gopherit
I'm not in the book, you know.
- Joined
- Sep 21, 2003
On the Tenth Day of Disney, Mickey gave to me:
Ten Tylenol tablets,
Nine-ty missing dollars,
Eight seats at Beaches,
Seven hours of showers,
Six panting pirates,
Five Prin- cess- essssssssssss!!!!!
Four soggy swimmers,
Third place on Millionaire,
Two rooms at Boardwalk,
And a night in the BCV!
Cast of Characters:
Cindy (thats me, 37 yr old Mom, obsessive-compulsive planner of these trips!)
Rich (DH, 38 yrs young Dad, basically wonderful and easy going, but occasionally known to slip into the less-loved persona, Mr. How Much is This Going to Cost Me?)
Evan (9 yrs old, our deep thinker and comfort seeker)
Ryan (8 yrs old, our tireless spark on an endless thrill quest)
Caroline (4 yrs old and already has the role of drama queen mastered!)
CLICK HERE TO READ THE FIRST DAY!
CLICK HERE TO READ THE SECOND DAY!
CLICK HERE TO READ THE THIRD DAY!
CLICK HERE TO READ THE FOURTH DAY!
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PHOTOS FROM DAYS 1 THROUGH 4!
CLICK HERE TO READ THE FIFTH DAY!
CLICK HERE TO READ THE SIXTH DAY!
CLICK HERE TO READ THE SEVENTH DAY!
CLICK HERE TO READ THE EIGHTH DAY!
CLICK HERE TO READ THE NINTH DAY!
THE TENTH DAY
Neil Sedaka was right -- Breaking up really IS hard to do. Especially when YOUR stuff gets all mingled in with THEIR stuff, and you have to sort it all out, and the kids are elect to fight over the seemingly most insignificant (to you) of things
The kids had already had The Great Fuzzy Spider Fracas by the time the real packing had begun. Indeed, the World needed to know just WHO received the purple spider on the pirate cruise, and WHO owned the 2 plain brown ones, and WHO, therefore, was the owner of the very special spider with the hot pink spots on its back. In the end, my SIL had brilliant reasoning just ask Ryan. Like Evan, our son Ryan has the gift of a photographic memory. While Evan uses his brain power to retain valuable life-saving information (like, Stove=HOT Dont touch! or Tower of Terror = Missing family gone forever Dont Ride!), Ryan in contrast uses his amazing memory for inventory purposes. Just hold up a puzzle piece from one of 20 different puzzles (each with 100 pieces each or more) he can tell you exactly which puzzle it belongs to, and where. On the BROWN side, people. Well, ok, maybe not on the brown side (although he does enjoy working puzzles that way occasionally).
ANYHOOOOOO As my SIL was quick to point out, Ryan ALWAYS keeps track of who has what (namely because he is constantly trying to insure he has the SAME or equivalent thing!) He was still, for example, reminding me that he had YET to receive his souvenir drink cup and glowing ice cube (ala the Prime Time incident) and he wasnt about to let me forget, either! So we relied heavily on Ryan to help us sort out whose trinkets were whose as we packed up the last of the loot including the fuzzy spiders. Thank goodness for that boy and his mind, especially when it seems like Im losing mine!
So with everything roughly sorted out, the crib disassembled and carted off to storage, and bags packed and ready, SIL and BIL said their goodbyes. The kids were bummed to see their cousins leave. I was glad that we would be leaving the BWV today also. I couldnt see staying in this villa, with the kids moping about their cousins not being here, for 4 more days. This was exactly how our kids reacted on the last trip we took with SIL and BIL, and we only stayed one additional night on that trip! My own photographic memory of that vacation served me well in planning this one. After SIL and BIL left, DH and I did the fridge-purge into our cooler and had things fairly ready to go by just after 9 am. We then called for bell services and DH left to get our car. No, dont go back and re-read that sentence you read it correctly! WE CALLED FOR ASSISTANCE. Of course, all things still in moderation we did not summon a valet to fetch the car DH got it instead. But then, it wasnt in a valet lot, either, so valet really wasnt an option anyway.
The bellman came and began loading all our bags onto his cart. I think I must have checked the bathroom drawers about 8 times in addition to DHs numerous re-checks before he left! Well, at least this time, we would only be right down the road if we realized something was missing, as opposed to 8 hours up the interstate! Once the bags were delivered to our waiting van and unloaded from the cart, I tipped our helper and headed back inside to turn in dds lifevest and make sure all our accounts were settled. I passed by another van that was packing up I heard the DH say he had one more trip to make (back to the room) apparently another Anti-Valet, a kindred spirit to my own DH. The wife seemed appropriately miffed as she stood appeasing their toddler, who was getting testy as well. I feel your pain, I thought, as I passed them and I wondered if they had checked their bathroom drawers?
Check-out from BWV was fairly smooth. The manager took the lifevest and assured me it would get back to community hall without a $42 charge or impending doom heading my way. The manager then asked if I experienced any problems or had any comments to share about our stay at the BWV. I have no idea why, but I couldnt help thinking back to the whole Hurricane/Hopper/ Wheres my food? incident. Heres my chance to make a statement and aid in Disneys future crisis management. It was our opinion that BW took on too much with their attempt to feed us all, and their trust in the honor system was abused, that was certain. While we admired their effort, the one thing we didnt like was the way they kept telling us to watch our phones and keep waiting more food was on its way! It was very clear (at least, to us) that with the magnitude of this storm, there would be no more food. They should have ponied-up and told people this instead. Sorry, no food, please go back to your rooms. We have food for purchase in our shop. I felt pity for any soul who followed their advice and waited, rather than just fork out some dough for a box of cereal and carton of milk in the BW store and move on with life. I felt BW should know that we appreciated the effort, but in the future try something else charge a fee, dole it out by floors or room sections, anything to reduce the mayhem. And when you cant do something say you cant. Those who had experienced the Lobby of Chaos would have understood my point.
So with all of this in mind, I leaned in close to the counter, kinda looking to either side of me first, and then said softly to the CM, Well, come to think of it, I did have one problem You never called me, like you SAID you would, on Friday night . And I trailed off with that kind of head-tilted, one-sided knowing nod that you give when you think the other person should know what you mean and where youre headed, without ever finishing your sentence. He did know what I meant didnt he?
Hmmm in retrospect, that one-liner of mine doesnt sound so good, does it? Well, he didnt think so at the time, either. In fact, the CM didnt even respond he turned red and continued with his check-out schpeel it was only later I realized how much I had sounded like a bar-fly bimbo. So little management dude, if you took that line the wrong way, and youre now reading this report, I didnt mean it THAT way! Perhaps its a testimony to my 37 year-old, mother-of-3 self that I wouldnt recognize a sleazy line even if I said it myself. Im so pathetic, if my DH were to offer me a night of hot steamy bliss, Id think it meant I get the bath tub all to myself for an hour, followed by a full nights sleep.
I returned to the front of the BW resort to find DH waiting in the car. His cohort in crime, Mr. I Dont Do Valets Either, was trying to cram in the last grocery sack. Man was that van FULL. So much as one lentil more in their car and they would surely blow a tire. I opened up the passenger side of our van and got a shock I may as well ride with that other family, because somehow our van is jammed to the brim, too! How the heck had that happened? Pondering where did all this STUFF come from, I find a place to wedge myself uncomfortably and away we go to Saratoga Springs. Goodbye, Boardwalk we all look up at our former room and wave nostalgically as we exit the driveway.
The drive over to Saratoga was a real eye-opener. Until now, we hadnt really faced any storm destruction from Charley, other than what we had seen on TV. Now, as we neared Old Key West resort and the LBV golf course, downed trees were everywhere. Huge old trees, either split or uprooted. At Saratoga, all the marvelous new plantings took a big Charley-hit, as the storm simply had uprooted much of it, root-balls and all. My DH pondered why Disney hadnt just gone around and uprighted the young trees and shrubs, but perhaps it had to do with insurance (gotta let the coroner or claims adjuster -- see it before you claim its dead?) Or maybe it was a simple lack of manpower they cant do everything and be everywhere at once. In any case, it was sad, and we had to resist the urge to just go and prop a few trees up ourselves
DH pulled in front of SSR and I hopped (more like popped) out of my 6 square inch space of luxury in the van. Inside SSR, it was very quiet peaceful, even. The kids had been getting edgy on the way over, and had bickered a bit amongst themselves. While I understood this (they were tired, they were bummed to say goodbye to family and to Boardwalk), I also was suddenly in no hurry to return to it! This was quite lovely!
