JerseyJanice
A Disboards original...
- Joined
- Aug 20, 1999
- Messages
- 10,764
Why oh why can I not find a reliable car service to the airport?
There are dozens of car service companies in our area (we live 12 miles from New York City); yet so far, each one we have tried has not been on time to drive us to the airport. The one we picked for this trip was recommended by a neighbor. They were supposed to come at 6:45 a.m., but were nowhere in sight at 6:50. I started calling both their phone numbers, and they did not answer the phone (eek!). I tried calling from my cell phone, in case the guy got lost and was calling the house. Finally at 6:55, the guy did call and said he got hung up in traffic and would be right there. Phew! Off to the airport we finally go!
There was little activity in the Delta terminal that morning. We checked in quickly and were told we would get our seat assignments at the gate, which would open at 8:00 a.m. We headed over to the gate to wait. We didn't see my sister-in-laws family for a while; I don't know where they were, but when they did show up, they swore they were somewhere there at the gate all along. Weird.
When the agents did man the gate, they started announcing that they were oversold for our flights. They offered a few different incentives to get people to take another flight, but nothing worthwhile enough for us to volunteer.
They started calling out the passengers' names alphabetically to hand out boarding passes with seat assignments. We were separated; two seats were together and one was on the aisle several rows up. I offered to sit with DS, which could be a pain if he got antsy, and DH would take the aisle seat.
What an old plane though! Initially, I was unhappy that my mother-in-law (who purchased our plane tickets) had chosen Delta since it meant we wouldnt get frequent flyer miles. (We're Continental One-Pass members.) I was thinking maybe Delta wasn't so bad since its employees all seemed very good so far, but the plane we were on had to be ancient since there were ashtrays in the armrest of each seat and light-up no-smoking signs. How many years has been since smoking was allowed on planes anyway? Im thinking 10 or 15 years at least, no?
Before we took off, the pilot spoke on the PA, telling us about the weather in Orlando and approximate arrival time. Then he asked us to turn to our neighbors on the plane, introduce ourselves, and get to know each other a little bit. Such a sad, yet touching reminder of 9/11.
After we were in the air for a while, I decided to walk up and say hello to my husband. I nearly died laughing when I found him. He got seated with a "2-seat" sized woman and her husband. She was supposed to sit next to the window, but couldnt fit through the row, so DH let her take his seat on the aisle. Poor DH is a big man himself, not very overweight, but hes tall and wide. So he was crammed into his seat and looking pretty miserable.
And I thought I got the bad deal by having to handle DS for the flight! Oh, man, if I were DH, my claustrophobia would have gotten to me big time.
My sister-in-law stopped by my seat on her way to use the bathroom and asked if they could come to Universal with us the following day. I'd been planning for us to go for months (I even bought our tickets over the web), but she and her family kept going back and forth on whether they wanted to. Now she and her husband decided they wanted to go and would surprise their kids with it. So we made plans to take the 9:15 a.m. Mears shuttle from the Lodge.
As we got close to Orlando, I looked out the window to see if I could spot something Disney. I do this every time we go, and finally, this time I got lucky! I found Spaceship Earth and the Caribbean Beach Resort. I also managed to spot Blizzard Beach and the All-Stars. I pointed everything out to DS, and the people in the row ahead of us started looking too. Their boy, about 8 or 9, got very excited to see Epcot from the window and yelled out, "Yeah! I guess were really in Orlando now!" We all cracked up.
When I spotted Disney from the plane, it was all nice and sunny; hardly a cloud in the sky. But then suddenly, the plane got very dark, and we landed in the middle of a heavy-duty thunderstorm. My sister-in-laws kids were very upset about the rain. They were thinking it would rain all week.
"Its the tropics, kids," I told them, "rain will come and go, and at least its warm rain here."
