Alpha's 2009 TR - Arriving!
Alpha
We left SW FL around 9:30am. I always kind of wish we could be at WDW in
time for lunch. What really happens though is that we leave a little later
than would make that possible, and then we all get hungry around 11:15 and
have to stop for lunch.
I know many of you fly into MCO, or if you drive, you come from somewhere
north of WDW. If you don't get to drive to WDW from the west, here's a
little bit of the excitement you're missing. You drive by Dinosaur World.
http://www.dinoworld.net. We get to see a T. Rex, a brachiosaurus, and I
think a pteranodon from I-4. Then you pass the iconic Fantasy of Flight
airplane (http://www.fantasyofflight.com) with a dummy that looks like it's
about to jump out. Now, I might be imagining this, but I think I remember
the airman dangling from the plane, because I remember thinking, wow, I
wonder how many people call the police about that, because it looks real.
You also pass by the American Water Ski Hall of Fame and Museum
(http://www.waterskihalloffame.com), which you might be interested to know
is located on Holy Cow Road in Polk City, FL.
And of course, you pass by the famous Mickey-shaped power pole, which
really lets you know you're there! This site has a pic:
http://www.burnsland.com/wdw/wdw_power.shtml
Might as well pass along a picture online of this pole at night, which I've
never seen before. Looks nice! http://tinyurl.com/ya42skf
One thing you don't pass by anymore is Circus World, at the intersection of
I-4 and route 27. I remember we'd pass by Circus World on 27, driving up
to WDW before I-75 was built. It would be fun to look at, but I was glad
we were continuing on to WDW. :-) DH says that when he was in high
school, the school band took a trip to Circus World. He had no interest in
going, so he didn't, which made the band director very mad. He got demoted
to last chair over it. Band mates declared Circus World "kinda lame", and
DH was able to challenge his way back to first chair in short order, so no
great loss.
Anyway, we arrived at POR somewhere around 1:45. Feels great to be back!
The place looks fantastic! Though we hadn't done the internet check-in
beforehand, we had no wait at the desk. Our room was #8003, in the Acadian
House. It overlooked the courtyard fountain, near the passage to the
riverfront walkway. I loved the location.
In the lobby we noticed they were doing work on the rear exterior of the
main building. Over the course of our stay, we determined that they were
replacing some siding and repainting one section -- which of course is
necessary, but in order to do it they had to hang some sort of curtain on
the exterior of the building to protect the windows, which meant there was
no view outside from the lobby. Slight bummer.
We got to the room just before 2:00 and DH took some giddy photos of me and
the kids flopped on the bed in a heap, big silly grins on our faces.
The plan was to make a quick grocery run, then return our rental car and
take Magical Express back to the hotel. But you know what? Once we got to
Disney World, any practical desire to make a grocery run completely flew
out the window. So we decided, okay, fine, we'll pay crazy prices in the
gift shop for milk and cereal, and let that be that.
I figured the kids and I could stay behind and hop in the pool while DH
took the car back, but the kids would have none of that. Not only did they
not want the family going in separate directions, nor Dad to have to do the
work while we had the fun, but they also had good memories of Magical
Express from last year and wanted to do it again. So we all journeyed back
to the airport, handed the car over, and headed for the Magical Express
line. The Magical Express people were a little perplexed by the fact that
we had absolutely no luggage and were not expecting any to arrive at the
hotel later.
We got on a bus right away -- but this bus was usually a Cruise Line bus,
so they didn't play the Magical Express video. That was a little bit of a
bummer, but the kids seemed much less bummed about it than I would have
expected.
Soon enough we were back at the hotel. We picked up milk, cereal, and
donuts in Fulton's General Store, dropped them off in the room, then headed
back to the main building. We decided to get ourselves the refillable
mugs. Last year we just bought two, thinking mostly about morning coffee
and deciding the four of us could share them when they were filled with
water or soda. This year we went ahead and got four of them.
We headed for the arcade. My brother gave them each a roll of quarters for
this reason; he doesn't know that they need to use a card now! We
exchanged the quarters for bills and charged up a couple of cards for them.
