dlpmikki
11-02-2010, 03:04 PM
Saturday 23rd October (Day 12)
We finish packing and leave Cypress Harbor by 9 a.m.. We can always hope there is a room ready early (it has happened before). Today there isn’t – and check-in can’t say whether we can stay in the “one bedroom” part of our two bedroom unit when Mikki’s sister and family leave. We hope it turns out we can. What’s the point of asking for a “lock off” two bedroom unit if you can’t lock off the second bedroom when you need to?
We drive to Celebration to see Christine and John’s home. They have a lovely ground (first) floor apartment. They are very nice and let Andrew and me stay in the apartment while they take Mikki out to play tennis. It seems my Mikki was not playing anywhere near her best. John is steadfastly declining a re-match.
We head back to Old Key West and have a light lunch at Olivia’s. It is still before official check-in time but we hope we can persuade them to let us have any room that is ready so we can sort things out before the family arrive. Mikki points out that the building they have assigned us to – building 11 – has limited parking, which is already taken. No luck in changing pre-assigned rooms – but a manager tries to reassure us how wonderful our room will be because it has only just completed refurbishment (Oops!).
We finally get our rooms. They are 1110 and 1111 – I guess the lowest numbers we could get. Building 11 is tucked away in the trees so there is really no outlook. This is a bit of a shame when my humans are hoping to impress the family on their first visit – but it turns out to be far from the worst problem we have.
My humans have been DVC members at OKW since 1992 – so that are very used to the old arrangements of the rooms. Their first impressions of the refurb are of the little extras that have just gone (like the dimmer on the kitchen lights) which they considered the sort of “wow factors” that made them buy. I’ll reserve other comments on the refurb until they have a more considered view but I must mention the internet connection because it is important for my trip report.
The socket for the internet connection used to be in the kitchen, very close to the dining table, so it was easy to put your laptop on the table and work at it there. Now the socket is by the window, between the two sofas near the telephone. The supplied cable is so short it will not even reach to the coffee table. You work on your lap – or nothing. Mikki doesn’t like that and it is quite impossible for Andrew because of his visual impairment. Fortunately, we have a longer Ethernet cable we were given by a Disney IT technician a few years ago. We can just reach the table after we move it towards the window. It looks a little silly away from its hanging light – but at least I can still post my reports.
Soon, however, other problems are discovered. Mikki again has a bedside light that doesn’t work (we check and work out it is just a dud bulb); the cold tap in the kitchen doesn’t work properly; one door on the bedroom closet isn’t fixed at the top. More seriously, the main door does not close unless pulled shut and the handle is broken on the connecting door so it can not be opened from the studio/second bedroom side. We take a list to Check-in while greeting the family who are now arriving on Magical Express.
We greet the family and they unpack while an engineer comes to fix the problems. He is not finished when we go to Olivia’s to eat. He offers that there have been a lot of problems with the refurbishments – done by outside contractors. My Andrew is not impressed. Surely someone from DVC signed off on each room?
At least Andrew doesn’t have the same problems he had last time with the pillows. Just as well, there seem to be no loose cushions in the refurbished rooms!
Sunday 24th October (Day 13)
My humans need to remember what a first visit to Disney World is like. Everyone is excited (well, the kids are); We set off early and get to the Magic Kingdom well before opening. We walk right up Main Street with all the cast members waving and greeting us and actually through the castle. We will get a lot done.
First stop is Peter Pan. We walk on and take Fastpasses for a second flight. Next comes Pooh and another quick walk on. In a hectic morning, we will also ride Snow White and Small World and watch Philharmagic in Fantasyland. We tour the Haunted Manson in Liberty Square and ride Big Thunder in Frontierland. Big Thunder is the only ride where the kids’ cries of “again” get so overwhelming that we have to do it now.
After checking out a couple of the fast food places, we are fortunate to get a table for 6 at Liberty Tree Tavern with hardly any wait. Later, we are heading for Pirates of the Caribbean when a little foot becomes sore so we decide to leave. On the way out, we add Ariel to the characters the kids have in the autograph books Mikki gave them. The rest of the afternoon is spent at the pool at Old Key West which is a huge hit with the younger members of the party.
