jrgutknecht
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Aug 9, 2000
- Messages
- 199
Day One May 5
Cast of characters: Me 36 first trip in about 15 years
Tom also 36, first trip to WDW
We had packed the night before so we were sitting in the living room at 8:30 waiting for the Limo when we just looked at each other and said Were going to Disney World! We could hardly believe the time was here already. We had been planning for almost a year and at first we were counting down the months, then the weeks until departure. It seems like the last few weeks following Easter that time has accelerated. When it got to less than 10 days to go, I started to panic that I had forgotten some key detail of planning, but before I knew it, it was time to pack and now were just waiting for the limo to take us to the airport so we could start our dream vacation.
The limo arrived 15 minutes early so we quickly said goodbye to the cats, the birds and the lizards and dragged our suitcases downstairs. The driver took our luggage and opened loaded up the trunk while we made ourselves comfortable in the car. Within a few moments we were on our way.
We were flying Spirit Airlines and this was my first experience with them. I was a little nervous about it since they were new to the Chicago area. When the driver asked me what airline we were on, I told him Spirit and he said he thought they were in the International Terminal. I had to trust him since I didnt know, and as it turned out he was correct. So we arrived at the International terminal and there was absolutely nobody in line to check in. We checked our luggage and got our seat assignments. When I approached the ticket counter, the agent immediately asked if I would like an exit row seat (Im 65 tall) which I really appreciated. After checking our luggage, we proceeded through security and on to the gate. The funny thing about the International terminal at OHare is that it is brand new and designed to handle massive crowds that dont exist. So you get this surreal feeling that youre not really in an airport, but a movie set. When we arrived at our gate we sat and waited for our planes listening to the excited kids around us who were all just as excited as we were to be going to the happiest place on earth.
The flight was great, the plane arrived on time, we boarded on time, pulled away from the gate on time and arrived 20 minutes early. In all the times Ive flown the major airlines for business trips, this has never happened. I was very pleased with our choice. There was no food service on the plane (they did serve drinks) but airline food was never one of my favorites anyway. Knowing this ahead of time, we brought a couple sandwiches to hold us over until our dinner at the Hoop-De-Doo review.
When we arrived in Orlando we made our way to baggage claim and I really started to get excited when I saw the Disney billboards everywhere and the Disney drivers for Disney Cruises waiting for arriving passengers. We had arranged for Tiffany Towncars to pick us up and I was looking around for a driver carrying my name. I didnt see anyone, but since we were early and our luggage wasnt here yet, I wasnt worried. As soon as we figured out which luggage area we were at, I saw a young woman carrying a sign with my name on it. I have a rather unique last name (Gutknecht) so its easy to spot from a distance. Now I was really starting to feel like our vacation was getting underway.
Our driver from the airport was Anna and she was excellent. When our luggage came out, she insisted on unloading it for us. I felt kind of silly, here are two big strong guys letting a small rather petite young lady unload their luggage for them. But she insisted so I wasnt going to argue. We quickly got our luggage and Ana showed us outside and we waited on the curb as she ran across the street to get the car. When she pulled up, she ushered us inside the car and then loaded the luggage for us. Within a few moments were were off on our way to Disney World! Now I was really beginning to feel like we were on vacation.
The ride to Disney was shorter than I expected, probably about 15-20 minutes I would guess. As soon as we say the Welcome to Disney World Resort sign, I could feel the smile muscles in my face straining. I must have had a huge grin on my face.
When we pulled into the Wilderness Lodge, the first thing I saw was the Bear Crossing sign I was still pointing at this sign when up ahead I saw the Wilderness Lodge archway. It was an impressive site, but not as impressive as that of the lodge as we pulled up. I had seen pictures of the Lodge on the Internet, but nothing could prepare me for the majesty and scale and sheer beauty of the place. When we pulled up, a bellman quickly loaded our luggage. I confirmed with Anna our return time and we made our way to the front door.
Even now as I think about the first moment I walked through the entrance to the Lodge I am getting chills. Disney has always amazed me at their attention to detail and the Wilderness Lodge is no exception. Just at the moment I walked through the doors, the background music (selections from Aaron Coplands Appalachian Spring) became louder and more pronounced which only added to the drama and majesty of the place. I felt as if the music had been choreographed to me walking through the doors. I would later figure out that this wasnt too far from being true. They have a set schedule of what music plays at what time of day which only enhances the mood. In the early morning they have a sound effects track playing with sounds of crickets chirping and owls hooting but Im getting ahead of myself.
