After school on Dec 17, I smashed my left heel with a huge wrought iron gate. By 9p.m., I thought for sure that I had broken bones in my foot, the pain was so excruciating. Well, luckily, it wasn't broken, but I was told it had to be elevated and iced for five days, so I had to miss the last three days of school - with second graders, it just about killed me.
I stayed off the foot, so by the 27th when we left, I no longer needed the cane. My DH, my GF, her DH and myself left home about 6a.m. for an 8:45 flight. We arrived in Orlando about noon. Roger from Yourride was there waiting for us (we had used him in October, so we recognized him right away). We made a quick stop at the Publix for drinks, (juice, soda, water, etc.) and we were on our way.
Our room (2BR Pref) at the BWV was not ready, so we went to Beaches & Cream for lunch. It was very crowded, so we had a bit of a wait. There were no tables outside available to wait at, so we went down the path to wait at one of the tables by the Stormalong Bay pool. The attendant came running up to us to make sure that we were staying at the YC or BC. We explained that we were waiting for our table and although he didn't look too happy about it, he let us sit down. The pool was pretty empty, as it was quite cool for swimming, but there were people (mostly kids) in the pool. There were twenty empty lounge chairs for every one that was occupied.
Finally, our table was ready, and we had a great lunch, using our Q & C vouchers. Since there were four of us, we decided to give the Kitchen Sink a shot. It was a hoot! We were not able to finish it, but we had a lot of fun trying.
After lunch, we browsed around the BC and YC lobbies, then headed over the to the BW. Our room was ready. We didn't ask for much in the way of requests, just non-smoking and near elevator. We got both. Rooms 5072 and 5074, the third and fourth doors from the elevators. The rooms were in great condition. My only disappointment was that there was no balcony off the bedroom, just the ones off the living room and the studio. Our 'preferred' view was of the Luna Park pool and the hot tub. We were right above the back of the Leaping Horse Libations.
One major flaw that I discovered in my painstakingly planned itinerary was the fact that we were scheduled for the 6:45 CP with an 8:10 dinner at Chefs de France. Well, by the time we unpacked and changed and were ready to go, it was just about time for the show, so we were unable to take advantage of the 15% shopping discount. I was so bummed. I would never plan that on travel day again! You live and learn.
The CP was outstanding. This was our first ever Christmas time trip and we were so impressed with the show. Gary Sinese did the narration. We enjoyed him very much and we were very moved by the music choices. Definitely a highlight of our trip!
On the way out of the park, we were able to get the discount at that shop by the International bridge, but it had NOTHING in comparison to MouseGear which we were unable to get to.
The next morning we headed out to AK, got a fast pass for ITTBAB and jumped on an early safari ride. The guide told us that it was a perfect time to go and it was because we saw more animals than we've ever seen before. Had a disappointing breakfast at Donald's. We've decided to cross that off our list for February, and give Rainforest Cafe a try instead. We're not big into AK, so we were finished after ITTBAB (too cold for KRR). We girls stayed and shopped at those three stores in the center. They had great things. Made up for the previous night.
We then went back to the room to chill - a concept completely foreign to me before DVC - and elevate my foot. About 4:30 we went over to MGM for the 6:30 Fantasmic dinner package. It was crowded. The guys went to get FP for RNR and we browsed. We met at the green gate at 5:50 and proceeded to our reserved seats. There were two reserved sections rather the just one. It was standing room only. As always, the show was excellent. After the show, we sent the guys ahead, to check-in at the Brown Derby, and by the time we joined them, our 7:20 table was ready. We had a great dinner, and our friends surprised us by picking up the tab. We had asked for separate checks, and the waitress gave us one that said "$0 Thank You from Bev & Joe." It was totally unexpected. After dinner we went to walk through the Osbourne Lights. Again, a first for us. They were just remarkable! This was the other highlight of our trip.
Day 3 was quite unique, and I now know what to do in a medical emergency. Our friends were not big breakfast eaters, and we had vouchers for breakfast, so we decided to meet after breakfast in MGM. When our friends arrived, the wife said her arm was really bothering her and she needed a sling. This is a woman with a very high threshold for pain. She has accumulated 394 sick days at school and comes in no matter what, so I was very concerned. We went to the first aid center, got a sling (they couldn't put it on) and went to see the Little Mermaid show while the DH's went on RNR. By the time we came out of the show, she said she had unbearable pain in her arm. I used a house phone, called the operator and asked what could be done. The operator connected me to the immedicenter (ComfortCare, I think), I explained the situation, told them we didn't have a car, and they said they would send a car right out to MGM to pick her up. It turns out she had burst her bursor (sp) sac. She spent the next 36 hours recuperating.
