Taking the PTR Plunge..our November F&W Extravaganza...update 7/8 a Day in Marceline

[407-W-DISNEY]

I also go to bed before the clock hits double digits! My husband jokes that by the time I'm 50 I will be going to bed by 6pm..lol...maybe!!
Sounds like a fun trip for the summer!

 

[Li Li]

hey just subscribed to you your PTR! so if I'm mostly interested in Fried Chicken should i bother with the sampler or just stick with the pollo? I love meatloaf too and pot roast can be good, but i'm a slave to for fried chicken

I think I would recommend just sticking with the fried chicken rather than sampler with some mashed potatoes too!

Reading ahead, one of 12 children?! I cannot even imagine! Only child right here!

Thanks for subscribing!

 

[Tinker326]

Love mini-trips in the PTR! I did one myself!

KC sounds fun, never been. Nice that you are all so close. My hubby is youngest of 6 and it's a very disorganized, not close family. Which is sad to see............

 

[glaserjm]

I also go to bed before the clock hits double digits! My husband jokes that by the time I'm 50 I will be going to bed by 6pm..lol...maybe!!
Sounds like a fun trip for the summer!

I've been this way since I was little! Even in high school all of my friends knew not to call after 9 PM on the weeknights as I'd be in bed

We have this cafeteria restaurant near our house that is literally a ghost town after 7 PM and Joe has joked more than once that I will be dining there in the not to distant future at the 4 PM seating!

 

[glaserjm]

I think I would recommend just sticking with the fried chicken rather than sampler with some mashed potatoes too!

Reading ahead, one of 12 children?! I cannot even imagine! Only child right here!

Thanks for subscribing!

It's been a pretty fun experience for me over the last 9 years because I only have one brother so the dynamics of a big family are something that were completely new to me...but I think it's so fun! I'm definitely an extrovert so I like big group outings and loud dinners and parties.

It is nice that we kind of have the best of both worlds though where we can hang out with his family and do all the big group activities but then go see my family and do nice leisurely and quiet dinner or vacation.

Joe was happy to get the scoop on the fried chicken. He's not a pot roast fan generally but does love meatloaf but if good fried chicken is on offer he won't want to waste his meal on anything else!

 

[glaserjm]

Love mini-trips in the PTR! I did one myself!

KC sounds fun, never been. Nice that you are all so close. My hubby is youngest of 6 and it's a very disorganized, not close family. Which is sad to see............

I really haven't been to KC to visit in a long time (I don't even think I was old enough to drive last time I was there!) but I've heard a lot of great things and it's not even a 4 hour drive from here so we need to take advantage!

Speaking of our favorite long weekend destinations, since you are from Chicago you may know about Door County in WI! Joe and I were actually married up there and absolutely LOVE it!

If you haven't been, I would highly recommend it!

 

[JLVermillion]

Love your TR We will be there from Nov 1 - Nov 9 at home resort of BCV. I will have to keep my eyes out .

 

[glaserjm]

Love your TR We will be there from Nov 1 - Nov 9 at home resort of BCV. I will have to keep my eyes out .

BCV during F&W should be awesome! I think that we will likely be trying that in the future, as it would be SO convenient to be able to stay that close to the International Gateway! It's just hard for us to leave our beloved Old Key West.

Thanks for reading along!

 

[JLVermillion]

BCV during F&W should be awesome! I think that we will likely be trying that in the future, as it would be SO convenient to be able to stay that close to the International Gateway! It's just hard for us to leave our beloved Old Key West.

Thanks for reading along!

I totally understand falling in love with your resort. We first went to BC in 08 ,bought in '09 and do not want to stay anywhere else. My kids and grands love the pool there and our favorite park is Epcot.Love love love F&W, you will have a blast just the two of you.

 

[glaserjm]

Sorry (for my few readers ) for the lack of updates lately...life has definitely gotten in the way! This update will focus on our arrival day at WDW (November 2). I'm always interested in people's arrival days and whether or not they have the same types of traditions that we do.

Our last two trips we have left early on the Friday morning before check in and have driven straight through, checking in early on Saturday morning and doing grocery shopping until our room is ready (which at OKW is usually before 4, but not much too much earlier). This time we will not be leaving first thing Friday (we extended our trip one day at the end instead of the beginning) and so will be stopping for the night in Chattanooga on November 1st. On the 2nd, we will be driving from our hotel outside Chattanooga and heading down 75 for the next several hours.

