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Ellen Cunningham -- May-June 2003 -- Walt Disney World (CR)Cunningham's WDW AdventureCast of Characters
Dates
Pre-trip Information We really hadn’t planned on a trip to WDW this year as there was A LOT going on in our lives. Our dear SIL Jay was deployed on January 21st. He stayed stateside at Fort Carson in Colorado Springs until May 21st, then was sent to Kuwait. Elizabeth (our DD) was a wreck and we all stayed very close by her side. Our youngest DD Stephanie was to graduate from college on June 8th, and this is usually our WDW time frame. We had a 7-day cruise to the Eastern Caribbean already planned, as a graduation present for Stephanie and the whole family in late June. We thought maybe after Jay got home later in the year we would all go to Disney . . . well that sounded good but…!!! We were having lunch one day and Mother was bemoaning the fact that she wasn’t going to spend her birthday with Mickey Mouse this year and she always does, and how sad she was. . . and on and on and on. Good grief she was acting like a 3 year old. LOL I looked right at her and said if you want to go so bad, then let’s go. Her eyes started to sparkle and she wondered if we could do it on such short notice. If you all remember our mess last year with our Travel Agent, well needless to say she is no longer in business. So we have no local travel agent. I asked her if she was serious and she said YES!! I told her I would like to try to do it myself with Your Magical Journeys help. All was looking great. As soon as I got home I e-mailed Tink with my requests and wants, and . . . well the rest is history. We were on our way!!! Nanc you are the best, and I owe you a BIG Thank you.
May 28th – the day before departure We were up early, as Doug and I both had decided to work all day today. Man, this was one very long day, and it didn’t help that about every 10 minutes, Eleanor (the other secretary), Karen (the custodian) or Pastor Todd would say, "Are you getting excited yet?" Oh my goodness – YES!! I got off at 4:00 p.m. and headed right home. When Doug walked through the door at 5:00 p.m. I was tapping my foot. I was more than ready to hit the road. He had to load the car and do chores yet, so we finally said good-bye to the animals and was headed to pick up Mom at 6:00 p.m. Not great but not too bad. As we were leaving Mom’s, Matthew realized he had forgotten his wallet. So back to our house we went. Wallet in hand and on the way to the interstate, when Mother said, "Oh my, I have forgotten Stephanie’s graduation present." Good grief!!! Back to Mom’s, present in hand and finally we hit the interstate at 6:30 p.m. We drive about 20 miles and my phone rings and it is Elizabeth, "You are stopping in Kearney to say good bye, right?!" Yes, honey we will be right there. Kisses, hugs and good byes said, we are again on the road. It is now 7:15 p.m. and we have only gone 30 miles. We get close to Grand Island (about 60 miles from home) and Mother, bless her heart, says "I am hungry, is anyone else?" So we stop to eat. We had planned to eat in Lincoln with Stephanie at our favorite Cracker Barrel, this is a tradition of sorts. But it was getting late so stop to eat we do. On the road again and are in Lincoln at 9:45 p.m. Stephanie is disappointed but we meet at the IHOP for yet another meal. Kisses, hugs and good byes said and we are again on the road to our final destination – Omaha. We check into the Motel at – would you believe - after midnight. We go right to bed as we have a 5:30 a.m. wake up call. What a start to a wonderful vacation.
Day 1 – Thursday May 29th, 2003 We were up at 5:30 a.m. We were all just giddy with excitement. We grabbed a bagel and juice and we were on the shuttle by 6:30 a.m. Check in at the airport was smooth. Boarded the plane at 8:00 a.m. and landed perfectly in St. Louis at 9:30 a.m. I so wanted Matthew to see the Gateway Arch. As a little girl we lived in St. Louis and I always loved going into the city to the arch or to see a Cardinal game at Bush Stadium. He was able to see the Stadium and the Arch. He was impressed. We had just an hour layover, just long enough to use the restrooms and sit for a minute. We all got ice cream cones for breakfast. Isn’t vacation great!! Boarded the plane at 10:30 a.m. – next stop WDW. We landed in Orlando early at 1:30 p.m. Our Limo driver was waiting for us in baggage claim. The boys found the bags, we loaded up and we were off. We called the girls from the Limo to let them know we had arrived safely, and to let them experience a bit of the magic with us. We all missed them being with us. I can’t even begin to explain the feeling when we saw the first purple sign, went under the Magic Kingdom welcome sign, saw the monorail or the breathtaking first glance of the Castle. These were all so great, but as we pulled up to the Contemporary and Janet, from the concierge was there to welcome us home, that was priceless. Hugs around and she wisked us off to our room. We got everything and more that we had asked for. It was perfect. Thanks Nanc, you are the best. Our luggage was soon to follow. We were hungry so up to concierge for a snack. Janet joined us and we caught up on our lives. We were so glad to see her. We unpacked and got settled in. I always feel so much better once those suitcases are empty and out of sight. We went down to the shops and I got my postcards. We decided to go to the Outer Rim for an Adult Beverage before our PS at Chef Mickey’s at 6:00 p.m. Matthew went to check out the arcade then joined us for his usual Roy Rogers. We sat and just marveled that we were really here. At 6:00 we went up to the podium and checked in, took our picture (I bought it of course) and sat for about 5 minutes. Dinner was great as usual. Mother and Doug made complete pigs of themselves with the peel and eat shrimp. Well stuffed and happy we left and decided we were just to tired to go to the Magic Kingdom, but wasn’t ready to go to the room just yet either. Doug suggested we make the loop around on the Monorail. This was exactly what we needed. We got off at the Grand Floridian and went in to look around. As we walked in the orchestra was playing and Doug and I danced. This was so special. This to me is what WDW is all about. Here we were dancing in the middle of the balcony and not one person (well maybe Matthew) thought we were weird. And for those of you who know Doug, know this is way out there for him, but that is what being here will do for a very shy person like him. We went to look at the menu and hours for the café. It is one of our favorite places to eat. From there we continued our trek around the loop. Oh my that first look down Main Street is so cool. Back to the room and I called MargaretJ. She and her son Matt were at the Animal Kingdom lodge. We became best of friends through the old clubhouse and have met at WDW for years now. Matt even came and spent a week with us in Nebraska last summer. The boys were going to do e-night tomorrow and we made plans to meet. We were in our happy place, God willing, for another time, life was very good. One more quick look at that beautiful castle and off to dreamland we went.
