The Year In Review: DIT Takes Disney Love To A New Level In 2017

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

2 hours ago, Lou... said:

Disney contracts outside companies, nope, it's not always Mears, to provide the DME, DCL and event bus services. Although Disney could tell them exactly how they want the routes done, it's been my experience in dealing regularly with those bus companies for private and special events, that they leave the minor details up to the companies providing the service and in many cases, the driver decides. I think it was a mistake on the drivers part to bypass the Fort. You know how bus drivers can be, they're not the brightest bunch.

The explanation makes sense, but the poor service is still Disney's fault. During a recent race weekend, I had a sketchy independent contractor bus driver pick me up at the regular DAK bus stop for a ride to DHS during regular park hours. The bus reeked of industrial strength air freshener and the cloth seats were worn and dirty. That was not very magical. It was Disney trying to save a buck by working these off-property buses into the regular rotation for the weekend. That's on Disney. 

TCD

[momof3kids-Yvonne 596]

Well... there was this one, really great bus driver 

Who?.....

TJ, Donald or something like that.

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[twiceblessed....nacole 433]

2 hours ago, Grumpy and Grandma said:

Who?.....

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

I hope you guys decide to camp for Christmas this year! We'll let you camp near us again... ha ha! And there will be this light show thing that Jason is working on. I'm already afraid of it. Crap shows up at the house every day. I'm not even sure we'll fit in the RV. 

[DaveInTN 3,247]

On 1/27/2018 at 12:09 PM, fladogfan aka Gretchen said:

Oh boy, more trip reporting!

Driving in rain is no fun at all.  Glad you made it safely to the fort.

No, it's not fun, especially in a large vehicle.  

On 1/27/2018 at 12:27 PM, momof3kids-Yvonne said:

I'm sad that Gwen and Caleb were unable to be there on this trip. I really want to get in one more family trip somewhere before Drew graduates from college and vacation times don't match up. Looking at his break schedule for this year and next (he is taking an extra year), spring break this year and Christmas break next year are the only times that line up with my breaks. He works in the summers. You don't think much about stuff like that when they are little, but like they say don't blink or you end up missing it.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
 

I hope you get that trip planned.  It goes by so fast, and is over before you expect it will be.  

21 hours ago, Mrs.TN22 said:

I did like that ride!  but I also like it's replacement Daredevil Falls.  My favorite was the Log Flume... broke my heart to see that one go.  Many memories of riding that with my grandparents.  However, the biggest reason we haven't been a quite a few years, is we just got tired of it.  Guess it's time to go again.

It's always nice to try something new.  I don't know if we'll get over to see Dolly this year....we may head back to Holiday World instead.  

21 hours ago, sherryberry said:

Oh, man! I’m finally caught up! What an awesome trip report. Just like Marty, I’m inspired to do one as well. It’s been a long time and that whole photobucket deal really bothered me. But, I think I’ll be able to get it figured out. Count us in for traveling to see the eclipse next time around also. We drove to kenneth’s cousin’s lake house to watch it last year. We were right in the center of the path of totality. It really was an awesome experience! Really looking forward to the rest of the report!

 

Thanks!  I'll look forward to reading your report when you do it. 

7 hours ago, ImDownWithDisney said:

Finally, I have read this entire thread. Great TR, Dave. I am glad we were able to meet up on 2 of these trips.

BTW, my kids went to Dollywood with the grandparents, and they were not impressed. I was hoping they would be, because I would like to visit. I think they are just spoiled by Disney. I may take them again for another try.

Always enjoyable to spend some time with you and your family, Blake.  That Bode cracks me up.  LOL.  

7 hours ago, twiceblessed....nacole said:

Ah...Disney's transportation can be so frustrating.  I agree, to pass up the Fort was idiotic.  I mean really, couldn't take the 15 minutes to drop off a few guests?  Sigh...

Loved that Mickey wreath.  We too really like the 100 loop and now that it's no longer a "no pet" loop, we may try it again.  I will say however, we've come to appreciate the extra slab in the Premium sites  

I also like the extra concrete.  Anna can get coquina everywhere, but she hasn't figured out a way to destroy concrete.  Yet.  

