A Semi-Solo Weekend Escape - Sept 11 - Finished 2/7

[onelilspark]

Hi there! :wave: Thanks for joining me! Without further ado, I'll jump into the details!

Who:
I'm Kelly, I'll be your navigator in this adventure.
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011262.jpg

About me: I've been a Disney fanatic since I was 3 and we took our first trip. My favorite ride is Haunted Mansion. I live in Upstate NY, but up until the end of last month, I had an Annual Pass to WDW!

These 2 characters are my Mom and Dad:
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011263.jpg
They'll be making a guest appearance later in the trip report. They now live in Florida, about 45 minutes from the MK gate! We're originally from the Philadelphia area. My Dad's favorite ride is Small World (no joke...but I discovered today that he shares a birthday with Mary Blair.) My Mom's favorite is the TTA.

Why:
This trip was born out of Norybell's trip to escape Wedding Bells. I'll be getting married in 8 (!) days, so I took a solo trip with about 2 months remaining to get away from some stress. My fiance, who has been to WDW with me on other trips enjoys Disney, but he's not a fanatic. I call him an enabler. I told him I wanted to go and he said I should. So he's a keeper :thumbsup2

When:
September 9-11. Just a Friday to Sunday trip, pretty quick. I had a free ticket!

Where:
Back in February I found a great deal on a studio at Bay Lake Tower.

If everyone's neat and pretty, on with the show! (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=43017995&posted=1#post43017995)

[rdkeim]

Looking forward to following along!

[KatMark]

Kelly, I'm here. Although how you can do this with the wedding so soon, I do not know.

[jedijill]

I'm in! Great start and congrats on getting married!

Jill in CO

[ChildAtHeart82]

Subbing! :)

[glennbo123]

Woo hoo!

[mamamary]

I'm in!

[onelilspark]

Looking forward to following along!

Thanks for joining!

Kelly, I'm here. Although how you can do this with the wedding so soon, I do not know.

Hi Kathy! Hah...this is the equivalent of holding my fingers in my ears, shutting my eyes and going, "LA LA LA...what wedding?" :confused3

I'm in! Great start and congrats on getting married!

Jill in CO

Thanks Jill!

Subbing! :)

Welcome!

Woo hoo!

Hi Glenn! Thanks for joining!

I'm in!

Welcome!

[onelilspark]

My flight was pretty early on Friday morning. The good news about the Rochester airport is that you never have to get there terribly early...and I live 15 minutes from the airport, so while I got up at 5am, it wasn't that bad.

Of course, when you get up that early, you tend to skip breakfast...or at least I do! So after making my way to the end of the terminal, I went and found myself some breakfast.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011284.jpg

Obviously breakfast of champions.

Shocker of all shockers, my USAIR flight was actually on time! When we arrived at DCA, I headed over to the podium at the earlier flight to Orlando. And they had room! :banana: So I jumped on the earlier flight! I shaved off about an hour and a half! Then the thing that pushes back the plane from the gate broke...and took a half hour to fix. But I was alright, I mean, I still gained an hour of Disney time!

We deplaned, I quick used the restroom (I will leave no detail out in this TR :laughing: ) and I was on my way down to Magical Express! I do really enjoy traveling through airports by myself, I can get around so quickly!

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011285.jpg

Low and behold, a bus was waiting!

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011286.jpg

We loaded a family behind me, and then the bus was off! Best morning ever!

Hold on though, don't get too excited. We were the *last* stop! :sad2: It was all going so well!

Even with being the last stop, I was still checking in by the time my original flight landed, so I was pretty pleased.

Lobby of the Contemporary:
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011287.jpg

I had done online check-in, so I was waiting in the appropriate line when a CM started approaching people and led them to open CMs. By the time we had walked over, he knew my name, so he said to the CM behind the desk, "We have Ms. Onelilspark here to check in." Nice touch :thumbsup2

Before long, I was checked-in and my room was ready! Sweet!

So I decided to head over, check out the room and unpack first.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011308.jpg

I had booked a Bay Lake View.

A few pictures:

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011016.jpg

View:
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011018.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011019.jpg

After I was satisfied with the room, I left to head out to my first park! :yay:

View from the Elevators:
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011022.jpg

Elevator Hidden Mickey!
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011023.jpg

I decided I would walk through the Contemporary so when I came back that night I would know how to get back to my room!

This was the great view from the bridge to the Contemporary!
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011306.jpg

So far, I was really digging Bay Lake Tower.

Up Next: My first park! (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=43044253&posted=1#post43044253)

[wdwgirl03]

Wow, BLT looks awesome! I am really drawn to it mainly for those views!

Yay for your wedding being soon!

[hstrickland]

:wave: Kelly! Followed over from the dining report! Hope all is well...sure you are planning away!!! Not long now:thumbsup2

[jwwi]

Great start to your TR. BLT looks very nice, how nice to be able to get the earlier flight. Your wedding date is getting so close now.

[KatMark]

Glad you wer eable to get an earlier flight. Nice pictures of your room and view.

[onelilspark]

Wow, BLT looks awesome! I am really drawn to it mainly for those views!

Yay for your wedding being soon!

Spoiler alert: I *loved* BLT!

:wave: Kelly! Followed over from the dining report! Hope all is well...sure you are planning away!!! Not long now:thumbsup2

Hi! Thanks for coming over! We're now 5 days away!! :eek:

Great start to your TR. BLT looks very nice, how nice to be able to get the earlier flight. Your wedding date is getting so close now.

Thanks, I can't believe the date is almost here!

Glad you wer eable to get an earlier flight. Nice pictures of your room and view.

I was so excited when I was on the earlier flight!! :cool1:

[onelilspark]

I made my way down to the buses to go out to my first park: Animal Kingdom :thumbsup2

I didn't wait too long for a bus, but it did stop at other resorts first. If I was there all week, it would probably get annoying to the point that I wished I had a car. But for that day it was fine.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011024.jpg

Animal Kingdom was really quiet that day, it was a little weird. So I didn't worry about grabbing FPs for anything and finally went to have lunch. By now it was getting close to 2 and I hadn't eaten anything since that morning!

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011026.jpg

Of course, I learned a very important lesson pretty quickly: when I'm by myself, I am the world's most indecisive person. I couldn't decide if I wanted Flame Tree, or Yak & Yeti...then I decided on Yak & Yeti, but couldn't decide if I wanted to try a walk up at the sit down restaurant or just go with counter service.