Day 2 – Friday May 30, 2003 I was up first at 8:00 a.m. Come on family, up, get up, hello, we are in WDW, and hey our vacation has started. Oh forget them – I showered, dressed and left them to sleep. I went straight down to the front desk and got Matthew’s E-Night ticket for tonight. Then I went up to concierge for my wonderful croissants. I dream of these things, they are soooooo good. I got to visit with James and Andi, they are both so neat. We were so glad to see each other and catch up. It wasn’t long before Doug followed then Matthew and finally Mom. The boys wanted to go golfing so we made t-times for them on Sunday. We sat and talked about our day. We never hurry to get to the parks, and would you believe me when I say, we have never ever been to early entry? But we can say we have closed every park down. LOL We went back to the room and got everything settled and packed on Mom’s wheelchair. (I might add-My Mother is not wheelchair bound but there is no way she could ever walk the long distances that there is in WDW. We always request and receive a wheelchair from the Contemporary for the length of our stay at no charge. This is a really great perk.) We head for the monorail to the Magic Kingdom. The doors open and WOW we are here. The smells, the music, the view down Mainstreet, the castle, oh how I love this place. We get about half-way down Mainstreet and the trolley dancers pull up and do a wonderful musical skit. What a neat way to be welcomed to the MK. We get to the castle and the celebration is just starting. We stop to watch, and Matthew is having a fit. He wants to go and we want to stay and watch. We stay and he pouts a bit. But by the time it was over he was really enjoying it. From there we head for It’s a Small World. This is a first ride tradition. My Mom just loves this ride and we always ride it first for her. Next we rode Snow White, then the Haunted Mansion. The crowds are very small, no waits or very little if any. By this time it is almost 1:00 and we are getting hungry so we go off to Pecos Bills for lunch. We all got cheeseburgers and cokes. The fixin’ bar here is really good. While I was waiting in line, Doug and Mom went and got us a table and Matthew went to get fastpasses for Splash Mountain. Lunch was just what we needed. We went to the Country Bears next. This is sort of sappy but we love it! When we came out they were starting to rope off for the parade. We found a shady spot for Mom, and we took turns going and looking in the shops. I really enjoyed this parade. We watched it last year (I was taping it) in the pouring rain. So I really wanted to see it again. We all thought it was great. After the parade we went on Splash Mountain with our fastpasses. We all sat in our own row, and asked for a log to our selves. We had a plan!! On the drop when your picture is taken we were all going to stick our arms out in different directions. The picture is priceless. Doug, Matthew and I stuck our hands out but Mom is hanging on for dear life. When she saw the picture she said, "Oh damn, I forgot to let go". LOL Of course we bought it. Next was our ride with the Pirates of the Caribbean, then we saw the Tiki Birds. I love to sing along with the birds. We were so close we just had to go on a Jungle Cruise. We had a ball standing in line. One of the CM’s there was having a ball. She had us doing – If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands, etc. We did the hokey pokey and she told some corny jokes. What fun and it sure makes standing in line a whole lot more fun. Our driver was Johnny and he was a blast. It sure makes a difference when you get a CM who loves their job. We next rode the Riverboat Belle. We had so much fun watching a family of ducks and ducklings. They followed the boat around the loop. They were so cute. If Momma went right they all did, if she ziged left they did also. So cute!! We were getting a bit hungry so to Casey’s we went. Hot Dogs, FF and cokes around. We lucked out as the Piano player was playing. We sang and clapped along. I so enjoy this, as our Stephanie is a marvelous piano player and most of the songs he plays are very familiar as Stephanie plays them also. Matthew ate fast and realized that the Mickey Celebration was almost to start in the Castle forecourt and he wanted to go watch it. What, really son, you saw it this morning and pouted through the whole thing. But off he went with a radio in hand so we could keep in touch. We just sat at Casey’s and finished up and just people watched until Matthew came back. Magic Kingdom was ready to close, as E-Night was to begin at 7:00. We walked back to the room, Matthew got there first as he was so excited to see Matt (MargaretJ’s son). As we walked into the room, there sat Margaret on my bed. My what a nice surprise. Hugs around and the boys proceeded to leave for e-night. We sat and talked and talked and talked. The phone rang and it was Rosie. She was at the Grand Floridian and wanted to go to Epcot for Illuminations and would we like to go? Yea! As we were getting ready to leave the phone rang and it was Cruey. Her and Mike and Michael had just arrived. We asked her if she would like to join us and she said no, but they would be over later tonight. YEA!!! Doug and Mom decided to stay in the room. Margaret and I went down to the front of the Contemporary to wait, and wait and wait some more. Do you think we were excited? We waited about 20 minutes and all of a sudden a white SUV pulled up with the horn blaring and Margaret and I both looked at each other and said, "That would be Rosie." And sure enough it was. She jumped out and hugs around. We