Nory Report III: In the Third Person! After 3 Years, the Final Update! NEW 2/6

[glennbo123]

Every time I read one of these Nory-in-the-third-person chapters, I just want to say, "that Nory!"

I'm not sure why.



I think we were in that same building at POR back in '05.

 

[norybell]

Every time I read one of these Nory-in-the-third-person chapters, I just want to say, "that Nory!"

I'm not sure why.



I think we were in that same building at POR back in '05.

That makes me feel like I should throw some fictional troublemaking in there, or something!

 

[glennbo123]

That makes me feel like I should throw some fictional troublemaking in there, or something!

Fictional? Like Nory's a goody-two-shoes? Weren't we counting her drinks a while back?

Oh wait, you don't want to document it and incriminate her. I get it.

 

[All7OfUs]

It is very pretty, there's no denying! THough I think I'm just inclined to like the beach-and-sunshine feel of CSR better than the river-and-moss feel of POR. Relaxing in two completely different ways, you know?


Yeah, I think I just got unlucky the night I stayed there in May. I don't mean to badmouth POR, or anything! I'm sure if I could stay there for a whole week (or even a few nights!) in off-season, I'd love it.

Oh gosh! I totally didn't mean to imply I was offended at all. I just wanted to know if you had a different opinion after having given it a second try. I'm not completely sure I was all that enamored about the POP, but am willing to give it another try. HOnestly, our room wasn't so great (corner/pkg. lot view), but I"m one to only be in it to sleep.

 

[norybell]

Fictional? Like Nory's a goody-two-shoes? Weren't we counting her drinks a while back?

Oh wait, you don't want to document it and incriminate her. I get it.

Well, of course when I (or, um, Nory) am/is at WDW, I/she am/is on my/her best behavior!

I had forgotten about the drink counting. Oops! There goes my story!

Oh gosh! I totally didn't mean to imply I was offended at all. I just wanted to know if you had a different opinion after having given it a second try. I'm not completely sure I was all that enamored about the POP, but am willing to give it another try. HOnestly, our room wasn't so great (corner/pkg. lot view), but I"m one to only be in it to sleep.

And now it's my turn to say: Oh no, I totally didn't mean to imply I thought you were offended! I didn't think you were offended at all. And I barely count my stay at POR this trip as a second chance, since it was so short...I would totally give it another chance sometime, though I'd probably choose CSR first when it comes to the mods.

Once I've stayed at POFQ, AKL, and one of the All-Stars (I think just one should count, don't you?), then I'll have stayed at every non-villa WDW resort -- maybe I'll do a special TR, where I visit each one and compile my definitive list of rankings!

 

[glennbo123]

Hey, what's with all this POR bashing???

 

[norybell]

Hey, what's with all this POR bashing???

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Where did you end up, instead?

At the Yacht Club - I switched our resort as a surprise for DBF. We agreed that while we love walking to Epcot, we still do want to give POR a try (if only to be closer to the begniets!)

 

[Carol17]

Hi Nory! Looking forward to reading along!

 

[norybell]

At the Yacht Club - I switched our resort as a surprise for DBF. We agreed that while we love walking to Epcot, we still do want to give POR a try (if only to be closer to the begniets!)

Oooh, I love the YC!

Hi Nory! Looking forward to reading along!

Hi, Carol,

 

[PrincessEeyore]

Fun update! I'm eager to hear about your thoughts on the mansion rooms versus the bayou rooms.

So excited for you & your quick trip to DL! Between that and your sister's wedding, it's going to be one super awesome weekend!

 

[Mikes:)Mom]

Hi MikesMom! Congrats on your solo trip...I'm telling you, they're the best! I'm tempted to just come out and tell you how I felt about CSR, but I guess that'd be a spoiler, right?

I hope so, I feel kinda guilty for going without my DS16. But I had to buy him a car with this years tax refund. I only had enough left for a solo trip. DS16 is totally ok with it. And I always wanted to go solo.

I guess I'll wait to hear about CSR.

It is very pretty, there's no denying! THough I think I'm just inclined to like the beach-and-sunshine feel of CSR better than the river-and-moss feel of POR. Relaxing in two completely different ways, you know?

It sounds like CSR is

 

[DisDreamz]

Great update! POR is the last moderate we stayed at (in 2001 ) and we were in the Mansions also. While I loved the grounds (the steps of the Mansion made an amazing photo op ) it was after that stay that I decided to give the Values a try. We spend such a small amount of time in the room and usually go on the offseason (so no using the pool--too cold) I determined it wasn't worth the money.

Having said that I loved the looks of CSR (on that 2001 trip we actually did resort hopping and looked at all the pools and grounds of the resorts) especially the pool!

