joedisney
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Sep 1, 2000
- Messages
- 70
Sunday, January 18, 2004
I can easily be described as a homebody. After getting married I moved out of my parents house for the first time. It would have been very traumatic for me, except for the fact that I was only moving next door. It took Kathy a while to get used to living so close to her in-laws, but when we decided our family was getting too large for our little house, she was actually sad to be leaving. Christopher was four and Connor had just turned two when we moved to our big new house. We were, however, leaving behind a house filled with wonderful memories. It would have been very traumatic for me, except for the fact that we were only moving one town away. Compared to my brother Jack, I would be considered a world traveler. Jack lived down the street for a while, only to return to the bottom floor of my parents house where he and his wife brought up four beautiful children. Jack is still mad at me for moving so far away.
Although we were moving to a much nicer house, it was still sad leaving our cozy little home. We would miss Nana looking down upon us at breakfast waving from her second floor window. Connor and Christopher would miss being right next door to their favorite cousins. We were leaving behind a home bursting with the countless memories created by our young family. First birthdays, holidays, first words and first steps. We would of course build new memories in our new home, but leaving our little house would not be easy. The excitement and anticipation of a new home and building new memories helps to make the transition go a little easier.
It is our last morning at the Polynesian. We pack up all of our stuff and call to have it moved to the Beach Club Villas. During our last three trips to Disney, we have always stayed at two hotels. We love to switch since each hotel provides such a unique experience. The minor inconvenience of packing up our stuff is well worth the privilege of being able to experience two of Disney's fine hotels. Another nice perk at Disney is that they will pick up your luggage and deliver it to your new hotel for you. Like moving to a new home, however, there is always a feeling of sadness to be leaving. The Polynesian has more than met even my high expectations. We have created some special memories here and hope to one-day return. Although we are looking forward to the Beach Club, we are sorry our stay at the Polynesian was so short. Like in life, with each move comes a sadness of what we leave behind and an excitement for what lies ahead.
A light rain begins to fall as we say our good-byes to the Polynesian. We arrive at Epcot via the monorail and run over to Mission Space for some Fast Passes. This will be our first time on Epcot's newest thrill ride. Next we stop off for some milk and cookies while we wait for the O'Neill's to arrive. We are all surprised to find Janet and her clan waiting on time at the designated meeting point. Even though it is only a short walk from her hotel room at the beach Club, I am still shocked to find them here on time.
All morning I have been struggling with a big decision. Given the fact that I am still not feeling well, should I risk going on Mission Space and spoiling the remainder of my day (or more)? Kathy looks at me like I am crazy as I proceed to make the wrong decision. I just can't have my sister Janet experience a new Disney ride before I do. It just wouldn't be right. Well, would it? Don't tell me you all agree with my wife? As Kathy takes the little ones to visit the Living Seas and the Land, I head off with Janet, Caitlin, Bridget and the Map boy to give Mission Space a whirl. When will I learn to listen to my wife?
I can't say I remember much about the ride, but I do remember being buckled in looking up at the tall launch tower. I remember the awesome G force as we take off. I remember zooming around the moon on our way to Mars. I remember a not so smooth landing on the surface of Mars. I remember praying to God that we would not be returning to Earth. I remember the realization that if this ship turned around and headed back to Earth, I was going to puke. I remember chanting, "please don't go back, please don't go back, please don't go back." I'm not quite sure how the ride ended, but I do know that it did end. Right then and there, with no return trip to Earth. Whew. I remember putting on my best game face as we walked out of the ride. I felt like Superman with a big old chunk of Crytonite wrapped around my neck. I was not doing well. "How are you feeling?" asks Janet. "Good," I reply, "how about you?" I nonchalantly touch the wall for support as we make our way out. "That was a cool ride huh?" I say. I'm pretty sure Janet was a little shaken as well, otherwise, I am sure she would have noticed that I was a light shade of green.
As we walked along, we talked about our plans for meeting up at ESPN later in the day to watch the Patriots take on the Colts in the AFC Championship game. I am going from bad to worse. We find Mike (who was smart enough to pass on the ride) and soon hook back up with Kathy and the kids. As the waves of nausea begin to get the best of me, I finally admit that I am feeling quite ill. I am a huge Patriots fan and have been planning to watch this game at ESPN for about six months. I'm beginning to realize that it just isn't going to happen. We leave the O'Neill's with the hope that we can meet up before the game, I know the chances are slim, but I don't want to give up on my plans just yet.
