Updates,Pics!Adult only trip of a lifetime,the good, the bad, and the not so romantic

[tammyandtommy]

Ok so this is our first adult only trip report. Or shall I say pre-trip report!
Dates- 10/6-10/16
Plan of attack
10/6 take kids to grandmoms after dinner and get on the road
10/7 check in to Serlago for one night to rest.....surprise later for Tom
10/8 Check in to OKW, rented points! Great Deal
10/13 Check out OKW----> Check in POR
10/15 Check out POR head Home

Whos who? Ok no funny names here I think you can figure out why! LOL
Tom- 30, learned to love disney from his wife......
Tammy- 29, loved Disney for-eva!

Why?
Of course when you decide to leave kids home there has to be a reason..
1. I graduated from nursing school in September
2. October 11th will be our 10 year wedding anniversary.

Well enough of a tease for right now.... If you want to know more you will just have to read our TR when we come back, I promise pictures, romance, adventure, and if all goes well maybe I can be as clever as some other TR'er out there. You will just have to wait and see!

More pre trip to come..


Chapter 1,...... page 1, post #10
next chapter... page 1, post #11
next chapter... dont worry still on page 1, post #12
Toms edit pg 2, #16
More on post number 25
More on post number 35
more on post number 42
more on post number 43
more on post number 44

 

[pumba]

Fantastic Fantastic.......Can hardly wait for your trip report.......congratulations on your recent graduation too...have you made any ressies for FOOD? Hope you have a great time too

 

[LPNmom]

Oh another graduating nursing student!!! My family is all traveling to disneyworld next week to celebrate me graduating from nursing school! Oh what a great way to celebrate! I also have been married for nearly ten years this march to my husband. I hope your trip is wonderful!

 

[OhMari]

Move completed.

 

[tammyandtommy]

OK OK , I am packed, the kids are ready to go to grandmas, Tom has been working crazy, he will pack tomorrow! Its almost time! I cant wait, but I will miss my kids! ok ok 22 hours and 23 minutes

 

[tammyandtommy]

I plan on having lots of info and pictures for this trip report, BUT this is a kids free trip soooo I will have to post it when I have time! Hope you all are having a great time

 

[tammyandtommy]

Hey can someone help me? I want to post a report, but I didnt have the bestest trip, can anyone motivate me?

 

[LAS]

I'm not much of a motivator but I would like to hear about it. We are taking our first trip next year without the kid. WOOHOO! Seriously, I think my DH is more excited than me. I'm having a hard time thinking about going to WDW without our kid. Please post!

 

[OhMari]

Tammy, please write your report, just try to find the humor in it and your fingers will be flowing. I am going with just my husband next April, so I hope to hear how things went with you guys.

 

[tammyandtommy]

Note to all readers, this was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime, two adults madly in love, splurging and spoiling each other with love and affection, and gifts. I am going to write my report in pink, and if Tom feels he need to edit he will rebuttle in blue. LOL This trip was to celebrate my graduation from nursing school, and also our 10 year wedding anniversary.

Today is oct 6th, we send the kiddos off to school, recheck all bags, pack the van, and take a nap.
I can't sleep very well, Im too excited, but I think I got about an hour of sleep. We always plan on driving from Pa to Florida, no stops, yes crazy I know.

So the kids get home from school, and we take them and all their stuff to grandmas house. They are sad, but we raised good kids, they know that mommy and daddy deserve some alone time. We give the grandmas the list of all the do's and don'ts, the homework websites, the insurance information, hugs and kisses and we are on our way. About 30 minutes down the road I decide Im starving so we stop at SONIC for dinner. All went well, food was good, and we really enjoyed the roller blading waiter. After dinner we get back on the road. We keep getting honks and waves, apparently when you write on your van people respond...

Sorry the pics were taken after our 16 hr drive down, the rain made it run.

OK gotta go get the kids from school, I will write more later. . .

 

[tammyandtommy]

Ok so part 2, we left the Lancaster county Sonic. Its a long ride from here, but we are psyched! We take turns driving, either till one of us is tired or its a gas stop... Now Im sure man of you dont care but... our gas stops were as follows...
5:30 fill up before we leave $2.11/gallon
1:00 am Exit 107 in NC &2.16/gallon
7:00 am Exit 29 in GA $ 2.11/gallon
Total Gas charges to Disney: $96.00
Amount of driver changes.... about 5-6
I dont think i could fly down for two people for 96.00! Im happy as a clam!

