Jessica Johnson - December 2006

Day 1 - December 22, 2006

Christmas is coming, so as usual, Chris and I had made plans to head to Florida. The first year we moved to GA, I surprised him with a trip to WDW for the holidays, because he really wanted to see Gary Sinise doing the Candlelight Processional. It's sort of blossomed from there, and now we have a bit of a routine, spending the holidays with some of our closest friends. I really couldn't imagine where else I'd rather spend the holidays, and we've been slowly expanding the trip, year by year. The first year was literally one night, and this one was supposed to be 5 nights, but I it turned out to be 7.

As usual, Chris's schedule was unpredictable, so it wasn't until pretty much the week before the trip that we added the first two nights on. We started with one night at the Gaylord, because we haven't been there, and it was cheaper than the Dolphin, and because I wanted to go to ICE! so it seemed like a good plan. Then, we learned that Chris had to use another vacation day, so we ended up using Priceline to book a night at the Peabody. Chris has wanted to stay at the Peabody forever, because the idea of the ducks just fascinated him.

So- here we were, with the trip expanded, and I was rushing around trying to finish up Christmas gifts, get them wrapped and mailed out, get us packed for the trip, and everything like that when my father called. Just like in November, he was going to be in town for business for just one night, the last one before our trip. No problem- we'll just leave a bit later than we planned. And this is how I ended up staying up the entire night before we left. I really did mean to go to bed on the 21st, but I was packing and working, and then it was time for my father to get up to head to work, so we said goodbye to him, and then I couldn't fall asleep, and then it was time to get up, pack up the car and leave. I was going to sleep in the car, but that didn't happen either, so I was pretty wired by the time we finally made it to Orlando.

The trip down went relatively uneventfully. Chris had to make a phone call to a friend to double check the directions to the hotel, but soon we were there. I wasn't really sure what to expect from the Peabody, the website looked nice, but it focuses mainly on the ducks, so I was quite impressed when we pulled up to the porte cochere and saw the fountains. Then we headed into the marble tiled lobby, and over to the check in area.

Check in went pretty quickly, and we were given a room on the 11th floor. We were told that the room would have fireworks views, and then they called a bellman to bring our stuff up to our room. Chris and I headed to the elevators, and took it up to our floor, where I encountered the thickest carpet that I've ever found. Literally, there was more padding under the hallway carpet than I've ever seen anywhere else. Our room was down the hall a bit, but not too far.

I still had no idea what to expect when I opened the door- but I was quite pleased when we did. When you first enter the room, you're in a sort of hallway entryway. To your left is the closet, which holds two waffleweave robes as well as the standard hotel room safe. To the right is the bathroom, which Chris loved. When you turn to enter the bathroom, you're facing the large vanity area, with the tub on your left. To the right is the toilet, and just above the toilet is a flat panel television screen. This is what immediately sold him on the room. Well, that and the soap shaped like a duck.

Back in the entryway, to the left, just after the closet is a vanity area. A large mirror on the wall, and even a vanity bench. You'll also find the ice bucket here, and two bottles of Peabody water, which are included in the resort fee. Then, the room opens up, and to the right of you. The main portion of the room contains an armoire that holds a tv and the minibar, along with a King Bed with two nightstands. Along the wall to your right, is a chair and ottoman, along with another small table. Behind that, set into a little alcove that is surrounded by windows, is the desk. The wall across from the door also has windows, which look out towards DisneyWorld- where you can see the Contemporary, Spaceship Earth and Tower of Terror along the horizon. These windows also overlook the pools, which, interestingly enough are on top of the porte cochere.

After our bags were brought up, Chris and I decided to set off to explore the resort. We first headed back to the lobby, to see the ducks. The Peabody hotels all feature ducks that live in their lobby fountain. There is a $100,000 penthouse built for the ducks on the roof, and they are brought down to the lobby each morning at 11 am, where they parade down a red carpet and hop into the fountain. Each evening at 5 pm, they reverse the procedure. They climb out of the fountain, down their custom steps, and then follow the Duck Master down the red carpet, to the elevator, and then back out to their penthouse. This is what drew Chris to the hotel, and he was really excited about finally getting to see it.

So, first we explored the lobby, and down into the convention center. We checked out the various restaurants, and then the pools, the health club, and the tennis courts, and salon. Then we headed to the B Line Diner, which is open 24 hours, to get something to eat. Chris and I split a burger, and then each got a dessert- they have an amazing looking pastry case.

