The financially irresponsible WDW trip! [June 25th: p.45, posts 668 & 669]
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DebIreland
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Part 10: Off to Cocoa Beach.... (This is long - waaaaaay long. Feel free to skip bits, that's what I did when I re-read it and I'm the author. 
)
Saturday 28th October 2006
First I'll give a synopsis of the plan for this weekend (needless to say what actually happened varied quite a bit from this plan - doesn't it always!):
Saturday would start off with me staying at our hotel with the kids to finish packing and have a bit of down time while DH went to The Grosvenor Hotel in Downtown Disney to collect our rental car. We planned to leave All Stars around 10ish to go to Kennedy Space Centre (KSC) and possibly stop at a shopping centre (or mall, if you will) en route to pick up a few things. After KSC we would drive to Cocoa Beach, check into the Doubletree Oceanfront Hotel, visit Ron Jon's Surf Shop, get some dinner and sleep. Next day, we planned to spend a few hours on the beach and then leave around 3 or 4 to drive back to Orlando and check into The Boardwalk. All very exciting really!
The "possibly stop at a shopping centre" part of the plan was put in there mostly to experience the pleasure of purchasing an item in the U.S., be it a hat, a clothes peg, a screwdriver, an air vent, a shuttlecock, it doesn't matter, what matters is that I would be in a regular American shop, buying something bought at a non Disney price and bought *in Florida* but outside of Disney World. See? Cause really, bar the trip to the outlet stores, we hadn't bought a thing outside of Disney World on this trip or even on our first trip. At least not in Florida. We had a wonderful 4 days in New York on our 1st trip in 05 but once we got to Orlando, it was onsite all the way and while we loved it, it has it's downside - the biggest downside being that it always feels a bit strange to me to be in America on our holidays and yet to be so alienated from life, shops or general happenin's in the area we're in. Definitely a big part of me feels that this is somehow wrong or, at the very least, peculiar. After all, I waited 35 years to visit the U.S. and I looked forward to it so much and yet, on this trip, and our first one (bar NY), we kinda cut ourselves off from America by staying in a fantasyland complex. You know? It's the battle you see between our desire to holiday in the U.S. with our desire to spend as much time as humanly possible in Disney World. It's almost as if the fact that Disney World is in the U.S. is incidental because they're two separate holidays - almost. One day we'll do a pure American holiday and try to resist Disney World in order to focus on all the other marvels.
So all in all, this trip to Cocoa Beach & KSC would serve a number of purposes and make us feel that we had seen more than Disney stuff (much as we love all that).
[By the way, during the planning stages, we were yearning to visit St. Petersburg but I didn't think it was a great idea to make two long-ish journeys, one east to KSC and one west to St. Petersburg so we decided to combine our desire to spend time by the sea with our desire to visit KSC.]
So, I'll tell things the way things actually happened....
We're up early this morning. All well rested - particularly Alice who slept right through since 6pm the day before! She was in fabulous spirits this morning and clearly benefited greatly from such a long sleep. We looked outside and it was pouring rain, just bucketing down - this was our first experience of rain this trip and, although I was glad we weren't getting soaked in a theme park, I did wonder then what the weather on the coast would be like. Also, I was a bit apprehensive about us driving for the first time ever in the U.S. if the weather were to get worse and storms started in.
So we decided to take our time so we switched our plans for that day and the next and decided to go to the beach that day and get up the next morning and go to KSC. The thing is we knew at this point we'd be running way behind and would get to KSC too late to get the best out of it.
One thing I forgot to mention, I just remembered it now - the night before after we got back to the room there was a helicopter flying overhead, circling the resort and it's surroundings. I know helicopters can be quite common in Disney World but this one was clearly searching for something (or someone?) as it had its search lights on full whack, lighting up the forestry just behind ASMusic. I never found out what it was all about but I did dread to think what they might be searching for at 11pm at night and I hope it wasn't a missing person. I guess I'll never know at this stage but it was rather scary. They just kept circling again and again.
Back to the present, or rather back to Saturday 28th October..... I was horrified at the amount of stuff we had already accumulated in less than 5 days on holiday! And the mess.... oh God, there was stuff everywhere it seemed. Not that we had thrashed the joint or thrown stuff around the room but every corner, drawer and shelf was full of *stuff*. So packing was certainly a challenge. It also made me sigh at the thought of doing this three more times before the end of the holiday and, for the hundredth time I wondered if we shouldn't have just booked a place and stuck with it for our two weeks. But our desire to stay at The Boardwalk had won out and it simply wasn't viable to stay there for the whole trip. In any case, I would have hated to miss out on All Star Music - we loved it.
We had to ensure that we had everything we needed for the two days at the coast. So all of that weekend stuff was going to go in one gear bag (as well as in our back packs) and then we would pack away everything else into the remaining six bags/cases which would be shipped off to The Boardwalk. I think I was just dreading that we'd get to Cocoa Beach without an essential - again, as is always the case, Alice's blanky was top of our list of essential items!
Whilst I haven't ever been diagnosed, I know for sure that I have a touch (or more) of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I mean no offence to anyone suffering from this disorder at all. Since I was very young, there are certain things that I find very hard to take that I suspect another person would take in their stride. Remember back in part one or two I was explaining that when we got the packing underway the night before the trip Wayne helped me to categorise the cases/bags with, for example, my clothes (category a) in suitcase 1, Halloween Costumes (category f) in suitcase 2, that sort of thing? Well you see once those categories are established (and work effectively) I find it teeth-clenchingly, stomach-turningly, brain-achingly difficult to deviate from them. But deviate we must if we are to fit in all the new stuff. We need to mix category b with category g when they weren't mixed before - that sort of thing. It tears me apart. I want to let things be.
The only category I didn't mind adding was the 'Mickey soaps and miniature shampoo' category. I relished that. I made a special place for those in my favourite suitcase. We had skilfully used very little of those things and had managed to build up quite a collection over the few days.
