The Cast:
Me - 50 - aka ABFine - Father
Marie - 49 - Wife & Mother
Sarah - 19 - Daughter & Student
Our Priors:
1980 - Off-Site
1982 - Contemporary
1987 - Polynesian ( Sarah's First Trip )
1989 - Grand Floridian
1992 - Beach Club
1994 - Beach Club
1995 - Dixie Landings / Beach Club / Vero Beach
1996 - BoardWalk Inn
1997 - Wilderness Lodge / Beach Club
1999 - Disneyland Paris
2000 - BoardWalk Inn
2003 - Polynesian / BoardWalk Inn
Up at 6:00, at least I was, went down to the beach. Very peaceful and quiet. Laid in the hammock for awhile watching the birds do their thing. Took a few pictures once it was light enough. Back to room and the girls are up and ready. Surprise, surprise.
Head over to Kona Cafe and arrive a little after 7:00. Too bad they don't open till 7:30. Grab some coffee and wait.
Sarah & Marie - Omelets
Me - The old stand by - Eggs & Sausage....$25.00 w/ tip
Marie went back to room to start packing, it's move to Boardwalk day, Yeeeaaahhh !! Sarah and I walked to GF. Jog,jog,jog,pedal,pedal,pedal.. Got on the scale afterwards, only gained a pound or two so far. YES !! Walk back and shower and pack.
Call down to have bags picked up and shipped over to the Boardwalk and have the car brought around. Which brings me to my first rant of the day. And it's still early....What's up with these valet charges?? 12 bucks a day at Universal and 6 bucks at Disney. The parking lot is half empty, we're not talking about prime real estate here. Are you going to wash the car or maybe clean the windows at least?? No, it's just going to sit there.Our car is new so I want to valet to ( hopefully ) lessen the chance of dents and dings but it makes me not want to tip the valet guy even though I know it's not his fault. I actually did stiff the guy at Universal. I tipped $5.00 when we checked in and the car sat for three days at $12.00 a day and I'm going to tip again because you have to walk 100 feet to get the car?? I don't think so. And while we're on the subject of checking in......
You pull up and one guy takes the bags from the trunk and throws them on the cart, you tip him. Another guy takes the car, you tip him and then yet another guy takes the bags to the room and of course, you have to tip him. I mean it cost $20 just to get out of the car. Actually, it kind of sets the mood for having someone's hand in your pocket the whole trip.
Anyway, go down to the car, I did tip him, just cut it down a bit. I wanted to take the car to the car care place as it had started pulling to the right on the drive down. Don't know why, new car,8000 miles, shouldn't happen but it did. Anyway, I ask the valet guy if it's possible to get a ride from the car care back to Disney. Are you ready?? " You could call a cab", he says. All three of us burst out laughing. We just get in and leave. I'm thinking maybe the guys at the Boardwalk will be more helpful since we'll be checking in not out.
Get to the Boardwalk and the vultures decend on the fresh meat arriving. Sorry, no luggage, being sent over. Park the car, no thanks, need some help really. The valet guy tells me to talk to the guy at the valet stand. I go over and tell him my tale of woe. " There's a car rental place right next door or.....you could call a cab" he says in a not very friendly manner. Gee, we're striking out at check-in this trip, 0 for 2 in the friendly first encounter department. Also, I'm no longer amused. "You mean to tell me Disney doesn't provide any transportation?" "That's right, call a cab or rent a car."
Ok, we're staying at premium resorts, I do believe the tickets include transportation anywhere on the Disney property. Is the car care on Disney property?? I think they own 47 Sq. Miles if my memory serves me. How about just a little courtesy? They must have 10,000 vehicles on property and I'm sure thousands of people encounter car problems while they're here. I'm fuming.
I leave the check-in to Marie & Sarah and drive over to the car care. The guy at the desk greets me with a smile, "What can I do for you?" I tell him. "Is there anyway you could get me back to my hotel", I ask. "Well", he says, "I can get you a ride to the Ticket & Trans Center". "That's great", I say, "I can make my way from there". " How about picking up the car?" He hands me a card and says, call and we'll send someone to pick you up where we drop you off. OK, here's a guy who's gonna charge me 50 or 60 bucks to do a wheel alignment who is being ever so more helpful than the place where I'm spending thousands. Sorry, I don't remember your name but THANK YOU car care center guy, you made my day. As for you Disney people, I have to keep this clean, so just think about it.
I think that's my last rant of the day, has to get better, doesn't it?
Got on the monorail at the T&T center and went to EPCOT. Called the girls enroute, they were in the room already. Told them to meet me at the Gateway. Since we usually stay near EPCOT and enter thru the Gateway, I hadn't used the front entrance in awhile.. Is that Stonehenge, have I timewarped over to England?? My God, what a monstrosity!! I make my way through the monoliths and proceed to the Gateway.