Our first planned stop is for lunch in Valdosta, GA at Sam's BBQ

Photo courtesy of Urbanspoon

It kind of looks like it used to be a gas station of some sort but according to reviews it looks pretty good. A lot of people complain that it's not in a great neighborhood, but we're from St. Louis, so I think we can handle it...since we're supposed to be one of the most dangerous cities in the country!

After we stuff ourselves with pulled pork (me) and ribs (Joe) we will continue for the final stretch of the trip until we arrive at Old Key West and roll up on this wonderful sight

Image courtesy of Google

I'm always in charge of check-in while Joe parks and gets things situated and ready for unpacking. So far in our OKW adventures we have stayed in buildings 14, 25 and 53. Buildings 14 & 25 are considered Hospitality House booking category which means they are in close proximity to Conch Flats (where all the action is! ). Here's a map for those that are unfamiliar:

I really liked building 25, which was our first OKW stay. We were in a ground floor studio and we overlooked the 5th hole green and a pond.

Building 14 wasn't our favorite. Although it was incredibly convenient to Hospitality House since we were right across the street, it was the building that is right next to the entrance to the resort, so the sound of traffic was pretty constant. We were also on the 3rd floor and although we are able-bodied it was not so much fun at the end of a long park day.

In March this year we stayed in a ground floor one bedroom in Building 53 and it was PERFECT! As you can see from the above map, it overlooks the 3rd hole green and it was nice and quiet. It was also right across from the South Point quiet pool and we used those grills more than once! It was a great location and staying in a one bedroom was so spacious and luxurious (it's almost 1,000 square feet!). Even with 4 of us it never felt crowded.

We (and by that I mean me and a very reluctant Joe) can't justify the cost of a one bedroom for just the two of us (until we are DVC owners and then...game on!). We will be staying in a studio again and I'm also going to request ground floor. As we like to broaden our horizons (yeah right...if we really did we would go somewhere other than OKW! ), we decided to request a different location from one that we've had in the past.

This time we are going to request somewhere on Turtle Pond Rd., most likely in Building 34 or 35. We figure that's close enough to Peninsular Rd. for our nightly treks to the Suitcase and also close to the bus stop and the quiet pool/grills (which we like to use). We also like to play tennis at least once during our trips so being close to the court will be awesome as well. Has anyone here ever stayed on Turtle Pond Rd.? If so, what did you think? Regardless of where we end up..our lovely room will look like this!

Image courtesy of Google

And I will be so happy to be there!!

After we get situated in the room the following things will happen. If not already wearing it, Joe will put on his Turkey Leg t-shirt and I will carefully choose my t-shirt for the evening and we will set off on our walk to...

Image courtesy of Yelp

and thus our trip will officially have begun! As soon as the Turtle Krawl hits my lips I will feel a weight instantly lifted! We'll hang here for a bit until we head to...

Yep, like many others we always start our trips off at the Magic Kingdom...it just feels like the right way to start things off for us. We don't spend long in the park this night...just enough time to hit up a few rides (HM, SM, BTMRR and then grab a quick bite for dinner. Joe's dinner will be:

and I'll likely stop here to grab something:

- Image courtesy of Google

Although I'm also interested in possibly grabbing some corn dog nuggets from here instead as I've heard they're good and I've never had a corn dog!!!

Image courtesy of Google

Although that logo and color scheme for Casey's looks a litte "Cub-ish" for me and being a Cards gal I'm not sure I can do it!

After eating we will take in one last ride for the night:

Finally we will have come to my favorite part of the night when we grab one of these little babies on the way out of the park:

What's your favorite combo? Mine is an orange and vanilla float...I think Joe agrees although he might prefer pineapple vanilla float...I can't remember so I"ll let him comment.

After we get the Dole Whip goodness we head out of the park. Normally we head back, get a night cap at the Suitcase and get a good night's sleep for rope drop the next day. However this time we are doing something different after we leave the park.

This time we will be hopping on this:

and heading here:

Image courtesy of google

with the goal of catching Wishes from the Poly beach. Yes I know we could get a Dole Whip when we get there, but tradition dictates that we have one on our way out of the MK, so we shall follow protocol. Has anyone done Wishes from the beach before? Any particularly good spots or is it all pretty much the same?