I remember reading a thread on these boards a few months ago where someone was asking if they could bring home their towel animal and an indignent poster replied "well you wouldn't bring home the soaps and shampoos so why would you bring home the towels?" All I could think was "you wouldn't bring home the soaps and shampoos?? Huh?".
Where do you put things like maps and other assorted iterature?
I can't stand it. You know when you go to pack and you end up with a ton of maps, used tickets, brochures and general bits and pieces of printed info which you don't quite want to throw away but, at the same time, there's no logical way of compartmentalising them? So I put them in the 'printed matter which is unimportant and yet not unimportant enough to throw away' section of one of the suitcases i.e. Section n. 
Okay, okay, you're probably rolling your eyes now and saying "geez, she calls this a problem?" but really, it does my head in (and don't even get me started on my obsession with the number 3 - just don't go there ok?
). The enforced merger of two separate categories. The 'let's change the system'. *I feel weak*. That's why I work at home, alone, cause I daren't ever again risk teamwork or having to take on board someone else's idea of a system. Even if my system is crap, slow and broken-down, I'll cling to it like a limpet to a rock.
But at some point I silently accept the merger of stuff and I pat down my hair, regain normal breathing, rub my belly to alleviate the stress pains inside and, with a brave and hardened heart, I carry on, throwing face-paint (category f) in with electrical (category k) in with new t-shirts in with printed matter -
- it hurts to even re-tell it.
Continued in next post...... (cause I waffled on so much, it'll look less headache-inducing in two separate posts. lol!)
)Saturday 28th October 2006
First I'll give a synopsis of the plan for this weekend (needless to say what actually happened varied quite a bit from this plan - doesn't it always!):
Saturday would start off with me staying at our hotel with the kids to finish packing and have a bit of down time while DH went to The Grosvenor Hotel in Downtown Disney to collect our rental car. We planned to leave All Stars around 10ish to go to Kennedy Space Centre (KSC) and possibly stop at a shopping centre (or mall, if you will) en route to pick up a few things. After KSC we would drive to Cocoa Beach, check into the Doubletree Oceanfront Hotel, visit Ron Jon's Surf Shop, get some dinner and sleep. Next day, we planned to spend a few hours on the beach and then leave around 3 or 4 to drive back to Orlando and check into The Boardwalk. All very exciting really!
The "possibly stop at a shopping centre" part of the plan was put in there mostly to experience the pleasure of purchasing an item in the U.S., be it a hat, a clothes peg, a screwdriver, an air vent, a shuttlecock, it doesn't matter, what matters is that I would be in a regular American shop, buying something bought at a non Disney price and bought *in Florida* but outside of Disney World. See? Cause really, bar the trip to the outlet stores, we hadn't bought a thing outside of Disney World on this trip or even on our first trip. At least not in Florida. We had a wonderful 4 days in New York on our 1st trip in 05 but once we got to Orlando, it was onsite all the way and while we loved it, it has it's downside - the biggest downside being that it always feels a bit strange to me to be in America on our holidays and yet to be so alienated from life, shops or general happenin's in the area we're in. Definitely a big part of me feels that this is somehow wrong or, at the very least, peculiar. After all, I waited 35 years to visit the U.S. and I looked forward to it so much and yet, on this trip, and our first one (bar NY), we kinda cut ourselves off from America by staying in a fantasyland complex. You know? It's the battle you see between our desire to holiday in the U.S. with our desire to spend as much time as humanly possible in Disney World. It's almost as if the fact that Disney World is in the U.S. is incidental because they're two separate holidays - almost. One day we'll do a pure American holiday and try to resist Disney World in order to focus on all the other marvels.
So all in all, this trip to Cocoa Beach & KSC would serve a number of purposes and make us feel that we had seen more than Disney stuff (much as we love all that).
[By the way, during the planning stages, we were yearning to visit St. Petersburg but I didn't think it was a great idea to make two long-ish journeys, one east to KSC and one west to St. Petersburg so we decided to combine our desire to spend time by the sea with our desire to visit KSC.]
So, I'll tell things the way things actually happened....
We're up early this morning. All well rested - particularly Alice who slept right through since 6pm the day before! She was in fabulous spirits this morning and clearly benefited greatly from such a long sleep. We looked outside and it was pouring rain, just bucketing down - this was our first experience of rain this trip and, although I was glad we weren't getting soaked in a theme park, I did wonder then what the weather on the coast would be like. Also, I was a bit apprehensive about us driving for the first time ever in the U.S. if the weather were to get worse and storms started in.
So we decided to take our time so we switched our plans for that day and the next and decided to go to the beach that day and get up the next morning and go to KSC. The thing is we knew at this point we'd be running way behind and would get to KSC too late to get the best out of it.
One thing I forgot to mention, I just remembered it now - the night before after we got back to the room there was a helicopter flying overhead, circling the resort and it's surroundings. I know helicopters can be quite common in Disney World but this one was clearly searching for something (or someone?) as it had its search lights on full whack, lighting up the forestry just behind ASMusic. I never found out what it was all about but I did dread to think what they might be searching for at 11pm at night and I hope it wasn't a missing person. I guess I'll never know at this stage but it was rather scary. They just kept circling again and again.
Back to the present, or rather back to Saturday 28th October..... I was horrified at the amount of stuff we had already accumulated in less than 5 days on holiday! And the mess.... oh God, there was stuff everywhere it seemed. Not that we had thrashed the joint or thrown stuff around the room but every corner, drawer and shelf was full of *stuff*. So packing was certainly a challenge. It also made me sigh at the thought of doing this three more times before the end of the holiday and, for the hundredth time I wondered if we shouldn't have just booked a place and stuck with it for our two weeks. But our desire to stay at The Boardwalk had won out and it simply wasn't viable to stay there for the whole trip. In any case, I would have hated to miss out on All Star Music - we loved it.
