The Luckiest Traveler on Earth returns from Disney Updated 9/25 & 9/29

[MEK]

[COLOR=Sienn[B]Part I The prelude[/B]

I am really not sure if I should attempt to post a trip report. You see, I am not the best writer. I tend to be more factual than interesting. I also tend to be overcome with periods where I lose my attention. In other words, I bore easy.

It's also hard to write a trip report when there are so many interesting trip reports out there - all vying for your attention.

I really shouldn't be writing this report anyway. Why? I am at work. Due to some computer "loop hole" I am suddenly able to access these boards. In the past, this site had restricted access. I could get into a lot of trouble for accessing restricted sites. In fact, my coworkers and I lost our office computer a while ago, for doing just that. We used our down time to visit the internet a few times too many.

Now, I don't want you to think that I am always on the computer at work. I won't tell you what type of work I do. All I will tell you is that I have to physically be here at work whether we are busy or not. We are NOT busy right now! There are other days when I am horribly busy. So many people can call me name at the same time that I fight the overwhelming urge to scream. I can work well over my 8 hours and barely be able to take a bathroom or lunch break. My work flow fluctuates dramatically.

Ok, now that I have rationalized why I can start this report at work, I can begin.

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I didn't always love Disney. In fact, for many, many years I was sure - absolutely convinced - that I would hate Disney. You see - I really hate crowds. All crowds. And lines...... I hate lines. So, it's not surprising that I also hate traffic. I drive in a lot of traffic. Every week I can easily spend an entire 8 - 10 hour day in my car. Not all at once - no - just during the rush hour traffic. I have to drive in bumper to bumper traffic 5 days a week. I drive in so much bumper to bumper traffic, that I must replace the master cylinder of my clutch. Clutch, you say? Yes, not only do I hate lines, traffic, and crowds, but - I insist on shifting my own gears, even in bumper to bumper traffic.

Now, you understand my personality a little better. So when my DH first suggested going to Disney in the spring of 2002, I replied, "Are you kidding? It's so crowded there". But we had just returned my our annual ski trip and I really do enjoy planning trips, so I began to research it on the internet. It turns out my kids also thought it was a good idea. They were in 1st and 3rd grade at the time and they lamented, "We are the only kids in our class who haven't been to Disney". Damn private school, I thought..... poor deprived kids.

So I did it for my kids. I planned my first trip to Disney for my kids. It was a June, right out of school, trip. In fact, we left before my 3rd grader's award ceremony was over. Yup, just got the awards and left. You see, not only do I hate lines, crowds, and traffic, but I get this terrible knot in my stomach whenever I think I am going to be late for a plane, train, or other form of mass transportation. I wanted to get to the airport plenty early!

Our first trip to Disney was great. I loved it. It was actually a "sampler". Having never been to Orlando (except for 2 nights as a high school junior), I wanted to sample WDW and Universal. We also visited my DH's college roommate who lives in Daytona.

Remember how I told you that I hate crowds and lines. Well, I found out something interesting about Disney. I never really felt like I was standing in a line.... even when I was. I used Fast passes and let the cues entertain me. I learned quickly that Disney does a great job with crowds. They always keep the crowds moving. Maybe it wasn't actually crowds that I hated, maybe it was disorganization. Umpphhh! Maybe I was on to something.
disney struck me as being completely organized. I was lost in a world of make believe and organization.

When I came home from my trip, I kept thinking about Disney. Gradually it occurred to me that I needed to return. Yup - I needed to go back, return to the world of make believe and stay at a Disney resort. So we returned in 2003 and stayed at POR. Then we went to Universal in 2004 and back to WDW in 2005. Right before my 2005 trip, I joined these boards. It was then that I realized I was addicted.

So that brings me to the present - my late August 2006 trip report and why I am the luckiest traveler alive.

I hope I have endeared myself to you, even just a little, and you will continue to read.......

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Max is my favorite cat!

 

[lexmelinda]

Consider me endeared........I'm in!

 

[heaven2dc]

Well I'm hooked - and love your writing style

 

[MEK]

Part II - Pre Trip planning

Ok - I am home now. I promise not to visit the DIS at work, I promise not to visit the DIS at work, I promise not to .........

I made it through the Friday afternoon traffic without incident... Did I mention I don't like traffic? Both of my kids' soccer games were canceled today. They are taking the bus this year. I didn't have to pick them up, so I got home in 40 minutes. Yeah.

So you know I hate traffic, crowds, and lines. And you know I love all things Disney. As soon as I returned from last August's trip, I was ready to plan another trip. Once I realized that I was addicted to Disney, I decided to succumb. Why fight it? As luck would have it, I actually planned two trips.

