TimNDansMom
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 23, 2000
Three weeks ago, Dh bought a car down in Fort Lauderdale, over Ebay and said why don't we both fly down and pick up the car and stop for a day at Disney! How could I refuse an offer like that? Then he suggested that I get off in Orlando while he flies on to Fort Lauderdale to get the car and then drives back up to meet me. That means a whole day and a half at Disney, for me!
I booked our one-way flights online through Southwest Airlines, also hotels in Buffalo for the night before the flight, 2 nights at the Comfort Inn Lake Buena Vista and one night in Knoxville, Tenn for our stop on the way home. The flight and the Buffalo hotel were good practice for my October trip, too!
Our trip was actually supposed to be a week ago but I had to switch everything to this past Thursday because the paperwork for the car wasn't ready. I was on pins and needles that it still wouldn't be ready but at last we got the word to "come on down!"
We finally got away around 9:30pm Wednesday for an uneventful drive to Buffalo. The Quality Inn Airport was quite nice and very quiet. We would park our car there while we were away, pick it up on the way home and I would drive it.
The next morning we caught the hotel's "on demand" shuttle over to the airport and were dropped off at the SWA door about an hour and a half before our 7:30am flight. I was aiming for 2 hours but Dh insisted on stopping for the KK donuts and coffee the hotel offered. I was far too nervous and excited to want to eat anything!
I had a carry-on and we were checking one bag. The check-in process was very quick and the security check thorough but moved right along. Before I knew it we were waiting in the lounge by the gate. I was somewhat concerned as there was a "weather advisory" notice for the connecting flights from Orlando.
There was coffee and snacks available nearby but I still couldn't eat anything. We boarded the plane on time and finally departed about 10 minutes late, but arrived in Orlando early. SWA served cookies and a beverage during the flight.
We deplaned in Orlando and Dh went to a kiosk and got his boarding pass for his connecting Ft. Lauderdale flight. There was an announcement about the weather advisory because of a tropical low in southern Florida but so far the flight was still on time. Dh's flight finally took off about 25 minutes late and I watched as it banked quite steeply to turn away from the dark and ominous clouds in the distance. I found out later that although they flew mainly through clouds, it was clear and sunny when they arrived in Ft. Lauderdale.
It had started to rain and I decided that I would take the Lynx bus #42 that went from the airport to Orlando Premium Outlet Mall. I didn't realize that it was an hour and a half ride but I saw parts of Orlando I hadn't seen before and discovered where the Florida Mall was. At OPOM, I looked around in my favourite shops, stopping for my usual Tazo Chai at Starbucks and a snack. I bought a pin on clearance at the Character Warehouse which I immediately traded for a pin I had been looking for on the lanyard of a CM that worked there. Dh phoned me around 1:30 to say that he was at the dealer and just starting all the paperwork for the car. I was pleasantly surprised that he had no problems getting there.
Since I had stayed longer at the airport than planned and gone on my "bus tour" from the airport to the outlets, I was quickly running out of time. I still wanted to go over to the Poly and Grand Floridian and then Downtown Disney for a bit, so I decided to take a taxi over to my hotel. Dh thought he might get into Orlando around 6 or 7 but wanted to go over to his favourite golf store, Edwin Watts so I wasn't sure when we would meet up.
I got checked in quickly and decided to take the hotel's shuttle over to the TTC and catch the Monorail over to the Poly. My plan was to have dinner at Kona Café if it wasn't busy. When I arrived the resort was very quiet and the restaurant all but empty. I hadn't eaten much all day and decided their roasted chicken dinner sounded perfect and it was! They served delicious bread with it and I was so full that I didn't have room for one of their gourmet desserts. I sat near the window and looked out on the beautiful tropical garden outside and couldn't believe that I was actually there.
Afterwards, I caught the monorail over to the Grand Floridian. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw another DISer, "Ray Sharpton", in another car, but I didn't have time to get over to say "hi" and introduce myself to him. I recognized him from the DIScon pics and his famous red, white and blue shirt. After a quick stop at the GF to listen to the Grand Pianist and Jazz Band play, I caught the bus to DTD. It was a good 45 minutes before a bus did come and the driver apologized. I did have a very nice conversation with a young woman from Oregon who was there with a big convention, so all was not lost.
I walked from one end of DTD to the other, stopping in World of Disney and a few other favourite shops. It was a beautiful night and I hated to leave but I knew Dh would be getting to the hotel soon so I headed back. I also called the kids back at home to see how things were and was dismayed to find out about the power outage. I hadn't heard any news up to this point and was shocked to hear this! They were doing okay so far and I knew neighbours and friends would help out if need be. I have walked a few times from DTD to the Comfort Inn LBV, in the past and knew it would take me about half an hour. At least this time I didn't have a heavy carry-on like I did on my famous March Break Bus Trip!
I hadn't been in my room long when the phone rang and it was security asking if I was expecting my husband! Maybe they thought I was running away from him or something! LOL! I saw him drive in with his new car and went down to look it over. We decided to go over to the hotels bar for a night cap and I phoned the kids again. Fortunately, the power was only out about 6 hours in our area so I was greatly relieved! It had been a long day and I slept soundly that night with that good news back home.
