Deluxe DDP and Food & Wine??? loosen your buckle a notch cause here we go!

[shadowryter]

Well another vacation has come and gone. Though this one was not exactly a National Lampoon Vacation, it did have a moment or two that could have sent it careening in that direction. But I’m getting ahead of my story…

First I’d like to introduce my little cast of three.

Me…Linda…I’m an at home mom who loves to design all things Disney. You may have found me on the boards where I take requests and add a little pixie dust to your trips and celebrations. I’ve been nursing an injured rotator cuff in my right shoulder for several months but I push on. This will be my 8th trip to the “World” and 2nd Disney Cruise.

Dan…My DH…He works very hard to make these vacations come true and I believe he is hooked on Disney Cruising. Which I find funny since our first cruise on the Wonder last December was labeled “kiddie cruise.” He learned that it doesn’t matter how old you are…you are never to old or young for a Disney cruise.

Heather…My DD…She turned 21 in September and can’t wait to sample the booze on this trip. Lol! Both her and I plan to celebrate our very close birthdays…a mother/daughter celebration. This is Heather’s 7th trip and 2nd cruise.

Trip dates…Leaving Oct 18th…returning Oct 23rd.

Where are we going?…First five nights at Disney’s Coronado Springs with a day at SeaWorld. We have tickets for MNSSHP…a first…and plan on attending Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival…also a first. We also have the deluxe dining plan and I wonder if my new dress will fit by the time the cruise part arrives. Dan and Heather have already decided that they will ride the new Star Tours 100 times… Next it is 4 nights on the Disney Dream where we plan on dressing like prates for the pirate party and since I failed once more at snagging the coveted Palo Brunch I plan on touring the ship and taking lots of photos. Not to mention sampling as many exotic drinks as I can. Heather’s all for that.

By now some of you may know that I am terrified of flying and that the only reason I agreed to it after 16 years of being grounded was because my dear hubby made me a bet. Want to go on the Dream in 2011?….Well you better get your wings. I called his bluff and we were sky bound before I knew it. But if I could have foreseen the future and knew that I would end up in a wheel chair on day one…would I have still done it?

 

[dato63]

Sounds like a great trip. WDW, MNSSHP, Sea World, and the Dream. Not ot mention a cliffhanger with a wheel chair to boot!

Looking forward to hearing all about it!

 

[RGirl]

This sounds exciting! I'm in!!!

 

[msmith1026]

I'm in as well!!

Sorry to hear about your shoulder, I know how painful that can be. I had shoulder surgery on my right shoulder a year ago--torn rotator cuff, labrum and impingement. Now my left shoulder is acting up. No tear, but back to PT I go!!

Can't wait to read about your trip.

 

[Enchanted88]

I'm in!! Sounds like a great time! Can't wait to read more!

 

[shadowryter]

Sounds like a great trip. WDW, MNSSHP, Sea World, and the Dream. Not ot mention a cliffhanger with a wheel chair to boot!

Looking forward to hearing all about it!

Thanks for joining in.

 

[shadowryter]

This sounds exciting! I'm in!!!

Welcome to my TR.

 

[shadowryter]

I'm in as well!!

Sorry to hear about your shoulder, I know how painful that can be. I had shoulder surgery on my right shoulder a year ago--torn rotator cuff, labrum and impingement. Now my left shoulder is acting up. No tear, but back to PT I go!!

Can't wait to read about your trip.

I do hope that it never comes down to surgery.Thanks for joining in.

 

[shadowryter]

I'm in!! Sounds like a great time! Can't wait to read more!

Welcome to my TR. It was great...once I got through the wheelchair part that is....

 

[shadowryter]

Oct 18th...We're going to Disney World!

We had a fairly early flight out of T.F. Green and our airport limo pick-up was 4:55 am. Yikes. We all went to bed around 11 and it was around that time that Heather told me that she wasn’t feeling well and lost her voice. I was wondering if this would mean a cancellation but she insisted she was okay…just her allergies. No strep (I checked) no ear infections…she gets them all the time even at 21. I was so stressed about flying that I couldn’t sleep. That and worrying about my daughter. Just the thought of boarding a plane at 7:55 am was enough to deprive me of much needed sleep and before I knew it the alarm was blaring at 3 am. I think I fell asleep about the last 20 minutes or so. Dan and I were up and moving and I got Heather up, still worrying about her and the flight.

