"...We'll thank the little stars that shine..." A GRAND week in WDW *UPDATED 8/1

[Scott MC]

Greetings fellow Mouseketeers!

At the urging of several Dis-ers (ahem...VBsHustla and UncleOrville), and combined with a massive desire to relive the glory that was our '09 Disney trip, I hereby begin my first official TR!

I didn't plan on doing this, so there may be a lack of pictures, and small foggy parts in my memory of places, but I'm going to do my best to put y'all right there with us as we took 1 airport, 3 ME buses, 2 WDW Resorts, 4 parks, several WDW buses and countless monorails by storm.

Ready.......here we go!pixiedust:

Let me introduce the players in our merry band.

Me (on the left) and DPIC (partner-in-crime)
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Disney%202008/ScottTomEpcot.jpg

I'm 30 and DPIC is 28. I'll discuss our Disney histories now.
I've been to Disney 8 times at ages 3 (off property, no recollection of where), 7 (off property at Raddison), 18 (Dixie Landings), 20 (Wilderness Lodge), 23 (Dolphin), 28 (off property-Windsor Hills), 29 (off property-Windsor Hills) and most recently at 30 which is the trip we're about to discuss. I'm a certified Mousejunkie and now plan (as long as health and wealth allow) on visiting WDW every year. My favorite parks are MK and Epcot and my favorite movies are Peter Pan, Mary Poppins, Aladdin and Lilo and Stitch.
DPIC has been 3 times, once at about 15 (ASM), 27 (off property-Windsor Hills) and on this most recent trip at 28. I'd guess that his favorite movies are The Little Mermaid and Aladdin. He's a big fan of the Disney villains with special soft spots in his heart for Jafar, Ursula and the Evil Queen from Snow White. He longs for an all-villain character breakfast.

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Disney%202008/ErinSethFrance.jpg

Here's DS (sister) and DSBF (sister's boyfriend). They're both 21.
DS has been to WDW 6 times and has stayed at Dixie Landings, WL, Dolphin, and ASMo before this most recent trip. She's a junkie like me and by a mile, her favorite movie is The Little Mermaid. I'd guess she's most fond of MK and DHS.
DSBF has been to The World on several occasions, and I apologize for not knowing more about his Disney history, but I know he has stayed at the GF before and I'd bet money that his favorite park is Epcot, followed closely by MK.

Here's the final member of our troop. This is Mary Willowtree

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/DSCN3579-1.jpg

Why is she "Mary Willow Tree?" Well, DPIC and I have a local dining establishment where we frequently break bread and clink cocktail glasses. It's called "The Willow Tree" and we met Mary there. We instantly loved her, but didn't figure out her last name for the first few weeks. By the time we did learn her last name, it was too late. She would forevermore be known as Mary Willowtree. She enjoys wide open spaces, and by that I mean that she likes a hotel room to herself, so she put herself up at the swanky Dolphin and met us each morning for our adventures.

There we are...
This is already exhausting!
When I get back to this (hopefully in the next 24 hours), I'll detail the pre-trip planning and tell you where we stayed and how we came to that decision.
If you care to keep reading, THANK YE!
I hope my life is as entertaining as I think it is!

[lala3291]

Hello! I found your TR over on the GF FAQ thread! I'm really looking forward to reading your report, especially what you thought of the GF...we will be there in December.:goodvibes

[coltink]

I'm in. My DPIC and I are going in January. Hoping your TR will tied me over until we go. 104 days to go!

[minniebeth]

I followed your pre-trip posts and couldn't wait to hear about your trip when you got back, so I'm in for your trip report! Eagerly awaiting more! :)

[Dizney_Luver]

I'm In !!! popcorn::

[VBsHustla]

So glad you're writing a TR and pleased to have been such an inspiration! :goodvibes I eagerly await all GF photos and references!

-Laura

[Scott MC]

THE PLANNING

In 2007 and 2008, I went to WDW first with 6 people and then with 10 people. We rationalized that it would be much cheaper to stay off property and we rented beautiful homes in the Windsor Hills complex. They are located roughly 1/2 mile from the gates to the World, nearest the Animal Kingdom. The houses were lovely, and I daresay, the rooms I stayed in were nicer than any hotel room on Disney property, but I desperately missed the perks and the overall feeling that comes with staying at a Disney resort, so this year with only 4 going, we decided to stay on property, much to my delight.
We began looking at value resorts, and it was amazingly affordable for us when you split the room by four. At that point, sneakily, I started peeking at deluxe resort rates. DPIC was amazed at how inexpensive it would be to stay at a deluxe. What swung him was the free dining offer. I believe we first looked at AKL, which is his dream resort.

Now, let me tell you about me and the Grand Floridian.
I first saw the Grand Floridian (loser moment coming up here), on Disney's Easter Parade when I was about 10. It was the grand (no pun intended) opening and it looked dazzling. Right then and there, I decided that I wanted to stay there. On subsequent trips in my late teens and early 20's, I made a point of begging parents, and then friends to reserve meals at the GF and while they all thought it was lovely, it was always made known that it was way too pricey. My adoration of the GF became a running joke amongst my loved ones. Everyone knows that I have a minor obsession with the place.

So....
Once we saw that value resorts were easily in our price range....I made the leap to AKL and then........the Grand. DPIC was pretty surprised at how affordable it all came out to be and then asked how much it would be to stay at the Contemporary (another favorite of his). As it turns out, a MK view at CR was only pennies more than a garden view at GF, and though I was a little disappointed, I agreed to make an argument for CR when we approached DS and DSBF.
They were a bit reluctant to make the leap to deluxe, seeing as they are still in college and I understood that, but my argument was that with the dining, and the small group, this may be the one time we can afford a monorail resort. I also pointed out, that were the large group to go again in 2010, they'd very likely insist on the house again. After some minor resistance, they agreed, but at that point, DS threw the Poly into the mix, so we were left with an enviable dilemma....which monorail resort would we stay at?
I'm sure you've guessed the answer already, but I need to step away again for a bit. I'll pick this up again soon...
TTFN

[UncleOrville]

Yay, a TR! :woohoo: Obviously I'm in!

[UncleOrville]

P.S. love Mary Willowtree's name! :laughing: We also assign everyone a last name if we don't know their full name. For example, that handsome fellow in my avatar is John Carousel.

[Scott MC]

Ok, I've got a few more moments to myself, so I'll continue...

So we were torn between the CR, the Poly and the GF. Price-wise, we'd get the best view for our money at the CR, where we could book a MK view room. At Poly and GF, only garden views were in our range. When asked their opinions, here's what the crew said...

Me- GF is first pick, then CR, then Poly (but I still love the Poly)
DPIC- CR is first pick, followed by GF, then Poly.
DS-Poly is first pick, followed by GF, then CR
DSBF-CR first pick, then GF, then Poly- Actually, he said that he had no desire to stay at the Poly in any way, so that eliminated the Poly from being in the running.

So between the CR and the GF there was a minor price difference and DS misunderstood (easy mistake) the price difference, and since the GF was cheaper, started to push for that. DSBF went along with that (good move on his part) and my DPIC had no issues with the GF and as he put it, "If we stay at the Grand, you'll finally shut up about it."

So........
WE PICKED THE GRAND FLORIDIAN!

We picked a garden view and settled on 4 nights with a 5 day park-hopper and the free dining plan added on. I made the magic phone call and after about 45 min. on the phone, we were booked!

Shortly after booking this, DPIC and I figured out that to add a 6th day on to our park pass would cost us less than $10, and with little more than a shrug, we decided to stay one extra day. Unfortunately, due to work demands, DS and DSBF had to depart after the 4 nights at the GF. DPIC and I decided quickly that affording the GF on our own for that last night would be a big expense, so with his AAA rate, we made a room-only one night reservation at Coronado Springs because I saw pics of the newly refurbished rooms there and they looked beautiful! Though they did turn out to be beautiful, DPIC and I lived to rue our decision to leave the Grand, but that's a story for later.

[LMO429]

subscribing

[Scott MC]

I'll jump back on this with a very minor update tonight. I promise, lots of pictures and Disney action are coming soon.
There are 2 people that I forgot to introduce you to.
They are 2 people who were not happy about my trip to The World. In fact, each year when we prepare for our trip, the following two people show nothing but disdain and contempt for all things Mouse.
I'd like you to meet, Grace and Henry.

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Precious%20Kitties/DSCF0064.jpg

They highly object to all things Grand Floridian as it draws Daddy away from their loving arms. When I leave, Henry has been known to attempt to convince cat-sitters that he is never normally fed enough. As you can hopefully see, Henry has plenty to eat at all times. In my absence, Grace takes solace under the bed, only emerging to remind Henry that this is all his fault.

