Miffy2003
<font color=orange>I've got Saratoga Springs - mak
- Joined
- Aug 13, 2003
- Messages
- 12,175
Friday December 31st 2004
When I woke up this morning I spent a very pleasant few moments lying very still and drinking in my wonderful surroundings. Yesterday had not just been a dream; we really were at Saratoga Springs! This is the view from our bedroom window.
We enjoyed getting ready for the day at a leisurely pace and with so much room to do it in! It was a hard choice to decide which TV to watch, I can tell you
We wandered over to Artists Palette for breakfast, which was very nice. For anyone thats interested we were a six minute walk away from the pool area and Carriage House and our building was the penultimate one from the main area. I would say the absolute maximum you would have to walk from Congress Park would be ten minutes, and that would be a leisurely stroll throughout the beautifully manicured gardens and picturesque buildings. So I cannot really come to terms with the complaints about how far away the accommodation is from everything! What I would have liked best would be a refillable mug station in each building but I can wholly understand the problems inherent with that though perhaps the use of a barcode for length of stay would eliminate that (as in the waterparks). Still, it is a very small negative, and we do have a fridge for drinks if we wish.
As we are planning a late night at Epcot to see in the New Year tonight we are happy to spend the day at the resort, making the most of the facilities. Also I am determined to make the most of the one hundred points it has cost to stay here tonight We have a very happy few hours at the pool, swimming, playing, getting in and out of the hot tub (this is as close to heaven as I have ever been!) and simply enjoying the fabulous surroundings. I am happy just to lie on the sun lounger and soak up the atmosphere and look around with a silly smile on my face. The pool is busier than yesterday with I would say two-thirds occupancy but despite this it never feels over crowded in any way. We imbibe one or two cocktails from On The Rocks pool bar (to ensure standards are consistent with other WDW bars, you understand ) and share a barbequed flatbread for lunch. We werent very hungry after breakfast but our PS for dinner is not until twenty to nine tonight so we decide a bit of food cant hurt. I wasnt really in the mood for a second flatbread less than twenty four hours later but the daily special was something quite heavy and unappealing at the time. It was not destined to be my last flatbread this trip, either
The children love the play area and we love it too because as they play we can admire the panoramic view of Downtown Disney. This is particularly special at night when it is all lit up.
We retire to the villa to get ready for tonight and agree to set off for Epcot at about five or so. Plan is to be in the UK with a drink at seven oclock Florida time to celebrate the new year at UK time; then to watch the first Illuminations of the night, followed by a nice meander around the World Showcase to soak up the atmosphere until it is time for our PS at Chefs de France. The plan begins to unravel initially as Julie & Derek decide it is imperative they go to Downtown Disney to exchange a bracelet they have bought for Amber (it is the type that have the childs name on and the one they bought is lovely; sadly the one they bought says "Andrea" not "Amber" so wont really do). I try and talk them out of this as it is four oclock by now and we can easily do it tomorrow when we do the Virgin check in. But as has been the theme for this holiday they completely ignore me and go off to DTD. I suggest walking might be the quickest and easiest way to get there (we are no more than an eight minute walk from Marketplace) and off they go.
We all get ready and are raring to go at five oclock but there is no sign of Derek and Julie. They arrive about fifteen minutes later complaining about how long the bus took to come and then how it went all around DTD before they could get off. I go into our bedroom to scream into a pillow at this point (think Stitch when she is arguing with Nani here) and wish I hadnt bothered wasting time suggesting they walk ..
Still, at least they are here now and we can be off soon. Of course, I had reckoned without Julie and her extensive going out routine which involves curlers, cold cream and god only knows what else. At last we leave just before six (an hour late!)
