DAY 2 – Thursday 1/12/23
Who: Sue (64), DVC Member
Holli (58), friend & co-worker
Vickie (58), Holli’s best friend & college roommate

Plan: Dolphin Tour, Hudson’s, Possibly Stroll w/Pluto

Actual: Last night Holli & Vickie retired first, around 8:30. I got up and could barely walk – the knees were really sore. They’re not swollen and I am sure there’s no fracture or break, so it’s just bruising that needs time to heal. Vickie
brought me some Tylenol so I took a couple of those, then went back to the living room to finish up online stuff.

The internet here quite frankly SUCKS – big time. It drops off frequently, and it’s difficult to reconnect. Is this 2023 or 1983? While I’m being a bit negative, I’ll also mention the fish carpet is missing from the villa, and the ottoman at
the chair I always use is missing. The throw pillows that disappeared with covid have yet to be returned. The resort is undergoing a major renovation this year, but it’s disappointing to see stuff disappearing in the meantime. It certainly makes the
villa feel less “grand”.

When the internet went down again for the 4th or more time just after 9pm and was still down at almost 9:30 I gave it up and went to my bedroom, thoroughly disgusted with Disney. This is ridiculous! I’ve never had it this bad, and it’s totally
unacceptable. I slept comfortably and always enjoy that it’s so quiet here. Perhaps during the summer that wouldn’t be the case, but I have no desire to be here during summer.

I got up just before 5 and wasn’t as stiff as I thought I might be. I’m still sore, but it’s not to the degree that I need Tylenol or can’t do anything – although, the stairs might have me eating my words, lol! My bathroom sink has a drain
problem – so I’ll contact maintenance later. They really need to do some work here!

I made my cappuccino and took it back to bed along with my laptop. I managed to get almost 30 minutes before the internet dropped again – this is extremely annoying and something else I’ll be mentioning today. Maybe there’s just a problem in this
villa that can be fixed, as opposed to it being resort-wide.

Around 6 I got up and took my shower. Hopefully when they renovate the shower stall will get larger. I fit fine, but I can see where it could be tight for larger people. After dressing and drying my hair I went out to the kitchen, where soon Vickie
joined me. She made coffee and cut some of the delicious banana bread (homemade) she’d brought. I had my egg, slice of bacon and half an English muffin – along with a small bite of the great banana bread. Holli came down already dressed and got
her coffee then made an English muffin with avocado – and a small bit of banana bread. Vickie went up to take her shower while Holli & I hung out online in the living room. Before we left I called maintenance and asked them to send someone at some
point today to clear the drain in my sink. I also mentioned the internet constantly disconnecting so she said she’d let the IT company know when they came in. The maintenance guy arrived as we were heading down the stairs.

We left around 8:20 and drove over to Black Marlin. The dolphin tour goes out of the marina in this area. As many times as I’ve gone to Black Marlin I’ve never noticed the marina at the other end of the building. We learned it’s actually the
largest marina on the island, and I do remember when hurricane Mathew wiped it out several years ago. It’s been rebuilt since then.

We checked in for our tour and learned it would be only the 3 of us and Captain Sarah. We were given a box with ½ dozen donuts from Publix and 3 bottles of water. Once Sarah wiped down the boat she got us and led us down the dock to our pontoon boat.
She did an excellent job and loves what she does. She’s going on her 3rd season of working here. Almost right off the bat we came upon some pairs of dolphins swimming around so we sat idle watching them. They’re not crazy about the boat’s motor
so idling lets them stick around longer.

Eventually we moved along, stopping again as we’d come across more dolphins. One time we also had a pair of bald eagles nearby, and some of the dolphins were small babies hanging closely to mom. One of the adults has an unusual fin and Sarah refers
to that one as “Curley” since the fin is somewhat curled. After watching dolphin in several areas Sarah asked if we wanted a picture of us with the Harbortown Lighthouse in the background and we said yes. She drove us over there and took several
pictures for us.

The weather started out as a beautiful day, but as the day progressed more clouds approached. By lunch it was very cloudy, which made it feel cooler. We brought jackets for the dolphin cruise and needed them when traveling fast (into the wind). When
we were moving slowly or not into the wind it felt much warmer. We were back at the dock a little after 10:30, and thanked/tipped Sarah for doing such a great job. Compared to my past experiences with Captain Mark’s Dolphin Cruise I much prefer this!
His boat is large, so there are many people on board. This cruise could have held 6 guests, but we had it to ourselves. Being closer to the water meant a better viewing of the dolphins. They’re very hard to photograph, as you never know where (or
when) they’re going to resurface! However, we all thoroughly enjoyed this!

