bbowers
Dog Mommy
- Joined
- Mar 23, 2003
- Messages
- 641
DH and I just pulled in a few hours ago after driving back from Port Canaveral to Michigan from our dual HH/DCL vacation. Both were firsts for us, and both were not as planned due to Hurricane Frances.
Here's a quick trip report on HH:
After driving all day Saturday (left at 6 AM, stayed in Spartanburg at the Raddisson, which had a great rate but wasn't quite as fantastic as raved about on TripAdvisor.com) and starting out early (a little after 7 - Raddisson breakfast wasn't until 7 on Sundays) on Sunday, arrived at HH around noon. Got on the wrong road and ended up on the toll across island, so stopped at Kenny B's for brunch. It was towards the end (they close at 1), so it was rather sparse - they weren't refilling some things and no one was manning the omelette station. I was miffed, but we were starving, so we dealt with it.
Checked in after we found our way (very hard to find from the wrong way, considering there is only 1 Disney sign...). Shawn checked us in and was very helpful. We were given room 1137 in the main lodge (one bedroom). The only things I noticed were frayed curtain edges in the bedroom and a whole lot of mildew on the door side of the shower. I was going to make note of it before we left, but as you'll see later, we left in a rush, so that didn't get done. We had only stayed in studios before (VWL and OKW), so we were both awed by the one bedroom. And immediately spoiled - I can see no more studios in our future.
We fussed about a bit (I actually unpacked - that is SOO unlike me, the Commando Woman - we stayed in 4 different hotels/resorts our last WDW stay), then decided to go over and see the beach, so we'd know where the beach house was for our Private Affair with Chef Gordon the following evening. We got about to the shuttle stop when it started to rain - and I could see a wall of water heading towards us over the inlet. We sat in the shuttle shelter until it slowed enough to troop back to our room. Took a nap instead! All clear when we woke up, so we went down to sign up for a dolphin cruise and a shark fishing expedition. DH stepped off the edge of a path wrong and hurt his lower back pretty badly, so we went back to get him some pain pills before taking off again.
After that, thanks to dis-happy, we went down to Sea Pines (she had called in a LOS pass for us) and up the lighthouse. My camera batteries of course died just as I went to take a picture. Hmph. Enjoyed the view, then stopped at Smokehouse BBQ for dinner. It reminded me of Famous Dave's, and I wouldn't bother going again, since we can get something similar at home.
Came back via Piggly Wiggly for some breakfast supplies (since our Dolphin Cruise was at 9 AM and DH's back was really bugging him) and relaxed in the hot tub. DH mentioned while we were unloading groceries that we should have gotten some bubble bath. Ta da! The Packing Queen pulls out a small bottle of bubble bath! Then proceeds to dump some in the filling tub. Not enough bubbles, so put in more. We got in, and turned on the jets.
It was then a scene from I Love Lucy. The bubbles started crawling up the wall behind DH and I was frantically shoving them under the water to calm them down. I am not to be trusted with bubbles - same thing happened to us at Big Cedar in Branson, but I conveniently forgot... Ended up getting out of the tub earlier than planned, darn it. Had packed the heating pad for DH, so he did that instead. *sigh*
Monday AM dawned rainy and very windy. Called down about 8:10 to check on the 9 AM Dolphin Cruise. They hadn't heard anything from the captain yet, so they called to check, and sure enough, it was canceled. DH was ecstatic because on our way down 95 we had seen a billboard for a Bass Pro Outdoor World at a mall near Savannah. So, off to Savannah we went.
Left him at OW and I checked out the rest of the mall. We agreed to meet in about 45 minutes. I whipped through the mall (I am NOT a mall person and basically hate to shop - if I could buy everything on-line, I would) but did take a few minutes at Walden Books. Their sales suck compared to Barnes and Noble, so I didn't buy anything. Found DH in OW after about 25 minutes, and we wandered around together a bit. Ate lunch at a Crawdaddy Crab's (I think that's the name). DH had stuffed crab and I had a shrimp salad sandwich which had absolutely NO flavor whatsoever. Even the mayonnaise had no flavor. Ugh. Then we found an ice cream place where they mix up your ice cream on a slab with whatever mix-ins you want - we have nothing like that at home and were fascinated. And stuffed, after.
Back to HH and got a call from Chef Gordon. Apparently they had just spotted a water spout near the Beach House and HH was under a tornado warning until 7 PM. We decided to put off our Private Affair until Tuesday. We got a pizza delivered from Guiseppe's instead. Pizza was pretty ordinary, but the convenience can't be beat. Watched TV and soaked in the tub again until my mother called.
