A Hop, NO Skip, and Many Mishaps to a Disney Dream!

[BelleTinkMom]

Hi Jen. Sorry about all the mishaps so far. Hope your trip was still magical. Heading over to your dining report, we are booked on the Fantasy for June 2012.

 

[Mindy5767]

I'm here... I have no idea if you're done yet, I'm only on page 1. Looks like we do have a lot in common. I have a married 22 year old daughter a 19 year old son who attends college just an hour from WDW and an 8 year old daughter who LOVES Disney and now wears her Rapunzel dress regularly. Now.. back to our regularly schedule page...1....
comments: Shouldn't the gear shift be on the dashboard? It is on my van. If it was in the center, like my DD's car, it would get in the way of the VCR!

updating again: looks like you're just getting started so I'm not too late!! yeah! When I saw that map that they hotel gave you.... I had to laugh.. it looks just like the one that the Melbourne Beach Hilton gave us. The hotel clerk gave us directions to some oddly named place that she recommended for dinner. Naturally, the map is all out of scale, so we had a hard time finding it. When we did, it was a place that you had to be 21 to get in. DD8 couldn't get in, and it was all smoky anyway! Not a place to send someone with a child. The 2nd place she told us about, we could not find at all. The map was WAY off and had a turn where there was none. We finally just drove around til we found Panera! I like familiarity when away from home.

I keep telling everyone we're going to live in the Villages when we retired, winters only of course! My cousin's wife's parents live there and love it, driving around his and hers golf carts and are very active in clubs and groups. But, as a Jewish person, I know that I will eventually feel the pull of Boca!!

 

[dizneeat]

Good Morning, Jen!

I was up bright and early to update MY pre trip/trip reports, just to be distracted by yours!

I can so relate to the map reading issues! We now use a GPS we bring from Austria, all shock full with all the addresses we might use!
A few years back when we did not bring it we missed an exit on the freeway, left on the next one and there was NO entry to the lane back to Orlando, so we kept on driving for about 30 minutes through NOwhere until we found an Eckarts where TWO VERY friendly "natives" were able to draw us a map back to Orlando - this is how we saw the "Patriotic Horse"!
Last summer we had a mishap with our GPS! It took us to the back entrance of the Magic Kingdom. Nice area - no rides and it took us about an hour to get back on track!

Okay, got taken away there. I am glad you finally got there in the end, I would have been SO mad finding out that the price of the car was without taxes!
And I am glad you went down a day early, it would have been such a shame if you had missed the cruise because of all the mishaps!

May I add that I just LOVE your report!

 

[Mindy5767]

Good Morning, Jen!

Last summer we had a mishap with our GPS! It took us to the back entrance of the Magic Kingdom. Nice area - no rides and it took us about an hour to get back on track!

Morning indeed!! I need to stop catching up on TR's...

Our GPS once took us to the Cast Member entrance to a park. I don't remember which park it was. Took a while to get back on track. Now, I just read the map and tell DH where to turn... however, I love leaving it on so I can here it tell me to turn on "Vacation Club Way"! always love that!

 

[jenseib]

Hi Jen. Sorry about all the mishaps so far. Hope your trip was still magical. Heading over to your dining report, we are booked on the Fantasy for June 2012.

I hear the two ships are going to be pretty much identicle. I'm not sure if the ywill have all 3 of the same restaurants, but I'm sure they will be very similar if they don't. My guess is if they change one it wil lbe the Royal Palace. But they will still probably have similiar food like Tritons and Lumierres.

I'm here... I have no idea if you're done yet, I'm only on page 1. Looks like we do have a lot in common. I have a married 22 year old daughter a 19 year old son who attends college just an hour from WDW and an 8 year old daughter who LOVES Disney and now wears her Rapunzel dress regularly. Now.. back to our regularly schedule page...1....
comments: Shouldn't the gear shift be on the dashboard? It is on my van. If it was in the center, like my DD's car, it would get in the way of the VCR!

updating again: looks like you're just getting started so I'm not too late!! yeah! When I saw that map that they hotel gave you.... I had to laugh.. it looks just like the one that the Melbourne Beach Hilton gave us. The hotel clerk gave us directions to some oddly named place that she recommended for dinner. Naturally, the map is all out of scale, so we had a hard time finding it. When we did, it was a place that you had to be 21 to get in. DD8 couldn't get in, and it was all smoky anyway! Not a place to send someone with a child. The 2nd place she told us about, we could not find at all. The map was WAY off and had a turn where there was none. We finally just drove around til we found Panera! I like familiarity when away from home.

