Dude in Disney

Things to Do Close to Home

noreply@blogger.com (Zyon) — Tue, 22 May 2012 18:13:00 +0000

We live in Pennsylvania, in the northeast. We are not too far from the Jersey shore actually, maybe 2 hours or so. However, I cannot tell you when the last time it was that we visited the Jersey shore. Now that our kids are older, they seem to be more interested in amusement parks rather than relaxing beach vacations so Lisa and I are thinking about where we can take them in Central New Jersey for a weekend trip.

Upon doing some online research, I realized that Six Flags - Great Adventure is in Central New Jersey, Jackson, to be specific. We have not mentioned this to them yet because we are not exactly sure when we will go. I have off for a week in July - the week of the fourth of July, but going around that time may be more of a headache than it is worth. I love that I have that entire week off but so does just about everybody else, or so it seems!

It looks like Pat Benatar will be there on August 11th. This is a free concert, with park admission of course. I know Lisa loves Pat Benatar and I believe she has even seen her live already. The kids have never been to a concert so I think this will be a fun experience for them on top of being at the park.

I really think this sounds like fun! We all need things to do over the summer to keep us content so waiting for our next Disney trip will not feel like an eternity!

Mexico at Epcot

noreply@blogger.com (Zyon) — Tue, 22 May 2012 17:52:00 +0000

Yes folks, this is me in Mexico at Epcot! I still cannot believe I let Lisa take this picture, but hey, we were on our honeymoon!

That night we did some shopping and then ate at San Angel Inn - for more pictures, check out Epcot at Night

Road Trips are a Thing of the Past

noreply@blogger.com (Zyon) — Tue, 15 May 2012 01:48:00 +0000

Lisa and I were always leery of flying, which is why our first few trips to Disney were road trips. However, we quickly got tired of the long drive - even with us taking turns. We have flown 3 times so far and are flying again in October. We love it! There is nothing better than being there in 2 hours vs 2 days! See the smile on Wyatt's face:

Now, if Lisa and I ever go to Florida alone again, we may fly into Ft. Lauderdale first and then rent a car. Or maybe we will have her cousin meet us at the airport since she lives in Florida. I know the ft lauderdale airport parking is extremely reasonable.

We have never given much thought to needing a car while In Florida because we are usually in Walt Disney World and use the transportation that is provided by Disney but if we go elsewhere in Florida like Ft. Lauderdale, then we will definitely need a way to get around. I cannot see us using and paying for public transportation! I guess we are spoiled!

Living in Disney

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 12:05:00 +0000

Hey everyone, Lisa here. CJ has been slacking on the blog updating so I figured I'd pop in here and post!

Recently I was talking to a few friends about what it would be like to live in a Disney resort all year. After all, I am a Disney Vacation Club owner and theoretically, I could purchase enough points for a full year! Some thought I would be bored after a month and I'd want to come home while others thought that I would quickly forget about the "real world" and become addicted to my new surroundings.

Then it hit me - we could just live in the Golden Oak Community - so close to the magic and living in luxury!

The biggest issue became "what do you do about your kids' education?" Well, I could enroll them in the Orlando School district or I could home-school them. Since we'd spend most of our time at the parks - maybe "un-schooling" is the way to go.

Either way, I could get used to this lifestyle! Guess I better start playing the lottery so I can have a bathroom like this!

American Idol

noreply@blogger.com (Zyon) — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 11:53:00 +0000

Thanks for the post, Kathy Shelton

My husband wanted to find a tv package that is cheaper than what we are paying now. He decided to look for some Direct TV Specials. I told him that I did not care if he switched companies, as long as it was set up in time for me to watch American Idol. The new season in starting in a few days and I do not want to miss it. The beginning is my favorite part because they show all of the people who are terrible singers and make fools of themselves.

I cannot sing at all, so I am not trying to judge anyone. However, since I cannot sing, I would never even think about trying out for American Idol. It is pretty funny to watch some of the people try so hard to sing well, when there is no chance they are going to make it to Hollywood. I really like it that they have new judges too. The old judges were getting kind of boring because they were starting to say the same thing to every contestant. The new judges are a lot nicer, but they make cuts when they need to. They have definitely kept it interesting.

