13 days in February... About This Page:

[stonewall]

I am going to try to do an entire trip report this time and not poop out half-way through! I now feel better than I did when I got on the plane to WDW, but I digress...
2/11-"The Day Before"- I thought that I was organized and prepared for this trip, but I didn't count on what was going to be thrown at me with less than 24 hours to go! On Monday, one of my 2 wisdom teeth started to really hurt so I gave in and called the dentist. I had seen him the month before, and he had thought that there was an infection in the tooth that was next to it, but now I was SURE that it was the wisdom tooth.He couldn't see me that day but had an opening on Tuesday at 10:30.In the chair, the decision was made just to pull it because there was no way that I could fly with a severe infection. OK, he yanks it out, after 8 shots of novacaine! I can't go home and rest, as per meical advice, so I head to the bank to make a deposit and get some cash. Then a stop at home to check in. I take a look at my e-mail [img]graemlins/puter.gif[/img] and there "it" was, a missive from the kids' dad,recinding our "swap" of vacation periods. He always pulls something like this, just to jerk my chain [img]images/icons/mad.gif[/img] . A quick call to the travel agent to check my insurance, and I'm on the phone to him. I tell him to keep them and we are going anyway!Panic ensues, and he agrees to let them go if I give him $100.The fool wanted cash,but decided not to push his luck and settled for a check [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img] .NY State accepted my taxes by e-mail but the IRS has detected an ID# that they don't like.Call the State, get the correct # and try to re-file the 1040X. The IRS wouldn't take the form [img]images/icons/confused.gif[/img] and told me that I had to send it in. Aauuggrrr. The printer is un-coperative.
The snow starts.It's 10 degrees and windy.My jaw is killing me. Call the dentist, and he says he'll call my MD and phone in an Rx for Lynne to pick up.OK, I head out to pick up the kids at school at 2pm. Grab them and try to make sure that both of the schools remember that the kids will be out of school for 3 days before and 2 days after vacation. Looks good. I hurt.
Get home, hit the printer, and have the kids put the dog crates in the van and pack up the dogs to take to the "sitter".A tearful goodbye there and we're back home as we are nowhere near packed.I hurt.
Hit the printer,make dinner,take one of the painkiller pills,finish packing,check the kids bags and load up the car for tomorrow's early departure.Finally get the printer to spit out 2 copies of the taxes and scrape up an envelope and a stamp.Call to check on the dogs. They are OK, but the snow is picking up.
11pm.Pain; grab the bedtime painkiller,take a shower and the last thing I remember is a rush of pain, Passed out cold due to a reaction to the medication [img]graemlins/dizzy.gif[/img] !!Lynne kept a cool head and shoveled me into bed for a couple of hours.
Up at 4:30 am. A full-fledged blizzard is raging, but the airport is still open.A 5 minute drive turns into 30, but we get there at 5:30 for a 7am flight. Lynne parks the car(which my mechanics will pick up as they are going to be working on it) and I take the kids and head into the airport. I send DD,Pam,11, runnning to the mailbox with my tax return in hand as I go over the check in procedure for my scooter. We're all together and head for the gate. I show them my knee brace, but of course, I have to be searched from top to bottom. Fine. My jaw throbbing, we arrive at the gate, airline personel drive my scooter away to the belly of the plane and we board. The plane has been sitting there overnight and is covered with ice and snow,it gets de-iced twice and we take off,late, as they close all of the schools and the airport behind us.
The flight to Pittsburgh is fully loaded and very rough.Fear makes the passengers quiet though, so I dozed until an announcement came asking who the passenger was that had an electric scooter on board.I answered and the flight attendant wanted to know if I needed it to change flights. As we would land and take-off at adjacent gates, I told her no, but please to make sure that it got onto the Orlando flight.That proved to be a fortuitous statement, as they then held the plane for us, although we were late.Three and a half hour later and we were landing in Orlando.I am in agony, but we gather the baggage and I head to the Dollar Rent a Car Counter.They have a sign for the FastPass Lane, which is supposed to allow members to proceed to the front of the line, but hell hath no fury like travelers to Disney World, so the employees pay no attention to special perks of membership and take everyone in turn. Finally, get to the counter and find out that they don't want to take the 3rd seat out of my Caravan, as they had promised, to accomodate my scooter. I finally talk to a superviosr and she gets me an upgrade to an Astro, in which we stow everything and head off, finally,intot the sunshine.
About 20 minutes later we pull into the drive up to the Wilderness Lodge and hear "Welcome Home" [img]graemlins/wavin.gif[/img] from the guard. I take a deep breath, preparing for the sight of the Lodge as we round the bend - what do we see? Nine Police cars from the K-9 units! It is at this particular point in time that DS,Christopher,almost 9, decides to open his side window for a breath of warm air(!). The thing opens with a loud "CRACK!" and I jump about a foot off of the seat! The man that comes to our window must see that I am hyperventalating, so he tells us that there was an "incident" in the baggage area, but to go ahead into the Lodge and he will take care of my scooter for me later.
This was our second trip to the WL so we truly were "at home", but I have to say that the check in there is anything but smooth. About 30 minutes later,our rooms are ready for early occupancy, but for some reason the kids each have a combination room/UPH (they have a double queen room), while Lynne and I have a room key(King rrom) AND a UPH. Alright, that's confusing.We follow our nose to lunch at the Whispering Canyon and oh my, those milk shakes are wonderful!
I stagger to the room and collapse as eveyone
gets settled in, goes out to visit the otter that we had previously named Simon(after our Scottie)and troops off to the pool, leaving me to sleep in peace and pain. Several hours later, I wake in total darkness, and try to find the little button on the "moose" lamp.Giving up, I had in the general direction of the bathroom, where I new there was a light and I slam right into the refrigerator [img]images/icons/mad.gif[/img] , which I had forgotton was in our room! Swearing revenge on that device, I find the light, move the fridge to underneath the sink in the kid's room and settle back to bed, only to have the others arrive back,well fed from dinner at Roaring Fork.They had gone swimming and watched the fireworks.
I'm awake now, so I go off for a coke and then found out that my "room key" doesn't work in either door.Neither does Lynne's. A trip to the front desk hopefully corrects this problem and the kids and I go to the hot tub,my favorite place.Of course I find other people from Rochester there, as anyone with the abilty to escape 124 inches of snow has done so!
Happily, we go to sleep,looking forward to tomorrow's celebration of Christopher's birthday at Chef Mickey's. It's warm and peaceful and I love the WL! [img]graemlins/love.gif[/img]

