Chim Chiminy
stale marshmallows sting when they hit you
- Joined
- Apr 10, 2003
Oh, we are back all too soon. The days just fly past, don't they?
We had a wonderful time in Orlando, despite the Easter/Spring Break crowds.
We left Hazleton at 5pm, after dropping Pegasus (our guinea pig) off at my friend Diana's house. He started crying......which is really sad. I hate it when he does that, but he usually adjusts after a day or two.
This time around we decided to take I-81 down to Columbia, SC and connect to I-77 rather than taking I-95 all the way down. We hoped to avoid most of the Easter traffic.
I only drove until 11:30, then decided to pull over and nap. DH said he would drive after an hour, but we both slept until 3.
I woke up feeling pretty refreshed and we headed out again.
It was smooth driving up until we connected to I-95. Glad we decided to avoid the major portion of it. Construction tie-ups! And within a ten mile stretch of road, three different accidents. Each one involving three cars! Two of the accidents were southbound and one was northbound, but even the northbound accident had our flow of traffic crawling! People were slowing down to a snails pace to gawk at the other side of the highway even though it had no effect on our lanes of traffic. Very frustrating! It took us forever (well over an hour) to travel that ten-mile stretch of road.
We had told the kids that our spring break destination was Tennessee.
The kids were still convinced that we were headed to Tennessee for a week in Chattanooga. Even with Neth asking questions. "Why are we headed south?"
"Why are we going through Georgia? The only reason to go south through Georgia is to get to Florida."
We kept saying things like "We have to go through this part of Georgia then head west."
He bought every thing we said.....................hook, line and sinker!
He was asleep when we crossed the Florida state line, but even still every mile or so there was a billboard saying "STOP HERE NOW! Buy REAL FLORIDA citrus!!!!!"
We kept trying to distract him so he wouldn't read the signs.
Finally he put a movie in the DVD player and became engrossed in that.
We reached Orlando and were still trying to distract the kids from the billboards (Disney and Universal----COME SEE SHREK 4-D!!!).
Neth looked up at one point and saw the RaceRock restaurant off the highway ( a huge circular themed restaurant painted like a checkered flag with race cars on the roof!), he looked soooo confused! He glanced around, shrugged, then went back to his movie!
Once we turned onto Disney property and were headed toward the huge purple welcome sign, we alerted the kids and said "Welcome to Tennessee! We made it!!!!!"
Brenne was so happy! She saw Mickey on the sign and said "Tennessee has a Disney World too!!"
Neth kind of smirked and didn't say anything.
We headed to our resort, Old Key West, receiving a nice "Welcome Home" at the guard gate. Neth was convinced that his Lala and Papa were meeting us there....they weren't. This was a trip for just the four of us.
The Cast Member checking us in gave Brenne a balloon for being such a nice girl. Neth chilled out in the den while we checked in. I loved the feel of the Community Hall area. It had an open breezeway connecting check-in to the general store. Caribbean music was playing softly, outdoor palm ceiling fans were going. Lush vegetation surrounded the building.
We received our room keys, studio #4526.
Our studio was spotlessly clean. Our balcony looked out over palm trees and the canal. We saw plenty of ducks out swimming during our stay. Also saw plenty of golfers, since a golf course winds its way through the grounds of the resort. Fortunately, we weren't hit by any stray balls.
We unpacked all of our clothing, stocked the fridge with goodies, and ate an easy dinner of wraps and pasta (for the kids).
Once we felt a little relaxed we decided to head to Downtown Disney.
We took the bus back up to Community Hall so we could catch the ferry to DTD. I looked around a bit while we were waiting. They had a nice open air bar called the Gurgling Suitcase Libations, the main swimming pool and sauna, surrey bikes, Goods to Go take-out food, the Community Room where kids can do arts & crafts, rent movies, play games--including foosball and ping-pong. Very nice area with a relaxed feel.
Our ferry driver arrived and we boarded the craft. Brenne was outfitted with a life jacket, and away we went.
So relaxing! It was dark out by now, 9:40, and with a clear sky we could see thousands of twinkling stars, a few planets. Neth pointed out Orion's Belt for us. It was a very nice ten minute ride. We passed Saratoga Springs, the newest DVC resort and one we will be staying at in late June. Construction has progressed nicely on it, landscaping has been put in, and there is a beautiful gazebo right along the waterway. Very nice.
We docked at Downtown Disney, all lit up and hopping with activity.
The kids wanted to go into the Lego Imaginarium, so that is where we headed. Busy, busy, busy! Kids everywhere, what did I expect? They had special Easter activities going on---build a chick, chick in an egg, or Easter egg. Neth wasn't interested in that, he had found the Bionicles!!!!!! They had some dress-up components that were new, and both kids went crazy! Neth really wanted those Bionicle swords. Brenne was putting on all the hats and running around with a shield and dagger!
