She said it wouldn't be boring!-WONDER WB Caribbean cruise - Bonus Posts Wrap up

[PrincessInOz]

I just started my Australia spreadsheet. I know roughly what the plane ticket to Australia will cost and how many miles I need to upgrade to Business Class. Trying to figure out if I have enough time to do the Reef, Sydney, Melbourne, and Uluru.


Oooh, does he know we know he's Naked Jim?

Jill in CO

Excellent news!

You know how to reach me if you need any help in planning.

 

[skier_pete]

Uluru / Ayers Rock was the last thing to be cut from our trip. It wasn't so much the ruggedness, but the $$$ and time cost. You have to fly to Alice Springs, and then it's still like a days drive, so really, you have to set aside 3-4 days and probably at least a thousand dollars to do it - to go look at a rock.

When planning the trip, I tried to analogize if you had one month to spend in the US, what would you see. Ayers Rock to me was like seeing Mount Rushmore, you'd love to do it, but boy you better be prepared to take the time to get there.

Low cost airlines - we used JetStar and thought it was pretty good.

The GBR day-trip we did, you could have scuba-dived without being certified. They had it so if you signed up for it, each person was accompanied by a diver. The cost was pretty high, and after doing the snorkeling, we were glad we didn't pay for it. The divers just circled around about 15 feet blow where we were on the surface. That said, there were certainly longer, more diver oriented trips than the one we did. But I'm just pointing out you don't have to be a diver to see the reef.

 

[jedijill]

Excellent news!

You know how to reach me if you need any help in planning.

You know I will! Trying to figure out timing finances right now. I'm thinking of approaching my landlord about getting out of my lease early and buying a house this summer. If he says no, then house buying gets put off until next winter which means Australia has to move back a few months.

Jill in CO

 

[jedijill]

Hey you guys were too quick for me!

I will tell you this though - I would recommend reading through my Pre-Pre-Trip report, (less so the Pre-trip report).

Help a Yankee DISer - Part 1
Help a Yankee DISer - Part 2

They won't be as exciting, but what I ended up doing was going to the Australia part of the board and asked some questions of the folks Down Under. PIO is a great resource, and I seriously recommend letting her cook a meal for you if you go to Melbourne, but it's a big country and there's a lot to choose from, I got some great advice from folks living all over the place. There's a lot of info in there for things we DIDN'T do.

The only thing is if you go, you'll ruin my record of the only Yankee DISer to have DISmeet with PIO IN Australia. We've never actually met in the US - though we nearly crossed paths once, which is how we "met" on the boards.

JediJill - we will be in Colorado in just 4 weeks. Heading to Copper Mountain for 6 nights! We have one night in Denver at the end of our trip, staying out near the airport. Any recommendations for a place for dinner?

Thanks for all the links, I read through everything yesterday and it really gave me a place to start! Looks like you had a fabulous trip!

Copper is awesome! We've been getting a lot of powder in the high country so it should be good skiing for you. There's not a lot near the airport...a lot of chains around the Stapleton area. I'd have more recommendations for you if you were willing to come farther into town. What kind of food do you guys like?

Jill in CO

 

[skier_pete]

Thanks for all the links, I read through everything yesterday and it really gave me a place to start! Looks like you had a fabulous trip!

Copper is awesome! We've been getting a lot of powder in the high country so it should be good skiing for you. There's not a lot near the airport...a lot of chains around the Stapleton area. I'd have more recommendations for you if you were willing to come farther into town. What kind of food do you guys like?

Jill in CO

First off - Allison apologize for semi-hijacking your TR.

Jill - I will send you a PM about the restaurants, so that I can STOP hijacking Allison's TR...

 

[jedijill]

Uluru / Ayers Rock was the last thing to be cut from our trip. It wasn't so much the ruggedness, but the $$$ and time cost. You have to fly to Alice Springs, and then it's still like a days drive, so really, you have to set aside 3-4 days and probably at least a thousand dollars to do it - to go look at a rock.

When planning the trip, I tried to analogize if you had one month to spend in the US, what would you see. Ayers Rock to me was like seeing Mount Rushmore, you'd love to do it, but boy you better be prepared to take the time to get there.

Low cost airlines - we used JetStar and thought it was pretty good.

The GBR day-trip we did, you could have scuba-dived without being certified. They had it so if you signed up for it, each person was accompanied by a diver. The cost was pretty high, and after doing the snorkeling, we were glad we didn't pay for it. The divers just circled around about 15 feet blow where we were on the surface. That said, there were certainly longer, more diver oriented trips than the one we did. But I'm just pointing out you don't have to be a diver to see the reef.

Good info to ponder! Thanks Pete!

Jill iN CO

 

[franandaj]

First off - Allison apologize for semi-hijacking your TR.

Jill - I will send you a PM about the restaurants, so that I can STOP hijacking Allison's TR...

I kind of started the Hijacking by talking about future trips, but you guys can continue via PM. I'm not going to necessarily respond to all the responses any further since a lot were just between you and Jill chatting. Don't be offended, but now I'm moving on back to the TR!

