„Did you feel pressured to provide only EXCELLENT ratings?“

[MAGICFOR2]

Great pics of the landmarks from your approach! Too bad about the long lines once you landed, and missing MK. Yay for Hot doughnuts!

 

[jedijill]

Thanks for waiting to post your updat so I didn't get so far behind!

I hate standing in car rental lines.... You just want to get on the road and I swear they always move at a snails pace!

Those doughnuts look mighty good right now!

Jill in CO

 

[annmarieda]

for an update!!! I am glad you got food on the plane right before your descent into Orlando. Sounds like you had a bit of a wait till you got to those doughnuts!

for arriving!!!

 

[pas130]

YAY an update!! Sorry the First Class VIP treatment ended at MCO. HATE long rental care lines (and I've never had to travel internationally). Hooray for Krispy Kremes and heading home

The "fake" monorail is how we know we are "home" and of course the palm trees!!!

 

[dizneeat]

Yay! An update!

Hope Tom is doing better!

Boo to a long immigration line and a long wait for the car. Sometimes we are able to get our car so fast its ridiculous. I am still waiting for luggage and Denny already has it. Other times it take FOR-EVER!

Yay for Krispy Kreme and a trip to the MK!

Yes, it has been a long time since I posted updates, but my DIStime was just non existant lately.

Tom is doing better, thank you Mary Ellen!

The thing is that there are three planes coming in around the same time. Lufthansa and two British planes, now, if Lufthansa is on time, then we are in first and no long lines. But this time one of the British planes had come in before us because of our delay.
I was sure we were cutting it close with going to the MK and was hoping for a short line at Hertz, but NO, long line that didn't move at all.
And I only chose Hertz (which was more expensive) as they had been so quick renting out cars.

Loved the pictures of your decent, nothing greater than seeing those familiar surroundings to know your almost "home".

You are so right, once you are closing in on the coastline and can see the Assembly Building, than you know you are "almost" home.

We have never rented a car at the airport so I have no idea how the whole process works, but what I do know, I just want to get to my hotel and I'm sure that's what you were thinking as well

We always rent a car at the airport. Coming from the other side of the pond we want to go offsite and check out malls or drive to other sights. Last year in February we booked with Dollar (here in Europe - voucher was paid for) and it took FOREVER to get our car, especially since they wanted to sell us more insurances and we had already paid for them when purchasing the voucher. In the summer we rented from Hertz and it was a breeze. Walked up to the counter, handed over the voucher (same system), signed and off we went. This year everything had changed.

Oh, that soup looks beyond delicious!

The soup was really delicious, the salad not so much. But it gave us a good excuse to go and get some doughnuts.

Great pics of the landmarks from your approach! Too bad about the long lines once you landed, and missing MK. Yay for Hot doughnuts!

We love to see the coastline and the landmarks from the air. Signs of arrival.

I guess missing MK made sense, as I would have had to use a one day ticket for an hour and a half and we had missed one of the FP+ already.
AND we had time to drive to KK for some yummy doughnuts.

Thanks for waiting to post your updat so I didn't get so far behind!

The things I do for you, Jill!
Somehow my time just seemed to tick away faster than usual and I never got around to do much posting. But Tom's back, things are going back to normal and you should expect a few more updates soon.

I hate standing in car rental lines.... You just want to get on the road and I swear they always move at a snails pace!

At least they did this time. I kid you not, but there was a couple at the far right counter and they had been there before we got in line and were still there when we left, MORE than an hour later. We kept joking with the man behind us that they were renting the whole fleet.

Those doughnuts look mighty good right now!

Jill in CO

KK were a perfect reward for waiting in line twice!

 

[NOKA06]

Karin, thank you for the new trip report!!! I think my husband and I are addicted to yours!LOL

 

[dizneeat]

for an update!!! I am glad you got food on the plane right before your descent into Orlando. Sounds like you had a bit of a wait till you got to those doughnuts!

for arriving!!!

Immigration and picking up our rental took quite a bit longer than we had wished for, but in the end the reward - KK - was worth it.

YAY an update!! Sorry the First Class VIP treatment ended at MCO. HATE long rental care lines (and I've never had to travel internationally). Hooray for Krispy Kremes and heading home

The "fake" monorail is how we know we are "home" and of course the palm trees!!!

Yes, finally!
The VIP treatment had to end somewhere and it was better that it ended at MCO than at home.
I think the rental lines can be hit or miss, but this time they took extra long to get their cars rented out.