We stop at South of the Border, and for once the bathrooms were clean! For those of you who have never seen it, here is one of their icons....

Our next stop was Daytona. I decided that since we were alone we could splurge and stop at Daytona USA, its only the two of us so the $21.50 pp isnt too bad, when we stopped last year it was at the end of our trip and we were with two kiddos and well broke after that trip!
So since this was an adult trip I would endulge my husband and let him go play.... here are some pics of our two hour stop! We had a great time, but in hind site, i dont think it was worth the money but we did get a few cute pics!!

So Tom and I had a nice stop here, it was a nice break from the car, now we have about 2 more hours in the car... our first stop.. Serlago, but only for one night thank goodness, and oh did I forget to mention I had another surprise for my hubby.... stay tuned.....

 

[tammyandtommy]

Ok so we are still not in orlando yet, after leaving Daytona we realized Tom left his khaki plants at home and he needs a pair for tonights surprise, sooo off to Old Navy to look for a pair of pants, the problem is Toms size is odd, he needs a 30x34,yes ladies and gents he is a tall toothpick, but we love him just the way he is...... well old navy doesnt make this saize anymore, noooo so he tries on the 32x34, and well it will work for tonight as long as he has a belt. $26 later we are back on the road. As we are getting back on 95 or is it 4, Im not sure, anyhoo we are back on the highway and I realize people are wierd here in Daytona.

As I said before people responded to our van by honking or giving the thumbs up, Im cool with that, it gets me all giggly... but this! Ughhh

We are driving along and people are honking and giving the thumbs up and Im like yeah cool, 10 yrs is alot to honk about...next thing we know these same women pull up next to us at about 65 miles per hour telling us to roll our window down... Im like.. oooooo-kkkkkkkk. I roll it down give them the thumbs up and they scream! WE LOVE THE EAGLES AREN'T THEY GREAT. Ok i smile roll up my window and proclaim them freaks! LOL Sure I was happy when they were cheering 10 long years together, even disney here we come, but come on, just cause we are from PA does NOT mean we like the Eagles! So Tom and I laugh all the way down the road. We get a few more honks as we go, and wonder hmmmm, is it for the eagles, disney or 10 yrs! LOL
Lesson learned... be careful when writing on youre car, you may get some odd responses!

We finally arrive in Orlando! Yeah!!! We always spend one night off site before we go to Disney, mainly because we drive str8 thru, and I know that if we didnt stop I would go str8 to the parks and that might make me crabby the next day. Soo off to a new off site for us, last year it was the Super 8, this year we decided to try... Serlago

We go to check in, and as Tom is in line I decide wow this place isnt bad! So I proceed to a help desk away from Tom to ask a woman how to get to toms surprise, she gives me directions, and Im like.... um no there is another one not there, but somewhere else, she has no clue what Im talking about, so I decide to stick to my directions from Map quest.
Next thing I know she is offering us $75 to look at another resort, Im all in for free money and tell her I will talk to Tom ( now what I forgot to mention is we were offered 50 to look at a resort in Daytona too and we choose not to look at it). Tom says um when do we have time, so I start to tell her no, and she proceeds to tell me we can take the voucher and go anytime we want because its slow season, so we of course say ok, and try to figure out when we could fit it in... then she springs on us we need to make a 20 dollar deposit and when we go we would get 95 back... Ummm wait, stop sweating, we werent sure we were even going to make it, so I lied, ok flame me, my kids werent there so I lied, I told her my money was in the car and I would be right back.... I certainly home she is not still waiting!

We get to our room, remember I said this place wasnt bad, well it isnt too bad it was a normal hotel room, we only paid 55 bucks for it, it had 2 beds (hard) and a sink, and bathroom and tv and such.Sorry no pics I forgot. It did what we needed it to do... let us sleep for one night. We proceeded to take a nap, a real nap, we were tired. When we woke up we got ready for Toms surprise! He was baffled, I normally can not keep a surprise, but this one I did until we were almost there....
On the way there I got lost, Im not good with directions, you tell me go to the pizza hut make a left, then to the 5th stop light.... Im ok, but this road for 0.4 miles then the next left gor 5.2 miles... well Im lost!

So I ask him "Do you have any idea where I might be taking you?"

He says " I see all the signs for Universal, are you taking me to Emerils at city walk"

Im like..." no" I drive further, becoming more confused.....ok ok "yes we are going to Emerils but not the one on city walk, a new one I found, can you please help me?"

We begin following the directions, and what do we find? City Walk, nooo this isnt what I wanted. Luckily for me I always leave with plenty of time to get lost, and find my way back!