The limo was arrived on time and after a quick check of the house we were on our way to the airport. Our driver was very chatty which was nice. It kind of took my mind off of things. I think Heather dozed in the seat behind us. We arrived at T.F.Green, our baggage was tagged and we did the truffle shuffle as Heather puts it, through security. I had my 311 bag all set and for some reason Dan was chosen for the body scan. Heather and I were told to go through the metal detector and we waited on the other side gathering up our shoes, carryon’s and such.

I was glad that I opted to pay for Early Boarding as we were A16, 17 and 18. When it came time to board there was no business class so we were basically first after wheelchairs and blue sleeves. We had our pick of seats though this didn’t make me feel any better about everything. Heather wanted the window seat…good for her. I sat in the middle with long legged Dan on the outside. They went through the usual seatbelt, air mask, just in case routine but this was a bit different. The flight attendant was a riot. He told us that in case of a water landing just grab your closest neighbor to use as a floatation device. If the cabin pressure should be lost and the air masks fall if you have small children be sure to place your mask on yourself first then…choose your favorite. I must admit that the take off wasn’t bad at all and once in the air we got our bag of peanuts, about 20 nuts, (Dan counted them) and a small bag of 100 calorie crackers with a glass of coke that I swear the three of us maybe shared one whole can.
Flying the friendly skies at 38,000 feet….Not!

Looking better from the ground

The next thing I knew we were approaching MCO. I guess I fell asleep during the last two hours. (bless pure exhaustion)The flight attendant told us that there was a very special birthday today. A man celebrating his 74th and his first time flying. The cabin broke out in cheers and applause as we were reminded to wish the pilot a happy birthday on the way out. When we landed and my heart was sound in my chest, as once more the flight told us the weather and such and ended by saying…“Now, get off!”

I loved this guy. I felt at ease. Flying wasn’t as bad as I remembered. Since we had Disney’s Magical Express we just followed our way through, which was a long walk but easy to find. We were directed to the line for Coronado Springs and was on the bus within 10 minutes. We were on our way to Disney!
Sign at DME

The ride to Coronado Springs was 35 minutes. We checked in and found that our room was ready. The woman behind the counter didn’t seem like she was having the best day. There was no magical welcome or barely a smile. She gave us our KTTW cards and packet and showed us where are room was. My only request was to be close to the buses which I tried to do with online check-in but a glitch wouldn’t let me make my requests…so I called.

We made our way through the beautiful landscaped grounds to Cabana’s 8B, a gorgeous Southwest theme with a white sand beach in front of a lovely lake. Our room was just as I expected, lovely bedding of turquoise and white and rich dark furniture. I loved the subtleness of the hidden Mickey’s though our toiletries were lacking a bit. We explored our room a bit more, then took short walk to bus stop #4 where we waited no more than 5 minutes to board a fairly un-crowded bus.
Lovely room

Vanity with skimpy toiletries

Hidden Mickey’s in pillow and throw

Itty bitty washcloth critter

Our packet for our 5 night stay

Next stop…Lunch at Downtown Disney and the beginning of the worse day of my vacation.

 

[Enchanted88]

Wow, it sounds like you had a pretty hysterical flight attendant! That is too funny what he said about chosing your favorite child! hahaha I'm sure it makes the passengers feel way more at ease when flight attendants are light hearted like that!

The room looks great! I've never stayed there before, but from all of the pictures I have seen of it, I'll definately have to stay there in the future!
They sure didn't give you very many toiletries, did they?! haha
Great TR so far!! Can't wait to read more!

 

[NancyLuvsMickey]

I'm here and sorry I'm late... Work has been crazy!!!

Can't wait to take another TR with you... Ok, I'm ready, let's get going...

 

[shadowryter]

Wow, it sounds like you had a pretty hysterical flight attendant! That is too funny what he said about chosing your favorite child! hahaha I'm sure it makes the passengers feel way more at ease when flight attendants are light hearted like that!