Mario Kart, air hockey, skee ball -- all the good stuff. :-)
For part of the time while they were in the arcade, I went over to the
store and shopped around a bit. I saw that they still have the t-shirt
that says, "Por favor, mantenganse alejado de las puertas!" I love that!
I was mostly browsing, but I did have one thing in mind to buy. We decided
this year not to bring our backpack to haul our stuff in the park. It
always seemed a bit too bulky, so we wanted to get a drawstring backpack.
And we did do that; my trusty old sneakers finally went kaput in Naples, so
I had to buy some new walking shoes at a Sports Authority, and we picked up
a drawstring backpack there. But I realized that if one was good, two
would actually be perfect, and they're so lightweight, they're pretty much
the perfect solution for us in the parks. So I was at Fulton's General
Store to find one, and in fact I found two. I got the Celebrate Everyday
one. At $20, a full $10 more than the Nike one we got at Sports Authority!
But I like it, and I needed it, so who am I to complain.
We had dinner at the food court, and we tried the Salad Your Way and the
Pasta Your Way offerings. They both turned out good. Since we always feel
that it can be a challenge to get vegetables when you're in vacation dining
mode, we were glad to be able to get a tasty salad. The kids each wanted
pizza, and we got them both the regular sized individual pizza rather than
the kids' meal pizza. My gosh, that kids' meal pizza is about the size of
a muffin top. We didn't do the free dining deal this time around, and
getting locked into kids' meals for the kids is one of the things we didn't
miss about free dining. Even my 6 year old would have found that little
pizza too small, never mind the 8 year old! (Pasta Your Way, Salad Your
Way, 2 cheese pizzas: $34.47)
With dinner done, we were hoping to get in a swim, but wouldn't you know, a
storm came through and the pool closed. So, we just watched a little
Disney TV and went to bed early.
Today's Favorites
Me: arriving!
DH: definitely arriving, honking the horn as we pass the entry sign
Chip: stepping into the room for the first time
Dale: Magical Express
Keane
wrote:
>Monday, August 31
>
>We left SW FL around 9:30am. I always kind of wish we could be at WDW in
>time for lunch. What really happens though is that we leave a little later
>than would make that possible, and then we all get hungry around 11:15 and
>have to stop for lunch.
I'd have to stop in at one of the service plazas on the turnpike and
get a hotdog at Nathan's...
>I know many of you fly into MCO, or if you drive, you come from somewhere
>north of WDW. If you don't get to drive to WDW from the west, here's a
>little bit of the excitement you're missing. You drive by Dinosaur World.
>http://www.dinoworld.net. We get to see a T. Rex, a brachiosaurus, and I
>think a pteranodon from I-4. Then you pass the iconic Fantasy of Flight
>airplane (http://www.fantasyofflight.com) with a dummy that looks like it's
>about to jump out. Now, I might be imagining this, but I think I remember
>the airman dangling from the plane, because I remember thinking, wow, I
>wonder how many people call the police about that, because it looks real.
LOL. Fantasy of Flight. Yeah, the FSP (or OCP) got so many calls
about a crashed airplane... Friend of mine who lives down there keeps
telling me I have to go to Dinoworld. I've so far resisted...
>And of course, you pass by the famous Mickey-shaped power pole, which
>really lets you know you're there! This site has a pic:
>http://www.burnsland.com/wdw/wdw_power.shtml
You know you're getting close to WDW property when you see the mouse
power pole...
>The plan was to make a quick grocery run, then return our rental car and
>take Magical Express back to the hotel. But you know what? Once we got to
>Disney World, any practical desire to make a grocery run completely flew
>out the window. So we decided, okay, fine, we'll pay crazy prices in the
>gift shop for milk and cereal, and let that be that.
Heh. I know how that goes. Once I park my car, the car stays
parked...