On my walk back to Yak & Yeti, I snapped a few pictures:

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011027.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011028.jpg

I eventually decided on counter service as I was pretty hungry and wanted my food quickly!

My full thoughts on my food can be found in my Dining Report, so I'll just breeze through some of the details!

I wound up getting the Honey Chicken. It was good, but had way too much sauce that wasn't distributed properly.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011029.jpg

After lunch, I headed over to Everest...obviously a wise decision on a full stomach!

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011030.jpg

It was so quiet, the single rider line wasn't even open!

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011031.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011032.jpg

I was kind of glad the line wasn't open, it had been quite a while that I had gone through the stand-by line...I usually either jump in Single Riders (Geoff hates it!) or I use a FP. I had forgotten how beautiful some of the decor was!

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011033.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011034.jpg

I'm glad to say, I made it through Everest without getting sick! But I probably won't try to do another roller coaster on a full stomach anytime soon :lmao:

After my near-Yeti experience, I headed over to the Safari.

Of course, I grabbed another picture of the Tree of Life on my way

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011035.jpg

This was the "line" at the Safari around 3pm...

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011038.jpg

CRAZY! Who knew September was so dead :confused3

Now, Geoff decided to get a new camera for our honeymoon. And he let me take it on this trip, which means I went over-board with pictures on this ride! I'm just warning/apologizing in advance!

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011040.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011042.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011043.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011044.jpg

Getting their good angle:
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011045.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011047.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011048.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011049.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011052.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011054.jpg

Continued in next post... (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=43044355&posted=1#post43044355)

[onelilspark]

...continued from prior post

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011056.jpg
OH NO!

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011057.jpg

The little one lying down by the rock is the new baby! I was so excited!
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011058.jpg

However, the older baby was excluded from playing with the younger one. I felt bad for him. Apparently it's something that elephants do though.
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011059.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011065.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011066.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011069.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011070.jpg

So these next two are my favorite pictures with the new camera. I called Geoff when I got off and said, "I can't wait to show you the pictures I got of the wart hog!" He thought I was nuts.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011071.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011072.jpg

After the Safari ended, I started making my way to the front of the park. I did a little window shopping...

I liked this shirt, but didn't buy it...
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011292.jpg

I also snapped this shot of Everest on my way:
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011075.jpg

The main purpose of my trek to Animal Kingdom was to see the parade. I *love* the parade. I even have the music on my iPod and I jam out to it when I'm on the highway.

Between my window shopping and trying to find the perfect parade spot, I grabbed a snack to cool me down:
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011294.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011295.jpg

Then I settled in for the parade. I thought I had a great spot, right behind a wheelchair, so I knew I'd be able to see :thumbsup2

BUT! There was a family that came in last minute...like always and decided to push me out of the way...literally. The kids were falling on me and the mother put her hands on my hips when trying to get past me to her kids. HELLO! I do not know you, keep your hands to yourself please. (In fairness, I recognize that this a particularly American trait, especially in the North East and the family did not speak English.) And when the kids were falling on me, I turned around to see the parents were oblivious, so I made a little huffing noise but figured it probably wouldn't do anything if I said anything :sad2:

I had a pretty good spot though, right across from this sign:
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011077.jpg

...continued in next post... (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=43044449&posted=1#post43044449)

[onelilspark]

And now, here's my assortment of parade pictures!

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011078.jpg

Mickey to Rafiki, come IN Rafiki!

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011080.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011081.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011082.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011086.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011087.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011088.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011089.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011092.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011099.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011103.jpg

Once I saw the last car coming, I made a break for it. What made this spot especially great is that it was right at the exit of a shop, which I of course ducked in and was able to beat the crowds out of the Animal Kingdom!

...Until I got stopped and asked to take a survey on my food at the Animal Kingdom...would I like to give my opinion on food?! Do you KNOW ME?! So obviously I took a break and decided to give my opinion. Asked a lot of questions about healthy options and variety of those options.

Up Next: Epcot! (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=43321071#post43321071)

**Note: this will most likely be the last update before I leave to get married and on my honeymoon! So sorry in advance for the break, but I promise I'll be back!

[KatMark]

Great update, Kelly. And I'm with Geoff -- NO EE for me ever again, empty or full stomach. :lmao::lmao::lmao:

Your pictures are great (and I won't even comment on the rude people at the parade).

But I will wish you a beautiful wedding day, a wonderful honeymoon and much happiness. :hug:

[onelilspark]

Great update, Kelly. And I'm with Geoff -- NO EE for me ever again, empty or full stomach. :lmao::lmao::lmao:

Hah...the first time he came to the Animal Kingdom I kind of *forgot* (maybe on purpose) to tell him it went backward. I'm not sure that he's really forgiven me...

Your pictures are great (and I won't even comment on the rude people at the parade).

Thanks! I think my problem is that I was brought up to behave in a certain way. And it drives me absolutely crazy when people (kids or adults) don't act that way as well. I've come to realize though that I was lucky because my Mom and Dad really drilled manners and etiquette into me when I was young.

But I will wish you a beautiful wedding day, a wonderful honeymoon and much happiness. :hug:

Thanks Kathy :hug: I promise when I return I'll come back with pictures!

[ChildAtHeart82]

Great pictures, espcially of the safari! :) I can't believe how empty the park was. I hope you have a wonderful wedding and honeymoon!

[glennbo123]

I'm with you -- those are great warthog pictures! I think I was only able to capture a picture of a backside sticking out of a burrow.

Enjoy your wedding! :bride::groom:

[wdwgirl03]

Great AK update! I still cannot get over how cute that baby elephant is. I hope I get to see him when we're there on Friday!

[hstrickland]

The picture of the Luna Bar and water cracked me up....I eat those bars on a daily basis!!

And :dance3: for the low crowds!!! Holy cow! There wasn't anyone there! Wish my family could go in September, but just isn't an option with 3 kids in school....perhaps when we retire!

By the way...the next time you check this, you will probably be married! I hope everything goes beautifully! And enjoy your honeymoon! Can't wait to see pictures when y'all return!

Congratulations and safe travels!:goodvibes
Heather

[onelilspark]

Hi everyone! We're waiting for our room to be ready in Rome, so I thought I'd share some photos!