Upon news of my most recent trip, Grace did what she had to in order to cope...

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Precious%20Kitties/NaughtyGracie-1.jpg

...and Henry couldn't hide his rage....

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Precious%20Kitties/HenryYawn.jpg

When asked about their Disney preferences, Henry claims to be an Epcot fan with a particular desire to eat his way around the world rather than drink his way around the world as so many have. If given a chance to choose a WDW resort, he'd pick the Contemporary and pray that one day, the CMs at Chef Mickey's would forget to put away the buffet.

Grace says that her favorite park is DHS because, she has the Diva thing down pat, and she envisions herself laying in a hammock at the Polynesian and as you can see, she's been practicing in case the opportunity ever arises.

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Precious%20Kitties/DSCF0091.jpg

That's it for tonight kiddies, we should be getting officially underway soon.

[VBsHustla]

What photogenic cats! My fav is the one where Henry is outraged. :rotfl:

[Scott MC]

What photogenic cats! My fav is the one where Henry is outraged. :rotfl:

It's the little things that outrage poor Henry. He tends to roam around the house cooing like a pigeon when he's not pleased.
In this particular picture, I will let the cat out of the bag (get it? CAT out of the bag? Do ya? Huh?), and admit that he actually was not outraged at the time, but rather, in mid yawn. ;)

[UncleOrville]

In my absence, Grace takes solace under the bed, only emerging to remind Henry that this is all his fault.

Upon news of my most recent trip, Grace did what she had to in order to cope...

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/NaughtyGracie-1.jpg

:lmao: Grace is a girl after my own heart. Fabulous pic! :rotfl:

Any, my, that pic of Henry is frightening!

Great names, btw!

[Scott MC]

:lmao: Grace is a girl after my own heart. Fabulous pic! :rotfl:


Sadly, that picture is not posed. I can't leave the sauce out or her face is in it. She's truly Daddy's girl.

[Scott MC]

So where was I?
Booked the Grand....H & G weren't pleased.......oh yes!
Then came the summer of fear on the Dis.
It seems as if as soon as we made our reservations at the Grand, the entire resort fell under a giant tarp and was ripped stem to stern apart.
That's what the Dis would have you believe.
On the GF FAQ thread, horror stories kept popping up by the day. It started with the flooring in the main building, and then spread to all the work being done with cranes on the outer buildings. It was enough to almost scare me to the Poly or CR. I made countless phone calls to Disney, Guest Services and (apparently) to the Grand Floridian itself, and no one could give me a straight answer. One person I talked to said that there was no construction going on whatsoever. One person said that yes, the entire resort was torn up. One person said that all the work would be done the day before we got there. It was pretty infuriating. I felt like a jerk for complaining so much, as I realize that it's a privilege to be able to afford to stay at a monorail resort in the first place, but those I was traveling with were paying a lot of money to stay at the resort that I had always wanted to stay at and I didn't want them to be let down and or feel like they hadn't gotten their money's worth.
In the end, I wrote a very polite email to Disney Guest Services explaining that this was my dream resort, and that I didn't want 3 people who had put their faith (and money) into my dream to be disappointed. I didn't ask for anything except to be as far as humanly possible from the construction. From what I'd read here, it seemed that a GV room in Big Pine Key would be the most likely to be unaffected, so this is what I was hoping for. Strangely, about 2 weeks before our departure, I woke up one morning, completely at peace with our reservation. I can't explain where the calmness came from, but I suddenly felt like everything was going to be all right. This feeling would later turn out to be an omen.
Quickly, so I can get into the real details of the trip, we had very little trouble getting the ADR's we wanted(I can't recommend the online system enough). Here's what we booked....

The Wave..........lunch.......Me, DPIC, DS, DSBF
'Ohana..........breakfast..........Me, DPIC, DS, DSBF
Citrico's..........dinner..........Me, DPIC
Crystal Palace..........dinner..........Me, DPIC, Mary Willowtree
Rose and Crown..........dinner..........DS, DSBF
Chefs De France..........dinner..........Me, DPIC, DS, DSBF, Mary Willowtree
Le Cellier..........lunch..........Me, DPIC, Mary Willowtree

Ok....I think now we can begin.....THE OFFICIAL TRIP REPORT

[Scott MC]

THE OFFICIAL TRIP REPORT

...TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE DISNEY...AND ALL THROUGH WAL-MART.....

I think I can safely say that for this trip, I was more prepared than I've ever been to go. The condo was clean, the bags were packed, the ticked-off kitties were fed. My plan for the day before was to depart my condo around 3 P.M., Head up to DPIC's apartment, drive down to the Boston area (about 30 min away) to check out his friend's wedding gown. That's right, we played "Say Yes to the Dress." My dreams were already coming true. The dress was stunning on the bride, though I couldn't help but wonder if she wouldn't have found a more perfect dress if Keisha were involved. (Does anyone else get that?)

After the dress try-on, we met with a co-worker of DPIC's for dinner and cocktails, which has become our habit the night before a Disney trip. Same co-worker, same restaurant. The cocktails were a good choice, as I'm a very nervous flier and get very anxious the night before I have to fly. Dinner was great, and the cocktails took the edge off. DPIC wanted to take a quick whirl around Walmart for last minute t-shirts. He didn't have much success, and I didn't find Walmart to be particularly magical. I kept telling myself, "You'll be at the Grand Floridian in 12 hours." That helped.

Remarkably, I feel asleep pretty easily and slept through the night.

DAY ONE 8/19/09
Our flight was out of Manchester NH at 8:15 A.M. and was a non-stop flight, scheduled to arrive in Orlando around 11:15. We all live closer to Boston's Logan Airport (DPIC goes to school in Boston...so he is quite close), but we'd had such a pleasurable experience at Manchester last year that we decided that whenever possible, we'd fly out of "Manch-Vegas."
Check-in was a breeze, security was a breeze, and the plane boarded right on time. Another beauty of Manchester, is that from the moment you take your seat until the plane is actually in the air, is usually less than 7 minutes. Those planes take off exactly when they're supposed to. A little something my doctor perscribed helped make the flight go by quickly. Beyonce also helped. One of these days, I'm going to learn the "Single Ladies" choreography. (VBsHustla? UncleOrville? We should get on that!) We actually landed 25 minutes early which would have been outstanding except that because we were so early, there was no gate for us, so in the end, we only got off the plane about 5-10 minutes before we were supposed to.
I'm going to try to post some pics that DS took from the plane, but they're from Snapfish....let's see if they work....
http://images2c.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp53666%3Enu%3D3345%3E677%3E27%3B%3EWS NRCG%3D33334%3B98%3C%3A336nu0mrj
Guess not.
Can anyone help me get Snapfish pictures into posts here? I'm going to halt progress at this point until we can figure this out.

[PrincessCaitlin]

Hi I have been lurking on your report and I am so excited to be able to see pictures of the GF soon!


Oh about the single ladies choreography Idk if you watch Glee but a last week they had the single ladies choreography on there and it's sort of slowed down a bit so that might help :)

[Scott MC]

Hello! I found your TR over on the GF FAQ thread! I'm really looking forward to reading your report, especially what you thought of the GF...we will be there in December.:goodvibes

I will tell you ALL of what I thought about the GF! The good, the bad and the elegant. :goodvibes

I'm in. My DPIC and I are going in January. Hoping your TR will tied me over until we go. 104 days to go!

It'll be here before you know it.....I'm jealous!

I followed your pre-trip posts and couldn't wait to hear about your trip when you got back, so I'm in for your trip report! Eagerly awaiting more! :)

Eeeek, I'm sorry you had to read through all my worrying about the construction. In hindsight, I really should have just cast my fate to the wind.

I'm In !!! popcorn::

Excellent! I'll try to be entertaining!


Hi I have been lurking on your report and I am so excited to be able to see pictures of the GF soon!
They're coming...I promise! I'm just getting organized, and I'm waiting for a few pictures from Mary Willowtree. I am going to try to get day one finished tonight though, as I think I have all the pics from that day.

Oh about the single ladies choreography Idk if you watch Glee but a last week they had the single ladies choreography on there and it's sort of slowed down a bit so that might help :)

[Sweet Pea UK]

Can't wait to read more - we are staying at the Grand Floridian for 3 weeks next year so I am intrigued as to what its like.

[UncleOrville]

Beyonce also helped. One of these days, I'm going to learn the "Single Ladies" choreography. (VBsHustla? UncleOrville? We should get on that!)

Hahaha, yes, we'll have to get on that! :laughing: One day we can perform it at the GF! It will be spectacular... err, a spectacle. :dancer:

[Scott MC]

We're gonna stick with "Spectacular."

If only we could get Alice and the Mad Hatter to do it with us...