>I figured the kids and I could stay behind and hop in the pool while DH
>took the car back, but the kids would have none of that. Not only did they
>not want the family going in separate directions, nor Dad to have to do the
>work while we had the fun, but they also had good memories of Magical
>Express from last year and wanted to do it again. So we all journeyed back
>to the airport, handed the car over, and headed for the Magical Express
>line. The Magical Express people were a little perplexed by the fact that
>we had absolutely no luggage and were not expecting any to arrive at the
>hotel later.
>
>We got on a bus right away -- but this bus was usually a Cruise Line bus,
>so they didn't play the Magical Express video. That was a little bit of a
>bummer, but the kids seemed much less bummed about it than I would have
>expected.
You can do that? Free transportation from MCO to WDW without any
reservations, tickets or other documentation?
>Soon enough we were back at the hotel. We picked up milk, cereal, and
>donuts in Fulton's General Store, dropped them off in the room, then headed
>back to the main building. We decided to get ourselves the refillable
>mugs. Last year we just bought two, thinking mostly about morning coffee
>and deciding the four of us could share them when they were filled with
>water or soda. This year we went ahead and got four of them.
I won't correct you about the coffee thing...
>We headed for the arcade. My brother gave them each a roll of quarters for
>this reason; he doesn't know that they need to use a card now! We
>exchanged the quarters for bills and charged up a couple of cards for them.
>Mario Kart, air hockey, skee ball -- all the good stuff. :-)
Quarters are so passe. Well, they have been ever since video games
charged more than a quarter. And they had a Skee Ball machine?
Really? I have *got* to get to those arcades more often...
> I got the Celebrate Everyday
>one. At $20, a full $10 more than the Nike one we got at Sports Authority!
>But I like it, and I needed it, so who am I to complain.
And hey, it says "Disney" on it. That has to be worth $10 more than
something that says Nike on it...
>We had dinner at the food court, and we tried the Salad Your Way and the
>Pasta Your Way offerings. They both turned out good. Since we always feel
>that it can be a challenge to get vegetables when you're in vacation dining
>mode, we were glad to be able to get a tasty salad. The kids each wanted
>pizza, and we got them both the regular sized individual pizza rather than
>the kids' meal pizza. My gosh, that kids' meal pizza is about the size of
>a muffin top. We didn't do the free dining deal this time around, and
>getting locked into kids' meals for the kids is one of the things we didn't
>miss about free dining. Even my 6 year old would have found that little
>pizza too small, never mind the 8 year old! (Pasta Your Way, Salad Your
>Way, 2 cheese pizzas: $34.47)
You know, you fill the kids up with real food, they won't be able to
eat those Mickey Bars, popcorn, candy...
>With dinner done, we were hoping to get in a swim, but wouldn't you know, a
>storm came through and the pool closed. So, we just watched a little
>Disney TV and went to bed early.
Well, better a storm than a leaking diaper...
>Today's Favorites
>Me: arriving!
>DH: definitely arriving, honking the horn as we pass the entry sign
>Chip: stepping into the room for the first time
>Dale: Magical Express
Dale's favorite was the bus ride? :-)
Keane
--
When stars are born, They possess a gift or two,
One of them is this, They have the power to make a wish come true...
-- Wishes
Visit my site: http://keanespics.com
Chuck Strom
"Alpha" <not...@verizon.net> wrote in message
news:Xns9CC7EA4F9FF1C...@85.214.113.135...
When my youngest was three (1983), we did Circus World. I have a great
picture of him sleeping in his umbrella stroller with his face all done up
like a clown. I think we also all agreed that Circus World was "kinda lame"
and not worth a day away from the World - even back then :-)
Arriving is always a high point for me. I usually fly in and the excitement
really hits as I drive the rental out of the parking deck and start
following the signs to my Happy Place.
Chuck
20 sleeps and counting...
Alpha
>>We got on a bus right away -- but this bus was usually a Cruise Line
>>bus, so they didn't play the Magical Express video. That was a little
>>bit of a bummer, but the kids seemed much less bummed about it than I
>>would have expected.
>
> You can do that? Free transportation from MCO to WDW without any
> reservations, tickets or other documentation?
