Dates: Wednesday, December 25, 2002 - Sunday, December 29, 2002
Players: Kimble (Me), age 30
Cathy (my sister), age 27
My Dad (60) and his wife Johanna (50s)
My Uncle (70)
Christmas Eve was very hectic, as I had to work until 1pm (I am lucky that work was so slow that day that we shut down the office early...I needed the time to get ready for the trip). I went to my house to pack up last minute items (and try to fit all my family's Christmas gifts into my suitcase), said goodbye to my cat and drove to Cathy's (my sister) home. We were running late for Christmas Eve mass at 5:30pm (we knew it would be crowded)...so we raced to church and were lucky to get a seat. After mass, we went back to her house to watch Charlie Brown's Christmas special she taped on Tivo, and waited until the taxi came at 10pm.
I always get nervous about traffic when I need to catch a plane, but I didn't need to be this time, because we arrived at LAX by 10:30... we had 2 1/2 hours until our flight, and there were no lines! Oh well, Cathy and I passed the time by playing a card game called Phase 10...very fun. We were boarded on-time, taxied out and then heard the engines shut down...oh no...that can't be good. Our fears were confirmed when the pilot came on the speaker and told us that there was a hydrolic problem with the plane and we would have to go back to the terminal. We were unloaded and told that they were bringing us another plane...if we had connecting flights then they would rebook us in Dallas...they would not rebook in Los Angeles. Since we only had a 40 minute window to get to our connecting flight in Dallas in the first place (and that is pushing it in Dallas...the American Airlines terminal is so huge), I knew we would have to get another flight. I also knew that waiting until we got to Dallas would be stupid (even though that was what the airline was telling us to do)...so Cathy got on her cell phone and called American Airlines and rebooked us on the next flight out of Dallas to Orlando (only 2 hours later than our original flight). At first the girl on the phone said that the flight was completely booked, but after checking something, she got us confirmed on the flight... yes! Now we wouldn't have to worry all the way to Dallas.
We were off in our new plane to Dallas only 1 hour later than scheduled ...pretty amazing and efficient... kudos to American Airlines.
We arrived in Dallas after our orginal connection had left, we felt pretty smart to have thought ahead. We travelled to our next gate, stood in line for our new boarding pass and were shocked when we were handed first class tickets! Our American Airlines phone operator was a Christmas Angel and gave us a wonderful present...not only on the flight, but in First! It really pays to be nice to people...you never know what they can surprise you with!
So of course, this leg of the flight was very pleasant..and we arrived at MCO around 12pm. We met my Dad, his wife and my Uncle, who had already picked up the rental car. Soon we were on our way to the hotel.
The Holiday Inn Family Suites surpassed all of my expectations, and I am a Disney snob. I am a firm believer that you should stay on-property to get the full Disney magic. This hotel has made me waiver a bit. The woman at check-in was sooo nice, she would have made Walt Disney proud. I requested, and was given a ground room floor in the more adult wing...near the lap pool. We had room 409...facing the parking lot, which was perfect because we could park the car right in front of the room. We were also given a coupon for the Pizza Hut pizza party (free one topping med. pizza, 5 breadstick, and 2 L. soda) thanks to a member of this board (thanks!)...and another coupon for a free microwave popcorn and 2 -20oz bottles of soda. The room was spotless (in fact, the whole resort was pristine...they had alot of people on staff, and it showed). My Dad and Johanna got the room with the Queen bed and the door, Cathy and I got the Queen bed in the room with the curtain door, and my Uncle got the sofa bed....and we each had our own TV (very important in my family!). We explored the grounds a bit, ate our free pizza party pizza, and had a drink from the bar while overlooking the small lagoon they have there. Very nice!
We then opened gifts in our "living room" ...and one of my gifts was a 4-day hopper from my Dad...no wonder he didn't want me to pre-order them on the internet!
Next, we got ready and made our way to the Animal Kingdom Lodge a bit early. The hotel is spectacular and the Christmas tree in the lobby was amazing. We put our name in...hoping for an earlier seating (it was about 7:30), took the beeper and wandered around the pool and lobby. We couldn't see any animals...but it was still nice. The beeper beeped, and we were given our table at Boma... something I had really been looking forward too. Our server was very pleasant, and we ordered a bottle of the house chardonnay (south african) which was a bargain at $25. I am no wine expert, but I really liked this wine. It wasn't as cloying as some chardonnays...more crisp...almost like a champagne without bubbles. On to the buffet. I have to say that I was a bit disappointed with the selection. It was good, but not spectacular... I was hoping there would be more basic selections for my Dad who is not an adventurous eater. I did enjoy the things I tried though. The ribs, salmon and prime rib was good, delicious mac and cheese from the kid's table and good potato wedges. I also did like the zebra domes. I guess I was hoping they would alter their menu a bit for the holiday... have turkey and mashed potatos or something as well, but they didn't. The restaurant was also very loud. Overall, I would give it a 7 out of 10. I would go back (just not with my Dad!).
By this time, we were all exhausted, went back to the hotel and crashed.