We drove back to the resort and dropped off the heavier jackets. I did a couple quick work things, then we drove over to Hudson’s for lunch. It was cloudy and windy enough that we did not want to eat outside over the water. Instead, we were taken to
a nice table by the window so we had a nice view without being cold. It’s been 20+ years since I ate here and I was surprised how reasonable the prices are (at least at lunch). Our server was a young man he was perfect – attentive but not hovering,
paying attention to little details, and just delightful. He was tipped accordingly.

Holli & Vickie each ordered a bloody mary and I stuck with a glass of wine. We received a bowl full of hush puppies – way too many, but they were delicious. This seems to be a standard thing as every table had a bowl of them. Vickie ordered the half
shrimp salad sandwich and cup of she crab soup. I got the single decker BLT and Holli got the gumbo/grits/eggs meal. Everyone’s food was delicious. I left most of mine – besides a bunch of hush puppies, my sandwich had a ton of bacon & came with
fries and cole slaw – all for $8! With plans to be eating out I didn’t take any “to go” container – it’s hard enough to keep up with what we already have.

We walked back to the car and drove back to the resort, stopping briefly at Kroger for Holli to buy toothpaste. When I sit for any length of time my knees get stiff, but eventually if I walk long enough they loosen up. Stairs are not as bad as I
thought, although I’m definitely slower. Hopefully each day will see improvement.

Back in the grand villa Vickie went upstairs to take her 2pm nap a little early. Before cancer I don’t think she ever napped, but with the treatment she tends to need one by 2pm each day. Holli got online (the internet was actually working) but then
decided she needed a nap as well and went up to her room. I got the report caught up, then puttered around online for 30 minutes while waiting for General Hospital to start.

Holli came back down before General Hospital ended and started working on a puzzle. I joined her after the show ended, and Vickie got up after 3:30. She felt great after her nap! Holli & I walked over the recreation window to confirm our tours for
tomorrow and Saturday and get them paid. There was a discount for dvc but I’m not sure how much. Each tour was $30/person before the discount.

When we came back to the villa Vickie was struggling with the internet. For whatever reason, it’s been working for me this afternoon. Hope I didn’t just jinx myself! Sure enough, it dropped again, but came back up within a few minutes. We worked
on the puzzle for a while, then Holli & Vickie prepared the cheese board while I straightened up in the living room. Vickie also built a fire, since she’s the expert at that.

Duane arrived at 6 and we moved from the puzzle table into the living room to visit with him. The heat from the fireplace felt great! He’s had a grand villa at Old Key West so this layout is familiar to him. We enjoyed wine, food and conversation
for 2-3 hours. He’s in the building next door, so not far to travel. It was nice getting to know a fellow MouseOwner. When he returned home we cleaned up the cheese board and started the dishwasher. Holli headed up to bed but Vickie & I continued
working on the puzzle until after 9. So much for turning in early.

My left knee feels much better, but the right one still hurts and I think it’s swollen. My health insurance doesn’t work up here so I am not planning to seek any medical care. I see my oncologist when I get home, so if it’s still bothering me
more than it should I can make an appointment with the ortho place. During the evening Vickie noticed blood on my left sleeve, and the wound on my arm had bled beyond what the bandaid could hold and was leaking out. It’s my HAL shirt, so I was NOT
happy. I hope some hydrogen peroxide at home will get the blood stains out. I changed the bandage and will check it more frequently. The skin was torn off, despite wearing long sleeves and a jacket – so the bleeding is not unexpected.

By 9:30 I was in bed finishing up the report and hopefully will turn the lights out by 10. Today was a really great day – the dolphin cruise exceeded our expectations! Hudsons was also good, although it’s not a place I will return to unless it’s
because Vickie is with us. Meeting Duane made for a fun evening, and everyone got along so well and so easily.

Tomorrow we’re planning a breakfast or brunch meal at Nectar, then the 11am south Hilton Head Island Tour with pool guy Mike. After an afternoon rest we’ll go to Wise Guys for happy hour. I’m having some concerns about the Saturday tour given my
mobility challenges. It’s a 2-mile hike, and when we finalized it today it never entered my mind that I might struggle. We’ll see what happens!

Sue/WDW1972

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