No, we had the ME info booklet and tickets or coupons or whatever they call
the things that let you go on ME. When we booked the room, we told the CM
what we wanted to do, and she just marked "flight unknown" or something
like that for the day we were going to take ME to WDW.
> I won't correct you about the coffee thing...
:-)
> And they had a Skee Ball machine?
> Really? I have *got* to get to those arcades more often...
Yeah! But you don't get any tickets. :-(
>>Today's Favorites
>>Me: arriving!
>>DH: definitely arriving, honking the horn as we pass the entry sign
>>Chip: stepping into the room for the first time
>>Dale: Magical Express
>
> Dale's favorite was the bus ride? :-)
:-D Yep.
-- Alpha
Alpha
> When my youngest was three (1983), we did Circus World. I have a
> great picture of him sleeping in his umbrella stroller with his face
> all done up like a clown. I think we also all agreed that Circus
> World was "kinda lame" and not worth a day away from the World - even
> back then :-)
:-) Good thing you have the great picture, though.
DH's band went in spring '85 -- I guess at that point they were getting
toward their death throes. It was only, what, maybe a year later that they
closed it?
> Arriving is always a high point for me. I usually fly in and the
> excitement really hits as I drive the rental out of the parking deck
> and start following the signs to my Happy Place.
Every single time we arrive, we think about how lucky we are to have every
minute of our WDW vacation still to come. :-)
-- Alpha
Rudeney
>
> We left SW FL around 9:30am. I always kind of wish we could be at WDW in
> time for lunch. What really happens though is that we leave a little later
> than would make that possible, and then we all get hungry around 11:15 and
> have to stop for lunch.
Well, you're probably better off eating before you get there with the
soaring prices and sinking quality of Disney's food.
> I know many of you fly into MCO, or if you drive, you come from somewhere
> north of WDW. If you don't get to drive to WDW from the west, here's a
> little bit of the excitement you're missing. You drive by Dinosaur World.
> http://www.dinoworld.net. We get to see a T. Rex, a brachiosaurus, and I
> think a pteranodon from I-4. Then you pass the iconic Fantasy of Flight
> airplane (http://www.fantasyofflight.com) with a dummy that looks like it's
> about to jump out. Now, I might be imagining this, but I think I remember
> the airman dangling from the plane, because I remember thinking, wow, I
> wonder how many people call the police about that, because it looks real.
>
> You also pass by the American Water Ski Hall of Fame and Museum
> (http://www.waterskihalloffame.com), which you might be interested to know
> is located on Holy Cow Road in Polk City, FL.
>
> And of course, you pass by the famous Mickey-shaped power pole, which
> really lets you know you're there! This site has a pic:
> http://www.burnsland.com/wdw/wdw_power.shtml
>
> Might as well pass along a picture online of this pole at night, which I've
> never seen before. Looks nice! http://tinyurl.com/ya42skf
Yep, I've come that way a few times when I've been in Tampa or
Clearwater. I've always wanted to take a photo of that Mickey power
pole, but I don't dare stop in I-4!
> The plan was to make a quick grocery run, then return our rental car and
> take Magical Express back to the hotel.
I guess you didn't rent from National/Alamo that is on property at WDW -
you could have returned the car there.
> I was mostly browsing, but I did have one thing in mind to buy. We decided
> this year not to bring our backpack to haul our stuff in the park. It
> always seemed a bit too bulky, so we wanted to get a drawstring backpack.
> And we did do that; my trusty old sneakers finally went kaput in Naples, so
> I had to buy some new walking shoes at a Sports Authority, and we picked up
> a drawstring backpack there. But I realized that if one was good, two
> would actually be perfect, and they're so lightweight, they're pretty much
> the perfect solution for us in the parks. So I was at Fulton's General
> Store to find one, and in fact I found two. I got the Celebrate Everyday
> one. At $20, a full $10 more than the Nike one we got at Sports Authority!
> But I like it, and I needed it, so who am I to complain.
Yeah, it is a "Disney" souvenir after all!
