Oh Florida! An East Meets West Girl's TR: 8/9 p56 & 8/17 p57

[MEK]

Love your pictures from last summer, and beautiful phtoos in your F&G update. I don't drink margaritas, but they sure look good. That seems to be a lot of rain you two have dealt with thus far on this trip.

Thanks Kathy!

What? You don't like ritas????? You don't know what you are missing. Seriously, thought, they aren't for everyone but they are certainly for me!

I hope you don't get totally drenched before dinner. Hmmmm....where could you be going? Ohana, maybe?

One vote for the Wave and one vote for Ohana. You are definitely getting closer!!!!

I love that you stayed at the Manor Club!! We stayed there about a year ago in a one bedroom and it was larger than my first apartment. Very nice community.

LOVED the Manor Club. It was perfect. I bet the 2BR is amazing! We loved the studio. It was perfect for the nights we were there. I loved the big screened in porch and the pool was lovely. So was the hot tub. The staff was great and the community where I ran was just lovely. I will definitely go back there.

Love, love, love Williamsburg...such a neat area! Glad you had a good long weekend. Funny about attendance being down at historical attractions (which I find incredibly sad), my husband and girls were just up at the Rockefeller house in New York and they said that the ranger told them that since the Ken Burns series on the Rockefellers that attendance was up there. I would suppose just because of the series it might only be up for places related to the Rockefellers. Which is sad...everyone should visit these places. I'm lucky I have 2 kids who love history!

I love W-burg too. It is one of my favorite places to visit. I feel lucky that I only live about 250 miles from there so its really possible to do a long weekend, but once of these times I go I really need to stay an entire week. There is just SO much to do.

Have you ever stopped by Monticello during your trips to Williamsburg?

Christine

No, but thanks for suggesting it. We usually drive down Rt 13 and the Delmarva Peninsula. We started during this about 4 years ago when our eldest son started attending Salisbury University, which is on the Eastern Shore of Md. We would stop and see him on the way down or back. It's longer, but I like crossing through the CBBT. Thanks for suggesting Monticello because I could definitely work that into a future trip.

Glad you and Denny has a nice time away! Will you be posting some pictures? I'd love to see them!

Thanks!

I am actually uploading some pics now, so I plan to post a few.

I'm glad you had a nice weekend. Definitely disappointing to hear that the historical sites aren't getting as much love these days. But at least it worked out well for you.

We had a great weekend. I love W-burg, so it was another great trip there.

The older I get the more I love the historical sites. It's so great to visit them all.

I'm glad you had a nice little getaway, despite the weather. I loved your FB updates.

Thanks. The first couple of days were crappy weather, but then things definitely improved. It was a great trip. Loved every minute.

 

[MEK]

Welcome back, Mary Ellen!

Sounds like an awesome weekend get away!

Thanks Karin. It was a great long weekend. My only regret is that we couldn't stay longer!

Looking forward to hearing about the last trip to Wburg. Trying to stay caught up and man I just keep falling behind.

Girl - TELL me about it! I am having the worse time staying up to date. It's a struggle! I'm uploading some W-burg pics now!

Catching up! Great updates and pictures!

Thanks!

Mary Ellen, regarding your concerns about not being able to keep up with the DIS, I relate! I am following so many reports that trying to keep current is like being on an endless treadmill (of fun and Disney, of course). I am finally trying to get myself to be okay with responding as I just did above, when I need to, versus commenting on everything in detail, as I prefer to. Gotta do what ya gotta do and all that. And I am doing my best to help you keep up by neglecting my own reports, so don't worry about those.

It IS like an endless treadmill and I am sure I don't follow as my TRs as you do. It's crazy busy trying to keep up. You're so right - you can only do what you can do.

(Also, @Sunset Cliffs , nice to see you around here again! )

Welcome back! I'm glad you had a great time despite the weather

Thanks Pam! It was a great trip and the weather was only bad for the first two days. And even then, it wasn't horrible, just not pool weather and a little moist and cold. The last two days were spectacular.