Justin was behind the counter and he summoned me over. He noted that at least I had missed the hurricane, wherein I noted right back at him much to the contrary. We discussed the status of others in the area, how Boardwalk had fared, how he personally had fared, etc. Seems many of the Disney CMs remained without power or electric very sad. Justin then informed me that while there was a courtyard view room ready for our use, if we were willing to wait, there would be others that we might prefer
I thought about this Hmmm. It would be nice to already have our room, to unload and know we have our place to go, at only 10 in the morning! We would be free to do as we choose! No phoning back in no asking, Can you house me now? like a broken record
On the other hand, a room more to our liking most likely could be translated as DTD view. The courtyard, for now, was mostly very young vegetation, a good portion of which were overturned, as I had noted earlier. I didnt want ground floor, either. How often would we get the chance for a DTD view, especially as this resort grows in size? We had already sacrificed view for the sake of convenience twice this trip why not take the plunge for the last few days?
I elected to wait it out, and Justin responded happily, Well then, I think you are gonna LIKE this and with a few click-clicks of the keyboard, it was a done deal. He gave me the usual little calling card, and handed me my packet of info, and out the door I went! DH fired up the van as he saw me approach. Apparently, Evan had been complaining in my absence his ear had begun to hurt, could he please have some pain reliever? Ear-ore was back at it in full force. We drove over to where I felt our villa would be. Now how, youre wondering, did I know? After all it wasnt ready yet. Well, I was the only one at the desk, if you recall. And Justin well, he was less than discreet as he penned a great big 1825 on a piece of paper while I waited. I swear I think he wanted me to see it. So we parked near our villa and I immediately medicated Evan with some Motrin for his pain. I was hoping that by mid-day, the pain might subside as that potent and pricey bottle of drops finally kicked in. In the meantime, the Motrin should be just about perfect, since it lasts for 4-6 hours. We walked around the villas area, and then decided to check out the pool.
On our way to the pool, we cut through the community hall, and Evan suddenly perked up. You can take a boy away from his video games for a week, but you cant take the love of video games outta the boy. He spotted the Playstation IIs and his eyes lit up he was home again. Ryan, amazingly, was more interested in seeing the pool, as was his sister. I told DH I would take the pool-seekers over to their mecca, then come back in a bit to swap places with DH in the event Evan wanted to stay inside for a while longer. With everything Evan had gone through, I felt that he deserved a little down time doing something he loved even if it was something I loathed. Ugh video games.
Caroline started to hyperventilate at the sight of the small slide. Will they let me keep my wife-jacket on? she asked tentatively. At Storm Along Bay, she had been allowed to use the jacket on the kiddie slide (but not the main slide). I could still see her sailing down the small slide into the water that first time at SAB, hollering loudly, Oh Lord, Save Me! Some folks find religion in church my dd finds it on the slide. At BW, however, they would not let her use the vest even though others have reported being told their child could. During our stay we watched and watched, but no lifevests were ever spotted descending the slide while we were there. So other than Blizzard Beach and SAB, she had remained fairly slideless throughout the trip. She had, by now, spotted the larger slide at SSR now and got VERY excited, asking, Oooohhh! What about THAT one Mommy? Her excitement turned wistful as she wondered again but what about the wife-jacket?
I approach a lifeguard, while Caroline stood beside me hoping and praying. Ryan impatiently waited at my other side. I pointed at the kiddie slide and asked the all-important question.
Me: Excuse me, but can kids wear wife er, I mean, LIFE - vests on the slide?
Lifeguard: Sure, for either one.
Me: Either one what you mean, either child?
Lifeguard: No maam Either SLIDE. Big or small.
Wow! Mommy, what did he say? she asks. I guess she had been too busy praying to hear the verdict. And when I tell her that shes allowed on BOTH slides well, she found not just religion that day, but pure nirvana. She must have used that larger slide 50 times consecutively before ever taking a rest. Ryan, on the other hand, tried it a few times and claimed it was lame compared to the other slides (BWV, SAB). (I can see already HE will be fun to bring to Disney in his teens.
)
After about an hour, I decide DH needs a break, so I go to the Community Hall. Evan decides to come check out the pool for a while. We put in his bright orange ear protection plug, but honestly, he never needed it. Hes so cautious and careful, no water was ever going to come near that ear. I watch him maneuver around the pool, checking things out, kinda humming his own little tune as he goes along, and my heart just goes out to this kid. Hes in such an awkward age that in-betweener stage when youre a still a child, yet starting to set aside certain childish ways. I catch myself just watching him. Hes grown so much this year had I not noticed that before? I can almost if I squint a bit and imagine him a foot taller with a hint of facial hair see the teen he will soon become. A teen but this cant be! I can still remember his first trip to Disney at age 3, playing with him in the pool at OKW, hearing that gurgling toddler laugh, the kind that bubbles forth and pops sweetly in mid-air like soda in a glass. A teen in 4 years? Impossible. Where is my baby? Incredibly, however, I find that if I squint really hard, and simply imagine more pudge to the cheeks and belly, a bunchy diaper and a lot less teeth, I actually can see that little boy once more. Hes just hiding inside the near teen before me. Oh how I love that kid! All three of him.
Mom, what are you doing?
Ryan is now beside me, no doubt wondering why his mother is sitting here, misty-eyed, clutching at her heart through a damp bathing suit. He is ready to try out the Community Hall for himself, so he and Evan grab room keys and head back over. I love the closeness of Community Hall to the pool at SSR very convenient. And the CMs in the Community Hall and pool area are simply the best so very attentive and ready to insure our kids were having a blast!
I made a quick call to WDW-DINE to double check on our arrangements for the evening and insure that all were still in place, post-Charley. The CM I spoke with (and I HATE that I cant recall this guys name) was just awesome. He must not have had much going on (I guess the Cindys breakfast crush was over and he was just kickin back!) He spent a great deal of time just chatting with me. At first, when he heard me comment that we hadnt yet checked in, he too (like Justin) assumed we had missed the hurricane of the prior week. There is a certain comradery among those who experience such events together, as again I was asked to recount my experiences as he shared his. Finally we got down to the task of checking on my ressies. He mentioned that it was too bad that the hurricane had messed up some of our plans, and I laughed and said a rainy day albeit one with 100 mph winds at Disney still beat a sunny day at home, hands down! I briefly recounted to him the story of our anniversary #13 and how it ended with leftovers and appliance installation, so for #14, bring it on we can handle it! We're in DISNEY! I did tell him that I was really looking forward to tonight, however, because no one in my family knew anything about it it was my special surprise for them all, and especially for DH. He laughed about our 13th anniversary gone-wrong story and then graciously double-checked our dinner ressies, and made a dinner ressie for us for later in the week at Rainforest Cafe in AK. It was one of those phone calls where, once the business is done, you almost hate to part company! But finally, with a Good-bye and Have a Magical Day!, we did.
Evan had begun to complain about ear pain again, and I needed to fetch his meds from the cooler in the car. I left dd in the care of DH and walked back to our car. I made a few phone calls to see if our room was ready, but no dice. Its now 1 pm and Im really hoping the view would be worth the climb (or in this case the wait). I grabbed the meds and some chow/cold drinks out of our cooler. We had eaten a late breakfast, but no doubt the kids had to be feeling hungry by now. I was personally not hungry, but was feeling a tad lazy, so I grabbed the bus back to the front of SSR. Buses at SSR seemed amazingly available seemed there was ALWAYS one at the bus stop, which meant there was ALWAYS a ride waiting to whisk you back to the front of the resort! How nice!
I went to the Artists Palette to grab some bread and cereal those were the only 2 items we were low on for the days ahead. At the pool, we made sandwiches and ate snacks, after which they started up some fun pool-side games. Caroline participated in the hula-hoop contest and the CM gave her a medal (she won for Shortest hula-hooper). Caroline and I also did the Horse Races, wherein she rode on my back as I tried to run (along with all the other equine parents!) across the pool and back. Rich and she did the water balloon toss, which our boys also participated in. There was also a cannonball contest, wherein they drafted parents to give scores (this was meant to be like the Olympics, which were in progress during our stay). Evan did not participate in this (due to his ear) and Ryan therefore opted out as well. Caroline, by this time, was Olympic-ed out, I guess! The kids were content to just sit and watch the others participate. It was a fun afternoon. By this time, it was 4 pm. I made another call about the room and at sweet, sweet last, it was ready. We gathered up our things and headed for the villa: #1825.
