lucky_bunni
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- Sep 2, 2003
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Prologue -
We just arrived back a few hours ago at about 8:30pm. The trip is like a blur and when we stepped into the Columbus Airport it seemed like I had just been there waiting for the plane a day before. Six nights is not enough, but I don't think 100 nights would be enough for me. I had my cry just a few minutes ago; It always hits me at some point when the trip is over or ending. I'm so lucky to have had such a wonderful trip, shared with a wonderful person. I want to start getting my trip report down while all the details are fresh in my mind. So here it is, enjoy...
DAY ONE September 12th, 2004
Our flight was due to leave the Columbus Airport at 11:30am and I think our alarm was set for 8am. I woke two hours before the alarm; I couldn't sleep. We got everything ready and said goodbye to the kids (kitty and bunny). On the way to the airport I made one last stop for coffee and to say goodbye to co-workers at my Starbucks. We arrived at the airport and everything was pretty uneventful until Southwest anounced that our flight was delayed. Oh no! Well, only ended up being half an hour so not too bad. I gave MEARS a call just to make sure they knew wed be a little late and they assured me that theyd be tracking our flight. I was slightly annoyed by the delay and then I was annoyed by the Southwest seating proceedures, so was Wes. I was quickly soothed once on the plane. The seats were very nice, newer, and roomy. It was a larger plane (Bowing 737, I think) and we picked up some time on the way down. We really werent that far behind.
We arrived at MCO and were greeted by our very friendly but slightly over-talkative MEARS Towncar driver. He talked very slowly and non-stop. It was very nice to take the towncar in comparison to the shuttle bus we took last trip. Only took about 25 minutes to get from the airport to Saratoga Springs. On the way I was very surprised at the amount of damage the hurricanes had cause. Not sure what I was expecting but the damage was very evident. Lots of large trees broken in half or uprooted. Id say one out of three homes had tarps covering part of their roofs. Signs blown over, billboards too. One motel had its top floor completely blown off. Everything looked battered. Once on Disney property however, everything seems pretty normal. There was some though, but not nearly as much as off property. Im sure the people at Disney have been working day and night to get it all cleaned up.
We pulled up to Saratoga Springs and were instantly wowed when we stepped out of the car. Theyve done a great job on this resort. Its full of quality details that one might miss if you didnt have a sharp eye. I think its great that theyve used some of the buildings from Disney Institute; They were beautiful buildings and there was no reason to just waste them. We loved the resort and think that it will age very gracefully because the theme is so classic, tasteful, and subtle. A extremely sweet woman named Mary checked us in and chatted with us a bit. Then she said that shed remembered our names because something had come for us that morning. Guess what? It was Ferelpegs gift basket. It was so wonderful, more than I ever expected. I dont know how she does it. The combination of Mary and Ferelpegs welcome basket made for the most magical check-in Ive ever had. Instantly I had a huge smile on my face; What a wonderful way to be welcomed home. Oh yeah, and we got the room we requested 2812. Building One, 4th floor. Absolutely wonderful, close, unobstructed view if Downtown Disney. I could wake up to that view for the rest of my life.
Like I said above, there are so many details that make SSR a standout resort. The elevators come to mind because they are one of the first things I noticed when we walked into our Congress Park bulding. For one, they are huge. Secondly they are ornate, with pressed tin ceilings, mirrored and light green colored walls with pewter look railings, and a beautiful tile floor. Then there was the room. The furniture was so nice. Its so solid, like something youd actually put in YOUR home not just generic hotel furnishings. The view off the balcony was awesome, I cant imagine a better view. Plus, the thing I really liked about 2812 was that, while the balcony was shared with the room beside us, there was a wall dividing the balcony so we had plenty of privacy. Once we were in for a minute I called Wegoshop and told them what room we were in. In about an hour and a half we had everything we ordered. Very nice service, and very friendly. With the combination of Ferelpegs basket and the food we ordered I knew right away wed have way too much food for the week.