I have been reading trip reports for awhile but don't reply often......and I was just going thru the pictures and not reading the first post and was like....wait, I know that place!!!! I live in Earleville MD....only about 10 minutes from you HAHAHAHA....small world!! But my child is only 9 so we probably haven't crossed paths at the ball field!

Donna! Thanks for joining in! Oh, yes, Middletown is close to Earleville. My DH and I do bike riding over in that area. We ride to Chesapeake City quite a bit. Love it there.

I see you have a run Disney even coming up - Wine and Dine? Nice!

Welcome back! Glad you had a good time in Williamsburg.

Thanks Alison! We had a great time. It was such a fun, long weekend![/QUOTE]

 

[MEK]

Going to the Chapel (and we're gonna get married)

Hey guys - despite the drama of the weekend, I have decided to post my next update. Please forgive me though, because, once again, I have not done all my updates. But I work tomorrow night and sometimes I am able to get some replies done then.

Also - please forgive me for getting so far behind on your TRs. I WILL catch up!

Several of you asked me about Williamsburg pictures. I am actually uploading some now, but they are from last August's trip to W-burg. I'd love to show you some of them. Unfortunately, photo bucket is uploading very, VERY slowly and I have 600 pictures. It's take 30 minutes to get to 30%, so I'll have to save them for another update.

So on to my trip update.

n my last update we were here



Leaving Epcot in the rain and heading to our dinner destination. Someone guessed the Wave. You were close, because we were headed to a monorail resort. But instead of the Contemporary, we were headed to the Grand Flo to visit a restaurant first.

Look familiar?



I bet those guys love their job



What a great retirement gig



Where else do you get a pretty white music stand to hold your music??



This guy looks like he has a whole encyclopedia there?






Ahhh - the Grand Flo - the flagship hotel of the Disney fleet







I guess I thought this would make a good B&W photo



Some lucky kid’s balloon



We may or may not have ducked into the gift shop before dinner. I don’t think I’ve seen these in the gifts shops before, but then again its not a product I normally buy. lol



How cute is this?



So where was our dinner first tonight?

Hmmmmm - Denny and I already ate at Narccoossees during an anniversary trip, cynthia and I ate at Citrico’s during our F&W trip, which leaves the Grand Floridian Cafe.

We were seated promptly and our table was near the entrance to the restaurant. Surprisingly, I didn’t even take any pictures of the restaurant, but I did take a picture of this….



The Grand Flo Shrimp & Grits!

What did I think?

Well, I have to say that Olivias were a bit better, but they were still pretty darn good.

Dinner was fast and before I knew it, we were done.

My memories are brief.

After dinner we didn’t have an specific plans, so we decided to check out the resort



Looks like it was still a little moist outside



Looks like a tried a filter on this one







The rest of my update is basically pictures. If you remember, over a year ago the Villas of Grand Floridian was still a baby, barely opened 6 months. We HAD to go check it out.

Pictures on the way...

The splash pool









Continued In Next Post

 

[MEK]

Quiet pool umbrellas





The villas





It was a beautiful time of night



The fountain outside the villa entrance



Looking back at the Grand Flo from the villas







We walked around the outside of the villas. I have to admit, I was getting pretty excited seeing them since I have a small contract there, but I hadn’t had the opportunity to stay there yet.



Looking back towards the monorail station. The clouds were just lovely.





I filtered this picture, just for the heck of it, and I think it turned out pretty cool!



We did go inside the villas and I took a few pics.

Outside the main entrance



Lamp outside



The fountain in the lobby



Gotta love it!









Back outside.

Standard view



Continued In the Next Post...

 

[MEK]

More standard view



Spoiler alert - we did standard view last October and we are staying standard view again in February. Denny LOVED it. He developed a passion for watching the monorail and hopes we stay in the exact same room with the exact same view of the monorail.

The wedding chapel





An open gate is too much of a temptation for me!



So we headed back



And that, my friends, is the view of the castle from the arch



Still in the arch with a distance view



It was starting to get dark



Clearly I needed ONE more castle view before I could tear myself away.



As we rounded the bend on the little path leading towards the wedding chapel we were greeted with THIS view!



