A DISer’s Trip of Firsts! [Updated 8/4, Post #95]

[RachelNinja]

Ni hao! Okay, I don’t actually speak Mandarin, but I just saw that Nick Jr. has a show about Chinese-American culture and the theme song is stuck in my head! My name is Rachel (not Kai-lan!) as you can probably tell from my DIS name. I’ve been debating about writing a trip report for the past two months, and after catching up on subscribed threads these past few days, I’m encouraged to finally write my own!

This trip took place this past February during that mid-winter recess. Since then, I’ve been even more attached to the DIS because I’m mentally planning my next trip! This thread is titled “A Diser’s Trip of Firsts” because although I have been to WDW many times with my family as I grew up (I’d say at LEAST 10-15 times), this is the first time that I experienced a lot of things because I learned about them from reading everything here! So let’s start with some introductions, shall we?

Me, Tigger (23): Although I’ve always loved the parks, I never really got into all things Disney until stumbling upon DIS. I found the board because I randomly found VMK (Virtual Magic Kingdom) on a day that I was searching the Disney website. I started reading all the trip reports, the dining reviews, the WDW tips, etc. and I ended up having those things up on my computer while doing work more often than I had Facebook! And gosh, for someone my age, I think that’s a huge thing!

I’m a middle school teacher (6th-8th ELA, 6th Math). I love being able to influence students in a positive manner whether it’s getting them interested in the books we’re reading, getting them to absolutely adore things like comma rules (they really don’t, they just humor me and pretend that that’s all they think about after school), or getting them to stop bickering like brothers and sisters! Haha. One of the many wonderful reasons why I love my job is this … I have a student who’s also a huge Disney fan! We talked about it all the time, and I’d mention things I wanted to try or do and he’d give me his personal opinion of them. Lovely!

Anyway, in all seriousness, one of the BEST parts about being a teacher is that the majority of my breaks are consistent with my younger brother’s school breaks. And THAT means … I can still go on vacation with my family! The last time we went to Florida was actually supposed to be my “last family vacation.” This is quite awesome!

Oh yeah, I also have a tendency to talk about myself a lot … just warning you!

My mom, Eeyore : My best friend in the entire world. Her one flaw? Not loving Disney as much as I do. I’m kidding, I’m KIDDING! Haha. The reason she likes WDW is because she loves seeing her kids having fun. Her favorite ride is Peter Pan (mine is the TTA and she rides it over and over again with me … how great is she!)

My dad, Rabbit: Has never been bitten by the Disney bug before! Needs a huge dosage of pixie dust! Haha, my dad’s really active when it comes to playing tennis. He’s never too tired for tennis. However, once he steps foot into WDW? Suddenly he feels exhausted and wants to sleep! His favorite ride? I’d probably say it’s the Carousel of Progress. With the AC, it’s the perfect place for a nap.

My brother, Piglet (9): He’s actually a “surprise” baby, in that my mom’s pregnancy was unplanned. I actually have an older brother who moved out a few years ago. It’s odd to have a brother who’s 14 years younger than I am, but when I think about it now, we probably wouldn’t be making these trips to WDW if it weren’t for him! I don’t know my parents would care to go back to Florida with just me. I think that my brother’s favorite ride is Buzz Lightyear. He’s not very good at it, which you’ll see later, but he really enjoys it! I just think he needs to grow so that he doesn’t have to slightly stand to be able to aim!

The Pooh character names came about when we were waiting on the line at MK so that will be explained then.

Anyway, I don’t know how faithful I will be to keeping this TR updated since I still have a month left of school. As much as I (as well as my 59 students!) would love to just take a break and relax until the end of the school year, I do still have to teach!

Here are some photos from our last trip a few years ago.

I found true love last time ...

... twice.

I was strangely okay next to these sharks! I'm deathly afraid of sharks. And buffalo. And blue whales. Yeah, I'm weird like that because it's not like I acutally had any encounters with them.

The little guy with the LGMH is my brother. I'm not quite sure if my family would appreciate being posted here so this is the way around it since I do really want to post pictures! Okay. First post done. Anyone in?

