LibertyLover
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2004
- Messages
- 407
This is my first new thread post and my first trip report, so bear with me.
The first thing you need to know is that I work in Washington, DC on Pennsylvania Avenue. Now granted, my office is at 22nd and Penn, above the site for the inaugural festivities, but not out of area for all the pain and hassle that event routinely brings to DC. No way was I going to be in DC for it if I could help it, and this year I could. I have several weeks of annual leave accrued and decide to whittle it down some with an escape trip to WDW. The family is thrilled.
The participants in this little escape include me - 51 years old, my DH who is 49, his daughter from his first marriage, my DSD (dear step daughter) who is 24 and our daughter who is 2 and a half. DSD and DD have never been to WDW. DSD calls it a cult. Several years ago we got her really well for her birthday. We got her a OneShare of Disney stock. She came over and we managed to get her ranting about The Cult. Then we gave her her gift. When she opened it we informed her that she was now part of The Cult. DSD was looking forward to the trip since she had just had some surgery and wanted to relax. Yeah, with her 2 year old sister around, like that was going to happen.
We decided to start the week at AKL. DSD is an ecologist and DD loves animals. Then the second half of the week we moved over to the Poly, since neither DH or I had ever stayed there. Things started out badly - our flight from Baltimore on AirTran kept getting delayed. First the plane was late getting in from somewhere, then the air crew who was scheduled to take it on to Orlando was late getting in from wherever it was they were flying in from. But we finally got off about an hour and a half late. OK, not too bad - I've had worse (that 18 hour delay in the Tehran airport comes to mind - I don't do caviar.). I figured that DD would sleep on the plane - goodness knows she sleeps on every other form of moving transport - but noooooo. She decided it would be really fun to complain about the seat belt, the pretzels, the drink of orange juice or to play with the lights. I managed to prevent her from turing on the call light. Luckily she is very cute and didn't cry too much so she wasn't a real problem. DH and DSD spent the 2 hour flight tormenting each other with really bad puns (Note to other passengers on the flight - sorry, but I can't be held responsible, I was dealing with the toddler).
We got to Orlando and split up - DH and DSD to the luggage claim and me and DD to the rental car counter. When I booked I had requested a toddler car seat. Silly me, when I hit the counter, I forgot to mention it since it was part of the reservation. So, we all link back up and walk over to the pick up area. DD is now asleep in her stroller and DH and DSD almost asleep on their feet. I mention to the pick up people that I need a toddler seat. Oh, no can do they reply - it's not listed on the paperwork. So, I go back to the counter, wait in line and finally get the same agent who checked me in. Oh she says, you didn't need to wait in line and the pick up people could have handled it. Aaaargggh! Back I go to pick up with the paper work that now has a CSS hand written on it. The pick up people hand over a seat, husband grabs it out of my hands, snarling and puts it in the car muttering that it is a piece of excrement. We get all the luggage in the car and set off for the south exit of the airport with me driving. DH helpfully points out the north exit. I remind him we want the south exit. He helpfully points out the north exit. I remind him we want the south exit. I see the south exit and move into that lane. He helpfully points out that the north exit is in the left lane. I finally tell him to shut up, we want the south exit. He subsides for a minute or two, then helpfully points out that we are heading out the south exit. Duh. I do not smite him as I need him to pull the luggage out of the car. After that, all bets are off.
We pull into WDW and I smile. We get to AKL and check in at the gate. DSD is very impressed - they have our name on a list. I make the executive decision that we are using valet parking when we get to AKL. DH concurs. We pull in and notice that there are a lot of cars around. I give the keys to valet parking, go back to the car to help with luggage and DD and DH helpfully indicates that he's got DD, that I can get the luggage. So, making another executive decision, I commandeer a bell person, we load the luggage and get a ticket. The luggage will be delivered to the room. DH is impressed with my decision making skills.
DSD walks into AKL and is speechless for about a minute and a half. She announces that she wants to take the lobby home. She has good taste. I get on the line to check in, which is rather long and there are only three CMs to handle it. We find out the next day that there is a convention of home builders in town and that it is one of the largest conventions Orlando has ever had. My stars they were noisy.
Finally I check in and am given a complimentary upgrade to deluxe savanah view from savannah view. I thank the CM, who was very pleasant and perky for that time of night and having checked that many people in before me. DH has come up several times while I'm on line to see how I'm doing. Well, I'm still on line. I tell him to go to Mara and get cups and something to eat. But oh darn, it's after midnight and Mara is closed. Oh well, we'll order from room service. But that, we find out, ends at 11 pm. Well, it's Boma for breakfast.
Our room is #5344, on Kudu Trail, 5th floor, overlooking Sunset Savannah. DH and I had that same view the last time at AKL. DSD loves the room. I check the bathroom - 2 large bath towels. That's not going to work - so I call Mousekeeping and ask for 5 more. I ask them to make sure we have at least 6 or 7 bath towels. Mousekeeping says that they will make a note of it and take care of it. They do not and so every day I have to call and get towels delivered. The room was ok clean, but only in the obvious places. The next day I am less than thrilled to find my DD playing with a package of sudafed that she found under the bed. DH goes ballistic and screams that I have to make sure that I put away any medicine out of DD's reach. I inform him that I had not brought that particular medicine, that I had no x-ray vision to see it under the bed with, and that he had better chill. He does.
The luggage finally arrives, but only after a call to the bell desk. The luggage person however is apoligetic for the delay so I give him a nice tip. I give DD a bath and we get to bed, hungry, tired and hoping for good things in the morning. Yeah, right. More to come.
