All trip ratings are on a 1 - 10 scale: 1 the worst, 10 the best, 4 roughly equivalent to watching Jeopardy on t.v. with my mom.
12/30/09
Flying to Fort Lauderdale: 8
Su, Adam, and Hannah not coming (yet): 1.1
Warm feeling in jetway upon arrival: 8
Hearing various melodies at baggage claims: 8
Flying during the day, avoiding typical exhaustion: 9
Seeing Z and Lisa arrive: 9
Finally meeting Lisa for the first time: 9.75
Late-night Primanti's in the warm on Z's balcony: 8
Having to get a hamburger since they were out of chicken: 5
Lisa telling me she usually gets a half-coke half-diet-coke: 6 (fairly interesting, and at least she prefers Coke products to Pepsi)
12/31/09
Weather: 8.5 (windy in AM, beautiful by late-day)
Relaxing on beach: 9
Golf w Z at Palm Aire: 9.5
Weather getting absolutely amazing: 9.975
Somehow getting in 18 holes in 3 hours: 9.5
Playing well, and Z at least putting well: 9.5
Not being able to get into Zuckerillo's for dinner: 3 (it was mobbed)
Tiajuana Flats: 7.5
Food quality: 7.5
Speed and quality of service: 3
(I got the wrong order, plus my drink took forever)
Us getting comped the last 2 beers: 8
New Year's Eve: 9
Weather late night: 9
Z and Lisa MAKING me wear long pants: 2.5
Ball dropping and fireworks: 8
Drinks and champagne on Z's balcony: 9
1/1/10
Weather: 8
Relaxing on beach: 8.5
Swimming in pool: 7
Relaxing swimming at first: 9
Weather getting super-windy: 4
Lisa coming swimming with us: 9.5
Us get caught in downpour: 5 (it was funny at least)
My towel getting super-soaked before I got it: 2
Mugs for Rose Bowl: 8
Price for drinks (in spite of no real specials): 9
Note: Chance Mugs will still be open by next year's trip: 50%
Shuck 'n Dive: 9.25
Burning hot blackened chicken sandwich: 9
Jalepenos and onions on sandwich: 9
Z MAKING me get a sausage after regular dinner: 9
It coming with cheese on it: 1.05
Me being able to easily scrape it off: 9.5
Cajun mustard for sausage: 8.5
Sausage overall: 9
It starting to get cool: 5
Movie Night: 4.5
"Pelham 123": 5
Us having to have a movie night in Florida due to cool weather: 1.5
Seeing Z and Lisa cuddle in the big chair: 8 (they warmed my heart)
1/2/10
Weather: 5 (Cool and windy)
Golf w Z at Palm Aire: 9.5
One of best finishes in Championship Cup history: 9.75
My miracle chip-in to tie it up: 9.75
Z answering it w a par and me answering THAT with a par: 9.75
Z winning it and me losing: 2
Z at least winning it with another par: 8
Not being able to get into Zuckerillo's for dinner AGAIN: 3 (it was mobbed)
Z not liking the look of the new Italian place beyond Zuckerillo's on Commercial: 3 (I thought it looked great)
Me not loving the look of the 2 higher-end Italian places on Commercial and A1A: 3 (I was getting starving by then)
Nick's: 8 -- Nick's has been extremely underrated until now
Warm homemade bread when starving: 9
Beach Place: 9.5
It being very cold: 2
Beach Place being bearable with windows shut: 9
Lulu's: 9.75
Z and Lisa dancing: 9.975
Z doing "crazy-legs" dance: 9.975
Them twirling each other around and otherwise just letting loose: 9.975 (One of the highlights of the trip)
Fans giving them applause: 9.975
Us not going to Fat Tuesday's: 4 (I really wanted to go, but it was WAY too cold for an icy drink)
1/3/10
Weather: 2.5 (Extremely cold and windy)
Lisa nicknaming me "Pop Tart": 6 (Love having a personal nick-name, but not sure I really love the nickname per se)
Lisa hitting golf balls at Palm Aire: 5
Her effort: 9
Her skill for pure beginner: 9
Us not being able to play 9 holes due to extreme cold: 1.25
Putting contest also being cut short due to extreme cold: 1.25 (not that I like putting so much, I just hate extreme cold in Florida)
Mugs for Happy Hour: 7
Appitizers: 7 (not really my style, but smelled and looked kinda good)
Hard Rock Cafe: 8 (Best rating for a casino in recent trip history if not ever)
Lisa and Z winning like crazy: 9
Both Z and I making it to the bonus round in "Deal or No Deal": 9
Mr. Lucky Slot Machine: 8
Bonus Round: 9.5 (Hillarious and fun)
Me choosing all the foods I like and Z doing great on those choices: 9
Us not really going for a real dinner: 4 (I really never was THAT hungry, not sure why)