In fact, I am wondering if I took this picture from the dock near the wedding chapel.



Filter applied



Yup, pretty sure I did



Oh MAN! These pictures want me to go there, RIGHT NOW!



Close up





I know, picture overload - humor me!



Door to the wedding chapel



Yours truly had to steal a peek and a picture!




We continued to walk towards the Poly. This view is looking back at the villas.





The Contemporary off in the distance



And space mountain



A view back to the wedding chapel boat dock



Continued In the Next Post

 

[MEK]

I know we walked over to the Poly. I’m not sure what we did there. I’m sort of getting my memories confused with the walk{s) Denny and I took over there last October. Did we stop at Captain Cook’s and get dole whips? I seriously can’t remember if that was with Cynthia or with Denny. I think Denny.

Here’s another pic of the Contemporary



And a couple of the Poly





On the way back to the Grand Flo we noticed that the Luau was going on. It was DARK in there, but I tried my best to get a few pics.





The villas as night



One last look



And that wraps up my pictures for the evening. We walked to the monorail and hitched a ride to the MK to catch a bus home.

Another great Disney Day in the books.

Up Next - Star Wars!

 

[KatMark]

MaryEllen, you can never post too many pictures...yours are beautiful, as always. We had an ADR at the GFC and ended up cancelling it last year. We have one next month and hopefully we won't cancel.

Your pictures of the GF and the Poly are simply stunning. I still can't convince Mark to stay at the GF, but I enjoyed your "tour" of the resort.

 

[Leshaface]

What a great retirement gig

Yeah, a great retirement gig for you! You have a great voice. I'd probably only be good as a greeter

Wow, literally every piece of Disney music?!

I bet you're the first person to take a picture of this!

Cute! Never paid attention to the splash area.

Love the filter

Door to the wedding chapel

I want a wedding re-do here please!

 

[rndmr2]

As we rounded the bend on the little path leading towards the wedding chapel we were greeted with THIS view!







Oh MAN! These pictures want me to go there, RIGHT NOW!

All your pics make me want to go Right now, too! Nice views here. I would love to stay at the Poly someday.

Sorry for the drama over the weekend.

 

[Pluto0809]

So I somehow got unsubscribed to your TR and was almost a month behind! No idea how that one happened.

But I'm all caught up now, only going to comment on the latest post since my memory isn't good enough to remember everything.

I had about the same experience at the Grand Floridian Cafe back in December. The food was good but nothing really memorable.

I really enjoyed all of the pictures from the GF and the Poly!

 

[eandesmom]

thank you, despite the drama, for staying on top of this. I am obviously MIA. Crazy weekend with houseguests, college graduation for one, college girl missing flight home (and the ensuing drama) and just the normal drama that goes with both of those events and dueling families for kids attention.

Mean people do suck and aren't worth my energy. LOL!

 

[jedijill]

Great pictures of the Grand and the Poly. Love the wedding pavilion. I have to try the Grand Floridian Cafe...everything looks so yummy there!

Jill in CO

 

[glennbo123]

The portions are bigger at Vic's in Savannah!

I always thought this fountain was pretty cool.

We sat where that guy in the green shirt is, along the right front. Pretty good seats!

 

[Wood Nymph]

We had toured the villas lobby at the Grand Floridian when I saw pictures of it in someone's trip report. I love the whimsical penguins in the fountain. I would love to stay in one of the villas here some day, since they look gorgeous.

 

[Steppesister]

Your photos are still really something to be impressed with! I loved them all- especially the filtered ones! I had a sneaking suspicion you'd end up at the Chapel at some point during this trip. You stalker, you! (Lucky us!)

The clouds were really impressive, nice work!

 

[MEK]

Great choice!

It really is beautiful. I forgot how pretty it was because minie is a little bit different.

DH does this too with DS and our Pug. He's tried to do it with me but i'm just so light as a feather, he's worried I'l float away

You probably really would float away!!!!! I bet DS loves that! I'm not so sure about your pug!!!!!

Ooh this is pretty.

Agreed!

That woman may be annoying but dang it is she a business woman!

