3 sisters + 2 worlds=5 days of Orlando fun! An Aug. '10 TR...final thoughts p. 45

[Princess_K]

Congratulations on the job! It is so hard to come by anything these days...I graduated in May and am having the worst time finding anything. I think elementary kids could be a lot of fun!

Your flight attendant sounds great. I'm always so nervous flying...someone like that would really help with the nerves!

Looking forward to the next update

 

[tinkgurl]

Congrats on the the job girl! Keep us updated on how it's going.

Wow, you're not even to WDW yet and you're already making memories! That flight attendant sounds hilarious! I'm sure he might have calmed the nerves of anyone nervous about flying.

"Who wears their name on their shirt?!"

 

[meeko_33785]

Congratulations on your new job! One step closer to having that full-time teaching job- plus it sounds a lot better than another year of subbing.

The flight attendant sounds like fun. I'm sure it helps people pay attention to the safety spiel. The last flights I was on the flight attendants seemed about as bored as the passengers abou the whole business.

Again, too bad about Chiclfila being closed. I can't remember if you've mentioned this before, but do you have many Chickfilas in Wisconsin? They're everywhere down here, but I wasn't sure if it's more of a Southern thing since it's based in Atlanta or it they are just as plentiful everywhere. It always sounds like such a special treat in your trip reports.

 

[wdwgirl03]

"...choose the one with the most potential." Bwahaha! I haven't flown many different airlines, but SW has always been hugely entertaining with stuff like that. Great way to start a vacation!

Congrats on the job! Sorry about no Disney on your birthday but you can pretend

Between the flight attendant and the security guy, we couldn't have asked for a better start. We had a lot of laughs before we even took off!

Yep, I can pretend two weeks later. It'll be OK.

Congrats on the job!!

Why aren't more flight attendants fun like yours? Sounds like he made the flight a lot more fun!

Now that you're boarding the ME the trip is really beginning!

Thanks Dawn!

He was so great. My mom is not a good traveler...I wonder what she would've thought of him. haha

Congrats on the job!

I am sorry about no birthday trip but Disney will be there waiting for you

The flight sounds like a lot of fun! I am always get bored of the same spiel before every flight so the jokes must have been fun!

Weird about that girl asking you about your tshirt!

Can't wait till you get to WDW!

Thanks!

That's right, Disney will still be there and like I said I will probably just go over spring break instead which is just a couple weeks later. So I can still celebrate.

It was really strange when she asked me about my shirt. She probably doesn't know too many people with the same name as her so she freaked out when she saw something similar.

We'll be in WDW soon!

Subbing...now I have to go back and do this.... gotta catch up!~~

Hey Sophia!

Congrats on the job! Hope you have a good class. I'm glad you had such a great flight, and I'm sorry about Chick Fil A. That is one of my favorite places. In fact for Mother's Day my kids actually bought me an I heart Chick Fil A t-shirt and I just finished a Chick Fil A shake

Thank you! I actually won't have my own class, I'll be helping out in the classroom and probably having some small groups. It's really nice because I'll get to work with kids in all different grades! Mmm, a Chick-Fil-A shake sounds so good and too funny about the shirt.

congrats on getting the job!
And great update

Thanks Sara.

Yay for the job! That great!

Boo about postponing the trip, but at least it's only for a few weeks!

We're flying Southwest back from Disney for the first time ever on our next trip. It was weird - going there AirTran was $87 and southwest was $240, and coming back it was reversed. So we're taking one in and the other out How hilarious about your flight attendant. I hope our flight is just as fun!

The girl at McDonalds is funny too. like you said, who wears their name on their shirt is big letters like that? Too funny!

Thanks Joanna! That's right, it'll just be for a couple weeks and as my dad pointed out I'll still be able to use my AP and plus the DVC points are less during that time.

That's what it was like for us in April. We did exactly what you are doing, AirTran there and Southwest back.

I know, right?!

Congratulations on the job!

This line cracked me up! Glad you had a fun flight attendant.

Thanks!

Joining in! Going back to read!

Welcome! I am going to go check out your TR too...

Congrats on your job!