One of my coworkers is a DVC member. She had a baby last Feb. So last September, while she was still pregnant, she said she would be renting DVC points during Oct - Dec 2006. Well, my kids are now in 6th and 8th grade, so its hard to take them out of school before T'giving and in my job (which will remain nameless), it is frowned upon to take off during Christmas week. So I told her I would happily rent points from her over Thanksgiving. I booked my airfare for T'giving back in Feb and paid off half my DVC reservation by April. Then a little announcement, I never expected to see, appeared on these boards. FREE DINING from August 13 to September 29, 2006.

I looked at my DH and said, "I can't believe it - they offered free dining again! If I thought they were going to do that again, I wouldn't have planned the November trip." Then I forgot about it..... for all of 3 minutes! You see I am very frugal by nature. I love a good deal. I love free things. Most of all - I Love Food! At work I am referred to as the "food stalker". I always look to see what other people are eating. I love when someone brings in donuts, bagels, junk food, pizza. I am especially bad over the holidays. I can eat everything in sight.

So I started thinking about the free dining plan. I thought about it - a lot! How can I go to Disney for the free dining?????? This thought kept me occupied for several days. I casually asked my DH what he thought about me taking the boys for a short trip to Disney in August. All he said was, "I don't want to go. One trip a year is enough".

Ummmmhhhhh - He didn't say I couldn't go. He just said he didn't want to go. So I asked him to clarify..."Can I take the boys for a short trip to Disney"? He said OK.

Now the wheels were spinning full speed ahead. I had one concern. My older DS was trying out for JV soccer. He would need to miss some preseason soccer to go to WDW. I called the coach as soon as spring break was over and asked if this would be a problem. He said NO. I asked, "Should I go in the beginning or the end of preseason soccer?" He said the end would be better. DING DING DING DING DING
Those were the words I wanted to hear. My kids don't start school until after Labor Day. I LOVE the last week of August. I called my AAA travel agent and got the three of use booked at POP from 8/29 - 9/3. I was going to Disney! TWICE!

Now all I had to do was find airfare. This proved to be harder than I thought. Not that I couldn't find airfare. I just couldn't find the price I wanted to pay. Gas prices were on the rise and flights from PHL or BWI to MCO were $179 or higher. This is what I was paying for Thanksgiving. I was not going to pay that for hurricane season. So I searched and I searched and I searched. I have this theory that you can find a cheap flight to Orlando in 3 weeks if you search every morning and every night. When I say cheap, I mean $150 or less RT.

My theory did not hold true this time. By the beginning of May I booked my return flight on SWA from MCO to BWI at $79 one way. Flights to PHL were still considerably higher and they were starting to fill up. I asked my DH if he would pick us up in Baltimore (1 1/2 hour drive). When he said 'yes', I booked. I was hoping to rebook when the rates dropped and then book my outbound flight from PHL. It didn't matter if I flew out of PHL, if my DH had graciously agreed to pick me up and drop me off.

OK - so why am I a lucky traveler? Maybe I should explain in a future post, since I have to take one son to his traveling soccer team practice now.

Coming next - Pre trip report (Part II) - The luckiest traveler and her sons get company of their trip!

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Max is my favorite cat!

 

[KarlaG4Kids]

I'm enjoying already...now....could you just give us a few little hints about your profession? I hate being in the dark.

 

[MEK]

KarlaG4Kids -

My profession. hmmmmmm....I meet lots of people from all socioeconomic backgrounds. There are probably plenty of other Dis'ers who do what I do. I have a masters degree and a post masters certificate. My immediate working environment can be depressing, sometimes. There is nothing glamorous about my job. My job requires that I work full time, although I wish I worked part time.

___________________________________________________

Max is my favorite cat!

 

[lexmelinda]

Sounds like you're wither a therapist or a social worker...just guessing.

 

[MEK]

Part III - The Pre trip report (continued) and the Disney departure.

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So - I am home from escorting my DS to soccer. I want to finish this trip report this weekend, because I know I will get busy next week.

I guess I should tell you why I call myself the luckiest traveler. It's actually not the clever. You see, I am a pessimist by nature. I am always afraid something is going to go wrong. That's why it continues to amaze me that I have had 4 successful trips to Orlando during hurricane season. Two years ago we visited Universal Studios right after the first of those three horrible hurricanes riped through Orlando and Daytona Beach. Right after we left, the second hurricane hit.

Remember I mentioned my friends that live in Daytona. They had serious hurricane damage after those 2004 storms. We spent a night in Daytona in 2004. They did not even want us to see their house and we met at our hotel instead. They looked tired, worn, and torn. It took them months to get their house back in order.

Last year, we flew into Orlando just as Katrina was hitting New Orleans. Watching that devastation was overwhelming and it was hard not to let it get to us. People were starving and we were "pigging out" on the free dining.

This year we managed to skirt Ernesto. But I had a few tense moments when I really wasn't sure.