...or the Stepmother and Stepsisters.

[VBsHustla]

We're gonna stick with "Spectacular."

If only we could get Alice and the Mad Hatter to do it with us...

...or the Stepmother and Stepsisters.

That would be brilliant! I'd also need Joe Jonas to get in on this. :dancer:

[DWGal210]

Great start so far! Sounds like you are off to a great start! :thumbsup2

Can't wait to read more!

- Katie

[KatMark]

I'm here for the report. popcorn::

[heaven2dc]

Love, love, love your TR! and even love your kitties even more (and I'm not even a cat person :rotfl: - I've inherited Meatball, my daughter's cat, and he is definitely a close cousin to your "people".;)).

Has anyone helped you with your Snapfish question? I'm def not computer/picture savvy or otherwise I would offer a suggestion. btw were you in the reclining position when you took that pic? ;) :rotfl2: J/K!!!!

[Scott MC]

Can't wait to read more - we are staying at the Grand Floridian for 3 weeks next year so I am intrigued as to what its like.
Welcome aboard! It lives up to it's expectations! If I may be so bold...how can you afford the GF for 3 weeks? I'm so jealous!

Great start so far! Sounds like you are off to a great start! :thumbsup2

Can't wait to read more!

- Katie

The rest is coming soon....I promise! I'm getting more pictures from Mary Willowtree and DPIC this weekend, and I have Monday off, so there will be no excuse for not finishing at least 2 days worth of pictures and stories.

I'm here for the report. popcorn::

KatMark! Welcome. You'll be pleased to know that about 2 months after our trip, I'm warming up a lot more to our brief stay at CSR, to the point where last night, I had dinner with some of my fellow Mousejunkies (for my belated birthday) who are coming on next year's trip and I was pushing for a stay at CSR!


Love, love, love your TR! and even love your kitties even more (and I'm not even a cat person :rotfl: - I've inherited Meatball, my daughter's cat, and he is definitely a close cousin to your "people".;)).

Has anyone helped you with your Snapfish question? I'm def not computer/picture savvy or otherwise I would offer a suggestion. btw were you in the reclining position when you took that pic? ;) :rotfl2: J/K!!!!

I don't even know Meatball, but I love him. Henry does too. Grace is a little more judgmental.....are you surprised? She'll have to have a sidecar and think it over.

[KatMark]

KatMark! Welcome. You'll be pleased to know that about 2 months after our trip, I'm warming up a lot more to our brief stay at CSR, to the point where last night, I had dinner with some of my besties (for my belated birthday) who are coming on next year's trip and I was pushing for a stay at CSR!



:woohoo::woohoo::woohoo: Be sure to check out my trip report about our stay at CSR a couple of weeks ago.

And Happy Belated Birthday to you!

[cindermomma]

I am in!! I LOVE your report! :wizard: We also have a cat who hates when we go to the mouse! She won't even look at Grandma for the first few days of cat-sitting!:goodvibes Can't wait to read more!:surfweb:

[mickeystoontown]

Ooooh, I wish I could see all of your pictures. Looks like some are missing.:headache: Looking forward to reading all about your Disney adventures.

Sorry I can't help with the posting of Snapfish pictures. I have only used Photobucket.

Lisa

[Scott MC]

Ooooh, I wish I could see all of your pictures. Looks like some are missing.:headache: Looking forward to reading all about your Disney adventures.

Sorry I can't help with the posting of Snapfish pictures. I have only used Photobucket.

Lisa

Those links are fixed. Enjoy!

[Scott MC]

So, I'm up an hour earlier than expected this morning (sick kitty), and I figured it'd be a perfect time to update the TR. I finally have all the pictures up on Photobucket, so now my only excuse for not updating is my own laziness!

So, when we left off, we'd just gotten off the plane,and I promised you some pictures that DS took from the plane.

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp53665-nu3345-677-27-W-1.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp53666-nu3345-677-27-W-2.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp53672-nu3345-677-27-W-2.jpg

After landing, we began to enjoy our first experience with Magical Express. We'd checked our luggage back in NH.

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/DisneyAugust2009002.jpg

We sailed past the luggage pick-up and found our way to the ME terminal. It was here that we felt the need to make it crystal clear which resort we were headed to.

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/DisneyAugust2009021.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp53697-nu3333-44--54-2424.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/DisneyAugust2009013.jpg

Excited much?

Once on board, we were delighted to find that in the ME video, the Disney characters were checking into the Grand Floridian! The tension began to mount. Would the construction affect our stay?
Here is our obligatory front gate shot.

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp536--nu3345-677-27-WS-1.jpg

After a brief stop at the (beautiful) Polynesian, we moved on to the Grand.

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp536--nu3334-383-389-2425.jpg

We really didn't have much time to soak up much atmosphere because of what had happened next. I got off the bus first and a woman with a clipboard asked me the name of my party. When I told her my name, she signaled to another man, saying, "The _____________ party is here." The male CM, stepped forward and welcomed me to the Grand Floridian and asked me to follow him. At this point my heart began racing, because I don't *think* this happens all the time. We walked through the main entrance and as soon as we were all in, he turned to us and said, "This is Disney's year of celebrations, and I'm pleased to let you know that your party has been upgraded to our Royal Palm Club, which is Club Level, and you will be staying with us here in the main building for the duration of our stay."

:ccat::ccat::ccat::ccat::ccat::ccat::ccat::ccat::c cat::ccat:

I don't know if the others in my party understood what this meant, or if they even heard him (the lobby was loud), but I heard and understood him clearly. It's a wonder I didn't pass out on the spot. My Disney Dream had truly come true. Once I was able to let my party know what this meant, they too shared in my excitement, but we didn't have much time to revel in it, as our CM had already taken off.

Here's where I'll go ahead and mention my one, tiny complaint about this experience. We had gotten the upgrade of the year (in our opinion), and the CM seemed to be in such a hurry, that no big deal was made of it, and we really didn't get time to celebrate and be excited. I've heard lots of stories on these boards of people getting magical upgrades and the celebrations they've had with CMs after, and in fact, I asked, (half jokingly), if I could hug our CM, and he quickly replied "No, I need to show you where your room is."

Well fine.

Hmmmph!

Anyways...that was my one tiny complaint, and don't worry, we celebrated plenty once he was gone and we had our room to ourselves.

And what a room it was!

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp536-2-nu3345-677-27-W-2.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/DisneyAugust2009027.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp5365-nu3345-677-27-WS-3.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp5367-nu3345-677-27-WS-1.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/DisneyAugust2009039.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/DisneyAugust2009038.jpg

After the CM left, we did have a mini-celebration that involved plugging in the Ipod and playing the latest dance beats.

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/DisneyAugust2009029.jpg

I'm going to post views in the next post.....

[Scott MC]

I'm going to post nothing but views in this thread, but first, thanks to the magic of MS paint, I'll show you exactly where we were placed. The room number was 4323 and once out on the patio, it wasn't hard to figure out exactly where our room was located.

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/ourroom.jpg

And now..
Drumroll please......

THE VIEW

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/DisneyAugust2009043.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/DisneyAugust2009026.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/DisneyAugust2009025.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp53697-nu3345-677-27-W-1.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/DisneyAugust2009024.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/DisneyAugust2009023.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp536---nu3345-677-27-W-3.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp53697-nu3345-677-27-WSNR.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp5364-nu3345-677-27-WS-3.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp53669-nu3345-677-27-WSNR.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp53663-nu3345-677-27-W-3.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp5367-nu3345-677-27-WS-2.jpg

Clearly, it was magnificent.

Now that I've rambled about the Gorgeous Grand, in my next post, I can actually talk about the activities of the trip, which started off with lunch at the Contemporary!

I'll try to get back to this soon. Enjoy the update!

[mickeystoontown]

Oh my goodness gracious! What a fantastic Disney surprise! The pictures are absolutely gorgeous.

[MmmmDisney.]

I'm in. I don't know whether it was your cat's, your love for Beyonce (and learning the dance...which last night me and my girlfriends perfected)...or your pure joy of Disney...BUT WHATEVER. I am now subbing to my first thead. Love it ;)

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

I'm so excited to hear more! Wow...the GF is so beautiful! I always thought it was a bit too fancy schancy to me...But I never realized how warm and homey the rooms are!

Can't wait for th next installment!

[minniebeth]

Congratulations on your amazing upgrade! I can't wait to hear about your lunch at the Wave! popcorn::

[heaven2dc]

How exciting! :banana::banana::banana: What a fantastic way to start your trip with a fabulous upgrade :love:

[UncleOrville]

Love it! That upgrade is just the best! :yay: Although I do think it's absurd that the CM wasn't more excited for you - if the GF is going to be giving away thousands of dollars on a magnificent upgrade, you'd think they'd take the time/ money to appoint their sunniest CM the job of bestowing that upgrade! But, whatever, private dance parties are always an appropriate way to celebrate! :dance3:

But, oh no! I see your sis and her BF are Red Sox fans - are you? :eek: We're die-hard Yankees fans over here. "You should know we bleed blue..."

