Takin The In-Laws - 4/3/2005 Day 2 Kennedy, Dixie, and Will
Cast of Characters
Me DH32, love Disney and now a planner extraordinaire
Min DW34, loves Disney too, but left the planning to me
Buddy DS6, 3rd trip to Disney, 1st one hell really appreciate
Doodle DD3, my princess and a DCL souvenir
BuckleBoy DS21months, 1st time to WDW, obsessed with buckles
Meme MIL65, Fun, nice, extremely quiet
Papa FIL67, Big heart, Bigger talker with occasional bad timing
BIL 37, Just a big kid
(Imagine this in your best Disney ride announcer voice) For your safety, please remain seated and keep your hands and arms away from the monitor at all times.
I had a surprisingly difficult time getting out of bed this morning. Not because I wasnt excited to get going, but because the bed was so darn comfy! Usually, hotel beds are hard, and lumpy, and generally bad for sleeping. But the beds in the Hampton Inn by the Airport were firm, but comfortable. And the pillows were decent too! They werent the usual limp, floppy feather things that always seem to find their way to my hotel rooms. They were real, useful pillows! I hope this is a good omen!
Everybody got up, showered, packed, and headed downstairs for the complimentary continental breakfast. It was surprisingly good. They had the usual cereal, Danish, fruit, coffee, and juice. But they also had sausage, biscuits, and eggs! What a nice surprise. We filled up, checked out, and hopped in the cars for a day over at Kennedy Space Center.
It was a beautiful morning for a drive. The temperature was in the low 50s, and there wasnt a cloud in the sky. We made it over there in about 45 minutes.
Quick timeout I have a question for all you Florida residents reading this. Why are there so many dead cars along the side of the road in your state? It seems that every 10 miles or so there is a dead car along the side of the interstate. I noticed it 2 years ago when we drove from Tampa to Orlando, and I noticed it today when we drove from Orlando to Kennedy. These arent 1970s Ford Pintos either. These are real cars. Whats the deal?
Anyway, we had a very nice day at Kennedy. We saw lots of neat stuff, the kids were pretty good, and we all had fun.
After Kennedy Space Center, we drove to Titusville to eat at dinner. I will let you imagine the fun Papa had with the name Titusville. Go ahead; think about all the possibilities, Ill wait
Youve probably come up with a few of the obvious ones, but keep going, theres more
Ok, got them all? Probably not. Thats ok. I didnt understand a few of them either. But Papa had fun. At least we were in the car where nobody could hear.
In Titusville, we had dinner at Dixie Crossroads. This place has some of the best shrimp I have ever eaten. One of their specialties is rock shrimp. They are absolutely delicious. If you order them broiled, they come with the shells on, and a dish of melted butter to dip them in. They are so sweet and rich, they taste like lobster. The best part was that the bill for our family of 5, including a couple of adult beverages, was less than $60, including the tip. This was so much better than Dennys last night! If you ever find yourself on the space coast, definitely stop in at Dixie Crossroads you will not be disappointed!
After dinner, we hopped back into the cars to head back to WDW (thats Walt Disney World, for you newbies) and check in to Old Key West Resort. As we pulled out of the parking lot, I got a buzz on the walkie-talkie from BIL in the other car. If you see a Publix, we gotta stop! I guess there is a limited edition Hot Wheels car that is made especially for Publix. We dont have any Publix in northern Illinois, and lucky for us we found one!
As long as we were there, we picked up some breakfast stuff for our home for the week.
Back on the road again, we saw 4 or 5 more dead cars (again, whats the deal?) before we got to Disney.
Wake up everybody! Look! Look! Look! Theres the sign! Wow, that feels soooooo good. There arent many things that compare to the feeling I get when we drive through the entrance to WDW!
A couple of wrong turns later (at least that gave us enough extra time to see some of the fireworks from Epcot) and we were at OKW. Welcome Home! I love that greeting. Im getting chills just thinking about it while I am typing. I park the car, and head inside to check in.
