Another sneak peek at the next part of the trip report!
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Sunday, April 29, 2012
An Evening at Epcot - March Trip Report pt 3
So for our first night at Walt Disney World, we decided to visit Epcot. Because we had missed our lunch reservation at Whispering Canyon Cafe (boo), we went straight to the Land pavilion for a late lunch at Sunshine Seasons (yeah!). Sunshine Seasons has to be one of my favorite quick-service options in all of Walt Disney World. There are so many amazing options, ranging from Asian to American to sandwiches, and also vegetarian options. Since this was our first meal, we had forgotten that we were allowed a desert each, so Grams had to go back and pick out four deserts for us to share! Check out the amazing menu here!
After Living with the Land, it was time to get out and explore more of Epcot. Payton immediately led us to the Imagination Pavilion, so we took a ride on Journey Into the Imagination with Figment. This ride gets a lot of criticism, but I have to say, it's still a really fun ride and the boys loved it! We played a bit in the pavilion afterward, and the boys had a green screen photo taken. Then it was on to Captain EO. Nothing like some classic Michael Jackson to keep our energy up!
After Turtle Talk, we knew we had just about had it for the night, so we tried to go ride Ellen's Energy Adventure. On the way, we stopped at Club Cool to sample sodas from around the world. Now understand, Payton was dragging at this point. But after a few cups of Coke, especially the soda from Japan that we renamed "Japanese Juice," he had a sparkle in his eye again! We found out that Ellen's was closed for the night, and the Test Track line was still too long, so we looked around in MouseGears and then decided we couldn't last until our Soarin fast pass time. We headed toward the front of the park and took a spin on Spaceship Earth before heading back to the resort.
Once we made it back to Coronado Springs, we stopped in the main building to pick up our refillable mugs and grab a quick snack, then it was on to our room for a bite and bed. Everyone was sound asleep the minute their head hit the pillow!Next post...Animal Kingdom Day!!
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Monday, April 23, 2012
Happy 10th Birthday Payton!
Monday, April 16, 2012
March Trip Report pt2
Sunday, March 4, 2012
As you read in the first part of our trip report, we weren't going on much sleep for our first vacation day. After a rough night at the hotel in St. Louis, we were on the shuttle heading for the airport. It was pretty cold that morning, and thankfully, the guys in baggage check for Southwest are super friendly and super quick! They got us inside and into the security lines quickly. Now three of us had flown before, but it was Ari's first time on a plane. He was super excited and had lots of questions as we went through the security area and into the terminal. He couldn't wait to walk through the metal detector! Once inside, the boys had to have breakfast at the airport, so we picked up some goodies from Dunkin Donuts and mom was able to get some coffee. Before we knew it, it was our time to board. We ended up near the back of the plane and I got to sit with the boys, since I'm the official technology wrangler on this trip. Thankfully, mom was able to sit right behind us. With Southwest, you don't have assigned seating, just a boarding number, so it's really first come first serve. We boarded in the B group, which isn't usually too bad, but this time there were several large groups with small children, and they get to board between groups A & B.
So take-off went very smoothly, and the boys decided to watch some Power Rangers episodes on the netbook, giving me some time with headphones and a good book on my Hp TouchPad. Later on, they thought it would be fun to trade seats, so Payton got to enjoy the window also. Our flight was pretty bumpy a few times, which always makes me nervous! As we were nearing Orlando International Airport, Ari started saying, "We're dropping, Aunt Mendy, we're dropping!!" I tried my hardest to convince him to say that we were coming in for a landing, but he insisted on his version.
After we exited the plane, our first big adventure was finding a bathroom that wasn't completely packed with people! Once that was taken care of, we rode the shuttle to the main building and headed to luggage claim. We did not use the Magical Express luggage service for this trip, as mom wanted to make sure the luggage made it in early enough in case we opted to turn in early, since we all were bound to crash sooner rather than later (again, see previous post!). Apparently everyone else on our flight did use the service, because the minute we reached the Southwest baggage claim, out came our bags! It was the fasted I'd ever seen bags come off a plane. Now the unfortunate part about flying Southwest and not using the luggage service is that you pick up your bags on the lower level of A, then you have to go back up and cross the airport, then make your way to the farthest point on the lower level of B. It was quite a haul, and we had some unfortunate issues with getting on elevators. It's amazing how many people no longer have basic manners (if someone is there before you, let them on first).
When we finally made it to Magical Express, we checked in and got into our first line of the vacation. Thankfully the Coronado Springs line wasn't terribly long, but we still waited a good 45 minutes for a bus. Once our luggage was loaded under the bus, we found comfy seats near a video screen and away we went to Walt Disney World. The boys were just humming with excitement as we rode toward the resort. We went directly to Coronado Springs and proceeded to check-in. It was super busy! I so wished that I had done online check in! Needless to say, we were there for a little while before finally getting our room assignment and key to the world cards. We were given room 3357 in the Casitas. The room was beautiful, and the courtyards we had passed on our way were fantastic! It was absolutely peaceful and lovely. The boys had hoped we would be near the main pool, but as it was, we were close to one of the quiet pools, and close to Bus Stop 2, so the grown-ups were happy! We settled in, put our clothes away, and then decided it was time to head on to Epcot. We had missed our late lunch reservation time for Whispering Canyon Cafe, so we opted to wait and eat in Epcot.
