The Chit Chat Chit Chat Thread

[Figgy1]

Okay, IDK what it is about HM, but their scanner is almost always broken. If I walk up and they don't give me one of those paper return tickets, I'm shocked and amazed.

But that's a new one.

Noticed that did you

 

[Figgy1]

@StarWarsGirl what would you say about a kid who watched My Friend the Rat and said after cats look down on humans part "that's how it should be"

 

[Songbird76]

While it's true that even back in the 80's there was a certain amount of basic planning that had to be done. But those were planning for the available time to go, plan "B" if we were to have a nor'easter show up the night before the start of our road trip, obtaining travelers checks, car serviced and checked out, fuel bill and any other things that were to come due while we were gone. In my case where we owned a Care Home (precursor to assisted living) that needed to be staffed 24/7 while we were gone, arrangements made for repair, appliance replacement, if necessary, and whatever other disaster might happen thought out before we could leave home. No cell phones so we had to plan on calling in at least once a day to insure all was OK and nothing else was needed, since there was no way they could contact us in an emergency. Initially, AAA road trip plans. Advance reservations for whatever offsite hotels we needed and along on the way. I know there are other things I have chosen to forget over time.

As far as what I had to plan to just go to WDW, I did have the tickets in advance, other then that not a damn thing. My first road trip to WDW was with no exception that best family vacation we ever took. The weather was great. -20F when we left home and 75F in Kissimmee. It was all new, we had no preconceived notion about what to expect. In my 72 years of life I have never enjoyed a week+ more in my life (at least what I could share in mixed company).

Now if I had all that to do and do the micromanagement that is required just to get through the gate now, I think would have stopped me from even making the trip. Because of our circumstances the stress levels were high right up to the minute we got in the car to go. We usually planned on leaving at 5:30 am and held our breath that we didn't get a call from the home that someone was not going to show up or some other thing went wrong (this was mid to late February). Only once as we were putting the final items in the car that phone rang. Our collective hearts stopped. When we picked up the phone, no one was there. We ran to the car and got out of there as fast as we could. Never did find out who called.

I think that's the thing for me...I loved the 2 trips we took when I was a kid. I mean, my mom did the planning, but we didn't have to have everything worked out. I actually don't remember ever eating at a TS restaurant there. We me have, but I don't remember it. But everything was much more relaxed and go with the flow. But now, if you just go with the flow, there's a lot less that's available BECAUSE you have to plan so much so far in advance. And while I am a planner, I wouldn't need to be quite so detailed in my planning if it weren't for things like ADRs and FPs. If you don't plan ahead and make that ADR, you could find yourself starving at a certain point and not being able to get into a TS restaurant. If you don't make FPs, you might miss some of the favorites, or have to be standing in a long line still waiting when dinner time is long passed. I don't mind the planning which park I'm going to go to on which day, but having to take crowd calendars into account, and EMH and upcharge/extra ticket events, plus all the ADRs and FPs is a pain. If I didn't know what I was missing, it would be fine, but now I have favorite experiences that I don't want to miss, so I have to plan in order to get to do all of them.

 

[Songbird76]

Wow, definitely stressful there, and have read about similar friction in previous posts of yours.
DWifey and our DDs do all our trip planning, with input from me when asked, as I do have a bit of Disney knowledge from being here so often, etc....!!! I follow their final plans to the tee though, including when they make last minute or on the fly adjustments...!!! I’m just so happy to be at Disney, that I don’t really care how it all plays out...!!!!!
Also, and as I’ve posted before, I’ve always gotten the free water from QS/CS, and have never once paid for an overpriced bottle of water at WDW...hmmm...does that make me a “partial planner”...?!
Seriously though, not trying to make light of the situation you described, but, just trying (probably unsuccessfully ) to add some levity to it...!!!

