SnackyStacky
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 29, 2002
- Messages
- 6,799
So it's only been 2.5 months since, we've been back. I guess it's time to actually write this thing!
Need a refresher of the cast and pre-trip fun? Click here.
Let's begin, shall we? Day 1 - traveling! What fun.
You know how a Tuesday morning comes? And the alarm goes off, and you pray to whomever it is you pray to for, for just a few more minutes in bed? You know how when you have to get up to catch a plane to Orlando, how that prayer just isn't said?
Of course you've gotten no sleep because you're WAY too excited, and because you were running around trying to finish EVERYTHING that should have been done a week ago - but that alarm goes off and you get right up. Instead of praying for more time in bed - you pray for enough coherence to put your underwear on first - instead of putting them on over your pants - but you're READY to go!
Then it comes time to rouse the 2 year old. And more prayers are uttered. Prayers that she will wake up, AND be somewhat pleasant to be around. Well - at least my pants and underwear were put on in correct order.
We wait for my mother-in-law to come get us to take us to the airport. She's right on time. But my 2 year old beastly DD begins a tantrum that we're leaving.
She wants to play with her toys and with Grandy. We assure her that we're going to Disney World and will have lots of fun - but at 5am? She's really wanting to stay at home and play. The only way to get her out of the house and into the car is to have Grandy assure her that we're all going to the airport together. It does the trick and we're off.
A friendly check in with jetBlue, a breeze through security and we're waiting at the gate. And thus begins our second tantrum. She wants to eat breakfast. That's just fine - I'm hungry too. So I search out some food. Buffalo just did a LOT of work on their airport - and there's a nice shiny new food court. And not a SINGLE major, national fast food chain. So I get a breakfast sandwich and OJ to split. But because it doesn't come in the fancy McDonald's/BK wrapper - it's garbage with which DD wants NOTHING to do. All she wants to do is chug OJ. JUST what we need before boarding a plane for a 3 hour flight. Some distraction and gummy snacks later, we're okay again and the boarding process begins.
My wife had been laid off in April, and became employed once more in August. We swore that once she got a job, we'd celebrate with iPhones. Sure, it sounds frivolous and expensive - but DW's cell contract with T-Mobile was up, and I had only a prepay - that I never remembered to carry around. NOT a good idea when living in Buffalo and frequently with a 2 year old. That's how we rationalized them, anyway. But I MUST say? On that plane? Apple could have charged me $2,000 per phone, and they would have proved to be worth every penny of $4,000!!!! We loaded those suckers with movies, music, and kid apps - and it made that flight BREEZE by!!!!!! THANK YOU APPLE!!!!!
We landed and made our way off the airplane. We were in hardcore search mode for a bathroom. At least I was. I think airplanes speed the waste production process. I'm just waiting for the day when lavatories become another item to put a fee on. Need to pee? Just $5 for the use of our closet/lavatory.
I digress.
We ventured down to the baggage carousel and played the waiting game. More prayers. "Please god. Let our bags have arrived safely, with us!". WOO HOO! All bags out - and relatively quickly. We grabbed our bags, a luggage trolley - and off we went.
Thank you, National, for the GREATEST express rental program EVER. We found a Toyota Siena on the Emerald Aisle, threw our bags in, installed the car seat and were on our way. I want to give a quick shout out to Barbara. She's the sweet, pretty National agent who is ALWAYS in the check out booth to take care of our paperwork!!! No matter WHEN we arrive, she's always there. We joked with her that she must live in that National booth because she's always there when we come. She said the family that came through before us said the same thing!
It has to be said that I HATE I-4. I hate it almost as much as I hate waiting in lines to ride a bus. (No offense, Magical Express. It's very much my own issues and compulsions! It's got nothing to do with you!) I KNOW I need the South airport exit. And EVERY time, I miss the stupid interchange to get on the loop to take me out to 417!!! I-4 is usually never as bad as I make it out in my head - but people just drive crazy and they do it across 4 lanes of traffic. Makes me a skotch nervous.
But it certainly doesn't deter us! I like to take the Vineland/Apopka exit, and use the Downtown Disney exit. It's actually somewhat comforting to take that route. My first adult trip, we stayed at what was then the Courtyard by Marriott on Hotel Plaza Boulevard. So it's like a little homecoming. Plus, it builds up the anticipation as you slowly approach the Downtown Disney Marketplace. And you can see Genie poking out over Once Upon a Toy - it's almost like he's saying "Welcome Back!" A little bit more up the road - and there it is on the left - the most wonderful sight - the Caribbean Beach resort entrance!!!!
I have to say - I would give various parts of my anatomy to live in Central Florida. I love the new build homes, the retail (outside of Disney), the weather - but whensoever it is we move down there, I will miss the build of anticipation. And the sweet release and rush of joy and excitement as you pull up to your resort. Sometimes, I have to wonder if that anticipation and final release is more fun than the trip itself. It's just one of those things that most people except DISers will never understand.
