As we headed from WSMG to VB, we had 2 options. It was essentially the same time to drive back past MCO, across to the coast, and then down 95 OR to take the scenic route at an angle across to VB. Since this was a road trip, we went with option B, and lemme tell ya, it did NOT disappoint!
Some of you may know that Joyce is mildly obsessed with abandoned stuff (parks, hotels, houses, etc.). I dont know the history or economics around this region of FL, but I can certainly tell you that it is full of places that were run-down, over-grown, and other adjectives as well. Our camera really couldnt capture the beauty of it, but there were hotels, luxury condos, a mini-golf course, a driving range, and tons of other decrepit-ity structures. Two of our favorite hotelsnot sure if they were still open or notwere the Polynesian Inn and the Holidays In Resort (yup, only 1 n there). They were as lovely as they sound. Can you imagine booking an AMAZING deal at the Polynesian Inn and then wondering where the monorail was?
Or not wanting to spend Disney money, so you stay at the recognizable name of Holidays In Resort?
The Gator motel may have missed the mark on advertising. There was a HUGE alligator (fiberglass?) out front eating a cara real car-sized car! I can picture checking in and there being a small TV on the counter with Lake Placid on loop
I wanted to stop at "Alligator Alley at the Country Castle", but got out-voted 1:1 by Joyce. It was a big green and yellow building with the top looking like a castle. The best we could figure it, inside was some kind of large open venue. Upcoming activities included a beer pong tournament and an MMA event. Come on Joyce
beer pong? Please? FROWNYFACE.
We also passed Church City. It was really more of just a church. Kind of a big church, but definitely not a city. We didnt stop there either
general admission was $10 and priority admission was $20. Haha, yeah, not sure what that was all about, but they did have line dividers set up for all the people they were expecting!
Now we were almost to VB, but I decided we needed to stop at a Publix for provisions. Joyce had her letsjustgettherefirst pants on, and did her best to make puppy dog eyes. Unfortunately for her, Ive developed an immunity to PDE when logic is involved. From our AKLKV trip, we found that brewing coffee and having bagels and cream cheese on hand make for a quick and cheap way to start the day. For good measure, we also got the Widmer we had at WL, some Hoegaarden, and some Yuengling Black and Tans.
Leaving Publix, there was now nothing stopping us from VB
or was there?
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Haha, no, there was not.
We pulled up to the resort and first impressions were great. (I'm not saying that in an ironic foreshadowing way) Since this resort was the first off-site resort and built in 1995, we really had no idea what to expect. We had read some Trip Advisor reports, and Im sure Joyce had also read up on whatever she could find on DIS. We checked in quickly and received more pins. These were 1st visit pins. (First visit to VB, let's CELEBRATE! with a bit of sarcasm) We thought about not taking them because, well, honestly, how many pins can two people carry, but we just said thank you and pocketed them.
The lobby was very nice and open, and we could see the stairway up to the GCR (Green Cabin Room). The floor was wood with what appeared to be odd, random, semi-circular gouges in it. I asked a CM and he said that no one knows for sure, but the two theories are that either A) its supposed to look like the marks sea turtles make on the beach or B) its supposed to look like a chain was dragged across the floor. I cant vouch for what either of them would look like (or why that would make sense for the wood floor of a lobby) but I guess Disney doesnt get EVERYTHING right
VB does have a lot of sea turtles, and theyre kind of a big deal here, so I think CMs should just stick with telling option A. If they said it with authority and certainty, Im sure Id have been like, oh yeah
I see it now
silly me!
Behind the desk was a really cool and detailed mural of all sorts of stuffwooden ships, turtles, Mickey, the ocean, a compass. Im kind of crazy about hidden Mickeys, and even jokingly point out (for example) the completely detailed Mickey painting as a hidden Mickey in the mural. One thing that did catch my eye, was just below a ship in the middle. I could SWEAR I saw some numbers. Maybe a 33. I pointed it out to the CM and she looked at it and didnt see anything. She humored me for a while and was pointing, here, oh, here
this went on for a bit and then she said there was really nothing there. Joyce blamed it on my laser eyes and how I now think I can see through doors since my vision is amazing. (I had LASIK 2 years ago.) I was determined to get someone to agree with me, so I asked a second opinion from a CM on
this side of the counter. This CM actually sees what Im talking about and trades places with the CM behind the counter. Apparently its sort of like a mosaic where you cant see it up close, but you can see it from farther away. No one knew if it had meaning or was an accident, but score one for the laser eyes because I just won!
Phew, sorry about that. I promise Im fun and not always stubbornly turdy, but I knew it was there! What do you think? (Check out the splash in the middle bottom of the boat just to the left of the tip of one of the masts of the ship that is off the bottom of the screen.) There are 6 ofs in that sentence.
The CM actually pointed out one flaw that was known about the mural. You can almost see it in my picture. The compass numbers are 170, 160, 150 and they line up with 10, 20, and "80" (just off the screen). This 80 is supposed to be 30. If youre ever there, point it out to a CM like you just noticed it on your own. I bet they give you a pin.
OK, so now were checked inRoom 2405! Taking the elevator up to the 4th floor, we got a good look at the really cool rafters and fun chains that hung down for the chandelier in the lobby. (Perhaps the chains that marked the floor?) Also, how fun is it that the elevators have Mickey hands?!?
We would never pay extra for a view, but we always hope we get a nice one (fingers crossed). We were pleasantly surprised with this:
As long as you kept your eyes fixed on the horizon, it was beautiful. If your eyes wandered down
The room itself was very nice and spacious, and we even had a fun little towel-turtle! We also had wireless internet throughout the resort (free for DVC, and I think $10/day otherwise). Unfortunately it was sloooooow in our room because of the poor signal.
You can kind of tell from this picture, but our balcony was tiny. Literally there were 2 chairs that touched the railing and the window at the same time. There was no room for a table because if you opened the swinging door, you had just enough room to bump it in to one chair, so you could squeeze through and around to sit. Then the next person could squeeze out and sit shin-to-shin. Again, not a problem if you're 5'-nothing like us, but just not really usable, especially for adult-sized adults. Honestly though, why would we hang out on the balcony when the resort has a beach, a pool, and a water slide?!?
At this point our WCC bellies had returned to normal size and we were actually getting a bit hungry. We walked around the resort briefly just to get our bearings, and then came back through the lobby to eat at the GCR. We split the southwestern egg roll, crab cakes, and spinach dip which were all really good and hit the spot.
As we finished, Bernie was just warming up. Bernie is a lounge singer. Hes not a particularly good one, but apparently hes got a contract through next September. (Yeah, I asked.) We looked up online and hes been there
forever, he always says the same jokes, and people only like him ironically. He also NEVER finishes a song. We didnt notice at first, but eventually developed a game of guessing when hes going to quit a song. As an example, during UB40s Red Red Wine, Joyce said, I bet he doesnt get to the rappy part. Surprisingly, he actually started the rappy part, but definitely stopped short by at least a minute.
After losing our amusement with Bernie (though the place was pretty packed) we decided that instead of paying Disney prices for drinks, wed go back to our room and enjoy a few of our own on the cheap. (Hurray for a minifridge and liquor store access!) The looooong day finally caught up with us and we probably only had one beer each while we learned everything that there is to know about Bethenny Frankel on E! True Hollywood Story and then PTFO! (Please use Flip here
this is DIS
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