Once we were in the room for an hour or two we decided to walk over to Downtown Disney to catch the bus to Magic Kingdom then boat over to Fort Wilderness from there. We went through a few shop at DTD (Art of Disney, Disney at Home, etc.) and then caught the bus. Even though we didnt go into the Magic Kingdom the first day its nice to at least see it when you first arrive. We then took the boat over to Fort Wilderness because we had planned on eating at Trails End buffet that night. I also wanted to walk around FW a bit because I had stayed there many times during childhood and it brings back so many memories.
We arrived at FW and decided to walk around before eating. The petting zoo was open so we went in and saw the goats, cows, ponies, etc. Then we started to walk up the main road through FW toward the Meadows Trading Post. We were just walking and I was taking photos and I noticed that many of the camping loops were empty. At first I just chalked it up to them being slow and probably just having all the campers in one area. Then about half way to the Meadows, seeing six or seven loops completely empty, I knew something must be up. And no buses were running. Wes had to use the restroom so we walked to a Comfort Station. There were sandbags in front of the doors holding them shut. I moved it so we could go in. I was spotless and empty but the lights were on inside. I was excited because theyve redone all the Comfort Station interiors since we were there two years ago and they are really nice. I couldnt wait to tell my parents cause theyre going next year. Inside the Comfort Station there was a constant beeping like a security alarm. Not really loud though. We continued our walk up to Meadows, and FW was absolutely empty. Some deer leasurely crossed the road about 20 feet from us at one point. Once at Meadows Trading Post, we found it closed. I was disappointed. Lost of landscape damage at FW and some of the big pines were down. On our way back toward the boat dock a SPECIAL bus approached us. The driver stopped and picked us up. I was expecting her to say that we werent supposed to be back there, but she didnt. On my way off the bus I asked her what was going on with FW being empty. She said that it had been evacuated just before Charley and hadnt been open since then due to damage and safety concerns. I was stunned FW had been closed for 3 weeks? Then she said it wouldnt be open again for at least 1-2 more week? So anyway, I cant believe security even let us back there and then didnt come get us. It was a cool experience though, having the place all to ourselves.
So we walked back up to Trails End to eat and found them closed. All that was open at FW was Hoop-dee-doo since there were no campers. I had really wanted to eat there, but we chatted for a minute and decided to try Cape Mays Café over at Beach Club. It was a long little journey over there but a nice one. I always like traveling through the resorts because it gives you a chance to see things you wouldnt if you just stick to your own and the parks. We got off the bus at Swan so we walked through there then across the decks at Yacht and Beach Clubs. We got to see Stormalong Bay which was really cool. FINALLY after a long day I think we arrived at Cape Mays at about 8pm. We were both starved.
Cape Mays verdict Food wasnt bad. Great mashed potatoes and everything was quality. Tried clams for the first time and liked them. I was so hungry I ate two full plates (a lot for a guy whose 61 and 135 lbs.). I felt like the seafood selections could have been a little better. The best part was the desserts especially, yes, the Oreo Bon Bons. They were heaven. Wes ate like 5 of them. They alone made eating there worth it. Luckily, Cape Mays was the first place to allow us the DVC discount since we were staying on rented points. That was nice, and she just saw DVC Member on our resort card and applied it.
After that we sat on the rockers in the courtyard of Beach Club for a few moments to let dinner settle. Then we headed back to SSR. Went back too our room for a few minutes and I talked we into going down too the main pool too the hot tubs. The ones in to rocks are open 24 hours, the main pool is open until 10pm (slide until 8pm), and the quiet pool is also 24 hours. The hot tubs are really nice down by the main pool. There kind of secluded in the rocks, and no one was down there so it was very peaceful. Wes also got into a play at Dance Dance in the arcade before it closed at 10pm. The attendent politely ran us out at 10. We then went back to the room, watched some TV and relaxed. We stayed up for the Pleasure Island fireworks at midnight, which arent really anything to boast about, but nice to see with such a view. We could also hear them in the room when it was closed up not so much that it was bothersome.