We were greeted by Bob, with a friendly "Welcome to the Islands!", after checking we were supposed to be checking in, of course. Check in was pretty speedy - and I was shocked, and OVERJOYED that at 11:30 in the morning - our room was ready. And holy COW I could NOT have asked for a better room location. We were in Barbados, building 13. We had a fantastic corner room, right near the parking lot, directly across from the Barbados bus stop, and not too far from Old Port Royale. We put our stuff down, and headed out to Old Port Royale for a bite of lunch.
Because we could usually get a MUCH better room rate without the dining plan, we had limited experience with it before. I've only used it once before, and it was only a 2 night trip. So I really was relatively clueless about certain aspects of it. I knew that a table service credit got you an entree, non-alcholic beverage, and dessert, but I forgot about dessert with your counter service meal. So, after picking out a couple combos and waiting in line to pay, I was sent back to the grab 'n go to pick some dessert. We had a hot dog, hamburger, and a kid's nugget meal, with grapes and mixed fruit for dessert. Not bad at all!
We came up with a plan. DW and DD would go back to the resort and nap. I would head out to Target to pick up some stuff. Thanks to stingy airline restrictions on luggage, we didn't pack things like razors, shaving cream, shampoo and soap. We figured instead of buying that stuff before leaving, we'd just buy small bottles down here to save some space. Wife forgot her bathing suit, so I had to pick up one of those too. I'm no fool either. I know that ladies tend to be, shall we say, somewhat picky? When selecting their bathing suits? So I headed RIGHT to the clearance rack. And tried to pick the best I could - but Target's return policy is good - and I'll get it for cheap off the clearance rack!
So bags full of toiletries, room deodarizer, a case of water, some non-perishable snacks, a bathing suit later, I make my way back to Disney property. DD didn't sleep even a LITTLE bit, and had no intention of doing so. So we MUST get out of the room. We throw on bathing suits, and head to the Barbados quiet pool. DD LOVES it and we have a great time! I do have a photo of DW and DD, but I posted it to my Facebook account while we were down there. And I'll tell you what - fire and brimstone rained down upon me. After, of course, my iPhone was confiscated and said photo was removed from my wall.
I know the title said lots of pictures - but I didn't have the camera with me today! So we'll have more pictures later.
Anyway, DW and I grew bored of the pool and the heat and humidity. We're VERY used to September heat and humidity - but this year, it seemed particularly noxious, offensive and oppresive. DD could have spent the night there, but we pried her away with promises of Magic Kingdom. We changed, and hopped into the mini-van, bound for the Magic Kingdom. DD wanted to ride It's a Small World, so we made our way back to Fantasyland.
I loves me some Disney. But aside from maintaing properties similar to that of crack-cocaine, it also bears a resemblance to Christmas. How so? It takes on a completely different, and more wonderful meaning as you witness it through the eyes of your child. She was happier than a pig in poop as we cruised by those little animatronic dolls. The joy on her face was just indescribable. I begrudgingly go on this ride once a trip - but I wanted to ride again and again just to see her eyes light up that way over and over again.
BUT - that's all time would allow for. We had reservations at Whispering Canyon Cafe. So we hopped the boat to the Wilderness Lodge. I am truly in love with this resort. I could deal with a bigger room size, but the grounds are incomparably beautiful. I LOVE the boardwalk from the boat dock to the Lodge. It's so wonderful!
By now, though, no nap and 13 hour day was catching up to EVERYBODY. DD had NO desire to sit through dinner. But our server was phenomenal. He made sure we got our food in a timely manner, he was very attentive to DD's needs, and even gave us 2 free cookies for her. I had the meatloaf which was delicious. Our server assured me that I wouldn't finish it. But after having only a bite of burger and some kid's chicken nuggets ALL day? I think I licked the plate clean. And despite the fact that it was included with our dining plan, I had no prayer of cramming in a dessert.
Meanwhile, BFF and another friend, who lives in Ocala, FINALLY met up with us at dinner. They took their car, parked at the Lodge, back to Caribbean Beach, while we got the boat over to the Magic Kingdom, and took the monorail back to the Ticket and Transportation Center to get our car.
We put DD immediately to bed, and I think she fell asleep before the pajamas were put on. DW, BFF, and friend from Ocala all caught up with each other before crashing for our own sleep.
Isn't it amazing, by the way, no matter how uncomfortable they really are, a Disney mattress feels bewitchingly comfortable on your arrival day? Because you're so stinking tired from the excitement-induced insomnia, early rising, long day at airports? You could put a rock in those rooms and I'd still think it was insanely comfy.
Tomorrow, we have reservations to eat with the princesses. And pictures. TRULY! There WILL be pictures!!! I SWEAR!