We had to ensure that we had everything we needed for the two days at the coast. So all of that weekend stuff was going to go in one gear bag (as well as in our back packs) and then we would pack away everything else into the remaining six bags/cases which would be shipped off to The Boardwalk. I think I was just dreading that we'd get to Cocoa Beach without an essential - again, as is always the case, Alice's blanky was top of our list of essential items!
Whilst I haven't ever been diagnosed, I know for sure that I have a touch (or more) of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I mean no offence to anyone suffering from this disorder at all. Since I was very young, there are certain things that I find very hard to take that I suspect another person would take in their stride. Remember back in part one or two I was explaining that when we got the packing underway the night before the trip Wayne helped me to categorise the cases/bags with, for example, my clothes (category a) in suitcase 1, Halloween Costumes (category f) in suitcase 2, that sort of thing? Well you see once those categories are established (and work effectively) I find it teeth-clenchingly, stomach-turningly, brain-achingly difficult to deviate from them. But deviate we must if we are to fit in all the new stuff. We need to mix category b with category g when they weren't mixed before - that sort of thing. It tears me apart. I want to let things be.
The only category I didn't mind adding was the 'Mickey soaps and miniature shampoo' category. I relished that. I made a special place for those in my favourite suitcase. We had skilfully used very little of those things and had managed to build up quite a collection over the few days.
I remember reading a thread on these boards a few months ago where someone was asking if they could bring home their towel animal and an indignent poster replied "well you wouldn't bring home the soaps and shampoos so why would you bring home the towels?" All I could think was "you wouldn't bring home the soaps and shampoos?? Huh?". Where do you put things like maps and other assorted iterature?
I can't stand it. You know when you go to pack and you end up with a ton of maps, used tickets, brochures and general bits and pieces of printed info which you don't quite want to throw away but, at the same time, there's no logical way of compartmentalising them? So I put them in the 'printed matter which is unimportant and yet not unimportant enough to throw away' section of one of the suitcases i.e. Section n. Okay, okay, you're probably rolling your eyes now and saying "geez, she calls this a problem?" but really, it does my head in (and don't even get me started on my obsession with the number 3 - just don't go there ok?
). The enforced merger of two separate categories. The 'let's change the system'. *I feel weak*. That's why I work at home, alone, cause I daren't ever again risk teamwork or having to take on board someone else's idea of a system. Even if my system is crap, slow and broken-down, I'll cling to it like a limpet to a rock.But at some point I silently accept the merger of stuff and I pat down my hair, regain normal breathing, rub my belly to alleviate the stress pains inside and, with a brave and hardened heart, I carry on, throwing face-paint (category f) in with electrical (category k) in with new t-shirts in with printed matter -
- it hurts to even re-tell it.Continued in next post...... (cause I waffled on so much, it'll look less headache-inducing in two separate posts. lol!)
DebIreland
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Part 11: Off to Cocoa Beach (continued)....
(Still) Saturday 28th October, 2006
Early on in the packing stage we decided that it would be good if Grumpy took the boys and Alice to the food court for breakfast with a plan to bring me back some pancakes and coffee, leaving me some non-child time to get a handle on things. The boys got changed into their swimming gear as the plan was to let them go for a swim after breakfast with a strict warning that there was to be "no messing". I think I mentioned in a previous chapter how this is all new to us - the idea of leaving the boys without our supervision. But it's great when you finally reach that stage and you just know instinctively that they'll be okay (for a limited time of course) without us there. So off they went, the packing trauma ensued. But, I was finally on a roll.
After a while DH comes back with my coffee and delicious pancakes with maple syrup, hands over Alice, having dropped the boys at the pool, and he goes off to get the bus to Downtown Disney, collect the car and drive back. I wish him luck. He's a very experienced competent driver but I know he's nervous. We have driven on the 'wrong'
p ) side of the road before - we drove almost the entire length of Italy and also in Spain but, I dunno, for some reason this felt very different.
We are way behind schedule but it honestly didn't matter. The previous two days had been hectic so we had already decided to take it at a slower pace.
Alice 'helped' with the packing by unpacking, re-distributing and also, of course, becoming all of a sudden attached to things buried at the end of the furthest case! But, bless her, she was in great spirits altogether, after her great night's sleep and was singing and dancing and really no trouble. More quality time.
When I'm within an hour of being done I called down to front desk to ask about transferring the luggage over to The Boardwalk (as per phone call the night before). The CM says she doesn't think it's possible and keeps saying "when are you checking out of here?" and "when are you checking into The Boardwalk?" I'm convinced it's the same CM who gave us the room at the back of the resort. I recognised her surly tone.
. I told her our plans repeatedly and said I understood it wasn't the normal course of events to move luggage for guests not checking in that night but that just the night before the CM on the front desk had said it was no problem whatsoever (the inconsistency of CMs is rather mind-boggling at times) so she says "hmmm" and transferred me to luggage or bell services or whatever they're called. So a nice guy comes on the line and said that it's fine with him if it's okay with The Boardwalk staff so to check with them first and if it's ok with them, to ring him back. Yay! So next I called The Boardwalk and ask for Bell Services and the guy there said it's fine with him if it's okay with the All Stars, I assure him it is so I call back the first guy and he said that was great and to just leave the bags in the room and go. Yay!!!
Just another little aside here re: that CM who refused to budge on our Country Fair location the night we checked in (despite the fact that I was happy to accept *any* other building). Well the next day when DH went to collect our welcome pack which we hadn't been given, the CM on duty asked if we were happy with our room. DH said yes, the room was fine, but that we had been disappointed with the location. The CM said we should have asked for another location and it wouldn't have been a problem. Hmmm! He told her that we had indeed asked for another location and, in fact, it was noted on our reservation from many months prior that we would like to be as near as possible to the food court, but that the CM on duty wouldn't budge unless we paid for preferred. He said this second CM just shook her head and said "there are lots of empty rooms in better locations and it's no problem to move you". But, having just unpacked that morning, he declined the offer. I would have moved in a heartbeat but that's not my point - my point is that that first CM definitely had it in for me. lol!!
