I Told You Driving Was Bad For Your Health! *2/2* NEW TRIP REPORT LINK P102

[rndmr2]

I am behind in so many TR's, getting caught up, just finished the HHI part of your TR.

That town Beaufort os pretty, lots of nice pics of the water

Charleston looks cute too. I had to laugh at the BBQ place, we have one near us called "Sticky Lips"! It's a pretty good place, It looks very similar in Decor to the Sticky Fingers that you went to.

Now going to start the WDW part of the report...

ETA.. Wow you really had lots going on just before your trip!

Sorry your little guy has been sick, that's crazy he had an animal bite on his backside. Is that healing up any?

Congrats to Nick on his Graduation, the pics came out nice, his GF's niece is definitely a little cutie!!

Neat that they were able to get everyone's names on cakes, assuming there were more than 1. We never could have done that at my HS graduation, I graduated with 690! (Archbishop Ryan in Philly if you've ever heard of it)

Glad you had an uneventful takeoff, hope the landing isn't too crazy.

 

[MEK]

So glad Max got to feeling better before you left.

I was relieved as well. I knew boarding him at the vet would ease my mind since they were all comfortable taking care of his various "needs".

Congrats on Nick graduating!

Thanks...and yesterday he moved into college. Today I am officially an "empty nester". sniff sniff....

Hopefully your landing will be a-ok. We just booked our airfare last night!!!! Super excited for that. Now just waiting for Disney to announce their deals for Jan/Feb so we can make our reservations.

Yay for booking airfare. It's always a relief when that is out of the way. I hope there are some good deals that come up for you. Planning is so much fun.

All caught up!

Most importantly, I'm so sorry about your dad. I'll be praying for you & your mom. Hugs from the Midwest to you!

Thank you so much for the condolences. I really appreciate it. It means a lot!

Beaufort & Charleston looked lovely! And all the brides - how fun!!

They were both beautiful cities. Well, Beaufort more a small town with a great small town vibe. Seeing all the Saturday afternoon brides was a lot of fun and so unexpected when you totally forget what day it is during vacation.

Sounds like you got some great deals for your Disney trip, even though it wasn't your original plan.

I was pleased with the rate we paid for lodging. Considering the accommodations we got, it really was a bargain.

I'm so glad Max is on the mend! Poor guy!

Thanks, though that little stinker got sick again this week. It's the never ending saga of Max's health.

Congrats to Nick!!

Thank you! And Nick is no officially moved in at college. He has been there 24 hours. I hope he is already adjusting.

Congratulations to your son! How exciting!

Thanks! And now he is officially moved in to college. I hope he loves it and has a successful first semester.

Poor Max. That sounds scary and icky all at the same time. So it was abscess that burst? We had a couple kitties in the past who would tussle...get bit and then the wound would swell and if we didn't get them to the vet in time for a shot of penicillin... it would burst. What an icky mess.

Yes, it was an abscess. He already had a shot of antibiotic the week before for an unspecified fever. I'm pretty sure it was this infection brewing at the time and the antibiotic just quieted it down until it burst. It was very nasty and scary.

I am excited to hear all about your non property WDW trip. That is a lot of drama to overcome before the trip. I am glad you didn't end up canceling.

I am so glad that we went on this trip because it ended up being one of the best ever. I really enjoyed myself and I really didn't mind staying off property. It worked out great.

Oh my goodness, I remember all this with Max and Nick's graduation! You definitely needed a vacay.

I really did need a vacay and selfishly I really wanted a do-over after our HHI vacation were we lost some days due to Dennys' hospitalization. This turned out to be the perfect do-over.

So a little OT, if you book with SW but have to fly on an AirTran plane, you don't have to pay baggage fees correct? I know one of our flights in October will be on an AirTran plane, but booked the flights through SW.

That's correct - no luggage fees if you book through SWA. We flew out of air tran and back on SWA.

Ooh I hope you made it to Epcot that night!

Stick around because you are about to find out.

Unfortunately, my new update was not posted as soon as I had originally planned. I had more Max drama this week.

Man, if ever there was a time someone needed a Disney break....

Right on! I actually went into the trip a little skeptical, but it turned out to be one of the best trips ever. I can't wait to write all about it.