 

[franandaj]

Our Big Gay Band Concert


The next morning, even though our room came with a complimentary, hot, cooked to order breakfast, Fran was having nothing of that. She asked me to bring her back a glass of milk when I returned, so I went downstairs to check out the breakfast situation. I took this photo on my way down to breakfast.



I had an omelet with everything but jalapenos (ham, cheese, onions, tomatoes, spinach, mushrooms and green pepper), some bacon, potatoes, juice and pastry.



I was pleasantly surprised that just after I sat down, some old friends from the San Francisco band joined me at breakfast. Everyone offered their condolences for Fran and then went on their way when they were finished eating. I realized that I had never really had a chance to look at the music for the rehearsals that began today. I had downloaded the sample files off the internet for Fran and once I listened to them watching the music, I realized that I was in trouble! This was going to be a really difficult concert. I still had not gotten my saxophone back from the guy at the conference. I did some more laundry while I waited and finally when the last load was done, I got my horn back. I spent the early part of the afternoon, running the harder passages.

By late afternoon, I was pretty hungry. Fran had still not eaten anything, she didn’t even drink the milk I brought her back. There was a large shopping center nearby the hotel, so I placed an order for some Italian food and then went over to the Publix a couple doors down and picked up some Chicken Noodle soup. The Chicken Marsala was soooooo tasty! And they had these garlic rolls that were to DIE for!



The side of pasta wasn’t anything special, but it wasn’t bad.



Rehearsal went from 7:00-9:00 that night, and Fran went right back to bed.





There was an after party by the pool. Appetizers were complimentary, and it was great, for some reason or another everyone kept buying me drinks! It was a fun night!

The next day was similar but even more intense, 9AM meeting, 11:30 – 1:30 rehearsal, we had a boxed lunch served in the atrium of the hotel, workshops until 3:30, when we went back to rehearsal for another 3 ½ hours.









We were on our own for Friday night after rehearsal, and on a recommendation from one of the Conductors of the band, we headed to a place in the Gayborhood, J. Mark’s Restaurant. Fran was feeling substantially better by now, but still had that itching feeling. They had something for everyone, including drinks!







Justin tried to get me to sit on his lap. Didn’t work so well.



Bread service…



I think that Fran ordered a Reuben Sandwich.



Justin ordered the Sea Bass.



I got one of my favorites, that you don’t find on a menu often. Skirt Steak! It was delicious!



After dinner we went back to the hotel and went to sleep, tomorrow would be a very long day.

[Continued in Next Post]

 

[franandaj]

[Continued from Previous Post]

We started off with the final delegates meeting, which we left promptly at 11:00AM. We had to be onstage for the technical rehearsal at 2:00PM and they wanted us to be fully dressed for the concert. I was not expecting this and was not happy. The dress I had chosen for the concert was the same one that I wore on formal night of the cruise. While it was a nice dress, let’s just say that items required to wear said dress are not comfortable enough to wear for 9-10 hours. So we were off to find me a more comfortable dress. We were actually able to accomplish this fairly easily. Our next task was to grab some lunch, which could also serve as dinner. We have learned over the years that when dinner is provided for you by someone else, and there are over 200 people, make sure you have a back up plan.

We had heard of this great sandwich shop called LasPasada’s where they slice the meats for your sandwich to order.







Rehearsal started promptly at 2PM, and this was the hall that we would be playing to.



Here we are backstage







Me in my new dress



The Concert was quite unique. Some of the pieces the band played on it’s own, other pieces we had movies projected on a screen behind us. During Ravel’s Bolero, this contortionist, did her “thing”.



These dancers performed on one number in the first half.



And again for a number in the second half after a costume change.



Here is a shot of the band (sorry its so small)



They closed out the program with impressive pyrotechnic display.



After the concert we took pictures with various different groups. This was the saxophone section.



Here is the Los Angeles band contingent.



Then we went back to the room and I heated up my leftover Chicken Marsala in the microwave and had the salad that came with it.





And with that we went to sleep.

 

[jedijill]

Wow, those concerts are a lot of work! Glad Fran was starting to feel a little better. I like the new dress!

Jill in CO

 

[Pinkocto]

How sad Fran was feeling so bad in this part of the trip. At least she was able to play in the concert. That was certainly a lot of hard work. From your smiles it looks like you had fun though.

Those giant sub sandwiches looked scrumptious!

 

[mvf-m11c]

Concerts are hard work and it was nice to read from your eyes during the concerts and rehearsals.

 

[podsnel]

So glad Fran felt better and could play- WOW you performed in a huge venue!

 

[ACDSNY]

Wow that's a large group and venue, very impressive. Your dress looks lovely.

 

[PrincessInOz]

That's one heck of a concert! It looks amazing. Glad Fran made it through to play.

Breakfast looks like it was tasty! I like the look of that omelette.
In fact, all the food looks fantastic.
You look lovely in that dress. I bet it was comfortable to wear as well.

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

Lovely photo of the lobby. I am sorry poor Fran was so ill. My infusion makes me feel sick and itchy for 2 days after. People look at me like I have fleas They give us steroids and puriton now before the infusion to prevent reaction. I was delighted when towards the end of the post when Fran perked up.