We think it may be marginally quicker to get on a bus to MGM and catch the boat to the International Gateway to get to the UK, as we imagine Future World will be heaving. As it happens, the MGM bus comes first so we do take this and are soon dropped off and head to the boat dock. We are very lucky here and manage to get on the next boat had our bus arrived one minute later there would have been too many people and we would have been first on the next boat. The boat seems to take ages today and I start to be concerned we might not make it to the UK in time. I must admit that I find it very odd that seemingly able-bodied people choose to wait at the boat dock at the Yacht & Beach club when they could walk far more quickly and easily to Epcot? The boats are so crowded today they are only letting a few people on at each dock and there is a long queue at the Yacht & Beach Club. I am almost tempted to get off here myself and walk! It is a lovely temperature today, not hot at this point but pleasant and ideal for walking.
It is ten to seven when we disembark and hotfoot it to the Rose and Crown. Jon & Derek go to get some drinks (we cant go with them as children arent allowed in tonight). The bar is heaving so it is quite some time later that they return so we have to see the New Year in without them. The UK is a mass of bodies at this point and I clutch both my girls hands to ensure I dont lose them! The atmosphere is electric and there is much singing and merriment, and lots of enthusiastic counting in the New Year. I dont mind not having a drink for this as I know Ill have one soon enough! After about half an hour of queueing Jon & Derek return with three drinks: Two beers and a Diet Coke. It seems the Diet Coke is for me and I am particularly unimpressed until Jon explains that they will only serve one alcoholic drink per person. Now of course I understand why Im sure Disney doesnt want drunken behaviour in Epcot particularly when it is so busy but I am cross with the situation. I am not allowed to get a drink in the first place, as I have to stay with my children outside as they are barred tonight. It then takes thirty minutes to get a drink for one person so if I want one I will have to wait a further thirty minutes? Im certainly not that desperate for a drink but this does annoy me somewhat. Perhaps they should think about issuing Baby Swap vouchers or Fastpasses for drinks?
Illuminations soon begins and Amber gets very upset as she doesnt like the loud noises. In sheer desperation I try wrapping her head in her jumper and putting my hands over her ears but she is still jumping a mile with every subsequent bang. I admit defeat and take her to the furthest part of the UK shops from the noise. She can still hear and jumps occasionally but its not as bad for her here. The fireworks sound amazing and go on forever (not a good thing in the situation in which I find myself, but Im sure if Id been watching it would have been awesome!)
When Illuminations ends, we go for a wander around the World Showcase. As we had expected it is very busy tonight but everyone is in a fabulous mood and the atmosphere is great. The queues for drinks are extremely long so we give them a miss. By some fortunate accident the daiquiri stand in Morocco (I may have mentioned it before ) has a relatively short queue so we indulge in some of these. The girls have a non-alcoholic version and I have to be very careful to make sure they get the right one, as they look identical! We sit down and enjoy our drinks and then it is almost time for our PS at Chefs de France so we go to check in.
Chaos is the only word I can use to describe the scene here. There is a massive queue and it seems half the people in it are enquiring about getting a table for tonight. Of course this is not possible it seems most restaurants in Epcot sold out weeks ago for tonight. A sign stating this would have halved the queue and also reduced the frustration for those who queue for ages to then be told there is no table. Eventually (forty minutes later?) I check in and am told we need to stay in the immediate vicinity to hear our name called out. This will explain why there are hordes of people all squashed into the entrance of Chefs, all looking extremely fed up. There is such a noise in here due to all the people that noone can actually hear their name when it is called out (so then have to rejoin the enormous queue!) Literally nobody seems to be being admitted and everyone is in agreement that this is horribly disorganised. The staff appear to be extremely stressed out (well Im sure they are!) and Im afraid I found their attitude quite rude to some guests. There comes a point when there are so many people in the space that a lady trying to come in with her stroller literally cannot get through. We try to help her through but people either wont or cant move. The lady next to me and I have been chatting for a while and she gets called! How long has it taken? More than two hours after her PS time! Well, I had to wait forty minutes to check in. Ive waited another twenty minutes in extremely unpleasant surroundings, and my PS may not be for another hour and forty minutes? I go up to the lady at the podium (sorry I didnt queue for forty minutes this time, I just tapped her on the shoulder from behind) and ask if there is any indication of when we might get our table. With a Gallic shrug she tells me she cannot possibly say but others here are waiting in excess of two hours and it is likely my wait will be similar. As it is absolutely no fun at all waiting we decide to call it quits (the poor girls are being trampled on and it is no fun for them!) and head back to Saratoga for a bar snack at the Turf Club instead. Not a traditional New Years meal but immeasurably better than remaining at Les Chefs de Crush.
