The Chit Chat Chit Chat Thread

[Gabe1]

I think they were like, "Well, what can we say about the car's interior?" "Well, let's look...hmm...steering wheel..." "Well, we don't have much else to mention, so mention the steering wheel."

They could have said "Leather appointed steering wheel" or something along those lines. Which is what other car manufacturers listed. But nope. Just: "Steering wheel".

Too Funny. And these people they hire major in marketing.

 

[Gabe1]

Well we are 6, and you are just 2, plus we drive so we don’t need a rental. I did forget to mention that I got a special rate by going through Mousesavers(hope I can say that). It got free continental breakfast for 4 of us and the better room rate than the one you probably saw by just going through Hilton’s site. We will need to pay $28 for the other 2, but that is not bad.

We've been using @Kingdom Konsultant for some of our trips. It costs nothing to us and we are very happy with them. Painfree to us, nabbed the free dining or resort discounts for us and perks. We could do worse without them but not better and they take on all the hassle. Pleased.

 

[Gabe1]

One of the oldest parts of the Efteling is the Fairy Tale forrest. It is a wooded area with a walking trail that guides you to different fairy tales. These are gnome houses that are also interactive, the gnome in front moves and the gate in front of the house has a door handle that kids (and the occasional grown up ) can turn, this makes the front door of the cottage open en a gnome pokes it head out and mumbles .View attachment 253159

Candy house from Hansel and Gretel, by trying to open the gate the witch comes to the door and asks who is eating her house. As a child I had many discussions with my siblings wether the cordial in the little fountain in front was real and drinkable.
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When you get to a fairy tale there is a book that describes the Fairy Tale for non Dutch speakers or the hearing impaired.

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You then walk up and can look and listen to the story. There are usually several moving elements. View attachment 253160

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How Quaint. My DD would have loved that as a child. When I was growing up we had a touristy place in Holland Michigan that had similar type things, now overrun with more common tourist traps. But the tulips in the spring are everywhere galore and I am a fan of all that Spring stuff.

 

[Gabe1]

I am thinking of adjusting my trip. May do some days on property and a couple off to try out the Double Tree at Disney Springs. I did look at our park dates for EMH and noticed that there really aren't too many morning EMH for the week before Memorial Day. We usually do the morning ones. Have a hard time staying for the late ones. Does anyone know if the buses from the Disney Spring resorts park right near the Disney buses at MK?

I kinda lost you there. The resorts on Hotel Blvd right off Disney Springs Shopping District do not drop off with the Disney Buses. They are farther out in the lots and at the MK off at the Ticket and Transportation center behind the ticket booths. When we have stayed on Hotel Blvd. The buses in the morning drop you and it is perfectly fine or we hop a bus from Disney Springs to Contemporary or the nearest Disney Resort to the Park we are going to. By 4pm there are direct buses to Disney Springs and we walk over the bridge to the resort. Never had an issue but we are 365 day walkers so it doesn't bother us to cross the bridge. The buses at Hotel Blvd are reliable and every 30 minutes so you can gauge when to leave your room. Bonus they are in covered areas if the weather is rainy. Coming back to the resort I don't ride them 'cause you have to wait out in a parking lot. So to Springs or Uber.

 

[Cesar R M]

I think they were like, "Well, what can we say about the car's interior?" "Well, let's look...hmm...steering wheel..." "Well, we don't have much else to mention, so mention the steering wheel."

They could have said "Leather appointed steering wheel" or something along those lines. Which is what other car manufacturers listed. But nope. Just: "Steering wheel".

At least you wont be paddling to guide your car

 

[Go.Nijntje]

That is beyond beautiful. What a great get away place for a family Christmas. Good times, good memories.

Thank you, it was perfect for us and allowed everyone to have a great time.

 

[Go.Nijntje]

Here's why my family sucks and I like Halloween better than Christmas. My sister and her daughter gave $25 Applebee's and Chili's gift cards to every adult......each and every one. I, the person that bought all the food and hosted the get together got......a soup bowl. No gift card for me. "You don't go there"was the excuse. Yup, NEVER doing a family function again.

I am sorry about the soup bowl, that was very inconsiderate of your sister.

 

[Go.Nijntje]

I am happy to report that my oldest son did make our Christmas Eve celebration last night. He went into work the other day and complained about being scheduled for Christmas Eve from 3 p.m. to midnight. The boss then rescheduled him for the morning shift, and he was at my house by 4 p.m. Plenty of time to eat Turkey dinner, and see every one of his family members. It was a wonderful party, and we got lots of great pics. One of our best nights ever.

How wonderful that you were all together and had such a nice time. That is what the holidays are about.

I feel a bit bitter and disappointed today that I didn't get a Nintendo Switch this Christmas.

I'm sorry you didn't get the present you wanted however I hope you still had a good Christmas. Perhaps focus on the positive and enjoy what you have so you don't waste time feeling bitter.

 

[Figgy1]

There is a resident bunny here, born this Spring. It doesn't seem to know what to do with the snow and lack of green stuff to eat.

So far my wildlife is ok Last year and the year before we wound up leaving food outside for them. My regulars still show up just to say hi

 

[Figgy1]

There will be fireworks for us to see tomorrow night. Likely it won't be from their pier more than likely an observation deck. Never have had the good fortune to face the correct direction.