Yes, I'd say you are a partial planner....you probably have an idea of which rides are must-dos for you, and maybe a favorite QS location you want to hit at some point. And you know something about the parks because you've been there so many times. My husband doesn't look at anything...he doesn't give any input and he really doesn't know anything about the parks or anything. My daughter helped with planning the last trip...she and I made lists for the ADRs we wanted to do with my niece and which ones we wanted to do when they were gone. But my husband is like "tell me where to be, when." But then it comes to the day and he says "I'm going to go to this other park today to play Ingress...I'll meet you for dinner." or if I've planned a rest period at the resort in the afternoon, he wants to do something else and I have to rearrange FPs because he wants to go on SM and I have to get rid of one of his FPs so I can get him one for SM, but then he can't do whatever we're doing with a FP because he already used his for SM instead.

 

[StarWarsGirl]

There's always a certain level of planning if we go anywhere. Allergies, we have to know where to eat. Disney food in general we can eat almost anywhere but not everywhere. No ADRs good luck finding a place except qs which only works for so many days in a row unless you know how to avoid burgers and dogs for too many meals in a row, Now Disney has added the reservation system which will be in place until???????????? Before that it was working around EMH. I miss the paper FP system because FP planning months out was a PITA. That's part of why next time we go to Florida it will be UNI it involves less planning not to mention it's cheaper. We could walk up to almost every TS and get seated without an ADR. That said their ADR system while harder to navigate because some were Open Table and some were UNI site was easier to deal with because we didn't have to book months in advance if there was a place we wanted to try.

Believe it or not the park pass reservation system actually involves less planning than it used to. We've did very little planning for our last trip. Just basically booked a few ADRs and our park passes, and then the ADRs could be changed pretty simply.

Not as little as we did for Disneyland, but much less than in the past.

 

[StarWarsGirl]

@StarWarsGirl what would you say about a kid who watched My Friend the Rat and said after cats look down on humans part "that's how it should be"

Not as it should be...just as it is.

 

[Songbird76]

Helpin’ Mom and Pop move back into “Family Central” on such a glorious, sunny day...!!!!!!!

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I love the more open floorplan between the living room and kitchen, with the doors to the deck. So much light and so convenient for when you all get together to go between inside and outside. I hope they love it. I also like the backsplash tiles in the kitchen. Is that a six burner stove?? I wish I had room for one of those!!!

 

[Songbird76]

It's horrible outside here icy/snowy, dark, cold and yucky. I didn't feel like rolling enchiladas so I made enchilada lasagna

It's beautiful here!!! It snowed! First snow for more than a year, I think! It hasn't accumulated much, but it is still snowing...we'll see what it looks like tomorrow.

 

[donaldtoo]

Well, that made for a really nice day...!!!
Different, but, the same, as all the love is always there and it still feels like our ol’ “Family Central”...!!!!!

 

[Figgy1]

Not as it should be...just as it is.

He may have said that. I wasn't paying attention. I was just shocked he felt the need to comment

 

[Songbird76]

Both. In parks Potter both good QS in the Jurassic area is good chicken, turkey legs and a few other choices DO NOT go to the burger place, Mythos and Lombard's were both really good, Confisco was ok. City walk Margaritaville, Antojotos were both great. The guys said NBC was ok. I hear Toothsome is really good. We enjoyed the wok sit down at their version of Poly. I also hear NBC in studios is good

Ah, we got stuck going to....Richter's burgers or something? Kind of across from the fast and furious ride. A was hungry and the only thing he would eat was fries, and that was the nearest place to get fries. So we went there...they also had the coca-cola freestyle machines, which was a plus because we had the refillable cups. I don't even remember what I ate there...just that it wasn't fabulous. Another day, we went to the Monster Cafe or whatever it is...that place was AWFUL. I couldn't even get the meat off the ribs... and they tasted terrible. The brussels sprouts were so undercooked they were crunchy...we couldn't eat any of it and left hungry. We also went to some superhero themed place and I don't remember what we ate, but again, meh. The only thing that was good was The Three Broomsticks. We didn't go to the other HP place because they didn't have anything on the menu that A would eat. But I don't even remember seeing any TS spots in the parks...but then we weren't really looking for them because we had planned to leave the parks for dinner anyway. When I looked at menus, it didn't seem like there was much for our family that wasn't burgers or Pizza and I can't eat that for 5 days in a row. At perkins I can get a side salad and an appetizer tray with chicken strips and mozzarella sticks and onion rings to share with E, and that's perfect....and at the Cheesecake Factory, they have a varied menu.