Contents

Post 1: Introduction!
Post 5: Looking forward to ...
Post 14: Leaving on a Je ... Crazy Long Car Ride
Post 17: A Big YUCK to Florence, South Carolina
Post 23: One Step Closer to the WORLD!
Post 26: You Can Forget All Your Troubles, Forget All Your Cares and Go DOWNTOWN … DISNEY (1)
Post 27: You Can Forget All Your Troubles, Forget All Your Cares and Go DOWNTOWN … DISNEY (2)
Post 34: The Magic of the Kingdom (1)
Post 40: The Magic of the Kingdom (2)
Post 47: The Magic of the Kingdom (3)
Post 52: Trip Down Memory Lane
Post 57: The Magic of the Kingdom (4)
Post 62: The Magic of the Kingdom (5)
Post 68: The Magic of the Kingdom (6)
Post 69: A Non-Disney Related Day
Post 73: The Only Golf Ball I Like (1)
Post 76: The Only Golf Ball I like (2)
Post 80: The Only Golf Ball I Like (3)
Post 85: The Only Golf Ball I Like (4)
Post 90: The Only Golf Ball I Like (5)
Post 95: The Only Golf Ball I Like (6)

 

[HowWeird]

definitely in

I gotta say though, this is my way of dreaming about my own trip to WDW (someday ...) because I have been craving it for quite a while now. So even though I've already heard/read about your trip, it'll be fun to read once again bc WDW can never be tiring for me.

 

[dizluvah]

great start - looking forward to reading more

 

[RachelNinja]

So even though I've already heard/read about your trip, it'll be fun to read once again bc WDW can never be tiring for me.

Haha, this time it seems more official because it's on DIS!

great start - looking forward to reading more

Yay, a reader! Thanks for making my day, dizluvah!

 

[RachelNinja]

My vacations to WDW have never been like the vacations that other DISers have taken. First of all, I have never stayed on Disney property before. My family has a timeshare in Kissimmee so we’re only a few minutes away. Though I would absolutely LOVE staying on property in the future (either at the Contemporary or at AKL … and being on the dining plan so I can gorge at places like Le Cellier and Boma!), I do admit that I love having a condo in Florida. We don’t go hardcore with visiting all the parks. In fact, we don’t even plan what days we’re going to the park. It’s kind of loosely planned and then we decide definitively the night before. Also, for the past few visits, we’ve actually only done one park for the entire week we stay there. I know, I know … that sounds so … so … un-Disney! Haha, but we still do enjoy it.

Some of the few things that I really wanted to do this trip included (hence, Trip of Firsts!):
(most of this is from a separate online journal so it’s fun for me to reread what I was looking forward to as well!) …

(1) Eating a sandwich at "Earl of Sandwich."

I remember seeing it a few times but didn't think anything of it because how special could sandwiches be? Apparently they're really good! Thanks to DIS, that's what I know now. I mentioned it to my parents, and they kind of took the bait. I was really hoping that it wouldn’t be a “waste” and it was just hyped up. My dad wouldn’t be very happy about that.

I'm all up for trying things at least once. I don't know which one I would want, possibly "The All American" (roast turkey, buttermilk ranch, cranberries, cheddar cheese, lettuce, and tomato) or "Hawaiian BBQ" (ham, grilled chicken, Hawaiian BBQ sauce, Swiss cheese, and pineapple - of course I hate swiss) or one of the roast beef sandwiches (I don't actually like roast beef but those are the specialties).

(2) Eat at a better, different CS restaurant.

We always do counter service at any of the parks. We just need to refuel a bit before heading back to the park. We've never gone for the food, we've gone for the rides! However, after reading reviews, I really want to try something new! I mean, not to say that I don't like their chicken fingers, but it'd be nice to get something new! We haven't decided what park we're going to (it will probably be Epcot, the park we went to the last time and really enjoyed, instead of Magic Kingdom because we used to go there all the time). My family is all set with the turkey leg. I like it but am usually not in a mood to have just all meat (the last time we went to Epcot, they all had the turkey leg and I had a salad). It actually might be easier to eat more this time since it'll be much cooler than the dead of summer.