Digression over.
In the meantime there's a knock on the door and it's mousekeeping. A nice friendly lady asks if she can clean the room now but I'm not done packing and I explain that we're checking out that morning - she looked confused and taken aback at this for some reason. But check out time is 11 and it's still only 10.15 or so and I assure her that I'll be out of the room by 11. She reluctantly agreed. It wasn't her fault as she was assigned a certain section at a certain time. It's something I don't understand though. I don't see why they can't assign the rooms that are being vacated that day to a later time for mousekeeping. This is starting to get very whiney, knocking Disney staff, which I don't want to do but there's always a few occasions when the CMs/management perplex me.
The pressure was on now to finish up because I was aware that she was getting closer and closer again to my room. I wondered at this point where the boys were. They seemed to be taking ages. They had yet to get dressed as they had gone to the food court and pool in their swimming gear. Also I could have done with a hand with the myriad of items I would need to carry downstairs (the plan was to meet DH in the food court whenever he got back) but still no sign of them.
I had the door held open with one of the cases because I had parked the stroller outside and was filling it up with our crap, er, stuff. Bag by bag - oh what am I doing here? How much mileage can I get out of this packing saga? It's going on and on like one of those horrendous Jackie Collins 'novels' except it's all bags and sweaters instead of lean muscle and steamy affairs. lol! Anyway, the door was open so I was aware that our mousekeeper was next door now. I really got the feeling she was hanging about waiting for me to leave. I completely understand this as she might have had to move to a different building and come back later just to do our room if it wasn't ready to do now. So I finally got done by 10.50 and, as suspected, she was waiting near the door outside, happy to hear that I was finished and leaving.
So I left our 6 bags/cases tucked into the corner with a note attached stating the number of bags and the destination and our reservation number for The Boardwalk and a tip folded into the note, left the mousekeeper's tip on the TV and off we went, and struggled downstairs (well, you know, using the elevator!) with the stroller full of bags and hanging 3 deep off the handles. Also of course I had clothes and runners for the boys to change into as they hadn't turned up yet. But Alice was dancing along next to me and I felt really good. The sun was most definitely shining again and it was a gorgeous day. The upside of moving so often is that you have that 'starting fresh' feeling where everything was neat and in it's place again.
Where were the boys and why hadn't they come to get dressed and help me out? Well, as I approached the pool, they were there, sitting in a lounger each, chatting and having a laugh. This irritated me no end. So I indicated to them to come and help and asked where they've been and it turns out DH had instructed them to stay put until I came to get them.
. How did he think I could manage Alice and all the bags and how were they supposed to get dressed? Anyway, a quick sigh and I tell the boys to go and get dressed in the changing rooms. They dutifully oblige. They're also in great spirits and had a fabulous swim. We wave goodbye to the pool which we are so fond of and off we head to the food court. We debate whether or not to get lunch but decide against it and we get a couple of snacky things instead.
Then Wayne asks me if I know where his wallet is and I haven't a clue. I know it's not in his backpack as I had cleaned that out and repacked it. He can't find it. There was quite a bit of spending money in there belong to him. So he's really upset now. So I left the boys to look after Alice and I ran back up to the room, hoping to get there before bell services came to collect the bags. Our mousekeeper was probably thrilled to see *me* coming back again. lol! Ah no, she was a nice lady actually and I explained to her as best I could (her English wasn't great) that I was searching for something so I searched each bag and there was no sign of it.
Just then the luggage guy arrived and it was a good thing I was in the room (which was a pure fluke after all) as I got the distinct impression he had expected me to be there. He asked me about the number of bags and where they were going, ticked things off of his worksheet as I answered, did a bag count and said all was in order. I gave him his tip, he chatted for a while, told us he'd look after our bags well (and indeed he did) and off I went. [There we go again though with the inconsistent advice from CMs - I had been told it was fine to just leave the bags in the room].
Wayne was very disappointed when I told him I hadn't found his wallet but just then DH came back and we told him about it. He reckoned it might be in Wayne's shorts pocket from the night before. Wayne said he was pretty sure that's where it was. I hadn't searched the laundry bag when I went back up to the room so we all felt safe knowing that it was stuffed in his pocket in one of the cases (and you don't have to wait til God knows when I get to the next day's events (lol!) - I can tell you now it was there!! Yay!!).
So Grumpy had got the car and looked a little bit freaked. lol! He said he found navigating a bit of a challenge but was confident we'd be fine for getting to the coast. [Wanna bet?]
Grumpy and the boys are now peckish so Grumpy said he'd go grab a couple of things but came back with the largest pizza they sold. Considering none of us were starving it was a waste and we got through less than half of it. Also I had promised the boys we'd go to Pizza Hut that night in Cocoa Beach as they're huge fans of Pizza Hut. DH knew this but still got the pizza anyway which irritated me quite a bit. What's the point in having pizza for lunch and dinner? Oh well, I'm sure we'll get through it. lol!
We finish up and head for the car park. I found it very hard to judge the size of cars when I was booking it online as I'm not familiar with U.S. models (who am I kidding? I know nothing about cars in general. lol!) but, while the car itself was fine, I had expected it to have a much bigger boot (or 'trunk, if you will). I was so relieved that we had arranged to send all those bags to The Boardwalk - there is no way in hell they'd have fitted in there. I honestly don't know what we'd have done.
So in we get and off we go, with baited breath......
Up next: Round and round we go, where we stop no-one knows, except we all strongly suspect it'll be at those Disney gates yet again.
It's on page 12, Post no. 173!!
(Still) Saturday 28th October, 2006
Early on in the packing stage we decided that it would be good if Grumpy took the boys and Alice to the food court for breakfast with a plan to bring me back some pancakes and coffee, leaving me some non-child time to get a handle on things. The boys got changed into their swimming gear as the plan was to let them go for a swim after breakfast with a strict warning that there was to be "no messing". I think I mentioned in a previous chapter how this is all new to us - the idea of leaving the boys without our supervision. But it's great when you finally reach that stage and you just know instinctively that they'll be okay (for a limited time of course) without us there. So off they went, the packing trauma ensued. But, I was finally on a roll.