 

[norybell]

Fun update! I'm eager to hear about your thoughts on the mansion rooms versus the bayou rooms.

So excited for you & your quick trip to DL! Between that and your sister's wedding, it's going to be one super awesome weekend!

Thanks, PrincessEeyore! And it really is going to be a great weekend...it's not the wedding yet, though, just the shower. The wedding itself is in September, and I'm pretty sure that if I were off playing in DL two days beforehand, my sister would kill me!

I hope so, I feel kinda guilty for going without my DS16. But I had to buy him a car with this years tax refund. I only had enough left for a solo trip. DS16 is totally ok with it. And I always wanted to go solo.

I guess I'll wait to hear about CSR.



It sounds like CSR is

I would assume that a car vs. a Disney trip is pretty much a no-brainer for most 16-year-olds, even Disney-loving ones! And I think every Disney-freak (a term I use endearingly, obviously, since I consider myself one!) deserves a solo trip at least once.

Great update! POR is the last moderate we stayed at (in 2001 ) and we were in the Mansions also. While I loved the grounds (the steps of the Mansion made an amazing photo op ) it was after that stay that I decided to give the Values a try. We spend such a small amount of time in the room and usually go on the offseason (so no using the pool--too cold) I determined it wasn't worth the money.

Having said that I loved the looks of CSR (on that 2001 trip we actually did resort hopping and looked at all the pools and grounds of the resorts) especially the pool!

I just stayed at my first Value (Pop) this month, just for a night, and I really liked it a lot. I didn't even really notice the difference in room size between it and a mod (granted, it was just me -- if I were with a few kids, I'd probably notice every extra square foot!). But I do really like the way the mods have a more relaxing vibe to them.

The only resort I've actively disliked so far was Caribbean Beach. Just not for me, I guess!

 

[LaLalovesWDW]

LaLa is in... this is great! She is doing her first trip in a couple of weeks and this is very inspiration to her (that's me...lol)

 

[norybell]

LaLa is in... this is great! She is doing her first trip in a couple of weeks and this is very inspiration to her (that's me...lol)

And congrats on your first solo trip! You're going to love it!

 

[All7OfUs]

And now it's my turn to say: Oh no, I totally didn't mean to imply I thought you were offended! I didn't think you were offended at all. And I barely count my stay at POR this trip as a second chance, since it was so short...I would totally give it another chance sometime, though I'd probably choose CSR first when it comes to the mods.

Once I've stayed at POFQ, AKL, and one of the All-Stars (I think just one should count, don't you?), then I'll have stayed at every non-villa WDW resort -- maybe I'll do a special TR, where I visit each one and compile my definitive list of rankings!

I could never really get offended at someone's taste over a resort. Really, every one of them is so different and everyONE is suited to one kind or another. For example, I would never willingly choose to stay a CR. Just not my style at all. Doesn't make it bad, just not my cup of tea. I'd easily choose GF, and AKL (WAY) over that any day first. Of course, if there was ONLY availability there, guess where I'd be staying.

I'd LOVE to try out BOTH CSR and CBR someday. But first, I'm going to shoot for AKL. So lovely there! I knocked out 3 resorts last trip, and doing a tripple-split wasn't bad at all. I could easily see myself doing that again. :yes: Do love me some Fort too.

I"d love to see a TR of resort rankings! bring it ON!

Hey, what's with all this POR bashing???

That was too funny!

 

[norybell]

I could never really get offended at someone's taste over a resort. Really, every one of them is so different and everyONE is suited to one kind or another. For example, I would never willingly choose to stay a CR. Just not my style at all. Doesn't make it bad, just not my cup of tea. I'd easily choose GF, and AKL (WAY) over that any day first. Of course, if there was ONLY availability there, guess where I'd be staying.

I'd LOVE to try out BOTH CSR and CBR someday. But first, I'm going to shoot for AKL. So lovely there! I knocked out 3 resorts last trip, and doing a tripple-split wasn't bad at all. I could easily see myself doing that again. :yes: Do love me some Fort too.

I"d love to see a TR of resort rankings! bring it ON!

I feel exactly the same way about resorts...but I guess we've all trained ourselves to understand that people can sometimes take offense super-quickly on the Internet!

I have this little dream that when I'm in the final stages of writing the book, I'll go hole up in a FW cabin for a while to get it done. Just seems like the perfect writing spot!

 

[norybell]

Nory could barely contain her excitement as she approached the bag-check counters outside of the Magic Kingdom. She was finally here! The entrance area was peppered with autumnal displays promoting Mickeys Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, and Nory felt a little thrill at the knowledge that she'd be going to the party not once, but twice, this year. Not tonight, though. Today she planned to take it easy, get her bearings, and go to bed early.