That flight attendant was so funny! I love SW, we had some strange flight attendants on our flight back home from Disney last November...it was a later flight, we left around 5 pm, so they were telling us how we should all be quiet and they were going to dim the lights so we could just go to sleep...and they kept talking over the speakers with this quiet, soothing voice like they were trying to hypnotize us, it was funny!

I love the monorail at MCO! It really makes me feel like I'm so close to Disney! The ME bus looks like fun...I don't know why, it's just a bus, but it's a Disney bus! We always rent a car so we skip it, but one time I'd like to try it!

haha, sounds like Southwest does have some good flight attendants then!

I know, I agree. On the day we were coming home we rode the monorail and this one lady was telling her kids how the first time she rode a monorail was in WDW so whenever she rides that one she always pretends she's there.

That's great; congratulations!!!

Glad to hear you had a fun flight; we had a great flight crew when we flew Southwest last time, too. They really do make a huge impact on how your vacation starts!

I really had no idea Southwest had such good flight crews. I hope we get a good one next time too.

 

[wdwgirl03]

your flight attendent sounds hysterical!!

so awesome on the new job!! it must feel good to have a steady position and hopefully it will turn into a teaching position!!

He was HILARIOUS. I wish I could remember his name.

I do feel relieved that I know where I'll be going for the whole year now. YAY!

SUBBING CAN'T WAIT TO HEAR ABOUT WWHOP. Sorry didn't mean to yell.

Welcome!

Congrats on the job!!! That's great news!!

Too funny about your flight attendant!! It sounds like your trip is off to a great start!!

Aww....the ME bus.

Can't wait for more!!

Thanks Angie! I thought it was pretty good news myself.

Don't you just love the ME bus? Unless it's taking you BACK to the airport.

Congrats on the job! Hopefully it will turn into a full time teaching position for you.

I love how the flight attendants on SW have the freedom to be silly, it's just one of the many reasons why I like to fly with them

I hope it turns into something full time next year. But for now I'm just glad to have something other than subbing.

Woohoo! Congratulations!!! Now you'll have lots of stories to share about kiddies! So great that you got a response so quickly. Too bad it interferes with a birthday trip, but it'll definitely be worth it! The security of the job for the year will definitely be worth it!

What an interesting boarding procedure! That'd probably make me nervous too, not to the point where I'd cry uncontrollably, but flying does make me a little uneasy. I guess the consolation is the really short flight! I think we're about 3 hours or less? Something like that. Fun flight attendants make it that much more bearable! And I'm sure it'd "force" me to jot some notes down for the TR. I gotta definitely take more notes next time. Right now I'm going by pictures. If we didn't have those, I wouldn't remember the order of anything!

So excited to finally ride the fake monorail in 2012! I've never even seen it since the one time we flew to Florida, we didn't go to Orlando. We flew to another city because it was cheaper and we had to rent a car anyway.

Can't wait to see pics of Saratoga! Now that I know Weird and I can rent DVC, I'm really interested in the DVC resorts!

Yeah, they said they were going to start making some calls that afternoon when they finished the interviews. I was actually at my other job when the principal called. But all afternoon I was kind of freaking out. It was a pleasant surprise when she called.

We don't understand why they don't just assign seats like everyone else. Especially when there are so many people with younger kids who need to be seated all together! I totally hear you on not being able to remember the order of things without pictures. Heck even then I still can't remember!

All of the DVC resorts we've stayed at have been amazing. It's such a great deal to stay at awesome resorts for what turns out to be not a lot of money. So glad we are members. I know it is a long way off, but do you have a preference of where you'd like to stay if you rent?

Congratulations on the job! It is so hard to come by anything these days...I graduated in May and am having the worst time finding anything. I think elementary kids could be a lot of fun!

Your flight attendant sounds great. I'm always so nervous flying...someone like that would really help with the nerves!

Looking forward to the next update

Ugh, I know. It is so frustrating especially when there are people who get jobs right away. I love the younger kids so I am glad I'll be in an elementary school. I think that is partially what made it hard for me to find anything. EVERYONE wants elementary around here and there is just nothing. I interviewed for a full-time job right after I graduated and they said I was one of 800 applicants.

Our flight attendant was so much fun. We loved him. Well, atleast I did.