Sneak peaks from our photographers:
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/820fecb1.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/a54c90aa.jpg

Pompeii:
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/24f850de.jpg

Sorrento, fresh cheese:

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/cf006e89.jpg

Athens:
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/2e5470b3.jpg

Ephesus:
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/b9882e56.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/76fdc69c.jpg

House of the Virgin Mary:
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/9fb8f4fa.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/1ead3e5a.jpg

Santorini:
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/591f4e97.jpg

[KatMark]

Kelly, you were a beautiful bride. Thanks so much for sharing the pictures. Enjoy Rome. :hug:

[ChildAtHeart82]

Beautiful pictures! :)

[hstrickland]

:dance3: Thanks for sharing your pictures! Can't wait for you to start your TR:thumbsup2

[onelilspark]

Thanks for all the kind words everyone! I promise that soon I'll get back to my regularly scheduled trip report (and also share the link to our Honeymoon report on Cruise Critic!) But I want to try to reach as many people as possible, so I wanted to share this with everyone.


Our experience with Delta:

6am October 30: Flight canceled from ROC to JFK(snowstorm the night before at JFK, plane never came to Rochester.) When I called, we found out that they had rebooked us on a flight that would allow 45 (!) minutes to transfer to an International flight…in a different terminal that would require going outside and through security again. So we worked with the agent to rebook us on a flight out of Syracuse that would allow 2 hours to get to that flight.

Afternoon October 30: Flight from SYR to JFK is delayed…and delayed…and delayed for a mechanical error. We know we’ll miss our connection, so we talk to the gate agent who can’t do anything besides get us into Rome too late to make our cruise (from Syracuse to Detroit to Paris to Rome) since there were no seats in economy on the last flight out. Note: there were Business class seats available. We didn’t care if we got Business class or had to sit in someone’s lap, but *there were seats on the plane.* So I called Customer Care to see if there was anything we can do. He upgraded us and issued the reservation for 2 seats. Spoke with the gate agent and she was able to print a new itinerary for us that had our seat assignments printed with the word “confirmed” next to it. We were to check in at the Alitalia counter in Terminal 1 when we got to JFK and they would print our boarding passes.

Evening October 30: Once we get to JFK, we make our way to Terminal 1. We take our itinerary to the Alitalia counter…and they don’t have our reservation in the system, it didn’t transfer properly, so we needed to speak with the Delta agent further down in the terminal. So we head down to the Delta Counter. We spoke with the agent there that told us whoever we talked to on the phone shouldn’t have upgraded us. Ok, fine. But it said on the piece of paper (that had Delta’s logo on it) that we had confirmed seats on the plane. She was telling us that the only thing she could do was to put is on a wait list. To us, that was unacceptable. So we stood there and argued because we had a document that showed confirmed seats. In the end, we played the Honeymoon card and she suddenly found 2 seats on the plane for us (in coach obviously) after 30 minutes.

At one point, it was blamed on the fact that Alitalia was operating the flight instead of Delta. That’s nice and all, but we booked with Delta. Not Alitalia. We paid Delta, so Delta was going to be who was responsible. I want to stress that we were upset that we were told we had confirmed seats and didn’t, NOT over the lack of upgrade. We did tweet about our frustrations, to which we actually had a prompt response from @DeltaAssist who gave us each $75 vouchers for Delta. The flight itself was fine and we made it to Rome with our luggage.

The Trip Home

November 9: We receive an email from Delta “It’s Time to Check In For Your Flight!” with our itinerary and selected seats (32 E & G…bulkhead in attempt to give Geoff more leg room…selected back when we booked the flight, something like 9 months ago.) I attempted to check-in online, but it redirected to Alitalia, which was entirely in Italian, so we decided to just check-in when we got to the counter.

Noon November 10: We arrived at the airport and attempted to check-in at the Alitalia counter. To which we were told that our reservation was not in their system and we didn’t have seats. Even though we had picked them out, and had an email stating what our seats were. Luckily, I had documents (and the email) with me that showed our confirmation number. The lady at the counter was very patient with us as we became visibly upset (it was like déjà vu) and got us seats on the plane. The seats were across the aisle from each other and at the very back of the plane. Clearly, they had our money since she didn’t ask for another payment…but we didn’t have seats on the plane.

Evening November 10: We arrive in JFK for our flight back to Rochester. We had to recheck our bags at a special counter right outside Customs when we came back from JFK. There was a Delta desk and an Alitalia desk. Even though we were connecting to a Delta flight, the agents would not take our bags, we needed to wait for the Alitalia agent to come. As we were going through security around 7pm, the flight was listed on time…actually, technically they had sent us an email stating the flight was now leaving at 9:01pm instead of 9pm. As we were eating dinner (I’d say around 7:30/8pm) another email came to my inbox stating the flight was delayed. A little detective work on my part (thank you Flight Stats) and I discovered our plane was coming in from Chicago and it was late leaving there. It was supposed to take off before we even got to security. So the email during dinner came in quite late. They also changed the gate from 23 to 18…then back to 25, which happened to be the same pattern of gate changes when my flight with Delta last month was delayed. No real complaint there, more of an interesting thing to note.

When we got on the plane, we discovered that the flight had not been catered, so there was not enough water for everyone on board. In the end, not that inconvenient as it was only a 45 minute flight, it just points to the lack of preparedness on Delta’s end. We also needed a Tug to push us back from the gate, which wasn’t there. When it finally showed up 20 minutes after the door to the plane had been closed, we were missing a qualified driver for it. Of which there was only 1 available according to the pilot. Seriously? Did they not know they had a plane scheduled? Our pilot and flight attendants seemed confused and frustrated themselves. Another 20 minutes later, we were finally being pushed back from the gate.

Wrap Up

I just got off the phone with Customer Care at Delta with whom I went through this entire saga. At this point, we would never fly Delta again and I let her know that short of a free flight (or a full refund of this flight) to give them another chance, there was not much that could change my mind. I also let her know that I would advise all of my friends, family members, coworkers, really anyone who will listen, of our experience. That is what this write up is for as their response was to try to give us another $75 voucher each. Which I assume couldn’t be combined, so we’d just have to spend more money, time, and stressful energy I’m sure, on Delta.

Many of our problems do occur on other airlines, such as delays and cancelations. I fly often enough (actually, if I would have just flown Delta instead of the Star Alliance partners, I could have an elite status with Delta) to recognize that these things happen. I also fly often enough to know that when you confirm a seat with a customer, you should follow through and that is our main complaint. It is unacceptable and inexcusable to tell a customer that they have confirmed seats only to turn around and say “just kidding.”

I may complain about companies, but I will also sing their praises when they get it right. I very rarely ask for anything when something goes wrong and if I do complain, it is to let the company know what could have been better. However, this situation deserved special attention. Quite frankly, we don’t really know how Delta is still in business with these practices. We will never fly Delta again and we hope you won’t either.

