The Agoncy and the Ecstacy...WDW and Cruise, June 2008

[DWGal210]

Hello Dis friends!!

I hope some of you find me from my pre-trip report. That one was not "finished" but I have higher hopes for this one

For those of you that did not see my pre-trip report, I'll remind you of the travelers on this voyage:

Me - 26 years old, LOVE Disney and all it has to offer. This was my 7th trip to WDW and first cruise ever (Disney or otherwise)!

Sister - 17 years old, also enjoys Disney but perhaps not quite as much as her big sister does

Brother and Sister-in-Law - 24 and 23 years old; This was a celebration of sorts trip for them as my SIL just graduated with her Masters in Social Work and my brother went through his first tax season with his new job

Since we got back about 2 1/2 months ago (shame on me!) I am going to try and remember every detail. Some things, though, will be hard to ever wipe completely from memory and I'll make sure and give every juicy detail of those moments.

To get us started on this journey, here was our itinerary:

Saturday: Arrive in the evening at MCO, stay off-property for one night.
Sunday: Get up and head to Saratoga Springs!!
Monday - Wednesday: We came, we saw, we rode nearly every ride!
Thursday - Leave Port Canaveral on the Cruise!
Friday - Bahamas!
Saturday - Castaway Cay!
Sunday - Go Home

Hope you enjoy!! I'll post pictures and such as we go along.
Happy Reading!

 

[DWGal210]

OK, first mistake...it should be AGONY, not Agoncy...jeesh! I am losing it.

On to the first day...

On Saturday, my sister and I left the airport for Orlando. The flights were pretty easy, and thankfully we left on time and they didn't lose our luggage. Since they are now charging your up the wazoo for extra bags and such, we each only packed one bag. We were also thinking ahead to the cruise and not wanting to cram lots of luggage into one cabin. So it worked out just fine.

We arrived in Orlando and met my sister-in-law and brother! We had originally had thoughts of my sister and I driving to Chicago, where they live, and flying out with them. However, being that gas prices are sky-high and it's a 5 hour drive from where we are, we decided to meet them there. (We were especially glad about that for other reasons, but more on that later!)

We met at the airport which was a ZOO. There were a ton of people at baggage claim and of course 5 flights arrived just when we did and so it was a bit chaotic at the baggage claim. After about 45 minutes, we got our bags and took the shuttle service to our rental car agency.

Now for a small gripe about the rental cars: And before you read this and think I'm a little off, I do acknowledge that we got a great deal - $118 quoted for 9 days. We get to the rental car place and are checking in, getting the car, and the gal says, "Your total is $180". WHAT?? Again, $180 for a rental car is NOT unrealistic, but when you're quoted $118 on their website that's kind of what you expect. I know there are taxes and all but $62 in taxes? I left the discussion to my brother, who is good in these sorts of matters, and after a bit of griping we did leave there with a much nicer car then we initially requested. OK, gripe done

By this point it was around 7 pm, so we checked into the off-site hotel (I think it was a Days Inn) and went for dinner. The trip was off to a great start!!

 

[DWGal210]

Hello readers, if you're out there! We're now on to Sunday, our first full day in Florida.

We got up, packed up from the Days Inn and after going to church, headed over to Saratoga Springs! Because we had ants in our pants and didn't want to wait to check in, I called Saratoga that morning and got the scoop about early check-ins. I don't know if this is the case World-wide or at DVC places or what, but it worked out GREAT. What the gal at Saratoga told me was this - you can actually check in as early as 7am on your arrival day. They won't guarantee that they have your room ready and that you'll be able to get into your room, but at the very least you can check in, get your park tickets if necessary and be on your way to a park! She also said that if you cannot get into your room, they will hold your luggage for you so you can get on with your day.

We really lucked out; we got to SS around 11:30 am and A) we were able to get into the room area we requested! and B) we were able to check into our room right then - sweet!! After depositing our bags and getting in our "explore the parks" gear, we were off for the first day of touring!!

 

[Charleston Princess]

I am here!!!

Now back to finish reading...

Okay, I finished reading...what park did you go to first???

Can't wait to see pics of SSR!