Josh and Carlee's Not So Surprise Trip to Disney World--Completely finished!! About This Page:

[Wendyismyname]

Cast of Characters: Wendy, 29, the Mom

Josh, 9, the son

Carlee, 8, the daughter



Resort: Port Orleans Riverside



Celebration: Just because!





This trip was going to be a surprise to the kids and I kept it secret for a couple of months. In February, I noticed great airfare to Orlando from Indianapolis. Three roundtrip tickets with ATA were $428.10, which is the lowest I've ever paid for tickets! I then went to see the new deals and discounts. Started with the Disney Visa discount at Pop Century. I then proceeded to change my mind 5 times going from value, to home away from home to value then moderate resorts until I settled on Port Orleans Riverside. That resort has always interested me yet we've never even looked around. We've only seen the entrance sign!



The Choice of ground transportation:



Since there are only three of us this trip, I booked a towncar with Tiffany instead of the van. I'll miss Gerard though, he has been our (van) driver with Tiffany the three times we've used them.



The Park Admission:



I decided to only get the kids a 4 day PH pass instead of renewing our Annual Pass because we're not going back until the end of June 2005 and the passes would expire before then with only 5-7 days worth of admission on them. I don't think i would have come out ahead money-wise! I already had a 4 day PH for myself, so for two child's tickets it was $326 and some odd cents including tax and shipping.



The Priority Seatings



Monday June 7, NO PS

Tuesday June 8, PSB at 10:20am and Le Cellier at 4pm

Wednesday June 9, NO PS(yet)

Thursday June 10, Liberty Tree Tavern, 4pm

Friday June 11, Cinderella's Royal Table 4pm

Saturday June 12, Chef Mickey's 5pm

Sunday, June 13, Trail's End(no PS)

Monday June 14, NO PS yet





So that's the plan so far, now off we go!!

Sunday June 6

I had originally planned to have the local car service pick us up to take us to the HolidayInn Select Airport today, but my niece, Heather, wasn't working that day and on Monday, she had to work in Indy, so it worked out where she drove us and stayed over, helping to pass the time. Yeah right. It still crawled.

Well, Ben must have been really upset that we were leaving, not mad, he was just going to miss us alot, that he stayed outside cleaning the vehicles. Poor guy.

Heather got there and we sat and talked for a little while, but by noon, I was all packed and ready to go. Since Ben was outside moping, I thought, well let's just go. She needed to find the store that she would be working at, so I used that excuse to go ahead and leave. There really was nothing to do. We arrived at the hotel by a little after 2pm and was able to check in. We got our room assignment and Heather and I looked at each other in shock and surprise. It was the same room we(Ben, me, MIL and Heather) stayed in the night before our Hawaii trip! So cool!



Before we left, I had told the kids that they had to start being on their best behavior once they got into Heather's car and they did! I was really impressed!



We hauled our bags in and hurried into our swimsuits. I could feel the hot tub calling to me. We swam for about an hour and then sat in the hot tub. It really did seem hot coming out of the pool!

The hotel has a 5 story atrium lobby which makes it seem really huge. Our room looked out onto the lobby and pool. It has a patio with sliding glass doors which made a really nice getaway from the kids and their cartoons. By 5pm, we were starving so we ordered our supper. We were already in our pajamas and didn't want to hunt for the restaurants. I had the salmon steak with baked potatoes, veggies, salad and rolls. Heather had some sort of chicken that also came with salad, taters, veggies and rolls. Carlee had a cheeseburger and Joshua had macaroni and cheese(his favorite).

Stuffed full, we were so ready for bed! I was honestly sleepy enough I could have slept at 6pm but my body wouldn't shut down. We knew we had a very early wakeup call coming, so we tried to sleep. I think we were asleep by 9:30pm.



Monday June 7

Heather's phone rang at 3am. I tried to wake her by nudging her gently, but she was snoring too loudly. I ended up slapping her leg. That woke her up. It was her friend! I thought that was incredibly rude, but she's used to it.



My wake up call was set for 4am, but I couldn't go back to sleep. Heather took off by 4am so she could get to her store(she works for an inventory company)by 5am.



The kids and I got ready and we headed to the airport at 5am. Too early. We checked in via those e-ticket kiosks and headed to McDonalds. I tried to eat an egg mcmuffin, but my stomach wasn't up to eggs yet. Unfortunately, Mickey D's doesn't have pop tarts so Carlee had pancakes and sausage, which she only ate two bites of her hotcakes and all of her sausage. Josh had a sausage and egg sandwich. He scarfed that down in a hurry and tried to tell me he was still starving.



