faline
08-30-2013, 10:39 AM
When: August 20 – 28, 2013
Who: Gene & Me
Today: August 20, 2013 - Tuesday
Plan for the Day: Arrive at Disney World; Check in at Boardwalk; Visit the Magic Kingdom; Perhaps Appetizers at Top of the World Lounge
The Reality:
We were up at 4 a.m. which is when we typically get up for a workday so no extreme hardship there. Gene’s brother is scheduled to pick us up at 5:30. We get ready; pack a few last minute things; and make sure the house is ready for our departure.
Gene’s brother picks us up on time and the drive into the airport is smooth and traffic free. There is a long line at the JetBlue check in counter but it moves quickly and we wait no more than 15-20 minutes to check our luggage. I’m also quite impressed with the level of customer service displayed at bag checkin. Kudos to JetBlue!
We had paid the extra money for earlier boarding and roomier seats which also has the perk of what is, essentially, an express line through security. Two additional security lines open just after our boarding passes and IDs are checked so we are quickly through this area.
When we checked our bags, we were informed there had been a gate change and we were provided with our newly assigned gate number. Just to be sure, we check that our flight is listed as leaving from the gate we were told. All is well.
Since we have 2 hours until our flight time, we stop into a restaurant for breakfast. Eggs and coffee on board, we make our way to our gate area. Around 45 minutes later, we board and quickly find our seats.
Takeoff is smooth and we’re told the flight will take around 2-1/2 hours. We actually land a little bit early. Since we’re seated in row 5, we are quickly off the plane and on our way to the luggage carousel.
It doesn’t take very long to board the monorail over to the main terminal and head downstairs. Along the way, we pass the long line of folks who are threading their way through security to get to the gates. We see those clutching a new Duffy, wearing newly purchased Mickey hand gloves, or hugging a stuffed Mickey Mouse. Their trip is over – ours is just beginning.
After we arrive at that location, it takes 5 minutes or more before the luggage begins spewing out. Wow! What a surprise! One of our bags pops out right away. We joke that the second, smaller bag will come out last…but, no, we have that one in hand just a few minutes later.
We take the elevator down one flight and cross the street to the Thrifty rental location. Our car is ready for us. We have a Toyota Corolla. We drive Toyotas at home – though not this model – but the setup is close enough that we are quite familiar with it.
Before we arrived, I opened a Sunpass Account and purchased the mini transponder. It needs to stick to the window of the car and will be destroyed when we remove it as we are returning the car but the transponder only costs $5 so it is worth the expense. We would have gotten the reusable transponder which costs $25 except that my research indicates that Florida is working on a way to be compatible with the system we use at home and that transponder is free. We would need 5 trips to equal the cost and, hopefully, by that time, the systems will be in sync and we won’t need two separate accounts or transponders.
We are quickly on our way. We don’t know if our room will be ready when we arrive. We decide to stop at Publix along the way but to only get those things that will not need refrigeration. The Publix stop takes no more than 10-15 minutes.
A short while later, we are pulling into Boardwalk. Gene stayed with the car while I went in to register. Our room was not available. Disney has instituted a new system for room charges that requires that you set up a pin code which must be entered to complete transactions. I set up our pin code using a number that I know Gene will remember.
I return to the car. We find the parking lot and park the car taking our those items we don’t wish to leave behind. We’re both hungry by now so decide to head over to the ESPN Club for some lunch We are quickly seated but our table is so wobbly that we ask to moved to another, more stable table.
Gene has a burger and I have pulled pork. While we are dining, we can see it getting darker and darker out of doors. Just as we are finishing our meal, I get a text saying I should check with the front desk staff regarding our room. As we start to leave, we realize we would be walking into a downpour! Instead, we walk into the shop, wander around, and hang out there until the rain lets up.
With the sun shining once again, we walk over to Boardwalk and check with the front desk. We are in room 2001 – on the same floor as the reception desk. What a long walk to our room! Our room is about as far away from the reception desk as is possible while remaining in the same resort! We are up against the wall for Jellyrolls!
Still, we have a lovely view over Boardwalk and can see the Beach Club and Spaceship Earth across from us. This one bedroom has a floor plan that is very similar to the Beach Club where we stayed last year but is seems far more spacious than those accommodations. We, for sure, have more floor space than we did in the Beach Club.
While checking out our room, the rain comes in again – it’s pouring! We wait it out and, when this latest shower passes, we head out to the car and drag our luggage and supplies back with us. I thought it might require two trips but we are able to bring it all along in one.
We unpack and put everything away. That done, we decide to head over to the Magic Kingdom. Down to the bus stop we go. We only wait a few minutes before the bus we want arrives and on we go. Then, of course, we need to stop at both the Swan and Dolphin before we are finally on our way to the Magic Kingdom.