Now I totally understand that NYE at Epcot will be extremely busy, the busiest time of year. This is why I called for a PS three months earlier. I dont mind waiting for a PS and I would probably have been happy to wait for two hours if we could have at least gone for a wander in France while we waited for our table. We couldnt do this in case we missed our name, and we couldnt leave one of us to wait, as they would not have known where we would be to come and fetch us. A pager would have solved all this, or at least a rough time (eg come back in ninety minutes and there should be a table within the next thirty minutes) but to put all the guests in a very small area with no way of getting in or out due to the volume of people there, for a limitless period of time, I thought was appalling. Im not sure what went wrong tonight perhaps people were lingering over their meals for longer than usual? Or they overbooked the PSs and then everyone came? Either way I wasnt very impressed.
We caught the bus back to SSR and went straight to the Turf Club for cocktails and nibbles. No problem on the cocktails but they werent serving food! Clearly it wasnt our night so we went to the Artists Palette instead; they too had just finished serving for the night but the lovely CM there said she would quickly do us something barbecued flatbread okay?! I feel I am now a connoisseur of these We had a nice drink afterwards anyway and sat in the Turf Club which was pleasant if a little quiet. It was eleven thirty by now and the girls were tired so we headed back to the villa. I must admit the day had not gone as planned and normally this doesnt really bother me but we did feel a little flat. We had no food or drink in the villa (because we were only staying for 2 nights) so got ready for bed. Just as we turned the light off, the midnight NYE fireworks began over Pleasure Island. They were fantastic! They were extended because it was December 31st and Jon and I both enjoyed watching these through our bedroom window. We had a fantastic view and the day did end on a high. Phew!
When I woke up this morning I spent a very pleasant few moments lying very still and drinking in my wonderful surroundings. Yesterday had not just been a dream; we really were at Saratoga Springs! This is the view from our bedroom window.
We enjoyed getting ready for the day at a leisurely pace and with so much room to do it in! It was a hard choice to decide which TV to watch, I can tell you
We wandered over to Artists Palette for breakfast, which was very nice. For anyone thats interested we were a six minute walk away from the pool area and Carriage House and our building was the penultimate one from the main area. I would say the absolute maximum you would have to walk from Congress Park would be ten minutes, and that would be a leisurely stroll throughout the beautifully manicured gardens and picturesque buildings. So I cannot really come to terms with the complaints about how far away the accommodation is from everything! What I would have liked best would be a refillable mug station in each building but I can wholly understand the problems inherent with that though perhaps the use of a barcode for length of stay would eliminate that (as in the waterparks). Still, it is a very small negative, and we do have a fridge for drinks if we wish.
As we are planning a late night at Epcot to see in the New Year tonight we are happy to spend the day at the resort, making the most of the facilities. Also I am determined to make the most of the one hundred points it has cost to stay here tonight
We have a very happy few hours at the pool, swimming, playing, getting in and out of the hot tub (this is as close to heaven as I have ever been!) and simply enjoying the fabulous surroundings. I am happy just to lie on the sun lounger and soak up the atmosphere and look around with a silly smile on my face. The pool is busier than yesterday with I would say two-thirds occupancy but despite this it never feels over crowded in any way. We imbibe one or two cocktails from On The Rocks pool bar (to ensure standards are consistent with other WDW bars, you understand ) and share a barbequed flatbread for lunch. We werent very hungry after breakfast but our PS for dinner is not until twenty to nine tonight so we decide a bit of food cant hurt. I wasnt really in the mood for a second flatbread less than twenty four hours later but the daily special was something quite heavy and unappealing at the time. It was not destined to be my last flatbread this trip, either The children love the play area and we love it too because as they play we can admire the panoramic view of Downtown Disney. This is particularly special at night when it is all lit up.