got in and we met her 2 sisters and darling little nephew, and off we zoomed. Oh my gosh, I thought for a minute I might never see my family again. Rosie was in a hurry and we only had 15 minutes to get there, but GET there we got. LOL She somewhere made a wrong turn and we ended up going in the out and finally parked in a handicapped space. We all limped. LOL As we walked into Epcot, Illuminations was starting. We walked/ran back to World Showcase, and watched from Mexico. Wow this was great. Good friends and Illuminations – Life is so good!! Afterwards, they all had to go to the bathroom so I sat outside and started talking to a really nice young lady with a darling little girl. One by one they all started coming out and the young lady asked me if we were all sisters, we said no, and then she asked us where we were from. And of course we were from all over. I told her we were just really good friends and we met on the Internet. Well I will tell you all – that conversation was over with RIGHT NOW. She looked at us and completely turned her back to us. I really think she thought we were all ax murderers. We all just laughed and took off. It was so funny to see the look on her face. Rosie took her sisters back to the Grand Floridian and we went to the Contemporary and valeted the SUV. Rosie came up to my room so I could get my refillable mug. She got to see Doug and Mom as they were still in the room. We went down to the Fun & Food and Cru and her family were there. The 4 of us were once again together in our favorite place. Rosie and Sharon had presents for all of us. We talked and talked and talked till almost 1:00 a.m. We had a ball. Rosie flew in just to be with us. She got in on Friday and will leave on Sunday. Now that is a friend. We finally said our good byes and I went up to my room to find my family still awake. They wanted to know all about my evening and me theirs. A quick look at my castle and lights out.
Day 3 – Saturday March 31, 2003 My what a short night. But it was so worth it. We all had such a great time. I again was up first but Doug followed and we went to concierge together. I took my postcards with me and got those all written and out. Mom and Matthew followed and we were able to get out of the room around 11:00. We were on our way to Epcot today. I just love that ride on the monorail over. First ,Our first ride was on Space Ship Earth. Next was Ellen’s Adventure. This a favorite of Matthew’s, I have no idea why but it is. He loves dinosaurs so I guess that might be why. J Our fastpass window was open so off we went for our ride on Test Track. We all just had a ball looking at all of the new cars at the end. We sat and dreamed and each picked out the one or two we would like to take home with us. LOL As we passed Mouse Gears we had to stop and do a little shopping. We sent our purchases back to the room. We headed over to the Land. We got fastpasses for the boat ride. We were hungry so while we were waiting for our fastpasses to be good, we ate. I had the spaghetti, Mom had a tuna salad sub, Doug had the spinach wrap and Matthew had a Chicken Caesar salad. For those of you who have read my previous trip reports do you realize Matthew has not had 1 PP & J sandwich? LOL My baby is growing up. We took the boat ride and enjoyed it as always. It is so much fun to see what new things they are growing. We shopped some and Matthew bought a new pair of sunglasses. I couldn’t wait to go to Honey I Shrunk the Audience. I just love the pre-show. Oh I was sooooo disappointed as they are redoing it and there was no pre-show. How dare them!! The show was great as always. I love to watch the first timers. It was now 4:30 and we needed to get back to the room as we all were meeting for dinner tonight at O’Hanas. We didn’t even get over to World Showcase today. We showered, rested and dressed for dinner. We took the monorail over to the Polynesian. We walked in and we were all so glad to see each other, and talk about our days. I had a great surprise as LindaB joined us for dinner. I had never met this nice lady and she was a great addition to our little group. We waited almost 45 minutes for this PS and then when we did finally get seated they sat us at 2 different tables. Oh my, I was very upset. This was a concierge PS and it was made 3 months in advance. I was not happy, but Rosie was livid. She really let them have it. Not that it made any difference though, as they weren’t going to do anything about it. As it was, it was okay as the girls all sat at one table and the boys at their own table. After dinner we decided to go to Magic Kingdom to watch the parade and the fireworks. LindaB and my family took the monorail and the rest took the ferry. We made plans to meet at Exposition Hall. Well somehow we never got together. Margaret told me later that when they entered the park they went to City Hall and couldn’t get over to the Exposition Hall. Doug and I waited and waited but no one showed up. LindaB took my Mom and Matthew to the Plaza to get a good seat for the fireworks. Doug and I finally realized that no one was coming so we left and joined the rest of the family for the fireworks. We sat somewhat under a ledge so our view was not the best, but we were able to sit down. After the fireworks we just sat and talked and let the crowds thin out. We worked our way to the front of the park. We walked LindaB over to the bus for Animal Kingdom. We waited with her until I knew she was on. We then walked back to the Contemporary. This must have been our night for the giggles, as we didn’t settle down until after midnight. What a wonderful day we have had.