We usually had to take A to McDonalds first anyway because he won't eat any of that stuff. We went to Chuy's one night, we went to Olive Garden twice...there was plenty of decent food to be had, so we didn't bother trying to scrounge something mediocre in the parks. Is Mythos in the parks? Or is that in Citywalk? That sounds decidedly Greek, which neither of the kids will touch. I hope E will grow into liking greek food like I did. I wouldn't have eaten it at her age either, but now I love it.

 

[Goofyernmost]

I think that's the thing for me...I loved the 2 trips we took when I was a kid. I mean, my mom did the planning, but we didn't have to have everything worked out. I actually don't remember ever eating at a TS restaurant there. We me have, but I don't remember it. But everything was much more relaxed and go with the flow. But now, if you just go with the flow, there's a lot less that's available BECAUSE you have to plan so much so far in advance. And while I am a planner, I wouldn't need to be quite so detailed in my planning if it weren't for things like ADRs and FPs. If you don't plan ahead and make that ADR, you could find yourself starving at a certain point and not being able to get into a TS restaurant. If you don't make FPs, you might miss some of the favorites, or have to be standing in a long line still waiting when dinner time is long passed. I don't mind the planning which park I'm going to go to on which day, but having to take crowd calendars into account, and EMH and upcharge/extra ticket events, plus all the ADRs and FPs is a pain. If I didn't know what I was missing, it would be fine, but now I have favorite experiences that I don't want to miss, so I have to plan in order to get to do all of them.

There in lies one of the reasons why I will not stay onsite. I don't find the FP's all that difficult, but I will not decide what I want to eat 6 months from now and be locked into it. I snack while in the parks, but always take a break late afternoon where I leave the property, decide what I'm in the mood for, eat and take a rest break that then head back. Having a park hopper also adds an element of flexibility to my experience. I sometimes go back to the same park, but I mostly go back to a different one. It just breaks up the day for me. I still get everywhere I wanted to go over the course of my stay, and it doesn't get stale.

I find it bad enough that I have to decide what park I want to be in over my stay. I always planned my stay with additional days. If I woke up and it was raining, I went to some inside venue, like a flea market or museum. Now I have to decide what parks I want to be in either after I get there and limit my ability of get useful FP's or be pretty much locked into the park. It can be changed but not without a whole lot of hassle to change it. I have said in the past that in the earlier years I didn't know what park I felt like going too until I was enjoying a $5.00, all you can eat, breakfast buffet before even getting to a park. Gourmet dining, hell no, but I do not go to Disney or Uni, for the food or the bling, I go there for the attractions, period. In the past I used to plan on going to all four parks over the time I was in the area, and flexed around based on weather and moods. Now I only plan a couple of days because if I buy to many days I am going to lose money if I can't get there. Frankly, even though I still love the parks my enjoyment level has diminished over recent years. I don't care about EMH or Special events. I get my fun out of the basic park offerings. I can do that, I guess, because I have been so often that now I no longer even try to see everything. If I am healthy enough to go back I will go, if not, oh, well, sometimes life just doesn't work the way we would like.

 

[donaldtoo]

I love the more open floorplan between the living room and kitchen, with the doors to the deck. So much light and so convenient for when you all get together to go between inside and outside. I hope they love it. I also like the backsplash tiles in the kitchen. Is that a six burner stove?? I wish I had room for one of those!!!

