MKFan-PR
Certified MK Freak! Work is what I do for Vacation
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2002
- Messages
- 495
The Cast:
Me MKFan-PR, 37. Absolutely, 100%, government-certified WDW freak. Enthusiast doesnt quite cut it. Fell in love with the place since the first time my parents took me when I was 5.
DW, 41. Married with me for 11 years. Guess where weve gone on vacation for most of them? Doesnt like thrill rides but loves strolling, window shopping and dining on Epcot.
DD, 6. Well call her Cookie (my pet nickname for her). This trip is supposed to be celebrating her good grades and performance in 1st grade at school (at least thats what I tell people!
). Shes been dreaming about it since I mentioned the possibility way back in October.
This is only our second trip in the hot summer months. Our last trip was in the first week of December 2003. We couldnt go this past December and we didnt know how the end of school and final exams would play out in December of this year, so we decided to brave the heat at the start of August.
aaaah, how I long for the bygone days of off-season visits!
.
Anyway, here we go
Day 1-7/29: Were here!...Our bags will follow shortly
Finally the day is here! Were leaving at 4:30 PM today. I scheduled the departure for that time to allow us to sleep in a little and take care of any last minute stuff. One item in that stuff is that today is pay day. And of course Im gonna need some of that money to leave to the Walt Disney Company in the next 9 days. Anyway, after a visit to the office and the bank, Im back home and its time to go. We load up the car for the trip to our friends house and the airport, including Cookies pet turtle Elia. After much debate, we decide to leave her (the turtle, not Cookie!) with our friend and his twin DDs, who love animals.
Quick stop at Wendys for some drive-thru lunch and were off. Our friend drops us off at the airport, self-service check-in at Song, everything fine until the attendant says
Sir, you bag is overweight
Hey! DW might have a few extra pounds, but shes still my sweetheart! Dont be calling her a bag!
No, sir your bag. Your suitcase
Oh... OH!
We forgot about the weight limit! Were overweight by 24 LBS!!!
Well since the options are paying or getting another bag and distributing the weight, well Where can I find another bag?
Thankfully, since I live in the Tropical Caribbean Paradise of Puerto Rico, as with any Tropical Caribbean Paradise, there is no shortage of gawdy, bright colored handbags with zippers on which I can get some weight off my suitcase! After settling on a cute, yellow number that seems to expand well and which is oh-so-tastefully decorated with fishes, we set out on the mission of putting our big suitcase on a crash diet.
Lose 24 pounds in 5 minutes with our proven system! First you take out the jeans, then the shoes, then the socks
Wish I could do that with MY extra pounds!
Some would be embarrassed by all this. To us this is an adventure! We take it all in fun, especially the 3 or 4 trips to the unused scale in one of the counters, to see if the weight of our new bag is the required 24 pounds. Cookie and I act like its a game show...
15 lbs. More! More!... 21 lbs! Only three more!...
After finally reaching our target weight, we finally check in two bags and head in through security and our gate, with plenty of time (See? It pays to be early
). We buy some candy and Cookie and I take a stroll through the airport to see the planes. I want to pass on to my DD the same sense of wonder I felt when we went on vacation when I was little.
After a smooth boarding, we settle in our seats, and Cookie insists on closing the window shades because shes a little scared. During takeoff she gets a bit nervous but after reassuring her thats shes done this before, she finally settles in and enjoys the flight.
BTW, we love Song! Comfortable seats, good service. The TV is quite fun (although you dont have a signal until you get close to Florida when you fly to/from SJU). The food is costly (as expected), but there is some variety. Cookie loved the music and the trip indicator.
After a bumpy arrival, were finally at MCO! Now take a deep breath yes!... the sweet smell of vacation (or maybe its Potpurri-smelling Industrial Disinfectant what counts is that were here!)
After the short ride on the monorail (love the voice! Cookie even recognized it!), we find the CMs with the big Mickey hands. We head to side A for the ME counter. We didnt get the tags, but we were assured by everyone (including the DIS) that it wasnt a problem. Actually some friends of ours went earlier in July without them and they had no trouble at all. We think about getting our bags, since it was now close to 8:00 PM, and we would probably not get them until close to midnight. But we decide we can wait to get the yellow-fishy bag and the formerly obese large suitcase and not carry it, since we were ready with the stuff in our carry-ons.
