Kay7979
FANTASY NOVEL AUTHOR
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2004
- Messages
- 2,196
Saturday was our last day, the finale of a unique and relaxing vacation. We checked out of the condo by about 8:30, figuring that the next set of guests to enjoy our unit might arrive early in the day as we had the week before, and would be excited to check in ahead of schedule. It takes mousekeeping much longer to clean an entire condo, and even though we had been pretty neat, it would take an hour or two.
We decided to drive over to Port Orleans Riverside for breakfast at Boatwrights. I really like that resort and the restaurant there. We noticed they serve the equivalent of Tonga Toast which we love at the Polynesian, only at POR they call it something else. In any case, it is the same banana stuffed, cinnamon crusted French Toast. We tried to eat slow and savor every bite but it is soooo good, it's hard not to gobble it down.
After breakfast we walked the grounds and took a few more photos of landscaping we like, the bridges, and little ponds here and there in the Alligator Bayou section. The weather has cooled off compared to the earlier part of the week but it's still quite nice out and way warmer than Western NY, so we really enjoyed the sunshine and warmth. After walking enough to wear off maybe 50 calories, we decided to take the boat to DTD and back "for old times sake." The boat rides have been an enjoyable part of our stay this trip, and we're going to miss it. We will also miss getting our daily free chocolate ration at Ghirradelli Chocolate. I am afraid that by now we have been served samples by every employee in the store and they must all recognize us. I worry that we will walk in and they will say "You again!" but they do not, and we get our last chocolate dose. We actually buy a big chunk of dark chocolate so we won't have to go "cold turkey" when we get home.
Our flight isn't until 5:15, but we decide to head for the airport by 2:00 since we have had our fill of shopping and sight-seeing for the day. We need to drop off our RAV4 at Payless, the car rental company from hell. They nearly spoiled our trip on our arrival by telling us that the car that was supposed to be ours had not been returned and they had no other cars. They tried to make us take a van, which would have been ridiculous for just the two of us, and we were lucky that after parking ourselves in their waiting room for an hour waiting for our mid-sized car to be returned, they finally offered us something more similar in size, and we wound up with the sporty RAV4 which we really enjoyed.
The monorail that shuttles travelers back and forth between the airport terminals seems very appropriate in Orlando, and reminds us of the Disney monorail. We are able to sit in the nose of this one, however, and watch the palm trees speeding past, whereas we had not been able to get in the front car in the Disney monorails. We had heard the view was great and that it was a fun thing to do, but the drivers always had passengers already on board, so we will have to save that treat for the next visit. And there will be a next visit. My husband had a great time, but will be content to wait another 3 or 4 years to come back. I will probably be ready again in a couple years. There is always something new to try: new rides, and new shows, but more importantly the same comfortable, familiar delights await. It's nice to know that in this hectic, topsy-turvey world, there is a place where you can leave your stress behind. You might think there are a hundred places a person can go to do that, and there are, but none of those places is "The Happiest Place on Earth."
I must admit that we really enjoy Universal and Sea World, but we prefer Disney properties. I think it is the creativity and the ability to take a theme and capture the essence of a time and place such as Main Street USA in the early 1900s or the great old lodges in the American West. Touring the resorts this trip was a lot of fun. We took five rolls of photos highlighting the wonderful architecture and landscaping at the Wilderness Lodge, the Polynesian, the Boardwalk, Port Orleans French Quarter, and the other wonderfully themed resorts. I can see why many people feel that staying at the resorts is half the fun of the trip and they agonize over which place to stay. Each has a different "feel" and atmosphere. Each and every one gives the sense of being somewhere and perhaps "some-when" far away. That makes it truly an escape from the mundane. We don't always stay "on property" and we probably won't next time, but staying at Old Key West was a nice experience. A few years ago we started a tradition of having Tonga Toast at the Poly at least once during any visit, then discovered Boma's and have to indulge in their breakfast buffet once every trip,too. Now we have new favorites after having tried Smoked Prime Rib and French Toast Bread Pudding at Shutters at the Caribbean Beach Resort, and we loved the Market at Coronado Springs. So, whether we stay on property or elsewhere, we will be back to "The World" to shop and enjoy a few good meals, check out the newest ride or show, and absorb some of that indefinable Disney Magic. This was indeed a magical trip for both of us.