Congrats on the the job girl! Keep us updated on how it's going.

Wow, you're not even to WDW yet and you're already making memories! That flight attendant sounds hilarious! I'm sure he might have calmed the nerves of anyone nervous about flying.

"Who wears their name on their shirt?!"

Thanks! I will be sure to keep you guys posted.

LOL, it's so true though! It was such a weird question.

Congratulations on your new job! One step closer to having that full-time teaching job- plus it sounds a lot better than another year of subbing.

The flight attendant sounds like fun. I'm sure it helps people pay attention to the safety spiel. The last flights I was on the flight attendants seemed about as bored as the passengers abou the whole business.

Again, too bad about Chiclfila being closed. I can't remember if you've mentioned this before, but do you have many Chickfilas in Wisconsin? They're everywhere down here, but I wasn't sure if it's more of a Southern thing since it's based in Atlanta or it they are just as plentiful everywhere. It always sounds like such a special treat in your trip reports.

Thanks Meeko. It is a million times better than subbing.

No, we don't have many Chick-Fil-As here at all! There used to be one at one of the malls around here but that closed several years ago (actually that entire mall is closed now). Somebody I work with told me there is another one somewhere else in the state but I know it's not that close to where we live. That's why we always like to get it on our trips. Oh well, next time.

 

[RachelNinja]

All of the DVC resorts we've stayed at have been amazing. It's such a great deal to stay at awesome resorts for what turns out to be not a lot of money. So glad we are members. I know it is a long way off, but do you have a preference of where you'd like to stay if you rent?

We'll most likely be renting points from Joanna, and her home resort (I think that's what it's called) is AKL Kidani, which is perfect because Weird and I both love the look of AKL (I know we don't have to stay there, but we saw that AKV is cheapest anyway)! We'd probably do Jambo though because she said it would save us more money because they have value rooms. Weird LOVES animals, and I like exploring with him. The darkness of the rooms just seems very fitting for a honeymoon. We initially looked at Bay Lake, but boy, that's expensive! Plus, I said the brightness and modernity of the place doesn't scream honeymoon to me.

 

[Cat0727]

Congrats on your new job!

Sounded like you had such a fun flight, you girls sure got off to a good start! SW is so popular on the Dis...although their boarding procedure would give me an anxiety attack!

I keep hearing about Chick-Fil-A and it sounds so good. But sadly the only one in NYC is open just to NYU students, in a restricted building. Boooo!

 

[wdwgirl03]

We'll most likely be renting points from Joanna, and her home resort (I think that's what it's called) is AKL Kidani, which is perfect because Weird and I both love the look of AKL (I know we don't have to stay there, but we saw that AKV is cheapest anyway)! We'd probably do Jambo though because she said it would save us more money because they have value rooms. Weird LOVES animals, and I like exploring with him. The darkness of the rooms just seems very fitting for a honeymoon. We initially looked at Bay Lake, but boy, that's expensive! Plus, I said the brightness and modernity of the place doesn't scream honeymoon to me.

Ahh, good choice! We've stayed at both the Jambo House and Kidani (which I'm sure you know from reading my April TR, haha!). Animal watching is definitely one of the neatest things about the resort. I kind of agree about BLT, I would like to stay there some day but the lack of theming (atleast for me) is kind of a drawback. The Contemporary just seems like any other hotel.

Congrats on your new job!

Sounded like you had such a fun flight, you girls sure got off to a good start! SW is so popular on the Dis...although their boarding procedure would give me an anxiety attack!

I keep hearing about Chick-Fil-A and it sounds so good. But sadly the only one in NYC is open just to NYU students, in a restricted building. Boooo!

Thanks!

Yeah, the Southwest boarding process is just strange.

Aww, that stinks about the Chick Fil A being in a restricted building. It is so good there. Mmmm.

 

[mickeysmyboy]

All caught up! The start to your trip sounds fabulous!!

I look for ME tags to! When DH and I went to Sarasota, FL in March I looked then too! I saw a few and decided I should stop looking because I reallllllly wanted to be going to WDW!

The flight attendant sounds so funny! I love the "chose the one with the most potential" line

Congrats on the new job!