That was a lot of stress in your life! Thank goodness things have smoothed themselves out since then.

I am glad everything fell in place with the job and Denny's health. That really eased a lot of stress.

Poor Max; I can't imagine dealing with a sick pet just days before you're meant to leave on a trip. Glad to hear the issue was identified and treated.

I was so relieved he was on the mend before we left. I knew he was in good hands at the vet so once he started to recover (almost immediately) I knew he would be in good shape.

Your family looks so happy and proud at Nick's graduation. And a cake with everyone's name is pretty cool. I don't think I've ever been to a graduation where there's less than 200 students.

We are very proud of Nick. He moved into college yesterday. Private school with a graduating class of 90 plus students. I guess that's what we pay the big bucks for - a personalized piece of cake.

Resort costs can be pretty outrageous, especially here in FL. So it's good to see you managed to find a reasonable one!

I was so pleased with the rate we paid. It was a fantastic deal for the size unit we had. It had to be the best deal going at the time.

 

[MEK]

I speak from experience.

I'd rather fly and be in WDW in a few hours but of course sometimes there is more room in my time budget than my dollar budget. Fuzzy Disney math only goes so far

That's the truth. I think the more people you travel with the more sense it makes to drive. However, when its just two people I think you can get to the break even point or save money if you don't rent a car.

oh good!

I'm really looking forward to it. Our friends who live in Daytona say its got one of the more interesting beaches in Florida.

me too!

It' worse than having your trips months and months apart because its such a tease.

She really liked living there, the town and the people were both friendly.

I can imagine that it would be a friendly place to reside. I found the southerners to be very friendly and outgoing. That makes for a great location.

My sister lost her battle with cancer in 2006.

I'm so sorry. I don't think I knew that. That must have been very, very hard for you.

Katie and I were visiting my BFF Lesley in NC. They finally got everything settled with the VA & moved into their home this past spring. Great location - 20 minutes to the nearest beach! We took a ferry from Beaufort to Shackleford Island on one of our days there. Such a pretty waterfront town.

Now that sounds really neat. I would love to do something like that. I really enjoy locations surrounded by water. We actually have a little bit of that here since we live so close to the chesapeake.

oh I'm so glad that you were able to play.

I am too. I was very, very nervous and shaking, but I managed to pull it off.

oh I like that explanation!!!

Leave to Doris. She is the resident DIS historian, so I'm sure she's accurate.

I just realized that I completely missed saying Congrats to Nick! Honors & all. woohoo!!!!

Thank you! And now he has been at college for exactly 25 hours.

Hope Max is feeling better now and is all healed from his abscess...sounds very nasty.

It was very nasty. I have no idea what bit him. I think it may have been a baby fox. Max tends to get himself in trouble whenever he goes outside. Darn cat.

Wow, great life updates.
How did your dh turn out with all the tests. Sorry if someone else asked this question.

Thanks!

His stress test turned out great (after the stent) and all his labs are normal too. He is doing really well.

Love your funny cliff hangers?

Thanks. I lucked out with that last one.

I am betting you loved where you stayed. I won't go to Disney anymore without a rental car, even though I am staying on site. The gas cap question is really funny, but so true.

I really enjoyed it. I think because it was a resort. There was plenty of room in the villa and a nice area outside. Plus the location was excellent. It was the next best thing to stay on property.

Poor Max! I'll be thinking about him - and you! Sorry your week was junky.

Thank you! The whole Max getting sick thing threw me for a loop. Sometimes I feel like Max is like having a child at home. He really needs a lot of attention.

ooh Poor Max!!!!!!!!!!!! And Mama, and the wallet. BOO!.

Oh the wallet - I am so glad Denny hasn't brought it up in over 24 hours. I did tell Denny that if he doesn't bounce back and keeps having episodes like this I am going to consider putting him to sleep. He is 13 and I want him to have a good quality of life.

Move in day looks like it's going well but you need a nap and a snuggle with your kitty.