After a while DH comes back with my coffee and delicious pancakes with maple syrup, hands over Alice, having dropped the boys at the pool, and he goes off to get the bus to Downtown Disney, collect the car and drive back. I wish him luck. He's a very experienced competent driver but I know he's nervous. We have driven on the 'wrong'
p ) side of the road before - we drove almost the entire length of Italy and also in Spain but, I dunno, for some reason this felt very different.We are way behind schedule but it honestly didn't matter. The previous two days had been hectic so we had already decided to take it at a slower pace.
Alice 'helped' with the packing by unpacking, re-distributing and also, of course, becoming all of a sudden attached to things buried at the end of the furthest case! But, bless her, she was in great spirits altogether, after her great night's sleep and was singing and dancing and really no trouble. More quality time.
When I'm within an hour of being done I called down to front desk to ask about transferring the luggage over to The Boardwalk (as per phone call the night before). The CM says she doesn't think it's possible and keeps saying "when are you checking out of here?" and "when are you checking into The Boardwalk?" I'm convinced it's the same CM who gave us the room at the back of the resort. I recognised her surly tone.
. I told her our plans repeatedly and said I understood it wasn't the normal course of events to move luggage for guests not checking in that night but that just the night before the CM on the front desk had said it was no problem whatsoever (the inconsistency of CMs is rather mind-boggling at times) so she says "hmmm" and transferred me to luggage or bell services or whatever they're called. So a nice guy comes on the line and said that it's fine with him if it's okay with The Boardwalk staff so to check with them first and if it's ok with them, to ring him back. Yay! So next I called The Boardwalk and ask for Bell Services and the guy there said it's fine with him if it's okay with the All Stars, I assure him it is so I call back the first guy and he said that was great and to just leave the bags in the room and go. Yay!!!Just another little aside here re: that CM who refused to budge on our Country Fair location the night we checked in (despite the fact that I was happy to accept *any* other building). Well the next day when DH went to collect our welcome pack which we hadn't been given, the CM on duty asked if we were happy with our room. DH said yes, the room was fine, but that we had been disappointed with the location. The CM said we should have asked for another location and it wouldn't have been a problem. Hmmm! He told her that we had indeed asked for another location and, in fact, it was noted on our reservation from many months prior that we would like to be as near as possible to the food court, but that the CM on duty wouldn't budge unless we paid for preferred. He said this second CM just shook her head and said "there are lots of empty rooms in better locations and it's no problem to move you". But, having just unpacked that morning, he declined the offer. I would have moved in a heartbeat but that's not my point - my point is that that first CM definitely had it in for me. lol!!
Digression over.
In the meantime there's a knock on the door and it's mousekeeping. A nice friendly lady asks if she can clean the room now but I'm not done packing and I explain that we're checking out that morning - she looked confused and taken aback at this for some reason. But check out time is 11 and it's still only 10.15 or so and I assure her that I'll be out of the room by 11. She reluctantly agreed. It wasn't her fault as she was assigned a certain section at a certain time. It's something I don't understand though. I don't see why they can't assign the rooms that are being vacated that day to a later time for mousekeeping. This is starting to get very whiney, knocking Disney staff, which I don't want to do but there's always a few occasions when the CMs/management perplex me.
The pressure was on now to finish up because I was aware that she was getting closer and closer again to my room. I wondered at this point where the boys were. They seemed to be taking ages. They had yet to get dressed as they had gone to the food court and pool in their swimming gear. Also I could have done with a hand with the myriad of items I would need to carry downstairs (the plan was to meet DH in the food court whenever he got back) but still no sign of them.
I had the door held open with one of the cases because I had parked the stroller outside and was filling it up with our crap, er, stuff. Bag by bag - oh what am I doing here? How much mileage can I get out of this packing saga? It's going on and on like one of those horrendous Jackie Collins 'novels' except it's all bags and sweaters instead of lean muscle and steamy affairs. lol! Anyway, the door was open so I was aware that our mousekeeper was next door now. I really got the feeling she was hanging about waiting for me to leave. I completely understand this as she might have had to move to a different building and come back later just to do our room if it wasn't ready to do now. So I finally got done by 10.50 and, as suspected, she was waiting near the door outside, happy to hear that I was finished and leaving.
So I left our 6 bags/cases tucked into the corner with a note attached stating the number of bags and the destination and our reservation number for The Boardwalk and a tip folded into the note, left the mousekeeper's tip on the TV and off we went, and struggled downstairs (well, you know, using the elevator!) with the stroller full of bags and hanging 3 deep off the handles. Also of course I had clothes and runners for the boys to change into as they hadn't turned up yet. But Alice was dancing along next to me and I felt really good. The sun was most definitely shining again and it was a gorgeous day. The upside of moving so often is that you have that 'starting fresh' feeling where everything was neat and in it's place again.
Where were the boys and why hadn't they come to get dressed and help me out? Well, as I approached the pool, they were there, sitting in a lounger each, chatting and having a laugh. This irritated me no end. So I indicated to them to come and help and asked where they've been and it turns out DH had instructed them to stay put until I came to get them.
. How did he think I could manage Alice and all the bags and how were they supposed to get dressed? Anyway, a quick sigh and I tell the boys to go and get dressed in the changing rooms. They dutifully oblige. They're also in great spirits and had a fabulous swim. We wave goodbye to the pool which we are so fond of and off we head to the food court. We debate whether or not to get lunch but decide against it and we get a couple of snacky things instead.Then Wayne asks me if I know where his wallet is and I haven't a clue. I know it's not in his backpack as I had cleaned that out and repacked it. He can't find it. There was quite a bit of spending money in there belong to him. So he's really upset now. So I left the boys to look after Alice and I ran back up to the room, hoping to get there before bell services came to collect the bags. Our mousekeeper was probably thrilled to see *me* coming back again. lol! Ah no, she was a nice lady actually and I explained to her as best I could (her English wasn't great) that I was searching for something so I searched each bag and there was no sign of it.