Once we'd finished eating, we decided to wander a bit more and check out some more of the hotel. Then we finally settled in the lobby, near the bar, to get a drink while we waited for the 5 pm duck parade. As the time neared, we headed over to join the crowds surrounding the red carpet they lay out for the ducks. Chris had his camera ready- and got some pictures of the Duck Master before he led the ducks out of the fountain, and off to the elevator. Then we joined the crowds as we rushed upstairs, and were in the hallway in time to see the elevator doors open, and then ducks go tearing off to their Penthouse. When they are wandering from the fountain to the elevator, they go pretty slowly, kind of just wandering around. But, once the elevator doors open- they take off!

We followed them out to the Penthouse, where we saw them get settled. The Penthouse is pretty amazing, from the outside, it sort of looks like a Gazebo, on the inside it's a big marble fountain. Then we headed back downstairs to the lobby, where Chris talked to the Duck Master a bit. There are several teams of ducks, and one stays at the hotel for about 3 months before being rotated out with the others. The ducks "work" for about 6-8 years, and then are kept until they die. Their ducks have a much longer lifespan than the average ducks. And, it takes a few months to get the ducks fully trained.

After we saw the ducks, the rest of the night kind of passed pretty quickly. We went back up to the room so I could check work for a bit, and then it started to pour. Chris and I had contemplated heading over to Disney for a bit, but the weather was awful, so we decided to just hang out at the hotel. I ended up taking a bit of a nap, and then we headed downstairs to the lobby because I had asked if I could see a few other room types. A bellman took us on a tour of a few other rooms, and then we made a quick stop at the gift shop to get a book for me and some water.

We decided to check out Mallard's, a lounge in the lobby, and ordered some martinis, chocolate for me and creamsicle for Chris. The lounge was a little loud, so Chris and I took our drinks and headed back upstairs. Eventually we decided to get room service for dinner, which was wonderful! I had some of the best chicken fingers and Chris got a huge grilled cheese sandwich. It was so big, he couldn't even finish it. After eating my brownie, and Chris eating his cookie, we settled in for the night.

Day 2 - December 23, 2006

The next morning, Chris got up in time to see the ducks do their parade down from the Penthouse and into the lobby. When he got back, I was somewhat ready for the day, and we packed up and headed off to our next hotel- the Gaylord Palms.

On our very first trip to Disney together, the bus driver who brought us from the airport to Disney had pointed out the Gaylord to us. At that time, they were in the process of rebuilding, as apparently there had been a big fire in the atrium, and they pretty much had to start over. We've heard great things about the Gaylord since it was open, but the opportunity had just never presented itself for us to stay there. Somehow this year I decided that we "had" to, and then convinced Chris that we had to go see ICE! which is held there each year. Chris was just content to be able to see the lobby, and when I told him that there was a Travelocity Gnome hunt in it, he was sold. It took a little while for me to convince him that he needed to see ICE! as well, but in the end, I think he enjoyed it more than me.

When we'd been planning the trip, and had mentioned our Gaylord stay to Joanie, she commented that she's been wanting to see ICE! for a few years, so we made plans for them to come over and see it with us. We had already purchased our tickets online before we left, and were anxious to see things. But first, we had to check into the hotel. The main entrance was undergoing some work, so they had the valet parking routed over to the transportation lobby. Our timing wasn't ideal, we were coming in just during the big push of people checking out, so we had a bit of a wait to get to the front of the line where we had the car unloaded, and left it with the valet.

Chris and I made our way inside, not having the slightest idea what to expect. The transportation lobby isn't all that impressive- but it opens into the main lobby, which is huge. Well, I guess the lobby is average size, but the ceilings are very high, so that makes it look huge. We had to pass the airline boarding card center (they have computers set up so you can check in), the Express checkout kiosks, bell services and the Concierge before we got to the check in desk. There was a bit of a line, but it was handled pretty efficiently, and soon Chris and I were getting ourselves checked in.

When I'd booked the reservation, I was told that it was for a Standard Room (as in parking lot view), and that I should ask for an upgrade. So, I mentioned that, and in the end, we were upgraded to Emerald Bay, in an oversized room. We handed them our baggage tag, and then set off into the lobby to find the elevators we needed to get to our rooms.