Move in day went well. We got there at 8am and were out of there by 9:15am. Then we went on this fun bike ride with another couple whose daughter is going to UD as well. Our friend actually works at UD so his daughter goes tuition free. Because he works there and because they live so close to campus they know all the trails that dissect and go around campus. I had NO idea there were so many recreational trails. We literally got to explore every end of the campus. I forgot how big and spread out it is. It was really fun getting a bird's eye look at everything. Then we rode on some preserve trails that are part of a park system that's adjacent to the north campus. Really lovely and scenic. As exhausted as I was, I had a great time.

to you. Poor Max...I hope he feels better soon!

Get some sleep!

Jill in CO

Thanks Jill. He does seem better today. I wish I knew what exactly happened to him. It's still a bit of a mystery, but I am cautiously optimistic as he continues to improve.

I plan to catch up on some sleep today.

Hope Nick get moved in with no problems.

Move in went way better than I thought it would. I thought it would be packed first thing in the morning, but I think we got there at just the right time. We were there at 8am and Denny and I left at 9:15. That's when it started to pick up a bit.

Sound s like you do need a some down time.

That's the plan for today. Although on my first full day of an empty nest I would love to go out and do something fun.

Poor Max. It is so hard when they have been doing well and then suddenly take a turn. Hope it is minor and he bounces back.

Thanks. It was really unexpected and I still don't know exactly what happened. Hypoglycemia? Infection? Both? I'm just not sure. He does seem better today . More like his old self.

Take you time - lots of people swamped with the end of summer and start of school. Makes it easy to keep up. I may get an update up myself.

I saw your update. I was very excited about that and I love reading about DL. It seems like such a great place. You're right - the end of the summer does get a bit crazy.

 

[MEK]

get some rest. Boo on Denny for being insensitive. I hope Max gets better soon.

Thanks Pam!

Denny does get upset about Max's vet bills. It's crazy because generally cats are very low maintenance. Not Max. He has been more expensive that the last 5 cats I've had combined.

Max does seem better today so fingers crossed.

I too am pooped , here I go with more **** but it has been an exhausting week !!Staff meeting, case review Car Wash and a Luaua !!! I feel like I have been run over by a truckTomorrow I have a Birthday Party to copewith at work !!! Oh and all of those were Work elated , the girls arehaving their 18th Birthday Bash tonight Can't believe I will be in Las Vegas in 12 days !!!

Woo Rosie, you ARE really busy! Sometimes its hard to enjoy all the good stuff when you are that busy.

Happy 18th to the girls. That is so exciting. I hope you and they have a wonderful time at the party.

Vega in 11 days now? Woo Hoo! Watch out Vegas! Will there be a Marv on a stick accompanying you?

My Max is very cute and very BAD!!!Our other dog is a Pit , and guess who rules!!!Poor Snoop always has to wait to eat If he is super hungry and trys to eat first , Max puts his foot in the bowl and pulls it away !!!They are inseperable though !!!

OMG - that is TOO funny. I can't imagine Max doing in that. You need a video of that. A little s*** zu stealing the pit bulls bowl. That's priceless.

Took a break from TR's but all caught up again.

Yay! Isn't that the best feeling when you finally get all caught up. Too bad it doesn't last.

Poor Max I know the feeling with the abcess. I adopted two strays from my DD's yard last year. One day I noticed Jack had a small lump. Two days later it was a large lump. Took him off to the vet and thankfully I did. He had a high fever and by the next morning the lump was the size of a lemon. He had a 6 inch incision to clean out the bite from his brother Barbossa.

OMG. That is so awful. That is a huge incision. Talk about one huge abscess. I am glad he is all recovered. He must have has the "cone of shame" on for a LONG time. Poor baby.

Congrats to your son on his graduation.

Thanks. We are very proud of him and happy he is all moved into college.

I love looking at pics from the flight out of Philly. I try to figure out where the plane is by the landscaping. Looking forward to reading more, especially about the off site stay. We may do that in a couple of years with the family and I need to know if I should convince them otherwise.

The last time I flew into Philly I took a bunch of photos as we circled. Fortunately some astute DISers were able to identify some of the landmarks that I couldn't. Especially parts of NJ. I do enjoy taking pictures and looking out the plane's windows. It's very cool.

 

[MEK]

I am behind in so many TR's, getting caught up, just finished the HHI part of your TR. .

Yay! Don't you just love it when you start getting caught up.