We've Been to the Beach Club and Back

noreply@blogger.com (Zyon) — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 16:10:00 +0000

I know I am bad at updating...but yes, we spent our DisneyMoon at the Beach Club Villas and we were both very impressed! Look at the view:

I know Lisa is writing up the trip report on Disney Vacation Trip Reports and posting detailed restaurant reviews on Family Disney Vacations so keep an eye out for new posts!

Financial Crisis

noreply@blogger.com (Zyon) — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 03:25:00 +0000

The article written by Alonso Kramer

My husband and I are going through a bit of a financial crisisand though I know we’ll get through it it’s a bit scary at times. There are moments in the day when I wonder if anything’s going to come up for him to make money and my job is less than stable, if you know what I mean. We actually moved back in with my parents to save money and we’ve been trying to help where we can. I’ve been pitching in on the chores and stuff and my husband’s been looking into ways for them to save money on things like Reliant Energy and the cost of garbage pickup.

I know it doesn’t seem that tough right now but this whole living paycheck to paycheck thing is totally new for me and I don’t like the feelings it gives me. It’s tough enough when you’ve got a little extra in the bank but I just feel really vulnerable right now if something were to happen to one of us or our jobs.

WDW Trip in 3 Days

noreply@blogger.com (Zyon) — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 11:51:00 +0000

We leave for Disney in 3 days and amazingly enough, Lisa has not made any last minute changes to our 'itinerary' like she is known to do! We are already checked in to Disney's Beach club - she did this online.

Photo Credit

These are our ADRs:

Monday, March 5th - dinner at 7:15pm - Yachtsman Steakhouse - Disney's Yacht Club Resort

Tuesday, March 6th - lunch at 11:45am - Restaurant Marrakesh - Epcot
Tuesday, March 6th - dinner at 8:15pm - Bistro de Paris - Epcot

Wednesday, March 7th - dinner at 8:15pm - Paradiso 37, Taste of the Americas - Downtown Disney - West Side

Thursday, March 8th - dinner at 7:30pm - California Grill - Disney's Contemporary Resort

Friday, March 9th - breakfast at 9:35am - Cape May Cafe - Disney's Beach Club Resort

So far sounds fun!

Resort Change - Again!

noreply@blogger.com (Zyon) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:32:00 +0000

My wife, oh I love her so but she is not happy unless she has something to modify or completely change when it comes to planning our Disney trips! Usually this has to do with our ADRs, but this time it is our resort AND our ADRs!

We went on a wait list for Beach Club Villas and we got it, so now we will be staying at BCV in March instead of Animal Kingdom Lodge - Jambo House - Savanna view......Ummmmm....? Someone please tell me that this was a good switch!

Attention Issues

noreply@blogger.com (Zyon) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:27:00 +0000

I appreciate the guest post, Jamie Guy

I went to a meeting at my son’s school yesterday. They talked about his strengths; how he is creative, has a great sense of humor, is sweet, etc. But each teacher discussed how hard it is for him to focus at school. They mentioned that they frequently have to re-direct him and remind him to stay on task. I mentioned that he has a great attention span when it comes to TV. We have Direct Star TV and when a show is on, he will sit still and watch the whole thing!

He has attention for things that interest him. I was thinking that perhaps they could incorporate technology (such as using the Smart Board, or computers) to teach him concepts at school. Another thing is, if he can use his hands, and actually manipulate objects, he is much more likely to stay focused. That boy will spend hours up in his room on weekends creating these elaborate scenes with his legos. I really don’t think the problem for him is so much attention as being interested.

Animal Kingdom Lodge in March

noreply@blogger.com (Zyon) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 19:18:00 +0000

As DVC members, we have enough points to visit WDW twice a year. Of course Lisa already had our 2012 trips planned and one booked; June 17-22 at Bay Lake Tower, just Lisa, me, and the kids. We knew we were absolutely going back in October, just had to wait for the 11 month-out window to book. That meant when we decided to take an adults only trip in March, we couldn't use DVC points, so Lisa booked the trip with Kelly from Travel With The Magic - who, by the way, is an EXCELLENT Disney travel agent! I highly recommend her!

