If we can DREAM it, we can do it! ..... another 30 day vacation Update 02/07

[dizneeat]

Thank you for the suggestion! I like having suggestions from people who have been there, rather than reading them in books or online.

I was told by a friend about Marker 88 and when we had dinner at the California Grill we talked to the manager there (he's Austrian too, and Ron introduced us to him) and he suggested it to us too. He had discovered it for himself a week before us, when he vacationed at Key Largo.
So, IF you get to go to the Keys, please make time and stop there for lunch/dinner and a dip in the ocean. The beach is only open for diners there, so you'll have a lovely time.

That Mahi Caeser salad looks perfect, as does the pie!

The Caesar was wonderful and quite a large portion too! The Pie ..... well, that was out of this world. I cannot wait to have another piece (or two) next summer.

That is the yummiest key lime pie I have ever seen. Wow! Both your breakfast and lunch look relish. And what a beautiful view for a lunch spot.

Heading north now - not too much longer until you make it to the world.

This was the most heavenly Key Lime Pie I have ever had. And believe me, I had a few.
Breakfast at the Southernmost Cafe is always yummy and did not disappoint, but the view from Marker 88 was unbelievable. We were so happy to have decided to stop there and give it a try.

First I had to catch up with Tom's Calanders !! No doubt my favorite Hat is the Beer oneAs for the Food well I loved the Royal Palace as I will be eating there in May!!The Beaches and cream brought back memories of our trip there for the kitchen sink. Carol and I had those MickeY sundaes !!My favorite tune was Greensleeves !!! Thank you Tom !!

Okay Karin now I am going back to catch up!!!

Rosie, I am very happy you are enjoying the calendars. Tom takes great pride in making them.
You are going to love Royal Palace - the photos were from lunch on Nassau day. Try to make it there, it's a lovely place to have lunch before or after a walk through Nassau.

 

[englishrose47]

Rosie, I am very happy you are enjoying the calendars. Tom takes great pride in making them.
You are going to love Royal Palace - the photos were from lunch on Nassau day. Try to make it there, it's a lovely place to have lunch before or after a walk through Nassau.

Is the Royal Palace on the Ship or in Nassau ??

 

[dizneeat]

Karin I just showed the pix of the parade to Judy, who says "Is that where we are going next year " ??? Sorry a little to far !!!But Kyle does want to Disney for Christmas one year or at least during the Holiday Decorations I am thinking 2015 as he will be almost 14 then and it could be an early Christmas/Birthday trip!!

Rosie, I must say, Judy has some great ideas. Let me know if you need a tourguide for DLRP!
Disney at Christmas is just so special and what a wonderful granny you are for thinking of taking Kyle at Christmas time.

Great pictures as you left Key West and while you were in Ft. Lauderdale; that beach looks lovely and so glad you got eat outide and enjoy the view.

We have not quite reached Ft. Lauderdale yet, but we are on our way. Marker 88 is in Key Largo and it's a wonderful spot to have lunch .... or dinner ...... or just a drink.

I LOVE Key West as well but am really looking forward to hearing about the star of the show...............WDW!!!

Not much longer until we get to WDW, I am sorry it took so long to get there.
Hope you'll like to hear about DCL too.

Great leaving Key West pix!! That Key Lime pie is making my mouth water. Almost forgot I ant both of your breakfasts that day. 2 of my favs quiche and eggs benedict!!!

Rosie, that was some seriously yummy Key Lime Pie!

Going to Higgs Beach before leaving was a neat idea. We got another good look of the island and it was amazing to see all those fish in the water.

 

[dizneeat]

What a fun start to your day! MM88 looks really good - I love Mahi, but Tom's pasta looks awfully good too. Too bad you weren't prepared to enjoy the beach - looks like it was deserted at that time.

It was an awesome start to our day, even though we had to leave Key West.
The food was really good at MM88 and since we go back to Key West and will spend the night at Key Largo we have already decided to have dinner there and if we make it there soon enough we will even pay a visit to the beach.

Oh wow Karin - fab pictures

Marker 88 Restaurant looks wonderful and wow, what a view from your table!

Thank you, Linda.
We were really lucky to stop at MM88, as the food was truly good and the view was awesome.
I am not one for outside tables, but we could not give up the view, even if it was hot outside.

Is the Royal Palace on the Ship or in Nassau ??

Royal Palace is on the ship, Rosie. It is a TS restaurant that offers lunch. Tom and I enjoy a nice TS restaurant more than the buffets on board.