Arriving at the villa, we were pleased to find it was top floor and very close to the elevator. We opened the door and the first thing we all said in unison was:
What is that SMELL?!?!
At first I reasoned that it was new carpet after all, SSR is a very new resort, and this building had only been open for a month or so. But upon inspection, I realized the real culprit: the oven. Apparently, whoever had the villa before us was a real piggie, because they had initiated the self-cleaning mode on the oven and that baby was still VERY HOT. I set up sort of a blockade so that the kids wouldnt go near it. I warned the kids, too, which of course was a mistake, because while Evan immediately backed up and wouldnt go within ten feet of the kitchen (accessing database: Stove=HOT! Stove=HOT! Alert! Alert!), Ryan on the other hand is one of these feeling is believing, I must take personal inventory of the situation types. And his sister is cut from the same cloth, only worse: her mantra was, I shouldnt, therefore I shall; I cant, therefore I can. A woman of defiance, that one is. So while I spent my next few minutes thwarting off would-be intruders to the Oven of Doom, DH continued unloading our van into our new digs.
Once we got settled and the oven cooled down to non-instant-flesh-wound temperatures, I informed my crew that I had a surprise for them all. I laid out their clothing and set about getting myself dressed for the evening. DH got incredibly nervous he didnt like the idea of me holding all the knowledge (why this suddenly bothered him NOW, at this point in the trip, Ill never know!) Dressed and ready to go, he looked at the kids in their shorts and tees, then at me in a nice skirt and top, and himself similarly nicely dressed and said, Are you SURE you put us all into the RIGHT clothes? I think he was hoping that Id say No and hand him a t-shirt and shorts.
We hopped in our now-spacious van and DH said, Well, are you gonna drive, or will you at least give me directions? I instructed him turn for turn until we approached the Swan/Dolphin. The kids were now edgy, and Evan was insistent on knowing what his future held in store for him.
Kids I announced, tonight, you are all headed to Camp Dolphin!
Caroline immediately yelled, Yay!, Ryan made a What the Heck? face, and Evan just groaned. Uggggh! But I HATE seafood! he wailed. Ever my Eeyore.
No, no, no, I laughed, Camp Dolphin is NOT about eating seafood! I then informed the kids, in a rousing, fact-filled, almost military-fashion, of exactly what their night would consist.
At exactly eighteen hundred hours thats 6 oclock -- you will enter the illustrious Camp Dolphin, wherein you will enjoy arts and crafts, and play Playstation II in the company of other vertically-challenged young humans such as yourselves. At nineteen hundred hours you will proceed to Tubbis Buffeteria, wherein you shall feast on such kid-friendly cuisine favorites as pizza, hot dogs, and lest we forget, The Chicken Nugget. Thirty minutes later you will be led to the Video Game Arcade, wherein you will be handed tokens and actually allowed to play -- yes, PLAY, not just push buttons and pretend the forementioned video entertainment games until your parental units that would be me and Dad come to escort you out.
I tried to get out the words This is your mission do you choose to accept? but the kids were too busy cheering wildly in the back of the van to ever hear me. I wondered if Caroline even had any idea why she was cheering. DH, however, broke the rejoicing with his question, But what about us? Evan paused cheering long enough to ponder this and said suspectingly, Heyyyyy are you two gonna have an anniversary dinner without us?
Half-wincing out of fear they might be upset at being ditched, I said softly, Yes . Is that o.k.?
Woo-hooo! came back the response, followed by the chant, and we dont hafta go-oh! We dont hafta go-oh! Whew! DH still didnt know WHERE we were going, and I thought it best to just leave it that way for now.
Parking at the Dolphin was confusing, to say the least; we werent sure where to park, as the spaces all seemed to have numbers were the numbers there for convenience in recalling where you parked, or for assignment such that trespassers would be prosecuted or towed? DH finally chose an empty section somewhere over in Egypt and parked in it. It would be a hike to the Dolphin lobby, but who goes to Disney and doesnt expect to get their fair share of walking in, anyway? As were walking along, Evan begins to complain about his ear. We enter the Dolphin lobby and the kids are truly impressed with this place. I think the awe and splendor factor is something they dont get as much in the DVC accommodations there is just something about a huge, tall, brass-n-glass hotel that makes a kid go Ooooo! We located a small shop and I proceeded to search for Tylenol. I didnt want anything too strong; after all, that antibiotic should be kicking in any ol time now, right? The only thing I could find, however, were some Childrens Chewable Tylenol tablets. I grabbed that, and a tube of hydrocortisone. Evan had an itchy patch on his cheek most likely also due to all the swimming of the week prior and sun. I wanted to put a dab of cream on it tonight before bed.
We exited the shop and I scanned the label on the Tylenol. Whoa poor in-betweener Evan would need to scarf down FIVE of these suckers? Could that be right? I made DH look at the label, just to be certain; my eyes arent what they used to be. Yep he needs five, alrighty. So Evan chews up five and we arrive at Camp Dolphin. Registration was simple and fast. As soon as we walked in the door, the kids immediately took a seat at the table they had paints and little airplanes to decorate. That was all Caroline needed to see to be SOLD on the place! It appeared they would have at least 6 or 7 kids there that night. They asked where DH and I would be, and I responded Shulas. There I said it. But DH is no DIS-er, no Disney researcher he was as in the dark as ever before. The Camp Dolphin staff reminded me that we would receive 2 hours of complimentary childcare, all we needed to do is bring our meal receipt back with us. (Oh honey, I felt like saying, you dont need to remind me of THAT! 3 kids -- for 2 hours? Complimentary? While DH and I enjoy a meal together alone just us? Thats the best deal to be found around Disney, if you ask me!) The Camp Dolphin staff then told us to be SURE to order the souffle for dessert, and to enjoy ourselves! Again, no need to remind me of that last part, either, but thanks just the same!
Shulas was mostly as it had been described to me, only a bit darker. Actually, make that a lot darker I had no idea it would be THAT dark! But I wasnt complaining, either. Theres something soothing about the shadows of night after days spent in the sun especially if its the Florida sun. The server led us to our table in a quiet nook of the restaurant, and passed Rich the football with the menu on it. Shulas, as I explained to him, stands for Don Shula, of Miami Dolphin notoriety. DH isnt a Dolphins fan, but as an avid sportsman, he could still appreciate the ambiance. (This is a man who will watch tiddlywinks so long as its on ESPN if its a sport, hes there.)
One look around Shulas told you we had arrived at the perfect restaurant blend for us: A sports motif, yet fine dining atmosphere. Meat and potato, yet elegantly prepared. Simple fare, yet with a flourish that was us to a tee! Our server was excellent at helping choose from the offerings; she strongly recommended splitting things to allow more variety in our meal without getting ourselves into more food than we could ever eat. DH and I selected a barbequed shrimp appetizer to share, and the size of the shrimp made it the perfect amount when split between us. The Caesar salad we also split, and boy were we glad! Even on separate plates, it was MORE than ample. It was as big or bigger than unsplit orders Ive received at most restaurants! And so fresh and delicious, too. They let DH order the Twice-Baked potato sans onions that sold him on the place right there! DH ordered the Cowboy cut ribeye, and I debated on the prime rib or the filet, finally opting for the prime rib. Man, I should have stuck with the filet because the prime rib was just too dang big. My DH found it funny that they brought a flashlight to your table so you could inspect the doneness of your meat. During our meal, a man sort of hovered near our table, occasionally dropping by to scrape up our crumbs. We found this amusing, although we felt bad for him just standing there most of the night. Should we be messier just to give him a purpose in life? And what WAS that little gadget he was using as his Official Crumb Scraper? Do they sell such a thing? Its the Ronco Crumb Scraper, not available in stores! Every time he came over, I was mesmerized by it. It looked a lot like a sterling silver version of the spatulas we use in the lab at work Ugh, WORK! On vacation! Must not go there! Even if only in my mind! Stop looking at the Crumb Scraper! So I focused instead on the poor lobster, lying on the cart they take to the tables as a demo of their offerings. The cart was, for now, parked against the wall behind me. I wondered aloud to DH if he thought the lobster was glad DH hadnt ordered HIM for dinner. DH had a different perspective he thought the lobster seemed to hold a grudge against DH; he wanted out of his misery and looked to my hubby as his Kevorkian agent of rescue. We tried not to look at the lobster again, but occasionally, I believe I did feel his steely shellfish gaze fixated on us. All I could think of was a line I had read here on the DIS about Shulas: hes a Dead Lobster Walkin. Now I know the real reason its so very dark in Shulas so you dont have to make eye contact with your potential dinner!