[Scott MC]

Oh my goodness gracious! What a fantastic Disney surprise! The pictures are absolutely gorgeous.

Thank you! I can't take any credit for any of the pictures though. DS took most of them.

I'm in. I don't know whether it was your cat's, your love for Beyonce (and learning the dance...which last night me and my girlfriends perfected)...or your pure joy of Disney...BUT WHATEVER. I am now subbing to my first thead. Love it ;)

Welcome to your first thread! I'm touched, and jealous that you know the dance!

I'm so excited to hear more! Wow...the GF is so beautiful! I always thought it was a bit too fancy schancy to me...But I never realized how warm and homey the rooms are!

Can't wait for th next installment!

DPIC said that he was pleasantly surprised with the room. He was expecting something much more floral and frilly, but instead found it tasteful and elegant.

Congratulations on your amazing upgrade! I can't wait to hear about your lunch at the Wave! popcorn::

Don't get too excited about that.....:sad2:

How exciting! :banana::banana::banana: What a fantastic way to start your trip with a fabulous upgrade :love:

It was an amazing start to the trip. I had a feeling that it was going to happen when we were met right off the bus, but I never would have dreamed main building with that view!

Love it! That upgrade is just the best! :yay: Although I do think it's absurd that the CM wasn't more excited for you - if the GF is going to be giving away thousands of dollars on a magnificent upgrade, you'd think they'd take the time/ money to appoint their sunniest CM the job of bestowing that upgrade! But, whatever, private dance parties are always an appropriate way to celebrate! :dance3:

But, oh no! I see your sis and her BF are Red Sox fans - are you? :eek: We're die-hard Yankees fans over here. "You should know we bleed blue..."

DS and DSBF are in fact Red Sox fans (we do live 15 minutes north of Boston). DPIC and I are not sports fanatics in any way, but feel it necessary, when asked to say that we support the local sports team. I heard that the Sox were out of the running this year. Hmm....I guess Tom Brady didn't score enough baskets to win the Stanley Cup.

[LMO429]

congrats om the upgrade i would be so xcited too!!!!! love the pics of the gf...i cant wait to get there already!!!!! only 54 days to go :goodvibes

[KatMark]

What a great upgrade Scott. Congratulations. Love the pictures.

[ILoveDisney-Angie]

Thank you for sharing your trip with all of us. I love the kittie pictures!

[UncleOrville]

DS and DSBF are in fact Red Sox fans (we do live 15 minutes north of Boston). DPIC and I are not sports fanatics in any way, but feel it necessary, when asked to say that we support the local sports team. I heard that the Sox were out of the running this year. Hmm....I guess Tom Brady didn't score enough baskets to win the Stanley Cup.

:rotfl: Good answer!

[Chironicus]

Here is our obligatory front gate shot.

:cool1:

Hmmm... for some reason I'm being forced to remove the photo from my reply. :confused3: However, I think it's clear which one I'm talking about by your description. ;)

I've spent weeks perusing the many delightful shots of the Grand and of all the hundreds of pictures, no one seemed to remember to include the Sheer Thrill of arriving!! :jumping1: I'm taking my first trip to WDW, :yay: staying at the GF in December :dance3: and I'm so excited pixiedust: I'm afraid I might just explode! :banana: :banana: :banana: *laughs*

:rainbow: Thanks for a great TR so far. :thanks: Can't wait to read more! :tinker:

--Chiron

[kittyprincess]

Love these photos and your insight into H&G's deepest feelings. : ) Can't wait for Dis 2010!!!!!!

[Scott MC]

congrats om the upgrade i would be so xcited too!!!!! love the pics of the gf...i cant wait to get there already!!!!! only 54 days to go :goodvibes

54 days? I'm so jealous! You will love it, and if my math is correct, that should put you there around Christmas time. I wish I could go during Christmas just once.

What a great upgrade Scott. Congratulations. Love the pictures.

Thank you! It might take me some time, but I have a bunch from CSR as well, but we're still days away from that!

Thank you for sharing your trip with all of us. I love the kittie pictures!

Henry and Grace are pleased that you enjoy their photogenic-ness.

:rotfl: Good answer!

I mean....it's how I feel. ::MickeyMo

:cool1:

Hmmm... for some reason I'm being forced to remove the photo from my reply. :confused3: However, I think it's clear which one I'm talking about by your description. ;)

I've spent weeks perusing the many delightful shots of the Grand and of all the hundreds of pictures, no one seemed to remember to include the Sheer Thrill of arriving!! :jumping1: I'm taking my first trip to WDW, :yay: staying at the GF in December :dance3: and I'm so excited pixiedust: I'm afraid I might just explode! :banana: :banana: :banana: *laughs*


:rainbow: Thanks for a great TR so far. :thanks: Can't wait to read more! :tinker:

--Chiron

Your first trip to WDW and you're staying at the Grand? Lucky you! You will love it.


Love these photos and your insight into H&G's deepest feelings. : ) Can't wait for Dis 2010!!!!!!

Wait a minute....do I know you?

[vettegirl]

:thumbsup2 whoo hoo! It's like you won the disney lottery. I would have fainted, that is so awesome

[DWGal210]

OMG - what an incredible upgrade! That deserves many dancing bananas!
:banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana:

Sorry to hear the CM wasn't as cheery about it, but maybe he was having a bad day. How you can have a bad day when it's your job to give people news like that is beyond me, but I digress. :goodvibes

Great TR so far, can't wait to read more! :thumbsup2

[aspen37]

THE OFFICIAL TRIP REPORT

...TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE DISNEY...AND ALL THROUGH WAL-MART.....

I think I can safely say that for this trip, I was more prepared than I've ever been to go. The condo was clean, the bags were packed, the ticked-off kitties were fed. My plan for the day before was to depart my condo around 3 P.M., Head up to DPIC's apartment, drive down to the Boston area (about 30 min away) to check out his friend's wedding gown. That's right, we played "Say Yes to the Dress." My dreams were already coming true. The dress was stunning on the bride, though I couldn't help but wonder if she wouldn't have found a more perfect dress if Keisha were involved. (Does anyone else get that?)

After the dress try-on, we met with a co-worker of DPIC's for dinner and cocktails, which has become our habit the night before a Disney trip. Same co-worker, same restaurant. The cocktails were a good choice, as I'm a very nervous flier and get very anxious the night before I have to fly. Dinner was great, and the cocktails took the edge off. DPIC wanted to take a quick whirl around Walmart for last minute t-shirts. He didn't have much success, and I didn't find Walmart to be particularly magical. I kept telling myself, "You'll be at the Grand Floridian in 12 hours." That helped.

Remarkably, I feel asleep pretty easily and slept through the night.

DAY ONE 8/19/09
Our flight was out of Manchester NH at 8:15 A.M. and was a non-stop flight, scheduled to arrive in Orlando around 11:15. We all live closer to Boston's Logan Airport (DPIC goes to school in Boston...so he is quite close), but we'd had such a pleasurable experience at Manchester last year that we decided that whenever possible, we'd fly out of "Manch-Vegas."
Check-in was a breeze, security was a breeze, and the plane boarded right on time. Another beauty of Manchester, is that from the moment you take your seat until the plane is actually in the air, is usually less than 7 minutes. Those planes take off exactly when they're supposed to. A little something my doctor perscribed helped make the flight go by quickly. Beyonce also helped. One of these days, I'm going to learn the "Single Ladies" choreography. (VBsHustla? UncleOrville? We should get on that!) We actually landed 25 minutes early which would have been outstanding except that because we were so early, there was no gate for us, so in the end, we only got off the plane about 5-10 minutes before we were supposed to.
I'm going to try to post some pics that DS took from the plane, but they're from Snapfish....let's see if they work....
http://images2c.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp53666%3Enu%3D3345%3E677%3E27%3B%3EWS NRCG%3D33334%3B98%3C%3A336nu0mrj
Guess not.
Can anyone help me get Snapfish pictures into posts here? I'm going to halt progress at this point until we can figure this out.


Keisha is my favorite on the show!

I'm loving your TR so far.

OMG! What a great upgrade. :banana: :banana: :banana:

I stayed at GF in Dec 2007 for 6 nights then we moved to ASM for just one night and that was a bad idea. It was during Mousefest and Pop Werner and all the rooms were sold out, so we were stuck.

I will be staying at GF for one night this December, then moving over to AKL. I just love GF during the holidays.