It’s around 5:15 when we arrive. We have annual pass vouchers we need to activate. Plus, I need to purchase a Tables in Wonderland card. Annual pass holders are not being provided with the wristbands but, instead, we receive rather generic looking plastic cards. The expiration date is not encoded on the card but the cast member writes the expiration date on the back with a sharpie – wonder how long that will last?
We are able to enter the park via one of the new turnstile machines. That was easy. The Magic Kingdom is extremely busy!! Everything has long waits. We head to Pirates of the Caribbean – standby wait time is 30 minutes. Only one side is open with the other marked as being for Fastpass +. When we get down the boat loading dock (on the left lane), though some folks are being directed to a line along the left, we are directed around the corner to merge with the right lane and end up boarding on that side.
Leaving there, we walk over to the Haunted Mansion. Surprisingly, this is a walk-on though we are required to walk through the cemetery section as the other side is being reserved for Fastpass +. No-one is paying any attention to all the new things they built on the cemetery scene side. Like us, everyone is just walking on through.
From there, we head over to It’s A Small World – wait time 15 minutes. This attraction also has a Fastpass + lane set up. When we exit this ride, we leave the park. In 2 hours, we’ve gotten on three rides. It’s not even 7:30 yet and folks are already reserving spots for the Main Street Electrical Parade which will not step off until 9:00 p.m.!!
We hop on the boat and head over to the Grand Floridian. I head over to Basin and select a supply of bath bombs – my main motivation for coming over here. As I head out of the store, the band is just beginning to play a set. We decide to have a drink in Mizner’s while we listen to them. Once our drink is finished, we head to the monorail platform and ride the one stop to the Magic Kingdom. I did want to get through this area before the electrical parade was finished and managed to succeed at this.
Our bus arrived within a few minutes but, now, we were the first stop to get off. We went to the bakery and selected a couple of cupcakes. On to the general store where we got some orange juice and half and half. Illuminations started while we were in the store. Despite the long walk to our room, we were able to arrive quickly enough to discover that we have a wonderful view of many of the fireworks from Illuminations!!
We hung out on our balcony for a while which is not very deep but quite long with entrances from both the living area and the bedroom. We also have four chairs and a small table on the balcony. We didn’t linger overly long – it had been a very long day!
Still, I went in and filled the tub and used one of my bath bombs before lowering my head unto very uncomfortable pillows!!
Who: Gene & Me
Today: August 20, 2013 - Tuesday
Plan for the Day: Arrive at Disney World; Check in at Boardwalk; Visit the Magic Kingdom; Perhaps Appetizers at Top of the World Lounge
The Reality:
We were up at 4 a.m. which is when we typically get up for a workday so no extreme hardship there. Gene’s brother is scheduled to pick us up at 5:30. We get ready; pack a few last minute things; and make sure the house is ready for our departure.
Gene’s brother picks us up on time and the drive into the airport is smooth and traffic free. There is a long line at the JetBlue check in counter but it moves quickly and we wait no more than 15-20 minutes to check our luggage. I’m also quite impressed with the level of customer service displayed at bag checkin. Kudos to JetBlue!
We had paid the extra money for earlier boarding and roomier seats which also has the perk of what is, essentially, an express line through security. Two additional security lines open just after our boarding passes and IDs are checked so we are quickly through this area.
When we checked our bags, we were informed there had been a gate change and we were provided with our newly assigned gate number. Just to be sure, we check that our flight is listed as leaving from the gate we were told. All is well.
Since we have 2 hours until our flight time, we stop into a restaurant for breakfast. Eggs and coffee on board, we make our way to our gate area. Around 45 minutes later, we board and quickly find our seats.
Takeoff is smooth and we’re told the flight will take around 2-1/2 hours. We actually land a little bit early. Since we’re seated in row 5, we are quickly off the plane and on our way to the luggage carousel.
It doesn’t take very long to board the monorail over to the main terminal and head downstairs. Along the way, we pass the long line of folks who are threading their way through security to get to the gates. We see those clutching a new Duffy, wearing newly purchased Mickey hand gloves, or hugging a stuffed Mickey Mouse. Their trip is over – ours is just beginning.
After we arrive at that location, it takes 5 minutes or more before the luggage begins spewing out. Wow! What a surprise! One of our bags pops out right away. We joke that the second, smaller bag will come out last…but, no, we have that one in hand just a few minutes later.
We take the elevator down one flight and cross the street to the Thrifty rental location. Our car is ready for us. We have a Toyota Corolla. We drive Toyotas at home – though not this model – but the setup is close enough that we are quite familiar with it.