 

[wdwgirl03]

All caught up! The start to your trip sounds fabulous!!

I look for ME tags to! When DH and I went to Sarasota, FL in March I looked then too! I saw a few and decided I should stop looking because I reallllllly wanted to be going to WDW!

The flight attendant sounds so funny! I love the "chose the one with the most potential" line

Congrats on the new job!

I am kind of the same way. Whenever we go somewhere other than WDW (which isn't often ) and I see them I always get a teeny bit sad if I see someone with a ME tag. Doesn't matter that I've been there so many times. LOL.

That had to be one of my favorites too.

 

[MarieTheCat24]

CONGRATS ON THE JOB!!!!

Your flight attendant sounds hilarious! If I was a flight attendant, I'd totally want to be a fun flight attendant like him. Not a boring one.

I'm sorry about the no Chick-fil-a because it was Sunday thing. I actually just had Chick-fil-a the other night. Thank god we have them here in Ohio. I don't know what I'd do without their milkshakes and waffle fries. Yummmmm.

I'm dying laughing at the story about your Marquette shirt. Do people put their names on shirts? Or, well, in really big print on the front of a shirt? I mean, I have a couple of shirts/sweatshirts with my name on the back, but I'd never wear a t-shirt that just said "KARA" across the front of it. That'd be weird.

 

[brookelizabeth]

Congratulations on the job!!!! That is GREAT news!!! I'm a bit bummed your Disney trip will have to be moved back, since our paths probably won't cross now, but it's for an excellent reason at least!

Your flight attendant was awesome! I love it when they are witty, it just makes everything so much more relaxed for the flight.

I so look forward to boarding that bus in just 10 days.

 

[lovealldisney]

Congrats on the job! I have a friend who is a teacher and has yet to find a job! It's been over a year she finally took a job at a daycare!
Are you working for MPS then?

 

[onelilspark]

Wow...I'm so late!

Congrats on the job! Can't wait to hear about the rest of your trip!

 

[wdwgirl03]

CONGRATS ON THE JOB!!!!

Your flight attendant sounds hilarious! If I was a flight attendant, I'd totally want to be a fun flight attendant like him. Not a boring one.

I'm sorry about the no Chick-fil-a because it was Sunday thing. I actually just had Chick-fil-a the other night. Thank god we have them here in Ohio. I don't know what I'd do without their milkshakes and waffle fries. Yummmmm.

I'm dying laughing at the story about your Marquette shirt. Do people put their names on shirts? Or, well, in really big print on the front of a shirt? I mean, I have a couple of shirts/sweatshirts with my name on the back, but I'd never wear a t-shirt that just said "KARA" across the front of it. That'd be weird.

Thanks Kara!

That flight attendant was so great. He definitely got our trip off to a fun start.

OK now, you don't have to rub it in. I have never had one of their shakes. I might have to get one next time we go to FL.

haha, exactly, I had sweatshirts in high school for volleyball that had my last name on the back and then I have a couple baseball jersey t-shirts that have a name on the back but your first name on the front?! The only thing I can think of like that is a mouseketeer.

Congratulations on the job!!!! That is GREAT news!!! I'm a bit bummed your Disney trip will have to be moved back, since our paths probably won't cross now, but it's for an excellent reason at least!

Your flight attendant was awesome! I love it when they are witty, it just makes everything so much more relaxed for the flight.

I so look forward to boarding that bus in just 10 days.

Yeah, I'm bummed we won't cross paths either but you're right it is for a good reason and atleast. And spring break is at the end of March. Woo hoo!

Aww, so jealous!

Congrats on the job! I have a friend who is a teacher and has yet to find a job! It's been over a year she finally took a job at a daycare!
Are you working for MPS then?

Oh, if I hadn't gotten this I would've been out of school for 3 years. Part of me started thinking about looking into some daycare place and I was even looking into things at the zoo or museum, which of course there was nothing at those places either. I won't be in MPS, it'll actually be in the district I subbed for last year...it's a great district that's pretty close to home so I'm glad I can get my foot in the door there.

 

[wdwgirl03]

Wow...I'm so late!

Congrats on the job! Can't wait to hear about the rest of your trip!

