tinkergal
09-25-2008, 12:08 PM
Cast of Characters: DH & me, 40s; buddies: hubby & wife, 50s
Where: POR - Magnolia Terrace
When: Sept. 13-19, Bounced back w/ free dining – hooray!
9/16 – Whew, time to slow down. The guys headed off to the Magnolia golf course while the ladies started toward the SSR spa for a massage. We got on a DtD bus, made it to the main depot & yes, got rear ended by another Disney bus! Crazy, huh? Oooh, was our bus driver mad (think of the scene in Enchanted when the prince stabs the bus!). So we had to be transported to another bus, meanwhile, our appt. time was fast approaching. We got to Rick, the cast member in charge of the accident reporting. He flagged down the nearest bus & had the driver take us directly to SSR. He was so nice & helpful as was the other bus driver - Disney hospitality at its finest. When we got to the spa, it was past our appt. time but we were moved into the next slot. The spa was great; professional staff & fantastic facilities (complete w/ Minnie’s dress in the ladies’ locker room!). After our pampering, we went to Wolfgang Puck’s Express for lunch. The tropical tea & crème brulee were outstanding. After some DtD shopping, we met the guys back @ POR for a rest. For dinner, we went to CSR & tried the Pepper Market. I was glad we went; don’t know that I’d go out of my way to go back – but it was fun. Overall, good times were had by all.
9/17 – Sadly, it was time to say good-bye to our buddies. But we recovered by going to DHS. Our 1st stop was TSM since we’d missed out on the fast passes earlier in the week. Wouldn’t you know it? It was shut down…drat! The green army men were milling about so we watched them for a few minutes until low & behold TSM opened back up. We were in the right place @ the right time ‘cause we only had about 10 min. wait! It was a fun ride but I must confess…I’d gotten caught up in the hype – I read too much & saw too much about this ride before experiencing it for myself. Let’s just say I’m sure glad we didn’t wait in the over-an-hour stand-by line. Next, we paid tribute to Walt & his dream – thanks, Walt, for helping so many other folks’ dreams come true! We got our groove on @ R’nRC & decided to go back to Epcot for a fun filled evening. For dinner, it was the Kona Café @ the Poly. I’d never had rare tuna before but it was delicious; DH made yummy noises over his steak dish. And we both raved about our crème brulee. Our server, Jeanne, was awesome! Tummies full, it was time to wrap up another delightful day.
9/18 – We had a leisurely morning & decided to go to the GF Café for lunch. I was hoping for the shrimp salad sandwich I’d had a few years ago but it was no longer on the menu. Instead, we both enjoyed a roast beef sandwich. We decided to spend the rest of our last full day @ the MK. We took our time riding, shopping, eating (yeah, Dole Whip!), & absorbing the magic around us. I was so bone-tired that we should’ve gone back to the resort for a rest but I didn’t want to miss a minute. I don’t know if I’ve learned my lesson or not – that you can retain more of the memories if you’re not so worn out! Anyway, we staked our position for Wishes in the optimum spot to see Tink fly. My favorite pixie, spreading her dust, flew right overhead. While we could still put one foot in front of the other, we made our way toward the exit. Before entering the train station, I took one longing glance back toward the castle. As we walked by Walt’s picture, I couldn’t help but tear up in gratitude for the fabulous memories I’ve made on this & previous trips, thanks to his vision. It’s always hard to leave good friends but it’s comforting to know they’ll be there when we return!
9/19 – We took our time packing; parting is such sweet sorrow. Checking into our airline w/ DME was smooth; we really enjoyed this service. We booked the bounce back offer for ’09. And have begun our Disney dreams all over again!
Where: POR - Magnolia Terrace
When: Sept. 13-19, Bounced back w/ free dining – hooray!
9/16 – Whew, time to slow down. The guys headed off to the Magnolia golf course while the ladies started toward the SSR spa for a massage. We got on a DtD bus, made it to the main depot & yes, got rear ended by another Disney bus! Crazy, huh? Oooh, was our bus driver mad (think of the scene in Enchanted when the prince stabs the bus!). So we had to be transported to another bus, meanwhile, our appt. time was fast approaching. We got to Rick, the cast member in charge of the accident reporting. He flagged down the nearest bus & had the driver take us directly to SSR. He was so nice & helpful as was the other bus driver - Disney hospitality at its finest. When we got to the spa, it was past our appt. time but we were moved into the next slot. The spa was great; professional staff & fantastic facilities (complete w/ Minnie’s dress in the ladies’ locker room!). After our pampering, we went to Wolfgang Puck’s Express for lunch. The tropical tea & crème brulee were outstanding. After some DtD shopping, we met the guys back @ POR for a rest. For dinner, we went to CSR & tried the Pepper Market. I was glad we went; don’t know that I’d go out of my way to go back – but it was fun. Overall, good times were had by all.
9/17 – Sadly, it was time to say good-bye to our buddies. But we recovered by going to DHS. Our 1st stop was TSM since we’d missed out on the fast passes earlier in the week. Wouldn’t you know it? It was shut down…drat! The green army men were milling about so we watched them for a few minutes until low & behold TSM opened back up. We were in the right place @ the right time ‘cause we only had about 10 min. wait! It was a fun ride but I must confess…I’d gotten caught up in the hype – I read too much & saw too much about this ride before experiencing it for myself. Let’s just say I’m sure glad we didn’t wait in the over-an-hour stand-by line. Next, we paid tribute to Walt & his dream – thanks, Walt, for helping so many other folks’ dreams come true! We got our groove on @ R’nRC & decided to go back to Epcot for a fun filled evening. For dinner, it was the Kona Café @ the Poly. I’d never had rare tuna before but it was delicious; DH made yummy noises over his steak dish. And we both raved about our crème brulee. Our server, Jeanne, was awesome! Tummies full, it was time to wrap up another delightful day.
9/18 – We had a leisurely morning & decided to go to the GF Café for lunch. I was hoping for the shrimp salad sandwich I’d had a few years ago but it was no longer on the menu. Instead, we both enjoyed a roast beef sandwich. We decided to spend the rest of our last full day @ the MK. We took our time riding, shopping, eating (yeah, Dole Whip!), & absorbing the magic around us. I was so bone-tired that we should’ve gone back to the resort for a rest but I didn’t want to miss a minute. I don’t know if I’ve learned my lesson or not – that you can retain more of the memories if you’re not so worn out! Anyway, we staked our position for Wishes in the optimum spot to see Tink fly. My favorite pixie, spreading her dust, flew right overhead. While we could still put one foot in front of the other, we made our way toward the exit. Before entering the train station, I took one longing glance back toward the castle. As we walked by Walt’s picture, I couldn’t help but tear up in gratitude for the fabulous memories I’ve made on this & previous trips, thanks to his vision. It’s always hard to leave good friends but it’s comforting to know they’ll be there when we return!
9/19 – We took our time packing; parting is such sweet sorrow. Checking into our airline w/ DME was smooth; we really enjoyed this service. We booked the bounce back offer for ’09. And have begun our Disney dreams all over again!