Day 4 – Sunday June 1, 2003 We all got up about the same time this morning. Except for Matthew, he decided that his bed was better than food. LOL The rest of us went to concierge for breakfast and then walked over to the Magic Kingdom. My mission for today was a train ride and to explore in Toon Town. As we were waiting to board the train, Doug said, "Isn’t that Rosie!" Sure enough it was, and she was with a man that I didn’t recognize, (found out later it was Bobbler). I yelled and yelled, but she never did see us. We rode the train over to Toon Town and we explored Mickey & Minnie’s houses. I love doing this. There was A LOT of little ones here and the stroller brigade was out in full force today. We didn’t stay long. We decided to walk through FantasyLand and as we passed the carousel it was just sitting there waiting for us. Mother wanted so badly to ride but knew she couldn’t get up on a horse. So she was going to just sit on the benches on the carousel while I rode. Well Doug said- No way, you are going to ride too. Between the 2 of us we got Mom up on one of the carousel horses. I wish you could have seen her face, she was truly beaming. I had tears streaming down my face, as I know Mom was having the time of her life. This is a memory that I will NEVER forget. We had a great time. We then left Magic Kingdom and walked home. The boys got ready for golfing. I walked down to the bell station until their ride came. And they were off – Matthew was sooooooo excited. Today they were doing the Magnolia course. Mother and I decided we were hungry so down to the Concourse restaurant for a leisurely lunch. We had French onion soup and crème brulee. Now that is a GOOD lunch. LOL From lunch Mother went to do some shopping and I went to the Fun & Food here in the Contemporary for a meet. This was so much fun. I was able to meet quite a few new friends. These are always so neat. It is nice to finally put a face with a stage name and especially when you have chatted for some time. We said our good-byes around 3. Back up to the room and Mother was just getting ready to take a nap so I decided to grab my book and mug and go to the pool. I read, and swam until about 4:30. We have a 6:30 PS at the Brown Derby tonight so I thought I had better go and get ready. So up to the room to find Mother still napping and no boys yet. So I took my shower and got ready. It is now around 5:00 and still no one up or back yet. So I decide to go get some adult beverages and have them before we left for dinner. I went down to the Fun & Food. I was going to get 4 beers and 2 wine coolers. I almost choked and fainted dead. For one beer they wanted $6.25----FOR 1 BUD LIGHT----hello, that is even expensive for Disney. So I said no thanks and went to the Sundries shop on the 4th floor. Way in the back I remember them having beverages. There I found a Bud Light for $1.75. Now this is more like it. Still expensive but I can handle this. So I made my purchases went back to the room and put them on ice for later. I woke Mother up and she got ready and still no boys. By now I am a little worried that we won’t make our 6:30 Brown Derby PS. Now is it very close to 6:00 and in walked the boys. They both looked like lobsters. Of course they had no hats on or sunscreen, but oh they had fun. I rushed them to get ready because now it is 6:10. They hustled and we had a quick beverage and were out the door at 6:20. As we in the elevator I suggested we take a cab, because waiting for a bus would just take to darn long. So out to bell services and we caught a cab. As we were pulling out we told him of our 6:30 PS and if he could get us to the Brown Derby fast we would double his tip. OMG off we flew------literally. He dropped us off at the front of MGM at exactly 6:30. When Doug handed him his money I thought he was going to faint. LOL We hurried up to the Brown Derby and checked in. We were only 8 minutes late. What fun! We were seated, ordered and while we were waiting, Matthew & I decided that if we hurried we could get a ride on RRC. So off we went. Standby was a complete walk on so we were in the pre show and off to the concert in 5 minutes. We ran all of the way back to the Brown Derby. Or waiter made us say we were sorry for letting our food get cold. It was hilarious. I had the Lobster Bisque and a Cobb Salad, the others had steaks. And of course we had Grapefruit cake for dessert. A wonderful meal. This is one of our favorite places to eat and tonight was great as always. Matthew got one of the light up ice cubes, darn those are fun. We walked slowly back to Fantasmic. It was a beautiful night. Fantasmic was awesome. I just love to watch this show. We thoroughly enjoyed it. We sat and waited for the crowds to thin a bit. We shopped our way out. Matthew found a neat pair of ESPN mesh shorts and shirt. Of course Grandma bought them for him. She spoils him rotten. We caught a bus back to the room and decided we wanted a snack so down to Fun & Food we went. Hot chocolate and cookies and we were happy. I bet we sat there talking and laughing till almost 11:30. What fun. Back to the room and in bed by midnight.