Now Mom was staying at our house with our 9 dogs and 2 cats, so we immediately panicked. However, it wasn't that bad - but still not good. DCL had called our house to let us know that we would have to leave from Port Everglades in Ft Lauderdale instead of Port Canaveral on Thursday. Tried to soak a bit longer, but DH got up and said "Go on and start making calls - you're going to be a mess until you get this settled". How true.
First called DCL and got the word that the return SHOULD be at Port Canaveral. Since we were driving, this was a problem. So, called Bank One to get info on the rental car specials via Disney VISA. They had no clue. *sigh* Called Mom back and talked her through logging into the Bank One site with my password and going to the specials and getting me the codes. Then called Alamo and got info on one-way rentals from Port Canaveral to Ft Lauderdale. Only National had a place near Port Canaveral, so used their code instead (glad I had Mom give me both). $45 for a compact one-way. Reserved that. Went to sleep feeling calmer.
Tuesday dawned... rainy and very windy. Of course the shark fishing was canceled. We rescheduled the Dolphins for Wed AM, even though we were leaving that day. It was just us 2, and you have to pay for 3 people, minimum. The activities girl said she'd try to get someone else scheduled at the same time and we told her that if they could only come up with someone with screaming kids, we'd pay the extra 30 bucks. She said she understood and would keep that in mind!
Went over to the beach anyway. Walked along the beach - it was all gray and the waves were pretty good - good enough we were ready to have a fit watching 3 dogs go into the water. The owners didn't call them back soon enough to suit us, but they got out OK. Even though there were people strolling on the beach, the sky and water made it seem desolate. Still, it was relaxing and pleasant in a gritty, windblown, salty sort of way.
We drove about a bit and got an oil change (don't ask - we are just 2 anal people, but never about the same things). We went down to Sea Pines again (heck, it was a LOS pass, might as well use it) and ended up eating at the Salty Dog. We were the first 2 people in there, and it never did fill up. Our waiter said it always gets empty after Labor Day, but a lot more people canceled this year because of the weather. DH had the fried shrimp basket and I got the HH Cheeseshrimp. DH loved his, I liked mine.
We then shopped a bit and got Salty Dog scarves for all 9 dogs. We shall see if we can get a picture to send down there without sedating everyone.
We then went looking for the Disney outlet, only to find out it's gone. However, we wasted some time looking for it and DID find a Barnes and Noble during our travels. I got 2 books from the sale rack, since I knew we'd be on a sea day instead of at Castaway Cay on our cruise.
Settled in back at the room and got another call from Chef Gordon. I'd already checked the weather and saw we were under another tornado warning until 9, then 1 AM. Also saw that Frances had spawed 27 tornadoes in South Carolina so far and that 5 had touched down in Savannah yesterday. Yes, we WERE in Savannah yesterday. Oblivious, of course.
Anyway, Chef Gordon had to cancel again, but he felt so badly (and already had the food purchased) that he said he would get it ready and bring it over to us and wouldn't charge us for it. Definitely the Disney touch! He showed up about 4, still apologizing, with bags of cold and hot food. Everything was just ready to pop in the microwave, and he even brought a bottle of wine. We chatted a while about crowds this time of year (already planning that next trip), etc, and then he was off.
About 6 or so I microwaved (even I could handle that) and we enjoyed our VERY private affair. DH had the crab cake appetizer, followed by the filet mignon and a triple chocolate cake. I had the BBQ shrimp, tilapia, and the chocolate pots-de-creme. Everything was wonderful, but I think I'd choose the filet next year, too. The 2 bites I had were just awesome.
Went to bed stuffed, after doing 2 loads of laundry. I love the laundry.
Wednesday dawned sunny and very windy. However, the Dolphin Cruise doesn't hit the ocean side of the island, and it went on as scheduled. We were both shocked. We actually ended up lucking out, as Wed is Member's Day so we got the discount, and they had 2 other members (no kids!!!) on the cruise with us, so it all worked out for the best. We didn't see many dolphins, though (I'm sure they're still getting over the storms), but the ride was very relaxing and enjoyable. Our captain was not Scott, but he was very personable and interesting. We happily tipped as we got off.
We then raced back to our room (it was 10:45) and I changed clothes (I had worn my bathing suit under shorts and a T-shirt, prepared for big waves), finished throwing our packing together, and headed out for Port Canaveral.