1/4/10
Weather: 4 (Still very cold and windy)
Taking Lisa to get massage: 9 (she was just SO excited)
Getting Lisa after massage: 9.5 (she was just SO happy)
Golf at Crandon Park: 8 (weather only reason it wasn't higher)
Z playing poorly and feeling a bit ill through 9: 3
Z suddenly feeling better and us cramming in 4 more holes in the dark: 9
Another great finish: 9
Z winning it with good play at the end: 8
Z finally winning Championship Cup: 5 (I feel good for him breaking the losing streak, but still hate losing it)
Miami Beach: 8
Walking around beach: 6
8 for excitement, 2 for weather
Dinner at Nexxt: 5.5 (Way too much food, and very high prices for what we got)
Candy Almonds from nut shop: 9
Jerry's Deli for dessert: 8
1/5/10
Weather: 1.5 (Extremely cold and windy, and got worse as day went along, among the worst we've ever had in Florida)
Orange Bowl: 5.5 (probably the lowest-rated OB ever)
Tailgate before game: 7
Quality of Food: 9 (chicken was especially good)
Z actually having a small jar of cajun mustard: 8 (We must have bought this last year after Shuck 'n Dive)
FSU fan Pat Hardy at tailgate: 5 (too random)
Being able to warm hands on grill: 8
Having to warm hands on grill at the Orange Bowl in Miami: 1.5
Z getting all 4 tickets for $100: 8
Game itself: 5
Pregame being subdued due to cold and wind: 1.5
Mr. Leo, right before opening kickoff, when an Iowa fan stood up in front of him, saying "She's so big, maybe she'll shield me from the wind": 9.99975 (One of the highlights of the trip, plus it was just so unexpected)
Hot chocolate taking an HOUR for them to make: 2 (they're just not used to it down there)
Per Lisa, quality of Hot Chocolate: 2 (they're just not used to it down there)
Weird echo while they played due to speaker set-up: 3
Bowl Games of America Dancers: 7
BGA Dancers, near us, leading all the fans in singing "I Got a Feeling" as they returned from halftime: 8.5
Z and Lisa missing this having gone downstairs with Mr. Leo to get out of the cold: 2
Us missing most of third quarter underneath staying warm: 1.5
Z sweet-talking an usher to get us great seats for the 4th quarter: 8.5 (He was told we couldn't sit there, then said "Please, it's SO much warmer down here than upstairs, PLEASE")
More-exciting 4th quarter of game: 8
Announcement that this was the coldest Orange Bowl in history in terms of Kickoff temperature, Overall high temperature, overall low temperature, and wind chill (in the 20s): 1.5
Announcer rubbing it in with a "Congratulations on being in attendance for this historic event": 1.125
1/6/10
Weather: 2 (Freezing and still windy for most of the day)
Us having absolutely no hope of golfing: 1
Helping Z and Lisa research wedding stuff: 7 (WAY better than originally expected)
Going to Mall with Lisa: 4 (not horrible, not fantastic, better than I expected, about like watching Jeopardy with my Mom)
Lisa explaining that she prefers a fountain soda to a bottle: 5 (I strongly disagree, but respect anyone who has a legitimate opinion on this topic and real reasons for it)
Watching Lisa in Sephora Make-Up store: 4 (She was like a kid in a candy store, I really respect it, but even going fast she wasn't fast enough for me)
Doing nothing that interesting/fun most of the day: 3
Meeting Uncle Mario: 8
Dinner at Big City Tavern: 7
Dive Bar: 8
Live Blues Band: 7
Weird mix of all ages -- including some pretty old biker guys -- in the Diver Bar: 8 (so interesting)
Crazy "surgically enhanced", somewhat-weathered blonde lady and black dress dancer friend: 8 - the Dive Bar ALWAYS has something that makes it SO INTERESTING.
Hanging out talking (and eating desserts and drinking alcohol) with Z and Lisa late-night: 9.75 (one of the highlights of the trip)
Note: After kind of a lame day due to the weather, the night went from pretty good to great to just awesome by the end. I cannot overstate how fun things were getting by late in dinner, and just how good I felt by the end of the night hanging with Z and Lisa. I made a note when I went to bed that it was arguably the best day of the trip, which is amazing given that there was no golf/swimming/warmth and food was good-but-not-great.