Karin, thank you for the new trip report!!! I think my husband and I are addicted to yours!LOL

Welcome!
I am very happy to hear that you and your DH enjoy the TRs. I promise to speed up a bit from now on.

 

[pas130]

Yes, finally!
The VIP treatment had to end somewhere and it was better that it ended at MCO than at home.
I think the rental lines can be hit or miss, but this time they took extra long to get their cars rented out.

 

[dizneeat]

Day 1, February 15

Here we go again ……….. - Part 5

We were definitely on the course to our home away from home for the first night.
A few minutes later we turned into the Villas at the Grand Floridian parking lot. We had to stop at the security booth and showed our paperwork and were directed towards the villas.
Never having been a huge fan of the Grand Floridian, to say I was thoroughly impressed would be an understatement. The building looked absolutely beautiful. We drove right up to the building looking for either someone to help with luggage or a spot to stop to do the check-in, but we did not see either. So we just drove to the parking lot, found a spot and headed towards the entrance.
Tom had suggested to take all our luggage with us right away but I just didn’t feel like it, so we only took our carry-ons and we were lucky we just did that. It was now way past 10pm and we walked up to the Villas and that was it. The doors would not open, the desks inside were empty and we were a bit stunned.
Entrance was only granted if you used your Magicbands, but we still needed to pick those up. Finally there was a family coming back, so we were able to enter. Well, to just leave again by the back door when we discovered that the check-in desk at the villas was only open until 10pm.
So we rolled our carry-ons over to the Grand Floridian, via the covered walkway. By that time I was getting a little annoyed and all it would take would be a snarky cast member checking us in and they would spoil our first day. When we entered there was no line and the cast member checking us in still had so much energy and was so super friendly that our mood instantly changed again. She explained the Magicbands and checked both of them, so they would work and we just had to change our security code on them as I was no longer sure what I had picked. I quickly asked if she could help us with the retrieval of our Owner’s Locker box and she promised to call bell services right away. And about 5 minutes after we had walked up to the desk we were already on our way back to the villas.
I had paid for lake view and asked for a higher floor and had been granted our wish, our room would be on the 6th floor. Tom used his Magicband to open the door into the building and off we went into the elevator.



Only now was I able to take in how cute the lobby actually is











and the fountain is just so beautiful, but we were now on our way to our room. Again, Tom opened the door





with his Magicband and we were stunned.











We really loved what we saw. The bathroom was awesome,





















even more so when we discovered that the bathroom mirror actually included a TV as well.



There were a separate shower and a bathtub in the other bathroom. Only downer was the door lock between the two rooms, you need to press a button, then slide the door, which resulted in nearly locking myself.

To be continued ............ ​

 

[dizneeat]

Day 1, February 15

Here we go again ……….. - Part 6

Only downer was the door lock between the two rooms, you need to press a button, then slide the door, which resulted in nearly locking myself.
They were definitely generous with the necessities of soap and shampoo.





Next up was the little kitchenette, which had everything we would need including coffee maker and fridge.







The room itself was new and beautiful, loved the bedrunner and towel Mickey, there was a nice sofa and a table with chairs and a HUGE TV.













But what would our view be? So out on the balcony we went







and saw …… the Contemporary in the distance.



Okay, now we were completely sold.

To be continued ............ ​

 

[dizneeat]

Day 1, February 15

Here we go again ……….. - Part 7

Okay, now we were completely sold.
But there was still our luggage, which needed to be rearranged, in the car. Should we wait for our Owner’s Locker to be delivered and then head down or would there be enough time before it was delivered.
Tom then decided that he would pop down to the car and get as much as he could carry while I waited for our Owner’s Locker. So off he went



and while he was gone I remembered that there were no drawers under the TV, but something else, so I opened it up and there was the cutest bed in there.















I loved the mural on the back wall and the whole bed in general, but it might become a hazard if there are really 5 people in the room and the bed is out. Should someone need to go to the bathroom the bed is a real tripping hazard. No problem for us, we would not need it, but I kept it out to show Tom. After a while he returned with some of our stuff. I had hoped that I would be able to come along for the second round of luggage to be picked up, but so far still no Owner’s Locker box. Tom suggested I call again and that’s what I did, only to hear that they would NOW send someone up. So Tom went down again to get the rest of our stuff and he took my camera with him to take a photo of the fountain outside the resort.



