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Catharine Westbrook -- May 2003 -- Walt Disney World (WL)Cast
Specifics
Summary The underlying reason for this trip was really so our daughter could see her Gommie (my mom). The fact that my mom lives about an hour from WDW is a wonderful bonus. When I started looking at hotels I discovered a good AAA rate at the Swan so I booked us there. I’m one of those wacko type people who exercise even on vacation so I needed to book somewhere with a gym. Always on the lookout for a better deal I kept checking numerous sites and discovered Disney codes on Mousesavers for our travel time. I called CRO thinking nothing would be open that we wanted but I got lucky and both AKL and WL were available for about the same rate as the Swan. Since all three of us love the outdoors and Libby loves playing on the beach I went with the WL. From the beginning I planned this as a very low-key vacation (no long park days for this family) since our daughter is so young and this would be her first visit to the WDW parks (or any amusement park for that matter). We’ve learned the hard way that crowds, darkness and loud noise can frighten her so we are going to try to do things at her pace. We had made a trip down last March staying at the Wyndham in DTD but when Libby cried on the merry-go-round and train ride in DTD we decided that a trip into the Magic Kingdom would not be a wise move. We had a wonderful time though since Disney offers so many activities outside the parks. Anyway, getting back to this trip, since we have many more years to enjoy Disney we don’t want to turn her off to it on her 1st visit. Day 1, Thursday, May 1st Our departure day is finally here and I have this nagging suspicion that despite all my planning and lists I’ve forgotten some things, oh well it’s not like we’re going to Timbuktu. We have a 1:30 flight out of Philadelphia, which is about a 1-½ hour drive from our house in central NJ. Philly was considerably cheaper than Newark so it’s worth the drive. Plan: Leave house by 9:30 and drop off car by 11:00. Get shuttle to airport and check-in by 11:30. Get 1:30 flight arriving at MCO at 3:45. Get bags and rental car. Arrive at WL by 5pm. Actual: We started off pretty well by leaving the house at 9:45. We made really good time until we got into traffic from an accident. Luckily Michael has a good sense of direction and was able to navigate on local streets bypassing much of the traffic. Luckily we also had the potty-chair in the back of the car since Libby had to use it while we sat in traffic. Whoever invented the ziploc bag is a genius. To the people stuck in traffic behind us I apologize for my daughter mooning you. Anyway, we managed to get to Avistar lot around noon and to the airport at 12:30. We did curbside check in and sailed through security. We got to the gate with 30 minutes to spare. USAIR lets passengers with young children pre-board, which was nice. I went on with Libby’s carseat and got things set up while Michael took care of our daughter. We took off about 20 minutes late. Libby kept herself nicely entertained with stickers, paper, tape and markers the entire trip breaking occasionally to see what wonderful snacks Mommy had packed for her. I highly recommend the various food items that come in tubes. Despite our late departure we arrived at MCO at 3:45 as scheduled. We got our bags in about 5 minutes and headed to the National counter. Luckily I hadn’t chosen Alamo because there were easily 50 people waiting to be helped by 2 agents. No problems at the National counter except I forgot the vacation club $15 coupon. I was told to mail it in for a credit so we finished up with the agent and went to select a car. We decided on the white Mitsubishi Galant mainly because it was the 1st car in the lot. Since it was now close to rush hour we decided to take the toll roads to Disney in hopes of avoiding traffic, it worked. We got to the Wilderness Lodge around 5:30. We used valet parking ($6) since we didn’t know our way around yet. The bellhop got our bags and we went to check in. The pictures of the lobby really don’t do this resort justice. We were blown away when we saw it. There wasn’t any wait to check in and our CM was really nice. Our room request fax had been received and we were assigned a woods view room with bunk beds overlooking the otter pond (room 2012). I asked about upgrading to concierge. This was possible for $45 a night but we wouldn’t have a room with bunk beds or a pond view. We opted to have concierge access but stay in the room originally assigned. We got our room cards and went up to get settled. Our bags arrived within 15 minutes and we went off to the 7th floor concierge area to introduce ourselves and have a snack. It was wine and cheese time and the following items were available:
We had an assortment of things and found the selection to be ample for dinner. The soup was especially yummy. The concierge lounge at WL isn’t a room like in many other hotels but rather is set up along the railings overlooking the lobby. There were plenty of table and comfortable chairs/sofas available while we were there. It was a lot of fun to watch the lobby activity as well as the antics from the Whispering Canyon Café. After eating we decided on a quick swim. The pool area was really nice but quite crowded, with people as well as ducks. It seems that as soon as the lifeguards go off duty at 8:00pm the ducks feels the pool now belongs to them. They did share nicely though. We stayed about an hour and then went back to the room to change and unpack. Since desserts were being served on the 7th floor we decided to head up there. The following items were available:
I got myself a cup of coffee with a shot of Godiva chocolate liquor, Michael got a glass of Bailey’s Irish Cream and some cookies and Libby had a cookie with a glass of milk. This became our usual evening treat during our stay. After we finished we put Libby in her stroller for a walk around the grounds. I was also hoping to see the Electric Water Parade. It was quite dark in several spots and we made good use of Libby’s flashlight. We lucked out and got to the beach just as the MK fireworks started. Since this was the only night MK was having them during our stay due to grad nights it was a nice surprise and a great way to end a long day. Unfortunately, it was quite buggy on the beach so we didn’t stay for the parade. Once back in the room we got Libby settled in quickly since it was way past her normal 8:00 bedtime. I was glad the bed rail I asked the concierge staff about had arrived. I only wish I had asked for two since the bunk beds aren’t against the wall. Oh well, we pushed chairs against one side to keep Libby from crashing to the floor. She was asleep around 10pm and I set about getting our stuff ready for the next day. Since we only had 1 child the upper bunk became a great place to lay out clothes and store Libby’s toys, books etc. I woke up around 1:00 to pounding music and realized that we had a room facing MK on grad night. Luckily Libby is a heavy sleeper. Day 2, Friday, May 2nd Plan: Get up about 6:30am – shower and dress, have breakfast on 7th floor, get 1st launch to MK to arrive before 9am opening, tour Toontown, ride small world and anything else Libby wants to and we have time for before 11:30 PS at Crystal Palace. Have lunch then head back to hotel for rest and swim. In late afternoon go back to MK (7pm closing) or head to Epcot (9pm closing). Actual: We got up about 6:30am but it seemed to take us a little longer than planned to get moving. I sent Michael and Libby up to 7 for breakfast (cereal, fruit, juice, muffins, bagels, Danishes, coffee & tea) around 8am and then got myself ready. I went up to get them around 8:30 and grabbed something to go. I also filled my Brita bottle with ice and water as well as Libby insulated sports bottle. We got our stuff from the room and were at the boat launch about 9am. Since the MK boat was very full be decided to wait for the CR boat which was approaching the dock. We got to the CR fine and made our way to the monorail stopping for a few pressed pennies along the way. By mistake we got on the monorail to the TTC rather than MK so we just rode through the resorts and got to the park around 9:30. Libby got her 1st glimpse of the castle from the monorail and exclaimed “look Cinderella’s castle just like on my underpants”. We got through security quickly then made our way to Toontown and straight for Minnie’s house. Libby loved playing in the kitchen and went through several times. We made our way to the judge’s tent to meet Minnie. We waited in line about 15 minutes. The bubbles I’d packed to entertain Libby while waiting were a big hit with all the kids. Libby, who has loved characters in past encounters, was not overjoyed once Minnie was in view. She and I went up together and that helped. We got several pictures and her autograph. I must say that Disney is very clever at having people exit the character area through the store. We bought Libby a Minnie doll ($11) and got a Christmas ornament ($6), which was kind of funny, given the 90 degree weather outside. We nixed the $16 Minnie hat that Libby wanted. We went through Mickey’s house once and again through Minnie’s. Then the 1st vacation meltdown occurred, Libby had enough and wanted to go home, to New Jersey! The heat was really doing her in as well as being completely off her normal schedule. Kids really are creatures of habit. Since it was close to our 11:30 PS we asked