I can't wait to read more. What a way to start off your trip! :cool1: :cool1: :cool1: :cool1:

[splashmountainjaxson]

What an upgrade!!! I would have fainted on the spot!!! Can't wait to read more. You've got me hooked!:cheer2:

[kittyprincess]

Wait a minute....do I know you?

Who else would have a screenname like mine? Its Snickers and Chip's mom:love:!

[Sweet Pea UK]

Welcome aboard! It lives up to it's expectations! If I may be so bold...how can you afford the GF for 3 weeks? I'm so jealous!

saving really really hard for almost 3 years. We normally go every other year but we missed 2 years this time. Hoping it will be worth it. Can't wait to read more by the way!!

[Scott MC]

:thumbsup2 whoo hoo! It's like you won the disney lottery. I would have fainted, that is so awesome

I really felt that way. In my wildest dreams, I thought we might be upgraded to a lagoon view or (gasp!) a MK view in one of the outer lodges. I never dreamed that we'd end up in the main building, and with such a view! I think I actually prefer the lagoon view!

OMG - what an incredible upgrade! That deserves many dancing bananas!
:banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana:

Sorry to hear the CM wasn't as cheery about it, but maybe he was having a bad day. How you can have a bad day when it's your job to give people news like that is beyond me, but I digress. :goodvibes

Great TR so far, can't wait to read more! :thumbsup2

Thanks for the bananas. I hate to be picky, but never fear, we had a big dance party (VBsHustla aren't the only ones!) after he left. Having the IHome in the room made random, unplanned dance parties easy. It also allowed us to listen to "Bibbidi Bobbidi Bach" or "Heigh Ho Mozart" as we drifted off to sleep each night.

Keisha is my favorite on the show!

I'm loving your TR so far.

OMG! What a great upgrade. :banana: :banana: :banana:

I stayed at GF in Dec 2007 for 6 nights then we moved to ASM for just one night and that was a bad idea. It was during Mousefest and Pop Werner and all the rooms were sold out, so we were stuck.

I will be staying at GF for one night this December, then moving over to AKL. I just love GF during the holidays.

I can't wait to read more. What a way to start off your trip! :cool1: :cool1: :cool1: :cool1:

Thanks for the kind words, and for getting my Keisha joke! It's my life's ambition to meat Joan and become BFFs with her.

Have fun at the GF in December, I'm so jealous....and AKL too? That's DPIC's dream resort....we'll be so jealous!

What an upgrade!!! I would have fainted on the spot!!! Can't wait to read more. You've got me hooked!:cheer2:

I almost did. Seriously.


Who else would have a screenname like mine? Its Snickers and Chip's mom:love:!

I know...I know! Let me be funny! Geesh! :goodvibes
(KittyPrincess will be joining me on my 2010 trip...I should tell y'all the Kitty Princess story some time.)

saving really really hard for almost 3 years. We normally go every other year but we missed 2 years this time. Hoping it will be worth it. Can't wait to read more by the way!!

So jealous....sooooo soooooo jealous!

[Scott MC]

Ok, a brief update.

We were euphoric about our magical upgrade, and after a mini in-room dance party, we headed out to our first official event of the trip. We had a lunch booked at The Wave over at the Contemporary. I had been VERY excited to try this place because the entrance looked so cool, plus I plan on staying at the CR soon. Because I'm lazy, I'm going to just cut and paste the review that I wrote for Yelp.com, and follow it up with pictures.

** out of *****

We arrived here for our first official meal on a truly magical Disney trip. Only 30 minutes earlier, we'd been given the upgrade of the century at our resort, the Grand Floridian and I was so excited to try the new restaurant at the Contemporary, which was the resort we almost stayed at, and would like to stay at sometime soon.

Boy, I wanted to like this place, but I just didn't.

Let's start with the atmosphere. The entrance was awesome. So chic. Its chic-ness was only matched by the bar and bar area. In hindsight, we should have asked to eat in there. The actual dining room itself was boring. The walls were beige, there were dark wood beams and if I recall correctly, there were flashes of red, attempting an Asian feel. I'll rate that attempt as a fail.
The service was also mediocre at best. Our server was friendly enough, but she was pretty useless otherwise. We were on the Disney Dining Plan for the first time, and were admittedly a bit confused as to how it worked, but she didn't seem to know how it worked either. It took forever to get the bill settled. Speaking of taking forever, she disappeared a lot. This would have been acceptable, had there been more than 5 people in the restaurant.

Here's a heads-up to Disney Diners.....THERE ARE PLENTY OF TABLES AT THE WAVE! IF LE CELLIER DOESN'T WORK OUT FOR YA....HEAD OVER TO THE CONTEMPORARY.

Back to our server. She was pretty useless, but nice. I don't think there's much more to say.

For dinner, I had the Angus Chuck Bacon Cheeseburger on a multi-grain roll with roasted potato wedges The bread tasted like cardboard and my burger, which I had asked for medium, was cooked completely through and bordered dangerously on overcooked. Another fail. The potato wedges were exactly that. Not fries-cooked potatoes cut into wedges. Healthier than fries? Yes. What I was looking for? No.

The alcohol and dessert fared better. I had the Antioxidant Cocktail and it was delicious. The trio of sorbets for dessert were also wonderful and our server, noting that I enjoyed the tea I ordered, gave me several extra tea bags to return to my room with. That was appreciated.

I would actually like to try it here again and see if perhaps this lunch was a fluke. At the very least, I plan on drinking here again in the future.


Kinda harsh huh?
Here are some pictures of the food.

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp536-7-nu3345-677-27-WSNR.jpg

(The following is my meal and my drink)

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp53663-nu3345-677-27-W-2.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp536-7-nu3345-677-27-W-1.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp53663-nu3345-677-27-W-1.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp53672-nu3345-677-27-W-1.jpg

I love the Fantasia Gift Shop!
(Though there wasn't much CR merchandise.)
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp536-5-nu3345-677-27-W-1.jpg

[burly]

Great Trip Report so far, really enjoying it. And while i would rank the Poly as my number one destination, the upgrade at GF!:yay::woohoo:
Great pics, thanks for sharing.

[UncleOrville]

I feel like in theory I should like the Wave - looks cool from the pics I've seen (though now I realize it is probably only the entrance and the bar that I've seen) and I like the idea of a healthier/ fancy menu, but nothing in particular jumps out at me from the menu. I think I'd end up with the same review you had - I want to/ should like it, but probably wouldn't. Maybe I'll just hit up the bar sometime instead! :thumbsup2

[Scott MC]

Great Trip Report so far, really enjoying it. And while i would rank the Poly as my number one destination, the upgrade at GF!:yay::woohoo:
Great pics, thanks for sharing.

Don't worry, the Polynesian is on my "To Do" list.



I feel like in theory I should like the Wave - looks cool from the pics I've seen (though now I realize it is probably only the entrance and the bar that I've seen) and I like the idea of a healthier/ fancy menu, but nothing in particular jumps out at me from the menu. I think I'd end up with the same review you had - I want to/ should like it, but probably wouldn't. Maybe I'll just hit up the bar sometime instead! :thumbsup2

Yes, I really thought I would love it. I hesitate to say that it was the meal I was most looking forward to, and it ended up being the biggest dissapointment. Meh.
I'll see you at the bar!

[Scott MC]

BIG NEWS!

We interrupt this TR already in progress to make an official announcement.

Our 2010 Disney trip has been booked.

We have booked 2 (!) 2BR villas at Bay Lake Tower from August 15-21 for 9 adults in a Grand Gathering!

How magical!

:ccat:

[lala3291]

BIG NEWS!

We interrupt this TR already in progress to make an official announcement.

Our 2010 Disney trip has been booked.

We have booked 2 (!) 2BR villas at Bay Lake Tower from August 15-21 for 9 adults in a Grand Gathering!

How magical!

:ccat:

That's great!:cool1: We almost booked BLT for March, but went with GF RPC-Theme Park View instead! Happy Planning:goodvibes

[heaven2dc]

How exciting! 2 two-bedroom villas?!! Don't you just love grand gatherings :grouphug:

[UncleOrville]

So amazing!! :woohoo: BLT looks gorgeous, and being that close to the MK will be so awesome! I've never been in any sort of villa, but I'm sure the 2 bedroom villas at BLT are as good as you can get! :yay:

[Scott MC]

I've been a BAAAAAD TR writer.....
All this time, and I haven't even finished day one! I'll attempt this now.

After the disappointing lunch at The Wave, we monorailed it back to the Grand....
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp5368-nu3345-677-27-WSNRC.jpg

As you can see, there was a bit of work going on involving the main entrance, but I never noticed it until I saw this picture after the fact.