 

[dizneeat]

Day 6, August 16

Goodbye Key West! Hello Fort Lauderdale! - Part 3

And after every lust crumb was picked up from the plate and the bill paid we walked out onto the pier that is part of the Marker 88 beach.

A few pictures later and back on dry land we decided to hit the restroom before driving further towards Fort Lauderdale. Tom used the one in the annex, while I headed into the main building. And that was the moment I was happy we had decided to sit outside. While it was clean inside, the restaurant appeared to be dated and dark inside. Once we were ready and had finally dipped our toes into the ocean as well, we got into the car and were on our way again.

We still had a chunk of drive ahead of us and made good progress until we hit the Miami area again. Guess what, we were greeted by grey clouds again and hit heavy traffic.

Thankfully the clouds didn’t open up and we slowly crawled out of Miami. Miami behind us traffic got lighter again and around 5pm we were close to Fort Lauderdale.
This was our third stop at Fort Lauderdale, with the first one being in 1999 where we had been sure this was the worst stop of our tour. Then in 2009 we stopped in Ford Lauderdale again and while we had a nice hotel at the beach and stayed close to Bubba Gump, it was loaded with mosquitos and we got bitten by some really poisonous ones. Now, we hoped that this third visit would be the best one ever. Initially we had thought about having dinner at Bubba Gump, but by then we were not sure if we would be able to make it in time as a few miles prior to Fort Lauderdale the traffic had become considerably thicker. And not only the traffic, but the clouds as well and it started to rain. It started to rain hard. Finally we exited the highway and went towards the city. And after a 20 minute drive we finally pulled up to the hotel. We walked up to the front entrance and checked in and were pleasantly surprised that everything had already been prepared. All we needed to do was pick up the keys.
The guy at the front desk showed us the side entrance, so it would be easier for us to bring in our luggage, explained about the areas where there would be free internet and then walked us to the elevator. We rolled our hand luggage inside and went up to our floor and were shocked when we saw the door. There were obvious signs that someone had to tried to break open the door.

But the lock was still intact, so we opened the door and walked inside.


To be continued ............

Advent's/Christmas Calendar - FOOD


Advent's/Christmas Calendar - HATS​

 

[dizneeat]

Day 6, August 16

Goodbye Key West! Hello Fort Lauderdale! - Part 4


But the lock was still intact, so we opened the door and walked inside. And that was the moment it really hit me. Compared to the hotel we had just checked out of this one looked run down and shabby. Don’t get me wrong. Everything was clean, but “old”. We checked everything and I was really shocked to see the balcony. I had picked the hotel because it showed a nice oceanview balcony.
Well the actual balcony was about two feet deep and half of it was occupied by the air conditioning.

I definitely wasn’t happy with the creative photography they had used, but it was only for one night. So we headed downstairs again and hauled all our luggage up to the room. We unpacked what we needed to unpack and went on exploring the room.

Now, the last straw was when Tom found out that the deadbolt was hanging by a thread.

Now, that was it. We went down to the front desk and I complained about it. The receptionist was very nice and apologetic, but if we wanted to move all he could offer was a room with a king bed and no view. He offered to send someone up to check the door though. So, a little later that employee came by and despite the obvious break in markings we were told that this was a very safe hotel and nothing had ever happened there. Yeah right.
He then offered to repair the deadbolt by pushing the screws in with his thumb. I wasn’t happy but we had decided to build an inside wall with the ironing board and our suitcases instead.
Actually when I later tried to pull at the latch it was easy to pull it out with my little finger. After we both had cooled down a bit we decided against Bubba Gump and headed out to just pick up some groceries. We made our way into Fort Lauderdale again and while we had to wait for a draw bridge to open I wanted to grab my purse and it was gone.

I knew I had last had it when we checked in, but was not sure if I had put it down somewhere along the way. So once we had crossed the bridge, Tom turned around and we headed back to the hotel. Luckily after a few minutes I found it in one of our suitcases. Now, purse in hand we were on our way back to Publix again. We picked up some sandwich necessities and some drinks and snacks and when we headed out of the parking lot we thought about dessert. I knew there was a Krispy Kreme somewhere close, so Tom asked his trusted GPS and we were on our way.
They did have the Hot Now sign on, but once inside it didn’t look like they were actually hot. We bought half a dozen and finally got on our way back to our hotel. In the meantime it had become dark and when we finally arrived at the hotel all the “free” parking at the side of the hotel was gone. So we parked in front of the main entrance, as these were the only parking spots available. We hauled our loot upstairs, Tom put the drinks in the fridge, we set the table and turned on the TV and had a leisurely sandwich dinner in front of the TV.
Once we were done we built our “castle” in front of the door with the help of an ironing board and our suitcases and then went to bed. We needed to get out of there early the next day. The Contemporary Resort was waiting.