her if she wanted to still have lunch with Pooh and friends or just go back to the hotel. She opted for the hotel and off we went. We’ve learned that there’s no point in trying to cajole her when she gets overwhelmed like this. While we made our way to the boat I tried not to calculate the cost of our 105 minutes in the MK. We got a launch back to WL around 11:15. The heat was really killing all of our appetites so we decided to just go up to the 7th floor for a snack (drinks, fruit, nuts, pretzels and cookies) rather than get lunch. We then went back to the room to change for a swim. We found Mousekeeping had left a washcloth bunny holding Libby’s toothbrush. That thrilled her. At the pool Michael and I tried to forget our disastrous MK visit by sharing a blue dolphin drink from the pool bar ($7.50 served in a souvenir sports bottle - very yummy). As an aside, while at the kiddie pool, which doesn’t have a lifeguard, I was quite surprised and disturbed by the lack of parental supervision. Several young children were in the water without a parent in sight. I actually pulled one little girl up after she slipped and went under while her mom sat and read a magazine. We saw the geyser go off at 1pm and again at 2pm at which point we decided it was time for a rest in the room. Michael stayed in the room with napping Libby while I shopped in the Mercantile ($6 pressed penny book for Libby along with a $4 Minnie light up pen to save for her Christmas stocking and $3 memory book stickers for me). I then went up to the 7th fl to enjoy a quiet cup of tea after which I headed back to the room for a nap myself. We all woke up just before 6pm. Since the MK was closing at 7pm we decided to get a quick bite from concierge and then head over to Epcot. The selection was the same as last night with the exception of the hot items, which were game stew and another meat item. I’m not much of a meat eater but the game stew was delicious; I had two bowls of it. We took the MK boat launch and then the monorail rather than the bus because we thought it would be more fun and it was. We got to Epcot about 8pm; the park was closing at 9pm so we didn’t have much time. The park was also quite crowded since it was the only one opened past 7pm today. We got through security quickly and made our way to the World Showcase. Our first stop was China, Libby’s birth country. We looked around a bit and bought a parasol ($8) and fan ($4) for her room. I got a bubble tea ($3.50) from the counter restaurant in China. It was melon flavored and quite good. Michael got a fiesta margarita from Mexico and was kind enough to share it. It was great. It was quite dark at this point and very close to 9pm so we started to make our way out of the park. Unfortunately we didn’t get out before Illuminations started which completely freaked out Libby. It was really dark and loud, not a good combo for her. I ended up carrying her while Michael pushed the stroller. We got to the monorail without a problem and went back to CR. We got the last boat to WL (10pm) and called it a day. We got back to the room to find several chocolate mints on our pillows – quite yummy. Day 3, Saturday, May 3rd Plan: non-park day, morning Fort Wilderness petting zoo, afternoon swim & rest, evening Downtown Disney with Michael possibly going to an Orlando Rays game. Actual: We woke around 7:30. I went to Sturdy Branches in the Villa building for a workout while Michael showered etc and Libby watched TV. The club was nice with about 12-15 cardio machines and an equal number of cybex weight machines. I purchased the length of stay pass for $25 since a one-time workout was $15. There are TV’s to watch while doing cardio along with a nice view outside. It was probably one of the nicest resort gyms I’ve been in. When I got back to the room Michael and Libby were up on 7 having breakfast so I was able to get ready in peace which was a delight. I joined them for breakfast, same selection as yesterday. We then went over to look at the Villa building since we were toying with the idea of joining the DVC. We sat in the rockers on the front porch and really got a sense of being in the wilderness. Libby loved the kids sized rockers as well as ringing the bells by the arcade. After yesterdays park fiasco we decided to have a low-key day and let Libby adjust to being in a new environment hoping that would mean a successful park day tomorrow. Anyway, she decided she wanted to play at the beach. Luckily I was able to pack a few water/sand toys. After getting our things from the room we went to Roaring Forks where I purchased a refillable mug. Besides the usual soda and coffee, WL also has iced tea and lemonade for free refill. I also broke down and bought Libby a bag of cheese doodles, which are a really