[ 03-05-2003, 08:14 PM: Message edited by: stonewall ]

[Wendyismyname]

Wonderful start!! Can't wait to hear more and I'm sorry about all the bad luck you were having! Keep the goodies coming!!

wendy

[Diz]

You definitely need this Dvacation! [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img] I feel frazzled just from reading what happened to you!

But I'm glad you got all settled in the WL and had a chance to sit in the hot tub. Hot tubs...they can take all your cares away, can't they?!

[joyjoy]

Geeze oh Pete, what a nightmare! My mouth aches just hearing about your ordeal. I'm so happy you found the hot tub post haste and are getting some relief and relaxation. Take another pill! [img]graemlins/dizzy.gif[/img]

Great start to your tr, can't wait to hear more.

[A. Monster]

Oh my, what a crazy start to your vacation.

You have, however, inspired me to get my wisdom teeth out long before our October vacation; I've been putting it off for well over two years.

Can't wait to read more! Hope the next day improved considerably! (Of course it will, you're at DW, right?)

[stonewall]

Hi Again! As for the tooth, I waited 25 years from the time a dentist first warned me about it, and never had a bit of trouble,until right before this trip!
Before we left, I joined Connections on the trial membership(xcld.before we left),and purchased a bunch of the discount meal coupons.Staff everywhere were familiar with them,but the cashier at the AKL took 10 minutes to ring up a meal beacuse she had never actually been presented with them before.The coupons proved a great deal at places like Beaches and Cream, and were very handy to have.I guess that I will have to sign up permanantly if they continue to have the coupons available.
The sun dawned on our first day at WDW, and it was beautiful and warm.I had asked in advance if my scooter could fit on the little ferry that went to the Contemp. and was advised that all was fine. We got to the boat and found out that this was not so, and we needed to get to Chef Mickey's for a 7:45 PS(Christopher's birthday breakfast). The ferry staff was great,loaded us onto the bigger boat and told the other passengers that the ferry was going to make a stop at the Contemporary!How wonderful!A commercial was being shot in front of the resort, so Lynne stopped to watch for a moment before we began to hunt for the elevator.Infortunately, the picture that was taken of us in Chef Mickey's wasn't good, as both of the adults had their eyes closed-something that happened in all of the photos that they took while we there.How come they can't check that digitally when they first take them?I would have like to have a couple for memories.The breakfast was delicious;never been there before and found the food quite good. They sang Happy Birthday to Chritopher, and wasn't nearly as embarrassed as his sister was!Pam and I did some shopping before breakfast as she had promised her friend Tiana that she would get her an autograph book and signatures.Chef Mickey's was a terrific place to collect them! We went back to the shops after we ate and I showed Lynne a ring that I really liked.
Off to the MK via the monorail;no problem getting on, the CM brought a ramp and I just rolled into the car.Getting off was another story, as she forgot to radio ahead! Lynne and Pam spotted the ramp and began dragging it over when a CM came to help them.I had everything in one backpack on the scooter,so clearing security was fast even though it was park opening time.Pam's UPH doens't work at the gate as it was appearantly never coded for a pass,just a room key! The CM will not allow her into the park, but tells me to go to City Hall and get her a "day pass". The poor kid is 11, and a bit upset.Whizzed back to get her and headed off for a day of fun.
Another commercial was being filmed on the left side of the Castle, and there were lights and cameras set up, blocking off the path. I wonder if these are for the new Disney Credit Card?