Anyway, at MK, I'm interested in ...
- Columbia Harbor House (fish and chips basket)
- Adventureland Egg Roll Wagon (egg roll or samosas) - for a quick snack
- Pinocchio Village Haus (Figaro fries) - again, just for a snack, and I think it would be so much fun to take a break while watching "It's a Small World" ride
- Aloha Isle (dole whip!)

(3) Buy a pin.

Haha, yes, finally something that doesn't have to do with food! I don't intend on being an avid pin collector or pin trader. I don't think it's worth it to spend the money to do that, at least not now with my family because they wouldn't understand it. However, I think it would be fun to actually own a pin, especially a really, really cute one! Or one that has a lot of significance. I remember walking through a pin store at Downtown Disney and that would probably be the best place to get it. I normally don't like going to DD because I never wanted to buy anything there (I only liked taking pictures of everything). This time, with my newfound love for Disney, I think I'm going to have so much more fun!

(4) Find Cinderella's Well (if we go to MK)

I only read about it recently. I never knew it existed! Apparently there's a well somewhere around the castle and though there's really nothing SPECIAL about it, I still want to see it. It's engraved with all the little mice on it too. I just think it'll be cool to find something "minor" that I never knew existed before.

(5) See the POTC Pirate Medallion (if we go to MK)

At the POTC gift shop, the pirate medallion that Will Turner gave to Elizabeth Swan is hanging on a vase. Across from that is the key for Davy Jones's locker. I'm not THAT huge a fan of the movies (I watched the first one the most) but I did enjoy them (they just don't have repeatibility within a few months) and it would be cool to see them.

(6) Go to Tom Sawyer's Island (if we go to MK ... haha again)

In the past, there never was a reason to go to Tom Sawyer's Island. It seemed like a waste of time. However, now I know that they hide paintbrushes on the island and guests are supposed to search for them! Plus, I do love the books! Oh that Samuel Clemens ... I mean, Mark Twain! I don't think I'll get to go this trip with my family because they probably would rather go on the rides.

(7) Visit Tinkerbell (this is definitely the "if we go to MK" post ...)

I won't be able to be the first to get there since we don't go for rope drop, but I'd like to just visit the store and see what this whole thing is about. Apparently the first kid to go to the Tinkerbell store and ask to wake up Tink, gets to do something and she supposedly flies around the store (lights and music). I just want to see the little wooden chest and all that!

Keep reading if you want to know if I can check any of those off my list!

 

[dreamer17555]

Im In!

-Becca-

 

[irky416]

I'm in!

Good luck keeping up with the TR during school. I know how that can be!

And I think you are the only person I have ever heard of who is scared of buffalo!

 

[Donald is #1]

I'm in too!

 

[RachelNinja]

Im In!

-Becca-

YAY! Thanks for reading!

I'm in!

Good luck keeping up with the TR during school. I know how that can be!

And I think you are the only person I have ever heard of who is scared of buffalo!

Haha, you probably noticed how I wrote the first two posts during the weekend! I'm itching to write here! Although my students may truly appreciate having a free period if I don't have anything planned, I highly doubt the principal would approve! Plus, every single day my kids want to know where their children's books are (book report was to make a book on their reading level into an upper elementary school book with illustrations and everything) ... hehe, "Oh guys, they're just in the box next to my computer at home where I spend my time on DIS!" "Only" 26 out of the 59 left to read, grade, and comment!

Buffalo are terrifying! My mom said it was because they were in the movie Radio Flyer and I got scared as a kid? I don't even know why, but I FREEZE when it comes to buffalo. During a summer of helping out with my church's summer school program, we went to the American Museum of Natural History. I could NOT walk by the bison/buffalo display (the animals that were stuffed). I had 2 girls on each side of me lead me past the display as my eyes were closed. I still felt their presence ... and their beady eyes ...

Haha, this comes into play when riding Living with the Land ...

I'm in too!