After our meal, the server came and poured coffee and said in a very thick accent, You celebrate anniversary tonight! Congratulations! I thanked him, and after I interpreted back to a questioning DH exactly what the server had said to us, he commented, Ohhh So you told them on the reservation that it was our anniversary? I was very puzzled and admitted to DH that no, thats why I looked confused because I hadnt made a note of it at all. I hadnt even mentioned it when I made the reservation about 2 months ago. After all, Im a bit of a purist and believe you celebrate the event on the day it happened, if at all possible. And we had a lovely anniversary meal at Ohana, on the day of our anniversary, so why would we repeat the event now? If anything, this meal represented Mothers Day, because back in May, DH and the kids had given me their own homemade version of Disney Dollars to spend as I saw fit on our trip. They had assumed I would want a spa treatment at SSR, perhaps a massage. I admitted to DH that I had thought about using their gift on something personal such as that, but in the end, I could technically get a massage anywhere. But the chance to spend time alone with him and reconnect, just the two of us well, that was VERY rare (and precious!) indeed and therefore worth far, far more. The fact that it included a fun night for the kids was icing on the cake. And so there we were; how the staff knew about our anniversary was a mystery.
Another server brought out the soufflé, and congratulated us as well. Boy were we glad we had saved some room in our stomachs, because this looked DELICIOUS. And the taste did not disappoint in the least! DH is not a huge lover of rich chocolate desserts, but this was very light, and the cream (real, poured on top, and ice, as in vanilla, served on the side) gave the dish enough balance that he thoroughly enjoyed it, too. We actually polished this baby off!
We were congratulated on our anniversary a few more times, and as DH went to pay the bill, he noted that they never charged us for our soufflé. We learned this was a gift in honor of the occasion. We still hadnt figured out how they knew I had kept the plans a secret, so no one in my family would have called to tell them. How had they known? In the end, I could only come up with one answer the guy I had spoken with that day at WDW DINE. As he had checked our ressies and I commented on our anniversary, he had done some extra clicking and made sure Shulas had our phone number correct and such. Now perhaps thats exactly what he was doing just double-checking our ressie -- but we like to think he was our bit of magic, who flagged our meal as an anniversary. In any case (whoever is responsible!) and also to the wonderful staff of Shulas we send a very fond Thank You! for the Pixie Dust and a wonderful meal! (And to you, Monsieur Lobster our deepest condolences.)
We left Shulas very fat and happy. We found our kids roaming around the arcade with the rest of the Camp Dolphin crew. Caroline is just not a woman to be trusted with money, however. She immediately began pumping machines ANY machine with tokens. Many of these required that you actually take the time to KNOW HOW TO PLAY THE GAME. Caroline didnt care she saw a slot, she filled it with a token. By the time you would realize what she had done, it was Game Over. Needless to add, she was VERY upset when all her tokens were gone, and the boys still had some. It took us a while to get the boys to use up their tokens so we could leave. We collected their artwork from the Camp Dolphin room and signed off on the papers. The staff was very pleasant. One attendant noted that our dd is quite the umm, emotional child? (I believe the term she was searching for is DRAMA QUEEN. Thats Capital D, R-A-M-A ) Apparently Caroline had a melt-down at one point in the night over the dinner. They were having a picnic and she spilled something on the blanket they were sitting on. Before they could tell her it was o.k. and mop it up, she went nuclear. Thats so very Caroline to react in anticipation that someone might possibly be upset with her. Somewhere along the line she has decided: When in doubt, make a scene, someone will take pity on your pour lil soul! We tipped the Camp Dolphin staff for their services; after all, we had gotten free childcare for 2 hours times 3 kids why not share the joy?
We left the Dolphin resort quite satisfied; I would gladly return there (and Shulas!) again.
Tylenol for your sons swimmers ear: $5.25.
Tip for Camp Dolphin staff providing childcare: $15
Steak dinner for 2 at Shulas: $136.50
Sharing a meal alone with your spouse while your kids have a supervised grand ol time elsewhere: Priceless.
We browsed around the Dolphin briefly and then finally headed to our car. We gassed up the van, since all the gas stations had been backed up with traffic or literally out of gas over the weekend, thanks to Charley. As we neared SSR, Evan began experiencing more ear pain. Nearly 4 hours had now passed since his last round of Tylenol, so I passed 5 more tablets back his way. Chomp, chomp chomp on the little pink dots he was starting to resemble Pac-Man. We arrived in our villa and I got the kids into pajamas. Next thing I knew, however, those little rascals had climbed in our king sized bed and hogged it for themselves! Caroline had, in fact, already drifted off to sleep, still clutching her toothbrush. I let them watch some Disney programming for a bit, put the pricey ear drops into Evans head, then turned out the lights; they were soon all snoozing hard.
I guess I havent mentioned our villa much, and it definitely deserves quite honorable mention! Because Justin was right the view (especially at night) from this room is WONDERFUL. Standing on the balcony, our room looked out over the quiet pool and landscaping that surrounds it. Beyond that was the lake, and beyond THAT, were the dancing multi-colored lights of Downtown Disney. Ahhh. It was simply beautiful. Inside the villa, DH and I were equally pleased. I had feared that the decor might seem too much like goin to Grandmas with the dark antique-like woods and color scheme, but it was very classy and homey at the same time. I loved the color of the kitchen counters a dark marble gray. Very sharp looking, and yet practical for use (marble or speckled counter tops are great for hiding any splotches or crumbs!) About the only thing that baffled us were the bathrooms. What was with all those doors? And it seemed they were always in the way of each other! I liked the way the toilet had its own little room. As a mom, I never get a moments peace, and it sure beat that feeling that any ol moment, someone was going to open the door and see me in my least flattering pose, such as I felt at the BWV. I did not care for the angle of the shower at SSR, however. If someone opened the door in there while you were showering, well heeeellloooo there ya are, in all yer glory, front and center! Trust me, I know I nearly scarred my son Ryan for life, had it not been for a quick grab of a handy towel! And the door that opens there doesnt lock folks out it locks you, the showeree, IN. In order to lock all possible poachers out of the bathroom, you must lock the master bedroom AND the door to the laundry / dining area. Dont even bother with the other door- its useless to you! The bathroom had motion-sensitive fans which detonated every time I walked in the bedroom or went as near as the washer / dryer. Weird, yes, but not so loud that it bothered us. I love the oval table in the dining area, too. I have decided DVC should ditch those round tables in VWL and BWV the oval is so much nicer, especially for our family of 5.
So as our trio slept soundly in the king bed, I quietly made my way into the living room area where DH had set up the sleeper sofa for us. Big surprise here it was COMFY! Better than the king bed, I thought! And it was actually long enough, even for my 62 DH (who hates a bed that constricts his feet or leaves him hanging off the edge!) It is made out of some sort of foam, not those cheesy thin spring mattresses used in the other DVC resorts. This, I decide, I LIKE! Shhhh dont tell the kids well keep this as our secret! Let em have the big bed! DH and I felt like we had the best room in the house, and best of all, we get a bed all to ourselves no kickers, thrashers, or limb-throwers in here with us tonight! (Well, ok, DH does get kinda reckless in his sleep sometimes and does that knee-jerk thing which can be VERY annoying, but after 14 years and 5 days, Ive learned to live with it!)
And so we end Day 10 in deep slumber, with the soft, happy lights of DTD casting their glow upon us from the distance.
CLICK HERE FOR THE ELEVENTH DAY...
Divide, Conquer, and Buy More Drugs!
Ten Tylenol tablets,
Nine-ty missing dollars,
Eight seats at Beaches,
Seven hours of showers,
Six panting pirates,
Five Prin- cess- essssssssssss!!!!!
