The Tucker Twins Truly Tremendous Trip! (with pics)

[aussiedaisy]

This is the beginning of our trip report from May 07.
Me- Sim, 27 years, Aussie Disney nut.
Identical twin sister-Rach, also 27(of course!!) and fellow Disney nut

We decided to have a big 'blow out' trip to celebrate finishing our Masters in Nursing and so here goes the nitty gritty of our truly wonderful trip.

Day one.

Got up REALLY early ready for the hour and a half drive to Melbourne Airport (Australia). Had a little cry about leaving my fur baby Daisy the dog, but she was with Mum and Dad so I knew she would be ok. Arrived at the airport and had a quick check in through the business class line. We were splurging and flying Premium economy with Air New Zealand which was just fantastic! Had a little glitch going through security with our new Pal Mickey (as seen on sims knee below)

Pal Mickey (the GPS device of Disneyworld) was sent to us by the lovely Dis Unplugged podcast crew (THANKS!!!) Pal Mickey was set off by something and began talking and laughing....the security was wondering what the heck was going on!!! Anyway, it was a LOONG flight due to the long stop over in San Fran but we were almost there and couldn't quite believe after the many months of planning we were almost in our favorite place in the world!

Next installation....arriving to a huge surprise...with pics

 

[aussiedaisy]

After a LOOONG stop over in San Fran airport we boarded the flight bound for Las Vegas where we had another stopover before we arrived in Orlando. We FINALLY arrived in Orlando airport around 7am and it was very quiet, we got a bit lost and had difficulty finding our baggage claim and we were both tired from the flight and feeling a little grumpy We finally found our luggage and hauled it down to the magical express area....we were the only ones there and got on the bus straight away!!! There was us and another family in the bus so it was nice and quiet. As the Magical express departed the airport bound for Disney, despite the magical video and music playing, we both felt a little bit flat, tired and just not in the mood yet which is a shame as the Magical Express really gets you into the mood with it's theming. I was beginning to get worried as I just wasn't feeling the magic and here I was passing through the 'Welcome to WDW sign' and making my way through the different resorts on the way to the Contemporary and I really, honestly wasn't enjoying it....don't think Rach was either....we were so overtired it just wasn't happening UNTIL......

We arrived at the Contemporary. We had splurged a little and had booked a concierge 12th floor room with MK view. I went into the lobby and informed them we were staying concierge. They made a phone call up the the concierge level to tell them we had arrived (we arrived at about 8.30 am and check in wasn't until 3pm) when the lobby man put the phone down he told us our room wasn't ready (this really deflated the magic as I was soooo tired I just wanted to lie down and sleep) but said we could go up and check in and leave our bags...so we hopped on the lift and they swipped us up to the 12th floor. As the lift doors opened, there were the concierge staff lined up ready to meet us and they shook our hands, congratulating us on finishing our masters (they must have known this as I had mentioned it to the lovely Larry, our concierge planner). We then sat down at the desk and checked in, I asked when our room would be ready and she said it's ready NOW!!!! We were so elated.... all we wanted at that point was a shower and a sleep! As we entered our room, I could hear Disney music playing....then WOW the room had been decorated (I had asked Larry if he could organise something special to welcome Rach as a surprise) but I didn't expect what I saw in my wildest dreams....there was Mickey confetti all over the floor and beds and surfaces, there were bunches of Disney balloons tied all around the room. On each bed was a graduation Mickey ears with our names and the year embroidered on it. There were 2 signed cards, one from Chip and Dale and another from me to Rach (thanks Larry) which said 'lets enjoy ourselves'.

There was also a beautiful box of contemporary chocolates

!!!! Wow...I think Rach was in total shock as she wasn't expecting this....she was giggling and was obviously very impressed.....from then on the 'Magic' began....We truly felt this was going to be an unforgettable trip!

