We Went to See Mic-key M-o-u-s-e ... Again! - Sept '12 TR [COMPLETE]

[shalom]

I'm so sorry your trip wasn't better, but glad to hear that you got to enjoy some of it and that there were some CMs who contributed a bit of magic.

To keep things honest, I'm not sure it's such a great idea to finish the TR portion. Not sure I really want to relive the details, not sure I should.

Do what works for you. I know I'm eager to read your trip report, and I'm sure I'm not alone, but if it's too hard to write right now, your impatient fans will survive. Maybe, after time gives you some distance and the disappointment isn't so keen, you could write up the TR for this one in your PTR for the next one! Or not. I do think others could learn from your experience, but if you're not ready, you're not ready. Plus, if you think it'd be helpful to others, you might be a better "teacher" after you process it for yourself a bit.

Take care of yourself -- and even if you don't do the trip report, let us know how your ankle is doing and how you're recovering and all, if you're wiling. But only if that is what seems best for you. Physical pain and such a disappointment deserves all the pampering you can muster.

 

[Dancegrl624]

Oh no! I would still read your trip report. You'll be in mine!

 

[BearcatsFan]

Ohhhh man!! I'm soooo sorry! I've thought about you often and was excited to hear from you as soon as you returned. I think you should still do a TR. It sounds like it wasn't all bad, and maybe others can learn from your experience. I really feel bad that it wasn't 110% magical. HUGS!!

No, it wasn't all bad ... we just didn't do much. Not sure there's even enough to report on to make it worth everyone's time to read, KWIM? I'll do my best to make it sound interesting, I guess!

Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry things didn't work out as planned! I agree with the previous poster - I would still like to read a trip report. Hope you at least got to soak in the Disney atmosphere!

We did get some WDW atmosphere - just not as much as we would have liked!

*hugs*

I know that I've told you this before, but if you do a trip report I will read it. If you decide not to, I can understand that too.

*hugs*

Appreciate you checking in with me and for the shoulder you provided.

Oh nooooo. I was thinking about you all week! I was hoping I'd bump into you so I could see how you were doing!! You won't BELIEVE THIS, but SOMEHOW I woke up Monday morning with a sprained ankle!! Like full blown, black and blue all along the bottom of my foot, hurt like walking on a broken foot, sprained ankle!! I seriously couldn't help but think about you!! I didn't even do anything to it either!! I think it was the croc flip flops I wore our first two days down there, but good lord!! It hurt to walk the rest of our trip! Just want you to know you're not alone out there!

I'm sorry to hear you had so many problems on your trip though! I hope you had a couple nice moments though, and you're still itching to go back!!

You are KIDDING ME! I was thinking about you, too, wondering how you were managing everything with your back! Did you end up getting an ECV?

We did have some nice moments, and as far as itching to go back ... well ... you'll have to read the TR to see!

I'm so sorry your trip wasn't better, but glad to hear that you got to enjoy some of it and that there were some CMs who contributed a bit of magic.



Do what works for you. I know I'm eager to read your trip report, and I'm sure I'm not alone, but if it's too hard to write right now, your impatient fans will survive. Maybe, after time gives you some distance and the disappointment isn't so keen, you could write up the TR for this one in your PTR for the next one! Or not. I do think others could learn from your experience, but if you're not ready, you're not ready. Plus, if you think it'd be helpful to others, you might be a better "teacher" after you process it for yourself a bit.

Take care of yourself -- and even if you don't do the trip report, let us know how your ankle is doing and how you're recovering and all, if you're wiling. But only if that is what seems best for you. Physical pain and such a disappointment deserves all the pampering you can muster.

Thank you for all the kind words. I'm going to go ahead and do a TR, but I'm afraid it won't be very exciting. Lots of sitting around and eating, mostly!

Oh no! I would still read your trip report. You'll be in mine!

Meghan, it was so great to meet you and your family! Your kids are so cute and your DH so nice. Sorry we didn't get to hang together more. Hope you enjoyed the remainder of your trip!

 

[BearcatsFan]

Note: There were very few pictures taken on this trip, so there aren't many to post. Lots of things went wrong. If you're someone who only wants to read about good experiences and none of the bad, you may not want to read any further.

Saturday, September 15th - Departure Day!

The day started out super early. We had the alarm set for 5:00 a.m., but I woke up around 4:45. Too excited to sleep! We had the majority of everything in the livingroom already, waiting and ready to go.