Four soggy swimmers,
Third place on Millionaire,
Two rooms at Boardwalk,
And a night in the BCV!
Cast of Characters:
Cindy (thats me, 37 yr old Mom, obsessive-compulsive planner of these trips!)
Rich (DH, 38 yrs young Dad, basically wonderful and easy going, but occasionally known to slip into the less-loved persona, Mr. How Much is This Going to Cost Me?)
Evan (9 yrs old, our deep thinker and comfort seeker)
Ryan (8 yrs old, our tireless spark on an endless thrill quest)
Caroline (4 yrs old and already has the role of drama queen mastered!)
CLICK HERE TO READ THE FIRST DAY!
CLICK HERE TO READ THE SECOND DAY!
CLICK HERE TO READ THE THIRD DAY!
CLICK HERE TO READ THE FOURTH DAY!
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PHOTOS FROM DAYS 1 THROUGH 4!
CLICK HERE TO READ THE FIFTH DAY!
CLICK HERE TO READ THE SIXTH DAY!
CLICK HERE TO READ THE SEVENTH DAY!
CLICK HERE TO READ THE EIGHTH DAY!
CLICK HERE TO READ THE NINTH DAY!
THE TENTH DAY
Neil Sedaka was right -- Breaking up really IS hard to do. Especially when YOUR stuff gets all mingled in with THEIR stuff, and you have to sort it all out, and the kids are elect to fight over the seemingly most insignificant (to you) of things
The kids had already had The Great Fuzzy Spider Fracas by the time the real packing had begun. Indeed, the World needed to know just WHO received the purple spider on the pirate cruise, and WHO owned the 2 plain brown ones, and WHO, therefore, was the owner of the very special spider with the hot pink spots on its back. In the end, my SIL had brilliant reasoning just ask Ryan. Like Evan, our son Ryan has the gift of a photographic memory. While Evan uses his brain power to retain valuable life-saving information (like, Stove=HOT Dont touch! or Tower of Terror = Missing family gone forever Dont Ride!), Ryan in contrast uses his amazing memory for inventory purposes. Just hold up a puzzle piece from one of 20 different puzzles (each with 100 pieces each or more) he can tell you exactly which puzzle it belongs to, and where. On the BROWN side, people. Well, ok, maybe not on the brown side (although he does enjoy working puzzles that way occasionally).
ANYHOOOOOO As my SIL was quick to point out, Ryan ALWAYS keeps track of who has what (namely because he is constantly trying to insure he has the SAME or equivalent thing!) He was still, for example, reminding me that he had YET to receive his souvenir drink cup and glowing ice cube (ala the Prime Time incident) and he wasnt about to let me forget, either! So we relied heavily on Ryan to help us sort out whose trinkets were whose as we packed up the last of the loot including the fuzzy spiders. Thank goodness for that boy and his mind, especially when it seems like Im losing mine!
So with everything roughly sorted out, the crib disassembled and carted off to storage, and bags packed and ready, SIL and BIL said their goodbyes. The kids were bummed to see their cousins leave. I was glad that we would be leaving the BWV today also. I couldnt see staying in this villa, with the kids moping about their cousins not being here, for 4 more days. This was exactly how our kids reacted on the last trip we took with SIL and BIL, and we only stayed one additional night on that trip! My own photographic memory of that vacation served me well in planning this one. After SIL and BIL left, DH and I did the fridge-purge into our cooler and had things fairly ready to go by just after 9 am. We then called for bell services and DH left to get our car. No, dont go back and re-read that sentence you read it correctly! WE CALLED FOR ASSISTANCE. Of course, all things still in moderation we did not summon a valet to fetch the car DH got it instead. But then, it wasnt in a valet lot, either, so valet really wasnt an option anyway.
The bellman came and began loading all our bags onto his cart. I think I must have checked the bathroom drawers about 8 times in addition to DHs numerous re-checks before he left! Well, at least this time, we would only be right down the road if we realized something was missing, as opposed to 8 hours up the interstate! Once the bags were delivered to our waiting van and unloaded from the cart, I tipped our helper and headed back inside to turn in dds lifevest and make sure all our accounts were settled. I passed by another van that was packing up I heard the DH say he had one more trip to make (back to the room) apparently another Anti-Valet, a kindred spirit to my own DH. The wife seemed appropriately miffed as she stood appeasing their toddler, who was getting testy as well. I feel your pain, I thought, as I passed them and I wondered if they had checked their bathroom drawers?
Check-out from BWV was fairly smooth. The manager took the lifevest and assured me it would get back to community hall without a $42 charge or impending doom heading my way. The manager then asked if I experienced any problems or had any comments to share about our stay at the BWV. I have no idea why, but I couldnt help thinking back to the whole Hurricane/Hopper/ Wheres my food? incident. Heres my chance to make a statement and aid in Disneys future crisis management. It was our opinion that BW took on too much with their attempt to feed us all, and their trust in the honor system was abused, that was certain. While we admired their effort, the one thing we didnt like was the way they kept telling us to watch our phones and keep waiting more food was on its way! It was very clear (at least, to us) that with the magnitude of this storm, there would be no more food. They should have ponied-up and told people this instead. Sorry, no food, please go back to your rooms. We have food for purchase in our shop. I felt pity for any soul who followed their advice and waited, rather than just fork out some dough for a box of cereal and carton of milk in the BW store and move on with life. I felt BW should know that we appreciated the effort, but in the future try something else charge a fee, dole it out by floors or room sections, anything to reduce the mayhem. And when you cant do something say you cant. Those who had experienced the Lobby of Chaos would have understood my point.
So with all of this in mind, I leaned in close to the counter, kinda looking to either side of me first, and then said softly to the CM, Well, come to think of it, I did have one problem You never called me, like you SAID you would, on Friday night . And I trailed off with that kind of head-tilted, one-sided knowing nod that you give when you think the other person should know what you mean and where youre headed, without ever finishing your sentence. He did know what I meant didnt he?
Hmmm in retrospect, that one-liner of mine doesnt sound so good, does it? Well, he didnt think so at the time, either. In fact, the CM didnt even respond he turned red and continued with his check-out schpeel it was only later I realized how much I had sounded like a bar-fly bimbo. So little management dude, if you took that line the wrong way, and youre now reading this report, I didnt mean it THAT way! Perhaps its a testimony to my 37 year-old, mother-of-3 self that I wouldnt recognize a sleazy line even if I said it myself. Im so pathetic, if my DH were to offer me a night of hot steamy bliss, Id think it meant I get the bath tub all to myself for an hour, followed by a full nights sleep.
I returned to the front of the BW resort to find DH waiting in the car. His cohort in crime, Mr. I Dont Do Valets Either, was trying to cram in the last grocery sack. Man was that van FULL. So much as one lentil more in their car and they would surely blow a tire. I opened up the passenger side of our van and got a shock I may as well ride with that other family, because somehow our van is jammed to the brim, too! How the heck had that happened? Pondering where did all this STUFF come from, I find a place to wedge myself uncomfortably and away we go to Saratoga Springs. Goodbye, Boardwalk we all look up at our former room and wave nostalgically as we exit the driveway.
The drive over to Saratoga was a real eye-opener. Until now, we hadnt really faced any storm destruction from Charley, other than what we had seen on TV. Now, as we neared Old Key West resort and the LBV golf course, downed trees were everywhere. Huge old trees, either split or uprooted. At Saratoga, all the marvelous new plantings took a big Charley-hit, as the storm simply had uprooted much of it, root-balls and all. My DH pondered why Disney hadnt just gone around and uprighted the young trees and shrubs, but perhaps it had to do with insurance (gotta let the coroner or claims adjuster -- see it before you claim its dead?) Or maybe it was a simple lack of manpower they cant do everything and be everywhere at once. In any case, it was sad, and we had to resist the urge to just go and prop a few trees up ourselves
DH pulled in front of SSR and I hopped (more like popped) out of my 6 square inch space of luxury in the van. Inside SSR, it was very quiet peaceful, even. The kids had been getting edgy on the way over, and had bickered a bit amongst themselves. While I understood this (they were tired, they were bummed to say goodbye to family and to Boardwalk), I also was suddenly in no hurry to return to it! This was quite lovely!