I really like your new frock. Suits you very well. I hope it was comfy for you for 10 hours. Oh my that contortionist! I bet that was a distraction whilst you played those difficult scores. Looks like a fabulous concert and great photos of you both. Oh I adore skirt steak but I haven't seen it on a menu for some time.

Who would want jalapeños on their omelette in the morning! I would be hospitalised at any time if I ate these but even for regular folk breakfast seriously? Mind you I saw when we stayed at The Ritz in London at Christmas time the Japanese breakfast menu was rice and sushi. I thought oh no but of course what did I expect them to eat they have a different diet of course! It was educational for me. Made me think. Not going to want lucky charms and waffles are they like me. I bet they see that and think what! Who would eat that! Strange western people...

I look forward to your next post.

 

[afwdwfan]

I’m going to put the goal in my head that the contractor is in there working while we’re on our next big Disney trip. That’s three months from now.

That shouldn't be too hard of a goal to meet. As long as you don't procrastinate for 2 1/2 months.

(Naked Jim for those who read the whole TR)

That's the kind of nickname you can never live down.

We woke up the next morning to find a bill for $50 for the $7 extension cord we borrowed from Guest Services to power my CPAP.

Were the wires made of gold instead of copper?

While I had the Eggs for the Road

It is bad enough that they're kicking you off the ship, but they've just got to rub it in with the dish names.

It turns out that “honesty” was a good policy.

Honesty is always a good policy!

The customs agent told us that though we are technically allowed 1 liter per person duty free, the tariff on the extra liter would be less than $10 so they waive the fee!

I didn't even know that was possible! I thought in the US government, there was no such thing as a grey area. If you owed 10 cents, they'd spend $10,000 to collect it.

You might want to delete that part of the TR before they find it.

we ended up booking the Memphis to New Orleans trip in March

That looks like it would be an awesome trip! I'm sure you guys will have a great time!

It was sort of ironic, just after we got into the car and were pulling out of the parking lot, the lady at the front desk called my cellphone to say that they did have a room that had come available.

Seems like things always work out that way.

Evidently this symptom was what clued in her Rheumatologist that she was having an adverse reaction to the drug, but of course we didn’t find that out for another week or more.

Oh wow... sorry to hear that. She must have been miserable.

Appetizers were complimentary, and it was great, for some reason or another everyone kept buying me drinks! It was a fun night!

Free drinks. Can't go wrong there.

We have learned over the years that when dinner is provided for you by someone else, and there are over 200 people, make sure you have a back up plan.

Anytime I have to eat in a hotel ballroom with a bunch of other people, I usually try to find out where the nearest fast food place is.

They closed out the program with impressive pyrotechnic display.

Pyrotechnics make everything better.

 

[skier_pete]

I kind of started the Hijacking by talking about future trips, but you guys can continue via PM. I'm not going to necessarily respond to all the responses any further since a lot were just between you and Jill chatting. Don't be offended, but now I'm moving on back to the TR!

Well, it was fine to be talking future trips, but when Jill and I start chatting about restaurants in Denver I thought that was a little too OT and it was time to stop taking up space in the thread.

That band concert looks great! I would love to do something like that. Back when I was young I played guitar, but outside of a few recital performances I never performed. I was just too shy, even though I think I was pretty good at one point. I think now I would have the courage to perform, but playing guitar is one the things that has fallen into the black-hole that is real-life and I haven't played in 20 years. At times I regret it, but on the other hand don't see where I would fit it in.

Do you ever post your performances on-line? Would like to hear a few pieces.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Wow, you snuck in a couple of big updates on me. I'm sorry Fran was struggling so much. I'm sure you probably felt helpless as far as what you could do for her.

I love it when we get the chance to stay in Embassy Suites. They're one of the few places that feel big enough for my family and the breakfast is a nice perk. It just feels like we can never afford them.

That concert hall is huge! Looks like the show was quite the production. And anything that ends with pyrotechnics can't be all bad, right?

 

[dgbg100106]

Lovely photo of the lobby. I am sorry poor Fran was so ill. My infusion makes me feel sick and itchy for 2 days after. People look at me like I have fleas They give us steroids and puriton now before the infusion to prevent reaction. I was delighted when towards the end of the post when Fran perked up.

I really like your new frock. Suits you very well. I hope it was comfy for you for 10 hours. Oh my that contortionist! I bet that was a distraction whilst you played those difficult scores. Looks like a fabulous concert and great photos of you both. Oh I adore skirt steak but I haven't seen it on a menu for some time.

Who would want jalapeños on their omelette in the morning! I would be hospitalised at any time if I ate these but even for regular folk breakfast seriously? Mind you I saw when we stayed at The Ritz in London at Christmas time the Japanese breakfast menu was rice and sushi. I thought oh no but of course what did I expect them to eat they have a different diet of course! It was educational for me. Made me think. Not going to want lucky charms and waffles are they like me. I bet they see that and think what! Who would eat that! Strange western people...

I look forward to your next post.

Both DH and I eat Jalapenos in our omelets, they make a great added heat in the morning. We really do eat them along with any meal in this house, but again we both grew up in Texas.