Please leave comments or questions below. I love hearing from you!!
As you read in the first part of our trip report, we weren't going on much sleep for our first vacation day. After a rough night at the hotel in St. Louis, we were on the shuttle heading for the airport. It was pretty cold that morning, and thankfully, the guys in baggage check for Southwest are super friendly and super quick! They got us inside and into the security lines quickly. Now three of us had flown before, but it was Ari's first time on a plane. He was super excited and had lots of questions as we went through the security area and into the terminal. He couldn't wait to walk through the metal detector! Once inside, the boys had to have breakfast at the airport, so we picked up some goodies from Dunkin Donuts and mom was able to get some coffee. Before we knew it, it was our time to board. We ended up near the back of the plane and I got to sit with the boys, since I'm the official technology wrangler on this trip. Thankfully, mom was able to sit right behind us. With Southwest, you don't have assigned seating, just a boarding number, so it's really first come first serve. We boarded in the B group, which isn't usually too bad, but this time there were several large groups with small children, and they get to board between groups A & B.
So take-off went very smoothly, and the boys decided to watch some Power Rangers episodes on the netbook, giving me some time with headphones and a good book on my Hp TouchPad. Later on, they thought it would be fun to trade seats, so Payton got to enjoy the window also. Our flight was pretty bumpy a few times, which always makes me nervous! As we were nearing Orlando International Airport, Ari started saying, "We're dropping, Aunt Mendy, we're dropping!!" I tried my hardest to convince him to say that we were coming in for a landing, but he insisted on his version.
After we exited the plane, our first big adventure was finding a bathroom that wasn't completely packed with people! Once that was taken care of, we rode the shuttle to the main building and headed to luggage claim. We did not use the Magical Express luggage service for this trip, as mom wanted to make sure the luggage made it in early enough in case we opted to turn in early, since we all were bound to crash sooner rather than later (again, see previous post!). Apparently everyone else on our flight did use the service, because the minute we reached the Southwest baggage claim, out came our bags! It was the fasted I'd ever seen bags come off a plane. Now the unfortunate part about flying Southwest and not using the luggage service is that you pick up your bags on the lower level of A, then you have to go back up and cross the airport, then make your way to the farthest point on the lower level of B. It was quite a haul, and we had some unfortunate issues with getting on elevators. It's amazing how many people no longer have basic manners (if someone is there before you, let them on first).
When we finally made it to Magical Express, we checked in and got into our first line of the vacation. Thankfully the Coronado Springs line wasn't terribly long, but we still waited a good 45 minutes for a bus. Once our luggage was loaded under the bus, we found comfy seats near a video screen and away we went to Walt Disney World. The boys were just humming with excitement as we rode toward the resort. We went directly to Coronado Springs and proceeded to check-in. It was super busy! I so wished that I had done online check in! Needless to say, we were there for a little while before finally getting our room assignment and key to the world cards. We were given room 3357 in the Casitas. The room was beautiful, and the courtyards we had passed on our way were fantastic! It was absolutely peaceful and lovely. The boys had hoped we would be near the main pool, but as it was, we were close to one of the quiet pools, and close to Bus Stop 2, so the grown-ups were happy! We settled in, put our clothes away, and then decided it was time to head on to Epcot. We had missed our late lunch reservation time for Whispering Canyon Cafe, so we opted to wait and eat in Epcot.
Next post: our very tired first night in Epcot!
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Wordless Wednesday 4/4
As a sneak peek into my next trip report post, a look at the beautiful fountain at Coronado Springs!
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Well, you can probably guess...
Well, everyone, you can probably guess that I was able to get my to do list done, seeing as it's been a month since I posted and the trip has come and gone. Life got crazy busy both before and after the trip, as life tends to do, so now it's time for me to make amends and finish talking about trip preparations and move on with the trip report!
As of my last post, I had a short list of to-do's, which included getting t-shirts made (didn't do it), prepping the first aid kit (got that one done), putting together pre- & post-entertainment (which I did, but not how I had planned...gotta love downloading episodes of The Power Rangers from YouTube onto the netbook at the last possible second!!), customizing touring plans (didn't do it, but did use what they had a few times on the trip), and picking up the little extras (do Star Wars fruit chews count?). Needless to say, the things that got done were helpful, and the ones that didn't really didn't matter in the end.
I was packing up until the very last moment when it was time for the hubs to take Payton & I over to my mom's house! And we were short an outfit, but I figured we would buy some shirts to wear home.