Pre-Trip Report
Day 1
Need a refresher of the cast and pre-trip fun? Click here.
Let's begin, shall we? Day 1 - traveling! What fun.
You know how a Tuesday morning comes? And the alarm goes off, and you pray to whomever it is you pray to for, for just a few more minutes in bed? You know how when you have to get up to catch a plane to Orlando, how that prayer just isn't said?
Of course you've gotten no sleep because you're WAY too excited, and because you were running around trying to finish EVERYTHING that should have been done a week ago - but that alarm goes off and you get right up. Instead of praying for more time in bed - you pray for enough coherence to put your underwear on first - instead of putting them on over your pants - but you're READY to go!
Then it comes time to rouse the 2 year old. And more prayers are uttered. Prayers that she will wake up, AND be somewhat pleasant to be around. Well - at least my pants and underwear were put on in correct order.
We wait for my mother-in-law to come get us to take us to the airport. She's right on time. But my 2 year old beastly DD begins a tantrum that we're leaving.
She wants to play with her toys and with Grandy. We assure her that we're going to Disney World and will have lots of fun - but at 5am? She's really wanting to stay at home and play. The only way to get her out of the house and into the car is to have Grandy assure her that we're all going to the airport together. It does the trick and we're off.
A friendly check in with jetBlue, a breeze through security and we're waiting at the gate. And thus begins our second tantrum. She wants to eat breakfast. That's just fine - I'm hungry too. So I search out some food. Buffalo just did a LOT of work on their airport - and there's a nice shiny new food court. And not a SINGLE major, national fast food chain. So I get a breakfast sandwich and OJ to split. But because it doesn't come in the fancy McDonald's/BK wrapper - it's garbage with which DD wants NOTHING to do. All she wants to do is chug OJ. JUST what we need before boarding a plane for a 3 hour flight. Some distraction and gummy snacks later, we're okay again and the boarding process begins.
My wife had been laid off in April, and became employed once more in August. We swore that once she got a job, we'd celebrate with iPhones. Sure, it sounds frivolous and expensive - but DW's cell contract with T-Mobile was up, and I had only a prepay - that I never remembered to carry around. NOT a good idea when living in Buffalo and frequently with a 2 year old. That's how we rationalized them, anyway. But I MUST say? On that plane? Apple could have charged me $2,000 per phone, and they would have proved to be worth every penny of $4,000!!!! We loaded those suckers with movies, music, and kid apps - and it made that flight BREEZE by!!!!!! THANK YOU APPLE!!!!!
We landed and made our way off the airplane. We were in hardcore search mode for a bathroom. At least I was. I think airplanes speed the waste production process. I'm just waiting for the day when lavatories become another item to put a fee on. Need to pee? Just $5 for the use of our closet/lavatory.
I digress.
We ventured down to the baggage carousel and played the waiting game. More prayers. "Please god. Let our bags have arrived safely, with us!". WOO HOO! All bags out - and relatively quickly. We grabbed our bags, a luggage trolley - and off we went.
Thank you, National, for the GREATEST express rental program EVER. We found a Toyota Siena on the Emerald Aisle, threw our bags in, installed the car seat and were on our way. I want to give a quick shout out to Barbara. She's the sweet, pretty National agent who is ALWAYS in the check out booth to take care of our paperwork!!! No matter WHEN we arrive, she's always there. We joked with her that she must live in that National booth because she's always there when we come. She said the family that came through before us said the same thing!
It has to be said that I HATE I-4. I hate it almost as much as I hate waiting in lines to ride a bus. (No offense, Magical Express. It's very much my own issues and compulsions! It's got nothing to do with you!) I KNOW I need the South airport exit. And EVERY time, I miss the stupid interchange to get on the loop to take me out to 417!!! I-4 is usually never as bad as I make it out in my head - but people just drive crazy and they do it across 4 lanes of traffic. Makes me a skotch nervous.
But it certainly doesn't deter us! I like to take the Vineland/Apopka exit, and use the Downtown Disney exit. It's actually somewhat comforting to take that route. My first adult trip, we stayed at what was then the Courtyard by Marriott on Hotel Plaza Boulevard. So it's like a little homecoming. Plus, it builds up the anticipation as you slowly approach the Downtown Disney Marketplace. And you can see Genie poking out over Once Upon a Toy - it's almost like he's saying "Welcome Back!" A little bit more up the road - and there it is on the left - the most wonderful sight - the Caribbean Beach resort entrance!!!!
I have to say - I would give various parts of my anatomy to live in Central Florida. I love the new build homes, the retail (outside of Disney), the weather - but whensoever it is we move down there, I will miss the build of anticipation. And the sweet release and rush of joy and excitement as you pull up to your resort. Sometimes, I have to wonder if that anticipation and final release is more fun than the trip itself. It's just one of those things that most people except DISers will never understand.