My brain and body were in sync this time and I knew better than to ride Splash Mountain or Big Thunder, so the kids went there while Lynne headed for a coke and I browsed the shop.Everything was open so I got to torture the kids on IASW!Lynne and I both remembered this from the '64 World's Fair and she kept asking about another thing that she recalled which turned out to be the Carousel of Progress!I loved the Hall of Presidents and could spend hours in there watching all of the movements and gestures.Nothing was crowded so the lines weren't a problem.The kids didn't want to see the parade but decided that they really DID want to ride Space Mountain this time.There was no way that we were going to get on that thing,and I was worried(needlessly!) about Christopher being afraid, but I let them go off to Tommorland while we stayed in Adverntureland to watch the parade.I had a leather bracelet made with Christopher's name on it, and an anklet made for Pam. They make great, relatively inexspensive, souveniers.The parade was lovely and made me cry, as usual!We trundled over to meet the kids;they were a bit late, but they were honest and told us that they had ridded SM once, got another FastPass,gone to the Indy Speedway and rode SM again, where Christopher had lost his FastPass somewhere in the line. Pam pleased an advanced case of "little brotheritis" and the CM let them both ride!Christopher is a little dare-devil, and it turns out that he loves roller coasters!I have no idea where he gets that from-I like my feet firmly on the ground!
Once again, I did what I said I was not going to do, and spent all day without stopping for a decent meal or heading back to the Lodge for a break.Why do we do that?By evening we were exhausted and cranky and I felt miserable.Actually, I think that I was a first-class pain in the neck when we sat down at Casey's for dinner.The smell of the hot dogs got to me though and I decided to have one after everyone else had devoured theirs!Great,I was now a sulking adult.... [img]graemlins/pout.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/blush.gif[/img]
The boat ride back to the WL was nice as usual. The water level is low and the ferry labored in places.Lynne wanted to read in peace after the chaos of the day so I took the kids down to the pool area, with a detour to the front desk to try and recitfy the pass/room key problem. Christopher would spend all night in the pool if allowed, so I let him swin while Pam and I relaxed in that wonderful hot tub. It was hard to believe that it was so warm when home was dealing with a winter with 125 inched of snow(so far)!We were baking in the glow of the foreworks and all was right with the world...

[Dumbo]

Glad to see your trip getting better. Hope your mouth didn't give you any more pain.

I agree with you about the Hall of Presidents. I could say and watch them move all day. They seem so lifelike.

[wheatenwalker]

Sounds like a wonderful day! Sheila

[rebecca c.]

There is nothing worse than a tooth ache. I hope your days contuine to get better. Love your trip report.

[tikibird]

Wow, sounds like a rough start (I totally understand the wisdom tooth thing - I was so out of it the day after the surgery I bought a NEON! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] ) WL, other than the room key fiascos, sounds delightful as always!

Looking forward to more! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[Bert & Sully]

So far so good!

[ProChristo]

I'm really enjoying reading all about your trip. Too bad WL was having key issues, I'm sure it got all worked out soon enough. Can't wait to read more!

[Versafox]

Really enjoying your trip report -- especially all your reminders of MY favorite place at the Wilderness Lodge (which happens to be the same as yours) -- the hot tub! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[stonewall]

