The Grumpus
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- Joined
- Jan 8, 2006
- Messages
- 162
The following is the account of The Grumpus, on his return voyage to WDW.
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We went back in June of last year, but found it to be hot, humid, crowded, and frantic. We decided to go earlier this year in order to avoid as much of that as possible. We accomplished our goal! Read on for the whole story.
When: Sun, April 30 through Sat, May 6
Who: 1) The Grumpus, Dave, 24, hard working guy
2) The Grumpette, Beth, 25, hard working girl
Where: WDW, Florida
Day 0 - April 29th: 222? Where's 222?
High temp: 50 F
Like most everyone else, we spent most of Saturday morning getting ready. We had been packing over the last week, so it wasn't as bad as it could have been. We took the four cats to the kennel (luckiliy, the Grumpette works at a vet hospital and gets free boarding). Riding in a car with four cats can't truly be explained. If you get your hands on a copy of a CD of cats signing Christmas carols, play it in your car really loud the next time you drive to work. It's kinda like that...only worse. We came back and gave the house a good cleaning, knowing that there was no way we would be ready to clean when we returned. Around 2:00 we packed up the car and headed into Boston.
Since we live over 50 miles from the airport, and we had a 5:00 AM flight on Sunday, I decided to get a hotel and parking package in Boston. The package only cost $150 and was well worth it, since parking near Logan Airport can be almost that much anyways. We got to the Ramada Inn a bit after 3:00 and decided to check in. We were given our room assignment, 222, and told to drive around to the side of the building for easiest access. In the morning, we could move the car to their special area for long term parking. I pulled in where she suggested and we made our way into the hotel. It wasn't pretty, it wasn't chic, but it would suffice. I didn't expect to spend much time there.
Since the Grumpette isn't great at packing light, we hauled our many heavy pieces of luggage (including one suitcase nearly filled with shoes!!!) around looking for room 222. We found a stairwell, no elevator. Again, more stairs. So, up we went, clunking the suitcases on each step. The hallways were very poorly marked, and each cluster of room numbers seemed to always exclude ours. <--Rooms 201-220 Rooms 230-245--> How could this be? I went back down and asked again at the desk. She just laughed and gave me a set of directions that made no sense. I found the Grumpette where I left her, and we wandered for another 10 minutes. More signs that didn't have our number. Finally, I got closer, and eventually we came to the direct opposite side from where we entered, right next to another door that we could have used instead!
The room itself was fine. It had everything required to sleep. We put down our stuff and headed back out again. We were going to surprise some friends of ours in Boston that we don't often get to see. We drove up to their apartment, found a place to park on the street (!), and gave them a call. They weren't home...they were out of town...should have called ahead. We walked down Newbury Street for a bit. While walking, Grumpette remembered that she didn't bring a brush, so we stopped by a CVS. After some time, we got bored and headed back. I can't stand browsing in stores that I can't afford.
Just outside the hotel was a candy shop. We stopped in and picked up some chocolates for the night. We grabbed a bite to eat, hunted again for room 222, dined in the room, watched a little TV, and got ready for bed. It was then we noticed that we didn't have any toothpaste. We redressed and headed to the local CVS. One more time through the hotel towards 222. Since it was only 7:00, a little NyQuil took care of the lack of desire to sleep, and the next thing I knew it was 3:00AM.
Day 1 - April 30th: A little of everything
High temp: 78 F
We awoke surprising refreshed. I'm used to getting up at 4:30 anyways, so this wasn't as big a stretch for me. After getting ready for Orlando weather, we stepped out into some chilly air with shorts and sandals on. We headed to the lobby, where our free airport shuttle was to be ready for 4:00AM. Yet again we circled the hallways, arguing about who was going the right way (me, of course). Luckily, there was a police officer on a domestic disturbance call who was glad to point us towards the lobby (glad to be leaving, but should I worry about my car...). There were already several people in the lobby. Apparently, 4:00 is a busy time for hotel shuttles. We all gave our names and "tickets" to the driver, who informed all but one group that none of us were on his list. After about 10 minutes of him arguing with the hotel attendent behind the bullet-proof glass window (ok, now I'm getting uncomfortable), he let us all on. We got to the airport without any other problems, checked in, and waited for our flight.
There were only about 20 of us on the flight from BOS to PHL. It was quick and painless. The Grumpette sleep the majority of the way, and I read a magazine, as it was too early to get a paper at the airport. We changed planes in PHL, had a little breakfast, picked up a local paper, and met the hoards of kids heading south to sunny Orlando. The plane ride from PHL to MCO was much more crowded. Another few hours of shuteye for Grumpette. I finished the paper, did some puzzle books. The pilot pointed out when we were over Daytona Beach, but the sky was overcast. That callout meant we were almost there, which was ok with me, 'cause the Grumpus don't like to fly. Especially in the middle seat.