We met up with our Tiffany driver quickly and easily, and waited with him for our luggage to come out. For some reason, my suitcase took forever to get there. Phew! I was getting nervous. Onto the Publix, where my sister-in-law's family seemed to buy enough stuff to make it through the summer. (Actually, they were buying things for my parents-in-law too.)
We decided at home that we would buy a hard-sided cooler for our stay at the Lodge. I had trouble with the idea of paying $80 plus to rent a refrigerator from Disney. Last trip, we bought a styrofoam cooler, and it was a real pain. The ice melted quickly, and condensation outside it got pretty bad. Publix had no hard-sided coolers to buy, so DH went to the Eckerd Drug Store next door and bought one there.
We bought beer, bottled water, Kool-Aid drinks, boxed milk, canned nuts, fruit snacks, potato chips, Kraft Cheez & Crackers, a coffee cake, mini-muffins, and a steak knife. (On vacation, a knife comes in handy for cutting things, but I didnt dare pack one from home.)
We drove to the Lodge and were so excited as we pulled into the gates. Oh, how beautiful it looks when you first drive up! The sun was coming out after the rain, and the kids were totally thrilled! We went in to register. I got waited on first. The clerk offered to put us next to my in-laws, but my DH wanted a smoking room. (This is something he does every trip; he hardly smokes--almost never at home, but for those two or three butts a day on vacation, he has to be in a smoking room.
) Our room was ready; SIL's family's room was not.
They went for lunch, and we went up to our room to unpack and get settled. We were in Room 5114, just off the main lobby section and a good location IMO. The view wasnt anything special. We did have woodsview, and I guess it could be called that since there were trees in front of our balcony. We faced toward the Villas, and we could make out a pool through the trees.
The room was surprisingly small to me. I suppose it's close in size to a moderate room, but the queen beds take up more floor space, so it seems smaller. There is a lace curtain underneath the drapes that cover the sliding glass doors to the balcony. For some reason, they were hooked together so that we couldnt separate the lace curtains to go out onto the balcony, so DH stood on a chair and disconnected them.
The best thing about the Wilderness Lodge, IMO, is all the details. You could look for days and keep on finding new and interesting details. There are lots of interesting details in the room--the door from the corridor has an inlaid design of a teepee in the wood. The TV armoire has a very charming bear motif on the doors. DS dragged me down the hall to show me that the tops of the lobbys log columns have animals carved in them. You dont really spot them in the lobby. The animal carvings fit right into the theme--bears, wolves, eagles, raccoons, deer, etc.
We made no plans for the day since Im usually a mess after flying (I have bad sinuses), but I was in great shape! I dont know how, but I managed both the flight down and back without major sinus congestion. We heard commotion from the Whispering Canyon Café, read about it in the elevators, and decided to have dinner there. So after a quick lunch at Roaring Forks, we changed into our bathing suits, and I called to get a P.S. for the WCC at 7:30 that night.
We spent the afternoon swimming at the main pool, where we were joined by my niece and nephew. They all had lunch at the Whispering Canyon, then my brother-in-law came to the pool area with his kids. I told he could leave them with me, and he was happy to go back to their room where my SIL was. I wonder why.
They headed to Downtown Disney for the night, while we went down to the Whispering Canyon. DS was very tired and said so. Hes usually a ball of energy, but I guess the flight knocked him out. The WCC was a hoot and a half! We laughed our heads off at the antics of the wait staff.
The best part was when the hostess got a group of four teenaged girls up in front of the restaurant and announced, "Ladies and gentlemen! Introducing the Spice Girls!" Then she pointed at each girl, "youre Hot Spice. Youre Peppermint Spice. Youre Stinky Spice. And youre Old Spice." They were giggling like crazy, and she made them sing a song. It was a riot.
We really liked the food, too. However, the cuts of meat they serve aren't expensive, so I think the price should be lower. It seems that all the Disney All-You-Can-Eat dinners are priced the same, so this one (without characters, shrimp or dessert) isnt the best value. Nonetheless, its a fun and tasty option for a family staying at the Lodge. And BTW, the pulled pork, sausages, and garlic roasted red potatoes were our favorites. The salad was also very good.
