The One with the Breakfast Feet - A December 2018 TR *New PTR Link 6/13

[unwritten01]

Joining in!! Can't wait to hear about all of your adventures! The tornadoes leads me to believe we were there at the same time. Love the Christmas shirt!!

 

[the2ndstar2theright]

Joining in! Can't wait to hear all about it!

Hi there!! Thanks for reading along!

Joining in!! Can't wait to hear about all of your adventures! The tornadoes leads me to believe we were there at the same time. Love the Christmas shirt!!

Maybe so! I can't really imagine that kind of weather happens all that often. Thanks so much!

 

[the2ndstar2theright]

The Day Before the Magic
Day 0: Wed. December 12, 2018

As with all good stories, we have to start at the beginning, before all the magic started. I had come home late Tuesday afternoon after my last final (which my professor let me take early – BLESS!), so I had the entire day on Wednesday to finish packing and running last minute errands. So on Wednesday morning, I got up and went to Walmart to get some last minute things for the trip. When I came out of Walmart…I had a flat tire. Well, I guess it wasn’t completely flat, but it was basically flat. (This was after I had put air in it 3 days earlier). I managed to drive my car over to the gas station and put enough air in my tire to get home. My neighbor was nice enough to help me inflate the tire the rest of the way. When my mom got home, we drove my car up to the shop, so they could check the tire for nails or anything like that…long story short, they couldn’t find anything, and my tire has been fine ever since.

Everybody got home, and the rest of the day was dedicated to packing. We ordered pizza for dinner and rearranged things in suitcases to make everything fit. We ended up having four checked bags and three backpacks. We decided it was easier to put all the extra stuff like snacks and window decorations and other things like that in another checked bag rather than dividing it up among carry ons. That fourth checked bag was really light, which meant we’d have room to pack stuff we bought on the trip for the flight home.

I also washed, dried, and straightened my hair on Wednesday night, so that I wouldn’t have to do anything to it the next morning. Once all of that was done, and my bags were all packed, we all headed to bed around 10:30pm…which wouldn’t have been too bad if it weren’t for the alarms we had set for 2:00am. But it's all okay because TOMORROW IS DISNEY DAY!

​

 

[missangelalexis]

That stinks about the tire troubles, especially the day before vacation when you're just trying to get everything in order! Glad it was nothing serious!

 

[the2ndstar2theright]

That stinks about the tire troubles, especially the day before vacation when you're just trying to get everything in order! Glad it was nothing serious!

It was so strange, but I was glad that we didn't have to drive my car for the next week!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

When my mom got home, we drove my car up to the shop, so they could check the tire for nails or anything like that…long story short, they couldn’t find anything, and my tire has been fine ever since

Of course! Well, at least you didn't have to get a new tire!

That fourth checked bag was really light, which meant we’d have room to pack stuff we bought on the trip for the flight home.

Always a good plan!!!

 

[the2ndstar2theright]

"This Is Why People Have Rage"
Day 1: Thurs. December 13, 2018

This day started very VERY early – at 2:15am to be exact! My alarm went off, and it was surprisingly easy to get up considering I had only gotten like four hours of sleep. Our dogs were extremely confused about why we were up and rolling suitcases around that early! I put makeup on, ate some leftover pizza, and threw the last of my stuff into my suitcase. My grandparents were driving down to our house later that day, so we left our doggos at the house when we left at 4:05am.

Not surprisingly, there was no traffic on our way to the airport, and we got there right around 4:40am. We were actually kind of surprised by how many people were in the airport that early in the morning, but we still checked our bags and made it through security in less than 20 minutes. We stopped at Chickfila, so Dad could get breakfast, and Mom got a bagel at another place near Chickfila (that I cannot remember the name of). We made our way down to the gate and found seats to wait.

Mom's bagel was massive, and she ended up giving Dad half of it.

We started boarding right at 5:30, and we were at the very beginning of boarding group B. We found an empty row toward the back of the plane, and before we knew it, it was time to take off!

We actually took off a few minutes early, around 5:55am CT or so.

The flight was fairly uneventful. We did have some turbulence, but it wasn’t too bad.

Soon, we were in Orlando!! We landed at 8:20am ET, so we were actually a little early! We got off the plane, made a quick bathroom stop, and then hopped on the fake-o-rail! We made our way down to baggage claim, and our bags started coming around the carousel pretty quickly. We found all four of our bags, but Dad’s suitcase was damaged (the handle wouldn’t extend up), so we walked over to the baggage services office.