IThat town Beaufort os pretty, lots of nice pics of the water.

It was a pretty and quaint little town. I really enjoyed our visit there. Such a gentle southern town.

ICharleston looks cute too. I had to laugh at the BBQ place, we have one near us called "Sticky Lips"! It's a pretty good place, It looks very similar in Decor to the Sticky Fingers that you went to. .

Charleston is a gorgeous city. I regret we didn't get much time there, but it really couldn't have been helped.

Sticky lips? Hmmmmm - definitely sounds like a knock off of Sticky fingers. Or maybe its the other way around.

INow going to start the WDW part of the report....

I am so excited to be writing about WDW. We had an awesome time and I just can't wait to share.

IETA.. Wow you really had lots going on just before your trip! .

Yeah - it was a little crazy in the 6 or 7 weeks between trips, but I made it!

ISorry your little guy has been sick, that's crazy he had an animal bite on his backside. Is that healing up any? .

It's totally healed now and the fur is almost all grown back in. That seemed to take forever. I really was glad he bounced back so quickly.

ICongrats to Nick on his Graduation, the pics came out nice, his GF's niece is definitely a little cutie!! .

Thank you and yes she is - she is just precious. I went back and discovered a couple of those shots and knew I had to post them. Too cute to pass up.

INeat that they were able to get everyone's names on cakes, assuming there were more than 1. We never could have done that at my HS graduation, I graduated with 690! (Archbishop Ryan in Philly if you've ever heard of it).

Of course I have. I actually grew up outside Philly and went to Mount Saint Joseph's Academy for a year (i hated it) and then switched over to Springfield Township HS in Montgomery County. In 10th grade my mom gave me the choice between Bishop McDevitt and the Mount. I picked the Mount and to this day I am still not sure why. Too much culture shock after being in public school through 9th grade.

IGlad you had an uneventful takeoff, hope the landing isn't too crazy.

We. we shall see about that, won't we?

 

[MEK]

Wait For Us!

Before I get to my next update I do have some exciting news about the October trip!

Both of my wait lists for BWV's have come through. Yay Yay Yay!

The October 24th - 27th wait list came through right around the time we decided to book two more nights at WDW (this was after canceling our cruise). So I added two nights at SSR and wait listed them at the BWV. And now that second wait list has come through!

So in total we have 5 nights at the BWV's October 24th - October 29th. So excited to have a 5 night stay there. It's going to make F&W so much easier!

Then we will leave the bubble for a couple days to get my beach and history fix in Saint Augustine, Florida.

And then back to WDW October 31st - November 4th.

I did book one special F&W seminar - a mixology seminar. Should be fun!

At first I was going to book the Halloween party, when my friends are there at the end of the trip, but the only nights we could go would be October 31st or November 1st. I know both parties will be sold out, so I think I will be skipping it this year. I am putting it on the agenda for next year, when we probably won't have a park ticket at all.

The other announcement is we are now officially "empty nesters". I thought I would be more excited, but I miss Nick already. He's only 35 minutes away, but it seems like a lot more. Anyway - I hope he loves school and can focus and do what he needs to do to succeed.

Moving on the the Update&.

"Wait For Us!"

So when I left off we were still traveling. At first things looked like this - smooth sailing, er .... I mean smooth flying.



But we had been up in the air for two hours and there were no signs of descent yet. Seriously? We should almost be on the ground by now. What gives?

I decided to play another game of solitaire and just be patient.

That's when the captain announced that we would be making our descent into MCO. But we were still up pretty high, still hovering the coast, and something still seemed off.

The cabin lights were on.

After about 5 minutes you could see we still weren't descending. We hit a patch of clouds and *Bam*, all of a sudden we hit an air pocket that was strong enough to knock a tray table loose and send us all bouncing up and down in our seats.

Yikes.

My fellow passengers, who had all been unusually silent (including the babies), let out a collective scream.

It felt like a jolt on Space Mountain.

Then the cabin lights went off again and we circled&.

and circled&..

and circled&..

at the same altitude.

No one said a word.

It got a little freaky for awhile because we hit pockets of air where it was literally pouring down rain.

Every 5 minutes or so I would stare at my watch to check the time.