The next morning I dragged Dh out of bed and we had a nice hotel buffet breakfast before driving over to Magic Kingdom. I think I pinched myself a dozen times that day because I couldnt believe I was there. I was so happy for the opportunity to go on BTMRR since it would be down for rehab during my October trip. We went on Splash Mountain twice, the second time in the front row and got a great picture. Its the first time Ive been able to do that on that ride and I actually kept my eyes open for most of the plunge at the end! I also bought a Splash pin to commemorate my achievement. At Dhs request we went around on the Transit Authority and the Walt Disney Railroad twice each. We did Space Mountain with FastPass, Haunted Mansion, Swiss Family Treehouse, Tiki Birds, stopped for a Dole Whip and I also squeezed in a Mickey Bar after lunch at the Starlight Café. There was a thunderstorm in the afternoon and we spent it standing in the entrance to the Winnie the Pooh shop.
I wanted to send off some email postcards from Innoventions at EPCOT and Dh wanted to see if we could get on RnR over at MGM, so after seeing the Share a Dream Come True Parade on the way out, we hopped the Monorail. I had heard that Spaceship Earth was going to be changed at some point so the first thing we did was go on that. Dh wanted to check out Test Track but there was a 45 minute wait in the Single Riders Line!! He really just wanted to check out the cars and trucks in the showroom anyway. I debated going over to check out Mission: Space since it was opening day but because we were on a tight schedule to get back to MK for Spectromagic plus fit in dinner, I decided to forego that. We exited EPCOT through the International Gateway and had a nice boat ride over to MGM. Unfortunately, RnR had a 55 minute wait so we just took a couple of pics and caught the EPCOT bus, then the Monorail back to MK.
We ended up back at the Starlight Café for dinner (couldnt get enough of Sonny Eclipse!
) and went to find a place along the parade route for Spectromagic. I had wanted to go on POTC but overheard someone on the Monorail saying that they had stopped by 3 times that day and it was closed and I never did get over to check for myself. The parade was as wonderful as ever and so was FITS. As we took the ferry back over to the TTC, I still couldnt believe that I had just spent the day at MK!
We left Orlando early Saturday morning and stopped in Knoxville for the night. We took the I-75 home but at Cincinnati, switched over to I-71 heading toward Cleaveland and then got onto the I-90 for Buffalo to pick up the other car. Other than a couple of construction slowdowns and some rain showers around Atlanta, we had no problems on the drive home. We were even surprised that we got through customs so quickly with the new car.
I am now exhausted but happy that I had this unexpected quick trip to Disney! Would I do it again ..in an instant! It was simply Magical!!
I booked our one-way flights online through Southwest Airlines, also hotels in Buffalo for the night before the flight, 2 nights at the Comfort Inn Lake Buena Vista and one night in Knoxville, Tenn for our stop on the way home. The flight and the Buffalo hotel were good practice for my October trip, too!
Our trip was actually supposed to be a week ago but I had to switch everything to this past Thursday because the paperwork for the car wasn't ready. I was on pins and needles that it still wouldn't be ready but at last we got the word to "come on down!"
We finally got away around 9:30pm Wednesday for an uneventful drive to Buffalo. The Quality Inn Airport was quite nice and very quiet. We would park our car there while we were away, pick it up on the way home and I would drive it.
The next morning we caught the hotel's "on demand" shuttle over to the airport and were dropped off at the SWA door about an hour and a half before our 7:30am flight. I was aiming for 2 hours but Dh insisted on stopping for the KK donuts and coffee the hotel offered. I was far too nervous and excited to want to eat anything!
I had a carry-on and we were checking one bag. The check-in process was very quick and the security check thorough but moved right along. Before I knew it we were waiting in the lounge by the gate. I was somewhat concerned as there was a "weather advisory" notice for the connecting flights from Orlando.
There was coffee and snacks available nearby but I still couldn't eat anything. We boarded the plane on time and finally departed about 10 minutes late, but arrived in Orlando early. SWA served cookies and a beverage during the flight.
We deplaned in Orlando and Dh went to a kiosk and got his boarding pass for his connecting Ft. Lauderdale flight. There was an announcement about the weather advisory because of a tropical low in southern Florida but so far the flight was still on time. Dh's flight finally took off about 25 minutes late and I watched as it banked quite steeply to turn away from the dark and ominous clouds in the distance. I found out later that although they flew mainly through clouds, it was clear and sunny when they arrived in Ft. Lauderdale.
It had started to rain and I decided that I would take the Lynx bus #42 that went from the airport to Orlando Premium Outlet Mall. I didn't realize that it was an hour and a half ride but I saw parts of Orlando I hadn't seen before and discovered where the Florida Mall was. At OPOM, I looked around in my favourite shops, stopping for my usual Tazo Chai at Starbucks and a snack. I bought a pin on clearance at the Character Warehouse which I immediately traded for a pin I had been looking for on the lanyard of a CM that worked there. Dh phoned me around 1:30 to say that he was at the dealer and just starting all the paperwork for the car. I was pleasantly surprised that he had no problems getting there.