It stinks you had to change your plans. I hope NYE is fun any way.

 

[Figgy1]

Hmpf. Going to eat it too?

I believe the meat is called rent

 

[Figgy1]

As I am researching cars (which is my life now) I decided to look into the Chevys just for the heck of it.

I went to the section about the interior. I was trying to find out whether the interior was fabric, leather, etc. I was going through the bullet points...and one was "Steering Wheel". Nothing after that, just "Steering wheel." So apparently, that car has a steering wheel.

Good to know.

 

[Figgy1]

I am having fun with it, but the more research I do, the more I keep coming back to my original idea: new 2018 Toyota Camry. I loved that car in SC, so I know I like driving it. It covers several of the features I want. For instance, I definitely want a car with power adjustable seats so I can see over the dashboard to drive. I do NOT want cloth seats. There's the option for leather, but the Camrys also have another option called Softex which is a leather-like synthetic not made from animals that is cheaper. I would be fine with that. Auto transmission - covered. I liked the amount of trunk space. I would pay for an additional feature package that includes additional safety features and remote keyless entry. Even though I would like to have a sunroof, I'm being good and prioritizing safety features.

I also found out some interesting information. For instance, I definitely want a 2018 Camry, not a 2017 because the Camry underwent a major redesign for 2018. I also don't want the Corolla because it hasn't had the redesign yet and likely won't have the same feel that I liked in the Camry.

I found out some necessary information, like that I will qualify on my own (my parents will not cosign a loan), and that Toyota is currently running a 0% APR offer plus $1500 cash on new Camrys. I also found out that I really should buy a car this year and take advantage of the discounts as a recent college grad.

Also, in case you're interested, I found out that all Chevy Malibus have steering wheels. Evidently, that is very important for cars to have.

I like your priorities. If you're the type to keep a car until it needs to be replaced skip the sunroof they can develop a leak even in the best of cars and in the winter cars with them always seem colder to me.

 

[Figgy1]

Sounds wonderful. I bet that is awesome. Can't wait to see the video.

The Pier here is a bay but not your type of bay. It was a Naval Pier back in the day and a awesome place to visit now by day and nightlife. A hotel constructed at the end. But as always if needed the pier can be taken back by the military if need be just like the Naval training center due North of it that is now a mix of shopping, dining and townhomes all mixed together. (I'd love to live there in the summer months.)

What she said X2

 

[Figgy1]

No sun here today but we had the strong winds too. Nasty. I remember last December was the same. The next week or two doesn't look much better. Making us want to bolt yet again. She is calling me HOME hard. and it has only been 3 weeks.

shotgun

 

[Figgy1]

My Sis comes home after a couple weeks on Monday. I so wonder what Lake Erie has done to her home being almost ontop of the lake. They have a Guy Friday-I hope they had him watching after the property like he does in the summer. She also has a home in Lake Chautauqua, NY that might not be much better. Their condo in the Keys got hit by Irma. Thinking not their year for weather.

That stinks

 

[Songbird76]

So pretty! I wonder where is this?

Someone may have answered by now, but just in case, it's Edinburgh. I looked it up.

 

[MinnieM123]

Well we are 6, and you are just 2, plus we drive so we don’t need a rental. I did forget to mention that I got a special rate by going through Mousesavers(hope I can say that). It got free continental breakfast for 4 of us and the better room rate than the one you probably saw by just going through Hilton’s site. We will need to pay $28 for the other 2, but that is not bad.

Suggestion to all: don't completely rule out hotels' own web sites. I was in the hotel industry years ago and I can tell you that things can change without warning in 24 hours or less. Best to just keep your eyes on multiple sites.

 

[MinnieM123]

We have met some very respectful TSA employees and others that just seem to like to mess with travelers. You stand in line long enough and you start to notice the twits from the professionals. Coming home we shuffled it a tight pack of travelers for just over an hour and clearly posted 15 minute wait as your documents/id were being viewed. I understand and appreciate the security however they really need to get some of all this streamlined. Is there an inherent risk of a paper receipt worthy of an in-depth screening and calling the traveler out for clearly not feeling the receipt in the back pocket? Thinking the employees need to be evaluated and watched for quality screening vs utilizing power they have in these unique ways. I've seen it all and you really can quickly pick out the real good professional ones, likely how the same professional ones can pick out which travelers they might warrant a further look.

And yes body to body, heel to toe, shoulder to shoulder that is too many humans per square foot in the section MCO has devoted to TSA screening.

Back when I was in the regular TSA cattle lines at MCO, I could not believe the mess the queue lines were. They really needed to extend OUT the lines to be straighter, etc. Some snaking is o.k. but there was one choke point in particular that 4 lines were merging into ONE?!! What genius thought of that one??!! And I don't travel during so called "busy" travel times either.

Thank God for TSA preclear, the past few years I've gone there, so that I could avoid the craziness.

 

[MinnieM123]

There is a resident bunny here, born this Spring. It doesn't seem to know what to do with the snow and lack of green stuff to eat.

He'll find something, not to worry. If God hadn't given animals the correct survival instincts, all the animals would be dead in the springtime. That hasn't happened.