 

[aussiedaisy]

After calming down a little and thanking the staff for this lovely welcome We had a much needed shower and headed to the concierge lounge...it was soooo quiet, we were the only ones there with all this yummy food We had some coffee and fresh juice, some doughnuts, pastries and fruit and took it back to our room to eat.

We then had a little lie down, I don't think we slept much but felt a bit more refreshed and happier! We decided we were then ready to head down to Downtown Disney to do some shopping, we popped into the concierge lounge first though and had a little snack of yummy tiny chocolate cupcakes with mickey heads....and some obligatory Nestle choc milk for Rach...mmmm YUM!

So, off to DTD we go

As it says "pixie dust, it's all you need" !!!!

 

[aussiedaisy]

So, after soaking up the Disney atmosphere and smells in Downtown Disney we skipped back to our room and got glamed up for our first dinner at the California Grill high atop the Contemporary Resort. It was sunset and our second sprinkle of 'pixie dust' occurred when we got seated at a window seat at the Cali Grill right infront of the castle...what a truly amazing view it was as we settled down with a martini and strawberry daquari for our first Disney evening.

We were hungry and ordered the BLT flatbread and the goat cheese ravioli to share...both were just delicious! Both Rach and I love sushi so we were eager to try it. We both ordered it for our main course and it was the best we have ever had!

We then ordered dessert the chocolate lave kind of cake with fresh raspberry icecream,

while waiting for it Rach who, for the record has a few allergy problems and had had a major anaphalaxis only a few months prior to our trip, began to notice her lips were swelling...oh no!!! We both began panicking a little and Rach had to leave the table to go back to the room to take her allergy meds and grab her epi pen (which she really should be carrying!) So there I am sitting by myself at the top of the 'world' thinking holy #### and imagining a little trip to the most magical emergency room on earth! Luckily, the meds did the trick and the swelling didn't get any worse but it was a bit of a downer to the whole experience unfortunately! Anyway, we headed back to our room and noticed the beds had been turned down and little choccies had been left on the beds which was a nice touch. They had also put the tv on for us on the Disney info channel with that lovely Disney themed background music....so welcoming and nice.

We lay in bed and watched the fireworks over the castle and then fell into a deep sleep dreaming of what was to come on our magical trip

 

[aussiedaisy]

We awoke at around 4am Orlando time and were both wide awake Isn't jet lag wonderful! So we watched some tv in bed and the got up around 7ish and again headed to the concierge lounge to grab some breakfast to eat on the balcony while we watched the hotel gardeners below meticulously manicure the mickey mouse shaped bushes.

Then it was time to head to the Magic Kingdom park, the feeling of walking into Main Street and seeing the castle in the distance is indescribable, it's a feeling of being care free and going back to being a kid again.

We had dared ourselves to try out Splash Mountain this time, although the 90degrees, 50 foot plunge didn't really appeal to me, Rach ended up talking me into it so I took a stemitil and off we went for a gut wrenching, toe curling dive into the briar patch with Brer Rabbit.... it was the most horrific thing I have ever done! My heart was in my mouth and Rach was contemplating where to vomit. We both had to have a sit down and a stiff drink after that ride!

When we recovered, we headed to the Mad Hatters shop where we got some mickey hats embroidered for our work mates Sue and Jane who were meeting up with us. Sue taught us at uni and we also work with her in the recovery room and she had always dreamed of going to Disneyworld. Following a near death scare, she decided to do an around the world trip and so she arranged to meet up with us when she arrived in Disney. Sue and her friend were staying in the same hotel and as we were staying concierge, we were able to ask for them to be upgraded to the tower room instead of the wings and they were which made their day! That evening we all met up at Chef Mickeys for the character buffet dinner which was so much fun and the food was delish!

After a great day we retired back to our room and totally zonked out!

 

[KYCruiseCrazy]

great TR so far. How many hrs did you spend on the plane? i bet waking up to see MK everyday was magical.

 

[dmwang9]

Hey!

Great trip report so far -- can't wait for the next installment!

(And I'm totally jealous that you stayed Concierge at the Contemporary.)