The Gaylord Palms is huge! The main atrium, which is the centerpiece of the resort, is 4.5 acres. There are also 2 other, smaller atriums. The hotel has 4 zones that each represent a different part of Florida. There is the St. Augustine area, which encompasses the front desk, Castilla de San Marcos (a replica of a fort), the Wedding Gazebo and would normally house the Fountain of Youth, but it was covered over by the stage set up for the Holiday Shows. You'll also find the lobby bar and Villa de Flora, one of the restaurants here.

To the left of the of this, you'll find Key West, and set on a lagoon in the middle of this, smaller, atrium, is the SS Gaylord. This boat houses the bar for Sunset Sam's, another restaurant. To the right of St. Augustine is the Everglades, where you'll find everything from the Spa to gators. It's literally themed like a swamp and especially when you are on the lower levels, you'll swear you are outside in the wilderness. This is where you'll find Gator Springs, full of gators. It's literally like you're in a totally different hotel, as is Key West, when you're there.

The last area is Emerald Bay, and it sits sort of on the back wall of the lobby. Our room was located here, so we had to head into the lobby, follow a road around through the side of it, and find the Emerald Bay elevators. In Emerald Bay you'll find Market Square, where most of the shops are located. It's sort of run like a hotel within a hotel, the closest comparison I can make to this area is that it's like the Concierge level of a Disney hotel without the food offerings.

At this point though, Chris and I didn't really know what to expect. We were still overwhelmed by the atrium, and that just grew as we took the glass elevator up to the 8th floor, where our room was located. Coming off the elevator, we found the halls to be quiet and elegant, with an ice and vending machine located right off the elevators. (Chris later discovered that the vending machine actually takes your room key instead of cash, a feature he loved!) We followed the hall down and discovered that our room was at the end of it, sort of tucked off to a corner.

We put the key into the door, and pushed it open, excited to see what the room was like, and we weren't disappointed. We had a corner room, so when the door opened, it was into a foyer/hallway with marble tiles. You had to turn right to get to the room, but before you got into the room itself, you encountered the bathroom on the left. This area was spacious, with a marble vanity with two sinks. The toilet and walk in shower were in a separate room, facing the vanity. On your right, heading towards the room was the closet.

Entering into the main room, it was quite large. We had a King Size bed along the back wall, with a nightstand on each side. In the front left corner was an armoire that held the tv, the fridge (stocked with two bottles of water that are replaced daily), and a specially designed safe that will hold a laptop. In the front right corner of the room was a desk, topped with a flat panel monitor and a keyboard. The rest of the walls were French doors, which opened out onto two different balconies. The bigger balcony overlooked the main atrium, and you could see all the people and hear the holiday music playing. I spent most of the time in the room either on the balcony or with the door open, because I just fell in love with the hotel. The smaller balcony was on the Key West side of the room. This one didn't have as big of a view, so I usually could be found on the other one.

After marveling at our balconies and view, I sat down at the desk and discovered one of the great features of the Gaylord. Each room has a workstation, so you don't need to bring your own computer. Just about everything at the Gaylord is online- all the menus, hotel information, etc. I even discovered that there was a housekeeping request- I requested a razor, to see what would happen. I submitted the form online, and it was in the room within 30 minutes. We also discovered a few other wonderful features- each room has a doorbell, so you didn't have anyone knocking. There are no "Do Not Disturb" signs, instead, inside the room is a panel where you pick whether you want the room made up or privacy, push the appropriate button, and a message appears on the doorbell panel outside the door. If you opt for privacy, it disables the doorbell.

Bell services arrived quickly with our luggage, and after getting settled in the room, Chris and I decided to set out and find some food and explore. We ended up heading downstairs towards the Marine Pool, and decided to eat at H2O Sports Bar and Grille. They offer both inside and outside seating, as well as a bar area, and even an "express" set up. Chris and I opted to sit inside and each ordered a hot dog. He got fries with his, and I got a salad, which was wonderful. I was expecting the normal salad and it had apples, walnuts and blue cheese. The hot dogs are huge- but really yummy. We could have easily split one though.

After we ate, we set out to explore, starting with the Marine Pool area. The Marine Pool is the family pool, and it has a huge octopus water slide. There are seahorse fountains as well, and it's a zero entry pool. There's even a small sandy play area for kids back behind the octopus.