big treat. The beach area was very quiet and there was plenty of shade. I sat and read the paper while Libby played in the sand. It was really nice and very relaxing. We saw many people riding bikes but there were only a few others on the beach. There is a small playground there and although it is partially shaded it still got too hot for Libby to play on. While playing I took the opportunity to talk about what happened at MK yesterday and how we were going to go to Epcot tomorrow. I explained that we’d all get to do a few things that we wanted to do. She seemed to understand so there's hope for tomorrow. If not, Michael and I will just be spending a lot more time at the pool bar. While we were doing this Michael went to play the FL lottery at Crossroads and had lunch at McDonald’s. He also put the car in the self-park lot to save us the valet fee for the rest of our stay. Around 1pm Libby got hungry so we went to Roaring Forks for a bagel with cream cheese ($2.29 - yikes!). As an aside, we discovered later in our stay that the Mercantile carries many food items that were considerably less expensive than Roaring Forks. Also Roaring Forks has a microwave and toaster in the table area along with paper plates, napkins and plastic cutlery. Libby and I sat at an outside table where the black birds proceeded to help her eat her bagel. Michael returned while we were sitting outside so we all went to the pool together from 1:30-3pm. Michael sat in the shade by the bar reading the paper while I took Libby in the big pool then the kiddie pool. A word of warning to those staying at WL, make sure you have sandals or water shoes on whenever walking around the pool in the daytime because the stones get really hot. I learned the hard way. While in the big pool Libby decided she wanted a swim vest like a lot of the other kids so I asked Michael to go to the stand by the beach and get one. They can be borrowed for your length of stay. She wore it for all of 30 seconds then wanted it off. After the geyser went off at 3pm we took Libby back to the room for a nap. Michael again stayed in the room while she was napping. I found the laundry room (exciting Saturday night activity) and looked around the Mercantile again but didn’t buy anything. When Libby woke up we got her an order of fries ($1.89) from Roaring Fork and brought them up to the concierge lounge with us. We got her a juice box there and some cheese and veggies to round out her meal. The concierge choices were the same as last night with the exception of the hot items. These were chicken noodle soup and sausage and peppers. The soup was good but neither Michael or I tried the sausage. Again it was enough to count as dinner for us. At some point while we were eating the staff of the Whispering Canyon started saying the Pledge of Allegiance. Libby stood up in the concierge area put her hand on her heart and started saying it as well. It was priceless. Afterwards though she had a few words for us since we didn’t join her. After we finished eating I decided to get the laundry done. I had packed only a few days of clothes for each of us with the intention of doing laundry mid trip. With the stroller, car seat and a preschooler I didn’t want to load us down with too much luggage. The laundry room is across from the elevators near Roaring Fork and the pool. I had taken the suggestion of someone on a Disney board and bought a collapsible hamper at Target, which was great. There are about 8 washers and 10 dryers at WL. It’s $2 to wash and $1 for 15 minutes in the dryer. It cost $10 for us to do 2 large loads. While the laundry was doing its thing I tried taking Libby to the arcade since she loves Chuck E Cheese. A word of warning, the arcade at WL is like Chuck E Cheese on steroids. The noise is deafening. Libby wouldn’t even go in when I opened the door. We settled instead on the pressed penny machine, people watching in the lobby and of course getting our evening treats from the 7th floor. We were able to get Libby to sleep by 9pm so we’re hopeful about Epcot tomorrow. Day 4, Sunday, May 4th Plan: Before our MK fiasco our plans were for me to take Libby to MK for early entry while Michael went to Epcot. After MK Libby and I would go back to WL for a rest and then meet up with Michael at Epcot for the ice cream social at 3:10pm. Our plan now is to all go to Epcot and Tour the Land Pavilion, the flower and garden show and the world showcase. We have a PS for Mickey’s ice cream social but Libby decided that she’d rather bake cookies in the Land Pavilion instead. We gave her the choice yesterday but didn’t cancel our PS. You just never know with these little people. Actual: We got up around 7:30. I went to Sturdy Branches for a quick 30-minute workout while Michael showered