Well, things got rocky, job-wise, and I made the decision to quit my full time freelance writing gig and head back into the workforce. I landed at job at Martin Guitars but through a temp. agency, so there is no guarantee of a permanent position. We knew we would have to make some changes. We still wanted our adults only 'DisneyMoon' - but would it be easier to tell a job place that wants to hire you that you have a trip in 3 months, that was planned and paid for before the job offer; or saying the trip is in 7 months? From past experience, the vacation that is sooner is more acceptable than saying, "hey, I need off 7 months from now" so we decided to ditch the June trip altogether. We know there is probably no way he'd get time off for 3 WDW vacations next year!

I suppose we could just cancel ALL our trips but then we are out money because the points we are using for 2012 are borrowed from 2013 (don't ask, I know, I need more points! LOL) Canceling our June trip meant freeing up DVC points, so we made the decision to cancel our stay at the Polynesian and use points for our March stay. This breaks Lisa's heart cause she LOVES the Polynesian but financially, it just made sense.

We are going to stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge - Jambo House. We stayed there in June and liked it a lot. We had a pool view:

In March we got a Savanna view. This should be interesting. So many people rave about the view and being able to wake up in the morning seeing animals roaming around.

TRUE BLOOD

noreply@blogger.com (Zyon) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 19:12:00 +0000

This guest post from Lewis Beck

I visited www.CannonSatellite.com and upgraded my television package. I started watching this really great show on HBO. I had always heard about how awesome it was, but I had never seen it until recently. The show is one about Vampire, which I am not usually into the whole vampire thing. I have seen “Twilight”, the first installment, but that is really just as far as it goes. The show on HBO that I have started watching is called “True Blood”.

I have always heard rave reviews and now I know what they were talking about. It is a great show where vampires mix with humans in small town Louisiana. I like all of the actors on the show. My favorite vampire is Erik, played by Alex Skarsgard, who until recently dated Kate Bosworth. He plays a vampire that was turned a thousand years ago when he was a Viking. He is in love with a telepath, Sookie, the main character of the show. I liked it so much; I have seen every episode. I will definitely be watching the new season!

October Was a Blast

noreply@blogger.com (Zyon) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 19:36:00 +0000

Another favorite photo of mine from our October 2011 trip; the kids with painted faces at MNSSHP:

I really think going in October is going to a yearly occurrence. Although we all really like seeing the beauty of the Flower and Garden Festival at Epcot in late April/early May, October just rules!

Traveling Husband

noreply@blogger.com (Zyon) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 19:29:00 +0000

Thanks to Erasmo Cortez

My husband accepted a new position at his company last week. We were really excited because it is a pretty big promotion with a large pay increase and a lot of benefits. However, he will be traveling a lot and I am not excited about that. I know that we have to make sacrifices so we will be able to provide for our two children, but we have a two year old and a 6 month old and it makes me so sad that they will be away from their dad so frequently.

My husband suggested that we look into getting satellite internet so we can start writing emails to each other when he does not have access to a phone. I went to the library and searched wild blue vicksburg and found that we could get satellite internet in our area. Emailing each other will make his traveling a bit easier. I think there is something romantic about writing letters to each other. So much is said when you write to a loved one.

I guess it is because you think it through before you write it. My husband’s first travel assignment is next week and I am already starting to think about what I can write to him about.

I'm the king of funny t shirts

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 17:52:00 +0000

I’m the first person to admit that I have a warped sense of humor. At just under 6 feet tall, 240 pounds, shaved head and tattoos all over me (including a pentacle on my neck), I’m already a fish out of water when I walk into the magic kingdom! Therefore, I look for every opportunity to freak people out more. Right now, my kids are too young to be embarrassed but soon, I’m sure my antics will do the trick nicely.

I have a healthy collection of funny t shirts and when I pack for Disney, I go through them and pick out the best ones. My favorite one has a picture of a rat on it and the shirt says “Black Death.” On the back, printed like a concert shirt, it has a list of all of the cities that were hit by the black plague in the 1600s. It often gets me many odd looks and has even offended a few people who fail to read at a grade school level. I also have a bright green shirt that has a huge eyeball on the front of it. It’s actually a Disney shirt from Monsters Inc. Looks a bit odd on me but passing kids always seem to love it.

Disney in October

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 14:07:00 +0000

We have been to Disney in late April - early May, mid-June, and early October. So far, our favorite time to visit is early October. Not just because of the Halloween decorations and fun, but because we have found the crowds are a bit lower and the weather is wonderful! Still hot enough for swimming but not too hot/humid that it is miserable out.