Then, Neth discovered the wall o'Legos! A whole wall of pick your own bricks!!!! With two sizes of containers to fill, Neth started dreaming out loud--what bricks and what he could build with them. He must have spent a good 15 minutes walking up and down that wall.
Meanwhile, Brenne and daddy had gone outside to the Lego playground. She discovered that the huge Lego house had a slide!
Neth and I continued to browse the store, all the while I was telling him we would be back--he could pick something then.
We finally made it outside, joining daddy at the end of the slide. Brenne was squealing with delight as she swooshed down the slide, over and over. She was very good about waiting her turn, too.
Neth found the building stations outside, where you can play and build your own Lego creations. He set to work.
After some play time, we decided to walk over to Ghirardelli's for some ice cream. The line was out the door, but moving quickly. We all looked over the menu. Jas decided on a double scoop of rocky road in a chocolate dipped waffle cone, I just wanted hot chocolate (it was a very chilly 40 degrees). Neth couldn't make up his mind, had a minor temper tantrum and wound up with nothing.
We went back outside to enjoy our goodies, sitting on the waterside patio. Very pretty with all the lights reflecting on the water.
To our surprise, the New Year's Eve fireworks at Pleasure Island started. So we were able to enjoy those from our waterside seats.
After the fireworks, we decided it was time to head back.
We walked through the Pin Station store and let the kids peak at all the pins...........too many to choose from.
We also walked through the garden store. So many cute things! They had character topiaries!
Tired, we made our way to the bus stop to await our bus back to Old Key West.
We waited about 15 minutes, kids laid down on benches almost asleep.
Our bus was transporting park guests to Pleasure Island, so for a few minutes we had to endure four very rude, very loud "ladies" (I hesitate to call them that....).
I think we were all happy when they got off the bus, including our bus driver.
They were incredibly rude to him, but I can only suppose they thought he might be deaf? I don't know....
That was just a taste of some of the rude, entitlement attitude we would experience during the week. Fortunately, those incidences were few.
We finally arrived at the South Point bus stop and walked back to our studio. Neth walked beside me, with daddy and Brenne leading the way. To our right was all foliage, it was dark out. And we all know Florida is gator country. Neth and I heard some rustling in the brush. So what does my brave fellow do?
He pushed me onto the right side of the path, shielding himself from whatever danger lurked there!
Of course, mommy will save him!!!!!!!!
After a moment, we both started laughing and I put my arm around him.
He'd rather I get eaten then be eaten himself.
We were still laughing about it when we arrived at our studio.
Everyone quickly got ready for bed, then it was lights out.
We had a wonderful time in Orlando, despite the Easter/Spring Break crowds.
We left Hazleton at 5pm, after dropping Pegasus (our guinea pig) off at my friend Diana's house. He started crying......which is really sad. I hate it when he does that, but he usually adjusts after a day or two.
This time around we decided to take I-81 down to Columbia, SC and connect to I-77 rather than taking I-95 all the way down. We hoped to avoid most of the Easter traffic.
I only drove until 11:30, then decided to pull over and nap. DH said he would drive after an hour, but we both slept until 3.
I woke up feeling pretty refreshed and we headed out again.
It was smooth driving up until we connected to I-95. Glad we decided to avoid the major portion of it. Construction tie-ups! And within a ten mile stretch of road, three different accidents. Each one involving three cars! Two of the accidents were southbound and one was northbound, but even the northbound accident had our flow of traffic crawling! People were slowing down to a snails pace to gawk at the other side of the highway even though it had no effect on our lanes of traffic. Very frustrating! It took us forever (well over an hour) to travel that ten-mile stretch of road.
We had told the kids that our spring break destination was Tennessee.
The kids were still convinced that we were headed to Tennessee for a week in Chattanooga. Even with Neth asking questions. "Why are we headed south?"
"Why are we going through Georgia? The only reason to go south through Georgia is to get to Florida."
We kept saying things like "We have to go through this part of Georgia then head west."
He bought every thing we said.....................hook, line and sinker!
He was asleep when we crossed the Florida state line, but even still every mile or so there was a billboard saying "STOP HERE NOW! Buy REAL FLORIDA citrus!!!!!"
We kept trying to distract him so he wouldn't read the signs.
Finally he put a movie in the DVD player and became engrossed in that.
We reached Orlando and were still trying to distract the kids from the billboards (Disney and Universal----COME SEE SHREK 4-D!!!).
Neth looked up at one point and saw the RaceRock restaurant off the highway ( a huge circular themed restaurant painted like a checkered flag with race cars on the roof!), he looked soooo confused! He glanced around, shrugged, then went back to his movie!
Once we turned onto Disney property and were headed toward the huge purple welcome sign, we alerted the kids and said "Welcome to Tennessee! We made it!!!!!"
Brenne was so happy! She saw Mickey on the sign and said "Tennessee has a Disney World too!!"
Neth kind of smirked and didn't say anything.