You've got that right. I actually don't find her that annoying but I thought she was cute back in the day when she was married to Nick Lasahe (or however you speel his name)

NOPE NEVER! I remember a while back you kinda went through the same thing but got right back into it. I think when you get behind on everything (not just DIS but at home too) you just kind of want to give up. For me when i'm off the DIS for a while i'm like, oh my gosh, I'll NEVER be able to catch up on all my threads AND post an update. Then I realize the DIS is supposed to be fun not stressful. Who cares if you won't finish your TR in 'time'.....at least that's what I tell myself

That's exactly how I feel. I get overwhelmed because I get so far behind. Like I am at work now and something woke me up, so I decided why the heck not just DIS a little. But at home I will sit down at night and feel so far behind that I don't even want to get started.

Aw yeah!

That sammie was SOOOOOO good!

When I saw this I started to rub my screen, then realize the pink lines under her eyes are painted on there What are those for anyway??

I have no idea. I honestly didn't even notice them until you pointed them out. They are rather odd, aren't they???

I love that you find all the places that I never look.

It's the camera. I swear. It makes me go places I wouldn't normally go. I'm always looking for the next amazing picture, which I rarely am ever able to take......

Pretty ladies!

Thanks!

Ooh I don't know which one I like better.

I'm the same way.

That's tight! <---woah haven't used that word in forever!

Little flash back to the 90's. I like that!

Really? How cool!

There were some memorable scenes from the movie shot there, so it was pretty cool to see that house.

I'll take that, please. Yikes, but i'd be worried about DS going out to play in the backyard Never mind.

Are those made of glass?? I so want a pond now just to have these! These are gorgeous.

Yes, they are. They were really amazing. I wonder if they were there this past year. I rarely enjoyed seeing them in the pond and the butterfly house.

I think you're just fascinated by all things pretty.

Who isn't?????

Tequila!!!

[/QUOTE]

Amen to that. My reaction exactly!

 

[MEK]

Yep I think the majority of us are

I've heard of that stuff happening, but that's the first time it really hit home like that for me. Ugh!

ETA: I wanted to say I think you handled the situation appropriately and tastefully

Thank you!

Uh oh, sounds like I missed some unpleasantness. Not good

You did and it's best to just keep it that way. I just want to move on from it all.

Mary Ellen - Oh no. Sounds terrible. I am in the dark about this, but sorry to hear about such events. Makes me sad.

It was sad. I don't really want to stir up old news, but it was hard to see a friend get hurt like that.

 

[amazingact21]

The GF is such a pretty resort. I don't think I'll ever stay there, but I love to visit it and listen to the live music in the lobby.

That kids' pool is one of the coolest I've seen. I love how well themed it is.



Pretty neat that you got to preview the villas before you stayed there with Denny.


What an awesome view of the castle through that arch! I couldn't imagine having that kind of view for your wedding ceremony...


Ahh, the Poly. I can't blame you for walking over there on your evening stroll. It's a hard resort to stay away from. I don't think I've ever gone on a trip and not stopped by there. I know right now there's all kinds of construction happening and they are still working out the kinks in the DVC villas, but one day you should definitely stay there. It's a beautiful place and the rooms are so relaxing.

 

[afwdwfan]

We may or may not have ducked into the gift shop before dinner. I don’t think I’ve seen these in the gifts shops before, but then again its not a product I normally buy. lol

Yeah... I can't say as I've noticed them there before or not. But I guess they might as well supply what someone might need for an overnight stay...

Clearly I needed ONE more castle view before I could tear myself away.

I can always use another castle view.

Yours truly had to steal a peek and a picture!

MEK, never one to shy away from paparazzi wedding pictures. Even if it is just a wedding rehearsal or being planned.

Great pictures, as always. I enjoyed the tour of the GF grounds and the new villas. That splash area really looks cool. I've never been a big GF fan, myself, but there's something about the villas that has me kind of intrigued.

 

[IheartDDuck]

Loving all of the picture! I really want to stay at the GF someday soon, but I'm telling you that resort has been elusive! Since we don't own there, I haven't been able to get close to it.