The line for security seemed to really start backing up, so we go in line before it went out the door. Within 20 minutes the security guard was checking my i.d. and we were heading thru the detectors. Everyone had to take their shoes off. I think they should have people telling you that before hand so you can be prepared and not back up the line too much.



Thru security, no one was wanded and nothing was confiscated this time. Last April, Josh's kid scissors were taken away because they had just enough of a point on them. At least this time we went thru quickly.



Down to the gate we headed. The flight before us hadn't even boarded yet, so we sat at another gate until they left. We did get over and found seats and started talking to a lovely older couple and their son. He was probably as old as I am, but I didn't ask. They hadn't been for 13 years, so everything was so new to them.

I'm glad we started talking because it made the time go quickly. Later, on Thursday, we ran into them at the Haunted Mansion. That was neat! They weren't even staying onsite! I had told her all about my Passporter. She agreed that she should have gotten one if she knew they existed!



We had a gate change, but it was no biggie as we only walked across the aisle.

Finally, time to board the plane and off to see Mickey!!



The flight left on time and it was smooth. Next thing we knew, we were arriving at Orlando! Cool!



We've Arrived!

We get off the plane and head towards baggage claim where I spot my Tiffany Towncar Driver. Even though she told me her name, because of her accent, I still didn't catch it. She was from Brazil originally and was really great. She helped get the luggage and we headed out to the car.

I love the Tiffany Towncars. The trunks are huge, the seats are very comfortable and the backseat looked to have alot of room.



She drives us onto property and the kids and I were just so glad to be back! It seemed like it was such a long since November!



Soon, we're at Port Orleans Riverside and I was so excited! I thought the lobby was lovely, but I must have come at a busy time because the line for check in was quite long!



The kids went over to watch the Disney cartoons, of course. They just had to see Lambert again!

I paid my balance and purchased e-ride tickets for Friday, June 11.

Will my only request, smoking, be granted? Nope. Sigh. But we've been put into building 14. What a blessing it was to be so darn close to the food court and bus stop and quiet pool!



I told the CM who checked me in that I was expecting a package and was it noted on her computer? No? Okay, so she put it in and assured me that it would be delivered to my room.



Our room wasn't ready, so we didn't know exactly where we were, just that it was #14. Off we went to Whispering Canyon Cafe! We had a 2pm PS and it was only a little after 12pm. We hopped on the DTD bus since it was the first bus that arrived and told the driver where we were going and he said to wait until he checked in because there was a good chance that he'd be going to WL and GF. Turned out that was exactly what happened. It was nice not to have to catch another bus.



I had a total of 12 rolls of film so I started snapping away before we even left the airport that morning! I really started snapping when we entered the lobby at Wilderness Lodge! We checked in for our lunch and were seated right away. I had the Meatloaf and a salad and an iced tea. Later I asked for coffee since I hadn't had any yet. By the week's end, I had a total of 2.5 cups of coffee. I usually have 2 each morning!!! But I had other things on my mind! LOL!



Joshua decided to get the fried chicken off the adults menu and a chocolate milkshake. Carlee had chicken strips and a milkshake. Boy those sure did look good!

The antics going on around us were excellent and we participated in the Hokey Pokey. Wow, the last time I had done that, I was much younger and on roller skates! LOL!

No one asked for ketchup, but a table did ask for plenty of water and the waiter brought out a big gallon pitcher with straws. I think they were a bit embarrassed!



After our wonderful meal(LOVE that meatloaf), I knew my first souvenir purchase would be at the Mercantile and it would be the statue totem pole of Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and my beloved Humphrey. I think Humphrey is an underrated character! Granted he did only appear in three cartoons. I also purchased hats for us since we had forgotten ours at home(same thing happened in November!).



We explored the resort some more, going up the stairs for the first time to take pictures of the lobby from up above. That was really nice. Quieter too!



I love the bubbling brook that begins in the lobby and meanders towards the pool.



We walk down to the boat dock where we catch the boat to the Contemporary. The more I see this resort, the more I really do like it and would never turn down an opportunity to stay there. We shopped on the 4th floor Concourse and then headed up to the monorail for our traditional ride around Seven Seas Lagoon. I did finally spot the five legged goat on the mural that I had forgotten was there. Of course I was taking pictures left and right. If you'd seen me, you probably would have thought it was my first time at WDW!! Before, I would hardly take more than 3 rolls of film!!



We hop aboard the Monorail, in with the driver! I love riding up front. We got off at the Polynesian to do some more browsing. I think my goal this trip was to purchase something at every resort shop I visited. I nearly succeeded!! Cha-ching Cha-ching!



