harlowandthemermaid
01-03-2008, 02:24 PM
The players: My mom, me and Baby Vivien(dec 8-16) Jeff, me, and Viv(dec 16-21)
We started our long trek to Orlando on December 8 and managed to make it to Savannah before stopping for the night. After weighing all the pros and cons of transportation options we decided to rent a mini van for this trip, which proved to have advantages and disadvantages. It was great to have all of that extra room, but of course we stuffed it full of extra junk to lug around. The one thing that we could not fit (but wanted to) was an extra stroller. I had decided to bring the carseat carrier stroller because it was smaller than the travel system stroller. My original plan was to buy a smaller stroller like a combi or Maclaren before the trip but it didn’t pan out. The stroller decision was one I would come to regret.
We only had 4 or 5 hours to drive on the second day and after a pit stop at The Manatee Café in St Augustine we were headed to Orlando. Our reservation at the Beach Club didn’t start until the 10th but I had received an email offer from the Radisson in Celebration for $59 so we decided to take advantage of that for one night. The hotel was okay for one night but I wouldn’t want to spend a whole vacation there. The beds were comfy but the atmosphere was very sterile at the hotel and the staff was somewhat unpleasant.
After a little rest we decided to hit Downtown Disney to buy our park passes and have some dinner. We had sandwiches at the Earl of Sandwich and went in a few shops to get some Christmas present ideas before enjoying our first YUMMY Ghirardelli hot fudge sundae! I love love love their hot fudge sundae, I had been craving one for over a year. After our ice cream Viv started letting us know she was ready for bed so we headed back for much needed rest before the vacation truly began.
Monday December 10th
Today is check in day at the Beach Club but we decided to go to MK for a few hours first. To start the trip right we headed to the Polynesian for breakfast at the Kona Café, another one of my faves. I had the Macadamia Pineapple pancakes and they may just be the best pancakes I’ve ever had. We took a few pics at the resort and then hopped on the monorail over to the Magic Kingdom. Of course by now it was after 11 and since it was Monday the crowds were starting to thicken. We decided we wouldn’t ride anything with much of a wait so we decided to let Vivien’s first ride be the carousel.
WE had gotten a fastpass for Pooh so that was our next stop. Vivien loves the My friends Tigger and Pooh show so I’d hoped for a response on this ride but I think she was a little tired and was pretty chilled out for most of the ride. I was excited to see Pooh, Tigger, AND Darby meeting guests near the ride but when I got there they were getting ready to take a break. My mom suggested Mickey’s Philharmagic , which is a sentimental fave so that was our next stop. I figured if Vivien wasn’t interested it would be an ideal place to nurse her since it was dark and we were on the end of the row. She actually really enjoyed it and so did I, but it was a little bittersweet since it made me recall the many times we watched it with Sam. He would always get startled and jump when Donald lands on Big Ben in the Peter Pan section. It’s strange the effect that Philharmagic has had on me, whenever I hear “I just can’t wait to be king” I actually think of the scene in Philharmagic and not in the Lion King. For some reason, this was the only time we watched Philharmagic and I’m not sure why. It’s like I forgot it was there for the rest of the trip. Too bad…..
By this time I think Viv was ready for a nap so we just sat around and talked and since neither of us felt like riding anything we headed to Adventureland for a tasty Pineapple Dole Whip. At some point Vivien woke up so she could have a taste. ;)
It was getting dangerously close to parade time so we decided to make a break for it and go check in to our room at the wonderful Beach Club. I kept telling my mom that the vacation didn’t officially begin until we checked in and I could stop carrying a bunch of bags around.
Bell services looked at us like we were crazy when I opened the van. It looked like a disaster area and by the time we loaded up the cart with the 2 cases of bottled water, multiple suitcases, snack bags, toy bags, bouncy chair, boppy pillow, etc etc we had 17 pieces of luggage. Luckily we were checked in and off to our room quickly , I think it was room 1512. We were all the way on the end by Epcot(first floor) which was a good thing and a bad thing. The good thing is that we walked out of our room and the walkway to Epcot was right there. The bad thing is that we were pretty far from the lobby and Stormalong Bay. I guess that’s what happens when you are all the way at the end of the resort, you become very separated from some of its amenties. But I really liked the idea of being so close to Epcot, and it was also a very short walk to the Boardwalk.
The room was plenty spacious and we loved the decorations, plus it had a daybed and minifridge. It had been a while since my mom and I had stayed in a deluxe resort together as this is a splurge that we can’t afford very often.
Before long it was time to head to our dinner reservation at Cape May Café, conveniently located in the Beach Club lobby. Unfortunately, the wait was long and Vivien started getting cranky very shortly after we were seated. She did eat dinner and we managed to enjoy a lot of tasty choices on the buffet as well as some delicious desserts before she let us know that she was done. Cape May specializes in seafood but I honestly think I didn’t have any. I think I tried every dessert though!
Vivien fell asleep so we decided to head over to Epcot to watch Illuminations. Yes, a loud fireworks show with a sleeping baby, I must be crazy. I had her ears covered very well and she did indeed sleep through almost the whole thing. We decided to head out during the very loud finale to the holiday tag and that is when she woke up and looked very confused by the noise and the insane amount of fireworks lighting up the sky. I think we were watching in Morocco so we had a few countries to walk through before heading out of the International Gateway. It was nice to pretty much just walk around the corner and be back in our room to enjoy a very nice rest on the super comfy Beach Club bed.
