Debz
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Aug 18, 1999
- Messages
- 25
Cast of characters:
DH-just turned 40, loves Disney, leaves the planning to me.
Me, DW 36, Disney fanatic, obsessive planner, must have magic every moment!
Hotels: The Beach Club/ Polynesian
After leaving last minute instructions for the dog sitter we were off. We had great flights into Jacksonville and spent 2 wonderful days with my in-laws. Finally we were off to Orlando. BIL and SIL were driving us and spending the night at the Courtyard Marriott at Downtown Disney so they could do some of the parks with us. They picked up annual passes while there, gotta love that Florida resident discount. We went to their hotel first and checked them in. We then headed to the Beach Club.
This was our first stay at a Disney deluxe hotel. We had been to the Beach Club before to eat at Cape May and we really loved the atmosphere. It was such a special feeling to be able to say here. Our room wouldnt be ready until 3pm. The woman checking us in said that we would have a ground floor room, which I wasnt too crazy about, until she showed me where it was. It was located at the base of the bridge to the International gateway. It was on the outer edge of the hotel. Our patio faced Epcot. Location is so important when you have tired feet! I couldnt believe our luck. I gladly accepted the room. It was room number 1516. We stored our luggage with Bell Services and decided to head to the Magic Kingdom.
The bus to the MK arrived just as we got to the bus stop. We were finally on our way, except the bus drive drove a whopping 20-mph! I was getting so frustrated. I couldnt believe how slowly he was driving. I was so anxious to get there and it felt like an eternity. The driver introduced himself and stated I guess you can tell by now Im no speed demon boy that was for sure. He turned out to be really nice though. He asked if anyone had a birthday recently. My husband quickly raised his hand (hes not shy at all). The driver asked him his name and asked everyone to sing happy birthday to him. It turned out to be a really nice moment and I felt really guilty about being upset with his driving.
We finally made it to the MK. I immediately soaked up all of the sights and sounds. The ever-present music, the sound of the train whistle, the excitement of the children and the security check point! Boy what a bummer. Who would have thought that we would have to be searched to enter WDW? The checkpoint wasnt so bad and we were finally in. We walked slowly up Main St. and just took it all in. Its always and emotional moment for me. I suddenly get so much energy and excitement I feel like a kid again. It was a beautiful sunny day and the castle was looking majestic and bright. The crowds seemed to be low for a Monday. It doesnt get any better than this! To top it off I found out the park would be open until 8pm all week. I thought it would be closing at 6pm. This gave us more time to enjoy it and to see Fantasy in the Sky.
We decided to head to Tomorrowland first. We were going to do some of the things we had skipped the last few trips. The first thing was Alien Encounter. Its my BILs favorite. Ive done it once and couldnt really follow what was happening. I paid better attention and followed it much better. I liked it better now that I understood it. I dont think its for small children though. My husband was scared! Next we did Space Mountain, my all time favorite. It was a walk on. There was no line at all. Pretty cool!
That ride never disappoints!
We hoofed it over to Fantasyland (boy I miss that skyway tram) and walked on to Snow White. Everything else in Fantasyland was a 20-30 minute wait so we decided to do them another time with fast pass. We had to check out the Hall of Presidents, they were welcoming George Bush. He looked very much like the real George. We tried the HM but it was a 30-minute wait, in the sun. It was really heating up and we decided to wait on this one too.
Over to Frontierland and did Splash Mountain only a 10 minute wait. We did it twice in a row. I dont like heights so this one is tough for me. My BIL loves it though and was trying to get me to conquer my fears. I was pretty proud of myself doing it twice in a row. Ive wanted to buy the picture for years to show everyone how brave I am. Unfortunately, all you see of me in the pic is the top of my head and my hands in a death grip on the safety bar! Oh well, we wouldnt be buying these pictures either. I really love the ride though. I always leave singing howdoyadoo gotta be movin along and zipadeedoodah.
After a quick ride on Pirates (another favorite of ours) we decided to head over to the Beach Club and check out our room. The bus was waiting with a driver that drove the speed limit. Now our room was in a great location by Epcot, but it was quite a walk to the lobby. It was more important to us to be close to Epcot rather than the Lobby anyway. The room definitely needs to be renovated. There was peeling paint on the bathroom ceiling, the tile is showing some age, the shower curtain was ripped and there were a few stains on the carpet. It wasnt horrible, but Im glad theyre going to renovate soon. I liked our location too much to move to another room. The mousekeeper eventually replaced the shower curtain.
After quick showers were we off to meet BIL and SIL at Ohanas for dinner. We all ate there a few years ago and it quickly became our favorite. If youve never eaten there before its all you can eat. They bring you skewers of grilled shrimp, pork, steak and turkey. They also give you starters like salads, chicken wings, rice and little wontons filled with veggies. They finish off the meal with pineapple and caramel dipping sauce. The food was delicious and the atmosphere is a lot of fun. They gave us a table by the window facing the MK. At 8pm they dimmed the lights and we were treated to music and fireworks. We had a nice view of the castle. It was an unexpected thrill for us. The meal was delicious. We all waddled out of there that night. It was the end of a perfect day. After a stroll around the Boardwalk we turned in. Tomorrow is Animal Kingdom.