Our nephew arrived at 6:15 to take us to CVG for our flight. We like arriving at the airport super early, and since I was on crutches we knew it would take even longer to get through security, etc.

DH had called Delta on Thursday to let them know I'd need a wheelchair assist for arrivals and departures. We got to the airport a little after 7 a.m. Guess what? There's no wheelchair waiting. We check with the skycap - they don't know anything about it. There is, however, a note in the computer preventing us from checking in curbside, so we had to go in and wait in a forever long line to check in inside. The skycap directed us to some wheelchairs, so DH went over and grabbed one for me. An offer of help was never given - just a quick finger point to where the wheelchairs were parked.

Mind you, we have two large suitcases to check, two carry-ons, a c-pap machine carry-on, and me on crutches ... So here's my hubby, trying to carry as much as he can AND push me in the wheelchair. See how the trip started?

We finally get through the check-in line (our bags came in under weight, thank goodness! ), and the counter guy says he has no idea why we couldn't check in outside - he can't find any note. Oooookay. He offers to get someone to push me so DH can handle the carry-on stuff. We wait 20 minutes. No-one ever shows up, he doesn't know why, we can't wait any longer. We finally move on to security by ourselves with the carry-ons piled in my lap, me carrying the crutches, and DH pushing the whole shebang.

We get to security and they don't know what to do with me since I can't physically stand to go through the checkpoint without the crutches. My crutches went down the line and were inspected, rubbed with the explosives wipes, etc. ... but they still didn't want to let me use them to get through. After 4 TSA agents stood around scratching their heads ("Well, she can't do the body scan because of the crutches. And she can't walk through the metal detector with the crutches, either." ), I finally requested the pat-down. I figured it was probably the only way we were going to get through there.

They quickly wheel me into a separate closed room and do the pat-down with me holding onto the edge of a table for balance. Meanwhile, I've parted ways with my purse and everything else - DH is having issues of his own getting through security - so all our stuff is just hanging out at the end of the conveyor waiting for us. DH had no idea where I had gone - he lost track of me - so he's asking everyone where his wife is ... and the rest of the security agents have no idea. I had been whisked away so fast by 2 TSA agents that the rest of them didn't know where I had gone. This causes a commotion, naturally, until they wheel me out of the private screening room and everyone figures out where everyone else is.

We finally arrive at the gate and talk to two of the sweetest gate agents ever! They called ahead to MCO to make sure there would be a wheelchair assist waiting for me and got us pre-boarded quickly. The flight was great and we arrived in Florida right on time at Noon.

The wheelchair assist was indeed waiting for us. She was a chatty, friendly girl of about 21 who was working her way through college by working at the airport. She was super helpful and so nice! She took us down to baggage claim then on to the rental car counter to pick up our chariot for the week. We ended up in a very clean, very small, Mazda2. We're looking at this thing going ... how in the world are we going to get our luggage in there? Yeah, it was that little!

So we crammed everything into this tiny little car, hooked up our GPS, and off we went to spend two days with my in-laws.

 

[reyasmommy]

Note: There were very few pictures taken on this trip, so there aren't many to post. Lots of things went wrong. If you're someone who only wants to read about good experiences and none of the bad, you may not want to read any further.

Saturday, September 15th - Departure Day!

The day started out super early. We had the alarm set for 5:00 a.m., but I woke up around 4:45. Too excited to sleep! We had the majority of everything in the livingroom already, waiting and ready to go.

Our nephew arrived at 6:15 to take us to CVG for our flight. We like arriving at the airport super early, and since I was on crutches we knew it would take even longer to get through security, etc.

DH had called Delta on Thursday to let them know I'd need a wheelchair assist for arrivals and departures. We got to the airport a little after 7 a.m. Guess what? There's no wheelchair waiting. We check with the skycap - they don't know anything about it. There is, however, a note in the computer preventing us from checking in curbside, so we had to go in and wait in a forever long line to check in inside. The skycap directed us to some wheelchairs, so DH went over and grabbed one for me. An offer of help was never given - just a quick finger point to where the wheelchairs were parked.

Mind you, we have two large suitcases to check, two carry-ons, a c-pap machine carry-on, and me on crutches ... So here's my hubby, trying to carry as much as he can AND push me in the wheelchair. See how the trip started?