Now, my lucky traveling does not just apply to my trips to Orlando. We ski ever year. For the last 3 winters we have flown to either Salt Lake or Denver. This past Feb we were scheduled to fly out after that major snowstorm hit the midatlantic/northeast before President's weekend. Storm hit Saturday, we left Tuesday. Lucky???? Oh yes. The previous year we flew out of Denver right before a major storm hit. Lucky???? Oh yes. In 8 major trips over the last 4 years we have had NO delays, cancellations, storms, or other upsets. I consider that pretty lucky.

Hence - "the luckiest traveler alive". I know my luck will run out on one of these trips, but I continue to use it as my bargaining chip when I try to convince people to travel with me.

SOOOOOO - that's what happened this trip. Let me introduce my cast of 3: myself (obsessive/compulsive lover of all things Disney); DS 13 (B King - a true teenager), and DS 11 (Steamboat Willie - a believer in the magic of Disney, loves to visit One Man's Dream).

The three of us were all set to go (sans depature flight) by early May. On a trip to Hershey Park, PA., for a band competition, I mentioned to my friend (Princess) that we were going to the world again. I told her it was just me, B King, and Steamboat Willie. I said, "Why don't youse guys come too?" Princess has 2 boys (Kevin - 13 and Charles - 11). Much to my surprise, she said she was interested. Her biggest concern was that Charles was afraid to fly and hadn't done so since he was a baby. Right there, on one of the roller coasters at Hershey Park, I started estimating what her trip would cost. I calculated out her actual cost later that evening and told her to decide before the free dining packages ran out. I even told her, if worse came to worse, we would take the auto train down with her, but we already had return flights home.

Several days later Princess agreed to join us. I called my AAA agent and got their package reserved. We were set to go. Almost! We still had to work out the transportation. Princess convinced Charles that flying was the way to go, so they booked their return flight on the same flight as ours. But we still needed departure flights and the prices weren't dropping. The other clincher was I had originally planned to fly out of PHL and return through BWI. My DH was going to be our chauffer. With 6 of us going, we realized we all needed to drive together in princess's mini van. I don't have a mini van. Remember - I have this thing about shifting my own gears and you can't do that in a mini van.

Ok - but how were we going to get to BWI for an 8am flight? We needed to leave at least that early if we were going to have a whole day in the parks. We looked into a Park N fly, but that was over $200. Then we had a light bulb moment - Why not leave on Monday night instead of Tuesday morning? We would pay less than the Park N Fly and have another night of free dining. So that's what we did. Booked a 4:30 pm departure from BWI. This late afternoon departure allowed B King and Kevin to attend a final pre season soccer practice. We added another night to our POP reservation and another whole day of free dining.

Now all we had to do was wait. I really like having vacation during the last week of August. I started traveling during this week when my kids were little. During the summer they attended summer camp. Summer camp comes to a screeching halt by the last week of August. Hence, I always saved vacation until this time. It brings a nice closure to the summer, but the waiting can be tedious.

I have OCD when it comes to packing. I pack and pack and repack. I start weeks before departure, so I am completely ready when the day comes. About 10 days before we were ready to leave we found out about the carry on restrictions. That was a little scary and I was really hoping that Charles wasn't going to change his mind about flying.

About 3 days before leaving we learned about ERnesto. It was a TS or Cat 1, but was supposed to head into the gulf. Oh NO, not another Katrina. By 2 days before departure Ernesto was shifting more to the East, but wasn't supposed to come into central Florida. The bad news came on the morning before departure. My DH called me as I was driving home from church. He said, " what are your cancellation plans because Ernesto is going through Orlando and towards the east coast". GREAT! AT first I thought he was kidding, but when I go home I found it all to be true.

That afternoon I got really nervous watching the news and weather channel. Coming to the DIS boards calmed me down. I called SWA to review their change policy and I called Disney and did the same. Then I called Princess. She was at a soccer tournament. What if she didn't about the predicted threat of ERnesto? I needed to tell her and I needed to know if she was going to cancel. Fortunately, she had heard the news and she didn't want to think about canceling. We reassured each other - at least our flights were scheduled before and after the storm (Lucky, eh?) and if we had to sit out a day in our rooms, it wasn't the end of the world.

On Departure Day 8/28 I took B King and Kevin to soccer. I told them I would return by 11:15 am. We wanted to be on the road by 12 and get to BWI by 2pm. This would allow plenty of time. B King and Kevin were not at all unhappy about leaving soccer early. Their coach told them to have a good time and bring back a set of Mickey ears for him.

We made decent time to BWI. We parked in long term parking and unloaded everything from the van. Getting on the shuttle was interesting since we had several rather heavy pieces of luggage that neither Princess or I could lift very well. A nice man helped us stack our luggage. Check in was painless. They did pull Princess's bag after it went through X-ray. They pulled it apart and never found anything questionable.

Now for the wait. My kids ate before we left home, but of course, 2 hours later, they had to have McD's. At least it killed a little time. Our plain was late arriving from Toronto or somewhere like that. However, it boarded quickly and was only about 1/3 full. I kept watching Charles out of the corner of my eye. He remained quite calm. Maybe it was peer pressure. I don't know. But I never would have thought it was afraid to fly.

