The Call of Wine & Pumpkins Sept. 28-Oct.9 *UPDATE Oct.18 Post#9*

[CJK]

Nope.

We're not going to WDW this year. We had a fantastic Magical Gathering last year (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=928597&page=1&pp=15)It's time to enjoy a change of scenery and head to the East Coast and maybe take in a whale. Maybe even a Moose or two. No, there will be no Mouse this year.

The planning process began but I found myself dreaming about talking turtles and encountering Yeti's on big mountains rather than visiting quaint little towns eating maple syrup. Still, I pushed forward with the planning.

Until I visited the Disboards.

What? Free dining is BACK this year?

*Thud*

Call the paramedics.

We're going to Disney.

It was really that simple. The East Coast can wait for another year (or two depending on whether this free dining deal ever returns ). Within days, all of our ADR's, hotel & car were booked. A few weeks later, we got a great deal on our flight. Now all we had to do was wait the 4 L O N G months until our trip arrived.

Easier said than done!

We passed the time by planning all the Extra Magic Hours I could get past my DH. I love him to pieces, but when it comes to vacation, he has this silly notion that SLEEP should somehow be part of the equation.



What's this "sleep" he speaks of?

We may need to renegotiate our schedule. So I compromised. I told DH he could sleep PRIOR to our Disney trip.

We were going to broaden our horizons after all and start our trip off right by camping in Northern Ontario. In between our multiple moose encounters, I'd let DH sleep.

I'm nothing if not flexible.

The big day finally arrived. We had already been packed for weeks, but who's counting. We jumped in the car, bid farewell to the house, and embarked on our 16 day adventure. Before you get too excited, only 10 of those 16 days were in Disney.

We had a great time camping and visiting with friends. I won't get into many details, but here are some camping highlights:
We had a heater in our trailer........but there was no power.
The weatherman said there was no rain in the forecast.....he was wrong.
We saw a deer..........but he was dead at the side of the road.
We brought a nice bottle of wine.........but left the opener at home.
We embarked on a scenic hike.........and LOVED IT!

We really did have fun hiking and enjoying the beautiful fall colour. If I ever figure out how to post a picture, I'll let ya know. The power did come back so we had heat at night - you can stop worrying now.

Once our camping trip was over, we shoved our "cold weather suitcase" to the back of the trunk, and with a smile, brought the "warm weather suitcase" to the forefront. Yup, it was time to check-in to our airport hotel and prepare for our flight the next day.

The cast is smaller this year than last. Ya, I was disappointed too, but really, weren't DH and I the stars of the show anyway?

THE CAST:
Goofy Gal (me) – I’m the self proclaimed Disney fanatic and obsessive planner. I’ve been to Disney too many times to count and it only gets better each trip. Some people think I need a new hobby. I think I need new friends.

Goofy Guy (my husband) – A Disney fan, but was starting to be able to recite all the words of all the shows and rides. Thanks to the free dining plan being back this year, he suddenly didn’t care that he can recite all the words to the Haunted Mansion!

For a couple days, we are joined by my In-laws.

DIS-FIL (My Father-in-Law) - His love of Disney rivals my own. He buys annual passes, well, annually and goes to Disney as much as he can. A man after my own heart. I wish his enthusiasm could rub off more on Goofy Guy

DIS-MIL (My Mother-in-Law) - She's such a trooper! Despite her physical challenges this trip, she went with her DH for more than 2 weeks to Disney. She doesn't have the same Disney enthusiasm as FIL, but she loves FIL enough to go.

AWWWWWWW

So that's our crew for this year. Please join us again as we tackle convertible cars, dance the Macarena with strangers, fall in love with Johnny Depp (well, me moreso than Goofy Guy), free champagne toasts, throw our backs out and eat the gooiest M&M/Chocolate/Caramel rice krispie treat this side of the Pacific. Stay tuned...

 

[PrincessMaddie]

Hi!
I am enjoying your TR! I look forward to more!

 

[pumba]

did you come thru Maine.....we are known to have a few moose and deer by the side of the roads too......sounds like you have a plan and I wish I was going too....thanks for this introduction

 

[Cass]

Looking foward to hearing all about your trip

 

[CJK]

That alarm didn’t go off soon enough for me this morning. If anyone out there is capable of sleeping soundly the night before you leave for Disney, you gotta tell me your secret. You might be sitting on a fortune.

