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Andrea Rollins -- June 2000 -- Walt Disney World (GFRS)I will preface this report by saying that I am only writing it at the urging of my friends. I didn't take any notes and don't have the writing skills of Buddy but, here goes!!...........
Ok here goes................. Day 1 Friday started out like every other usual Friday , besides the fact that I knew by evening, I would be in WDW!!! I got the kids off to school, finished cleaning my house , packed all of those last minute things, and tweaked my four page list of daily itinerary for my hubby. The kids are really busy this weekend and I didn't want him to lose any activities along the way. I was full of energy so this was all accomplished very quickly.---lol My Mom popped in before work to drop her suitcase off.--and I thought I over packed!!!! At about 11:00, I decided that I couldn't stand the overalls I was wearing. ( I am an overall fanatic and wear them all the time.) They were not as comfy as my others and I had packed all my favorites. So----I hopped into my car (SUV) and drove over to the mall. Ran right into the Gap and then practically floated on over to the Disney Store. ( I know, I know---I was leaving for WDW in a few hours but I just had to!) I looked around and decided I would buy a little pair of Mickey socks. The CM said ---is this all for today and I said yes, explaining I was heading for WDW. She was laughing and wished me a happy trip. I must have looked like the biggest fool in the mall because I was practically giddy!! I got back in my car and started feeling even more guilty about leaving my kids home, especially my daughter (10). She was so sweet before I left, assuring me she would be fine and telling me of all the fun things she had planned with her Daddy. I even found a little note from her and a small portable fan to wear around my neck that she had put in my suitcase. Such a good kid!!! OK--back to the report.........I decided to run into Sam's Club to buy some more of her favorite foods. I glided through there on my WDW high--lol --and got home around 12:30. I changed my clothes and put away my purchases, then got on the computer to see if anyone was in WDW Chat. I talked to my friend Kerri (KerriWDW) for a few minutes--she was almost as excited as I was !!---gotta love Disney people!!! At about 12:45, I heard something outside and went to the door to see the limo driver had arrived 15 minutes early. I invited him in out of the heat (it was in the high 90s here) . He came in and I told him I was all ready. He laughed when he tried to lift my Mom's suitcase and asked if she was going away for a month. I was riding in the back of the limo and at this point had past the giddy stage--I felt like a 2 year old!!--LOL We drove into Philadelphia to pick my Mom up from her office. There was a little bit of traffic but nothing more than the usual, but I'm glad we left a few minutes early. It took only a few minutes to get to PHL. We checked our luggage curbside and headed for the gate. Sat around and talked for a while and before I know it, we are boarding!!! Luckily, My Mom and I had and empty seat at the end of our row, so she was able to stretch out little bit and close her eyes. The flight was a little bumpy but other than that, uneventful. Before you know it, we were at MCO.( about 15 minutes ahead of schedule) Frank from Tiffany Town Car met us at the bottom of the escalator in baggage claim. The three of us went over to the carousel and our luggage was out shortly. Frank took us up in the elevator to where his car was parked and off we went!! Frank took us a different way than I'd ever taken from the airport because of the fires. He said that they had been closing the road before ( the Greenway ??) and he didn't want to risk using it. We arrived at the Grand Floridian, checked in and were driven to our room in one of those cute little carts. We were in Building 5 , Sago Cay--room 5343. There was a lot of construction at GF but they had tried to keep things as pretty as possible. They had even hung flowers on the white painted temporary walls that were around the construction. As the bellman opened our door...................the site took my breath away.......it was "my" castle!!!!!! Dead center in the middle of my balcony!!!! I dropped my pocketbook and walked out onto the balcony with my mouth open---poor bellman was probably thinking I was crazy. He said they often use the rooms in this area, including mine, to film commercials and videos for WDW.I was in heaven and vowed I never had to leave this room. That lasted a whole 5 minutes as I realized we had to meet my sister who should have been finishing up her dinner at Chef Mickey's . ( she was staying at the Contemporary) I called home and then grabbed my backpack and headed over to the Contemporary. As soon as we came down the escalator , I could see my nieces sitting in their stroller as my sister was trading pins with a CM. They were very happy to see my Mom and I. We headed down to the front desk at