We finally get through the check-in line (our bags came in under weight, thank goodness! ), and the counter guy says he has no idea why we couldn't check in outside - he can't find any note. Oooookay. He offers to get someone to push me so DH can handle the carry-on stuff. We wait 20 minutes. No-one ever shows up, he doesn't know why, we can't wait any longer. We finally move on to security by ourselves with the carry-ons piled in my lap, me carrying the crutches, and DH pushing the whole shebang.

We get to security and they don't know what to do with me since I can't physically stand to go through the checkpoint without the crutches. My crutches went down the line and were inspected, rubbed with the explosives wipes, etc. ... but they still didn't want to let me use them to get through. After 4 TSA agents stood around scratching their heads ("Well, she can't do the body scan because of the crutches. And she can't walk through the metal detector with the crutches, either." ), I finally requested the pat-down. I figured it was probably the only way we were going to get through there.

They quickly wheel me into a separate closed room and do the pat-down with me holding onto the edge of a table for balance. Meanwhile, I've parted ways with my purse and everything else - DH is having issues of his own getting through security - so all our stuff is just hanging out at the end of the conveyor waiting for us. DH had no idea where I had gone - he lost track of me - so he's asking everyone where his wife is ... and the rest of the security agents have no idea. I had been whisked away so fast by 2 TSA agents that the rest of them didn't know where I had gone. This causes a commotion, naturally, until they wheel me out of the private screening room and everyone figures out where everyone else is.

We finally arrive at the gate and talk to two of the sweetest gate agents ever! They called ahead to MCO to make sure there would be a wheelchair assist waiting for me and got us pre-boarded quickly. The flight was great and we arrived in Florida right on time at Noon.

The wheelchair assist was indeed waiting for us. She was a chatty, friendly girl of about 21 who was working her way through college by working at the airport. She was super helpful and so nice! She took us down to baggage claim then on to the rental car counter to pick up our chariot for the week. We ended up in a very clean, very small, Mazda2. We're looking at this thing going ... how in the world are we going to get our luggage in there? Yeah, it was that little!

So we crammed everything into this tiny little car, hooked up our GPS, and off we went to spend two days with my in-laws.

You poor thing. . I knew your foot was bad, but I honestly didn't know it was that BAD! did the doctor at least give you some pain medication before you left? Well I'm still looking forward to more my darling.

 

[emmysmommy]

Oh darn! I am so sorry that things did not live up to the anticipation and expectation of having an enjoyable trip! I can picture you sighing and saying to the TSA agents, just pat me down already! That stinks that Delta let you down with no wheelchair waiting.

I wish you had a different outcome from your trip but I hope you foot continues to heal. (Scary thing about the falls, I hope you didn't injury yourself more!)

 

[shalom]

Wow. Delta's initial incompetence only matched by the TSA's -- not looking good for Delta. And at least you could take charge of the situation with the TSAs -- you wouldn't think people in wheelchairs who couldn't walk without crutches would be that big a mystery to them.

Glad that the gate agents set stuff up for you in Orlando. Guess Delta has some good people. Also glad that the wheelchair attendant was chipper -- that makes it so much easier, in my experience. Getting pushed by, not just a stranger, but a morose stranger is a major drag. The few times I've been forced into that situation, I'm always scared I'll get someone totally patronizing, but haven't dealt with that yet.

A Mazda would not be my first choice if I was dealing with crutches. Although neither would a van you have to climb into.... Rent A Wreck might've been the way to go; both times we used them, we got a big ol' boat of a car that would have been perfect. Actually, while I can't remember how far a drive it was to visit your in-laws, considering gas prices lately, probably just as well you got a Mazda.

I'd love to see some pictures, but you're a good story teller, so I'm not really missing them, if you see the difference. So not the trip report you'd hoped for (or the one I'd hoped for, either!), but still interesting.

 

[marymac123]

I am sorry that your trip wasn't what you planned. That really does stink. Hopefully, you can laugh about it later when it doesn't hurt so much. We had a bad trip in 2009-our first family trip ever-I can only chuckle about it now

I know you said you didn't do parks and I didn't think about it until later on the bus...I think my DD7 on our way to the busses from Epcot almost ran into you and your DH She never watches where she is walking.