Justin was behind the counter and he summoned me over. He noted that at least I had missed the hurricane, wherein I noted right back at him much to the contrary. We discussed the status of others in the area, how Boardwalk had fared, how he personally had fared, etc. Seems many of the Disney CMs remained without power or electric very sad. Justin then informed me that while there was a courtyard view room ready for our use, if we were willing to wait, there would be others that we might prefer
I thought about this Hmmm. It would be nice to already have our room, to unload and know we have our place to go, at only 10 in the morning! We would be free to do as we choose! No phoning back in no asking, Can you house me now? like a broken record
On the other hand, a room more to our liking most likely could be translated as DTD view. The courtyard, for now, was mostly very young vegetation, a good portion of which were overturned, as I had noted earlier. I didnt want ground floor, either. How often would we get the chance for a DTD view, especially as this resort grows in size? We had already sacrificed view for the sake of convenience twice this trip why not take the plunge for the last few days?
I elected to wait it out, and Justin responded happily, Well then, I think you are gonna LIKE this and with a few click-clicks of the keyboard, it was a done deal. He gave me the usual little calling card, and handed me my packet of info, and out the door I went! DH fired up the van as he saw me approach. Apparently, Evan had been complaining in my absence his ear had begun to hurt, could he please have some pain reliever? Ear-ore was back at it in full force. We drove over to where I felt our villa would be. Now how, youre wondering, did I know? After all it wasnt ready yet. Well, I was the only one at the desk, if you recall. And Justin well, he was less than discreet as he penned a great big 1825 on a piece of paper while I waited. I swear I think he wanted me to see it. So we parked near our villa and I immediately medicated Evan with some Motrin for his pain. I was hoping that by mid-day, the pain might subside as that potent and pricey bottle of drops finally kicked in. In the meantime, the Motrin should be just about perfect, since it lasts for 4-6 hours. We walked around the villas area, and then decided to check out the pool.
On our way to the pool, we cut through the community hall, and Evan suddenly perked up. You can take a boy away from his video games for a week, but you cant take the love of video games outta the boy. He spotted the Playstation IIs and his eyes lit up he was home again. Ryan, amazingly, was more interested in seeing the pool, as was his sister. I told DH I would take the pool-seekers over to their mecca, then come back in a bit to swap places with DH in the event Evan wanted to stay inside for a while longer. With everything Evan had gone through, I felt that he deserved a little down time doing something he loved even if it was something I loathed. Ugh video games.
Caroline started to hyperventilate at the sight of the small slide. Will they let me keep my wife-jacket on? she asked tentatively. At Storm Along Bay, she had been allowed to use the jacket on the kiddie slide (but not the main slide). I could still see her sailing down the small slide into the water that first time at SAB, hollering loudly, Oh Lord, Save Me! Some folks find religion in church my dd finds it on the slide. At BW, however, they would not let her use the vest even though others have reported being told their child could. During our stay we watched and watched, but no lifevests were ever spotted descending the slide while we were there. So other than Blizzard Beach and SAB, she had remained fairly slideless throughout the trip. She had, by now, spotted the larger slide at SSR now and got VERY excited, asking, Oooohhh! What about THAT one Mommy? Her excitement turned wistful as she wondered again but what about the wife-jacket?
I approach a lifeguard, while Caroline stood beside me hoping and praying. Ryan impatiently waited at my other side. I pointed at the kiddie slide and asked the all-important question.
Me: Excuse me, but can kids wear wife er, I mean, LIFE - vests on the slide?
Lifeguard: Sure, for either one.
Me: Either one what you mean, either child?
Lifeguard: No maam Either SLIDE. Big or small.
Wow! Mommy, what did he say? she asks. I guess she had been too busy praying to hear the verdict. And when I tell her that shes allowed on BOTH slides well, she found not just religion that day, but pure nirvana. She must have used that larger slide 50 times consecutively before ever taking a rest. Ryan, on the other hand, tried it a few times and claimed it was lame compared to the other slides (BWV, SAB). (I can see already HE will be fun to bring to Disney in his teens.
) After about an hour, I decide DH needs a break, so I go to the Community Hall. Evan decides to come check out the pool for a while. We put in his bright orange ear protection plug, but honestly, he never needed it. Hes so cautious and careful, no water was ever going to come near that ear. I watch him maneuver around the pool, checking things out, kinda humming his own little tune as he goes along, and my heart just goes out to this kid. Hes in such an awkward age that in-betweener stage when youre a still a child, yet starting to set aside certain childish ways. I catch myself just watching him. Hes grown so much this year had I not noticed that before? I can almost if I squint a bit and imagine him a foot taller with a hint of facial hair see the teen he will soon become. A teen but this cant be! I can still remember his first trip to Disney at age 3, playing with him in the pool at OKW, hearing that gurgling toddler laugh, the kind that bubbles forth and pops sweetly in mid-air like soda in a glass. A teen in 4 years? Impossible. Where is my baby? Incredibly, however, I find that if I squint really hard, and simply imagine more pudge to the cheeks and belly, a bunchy diaper and a lot less teeth, I actually can see that little boy once more. Hes just hiding inside the near teen before me. Oh how I love that kid! All three of him.
Mom, what are you doing?
Ryan is now beside me, no doubt wondering why his mother is sitting here, misty-eyed, clutching at her heart through a damp bathing suit. He is ready to try out the Community Hall for himself, so he and Evan grab room keys and head back over. I love the closeness of Community Hall to the pool at SSR very convenient. And the CMs in the Community Hall and pool area are simply the best so very attentive and ready to insure our kids were having a blast!
I made a quick call to WDW-DINE to double check on our arrangements for the evening and insure that all were still in place, post-Charley. The CM I spoke with (and I HATE that I cant recall this guys name) was just awesome. He must not have had much going on (I guess the Cindys breakfast crush was over and he was just kickin back!) He spent a great deal of time just chatting with me. At first, when he heard me comment that we hadnt yet checked in, he too (like Justin) assumed we had missed the hurricane of the prior week. There is a certain comradery among those who experience such events together, as again I was asked to recount my experiences as he shared his. Finally we got down to the task of checking on my ressies. He mentioned that it was too bad that the hurricane had messed up some of our plans, and I laughed and said a rainy day albeit one with 100 mph winds at Disney still beat a sunny day at home, hands down! I briefly recounted to him the story of our anniversary #13 and how it ended with leftovers and appliance installation, so for #14, bring it on we can handle it! We're in DISNEY! I did tell him that I was really looking forward to tonight, however, because no one in my family knew anything about it it was my special surprise for them all, and especially for DH. He laughed about our 13th anniversary gone-wrong story and then graciously double-checked our dinner ressies, and made a dinner ressie for us for later in the week at Rainforest Cafe in AK. It was one of those phone calls where, once the business is done, you almost hate to part company! But finally, with a Good-bye and Have a Magical Day!, we did.
Evan had begun to complain about ear pain again, and I needed to fetch his meds from the cooler in the car. I left dd in the care of DH and walked back to our car. I made a few phone calls to see if our room was ready, but no dice. Its now 1 pm and Im really hoping the view would be worth the climb (or in this case the wait). I grabbed the meds and some chow/cold drinks out of our cooler. We had eaten a late breakfast, but no doubt the kids had to be feeling hungry by now. I was personally not hungry, but was feeling a tad lazy, so I grabbed the bus back to the front of SSR. Buses at SSR seemed amazingly available seemed there was ALWAYS one at the bus stop, which meant there was ALWAYS a ride waiting to whisk you back to the front of the resort! How nice!
I went to the Artists Palette to grab some bread and cereal those were the only 2 items we were low on for the days ahead. At the pool, we made sandwiches and ate snacks, after which they started up some fun pool-side games. Caroline participated in the hula-hoop contest and the CM gave her a medal (she won for Shortest hula-hooper). Caroline and I also did the Horse Races, wherein she rode on my back as I tried to run (along with all the other equine parents!) across the pool and back. Rich and she did the water balloon toss, which our boys also participated in. There was also a cannonball contest, wherein they drafted parents to give scores (this was meant to be like the Olympics, which were in progress during our stay). Evan did not participate in this (due to his ear) and Ryan therefore opted out as well. Caroline, by this time, was Olympic-ed out, I guess! The kids were content to just sit and watch the others participate. It was a fun afternoon. By this time, it was 4 pm. I made another call about the room and at sweet, sweet last, it was ready. We gathered up our things and headed for the villa: #1825.