To see my trip report on our cruise, go to http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=644245
Here's a quick trip report on HH:
After driving all day Saturday (left at 6 AM, stayed in Spartanburg at the Raddisson, which had a great rate but wasn't quite as fantastic as raved about on TripAdvisor.com) and starting out early (a little after 7 - Raddisson breakfast wasn't until 7 on Sundays) on Sunday, arrived at HH around noon. Got on the wrong road and ended up on the toll across island, so stopped at Kenny B's for brunch. It was towards the end (they close at 1), so it was rather sparse - they weren't refilling some things and no one was manning the omelette station. I was miffed, but we were starving, so we dealt with it.
Checked in after we found our way (very hard to find from the wrong way, considering there is only 1 Disney sign...). Shawn checked us in and was very helpful. We were given room 1137 in the main lodge (one bedroom). The only things I noticed were frayed curtain edges in the bedroom and a whole lot of mildew on the door side of the shower. I was going to make note of it before we left, but as you'll see later, we left in a rush, so that didn't get done. We had only stayed in studios before (VWL and OKW), so we were both awed by the one bedroom. And immediately spoiled - I can see no more studios in our future.
We fussed about a bit (I actually unpacked - that is SOO unlike me, the Commando Woman - we stayed in 4 different hotels/resorts our last WDW stay), then decided to go over and see the beach, so we'd know where the beach house was for our Private Affair with Chef Gordon the following evening. We got about to the shuttle stop when it started to rain - and I could see a wall of water heading towards us over the inlet. We sat in the shuttle shelter until it slowed enough to troop back to our room. Took a nap instead! All clear when we woke up, so we went down to sign up for a dolphin cruise and a shark fishing expedition. DH stepped off the edge of a path wrong and hurt his lower back pretty badly, so we went back to get him some pain pills before taking off again.
After that, thanks to dis-happy, we went down to Sea Pines (she had called in a LOS pass for us) and up the lighthouse. My camera batteries of course died just as I went to take a picture. Hmph. Enjoyed the view, then stopped at Smokehouse BBQ for dinner. It reminded me of Famous Dave's, and I wouldn't bother going again, since we can get something similar at home.
Came back via Piggly Wiggly for some breakfast supplies (since our Dolphin Cruise was at 9 AM and DH's back was really bugging him) and relaxed in the hot tub. DH mentioned while we were unloading groceries that we should have gotten some bubble bath. Ta da! The Packing Queen pulls out a small bottle of bubble bath! Then proceeds to dump some in the filling tub. Not enough bubbles, so put in more. We got in, and turned on the jets.
It was then a scene from I Love Lucy. The bubbles started crawling up the wall behind DH and I was frantically shoving them under the water to calm them down. I am not to be trusted with bubbles - same thing happened to us at Big Cedar in Branson, but I conveniently forgot... Ended up getting out of the tub earlier than planned, darn it. Had packed the heating pad for DH, so he did that instead. *sigh*
Monday AM dawned rainy and very windy. Called down about 8:10 to check on the 9 AM Dolphin Cruise. They hadn't heard anything from the captain yet, so they called to check, and sure enough, it was canceled. DH was ecstatic because on our way down 95 we had seen a billboard for a Bass Pro Outdoor World at a mall near Savannah. So, off to Savannah we went.
Left him at OW and I checked out the rest of the mall. We agreed to meet in about 45 minutes. I whipped through the mall (I am NOT a mall person and basically hate to shop - if I could buy everything on-line, I would) but did take a few minutes at Walden Books. Their sales suck compared to Barnes and Noble, so I didn't buy anything. Found DH in OW after about 25 minutes, and we wandered around together a bit. Ate lunch at a Crawdaddy Crab's (I think that's the name). DH had stuffed crab and I had a shrimp salad sandwich which had absolutely NO flavor whatsoever. Even the mayonnaise had no flavor. Ugh. Then we found an ice cream place where they mix up your ice cream on a slab with whatever mix-ins you want - we have nothing like that at home and were fascinated. And stuffed, after.
Back to HH and got a call from Chef Gordon. Apparently they had just spotted a water spout near the Beach House and HH was under a tornado warning until 7 PM. We decided to put off our Private Affair until Tuesday. We got a pizza delivered from Guiseppe's instead. Pizza was pretty ordinary, but the convenience can't be beat. Watched TV and soaked in the tub again until my mother called.