We jumped out of bed with lightning speed and actually made it out the door in 15 minutes flat. It’s funny how quickly you can get ready in the morning when you’re going on vacation compared to getting ready for work. When getting ready for work, my limbs must weigh an extra 20lbs each.

On the way to the airport, we grabbed a quick breakfast at Country Style Donuts. I should mention that prior to this vacation, I had lost a little bit of weight. 35lbs to be exact, but who’s counting. I hadn’t had a bacon/egg breakfast sandwich in MONTHS. As I bit into my breakfast delight this morning, I swear I heard angels singing.

No really, I did.

Let the vacation eating begin!

We arrived at the airport in very good time, bought my O magazine and settled down for some fun reading while we waited for our flight. If Goofy Guy is reading this, he’ll be laughing at me right about now. Nice guy huh? You see, I am notorious for NOT reading on vacation. The reason? Too much people watching to do!

“Where is that family going”? I wonder to myself. “Is that nervous young man going to propose to his girlfriend? Will that guy in the corner ever stop picking his nose”? Oh the endless possibilities!!

Our flight finally arrives and within minutes, we’re on our way. Within a few more minutes, Goofy Guy is turning that familiar shade of green. For those of you who may remember, Goofy Guy suffers from the worst motion sickness I’ve ever known. Not only can he get sick on roller coasters, he even feels nauseous on buses, subways, rocking chairs and yes, even planes. He really is such a trooper continuing to travel with me. It may be hard to believe, but I can be…..somewhat….demanding.

I heard that.

He did take some gravol to help with the sickness, but this turned out to be a particularly turbulent flight. He wasn’t amused by my complimentary remarks about how beautiful that shade of green was that he was sporting during the flight. I guess he has no sense of humour when he’s fighting to keep those stale pretzels in his stomach.

At least I tried.

We arrived in Orlando ahead of schedule. As we started down the looong airport hallway towards our first monorail ride of the trip, oops I did it again. Insert music
Yes, I embarrassed Goofy Guy. I threw my arms in the air, took a deep breath of Florida air (well, technically Florida AIRPORT air) and yelled, “We’re heeeeeeere”!!!!! I went to hug Goofy Guy, but strangely….

He had disappeared.

After finding him lurking in the nearby coffee shop (and he doesn’t even drink coffee), we easily picked up our luggage and went directly to the National car lot. We’re Emerald Club members (thanks to Mousesavers) so we were able to bypass the counter and go directly to the parking lot. We had reserved the cheapest car they had since we were only planning on having the car for 24hrs. Well, when we got to the Emerald Reserve aisle, we couldn’t help but notice this one car. It seemed to be calling our names, willing us to come closer. It was a beautiful black colour and……drumroll please……..it was a CONVERTIBLE. It was a PT Cruiser, CONVERTIBLE!!!

Were we eligible to rent this car? Was our dream finally going to be fulfilled of feeling the wind in our hair as we were driving down the freeway? Would we be able to blast Aretha Franklin’s “Freeway of Love”?

“Goin' ridin' on the freeway of love
In my pink Cadillac”.

Okay, so our car wouldn’t be pink. It wasn’t a Cadillac either.

Forget it.

With caution in our heads and hope in our hearts, we got into the car and drove to the exit booth. This car felt soooo good. True, we had to spend a few minutes figuring out how to lower the windows, gaining a few strange looks from people. Haven’t they ever seen Canadians before? We quickly decided we weren’t going to let go of this car without a fight.

I was planning my getaway.

If the woman at the booth said no, I was going to create a diversion while Goofy Guy burned rubber (in an inconspicuous sort of way) and somehow work his way out of the maze, otherwise known as the MCO car park. He’d pick me up….um…somewhere.

So I hadn’t ironed out all the details yet.

We gave our National card to the woman. She scanned our card and broke the news to us that we had booked an economy car…..not this dream car I call a convertible. Goofy Guy asked how much extra it would cost to keep this car? She crunched some numbers. Mentally, Goofy Guy and I were figuring out how much more money we’d be willing to pay. $50? $100? A kidney?

The woman came back and said, “$4”. Could we handle “$4”?? You betcha. Was she kidding? It would have been a crime NOT to take this car. With a smile and a giggle, we were OFF!! We didn’t want to stick around any longer than necessary in case this kind woman had made a mistake. Did I mention it was a convertible? A more normal looking face with a goofy grin on it had now replaced Goofy Guy’s green face. He was now officially living up to his name.

