Tag Archives: Disney Vacation Club

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Reason and Raving

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After much deliberation I have decided to keep the name of my blog as Donna’s Destination Disney.  Here are the reasons why:

  • As a member of the Disney Vacation Club, I plan/hope to get to a Disney destination every three years.  In 2015, I went to Walt Disney World for 8 glorious nights in October. In 2012, I went to Disney World for a week in December. In 2018, Lord willing and the creek don’t rise, I hope to go to Disneyland Paris for 5 nights with the family in September.
  • The thought of visiting and walking around a Disney destination is great motivation for me to eat well and move more.
  • I am a mega Disney fan, so from time to time, I will post Disney related info, like…

Frozen Ever After and the new Soarin’ opened this week at EPCOT.  The wait for Frozen Ever After is over 3 hours long as I type this.  Holy cannoli!! I can hardly wait to ride those rides, yet there is no way I would stand in a three hour line to do so.  Geesh! What an exciting time at the Disney parks what with Shanghai Disney opening this month, too.

Now on a more serious note: the senate today voted down 4 pieces of legislation that would make it tougher to mass-shoot Americans.  Shame on them!!  I really do believe that those who voted down this legislation are representing the NRA, NOT their own constituencies.  Election time is coming and it’s time to take a stand voters; these NAY voters on this legislation have to go!

I believe in the right to bear arms. I do. If you need a pistol to feel safe in your own home, I have no problem with that. If you hunt and need a specific rifle to get it done, I have no problem with that. [I am a carnivore, too. ;)] But enough is e-bloody-nough! These assault rifles should not be readily available. And if you are on the terrorist watch list or the no fly list, you should have a hard time purchasing a gun. That just seems like common sense.

Thanks for letting me get that out of my system.

I am striving to eat better by planning our menus and by trying out HelloFresh, a home meal-delivery service.  Here’s what they say on their website:

1. We create amazing recipes. Each week our chefs create amazing recipes for you that are easy to prepare. Our meals are interesting yet simple. And we ensure that your diet is balanced and varied.

2. We do the shopping for you. Tired of wasting time at the grocery store? We do it all for you; from creating the recipes and planning the meals, to grocery shopping and even delivering all of the pre-measured ingredients right to your door!

3. Free Delivery! We deliver everything straight to your door, so you can skip the trip.

4. You prepare delicious meals in your own home. We are More Than Food. Quick and easy recipes, no fancy equipment or techniques, and no obscure ingredients. Our mission is to help you get nutritious and delicious meals on the table.

Sounds great, right? I’ll let you know what I think in a few weeks.  I am expecting my first delivery tomorrow.  I ordered 3 meals per week. I figure this will help us to try some new and interesting recipes for awhile.

As for exercise this week: I only made it to the Rec center on 2 days last week, but I did move around a lot more at home.  My walking buddy hurt her back, so she can’t come with me for awhile.  It’s so difficult to get myself up and out without her to hold me accountable. However, “I am responsible for me. I need to be the change I want to see.  I need to get up and walk.” Hmmm…not a bad mantra.

Today I got up and emptied out my closet, because there is a leak in our air conditioner in the attic and the entry to the attic is through my closet ceiling. The leak is bad enough that there is water pouring into our guest room.  Yuk! I think I walked a mile back and forth with all my stuff: clothes, books, pictures, memorabilia, etc… I was sweating like I’d had a full body workout, and now I have the aches and pains to prove it.  My walking for today will be a run to the grocery store to finish out our week of grocery needs.

Then we need to batten down the hatches, because the weather is supposed to get ugly all day tomorrow, thunderstorms, possible tornadoes and much heavy rain. Help me, Jesus!

That’s about it for today.  Thanks for reading and following me on this journey of my senior-citizen life.  You, dear reader, are precious to me.

Donna

PS: I am LOVING the Grandma gig! My grandbaby Ida is so amazing! I can hardly wait to hold her again. She’s already 4 and a half weeks old. She has a head of beautiful dark hair. She likes to hear singing (especially her mama’s voice). She’s learning so much everyday. *happy sigh* My heart is so full, as I see pictures of her growing. I am so very thankful!

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Tomorrow, Tomorrow…

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Day 429 in finishing the race to meet up with Mickey

Tomorrow, tomorrow I love ya, tomorrow.  You’re only a day away….

Mike and I will be picked up bright and early tomorrow to be delivered to Midway Airport and then to fly to Orlando!  Woo hoo!  We are flying Southwest and their computers went caput yesterday, so please pray for a smooth journey.