Before we arrived, I opened a Sunpass Account and purchased the mini transponder. It needs to stick to the window of the car and will be destroyed when we remove it as we are returning the car but the transponder only costs $5 so it is worth the expense. We would have gotten the reusable transponder which costs $25 except that my research indicates that Florida is working on a way to be compatible with the system we use at home and that transponder is free. We would need 5 trips to equal the cost and, hopefully, by that time, the systems will be in sync and we won’t need two separate accounts or transponders.
We are quickly on our way. We don’t know if our room will be ready when we arrive. We decide to stop at Publix along the way but to only get those things that will not need refrigeration. The Publix stop takes no more than 10-15 minutes.
A short while later, we are pulling into Boardwalk. Gene stayed with the car while I went in to register. Our room was not available. Disney has instituted a new system for room charges that requires that you set up a pin code which must be entered to complete transactions. I set up our pin code using a number that I know Gene will remember.
I return to the car. We find the parking lot and park the car taking our those items we don’t wish to leave behind. We’re both hungry by now so decide to head over to the ESPN Club for some lunch We are quickly seated but our table is so wobbly that we ask to moved to another, more stable table.
Gene has a burger and I have pulled pork. While we are dining, we can see it getting darker and darker out of doors. Just as we are finishing our meal, I get a text saying I should check with the front desk staff regarding our room. As we start to leave, we realize we would be walking into a downpour! Instead, we walk into the shop, wander around, and hang out there until the rain lets up.
With the sun shining once again, we walk over to Boardwalk and check with the front desk. We are in room 2001 – on the same floor as the reception desk. What a long walk to our room! Our room is about as far away from the reception desk as is possible while remaining in the same resort! We are up against the wall for Jellyrolls!
Still, we have a lovely view over Boardwalk and can see the Beach Club and Spaceship Earth across from us. This one bedroom has a floor plan that is very similar to the Beach Club where we stayed last year but is seems far more spacious than those accommodations. We, for sure, have more floor space than we did in the Beach Club.
While checking out our room, the rain comes in again – it’s pouring! We wait it out and, when this latest shower passes, we head out to the car and drag our luggage and supplies back with us. I thought it might require two trips but we are able to bring it all along in one.
We unpack and put everything away. That done, we decide to head over to the Magic Kingdom. Down to the bus stop we go. We only wait a few minutes before the bus we want arrives and on we go. Then, of course, we need to stop at both the Swan and Dolphin before we are finally on our way to the Magic Kingdom.
It’s around 5:15 when we arrive. We have annual pass vouchers we need to activate. Plus, I need to purchase a Tables in Wonderland card. Annual pass holders are not being provided with the wristbands but, instead, we receive rather generic looking plastic cards. The expiration date is not encoded on the card but the cast member writes the expiration date on the back with a sharpie – wonder how long that will last?
We are able to enter the park via one of the new turnstile machines. That was easy. The Magic Kingdom is extremely busy!! Everything has long waits. We head to Pirates of the Caribbean – standby wait time is 30 minutes. Only one side is open with the other marked as being for Fastpass +. When we get down the boat loading dock (on the left lane), though some folks are being directed to a line along the left, we are directed around the corner to merge with the right lane and end up boarding on that side.
Leaving there, we walk over to the Haunted Mansion. Surprisingly, this is a walk-on though we are required to walk through the cemetery section as the other side is being reserved for Fastpass +. No-one is paying any attention to all the new things they built on the cemetery scene side. Like us, everyone is just walking on through.
From there, we head over to It’s A Small World – wait time 15 minutes. This attraction also has a Fastpass + lane set up. When we exit this ride, we leave the park. In 2 hours, we’ve gotten on three rides. It’s not even 7:30 yet and folks are already reserving spots for the Main Street Electrical Parade which will not step off until 9:00 p.m.!!
We hop on the boat and head over to the Grand Floridian. I head over to Basin and select a supply of bath bombs – my main motivation for coming over here. As I head out of the store, the band is just beginning to play a set. We decide to have a drink in Mizner’s while we listen to them. Once our drink is finished, we head to the monorail platform and ride the one stop to the Magic Kingdom. I did want to get through this area before the electrical parade was finished and managed to succeed at this.
Our bus arrived within a few minutes but, now, we were the first stop to get off. We went to the bakery and selected a couple of cupcakes. On to the general store where we got some orange juice and half and half. Illuminations started while we were in the store. Despite the long walk to our room, we were able to arrive quickly enough to discover that we have a wonderful view of many of the fireworks from Illuminations!!
We hung out on our balcony for a while which is not very deep but quite long with entrances from both the living area and the bedroom. We also have four chairs and a small table on the balcony. We didn’t linger overly long – it had been a very long day!
Still, I went in and filled the tub and used one of my bath bombs before lowering my head unto very uncomfortable pillows!!