Huzzah! Another reader! Because it is a school week, I don't know if I'll be able to get another post out by tomorrow, but trust me, I'm trying. I really want to!

 

[RachelNinja]

My trip was in February. At work, I had parents who took their kids out of school for a surprise trip to WDW in April or so. She came back with this little guy on her bag. I just HAD to take a picture! Made me want to go back to DTD World of Disney or one of the MANY gift shops at MK and go through the racks and racks of keychains and jewelry!​

 

[HowWeird]

Haha very cool how this is so much more official and detailed than your other recaps! I have a question though, was that Donald keychain on the floor??

 

[PrincessSarah314]

(7) Visit Tinkerbell (this is definitely the "if we go to MK" post ...)

I won't be able to be the first to get there since we don't go for rope drop, but I'd like to just visit the store and see what this whole thing is about. Apparently the first kid to go to the Tinkerbell store and ask to wake up Tink, gets to do something and she supposedly flies around the store (lights and music). I just want to see the little wooden chest and all that!

Keep reading if you want to know if I can check any of those off my list!

I didn't know about this! I have a son though! I wonder if it would work if we did it, or does it have to be a princess? Either way, I'm in for your TR!

 

[RachelNinja]

I have a question though, was that Donald keychain on the floor??

Yes. Cute grouchy Donald was on the floor. He got really grungy gray by the end of the week.

I didn't know about this! I have a son though! I wonder if it would work if we did it, or does it have to be a princess? Either way, I'm in for your TR!

I've never heard that it has to be a princess! The only thing I know is that there are people who rush there as quickly as they can and sometimes they still miss it. My family doesn't go that early so I'll probably never see this. But thanks for reading!!!

 

[RachelNinja]

It’s only Wednesday, but I really need to write for this trip report! I say that because I promised I wouldn’t touch it until the weekend. I’ve got a stack of book reports that still need grading (14 more left out of 59 … well, I should say 58 since I had a student just decide NOT to do it).

My family packed up the car on Saturday, February 16, to begin the 19ish hour drive down to Florida. We’ve almost always driven to Florida because we like having our own car and bringing as much as we can. We flew down once and although I absolutely adore not sitting in the car for so long, it was actually really hectic to do that (especially since we flew to Tampa instead of Orlando because the airfare was cheaper).

In hindsight, I think driving down was the BEST thing ever this year. Why? It’s because I hadn’t/haven’t been getting much sleep lately. This whole “first-year-of-teaching” thing is extremely tiring. I don’t have any old lesson plans to go by, and considering I got this job literally right before the first week of school, I didn’t even have the materials for the curriculum early enough. That means I’m always trying to stay one step ahead of my kids. Considering the fact that ELA is my main subject (all middle school grades), that includes trying to read a lot of novels at the same time! So … to get back in track … I was able to get a LOT of sleep during this car ride.

And it wasn't just me sleeping a lot on this trip ...

This little guy was lucky to be "small" because he was able to get really comfy whereas I wish I had more space!​

We also brought a laptop with us so that I could work in the car. The times that I wasn’t sleeping, I was actually working on vocabulary sentences. I had typed up all the definitions at home, and I wrote sentences for the tests (most of the tests are fill-in-the-blank). It was an easy thing to do because it doesn’t require that much brain power, but it’s very time consuming at home. Plus, since all I needed to do was look at the next word, I didn’t really have to stare at the computer screen as much (I can get carsick).

Anyway, back to that morning … haha (you’ll notice that I tend to digress …)

That morning I had to wake up fairly early to continue packing. Thankfully, my scary dreams of not having enough time or not being able to find everything didn't play out. I wish I had more time to prepare though because normally I start lists earlier. Being an "adult" (in quotation marks because I really don’t feel like one at all … plus, no one actually believes I look like one!) and having a job prevented me from getting a head start. My preparation for vacation was actually work-related.