The flowers throughout EPCOT were great, really nicely done. Went to Imagination, first visit since it was revised. Original is still better, we all agreed. Went to Shrunk the Audience, still funny, kind of... Hey, it's been hours, let's eat.....San Angel Inn
Sarah - Tortilla Soup
Marie - Tortilla Soup
Chicken Tacos
Me - Tortilla Soup
Pork Tacos
No dessert, pretty good....$61.00 w/ tip
It's already 2:30, luggage is supposed to be delivered between 1 & 3, so we head back to unpack and get settled. It's very hot also.
Get to room, aaaahhh, smells nice. Room 5269. Our last two stays we've been lucky and gotten rooms right on the boardwalk. Once over the bakery and once over the arcade. This one faced the middle courtyard, about four rooms from the end, with the lagoon to your right. Not bad except for the construction on the building across from us. Marie wanted to do some laundry so Sarah & I went to the pool bar to get drinks for Marie & I. Have to keep them happy when they're doing laundry. Got a little lost coming back, ended up in the villa section and seemed to walk forever. Back to room, Sarah napped, I helped carry laundry.
7:00 PS at Chefs de France, get ready to go. Amazing how the hours slip away. Looked like rain so we took the boat to EPCOT, good thing, rained hard for 10 or 15 minutes. Had to wait by the entrance for it to let up. Got to France with time to spare so we watched the movie then went to dinner. Raining again, lots of lightning. Sarah & Marie liked our waiter, handsome kid. Jeremy, funny, same name as Sarah's boyfriend.
Sarah - Lobster Bisque
Beef Tenderloin
Marie - Lobster Bisque
Salmon & Grouper combo
Me - Aperitif
Escargot
Lobster Bisque
Roast Duck
Two glasses of wine and shared two Creme Brulees...$171.00 w/ tip
Raining a bit but we're watching Illuminations regardless. Find a decent spot and enjoy the show, except the part where it takes 15 minutes to drag the ball to the center of the lagoon. I'll say it again, best Illuminations was the one back in the eighty's where the fireworks were set to classical music. They drag out this We are the World - Save the Planet crap a little too much for me. And what's up with the music they play as you're leaving. Used to be up-tempo happy stuff that had you dancing, now it's.....crap? Sounds like the Free Willy soundtrack.
Back to Boardwalk, me & Sare hang out awhile, not much going on, though Lob a Lobster seems to be having a banner night. Looked at some pins, please God, don't let us start with the pins! I'm tired, Good night!
Me - 50 - aka ABFine - Father
Marie - 49 - Wife & Mother
Sarah - 19 - Daughter & Student
Our Priors:
1980 - Off-Site
1982 - Contemporary
1987 - Polynesian ( Sarah's First Trip )
1989 - Grand Floridian
1992 - Beach Club
1994 - Beach Club
1995 - Dixie Landings / Beach Club / Vero Beach
1996 - BoardWalk Inn
1997 - Wilderness Lodge / Beach Club
1999 - Disneyland Paris
2000 - BoardWalk Inn
2003 - Polynesian / BoardWalk Inn
Up at 6:00, at least I was, went down to the beach. Very peaceful and quiet. Laid in the hammock for awhile watching the birds do their thing. Took a few pictures once it was light enough. Back to room and the girls are up and ready. Surprise, surprise.
Head over to Kona Cafe and arrive a little after 7:00. Too bad they don't open till 7:30. Grab some coffee and wait.
Sarah & Marie - Omelets
Me - The old stand by - Eggs & Sausage....$25.00 w/ tip
Marie went back to room to start packing, it's move to Boardwalk day, Yeeeaaahhh !! Sarah and I walked to GF. Jog,jog,jog,pedal,pedal,pedal.. Got on the scale afterwards, only gained a pound or two so far. YES !! Walk back and shower and pack.
Call down to have bags picked up and shipped over to the Boardwalk and have the car brought around. Which brings me to my first rant of the day. And it's still early....What's up with these valet charges?? 12 bucks a day at Universal and 6 bucks at Disney. The parking lot is half empty, we're not talking about prime real estate here. Are you going to wash the car or maybe clean the windows at least?? No, it's just going to sit there.Our car is new so I want to valet to ( hopefully ) lessen the chance of dents and dings but it makes me not want to tip the valet guy even though I know it's not his fault. I actually did stiff the guy at Universal. I tipped $5.00 when we checked in and the car sat for three days at $12.00 a day and I'm going to tip again because you have to walk 100 feet to get the car?? I don't think so. And while we're on the subject of checking in......
You pull up and one guy takes the bags from the trunk and throws them on the cart, you tip him. Another guy takes the car, you tip him and then yet another guy takes the bags to the room and of course, you have to tip him. I mean it cost $20 just to get out of the car. Actually, it kind of sets the mood for having someone's hand in your pocket the whole trip.