It was a magical day. A perfect day to start out our week!
We just arrived back a few hours ago at about 8:30pm. The trip is like a blur and when we stepped into the Columbus Airport it seemed like I had just been there waiting for the plane a day before. Six nights is not enough, but I don't think 100 nights would be enough for me. I had my cry just a few minutes ago; It always hits me at some point when the trip is over or ending. I'm so lucky to have had such a wonderful trip, shared with a wonderful person. I want to start getting my trip report down while all the details are fresh in my mind. So here it is, enjoy...
DAY ONE September 12th, 2004
Our flight was due to leave the Columbus Airport at 11:30am and I think our alarm was set for 8am. I woke two hours before the alarm; I couldn't sleep. We got everything ready and said goodbye to the kids (kitty and bunny). On the way to the airport I made one last stop for coffee and to say goodbye to co-workers at my Starbucks. We arrived at the airport and everything was pretty uneventful until Southwest anounced that our flight was delayed. Oh no! Well, only ended up being half an hour so not too bad. I gave MEARS a call just to make sure they knew wed be a little late and they assured me that theyd be tracking our flight. I was slightly annoyed by the delay and then I was annoyed by the Southwest seating proceedures, so was Wes. I was quickly soothed once on the plane. The seats were very nice, newer, and roomy. It was a larger plane (Bowing 737, I think) and we picked up some time on the way down. We really werent that far behind.
We arrived at MCO and were greeted by our very friendly but slightly over-talkative MEARS Towncar driver. He talked very slowly and non-stop. It was very nice to take the towncar in comparison to the shuttle bus we took last trip. Only took about 25 minutes to get from the airport to Saratoga Springs. On the way I was very surprised at the amount of damage the hurricanes had cause. Not sure what I was expecting but the damage was very evident. Lots of large trees broken in half or uprooted. Id say one out of three homes had tarps covering part of their roofs. Signs blown over, billboards too. One motel had its top floor completely blown off. Everything looked battered. Once on Disney property however, everything seems pretty normal. There was some though, but not nearly as much as off property. Im sure the people at Disney have been working day and night to get it all cleaned up.
We pulled up to Saratoga Springs and were instantly wowed when we stepped out of the car. Theyve done a great job on this resort. Its full of quality details that one might miss if you didnt have a sharp eye. I think its great that theyve used some of the buildings from Disney Institute; They were beautiful buildings and there was no reason to just waste them. We loved the resort and think that it will age very gracefully because the theme is so classic, tasteful, and subtle. A extremely sweet woman named Mary checked us in and chatted with us a bit. Then she said that shed remembered our names because something had come for us that morning. Guess what? It was Ferelpegs gift basket. It was so wonderful, more than I ever expected. I dont know how she does it. The combination of Mary and Ferelpegs welcome basket made for the most magical check-in Ive ever had. Instantly I had a huge smile on my face; What a wonderful way to be welcomed home. Oh yeah, and we got the room we requested 2812. Building One, 4th floor. Absolutely wonderful, close, unobstructed view if Downtown Disney. I could wake up to that view for the rest of my life.
Like I said above, there are so many details that make SSR a standout resort. The elevators come to mind because they are one of the first things I noticed when we walked into our Congress Park bulding. For one, they are huge. Secondly they are ornate, with pressed tin ceilings, mirrored and light green colored walls with pewter look railings, and a beautiful tile floor. Then there was the room. The furniture was so nice. Its so solid, like something youd actually put in YOUR home not just generic hotel furnishings. The view off the balcony was awesome, I cant imagine a better view. Plus, the thing I really liked about 2812 was that, while the balcony was shared with the room beside us, there was a wall dividing the balcony so we had plenty of privacy. Once we were in for a minute I called Wegoshop and told them what room we were in. In about an hour and a half we had everything we ordered. Very nice service, and very friendly. With the combination of Ferelpegs basket and the food we ordered I knew right away wed have way too much food for the week.