Day 5 – Monday June 2, 2003 Doug and I were up at 6:30 a.m. We went to concierge and Mom and Matthew were soon to follow. I wanted so bad to make early entry at Animal Kingdom today. We walked out of the room at 8:30 and a bus was waiting for us. We entered AK at 9:00, it was past EE but still pretty good for this family. We were only going to be here till after lunch so we had some hustling to do if we were going to get everything done we wanted to. Festival of the Lion King was first on our list. I love this show and each time I see something different. While we were waiting for the show to start Matthew ran over and got FP for ITTBAB. He got back just in time and we all enjoyed the show. Next on our agenda was Kali River Rapids, so we parked Mom under a shade tree next to another lady waiting for her family. They started talking and we were off for a good soaking. It was so hot out today and this park was packed, so I would not have been unhappy to get soaked, and of course we did. From here we used our FP for ITTBAB. I love watching this show and especially the unsuspecting souls who have no idea what is coming. LOL We then went over to Dinosaur and while we were waiting in line Doug went and got FP’s for the Safari. Dinosaur was bumpier I thought this year but was great as usual. We were getting hungry so off to Flame Tree BBQ. I stood in line and I sent the rest to get a good table in the shade down by the water. Doug got them settled and came back to help me and just in time I might add. I had no idea where I was going and had 3 trays. LOL Oh how I love eating lunch here. When I am at home and the snow is blowing I always put myself here. I know that might sound corny, but I do. It is just so beautiful and so peaceful. There was the cutest little boy about 3, sitting next to us. He was just a doll. He was talking away and all of a sudden he asked his Mother, "Can we go to Apricot (Epcot) now?" Everyone who was in ear shot started to laugh. That was the cutest thing I had heard in a long time. And the rest of the trip and even since returning home, one us will say, "Can we go to Apricot today?" LOL While we were eating lunch it started to rain and then it just poured. We sat for awhile and the sun came out after 15 – 20 minutes. We walked over to the safari and got right on. We had a great guide that really took the time to point things out to us. We were able to see the White Rino today. We all really enjoyed this. We had done all we came to do so we worked our way to the front. We stopped at the Rainforest Café to do some shopping. I wanted to get something for the girls. I found some really neat sets of creams and gels. Matthew found a shirt also. We got to the busses and grabbed one for MGM. As soon as we stepped in the gates Matthew asked if he could go out on his own. We were going to go to Beauty and the Beast and Voyage of the Little Mermaid. I can’t imagine why he didn’t want to go with us J but ……ok son if you must leave us at least take a radio and meet us at Muppets 3D in 2 hours. Darn he is growing up way to fast. So off he went-----so happy to be by himself (He rode RRC and TOT 5 times each) and we went the other way. L We just made it as it started. We sat on the front row and it was great. It is hotter than heck today and we were leaking everywhere. Next was the Voyage of the Little Mermaid. I always think of our DD Elizabeth, she just loves the Little Mermaid. Knows all of the words to the Movie. She has worn out one Movie so we bought her another one and now she has the DVD. We were a little early for the Muppet show so we got something cool to drink and found some shade to wait. Matthew was right on time so in we went. It was so cold in there that by the time we got out the heat felt good. I wanted to go to Millionaire Play It next as it was right on our way. I would just love to get in the hot seat. But I am afraid it probably will never happen. But darn it is fun to try. Matthew wanted to go to Indiana Jones so we took off for that. We just made it in. The show had just started, and it was great. While we were in the show I could have sworn it was thundering, but everyone just kept telling me it was part of the show. Well what do they know as when the show was over and we went outside it was very black and yes it was thundering. No rain yet, but the sky looked terrible. We ducked into Sounds Dangerous. It was dark, and cool and I feel asleep. I have never done that before and I was so embarrassed. I guess I was more tired than I thought I was. So after my little nap we decided we were through with MGM so we shopped our way out of the park. On the way we stopped to watch the street show. They were doing – "Where are you from." This was a blast. I stopped in the 5 & Dime and made a new beaded key chain for Stephanie. Last year when we were here she made one with her boyfriends name on it. Well needless to say, and thank the Good Lord, that guy is long gone and she needed a new one I thought. J It was still really thundering but even so we headed for the boats. (They were still running, which really surprised me. But the driver said there was no lighting.) We wanted to go to the Boardwalk for our yearly pizza tradition. We got to the Boardwalk and secured a table outside of Spoodles. We got a large Hamburger Pizza, Caesar salads, breadsticks and cokes. I swear this is the best and most enjoyable meal we ever do in WDW. We like to do it when the moon is full and every once in awhile it is. But not this year as it was about 10 days from full. We called the girls just so they could be a part of the evening. We really miss them not being with us. The Boardwalk was rather slow tonight. There were no entertainers, and not much music. But we didn’t care we were just enjoying the calm and cool evening. After dinner we shopped some. Then we grabbed a cab back to the Contemporary. We got back to the room and I got my jammies on real fast. Mother and Doug decided they weren’t ready for bed just yet so they wanted to go down to the Outer Rim for an adult beverage. I wanted to go, but they were going NOW and didn’t want to wait for me to get dressed again, (mean family L ) so I just put a sweater over my jammies and we were off. Not one person looked funny at me so I think I pulled it off. J Matthew had a Roy Rogers, which he swears are the best here. LOL We had so much fun and even got to see the Electrial Water Parade. We again called the girls so they could join in the fun also. Back to the room and to bed around midnight.