and Libby watched Disney channel. She also had a tube of peanut butter and a juice box we’d brought from home. Once I got back I sent Michael up to 7 for breakfast and a complementary NY Times. Once I was ready Libby and I got Michael from concierge. We got a boat to MK around 9:30 then got the monorail to TTC/Epcot. Libby fell asleep in her stroller before we got to Epcot so this gave Michael and I 1 ½ to tour “alone”. We looked at some of the flower and garden show exhibits (Michael is an avid gardener, I just like to look). We also went into Ice Station Cool and sampled all the sodas including the Beverly. It actually wasn’t as horrible as I’d expected given all I’d read about it. We liked the watermelon one from China the best. We started going around the world showcase beginning in Canada. At some point I realized I had lost my Brita water bottle so I broke down and paid $2.50 for water. I wasn’t crazy about the Brita anyway because although it did filter the tap water nicely it needed to be squeezed very hard to get a decent amount out. We also bought Libby a passport ($10) from the cart in Canada near the beaver tail stand. We got about ½ way around when Libby woke up. We decided to continue around back to the Land for cookie baking and lunch. Michael got a turkey sandwich, chips and a soda from the food court that he said was ok. Libby insisted she wasn’t hungry so I took her over for the 12:30 cookie baking stopping for fastpasses for the Living with the Land ride. The cookie baking area got really crowded since most kids had both parents with them. Libby was edging towards a meltdown because of the crowds and the fact that she really was hungry so we just left before anything really started. I got her a Mickey pasta meal and juice ($4) and she started behaving much better. She didn’t want to go back to the cookies. We did the Land ride with our FP which Michael and Libby loved so much that we got another set of FP. I think it was the gardener in both of them that made this ride so much fun. We decided to keep our 3:10 PS for the ice cream social and do the Land ride before that with our new FP. We went back to the world showcase stopping in Canada, UK and France for passport stamping and pressed pennies. We also had her passport stamped in China but that pavilion doesn’t have a pressed penny machine. Libby wasn’t interested in doing the kidcot mask. We met Pooh and Eeyore in the UK, which was a great surprise. We also saw some great street performers in France. All the people in the pavilions were so kind to Libby and friendly to us. After China we headed back to the Land Pavilion for our FP ride and ice cream. For those wondering about the ice cream social, we thought the food was great and the character interaction good but neither Michael or I think the Garden Grill is really setup well to host a character meal. When sitting in the booths it’s impossible to see what’s going on around you, which is part of the fun with the characters. Here’s what we got for $25 including tip: 2 adult ice cream treats – 1 large chocolate chip cookie “glued” to plate with melted chocolate topped with a large waffle cone filled with good vanilla bean ice cream “glued” to cookie with chocolate; rolled vanilla/chocolate cookie and wedge of chocolate stuck into ice cream. 1 kid’s ice cream treat – large chocolate chip cookie “glued” to plate with melted chocolate and topped with large scoop of vanilla bean ice cream on which sat a chocolate dipped ice cream cone hat to resemble a clown. The clown’s face was done with candy pieces. 2 large glasses of ice water (free) 1 kids souvenir cup with ice water (free) While enjoying these treats we were visited by Mickey, Chip, Dale and Pluto. We got lots of pictures and autographs. Libby had a blast with the characters and the ice cream. We left there intending to head back to the WL but Michael heard a fiesta margarita calling to him. So off to Mexico it was. On the way Libby saw lots of children playing in one of the sidewalk fountains and wanted to go in herself. Since I had extra clothes for her I just took off her sneakers and let her go in while Michael continued on to Mexico. She actually squealed with delight. Michael and I enjoyed the margarita while Libby played. Once Libby toweled off (with a $20 we had to buy since we forgot to bring one) and changed we took her through Ice Station Cool twice before getting the monorail. Happy and exhausted, she fell asleep on the way back to the WL. Michael and I had a nice quiet meal in the concierge area (the chili was good but neither of us tried the cream of mushroom soup). When Libby woke up we went for a long swim and then called it a night. Day 5, Monday, May 5th Libby had declared this Gommie and Boppie day since my mom