Now Mom was staying at our house with our 9 dogs and 2 cats, so we immediately panicked. However, it wasn't that bad - but still not good. DCL had called our house to let us know that we would have to leave from Port Everglades in Ft Lauderdale instead of Port Canaveral on Thursday. Tried to soak a bit longer, but DH got up and said "Go on and start making calls - you're going to be a mess until you get this settled". How true.
First called DCL and got the word that the return SHOULD be at Port Canaveral. Since we were driving, this was a problem. So, called Bank One to get info on the rental car specials via Disney VISA. They had no clue. *sigh* Called Mom back and talked her through logging into the Bank One site with my password and going to the specials and getting me the codes. Then called Alamo and got info on one-way rentals from Port Canaveral to Ft Lauderdale. Only National had a place near Port Canaveral, so used their code instead (glad I had Mom give me both). $45 for a compact one-way. Reserved that. Went to sleep feeling calmer.
Tuesday dawned... rainy and very windy. Of course the shark fishing was canceled. We rescheduled the Dolphins for Wed AM, even though we were leaving that day. It was just us 2, and you have to pay for 3 people, minimum. The activities girl said she'd try to get someone else scheduled at the same time and we told her that if they could only come up with someone with screaming kids, we'd pay the extra 30 bucks. She said she understood and would keep that in mind!
Went over to the beach anyway. Walked along the beach - it was all gray and the waves were pretty good - good enough we were ready to have a fit watching 3 dogs go into the water. The owners didn't call them back soon enough to suit us, but they got out OK. Even though there were people strolling on the beach, the sky and water made it seem desolate. Still, it was relaxing and pleasant in a gritty, windblown, salty sort of way.
We drove about a bit and got an oil change (don't ask - we are just 2 anal people, but never about the same things). We went down to Sea Pines again (heck, it was a LOS pass, might as well use it) and ended up eating at the Salty Dog. We were the first 2 people in there, and it never did fill up. Our waiter said it always gets empty after Labor Day, but a lot more people canceled this year because of the weather. DH had the fried shrimp basket and I got the HH Cheeseshrimp. DH loved his, I liked mine.
We then shopped a bit and got Salty Dog scarves for all 9 dogs. We shall see if we can get a picture to send down there without sedating everyone.
We then went looking for the Disney outlet, only to find out it's gone. However, we wasted some time looking for it and DID find a Barnes and Noble during our travels. I got 2 books from the sale rack, since I knew we'd be on a sea day instead of at Castaway Cay on our cruise.
Settled in back at the room and got another call from Chef Gordon. I'd already checked the weather and saw we were under another tornado warning until 9, then 1 AM. Also saw that Frances had spawed 27 tornadoes in South Carolina so far and that 5 had touched down in Savannah yesterday. Yes, we WERE in Savannah yesterday. Oblivious, of course.
Anyway, Chef Gordon had to cancel again, but he felt so badly (and already had the food purchased) that he said he would get it ready and bring it over to us and wouldn't charge us for it. Definitely the Disney touch! He showed up about 4, still apologizing, with bags of cold and hot food. Everything was just ready to pop in the microwave, and he even brought a bottle of wine. We chatted a while about crowds this time of year (already planning that next trip), etc, and then he was off.
About 6 or so I microwaved (even I could handle that) and we enjoyed our VERY private affair. DH had the crab cake appetizer, followed by the filet mignon and a triple chocolate cake. I had the BBQ shrimp, tilapia, and the chocolate pots-de-creme. Everything was wonderful, but I think I'd choose the filet next year, too. The 2 bites I had were just awesome.
Went to bed stuffed, after doing 2 loads of laundry. I love the laundry.
Wednesday dawned sunny and very windy. However, the Dolphin Cruise doesn't hit the ocean side of the island, and it went on as scheduled. We were both shocked. We actually ended up lucking out, as Wed is Member's Day so we got the discount, and they had 2 other members (no kids!!!) on the cruise with us, so it all worked out for the best. We didn't see many dolphins, though (I'm sure they're still getting over the storms), but the ride was very relaxing and enjoyable. Our captain was not Scott, but he was very personable and interesting. We happily tipped as we got off.
We then raced back to our room (it was 10:45) and I changed clothes (I had worn my bathing suit under shorts and a T-shirt, prepared for big waves), finished throwing our packing together, and headed out for Port Canaveral.
To see my trip report on our cruise, go to http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=644245