He soon came back from the parking lot and just a little later our Owner’s Locker was delivered.
And by now it was 11.30 and no way would we have used two one day tickets for just a ride or two. So we stayed in, laid the table and had our first, rather very traditional US (for us) vacation dinner.







We watched a little TV while we were dining and were quite happy with our decision to stay in. After dinner we even sat out on the balcony for a short while















before we got too tired and went to bed.

To be continued ............ ​

 

[KatMark]

Wow, when you update, you really update, Karin!

I'm glad your flight wasn't too late, but sorry you had to face lines for customs.

And then another long line for the car. I wrote a long letter after Mark's business trip in March about the long lines (which was a combination of being told to go one place and then them not finding what they had seen in the computer in another line and it taking us almost an hour to get our car; and, now that I think about it, I never did hear back from them).

Yay for Krispy Kreme.

Mark has always hated the GF (I'm not a fan either), but when he saw that Dumbo headboard he said he might reconsider. I doubt we will, but I do love that headboard!

A very nice view indeed.

 

[dizneeat]

Mark has always hated the GF (I'm not a fan either), but when he saw that Dumbo headboard he said he might reconsider. I doubt we will, but I do love that headboard!

A very nice view indeed.

Kathy, I was no fan of the GF either, but since we were able to snag the room for one night we gave it a go and I guess we are converts. The DVC building doesn't look as "stuffy" as the "hotel" does. It is beautiful. The room was awesome - LARGE!!

But the funniest thing was, when I opened up that bed, all I thought was "Mark would LOVE that!" So, he was on our mind!

 

[jenseib]

My parents had a bad experience with Hertz this last trip and they will never rent from them again. The people working were rude and basically called them liars. the lines were long and they ended up charging them twice as much as what we reserved it for (Under a friends and family rate and they told my parents they were liars and not related). I am going to write a letter and so is my mom. they even called me on the phone and were rude to me as well.

Your room looks fabulous. I just heard recently about the 10pm closing for the DVC resort areas. I had not known that before either.

I agree, going to Mk that late probably would have been a waste.

Claire and I parked at the GF one day for her tea party and they had us right over by the villas and I was tempted to go in and look, but we just didn't have enough time when we arrived to do so. I did get a picture of that fountain as well.

 

[podsnel]

Those villas are so incredibly beautiful- the color palette is beyond gorgeous! The referbed rooms in the hotel are also quite lovely.

Your plane was so cool! I have never been on such a huge plane- and the food they serve on Luftahnsa looks so good!

So sorry about immigration and customs- it really is not a lot of fun at ALL when it is crowded, and when its late.

 

[Teri1]

I love the pictures of your villa and the view from the balcony!

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[HowieHowie]

Karin, I'm way behind in your TR, but took time tonight to catch up.

Wow...That's some food you got on your flight...looks delicious

I hope Tom is feeling much better with his treatments, please send him our regards. I LOVE the scenery pictures by his spa. You know I love the alps.

Great pictures on your approach. I hate car rental lines. We always have a line, then we always have some type of problem when it is our turn. For some reason it's never an easy process for us, even though I have all my documents.

YAY for Krispy Creme! Howie always has to take the long way and go under the Walt Disney arch. He says he isn't in Disney until he drives under that sign!!

I love the lobby. Your room is beautiful and what a wonderful view you had. I think we will have to go visit there in July. Maybe I'll convince Howie to take a tour of the villas.

 

[JKSWonder]

That Villa bathroom is awesome! And I love the cute pull out bed. Dumbo is one of my favorites. I used to sing "Baby Mine" to my children when they were infants. Every time I hear the song now, I tear up. (I was a complete mess when they played the song in one of the shows on the Fantasy!)

 

[franandaj]

I'm all caught up and you just finished your first day. I love flying First/Business Class. We are lucky that we have enough Frequent Flyer miles that we can do it, but we've never had meals that looked as good as what you were served.

Love the pictures from the Grand Floridian Villas! We'll be staying there in about 7 weeks! Looks beautiful from the pictures! I'm sure they're even better in person.

I chuckle at the way you two hit Krispy Kreme every time you come to the US, I would imagine with all the fancy pastries you have in your home country, the donuts would pale in comparison.

Looking forward to hearing more!

I'm glad that Tom is home and you are getting back to normal life.

 

[MEK]

Yay for finally arriving and checking into the VGF! Aren't those rooms outstanding? My only complaint is I would like more draw space. Not having drawers is just an excuse for Denny to leave everything all over the floors!

What a lovely view!

And your snacks look so yummy! What a relaxing first night!