6 hours ago, Lou... said:

Disney contracts outside companies, nope, it's not always Mears, to provide the DME, DCL and event bus services. Although Disney could tell them exactly how they want the routes done, it's been my experience in dealing regularly with those bus companies for private and special events, that they leave the minor details up to the companies providing the service and in many cases, the driver decides. I think it was a mistake on the drivers part to bypass the Fort. You know how bus drivers can be, they're not the brightest bunch.

I don't know why they passed the Fort to service the Deluxe resort guests first.  I mean, I do know, but it's more enjoyable to think it was just driver error.  

6 hours ago, twiceblessed....nacole said:

Well... there was this one, really great bus driver 

There have been many, I'm sure.  I just don't know any of them.  

4 hours ago, Grumpy and Grandma said:

Who?.....

Right?

4 hours ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

The explanation makes sense, but the poor service is still Disney's fault. During a recent race weekend, I had a sketchy independent contractor bus driver pick me up at the regular DAK bus stop for a ride to DHS during regular park hours. The bus reeked of industrial strength air freshener and the cloth seats were worn and dirty. That was not very magical. It was Disney trying to save a buck by working these off-property buses into the regular rotation for the weekend. That's on Disney. 

TCD

I don't know whether Disney suggests that the private bus operators serve Deluxe resort guests first, but it wouldn't surprise me.  At all.  

2 hours ago, momof3kids-Yvonne said:

 

TJ, Donald or something like that.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
 

 

Right, that guy. 

2 hours ago, GaDawgFan.....Kelly said:

I hope you guys decide to camp for Christmas this year! We'll let you camp near us again... ha ha! And there will be this light show thing that Jason is working on. I'm already afraid of it. Crap shows up at the house every day. I'm not even sure we'll fit in the RV. 

I'm picturing the mother ship hovering over Devils Tower.  Only bigger.  

[DaveInTN 3,247]

I'll try to get an update posted later today, or tomorrow.  But I've not been feeling well the last several days, and yesterday it became clear to me what it is as I went into a full blown episode of A Fib.  Started feeling like crap late last week, and then yesterday after church I went fully into it.  My cardiologist doesn’t want to shock me out of it, as the risk of stroke is too high since I’ve likely been in it for a while.  So…I’m on blood thinners for 3-4 weeks, after which he’ll put me on meds to hopefully resolve the A Fib.  If that doesn’t work, I’ll go in the hospital in late Feb for the cardioversion.  So I have to live with the A Fib for a month, which sucks as it completely drains my energy.  It’s like running a marathon 24 hrs a day….my heart rate has been running 160.  Of course, the meds to help that caused my blood pressure to drop so low that my vision is impacted, so I can’t drive.  I don’t know what’s worse…LOL.  The last episode of A Fib I had was 4 years ago, and we could pinpoint exactly when I went in earlier that same day, so my cardiologist was comfortable admitting me right away and correcting it with a cardioversion.  This time I'm unfortunately stuck with it for a while.  So...when I feel up to it, I'll get an update posted.  

[keith_h 420]

Sorry to hear about your health going down. Hope things improve for you sooner than later.

[dblr....Rennie 224]

Sorry to hear about your health issues hope it all works out for you soon. We are also thinking of hitting Holiday World this year on our way to Branson.

[fladogfan aka Gretchen 259]

Sorry about the a fib Dave, it's no fun.

[Grumpy and Grandma 740]

1 hour ago, DaveInTN said:

This time I'm unfortunately stuck with it for a while.  So...when I feel up to it, I'll get an update posted.  

Get better first, we can wait.  

[dvccamper 32]

Hope you're feeling better soon.

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Sending up prayers for you, Dave!  Hope you feel better soon.

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

Really hoping the docs get you sorted out well and quickly, Dave! 

My dad has been dealing with a-fib for a decade or so now - fortunately for him he doesn't have any symptoms, but he's on blood thinners all the time now and has had to juggle that stuff.  My sister has now been dealing with it for a year or so and she's been through the wringer already. They did the cardioversion on her last fall.  It seemed to work at first, but it didn't stick.  I hope you have much better luck!!

[DaveInTN 3,247]

4 hours ago, keith_h said:

Sorry to hear about your health going down. Hope things improve for you sooner than later.

Thanks.  

3 hours ago, dblr....Rennie said:

Sorry to hear about your health issues hope it all works out for you soon. We are also thinking of hitting Holiday World this year on our way to Branson.