Just then the luggage guy arrived and it was a good thing I was in the room (which was a pure fluke after all) as I got the distinct impression he had expected me to be there. He asked me about the number of bags and where they were going, ticked things off of his worksheet as I answered, did a bag count and said all was in order. I gave him his tip, he chatted for a while, told us he'd look after our bags well (and indeed he did) and off I went. [There we go again though with the inconsistent advice from CMs - I had been told it was fine to just leave the bags in the room].
Wayne was very disappointed when I told him I hadn't found his wallet but just then DH came back and we told him about it. He reckoned it might be in Wayne's shorts pocket from the night before. Wayne said he was pretty sure that's where it was. I hadn't searched the laundry bag when I went back up to the room so we all felt safe knowing that it was stuffed in his pocket in one of the cases (and you don't have to wait til God knows when I get to the next day's events (lol!) - I can tell you now it was there!! Yay!!).
So Grumpy had got the car and looked a little bit freaked. lol! He said he found navigating a bit of a challenge but was confident we'd be fine for getting to the coast. [Wanna bet?]
Grumpy and the boys are now peckish so Grumpy said he'd go grab a couple of things but came back with the largest pizza they sold. Considering none of us were starving it was a waste and we got through less than half of it. Also I had promised the boys we'd go to Pizza Hut that night in Cocoa Beach as they're huge fans of Pizza Hut. DH knew this but still got the pizza anyway which irritated me quite a bit. What's the point in having pizza for lunch and dinner? Oh well, I'm sure we'll get through it. lol!
We finish up and head for the car park. I found it very hard to judge the size of cars when I was booking it online as I'm not familiar with U.S. models (who am I kidding? I know nothing about cars in general. lol!) but, while the car itself was fine, I had expected it to have a much bigger boot (or 'trunk, if you will). I was so relieved that we had arranged to send all those bags to The Boardwalk - there is no way in hell they'd have fitted in there. I honestly don't know what we'd have done.
So in we get and off we go, with baited breath......
Up next: Round and round we go, where we stop no-one knows, except we all strongly suspect it'll be at those Disney gates yet again.
It's on page 12, Post no. 173!!
Disneyland_Mama
<marquee><font color=peach>His head instantly infl
- Joined
- Aug 13, 2006
- Messages
- 6,758
Yeah!!! Your back to writing!! Great installments. So glad you found Waynes wallet!
As always, the kiddos are adorable. I just wanna give that Alice a squeeze and cheek pinch!
Looking forward to more!
As always, the kiddos are adorable. I just wanna give that Alice a squeeze and cheek pinch!
Looking forward to more!
Just want you to know, I'm really enjoying your trip report! 
As always, trips are loaded with unexpected obstacles despite meticulous planning. As long as the major issues go on as planned.
You really have a lovely family.
Looking forward to reading more of your adventure.
As always, trips are loaded with unexpected obstacles despite meticulous planning. As long as the major issues go on as planned.
You really have a lovely family.
Looking forward to reading more of your adventure.
Jake & Crew
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Feb 2, 2006
- Messages
- 445
Welcome back!! So happy to be reading your report again!!!
Can't wait to get to Cocoa Beach and get a view of America out of "fantasyland" from some of our favorite friends from across the pond!
Can't wait to get to Cocoa Beach and get a view of America out of "fantasyland" from some of our favorite friends from across the pond!
Lil' Grumpy
<font color=purple>Lil' Grumpy is really a Big Swe
- Joined
- Feb 14, 2006
- Messages
- 2,820
soooo worth the wait...
thanks..for the christmas wishes..we had our traditional one
with family...
ha!, he-ha...soft ,cuddley, fuzzy characters are my favorite too!--
but if i told you i married one, she would kill me..
oh..at buzz..so you're saying your husband was an
for
letting you win ? { i sorta bring up the best in her too }
.....i understand the "thrifty goal"..well, the best pins are also
very costly...& add up fast...we try to redirect our kids by limit
setting as to keep the collecting fun ..not expensive! therefore,
i felt adding your pins comments are important.
*when trip reporters include their challenges,i think make the magic
works the best!
i am trying to say.. , i really
enjoyed your adventures!
thanks..for the christmas wishes..we had our traditional one
with family...
ha!, he-ha...soft ,cuddley, fuzzy characters are my favorite too!--
but if i told you i married one, she would kill me..
oh..at buzz..so you're saying your husband was an
forletting you win ? { i sorta bring up the best in her too }
.....i understand the "thrifty goal"..well, the best pins are also
very costly...& add up fast...we try to redirect our kids by limit
setting as to keep the collecting fun ..not expensive! therefore,
i felt adding your pins comments are important.
*when trip reporters include their challenges,i think make the magic
works the best!
i am trying to say.. , i reallyenjoyed your adventures!
Disneygrl36
Happy DVC member!!!!
- Joined
- Jul 19, 2004
- Messages
- 4,269
I'm still here & enjoying your writing again.
You really do make me laugh & I appreciate your honesty so much!!
You really do make me laugh
& I appreciate your honesty so much!!
sharkB8HooHaHa
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 23, 2006
- Messages
- 2,175
Deb,
You're killing me in part 10! I love how you've managed to recreate the chaos of vacation, 'cause let's face it, there is always chaos on vacation. Your sub-categories are the best! And while they are hysterically funny now, I can relate to the belly ache you must have had at the time. What's that about needing a vacation to recover from your vacation?