To quote the flight attendant, we "deboarded" the plane and headed for luggage pick up. As we came down the stairs, we met up with Ray, from *********** limo (previous encouter on the ME left me with a bad feeling, so I went with the limo). He joined us in the baggage area as we waited for the bags. That's when he informed us that USAirways is typically the slowest with the bags. After about 20 minutes, they started flowing, and we grabbed them and were off to the towncar. Ray was a great driver (I'd recommend him to anyone, unless you're from Miami. He seems to have a problem with Miami). He was courteous, friendly, and helpful. He gave some tips that would have been helpful if I hadn't already studied up on everything before I went.
We got to POP around 11:30, checked in, and went directly to the room since it was ready. This was a great improvement over last year, when we got there at 10:30, but the room wasn't ready until 3:00. We opted for the preferred room, but I can't say that I felt like we have one. I even enquired at the desk to make sure it really was. We were on the 3rd floor of the 70's block. Last year we were right on the first floor by the Hippy pool. In actuality, the room wasn't as bad as it first seemed, but I was a little disappointed. In about 20 minutes we had everything unpacked and put away, so we wouldn't have to worry about it when we got back in later that night. We headed for a quick lunch in the food court (see my Dining Review for details on the meals included in these reports), and went off to the MK for the afternoon.
It was great to be back in Disney. It just seems to feel like it really is its own world. You know when you are there, you can feel it. We headed to wait for the bus, expecting the heat and crowds of last June. There was one other family, and they were waiting for the EPCOT bus. We jumped on, and had a good feeling about this trip. Things were going to be different.
We were walking to the turnstiles. We were finally back. And where was everyone? We walked Main Street, took some pictures, and headed to the POC. We had to hit it, it was the last day open before the revamp. We waited about 10 minutes and enjoyed the pre-Depp ride. We bounced around the park, riding those with shorter lines. We grabbed a FP for Splash Mountain. Although I had been on it before, it was years ago. We used to ride it over and over during parades, when the line was empty. That doesn't seem possible anymore. The Grumpette has been to WDW 4 times since Splasah Mountain opened, but had never been on it. Last year, we waited in line for nearly 2 hours before it shut down for the day (that is when the Grumpette crossed the line into another name I cannot write here...). We waited for BT Mountain, and then bounced back to Splash. It felt good to bypass everyone, and finally we were sitting on the log. The ride was as I remember, although neither one of us really wanted to run back on. I'm pretty sure that I pulled a muscle somewhere unpleasant while "clenching" during the drop...but I digress.
We had 6:00 reservations at the Whispering Canyon, so we headed over on the boat. I wish we had the money to stay there, it really is so beautiful. We asked for a table in the "library", the back section which is full of people who want the food without the hubbub (remember, we are Grumpii). We enjoyed the meal, but had no room for desert, so we carried it back with us (not the last time, on the Dining Plan) to the hotel, where we retired for the night.
To be continued...
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We went back in June of last year, but found it to be hot, humid, crowded, and frantic. We decided to go earlier this year in order to avoid as much of that as possible. We accomplished our goal! Read on for the whole story.
When: Sun, April 30 through Sat, May 6
Who: 1) The Grumpus, Dave, 24, hard working guy
2) The Grumpette, Beth, 25, hard working girl
Where: WDW, Florida
Day 0 - April 29th: 222? Where's 222?
High temp: 50 F
Like most everyone else, we spent most of Saturday morning getting ready. We had been packing over the last week, so it wasn't as bad as it could have been. We took the four cats to the kennel (luckiliy, the Grumpette works at a vet hospital and gets free boarding). Riding in a car with four cats can't truly be explained. If you get your hands on a copy of a CD of cats signing Christmas carols, play it in your car really loud the next time you drive to work. It's kinda like that...only worse. We came back and gave the house a good cleaning, knowing that there was no way we would be ready to clean when we returned. Around 2:00 we packed up the car and headed into Boston.
Since we live over 50 miles from the airport, and we had a 5:00 AM flight on Sunday, I decided to get a hotel and parking package in Boston. The package only cost $150 and was well worth it, since parking near Logan Airport can be almost that much anyways. We got to the Ramada Inn a bit after 3:00 and decided to check in. We were given our room assignment, 222, and told to drive around to the side of the building for easiest access. In the morning, we could move the car to their special area for long term parking. I pulled in where she suggested and we made our way into the hotel. It wasn't pretty, it wasn't chic, but it would suffice. I didn't expect to spend much time there.
Since the Grumpette isn't great at packing light, we hauled our many heavy pieces of luggage (including one suitcase nearly filled with shoes!!!) around looking for room 222. We found a stairwell, no elevator. Again, more stairs. So, up we went, clunking the suitcases on each step. The hallways were very poorly marked, and each cluster of room numbers seemed to always exclude ours. <--Rooms 201-220 Rooms 230-245--> How could this be? I went back down and asked again at the desk. She just laughed and gave me a set of directions that made no sense. I found the Grumpette where I left her, and we wandered for another 10 minutes. More signs that didn't have our number. Finally, I got closer, and eventually we came to the direct opposite side from where we entered, right next to another door that we could have used instead!