--
- RODNEY
Next WDW Vacation?
Who knows!
Need to know more about RADP (rec.arts.disney.parks)?
Paul
news:he6avj$27v$1...@rudeney.motzarella.org:
> Alpha wrote:
>>
>> And of course, you pass by the famous Mickey-shaped power pole,
>> which really lets you know you're there! This site has a pic:
>> http://www.burnsland.com/wdw/wdw_power.shtml
>>
>> Might as well pass along a picture online of this pole at night,
>> which I've never seen before. Looks nice!
>> http://tinyurl.com/ya42skf
>
> Yep, I've come that way a few times when I've been in Tampa or
> Clearwater. I've always wanted to take a photo of that Mickey
> power pole, but I don't dare stop in I-4!
That is the subject of the first Disney photo my wife took on our
first trip in 1997, as we drove by, as the stupid driver (me) had
passed by the proper exit for 192!
--
Paul in NH (PSS)
p s s a w y e r at c o m c a s t dot n e t
Alpha
>> The plan was to make a quick grocery run, then return our rental car
>> and take Magical Express back to the hotel.
>
> I guess you didn't rent from National/Alamo that is on property at WDW
> - you could have returned the car there.
Oh, where's the fun in that? After all, ME was my younger son's favorite
thing that day! :-)
fwiw, I think we rented from Dollar this time. The rental car is DH's job.
-- Alpha
Keane
wrote:
>Keane says:
>> And they had a Skee Ball machine?
>> Really? I have *got* to get to those arcades more often...
>
>Yeah! But you don't get any tickets. :-(
Bummer. Disney should set up a Skee Ball palace, maybe in one
of the dark corners of West Side (or Dinoland!), complete with tickets
and cheezy prizes...
Still, I'm going to have to go and play a game anyway. :-)
Does anyone know if they're in all the arcades, or just in POR?
Alpha
> Does anyone know if they're in all the arcades, or just in POR?
I remember that Coronado's arcade had skee ball. Sorry I can't be of more
help than that.
-- Alpha
jenny
> I know many of you fly into MCO, or if you drive, you come from somewhere
> north of WDW. If you don't get to drive to WDW from the west, here's a
> little bit of the excitement you're missing. You drive by Dinosaur World. http://www.dinoworld.net. We get to see a T. Rex, a brachiosaurus, and I
> think a pteranodon from I-4. Then you pass the iconic Fantasy of Flight
> airplane (http://www.fantasyofflight.com) with a dummy that looks like it's
> about to jump out. Now, I might be imagining this, but I think I remember
> the airman dangling from the plane, because I remember thinking, wow, I
> wonder how many people call the police about that, because it looks real.
>
> You also pass by the American Water Ski Hall of Fame and Museum
> (http://www.waterskihalloffame.com), which you might be interested to know
> is located on Holy Cow Road in Polk City, FL.
>
> And of course, you pass by the famous Mickey-shaped power pole, which
> really lets you know you're there! This site has a pic: http://www.burnsland.com/wdw/wdw_power.shtml
This is how we come in via the Big Yeller Penske Truck. I enjoy
watching the landmarks go by, knowing that we are getting closer and
closer!
jenny
>
> Heh. I know how that goes. Once I park my car, the car stays
> parked...
>
Oh, how I can relate! Once the BYPT is parked, I'm DONE! BTW, we do
have an extra day of rental included in the truck and DH has suggested
(SERIOUSLY) that we take the truck to the parks to get there faster.
The look my co pilots have given him at the mere thought is
priceless.....
Keane
wrote:
Would you fit though the parking collection gates?
(I have to go pick PiC up from the airport this time. If you were
arriving sooner, I'd have you do it in the BYPT... :-)
Ginny Favers
> Monday, August 31
>
I'm finally getting around to sitting down and giving your TR the time
it deserves! Forgive my tardiness.
> We left SW FL around 9:30am. I always kind of wish we could be at WDW in
> time for lunch. What really happens though is that we leave a little later
> than would make that possible, and then we all get hungry around 11:15 and
> have to stop for lunch.