Mary Willowtree was dying to see our digs, so she came and gawked, and then we decided it was time for some MK.

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp5369-nu3345-677-27-WS-4.jpg
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp5369-nu3345-677-27-WS-1.jpg

DPIC and I headed straight for the Barber Shop to obtain some Mickey sparkles, but were disappointed to find that there was a line longer than that at Splash Mountain. Hmmph!
Sadly, this scenario would repeat itself over and over, resulting in no Mickey sparkles on this trip.

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp536-9-nu3345-677-27-WSNR.jpg

Ahhh...
That first view of the castle...
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp5365-nu3345-677-27-WSNRC.jpg

Of course we all had to pose in front of it.
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp53693-nu3334-383-387-242.jpg

Obligatory postcard shot....
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp5366-nu3345-677-27-WSNRC.jpg

I have a thing for doing a classic Disney ride to begin the trip, so we headed to visit a rowdy bunch of pirates in Adventureland
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp5366-nu3345-677-27-WS-2.jpg

On the way, we passed the Enchanted Tiki Room, which is a guilty pleasure of mine, that DPIC and DSBF had never been on. I was not successful in getting them in there at this point, or at any other point. Doesn't anyone else love those birds?
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp53699-nu3345-677-27-WSNR.jpg

[KatMark]

I've been a BAAAAAD TR writer.....
All this time, and I haven't even finished day one! I'll attempt this now.

After the disappointing lunch at The Wave, we monorailed it back to the Grand....
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp5368-nu3345-677-27-WSNRC.jpg

As you can see, there was a bit of work going on involving the main entrance, but I never noticed it until I saw this picture after the fact.

Mary Willowtree was dying to see our digs, so she came and gawked, and then we decided it was time for some MK.

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp5369-nu3345-677-27-WS-4.jpg
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp5369-nu3345-677-27-WS-1.jpg

DPIC and I headed straight for the Barber Shop to obtain some Mickey sparkles, but were disappointed to find that there was a line longer than that at Splash Mountain. Hmmph!
Sadly, this scenario would repeat itself over and over, resulting in no Mickey sparkles on this trip.

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp536-9-nu3345-677-27-WSNR.jpg

Ahhh...
That first view of the castle...
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp5365-nu3345-677-27-WSNRC.jpg

Of course we all had to pose in front of it.
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp53693-nu3334-383-387-242.jpg

Obligatory postcard shot....
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp5366-nu3345-677-27-WSNRC.jpg

I have a thing for doing a classic Disney ride to begin the trip, so we headed to visit a rowdy bunch of pirates in Adventureland
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp5366-nu3345-677-27-WS-2.jpg

On the way, we passed the Enchanted Tiki Room, which is a guilty pleasure of mine, that DPIC and DSBF had never been on. I was not successful in getting them in there at this point, or at any other point. Doesn't anyone else love those birds?
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp5366-nu3345-677-27-WS-2.jpg


I had just about given up on you ever finishing your TR! :lmao: And then you appear. :rotfl:

Actually, my darling DH LOVES the Tiki Room (although he misses the old one a lot).

Now, can we please keep these updates a little more frequent? ;)

[kittyprincess]

:wizard: i suggest we invest in our own disney sparkles if the line is that long!

[Scott MC]

I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaack.

I'd like to thank the dear moderators for unlocking this thread.
We won't discuss the fact that it's been so long that it was locked in the first place.........

Ahem...
Where was I?

Aaaah, yes, no Tiki Room for us.
I kept meaning to get to this, but we never did. It's now been '07 since I've been in. I'll have to take up residence here in August. It kinda looks like the Polynesian doesn't it?

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp5364-nu3345-677-27-WSNRC.jpg

I do love Aladdin, but we didn't meet him on this trip either.
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp53672-nu3345-677-27-WSNR.jpg

It was now time for our first ride of the trip, and I have this thing for riding a Disney classic. It's a mini tradition of mine that the first park is always MK and the first ride can only be one of the following...
*Space Mountain
*Small World
*Peter Pan's Flight
*Snow White's Scary Adventures
*The Haunted Mansion
*Pirates of the Caribbean

On this trip, we decided to go visit some pirates. This decision was based on it being midday and there being a decent likelihood of there being lines elsewhere. Usually the Pirates aren't too crowded.

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp53665-nu3334-383-38-2425.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp53696-nu3345-677-27-WSNR.jpg

We weren't disappointed. It remains a masterpiece.

We waved at Splash Mountain and its horrendous line ....
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp5366--nu3345-677-27-WSNR.jpg

Passed through Liberty Square....
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp5369-nu3345-677-27-WSNRC.jpg

...and headed for another classic and acceptable ride for early in the trip.
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp53695-nu3345-677-27-WSNR.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp53666-nu3345-677-27-WSNR.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp53668-nu3345-677-27-W-1.jpg

Who doesn't like 999 Happy Haunts?

At this point, the sky was looking ominous.
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp536-8-nu3345-677-27-WSNR.jpg

So, much to my delight, we ducked into yet another classic on my list!

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp536-6-nu3345-677-27-WSNR.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp536-2-nu3345-677-27-W-1.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp53667-nu3345-677-27-W-1.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp53668-nu3345-677-27-WSNR.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp536-6-nu3345-677-27-W-1.jpg

Can I tell you that we have a restaurant in my neck of the woods that looks just like this picture? You can feel free to be the judge.
http://www.zvents.com/images/internal/0/9/3/9/img_169390_primary.jpg

http://images.travelpod.com/users/danskgirl/the_oz_years.1217468760.kowloon.jpg

http://www.sevenpleasures.org/albums/Kowloon/Picture_080.jpg


I'm glad my companions realized that these rides had to get out of the way before anything else could get done.

[burly]

SCOTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hi!
Welcome Back!
yay!:dance3:

[UncleOrville]

I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaack.

I'd like to thank the dear moderators for unlocking this thread.
We won't discuss the fact that it's been so long that it was locked in the first place.........

Welcome back! :cheer2: Let's also not discuss the fact that my TR threads have needed unlocking several times in the past. :rolleyes1

We waved at Splash Mountain and its horrendous line ....

:rotfl:

Who doesn't like 999 Happy Haunts?

I don’t! I am seriously actually afraid of the Haunted Mansion. Maybe it was childhood Disney trauma? :confused3

Looks like you had a great start to your first afternoon in the MK, but that sky sure does look ominous!

[NessieBird]

Dear boy, I thought you'd forsaken us! So glad you're back on the horse. :thumbsup2 Can't wait to read more.
And! Nice parallel with Kowloon! Good call. If Mikey sees this, he's going to be begging for some Saugus Wings.

The big question I have: what are the sparkles you and Kitty Princess know all about and I haven't a clue? I must know.

[Scott MC]

Dear boy, I thought you'd forsaken us! So glad you're back on the horse. :thumbsup2 Can't wait to read more.
And! Nice parallel with Kowloon! Good call. If Mikey sees this, he's going to be begging for some Saugus Wings.

The big question I have: what are the sparkles you and Kitty Princess know all about and I haven't a clue? I must know.

Ahhhhh...
Well, when we went in August of '08, Tom and I went into the barber shop right at the entrance to the MK. The kind staff there bedazzled our hair with multi-colored Mickey-shaped sequins at no additional charge. I think all the gentlemans should take advantage of this opportunity. You do have to get there early though, as the line here can grow quite quickly!

[kittyprincess]

I am seriously actually afraid of the Haunted Mansion. Maybe it was childhood Disney trauma? :confused3


I too am afraid of the Haunted Mansion! Screamed into my dad's shoulder the whole ride when I was a child and then was bullied into going in 08 but kept looking ahead to see if anything was going to jump out. Not fun! Glad to know I'm not the only adult with this issue :wave2:

[UncleOrville]

I too am afraid of the Haunted Mansion! Screamed into my dad's shoulder the whole ride when I was a child and then was bullied into going in 08 but kept looking ahead to see if anything was going to jump out. Not fun! Glad to know I'm not the only adult with this issue :wave2:

:laughing: Yes! When I have companions that want to ride the Haunted Mansion, I skip out and usually reward myself with a Dole Whip Float to pass the time. :rotfl: I did go on relatively recently for some reason, and also kept a vigilant watch to make sure nothing would jump out at me. :scared1:

[NessieBird]

Ahhhhh...
Well, when we went in August of '08, Tom and I went into the barber shop right at the entrance to the MK. The kind staff there bedazzled our hair with multi-colored Mickey-shaped sequins at no additional charge. I think all the gentlemans should take advantage of this opportunity. You do have to get there early though, as the line here can grow quite quickly!

Awesome. I agree that all of the gentlemans in attendance should partake. :grouphug: You'll all look gorge, though I'm biased and think that Mikey's flowing mane will look extra spiffy.