We called while at the Poly to find out if our room was ready. Sure was. Room 1455. Second floor, building 14. What a feet saver that turned out to be!

We decide to head out to the bus stop and wait for the first theme park bus to come along. Why the heck didn't we just go by monorail to the MK??? Would have saved the 30+minute wait at Blizzard Beach!! But the kids for some reason didn't want to go by monorail to the MK. I don't think they really wanted to see it then because they knew we couldn't go in.

Oh well. There was quite a large angry crowd waiting for the bus when it finally pulled in. One family said they had been waiting for 50 minutes!! A couple of the people said something to the driver about the long wait and he said "I just drive". I thought that was unprofessional. No one wants to hear the line "I just work here". If you're gonna work somewhere, know your job!! Anyway, we did finally make it back to POR. We walked to our building. The long way. Walked past the main pool and got turned around a little bit. Actaully, that was the only time we walked anywhere near the main pool. We never swam there.



We found a set of stairs so up we went. We walked and walked and walked and I was thinking that I didn't think the buildings were really that huge, but it seemed like it because of the way they are angled.

Open the door to room 1455 and I really loved the theming! Of course I started trying to take pictures. I wanted to get shots like you see on various websites but I couldn't seem to make myself skinny enough or contort my body to get the ones I wanted. The ones I got, they're good enough. At least I hope, I still neeed to drop the film off. No digital camera this trip.



We were in our room by 5pm and almost ready for bed. We were so tired! I called for our luggage to be delivered and then I asked about my package from Pixie Gifts. The CM said there wasn't a note about it and to hold on so he could check. While checking, yes he found the note in the computer and the package. Good. I'd like to have them delivered please. I really hoped, and so did Beth from Pixie Gifts, that the package would be in the room by the time we got our assignment.

The luggage comes and I was complaining about not being given a smoking room. He said that there are 2048 rooms at PO and only 48 are smoking. That's a bit ridiculous to me. Random thought here, why don't they make all of the uppermost floors smoking?? If there's concierge, why not have two floors of concierge, one for smokers and one for non?? Hmmm. I doubt they'd ever do that.



After he leaves, we unpack and put things away and our packages still hadn't arrived. it had been almost an hour since I had called. I call again. As soon as the lady picks up, there was a knock on the door, so I apologized to her and said it was here.



I was so excited that it was finally there. The surprise was spoiled by me having to ask, but at least the kids didn't know what they were getting! I didn't know what my surprises were either.

Both kids got a fat pen and autograph book, a lanyard and a pin. Josh's was Jafar and Carlee's was Cinderella, I think.

My goodies were a photo album. It's small, holds the 3x5 size photos and features Pooh and Gang. But wait, there's even more! I got a beige visor that says Walt Disney World est. 1971, a bath bomb, a bar of soap that has the mickey icons, a bag of chocolate truffles and a mini snow globe. These gifts aren't something that I'd buy for myself but I am so glad that she picked them out for me. I knew what the kids were getting and I knew I was getting the album and visor.

I also called and left a message for Kim(TeacherKim) to let her know we made it in and to give her our room number.

So after the kids thanking me, we got our stuff together and decided to head down to the food court and get supper and refillable mugs. We went the same way we came and it wasn't until about three days later that I looked around really and saw another set of stairs. This set only steps away! LOL!



Supper was good and I'd like to say that it was our most expensive meal there, including the mugs. But it wasn't. Still, it was right up there. I think around $60. Josh and I had the Philly Cheesesteak and Carlee had a cheeseburger. We each got an ice cream treat. Theirs were Butterfinger crunch bars and mine was a Mickey Bar. The only one I had the entire time.



Back we went to our room and it was raining. Felt kind of nice. Cooled it down. A little.

There was a message waiting for me from Kim!! We talked for quite a while and firmed up our plans for thursday. We had high hopes of riding Splash together, but we were prepared to throw our plans out the window too.



A quick call home on my cell phone to have my dh, Ben, call me back on the room phone. My signal is horrible while at WDW, it's a miracle for me to even get one signal bar!! Ben and I talk for quite a while. I was worried about him because I knew he was missing us and he was hoping that I didn't cry any more like I did when we left.



Lights out at 9pm. We knew we had a big day on Tuesday. Breakfast with the Princesses!!

[Colexis Mom]

Great start Wendy Looking forward to more

[my2girls]

What a wonderful start!!! How brave you are to take the kids by yourself. My are 8 and 2 and I'm nowhere near that brave.

Can't wait to read more.

Kristine

[wdwlovers]

Great start! Can't wait for more!