The whole thing was a little frustrating, mostly because the lady my parents talked to was not very nice, but she did eventually just replace my dad’s suitcase. However, she made my dad unpack his bag and move all of his stuff over to the new one right then so that she could take the damaged bag. It was kind of ridiculous, but I was just happy to move on.

We made our way down to DME check-in, and the guy at the podium had to add me to the check-in since I wasn’t on the hotel reservation, but it wasn’t that big of a deal. He sent us down to line number 10, and it suddenly felt very real!

We didn’t wait all that long for a bus, and we were leaving the airport right around 9:40am. We passed the time answering Disney trivia questions until we saw the most beautiful sight on Earth…

(Not the best picture in the world, but the idea is there!)

Coronado Springs was the first stop, and we headed into the main building as soon as we got there. Even though we had checked in online, we needed to stop at the desk to add me to the reservation. At first, the CM didn’t understand what we were asking and told us that I couldn’t be added to the package, but once we explained that we just needed my name on the reservation and not the entire package, she was able to do it without any problems. She had to give me an extra MB that would act as my room key (which I never actually used) because she couldn’t put it on my existing magic band (which I don’t entirely understand). She was able to find us a room that was ready, which we were very thankful for. We also decided to opt out of Mousekeeping in exchange for a $70 Disney giftcard.

Then, we set off for building 7A, which was in the Ranchos section. Our building was right next to a bus stop, which was really nice! We were in room 7152.

​

 

[the2ndstar2theright]

Of course! Well, at least you didn't have to get a new tire!

Yes, I was very thankful for that!

Always a good plan!!!

We thought so! It definitely worked out in our favor!

 

[emma212010]

Joining in!!! We're planning on CSR for our honeymoon in July! We LOVE it there!!

 

[Newsies]

YAY IT'S STARTING!


That's so frustrating that your dad's bag was damaged. I'm glad you were able to get a new one and get on your way to CSR!

The room looks great so far! Can't wait to see where you guys go next!

 

[amberdc1987]

Awesome start. That sucks about the tire. But at least all you had to do was air it up. I bet that was a load off your mind. I'm sorry for the mess up of your dad's bag. I can't believe that lady was not nice. I expect working in an airport all day is not easy though. The picture of the 3 of y'all is precious!!!! I can't wait to see what's next.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

I think we were in Ranchos when we were there. I hope you like the resort.

 

[cstorm65]

Great start and awesome that your room was ready that early!! 2 AM wake up call! The trip report I just started we had a 3 AM wake up and I thought that was early!

 

[missangelalexis]

Such a cute pic of the 3 of you on the plane! Sounds like a smooth start (except for the broken luggage, how annoying!)

 

[absolutmey]

following along!

 

[SCSteve]

following along. Looking forward to your updates

 

[AV007]

Joining in!! Looking forward to all the fun!!

 

[the2ndstar2theright]

Joining in!!! We're planning on CSR for our honeymoon in July! We LOVE it there!!

Oh how exciting! Congratulations!

YAY IT'S STARTING!


That's so frustrating that your dad's bag was damaged. I'm glad you were able to get a new one and get on your way to CSR!

The room looks great so far! Can't wait to see where you guys go next!

It was just really unfortunate because it was the bag that my dad uses ALL the time when he travels for work. He ended up getting a hard-back bag, so hopefully it will hold up!

The room was great--I always forget how much more space there is in a moderate vs a value. Mom is worried that Dad will never want to stay in a value again!

Awesome start. That sucks about the tire. But at least all you had to do was air it up. I bet that was a load off your mind. I'm sorry for the mess up of your dad's bag. I can't believe that lady was not nice. I expect working in an airport all day is not easy though. The picture of the 3 of y'all is precious!!!! I can't wait to see what's next.

The tire thing was...bizarre. But I was definitely relieved that I didn't have to replace it! I imagine working in an airport all day is not the most fun thing in the world, but I feel like a lot of it is what you make it, especially if you're in a customer service job. Thanks so much! We had to take it a couple of times bc Dad kept moving and making it blurry

I think we were in Ranchos when we were there. I hope you like the resort.

We liked the resort itself fine, but we had some problems with staff and things while we were there. Not enough to ruin our trip, of course, but definitely very frustrating and very unlike Disney!

