Beach Club Babe
08-23-2007, 06:08 PM
Cast Members:
Me (Heather)
DS (Matt)
DD#1 (Courtney)
DD#3 (Emily)
(DH, Ron and DD#2, Ashleigh were sitting this trip out, as did Courtney and Matt on the May trip)
Resort:
Yacht Club
Room 4078
Travel dates:
8/11/07 Driving Day
8/12/07 Check-in day
8/12/07-8/19/07 8 wonderful days to enjoy WDW
8/19/07 Check-out day
8/20/07 Arrival back in PA
Well once again our wonderful trip has come to an end and we have returned home safely! While we were away, our computer died and we had to get a new one. It just arrived this morning, so this is the first chance I've had to check in with everybody here at INTERCOT.
After much debating on whether or not I would attempt to drive straight through to WDW, it was decided that I would make the attempt to make the drive straight through. I knew that if I decided to stop overnight, I would probably regret it as we did the 1st time we made the drive in 2002. I could not figure out the "perfect" time to leave without hitting too much DC traffic or arriving at WDW too late for my tastes. It was decided we would build enough time in to take in account for traffic delays, and prolonged rest stops if neccessary.
We got very leisurely around 8:00 AM and took our time showering and throwing last minute items into the suitcases. I also checked INTERCOT one last time and then we had breakfast with my Grandmother. Courtney helped her make us some delicious pancakes and sausage! With our tummies full we departed about 11:10 AM.
About an hour and half or so into the drive, DS realized that somehow he had brought his CD player, but not his CD's. He had only one with him. Since I was not about to turn around to go get them, I tod him if he could at least make it through the drive down, I would see if my mother could pick up the CD's and overnight them to the Yacht Club. He agreed and so did my mother. After giving her instructions on where to send them, I realized that I must have forgotten to mention that we were staying at the YC this time. She replied, "If I had know that, I would have come along!"
Our drive was pretty much smooth sailing until we hit the DC area. I was prepared to find lots of congestion here, so it was no surprise when we encountered it. The bad news was that it lasted longer than I had anticipated ( almost all the way to Richmond, where we turned onto I295). The good news was it wasn't nearly as bad as Ron had encountered on his drive last year. Though we were moving slowly, at least we were moving! Unlike the Northbound traffic who were stopped completely! I was very happy I was not in that mess!
Our first stop for fuel came in Hopewell, VA. However, the bathrooms were questionable, so I pulled into a Wendy's for a bathroom break. Here, I also checked in with Ron, and since it was about 5:15 PM we dug into the sandwiches, that Courtney had prepared for us! Thanks Courtney, they were delicious! Our next stop for fuel came in Santee, SC, we always seem to stop here! Just a little while later we hit some thunderstorms, so I thought it might be a good idea to stop and try to get a little rest in. I was either not tired enough, or too excited, so after an hour of trying unsuccessfully to grab a quick nap we hit the road once again. I did find myself getting a tired once we crossed into Florida, so we stopped at the Welcome center, and dozed for a little while before starting out once again. We then stopped for gas in Palm Coast, I probably could have made it without this stop, but didn't want to chance it.
Despite the traffic and rest stops, we were still making excellent time! Too good in fact! I took one more break at a rest area off of I-4, but knew we would be arriving way to early. I did try to find a 24 hour Wal-Mart or grocery store to pick up the Advil we had forgotten, but had no luck in finding one!
Driving down a deserted I-4 seemed eerie, but was a better alternative to a jammed one! Soon we had arrived under those wonderful gates and all of our stresses seemed to melt away! We took a collective deep breath, we were at last home! I pulled into the Hess Station to get directions to a 24 hour store, but the directions she gave were not right and I found myself pulling into the parking lot at MGM Studios with other CM's arriving for work! We tried again using a different exit from the gas station, but this was no better as we were now heading toward the AKL! I turned around, but misread the signs for Epcot Resorts, and had no choice but to pull into the Magic Kingdom Parking Lot! I headed toward the Poly and turned back arriving way too early at the Yacht Club. I am usually very good with directions, though you wouldn't know it by the sound of this mis-adventure! At least we were all having a good chuckle about our early morning tour of WDW! The security guard was surprised to see me no doubt, but he got me my parking pass and were unloading our luggage and leaving it with bell services. I self-parked in hopes of killing a little more time before walking up to the front desk! It was now about 6:30 AM. I checked in and not surprisingly the room was not ready, despite the CM's attempt to find us a room. Instead, the Ale and Compass was serving a continental breakfast, so we grabbed some coffee, juice, fruit, bagels, and a cinnamon bun and waited the 20 minutes for Lobby Concierge to open!