At the front desk, a very helpful CM named Will was ready for me. Welcome Home! I gave him my name, and he said, I have been expecting you, Mr. Drexler. I have your paperwork right here, and he took my folder off the top of the stack. How did he know I was going to be next? Wow, these folks are great. Everything went very smooth. He asked me if I had any preferences for accommodations. I told him, Non-smoking, first floor, and building 23, 24, or 26.
His reply, Anything else I can do for you? Maybe tomorrows winning lottery numbers?
I said, Ill make you a deal. You give me the winning lottery numbers, and we can forget the first 3 requests. We had a good chuckle since my requests were the same ones that pretty much everyone makes, and it was 9:30 at night those rooms were gone a long time ago. What we settled on was a 2nd floor unit in building 33. It was right next to the bus stop (very important), its not on the 3rd floor (very important when carrying kids upstairs late at night), and had a nice view of the golf course and pond. Sounds good to me!
I gave him the names of everyone in the party, and then BIL walked up. Welcome home Mr. Morrell, Will said before I even realized that BIL was there. BIL gave me this puzzled look wondering how this guy knew who he was. Its Disney magic, of course!
As we were finishing up, Will asked me if I needed any park tickets. I told him that I was all set since I got a great deal through Ticktemania. Then he asked me if I wanted those tickets transferred onto my room key. Can I? I didnt think I could since I didnt buy the tickets at the desk. He said that they just installed a new system that would allow them to transfer paper tickets to room keys. I said that would be great, since I almost didnt get the Ticketmania tickets because I really, really wanted them on my room key.
This was Wills first try with the new system, and it proved to be an adventure. I waited there for about 20 minutes and they still werent right. He gave me a room key, told me to take everyone to the room and relax, and he would send someone over with the key cards as soon as he got it straightened out. Sounds good since the natives were getting restless after waiting for over 30 minutes.
We found our building very easily, and headed up the stairs. Ahhh, just as I remembered big and beautiful. We walked into a nice foyer that opened into a cute kitchen, a nice sized eating area and a large living room. The 2nd bedroom was big with 2 queen beds and its own bathroom. The master bedroom was huge. It had its own door to the balcony, as well as a nice king bed (if only it were as comfortable as the bed at the Hampton last night, I guess I cant have it all.) The master bath was just as I remembered. A big Jacuzzi tub as you walk in next to a sink. Then there is a door to the rest of the bathroom with a big sink, toilet, and a huge shower plenty big for 2 (if you catch my drift
). There was also a laundry room with a full size washer and dryer!
We unpacked the cars it only took 4 trips! A few minutes later there was a knock at the door. A nice young lady had a stack of room keys in her hand. I have your tickets for you Mr. Drexler. Have a magical evening! Yay! We can go to MGM tomorrow!
(Imagine again in your best Disney ride announcer voice), Please remain seated until the story has come to a full and complete stop. Please exit to Day 3. Thank you.
Takin' The In-Laws -- Pretrip
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=793737
Takin' The In-Laws -- Day 1 - Blankie & Buddy... MIA
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=8324050#post8324050
Takin' The In-Laws -- Day 2 - Kennedy, Dixie and Will
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=8342639#post8342639
Takin' The In-Laws -- Day 3 - Fire Alarms, Fighting, and Fantasmic! (Part 1)
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=8364237#post8364237
Takin' The In-Laws -- Day 3 - Fire Alarms, Fighting, and Fantasmic! (Part 2)
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=8379122#post8379122
Takin The In-Laws -- Day 4 (Part 1) Commando Crazy
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=8391188#post8391188
Takin The In-Laws -- Day 4 (Part 2) The Magic Kingdom Really Is Magic
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=803835
Takin' The In-Laws -- Halftime Update - Wishes Come True
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=8517400#post8517400
Cast of Characters
Me DH32, love Disney and now a planner extraordinaire
Min DW34, loves Disney too, but left the planning to me
Buddy DS6, 3rd trip to Disney, 1st one hell really appreciate
Doodle DD3, my princess and a DCL souvenir
BuckleBoy DS21months, 1st time to WDW, obsessed with buckles
Meme MIL65, Fun, nice, extremely quiet
Papa FIL67, Big heart, Bigger talker with occasional bad timing
BIL 37, Just a big kid
(Imagine this in your best Disney ride announcer voice) For your safety, please remain seated and keep your hands and arms away from the monitor at all times.