During dinner, my DS curled up on his chair and tried to sleep. I thought for sure it was an act. He does that when hes bored sometimes. Hell act like hes exhausted so we leave where we are, then afterward, he jumps and runs around. Our waitress felt bad for him, though, and took the extra chair at our table and placed alongside his. "You have a bed now," she told him. He placed his body on the chairs, and the next thing we knew, he was snoring! I guess it wasnt an act.
DH carried him back to the room and complained about being beat himself. On the other hand, I was still very excited and wanted to watch the Electric Water Pageant and fireworks. So after a spritzing of Skin-So-Soft bug repellant, I left them in bed and went to find the marina dock where I'd read there's a great view of both the EWP and fireworks.
The alarm clock in our room must have been a little slow because the EWP was already under way when I got outside. I watched it from the boardwalk that goes between the MK boat dock and the main pool. When it was over, I found the marina dock and beach. Oh, what a night! There was a lovely breeze coming off the lake. The sand was soft as silk, and the chaise lounges were so comfortable, I could have slept in one.
I heard the fireworks and turned to my left (facing the water) to see them. I got a better view by getting up and standing on the boat dock. When they were over, I meandered back to the main building by taking the path that runs between the Villas and the Lodge. One thing I love at Disney World is the impressions they make in the concrete paths. The Lodge is full of these impressions--hoof prints, bear claw prints, leaves, etc. The path I took was full of them.
I took a look at the Villa pool and saw a nice hot tub, then made my way up the path that leads from the bus station to the gift shop. Great shop! They have very cool stuff there, and I love the Wilderness Lodge themed merchandise. In the lobby, I met up with my brother-in-law and nephew. We talked about our day. They ate dinner at Portobello's in Downtown. (Not somewhere I'd take my kid, but their kids are older.) Lorenzo (nephew) was beyond excited with everything. He and I made plans to meet in the lobby the following morning for the Character Caravan.
There are dozens of car service companies in our area (we live 12 miles from New York City); yet so far, each one we have tried has not been on time to drive us to the airport. The one we picked for this trip was recommended by a neighbor. They were supposed to come at 6:45 a.m., but were nowhere in sight at 6:50. I started calling both their phone numbers, and they did not answer the phone (eek!). I tried calling from my cell phone, in case the guy got lost and was calling the house. Finally at 6:55, the guy did call and said he got hung up in traffic and would be right there. Phew! Off to the airport we finally go!
There was little activity in the Delta terminal that morning. We checked in quickly and were told we would get our seat assignments at the gate, which would open at 8:00 a.m. We headed over to the gate to wait. We didn't see my sister-in-laws family for a while; I don't know where they were, but when they did show up, they swore they were somewhere there at the gate all along. Weird.
When the agents did man the gate, they started announcing that they were oversold for our flights. They offered a few different incentives to get people to take another flight, but nothing worthwhile enough for us to volunteer.
They started calling out the passengers' names alphabetically to hand out boarding passes with seat assignments. We were separated; two seats were together and one was on the aisle several rows up. I offered to sit with DS, which could be a pain if he got antsy, and DH would take the aisle seat.
What an old plane though! Initially, I was unhappy that my mother-in-law (who purchased our plane tickets) had chosen Delta since it meant we wouldnt get frequent flyer miles. (We're Continental One-Pass members.) I was thinking maybe Delta wasn't so bad since its employees all seemed very good so far, but the plane we were on had to be ancient since there were ashtrays in the armrest of each seat and light-up no-smoking signs. How many years has been since smoking was allowed on planes anyway? Im thinking 10 or 15 years at least, no?
Before we took off, the pilot spoke on the PA, telling us about the weather in Orlando and approximate arrival time. Then he asked us to turn to our neighbors on the plane, introduce ourselves, and get to know each other a little bit. Such a sad, yet touching reminder of 9/11.
