Is That a Raincloud Over My Head? EMTPEJ's Land & Sea Adventure **Updated 10/28** - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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Is That a Raincloud Over My Head? EMTPEJ's Land & Sea Adventure **Updated 10/28**
Dates- July 11th to 21st.
Land – Polynesian 4 nights, Sea – Wonder - 3 nights.
The Cast / Crew: Me (Erik / EJ), Kendra, Tim, David, and my BIL, Kenny.
The story:
My DW had promised my BIL that we would take him to WDW and on a cruise, someday. Their parents are farmers and they never traveled very far (some would say they have been deprived, but I wouldn’t – I love my in-laws!). We were able to arrange the financial details last year and we wanted to take the boys at just the right time so that Tim would not be ‘too cool’ to be with the family and David would not be too young to keep up with the pace of everyone else. So, Kendra booked us for the land and sea package to do it all in one fell swoop. Being the (reportedly anal-retentive) analyst that I am, I wanted to make SURE that we got the most value / fun from our trip (at least more than last time) and thereby found PassPorter via allearsnet.
So, I got the PPs for WDW and DCL and joined up and got SO much useful information and tips that I can’t thank the community and the Marxes enough!
The hard part for me was to have fun with the family without pushing them too hard to do everything. We were also not sure if anyone would become seasick while on the cruise, so booking a short one made sense. I know now that the land/sea package is not the best deal, but I think most of you can understand that once your spouse makes a decision like this one, you kind of go with the flow. Because we needed space for the five of us in one room, we had to book a Category 4 room on the Wonder, which meant we had to book a room for five at a Deluxe resort. I know, it's really difficult to go first-class! My DW chose the Poly, which suited me just fine as it meant we could take the Monorails to the MK and Epcot!
The Roadshow:
We planned to drive our van with the five of us and our stuff to WDW, then to Port Canaveral, and then to Sanford to take the AutoTrain back to Lorton, VA and then home. On the way south, we planned stops in Emporia, VA, and Jacksonville, so we planned on arriving at the Poly in the early afternoon. DW does not like to fly, so especially since there was five of us, we decided to drive. Oh, well.
Wednesday, 7/9/08. Shipped off the Wii (that had been zapped by lightning -- see my PTR) so that it might be fixed and returned before we get home. We purchased some new clothes and stuff. I got some postcard stamps for my FGM requests. We checked all our Passporter checklists, again.
Thursday, 7/10/08. Packed our stuff and otherwise got things prepped at home for a long absence. Printed out some last-minute stuff, washed clothes. The house and pets will cared for by my MIL (). Took the van to our mechanic, who pronounced it fit and ready to take us on our trip. It had been making a strange noise under the hood while shifting, but that was just the fan clutch. They had to replace a shock absorber and wheel rim that was cracked and losing air in that tire. Imagine what would happen if it failed while on the road? Yikes! And this was AFTER having a lot of work done on it the week before ($$), but ya gotta make sure...
Friday 7/11/08: A Good Start?
I set up the DVD player in the van, which helps to keep everyone happy and packed up everything (except for my Disney World golf hat) and left home at 1100 and got my BIL and his luggage. We had no problems with traffic around Richmond, or anywhere, and we got to see that neat bridge with the suspension in the center, the I-295 Varina-Enon Bridge:
You can't tell very well from the photo, but that's a six-lane interstate with shoulders that is high enough to get some pretty big ships under it. This was the second bridge built in th US with this design. It is similar to the Millau Viaduct in France, but not as long, of course.
We traveled a few hours to Emporia, VA and checked into the Quality Inn. The pool was warm and not overpowering with chemicals and was unused except by us. We enjoyed dinner and shopping (the boys wanted checker games) at the nearby Cracker Barrel. Tim and Kenny had the bacon cheeseburger, David had the kids grilled cheese, KJ had the grilled chicken (with hash browns casserole) and I had the country chef salad. Reliable stuff that we enjoy when we travel as we do not have one near us. The roll-away was comfortable and the room temperature was comfortable. Did not notice any loud noises or even the railroad which was very close by. The kids played checkers before bed. The only stores nearby seem to be combination fuel / beer / wine, and snacks shops. The stores I went to did not have caffeine-free soda (I guess they don't expect anyone to sleep around there), which we let the boys have before bed. But Kendra MUST have her Diet Pepsi in the morning, just like I must have coffee. The restaurants there in Emporia still have smoking sections, which is what you might expect in a state that was built on tobacco, but that is very different from DC and most of Maryland, not that we smoke.
So, everything started out great! No meltdowns, not overtired, we got to go to Cracker Barrel, so life was good! I didn't even want a beer (yet)!!
Up Next: Do You Want Me To Tell You About Murphy’s Law, Or Would You Like A Demonstration?
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That was my first thought when I saw the picture - Oh look. It looks just like the Zakim bridge. Thanks for posting the picture. I won't be seeing the actual bridge as we're not taking that route to the Auto Train. We're going through Pennsylvania via 81 (we don't like travelling 95).
Great start EJ. Sounds like an uneventful first traveling day. I have actually eaten at that Cracker Barrel in Emporia!!! Great place as long as you don't speed. Hurry back. Can't wait to hear more.
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That was my first thought when I saw the picture - Oh look. It looks just like the Zakim bridge. Thanks for posting the picture. I won't be seeing the actual bridge as we're not taking that route to the Auto Train. We're going through Pennsylvania via 81 (we don't like travelling 95).
More pictures and TR though please.
Thank you, Darlene!
Yes, this bridge is south of Richmond and over the James River, so you probably can't see it from the Amtrak line. We will probably see more of this type in the US -- might have saved some lives in Minneapolis --it has been almost a year since that one and congress may pass a law soon for a 5 cent a gallon tax for bridge replacement (as if we needed more taxes).
Great start!! I can't wait to hear more! I was recently in North Carolina (another tobacco state) and was surprised when they asked if we wanted smoking or non-smoking in the restaurant. I'm so use to everything being non-smoking around home.
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My DW chose the Poly, which suited me just fine as it meant we could take the Monorails to the MK and Epcot!
-- see my PTR) so that it might be fixed and returned before we get home. 
We purchased some new clothes and stuff. I got some postcard stamps for my FGM requests. We checked all our Passporter checklists, again.
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Pixie Dust
Dreams, Wishes, Hopes... these are the parts of childhood we should never lose.
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More please 
PassPorter Guide Author
I'm not sure I like the sound of the next installment though... 
I'm so use to everything being non-smoking around home. 
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