I had a surprisingly difficult time getting out of bed this morning. Not because I wasnt excited to get going, but because the bed was so darn comfy! Usually, hotel beds are hard, and lumpy, and generally bad for sleeping. But the beds in the Hampton Inn by the Airport were firm, but comfortable. And the pillows were decent too! They werent the usual limp, floppy feather things that always seem to find their way to my hotel rooms. They were real, useful pillows! I hope this is a good omen!
Everybody got up, showered, packed, and headed downstairs for the complimentary continental breakfast. It was surprisingly good. They had the usual cereal, Danish, fruit, coffee, and juice. But they also had sausage, biscuits, and eggs! What a nice surprise. We filled up, checked out, and hopped in the cars for a day over at Kennedy Space Center.
It was a beautiful morning for a drive. The temperature was in the low 50s, and there wasnt a cloud in the sky. We made it over there in about 45 minutes.
Quick timeout I have a question for all you Florida residents reading this. Why are there so many dead cars along the side of the road in your state? It seems that every 10 miles or so there is a dead car along the side of the interstate. I noticed it 2 years ago when we drove from Tampa to Orlando, and I noticed it today when we drove from Orlando to Kennedy. These arent 1970s Ford Pintos either. These are real cars. Whats the deal?
Anyway, we had a very nice day at Kennedy. We saw lots of neat stuff, the kids were pretty good, and we all had fun.
After Kennedy Space Center, we drove to Titusville to eat at dinner. I will let you imagine the fun Papa had with the name Titusville. Go ahead; think about all the possibilities, Ill wait
Youve probably come up with a few of the obvious ones, but keep going, theres more
Ok, got them all? Probably not. Thats ok. I didnt understand a few of them either. But Papa had fun. At least we were in the car where nobody could hear.
In Titusville, we had dinner at Dixie Crossroads. This place has some of the best shrimp I have ever eaten. One of their specialties is rock shrimp. They are absolutely delicious. If you order them broiled, they come with the shells on, and a dish of melted butter to dip them in. They are so sweet and rich, they taste like lobster. The best part was that the bill for our family of 5, including a couple of adult beverages, was less than $60, including the tip. This was so much better than Dennys last night! If you ever find yourself on the space coast, definitely stop in at Dixie Crossroads you will not be disappointed!
After dinner, we hopped back into the cars to head back to WDW (thats Walt Disney World, for you newbies) and check in to Old Key West Resort. As we pulled out of the parking lot, I got a buzz on the walkie-talkie from BIL in the other car. If you see a Publix, we gotta stop! I guess there is a limited edition Hot Wheels car that is made especially for Publix. We dont have any Publix in northern Illinois, and lucky for us we found one!
As long as we were there, we picked up some breakfast stuff for our home for the week.
Back on the road again, we saw 4 or 5 more dead cars (again, whats the deal?) before we got to Disney.
Wake up everybody! Look! Look! Look! Theres the sign! Wow, that feels soooooo good. There arent many things that compare to the feeling I get when we drive through the entrance to WDW!
A couple of wrong turns later (at least that gave us enough extra time to see some of the fireworks from Epcot) and we were at OKW. Welcome Home! I love that greeting. Im getting chills just thinking about it while I am typing. I park the car, and head inside to check in.