Day 6 – Tuesday June 3, 2003 – Birthday day!! We slept in today. Not a one of us woke up before 8:00. Doug and I hurried and got ready and up to Concierge to get the party set up. Matthew stayed behind to get ready and to stall Grandma for a bit of time until we were ready. At 9:00 they walked off of the elevator to hugs from Janet and we all sang Happy Birthday. We had her presents on the table for her. What a good time we had. We were in no hurry so we really enjoyed the morning. At 11:30 with Mom’s Birthday button on, we headed for the monorail to TTC then on to Epcot. We got to sit up front all the way to Epcot. We all got our licenses – how cool is that. We didn’t even have to ask, they saw Mom’s button and told her, her carriage was waiting. So cute!! On the way over it started to rain/pour. We headed right through the park to the Le Cellar for a birthday lunch. We were a little early and it was still raining so we went to see O Canada. This was a first for us and we all really liked it. We checked in and the CM at the desk told Mother that she had a message waiting for her. For a minute I thought something dreadful had happened at home until I saw her beaming face. Goofy was on the other end singing Happy Birthday to her. This was priceless. That Disney Magic never ceases to amaze me. J We were seated in the Manitoba section and our waitress was great. We all got the Cheddar Cheese soup and enjoyed 2 helpings of the bread. I just love the pretzel one. We all got filets and they were all cooked to perfection. Mother got her dessert free, she picked Chocolate cake, I had the crème brulee and Doug and Matthew had the cheesecake. We stayed till almost 1:00, we thoroughly enjoyed this. As we walked out the rain had stopped and the sun was out in full force – darn it is now hotter than heck. We went to Great Britain as Mom and I both wanted to get a supply of teas. As we were checking out the CM put 2 candy bars in Mom’s bag, as a Birthday present. More of the Disney Magic we all love! J We toured around World Showcase till around 3:00 p.m. and decided we had had enough. It was so hot and we were pooped. On the way out we stopped in Mouse Gears and did a bit of shopping. Back to the room and as we walked in there were streamers, balloons, cards, a cake and a bottle of wine for the Birthday girl. She was so excited. We rested for a bit then cleaned up and left for the Grand Floridian, for afternoon tea. This is another thing we never miss doing. Our favorite server Dottie was there. She was sooooo excited to see us. We had a ball. We have been having tea here since Matthew was 8. Him and Dottie always have a growing contest. The first year Matthew just fit under her arm, (Dottie is only about 5’ 2) and each year they always laugh at how Matthew is growing. This year Dottie fit under Matthew’s arm. It was so funny to see how things switched. She just about died, when she saw how Matthew has grown. We stayed for a couple of hours and they were 2 of the nicest, most relaxing 2 hours of the trip. We said our good byes for another year. Went back to the room and I really wanted to go back to Epcot to see Illuminations, but nobody else wanted to. It was so hot and humid out today that we all were really lagging. So I was going by myself and at the last minute Doug decided to join me. Matthew and Mom stayed behind and had a nice evening. We entered the park and went right into World Showcase and rode the boat over to Morocco, we worked our way around and shopped and looked. At China I bought a few things. We decided we needed to find a spot for Illuminations. We had about an hour and ½ to wait so I went and got us a beverage in Germany, you know the ones that come in 36 ounces. LOL Hey – we shared!! We just sat and talked and watched the sunset and the World Showcase come alive with all the lights. Illuminations started and it was as wonderful as it always is. We slowly walked out knowing that we have had a wonderful time. Back to the room and Mom and Matthew were sitting out on the balcony watching the castle change colors and having a great time. Matthew just worships his Grandma, so this alone one-on-one time together was priceless. The girls had called to wish their Grandma a happy day. We opened the wine (Mom had put it on ice) and just enjoyed each other. We even let Matthew have a little bit. As we were getting ready for bed the phone rang and it was Cru, they were downstairs in the Fun & Food and could I come down real quick. So of course I did and they had a Birthday present for my Mom. What a sweetheart she is. MargaretJ had also given Mom a beautiful litho of the 4 parks. These are 2 of the sweetest women you will ever have the privilege of knowing. I love them like family. Thanks to you both for being such good friends and loving my Mother as we do. You are the best!!!! Back to the room and Mom was just thrilled with her present. Cruey, you did good honey. We all talked some more and finally turned the lights out very late, but what a good day we have had. Until next year – Happy Birthday to my dear Mother.