I started to get worried that we would be diverted. And I started to wonder if I should have taken that flight into Tampa.

Finally, finally, FINALLY I could hear the change in the engines signaling a real descent. I could tell we were lowering in altitude until we settled into dark grey clouds.

It seemed like an eternity in those nasty clouds, but was probably only minutes.

Finally I heard the landing gear drop, but I still couldn't see the run way at all.

Then *Bam* we were on the ground.

Total time from take off to arrival - 3 hours, in what should have been, at tops, a 2 hour and 10 minute flight.

It was after 5:30 pm by the time we exited the plane.

The airport was PACKED. I mean PACKED. I have never seen that many people at MCO. The lines for the restrooms were huge. I looked at Denny and said, "let's just keep going and find a bathroom elsewhere".

You could tell it had been raining buckets because the roof near the mini monorail had leaked quite a bit. The floor was soaked and covered with caution cones.



I tried to get the picture that Podsnel always posts, but these unintentional photo bombers got in my way.



But we made it to the main terminal and there was Mickey to welcome me!



Next order of business was luggage and rental car.

We have a system for this. Denny goes to check in for the rental car and I wait for the luggage. Usually he is done before me and comes back up to meet me.

But not tonight. He texted to say the line was REALLY long.

Of course it was. Every other plane that had been circling MCO had just landed and everyone was in line for their rental car.

I rented our car through Alamo, but I used carrentalsavers.com. I snagged a great deal. I think it was around $134 for the week for a full size car. Quite honestly, it may have even been less because the prices kept dropping.

I got the luggage fairly easier, but now I had to maneuver everything to the lower level via the escalator to find Denny. That's always tough with two pieces of luggage weighing 45 lbs. Fortunately, I made it without taking out someone's ankles or shins.

I finally found him and he was right - the line was ridiculous.

We got sprinkled with a little pixie dust when a costumer service rep asked if we wanted to use the kiosk to check in. He said it should take the carrentalsavers confirmation.

Score! It did! Awesome!

In a few minutes we checked in, paid, and were on our way to pick out our car!

We selected a powder blue Camry. Very nice. No trick gas caps (like the Mitsubishi we had last year where we couldn't figure out how to open the gas cap) while we were in a crowded gas line.

Our rental car had a Tennessee license plate. I picked that because I knew it would be easier to find in a parking lot and we could definitely use the tourist excuse if we did something stupid while driving! Always thinking, I am.

Out of the parking garage and on our way. We ended up right behind this



You can see it is still pouring!



We found the Polynesia Isles Resort easily It has a nice off site location. Basically if you know where the Super Walmart is in Kissimmee, you can find this resort. Just make a right down Polynesia Isles Blvd and the resort is about a mile down the road on the left, tucked into a series of residential communities.

I didn't take any pictures of our arrival because it was still raining and my goal was to get checked in, unloaded, and off to Epcot before it closed.

Of course, they tried to get us to sign up for a timeshare presentation, which we politely declined.

When we got to our unit we found out that we were upgraded to a 2BR unit. Major score there because I basically unpacked in one bedroom and Denny in the other.

Well, actually I didn't unpack. I just dropped the luggage and said "let's go".

I do want to mention that the fellows at the guard gate were SO nice and friendly. It was a small complex and it was very nice that they had that feature.

Back on the road we finally got our chance to pass through this



I left my real camera in the villa because it was pretty clear that it was going to rain for awhile. In fact, all of my first night pictures in this update were taken with my phone.



So here was my plan:

We needed to activate our PAP's and get the TIW card. I needed a strategy for how to do this the easiest way.

So I decided to go park at the Beach Club (my favorite resort parking lot). I was quite honest with the guard. I said we had just arrived in town and we wanted to go to the international gateway to activate our PAP's, get a TIW, and then go eat somewhere in the Boardwalk area. to eat

No problem.

We were in.

We actually walked through the BCV's lobby and saw these guys on our way, having a field day with all the rain.



Another hasty picture



Finally we made it here.



Unfortunately there was only one person at Guest Relations, probably because it was past 8pm. So we had to wait on line for quite awhile. At least 25 minutes. Pure torture when you just want to get inside Epcot and get something to eat.