On the down side, we just found out that Emi and James have to postpone their trip, so we won’t get to see them in Florida.  They will come to Chicago next month instead.  That is a wonderful thing to look forward to, however, we will miss them in Florida.  That means we have a spare bedroom that sleeps four in the Grand Villa for the next week.  Any family folk interested?  (Date Oct. 13-21 eight nights)

My bag is packed, and I am ready almost ready to go.  I just have to pack the last minute things: meds, phone charger, phone, sunglasses, etc…  My stomach is in pre-travel knots as usual.  🙂  But I am ready for some Florida sunshine and some Mickey face-time!

I will try to blog from Florida, but I’m not taking my laptop, just my phone.  Love to you all, dear readers!  Meet you at the Kingdom!

 

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The Final Countdown Begins

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Day 420 in my meandering my way to Mickey

Today I received and email from Disney Destinations.  It is titled, “About your Disney Resort hotel arrival!” Woop woop!  It contains:

  1. Info about the 3-bedroom grand villa that we are staying in at Disney’s Old Key West Resort.
  2. A recreation calendar during our time there.
  3. Info on turning our vacation into a celebration at the resort.
  4. A couple warnings (the monorail is being worked on, Downtown Disney has construction going on)
  5. A reminder about Disney Vacation Club Member perks.
  6. And some transportation reminders.

Gosh, it’s so-o-o-o close now.  A mere 10 days away.  I started planning my packing today.  I’ve put some things aside, so I can find them when I pack in earnest next weekend.  I am so pumped that we will all be there soon!

Meet you at the Kingdom!

Shout out to Trudy, who had a birthday yesterday!  Love you, Sister!  AND Shout out to Emi, who became a British citizen this week.  Congratulations, dear daughter!  Poppa and I couldn’t be more happy for you!

 

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Pressing On

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Day 411 in sweating it out to meet up with Mickey (19 days to go…only 19!!!)

Why is it so difficult to do the right thing?  I woke up early this morning to walk.  This is my fourth day in a row to do so.  Hardly earth shattering, right?  I swear, it was such hard work today.  I tried visualizing walking toward Cinderella’s Castle at Magic Kingdom.  No good.  I tried changing locale and visualized walking down Hollywood Boulevard toward The Great Movie Ride at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.  No good.  So I imagined walking from the bus stop toward Spaceship Earth at EPCOT.  Nope!  It was just exhausting.

BUT, Dear Readers, I did manage to push on and even walked a little farther than yesterday.  I was listening to Sabrina Carpenter on my iPhone, who is on the Disney Channel show Girl Meets World.  She has a song called The Middle of Starting Over which seems to be my anthem (my jam) just now.  I know the song is about falling in love, but it is so catchy and has such a great hook that I cannot resist it.  🙂  And with this exercise thing, post cancer diagnosis and treatment, I am in the middle of starting over.

So I will not be discouraged.  I will not stop my daily walks.  (Lord, willing and the creek don’t rise!)  I will persevere, for in only 19 days we fly to Orlando and our lovely time share at Disney’s Old Key West Resort.  I hope to get the chance to take a swim that first evening.  It would be bliss!

Why is it so difficult to do the right thing?  Because it just is, or as my mom would have said to me, “Do it because I said so!”  Please pray for me to have the stamina to see it through, Friends.  Meet you at the Kingdom!

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Getting Back on the Beam

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Day 407 in my journey to meet Mickey

I have gained a few pounds in the last few weeks.  I sort of threw in the towel and went a bit wild.  But today, I am re-resolved to get on and stay on the right path.  The path where I put healthy fuel (foods) into my body.  The path where I get out of bed an hour earlier every morning and get in a walk.  After all I am only 23 days away from going to Florida. GAH!

Wow!  In 23 days I’ll be there…in my Happy Place.  I can almost smell the sun screen and chlorine now.  🙂  I will kick up my feet at Disney’s Old Key West and exhale…like, really exhale, the kind where I can actually feel the stress falling away.  Ah……

Mike picked veggie sandwiches for dinner tonight.  Shredded brie on bread rolls with sauteed mushroom, peppers, olives and onions.  They will be delicious, but not exactly low-cal.  I will make a point to eat plenty of raw veg (especially broccoli) to help push it through my system.  Then the rest of the week it’ll be:

Monday: salmon and baked pumpkin with raw veg and dip (hummus maybe)

Tuesday: Easy Chicken and Bean Stew with raw veg and dip

Wednesday: Stuffed Green Peppers with raw veg and dip

Thursday: baked chicken with sweet potato and raw veg and dip

Friday and Saturday: Women of Faith Conference  So, Friday-dinner with Jean and Joan.  Yay!  Saturday-dinner with Jean and Wayne.  Yay again!!  I hope to eat some nice dinner salads over the weekend.

My body is so ready to get back on the beam!  I feel so much better and have so much more energy when I’m making better choices.  Why do I not just live my life there?  It still shocks me just how easy it is to slip off the proverbial wagon and make non-optimal choices.  Sheesh!  All I can say is, “Help me, Jesus!”  And I know He will.  PTL!

