can be stupid.

We saw the new Fantasyland things and while the roller coaster would be of interest and maybe the Ariel thing (that had a 40 minute wait and we weren't really wanting to do it this trip), that's all that would draw us back into that area. The whole wait for Be Our Guest restaurant is beyond my comprehension. It's just food and Rich's practicality might be leaping over to me but come on, just go somewhere else instead of waiting 35 minutes just to get into the building.

The weather was great with no rain. The temperatures did plummet once the sun went down but it was a more mild Thanksgiving time that in past visits. I cannot advise on what to wear since I get colder faster than Rich so we are at extremes on that. Just know what you are used to, layer, be prepared for anything, and do the best you can at your comfort level.

Our next trip isn't until Memorial Day and it's a very long six months for me. But I have Rich convinced to do a week long Food and Wine Festival visit so I can live with that.

And the Falcons are now 11-1 and are the NFC South Division Champs! Rise up, Falcons, Rise up!