Approximately 2 hours, 1 soda, and 1 bathroom break later we arrived at MCO. We all love the train at MCO that takes you to the other side of the airport. Seeing those palm trees for the first time each trip is an instant high. All we had to do was find the Magical Express check in and we were in business.

Next Up - Magical Express and the most magical rooms at POP!

I hope I didn't make too many mistakes. I am getting tired and need to go to sleep even though it is early.

Max is my favorite cat!

 

[MEK]

lexmelinda - you're pretty close. But sometimes I think it's me who needs the therapist.

______________________________________________

Max is my favorite cat!

 

[magicgirl]

Looking forward to the rest of the report, keep going.

 

[MEK]

Part IV: Magical Express, POP, and the Magic Kingdom

So on to Magical Express.... By the way - do you remember the things I hate - crowds, lines, and traffic. Well, I did not encounter any of that during my check in to ME. It was easy to find and I walked right up to the desk and checked our whole party in. Next thing I remember, we were on a mostly empty bus and on our way to POP. I barely had time to whip out my cell and call my DH to let him know we had arrived safely. WOW - this was great! When I go to Disney with DH, we rent a car. But there was no way I was dealing with, you guessed it ..... traffic, on this vacation!

On the way to POP I was really hoping that Princess and the boys were going to like it. I had only stayed at mods before this trip and went through a phase where I thought I could never stay at a value resort. I don't want to think I was snooty, I just thought the icons looked rather scary and tacky. Of course, that was all based on pictures. I had never really seen a value resort up close.

But something enlightening happened on my last trip to CBR. I like to run. It's good for someone like me who doesn't like crowds, lines, and traffic. It's a very independent, early morning activity. It gets the serotonin going and that's exactly what someone like me needs. Lots of serotonin.

Well last year, on my first run at CBR, I could see these lighted structures off in the distance. I knew they weren't part of CBR. What were they? I ran far enough to see that there was another resort near CBR. It had to be POP. The next morning I ventured out of CBR, across a service road, up a high, down a hill, and into the parking lot of POP. WOW! It was like a magnet pulling me closer and closer. I had to see everything up close.

My Conclusion --- POP was really a smartly designed and entertaining resort. I came back with my DH one morning and we took pictures. When we left, I knew that one day I would stay at POP, either by myself or with my sons. I only hoped the rooms were nice and not as small as some people claimed.

So that is how I picked POP and now I was on a ME bus getting ready to arrive. There were several times that I had considered switching our reservations to CSR. I had never stayed there before. It was never available with whatever package I was doing at the time. I thought the main pool looked super cool. Everytime I checked the website this year, CSR was available. This was Princess's first onsite trip to Disney. Maybe I should. Then I would stop, pause, and remember that I had a trip planned for November. I really didn't want to spend any more money.

When we arrived at POP we walked directly into the lobby. The lobby really is great. Again, very smartly designed and the shadow boxes were so entertaining. Wow - I bet I still have some things at home that would work right into those 70's and 80's boxes. I guess we waited about 20 minutes to check in. Princess and I checked in together with the same CM. I just wanted to make sure we were in relatively close proximity. Our CM, Todd, was very friendly and seemed very proficient. I asked Todd if it would be possible to get a room in the 50's or 70's building facing the lake. I had previously faxed this same request from work 3 days prior. I don't know whether they received it or not. I didn't ask. Todd just said we had two adjoining rooms in the Lady and the Tramp building and I could tell from the map that they were facing the lake. Love you Todd!

By now the kids were running all over. They had checked out the pool, the gift shop, the children's waiting area, and the food court. B King said, "I like this place. There is so much action". We set off with our map and easily found our rooms.

Well, I am convinced that we had the absolute best room location in all of POP. We were on the third floor at the end of the building with the most magnificient view of Spaceship Earth. Rms 3335 and 3336 to be exact. Perfect. Did I already say.... Love you Todd! I told Princess that we were in a standard section, not preferred. This surprised her, because she thought the view alone would have made it preferred.

The room was clean, neat, and perfectly sized for 3 guests. We dumped our carry ons and headed to the food court to have some eats. The food court was fine. I can't understand why some people complain about it. It is a food court, for crying out loud. Nothing more, nothing less. Well, since I hate lines (as you know), I just got in the shortest line. Unfortunately, it may have looked short, but this line moved so slowly. I should haved followed Steamboat willie (my youner DS). He picked the longest line and now had a plate of food that looked mighty good. We found a table and all pigged out on our first meal of many. Princess wasn't quite sure how the dining plan worked, so I tried to give her a quick lesson.

Around 10pm we returned to our room, just as our luggage was arriving from ME. Over the lake we could see the fireworks from the MK. I told you it was the perfect room. When the fireworks ended I went in and unpacked the luggage. I also decorated our window with the stuffed animals I brought. We watched a little TV and went to bed.

