Oh, D-D-D-Dear! My Piglet's Bday in the World UDD 10/10 The End!

[DeterminedOne]

Great start.

 

[creativeamanda]

subscribing....will read everything when I get back home...

Hope you have been having fun!

Welcome HOME! I;m here

Thanks, Hallie! It won't be long until we're reading your trip report!

Your kids are SO cute!!! Can't wait to see more adventures!

I must say, your hubby sounds awesome to get up that early to make pancakes when he doesn't even get to go on the trip!! Very sweet!!

Thanks--he was great to get up early and make pancakes. He had his on great trip, though. I'll explain it all in the TR. It makes for a funny story.

Great start.

Thanks, POOKIE! LOL

 

[H20DogsNDisney]

Ihave ine finished and ready for reading

 

[Hollywoodhaha]

I'm here!
I'm excited for the trip!
Yes, Starbucks

 

[creativeamanda]

Ihave ine finished and ready for reading

Hooray!

I'm here!
I'm excited for the trip!
Yes, Starbucks

Yes--no early morning is complete without Starbucks!

 

[creativeamanda]

So, after pulling over by the side of the road for a few pictures, we quickly find Port Orleans-Riverside. Gillian by this time is amazed at the fact that I have yet to look at a map or directions. And to be honest, I was, too. I remembered that Port Orleans Resorts were right after Old Key West, and I was so excited. So I drive up to the gate and offer my paperwork (thank goodness I had gone back to get it) and I hear my favorite line spoken by a Cast Member,

"Welcome Home."

I'm home. I'm back at Port Orleans and I just know I'll get Building 15 in Alligator Bayou. After all, that is my home. Or maybe not.

I pull up to the parking lot, and walk into the main building, taking in the sights and sounds of Disney World. By this time and after looking at the reception area, Gillian is thoroughly amazed at POR, and I have to say that I had forgotten how truly beautiful the resort is myself. A real sweet Cast Member from Korea pulls me from the online checkin line which is extremely long by now, to tell me she can take me right there in her line. She gets my information and then grabs my package. Then she pulls out all of the paperwork and writes my room number on my keycard envelope. What the Goofy Pants? 2840

Wait a minute, I have no clue where building 28 is. I had never in my wildest dreams mapped out walking from building 28. 34, yes. 14, 15, 16--of course. But here I was in Building 28. Which, apparently, is in Australia.

Just to give you all a clue--in October I was in Building 15, marked in Blue, which was pretty handy to the main bus depot--South Depot. Building 28, marked in purple, had a pretty long trek, if you followed the CM's directions. And we did, for a couple of days, until I discovered the trail marked in teal which was much closer. So, anyway, I had my orders--Building 28. And off I went. Hoping for some Pixie Dust.

And Pixie Dust is exactly what I got. When I got to the room, I was even more concerned. It was on the second floor. I had to carry my junk up to the second floor. I tried to be optomistic about it, by saying, "At least people won't be walking over our heads." But I just felt a cloud hanging over me all of the sudden. I walked up the stairs with my bookbag only, waiting for the worst. And then, I noticed it. Pixie Dust surely was sprinkled on the selector of my room, or on me, or on all of us. Why did the Cast Member neglect to tell us? We had been upgraded to a Water View corner room. Our room, room 2840, was a corner room with a view of the quiet pool(although slightly obstructed, but technically a Water View at POR).

Our corner window:

Our room:

The Mickey Head in towels left by our Mousekeeper, who was awesome!

Our room is the top floor on the right corner. . .

The bridge leading to our building

Not our view, but the quiet pool we had a view of:

So, we're in our room at 3:00pm (a 7.5 hour drive became a 10 hour one), we have felt a little Pixie Dust, and we're about to be on our way.

Coming up. . .I Pull Out the Map Finally and a Monorail Ride For Everyone. . .

 

[tinkgurl]

Haha, we were on the 3rd floor at OKW! No elevators either.

 

[TarzansKat]

I'm here! I'm late, but I'm here. I can't believe what happened with the bird on your windshield. Talk about starting your trip with a bang!

I'm definitely going to live vicariously through you. I've never stayed at POR. I think I may have stayed there once when it was Dixie Landings, but if I did I don't remember. And it's sort of out for us unless we get a first floor room because Nana can't do stairs like that. It's just too much.

YAY for the upgrade on the room! It looks so pretty where you are. Can't wait to read more.

 

[LegoMom3]

...
Wait a minute, I have no clue where building 28 is. I had never in my wildest dreams mapped out walking from building 28. 34, yes. 14, 15, 16--of course. But here I was in Building 28. Which, apparently, is in Australia.

Well, first of all, NObody maps out walking to ANY of the outer-limits AB buildings!!....Except the CMs, and of course they make it look oh so easy... Do you know that about a month after getting back from our first stay at POR in '06, I had a stress-dream that I was wandering the grounds there, and I could see my building but couldn't find the right path to take me there. Dude.

Now, would someone kindly help me up off the floor?....these pictures are just making me melt!!

.

 

[creativeamanda]

Haha, we were on the 3rd floor at OKW! No elevators either.

I think one more flight of stairs would have killed me. Especially after all of the stairs at Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon. No one told me all of that climbing would be involved!

I'm here! I'm late, but I'm here. I can't believe what happened with the bird on your windshield. Talk about starting your trip with a bang!