The room looks great! I've never stayed there before, but from all of the pictures I have seen of it, I'll definately have to stay there in the future!
They sure didn't give you very many toiletries, did they?! haha
Great TR so far!! Can't wait to read more!

The flight attendant was really funny. He made a nerve racking flight so much easier. We never knew what he would say next. The rooms at CSR are quite lovely especially after the renovations. The toiletries increased daily after the MouseKeeping envelopes were left. Problem is we never used them and they were piling up.

 

[shadowryter]

I'm here and sorry I'm late... Work has been crazy!!!

Can't wait to take another TR with you... Ok, I'm ready, let's get going...

Now there's nothing wrong with being fashionably late. Glad your sharing the ride with me.

 

[shadowryter]

Oct 18th…part 2


We took the bus to Downtown Disney Marketplace and did some shopping. For what you might ask? Well those of you who read my TR from last year might remember the non-stop Vinylmation hunting that occurred throughout our stay. The one thing we did plan on looking for was a 9 inch purple Vinylmation for Heather so could have it autographed by the characters and princesses on the Dream later in our trip. For the life of me there was no purple to be found and we ended up with a white one which was the color I searched for last year and had to settle for yellow. Follow me yet?

After a few Vinylmation’s and pins we were off to Earl of Sandwich for lunch. I really like this place but it was really packed so we got into the cattle call and made our orders all the while scanning the area for a vacant table which was impossible to say the least. Just as we got our order and started to look a family left their table and I made a bee line for it that would make any wide receiver proud.

Once settled we realized that Dan had the wrong sandwich(labeled wrong) so I returned it
only to realize that the correct one was at our table(also labeled wrong).After some running back and forth we enjoyed our meal as Dan and Heather were making plans to head to D-Street for the coveted purple Vinylmation.
The Original 1762 - fresh roasted beef, cheddar and creamy horseradish sauce

All American - roast turkey, buttermilk ranch, cranberries, cheddar cheese, lettuce, and roma tomato

Hawaiian BBQ - roasted ham, grilled chicken, Hawaiian BBQ sauce, Aged Swiss cheese and fresh pineapple

I grabbed a couple of shots on our way to the West Side and this is where I got myself in a whole lot of trouble. They had a new Lego sculpture just outside the store…a really cool Maleficent as the dragon with a knight and sword. I couldn’t settle with taking a shot from where I stood…no I had to climb the really short wall to get a better peek. Bad decision. I slipped and banged my leg just above the ankle on the bone. It hurt. I crawled back up, took the shot and continued. About halfway to D-Street I paused to look to see that I had a lump on my shin about the size of half a large orange! OMG! What’s with that? I continued and it wasn’t until we were in the store that I started to feel woozy. A CM saw my distress as well as Dan and Heather’s and they went to get me a chair but by now I was seeing stars…literally and I realized that I was about to pass out. I got into the chair and the CM was trying to figure out how to call 911...really? In a few minutes I was surrounded by a couple of EMT’s who took my vitals, asked a a whole lot of questions, cleaned the wound, patched me up, added an ice pack for good measure and then put me in a wheelchair. Arrrggghhh! I felt soooooo incredibly stupid. Sorry no pic of me in the chair.
Halloween Mickey

The shot that started it all

Still paused for a pic of Buzz and Woody

So Dan was pushing me around DTD and I was so bummed. He got me on the bus and returned the chair. When we got back to Coronado Springs he went inside, explained the situation as he was told by the EMT at D-Street and they gave us a wheelchair to use throughout the rest of our stay. Still bummed. I got back to our room and elevated my leg and Dan knew I was craving Gelato earlier so he went to Rix to get me some, only by the time he and Heather returned it was a mountain of melted goo which he placed into a towel and handed to me. What a mess and chocolate to boot. It was good….messy….but good.

