back from trip(WLV, WL, VB, HH)

[msdis]

Just a short post as we are still recouperating and back to long days at work but thought I would post the itinirary and anyone who has questions I could answer and put in a more detailed trip report later.

Flew down Pan Am to Sanford (great)

Supposed to get transfers from VIP (they obviously stood us up for a better fare) to MCO to get rental car

Taxi cab instead( turned out to be a highlight of the trip,driver was real funny and nice)

National rental car at MCO to use and drive home(excellent, excellent, excellent, great rate)

5 nights at WLV studio (nice room, good view, arrived and got in around 1:30, toaster, can opener, and cork screw in room-yippee!!!)

5 nights at WL standard view ( nice room, bad view outside, nice view in lodge, noisy-very noisy, got in after 3pm)

1 night at VB ocean view studio( breathtaking view and the room was HUGE, arrived and got in around 1pm, toaster in room-Yippee!!!)

1 night at HH 2 bedroom marsh view( DC discount, all they had, WOW!!!!! didn't arrive till 4pm-room was ready)

Drive home to Maine- took 95 to I-26 to I-77, to I-81, to I-84 to I 90 to I-495, to I-95 ( best decision other than the 22 hours it took straight but what a beautiful ride- FAR better than I-95 all the way to New England) Would highly recommend this to anyone thinking of driving or anyone who has driven and doesn't want to do it again-try it.

We ate mostly counter service, mostly at the Lodge. Fair to good except for the breakfast sandwich-excellent. Daily specials were very good also and added variety. Refillable mugs are a must.
We ate at Sonya's at VB. My lunch was great, DH said his was ok.????

We did the boat and bike "family plan". We more than got our money's worth but then Disney made up on our lack of use of our AP's. We had a blast, took a 1-2 hour ride to FW almost daily. The bike trails are GREAT!!!! The campground is HUGE!!! The boats were fun too. Wear sunscreen even if you think you won't be in the sun much. I got a bad burn the first day and paid all week.

Not too much new at the parks( since last Sept) but the tribute to Walt is a must at MGM(same side as Ariel's - just past, VERY well done). The 2 new rides at Animal Kingdom are very non-Disney like. Something you would expect from 6-flags. Unimpressed!

We shopped at Winn-Dixie on 535 - what a joke! High prices, you scan your own groceries and check yourself out, not the best selections. What a joke!!!!


Please ask away I'm sure I'm forgetting something.

 

[TXMommy]

Would love to hear about Hilton Head - we're going in less than 2 weeks!!

 

[joepoe]

Originally posted by msdis
(nice room, good view, arrived and got in around 1:30, toaster, can opener, and cork screw in room-yippee!!!)

LOL LOL

Not too much new at the parks( since last Sept) but the tribute to Walt is a must at MGM(same side as Ariel's - just past, VERY well done
Please ask away I'm sure I'm forgetting something.

We thought the Walt tribute was awesome and worth the time. The video was pretty inspiring.

 

[msdis]

Txmommy-
We were so disappointed that we were able to spend so little time there. We drove from Vero and arrived at 4pm and we left to drive home at 7:30 am the next morn. The purpose of both stops was to just check out the resorts, but we fell in love and regret that we had not done things differently. ***hindsight is 20/20***
We got out both the 35mm and the camcorder and filmed like 2 idiots till sunset. Mind you we have always stayed in studios and had just spent 5 nights in a regular room(never, ever, ever, again) at WL so getting a 2 bedroom was like unbelievable! The room was beautifully decorated. We overlooked the marsh and through the trees we could see the building at the end of the pier. There are only 2 levels as the bottom level is enclosed "nothing". The first level is actually up a flight of stairs. The whole place was very inviting. We did drive over to the beach house and check it out. That too was very nice but it is 1.3 miles from the lodge and there is an underground tunnel to walk or bike ride there if you wish. The beach looked like a blizzard (the only thing we ever see back home) had hit as the wind had blown the sand into drifts that made the beach hard to get to without sinking out of sight to get to it. Other than that it looked really nice. The beach house had many sitting areas inside and out and don't remember all the details but there was a lot of stuff to do there. There did not seem like a lot of people around. They do serve a limited counter service style menu for limited hours at the beach house. The island from i-95 all the way to the resort doorstep is very impressive also. Very, very, ritsy and high class, almost uncomfortable for we middle class folk. LOL! But if you had just driven the day before to Vero you could easily find the comparisons from I-95 to each resort as distant as night and day. On the way to Vero you see a lot of poverty where most of the property in and around HH is worth millions. If you like shopping you will be in heaven. There are SO many shops in little mini mall settings you will be amazed. We did not eat anywhere as we ate sandwiches in the room but there is an unbelievable amount of restaurants around the resort, many within walking distance. On the entrance boundary of the resort is a kind of boardwalk that goes out around the marina. I had seen pictures of this area before but had somehow not seen the same thing you see in person. WOW!!!! I know many have thought Disney made a mistake with this resort and although you will clearly see this is not WDW, it sure does give ANY resort NOT on WDW property a run for their money. It is still clearly Disney fashion and that's what you WILL see. We also saw lots of wildlife; birds, ducks, rabbits, squirrels, and baby crawfish. We can't wait to go back for a longer stay.Hope you have a magical visit.

 

[TXMommy]

Thanx, msdis!!!! I can't wait to see it all! We are getting a 2 BR, also. There will be 6 of us in it - my mom & dad in one bedroom, and myself, DH, DD (8), and DS (5) in the other. From what I hear, we won't feel crowded at all. Since we stayed in a regular room at Dixie Landings on our last trip to WDW, and had myself, DH, DD, DS AND my teenage DS in there, I think we can handle just about anything!

Thanx for all the info!