Bored in line I took a picture of the back of our nifty rain ponchos that we got last summer when we toured University of Delaware. I knew they would come in handy some day. Today was that day.



Once we were inside I was hoping we could still eat at the table service restaurant in Morocco, but they weren't letting new patrons in. Drat! I wanted to try this now that we purchased the TIW. At a price of $100 and only 5 days in Disney, my goal was to at least break even on the price.

Back up plan was QS in Morocco, which I absolutely love!

Denny's platter



Mine



Denny had some type of Moroccan beer and I had the Moroccorita. Not as good as the rites in Mexico, but satisfying enough after a long day.



We finished eating just in time to find a spot for Illuminations.





It was nice to just stand and watch it. Clearly the bad weather had finally stopped and the show went on. And I got that chill of excitement that one always gets when a vacation has truly begun.

After the show we headed past Morocco and back out the IG



We walked through the actual BC lobby on the way back to the car. Love this place!



We decided to be ambitious on the way home and stop at the Super Walmart for provisions. It was PACKED. Seriously PACKED for 10:30 pm on a Saturday night. Plus it looked like there were squatters living in the parking lot. I did NOT take their picture for obvious reasons.

You know I live in a state that doesn't serve alcohol in grocery stores, so I always have to take a picture. Plus I was curious about this bud light limearita.



No, I didn't try it. Has anyone? Are they any good?

When we got back to our villa we unpacked, maybe had a beer, and called it a night.

Since I am used to getting up early, I sprung out of bed pretty easily in the morning. I had my coffee and laced up for a run.

I took a couple cell pics of the resort.







Continued In Next Post

 

[MEK]

Continued From Previous Post

It wasn't the most luxurious resort, but it did have some pleasant landscaping.





Even though the resort was fairly small, it had two pools and four hot tubs. Several of the hot tubs were in areas away from the pools. We had one just out the back door of our unit.



There was a basketball court.



The resort was fenced in and one side of the property was adjacent to a drainage system. Not the most scenic view, but remember this wasn't Disney.



I ran up to the Walmart and back. I stopped to take this picture because I thought this little creek looked cool. No swimming!



Back at the resort I took a few more shots







We were on the second floor. No elevator, only stairs. It was almost like a deja vu to HHI because Denny had to carry luggage up the stairs. But this time no chest pain! Yay!



My mission for today was to try to make the Opening Ceremony at the MK. We were out the door by 7:45 am and I thought an hour for total transportation would give us plenty of time.

One nice perk to staying off site is you get this view every single time you pass the property line!







We did run into a little snafu at the parking gate. Apparently our AP's did not have the correct sticker on them that including parking. I was under the impression that every AP included parking. Why would there be different stickers along the bottom? It made no sense, but I flat out told the attendant I was not paying for parking and he told me to take the AP's to guest services for an exchange.

So not only did it take forever to get these AP's at the IG, but somehow our parking was omitted. Makes no sense, but whatever.

We decided to take the ferry.

But when we approached the ferry it was obvious that they weren't loading for some unknown reason. Really? Come on people. I had an opening show to catch.

Once on board I lined up to take some pictures of the Poly and GF.

Good 'ol summer. It fogs up the lens every time!



There - that's better





Money on the pier



Ahhh - VGF - one of my homes. I can't wait to stay with you!







In my haste to get some pictures I realized that we were quite far back on the boat. Boo!



Can't wait to visit here in October. Even though I won't be staying here for another year, I think a pool hopping visit is in order.



When we got to the dock I checked my watch and it became clear that we were cutting it really close for the opening show. Drat.

When we got through bag check and up to the gates the show just started.




Continued In Next Post...

 

[MEK]

Continued From Previous Post

Darn - what a crappy view - I mean, come on - there is someone's ear in my picture!



Now an entire head and an even worse view.



Truth is, even if we had made it through the turn-style there was really no where to stand. It was pretty crowded.

I tried. Really I did. But, well, see for yourself



Despite being a couple minutes too late to get decent Opening Ceremony shots, we were in the park by the respectable hour of …





Being greeted by a bright pink Mickey hand is never a bad thing



Ahhhh - the castle - it chokes me up every time!







Now that we were in, the question was where to first?