Without a care in the world, we settled in our car as we embarked on our 11 day Florida adventure. If today was any indication, we were in for another unforgettable Disney vacation.

 

[Donald is #1]

CJK, I am loving your report!

 

[connorsmom911]

Wow, this is my night! I'm stumbling across trip reports so early in their writing that I can actually read them all with some expectation of keeping up...although we leave in 7 days, so I'm sure to fall behind right away anyhow.

But, subbing and looking forward to reading more!!

 

[AshClan]

I'm really looking forward to the rest of your report, CJK. Loved your other one, so I know we're in for a treat!

A convertible PT Cruiser sounds like fun!! Let the Magic Begin.......

 

[CJK]

Thanks everyone! It's nice knowing people don't mind my crazy sense of humour.

Next stop.........Walt Disney World. Well, almost.

Actually, our reason for renting a car this trip was so we could visit some friends in Cocoa Beach. It's a good thing too, since now we could show off our convertible.

Having such an amazing car without bragging privileges would be pure insanity.

No sooner had we left the airport, did Goofy Guy have the top down on the car. It was then that I realized something very important. There would be no glamour shots of me this trip. My usual, perfectly manicured hair, sprayed to perfection and my foundation applied impeccably to my delicate skin may have to remain a dream this trip....

Like it remains a dream in my day-to-day life too.

Yup, my typical pony tail and moisturizer/lip gloss routine will suit this bad boy I call a convertible just fine. Bring it on wind! Sure I might not be able to breathe during highway speeds, but by golly, do what you want to my hair! There would also be no meaningful conversations between Goofy Guy and myself while in the car due to wind. Poor Goofy Guy will go through some serious withdrawal from my stimulating conversation and somehow make due with the excitement of this brand new car, warm weather, beautiful ocean views, warm breeze on in his face, and..

Never mind. He’s fine. He wants to bring the car home.

Thanks hon.

Before we knew it we had arrived in Cocoa Beach. First stop was Publix. You may remember my Excedrin and cherry coke habit. I had been going through serious withdrawals since last year since neither “drug” is sold in Canada. I still need to find myself a dealer. It was time to stock up and stock up I did. While I was choosing which kind of Excedrin to buy, a woman stood beside me. She suddenly yelled very loudly, “WHY DID YOU DO THAT”?

“Umm, well I get headaches sometimes and …um…sometimes I cry…and keep my husband up at night and…um...I forgot to shave my legs.”

I continued to nervously stumble through my answer, likely making very little sense, until I realized she was talking on her microscopic cell phone. The woman looked at me very strangely since she didn’t understand why I was telling her my life story. Wasn’t everyone fascinated with my lack of pain tolerance? Or my unshaven legs for that matter? Actually, this was the second time in just a couple hours that someone looked at me strangely. I must be losing my touch.

After running out of Publix in embarrassment, with Goofy Guy a good 20ft in front of me, we grabbed a quick bite at McDonald’s before going to our friends’ house. I had forgotten that American McDonald’s don’t have deli sandwiches. I had to settle for a hamburger. But I was in Florida – hamburgers taste better in Florida. Heck, I’m pretty sure everything tastes better in Florida.

It was truly wonderful visiting with our friends. We marveled at how different their pace of life is here, compared to at home. At home, we’re used to such a frantic pace, just passing each other in the hallway and making constant plans for our weekends with very little free time. Our friends? Whatever they decide to do each day is fine. No use worrying about it or planning too far ahead.

It’s official; I’m moving to Florida.

We all decided to go for a walk on the beach. Our friends suggested that we all drive to the beach together and since they required a baby seat, we’d all go in their car. There was just one problem. No way was Goofy Guy going to be separated from his second love (I was still assuming that I was his first love, but I was starting to question it); THE car. Thankfully our friends understood. I knew there was a reason why they were our friends. We took two cars to the beach.

We enjoyed a terrific afternoon and evening of great conversation, great pizza and terrific views. My friends from the WISH boards will be proud of me. I only had one large piece of pizza and I blotted the grease off with a paper towel. I just made sure that the restaurant owner didn’t see me do it! I had already been given strange looks twice today.

I need to pace myself.

My friend made us homemade key lime pie for dessert. Oh the temptation! What’s a girl to do who’s trying to lose weight? Have a big piece and ask for the recipe of course! Just like everything tastes better in Florida………the calories don’t count either. But just in case, I was trying to save most of my calories for free dining at Disney.

