Wait, what? We Drank Four Pitchers Not Five! Feb. 2011 TR - Update 9/6 Pg. 20

IheartDDuck

DIS Veteran
Joined
Sep 20, 2009
Hello everyone!

So, we're back and I'm ready to get this TR show on the road! We returned from 8 days, February 5 - 12th. For those of you who did not read along on my PTR, here is the link:
Is Disney World the Only Place You Go? A Bro and Sis PTR Feb. 2011

We had a great time. There were ups, there were downs, and, as my title suggests, there were many drinks to be had.

The players on this trip were myself, Danielle:

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And my brother Jason:

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So hang on tight folks! Cause this is the wildest ride in the wilderness!!!
 
All righty then! Let's get going.

Departure day! Woo hoo! Our flight was departing at 8:45am, so I got up at 5am because I had to hop in the shower, do my hair, blah blah blah, spackle....

The entire week before we left was weird. This was all because of snowmageddon, or snowpocalypse, or whatever you want to call it. My whole schedule was thrown off because of it. We had gotten 20 inches of snow Tuesday to Wednesday, and everything basically shut down. I had to shovel us out, and then had to work a different schedule for a few days because I couldn't get my car out. Anyway, it was crazy!

I got a good nights sleep before our departure day, so I was happy about that. I was able to get up without too much of a struggle. The first thing I did when I got up was to send Jason a text to see if he was up. I told him that if he didn't respond to my text, I was going to call his @$$. LOL. He texted back right away that he was up and actually heading out the door in about 10 minutes. I think that someone was excited to be going.

I hopped in the shower right after Jason's text. After that, I put on my war paint and finished packing up a few last minute things. Jason arrived at the house at about 5:45am and we were out the door with my parents driving us at 6am. The timing was perfect. I didn't get a chance to say goodbye to my Grandma, because she wasn't up and about yet. I had said goodbye to her the day before though, so I didn't miss her completely.

As per usual, the trip to the airport was uneventful, and we pulled in at about 6:45am. We unloaded and gave mom and dad their hugs goodbye. I had checked us in the night before and upgraded us to business class. I hadn't planned on it originally, but I was still pretty sore from having to shovel all of that snow on Wednesday that I really didn't feel like sitting in a tiny little seat cramped up for 2 1/2 hours. We had our baggage weighed and dropped of at TSA. We headed up to security, and there was a really long line.

So this line consisted of people all in the their Packer gear. Seriously, Jason and I felt like a minority. So that begs the question, how many Packer fans are too many Packer fans? Normally, I would say no such number exists, but these people, were already intoxicated.......at 7am. :scared1: No joke, most of the group in front of us were drunk. Come on Packer fans, don't make us look like drunkards! :lmao:

Fortunately, Jason and I were able to bypass a portion of the line because we were business class. I had a little bit of a dee dee dee moment, because I passed the line up. It was marked for Elite customers (like those in the Elite flier miles programs). I didn't think at first they had a separate line anymore for business class, but I asked. It never hurts to ask.

We made it through and didn't have to go through the body scanner. This is so inconsistent if you ask me. I had to go through it in O'Hare on a business trip, and in San Antonio on my way back from my business trip. And everyone went through, not just me. Seriously, everyone needs to get on the same program!

On the other side, there was a new restaurant called French Meadow that we chose to eat at. It's got a lot of organic selections, which I thought was pretty cool. Jason got a breakfast quesadilla and I got fruit and nut oatmeal. OMG, that was the most oatmeal I've seen in one sitting before! The food was decent, but severely overpriced. It was over $20 just for the two of us.

We ate and then headed over to the gate. We stopped at the bathroom and then I went to the bookstore to get a new crossword. They didn't have what I wanted, which is a variety of puzzles, like Sudoku, figgerits, etc., so I just got a Sudoku book. We headed over to the gate and sat for a while waiting to board. About 20 minutes later we were boarding. It seemed to take a while, but I honestly don't know why. However, once everyone was on board, we took off in no time.

No fun news to report on the flight. It was pretty uneventful and we landed right on time. While we were on the plane, Jason and I had talked about what we were going to do about lunch. I was concerned because we had to land, get the luggage, get the car, go pick up Jason's tickets, and then check in. I figured we wouldn't get to the hotel until 3pm. I have hypoglycemia, and I tend to suffer from low blood sugar, and I need to make sure I don't go for very long periods of time without eating. So Jason and I had decided that we would eat at the food court at Orlando International right after we deplane. This way, our luggage would be down on the carousel when we were done.

So, we headed down the fake monorail and into the main part of the airport. We headed to the food court and decided to eat Sbarro. I knew I could get something smaller there, which is exactly what I wanted. I got a slice of sausage pizza and Jason got a steak Stromboli (no, not Pinocchio's puppeteer! LOL). Just the right amount of food though and ended up being a great decision. We took only about 10 minutes to eat and then headed down to baggage.