[Scott MC]

I'm going to try to get back to this ASAP...I promise!

Don't give up on me!

[UncleOrville]

Nice to have you back! :wave2: Looking forward to hearing/ seeing more! I really must get back to my summer trip TR, as well. :rolleyes1

[Scott MC]

Argh...it's been so long!

At this point, my remembrances of exactly what happened on each day are foggy at best. I can say nothing in my defense except that this year, with me and possibly CorysMom and NessieBird tweeting our trip, it should be a lot easier to not only write a trip report, but remember what we did.

I can't believe we're still on the first day.

After Small World, (which I'm very upset will be shut down when we're there this year), we hit Mickey's Philharmagic, which is a favorite of mine. The only picture I have it this one, which delights me and DPIC with its delicious pun.

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp53698-nu3345-677-27-WSNR.jpg

At this point, if memory serves me, we headed to the Studios, as evidenced by this picture.

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp5365-nu3345-677-27-WS-1.jpg

While here, we hit the Rockin' Rollercoaster and the Tower of Terror hard and fast. I'm sure we also took a spin on Star Tours. As it was our first day, and already late afternoon, Toy Story Mania was in no way, shape or form an option.
Sadly, there is no further documentation of our afternoon/early evening at the Studios.

From here, we dashed back to the Magic Kingdom so that Tom could take in his first ever viewing of Spectromagic!

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp536---nu3345-677-27-WSNR.jpg

There's a great story that goes with this, but since the only photographic evidence of this is a hard copy due to Mary Willowtree's reluctance to sit down and upload her pics for us, I'll save it for later. No one will mind....right? I'll tell you this...it has to do with Specto, an ice cream cone, a not-terribly-disappointed child and 3 adults being lectured by a woman younger than any of us.

Tom loved Spectro (though I'm not sure it blew him away like it blew me away), and before retiring back to the Grand, we of course took obligatory night shots of the Castle.

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp5369--nu3345-677-27-WSNR.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp5366-nu3345-677-27-WS-1.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp536-5-nu3345-677-27-W-2.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp536-2-nu3345-677-27-WSNR.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp5369-nu3345-677-27-WS-2.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp536-2-nu3345-677-27-W-3.jpg

After this, we retired to Mizner's Lounge at the Grand, and capped off the night with a couple of Glowtini's.

All I could think was, "I could get used to this."

[Scott MC]

I also wanted to add here that a few weeks back, Tom and I got the lucky opportunity to meet the LOVELY ladies of VBsHustla/UncleOrville. We were in their neighborhood for a wedding shower, and we arranged a breakfast. We look forward to seeing them again in August when we're back for the actual wedding, and dream of the day when our Disney trips may actually sync up. If they ever do...I don't know if Disney will be able to handle it.

Here are a few pics...(imagine our surprise when the gals pulled out their famous tiaras!)

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/VBsHustla/115.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/VBsHustla/116.jpg

[NessieBird]

Way to get back in the saddle! You get a pirate! pirate: Keep it coming while you're in stride.
PS--I kept staring at the second photo of your VBsHustla meet, thinking, "What kind of tiara is Tom wearing??" Then I realized it's the placement of the trees. Can I just say, based on that? Tom would look fab in a tiara; you know how to pick 'em. :thumbsup2

[Scott MC]

I get a pirate?
Well...you get a dance party. party:

[UncleOrville]

Loved the update (and our surprise appearance, of course)! :dance3: Darting from the MK to MGM and back to the MK reminds me of another group I know well... :laughing:

[kittyprincess]

One month from today we will be at Disney!!! :yay:

[iheartpluto]

I had to come check out the TR of a fellow GF lover!! :) I just started, so no insightful comments yet, but I'm sure you'll be sick of me by the end! :laughing:
P.S. I LOVE your kitties... :)

[kittyprincess]

One month from today we will be at Disney!!! :yay:

OOPS Wrong thread! :rolleyes1:

[Scott MC]

i will finish this tr before this year's trip begins...i will finish this tr before this year's trip begins...i will finish this tr before this year's trip begins...i will finish this tr before this year's trip begins...i will finish this tr before this year's trip begins...i will finish this tr before this year's trip begins...i will finish this tr before this year's trip begins...i will finish this tr before this year's trip begins...i will finish this tr before this year's trip begins...i will finish this tr before this year's trip begins...i will finish this tr before this year's trip begins...

[camsmomE]

I'm joining you 'cause Monymony told me to... JUST KIDDING! I'm glad I found you- I think you're hilarious!! :rotfl: Heading back to the beginning....... -Stace

[Scott MC]

I'm joining you 'cause Monymony told me to... JUST KIDDING! I'm glad I found you- I think you're hilarious!! :rotfl: Heading back to the beginning....... -Stace

Thanks for reading! I'm sorry it took me so long to reply! After this Thursday, I won't be working again before our trip, so I'll have about 14 days to either wear down the floorboards, or finish my trip report. I'm hoping the latter is what occurs!

[Scott MC]

Lo and behold!
I am ready to FINISH this.
That's right. I leave for my 2010 trip in less than 2 weeks (:yay:), and I am determined to wrap up this TR before I have to think about a new one. I'll work round-the-clock if I have to.

But before I do,
I have one question...

Is there ANY other way than Photobucket to get pictures up here? I consider myself very computer literate, and I find that site confusing as all heck. Does anyone have any other suggestions? Once I get an answer, we'll definitely be on our way!

[UncleOrville]

I agree Photobucket is annoying, but it's the best option I've found for pictures for the DIS. When you're uploading photos to Photobucket, click on "more options" and then set your photo size to large - it takes care of resizing all of your pics at once to the size that best fits in DIS posts. You can also customize it to get rid of all the extraneous material at the bottom of each picture when you're in "album view" mode - I have mine so only the "IMG Code" (which is the one you need for the DIS) is visible. I'm not sure where I got that setting on the Photobucket site, but I'm not that awesome at Photobucket (as you can tell), so I'm sure it was pretty easy to find.

[Scott MC]

All right,

Let's try to get this going....shall we?

Thursday, August 20, 2009

**I'm going to note here that since it's been *SO* long since this trip, my memory for details has slipped, and the exact order in which events unfolded may not be 100% accurate. Please forgive me.

It was an EMH morning at the Magic Kingdom, and for the first time, we got to see the opening show outside the gates. I know Seth was dying to see this, but I don't think he got to see all of it due to a monorail technical difficulty, but Tom and I saw it, and it was a lot of fun. Sadly, it's wasted on the hordes waiting to push through the doors.

We decided that our first destination would be Splash Mountain, which is my favorite of the mountains. I love the big drop, I love the characters, and I love the music. I certainly don't have all the words memorized thanks to my "Four Parks One World" CD.....:rolleyes1

I love the walk to Splash...

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Thursday/232323232fp53699-nu3345-677-27-WSNRCG3333499--336nu0mrj.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Thursday/232323232fp53668-nu3345-677-27-WSNRCG3333499-336nu0mrj.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Thursday/232323232fp53666-nu3345-677-27-WSNRCG333352468336nu0mrj.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Thursday/232323232fp53696-nu3345-677-27-WSNRCG33334998336nu0mrj.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Thursday/232323232fp53697-nu3345-677-27-WSNRCG33334995336nu0mrj.jpg

We were heading in the right direction!

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Thursday/232323232fp53695-nu3345-677-27-WSNRCG3333524692336nu0mrj.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Thursday/232323232fp5366-nu3345-677-27-WSNRCG3333524693336nu0mrj.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Thursday/232323232fp53663-nu3345-677-27-WSNRCG333352467336nu0mrj.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Thursday/232323232fp536-4-nu3345-677-27-WSNRCG3333524683336nu0mrj.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Thursday/232323232fp536-4-nu3345-677-27-WSNRCG3333524679336nu0mrj.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Thursday/232323232fp5365-nu3345-677-27-WSNRCG33334994336nu0mrj.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Thursday/232323232fp5364-nu3345-677-27-WSNRCG33334992336nu0mrj.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Thursday/232323232fp536-2-nu3345-677-27-WSNRCG3333499-336nu0mrj.jpg

During this jaunt, we also ran into a very lonely looking Frontier Donald. We took a picture, and Tracy (CorysMom) was very jealous, as apparently this is a great find. The picture is great and is framed in my living room. Would you like to see it?

Well, you can't.

Let me explain why.

The pictures you're seeing posted here were mostly taken by my sister Erin. I admittedly hate lugging around a camera and being responsible for capturing memories that will last a lifetime. I'd rather somebody else do it. Is that selfish?:guilty: If it is....I'm O.K. with it.