 

[aussiedaisy]

Today we again woke at 4am courtesy of jet lag, we called Australia to check on the fur babies and then got up for another yummy breakfast in the concierge lounge. We had an early start this am as we were booked in for the first tour group of the morning for Keys to the Kingdom tour in the Magic Kingdom. We decided due to the close proximity to the park from the Contemporary resort and the quick monorail ride we would give ourselves 20 minutes to get to the park to check in for the tour. We were first in line at the monorail platform and the driver was awestruck with our Aussie accents so much so that he sat us up the front of the monorail, what a great view it was gliding through the resort! Our timing was all going to plan...until the monorail broke down! We were stuck there mid track for 20 minutes and ended up having to rush to get to the meeting point for the tour. The tour was pretty good, but just tooooo long!!! We had lunch at Columbia Harbour House which was superb but the broccoli slaw sandwich caused us to have abdominal pain during the backstage part of the tour, so we were slightly distracted!

After the tour we met up with Sue and Jane at the Hollywood and Vine for the Fantasmic buffet package. We really loved this restaraunt and the food was yummy! Then we headed to the massive outdoor theatre to stake out our seats for Fantasmic

The show was amazing, we all really enjoyed it and all felt really uplifted after seeing it, so much so that Sue and Jane went a little bit silly and started playing around on the hire scooters

We then headed back to the hotel and Rach and I again paid a little visit to the concierge lounge for some beer and wine, some yummy oatmeal and raisin cookies (which we became addicted to) and a plate of garlic shrimp, veggies and mini savory pastries....mmmmmm.

What a day! I lay there in my bed in the darkness of the hotel room, watching Cinderellas castle change color in the distance in sync with the sound of Rach snoring...a sound only heard after sheer exhaustion following a big day in Disneyworld!

Coming up- Disney bugs and a surprise at Le Cellier.

 

[aussiedaisy]

great TR so far. How many hrs did you spend on the plane? i bet waking up to see MK everyday was magical.

Well, all up we spent approximately 24 hours or more flying. We had 3 stop overs, Auckland NewZealand, San Fran, Las Vegas and then on to Orlando and unfortunately the San Fran stop was a 10 hour one and the Las Vegas was about 6 hours so it seemed like such a long, drawn out trip!

 

[OhMari]

Enjoying your report.
How did LeCelliur go?

 

[delswife]

Very nice pictures!

 

[IloveDMB]

What an great way to celebrate a fantastic accomplishment! What area of nursing are you and your twin going in to?

 

[winkers]

I'm loving your report!

 

[aussiedaisy]

On the last night of our trip to WDW Rachael had organised a surprise for me, Sue and Jane had been told about it and had kept it a secret from me for many months. My surprise ended up being a fantastic wishes cruise!! I was so excited, well, we all were! Rach had booked the bigger cruiser with the piped in music and it was soooooo nice, the boat was lovely and we all had blankets to keep us warm, a HUGE bucket of chips and a big esky of drinks. It was a lovely night, very still and warm and we cruised around bay lake for a while looking at the sights before the fireworks began. The firework show was just superb, it is a prime position to view the show from and it was truly an experience of a lifetime. Afterwards we did a little shopping for our new house in the Contemporary shop and bought a blue and white mickey kettle, matching oven glove, matching measuring spoons and some matching cannisters....needless to say our luggage was just a TAD over limit on the way home Then we headed up to the concierge lounge and had some cordials and snacks while we lay in bed and watched the castle change color.

 

[aussiedaisy]

What an great way to celebrate a fantastic accomplishment! What area of nursing are you and your twin going in to?

Hi IloveDMB, we are both clinical nurse specialists in the recovery room in the operating theatres. We work together which we love!! No doubt people waking up from their anaesthetic think they are seeing double from the drugs!!

 

[Avivasmom]

Great report so far...we love California Grill...we had window seats and watched wishes.

What a great room you had...cannot wait to read more.