1/7/10
Weather: 5.5 -- Not good, but just SO much better
Su, Adam, and Hannah arriving: 9.5
Them arriving in time to meet Lisa: 9.75
Lunch at Primanti Brothers on Oakland: 7
Beach: 8
It being warm enough to even go to the beach again (although barely): 8
A and Hannah in the ocean with Z and Lisa, jumping waves, etc.: 9.75 (one of the highlights of the trip)
Touch football on beach with Adam: 7
Sand castles with the kids: 5
Swimming in the pool with the kids: 7 (fun, but not warm enough to be fantastic, plus Lisa was getting ready to leave)
Lisa leaving: 1.000005 (so sad for me, but even Su and the kids were super-sad as well having just met her!)
XTreme Indoor Karting: 5
Everything being indoors: 8 (it was getting cold again)
Mini-golf with the kids: 5
Arcade games, mini-basketball shooting, etc: 5
Shuck 'n Dive: 9
Pickle Chips appitizer: 8
Su getting oysters: 9.5 (one of her very favorites)
Burning hot blackened chicken sandwich: 9
Jalepenos and onions on sandwich: 9
Me being too full to eat another sausage: 1.5
1/8/10
Weather: 7 (Warm again finally in morning, but getting windy and cold again by the afternoon)
Beach: 8
A and Hannah with me and Z, jumping waves, etc.: 9.75 (again one of the highlights of the trip)
Su actually seeming relaxed: 9
Touch football on beach with Adam and Z: 7
Swimming in the pool with the kids: 6.5 (fun, but weather was quickly getting cool again)
Walking around for an hour trying to find an acceptable lunch for Adam: 3
Finally having to settle for a "salad sandwich" from Domino's: 1.5
The sandwich surprisingly being pretty good and him actually eating much of it: 6
Horse Races at Gulfstream: 7
Being able to see the horses up close: 5 (though Su and the kids would probably give this an 8)
Su actually winning one of the races: 8 (Adam and Hannah were so excited)
Su and Z having to gamble on the slots for a little while following the races while I watched the kids: 4
Them not winning, and Z not being able to show Su the bonus round in Deal or No Deal: 2
Ernie's BBQ: 8
Us finally trying it: 9.5
Bimini Bread: 8 (WAY better than expected)
Food Quality: 8 (very solid, not quite Shorty's, but I'd definitely eat there again)
Movie Night: 4 (I HATE Movie Night in Florida)
Cudding Su in the big chair: 8 (she warmed my heart, plus my freezing feet)
Falling asleep and missing pretty much all of the movies: 4
Note: There were two movies . "Love Field" with Michelle Pfeiffer and "The Day The Earth Stood Still" with Keanu Reeves. They are not rated here since I pretty much missed them both entirely.
Su and Z mostly also sleeping through the movies: 8 (We were all pretty tired)
1/9/10
Weather: 1.5 (Freezing again, and raining for good measure)
Cleaning the apartment: 2 (Wouldn't be this low except that it meant that Z was about to leave Florida)
Z leaving: 1.000005 (so sad again!)
Us being on the way to Disney World: 5 (Would be SO much higher but it was just so freezing AND rainy)
Me buying two hots dogs with one order fries to feed Hannah, Adam, and Su on the ride to Disney World: 2
Note: It was a total miscommunication with Su who wanted food but didn't know what she really wanted leaving me with the impression that she didn't want anything!! This left her getting about half-a-small-order of french fries for lunch on a day when Z had already left and the weather was horrible and we still had at least one more hour to drive.
Note: It was totally reminiscent of the "Friday's incident" last year!!