Since I had stayed longer at the airport than planned and gone on my "bus tour" from the airport to the outlets, I was quickly running out of time. I still wanted to go over to the Poly and Grand Floridian and then Downtown Disney for a bit, so I decided to take a taxi over to my hotel. Dh thought he might get into Orlando around 6 or 7 but wanted to go over to his favourite golf store, Edwin Watts so I wasn't sure when we would meet up.
I got checked in quickly and decided to take the hotel's shuttle over to the TTC and catch the Monorail over to the Poly. My plan was to have dinner at Kona Café if it wasn't busy. When I arrived the resort was very quiet and the restaurant all but empty. I hadn't eaten much all day and decided their roasted chicken dinner sounded perfect and it was! They served delicious bread with it and I was so full that I didn't have room for one of their gourmet desserts. I sat near the window and looked out on the beautiful tropical garden outside and couldn't believe that I was actually there.
Afterwards, I caught the monorail over to the Grand Floridian. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw another DISer, "Ray Sharpton", in another car, but I didn't have time to get over to say "hi" and introduce myself to him. I recognized him from the DIScon pics and his famous red, white and blue shirt. After a quick stop at the GF to listen to the Grand Pianist and Jazz Band play, I caught the bus to DTD. It was a good 45 minutes before a bus did come and the driver apologized. I did have a very nice conversation with a young woman from Oregon who was there with a big convention, so all was not lost.
I walked from one end of DTD to the other, stopping in World of Disney and a few other favourite shops. It was a beautiful night and I hated to leave but I knew Dh would be getting to the hotel soon so I headed back. I also called the kids back at home to see how things were and was dismayed to find out about the power outage. I hadn't heard any news up to this point and was shocked to hear this! They were doing okay so far and I knew neighbours and friends would help out if need be. I have walked a few times from DTD to the Comfort Inn LBV, in the past and knew it would take me about half an hour. At least this time I didn't have a heavy carry-on like I did on my famous March Break Bus Trip!
I hadn't been in my room long when the phone rang and it was security asking if I was expecting my husband! Maybe they thought I was running away from him or something! LOL! I saw him drive in with his new car and went down to look it over. We decided to go over to the hotels bar for a night cap and I phoned the kids again. Fortunately, the power was only out about 6 hours in our area so I was greatly relieved! It had been a long day and I slept soundly that night with that good news back home.
The next morning I dragged Dh out of bed and we had a nice hotel buffet breakfast before driving over to Magic Kingdom. I think I pinched myself a dozen times that day because I couldnt believe I was there. I was so happy for the opportunity to go on BTMRR since it would be down for rehab during my October trip. We went on Splash Mountain twice, the second time in the front row and got a great picture. Its the first time Ive been able to do that on that ride and I actually kept my eyes open for most of the plunge at the end! I also bought a Splash pin to commemorate my achievement. At Dhs request we went around on the Transit Authority and the Walt Disney Railroad twice each. We did Space Mountain with FastPass, Haunted Mansion, Swiss Family Treehouse, Tiki Birds, stopped for a Dole Whip and I also squeezed in a Mickey Bar after lunch at the Starlight Café. There was a thunderstorm in the afternoon and we spent it standing in the entrance to the Winnie the Pooh shop.
I wanted to send off some email postcards from Innoventions at EPCOT and Dh wanted to see if we could get on RnR over at MGM, so after seeing the Share a Dream Come True Parade on the way out, we hopped the Monorail. I had heard that Spaceship Earth was going to be changed at some point so the first thing we did was go on that. Dh wanted to check out Test Track but there was a 45 minute wait in the Single Riders Line!! He really just wanted to check out the cars and trucks in the showroom anyway. I debated going over to check out Mission: Space since it was opening day but because we were on a tight schedule to get back to MK for Spectromagic plus fit in dinner, I decided to forego that. We exited EPCOT through the International Gateway and had a nice boat ride over to MGM. Unfortunately, RnR had a 55 minute wait so we just took a couple of pics and caught the EPCOT bus, then the Monorail back to MK.
We ended up back at the Starlight Café for dinner (couldnt get enough of Sonny Eclipse!
) and went to find a place along the parade route for Spectromagic. I had wanted to go on POTC but overheard someone on the Monorail saying that they had stopped by 3 times that day and it was closed and I never did get over to check for myself. The parade was as wonderful as ever and so was FITS. As we took the ferry back over to the TTC, I still couldnt believe that I had just spent the day at MK!We left Orlando early Saturday morning and stopped in Knoxville for the night. We took the I-75 home but at Cincinnati, switched over to I-71 heading toward Cleaveland and then got onto the I-90 for Buffalo to pick up the other car. Other than a couple of construction slowdowns and some rain showers around Atlanta, we had no problems on the drive home. We were even surprised that we got through customs so quickly with the new car.
I am now exhausted but happy that I had this unexpected quick trip to Disney! Would I do it again ..in an instant! It was simply Magical!!
Was it hard to stay for such a short time? I know even when I went for 11 days, it still wasn't enough time. 