We were greeted by Bob, with a friendly "Welcome to the Islands!", after checking we were supposed to be checking in, of course. Check in was pretty speedy - and I was shocked, and OVERJOYED that at 11:30 in the morning - our room was ready. And holy COW I could NOT have asked for a better room location. We were in Barbados, building 13. We had a fantastic corner room, right near the parking lot, directly across from the Barbados bus stop, and not too far from Old Port Royale. We put our stuff down, and headed out to Old Port Royale for a bite of lunch.
Because we could usually get a MUCH better room rate without the dining plan, we had limited experience with it before. I've only used it once before, and it was only a 2 night trip. So I really was relatively clueless about certain aspects of it. I knew that a table service credit got you an entree, non-alcholic beverage, and dessert, but I forgot about dessert with your counter service meal. So, after picking out a couple combos and waiting in line to pay, I was sent back to the grab 'n go to pick some dessert. We had a hot dog, hamburger, and a kid's nugget meal, with grapes and mixed fruit for dessert. Not bad at all!
We came up with a plan. DW and DD would go back to the resort and nap. I would head out to Target to pick up some stuff. Thanks to stingy airline restrictions on luggage, we didn't pack things like razors, shaving cream, shampoo and soap. We figured instead of buying that stuff before leaving, we'd just buy small bottles down here to save some space. Wife forgot her bathing suit, so I had to pick up one of those too. I'm no fool either. I know that ladies tend to be, shall we say, somewhat picky? When selecting their bathing suits? So I headed RIGHT to the clearance rack. And tried to pick the best I could - but Target's return policy is good - and I'll get it for cheap off the clearance rack!
So bags full of toiletries, room deodarizer, a case of water, some non-perishable snacks, a bathing suit later, I make my way back to Disney property. DD didn't sleep even a LITTLE bit, and had no intention of doing so. So we MUST get out of the room. We throw on bathing suits, and head to the Barbados quiet pool. DD LOVES it and we have a great time! I do have a photo of DW and DD, but I posted it to my Facebook account while we were down there. And I'll tell you what - fire and brimstone rained down upon me. After, of course, my iPhone was confiscated and said photo was removed from my wall.
I know the title said lots of pictures - but I didn't have the camera with me today! So we'll have more pictures later.
Anyway, DW and I grew bored of the pool and the heat and humidity. We're VERY used to September heat and humidity - but this year, it seemed particularly noxious, offensive and oppresive. DD could have spent the night there, but we pried her away with promises of Magic Kingdom. We changed, and hopped into the mini-van, bound for the Magic Kingdom. DD wanted to ride It's a Small World, so we made our way back to Fantasyland.
I loves me some Disney. But aside from maintaing properties similar to that of crack-cocaine, it also bears a resemblance to Christmas. How so? It takes on a completely different, and more wonderful meaning as you witness it through the eyes of your child. She was happier than a pig in poop as we cruised by those little animatronic dolls. The joy on her face was just indescribable. I begrudgingly go on this ride once a trip - but I wanted to ride again and again just to see her eyes light up that way over and over again.
BUT - that's all time would allow for. We had reservations at Whispering Canyon Cafe. So we hopped the boat to the Wilderness Lodge. I am truly in love with this resort. I could deal with a bigger room size, but the grounds are incomparably beautiful. I LOVE the boardwalk from the boat dock to the Lodge. It's so wonderful!
By now, though, no nap and 13 hour day was catching up to EVERYBODY. DD had NO desire to sit through dinner. But our server was phenomenal. He made sure we got our food in a timely manner, he was very attentive to DD's needs, and even gave us 2 free cookies for her. I had the meatloaf which was delicious. Our server assured me that I wouldn't finish it. But after having only a bite of burger and some kid's chicken nuggets ALL day? I think I licked the plate clean. And despite the fact that it was included with our dining plan, I had no prayer of cramming in a dessert.
Meanwhile, BFF and another friend, who lives in Ocala, FINALLY met up with us at dinner. They took their car, parked at the Lodge, back to Caribbean Beach, while we got the boat over to the Magic Kingdom, and took the monorail back to the Ticket and Transportation Center to get our car.
We put DD immediately to bed, and I think she fell asleep before the pajamas were put on. DW, BFF, and friend from Ocala all caught up with each other before crashing for our own sleep.
Isn't it amazing, by the way, no matter how uncomfortable they really are, a Disney mattress feels bewitchingly comfortable on your arrival day? Because you're so stinking tired from the excitement-induced insomnia, early rising, long day at airports? You could put a rock in those rooms and I'd still think it was insanely comfy.
Tomorrow, we have reservations to eat with the princesses. And pictures. TRULY! There WILL be pictures!!! I SWEAR!
Pre-Trip Report
Day 1