Thanks Rennie....when do you think you might be at Holiday World?

3 hours ago, fladogfan aka Gretchen said:

Sorry about the a fib Dave, it's no fun.

No it's not.  You go through it too?

3 hours ago, Grumpy and Grandma said:

Get better first, we can wait.  

Thanks Dave.  Hopefully tomorrow.  

3 hours ago, dvccamper said:

Hope you're feeling better soon.

Thanks.  

39 minutes ago, CCIntrigue...aka Gwen said:

Sending up prayers for you, Dave!  Hope you feel better soon.

Thank you Gwen.

21 minutes ago, BradyBzLyn...Mo said:

Really hoping the docs get you sorted out well and quickly, Dave! 

My dad has been dealing with a-fib for a decade or so now - fortunately for him he doesn't have any symptoms, but he's on blood thinners all the time now and has had to juggle that stuff.  My sister has now been dealing with it for a year or so and she's been through the wringer already. They did the cardioversion on her last fall.  It seemed to work at first, but it didn't stick.  I hope you have much better luck!!

Thanks Mo.  My first cardioversion stuck for almost 4 years.  Then, in November, I was in DC for work and spent a whole night up with arrhythmia.  Flew home the next day and went to Cardiologist but it had resolved itself.  I've had rhythm issues a couple of times since, and then the A Fib fully hit this weekend.  The doctor thinks the arrhythmia over the past couple of months was leading up to the A Fib episode.  What stinks is that, until now, I was considered a "one time" A Fib patient, so I wasn't taking any daily meds.  Other than vitamins, I take no medicines.  That will probably be changing now.  

[fladogfan aka Gretchen 259]

No it's not.  You go through it too?

 

Yes, but no where near as bad as you. I'm on a couple of pills and they seem to be working.  I sure hope I don't end up taking a whole lot of meds.

[LONE-STAR 370]

Sorry to hear that Dave I hope you get better soon.

[Cortezcapt (Derek) 156]

Sorry to hear about the A Fib,  hoping the meds work and they can wean you off of them. My uncle has been having issues with A Fib for over 10 years. Seems like he spent more time out than in, so I know it can be a pain especially with all the blood thinners, meds and cardioversions. They finally did a catheter ablation which worked for a year and then another and (fingers crossed) he hasn't had any problems since, going on 2 years now. 

[dblr....Rennie 224]

Dave, regarding Holiday World we were looking somewhere around the last week of June, we are going from Gettysburg Pa. to Branson so looking for things to do and places to stop along the way. Might not bet the most direct way but hey that's what having a rv is about.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Wow, I'm sorry to hear about your heart issues. I hope that you are feeling better soon. If they can't figure out your meds, I recommend that you stop with all that vegan stuff and eat at least one GAG a month. It works for me. 

TCD

[BigTom 76]

21 hours ago, Grumpy and Grandma said:

Who?.....

Maybe TJ

[DaveInTN 3,247]

14 hours ago, fladogfan aka Gretchen said:

No it's not.  You go through it too?

 

Yes, but no where near as bad as you. I'm on a couple of pills and they seem to be working.  I sure hope I don't end up taking a whole lot of meds.

Me too!  

13 hours ago, LONE-STAR said:

Sorry to hear that Dave I hope you get better soon.

Thanks Michael.

12 hours ago, Cortezcapt (Derek) said:

Sorry to hear about the A Fib,  hoping the meds work and they can wean you off of them. My uncle has been having issues with A Fib for over 10 years. Seems like he spent more time out than in, so I know it can be a pain especially with all the blood thinners, meds and cardioversions. They finally did a catheter ablation which worked for a year and then another and (fingers crossed) he hasn't had any problems since, going on 2 years now. 

I hope he doesn't have any recurrences for a long time!  

3 hours ago, dblr....Rennie said:

Dave, regarding Holiday World we were looking somewhere around the last week of June, we are going from Gettysburg Pa. to Branson so looking for things to do and places to stop along the way. Might not bet the most direct way but hey that's what having a rv is about.

Ok...I don't think we'll be making it there in June.  If you go, have a great time!  

2 hours ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

Wow, I'm sorry to hear about your heart issues. I hope that you are feeling better soon. If they can't figure out your meds, I recommend that you stop with all that vegan stuff and eat at least one GAG a month. It works for me. 