 

[mxkris]

Oh gosh! Already off to an interesting start!! Don;t worry, I'm a bad trip reporter too! I didn;t get nearly as many pictures as I wanted! I didn't want to lug around my good camera (Nikon d40) and my little Nikon wasn't taking good pictures (they looked blurry on the screen anyway.. so I didn't take very many.. So my TR won't be very interesting either!

 

[BearcatsFan]

You poor thing. I knew your foot was bad, but I honestly didn't know it was that BAD! did the doctor at least give you some pain medication before you left? Well I'm still looking forward to more my darling.

I am taking tons of Vitamin I (otherwise known as Ibuprofen ), but other than that, no pain meds. Since I couldn't use the walking cast, I had to use the crutches. CVG is a big airport, no way I could get through the place without a wheelchair.

Stay tuned ... more to come.

Oh darn! I am so sorry that things did not live up to the anticipation and expectation of having an enjoyable trip! I can picture you sighing and saying to the TSA agents, just pat me down already! That stinks that Delta let you down with no wheelchair waiting.

I wish you had a different outcome from your trip but I hope you foot continues to heal. (Scary thing about the falls, I hope you didn't injury yourself more!)

Yeah, that's pretty much how it went ... pat me down so I can move on and get my vacation started already!

Thanks for the well wishes!

Wow. Delta's initial incompetence only matched by the TSA's -- not looking good for Delta. And at least you could take charge of the situation with the TSAs -- you wouldn't think people in wheelchairs who couldn't walk without crutches would be that big a mystery to them.

Glad that the gate agents set stuff up for you in Orlando. Guess Delta has some good people. Also glad that the wheelchair attendant was chipper -- that makes it so much easier, in my experience. Getting pushed by, not just a stranger, but a morose stranger is a major drag. The few times I've been forced into that situation, I'm always scared I'll get someone totally patronizing, but haven't dealt with that yet.

A Mazda would not be my first choice if I was dealing with crutches. Although neither would a van you have to climb into.... Rent A Wreck might've been the way to go; both times we used them, we got a big ol' boat of a car that would have been perfect. Actually, while I can't remember how far a drive it was to visit your in-laws, considering gas prices lately, probably just as well you got a Mazda.

I'd love to see some pictures, but you're a good story teller, so I'm not really missing them, if you see the difference. So not the trip report you'd hoped for (or the one I'd hoped for, either!), but still interesting.

We were thinking the exact same thing - surely I am not the first person to come through in a wheelchair who cannot stand or walk without crutches. Everyone was super nice - no fault with them in that area whatsoever - it was more of a what-do-we-do-with-her kind of thing.

The Mazda2 was indeed fantastic on gas. I think all said and done with all the running we did, we only put $15 back in to fill it up before we returned it. Not too shabby considering we ran the wheels off of it!

There will be a few photos, not to worry - just not as many as I had hoped. The stupid camera really let me down with the night-time ones, so all the MNSSHP ones I have are horrible and blurry. I do have some good ones of both hotel rooms, though!

I am sorry that your trip wasn't what you planned. That really does stink. Hopefully, you can laugh about it later when it doesn't hurt so much. We had a bad trip in 2009-our first family trip ever-I can only chuckle about it now

I know you said you didn't do parks and I didn't think about it until later on the bus...I think my DD7 on our way to the busses from Epcot almost ran into you and your DH She never watches where she is walking.

Thank you. We know things could have been much, much worse. Right now, it's more of a we spent soooo much money and didn't really get to do anything kind of thing. We know, however, others have had far worse problems than we had, so we're trying to count ourselves lucky. In the end, at least we got to go on vacation.

Nope, wasn't us you nearly ran into! We did no parks other than MK for MNSSHP night on 09/21.

 

[BearcatsFan]

Oh gosh! Already off to an interesting start!! Don;t worry, I'm a bad trip reporter too! I didn;t get nearly as many pictures as I wanted! I didn't want to lug around my good camera (Nikon d40) and my little Nikon wasn't taking good pictures (they looked blurry on the screen anyway.. so I didn't take very many.. So my TR won't be very interesting either!

At least I won't be alone with the photo-less TR! I did get some good ones of the insides of hotel rooms though, being as I spent soooo much time there!

 

[BearcatsFan]

Saturday, September 15 & Sunday, September 16

These two days were reserved specifically for spending time with my hubby's family. We generally only get to see them once a year when we go South. They don't come North very often, so it's always important to both of us to make time to visit whenever we go to Florida.