(teacher rant!): I had to email lessons and homework to students who were absent the week before because they decided to start their vacation a week earlier. Why is it that the students who can't afford to miss school are the ones that miss school on purpose? I don’t understand pulling your kids out of school. One year in elementary school, my brother and I were adamant about NOT going on a vacation, which would mean missing the first day of school! We were at the travel agency (you know, when people still used those all the time~) and refused to go on the vacation! I get that not everyone is going to share the same beliefs as I do, but this is what confuses me … to those parents, you KNOW your child is struggling in class as it is. Why would you take them out of a week’s worth of class?!? Plus, how is it my responsibility to make sure that your child is caught up? Arg. Don’t ask me for my lesson plans the week before you leave. First of all, I try to do my LPs (lesson plans) the weekend before. So that means, NO, I cannot give you the work for NEXT week. Second of all, even if I let your child know what I plan on doing next week, chances are, s/he is not going to be able to do it all on his/her own (particularly math)! Otherwise there’d be absolutely no reason for your child to be in school if she can learn it all via the books! Grrr. Rant over. For now. Haha.

Back to the regular scheduled programming …

It took a while to pack up the car. At the last minute, Piglet and I realized we were both bringing separate DVD/CD cases and we quickly switched them to the one big one I had (filled with Gilmore Girls season 7, Alias season 2, The Office seasons 1 and 2, School of Rock, Madagascar, Veggietales, and Odyssey episodes on CDs). I wish I had known earlier to get Third Watch because that was finally released a week or two ago. In the end, it didn’t matter because I pretty much just had Gilmore Girls and Alias on in the background while I was working.

Piglet and me in the car in the driveway. See, sometimes we can be nice to each other!

And please don't mind the fact that I look only 14. I had to have a headband on in the car because I can't stand it when my bangs fall in my face while I sleep ... the tickling wakes me up.

Backing out of the driveway! Oh the excitement!

As you can see, we're wearing winter jackets because it's February! I believe this is the FIRST time we ever went to Florida in February ... no packing shorts and tanks!​

Our first stop was Burger King for breakfast. We all had croissanwiches (however you spell them!) in the car. Piglet and I both also wanted crowns. Yummy. I thought, “We are going to get so fat on this vacation.” After eating, I was tired again, and I fell asleep. Although the car wasn’t that comfortable (I miss driving in the minivan!), it's easier to sleep with pillows! So Mom, Piglet, and I each had our own baby pillows. I didn't have deep sleep since I wasn't iPod-ing it so I was still somewhat aware of what was happening in the car.

In a tunnel in ... Maryland? It was dark, and it was kind of frightening. I'm used to the tunnels near home but that's because we go through them often. This one made me nervous! Piglet rushed to take his flashlight out ...

I snapped this picture and then quickly told him to turn it off. I'm pretty sure it's not a very good idea to have a flashlight on in a dark tunnel when other drivers also need to see!​

Our next stop was the Perryville outlet in Maryland. There's really not much there, but we stop to use the bathroom. We don't spend much time there, but I quickly walked in the cold to Rue 21 knowing that there would be sales. There was only one girl there working and she was on her cell talking to her mom. She was friendly when she finished. That always encourages me to spend my money! Is it just me? When I’m greeted at a store, I’m more likely to buy something. Those greeters at the door really do make a difference in terms of profit.

Last time I went to a Rue 21, I was with my cousins in Pennsylvania. I bought a purple hoodie sweater then and this time, I saw them again ... for only $3! I had to buy another one … in a different color, of course! Then I bought 3 more tops (one t-shirt had pandas on it because pandas [along with penguins] are absolutely awesome, another had crayons on it with smiles except for a few who are frowning because their tips are broken off). I saw this other shirt that said, "Let's Have S'more Fun" and it had chocolate, marshmallow, and graham cracker smiling on it, but the seams weren't lined up correctly down the side of the shirt and I hate when I have shirts that do that. Total for 4 items? $16 + 96 cents for tax! Score! How perfect is this vacation already?

Haha, Dad teased me about why I was already buying something and we weren't in Florida yet. We didn’t have much trunk space, but how could I pass up on such deals? Back into the car! After some time, we ate our sandwiches. Everyone else had turkey and muenster, but I decided to be unhealthy and had bologna. That’s obviously a sarcastic remark, haha. I remember always having it when I was as kid, but then i stopped because twas too unhealthy ... and gross to think about where it came from. But then sometimes I have a little kid craving for it so I have it maybe once a year.