Any guesses?

Up Next - Can an experienced DISer actually get lost in the MK?

 

[marDgreen88]

That flight sounds like it was pretty terrifying. Yikes. The Polynesia (that's weird to type without the 'n') looks pretty nice, and cool that you got an upgrade!

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[dawnbu40]

Your Oct trip sounds wonderful! I am sad though that once again we are just missing you by a few days. (we arrive Nov 8th for a long weekend)

That flight does not sound fun. We had a terrible experience with our flight home. Not fun!

for an upgrade and finally arriving at Disney!

 

[Pinkocto]

The last bit of the plane ride did not sound fun. Glad you didn't have to be diverted. I do hate it that they don't make announcements of what is going on.

Glad you made it to Epcot, nice ending to the day

 

[MEK]

That flight sounds like it was pretty terrifying. Yikes. The Polynesia (that's weird to type without the 'n') looks pretty nice, and cool that you got an upgrade!

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

The flight was not fun at all! When I prepare myself for 2 hours that extra hour seems like an eternity. Plus the storm was a tad unnerving. But we made it and that's what really counts.

The Polynesia Isles was nice. The villa itself was well appointed and having all that extra room was a nice trade off for being off property. I'm glad we picked it.

Your Oct trip sounds wonderful! I am sad though that once again we are just missing you by a few days. (we arrive Nov 8th for a long weekend)

Drat! Foiled again. I think its the worst when you just miss someone by a few days. Originally I was going to push the trip back a week, but it turns out that Denny's brother and his family will be there the first five days we are there. Total coincidence, but a big reason why we stuck with our original dates.

That flight does not sound fun. We had a terrible experience with our flight home. Not fun!

It was definitely NOT the best flight we have ever had.

I am very curious to hear what happened with your flight and whether it was a non-stop or if you had to change planes.

for an upgrade and finally arriving at Disney!

Not exactly the same as a Disney upgrade, but moving to a bigger unit with two really nice bathrooms and an extra room with a big closet and plenty of drawer space was definitely a bonus!

 

[MEK]

The last bit of the plane ride did not sound fun. Glad you didn't have to be diverted. I do hate it that they don't make announcements of what is going on.

It really wasn't very fun. Why can't they just say there are storms directly over the airport and you can't descend yet. I enjoy an informative pilot and a fun flight crew. This was neither.

Glad you made it to Epcot, nice ending to the day

I am so glad we made it in time to eat and watch Illuminations. It was a nice way to kick off the trip after and extra long travel day.

 

[nowellsl]

I thought I was subscribed to too many trip reports already, and now I'm hooked on yours I finally finished reading the first one and now on to the current one.

I really enjoyed seeing your pictures of Charleston, I just spent a few days there last month. Loved it! So much history. I was born and spent the first 10 years of my life in Savannah, and your pictures really brought back the memories! We used to drive down to my dad's office on the river front and buy shrimp right off the boat It's changed quite a bit since then. I still love to visit and take a slow ride by our old houses there. Spent a lot of time on Tybee Island too!

You will love St. Augustine, I live about an hour and a half away and go there often. One of our favorite things to do, besides the beach and shopping is the ghost tour - very entertaining! DD lives in Fernandina Beach/Amelia Island, a little further north and it's also fun to visit!

I can't wait to hear the rest of your journey

 

[MEK]

I thought I was subscribed to too many trip reports already, and now I'm hooked on yours I finally finished reading the first one and now on to the current one.

nowellsl Thanks for joining in. I know that feeling of being hooked on too many TRs. I usually only update about once a week so you shouldn't ever get too far behind.

I really enjoyed seeing your pictures of Charleston, I just spent a few days there last month. Loved it! So much history. I was born and spent the first 10 years of my life in Savannah, and your pictures really brought back the memories! We used to drive down to my dad's office on the river front and buy shrimp right off the boat It's changed quite a bit since then. I still love to visit and take a slow ride by our old houses there. Spent a lot of time on Tybee Island too!

That is so cool that you grew up in Savannah. What an amazing city. I can't believe it took me so long to discover it. It's so different than the northeast and midatlantic. I can't imagine the charm of growing up there.