[buckysmom]

What a great beginning!
Looking forward to your next installment,

[DisneyDreaming]

Great start, ohhhhh what I missed. Darn those weekends, but I guess somebody has to work them.

Thanks for the post card!

Marylee

[DrDolphin]

Great start!! Can't wait to read more!!

[TeacherKim]

More, please! And not just because I was mentioned!

[Wendyismyname]

Tuesday June 8
I had set my wakeup call for 6am because I wanted to be up and at 'em early. The kids were very excited about going to Epcot and eating with the Princesses.
Get up and get showered and ready to go to breakfast. We were back in the room putting up our mugs by 8am and at the bus stop shortly after that. Talk about being close to the bus stop! It was great!
We get to the park and into line by 8:30am and talk about a line!! I had forgotten the silly way they've set up security there. Why do they put the tables right in front of the turnstiles??? Why can't people form a real single file line?? Okay, I'd settle for two abreast, but please don't scatter yourselves to make it look like there's actually 3 lines!?!

Finally are let in!! It seemed like we waited such a long time, but it had only been about 20 minutes. First stop was Spaceship Earth. You know, I knew that it was narrated by Jeremy Irons, but that didn't tell me anything. It wasn't until I got home and was doing my TVGuide crossword puzzle that I realized that Mr. Irons is the voice of Scar!! How silly of my not to make that connection!!

I filmed this ride on my video camera. Love the nightshot feature. At the exit, I looked at the CM and said, boy you guys really need to do something with this area since ATT pulled their sponsorship. It was so horribly empty.

Out of the giant golfball and over to Test Track to check the Fast Pass times. It was perfect. They'd become available between 10:45 and 11:45am, giving us plenty of time after our breakfast to hoof it back over to Future World.

We had very little time to kill before breakfast. We went over for some delicious Beverly. Josh decided he'd drink it again, being the big bad brave boy he is. It sure felt nice walking through Ice Station Cool. I get my favorite drink, the Ginger Ale, and film Josh as he drinks Beverly. There were only a few other people in there and they couldn't believe that he was drinking Bev! One unsuspecting guest said he didn't know how disgusting he was, and he had tried them all. He's probably still trying to get the taste out of his mouth!

Out of Ice Station Cool and over to World Showcase. Norway, Restaurant Akershus, Princess Storybook Breakfast. Oh boy, I wasn't really sure if Josh would appreciate it or not, but he was game. He knew that his character meal was Chef Mickey's later on in the trip.
Carlee was in seventh heaven with all the gals. They both put their autograph books to good use. I think I saw Josh drooling over Jasmine!! Okay, he'll kill me for putting that in there. LOL!
We had Princess Aurora, Jasmine, Snow White(loved her voice), Mulan, and Belle. I took pictures of the kids and the princesses and the kids even took pictures of the princesses by themselves. I really like how they pose. I kept practicing the rest of the week, trying to look all sweet and innocent.

I loved the food! Well, okay, I absolutely loved the eggs and potatoes!! We didn't eat any of the fruit. Why do people feel they need to mix cantelope, watermelon, and honeydew with any kind of fruit?? Yuck. No thanks. I would have rather had had plain strawberries.

Out of Akershus and over to Test Track. Loved using Fast Pass. I didn't notice how long the standby line was, we just zoomed thru the FP line until we had to wait at Briefing Room 1. That seemed like a really long wait, but I suppose it was less than 10 minutes.

We were quickly loaded in our car and off we went! The kids and I were in the back row with a couple in the front. We had a really great picture, so of course I had to buy it. We've never boughten ride photos before, but we did this trip!

I had it shipped back to the resort. Or so I thought. Fast forward to the next day. The photo wasn't there, it had been lost. Brittany at POR really tried to help. Told me it will be there the following day(Thursday). Went back Thursday, it wasn't there. She called everyone she could think of. Later she called and said that if it wasn't there by tonight, then tomorrow(friday) come down for a full refund. Friday morning, it was there! Whew!

Okay, back to the story.

Off of Test Track and over towards the Land. We saw The Circle of Life. I don't know why I never took the time to see it before. I loved it! Gotta love the part where it shows the Hoover Dam!! LOL!
Then we stood in line to ride Living with the Land. I took pictures in there too. Funny, I took pictures everywhere. Including of myself when I was bored!!

I would really like to try some organic gardening, but I don't think my soil will ever be rid of chemicals(sorry honey, I know it helps the crops).
Love the gourds for some reason. Guess because it seems they defy gravity, just hanging there and not breaking off and falling down.

