WHO- Me-36
DH-37
DD -12 1/2 going on 30
WHAT-go again!
WHEN- 7/17-24
WHERE-WDW
Day 1 & 2-Pretrip and long drive down
Well, after much planning and anticipation we were on our way at 4:30 pm Friday, 7/16. Everyone was in a great mood as we drove further and further from MD. We stopped on the BB Tunnel for dinner and continued south on beautiful I-95. Around 10 we decided to pull over for the night. By midnight we still couldn't find a vacancy and we were starting to get cranky and punchy. Where did all these people come from? Finally, we found a small private owned hotel. We were exhausted and we only cared that there were beds and a shower. We collapsed into bed around 1 am. As Scarlet said, tomorrow is another day!
Saturday-We were up and out around 8, hoping for a big breakfast to get us through til dinner at the resort. We stopped at Cracker Barrel in Lumberton, got stuffed, and we were once again on our way. The rest of the trip was fairly uneventful UNTIL we got to Jacksonville. Are they ever going to finish that road construction or is it going to go on like Georgia's (big difference there-Georgia roads are in rural areas; Jax is a MAJOR CITY!!). Well, we get a mile or 2 past the construction and guess what? More backups! By now we are getting hungry, we're tired and cranky again, and at least an hour behind schedule. We creep and creep and eventually see that a truck had overturned. We get past all of that and finally get on I-4. We decide to take 417 around Orlando. Even though you're tolled to death, the road is quick and smooth and before we know it, 50 miles have passed and we start to see the gorgeous purple signs. We arrive at Coronado Springs around 7. We are immediately awe-struck at the beauty of this resort. DH drops me off to check in. Boy were they swamped! I stood in the que and made note of the folks checking in. There were a families, 1 large group of kids, some business travelers. This is exactly what I expected. After about a 15 min. wait, I was seen by a CM. I mention I had requested Cabanas 8 or 9, and she says "no you did not" You requested "Casitas 4" and that's where we have you. Uh, excuse me? (Deep breath moment), well no, I requested Cabanas. She basically ignored me, and started doing math on her calculator to get my balance. By now, I'm wasn't really in the mood to argue. I was hot, tired, dirty, and hungry. I said "is there anything available in Cabanas?" Nope, it's full. Sorry. (Sigh). Ok, here's your money, just give me those room keys. I hook up with my family and we hop in the car to find Casitas. We immediately figure out that we should have gotten bell service for our stuff. A quick uturn and we're back to El Centro. Fortunately, a bellman is available and we follow him to Casitas. We had a standard view, which was fine with us. DH was not happy being on the 4th floor, but with the elevators it was fine. We were very close to the quiet pool, laundry, and health club. We tip the bellman and, once again, collapse on the beds (DH broke his own cardinal rule about taking off the bedspread first). We barely noticed that the room is beautifully decorated. I did notice later some broken potato chips that should have been vacuumed up. Around 9:30, we remembered how starved we were and head down to the Pepper Market. We were back and snoring by 10:30.
Tomorrow-EPCOT!!
DH-37
DD -12 1/2 going on 30
WHAT-go again!
WHEN- 7/17-24
WHERE-WDW
Day 1 & 2-Pretrip and long drive down
Well, after much planning and anticipation we were on our way at 4:30 pm Friday, 7/16. Everyone was in a great mood as we drove further and further from MD. We stopped on the BB Tunnel for dinner and continued south on beautiful I-95. Around 10 we decided to pull over for the night. By midnight we still couldn't find a vacancy and we were starting to get cranky and punchy. Where did all these people come from? Finally, we found a small private owned hotel. We were exhausted and we only cared that there were beds and a shower. We collapsed into bed around 1 am. As Scarlet said, tomorrow is another day!
Saturday-We were up and out around 8, hoping for a big breakfast to get us through til dinner at the resort. We stopped at Cracker Barrel in Lumberton, got stuffed, and we were once again on our way. The rest of the trip was fairly uneventful UNTIL we got to Jacksonville. Are they ever going to finish that road construction or is it going to go on like Georgia's (big difference there-Georgia roads are in rural areas; Jax is a MAJOR CITY!!). Well, we get a mile or 2 past the construction and guess what? More backups! By now we are getting hungry, we're tired and cranky again, and at least an hour behind schedule. We creep and creep and eventually see that a truck had overturned. We get past all of that and finally get on I-4. We decide to take 417 around Orlando. Even though you're tolled to death, the road is quick and smooth and before we know it, 50 miles have passed and we start to see the gorgeous purple signs. We arrive at Coronado Springs around 7. We are immediately awe-struck at the beauty of this resort. DH drops me off to check in. Boy were they swamped! I stood in the que and made note of the folks checking in. There were a families, 1 large group of kids, some business travelers. This is exactly what I expected. After about a 15 min. wait, I was seen by a CM. I mention I had requested Cabanas 8 or 9, and she says "no you did not" You requested "Casitas 4" and that's where we have you. Uh, excuse me? (Deep breath moment), well no, I requested Cabanas. She basically ignored me, and started doing math on her calculator to get my balance. By now, I'm wasn't really in the mood to argue. I was hot, tired, dirty, and hungry. I said "is there anything available in Cabanas?" Nope, it's full. Sorry. (Sigh). Ok, here's your money, just give me those room keys. I hook up with my family and we hop in the car to find Casitas. We immediately figure out that we should have gotten bell service for our stuff. A quick uturn and we're back to El Centro. Fortunately, a bellman is available and we follow him to Casitas. We had a standard view, which was fine with us. DH was not happy being on the 4th floor, but with the elevators it was fine. We were very close to the quiet pool, laundry, and health club. We tip the bellman and, once again, collapse on the beds (DH broke his own cardinal rule about taking off the bedspread first). We barely noticed that the room is beautifully decorated. I did notice later some broken potato chips that should have been vacuumed up. Around 9:30, we remembered how starved we were and head down to the Pepper Market. We were back and snoring by 10:30.
Tomorrow-EPCOT!!