Here's the kind of view I'm hoping for :

Image courtesy of YouTube

After wishes we'll either hop on the Monorail back over to MK to pick up a bus headed to OKW or walk over to the TTC and head back to the car, depending on whether or not we drive over.

Then we'll call it a night and get ready for our first full day! What does everyone think of the plan? What are you first day/night traditions?

Thanks for reading!

 

[Tinker326]

Looks like a great start to your trip!!!

I personally LOVE the Casey's sign. I don't have a clue what you are talking about there....

And I LOVE LOVE LOVE those dole whips. Can not wait for one in November! Mmmmmmmmmmmm. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

Our tradition has usually been to always hit MK first park, but that's just not happening this trip due to crowd calendar. So, oh well. Because if there's one thing I dislike less than breaking traditions, it's big crowds at Disney.

 

[glaserjm]

Looks like a great start to your trip!!!

I personally LOVE the Casey's sign. I don't have a clue what you are talking about there....

And I LOVE LOVE LOVE those dole whips. Can not wait for one in November! Mmmmmmmmmmmm. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

Our tradition has usually been to always hit MK first park, but that's just not happening this trip due to crowd calendar. So, oh well. Because if there's one thing I dislike less than breaking traditions, it's big crowds at Disney.

I had a sneaking suspicion that you would approve of the Casey's sign. I've decided to do some sleuthing to see how whether or not the Wrigley family was somehow an early Disney contributor...

I actually woke up on Saturday morning at about 5:15 AM and thought to myself, "Oh my God...is the last MNSSHP on November 1st or November 2nd?!" For a brief moment I thought that our arrival night plans would be thwarted by the party. Talk about first world problems.

Of course I had to quickly google it to calm myself, but I couldn't go back to sleep afterwards!

Sidenote: I ran a 5k for the Epilepsy Foundation later that morning (well only 7:30 AM but that's about as late as you can start a summer race in STL!) and actually managed my best 5k time yet at 33 minutes (yes it's only a 10:30 mile, but that's good for me!). How's your training going?

 

[glaserjm]

I totally understand falling in love with your resort. We first went to BC in 08 ,bought in '09 and do not want to stay anywhere else. My kids and grands love the pool there and our favorite park is Epcot.Love love love F&W, you will have a blast just the two of you.

DH and I went on a long walk yesterday and naturally the conversation turned to Disney (actually not naturally...about 20 seconds in I said "let's talk about Disney ) and we both really want to try BCV in the near future. We're considering a possible October '14 split stay b/w BCV and OKW for F&W.

I think doing the first half of the week at BCV would be great for F&W and because I'll also be doing the ToT 10 Miler (hopefully) so being able do walk to DHS would also be super convenient!

We stayed at Yacht Club when I was in 8th grade and I absolutely loved it. Epcot has always been my favorite park, but getting to walk through the IG on that trip just cemented it for me!

 

[Joben]

So yeah life has really gotten in the way of Disney planning. At work it's the end of the fiscal year for me, we are in the process of moving so I've been going through eight years of accumulation to try and weed out what we don't need to move with us. (I know it has been in the basement for five years but someday I may use that weight bench for something other than to hang clothes on )

one good thing is at least we don't have any weddings in the near future, thanks to the fact some friends planned theirs for the week we will be in Disney. good timing

I actually went 36 hours without going on the boards to check on HS rumors?!?!?! (come on Star Wars Land I need you in my future, now I just need the wife to watch the movies, she has never seen them )

So it has taken me awhile to reply to Jayne's last post, even with her reminding me a few times.

Ahhh the thought of arriving at WDW and more importantly OKW, it relaxes me just thinking of it.

Just joined a Facebook page for fans of the gurgling suitcase, the OKW bar for the resort and their restaurant Olivia's. It's a good thing and fun to talk to the other fans. I could honestly go to WDW and never leave the resort I enjoy it that much. I just look forward to the down time. Not really sure why so much my life is never so hectic I can't stand it but when it comes to vacation I enjoy a lazy time.