This will be our first stay at one of the Disney Vacation Club Villas. We are renting points from complete strangers, which is a bit unnerving. I am quite relieved when our reservations are confirmed and we are all checked in. Our request for an Epcot view doesn't come through, but we end up with a perfect room overlooking the quiet pool. Our two-room villa is unbelievable. There is a master suite with a king-sized bed. The master-bathroom is actually three separate rooms. One with a Jacuzzi and a single sink and vanity. Another with a big glassed in shower and another sink. The third with, you guessed it, the toilet. The middle part of the villa has the full kitchen with table and the living room with TV, sofa and chair. Just off the kitchen, hidden behind a door is the best part of the room, a washer and dryer! There'll be no more mysterious women's underwear for this guy. The third room in the villa is the second bedroom with a queen-sized bed and pull out sofa. The second bathroom is at the back of the second bedroom. This place is palatial. The balcony runs across the entire front and provides a perfect view of the quiet pool. I have never stayed in a room like this before. There are even three TV's. Yikes! I could get used to this pretty easily. It's no wonder my wife thinks I'm a Disney snob. I am!
As game time approaches, I make it official. I call Janet and let her know I am staying in for the game. Kathy decides to take the kids down to Storm Along Bay. As I settle in to watch the game in my deluxe accommodations, my disappointment of breaking my plans to watch the game at the ESPN club fades quickly. This is pretty sweet. If only I felt well enough to eat mass quantities of junk food, I would be in heaven. My pre-game anxiety begins to set in as the gang heads down to the pool. The game is pure nirvana. By halftime the game is well in hand. Ty Law is making Payton Manning look silly and the Patriots have a nice lead. At some point during the game the phone rings. It's my mother. This is odd. I experience one of those mind teasers where things don't fit. Why is my mother calling? It turns out that she just wants to see how things are going. How she was resourceful enough to find the phone number is still beyond me. I am feeling much better as the Patriots go on to victory.
After the game, I go down to help Kathy collect our shriveled children from the pool. We have plans to meet with the O'Neill's for the Illuminations cruise. For those that have never done it, the Illuminations cruise is pretty cool. For $120, you pick up a pontoon boat in front of the Yacht Club at about 8:15pm. After a ride down waterway to MGM Studios and back, you park under the Bridge at the Gateway to Epcot. There you watch Illuminations, live and up close. No fighting for position, no big crowds and no rude people standing in front of you at the last minute. The pontoon boats are very comfortable and the captain provides blankets on cold nights. This is our second time doing the cruise and this time, we are a bit disappointed. We have a new captain who positions the boat to the far right. At Fenway Park, we would call this an obstructed view. It's still a good view and we all have a great time.
By the time we get back to the dock, the kids are pooped. Alex is sleeping on the pull out sofa in the second bedroom and absolutely loves it. The pullout sofas are actually horrible, but the Octopus could care less. They are the kind with the paper-thin mattresses and the bars that stick in your back all night. Caley is set up on the second pullout sofa in the living room. She, however, is having no part of it and soon is sleeping with us. Luckily, the bed is big enough for the three of us. As it turns out, I don't spend much time in our bed anyway. My stomach churns all night and I make many trips to the bathroom. It's a nice bathroom, but I am pretty sick of it by the time morning comes.
We have completed the move. As usual, Disney makes it easy. Our bags were waiting for us when we arrived and our room was ready early. Leaving the tropical Polynesian and its close proximity to the Magic Kingdom was difficult. We spent four wonderful days at the Polynesian and wish we could have stayed longer. It was a tight squeeze, but we didn't even mind fitting the six of us in one room. While leaving was sad, the extra room in the two-room villa would be nice. Just like our move from the little house next to Nana's. Our new house would be bigger, at the end of a cul-de-sac with a huge back yard. It would have many things that our old house didn't have. Yet, we would be leaving behind the special thing that only our little house could provide. Just like each Disney hotel holds a special feel. An atmosphere all its own. The lush green surroundings of the Polynesian would be replaced with the old New England seaside feel of the Beach Club. A short monorail ride to the Magic Kingdom would be replaced by a leisurely stroll to Epcot. Wishes would be replaced by Illuminations. The Volcano pool would become a memory as we swirl around the whirlpool at Storm Along Bay. Although I am off to a shaky start, I am looking forward to our stay in our new home away from home at the Beach Club Vilas.