When we got to baggage, our luggage was on the carousel, so I think the stop to eat helped to make things seem like they went faster. After getting the luggage, we headed down one more level, to Alamo. What I do like about Alamo is that they are doing self service kiosks. You have no idea how happy things like this make me. I love doing self service, because it makes me feel like I'm doing things so much faster. In about 2 minutes, I had all of the reservation info pulled up, a receipt printed, and instructions on getting the car.

We headed over to the cars and I picked
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A Nissan Cube! I had reserved a mid-size and apparently this is a mid-size. It was a cute car and I liked having it. Great choice!

We were on our way and Jason put Orlando Fun Tickets address into my GPS on my phone. It took us about 25 minutes. There was a small wait in Orlando Fun Tickets, but it only took us about a minute to actually get ours once we were at the counter. So Jason was now the proud owner of a 7 day park hopper!

Now it was time to check in at Boardwalk. I had done online check in before, so I was hoping that our room would be ready. I was pretty confident it would be, because it was closing in on 2:30pm already.

We were here in no time! Beautiful sight!

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We pulled in and I decided to valet the car. The only reason I did this is because I don't think Boardwalk's parking lot is very convenient for resort guests. It just seems so far away to me. Maybe that sounds snotty. Oh well. The CM at the entrance was really nice and volunteered to snap this picture for Jason and I.

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The lobby

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We headed in and found out our room was ready. We were given first floor and we were literally right around the corner from the lobby. Makes it a little closer to the front and transportation. However, I misunderstood the CM at checkin. She said we were on the 2nd floor, which at Boardwalk is the "first" floor (as in the one where you walk in from outside when you arrive). I didn't listen hard enough and thought we had to go up. So Jason and I hop in an elevator, the doors shut and I'm looking for 2. And see that we're on 2. Whoops. Funny, I'm not blonde anymore....:rotfl:

So we disembarked the elevator and finally found our room. We proceeded to unpack right away. I don't like to leave my luggage. I like to get it out of the way immediately. Plus, we wanted to get our clothes out, because it was pretty warm outside, so we wanted to change into something more appropriate.

I snapped some pictures of the room

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Had to take a picture of the couch closed, because Jason would be pulling it out soon to sleep on it.

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Our view

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After we were unpacked and changed, we were on our way out. It was about 3:30pm at this time. We started heading over to Epcot. I really love the fact that you can just walk there from the Boardwalk.

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Haven't eaten here yet.

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We made a stop at the ESPN Club to ask them about the Superbowl the next day. They said there were no reservations, but that it was first come first serve, and they expected to be at capacity by 4pm. We started to formulate what our plan of attack would be.

Cont. in next post
 
So we were on our way to Epcot through our super secret entrance!

I stopped at Guest Service before going into the park to ask where I need to pick up my Tables in Wonderland card. Lo and behold, even though she had never done it before, she was able to get it for me there. Sweet. I totally thought I was going to have to walk up to the front of the park.

The only thing we figured we would do was wander around for a while. However, we did go to one place first.

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I was curious to see how long the line was for Soarin' and if there were any fastpasses left. Amazingly enough, for being 4pm, the wait was only 50 minutes. Amazing. What a difference from the holiday season! Jason said we could wait to ride, since we had just gotten there. I agreed.

After that, I wanted to check out Innoventions, because I wanted to do the Sum of All Thrills. I had never seen it, so I wanted to give it a try. Plus, it would give me an idea of what the Forbidden Journey seats would be like at Universal. I'm not gonna lie, I'm a little chesty, and I was worried about not fitting. Silly me.

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We hopped in line and designed our ride. I thought it was really cool how it worked. We scored a 943 on the score meter. I'm not entirely sure what that means, but we picked a lot of loops and intense parts. It was a lot of fun and I can totally see how it can give someone motion sickness. I even felt a little dizzy when I got off, and I normally have no problems with motion sickness ever.

After that, we headed over to Mouse Gears. I was able to see the Star Wars Vinylmations, and I had to make a mental list of which ones I was going to buy. LOL. After that, Jason and I looked at each other and said we were pretty hungry. I suggested we head over to the Biergarten and see if they could let us in early. It was about 5pm at this time, and our reservation wasn't until 7:15pm. We headed in and they were able to eat us immediately. That was a nice surprise. We were seated with a party of six, three couples about our parents age. We got a seat right up front by the band, who was playing already. We totally thought they were going to be duds, because the first thing that one of the guys asked our server was whether or not the band played the entire time, because he couldn't hear. I was like, oh man, that's kind of the point. It is designed like a German Biergarten!

In the end, he actually got into it and they were pretty fun to sit with. I got myself a large dark beer and Jason got the same.

My first plate. Sorry, forgot to take other pics, I was too hungry!

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That soup was amazing! The yeti thought so too!

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Our beers

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The band

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This guy is so good.