Thanks...!!!
Yep, that’s one of two slightly-major changes to the house (the other being my folks en suite bathroom) that really makes for some great openness, and was something that was planned from the beginning for the rebuild...you may remember the kitchen area SketchUp models that I created and posted pics of way back when.
They do indeed love it...finally, now...!!!!!
And you know what, I never even payed close enough attention to the stove and have no clue how many burners it has, and can’t really tell from the pic, but, I am positive it’s a least a 4-burner stove...!!!!!

 

[Figgy1]

Ah, we got stuck going to....Richter's burgers or something? Kind of across from the fast and furious ride. A was hungry and the only thing he would eat was fries, and that was the nearest place to get fries. So we went there...they also had the coca-cola freestyle machines, which was a plus because we had the refillable cups. I don't even remember what I ate there...just that it wasn't fabulous. Another day, we went to the Monster Cafe or whatever it is...that place was AWFUL. I couldn't even get the meat off the ribs... and they tasted terrible. The brussels sprouts were so undercooked they were crunchy...we couldn't eat any of it and left hungry. We also went to some superhero themed place and I don't remember what we ate, but again, meh. The only thing that was good was The Three Broomsticks. We didn't go to the other HP place because they didn't have anything on the menu that A would eat. But I don't even remember seeing any TS spots in the parks...but then we weren't really looking for them because we had planned to leave the parks for dinner anyway. When I looked at menus, it didn't seem like there was much for our family that wasn't burgers or Pizza and I can't eat that for 5 days in a row. At perkins I can get a side salad and an appetizer tray with chicken strips and mozzarella sticks and onion rings to share with E, and that's perfect....and at the Cheesecake Factory, they have a varied menu.

We usually had to take A to McDonalds first anyway because he won't eat any of that stuff. We went to Chuy's one night, we went to Olive Garden twice...there was plenty of decent food to be had, so we didn't bother trying to scrounge something mediocre in the parks. Is Mythos in the parks? Or is that in Citywalk? That sounds decidedly Greek, which neither of the kids will touch. I hope E will grow into liking greek food like I did. I wouldn't have eaten it at her age either, but now I love it.

Oh no Lombard's is almost right across from there and has excellent fries and real food not much more than qs In fact Confisco and Mythos both have fries and only a little more than qs. In Citywalk Margaritaville and NBC ditto

 

[Songbird76]

There in lies one of the reasons why I will not stay onsite. I don't find the FP's all that difficult, but I will not decide what I want to eat 6 months from now and be locked into it. I snack while in the parks, but always take a break late afternoon where I leave the property, decide what I'm in the mood for, eat and take a rest break that then head back. Having a park hopper also adds an element of flexibility to my experience. I sometimes go back to the same park, but I mostly go back to a different one. It just breaks up the day for me. I still get everywhere I wanted to go over the course of my stay, and it doesn't get stale.

Well there's nothing that says you have to eat on property if you stay onsite. But yeah, I understand what you mean. I woke up feeling ill one morning and we had an 11:00 ADR at sci-fi dine in that I was NOT going to make, and the family had no desire to get up and go without me. I would have been charged for canceling, so I had to float the ADR to a different day and then cancel it to avoid a charge. Not really a big deal, but kind of a hassle. Especially since there's always a line of people waiting to get in, so it's not like they will lose money if you cancel your reservation....someone else will snap it up. I can sort of understand the charge for no-shows, but it's not like they actually reserve a table for you....you still have to wait. Why can they make you wait 45 minutes even with a reservation, but if you are 10 minutes late, they consider you a no-show and charge your card? It seems unethical when they are just going to give that table to someone else so they still make money.