DH-just turned 40, loves Disney, leaves the planning to me.
Me, DW 36, Disney fanatic, obsessive planner, must have magic every moment!
Hotels: The Beach Club/ Polynesian
After leaving last minute instructions for the dog sitter we were off. We had great flights into Jacksonville and spent 2 wonderful days with my in-laws. Finally we were off to Orlando. BIL and SIL were driving us and spending the night at the Courtyard Marriott at Downtown Disney so they could do some of the parks with us. They picked up annual passes while there, gotta love that Florida resident discount. We went to their hotel first and checked them in. We then headed to the Beach Club.
This was our first stay at a Disney deluxe hotel. We had been to the Beach Club before to eat at Cape May and we really loved the atmosphere. It was such a special feeling to be able to say here. Our room wouldnt be ready until 3pm. The woman checking us in said that we would have a ground floor room, which I wasnt too crazy about, until she showed me where it was. It was located at the base of the bridge to the International gateway. It was on the outer edge of the hotel. Our patio faced Epcot. Location is so important when you have tired feet! I couldnt believe our luck. I gladly accepted the room. It was room number 1516. We stored our luggage with Bell Services and decided to head to the Magic Kingdom.
The bus to the MK arrived just as we got to the bus stop. We were finally on our way, except the bus drive drove a whopping 20-mph! I was getting so frustrated. I couldnt believe how slowly he was driving. I was so anxious to get there and it felt like an eternity. The driver introduced himself and stated I guess you can tell by now Im no speed demon boy that was for sure. He turned out to be really nice though. He asked if anyone had a birthday recently. My husband quickly raised his hand (hes not shy at all). The driver asked him his name and asked everyone to sing happy birthday to him. It turned out to be a really nice moment and I felt really guilty about being upset with his driving.
We finally made it to the MK. I immediately soaked up all of the sights and sounds. The ever-present music, the sound of the train whistle, the excitement of the children and the security check point! Boy what a bummer. Who would have thought that we would have to be searched to enter WDW? The checkpoint wasnt so bad and we were finally in. We walked slowly up Main St. and just took it all in. Its always and emotional moment for me. I suddenly get so much energy and excitement I feel like a kid again. It was a beautiful sunny day and the castle was looking majestic and bright. The crowds seemed to be low for a Monday. It doesnt get any better than this! To top it off I found out the park would be open until 8pm all week. I thought it would be closing at 6pm. This gave us more time to enjoy it and to see Fantasy in the Sky.
We decided to head to Tomorrowland first. We were going to do some of the things we had skipped the last few trips. The first thing was Alien Encounter. Its my BILs favorite. Ive done it once and couldnt really follow what was happening. I paid better attention and followed it much better. I liked it better now that I understood it. I dont think its for small children though. My husband was scared! Next we did Space Mountain, my all time favorite. It was a walk on. There was no line at all. Pretty cool!
That ride never disappoints!
We hoofed it over to Fantasyland (boy I miss that skyway tram) and walked on to Snow White. Everything else in Fantasyland was a 20-30 minute wait so we decided to do them another time with fast pass. We had to check out the Hall of Presidents, they were welcoming George Bush. He looked very much like the real George. We tried the HM but it was a 30-minute wait, in the sun. It was really heating up and we decided to wait on this one too.
Over to Frontierland and did Splash Mountain only a 10 minute wait. We did it twice in a row. I dont like heights so this one is tough for me. My BIL loves it though and was trying to get me to conquer my fears. I was pretty proud of myself doing it twice in a row. Ive wanted to buy the picture for years to show everyone how brave I am. Unfortunately, all you see of me in the pic is the top of my head and my hands in a death grip on the safety bar! Oh well, we wouldnt be buying these pictures either. I really love the ride though. I always leave singing howdoyadoo gotta be movin along and zipadeedoodah.
After a quick ride on Pirates (another favorite of ours) we decided to head over to the Beach Club and check out our room. The bus was waiting with a driver that drove the speed limit. Now our room was in a great location by Epcot, but it was quite a walk to the lobby. It was more important to us to be close to Epcot rather than the Lobby anyway. The room definitely needs to be renovated. There was peeling paint on the bathroom ceiling, the tile is showing some age, the shower curtain was ripped and there were a few stains on the carpet. It wasnt horrible, but Im glad theyre going to renovate soon. I liked our location too much to move to another room. The mousekeeper eventually replaced the shower curtain.
After quick showers were we off to meet BIL and SIL at Ohanas for dinner. We all ate there a few years ago and it quickly became our favorite. If youve never eaten there before its all you can eat. They bring you skewers of grilled shrimp, pork, steak and turkey. They also give you starters like salads, chicken wings, rice and little wontons filled with veggies. They finish off the meal with pineapple and caramel dipping sauce. The food was delicious and the atmosphere is a lot of fun. They gave us a table by the window facing the MK. At 8pm they dimmed the lights and we were treated to music and fireworks. We had a nice view of the castle. It was an unexpected thrill for us. The meal was delicious. We all waddled out of there that night. It was the end of a perfect day. After a stroll around the Boardwalk we turned in. Tomorrow is Animal Kingdom.