I keep telling everyone we're going to live in the Villages when we retired, winters only of course! My cousin's wife's parents live there and love it, driving around his and hers golf carts and are very active in clubs and groups. But, as a Jewish person, I know that I will eventually feel the pull of Boca!!

I haven't driven anything "new" in awhile, but typically the vans I used to drive for work always had the shifter on attached to the wheel. I kept going there to put it in drive.

I think my dad would love to retire to the Villages too, but Mom says she has to work till she is dead. And even then she might stil lbe working.
Are you enjoying your 8 YO more? I love all my children, but I really am enjoying Claire more. I have a better look at life now and can take the time to do things I wanted to do with the older two, but never could. I guess I appreciate her youngness more.

Good Morning, Jen!

I was up bright and early to update MY pre trip/trip reports, just to be distracted by yours!

I can so relate to the map reading issues! We now use a GPS we bring from Austria, all shock full with all the addresses we might use!
A few years back when we did not bring it we missed an exit on the freeway, left on the next one and there was NO entry to the lane back to Orlando, so we kept on driving for about 30 minutes through NOwhere until we found an Eckarts where TWO VERY friendly "natives" were able to draw us a map back to Orlando - this is how we saw the "Patriotic Horse"!
Last summer we had a mishap with our GPS! It took us to the back entrance of the Magic Kingdom. Nice area - no rides and it took us about an hour to get back on track!

Okay, got taken away there. I am glad you finally got there in the end, I would have been SO mad finding out that the price of the car was without taxes!
And I am glad you went down a day early, it would have been such a shame if you had missed the cruise because of all the mishaps!

May I add that I just LOVE your report!

I hear of so many poeple getting lost with GPS too. It taking them to strange entrances, etc. I guess that would be kind of fun in a way...as long as you are not in a hurry.
I am so happy we went down early too. I don't think I'll ever do it any other way now. I do hope we can go on a cruise in the next year or two. Next year is our 10th anniversary. Would a Dream or Fantasy cruise be great for that!
Skip keeps saying he wants to go on a trip for his 50th birthday, which is in May of this year. But I know if we do something it will be smaller, and what "he" wants to do. I guess if we do go somewhere I can be flexible since it is "his" birthday.
Thanks Karin for liking my TR. It means a lot coming from you. You are one of the Queens here for TRs!

Morning indeed!! I need to stop catching up on TR's...

Our GPS once took us to the Cast Member entrance to a park. I don't remember which park it was. Took a while to get back on track. Now, I just read the map and tell DH where to turn... however, I love leaving it on so I can here it tell me to turn on "Vacation Club Way"! always love that!

Those GPS's like to play around with people, I think.

 

[jenseib]

After running out to the van for the phone and a quick picture, Claire and I went back into the restaurant and our food had arrived.

After we ate and were nice and full we headed back to Residence Inn, which was very close and easy to find.

We parked and made our way to our room. Claire, Mom and I got in the elevator, but Dad didn’t for some strange reason. Mom worried he would have no clue where the room was, so I rode the elevator back down to fetch him. He was gone, so I assumed he found his way. I went to the room and sure enough he was there.
The room was nice, but nothing fancy. But it was very roomy and good a for a nights stay.
We walked in to a living room area with a kitchen as well.

The couch pulled out into a bed. I was told it was the most UNCOMFORTABLE thing ever. Sleeping on the floor might’ve been better. I had booked a room like this because we figured Claire would sleep on the couch bed. (back when Skip was coming) I think next time I will just book 2 queens since the couch bed was so awful.

We had a separate bedroom that had a king bed in it. Claire and I slept here. This bed was the MOST comfortable bed I have EVER slept on. It was like paradise laying on it.

The bathroom was right off the bedroom.

After we checked out the room a bit, I asked Claire if she wanted to go for a walk and check out the grounds. She wanted to swim, but I told her it was most likely closed due to the storm or time, but we would look. Mom decided to join us.

The pool was closed. I’m not sure of the reason though, because one side had cones and caution tape too.

I suppose that this would be a “mishap” in Claire’s mind.

I snapped some pictures here and there.

A few of the lobby.

And out by the fire. It was pretty.