When we approached the check-in, I had no idea that we were on the concierge level, so I dont know if concierge check-in normally runs this way or not. The CM at the desk quickly found our reservation then in an awkward moment asked us what kind of sleeping arrangements we wanted (ie: two queens, bunk beds etc..) I informed him that I had made reservations for the honeymoon suite and that it only came with one type of bed. He then realized that we had a king size bed for a reason. This was the only time I felt any bias towards us, but it quickly passed when he realized that the reservation was correct. I guess he thought that there had been a mistake when he saw two guys and a king bed reservation. Oh well. He then indicated that he was going to get a package for us (Im guessing it was our Discovery Magic brochures etc ) and when he came back he told us that he was wrong. Instead he gave us our keys and told us he was going to call the concierge and inform them we were coming up and that they would go over all of this info with us. After a quick call he sent us to the elevator. This process was more than a little confused and I dont know if its because he was new or they havent perfected the concierge check-in process yet.
We used our keys to get access to the 7th floor and were quickly greeted by the CM on duty at the concierge desk. Actually I think there were a few of them standing there. I was still trying to get my bearings and still trying to get adjusted to what was going on. The lead CM told us that we should just go to our rooms and relax. He told us that our luggage was on the way up and that after we were settled we could come back and he would go over all the details with us. I was glad to hear this since I really wanted to wash the airplane grunge off of my face. He showed us to our room (7085) and within 30 seconds there was a knock on the door. I thought it was the concierge again, but it was bell services with our luggage. WOW was that fast!
After we got unpacked and cleaned up we checked out the view from our balcony. There was the contemporary resort and space mountain. Now I REALLY felt like I was finally on vacation.
We went back to the concierge to get our briefing and we received maps of all the parks, updates on park hours, a discover magic brochure that listed what we could use our wishes for, transportation information and information about the hotel. The CM was very thorough and covered everything we had questions about. She then printed our Hoop-De-Doo and E-night tickets right there on the spot and told us the best way to get to Camp Wilderness.
We had about an hour to kill before dinner so we explored the hotel in depth. I just cant describe the level of detail adequately. This is the most beautiful hotel I have ever seen. The attention to detail runs through every aspect of the hotel. Even the covers on the fire hoses are painted with a Wilderness Lodge design. We explored the courtyard and pool area and saw the geyser going off before we headed to the bus stop.
We were both a little worried about the transportation at the lodge after reading the guidebooks and some of the posts online, but other than our first night, we had no problems with the busses and / or boats. We decided to take the bus to Fort Wilderness; we got on the Crockett bus, which went directly to Fort Wilderness. We were there in less than 10 minutes. We explored Fort Wilderness and then headed over to Pioneer Hall for our 7:15 dinner. I was told when I made the reservations to arrive by 7:00, but since they didnt start seating until 7:15 and the seats were pre-assigned, next time I wont arrive until 7:15. At 7:15 exactly they opened the doors and started seating. When we handed the CM our ticket, she looked at it, looked at us and smiled. Then handed it to the next CM and said Table 13
The other CM responded, Table 13 huh?? Well you guys are in for it I knew that they had assigned tables based on when you made the PS, and since I had made the PS at least 6 months earlier, I kind of guessed that we might be close to the front. I had no idea how close to the front we would be. We were seated down center right next to the stage. If we were any closer, we would have been ON stage.
We started right in with our salads, which were waiting for us. Our server came over and took our drink order and I was kind of surprised that the show started as soon as everyone was seated. I wasnt sure what to expect so I was a little surprised at the intermingling of food with the show. I was thinking they would serve the dinner then do the show, but this was great. You never had a moment when you werent either eating or watching the show. The food was delicious and the show while corny was very good.
After the show finished we made our way to the bus stop and saw the Crockett bus. Since that was the one we took over here, we figured this would be the one to take back WRONG. This was our only mistake the entire time taking the busses. While the Crockett bus does indeed go back to the Lodge, it does so only after looping through the entire campground and then stopping at the parking lot and the TTC. When we got back to the TTC we were the only ones left on the bus (most people got off at the campground parking lot) the driver made us get onto a different bus to get back to the lodge as he was done for the night. I later figured out if we had taken the Boone Bus, it would have gone directly back to the lodge. But one mistake over 9 days isnt bad. The only real drag about this was that it took about an hour to get back to the hotel. Because of Grad Night traffic we spent a good 10 minutes waiting to cross the main road from the TTC back to the lodge.
After we finally made it back we went to bed knowing that we would have to get up early the next morning for Disney MGM and Star Wars Weekends. I was just dozing off to sleep when at 12:30 am I heard this tremendous BOOM and felt the room shake. It was quickly followed by a few more and I realized it must be the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom for Grad Night. I got up and went to the window and sure enough there were the fireworks right outside our window. I would have stood there and watched them, but Tom, who was still half-asleep, told me to get back in bed and go to sleep. So as excited as I was, I went back to bed, but I couldnt sleep until the noise stopped anyway. I lay in bed during the next 10 minutes listening to the fireworks going off and thought this is it! Im at Disney World and this is the BEST vacation of my life. And its only Day # 1!!!