We headed to Mom's on Saturday, March 3rd around 11 a.m., arriving about noon. After quick goodbye's, Mom, my nephew Ari, Payton & I all loaded up in her vehicle and headed to Marion, IL. We picked up a few things that we had forgotten and grabbed a quick bite at McAlister's Deli. Then it was on the interstate for us, heading toward St. Louis. Mom drove until we got close to St. Louis, then it was my turn to take over. Now mind you, I'm not a big fan of driving in the big city, but I mentally prepared myself for it and away we went. Of course, right away we missed the exit that our MapQuest print out had told us to take. Mom began to panic a bit, but I just kept looking at the signs and saying, "As long as we keep heading for I70 West, we are fine. It all comes out together eventually." And it did. Now finding our hotel was a bit tricky. We found our exit with no problems whatsoever, but once we turned off the interstate, we couldn't see it. Well, the Hilton Garden Inn happens to be down in a hole! That's right, if you don't know exactly where to look, you might miss it, because as big as this hotel is, it appears to be down in a large hole on one side of the road. We couldn't even see it until we turned the vehicle around! Once there, we checked in and parked the car. They have a very nice park and fly option, so the car stayed in their parking lot while we were in Disney.
The hotel was beautiful, and we had a very nice room. Unfortunately, it was not what we had requested. If you ever stay at the Hilton Garden Inn near the St. Louis, MO airport, be sure that they give you what you requested. We ended up with a room with a queen bed and a pull out sofa. Now normally I would have gone back up to the front desk to ask about the room change, but the boys were so excited and just wanted to get in the pool, so we let it go. MISTAKE! We had thought that the sofa bed would work for the boys, but it was so horribly uncomfortable that there was no way they could sleep in it together. Figured this out around 11:30 that night.
So back to the fun parts. The pool and hot tub area was really nice and we spent a couple of hours there. Then we ordered room service from the restaurant on-site and had a really great meal. We tried to get to bed fairly early since we had an early flight out the next morning, but it just wasn't meant to be. Not only was the sofa bed super uncomfortable, we also had seriously noisy neighbors. Nothing like trying to get two excited little boys to sleep when there is screaming and fighting next door, and teenagers making a lot of noise in the halls. Around midnight I actually went into the hallway and asked them to stop, but it didn't help. I sent Ari to sleep with my mom in the bed and sat in the chair trying to help Payton get to sleep. He finally crashed around 1 a.m. and in desperation, I pulled out the sofa cushions and made myself a tiny bed in the floor, getting maybe two hours of sleep before the 5 a.m. wake up call.
Mom and I got everything together before waking up the boys, then we headed to the lobby to catch our shuttle to the airport (which we nearly missed). On our way out, mom stopped the manager on duty to tell him about our room and our neighbors. He was very nice and told her he would take care of it. In the end, they never charged me for that stay. Probably simply because of that action, I would consider staying at the Hilton Garden Inn again in the future. But next time, I will demand to have my two queen beds!
Next blog, our flight and our first Disney day!
As of my last post, I had a short list of to-do's, which included getting t-shirts made (didn't do it), prepping the first aid kit (got that one done), putting together pre- & post-entertainment (which I did, but not how I had planned...gotta love downloading episodes of The Power Rangers from YouTube onto the netbook at the last possible second!!), customizing touring plans (didn't do it, but did use what they had a few times on the trip), and picking up the little extras (do Star Wars fruit chews count?). Needless to say, the things that got done were helpful, and the ones that didn't really didn't matter in the end.
I was packing up until the very last moment when it was time for the hubs to take Payton & I over to my mom's house! And we were short an outfit, but I figured we would buy some shirts to wear home.
 |
| Hilton website photo |
The hotel was beautiful, and we had a very nice room. Unfortunately, it was not what we had requested. If you ever stay at the Hilton Garden Inn near the St. Louis, MO airport, be sure that they give you what you requested. We ended up with a room with a queen bed and a pull out sofa. Now normally I would have gone back up to the front desk to ask about the room change, but the boys were so excited and just wanted to get in the pool, so we let it go. MISTAKE! We had thought that the sofa bed would work for the boys, but it was so horribly uncomfortable that there was no way they could sleep in it together. Figured this out around 11:30 that night. 
So back to the fun parts. The pool and hot tub area was really nice and we spent a couple of hours there. Then we ordered room service from the restaurant on-site and had a really great meal. We tried to get to bed fairly early since we had an early flight out the next morning, but it just wasn't meant to be. Not only was the sofa bed super uncomfortable, we also had seriously noisy neighbors. Nothing like trying to get two excited little boys to sleep when there is screaming and fighting next door, and teenagers making a lot of noise in the halls. Around midnight I actually went into the hallway and asked them to stop, but it didn't help. I sent Ari to sleep with my mom in the bed and sat in the chair trying to help Payton get to sleep. He finally crashed around 1 a.m. and in desperation, I pulled out the sofa cushions and made myself a tiny bed in the floor, getting maybe two hours of sleep before the 5 a.m. wake up call. 
Mom and I got everything together before waking up the boys, then we headed to the lobby to catch our shuttle to the airport (which we nearly missed). On our way out, mom stopped the manager on duty to tell him about our room and our neighbors. He was very nice and told her he would take care of it. In the end, they never charged me for that stay. Probably simply because of that action, I would consider staying at the Hilton Garden Inn again in the future. But next time, I will demand to have my two queen beds!
Next blog, our flight and our first Disney day!
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