August 29th.......... I never sleep well by first few nights on vacation. I hate this. I am used to getting up very early (5am) because my job requires that I be there by 7am. I have an automatic alarm clock and I can not override it. I woke up at 5:30am and put on my running clothes. At 6am I was out the door to go buy my mug and get my coffee. I am quite addicted to coffee. I think it started many years ago when I was in grad school. If I go over 24 hours without some caffiene from coffee (soda will not do) in my system, I get a horrible, horrible headache. I don't need a lot of coffee. One cup is sufficient. Too much is bad for a person who doesn't like crowds, lines, and traffic.

I went for a nice run and then got the kids up. We all assembled at breakfast and headed for the MK. Going to the MK first is a tradition. There is something about the castle that is so inspirational. We saw the opening ceremony and then headed for Space mountain. We grabbed fast passes, but as was common during our trip, we never really needed them. The lines were short all day. I love SpM. I remember almost riding SpM on my trip to WDW as a high school junior. I never told you about this trip. It's a little embarassing. We stayed at some Holiday Inn in Orlando. We never saw our chaperone the entire trip. We took a bus into Orlando at night, got into a bar, drank way too much..... and I experienced my first hangover on the day we went to MK. I was so sick I had to get out of line for SpM and spend the entire afternoon in the infirmary at MK. A BAD, BAD day.

But today there were no hangovers. We rode several times before we went over to Buzz and the people mover thing (the name escapes me right now - something transit authority). We got stuck on that thing last year. At the time, we were in a hot tunnel with no air. Steamboat had to go to the bathroom. We had a few distressing moments before a CM let us out and ushered to a secret entrance through a gift shop.

I made sure Steamboat went to the BR before we got on this time. Fortunately, no unexpected stops. I think we went back to ride SM a few more times. A party of 6 is great, because someone from your party always gets the front seat.

Well .... I am going to stop here. I have to go for my run and then take B King to the soccer field. He just got certified as a referee for recreational soccer games. This is his first game and he is very nervous. He keeps interrupting me, so I am going to help him review what he needs to do today. Be back soon......

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Max is my favorite cat!

 

[OhMari]

You do a great job with your telling us about your WDW adventures. Ah soccer, my youngest dd still plays in the Spring.

Like the story about your Junior year at WDW. The same thing happened to me and my friends our senior year when we went to Great America. The whole day was wasted sitting on park benches being hung over-.

Sounds like you guys had a great time. I hope you give some reviews here on your Dining. I'm still trying to figure out my itinerary yet for next April.

 

[KarlaG4Kids]

You're doing a great job...not boring at all. Keep it up. Was the building you were in at the POP the 50's....that is exactly where I would like to be in 9 days!

 

[MEK]

I am back. I hope you all will continue to read. As I said in Part I, I probably shouldn't be writing a trip report. I tend to become factual and less interesting as time goes on. On the other hand, if I embelish too much I am afraid I might bore you. I am also not the best speller, so when I try to use big adjectives, things can go awry.

So where did I leave off.... O Yeah - We had just spent about 2 hours in Tommorrow Land and decided to head over to Peco Bills (I hope this is the right name, I might have it a little mixed up) and have lunch. That is my favorite place to eat. Actually, that is about the only counter service I have ever done at MK. Except once - I went to Columbia Harbor House. That was good, too. It just seems like by the time I get to Frontierland, I MUST eat. It was the usual fare and Steamboat and I split our traditional double cheeseburger. I love those peanut butter brownies.

I probably didn't mention this ..... but I dieted for 3 months before our trip. I was going with Princess and she is much thinner than I. My DH flat out told me that the reason I was dieting was because I didn't want my picture taken with Princess. I don't doubt that his was correct. My other motivation was that I didn't want any tight clothes impairing my ability to eat. So, I hadn't had a good dessert in a long time. The brownie really hit the spot and starting the arduous (see, I told you I couldn't spell) process of stretching my stomach.

After Peco Bills and a session in stomach stretching, we grabbed FP's for splash, then walked right on. I love this ride. I truely think it is a different experience everytime you go. There is so much to see and I see a different perspective each ride. After Splash we did thunder. It was a little hot in the cue, but things moved fast. I love this ride, too. Again - it's the detail.

After we excited thunder I actually started to see some crowds. Eeeewwww! Just kidding - I really don't mind the crowds. I expect it at MK. I move on. I just hope that everyone is having as much fun as me. Since the crowds were building a little, we decided to FP Splash. It probably saved us about 10 minutes. Hey - ten minutes is ten minutes.

We headed over to Pirates, next. We didn't do this ride on our last trip. Not sure why. Anyway, I really enjoyed the new pirates and I am looking forward to it on our next trip. We skipped the Jungle Cruise because the line said 20 minutes. I doubt it was. So no JC. I guess I need to go back in November.