Cast of characters: Me 36 first trip in about 15 years
Tom also 36, first trip to WDW
We had packed the night before so we were sitting in the living room at 8:30 waiting for the Limo when we just looked at each other and said Were going to Disney World! We could hardly believe the time was here already. We had been planning for almost a year and at first we were counting down the months, then the weeks until departure. It seems like the last few weeks following Easter that time has accelerated. When it got to less than 10 days to go, I started to panic that I had forgotten some key detail of planning, but before I knew it, it was time to pack and now were just waiting for the limo to take us to the airport so we could start our dream vacation.
The limo arrived 15 minutes early so we quickly said goodbye to the cats, the birds and the lizards and dragged our suitcases downstairs. The driver took our luggage and opened loaded up the trunk while we made ourselves comfortable in the car. Within a few moments we were on our way.
We were flying Spirit Airlines and this was my first experience with them. I was a little nervous about it since they were new to the Chicago area. When the driver asked me what airline we were on, I told him Spirit and he said he thought they were in the International Terminal. I had to trust him since I didnt know, and as it turned out he was correct. So we arrived at the International terminal and there was absolutely nobody in line to check in. We checked our luggage and got our seat assignments. When I approached the ticket counter, the agent immediately asked if I would like an exit row seat (Im 65 tall) which I really appreciated. After checking our luggage, we proceeded through security and on to the gate. The funny thing about the International terminal at OHare is that it is brand new and designed to handle massive crowds that dont exist. So you get this surreal feeling that youre not really in an airport, but a movie set. When we arrived at our gate we sat and waited for our planes listening to the excited kids around us who were all just as excited as we were to be going to the happiest place on earth.
The flight was great, the plane arrived on time, we boarded on time, pulled away from the gate on time and arrived 20 minutes early. In all the times Ive flown the major airlines for business trips, this has never happened. I was very pleased with our choice. There was no food service on the plane (they did serve drinks) but airline food was never one of my favorites anyway. Knowing this ahead of time, we brought a couple sandwiches to hold us over until our dinner at the Hoop-De-Doo review.
When we arrived in Orlando we made our way to baggage claim and I really started to get excited when I saw the Disney billboards everywhere and the Disney drivers for Disney Cruises waiting for arriving passengers. We had arranged for Tiffany Towncars to pick us up and I was looking around for a driver carrying my name. I didnt see anyone, but since we were early and our luggage wasnt here yet, I wasnt worried. As soon as we figured out which luggage area we were at, I saw a young woman carrying a sign with my name on it. I have a rather unique last name (Gutknecht) so its easy to spot from a distance. Now I was really starting to feel like our vacation was getting underway.
Our driver from the airport was Anna and she was excellent. When our luggage came out, she insisted on unloading it for us. I felt kind of silly, here are two big strong guys letting a small rather petite young lady unload their luggage for them. But she insisted so I wasnt going to argue. We quickly got our luggage and Ana showed us outside and we waited on the curb as she ran across the street to get the car. When she pulled up, she ushered us inside the car and then loaded the luggage for us. Within a few moments were were off on our way to Disney World! Now I was really beginning to feel like we were on vacation.
The ride to Disney was shorter than I expected, probably about 15-20 minutes I would guess. As soon as we say the Welcome to Disney World Resort sign, I could feel the smile muscles in my face straining. I must have had a huge grin on my face.
When we pulled into the Wilderness Lodge, the first thing I saw was the Bear Crossing sign I was still pointing at this sign when up ahead I saw the Wilderness Lodge archway. It was an impressive site, but not as impressive as that of the lodge as we pulled up. I had seen pictures of the Lodge on the Internet, but nothing could prepare me for the majesty and scale and sheer beauty of the place. When we pulled up, a bellman quickly loaded our luggage. I confirmed with Anna our return time and we made our way to the front door.
Even now as I think about the first moment I walked through the entrance to the Lodge I am getting chills. Disney has always amazed me at their attention to detail and the Wilderness Lodge is no exception. Just at the moment I walked through the doors, the background music (selections from Aaron Coplands Appalachian Spring) became louder and more pronounced which only added to the drama and majesty of the place. I felt as if the music had been choreographed to me walking through the doors. I would later figure out that this wasnt too far from being true. They have a set schedule of what music plays at what time of day which only enhances the mood. In the early morning they have a sound effects track playing with sounds of crickets chirping and owls hooting but Im getting ahead of myself.