From here, we headed back out towards Coquina Dunes, which is their outdoor recreation park. Here you'll find a 9 hole executive putting course, bocce courts, a croquet lawn, and sand volleyball courts. On the other side of this area is the South Beach Pool, done in an art deco style, it's just for adults.

Once we had checked out the pools, we wandered back inside and peeked into the fitness center and the spa and salon. Then we wandered around the Everglades area for a while, checking things out before heading back up to our room. We hung out there for a while, until Joanie called and said they were on their way over. Since the lobby is so huge, we decided to meet them in the lobby- but as it turns out, they came in through the Everglades, so we headed that way, and were sitting on a bench by the glass elevator when they came into view, and then continued up a few floors. Eventually they made their way back down, and after greeting each other, we set off to find ICE!

ICE! was something I wasn't sure about, but figured I had to see it at least once. The more I looked into it, the more I was sold on the idea, though Chris took a bit of convincing. Eventually though, he was as excited as I was, and we had been impatiently waiting for Joanie, Bob and Marie to get there so we could go see it. The challenge, though, was getting through the lobby to the convention center where it is held. We did manage to find our way over there, and after taking the escalator down to the ground floor, we found that the line was all the way out the door. So, note to self, get to ICE! early.

All told, the line took about an hour, but was usually moving pretty well, so it wasn't that bad. So, I'm sure you're wondering what ICE! is, and it really is just ice. 2 million pounds of ice, some colored, some white, and some crystal clear. It's carved by a team of people from China, and the entire exhibit is contained in the convention center, in a tented off area that is kept at 9 degrees. They really aren't kidding about that 9 degree thing, it's really cold in there.

Since we haven't lived up north in a long time, I was prepared for the cold- going into it Chris had been teasing me about being overly so, but it turns out that I was right. I'd had on a sleeveless shirt and pants (socks and sneakers brought just for this too!), then I had brought a fleece shirt, a fleece jacket, a scarf, gloves and earmuffs. On top of all of this, I put the big blue parka they give you to wear. I kept most of this off until we were heading inside. There's a lot of hallway you have to go through, and then a cheesy video to watch before you get to the parka tables. After that though- you're good, and you head through the long plastic flaps, into the frigid displays.

I can't remember the exact order of the displays, but I can tell you that there was a life sized train, with three cars that you could walk through. There was also a life size nativity done in crystal clear ice. Another room held a chapel, and a horse and carriage that you could sit in. The final room looked sort of like a castle, and had three ice slides. Turns out that the parkas were specially designed to give you a friction-free ride down the slide. Chris decided to try the slide- but the rest of us decided it would be too cold. It's hard to describe it really, but we took tons of pictures, which are amazing!

Once we finished with ICE! we headed back over to the main resort and brought Joanie and Bob up to see our room. They loved our view, but couldn't stay long, since they had to go get ready for their dinner plans. After they left, Chris and I debated what to do for dinner, and then decided to try and get a reservation at Sunset Sam's. They weren't able to book a reservation, but said they could accommodate us as a walk in, if we got there around 8. So, we hung out in the room and watched the end of the Holiday Stage Show from our balcony, and then saw Lights Alive, before setting out to explore even more.

We spent a long time wandering the atrium, and were able to find most of the hidden Gnomes. At around 8 pm, we wandered over to Key West, where we put our names on the list for Sunset Sam's, and were given a pager. It took about 20 minutes for our pager to go off, and we were led inside to a table, and were quickly settled in. Chris and I contemplated the menu, and decided to get the Three Tiered Tower for Two as an appetizer, and then just get dessert. The tower had conch fritters, cigar shrimp, lobster skewers, grilled pineapple, blue crab salad, ahi tuna tartar, shrimp cocktail and udon noodles. Chris loved the shrimp and lobster, while I discovered that I love conch fritters and grilled pineapple. There was more than enough food for the two of us, and the perfect dinner, with dessert. For dessert, Chris decided on the Peanut Butter Bliss, a peanut butter pie. I chose the Flourless Chocolate Cake, and both were yummy.

After we finished dinner, I stopped by the front desk to ask if I could take a peek into some of the different rooms, as each section has a different theme. They gave me some room keys and sent me off, and after checking out each of them, I'd be happy to stay anywhere in the hotel. We dropped the keys off, and then headed upstairs, to settle in for the night.

Page: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7