Check-in at the DME desk goes smoothly. I identify my bags, then proceed to the line (or more accurately the empty queue, since there there was basically no one there) for POFQ. We board the bus in about 1.5 minutes, or approximately the time it takes the CM to notice us. Were the last ones in, and the bus departs immediately. Were the only ones to POFQ, the rest are going to CR. And were the first stop! Im already in love with DME!
Nice smooth ride, with the driver trying so hard to be entertaining, he deserved a Purple Heart... because he went down in flames! Finally he puts on a video, which turns out to be a video thats supposed to play on a trip TO the airport.
No need to give me a preview of my dreaded last day!
Shortly, were in POFQ. Check in is smooth as a babys well, you know. We get room 3240. A nice corner room in building 3. Excellent location. Close to the elevator and ice/vending, but without the noise. And just a few steps from the Food Court/lobby and the pool. In fact POFQ is so compact that everything is quite close and yet you dont feel crowded. We head out to the Food Court to get a bite to eat. DW and Cookie share some rotisserie chicken, while I dig in on a Chicken Quesadilla. We also purchase our mugs for this trip, officially starting our traditional trip-long Pink Lemonade binge.
I must note that the POFQ Food Court is excellent! Great choices, and everything quite affordable. We didnt have a bad meal there during our whole stay. DW went wild for the cornbread.
We finally freshen up and settle in. I take my time (as I always do) while the ladies fall asleep. When I come out of the shower I see the message light flashing. Our bags are here! I call them and they deliver them to my room.
Lo and behold! Theyve all arrived! The yellow-fishy bag and the formerly obese large suitcase with her!
I know that tips are included in DME, but when you get your bags in your comfy room, in shorts and a t-shirt, just after a nice shower, and theyre delivered by this kid from another country who look like hes had a pretty tough day with more to go, and its about midnight, and he still manages to do it with a heartfelt smile well, he deserves a tip.
As is our custom (vacation rules: she packs, I unpack), while the ladies sleep, I unpack and put everything in order in what will be our home for the next 8 nights. All while watching the new version of the Top 7 must-sees. The new host is this petite girl with a squeaky voice that well lets just say I miss Christa.
After everything is in its place, I call it a night and settle in bed.
Tomorrow MGM and the baked MKFan Family.
Stay tuned!
Me MKFan-PR, 37. Absolutely, 100%, government-certified WDW freak. Enthusiast doesnt quite cut it. Fell in love with the place since the first time my parents took me when I was 5.
DW, 41. Married with me for 11 years. Guess where weve gone on vacation for most of them? Doesnt like thrill rides but loves strolling, window shopping and dining on Epcot.
DD, 6. Well call her Cookie (my pet nickname for her). This trip is supposed to be celebrating her good grades and performance in 1st grade at school (at least thats what I tell people!
). Shes been dreaming about it since I mentioned the possibility way back in October.This is only our second trip in the hot summer months. Our last trip was in the first week of December 2003. We couldnt go this past December and we didnt know how the end of school and final exams would play out in December of this year, so we decided to brave the heat at the start of August.
aaaah, how I long for the bygone days of off-season visits!
. Anyway, here we go
Day 1-7/29: Were here!...Our bags will follow shortly
Finally the day is here! Were leaving at 4:30 PM today. I scheduled the departure for that time to allow us to sleep in a little and take care of any last minute stuff. One item in that stuff is that today is pay day. And of course Im gonna need some of that money to leave to the Walt Disney Company in the next 9 days. Anyway, after a visit to the office and the bank, Im back home and its time to go. We load up the car for the trip to our friends house and the airport, including Cookies pet turtle Elia. After much debate, we decide to leave her (the turtle, not Cookie!) with our friend and his twin DDs, who love animals.
Quick stop at Wendys for some drive-thru lunch and were off. Our friend drops us off at the airport, self-service check-in at Song, everything fine until the attendant says
Sir, you bag is overweight
Hey! DW might have a few extra pounds, but shes still my sweetheart! Dont be calling her a bag!
No, sir your bag. Your suitcase
Oh... OH!
We forgot about the weight limit! Were overweight by 24 LBS!!!
Well since the options are paying or getting another bag and distributing the weight, well Where can I find another bag?
Thankfully, since I live in the Tropical Caribbean Paradise of Puerto Rico, as with any Tropical Caribbean Paradise, there is no shortage of gawdy, bright colored handbags with zippers on which I can get some weight off my suitcase! After settling on a cute, yellow number that seems to expand well and which is oh-so-tastefully decorated with fishes, we set out on the mission of putting our big suitcase on a crash diet.
