Show No Fear! DIS Exclusive Viva Italia+DLP TR Sept 2014*COMPLETE* New TR link added 7/3

[khertz]

Day 5 Continued: Friday September 19th

Once we got our room assignment, we headed up to check it out and wait for our bags so we could get freshened up for dinner. This was by far my favorite hotel that we stayed in while in Italy! It was absolutely beautiful, and modern. It was also the biggest room that we had during our Viva.

05-174 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


05-176 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


05-177 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

We waited awhile, but our bags still hadn’t arrived. One downside to this hotel was that the free wifi was only available in common areas. It was a charge inside the room. We didn’t want to pay since we knew we wouldn’t be in the room a lot, but we did want to Skype with DS so since we were just sitting around, we went down to the lobby to use the wifi and Skype. It wasn’t the best connection, but it served its purpose.

IMG_0862 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
No, he’s not flipping us off, he was showing us a bug bite on his finger, but it was an opportune time for DH to take a screenshot! ​

Then we went back up to the room and the luggage still wasn’t there. We didn’t get ours until 6:45 or so and we had to meet in the lobby at 7:10 to go to dinner, so we didn’t have time to shower beforehand. When we were headed to the elevator, we ran into Jim & Linda, who had gotten water in their room from the storm! They had taken it in stride though, and didn’t seem to be letting it bother them.

Once everyone was downstairs, we split up into smaller groups to ride to the restaurant in mini vans. DH and I were riding with Jean & Rosemary, and either Kathy or Karen (maybe even both??) and they were talking about how they had seen some men in Orvieto dressed in a business suit and loafers with bright white socks and were laughing about it. Suddenly our driver, who hadn’t said a word the whole time, said, “He was French!” when he heard their description! We all got a good laugh out of that. Then, once we realized he spoke English we started asking about the ice storm, and he told us that the temperature had suddenly dropped something like 30 degrees in just a few minutes and how this only happens once every 20 years! He even had a video on his phone that he showed us. It was pretty crazy!

Finally, we got to the Piazza Santa Croce where the restaurant was.

05-179 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


05-180 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

When we had all congregated outside of the vans, Dusty said since a few people had gotten water in their rooms that needed to be cleaned up, and because our luggage had taken so long to get to the room while the hotel staff was cleaning up the mess from the storm, Disney would cover our in-room wifi for our stay in Florence! That was really nice of them, especially considering that I doubt anyone had complained about either issue. We were all pretty understanding.

We headed into the restaurant, Casa Toscana, where the guides let us know there would be a wine tasting, and also an Italian soda tasting for anyone who didn’t want wine.

05-181 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


05-182 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
The wine, and also our appetizer platters.


05-184 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

The guides passed around the appetizer platters to each table for us to share. It had peanuts, chips, salad, meats, cheeses, and fruit. We also had bread to share, which the guides told us may taste a little different and they asked us to see if we could figure out why. I don’t think anyone guessed correctly but it’s because they don’t use salt in their bread in Tuscany. It goes back to an old rivalry between Florence and Pisa when the Pisan army was blocking shipments of salt into Florence in an attempt to get them to surrender. The Florentines, instead, just decided to stop using salt in their cooking! It came back into other recipes, but their bread is still salt-free.

05-186 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


05-187 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


05-188 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

DH tried the wines, but since I’m not a drinker, I just stuck with water. Lesley did ask for a bottle of Italian soda, and she tried it but it wasn’t her favorite. Some kind of way, DH showed interest and she let him try hers. He liked it so much she let him have it! Lol I tried it and wasn’t impressed either.

05-189 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


05-190 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

Then the main courses came. DH got chicken, which was a bit strange. Every person who ordered the chicken said there was one piece that was so tender and delicious, but the other piece tasted weird. I tried it, and he was right! It had a strange rubbery taste to it, almost like it wasn’t even really chicken.