We did walk through the entire tree house. I have never done this before. It was hot up there, but enjoyable. Princess commented that the country bear jamboree was cute. I knew B king and Steamboat were not interested in this. Which brings me to another aside......

I waited until my kids were complete walking age before visiting the world. Since I hate crowds, lines, and traffic, it is not surprising that I don't care for strollers. Please don't flame me, because I know they are a necessary thing. My kids were little once. I used plenty of strollers. I even had this great jogging stroller than I used constantly. I cried when I finally had to get rid of it. I just never wanted to push a stroller through any theme park. I wanted fully ambulatory children first. Sometimes I think this was a mistake. My children were too old to do teacups, dumbo, and the magic carpet ride by the time they got to MK. I still harbor a secret desire to do all those rides and see them from the eyes of a toddler. So, I have decided to rethink my position on strollers and nonambulatory children. Bring them - please - every one of them. See, I'm not that terrible after all.

After climbing the treehouse, we headed over to the HM. I always want to like this attraction more then I really do. I guess I want it to be scarier. I have to remind myself that it is for all ages and there can't be any bloody, beheaded men jumping out from hidden corners. This would result in some serious hysteria. So, I sit back and enjoy the ride.

One attraction I haven't done in a while is the House of Presidents. I like this, I really do. However, when the lines are short and there is so much to do, I skip it. I promise to return in November.

We finished our afternoon at MK with IASW and Philarmagic (OK, now I KNOW I spelled this wrong). B King does not like IASW. It's too, too many dolls staring at him with all those eyes. Princess commented, "I bet he doesn't like clowns either." I said, "I don't know". Well, B King was good on the ride. He sat through the ride and kept his closed most of the time. He had a harrowing experience on this ride last year. It Stopped ..... and when it did the music kept playing and the dolls kept staring and staring....... and We were in a hurry to get to splash. We wanted to do it at night. And we were stuck on a ride with staring dolls. I think it traumatized B King. So one year later we are on the ride that B King hates and all we could do was laugh at him.

Philarmagic was great, as usual. Such a fun attraction. After Philarmagic, we decided we better leave. We had 5:10 ADRs at Coral Reef (or so I thought) and we wanted to head back to POP and shower and change.
We had about 10 minutes to use the pool at POP before we had to leave again. Just as we walked past the Bowling Pin pool they shut it down. I guess someone pooped in the pool at POP.

Which brings me to yet another aside.... As much as I enjoyed POP and I did! On future trips with my entire family, I will most likely stay at a mod resort. Those quiet pools are great. I don't have a pool at home. As you know, I work all week at a, as yet, unnamed job, and when I go on vacation I like to take a pool break every afternoon. I like a cocktail in a plastic cup and a trip to the pool. POP is not the place for this. It is true what everyone says.... POP pools are always crowded. Of course, kids do not care about this. Steamboat had fun in the hippy dippy pool and it was hard to get him out.

So, off we go to Epcot. It started to pour just as we arrived. This was a reminder that Ernesto was due to hit the next day. Of course, what did we forget.... our ponchos. They were back in the room. We ducked into stores and Innoventions and finally hopped over puddles to get to Coral Reef. When we checked in the CM found our name on the list, but our ADR was not for 5:10 pm. Try 6:20pm. I felt really stupid. How the heck did I screw that up? I apologized to Princess. I told her I screwed up. No one really minded. And NO - they could not sit us early. They said to come back at 6pm.

By now the rain had slowed. We made our way to Soarin and got FP's. The stand by line was 40 minutes. We got in it......then we got out of it. When a line does not move at all, I get antsy. Fortunately, so did everyone else. We figured it would be time for our ADR before we got through the ride. Everyone was hungry. So we went back to Innovations and played some games. Then we checked in at CR. It was promptly 6pm. We did not get seated for another 40 minutes.

Dinner was good. Our server was great. She cautioned us against ordering the crab cakes. I am not sure why. She said they were too spicy. Princess ordered salmon and I ordered the blackened snapper. Again, our server cautioned me that this might be spicy and she would ask to have it done light. I thought all these recommendation were a little strange, but I went with it. Maybe she had previous customer complaints about these dishes. Either way, I enjoyed it. We were not rushed and has a nice first dinner.

Now I should mentioned that when I made our ADR's for the party of 6, I had to cancel previous ADR's for the original party of 3. In several restaurants we had ADR's for 2 tables for 3, instead of 1 table of 6. Despite that, we were all seated together, no problem.

After dinner we rode Soarin. By then it was time for Illuminations. We went and found an empty spot under some trees near Canada. After Illuminations we walked back to the POP bus line. This was our first park closing and the line was long, but it moved fast. Princess's sons, Kevin and Charles, started to complain. It wasn't the first time they complained about the bus lines. I, hater of all lines, did not complain. We had seats on the bus, what was to complain about.

We arrived back at room just in time to see the end of the fireworks over the MK. Hey, who needs a room at the Poly when you can see the fireworks from Rm 3335 at POP.