After the security guards admitted that her over-the-shoulder purse was contraband-free, Nory resisted the impulse to head straight for the turnstiles, and instead strode purposefully over to Guest Services. She had some important work to do.

"I need to exchange this voucher for an Annual Pass (AP), please," she said to the CM manning the booth.

"Of course, that'll be no problem," the CM replied.

"I also need to pick up a will-call Halloween party ticket."

"OK."

"And can I buy a Tables in Wonderland card here, too?"

"Yes, you can -- my goodness, you certainly have a lot to get done here today!" the CM said, chuckling.

Just a few minutes later, Nory held her prized new possessions in her hand. She couldn't believe she actually possessed an AP! Deciding to buy one had probably been foolish -- there was no guarantee she'd be able to visit Disney often enough in the coming year to make it worthwhile -- but she hadn't been able to resist. No more paying for park tickets! Twenty percent off most of her meals with her Tables in Wonderland card! A steep discount on resort rooms!

It was going to become dangerously easy to visit her favorite place.

Note: This picture was not taking during the trip, but rather this very morning. Thus, that blue Goofy AP is not the original. It's actually the third, collected only a few weeks ago, after the magnetic strip on her first two ceased functioning. The original was the same pattern as the Donald Tables in Wonderland card on the bottom, but with Goofy. Nory has no idea why they didn't give her a Tables in Wonderland card that looks like a normal Tables in Wonderland card. It causes confusion at every restaurant she visits.

Nory felt something special should happen to commemorate her first-ever use of an AP, there at the Magic Kingdom turnstiles. Confetti falling from the sky, Mickey and Minnie rolling out a red carpet, the Disney royalty waiting on the other side to escort her to her own private room in the castle.

Sadly, nothing happened. Her AP worked just like any other ticket, and within moments she was standing in front of the orange-festooned train station, happy jack-o-lanterns smiling down on her.

Typically, Nory arrived at the Magic Kingdom in the morning, and rush rush rushed up Main Street in order to get her first fastpass of the day as quickly as humanly possible. Not this time. This time, she was going to slow down, really soak up the atmosphere. She knew she'd have two nights and a morning at the Kingdom later in her trip, so she felt no pressure to do anything. She was hoping to be inspired for her novel.

She strolled up Main Street, taking her time. People thronged the street, but they weren't too difficult to navigate. The castle presided over them all, like always, its pristine towers and turrets reaching into the bright blue sky.

Maybe, the prophecy should lead her to seek something from each land in order to defeat the Evil -- that would give the book some structure! she thought, excitedly. But what things should she search for?

As she neared the hub, she ran into a group of singers in turn-of-the-century garb, dancing in front of their dual-decker coach, helping Nory feel she was stepping back in time. If only all the guests were dressed up, too, she thought. Maybe Disney could start handing out mandatory period costumes at the gate?

She paused at the hub to look at the Halloween statues. Would people notice if Disney's statues didn't reflect the season? Probably not. But they take the trouble to change them, anyway.

I bet Donald practices kissing on that pumpkin -- it does have Daisy's face, after all. And pumpkins probably make for pretty decent kissing practice, Nory thought. Then she set off to take more pictures of the castle. Because she knew a crucial portion of the novel would be set there, she was determined to photograph it from every possible angle, so she could imagine its interior, its secret passages and golden tapestries and spiral staircases, later on.

She ventured briefly into Fantasyland to collect a fastpass for Peter Pan's Flight, then strolled frontier-ward, as the brightly-colored fairy-tale buildings gave way to the formal architecture of Liberty Square, then to the wooden structures of the Wild West.

***

NEXT CHAPTER: It Was Worth Being a Pirate

 

[3prettyprincesses]

Ok, I'm still getting used to the new and improved updating here! I am two updates behind, how did that happen? Looks like I'll have to be more vigilant now.

First off, it sounds like Nory is some kind of secret super hero! Why, you may ask? Because as you know, only super heroes change in bathroom stalls (or phone booths). Therefore, Nory is a super hero! She can change clothes in a single bound, insert contacts WITHOUT a mirror! Impressive!

POR has sort of appealed to me, sort of. I can't get over the ginormous lay out of the resort though. It would be my luck that we'd be stuck in that Alligator Bayou over there in Timbuktu! The lobby looks gorgeous though and I'm very curious to see your Mansion room. Very fitting for a super hero too.

Now on to update two!

Isn't the MK gorgeous with all that Halloween decor? I loved it. And Nory gets to go to MNSSHP twice? That girl sure is lucky!

Oh, I can easily understand the draw of an AP. Because then there's always a reason to return to Disney, to use it up!

Stunning pictures, really beautiful!

Hmm, what shoud she search for? Dole whips maybe?

Fantastic update, I love how vibrant that blue sky is, especially against all the orange decorations!