To be continued ............

Advent's/Christmas Calendar - FOOD


Advent's/Christmas Calendar - HATS​

 

[jenseib]

What a dump. They should've at least offered some sort of refund, even partial.

Marker88 looked great. That beach looks fabulous.

 

[dizneeat]

What a dump. They should've at least offered some sort of refund, even partial.

Marker88 looked great. That beach looks fabulous.

Jen, they might have offered some refund if I had pressed for it a little more, but I was disappointed after having stayed at the Southernmost and I was tired and just ready to call it a day.
We were on our way to the Contemporary and we knew we would get through that one night.

Jen, I can only recommend Marker 88 - if you ever have someone go to the area, please let them know about them. The food was truly wonderful and the beach was awesome.

 

[Disney9.9.10]

Wow I would not have been happy with that hotel in Ft. Lauderdale! The view is gorgeous, but that is where it ends. I probably would have left, I don't like feeling unsafe like that. And they really didn't do much to try and help you from the sounds of it...

 

[dizneeat]

Wow I would not have been happy with that hotel in Ft. Lauderdale! The view is gorgeous, but that is where it ends. I probably would have left, I don't like feeling unsafe like that. And they really didn't do much to try and help you from the sounds of it...

We will NOT return to that hotel. Creative photography (like the balcony looked A LOT bigger than it was) is one thing, but the door looked quite shaken up. We did try the lock and it was shut safely, but I was worried about the broken latch. Would we have stayed longer than one night I would have tried to find something else, but we were tired and just wanted to sleep the night.

 

[eandesmom]

Oh that mahi mahi salad looks divine! As does eating by the beach, it's grey, cold and drizzly here. Shocker, it is Seattle. I will need to remember that restaurant, I'm really wishing we had something planned to hit key west. That said, can't say the Fort Lauderdale update has me wanting to go there, yikes!

 

[annmarieda]

I can always count on seeing some eggs benedict in your reports! Do you know that before reading your reports I had never tried one? Maybe I have told you that before

The memorial beach looks amazing.


But wait! MM 88 looks even better.

Lunch looks yummy!

That door to your hotel in Ft. Lauderdale looks a bit scary.

While your view out your window looks nice...it kinda seems like Ft. Lauderdale isn't as much fun as other places you have stayed. I am with Cynthia... it really doesn't make me want to go there any time soon.

 

[dizneeat]

Oh that mahi mahi salad looks divine! As does eating by the beach, it's grey, cold and drizzly here. Shocker, it is Seattle. I will need to remember that restaurant, I'm really wishing we had something planned to hit key west. That said, can't say the Fort Lauderdale update has me wanting to go there, yikes!

The Mahi Caesar was really yummy, but a HUGE portion.

Guess what, we have about the same weather here, rain mixed with snow, grey skies - yuck!!!!!!

As far as Ft. Lauderdale, this was our third try to "like" it there and we were not happy - so for next summer I have already decided to go to Pompano Beach and we are staying at ........ wait for it ........ Motel 6! Can't beat a $40 room and we have stayed at Motel6 when we first went to the US and were always happy with it. It certainly won't live up to the Southernmost, but at least we know what we are in for.

I can always count on seeing some eggs benedict in your reports! Do you know that before reading your reports I had never tried one? Maybe I have told you that before

The memorial beach looks amazing.


But wait! MM 88 looks even better.

Lunch looks yummy!

That door to your hotel in Ft. Lauderdale looks a bit scary.

While your view out your window looks nice...it kinda seems like Ft. Lauderdale isn't as much fun as other places you have stayed. I am with Cynthia... it really doesn't make me want to go there any time soon.

No, you hadn't told me that you had never tried Eggs Benedict before my reports! I usually only get it on vacation - it is one of the signs THAT I am on vacation when I can have Eggs Benedict.

Higgs Beach is really beautiful and from the pier you had such a beautiful view, but you are right, Marker 88 was even better.

We will try to avoid Ft. Lauderdale in the future. I am still planning on maybe having dinner there at Bubba Gump next summer on our way to Pompano Beach, but I guess my days staying there are over.

 

[Wicket's Mom]

Fort Lauderdale is a not so nice area. Most hotels along the beach are shabby & beat up. It is a holdover from the days of tons of kids spending spring break there. The college kids really did a lot of damage to rooms in that area. I will never stay in Ft Lauderdale.