Day Three- Happy Valentine's Day!We slept until about 7:30 and after getting ready,drove over to Epcot for our 9AM PS for the Princess Breakfast at Norway. We arrived at 8:45 and got into the fray outside the doorway.There were a lot of people checking in and the staff at the podium seemed overwhelmed with the crowd. When we made it to the desk, we were given a pager and sent off to wait,even though a peek into the restaurant revealed that it was almost empty.OK, we went off to explore the Stave Church and the front part of the shop, which was all that was open.Of course I bought a pair of earrings for me and one for DD. Our beeper went off and and we were seated in the room to the right of the entry,in the front corner.It took quite a while for our server to come to out table, and he did not introduce himslef,as CMs usually do.The table was tiny and it felt very crowded in that corner.The first flite of food arrived,on a tiered server, and it was certainly not what I had expected. The waffles were absolutely rock hard and there was 3 of eveything on the tray,even though there were 4 of us.We had to ask for coffee and then didn't get any cream,despite repeated requests.When we asked for more waffles or whatever, it was replentished silently, and in threes. Sure, the Princesses circulated and that was nice, but the entire experience was very substandard and most "Un-Disneylike". It was almost as if the folks in this establishment were dumbfounded by the sucess of this breakfast and were boggled by it. We were all disappointed. This torture lasted until 11am, but the upside was that we were able to walk right onto Maelstrom. This was Lynne and Christopher's first time on a ride that Pam and I really enjoy. so it was fun to share it with them.The kids posed on the giant troll in the store and we got some terrific pictures. Christopher had not seen the majority of the World Showcase before,except for meals,so he was really looking forward to exploring.Little did I suspect that he had an ulterior motive-Yu-Gi-Oh and DragonBall Z cards in the Japanese Pavilion! I stopped off in the little African area to talk to one of the carvers, and bought a cane with the head of a dog on it. He shortened it to fit me and we began to look for Lynne,who had wandered on ahead.As we strolled past Italy, we glanced in and saw that the wonderful Masque Players were "performing" so we were lucky enough to get some wonderful pictures of them.Their costumes are amazingly beautiful and must be really something to wear in the really hot weather!We finally caught up with Lynne in front of the American pavilion where she was sitting in the shade,watching the Colonial Fife and Drum group perform.I had skipped "America" the last time and was really glad that we were able to spend time with the kids there now. I found the show lacking, in that there were many images and not enough narration to support it for those who might not have been sure exactly what they were seeing. The singing group was great and I could gladly return to hear them again!
OK, we were being towed in the direction of "Japan", one of my favorite spots anyway so off we went. I lived in Japan for a while, so I feel at home in this little spot, and will grab any chance to use my Japanese, a language that really deteriorates with lack of use! Once again,we split up,Lynne going to the special Baseball exhibit while the kids and I shopped. Christopher's money was burning a hole in his pocket big-time [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] and he was dancing through the little outside sales shop and finding more things than he had hands!Like a typical mom, I kept encouraging him to "spend his money on something that was really worthwhile", but it took Lynne's wisdom to point out that these trading cards were precisely that to an 8 year old boy!Once he had permission he was quickly able to make his transaction quickly, holding onto his treasure tightly as we cajoled him into joining us in having a Kaki-Gori! [img]graemlins/yuma.gif[/img] We then took off for Great Britain to purchase some gifts in the small Welsh shop; they hsve beautiful silver earrings and celtic crosses and dragons.As our gift list was polished of our tummy's began to growl. Where to eat? Hhmmnn... Well,fish and chips might be good, but Pam quickly vetoed this though as she(like me) hates fish in any form.Hey,wasn't it a short trip to the BC and Beaches and Cream? That's it, we'll stroll down and hop a Friendship [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img] . Well,we would have made it but the little girl mice from Cinderella were there in the walkway and they were so cute.A family from Brazil thought so too,because they tried every possible permutation of arrangements,taking about 50 photos!We were next,got our hugs and photos and "ran" downhill,only to see the boat pulling away!So we'd wait, but that would take 20 minutes and we were HUNGRY!The walk idea was fine for me, I had a scooter, but Lynne and the kids had sore feet!There was the BC and the YC, but it took a concerted effort through the maze of buildings and pool(and several wrong turns due to CM's directions!), but there it was,redolant with the scents of onion rings and hot fudge! Oh ,what a delicious meal, and that strawberry shortcake,ummm [img]graemlins/yuma.gif[/img]
The food made the walk back to and through Epcot much more pleasant. We drove back to 'home' to the WL,passing several limos filled with wedding parties- Lynne took and nap and the kids and I took off for the pool. Now I don't drink, but it was warm and several people were enjoying their cold brews in the hot tub and that sure looked good to this weary traveler. Back to the room,shower and dress and the craving was satisfied by a trip to the Territory Lounge-although I felt like a goose among swans with all of the beautifully dressed people-add in some nachos and a great view of the MK fireworks and it was a fitting close to Valentine's Day at Disney World. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[tikibird]

Sorry you did not enjoy the princess breakfast, but seems like things really picked up from there - and dinner sounds too good! [img]graemlins/yuma.gif[/img]

Great installment, looking forward to the next one! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]