and significant other would be visiting. They live in Lake County, which is about an hour from Disney. Plan: Just spending time with family at the WL Actual: We got up around 7:30. Like yesterday I went for a quick workout at Sturdy Branches while Michael showered etc. Then Libby and he went for breakfast while I straightened up the room and showered. Once our visitors arrived we decided to spend some time at the beach. Michael and Libby played in the sand and water for quite awhile before horseflies overran us. Although not before the adults enjoyed berry margaritas from the pool bar and Libby had an ice pop that was almost too big for her to pick up. Since Libby was antsy and didn’t want to go to the petting zoo at Fort Wilderness we decided to go resort hopping in search of pressed pennies. We got a boat to MK then took the monorail to the Poly. Libby fell asleep on the boat so we took our time around the resorts. The penny machine at the Poly was broken but it was still fun looking around. Since she was still asleep we decided to go to the GF. We walked around a bit and got pressed pennies in the machine near 1900 Park Fair. Libby woke up while we were waiting for the monorail from GF to MK. We all went back to our room and saw that Mousekeeping had left her a multi-towel dog to add to her collection. We said goodbye to Boppie and Gommie and Michael took Libby swimming while I packed and then I got a pizza from Roaring Forks ($5.50 – it was just ok). We hit the Mercantile one last time. Libby picked out some shiny rocks (she’s a nature girl) from a wagon. We also got some candy for the neighbor who’s watching our house. Then we went up to the 7th floor for one last treat. Day 6, Tuesday, May 6th Departure Day I always have mixed feelings at the end of any vacation. I really enjoy being away but for me there’s nothing like sleeping in my own bed. We had an 11:30am flight so we had to get moving this morning. Plan: Have quick breakfast on 7th floor around 8am. Around 8:30 request Bell Services to get bags while Michael got car. Leave WL by 9am and arrive at MCO by 9:30. Drop off car and be at e-ticket counter by 9:45am. Actual: As usual we were running behind so I sent Michael and Libby up for breakfast while I got the last of our things together. I joined them around 8:30 just as a concierge CM was bringing Libby a cup full of grapes. He found out that she loved them and had been giving her a cup each morning. Just one of the many special things this staff does. Anyway, when we got back to the room Michael called bell services for luggage pickup and then went to get the car. It was 9:40 when we sadly pulled away from the Lodge. In the interest of time Michael stopped at the on property Exxon to top off the gas tank and then we took the toll road to the airport. We got to MCO about 10:15 and were at the e-ticket counter by 10:30. As an aside, we’ve flown to MCO many times on USAir and have found that e-tickets are the way to go. For some reason the paper ticket line is always very long while no one is at the e-ticket check in. We got our boarding passes, checked our bags and headed to security. My carry-on bag was sent through twice and then had to be hand searched. While it was a pain to get everything back in I did find a few dollars at the bottom. We got to the gate as they were beginning to board. Michael went on with the car seat while I took care of the stroller and then boarded with Libby. We anticipated an uneventful trip home but this time the gods were not with us. We backed out of the gate about 15 minutes late and then the plane died. It completely shut down. I’m a pretty seasoned flyer and don’t get frazzled easily but I did not like this one bit and not having air wasn’t helping things. Michael was quickly turning green. Luckily they got the air working pretty quickly and got the computer system back up. I thought we would be changing planes but we were going with this one. Well if it’s our time it’s our time. We didn’t have any other problems on the plane and Libby actually slept for most of the flight. Our delay did cause some problems when we landed because it took over an hour to get our luggage. We finally got the Avistar shuttle to our car but on the way the driven informed us our car wouldn’t start because the battery had died in the remote and they couldn’t shut off the alarm. This was not a good way to end a vacation. Luckily one of the guys at the lot found the cutoff switch so all was well. We made it home safe and sound. All in all we had a great time and are looking forward to many more Disney vacations. Highlights
Lowlights
Lessons learned
Catharine Westbrook Libbys_mom_2000@yahoo.com Mail a Comment to Catharine Westbrook |
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