There is a cool flea market there that is set up at the drive-in with 16 movie screens. It used to have a circus in there also, but it was shut down. Lots of interesting people & stuff there. Good way to spend the day.

 

[dizneeat]

Fort Lauderdale is a not so nice area. Most hotels along the beach are shabby & beat up. It is a holdover from the days of tons of kids spending spring break there. The college kids really did a lot of damage to rooms in that area. I will never stay in Ft Lauderdale.

There is a cool flea market there that is set up at the drive-in with 16 movie screens. It used to have a circus in there also, but it was shut down. Lots of interesting people & stuff there. Good way to spend the day.

Ah, I wish I had known about the Springbreak thing! We gave it a try and now we know it's NOT for us.

 

[dizneeat]

Day 7, August 17

“Are you kidding me?” - Part 1


We were up pretty early that day. So early that we saw the sun come up.

There were already people on the beach

and since we were up we decided that instead of heading out to have breakfast somewhere we would just finish off the day before’s leftovers, pack up and leave early. So after enjoying the sun coming up and some of the in-room, not so excellent coffee we had our “in-room breakfast”, then took showers, packed up all our stuff and headed out the “broken-latch” door.
By 9am we were at the gas station filling up the car and off we went. The drive from Fort Lauderdale to Orlando is long and boring.

We did the best to make the time and miles pass and we even stopped at one of the rest stations to stretch our legs and had some drinks and off we went again. Traffic was okay, there was the occasional heavier traffic, but it worked out well. About 4 hours after we had started our drive we finally drove under that well known and loved arch that welcomes you to Walt Disney World. And soon enough we were driving up to the Contemporary Resort.

As we approached the security booth we saw the signs up that there was a convention and parking was for hotel guests only. We had talked about self parking, but seeing the signs instantly decided to have the car valet parked. The guy at security took quite some time checking if we were on the hotel guest list and finally we were given the all clear and drove up to the hotel.

It has always been a dream of ours to be able to stay at the Contemporary and we were even close when we booked it with an Austrian Travel Agent in 2000. Little did we know we would end up in a garden wing. Knowing the “tricks of the trade” now, we went all out this time and went for the Club Level Magic Kingdom view rooms. Knowing that we were early for check in we drove up, had someone take care of our luggage and handed over the car keys. Ready to head inside and check in we were approached by a cast member. And after making sure we were the party she was looking for she welcomed us to the Contemporary Resort.

“Are you kidding me, lady? Are you really welcoming guests right when they get out of the car?” She explained that she would take us up to Club Level and that we would be checked in there. So off we went to the elevator, still not quite sure what was happening, as I was so surprised by it all. We were up in the lounge in no time and seated to be checked in.
Now, keep in mind they had a huge convention going on and we never expected our room to be ready by 1pm but it actually was. We just could not believe what we had been told. But the very nice concierge even called for our luggage, then took us for a tour of the lounge and told us to come back there often, as snacks and goodies changed by the time of day, before taking us to our room which was towards the end of the corridor. When we stepped inside we were both so impressed with how inviting the room actually looked.

It was large, the bathroom was super clean

and there was a balcony to be checked out. So, after the concierge had left we went outside onto that balcony and there the question popped into my head again. “Are you kidding me? Is this all for real?”


To be continued ............

Advent's/Christmas Calendar - FOOD


Advent's/Christmas Calendar - HATS​

 

[goeva]

Wow~30 days. I'm so jealous. I'd love to have a 30 day vacation.

Great report. Can't wait to hear more. Thanks for sharing. :

 

[Linda67]

Morning Karin!

Shame about the hotel in FL - at least you were only staying for one night and I'm sure knowing you were off to the Contemporary the next day helped

Can't wait to see the MK view

 

[dizneeat]

Wow~30 days. I'm so jealous. I'd love to have a 30 day vacation.

Great report. Can't wait to hear more. Thanks for sharing. :

Welcome!

If you had to sit through a 10 hour flight you would not be so jealous any more. During the summer season the flights are very expensive, so we always make the most of it and stay for 4 to 6 weeks. It makes just more sense.
More coming up shortly - there is lots more fun to come.

Morning Karin!

Shame about the hotel in FL - at least you were only staying for one night and I'm sure knowing you were off to the Contemporary the next day helped

Can't wait to see the MK view

Hi Linda!

The Ft. Lauderdale hotel was the only letdown this trip, so we could live with it and knowing that the Contemporary was next helped a lot too!

Update coming up tonight.

 

[WDWaddictt]

The pictures of the clouds look like the frogs kissing from the Princess and the frog. Cute!

The Contemporary Resort looks so beautiful! I wish that one day I could stay there.