We then headed back to the room and gave Claire a bath. I wanted to call Skip again, so Claire and I went for another walk and gave him a call. We walked around the whole building about 3 times and Claire thought that was the neatest thing.
Skip told me that one of his friends was calling him every time I updated on facebook and telling him what we were doing. LOL! (Skip doesn’t do facebook, or really computers for that matter)

We laid down around 11 Pm and it took about another 30 minutes or so for Claire to go to sleep. We watched the news and they said the storm that had come through that day was the worst one since 1992. Finally we both fell asleep on the most comfy bed ever!

 

[Native NYer]

Residence Inn looks nice!
I love all of the space.

 

[jenseib]

Residence Inn looks nice!
I love all of the space.

It was very roomy. I will definately stay here again in the future if we go on another cruise.

 

[WDWPrincess486]

Loving your report so far! Claire is adorable

 

[jenseib]

Loving your report so far! Claire is adorable

Thanks!

 

[KatMark]

We've stayed at a Residence Inn a couple of times and aside from the Hampton Inn & Suites, Residence has the most comfortable beds ever.

Claire is adorable. I would have called the tape around the pool a "mishap" too.

 

[dizneeat]

The Residence Inn looks nice! I need to put that on my list of possible hotels for staying the night before a cruise!

Sorry about the uncomfortable sofa bed and for the comfortable bed in the master bedroom!
I love rooms that are spacey - that's why we enjoy to stay at OKW so much. Strange that they closed off the pool ...... I am with Claire on declaring it a mishap!

Can't wait for more!
(Going back to my own threads now, to answer posts and update! )

 

[mickeystoontown]

Just got caught up again. Ugggh.....what a pain in the rump that you had such a long flight delay.

The Residence Inn looks like a nice place to stay. I'm not a picky person when it comes to hotels. As long as it's clean and in a good neighborhood, I'm fine with it.

 

[TiszBear]

subscribing. Loving the report so far. And here I thought "mishaps" only happen to my family, nice to know we aren't the only ones.

Can't wait to read more. Thanks for sharing.

 

[kimpossible]

Nice job so far! Can't wait for the rest!

 

[jenseib]

We've stayed at a Residence Inn a couple of times and aside from the Hampton Inn & Suites, Residence has the most comfortable beds ever.

Claire is adorable. I would have called the tape around the pool a "mishap" too.

There were a few tears about no swimming that night, but she got over it quickly.
We stayed at another Residence Inn again later in the trip and those beds were great too.

The Residence Inn looks nice! I need to put that on my list of possible hotels for staying the night before a cruise!

Sorry about the uncomfortable sofa bed and for the comfortable bed in the master bedroom!
I love rooms that are spacey - that's why we enjoy to stay at OKW so much. Strange that they closed off the pool ...... I am with Claire on declaring it a mishap!

Can't wait for more!
(Going back to my own threads now, to answer posts and update! )

I need to catch up on yours now!
I loved the spaciousness. With 4 people, 3 being adults it really was a Godsend.

Just got caught up again. Ugggh.....what a pain in the rump that you had such a long flight delay.

The Residence Inn looks like a nice place to stay. I'm not a picky person when it comes to hotels. As long as it's clean and in a good neighborhood, I'm fine with it.

I'm not too picky either. But the beds aways are so awful for me. But now I know...stay at Residence Inns and I should be good.

subscribing. Loving the report so far. And here I thought "mishaps" only happen to my family, nice to know we aren't the only ones.

Can't wait to read more. Thanks for sharing.

Maybe it's only to families with a "Jennifer" in them.

Nice job so far! Can't wait for the rest!

Thanks for reading. I'm working on an installment for my dining review now, so it might be a day or so before I can work on this one again.
I know everyone wants to see the Dream!

 

[Kathy Jetson]

Sorry to hear about all the mishaps but thats great that it wasn't your cruise day and you didn't have to stress about getting there. I can't wait to hear about the cruise!

 

[sws.london]

I am enjoying the trip report. Thx How do I subscribe?

 

[Tinker_Tam]

Just found that you started your TR! I am going to try to keep up to date.

 

[jenseib]

Sorry to hear about all the mishaps but thats great that it wasn't your cruise day and you didn't have to stress about getting there. I can't wait to hear about the cruise!

Whats a trip without mishaps? right?

I am enjoying the trip report. Thx How do I subscribe?

You just did. Thanks for joining! If you want email notifications when I post then make sure you have it set up in your account. (user CP)

Just found that you started your TR! I am going to try to keep up to date.

Hi Tammy! Glad to see you around! I'm actually going a little slow right now. It might be a day or two before another updates as my photopass CD is supposed to arrive tomorrow and I am in charge of our share, so I'll have to go through and get those copies made.