How quickly plans change. Her DH stayed with her, she forced us to go out. We cancelled that evening's dinner at Narcoossee's and were able to get a PS for 2 at Yachtsman. The food was great but the mood wasn't.
Day 4 was scheduled for MK. Since neither my friend or her DH were venturing out, we scrapped that idea, since we knew it would be crowded. We spent the day by ourselves at Epcot and enjoyed it as much as possible in this situation. This evening, we were not so lucky to change our PS. I asked for ANYTHING in Epcot, or around the BW. There was NOTHING. I had made the Spoodles reservation specifically for my friends because from the sounds of the menu, I knew they would like it. I also knew I wouldn't care for it, but becasue we could not get a PS anywhere else, we went. We had 7:30 Ps's, and when we got there on time, we were told it would be about a 30 minute wait. The person behind me walked up to the podium and said, "We have 10." The woman asked if she had PS's and she when she replied, "No," the woman said, "We are not taking walk-ins tonight." She gave us the beeper and we walked around outside. The line outside of ESPN was extremely long. I was happy we had some place to eat. We were called in about 10 minutes. As expected, I did not care for the food, but the lemon meringue pie for dessert was the best I've had in a long time, and I make my own.
Day 5, NYE, our last real day since we were flying out early the next morning. My DH, my GF's DH, and I had breakfast at Spoodles. After breakfast I called my friend and she said she was feeling well enough to go out. We went to Epcot and got FP for HISTA. We went and did the shows at The Land, hit HISTA and then decided to take our chances on getting back in later so we went back to our room to rest. We went back at 7:30 for our 8:10 PS at Le Cellier. By now it had really begun to rain. We were soaked by the time we got to the restaurant. We had a great dinner, then decided it was pouring too hard to really do anything. We went back to the room to pack for the next morning. At 11:30, we decided to brave it, so we caught the boat to Epcot and watched the fireworks in the torrential rain. They were spectacular! I can't imagine how much better they must be in clear weather. It was an unforgettable experience!
It wasn't exactly the trip that we had planned, but we made the best of it, and we still have 39 more years worth of trips to get it right!
I stayed off the foot, so by the 27th when we left, I no longer needed the cane. My DH, my GF, her DH and myself left home about 6a.m. for an 8:45 flight. We arrived in Orlando about noon. Roger from Yourride was there waiting for us (we had used him in October, so we recognized him right away). We made a quick stop at the Publix for drinks, (juice, soda, water, etc.) and we were on our way.
Our room (2BR Pref) at the BWV was not ready, so we went to Beaches & Cream for lunch. It was very crowded, so we had a bit of a wait. There were no tables outside available to wait at, so we went down the path to wait at one of the tables by the Stormalong Bay pool. The attendant came running up to us to make sure that we were staying at the YC or BC. We explained that we were waiting for our table and although he didn't look too happy about it, he let us sit down. The pool was pretty empty, as it was quite cool for swimming, but there were people (mostly kids) in the pool. There were twenty empty lounge chairs for every one that was occupied.
Finally, our table was ready, and we had a great lunch, using our Q & C vouchers. Since there were four of us, we decided to give the Kitchen Sink a shot. It was a hoot! We were not able to finish it, but we had a lot of fun trying.
After lunch, we browsed around the BC and YC lobbies, then headed over the to the BW. Our room was ready. We didn't ask for much in the way of requests, just non-smoking and near elevator. We got both. Rooms 5072 and 5074, the third and fourth doors from the elevators. The rooms were in great condition. My only disappointment was that there was no balcony off the bedroom, just the ones off the living room and the studio. Our 'preferred' view was of the Luna Park pool and the hot tub. We were right above the back of the Leaping Horse Libations.
One major flaw that I discovered in my painstakingly planned itinerary was the fact that we were scheduled for the 6:45 CP with an 8:10 dinner at Chefs de France. Well, by the time we unpacked and changed and were ready to go, it was just about time for the show, so we were unable to take advantage of the 15% shopping discount. I was so bummed. I would never plan that on travel day again! You live and learn.
The CP was outstanding. This was our first ever Christmas time trip and we were so impressed with the show. Gary Sinese did the narration. We enjoyed him very much and we were very moved by the music choices. Definitely a highlight of our trip!