I can't stand dinking around on the way there, but we always have hours
of it, mostly involving finding TAB and eating at Steak & Shake.
DH says that when he was in high
> school, the school band took a trip to Circus World. He had no interest in
> going, so he didn't, which made the band director very mad. He got demoted
> to last chair over it.
Mandatory Fun.
> Anyway, we arrived at POR somewhere around 1:45. Feels great to be back!
> The place looks fantastic! Though we hadn't done the internet check-in
> beforehand, we had no wait at the desk. Our room was #8003, in the Acadian
> House. It overlooked the courtyard fountain, near the passage to the
> riverfront walkway. I loved the location.
That is a great location!
> The plan was to make a quick grocery run, then return our rental car
and
> take Magical Express back to the hotel. But you know what? Once we got to
> Disney World, any practical desire to make a grocery run completely flew
> out the window. So we decided, okay, fine, we'll pay crazy prices in the
> gift shop for milk and cereal, and let that be that.
Amen, sister! Buying overpriced groceries at the resort stores is part
of the Disney experience. It's all part of letting go and letting money
become something purely symbolic and magical... LOL
> I figured the kids and I could stay behind and hop in the pool while DH
> took the car back, but the kids would have none of that. Not only did they
> not want the family going in separate directions, nor Dad to have to do the
> work while we had the fun, but they also had good memories of Magical
> Express from last year and wanted to do it again. So we all journeyed back
> to the airport, handed the car over, and headed for the Magical Express
> line. The Magical Express people were a little perplexed by the fact that
> we had absolutely no luggage and were not expecting any to arrive at the
> hotel later.
OK now what the... never heard this one before!
> For part of the time while they were in the arcade, I went over to the
> store and shopped around a bit. I saw that they still have the t-shirt
> that says, "Por favor, mantenganse alejado de las puertas!" I love that!
I've been trying to talk Joe into buying that one for a few years now,
but he's got too many t-shirts already. I want the surprise release pin
with that phrase, from years ago, but it's still like $60 + if you can
even find one for sale.
> We had dinner at the food court, and we tried the Salad Your Way and the
> Pasta Your Way offerings. They both turned out good. Since we always feel
> that it can be a challenge to get vegetables when you're in vacation dining
> mode, we were glad to be able to get a tasty salad.
I really wish they would have something like that in the parks.
~Amanda
Alpha
> I'm finally getting around to sitting down and giving your TR the time
> it deserves! Forgive my tardiness.
If you can forgive my tardiness in responding. :-) It's the magical
warmth of schlepping around the mall, bargain hunting on the internet,
dragging stuff down from the attic, wrapping, packing, card writing,
etc., etc. that had me away from radp for awhile.
>> Anyway, we arrived at POR somewhere around 1:45. Feels great to be
>> back! The place looks fantastic! Though we hadn't done the internet
>> check-in beforehand, we had no wait at the desk. Our room was #8003,
>> in the Acadian House. It overlooked the courtyard fountain, near the
>> passage to the riverfront walkway. I loved the location.
>
> That is a great location!
Yeah! We almost never make special requests for room location, so we
never know what we're going to get. This one was really good.
> Buying overpriced groceries at the resort stores is
> part of the Disney experience. It's all part of letting go and
> letting money become something purely symbolic and magical... LOL
:-D
>> For part of the time while they were in the arcade, I went over to
>> the store and shopped around a bit. I saw that they still have the
>> t-shirt that says, "Por favor, mantenganse alejado de las puertas!"
>> I love that!
>
> I've been trying to talk Joe into buying that one for a few years now,
> but he's got too many t-shirts already. I want the surprise release
> pin with that phrase, from years ago, but it's still like $60 + if you
> can even find one for sale.
Oh man, I didn't know there was such a pin!
btw, I know what you mean about too many t-shirts. DH had to declare a
moratorium on new Disney t-shirts because he felt like his whole summer
wardrobe was Disney related in some way.
-- Alpha