Next up - Hurricane Ernesto and AK!

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Max is my favorite cat!

 

[MEK]

So glad people are reading.

KarlaG4kids - My room was 3335 in the Lady and the Tramp building of the 50's section. I Loved this room. It was a short walk to the food court and it was such a peaceful, relaxed spot. I seriously think it was the most perfect location. The view was great!

I will return later today with Day 2, Hurricane Ernesto Day!
____________________________________________

Max is my favorite cat!

 

[MEK]

Hey - what is the place in Epcot called. Innovations or Innoventions??? Screwed that up, didn't I?

____________________________________

 

[MEK]

Well, I' m not sure if anyone is reading, because only a few of you are subscribing. That's OK - at least I finally took the time to update my profile and my signature. When I first joined this site 300 plus posts ago, I never took the time to do that.

So here we go - PART 6 - August 30th Ernesto Day..... And how Princess got her name. I'll try to keep this day more succinct than my previous posts.

I woke early on Ernesto Day. The ski was black and it was drizzly when I headed off to get my coffee. I was there before they even unlocked the door. I sat outside with someone else waiting desperately for their coffee.

After coffee ,I went out for my run. The sky looked ominous and it began to rain a little harder. Red sky at night, sailor's delight. Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning..... I kept repeating that chant throughout my run. Part of the black sky had turned an eery shade of red.

When it started to pour, I wrapped up my run and returned to my room. I turned on the channel with all the park information. It said everything was opened, but the evening EMH at AK was switched to the am. Nice. That was the park I was heading to. I avoid the early hours, because those parks tend to be crowded and I can't get my kids anywhere at 8am.

Ernesto was the day I had 2 ADR's. The first was breakfast at Donalds at 8am. I did this to get into AK early, so I could be first in the que for EE. I didn't know if this would work. Now, it didn't matter. I was just happy the parks were open.

But I had one other ADR to deal with. It was at MM 4pm for the Fantasmic Dinner pkg. I really didn't want to go to MM at 4pm, when the likelihood of Fantasmic being canceled was so high. I called Disney dining to see if I could cancel. Fortunately, I could without penalty. I asked about an ADR at Chef Mickeys or Ohanas. Everything was booked. I left it open.

So off we headed to AK. There was another woman on the bus with us who was stressing over the fact that AK now had a early opening. She said, "let's skip breakfast and go straight to EE". Her kids were having none of that. No Way Ma - we are going to Donald's to eat.

Donald's was fun and crowded. There were a lot of characters and they posed with the kids. I tried to get in one of the pictures and whoever the character was (I can't remember), would not put their arm around me. I felt a little rejected, but I rallied. The food was good, hot, and plentiful. I'm not a big breakfast person, but this is the one meal Steamboat requested when I was planning the trip. How could I say NO? WE had an extra free meal anyway, since we booked an extra night.

After Donald's we headed to EE. We grabbed some FP's for later in the day. The ride was a walk on and the AK was deserted. It was pretty remarkable and sad that I was only capable of riding EE twice before I had to take a break. For some reason, I got dizzy after the second ride. I HATE that. I love rides and I don't like slowing down for an episode of vertigo. Oh well.

After EE we did that wild mouse type ride in dinoland (I forget the name). O yeah - Primeval Whirl. Then we went to Dinosaur. I love Dinosaur. I could ride it a bunch of times. Unfortunately, my cohorts were among the mind set "One and done". After Dinosaur, we ventured over to It's tough to be a BUG. B king does not like this ride. It's too loud for him. He sat in the back of the theater and we all sat in the front. Another great attraction. I always think of my amusement the first time I visited this attraction when the termites crawled under my a---.

We ended our adventure to AK with the Safari (love it), The Lion King show (like it - great singers!), a quick stop at Pizzafari, Kali, and one more ride on EE. B King left his Georgetown bag on Kali. We had to walk back to get it. It was so empty that the CM's tried to load us on the ride again.

You may be thinking - what happened to Ernesto? Ernesto never really produced much rain during the day. It rained off and on, but it was basically nothing.

We got back to POP pretty early. When we did, I stopped at the concierge to see if there were any restaurants with any availability at MGM that night. He said, "There is an 8:10 seating at Prime Time Cafe". We took it. By now we were pretty sure that we weren't going to be dealing with any devastating weather. I felt bad that I canceled FDP, because Princess had never seen the show. Live and learn.

As it turns out, the rain did get heavier. It was a steady, soaking rain. No wind, no lightning, no thunder. Just rain. We used this as an opportunity to rest before we headed back out. I actually took a nap. So did Steamboat and Charles.

Because of our collective naps, we didn't leave for MGM until close to 6pm. We headed straight to RnR. Princess decided to sit this one out, so she got to be the official bag holder. I went on with all the boys. That meant I had to sit alone. Princess was worried about Charles. This was the first time he had ever gone on a roller coaster with a loop and inversions. We told him they was there. We didn't try to hide it. I guess the timing was right. I can't tell you how many times this kid has been to Hershey Park, Pa and he refused to go on every looping coaster. This was a great moment for Charles. The boys may have gone back for a second ride. I can't remember. If they did, I knew I didn't need anything round of vertigo.