[jedijill]

I feel your pain with Delta. I probably won't fly them again even after being a loyal customer for international flights for the last 15 years. Last year on my Barcelona flight, somehow my "confirmed" window seat ended up as the middle seat in the middle 3 of the plane. Of course, the flight was completely full....so nothing they could or would do. I didn't even get offered a credit.

I'm sorry your experience was so bad especially for your honeymoon trip. Hope the cruise was fantastic!

Jill in CO

[onelilspark]

jedijill: I can't sing enough praises for the cruise and I will, promise! I just had to get all the anger out of my system first so I can give it justice!

I think the lesson in all of this is when Delta says "confirmed seat" they really mean, "you may or may not have a seat at all."

[KatMark]

Kelly, I'm so sorry you had to go through all of that. It should happen under NO circumstances, but to happen on the start of your honeymoon. :headache:

I can't wait to hear all about the cruise, etc.

We've never flown Delta, but after that story, we never will (I like United).

[onelilspark]

Kelly, I'm so sorry you had to go through all of that. It should happen under NO circumstances, but to happen on the start of your honeymoon. :headache:

I can't wait to hear all about the cruise, etc.

We've never flown Delta, but after that story, we never will (I like United).

It was really awful. Check the next post for the link to my Honeymoon Cruise Review!

[onelilspark]

Honeymoon Cruise Review is up!

You can check it out over on Cruise Critic, here's the link: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1516705

[glennbo123]

Thanks for posting the link Kelly! I zoomed through, and will have to go back sometime and read more closely, but it looked like an awesome trip. Congrats on the wedding; I trust it was an amazing day. How's it feel to be married? :goodvibes

[onelilspark]

Thanks for posting the link Kelly! I zoomed through, and will have to go back sometime and read more closely, but it looked like an awesome trip. Congrats on the wedding; I trust it was an amazing day. How's it feel to be married? :goodvibes

I really don't feel any different. The most emotion I feel about it is annoyance at trying to change my name on everything :lmao: It's also super weird to say "husband." I'm not used to that yet. It makes me feel funny to say husband. Mainly because I think to myself, "am I really old enough to be married?" since most days I feel like I'm still 12.

The cruise was amazing. I can't wait to take another Celebrity cruise, I'd really recommend it (maybe not for kids as it was a little subdued, but it was so relaxing!)

[onelilspark]

UPDATE: We were encouraged to take our problems with Delta further up in the organization. They have given us $300 vouchers each. We will be giving Delta another try as it should be sufficient to cover the cost of a flight that we would normally take.

I will of course update whether or not we feel they redeem themselves on that next flight.

(ETA: A flight to Orlando with Delta is somewhere around $270...guess where we're going!)

[KatMark]

Kelly, loved the cruise review. The pictures were stunning.

I'm glad Delta came through for you, and it will be interesting to see what happens when you use those vouchers. And I can't think of a better place to use them than Orlando. :goodvibes

[ChildAtHeart82]

That's so frustrating to have that much trouble with your flights. I don't complain much either but that would have sent me over the edge. To tell someone that they have confirmed seats and then not come through is ridiculous. It's nice to see that Delta eventually came through with reasonable vouchers. I hope the next trip goes more smoothly! :)

[onelilspark]

Now back to our regularly scheduled Trip Report...

I just grabbed the bus from AK to Epcot.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011107.jpg

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http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011109.jpg

Normally I don't ride Spaceship Earth right when I come into Epcot, but it was late enough in the day that it was a true walk-on.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011297.jpg

I love this girl's tights:
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011298.jpg

We learned while at the Vatican that Michelangelo didn't paint the Sistine Chapel's ceiling on his back, he did it standing up. So the ride is wrong! :eek:

I also noticed that Rome was burning as smelly as it used to. It was nice to be able to breathe normally through that room!

I started to head over towards the Land pavilion to see if there was any chance of riding Soarin'. Nope. The wait was pretty long and all the FPs were distributed.

Instead, I headed left towards Figment! He's my favorite :lovestruc

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011110.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011113.jpg

It was just pouring when I left:
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011300.jpg

I put my poncho on and waited under the overhang until it let up a bit. Then I decided to make a run for it and headed over to the Seas pavilion...I figured I was already wet :laughing:

On a side note: we've had our ponchos for years. We have a mix of clear and yellow ponchos. It always warms my heart to see people in the yellow ponchos because I know they're as crazy as I am!

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011114.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011116.jpg

When I was done with the ride, it slowed to only a light drizzle, so not too bad. I decided to head over to World Showcase and do a little strolling. It was originally my goal to find Bridesmaids gifts in the countries...but I failed miserably. I still enjoyed browsing though :thumbsup2

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011117.jpg

I started my tour with Mexico:
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011119.jpg

In Germany I managed to avoid getting any caramel. I was proud of myself.
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011120.jpg

I didn't take too many pictures around the WS since I was mostly just browsing the stores.

I caught the last performance of the Voices of Liberty for the day, who I just love.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011123.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011122.jpg

I also caught some of the Japanese drummers:
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011124.jpg

Around that time I was starting to get hungry for dinner. So I did what any normal person would do and I got a drink from France:
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011303.jpg

I also went around and tried to get a walk up for 1, since it was still drizzly, I didn't really want an outdoor QS. No dice. Unless I wanted to wait until 8pm, which I didn't. So I decided to stick with my original plan and got QS from the new Mexican one. I'm so glad I did! It was delicious! I also grabbed a passion fruit margarita. I always think I like passion fruit, but I really don't, so I didn't finish it :sad2:

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011126.jpg

After dinner, I was exhausted and tired of being in the rain, and since I was by myself, I made the executive decision to head back to the hotel. Not before I stopped in MouseGear obviously.

Being on the monorail line meant I had one more ride before back to my room!
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011128.jpg

This was such a fun way to end the evening! Night of Joy was happening at the MK that night, so I was glad I was taking the resort monorail instead of the express. Lots of teenagers singing and being noisy.

I did see this as we went through the MK, which was interesting, but not entirely surprising considering it was 2 days before the 10 year anniversary of 9-11.
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011304.jpg

Up Next: A relaxing evening at the Contemporary & Bay Lake Towers! (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=43354900&posted=1#post43354900)

[KatMark]

Great update, Kelly. I love the photopass pics of you in front of Spaceship Earth.

We have those yellow Mickey Mouse ponchos (I think we still have three of them). We tend not to bring them because they are so heavy in the luggage and on us, and use $1.00 store ones and and then toss them. But I use my Mickey Mouse one if we go to the zoo at home or something.