Anyway,
Our other photographer was Mary Willowtree, and when we came home, I immediately began bugging her about her pictures. When she brought them to me, she brought a large pile of beautiful printed out pictures. While they're lovely for decorating your house, they're not suitable for posting here. Sometime in the near future, I will bug her about bringing her actual camera with her and we'll try to upload the pictures to this TR as a "Mary Montage." Until then, you're gong to have to deal with Erin's pictures.

So there.


:teacher:You've been told.

So where was I?
Oh yes, we were almost at Splash Mountain...

There it is!
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Thursday/232323232fp53699-nu3345-677-27-WSNRCG33334999336nu0mrj.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Thursday/232323232fp53667-nu3345-677-27-WSNRCG3333524684336nu0mrj.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Thursday/232323232fp53699-nu3345-677-27-WSNRCG3333524686336nu0mrj.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Thursday/232323232fp5362-nu3345-677-27-WSNRCG33334996336nu0mrj.jpg

Pre-soaking
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Thursday/232323232fp5362-nu3345-677-27-WSNRCG333352468-336nu0mrj.jpg

Post-soaking
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Thursday/232323232fp53663-nu3334-383-393-2425383484245ot1lsi.jpg

Gosh, I love that ride!

After this, the pictures move on to Epcot, so I'm assuming that in addition to Splash, we probably did quick runs on BTM and PPF (my favorite), and then made our way to Epcot, which I'll pick up in another post.

[Scott MC]

Thursday, Part Deux

So we'd hit the MK hard and fast, and based on the pictures, seemed to have spent a rather leisurely day in Epcot, leading up to dinner at Les Chefs De France. I'll start with the pre-dinner pics.

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Thursday/232323232fp5368-nu3334-383-397-2425383488245ot1lsi.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Thursday/232323232fp5367-nu3345-677-27-WSNRCG33335287-2336nu0mrj.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Thursday/232323232fp5368-nu3345-677-27-WSNRCG33335287-8336nu0mrj.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Thursday/232323232fp5369--nu3345-677-27-WSNRCG33335287-9336nu0mrj.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Thursday/232323232fp53698-nu3345-677-27-WSNRCG3333524697336nu0mrj.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Thursday/232323232fp53668-nu3345-677-27-WSNRCG333352469-336nu0mrj.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Thursday/232323232fp53665-nu3345-677-27-WSNRCG33335287-7336nu0mrj.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Thursday/232323232fp53663-nu3345-677-27-WSNRCG33335287-3336nu0mrj.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Thursday/232323232fp536-5-nu3345-677-27-WSNRCG33335287-4336nu0mrj.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Thursday/232323232fp536-5-nu3345-677-27-WSNRCG33335246-6336nu0mrj.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Thursday/232323232fp53699-nu3345-677-27-WSNRCG3333528877336nu0mrj.jpg

Does anyone else love this ride as much as we do? Tom and I actually watched The Three Caballeros and Saludos Amigos last week and really loved it!
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Thursday/232323232fp536-8-nu3345-677-27-WSNRCG333352-945336nu0mrj.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Thursday/232323232fp5368-nu3345-677-27-WSNRCG333352-93336nu0mrj.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Thursday/232323232fp53669-nu3345-677-27-WSNRCG333352-936336nu0mrj.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Thursday/232323232fp53668-nu3345-677-27-WSNRCG3333528869336nu0mrj.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Thursday/232323232fp53668-nu3345-677-27-WSNRCG3333528865336nu0mrj.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Thursday/232323232fp53672-nu3345-677-27-WSNRCG333352886336nu0mrj.jpg

I'm going to pause here, since it's past my bedtime. I'll finish up day 2 tomorrow with our experience at Les Chefs De France.

G'night y'all!

[LakesRegionNHMom]

Great TR! I can't wait to read more! I am from NH, but used to work in the Boston area, so I am enjoying your NE references too!

I'm so happy for you that you got to stay at the GF..it looks beautiful....I've stayed at the WL 3 times and BC, 2 times. I hope to stay at the GF someday!

[jakeybake]

I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaack.

I'd like to thank the dear moderators for unlocking this thread.
We won't discuss the fact that it's been so long that it was locked in the first place.........

Ahem...
Where was I?

Aaaah, yes, no Tiki Room for us.
I kept meaning to get to this, but we never did. It's now been '07 since I've been in. I'll have to take up residence here in August. It kinda looks like the Polynesian doesn't it?

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp5364-nu3345-677-27-WSNRC.jpg

I do love Aladdin, but we didn't meet him on this trip either.
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp53672-nu3345-677-27-WSNR.jpg

It was now time for our first ride of the trip, and I have this thing for riding a Disney classic. It's a mini tradition of mine that the first park is always MK and the first ride can only be one of the following...
*Space Mountain
*Small World
*Peter Pan's Flight
*Snow White's Scary Adventures
*The Haunted Mansion
*Pirates of the Caribbean

On this trip, we decided to go visit some pirates. This decision was based on it being midday and there being a decent likelihood of there being lines elsewhere. Usually the Pirates aren't too crowded.

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp53665-nu3334-383-38-2425.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp53696-nu3345-677-27-WSNR.jpg

We weren't disappointed. It remains a masterpiece.

We waved at Splash Mountain and its horrendous line ....
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp5366--nu3345-677-27-WSNR.jpg

Passed through Liberty Square....
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp5369-nu3345-677-27-WSNRC.jpg

...and headed for another classic and acceptable ride for early in the trip.
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp53695-nu3345-677-27-WSNR.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp53666-nu3345-677-27-WSNR.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp53668-nu3345-677-27-W-1.jpg

Who doesn't like 999 Happy Haunts?

At this point, the sky was looking ominous.
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp536-8-nu3345-677-27-WSNR.jpg

So, much to my delight, we ducked into yet another classic on my list!

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp536-6-nu3345-677-27-WSNR.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp536-2-nu3345-677-27-W-1.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp53667-nu3345-677-27-W-1.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp53668-nu3345-677-27-WSNR.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k33/willtru78/Wednesday/232323232fp536-6-nu3345-677-27-W-1.jpg

Can I tell you that we have a restaurant in my neck of the woods that looks just like this picture? You can feel free to be the judge.
http://www.zvents.com/images/internal/0/9/3/9/img_169390_primary.jpg

http://images.travelpod.com/users/danskgirl/the_oz_years.1217468760.kowloon.jpg

http://www.sevenpleasures.org/albums/Kowloon/Picture_080.jpg


I'm glad my companions realized that these rides had to get out of the way before anything else could get done.

KOWLOON BABY!!!!!

This is where my DW and I had not only our first date but also where I asked her to marry me! Love seeing Kowloon on the DIS!!

Jay

[Scott MC]

KOWLOON BABY!!!!!

This is where my DW and I had not only our first date but also where I asked her to marry me! Love seeing Kowloon on the DIS!!

Jay

Heh, you're not the only one I know who's gotten engaged there.

[Scott MC]

Great TR! I can't wait to read more! I am from NH, but used to work in the Boston area, so I am enjoying your NE references too!

I'm so happy for you that you got to stay at the GF..it looks beautiful....I've stayed at the WL 3 times and BC, 2 times. I hope to stay at the GF someday!

Thanks for the compliment! The GF really is magical. I hope YOU get to stay there very soon!

[jakeybake]

Heh, you're not the only one I know who's gotten engaged there.

Admittedly not the most romantic place to get engaged but it held special significance for us given that it was where we had our first date!

Though I did try to class it up a bit by asking for a table in the "Thai Room" to the left :laughing: That's about as classy as it gets at Kowloon!

Jay

[Scott MC]

It is with a heavy heart that I inform you all that I will likely not be able to finish this TR before I head to WDW for this year's trip.
This afternoon, my uncle (my father's brother) passed away suddenly, and I am likely going to be on a plane tomorrow morning to GA for his funeral. By the time I return, there will barely be time to do a wee bit of laundry and turn around and head for "The World."

I will try my hardest to keep up with this and finish it in a timely fashion. Will you all forgive me? :sad1:

[kittyprincess]

This afternoon, my uncle (my father's brother) passed away suddenly, and I am likely going to be on a plane tomorrow morning to GA for his funeral. By the time I return, there will barely be time to do a wee bit of laundry and turn around and head for "The World."


I'm so sorry to hear about your uncle Scott! If there's anything I can do to help with your preparation for the trip or anything at all, let me know. :sad1:

[iheartpluto]

So sorry for your loss. :( We will be waiting patiently for your return, no need to stress over the TR. It just means you'll have readers already in place for the next one.

[UncleOrville]

So sorry to hear about your uncle, too. :hug: And no need to worry about finishing this TR before the next trip - we'll just be waiting to hear about this year's trip. :goodvibes