05-191 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

I got the beef with potatoes, which was good but a little too rare for me in the middle. The potatoes, however, were fantastic!

05-192 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

Then came the best course, dessert! This was probably my favorite dessert that we had over the entire trip, and my mouth is watering right now just thinking about it. It was a dark chocolate and pear tart.

05-193 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


05-194 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

So good, it deserves two photos!!


Continued in next post...

 

[khertz]

Day 5 Continued: Friday September 19th

We got back in the vans and headed back to the hotel. I was exhausted, so I got ready for bed, but DH was only just beginning his night! He decided to go out for some nighttime photography around Florence with Pete, Dustin & Mike. He didn’t get back in the room until 12:30 am!

05-195 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
Back at Santa Croce


05-196 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
The Ponte Vecchio, stretching over the Arno River


05-199 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


05-201 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


05-202 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


05-204 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
The Duomo


05-205 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


05-210 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


05-211 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


05-212 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


05-213 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


05-214 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


05-218 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


05-220 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
Not that this is a pretty building, but they did stop in here for a beer! Lol


05-222 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


05-224 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

UP NEXT: Firenze!

 

[k5jm]

Day 5 Continued:


05-214 by disneymom1024, on Flickr

The whole "hearse car show" was really weird to stumble on at 11:30pm at night. I think all 4 of us were ready for a beverage at that point. It was pretty cool though. We did not expect to see that! That was definitely a great late night photowalk! So much fun!!

 

[carpenta]

We stayed in the Westin Excelsior when we went to Florence and loved the location. I'm sure you went up to the roof for some remarkable pictures. Our room windows opened up to view the Duomo. A memory I will never forget. The staff was so friendly there and at breakfast the head waiter and the omelette cook really was nice to talk with. Perfect place to stay in Florence right? loved the night photos.

 

[k5jm]

We stayed in the Westin Excelsior when we went to Florence and loved the location. I'm sure you went up to the roof for some remarkable pictures. Our room windows opened up to view the Duomo. A memory I will never forget. The staff was so friendly there and at breakfast the head waiter and the omelette cook really was nice to talk with. Perfect place to stay in Florence right? loved the night photos.

...and the heavenly beds! Thank God, for the heavenly beds!!

 

[khertz]

The whole "hearse car show" was really weird to stumble on at 11:30pm at night. I think all 4 of us were ready for a beverage at that point. It was pretty cool though. We did not expect to see that! That was definitely a great late night photowalk! So much fun!!

Thanks for sharing the pic, Mike! I'm glad y'all had such a good night out. Florence is a beautiful city at night.

We stayed in the Westin Excelsior when we went to Florence and loved the location. I'm sure you went up to the roof for some remarkable pictures. Our room windows opened up to view the Duomo. A memory I will never forget. The staff was so friendly there and at breakfast the head waiter and the omelette cook really was nice to talk with. Perfect place to stay in Florence right? loved the night photos.

It was such a great location. Unfortunately, our room looked into the central courtyard so we didn't have a view of the city. But it was totally okay because it was the most comfortable room of the trip.

...and the heavenly beds! Thank God, for the heavenly beds!!

Were they ever!!! Between the bed and the blackout window coverings, it was super hard to get out of bed every morning when the alarm went off.

 

[missangelalexis]

Wow, gorgeous panoramic shots. What a view!!

That hail is nuts! Sounds like it was a crazy storm.

The hotel looks beautiful. And that was nice of them to offer you all free in-room wifi.

A soda tasting?! That sounds up my alley! haha

Beautiful nighttime shots

 

[afwdwfan]

That's nice that they set up some extra time in Florence. Much better than getting a few hours to rush through the city... especially if you were in the group that got hit with the hail storm!!

I'm glad that you clarified what was going on with that Skype call, because when I saw that picture...

I'm sorry that dinner wasn't so great. I mean, I guess you didn't really have much bad to say about it except for the comments about the meats. But by this point in the trip the bar has been set exceptionally high! Was Beverly one of the sodas they had available???