I will be back soon with to begin day 1 of our glorious vacation!
Me (Heather)
DS (Matt)
DD#1 (Courtney)
DD#3 (Emily)
(DH, Ron and DD#2, Ashleigh were sitting this trip out, as did Courtney and Matt on the May trip)
Resort:
Yacht Club
Room 4078
Travel dates:
8/11/07 Driving Day
8/12/07 Check-in day
8/12/07-8/19/07 8 wonderful days to enjoy WDW
8/19/07 Check-out day
8/20/07 Arrival back in PA
Well once again our wonderful trip has come to an end and we have returned home safely! While we were away, our computer died and we had to get a new one. It just arrived this morning, so this is the first chance I've had to check in with everybody here at INTERCOT.
After much debating on whether or not I would attempt to drive straight through to WDW, it was decided that I would make the attempt to make the drive straight through. I knew that if I decided to stop overnight, I would probably regret it as we did the 1st time we made the drive in 2002. I could not figure out the "perfect" time to leave without hitting too much DC traffic or arriving at WDW too late for my tastes. It was decided we would build enough time in to take in account for traffic delays, and prolonged rest stops if neccessary.
We got very leisurely around 8:00 AM and took our time showering and throwing last minute items into the suitcases. I also checked INTERCOT one last time and then we had breakfast with my Grandmother. Courtney helped her make us some delicious pancakes and sausage! With our tummies full we departed about 11:10 AM.
About an hour and half or so into the drive, DS realized that somehow he had brought his CD player, but not his CD's. He had only one with him. Since I was not about to turn around to go get them, I tod him if he could at least make it through the drive down, I would see if my mother could pick up the CD's and overnight them to the Yacht Club. He agreed and so did my mother. After giving her instructions on where to send them, I realized that I must have forgotten to mention that we were staying at the YC this time. She replied, "If I had know that, I would have come along!"
Our drive was pretty much smooth sailing until we hit the DC area. I was prepared to find lots of congestion here, so it was no surprise when we encountered it. The bad news was that it lasted longer than I had anticipated ( almost all the way to Richmond, where we turned onto I295). The good news was it wasn't nearly as bad as Ron had encountered on his drive last year. Though we were moving slowly, at least we were moving! Unlike the Northbound traffic who were stopped completely! I was very happy I was not in that mess!
Our first stop for fuel came in Hopewell, VA. However, the bathrooms were questionable, so I pulled into a Wendy's for a bathroom break. Here, I also checked in with Ron, and since it was about 5:15 PM we dug into the sandwiches, that Courtney had prepared for us! Thanks Courtney, they were delicious! Our next stop for fuel came in Santee, SC, we always seem to stop here! Just a little while later we hit some thunderstorms, so I thought it might be a good idea to stop and try to get a little rest in. I was either not tired enough, or too excited, so after an hour of trying unsuccessfully to grab a quick nap we hit the road once again. I did find myself getting a tired once we crossed into Florida, so we stopped at the Welcome center, and dozed for a little while before starting out once again. We then stopped for gas in Palm Coast, I probably could have made it without this stop, but didn't want to chance it.
Despite the traffic and rest stops, we were still making excellent time! Too good in fact! I took one more break at a rest area off of I-4, but knew we would be arriving way to early. I did try to find a 24 hour Wal-Mart or grocery store to pick up the Advil we had forgotten, but had no luck in finding one!
Driving down a deserted I-4 seemed eerie, but was a better alternative to a jammed one! Soon we had arrived under those wonderful gates and all of our stresses seemed to melt away! We took a collective deep breath, we were at last home! I pulled into the Hess Station to get directions to a 24 hour store, but the directions she gave were not right and I found myself pulling into the parking lot at MGM Studios with other CM's arriving for work! We tried again using a different exit from the gas station, but this was no better as we were now heading toward the AKL! I turned around, but misread the signs for Epcot Resorts, and had no choice but to pull into the Magic Kingdom Parking Lot! I headed toward the Poly and turned back arriving way too early at the Yacht Club. I am usually very good with directions, though you wouldn't know it by the sound of this mis-adventure! At least we were all having a good chuckle about our early morning tour of WDW! The security guard was surprised to see me no doubt, but he got me my parking pass and were unloading our luggage and leaving it with bell services. I self-parked in hopes of killing a little more time before walking up to the front desk! It was now about 6:30 AM. I checked in and not surprisingly the room was not ready, despite the CM's attempt to find us a room. Instead, the Ale and Compass was serving a continental breakfast, so we grabbed some coffee, juice, fruit, bagels, and a cinnamon bun and waited the 20 minutes for Lobby Concierge to open!
I will be back soon with to begin day 1 of our glorious vacation!