After RnR we headed over to Star Tours. We skipped ToT because we knew it would be another ride where we would split up. Star Tours was fun. After Star Tours we must have headed over to Prime Time to check in early. Funny, we only did 2 rides and it was time for dinner?

By now, I felt pretty certain that my original predication came true and that Fantasmic must be canceled. It was raining much too hard. As it turned out - we LOVED PTC. This was our favorite meal of the trip. Our server was great. She started the meal by throwing everything at us. Then she said to my friend, "What will it be, Princess?" She even called me Princess. Now, I am definately not a princess. I am more like a Tom Boy, but I appreciated that pseudoname and took it as a compliment.

Princess, however, really does look like a Princess. She looks about 10 years younger than her real age. She is thin, attractive, and has blonde hair. She has a very sweet little girlie voice. It's so cute. I, on the other hand, have a very loud, annoying voice. I am a lot like "Lois" on Malcom in the Middle. See - I really am not a princess. So Princess got to keep her name through the remainder of the trip and I got to keep my name ...MEK.

The food at PTC was awesome. We started with smoothies and ice cream sodas. We had onion rings, salads, and fried cheese for appetizers. The fried cheese and onion rings were great. Our entrees were even better. Several of the kids had fried chicken, mash potatoes, and collard greens. Steamboat and princess had some type of pork dish that they both enjoyed. I had one of the best pieces of salmon I have ever had. It was mouth watering. We each picked dessert from the little view finder (after we broke and fixed it). I can't remember what everyone had for dessert. My blueberry cobbler al a mode was out of this world.

With a group of 6, the antics at PTC were so fun. Kevin actually ate all of his collard greens. Princess swears it was because he did not want our server to force him to eat his vegetables. Instead, Princess and I were forced to finish ours.

My kids loved this place. They loved it so much that I changed one of our November reservations to include PTC. It was fun, but not over the top. Just the right amount of antics.

So with our bellys very full, we waddled out into the rain and home to our dry rooms at POP.

Next up - The sun will come out .... Typhoon Lagoon, MK at night, and Crystal Palace.

 

[KarlaG4Kids]

I can't get the quotes to work like I would like...but here goes with my replies. Sorry if it hard to read.

I probably didn't mention this ..... but I dieted for 3 months before our trip. I was going with Princess and she is much thinner than I. My DH flat out told me that the reason I was dieting was because I didn't want my picture taken with Princess. I don't doubt that his was correct. My other motivation was that I didn't want any tight clothes impairing my ability to eat. So, I hadn't had a good dessert in a long time. The brownie really hit the spot and starting the arduous (see, I told you I couldn't spell) process of stretching my stomach.

So, I have to know....did you gain weight on the trip after dieting for 3 months. I too am dieting (not because I'm going with a princess but because I have my daughter's wedding coming up in May), and I want to know how much I might gain back with this free dining plan!

We had about 10 minutes to use the pool at POP before we had to leave again. Just as we walked past the Bowling Pin pool they shut it down. I guess someone pooped in the pool at POP.

OH NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We arrived back at room just in time to see the end of the fireworks over the MK. Hey, who needs a room at the Poly when you can see the fireworks from Rm 3335 at POP.

Keep your fingers crossed for me....I want that room too.

Well, I' m not sure if anyone is reading, because only a few of you are subscribing. That's OK - at least I finally took the time to update my profile and my signature. When I first joined this site 300 plus posts ago, I never took the time to do that.

If they aren't subscribing they don't know what they are missing. I'm enjoying the report....keep up the good work.

My brother happens to work for the State of Deleware in a position that sounds similar to yours!

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Max is my favorite cat!

 

[Bev J]

Great reports!! keep the rest comming..I'll be checking back.

Bev

 

[MEK]

Thanks guys. I am up early, as usual. But I sing and play guitar at church on Sunday mornings, so I have to go through my line up one more time before I leave.

Karla - I hope you do get my room. Yes, I probably did gain some weight. Not necessarily there, but all that eating increased my appetite so I have continued to eat more since I got home. I haven't weighed myself. All my clothes are still loose. See, I only lost 12 pounds. I really wasn't that heavy to begin with, but I felt like I was on the verge of going up another size and all my summer clothes were tight. Plus - last year my DH took so many pictures of me that I didn't like because my a--- looked so big, that I decided we would not replicate that this year. And we didn't, since I was the one with the camera.

As for princess, I know she was worried about gaining, but she didn't. If she was a princess with an attitude, I probably wouldn't like her. But she is really one of the nicest people I know, so I can't help but like her even if I am envious of all her princess-like qualities.

I'll try to write Part 7 (day 3) later tonight.