the Contemporary and bought our E-night passes. Then went back upstairs to catch the monorail. I was still in awe that I was actually in WDW!!!! We went right into MK and traded our tickets in for bracelets. Ahhh--that first look at the castle from Mainstreet--what a site!!! I handed my BIL one of my two-way radios and they headed over to Dumbo while my Mom and I headed to Casey's. We were starving and just wanted something quick. I had read so much about Casey's on he boards, and my Mom just loves a good hot dog--lol I realized just how hungry I was as I stood in line and remembered that the only thing I had eaten all day was the tiny bag of pretzels they had given us on the plane. We swallowed our food and headed for Fantasyland. The two-way radios came in so handy for finding my sister's family on this trip. I watched the girls on Dumbo and then we all headed for It's a Small World and Peter Pan. We then headed over to ride Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad--we rode so many times I lost count. After that we headed to Tomorrowland and rode Space Mountain. I could see my Mom was going to fall asleep standing up so we all headed out to our resorts. What a perfect night--leaving the MK , heading back to GF . My Mom opened the curtains completely and I fell asleep watching the Castle change colors. Day 2 I woke up all through the night--which is very normal for me--but I don't normally get to wake up and look at Cinderella's Castle. I am an early bird so getting up before he sun is nothing new to me. I showered and dressed and then sat out on the balcony. I grabbed my refillable mug and headed down to Gasparilla Grill for my morning coffee. Grabbed some juice for my Mom and also some strawberries. When I returned to the room, she was just waking up----and I'm not sure how happy she was about it.--lol She was ready shortly . I called home to make sure everyone was ok and then called over to my sister's room. She was much slower moving because of the girls so we decided that for this trip we would all go at our own pace and do what we wanted. She was also going to AK but would be getting there after us. We agreed to turn the radio's on and try to meet as soon as possible. This was my first trip to AK and I couldn't wait. I had heard such great things about it from my friend Maria (the former Mpepe84, now known as WDWMaria) Mom and I headed to the bus stop and waited for the GF bus. We must have missed the first one but another was there after about 10 minutes. During this time, 3 busses came for MGM. We passed the AK Lodge on the way to AK--it looks like it's going to be nice. I was amazed at how when you walk into AK, you can't even see the Tree of Life----but what a site it is when we did see it!!! I loved the Oasis part of AK--it's beautiful. We headed right back to Kilimanjaro Safari and were on the second safari of the day. It was still pretty comfortable out (temp) so we saw so many animals!! I loved this!!!! I think Disney did a great job with this. Next we did the Pangani Trail. My Mom could have lingered here all day. At some point my bil radioed us that they were just coming off of the safari. We walked around the park together and looked around. My bil took the girls to the playground while we went to Dinosaur. The line was pretty short (about 15 minutes) . Fun ride--nothing I would wait in a long line for but fun. met back up with bil and girls and went to Kali River Rapids. We had so much fun--my Mom is not big on rides and is afraid of everything before she tries it. This was also fun--the people across from us were soaked!! We walked around the park some more, just taking it all in. My Mom was starting to melt so I knew we had to get out of there soon. We separated from my sisters family and went to see It's Tough To Be a Bug------how cute!!!! We shopped a little more , buying my daughter a giant Safari Piglet (her fav character). looked at some pins an then headed back to GF. I know there are plenty of things we missed but I will just save them for next time. This trip was more for relaxation.---but my Mom would differ with me there as she was exhausted--lol We went to lunch at the Grand Floridian Cafe. It was delicious. My Mom had a cold cantaloupe soup , I had the chicken soup (with Mickey pasta :o)) and we split a sandwich--I can't remember the name of it but it was herb focaccia with turkey, ham bacon and tomatoes with some sort of a béchamel sauce. It was delicious and my Mom was glad I had suggested sharing--it was huge!!! The sandwich was also served with red skinned potato salad. After lunch, we headed back to our room , called home and dressed for the pool. ( always fun after a huge lunch--lol) We sat by the pool but it was hot so we had to get in. There were a lot of people in and around the pool. We wound up talking to a man who was also from NJ and lived in the town where we had a shore house. --big coincidence!. We each drank a Virgin Pina Colada and talked to my other sister who was home in NJ. After about two hours, we headed back to our room