Jayne can enjoy it too, but she is the planner of our group. and hats off to her she can plan a vacation better than most I've seen. And riding shotgun with her is always a fun time, so I'm pretty happy to go along with whatever she wants to do. But one thing I hope will never change is our relaxed approach to vacation.

When Jayne suggested we start getting up for rope drops at parks I thought she was nuts. whats the point of going on vacation if I'm going to be getting up earlier to get to the parks 30 minutes before they even open??? It makes no sense. Luckily I went along with and boy was she right. It's hard getting out of bed, but when you can ride TSM twice RNRC TOT and star tours twice before 11am and leave the park for lunch you realize it's worth it. Then I get to take a nap after a simple lunch in our room we will head back out to another park or whatever and have a leisurely evening. So If you have heard about rope drops but can't bring yourself to get up that early, do it it is so worth it.

I really look forward to our first night at WDW Hearing the welcome home, and having a beverage at the suitcase is just a fantastic start. then our casual stroll around the magic kingdom. No pressure , no rush. grab a bite of whatever, ride something with a short line, just take it all in. All usually means watching family's with kids having meltdowns...always fun. QUOTE "where are we going? I don't know because someone can't read a map....AGAIN!!!" Priceless. I suppose this is one reason why WDW is so easy for us, it's just the two of us.

I do have one problem with planning, we started planning this vacation (every vacation) so far in advance that the waiting kills me, I just want to go but I still have 126 days left according to the widget on my phone that CONSTANTLY reminds me. It's way worse than waiting for Christmas when I was ten years old

 

[Joben]

Someone just became a DIS veteran!!!! now you have POWER

 

[glaserjm]

Well we just returned from our weekend in Kansas City and had a great time. I don't want to focus too much on the KC part of the trip because most of my pictures and my favorite parts of the trip didn't actually take place in KC at all! But just to give you a little info on what we did in KC:

Friday-Worlds of Fun/Oceans of Fun which is a six-flag type amusement park outside the city. The most I can say about this place is that I've crossed it off the list. It had some neat roller coasters but it really drove the point home for me that I'm not an "amusement park" fan, I'm a "theme park" and specifically Disney fan. This park had no magic, it was incredibly hilly (Animal Kingdom times 100), mostly asphalt (aka hot) and had nothing but thrill rides or rides for very small children. I think I did about 5 rides the entire day we were there simply because there was nothing really interesting about any of the rides. That night we had dinner at Jacks Stacks BBQ on the Plaza. It was good enough but it was like BBQ fine dining, which for me is an oxymoron. A BBQ place should be gritty and cheap, and this was neither.

Saturday (my birthday)- We had lunch at Oklahoma Joe's one (of KC's best bbq places) and it was so worth it! It was out of an old gas station (that's what I'm talking about!) and lunch for 6 people was less than dinner for two had been the night before! We followed that up with a tour of the Boulevard Brewery which was really impressive and then headed to the Westport area to stroll around and have a drink before our dinner at Cooper's Hawk. I really enjoyed that restaurant and KC as a whole. The neighborhood we stayed in was very cosmopolitan and walkable, which I love. I have to admit KC is outpacing St. Louis in its growth and big city amenities!

Sunday-check out of the hotel and then on to my surprise detour....Marceline! I'm assuming all of you know that Walt spent some of his formidable childhood years in Marceline, MO and based Main Street U.S.A. on the downtown of Marceline. I knew this from our Keys to the Kingdom Tour last year but I didn't realize how much the town influenced him until visiting his hometown!

the train station that is now the museum

- watching the trains from the same spot Walt did! These westbound trains inspired him to make his way out to California...there are 80 trains that pass through the town per day!

-one of 75 Mickeys that were sent to travel the world in celebration of Mickey's 75th birthday, this one was donated to the museum as they company believed that they should have the Conductor Mickey

Walt and Roy examining Walt's "Dreaming Tree" where he would spend time drawing, thinking and entertaining his youngest sister Ruth while Roy worked the fields. This tree was the inspiration for the Tree of Life

a copy of a design that young Walt drew for the Missouri Young Conservationists...does that animation look familiar or what?!

-letters that Roy and Walt wrote to their sister Ruth Beecher and her son Teddy on studio letterhead; they always tried to take care of Ruth and her family and often sent money, stock and memorabilia to her and her family.

collection from the stamp and post office dedication in Walt's name in 1968

- Walt's original drawings and concept art for the Marceline Project where Walt had hoped to revitalize the entire town and later build a town similar to Marceline on Disney property.