Out of the Land, we head over to the Living Seas area. Nemo came out and the kids got their pictures taken with him. Kind of cute, he is. I've only been in the pavillion once before and didn't take the time to see the movie, so we watched it. It Rained.....and rained........and rained. The sound of her voice coupled with the rain sound made me oh so sleepy. After the movie, we "descended" by way of the hydrolators. (Is that right??)
I loved seeing the Clown Fish and Stingrays. We saw plenty of friendly people waving during their dives. We walked around and really took the time to explore. I figured rightly that the kids would be interested in the fish. But we didn't want to wait around for the Dolphin show.

We came back to the surface and headed over to Journey Into Your Imagination with Figment. We walked right on. I love the ride vehicles! I was not expecting to be red and funky shaped! How Cool!!

Both the kids really loved it, but when I got off, I thought, is that it? Hmmm, it was cute, but I was a little let down that it seemed so short!
Josh bought a Figment. It is so cute! He's wearing at Disney World Shirt, Epcot cap and holding a Mickey Bar in one hand and a WDW shopping bag in the other! Figment has not left Josh's site since!

It was getting near our 4pm Le Cellier dinner PS. Okay, so it was only 3pm, but we walked over to see O Canada. Loved it. I really really loved it. I was one of the few people who kept turing around to see all of the images on all the screens!
Over next to the UK smoking area in the back near the maze. I guess that the British Invasion were going to start playing at 3:30pm, but we didn't stick around. We headed back to Canada and into Le Cellier to check in and sit down in the nice air conditioning. Ahh, it was a nice, rather quick 25 minute wait. We did happen to be the first to be seated. That was cool. I knew what I wanted to order. THE cheese soup and the Mushroom Filet.
Well, the Cheese Soup was out of this world, just like the first time. The filet was just okay. I'm a big meat eater, I love steak. It was prepared perfectly. But compared to that cheese soup, the soup outshone the beef!! Gasp! I can't believe I just said that!!!

Josh had the spaghetti and Carlee had the child's steak. Josh wanted dessert so he ordered the Moose. Now, how cute was that?? I really wasn't expecting it to be shaped like a moose! LOL! I ordered the Mascarpone(sp?)Cheesecake. Never again. It was just okay. But way too rich for my taste. Next time, I'll do what a friend suggested and either order the s'mores or the moose!!!

Quite full, I paid the bill and we headed out to hopefully look at more of the World Showcase. It was not meant to be. The sky was getting quite black and rain looked iminent. We said, Ok, let's hit S.E. again and then head back to POR. So we did. It must have really come down while we were inside. People were huddled under the golfball. It was barely sprinkling then!! The kids and I trudged to the bus stop and were starting to feel tired after traveling the day before.

Finally get a bus back to PO and into our room. I called Ben to have him call me back on the room phone. Still had a bad signal. That was the case the entire stay.

I did find the Zipadeedoodah tip for today---in spanish. LOL. Wish I could remember more Spanish than what I do! Wonder why they ever took the WDW tour off and only offer it on the Spanish channel??
Turned it to channel 96 to watch the cartoons. I don't think I could ever get tired of watching Lambert the Sheepish Lion.

Lights were out by 9:30pm!! I fought my pillows all week. Two sheets of paper glued together were fluffier than the two pillows I had. Ugh.

[luvnwdwgal]

Great trip report!! I love Laaaaambert too! Looking forward to your next installment!!

[MegglesMom]

[ QUOTE ]
Turned it to channel 96 to watch the cartoons. I don't think I could ever get tired of watching Lambert the Sheepish Lion.


[/ QUOTE ]

Oh my gosh, I Lambert!!! I still know his theme song by heart. I can't believe you know him too!

[chezp]

I'm loving your report so far Wendy - but I feel so sorry for Ben, left at home. You painted such a wonderful picture of how he was feeling when you set off.

I was interested to know that there are only 48 smoking rooms at POR - I guess that's why you didn't get your request granted. I can only think that a lot of smokers don't actually like to stay in a smoking room. I guess maybe they go out to smoke on the balcony or manage without in their rooms?

And well done for skipping those downpours - it sounds like you had a lot of luck on your side to miss those!

[Colexis Mom]

Great update Wendy Glad they were able to find your picture on TT! I agree too that JIYI seems short

You all seemed to get quite alot accomplished today! Looking forward to more

[BritDisFan]

Wendy I love your report, it sounds like you and the kids are having a lot of fun .

Karen

[buckysmom]

Yummy day! I love the eggs and potatoes at the PSB, too. I make DD eat the fruit
Sounds like everyone is really enjoying their trip so far, looking forward to your next installment,