I can easily be described as a homebody. After getting married I moved out of my parents house for the first time. It would have been very traumatic for me, except for the fact that I was only moving next door. It took Kathy a while to get used to living so close to her in-laws, but when we decided our family was getting too large for our little house, she was actually sad to be leaving. Christopher was four and Connor had just turned two when we moved to our big new house. We were, however, leaving behind a house filled with wonderful memories. It would have been very traumatic for me, except for the fact that we were only moving one town away. Compared to my brother Jack, I would be considered a world traveler. Jack lived down the street for a while, only to return to the bottom floor of my parents house where he and his wife brought up four beautiful children. Jack is still mad at me for moving so far away.
Although we were moving to a much nicer house, it was still sad leaving our cozy little home. We would miss Nana looking down upon us at breakfast waving from her second floor window. Connor and Christopher would miss being right next door to their favorite cousins. We were leaving behind a home bursting with the countless memories created by our young family. First birthdays, holidays, first words and first steps. We would of course build new memories in our new home, but leaving our little house would not be easy. The excitement and anticipation of a new home and building new memories helps to make the transition go a little easier.
It is our last morning at the Polynesian. We pack up all of our stuff and call to have it moved to the Beach Club Villas. During our last three trips to Disney, we have always stayed at two hotels. We love to switch since each hotel provides such a unique experience. The minor inconvenience of packing up our stuff is well worth the privilege of being able to experience two of Disney's fine hotels. Another nice perk at Disney is that they will pick up your luggage and deliver it to your new hotel for you. Like moving to a new home, however, there is always a feeling of sadness to be leaving. The Polynesian has more than met even my high expectations. We have created some special memories here and hope to one-day return. Although we are looking forward to the Beach Club, we are sorry our stay at the Polynesian was so short. Like in life, with each move comes a sadness of what we leave behind and an excitement for what lies ahead.
A light rain begins to fall as we say our good-byes to the Polynesian. We arrive at Epcot via the monorail and run over to Mission Space for some Fast Passes. This will be our first time on Epcot's newest thrill ride. Next we stop off for some milk and cookies while we wait for the O'Neill's to arrive. We are all surprised to find Janet and her clan waiting on time at the designated meeting point. Even though it is only a short walk from her hotel room at the beach Club, I am still shocked to find them here on time.
All morning I have been struggling with a big decision. Given the fact that I am still not feeling well, should I risk going on Mission Space and spoiling the remainder of my day (or more)? Kathy looks at me like I am crazy as I proceed to make the wrong decision. I just can't have my sister Janet experience a new Disney ride before I do. It just wouldn't be right. Well, would it? Don't tell me you all agree with my wife? As Kathy takes the little ones to visit the Living Seas and the Land, I head off with Janet, Caitlin, Bridget and the Map boy to give Mission Space a whirl. When will I learn to listen to my wife?
I can't say I remember much about the ride, but I do remember being buckled in looking up at the tall launch tower. I remember the awesome G force as we take off. I remember zooming around the moon on our way to Mars. I remember a not so smooth landing on the surface of Mars. I remember praying to God that we would not be returning to Earth. I remember the realization that if this ship turned around and headed back to Earth, I was going to puke. I remember chanting, "please don't go back, please don't go back, please don't go back." I'm not quite sure how the ride ended, but I do know that it did end. Right then and there, with no return trip to Earth. Whew. I remember putting on my best game face as we walked out of the ride. I felt like Superman with a big old chunk of Crytonite wrapped around my neck. I was not doing well. "How are you feeling?" asks Janet. "Good," I reply, "how about you?" I nonchalantly touch the wall for support as we make our way out. "That was a cool ride huh?" I say. I'm pretty sure Janet was a little shaken as well, otherwise, I am sure she would have noticed that I was a light shade of green.
As we walked along, we talked about our plans for meeting up at ESPN later in the day to watch the Patriots take on the Colts in the AFC Championship game. I am going from bad to worse. We find Mike (who was smart enough to pass on the ride) and soon hook back up with Kathy and the kids. As the waves of nausea begin to get the best of me, I finally admit that I am feeling quite ill. I am a huge Patriots fan and have been planning to watch this game at ESPN for about six months. I'm beginning to realize that it just isn't going to happen. We leave the O'Neill's with the hope that we can meet up before the game, I know the chances are slim, but I don't want to give up on my plans just yet.