Last year we went during the second week of October and that was the best, as far as weather. This year we were there October 1-10 and actually had a few days of rain on and off - one day it actually rained from morning until night. That didn't stop our fun though!

The Garden Grill

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 14:02:00 +0000

This lat trip we decided last minute to try out The Garden Grill, in Epcot. The food was ok and the atmosphere was cozy and fun!

Lisa wrote a review on her blog here: Garden Grill in Epcot - Review

A Lasting Memory

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 13:55:00 +0000

We always make so many memories when we visit Disney. Each trip is always so unique. This is Lisa's favorite picture from our last trip:

From the Monorail

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 13:50:00 +0000

Lisa took this photo of the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa while on the monorail headed to the Magic Kingdom. Not bad for a camera phone, while moving!

Epcot in October

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 17:43:00 +0000

No matter how many times we visit Epcot, we always have to get a photo of the kids in front of Spaceship Earth! Here is this past trip's photo:

As the kids get older, Epcot becomes more enjoyable for them This year they all went on Test Track and Olivia and Dante went on Mission Space - GREEN of course!

Alaska

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Queen) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 17:32:00 +0000

Content by Kyle Lowe

We recently moved to Alaska. When we found out that we would be moving from South Carolina to Alaska, I was terrified. All I could think about was the remoteness, the rugged outdoors, and the blistering cold. Needless to say, I also wasn’t happy about leaving my family at home.

My husband was only assigned for an assistant professorships for two years. I was totally amazed when we got out there. It wasn’t quite as back woods as I thought it was going to be, we could still get directv Alaska and I could keep up with my favorite shows.

Alaska is so much more beautiful than I could have ever imagined. What you see on television doesn’t even compare. The mountains are majestic, the ocean is vast, and the animals are awesome. We went kayaking when we first got there and I saw two huge whales. They came up so close to us, that at first I was scared. They were so gentle. There are also so many bald eagles. I saw one in our yard the other day!

Almost Business Class

noreply@blogger.com (Zyon) — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 20:11:00 +0000

Coming home from Disney, Lisa, the kids and I got lucky and obtained seats just behind the Business Class sections, which is essentially the same as First Class. Although our seats were not as spacious, not made of leather and we did not get the special attention from the flight attendant, our seats did have one thing... lots of extra legroom. Lisa is tall and I'm big so the extra leg room was awesome.

When I used to live the cooperate life, I would always book flights through my company's Corporate Travel Management department so I could travel business class flights. However, now we fly Coach. We loved the extra legroom so much we have decided to start keeping an eye out for cheap Business Class flights for Florida whenever we can find them. I know ultimately, it increases the cost of the trip but the luxury is nice. It would also be nice to be the first to board and the first to exit the plane.

Somehow I know that we will end up going Coach again but right now I’m basking in the fact that I kind of got Business Class seating at coach price. Let me live in my glory please!

Magic Kingdom Memory

noreply@blogger.com (Zyon) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 22:15:00 +0000

I adore Lisa's grandma and I am so happy we got to give her a fun-filled Disney vacation this month! The weather was absolutely beautiful while she was there with us - sunny and even a little breezy!

At the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa

noreply@blogger.com (Zyon) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 17:41:00 +0000

We arrived at the Grand Floridian yesterday. Today we had breakfast outside and then took a walk around the grounds.

Was a beautiful morning but the clouds have rolled in and the sky has opened up twice already. Now it is just cloudy.

Work Travel

noreply@blogger.com (Zyon) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 17:36:00 +0000

Guest post by Gerard Mcdaniel

I travel a lot for work so, I love the option to watch shows on www.Direct.TV. I could record everything, but by the time I get home and have the chance to catch up on my shows, I am so behind that it would take forever to catch up. This option allows me to pull out my iPad and watch something when I’m waiting around in the airport and even when I’m in flight. I even have the option to watch some things, like sporting events, live.

Sometimes, the hotels don’t provide all that many channels, so I end up having to find somewhere else to watch certain sporting events. At the end of a long day at work, the last thing I want to do is track down a good sports bar in a city I’m not familiar with and sit there alone. Grabbing a six-pack of beer and a pizza and watching in my pajamas make me more than happy. There are even movies available to watch so I don’t have to buy them for more than the cost of a theatre ticket from the hotel’s pay channels.