Disney Homestead- this looks dramatically different than the house Walt resided in; it has been restored and revitalized by a woman who headed the committee to get the Museum opened...who also happened to be the daughter of our tour guide!

What is left of Walt's Dreaming Tree today...even though it is dead it was amazing to see and touch it.

Walt's grandchildren were so upset to hear that his dreaming tree was dying that they planted a descendant of the dreaming tree (a cottonwood) right next to the original. The sign explains that there is soil from the Magic Kingdom and water from the Rivers of America used in the planting

the new tree is growing tall and strong

Walt's beloved barn (which has been restored); this was the site of Walt's first foray into entertainment when he charged local children a dime to watch a "circus". When the audience saw that the circus consisted of a goat, cat and dog dressed like a baby they complained. Walt's mother Flora demanded he refund their money and told Walt, "Always deliver more than your audience expects, that way they will never be disappointed." I got chills reading that quote.

Seeing the farm, which remains largely unchanged since Walt lived here, it's easy to feel inspired by the peacefulness and nature surrounding you. We were encouraged to leave a message in the barn, which many others have done. We left our signature and also saw some from famous cartoonists like Bill Watterson (Calvin & Hobbes) and Mike Peters (Mother Goose &Grimm). It was amazing! The 3rd Saturday each September Marceline hosts Toonfest, which is a gathering of animators and cartoonists to hold classes, symposiums and events in honor of Walt.

(pics continued in next post)

 

[glaserjm]

(Marceline pics cont.)

One of the things that struck me most about the tour and driving through the town was seeing just how much of an influence Marceline had over Walt even though he only lived there for 5 years. After he had long left and had become an industry titan he said of Marceline, "To tell the truth, more things of importance happened to me in Marceline than ever happened since or are likely to happen in the future."

Walt showed this appreciation by donating to the town, with a long-view to rehabilitate the faltering business district to preserve the early 20th century charm. He would return several times to help dedicate buildings in his name (for which he helped provide financing), to help the town celebrate events and to visit the places that inspired him.

- The Uptown Theater where Walt held the premier of The Great Locomotive Chase and where the Disney Company held the premiere of The Spirit of Mickey in 1998

Walt Disney Elementary, Walt returned for the dedication of this school

I know a picture of a flag pole seems weird, but Walt donated this flag pole to the school, which was one that was used to fly the American flag at the 1960 Olympics!

the Disney Municipal Park. Walt donated money directly so that the park would have a public swimming pool...the first of its kind anywhere in the area

I could go on for hours talking about how much this trip meant to me. Obviously having a piece of Walt so close to my hometown was really exciting in and of itself, but hearing the actual stories about what kind of person he was, what inspired him and where he lived was surreal. The thing that brought this home the most was our wonderful tour guide (and I'm just realizing that I forgot her name...I'm going to have to e-mail the museum and ask) she actually met Roy and Walt several times and stayed in contact with Ruth, the youngest Disney until her death. Roy and Walt stayed at her home when traveling to Marceline and she was actually a straw buyer for Walt when he wanted to buy property in the area. She really knew her stuff and talking to her was incredible.

I don't want to say too much more because this is something I really think a Disney fan should get to experience for himself or herself. It was such an amazing day and a great way to end my birthday weekend.

Thanks for reading!

 

[glaserjm]

I forgot to post the pics and will do so later, but wanted to mention (while I remembered) that another gem is a model of Disneyland that was donated to the museum by the model maker who worked with Walt.

It takes up a whole room and is amazingly detailed.

The website for the museum is www.waltdisneymuseum.org

 

[Li Li]

Wow, that is so cool! Thanks for sharing the trip. I never even thought about there being anything in Marceline. That definitely sounds like a great trip for Disney fans. And how cool about your tour guide, knowing the family and everything.

 

[OrangeJuice]

Love your day one plans. I didn't realize that Old Key West was so beautiful; although, I have heard lots about the Gurgling Suitcase and the famous Turtle Krawl. We are also hoping to catch the fireworks from the Poly Beach, I keep hearing that it's a lovely place to set up camp.

Your day in Marceline sounds lovely!