Meet you at the Kingdom!

 

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Magical Mayhem

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Day 406 in fixing my mistakes on my way to meeting Mickey

Today I called Walt Disney World.  I few days back I tried to reserve a place for Mike and I on the Magical Express bus in December.  Even though I had put that there would be two of us taking the Magical Express to Disney’s All Star Sports Resort from Orlando International Airport and then back again three days later, by the time I finished online, they only had one person listed as riding the bus, and that person was Mike.   So I called and had a lovely visit with Danae (pronounced duh-nay).  She took a look and said that no reservation had been made.  Gee whiz!  Apparently I messed it up big time.  Danae got it all straightened out, and now we are reserved on the bus and all our flight information has been entered. Whew!  It sure doesn’t take much to mess things up.  So my advice? Always double check any reservations that you make online.  🙂

Meet you at the Kingdom!

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Top 10 Things I Am Excited To Do at Walt Disney World

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Day 386 in my excitement on my way to meeting up with Mickey

Here are the 10 things I am the most excited about for our trip to Walt Disney World in October:

#10 Riding it’s a small world.  It is my favorite ride!!

#9 Celebrating one year’s-worth of birthdays with “the dip” (see below) and birthday cupcakes.  We have been saving up to celebrate our birthdays together in Florida.  Woo hoo!  Happy birthday to us!

#8 Exploring EPCOT’s Food and Wine Festival.  Looking forward to tempting tidbits of tasty treats.

#7 Experiencing Wishes Fireworks Dessert Party for the first time ever.  See comment from number 8.

#6 Spending the better part of a day at Disney Springs exploring and shopping.

#5 Eating at Olivia’s Café at Disney’s Old Key West Resort. This is by far my favorite restaurant at Walt Disney World.

#4 Experiencing Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween for the first time ever.  I have my costume now.  I ordered it from the Disney Store.  I will wear a Mickey Mouse Skeleton Tee and a Minnie Mouse Ears Headband.  🙂

#3 Spending plenty of resort time and pool time at Disney’s Old Key West Resort.  It is, seriously, my Happy Place.  When I’m chilling at Old Key West I can actually feel all stress leaving my body.  It is the ultimate in relaxation for me.

#2 Meeting and greeting Mickey at Magic Kingdom. This has been the driving force behind this blog.  I am anxious to shake Mickey‘s big, white-gloved hand and get a picture.

And the #1 thing that I am excited about…Looking at the faces of my husband and children and their spouses and spending some quality time together in this beautiful place.  This will be a family reunion extraordinaire!

Meet you at the Kingdom!

*The dip: In a pie plate spread 8 oz. of cream cheese.  Next sprinkle 6 to 8 cut-up green onions on top.  Then spread a can of No Bean chili on top.  (We usually make a second dip with Vegetarian chili with lots of beans.)  Finally sprinkle 8 oz. of grated cheddar cheese on top.  (We prefer sharp cheddar.  The shaper the better.)  Microwave for five minutes and serve with your favorite chips.  (We usually heat it in the oven t 350 degrees for 30 minutes instead, because it seem to hold it’s heat longer.)

 

 

 

 

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FastPass+ or Slow, Frustrating Pass?

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Day 369 in my planning my way to meeting my pal Mickey

Today’s plan was put into motion at 11:01 pm Central Standard Time last night.  That’s when my Walt Disney World vacation became only 60 days away.  Disneyphiles will know that because I am staying at Disney’s Old Key West, a Walt Disney World resort,  I at that moment became eligible to schedule our FastPass+ picks.  (For those not in the know: FastPass+ is a system that lets you basically preregister for attractions and shows.  it allows you re sign up for three a day.)

If I hadn’t gone to the gathering to show love and support for a friend yesterday, I wouldn’t have realized that this was the case.  I would have gotten up at 6:00 am CST this morning and gone online to schedule FastPass+.   But a church friend who was there is going to The Happiest Place on Earth at the end of September and she made me aware of this particular fact: the system updates at midnight Eastern Standard Time which is 11:00 pm where I live,  (Thank you, Ann!)  So I started my scheduling at 11:01 pm and I finished at about 1:35 this morning.  zzzzzzzzz

Here’s my one gripe: even getting on it as early as I did, I could not get FastPass+ for Seven Dwarves Mine Train nor Toy Story Mania.  Argh!  Something is seriously flawed with the system…SERIOUSLY!  That is so-o-o-o-o frustrating!!