05-202 by disneymom1024, on Flickr

Is it just me or did Florence steal the idea of the refurb façade from Disney World? Or was it the other way around...

 

[sayhello]

That bronze copy of the David is just a pale imitation, isn't it?

Every time I read "Piazza di Santa Croce" I have to laugh to myself. That's where I was trying to get back to when I got lost in Florence. I'll never forget the relief when I finally saw the sign for it!

That hotel looks wonderful! How nice.

I had seen the reports on facebook from Mike & some others on the trip about that hail storm! Crazy! That was some serious hail!!!

And I am thoroughly jealous of the boys' nighttime photo jaunt. Florence looks like it's AMAZING at night!

Sayhello

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Love the panoramic shots of Florence from you stop and my goodness that is a lot of hail! Crazy all the damage they did but glad it seems like it got taken care of and didn't put people out too much

Wow, a sex scene and a middle finger shot! Best Trip Report ever!

Bummer about the food not being better - definitely seems odd if one piece of chicken was ok but not the other. Glad you enjoyed your potatoes and that the dessert made up for things though

Those are some great night-time shots ... and those are some serious photographers! I would have had an inferiority complex if I went there with my little point and shoot

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Um, I probably would have been upset as well if they turned Frozen off. Why am I not tired of it yet?

Wow, that would be awful to be part of that hail storm. I guess you were the lucky ones. Wow.

Oh Score on the hotel accommodations. WOW, you really did pick the right tour.

Goodness that hotel and room is stunning. And hardwood floors!!! But I will add that I think it's such a cash grab to charge for internet access in this day. And then Disney to the rescue!!

Wow, you know, you can actually even see the difference in the two pieces of chicken. Weird.

 

[KathyTX]

The hail was such a weird and unusual thing. It did a lot of damage in Florence, but that was just before we arrived. The hail will make another freak appearance in the upcoming Venice accounts, and this time we'll be right in the middle of it!

I loved the Florence hotel. And Pete was SOOOO happy to find American style coffee there!

 

[sayhello]

The hail was such a weird and unusual thing. It did a lot of damage in Florence, but that was just before we arrived. The hail will make another freak appearance in the upcoming Venice accounts, and this time we'll be right in the middle of it!

Waiting for more hail!

I loved the Florence hotel. And Pete was SOOOO happy to find American style coffee there!

I can just picture Pete's glee.

Sayhello

 

[khertz]

Wow, gorgeous panoramic shots. What a view!!

That hail is nuts! Sounds like it was a crazy storm.

The hotel looks beautiful. And that was nice of them to offer you all free in-room wifi.

A soda tasting?! That sounds up my alley! haha

Beautiful nighttime shots

We were spoiled with opportunities to get some really amazing views of the cities we were in. It was such a cool perspective!

It was pretty crazy to see all of the damaged trees and vehicles, not to mention the huge piles of hail all around.

The hotel was the most "Americanized" of all the hotels we stayed in, so it was really comfortable. The beds were heavenly, and the shower was nice and big instead of the tiny space we'd had in Rome. It was VERY nice of ABD to comp the wifi, especially considering I don't think anyone had complained about the damage to the rooms or the wait for the luggage.

A few people did the soda tasting, and it was not what they expected. Italian soda is definitely not what we are used to in America!!

Thanks! They invited me to go out with them that night, but I declined. Now looking at the pictures, I probably should have.

That's nice that they set up some extra time in Florence. Much better than getting a few hours to rush through the city... especially if you were in the group that got hit with the hail storm!!

I'm glad that you clarified what was going on with that Skype call, because when I saw that picture...

I'm sorry that dinner wasn't so great. I mean, I guess you didn't really have much bad to say about it except for the comments about the meats. But by this point in the trip the bar has been set exceptionally high! Was Beverly one of the sodas they had available???


Is it just me or did Florence steal the idea of the refurb façade from Disney World? Or was it the other way around...