At the front desk, a very helpful CM named Will was ready for me. Welcome Home! I gave him my name, and he said, I have been expecting you, Mr. Drexler. I have your paperwork right here, and he took my folder off the top of the stack. How did he know I was going to be next? Wow, these folks are great. Everything went very smooth. He asked me if I had any preferences for accommodations. I told him, Non-smoking, first floor, and building 23, 24, or 26.
His reply, Anything else I can do for you? Maybe tomorrows winning lottery numbers?
I said, Ill make you a deal. You give me the winning lottery numbers, and we can forget the first 3 requests. We had a good chuckle since my requests were the same ones that pretty much everyone makes, and it was 9:30 at night those rooms were gone a long time ago. What we settled on was a 2nd floor unit in building 33. It was right next to the bus stop (very important), its not on the 3rd floor (very important when carrying kids upstairs late at night), and had a nice view of the golf course and pond. Sounds good to me!
I gave him the names of everyone in the party, and then BIL walked up. Welcome home Mr. Morrell, Will said before I even realized that BIL was there. BIL gave me this puzzled look wondering how this guy knew who he was. Its Disney magic, of course!
As we were finishing up, Will asked me if I needed any park tickets. I told him that I was all set since I got a great deal through Ticktemania. Then he asked me if I wanted those tickets transferred onto my room key. Can I? I didnt think I could since I didnt buy the tickets at the desk. He said that they just installed a new system that would allow them to transfer paper tickets to room keys. I said that would be great, since I almost didnt get the Ticketmania tickets because I really, really wanted them on my room key.
This was Wills first try with the new system, and it proved to be an adventure. I waited there for about 20 minutes and they still werent right. He gave me a room key, told me to take everyone to the room and relax, and he would send someone over with the key cards as soon as he got it straightened out. Sounds good since the natives were getting restless after waiting for over 30 minutes.
We found our building very easily, and headed up the stairs. Ahhh, just as I remembered big and beautiful. We walked into a nice foyer that opened into a cute kitchen, a nice sized eating area and a large living room. The 2nd bedroom was big with 2 queen beds and its own bathroom. The master bedroom was huge. It had its own door to the balcony, as well as a nice king bed (if only it were as comfortable as the bed at the Hampton last night, I guess I cant have it all.) The master bath was just as I remembered. A big Jacuzzi tub as you walk in next to a sink. Then there is a door to the rest of the bathroom with a big sink, toilet, and a huge shower plenty big for 2 (if you catch my drift
). There was also a laundry room with a full size washer and dryer!We unpacked the cars it only took 4 trips! A few minutes later there was a knock at the door. A nice young lady had a stack of room keys in her hand. I have your tickets for you Mr. Drexler. Have a magical evening! Yay! We can go to MGM tomorrow!
(Imagine again in your best Disney ride announcer voice), Please remain seated until the story has come to a full and complete stop. Please exit to Day 3. Thank you.
Takin' The In-Laws -- Pretrip
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=793737
Takin' The In-Laws -- Day 1 - Blankie & Buddy... MIA
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=8324050#post8324050
Takin' The In-Laws -- Day 2 - Kennedy, Dixie and Will
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=8342639#post8342639
Takin' The In-Laws -- Day 3 - Fire Alarms, Fighting, and Fantasmic! (Part 1)
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=8364237#post8364237
Takin' The In-Laws -- Day 3 - Fire Alarms, Fighting, and Fantasmic! (Part 2)
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=8379122#post8379122
Takin The In-Laws -- Day 4 (Part 1) Commando Crazy
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=8391188#post8391188
Takin The In-Laws -- Day 4 (Part 2) The Magic Kingdom Really Is Magic
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=803835
Takin' The In-Laws -- Halftime Update - Wishes Come True
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=8517400#post8517400
We did use them on the way out, since we had already returned the cars and toured AK the day we left. So they cared for our precious stuff while we went off and played.
It really makes it feel like vacation!