But even at that, I am very pleased with the selections we have.  Here they are:

FastPass+ for the Jarvi/Carmichael Clan

Wednesday, October 14, 2015 – Magic Kingdom® Park

  1. Peter Pan’s Flight®—9:15 AM – 10:15 AM
  2. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad®—10:15 AM – 11:15 AM
  3. Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid—11:35 AM – 12:35 PM
  4. I’M VERY DISAPPOINTED THAT WE COULDN’T GET SEVEN DWARVES MINE TRAIN.

Thursday, October 15, 2015 – Disney’s Hollywood Studios®

  1. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster® Starring Aerosmith—11:35 AM – 12:35 PM
  2. Voyage of The Little Mermaid—12:35 PM – 12:50 PM
  3. Muppet*Vision 3D—1:45 PM – 2:45 PM
  4. WE REALLY WANTED TOY STORY MANIA.

Saturday, October 17, 2015 – Epcot®

  1. The Seas with Nemo & Friends®—9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
  2. Test Track® Presented by Chevrolet®—10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
  3. Spaceship Earth—11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
  4. SERIOUSLY, WE CAN’T PICK TEST TRACK AND SOARIN’???

Sunday, October 18, 2015 – Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park

  1. Kilimanjaro Safaris®—11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
  2. Festival of the Lion King—12:30 PM – 12:50 PM
  3. Finding Nemo – The Musical—3:30 PM – 3:50 PM
  4. I COULDN’T GET DINOSAUR IN A TIME THAT WORKED FOR US.

Tuesday, October 20, 2015 – Disney’s Hollywood Studios®

  1. The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™—10:05 AM – 11:05 AM
  2. Star Tours® – The Adventures Continue—11:50 AM – 12:50 PM
  3. Beauty and the Beast-Live on Stage—1:30 PM – 1:50 PM
  4. ONCE AGAIN…WE REALLY WANTED TOY STORY MANIA.

I think we’ll get the chance to ride Seven Dwarves Mine Train at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.  At least I hope so.

So that’s how it all shakes out, Dear Readers.  I am so excited; we are 1 month and 29 days away from out trip.  Woop, woop!

Meet you at the Kingdom!

 

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It’s Time…Again

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Day 366 in my quest to meet up with Mickey in October

Today’s plan is to begin again.  I am exhausted from five poor nights of sleep, but I am back home now after my trip to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.  So tonight I will sleep in my own bed, hoping against all hope that I get a good night’s sleep.  Tomorrow morning when I wake up I begin again.  One year and one day after I began this blog, I will begin again.  My goals are to make the best food choices possible (including getting back to sugar-free) and to move more.  Tomorrow I will move around five minutes every hour while at work.  I miss moving more, and now that my body is well on its way to healing, I am ready to move it more again.  So now just two months out from our trip to Florida, I am ready to dive in and immerse myself in healthy foods and more walking.

When I get to Walt Disney World, it will be what it will be.  But I am ready to take it seriously until then.  So whatever happens I will be in the best shape that I can be…for the age that I am…in the condition that I am in.  🙂

Meet you at the Kingdom!

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Ten Minutes and Thirty Seconds of Peace and Good Will

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Day 358 in my contemplations on meeting Mickey

According to DIS at wdwinfo.com: it’s a small world–Ride Length: 10 minutes, 30 seconds

“The “legend” has it that if you ride it’s a small world at Disney World, the song will stay in your head forever, it’s a small world after all.  A lot of people claim this ride is just a cliché or is “just for kids.”  People will tell you that they avoid it like the plague. These are the same people that will turn around and moan that the Carousel of Progress should be saved, or that they never should have taken out Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. Their reasoning is that these are Walt Disney’s Legacy…Let’s talk about that. Many of the older, or original if you prefer, attractions at Disneyland and Disney World have Walt’s touch. Walt and his team of Imagineers, led by artist and designer Mary Blair, created it’s a small world as tribute to the children of the world for the UNICEF pavilion at the 1964/65 World’s Fair. The Sherman Brothers, responsible for a big chunk of Disney music (ex. Mary Poppins) originally wrote the theme song as a ballad. Legend has it that Walt told them he needed something “peppy” that would last throughout the ride. “

it’s a small world is my favorite ride.  When I get to Walt Disney World, riding this ride is my sign that I can exhale and really begin my vacation.  It has always been my favorite ride here.  On our fourth trip to Walt Disney World, which was our second trip as Disney Vacation Club members, we invited my mom and dad and Mike’s mom along.  My dad was enjoying the vacation, but not really showing excitement about anything.  Then we rode it’s a small world, and everything changed.  As soon as we got off the ride he asked to go again.  🙂  And then on our last day of that trip, I asked my dad what he would like to do on his last day of this vacation.  His response?  “I want to go on it’s a small world.”  That cemented it for me.  It is now and will always be my favorite Walt Disney World attraction.

Meet you at the Kingdom!