to shower and get ready for MGM. I called home again-I couldn't help it!! It took me extra long to get ready because I couldn't keep myself from constantly walking out on the balcony--so if any of you were on the monorail and saw a person on a balcony in her GF robe--that was me!!! --LOL Mom and I headed out to the bus stop and were soon off to MGM. We went on the Great Movie ride because I was waiting for my sister to ride ToT and RnR with me. She still hadn't arrived so we went right over to the Tower of Terror and my Mom said she didn't think she could ride on this trip---she has ridden ToT before but said it up for it. So--I headed into the Hollywood Tower Hotel alone. ( although I was thinking of Kerri (KerriWDW) being in there with me in spirit) I walked right into the library----what luck!!!! Then I rode Rockin' Roller Coaster for the first time. (alone) I loved it!!!!!!! At that point my sister had arrived and I met them over by the exit to ToT--she was on the ride. As soon as she came off, her and I headed back in while my Mom and BIL took the girls to grab some food. I just love all of the drops they've added!!! WE laughed so hard!!!!! Met back up with the rest of the group---love those radios--and took the girls back to TGMR to see the Wizard to Boz--as they call it--lol. We strolled around MGM for a while and shopped , then told my sister and her hubby we would keep the girls so they could ride RnR together. Walked the girls around and bought them some sparkly Mickey antenna things they wanted--then met back up with sis and her hubby. The park was getting ready to close (9:00)--there was some sort of Gay Day event there tonight. We left MGM --sister and her family went on their way and Mom and I headed for Downtown Disney. We went through some shops in the Marketplace and bought two shopping bags full of things. I wanted everything in the Disney at Home store!! Headed over to DD West Side. This was our first time seeing it and we loved it!!! Shopped some more but then realized it was 11:00 and we hadn't even eaten dinner yet. We went to Wolfgang Pucks and couldn't eat upstairs because the dining room had been rented out by a private party. So, instead of waiting a half hour for a seat, we took the last two seats at the sushi bar. We ordered the Crab Cake appetizer (delicious) and my Mom ordered the meatloaf and I ordered the Rosemary Chicken--not something I would normally order but my Mom said she had it in California and loved it. We both had the mango iced tea--recommended by my friend Maria. It was delicious!! There had been a huge plate of sushi ready to be taken to a table that sat near my Mom for about 10 minutes--my Mom mentioned to our waitress that it had been sitting there and no one picked it up---she realized it was for one of her tables that got aggravated with waiting and left. So...she gave it to us, on the house!!! It was delicious!!! Dinner was great but neither of us came close to finishing our meals!! We rolled on out of WP and walked around the West Side. We stopped into a few shops--my Mom is a compulsive shopper. Then she decided we needed something sweet, even though we still couldn't breathe from dinner. We stopped at the Candy Cauldron. That's where I spotted it..........Sue's (WDW1972) Marshmallow Thingy. I showed it to my Mom and explained that Sue can make this thing last for days. Being Italian--food is a big thing in our homes and she just couldn't see it--lol We bought two cashew turtles that we came to love while staying at BWI a few years ago. My three sisters and I would stop at Seashore Sweets daily and get one of these things. It was very late at this point and we headed for home. Those bus rides seem extra long when you're tired--lol Headed to our room at GF. Each time I entered that room, I had to go out on he balcony.--it was just perfect!!! From the balcony, I could hear the parades and even the announcement when the WDW Railroad would stop at Main Street. :o) Got ready for bed and fell asleep looking at the castle. Another magical Day!! Day 3 I woke up early again this am, took an shower and got dressed. I went down to Gasparilla Grill to refill my GF mug with coffee an then walked around the resort to take pictures. I walked all around GF and on the beach, taking pictures of all of it. It just doesn't get any better than this!!! I went back to my room and sat out on the balcony and then called home. Hubby had tons of stuff to do today for my oldest son's (17) wrestling banquet and I knew he would be awake. I was still so upset about missing this banquet! It had originally been scheduled for 2 weeks before my trip but they changed it because the jackets his team won for winning the State Championship were not going to be ready in time. I am upset just thinking about missing it now because I missed my son getting some very prestigious awards--he got an award for having over 30 wins, one for breaking the schools "most wins in a season" record and also the most important to him---(MVP) Most Outstanding Wrestler Award. My husband said that his coaches had such wonderful things to day about him. Ok--back to the report, sorry for going so far off track........ We headed down to 1900 Park Fair to meet the rest of our party for the Character Breakfast--they were a little bit late . We had a nice breakfast and enjoyed watching my nieces with the characters. As we were leaving , I spotted a couple we knew from home who had brought their Grandkids on their first trip to WDW. It's so funny seeing people you know from home. Talked with them for a few minutes and headed to the bus stop to go to Typhoon Lagoon. We sat and sat--about 15 minutes---wondering where this bus was, when a bus driver from another bus got out and asked where we were heading. We of course said Typhoon Lagoon and he told us we couldn't get a bus there from here, that we had to monorail to the TTC and catch a bus from there. How on earth did this one get by me??? OK---I am a very go-with- the-flow person but my sister is NOT. She had a minor meltdown about all the money you pay for this resort and you have to transfer for a bus--blah, blah, blah!!! I understood where she was coming from because it does seem kind of silly but----let's just go!!!!!! We went back through the GF lobby to catch the monorail with my sister complaining the whole time. We got up to the monorail platform so she could now complain to the man working there--UGH!!!!! WE are off the TTC. We trek down to the TL bus stop and boy is it hot there!!!!!! We were now later than I wanted to be for TL, sister was still not happy and it was hot!!!!! ........but I am still not letting this get to me. After about 15 minutes, even I thought I was going to start whining. But finally , the bus comes and we head off to Typhoon Lagoon. We get there and find a bunch of chair stacked up near the wave pool. We take a few chairs to throw our things on and head to the lazy river. (Ketchakiddie Creek or something like that) We spend the day going on very few slides but enjoy the lazy river and the wave pool. Sister and family head off to get some lunch and find some shade so the girls can nap. Mom and I still weren't hungry from breakfast and are have PS for 5:00 at Le Cellier tonight. It got so hot that you couldn't even walk on the sand. Mom decided she had to put something in her stomach so we go over to get her a snack. She decides in Mini-donuts (homemade) and lemonade. The donuts were delicious!!! We shortly decide to head back to GF to get ready for our evening. On our way to the bus stop, we notice there's no direct bus to GF until after 4:00---so it's back to the TTC to catch the monorail. We get back a lot faster than we got there but not without our bus driver missing one of his stops and going totally our of his way to go back to it----and he never even stopped to pick anyone up. Some other people on the bus were very ticked off but ---hey, you're in WDW!!!! :o) We get into the room and I call home to see how things went. I get the good news about the banquet and we get ready for the evening. Mom is wiped out and lays on the bed for a few minutes. We head up to the monorail , on our way to Epcot. The monorail operator repeats over and over that he is waiting for clearance to leave the station and continues to fill our car. Not only did we feel like sardines but the air condition wasn't working in there---it was disgusting!! There was someone in our car who was also suffering from deodorant failure---yuck!!!! After the long, hot , smelly ride to Epcot---the Florida air actually feels cool. We walked briskly through Future World because after the monorail delay, we are late for our PS. The guy taking names couldn't have been nicer and tells us he just had someone else there who must have been on the same monorail. We were seated shortly and had a very nice meal. I had to order the cheese soup after hearing so much about it--it was very good. I had the mushroom stuffed filet mignon and my Mom had the prime rib--both very good. We walked out of Canada and met up with the end of the Tapestry of Nations Parade--it was wonderful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We watched them from England. We continued around World Showcase, stopping to shop in every country. We found a perfume we both loved in France but I told my mom we shouldn't buy it yet because sometimes the perfume changes on you after you've worn it for a little while. Well---this just got better and better!! We loved it's light scent and kept saying we were going back to buy it. I said we should get it later, on our way to the Boardwalk. Needless to say---by the time we were leaving for the Boardwalk---it was closed!!! :o( ( I am trying to order it over the phone as a treat for my Mom) It was such a beautiful night for WS----warm but breezy!!! We tried the rainbow Kaki Gori's from Japan and looked at all of the beautiful gardens of all of the countries. By the time we hit Norway, my Mom needed to give her feet and her back a break so we went into the pastry shop there--I got a Rice Cream and my Mom got the Millennium dessert. They