When we approached the check-in, I had no idea that we were on the concierge level, so I dont know if concierge check-in normally runs this way or not. The CM at the desk quickly found our reservation then in an awkward moment asked us what kind of sleeping arrangements we wanted (ie: two queens, bunk beds etc..) I informed him that I had made reservations for the honeymoon suite and that it only came with one type of bed. He then realized that we had a king size bed for a reason. This was the only time I felt any bias towards us, but it quickly passed when he realized that the reservation was correct. I guess he thought that there had been a mistake when he saw two guys and a king bed reservation. Oh well. He then indicated that he was going to get a package for us (Im guessing it was our Discovery Magic brochures etc ) and when he came back he told us that he was wrong. Instead he gave us our keys and told us he was going to call the concierge and inform them we were coming up and that they would go over all of this info with us. After a quick call he sent us to the elevator. This process was more than a little confused and I dont know if its because he was new or they havent perfected the concierge check-in process yet.
We used our keys to get access to the 7th floor and were quickly greeted by the CM on duty at the concierge desk. Actually I think there were a few of them standing there. I was still trying to get my bearings and still trying to get adjusted to what was going on. The lead CM told us that we should just go to our rooms and relax. He told us that our luggage was on the way up and that after we were settled we could come back and he would go over all the details with us. I was glad to hear this since I really wanted to wash the airplane grunge off of my face. He showed us to our room (7085) and within 30 seconds there was a knock on the door. I thought it was the concierge again, but it was bell services with our luggage. WOW was that fast!
After we got unpacked and cleaned up we checked out the view from our balcony. There was the contemporary resort and space mountain. Now I REALLY felt like I was finally on vacation.
We went back to the concierge to get our briefing and we received maps of all the parks, updates on park hours, a discover magic brochure that listed what we could use our wishes for, transportation information and information about the hotel. The CM was very thorough and covered everything we had questions about. She then printed our Hoop-De-Doo and E-night tickets right there on the spot and told us the best way to get to Camp Wilderness.
We had about an hour to kill before dinner so we explored the hotel in depth. I just cant describe the level of detail adequately. This is the most beautiful hotel I have ever seen. The attention to detail runs through every aspect of the hotel. Even the covers on the fire hoses are painted with a Wilderness Lodge design. We explored the courtyard and pool area and saw the geyser going off before we headed to the bus stop.
We were both a little worried about the transportation at the lodge after reading the guidebooks and some of the posts online, but other than our first night, we had no problems with the busses and / or boats. We decided to take the bus to Fort Wilderness; we got on the Crockett bus, which went directly to Fort Wilderness. We were there in less than 10 minutes. We explored Fort Wilderness and then headed over to Pioneer Hall for our 7:15 dinner. I was told when I made the reservations to arrive by 7:00, but since they didnt start seating until 7:15 and the seats were pre-assigned, next time I wont arrive until 7:15. At 7:15 exactly they opened the doors and started seating. When we handed the CM our ticket, she looked at it, looked at us and smiled. Then handed it to the next CM and said Table 13
The other CM responded, Table 13 huh?? Well you guys are in for it I knew that they had assigned tables based on when you made the PS, and since I had made the PS at least 6 months earlier, I kind of guessed that we might be close to the front. I had no idea how close to the front we would be. We were seated down center right next to the stage. If we were any closer, we would have been ON stage.
We started right in with our salads, which were waiting for us. Our server came over and took our drink order and I was kind of surprised that the show started as soon as everyone was seated. I wasnt sure what to expect so I was a little surprised at the intermingling of food with the show. I was thinking they would serve the dinner then do the show, but this was great. You never had a moment when you werent either eating or watching the show. The food was delicious and the show while corny was very good.
After the show finished we made our way to the bus stop and saw the Crockett bus. Since that was the one we took over here, we figured this would be the one to take back WRONG. This was our only mistake the entire time taking the busses. While the Crockett bus does indeed go back to the Lodge, it does so only after looping through the entire campground and then stopping at the parking lot and the TTC. When we got back to the TTC we were the only ones left on the bus (most people got off at the campground parking lot) the driver made us get onto a different bus to get back to the lodge as he was done for the night. I later figured out if we had taken the Boone Bus, it would have gone directly back to the lodge. But one mistake over 9 days isnt bad. The only real drag about this was that it took about an hour to get back to the hotel. Because of Grad Night traffic we spent a good 10 minutes waiting to cross the main road from the TTC back to the lodge.
After we finally made it back we went to bed knowing that we would have to get up early the next morning for Disney MGM and Star Wars Weekends. I was just dozing off to sleep when at 12:30 am I heard this tremendous BOOM and felt the room shake. It was quickly followed by a few more and I realized it must be the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom for Grad Night. I got up and went to the window and sure enough there were the fireworks right outside our window. I would have stood there and watched them, but Tom, who was still half-asleep, told me to get back in bed and go to sleep. So as excited as I was, I went back to bed, but I couldnt sleep until the noise stopped anyway. I lay in bed during the next 10 minutes listening to the fireworks going off and thought this is it! Im at Disney World and this is the BEST vacation of my life. And its only Day # 1!!!
inkbounc
Only 12 more days!!