We had an ADR for Artist Point at 9 pm and as the time neared I tried to walk on my own. The ice pack along with the wheelchair ride seemed to be working so against the wishes of Dan and Heather I decided to leave the chair behind. We took a long slow walk to El Centro where we grabbed a taxi and headed to the Wilderness Lodge. Once there we checked in early and got our little buzzer thingy. Dan and Heather did some looking around while I decided to go outside to try and get some night shots with my new camera. I limped my way out back and down the stairs to the scenic vista. It was a bit steamy out there but I played around with some camera settings, got some shots and made my way back. Our buzzer was singing away by the time I met up with the rest of my family and we were seated right away.
Night shots of WL outside and in

Now the last time we ate at Artist Point, Heather was 7 and it was a character breakfast with Pocahontas, Meeko, Captain John Smith and company. I was excited to visit it after all these years as a signature dining experience. Our sever though over zealous when it came to the menu was great. He moved the tables around to accommodate my injured leg and then we enjoyed one of the most scrumptious meals I have honestly ever eaten.

Artist Point Menu

Grand Margarita - 1800 Repasado Tequila, Grand Marnier, Sweet-and-Sour, and fresh Lime Juice

Raspberry Rapids - Frozen Coconut Cream and Pineapple Juice with Bacardi Silver and Chambord - so good!

Sourdough Bread

Butter with black sea salt

Kettle-steamed Penn Cove Mussels - with Sourdough Panzanella

Mixed Field Greens Salad - with shaved Asian pear, sunflower seed granola, Rogue creamery blue cheese, pomegranate seeds and Ice Wine vinaigrette - I loved this!

Dungeness Crab Cake - with Asian slaw and shaved radish - crab cakes are Heather’s favorite!

Char-grilled Buffalo Striploin Steak - with marble potatoes, garden vegetables, and Shiraz Gastrique - Absolutely incredible!

Baked Peach Upside-Down Cake - with sweet and sour caramel sauce and roasted peach ice cream - Dan and Heather said this was fantastic!

Chocolate Indulgence - Valhrona Chocolate Ganache with Salted Chocolate Ice Cream, Amarena Cherries, and Chocolate "Pop Rocks - really good…but chocolate overload!

To be continued next post...

 

[shadowryter]

Once dinner was finished it took forever to get a taxi back to CSR. We waited around a half an hour, me with my bum leg just looking for a place to sit. We were finally back at our resort and despite my injury I still took some shots of a nearly empty El Centro, which was odd because there was a conference of some kind going on. Then it was back to our room and a much needed nights sleep.
Night shots of El Centro

Coming up…A day at Sea World via the Linx 50 bus…never again!

 

[RGirl]

Wow - great pics!!! And your AP dinner looks yummy.

So sorry that you had to experience an injury. I hope that it doesn't impact too many days of your trip.

 

[dato63]

The pics of your resort/room are lovely. And I enjoyed the pics of the Lego Buzz/Woody - too cute.

Seeing pics of WL makes me smile - it was the very first resort we ever stayed at.

Oh my, reading about your leg made me wince. I do hope it has healed well since then.

 

[janeb]

I'm sorry if I am out of place here. I love, love, LOVE all of your disigns!
We are planning our family trip (family of 12) in December 2011. I would love to have some of your amazing creations to make the five grand kids trip that much more awesome! If you have time, could you please make invitations for the following? I understand completely if you are extremely busy and will settle for absolutely any you have time to do.....

ANY KIND of Christmas disign...... (prefer: Micky, Minnie, Donald, Pluto, etc
or Toy Story / Cars)


Invite #1. Toisney World, Gavyn and Easton, for Dec 12 - 19

#2. To: Disney World, Rebecca, Emily & Olivia, for Dec 13 - 19

#3. To: Cinderella's Royal Table, Rebecca, Emily, Olivia, Gavyn &
Easton 12/14 - Lunch (no time please)

#4. MVMCP - December 14, 2011 7:00 pm, Rebecca, Emily, Olivia,
Gavyn & Easton

#5. Donald's Safari Breakfast at Tusker House 9:00 am, Rebecca,
Emily, Olivia, Gavyn & Easton

I really appreciate any of these and once again, I hope I am posting in the correct spot.

 

[shadowryter]

I'm sorry if I am out of place here. I love, love, LOVE all of your disigns!

Hi there, Thanks...but this is not my DISign thread. If you look in my signature you will see the words..."My DISigns". Click on that and then go to the last page of the thread where you can make your request. I'll see you over there.