It's ok, I have to catch up on your report (and pretty much everyone's for that matter!).

Thanks so much! I'm going to work on an update today since school will be starting soon!

 

[Cory's Gal]

Congrats on the job Sarah!! It will be so nice to have a set schedule and not have to endure the late night/early morning sub calls!!! When do you start??

Your flight attendant sounds like so much fun! That is a different way to board passengers, at least you 3 were able to be close to one another! Glad the flight was uneventful! I LOVE the feeling of getting to the ME area, it always feels that the trip really is starting!! Can't wait to hear what you gals did first!!!

(Bummer Chick-Fil-A is closed on Sundays, their waffle fries ROCK!!)

 

[wdwgirl03]

Congrats on the job Sarah!! It will be so nice to have a set schedule and not have to endure the late night/early morning sub calls!!! When do you start??

Your flight attendant sounds like so much fun! That is a different way to board passengers, at least you 3 were able to be close to one another! Glad the flight was uneventful! I LOVE the feeling of getting to the ME area, it always feels that the trip really is starting!! Can't wait to hear what you gals did first!!!

(Bummer Chick-Fil-A is closed on Sundays, their waffle fries ROCK!!)

Thanks Beth! You are so right about it being nice to have a set schedule. I am so done with those phone calls! Ugh. I'm going to HR this afternoon to sign the paperwork and then I have to go in on Wed. and Thursday for meetings. School starts Sept. 1. The nice thing is the first week will only be 3 days and the next week will be 4 because of Labor Day.

It was nice that we were able to be close. I agree, I love seeing all the ME cast members and then all the buses ready to go.

I'm about to post my next update so stay tuned!

 

[wdwgirl03]

Sunday, August 8, 2010 cont'd (part 3)

We ended up waiting maybe 15 minutes before we were able to board our Magical Express bus. I was really hoping we’d get on one of the “real” ME buses this trip since in April we got one of the cruise buses. I know it doesn’t really matter but I like the official ME buses better. I guess it makes it more official. ETA: Oops, forgot to mention that we DID indeed get a real Magical Express bus!!!

When we got on our bus it was raining a little. Not storming, just a steady rain…pretty typical for a Florida afternoon. Based on our experiences last August, the rain usually didn’t last too long so I was hoping it would be cleared up by the time we got to WDW property. It’s just not quite the same driving under the archway when it’s raining. Haha

Once on board, Emma called Dad to let him know that we made it and were on our way to the resort. I remember telling Emma to tell Dad that they were playing the Soarin’ song on the bus…hopefully he didn’t think I was rubbing it in or anything. In case you don’t know, the Soarin song is one of my all-time Disney park favorites. So as we were sitting there waiting to leave I could pretty much picture the ride and all the different scenes that go along with the soundtrack.

We did have to sit on the bus for a while since it was only half full after we got on. But then the driver finally shut the doors and we pulled out of our parking space and were on our way to Walt Disney World!!! YAY!

The rain was pretty much on and off the whole way there. I just enjoyed the bus ride and watching the ME video and listening to the other people on our bus. One of the best things I heard were these two guys behind us. They were in front of us while waiting to get on the bus and I am guessing they were from England based on their accent. At one point they started talking about the United States and they were like “how many states are there?” One of them said he thought there were 50. I know it’s not really that funny, I just thought it was cute how they were trying to figure it out. Atleast they got it right.

Don't you also love seeing all those other familiar Orlando sights? We also passed by the Nickelodeon Hotel. One of the little boys on the bus started freaking out about that and said how he bets slime comes out of the faucets.

Before long I could see the best sight out in the distance. Yes, the archway! It was pretty funny because as we were approaching the sun did start to peek out a little bit (and there wasn’t any rain either). Not the greatest picture but atleast I tried.

And from my sisters' perspectives.

I will be sure to give my sisters credit for their pictures...Emma was lurking on here and claimed I "stole" that HP picture from the airport.

I always love arriving on the grounds. It really is like you’re coming home, seeing all of the familiar sights: the purple road signs, the Disney transport buses, Spaceship Earth, and even that Disney Vacation Club sign near Disney Vacation Club Way (or Drive…or whatever the street is called…I know it is Disney Vacation Club SOMETHING). We were getting close now!