I'm definitely going to live vicariously through you. I've never stayed at POR. I think I may have stayed there once when it was Dixie Landings, but if I did I don't remember. And it's sort of out for us unless we get a first floor room because Nana can't do stairs like that. It's just too much.

YAY for the upgrade on the room! It looks so pretty where you are. Can't wait to read more.

Hiya, TK! That bird scared the bejeebees out of me. The whole time, I'm thinking "Did I save Mean Queen's number in my phone? How stupid am I going to sound calling her?" I mean really, I thought at first I had a tire blow-out or something. POR is beautiful! And I was so excited after I saw the room. It was so awesome! The bottom floor at POR (where we were in October) is also wonderful. Especially after a long day. . .

Well, first of all, NObody maps out walking to ANY of the outer-limits AB buildings!!....Except the CMs, and of course they make it look oh so easy... Do you know that about a month after getting back from our first stay at POR in '06, I had a stress-dream that I was wandering the grounds there, and I could see my building but couldn't find the right path to take me there. Dude.

Now, would someone kindly help me up off the floor?....these pictures are just making me melt!!

.

Only a person who has stayed in Alligator Bayou at Port Orleans-Riverside would truly get that! Thanks for the compliments on my pictures, too. I absolutely love my camera! (And the subject)

 

[Incredimom3]

Oh boy, I can't wait to hear more of your adventures at WDW and POR. I look forward to your updates.

 

[DisneyFaeriePrincess]

Yay some pixie dust!! Can't wait to hear more about your trip!!

 

[PaMom001]

O thank goodness I only had 2 sections to catch up on....I, myself, am finally home. Maybe I should do a trippie for my non-Dis trip.

 

[creativeamanda]

Oh boy, I can't wait to hear more of your adventures at WDW and POR. I look forward to your updates.

One should come within the next 2-3 days!

Yay some pixie dust!! Can't wait to hear more about your trip!!

Welcome, and thanks!

O thank goodness I only had 2 sections to catch up on....I, myself, am finally home. Maybe I should do a trippie for my non-Dis trip.

You should!!!! And congrats on being home!

 

[tinkgurl]

Okay, are you freaked out about the monorail accident too?! I can't believe we were just there!

 

[jenjolt]

Gorgeous room and YAY for the pixie dust and upgrade!! Glad you made it there and let the real fun begin!!!

Can't wait to read more!!

 

[creativeamanda]

Okay, are you freaked out about the monorail accident too?! I can't believe we were just there!

OMG, yes! I was on both the pink and purple monorails last week and I honestly just cried over the CM! That whole thing is just horrifying!

Gorgeous room and YAY for the pixie dust and upgrade!! Glad you made it there and let the real fun begin!!!

Can't wait to read more!!

Thanks! I loved that room--I don't know if the corner rooms are actually bigger or just seem bigger because of the extra window, but I was happy for it!

 

[creativeamanda]

DISCLAIMER: The Pictures you are about to see include pictures of the pink monorail car. As many of you are aware, this car was involved in an accident early Sunday morning that took the life of a young Cast Member who provided plenty of Disney magic for many people. Although I had never met the Cast Member who lost his life, my heartfelt prayers go out to the family. Before I begin this update, I'd like to take a brief moment to include space for a moment of silence for all involved either directly or indirectly. . .







































































































Thanks.
_________________________________________
So, we are at Disney World, and one of the unfortunate problems with having a small car is the lack of space to bring all of the necessities. That, however, is easily corrected with a short trip to possibly my second favorite store in the world: Wal Mart. Before I left the house that day, I mapped out and printed directions to the nearby WalMart in Kissimmee. Can I say, WOW?!? I drove there, finally having to pull out directions because I did not know the exact location, but found it easily enough, having stayed nearby there in October for the first night. I wish I had brought a camera into this WalMart. It was absolutely the best one I've ever been in. It had a huge, and I mean HUGE Disney section that I could have spent an hour in!

Needless to say, however, I did not spend an hour in there, as we were going to Disney World, not Wally World (and who would have wanted to go there as with the Griswalds, anyway?)

So, we gather our newly purchased water and Gatorade and breakfast items and take them to the room. Then, we use the map given to us by the Cast Member at the front desk to walk to the South Depot. Although the West Depot was closer to the room, I had learned from experience that you did not want to try to get on the bus from there. We therefore walked to the South Depot in the mornings and of course, got off at the West Depot in the evenings.


We wait only a short while for the bus to take us over to Epcot, and get on for the first of our many rides to EPCOT.

Boo loves the WDW Buses:

When we get to EPCOT, we decide to take the monorail over to Magic Kingdom and then back to EPCOT, just for a glimpse of the castle. After, all, our first ride at Disney has always been the monorail.

I snapped some pictures of the monorails: the pink one at the TTC. . .

And our orange one--I believe this was the Ticket and Transportation Center. . .

And then, on the monorail, I get the first sight of the castle. Yet again, I'm ready for Cinderella to pack her junk up and go to I can move in. . .

So there you have it--our first ride for the 2009 trip--the monorail. Coming up--Getting Back to EPCOT from Magic Kingdom and Will I Ride Spaceship Earth Finally?

 

[PaMom001]

Nice update. Has anything been figured out as to what happened with the monorails?

 

[tinkgurl]

It's just so sad what happened. I'm sure we have pictures of the pink or purple monorail sometime on our trip.

LOVE the picture with the Castle. *Sigh* I miss the darn place so bad!