Speaking of Disney, we were having fun in Cocoa Beach, but we were getting antsy to get to Disney. Being so close…yet not actually GOING to Disney is like taking candy away from a baby. It was time to rectify the situation.

We said our good-byes and thank you’s to our friends and began the long drive to our hotel. It was thrilling to be able to drive with the top down at 10pm at night. How on earth were we going to be able to return the car tomorrow??? I was thinking there’d have to be an intervention involved. I’d require reinforcements. Goofy Guy will not be easily separated from his new love.

We were staying at Amerisuites tonight, just outside of Disney. We knew we’d be arriving late tonight, so we figured that we’d move to Pop Century the next morning. We got a terrific deal at Amerisuites at $35 a night through priceline, which included a Continental breakfast.

Goofy Guy and I really do have a terrific relationship, but reading maps together and trying to find new hotels is not exactly one of our strong points at the best of times.

Now add a topless car and windy night to our less than impressive map reading abilities and you've got the recipe for disaster.

It wasn’t pretty, and I had the matching hair to prove it. Yet, we managed to keep it together (Disney magic already settling in perhaps?) and found ourselves heading in the right direction. It probably didn't hurt that I had my fix of cherry coke and Excedrin. Before arriving at the hotel however, something caught my eye. As if Mickey Mouse himself had planned it, we caught our first glimpse of Disney Magic at its finest. Yes, the Magic Kingdom fireworks were brightening the sky, welcoming us!

We had arrived!

Check-in was a breeze at Amerisuites. I wanted to just collapse and go to bed and dream of an overgrown Mouse, but Goofy Guy said that we needed to pack our hip pouches (yes - we're the oh-so-fashionable tourists who sport the not-so-fashionable hip pouches) and figure out our clothes for our early day tomorrow. Before we started our rearranging, Goofy Guy left in search of a pay phone. He wanted to phone his parents who were staying at All Star Music and arrange our plans for the next day.

After he left, I decided that it would be all right to rest my eyes a little....and maybe rest my legs on the very comfortable bed. But just for a minute. Well, when I finally got up to help Goofy Guy with the rearranging, the clock read 3am! How did that happen????

Newsflash everyone: time flies when you're avoiding work!

Yup, by the time Goofy Guy came back to our room, I was out like a light and Goofy Guy was left to do all the rearranging himself. If I ever doubted it before, I was now sure that I had been replaced by the convertible as Goofy Guy's first love.

Once his packing was complete, and a few dirty looks were shot in my direction, Goofy Guy finally went to sleep himself. It had been a long fun day, but it was time to get some rest for DISNEY tomorrow. Tomorrow we REALLY are going to Disney.

Really.

 

[Jane E.]

Sounds like you're off to a great start! I don't know which is better - the walk on the beach, the ride in the convertible or the fireworks over Disney! What? No cherry coke or Excedrin in Canada?

 

[bubba73]

CJK - I LOVE your report. I have to say that I feel like you and I were seperated at birth as we share the same kind of love and intense fascination for Disney and the Mouse!! I had to call DW in here so I could read the report to her and when I read the "THUD" and "DH feels the need to sleep while on vacation", I thought we were going to both cry with laughter. Please, update this some more. I have got to read the rest of your trip. The only downside is that you are making me homesick.

 

[CJK]

Thanks Jane. Yes - it's weird that we don't have cherry coke anymore in Canada. Although, as far as my waistline is concerned, it's probably a very good thing!!

CJK - I LOVE your report. I have to say that I feel like you and I were seperated at birth as we share the same kind of love and intense fascination for Disney and the Mouse!! I had to call DW in here so I could read the report to her and when I read the "THUD" and "DH feels the need to sleep while on vacation", I thought we were going to both cry with laughter. Please, update this some more. I have got to read the rest of your trip. The only downside is that you are making me homesick.

Thanks Bubba! I knew we had a lot in common! I'm glad you're enjoying the report!! I've temporarily switched gears and have been working on my dining report. http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1254728&page=2&pp=15 Just a warning however.....the report makes you hungry!! I still can't believe I ate all that food and didn't gain weight! I'm hoping to finish my dining report in the next couple days so I can get back to this report. My notes are sitting right next to my pc just waitin' to go! Stay tuned!!