Great start and awesome that your room was ready that early!! 2 AM wake up call! The trip report I just started we had a 3 AM wake up and I thought that was early!

We were so happy that there was a room ready; it just made everything easier! I was definitely feeling that 2am wake-up by the end of the day!

Such a cute pic of the 3 of you on the plane! Sounds like a smooth start (except for the broken luggage, how annoying!)

Thanks so much!! It was annoying, but we were glad that we noticed it right away and were able to get it taken care of!

following along!

Welcome aboard!

following along. Looking forward to your updates

Hi! Thanks so much for joining in!

Joining in!! Looking forward to all the fun!!

 

[the2ndstar2theright]

"This Is Why People Have Rage"
Day 1, Part 2: Thurs. December 13, 2018

Once we got to our room, we called the desk to see about getting our grocery order. We had ordered a few things from Amazon Prime Pantry, but we forgot to ask while we were up at the main building. They told us they could send someone to our room with the boxes, but we had to be there, and it would be about 20 minutes. Okay, perfect.

20 minutes go by…no boxes. 45 minutes go by…no boxes. So, Dad calls the front desk again to find out what’s going on. The CM tells him that the guy should be there any second, but if we would just hold for a minute, she would go check on it. She comes back nearly ten minutes later, only to inform us that the guy is not almost to our room, and they, in fact, could not find our boxes. Eventually, we finally found out that the boxes got sent to the Business Center at CSR. The CM on the phone said she would connect us through to the Business Center, so we waited…and waited…and waited. Finally we hung up, and then the voicemail light started blinking. We listened to the message, and it was someone in the Business Center trying to talk to us since the call never connected. We called back, and the lady in the Business Center said that she could send them to the luggage room, so that we could get them later rather than having to wait for them to be delivered now. Perfect, thank you.

So now, almost two hours after we arrived in our room, we headed out to the bus stop to go to Disney Springs!

It was a little after 12:00 when we got on the bus, and when we were almost to Disney Springs, when we got a text from my grandmother, asking questions about directions. Uh oh…we called her as soon as we got off the bus and figured out where they were (past the exit they should have taken) and got them back on the right track. Then, we went straight to one of our most recent Disney favorites: Earl of Sandwich.

The line was pretty long, but it moved fairly quickly. Mom and Dad both got the holiday turkey sandwich,

and I got the chicken Caesar wrap.

Everything was super yummy and delicious and really hit the spot.

Once we were done eating, we wandered through World of Disney. I took pictures of a few things that I wanted to remember to come back and get. And Dad, well…

Just to give you an idea of what we were dealing with.

After World of Disney, Dad looked in Under Armor for a few minutes before we headed off to the bus stops.

It was time for a little resort hopping. Our first stop? The Swan and Dolphin! It was around 2:30 when the bus was pulling out of Disney Springs.

We were starting to feel a little sleepy.

There was this cute little kid on the bus with us, just chattering away to anyone who would listen. He was talking to someone about how he had just lost a tooth, and the tooth fairy had brought him money. Then, out of nowhere, he says “I hope she brings me a 5000 bill next time!”

We got off at the Swan and followed the walkway up to Fantasia Gardens to play some mini golf. We had brought the magical experiences card that had come with our magic bands since we thought it had two free games of mini golf on it. Apparently, though, that card is not actually good for anything, and there were coupons included with it that we had to bring. First, we never saw any coupons, and second, what the heck is the point of that card? Anyway, the CM was nice about it and told us to charge the games to our room and then explain it to the CMs at the resort and they would refund the charges. Okay, fine.

We had to wait a little bit before we could start, but before long, we were off! I started off okay, and then I just kind of fell apart.

No surprise, Dad won in the end.

And I, well...

After our game, we walked back through the Swan to get to the bus stops. Along the way, we saw SANTA! Not just any Santa, but a Santa made entirely of chocolate!

It was seriously incredible, and it smelled absolutely amazing. We took a couple pictures, and then headed out to the bus stops.

​

 

[PlutosRHM55]

That's annoying about your Prime delivery. I'm sure it's mostly because Disney isn't yet used to that service since it's fairly new but still it was like cat-and-mouse with the communication, that should've been far better handled.

Omg Earl of Sandwich Holiday Turkey and mini-golf, how fun! I'm sorry you didn't play your best. I feel that whole video on such a spiritual level because that's been me on many occasions.

Can't wait to read about the rest of your evening!