We see signs for Hard Rock Hotel.. Im like COOL lets go take some pictures....
Well this is as far as we got...

Did you know that when you get to the guard shack they ask you why youre there.. I totally panicked, told her I was looking for a place to turn around.... . She lets us past the gate, but watches as we turn around and leave... Gosh I am such a chicken!

So we still have no idea where this place is, BUT I was smart enough to bring the phone number.... Tom calls, he hangs up.. I was like... Ummm you didnt get directions! Well I learned that apparently when you call it says Royale Pacific Hotel! WOW guess I should listen better! So we follow the signs and find a great non-disney hotel with great themeing! Wanna see? huh Huh wanna see?

I just fell in love with this monkey!

Here we sit.. remember I told you that I am always early.. we'll even with getting lost, getting thrown off the Hard Rock Hotel Property and looking around the hotel we still had about 30 minutes

So we make it to Emerils

and we are seated at the bar, just before we are going to make our order they call us to our special table!
1st thing first, I forgot to mention Tom and I are total foodies, well I reserved a kitchen table... this isnt like the kitchen table at V&A, this is a table looking into the kitchen!

The food here was fantabulous, the place was devine to look at! I wish I had taken some pics, but I didnt! Let me see if I can remember what we ordered....
I had...
A lot of food, but it was a chefs special thing so I dont remember what it all was. I can get toms stuff off their menu!

Tom Had...
Polynesian Crab Cake With Mango Habanero Butter Sauce and Papaya Salsa
Chef Nicholas' Creative Soup of the Day
Some crab something stuffed in a squash blossom! mmmm yummy
Some fish of the day thingy-ma-bob
Im sorry to say I dont remember dessert, But Im sure Tom might!

We left the hotel in a great mood! The ambience was great, the food was great! We had met some great people that always go down...

So to end this rather lengthy TR for the day...
We learned the Serlago was ...ehh
Emerils Tcoup chop was devine and we will go back!
and well I have yet another surprise for Tom, but does he have one for me?
Stay Tuned

 

[meloneyb21]

Yaaaay, can't wait to read some more!

 

[tammyandtommy]

wooo hoo, my first reader to post! thanks meloney

 

[1000thhappyhaunt]

Your pictures are great.

Huge and clear.

Mad props.

Looking forwards to this.

Roll it.

Cheers, Mel.

 

[tammyandtommy]

Polynesian Crab Cake With Mango Habanero Butter Sauce and Papaya Salsa
Chef Nicholas' Creative Soup of the Day-Mongolian pork soup
Some lumped crab stuffed in a squash blossom! mmmm yummy
Some fish of the day- Grilled Swordfish
Im sorry to say I dont remember dessert, But Im sure Tom might!
chocolate kahula cheesecake with strawberries- we shared
drink Kona brewery Longboard Lager also at poly too

Tammy's dinner menu
crab and hearts of palm salad
appitizer was the chef's taste for the day
Hereford filet mignon in a port reduction sauce
and the dessert we shared from her's menu
drink Mia Tia- the original trouble drink with LOTS of rum

The trip down to orlando, Tammy has written the details to the T

Have to read about Tammy's hangover and our first day to WDW !

Ha

 

[disneydreamer1970]

Okay....you two are way tooo cute!! Isn't Royal Pacific Resort just beautiful?? DH and I surprised our DS and his Best Friend by taking them there for a 5 day Universal trip a couple of years ago. Your pictures made me want to go back even more!!....but it is going to have to wait because I get to surprise DD (6) with a mommy/daughter & granparents trip to WDW in December for MVMCP!!! I can't wait!!

DH and i celebrated our 15th anniversary at WDW back in January and as hard as it was to leave the kiddies at home, we had a total blast!! I can't wait to read more of your trip! Keep it coming!!

Trish

 

[serendipity]

Oh I love it so far! I really wanted to stay at the Royal Pacific Resort but they were all booked up by the time I called. We usually drive down from NJ so I know how comforting that simple south of the border sign is! This year my fiance said no though! Of course, he's usually the one doing all the driving so who was I to complain? I can't wait to hear more!

 

[tammyandtommy]

Well ladies and gents, for more of this report you will need to put on your seatbelts, it has a few bumpy spots where tom hits major turbulence.. LOL I will post more later

 

[MissMichelle]

I'm here Tammy!!! I just found your trippie and I am at the bottom of page one, so here we goooooooo So far so good...Loved the photos of the RP hotel and I like the monkey too!!!