Have a great Thanksgiving as a newly married woman. :goodvibes

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb136/Luvwrestling/Birthday%20clipart/poohthanksgiving.gif

[onelilspark]

Great update, Kelly. I love the photopass pics of you in front of Spaceship Earth.

We have those yellow Mickey Mouse ponchos (I think we still have three of them). We tend not to bring them because they are so heavy in the luggage and on us, and use $1.00 store ones and and then toss them. But I use my Mickey Mouse one if we go to the zoo at home or something.

Have a great Thanksgiving as a newly married woman. :goodvibes


Thanks Kathy! We decided to not travel anywhere this year, so we're having some of Geoff's coworkers over and I'm cooking. It'll be interesting because I've never cooked a turkey before! :lmao:

[KatMark]

Kelly, you'll do great. I've been married 28-1/2 years, and I made my FIRST turkey last year. :goodvibes

[onelilspark]

Kelly, you'll do great. I've been married 28-1/2 years, and I made my FIRST turkey last year. :goodvibes

I managed to overcook it :laughing: It was supposed to cook 4 hours. So at hour 3.5, I went in the oven to baste it and the little popper had popped, so I took it's temperature and it was at 175. Oops! So I quick got him out of the oven and just let him sit for 40 minutes. I save him :thumbsup2d The turkey wasn't the moistest ever, but I thought it was pretty good all things considered!

We wound up with 5 people, so I had entirely too much food. I made soup on Friday and I think we'll be eating some form of turkey for the entire month of december :rotfl:

[onelilspark]

When I left off, I was making my way back over to the Contemporary.

I have a sweet tooth. A meal is never quite complete until I eat dessert. I didn't get dessert with my dinner, so since I was already in the main tower, I headed over to Contempo Cafe to see if anything looked good...oh did it!

I bought my cupcake and soy milk and brought it back up to the room so I could rest my weary bones.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011130.jpg

I then discovered that my toilet wasn't flushing...awesome. So I called down to the front desk. Within 15 minutes I had 2 maintenance people at my door. Big thumbs up to the Contemporary on that one! :thumbsup2 They fixed the problem, and I heard music...so I wandered out onto my balcony and discovered that the Electric Water Pageant was going on! So exciting :yay:

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011144.jpg

I went back inside and grabbed my treat so I could watch the whole thing.

I also grabbed some nighttime shots of the BLT area.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011140.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011139.jpg

I also discovered I had much better cell reception outside on the balcony than I did inside the room, so after the show was over, I called Geoff to say good night :cloud9:

Up Next: To EMH or not? (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=43372615&posted=1#post43372615)

[KatMark]

I managed to overcook it :laughing: It was supposed to cook 4 hours. So at hour 3.5, I went in the oven to baste it and the little popper had popped, so I took it's temperature and it was at 175. Oops! So I quick got him out of the oven and just let him sit for 40 minutes. I save him :thumbsup2d The turkey wasn't the moistest ever, but I thought it was pretty good all things considered!

We wound up with 5 people, so I had entirely too much food. I made soup on Friday and I think we'll be eating some form of turkey for the entire month of december :rotfl:

We had a 20 pound turkey and seven people...still eating leftovers (and I'm not a turkey fan to begin with). :headache:

When I left off, I was making my way back over to the Contemporary.

I have a sweet tooth. A meal is never quite complete until I eat dessert. I didn't get dessert with my dinner, so since I was already in the main tower, I headed over to Contempo Cafe to see if anything looked good...oh did it!

I bought my cupcake and soy milk and brought it back up to the room so I could rest my weary bones.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011130.jpg

I then discovered that my toilet wasn't flushing...awesome. So I called down to the front desk. Within 15 minutes I had 2 maintenance people at my door. Big thumbs up to the Contemporary on that one! :thumbsup2 They fixed the problem, and I heard music...so I wandered out onto my balcony and discovered that the Electric Water Pageant was going on! So exciting :yay:

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011144.jpg

I went back inside and grabbed my treat so I could watch the whole thing.

I also grabbed some nighttime shots of the BLT area.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011140.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011139.jpg

I also discovered I had much better cell reception outside on the balcony than I did inside the room, so after the show was over, I called Geoff to say good night :cloud9:

Up Next: To EMH or not?

I want that cupcake now! :worship::worship:

We've not seen the Electric Water Pagent since we last stayed at the Poly which was in 2004. I always enjoyed seeing that.

Great nighttime pics around the BLT!

[onelilspark]

We had a 20 pound turkey and seven people...still eating leftovers (and I'm not a turkey fan to begin with). :headache:



I want that cupcake now! :worship::worship:

We've not seen the Electric Water Pagent since we last stayed at the Poly which was in 2004. I always enjoyed seeing that.

Great nighttime pics around the BLT!

I must admit that it was when I was sitting on the balcony, watching the Water Pageant, I thought to myself, "this is why I booked BLT." It was so lovely, and relaxing, and instead of thinking about everything I needed to do at home, I just enjoyed the moment. Perfect really :thumbsup2

[onelilspark]

One of the things I was looking forward to on this trip was the ability to order room service and enjoy breakfast on my balcony!

I had placed my order the night before, and right on time, they were delivering it to my room!

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011147.jpg

I brought it outside with me and watched as Bay Lake woke up. It was so peaceful and wonderful. It was about then that I absolutely fell in love with BLT!

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011150.jpg

I had finished getting ready pretty early, so I decided to head over to Hollywood Studios and catch EMH mornings.

I took some pictures of the BLT lobby on my way out to catch the bus:
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011154.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011155.jpg

I got to the park about 8:05, just after the park opened, but early enough that there were no lines :thumbsup2

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011156.jpg

I'm sure it's a surprise to no one that my first stop was to get a Toy Story FP!

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011317.jpg

Once the FP was secured, I made my way up Sunset Blvd.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011160.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011315.jpg

I decided that my first stop would be Rock N Roller. Since it was still early, I didn't need to use the Single Rider line, but I did anyway. It was nice when I was able to by-pass everyone and literally walk right on!

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011164.jpg

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Obviously my next stop was Tower of Tower, which is one of my favorites. Geoff hates it, so it was great to not feel guilty when I went on by myself!

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011163.jpg

The huge line:
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011167.jpg

My next stop was to head across the park and visit Star Tours. We had done it twice on our last trip and I really love the re-do on the ride!

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011172.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011175.jpg

I just love that it's not the same every time you go on it!