We headed to our resort, Old Key West, receiving a nice "Welcome Home" at the guard gate. Neth was convinced that his Lala and Papa were meeting us there....they weren't. This was a trip for just the four of us.
The Cast Member checking us in gave Brenne a balloon for being such a nice girl. Neth chilled out in the den while we checked in. I loved the feel of the Community Hall area. It had an open breezeway connecting check-in to the general store. Caribbean music was playing softly, outdoor palm ceiling fans were going. Lush vegetation surrounded the building.
We received our room keys, studio #4526.
Our studio was spotlessly clean. Our balcony looked out over palm trees and the canal. We saw plenty of ducks out swimming during our stay. Also saw plenty of golfers, since a golf course winds its way through the grounds of the resort. Fortunately, we weren't hit by any stray balls.
We unpacked all of our clothing, stocked the fridge with goodies, and ate an easy dinner of wraps and pasta (for the kids).
Once we felt a little relaxed we decided to head to Downtown Disney.
We took the bus back up to Community Hall so we could catch the ferry to DTD. I looked around a bit while we were waiting. They had a nice open air bar called the Gurgling Suitcase Libations, the main swimming pool and sauna, surrey bikes, Goods to Go take-out food, the Community Room where kids can do arts & crafts, rent movies, play games--including foosball and ping-pong. Very nice area with a relaxed feel.
Our ferry driver arrived and we boarded the craft. Brenne was outfitted with a life jacket, and away we went.
So relaxing! It was dark out by now, 9:40, and with a clear sky we could see thousands of twinkling stars, a few planets. Neth pointed out Orion's Belt for us. It was a very nice ten minute ride. We passed Saratoga Springs, the newest DVC resort and one we will be staying at in late June. Construction has progressed nicely on it, landscaping has been put in, and there is a beautiful gazebo right along the waterway. Very nice.
We docked at Downtown Disney, all lit up and hopping with activity.
The kids wanted to go into the Lego Imaginarium, so that is where we headed. Busy, busy, busy! Kids everywhere, what did I expect? They had special Easter activities going on---build a chick, chick in an egg, or Easter egg. Neth wasn't interested in that, he had found the Bionicles!!!!!! They had some dress-up components that were new, and both kids went crazy! Neth really wanted those Bionicle swords. Brenne was putting on all the hats and running around with a shield and dagger!
Then, Neth discovered the wall o'Legos! A whole wall of pick your own bricks!!!! With two sizes of containers to fill, Neth started dreaming out loud--what bricks and what he could build with them. He must have spent a good 15 minutes walking up and down that wall.
Meanwhile, Brenne and daddy had gone outside to the Lego playground. She discovered that the huge Lego house had a slide!
Neth and I continued to browse the store, all the while I was telling him we would be back--he could pick something then.
We finally made it outside, joining daddy at the end of the slide. Brenne was squealing with delight as she swooshed down the slide, over and over. She was very good about waiting her turn, too.
Neth found the building stations outside, where you can play and build your own Lego creations. He set to work.
After some play time, we decided to walk over to Ghirardelli's for some ice cream. The line was out the door, but moving quickly. We all looked over the menu. Jas decided on a double scoop of rocky road in a chocolate dipped waffle cone, I just wanted hot chocolate (it was a very chilly 40 degrees). Neth couldn't make up his mind, had a minor temper tantrum and wound up with nothing.
We went back outside to enjoy our goodies, sitting on the waterside patio. Very pretty with all the lights reflecting on the water.
To our surprise, the New Year's Eve fireworks at Pleasure Island started. So we were able to enjoy those from our waterside seats.
After the fireworks, we decided it was time to head back.
We walked through the Pin Station store and let the kids peak at all the pins...........too many to choose from.
We also walked through the garden store. So many cute things! They had character topiaries!
Tired, we made our way to the bus stop to await our bus back to Old Key West.
We waited about 15 minutes, kids laid down on benches almost asleep.
Our bus was transporting park guests to Pleasure Island, so for a few minutes we had to endure four very rude, very loud "ladies" (I hesitate to call them that....).
I think we were all happy when they got off the bus, including our bus driver.
They were incredibly rude to him, but I can only suppose they thought he might be deaf? I don't know....
That was just a taste of some of the rude, entitlement attitude we would experience during the week. Fortunately, those incidences were few.
We finally arrived at the South Point bus stop and walked back to our studio. Neth walked beside me, with daddy and Brenne leading the way. To our right was all foliage, it was dark out. And we all know Florida is gator country. Neth and I heard some rustling in the brush. So what does my brave fellow do?
He pushed me onto the right side of the path, shielding himself from whatever danger lurked there!
Of course, mommy will save him!!!!!!!!
After a moment, we both started laughing and I put my arm around him.
He'd rather I get eaten then be eaten himself.
We were still laughing about it when we arrived at our studio.
Everyone quickly got ready for bed, then it was lights out.