But you can absolutely stay onsite and still leave for a meal and come back to a park. We didn't do that because we didn't have a car and because our deal comes with the dining plan, so we might as well use the credits. And there's so much to choose from at Disney, both in the parks and at the resorts and at DS...the only place there's a shortage is at the waterparks. Universal doesn't really have much to offer as far as I could see, but Disney has plenty so we're content to eat there. It takes less time out of our day that way because we don't have to leave property and come back. But that's personal preference....some people like to get out of the bubble for a bit, some like to take leisurely meals at TS places throughout the day, some like to stick to QS so they have more time for attractions, and some prefer to just snack through the day...some even bring their own food into the parks with them so they don't have to pay for food or leave the parks. It all depends on what works for your family.

 

[Songbird76]

Thanks...!!!
Yep, that’s one of two slightly-major changes to the house (the other being my folks en suite bathroom) that really makes for some great openness, and was something that was planned from the beginning for the rebuild...you may remember the kitchen area SketchUp models that I created and posted pics of way back when.
They do indeed love it...finally, now...!!!!!
And you know what, I never even payed close enough attention to the stove and have no clue how many burners it has, and can’t really tell from the pic, but, I am positive it’s a least a 4-burner stove...!!!!!

Yes, I remember your sketches, and I remember kind of what it looked like before from your pictures. Was the fireplace in the older version painted? I don't remember that.

I like lots of natural light, so the openness is really appealing to me, as well as the doors to the yard. I wish I could have French doors to a nice al fresco dining area...it looks like you'll be able to have BBQs outside all year round pretty much!!

 

[Goofyernmost]

I can sort of understand the charge for no-shows, but it's not like they actually reserve a table for you....you still have to wait. Why can they make you wait 45 minutes even with a reservation, but if you are 10 minutes late, they consider you a no-show and charge your card? It seems unethical when they are just going to give that table to someone else so they still make money.

I agree that they aren't exactly caring about the guest and what it cost them for that trip. I don't mind the hold charge and you can rest assured that they had to do that because so many people were making multiple ressies and then only choosing one. In the meantime many others were not able to reserve a time because the self centered already had them tied up. I actually cheered for that one, but it is a prime reason why we can't have nice things, because someone is going to find a way to beat the system ruining it for everyone else. Humanity is of questionable morals.

 

[Songbird76]

Oh no Lombard's is almost right across from there and has excellent fries and real food not much more than qs In fact Confisco and Mythos both have fries and only a little more than qs. In Citywalk Margaritaville and NBC ditto

I just went to the guy working outside of Fast and Furious and asked him where the closest place was to get fries and he pointed to Richters or whatever it's called. So that's where we ended up. I remember fighting with the online mobile order app there. I finally worked it out, but we were through the line before I got it working anyway, so we didn't use it there. It was just frustrating. Should E and I go back for a Mother/Daughter trip, we won't have to take A into account and will have more options.

 

[Figgy1]

I just went to the guy working outside of Fast and Furious and asked him where the closest place was to get fries and he pointed to Richters or whatever it's called. So that's where we ended up. I remember fighting with the online mobile order app there. I finally worked it out, but we were through the line before I got it working anyway, so we didn't use it there. It was just frustrating. Should E and I go back for a Mother/Daughter trip, we won't have to take A into account and will have more options.

Sounds like a great graduation idea! I remember you having the same problems in Paris dh and ds The like was for a girls only trip

 

[donaldtoo]

Oh, there's definitely something to be said for watching lousy movies. It turns the viewing experience into a whole new tier -- pointing out all the inane situations, dialogue, movie sets, etc. Sometimes, I've had more laughs over hideous films, than more professionally produced comedy ones!

(Reminds me a little of MST 3000 (Mystery Science Theater 3000), back in the 90s. That was one of my favorite shows with the bots who would zoo on bad movies. Don't know if you ever saw it, but it was hilarious! )

Totally agree, and that’s why I watched it to its ridiculously inane, belly-laugh-inducing, end...!!!!!
And yes, I watched MST 3000 many times back in the day, and it was always a hoot, but, I guess they finally ran out of campy ol’ B or even C flicks to have fun with...?!