After we were in the air for a while, I decided to walk up and say hello to my husband. I nearly died laughing when I found him. He got seated with a "2-seat" sized woman and her husband. She was supposed to sit next to the window, but couldnt fit through the row, so DH let her take his seat on the aisle. Poor DH is a big man himself, not very overweight, but hes tall and wide. So he was crammed into his seat and looking pretty miserable.
And I thought I got the bad deal by having to handle DS for the flight! Oh, man, if I were DH, my claustrophobia would have gotten to me big time.
My sister-in-law stopped by my seat on her way to use the bathroom and asked if they could come to Universal with us the following day. I'd been planning for us to go for months (I even bought our tickets over the web), but she and her family kept going back and forth on whether they wanted to. Now she and her husband decided they wanted to go and would surprise their kids with it. So we made plans to take the 9:15 a.m. Mears shuttle from the Lodge.
As we got close to Orlando, I looked out the window to see if I could spot something Disney. I do this every time we go, and finally, this time I got lucky! I found Spaceship Earth and the Caribbean Beach Resort. I also managed to spot Blizzard Beach and the All-Stars. I pointed everything out to DS, and the people in the row ahead of us started looking too. Their boy, about 8 or 9, got very excited to see Epcot from the window and yelled out, "Yeah! I guess were really in Orlando now!" We all cracked up.
When I spotted Disney from the plane, it was all nice and sunny; hardly a cloud in the sky. But then suddenly, the plane got very dark, and we landed in the middle of a heavy-duty thunderstorm. My sister-in-laws kids were very upset about the rain. They were thinking it would rain all week.
"Its the tropics, kids," I told them, "rain will come and go, and at least its warm rain here."
We met up with our Tiffany driver quickly and easily, and waited with him for our luggage to come out. For some reason, my suitcase took forever to get there. Phew! I was getting nervous. Onto the Publix, where my sister-in-law's family seemed to buy enough stuff to make it through the summer. (Actually, they were buying things for my parents-in-law too.)
We decided at home that we would buy a hard-sided cooler for our stay at the Lodge. I had trouble with the idea of paying $80 plus to rent a refrigerator from Disney. Last trip, we bought a styrofoam cooler, and it was a real pain. The ice melted quickly, and condensation outside it got pretty bad. Publix had no hard-sided coolers to buy, so DH went to the Eckerd Drug Store next door and bought one there.
We bought beer, bottled water, Kool-Aid drinks, boxed milk, canned nuts, fruit snacks, potato chips, Kraft Cheez & Crackers, a coffee cake, mini-muffins, and a steak knife. (On vacation, a knife comes in handy for cutting things, but I didnt dare pack one from home.)
We drove to the Lodge and were so excited as we pulled into the gates. Oh, how beautiful it looks when you first drive up! The sun was coming out after the rain, and the kids were totally thrilled! We went in to register. I got waited on first. The clerk offered to put us next to my in-laws, but my DH wanted a smoking room. (This is something he does every trip; he hardly smokes--almost never at home, but for those two or three butts a day on vacation, he has to be in a smoking room.
) Our room was ready; SIL's family's room was not.They went for lunch, and we went up to our room to unpack and get settled. We were in Room 5114, just off the main lobby section and a good location IMO. The view wasnt anything special. We did have woodsview, and I guess it could be called that since there were trees in front of our balcony. We faced toward the Villas, and we could make out a pool through the trees.
The room was surprisingly small to me. I suppose it's close in size to a moderate room, but the queen beds take up more floor space, so it seems smaller. There is a lace curtain underneath the drapes that cover the sliding glass doors to the balcony. For some reason, they were hooked together so that we couldnt separate the lace curtains to go out onto the balcony, so DH stood on a chair and disconnected them.