Going to the outlets to get Hannah sneakers: 3
Us being AT Walt Disney World then Su deciding to go to the outlets before we stop and check in: 2
It taking FOREVER to get up the service road to the outlets: 2
Us having to walk a long way in the FREEZING COLD to get into the outlets: 2
H at least getting sneakers: 8
Us finally arriving at Walt Disney World: 8.5
Us getting All-Star Sports Baseball: 8.5 (WAY better than Surfing or Tennis)
Dinner at Food Court: 5.5
Kids' Dinners: 8
Adults' Dinners: 5
Service (surprisingly): 3
Overall Price: 4.5
DisneyQuest: 7.5
Effectively Free Admission on our old "Plus Passes": 9
"Free Arcade" floor with Adam: 8
H "making her own toy": 8
Popcorn and snacks: 7
1/10/10
Weather: 3 -- Absolutely freezing, but at least it was clear and fairly calm
Magic Kingdom: 8.5
Being one of the first ones in the park: 9
Tea Cups: 5
Su doing the Tea Cups with us: 8
Tomorrowland Speedway: 4
Slow painful line, even though it looked short: 2
Ride itself: 4.5 (at best, even for the kids)
Super-short lines everywhere else for the rest of the day due to the weather: 9.5
Space Mountain: 9 (for H and Su, and for me since I didn't go on it)
H at first saying she didn't think she was going to ride: 3
H surprisingly "hulking it up" mid-way through the queue area, getting psyched, and telling Su "I'm riding!": 9.5
H getting off the ride, Su thinking she was going to say how scary it was, and H saying instead "It was fun but kind of short": 9
Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin: 7
Goofy's Rollercoaster: 8.5 (for A, H, and Su -- luckily I didn't go on it)
Minnie Mouse's House: 4
Bibbity Bobbety Boutique: 6
Fairy Godmother meeting H and A: 8.5
H's hair appointment length: 3 (took a long time)
Overall quality of H's hair: 7
Little flower on face and Mickey hair-pin: 8
A's "Cool Dude" appointment length: 9.5
Overall quality of A's hair: 5
Little Mickey Mouse on back of his hair: 8
A's appointment price: 9.5
Mini-Parade "celebration": 7
Aladdin Magic Carpet Ride: 9 for A, 4 for Su, H and I didn't ride.
Lunch at Don Pico's: 6.5
A getting paint and glitter all over my sweatshirt: 3
Splash Mountain being closed: 3 (for H and Su; would have been a 1 but it was freezing)
Thunder Mountain: 9 (for H with Su)
H making ME go on Thunder Mountain for her second ride: 2
Thunder Mountain: 9 for H, 3 for me (way less bad than I expected, as only a few drops and they were mostly small, and otherwise mostly turning which I can handle. Splash Mountain is worse for me with the bigger drops.)
Afternoon Parade: 8.5
Su, H, and Adam all eating ice cream/popsicles during the parade despite it being absolutely freezing (about 37 degrees): 9 (What an effort!)
Mickey Mouse's House: 4
Us being horrible at finding Hidden Mickey's: 3
The Princess Room: 8 for H, 5 for the rest of us
Note: This would have been higher for H if it hadn't been the "big 3" (Cinderella, Belle, Snow White) each of whom she's met a zillion times at this pont
Dumbo ride: 9 for A, 4 for Su, H and I didn't ride
Cinderella Caroussel: 6 (H and me only)
Snow White's Scary Adventures: 7 (WAY better than expected)
Mickey's Philharmagic: 8
It's a Small World: 7 (Underrated as well)
Haunted Mansion: 8.5
Enchanted Tiki Room Under New Management: 4.5 (Worst attraction we did other than the Tomorrowland Speedway, but at least this was inside)
Us missing the Hall of Presidents yet again: 4 (I really want to see this sometime, but not THAT badly...)
Disney's Hollywood Studios for Fantasmic: 7
Long wait to get into Fantasmic in the cold: 2
Us actually making Fantasmic and getting good seats for once: 8
Long wait for Fantasmic to start in the cold: 2
Show finally starting: 9
Lights coming on two seconds after the show started and show being "delayed": 2
Show somehow only being delayed and not cancelled: 9.5
Show finally starting again: 9.75 (by now we were beyond freezing)
Fantasmic show itself: 8 (would be higher, but we were just so cold)
Dinner at Chef Mickey's: 6
H and A meeting characters: 9 (for them)
Note: They met Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, and Donald at this dinner
Dinner choices for me: 4 (Horrible given it was a buffet)
Dinner choices for Su: 8.5
Dinner choices for H and A: 5
Steve, the special chef for Adam: 6.5 -- not bad, just nothing special compared to Chef Rebecca last year
Desserts overall: 8
Cost of dinner, including photos: 2
Su making A and I go to another arcade while she shopped at the Contemporary: 2 (A, H, and I were all beyond exhausted at that point, AND I had to buy a card to use the machines there)
1/11/10
Weather: 3.5 -- Still pretty freezing, but at least it was clear and fairly calm
Downtown Disney: 6
Su getting all her key shopping done quickly: 9
H and A choosing the souvenirs and then not asking for everything the rest of the trip: 8
It being SO SO SO cold even for the short walks between stores: 2
Disney's Hollywood Studios: 8
Great Movie Ride: 5 (I really don't like the "Alien" part)
Lunch at Studio Catering Company/Anaheim Produc Company/Rosie's All-American Cafe: 5
Beauty and the Beast Show: 8
The stage-cleaners before the show not being plants/entertainers and actually being stage-cleaners: 5
Mini-hidden-Mickey on cake in show: 5 (cool but SO small...)