Anyway, go down to the car, I did tip him, just cut it down a bit. I wanted to take the car to the car care place as it had started pulling to the right on the drive down. Don't know why, new car,8000 miles, shouldn't happen but it did. Anyway, I ask the valet guy if it's possible to get a ride from the car care back to Disney. Are you ready?? " You could call a cab", he says. All three of us burst out laughing. We just get in and leave. I'm thinking maybe the guys at the Boardwalk will be more helpful since we'll be checking in not out.
Get to the Boardwalk and the vultures decend on the fresh meat arriving. Sorry, no luggage, being sent over. Park the car, no thanks, need some help really. The valet guy tells me to talk to the guy at the valet stand. I go over and tell him my tale of woe. " There's a car rental place right next door or.....you could call a cab" he says in a not very friendly manner. Gee, we're striking out at check-in this trip, 0 for 2 in the friendly first encounter department. Also, I'm no longer amused. "You mean to tell me Disney doesn't provide any transportation?" "That's right, call a cab or rent a car."
Ok, we're staying at premium resorts, I do believe the tickets include transportation anywhere on the Disney property. Is the car care on Disney property?? I think they own 47 Sq. Miles if my memory serves me. How about just a little courtesy? They must have 10,000 vehicles on property and I'm sure thousands of people encounter car problems while they're here. I'm fuming.
I leave the check-in to Marie & Sarah and drive over to the car care. The guy at the desk greets me with a smile, "What can I do for you?" I tell him. "Is there anyway you could get me back to my hotel", I ask. "Well", he says, "I can get you a ride to the Ticket & Trans Center". "That's great", I say, "I can make my way from there". " How about picking up the car?" He hands me a card and says, call and we'll send someone to pick you up where we drop you off. OK, here's a guy who's gonna charge me 50 or 60 bucks to do a wheel alignment who is being ever so more helpful than the place where I'm spending thousands. Sorry, I don't remember your name but THANK YOU car care center guy, you made my day. As for you Disney people, I have to keep this clean, so just think about it.
I think that's my last rant of the day, has to get better, doesn't it?
Got on the monorail at the T&T center and went to EPCOT. Called the girls enroute, they were in the room already. Told them to meet me at the Gateway. Since we usually stay near EPCOT and enter thru the Gateway, I hadn't used the front entrance in awhile.. Is that Stonehenge, have I timewarped over to England?? My God, what a monstrosity!! I make my way through the monoliths and proceed to the Gateway.
The flowers throughout EPCOT were great, really nicely done. Went to Imagination, first visit since it was revised. Original is still better, we all agreed. Went to Shrunk the Audience, still funny, kind of... Hey, it's been hours, let's eat.....San Angel Inn
Sarah - Tortilla Soup
Marie - Tortilla Soup
Chicken Tacos
Me - Tortilla Soup
Pork Tacos
No dessert, pretty good....$61.00 w/ tip
It's already 2:30, luggage is supposed to be delivered between 1 & 3, so we head back to unpack and get settled. It's very hot also.
Get to room, aaaahhh, smells nice. Room 5269. Our last two stays we've been lucky and gotten rooms right on the boardwalk. Once over the bakery and once over the arcade. This one faced the middle courtyard, about four rooms from the end, with the lagoon to your right. Not bad except for the construction on the building across from us. Marie wanted to do some laundry so Sarah & I went to the pool bar to get drinks for Marie & I. Have to keep them happy when they're doing laundry. Got a little lost coming back, ended up in the villa section and seemed to walk forever. Back to room, Sarah napped, I helped carry laundry.
7:00 PS at Chefs de France, get ready to go. Amazing how the hours slip away. Looked like rain so we took the boat to EPCOT, good thing, rained hard for 10 or 15 minutes. Had to wait by the entrance for it to let up. Got to France with time to spare so we watched the movie then went to dinner. Raining again, lots of lightning. Sarah & Marie liked our waiter, handsome kid. Jeremy, funny, same name as Sarah's boyfriend.
Sarah - Lobster Bisque
Beef Tenderloin
Marie - Lobster Bisque
Salmon & Grouper combo
Me - Aperitif
Escargot
Lobster Bisque
Roast Duck
Two glasses of wine and shared two Creme Brulees...$171.00 w/ tip
Raining a bit but we're watching Illuminations regardless. Find a decent spot and enjoy the show, except the part where it takes 15 minutes to drag the ball to the center of the lagoon. I'll say it again, best Illuminations was the one back in the eighty's where the fireworks were set to classical music. They drag out this We are the World - Save the Planet crap a little too much for me. And what's up with the music they play as you're leaving. Used to be up-tempo happy stuff that had you dancing, now it's.....crap? Sounds like the Free Willy soundtrack.
Back to Boardwalk, me & Sare hang out awhile, not much going on, though Lob a Lobster seems to be having a banner night. Looked at some pins, please God, don't let us start with the pins! I'm tired, Good night!
YOu had some really great sounding meals today. 