I still had a little time to kill before my Toy Story FP was good, so I decided to go on the Great Movie Ride.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011316.jpg

There were 2 guys behind me that had the hidden mickey guide. They were hoping to be able to see a few on the ride, and I know where all of them are :rolleyes1 So I told them if they didn't find it, I would point it out to them. I pointed out the one they had in the book and also showed them where Donald and Mickey were on the wall in the Indiana Jones scene. They were really excited to find it, it was pretty funny! They were thanking me when we got off the ride, so I was happy I was able to help them!

It was finally time to use my FP, so I headed over to Toy Story and skipped through the line. Interestingly enough, they had the right side of the stairs open for those with FP. Sometimes they have you join the line before going up the stairs instead.


http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011177.jpg

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http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011182.jpg

Yes, this was my score!
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011321.jpg

I had done all my favorites (minus the Muppets!) at the Studios, so I decided to head over to the Magic Kingdom. I think the Studios is my favorite to do morning EMH. You can hit so many of the rides when you get there early, it's really amazing!

Up Next: Adventures in the Magic Kingdom! (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=43515010&posted=1#post43515010)

[donnaf516]

I would LOVE to do a solo trip one day! The idea of doing what I want, when I want...:cloud9:

[wdwgirl03]

Looks like you got a lot done at DHS! I finally tried Star Tours for the first time ever (no, I never did the original...:rolleyes1) and it was pretty cool.

[onelilspark]

If anyone cares to look, I uploaded all my Professional Wedding Photos to Photobucket. Here's the link: http://s649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/Wedding/





I would LOVE to do a solo trip one day! The idea of doing what I want, when I want...:cloud9:

It was a lot of fun, but I would recommend doing an extended weekend like this instead of a full week. The only downfall is that you don't really have anyone to share things with, besides Twitter...

Looks like you got a lot done at DHS! I finally tried Star Tours for the first time ever (no, I never did the original...:rolleyes1) and it was pretty cool.

I'm always amazed at how much you can get done at the Studios during EMH!

[KatMark]

I love TOT...so sorry Geoff doesn't.

I tried looking at your wedding pictures, but Photobucket (much like the DIS lately) is acting wacko! I'll try again at home tonight; the ones I saw from Page 1 are beautiful and I can't wait to see the rest.

[onelilspark]

I love TOT...so sorry Geoff doesn't.

I tried looking at your wedding pictures, but Photobucket (much like the DIS lately) is acting wacko! I'll try again at home tonight; the ones I saw from Page 1 are beautiful and I can't wait to see the rest.

Thanks for the compliment Kathy :goodvibes

[onelilspark]

..So 3 weeks later, should I finally update this? :rolleyes1


I left off after finishing everything in HS. I caught a bus from HS to the TTC. From there I had a choice to make: Monorail or Ferry? I hadn't taken the boat in ages and there was one pulling in as I was walking over, so Boat it was!

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011183.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011186.jpg

It was quite lovely to take the boat over, I just stood at the railing admiring the view.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011189.jpg

I got through Bag Check, and I was delighted to find that most of the Halloween decorations were up! I love the decorations for Holidays at the Magic Kingdom!

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011190.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011193.jpg

I stopped to get my obligatory park photo:

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011192.jpg

...I really need a suntan! :lmao:

My first stop was over to Splash Mountain. I haven't ridden it in quite a while. I'm not usually at WDW when it's terribly hot, so between not wanting to walk around soaked and Geoff not liking big drops, this sounded like a great way to kick off a solo MK experience!

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011196.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011197.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011198.jpg

I was put in the back seat of a log that had a family in it. The family didn't speak English. And didn't realize I was in the log with them until half way through the ride :rotfl:

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011199.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011203.jpg

My next stop was Big Thunder. I must say, I walked on both of these. September is awesome.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011204.jpg

After I got off, I was starting to feel a little light-headed. A frozen coke sounded like a great way to cool off a bit and get a little sugar into me. (I bring a water bottle and drink about 3-4 refills of it each day, so I knew it wasn't dehydration!)

I consulted my Dining App for the iPhone and found that the location for frozen cokes in the MK was at the farmers market type area over at Liberty Square. But when I went over, they weren't on the menu! So I asked, and they had them. Weird.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011327.jpg

I took my treat inside as it was about time for lunch. I knew exactly where I was headed: Columbia Harbor House :banana:

Lighthouse Sandwich, delicious.
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011206.jpg

After lunch, I hit my favorite ride in all of WDW!

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011207.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/WDW%20September%202011/DisneySeptember2011208.jpg

After my spooky ride, I was done with the left-hand side of the park...where would I go next?! (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=43583570&posted=1#post43583570)

[KatMark]

Great update, Kelly. So glad you got to do Splash Mountain (and then do Big Thunder with no wait!).

That drink looks quite yummy...I'll have to check that one out.

[onelilspark]

Great update, Kelly. So glad you got to do Splash Mountain (and then do Big Thunder with no wait!).

That drink looks quite yummy...I'll have to check that one out.

I'm a big fan of frozen cokes. They're just filled with sugar though, so I don't get them too often!

[onelilspark]

Life Update: As you probably know, I have no trips to Disney planned :sad1: Geoff and I talked about doing a trip in February, but then realized that since we're saving for a house, we probably should keep saving instead of spending money. Of course, it helps if that house is IN FLORIDA. :woohoo: We're putting our plan into motion.

Geoff's company is based in Melbourne, FL, so he'll be looking at transferring with them. I've got the MLK holiday off, so I'm taking a long weekend to fly down, meet with a Realtor, etc. Basically make sure we actually *like* Melbourne before we actually move. If I give the all clear, he'll talk to his boss about a transfer. The biggest thing that's up in the air is whether or not I'll get to keep my job. Fingers crossed that all goes according to plan!

Now back to your regularly scheduled (or not so regularly...) Trip Report!

I left off leaving the Haunted Mansion. I was passing by Small World and almost got on until I realized that when my parents joined me the next day, my Dad would probably want to ride. I mean, I like Small World, but not enough to ride it two days in a row! So I kept walking and boy was it HOT. It had been a while since I watched Philharmagic and it's one of the few 3D shows I actually enjoy, so in I went!

I *just* missed a show, which I didn't mind terribly, I just found a nice comfy spot on the floor and caught up with my tweets. The show as usual was enjoyable and the row I went into actually moved all the way across. A miracle really.

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My next stop was Pooh. I really wanted to check out that interactive queue too.

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It was cute, but definitely for children and not adults.