Arriving at the villa, we were pleased to find it was top floor and very close to the elevator. We opened the door and the first thing we all said in unison was:
What is that SMELL?!?!
At first I reasoned that it was new carpet after all, SSR is a very new resort, and this building had only been open for a month or so. But upon inspection, I realized the real culprit: the oven. Apparently, whoever had the villa before us was a real piggie, because they had initiated the self-cleaning mode on the oven and that baby was still VERY HOT. I set up sort of a blockade so that the kids wouldnt go near it. I warned the kids, too, which of course was a mistake, because while Evan immediately backed up and wouldnt go within ten feet of the kitchen (accessing database: Stove=HOT! Stove=HOT! Alert! Alert!), Ryan on the other hand is one of these feeling is believing, I must take personal inventory of the situation types. And his sister is cut from the same cloth, only worse: her mantra was, I shouldnt, therefore I shall; I cant, therefore I can. A woman of defiance, that one is. So while I spent my next few minutes thwarting off would-be intruders to the Oven of Doom, DH continued unloading our van into our new digs.
Once we got settled and the oven cooled down to non-instant-flesh-wound temperatures, I informed my crew that I had a surprise for them all. I laid out their clothing and set about getting myself dressed for the evening. DH got incredibly nervous he didnt like the idea of me holding all the knowledge (why this suddenly bothered him NOW, at this point in the trip, Ill never know!) Dressed and ready to go, he looked at the kids in their shorts and tees, then at me in a nice skirt and top, and himself similarly nicely dressed and said, Are you SURE you put us all into the RIGHT clothes? I think he was hoping that Id say No and hand him a t-shirt and shorts.
We hopped in our now-spacious van and DH said, Well, are you gonna drive, or will you at least give me directions? I instructed him turn for turn until we approached the Swan/Dolphin. The kids were now edgy, and Evan was insistent on knowing what his future held in store for him.
Kids I announced, tonight, you are all headed to Camp Dolphin!
Caroline immediately yelled, Yay!, Ryan made a What the Heck? face, and Evan just groaned. Uggggh! But I HATE seafood! he wailed. Ever my Eeyore.
No, no, no, I laughed, Camp Dolphin is NOT about eating seafood! I then informed the kids, in a rousing, fact-filled, almost military-fashion, of exactly what their night would consist.
At exactly eighteen hundred hours thats 6 oclock -- you will enter the illustrious Camp Dolphin, wherein you will enjoy arts and crafts, and play Playstation II in the company of other vertically-challenged young humans such as yourselves. At nineteen hundred hours you will proceed to Tubbis Buffeteria, wherein you shall feast on such kid-friendly cuisine favorites as pizza, hot dogs, and lest we forget, The Chicken Nugget. Thirty minutes later you will be led to the Video Game Arcade, wherein you will be handed tokens and actually allowed to play -- yes, PLAY, not just push buttons and pretend the forementioned video entertainment games until your parental units that would be me and Dad come to escort you out.
I tried to get out the words This is your mission do you choose to accept? but the kids were too busy cheering wildly in the back of the van to ever hear me. I wondered if Caroline even had any idea why she was cheering. DH, however, broke the rejoicing with his question, But what about us? Evan paused cheering long enough to ponder this and said suspectingly, Heyyyyy are you two gonna have an anniversary dinner without us?
Half-wincing out of fear they might be upset at being ditched, I said softly, Yes . Is that o.k.?
Woo-hooo! came back the response, followed by the chant, and we dont hafta go-oh! We dont hafta go-oh! Whew! DH still didnt know WHERE we were going, and I thought it best to just leave it that way for now.
Parking at the Dolphin was confusing, to say the least; we werent sure where to park, as the spaces all seemed to have numbers were the numbers there for convenience in recalling where you parked, or for assignment such that trespassers would be prosecuted or towed? DH finally chose an empty section somewhere over in Egypt and parked in it. It would be a hike to the Dolphin lobby, but who goes to Disney and doesnt expect to get their fair share of walking in, anyway? As were walking along, Evan begins to complain about his ear. We enter the Dolphin lobby and the kids are truly impressed with this place. I think the awe and splendor factor is something they dont get as much in the DVC accommodations there is just something about a huge, tall, brass-n-glass hotel that makes a kid go Ooooo! We located a small shop and I proceeded to search for Tylenol. I didnt want anything too strong; after all, that antibiotic should be kicking in any ol time now, right? The only thing I could find, however, were some Childrens Chewable Tylenol tablets. I grabbed that, and a tube of hydrocortisone. Evan had an itchy patch on his cheek most likely also due to all the swimming of the week prior and sun. I wanted to put a dab of cream on it tonight before bed.
We exited the shop and I scanned the label on the Tylenol. Whoa poor in-betweener Evan would need to scarf down FIVE of these suckers? Could that be right? I made DH look at the label, just to be certain; my eyes arent what they used to be. Yep he needs five, alrighty. So Evan chews up five and we arrive at Camp Dolphin. Registration was simple and fast. As soon as we walked in the door, the kids immediately took a seat at the table they had paints and little airplanes to decorate. That was all Caroline needed to see to be SOLD on the place! It appeared they would have at least 6 or 7 kids there that night. They asked where DH and I would be, and I responded Shulas. There I said it. But DH is no DIS-er, no Disney researcher he was as in the dark as ever before. The Camp Dolphin staff reminded me that we would receive 2 hours of complimentary childcare, all we needed to do is bring our meal receipt back with us. (Oh honey, I felt like saying, you dont need to remind me of THAT! 3 kids -- for 2 hours? Complimentary? While DH and I enjoy a meal together alone just us? Thats the best deal to be found around Disney, if you ask me!) The Camp Dolphin staff then told us to be SURE to order the souffle for dessert, and to enjoy ourselves! Again, no need to remind me of that last part, either, but thanks just the same!
Shulas was mostly as it had been described to me, only a bit darker. Actually, make that a lot darker I had no idea it would be THAT dark! But I wasnt complaining, either. Theres something soothing about the shadows of night after days spent in the sun especially if its the Florida sun. The server led us to our table in a quiet nook of the restaurant, and passed Rich the football with the menu on it. Shulas, as I explained to him, stands for Don Shula, of Miami Dolphin notoriety. DH isnt a Dolphins fan, but as an avid sportsman, he could still appreciate the ambiance. (This is a man who will watch tiddlywinks so long as its on ESPN if its a sport, hes there.)
One look around Shulas told you we had arrived at the perfect restaurant blend for us: A sports motif, yet fine dining atmosphere. Meat and potato, yet elegantly prepared. Simple fare, yet with a flourish that was us to a tee! Our server was excellent at helping choose from the offerings; she strongly recommended splitting things to allow more variety in our meal without getting ourselves into more food than we could ever eat. DH and I selected a barbequed shrimp appetizer to share, and the size of the shrimp made it the perfect amount when split between us. The Caesar salad we also split, and boy were we glad! Even on separate plates, it was MORE than ample. It was as big or bigger than unsplit orders Ive received at most restaurants! And so fresh and delicious, too. They let DH order the Twice-Baked potato sans onions that sold him on the place right there! DH ordered the Cowboy cut ribeye, and I debated on the prime rib or the filet, finally opting for the prime rib. Man, I should have stuck with the filet because the prime rib was just too dang big. My DH found it funny that they brought a flashlight to your table so you could inspect the doneness of your meat. During our meal, a man sort of hovered near our table, occasionally dropping by to scrape up our crumbs. We found this amusing, although we felt bad for him just standing there most of the night. Should we be messier just to give him a purpose in life? And what WAS that little gadget he was using as his Official Crumb Scraper? Do they sell such a thing? Its the Ronco Crumb Scraper, not available in stores! Every time he came over, I was mesmerized by it. It looked a lot like a sterling silver version of the spatulas we use in the lab at work Ugh, WORK! On vacation! Must not go there! Even if only in my mind! Stop looking at the Crumb Scraper! So I focused instead on the poor lobster, lying on the cart they take to the tables as a demo of their offerings. The cart was, for now, parked against the wall behind me. I wondered aloud to DH if he thought the lobster was glad DH hadnt ordered HIM for dinner. DH had a different perspective he thought the lobster seemed to hold a grudge against DH; he wanted out of his misery and looked to my hubby as his Kevorkian agent of rescue. We tried not to look at the lobster again, but occasionally, I believe I did feel his steely shellfish gaze fixated on us. All I could think of was a line I had read here on the DIS about Shulas: hes a Dead Lobster Walkin. Now I know the real reason its so very dark in Shulas so you dont have to make eye contact with your potential dinner!