Nothing else of interest really happened. Piglet and I took a few pictures. Oh! I guess I should introduce you to some of our little friends …

Bailey doesn't want his pictures to be posted on the internet either ...

... haha, just kidding.​

Bailey ... he's my pink bunny. I don't remember when I got him, but he came into my life when I was much younger. I didn't have any special attachment to him until I decided to bring along a fuzzy friend on vacation. As a child, I always brought my doll "Guchi," but after almost losing him (yes, him) a few times, I knew it was safer for him to stay at home. Bailey enjoyed the vacation (probably to Florida) and from then on, he's always been on vacation with me. He's actually a little ... grayish at this point.

Hoppy ... he cost 50 cents from those machines, haha. Oh, he's a blue kangaroo, if you couldn't tell. Piglet has a few of these furry friends. I think it's mainly because he wants to have an animal that has the same significance as Bailey does to me. Hoppy has never been on vacation before, but he's heard all about what it's like from his other friends who have joined us, Floppy (a bunny) and Foggy (a frog). Um, Piglet's not very creative with his naming, haha.

Bailey really likes crowns. So I shared. One.

Anyway, that night we ate dinner at Outback Steakhouse. Mom had glass in her bleu cheese chopped salad so her entire dinner was free. I had lovely Alice Spring Chicken because I'm the kind of person who goes to steakhouses to eat chicken. Haha, not that big of a fan of steak or prime rib or anything like that.

Hoppy was excited to be at Outback to meet up with some friends. Piglet didn't understand why I was saying that. I had to remind him that Hoppy's a kangaroo~ haha.

We stayed at a hotel in South Carolina, but I'll get more into that in the next installment. Thanks for reading!

 

[kathleen27]

Hi Rachel,

Enjoying your tr so far!
I was at Disney the same week you were! 2/16-2/25
Guess you have the same school vacation week as my kids.
Will be interesting to see if we ended up in the same park at all.

We stayed at our timeshare as well. Right off 192. We have been going there since I was a kid! So I also have never stayed on Disney property (yet).

 

[RachelNinja]

We stayed at our timeshare as well. Right off 192. We have been going there since I was a kid! So I also have never stayed on Disney property (yet).

Hi Kathleen! Thanks for reading!

That February vacation is the greatest time to go to Florida! I don't think it was as crowded as the April break. Plus, I really loved the fact that we didn't have to stand on long, sweaty, sticky lines!

It'll be so much fun to stay on Disney property one of these days ... but I also think that because I grew up staying at a timeshare (with LOADS of room), I may not actually enjoy the rooms at WDW.

 

[RachelNinja]

This deserves an entry all on its own, not because it’s a particularly good entry, but because I don’t want to miss it up with anything related to Disney! We’ve stayed in Florence, SC, for many, many years. It was our stopping point while driving to Florida since I was an itty-bitty girl. I don’t know if the place just started to go downhill lately or if I’m getting “snobby” or if I just never noticed it before … but Florence is not a very nice place. We make our stop there because it’s right off the I-95, no extra driving to get to the hotel. [Don’t you absolutely hate that? You find your exit but then end up having to drive a few more miles inwards to find the secluded hotel?]

We stayed at the Ramada Inn and the hotel was NOT clean. We couldn’t do anything about it since we arrive there so late at night. You could tell it was really old, but even old places can still be clean! The front of the check-in building looked like it was falling apart! I would understand if they were renovating, but it didn’t seem like it to me.

First of all, the service was bad. They had only given us 2 sets of towels even though we were a room of 4. When we called the front desk to let them know, they told my dad to head over there to pick them up. Considering our room was far from the front desk and it was late at night, my dad wasn’t very happy walking all the way there. They told my dad to cut through the grass. Well, considering there was a huge pond of muddy, mosquito attracting water … no thanks.