Before too long, I was boarding my Honeypot! Luckily I was in the back of it and not blocking some poor kids view!!

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When I got off the ride, I ran into this guy in the gift shop. I believe my tweet was something along the lines of "Who on Earth is this supposed to be?"

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I still haven't found out.

I continued my stroll through Fantasyland and into Tomorrowland. It was a little weird to see all of Toon Town closed off!

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Unlike Small World, the Peoplemover I can do over and over and over again, so even though I figured my Mom would want to do it the next day, I hopped on.

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And took the obligatory TTA picture:

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When I was done, I was off to battle the Evil Emperor Zurg.

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Not my best score, but still pretty decent.

After saving the universe, I walked next door to one of my favorite attractions...don't judge.

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I absolutely love this show. But then again, I've got a weakness for corny jokes.

After I finished Tomorrowland, it was snack time! I grabbed a sundae from the Ice Cream shop and found a nice spot down by the moat where the smoking area is. (I don't smoke, it's just usually nice and quiet down there.)

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BONUS! I had a pretty decent view of the parade. At least decent enough to keep me entertained!

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Between the fact that the sundae was huge and I'm just one person and the ducks that were enjoying a snack of their own - frogs :sick: I didn't come close to finishing my sundae. The drawback of being on your own.

After the parade moved out, I took a stroll up Main Street, browsing in a few shops. I finally made my way to the train station. I wanted to take a scenic tour around the MK (and maybe peak through a few fences...which didn't work so well.)

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As I got on the train, I noticed that they had started letting in the masses for Night of Joy. Which meant that I was getting the you-know-what outta dodge! So after my trip around the Kingdom, I strolled out of the MK, and took a nice walk back to BLT. Can I just say how awesome that was? Being able to just walk back to the hotel after leaving?

I took a quick nap and shower before my parents came by. We all hung out in my room until dinner (they wanted to see the room and resort.) Then we headed over to California Grill for dinner. I have more details about dinner in my Dining Report, but the short version is that it was excellent. We had a fantastic meal, and again, it was so awesome to be able to just walk back to my room! They took a cab back to their hotel (they were staying at the Marriott World Center on points...I think.) And kept their car at BLT, so my Dad could join us in drinking some wine. It worked out well. I just asked for a parking pass when I checked in!

And thus ends my solo portion of the trip and my adventures of Day 2! Up Next...More Magic Kingdom (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=43903490#post43903490)!

[glennbo123]

I hope your plan works out Kelly! But aren't you afraid you'll miss snow? :laughing:

I have no idea who/what that multi-colored bear thing is either!

[wdwgirl03]

You got some great pictures! I love the ones of the view from the boat (such a fun view) and the one of the castle from the train station.

LOL, almost 800,000 isn't your best score? :eek: I have never come close to a score like that.

Your sundae looked pretty good too.

I feel like I've seen that yellow bear somewhere but also have no clue who/what he is. But you've got me curious now.

[DisneyDreamer2]

Really enjoying your report!

The yellow Bear is Special Agent Oso. He's a Disney Jr. cartoon with his own show for toddlers. Sadly, I see a lot of him on my tv. He is not my favorite but my little boy got very excited when he saw the picture you took. :happytv:

[KatMark]

I will be keeping my fingers crossed that all works out with the possible move to Melbourne. We've been to Melbourne...and it is very nice.

Love the update. I'm with you, IASW once in a trip is enough. But I could do the People Mover over and over again.

[onelilspark]

I hope your plan works out Kelly! But aren't you afraid you'll miss snow? :laughing:

I have no idea who/what that multi-colored bear thing is either!

Haha...no. And if I do miss snow, his parents are in Vermont, so we'll just visit! We got an inch last night instead of the predicted 8-14". I'm still cranky :rotfl:

You got some great pictures! I love the ones of the view from the boat (such a fun view) and the one of the castle from the train station.

LOL, almost 800,000 isn't your best score? :eek: I have never come close to a score like that.

Your sundae looked pretty good too.

I feel like I've seen that yellow bear somewhere but also have no clue who/what he is. But you've got me curious now.

Thanks for the complement on the pictures!

I've maxed out a few times on Buzz, so now I'm disappointed when I don't :laughing:

The sundae was excellent, but it was just way too much for 1!

Really enjoying your report!

The yellow Bear is Special Agent Oso. He's a Disney Jr. cartoon with his own show for toddlers. Sadly, I see a lot of him on my tv. He is not my favorite but my little boy got very excited when he saw the picture you took. :happytv:

Mystery solved! :thumbsup2

I'm glad it made your little boy excited!!

I will be keeping my fingers crossed that all works out with the possible move to Melbourne. We've been to Melbourne...and it is very nice.

Love the update. I'm with you, IASW once in a trip is enough. But I could do the People Mover over and over again.

I'll be flying down in 10 days...I can't wait!!

And I love the Peoplemover! My Mom and I used to ride it in loops when my Dad took my brother on Space Mountain for the second...third...fourth time in a trip. Some great memories with my Mom on the Peoplemover!

[onelilspark]

:rolleyes1 Sorry I've been MIA. I went down to Florida this past weekend. I found a few neighborhoods I really like in Melbourne, now we just need to make the transfer happen!!

We stopped at Portobello on the way back to Tampa. Here's the review:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=43795577#post43795577

Spoiler: it was awful

[onelilspark]

The problem with quick trips? They end entirely too soon!

I woke up on Sunday morning (quick note: this was 9/11/11, the 10th anniversary of 9/11 and 1 year prior, Geoff proposed...he didn't realize the date until later...) and decided that while I loved my Room Service breakfast the day before, I really didn't need to spend the money on it two days in a row :laughing: So I walked myself down to Contempo Cafe and brought back some waffles:

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And still ate them on my balcony ;) My parents called that they were pulling into the Contemporary, so I made my way downstairs with my bag :sad1: When they came the night before, they left their car at BLT (I asked for a parking pass when I checked in) and just took a cab back after dinner and again when they came in that morning. It worked out great! No worries about how much wine was consumed...

So we made a stop at the car to drop off everyone's bags. And I said good bye to BLT

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I think one of the best things about BLT is how close it is to the MK. We decided we'd walk over and then take the Monorail back (because my Dad wanted to...even though they live there so they take it every time they go to the MK! :laughing: )

We arrived at the bag check right as the show was starting! Great timing! They were a little more thorough that day and they did have some dogs with security guards out.

Once through, we caught the rest of the show!

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It was pretty hot and humid that day, so I knew my jersey wasn't going to last too long, so I quick grabbed a picture with it on!