The best thing about the Wilderness Lodge, IMO, is all the details. You could look for days and keep on finding new and interesting details. There are lots of interesting details in the room--the door from the corridor has an inlaid design of a teepee in the wood. The TV armoire has a very charming bear motif on the doors. DS dragged me down the hall to show me that the tops of the lobbys log columns have animals carved in them. You dont really spot them in the lobby. The animal carvings fit right into the theme--bears, wolves, eagles, raccoons, deer, etc.
We made no plans for the day since Im usually a mess after flying (I have bad sinuses), but I was in great shape! I dont know how, but I managed both the flight down and back without major sinus congestion. We heard commotion from the Whispering Canyon Café, read about it in the elevators, and decided to have dinner there. So after a quick lunch at Roaring Forks, we changed into our bathing suits, and I called to get a P.S. for the WCC at 7:30 that night.
We spent the afternoon swimming at the main pool, where we were joined by my niece and nephew. They all had lunch at the Whispering Canyon, then my brother-in-law came to the pool area with his kids. I told he could leave them with me, and he was happy to go back to their room where my SIL was. I wonder why.
They headed to Downtown Disney for the night, while we went down to the Whispering Canyon. DS was very tired and said so. Hes usually a ball of energy, but I guess the flight knocked him out. The WCC was a hoot and a half! We laughed our heads off at the antics of the wait staff.
The best part was when the hostess got a group of four teenaged girls up in front of the restaurant and announced, "Ladies and gentlemen! Introducing the Spice Girls!" Then she pointed at each girl, "youre Hot Spice. Youre Peppermint Spice. Youre Stinky Spice. And youre Old Spice." They were giggling like crazy, and she made them sing a song. It was a riot.
We really liked the food, too. However, the cuts of meat they serve aren't expensive, so I think the price should be lower. It seems that all the Disney All-You-Can-Eat dinners are priced the same, so this one (without characters, shrimp or dessert) isnt the best value. Nonetheless, its a fun and tasty option for a family staying at the Lodge. And BTW, the pulled pork, sausages, and garlic roasted red potatoes were our favorites. The salad was also very good.
During dinner, my DS curled up on his chair and tried to sleep. I thought for sure it was an act. He does that when hes bored sometimes. Hell act like hes exhausted so we leave where we are, then afterward, he jumps and runs around. Our waitress felt bad for him, though, and took the extra chair at our table and placed alongside his. "You have a bed now," she told him. He placed his body on the chairs, and the next thing we knew, he was snoring! I guess it wasnt an act.
DH carried him back to the room and complained about being beat himself. On the other hand, I was still very excited and wanted to watch the Electric Water Pageant and fireworks. So after a spritzing of Skin-So-Soft bug repellant, I left them in bed and went to find the marina dock where I'd read there's a great view of both the EWP and fireworks.
The alarm clock in our room must have been a little slow because the EWP was already under way when I got outside. I watched it from the boardwalk that goes between the MK boat dock and the main pool. When it was over, I found the marina dock and beach. Oh, what a night! There was a lovely breeze coming off the lake. The sand was soft as silk, and the chaise lounges were so comfortable, I could have slept in one.
I heard the fireworks and turned to my left (facing the water) to see them. I got a better view by getting up and standing on the boat dock. When they were over, I meandered back to the main building by taking the path that runs between the Villas and the Lodge. One thing I love at Disney World is the impressions they make in the concrete paths. The Lodge is full of these impressions--hoof prints, bear claw prints, leaves, etc. The path I took was full of them.
I took a look at the Villa pool and saw a nice hot tub, then made my way up the path that leads from the bus station to the gift shop. Great shop! They have very cool stuff there, and I love the Wilderness Lodge themed merchandise. In the lobby, I met up with my brother-in-law and nephew. We talked about our day. They ate dinner at Portobello's in Downtown. (Not somewhere I'd take my kid, but their kids are older.) Lorenzo (nephew) was beyond excited with everything. He and I made plans to meet in the lobby the following morning for the Character Caravan.