We retire to the villa to get ready for tonight and agree to set off for Epcot at about five or so. Plan is to be in the UK with a drink at seven oclock Florida time to celebrate the new year at UK time; then to watch the first Illuminations of the night, followed by a nice meander around the World Showcase to soak up the atmosphere until it is time for our PS at Chefs de France. The plan begins to unravel initially as Julie & Derek decide it is imperative they go to Downtown Disney to exchange a bracelet they have bought for Amber (it is the type that have the childs name on and the one they bought is lovely; sadly the one they bought says "Andrea" not "Amber" so wont really do). I try and talk them out of this as it is four oclock by now and we can easily do it tomorrow when we do the Virgin check in. But as has been the theme for this holiday they completely ignore me and go off to DTD. I suggest walking might be the quickest and easiest way to get there (we are no more than an eight minute walk from Marketplace) and off they go.
We all get ready and are raring to go at five oclock but there is no sign of Derek and Julie. They arrive about fifteen minutes later complaining about how long the bus took to come and then how it went all around DTD before they could get off. I go into our bedroom to scream into a pillow at this point (think Stitch when she is arguing with Nani here) and wish I hadnt bothered wasting time suggesting they walk ..
Still, at least they are here now and we can be off soon. Of course, I had reckoned without Julie and her extensive going out routine which involves curlers, cold cream and god only knows what else. At last we leave just before six (an hour late!)
We think it may be marginally quicker to get on a bus to MGM and catch the boat to the International Gateway to get to the UK, as we imagine Future World will be heaving. As it happens, the MGM bus comes first so we do take this and are soon dropped off and head to the boat dock. We are very lucky here and manage to get on the next boat had our bus arrived one minute later there would have been too many people and we would have been first on the next boat. The boat seems to take ages today and I start to be concerned we might not make it to the UK in time. I must admit that I find it very odd that seemingly able-bodied people choose to wait at the boat dock at the Yacht & Beach club when they could walk far more quickly and easily to Epcot? The boats are so crowded today they are only letting a few people on at each dock and there is a long queue at the Yacht & Beach Club. I am almost tempted to get off here myself and walk! It is a lovely temperature today, not hot at this point but pleasant and ideal for walking.
It is ten to seven when we disembark and hotfoot it to the Rose and Crown. Jon & Derek go to get some drinks (we cant go with them as children arent allowed in tonight). The bar is heaving so it is quite some time later that they return so we have to see the New Year in without them. The UK is a mass of bodies at this point and I clutch both my girls hands to ensure I dont lose them! The atmosphere is electric and there is much singing and merriment, and lots of enthusiastic counting in the New Year. I dont mind not having a drink for this as I know Ill have one soon enough! After about half an hour of queueing Jon & Derek return with three drinks: Two beers and a Diet Coke. It seems the Diet Coke is for me and I am particularly unimpressed until Jon explains that they will only serve one alcoholic drink per person. Now of course I understand why Im sure Disney doesnt want drunken behaviour in Epcot particularly when it is so busy but I am cross with the situation. I am not allowed to get a drink in the first place, as I have to stay with my children outside as they are barred tonight. It then takes thirty minutes to get a drink for one person so if I want one I will have to wait a further thirty minutes? Im certainly not that desperate for a drink but this does annoy me somewhat. Perhaps they should think about issuing Baby Swap vouchers or Fastpasses for drinks?
Illuminations soon begins and Amber gets very upset as she doesnt like the loud noises. In sheer desperation I try wrapping her head in her jumper and putting my hands over her ears but she is still jumping a mile with every subsequent bang. I admit defeat and take her to the furthest part of the UK shops from the noise. She can still hear and jumps occasionally but its not as bad for her here. The fireworks sound amazing and go on forever (not a good thing in the situation in which I find myself, but Im sure if Id been watching it would have been awesome!)