I guess I'm one of those lucky people who have great in-laws. My brother-in-law really is like a big brother to me, and we get along well. Love spending time with the whole family, including his girlfriend, and I love getting to see how much our great-nieces have grown since our last visit.

Unfortunately, his girlfriend was unable to spend a lot of time with us this time around due to previous family commitments of her own. Kind of a bummer for DH and I because we were really looking forward to getting to know her better, but we understood. Sometimes where family is concerned, you gotta strike when the iron's hot.

"Family Time" mostly consists of hanging out, talking, and just being together. We do a lot of eating, too. Last year when we were there, BIL & girlfriend, DH and I went to Daytona together and had a ball. Unfortunately, it was hard to plan something like that this year with the crutches and all, so we ended up just sticking close to home and really having some quality time together.

My BIL grilled a very nice steak dinner for us on Sunday night, and his daughter and her children came over to eat as well. Didn't have to say goodbye to her that night as we knew we were getting together later in the week.

It was very hard saying goodbye and goodnight at the same time on Sunday night to my BIL, knowing he would be leaving for work before we got up the following morning. Big hugs all around, and everyone went to bed pretty late.

We planned to be up fairly early the following morning ... to head to POFQ!

 

[emmysmommy]

Awww at least you had some good quality time (and great steak dinner) with your in-laws!

Despite the less than wonderful trip you have a great attitude.

 

[BearcatsFan]

Awww at least you had some good quality time (and great steak dinner) with your in-laws!

Despite the less than wonderful trip you have a great attitude.

Most definitely! Always enjoy the time with the in-laws.

I'm trying to keep things in check. I knew things wouldn't be perfect - no trip is ever perfect. And despite all that went wrong, we weren't at home and we were fortunate enough to be able to take a vacation this year. That puts things somewhat into perspective for me.

 

[BearcatsFan]

Monday, September 17th

This day started out early. We wanted to miss rush hour traffic (which as you all know is horrible in Orlando ), but still be able to make it to POFQ by 10 a.m. to pick up my rented scooter. As we were preparing to leave, my BIL's girlfriend offered to make us breakfast (she had come in late the night before), but we declined. We did hang out with her for a little while and chat, though. She's a really neat person and interesting to talk to.

We ended up stopping at a nearby McDonald's and went through the drive-thru for some breakfast. We were packed into our little clown car like two sardines with all of our luggage, so eating in there was a challenge. We managed, though, and were on our way to WDW!

We had gotten directions avoiding I-4 using backroads, so we arrived at the entrance to FQ fairly quickly. The gate guard was very nice and told us to enjoy our vacation, and then directed us to check-in.

We arrived at check-in around 10:20. There was no-one at the front desk area, but a very nice lady at the concierge desk motioned us over and said she could take care of us. We chatted with her for a while, and I asked her what my chances were of getting a handicapped-accessible room since I had not requested one. Being on the crutches, I thought the seat in the shower would have been much easier than trying to climb in and out of the tub.

She checked our room assignment, smiled and said, "You have a great room. I wouldn't recommend giving this up if you think you can handle a regular step-in tub. I can check on a HA room for you, but I really think you're going to like where you are."

That got me thinking. She didn't say directly and I didn't ask, but I wondered if I had gotten one or more of my room requests. I decided to roll the dice and go with our original assignment. I figured if I couldn't do the tub, I could always move to a HA room later if one was available. I took our KTTW cards and the other paperwork she gave me - DH had picked up the scooter - and off we went to find our room.

First of all, if you've never stayed at FQ, you have to understand that it is truly a beautiful place. It's set up like a small complex with streets and sidewalks with a beautiful fountain in the center. Everything is close and convenient. There's wrought iron everywhere, and the styling of the whole resort is gorgeous. The pool area is really cute with tons of chairs. We were drinking in the atmosphere on our way to our room.

I did not do online check-in or fax anything to the resort. I had (3) room requests noted on our reservation to go along with our king bed booking category:
1) Quiet Location
2) Top Floor
3) River View

Guess what? WE GOT THEM ALL!

We were in Building 1, top floor, Room #1332 (which is a corner unit), facing the Sassagoula River. I have photos of our view and room, but I can't seem to get Photobucket to work for me today. I'll add the pics as soon as I can get them to load.