We decided to drive over to Port Orleans Riverside for breakfast at Boatwrights. I really like that resort and the restaurant there. We noticed they serve the equivalent of Tonga Toast which we love at the Polynesian, only at POR they call it something else. In any case, it is the same banana stuffed, cinnamon crusted French Toast. We tried to eat slow and savor every bite but it is soooo good, it's hard not to gobble it down.
After breakfast we walked the grounds and took a few more photos of landscaping we like, the bridges, and little ponds here and there in the Alligator Bayou section. The weather has cooled off compared to the earlier part of the week but it's still quite nice out and way warmer than Western NY, so we really enjoyed the sunshine and warmth. After walking enough to wear off maybe 50 calories, we decided to take the boat to DTD and back "for old times sake." The boat rides have been an enjoyable part of our stay this trip, and we're going to miss it. We will also miss getting our daily free chocolate ration at Ghirradelli Chocolate. I am afraid that by now we have been served samples by every employee in the store and they must all recognize us. I worry that we will walk in and they will say "You again!" but they do not, and we get our last chocolate dose. We actually buy a big chunk of dark chocolate so we won't have to go "cold turkey" when we get home.
Our flight isn't until 5:15, but we decide to head for the airport by 2:00 since we have had our fill of shopping and sight-seeing for the day. We need to drop off our RAV4 at Payless, the car rental company from hell. They nearly spoiled our trip on our arrival by telling us that the car that was supposed to be ours had not been returned and they had no other cars. They tried to make us take a van, which would have been ridiculous for just the two of us, and we were lucky that after parking ourselves in their waiting room for an hour waiting for our mid-sized car to be returned, they finally offered us something more similar in size, and we wound up with the sporty RAV4 which we really enjoyed.
The monorail that shuttles travelers back and forth between the airport terminals seems very appropriate in Orlando, and reminds us of the Disney monorail. We are able to sit in the nose of this one, however, and watch the palm trees speeding past, whereas we had not been able to get in the front car in the Disney monorails. We had heard the view was great and that it was a fun thing to do, but the drivers always had passengers already on board, so we will have to save that treat for the next visit. And there will be a next visit. My husband had a great time, but will be content to wait another 3 or 4 years to come back. I will probably be ready again in a couple years. There is always something new to try: new rides, and new shows, but more importantly the same comfortable, familiar delights await. It's nice to know that in this hectic, topsy-turvey world, there is a place where you can leave your stress behind. You might think there are a hundred places a person can go to do that, and there are, but none of those places is "The Happiest Place on Earth."
I must admit that we really enjoy Universal and Sea World, but we prefer Disney properties. I think it is the creativity and the ability to take a theme and capture the essence of a time and place such as Main Street USA in the early 1900s or the great old lodges in the American West. Touring the resorts this trip was a lot of fun. We took five rolls of photos highlighting the wonderful architecture and landscaping at the Wilderness Lodge, the Polynesian, the Boardwalk, Port Orleans French Quarter, and the other wonderfully themed resorts. I can see why many people feel that staying at the resorts is half the fun of the trip and they agonize over which place to stay. Each has a different "feel" and atmosphere. Each and every one gives the sense of being somewhere and perhaps "some-when" far away. That makes it truly an escape from the mundane. We don't always stay "on property" and we probably won't next time, but staying at Old Key West was a nice experience. A few years ago we started a tradition of having Tonga Toast at the Poly at least once during any visit, then discovered Boma's and have to indulge in their breakfast buffet once every trip,too. Now we have new favorites after having tried Smoked Prime Rib and French Toast Bread Pudding at Shutters at the Caribbean Beach Resort, and we loved the Market at Coronado Springs. So, whether we stay on property or elsewhere, we will be back to "The World" to shop and enjoy a few good meals, check out the newest ride or show, and absorb some of that indefinable Disney Magic. This was indeed a magical trip for both of us.