We finish packing and leave Cypress Harbor by 9 a.m.. We can always hope there is a room ready early (it has happened before). Today there isn’t – and check-in can’t say whether we can stay in the “one bedroom” part of our two bedroom unit when Mikki’s sister and family leave. We hope it turns out we can. What’s the point of asking for a “lock off” two bedroom unit if you can’t lock off the second bedroom when you need to?
We drive to Celebration to see Christine and John’s home. They have a lovely ground (first) floor apartment. They are very nice and let Andrew and me stay in the apartment while they take Mikki out to play tennis. It seems my Mikki was not playing anywhere near her best. John is steadfastly declining a re-match.
We head back to Old Key West and have a light lunch at Olivia’s. It is still before official check-in time but we hope we can persuade them to let us have any room that is ready so we can sort things out before the family arrive. Mikki points out that the building they have assigned us to – building 11 – has limited parking, which is already taken. No luck in changing pre-assigned rooms – but a manager tries to reassure us how wonderful our room will be because it has only just completed refurbishment (Oops!).
We finally get our rooms. They are 1110 and 1111 – I guess the lowest numbers we could get. Building 11 is tucked away in the trees so there is really no outlook. This is a bit of a shame when my humans are hoping to impress the family on their first visit – but it turns out to be far from the worst problem we have.
My humans have been DVC members at OKW since 1992 – so that are very used to the old arrangements of the rooms. Their first impressions of the refurb are of the little extras that have just gone (like the dimmer on the kitchen lights) which they considered the sort of “wow factors” that made them buy. I’ll reserve other comments on the refurb until they have a more considered view but I must mention the internet connection because it is important for my trip report.
The socket for the internet connection used to be in the kitchen, very close to the dining table, so it was easy to put your laptop on the table and work at it there. Now the socket is by the window, between the two sofas near the telephone. The supplied cable is so short it will not even reach to the coffee table. You work on your lap – or nothing. Mikki doesn’t like that and it is quite impossible for Andrew because of his visual impairment. Fortunately, we have a longer Ethernet cable we were given by a Disney IT technician a few years ago. We can just reach the table after we move it towards the window. It looks a little silly away from its hanging light – but at least I can still post my reports.
Soon, however, other problems are discovered. Mikki again has a bedside light that doesn’t work (we check and work out it is just a dud bulb); the cold tap in the kitchen doesn’t work properly; one door on the bedroom closet isn’t fixed at the top. More seriously, the main door does not close unless pulled shut and the handle is broken on the connecting door so it can not be opened from the studio/second bedroom side. We take a list to Check-in while greeting the family who are now arriving on Magical Express.
We greet the family and they unpack while an engineer comes to fix the problems. He is not finished when we go to Olivia’s to eat. He offers that there have been a lot of problems with the refurbishments – done by outside contractors. My Andrew is not impressed. Surely someone from DVC signed off on each room?
At least Andrew doesn’t have the same problems he had last time with the pillows. Just as well, there seem to be no loose cushions in the refurbished rooms!
Sunday 24th October (Day 13)
My humans need to remember what a first visit to Disney World is like. Everyone is excited (well, the kids are); We set off early and get to the Magic Kingdom well before opening. We walk right up Main Street with all the cast members waving and greeting us and actually through the castle. We will get a lot done.
First stop is Peter Pan. We walk on and take Fastpasses for a second flight. Next comes Pooh and another quick walk on. In a hectic morning, we will also ride Snow White and Small World and watch Philharmagic in Fantasyland. We tour the Haunted Manson in Liberty Square and ride Big Thunder in Frontierland. Big Thunder is the only ride where the kids’ cries of “again” get so overwhelming that we have to do it now.
After checking out a couple of the fast food places, we are fortunate to get a table for 6 at Liberty Tree Tavern with hardly any wait. Later, we are heading for Pirates of the Caribbean when a little foot becomes sore so we decide to leave. On the way out, we add Ariel to the characters the kids have in the autograph books Mikki gave them. The rest of the afternoon is spent at the pool at Old Key West which is a huge hit with the younger members of the party.