Charleston is an amazing city and we have yet to do it properly. The next time I visit HHI I am going to carve out substantial time for Charleston. My DH loves history. So do I, but I can't never remember a thing I've learned. I still appreciate learning about it, if that makes sense.

You will love St. Augustine, I live about an hour and a half away and go there often. One of our favorite things to do, besides the beach and shopping is the ghost tour - very entertaining! DD lives in Fernandina Beach/Amelia Island, a little further north and it's also fun to visit!

I am thinking that since we are going so close to Halloween we should do a ghost tour. I have been to so many cities that offer ghost tours and I have yet to do one. This may definitely be the first!

I can't wait to hear the rest of your journey

It was an awesome trip, so stick around for more fun!

 

[Leshaface]

Yikes sorry about the plane flight.

Now you got me considering renting a car through MCO vs when we get there...that's a fantastic price for a whole week! We'll just be needing it for a couple days. How much in tolls is it from MCO to the World do you think?

Every time we go visit my Grandmother in PA, we always forget that alcohol is only sold in particular places and those places always close early I shouldn't take for granted that I can pick up my beer/wine in the same place as my groceries.

Hey you met your goal of making it to the opening show, regardless of the view!

And the answer to your questions - No.

 

[MEK]

Yikes sorry about the plane flight.

I am not afraid of flying, but I have to admit that I get a little apprehensive when the flight doesn't go exactly the way I think it should. My neighbor is a retired pilot for US Air and he told me that about 1 in 9 flights into Orlando is met with weather challenges. I have flow to Orlando about 19 times, so that rule of averages sounds about right.

Now you got me considering renting a car through MCO vs when we get there...that's a fantastic price for a whole week! We'll just be needing it for a couple days. How much in tolls is it from MCO to the World do you think?

You can score some really good prices on car rentals. We always rent and I think its worth it. Consider if you have to take a cab a couple times. If you have resort ADRs scheduled it just makes sense. And, if you always want a seat and never want to stand, it makes even more sense. The closer you get to your dates, the cheaper the prices will be. Most reservations can be held without a credit card. I usually keep 2 or 3 going at any time. I have found carrentalsavers.com to be the best website because it gives a comparison of all the agencies. Check it several times a week as you get closer to your dates then check it daily in the last week or so.

Every time we go visit my Grandmother in PA, we always forget that alcohol is only sold in particular places and those places always close early I shouldn't take for granted that I can pick up my beer/wine in the same place as my groceries.

PA is the worst state. The still have "state stores". Really? They are like 9am - 5pm operations literally run by the state. It's so ridiculous. Please, please, please bring wine and beer to grocery stores here in the midatlatlantic. Of course, if they ever do I will probably spend a lot more money because every time I see a bottle I have to try, I will buy it.

Hey you met your goal of making it to the opening show, regardless of the view!

True, but the pictures stink. *sigh*

And the answer to your questions - No.

 

[Poolrat]

Continued From Previous Post

Darn - what a crappy view - I mean, come on - there is someone's ear in my picture!

I would not have noticed had you not pointed it out.

Now I can't stop laughing when I look at the picture.



Sometimes leaving the resort an hour a head still does not get you to MK in time. Busses and Boats - no tellin'

That landing or notlanding sounded scary. I mean a head up would be nice. I guess in the end safer to circle and land when it was clear. I wonder if they attempted to go for it under instructions and bailed?

Glad everyone got on the ground safe. And you still made it for Illuminations

 

[Leshaface]

You can score some really good prices on car rentals. We always rent and I think its worth it. Consider if you have to take a cab a couple times. If you have resort ADRs scheduled it just makes sense. And, if you always want a seat and never want to stand, it makes even more sense. The closer you get to your dates, the cheaper the prices will be. Most reservations can be held without a credit card. I usually keep 2 or 3 going at any time. I have found carrentalsavers.com to be the best website because it gives a comparison of all the agencies. Check it several times a week as you get closer to your dates then check it daily in the last week or so.

Thanks for this! Do they offer insurance? Do you ever purchase it?

 

[Queenofallthings]

Oh my!! Just reading about your flight raised my blood pressure....and upset my stomach.....sounded exactly like our flight when we had to abort landing and circle around! Great pics once again!!