After our meal, the server came and poured coffee and said in a very thick accent, You celebrate anniversary tonight! Congratulations! I thanked him, and after I interpreted back to a questioning DH exactly what the server had said to us, he commented, Ohhh So you told them on the reservation that it was our anniversary? I was very puzzled and admitted to DH that no, thats why I looked confused because I hadnt made a note of it at all. I hadnt even mentioned it when I made the reservation about 2 months ago. After all, Im a bit of a purist and believe you celebrate the event on the day it happened, if at all possible. And we had a lovely anniversary meal at Ohana, on the day of our anniversary, so why would we repeat the event now? If anything, this meal represented Mothers Day, because back in May, DH and the kids had given me their own homemade version of Disney Dollars to spend as I saw fit on our trip. They had assumed I would want a spa treatment at SSR, perhaps a massage. I admitted to DH that I had thought about using their gift on something personal such as that, but in the end, I could technically get a massage anywhere. But the chance to spend time alone with him and reconnect, just the two of us well, that was VERY rare (and precious!) indeed and therefore worth far, far more. The fact that it included a fun night for the kids was icing on the cake. And so there we were; how the staff knew about our anniversary was a mystery.
Another server brought out the soufflé, and congratulated us as well. Boy were we glad we had saved some room in our stomachs, because this looked DELICIOUS. And the taste did not disappoint in the least! DH is not a huge lover of rich chocolate desserts, but this was very light, and the cream (real, poured on top, and ice, as in vanilla, served on the side) gave the dish enough balance that he thoroughly enjoyed it, too. We actually polished this baby off!
We were congratulated on our anniversary a few more times, and as DH went to pay the bill, he noted that they never charged us for our soufflé. We learned this was a gift in honor of the occasion. We still hadnt figured out how they knew I had kept the plans a secret, so no one in my family would have called to tell them. How had they known? In the end, I could only come up with one answer the guy I had spoken with that day at WDW DINE. As he had checked our ressies and I commented on our anniversary, he had done some extra clicking and made sure Shulas had our phone number correct and such. Now perhaps thats exactly what he was doing just double-checking our ressie -- but we like to think he was our bit of magic, who flagged our meal as an anniversary. In any case (whoever is responsible!) and also to the wonderful staff of Shulas we send a very fond Thank You! for the Pixie Dust and a wonderful meal! (And to you, Monsieur Lobster our deepest condolences.)
We left Shulas very fat and happy. We found our kids roaming around the arcade with the rest of the Camp Dolphin crew. Caroline is just not a woman to be trusted with money, however. She immediately began pumping machines ANY machine with tokens. Many of these required that you actually take the time to KNOW HOW TO PLAY THE GAME. Caroline didnt care she saw a slot, she filled it with a token. By the time you would realize what she had done, it was Game Over. Needless to add, she was VERY upset when all her tokens were gone, and the boys still had some. It took us a while to get the boys to use up their tokens so we could leave. We collected their artwork from the Camp Dolphin room and signed off on the papers. The staff was very pleasant. One attendant noted that our dd is quite the umm, emotional child? (I believe the term she was searching for is DRAMA QUEEN. Thats Capital D, R-A-M-A ) Apparently Caroline had a melt-down at one point in the night over the dinner. They were having a picnic and she spilled something on the blanket they were sitting on. Before they could tell her it was o.k. and mop it up, she went nuclear. Thats so very Caroline to react in anticipation that someone might possibly be upset with her. Somewhere along the line she has decided: When in doubt, make a scene, someone will take pity on your pour lil soul! We tipped the Camp Dolphin staff for their services; after all, we had gotten free childcare for 2 hours times 3 kids why not share the joy?
We left the Dolphin resort quite satisfied; I would gladly return there (and Shulas!) again.
Tylenol for your sons swimmers ear: $5.25.
Tip for Camp Dolphin staff providing childcare: $15
Steak dinner for 2 at Shulas: $136.50
Sharing a meal alone with your spouse while your kids have a supervised grand ol time elsewhere: Priceless.
We browsed around the Dolphin briefly and then finally headed to our car. We gassed up the van, since all the gas stations had been backed up with traffic or literally out of gas over the weekend, thanks to Charley. As we neared SSR, Evan began experiencing more ear pain. Nearly 4 hours had now passed since his last round of Tylenol, so I passed 5 more tablets back his way. Chomp, chomp chomp on the little pink dots he was starting to resemble Pac-Man. We arrived in our villa and I got the kids into pajamas. Next thing I knew, however, those little rascals had climbed in our king sized bed and hogged it for themselves! Caroline had, in fact, already drifted off to sleep, still clutching her toothbrush. I let them watch some Disney programming for a bit, put the pricey ear drops into Evans head, then turned out the lights; they were soon all snoozing hard.
I guess I havent mentioned our villa much, and it definitely deserves quite honorable mention! Because Justin was right the view (especially at night) from this room is WONDERFUL. Standing on the balcony, our room looked out over the quiet pool and landscaping that surrounds it. Beyond that was the lake, and beyond THAT, were the dancing multi-colored lights of Downtown Disney. Ahhh. It was simply beautiful. Inside the villa, DH and I were equally pleased. I had feared that the decor might seem too much like goin to Grandmas with the dark antique-like woods and color scheme, but it was very classy and homey at the same time. I loved the color of the kitchen counters a dark marble gray. Very sharp looking, and yet practical for use (marble or speckled counter tops are great for hiding any splotches or crumbs!) About the only thing that baffled us were the bathrooms. What was with all those doors? And it seemed they were always in the way of each other! I liked the way the toilet had its own little room. As a mom, I never get a moments peace, and it sure beat that feeling that any ol moment, someone was going to open the door and see me in my least flattering pose, such as I felt at the BWV. I did not care for the angle of the shower at SSR, however. If someone opened the door in there while you were showering, well heeeellloooo there ya are, in all yer glory, front and center! Trust me, I know I nearly scarred my son Ryan for life, had it not been for a quick grab of a handy towel! And the door that opens there doesnt lock folks out it locks you, the showeree, IN. In order to lock all possible poachers out of the bathroom, you must lock the master bedroom AND the door to the laundry / dining area. Dont even bother with the other door- its useless to you! The bathroom had motion-sensitive fans which detonated every time I walked in the bedroom or went as near as the washer / dryer. Weird, yes, but not so loud that it bothered us. I love the oval table in the dining area, too. I have decided DVC should ditch those round tables in VWL and BWV the oval is so much nicer, especially for our family of 5.
So as our trio slept soundly in the king bed, I quietly made my way into the living room area where DH had set up the sleeper sofa for us. Big surprise here it was COMFY! Better than the king bed, I thought! And it was actually long enough, even for my 62 DH (who hates a bed that constricts his feet or leaves him hanging off the edge!) It is made out of some sort of foam, not those cheesy thin spring mattresses used in the other DVC resorts. This, I decide, I LIKE! Shhhh dont tell the kids well keep this as our secret! Let em have the big bed! DH and I felt like we had the best room in the house, and best of all, we get a bed all to ourselves no kickers, thrashers, or limb-throwers in here with us tonight! (Well, ok, DH does get kinda reckless in his sleep sometimes and does that knee-jerk thing which can be VERY annoying, but after 14 years and 5 days, Ive learned to live with it!)
And so we end Day 10 in deep slumber, with the soft, happy lights of DTD casting their glow upon us from the distance.
CLICK HERE FOR THE ELEVENTH DAY...
Divide, Conquer, and Buy More Drugs!
I'm especially interested in your thoughts on SSR. We're headed down in Nov. and our DD and her roommate have chosen SSR as their home for the week (DH and I will be staying @ VWL).
Is this for all restaurants at the Dolphin or just Shula's?
I hope this is the last of Ear-ore. Thats gotta hurt!! That was probably one of the worst things that happens at Disney that the staff cant control. Poor little guy! 