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Almost done

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Nope, done!

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So, I was totally the first person at the table to finish my beer! What does that say about me?! :lmao: I was totally called out on it by one of the other guys. He's like "woah! She's making us all look bad!"

I told Jason he better hurry it up...

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The yeti clearly had too much to drink.....He couldn't even stand anymore!

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I was feeling giddy after all that beer. Wonder why? As always, the food was really good. I love that restaurant.

After dinner, we contemplated what to do. We were pretty tired from the long travel day, so we decided to start walking back to the room to turn in early. Good choice. However, Jason did stop at the ESPN club to buy a hat for the game. Poor Packer fan doesn't have a hat!

Up Next: Animal Kingdom and beer......in that order.
 


Great start!!!! That was a huge beer!! We just got back from Hofbrauhaus and my dad and his friend both drank 2 of those. I'd be on the ground! I had my one little glass and I was fine plus I was driving so I played it safe. Who wants to get drunk with a bunch of 50+ somethings anyways haha. Needless to say we were home before 9 and that's how my Saturday night went haha.
 
Just found your TR and I can't wait to read more!!!

I think it's cool that you have your next four Disney trips already on your calendar... You're my hero!!! :worship:
 


Great start!!!! That was a huge beer!! We just got back from Hofbrauhaus and my dad and his friend both drank 2 of those. I'd be on the ground! I had my one little glass and I was fine plus I was driving so I played it safe. Who wants to get drunk with a bunch of 50+ somethings anyways haha. Needless to say we were home before 9 and that's how my Saturday night went haha.

I know, those beers are a lot. I honestly don't know if I would be able to drink two of those. I don't think I would have been able to make it back to my room.

Just found your TR and I can't wait to read more!!!

I think it's cool that you have your next four Disney trips already on your calendar... You're my hero!!! :worship:

:welcome:

Wow, thanks! I've never been anyone's hero before. :lmao: I just seem to have a tiny obsession with all things Disney. *sigh* It's my favorite place ever!

Glad to have you on board the crazy train!
 
great start.

that beer was huge.

nice room.
 
Yes, you started!!! The Boardwalk looks beautiful.

I cannot wait to hear about the ESPN Club/Super Bowl Sunday. popcorn::
 
I love the fact that you are doing Disney with your brother. Years ago my sister and I went to Disney for a special girls only trip. Oh, the memories!

The Boardwalk looks beautiful. It's on my short list of places I'd like to stay.
 
Can't wait to read more!!! And that beer was huge!!

Cheryl
 
I can't keep up with all of your trips! :rotfl: I'm here!

I love that Nissan Cube! What kind of category was that in at Alamo? I always use Alamo, but I get compact of midsize, I've never seen a Cube in either one of those!

The Boardwalk looks awesome, I'd love to stay there someday! I just can't stand that clown pool! :laughing:

I love going to Epcot on my first night, it's such a great way to start off a trip!
 
great beginning trip report. Can't wait to find out more, Although I do know most of it and all the cool stuff you bought. Thanks for my gifts they are cool:):)
 
Yes, you started!!! The Boardwalk looks beautiful.

I cannot wait to hear about the ESPN Club/Super Bowl Sunday. popcorn::

Hi Sarah!

I love the Boardwalk. It's so convenient and a very pretty resort.

Oh yeah, there's lots to say about the Superbowl. :rolleyes1

I love the fact that you are doing Disney with your brother. Years ago my sister and I went to Disney for a special girls only trip. Oh, the memories!

The Boardwalk looks beautiful. It's on my short list of places I'd like to stay.

:welcome:

It was a lot of fun to go with just my brother. I'm hoping to go with my oldest brother soon as well.

I recommend the Boardwalk as a resort to stay at. It's very convenient location wise and it's very pretty.

Can't wait to read more!!! And that beer was huge!!

Cheryl

:welcome:

Welcome on board Cheryl!

I can't keep up with all of your trips! :rotfl: I'm here!

I love that Nissan Cube! What kind of category was that in at Alamo? I always use Alamo, but I get compact of midsize, I've never seen a Cube in either one of those!

The Boardwalk looks awesome, I'd love to stay there someday! I just can't stand that clown pool! :laughing:

I love going to Epcot on my first night, it's such a great way to start off a trip!

Hi Jen!

The Cube was a mid-size surprisingly. I did the check in and then was able to go to the aisle and pick out our car. I was kind of surprised it was listed as a mid-size car.

I love the Boardwalk, but you're right, the clown pool is a little on the creepy side. :rotfl:

great beginning trip report. Can't wait to find out more, Although I do know most of it and all the cool stuff you bought. Thanks for my gifts they are cool:):)

Glad you liked your gifts mom!

love it so far!!! great pics!! :cool1:

:welcome:

Thanks for reading!
 
Count me in too. Cannot wait to see the little Yeti's adventures too. I gotta get one of those.
 

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