Players: Kimble (Me), age 30
Cathy (my sister), age 27
My Dad (60) and his wife Johanna (50s)
My Uncle (70)
Christmas Eve was very hectic, as I had to work until 1pm (I am lucky that work was so slow that day that we shut down the office early...I needed the time to get ready for the trip). I went to my house to pack up last minute items (and try to fit all my family's Christmas gifts into my suitcase), said goodbye to my cat and drove to Cathy's (my sister) home. We were running late for Christmas Eve mass at 5:30pm (we knew it would be crowded)...so we raced to church and were lucky to get a seat. After mass, we went back to her house to watch Charlie Brown's Christmas special she taped on Tivo, and waited until the taxi came at 10pm.
I always get nervous about traffic when I need to catch a plane, but I didn't need to be this time, because we arrived at LAX by 10:30... we had 2 1/2 hours until our flight, and there were no lines! Oh well, Cathy and I passed the time by playing a card game called Phase 10...very fun. We were boarded on-time, taxied out and then heard the engines shut down...oh no...that can't be good. Our fears were confirmed when the pilot came on the speaker and told us that there was a hydrolic problem with the plane and we would have to go back to the terminal. We were unloaded and told that they were bringing us another plane...if we had connecting flights then they would rebook us in Dallas...they would not rebook in Los Angeles. Since we only had a 40 minute window to get to our connecting flight in Dallas in the first place (and that is pushing it in Dallas...the American Airlines terminal is so huge), I knew we would have to get another flight. I also knew that waiting until we got to Dallas would be stupid (even though that was what the airline was telling us to do)...so Cathy got on her cell phone and called American Airlines and rebooked us on the next flight out of Dallas to Orlando (only 2 hours later than our original flight). At first the girl on the phone said that the flight was completely booked, but after checking something, she got us confirmed on the flight... yes! Now we wouldn't have to worry all the way to Dallas.
We were off in our new plane to Dallas only 1 hour later than scheduled ...pretty amazing and efficient... kudos to American Airlines.
We arrived in Dallas after our orginal connection had left, we felt pretty smart to have thought ahead. We travelled to our next gate, stood in line for our new boarding pass and were shocked when we were handed first class tickets! Our American Airlines phone operator was a Christmas Angel and gave us a wonderful present...not only on the flight, but in First! It really pays to be nice to people...you never know what they can surprise you with!
So of course, this leg of the flight was very pleasant..and we arrived at MCO around 12pm. We met my Dad, his wife and my Uncle, who had already picked up the rental car. Soon we were on our way to the hotel.
The Holiday Inn Family Suites surpassed all of my expectations, and I am a Disney snob. I am a firm believer that you should stay on-property to get the full Disney magic. This hotel has made me waiver a bit. The woman at check-in was sooo nice, she would have made Walt Disney proud. I requested, and was given a ground room floor in the more adult wing...near the lap pool. We had room 409...facing the parking lot, which was perfect because we could park the car right in front of the room. We were also given a coupon for the Pizza Hut pizza party (free one topping med. pizza, 5 breadstick, and 2 L. soda) thanks to a member of this board (thanks!)...and another coupon for a free microwave popcorn and 2 -20oz bottles of soda. The room was spotless (in fact, the whole resort was pristine...they had alot of people on staff, and it showed). My Dad and Johanna got the room with the Queen bed and the door, Cathy and I got the Queen bed in the room with the curtain door, and my Uncle got the sofa bed....and we each had our own TV (very important in my family!). We explored the grounds a bit, ate our free pizza party pizza, and had a drink from the bar while overlooking the small lagoon they have there. Very nice!
We then opened gifts in our "living room" ...and one of my gifts was a 4-day hopper from my Dad...no wonder he didn't want me to pre-order them on the internet!
Next, we got ready and made our way to the Animal Kingdom Lodge a bit early. The hotel is spectacular and the Christmas tree in the lobby was amazing. We put our name in...hoping for an earlier seating (it was about 7:30), took the beeper and wandered around the pool and lobby. We couldn't see any animals...but it was still nice. The beeper beeped, and we were given our table at Boma... something I had really been looking forward too. Our server was very pleasant, and we ordered a bottle of the house chardonnay (south african) which was a bargain at $25. I am no wine expert, but I really liked this wine. It wasn't as cloying as some chardonnays...more crisp...almost like a champagne without bubbles. On to the buffet. I have to say that I was a bit disappointed with the selection. It was good, but not spectacular... I was hoping there would be more basic selections for my Dad who is not an adventurous eater. I did enjoy the things I tried though. The ribs, salmon and prime rib was good, delicious mac and cheese from the kid's table and good potato wedges. I also did like the zebra domes. I guess I was hoping they would alter their menu a bit for the holiday... have turkey and mashed potatos or something as well, but they didn't. The restaurant was also very loud. Overall, I would give it a 7 out of 10. I would go back (just not with my Dad!).
By this time, we were all exhausted, went back to the hotel and crashed.
Sounds like a great start to a fun trip!