TCD

One GAG a month would mean monthly trips to the Fort.  That would fix any of our issues, wouldn't it?  Well, except financial ones.  LOL.  

It's funny you mention diet.  It was after my first bout with A Fib 4 years ago that I started on a plant based diet.  And until late last year, I had zero issues with my heart.  But during 2017 I started getting lax with what I ate....which you can tell by my trip reports.  A little of this, a little of that.  And now, I'm a few pounds back up and here I am in A Fib.  I need to buckle down!  (although the occasional GAG can be argued to have a mental health benefit, right?)  

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

15 hours ago, DaveInTN said:

What stinks is that, until now, I was considered a "one time" A Fib patient, so I wasn't taking any daily meds.  Other than vitamins, I take no medicines.  That will probably be changing now.  

Yeah, that does stink.  But hopefully they can get things under control without too many meds.

19 minutes ago, DaveInTN said:

...although the occasional GAG can be argued to have a mental health benefit, right?)  

100%

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

 All caught up.

First of all praying for you and your health.

Love that you and Inc were able to take Stella on a solo trip. What a blessing to her and you guys.

 Looks like your dad has got a great fishing spot.

I’m jealous that you got to meet and visit with so many fiends this year.  

We still haven’t been to Dollywood the talk about it often. The more I read about it in the more pictures I see of it the more it reminds me of Silverdollar city in Branson.

I guess since silver  Dollar city is owned by the Herschend family   And Dollywood is owned by the Herschend family and Dolly Parton it’s not surprising to me at all  

 Silverdollar city built a new wooden roller coaster a few years back also.  Outlaw Run.  At the time, and it still may be, the only wooden roller coaster with a loop, inversion. At the time it was one of the  fastest wooden roller coasters around. Approaching speed of 70 mph.  And has a 168’ first drop at 81 degrees beyond horizontal.    

Your lunch and snack look awesome and is just another reason to go visit Dollywood. And the $99 3-day pass is a great deal.  

I know in the past you’ve stayed at Dolly’s resort. Would you recommend it for us that don’t have an RV?

 

I’m looking forward to reading some more of your TR.   once your feeling better. So get back on your diet.  Those kids need you to hang around for a while longer. 

[DaveInTN 3,247]

1 hour ago, BradyBzLyn...Mo said:

Yeah, that does stink.  But hopefully they can get things under control without too many meds.

100%

I hope so too.  And it feels comforting that I have a GAG prescription from none other than Dr. Mo.  

1 hour ago, h2odivers...Ray said:

 All caught up.

First of all praying for you and your health.

Love that you and Inc were able to take Stella on a solo trip. What a blessing to her and you guys.

 Looks like your dad has got a great fishing spot.

I’m jealous that you got to meet and visit with so many fiends this year.  

We still haven’t been to Dollywood the talk about it often. The more I read about it in the more pictures I see of it the more it reminds me of Silverdollar city in Branson.

I guess since silver  Dollar city is owned by the Herschend family   And Dollywood is owned by the Herschend family and Dolly Parton it’s not surprising to me at all  

 Silverdollar city built a new wooden roller coaster a few years back also.  Outlaw Run.  At the time, and it still may be, the only wooden roller coaster with a loop, inversion. At the time it was one of the  fastest wooden roller coasters around. Approaching speed of 70 mph.  And has a 168’ first drop at 81 degrees beyond horizontal.    

Your lunch and snack look awesome and is just another reason to go visit Dollywood. And the $99 3-day pass is a great deal.  

I know in the past you’ve stayed at Dolly’s resort. Would you recommend it for us that don’t have an RV?

 

I’m looking forward to reading some more of your TR.   once your feeling better. So get back on your diet.  Those kids need you to hang around for a while longer. 

Thanks Ray.  

Yes, I absolutely recommend Dolly's DreamMore resort.  Fantastic hotel....very homey, good food, great rooms.  Can be pricey during certain times, but if you are flexible on timing they have some good deals.  

[Lou... 3,118]

I never thought you'd stoop this low in order to get more up arrows. Give it up or I'll post that I'm having double quadruple heart and lung bypass surgery as well as suffering from hang nails on all my toes. But just in case, on the off chance, that you're not making it up, hope it all works out. After all, I need you healthy so that I don't feel guilty having so many more up arrows than you.