That had to be rough, only having a day in Florence and dealing with a freak hail storm! I'm definitely glad we got the extra time. It sounds like the time regular Viva trips spend in Tuscany is supposed to be very relaxing and laid back after such a busy time in Rome, and that is just not us!

He was VERY insistent on showing us his bug bite!!!

That's really very true, and despite the issues with the meat, I didn't even think of this as a "bad" meal. Probably because all I really think about when I remember that meal was that heavenly dessert!!! Sadly, there was no Beverly to be found.

I don't know who stole it from who, but it is just as annoying in Italy as it is in Disney!!

That bronze copy of the David is just a pale imitation, isn't it?

Every time I read "Piazza di Santa Croce" I have to laugh to myself. That's where I was trying to get back to when I got lost in Florence. I'll never forget the relief when I finally saw the sign for it!

That hotel looks wonderful! How nice.

I had seen the reports on facebook from Mike & some others on the trip about that hail storm! Crazy! That was some serious hail!!!

And I am thoroughly jealous of the boys' nighttime photo jaunt. Florence looks like it's AMAZING at night!

Sayhello

It looked really great and exciting until you saw the real thing and realized the vast difference between them!

We had moments like that, but not in Florence, it was Venice we had trouble navigating! And by the time we were starting to get it, it was time to leave.

That hail was crazy! We missed it in Florence, but it visited us again later in the trip.

They did a beautiful job documenting the city at night in photos. It's such a photogenic city though! It's hard to make it look bad.

Love the panoramic shots of Florence from you stop and my goodness that is a lot of hail! Crazy all the damage they did but glad it seems like it got taken care of and didn't put people out too much

Wow, a sex scene and a middle finger shot! Best Trip Report ever!

Bummer about the food not being better - definitely seems odd if one piece of chicken was ok but not the other. Glad you enjoyed your potatoes and that the dessert made up for things though

Those are some great night-time shots ... and those are some serious photographers! I would have had an inferiority complex if I went there with my little point and shoot

It really wasn't bad for us at all coming in after the storm, and the hotel & ABD seemed really quick about remedying the rooms that had gotten water damage.

I am to please my readers.

The potatoes & dessert (especially that dessert) totally made up for the odd meat situation we experienced during that meal. It was so funny watching the people at our table who had had chicken. All of them raved about how tender and delicious the top piece was, and you could tell when they got to the second piece when their faces changed into a puzzled expression. No one could put their finger on why the piece tasted so odd.

It was great having so many SERIOUS photographers on our trip. We all ended up reaping the benefits when everyone shared their photos in a Flickr group Mike set up for us! Pete & Mike got some beautiful nighttime shots as well, plus all of the video that Dustin took! Definitely a huge benefit of going on a DIS exclusive.

Um, I probably would have been upset as well if they turned Frozen off. Why am I not tired of it yet?

Wow, that would be awful to be part of that hail storm. I guess you were the lucky ones. Wow.

Oh Score on the hotel accommodations. WOW, you really did pick the right tour.

Goodness that hotel and room is stunning. And hardwood floors!!! But I will add that I think it's such a cash grab to charge for internet access in this day. And then Disney to the rescue!!

Wow, you know, you can actually even see the difference in the two pieces of chicken. Weird.

I KNOW!! I got so excited for a second until I realized Dusty was watching Kevin's face for a reaction and that Frozen was not really happening. I think the reason people like you & I are not sick of it especially is because we don't have little girls in our houses making us watch it over and over and over.

Lucky until we got to Venice. Ooh, foreshadowing!!

The hotel was beautiful, and definitely my favorite place we stayed in Italy. The room was huge! And so was the bathroom! Very different from the hotel in Rome. I think this is where Vivas stay during the winter months when the resort on top of a mountain is inaccessible because of the weather.

I will say, I think it is TOTALLY ridiculous that such high end hotels still charge per day for wifi access in the rooms, but that storm came in handy as we got it free during our stay.