were both delicious!! We watched ToN parade again from our little table in Norway. Then walked back over towards the International Gateway. We watched Illuminations and loved it. Afterwards, we heard from my BIL on the radio that they were at Spoodles so we headed over there. We walked in to say Hi but of course couldn't eat another bite. We shopped along the Boardwalk --I bought a bunch of things, including a nightgown my Mom liked and I left her on her bed hat night. :o) We also stopped in the Seashore Sweets so that I could get cashew turtles to bring to my sisters who were home. This has become a little tradition for us to bring these home for one another. I saw the same family from home on there again!! They were staying at BWV and looking forward to going home in the morning--they were exhausted!!!--lol We walked along the Boardwalk and I pointed out to my Mom where our rooms were--the last time we stayed there. We loved it there!!! We met back up with my sister and her family and all headed through the lobby to the bus stop. A MK bus came by and my BIL asked if we could get on to catch the monorail--he was very rude to him and another couple who were asking the same thing and said he could NOT take us back to MK. My BIL and sister proceeded to whine again-----not again!!!!! So off we head for the Marketplace bus stop. I was so sick of hearing it at this point, I just went and sat at the GF bus stop. We get back to GF and head off to sleep! I just love this room!!! Day 4 The plan today was to go to MK for Early Entry. My Mom and I were both up early and ready to go. I called home to check and see if the kids were getting off to school ok. My hubby took off from work Monday and Tuesday so that I would have piece of mind while on my trip. :o) Soon after, my BIL called to say that my sister had been throwing up for three hours. He had called the front desk and they were sending a car to take her to the doctor at 8:00. The only way she agreed to go was if he took the girls to enjoy the day in MK. We agreed to meet up with him as he was running late and would never get there by 7:30. Mom and I got on the monorail for MK and were only about the third and fourth people in our line. She's not much on roller coasters so went on Alien Encounter. I noticed The Carousel of Progress wasn't opening until 11:00 and was closing at 5:00. We went on Buzz Lightyear--fun!!! Then we headed over and did Peter Pan again. I just love that ride! At that point, my bil radioed that they were at Dumbo. They rode three times. Then we headed back to BL so they could ride. My niece then wanted to ride the People Mover (TTA). They loved it!!!!! I even caught a glimpse of SM with the lights on. Did a few more things before the girls were ready for a nap. We took that train and headed out of MK. Mom and I headed for Epcot. We headed right to Test Track. The line was 90 minutes but the CM aid the single rider line was only 5-10 minutes so we headed there. As we got up to the front, the ride was broken down. It took about 15 minutes to fix it but it was worth the short wait--my Mom loved it!!! We then headed to lunch. We decided to check out Millennium Village and got a few different things from different countries--it was very good. We walked around and shopped for a while--buying of course and then headed to Ice Station Cool--this was so cool!!! (lol) I tried the Beverly----yuck!! But some of the other s were good. We went into Innoventions and I sent a few postcards. At this point , I could see my Mom was getting weary. We headed back to GF so my Mom could go to the pool and relax. I called home again! Then I wasn't sure what I wanted to do--oh no--- I realized I wouldn't get to ride CoP because by the time we got to MK, it would be closed. So I sent Mom off to the pool and headed to the monorail bound for MK. I walked past all the people waiting for the afternoon parade and walked right into CoP. I love this attraction!!! It's a great big, beautiful tomorrow............. Left CoP feeling very "Disney like" and headed to the Emporium for some shopping. Bought a few things and headed back to GF. That monorail is so convenient!!! When I got back in the room, My Mom was almost ready for dinner. I hurried and got ready . We then shopped through GF for a little while and then headed over to the Contemporary to help my BIL with the girls. We all then headed for O'Hana's. We had a great dinner and the girls had a lot of fun. I loved those noodles and the pineapple with caramel sauce. We then left it up to my BIL as to what we were going to do tonight. (sister was out after the shot they gave her) He decided on MK. So back we headed. We rode TTA again for the girls and did a few more rides. They soon were showing signs of meltdown so he headed back to the resort with them. My Mom also seemed exhausted and she kept saying she would do whatever I wanted. I could see she needed rest so we went back to GF. I ran up to the room to call home and get my GF mug. I met her back in front of Gasparilla and we went in to get me a soda