Tower of Terror: 9 for Su, 7 for H
Me not going on ride: 9.5
A getting automatic fastpass for Tower of Terror for when he's tall enough to ride: 9.5
H actually hulking it up and going on the ride: 9
Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground (i.e. "Tall Tall Grass"): 9.75 for H and A, 3 for Su and me.
MuppetVision 3D: 8
American Idol Experience: 6.5
JUST making it into the show: 8
Adventures of the Little Mermaid show: 7
Great sweets that Adam and H got: 8.5
A got a Princess mega-lollipop-looking marshmallow treat, H got a Mini-Mouse marshmallow treat on a stick. They both looked fantastic and tasted really good.
Toy Story Midway Mania: 8
Ride actually having a wait: 2 (2nd wait of 2 for the trip)
Great unexpected Pixar Place animated lightbulb, tree lights, and music show when we first started waiting: 8.5
Wait being only 40 minutes when it was listed at 70: 9
Ride itself: 8 (would be higher, but I had to help Adam and he didn't keep the gun pointed accurately. Will be great when he's a little bigger and we can all do our own.)
Citizens of Hollywood "street" performers: 8
Magic Kingdom for Space Mountain and Fireworks: 9
Su and H getting a fastpass and making it on Space Mountain before the attraction closed: 9.5
H deciding that Space Mountain is her favorite ride at WDW: 9.5
Adam loving life in the Tomorrowland Arcade while we waited for them: 8
FREEZING waiting for the fireworks to start: 2.5
Wishes Fireworks show: 8
Tinkerbell flying directly over our heads: 9
Show itself: 8.5, but it was SO cold...
Getting out of Magic Kingdom and back to car after fireworks: 4 (it was bad, but it could have been SO MUCH worse)
Dinner at Pepper Market: 8.5 (best meal at WDW this trip)
Kids' Dinners: 7
Adults' Dinners: 8
Little touches: 9 (me getting side order of sauteed vegetables, rice, etc.)
Service: 5
Overall Price: 6 (significantly better value-for-dollar than All-Stars Food Court or Chef Mickey's)
1/12/10
Weather: 4.5 (Definitely improving, not quite average yet though)
Having to leave the All-Star Hotels: 2
Not getting a chance to swim in the awesome baseball pool since it was so col: 1.5
Epcot: 7
Spaceship Earth: 8.5
The video at the end with the kids' faces: 9
Innoventions: 6
The Jammitors: 8
Waiting forever for the boat across the lake: 3
The boat finally getting there: 7
Fife and Drum core a foot away from us at American Adventure: 7
Juggler/Entertainer at Italy: 8
H, A, and I all "shooting a basket" during the show: 8.5
Pretzel at Germany: 2 (for me and A at least) -- it looked amazing but it still had butter on it despite not looking like it would meaning we couldn't eat it really)
H finally meeting Mulan in China: 8.5
Boat ride in Mexico: 6 (Somewhat underrated in my opinion and we were the only people on the ride; Su likes it much less than I do though)
Soarin': 9 for H, 2 for me
Me going on for my first time: 4 (at least I did it)
Su being convinced it would be no problem for me: 2
H repeatedly trying to calm me during the ride by saying "It's just a screen Daddy, it's not real, don't be scared"): 9.975 for H for being great, 1.5 for how awful it actually made me feel since I was actually pretty damn scared whenever we were "up high".
Imagination: 5
Us having to leave Disney World: 2
The weather FINALLY starting to warm up just as we were leaving: 1.5 (insult to injury)
Us having to leave Florida: 1.25 (even when it's cold!)
A great AA agent switching our reservations super-quickly so we wouldn't miss our connection in Dallas: 8
Us not eating at Friday's in the Dallas airport again (like last year): 9.975
Trip Ratings:
Z: 9.99999999999999999999999999999985 (made it great in spite of weather limitations)
Lisa: 9.99999999999999999999999999999 (all I could imagine and more, lifted my spirits when I was down about the weather, just made it an even happier trip)
Su: 10+ as always -- I am so proud of you for really relaxing during Fort Lauderdale!!
Hannah: 10+
Adam: 10+
Final Notes:
- The trip being almost two weeks again was fantastic, we should try to match it or extend it again next year if possible
- Su, Adam, and Hannah should DEFINITELY come for longer if not all of the trip
- Lisa HAS to play 9 holes with us next year (weather permitting).
- Lisa also HAS to come to WDW with us next year assuming we go again. Z you can come too if you want. :-)
- We HAVE to make sure to go to some of the Florida-trip standards next year that were missed this year, particularly Jai Alai and Shorty's!!