This will be our first stay at one of the Disney Vacation Club Villas. We are renting points from complete strangers, which is a bit unnerving. I am quite relieved when our reservations are confirmed and we are all checked in. Our request for an Epcot view doesn't come through, but we end up with a perfect room overlooking the quiet pool. Our two-room villa is unbelievable. There is a master suite with a king-sized bed. The master-bathroom is actually three separate rooms. One with a Jacuzzi and a single sink and vanity. Another with a big glassed in shower and another sink. The third with, you guessed it, the toilet. The middle part of the villa has the full kitchen with table and the living room with TV, sofa and chair. Just off the kitchen, hidden behind a door is the best part of the room, a washer and dryer! There'll be no more mysterious women's underwear for this guy. The third room in the villa is the second bedroom with a queen-sized bed and pull out sofa. The second bathroom is at the back of the second bedroom. This place is palatial. The balcony runs across the entire front and provides a perfect view of the quiet pool. I have never stayed in a room like this before. There are even three TV's. Yikes! I could get used to this pretty easily. It's no wonder my wife thinks I'm a Disney snob. I am!
As game time approaches, I make it official. I call Janet and let her know I am staying in for the game. Kathy decides to take the kids down to Storm Along Bay. As I settle in to watch the game in my deluxe accommodations, my disappointment of breaking my plans to watch the game at the ESPN club fades quickly. This is pretty sweet. If only I felt well enough to eat mass quantities of junk food, I would be in heaven. My pre-game anxiety begins to set in as the gang heads down to the pool. The game is pure nirvana. By halftime the game is well in hand. Ty Law is making Payton Manning look silly and the Patriots have a nice lead. At some point during the game the phone rings. It's my mother. This is odd. I experience one of those mind teasers where things don't fit. Why is my mother calling? It turns out that she just wants to see how things are going. How she was resourceful enough to find the phone number is still beyond me. I am feeling much better as the Patriots go on to victory.
After the game, I go down to help Kathy collect our shriveled children from the pool. We have plans to meet with the O'Neill's for the Illuminations cruise. For those that have never done it, the Illuminations cruise is pretty cool. For $120, you pick up a pontoon boat in front of the Yacht Club at about 8:15pm. After a ride down waterway to MGM Studios and back, you park under the Bridge at the Gateway to Epcot. There you watch Illuminations, live and up close. No fighting for position, no big crowds and no rude people standing in front of you at the last minute. The pontoon boats are very comfortable and the captain provides blankets on cold nights. This is our second time doing the cruise and this time, we are a bit disappointed. We have a new captain who positions the boat to the far right. At Fenway Park, we would call this an obstructed view. It's still a good view and we all have a great time.
By the time we get back to the dock, the kids are pooped. Alex is sleeping on the pull out sofa in the second bedroom and absolutely loves it. The pullout sofas are actually horrible, but the Octopus could care less. They are the kind with the paper-thin mattresses and the bars that stick in your back all night. Caley is set up on the second pullout sofa in the living room. She, however, is having no part of it and soon is sleeping with us. Luckily, the bed is big enough for the three of us. As it turns out, I don't spend much time in our bed anyway. My stomach churns all night and I make many trips to the bathroom. It's a nice bathroom, but I am pretty sick of it by the time morning comes.
We have completed the move. As usual, Disney makes it easy. Our bags were waiting for us when we arrived and our room was ready early. Leaving the tropical Polynesian and its close proximity to the Magic Kingdom was difficult. We spent four wonderful days at the Polynesian and wish we could have stayed longer. It was a tight squeeze, but we didn't even mind fitting the six of us in one room. While leaving was sad, the extra room in the two-room villa would be nice. Just like our move from the little house next to Nana's. Our new house would be bigger, at the end of a cul-de-sac with a huge back yard. It would have many things that our old house didn't have. Yet, we would be leaving behind the special thing that only our little house could provide. Just like each Disney hotel holds a special feel. An atmosphere all its own. The lush green surroundings of the Polynesian would be replaced with the old New England seaside feel of the Beach Club. A short monorail ride to the Magic Kingdom would be replaced by a leisurely stroll to Epcot. Wishes would be replaced by Illuminations. The Volcano pool would become a memory as we swirl around the whirlpool at Storm Along Bay. Although I am off to a shaky start, I am looking forward to our stay in our new home away from home at the Beach Club Vilas.