and her a hot fudge sundae. I remembered there was a GF pin I wanted in the gift shop that would be closed when we had to leave tomorrow so I ran in there to buy it. When I got back to the patio in front of Gasparilla , it was full of people. We were going to head back to our room and watch the fireworks and pack when a nice older woman asked us if we could keep an eye on her husband while she went to get information on their flight for tomorrow. We had a nice chat with Roy and watched the fireworks from there. They were beautiful!!! I went to the desk to make sure everything was in order for our check-out. Then we headed back to our room and packed up . :o( I of course don't want to leave but am anxious to see my husband and my kids. We sat out on our balcony and watched the monorail coming and going and the castle change colors. Then it was off to bed for an early morning departure. Day 5-Departure Day :o( I just could not sleep. I wanted to keep staring at that castle to burn the image in my mind. I was up and out of bed by 4:00, just sitting on the balcony. I finally showered and dressed and packed up the last few things. I walked down to Gasparilla one last time to get coffee. I walked around the grounds for a few minutes and then headed back up to room 5343. My Mom was looking at me like I was crazy because it was 5:00 and I was totally ready. We had put in for a wake-up call just in case for the first time in my life, I slept late. Not happening---lol Mickey called and Mom got up and ready for our early flight. (7:31) We stood on our balcony for one last time and Mom made sure Took more pictures of the room. (with unmade beds---yuck!!! ) We headed out to the front of GF to wait for Tiffany Town Car---it was 6:00 am and the sun wasn't even up yet. Our TTC driver arrived and loaded our luggage in the car--we took one last look at GF and drove off. Our driver was different from our first--it was Mohammed!! I told him he is famous on the internet and he laughed and said everyone keeps telling him this. He told us he is the most requested driver for TTC. The fires had gotten very bad last night and the air was very smoky and dark over one side of the road. We got to the airport by 6:30 , we thanked Mohammed and went over to check our bags. This is when we found out our flight had been cancelled!!!!! ---UGH!!! We went in to see what we could do and found out we could take a flight that left in a few minutes--we could have never made it there in time---and it also had a layover in Charlotte . We opted for the 10:03 that went straight to Philly. I must have said a million times--we could be at GF still and eating a nice breakfast at the GF Cafe. But we made the best of the three long hours in MCO. I called home and had my hubby cancel our limo and had him pick us up. Then we went to rent a cart to carry the huge shopping bags from WDW that were breaking our backs. We ate and shopped--lol. When we got to the gate, I realized I left my GF mug somewhere, so I went all the way back to the terminal to see if I could find it--I never did! Thankfully, they had two styles in our room and I , being greedy, bought them both. ( I am still trying to get the Mickey and Minnie one from GF) The nice thing was that they had put us in first class. Very nice to board the plane first and have actual food with real dishes and silverware. The only downside was that the plane was so filthy. The tray table was so sticky I had to wipe it off---just gross!! The flight was again a little bumpy but uneventful. It was freezing in Philly--I was glad I bought that $40.00 WDW sweatshirt jacket--lol Hubby was there waiting for me and we headed off to drop my Mom back to her office where her car was. It was nice to be home but I was still missing WDW!!! Final Thoughts Thanks to all of you who have read my report. I know I left a lot of things out such as rides I rode and things we did but like I said in Part 1, I didn't take notes, so I was just going from memory. The Grand Floridian was wonderful. I was so thrilled to get the view I had requested and the fact that we had a newly renovated room was a bonus. I heard some people at the pool complaining about all of the construction going on but I really though GF did the best they could to cover things up and keep it looking nice. I can't say enough about the magical view from my room--I just can't wait to get the pictures back. Maybe I'll have the 100 or so I took of my view blown up to poster size for when I need my fix of WDW--LOL Our room was the "Swan theme" and it was very pretty. WE loved the shops at GF and wished we could have eaten at Citrico's or Narcoosee's but there just wasn't enough time. There's always next time!! It nice to be home with my family but I am still suffering WDW withdraw . Tomorrow I'm sure I will start with the "....last week at this time I was.........."--lol I'm sure you all know how I feel. Thanks again for reading!!!! Andrea Rollins Mickeymom5@aol.com Mail a Comment to Andrea Rollins |
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