Lose 24 pounds in 5 minutes with our proven system! First you take out the jeans, then the shoes, then the socks
Wish I could do that with MY extra pounds!
Some would be embarrassed by all this. To us this is an adventure! We take it all in fun, especially the 3 or 4 trips to the unused scale in one of the counters, to see if the weight of our new bag is the required 24 pounds. Cookie and I act like its a game show...
15 lbs. More! More!... 21 lbs! Only three more!...
After finally reaching our target weight, we finally check in two bags and head in through security and our gate, with plenty of time (See? It pays to be early
). We buy some candy and Cookie and I take a stroll through the airport to see the planes. I want to pass on to my DD the same sense of wonder I felt when we went on vacation when I was little.After a smooth boarding, we settle in our seats, and Cookie insists on closing the window shades because shes a little scared. During takeoff she gets a bit nervous but after reassuring her thats shes done this before, she finally settles in and enjoys the flight.
BTW, we love Song! Comfortable seats, good service. The TV is quite fun (although you dont have a signal until you get close to Florida when you fly to/from SJU). The food is costly (as expected), but there is some variety. Cookie loved the music and the trip indicator.
After a bumpy arrival, were finally at MCO! Now take a deep breath yes!... the sweet smell of vacation (or maybe its Potpurri-smelling Industrial Disinfectant what counts is that were here!)
After the short ride on the monorail (love the voice! Cookie even recognized it!), we find the CMs with the big Mickey hands. We head to side A for the ME counter. We didnt get the tags, but we were assured by everyone (including the DIS) that it wasnt a problem. Actually some friends of ours went earlier in July without them and they had no trouble at all. We think about getting our bags, since it was now close to 8:00 PM, and we would probably not get them until close to midnight. But we decide we can wait to get the yellow-fishy bag and the formerly obese large suitcase and not carry it, since we were ready with the stuff in our carry-ons.
Check-in at the DME desk goes smoothly. I identify my bags, then proceed to the line (or more accurately the empty queue, since there there was basically no one there) for POFQ. We board the bus in about 1.5 minutes, or approximately the time it takes the CM to notice us. Were the last ones in, and the bus departs immediately. Were the only ones to POFQ, the rest are going to CR. And were the first stop! Im already in love with DME!
Nice smooth ride, with the driver trying so hard to be entertaining, he deserved a Purple Heart... because he went down in flames! Finally he puts on a video, which turns out to be a video thats supposed to play on a trip TO the airport.
No need to give me a preview of my dreaded last day!
Shortly, were in POFQ. Check in is smooth as a babys well, you know. We get room 3240. A nice corner room in building 3. Excellent location. Close to the elevator and ice/vending, but without the noise. And just a few steps from the Food Court/lobby and the pool. In fact POFQ is so compact that everything is quite close and yet you dont feel crowded. We head out to the Food Court to get a bite to eat. DW and Cookie share some rotisserie chicken, while I dig in on a Chicken Quesadilla. We also purchase our mugs for this trip, officially starting our traditional trip-long Pink Lemonade binge.
I must note that the POFQ Food Court is excellent! Great choices, and everything quite affordable. We didnt have a bad meal there during our whole stay. DW went wild for the cornbread.
We finally freshen up and settle in. I take my time (as I always do) while the ladies fall asleep. When I come out of the shower I see the message light flashing. Our bags are here! I call them and they deliver them to my room.
Lo and behold! Theyve all arrived! The yellow-fishy bag and the formerly obese large suitcase with her!
I know that tips are included in DME, but when you get your bags in your comfy room, in shorts and a t-shirt, just after a nice shower, and theyre delivered by this kid from another country who look like hes had a pretty tough day with more to go, and its about midnight, and he still manages to do it with a heartfelt smile well, he deserves a tip.
As is our custom (vacation rules: she packs, I unpack), while the ladies sleep, I unpack and put everything in order in what will be our home for the next 8 nights. All while watching the new version of the Top 7 must-sees. The new host is this petite girl with a squeaky voice that well lets just say I miss Christa.
After everything is in its place, I call it a night and settle in bed.
Tomorrow MGM and the baked MKFan Family.
Stay tuned!
What a great report... and a great attitude about your luggage issue! We are staying at POFQ in 21 days, and I'm pleased to hear you really liked it and the food court.
What a great report! I can't wait to read more!!! Thanks for posting, keep them coming please LOL 