Day 7 – Wednesday June 4, 2003 Today was our last full day in the parks so we had a lot to do. I got up early and went and had a cup of coffee while everyone got ready. We went to the Grand Floridian for breakfast at 1900 Park Fare. This is a favorite of ours. As we were walking through the lobby we stopped and watched them change the flowers in the pots. This was very interesting to watch. Those flower arrangements are always so beautiful and now I know how they make them so pretty. We checked in and waited about 10 minutes. We were shown our table and to the buffet we went. I just love their made to order omelet bar, and the bread pudding with the vanilla sauce is just to die for. I was so excited to hear the organ playing. We were here last year and it was broke. When I inquired about it, I was told that they weren’t going to fix it as it was very expensive. Well I guess they dipped in somewhere because she was fixed and playing beautiful music. They were singing Happy Birthday to someone about every 10 minutes. Pretty soon here they came with a cake and lit candle for Mom. Everyone sang Happy Birthday, she made her wish and blew the candle out. She/We wondered how they knew, but upon looking at the ticket on the table of when they sit you, it had birthday-Delores. That was so nice, but the best part of this morning came from the cutest little girl named Darcy. We had all sang Happy Birthday to her right before they sang to Mom. All of a sudden here she was at our table. She came up to my Mom and said, "Happy Birthday Delores." Mother said, "Happy Birthday to you Darcy." She kind of climbed up on Mom’s lap and they visited. I looked over at her parents – they were across the room, and asked them if I could take a picture of her. They said yes. We found out she was from Conn. And was 5 years old today. She asked Mom how old she was and Mom said 77 and Darcy just giggled. She was just precious. As she was leaving she looked at my Mom’s cupcake and asked her if she was going to eat her Mickey on top. Mother said no, she could have it and she popped it in her mouth. She then bent up and gave Mom a kiss on her check. It was so cute, I even got kind of misty eyed. We left the GF and monorailed to the Magic Kingdom. As we entered mainstreet we got our picture taken in front of the castle. It is so much fun to look back at these and see how we all have changed from year to year. The park was very uncrowded today, which was good as we had a lot of ground to cover. First up Splash Mountain, then Big Thunder Mountain. From there we went over and rode Buzz. The boys wanted to ride together so Mother and I were behind them. I have never steered before so I had a heck of a time steering and shooting all at the same time. Our scores were – Doug, 107,300 Matthew, 143,800, Mother 34,300 and I got a measly 2,700. We then went on the People mover for a nice cool ride. Matthew and I then took off for another spin on Space Mountain. Mom and Doug waited for us. When we came out Doug had bought Mom a bottle of water with a Mickey spout on top. It was so cute and you would have thought it was a million dollars. She was so cute with it. It was about 3:00 and hotter than heck so we decided to go back to the room for a bit and rest. We would be back tonight to watch the parade and fireworks. We stopped and bought our picture on the way out. Walked back to the room. We called Stephanie and Elizabeth. Matthew wanted to go down to the arcade and we just rested for about 45 minutes in the air conditioning. Mother wanted to go to Epcot to get some things for the girls in Canada. They have a brand of clothing there called Roots and my kids just love it. Matthew had seen a pair of drumsticks at the gift shop after RRC in MGM and he really wanted them. Matthew hardly ever asks for anything, he had seen these earlier in the week and I had told him we could go back and get them. Well today was it so off we went. We hopped on the monorail to the TTC, switched monorails for the Epcot one and sat, and sat, and sat. They were putting on an additional express monorail. After about 20 minutes we were off. The skies were really turning black and very threatening. As we got off it was raining, so we donned our ponchos and continued on. Nothing was going to ruin our last day. We got to Canada, and it was pouring so hard you could barely see the Beaver tail stand from the doorway. We made our purchases and waited for it to let up a bit and it did, so we were now off to MGM. As we got to the bridge and down the walkway to the International Gateway, it dumped rain again and this time there was close lightening. Needless to say we took cover in the shop there at the bottom of the hill. I had never been in here before and I was quite nicely surprised. This shop – sorry I can’t remember the name of it – is really nice. We stayed about ½ hour and of course we found a few things we just couldn’t live without. They do have a very nice selection of watches and clocks. The storm passed and the boats were running so we took off. We just love to go this way to MGM. I know it is the longest way, but it is also the most relaxing and oh so pretty. As we entering MGM it started to sprinkle again but nothing more. We went right back to RRC and there was no line to speak of, so I looked at Doug and even before I could ask, they both said go ahead and ride we will wait right here for you. WELL you don’t have to tell me twice I was off. WooHoo another surprise ride on RRC. I got Matthew’s drumsticks and we walked out of the park. We took a bus back to the Contemporary as it was again lightening and raining. We got back to the room and freshened up a bit and decided to eat at the Concourse tonight. Doug and I had fillets, Mother had a T-bone and Matthew had his first PP & J of the trip. We had crab cakes for an appetizer. These are the best here. We had a PS with our favorite waiter Gary at the California Grill for tonight but upon arrival we found out he was on vacation this week. So we canceled and decided to eat at the Concourse. The food here is delicious and the ambience is wonderful. After dinner it was still storming so we decided we weren’t going to go back to the MK tonight. L We did our last minute shopping and went to the room to start the dreaded job of packing. It stopped raining, and we thought of going over real quick to catch the fireworks but just as fast decided to just watch them from our balcony. They had the evening parade and fireworks only 2 nights during our stay. I don’t know what was up with that and MK closed every night at 7:00 p.m. so that made it harder for us to get a lot done. We packed some more then decided we needed a break. We went down to the Outer Rim for a nice break. We had Matthew’s Caricature done. For the last 3 years Ty has done this for us and we hadn’t seen him earlier in the week but he was there tonight so we got it done. It really is probably the best one. We had a very nice evening and so enjoyed just sitting and talking. We didn’t do as we had planned but sometimes things just work out. We went back up to the room and finished packing and sat out on the balcony. It had finally quit raining and the night was beautiful. No one wanted to go in, as we knew this was the last night for awhile. A last look at the castle and lights out at 12:30.
