|
Cast of Players: Marjorie (40, super Disney fan)
Gary (DH, 46, practically perfect in
every way, let's me have my way often!)
Brynna (DD, 15, loves things Disney, but in moderation)
Our Plans: December 25 - January 4 - Walt Disney World
January 4 - Ft. Lauderdale
January 5 - 12 - RCCL Enchantment of the Seas
January 12 - 14 - Walt Disney World
January 3, 2003 (Friday - Day 10)
I can't believe we were up at 5:45 am! We managed to drag ourselves to Typhoon Lagoon by 6:40 and met
up with the other surfers wannabes, there were 11 brave enough to try the cold air and very wet water!
They all seemed to have fun while the parents shivered on the sidelines. They surfed until 9:45 and then
we trooped back out of the park. Now this was to be our actual Typhoon Lagoon day, we were to have breakfast
and then come back but no way! It was extremely chilly and very breezy. The day only really got warm after
1 pm. So we decided to venture out on International Drive and see what we could see. Brynna chose to stay behind and read by the pool, get some independent time to herself. We did a bit of shopping at some outlet stores and just had fun exploring. Once we got back to the resort I decided that I had to start packing or we would never get out the next morning. After a few hours of that we decided to go minigolfing. One of the perks for my DC reservation was getting free minigolf so we chose Winter Summerland and did the winter side. The sun was going down and it was getting quite chilly but it was a great course. We then headed to DD and to the RFC to use the remainder of my gift certificates (thank you Milesource!). I had some nummy pot roast and banana cheesecake. We were fairly tired at this point since we'd been up so early so we went back to the resort and packed some more, then called it a night.
January 4, 2003 (Saturday - Day 11)
Wow, it's cold! Woke up to 36 degrees F., sure could have used winter coats! Thank heaven we were heading to the Caribbean the next day. We finished packing, grabbed our bill (ouch) and headed out to the Golden Corral on 192 for breakfast. It was very good and we definitely ate our money's worth. From there we headed down to Ft. Lauderdale via A1A which took an extremely long time but it was worth checking out the homes in Palm Beach and we even drove past the Disney Magic at Cape Canaveral and Disney's resort at Vero Beach!
We had an awesome cruise with RCCL on the Enchantment of the Seas. It was nice to rest up after a hectic 9 full days at WDW and not have to forage for food! The weather was awesome too. Although we were very sad to have to leave the ship, we had a day and a half to spend back at WDW to look forward to!
January 12, 2003 (Sunday)
We sorrowfully left our cruise ship and picked up a rental vehicle for the next couple of days. This time we got a very roomy Buick Rendezvous. We headed back up to Orlando on the Turnpike and it didn't take all that very long. We stopped a few times for refreshments and noticed a lot of people wearing marathon shirts. I'd forgotten it was the WDW Marathon that day, hopefully it wouldn't mean the parks would be crowded the next day. We checked into the Comfort Suites Maingate which wasn't a bad hotel, but it just wasn't Disney!!!! Again, never are we staying offsite! I acquired these 2 nights at the Comfort Suites through Hotwire for a darn good rate though.
Today was actually to be our make up day at Typhoon Lagoon but Gary and Brynna vetoed, they were too tired to climb up stairs and slide. Oh well, we'll have to save this water park for another visit to WDW. We just basically hung around the hotel until dinner time and then decided we'd like to try the Pepper Market at Coronado Springs and use some of our Connections vouchers.
Well, it was a very nice resort although a mite crowded with marathon runners. We got our dinner which we all thought was just adequate. It was the first time we weren't pleased with our food on-site. Oh well, we'd just come off a cruise ship too! Brynna wasn't feeling well after dinner so we dropped her back at the hotel and Gary and I headed to DD to check out Pleasure Island, after all, we still had a few options left on our hoppers and being a special Canadian deal, they did expire. We found even more marathon runners, the place was really hopping. We decided it was far too crowded to even attempt sitting down at the Adventurers Club so we hung around upstairs for a bit and then we headed out to stand in line for the Comedy Warehouse. After a half hour of freezing (I was wearing the same dress from a much warmer Ft. Lauderdale) we were let in. The show was very enjoyable, I just wish it was longer. Once it was over we drove back to the hotel for much-needed rest.