Please let us know about KSC. I was there as a teenager and would love to take my boys someday. We always talk about going, but find we can't escape the Mouse. See, that's not only an Irish thing. Once we're that close to the Mouse, we don't leave either. We were there last year when Katrina struck New Orleans and for the days after when the levy broke. We didn't find out about it until we were heading back up I-95 toward home and we heard it on the radio. It's kind of scary just how isolated you can be.
You're killing me in part 10! I love how you've managed to recreate the chaos of vacation, 'cause let's face it, there is always chaos on vacation. Your sub-categories are the best! And while they are hysterically funny now, I can relate to the belly ache you must have had at the time. What's that about needing a vacation to recover from your vacation?
Please let us know about KSC. I was there as a teenager and would love to take my boys someday. We always talk about going, but find we can't escape the Mouse. See, that's not only an Irish thing. Once we're that close to the Mouse, we don't leave either. We were there last year when Katrina struck New Orleans and for the days after when the levy broke. We didn't find out about it until we were heading back up I-95 toward home and we heard it on the radio. It's kind of scary just how isolated you can be.
DebIreland
ಠvಠ
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2005
- Messages
- 3,601
Hey Cass Thanks for sticking with me.
Disneyland_Mama: Thanks! Speaking of adorable kids, oh my! That photo in your sig is just gorgeous. Such beautiful kids you have!! Hope Waldo made it through the Christmas rush without getting lost. 
Vivianne & Jake & Crew - thanks *so* much for the very kind words.
Disneygrl36 - So glad I make you laugh! Thanks!
marivaid - So glad you're here. Your own TR is simply brilliant!!! Oh, The Boardwalk was incredible!!!
Lil' Grumpy - *Let* me win at Buzz?
No way! Never! Thanks for the good vibes!! 
Shark - I know, I really *do* want and need a holiday after this one. One that I just pack and go to - no planning! I'm already plotting....
it won't be WDW 
but we're thinking of a weekend break somewhere soon. KSC is definitely worth a visit but I would say that it would be very boring for even the most technically-minded child under 8. My boys were a great age for it at almost 10 and 12 but I think only your eldest "little bite" is 9, if memory serves (ok, I admit I wasn't going on memory but I didn't want to admit to such anorakish behaviour as going back to look at page 1 of your TR to see the exact ages of your kids )!!! Hee hee. Anyway, it wasn't what I expected. It's a place I've been wanting to visit for years, even outside of the fact that it's near WDW. My Dad and I loved 'The Right Stuff'. The place was cool, don't get me wrong but there's a lot of waiting around and you spend half the day travelling in buses from one part to another. With a toddler, that was exhausting. I would say your youngest children are still a bit young. Still, it really was good. The boys loved the place, much more so than I expected. They were on a high and also, I'm pretty sure it will be useful in school some day. Oh God, I waffle on even in a response to a response in my TR.
mom2aandj - Hey!! Thanks!!! Glad you're still here!
Thanks for sticking with me.Disneyland_Mama: Thanks! Speaking of adorable kids, oh my! That photo in your sig is just gorgeous. Such beautiful kids you have!!
Hope Waldo made it through the Christmas rush without getting lost. Vivianne & Jake & Crew - thanks *so* much for the very kind words.
Disneygrl36 - So glad I make you laugh!
Thanks! marivaid - So glad you're here. Your own TR is simply brilliant!!! Oh, The Boardwalk was incredible!!!
Lil' Grumpy - *Let* me win at Buzz?
No way! Never! Thanks for the good vibes!! Shark - I know, I really *do* want and need a holiday after this one. One that I just pack and go to - no planning! I'm already plotting....
it won't be WDW but we're thinking of a weekend break somewhere soon. KSC is definitely worth a visit but I would say that it would be very boring for even the most technically-minded child under 8. My boys were a great age for it at almost 10 and 12 but I think only your eldest "little bite" is 9, if memory serves (ok, I admit I wasn't going on memory but I didn't want to admit to such anorakish behaviour as going back to look at page 1 of your TR to see the exact ages of your kids )!!! Hee hee. Anyway, it wasn't what I expected. It's a place I've been wanting to visit for years, even outside of the fact that it's near WDW. My Dad and I loved 'The Right Stuff'. The place was cool, don't get me wrong but there's a lot of waiting around and you spend half the day travelling in buses from one part to another. With a toddler, that was exhausting. I would say your youngest children are still a bit young. Still, it really was good. The boys loved the place, much more so than I expected. They were on a high and also, I'm pretty sure it will be useful in school some day. Oh God, I waffle on even in a response to a response in my TR. mom2aandj - Hey!!
Thanks!!! Glad you're still here!HappyCamperToo
Fish gotta fly
- Joined
- Mar 12, 2006
- Messages
- 910
I am totally hooked.
Now that we are back from our monstrosity of a trip, with no future trip (and believe it or not, no real desire for one, gasp!) in the foreseeable future, I basically log in every once in awhile to see if you've posted another installment!
Thank you so much for detailing your vacation here. I can SO RELATE to the different feelings and emotions you went through. I would love to hear more about KSC, the beach, the weather, the driving, the Boardwalk, and well, everything else that happened on the rest of your vacation. Am I being too greedy?
Oh, let me tell you about low cost Tracfones--something to consider before your next trip to the states. For less that $50 you can buy 2 refurbished phones with more than enough minutes and active airtime on each to get you through your vacation. Then DH could have called you when he woke up or you could have called Garth and Wayne to come back when you were packing. So worth the money. We gave one to DD10 to carry for just in case we got separated in a crowd. There are no contracts to sign at all--no strings attached. (No, I do not work for them--I just love their product.) Did I mention with a Tracfone it's possible to call abroad for the same cost as calling across the street. I had a nice long chat with a college chum who's currently living in Israel. So your phone calls home would not have taken an hour to place.
Okay--I'm off the tracfone soapbox!
Don't forget to give us an update on your tooth, too!
-Sue
Now that we are back from our monstrosity of a trip, with no future trip (and believe it or not, no real desire for one, gasp!) in the foreseeable future, I basically log in every once in awhile to see if you've posted another installment!