NOW I understood what the concierge lady meant! She said this room had been recently remodeled and was larger than a traditional king. Know how usually you go into a room and the door is off-set, kind of kitty-corner to the adjoining unit's door? Usually that means you have an odd cutoff corner where your door is. Well, the door for this unit was flat on the front of the building, and our room was perfectly square. It seemed to make the room much, much larger not having that odd corner with the door, even though in reality it was probably only a foot or two.

The room was spotlessly clean, and we had not one, but TWO towel animals waiting. (Again, I have photos ... ) Bathroom and vanity area were very, very clean also. There wasn't a spot of dust or mold anywhere.

The decor of the room is really beautiful, and I loved the double vanity. There was ample space for storing our bags, putting away what snacks we had brought with us, and plenty of drawer space for our clothes. The vanity area provided room for all of our personal items on a shelf below the sinks.

We were provided with H20+ bath products in "Blushing Orange" scent. There was separate shampoo and conditioner, as well as facial and body bars of soap.

And now a word about the bathroom: TINY! As in, miniscule. Meaning, you need to close the door before you sit on the john because you won't be able to close it once you sit down. That kind of tiny. Almost like an afterthought, as in "Well, we have to give them somewhere to shower ... oh yeah, and they'll need a toilet, too." Very clean, but oh so small.

We spent a little while getting settled into the room and decorating both windows (I only brought enough window clings for 1 window, so I had to really space them out to do both), then we headed off to check out the food court for lunch (click for review).

------------------------------------------------------------

Up next ... the rest of WDW Day 1 and my first surprise!

 

[shalom]

"Family Time" mostly consists of hanging out, talking, and just being together. We do a lot of eating, too.

That's the way we are, too. Mostly. My SIL (brother's wife) and her daughter get antsy and have to to "go and do" a lot more than the rest of us; sometimes some of us go with them and sometimes we don't.

I had (3) room requests noted on our reservation to go along with our king bed booking category:
1) Quiet Location
2) Top Floor
3) River View

Guess what? WE GOT THEM ALL!

And a corner unit to boot? I was thinking that POFQ would be a great choice for someone who is on crutches or a wheel chair -- top floor, not so much. Do they have elevators? We've been there but not stayed there.

I think the Port Orleans resorts are both beautiful, but I've often wondered whether I'd like the rooms. I think we're too spoiled by condos, but if hubby and I are ever down there with just one or two kids, we're totally going to try one of them out, and your "wants" list is the same as mine! I'd put River View second, though. Plus I'd love to get a corner unit, of course, but didn't plan on listing that when I've already got three requests going.

 

[CatNipRules]

I love the way your husband's family is close to you. I love my in-laws and they are wonderful.

I love that you got all of your requests!! That's awesome. I don't have any requests. LOL!

Can't wait to read more!!

 

[BearcatsFan]

That's the way we are, too. Mostly. My SIL (brother's wife) and her daughter get antsy and have to to "go and do" a lot more than the rest of us; sometimes some of us go with them and sometimes we don't.

And a corner unit to boot? I was thinking that POFQ would be a great choice for someone who is on crutches or a wheel chair -- top floor, not so much. Do they have elevators? We've been there but not stayed there.

I think the Port Orleans resorts are both beautiful, but I've often wondered whether I'd like the rooms. I think we're too spoiled by condos, but if hubby and I are ever down there with just one or two kids, we're totally going to try one of them out, and your "wants" list is the same as mine! I'd put River View second, though. Plus I'd love to get a corner unit, of course, but didn't plan on listing that when I've already got three requests going.

POFQ is beautiful, as is the outside of POR (didn't get to go inside there, but we went by many times). FQ definitely has elevators. I was hoping by putting the requests in the way I did that I'd get them all - I assumed "Quiet Location" would be one of the furthest out buildings (ie: river front) that others wouldn't be requesting since most people would rather have close-in to the main area. I never would have imagined getting the room we got, though - a little bit of pixie dust for sure!

If you're used to having a condo, going down to being in one room would probably be a squeeze. Maybe you could try it just for a night, though.

I love the way your husband's family is close to you. I love my in-laws and they are wonderful.

I love that you got all of your requests!! That's awesome. I don't have any requests. LOL!

Can't wait to read more!!

Even if you have no requests, I promise there's really no "bad" area at FQ. Even from Building 1, it took us only 5 minutes to get to the main building where the food court and everything else was. It's a really lovely place!