The first thing you need to know is that I work in Washington, DC on Pennsylvania Avenue. Now granted, my office is at 22nd and Penn, above the site for the inaugural festivities, but not out of area for all the pain and hassle that event routinely brings to DC. No way was I going to be in DC for it if I could help it, and this year I could. I have several weeks of annual leave accrued and decide to whittle it down some with an escape trip to WDW. The family is thrilled.
The participants in this little escape include me - 51 years old, my DH who is 49, his daughter from his first marriage, my DSD (dear step daughter) who is 24 and our daughter who is 2 and a half. DSD and DD have never been to WDW. DSD calls it a cult. Several years ago we got her really well for her birthday. We got her a OneShare of Disney stock. She came over and we managed to get her ranting about The Cult. Then we gave her her gift. When she opened it we informed her that she was now part of The Cult. DSD was looking forward to the trip since she had just had some surgery and wanted to relax. Yeah, with her 2 year old sister around, like that was going to happen.
We decided to start the week at AKL. DSD is an ecologist and DD loves animals. Then the second half of the week we moved over to the Poly, since neither DH or I had ever stayed there. Things started out badly - our flight from Baltimore on AirTran kept getting delayed. First the plane was late getting in from somewhere, then the air crew who was scheduled to take it on to Orlando was late getting in from wherever it was they were flying in from. But we finally got off about an hour and a half late. OK, not too bad - I've had worse (that 18 hour delay in the Tehran airport comes to mind - I don't do caviar.). I figured that DD would sleep on the plane - goodness knows she sleeps on every other form of moving transport - but noooooo. She decided it would be really fun to complain about the seat belt, the pretzels, the drink of orange juice or to play with the lights. I managed to prevent her from turing on the call light. Luckily she is very cute and didn't cry too much so she wasn't a real problem. DH and DSD spent the 2 hour flight tormenting each other with really bad puns (Note to other passengers on the flight - sorry, but I can't be held responsible, I was dealing with the toddler).
We got to Orlando and split up - DH and DSD to the luggage claim and me and DD to the rental car counter. When I booked I had requested a toddler car seat. Silly me, when I hit the counter, I forgot to mention it since it was part of the reservation. So, we all link back up and walk over to the pick up area. DD is now asleep in her stroller and DH and DSD almost asleep on their feet. I mention to the pick up people that I need a toddler seat. Oh, no can do they reply - it's not listed on the paperwork. So, I go back to the counter, wait in line and finally get the same agent who checked me in. Oh she says, you didn't need to wait in line and the pick up people could have handled it. Aaaargggh! Back I go to pick up with the paper work that now has a CSS hand written on it. The pick up people hand over a seat, husband grabs it out of my hands, snarling and puts it in the car muttering that it is a piece of excrement. We get all the luggage in the car and set off for the south exit of the airport with me driving. DH helpfully points out the north exit. I remind him we want the south exit. He helpfully points out the north exit. I remind him we want the south exit. I see the south exit and move into that lane. He helpfully points out that the north exit is in the left lane. I finally tell him to shut up, we want the south exit. He subsides for a minute or two, then helpfully points out that we are heading out the south exit. Duh. I do not smite him as I need him to pull the luggage out of the car. After that, all bets are off.
We pull into WDW and I smile. We get to AKL and check in at the gate. DSD is very impressed - they have our name on a list. I make the executive decision that we are using valet parking when we get to AKL. DH concurs. We pull in and notice that there are a lot of cars around. I give the keys to valet parking, go back to the car to help with luggage and DD and DH helpfully indicates that he's got DD, that I can get the luggage. So, making another executive decision, I commandeer a bell person, we load the luggage and get a ticket. The luggage will be delivered to the room. DH is impressed with my decision making skills.
DSD walks into AKL and is speechless for about a minute and a half. She announces that she wants to take the lobby home. She has good taste. I get on the line to check in, which is rather long and there are only three CMs to handle it. We find out the next day that there is a convention of home builders in town and that it is one of the largest conventions Orlando has ever had. My stars they were noisy.
Finally I check in and am given a complimentary upgrade to deluxe savanah view from savannah view. I thank the CM, who was very pleasant and perky for that time of night and having checked that many people in before me. DH has come up several times while I'm on line to see how I'm doing. Well, I'm still on line. I tell him to go to Mara and get cups and something to eat. But oh darn, it's after midnight and Mara is closed. Oh well, we'll order from room service. But that, we find out, ends at 11 pm. Well, it's Boma for breakfast.
Our room is #5344, on Kudu Trail, 5th floor, overlooking Sunset Savannah. DH and I had that same view the last time at AKL. DSD loves the room. I check the bathroom - 2 large bath towels. That's not going to work - so I call Mousekeeping and ask for 5 more. I ask them to make sure we have at least 6 or 7 bath towels. Mousekeeping says that they will make a note of it and take care of it. They do not and so every day I have to call and get towels delivered. The room was ok clean, but only in the obvious places. The next day I am less than thrilled to find my DD playing with a package of sudafed that she found under the bed. DH goes ballistic and screams that I have to make sure that I put away any medicine out of DD's reach. I inform him that I had not brought that particular medicine, that I had no x-ray vision to see it under the bed with, and that he had better chill. He does.
The luggage finally arrives, but only after a call to the bell desk. The luggage person however is apoligetic for the delay so I give him a nice tip. I give DD a bath and we get to bed, hungry, tired and hoping for good things in the morning. Yeah, right. More to come.
that Uncle Sam pays me.