Day 8 – Thursday June 5, 2003 We had requested a late check out, so we didn’t have to hurry this morning. Got up around 7:00 and up to concierge. Everyone else soon followed. We sat and talked to Janet and Imminal (Head of Concierge). These are some of the nicest CM’s that you will ever find. We made the comment that we would love to see the suites on the 14th floor. Well, it was no sooner was out of my mouth when we were on our way up to the 14th floor. Janet took us to the presidential suite. Well this is WAY out of my price range, but it was beautiful. There were 2 separate bedrooms with sitting areas, full bath, large screen TVs, sliding glass doors out to a full patio complete with table, chairs, Umbrellas and a beautiful view. You could see MGM, and Epcot. In between the 2 bedrooms was a living room, with 3 couches, full dining table with 6 chairs, and complete bar, another full bathroom, a huge patio, large screen TV and over stuffed chairs and sofas. It was just beautiful. I could be very happy here for a month or so. Doug and I both made the comment that if we were ever to win the Lottery we would bring our friends and stay here. So start praying everyone. LOL This room rate per night is $5,000. The concierge lounge on the 14th floor is very pretty with couches and TVs. The offerings are the same as on the 12th floor. And as nice as the 14th floor is, I am just as happy on the 12th, and especially where Doug would not enjoy the view (he is very afraid of heights) of the 14th floor. We don’t even stay on the 12th floor, as even this is also to high for him. LOL Back down to the 12th floor and it was time for good byes. Oh how I do NOT like to say good bye. Janet and her crew are our friends. We went to the room and got everything ready to leave. One last look on the balcony of that beautiful castle and we had to pull the door shut until next time. We had a 1:00 check out time, and our limo was picking us up at 1:30 so down to the front we went and waited, and waited, and waited. By 1:45 I was getting worried that they forgot us. We have a 4:30 flight and it was getting later by the minute. I went to the bell station and inquired about the service we had. They made a phone call and were told they were at the Grand Floridian and would be right there. Another ½ hour went by and we called again, this time they kept hanging up on the gentleman who was helping us. By this time Brett (the man helping me) was on a mission and he was getting very upset by the treatment he was getting. It is now 2:30 and I am livid, as we are 2 hours from our flights. I go to the family and say come on we will just take a taxi and I will worry about this when I get home. As we were dragging our suitcases to a cab up drove our Limo. The driver got out and started to argue with me saying I had told him I wanted a 4:30 pickup. I told him that is not what I said and that he had it wrote down on his clip board to pick us up at 1:30, he continued to argue with me and at this point Doug was loading the luggage himself. He got his notes and realized he was wrong but never even said he was sorry. I just wanted to get loaded and off to the airport. Well needless to say we made it in time, but just barely. I just hated that our wonderful vacation ended on such a sour note, but in the end all worked out. We unloaded and I went into the terminal and saw the line was longer than any line we saw in WDW and came back out and decided to curb check. They were wonderful to us and one couple even let us go in front of them as they were in no hurry and we were less than an hour now to flight time. We got a wheelchair for my Mother, as I knew we were going to have to HURRY. As we got to security the line was about a ½ mile long but with Mom being in a wheelchair they put us in another line and we were through in minutes. Got to the gate and they were already boarding, so on we went. WOW that was very close. Flights home were uneventful and we arrived in Omaha at 8:30 p.m. CST. We drove to Lincoln and checked in to the Embassy Suites. Stephanie came to the hotel to visit for a bit. Matthew decided to go home with her and spend the night. Well that is the end of our wonderful vacation to WDW. Stephanie’s College graduation was on Saturday and we had a great day. We are so proud and the whole family was together to celebrate. We stayed in Lincoln until Sunday then headed for Lexington and arrived home at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday. Ellen Cunningham ejcunningham_3@hotmail.com Mail a Comment to Ellen Cunningham |
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