January 13, 2003 (Monday)
A very sad day, our last day in the parks. We chose to start out with the Magic Kingdom and do everything we wanted to do but had missed. It was a great day too, the weather wasn't too bad and the crowds were non-existent. Finally! We walked on everything. Started with SM, Indy Speedway, Xtraterrestrial (scary!) and then Buzz. We had a snack in Liberty Square and then did the Liberty Belle riverboat, Peter Pan, Small World, Haunted Mansion and BTMR. It was great to not have to use FP. We had an awesome lunch at Pecos Bills. Had never been here before but will definitely visit again. The hot fixings bar was all that and more! After lunch we took the monorail over to Epcot just to see it one last time and then grabbed our car back at the TTC and drove over to MGM.
Again we walked on to rides at MGM, the RRC then ToT and then Millionaire. Then we went back to the RRC and ToT again! The one last thing Brynna wanted to do was have her picture taken with Lilo & Stitch, her favourite characters. We managed to hunt them down in the animation courtyard where we got a couple of good pictures of the 3 of them. We were getting very tired by now so we decided to rest at the hotel, then grabbed a quick bite at Taco Bell and headed to DD. We got in to the Adventurer's Club and then the Comedy Warehouse. Both were very good and we laughed and laughed. Then we decided to pack it in for the night so we could pack our bags for our flight tomorrow.
January 14, 2003 (Tuesday)
Fortunately I booked flights that didn't leave until later that afternoon. This meant our last day was a SHOPPING DAY! Since we didn't want to lug souvenirs, etc. around with us on our cruise we designated our last day to shop. We got out of the hotel with all our bags and headed to DD. We had to make a quick stop though and drop off our MFL Mascot Mickey to Kelli Beinlich at POFQ. Unfortunately I didn't get the time to meet up with her but left Mickey to be delivered to her room. Wow, what a resort, I want to stay here sometime!
Once we arrived at DD it was a race to get it all done. We headed to Once Upon a Toy where Brynna and I put together 4 Potato Head boxes, 2 for my nieces and one each for Brynna and I. From there we handed our bags to Gary who was going to wait for us in the car. Brynna and I arrived at World of Disney and although we didn't buy the store out, managed to drop $250 in about an hour! We actually had several people to buy souvenirs for and thank you for watching the cat gifts but still managed to get a few things for ourselves. Thank heavens for my DC membership though, saved me $25!
After we were through shopping and loading our loot into our spare duffel bag, we went to McDs for a quick meal. From there we drove to MCO, dropped off the car, hefted our 6 bags (mmm, the trip had started with only 4) and 3 backpacks and proceeded to check-in. Even with all the new security measures, we had plenty of time. Our flight to Phoenix was non-eventful but when we arrived there, we were grounded for an hour and a half because the airport in Vancouver was fogged in. Rats! We finally arrived in Vancouver at midnight, PST, remember we were still on EST! I was so tired, I very rarely can sleep on a plane. After picking up our luggage Brynna discovered she'd left her purse on the plane, yikes! Actually they brought it out after about 10 minutes. Once we caught our shuttle to the hotel that had been holding our car for the past 3 weeks, we discovered the battery was
dead. Okay, that's 3 rotten things to happen so far, hopefully it was the last of it. We finally got out to my sister's place at 2:00 am, her time, we were pushing 5 am Orlando time!!
Man what a trip. We had such a great time, especially me, the Disney freak in the family! The other two have opted out of a Disney-type trip the next time we take a big family holiday but I'm thinking Disneyland might be a nice compromise since it's not as big and much closer to home.
I hope you enjoyed following my family along on my trip report, it was great fun doing it.
Part One, Part Two, Part Three
|