It was totally bizarre and no one could pinpoint why that second piece tasted so weird.

The hail was such a weird and unusual thing. It did a lot of damage in Florence, but that was just before we arrived. The hail will make another freak appearance in the upcoming Venice accounts, and this time we'll be right in the middle of it!

I loved the Florence hotel. And Pete was SOOOO happy to find American style coffee there!

Yep, that hail had a way of chasing us across the country, it seemed! But it makes for a cool story, that's for sure.

It was my favorite hotel. So comfortable!!! I know the coffee drinkers were definitely happy with finding American coffee.

Waiting for more hail!

I can just picture Pete's glee.

Sayhello

It will be making its appearance again in a BIG way!!

 

[k5jm]

It was pretty crazy to see all of the damaged trees and vehicles, not to mention the huge piles of hail all around.

That had to be rough, only having a day in Florence and dealing with a freak hail storm! I'm definitely glad we got the extra time. It sounds like the time regular Viva trips spend in Tuscany is supposed to be very relaxing and laid back after such a busy time in Rome, and that is just not us!


That hail was crazy! We missed it in Florence, but it visited us again later in the trip.

It really wasn't bad for us at all coming in after the storm, and the hotel & ABD seemed really quick about remedying the rooms that had gotten water damage.

Yep, that hail had a way of chasing us across the country, it seemed! But it makes for a cool story, that's for sure.

It was my favorite hotel. So comfortable!!! I know the coffee drinkers were definitely happy with finding American coffee.



It will be making its appearance again in a BIG way!!

I think we kept asking ourselves "what the heck did we do in the Vatican to deserve the plagues. I was waiting for day to turn to night, frogs, or the Grand Canal to turn red. :-X

(Then i remembered Dustin in the Sistine Chapel)

 

[carpenta]

The Westin hotel in Florence was voted one of the top 50 hotels in the world by Conde Nast magazine.

 

[KelleyK75]

Yay for more time in Florence. It looks like a beautiful city. That's crazy about the hail storm. I'm glad you guys missed it and weren't in the middle of it. The pictures are gorgeous!

 

[Cousin Orville]

I'm glad to see you guys spent some quality time in Florence. This is really how all the ABD's to Florence should run. Maybe with ABD's new Tuscan adventure coming on board giving them more time in the smaller towns, they will concentrate just on Florence like you did in their Viva Italia adventure.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

It was great having so many SERIOUS photographers on our trip. We all ended up reaping the benefits when everyone shared their photos in a Flickr group Mike set up for us! Pete & Mike got some beautiful nighttime shots as well, plus all of the video that Dustin took! Definitely a huge benefit of going on a DIS exclusive.

I hadn't actually thought about that but it is an extra bonus of doing a DIS exclusive trip! Plus I bet that means you both wound up in more pictures/video (at least together) than you would have been alone

It's like a very special memory maker!

 

[courtneybelle]

Hi Kristy!! Sorry I got so far behind, school/work/dance/life got in the way of my DIS time. But I'm here now because YOU'RE IN FLORENCE!!! AKA MY FAVORITE!!!

The toy shop looks beautiful and Giuseppe sounds super interesting, but I would have done the same thing as you and snuck out

Definitely a bummer that the stores were closed when you got there…but at the same time, I would love if I could leave work for a few hours to take a nap

The picture of you two laughing after the kiss is ADORABLE!!

Those Italian truck stops were so interesting to me…just huge blocks of cheese and bottles of wine…

PIAZZALE MICHELANGELO!!!! Actually my favorite memory of my trip. We climbed it at night and it was unreal. Such an amazing view of the Duomo.

Really glad you got more than a day in Florence. I was there for half my trip and STILL wish I had more time there.

I had a really similar beef and potato dish when I was there, looks delicious! And that dessert looks unreal

Absolutely gorgeous night pictures of the city!!