On the way out of the park, we were able to get the discount at that shop by the International bridge, but it had NOTHING in comparison to MouseGear which we were unable to get to.
The next morning we headed out to AK, got a fast pass for ITTBAB and jumped on an early safari ride. The guide told us that it was a perfect time to go and it was because we saw more animals than we've ever seen before. Had a disappointing breakfast at Donald's. We've decided to cross that off our list for February, and give Rainforest Cafe a try instead. We're not big into AK, so we were finished after ITTBAB (too cold for KRR). We girls stayed and shopped at those three stores in the center. They had great things. Made up for the previous night.
We then went back to the room to chill - a concept completely foreign to me before DVC - and elevate my foot. About 4:30 we went over to MGM for the 6:30 Fantasmic dinner package. It was crowded. The guys went to get FP for RNR and we browsed. We met at the green gate at 5:50 and proceeded to our reserved seats. There were two reserved sections rather the just one. It was standing room only. As always, the show was excellent. After the show, we sent the guys ahead, to check-in at the Brown Derby, and by the time we joined them, our 7:20 table was ready. We had a great dinner, and our friends surprised us by picking up the tab. We had asked for separate checks, and the waitress gave us one that said "$0 Thank You from Bev & Joe." It was totally unexpected. After dinner we went to walk through the Osbourne Lights. Again, a first for us. They were just remarkable! This was the other highlight of our trip.
Day 3 was quite unique, and I now know what to do in a medical emergency. Our friends were not big breakfast eaters, and we had vouchers for breakfast, so we decided to meet after breakfast in MGM. When our friends arrived, the wife said her arm was really bothering her and she needed a sling. This is a woman with a very high threshold for pain. She has accumulated 394 sick days at school and comes in no matter what, so I was very concerned. We went to the first aid center, got a sling (they couldn't put it on) and went to see the Little Mermaid show while the DH's went on RNR. By the time we came out of the show, she said she had unbearable pain in her arm. I used a house phone, called the operator and asked what could be done. The operator connected me to the immedicenter (ComfortCare, I think), I explained the situation, told them we didn't have a car, and they said they would send a car right out to MGM to pick her up. It turns out she had burst her bursor (sp) sac. She spent the next 36 hours recuperating.
How quickly plans change. Her DH stayed with her, she forced us to go out. We cancelled that evening's dinner at Narcoossee's and were able to get a PS for 2 at Yachtsman. The food was great but the mood wasn't.
Day 4 was scheduled for MK. Since neither my friend or her DH were venturing out, we scrapped that idea, since we knew it would be crowded. We spent the day by ourselves at Epcot and enjoyed it as much as possible in this situation. This evening, we were not so lucky to change our PS. I asked for ANYTHING in Epcot, or around the BW. There was NOTHING. I had made the Spoodles reservation specifically for my friends because from the sounds of the menu, I knew they would like it. I also knew I wouldn't care for it, but becasue we could not get a PS anywhere else, we went. We had 7:30 Ps's, and when we got there on time, we were told it would be about a 30 minute wait. The person behind me walked up to the podium and said, "We have 10." The woman asked if she had PS's and she when she replied, "No," the woman said, "We are not taking walk-ins tonight." She gave us the beeper and we walked around outside. The line outside of ESPN was extremely long. I was happy we had some place to eat. We were called in about 10 minutes. As expected, I did not care for the food, but the lemon meringue pie for dessert was the best I've had in a long time, and I make my own.
Day 5, NYE, our last real day since we were flying out early the next morning. My DH, my GF's DH, and I had breakfast at Spoodles. After breakfast I called my friend and she said she was feeling well enough to go out. We went to Epcot and got FP for HISTA. We went and did the shows at The Land, hit HISTA and then decided to take our chances on getting back in later so we went back to our room to rest. We went back at 7:30 for our 8:10 PS at Le Cellier. By now it had really begun to rain. We were soaked by the time we got to the restaurant. We had a great dinner, then decided it was pouring too hard to really do anything. We went back to the room to pack for the next morning. At 11:30, we decided to brave it, so we caught the boat to Epcot and watched the fireworks in the torrential rain. They were spectacular! I can't imagine how much better they must be in clear weather. It was an unforgettable experience!
It wasn't exactly the trip that we had planned, but we made the best of it, and we still have 39 more years worth of trips to get it right!