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:lovestruc My two favorite things: Disney and the Philadelphia Eagles :lovestruc

Our first stop was Tomorrowland. We rode Buzz...twice. And for the first time ever, my Mom was the winner! She didn't let us forget it either...


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Next up we hit the TTA. It's my Mom's favorite, and really we were doing a tour of the MK's greatest hits...

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After the TTA, we decided we'd stroll back through Fantasyland....to do Small World. Because when you're at the MK on a really low crowd day at 9:30 in the morning, obviously Small World is the best thing to do :lmao:

On the way there, we got distracted by Pooh.

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My parents hadn't seen the interactive queue before, so we stopped and did the ride so they could see it.

We did eventually make it to Small World...which is my Dad's favorite. The day before I knew he would want to ride it, so I purposely didn't :laughing:

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Up Next: Continuing our tour of the MK's Greatest Hits!

[glennbo123]

I'm glad IASW is somebody's favorite! I'd rather move along to other, more adventurous attractions, but I'm glad it has its fans. :)

[KatMark]

Nice update, Kelly. What an empty park you were in and you did some of our favorites. Unfortunately, IASW, is NOT one of them (as Mary called it and is now my new favorite saying: A Slow Boat to China!).

[onelilspark]

I'm glad IASW is somebody's favorite! I'd rather move along to other, more adventurous attractions, but I'm glad it has its fans. :)

He has pretzels or coffee when we do the more adventurous attractions :laughing:

Nice update, Kelly. What an empty park you were in and you did some of our favorites. Unfortunately, IASW, is NOT one of them (as Mary called it and is now my new favorite saying: A Slow Boat to China!).

Thanks Kathy! I was amazed all of that weekend how quiet the parks were. It's like someone was keeping September a secret from me!!

A Slow Boat to China makes me think of Jimmy Buffett :rolleyes1

[onelilspark]

I left off as we were finishing my Dad's favorite: Small World.

Next up was my favorite, the Haunted Mansion. My Dad hadn't gotten a chance to check out the new queue yet, so we took the scenic route.

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He thought it was neat, but could skip it in the future.

One ride I managed not to do the previous day was Pirates. I don't know how I missed it, but I did. Luckily, I had two days in the Magic Kingdom, so we hopped in "line." Which was non-existent and we were able to get right on!

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When we finished, we hopped over to the Tiki Room. We used to do the Tiki Room a lot when I was growing up, it was a great escape from the heat! But after they changed it, we found ourselves visiting the Tiki Birds less and less. Of course, since it was now under the new old management, we knew we had to check it out again!

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It was just as good as I remembered :cloud9: My Mom made the comment as we were leaving that for being 40 years old, even the younger kids were dancing and singing along with smiles on their faces. I'm glad they brought back the original.

We had time for one more ride before our lunch reservations, so we hopped on the Jungle Cruise. I've got a weakness for corny jokes, so Jungle Cruise is always fun!

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We had a great skipper, we're always amazed at how people don't laugh. Do they not get the jokes? Oh well.

Before heading over to lunch we stopped for our traditional photo on the Adventureland Bridge.

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My Mom and Nana took this photo on their very first trip and we've continued it on every trip since! I even made Geoff take one with me when we went out to Disneyland!

We had lunch reservations at Liberty Tree Tavern, which was really good! It was good for a lunch stop.

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After lunch we made our way out of the Magic Kingdom, stopping to window shop a bit!

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We made the decision to take the monorail over to the Contemporary...my Dad really wanted to use the monorail for some reason. So we hopped on. Out of the window we saw that there was a bus fire at the bus stop! :eek: With it being 9/11, we were obviously concerned, but I found out after I got home that it was just a fire, nothing to be alarmed about. My Dad was disappointed that we only went one leg, so we decided to ride it around again. After that go-round I snuck some pictures of the bus, but by that time they had pulled another bus in front of it to conceal it. All bus traffic to the MK was diverted to the TTC.

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We had left ample time to get me back to the airport because we didn't know what security would be like. Turns out it took me a total of 5 minutes to get through security. I have never gotten through Orlando's security faster!! I was shocked.

My plane took off and my connection went without a hitch. 'Til next time Orlando:
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Thanks everyone for reading along even though I got majorly distracted during my TR! Unfortunately we don't have any trips planned right now, but it's because we're planning on moving an hour away from Disney...so don't feel too bad ;) Geoff has a call with one of the managers down in Florida this week (it was supposed to be yesterday, but something came up and the call couldn't happen) and after talking to his secretary, it sounds promising. Please send some pixie dust our way! We're meeting with a Realtor tonight to find out what we need to do in order to get our place here in Rochester on the market. We won't actually list it until Geoff has a job offer to transfer, but things are starting to line up! I'm so excited :banana:

[wdwgirl03]

We haven't done the Tiki room a lot either but now that it's back to the original I want to see it again! I love the picture of the birds outside.

I hope everything works out with the job/moving. One hour from Disney would be pretty awesome.

[glennbo123]

Thanks for sharing this trip with us Kelly!

The new (old) Tiki Room (ie. back to original) is one of the things I want to hit at MK this summer.

I hope everything works out for you to move to Florida soon. :goodvibes

[onelilspark]

We haven't done the Tiki room a lot either but now that it's back to the original I want to see it again! I love the picture of the birds outside.

I hope everything works out with the job/moving. One hour from Disney would be pretty awesome.

It was so great to see how everyone was enjoying it even if it's the older version!

Thanks for sharing this trip with us Kelly!

The new (old) Tiki Room (ie. back to original) is one of the things I want to hit at MK this summer.

I hope everything works out for you to move to Florida soon. :goodvibes

Thanks for reading along!

So....I have news on the Florida front. Geoff got a formal offer for a transfer today. And my company recently had someone resign who was in my same position, so there's a possibility I could take over his role (it looks pretty likely, but I haven't gotten a formal offer for it yet.)

SO we'll be moving down the first full week of April. Just before Easter. :banana:

[KatMark]

:woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo: that is so exciting, Kelly. I'm so happy for you and Geoff.

[onelilspark]

:woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo: that is so exciting, Kelly. I'm so happy for you and Geoff.

Thanks Kathy! I'm super excited :cool1:

[glennbo123]

:cool1::woohoo: How exciting! :yay:

[onelilspark]

:cool1::woohoo: How exciting! :yay:

Thanks Glenn!

And for the record, I will be getting a Disney Annual Pass at the end of April...after the Spring Break crowds have left!