Once we were in the room for an hour or two we decided to walk over to Downtown Disney to catch the bus to Magic Kingdom then boat over to Fort Wilderness from there. We went through a few shop at DTD (Art of Disney, Disney at Home, etc.) and then caught the bus. Even though we didnt go into the Magic Kingdom the first day its nice to at least see it when you first arrive. We then took the boat over to Fort Wilderness because we had planned on eating at Trails End buffet that night. I also wanted to walk around FW a bit because I had stayed there many times during childhood and it brings back so many memories.
We arrived at FW and decided to walk around before eating. The petting zoo was open so we went in and saw the goats, cows, ponies, etc. Then we started to walk up the main road through FW toward the Meadows Trading Post. We were just walking and I was taking photos and I noticed that many of the camping loops were empty. At first I just chalked it up to them being slow and probably just having all the campers in one area. Then about half way to the Meadows, seeing six or seven loops completely empty, I knew something must be up. And no buses were running. Wes had to use the restroom so we walked to a Comfort Station. There were sandbags in front of the doors holding them shut. I moved it so we could go in. I was spotless and empty but the lights were on inside. I was excited because theyve redone all the Comfort Station interiors since we were there two years ago and they are really nice. I couldnt wait to tell my parents cause theyre going next year. Inside the Comfort Station there was a constant beeping like a security alarm. Not really loud though. We continued our walk up to Meadows, and FW was absolutely empty. Some deer leasurely crossed the road about 20 feet from us at one point. Once at Meadows Trading Post, we found it closed. I was disappointed. Lost of landscape damage at FW and some of the big pines were down. On our way back toward the boat dock a SPECIAL bus approached us. The driver stopped and picked us up. I was expecting her to say that we werent supposed to be back there, but she didnt. On my way off the bus I asked her what was going on with FW being empty. She said that it had been evacuated just before Charley and hadnt been open since then due to damage and safety concerns. I was stunned FW had been closed for 3 weeks? Then she said it wouldnt be open again for at least 1-2 more week? So anyway, I cant believe security even let us back there and then didnt come get us. It was a cool experience though, having the place all to ourselves.
So we walked back up to Trails End to eat and found them closed. All that was open at FW was Hoop-dee-doo since there were no campers. I had really wanted to eat there, but we chatted for a minute and decided to try Cape Mays Café over at Beach Club. It was a long little journey over there but a nice one. I always like traveling through the resorts because it gives you a chance to see things you wouldnt if you just stick to your own and the parks. We got off the bus at Swan so we walked through there then across the decks at Yacht and Beach Clubs. We got to see Stormalong Bay which was really cool. FINALLY after a long day I think we arrived at Cape Mays at about 8pm. We were both starved.
Cape Mays verdict Food wasnt bad. Great mashed potatoes and everything was quality. Tried clams for the first time and liked them. I was so hungry I ate two full plates (a lot for a guy whose 61 and 135 lbs.). I felt like the seafood selections could have been a little better. The best part was the desserts especially, yes, the Oreo Bon Bons. They were heaven. Wes ate like 5 of them. They alone made eating there worth it. Luckily, Cape Mays was the first place to allow us the DVC discount since we were staying on rented points. That was nice, and she just saw DVC Member on our resort card and applied it.
After that we sat on the rockers in the courtyard of Beach Club for a few moments to let dinner settle. Then we headed back to SSR. Went back too our room for a few minutes and I talked we into going down too the main pool too the hot tubs. The ones in to rocks are open 24 hours, the main pool is open until 10pm (slide until 8pm), and the quiet pool is also 24 hours. The hot tubs are really nice down by the main pool. There kind of secluded in the rocks, and no one was down there so it was very peaceful. Wes also got into a play at Dance Dance in the arcade before it closed at 10pm. The attendent politely ran us out at 10. We then went back to the room, watched some TV and relaxed. We stayed up for the Pleasure Island fireworks at midnight, which arent really anything to boast about, but nice to see with such a view. We could also hear them in the room when it was closed up not so much that it was bothersome.
It was a magical day. A perfect day to start out our week!