 

[BearcatsFan]

Monday, September 17 (continued)

After lunch in the FQ food court, DH hustled me back to the room as quickly as he could. He kept saying he had to go somewhere and take care of something. He deposited me in the room and took off to parts unknown.

The room was pretty cold, so I decided to turn the thermostat up a little to make the air conditioner turn off. I bumped it up about 5 degrees (it was set on 69!), then went to the vanity area to start organizing our crap.

After a few minutes, I started noticing this hot electrical smell ... you know what I'm talking about, like something's about to catch on fire! I hobbled over to the phone and called the "front desk". I told them I smelled something hot, really hot, definitely electrical, could they send someone up to check it out? She said they'd get maintenance up "right away" to see what was going on.

Meanwhile, the smell is filling the room. I'm sure it has something to do with the air conditioner, so I hobble back over to the thermostat and turn it to OFF. I propped the door open to let some fresh air in because the smell was getting so thick in there it was unbearable!

I waited. And I waited. And I waited for maintenance to show up. You'd think when someone says the words, "hot" "electrical" "smoke smell", that it would light a fire under someone, wouldn't you? (no pun intended) I even called my hubby to ask him what I should do - by that time, I'd evacuated the room because the smell was so bad I couldn't take it anymore. He said to give them 5 more minutes, then call again.

When maintenance finally showed up, he said this was a common problem. When you turn the air up, it actually kicks the HEAT ON, and that makes a smoky electrical smell come out of the very cold air conditioner. He never even looked at it! His advice? Turn the unit OFF if we don't like how cold it is in the room. Okey-dokey.

DH showed up nearly at the same time as the maintenance guy, and he wanted to take the boat to Downtown Disney. He thought it would be fun, and it was! There were only a few seats left on the boat, but everyone waiting at FQ, including us, was able to get on. We took the gentle cruise to DTD and just people watched for a little while before it was time to head to our ADR at T-Rex. It had taken DH forever out doing ... whatever he was doing ... so we didn't have time to do any shopping before time to eat.

We arrived at our ADR 15 minutes early, and were seated right away. We really enjoyed the meal, but DH was continually checking his watch the entire time and I couldn't figure out why. Our meal came out, he checked his watch. Dessert came out, he checked his watch. The bill came, he checked his watch.

We left T-Rex (click for review) to rumbles of thunder and HUGE flashes of lightening! All of a sudden, hubby was in a massive hurry to get back to the resort. As in, he wants me to put the ECV on "rabbit" and "run" back to the boat.

We weave our way through the crowds of people (not on "rabbit" mode by any stretch of the imagination). We finally get back to the boat dock ... it's closed because of the weather. DH asked someone nearby where the bus stop was. They directed us and off we went again. Meanwhile, I'm asking why we have to go so fast! Why can't we enjoy DTD some more, do some shopping, etc. "Never you mind!" was his gruff reply. Okay then!

We make it to the bus stop, and the bus to FQ is waiting. The driver helped me load the ECV and showed me where to sit. Hubby asks him, "Are you going DIRECTLY to French Quarter or are you making other stops?" "No sir, I'm going directly to FQ." That seemed to appease DH for the moment.

We ended up being seated across from a couple celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary! We made pleasant conversation with them ... until the driver made another loop through DTD to pick up more people. Well, my husband nearly came unglued! I've never seen him like that before - antsy and anxious and so worked up! He was actually sweating by this point in time ... what the heck? I was seriously starting to think he had lost his mind along with his cool.

Finally we got on our way again - hubby's checking his watch every 30 or so seconds - and we arrive at French Quarter quickly. We say goodbye and best wishes to the happy couple, and off we go at last, much to my hubby's relief.

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Up next ... my first surprise!

 

[CatNipRules]

Oh my goodness!! I can just picture your husband coming unglued!! LOL!! I love the put the ECV on rabbit and run comment!! Is it bad that I'm laughing hysterically at that one? LOL!!

I had a feeling that was what was up with the ac. It happens to us every time we turn on our ac after the winter or the heater after the ac has been on all winter. Sometimes it's so bad that I have to leave the house. The first time it happened I swore that the house had caught fire. LOL!!

I'm still laughing at the picture that you painted of your DH....

Can't wait for more!! LOL!!