Our bus was going to be making four stops: Old Key West, Saratoga Springs and then it would continue on to Port Orleans and Fort Wilderness. First up was Old Key West.

(courtesy of Emma's camera)

(courtesy of Claire)

(a couple more from Emma)

It was cool seeing OKW again after Dad and I visited there on our last night in April. Some day we’ll get to stay there…it’s next up on my list of DVC resorts! And of course I thought of tinkgurl since she and her family stay there a lot. A couple families got off there and then we continued on our way. Our stop was coming up next!

(courtesy of Claire's camera)

I was so excited to be going “home”. Even though Saratoga Springs is our home resort, the last time we stayed there was in 2008. I couldn’t wait to set foot on the SSR grounds again. As we continued down DVC Way the ME video was over but they showed a Donald Duck cartoon.

Does anybody know when they started doing this? It is either within the last couple of months or I just have terrible memory because I don’t remember them doing that in April. Hmmm.

Since it's just down the road, it didn't take too long to get to SSR. Claire got a great shot of the sign out front!

You know how SSR is right near the Lake Buena Vista golf course? This is where I heard another great comment. As we were driving in, you pass by one of the tees for the course and they have these big colored balls that are the tee markers. Well, the lady in front of us was like, “Oh look, it’s bocce ball!” Her husband was cracking up and told her it wasn’t bocce ball. She then asked what those balls were for and he finally explained that it was to show you where to hit the ball from. So that sort of became their joke then…we passed another tee and the husband said “HEY LOOK, it’s bocce ball!” I love listening to other people’s conversations…you sure do hear some great stuff. LOL!

Soon we were pulling up to the Carriage House. We made it! We thanked our bus driver and headed inside to check in. I did online check-in the day before so all I had to do was go up to the desk and get our packet and room location. Then I got my first “Welcome Home” of the trip. Love hearing that! The lady who helped us was pretty nice. She just asked for our last name and went to grab our Welcome packet. Then she pulled out the map to show us where our room was going to be. I have to admit I sort of freaked out a bit when I saw we were going to be in The Paddock…we had requested Congress Park. I looked again and realized that the building we were in was right across from Congress Park (turns out we’d actually be using their bus stop since it was right across the street). So really it was still just as good as having CP. Then we set off to find our room. We thought about getting bell services to take us there but then decided we’d just walk. That may or may not have been a good decision…

With our decision made to walk to our room, we headed back outside. We stopped for a minute so I could look at the map and figure out where we were going when all of a sudden, out of nowhere, the skies just opened up. It literally started POURING!

We were right near the main pool so everybody there started scattering to find shelter and we quickly did the same. Remember it had been a couple years since we’ve stayed at SSR so we are not totally familiar with the grounds. But we wanted to get out of the rain, especially with our carry-on bags so we ran for it and ended up near the spa.

The guy there asked us if we were looking for something and we told him we just arrived and were trying to get out of the rain. Turns out the spa was sort of a “dead end” since we need to get up near the main road. I think it was Emma who said we should just go, so we dashed over to the arcade where we found another shelter. I was hoping that if we went inside there would be another door on the other side that would get us out to the street we needed but no such luck. It didn’t seem like the rain was going to stop anytime soon but it was letting up so we decided to go again.

Finally we arrived at our building and found our room (6512!!). Woo hoo, we made it, even if we got a tad wet in the process. Did we regret not using bell services? No. Turns out it really didn’t take that long to get to our building, we just had some detours along the way. Our poor map nearly didn’t make it though…

I know it's hard to tell but trust me, it was soaking wet!

So we dried off for a bit and talked to Dad again since he wanted to know where our room was. But we didn’t want to sit around for the rest of the night so we decided to go out and get the trip started!

Up next: An evening at Downtown Disney!

 

[PrincessCaitlin]

Did you end up getting a real ME bus?

That is funny about the two people trying to figure out how many states the US has I never think about how people from other countries don't know that much about us I assume everyone knows there are 50 states

Yay for the welcome sign!!!

Ugh about the rain! I am glad you were able to get to your room though and that it was ready!

Can't wait to hear about your evening at DTD!