Next up: Epcot by day and a plan change
We started our long trek to Orlando on December 8 and managed to make it to Savannah before stopping for the night. After weighing all the pros and cons of transportation options we decided to rent a mini van for this trip, which proved to have advantages and disadvantages. It was great to have all of that extra room, but of course we stuffed it full of extra junk to lug around. The one thing that we could not fit (but wanted to) was an extra stroller. I had decided to bring the carseat carrier stroller because it was smaller than the travel system stroller. My original plan was to buy a smaller stroller like a combi or Maclaren before the trip but it didn’t pan out. The stroller decision was one I would come to regret.
We only had 4 or 5 hours to drive on the second day and after a pit stop at The Manatee Café in St Augustine we were headed to Orlando. Our reservation at the Beach Club didn’t start until the 10th but I had received an email offer from the Radisson in Celebration for $59 so we decided to take advantage of that for one night. The hotel was okay for one night but I wouldn’t want to spend a whole vacation there. The beds were comfy but the atmosphere was very sterile at the hotel and the staff was somewhat unpleasant.
After a little rest we decided to hit Downtown Disney to buy our park passes and have some dinner. We had sandwiches at the Earl of Sandwich and went in a few shops to get some Christmas present ideas before enjoying our first YUMMY Ghirardelli hot fudge sundae! I love love love their hot fudge sundae, I had been craving one for over a year. After our ice cream Viv started letting us know she was ready for bed so we headed back for much needed rest before the vacation truly began.
Monday December 10th
Today is check in day at the Beach Club but we decided to go to MK for a few hours first. To start the trip right we headed to the Polynesian for breakfast at the Kona Café, another one of my faves. I had the Macadamia Pineapple pancakes and they may just be the best pancakes I’ve ever had. We took a few pics at the resort and then hopped on the monorail over to the Magic Kingdom. Of course by now it was after 11 and since it was Monday the crowds were starting to thicken. We decided we wouldn’t ride anything with much of a wait so we decided to let Vivien’s first ride be the carousel.
WE had gotten a fastpass for Pooh so that was our next stop. Vivien loves the My friends Tigger and Pooh show so I’d hoped for a response on this ride but I think she was a little tired and was pretty chilled out for most of the ride. I was excited to see Pooh, Tigger, AND Darby meeting guests near the ride but when I got there they were getting ready to take a break. My mom suggested Mickey’s Philharmagic , which is a sentimental fave so that was our next stop. I figured if Vivien wasn’t interested it would be an ideal place to nurse her since it was dark and we were on the end of the row. She actually really enjoyed it and so did I, but it was a little bittersweet since it made me recall the many times we watched it with Sam. He would always get startled and jump when Donald lands on Big Ben in the Peter Pan section. It’s strange the effect that Philharmagic has had on me, whenever I hear “I just can’t wait to be king” I actually think of the scene in Philharmagic and not in the Lion King. For some reason, this was the only time we watched Philharmagic and I’m not sure why. It’s like I forgot it was there for the rest of the trip. Too bad…..
By this time I think Viv was ready for a nap so we just sat around and talked and since neither of us felt like riding anything we headed to Adventureland for a tasty Pineapple Dole Whip. At some point Vivien woke up so she could have a taste. ;)
It was getting dangerously close to parade time so we decided to make a break for it and go check in to our room at the wonderful Beach Club. I kept telling my mom that the vacation didn’t officially begin until we checked in and I could stop carrying a bunch of bags around.
Bell services looked at us like we were crazy when I opened the van. It looked like a disaster area and by the time we loaded up the cart with the 2 cases of bottled water, multiple suitcases, snack bags, toy bags, bouncy chair, boppy pillow, etc etc we had 17 pieces of luggage. Luckily we were checked in and off to our room quickly , I think it was room 1512. We were all the way on the end by Epcot(first floor) which was a good thing and a bad thing. The good thing is that we walked out of our room and the walkway to Epcot was right there. The bad thing is that we were pretty far from the lobby and Stormalong Bay. I guess that’s what happens when you are all the way at the end of the resort, you become very separated from some of its amenties. But I really liked the idea of being so close to Epcot, and it was also a very short walk to the Boardwalk.
The room was plenty spacious and we loved the decorations, plus it had a daybed and minifridge. It had been a while since my mom and I had stayed in a deluxe resort together as this is a splurge that we can’t afford very often.
Before long it was time to head to our dinner reservation at Cape May Café, conveniently located in the Beach Club lobby. Unfortunately, the wait was long and Vivien started getting cranky very shortly after we were seated. She did eat dinner and we managed to enjoy a lot of tasty choices on the buffet as well as some delicious desserts before she let us know that she was done. Cape May specializes in seafood but I honestly think I didn’t have any. I think I tried every dessert though!
Vivien fell asleep so we decided to head over to Epcot to watch Illuminations. Yes, a loud fireworks show with a sleeping baby, I must be crazy. I had her ears covered very well and she did indeed sleep through almost the whole thing. We decided to head out during the very loud finale to the holiday tag and that is when she woke up and looked very confused by the noise and the insane amount of fireworks lighting up the sky. I think we were watching in Morocco so we had a few countries to walk through before heading out of the International Gateway. It was nice to pretty much just walk around the corner and be back in our room to enjoy a very nice rest on the super comfy Beach Club bed.
Next up: Epcot by day and a plan change