Second of all, we all had a horrible night of sleep because the beds were lumpy and our neighbors were chatting incessantly. And apparently they don’t know what whispering is! So you may be thinking that that’s not Ramada Inn’s fault. That’s true. It really stems from the fact from rude neighbors (we knocked on the wall a few times). However, by early morning, my parents finally called the front desk to let them know. My parents needed their sleep considering the drive ahead! The neighbors were called and they toned it down in terms of volume for about … 2 minutes. Then they started up again. We could literally hear their conversation!

Okay, so maybe there isn’t much that Ramada can do since they assume that the neighbors quieted themselves. But they didn’t. So we called again. We were hoping that they would send the night manager or someone to come and see for him or herself, but nothing was done. They should have knocked on their door or offered a new room (so at least my dad could have some quiet). Oh boy, my dad was grouchy the next morning … and with good reason! Neither of my parents slept for more than two hours straight! I take naps at home that are longer than that! But what was done was done.

The thing that sealed the deal was the next morning. They advertised that there would be a free breakfast the next day. After a search for the building, we stepped in and I had a flashback! We had stayed at that hotel before (whether it was Ramada or another one, I don’t remember) when I was a kid and that breakfast was disgusting! Well, I guess they decided to keep with the tradition because there was nothing there!

Oh, the deception! From the Ramda Inn website ...

The two dishes took a while to be replaced (there were eggs and grits and stuff). As we were waiting, I saw someone come out with the eggs. They were scooped out of a questionable looking container and I knew I wasn’t going to eat it (I have a sensitive stomach). I tried to find something else to eat but couldn’t. I tried eating a pre-packaged donut but it was stale beyond belief. And when I say stale, I mean STALE. Because on normal occasions, I don’t mind stale donuts (I actually like one day old chocolate donuts from Dunkin Donuts). The food was pretty much inedible. Now I wasn’t a happy camper because I was hungry!

To take a break in this negativity, however, I have to say that the woman working the front of the restaurant was a doll. She was so sweet and pleasant. We needed hot water for the road (we bring a thermos for tea) and she so kindly took the thermos to the back to get us boiling water.

Back to the room we went. I was glad that I didn’t finish my dinner from the night before because I ended up eating my leftover Alice Springs Chicken for breakfast! There was a fridge in the room and a microwave so after a few seconds of heating, I had some yummy, cheesy, bacon-y, cold chicken for breakfast. It was delicious!

We gladly left that hotel and vowed never to return to Florence again. Haha, that is until we saw that they were building a Hampton Inn right next door! We absolutely adore Hampton Inn and have never had a problem with them before (some were better than others, but nothing terrible like that stay at Ramada!).

Stopping to get gas for the ride ahead, Dad also picked up hash browns from McD’s for Piglet and me. Isn’t it great that a crispy (and slightly greasy) McD’s hash brown can make that frown turn upside down? Lovely. I could go for one right now …

In closing … the only redeeming quality of our hotel stay? There was wireless at the hotel so I was able to check email and Facebook while I waited for everyone to finish showering. Then I checked out youtube again to show Mom the video for Test Track to try to convince her to go on it. Haha, she wasn’t convinced.

Oh yeah, I also don’t feel writing about this terrible experience because I don’t think it was just us. A few months ago, I read another DISer’s report. She and her family stopped at the same Ramada Inn and actually turned around and went to a DIFFERENT hotel. I don’t think I’m the only one who feels this way about Florence.

 

[fernoppi]

Hello! =) You know it's weird, DH and I stayed at a Ramada Inn I think when we went to Disneyland. It was actually not even Ramada Inn, but a cheaper one, I think Ramada Limited or something I can't remember. And indeed it was ugh too!

Oh and yay for Dad! Love those McD's hashbrowns!!!

 

[dreamer17555]

Sorry about your rough start. It really sucks but hopefully the rest of the trip more than made up for it.

-Becca-

 

[Beana9802]

Awesome updates! Congrats on getting a job so quick! I am a fellow teacher I used to teach second grade, but now I am a Instructional Technology Staff Developer...fun stuff!


Keep 'em comin'