Thank you so much for detailing your vacation here. I can SO RELATE to the different feelings and emotions you went through. I would love to hear more about KSC, the beach, the weather, the driving, the Boardwalk, and well, everything else that happened on the rest of your vacation. Am I being too greedy?
Oh, let me tell you about low cost Tracfones--something to consider before your next trip to the states. For less that $50 you can buy 2 refurbished phones with more than enough minutes and active airtime on each to get you through your vacation. Then DH could have called you when he woke up or you could have called Garth and Wayne to come back when you were packing. So worth the money. We gave one to DD10 to carry for just in case we got separated in a crowd. There are no contracts to sign at all--no strings attached. (No, I do not work for them--I just love their product.) Did I mention with a Tracfone it's possible to call abroad for the same cost as calling across the street. I had a nice long chat with a college chum who's currently living in Israel. So your phone calls home would not have taken an hour to place.
Okay--I'm off the tracfone soapbox!
Don't forget to give us an update on your tooth, too!
-Sue
I am soooo loving this!! My DH makes such fun of me with my obsessive planning. It is nice to know I am not the only one who gets miffed when things don't go "exactlly" as planned.
I remember KSC as a kid, and it was amazing! (I was really "in" to the whole space exploration thing. I even had the ridiculous idea that I wanted to be an astronaut someday. I totally forgot the whole afraid of dying fear that I have lol!) Can't wait to hear your report. I do wish you had the opportunity to visit the Gulf of Mexico side of Florida. The beaches are so much prettier IMO. We have visited Daytona and much prefer the Gulf. Again, just my 2 cents.
I have spent the better part of this afternoon reading your entire TR. Please, please can we hear more?
I remember KSC as a kid, and it was amazing! (I was really "in" to the whole space exploration thing. I even had the ridiculous idea that I wanted to be an astronaut someday. I totally forgot the whole afraid of dying fear that I have lol!) Can't wait to hear your report. I do wish you had the opportunity to visit the Gulf of Mexico side of Florida. The beaches are so much prettier IMO. We have visited Daytona and much prefer the Gulf. Again, just my 2 cents.
I have spent the better part of this afternoon reading your entire TR. Please, please can we hear more?
lklasing
Told that I need DA meetings - Disney Anonymous
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2005
- Messages
- 1,658
Deb - I just today stumbled across your TR, have read it beginning to end, and am loving it! I can't wait to read more!
Your kids are great. The boys seem so well behaved and your daughter is absolutely beautiful! Having only daughters, I have a big affinity for little girls.
Post more when you can!
Leslie
Your kids are great. The boys seem so well behaved and your daughter is absolutely beautiful! Having only daughters, I have a big affinity for little girls.
Post more when you can!
Leslie
DisneyMomOK
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 25, 2004
- Messages
- 3,242
Thanks for another post (or two). I can't wait for the rest.
DebIreland
ಠvಠ
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2005
- Messages
- 3,601
I'm working on the next chapter now - really enjoying this writing lark.
Sue So glad you're sticking with me.
You're not being too greedy at all, lol!! You're being ultra-flattering and I love it.
The Tracfones sound brilliant. Great advice which I've stored away for next time. I don't even want to think about what we ended up spending on phone calls.
Regarding the tooth, I haven't had any pain at all lately so, in my usual style, I've more or less put it on the back burner until it flares up again. I think it's ok to do that though. I'm hoping it won't come back but if it does I'll go straight back to the dentist. You ok these days?
Mom 2 Two Thanks for such kind words!! Yes, I'm really glad we went to KSC. It was niggling at the back of my mind after our first trip so I'm glad we didn't let it pass us by this time. I've heard great things about the beaches on the west side of Florida and I can't wait to visit those on our next trip (whenever it will be). Hope you'll keep reading Your children are soooooooo cute!!!
Leslie - Thanks so much for the compliments. I'm happy you're enjoying the report. I love the pics in your sig - your girls are adorable!!
Sharon Thanks very much. I'm glad you're here.
Next chapter should be up tomorrow.
Sue So glad you're sticking with me.
You're not being too greedy at all, lol!! You're being ultra-flattering and I love it.
The Tracfones sound brilliant. Great advice which I've stored away for next time. I don't even want to think about what we ended up spending on phone calls.
Regarding the tooth, I haven't had any pain at all lately so, in my usual style, I've more or less put it on the back burner until it flares up again. I think it's ok to do that though. I'm hoping it won't come back but if it does I'll go straight back to the dentist.
You ok these days?Mom 2 Two Thanks for such kind words!! Yes, I'm really glad we went to KSC. It was niggling at the back of my mind after our first trip so I'm glad we didn't let it pass us by this time. I've heard great things about the beaches on the west side of Florida and I can't wait to visit those on our next trip (whenever it will be). Hope you'll keep reading
Your children are soooooooo cute!!! Leslie - Thanks so much for the compliments. I'm happy you're enjoying the report.
I love the pics in your sig - your girls are adorable!! Sharon Thanks very much. I'm glad you're here.
Next chapter should be up tomorrow.
sharkB8HooHaHa
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 23, 2006
- Messages
- 2,175
Hey Woman! Where are you?
(LOVE the head-banger smilie!)
(LOVE the head-banger smilie!)
Jake & Crew
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Feb 2, 2006
- Messages
- 445
Maybe we should journey across the pond to get the next chapter......
Just kidding know you are plugging away at
....you are plugging away right you are so gifted maybe just typing away would be a better way of putting it.... whatever way it is WE UNPATIENT AMERICANS NEED MORE
uhmmm please Deb
Just kidding know you are plugging away at
....you are plugging away right you are so gifted maybe just typing away would be a better way of putting it.... whatever way it is WE UNPATIENT AMERICANS NEED MORE uhmmm please Deb
Boardwalk! Boardwalk! Boardwalk! Are you done writing the next chaper yet?!?!? -
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