The room itself was fine. It had everything required to sleep. We put down our stuff and headed back out again. We were going to surprise some friends of ours in Boston that we don't often get to see. We drove up to their apartment, found a place to park on the street (!), and gave them a call. They weren't home...they were out of town...should have called ahead. We walked down Newbury Street for a bit. While walking, Grumpette remembered that she didn't bring a brush, so we stopped by a CVS. After some time, we got bored and headed back. I can't stand browsing in stores that I can't afford.
Just outside the hotel was a candy shop. We stopped in and picked up some chocolates for the night. We grabbed a bite to eat, hunted again for room 222, dined in the room, watched a little TV, and got ready for bed. It was then we noticed that we didn't have any toothpaste. We redressed and headed to the local CVS. One more time through the hotel towards 222. Since it was only 7:00, a little NyQuil took care of the lack of desire to sleep, and the next thing I knew it was 3:00AM.
Day 1 - April 30th: A little of everything
High temp: 78 F
We awoke surprising refreshed. I'm used to getting up at 4:30 anyways, so this wasn't as big a stretch for me. After getting ready for Orlando weather, we stepped out into some chilly air with shorts and sandals on. We headed to the lobby, where our free airport shuttle was to be ready for 4:00AM. Yet again we circled the hallways, arguing about who was going the right way (me, of course). Luckily, there was a police officer on a domestic disturbance call who was glad to point us towards the lobby (glad to be leaving, but should I worry about my car...). There were already several people in the lobby. Apparently, 4:00 is a busy time for hotel shuttles. We all gave our names and "tickets" to the driver, who informed all but one group that none of us were on his list. After about 10 minutes of him arguing with the hotel attendent behind the bullet-proof glass window (ok, now I'm getting uncomfortable), he let us all on. We got to the airport without any other problems, checked in, and waited for our flight.
There were only about 20 of us on the flight from BOS to PHL. It was quick and painless. The Grumpette sleep the majority of the way, and I read a magazine, as it was too early to get a paper at the airport. We changed planes in PHL, had a little breakfast, picked up a local paper, and met the hoards of kids heading south to sunny Orlando. The plane ride from PHL to MCO was much more crowded. Another few hours of shuteye for Grumpette. I finished the paper, did some puzzle books. The pilot pointed out when we were over Daytona Beach, but the sky was overcast. That callout meant we were almost there, which was ok with me, 'cause the Grumpus don't like to fly. Especially in the middle seat.
To quote the flight attendant, we "deboarded" the plane and headed for luggage pick up. As we came down the stairs, we met up with Ray, from *********** limo (previous encouter on the ME left me with a bad feeling, so I went with the limo). He joined us in the baggage area as we waited for the bags. That's when he informed us that USAirways is typically the slowest with the bags. After about 20 minutes, they started flowing, and we grabbed them and were off to the towncar. Ray was a great driver (I'd recommend him to anyone, unless you're from Miami. He seems to have a problem with Miami). He was courteous, friendly, and helpful. He gave some tips that would have been helpful if I hadn't already studied up on everything before I went.
We got to POP around 11:30, checked in, and went directly to the room since it was ready. This was a great improvement over last year, when we got there at 10:30, but the room wasn't ready until 3:00. We opted for the preferred room, but I can't say that I felt like we have one. I even enquired at the desk to make sure it really was. We were on the 3rd floor of the 70's block. Last year we were right on the first floor by the Hippy pool. In actuality, the room wasn't as bad as it first seemed, but I was a little disappointed. In about 20 minutes we had everything unpacked and put away, so we wouldn't have to worry about it when we got back in later that night. We headed for a quick lunch in the food court (see my Dining Review for details on the meals included in these reports), and went off to the MK for the afternoon.
It was great to be back in Disney. It just seems to feel like it really is its own world. You know when you are there, you can feel it. We headed to wait for the bus, expecting the heat and crowds of last June. There was one other family, and they were waiting for the EPCOT bus. We jumped on, and had a good feeling about this trip. Things were going to be different.
We were walking to the turnstiles. We were finally back. And where was everyone? We walked Main Street, took some pictures, and headed to the POC. We had to hit it, it was the last day open before the revamp. We waited about 10 minutes and enjoyed the pre-Depp ride. We bounced around the park, riding those with shorter lines. We grabbed a FP for Splash Mountain. Although I had been on it before, it was years ago. We used to ride it over and over during parades, when the line was empty. That doesn't seem possible anymore. The Grumpette has been to WDW 4 times since Splasah Mountain opened, but had never been on it. Last year, we waited in line for nearly 2 hours before it shut down for the day (that is when the Grumpette crossed the line into another name I cannot write here...). We waited for BT Mountain, and then bounced back to Splash. It felt good to bypass everyone, and finally we were sitting on the log. The ride was as I remember, although neither one of us really wanted to run back on. I'm pretty sure that I pulled a muscle somewhere unpleasant while "clenching" during the drop...but I digress.
We had 6:00 reservations at the Whispering Canyon, so we headed over on the boat. I wish we had the money to stay there, it really is so beautiful. We asked for a table in the "library", the back section which is full of people who want the food without the hubbub (remember, we are Grumpii). We enjoyed the meal, but had no room for desert, so we carried it back with us (not the last time, on the Dining Plan) to the hotel, where we retired for the night.
To be continued...