When Illuminations ends, we go for a wander around the World Showcase. As we had expected it is very busy tonight but everyone is in a fabulous mood and the atmosphere is great. The queues for drinks are extremely long so we give them a miss. By some fortunate accident the daiquiri stand in Morocco (I may have mentioned it before
) has a relatively short queue so we indulge in some of these. The girls have a non-alcoholic version and I have to be very careful to make sure they get the right one, as they look identical! We sit down and enjoy our drinks and then it is almost time for our PS at Chefs de France so we go to check in.Chaos is the only word I can use to describe the scene here. There is a massive queue and it seems half the people in it are enquiring about getting a table for tonight. Of course this is not possible it seems most restaurants in Epcot sold out weeks ago for tonight. A sign stating this would have halved the queue and also reduced the frustration for those who queue for ages to then be told there is no table. Eventually (forty minutes later?) I check in and am told we need to stay in the immediate vicinity to hear our name called out. This will explain why there are hordes of people all squashed into the entrance of Chefs, all looking extremely fed up. There is such a noise in here due to all the people that noone can actually hear their name when it is called out (so then have to rejoin the enormous queue!) Literally nobody seems to be being admitted and everyone is in agreement that this is horribly disorganised. The staff appear to be extremely stressed out (well Im sure they are!) and Im afraid I found their attitude quite rude to some guests. There comes a point when there are so many people in the space that a lady trying to come in with her stroller literally cannot get through. We try to help her through but people either wont or cant move. The lady next to me and I have been chatting for a while and she gets called! How long has it taken? More than two hours after her PS time! Well, I had to wait forty minutes to check in. Ive waited another twenty minutes in extremely unpleasant surroundings, and my PS may not be for another hour and forty minutes? I go up to the lady at the podium (sorry I didnt queue for forty minutes this time, I just tapped her on the shoulder from behind) and ask if there is any indication of when we might get our table. With a Gallic shrug she tells me she cannot possibly say but others here are waiting in excess of two hours and it is likely my wait will be similar. As it is absolutely no fun at all waiting we decide to call it quits (the poor girls are being trampled on and it is no fun for them!) and head back to Saratoga for a bar snack at the Turf Club instead. Not a traditional New Years meal but immeasurably better than remaining at Les Chefs de Crush.
Now I totally understand that NYE at Epcot will be extremely busy, the busiest time of year. This is why I called for a PS three months earlier. I dont mind waiting for a PS and I would probably have been happy to wait for two hours if we could have at least gone for a wander in France while we waited for our table. We couldnt do this in case we missed our name, and we couldnt leave one of us to wait, as they would not have known where we would be to come and fetch us. A pager would have solved all this, or at least a rough time (eg come back in ninety minutes and there should be a table within the next thirty minutes) but to put all the guests in a very small area with no way of getting in or out due to the volume of people there, for a limitless period of time, I thought was appalling. Im not sure what went wrong tonight perhaps people were lingering over their meals for longer than usual? Or they overbooked the PSs and then everyone came? Either way I wasnt very impressed.
We caught the bus back to SSR and went straight to the Turf Club for cocktails and nibbles. No problem on the cocktails but they werent serving food! Clearly it wasnt our night so we went to the Artists Palette instead; they too had just finished serving for the night but the lovely CM there said she would quickly do us something barbecued flatbread okay?! I feel I am now a connoisseur of these
We had a nice drink afterwards anyway and sat in the Turf Club which was pleasant if a little quiet. It was eleven thirty by now and the girls were tired so we headed back to the villa. I must admit the day had not gone as planned and normally this doesnt really bother me but we did feel a little flat. We had no food or drink in the villa (because we were only staying for 2 nights) so got ready for bed. Just as we turned the light off, the midnight NYE fireworks began over Pleasure Island. They were fantastic! They were extended because it was December 31st and Jon and I both enjoyed watching these through our bedroom window. We had a fantastic view and the day did end on a high. Phew!
